Blue Angel

by V-Pony

Rating: teen
Tags: Rainbow Dash, Comedy, Profanity, Scootaloo, Adventure, Violence, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Death, Romance, Original Character, Trixie
Length: 752471

A Blue Angels pilot is saved from a fiery crash by a most unexpected savior

The Blue Angels: the greatest stunt pilot group on or above Earth. When one of their recruits is involved in a horrible mid-flight accident, the last thing he ever expected was being saved by a blue angel of his own...

^------------Inspired by this epic pic by johnjoseco.deviantart.com

WARNING: This story contains quite a bit of Applied and Theoretical Physics, so just a heads up! ^^;

Also contains strong language/suggestive content when appropriate
MAY become mature later on depending on reader feedback...which I do greatly appreciate and welcome :)

Further Story-related information may be found here:http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/92839

Song Playlist (warning, may contain spoilers!) :
Blue Angel Playlist

Blue Angel now has a TVTropes Page!

Published 2012-03-26 04:34:02 UTC
Last updated 2018-07-24 01:02:12 UTC

Inseptium Nova-Pt 4: Trix Are For Kids...

September 12th, The Gilded Griffon...Midnight...

"Friends are the angels that lift us up when our wings have forgotten how to fly..."

-Source Unknown

“Whoa, Trixie!?” Bon-Bon cried in shock at the arrival of the enraged magician; she hadn’t been seen in town in over a year and of all the places for her to show up, it just had to be her place of business! “What in the hay’s going on?”

Trixie stomped into the restaurant with an abject fury evident on her face, so much so that the siblings Ray and Jill involuntarily dove under the table across the aisle before the blue Unicorn’s vision could adjust to the darkened room. As she did so, Volare struggled to turn his head to see what the hell was going on, but he couldn’t move. Luckily, Vinyl had the presence of mind to lift his face off the dusty floor and try to pull him into the relative safety of her booth along with Octavia, who made it a point to grab her teacup before she ducked down too. As the DJ sat him up, he was finally able to take in the fury of the self-proclaimed greatest magician in Equestria.

“I’m looking for two cohorts of mine, so you’d all better just stay the hell out of this!” Trixie snarled. “Ray, Jill, I followed your stink here, so where the buck did you go, huh?!” Trixie growled. The pupils of her eyes were dilated in a crazed manner, and the muscles of her face were twitching ever so often as she scanned the room, breath coming in short angry snorts as she did so. To just about anypony in the room, the normally composed showmare seemed completely out of her mind. As Volare had learned about himself on accident, any pony could be a force to be reckoned with when they were this angry and unhinged…unfortunately for them all, Trixie wasn’t exactly a garden-variety Unicorn; she was head and shoulders above everypony else in the room combined save for Ray and Jill, and this made the situation tedious, to say the least.

“Well, you can’t just come in here and start breaking stuff, no matter how mad you-jeez!" Lyra began before Trixie shot a blast of red sparks past her ear, causing her to duck into the nearest booth and Bon-Bon to jump behind the bar. Whoa, when did she learn how to do that?!

“Buck off!” the Unicorn shouted, returning back to searching for the Unicorn siblings who’d robbed her blind.

“Ray, what do we do?” Jill hissed in worry. “Blast her?”

“No, we can’t right now,” her brother replied. “The Boss said not to cause a scene and if we do that, there’ll be questions…and then we’ll need to cause another scene to get outta town. In short, if we don’t get caught by the Guard or attacked by the Element Holders, the Boss’ll skin us alive for blowing our cover.”

“Come out you little thieves!” Trixie bellowed, kicking over a chair in anger.

“So what do we do, Ray!?” The green-maned female cried.

“I-I dunno, just stay down, sis!” her brother shook his head.

“Hey, she’s pissed at you guys!” Volare shouted at the two hiding siblings. “Show yourselves already and stop her!”

“Buck you, man!” Ray growled. “We’re just healers; whatcha want us to do?!”

“Bullshit!” the Pegasus shot back.

“I’m gonna tear this place apart until I find you two!” Trixie shrieked and tossed a stool over into the next aisle as she got closer. “I’ll teach you to poison me, steal my money, and leave me lost in the woods. ‘Oh yes, great Trixie, those berries are safe’-steaming roadapples!” she ranted and kicked a table over, spittle flying from her mouth as she spoke. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through!? I had no food, no water, and got chased by Timberwolves for two days! I had to eat bloody pinecones to survive! I swear to Celestia, I’ll show you the pain of eating those things by cramming a few dozen right up your”-

“Look, if all you’re going to do is break stuff, I’m gonna have to ask you to”- Bon-Bon interrupted before ducking down as Trixie picked up a potted plant with her magic and hurled it at the Earth Pony, shattering ceramic and dirt all over the bar. Volare had seen about enough of this crap! He wasn’t about to defend the two ponies who’d tried to murder him twice now, but if they weren’t going to own up, he certainly wasn’t about to sit by and watch Bon-Bon and Lyra’s restaurant get trashed like this! And if Trixie already had a beef against them, he had an idea of how he could kill a few birds with one stone…

“Hey Trixie!” Volare shouted, drawing the attention of the furious Unicorn. “How about I tell you where your ‘friends’ are, you do what you gotta do outside, and leave us out of this! We’ve got no quarrel with you yet, and I think we’d all like to keep it that way. So whadya say?” To his surprise, the expression of anger on Trixie’s face changed…but what it changed to really worried him.

“Hmm, an interesting proposition,” the magician’s mouth curled into a smile as she stopped less than six feet away from the Pegasus to consider his proposal. “Where are those two?”

“Don’t you dare!” Ray hissed angrily at Volare, but he had no pity on his attempted murderers and probably kidnappers if Trixie hadn’t broken the door down. “Our Boss will”-

“To hell with your ‘boss’, whether it be Trixie or somepony else; this has got nothing to do with us here,” Volare spat and nodded towards the pair with his head. “They’re right under there, Trixie. Now take them and get lost already!”

“Heh-heh, thank you…what was your name?” Trixie gave him a predatory grin.

“Volare,” Jill growled, the name stopping the blue Unicorn in her tracks and causing her to stare at Jill in disbelief. “Yeah, that’s right. The very Pegasus from Earth we’ve been tracking all this time for you. Didn’t you want to catch him so you could learn Earth’s secrets from him?” At her words, the magician smirked at the pilot in pleasantly surprised mirth.

“Jill, shut it!” Ray snapped before catching his sister’s hoof in the eye. “You’re gonna blow it,” he rubbed his face and whispered into her ear from behind bared teeth.

“We’re already screwed,” Jill hissed back. “I’m making a distraction to get us outta here. If she takes him, she’ll be to blame, not us! As soon as she leaves town, we’ll burn her to cinders and then we’ll take the human to the Boss. No loose ends.”

“Aha, I get it now,” Ray nodded and smiled, looking back up at Trixie. “Yeah, that’s right, Trixie. There he is right in front of you! So, you don’t need us anymore, right? We’re not worth your time now! So go get him yourself and take the glory!” He insisted with the largest used-car-salesman grin he could possibly muster.

“You know, that’s probably the smartest thing that’s ever passed out of your stench-filled mouth, Ray,” Trixie smiled nastily. “You’re right; I don’t need you two anymore…but don’t think this is over! When I find out the secrets of Earth’s magicians and become the most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria, be sure that I’ll have more money than I'll know what to do with...but more importantly, know that I'll find you,” she loomed over the two siblings. “And when I do…I’ll have my revenge on you little sneak-thieves. You can be sure of that!” And with that, she grabbed the table with her magic and crashed it down upon the siblings before they had a chance to move, leaving them somewhat stunned and rather compacted. She then turned back to Volare and Co.

“Ahem, now then,” the magician said with a bit more self-control, though from this distance, the group of ponies could see that the pupils of her eyes were very dilated and it seemed that every other muscle in her face was experiencing the tics. “Volare, you’ve got knowledge that I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, deserve to have in order to be the best! So, you’re going to come with me; we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” she announced with a leer.

“What knowledge do you want, huh?” Volare asked as he tried to scoot further into the booth, but only managed to fall backwards against Vinyl’s shoulder. “Why don’t you just ask me right here?”

“Hrm, never thought of that,” Trixie mused for a moment before shaking her head. “But if these fools hear the secrets of Earth’s greatest magicians, then I won’t be at an advantage, now will I? Nope, you’re coming with me right now,” her horn began to glow and Volare felt that same sort of tingling feeling surrounding his body like when Twilight and Lyra had carried him with their magic. But instead of feeling warm, this felt cold; ice cold and unfriendly.

“Wait a sec, Trixie!” the Pegasus protested as he felt himself jerked out of Vinyl’s hooves and hovered over the others before being pulled closer to the blue magician. At the same time, Trixie shoved Vinyl backwards over the seat and into the next booth, landing on Octavia’s cello-case with a loud bass-toned crash, leaving the DJ stunned. “You’re making a huge mistake!”

“Oh, how so?” the Unicorn grinned as magical ropes shot from her horn and wrapped tightly around the Pegasus, pinning his wings and hooves close to his body and constricting his chest’s ability to fully expand and breathe. Dammit, now he really couldn’t move! “Are you saying I don’t know what I’m doing?!” she snapped as the ropes tied themselves in intricate knots before she began to hover him towards the door.

“No, not like that at all!” Volare insisted with wide, sincere eyes. “I don’t know who the hell told you about Earth’s magicians, but you’re badly misinformed! The truth is, there is no real-mmmppphh!!” the Pegasus tried to shout through the cloth gag that had poofed out of midair and muzzled him, but it was no use! This crazy bitch was seriously just going to walk on outta here with him, there was no telling what the hell she was planning on doing, and there was nothing he could do about it!!!

Lyra looked out from around the booth and assessed the situation, making a rough calculation of the distance between herself and the front door before making eye contact with the DJ who was rubbing her aching forehead with a groan.

“Vinyl, ready to do something stupid?” Lyra grinned, harkening back to the older days when she and the DJ had done…well, stupid things. Vinyl caught her nod towards the high-stepping magician and returned the grin with one of her own before reaching for her saddle-bags.

“Ready when you are, LH!”

“Follow my lead!” the green Unicorn winked before galloping into the kitchen as fast as her hooves would carry her.

“H-hey, bring him back here this instant!” Bon-Bon shouted over the bar, but barely dodged another blast of red sparks from Trixie that shattered a large number of liquor bottles lining the wall. When the hell did she get so good?! Bon-Bon muttered to herself as she could only watch helplessly while their friend was hauled towards the door; they couldn’t hope to fight Trixie when she was enraged and focused like this!

“Heh, remember Jill,” Ray smirked as they crawled under the tables towards the back door of the building, intent on trailing Trixie out of town before finally shutting her ‘holier-than-thou’ mouth for good. “As soon as she gets into the open, we claim our prize.”

“And then it’ll be us making the demands, and not the Boss anymore, hee-hee,” his sister hoofed him in the shoulder as they neared the back door. But just as they and Trixie reached for their respective doors, a golden object surrounded in a light-green glow came whirling out of the kitchen, arced across the room with a strange humming noise, and caught Trixie completely by surprise, knocking her hat clean off her head across the room. The magician whirled in time to see the object boomerang back over the room and return to the hoof of the mint-green Unicorn crouched on top of the bar who’d thrown it in the first place. Lyra Heartstring’s golden eyes lit up as she caught the curved object, which in fact had been her own lyre she’d brought as an afterthought tonight.

“Aww darn, I missed,” she smirked as she as cocked her hoof back to hurl it again. “I was aiming for your face! Now drop Volare before I give it another go, Trixie!” Ray and Jill looked on in surprise before deciding that watching their haughty former employer getting her flank handed to her for a bit might be fairly entertaining, and they took a seat by the door to watch with amused grins.

"10 bits says Trixie gets embarrassed just like she deserves," Jill smirked, setting her bits down in front of her brother.

"Well, I say 15 bits on those four getting pulverized," Ray replied, plunking the money on the table and watching the action unfold.

“Green Freak!” the magician spat with a snarl. “How dare you assault the Great and Powerful”-

“Pffft, Great and Powerful, she says,” Lyra laughed loudly, drawing a questioning glance from Bon-Bon. “BB, get over near Volare,” she said out of the corner of her mouth.

“Are you crazy?!” The Earth Pony hissed back. “She’ll blast me through the wall before I even get close!”

“Not if she’s distracted,” Lyra winked. “Yeah, that’s right, you heard me, little mare blue!” the lyrist snickered at the flustered showmare, who’d completely turned to face the Unicorn she loathed nearly as much as Twilight Sparkle. “Come on, ya wannabe magician! You got anything in there besides balloon animals and sparks, or are ya all washed up and ready to retire to doing filly’s birthday parties?”

“Damn you, Lyra! I’ll show you just how Great and Powerful I’ve become!” Trixie shot a blast of brilliant blue sparks towards the green Unicorn, who coolly side-stepped them while grinning.

“Get going, Bon-Bon,” the golden eyed Unicorn whispered and looked across the aisle at Vinyl, who had finally found what she was looking for in her bag. The DJ gave Lyra a nod before sliding under the table and making her way towards the front door. “Octy, do something!” she called to the cellist, who’d popped out from under the table and was examining her teacup for cracks.

“Come now Lyra, you know a lady doesn’t get involved in such bafoonery,” she shook her grey-maned head matter-of-factly. "Besides, you seem to have the matter in hoof."

“Argh, gimme a break, Octy-whoa!” Lyra barely managed to dodge another blast of magic, this time white with yellow flames, that sizzled past her and crashed into the back wall, exploding more bottles in a shower of whiskey and bourbon.

“Agh, my good booze,” Bon-Bon whimpered to herself as she ducked down and snuck along the adjacent aisle, keeping her head down under the level of the booth-backs until she was even with the front door.

“Meh, it’s insured, right?” Lyra waved a hoof before cocking her hoof back, threatening to hurl her lyre again. “Hey Trixie!~”

“What!?” the infuriated Unicorn shouted back, not sure why she was even engaging in banter with her foe in the first place.

“Missed me again, bitch!” Lyra stuck her tongue out and blew a loud raspberry, completely distracting the magician who sat Volare down in a booth and gathered her magical energy over her horn in preparation of blasting Lyra to kingdom come! Over the past year, Trixie had devoted herself to learning a little more than just stage magic, and this particular trick was a spell she’d taken the past year to learn, and as far as destruction magic went, it was the one of the most powerful she knew. It wasn’t nearly on the same level as Twilight’s magic, but then again, neither was Lyra Heartstrings; being as powerful as her number one rival wouldn’t be necessary to win tonight!

“Dodge this!” Trixie roared and unleashed a bright blue ball of energy from her horn that crackled with lightning as it flew through the air, flaring her tattered cape behind her, and sending unlit candles and objects flying from the walls as it neared Lyra.

“Oh buck…” the mint-green Unicorn groaned; she might have pushed Trixie just a little too far. Lyra dove to the side just as the spell struck the spot where she’d been standing, exploding in a blast of lightning and heat that blew a sizeable chunk out of the oak wood bar and scorched the tip of Lyra’s tail. “Whew, that was too close,” she muttered as she leaned up on her elbows and shot an infuriating grin towards Trixie, who was breathing rather hard in exertion. “You need to work on your aim there, dead-eye!”

“Oh to Tartarus with all of you!” the magician threw her head back in frustration and turned back to the door…but somepony was standing there and blocking her way: it was Vinyl Scratch, and she’d had the presence of mind to slam the door shut and throw the large wooden latch across the lock to slow Trixie down. “Get out of the way, fool, before I make you part of the door!”

“Can’t let ya do that, Trix,” the DJ grinned, holding something behind her back in a hoof. “Volare’s our pal, and you’d better let him go, or else.”

“Or else what?” the blue magician spat. “You gonna stop me all by yourself?”

“Not exactly,” Vinyl smiled cheekily and produced the object she’d been hiding from behind her back: it was her speaker box. Volare had enough time to see what was about to happen before toppling back into the booth and doing his best to shield his ears in the seat cushion. Lyra and Octavia quickly followed suit. “Say hello to my little friend!”

“Little friend?” Trixie cocked her head at the sight of the small box, not knowing enough about it to realize that the volume dial had been cranked to 11. “Who’s your little friend, huh?” she demanded.

“Eddie…Eddie Van Halen,” Vinyl dropped her shades over her eyes and tapped the black sphere hanging around her neck before reaching for the little red switch on the box and playing one of the songs that Volare had allowed her to record that evening.

“Who the buck is Eddie Van-AGH!!!! SWEET CELESTIA IN HEAVEN!!!!” Trixie squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked as the blast of notes from Eruption cascaded on top of her, knocking her back into the restaurant and causing numerous light fixtures around her to spontaneously combust under the tsunami of Eddie’s legendary guitarwork. “Make it stop, make it stop!” the magician shouted, blindly shooting magic in pain and anger in an attempt to end that cacophony of noise!

"YAHAHAHAHA!!! Eat rock n roll, sucka!" Vinyl Scratch laughed maniacally, the sound somehow carrying over the sounds of shredding guitar, the sparks from the popping light fixtures reflecting in her shades as if she were back on the stage in some rave, blowing minds left and right. Oh well, better do my best to entertain my audience of one, she thought as she twisted the volume dial past 11, nearly breaking it off in her hoof and causing Trixie to redouble her efforts to stop the noise and preserve her ear drums and sanity.

"You crazy bitch!!" Trixie shrieked, sparks flying wildly every which way as she fired off spell after spell in what she believed to be the general direction of the front door, the occasional spell smashing through the front windows and igniting bushes that lined the street in the process. This was absolutely insane!

“Bon-Bon, now!” Lyra shouted to her friend. The Earth Pony reached a hoof over the edge of the booth, grabbed the ropes binding Volare, and yanked him over onto her side before carrying him quickly towards the bar while Trixie was stunned by the sound. Bon-Bon groaned in misery, watching helplessly as the sounds blasting from Vinyl’s speaker box proceeded to send airborne anything not bolted to the floor. As she reached the bar with Volare in tow, she pulled the gag from his mouth and proceeded to fiddle with the ropes, but the knots were well-tied and very tight!

"Holy shit, when did you guys learn how to do this stuff?!" Volare couldn't help letting the question escape his mouth, and Bon-Bon regarded him with a strange look before returning to the knots.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover, honey," she smiled and gnawed at a knot. "We can be tough when we're fighting for our friends...just wish we didn't have to be this damn tough," she bemoaned the loss of her good liquor for another moment before the music abruptly ceased in an explosion of static, leaving the air ringing with the sound of sudden silence as Trixie connected with a lucky spell, blasting the speakerbox out of Vinyl's hooves and up into the rafters.

"Aww man, that thing's expensive, Trix-ow, lemme go!!" Vinyl swung her hooves as Trixie grabbed the DJ by the mane with her magic and lifted her into the air, glaring into her eyes in rage with her own dilated, glassy ones.

"Not as expensive as the surgery is going to be to put your face back together, you damned-AGH!" Trixie dropped Vinyl and grabbed the back of her head in pain as Lyra's lyre went zipping across the room and finally found its mark. Vinyl Scratch scrambled to her hooves and galloped towards the back of the restaurant, vaulting over the bar when she reached it and shooting Volare a crooked grin before peeping back over the bar.

"I've had about enough of this damn thing!" Trixie roared as she snatched the spinning lyre out of mid-air before turning to face its owner. "C'mere, Green Freak, and I'll show ya a place to put this where the sun won't shine!"

"Uh-oh" Lyra muttered before giving Trixie an awkward wave and leaping behind the relative safety of the bar, where the other four ponies save Octavia were huddled, barely escaping her own lyre which whirled over her head and clattered into the kitchen.

"Haha, ready to lose your bet, sis?" Ray snickered, shoving Jill in the shoulder as she pounded the table with a hoof.

"Come on Trixie, I got money riding on this, ya useless magician!" Jill shouted before ducking the sparks the blue Unicorn sent her way.

"Shut it, Jill-wait, is that my money you've got there?!" Trixie snarled. "Well, no matter; I'll take it out of your worthless hides when I become the most powerful uni-"

"Yeah, yeah, save it," Vinyl tossed a dish at the magician, hitting her in the hoof and making her hop in pain. "Oh crap!" A fresh barrage of spells rained down around the bar as Trixie flew into an even greater rage, firing magic with wild abandon all over the back wall of the building.

"What the hell's gotten into her?!" Volare managed to shout; he didn't remember Trixie being this damn psychotic in the show!

"I dunno, she's fighting like a madpony possessed!" Lyra replied, peeping over the bar and grimacing as the magician blasted a table to splinters in anger.

"Or like she's totally whacked out of her mind," Vinyl mused before a possibility occurred to her...Trixie's eyes were...oh buck... "Hey Ray, Jill! You two still alive out there?" she called out.

"Yeah, what about it, ya idiot DJ?" Jill shouted back in a belittling tone.

"Trixie said you guys tried to poison her! What the hay was she-dammit-talking about-jeez!" Vinyl covered her head and shielded Volare's sprawled form as a large liquor bottle above them shattered.

"Oh, that," the green-maned mared laughed. "It wasn't anything special; just a little something to keep her wandering in the woods longer and make her an easier target for wild animals, heh-heh."

"What was it, you crazy bitch?!" the DJ demanded with worry; that glassy look in Trixie's eyes had sent a shudder through her bones...and she'd seen it before.

"Just a little nightshade we mixed into her coffee," Jill replied, chuckling as Trixie started tearing apart the menus sitting on the tables, filling the air with shredded paper. Somehow, throughout all this, Octavia was remaining relatively calm, and had even poured herself another cup of tea not ten feet away from the raging Unicorn magician.

"What kinda coffee!?" Vinyl cried, thoroughly confusing everypony else. "What in the burning hay was in the coffee, you idiot?!"

"Uh, sassafras root, why? What's the big deal?" Ray called back, causing Vinyl to groan extremely loudly.

"You gotta be bucking kidding me, man!" the DJ shouted and buried her face in her hooves for a moment before Volare spoke up.

"Vinyl, what's up? What's wrong?" the blue-maned Unicorn lifted her shades, revealing eyes filled with dread. "Vinyl?"

"Come outta there!" Trixie roared, throwing the menus over the bar in an explosion of paper that filled the air like the dust of some distant battlefield.

"Ok, don't ask me how I know or anything," the DJ began with a sheepish grin. "But I've seen that glassy, detached look in ponies' faces at my concerts, and...well..."

"Oh, spit it out already Vinyl!" Bon-Bon cried, damning herself as she hurled flatware at Trixie; at least those wouldn't break. It wasn't until the magician began catching the forks and spoons that she realized she'd just given their foe ammunition. "Uh-oh..."

"Ok, nightshade is a hallucinogen and sassafras is a hell of an upper when cooked, and they just dropped some of all of that into her coffee," Vinyl explained as Trixie gathered the flatware into a large cloud of incoming pain.

"So what're you saying; that Trixie is basically coked up and literally outta her mind?!" Volare cried in shock.

"Ecstasied up, to be more exact...but like I said, not that I know in person, ya hear?" Vinyl shook her head.

"You stupid bastards!!!" Volare shouted at Ray and Jill as he finally caught sight of the flatware cloud floating above the magician. "You've just murdered all of us!!!" And with that, Trixie launched the forks and spoons all over the bar like a rain of arrows, forcing the four ponies behind it to press against the wooden bar for protection as the sharp tableware pierced the remaining glass bottles and picture frames behind the bar, sending even more glass flying every which way. But as the metal rain finally ceased and they all realized that they were still alive somehow, the sight of them peeping over the bar to see where Trixie had gone only managed to enrage the magician even further.

"Argh, you cowards!!!" Trixie grabbed Volare's wheelchair and hefted it above her head with her magic, grinning like a crazed maniac. "If you won't come out, then stay where you are so I can crush you!!" Thinking quickly, Bon-Bon scrambled into the kitchen, grabbing for the nearest weighty object to throw at the magician while she was pre-occupied; that nearest object turned out to be her precious floor broom. With a heavy sigh and a gentle caress of its burnt bristles, she turned with determination, took aim, and hurled the broom handle-first through the air like a javelin.

Straight across the restaurant the broomstick flew, aimed dead at the maddened Trixie's chest. But just as Bon-Bon was sure it would strike her, the magician caught sight of it and merely plucked it out of the air with her magic, tossing it onto the nearest table with a snort of something like boredom. "That was a good try, Bon-Bon, but you never were very good at this sort of thing...now die!!" And with that, she hurled the wheelchair over the bar, forcing its shelterers to scatter; Vinyl to the left, Lyra holding Volare diving to the right and landing right in the line of sight of Trixie.

"Well, that looks to be a wrap, Jill," Ray smirked.

"Meh, screw you," his sister grumbled and slid her bits over as Trixie grabbed Volare, re-gagged him when he tried to bite her, and hoisted her onto her back without hesitation, heading for the door with a triumphant grin and ignoring the shouts of dismay and protest from the ponies behind her. It wasn't until Vinyl hurled a parting gift-another plate-that struck the magician right in the flank and caused her to jump in a mortified fashion so that Trixie finally turned and regarded her foes with a cold glare.

"When next you see me, you'll think twice before tangling with me, you fools!" she sneered. "But for now, cower and await my return like the slime you are, for I am Great and Powerful," she turned towards the door. "And you are nothing in comparison." She fired a final spell blindly over her shoulder as she headed for the door...but that would turn out to be a fateful mistake as the lone sound of shattering china emanated from the table at which Octavia was seated.

Everypony save Trixie turned and beheld Octavia holding the broken remains of her favorite teacup in her shaking hoof. The shaking ceased as she gripped the still-intact handle tighter and tighter until it too shattered into dust. The cellist shook the table as she slammed her hoof down in anger and stood upright with a low growl directed towards the retreating Trixie. "Uh-oh," Vinyl muttered as she saw her friend's stance and heard her growl; a noise completely counter to anything Volare had thought could ever come out of the cellist's mouth.

"What's 'uh-oh'?" Bon-Bon called from the kitchen doorway. "What could possibly be a bigger 'uh-oh' than what's happening here, Vinyl!?" It was then that she too noticed Octavia's stance: hooves akimbo, breath coming in short, angry snorts, her attention focused completely on Trixie.

"If there's something I've learned about Octy in the years we've lived together, it's that you never interrupt her tea," the DJ explained with a small shudder. "I did one time...and it didn't end well...and I didn't even come close to touching her favorite teacup. And our dear 'friend' Trixie just blew it to pieces." As she spoke, Octavia, as upset as she obviously was, still managed to compose herself enough to reach over the edge of her booth and unlock her cello case, pulling a dark object from it. Sometimes, all it took was a single grain of sand to tip the scale...and start a long-restrained avalanche. "Jeez, everypony, you guys might wanna get down...and I don't mean dance..."

As Trixie reached the front door and gave a short laugh of triumph, a long, narrow piece of wood and steel whistled past her hoof and buried itself in the door latch, pinning the door firmly shut as evidenced by the magician's futile attempts to tug it open. She regarded the object coldly only to realize that it was a cello bow! She turned to berate the pony who'd dared to do such a thing but paused when she caught sight of the pair of lavender eyes shining in the semi-darkness of the restaurant; they smoldered with a barely-contained anger that sent a chill down even the self-righteous magician's spine. Even so, she wasn't about to back down that easily; besides, with the front door stuck, she'd have to go for the back door...right past the incensed cellist.

"Oh, what, now you're in on the act?!" Trixie laughed haughtily as she strode towards the grey mare, setting Volare down as she did so. "Just who in the hoof do you think you are, huh?" She was so fixated on her new foe that she didn't even notice Lyra sneak down the aisle and snatch Volare with a barely suppressed chuckle of yoink, carrying him back to the bar with a cat-that-stole-the-canary-grin on her face. Octavia noticed and gave the smallest of smiles before returning her fierce gaze to Trixie.

"My name is Octavia Melody," she said slowly, reaching back into her cello case with both hooves. "You threatened my friends and blew up my teacup," she growled as she pulled two more cello bows from the case with a grin. "Prepare to die!" she snarled in a very un-ladylike fashion, gripping a cello bow in either hoof as she adopted a high-sixte/low septime stance, balancing on her back hooves as she did so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_lines_in_Fencing.png

"You've gotta be joking!" Trixie cried, looking for Volare only to see that he was gone again! "Oh come on, gimme a break!" Trixie spat in frustration.

"I think my bet's alive and well, Ray," Jill shoved her brother and leaned across the table to watch.

"Volare, are you alright?" Octavia glanced over her shoulder towards her friends.

"Yeah, I'm good!" he called back, the gag having been removed yet again.

"Kick her flank, Octy!!" Vinyl whooped and pumped her hoof wildly before smiling down at Volare. "Heh, my pal's a mare of many talents to say the least; I seriously doubt ol Trixie knows that she's facing off against the reigning fencing champ of Canterlot four years running right now," she snickered with anticipation.

"Volare, can I ask you a quick favor before I dispose of this rubbish," Octavia spoke up again, keeping an eye on the seething magician. She hadn't simply been sipping her tea this whole time; she'd been studying how Trixie fought, and as frustrated as the blue Unicorn was, if the cellist could keep calm and get in close, it might level the playing field...still, it was a longshot, and she knew it. "Would you be so kind as to give me some music worthy of a duel like this; I'd be much obliged."

"Is she serious?" Volare asked in surprise, receiving a light smack from Vinyl.

"Yeah, she is; she uses the music to focus and keep her rhythm," the DJ insisted. "She always plays music when she fences; it's like she draws strength from it, so play something! Anything!"

"Uh, right, right," the pilot nodded, focusing on the most-fitting piece of music his mind jumped to, and praying that in the chaos of the situation, Vinyl wouldn't ask any questions about any weird images she might see. "Coming right up, Octy!" The slightly-damaged speaker box sitting in the rafters crackled to life, spilling its music down onto the two combatants.

"Ah, thank you," Octavia nodded as the fast-paced orchestral music washed over her, calming her nerves and focusing her thoughts on the conflict at hoof; she intended to take down this madpony if it was the last thing she did! She raised her cello bows in a short salute... For my friends...for my teacup...for my honor! "En Garde, Trixie!" And with that, she bounded towards her opponent, cello bows flashing brightly in the moonlight that trickled through the front windows. Trixie sent a quick blast of sparks at her rapidly-closing opponent, but the cellist deftly side-stepped the blast, leaving her within spitting distance of her foe. In desperation, Trixie grabbed the only object she could find on such short notice to defend herself with, lifting it with her magic just in time to block the double strikes of Octavia's cello bows. Baring her teeth in a growl, the mage pushed back against the mare, knocking her back several feet before swinging her weapon in wild abandon, trying to smash the cellist's head in.

"Oh come on!" Bon-Bon moaned as she caught sight of what Trixie was using to defend herself: it was her good (slightly burnt but still good, dammit!) broom. "I swear Octavia, if you ruin my broom, so help me, I'll-mmmmph!!" she cried, her voice muffled by Lyra's hoof.

"Don't break her concentration, dammit!" Vinyl commanded, watching in awe as her friend bounded off of booths, tables, and chairs, using the strength that she'd built up over the years of lugging around her heavy cello. Throughout it all, her expression never wavered from the fierce grin rarely seen by anypony save Vinyl and those at the Canterlot fencing club. She was always attacking, never retreating, allowing the fury she had for her foe to drive Trixie backwards and into a corner of the room. The cellist rained down blow after blow onto the broom, threatening to crack it and break through Trixie's defenses. The Unicorn sensed this and in desperation, shot sparks onto the bristles of the broom, igniting it and shoving the burning brand towards Octavia's face.

"Hah, about a little fire, Octavia?" Trixie cackled, whirling the burning broom and setting the menu pieces that circled lazily through the air aflame, lending a rather hellish air to their fight. Octavia parried and riposted again and again, but it was clear that Trixie was beginning to realize that her attacks were following the rhythm of the music pouring down on them; not to mention that her defensive position in the corner combined with the drugs coursing through the Unicorn's system had lent her an unnatural energy that even Octavia's efficient hoofwork and strikes couldn't overcome. Even so, the grey cellist pushed the attack as her friends cheered her on, intent on ending this now, even past the point when one of her cello bows snapped, leaving her with only a single weapon.

She quickly retreated, feinting as she went, trying to goad Trixie away from the corner of the room. The bait worked, and the Unicorn followed, swinging the burning broom in wide strokes, the blistering heat singing Octavia's mane with every swing. With a cry of triumph, the magician suddenly smashed the broom downwards at the cellist, who barely had time to block the attack with her remaining cello bow. The impact shattered the bow and knocked her to her knees, sending her skidding away across the warped floorboards and stopping adjacent to her cello case once again.

"Hahahahaha! Once again, you see that I'm the greatest Unicorn there is and ever will be!" Trixie cackled as she moved in for the final stroke, the fire from the broom reflecting darkly in her wide, glassy eyes. To say that the terrifying sight of her would have made the Wicked Witch of the West crap her pants in sheer inadequacy might have been an understatement at this point. Octavia grimaced at the pain in her hooves and looked from the drug-addled magician to her friends, giving them a grim smile.

"Get out, all of you," the cellist coughed, reaching for her cello case as she rose to her hooves. "I'll hold her off while you run and get the authorities!"

"Fat chance, Octy!" Lyra shouted and ran into the kitchen, grabbing her bent-up lyre and a steel ladle nearly as long as her fore-leg. She bounded back into the room and stood side-by-side with the cellist, shooting her friend a confident smile before turning to face Trixie as well. "We ain't leavin' ya behind, pal!"

At this display of bravery, something welled up from deep within Volare, and a somewhat familiar feeling between his shoulder-blades and ribcage strained at the ropes binding him as he shouted encouragement to his friends. "You can do it, guys! Take it to her!!!"

"Right!" Octavia gave a determined nod and smiled as she threw open her cello case and hefted the large wooden instrument from inside of it. "Old friend," she murmured to the cello that she'd owned and played for nearly a two decades. She ran her hoof lovingly along the intricately-carved maple face of the stringed behemoth, reminiscing over the concerts she'd played it at, the friends she'd played it for...and now, the friends she'd use it for... "You've served me well, as you did my mother, and her mother before her...now serve me and my friends this one last time! Play your final symphony with honor!!" With a cry of fury, she hefted the heavy instrument onto her shoulder, gripping the neck in both hooves like a massive club as she charged Trixie, briefly stunning everypony in the room before Lyra came to her senses.

"Yaaaaa!!!" She hurled her lyre and brandished the ladle like a sword as she bounded forward as well, the weapons of the musicians and magician meeting in a great cacophony of sound and fury the likes of which Ponyville had never seen before!

"I hate to ask this," Volare shouted over the fracas on the other side of the bar as Bon-Bon fiddled with his restraints while Vinyl continued to shout encouragement. "But can this get any frickin' crazier?!"

Sugarcube Corner, Upper Loft...

"Hmmmmm-huh?" Pinkie Pie mumbled, having just slipped back off to sleep. But now, for some reason, her nose itched. As she yawned and reached up to rub her itchy muzzle, however, her forehoof began to twitch again. The pastry chef shot wide awake and stared at her hoof for a long, long moment, to the point that the itch on her her nose became so urgent she just had to make it her priority! But when she finally decided to scratch it, her hoof jerked again, nearly whacking herself in the face. "Whoa, that was-W-W-W-W-WHOAA!!!!" Pinkie cried in alarm as her whole body jerked and shook so violently that it quite literally tossing itself out of her bed with a loud thump!

"What the hay, Pinkie?" Scootaloo sat up in bed in alarm, looking down with sleepy eyes as the pink mare attempted to regain her hooves despite the twitching and shaking of her limbs. Once she finally did, she grinned sheepishly at the orange Pegasus filly and trotted to the window; something was drawing her towards it. And as she peeked through the blinds, she bore witness to one of the craziest things she'd seen in years (no small feat considering this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about here!).
Down the street, she could see the bushes outside of the Gilded Griffon Cafe ablaze with flames, the smoke curling up from them rising high into the moonlit sky. But that wasn't the crazy thing she saw, nor was it the distant pops and explosions of sparks that emanated from the building. Nope, it was the sight of what looked like a cello being blasted through the roof of the building in a great flash of blue and white light that rivaled Luna's moon in sheer brilliance for an instant.

Pinkie had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but sure enough, there on top of the roof was a cello, and if she listened hard enough, she could have sworn she heard the sounds of orchestral music mixed with Vinyl's wub style fading into the night. "Pinkie, what's up?" Scootaloo yawned hugely, as she tugged at the mare's puffy tail. Pinkie hastily closed the blinds and shot the filly another disarming smile before picking her up and setting her back on her bed.

"Now, Scoots, don't you worry," she crooned as she tucked the Pegasus back in. "It's just Auntie Pinkie's Senses getting a little wonky, that's all."

"What're they saying?" the filly asked, knowing full well the power of the Pinkie Sense wasn't one to be taken lightly.

"Well, have you ever had an urge for a midnight snack?"

"You're hungry?" Scootaloo cocked her head.

"Nope, but I am hankering for a midnight jog, so you just sit tight and I'll be back in two shakes," she shook her tail in emphasis with a giggle and headed for the door...the closet door to be exact.

"Hey, wait a second Pinkie," Scootaloo called as the mare opened the closet. "The exit door's that way," she pointed at the stairs.

"Silly filly, if I go that way, I'll wake everypony up," Pinkie grinned. "Now you just settle down for sleep and I'll see ya later, k?" And with that, she shut herself in the closet. Scootaloo sat there stunned for a beat before hopping out of bed and yanking the closet door open...but Pinkie was gone!

"Um, Pinkie?" the filly eyeballed the scant racks of clothes and stacks of empty cake delivery boxes, but the Element of Laughter was nowhere to be found; it was like she'd disappeared or something! "Dude, Pinkie, where'd you go?! Ugh, what a random pony!" Scootaloo shook her head in disbelief and yawned again. To hay with it...let Pinkie go and do...whatever the hay it was she needed to do... She climbed back into bed and began to drift off to sleep again, her last thoughts before entering dreamland of her big brother Volare, and how she hoped he was doing ok all alone in that dark, lonely hospital bed without her to keep him company...or keep his flank safe from the baddies...

Lyra groaned from her position upside down and underneath Octavia, staring dazedly at the hole that her friend's cello had made through the roof of the building as Trixie had snatched it from her grasp and magically blasted it through the ceiling, shattering Vinyl's speakerbox in a shower of sparks as well and ceasing the music. She'd then picked up Lyra and Octavia, tossing them bodily into the far corner of the room and knocking Bon-Bon and Vinyl onto their flanks in tangle of hooves and manes. "Hey Bon-Bon...remember how you wanted that skylight? Eh-heh-heh," Lyra mumbled woozily, trying to uncross her eyes. "Good try there, Octy."

"Oof, that didn't go as well as I'd hoped," the cellist shook the ringing from her ears, wanting to bemoan the loss of her beloved instrument, but knowing that now wasn't the time. "Where's Volare?!"

"Ugh, there," Bon-Bon pointed a hoof at the pilot being hauled away by the seemingly unstoppable force that was Trixie.

"Looks like I win," Ray chuckled. "Pay up, Jill!"

"Gah, fine," his sister grudgingly slid her small pile of bits over to Ray with a growl of disgust. "Jeez, took her long enough. We still stickin' to the plan?"

"Yep, as soon as she leaves town, Volare is ours, Trixie's dead, and nopony's the wiser."

"Heh, too bad we can't get the Boss to hire her; she's pretty tough," the mare observed.

"Meh, that's only cuz she's drugged six ways past Sunday," Ray snickered as he tossed his coins into his bit bag, appreciating the jingle they made as they hit the other coins. "In any case, the Boss doesn't have any use for mad-dogs, and neither do we."

"Lemme go ya crazy bitch!" Volare shouted, thrashing as best as he could in the magical grip of the magician, but Trixie had re-tightened the ropes with a vengeance and had hoisted him back onto her back, headed for the front door instead of the back door. "Listen to me, you're making a huge mistake here!"

"I'll have plenty to listen to later, cuz you're gonna have plenty to tell me, Volare!" He saw what Vinyl was saying about her eyes as she leered at him and threw her head back with a laugh at his fallen and battered friends. "You all fought well, but as you can see, you just couldn't best me. And the next time you see me, I'll truly be Great and Powerful!" With a mighty tug on Octavia's cello bow, she ripped it, along with the majority of the latch itself, clear off the door, clearing the last obstacle to her escape. But as she reached for the doorknob yet again, a light-hearted voice called out from the other side of the wooden portal.

"Knock-knock!" the voice giggled, stunning everypony who heard it, Volare most of all, as he'd been the one that had asked the fateful question: "could things get any crazier?"

"Um, hello?" Trixie recoiled slightly, a little confused.

"Silly filly, that's not how a knock-knock joke works!" the voice giggled again in amusement as its owner pushed on the other side of the door, causing it to slowly open with an ominous creeeeeaaaakk.

Famous last words, Volare...famous last words...

Lightning flashed behind the pink mare standing in the doorway, highlighting the huge grin she wore. Coupled with the fires from the bushes outside backlighting her, it made for a sight that nearly made Ray bolt out the backdoor in sheer terror if Jill hadn't grabbed him first. It was the Pink Menace! Even Trixie backed up a step or two as she took in this strange-looking pony she'd never seen before but was certain she'd heard of.

"Whoa, what the hay, is it supposed to rain tonight?" Pinkie broke the tension with her wide-eyed question aimed at the night sky behind her. "Derpy, what're you doing?"

"Ah, sorry Pinkie, but I'm just puttin' out the fire here!" the blonde Pegasus grinned sheepishly as she bounced on the rain cloud she was using to extinguish the flames outside.

"Oh, no problem then! See ya later, Derpy!" Pinkie waved cheerfully as she turned away from the small rainshower outside. "Oh, that Derpy Hooves, always causing mischief and-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Trixie stomped her hoof, fed up with the lack of respect this pink fool was showing her. "Don't you know who I am and that you're wasting my time by standing in my way, eh?"

"Oh, oopsie," Pinkie smiled and hopped inside, causing Trixie to back up even further. "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I guess you must be the Trixie I heard about."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie, if you please," the blue mage corrected her with a bounce of her stick-filled mane.

"Huh, well, you sure made a great and powerful mess here," Pinkie eyed the broken pottery, smashed tables, and general destruction that filled the normally well-kept cafe. "You guys must've had a heck of a party-oh heya Volare-bear!" she quipped in a friendly tone, finally noticing the blue and yellow Pegasus dangling over the head of the magician. "What's up, well, besides you of course, hee-hee!"

"Oh you know, the usual; getting in trouble and kidnapped," the Pegasus said off-hoofedly. For some reason, the mere presence of the Element of Laughter had caused him to relax quite a few degrees; somehow, he just felt like things were gonna be alright when she was around.

"Hrm, that's no good," Pinkie frowned. "Need some help?"

"That'd be nice!" Bon-Bon yelled from the back of the cafe, drawing a wide smile from Pinkie who waved a hoof as if she didn't realize that the room between the two mares wasn't halfway destroyed.

"Heya Bon-Bon! Is Trixie helping you guys redecorate?"

"Argh, get outta my way, you pink fool!" Trixie growled and stomped her hoof again.

"Whoa, you in a hurry or something, Great and Powerful Trixie?" Pinkie queried in an innocent tone that made the blue magician want to puke.

"Yes, very! Now move!"

"Why's that?" Pinkie cocked her head.

"Move it!" Trixie ordered, her horn glowingly threateningly.

"Answer my question first," Pinkie stood her ground. "Oh and you should say please when you ask somepony to move; it really helps avoid confrontations."

"Grrr," Trixie did nothing to hide the frustrated growl rolling from deep in her throat. "Alright fine, if you really must know, I’m taking Volare to where he’ll tell me all the secrets of Earth’s magicians, and then I’ll be the greatest of all time!" she replied with a self-righteous tone that only served to make Pinkie Pie burst into a new fit of laughter, thinking that was the funniest thing she'd heard all week. "W-what's so funny?! What're you laughing at? This isn't a joke, you heathen!" Trixie demanded.

"Hee-hee-hee, Volare-bear, didn't you say that real magic didn't exist on Earth?" the pink mare had to lean against the door frame as she continued to hitch in her breath past the lingering giggles that served only to fluster the magician even further.

"What?!" Trixie roared in confusion.

"Tried to, but she wouldn't listen," Volare shrugged as best as he could with the ropes in the way.

"What do you mean, no magic!? Tell me this instant!" the magician commanded, all pretense of keeping her composure fluttering out the window as she spoke.

"Pinkie watch out!" Vinyl Scratch called out in warning. "She's all hopped up on nightshade and pinecones!"

"Shut it, you!" Trixie turned and hurled a chair across the room at the DJ, but she was so flustered and her aim so off that Vinyl didn't even have to dodge the poorly-tossed projectile as it crashed to the floor in the opposite aisle. Trixie spat in disgust before turning back to face Pinkie...but she was gone! And so was Volare! AGAIN!!! "What in the bloody, bucking, burning hayseed?! Where'd that blue-eyed bafoon go?!" she stamped her hooves and shouted in anger so great that her face was turning the same shade as her purple eyes.
...............
"Wow, trouble just seems to stick to you like icing on a cupcake, Volare," Pinkie chuckled as she sat the Pegasus down on the roof of the restaurant. To their right was Octavia's cello; battered and a little worse for the wear, but still very much in one piece. From up here, Volare could really see just how bad a shape the roof was in, with missing shingles and woodwork everywhere, not to mention the giant, cello-shaped hole freshly smashed through it. He'd really have his work cut out for him if and when he ever got around to fixing this place...but that was later, this was now.

"Wha-huh-h-how the hell did we get up here!?" the Pegasus asked in shock as Pinkie deftly untied the knots that bound his hooves together. One moment he'd been hovering over Trixie, the next moment, his vision was full of pink cotton candy mane and when he blinked his eyes, they were up here! But Pinkie merely shooshed him with a friendly stroke of his mane that did more to calm him than she knew...or perhaps she did know...she was the Element of Laughter after all. "How did you-"

"Shhh," she placed a soft hoof on his lips and simply smiled as she tossed her mane in a nonchalant way. "Hee-hee, well you know what they say: it's just Pinkie being Pinkie, right?" She winked and finished untying the knots, freeing his hooves. "There, I'll bet that feels better, huh?" the party mare tilted her head as she observed Volare's uninjured and functional hooves. Hmm, that's interesting...

"Pinkie, that Trixie...she's not in her right mind," Volare explained as he rubbed his sore fore-hooves. "Please be careful if you go back down there; she really tough!"

"Now, now don't you worry about me," Pinkie gave him a quick embrace. "You just wait right here while I clean up this mess; just be ready to help soon, though, okay?" she smiled warmly and winked again.

"What, help?" Volare asked as Pinkie climbed down from the roof. "But I'm half-frickin paralyzed; how'm I'm supposed to help? Pinkie!" But she was already gone...that was, until he heard a series of surprised shouts coming through the hole in the roof. He crawled forward on the shingles and peered into the building's wrecked interior, watching as Pinkie Pie inexplicably reappeared out of the kitchen.
...............

"What the hoof?! How'd you do that?!" Trixie stared wide-eyed at the friendly-smiling pink pony as she came trotting out of the kitchen...a kitchen with no doors or windows save the one she just exited. "Explain!"

"Nopey-lopey," Pinkie shook her puffy-maned head and grinned. "Not unless you want a headache."

"Oh-ho, is that a threat?" Trixie eyed the pastry chef warily, not really regarding her as a threat just yet, but she'd already flawlessly pulled off a disappearing/reappearing act...

"Nope, more like a friendly warning," Pinkie quipped. "If I had some aspirin and ginger tea when I told you, it wouldn't be so bad, but since I don't"-

"SHUT UP!" the blue Unicorn roared, red sparks angrily spewing from her horn. "Now gimme back that Pegasus, if you know what's good for you!"

"Hmmmm..." Pinkie tapped her chin as if thinking it over for a good five seconds; Volare couldn't tell if it was all an act to frustrate Trixie further or if she was seriously contemplating giving him up, but he was glad when she finally decided...sorta. "How about we play a little game instead?" Pinkie smiled brightly.

"Jill..." Ray said out of the corner of his mouth, his hooves visibly shaking, and his eyes riveted on what was about to take place.

"Yeah?" Jill replied, feeling an inexplicable sensation of dread at the meeting of Trixie and Pinkie she just couldn't put her hoof on.

"If I say to run...don't ask questions...just make for the back door and don't look back." His grim tone brooked no argument, and Jill simply nodded her acknowledgment and turned her attention back to the matter at hoof.

"Oh, isn't that cute?" Trixie pretended to gag. "How about I blow you to pieces and I ask what's left where that damn Volare is, huh?! How's that grab ya?" To her utter surprise, instead of being intimidated or getting mad and hurling her own insults, Pinkie's grin simply widened and she adopted a slightly-lower four-hoofed stance that allowed her to quickly leap in any direction she needed to.

"Hee-hee-hee, you can try," Pinkie Pie smirked confidently, taking a quick moment to rub her itchy ear. "But my Pinkie Sense says otherwise..."

Notes: Well folks, I believe it's officially time to sound the shitstorm alarm:

I hope this and the next chapter make up for the rather over-inflated musical interlude of the last chapter ^^;;
Nother note: my basis on Trixie's seemingly over-powered behavior is based on cases of police trying to restrain people high on hallucinogens and stimulants...yeah, it ain't pretty...either way, remember that Trixie is not in her right mind here because of Ray and Jill, so don't hate her too terribly badly. Heh, she's probably gonna feel like hammered shit if she survives her encounter with Pinkie XD;

Inseptium Nova: Pt 5: The Great and Powerful Escape

September 12th, Post-Midnight...

Few of us are given the opportunity, even fewer the courage to sacrifice ourselves for the lives of our comrades. In daily life, even as in battle each one of us is mysteriously and irrevocably bound to our fellow man. And yet, it is only in death that the power of this bond is finally tested and proven. And who among us really knows how he might respond when the moment comes?
---"Courage Under Fire"...

Volare peered down through the hole in the roof and watched as the two combatants squared off with each other. His friends had no idea where he was, but they were certain that Pinkie had put him somewhere safe. In the meantime, the three musicians and Bon-Bon hunkered down behind the much-abused bar, peeping out and around it at the battle that was about to begin. Ray had half a mind to shout a warning to Trixie until he remembered all the times she’d made him kiss her hooves and grovel before her…yeah, he was gonna let her find out the hard way why he and the others in their organization gave the Element of Laughter so much respect. Just as he predicted she would, Trixie wasn’t taking her opponent seriously, and just like a martial artist who practices drunken boxing as a way to lull his opponents into a false sense of security, the same effect was being displayed in the haughty magician’s attitude.

“Hahahaha, ‘if you think you can’. I’ll leave you with no doubt,” Trixie scoffed at Pinkie as she took a step closer to her new foe. This fool of a pony obviously didn’t realize who she was dealing with, the magician thought to herself as she sized up the pastry chef. Pink poofy mane and tail, bright balloons for a cutie mark, and giant blue eyes and a goofy grin…pah, this mare wasn’t a threat at all! She’s nothing compared to me! “I’ll give you a sporting chance to run,” Trixie announced with a sneer. “I’ll count to 10, but after that, I’ll”-

“Ooh, it’s just like hide-and-seek!” Pinkie interrupted with a giggle. “Or maybe it’s tag…or hide-and-seek tag! What’re the rules, Ms. Trix-oops, I mean Great and Powerful Trixie, hee-hee!”

“I-a-are you mocking me?!” the blue Unicorn demanded with a shake of her buzzing head.

“Nope, just makin’ sure I don’t break the rules, cuz cheating’s no fun for anypony,” Pinkie replied with a sincere smile. “So, are ya gonna count to 10 so I can hide, or should I hide and then I’ll count to”-

“Ugh, just…shut up!” Trixie exploded, firing a stream of red and blue sparks at the pink pony. With a small gasp of surprise (or was it excitement?), Pinkie dove under the nearest table, dodging the sparks by inches. With a growl, she levitated the table straight up into the air…but Pinkie was nowhere to be seen under it! The magician tossed the table aside and scanned the room, but she couldn’t see hide nor hair of her foe…but she could smell cotton candy for some reason…and why were those fools on the other side of the bar snickering?

“Boo!” A voice right by her ear cried, making Trixie leap a full meter sideways in surprise before turning to glare at Pinkie. She’d been standing right behind her the entire time!? “Whew, that was a close one, Great and Powerful Trixie,” she giggled behind her hoof. That’s it, she IS mocking me, dammit! “You almost got me there, but I thought it was called ‘tag’, not ‘shoot with sparks’…oooh, is it a new game now?”

“Sweet Celestia, shut up!!!” Trixie picked up a chair and hurled it at the pastry chef, but she deftly ducked under it before popping back up with a grin again.

“Hee-hee, you’re getting better; is it my turn yet?” Trixie growled and fired a small fireball at her, but again, the hyperactive pony somehow managed to dodge it and dive under another table. Trixie picked up the table and examined it thoroughly, thinking that maybe she was hanging onto the other side, but again, she was gone!”

“Ray, she’s using her…” Jill mumbled, half-stunned at what she was witnessing.

“I know, I know, I see it,” Ray replied. He saw it, and he’d read about it, and even given a small lecture about it, but he still could hardly believe it!

“Yoohoo!” a cheerful voice chuckled, and the magician looked up in shock to see Pinkie completely on the other side of the room now, sitting at a booth and holding an intact menu, waving her hoof with a smile. “Is this dinner and a show? I’d like an order of raisin pancakes and some real magic on the side, please!” The four ponies behind the bar and the Pegasus on the roof gawked at the impossible sight.

“I mean, what’s gotta be it, right?” his sister looked to him for answers, but he only gave her a tiny shrug.

“I-I dunno…you tell me, sis; I’ve never seen it in person before,” he shook his head slowly. “You tell me.”

“Holy hellfire,” Jill muttered. “She’s untouchable.” And she was frustrating Trixie so badly that they could see the bulging veins in her face from here!

“Real magic!?” Trixie roared and broke the table in half. “I’ll show you real magic!” She crashed the table-pieces full force onto Pinkie Pie with a snarl of satisfaction before conjuring a lighting cloud to rain electricity down onto the pieces of wood. But just as the cloud began to take shape, she heard a whistle just above her head and to the right. The magician reluctantly looked up and her jaw nearly hit her chest, while the cloud puffed into nothingness.

“Whew, you sure that was real magic?” Pinkie giggled, having popped her upper body out of one of the hanging light fixtures. “Looked more like a temper-tantrum involving a table to me.” She then gave a quick raspberry and disappeared back into the light again.

“RAGH, DAMN YOU!” Trixie spat and grabbed the light with her magic, tearing it down and leaving a small hole in the ceiling. She flipped the light over and tried to shake Pinkie out of it, but she was really hanging in there! Incensed, she crushed the light flat, expecting to hear the sound of breaking bones, but there was nothing but the light crunch of glass. She was gone again! What kind of demon-spawn was this pony!? The magician’s eyes darted wildly right and left, fear now beginning to fill them as she searched for her slippery opponent. In desperation, she began to shoot down the light fixtures, thinking that if she removed the places she could hide, she’d eventually catch her out in the open. Unfortunately, many of the spells missed their marks, and simply blew more holes in the weakening ceiling, a few of them even forcing Volare to roll out of the way to dodge them on the roof.
After nearly a minute of this, though, Trixie was left winded and at her wits’ end; her head was pounding and that buzzing sound in the back of her mind had increased 10-fold since the start of this fracas. Her vision was blurring from the effort and from the stinging sweat that she continuously had to blink out of her eyes, while she just barely managed to keep from stumbling around by leaning on a booth to catch her breath. This was bucking ridiculous!

“Looking for me, Great and Power Trixie?” a warm voice rang out from the back corner of the room in front of the door that led to Lyra’s human artifacts collection. The little heathen wasn’t even breathing hard! With a smash of her hoof on a booth seat, the magician charged forward, all semblance of strategy gone now; she was beyond wanting to use magic and instead just wanted to pound Pinkie’s face in with her own bare hooves. Let’s see her dodge that!

But to her surprise, just as she prepared to leap at the pastry chef, the pink pony raised a hoof and spoke. “Wait, wait, wait, stop!” Trixie skidded to a halt in sheer surprise, staring at Pinkie incredulously. “I have an idea!”

“Oh, what a shocker,” Trixie pawed the floor. “Just what in Equestria is it that your puff-filled brain could have possibly thought up at a time like this? You finally going to do everypony a favor and disappear and never come back?”

“Nope, but it’s pretty obvious you can’t hit me,” Pinkie replied matter-of-factly.

“Because you keep moving too much, you coward!” Trixie snarled.

“Well, duh, I wouldn’t be very smart if I stood still,” the party pony giggled at such a silly concept. “Besides, it’s not that I’m moving too much, it’s that you’re moving too little, Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Shut up and stop not making sense, you-UGH!” the magician was absolutely positive that the only reason Pinkie was taking her time to use her full title wasn’t out of respect, but to make a mockery of her! Her face had turned a darker shade of purple and it was all she could do to keep herself from throwing every object she could get her magical grip on all over the room.

“But,” Pinkie tapped the floor twice, as if in contemplation of what to say. “Since you can’t hit me if I keep moving, I guess that’s not very fair, and unfair games aren’t very fun…sooooo…how about we make it a little more fair, hm?”

“W-what do you mean?” Trixie demanded.

“How about I stand still and let you try to hit me?” Pinkie suggested, causing Volare and Co. to groan and facehoof simultaneously. Trixie, however, felt a grin begin to curl across her lips.

“Pinkie Pie, you idiot, don’t do that!” Bon-Bon shouted in alarm. “She’ll kill you for sure!”

“For sure, huh?” Pinkie cocked her head. “What makes you so sure, BB?”

“Seriously, don’t do it, Pink!” Lyra cried, waving her hooves in wild protest. “That’s exactly what she wants!”

“Yep, I know,” the pastry chef nodded and smiled. “But if I don’t let her at least try, she might throw a filly-tantrum and that probably won’t end too well. Right, Great and Powerful Trixie?” Pinkie turned to the snickering magician, who couldn’t believe just how foolish her foe truly was. All that power and ability, but not enough brains to use it, unlike herself, as she’d soon find out!

“Indeed, that’s right,” Trixie replied as sickeningly sweetly as possible, nodding her head in emphasis. “Gimme my fair turn or it’ll go bad for everypony here.”

“Where the hell are the town Guards when you need them?” Volare thought to himself as he looked down on the scene, wanting to shout at Pinkie to discourage her, but not wanting to reveal his position for either Trixie or those two Unicorns still sitting in the corner, spellbound by the sight of the Element of Laughter making their temporary employer look like a complete fool without even touching her.

“You got it!” Pinkie grinned and stood straight and tall, her blue eyes sparkling with far to much excitement over her own impending destruction. “Hit me with your best shot; show me some real magic, come on!”

“NO PINKIE, NO!” the four ponies behind the bar cried at once, but they were overshadowed by Trixie’s evil cackle.

“Hahahahahahahaha! You asked for it, you pink heathen! Prepare to be involved in the greatest magic trick The Great and Powerful Trixie has ever attempted!” With that announcement, she didn’t waste any time as four blue-flamed torches appeared around Pinkie and a series of ropes popped into existence above her head before they shot across the room, slithering around Pinkie and tying themselves into an intricate series of knots. Trixie pulled them as tightly as possible, but only succeeding in eliciting a giggle of amusement from the pink pony.
“I must warn you, though,” Trixie grinned nastily as she conjured a set of heavy padlocked chains that clinked and clanked over the floor before they too wrapped around Pinkie like a metallic python, the locks clicking shut and helplessly immobilizing Pinkie. “I can’t recall anypony ever surviving this trick…hopefully you’re not the first!”

Trixie levitated Pinkie above the horrified faces of her friends, holding her in place as the magician then created a large cloud of blue smoke in the middle of the room, although Pinkie simply laughed as if she were on some sort of carnival ride. From out of that smoke materialized a large wooden crate, which Trixie then unceremoniously dropped Pinkie into, snickering with satisfaction at the loud thump and ouchy that trickled out of the bottom of the crate. The magician then grinned at her “audience” and created another large puff of smoke, out of which popped a large bucket which then proceeded to dump an impossible amount of water into the crate. They could all hear Pinkie’s gasps for breath, and it was all Lyra could do to not vault over the bar and save her friend herself!

“Hey Ray,” Jill elbowed her brother. “You think Trixie can kill that thing?”

“I-I dunno…” Ray shook his head again, entranced by what he was seeing.

“What if she does…then what?”

“Jill, I. Don’t. Know,” Ray hissed, shoving his sister’s hoof away. He wasn’t even sure how he wanted to win this battle of magic. On one hoof, if Trixie won, he was sure The Boss would be elated to hear that one of the Element Holders was out of the picture. But if Trixie did kill Pinkie, then how the hell would they find Volare?! On the other hoof, if Pinkie won…well, he’d honestly face their Boss’s wrath than that pink menace, especially after seeing what she could do in person. Holy hay…the theories were right about her…but if they were correct, then…was Pinkie even still in that box anymore!?

“Hee-hee-hee-hee,” Trixie giggled evilly as the bucket finished filling the crate to the top. Without missing a beat, the showmare slammed the lid on the crate shut and conjure up yet another series of chains that wrapped their way around and all over the box, sealing it tightly. “So, I wonder…how long can your friend hold her breath, hmm?”

“Let my friend go, you bitch!” Lyra cried, pounding the bar with a hoof. “You’re gonna kill her!”

“Oooh, she catches on quick,” Trixie laughed. “You wanna try round two, Freak? No? I didn’t think so, now sit down!” she shouted, her glassy eyes reflecting the torch flames without a hint of remorse for what she was doing. The pink heathen had embarrassed her publicly, and now she was paying the price! “Now then, if you don’t think she can breath in there…what do you say we give her some gill slits to breathe through, eh?”

With a swoosh of sharp metal, Trixie conjured two or three dozen large, wicked-looking blades out of thin air, cackling as she swirled them in unison before hovering them around the crate. “Oh, Pinkie Pie,” Trixie called with mock sweetness. “You’re about to find out what a shish-kabob feels like!” The blades all flipped around point first and Trixie raised a hoof like an officer commanding a firing squad.

No! Pinkie!!!!! Volare screamed in his head.

With an evil smirk and a twitching eye, she dropped her hoof, and the blades slammed through the wooden crate one after another, after another like the literal knife slicing through the proverbial butter. Each impact carried with it the sickening noise of crunching wood, screeching metal, and what everypony around swore was the sound of a pink pony being helplessly cut to ribbons.

“You-you monster!” Octavia shouted in anger, she too having to do her best to not charged Trixie head-on and beat her to a pulp. But her own self-restraint saved her, as did it Vinyl Scratch, who was throwing caution to the damned wind and stalking around the bar to punch Trixie’s face in herself, not even stopping to wipe away the furious tears that were trickling down her face. The cellist collared the DJ and firmly dragged her back behind the bar despite the wild-maned Unicorn’s kicking hooves and the cloud of epithets she was spewing at the magician, who still wore that same, completely remorseless smirk.

“Hah, I’m not the monster, the demon that lies dead in this box was,” she emphasized the last word with a tap on the crate. “Now then, let’s see what’s left of this heathen!” A large wood saw popped into view above the crate and descended, its razor sharp teeth hungering for the prey that lay beneath it. Without delay, the magician deftly controlled the saw blade with her magic as it chewed vertically downwards through the crate, the chains, and the pony inside, a thin stream of water trickling from out of the line being cut through the box. With a violent flourish, Trixie yanked the saw out of the box as it reached the floor and tore the blades from it as well, causing the crate to split open and spill its gruesome contents all over the floor. Bon-Bon and Octavia looked away, unable to bear the sight of their mutilated friend.

“And thus passes those who would mock the Great and…Powerful,” the magician trailed off as her disbelieving eyes sought through the water-logged ropes and chains…but not a trace of pink lay anywhere among them. Trixie’s jaw hung lower and lower as she dug through the restraints, but no…no, it was impossible…she couldn’t have shredded her that damn thoroughly! “She…she’s…”

“No bucking way,” Jill gasped, grabbing her brother’s arm in reflex.

“I see it, I see it, sis,” Ray replied shakily. This went WAY beyond his wildest nightmares.

“She’s gone,” Vinyl gasped, taking her shades completely off and gaping at the sight before nudging her friends. “Octy, BB, check it out! Pinkie’s gone!”

“She just disappeared!” Lyra grinned at the dumbfounded magician. Up on the roof, Volare pumped his fist and barely suppressed a whoop. Holy shit Pinkie, you’re amazing!

“I-Impossible,” Trixie muttered over and over again. “Th-that’s impossible! Where in balefire did she go!?”

A popping noise emanated from near the front of the café, drawing everypony’s attention to the backlit silhouette of Trixie’s hat that had been knocked off earlier. It seemed to rise up into the air and sit on top of a booth before a second popping sound, this one much louder than the first, issued forth from the hat itself. The noise was accompanied by a pressure wave that they all felt, even Volare high up on the roof, that blew their manes back and caused the front door to fall off its hinges. Right before their very eyes, a hoof appeared out of the hat, followed by another, and then two more, and then finally a pink tail, mane and then the grinning, blue-eyed face of Pinkie Pie. She shook her mane out, twiddled a hoof in her ear as if to clear it, and then proceeded to hop down the aisle towards Trixie, the magician’s hat still perched on the pastry chef’s head.

“No…no, no, no, no!” the blue Unicorn gasped, stumbling backwards over the piles of chains and ropes, slipping in the water that pooled on the floor and falling on her flank in complete and utter disbelief. “Get away from me!” she shouted, causing Pinkie to pause in her tracks and tilt her head in confusion.

“Why ya want me to get away? I was just bringing you your hat back,” Pinkie chuckled and indicated the star-covered headwear before finally calming down somewhat. “Wow, I gotta say, that was a pretty neat trick. I’d ask to see it again…but now it’s my turn. You want your hat back before I do this?”

“I don’t care, keep the bloody hat!” Trixie shouted, getting to her hooves and glaring at the Element of Laughter, completely unscathed from her trick. Her fur wasn’t even wet!

“Aww, if you say so,” Pinkie frowned slightly. Well, maybe this was for the best…it was a neat hat and she didn’t want it to get messed up if Trixie was wearing it during this… She then fixed Trixie with a large grin. “My turn…” The pink pony reached behind the broken box with both hooves, and as she did so, they all felt that pressure wave again, as if the very fabric of reality were the surface of a pond rippling from an object poking a hole through it. When Pink pulled her hooves back with a small pop noise, she dragged a silvery-blue cylindrical object on wheels from out behind the box that had certainly not been there before! She thunked it down and aimed it at the blue magician with an almost terrifying giggle.

“Shit…is about…to get real,” Volare muttered in wide-eyed disbelief.

“Just what in Equestria is that thing supposed to be?” Trixie demanded, allowing herself a slight laugh at the flowery motifs carved onto the wheels of the thing.

“R-Ray,” Jill mumbled, staring wide-eyed at what Pinkie Pie had just pulled from what had to have been the pocket universe her brother had spoken of earlier…at this point, the mare was totally convinced it wasn’t conjecture anymore! “I-is that her...?”

“My party cannon, silly,” Pinkie explained to the magician. “I never leave home without it!”

“Yeah…that’s the party cannon,” Ray echoed with a gulp, glancing towards the back door and noting that it didn’t seem to be locked. This had just been taken to a completely new level.

“What’s it do?” Jill asked in a whisper, her gaze switching between Pinkie and Trixie, the latter of whom laughed in relief at such a foolish concept.

“We really don’t know for sure,” Ray replied.

“Ha, that doesn’t scare me in the slightest!” Trixie scoffed, tossing her mane and grinning. “’Party Cannon’, how absurd!”

“What do you mean you don’t know?!” Jill hissed fearfully, her body tensing as she spoke.

“What exactly do you intend to do with that thing, anyway?” Trixie snorted. “Shoot party streamers all over me or something? Pfft, pathetic.”

“Well, its power could range from anything to anything...she used it to defeat a few dozen Changelings back in the spring, so she knows how to use the damn thing,” Ray licked his very dry lips.

“But it’s not pointed at us!” Jill protested hopefully.

“Hrm, you could say that,” Pinkie chuckled. “Only one way to find out!” Her hoof drifted over the cannon fuse.

“We don’t enough about it to know if it has a minimum safe distance if it goes off, sis,” Ray bit his bottom lip and tensed to run. “So at this point, I don’t think it matters if it’s not pointed at us or not.”

“Oh buck me…” his sister groaned and turned back to the standoff before her. It was like watching a semi-truck crash into a compact car; you know who was going to win…it was just sheer morbid curiosity of how bad it was going to be that kept you watching. “Shouldn’t we warn her or something?”

“I’d feel bad if I didn’t,” Ray nodded and called out. “Trixie, get outta there! You don’t know what you’re”-

“Ray, you’re still here? How about you and your sister just stay put, cuz once I’m finished with this fool, I’m going to take my bits back right out of your useless flank!” Trixie shot back with a snarl. “You don’t have the nerve!” she growled at Pinkie, whose hoof was sinking closer and closer to the fuse.

“Hmmmm, you might be wrong there, Great and Powerful Trixie,” Pinkie smiled brightly.

“Well come on, then!” the magician commanded with as much bravado as she could muster. “Make my day you pink freak!”

“Okey…” Pinkie’s hoof grazed the fuse.

“Well, we tried,” Ray threw his hooves in the air and jumped up. “Come on Jill!”

“Dokey…” the pink hoof settled onto the fuse, and at this point it didn’t really matter to Ray that she didn’t seem to have any way of lighting the cannon; this wasn’t worth it anymore!

“Run!” The two Unicorns stampeded towards and broke down the backdoor, galloping down the street as fast as their hooves would carry them.

“Lokey,” Pinkie giggled as her hoof pressed the fuse. Everypony in the room and on the roof braced themselves for a massive…well, something! But after a few moments of nothing but extreme tension, Trixie broke the silence with an arrogant laugh.

“Ha, what a joke!” But Pinkie’s grin merely grew a small fraction in response.

“Yep, joke’s on you,” the party mare laughed once more before the air between the two combatants was filled with the sounds of party noisemakers, a bright cloud of confetti and streamers, and the smell of (birthday cake?!). But more importantly, the noises, sights, and smells combined to generate a massive pressure wave that quite literally lifted Trixie off her hooves and blasted her across the room with such force that when she slammed against the wall next to Lyra’s human room, a stress fracture began to form in the wall behind her body. As she slipped off the wall and landed on her face with a loud groan, the stress fracture began to travel up towards the ceiling, finally halting at one of the main support beams for the roof.

“You…little…pink…fool,” Trixie growled into the floor, somehow still managing to summon the strength to stagger to her hooves and glare daggers at her opponent in still-simmering rage. “I can’t…lose to…you…freak,” she spat the last word along with a few drops of blood.

“Trix, just give it up and turn yourself in!” Vinyl shouted through cupped hooves. “You can’t win!”

“Yes, I agree whole-heartedly,” Octavia nodded grimly. “You’ve lost, and that’s that.”

“No! Not to her!” Trixie’s glassy eyes blazed with a crazed light as her face contorted into something between a rictus grin and a pained scowl. She raised herself to her full height and closed her eyes, her horn beginning to glow a bright blue-white again. “Not to any of you!” Her eyes snapped open as she gathered her remaining strength for one final assault, her wounded pride and the chemicals in her system combining to make her mentally unable to quit a fight she long ago would have had the sense to abandon. The smell of burning ozone filled the air as tendrils of electricity arced from her horn and stabbed at the ceiling and support columns, her purple eyes glazed over, and her tattered starry cape fluttering around her as a shrill cry began to rise from the back of her throat. “If I go down, I’ll take you all with me!”

“Oh hell no,” Volare growled and dragged himself towards the hole in the roof…which just so happened to right above the demented blue Unicorn. It was a bit of a long way down, but to his surprise, just as before on the cliff edge the other day…he no longer felt the fear of heights…

Before she could fully cast the spell and tear the building down around them, Pinkie’s tail suddenly began to twitch violently. “W-w-w-whoa, hold on guys, my tail’s a’twitchin!” Her friends gave her a look of disbelief before they too witnessed it and ducked for cover under the sturdiest objects they could find.

“Ha, why do I care if you’re quaking in fear before the awesome power that is The Great and Powerful-OOOF!!!” Trixie crumpled to the ground as a blue and yellow Pegasus fell from the ceiling and landed square on her head, slamming her to the ground and knocking her senseless, instantly ceasing the destructive spell. Volare lifted his head and gave a shaky laugh before rolling off of the magician, the ropes around his legs torn to pieces and the cast on his broken leg shattered from the impact, though the ropes that bounds his wings were still more or less intact.

“It means something’s about to fall,” Pinkie shook her head and chuckled at the pitiful sight of the half-flattened Trixie; 150+ pounds of Pegasus falling twenty feet right onto her head probably didn’t do her any favors. “Told ya you’d get a headache,” the party pony shook her head and turned to Volare.

“Whoa…” Vinyl Scratch gasped before running around the bar and attending to the Pegasus. “Dude, that was awesome!”

“Oh my goodness, Volare are you alright?” Octavia cried as she ran to his side. The pilot sat on his flank and rubbed his head before noticing that his injured hoof wasn’t injured anymore!

“Yeah, I-I think so,” he stammered in shock as he gingerly sat the hoof on the floor, expecting to be hit with a lightning bolt of pain…but instead it felt strong and solid! With a grin of joy growing across his face, Volare slowly got to his feet and inspected himself. “G-guys, check it out! I’m standing! And…whoa!” He pulled a bandage off of his shoulder with his teeth, but besides the sharp pain of a few strands of fur being yanked out by the adhesive bandage, there wasn’t any pain of wounds being open to the air. He brought a hoof up to his face to find that the laceration across his cheek was also completely gone! There didn’t even feel like there was a scar there! He turned to regard his friends, Pinkie foremost among them. “Pinkie…you told me to be ready to help…how’d you know?”

“Hee-hee, you’re looking a lot better Volare-bear,” Pinkie chuckled and dodged his question with a wink. “You been eating your veggies or something?”

“Ha, it’s a lot crazier than that, Pinkie!” Lyra grinned and grabbed Volare around the neck, giving him a friendly hoof-noogie as she did so. “Have we got a story to tell you!”

“Agh, our restaurant,” Bon-Bon groaned, her hooves on her cheeks in despair as she took in the sight of the broken…well, pretty much everything! “We’re ruined…we’ll never get this fixed…”

“Ah come on, Bon-Bon,” Vinyl grabbed her in a chummy embrace. “Let’s look on the bright side: Volare’s alive and well, and whatever the hay those two crazy Unicorns did worked!”

A low moan of pain sounded from behind them, and Volare turned to regard the beaten Unicorn Trixie. The pilot couldn’t help but feel pity for her; she was under the influence of so many drugs that she probably couldn’t comprehend what she was doing…it was all that Ray and Jill’s fault…those little bastards. He ground his newly-repaired hoof into the floorboards in anger. I swear if I ever see them again…I’ll kill them for what they did to me…to Scootaloo…and even to Trixie…

“Wait, if your legs are working, then that must mean”- Octavia interrupted his thoughts before Pinkie’s tail began to twitch violently again. “Uh-oh, now what?”

“Dunno…my tail’s still twitching, so that must mean”-

CRRRACK-ACK!

Everypony looked up to see the stress fracture that Trixie’s body had caused had split through the support column of the ceiling. And the poor roof, already wind and weather-damaged before being filled with holes tonight, had had enough. One of the wooden rafters cracked off from a column and crashed to the ground, barely missing the group. It was all coming down!! “Oh gimmie a break!” Bon-Bon cried in horror.

“Time to go!” Pinkie quipped, hoisting her party cannon over her head.

“Everypony, run!” Volare cried and began to gallop for the door, not having the slightest chance to appreciate his newly-repaired leg before trouble had found him yet again. Figures, he thought as he reached the front door and paused, his friends right on his heels as yet another heavy rafter fell and smashed right through the bar. But as everypony else got out the door and Volare himself turned to follow, a wavering cry reached his ears.

“Help….me…please…” The Pegasus looked and beheld Trixie, mostly conscious and straining to drag herself towards them. Her eyes no longer had that glassy stare to them, and instead they were wide with fear and pleading for aid. Tears leaked from them as she stared up at the ceiling that began to buckle and fall above her. She’d be crushed for sure!

At the pitiful sight, something welled up from deep inside Volare, something he never thought he’d feel for anyone at anytime…and what a hell of a time to feel it. When he looked at Trixie, struggling to safety, about to die, he felt no hate in his heart for her. On the contrary, he admired her willingness to keep going, her bravery to keep fighting even against the odds she was facing. For the first time in his life…he felt love rather than hate for an enemy. She didn’t deserve this…none of them deserved this…but Trixie…oh Trixie…damn me for a fool!

With a snort of finality and to the shock of his friends, Volare turned and charged back into the building, dodging falling debris as he went. He felt no strain in his limbs, no fatigue in his bones as he pounded them against the floorboards; those siblings had cast a damn good spell. It was as if he’d been fully rested rather than ever being confined to a wheelchair. It was as if he’d never been crippled in the first place! He pulled snort after snort of the air into his lungs, taking in the lingering smell of ozone, birthday cake, and smoke from the battle as the oxygen he inhaled fueled his muscles to their maximum.

However, he glanced up at the roof that was already beginning to buckle towards the Unicorn, and after a quick calculation, he determined he wouldn’t make it in time at his current speed…he needed to go faster! For the second time in two days, time seemed to slow…the sounds of the crashing roof seemed to dull, the sights of the burning menu pieces and falling rafters around him faded away to darkness as he focused on his target: the Great and Powerful Trixie. “Volare, you idiot, come back!” he thought he heard Bon-Bon shout…or maybe it was Lyra…couldn’t have been Pinkie…oh well…Volare you are an idiot…but I won’t be a coward and let my enemy die like this either!

Volare’s mind finally cleared of any extra thoughts as he reached the halfway point between Trixie and himself. His eye flicked upwards again for just a moment to see a great mass of debris detach itself from the ceiling and hurtle towards the Unicorn. She saw it too, and he watched as she slowly began to curl her hooves over her head in anticipation of the end. “Trixie!” he managed to shout, causing her to look up in surprise. To his surprise, he could see every single tiny detail in her face, from the wrinkles of worry creasing her forehead, to the breath misting from her muzzle, and even the tears hanging from her eyelashes. Everything about her, his target, was under scrutiny, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was distraught, helpless, and terrified. He threw his hooves against the floor again and again as he neared her, but it…just…wasn’t…enough! Need…More…Speed!!!!

SNAP-AP-AP-CRACK-PAP-POP!
The sound of shredding and snapping ropes emanated from behind his ear and all of a sudden, he was racing towards Trixie! He felt like a rocket on rails as the muted sound of feathers coursing through the air curled over his shoulder and found his ear-but he didn’t have time to think about that! He gritted his teeth with the effort and reached out with his forehoof toward the fallen magician as he finally reached her. Alright, now what, genius? his mind screamed. Now where ya gonna go?! He looked up and around for a split second, saw the only possible route of escape, and took it.

With a grunt, he grabbed her forehoof in his own, hauled her up towards his mouth and grasped the neck of her cape in his teeth. Gathering his hooves under him, he rolled forward, pulling the magician up into his body and sighted in on his next target: the doorknob of Lyra’s human artifacts room. He then happened to look up at Trixie’s gasp of fear to see that the falling roof was a mere two feet above them and closing! There wasn’t time to grab the knob!

“Dammit!” he growled through his teeth and in desperation, shot forwards, using his wings (holy shit his wings!) to lever himself off his back and launch himself at the door. With a crunch of wood and metal, his rear hooves connected with the door knob and blasted it through the door right before his shoulder rolled up and struck the wooden paneling, knocking the door clean open. And suddenly, they were through and tumbling into the darkness of the room as the ceiling collapsed behind them in a terrifying roar of noise, completely obscuring them from the view of his friends behind a cloud of dust and flying debris...and one very battered but still amazingly-intact cello.

Notes: Dammit Volare, why you gotta be damn compassionate?!
You better be alive, cuz Twilight’s gonna kill your dumbass otherwise!
Volare: that doesn’t make sense…
Author: Shut up, I’m freaking out over here!!!

PS: I'll now be returning to shorter chapters like this, thusly, they'll be getting cranked out more often! ^^

Inseptium Nova-Pt 6: The Enemy of My Enemy...

September 13th, Fillydelphia, Post-Midnight

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy…you had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am…you had a bad day and it drove you as crazy as everybody else…only, you won’t admit it. You have to keep pretending that life makes sense; that…there’s some point to all this struggling. What made you what you are?”
-Joker, The Killing Joke

“Holy hoof, how does Derpy deal with the ponies in this town?” Rainbow Dash groaned and collapsed onto the rather lumpy bed in the North-Central Hotel and stared at the chipping brown stucco coating the walls. She’d been told it was one of the nicer stays in the city…but if this was nice, then she was almost afraid to see what the “economy value” motels she’d flown over had to offer. Eesh…I miss my cloud house already.
The Element of Loyalty rolled over and pulled out the mail route she’d picked up earlier that day at the post office, studying the linear path it took around the north-eastern section of the city, which was convenient as the hotel had a close proximity to the route. According to the post-master, it was the most historic section of settlement and was populated with the more well-off residents of the city, so she’d better be on her best behavior while delivering their mail and newspapers.

“Well, as long as they’re nicer than the guys that kept cat-calling me in traffic today, I’ll play nice,” Dash muttered, grinding her teeth slightly as she thought back over the green and yellow Pegasus stallions who had whistled at her coming out of the post-office. She’d rolled her eyes and ignored them, but they followed her for a few blocks, calling her every demeaning name under Celestia’s sun until she felt her blood practically boiling. She finally whipped around and charged at them in anger, stopping just shy of ramming into them while flaring her wings threateningly. The rainbow Pegasus gave them a glare so fierce and sudden that the smaller green male’s wings folded up in fright and he landed with minimal damage on the rooftops a short distance below, while his larger yellow friend turned tail and fled into the city, true to his color, she’d noted.
“Hmmph, stallions,” Dash snorted and headed to her the hotel. “Only got one thing on their minds from birth, I swear…well buck that noise!”

Rainbow Dash growled and punched her pillow, causing it to fly across the room and splat against the wall in a cloud of feathers. She was so tired of being looked at as nothing but another piece of tail to be had! She could count on a single hoof the only stallions her age that she trusted: one large red pony by the name of Big Macintosh; and that was probably only because of his modest upbringing and work-first attitude that convinced her that he didn’t have ulterior motives when they spoke face to face.
Heh, good ol’ Big Mac…gentle giant, indeed.

Well, now that she thought about it, there was one other stallion around her age that she didn’t scorn as a hormone-driven animal…but that was because he was hardly a Pegasus at all…so did that really count? “Ugh, too complicated,” Dash groaned and looked at the clock: 12:20 AM; and her mail route began at 6 in the morning. With a reluctant snort, she finally settled down and fluffed her remaining pillow gently so it wouldn’t explode and closed her eyes for the night. To her surprise, her last thoughts before drifting off settled on that not-quite-Pegasus…heh, at least he has a comfy hospital bed to sleep in…probably snug as a bug in a rug…

Ponyville…

“What in tarnation happened here!?” Applejack gaped up at the roofless Gilded Griffon, Fluttershy and Rarity standing at either side of the farm pony with similar expressions of shock on their faces. Fluttershy and Rarity had convinced Applejack to accompany them to a spa session that evening, one thing had led to another, and the trio had eventually ended up ordering in dinner. They’d sat and chatted well into the night, sharing their dinner and gossip with the spa ponies Aloe and Lotus until they’d begun to hear music drifting down the street from the rustic café.

“Huh, sounds like tha music Volare was playin’ a few weeks ago,” Applejack had noted. “But he’s in tha hospital recoverin…”

“I’ll bet it’s that DJ, Vinyl Scratch,” Rarity suggested as she munched daintily on the remains of a dandelion sandwich. “I heard something about her recording some of that music from Volare and using it on her tours; so I’m betting it’s just her and her friends living it up a bit at the bar and playing her tour music.”

“Yes, that sounds like Vinyl,” Fluttershy nodded with a chuckle. “Oh, Rarity, I’ve been meaning to ask: you said you’re working on a gift for Volare, right?”

“Yeah, Ah heard about that too, sugarcubce,” Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “Whatcha cookin’ up in that boutique o’ yourn, eh?”

“Ohoho, an artist never reveals her projects before they’re completed,” the fashionista tittered a bit smugly. “Suffice to say it invokes a very personal connection with his origins and his occupation as a pilot. Oh, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are even lending a hoof with the design; the little dears.”

“Aww, come on, Rare,” Applejack thumped her massage table with a hoof. “If’n ya’ll are lettin’ mah little sister help out, ya’ll gotta tell us somethin’.”

“Oh, let’s see…how does Big Macintosh say it,” the Unicorn tapped her chin with a hoof for a moment. “Oh yes: Nnnope. You’ll just have to see it when I reveal it, just like everypony else; in truth your little sister and her friends are only lending me ideas. Nopony has seen it just yet besides yours truly.” Applejack collapsed back with a defeated groan as Fluttershy laughed lightly at her friends’ exchange before she paused, her nose crinkled strangely. The butter-colored Pegasus sniffed the air lightly and detected a scent rather out of place in a spa.

“Um, girls,” she raised a hoof for attention. “Do you smell smoke?” Her friends gave her a strange look before realizing that she wasn’t attempting a bad joke or something of the like; she was serious.

“Yeah, in fact Ah do,” Applejack sniffed and nodded with a worried expression, although Rarity waved a hoof dismissively.

“Oh pish, I’ll bet it’s just the spa ponies lighting up some incense,” the Unicorn scoffed. “Oh Aloe, Lotus! Are you two burning fragrance or something back there?”

“No, not us,” Aloe called back, poking her pink-maned head out from the rec room. “Why, what’s going on?” Lotus peeked out around her friend with a similar expression of concern.

“Oh, nothing, Fluttershy and Applejack thought they smelled something burning, that’s all,” Rarity waved back before hearing the farm pony grunt gruffly.

“We ain’t thinkin’ we smell it, Rare. We know we do,” the Earth Pony insisted. “Take a whiff yourself. There, smell that? Somethin’s on fire nearby; Ah’ll bet Kicks McGee on it,” she indicated her right hind hoof before standing up. “Come on ya’ll, if somethin’s burnin’, it can get outta hoof real quick.”

“She’s right, Rarity,” Fluttershy nodded and took to her hooves as well, giving the spa ponies a small wave with her wing before heading to the door. “Come on.”

“Awww, but we hadn’t gotten to try their new salt baths yet!” the violet-maned Unicorn whined, not wanting to leave the spa despite the late hour, but she was speaking to an empty room; Applejack and Fluttershy had already left to investigate the smell of the fire. “Ohhh…ponyfeathers!” Rarity cursed and leapt to her hooves, plunking down a hoof-full of bits for their services and galloping after her friends.

After following their noses down the street and troublingly noting that the smell of fire was leading them towards the Gilded Griffon, the trio stopped in their tracks as a pair of green-maned Unicorns came pelting out of a back alley, galloping at full-speed as if Cerberus himself were after them. “Whoa, slow down ya’ll-hey!” Applejack called as the pair saw them, crossed to the opposite sidewalk, and continued on their break-neck pace before turning a corner and disappearing just as quickly as they’d shown up. “Now what in the hayseed are those two doin’ at this hour?” The farm pony lifted her hat and scratched her hairline.

“Late night hoof-race?” Fluttershy suggested sheepishly.

“Hardly,” Rarity huffed warily. “Those two were running scared, away from the direction of the smell of this smoke.”

“You don’t think they set a fire and were running from it, do you?” Fluttershy gasped, causing Applejack to pull her hat back down.

“Ya’ll might be on ta somethin’ there, sugarcube. C’mon, let’s figure out this smoke an’ we’ll go from there!” The trio ran towards the smell, noting that it was beginning to fade for some odd reason. But by the time they reached the smoldering bushes outside of the Gilded Griffon, they had realized there were bigger issues at hoof. Much bigger.

“Oh my goodness, is that Volare in there?!” Rarity gasped, indicating the blue Pegasus standing in the doorway and beckoning to a number of other ponies inside. One by one, they ran out of the building: Lyra, Bon-Bon, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, and finally Pinkie Pie(?!) carrying her party cannon over her head. Before anypony had a chance to ask what was going on, the blue Pegasus (whom they were certain was Volare now, somehow) suddenly ran back into the building, the roof of which they saw was collapsing. But why would he run back in and how in the hay was he walking again, much less running!?

“Volare, you idiot, come back!” the fashionista shouted in a very un-Rarity-like fashion. But Volare apparently didn’t hear her, and they were all treated to the sight of him running towards the back of the café, grabbing at the hoof of a blue Unicorn sprawled out on the ground before the falling roof blocked him from their vision in a cloud of smoke and flying debris. By the time the roar of the falling roof finally faded away, sleepy ponies from up and down the street were peeking out of their homes, wondering exactly what in the holy hoof had woken them up.

Applejack spoke for them all when, without turning from the wreckage of the restaurant, she asked aloud for all to hear: “What in tarnation happened here!?” To her surprise, instead of a lot of hoof-scuffing and hemming and hawing from the group of ponies that had run out of the building, they all started chattering at once. Inside of a minute, Applejack had been informed of the situation with the two Unicorns healing Volare, Trixie bursting in, and then a fracas ensuing that eventually caused the roof to fall in.

“But why would Volare run back into that death trap?!” Rarity cried, approaching the blocked front door on trembling hooves. The only real access into the wreckage was through the broken front windows, and to everypony’s surprise, she leaped right through one of them and called out into the debris, digging with her hoof as she did so and getting her just-cleaned white coat filthy with gray dust. “Volare! Volare, where are you, darling?! It’s Rarity, please speak to me!” Meanwhile, Bon-Bon simply sat on her flank in shock, staring at her beloved place of business while Octavia tried to comfort her. Lyra held a hoof over her mouth, not sure what to say before steeling herself and joining Rarity on the search for Volare.

“Was anypony else left in the building?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes flicking between all ponies present before it dawned on her who the blue Unicorn had been that she’d seen. “Oh my…he must have run back in to save Trixie!” she gasped before entering the collapsed building, carefully picking her way among the broken roof shingles and sharp spars of wood.

“Why in tha hay would he wanna do that fer her, ‘specially if she did all of this?” Applejack shook her head in confusion. “Hey Bon-Bon, Octavia, get offa your flanks! It’s gonna take some mighty heavin liftin’ in here, so go get tha Town Guard an’ mah brother, pronto!”

“R-right!” Bon-Bon nodded and took off down the street towards the local Guard Post, while Octavia ran west out of town as fast her hooves would carry her, headed towards Sweet Apple Acres.

“Actually AJ, there was something really wrong with Trixie in there,” Pinkie spoke up, navigating the crushed restaurant interior towards her friend.

“Yeah, she’s arrogant and a short-sighted ijit; tell me somethin' Ah don't know,” the farm pony snorted before Vinyl Scratch chimed in.

“No, just listen Applejack. Trixie busted in here looking for two cohorts of hers cuz they’d poisoned her and left her in the woods,” the DJ explained. “What they poisoned her with was nightshade, and it caused her to totally lose her mind in there,” she nodded towards the building. “I think ol’ Volare, in a moment of bravery, stupidity, or what have you, ran back in to save her cuz he knew she wasn’t in her right mind and didn’t deserve to have the roof fall in on her…” she trailed off, not sure what else to say before Applejack nodded in understanding.

“Ah swear, that dern fool Volare’s got a heart bigger’n his brain,” she muttered and ran towards the section of building where she’d last seen the Pegasus, the DJ on her hooves as they carefully stepped over and around the fallen roof debris, smashed tables, and shattered booths.

“Hey Volare, you alive in here, dude?!” She called out, tripping over a curved wooden object as she searched. “Whoa, hey, I found Octy’s cello; how the hay is this thing still in one piece?”

“Vinyl, please, don’t be so…insensitive about this!” Rarity snapped, obviously upset that her friend might have just been crushed to death.

“Jeez, just sayin’,” the DJ rolled her eyes and trotted the instrument out of the wreckage before resuming her search. Rarity, on the other hoof, turned back to the wall she’d been pawing around. The roof had collapsed straight in along the walls for the most part, leaving shell of the room intact and open to the night sky. However, it had fallen considerably thickly in this particular corner, actually pulling down a section of the adjacent wall with it and creating a substantial pile of detritus, out of which she could just barely see the top edge of a door frame peeking. “Volare! Volare, are you in there?” Rarity called towards it hopefully, but nothing but silence and the sounds of the settling roof remains greeted her ears.

The fashionista was about to turn away and search elsewhere when a faint voice called out from below the rubble, causing Rarity to turn around so fast that she nearly fell down in the dirt. “Rarity *cough-cough*! Jeez, that you up there?”

“Yes, yes, it’s me!” the white Unicorn smiled and tapped on the wall to emphasize her location. But as she did so, she took note of the cracks that formed around her hoof; it was then that she realized just how unsteady the building was.

“Oh good, cuz for a minute there I couldn’t decide if I was either crazy or dead,” a dry laugh issued forth from under the debris. “Glad it’s neither! Holy shit, I’m alive…I can’t believe it!”

“Everypony, come quickly! I found Volare! I think he’s trapped under this rubbish!” Rarity called excitedly. “Just be careful; this wall is unstable.”

“Where? Is he alive?” Lyra asked as she scrambled over the broken bar before realizing where everypony was gathering, preparing to dig down to find their friend. Despite the grim situation, she couldn’t help but let out a laugh of relief that drew strange looks until she explained herself. “You’re not gonna believe this, but I know where he is! He’s not under all this crap,” she tapped the top of the door frame. “He’s in my human artifacts room of all places; talk about crazy luck, huh?”

“Yeah, no kidding!” Volare called out from the room. “Where the heck’s the light switch down here, Lyra-ow, my hoof!” he cried, accompanied by the sound of clattering metal. “I’m ok…but I don’t think…whatever I just tripped over, is!”

“It’s back over here by the door, Volare,” the lyrist instructed, and after a few more moments of fumbling around, the Pegasus found the switch and clicked it on, filling the room with brilliant yellow light.

“Ah, much better,” he said he regarded what he’d stubbed his hoof on: a bicycle that looked older than he was; both tires were flat and the handlebars were covered in rust. But it wasn’t the old bike that drew the majority of his attention, no, it was the sensation of feeling between his right shoulder blade and ribcage. Rather than soreness, though, it just felt…normal and whole; and that could only mean one possible thing. With a small gulp, the pilot turned to regard the right side of his body…
His wing, the wing he’d torn off and had literally been dead weight for the past half month, was tucked up neatly against his ribs of its own power; no need for a sling here!

The blue Pegasus slowly and carefully willed his wing to lift and extend away from his body, and with every inch that it rose, the higher his spirits raised until every single flight feather and pinion was stretched to their fullest length. He could even feel the blood rushing through the muscles and fibers of the limb, and the sensation was positively amazing! He then matched it with his left wing until both were spanned out away from his body. True, he was aware that he’d used them to propel himself along the floor and through the door not 10 minutes ago, but confirmation by sight held a power of its own. Strangely, even though the rest of the scars of his body were gone, the ring that marked where his wing had been reattached was not only still there, but the fur/feather boundary had regrown over it. The strange thing was the color, though: it wasn’t blue like the rest of his wing, but a deep, jet black. Weird… Volare shrugged off the thought and tucked his wings back up against his body, extended them and raised them experimentally, and finally flapped them downwards with enough force to blow a few newspaper clippings off the walls. As he did so, he let out a whoop so loud that the ponies above the door were sure he’d injured himself.

“Volare! Volare, what’s happening?! Oh my goodness, he’s dying down there!” Fluttershy called in alarm before she realized that her friend wasn’t shouting in pain, but rather in joy. “Volare?”

“Guys, this is awesome!” he shouted back through a grin that stretched from ear to ear. If only he weren’t stuck in this little room!

“What’s awesome, all my stuff?” Lyra asked curiously.

“No, I mean, yes, it’s pretty cool, but that’s not it, yehaaaaw!” Volare shouted again with another strong flap of his wings before finally calming down enough to explain. “Those Unicorns weren’t lying…they fixed me! My wings, they work! They work!!”

“What the hay, how?” Applejack queried in confusion, but before the Pegasus could explain, he heard movement in the room behind him.

“Ugh, isn’t that normal for a Pegasus?” a voice called out groggily. Volare tucked his wings back up and turned around to regard the owner of the voice: The Great and Powerful Trixie. The blue magician was holding her head in her hooves and rocking back and forth slightly, groaning with every breath. “Agh, my head…where am I…what the hoof happened?” But before Volare could explain, she lifted her face from her hooves, looked about at the human belongings piled around them…all the things in Lyra's room she'd desired to see for months within spitting distance...and promptly began to freak out. “AHH, how am I here?! Oh sweet Celestia, I’m dead, I’m dead aren’t I?!” She looked up at Volare pleadingly for an answer, but he could only facehoof in response.

“Volare, dude, what’s going on down there?” Vinyl Scratch’s voice filtered down to him. “Who the hay is screaming now?”

“Oh, that’s just Trixie; she’s alive and well,” Volare called back as Trixie proceeded to back herself into a corner, staring wide-eyed at the bizarre objects surrounding her, chief of which was the strange, two-wheeled contraption lying on its side next to her. “I don’t think she approves of your collection, Lyra!”

“Meh, everypony’s a critic,” the lyrist replied with a wave of her hoof. “Trixie’s not still trying to blow everything up is she? Hope not, cuz Rarity says this wall is really unstable.”

“No, she’s just…mostly backed up into a corner,” Volare observed, feeling a tinge of pity for the scared blue pony. “Any ideas?”

“Yeah, don’t piss her off,” Vinyl replied matter-of-factly. “She’s probably still under the influence and pretty confused, so the more calm you can keep her, the better, especially since you two are in such a tight space, ya know?”

“Gee, thanks for the great news, Vinyl,” Volare muttered sarcastically.

“No problem dude! AJ says just sit tight, cuz help’s on the way.” The DJ declared.

“Thanks, will do,” the Pegasus replied, noting that Trixie was still pressed up into the corner like a caged animal, her eyes darting left and right and her chest heaving great, panicky breaths; he doubted she’d take this for too long before trying to blast her way out…and as unstable as the place was, that could get them both killed. Time for a little friendly intervention.
“Hey, um…Trixie?” he said gently, and took a tentative step towards the magician, feeling almost like Grant approaching Lee to make peace. At his words, Trixie’s eyes roving eyes settled on him, and she pressed herself a little bit tighter against the wall. “Are you ok?”

“Do I look like I’m ok?!” Trixie cried, her back hooves scuffling as she tried to retreat even further. “I-I know I should be dead! That roof fell on me and…and I’m dead…and you’re the specter that took me away, aren’t you?” She was truly a pathetic sight to behold compared to how proud and powerful she’d seemed earlier, but she was obviously shaken by his presence. Volare decided to sit down, rather than approach her further, allowing her to calm down just a little bit.

“Trixie, this may come as a shock to you…but you’re not dead,” Volare said with a gentle smile.

“H-How do I know you’re telling the truth?” the magician demanded, though she was now leaning slightly forward in curiosity. “You’re the last thing I saw before I…before…”

“Ah, I see now,” the pilot nodded in understanding. “I’m the last thing you saw before the roof fell in because I saved you. And right now we’re stuck in here, it’s pretty unstable, and it’s in our best interest for you to not freak out too badly and collapse this room; help is on its way. We just need to be patient for now.” He waited for her to protest, but it was almost like she was waiting hopefully for further confirmation that she was, indeed, still alive. That and she still looked very confused as to why she was even in this room with this Pegasus whom she could have sworn was some sort of specter of death before he claimed otherwise. When she didn’t speak, he continued. “Don’t you remember what happened?”

“I…um…” Trixie looked down, all semblance of her earlier arrogance gone, leaving nothing but a confused and frightened shell of a mare. She shook her head and rubbed her forehead, as if trying her hardest to remember. “I remember the woods…and the howls of the Timberwolves chasing me…sweet Luna, they chased me for days,” she shuddered visibly as she spoke. “I…remember coming into town but…everything was all wobbly and full of strange colors. I want to say I was looking for something or somepony, but…it’s so fuzzy, I don’t know.” She shook her head again and bit her lip, exerting quite a bit of effort to recall the recent events. “I…I walked into a restaurant and…I saw faces and shapes, but…all the lights went out. It’s just a blank after that until I woke up with…” she trailed off, staring at Volare as if trying to contemplate the messages that her drug-addled brain were sending her. “With you running away…but I called out…and you came back and…that’s all I remember before I woke up here and saw…w-what is that thing, anyway?” she nodded at the bicycle, no longer shaking nearly as badly as before, which eased Volare’s worries somewhat.

“Oh, heh, that,” he got up and nudged the rusty vehicle with his hoof. “This is a bicycle. It’s something humans ride on Earth in order to”-

“Humans!” Trixie suddenly cried, rising to her hooves and taking a few steps out of the corner. It was as if a switch had been flipped in her head, and now she was on a different tangent entirely. At Volare’s strange look, she composed herself and explained. “Ah, allow me to explain. I’m just…rather passionate about the study of humans, for I hope to one day learn the magical secrets of their famous magicians, that way I will finally be powerful enough to…hey, hey, hey,” Trixie stomped a hoof in irritation at Volare’s chuckles. “Specter or not, if I’m stuck here with you, at the very least give me enough respect to not laugh at me! This is serious business here!”

“Oh lord, I’m sorry,” Volare calmed down and straightened his face. “It’s just that…why are you looking for these magicians, exactly?”

“To learn their secrets and tricks,” she replied tersely. “So that I may become an even more powerful magician than I currently am.”

“Um, Trixie,” Volare began, choosing his next words as delicately as he possible…he really didn’t need her flying off the handle again and bringing this room down on them. I guess this is what it feels like to smash a child’s long-held belief in Santa or something… “Who told you that the secrets of human magicians could help you?”

“Why, I discovered it myself,” she replied with a hint of pride. “I purchased a book pulled directly from Earth itself, and it profiled many Earth magicians and their tricks. With knowledge like that, I could become more powerful than any Unicorn!”

“What makes you think that?” The tone of Volare’s question, nearly silent and almost…pitiful, was no less jarring than if he’d shouted it at her. Trixie halted in mid-speech and regarded him for a long and wary moment, waiting for him to start laughing and admit it was all a bad joke. But when he retained that same expression, a cold chill began to work its way up her spine; she’d never been questioned by anypony on this…although to tell the truth, the only two other ponies who knew about it were Ray and Jill…

“I, um…because the tricks they did in those books were so amazing, that’s why!” Trixie replied, her voice just a tad bit too shrill and forced. “Don’t you think so?”

“I believe they’re interesting illusions,” Volare replied bluntly, causing the magician to recoil slightly, as if she’d been personally insulted.

“I-illusions?!” she sputtered. “They’re more than just illusions, you fool! They’re the greatest magical acts Earth has ever seen!” To her surprise, instead of accepting her claims, he stood and regarded her with that same look of near-pity. “W-why do you keep looking at me like that?” Volare didn’t speak at first; he simply turned and regarded the myriad of newspaper clipping adorning the walls before heaving a small sigh.

“Humans have always had a knack for hiding the truth, especially when it's to their benefit,” he regarded an article that profiled used cars from the 1980's, the Cadillac Cimarron* the first on the list. Huh, fitting... “Prettying things up to be better than they really are in order to turn a profit; cheating in order to get ahead; or even outright lying, fooling an audience with a lot of smoke and mirrors…but no true substance.” He glanced over at the magician, who looked halfway between anger and confusion. “What do you consider magic, Trixie?”

“I, well…magic is a Unicorn using her will in order to accomplish great feats of skill and tricks of wonderment, like this!” she said with a flare of blue sparks from her horn. “That’s just a taste of what magic is. Why would you ask such a thing? Have you never seen such magic before, Pegasus?”

“No, not exactly,” Volare replied with a small shake of his head. “I’ve seen enough in my time here to know the difference between true magic and illusions. And I’m sorry to break it to you, but what humans consider magic is nothing but clever illusions and sleight of hand.” At this declaration, Trixie leaped forward and crammed her horn up under his chin, glaring at him as if he were some sort of blasphemer.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blast your head clear off your neck,” she growled. But despite his heart pounding a mile a minute, Volare played it as cool as he could, and he merely continued to wear that slightly sad expression. “S-stop looking at me like that!” she ordered. “Now tell me where you get the gall to insult the powers of human magic like that!”

“What if I told you that I’d been closer to these tricks than you’d ever dreamed of being?” he asked cryptically, causing Trixie to back off a step, unsure of what to say for a moment.

“Well, I’d ask how, of course,” the magician finally replied, her head on a slight tilt as she did so.

“Heh,” he looked down at the old bicycle, contemplating it for a moment before grabbing the handlebars in his hooves and lifting it upright. “What would you say could ride this bike, if it were built by humans, for humans?”

“Well, only humans of course. Get to the point, already!”

“Trying.” It was rather awkward, but he managed to sit down on the squeaky, rotting seat, place his back hooves on the pedals, and pushed. By balancing himself with his outstretched wings, he managed to pedal the bike, flat tires and all, in a short circle before stopping and hopping off, setting it back down carefully and turning back to the magician, whose jaw was located a bit more closely to her chest than her nose. “Damn, it’s been a long time…guess they’re right when they say you never forget.”

“You…what do you mean, they?” an expression of shocked realization was beginning to spread across the magician’s face as she spoke, stumbling backwards into a cardboard box full of socks. Where the heck did Lyra keep getting these things?
“Who’s ‘they’?”

“The ones who built this bicycle, of course,” Volare replied with a nod. “The humans; can’t live on Earth without running into them, ya know?”

“Yes, but…” she shook her head, her mind not able to contemplate the implications she was facing.

“Oh come now, I already know you know I’m from Earth; you’ve said as much yourself. Something about wanting to know the secrets of human magic from me, right?” He gave her a small smirk. “You must have been pretty sure about that to the point of wanting to kidnap me, eh?”

“Yes, well…” Trixie fumbled for words for a moment. “I was under a lot of stress; you said so yourself.”

“Touche,” the Pegasus chuckled. “So I did. Fact still stands that you believed strongly enough to take a risk like that. Weird thing about Pegasi and Earth though…I hear pray tell from Lyra Heartstrings that Princess Celestia herself said that Pegasi don’t exist there. So, if Pegasi don’t exist there…and I can ride a bike, meant only for humans…” he chuckled again as Trixie struggled to stand from the box of socks, her face a mask of disbelief, despite the obvious solution all the facts pointed towards.

“Volare, right?” the magician asked, and he nodded in reply. He’s going to think I’m crazy as a loon… “What…are you?” she asked with a wary squint.

“A Pegasus…well, sorta,” Volare replied with a sheepish shrug of his wings.

“Ok, let me rephrase that,” Trixie rolled her eyes and sighed. “What did you used to be?”

“I used to be that which you’ve sought for some time now, Trixie,” the pilot said with a smile that sent her reeling backwards, missing the sock box entirely and crashing into a spare tire. Volare rolled his eyes; this whole ‘hey guess what, I’m human, please don’t freak out’ bit was getting a little old.

“N-no, that’s….that’s crazy,” Trixie muttered to herself, waiting for the punchline to the Pegasus’ newest bad joke. But when none came, she simply sat there and continued to shake her head. Volare quietly approached her, closed the lid on the box, and sat down on it, waiting for her to regain her composure. When she finally did so with a self-assuring nod, she looked back up at him with reluctance. “So…this isn’t a joke?”

“I’m serious as a heart attack. Man, I wish I had Vinyl’s recording device so I don’t have to explain all this crap all over again,” he blew air from between his lips and spoke up again. “Here’s the short version: I was a human back on Earth about three weeks ago. Through a crazy accident, I ended up here, and because my body was so badly damaged, a new one was made for me; the one you see before you,” he spread his wings slightly in emphasis (man it just felt so damn good to do that again!)
“In any case, through a whole lot of crazy events, I lost my wing, had it reattached here,” he nodded towards the black ring, “and I’ve been trying to get it fixed ever since until tonight; so that’s why I was so excited earlier,” he blushed slightly; he must have looked like a damn fool in Trixie’s eyes. The magician chuckled lightly, the first sign of any sort of positive emotion out of her since this ordeal began, and it further eased his worries.

“So,” the blue Unicorn stood and took a step or two towards him. “You say you’ve seen human magic up close and personal?”

“Mhm, I have, or what passes for it, anyways,” he nodded.

“And you say it’s all illusion, huh?” she sighed and closed her eyes, awaiting the repetition of the answer she’d refused to believe earlier.

“That’s right,” he replied.

“Damn,” she cursed under her breath before picking up a balled up pair of socks with her magic, regarding them coldly, and hurling them against the far wall in a brief flare of anger. “Well, that’s just bucking wonderful…all that time and effort…do you think you could humor me just a little bit and explain how…how human magic is fake?” she requested. “I mean, it just looked so…convincing.”

“Which is exactly what those illusions are designed to do,” he risked reaching his hoof out and setting it comfortingly on her shoulder, but she immediately shrugged it off with another snort. “I’ll explain what I can.”

“Alright,” she began to pace the floor and name off the famous magicians she knew.

……………………….

Meanwhile, above them, Bon-Bon had come back with two of the Earth Pony Town Guards, while Octavia had returned with Big Macintosh, and the large red pony quickly determined that they couldn’t simply move the debris out of the way. Unfortunately, because of the way things were leaning and balanced, if they moved the fallen roof without some kind of support system, the room Volare and Trixie were sheltered in would almost certainly collapse.

“We’ll have to figure out a way to hold this wall up to gettem outta there,” the farm stallion concluded, speaking away from the other mares so they wouldn’t get upset.

“Why not just break down the back wall of the room,” the first Guard named Snowhooves suggested, but the second Guard, named Firetail shook his head.

“Nah, that ain’t gonna work either; it’d compromise the integrity of the structure and probably knock it down before they could get out.” If there was one thing many Earth Ponies had a nose for, it was structural integrity, possibly due to their lack of magic to use as an emergency if something went wrong or their lack of ability to build with gravity-defying clouds. In short, if they didn't get it right the first time...they weren't often graced with a second chance.

“Well, then what’re we supposed to do; leave ‘em in there all night?” the Snowhooves shot back before Big Mac snorted loudly.

“Nope, we can’t do that. Accordin’ ta Lyra, there ain’t any air vents in there, so if’n we wait till mornin’, they’ll suffocate,” he frowned grimly. “We got any pieces of wood or anythin’ ta use to prop the wall up?”

“No, any large pieces got crushed by the roof, and there’s nothing under construction nearby to borrow materials from either,” the Snowhooves shook his head before Pinkie popped up from behind a broken window, startling the trio of stallions.

“Seems like a doozy of a pickle we’re in, huh?” Pinkie mused out loud.

“You’ve got that right, ma’am,” the Firetail nodded. “And we’re about out of ideas. You got anything to suggest?”

“Mhm, I think so; I’m kinda surprised you haven’t thought of it yet, actually,” Pinkie idly scratched her head while craning her neck up at the precariously balanced shell of a building.

“This isn’t the time for riddles, Miss,” Snowhooves snorted. “This is the time for action!”

“Oh I know, but you’re not thinking outside the box,” the pink pony quipped. “Just hang on tight; I’ll be right back!” She then began to hop off west across town, softly whistling a little tune as she did so, as if the situation was anything other than grim.

“Ah tell ya, half tha time Ah swear Pinkie is outta her gourd, and the other half Ah swear she knows more’n all of us put together,” Big Mac shook his head.

“Let’s hope this is one of those latter times,” the Snowhooves said as they returned to the mares to explain the situation.

………………………..

“Harold Houdini’s escape tricks; how are those fake?” Trixie asked, digging far back into the human magic history that she could recall.

“Oho, going old school, eh?” Volare chuckled, rather enjoying this little quiz for some odd reason. “More than likely keys hidden on his person during the trick to undo the locks with,” the Pegasus explained.

“Hmm…Criss Angel, the Mind Freak?” Volare barely suppressed a chuckle at her usage of formal titles before he spoke.

“Sleight of hand and camera angles,” the pilot crossed his hooves confidently.

“Um, Penn and Teller?” the blue Unicorn asked a bit desperately.

“Heh, those guys use comedy as a distraction in order to perform sleight of hand card tricks and other crazy stuff,” Volare chuckled, having actually been to one of their memorable performances in Vegas when he was younger. “They get you to empathize with them so you’ll believe just about anything they do; it’s all gimmicks and memorization, nothing more.”

“Ugh, I give up!” Trixie felt like the little kid who opened their Christmas presents early only to be disappointed at how anti-climactic it all was. She stopped pacing and kicked the box of socks once more before sitting back down on the spare tire, grumbling into her hooves.

Volare sat there in silence for a long moment, allowing Trixie to mull this information over before speaking again. “I’m sorry to burst your bubble like this, Trixie…I…can tell it was important to you, and”-

“Important?!” Trixie interrupted him, standing up and looking him dead in the eye, her face becoming more and more distraught as she spoke. “I’ve only dedicated the past year of my life and all of my funds towards it, and now you…you come in here and smash it all to pieces!” She fumed and kicked at the bike, immediately regretting it the moment her hoof made contact with the hard metal frame. “Agh, dammit all!” She muttered under her breath for a little while longer, past the denial stage and flying straight into the anger stage. Huh, who knew Kubler-Ross applied here?

“Perhaps if you told me why it was so important, I’d be able to more easily sympathize with you, Trixie,” Volare gave her a gentle smile, remembering Vinyl’s warning and doing his best to keep her calm. “I’m all ears if you wanna talk about that.”
“Right, well,” the magician paused for a moment. “For years, I’d lived the life of a traveling magician, going from town to town and performing feats of wonder for the crowds that gathered. I enjoyed being the center of attention, not to mention the income…but then one day I came to Ponyville, and”-

“Your arrogance finally caught up with you,” Volare interrupted without thinking. Shit…

“H-how did you know about that?” Trixie eyed him warily.

“Um, everypony’s heard of that story; about how an Ursa Minor came to town and you tried to stop it, just like you’d said you could, but turns out you couldn’t.” The pilot said hastily, causing Trixie’s features to droop.

“Ah, that’s true…I couldn’t,” she said with a reluctant snort. “I take it you know what else happened then?”

“Yeah, Twilight Sparkle had to save the day, right?”

“Yes…little Miss Goody Two-Hooves had to arrive and show me up…publicly humiliate me,” Trixie growled lightly.

“So what happened after that? You swear revenge on Twilight Sparkle?” But just as Trixie began to nod emphatically, Volare cut her off. “That was stupid…she was only doing her job, she didn’t mean to humiliate you, and you know that. You’re smarter than that, Trixie…now why would you do something that stupid, huh? Pride get the better of you?”

“Shut up!” the magician shot back, taking a threatening step towards him; but he felt he’d struck a nerve within her, and was thus on the right track.

“So you thought to yourself: I’m gonna hit Twilight where she doesn’t expect it, so you heard of human magic and decided to go after that without doing a little more research on the subject, is that it?” He made no attempt to hide his condescending tone anymore. “And now you’re pissed cuz it’s bitten you in the flank?”

“I said shut up!” Trixie shouted, her horn beginning to glow. Once again, she approached him, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, and stopped less than a foot away from his face before speaking. “This isn't fair!! You…you, this is all your fault! You just had to grab my aspirations, wad them up in a little ball, and then throw them in my face!” She growled and stomped her hoof. “I’ll bet you’re laughing on the inside right now, aren’t you? I’ll bet you’re thinking ‘oho, I could take her back to Earth if I wanted and show her the truth’, but no, you’ve gotta dangle it in front of me and make me beg for it; is that it? You want me to lower and debase myself to begging for the real truth, huh? You…you dream-destroying bastard…human…f-freak!” she spat the last word and continued to fix him with a glare. But Volare had had about enough of this crap.

“Look here, you,” he suddenly rose to his hooves, not giving a damn that she had the power to probably make good on her threat of frying his head off. He got right up in her face, ears splayed back and wings flared wide as he did so. “I’m fed up with your verbal abuse of me, Trixie! All I’ve done in the last half hour is save your life and tell you the truth, but you repay me with threats and insults! Now how’s that for fair, huh?!” His outburst sent her stumbling backwards in surprise, and he followed her until she was backed up against the wall; he was gonna make his point right now!

“Are you mad because the truth isn’t what you always wanted, is that it? Well, the truth is the truth, Trixie; and there’s no changing it! Sometimes it sucks, but it’s better than wasting your time on a lie, isn’t it?” He snorted. “Would you rather remain ignorant of the truth that damn badly?”

“Well, no, but”-

“But nothing! That’s the truth and…look, even for your sake, I wish it were different, cuz I think magic is pretty cool,” he paused and closed his eyes. “But…they’re nothing but illusions and lies. What you did up there just now is more amazing than anything any human magician has ever pulled off, and you did it with ease! So why get mad over it? Why not just accept that you’re already better than them? Why would you be angry that you’re not living a lie…why would you be mad that you’re doing something greater than smoke and mirrors? Now you can either accept the truth or reject it, but believe me when I say that I’ve got nothing to gain in the slightest by lying to you.”

He stepped back from the magician and turned away before resuming speaking. “And you speak angrily of the loss of your dreams as if you’re unique…as if you’re above me because of that…where do you get the gall to do that?! You think I’m above such loss?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“That’s right, you don’t know,” he snapped, sniffling slightly. “So please…don’t assume things, ok?” He wiped his nose before continuing. “You think I intentionally came here…that I meant to get into an accident that forced me to be stuck here like this?” He regarded her coldly, but she remained silent. “That accident occurred on the day that I achieved a dream I’d been working half my life towards. Just as I had it within my grasp, it was snatched away…and now I’m here, away from my homeworld, lost, and just plain confused half the time.” He gave the driest of chuckles and poked at the squeaky bike wheel with his hoof, wondering for an instant who it might have belonged to…a young kid, a working dad that bought it so he could spend time with his son, or even an old man just trying to stay fit and extend his life a few years further before the end…before it got taken away in a rusty flash of light…he shook the musings away and cleared his throat.

“So when you speak of lost dreams, don’t do so in the belief that you’re the only one in the room with that sort of problem. Or at the very least, do as I am: stop sitting around crying about it, accept the truth for what it is, and roll with it…it might suck, but it’s better than living a delusional lie. So go on, blast my head off if you feel like that’ll solve your problems, but it’ll only prove you’re afraid of the truth-that you screwed up-and that you’re not ready to stop running from it because your damn pride is still blinding you!”

With that said, the pilot turned and stalked a short distance away before sitting down in the opposite corner, bowing his head and staring holes in the back of his eyelids as he did so. After a moment, Trixie pulled herself away from the wall, thought her next words over carefully, and finally spoke. “Volare…”

“Hrm?”

“I’m…sorry for that,” she bowed her head and frowned as she spoke; she couldn’t remember the last time she’d apologized to anypony…or at the very least felt the need to. “I…shouldn’t have assumed such things…”

“It’s fine,” he waved a hoof dismissively without looking up from the floor.

“No…no, it’s really not,” Trixie shook her head and came closer. The Pegasus kept his eyes closed, not sure of what was about to happen. But, instead of feeling his head melting off his shoulders, he heard the sound of soft sobbing. He opened his eyes to see Trixie had a hoof over her face and was hitching in a breath ever so often; he couldn’t believe it…he’d broken her pride.
“Trixie?”

“You’re right…you’re right Volare,” she lowered her hoof, revealing her grief-stricken face. “I let my hate for a happenstance situation take over and…look where it’s gotten me.” She slowly sat down on the floor, legs sprawled in either direction, not caring how pathetic she looked anymore. “I’ve got no place to live…I’ve got no more money…and now I find out that the human magic isn’t even close to what I thought…damn it all,” she slammed a hoof on the floor and allowed her light blue stick-filled mane to cascade over her face as she sobbed softly to herself. It was a pitiful sight that tugged at Volare’s soul, and despite his better judgment, he couldn’t help but approach her and sit down next to her.

“You know, in hindsight, although things really went off the rails,” Volare said gently after a moment. “When taken out of context, your plan wasn’t all that bad.”

“Huh-but I thought you said it was stupid,” Trixie mumbled into her crossed forelegs.

“Yeah, in the context of the situation it was,” he ventured another pat on her shoulder, but this time she didn’t shrug it off. “But, would you believe that there’s a book that says that attacking an enemy from an unexpected direction is always the wisest decision in battle?”

“H-how does that apply here?” she wiped her eyes and stared at him.

“Well, why did you want to gain human knowledge of magic? I’ll bet it was because you were betting on Twilight not knowing the same tricks, therefore it would give you the advantage, am I right?” He gave her a small smile. “Or, at least, you said something of the like back in the café a while ago.”

“R-right…yes,” she sighed. “Something like that…sweet Luna, I really bucked up badly, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, to say the least,” he nodded solemnly.

“Please tell me what happened…I didn’t kill anypony did I?” Trixie gasped with a look of horror that clashed with her seeming willingness to murder at will half an hour ago. That alone was enough to convince Volare that she wasn’t in control of herself out there.

“Oh, no, no, no, nothing that bad,” the pilot chuckled, giving her another comforting pat of his hoof. “I mean, you certainly gave it your all against Pinkie Pie, but I don’t think you were even able to lay a hoof on her…still, you two, by accident or what have you, combined to create the greatest magic trick I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh really?” Trixie asked with a small smirk of curious pride. “Do tell.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best,” Volare chuckled, and began to relate the battle that had them stuck in this predicament.

“Wakey wakey, Spikey-wikey,” Pinkie called into the Library, knocking on the front door in a frenzied fashion. But when the only response she got was something along the lines of a combination of snores and the mumbled name of “Rarity?”, Pinkie rolled her blue eyes and decided to let herself in; although it wasn’t like doors had ever really stopped her, it was kinda rude to just show up in somepony’s home this late at night, ya know? So, she quickly trotted around the base of the tree and climbed the lattice-work under the Twilight’s balcony. The party pony scrambled up to the landing in front of the hinged window that led into her friend’s room and put her ear to the glass; but there was even less noise coming from the bedroom than from Spike in the lobby. Huh, she must really be asleep! Without a second thought, for Snowhooves was right: this was the time for action, she tapped on the window as loudly as she dared.

……………..

The memory spell Twilight had used on her self…perhaps a bit too well, for it revealed what she’d seen and only what she had seen herself, meaning that if the Unicorn attempted to read one of the scrolls pulls off the wall by her friends, although they might have seen it, there was no way for her to read the memories of the memories of her friends…ugh, this was giving her a headache! She’d even gotten desperate enough to “pause” her memory and investigate a particular scroll in question that looked particularly promising. But try as she might, she just couldn’t fit herself around her memories to get a good look at the scroll before it was tossed aside. She’d finally found a split second of the scroll sailing through the air in which she could get a good look at the writing, but as it flew through the air…dammit all, it rolled back up!

The Librarian replayed the memory again and again over three dozen times, growing more and more frantic with each instance. No…no, no, no No, NO! It’s just no good! She collapsed in exhaustion on the floor of the Starswirl the Bearded Wing, a bizarre, photo-like scene of flying scrolls, Spike eating ice cream, herself screaming in fear at the rising sun, and Pinkie tapping on the window revolving around her…wait a sec, Pinkie tapping on the window?! The Unicorn did a double take and stared at the memory of Pinkie…who seemed to be staring right back at her. “…P-Pinkie?” she called out softly. This seemed impossible, even for Pinkie Pie!

“Heya Twilight!” the party pony grinned and waved gleefully, and it wasn’t until the Librarian took a closer look that she realized something was different about her friend from the memory she recalled: she wasn’t wearing the skin-tight black suit like she and Spike had been…What the hay…?
“C’mon Twilight, open the window, you silly filly!” her blue-eyed friend called out, continuing to tap on the window. In a bit of a disbelieving daze, Twilight stumbled to the window, lifted the latch, and everything blurred into dark blue and black in an instant, causing her to stumble backwards in alarm and fall over her bed. Her bed?! “Whoa, you ok, Twilight?” Pinkie’s voice asked, prompting the Unicorn to blink her eyes a few times and realize that she was back in her Library, specifically her bedroom, and that it was so dark because it was nighttime; specifically post-midnight according to the clock on her wall.

“Wha-Pinkie?” Twilight rubbed her eyes, the memory of the Starswirl Wing still fresh in her mind. “What’s going on?”

“Well, I climbed up here to your window cuz Spike was too sleepy to open the door, and you were sitting there all zonked out like this,” she crossed her blue eyes and dangled her tongue out of her mouth, tilting her neck and making a moaning noise as she did so and causing Twilight to blush furiously.

“…was I seriously doing all that?” she asked with a wince.

“Pretty much, yeah, so I tapped on the window, you jumped up and let me in, and…yeah, here we are,” she grinned. “Oh, duh, almost forgot; we need your help down at the Gilded Griffon!”

“Why, that old place finally burned down or something?” the Unicorn cocked an eyebrow, but her smirk faded at Pinkie’s reply.
“Mmm, not quite; the roof fell in though cuz me and The Great and Powerful Trixie got into this big old fracas over Volare, and-mmmmpph!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Twilight stuffed a hoof in her friend’s mouth and stared at her in shock. “Trixie showed up there?”

“Yep, well, I showed up after she showed up, but same diff,” Pinkie nodded.

“And you fought over Volare?” the bookworm asked warily, doing her best to keep somewhat calm and not to jump to any conclusions…again…

“Yep, she tried this big crazy magic trick on me, but when it didn’t work, I used my party cannon and it kinda knocked the roof down,” the party pony explained, her friend’s face growing more horrified by the moment. “Oh, and Volare fell off the roof and tackled Trixie; isn’t that crazy?” At her answer, Twilight’s eyes shot wide open and she let out a gasp of shock.

“Wait, how’d he get on the roof, Pinkie?!”

“Oh, I put him up there cuz these Trixie was trying to carry him away from his dinner or something…maybe I shoulda asked Lyra and the rest what was going on, huh? Twilight…Twi, you ok?” But her friend was positively seething, smoke beginning to curl up from her mane.

“No, I’m not ok,” she forced out between gritted teeth. “Pinkie, what happened to Volare, exactly?”

“Oh, when the roof fell in, he kinda got stuck underneath it,” the pony replied. “Oh, but the really crazy thing that happened was”- But before she could continue, Twilight had heard enough, and she teleported past her in a flash of white light and reappeared on the ground, galloping hard towards the café as fast as her hooves would carry her, ignoring the shouts of Pinkie as she ran after her. I swear, if Volare’s dead, I’ll figure out a way to bring him back to life and kill him myself if his explanation is anything less than stellar!

Volare was growing increasingly worried about Trixie’s state of health; during the retelling of the battle outside, the magician’s hooves and ears had begun to shiver ever so slightly. Though she waved him off, looking to hear the rest of the story, the shakes got increasingly worse to the point that her entire body had begun to tremble and quiver, her teeth chattering so badly that she could hardly speak to tell Volare that she was felt really, really cold all of a sudden. Volare had called up to Vinyl to ask what the heck could be going on, and the DJ explained that she was probably going into withdrawal from the drugs that Ray and Jill had slipped her. She told him to keep her calm and warm, that they’d have them out of there soon enough.

Thinking quickly, Volare dug through the boxes of Lyra’s human objects before he found an old wool blanket that he gently wrapped around Trixie before sitting back down next to her and allowing the magician to huddle up next to him for warmth. The force of her shivering was getting so bad that it was causing the pilot to wobble as well as she leaned against him, giving him a small, helpless, but nonetheless grateful smile.

“Th-thanks, V-v-volare,” she stuttered, forcing her eyes closed and setting her jaw against the headache that she felt coming on as her thoughts turned to Ray and Jill. “I s-swear I’ll have m-my revenge on those t-two Unicorns for reducing me to this,” she growled despite her chills, causing Volare to wrap a hoof around her comfortingly.

“You and me both, Trixie…they owe us both big time,” he growled softly. She looked up at him curiously and he explained that those two had tried to kill him at least twice, probably three times, and had tortured his little sister Scootaloo…he’d never forgive them for that. The only answer was vengeance.

“W-well, I suppose we sh-share a c-common enemy then, huh?” Trixie laughed dryly.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, eh?” Volare mused. “Well, we’re kinda in the same boat here, Trixie…we need as many friends as we can find in this world right now.”

“I suppose,” she nodded, tucking her head lower against her chest. Volare reached down and unwound a particularly gnarly twig from her mane and tossed it aside, causing her to chuckle. “Again…t-thank you…that thing was r-really starting to irritate m-me.”

“Yeah, you’re a real mess alright,” the Pegasus returned the chuckle and removed a few more sticks before the magician spoke up again.

“I’m c-confused, though,” she looked up at him. “W-why’re you d-doing these things f-for me?” At his curious look, she continued. “I m-m-m-mean-dammit! Sorry…I mean you s-saving me out th-there…you should have j-just let the roof c-crush me…Luna knows I d-deserved it…”

“Nah, I couldn’t let that happen, Trixie,” Volare replied with a squeeze of his hoof. “Like I said, you weren’t even close to being in your right mind out there, and I just…when I saw you calling for help…I couldn’t just leave you to die. Heh, I suppose if humanity has any magic it all, it's our capacity for compassion...even for our foes.”

“You’re a f-fool,” the blue Unicorn retorted. “I’ll p-probably go t-to prison for what I d-did anyway…so w-what’s it m-matter?”

“Well I still believe you’re innocent, Trixie.” She stared at him for a long moment, certain he was lying…but there wasn’t a trace of jest on his face. “And I believe that if you hadn’t shown up when you did and caused the scene that you did, there’s no telling what those two bastards might have done with me…where or who they might have taken me to…so I feel I owe you my life.”

“Peh, d-don’t try to m-make me the h-hero in all th-this,” she snorted and shook her head. “That was an a-accident and y-you know it…”

“So was the damage that was caused out there,” Volare insisted. “Besides, I think even good accidents should be rewarded.”

“H-how?”

“How’s this sound: if they try to put you on trial for what happened, I’ll defend you, Trixie…cuz the enemy of my enemy…is truly my friend.” At his answer, Trixie couldn’t help the pair of tears that squeezed from her eyes, and she buried her face in the blanket to hide them. She couldn’t remember the last time somepony had called her friend…and he was right: she needed all the friends she could make right now…here at the end of her miserable rope. “You ok?”

“Y-yes, of course,” she replied with the slightest of poorly-hidden sniffles. “The G-great and P-powerful T-trixie is…I’m f-fine, thank y-you, V-volare,” she looked up at him before a new bout of crippling chills hit her, causing her to latch onto him with both hooves for dear life. “Dear G-goddesses…I’m g-going to d-die in here after all…aren’t I?”

“No Trixie, you’re not gonna die. You’re gonna be ok, just hang on,” he held her closely until the fit passed, running a hoof comfortingly through her mane, taking note of the tatters in her formerly lustrous mane and the welts torn through her fur caused by running through the forest in a terrified haze for days. I swear Ray and Jill…if it’s the last thing I do…I’ll find a special spot in hell for you two…you and your damn boss for doing this to this poor mare…to Scootaloo…and to me…

“Move everypony, move!” Twilight Sparkle cried authoritatively as she reached the site of the collapsed building and approached the first pony she recognized: Big Macintosh. He and the others quickly informed her of the situation with the building’s integrity and where Volare was stuck, and although the news that he was alive in there eased her worries somewhat…dammit, I’m still gonna kill that guy for making me worry like this! Working quickly, she magically raised up numerous rafters and spars of wood and rubbles, propping the corner of the building up and melding it all together into a relatively stable structure that would have to eventually be pulled down, but it would hold for now.

“Ok, here goes,” the Librarian announced. “Stand back!” She concentrated carefully, feeling every nook and cranny of the debris piled against the door, magically weaving her will under and through the rubbish until it was all alight in a bright violet aura. Exerting her full magical strength, the Unicorn heaved the mass of rubble up and over her head like a small planetoid, levitating it over the far wall of the building and setting it down in large cloud of splinters and dust. As soon as she was sure that the her repairs were holding, she pushed her way back through the Guards and her friends and trotted right up to the drunkenly-leaning door that read PRIVATE.

With a grunt and a shove, she pushed the door open, revealing a sight that would have knocked her on her flank if it didn’t in fact incense her even further: there was Volare, seemingly in one piece and sitting against the far wall. And who of all ponies was he sitting with than the Great and Powerful Trixie herself! The blue magician was wrapped in a blanket and huddled up against the Pegasus, and at the sound of Twilight’s entry, she looked up at her old nemesis with a bit of a guilty expression.

“T-Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie leaned up and smiled weakly. “Thank you so much for”-

“Save it, Trixie!” the Librarian snapped, silencing the blue Unicorn with her tone alone. Sensing a lot of hostility coming from his friend, Volare rose to his hooves to greet her, the very action of which elicited a gasp of shock from her.

“Heya, Twilight,” he smiled sheepishly, noting her expression of surprise.

“Y-you’re standing,” Twilight declared, wide-eyed in disbelief. But his leg was supposed to broken and…where were his bandages?!

“Yeah, I know,” he nodded and grinned, taking a few more steps towards her. “And that’s not all”-

“That’s nice,” Twilight cut him off with a low growl, closed the gap between him, and before he could react, she hauled back her forehoof and clocked him right in the side of his head, causing him to stagger sideways and Trixie’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise; she’d never seen Twilight do something quite like that!

“Aha, good to see you too, Twi,” the Pegasus chuckled softly, shaking his head to clear the ringing from his ear.

“This h-how you g-greet your friends n-nowadays, T-twilight?” Trixie chided the violet Unicorn through her shudders, but the bookworm ignored her.

“I think I should explain,” Volare began, but Twilight cut him off again, not caring that everypony outside was squeezed into the door and watching the scene unfold before them in silence; nopony envying Volare’s current role as the target of the Unicorn’s emotional tirade.

“Horseapples!” The Librarian cried, her face contorted with a myriad of emotions, chief of which was a mixture of anger and relief at Volare somehow being back on his hooves. “Do you realize what I’ve been through today cuz I thought…cuz I thought you’d never walk or fly again and…here you are and the best you can say is ‘heya?!’” She shook the tears away that threatened to sneak out and glared up at him in fury. “You bucking scared me to death and here you are cuddling with Trixie of all ponies!?” Did that moment they shared in the hospital room mean nothing?! Had he lied to her about that…?

“Twilight, it’s not what it looks like, I’m telling you,” the pilot tried to calm her down, but she was nearing hysterics again…and he had a feeling as to why she felt this way…Dammit…

“Of course it’s exactly what it looks like!” she cried, stomping her hoof. “What else could it be?! You-you big…jerk!!” And with that, she cocked her hoof back to hit him again but to everypony’s shock (except for Trixie this time…go figure), before Twilight’s hoof could connect with his face again, something dark blue, solid, and covered in feathers flashed up to the right side of his head, catching her hoof in a clean block and stopping it cold. She stared in utter disbelief from her shaking hoof to the feathered appendage, to the point where it connected to the right side of Volare’s body, and finally up to his face, which wore the most polite smile he could muster.

“H-how…what…” Twilight managed to gasp before her back hooves lost her balance, the physical and emotional toll of the past few days finally overcame her willpower, and she pitched forward into Volare, who caught her with his wings. The Pegasus gently lowered himself to a sitting position, holding up Twilight’s face and continuing to smile down at her. “I-I don’t understand…how are your wings…working?”

“Like I said, Twilight,” he chuckled lightly under his breath. “I think I should explain-oof!” But he was cut off by the Librarian’s hooves being thrown around his neck and hugging him as tightly as she could manage. “Heh-heh-can’t really breathe, Twi!”

Good she smiled as she allowed the tears of relief to finally slide from her eyes and soak his shoulder. Cuz I still need to kill you…just a little bit…glad you're ok, though...big, dumb jerk...

Notes: Woohoo, Volare’s back in action! But what about Trixie, will she be ok? And what about Ray and Jill?! They need to catch those bastards before they make it outta town! The Guard had better find them before Volare does…cuz there may not be much left to arrest if that happens!
Volare: I’ll moider da bum(s)!

*Cadillac Cimarron:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658533_1658526,00.html
One of the Top 50 Worst Cars of all time

Inseptium Nova-Pt 7: Pyromania and Deja-Vu

September 13th, Ponyville, Post-Midnight...

“I’m sorry Volare…I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Twilight mumbled softly into the crook of Volare’s neck. She finally loosened her hug on the Pegasus, and as the oxygen began to flow a bit more freely to his brain, he became aware of the Librarian’s hitching breath accompanying the feeling of something splashing on his shoulder. The pilot held her at arm’s length and gave her a comforting smile, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his wing as he did so.
“I’ve just been so tired and…I thought you got hurt again and I just…I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, Twi…we could both use some rest and explanations,” Volare assured her and gave her another quick hug before noticing that everypony was staring at them in the doorway. He felt his face heat slightly before giving her a final pat on the back and standing up, helping her to her hooves as well before his face creased in seriousness, especially when he saw the two Town Guard ponies discussing if they should take Trixie to prison immediately or not. “But for now, we’ve got bigger problems; Trixie needs help more than jail time right now, and quickly.”

“Y-yeah, you c-can say that a-again,” Trixie shuddered and spoke up from behind them, causing Twilight to regard the Unicorn with a mixture of curiosity and concern. “As h-heartwarming as th-this is…c-could y-you please s-save it for later?”

“What happened to you, Trixie?” The Librarian approached the magician cautiously; she couldn’t imagine how the shuddering, shaking pony in front of her could have half-destroyed the building around them, even with Pinkie’s help. Even so, the pitiful sight of the proud magician being reduced to such a state pulled at Twilight’s heart, and Volare’s next words galvanized her into action.

“Remember those two Cryhenas that attacked Scootaloo and I the other day?” the Pegasus asked as he helped Trixie to her hooves, supporting her with his healed wing as he did so. “They shared the same names as two Unicorns that drugged up Trixie to make her act this way in hopes that she’d get killed in the Everfree; then they robbed her blind and tried to work what I can only imagine was a Faustian Bargain with me tonight.”

“Huh, what? How?” Twilight queried, helping Volare support the blue magician as they slowly made their ways towards the door, the other ponies respectfully stepping aside to make way. Lyra peeked into her room to make sure everything was still intact, and once satisfied, she rejoined the others. “What’s that, Volare?”

“A deal with the devil,” Octavia spoke up, recalling the term from her formal schooling years ago. “And if those two Unicorns shared the names of those two beasts, it wouldn’t be beyond the realm of reason to assume they were somehow the same beings, and therefore share the same agendas."

“But how?” Vinyl Scratch asked as Volare waved off Snowhooves, who’d been approaching Trixie with a set of hoof-and-horn-cuffs. He held the trembling magician up as Twilight turned her attention to the two debating musicians. “Shapeshifters or something? You think they were Changelings?” she asked with a gasp.

“I don’t think so, no,” Octavia replied with a shake of her head. “Changelings aren’t known to do the sort of magic those two did tonight.”

“What magic did they do?” Twilight asked, a sense of dread creeping into her gut.

“They told me their superior had taken notice of my actions lately,” Volare spoke up, drawing the attention of all ponies present. “So they made a deal with me, that if they healed me I’d go speak to their “employer”...whatever that meant.” But before he could speak further, Trixie went into another shaking fit which caused Lyra to help hold the magician up. Bon-Bon took the initiative and went around the edge of the bar, bringing out the bent and battered, but still functional wheelchair that Lyra had brought Volare there in. They gently sat Trixie down in it, and the magician nodded her thanks and motioned for the explanation of what she’d missed to continue; Ray and Jill had never spoke of any other ‘superior’ before…

“So, they both combined to use this healing spell on me, and…well,” Volare shrugged his repaired wing and pawed the ground with his healed hoof. “It worked, but left me paralyzed. It wasn’t till Lyra spoke their names that I realized who they were…and if Trixie hadn’t showed up the way she did,” he glanced at the magician who managed to smile sheepishly, despite her trembling. “Well, no telling where I’d be right now…so I guess I kinda owe my life to Trixie. Funny world, huh?” But Twilight wasn’t smiling. Far from it, the Unicorn’s face wore a grim mask that chilled Volare to the bone despite the relatively warm night. “Twi? What’s up?”

“Well, remember how I told you what happened up there in Canterlot between Celestia and I?” Twilight began, and he nodded. “Well, because you were so hurt, I didn’t wanna burden you with too much, so I didn’t tell you about something else I learned up there…it has to do with The Wedding Incident.”

“Uh-oh, what happened, sugarcube?” Applejack asked worriedly.

“Well, turns out that during the Changeling attack, there was a break-in at the Canterlot Archives, specifically the Starswirl the Bearded Wing,” Twilight continued, chewing her lip ever so slightly between sentences. “A number of spells got stolen from there, one of them being the very spell that sent Dash to Earth, and subsequently brought you here, Volare.”

“Huh, imagine that,” the pilot shook his head.

“Yeah…but among the other spells that got stolen, one of them was a two-part-healing spell…”

“No shit,” Volare muttered, the implications hitting him like a hammer. “The one you tried to use on me but it didn’t work cuz you didn’t know the whole thing…which is exactly what those two Unicorns used on me tonight!”

“Exactly,” Twilight’s face, though already worry-filled, began to betray another emotion as the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place: anger. “Those two Unicorns were either directly involved with the theft of that spell or they likely know who did it. At the very least, they’d know who the hay they got it from!”

“Th-those little b-bastards…s-said they needed w-work…and they p-played me for a f-fool,” Trixie growled, her own anger so great that she actually fought through her shivers long enough to rise slightly in the wheelchair. “Th-thieves…and…b-bastards…they n-need to b-be p-punished!” she snarled, her teeth chattering as she did so and causing Volare to lay a comforting hoof on hers.

“You got that right, Trixie,” the pilot’s grim smile faded as he realized just how cold the magician had gotten. She tried to return the smile, but only managed to contort her face further and withdraw back into the chair, hit by a fresh bout of shaking so violent that she seemed to be having trouble breathing.

“Dude, we need to get her to the hospital quick,” Vinyl observed grimly. “She’s going into some heavy withdrawal from the drugs those two tricked her into taking and if we don’t get her some help…well…” she trailed off before Trixie’s eyes went wide and she spoke up.

“W-well, d-don’t just s-stand there,” she swung a hoof at the arm of the chair, but was shaking so badly she missed and struck the wheel instead. “Ow-p-please g-get me s-some…help…ow,” she hugged her throbbing hoof into her belly and curled in on herself slightly, shivering uncontrollably. Volare nodded once and looked to the Town Guards, taking charge for the moment, as time was of the essence!

“Guards!” he barked, causing Snowhooves and Firetail to snap to attention. “What’s the strength of your local regiment?”

“Um, us two plus five others, all Earth Ponies except the Sergeant, sir; he's a Unicorn,” Firetail replied with a nod. “We’re the nightwatch though, so the others are all asleep right now.”

“Ok, well I need you to wake them and put the word out: there are two Unicorns in town that require apprehension. The stallion goes by the name of Ray and the mare answers to Jill,” Volare explained. “They’ve got green manes and tails, and green eyes; can’t miss them.” At Volare’s description, Applejack noticed Big Mac’s eyes grow wide as he made a strange sound in the back of his throat. He noticed that his sister noticed, and he did his best to avoid her gaze as subtly as he could, but she wasn’t fooled.

“Big Mac, somethin’ on your mind?” the farm mare asked, giving him a squinty look that finally caused him to admit that Dash had described two suspicious ponies that fit that description a few weeks ago…and that she and her were sorta keeping an eye out for them, but they quit after a while because they figured they’d moved on...
“Apparently not,” Applejack growled and swatted her brother in the head with her hat. "Ya dern fool, why didn’t ya tell me too, huh?! Them two Unicorns ran right past me not half an hour ago; Ah coulda had’em roped an’ wrangled'em in no time!”

“Apprehension on what charges?” Snowhooves demanded once he determined that Applejack wasn’t about to knock her brother’s head off, before Octavia spoke up.

“Theft of Canterlot property or collusion thereof, illegal use of said property, multiple instances of assault, multiple instances of attempted murder, foal-napping, and the torture of Scootaloo, just to name a few,” the cellist said with a fierce snort. “Should I go on or is that enough for you?”

“N-no ma’am!” Snowhooves replied with a shake of his head.

“Good, now get after them!” Octavia pointed a hoof out of the building, but before the Guards could leave, Trixie spoke up again, albeit faintly.

“N-no, wait…th-there’s something you n-need to know a-about those two,” she coughed and blinked her eyes, trying to clear the growing fuzziness in her vision before continuing. “I p-personally saw them b-burn a fully-grown m-manticore to death a few d-days ago…with ease,” she shuddered, though this time it wasn’t just from the withdrawal. “It w-was one of the m-most brutal acts I-I’ve ever witnessed a pony d-do…please, b-believe me,” she looked up at the Guards with pleading eyes. “If you p-pursue them…you’ll n-need strong magic to a-arrest them…th-they’re more d-dangerous than you can i-imagine…and if I’d b-been in my r-right mind earlier…I’d have n-never tried to c-confront them the w-ay I did, knowing w-what I know.”

“Where would they be, Trixie?” Twilight asked urgently. “They worked for you, but they didn’t stay with you all the time, right? Did they mention anywhere in town they might be staying?”

“Y-yes, they m-mentioned one p-place,” Trixie nodded and coughed again. “The Ponyville Inn…they p-probably have all their s-stuff there.” She turned to Twilight and gave her a soft smile. “Twilight S-sparkle…I know we h-have our differences, b-but…they need the p-power of your m-magic to catch those t-two…but I just d-don’t know…I…don’t….know…please…be c-careful…” And with that, the magician’s head dropped to her chest and she lost consciousness, though she still continued to shake slightly.

Volare looked up at Twilight and the others, and then finally at the Guards who’d paused to listen to Trixie’s warning. This certainly threw a wrench into the works, especially Volare’s plan to beat those two Unicorns senseless himself if he got the chance; but now he knew that was likely a suicide mission at best. It was Twilight who broke the short silence first.
“That settles it; Volare, you and the others take Trixie to Ponyville Medical and get her some help. I’ll help the Guards catch Ray and Jill.” But as she took a step forwards, she caught her hoof on a piece of rubble and stumbled in exhaustion, catching herself on Volare’s outstretched wing and giving him a crooked, grateful smile. “I’m good, I’m ok,” she insisted, struggling to keep her eyes from drooping and betraying her fatigue; but the pilot wasn’t fooled in the slightest.

“No Twi,” he shook his head and frowned. “You’re in no condition to fight those two if you have to, especially if they’re as dangerous as Trixie says she is.” But who else had the magical ability to fight them, if not Trixie or Twilight…and he certainly couldn’t let Rarity or Pinkie risk getting themselves hurt… The Pegasus wracked his brains for a moment before an idea came to him and he turned to the butter-yellow Pegasus standing near him so suddenly that she jumped in alarm. “Fluttershy, I need your help.”

“Wha-me?” she asked warily. “I can’t f-fight those two, especially if they could *gulp* do that to a manticore all by themselves.”

“Nope, I’ve got a better idea. Are Luna and Shining Armor still staying at your home?” At his question and Fluttershy’s nod of confirmation, a wicked little grin began to crawl across Volare and Twilight’s faces. “Good, go get them as fast as you can and give them the low-down on what’s going on!”

“You got it!” Fluttershy threw him a small salute and took to the sky, flying west faster than she could ever remember flying before. Volare then turned to the Guards.

“You two, go get the rest of the Town Guard and keep an eye on the Inn; make sure nopony leaves it,” Volare instructed. “If those two are shapeshifters, they could be anypony. But if somepony tries to leave and they act dangerously, don’t risk getting hurt. And above all, keep everypony in their homes and out of danger. As for the rest of you guys,” he turned to the others, who were hanging on his every word. “I thank you all for being here to help me and Trixie tonight…I dunno how we’ll ever repay you. But for now, please be safe and once Luna and Shining Armor arrive, do not get involved and get hurt. Everypony clear on that?” At their nodding responses, he smiled in satisfaction before Rarity spoke up.

“Well, since those two are likely still looking for you...Applejack, Big Macintosh, and myself will provide you with an escort to the hospital. Twilight dear, we’ll drop you off at the Library; and no arguments! Pinkie, you and your friends stay here. We’ll be back soon.”

“Okey dokey,” Pinkie nodded and smiled. “We’ll keep an eye out for those two meanies if they head this way. Good luck everypony!” With that said, Rarity gave Pinkie a quick hug and grasped Trixie’s wheelchair with her magic, gave the nod, and everypony filed out of the building and took to their assignments as quickly as possible.
…………………..
Ponyville Inn…

“I can’t buckin’ believe this crap! You didn’t tell me Lyra knew our names!” Jill shouted as she and Ray threw their belongings willy-nilly into their suitcases, not caring if they were neatly folded or sorted at this point. If Pinkie defeated Trixie, Volare and his friends would likely put two and two together quite quickly and be on their trail within the hour. It was time to quit this town and get the hay back to their Boss…or not. Ray had actually suggested leaving the country for good and running East till they couldn’t run anymore. For once, Jill agreed that he’d come up with a decent idea, thus their urgency to get the hell outta Dodge, so to speak. Not only would they be out-running the Equestrian authorities, but they’d be fleeing the wrath of their Boss, something nopony had ever successfully done before and lived!

“Grrr, buck this town, buck this country, and buck you Elements!” Jill snarled as she stomped on her suitcase until it closed. She grabbed her cloak from the bedpost and threw it on, turning to her brother who for some reason was crawling about on the floor and looking under the bed. “Ugh, you about ready to go, Ray?”

“Yeah, yeah, just making sure we don’t leave anything,” he replied, grabbing a feather-pen and stuffing into his briefcase as well.

“What’s it matter if we leave some trash behind?” his sister growled impatiently. “You suddenly having sympathy for the maid or something?”

“No, but if they don’t kill Trixie-aha, gotcha,” he snatched at a crumpled piece of paper lying way under the bed. “And if they interrogate her, she’ll likely tell them everything she knows about us, including where we’re staying. And if we leave any evidence behind they can track us with…”

“Agh, buck me,” Jill groaned in realization before dropping to her knees and helping him search for any scraps they might have missed. The last thing they needed was to leave a trail and get bit in the flank down the road…
…………………..
Ponyville Library…

“I appreciate this, Volare,” Twilight said as she unlocked the door of the Library, having gotten the rest of the story of what had happened between the Pegasus and Trixie on the way there. “Are you sure you”-

“Yes, absolutely,” the pilot replied hastily, giving her a quick hug. “I forgive you for jumping to conclusions…again…though I can see where you might have been justified,” he said as he released her. “Now then, please promise me that whatever happens, you’ll stay here until this is resolved, cuz there’s no telling what those two psychos might do in the streets…and I’d probably do something impulsive and stupid if I got word that they hurt you,” he chuckled dryly. “I’m gonna stay at the Hospital until the Guard sounds the all-clear, so I’ll be safe, ok?”

“Ok,” Twilight nodded and turned to Applejack and Rarity. “You three keep an eye on him, alright?”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac rumbled with a polite nod.

“Both eyes, sugarcube,” the orange mare smirked and hooked a hoof over Volare’s neck. “We’ll keep’m in one piece fer ya.”

“Indeed, can’t let him get hurt when he’s this close to being airborne again,” Rarity added, flipping Volare’s ragged mane with her magic, causing both stallions to roll their eyes. “Though you’ll need a perm before then as everypony will likely see you up there in the sky and second first-impressions are just as important as”-

“Save it fer later, Rare; fer now, we gotta help her Great and Powerfulness,” Applejack bumped Rarity with a hip and gave Twilight a wave. “We’ll see ya soon, Twi!”

“Good luck you guys!” Twilight called back as the four ponies rolled the unconscious Unicorn down the road towards the Hospital. The Librarian shut the door with a reluctant sigh and laid down on the couch, intent on getting a little rest while she could. But despite her exhaustion, and Spike snoring away on the overstuffed chair opposite her, sleep remained miles away. It took all her willpower not to climb the stairs to her observatory to watch the events play out in town, for she knew if she saw something bad happen…like those psychotic Unicorns somehow reaching the Hospital and…Nope, gotta stay positive Twi…gotta stay positive…they’re gonna catch those two and Volare’s gonna come back in one piece…I hope…
…………………
Fluttershy’s Cottage…

Fluttershy had arrived out of breath, her wings aching from the effort of having sky-sprinted to the edge of the Everfree Forest. She’d spotted Princess Luna kneeling peacefully in the backyard, attending to the moon and the stars, and landed none-to-gracefully in the hedgerow that lined the back fence. By the time that Luna had magically helped her friend untangle herself from the bushes, Shining Armor and Iron Will had joined them, curious as to what all the commotion was and why Fluttershy seemed clean and well-groomed, except for her hooves which were caked with gray dust. Even Shae woke with a start, cheereeking at the noise before calming down and listening in on the hasty conversation that ensued.

“Princess Luna, Ponyville’s in trouble!” Fluttershy managed to gasp, and immediately Luna’s demeanor changed to one of joviality to one of grim seriousness. Shining Armor and Iron Will listened with growing unease as Fluttershy explained everything in as much detail as she could, and by the end of her report…after hearing that those two were responsible for the assault and torture of her friend Volare and his little sister Scootaloo… Luna’s face…it had become almost stony with suppressed anger, her eyes staring towards the town and her breath coming in short, angry snorts while her jaw muscles had tensed, and her wings shifted in agitation. It was a subtle change, but it was enough to make the fur on Iron Will’s hackles stand on end, and he backed up a few steps from the Princess of the Night.

“Fluttershy,” Luna spoke softly but with a firm tone that brooked no interruption or argument as she rose from her hooves. “You’ve done well this evening with your report, and I’m glad to hear that Volare and everypony is alright. However, now I have business to attend to. I want you to stay here at your cottage for now; you too Iron Will.”

“Eh-heh, no arguments here, ma’am,” the minotaur replied as he peeped out from behind Shae’s tree; the osprey above him simply rolled her fierce golden eyes and continued to observe the Princess as the Alicorn turned to the Captain of the Guard.

“Shining Armor, follow me to town; I may need your assistance,” Luna spread her wings and prepared herself to hunt down those that threatened her country, something she hadn’t done in over a millennia; she felt the darkness of the remnants of Nightmare Moon rise up in her heart, and she allowed it a fraction of control over her actions as she pawed a great divot out of the soft earth with an angry hoof.

“Princess Luna,” Fluttershy called out, causing the Night Goddess to turn and regard her with cyan eyes as hard as diamond. Fluttershy nearly stumbled back at the sight, but steeled herself and stood her ground, telling herself that she was still her friend Luna behind those fierce eyes. “P-please be careful of them…they’re very dangerous.” But to her surprise, Luna replied with a dry chuckle and fierce grin.

“Oh it’s not I that should beware of them,” she turned back to the town, her eyes beginning to glow white. “It’s them that should beware of me…” And with that, she took a running start and launched herself into the air, gaining speed and allowing the darkness to rise just a little more until she seemed like a black winged cloud of vengeance pelting towards Ponyville, a trail of thunder and shadow in her wake. Fluttershy turned to shakily regard Shining Armor before he followed his Princess.

“I-I’ve never seen her that angry before,” the Element of Kindness shuddered, as did the Captain of the Guard.

“Neither have I, Fluttershy…neither have I.” He shook his head and galloped towards Ponyville without another word. He seriously doubted Luna would need his help in this, but…if she let the darkness take her too much, she might need his help to calm down so an arrest could be made. Still…he’d be willing to pay a mountain of bits just to see the looks on those Unicorns’ faces if Luna found them first…
…………….
Ponyville Medical…

“What the-you’re supposed to be crippled!” Dr. Stable sputtered as Volare trotted through the front doors of the hospital, Rarity, Applejack, and Big Mac right on his hooves along with the semi-conscious Trixie.

“Gee, thanks, Doc,” Volare rolled his eyes at the orange Unicorn.

“B-but how?!” Dr. Stable asked, circling the Pegasus and giving him a quick examination. “Never in all my years of modern medicine have I ever seen such a quick and complete recovery! Never! If you don’t mind, I’d love to run some tests to discover”-

“There’s no time, Doc,” Volare’s wings flared in irritation as he gave the floor a quick stomp. “I’m not here to run tests, I’m here with a very sick Unicorn that needs medical help immediately!” It was only then that Dr. Stable regarded the blue magician in the wheelchair, her head lolling back and forth as she groaned softy against the bright lights of the hospital lobby.

“Ah, goodness, my apologies!” the doctor focused and approached Trixie. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked as he lifted her head and looked her in the face.

“She was drugged with nightshade, sassafras root, and a lot of coffee,” Volare replied, causing Stable’s jaw to drop. “That was two or three nights ago, and now she’s in withdrawal.”

“B-but, how could she survive such an ordeal?” the orange Unicorn asked in disbelief as he lifted Trixie’s left eyelid and examining her roving, dilated pupil. Chills, hypothermia, confusion…yes, those were all the signs, alright.

“She’s a tough one, Ah’ll give’er that,” Applejack conceded with a respectful nod.

“Can you help her, Doctor?” Rarity asked, the concern in her voice for Trixie surprising Volare, considering the magician had humiliated the fashionista via green mane the last time they’d met. But now wasn’t the time to dredge up the past, especially when a life was on the line!

“Yes, yes we can,” Stable nodded and turned towards the hallway. “Nurse Redheart, prepare room 118 for a patient with hallucinogenic withdrawal!” He turned and nodded to the quartet of ponies, who relinquished the wheelchair-bound magician to him. “She’s in good hooves, I assure you.” As he spoke, a thunderous crack sounded overhead, and the night that was visible through the front windows seemed to grow…darker. “My, what in Celestia’s mane is going on out there?” the Doctor muttered as he wheeled Trixie down the hall.

Volare took a quick peek out the window, but after not seeing much besides the night growing slightly darker, nothing seemed to have changed. The Pegasus sank into one of the cushions near the door and breathed a small sigh of relief as Rarity and Applejack took seats on either side of him, with Big Mac opting to remain standing. After several moments, Rarity broke the silence with a light chuckle and nudge at Volare’s ribs, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

“My, my, somepony certainly seems to have their confidence back,” the white Unicorn declared with a smile. “The way you just took charge out there like that…it was quite impressive if I do say so myself, Volare.”

“Heh yeah, and you handled yourself pretty well too, Rarity,” he smiled. “Damn, If I weren’t so pissed at Ray and Jill, I’d wanna shake their hooves rather than wring their necks, cuz I certainly feel a lot better,” he shrugged his hooves and wings in emphasis, causing Applejack to hoof him in the shoulder.

“Well in any case, we’re glad ya’ll are back in tha saddle and…well, all here again,” she nodded to his wings. “What’s the next step, eh?”

“Next step?” he muttered and shook his head. “First thing’s first: catch those two and figure out who the hell their superior is and what he wants with me.”

“Well, that’s a given,” Rarity snorted. “We mean after that. Will you try to get back in the air soon?”

“One step at a time, Ms. Rarity,” Bic Mac spoke up, giving Volare a short nod. “Ain’t it you that always says ya can’t rush perfection?”

“Yeah, ya’ll seem awful eager fer’m ta get back in tha air,” Applejack gave her friend a strange look. “Why tha rush?”

“Oh-ah, it’s nothing, really,” the fashionista waved a dismissive hoof, but Applejack wasn’t buying it.

“It’s gotta do with that gift of yourn, huh?” she asked in a dead-pan tone. “Somethin’ about havin’ ta deal with Volare’s occupation as a pilot?”

“Oh really?” Volare cocked his head and gave Rarity an amused glance. “Do tell.”

“I thought we already had this conversation: an artist never reveals her work until the time is right, and until I feel it is…you’ll just all have to be patient,” she replied with a small huff.

“But I take it me being up in the air would hasten that moment’s arrival?” Volare asked, causing Rarity to smirk ever so slightly.

“It certainly wouldn’t hurt,” she tittered, causing Applejack to facehoof, Big Mac to roll his eyes, and Volare to chuckle and give Rarity the lightest of shoves…to which she responded by giving him a more forceful shove into Applejack, who responded by pushing the pilot back onto her friend. Before long, the Unicorn and Earth Pony were bouncing the Pegasus off each other, swaying back and forth and laughing like fools, causing Volare to mouth the word help to Big Mac. But the large red stallion only chuckled softly and shook his head. Mares…an unfathomable mystery…
He had to admit though, seeing Volare back on his hooves and fully healthy had certainly lightened the mood, especially around his sister who’d seemed a bit off ever since Volare’s wing injury, becoming a little more tense than usual whenever he was mentioned around the farmhouse. Then again, the fact that she had been there during Volare’s emergency surgery probably had some bearing on that. But in any case, a sense of normalcy seemed to be creeping back into everypony, and it was a feeling that Big Mac openly welcomed.

But their joyful little moment was short-lived as they all noticed an unmistakable flickering light through the front windows of the hospital. The four ponies trotted out the door and quickly confirmed the source of the light: fire, and a lot of it, coming from the direction of the Ponyville Inn. “What in Luna’s moon is happening over there?” Rarity breathed as storm clouds began to gather overhead, though none of them saw a trace of any weather pony in the sky.

“Ah dunno, but Ah got a feelin’ we’re more’n a little outta our league here,” Applejack muttered fearfully as thunder crashed from the clouds and a downpour began over the eastern half of Ponyville, the wind from the sudden storm bringing with it the smell of smoldering wood and the cries of terrified ponies intermingled with the shouts of the Town Guard doing their best to keep order in the streets. “Good call on sittin this’n out, Volare,” she nudged the back of her hat against the Pegasus’ chest.

“Yeah, no kidding,” he replied, his eyes flicking between the firelight and the direction of Twilight’s Library on the opposite side of town, which was the only fact keeping him from charging out and checking on the Librarian. Please stay safe, Twi, he thought as he turned back towards the east…
………………….
Ponyville Inn, 15 minutes earlier…

“Ok, is that everything?” Jill asked impatiently as Ray did a final scan of the room for any other evidence that might give the Town Guard a lead. They’d gathered up every scrap of trash they could find in the room as well as the bedsheets and pillow cases; they’d figure out what to do with those later. They’d then sanitized the countertops and bathroom with a multitude of spells, finishing up by pulling the shower curtain down and taking that too.

“Yeah, I think so,” Ray replied with a nod, magically hefting the load of rubbish stuffed in the pillowcases over his head. “Let’s get the hay outta here.”

“About time,” his sister growled and threw the door open, carrying their suitcases, shower curtain, and bedsheets herself and heading towards the front desk of the Inn. As late as it was, they weren’t terribly worried about the clerk being awake and questioning why they seemed to be carrying half the room with them, and they marched into the front lobby with confidence. They planned to leave town as quietly as possible, burn and bury the evidence once they were far enough away, and then head for the East Coast, board a ship, and then never return to Equestria. As they crossed the lobby though, they were a bit dismayed by the sound of thunder booming overhead.

“Aww, horseapples,” Jill snorted and readjusted her grip on the luggage. “Now we’re gonna have to run in the rain!” But just before they reached the door, it swung open, and what seemed to be a living shadow loomed in the doorway, causing the siblings to halt in their tracks.

“Leaving so soon?” an unfamiliar female voice spoke as the dark shape stepped inside, her blued-steel-shod hooves clipping lightly on the granite floor before she stepped into the light, revealing pale glowing eyes, a short crown surrounding a long horn, and a small, confident grin gracing the lips of the regal cobalt Alicorn before them. “Please, stay a while, for I much desire to speak with you two…at great length, in fact.” Her last words carried no doubt as to what that meant.

“Just who the hay are you, lady?” Jill demanded. “We’re not in the mood for talking, so get outta the way if ya know what’s good for ya!” But Ray recognized the pony before them, and he immediately dropped the rubbish and collared his short-tempered sister, bowing his head ever so slightly as he spoke.

“P-please forgive my sister, your highness,” Ray said as he back up a few steps, causing the Alicorn’s amused smile to widen ever so slightly. “She’s impulsive and-oof!” he cried as he caught Jill’s elbow in the stomach.

“What the hoof is wrong with you, bro?” Jill whirled on him and growled. “You lost your nerve or something? She’s just a single pony; let’s blast her and get moving already!”

“Agh, sis…you don’t understand,” Ray coughed and glanced fearfully at the Alicorn who blocked their path. “That’s Princess Luna.”

“Wait, what?!” Jill’s eyes shot wide and stared at the Alicorn. She’d never laid eyes on the Princess of the Night that she so often swore by, and the realization of whom was standing not 10 feet away finally washed over her, and she dropped their baggage in shock. “Shit, what do we do?” she hissed.

“I dunno, I dunno,” Ray’s eyes darted from Luna to the door, to the windows, searching for an avenue of escape but finding none. Their only exit was back the way they came…or right through the Moon Goddess. However, she didn’t seem to be there to kill them, otherwise she probably would have already…he suddenly got an idea. “Follow my lead, sis…Princess Luna,” he addressed the Alicorn with a false, weak quaiver to his voice, calling upon his acting skills to get them through this mess as he placed himself between the Princess and his sister. “By what grand occasion do you grace us, your humble subjects, with your regal presence?” he asked with a bow of his head, causing Jill to roll her eyes. “

“Your acting skills are quite impressive, Ray,” Luna eyed the Unicorn warily, causing him to look at her incredulously. “Yes that’s right, I know exactly who you are. Your sister Jill as well,” her teeth began to show as her lip curled back in the beginnings of a snarl, the shadows that surrounded her seeming to extend from her body and suck all the light from the room as she spoke. “You were involved in the theft of several Canterlot artifacts, the torture of the filly Scootaloo, and assault and attempted murder of my friend Volare…I know plenty about you two, so don’t attempt to fool me with your poisonous, silver-tongued speech.”

“Shit, she knows about Volare and all that stuff?!” Jill cried, leaning on her brother’s back and staring at the Night Princess in a mix of shock and frustration.

“Apparently,” Ray nodded and returned his gaze to Luna. “Then I suppose you’re here to arrest us?”

“Precisely,” Luna nodded and took another threatening step towards them. “Come quietly and all will be”-

“YEAH RIGHT, BUCK THAT NOISE!” Jill snarled and leaped to the side of her brother, steam swirling upwards from her horn as she grinned nastily at the Princess. “We’re not going with you or anypony, so take this!” With a roar of anger, the Unicorn shot a great blast of fire out of her horn that raced to engulf the Night Princess before she had a chance to react beyond throwing up her wings to shield herself. “Ahahahahaha, yeah, yeah, take that, and that, and that!!” Jill screeched as she hurled fireball after fireball onto the Princess, laughing like a banshee as she did so until she finally stopped after nearly a full minute of assault.
Breathing hard and chuckling under her breath at Ray’s shocked face, she waited for the flames to die down and inspect her handiwork. Did she seriously just do what I think she just did?! Ray thought to himself, unable to move his hooves from the floor as his sister continued to snicker. “Mmm-mmm,” she inhaled and laughed loudly. “I love the smell of roast Princess in the…no…”

“You really bucked us now, Jill,” Ray gasped in horror.

The flames around Luna finally extinguished themselves, revealing the Princess still very much intact and surrounded by a lavender-colored magical shield. Standing at her side, his teeth bared in anger and defiance, was her Captain of the Guard, Shining Armor. Jill stumbled back to her brother in disbelief as the shield faded and disappeared, allowing the Captain to speak. “Good thing I caught up with you, Princess.”

“Your help wasn’t required, Captain,” Luna glanced to the side. “Still…thank you. Now then,” the Canterlot ponies turned the gazes back to the Unicorns before them. “I believe we have business to attend to here. Shining Armor, please read the charges.”

“Yes ma’am,” the Captain nodded and cleared his throat, barely containing the righteous fury he held towards these two psychotic Unicorns as he spoke. “By order of Princess Luna and the Authority of the Canterlot Royal Guard, I Shining Armor hereby place you under arrest for the charges of theft, destruction of property, torture, placing ponies under the influence of hallucinogens, and the attempted murders of Volare, myself, and Princess Luna of Canterlot.” He finished speaking and pointed his horn at the pair. “I’d ask you to come quietly, but at this point, it doesn’t make any difference to me. Your little reign of terror against the citizens of Equestria ends tonight!”

“Well, well,” Jill said shakily, she and her brother retreating a bit further into as she did so. She was still chuckling reflexively, still unable to believe what had just happened. She looked to her brother for answers, but his mouth was uttering every prayer he could think of under his breath. Jill snorted in fury and turned back to the Princess and the Captain, unwilling to be taken alive. She looked about once more for an avenue of escape, but found nothing but walls surrounding them…wooden walls…and the sleepy snores of their only upstairs neighbor right above them… She suddenly smirked evilly as an idea came to her. “Seems like you two really care a lot about the safety of your ponies,” she laughed sardonically.

“Of course, it’s our primary duty to protect them from dangers like you,” Luna nodded and charged her horn, intent on performing a binding spell on the duo and ending this as quickly as possible. But to her surprise, Jill only continued to chuckle lightly. “Before I gag you, pray tell: what is it you find amusing about this situation?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Jill snickered. “Just your dedication to your citizens’ safety…let’s give it a quick test!” She then turned her horn upwards and, to Luna and Shining Armor’s horror, she blasted a great gout of flames onto the ceiling and across the walls in a great blazing arc, immediately setting the surrounding building on fire. With a wicked laugh, Jill then magically grabbed a chunk of the ceiling and ripped it down, causing an elderly grey mare to tumble down into their midst. She blinked in confusion before screaming in terror, which immediately woke everypony else in the inn up. Luna quickly picked up the mare and levitated her out the door, distracting her long enough for Jill to pull down another section of the walls and reveal more terrified, screaming ponies being given the rudest awakening of their lives.
“Ray, ya wanna lend a hoof here?!” Jill snarled.

Ray soon caught on and picked up a load of furniture from the lobby, setting it on fire and hurling it through the walls and sending ponies scattering into the lobby and towards the exit to escape the burning building. Luna and Shining Armor glared daggers at the siblings as Jill spoke above the roar of the growing flames, grinning through the flying embers as she saw that they were unwilling to try any spells for fear of hitting the ponies that ran around them in a panic. “It’s them or us, Princess! Choose wisely-hee-hee-hee!” And with that, Jill grabbed their baggage and set the rubbish on fire, kicking it towards Shining Armor before she and Ray pelted into the flaming hallway, daring the Princess and the Captain to follow them.

But Luna and Shining Armor swiftly exchanged a glance, nodded in agreement, and began the evacuation of the building, leaving Ray and Jill to escape. To the Canterlot ponies, the lives of the citizens of Ponyville mattered more than the apprehension of two criminals. When Ray and Jill realized they weren’t being followed, they quickly kicked in the door of one of the rooms, blew out the back wall of the apartment, and fled East, galloping over the bridge spanning the Ponyville Stream faster than even the wind could hope to move. Within minutes, they’d disappeared into the underbrush of the Whitetail Wood…and were literally gone without a trace.

“Shining Armor, did you check upstairs?” Luna yelled over the crackle of the hungry flames that were devouring anything flammable in their path.

“I did!” the Captain yelled from the stairwell, galloping down from the second floor. “That mare and those two pieces of scum were the only ones up there,” he reported as he reached her, panting and coughing from the sprint and the amount of smoke filling the air.

“Good,” Luna nodded and headed outside with Shining Armor. Once outside, she looked up at the burning building and focused her mind on the sky above her. “Captain, keep the other ponies back,” she instructed as her translucent mane and tail began to flutter outwards from her body and her eyes glowed brightly.

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded and coordinated with the Town Guard nearby to establish a perimeter. “Should I call the Weather Team to put this out, Princess?”

“The situation is well in-hoof, Captain,” Luna shook her head and spread her wings, rising into the air and holding her hooves to the sky. Within moments, stormclouds had gathered and thunder was booming as they swirled above the building. Luna’s horn glowed as she focused her will on the water droplets within the clouds, readying them for their final destination. With a loud cry, she dropped her hooves, and lightning crackled as the rain fell in a massive downburst of wind-blown rain that snaked into the Ponyville Inn through the windows and doors and neatly extinguished the flames before flying out of the building and landing in the river with a hiss of steam and static.

Luna sighed and fluttered to the ground, her eyes returning to normal as the citizens of Ponyville gaped at her in awe. To be honest, the sudden admiration very nearly caused Luna to blush, but she fought it back and addressed the ponies with authority. “Citizens of Ponyville, thank you for your cooperation in this matter. I can assure you this situation will be fully explained in tomorrow’s newspaper, but for now, please, allow those who’ve lost their beds to the fire this evening into your homes if you have a spare place to stay. You’ll all be compensated for your efforts. Thank you, and goodnight.”

She nodded to Shining Armor, and the pair made their way to Ponyville Medical where Volare, Rarity, Applejack, and Big Macintosh were standing on the front porch of the building, waiting for news of what the hay just happened. And judging by the solemn expressions on The Princess and Captain’s faces, it didn’t seem to be ‘mission success.’ “Dare I ask?” Rarity queried as they approached, but Shining Armor simply shook his head in disappointment.

“We found them at the Inn and they attempted to murder the Princess,” he reported, eliciting a collective gasp at the audacity of such a thing from the quartet of ponies in front of the Hospital. “We tried to apprehend them, but…they set the Inn on fire and…they made us choose between the lives of the ponies staying there and themselves.”

“An’ Ah take it ya’ll chose ta save the good folks of Ponyville, huh?” Applejack concluded with a grim nod. “Well, burnin’ haybales!” she stomped on the floor and growled. “Them dirty-fightin’ varmints!”

“Cowardly ruffians,” Rarity snorted.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac rumbled his two bits as well. They all turned to Volare to see him literally shaking in anger.

“Th-those two little…bastards,” he snarled and slammed his hoof against the brick façade of the building so hard that it chipped the stonework. He ignored the ache in his hoof and regarded the Princess and the Captain. “I…I just can’t help but feel responsible for all this,” he declared. “I mean, if it weren’t for me, they’d have no business here and…dammit, this is my fault!” He pulled back his hoof to slam the wall again, but Applejack grabbed it before he could and pulled him into a gentle but firm hug.

“Shh, ya’ll cut that talk out right now, sugarcube,” she said softly, pulling his face against the farm-worn fur of her shoulder as she spoke. “This ain’t your fault no more’n it’s mine er Rare’s er Big Mac’s.” She held him at hoof’s length and smiled encouragingly. “Ya’ll had no idea this’d happen, so don’tcha blame yerself, ya hear?”

“Indeed,” Princess Luna nodded sagely. “If anything, your actions yet again saved more lives tonight, for if you hadn’t alerted myself and the Captain…if the Town Guard had attempted to apprehend them instead…” she trailed off; there was no need for her to finish.

“Thanks you guys,” Volare sniffed away the self-angry tears and sighed. “And if you wanna be totally accurate, it was Trixie’s advice that saved everypony tonight. She’s the one that informed us just how dangerous those two were.”

"Yes, but if you hadn't saved Trixie from that falling roof, we wouldn't have been warned, darling" Rarity insisted with a smile, causing Volare to give a small sigh of defeat. Luna nodded to herself and beckoned the others to follow her.

“Come, we need to inform your friends that the situation is under control and relieve them of their worries,” she gestured towards town. “I trust Trixie is in good care now?”

“Yeah, she is,” Volare nodded.

“Good, now come. And do inform me in further detail of this…Trixie situation on the way there, if you please.” And with that, the ponies left the hospital for the shell of the now extra-rustic café.
……………….
The Gilded Griffon…

By the time they reached the restaurant, Luna and Shining Armor had been completely filled in on the details regarding Trixie and the rest of the events that had transpired that night by Volare and his friends. On the way there, Luna took a moment to congratulate Volare on the recovery of his wings, however unorthodox the methods might have been, while Shining Armor joked that the first time he'd seen the Pegasus fully functional happened to be a in situation where neither of them could fully appreciate the accomplishment. However, he did say that once this issue was resolved that if Volare was alright with it, he'd like to observe the Pegasus in flight and back in his element once again, to which Volare agreed.

“So did ya get those guys?” Vinyl asked when they came into view and after Pinkie had disengaged herself from the tackle-hug she’d launched onto ‘Volare-bear’, but her face fell further and further as the ponies related the news. “Well, damn,” the DJ cursed softly at the end of the report and shrugged her shoulders. “At least nopony got hurt, right? Oh, Volare, if it's any consolation, I kinda got bad news on this end too."

“Huh, what happened?” the Pegasus asked in alarm, worried that the building had fallen in on Lyra’s human room or something.

“Well, we found Octy’s cello,” she gestured towards the cellist doing her best to buff off the scuff marks on the instrument with her elbow. “And Lyra’s lyre, but my speakerbox and the ear-buds got crunched to pieces.” She produced the shattered pieces of equipment from her saddlebag as evidence.

“What about the recorder?” Volare asked hopefully, relieved by Vinyl’s confident grin.

“Oh yeah, never took it off my neck,” she pulled the sphere from her other saddlebag for a moment before replacing it gently. “Your story and records are safe with me.”

“That’s good,” Volare nodded before giving a huge yawn. “Aha, sorry.” To his amusement, the DJ proceeded to yawn, as did Lyra and Octavia. “Guess they are contagious, huh?” he chuckled before a small yawn sounded from behind him. He turned to see Luna holding a hoof over her mouth and blushing ever so slightly.

“Eh-heh, so it would seem,” the Princess laughed lightly before addressing those present. “Everypony, I wish to commend you for your cool-headed actions this night. The issues regarding the apprehension of Ray and Jill, as well as the damages to the properties still remain, but I believe it’s in everypony’s best interest to wait until morning to discuss them.”

“I strongly agree, Princess Luna,” Rarity nodded and yawned hugely herself and with minimal melodrama-she truly was that tired! “Unfortunately, we must declare this fox-hunt forfeit for now, but we shall remain vigilant and continue it when we are able.”

“Well said, Rarity,” Luna nodded her admiration. “I bid thee all good evening and pleasant dreams." And with that, everypony began to go to their respective places of rest. But before Luna could take wing back to Fluttershy’s cottage, she felt a tug at her shoulder and she turned to regard the blue and yellow Pegasus pilot. “Yes, Volare?”

“I just wanted to say one last thing in regards to Trixie,” he hesitated, worried he’d overstepped some sort of bounds for a moment before Luna nodded for him to continue. “I believe that her actions this evening, while rash and under the influence of multiple mind-altering drugs, still resulted in my life being saved by her. Therefore…I just wanted to let you know that if a trial comes to pass for the damage she caused, that I’ll be doing my best to defend her innocence of these actions.”

“That’s quite the noble intent, Volare,” Luna tilted her head and looked at him, searching for any hint of reluctance; but he appeared to be serious and determined to defend the magician, and his stance finally caused her to chuckle lightly and lay a hoof on his shoulder. “That’s quite fine by me. I won’t take either side for fear of affecting the fairness of the trial, but you have my blessing to defend her if it comes to it…and by the looks of things, there will have to at least be a bench trial to ascertain how and by whom these damages will be paid off,” she nodded at the ruins of the café. “I can’t imagine poor Bon-Bon is overly fond of Trixie at the moment, eh?”

“Hardly,” Volare shook his head. “The only problem is Trixie doesn’t have a single bit to her name to pay for this, because Ray and Jill robbed her before they drugged her,” he stomped a hoof in the dirt; he really hated those guys! “And imprisonment won’t do her any good either…I mean, hay, I’d help her out if I could, but I don’t have any bits either,” he sighed in frustration. “Dammit, and I’d promised to fix their roof too,” he gestured to the collapsed structure. “So much for that little pledge, huh?” Luna took note of these facts and nodded her understanding before speaking.

“Volare, I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” she patted his shoulder. “But for now, you need your rest; you’ve got a big day ahead of you, I’ll warrant...if your previous actions for your friends are any indication, that is.”

“Huh, what do you mean, Princess?” he looked up at her to see she was wearing a tiny smile. What was she up to? But she simply continued to smile and as she spread her wings to fly away, she paused and glanced back at him.

“Oh, just one more thing, Volare…have you formally checked out of the hospital yet?”

“Um, no, why?”

“It’s nothing you need to take care of right now, but I believe you were already informed of my pre-payment of your recovery and rehabilitation, correct?” When Volare nodded once, her smile grew a small fraction. “Well, since you don’t need that money for your rather substantial medical expenses anymore,” she winked. “It would be an absolute shame to let those bits gather dust in the Hospital coffers, would they not?”

“Are you saying…that I could…” Volare trailed off as his eyes widened.

“I’m not saying anything specific, Volare, as it would look rather…improper for a Princess like myself to give out donations to strangers…heaven knows everypony would be looking for a hoof-out after a while, and then where would we be?” She smiled demurely and turned to go. “I’m just saying you seem to be the type of pony that knows when and how to do the right thing with what he has available to him, that’s all. Oh, and if you stay someplace tonight, I don’t suggest Fluttershy’s; it’s too dangerous to leave town since those two hoodlums are still at large; however, by tomorrow it should be safe, so please come by and see me before you officially check out of the hospital and the Captain and I leave town. Good night!” As she flew off towards the west, Shining Armor galloping after her, Volare simply stood there, his mind racing a mile a minute as he realized the possibilities that had just been laid out before him. He was startled out of his musings by Vinyl Scratch throwing a hoof over his shoulders and placing something in his own hoof.

“Check it out, dude,” she said and he looked down to see two small black objects: more earbuds for Vinyl’s recording equipment. He looked up at her curiously and she grinned. “Heh, found a spare set in my bag; they’re yours to keep. I’ll getcha set up with the rest of the equipment tomorrow if you want.”

“Wow Vinyl…you’re serious?” he asked in shock, but she simply hoofed him in the shoulder and grinned.

“As a heart attack,” she chuckled. “Come on by the studio when ya get the chance and I’ll getcha hooked up; it’s the least I can do for helping me with my tour…I’ll getcha some actual bits as payment after the next tour. Promise. Peace!” The DJ waved a hoof and together she and Octavia headed to their duplex. Volare looked down at the ear-buds and smiled before tucking them under his wing as a mint-green Unicorn approached him. “What’s up Lyra? Heh, guess I should thank you for saving my flank in there, huh?”

“Nah, it was nothing,” she waved a hoof dismissively and sighed slightly. “Kinda wish we didn’t totally wreck the place, but hey, such is life, eh?”

“Yeah, well, I still intend to fix the place,” he gave her a surprising grin.

“Huh, how?”

“You’ll see,” he chuckled lightly. “I’ve got a quasi-plan in the works.”

“Heh, sounds better than Bon-Bon’s plan of bemoaning the loss of her frickin’ broomstick, not to mention the café,” she nodded back over her shoulder at the cream-colored Earth Pony sitting on the ruined bar and staring around at her ruined place of business. Lyra shook her head before her face suddenly brightened and she looked up at Volare with a grin. “Crap, that reminds me; I got something at my place I gotta show ya! Hey Bon-Bon, c’mon! Stop mopin and get on over here!”

“But it’s all gone, Lyra!” the Earth Pony protested and dragged her hooves as she slowly made her way towards her friend. “We’re done…washed up…finished!”

“You say so, but ol’ Volare here says he’s got a plan!” she threw a chummy hoof around the Pegasus and grinned. “So buck up and c’mon.” Before they left, Volare bid Big Mac, Applejack, and Rarity farewell, though Rarity reminded him that he needed to stop by her Boutique at some point tomorrow to get his mane fixed with a less…ragged style. He promised he would and gave Pinkie another gargantuan hug before she left for Sugarcube Corner, telling her to expect him for breakfast tomorrow…and to not tell Scootaloo what happened if she asked; he wanted to surprise his little sister. Pinkie nodded energetically and hopped off home, leaving Volare to follow Lyra to her place, dropping off Bon-Bon at her own home on the way there.

To the Pegasus’ relief, Lyra didn’t have any intentions of the “private session” he still remembered her joking about (nor did he remind her of it). In fact, he never even set hoof inside her home. Instead, she told him to wait at the door and she ran in alone. Over the sounds of clattering doo-dads, both pony and human alike, he could hear Lyra’s muffled voice muttering about ‘where she’d put that darn thing.’ After a few minutes of awkward hoof-shuffling in the night air-quiet now that the town had calmed down and gone back to sleep, he noted with relief-Lyra returned with a large, brass-bound book floating over her grinning head.

“Check it out; figured you could use this at some point, but I guess it’ll be a little sooner than I thought, huh?” she pushed the book excitedly into his hooves, and he examined the cover: “Pegasus Flight and Its Applications”, by Typhoon VI.

“Whoa,” Volar hefted the old-looking tome and looked up the Unicorn. “Where’d you get this?”

“The Canterlot Library; Celestia let me borrow it.”

“How’d you manage that?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, something about her sitting like a human or something…I forget,” Lyra shrugged and gave him a quick hug. “Night dude, and good luck!”

“See ya, Lyra,” Volare waved and couldn’t help but chuckle at the roller coaster of fotune he was currently riding…that and the image of Celestia attempting to sit like a human tickled him to no end, and he was still chuckling by the time he reached Twilight’s Library, the book tucked under his wing.

He had only managed to knock once before he had to jump out of the way of the swinging candle-motifed door. “A little jumpy, eh Twi-hey!” he managed to say as the worried Unicorn magically grabbed him, yanked him inside, shut the door, and threw her hooves around his neck in a crushing hug. “Yet again Twi…choking, not breathing,” he managed to gasp, and luckily she released him much more quickly this time, her face blushing hotly, which only made the tear streaks in her face fur stand out that much more.

“Aww, Twi,” he sat the book and ear-buds down on the end table next to the door, wiped her cheeks with a wing, and gave her a hug of his own. “I’m ok…everypony’s ok.”

“I know, I know,” the Librarian mumbled into his neck before looking up at him. “Still doesn’t make me worry any less about you, ya know?” She suddenly slugged him in the shoulder and gave him a small smile. “Hah, didn’t block that one,” she quipped and stepped away from him as he rubbed his shoulder and chuckled.

“I was just gonna let you know that they couldn’t catch those two Unicorns, but they’re on the lookout for them. Luna’s planning on sending word to Celestia tonight, and by tomorrow, there’ll be WANTED posters and ads in every town in Equestria. They won’t get far,” he explained.

“But they’re still out there, right?” Twilight tilted her head in concern. “Do you have a place to stay?”

“Well, I was gonna go back to Fluttershy’s, but Luna advised against it cuz those two Unicorns are still on the loose,” he scratched his head sheepishly. “So, I guess I was gonna ask if your couch was still free?” In response, the Unicorn rolled her eyes and swatted him in the head with a throw-pillow.

“Of course it is, you big dork,” Twilight smiled and quickly turned down a blanket on the couch, placing a fluffy pillow on the arm of the furniture and gesturing to Volare with a mock accent: “Your chariot to dreamland awaits, sir,” she chuckled.

“What, no gilding?” the Pegasus chuckled before being hit in the face with another pillow. “Pfft, what’s up with you and hitting me in the face, lately, Twi?”

“Argh, could you two keep it down…tryin’ to sleep here,” Spike grumbled and pulled his blanket over his head in the chair, grumbling about ponies not respecting a dragon’s earned rights to some shuteye…or something along those lines. Volare and Twilight both suppressed giggles before calming down. The Pegasus laid down on the couch, fluffing the feathers of his wings before he realized what he was doing and blushing at his own actions, drawing another suppressed giggle from the Unicorn before the Pegasus mocked her laughter and shut his eyes, pretending to snore silently despite the grin on his face.

Twilight suppressed another giggle before quietly trotting to the side of the couch and kneeling down to the level of Volare’s face. It was the feel of her warm breath on his forehead that caused him to open his eyes to find Twilight looking at him not six inches away. “Um, eh-heh, can I help you, Twi?”

“Nope, just thinking, I guess,” she leaned back slightly and continued to look at him.

“Oh, about what?” he looked up curiously. But when she didn’t answer, he tried his hoof at a guess. “It’s about what you saw in there with me and Trixie, huh?” Yet again, she didn’t answer, although her brow creased slightly. “Trust me…nothing happened at all. She was just cold and scared and I…just didn’t have the heart to let her suffer there alone like that…she’s a good soul Twilight,” his statement caught her off-guard, and it was her turn to stare at him in curiosity. “Just really misguided and misunderstood…kinda reminds me of me when I first got here…no friends…all alone with nopony to trust.”

“But you can trust me,” Twilight took his hoof in her own. “And everypony else.”

“Indeed…but who can she trust, Twi? Who’s gonna guide her on the right path?” he shook his head and sighed. “I owe her my life, as crazy as it sounds, and…I’m gonna figure out a way to help get her on the right path as repayment.” He squeezed her hoof and looked her in the eye. “I don’t know a thing about magic, but you know more than half of Equestria combined.” His compliment made her cheeks flush scarlet. “If I asked you to help me with her…would you put aside your differences with her and teach her the right stuff?”

Twilight mulled the request over in her mind for a moment before deciding on a course of action. “I will, but it’s just not gonna be easy to break the habits she’s fallen into.”

“She’s a tough one, as AJ put it,” Volare chuckled. “I think she’ll do ok if she puts her mind to it…she just needs a friend or two to help…that’s all.” He yawned and smiled sheepishly, as did Twilight. “Heh, damn yawns are still contagious,” he chuckled.

“No kidding,” the Unicorn smiled and looked down into his silver-blue eyes with her own violet ones. Her tired mind suddenly had the strangest desire to ask if he’d let her sleep on the couch with him, since it was right there and all…and it looked so comfy. But no, she felt that wouldn’t be appropriate considering his feelings about mares and that sorta thing…not to mention Spike was sitting right there…oh, she’d never hear the end of that if he saw them. Instead, she bent down to give him a quick hug, which he gladly returned. Her hoof graced the base of his right wing momentarily and she looked down to see the black ring of fur and feathers where she’d reattached the wing…but why was it-?

“Oh hey, Twi,” he spoke into her indigo mane.

“Hrm?”

“You’re tired as hell and done so much for me the past few days, so I’ve decided…you’re taking a day off tomorrow,” at his out-of-leftfield declaration, Twilight couldn’t help but laugh into the crook of his neck at the absurdity of such a statement. But, she knew he was right…besides, when was the last time I’d had a day off anyways? Before she could stop herself, she leaned back and gave him a quick kiss of thanks on the forehead, causing them both to blush in unison, more-so when Spike snorted in his sleep and sent Twilight leaping over the back of the couch in embarrassment, thinking he’d seen what she’d done.

Once she was convinced that the dragon hadn’t seen, she looked down at Volare, who was blushing just as heavily as before, as was she. “So, um…yeah,” she chuckled nervously, afraid she’d made him angry.

“Uh-huh,” Volare simply nodded and smiled, much to her relief. “So don’t set your alarm or anything, k? Night, Twi,” he said as if nothing had happened, and turned over to go to sleep.

“Heh, night Volare,” Twilight managed to say before she made her way to the stairs, mentally berating herself for how stupid that had been. But by the time she’d reached the third step, she looked back and sighed at the familiar scene of Spike snoring in the chair and Volare asleep on the couch. Deja-Vu, she thought to herself as she returned to her climb. Deja-Vu…

Notes: FINALLY, things are looking up for everypony, eh?
Questions still remain though:
WHO is Ray and Jill's Boss?
WHY did he wanna capture Volare?
WHERE are Ray and Jill gonna go?
WHEN will Volare learn to fly again?
And WHAT is Volare's plan, anyways!?

Volare: Tune in next time to find out!
Author: I thought you hated those sign-out thingies?
Volare: Well, I happen to be in a good mood...feel like I could fly...oh wait, I can now!
Author: Very funny
Volare: ZING! 8D

Inseptium Nova-Pt 8: Murphy's Law

Notes: Prepare yourselves for probably the slice-of-lifiest slice of life chapter in the whole story! After this, things get...interesting again...and I swear future chapters are gonna be much shorter!

September 13th, Fillydelphia, Pre-Dawn…

Despite the chaos of the previous night in Ponyville, the true impact of the incident had yet to spread beyond the small town. To every other pony in Equestria, especially an important and bustling city such as Fillydelphia, the issues of little Ponyville seemed to matter fairly, well, little. However, that situation was about to change, especially for a certain substitute mailmare in the city who was about to rise before Celestia’s Sun for the first time in ages…although it wasn’t like she wanted to, after all…

“Mmmph…huh?” Rainbow Dash mumbled and moaned against the strange humming noise coming from her bedside table. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place the noise at first. In response, she reached a searching hoof into the grey pre-dawn light outside the bedsheet cocoon she’d wrapped herself in to emulate her cloud bed as much as possible. Her hoof encountered a roughly egg-shaped object that seemed to be the source of the humming, found a round, flat button on top, and before her sleep-addled brain could tell her otherwise, she pressed it in hopes of stopping the humming…it was to be her undoing…

It’s just mah BASS CANNON!!!!

“Agh!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted in alarm and shot straight up into the air as a wave of sound smashed into her and shook the loose paint from the walls; however, as she was still wrapped in her blankets, she had no idea of knowing just how close she was to the ceiling. The rudely-awakened Pegasus met said horizontal barrier with a loud crack, sending her crashing back down onto the bed so hard that she bounced off the lumpy mattress and landed on the floor in a groaning tangle of musty sheets, cyan hooves, and rumpled wings while the infernal noise continued to blare loudly, blasting the room with powerful bass tones that had almost no business coming out of an object so small. Then again, the DJ that had created it had always had a knack for placing gargantuan sounds into small packages.
It’ll wake ya up noooo problem, Rainbow, she remembered Vinyl Scratch telling her when she’d given it to her a while back, though she’d never seen sense to use it until now…well, it certainly worked as advertised, the Pegasus thought as she fought to untangle herself from the bedsheets and shut the alarm clock from Tartarus off.

“Hey you, shut that damn thing off!” a very angry voice sounded from the wall facing Dash’s bed.

“Yeah, what the hay’s going on?!” another voice, this one female and scratchy, shrieked through the opposite wall.

“The Sun ain’t even up ya damned foal!” a third voice shouted through the floor, accompanied by what Dash could only imagine was something along the lines of a broomstick pounding against the ceiling right beneath her head, adding to the cacophony of sound that relentlessly slammed her eardrums. The Pegasus finally broke free from the bedsheets, leaped back across the bed, and slammed a hoof on the alarm clock, stopping the ‘bass cannon assault’, as she remembered Vinyl Scratch calling it, and leaving the room ringing with silence. Jeez, or maybe that’s just me she thought as she wiggled a hoof in her ear and glared at the steel-grey clock, specifically at the round red button on top labeled 11.

“What the bucking hay, Vinyl,” Dash muttered and rubbed her rose-colored eyes as she staggered to the curtains and pulled them back…and promptly sighing in disappointment as she realized that the window faced a brick wall located directly across the alleyway between her hotel and a department store next to it. Although she couldn’t remember the last time she’d woken before the Sun had risen, she still relished the sight of the golden orb rising over the fields outside Ponyville, lending its light to everypony’s day as they rose from their slumber to begin their daily chores…

“Oh horseapples, I’m late!” Rainbow Dash facehoofed as she remembered why she’d set the alarm so early in the first place: her temp job at the Post Office! Giving herself a hasty check in the mirror and splashing a little water from the sink into her bedmane to straighten it out somewhat, she grinned and nodded to herself before heading out the door, running down the hall, and taking a flying leap out the window, much to the surprise of the Earth Pony hotel maid.
Her powerful wings unfurled and caught the wind, allowing her to launch herself over the brick and glass building that loomed before her, roll to avoid somepony’s massive radio antenna perched on the roof, and finally leveled out before turning towards the Post Office. “Wings don’t fail me now!” Dash grinned into the crisp breeze and accelerated over the foggy city, dodging the few Pegasi out flying at this early hour and arriving at the Post Office just as Celestia’s Sun began to peek over the horizon.

“Heh-heh, just made it,” Dash gasped as she landed and trotted inside. For a moment, she glanced back out the front windows of the aging building, half-expecting the two Pegasi that had been harassing her yesterday to be hanging around. But nopony she recognized was flying near her location and she gave a self-satisfied shrug of her wings before heading straight for the Postmaster’s Office to grab her mailbag and route information. It wasn’t until afterwards, when she went to pick up the newspapers she’d been assigned to deliver that she was treated to the biggest shock she’d had all month.

“No…bucking…way,” she gasped under her breath and held up a copy of the Fillydelphia Press with shaky hooves. There, emblazoned on the front page, was a large WANTED article, with a copy of the hoof-sketched profiles of two brown-hooded Unicorns with green eyes and manes…the same two Unicorns that Rainbow Dash had spotted stalking Volare and Big Macintosh weeks ago. Her jaw slowly dropped as her eyes scanned down the page, reading the charges they were wanted for including, but not limited to: arson, connections to thefts of Canterlot records, torture of fillies, distribution of hallucinogenic drugs, and the assault and attempted murders of multiple ponies including a local resident of Ponyville, Prince Shining Armor, and Princess Luna themselves. They were considered very dangerous and on the run, and anypony with any information at all should contact their local authorities as soon as possible.

A local resident of Ponyville…that particular section stuck out in Dash’s mind, and only one particular resident came to mind. She scanned the page again: ok, it only says attempted murder…still…crap, I gotta find out for sure! The Pegasus dropped the paper back on its stack and headed back into the Postmaster’s Office and asked the white and yellow Unicorn if they had any way of sending a quick letter to Ponyville.

“Mhm, you need a Delivery Dragon,” he nodded towards the door across the hall with the title EXPRESS DELIVERY stenciled on the glass window. The Pegasus nodded her thanks and headed through the door, immediately encountering an orange dragon three times the size of Spike with blue spines running along his head reclining in an office chair, his nose buried in a copy of the day’s newspaper while his clawed feet were crossed over each other and kicked up on his work desk. The dragon looked up from the paper at the sudden intrusion and regarded her with an annoyed look in his dark blue eyes that stared out from under a green visor-cap.

“Not much for knockin’, huh?” he asked with a huff of smoke from his nostrils before returning to his paper. Rainbow Dash stood there for an awkward moment, expecting him to say more, but when he didn’t, she snorted impatiently and approached him.

“Uh hey, look, I’ve gotta send a quick message to Ponyvile and”-

“2 bits,” the dragon muttered in near-boredom and held a claw out from under the newspaper. “That’s for the first paragraph, 3 bits for each paragraph afterwards, missy.” Rainbow Dash stared at him incredulously for a moment before she strode forward and pulled the paper out of the dragon’s claws. He gave her a draconic glare before she slapped the paper down on the desk and pointed at the WANTED poster with an angry hoof.

“Look dude, my friend in Ponyville was stalked by these two a few weeks ago and I tried to help protect him,” she growled. “But I stopped looking out for him cuz of…well, cuz of other reasons and then these two suddenly show up on a WANTED poster from Ponyville right after I carried my friend to the hospital myself after being attacked in the woods.” She bared her teeth and leaned forward, causing the dragon to lean even further back in the chair away from her. “So you’re gonna help me send a message down there to my friend Spike and”-

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a sec,” the Delivery Dragon sputtered and waved his claws. “Spike, as in the one and only Spike from Ponyville?”

“Is there any other?” Dash cocked an eyebrow and allowed the dragon to sit back up straight.

“Nope, sure isn’t. The guy’s a legend among Delivery Dragons like me, ya know that?” he laughed smokily and shook his spiny head. “Connections to Celestia herself, assistant to Twilight Sparkle, and friend of…” he then took a closer look at Rainbow Dash and his eye grew wide as he noted her prismatic mane and tail. “Wait a sec…if you’re friends with Spike…and you got that mane and tail…then you must be”-

“Rainbow Dash,” the Pegasus tossed her mane lightly and grinned, noting the immediate change in attitude her mention of Spike had caused in the Delivery Dragon. “Also the one and only.”

“Holy scales, my apologies, ma’am!” the dragon surprised her by extending a claw and grasping her hoof lightly for a moment. “I just didn’t realize who you are, that’s all; it's just not often we get Elements of Harmony up here in Filly, but we dragons know all about you guys from hear-say. Wow, the Rainbow Dash here in my office; what’re the odds?” He grinned toothily for a moment before realizing what she’d said she’d come in here for in the first place. “Ah, sorry, sorry, you wanted to send a message to Spike right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Dash said and dug into her saddlebag with her wing for some bits. But as she held them out, the dragon shook his head and pushed them away.

“No, no, on such an occasion as this, I’ll happily send your messages to Spike for zero fee…within reason of course,” he chuckled dryly. “Oh, name’s Zipscale, fastest Delivery Dragon in Filly; at your service.”

“Now that’s more like it,” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Finally somepony, er dragon, in this city gives me a little respect. It’s like you guys just don’t care who I am or something.” At her statement, Zipscales’s spines drooped slightly as he frowned.

“Well, that’s a little more accurate than you think,” he tapped his desk with a claw. “’City of Neighborly Love’, my tail-scales,” he snorted a puff of smoke. “I dunno what it is, but you’re right…it’s like they’re too busy and self-absorbed to care about the important stuff outside their own lives. It’s like, if we didn’t deliver their mail and papers to’em, they’d never know the world was passin’ em by…bleh, but enough about discussing the obvious,” he pulled out several sheets of parchment from the desk as well as a feather pen and looked up at Dash with a smile. “Whatcha wanna send Spike?”

“Well, it has to do with these guys,” she again tapped a hoof on the WANTED poster. “I just wanna make sure they didn’t hurt my friend, is all…I just got a bad feeling, ya know?”

“I hear ya there,” he nodded and scribbled on the parchment. “Never doubt your gut, I always say. Who’s your friend, might I ask, just so there’s no mistake.”

“Oh, his name’s Volare; Spike’ll know him,” the Pegasus nodded as Zipscale continued to scribble on the parchment for a few more moments.

“Ok, let’s see here,” he held it up and breathed on it to dry the ink before reading it:
Dear Spike, this is your pal Rainbow Dash here in Fillydelphia. I’m doing ok, but I was just letting you know that there are WANTED posters of those two Unicorns causing trouble in Ponyville up here already, and I also wanted to ask you if Volare was doing ok.
“How’s that sound?”

“That’ll work,” Dash grinned as Zipscale stood up and walked to the window, opening it before taking a deep breath and igniting the letter with a ball of blue flame, sending the embers sailing out the window southwest towards Ponyville.

Ponyville Library…

Volare had yet again experienced a sleep curiously absent of any sort of dreams; nothing either happy nor sad entered his mind while he slumbered, and he felt it rather odd that his mind could be so…calm, especially after the events of the past few days. Hrm, maybe that’s what’s weird about it, he thought as he rolled over on the couch and re-buried his face in the feather pillow, hiding from the rays of the sun that peeked in through the wide glass second story window of the Tree; the very same window that had started his whole ordeal almost three weeks ago to the day. It feels strange cuz I’m finally calm and content for once…huh…I could get used to this, he snuggled back up into the blanket, intent on sleeping just a little longer before beginning the tasks he’d mentally set out for himself.

Besides the light snoring of Spike on the chair adjacent to him, the Tree was quiet…almost too quiet. In fact, one might say so quiet as to warrant an awakening nearly as rude as Rainbow Dash’s…

URRRRRP-WHOOSH!!!
“Ahh, what the hell?!” Volare cried as his head shot up from the blanket and swiveled around, searching for the source of the belching noise to find Spike yawning and blinking at the neat scroll on the floor that he’d just expectorated in a flash of green fire. Spike groaned and rubbed his eyes, wondering just who the hay would send a letter at this early hour before he realized that somepony other than Twilight had just cursed in alarm right across from him. The young dragon slowly lowered his claws from his eyes and stared for a moment at the familiar blue Pegasus lying on the couch before the pony finally broke the stillness with a wave of his healed right wing.

“Long-time, no see, eh Spike?” Volare smiled, causing the dragon’s jaw to slowly drop as he finally decided that he wasn’t staring at the remnants of some crazy dream.

“…Holy hay, Volare, you’re supposed to be all beat up and crippled!” the dragon cried with a grin before the Pegasus rolled his eyes and silenced him with a wave of his wing and a hoof to his lips.

“Shh, Twi’s still asleep,” he nodded towards the stairs. “I told her to take a day off cuz of everything she’s done for me, so keep it down, would ya? All the same, I appreciate the sentiment, Spike,” he smiled again and sat up, stretching both wings wide and reaching for the ceiling with his hooves, wincing slightly as his back cracked before he relaxed and looked back at the dragon, who was still staring wide-eyed at him. “What?”

“It’s just…dude, seriously, what the hay happened?” Spike asked in a bit more controlled and hushed tone. But as the Pegasus gave him the short version of last night’s situation, his attention was drawn to the scroll that had woken them up in the first place.

“Hey, real quick, what’s with the scroll?” he nodded at the parchment, and the purple dragon quickly split open the seal with a claw and gazed at the writing before uttering a short chuckle.

“Well, well, Zip, haven’t heard from you in forever,” Spike shook his head and looked up at the confused Volare. “Oh, heh, Zipscale’s the local Delivery Dragon in Fillydelphia; he and I’ve met a time or two, and I recognize his claw-writing anywhere,” he turned over the scroll to show Volare the writing. But beyond the coloring of the ink, which was a dark blue in contrast to Spike’s usual green, he didn’t see much difference and shrugged. Must be a dragon thing. “Anyways, let’s see what he’s got here…oh…ohoho,” Spike chuckled, and Volare stood and trotted over curiously.

“What, what is it?” the Pegasus asked with a cocked eyebrow, but Spike turned so he couldn’t read it.

“It’s from Rainbow Dash,” the dragon smiled cheekily and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Volare to grab for the letter, but the young dragon was quick, and he dodged his swipe, scurrying up onto the over-stuffed chair and continuing to grin at the Pegasus whose face was slowly blushing redder with every moment. “What’s wrong dude? Afraid she said something you don’t want me reading?”

“Dude, quit screwing with me Spike!” Volare practically shouted before they both calmed down as they realized how rowdy they were getting, risking waking Twilight up. “J-just read it already,” Volare snorted and sat down, awaiting the contents of the letter.

“Sheesh, calm down, Volare, I was only funnin’ ya; it’s not even really to you anyways,” Spike waved a claw dismissively before reading the scroll:
Dear Spike, this is your pal Rainbow Dash here in Fillydelphia. Just letting you know that there are WANTED posters of those two Unicorns causing trouble in Ponyville up here already, and I also wanted to ask you if Volare was doing ok.
“There, see?”

“Yeah, I see,” Volare grumbled, not much appreciating the dragon’s cheek this early in the morning. Wow, Luna wasn’t kidding about those two not having anywhere to hide by morning, though! But before he could say anything else, Spike had run over to the small writing desk next to the shelves and pulled out a parchment and quill of his own and began scribbling a hasty reply. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’re you saying back, Spike?” the Pegasus raised a hoof in interruption.

“Oh, nothing special, just that you’re doing fine and are out of the hospital, that I’m actually looking you right in eye this very moment, and-hey!” the dragon growled as Volare snatched the scroll from him, read what he’d written, and promptly crumbled the paper up and tossed it in the waste-bin. “What gives, dude?”

“Oh, that’s just not what I want you to say back, that’s all,” Volare replied. At the dragon’s cocked eyebrow, the pilot hastily explained that he didn’t want Dash to know he was out of the hospital for two reasons: one, he didn’t need her worrying about him flying without her there to help…and that actually stemmed into reason number two: he didn’t want her knowing he was ok just yet; he had the beginnings of a plan in mind to show her that he was gonna be just fine and that he was tired of her shooting her mouth off about him having to be coddled and protected all the time (although he didn’t mention the other reason involving Twilight and himself just yet…) For that plan to work, he had to have the element of surprise, and cited the Mare-Do-Well incident as an example of actions speaking louder than words with Dash, especially if she was put in her place by them.

“Aha, now I see…I think,” Spike nodded, having been told of what Dash had said at the Hospital the other day; he wasn’t very amused with what he’d been told she’d said to Twilight in her anger (though he personally believed Twilight deserved at least some of it, due to her darned jumping to conclusions all the time). The dragon gave the Pegasus a small, wicked grin and began scribbling a reply on a new piece of parchment, holding it up for Volare to read once he was finished:
Dear Rainbow Dash, glad to hear things are ok in Fillydelphia. Yeah, those two Unicorns caused some trouble here last night, but we’re doing ok. Volare’s still safe and sound in Ponyville Medical, in case you were wondering. Hopefully those two crazy ponies get caught and brought to justice soon. Good luck with your mail route and we’ll see ya in a few days!
-Spike

“Looks good to me,” Volare nodded, allowing the young dragon to roll the parchment and send it in a flash of green fire. After a moment or two of silence, Spike beckoned the Pegasus to stand up, and began to walk around him. “What’s up, Spike?”

“Oh, nothing dude, nothing,” the dragon chuckled, looking his friend up and down and noting that he seemed…a little bigger and stronger since he’d last met him in person. At the very least, he seemed a lot more confident, and it showed in the way he stood and carried himself. Spike grinned and gingerly touched Volare’s right wing, causing the Pegasus to chuckle and open it.

“It’s not gonna shatter into a million pieces, Spike,” the pilot smiled as the dragon nonetheless touched the primaries with careful claws, barely able to believe that this same wing had been dismembered and twitching in the kitchen in a puddle of blood just a short time ago. Spike shook the memory away with a slight shudder and nodded his approval at the repairs.

“Well, I gotta hand it to those two psycho Unicorns,” the dragon mused as Volare closed his wing. “They knew what they were doing…whoa, what’s this?” he asked and pointed a claw at the black ring that marked the scar where his wing had been reattached.

“I dunno, Spike. It wasn’t there until those two used that spell on my wing,” the Pegasus shrugged as he glanced back at the ring, confirming that the feathers and fur weren’t burnt or anything…they were growing black from the skin beneath them, which also seemed to have turned black…weird. He nuzzled it carefully with his muzzle, noting that besides it feeling a little more firm than the fur and feathers surrounding it, the ring didn’t smell differently, feel sore or rougher or anything out of the ordinary besides the contrasting color. But although he didn’t think much of it, something about just…unsettled Spike ever so slightly…either that or he was just hungry.

“Maybe you should talk to Luna about it if she’s still in-URRRRRRRRRRRP-WHOOSH!” Spike was interrupted by yet another scroll belching out of his mouth, causing the Pegasus to jumped sideways with a slight yelp to avoid the green embers. “Urgh, sorry dude,” Spike smiled sheepishly and picked up the new scroll. “I hate it when that happens on an empty stomach.” He unrolled it and read the considerably shorter message:
Sounds good. Tell him I said good luck in his recovery and that I owe him a huge hug or something when I get back…just don’t tell him I said this, ok?
-RD

“Aww, that’s so sweet of Dashie,” Spike looked back and the dragon and Pegasus shared a grin and bumped claw to hoof, thick as thieves before the two exploded into barely-contained chuckles, knowing that if Dash ever found out about this…well, she’d best not find out. “Heh, better watch out dude,” Spike snickered. “Methinks Dash has her eye on you and doesn’t wantcha to know about it.”

“Oh, haha, hardly,” Volare rolled his eyes and shook his short mane. “That’s the last thing on my mind or my to-do list…oh crap,” he stomped a hoof in a self-scolding manner. “That reminds me; I got a load of stuff to do today,” he declared as he headed for the front door.

“That doesn’t include trying to fly again, does it?” Spike gave him a wary look before the Pegasus paused and sighed slightly.

“Nope, that definitely doesn’t include that, Spike,” he spread his wings experimentally before folding them again and turning to regard the dragon, a frown creasing his brow. “I got into this whole mess because I wasn’t patient enough and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.” He chuckled dryly as he recalled barely being able to angle himself in flight or fly in a straight line without being winded, to say nothing of his inability to pull out of a dive on his own…and although he certainly felt stronger and more confident in himself since that time, the lesson that Fluttershy had taught him kept his mind focused: “be patient, know your limits, and only push them when absolutely necessary.”
“So until I really learn how to fly the correct way, I’ll stay grounded for now,” he chuckled as he opened the door and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. “At the very least, that literally puts me on even footing with my training partner, whom I’m late for breakfast with.”

“Who’s your training partner?” Spike asked, his head on a tilt.

“Oh, a Pegasus filly by the name of Scootaloo…” Volare paused again and grinned towards the town of Ponyville. “…who also happens to be my little sister.”

“…huh, say what?!” Spike cried in surprise, but by the time he said so, Volare was galloping off down the road in a cloud of dust and hooves. “Jeez, I musta missed some seriously crazy stuff,” the dragon muttered as he walked back inside, glancing at the weathered, brass-bound book sitting on the table by the door, and at the two small black objects sitting on top of the book. He gently examined the objects to discover they were like the earbuds that Volare had worn during his little impromptu music session a while back, and Spike respectfully set those aside before taking a closer look at the book.
“Hrm, “Pegasus Flight and Its Applications,” Spike muttered as he hefted the large book and carried it to the sofa and sat down. “Never seen this one before…”

Ponyville...

Once Volare had cleared the small rise that separated the Library from the town proper, he'd built up speed from a moderate gallop to a significantly quicker pace, faster than he'd even run as a Pegasus before...faster than he'd ever run, period! It was just so great to be mobile and...just not weak again! He felt strong, he felt powerful, he felt confident (and he would have likely felt embarrassed if anypony had seen him). He grinned as he felt the blood rush through his limbs and down into his hooves that pounded the dirt road in a steady rhythm that quickly carried him onto the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. He wasn't quite ready for the transition in running surface, however, and he nearly lost his footing on the dew-slick stones, forcing him to slow down slightly, though only just so. This was fantastic! Everything works!!!

"Haha, yeah!" he growled through clenched teeth as he rounded a corner and accelerated yet again, making a beeline east for the gingerbread and icing-covered building on the north side of the street. Faster...faster...faster!!

"Whoa, slow down!" Roseluck shouted as she stopped herself from crossing the street, barely avoiding colliding with the blue Pegasus. Between Scootaloo and this new guy, she was really having to keep an eye out in the street lately.

"Eh-heh, sorry!" he called back, but she was right; he was nearly there anyways. With a slight groan of disappointment, he slowed to a trot, his lungs taking great pulls of the morning air as he did so, though he noted that he was hardly winded, unlike the last time he'd tried something like this. Wow, Fluttershy's training really paid off...or that healing spell did me wonders...either way, who cares!? "Never look a gift horse in the mouth," he chuckled as he finally reached the door of the bakery and reached up a hoof to knock...but the knock never came as the door opened and a pink mare greeted him with a huge grin. "Heh, morning Pinkie Pie," Volare chuckled between light gasps.

"Whew, out for a little morning run, Volare-bear?" Pinkie queried with a tilt of her head. She looked him up and down and gave a low whistle that brought a slight, self-conscious blush to the Pegasus' cheeks. "Lookin' good there, Volare."

"Oh, well, ya know," he sputtered slightly and waved his hoof dismissively, avoiding the baker mare's blue-eyed gaze for a moment before laughing it off. "To tell the truth, I feel good, Pinkie; I mean, I just ran full-speed from the Library to here and I'm not even winded!" He stomped the ground and grinned. "I mean, if I'd tried that a few weeks ago, I'd be lying on the ground out of breath!" Pinkie nodded in understanding and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hee-hee, you remind me of a little colt who's just learned how to run; doesn't matter where you go or when, but just the running itself is fun enough, huh? Speaking of which, since you were about to knock on the door, I take it you were headed here?" she asked with a sly smile.

"Yeah, I was...wait, how'd you know I was about to..." But he trailed off and shook his head as she merely gave him a quick wink and led him inside, telling him to be quiet cuz she was the only one up right now. "Heh, I take it that means Scoots is asleep too?" he asked. "Where's she at?"

"Last door at the end of the hall on the right," Pinkie nodded towards the stairs on the left side of the front door and sat down between the display counter, chin on her hooves, and watched with a small smile as Volare crept up the staircase. The Pegasus quietly headed down the hall, reaching said door and opening it, revealing the interior of Pinkie Pie's room. But it wasn't the random streamers lining the ceiling and walls, nor the party balloons and confetti that littered the floor (as strange as that was) that drew his gaze. Nope, it was the small fuchsia mane that poked out from under the the pile of blankets on the guest bed...or rather, it was the orange owner of said mane, her small breaths raising and lowering the blankets and punctuated by her signature little whinnies, that held his attention as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He gazed down at the slumbering Scootaloo with a soft smile, deciding that the tiny scar left on her cheek simply added further endearment to the rough-and-tumble filly and swearing that his heart would stop if she got any more adorable. She looked so peaceful that he almost regretted having to do what he did next...

He carefully reached out and flicked the filly's mane with wing, causing her to snuffle her nose and bat at the air with a small hoof before settling down. Please heart, don't explode! He repeated the action again, his smile growing each time and by the third pass, the Pegasus filly blinked and yawned, sitting up and looking at Volare with sleepy lavender eyes. "Huh-bro? Why'm I back in the hospital?" she asked with another yawn.

"Heh, you're not in the hospital, Scoots," he continued to hold that same smile, letting her come to her own conclusion as he did so.

"But if we're not in the hospital...then you're"- Scootaloo gasped and rubbed her eyes, staring up at him for a good long moment before reaching out a tentative hoof and touching his. "Th-this isn't a dream?"

"Nope, I'm real," Volare reached out and booped her nose. "And so're you, Scoots." With a happy cry of recognition, Scootaloo leaped forward and hugged his neck for a long moment before looking back up at him with a huge grin on her face.

"Dude, bro, you're ok! You're ok!" She stood up on the bed which put her at roughly eye level with him as she looked around his shoulder, noting that his right wing wasn't held up by bandages anymore. "How about your...you know," she nodded at the feathered appendage.

"Oh, this old thing?" Volare chuckled and nodded at the wing in question before standing up. "It's doing ok, I suppose, but I think I slept on it wrong or something, cuz it's really sore," he nonchalantly stretched his wings to their full length, turning to regard Scootaloo with the largest wink he could possibly muster. The sparkle in his little sister's eye practically lit up the room as she let out a whoop of joy and launched herself off the bed at him, landing on his back and leaning on his head with a giggle as she hugged her hooves around his face. "Guess you approve, huh?"

"I sure do!" the filly grinned. "Dude, this is great! Oh my gosh, this gives us so many more possibilities!"

"Possibilities, eh?" he peeked up through her hooves. "Like what?"

"For Cutie Mark Crusading, that's what!" Scootaloo declared. "Think about it: now we have a Crusader who can fly, and we can try all sorts of stuff we couldn't before, like Cutie Mark Crusader Skydiving, Cutie Mark Crusader Cloud-Surfing, ooh, and Cutie Mark Crusader-mmph!"

"Eh-heh, let's not put the cart before the pony here, Scoots," Volare chuckled as he removed his wing from over her mouth, doing his best to hide the sheer horror he felt of screwing up something like Cutie Mark Crusader Skydiving...eesh... "I've already promised myself that I won't get back in the air until I really know what to do."

"Yeah, but Fluttershy gave us those lessons," Scootaloo pointed out. "You could use those."

"True, but I still won't take you or the other Crusaders into the air with me until I'm totally confident in my own abilities...and I got a feeling that's gonna take some time and study," he frowned slightly before feeling Scootaloo's belly growl hungrily through his mane, quickly followed by his own growling stomach. "Eh-heh, but before we do any of that, whatcha think about grabbing some breakfast with Pinkie?"

"That sounds like a plan for now," Scootaloo nodded and hopped down off his head before following her brother down the hall, her young mind still abuzz at all the possible Crusades they could now go on...once Volare let them, of course.
.......................

30 Minutes Later, Western Outskirts of Ponyville...

"Haha, better push it a little harder, Scoots!" Volare flashed a sideways grin at Scootaloo, who was neck-and-neck with him on her scooter. During a breakfast of raspberry muffins and toast, Volare had laid out the plans for the day that included visiting Luna and Shining Armor before they left town, getting himself officially checked out of Ponyville Medical as well as checking on Trixie, and finally helping Bon-Bon and Lyra determine the cost to fix the Gilded Griffon. Before they left, Volare asked off-hoofedly if Pinkie's room was normally that festive, but she merely winked and said that she figured that today was going to be a good ocassion to decorate, leaving Volare shaking his head in amazement at Pinkie...well, being Pinkie! She allowed him to borrow a spare saddlbag until he could get his own, and reminded him that she still owed him a party soon.

Scootaloo had then suggested a race, confident that she'd leave her brother in the dust on her scooter again, but as the duo charged out of town and left the slick cobblestones behind, Volare recalled the sensation he'd had when he saved Trixie, how he'd used his wings to augment his speed on the ground. Just as it seemed like Scootaloo would pull ahead for good and beat him to Fluttershy's by a quarter mile or more, the older Pegasus had spread his wings and cupped the air with them, bringing them forward and sweeping them backward in long, fast strokes much like a human would swim the Butterfly.
Using this technique, he more than matched Scootaloo's own wing speed. And when coupled with his more powerful legs, he soon caught up with the speedy filly...and even began to pull slightly ahead of her!

"Aww c'mon bro, no fair; your wings are stronger now!" Scootaloo called up to him, her wings buzzing at maximum speed to keep up.

"Yes, yes they are!" Volare grinned and pulled the air with them, shooting him forward with every stroke. Correction, THIS was the fastest he'd ever run! "Yeeeehaaaa!!" Volare shouted as he galloped at full-speed, though after a moment he got a little too carried away and attempted to run backwards and call back to his sister. "Hey Scoots, I thought this was a race-oof!" The Pegasus tripped backwards over a bump in the road, tumbling head over wings and landing in the ditch with a muffled groan.

"See ya at Fluttershy's!" Scootaloo chuckled as she buzzed past him, and he waved a hoof out of the ditch in confirmation. Yeah, that was enough showing off for now... He pulled himself from the ditch and within a minute had caught up to Scootaloo, who'd slowed down to make sure he really was ok. "Let's just call it a draw before somepony gets hurt, huh?" the sensible filly suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good to me, Scoots," he chuckled breathlessly and ruffled her mane with a wing as he jogged along. "Hey, whatcha say we make this a routine, huh?"

"What, you falling in a ditch?" she giggled.

"Nah, just you and me taking a little run like this in the morning," he grinned down at her. "I think it could be fun."

"Heh, I think so too," she nodded and nudged her shoulder against his. "I'm game."

"Super," he nodded and turned back up the road, and within 10 more minutes, they'd reached Fluttershy's Cottage on the edge of the Autumn-hued Everfree Forest. They were greeted at the door by Iron Will, who took one look at Volare before picking him up in a bone-crushing hug that left the Pegasus kicking at empty air, Scootaloo giggling, and Shae rolling her eyes as she landed on his back and investigated Volare. "Heh, been a little while, Shae," he chuckled as he allowed the osprey to peck gently at his wing, which he unfurled for her, causing the bird of prey and Iron Will to recoil in surprise.

"Whoa, Fluttershy told me what happened, but..." the minotaur scratched his black mohawk and grinned. "But to see it myself...heh, I gotta say Spike-head, you're lookin' better'n ever!" Iron Will laughed boomingly, waking up the birds in the trees and sending them skyward.

"Yeah, and I feel better than ever too," Volare nodded and re-folded his wings, turning back to look at Shae, who was regarding him with a curiosity behind her fierce gaze. Was this really the same Pegasus she'd last seen near death in the hospital bed? "It's me Shae, trust me," he smiled, and after another long moment, the osprey conceded and dipped her head, nuzzling him momentarily before lifting off and landing on the roof of the cottage, satisfied that everything seemed to be alright in the world again.

"As I've said before, Volare," a regal voice sounded from the cottage, and they all turned to regard Princess Luna as she stepped outside onto the dirt path. "You've quite the way with her." Volare looked up from the short bow he'd given the Princess and blushed slightly at the compliment, noting that in the daylight, Luna didn't seem nearly as large and imposing; in fact, the tall Pegasus stood nearly at eye level with the Alicorn Princess.

"Nah, like I said: she and I just have an understanding, that's all," he smiled up at Shae, who was busy preening her wings, though the occasional golden flash between the feathers indicated that she was still keeping an eye on them. "Did you sleep well, Princess?"

"Well, to be honest, no; for more reasons than one," she chuckled lightly. "Sending out arrest warrant information to my sister kept me rather occupied, but then again, I've always been a bit of a night-owl; tends to come with the job description you see," she nodded towards her crescent moon-shaped cutie mark before turning her attention to Scootaloo, who was peeking out from behind Volare at the regal Princess, having never seen her this up close and personal before. "Aha, and you must be Volare's little sister Scootaloo. I must say, you two made quite the little team out there in the woods the other"- but she cut herself off as Volare gave her a pleading look. "Ah, I mean, um...what do you think of your brother's wing being functional again, Scootaloo?"

"Aww man, it's great Luna-I mean, er, Princess," the filly bowed hastily, though Luna quickly dispelled any worries with a soft chuckle.

"Please, 'Luna' is quite fine when we're not in court; oh speaking of which, Shining Armor needs to wake up, for we need to get back to Canterlot soon," the Night Princess declared. "Scootaloo, would you and Iron Will please wake the Prince up; he's just not used to staying up so late." The minotaur and the filly gave the Princess a quick salute and dashed inside. Volare began to follow, but Luna held him back with a hoof, making sure Scootaloo was out of earshot before turning to speak to the Pegasus. "Have you told her the truth of your wing yet?"

"Ah, no, not yet," Volare breathed a sigh of relief; he thought he was in trouble for a minute there! "I dunno how she'll take it if she finds out the Unicorns that fixed me up were the same animals that attacked us in the woods..."

"I understand your plight," the Princess nodded. "However, it's not good to keep the whole truth from those you love for too long." Her words caused a pang of emotion within the Pegasus' chest as he was suddenly reminded of the massive secret he was keeping from them...but if he couldn't figure out a way to tell Scootaloo the truth on something like this, how the hell was he gonna break the truth to everypony else about knowing them from a TV show on Earth?! But Luna assuaged his current worries somewhat by giving him a gentle knowing smile. "I'll explain it to her if you wish; besides, if she knows the whole truth, it could be used as a good life lesson for a growing filly such as herself."

"A lesson eh," he pondered it for a moment. "Like Stranger Danger."

"Yes, exac-wait, what?" Luna cocked her head, causing Volare to wave a dismissive hoof.

"A saying back on Earth for little kids; basically it means don't totally trust anyone at first meeting, no matter how friendly and helpful they might seem."

"Huzzah, that is quite a good lesson," Luna smiled in appreciation...but her smile turned into a frown of curiosity as she caught a glance of the black ring on Volare's wing. "Pray tell, Volare...what is that?" she pointed a hoof at the ring.

"Oh, that...huh, I dunno honestly," he shrugged. "I noticed it after I rescued Trixie...maybe it's a side-effect of that healing spell?"

"Perhaps...oh, that also reminds me," Luna suddenly intense gaze regarded him closely. "Did you have any dreams following that spell?"

"No, I didn't have a one last night, good or bad," the Pegasus shook his head. "Maybe the ring has something to do with it?"

"I'm honestly not sure," the Night Princess shook her starry mane again. "But it's certainly strange...do keep an eye on it and I'll be sure to bring the matter up to Tia at the soonest convenience...perhaps she knows..."

"Hopefully...oh, one other weird thing happened again when I saved Trixie," Volare added, explaining that he experienced that zeroing-in effect again, getting tunnel vision as he focused on rescuing the endangered magician. He'd then focused on rolling out of the way of the falling roof and finally on kicking in the doorknob of Lyra's human artifacts room, all within the course of what couldn't have been more than a second or two. "And it was even more intense than the last time; this time I actually saw every single piece of paper and falling piece of wood floating through the air as I ran...I even saw the individual tears on her eyelashes before I grabbed her." He blinked twice and continued. "It was seriously the most intense thing I've ever been through; I don't think I've ever been that focused in my life." In response, Luna laid a hoof on his shoulder and spoke candidly.

"Well, as I said before, in times of distress, we are capable of feats not normally possible, for that is when we tap into the inner magic that all ponies possess," Luna reiterated. "Perhaps, because of the way your body was created, your reaction to stressful situations is a little more intense than usual, and this is merely the way your mind and body cope with it. I wouldn't worry too terribly much on it; as long as it's not happening constantly, I suggest you embrace it as a fortunate gift, rather than fight against it...heaven knows it's saved two ponies' lives already," the Princess mused and turned as Scootaloo and Iron Will returned with a yawning Shining Armor in tow, along with Fluttershy bringing up the rear. "Ah good to see that you're awake, Captain."

"Whoa, you're Twilight's brother, right?" Scootaloo gazed up in awe at the tall Unicorn, causing everypony to chuckle at her wide-eyed expression. "That's soooo cool! A real-life knight!"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not a knight," Shining Armor smiled modestly. "That's a warrior out of legend; I'm just the Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot...who can't even do his job and apprehend two criminals!" He gave the ground an angry stomp and pressed his forehead against the wall, causing Fluttershy to give him a sympathetic pat on the back and Luna to roll her eyes and sigh. Here we go again...

"Captain, I've told you at least twice now: you had no idea they were going to act that maliciously, and neither did I," Luna reassured him. "Your primary duty is to protect me and the citizens of Equestria, and you performed your job admirably."

"Yeah, those two sounded like bad news all over the place," Iron Will declared grimly. "The fact that you guys got that situation under control without anypony gettin' hurt was mighty impressive."

"Yes, but if only I knew something other than defensive spells, I could have nabbed those two when we had the chance," the Captain growled in frustration. "Maybe if I'd leaped up next to them and cast a shield spell around us, they wouldn't have escaped"-

"No, Captain!" Luna barked, causing everypony to flinch and Shae to pause in her preening. "If you'd done that, you would have been trapped in that shield with them, with no way out and no way for me to aid you...and considering what they did to the Inn, you might not have survived," her comforting hoof joined Fluttershy's on his back and she gave him a gentle smile. "Think of Cadance...think of the beautiful foals you'll have together...that's more important than trying to put on a heroic act and needlessly sacrificing yourself in a fight, Captain." The white Unicorn snorted and looked up at the Princess, digesting what she'd said before nodding in acquiescence.

"Y-you're right, Princess...you're right," he sighed and shook his head. "Just frustrates me sometimes, ya know?"

"Hey, from what I heard," Volare spoke up, gaining the Captain's attention. "You did a damn good job of evacuating that building and protecting Luna from those psychos, so chin up...er, sir," he gave Shining Armor a respectful nod, drawing a smile from the Unicorn. "Besides, maybe you should leave the dumb hero stuff to me; seems to be what I do alot of lately anyways," the Pegasus said jokingly.

"Heh, I suppose you're right. Thank you for your support, everypony," he nodded to his friends before Scootaloo spoke up.

"Um, just what the hay did I miss here?" Her question caused them all to burst into laughter for a moment before Luna spoke up.

"Come, Volare needs to officially check out of the Hospital and may need my help to do so, since I'm the one hoofing his bill," she gave the pilot a wink. "We shall explain on the way there before we leave town." She turned to Fluttershy and gave the yellow Pegasus a deep and humble bow. "My dear Fluttershy, I wish to thank you for your hospitality and your star-gazing company these past two nights."

"O-oh, it was nothing, Your Highness," Fluttershy smiled demurely.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, may I stay with you again when next I visit Ponyville?"

"Oh, be my guest," the Pegasus nodded. "My home is your home, Princess Luna."

"Just Luna," the Night Goddess shook her mane and grasped Fluttershy's hoof in her own, giving her another short bow. "In that case, I shall see thee anon! Take care of yourself, Mr. Will; and do watch out for Angel Bunny." She looked up and gave Shae a short wave of her hoof that the osprey acknowledged with a short chirk before returning to straightening out a flight primary. Shining Armor said his own similar farewells, and with that, the Night Princess led the way into Ponyville, Scootaloo at her side (having left the scooter inside the cottage) with the Captain and Volare following close behind and sharing a smile at the filly's enthusiastic reactions to Luna's recollections of last night's crazy events. This including the revelation that the two Unicorns that healed Volare were also the two Cryhenas that had attacked them in the woods...to which Scootaloo growled a promise of showing them what-for if she ever met them again, cuz nopony hurt her or her brother and got away with it!

........................

Ponyville Medical...

The first thing the group had done when they reached the hospital was ask about Trixie, and after a few minutes of hoof-shuffling and waiting in the lobby, Dr. Stable had confirmed that the magician was in recovery and taking a nap right now. Although it had been touch-and-go for a while at first, she was out of immediate danger and was in fact so close to being back to her regular self that she'd demanded that Nurse Redheart cut the crust off the sandwich she'd been brought, as the "Great and Powerful Trixie" disliked the sensation of crunchy sandwich crust, the Doctor recalled with a chuckle. Oh yes, she'd be just fine and ready to release within the next day or so, although there was still the issue of her medical bill.

"Speaking of which, you have your own bill to take care of," Stable declared and directed them to speak with the stallion at the reception desk...and that was when things got a little nutty.

"Whoa...y-you can't be serious," Volare recoiled from the stallion that had hoofed him the balance sheet on his medical bill, nearly dropping the paper in disbelief. But it wasn't the bill itself that shocked him (despite its rather hefty charge of 3,000 bits), rather, it was the amount of credit owed back to him, as directed by Princess Luna herself. The wide-eyed Pegasus turned back to Luna for confirmation, but she merely smiled and nodded, causing Volare to gulp and re-read the credit owed to him:
"45,000 bits?!" he gasped, his declaration causing Shining Armor's jaw to drop and Scootaloo's eyes to nearly pop out of her head. "You're serious, right?"

"Very, sir," the receptionist confirmed. "Now then, we don't have nearly that large amount of credit in bits to give you here, nor do you seem to have a means of carrying them," he observed as he pulled out a re-credit form and began filling it out. "So instead, we'll simply give you this credit here and you may deposit it in your account at the First National Bank of Ponyville at your leisure. We'll just need your account number here...you do have an account there, right? Sir?"

"Ah, huh?" the pilot shook the daze from his head and stared at the receptionist for a moment. "N-no, I don't have an account there."

"Ah, I see...well," the stallion signed the credit form and hoofed it to Volare, who held it as if it might disintegrate at any moment. "Get yourself an account and get that deposited there and you'll be all set. Hayseed, imagine what I could do with that much money...take care!" And he went back to work as the others helped Volare to stumble out of the lobby and out the front door of the hospital. Out in the town, many of the residents were awake by now and were going about their business, setting up their stalls in the market square and hawking their wares with loud voices that echoed up and down the street, the exceptionally loud ones reaching even as far as the hospital, announcing goods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, jewelry, and various other trinkets that Volare suddenly had the credit to purchase...in fact, he had enough money to buy half the market place in one fell swoop if he so wished!

"Princess Luna, that's rather, well, excessive, don't you think?" Shining Armor whispered as Scootaloo and Volare continued to stare at the credit form.

"I don't think so, Captain," Luna replied with a small smile as Scootaloo wisely took the form from her brother's nerveless hooves, and carefully folded it and placed it in his saddlebags, giving him a quick boop on the nose with her hoof that snapped him to his senses. "I believe that noble acts should be rewarded...and that's two innocent lives he's risked his own to save now...not to mention he has no means of support of his own yet. Besides, I don't believe he intends to spend it all on himself, if he adheres to the habits he's exhibited so far."

"I just hope you're right, Princess," the Captain sighed as Scootaloo chattered away about all the things they could do with all those bits. "Because a stallion with that kind of money could get into a lot of trouble awfully quick..."

"I know, Captain...I know," Luna nodded, glanced at the rising sun, and addressed the Pegasus once he'd gotten Scootaloo to calm down, although the filly still maintained her now-usual perch on his back. "Volare, Scootaloo, as much fun as this has all been, I'm afraid it's time that the Captain and I return to Canterlot."

"Aww, already?" the crest-fallen filly frowned. "But we just met, Princess!"

"Oho, trust me, I'll make sure to visit again sooner or later; I've grown rather fond of Ponyville," Luna smiled and ruffled Scootaloo's mane. "Now then, you keep an eye on your brother and you both keep a lookout for those two Unicorns in case they come sniffing around here again, however unlikely that may be."

"Yes ma'am," Scootaloo leaned up on Volare's head and saluted.

"Will do, Luna," the pilot nodded and accepted her quick embrace.

"Hey Volare," Shining Armor said a bit hesitantly, mindful of Scootaloo's presence and not sure if she was aware of the exchange between Twilight and Rainbow Dash the other day...of what Dash had insinuated about his sister's feelings for the Pegasus... "Tell Twiley I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together here in town, but if we come back, I want her to give me the grand tour, ok?"

"Heh, sounds good, sir," Volare nodded.

"Just...treat her right, ok?" The tone of the Captain's statement escaped Scootaloo, but Volare understood it fully.

"No worries of that, Captain," he gave him an assuring nod. Shortly thereafter, Luna summoned her gothic chariot, boarded it with Shining Armor, and within minutes they had disappeared in the direction of Canterlot in a gust of wind. After a moment of consideration of what to do next, Volare remembered his promise to a certain Unicorn and Earth Pony about fixing up their restaurant...or in this case, rebuilding it. With that decided, he trotted off in the direction of Lyra Heartstring's home which he remembered was only a short distance away from the Hospital.

"Hey, what did Twilight's brother mean by that, bro?" Scootaloo tapped him on the top of the head after a few minutes of wordless trotting, catching Volare by surprise.

"Oh, well, um," the Pegasus thought quickly before speaking. "He just means that Twilight's had a rough couple of weeks and that he wants us to be patient and give her some rest for now, that's all."

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense; Sweetie Belle and Applebloom said she was pretty mad the other day."

Well, so much for keeping THAT on the down-low...

"Oh, whatcha mean?" he asked innocently, not quite sure of what he was going to hear.

"Oh, well, they said that Twilight and Rainbow Dash got into a pretty bad argument, called each other a buncha names, and then Rainbow Dash flew off all angry because she'd forfeited the Running of the Leaves to save us."
If only it were that simple, Scoots... But her next words very nearly made him halt in his tracks.
"Bro...does Dash hate us cuz we made her lose that race?"

"What, no way Scoots!" Volare shook his head. "She knows we're way more important than some dumb old race...she just gets a little carried away sometimes when she's upset, that's all. I think it's cuz she was worried about us...not that she hates us."

"Oh, that's good," the filly determined after a moment. "Cuz I was a little worried there for a sec."

"Worried about what, Scootaloo?" a mint-green Unicorn to their right leaned out over the flowerbox of roses she was tending to, startling Volare for a moment; apparently he didn't quite remember where Lyra's house was after all. "Oh, heya Volare; thought Scootaloo had gotten a lot taller all of a sudden," she chuckled at the sight of the filly perched on her brother's back."

"Morning Lyra," Volare waved a hoof and stood outside the window. After a little small-talk about the weather and her flowers, the Pegasus explained that he needed Bon-Bon and her to come with them; that he needed their presence when he got an opinion on what materials would be needed to help repair their restaurant. Lyra gave him a funny look for a moment before deciding that he was serious, quickly shut and locked her house up, and led him to Bon-Bon's house. After a moment of coaxing the rather-upset Earth Pony outside, she finally relented when Scootaloo announced that they had a way of getting the stuff to fix the place, plus they needed the business-mare's insight on what sort of account to set up at the bank, Volare had added.

"Oh, how and through whom?" Bon-Bon queried as she locked her front door. "And why do you need a bank account all of a sudden?"

"Let's call it a little surprise," Volare smirked and nodded down the street towards the red-roofed building with the title of MUSTANG HARDWARE printed in large block letters above the front porch. Before Bon-Bon could scoff, the two Pegasi set off towards the building, Lyra right on their hooves with a big grin on her face. After a moment's hesitation and realizing she wasn't doing much beyond moping in the living room anyway, the cream-colored Earth Pony quickly caught up with the trio.

"So, you read that book I gotcha yet?" Lyra asked as they neared the hardware store. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Ah, nope, haven't gotten to it," Volare shook his head. "But I will as soon as I can. We have more pressing issues, though...and I've got promises to keep," he said as they reached the store and he pushed the door open, instantly spotting the dapple-grey Unicorn situated behind the front counter. "Heya Ferrum," the Pegasus waved, but to his surprise, the aging hardware storekeeper cocked his head and adjusted his spectacles before addressing him.

"Hrm, you look kinda familiar, son...there's just something off and I can't...aha," Ferrum's eye brightened and he grinned as he realized what it was. "Well, well, Mr. Volare; didn't hardly recognize ya there without your crazy mane and bandages. How've ya been son?"

"Oh, well, to be honest..." Volare and the others then spent the next half-hour explaining everything that had transpired since they'd last met, from the Running of the Leaves attack, to the hospital stay, to his true origins as a human, the craziness at the Gilded Griffon, and finally what had gone on this morning, excluding the credit from Luna. Damn, I really need to get a copy of my recording from Vinyl...maybe I'll hit her up after this...

"Wow," Ferrum gave a low whistle as he digested the torrent of information. "You've had quite the busy week already and it's still only Thursday, heh-heh," he slapped the counter and chuckled. "So you're a human, huh...just when I didn't think the world could get much crazier"-

"Whoa, whoa, watch it, Mr. Smithshoe," Volare waved a hoof. "If I've learned anything since arriving in Equestria, it's that Murphy's Law is alive and well, and there's no sense in pissing it off by daring something else to happen."

"Who the hay's Murphy?" Ferrum scratched his head.

"Ugh, nevermind," Volare facehoofed. "Basically means if there's a possibility of something happening, expect it to happen sooner or later."

"Aha, gotcha," the storekeeper nodded in understanding before clearing his throat. "Ahem, so, I doubt you came in here just to chat up an old codger like me for no reason. I take it ya got something to fix? You still avoiding those windows, son?" he gave him a wary squint.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Volare laughed and explained that he intended to help fix the accidental damage caused to the Gilded Griffon and he needed Ferrum's expertise in what exactly would be needed for the repairs.

"Woo-wee, that's a tall order, son," Ferrum frowned. "I passed by the place on the way here and I gotta say...it ain't gonna be cheap. I mean, I like ya an' all, but I if I try to cutcha a deal, it might close me down."

"Heh, don't sell me short just yet, sir," the Pegasus then led the small group to the building site, wincing as he approached it. Jeez, and I thought it looked bad at night...talk about pointing out flaws with a searchlight, he glanced up at Celestia's sun, which was nearing its zenith by now. Ferrum had brought a clipboard and notepad with him, and although he wasn't as instinctively skilled in structural integrity as Earth Ponies, there was something to be said about having been around the block a few times too. He quickly went about his business, mumbling under his breath and scribbling on the notepad with a levitated quill pen while Bon-Bon did her best to dissuade any passerby from staring at her precious cafe for too terribly long.

Volare, meanwhile, spotted something blue and pointed poking out of the rubble, and after tugging it free found it to be Trixie's battered hat. Chuckling to himself, he rolled it up and placed it in his saddlebag, intent on returning it to its rightful owner when he got the chance, before rejoining Lyra outside the building. By the time the Unicorn's summary was completed, he'd gone from thinking he was about to really hit it big with this job, to almost feeling like he was ripping off Volare and his friends.

"Eh-heh, are you sure ya wanna see this, son?" Ferrum winced before the Pegasus nodded his head. "Ok, just don't murder me here...your main problems are that far corner wall there and of course the roof," he pointed at them in turn. "That corner is likely gonna have to be completely rebuilt, which means that all of Ms. Heartstrings' human things will have to be moved from that room, as it'll have to be torn down. The roof...well, the roof is good for firewood and that's kinda it," he said flatly and kicked a wooden shingle in emphasis. "It'll have to get totally replaced too, which is gonna entail new roofing supports and rafters, although that goes without saying. Gimme a moment to check something around back real quick," he explained and walked around the building, scribbling as he went, while Bon-Bon followed him fearfully.

"Wow, when they said the weather went a bit cuckoo down here in Ponyville last night, they certainly weren't joking," a familiar cultured voice spoke out above the bustle of the market, causing Volare, Lyra, and Scootaloo to turn and regard its blue-maned, mustached owner clad in his signature black tuxedo vest...and quite frankly, the lyrist couldn't believe her golden eyes.

"Mr. Fancypants!" Volare declared with a grin, trotting up to greet the well-to-do stallion as if he'd known him for years, causing Lyra's jaw to drop in shock. "How've you been, sir?"

"Oh my goodness, Volare?" the white Unicorn adjusted his monocle and gave a great laugh and a nod towards Scootaloo riding on his back. "Haha, dear boy, you've certainly changed quite a bit since I last saw you; gone and got yourself a foal, I see?"

"Nope, I'm his sister," Scootaloo grinned proudly. "Name's Scootaloo!"

"Charmed, my dear, charmed," he flashed her a winning smile and turned back to Volare. "And to answer your question, I've been just fine; I've been up in Canterlot tending to my real estate business there and I'm just down here for a bit because of a personal request to do so by Princess Celestia herself."

"Oh really? What's that entail?" Volare tilted his head, sending a massive wink Lyra's way, causing the green Unicorn to grin excitedly.

"Well, believe it or not, she's asked me to consider sponsoring a little cafe I'm rather fond of here called the Gilded Griffon...I believe I recommended it to you when last we met," Fancypants chuckled, but his face quickly filled with confusion as he beheld the ruined building. "Oh my, um...am I in the right place?" he looked up and down to confirm that, indeed, this was where the restaurant was.

"Mhm, you're in the right place, sir," Volare confirmed, much to the Unicorn's disappointment. As he frowned up at the building, Bon-Bon finally came back around the building, saw Fancypants, and Lyra had hurry over to muffle her shriek of horror at the sight of the stallion observing her ruined place of business, effectively sinking any hope she'd ever had of him sponsoring it.

"My, it's certainly quite a bit more...rustic than I care to remember," he squinted through his monocle and winced, though he took note of Volare's easy-going expression. "Bit for your thoughts, sir?"

"Oh, heh, just letting my friend Ferrum Smithshoe assess the damage from last night's downburst," the Pegasus played it cool, causing Bon-Bon and Lyra to stay on the sidelines and watch him fill the conversation with relevant small-talk...to them it seemed he either had a plan in the works, or he was flying by the seat of his non-existent pants...in reality the truth was closer to the latter. "It's no biggie, really; we were looking to renovate the place anyway, and that roof was gonna have to come down at some point. I guess the sky simply forced our hoof this time."

"Aha, indeed, pity when that happens," Fancypants nodded solemnly.

"Heh, I'm gonna have to have a word with the Weather Team Captain, Rainbow Dash when she gets back in town," Volare chuckled lightly.

"I'll bet it wouldn't have a chance to go crazy if she were here," Scootaloo pointed out.

"Aha, good one, Scootaloo," the Unicorn shared he chuckle. "She certainly knows a thing or two about weather, that mare."

"Yes sir, that she does," Volare nodded in agreement.

"She's the best at it!" the Pegasus filly added as Ferrum returned from around the building with a grim look on his face. Fancypants respectfully stepped aside to allow Volare to speak with the hardware storekeeper.

"Ok, it's not quite as bad as I thought, Volare," Ferrum scanned back over his notes and blinked twice before continuing "Still...all in all...hmm...you ready for this? Your rough total comes out to about 29,000 bits."

At this announcement, Lyra's jaw hit her chest, Bon-Bon fell on her flank, and even Fancypants let out a small snort, but to Ferrum's surprise, Volare and Scootaloo merely exchanged a look and grinned coolly at the hardware store manager, who cocked an eyebrow at their strange reaction. "Oookay, you're either planning on murdering me after all...or...don't tell me you have the money for all this?"

"Hrm, you could say that," Volare continued to smile, looking back at Scootaloo who reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the credit form, showing it to Ferrum. "As soon as we open a bank account, we'll have the bits needed for it."

"Th-this...this is...wow," the dapple-grey Unicorn wiped his glasses on his apron and looked back over the form. "At least I know you're not planning on murdering me now." As he spoke, Fancypants trotted around, glanced over at the form, and the monocle literally fell off his face.

"Um, forgive me if I seem to be prying, but how in the hoof did Ponyville Medical come to owe you so much credit back?" the Unicorn asked in shock. But before Scootaloo could answer, Volare silenced her with a subtle nudge of his wing and he simply smiled back at Fancypants as he put the credit form back in his saddlebag.

"Oh, don't worry, it was obtained legally," Volare explained cryptically, remembering Luna's warning about hoof-outs to strangers. "That's all ya need to know, sirs. And as I said, as soon as my good friend Bon-Bon," he beckoned her with a nod of his head to approach them, which she did on shaky hooves, never taking her eyes off of THE Fancypants. "sets me up with an account at the bank, the money will be available. So whatcha say, Ferrum? You think you can get the supplies necessary for the repairs?"

"Um, yeah, yeah, I can, but it'd take me two or three days at the very least to get it all ordered and shipped here, son," the elderly Unicorn replied.

"That's totally fine," Volare nodded. "I'm headed to the bank with Bon-Bon to set up the account right now, and we can get it all done there, I'll bet." He then turned to Fancypants, who had recovered his monocle and was regarding him with a rather impressed expression. "Mr. Fancypants, I believe there's also something Ms. Bon-Bon has been wanting to ask you, or so she's told me time and again," he motioned for Bon-Bon to speak.

"Um, eh-heh, yesh, well," the Earth Pony sputtered nervously for a moment before steeling herself and speaking. "Mr. Fancypants"-

"Oh my dear, just Fancypants is fine," he flashed her a charming smile that nearly knocked Bon-Bon off her hooves.

"Uh, right, I was just wondering if...well," she cleared her throat and finally spoke the question she'd been burning to ask for months now. "Would you be interested in sponsoring the Gilded Griffon, since you like it so much...I mean, especially since we're about to renovate it?" She winced and awaited his answer, as did Lyra who was holding her breath a short distance away.

"My dear, it would be my pleasure to do so," Fancypants grasped Bon-Bon's hoof and graced it with his lips, meeting her eyes with his own. "And if it's not too terribly forward, once it's rebuilt, would you further honor me by allowing me to be the first to dine there..." Bon-Bon's face flushed scarlet and she looked over at Lyra, who was shaking a hoof in the air and grinning, while Volare could barely conceal a grin of his own while Ferrum chuckled behind his clipboard. Scootaloo had luckily turned away before sticking her tongue out in minor disgust at the suddenly mushy situation.

"O-oh, of course," the Earth Pony finally found her voice and returned the Canterlot Unicorn's smile with one of her own. "Absolutely!"

"...with you," Fancypants winked and flashed her a grin identical to his other ones...except this one did knock her off her hooves. Bon-Bon swooned and passed out into the arms of Lyra, who shook her head in disbelief.

"She says yes," the lyrist declared with a chuckle.

"Capital!" Fancypants declared and turned to Ferrum. "Mr. Smithshoe, get those supplies here post-haste; if I'm going to have my name on something, it needs to be worthy of it!"

"Aye sir," Ferrum nodded and grinned. This was by far the largest transaction he'd ever taken part in!

"And you, Volare," Fancypants regarded the Pegasus with a nod. "You've got my support in this endeavor; I do wonder, however, how you intend to rebuild this place once those supplies get here. A construction crew is expensive and I'm not sure if you'll have enough left in your account to hire a decent one," he frowned slightly.

"Oh, I'll think of something," Volare assured him. "If need be, I'll swing a hammer myself!"

"That's the spirit; a real go-getter this one is!" Fancypants declared to ponies passing by. "Now then, I have to get back to Canterlot now that we're at an agreement, but once the renovations are complete, please send word to me as quickly as possible, so that we may get some advertisements started! Haha, I'm excited, aren't you?" And with that, the most important Unicorn in Canterlot trotted away in the direction of the train-station. As soon as he'd disappeared around the corner, Volare relaxed, letting out a great sigh of air and wiping his brow before turning to Lyra, who'd laid Bon-Bon down on a bench before approaching the Pegasus with a smile on her lips.

"Piece of cake, right-whoa!" He chuckled as the Unicorn quickly embraced him in an excited hug that nearly toppled Scootaloo from her perch on his back.

"Ok, ok, enough with the mushy, huggy stuff already," the filly said as she unwound the mare's hooves from around her brother's neck. "You're gonna give him ideas."

"Ssshh, Scoots!" Volare chuckled sheepishly and swatted her with a wing, receiving a tweak of his ear in return.

"That was absolutely amazing, Volare!" Lyra declared. "The way you handled that was...wow, do you have any business experience?"

"Nope, just feeling extra confident today I guess," Volare grinned and pumped a hoof as the realization of what had just happened finally hit him. "Whew, that was awesome! Hey, Ferrum?"

"Yessir," the elderly Unicorn replied sharply as Lyra fanned Bon-Bon's face, slowly bringing her friend to her senses.

"Ready to head to the bank?"

"Absolutely, sir," the dapple-grey pony nodded, and once the mortified Bon-Bon regained her hooves, they followed her to the First National Bank of Ponyville.

....................
1 Hour Later...

"Well, that was relatively painless," Volare said as he glanced at the paperwork related to his account and stuffed it into his saddlebag. Ferrum's account was credited the amount for the supplies, and he promised to order the supplies that very day. Bon-Bon and Lyra again thanked Volare and Scootaloo for working the break they'd been waiting for a long time for before heading to their respective homes. It was at that moment that Volare and Scootaloo found themselves trotting through town with nothing to do and drawing strange looks from passersby who couldn't help but stare at the orange filly riding on top of the blue stallion's back. Scootaloo didn't have to go back to school till that following Monday, but the rest of the CMC weren't out of class for a few more hours.

"Heh, whatcha think of Fancypants asking out Bon-Bon to the place that she works?" Scootaloo stated flatly after a while. "That seems kinda...tacky," she declared, using a word she'd learned from Rarity.

"Nah, I think the word you're looking for is trashy," Volare chuckled, though he had to give Fancypants props for the smooth delivery.

"I thought it was rustic," Scootaloo rolled her eyes and they both laughed until her stomach burbled loudly for the second time that day.

"Again, Scoots?" the older Pegasus glanced up at her and smirked.

"Well, it is after noon, bro," the filly gestured at the Sun.

"Wow, it is...time flies, huh? Whatcha in the mood for; we got plenty for whatever ya want," he patted his saddlebag which jingled with the sound of the bank bag of bits contained within it, still not quite able to believe their sudden great fortune.

"Hrm, I dunno," the filly mused. "What're you in the mood for?"

"Oh come on, you know this town alot better than I do"- he began to say before a loud crash sounded off to their left, drawing their attention north towards a straw-roofed house similar to the other ones in Ponyville, only this one was festooned with music notes and seemed to be spouting curses from the two mares that lived there. Fittingly, it sat a fair bit away from the other homes as well, nearly right across the street from Ponyville Medical. "How about dinner and a show?" Volare chuckled and trotted closer until there was no doubt of origin of those voices.

"Vinyl, why can't you ever keep your bloody wub boxes under control when I'm rehearsing?!" Octavia's normally reserved voice shouted over the sound of a pounding bass beat that leaked under the door and vibrated Volare's hooves.

"Say what, Octy? Speak up, I can't hear ya! It's not my fault you gotta rehearse when I do!" the tomboyish voice of the DJ yelled, further lending weight to the feeling that Volare simply knocking on the door would be fairly useless. Instead, he rolled his eyes, tried the doorknob, and it turned, allowing him and Scootaloo entry into the music-filled duplex of Vinyl and Octavia.

"Yo Volare, wazzup?" the DJ's voice called from the right side of the house, which seemed almost mechanical in nature, with right angles and metal surfaces everywhere but contrasted by the absolute mess of pizza boxes, beer cans, and general trash laying everywhere. "Mi casa es su casa, bro!" Vinyl grinned and pushed a button on the turntables in front of her, silencing the bass tones that shook the room from the large pair of subwoofers that flanked her turntable stand. She pushed her shades up and pulled off her headphones, approaching Volare and giving him a one-hoofed hug. "Heya Octy, check it out; it's Volare! And his little sis Scootaloo too! Wazzup, Scoots?" Vinyl offered her an off-white hoof, which the filly readily bumped with a grin.

"Hello there, Volare," the cellist mare on the other side of the house called in greeting as she laid her signature cello (freshly buffed and shined after its ordeal the previous night) against the wall and made her way towards the two Pegasi. Her side of the house was more rounded and organic, with meticulously carved bookcases full of volumes of music lining one wall, and soft velvet cushions lying on the plush rugs covering the hardwood floors. A fireplace crackled in the far corner, warding off the light chill of the autumn afternoon and completing the look of refined culture. All in all, it created a rather starkly contrasting interior split down the middle at what Volare guessed used to be the wall that separated the duplex...no telling what the heck had knocked it down in the first place. "What brings you here this time of day, and with your little sister no less?"

"Heh, well, your roommate's cooking, believe it or not; that onion and potato soup was excellent," the Pegasus replied with a nod in Vinyl's direction. "That and she said she'd get me hooked up with some new sound equipment, since Trixie kinda blew it all up last night."

"Oh yeah, that's right," the DJ nodded and trotted through a door behind her turntables to search for a replacement speaker box. While she was gone, Volare took note of a rather out-of-place silver pedestal sitting on the border between the rooms. He approached it curiously and saw that built into the pedestal was a large red button with the inscription 11+ painted on it in blocky white numbers

"Um, Volare," Octavia said as she saw the Pegasus looking at the button. "What're you doing?"

"Oh nothing, just looking at this weird button...what's it for?"

"Well, to fully answer that question would require a demonstration," the cellist said with a hint of a groan in her voice. "Unfortunately...well, do you notice how the front wall of the house looks newer than the rest of the walls?"

"Yeah, I did notice that," Volare replied with a nod. "Why's that?"

"Well, if, figuratively speaking, somepony didn't warn somepony else not to lean on that pedestal because that button is rather sensitive...do you happen to know Mr. Smithshoe down at Mustang Hardware?"

"Mhm, I do," Volare replied with growing unease of the bright red button. "Why?"

"Because he'd be swimming in bits again if somepony were to accidentally depress that button...and there's no way to stop what will happen if it gets pressed...figuratively speaking, of course," Octavia crossed her hooves and snorted. Volare regarded the pedestal like the one that released the boulder that nearly crushed Indiana Jones, decided that he didn't feel like giving Ferrum any more money that day, for whatever reason that might entail, and quickly stepped away from the big red button as Vinyl reentered the room.

"Ok, found it," she held up a new speaker box, this one trapezoidal in shape and grinned. "You still got those earbuds I gave ya?"

"Yep, but they're back at the Library."

"Aha, well, if ya wanna play some music or something while I whip up some lunch, be my guest; you're gonna love this stuff, kiddo" the Unicorn declared to Scootaloo and motioned to her headset before heading for the kitchen nook that sat between the two contrasting halves of the house, while Octavia took a seat on a cushion to watch, motioning for Scootaloo to join her, which she did with a smile and the two introduced themselves.

"Whoa, wait a sec Vinyl," Volare raised a hoof. "Don't I need your magic to work this stuff?" To his surprise, the DJ turned and shook her head.

"Didn't you notice last night, dude?" she asked, but when the Pegasus shrugged his shoulders in confusion, Vinyl laughed and clapped him on the back. "Heh, I didn't expect ya to cuz I just realized it this morning, but there was something crazy about that song you played for Octy when she fought Trixie."

Crap, she saw the images in my head...
"Oh, what's that?" he asked nervously.

"When you played that song...I didn't use my magic to help." Volare was taken aback at this declaration, and he shook his head incredulously.

"H-how's that possible?" he asked, but the DJ returned his earlier shrug with one of her own.

"That's the thing; I haven't been able to figure it out either. My best guess is it has to do with how your body was created: magically," she chuckled and shook her head again. "Magic's a weird thing, dude...maybe it has something to do with that spell those guys used on you."

"Magic Overload," Volare muttered with worry. But he hadn't had any nightmares, so that wasn't it...maybe Luna was right...maybe it was just another weird side-effect...

"Possibly," Octavia spoke up. "Then again, perhaps not. Either way, this seems to be a fairly safe means of testing to see if it works again; I mean, worse-case scenario: it doesn't work and Vinyl has to power it herself, right? And if it does work and you want some answers as to why, you can always ask Twilight Sparkle; she knows more about magic than anypony in Ponyville."

"Right," Vinyl nodded and nudged the Pegasus. "So whatcha say dude? Wanna give it another spin, no pun intended," she chuckled and gave the turntable disk a twirl. "Gonna take me a sec to make lunch anyways; might as well kill some time, eh? Probably better than listening to Octy lecture on the history of 32nd notes or something."

"I heard that, and for your information, 32nd notes are extremely important in musical structure!" the cellist growled softly, but the DJ waved her off with a raspberry, causing Scootaloo to give a short giggle.

"Oh, what the heck, let's do it," the Pegasus chuckled and placed the headset over his ears, scrunching down his mane in the process. "Just one song to test it, ok?"

"Sure thing...hey Scoots," the Unicorn got the filly's attention. "What kinda music you like?"

"That's easy: rock!" Scootaloo grinned.

"Ooh, good, cuz believe it or not, that's Volare's specialty," Vinyl then turned to Volare and nodded. "Give her something from one of those videogames or something!"

"Yeah, something fast and rockin!" the filly suggested.

"Ok, ok, if I gotta pick one song...and you want something fast-paced..." Volare breathed in and out slowly and focused his mind on something fast...something rocking...something that fit his little sister's 'gotta-prove-myself' personality...heh, I got one...

Needless to say, within seconds, Volare confirmed that it was him and only him sending the signals from the headset to the music equipment...but how? Yeah, he'd definitely need to ask Twilight about this.
"...dude," was the first word that reached his ear as he removed the headset. But it wasn't from Vinyl, and it certainly wasn't from Octavia, as this was practically old hat for them. No, the word had escaped the mouth of the filly with the wide, lavender eyes staring at him from across the room.

"Scoots, you ok?" Volare chuckled and approached his little sister, who was rooted to the spot in awe. It wasn't until he nudged her shoulder than she came to her senses and grinned up at him.

"That was so awesome, bro! Can you do that all the time, like whenever?" the feisty filly leaped to her hooves in excitement.

"Well, apparently whenever I have one of Vinyl's headsets on and...holy crap, maybe that's it!" Volare declared and called into the kitchen. "Hey Vinyl, do you remember if I ever took those earbuds out when those two Unicorns used that spell on me?"

"Actually, I don't think you ever did, cuz I don't remember having to give them to you when you played that song for Octy," the DJ shook her head and her eyes widened in realization before she poked her head out through the kitchen door and stared at him. "Dude, maybe that is it! I mean, that's crazy, but maybe when that spell got used on you it, I dunno...merged you with my ear-buds or something!"

"That's rather...out there, even for you, Vinyl," Octavia chuckled. "Still, magic is and always will be a strange force of nature..."

"Yeah, except I remember them being knocked out of my head when Trixie grabbed me, plus we found the broken pieces of one them in the cafe ruins...no, I don't think that's it either," the Pegasus countered before shrugging as his own stomach rumbled. "Agh, I'll just ask Twi about it later or something; I'm too hungry to think right now!"

"Then let's eat!" Vinyl grinned and levitated out a large tray covered in small cups full of various soups that she sat down on the dining room table. "Dig in, guys!"

..........................

"Ahh, that really hit the spot more than you know, Vinyl," Volare patted his stomach and burped, drawing a look of ire from Octavia and giggles from Scoots and the DJ. "Heh, sorry."

"Nah, it's cool; you know, in some countries, it's actually a compliment to the chef if ya belch after the meal," the DJ said.

"True, but Equestria isn't one of those countries. How many times must I remind you?" Octavia chided her friend.

"Uh, I think I lost count," Vinyl replied through a mouthful of tomato soup, causing the cellist to facehoof.

After a few more minutes of small-talk, Volare carefully packed away the speakerbox in his saddlebag, thanked Vinyl and Octavia for the hospitality, and opened the door. However, he didn't get but two steps outside before a white and violet blur charged around the corner and collared him before he could even fight back. "Agh, what the hell?!" he cried before he realized that he was being magically and physically dragged along by none other than Rarity! "Rare, what gives, huh?"

"I've been looking for you all day, darling," the Unicorn fashionista declared. "I've followed your trail from the Library, to the Hospital, to the bank and that ruined cafe, and now to here. So now that I have you, I can take you to the Boutique and do what finally needs to be done!" she raised a forehoof to the sky in emphasis before resuming pulling him along, Scootaloo close behind and giggling maniacally, having overheard Rarity swearing that she'd fix his problem one of these days...and today was that day!

"And what the hell is that?!" Volare inquired in a mild panic that was only heightened as she turned back without stopping and gave him a look that was halfway between a devilish grin of anticipation and hunger. Oh shit...

"We're going to fix that crime against fashion on your head once and for all!" she flicked his ragged mane and snorted. "Now come along without a fuss, unless you want me to get rough...that is, unless you like it rough, Volare," she laughed and batted her sapphire eyes suggestively, but there was no sexual lust in her gaze; only the desire for justice against the criminal his mane had apparently been branded as. And the only justice it deserved, apparently, was death via scissors and combs. With a fierce, determined grin, the Unicorn flung open the door of the Boutique once they reached it, and pulled the struggling Pegasus inside, Scootaloo right on his hooves. So much for the peaceful day!

"Somepony help me! Heeeeeeeeellllllll"- Volare's pathetic cries for aid were cut off as the door to Carousel Boutique slammed shut.
Oh yes, Murphy's Law was still very much alive and well in Equestria...

Author's Notes:
My basic reaction to what just happened:

Volare: That's not funny in the slightest!
Author: Oh come on, you come out looking great dude; don't you remember?
Volare: Yeah, well I don't remember screaming like a girl back there...
Author: What's wrong with being a girl, huh?
Volare: Uh....nothing?
Author: Exactly.

Confused yet?
So...yeah, we have a little mystery here, and a little intrigue...what exactly is up with Volare's body and how does he continue to manage to find trouble no matter how well the day might be going? Also, we have...possible Fancypants x Bon-Bon shipping (does that even exist yet?!), and Dash dealing with potentially pissed off neighbors in Filly...and just what the heck is Volare planning, anyways?! Seems he's got his mojo back, though...hopefully Rarity doesn't hurt him too badly XD I do wonder what that big red button does though *cue Men In Black reference*

Inseptium Nova-Pt 9: Trouble on the Horizon

September 13th, Canterlot, Earlier...

"Cadance, you need to calm yourself," Princess Celestia chided gently, her eyes following her niece as she paced back and forth in front of her aunt's throne. "At this rate, you'll wear a hole in the floor."

“I swear, I haven’t been this worried about him since the Wedding,” Princess Cadance muttered worriedly as she continued to pace. She’d heard rumors of strange events down in Ponyville the previous night and the pink Alicorn had finally asked Celestia about it over breakfast. Needless to say, once Cadance received the reluctant word that Prince Shining Armor, along with Princess Luna, had been violently attacked in the town and seen their attackers’ faces in the WANTED posters at Canterlot’s front gates, she’d immediately begun to worry about her husband. “He’s always going on about ‘being a better leader’, or whatever that means, but that stallion worries me to death when he goes out and plays soldier like this, Aunty!”

Celestia smiled softly at her niece, regretting more and more her decision to tell her what had happened, but now that she’d stepped in it, she was doing her best to keep Cadance calm. “I’m afraid I can’t personally empathize with your feelings, Cadance, but I do know what it’s like to worry about your loved ones’ safety; don’t forget that my sister was involved in this too. Here, come sit next to me,” she levitated a cushion up next to her throne. The younger Alicorn reluctantly sat down, though her wings continued to fidget nervously.

“Just relax, Cadance; Luna said they’d be back here as soon as they are able this morning. As to worrying about Shining Armor’s occupation,” she gave her niece a comforting pat on the shoulder. “His job is to protect myself, Luna, and the citizens of Equestria to the best of his abilities…and that includes you.”

“I know, I know, just…ugh, he frustrates me sometimes!” Cadance snorted, drawing a light chuckle from Celestia.

“Hmm-hmm, it just shows how much you love and care about him,” the Sun Goddess observed.

"Yes, well I'll tell you one thing's for sure, Aunty," Cadance declared defiantly. "If those two hoodlums hurt him in any way, you may have to lock me in the dungeon, otherwise if I find them, I won't leave enough for you to arrest!" She slammed a hoof on the floor.

Tartarus hath no terror like a mare in love, Celestia thought to herself and looked up at the sound of the distant door at the end of the hall unlatching and opening. “Ah Luna, welcome back!” Princess Celestia called out cheerfully as the Night Princess entered the Royal Palace, followed closely behind by Prince Shining Armor. Celestia continued to keep her hoof on Cadance’s shoulder, and she felt her niece tense at the sight of her husband; she could practically sense her eyes roving over the Captain’s features, searching for any sort of injury he might have incurred, but once she saw nothing obvious, Celestia felt her relax considerably. “I heard things could have gone more smoothly in Ponyville, eh?”

“That’s putting it mildly, Tia,” Luna shook her starry mane and halted before the throne, the Captain slightly behind her and looking up at his wife a bit guiltily; he knew he was about to get a lecture of some sort. “However, I believe we left things on a high note.”

“Aha, that’s good news,” Celestia smiled and lifted her hoof from Cadance’s shoulder, watching with mild amusement as her niece rose to her hooves and approached her husband, again giving him a quick once-over before leaning in and nuzzling his face, alternating between muttering curses and words of affection in his ear. Cadance and Shining Armor stepped aside to allow Luna and Celestia to speak, though the married couple stayed nearby, Cadance leaning against her husband and sighing in relief that he was ok (although she still intended to give him a proper lecture once they got home). “I suppose the first question on my mind is ‘how is Volare holding up?’”

“Oh, very well actually,” Luna replied with a nod. “In fact, he’s even regained function in his crippled wing!” Her announcement shocked the Sun Goddess into a long moment of silence, and she stared at her sister, awaiting the punchline to her clever little joke. But when none came and Luna’s face retained the same sincere expression, Celestia blinked her eyes and gave her head a quick little shake.

“Ah, did I hear you right in saying that Volare’s wing works now?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Luna replied, though her face creased into a slight frown and she ruffled her wings a bit before she continued, recounting with Shining Armor’s help all the events that had happened since she’d left Canterlot with the Captain. Celestia’s patient expression changed only once or twice, the most prominent when she cocked an eyebrow at the mention of Twilight Sparkle’s outburst in the hospital as well as the question of the black ring on Volare's wing...she'd have to discuss that in further detail later and perhaps even see it for herself to give a proper diagnosis...but beyond that, she said not a word during the entire report.
“It’s through the events surrounding the restoration of his wing that we discovered that those two Unicorns, Ray and Jill, are likely connected to the theft of the spells and documents from the Archives those many months ago.”

“I see,” Celestia stroked her chin with a hoof thoughtfully before allowing a smile to grace her lips again. “Well, I wish I could say that explains a lot, for we still have much of this mystery to solve, but we can’t ignore the good fortune that it brought Volare, however strangely received it might have been.” Her well-practiced smile hid her worries though, for the more she lingered on it, the more that black ring on Volare's wing seemed...unsettling to her...she just couldn't put a hoof on why...in fact, the more she thought about the situation as a whole, the more it seemed to reek with the hint of a stench that seemed just as familiar as the black ring itself...

“Very true,” Luna nodded. “He certainly deserves some good fortune considering all that he’s been through since he’s arrived here; definitely after the past few days.”

“Do you think he’ll be able to cope with a little less mayhem in his life now?” Celestia queried with mirthful chuckle.

“Oho, trust me,” Luna returned the chuckle. “Compared to what he’s been through lately, I believe a little peace and quiet will do him good.”

Ponyville Marketplace, Afternoon...

"Thankee kindly, Mr..." Applejack trailed off curiously as she held out the small basket of just-purchased Golden Delicious apples to the light brown Earth Pony stallion waiting patiently in front of her stall. He was a curious sort, Big Macintosh observed from a short distance away, what with his green tie and cutie mark, which depicted an hourglass of all things. Just what tha hay was that supposed to mean, anyways?

"Oh, er," the stallion sputtered for a moment, his dark brown messy mane flopping this way and that as he tilted his head for an answer. "Just Doc, if you please...a little easier on the tongue and less confusing than 'Doctor', I'll warrant," he chuckled with an accent similar to those that came out of Trottingham. He smiled tersely and took the basket handle in his mouth, hoofing Applejack the correct amount of bits before nodding to Big Macintosh.

"Sorry we couldn't interest ya'll in a few pears too," the red farm pony said and poked at the small batch of fruit he'd tried his own personal hoof at growing for the first time that season. "Hope it ain't cuz Ah picked'em too early," he muttered, but Doc-as he called himself-set the basket down and gave Big Mac an encouraging smile.

"Oh, no, no, my good stallion it's not you at all, it's just...well," he pressed his tongue against his teeth, searching for a specific reason before finally shrugging. "I just hate pears. Good day!" he said in a chipper fashion, picked up his basket, and trotted on his way, leaving Applejack scratching her head with a hoof.

"Heh, strange feller, that one," she muttered. "Well, at least without Applebloom here ta hard-sell'im inta buyin' our bushels, maybe he'll come back sooner next...whoa, hold up a sec," the orange mare lifted her Stetson and cocked her head for a long moment, relaxing once Big Mac nudged her curiously.

"What's tha matter, AJ?"

"Oh, heh, thought Ah got a little too much sun there fer a sec," she chuckled sheepishly and began to fill the recently-vacated apple spots in her stall with fresh fruit. "Coulda sworn Ah heard"-

"Somepony help me! Heeeelll-" came a faint cry that just barely made its presence known over the bustle of the marketplace before something suddenly cut it off.

"...Volare," Applejack declared with wide eyes and looked up at her brother, who had heard it too. She looked warily towards the source of the cry for help. "That came from tha East side o' town, Big Mac."

"Ya'll gotta be kiddin' me," the large workhorse snorted and sat his apron aside, a low growl issuing from his chest as he splayed his ears back and glared eastward. "Ya'll think them two Unicorns came back ta cause trouble again, AJ?"

"That's exactly what Ah'm thinkin'," his sister nodded, locked the lids on the stall boxes, and flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED before cracking her neck and baring her teeth in a growl of her own. "Ya'll up fer some varmint wranglin', Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," he nodded, and like a fiery-hued storm that rivaled the color of the autumn leaves still on the trees in town, the two Earth Pony siblings took off down the street, their hooves pounding the cobblestones so fiercely that nopony before them had a chance to ask what was wrong before deciding it was best to simply get the hay out of the way. Before long, the two farm ponies had reached the east side of town, breathing hard and straining their ears for the source of their distressed friend. "Ah swear AJ, that Pegasus attracts trouble like a porch light draws June bugs."

"Yeah, well unfortunately them June bugs ain't exactly harmless, though if they came back this soon with all these WANTED posters around, Ah'd figure them ta be just as stupid," she nodded towards the posters festooning the walls near the East Bridge. Applejack turned in a circle, searching for any signs of her friend before she finally caught wind of another faint cry, and the realization of the building it came from nearly floored the mare...true she was relieved that those two hoodlums hadn't returned, but this...this had the potential to be almost as bad...and ten times as awkward.

"Uh, AJ," Big Mac muttered as they approached the Carousel Boutique, the voice of Volare unmistakably making its way out through the windows, though the words he was speaking were too muffled to hear clearly. "Didn't ya'll say somethin' about Volare's presence possibly causing you and your friends some issues?"

"Yeah, Twi said somethin' about hormones goin' nuts er summat...oh hayseed," her green eyes widened at the implications of that statement...and Rarity was already emotional and dramatic enough as it was without that sort of help. A little leery of what she might hear, the farm mare pressed an ear against the door, Big Mac leaning in next to her as she did so.

"Jeez Rare, you don't have to be so rough with it!" Volare's voice cried out.

"Oh, but when you get your emotions into it, it makes it so much more exhilarating! Besides, I thought you said you didn't mind it rrrrough," Rarity's voice practically purred, and Applejack felt her stomach turn as her friend put a little too much emphasis on 'rough'.

"Well, that was before you dragged me in here and took the time to explain what the hell you were gonna do...gotta admit, it's not as bad as I thought it'd be-and Scoots, stop laughing!"

"But I can't help it; the look on your face while she was jerking your head all over the place was priceless!" Applejack heard an airy sort of sound behind her and she turned to see Big Mac's normally relaxed green eyes were wide open and his jaw was hanging loosely, his speechless voice the source of the noise. His eyes met his sister's and he shook his head once; he'd heard enough. The two siblings nodded at one another and backed away from the door...but they weren't running away.

"Hold on Volare, tha cavalry's a'comin'!" Applejack cried and charged at the door, knocking it open with her shoulder and thundering into the main lobby, her brother right behind her. Scootaloo popped a curious head out from behind a crimson curtain that shrouded off a section of the room, but Applejack cut her off before she could speak. "Rarity, stop this tom-foolery right now!" she demanded, glaring at the fashionista who joined Scootaloo in poking her head out of the curtained-off area.

"What is the meaning of this, Applejack, Big Mac?" Rarity asked, her blue eyes wide with confusion.

"Whoa, AJ is that you guys?" Volare's voice called from behind the curtain.

"Sure is, pardner, an we've come ta rescue ya an' save what's lefta Scootaloo's innocence," Applejack nodded at the mortified filly. "So let'im go from whatever tha hay ya'll are forcin' 'im ta do, especially in fronta lil' Scootaloo!" Big Mac gave a fierce nod and a snort of agreement; he had a soft spot for Applebloom's friends and he wasn't about to let her partake in this sort of immoral behavior if he could help it!

"Whatever do you..." Rarity's eyes widened in realization and she blushed furiously at the thought. "Oh my, no, no, no, a whole week's worth of 'no's, you two!" The fashionista shook her head and stepped out of the curtain, doing her best to ward off the un-ladylike images that had invaded her thoughts.

"Rarity, what's wrong; you look like you've got a bug in your brain or something," Scootaloo queried innocently.

"If only, Scootaloo, if only," the Unicorn stopped in front of Applejack and looked her friend straight in the eye, keeping her voice low enough that the filly couldn't hear her.
"Applejack, I swear to you, from the bottom of my heart, that it is not what it looks like. I was simply rectifying a problem that I've noticed Volare has had ever since I met him; one that only grew in magnitude after those savages attacked him and Scootaloo," she glanced back over her shoulder to see that the filly had popped back behind the curtain to speak with her 'client'. Applejack skipped over the words too fancy for her to understand and gave her friend a good, long look before deciding that she was telling the truth, and that in fact, she and her brother had just pulled a Twilight, as it were.

"Jeez, sorry Rare," Applejack shook her head and kicked at the floor in embarrassment. "Me an' Big Mac just heard'im yellin' and thought Volare was in trouble again with them hoodlums, so we ran ta investigate...an' then we heard ya'll cuttin' up through tha door, an...yeah." Both Earth Ponies blushed, though only the orange mare showed it visibly. "An' Ah still feel bad fer lettin' 'em slip past me like Ah did last night."

"Applejack, that was none of your fault," Rarity gave her an encouraging smile. "And I can now see how Volare screaming like the big baby that he is would elicit that sort of response," she said with a smirk.

"Hey, I heard that!" Volare's irritated voice called out from behind the curtain.

"Well, you were shouting rather loudly, darling," Rarity retorted. "Loud enough that these two brave ponies heard you all the way in the marketplace."

"Well, excuse me for expressing my non-desire for you ripping my hair out, Rarity!"

"Oh pish, I didn't tear it out," the white Unicorn chuckled and waved a hoof. "I merely re-located enough of your mane so that something could actually be done with it. You do like it don't you?"

"I think it's pretty sweet!" Scootaloo beamed and bounced out from behind the curtain. "You guys wanna see it?" she asked Big Mac and Applejack.

"Well, considerin' tha fools we just made ourselves out ta be, Ah suppose it'd be a nice savin' grace," Big Mac rumbled sheepishly.

"Amen ta that, Big Mac," Applejack nodded. "C'mon out pardner, and let's get a look atcha!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Rarity stepped in front of the curtain and blocked Volare's exit. "Presentation is everything, Volare, and if you're going to display a personal work of mine, the presentation must...be...perfect!"

"Ookay, so what do you want me to do, Rarity?" Volare asked uncertainly.

"Just be patient!" He heard the fashion designer hustle Applejack and Big Mac out the front door along with Scootaloo, making sure they were situated and comfortable outside before peeping her head back into the Boutique. "Alright Volare, they're all outside. Trot out when you're ready and...well, I don't suppose you've taken any modeling lessons?"

"Rarity, the only runways I've ever been on have been for airplanes, and those didn't exactly require us to know fashion show turns to get the job done," he chuckled as he poked his head out through the curtain.

"Ah yes, right," the Unicorn nodded with slight disappointment. "Oh well, just...trot out with pride in yourself; that should be enough for now," she gave him a quick nod and headed outside. Volare exited the curtain and took one last look in one of the long mirrors mounted on the wall of the Boutique, running an experimental hoof through his new mane and finally smiling. Heh, definitely kicks the crap outta the 'finger in a light-socket' style. Well, here goes nothing.

With his head held high, the Pegasus approached the door, took a deep breath, and walked out into the sunlight. The first thing he saw was Rarity's encouraging smile, then Scootaloo's own beaming grin, and then finally the surprised looks of the two Earth Ponies themselves. He stood still for a moment, gauging their reactions before flashing a confident smile and approaching them.

"Heh, so whatcha think guys?" he asked, tossing his greatly-shortened mane. True, the black and yellow hair was still fairly spiky, but it was much more manageable now; at the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about it getting into his eyes or interfering with his wings later. "C'mon, don't leave me hangin'," he said before Applejack finally spoke up.

"Lan'sakes, that looks a whole heap better!" she grinned her approval before giving him a walk-around. "Tell ya what, it's gonna be mighty tough recognizin' ya fer a while now," she hoofed him in the shoulder and chuckled. "Ya look good, sugarcube; Rarity did a real bang-up job on ya."

"Eeyup," Big Mac nodded and smiled; his sister was right; he looked alot more composed and alot less foolish now. Scootaloo trotted up to Volare and stood up on her hind legs, leaning an elbow on her brother's wing and grinning.

"It's more than just 'eeyup,' Big Mac; it's awesome!" The filly turned to her brother, hopped up onto his back, and ruffled his mane with a hoof. "Rainbow Dash is gonna freak! Ooh, that's right, and it'll look great with Rarity's gift that I and the rest of the CMC helped out with," she smirked proudly, causing Volare to give her a squinty look.

"Ok, just what exactly is this gift you keep hinting at, huh?" the pilot ruffled his wings impatiently. "I've been hearing about it for days now, so don't keep me in the dark here." But at Rarity and Scootaloo's winks and smiles at each other, he groaned. Mares...

"Remember what I said, Volare," Rarity smiled a little smugly, appreciating how the sun caught her work as it swayed on the Pegasus' head. "Getting back to flying certainly won't hurt your chances of receiving your gift," she gave him a huge wink. "Isn't that the next step, hmm?"

"Ha, I figured," Volare rolled his eyes. "And actually no, not quite yet; I've gotta help find a construction crew for the Gilded Griffon restaurant, since I promised to help fix it up. Scoots and I bought the supplies needed through Mr. Smithshoe this morning, but we can't put that place together ourselves. At least, not very quickly," he chuckled sheepishly. "And time is kinda of the essence once the supplies get here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold your horses there, sugarcube," Applejack waved a hoof. "Whatcha mean by supplies? Ya'll mean building materials? But that place is a wreck! It'd cost a small fortune to fix it up again." It was then Volare's turn to share a knowing grin with Scootaloo. "Ok, what gives; whatcha'll feather-brains up to, eh?"

"Should we tell her, Scoots?" The older Pegasus smirked.

"Hmmmmm," the filly rubbed her chin with a hoof, relishing keeping the others on the edge of their seats. "I suppose we could, bro."

"Oooh, enough stalling; tell us already!" Rarity demanded impatiently.

"C'mon Rarity, I thought you said presentation was everything," Volare chuckled before leaning back in surprise as the Unicorn grabbed him by the shoulders and fixed him with the most serious stare she could muster. Scootaloo, mis-reading Rarity's actions, prepared herself to stuff a separating hoof between their lips and save her big brother the embarrassment, but luckily, that sort of action wasn't needed, much to everypony's relief.

"Volare, there is a time for exposition, and there is a time for 'spilling the beans', as Applejack would say," Rarity explained, doing her best to keep her frustration at not knowing this secret in check. "And now is one of those latter times, darling, so if you'd be so kind," she let him go and stepped away, motioning with her hoof for him to speak.

"Heh, ok, ok," the Pegasus conceded, deciding that he'd tempted fate and Rarity's patience enough for now. He beckoned them in closer before speaking, again remembering Luna's caution against telling everypony about this. "Ok, you guys remember when I was in the hospital? Well, turns out Princess Luna paid my medical and rehab bills up front in advance, so I don't have to worry about that."

"Whew, that's a mighty pretty penny there," Applejack said with a low whistle.

"Indeed," Rarity nodded, running a few quick calculations in her head and coming up with a mind-bogglingly large figure of bits that she's never personally seen all in one place before.

"Well, thing is, since I was out of the hospital really early...Luna allowed me to receive the credit back for those unneeded medical bills...all 45,000 bits of it." His answer caused everypony besides Scootaloo to gasp in surprise.

"W-wow," Rarity said a bit shakily at the realization that Volare now possessed nearly as much personal wealth as herself. At his friends' reactions, he groaned a bit inside, discovering that first pang of worry one gets when one's friends discover he has money.

"Now guys, please don't look at me differently, ok? I'm still me and I have no intention of letting this go to my head," he gave them all a reassuring nod. "I'm still me."

"Yes, of course," Rarity agreed, quickly composing herself. "Please tell me you haven't spent it all in one place, though, right?"

"Huh, nah, spent a good portion of it buying the supplies to fix the Griffon, but I've got the rest of it deposited in an account that Bon-Bon set me up with in the Ponyville Bank."

"Ha, ya'll got yourself all accommodated then, Ah warrant," Applejack hoofed him again.

"Hardly; like I said, it's gonna need a construction crew, and according to Fancypants"-

"Fancypants?!" Rarity cried, grabbing his hoof and staring at him. "You met him again?! When?"

"Earlier today," he nodded towards town. "He was sent down from Canterlot to consider sponsoring the restaurant, which is the reason why it needs to get fixed as soon as possible; no telling how long he'll be willing to wait, ya know?"

"Then we must get started on finding a crew immediately!" Rarity declared, but halted at Volare's frown. "Uh-oh, what's wrong?"

"Well, thing is...I don't think I have enough bits left to hire a good crew, so I'm either gonna have to ask you guys to set aside your personal lives for who knows how long to help, which I promised myself I wouldn't do if I could help it," he explained with a determined expression. "Or I'll have to figure something else out. Fancypants also said we'd need a Unicorn that can lift heavy loads, and the only one in town that can is Twilight, and she's already done so much for me that I just refuse to ask her for anything for a while...uh, no offense, Rarity."

"Oh, none taken, darling," Rarity polished a hoof on her chest. "It's simply un-ladylike to be seen hefting around construction equipment all day and getting filthy."

"Yeah, says tha first one ta jump into a half-collapsed buildin', gettin' her freshly-groomed coat all dirty ta save ol' Volare," Applejack chuckled and bumped Rarity with her hip.

"Yes, well...that was an emergency, and even I have enough sense to know a life is worth more than a little dirt on one's coat," Rarity sniffed, causing Applejack to roll her eyes.

"Two lives, actually," Big Macintosh pointed out.

"Yeah, can't forget about ol' magic wand in her flank," Applejack snorted. "Ah really hope she learned her lesson and realizes just how much she owes Volare and everypony else fer savin' her useless-whoa, what'sa matter, pardner?" the farm pony tilted her head in confusion at the strange look on the blue Pegasus' face.

"Bro, you ok?" Scootaloo waved a hoof in front of his face, but his only response was to give a short bark of laughter.

"Ha, guess I did for a sec there, AJ," he said.

"What're ya'll goin' on about, sugarcube?" The Element of Honesty asked in bemusement, but her brother only chuckled behind her.

"Ah think Ah get it," Big Mac smiled at Volare, more than a little impressed if he was thinking what he was thinking. "Volare needs a crew for the buildin', but can't afford one. He also needs a Unicorn that can lift heavy stuff, specially tha roofin' materials. An' we're forgettin' one particular Unicorn in town that can do them things, and won't have ta be paid for it cuz she already owes Volare a huge favor."

"Mhm," Volare grinned and turned to Scootaloo. "Back to the hospital, sis; hang on! Oh, thanks for the help, Rarity!" he called back as he took off back towards the north side of Ponyville in a flurry of hooves and beating wings.

"Oh, ya'll gotta be jokin'," Applejack facehoofed as it dawned on her what Unicorn they were talking about. "Ah hope ya know what ya'll are doin', sugarcube...otherwise Ah got a feelin' there's gonna be a heap o' trouble on tha horizon."

Ponyville Medical...

"Stand back, Volare," Snowhooves held up one of his aptly named hooves and halted the Pegasus in his tracks, causing the blue pony to look questioningly at the two Earth Pony Town Guards from last night barring the way to Trixie's hospital room.

"Told ya you'd get in trouble for running through town like that, bro," Scootaloo tweaked his ear and brushed back her mane, a little windblown from hanging onto Volare's neck as he galloped to the Hospital like a Timberwolf was after him; the whole way listening to how great but misguided of a magician somepony called The Great and Powerful Trixie was.

"It has nothing to do with that, little miss," Firetail insisted. "This is official Guard business here."

"Oh yeah, well that's my friend in there and I"- but Volare was cut off by Snowhooves bark of laughter.

"Hah, you friends with her? Please, she's a troublemaking mare with a head that got a little too big and that's all she'll ever be," he scoffed. "Now stay back; we're here to read the charges against her before we take her in for further questioning."

"Charges of what?" Volare demanded. "Are you really that dense, sir? She needs help and rehabilitation and guidance, not prison!"

"And I suppose you're going to tell me that you're an expert on these matters?" Firetail demanded, causing Volare to shoot him a steel-eyed glare.

"As a matter of fact, I know a little bit about rehab, yeah. But that's besides the point, apparently," the Pegasus took a deep breath and calmed down, trying to set a decent example in front of Scootaloo; the last thing he needed was for the filly to fly off the handle and hit one of the Town Guards or something, especially under the pretense of protecting her brother. Instead, he leaned against the wall and fixed Snowhooves with a curious expression. "So tell me, sir, how were you planning on apprehending her without magic?"

"Well, uh," the Earth Pony halted in his speech. "We were just gonna ask her to come along quietly, yeah."

"Pfft, nice one," it was Volare's turn to scoff. "Didn't you see what she did to that building by herself? What were you gonna do if she reacted badly to you telling her to put her hooves behind her back, eh?" When they didn't answer, he snorted softly and waved a wing at the room. "Well be my guest, you guys; go on and arrest her."

"Um, you first, Firetail," Snowhooves nudged his partner.

"Hang on a sec; you said you were gonna do the honors and get promoted by bringing her in!" the red-tailed stallion countered.

"Well, I've suddenly had a change of heart and, um...my hip's started to hurt; must be the weather changin', yeah, heh-heh-heh," Snowhooves laughed unconvincingly.

"Oh yes, the old 'war wound' conveniently acting up again," Firetail air-quoted with his hooves, causing Snowhooves to growl softly.

"Watch your tongue, young fella!"

"Pbbbbt, lame," Scootaloo blew a raspberry and it was all Volare could do to maintain a cool demeanor and not crack a smirk at his little sister's remark that drew the ire of Snowhooves.

"Well...you gonna arrest her?" Volare asked. "Or would you like to tell me who sent you and why they want her arrested in the first place?" The Pegasus simply stood there, knowing he had the Guards backed into a corner, and they knew he knew it.

"Gah, fine," Snowhooves sighed and relaxed. "Mayor Mare sent us to arrest her so she could be properly punished for her crimes."

"But you know what happened wasn't her fault, plus I'm already paying for the damages she caused," Volare replied.

"Oh really? How?" Firetail demanded.

"That's none of your concern, and I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do, sir," the Pegasus said sternly. "Though I still need a crew to fix the damages with..."

"Well, even so, there's still the civil punishment for the general mayhem she caused, and since the hospital staff said she doesn't have a bit to her name to even pay her hospital bills, let alone the civil fine, we've gotta take her in," Snowhooves steeled himself and approached the door.

"She saved your lives, you know that right?" Volare said, causing the Guard to pause with his hoof on the door handle. "The true villains here are those two Unicorns that drugged her into the stupor that caused all this...the same ones that attacked Luna and Shining Armor...the same ones you were going to apprehend before she warned you." Snowhooves glanced back at the Pegasus with grudging acknowledgement. "And if she hadn't spoken up and warned us of how dangerous they were, you and the rest of the Town Guard might be dead and buried."

"He's right, sir," Firetail nodded after a moment of recollection. "I think we at least owe Trixie that."

"...fine," Snowhooves snorted and turned to fully regard the Pegasus. "You got a better idea, Volare?"

"Actually, I do," the pilot nodded and patted his saddlebag. "I checked with the receptionist and I've got more than enough on me to pay her hospital bill, so there's no need to worry about that. As for the civil punishment...I guess there's no real escaping that, huh?"

"Not unless you wanna bend the law for a Unicorn that I don't think this town holds in very high regard," Snowhooves shook his head. "If ya do that, I don't think any amount of bits is gonna buy their respect back for you. Nope, that law is in place to keep ultra-rich trouble-makers from buying their way out of all punishment."

"True, true," Volare mused for a moment before an idea came to him. "What are the options?"

"Well, pay a fine, which she can't; go to prison, which I think we're all in agreement that she doesn't need and probably carries more risk than it's worth," the Earth Pony tapped his white hooves on the ground. "Or...hmm, I guess community service."

"Doing what, exactly?" Volare pressed, and Scootaloo could feel he had a plan of some sort.

"Well, any activity the mayor approves of, I guess," the Guard replied.

"Would that include building construction and/or repair?" the Pegasus asked with a small smile, causing Snowhooves to cock an eyebrow for a moment before catching on and giving a soft chuckle.

"Heh-heh, I don't see why not; you still need a building crew, you said?"

"That's right."

"Firetail, run down to Town Hall and pitch this little idea to the Mayor. Tell her Snowhooves sent you and that the idea came from a Pegasus named Volare," he smiled as his younger partner saluted and ran off down the hall. "Well, I for one approve of the idea."

"Yeah, I figure it'd give her something to think about, appreciate the fact that we can be merciful, and might even get her back in good standing with the citizens of Ponyville if she accepts the idea," Volare nodded before approaching the room, Scootaloo still perched on his back.

"What makes you think she will?" Snowhooves queried warily before the pilot spoke up again.

"Cuz she's just like me," he turned back and smiled. "She needs as many friends as she can get right now." And with that, he opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him before turning to regard the blue magician...and nearly bursting out laughing at the sight of her sitting up in bed and sipping on a drink through the most elaborate drinking straw he'd ever seen. "Heya Trixie," he said, causing her to pause in her sipping and look up from the magazine she was reading.

"Oh well, hello Volare! What brings you here at this time of day; oh, of course, you've come to talk to Trixie, haven't you?" the Unicorn levitated the drink and magazine away and beckoned him to take a seat next to her.

"Heh, thought you said you were gonna kick that speaking in third person habit?" the Pegasus chuckled.

"Well, Trix-er, I'm trying," she replied, smiling a bit smugly at her tiny accomplishment. "Old habits die hard, you know? Oh, who's that on your back?" she nodded at the Pegasus filly who gave Trixie a tiny wave of her hoof.

"Name's Scootaloo, and I'm Volare's sister and...what was it you said, bro?"

"Oh, business enforcer," Volare laughed lightly at his little joke, bumping her with his wing. "But don't let it go to your head, Scoots."

"I won't," she chirped and hopped down, taking a seat on a cushion to observe. In all honesty, it unnerved Volare just slightly at how mature she was becoming, but then again, she seemed to be playing it all like it was just a game...heh, just like Dash...gotta win everything.

"Is that your sister you spoke of?" Trixie smiled at Scootaloo. "She seems adorable."

"Am not!" Scootaloo pufed out her chest and scowled. "I'm tough, not adorable!"

"Oh, of course, my mistake," Trixie shook her head and turned back to Volare. "So what brings you here, my friend...you know, it feels good to say that," she reflected for a moment before the Pegasus spoke up, explaining the situation with the Guard, her punishment, his alternative, and the terms regarding it. "So I'd be working without pay, I take it?"

"It'd have to be that way, Trixie," Volare sighed, patting her hoof with his own. "Otherwise, the Mayor probably won't consider it punishment.

"But how will I feed myself...where will I live?" Trixie's ears drooped; she'd always had at least enough money to come and go as she pleased, but now...

"I'll take care of your food, don't you worry," Volare assure her. "As for housing...well, I've got an idea, I've yet to run it past the pony who lives there, but she's already willing to help you get back on your hooves as well."

"Do I know this pony?" the blue Unicorn tilted her head. "I don't know of anypony besides you that would care to help Trix-gah, dammit-sorry-me."

"Mhm, you know her fairly well, though certainly not as well as you could."

"Is she a Unicorn like myself?"

"Yes, and she's actually willing to show you the real power of higher magic," he smiled encouragingly. "And not just illusions or stage tricks."

"Higher magic, huh...alright, I'm stumped," Trixie frowned. "Who is she?"

"Would you believe the very pony you swore to show up for quite some time now?" Volare's answer caused Trixie's eyes to widen in realization before she shook her head and sighed, becoming wary and doubtful, rather than angry as Volare had expected. Perhaps she'd changed after all...

"Twilight Sparkle...seriously? But why would she be willing to do such a thing, especially after what I did...both this time and the time before?" She looked him in the eye as she spoke, but he could only give her a tiny shrug and smile.

"Perhaps because, like me, she believes in giving second chances...especially when they're warranted."

"But, I don't understand, Volare," she shook her head again.

"Trixie, your advice on Ray and Jill saved countless pony lives last night," he replied and recounted how her warnings had likely spared the lives of the Town Guard, causing Luna and Shining Armor to try to apprehend them instead. "And if they hadn't been there to evacuate the building and put out the fire that those two psychos caused...no telling how many ponies might have died..." The full weight of what she'd done finally hit the magician, and for once in her life, she had no idea what to say; she wasn't even sure what the emotions were that she was feeling. "Trixie, you also saved my life from those two...heh, if you think about it, you were kinda everypony's hero last night."

"Huh...Trixie...a hero," the magician chuckled in disbelief for a few moments before staring at Volare for another long moment. "I've never dreamed about even being considered something like that before, Volare...I really don't know what to say."

"Just say yes to this little plan," he replied with a grin. "I know you and Twilight have your differences; heck, you said it yourself last night."

"Oh, eh-heh, you heard that, eh?" Trixie blushed slightly.

"Mhm, and the fact that you accept that is the first step towards fixing not only the damage to the town...but the damage to your reputation. Imagine how much higher ponies will think of you if you were to study up and learn real magic from Twilight Sparkle herself."

"Does she know anything about apprenticeship?" the magician asked, still a bit doubtful.

"Well, she apprenticed under Celestia for years before moving to Ponyville, so she'd know how tough it is on that end."

"But she has no experience in it, then?"

"Nope, probably because she hasn't thought to take one on, just yet...or she hasn't found a Unicorn with suitable raw talent to apprentice," he smirked slyly at her, causing Trixie to blush and laugh before whacking him in the face with a pillow. "Pfft, believe it or not, you two have more in common than you might think; if anything, it would certainly give you something to do once you've helped rebuild the restaurant...oh, and I'll be lending a hoof along the way as well, so it's not like you're doing it by yourself either," he smiled between spitting out loose feathers, able to practically see the gears whirring away in Trixie's mind as she weighed her options before heaving a massive shrug.

"Oh to Tartarus with it," Trixie declared. "I suppose I'll do it if it will help me get back on my hooves." She paused, leaned forward, and gave Volare a quick hug. "I don't think I ever properly thanked you for saving my life, Volare; and now here you are, going out of your way to help me even further. I promise that...well, if things turn out alright in this...that I won't rest till I repay you somehow."

"Nah, no need, Trix," he chuckled as she released him. "Just behave yourself and listen to Twilight; that's all I ask."

"Hey bro, didn't you say you had something to give her on the way over here?" Scootaloo spoke up, causing Trixie to give her a questioning look.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Volare trotted over to his saddlebag and pulled out a rolled-up piece of fabric. "Here ya go, Trix; found it in the building," he turned and hoofed it to the magician, who unrolled the star-spangled object and gasped in shock.

"M-my hat!" She grinned and looked gratefully at him before straightening it with a spell and placing it proudly on her head with a confident smirk. She felt more...whole, now.

"Now that's the Trixie I know," Volare grinned and stood up after glancing at the clock. "So you game, Trix?"

"Yes, yes, I'm game," she nodded. "As soon as I'm able, I'll send word to Twilight's home for you to come and get me; it'd probably look a little better if you were escorting me rather than my wandering around town, huh?"

"For the time-being, that's probably the best idea," the pilot headed for the door. "I'll pitch the idea to Twilight in the meantime and we'll see what she says, though I don't see why she'd refuse if she's that willing to help. C'mon, Scoots, let's go get ya to your friends!"

"See ya, Trixie!" the Pegasus filly waved cheerfully and resumed her perch on her brother's back before they left the room, nodding at Snowhooves to confirm that Trixie agreed. The magician sat her aged hat on the bedpost and leaned back into her pillow and sighed, her mind still racing and trying to figure out exactly why it was racing in the first place...and then it hit her like a thunderbolt: she was happy. She was excited! She was hopeful! And she knew exactly why now!

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" she cheered quietly to herself and pumped a hoof. Finally, she was going to learn real magic! Finally, she'd truly become Great and Powerful! She just couldn't believe it was going to come from the pony that she'd considered her greatest rival for so long. Who knew though...perhaps two heads were better than one? Trixie and Twilight? Nah, don't push it, Trixie ol' gal, she chuckled and rolled over to take a nap and reflect. Even so...it had a good ring to it...

Trottingham, Afternoon...

"Ok, we're nearly outta here, sis," Ray whispered from under his cloak.

"Yeah, fan-frickin-tastic," she muttered as she snuck along behind him through the alleyways of Trottingham's Port District. They'd reached the Eastern-most town in Equestria by morning and had holed up for a while in an old run-down inn near the center of the city for a while, waiting for a ship to arrive so they could sail away and never return...that was until Jill had noticed the WANTED posters with themselves pasted on them materializing all over town. She'd hoofed it back to the inn and warned her brother, and they'd spent the majority of the day picking their way towards the docks and doing their best to remain undetected. True, they could have shapeshifted but that took too much time, would draw far too much attention in an unfamiliar town, and if they got into trouble...well, there was no using magic when they were disguised. They decided they'd take the risk and keep their magic for now. However, they didn't have to be seen to be found...in fact, unbeknownst to them, they'd been under observation all day.

Ray...
"What the hell?" the male Unicorn muttered and looked up and down the alleyway, but he saw no other signs of life save his sister and the odd rat scrabbling about the walls searching for food.

"What's going on, Ray?" Jill asked, concerned at his sudden change in behavior; normally he was rather cool-headed, but at this particular moment...he looked just like those rats running about their hooves: frightened and lost.

Ray...I'm disappointed in you, Ray.
It was a voice...a voice in his head! And beyond that, he felt a different sensation growing in his mind...he likened it to a sudden lack of self-preservation. It was a feeling of pressure around the base of his brain more than anything at first, but slowly, surely, the male Unicorn watched in helpless horror while his left hoof moved of its own accord as it slowly cocked itself backwards at the elbow, tensed, and hurtled backwards, slamming itself into his jaw and sending him spinning to the filthy cobblestones with a muffled curse, his ringing ears just registering his sister's cries of confusion as she tried to pull him to his hooves.

Why did you two try to run? Don't you know what happens to those who cross me, abuse my gifts, and then leave without at least saying goodbye?

"Agh!" Ray uttered a cry of pain as the watch on his left wrist blazed a pale green, a familiar voice speaking to them through it as it did so. Over the connection, the siblings could hear the sounds of somepony else's labored, painful breathing. "H-how ya doin', Boss?" Ray managed to gasp through the burning pain of the watch which somehow overpowered even the horrid ache of his jaw.

Oh, quite well, actually...I was just in the middle of taking out the trash when I'd realized that you two hadn't called me today. Hold on just a moment.
The sound of something snapping and a cry of agony filtered in over the watch, and the two siblings exchanged worried glances before the watch glowed again, their Boss speaking in an almost detached tone one might use to describe the ingredients of a recipe with.
Ah, I'm back. Ha, well, seems this particular double-crosser here desired to forfeit the use of his legs...pity. Now then, why were you running away, again? Ray, you always talk, let's let Jill have a turn.

"Well Boss, you see, thing is..." Jill began and explained the entire situation as best as she could recollect, their Boss interrupting her twice more to the sound of snapping limbs and wailing cries for mercy. By the end of her tale, their Boss's tone had hardly changed from its semblance of near-amusement, as if their attempted escape mattered little within the larger picture of things...and at this point, it truly didn't However, he was in a rather merciful mood today...

So you're saying that the healing spell worked on him, eh?

"We believe so, sir," Jill confirmed, trying not to rage at him for practically holding her brother hostage via the pain lancing through his foreleg. "Like I said, the situation got beyond our control, and we felt it was best to get the hell outta there."

As best you did. And though I must commend you on your reckless bravery for attempting to murder Princess Luna...ooh-hoo, that would have been something...I'm going to advise you to refrain from anymore stupid behavior for the time-being.

"Y-you're not mad at us, Boss?" Jill asked.

Mad? No, no, I'm not mad at all.

"Gee, that's swell," Ray winced, unable to move as the pain from the burning watch continued to burn his wrist.

Oh, my apologies, Ray.
Immediately, the burning stopped and the Unicorn collapsed to the floor, breathing hard and rubbing his painful leg.
I must have forgotten what I was doing...hmm, must be getting old, eh? No, if I were mad, you'd be here in this sorry bastard's place instead. Do you remember Goldwing?

"Uh, that one jerk-ass Pegasus stallion you hired?" Jill spat, listening to the dull groans on the other end of the connection.

Yes, yes, the one with the bad attitude; the very one that you professed to hate, Jill. Well, unfortunately you won't be able to barbecue him like you've been wanting to for some time, so please accept my apology for that.

"H-help....me," a weak voice cried over the low chuckles of their Boss.

"Heh, nah, as long as he gets what's coming to him," Jill snickered nastily, remembering how the Pegasus had tried to nip her flank a while back.

Ah good, glad there's no bad blood between us, Jill; I do so hate bad blood, don't you? It always has a way of making a mess and-oh shut up you! The voice barked in annoyance before the groans were muffled into near non-existence.
Look you two, in all seriousness, I don't truly care to know why you ran east, rather than west like you should have; I'm feeling generous today and I'm willing to sweep that under the rug, and so I want you to lay low for a while. Get out of Trottingham if you can or take a different form; it matters not to me. I'll be sending a new associate there soon to relieve you of your duties; don't worry, I've already briefed her on your location...she'll find you well enough. But until then, stay vigilant; do I make myself clear?

"Crystal, Boss," Ray replied.

"Yes sir," Jill added.

Excellent, I knew I could continue to count on you just as I will once you return to me, as your usefulness in Equestria is all but over due to events outside your control, which I will not blame you for. However, it will be your fault if you get caught, because at this stage of the game, if you do...and they make you talk...well, you may find that even the deepest, darkest dungeons of Equestria won't be enough to save you. If that happens...you'll wish that you and Goldwing here had exchanged places. Hold on one last moment.

A shuffling of hooves and a gasping noise filtered in over the watch before their Boss spoke again.
Do me a favor you two: say goodbye to Goldwing.

"Bye Goldy," Jill laughed, though her brother stayed solemnly silent, knowing what was about to happen. "See ya in hell, ya bastard!"

"Help...m-" CRRRRACK-bump-thump

Ah, that's always satisfying, don't you agree, Ray? I know that's how you prefer to do them in, albeit a little bit quicker than that, right?

"Y-yeah, sure thing, sir," Ray replied shakily.

Well, he did ask for mercy...it's hard enough to please everypony nowadays without critics on your case about how you dispose of your own personal rubbish. Oh well, ta!
And with that, the watch reverted back to its usual dull green color, the echoes faded, and Ray and Jill were left alone in the Trottingham alleyway, wondering who this 'new associate' would be and praying that their Boss hadn't heard their own proposed plan to double-cross him using Volare as leverage...so much for that!

Notes: Thar be trouble a'brewin again!
Volare, why you gotta be such a shitstorm magnet?
However, I hope the plan with Trixie goes well...or else Scoots may have to "enforce the rules" >D

Inseptium Nova-Pt 10: Acceptance

September 13th, Ponyville, Late Afternoon…

Volare felt rather worn out, and not just mentally. The remainder of the day had consisted of picking up the rest of the CMC from school, and their reactions to their newest member’s wings being fully functional had been an absolutely priceless combination of wide eyes, huge grins, and excited exclamations that drew the confused attention of everypony in the school yard. There had been much poking and prodding with small hooves as they bombarded him with questions on how he was back to normal, how his injuries were gone, and how his burn marks had even seemed to be considerably lighter.

Between Scootaloo and the pilot, though, they’d managed to recount the recent events that had led up to how they’d come to be standing there in the schoolyard. The younger ponies had immediately hustled Volare on over to their clubhouse near Sweet Apple Acres, where they’d attempted to lay out a plan of action revolving around the possible crusades they could undertake now that one of their members could fly. But as much as it pained him to do so, Volare had to put a damper on their enthusiastic scheming, explaining as he’d done to Scootaloo that until he was secure enough to fly flawlessly on his own, he couldn’t risk their own safety by taking them up in the air. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had turned to Scootaloo in disbelief, but the young Pegasus could only shrug her hooves helplessly and nod her head, confirming that was the truth.

Although that had squashed a lot of their excitement, the Earth Pony and Unicorn fillies soon huddled up with Scootaloo and before long, they’d announced that until Volare could fly well enough to take them up too, they’d be doing whatever it took to get him to that point. Volare chuckled at the thought of having his own personal ground crew and warned them that it would be tough, and that he didn’t want this to take away from them continuing their crusades.

“Oh, don’t worry Volare,” Sweetie had squeaked with a grin. “We can still do plenty of stuff on the ground, and probably better since you’re stronger than all three of us combined.”

“But only just barely,” Applebloom had chuckled and hoofed Volare roughly. The Pegasus winced and returned the grin; that kid was tough…she definitely takes after AJ!

“Yeah, before ya know it, you guys are gonna be the ones tossing me around,” he laughed heartily, and they’d spent the rest of the hour proposing new ideas that they hadn’t tried before, though the majority of them quite frankly made Volare’s eye twitch in a decidedly non-enthusiastic fashion; I sense pain in the near future…pain and embarrassment…and tree sap, according to Scoots.

It wasn’t until they heard Applejack calling across the orchard for Applebloom to come home that they realized how late in the day it had gotten, and Volare quickly dropped off the farm filly with her older sister, who’d inquired as to the situation with Trixie, admitting she was honestly fairly shocked that the proud Unicorn had accepted the idea.
“Trust me, AJ…she’s more like me than you think,” he’d said rather cryptically.

“How so, sugarcube?” the farm mare tipped her hat back curiously and peered slightly upwards at him.

“Well, remember how I’d gotten hurt because I didn’t respect the dangers of this world enough?”

“Yeah, Ah remember,” AJ cringed slightly.

“Well, I think the problem was I was too cocky and…I guess I just hadn’t been knocked on my butt in so long I kinda fancied myself a little invincible,” he admitted with a disappointed snort.

“Heh, well ya’ll had the credentials ta back it up, at least,” Applejack hoofed him lightly, but Volare shook his head.

“Yes, but so did Trixie. Outside of Twilight, she might be the most powerful Unicorn around these parts, so it would only be natural for her to be cocky as well,” Volare frowned. “That, coupled with her anger against Twilight because she thought she’d publicly humiliated her on purpose, led her to becoming overconfident and self-righteous; and that was only compounded by Ray and Jill encouraging her behavior,” he practically spat as he spoke their names; he really hated those two!

“Hmm, Ah can see where that’d lead to a bit of an over-inflated ego,” Applejack nodded. “An’ this is Trixie we’re talkin’ about here; she already had an ego bigger than Rainbow Dash’s!” she chuckled.

“AJ!” Volare returned her chuckle before turning serious again. “In any case, I think all those things combined with her being isolated for so long led to her acting the way she did…those drugs those two slipped her were just the breaking point, I guess,” he sighed and frowned. “In short, she finally got knocked on her flank big time, and when I explained that her current dream of learning human magic to get stronger was a lost cause…and when I told her that I’d lost my dreams too…I think when somepony finally empathized with her, it finally broke whatever wall she’d built around herself, AJ.” The Pegasus looked at his friend solemnly. “I think that the one thing she’s been missing for all this time, the thing that caused her to build up that protecting wall of pride in the first place to compensate, was an honest friend.”

“Wow,” Applejack nodded in understanding. “An here Ah am, tha Element of Honesty, an’ Ah couldn’t see it right in front of mah face,” she shook her head and smiled at Volare. “Ah gotta say, sugarcube: that was a mighty good lesson ya’ll taught her there, an Ah tip mah hat to ya,” she did so with a grin which he returned before she turned to head back the farmhouse.

“AJ, can I ask you a favor?” Volare said, causing her to pause and glance back. “I know you really don’t like her for what she did, but…can you please give Trixie a chance? I mean, would you mind letting bygones be bygones and be one of those honest friends for her?” At his request, Applejack heaved a huge sigh, muttered a quick prayer to Celestia under her breath, and turned to fully regard the pilot.

“Volare, what Ah’m gonna say now, don’t ya’ll take it lightly cuz this ain’t easy fer me,” she paused and weighed the words in her head before giving him a small smile. “But ya’ll did ask nicely, so Ah guess Ah’ll do mah best.” Volare gave her a huge grin of thanks before striding forward and giving her the largest hug he could muster, and he almost didn’t mind when the competitive farm pony returned it with one of her own patented bear hugs that probably loosened a rib bone or two of his. Coughing lightly and hiding his discomfort with a smile, he waved goodbye to his friend and set off for town, noting that he’d have to stop taking Applejack’s strength for granted, and soon!

Volare, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo reached Ponyville fairly quickly, and made their way towards Carousel Boutique to drop off the Unicorn filly for the night. The first question out of Rarity’s mouth when she answered the door was if he was enjoying his new mane-cut, to which he replied that he was more than satisfied with it.
“Oh, good! I mean, I did what I could with what I had, so I was hoping you didn’t think the style was too garish,” Rarity explained. “I just felt that simply lopping everything off would make you look a little too ‘high and tight’, but smoothing everything over would make you appear a little too…” she trailed off, searching for the politest way to word her feelings.

“Let’s just say ‘not me’ and leave it at that,” Volare chuckled and ran a hoof through his mane. “In all actuality, this isn’t too much different from the style I had back on Earth, albeit quite a bit longer, so I gotta thank you for your excellent foresight, Rarity.”

“Oh my, Volare,” the fashionista blushed lightly while fanning herself in a dramatic fashion that made both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle fight off the urge to gag. “Brave, valiant, ‘in the money,’, and polite,” she gave him a sly wink. “You’re going to be quite the catch for a lucky mare someday.”

“Uh-well-I-“ Volare nearly stumbled backwards at her statement, and it felt like his flushing face had suddenly been thrust into a furnace. He laughed a bit too loudly and kicked at the cobblestones. “Well, I dunno Rare…one of these days I guess, eh-hahaha!” Rarity took note of his awkward tone and backed off, smiling sweetly and wishing him a pleasant evening before heading inside with her little sister, immediately and rather loudly retorting against Sweetie Belle’s mumbled statement that she was most certainly not doing anything in a tree with Volare, kissing or otherwise; that would be totally unladylike and improper, and besides, climbing up a tree would soil her coat and probably ruin her mane! The Pegasus groaned in mortification before feeling Scootaloo’s comforting pat on his foreleg.

“C’mon bro, it’s getting late,” the filly urged and hopped onto his back, settling herself down for the short ride over to Sugarcube Corner. On the way there, she voiced her support for Volare, off-hoofedly stating after a small yawn that if it helped any, she hated that mushy stuff too, but Volare only chuckled softly and shook his head at her adorable naivety.

“Ok Scoots, you behave yourself for Pinkie, you hear?” Volare smiled and gave his sister a big, long hug once they arrived at the bakery before she leaned back and giggled.

“Sure thing, bro,” she beamed and Volare looked over at Pinkie, who was regarding the two siblings with a smile of adoration, so glad that she could make these two as happy as they were.

“I think I can handle her, Volare-bear,” the party mare assured him. “You two gonna have breakfast here again before taking another run tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah, if that’s ok with you, Pink-wait a sec,” Volare fixed her with a curious look. “How’d you know about that?” But Pinkie simply replied with a huge wink and a slightly cheekier grin.

"Blueberry pancakes and orange juice sound good?” she asked innocently as if she'd never heard his question. The Pegasus laughed out loud, thoroughly confusing Scootaloo before replying that yes, that sounded excellent. “Cool! Don't forget: I still owe ya a party, too. See ya, Volare-bear! Oh, and you can keep the saddlebag!” Pinkie waved a hoof and beckoned his sister inside before Volare turned towards the western side of Ponyville. Pinkie had said she couldn't imagine why Ray and Jill were so scared of her that they broke down the back door of The Griffon to escape her the other night...oh well, if Scoots is staying here until further notice, that outta deter those two from bothering her, at the very least.

With another short laugh, reminding himself he didn’t need a headache right now-thanks, AJ-he trotted off into the early evening, noting how quiet Ponyville became beneath the beauty of Luna’s rising moon. The clip-clop of his hooves on the cobblestone streets reflecting off the buildings seemed to almost rudely interrupt the peaceful stillness of the town, their rhythm echoed by those of the patrolling Town Guard brought to him by a light breeze whispering along the streets out of the south. On the way across town, he again passed by the shell of the Gilded Griffon, giving the building a quick nod as if to say ‘I’m gonna keep my promise to you too,’ before continuing on his way.

The serenity granted by the moonlit environment allowed the solitary Pegasus to reflect on the events of the last 24 hours as he went along, still in near-disbelief at how at this time yesterday, he’d been confined to a wheelchair. He flexed his wings and smiled, glancing up at the occasional flicker of fireflies that flitted across his path, offering a bright flash of light that betrayed their positions in the dusk-filled streets before disappearing just as quickly again. How quickly things can change, he thought, and this led him to further reflect on the previous three weeks. To think that he’d gone from being a jet pilot, to becoming a Pegasus, to losing his wings and gaining support he could have only dreamed of on Earth…coming within an inch of his life twice to save that of an innocent…and now it had come full circle again...he was back where he’d began. He paused and regarded his reflection in a rainbarrel outside Roseluck’s flowershop.

“But I’m not the same,” he muttered out loud. Neither in appearance or mentality. No longer was he the frightened newcomer in this world. No, his trials and experiences had gained him self-confidence he’d only ever felt back on Earth when he was at the controls of a jet; a confidence that would practically fade back into the shadows once he exited the solitude of the cockpit. But here…here he didn’t feel strange walking tall. He didn’t feel like someone would point out his flaws the first chance they got, tell him to wipe that dumb smile off his face, and be normal like everyone else. In fact, except for one or two occasions where he had only his own foolish behavior to blame anyway, he hadn’t felt that aggressive vibe at all from anypony. To say it was a breath of fresh air was as gross an understatement as saying that Luna’s Moon merely outshone the fireflies that wove their golden paths through the cool air around him as he nodded at his reflection and resumed trotting towards The Library.

He had more friends and support than he could remember having at once back on Earth. True, he had a long way to go in regards to getting established here, but the very desire to be established here in this world made him take pause yet again as he finally put a name to the feeling that had been growing in the back of his mind ever since he’d started trotting back from Sugarcube Corner; a feeling that scared him at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he accepted it with hardly a second thought.
"It’s something all beings desire in life…acceptance,” he recalled Twilight saying, and it brought a sudden smile of realization to his face. For the first real time since he’d arrived, it all just seemed…natural. It felt like…

“Home,” Volare declared to himself as he reached the doorstep of the Library Tree. He sighed slightly at that statement, waiting for the pangs of regret for such a foolish statement to hit him…but to his surprise, none came. Then again, was he really that surprised? He stood there for a moment longer, suddenly searching-almost hoping-for an excuse to come to his mind; yearning for a powerful reason to return home and go back to the daily grind on Earth to hit him like a hammer of “wake the hell up” and knock all these silly thoughts out of his head.

Instead, the only thing that hit him was the door of the Library swinging open and clipping the very tip of his nose, jarring him out of his inner musings and causing him to jump back reflexively and look up at whoever the heck had the nerve to-

“Oh Volare, I’m so sorry!” the lavender Unicorn framed in the doorway held a hoof to her mouth and regarded him with concern. “Are you ok? I didn’t mean to hit you with the door, I swear! I just heard somepony muttering to themselves out here and I just thought I’d-wait, why’re you smiling like that?” Twilight tilted her head slightly before the Pegasus trotted forward and pulled her into a gentle hug that totally threw her for a loop. As he released her, she looked up at him curiously before he spoke.

“Just glad to be home, that’s all, Twi,” he replied before turning and glancing back out the door, smiling at the fireflies flashing in the dark. “Just glad to be home. You enjoy your day off?” he asked as he closed the door with a hoof before setting his saddlebag down and turning back to regard the wide-eyed Unicorn. “Uh, Twi? What’s wrong?” He suddenly recalled her admission to him in the hospital and how this had been the first time since then that he’d been forward physically with her, and he then suddenly wondered if he’d just stepped over the line they’d agreed not to cross. Uh-oh..

“Volare…” Twilight craned her head slightly backwards and took a quick step towards him, her face at the perfect angle to-Major uh-oh! “You look…different. Did you get your mane cut?” Her sudden statement assuaged his worries so suddenly that he couldn’t resist giving a short bark of laughter that caused her to recoil in surprise. “Was it something I said?”

“No, no-I mean yes, it was, just…nevermind, Twi,” he chuckled and gave her a quick bump of his hip as he trotted past, not noticing her still-curious gaze lingering upon him before she shook her head and regained her senses. She found her hooves and followed after him, shooting a quick glance at the very interesting book sitting on an end table that Spike had been reading earlier as Volare headed into the kitchen and waved a hoof at said dragon, who was busying himself over the stove cooking something that smelled absolutely delicious! “Heya Spike, what’s on the menu?”

“Huh, oh, mushroom soup and-whoa!” The dragon declared as he turned and stared at Volare.

“You too, huh?” the Pegasus chuckled as Spike crossed his claws and gave him an approving smile.

“Nice mane, dude,” he declared and scratched his chin with a claw. “Looks more…you.”

“Yeah, Rarity said the same.”

“Oh, Rarity did that, eh?” he asked with a toothy grin.

“Mhm, she did a damn good job, I think,” Volare tossed his head and gave a short laugh.

"Well, duh, it's Rarity," Spike said matter-of-factly. "That's exactly why it looks good!"

Anything to kiss Rarity's flank, even if its through my mane, Volare rolled his eyes before creeping towards the stove. “Mmm, that smells good. Is it about-*thwack*-ow, what the heck, Spike?” He recoiled a step, rubbing his nose and cocking an eyebrow at the spoon the dragon was warding him off with.

“It’s not done yet, dude! Go take a seat in there or something and I’ll bring it out soon-sheesh, guy’s a walking stomach, I swear,” Spike muttered to himself as he turned back to the pot bubbling on the cooktop. Rolling his eyes again at the dragon’s rather hypocritical statement, Volare obediently trotted back into the main lobby and flopped down on the couch-his couch-to await dinner. It was then that he realized that Twilight was still regarding him with a rather curious expression. “What’s up, Twi? Did Spike leave something on my face?” he gave his nose an experimental rub, but his hoof came away clean.

“No, it’s not that at all,” the Librarian shook her head and approached him, taking a seat next to and curling her forelegs up under herself before turning her head to look at the Pegasus. “It’s just that…well, more than your new mane-cut, which looks great by the way,” her cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she dipped her gaze away for a moment. “But you just…seem different. I dunno how to put my hoof on it, though. It’s like you’re more…”

“Confident and accepting of my situation?” Volare chuckled lightly at her amused reaction.

“Well, I think you hit the nail right on the head, Volare,” she nodded in agreement, a little weirded out by just how accurate his statement had been, almost as if he’d come to that conclusion himself earlier…wait a sec…if that means what I think it means...then THAT means we can take the next step in getting him back to normal...cuz without acceptance, we're stuck. But with it and that book, there's hope. I wonder... “Volare, what all happened today?”

“Soup’s on!” Spike called out before emerging from the kitchen, carrying the steaming pot in his claws and setting it down on the low table in front of the two ponies, the Pegasus staring at the dragon’s unburned claws in shock. “They’re fireproof, dude,” Spike grinned and flexed them in pride. “Just like the rest of me. But enough about me, let’s talk about you!” He doled out the soup into bowls and sat them down before grinning at his meal, digging into it with gusto while his friends had to wait for their to cool off; apparently his mouth was fireproof too…wait, duh, he breathes fire, Volare mentally facehoofed. “You were about to talk about what happened today?” Spike asked between spoonfuls of the soup.

“Yeah, a whole load of crazy stuff,” Volare chuckled, and over the course of the meal, he recalled the day’s events up to the point of when he left Sugarcube Corner and had that little revelation, but he with-held that as well as the biggest pieces of news till the end, for half of the latter hadn't quite occurred just yet. He needed a certain Librarian's permission for the plan to work, and as delicate as the subject had been with Applejack, he could only imagine just touchy it might be with Twilight Sparkle...and there was still the question of how the heck he was able to power that sound equipment earlier too.

"Wow, sounds like it was quite the day indeed," the Unicorn affirmed and stacked her soup bowl with the rest of the dishes in the large pot, which Spike then proceeded to take into the kitchen to wash later before returning to sit on the arm of the sofa. The Unicorn nodded at the somewhat unsettling ring of black feathers and fur at the base of his wing. "Did you ask Luna about that?"

"Huh, yeah, but she had no idea what it could mean," he shrugged. "She said she'd ask Celestia about it, though."

"Oh, well then...guess as long as it doesn't mean your wing is gonna fall off again," Twilight chuckled, though the Pegasus shuddered slightly at the rather morbid thought.

"Yeah, haha, very funny, Twi," he stuck his tongue out at her before she laughed and changed the subject.

"You know, I had no idea you could work a business deal like that, Volare," the Librarian observed, rather impressed by how he handled himself.

"Heh, nah, just lucky, I suppose," he scratched his head modestly. "I guess it's like Rarity said: the way you present yourself is important; I guess I just said the right things to Fancypants to get his attention, and it just rolled from there." Yeah, totally not cuz I've seen how the guy acts on a television show, cuz that'd be crazy, eh-heh-heh...

"Well, that and you'd met him before," Twilight added with a smile. "That's gotta count for something."

"Yeah, I guess that's true too," Volare conceded before taking a deep breath. Now or never. "Hey Twi, there's something else I gotta tell ya, and I don't know how you're gonna react, cuz I might have gone just slightly over your head," his hesitant-sounding statement drew a raised eyebrow from the Unicorn, who nodded at him to continue. "Ok, you know how I told you I'll be helping to rebuild the Griffon?"

"Yeah, you already got the supplies and now you just need a crew to put it all together, right?" Twilight preempted him.

"Right...only problem is according to Fancypants, I don't have enough money left after buying the supplies to hire a decent construction crew nor the equipment needed to set up pillars and raise up the new roof," he explained, pausing to decide how to word his next statement. "So, Scootaloo and I decided that the best course of action would be to get a Unicorn's help; one that can lift heavy objects without the need of expensive construction equipment."

"And you were gonna ask me, right?" Twilight asked with a smile, reaching over to pat his hoof. "Is that what you're worried about? That you think I'll be mad if you ask for help?" She tossed her head back and chuckled for a moment before looking back at the Pegasus, whose eyes seemed to meet hers with a massive reluctance. "Volare, I'd be glad to help. When do the supplies arrive?"

"Well, see, that's the thing...the supplies should be here in a few days, but...I don't wanna ask your help, Twilight," his answer confused her and Spike, who crossed his arms and spoke up in slight disappointment.

"Dude, you think Twilight can't do it? She's the greatest magic-user in Equestria outside of Celestia and Luna, of course," he nodded in the general direction of Canterlot Mountain.

"No, I know that...but that's not it," the Pegasus replied a bit more quietly, beginning to sound slightly like Fluttershy.

"Are you afraid I'm too tired to do it?" the Unicorn tilted her head. "Cuz even though I'm still kinda worn out from the past few days, this day off helped, and I'll be just fine by the time the materials arrive." But the Pegasus simply shook his head and looked away. "But I take it that's not it either, huh? Volare, what's on your mind?"

"Look, Twi," he finally said after a long moment. "You've done so much for me since I've gotten here, I..." he looked up and took her hoof in his own. "I just don't think it's right for me to ask anymore of you for a good while, not until I can repay you or something...otherwise, I'm right back to feeling like I'm freeloading again."

"Oh, Volare, that's very considerate of you," she smiled gently. "But you can't hope to put that building up yourself, not in the time period you talked about, anyway."

"Mhm, I know, and that's where my plan comes in," the Pegasus paused one last time. "Scoots and I found another Unicorn to help us."

"Who, though?" Spike asked in disbelief. "Who else could help you guys lift a roof? Hey, you didn't talk Rarity into doing that, did you?!" he asked with a scowl. "Cuz she's a lady and ladies don't do construction work!"

"Oh, hahahaha, I know," Volare laughed. "Rarity told me the same thing; but no, I didn't ask and it's not her."

"Um, certainly not Fancypants?" Twilight guessed.

"Nope, keep trying," he chuckled, enjoying this little guessing game, surprisingly.

"Uh...Vinyl Scratch and Lyra? I dunno," Spike shrugged.

"Mr. Smithshoe?" the Librarian queried, hoping the answer was no.

"Oh, no way, he's too old for that sorta stuff, and he said it himself," Volare shook his head. "He did say that he'd offer pointers and advice though."

"Then who is it that you've met?" Twilight gave up, but Spike, more sarcastically than anything, gave it one last guess.

"Oh hay," he muttered. "It's not the Great and Powerful Trixie, is it?" The dragon's chuckles died in his throat as Volare suddenly didn't shake his head the slightest centimeter left or right. The pilot's simple reply was to allow a tiny smile spread across his lips. Spike's reaction was decidedly less subtle. "Are you outta your friggin' mind, dude?!" the dragon roared (not the most terrifying noise coming from such a young dragon, but it certainly got Volare's attention.)

"No, I'm not, and I'll tell you why, Spike," the Pegasus replied calmly, and reiterated what he'd told Applejack earlier, about his theory that Trixie simply needed some good, honest friends to support her in this, and she'd be just fine; that that may be all she's needed for years. Spike continued to shake his scaly head in disbelief, while Twilight remained silent for her assistant's benefit, as he'd been asleep when Volare and her had discussed this the previous evening.

"Ok, so let's say you get her to help you fix the damage she caused so she doesn't have to go to jail, what then?" the skeptical Spike inquired with a squinty eye. "What happens after that? You just gonna set her loose in the world and hope she finds her way? Dude, nopony likes her and in all honesty, even though she's pretty good at some magic, it's mostly smoke and mirrors; fake stuff!"

"Perhaps she just needs to be taught the real stuff," Volare shot a quick glance towards Twilight, who smiled ever so slightly. "And then...well, you just might be surprised what she's capable of given the right support; I mean, heck, look at me."

"I am, and all I see is a crazy Pegasus that's probably gonna get himself killed...again!" Spike groaned softly into his claws before heaving a sigh and looking back up at Volare. "I only have two questions left: one, just where the hay is she gonna stay while helping to fix that place if you can't afford to keep her in the hospital, and two...who in their right mind would wanna teach her real magic anyways? Isn't she dangerous enough as it is?!"

"Well, Spike, I believe the pony whose decisions would effect both the answers to those questions is closer than you think...which is yet another reason why I don't wanna ask her too many more favors," the Pegasus smiled knowingly as Spike realized the implications of his statement...again, his reaction was far from subtle and composed.

"Oh no! No way, dude! That's way the hay outta the question; Trixie is not gonna live in this Tree as long as I'm alive and breathing!" the dragon threw his claws to the side and glared at the Pegasus. But when his expression didn't change, Spike growled and looked to Twilight Sparkle for support. "Tell him, Twi; that's just not gonna happen, right?" But when the lavender Unicorn didn't immediately throw her support behind Spike, he turned back questioningly to see that her smile had simply grown. "Twi...please don't tell me you're ok with this."

"And what if I do, Spike?" Twilight looked down at him in mild irritation, and her almost coldly spoken statement caught the young dragon off guard, and all he could do was stare at the Unicorn in shock. "Volare and I already had a conversation about this last night, and I agreed to help Trixie however I could; Volare was right: she's no different than he was when he arrived. Confused, no friends, and no way of supporting herself. We helped out Volare just fine, didn't we, so why not Trixie as well, especially if giving her a stability she's never had would make her safer to be around?"

"Twi, I just don't know," Spike muttered skeptically. "I mean, this is Trixie we're talking about here, not some run-of-the-mill Unicorn."

"Exactly, Spike, and look what happened when she was taken advantage of," Twilight snorted angrily. "She was turned into a weapon of destruction, however accidentally it might have been. And do I seem like the type of pony that would take advantage of somepony else in need of assistance, hmm?"

"Well, no," Spike said flatly.

"Good, then don't assume from the outset that just because somepony came from less than desirable origins, doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be shown the right path to take to get them to a better place, especially if they are willing to accept the assistance," she looked up at Volare with an intense gaze. "Did Trixie want help from me?"

"Actually, yeah, she seemed to be fairly excited about it," Volare replied with a light chuckle, recalling somepony in Trixie's room cheering softly as he and Scootaloo had left. "I really think she wants to turn over a new leaf and start fresh; heck, she's even working on dropping her tendency to speak in the third person!"

"No way?" Twilight chuckled as well; she'd honestly thought something that deeply ingrained would be impossible to do...but then again, she'd been proven wrong quite a bit lately too. True, she didn't have any experience in apprenticing anypony in magic, but she'd been taught by Princess Celestia herself, and that had to count for something, right?

"Way!" Volare grinned before summing up his point. "So, I guess the only real question remaining is if you're ok with Trixie staying here during the construction of the Griffon...and possibly beyond if she accepts your long-term help."

"Well, there's plenty of room," Twilight looked about the massive tree's interior. "There's a guest bedroom where she could stay without a problem, as long as she behaves herself, that is."

"Yeah, the last thing we need is you two getting into a brawl in a flammable tree," Spike muttered. "You wouldn't have to worry about me burning the place down then."

"Trust me, she'll behave," Volare nodded. "I mean, it's gonna take some adjusting for everypony, and I'll even keep sleeping on the couch down here if I have to, but I'd really like to see this through if possible." Since Twilight seemed to be ok with it, he turned to Spike with a pleading expression. "C'mon Spike, bro...can you help us out here? I mean, if she burns the place down around us, since you're fireproof, at least you can tell me 'I told you so' before I die, right?" he chuckled dryly.

"Meh...hrm..." Spike grumbled and closed his eyes in thought for a moment before replying, albeit reluctantly. "I guess I can," he snapped his eyes open and waved a claw under Volare's nose. "But I swear if that mare tries anything funny, she'll be going in the stew pot," he flicked a thumb towards the kitchen, rolling his eyes at Volare's wide, grateful grin. "Speaking of which, I'd better get the dishes cleaned up before the soup sets up in them." He headed off to the kitchen, leaving Twilight and Volare alone for the moment. After a short while, the Unicorn tapped the Pegasus on his hoof.

"Hey, there's been something I've been meaning to ask since you came home tonight," she said with a curious expression, continuing once Volare gave her the nod. "Like I said, you seem different, not just in looks, but in the way you're carrying yourself. What happened? And no, I don't think it's anything bad," she waved a hoof. "I'm just curious as to why you see so...well, like you said earlier: confident and accepting of your situation. What did you mean by that?"

"Oh, heh, well," the Pegasus mused for a moment. "I just had this weird feeling after I dropped off Scoot's at Pinkie's place. This is gonna sound corny as heck, but I looked at my own reflection and kinda confirmed what you just said: I'm right back where I started, uninjured and whole, but even though I've kinda come full-circle here, I'm not the same, inside or out," he gestured to his head with a hoof, indicating both his mental state and his new mane. "And...then I started thinking about how much I've gained in such a short time, some of it more than I ever had back on Earth. Then I realized what that different feeling was, why I felt more confident in myself today, and why I didn't have any regrets at all when I considered continuing to live here," he looked up at Twilight with a smile that barely hid the moisture that involuntarily began to gather in his eyes. "I didn't have any regrets declaring it so because it just felt right to say. Either way, when I weighed everything in my head, it all boiled down to this: the feeling I've been experiencing...it's the feeling of being accepted...of being home."

And with that confession, the tension in his body-his doubt-finally released, and he blinked, two tears falling from his eyes and trickling down his face before he could wipe them away. If he'd looked up at that moment, rather than at the couch cushion, he'd see an expression of pure joy and relief on Twilight's face, and before he realized what was happening, she'd grasped him with her magic and pulled him over in a tight, warm hug. The Pegasus buried his face in her indigo mane and heaved a great sigh, smiling hugely despite the tears that continued to fall from his eyes as she continued to hold him closely. He soon became aware of a wetness plinking onto his own neck, and he felt her warming cheek pressed against his neck as she chuckled in slight embarrassment. "Eh-heh, it's ok, Volare. It's ok...I'm here...and I'm proud of you; that took alot of guts to admit."

"I know, Twi, I know," he hitched in a breath and released it slowly, leaning back and looking her in the eyes. "I'm ok...it feels good, ya know? To finally admit it, I mean."

"That you feel accepted here?" she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Yeah...heh, gotta wonder if this is how old Iron Will felt when he decided that he didn't have to fight anymore, and that he was happy to live with Fluttershy...just relieved and glad to finally find what you've been searching for," he continued to hold her at hoof's length, his silver-blue eyes staring into her violet ones, both still wet with tears of joy and relief, and at that moment, despite her promise, Twilight hoped against all hope that he'd just lean over and kiss her softly...she just felt it would be right, even if Spike was staring at them...Spike?!

"Dude, if you just gotta make eyes at my mom, at least do it where I won't walk in on-agh!" Spike shouted as the mortified Twilight levitated the nearest object she could find-a book, of course-and hurled it at the dragon, who dodged it by leaping back into the kitchen, muttering curses under his breath. .

"I-I'm sorry, Volare," Twilight looked back at him, blushing like a madpony and expecting him to be annoyed or something. but whether he was truly aware of emotions she just couldn't help, or he was just too dense to notice, instead of seeming irritated he was merely smiling in amusement, and he reached over and patted Twilight gently on the foreleg to emphasize that it was no big deal, much to her relief. Again, Twi? Holy hoof, get a hold of yourself, girl!

"No sweat, Twi; nice throw, but you gotta work on your accuracy," he teased and stood up, retrieving the book and setting it down on the table before deciding that the mood could do with some lightening up. "So, I forgot to mention something else rather crazy that happened to me today," he declared with a smirk.

"Oh really? Crazier than talking to your reflection in a rain-barrel?" Twilight teased back with a smirk of her own.

"Believe it or not, yeah," Volare looked around before spotting something on the table by the door. "You remember that little impromptu rock show thingy I did a few weeks ago?"

"How could I forget?" Spike called from the kitchen. "Worst...wakeup call...ever!" Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"Well, last night before Trixie showed up, me, Bon-Bon, Vinyl, Octavia, and Lyra had a little 'history of rock 'n roll' session," the Pegasus replied as he plucked up the ear-buds that Vinyl had given him and picked up his saddlebag as well, bringing them both back to coffee table as he continued to speak while pulling the new speakerbox out and setting it up. "It went pretty much like the little session in your front yard, with Vinyl powering the sound equipment so I could play the music in my head." He quickly described how the speakerbox worked exactly, how it was supposed to receive the signals decoded from his mind via the ear-buds, playing the signal as music. "But then, after those two Unicorns healed me, when Trixie showed up and the big brawl happened, when Octavia faced her she requested that I play her some music, as it helped her to focus much like how she played music when she fenced up in Canterlot."

"But she lost and it wasn't until Pinkie showed up that Trixie finally got beaten," Twilight concluded.

"Mhm, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here-ah, got it," Volare smiled as he clicked on the speaker and set it towards the low end, "4", being especially careful as he sat the equipment down that he didn't accidentally bump it closer to "11." Yeah, that wouldn't go well... "The weird thing is, while the speakerbox has its own internal power source powered by...I think Vinyl said some sort of crystal," he shrugged after a moment. "The ear-pieces here don't," he held them up for Twilight to see. "According to Vinyl, they require an external power source to decode and produce the signal, Unicorn magic in her case. However, this is where things get crazy."

The Pegasus popped the ear-buds into his ears, sat down, and nodded at the confused Librarian. "When Octavia fought Trixie, and I played that music for her...Vinyl said that in the heat of the moment, she forgot to power these. And yet, the music still played." As Twilight's eyes widened in awe at his statement, he simply grinned in return, realizing that since he didn't have to fear anypony seeing the images in his head, he could use any music he wanted, as long as he was careful...thus, he decided on a piece of music he remembered being written specifically for the lavender Unicorn who'd given him so much...

If the oceans were violet, then that would be a fair comparison to how wide Twilight's eyes had become by the time the song ended, but it wasn't just because of the great music. No, it was from seeing something impossible, namely, a Pegasus powering a piece of equipment that only a Unicorn was supposed to be able to power. And more than that, it had been brief, but she could have sworn that she'd caught a piece of melody within that song that seemed somehow familiar to her...how though, she couldn't imagine, and it only served to confuse her even further. The Librarian stood up and backed up a step, regarding Volare as if she'd just seen him for the first time, finally finding her voice as he pulled the ear-buds from his ears, sat them next to the speakerbox, and smiled sheepishly. "Th-that's...that's just impossible, Volare."

"I know, but there it is anyway," he waved a hoof at the speaker box. "Nothing up my sleeve cuz I'm not wearing any, so to speak, Twi." He then noticed low whistling coming from the kitchen and realized that Spike had picked up the tune of the song and continued to play it as he cleaned the dishes, drawing a chuckling head-shake from the Pegasus. He then turned back to the Unicorn, who was staring at the floor, shaking her head, and mumbling under her breath. "Twilight, I need your help explaining this, cuz if this is something bad, I gotta know, since neither Octavia nor Vinyl had any solid explanation when I went back and played some more music at their studio," he cocked a suddenly-wary eye at the sound equipment, as if it might leap off the table and bite him.

"Wait, you went back and played some more?" the Unicorn asked suddenly. "As in, more data to prove this wasn't a fluke?"

"Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way, Twi"- but he was cut off as Twilight began chattering excitedly about the uses of magic, how all ponies have latent magic within them affected by their purposes, willpower extensions, cutie marks, and how she'd never seen or heard anything quite like this and that it should be completely impossible-but then again, nopony had ever set out to prove it-kinda like how they determined what the shape of the planet wasn't through the theories they built earlier, but that wasn't the point here, the point was that-
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Twi!" Volare waved his hooves wildly, his mind spinning from the sudden bombardment of information, half of which he either only caught snippets of, didn't understand, or disregarded entirely as the enthusiastic ramblings of an adorkable Librarian Unicorn. The Element of Magic halted in her tracks, much to Volare's relief, and stared at him for a moment before it dawned on her what she'd just done. "Phew, somepony stop the crazy train, already," he chuckled and patted the couch, beckoning her to sit down and explain things.

"Ah, eh-heh-heh, sorry about that, Volare," Twilight blushed and returned to the couch, visibly more calm and collected. "I just got excited and flew off onto a tangent there."

"Or half a dozen tangents," the Pegasus laughed, regarding her with amazement. "Now then, I'm not the genius you are, so please slow down and explain what's happening here. What were you talking about?"

"Wait, you really don't know?" Twilight asked innocently.

"Know what? Half the stuff you just rattled off went totally over my head, Twi," he replied, a bit frustrated.

"Oh, oh goodness, um," the Unicorn suddenly realized that he likely didn't know much about magic, seeing as how he came from a world void of it, which would explain why he seemed totally clueless. Darn it Twilight, you gotta stop this jumping to conclusions and assumptions crap! He's not from here, therefore you can't assume he'd just know right off the bat! She decided that there was no harm in asking, though. "Volare, the terms I just listed were all in regards to magic...what do you know of magic?" she pressed, noting his bemused reaction to her question.

"Uuhhh...like how it works?"

"Exactly."

"Well, Trixie and I kinda went over some of this, but the thing is, the only "magic" I know of from Earth is nothing more than illusions," the Pegasus shrugged. "But here...it's much, much more. I mean, look at what it did for me!" he flapped his wings as evidence...and might as well have danced in that case since his entire body was there because of Twilight's spell. "I can't just call it smoke and mirrors when I owe my very existence to it, eh?"

"That would be rather...stupid," Twlight chuckled lightly, knowing now that they'd likely have to go back to Magic Kindergarten levels here for him to learn...but who better to teach him than the Holder of the Element of Magic? If she couldn't handle teaching him the basics, how could she hope to apprentice Trixie? The Librarian nodded in determination and decided on a course of action to bring him up to speed, a requirement if the foreword of that that book was any true indicator. "So you admit it exists here in more than illusion form, right?"

"Mhm, I do."

"Good, so what do you know about it so far-wait, has anypony gone over books on the subject with you?" At his negative headshake, she continued. "Well then...what have you observed in regards to magic?" she asked with a barely-concealed twinkle of excitement in her eye.

"Hrm, well, I've seen you teleport and you, Lyra, Vinyl, and Rarity levitate things with it, and of course Vinyl power her equipment with it"-

"Yes, yes, but those are all results and reactions," Twilight interrupted him with a wave of her hoof. "But can you offer me an explanation as to how those things are occurring?"

"As in how magic works?" At her nod, Volare scrunched his face up in concentration before finally sighing and shaking his head. "I truly have no idea, Twilight. The only real explanation of any sort I've gotten is from Applejack."

"Oh really?" Twilight cocked her head in interest. "Extrapolate."

"Ugh, I'm going to bed," Spike stretched and yawned, giving the two ponies a half-wave as he headed for the staircase. "Just keep it down, wouldja? Oh, and welcome home, Volare," he nodded to the stallion and disappeared up the steps.

"Night Spike!" Twilight called back before returning her attention to Volare. "You were saying?"

"Um, she said something about "telling" apples to fall with her thoughts from the trees she bucks, as well as "telling" a tree to explode if she so chooses whenever she kicks it with the intent of destroying it," he smiled at the image of the shocked and slack-jawed Iron Will asking if AJ could help him clear trees one of these days after her tree-splosion demonstration. His recollection drew a short chuckle from Twilight.

"Hmm-hmm, well as crude as that explanation is, AJ wasn't too far from the truth believe it or not." Good old Applejack telling it like she see's it. She glanced to the side and spied the brass-bound book sitting on the end table across the Library lobby. "Hey Volare...you wanna know what I did on my day off?"

"Huh-oh, sure," the Pegasus replied, taken by surprise by the sudden change in subject matter.

"Well, beyond sleeping past noon for the first time in years," she tossed her mane and chuckled at that, "I happened to read an old book that Spike found on the table by the door after you left for breakfast at Pinkie's place," she levitated the aged tome across the room and hovered it above her left shoulder, smiling in amusement at his recognition of the book title and cover design. "I've never seen this one in my own collection before...where do you suppose it came from?"

"That's the one that Lyra borrowed from the Canterlot Library just for me, so hand-er, hoof it over, Twi," he reached for the book, but the Unicorn held it just out of his reach with a cheeky little grin. "Aww c'mon Twi, that's not playing fair," he leaned over with a low growl and tried to snatch the book, but she merely pushed him back with her magic and continued to hold the book out of his reach. "Grr, it's like you don't want me to read it or something!" To his surprise, Twilight's grin faded slightly as she responded to that statement.

"You know, in truth, I kinda don't." Volare immediately stopped struggling against her and stared at her quizzically. Since when did Twilight NOT wanna share knowledge with everypony?! "Not right now anyway, and I'll tell you why." She hovered the book to the table behind her and sat it down. "The last time I gave you knowledge, we didn't take the time to study it thoroughly, and it nearly got you killed, Volare. I won't have your blood on my hooves again...neither literally nor figuratively." She placed one of her hooves on his own and looked him in the eye. "I'm not gonna get you hurt again because I got too impatient to see progress made."

"Twi, I..."

"Just hear me out, Volare," she held up a hoof. "I'm the reason why you crashed and got your wing hurt so badly, and I fully realized that as I read that book. And so I made a promise to myself today, that I wouldn't let you read that book and attempt what you saw in there without the proper knowledge required to safely attempt those things." She placed her other hoof on his own and continued to meet his gaze with hers. "And I will teach you what you need to know, because you won't be who you really need to be without that knowledge before-hoof. However, I've got to have you promise to be willing to meet a few terms first."

"Ok, what're the terms?" Volare asked without hesitation; he wanted to know what was in that book!

"First, do you truly accept that Equestria is now you're home?" At his questioning expression, she glanced towards the stairs to make sure that Spike had truly gone too bed, but she leaned in and spoke softly into his ear, just in case. "Volare, I'm not asking you to make this decision because of what I told you back at the hospital, I swear it. It's just extremely important that you accept where you are in order for this to truly work."

"I...I do...I accept that this is my new home; and I've got no regrets," he nodded. "But I'd still like to go back to Earth and tie up loose ends, ya know, just so I don't leave anyone hanging."

"And that's very responsible; I've got no problem with that," she smiled, though it also worried her slightly. No regrets at all...but what about his family? Surely they miss him...focus, Twilight! Focus! "The reason why you need to accept this place is because unless you do, you won't be able to commit to what you need to commit to."

"What exactly am I committing to here?" the pilot asked warily. "Twi, what's in that book?"

"You'd make a horrible doctor, Volare," Twilight chided him. "Cuz, ya know, you don't have any patience."

"...wow, that was kinda lame, Twi."

"Yeah, I know," she facehoofed and shook it off before looking back up at him. "So to reiterate: do you accept Equestria as your new home?"

"Yes," Volare said determinedly.

"Do you therefore accept that what you may learn could likely fly in the face of what you know to be possible back on Earth?" the Unicorn asked, sounding almost like a judge laying out the rules before a fight.

"Meaning?"

"What I mean to say is...can you permanently suspend your prior disbelief?" Ok take it back, instead of Michael Buffer, Twilight Sparkle has officially risen to Morpheus levels here...red pill or blue pill, Volare? "You won't be alone in this, I can promise you that," she reassured him. "But neither I nor anypony but yourself can make you believe what you're about to be taught. Do you accept these terms?"

".........yes," the Pegasus repeated his answer with just as much finality as her question. She smiled widely at his response and stood up, grabbing the book and trotting away. "Wait, where're you going, Twi?"

"To bed, silly stallion," she nodded at the clock. "It's late and you need your sleep." She levitated the blanket off the back of the couch and tossed it to him with a smirk.

"C'mon, seriously?" he grumbled, tossing the blanket on the cushions in frustrations. "How the heck you think I'm gonna sleep after what you just told me, huh?"

"Hrm, I'm sure you'll find a way," she winked and re-approached him, giving him a quick nuzzle and making sure she kept the book far out of his reach.

"You're an evil Unicorn, Twi," he muttered in defeat into her ear.

"So you've told me, Volare," she leaned back and smirked cheekily. "So you've told me. Seriously though, get some rest, cuz we start bright and early after you and Scootaloo grab breakfast tomorrow," she declared as she headed for the stairs, book in tow.

"Start what tomorrow?" he implored as he reluctantly settled down under the covers. He looked over as Twilight stopped next to the light switch and grinned back at him, hardly able to contain her own excitement at the prospect of teaching her friend how to truly become an Equestrian pony!

"The first day of the rest of your life."

CLICK!

Notes: Whew, so it looks like Volare is finally gonna be back in action, and good on him for accepting where he is now, but also on still wanting to go back and take care of his final responsibilities on Earth. Wonder how the heck he's gonna officially resign from the service, eh? ^^;
The rest of this arc will be rather sciency, so heads up! 8D
In the next chapter, we shall discuss...da magicks!

Volare:

Inseptium Nova-Pt 11: Magic Kindergarten 101

September 14th, Ponyville Library, Morning…

WARNING: MAJOR THEORETICAL SCIENCE CONTENT AHEAD!

“Ugh, Twi, why do we gotta do this-*yawn*-so early in the morning?” Volare mumbled as Twilight hauled him to his hooves off the couch, after having spent less than what the Pegasus would call “considerate wake-up time” on her friend; she’d literally shaken him awake less than an hour past dawn, excited grin, bed-mane and all. The shock of it momentarily disguised the fact that Volare had, yet again, slept without so much as a hint of a dream. This was getting weird…in more ways than one, he thought as Twilight hustled him across the room towards the stairs that lead down to her basement laboratory

“Because you’ve got a really big day ahead of you, and I’d like to get this outta the way and have the results sent to Celestia; perhaps she’ll be able to tell me what exactly is going on with you and that equipment,” Twilight explained as they trotted down the wooden steps, waking up the firefly-lanterns that illuminated the basement with a shake of her magic as she did so and exposing rows and rows of test tubes, beakers, Bunsen burners, and a myriad of books, diagrams, and blueprints stacked and scattered almost willy-nilly throughout the lower room. The roots of the great tree it was all contained in wrapped in and around the equipment, making it appear as if it had sprouted from the bowels of the massive stem itself. It stood in stark contrast to the neat Library above them, and to say it didn’t do much to put Volare’s mind at ease would be putting it lightly; it was very Frankenstein to say the least.

“Joy,” Volare yawned and laid back in a dentist-style reclining chair, rubbing the sleep crusties from his eyes with a hoof and recounting Twilight’s excited chatter about wanting to discover exactly how and why the Pegasus was able to power the sound equipment’s earbuds to the point that they were able to produce the sufficient signal to send to the speakers, thus playing the sound of his thoughts. In truth, she had a seed of a theory on it, even more-so after reading that old book, but she had to be certain before declaring it as fact. He looked to the table on the right to see that Twilight had already set up the speakerbox and adjusted the volume to its lowest setting; she didn’t wanna wake up Spike quite this early.

“Here, put these in and relax,” the Unicorn levitated the earbuds to him, and he obeyed, reaching into the warm and tingly violet aura that surrounded the earpieces and plucking them out of mid-air. He arranged them in his ears and had to fight off the urge to leap the hell out of the chair as Twilight levitated a large, light-covered headgear over his cranium, the same one he recalled Pinkie wearing in that one episode where the Unicorn was trying to research the Pinkie Sense. Twilight gave him an encouraging smile and gently sat the helmet on his head, strapping it firmly in place and plugging the various wires that ran from it into a piece of equipment that looked like a cross between an EKG and a fax machine.

“This is gonna monitor your brain activity,” she explained loudly enough for him to hear through the rather muffled earbuds. “I just wanna see what’s going on when you play your music, that’s all. Now then, think of a song, I’ll record the results, and then you can be on your way. Just lemme know if you feel any discomfort at all,” the Unicorn levitated a quill and clipboard in front of herself and nodded for him to begin.

“Right,” Volare nodded, relaxed as much as he could despite the flickering lights and droning humming noise coming from the cold helmet pressing his mane flat against his skull. Ok, can’t think of any fandom music, cuz there’s no telling what she’ll see…shit, did she hear what I just said?! Ok, focus, focus, just get this done and you can go pick up Scoots and grab breakfast! And with that, he settled on a song he felt rather appropriate for all the flashing lights and crazy-looking machines surrounding him and Twilight.

The song faded from his mind and the echoes from the speakerbox were dying amongst the roots of the tree as Volare opened his eyes and plucked out the earbuds before turning to Twilight…and couldn’t help but crack a grin at her somewhat awed expression; the quill hovered unmoving above the clipboard, the tip sitting on the mostly blank parchment as the Unicorn simply stared at him. “Uh, heh-heh, Twi, aren’t you supposed to be taking notes?” he nodded towards the EKG/fax/WTF machine that continued to spit out paper covered in rows of zigzagging lines.

“Huh-oh, right, right,” Twilight shook her head and grinned sheepishly, flicking off the paper-spewing machine and running her eyes over the results. “Music was just…interesting, that’s all,” she muttered. "That instrument that opened the song...what was that? It didn't sound like a rock guitar."

"Huh-nah, that's an acoustic guitar, Twi," at her bemused expression, he explained that it was the precursor to the rock guitar and required a different skill set to play. His grandfather hailed from southern Spain, and it was he that Volare gave credit to for getting him into guitar music of all sorts, as he often played flamenco-style music into the sunset on their back porch when Volare was just a little kid. Even though rock was his mainstay, he'd always hold a place of respect in his heart for the humble acoustic guitar...gotta respect the origins, ya know? "Why, don't you have anything like that here, Twi?"

"Uh, we kinda lack the fingers required to play it, silly," she wiggled a hoof in emphasis. "So I'd have to say...no. The closest thing we have, or that I've ever seen anyways, is Lyra's lyre."

"And that's an entirely different animal from acoustic guitar," Volare chuckled, filing that information away for later. Huh, figured somepony would at least know about it if they know about rock music...then again, it's not a precursor to anything since they don't have fingers anyways...oh well.
“What’s the word, doc?” Volare asked as he sat the helmet aside and approached the Librarian, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of the squiggles of lines that raced along the roll of paper. “Will I live another 30 years?”

“Heh, very funny,” Twilight bumped him with a hip and began to mark off multiple places on the zigging lines, mostly at the peaks, but occasionally at the valleys as well. After nearly a minute of this, she looked up and smiled. “Well, you asked for the prognosis. Volare,” she placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I have to say, this may be a first for pony-kind,” she grinned hugely. “And I made the discovery!”

“What? What is it, Twi!?” Volare asked excitedly. A billion thoughts and possibilities ran through his mind: Was he a super genius? But he didn’t feel any smarter…was he the next musical prodigy? But he couldn’t write music…oh god, did he have brain cancer?! Then why would Twi be smiling…unless ponies didn’t get brain cancer. So what the hell was it?! But the answer he received was the last thing he expected.

“Congratulations, Volare…you’re pregnant,” Twilight replied flatly, barely able to catch her friend as his hooves involuntarily buckled beneath him.

“…w-what?” Volare finally managed to sputter, shaking his head in disbelief. “A-are you serious, Twi? But…how?!” But the Unicorn couldn’t keep up the act any longer, and a cheeky smirk slowly but surely split her features before she began to laugh. “T-Twi?”

“Oh-hahaha, Vola-a-are!” she hoofed him in the shoulder before leaning into his shoulder to keep from falling down as she continued to laugh. “You should see the look on your face; it’s priceless!”

“Uh, I don’t”- But the lavender Unicorn placed her hoof on his lips and shook her head for a moment before wiping the tears of mirth from her own eyes and continuing to chuckle as she finally stepped away from him.

“Gotcha,” she grinned for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise. Uh-oh. She suddenly turned tail and ran across the lab, the Pegasus hot on her hooves, yelling, swearing, laughing, and snapping his teeth at her indigo tail as it fluttered behind her. She dodged around a chair and slipped under a lab table covered in vacuum tubes, looking back to see a fierce grin plastered on his face as he continued to pursue her.

Just like old times, eh Twi? Volare thought back to their little "race" weeks ago as she ran around the edge of another lab bench and turned to face him, her breath coming in quick gasps between chuckles as he decided to forgo rounding the table to reach his “prey”. Instead, the Pegasus reached the table in a gallop, placed his front hooves on the edge of it, spread his wings, and launched himself over the piece of furniture, clearing the equipment with ease and crash-landing on top of the Unicorn before she had a chance to halt him with a levitation spell. The two rolled across the floor and ended up in a tangled heap of hooves, manes, and giggles.

“H-ha-ha…gotcha that time, Twi,” Volare laughed triumphantly, shaking the dust from his mane and propping himself up against a bookshelf before shooting her a cheeky sidelong grin of his own.

“Y-yeah, you sure did,” Twilight gasped, her heart rate quickened for more reasons than one as she sat back against the shelf and leaned against his shoulder. This is rather nice…oh dammit, he’s right-he DID beat me this time…jeez, he’s gotten faster. Despite the near-silent alarm bells going off in her head, she snuggled closer against his shoulder and sighed audibly. “Well, at least we didn’t wreck the place this time, eh?” she declared after a moment, noting that the worst they’d done was dislodge old dust from the bookshelf they’d rolled up against.
She looked up at him and smiled sheepishly after a long moment of silence in which they couldn’t believe they hadn’t woken up Spike…which was somewhat ironic because now she had to wake him up. “Well, you go on ahead to Pinkie’s, grab breakfast with Scootaloo and drop her off at school,” Twilight declared as she rose to her hooves and bundled up the ream of paper. “Then come right back here.”

“H-hey, wait a sec, Twi,” Volare protested as he stood up. “What about the test results? And why can’t I bring Scoots back here?”

“Because you don’t need any distractions today, Volare; Scootaloo, tests results, or otherwise,” Twilight explained tersely as she slipped a band around the paper and regarded him with an amused expression. “I’m not entirely sure of what the results mean myself and I’m about done with jumping to conclusions about you,” she booped him on the nose, smiling despite wincing internally at the self-deprecating jab. “However, I will help to teach you what I do already know, as it will be an extremely important step towards getting you back in the air. Now get going, cuz time’s a wastin’, as AJ would say.”

“But you can’t fly, Twilight,” Volare replied as he trotted up the stairs. “How can you help beyond your anatomy books? No offense, but we saw about how well those helped,” he shrugged his right wing and frowned.

“Trust me on this, Volare; what I’m going to teach you was taught to me by Princess Celestia herself…and I’ve learned that it’s not the wisest decision to discount what she has to say,” she said assuredly. “I’ll see you back here in about an hour?”

“Heh, sure thing, Twi,” the Pegasus nodded and smiled, heading for the basement door.

Fillydelphia…

“Whoa, what the hay happened here?” Rainbow Dash looked down at the West-Filly Concert Hall, which was missing the back wall, most of the windows, and all of the roof, the remains of which seemed to have been on fire at some point. The cyan Pegasus had been given an alternative delivery route for the day by Zipscale, one which took her along the western portion of the city rather than the previous northern route. Not 10 minutes into the mail route, however, she’d spotted the shell of the nearly century-old brick building by the water’s edge.

Checking the sun and seeing that she had plenty of time to spare, Rainbow Dash landed and approached a brown and red middle-aged Earth Pony wearing a yellow safety helmet. Judging by the protective gear and the hammer and nails cutie mark on his flank, Dash surmised that he was likely a construction pony working on the repairs of the Concert Hall. The cacophony of equipment was nearly-deafening this close to the ground, and Dash had no choice but to shout to be heard over the racket.

“Hey, excuse me!” she called out as the sizeable stallion hefted a load of bricks on a sledge and began to haul them towards the collapsed back wall of the structure. He glanced down and regarded the Pegasus with a light snort before turning back to his work. Unperturbed, Dash hovered in front of him to get his attention, floating backwards as she spoke. “Dude, what happened here?”

“Ya mind movin’, missy?” the construction pony said with a light growl of irritation. “Kinda in a hurry here.”

“Say what?!” Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her ear; the noise of construction was ridiculous!

“I said I’m in a hurry! We gotta get this place fixed pronto, cuz the Canterlot Symphony plays here!” the Earth Pony yelled in reply.

“Yeah, well I'm in a hurry too,” she gestured to the mail bags on either side of her body. “I just wanna know what happened and I’ll get outta your mane; promise!”

“Ugh, fine,” the stallion groaned and sat the sledge down, stretched his neck-secretly grateful for the short break-and explained how DJ PON-3 had been in town a few nights ago, and had played some really strange music that nopony had ever heard the likes of before. The whole place went bonkers for it, and near the end of the concert, probably because she was running out of ideas, the DJ set off a large amount of pyrotechnics to the accompaniment of some sort of twanging music that sounded almost otherworldly.

“So, long story short, the roof was on fire!” the construction pony barked a reply over the rattle of what sounded like some sort of jackhammer.

“The what?!” Dash wiggled a hoof in her ear and leaned in closer. “The roof?”

“Yeah the roof!”

“The roof was on fire?!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “Didn’t the weather ponies try to put it out!?”

“Nah, they didn’t worry about the water; they just let the mother-bucker burn,” he shrugged a shoulder and harrumphed loudly. “Big waste, I say!”

“But why!?” The Pegasus couldn’t understand why these crazy Fillydelphians would let something like that happen…and then be in a hurry to rebuild the dumb thing right afterwards!

“You tell me!” he shrugged again. “Now get a move on, missy! This is no place for a dainty mare like yourself!”
And with that, he hauled the sledge up and continued on his way, grumbling about how the next generation seemed only interested in tearing down what the previous generation had built. But Dash ignored his “dainty” little jab; instead, her mind was fixated on the word he’d used to describe the music that Vinyl Scratch had played. Dash had been to plenty of her concerts, but she’d yet to hear any music from her that she’d call “other-worldly.”
“Unless…nah, no way,” the Pegasus shook the thought away and took off on her route again. “That’s just way too crazy for even me to believe…”

Ponyville Schoolhouse…

“Aww, whatcha mean I can’t stay with you today, bro?” Scootaloo disputed Twilight’s instructions that Volare had reluctantly relayed to his little sister during their run around Ponyville after breakfast. He knelt down and ruffled her mane affectionately and nodded towards the school house.

“C’mon Scoots, Twi knows best about this,” he gave her a helpless smile. “Besides, you’ve got no excuse to miss anymore class, especially since Ms. Cheerilee saw you right as rain yesterday when we picked up the rest of the CMC.”

“Well, if you’d let me hang off your neck and hide behind you like I told you to do, she wouldn’t have seen me,” Scootaloo grumbled softly.

“Heh-heh, Scoots, you’re adorable, but not that adorable,” Volare nuzzled her for a moment, chuckling as she caught sight of the red Pegasus colt Pinion making a face at her brother loving on her, stuck her tongue out at him, and then hugged Volare’s neck quickly. “I’ll come pick you, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle up from school again, and we’ll get to scheming on some crusading ideas for this weekend. Promise,” he crossed his heart with a hoof and smiled.

“Alright…since you promised,” Scootaloo turned to leave, hesitated, turned back and unexpectedly hoofed her brother in the shoulder with a smirk. “Catch ya later bro!”

“Don’t hurt Pinion too badly, Scoots!” Volare called out as she scampered away across the schoolyard.

“I won’t…much!” the filly waved a hoof and disappeared inside the schoolhouse, leaving Volare shaking his head incredulously. Oh yeah…you and Aggie would have gotten along just swimmingly…jeez, I miss you, sis…so damn much… The Pegasus sighed and wiped his nose after the reflective moment before facing the short road back to the Library Tree. “But I know you’d hate to see me mope…so here goes nothing!” With a nod and a half-smile creasing his lips, the blue stallion trotted back into town, focusing his mind on…well, he honestly didn’t know, for he had no idea of what Twilight Sparkle had in store for him today!

…………………

Ponville Library…

“A field trip?” Volare cocked his head skeptically.

"You could call it that," Twilight Sparkle nodded and turned back to the kitchen counter where she was busy packing them a light lunch for later. Her mane was freshly-brushed and neat, and there was a definite spring in her step as she busied herself with the food.

“Really Twi; what is this-?”

“Magic Kindergarten?” Twilight preempted him with a cheerful smile, packing a few sandwiches she’d whipped up into a small basket sitting on the kitchen counter. While he’d been gone, she’d woken Spike long enough for him to send the test results to Celestia, who replied back that she’d look them over when she could and give her an answer within the next 24 hours. “Heh, might as well be, seeing as how you have no magical knowledge, correct?”

“Haha, don’t rub it in, Twi,” Volare snorted and snagged an apple out of the hanging fruit basket.

“I’m not rubbing it in, Volare,” Twilight regarded the Pegasus sternly, levitating the “Pegasus Flight” book out of her saddlebag and laying it on the countertop. “I probably should have better-explained this to you last night, but I felt that if I read this to you then, you’d have even more trouble sleeping. Speaking of which, still no dreams?”

“Nope, nothing,” he replied as he bit into the crisp fruit. “Weird, huh?”

“Yes, very much so,” her eyes trailed down to the black ring at the base of his wing. “And that?”

“What about it?” he glanced at the mark.

“No change? No pain or discomfort?” she asked with concern.

“Nope, zip, notta,” Volare shook his head and munched on the apple. “I think it itched a little earlier, if that counts.”

“Oh, you,” Twilight rolled her eyes and swatted him with her tail before turning back to the flight book. She ran a careful hoof over the brass-bound binding which bore numerous symbols in Ancient Equestrian, as well as the large picture of a Pegasi that reminded Volare of a drawing by…Da Vinci, was it? He was almost certain that’s who the Earth artist was. It looked that way, in any case:

She undid the small latch holding it shut and opened the front cover, swiftly catching a myriad of parchment that threatened to slip out from between the pages, grinning sheepishly as she did so. "Eh-heh, personal notes," she muttered and slipped them further towards the back of the book before setting it back down again and allowing Volare to read the hoof-written author foreword.

A Foreword by Typhoon VI, direct descendant of Captain Typhoon I, flight lead of the 1st Equestrian Air Wing, Second-In-Command to Commander Hurricane herself…

Throughout our history, the Pegasus race has been a proud nation of mighty warriors and skillful fliers, but of late, I feel that those traits that made us so have begun to fade into history. I will not blame the 940 years’ worth of peace at the time of this writing for this, for all warriors fight because they strive for peace in the end…still, I can’t help but believe that it is contributing to the loss of flight applications that served to raise the Pegasus race to the position that we currently stand at. And so, this book is my attempt to preserve those techniques and skills before they are lost to antiquity. I feel I must include a warning though, especially for any eager Pegasus reading this and hoping to learn what our forebears used on a daily basis:

I do not wish for any pony, Pegasus or otherwise, to be taught the lessons within these pages without foreknowledge of the very power that runs in their own veins…I am talking of course, about the magic inherent to all pony races living in this world. It is a part of every pony on the ground or in the sky, and thus is just as useful as their own legs, wings, or horns…perhaps even more so, for it is from this magic that our true power may be drawn. However, this book concerns flight and magic applications towards it, rather than the education of it, thus it is my wish that any pony reading this first display an elementary understanding of the magic that makes their species unique, for without completely knowing themselves, they will not be able to reach their full potential, nor utilize the techniques within this book. It is also recommended that whosoever reads this also possess basic knowledge of Pegasus anatomy as well, for it will minimize the need for outsourced references during the study process.

But, if you, the reader, happen to be a pony knowledgeable in magic and the way that it affects your own body, as well as how you can affect it, then you have my permission to read on. Knowledge will give you wings you’ve never dreamed of…

"This is why it's crucial that you learn about pony magic before you can see the contents of this book," Twilight tapped the text with a hoof before shutting the book tightly and latching it, stuffing it back into her saddlebag before Volare could protest further. "Please forgive me for not explaining it more clearly earlier, Volare."

"No, no, it's ok Twi," the Pegasus shook his head as he digested the foreword. "I understand now why you were being kinda vague. You didn't wanna fill my head with delusions of grandeur right off the bat, before I could appreciate them...and I do remember you warning about it last month." He leaned a shoulder against hers for a moment, missing the slight flush he brought to her cheeks as he did so. "I should have listened to you, Twi..."

"It's fine, Volare," she patted him on the back. "You're here and whole and that's what matters right now, right?" she looked up and smiled encouragingly.

"That's right," he nodded. "And since I need to learn about magic in order to really fly...and since I rather obviously know little to nothing about it," he chuckled dryly. "I'm ready to learn, Twi," he took one final bite of his apple, tossed the core in the wastebin, and grinned through the juicy mouthful of fruit. "When do we start and where are we headed on this little "field trip?"

"Well, we're not gonna get right to it," the scholar smirked and nodded towards the morning sky-filled window. "It's a wonderful day, and you and I still haven't had the chance to spend a day together when we weren't being rushed along, bleeding to death, or scared senseless."

"Haha, very funny," it was Volare's turn to roll his eyes as he hitched on his own saddlebag, beginning to pack the speakerbox into it without a second thought.

"Ah, no, no, go ahead and leave that here," Twilight shook her head, and he sat it down in mild confusion. "Just pack light for today. Here, catch!" she tossed him a few wrapped sandwiches and some bottle grape juice, which he packed in his bag instead. With a satisfied nod, she flicked the kitchen light off and trotted for the door, opening it and inhaling the crisp autumn breeze that billowed in. She paused for a moment before throwing on a lavender-striped scarf and then headed out the door.

"Where're we headed, Twi?" Volare asked as he shut the door behind him, noting that even the light vibration of that served to dislodge a handful of red-brown leaves from the Library's branches.

"Figuratively or literally?" she replied with a hint of a chuckle.

"Alright smarty-pants," the Pegasus caught up and nudged her with a wing as they trotted into town. "What's your plan, eh?"

"Well, I won't lie when I say this won't be easy due to your origins of a human living in a world without magic in the sense that we have here," her brow furrowed. "But, the first step towards reaching your goals is accepting the situation that you're in, which you declared last night I believe, right?"

"Right," he nodded; and he was serious. He didn't want to leave Earth behind, but he did want to be accepted here...and if that meant first accepting his situation as reality and not some crazy dream, then so be it.

"Good, then that means you'll more readily accept the lessons I'll teach you today," Twilight explained as she nodded politely to the Earth Pony couple trotting past them as they turned south and headed for the Southern Ponyville Bridge. "Now then, we've got a good long trot ahead of us before we reach the first physical lesson, so until we get there, I'll explain a little history of ponykind to you."

"But I thought we already went over this, Twi," the Pegasus shook his head slightly, recalling the long conversation he and the Unicorn had had when he was stuck in her guest bed after his accident.

"Mhm, we touched on it, but we're going even further back in pony history, long before the events that led up to the founding of Equestria," Twilight smiled excitedly; it had been forever since she'd had the chance to teach Ancient Pony History. "But before we begin that, let's review what you told me you already know about magic last night." They quickly recalled the examples of what he'd observed, but Twilight shook her head; she wasn't so much disappointed as affirmed in her expectations.

"You've cited nothing but Unicorn examples, which is actually a pretty common mistake, Volare, mainly because their magic is so much more obvious," the Unicorn scholar quickly levitated a small stone and held it up for Volare to see as they trotted on through the sparsely populated streets; the majority of ponies were just now waking up for the day. "Did you know that back in Canterlot when I was younger, I'd hear Unicorns put down Pegasi and Earth Ponies all the time for not being able to use magic as visually as they could?" With a small growl of disgust, she tossed the rock away and shook her mane. "It wasn't until later that I realized just how uneducated and stereotypical those statements were, and that was one of the reasons why I dedicated myself to the study of magic," she nodded back at her starburst-shaped cutie mark. "And which is also why I'm not gonna let you stumble down that same slippery slope of stereotyping."

"That's pretty poetic, teach," Volare smiled and nodded in understanding.

"I believe the term is alliterate, but that's beside the point," Twilight felt a warmth grow in her cheeks that had nothing to do with the rising sun that fell upon them as they cleared the shadows of the buildings of the town and trotted across the Southern Bridge. Within moments, they were headed down the Equestrian Valley road that ran south as far as the eye could see before it disappeared over the low hills of golden waving prairie grass and scattered farms that dotted the dale.
"So, to answer your earlier question, figuratively, we're going back in history, literally, we're headed to Sweet Apple Acres, where I believe we'll find a few ponies more than willing to help you learn about what makes pony magic tick."

.........................

As they walked along the autumn-shrouded landscape, Twilight recalled the history lessons that Princess Celestia had personally taught her. Thousands of years before the founding of Equestria, nay, even before the birth of the Sun Goddess herself, ponies of all races lived in scattered isolation of one another, travelling in small groups and never really settling down in any one place in particular; simply going where they could graze and moving on when the food was gone. It was a rather harsh life, with no protective government to speak of, and one of the largest problems ponies faced was their brightly colored coats that made them stand out against their environments. This practically rang the dinner bell for any roving predators that spotted them, for ponies, though rather stout and tough for their size, aren't particularly strong on their own.

Twilight cut off Volare's protest that ponies seemed plenty strong to him, that he was jumping ahead of her. She went on to explain that ponies slowly but surely adapted, beginning to herd together in larger and larger groups, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns alike sometimes in the thousands, using their sheer numbers as protection against predators. This worked for a while, but predators must also adapt to survive, and they quickly adopted the tactic of picking off the young and weak, as well as those that became isolated during moving times. Volare commented that this sounded alot like the predator-prey relationship of bison and wolves back on Earth, and Twilight pulled out a quill and scribbled a quick note on the subject, storing it away for later before continuing.

At first, the herd leaders simply ignored the losses, hardening their hearts and declaring it the natural order of things. Well, try telling that to the mothers and fathers who had just lost a foal! Or to the friends they'd built relationships with during their herding behavior who tried to comfort them as best they could in their time of sorrow. Some of the leaders viewed this as weakness and rebellion against the "natural order", and tried to stamp it out, but luckily, enough of the family groups stood firm, and would soon prove that it wasn't weakness to care for the well-being of others, but would in fact become the greatest strength known to ponykind.

"The true origins of when ponies first began to harness the power of magic are a bit obscure, but what they all agree on was that it was a Unicorn who first used it in a manner more recognizable today," Twilight explained with a bit of a proud smirk that Volare caught.

"Hmm, well, that would explain alot of Unicorns' haughty behavior," he nudged her with a wing and gave her a knowing smirk of his own.

"Pfft, how's about we leave the teaching to me for now, pal," she flicked his mane with a burst of magic before continuing. "In any case, what historians do agree on is that when it did happen, nopony was exactly sure what occurred. All eyewitness accounts state that a mother Unicorn placed herself between a dragon attacking her foal, shouted at it to leave them alone, and then all of a sudden a bright light shot from her horn, impacted the dragon in a flash of fire and "thunder", and sent it flying away with burns as big as your head; and remember, dragons are supposed to be fire-proof, so what happened must have been something extremely powerful," Twilight explained, her own eyes wide in awe despite the fact that she was the one telling the story in the first place.

"Wow," Volare breathed, stunned by the images of the recounting that ran through his mind. "What happened after that?"

"Well, from what I've been told, the herd leaders very nearly decried it as another form of rebellion, but as more and more of these unexplainable events began to happen shortly afterwards, they had no choice but to accept it as a way of life, and within months had taken to studying this new behavior to discover how to harness its power," Twilight paused to recall exactly what Celestia had told her for this next part. "But the only real consistent thing they could determine about it was that these "incidents" only occurred during times of great stress, and almost exclusively when a family member or loved one was in trouble. And so, the races began to call this mysterious power "magic" as a placeholder name until they could further understand its source and cause."

"Very interesting," Volare nodded. "Seems like its pretty well understood and widespread today."

"Yes, but you must understand that we're many millennia removed from its origins, and between then and now, its become much more prevalent in pony lifestyles; basically, the more they understood it, the more it became a natural part of life," the Unicorn explained and looked up as they rounded the massive apple orchard; they were nearly at their destination.

"Well, would it be too bold for me to offer my own theory as to where magic originated from, based on what I know so far?" Volare asked.

"It's not likely to be correct, but that's all part of the learning process," Twilight smiled. "So I don't see why not; what's your theory?"

"That relationships, family, love, and friendship seem to be an important ingredient of it," the Pegasus declared, stopping Twilight in her tracks in awed silence. "Since it didn't seem to come about until loved ones were threatened, and seemed to only repeat itself during similar situations, I'd say that friendship is the source of it, or rather...that friendship IS magic," Volare grinned. Well, now it makes sense... "Uh, Twi?" he cocked his head in worry.

"Wow that's...very intuitive, Volare," she looked up at him, impressed...she wondered if he'd yet drawn that same conclusion about what had happened between himself and Scootaloo the day they were attacked...or even when he'd saved Trixie. "Just...hold that thought until later cuz you're getting a little ahead of the lesson. Now that you know the origins of pony magic, we can move onto its applications, starting with something fairly simple. C'mon, we're here," she trotted through the white picket gate that led up to the massive red farmhouse and flicked her ears this way and that until she picked up the noise she was searching for: a pony bucking the apple tree harvest. They quickly located two Earth Ponies, an orange mare wearing a brown Stetson hat and a massive red pony wearing a yoke and leaning against a tree as the mare nodded fiercely at a nearby orange-leafed tree, saying something about how it "ain't all about kickin' as hard as ya can, but more about focusin' on how ya kick when ya buck tha apples." The red stallion tossed his short mane and sighed before cocking an eye at the approaching lavender Unicorn and blue Pegasus.

"Well, well, fancy seein' ya'll two here," the large stallion drawled deeply and dipped his head politely, continuing to lean against his tree and quietly observe the situation. "Looky who decided to drop by, AJ." The orange mare turned to regard the duo with a huge grin and touched a hoof to the brim of her hat.

"Well howdy ya'll," Applejack cantered over and wrapped a strong hoof around either of her two friends. "What brings ya by our neck of tha woods? Here ta help us buck the apple harvest?"

"Well, not exactly, AJ," Twilight replied. "It's more us that need your help."

"Well shoot, Ah'm tha loyalest and most-dependable pony round these here parts, sugarcube," she winked and grinned. "So Ah guess ya came to tha right place. How can Ah cure what ails ya?"

"Oh, it's not that kind of problem, AJ," the Unicorn shook her head and explained that she was teaching Volare about the history and applications of pony magic, and if she'd be so kind as to provide a short demonstration and buck a few apple trees.

"Shoot, that ain't a problem fer me," the mare waved a dismissive hoof and trotted up to the nearest tree, eyeballing the location of the ripe apples and setting up a series of wicker baskets accordingly around the tree's base. As she did so, Twilight looked towards Volare, gauging his reaction as Applejack turned her back legs towards the tree, raised up, and bucked her hooves against the bark with a loud THOCK! Every apple in the tree neatly dropped into the baskets, and Applejack shot a smug little grin towards Twilight and Volare before repeating the same action with two more more trees. Every time, the Unicorn observed that Volare's eyes stayed riveted on every detail of Applejack's bucking, trying their best to dig out any sort of hidden information he might have missed from her earlier lessons...but he didn't see anything new, and he frowned in frustration as Applejack finished the third apple tree.

"That's enough for now, AJ," Twilight interrupted the farm pony before she could set up more baskets around a fourth one.

"Aww shoot, an' Ah was jus' gettin' inta a good rhythm," the orange mare snorted and returned to her friends, having barely broken a sweat.

"You'll have plenty of time for that later, I'm sure," Twilight replied and regarded Volare out of the corner of her eye. "Now then, you said that Applejack had previously explained how her applebucking worked without shattering the entire tree at once, right?"

"Yeah, she said something about "thinking" the apples out of the tree when she kicked it," he turned to Earth Pony. "Or something like that, right AJ?"

"That's about tha size of it, sugarcube," she nodded in confirmation.

"Thanks, AJ," Twilight smiled gratefully and turned back to the pilot. "Now Volare, would it surprise you to know that Earth Ponies like Applejack don't actually possess the sheer brute strength to do what she just did; no offense AJ."

"None taken, Twi," the orange mare shared a chuckle with her at the confused expression on the Pegasus' face. "Ya'll look right addled there, pardner. Bit fer yer thoughts?"

"But I-wha-hang on a sec!" Volare sputtered. "But I saw you buck that other tree into a millions pieces, something not even Iron Will could do, so you've gotta be stronger than him! Plus you threw me down over a dozen times when we hoof-wrestled and...ok, stop giggling and explain, please!" he said in frustration, his face blushing madly. "I mean, how could she possibly do all that if she's not strong enough to do it? That doesn't make any sense!"

"Heh, I told you you'd have to suspend your disbelief, Volare," Twilight patted him on the hoof. "It's just gonna be tough. As for the answer to your question...it's more about technique...and a little magic," she grinned.

"You putting one over on me, Twi?" he cocked a skeptical eye, but she shook her head sincerely.

"Nope, not at all," Twilight turned to Applejack and continued. "What AJ said about "thinking" those apples out of the tree is actually fairly accurate, and I'll explain why it is, and how she can do what she does with trees without actually possessing the physical strength to do so." She trotted over to a tree and pointed out the still-smooth tree bark, with the slightest hint of a hoof print where Applejack had bucked at it. "Here, if she were relying purely on physical strength, there would be a deep gouge mark from her hooves in the wood, right? But notice the lack of any?"

"So what, are you saying she didn't actually touch the tree at all?" Volare shook his head, starting to feel a migraine coming on again. This was harder than he thought it would be!

"Oh no, Ah did sugarcube, jus' not hard enough ta damage tha bark," Applejack assured him. "Cuz breakin' through that tree's bark is a surefire way ta hurt it permanently." Even Volare had to agree with that logic.

"Ok, so how's it work, then?" he asked again, this time more curious than skeptical, which was the attitude change that Twilight was waiting for.

"Magic was and is still used as a slang word for the force with which ponies can manipulate their surroundings without the use of the physical strength that their bodies naturally lack," Twilight declared, causing Volare's jaw to drop.

"Alright Obi-Wan," the Pegasus shook off his shock and laughed. "Lemme guess: this "force" surrounds and binds all things in the galaxy together and by tapping into this all-encompassing power, ponies can then exhibit powers beyond normal understanding," he grinned smugly. "Do I get bonus points for being technical?" But to his surprise, both Applejack and Twilight were regarding him as if he'd just lost his mind. Even Big Macintosh cocked a concerned eyebrow at his statement.

"Where tha hay did ya hear somethin' that crazy, Volare?" the red stallion drawled, causing the Pegasus' features to droop and his face to burn in embarrassment.

"Who's Obi-Wan?" Twilight titled her head on confusion.

"Um...nevermind," Volare slumped against a basket of apples and looked up. "Please explain Twi; I'll be right here chewing on the hoof I just crammed into my mouth." His answer caused Applejack to burst into a serious of helpless guffaws that she finally hid behind her hat when Twilight shot her a disapproving glare; the last thing he needed was negative reinforcement like this.

"Well, that's certainly an interesting theory, Volare," Twilight chuckled. "But I'm afraid that's not how it works; in fact it's much more simple than that." She closed her eyes and spoke, almost as if in recitation of something that had been drummed into her head through the years...and being the Holder of the Element of Magic, that was quite the possibility. "The source of the magic that ponies in the far past discovered was actually a way to physically manifest their willpower as a survival mechanism." She peeped an eye open and had to fight back another laugh at Volare's shocked expression. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was earlier, and he was slowly nodding his head in acceptance and comprehension, but the wide eyes betrayed any sense of "playing it cool" he might have planned on using.

"Sugarcube, if'n ya'll are gonna keep doin' this, should Ah be worried?" Applejack asked with a nudge of her hoof on the pilot's shoulder. He recoiled slightly at her touch, as if shocked, realized what she'd said, and shook his head.

"Nah, I'm ok...just a little overwhelmed I guess," he chuckled dryly.

"And that's understandable, Volare," Twilight nodded sagely. "Most ponies that study this subject do so over the course of many years, while you've picked it up over a few hours instead."

"Heh, guess that means you're a damn good teacher, Twi," he gave her a tiny smile which nevertheless caused the modest Unicorn's cheeks to warm ever so slightly at the compliment.

"Or you're a good listener," she countered with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Ahem, anyways, you ready to continue?" she asked once she realized that Applejack was staring at their little exchange with a bit more intensity than necessary.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," the Pegasus nodded and sat back up. "Magic is a survival mechanism based on the...physical manifestation of willpower," he shook his head slightly as he said the words. This is wild...

"That's correct, and the ability to do so didn't begin to appear until after ponies began to form close relationships and bonds with others for protection, and only when used to protect their families, at least until they learned more about it," Twilight concluded. "It seemed to be the next natural evolutionary step towards survival."

"When backed into a corner, with no other way out...sometimes nature breaks through the ceiling and takes a whole new route instead," Volare declared, recalling something he'd heard way back in high school.

"Exactly, which is why I said your conclusion earlier about friendship and relationships being the essence of magic was so intuitive," the Unicorn grinned, noting with slight self-consciousness that Applejack was just barely keeping up with their conversation, and Big Mac seemed to have tuned them out entirely, content to chew on a piece of straw and occasionally peek up at the sky to observe an interesting cloud or two that drifted down near the tops of the apple trees. Oh well...

"Thanks?" he replied sheepishly.

"You sure you've never studied this before?" Twilight's innocent question immediately set off alarms in his head and quite quickly changed the tone of the conversation from his point of view. The Pegasus was stuck for words for a moment before clearing his throat loudly.

"Ahem!-N-no, of course not, Twi," he shook his head. "That'd be kinda impossible, wouldn't it?" No WAY is this theory in any way tied to the TITLE of a show with you guys in it....dammit-dammit-dammit!!!

"Yeah...I guess so," the Unicorn's vision trailed down and to the left, but Volare couldn't tell if she was merely being thoughtful or skeptical; either way, he preempted her by reaching out from where he sat and tapping her hoof with his own. She looked back up and he motioned with his hoof for her to continue. "O-oh, right! Um...where were we?"

"Ponies had discovered that magic was really based on willpower."

"Ah, right, right," she gathered her thoughts as if shuffling through a book to find the spot where she'd left off at, found the lost page with a smile, spread out the wrinkled text, and continued, pacing under the shade of the trees as she did so. "Anyway, over the years proceeding the discovery of magic's cause, its understanding grew, and the knowledge associated with it was passed down through the generations to those that would accept it. And to those who either couldn't accept it or refused to...well..."

"Natural selection is hard at work on this planet too," Volare concluded with a grim nod.

"Mhm, indeed," Twilight returned the nod and stood silent for a few respectful moments before sighing and continuing. "Kinda interesting though, how so many ponies today use magic throughout their daily lives without realizing that they owe their very existence to it."

"Probably cuz it's become so "normal" and ingrained in their lives that many take it for granted," Volare shrugged. "Humans do kinda the same thing with technology too; they just assume over years of use that it'll always be there, and to not think about life without it, because life without technology would be too tough for many to handle."

"Very good comparison, Volare," the Librarian nodded. "Again, interesting that an outsider like yourself would so readily appreciate magic's value in comparison with the general population taking it for granted."

"Now hold on just a dern minute," Applejack stomped the ground in irritation. "Not all ponies take it fer granted, pardner."

"Of course not, AJ," Twilight half-stepped between the farm pony and Volare as she spoke. It was just a subtle thing, but the protective gesture wasn't lost on the Pegasus, who smiled his thanks to the Librarian. "We're just speaking in general terms. There are always exceptions to general rules, such as you, your brother, and the rest of the Element Holders, who all seem more "in-tune" from the get-go with magic, even without proper study."

"Right, so long as ya'll ain't callin' nopony stupid or somethin'," Applejack backed off and nodded at Volare and Twilight to continue.

"Ok, so if magic obviously isn't based on physical strength, how strong can it get?" the Pegasus queried.

"Well, it really all begins with one's lack of fear, or temporary suspension thereof, as well as one's self-doubt, for that can lead to fear," Twilight replied.

Ok, I take back the Obi-Wan comment...she's getting closer to Yoda now. Yoda and Morpheus all in the same package...why do I get the feeling I'm probably doomed? Ah screw it, I'm just gonna roll with it.
"Ok, so step one: don't show fear or self-doubt. What's step two?"

"Don't think of it as being made up of steps, more as a gradual slope," Twilight chided him. "But what a lack of self-doubt will lead to is greater self-confidence. And with greater self-confidence comes greater willpower. And since magic is based on the manifestation of one's willpower being used to manipulate the environment..." she waited for him to drop the other shoe.

"The greater one's willpower, the greater one's potential for magic," Volare concluded with a grin as he rose to his hooves. "So it just all builds on itself, huh?"

"Exactly, and the more you work at it, the stronger and greater you can become," the Unicorn nodded excitedly.

"Wow, that would explain why Luna and Celestia are so powerful; because they've had over a thousand years of honing their willpower and self-confidence." Kinda reminds me of those old ninja masters in movies...they may not be the biggest or strongest guys on the block, but their experience and confidence in their abilities gives them more than the edge they need to win a conflict...and if Twilight is this powerful after only 15 or so years of study... He almost shuddered to think of the terrible power that Celestia and Luna could wield...then again, they could move the sun and moon...and he'd been hugging one of them like it was nothing not two days ago. He had to fight off a tiny bit of nausea for a moment before nodding at Twilight to continue.

"That's why I waited until you accepted the situation you were in, Volare. For without accepting your environment, how can you accept yourself and reach your potential within that environment?"

"I see what you mean, Twi," he nodded. "Sorry for being so impatient and snappy earlier...and getting blinded by delusions of grandeur, heh-heh..." Thanks alot, Dashie...then again, I've only got myself to blame I guess...but dammit it all, I was so stupid!!

"It's totally fine; like I said, live and learn," she chuckled and nudged him with a warm burst of magic. "So now that you know how magic works, and what it takes to build on it, are you ready to continue?"

"Yeah, let's go," he grinned and pumped a hoof. "This is pretty awesome."

"Heh, that it is," Twilight laughed lightly, for the umpteenth time being reminded of herself back under Celestia's tutelage years ago. She suddenly felt much older than she ever had before, and it made her take pause for a moment to reflect on just how far she'd come herself, how far she still had to go...and how close Volare now was to taking flight once again. She shook off any sense of doubt she felt creeping up on her and raised her head in confidence. "Alright! The next lesson in this is the application of magic amongst the pony races."

"Hey, real quick before we move on, Twi," Volare interrupted her. "Since we now know how magic works, should we keep calling it "magic", since that word was used because it wasn't understood in the first place?"

"Hrm, you know, I've considered that a few times myself, Volare," Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And I've even tried to come up with alternate names and acronyms for it, but all of them just end up being overly complicated explanations that seem to only cause further confusion, rather than comprehension. I mean, for example if I called magic "Manifestation of Air, Ground, and Intelligence Components", would you have any idea what I was talking about?"

"Nnnope," Big Mac spoke up for everypony, causing them all to burst into laughter.

"Guess that answers that question, sugarcube," Applejack chuckled. "Besides, magic's just easier ta say and remember it by, right?"

"That's exactly the conclusion I came to, AJ," the Unicorn nodded. "So to answer your question Volare, unless you just really want to call it by something else, we'll just continue to refer to it as "magic." Sound fair enough?"

"Works for me," he replied. "Now then, what sort of applications are we talking about here?"

"Well, they're fairly race-specific; Unicorns perform a more direct form of willpower extension, while Earth Ponies and Pegasi conduct theirs through the mediums of the earth and the atmosphere," Twilight replied. "We'll start with Earth Ponies since we have two excellent subjects right here."

"Aww shucks, Twi," Applejack pawed at the ground modestly. "Whatcha need us ta do?"

"Just stay here for now, AJ. Now Volare, in reference to what we've already established, Applejack has quite a bit of experience with apple trees and applebucking, so much so that she can literally exert her will through the tree and up into the fruit itself with little effort, causing it to drop from the branches without the need for smashing at the tree with unnecessary force," Twilight explained.

"Heh, that probably wouldn't feel too good on mah hooves either," Applejack chuckled. "So , good thing fer magic, eh?"

"Mhm. That's one way for Earth Pony magic to be utilized," the Librarian then turned to the red stallion still standing in the shade of his appletree. "Big Mac, would you kindly demonstrate how you remove apples from the trees?"

"Eeyup," the large pony nodded and spat the hay stalk before trotting slowly over towards the trio of smaller ponies. He turned and eyed an isolated group of apple trees waiting to be bucked, did a few quick calculations through his head and nodded before suddenly raising up onto his back hooves. The towering stallion was an imposing sight, and Volare felt Twilight tense up against himself despite having likely seen this before; hell, it was all he could do to not jump back a bit himself! With a mighty THUD!, Big Mac crashed his massive front hooves down onto the ground, sending a tremor through the earth that ran up the appletrees, shaking them like a small earthquake and causing them to dislodge all their fruit in a veritable downpour of apples that completely filled the buckets within seconds. Big Macintosh gave the three smaller ponies a modest shrug of his shoulders and returned to his spot under his tree, tapping the trunk with a back hoof and knocking down an apple for him to silently munch on.

"Wow, that was...holy shit," Volare couldn't help himself as he continued to try to process what just happened. "How did you do that, Big Mac?"

"Heh, havin' big bones helps," the cryptic red pony replied with a wry smile and continued to eat his apple and observe the others.

"Well, that's the simple answer, but by the look on your face, simple's just not gonna cut it, eh Volare?" Twilight smirked and nudged him playfully.

"No, ya think?" the Pegasus chuckled and bumped her back. If this was just "simple" Earth Pony magic...no wonder Twi won't let me read that Pegasus Flight book yet!

Notes: Tune in next time as we learn just how Pony Magic can be applied! (I was gonna include it in this chapter, but I promised myself no more uber-chapters unless absolutely necessary!)
Please feel free to ask as many questions as you need to if you need a better explanation of how their magic works. I promised no arcano-babble and I meant NO arcano-babble!
Credit for the Vitruvian Pegasus goes to Ironhooves on Deviantart!
Extra credit/inspiration goes to this fic: BIG FREAKING MACINTOSH

Inseptium Nova-Pt 12: Magic Kindergarten 201

September 14th, West of Sweet Apple Acres…

YAY CRAZY THEORIES!!

Twilight Sparkle was deep in thought as she and Volare trotted north along the road that served as a narrow ribbon of separation between the backside of Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree Forest. The smaller part of her thoughts focused on the dinner invitation that Volare had received from the Apple Family; AJ having told them that Grannysmith desired to finally meet Volare herself later that evening. They'd even let him stay the night if he so chose, and he'd agreed almost immediately, having had a desire to taste the famous Apple Family home-cooked meals for some time now; he'd just drop on by after picking up Applebloom from class later that day. True, this meant that he likely wouldn't spend the night back at the Library again, but Twilight conceded that he was technically free to stay with whomever he pleased...it still didn't stop just the tiniest pang of jealousy from creeping up, though.

The larger part of Twilight's mind was focused on the significance of their current location, however, and she glanced left at the nearly-foreboding dark green treeline which seemed almost immune to the effects of autumn, her violet eyes only able to penetrate perhaps 10 feet or so into the foliage before they lost their way among the tangle of branches, vines, and underbrush. She gazed skyward as the road became darker despite the near-noon sun overhead; for arcing above them was a veritable tunnel of branches and leaves overhanging the road and intertwining themselves amongst the apple trees that had rooted themselves on the eastern side of the road, just on the other side of the picket fence that circled the entire orchard.

It was right about here that Volare had recalled being approached by…well, something in the darkness that first day he’d gone out into the field with Shae the osprey. He’d stood his ground and quite possibly scared whatever it was away (and Twilight had a damn good idea of what it might have been, especially considering who’d been stalking his movements for the last few weeks). In either case, Volare had admitted to not knowing exactly what it was, and even in his weakened state at the time, he stood his ground to protect Shae. Twilight had pointed out that the osprey was more than capable of defending herself or flying away, but the Pegasus had countered by saying there were too many what-ifs at the time, and he wasn’t about to let her, his responsibility, get hurt or killed by whatever the hell might come out of those woods.

Besides the time earlier that day when he’d stared Shae down, that had been the first instance of Volare…well, putting himself in harm’s way for another creature here in Equestria. When Twilight asked him why he’d done that, and then later with Scootaloo, and then even later with Trixie; why he seemed to act like a pony that had nothing left to lose, as if their own life meant nothing…Volare had simply stared at the ground for a long moment before answering her, without hesitation:
“What if that was the truth for herself…wouldn’t she act the same way?”

But when she pressed him for the meaning of his rather cryptic statement, he’d remained silent on the subject, changing the topic almost immediately to a review of what they’d covered on Earth Pony magic over the past few hours; even as he did so, he subtly trotted around Twilight and placed himself between her and the Everfree Forest, giving her a small smile and recounting what he’d learned:

“Earth Ponies have a special connection with, well, the earth, and it is through the earth and things that come from it that they extend their willpower, and work their magic,” Volare recited, smirking as Twilight made a checkmark with her quill on the piece of parchment she’d scribbled a few notes on for him. “When using that connection to the ground, an Earth Pony can work their willpower through it, helping plants to grow more easily, as well as pushing off of it harder with their hooves than a Unicorn or Pegasus could ever hope to do, which lends them the strength that augments their muscles. And in AJ’s case, since her ropes come from plants, which are of course from the earth, she is able to extend her will through the ropes, which explains her extreme roping and rodeo abilities.”

“Right,” the Unicorn replied. Another checkmark and a nod for him to continue.

“Um, let’s see,” he shut his eyes for a moment as they continued to trot under the shaded canopy before speaking again. “That connection with the earth also makes them unrivaled in terms of leverage and ground-based physical activity,” as demonstrated by Applejack beating both our flanks by herself at long-jumping, applebucking, and plow-pulling, even while we were teamed up, Volare thought. Yeah, that was kinda embarrassing… “But that explains why Applejack beat me so badly at hoof-wrestling, even though I’m not grown from the ground.” Which also explains why Rainbow Dash worked so hard at that new training method to beat AJ in the Running of the Leaves, because she knew AJ already had a huge advantage, being an Earth Pony…Dash’s larger lungs gave her an edge in endurance, but she knew it’d still be tough…I’m impressed, Dash.

“And the greater their experience, the stronger their connection with the ground, even theoretically to the point of becoming as attached to, and therefore as difficult to move as, the planet itself.” Volare had looked over at the modestly-smiling AJ, trying to wrap his head around the friendly orange mare becoming as grounded and unmovable as a mountain. Or even Big Macintosh, who was already as tough as nails, and how impossibly difficult that would be to face in a contest of strength. Talk about overkill…quite frankly, the potential magical strength of these ponies was becoming a little unnerving. “However, for an Earth Pony to gather that much experience, they’d have to live hundreds, perhaps thousands of years; and to date, no Earth Pony has ever lived that long. But in all cases, the more experience they gain, the more skillful they become at their own specific talents. In essence, practice makes perfect.”

“Mhm, go on.” Check.

“Those special talents are defined by their cutie marks, in AJ and Big Mac’s case, apples, and therefore they are better at harvesting apples than say, an Earth Pony whose cutie mark is a strawberry. While an Earth Pony with a different mark can go outside the bounds of their own talents, they will still always be more proficient at what they do best; this concept applies to all ponies in general, be they Earth, Unicorn, or Pegasi,” Volare stated. “It’d be like a swordsmaster trying to beat a riflemaster at his own game. It’d be foolhardy at best, therefore they’re better off sticking to what they’re good at instead.”

“Very true,” Twilight said and checked the list yet again, waving the quill for Volare to continue. “Anything else?”

“Um…oh yeah, remove an Earth Pony from the ground, and they lose nearly all the advantage they might have had over the other two races before. Most Earth Ponies get nervous when they can’t feel their connection to the ground, even Applejack,” Volare said, recalling that AJ had said the entire time they’d been up in Cloudsdale to support Rainbow Dash a few years ago, she’d felt very out of her element. As further proof, Twilight levitated both Volare and Applejack into the air to allow the Pegasus to hoof-wrestle the Earth Pony on more even terms. The struggle went on for a several minutes before Applejack won out yet again, and she sent Volare spinning out of Twilight’s spell and crashing to his flank with a loud oof!

When he’d asked how that was possible, Twilight explained that since he didn’t know how to take advantage of the air, just as an Earth Pony can take advantage of the ground, it was more a contest of physical strength and endurance than a battle of willpower and magic. And since Applejack was still physically stronger and better conditioned than Volare from years of applebucking…
“Aww, come on, so you knew she’d still win?” Volare had grumbled.

“Well, I figured that would happen,” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “However, this did demonstrate how much less of an advantage an Earth Pony has when they can’t use their superior ground leverage; didn’t you say she beat you in seconds, rather than minutes, before-hoof?”

“Uh, heh-heh, yeah, I did,” he’d staggered to his hooves and shook the ache out of his flank as Twilight lowered Applejack back to the ground. Meanwhile, Big Macintosh tossed his short mane and laughed quietly to himself. The guy was getting better, that much was obvious…also noticed he didn’t panic when Twilight raised him off the ground…maybe…just maybe this is all paying off after all…

“That’s correct,” Twilight smiled, pulling Volare’s memory back to the present. He glanced from her to the end of the overhanging branches, the low, sunlit hill beyond the tunnel-like opening, and beyond…the thin pillar of smoke from Fluttershy’s Cottage less than a mile away. Almost there…
“Hmm, I believe that about does it for Earth Pony Magic,” the Unicorn folded the parchment and exchanged it for a new one from out of her saddlebag. “Let’s move onto Unicorn magic. What is the main difference between it and Earth Pony Magic?”

“Unicorn magic is…” Volare hmmm’d for a moment. “It’s still an extension of willpower, but whereas an Earth Pony needs to make direct contact, or indirect contact through a medium such as the ground, rocks, etc, with their target, a Unicorn needs no such physical contact to exert their will on a target, and is therefore unbounded by any sort of medium.”

“Right, we really only need line-of-sight and a clear shot,” Twilight checked off the list. “What’s the main physical difference between the two races’ ways of extending their willpower?”

“That one’s easy,” he smirked, causing the Unicorn to playfully flick him with her tail, making him nearly hop sideways into the bushes before continuing. “While an Earth Pony’s main avenues of magic are their hooves, and occasionally their mouths and tails in the case of AJ’s roping, Unicorns use their horn instead.”

“Correct,” Twilight checked the list and reached out with her magic, snapping a small twig off of a tree and holding it before Volare as an example. “And believe it or not, this makes explaining Unicorn magic fairly straight-forward in comparison. Right now, I’m literally imagining myself physically reaching out and grasping this twig,” she swished the stick through the air. “This is an overly-simplified explanation, but the same concept can be applied to virtually all Unicorn magic; from levitation,” she tossed the twig up and ignited it with a ball of fire, scattering the ashes on the dirt path. “To incineration,” she then floated Volare into the air. “To…other forms of physical manipulation,” she gave the Pegasus a cheeky grin.

“Uh, like wha-ah, no-no-no!! Hahahaha, stop it, Twi!” he laughed loudly as he felt invisible fingers prodding and poking him along his ribs, tickling him to the point of being red in the face and swiping helplessly at the Unicorn, who he felt was having way to much fun with this. “Hee-hee-haahaha, knock it off! I get it, I get it!” With an amused grin, she lowered him back to the ground. Breathing hard, he regarded her with a look that promised he’d get her back sooner or later. “Ah-ha, ok, ok…so what, I guess the limits of a Unicorn’s magic are literally only in the mind?”

“Well, not just in the mind,” Twilight scuffed the ground with a hoof and continued trotting, finally breaking out into the sunlight. “There are…other limitations and dangers inherent to those limitations as well.”

“Such as?” Volare queried and caught up to her.

“Well, unlike an Earth Pony, whose magic avenues are scattered to their hooves, since a Unicorn’s avenue is concentrated in their horn,” she cocked an eye up at her own spiraled appendage. “It makes the horn both a blessing and a curse.”

“How so?” the Pegasus tilted his head, staring intently at her horn as he did so.

“A Unicorn only has to master one magical route, so magic usage comes fairly naturally to them; even Unicorn foals have been observed using magic days after birth,” Twilight explained as plainly as she could. “But that concentration makes a Unicorn a fairly unstable creature,” she said with a frown. “It makes us very sensitive to other forms of magic, sometimes painfully so, and when faced with that sensitivity, Unicorns have two choices: hide from that pain and build a shell around themselves against it, which works for self-preservation purposes but it strongly limits our potential. Or…” she glanced with a slightly pained expression up at Volare, who was hanging on her every word. “Face the fear of that pain head-on, take it, learn it, understand it, and make it a strength.” She turned away and sighed, her voice cracking despite her best efforts. “It wasn’t easy getting to where I am, Volare…some days when I was younger…it really, really hurt…”

She trailed off and wiped at her eye, preparing to continue before she felt a hoof place itself on her shoulder and halt her in her tracks. She looked up to see Volare fighting off a tear of his own. He shook his head; she didn’t have to say anymore…he now understood what she had to go through to get so strong. No pain, no gain…still…damn you, chivalry. Instead, he slowly pulled her into a gentle embrace and simply held her there in the warm sunlight, feeling her heart beating in her chest against his with an inner strength that he never fully realized until now. She gratefully laid her cheek against his neck and returned the embrace, again fighting an inner battle between the urges she was feeling and her respect for his own feelings on the subject that she felt was somehow still taboo between them, despite his acceptance of his situation. After a long, long moment in which neither pony said a word, just listened to each other breathe, Twilight broke the embrace first, wiping her eyes again and sniffling lightly.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know?” she laughed lightly and nudged his chest with a hoof. “It’s not like I’m hurting right now, Volare.” At least, not in that way…

“Yeah, I know…” he nodded and blew air through his lips in an exasperated sigh. “Just wish I’d been there to comfort you…or something, I dunno…”

“You know you couldn’t have been there,” she replied. “It’s not like it’s your fault.” He didn’t have a response for that statement, and after another moment, she nuzzled his cheek with her own. “Still…thanks for the empathy. It’s appreciated.”

“You’re welcome, Twi,” he gave her a small smile. When she gave him a nod of assurance, he cleared his throat and refocused. “Um, eh-heh, where’d we leave off?”

“O-oh, right!” the Unicorn blushed and chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. “How some Unicorns are unstable and sensitive to other sources of magic, right?”

“Sounds about right,” he smiled, and they continued their trot towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Ok, well, as I said, because virtually all of a Unicorn’s strength flows through its horn, they must be very careful with what they do until they can control that strength, no matter whether they open themselves up or wall themselves in,” Twilight continued. “Otherwise, through sheer lack of self-control, a Unicorn can be a danger to others around it. That’s why Unicorns are educated in magic to some degree from an early age, and if they do go onto study it further, it’s done in a very controlled and safe setting, just in case of accidents.”

“You ever have any “accidents”, Twi?” Volare cocked a curious eyebrow, to which she responded with a coy smile.

“Well….maybe once or twice,” she chuckled nervously. Changing her parents into cacti sprang to mind… “Nothing that wasn’t reversed, though.”

“Heh, just don’t have any accidents around me and we’ll be good,” he returned the laugh and continued to trot along. “So what else makes the horn a double-edged sword?”

“Ah, let’s see…oh, since the horn acts as a one-way flow of willpower, if something were to either reverse the flow, like a counter-spell, or to interrupt it, like a firm, direct blow during a spell or even if they attempt a spell that exceeds their own willpower, the will of the Unicorn can backflow,” she replied with a wince.

“Eesh, that doesn’t sound fun.”

“No, not at all,” she shook her head. “Think of the horn as a water hose, and if you clamp it off when it’s on, the pressure has nowhere to go except right back into their mind, which its more or less directly connected to. The pressure then builds until…” she trailed off for a moment before steeling herself; she’d heard the horror stories before and seen what Queen Chrysalis had done to Celestia during the Wedding Incident. “Multiple effects can occur, ranging from minor headaches, to confusion, nosebleeds, emotional trauma, and even physical and mental pain, sometimes so powerful it leads to a loss of consciousness as the mind simply shuts down due to magic overload.”

“Kinda like what Luna said about me, huh?” the Pegasus queried.

“Right, and since your body was created magically, you’re likely especially sensitive to…” Twilight trailed off into silence as the implications of what she’d just said hit her like a ton of bricks. No...that can't be right... She stopped in her tracks, staring into space, biting her lower lip so hard it began to bleed.

“Twi?” Volare halted and turned back, and when he saw the blood dripping down her lip, he began to worry. “T-twi, what’s wrong?” He nuzzled her face with his own, and that snapped her out of it, or so he thought. She certainly snapped backwards at his touch. “Twilight, what happened? You’re freaking me out.”

“I-I’m sorry Volare,” she shook her head dismissively. “Just had a weird thought, that’s all.” I wonder if Celestia will have the same thought once she reads my report along with the extra info I sent her…I just hope I’m wrong, she thought and her heart ached as she glanced up at the worried Pegasus. I really hope I’m wrong…please let me be wrong… “It’s nothing, maybe I’m just hungry…yeah, that’s it,” she waved a hoof and forced a smile that did little to relieve his concern. “C’mon, we’re nearly there,” she nodded and crested the low rise that separated Fluttershy’s Cottage from their vision. Volare decided to take her word for it though, albeit skeptically, and followed her down the small hill. But even once he reached her side, she continued to avoid his gaze.

“Soooo…is that it for Unicorn magic?” he asked, eager to break the awkward silence that had suddenly sprang up between them. “I mean, are there any other secrets involved? Like, what happens if the horn gets broken or something?”

“Huh?” she glanced up out of her thoughts, replayed what he’d just asked in her head, and then shook it. “No, that’s really it. Once a Unicorn learns how to control themselves, the rest is fairly straight-forward. Even with only minor coaching, a Unicorn can reach quite a high level of magical skill, as long as their mind is into it and they recognize where their limits lie, both physically and mentally.”

“Why’s the physical limit matter so much?” Volare inquired curiously, stepping around a large root that jutted from the path. “I mean, it’s all up here, right?” he tapped his own head with a hoof, but Twilight shook her head again.

“No, physical conditioning, while not nearly as important for an Earth Pony, is still a requirement for a Unicorn, otherwise, they can overexert themselves and collapse.” She frowned as she spoke, recalling how that had nearly happened to her when she’d saved Ponyville from an Ursa Minor.

“The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak,” Volare declared out loud.

“Exactly,” Twilight nodded. “Because a pony's own willpower can exceed their body’s limits, causing bones to break, muscles to strain and tear, and even minds to snap if they’re not careful. Or in the case of a unicorn, the strain can become so great that their horn can quite literally snap off or explode, rendering them unable to cast spells like a normal unicorn; they’d have to be in direct contact with a target to use any magic on anything but themselves. In a way, that makes them even more limited than an Earth Pony…so to answer your other question, exploding horns are rather messy and not good for a unicorn’s health,” the Pegasus winced as she spoke. “This physical conditioning applies to all pony races in general, therefore, it's imperative that a pony know their limits before they can attempt to push them further; otherwise, accidents, injury, or even death may occur.” Volare thought back to how he’d torn his own wing off in the crash…”may” is putting it lightly…

“Speaking of limits,” Twilight spoke up again, pulling him out of his rather dark thoughts. “Isn’t it strange that all this time, Fluttershy’s been teaching you to know both your physical and mental limits before pushing them?”

“Yeah…she has,” Volare replied with a suspicious squint, one that only deepened as his reply caused the unicorn to grin slyly. “Wait a sec…was that the plan the entire time? Twilight?!” The Pegasus raced after the laughing unicorn, chasing her all the way up onto Fluttershy’s property and right past a thoroughly confused Iron Will, who looked up from his mid-morning nap, shrugged his shoulders, and went back to sleep in the warm sun.

……………..

“Wow, so she taught you all about the history of pony magic and how they’re used all in one day?” Fluttershy asked as she cleaned up the remains of the quick lunch she’d whipped up to go with the sandwiches that Volare and Twilight had brought. The ponies laid back on the soft green grass of the Pegasus’ backyard and sighed in contentment: what an absolutely beautiful day.

“Uurp!-ah, ‘scuse me,” Volare chuckled and wiped his mouth before cracking an eye open at Fluttershy. “Well, we skimmed over them a good bit, mainly because of what the author of that “Pegasus Flight” book warned about having knowledge of magic before even reading the rest of the book; guess that makes sense cuz Pegasus magic sounds the most dangerous.”

“What leads you to that conclusion, Volare?” Twilight queried, sitting up to hear his answer.

“Well, the big difference I can think of is that unicorns and Earth Ponies don’t have to leave their hooves to perform their magic, while a Pegasus obviously has to take wing in order to do so,” he sat up as well to meet her gaze. “And let’s face it, no matter what we do, we’re still at the mercy of gravity here. And from what I’ve seen, just like you had to face your fears of being sensitive to magic sources, a Pegasus has to face its fears of falling…it’s what I’m gonna have to do.”

“Well, who’s to say you haven’t already?” Fluttershy offered, causing him to regard her curiously. “I mean, you jumped off that cliff with Scootaloo to save her life and jumped down through that hole in the ceiling to tackle Trixie and stop her.”

“Heh, well, it’s more like I fell through the ceiling,” Volare chuckled and waved a dismissive hoof. “And as for the cliff…well, it was more of an embankment than anything, and”-

“Volare, now’s not the time to make excuses when you’re this close,” Fluttershy suddenly cut him off with an intimidating gaze that caused him and Twilight to stare at her in mild shock. She stood up and hauled Volare to his hooves, trotting a slow circle around him as she spoke with a commanding attitude that Twilight had only observed once or twice, and Volare had never witnessed first-hoof before. “When Big Macintosh brought you to me last month, you were physically and mentally weak from your accident, even to the point of becoming sickened while in high places and simply watching another Pegasus fly. But now…now you’ve shown great bravery in the face of danger, poise in strange situations, and returned the support for those you care about.” Fluttershy flew up into the air and hovered roughly ten feet above him.
“Volare, look at me,” she ordered, and he obeyed. “Do you feel nauseated by watching me fly?” She dipped a wing and skimmed along the ground, gliding up and kicking off the roof of her cottage before hovering back over the stallion; the entire time, his eyes never left her. “Well, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” he shook his head. He seriously didn’t!

“Good,” Fluttershy landed and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Tell me Volare…do you want to fly?” she stared intently into his eyes as she asked, but he didn’t look away; in fact, the intensity of his own gaze very nearly matched her own, and she smiled inwardly. There’s no fear in those eyes anymore…

“Yes,” he nodded. “But only if I can learn the right way,” he nodded towards Twilight’s saddlebag sitting on the ground. “I know when I tried it before, I was doing something very wrong, because I got tired quickly and my wings locked up, leading to…well, to this,” he nodded at his repaired wing. “But if you can teach me, I’ll do it.”

“Volare,” Fluttershy shook her head and chuckled lightly. “I’ve already taught you what you need to know to get off the ground and stay in the air. The deep-breathing exercises, the posturing, and the wing-strength-building routines…those are the basics you’ll build off of. You’ve also got years’ worth of flight experience on Earth that you can use as well, however I cannot force you to apply them, though; that’s going to be up to you. Even so, you are correct in that you went about things the wrong way the first time, and you’ve paid more than your fair share for your mistake,” she stopped trotting around the Pegasus and faced him.
“And as Twilight has taught you, acceptance of a mistake is the first step towards correcting it. And I must say, you’ve left that first step in the dust,” she chuckled.

“What’s he got left, Fluttershy?” Twilight spoke up. Normally, she’d ask a bigger expert on flight in this situation, for her demure friend was far from the strongest flier she could think of. Then again, the only other pony she’d trust with such a task was out of town and…yeah, there were too many what-ifs and other reasons against asking that particular pony for help here.

“Well, he’s obviously accepted that magic exists, that it can be applied towards different tasks, and so-forth. He’s also quite literally stared death in the face multiple times to the point where even I’ll bet that he believes the fear of falling down the steps is rather silly,” Volare rolled his eyes at that particular statement. The Cottage steps are steep; gimme a break! “But even you said that a pony must be in good physical condition if they wish to push their limits, Twilight,” Fluttershy replied sagely. She also believed he’d already tapped into his own personal brand of magic more than a few times, but she wasn’t about to jump to conclusions just yet!

“How can we tell without risking him flying, though?” the unicorn asked.

“Oh, that’s easy,” the Pegasus turned to the stallion. “Volare, spread your wings as wide as you can.” The blue Pegasus gave the mare a questioning look but did as he was told; she was the closest thing to a flight expert they had here, after all! “As said, it’s important for a pony to be in good physical condition if they wish to use magic,” Fluttershy said as she poked a hoof at the base of his wing. This seems awfully familiar, Volare thought to himself. “It’s important for Earth Ponies so they don’t buckle under the strain of their chores, and also important for unicorns so their own willpower doesn’t overload and break their bodies. But it’s the most important for a Pegasus, because of the strains that flight causes on our bodies,” she ran a hoof along his ribs and flank, nodding before continuing.

“As you’ve probably noticed, Volare, a Pegasus’ wing is fairly disproportional in size to their bodies when compared with, say a bird,” Fluttershy nodded up at Shae, who was watching the conversation from her tree with great intensity; something was about to happen…she could feel it! “Therefore, a Pegasus needs extra power just to lift themselves off the ground and-oh, did you cover this already?” she interrupted herself.

“Um, kinda…” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “We covered just the basic anatomy before one thing led to another.”

“Yeah,” Volare nodded in just as mortified confirmation. “We’re kinda banking on that information being in that book, right Twi?”

“Oh trust me, it’s in there,” she nodded assuredly. “Don’t you worry about that.”

“Oh good, cuz I’d hate to come all this way out here just to have to run back and grab a book,” his smirk earned him a magical tweak on the end of his nose which he rubbed off with a chuckle before they calmed down and turned back to the patiently-waiting Fluttershy, who could barely conceal the amused little grin she was wearing in response to their antics.

“Hmm-hmm, I see…and I’m fairly certain we didn’t cover this at all when you were staying here, right?” the butter-yellow mare asked.

“Nope, we mainly focused on stamina, strength-building, and endurance stuff-h-hey!” Volare hopped sideways as Fluttershy ran a hoof between his wings and touched…well, something! Completely against his will, his wings stuck straight into the air like feathery flagstaffs, and once he caught the flush-cheeked expressions on the mares’ faces, it was all he could do to keep from dying of embarrassment right then and there. He couldn’t believe it…he’d popped one right in front of them…somepony just kill me…

Mercifully, Fluttershy gently brushed a spot near the base of his mane, and he was able to relax his wings, though the raging blush still remained on his face. “I swear that’s not what it looked like!” he sputtered. Nothing else had happened, but still!

“Please forgive me, Volare; I was just testing your reflexes and I…oh my,” Fluttershy trailed off and hid behind her mane.

“Lemme guess…that’s another erogenous zone on ponies, Twi?” the stallion asked reluctantly.

“For Pegasi, yes,” Twilight replied. “There’s a spot between the wings that…well, you saw what happened when it’s touched in the right way,” she held a hoof up to her eyes, unable to shake the image of what just happened. “Um, Fluttershy, his reflexes are obviously fine…what else is required?”

“Ah-oh, um…” Fluttershy mumbled before regaining her composure. “Right! Let’s see here,” she carefully approached Volare again, noting how he was rather on edge this time around. “Ok, please spread your wings again.”

“Fool me twice, shame on me, Flutters,” Volare muttered but did as he was told. To his relief, the mare didn’t come close to touching him between the wings again. Instead, she placed both front hooves on his left wing and spoke.

“Ok, your legs and body are more than adequate to begin flying,” she applied downward pressure to his wing. “Now tense your wing muscles and hold them there; I need to see how they’re faring because if they can’t take your willpower, you’ll end up right back in the hospital again.”

“Oh boy,” Volare deadpanned and tensed his wing. Soon, Fluttershy was applying quite a large amount of force on his wing, to the point where he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to hold her up.

“Keep holding it, Volare,” Fluttershy said. “Twilight, do as I’m doing with his other wing.” The unicorn obeyed, and inside of a minute, Volare had sweat dripping down his face as he supported nearly all of the two mares’ body weight with his wings. What the heck happened to having the bunnies and whatnot stand on them instead?! Just when he was certain that his wings were about to fall off, Fluttershy gently spoke up again: “Ok, ease off of him, Twilight…that’s it, easy...easy,” he felt the strain on his wings gradually lessen as they released them, and he soon had his wings tucked back against his flanks, panting slightly but still in one piece.

“What was that all about, Fluttershy?” he asked, wicking away a drop of sweat with a wingtip and regarding her like she was half-crazy. But she merely smiled demurely and patted his mane.

“That was a small test, Volare,” she replied. “Common sense would say that if you can support a pony on either wing, you should be able to support your own body weight with both, right?”

“Well…uh,” he made to protest but trailed off into silence. Hard to argue that logic. “Did I pass?”

“Oh, very much so,” she smiled and turned to the Librarian. “Twilight, as his personal trainer and temporary physical therapist, I declare Volare mentally and physically fit for flight.”

“That’s wonderful!” Twilight grinned, while the stallion let out an excited whoop! “Then all that’s left is the application,” she stated as she levitated the Flight book out of her saddlebag and sat it on a nearby tree stump before turning back to the blue and yellow Pegasus. “Volare, one more time, just to clarify: do you accept that anypony is capable of using magic? Do you accept its existence and prevalence in this world, and that it is not something created of fantasy, but reality?” she asked with a hopeful smile. His answer didn’t disappoint her.

“Absolutely,” he pumped a hoof in excitement. “Let’s do this, Twi!”

“Excellent,” Twilight declared and opened the book to the first page past the foreword. “Pegasus Flight and Its Applications, Chapter 1…”

Notes: Leeeerroooooyyyy Jeeennkiiiiinsss!!!
Volare: Oh shut up *facehoof*
Author: We're finally gonna see what the hay was in that book!!
I wonder what's up with Twilight though... :/
And sorry if this chapter felt kinda short...like I said, I was originally gonna combine it with the previous chapter, but as I said, no more uber-chapters!

Inseptium Nova-Pt 13: Today, I Learned

Notes: Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! Life is life, ya know? ^^;; Two more parts of this arc remain after this! Also, remember that Theoretical Science Warning at the beginning of the story? Well, this was mainly the chapter it was meant for, so...

September 14th, Ponyville…

Chapter 1: The Problem

Greetings and welcome to Pegasus Flight and its Applications. I’m assuming that since you’re reading this that you’ve already perused my foreword in this book, and thus know my name: Typhoon VI. Therefore, I’ll also assume that you know that I’m worried about the current situation in regards to the status of Pegasus flight knowledge, and how shallow that pool of knowledge is swiftly becoming. As said, I have multiple theories and opinions on why Pegasi are taking for granted their natural gifts of flight and mastery of the air, and if I may, I’d like to speak upon them for a moment here.

Doubtless one has noticed that the Pegasus race prides itself on getting things done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and I’m not going to knock them on that; for the most part, they do an excellent job keeping the weather in Equestria in check, the seasons rolling along smoothly, as well as a fine job of helping the Earth Ponies with the irrigation of their yearly crops. However, one will also doubtless notice that Pegasi put perhaps too much emphasis on speed, some even to the point of recklessness…I won’t name any names, but surely you the reader can name a good hoof-full of them with little effort. This is where my worries and disappointment begin.

I strongly feel that the Pegasus race-my own race-has become far too obsessed with speed of task and is rather needlessly competitive with their fellow Unicorns and Earth Ponies. The most likely cause is our ancient sense of warrior pride, but that’s speculation for another day. Suffice to say that desire for greater and greater speed has led to cutting of corners in the Pegasus flight process due to impatience to add more Pegasi to the workforce (again, this likely stems from an ingrained instinct to get as many warriors into the field as possible). However, due to the less strenuous and dangerous duties of the day compared to ancient warfare, even more corners are being cut than common sense would allow.

For example, I see many Pegasi fillies and foals being quite literally thrown off of clouds during their flight training. They are tossed off again and again until the Pegasus builds up enough wing strength so that they no longer fall. True, it’s a quick way of building strength, but it sets the wrong foundation for a Pegasus that has the potential to affect not just how it flies, but every single facet of the rest of its life. Rather than learning to fly because they desire to experience the sheer joy of it, they are instead pressed into the workforce machine too quickly for my liking. Add to that the peer pressure, squabbling, and bullying I see being shown towards those that aren’t the fastest to fly, and it forces them to learn the wrong way even worse than before. And so, at the end of the day, you’ll have a Pegasus with strong wings, but weak spirits; since their only reason to fly in the first place was so they wouldn’t fall, they are not flying as their forebears used to…instead, they are merely not falling, and it saddens me greatly to see this happen…and even more when a filly or foal just can’t make the cut and instead of adjusting to a different flying style…they’re merely left behind just as the other flight methods have been abandoned to antiquity by all but the most dedicated fliers. This needs to change, or too many innocent Pegasi may fall by the wayside. Hopefully, the lessons passed down within this book may keep that chance for change alive.

"No offense Fluttershy, but that sounds alot like you," Volare noticed the butter-yellow Pegasus' face had withdrawn behind her pink mane with a light whimper, and he leaned comfortingly against her shoulder. Twilight respectfully paused in her reading and cocked a concerned eyebrow.

"I-I know," she muttered with a shake of her head. "That's about how it went...the coaches tossing me off the clouds day after day, telling me 'you can do better than that!' And then all the other Pegasi that could already fly...ones even younger than me...they constantly badgered me and made fun of me, calling me Clutzer-shy and"-she trailed off into another painful whimper.

"I-I'm sorry Fluttershy," Twilight said with a frown, hovering the book off the stump and beginning to close it. "We'll just...cover this some other time if it bothers you that bad"-

"No, Twilight!" the Pegasus' head shot up in a whiplash of pink and she blinked the moisture from her eyes. "It hurts yes, but this is for Volare, not me. He needs to learn this so he can fly and not get hurt." She glanced sideways at the sympathetic stallion. "And if it means using me as an example of what not to do, then so be it."

"Aww, Flutters," Volare half-wrapped a wing around her. "You're more to me than that. You're my friend and if it hurts that bad, I'm ok with stopping for now."

"No...it's fine...I'll be fine," she shook her head quickly and looked back up at the Pegasus. "Even though it took me years to rebuild my self-confidence after falling from Cloudsdale, I was inspired by the animals I loved so much to be able to fly in my own way. Because of this, though I lack the sheer wing strength of other Pegasi, since I focus more on being efficient, I feel competent enough of a flier to be able to go about my life without worry of falling anymore." She placed a hoof on his shoulder and smiled. "It's that efficiency that I learned the hard way that I've been trying to pass onto you through those exercises...that way, in case your wings aren't as powerful, you won't have to worry about not having an alternate method."

"I see...thanks, Fluttershy," he returned the smile. "Heh, at the very least, being an efficient flier would help on a long-distance flight, right?"

"Mhm, exactly," the mare nodded and turned to Twilight. "Please continue."

"Right," the Librarian replied and turned back to the book.

Chapter 2: A Small Refresher

Although it was my request that you, the reader, be well-acquainted with Pegasi anatomy before even reading this book, I'd wager that even you could use a review. And not to brag, but with my insight into these things, who knows...you may even learn something new, eh?

A Pegasus is not like the other two pony races for reasons other than the obvious: the wings. But since that is the most obvious difference, we'll begin there. A Pegasus' wings are much like a bird's wings: lightweight and flexible, with hollow, truss-strengthened bones that allow the wings to be moved at a ferocious pace without tiring quickly, and fringed with primary feathers that can be used as rudimentary grasping appendages, as well as flight. The feathers are slightly oily to shed water during rainy flight, and fully cover the wings of a healthy Pegasus, primarily aiding in providing additional surface area to the wings, which have a relatively small body to wing ratio when compared with a bird. At first glance, this would seem to make flight impossible, or at the very least, not very sustainable through strength alone. It's very easy to make that conclusion at first glance, but as a Pegasus is not built like Unicorns or heavier Earth Ponies, applying the same rules of thrust required to move mass to a Pegasus is rather foolish. They play by a slightly different set of rules, both physical and magical...more on the latter later; let us now cover the former!

Just like a bird, the ribcage contains Uncinate Processes that strengthen the rib bones against the stresses incurred during flight as well as serving as an anchoring point for some of the wing muscles and tendons. These also provide additional overlapping protection to the Pegasus' internals, making it rather difficult to slip a blade or horn between the ribs and into something vital; natural armor, you might call it. The muscles and tendons that anchor the wings to a Pegasus' ribcage are very flexible, and contain various fibers that allow quick, precise movements at a whim. These fibers are fed oxygen by lungs that are nearly twice the capacity of Earth Ponies or Unicorns. These lungs fill nearly the entirety of the Pegasus chest cavity, the remaining space of which is taken up by an enlarged and powerful heart, which serves to feed the wings the energy they require during flight. The lungs also serve another purpose: during high-speed maneuvers, the blood can rush from a Pegasus' head to its hindquarters, causing it to black out and plummet from the sky. When inflated to full capacity and combined with tension from the chest muscles, a Pegasus can effectively pinch off the blood flow between its upper and lower body for a short time, keeping the blood in its head and preventing sudden blackouts. During all high-speed maneuvers, it is recommended to take a deep breath and hold it for duration of the maneuver for this very purpose.

Moving further down the body, the fur is typically short and unlike Unicorns or Earth Ponies, every single strand not of the mane is angled backwards, further streamlining the body and aiding the Pegasus in cutting through the air during flight. The bones of the body, much like those of the wings, are also hollow and truss-strengthened, cutting down on the weight a Pegasus is required to carry off the ground without sacrificing on strength, flexibility, or protection. The musculature of the legs, while not as densely packed as an Earth Pony, is still very well-developed when compared with a Unicorn (and when compared to heavier Earth Ponies, there's really no need for so much muscle, as a Pegasus is much lighter weight in comparison due to its bone structure). As with the wings, when combined with those lightweight bones, it allows a Pegasus to move its limbs very quickly, generating considerable force behind the movements within a short distance. All told, these physical advantages combine to create a pony with a relatively high muscle to weight ratio But these are all truly just accessories of the Pegasus itself; parts of a whole. It is from within that the true power of a Pegasus manifests itself.

"Ok," Twilight looked up at Volare with a very serious expression. "This is why your acceptance-your total acceptance-of your situation, your body, and magic is very important, Volare," she tapped the book with a hoof in emphasis as she spoke. "For without accepting those things you're experiencing, you won't be able to understand, and therefore accomplish, your task: flight."

"I understand," the pilot nodded. "Or, well, at least I'm hoping to."

"Good, cuz that's what we're here for," Twilight smiled. "Now, I've read ahead in this book, and if I recall correctly, where we stopped just now is about as far as we got weeks ago when we studied that Advanced Pony Anatomy book, right?"

"Yeah, I'm recognizing the terms so far, albeit these are alot more in-depth than from the book in your Library."

"Well, they are from a Pegasus' point of view, and from what I've been able to dig up on the author, he was one of the premiere flight instructors of his day, so I think it's safe to say he knows what he's talking about here," she tapped the book again. "Therefore, don't fight what you're about to learn. Suspend your disbelief if you have to, because...well, since you're a physics major back on Earth, this may very well go against many principles you've been taught."

"Will I have to unlearn them to fully understand, Twi?" he asked with a hint of worry; that'd be ridiculously difficult.

"No, because alot of what you know is still applicable here (though your physics don't take into account forces such as magic being such a great factor in things, mainly because it doesn't really exist on Earth, but that's besides the point). Just...don't think of it as unlearning what you know," she shook her head. "Think of it as a door you never knew was there being suddenly illuminated, and you stepping inside onto a path you hadn't realized existed until right now."

"So just keep an open mind, eh?"

"Now you're getting it," she thumped him in the chest with the back of her hoof and grinned. "You ready to continue?"

"As I'll ever be, Twi," he nodded. "I trust you."

"Trust yourself even further, Volare," she replied and turned back to the book. "Because from here on out, that's going to be the most important step in the learning process..."

................

Chapter 3: The Power of the Pegasi

From here on out, it is assumed that you, the reader, understand the components that make up a Pegasus' body, as well as how the laws of magic work for other pony races: an extension and manifestation of sheer willpower. If you do not fully understand these concepts, close this book and go do some research before you hurt yourself and others. But if you do comprehend magic and how it works, then by all means, read on.

As we've established, magic is nothing more than a manifestation of willpower through a medium. Unicorns project their willpower across space via their horn, and Earth Ponies project their willpower through the earth and things that come from the earth. But Pegasi on the other hoof...there is no place short of the vacuum of space or underwater that a Pegasus cannot manifest its will, for the medium through which a Pegasi does so is the atmosphere itself. Therefore, anyplace that a Pegasus can breathe, it can use its power...and what a power it is to behold; even more so to understand. Unfortunately, this particular ability is the one I've been fearing that's falling by the wayside in favor of superior wing strength; possibly because it takes much longer to master than simply flapping one's wings...but again, the more likely cause is 1000 years of peace leading to the extinction of these studies that stemmed from warfare. For who wants to be reminded of war during peacetime, even in the subtlest of ways? But read these words and heed them well, for what you're about learn is the base of all major flight techniques beyond simple flapping and gliding.

Quite in-line with popular belief (and really no surprise), a Pegasus' main avenue for magic extension does indeed lie in its wings. They are the major source of propulsion for a Pegasus and its key means for getting airborne in the first place (although this is often aided by a good, solid kick off the ground). As said earlier, the wings are lightweight, flexible, powered by muscles packed nearly as densely as those of an Earth Pony's leg, and are sensitive to even the slightest changes in the air current moving around them, whether in flight or at rest. This allows the Pegasus to gauge the wind and make minute adjustments to the wing in order keep flying towards whatever destination it might have in mind (in fact, with concentration, this ability to pull information from the movement of air can be applied to every single strand of fur covering their bodies as well). However, there is a huge misconception about Pegasi that has come about mainly because of the focus on stronger and stronger wings, leaving the body relatively weakened in the process. The misconception is that all of the Pegasus' flight control runs through the wings, and that is simply not the case.

I will again use an Earth Pony as an example here, for Pegasus magic works in ways similar to that of Earth Ponies, who can extend their willpower through their hooves, and into the ground, using it for leverage for greater strength in hauling large loads and jumping longer distances. Now envision a Pegasus doing the same thing, but remove the limitation of the ground beneath its hooves, and realize then that Pegasus magic works in all directions that air touches its body. A Pegasus treats the atmosphere as a medium because, to a Pegasus, the atmosphere can be tangible. I repeat, the atmosphere, clouds, water vapor, and air that a hoof normally simply passes through, can be tangible to a Pegasus (how else did you think a Pegasus can walk on clouds?) Think about that for a moment...and then begin to realize the possibilities inherent with this ability.

"Whoa," Volare breathed, waving a hoof experimentally through the air in front of him and catching Twilight's attention. "That's cr-, I mean, pretty wild," he stopped himself with a sheepish grin that caused the Unicorn to chuckle in amusement.

"That door opening a little bit now, Volare?" she tilted her head and smiled encouragingly.

"Yeah, I'm just doing my best not to get knocked over by it," the Pegasus moved his hoof back through the air again. "Doesn't feel any different, though."

"Silly, that's cuz you're still on the ground," she shook her head and levitated a twig, using it to point back at the text. "'Remove the limitation of the ground beneath its hooves.' It's worded kinda cryptically, but I'm assuming that means you have to be in the air for it to work," she mused and turned to the yellow Pegasus next to Volare. "Fluttershy, does that sound about right?"

"Mhm, I'd assume so," she nodded. "I mean, it's certainly easier for me to maneuver when I'm completely in the air."

"Well, that goes without saying," Volare said. "Remove the drag of the ground, and maneuvering is much easier...heh, just like a plane."

"Exactly," Twilight smiled. "So until we get you up in the air, simply waving your hoof around won't do much; only your wings will be available for magic usage."

"Believe it or not, this is starting to make more and more sense, Twi," the pilot grinned excitedly. "C'mon, let's get going again; where were we?"

"Oh, um...let's see here...aha, got it," the Unicorn paused and looked up. "Are you familiar with Neighton's Third Law?"

"...you're joking me, right?" Volare couldn't decide whether to laugh or scoff. "Does it go something like this: 'for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?'"

"Yes, that's it almost word for word!" the Librarian nodded emphatically. "How'd you know that?"

"A man by the name of Newton back on Earth," the stallion dead-panned, cocking a suspicious eye at the lavender Unicorn for a few moments before the two burst out laughing at the random coincidence of it all. Fluttershy looked between the two and sighed; she was never that great at this science stuff and was totally lost at what exactly was so funny. After another moment or two of sniggering and eye rolling, the Unicorn and the Pegasus calmed down and turned back to the book, with Volare giving Fluttershy a sympathetic pat and a dismissive shake of his head. "Kind of a sciency inside-joke, Flutters. No biggie."

Twilight cleared her throat to get his attention and tersely tapped the twig twice on the book before resuming her reading.

One of the possibilities that exists for a Pegasus actually explains the reason why a creature with relatively small wings can fly. While a bird would need either a large wing area or very rapid motions of the wings to stay aloft, a Pegasus requires neither. In fact, excessive wing use to compensate for the lack of lift can quite easily tire a Pegasus out, eventually locking its wings up in extreme cases. Without at least the occasional thrust of the wings, the Pegasus will plummet from the sky. A side-note to all Earth Pony and Unicorn readers: this is where a minor advantage of yours lies: if you get tired while using magic, you can simply rest, for you are already on the ground; but for a Pegasus...well, suffice to say we must more closely manage ourselves, for a fall from a great height without a mid-air recovery can shatter most Pegasi bones due to them being hollow. In short, don't be too quick to envy a Pegasus' gift of flight, for it's more of a double-edged sword than you might imagine.

Now then, back to business...instead of simply mimicking a bird in flight, by exerting its willpower on the air around it through its entire body, a Pegasus takes a large load of the lift requirement off of its wings, reserving them mainly for thrust and minor adjustments. The major adjustments in flight are actually carried out by the hooves, which would make sense for behind the wings, they have the strongest muscles in the body. Accordingly, the stronger a Pegasus' legs, the greater the change in flight path it can create by literally kicking its hooves off the air, just as an Earth Pony kicks off the ground to generate power (makes much more sense when you consider a Pegasus doesn't have a tail rudder to speak of, eh?). Yet again, this is much more efficient than trying to change direction with such small wings, leaving the wings free to continue to provide thrust for longer durations of time (or even do something simple such as hovering in place, which requires relatively little energy even if the Pegasus doesn't "stand" on the air at the same time).

Yet another use for a Pegasus' hooves in flight is to extend them in the direction of the flight path and cut a gap "between" the air particles with this ability, for with less air acting as drag on its body, the more efficiently a Pegasus can fly, and the faster it can go without becoming unduly tired (this makes an experienced Pegasus' hooves fairly sensitive to touch as they must also be sensitive enough to the density of the air piling up in front of them that they adjust their flight path accordingly). And I'm sure that the readers who have done their outside studying know exactly what can happen when a Pegasus gets going fast enough (though, I'm not allowed to speak of it here for fear of somepony getting killed by it...still, the suppression of such information is rather...irritating). Moving along, with enough practice, in fact, a Pegasus can even learn how to pull off maneuvers simply by shrugging a shoulder against the air, or flexing a leg at a certain angle, or even provide air-braking by bristling the fur on its body. With the risk of sounding cliche, the sky is the limit!

However, although a Pegasus possesses the ability to manipulate the air around its body, it does so through the understanding and usage of Neighton's Third Law. Using this law as a base, it can therefore be calculated how much force a Pegasus must use in the air in order remain aloft without using excessive wing strength. This then, is where the downfall of this particular ability began, I believe, for in order to fully make use of this ability, it must be practiced again and again, in all matter of weather and scenarios. This is because a Pegasus must, must, must form a relationship with the air itself in order to confidently exploit this advantage. For as the basic rule of pony magic goes: experience begets confidence, which begets greater willpower and self-control, allowing greater and more-controlled magic usage. Unless a Pegasus completely puts their trust in themselves and their abilities, they will never reach their potential, and as previously stated, if the only reason why they're flying is to avoid falling...how can they fully trust themselves? Without that mutual relationship built up over years and years of practice, this technique is not only rather useless, but potentially dangerous because all it will take is one single, wayward gust of air or an over-corrected mid-air kick to knock the Pegasus from the sky...sometimes, not even sheer wing strength can save you from that. And, taking into account the rather impatient nature of the Pegasus race, it's little wonder why few of them take the time needed to fully master this technique beyond simple weather manipulation and cloud-walking...in fact, a certain fledgling group of Pegasi I've trained that have taken to calling themselves The Wonderbolts while trying to keep these techniques alive comes to mind, but they and weather are the subject of a different book entirely.

Well, dear reader, now that you know the capabilities of a Pegasus, you can either end your study here, or you can peruse the rest of this book, which breaks down and covers numerous flight maneuvers for all sorts of situations, both friendly...and a few that might fall into the "otherwise" category (unfortunately, those are relatively controlled subjects right now during peace time and I have to be careful in what I'm allowed to write here...should have probably added a disclaimer for all those thinking they'd read this and know how to spin up a hurricane or take on the Equestrian Air Wing all by themselves, eh?) In any case, read on if you like, practice safely, and I hope that I've been of service to you. If you wish to learn even more, please locate a copy of my book "Pegasus Flight: A Military History," although it may be difficult to procure a copy that isn't under lock and key anymore... Good luck, and good flying!

..........................

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a sec, bro," Scootaloo waved a small orange hoof between the pages of the book and his eyes, interrupting his train of thought and causing him to look up and regard her curiously. The filly's eyes looked rather wobbly and she was shaking her head and snorting softly. "I think you're gonna make my head explode if you don't give it a rest for now," she declared, drawing giggles from the CMC that filled their clubhouse from floor to ceiling. Volare sighed and closed the Flight book, carefully slipping it back into his saddlebag. Now I see what Typhoon VI was talking about...just gotta have an open mind...heh, and less distractions, he cocked an eyebrow at the younger fillies, who had returned to giving him a pleading look that alternated between him and the speakerbox he'd brought along with him.

Twilight had literally just finished the section of the book that led into the maneuvers themselves when they'd realized how late in the day it was getting...and whom Volare was also late in picking up from class and having a Crusading meeting with. They'd bid Fluttershy goodbye and raced back into town, Volare doing his best to explain aircraft control surfaces along the way and why, since a Pegasus' entire body was literally a control surface, it was quite possibly the most maneuverable air platform ever conceived; but between the huffing, puffing, and galloping, he truly wasn't able to convey what he'd meant and why he was so damn excited! Although he seemed just short of comprehending everything-alot of the concepts were either familiar or related to what he already knew-it was finally clicking together now. Soon...soon, he'd be back in the saddle, so to speak...and when that happened...look out Dashie, cuz there's gonna be a new Volare in town!

With that realization, he also felt that he was that much closer to proving her claims about himself and Twilight wrong...suddenly, the wildly-conceived plan he'd come up with back in the hospital didn't seem so crazy anymore! Thanks for actually helping me this time, Murphy... Still, something about the suppression of information rather unnerved him; it just smacked of fascism or...something! Twilight shrugged it off as nothing more than the author trying to keep things organized as well as keeping eager Pegasi like himself safe from themselves (she emphasized himself with a magical poke in his chest and a wry grin), causing Volare to roll his eyes and push it to the back of his mind for now.

Upon swinging past the Library, Twilight announced that Volare could spend the rest of the day as he pleased, and to take the book with him if he wished, that she'd stay here and rest up, awaiting the test results from Celestia (she'd politely refused the invitation to the Apple Family dinner, insisting that if Grannysmith herself had invited him, it must be for a good reason, and she didn't want to get in the way of that). The Pegasus thought about it, and then snagged his speakerbox and earbuds (he figured the Apple Family might enjoy a little music), hugged Twilight goodbye and thanked her for spending the day with him. Volare then galloped off for the schoolhouse, where he was greeted by a rather impatiently waiting trio of Crusaders that nonetheless glomped him mercilessly and decreed that his "punishment" for being so late would be to carry them all to the Clubhouse. He promised he'd explain what had made him so late, but after nearly half an hour of reading and explanation, the younger crusaders had had enough, and instead were more interested in the speakerbox that Volare was carrying and that Scootaloo had been chattering about for the past day and a half.

"Heh, I guess I made ya wait long enough, huh?" the stallion chuckled and popped the earbuds in, turning the speaker to 3 and glancing back at the CMC. "You sure you don't wanna plan some crusades instead?"

"No way!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Scootaloo's been bragging about how her brother can make this thing play anything he wants and we wanna see that for ourselves!"

"Yeah, crusade-plannin' can wait up fer a while," Applebloom drawled. "Besides, we all know what our current one is: gettin' ya'll up in tha air."

"Aww, c'mon, you guys don't have to worry about that," Volare waved a dismissive hoof. "That'll happen in time."

"Yeah, but it'll happen faster if we help, I'll bet!" Scootaloo declared with a large grin that squinched the corners of her purple eyes. "But planning time's over, playing time's now!" She poked him impatiently with a small orange hoof.

"Alright, alright, hold your horses, Scoots," the stallion laughed and hmmm'd. "Well, we've got about an hour before you guys have to be home, so we can play a few songs...what kinda music you guys wanna listen to?"

"More rock!" Scootaloo practically shouted.

"Country!" Applebloom stomped a hoof.

"Something with good singing," Sweetie Belle suggested. They all three looked at each other and glared, and Volare sensed an argument was about to break out. Time to head this off at the pass...

"Ok, ok, that's kinda a tall order...but what if I played some songs that has some of all of that in them, huh?" he asked with a wink. At their emphatic nods, he chuckled softly, focused his mind, and thought of a few songs that fit the rather picky bill...

By the end of the third song, the younger CMC were practically bouncing off the walls, and Scootaloo had gotten so deeply into the solo of Free Bird that Volare was worried she'd either throw something a hip out (as young as she was) or kick him in the head as she leaped past him.
Note to self: go easy on the Skynyrd with these kids...

"Ok, ok, cool it down you guys," he patted the air with his hooves, waving his wings for emphasis until the excitable trio finally settled down somewhat, though they were only able to sit down for a few moments before standing back up, almost jittery with nervous energy. "What the hay did Ms. Cheerilee feed you three today?"

"Uh, oatmeal and sugar cookies," Sweetie Belle smiled sweetly, her eye twitching ever so slightly. "Why?"

"Yeah, what's so bad about that, bro?" Scootaloo cocked her head. "We brought some with us if you want any," she added as Applebloom held up sugar-loaded cookie from her saddlebag.

Lord help me, Volare echoed Free Bird for an instant shaking his head and forcing a smile. He looked out the window and sighed in slight relief at the sight of the sun nearing the horizon. "Nah, I'm ok guys. For now, we gotta think about getting Sweetie and Scoots home," he nodded at the two fillies who groaned in disappointment. "Now c'mon you two, Applebloom said that Grannysmith invited me to dinner to speak with me, so it's gotta be pretty important; so I don't wanna be late." And quite frankly, I doubt three sugared-up fillies running amok around the old gal is the best thing for her health.

"Eeyup, that's right," Applebloom nudged Volare's leg. "Plus ya'll don't wanna eat grits'n gravy, 'n apple cobbler cold," she made a face and giggled.

"Heh, that doesn't sound too terribly appetizing," but the stallion's chuckles faded at the sour looks on Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's faces, and he relented slightly. "Ok, ok...if I play one more song, will you guys cooperate and come back to town with me?"

"Yes!" came the unanimous reply, including a completely unexpected Applebloom.

"Alright then, we have a deal," he smiled and focused one last time. "Ok...This last one actually reminds me alot of you three...and how you're looking to grow up so fast," he looked at each one of them in turn as he spoke. "I dunno if you know or not, but I think you should enjoy the time you all have together right now, rather than rushing through it...cuz once it's gone...well, you'll always have the memories...but they'll be nothing like the real thing...here goes..."

Once finished, the CMC stared at each other for a long, quite moment before enveloping Volare in a group hug. "I love you guys," Sweetie Belle declared with a half-whimpering cry that tugged at Volare's heartstrings.

"Yeah, I mean, I know we're trying to find our marks, but," Scootaloo looked up from under her brother's wing. "I don't want it to end that fast."

"Mhm, so let's make a promise right now, ya'll," Applebloom stood back from the group and stuck out her hoof. "Even if we get our marks, we won't stop bein' friends. That we'll stick together for as long as we can after our crusadin' is done and even after this here ol' clubhouse falls off this tree," she wiped her nose and grinned. "Who's with me?"

"Count me in," Sweetie slapped her hoof down on top of the farm filly's.

"Me too," Scootaloo did the same, and after a beat, they all looked up expectantly at Volare. "Psst, that means you too, bro" the Pegasus nudged him.

"Who, me?" Volare asked in surprise. He hadn't expected them to take the song that seriously, nor did he expect them to include him in their little vow. "Heh, I don't wanna impose and ruin your fun"- but his excuse was stopped as Scootaloo thonked him on the head.

"Really, bro?" she squinted skeptically. "You're a Crusader too, ya know; of course you too!" The other two nodded in agreement. The stallion began to make another excuse before halting himself. He saw the looks in their eyes, and the excited and friendly grins on their faces, and he just had to ask himself: why was he hesitating? Did he think they were pulling his leg? Was it because of that age gap stigma? But here...as long as it involved friendship, it didn't seem to matter; not to them, and not to anypony else. They were of the same interests, and that was all that mattered right now. It was then that he realized something else: how much of an influence he stood to be in their lives, especially Scootaloo. Perhaps he was afraid of screwing up and setting a bad example? But another look at their expectant smiles scattered his worries to the wind. Trust yourself, Volare...they're counting on you.
With a determined grin, he settled a hoof onto the the trio's smaller ones and nodded.

"All for one and one for all!" he cried before he could stop himself. He immediately clapped a hoof over his mouth and his cheeks flamed into color at the fillies' bemused expressions.

"Scootaloo, your brother is weird," Applebloom whispered to the Pegasus filly, though not quite silently enough to escape Volare's ears.

"Yeah I know," she shook her head and snorted before hoofing the stallion in the chest. "But I like him alright. Cutie Mark Crusaders move out!"

"To Ponyville!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as they thundered out of the clubhouse, Volare pausing to pack up his speakerbox before hurrying after them, unaware of the eyes peering out of the top of the clump of trees that backed the clubhouse not 10 meters away. They watched his every move and their owner chuckled lightly as the blue and yellow stallion caught up with the CMC, placed them on his back, and galloped into town; it had heard every word of their conversation within the clubhouse.
A Pegasus that prefers to run over flight, has no cutie mark, plays music on a whim, and spends his time with his sister's friends who are searching for their own marks as well...no purpose...yet...hmm, this Volare was an interesting fellow to say the least...

.................
Meanwhile...the Library...

Twilight Sparkle re-read at the letter she'd just received from Celestia, blinking away the tears that ran from her eyes as she did so. She ignored Spike's worried calls from the other side of her locked room door, instead whimpering slightly through the hoof she pressed up against her mouth as her violet eyes traced a path back over the fateful words again and again, until the negative image of them was burned into the back of her eyelids so that closing her eyes no longer hid the sight from her. The Unicorn allowed the letter to fall from her hooves and drift to the floor as she pulled her favorite plush blanket up over herself, rolled over, and continued to soak the pillow with her tears.
She'd been right...why couldn't she have just been wrong this time?

The tears that continued to drain from her eyes were a mixture of salt and water on the surface, but the emotions that triggered them and ran below the surface of the saline ranged from sadness, to disappointment, to embarrassment, and strangely...even relief. Relief that now there was no more wondering what she'd been feeling about Volare ever since he'd arrived. No, slightly afterwards, specifically after she'd poured a significant amount of her own magic into the creation of his body...a magically unstable body, one she'd be especially sensitive to the effects of (which also explained how he was able to power the music equipment himself-because of the nature of his body, he apparently possessed just enough excessive latent magic to do minute tasks like that...that excessive magic had been the secret behind her emotions going so haywire all this time). She just couldn't believe she'd been so blind to it till now. Thinking back on it all, the feelings had truly started right there, before she'd even truly begun to know him...there was no arguing that and she knew it.

The letter from her mentor, full of regret and sympathetic apologies, merely confirmed it...the Pony Social Interactions book had been wrong; not because what it said wasn't true, but because Twilight, in her desperation to find an answer to her dilemma, had grasped onto what she'd hoped was the truth, and tried to shoehorn it into place as the solution to her question: the feelings she'd been experiencing...had they been love?
"The truth isn't all sunshine and rainbows," Volare had once told her, and even now, she agreed whole-heartedly...still, it didn't make it hurt any less.

She didn't love Volare...apparently, she never did...she could only pray that her foolish behavior hadn't caused him to deviate from the path he needed to take toward regaining the ability to fly again. Celestia help her, if she made him crash for any reason, be it distraction or otherwise...whether as his friend or his lover, she wasn't sure if her heart could take that pain all over again!

"Volare...I don't wanna hold you back, but please...please don't do anything stupid," she'd told him before he'd left the Library earlier that day.

"I won't," he'd replied with that confident, no-worries half-smile that Twilight had grown accustomed to seeing. "I promise, Twi. For your sake, I promise..."
She only wished she'd returned the favor all this time...for his own sake.

"Dammit...dammit, dammit, dammit!" With a series of angry, choking grunts, the frustrated and heart-broken Unicorn punched her pillow until tear-streaked feathers filled the air, and she finally fell into a fitful sleep, unsure of how she'd even be able to face him and tell him the truth now...

Notes: Well folks, for those of you who've been pushing for a Twi-Volare shipping...I think it may officially be over :'(
At the very least, now we know why Twilight has been so emotional and distressed ever since meeting Volare...I just hope this doesn't mean they'll have to separated so Twi can function normally...I really hope not! DX
Volare: Dang, I didn't think you of all folks would get emotional over this.
Author: Shut up, you! Just shut up...it was a rough time for you and...I wasn't there to help either you or Twilight.
Volare: It's not your fault *pat pat* And it turned out alright in the end, right?
Author: Yeah, like that makes me feel any better! Anyways...tune in next time for the Apple Family Dinner...and an extra special guest arrives unexpectedly...somepony NOT named Volare. Oh, also, who the hay was watching Volare and the CMC anyways!? D<
Volare: You know who it was...
Author: Shhh, I'm trying to build suspense!
Volare: And not a word about the science of Pegasus flight...
Author: Meh, that stuff's a breeze for me
Volare: Lucky you...

Inseptium Nova-Pt 14: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

September 14th, Ponyville, Early Evening...

It was another peaceful evening in Central Equestria. The stars were winking into existence, Luna's golden autumn moon was waxing over the horizon, and the breeze was picking up as the Weather Squad Pegasi worked on piling up great grey tufts of thunderclouds that towered over the western edge of Ponyville; it was quite literally the calm before the storm hanging over the town. Unfortunately, a different storm was poised to crash quite unexpectedly upon the eardrums of a pair of Pegasi plus one Earth Pony filly.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!"
What the hell?! Volare managed to think as the door to Sugarcube Corner opened after he'd just barely knocked on it. He was greeted by the sight of Pinkie Pie wearing a frazzled expression that matched her pink mane quite well, which stuck out frizzily in all directions imaginable. Scootaloo and Applebloom would have giggled at the sight if it weren't for the incessant wails of a baby pouring out of the bakery behind her. The baker mare's blue eyes were dilated, and sweat beaded her forehead, but that wasn't the strange part; the strange part was the pale green surgeon's mask she wore strapped over her muzzle. Her eyes peeped over the mask and she gave them what appeared to be an apologetic smile through the mask.

"Uh, Pinkie, just what the hay is going on in there?" Volare asked, craning his neck to see past the pink pony, but was stopped by an equally pink hoof to the chest.

"Uh-uh, you do not wanna go in there," Pinkie shook her head in emphasis, the mask slightly muffling the friendly warning in her voice. "The Cake's Twins are not feeling well; I'm up to my hocks in hooey, if ya know what I mean."

"Eww, gross," Scootaloo made a face and backed a few steps away from the door.

"Well, that explains the stink," Applebloom wrinkled her nose and backed off too. "An' I thought tha pigs on tha farm smelled bad." Volare had enough sense to not experimentally sniff the air as well, and he looked back at Pinkie sympathetically.

"Are they gonna be ok, Pinkie?" he frowned in worry, though the frown soon turned to a look of confusion as a tiny brown-maned Pegasus came flying across the gap in the doorway, turned a circle around the room, and whizzed back the way he'd come to the sound of something shattering.

"Oh yeah, it's just the summer-to-winter tummy troubles that go around this time of year," the mare smiled assuredly, wincing slightly at the sound of tinkling glass. "Nothing too bad, but it's making them awfully moody and it's probably a good idea if Scootaloo stayed somewhere else tonight...oh, where's your fourth Crusader?" Pinkie asked, just now noticing the absence of the Unicorn filly.

"We dropped her off at Rarity's already," Scootaloo spoke up. "And my bro here is still all miffed that Rarity won't tell him what his surprise is she's working on," the young Pegasus nudged her brother's hind leg with a hoof, and he rolled his eyes and chuckled dryly.

"Ya'll mean done workin' on," Applebloom corrected with a wink. "An' it's just got ol' Volare here more frustrated 'n a frog in a fryin' pan," Pinkie returned the country filly's laugh with a muffled one of her own before patting Volare on his grumbling head.

"Don't worry Volare, I'm sure she's got a good reason why she's keeping it a surprise."

"Yeah, she wants me to fly first," he continued to grumble melodramatically. "Said something about how it'd help up at higher altitudes where it's cold."

"Hmm, makes sense to me," Pinkie cocked her head and smiled with her eyes. "Oooh, speaking of surprises, I still owe you a party, Volare!" she hoofed him in the shoulder playfully. "Then again, by now, it's more like three parties and-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!" Pinkie's frazzled mane somehow flattened itself and her ears splayed back on her head in discomfort.

"Ah-hah-hah, gotta go you guys," she said hurriedly, but jerked to a halt so fast that the mask nearly flew off her face as she turned back around. "Oh frosting, where're you planning on having Scootaloo stay for the night?"

"She can stay at mah family's place," Applebloom grinned and threw a chummy hoof around the fuchsia-maned filly. "We're havin' a dinner fer Volare an' we made plenty o' hoof-lickin food ta go around. Ya'll are welcome to it, Scoots."

"Sounds good to me, Applebloom," the Pegasus looked up at her brother. "Can I go?"

"Need you even ask if the hostess herself just invited you?" Volare mussed her mane and gave Pinkie a wave. "See ya Pinks! Hope the Twins get better soon!"

"Thanks Volare-oh, no no no, Pumpkin Cake, you put that pudding down right now-agh!" Pinkie slammed the door shut just as something orange and white splattered all over the peephole, dripped down, and seeped between the door and the threshold. "Bye Volare-bear!" Pinkie's flustered cry came through the door as her hoofsteps receded, leaving Scootaloo, Volare, and Applebloom blinking in disbelief on the front porch of the gingerbread-styled bakery.

..............

"Well, that was interesting," the older Pegasus chuckled lightly as he carried Applebloom and Scootaloo on his back.

"Yeah, if you call a baby Pegasus able to fly before either of us interesting," Scootaloo grumbled and slammed her hoof against Volare's saddlebag. "I mean, what the hay, man?!"

"Search me," Applebloom shrugged and poked Volare's mane. "Why're we headed to tha hospital again, Volare?"

"To check in on a friend of mine and Scootaloo's," he replied with a smile and glanced back at her. "You ever heard of the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

"Uuh...Ah reckon so," Applebloom scratched her chin and squinted in concentration before her eyes lit up. "Eeyup, definitely heard'a her from Applejack! Oooh, she said she was a real jerk of a high-an'-mighty sorta pony" she scowled. "Why're we visitin' a high-an'-mighty jerk?" Volare halted and turned to face the farm filly with a sigh. "Volare, what's wrong?"

"Applejack said that, eh? When?" he inquired with a sour expression; he thought AJ was going to help...

"A while back, why?"

"Ok, just making sure," his face lifted and he resumed trotting. "Applebloom...I'll admit Trixie probably isn't the most-liked pony in Ponyville because of what she's done-"

"That's being nice about it," Scootaloo muttered, meriting a light swat of rebuke from her brother's wing.

"-but she's my friend, and she swore to me she's looking to turn over a new leaf and start fresh, so I want you to be polite when we meet her, ok?"

"Yeah, Ah can do that," Applebloom nodded her red-bowed head.

"Good," the stallion smiled as they turned onto the path that led up to Ponyville Medical. But as they neared the front of the building, they were interrupted by a shout from above.

"Hey, you down there! Yeah, you!" Volare looked up curiously to see two blueish-gray Pegasi mares flutter down from the storm clouds and land in front of him. One wore a large pink bow in her pale blue mane, while the other wore her own mane bare, albeit in a flipped up, spikey style. Both had light raspberry-colored eyes (though the spike-maned one seemed to be wearing eyeliner under hers) and judging by the rest of their similar coloration, the two seemed to be related. "Heya, you gonna help with the cold front or are ya just gonna fiddle around down here with these fillies, eh?" the spikey-maned one smirked before the one with the bow swiped at her with a wing.

"Don't be so rude, Cloudchaser," she chided with a slightly slurred voice before smiling at Volare. "Heh, give my little sis a break; she's had a rough day and she's hungry and impatient."

"Am not, Flitter," the one called Cloudchaser grumbled.

"Of course you're not Flitter; I am," Flitter chuckled, causing Scootaloo to roll her eyes and speak up.

"So, um, are you guys gonna let us by, or can we just walk around while you argue?" the spunky filly queried from atop Volare's back. "Cuz we're hungry and late for dinner too, ya know."

"Ah, sorry, sorry," Cloudchaser shook her head and blushed slightly. "I guess she's right; I'm just grouchy and hungry too. Anyways, you wanna get up here and help with the storm clouds, bud? It'll help everypony get home quicker, ya know?" she flashed the stallion a winning smile that faded just as quickly as he shook his head apologetically.

"Eh-heh, I would but," he looked back at his wings and sighed. "I haven't quite figured out how to use these things just yet."

"What the-but you're a full-grown stallion!" Cloudchaser protested before Flitter gave a small gasp of realization and swatted her sister with a wing to get her attention.

"Cloudchaser, don't you know who this is?" she shook a head incredulously, but her sister shrugged. "This is the flightless Pegasus; the human-turned-pony, Volare!"

"Whoa, wait, this is the guy Lyra was talking about?" Cloudchaser cocked a head and smirked, trotting a quick circle around the blue Pegasus before remarking: "She didn't mention him being so skinny and tall."

"She said he had a nice flank though," Flitter giggled, causing Volare's face to flush and Scootaloo's wings to snap to attention in irritation. Applebloom simply groaned and bit her lip, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable sitting atop said flank as Flitter circled around behind the mortified stallion. With a soft growl, Scootaloo leaped off her brother's back and glared daggers at the two mares.

"Alright, knock it off," she stomped the ground with a small orange hoof, causing the two sisters to step back in surprise. "You're embarrassing my bro, and he can't fly; neither can I so just back off of him, ok?" Volare's heart swelled a bit in pride as he realized that Scootaloo was emulating himself from the first day that he met her. He also realized that she was taking their teasing just a little too seriously, and he clapped a hoof over Scootaloo's mouth and sat her behind a wing before she could say anything too terribly nasty.

"Uh, heh, sorry about that you two," Volare nodded and stepped around the two Pegasi. "Scoots is a little grumpy as well. Good luck with the storm though! See ya!" he swiftly ended the conversation and trotted towards the hospital, though he swore he heard them playfully remark about his appearance one more time before they called out to him.

"Sorry dude!" Cloudchaser chuckled, and he turned in surprise. "Sorry to bug you guys; meant nothing by it, honest," she said with an upraised hoof.

"Yeah, sorry! But hey, when you figure out how to fly, come join us up here," Flitter smiled as they took of for the storm clouds again. "We can always use an extra wing or two! See ya!" they waved, muttered something among themselves about flanks, and disappeared as the grey clouds enveloped their bodies.

"Lyra, I swear," Volare rolled his eyes and resumed heading up to the hospital, gently scolding Scootaloo for being kinda rude, but then thanking her for backing him up.

"Heh, you did the same for me, bro," she mussed his mane and turned to Applebloom, who'd scooted further up Volare's back. "You ok there, 'Bloom?"

"Oh yeah, Ah'm good," she muttered. "Just tryin' not ta touch yer brother's flank too much," she whispered, causing Scootaloo to swallow a loud laugh. "Wish they hadn't a mentioned that cuz now it just feels weird sittin' on it."

"You can walk if ya want," the Pegasus filly chuckled and leaned back against her brother's neck comfortably.

"Nah, in that case, Ah'll tough it out," the farm filly consented and settled back down as they made their way through the front doors of the hospital. "That was mighty brave o' ya'll standin' up fer'im like that, Scoots."

"Well, like I said, he did the same for me when I met him...besides, can't let my bro get swept off his hooves by just any old mare," she chuckled and gently tugged her brother's mane. "It's gonna take a special one; I'll make sure of it."

"So are you my business enforcer or my love-life coach, Scoots?" Volare cocked an eye back at her as they entered the commons of the hospital.

"Both," she replied matter-of-factly and stood on his back, leaning her elbows on his head in her usual position to help him scan the room before she tapped him on the forehead and pointed across the commons. As visiting hours were technically over, there was much less traffic than usual, the majority of ponies populating the place being doctors and nurses going about their tasks; this made it rather easy to spot the magician they were searching for. "Look, there she is!" her loud exclamation drawing the attention of the blue Unicorn who looked up in surprise from a magazine she was reading, waving a hoof as she caught sight of her visitors. She stood from the bench and trotted slowly forward, pulling a rolling IV hanger along with her, the tube from which looped over her shoulder and into her left forehoof. She was wearing both her cape and her pointy hat, both of which seemed to be freshly washed; in fact, Trixie looked much better on the whole than they'd last seen her, and it showed in the friendly smile she greeted them with.

"Well, well, what brings you two-er, three here, hmm?" Trixie gave Applebloom a curt nod, which the filly didn't return, instead opting to remain behind Volare. "Who're you?"

"AJ told me not ta talk ta strangers," the yellow filly began before Scootaloo snickered and flipped her tail.

"Sheesh, it's just Trixie," the Pegasus filly chuckled and shot the magician a grin. "How ya feelin', Trix?"

"Oh, much better, thank you Scootaloo," she raised her IV'd hoof as she spoke. "They've just got me on fluids and general observation right now...though they've stopped cutting the crusts off of my sandwiches," she said aside of her hoof, causing the trio to suppress a chuckle or two. "I think they're trying to hint that I should leave soon; it'll start with the crusts, and soon it'll escalate to plain old water instead of orange juice, and then they'll have me on that green mush they serve here," she made a face, as did Scootaloo, to which the Unicorn cocked an amused eyebrow in response. "Oh-ho, you don't care much for it either?"

"Blech, that stuff's like, made of overcooked asparagus or something," the Pegasus feigned a gag and Trixie chuckled. "The only really nice thing here are the beds."

"I know!" Trixie declared. "They're honestly the only thing keeping me here right now," she whispered with a wink before noticing Volare's raised eyebrow. "Ah-I mean, that and the arrival of the building supplies, of course," she hurriedly added. "Any word on them, Volare?"

"I haven't spoken to Ferrum since we ordered the supplies, but I'm assuming it's still going according to schedule," the Pegasus replied. "But I'd certainly hate to pull you away from your crust-less sandwiches and OJ too terribly early," he chuckled heartily at the somewhat embarrassed expression on Trixie's face before they all looked up as the front door of the hospital suddenly swung open. A dull yellow Earth Pony trotted in, carrying a smaller dark brown colt on her back that she sat on a seat cushion before nuzzling his rather bedraggled green mane comfortingly and addressing the desk clerk with a worried expression. Volare glanced out the closing doors to see loose debris being blown about by the approaching storm and he frowned slightly. "Sorry to cut this short Trix, but if we don't get going, we're gonna get caught in the weather on the way to Sweet Apple Acres."

"Ah, yes, totally understandable," the magician nodded, scratching at where the IV entered her hoof. "I guess this is goodnight, then?"

"Mhm, seems that way-huh, what's up Applebloom?" the stallion looked down as the farm filly tugged on his wing.

"Uh, before we head back to tha farm..." she shuffled her hooves nervously. "Can Ah use tha bathroom?"

"Yeah, me too," Scootaloo smiled almost apologetically. "It's kinda a long walk there, ya know?" Volare fought the urge to roll his eyes, knowing this would probably mean they'd be walking through the rain, but who was he to deny them the need to answer nature's call?

"Heh, go on ahead...I might as well go too while I'm here. Night, Trix," he gave the Unicorn a nod and the trio headed for the restrooms. Trixie readjusted her hat and was about to head back to her own room when she noticed the young colt that had been brought in was staring at her through half-lidded eyes that very nearly matched his rich brown coat
Trixie pretended not to notice, but when the colt coughed weakly and wiped his mouth, the Unicorn felt something akin to a pang of sorrow for the young fellow. With a sigh and a thought of Trixie, what are you doing, the magician deviated from her path back to her room and sat down on the cushion adjacent to the colt, pretending to stretch and massage her "sore" rear left leg.

She observed the colt with a sidelong glance, and as he continued to stare up at her curiously, she noted the slightly green tinge in his cheeks, and how bloodshot and tired his eyes were; the poor guy probably hadn't had sleep for some time, and here she was complaining about the bedsheets being a little too wrinkled. She glanced up at the yellow Earth Pony mare that brought him in, but the mare was still speaking to the desk clerk, albeit in an increasingly distressed tone that worried the magician, and even though she had no idea who the colt was, she felt the strangest desire to keep him company while the other mare was away across the room. He certainly looked like he needed it...

"Ahhh, I've never liked hospitals, as useful as they might be," Trixie stated out loud, but received little response from the colt beyond a weak mhm of agreement. "So what're you in for, kid?"

"Huh, oh, um...I'm not feeling good-urp," he suppressed a small burp with a shaky hoof, squeezing his eyes shut and blushing as he did so. "Sorry...guess there's nothing left to come up anymore..." he shook his head and groaned, leaning forward and squinting at the floor. Trixie recoiled slightly as she realized he meant he had the stomach flu, but she still felt herself strangely drawn to the sickly child.

"Ah, I see...so is that your mom over there?" she nodded at the now upset-looking yellow mare who was shaking a hoof in the face of the startled desk clerk. "She seems pretty stressed out," Trixie stated plainly, to which the colt only nodded again. The magician sat for a moment in silence with a thoughtful frown on her face, no longer feigning stretching her back leg. Don't get involved Trixie, it's not your business... Even so, she couldn't help but look down at the sickly colt, who was now softly groaning with every labored breath; he didn't look good at all...not to mention those little noises were getting a bit annoying, or at least, that's what the blue Unicorn told herself at the time...but it probably wasn't the nicest thing to say out loud, so she decided she'd do something to quiet him down and stop those little whines that stirred something unfamiliar in her heart.

"Hey kid, um..." Trixie spoke up, drawing a sideways glance from the colt. "You like magic tricks?" she put on a show-mare grin and plucked the pointy hat from her head, revealing her glowing horn that the young pony stared at for a moment.

"Whoa, you're a Unicorn?" he gaped, to which Trixie grinned proudly.

"Hmmph, well of course I am; how else could I do feats of great-oh...um," she noticed the rather crestfallen expression on the colt's face, as if he'd just been scolded. Trixie looked back at his still preoccupied mother before giving him a more friendly smile. "I mean, yes I'm a Unicorn," she said in a gentler tone that perked him up again as she went back to waving a hoof over her upturned hat. "And I can do a few tricks if you wanna see. You like balloons? How about rabbits?" At his small smile, Trixie dramatically pursed her lips, squinted her eyes and reached into the hat, pulling out a long, long, long length of red balloon that by all accounts shouldn't haven been able to fit in the hat. With a chuckle at his awe-struck expression, Trixie zapped the balloon with her horn, and within moments, it twisted itself into the shape of a rabbit, complete with overly long ears.

The magician sat it on the cushion next to her, pretended to whisper something into the rabbit's ear, and to the colt's wonderment, it hopped over to him, landing on his lap and snuggling up against him before falling limp and floating up into the air. "Oops, he's getting away," she laughed and tied a length of black twine to the rabbit's tail, and the other end she looped around the colt's hoof, who continued to alternate a smile between the balloon animal and the magician, who simply sat her hat back on her head and leaned back with a grin. "You like him?"

"Heh-heh, yeah, he's great," the colt's brown eyes seemed a bit more lively than earlier as he tugged on the twine, making the rabbit bounce in mid-air before looking back down as the yellow mare approached the pair. "Mom, can they help?"

"No, I'm afraid not sweetie," she shook her head morosely. "They don't have any rooms available right now; apparently this stuff is going around. We're just going to have to wait till morning, so c'mon," she helped her son to his hooves, gave Trixie a short nod, and began carrying her son towards the front doors, leaving Trixie by herself. The magician sighed, not quite sure what to feel at the moment, and was about to head back to her room when a small voice caused her to turn back.

"Thanks for the bunny," the young colt smiled gratefully and waved weakly as his mom made to push the front doors open. Trixie stared back into the colt's brown eyes, a little happier now, but he needed more help than just balloon animals...the magician weighed her options, realized she felt like a selfish fool for doing so, and raised her voice across the commons.

"Hey, um ma'am!" she pulled her IV cart noisily along behind her, nearly tripping over the tube in her haste to catch the yellow mare, who turned to see who was speaking. "Wait just a second!"

"Yes?" the mother cocked her head. "I'm sorry, but I really can't chat; Loam here is very ill and I need to get him home," she nodded at the brown colt on her back. "So if you'll please excuse me."

"That's what I want you to wait for," Trixie smiled at the colt. "Loam, was it?"

"Mhm," he nodded.

"Well, Loam, you don't need to go anywhere, especially not in this weather," she waved a hoof at the whipping wind outside. With a determined nod of finality, Trixie regarded the pony behind the front desk. "Sir, you say there's no room available for young Loam here? What a clown show of a hospital you run," she chided the shocked desk clerk.

"I-it's not our fault, ma'am; the stomach bug is going around, and alot of ponies are catching it right now," he shrugged helplessly. "We're doing everything we can right now, but what do you want us to do? Start treating them and throwing down bedrolls in the lobby?"

"No, but I do know something you can do instead," Trixie leaned across the desk. "Check me out."

"Uh, I beg your pardon, miss?" the clerk queried at the sudden request.

"Did I stutter? Well, certainly not as much as you are right now," she rolled her dark violet eyes and snorted loudly. "Bill me out, get this damned IV out of my leg, and make sure Loam gets my room," her horn glowed almost threateningly beneath her hat as she leaned even further over the desk and curled her lip slightly. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"U-Uh-I-I, y-yes ma'am, y-you do," the clerk stuttered noticeably now as he ruffled through a pile of papers behind the desk. "B-but who will pay your bill? Unless you have the money on you? We just can't let you leave without you paying first." That put a damper on Trixie's mood, and she actually withdrew over the desk, chewing on her lower lip in thought and glancing back over her shoulder at Loam and his mother, who hadn't moved from their spot. Way to go, Trixie. You put on a show, wowed the audience, and then fell off the stage! Stupid!

"She doesn't," they all looked as Volare stepped forward from the hall leading to the bathrooms, Applebloom and Scootaloo right on his hooves. "But I do," he reached into his saddlebag, plunked down a sizeable bag full of bits and looked up at the clerk. "I think this'll do it," the Pegasus' statement brooked no argument, and the clerk, who'd seen Luna using the Royal Canterlot Voice mere feet away, Rainbow Dash and Twilight fighting, semi-threatened by Trixie, and now had this Pegasus with the most intense blue eyes he'd ever seen standing over him, had no real spirit left to argue, simply wishing for a long vacation as he filed Trixie's billing work. With that done, he buzzed an orderly that arrived swiftly, removed the IV from Trixie's leg, and escorted Loam back into the depths of the hospital, presumably towards Trixie's old room. As the magician's vision lingered fondly upon the colt until he was out of sight, she noticed Volare, Scootaloo, and Applebloom were looking her way and wearing strange little half-smiles.

"What?" Trixie asked in surprise. "Why're you smiling; what's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing funny Trixie," Scootaloo shook her head.

"More like sweet," Applebloom giggled, causing Trixie's cheeks to flush.

"Sweet? Pfft, I just wanted to get out of here and the kid gave me a good excuse to do so," she insisted with a shrug, but it wasn't fooling Volare in the slightest, and his grin simply widened. "What?!"

"Whether you wanna admit it or not, that was quite the noble thing you just did, Trixie," the Pegasus conceded respectfully. "And I have to agree with Applebloom: giving him that balloon to cheer him up was pretty sweet too."

"Wha-you saw that?" the Unicorn's eyes widened, expecting them to laugh at her. But when no snickering occurred, she let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. "How much did you see?"

"Pretty much from when you made him that balloon animal; what was it, exactly?" the stallion cocked his head.

"A bunny," Trixie muttered before opening her eyes and prodding Volare in the chest, "But that was no big deal, ok? I mean, you jumped into a falling building to save me, so in comparison, it was nothing. And we'll just leave it at that." She gave a dismissive wave of her hoof, prepared to pick up what little pride she had left, and leave, before a tug on her cape stopped her.

"It's a big deal to me, ma'am," Trixie turned to see the yellow mare standing there with a grateful smile on her face. "And to Loam. Thank you so much."

"Eh, don't mention it," the magician replied, still unsure of how to take this sort of praise; I mean, she hadn't even used fireworks or done much more than make a balloon animal hop. It was colt's play and it did't seem that amazing to her, so why make a big fuss over it?

"Well, at the very least, Loam wanted to know your name, as do I," the mare pressed.

"Oh, well, I'm the Great-well, know, that's not really true," the Unicorn rubbed her chin. "I used to call myself the Great and Powerful Trixie, but through a series of unfortunate events that you probably don't need to worry about and that I'd rather no reiterate, I think I just prefer going by Trixie for now."

"Well, Powerful or not," the mare grasped Trixie's hoof in her own for a moment, catching the magician by surprise. "You made my son happy in his sickness and gave up your room for him...and that's pretty great in my book. Thank you again, and good night." And with that, she released Trixie's hoof and hurried back into the depths of the hospital to find her son. The blue Unicorn stared down at her hoof for a moment, as if unsure if she should accept the thanks knowing that the mare's own hoof was probably covered in her son's germs, but also unsure if immediately wiping it off on her cape was the better choice of action, albeit rude...instead, she settled on subtly wiping it upon the floor (which she quickly realized probably wasn't much better) and shaking her head quickly before looking up at Volare and Co. who were still wearing those amused little smiles!

"Alright, alright, break it up; nothing to see here" The somewhat embarrassed Trixie half-barked, shoving her way through the trio and headed for the door. "You three got a plan of where I can stay besides standing there and grinning like foals?"

"Yep, we'll just drop you off at Twilight's," Volare chuckled, scooping up Applebloom and Scootaloo and following after the huffing Unicorn. "You sure you'll be ok, Trixie? You look a little...off."

"Yes, I'll be just fine, thanks," she nodded once and opened the door, through which a gust of wind blew that ripped the hat from her head and smacked it back against Volare's face. "Eesh, it got cold out there," she shivered against the autumn wind and snatched her hat back from Volare, who held it up in his mouth with a friendly smile. "Come on and get behind me; we'll push our way through this," Trixie announced, jamming the hat back on her head and conjuring a large blue and white umbrella. She glanced back, making sure Volare was behind her before forcing their way through the rising wind, headed west towards the Library.

.................

"Well, in the words of Spike: that was a bust," Scootaloo muttered, though "mutter" wasn't entirely accurate, as she had to practically shout to be heard over the wind whipping along the South Ponyville Road. They'd attempted to drop off Trixie at the Library, but when Spike greeted them at the door, he'd nearly leaped back in surprise at the sight of Trixie grumbling and cursing her head off at the wind trying to rip her umbrella away. The dragon quickly explained that Twilight was up in her room, already asleep and apparently wasn't feeling well or something. Volare offered to go up and check on her before Trixie told them about the stomach bug going around, that perhaps Twilight, like Pound, Pumpkin, and Loam, had picked it up too. Either way, Spike apologized, saying it probably wasn't the best thing to let in strange guests while Twilight was asleep anyways (no offense, Trixie).
Luckily, the generous Applebloom stepped up to help, offering Trixie a seat at their dinner table and a warm bed to spend such a chilly night in. Not one to turn down a warm meal and bed, the blue Unicorn agreed, and away they went into the heart of the gale that was baring down on Ponyville.

"Yeah, no kidding," Trixie replied, glancing up and shaking a hoof at Cloudchaser and Flitter, who were busy pushing clouds this way and that, although they'd spotted the trudging foursome and were doing their best to keep it from raining on them. "Can't you keep the wind down as well you two?! For Luna's sake," Trixie grumbled and rolled her eyes as the two Pegasi continued their weather duties, unable to hear her over the wind. "How much further is it to the farm?" the magician called back to Applebloom, who was tucked under one of Volare's wings, with Scootaloo snuggled under the other.

"Uh, about another 10 minutes er so," the filly peeped out from under the wing and spotted the old oak stump that served as a road marker just to the north of the path.

"Good, because I've about had enough of this mess!" Trixie growled, putting her head down and adding a fresh burst of magic to the umbrella to keep it from collapsing and flying away. "The things I'll do for a hot meal," she grumbled. Above them, flitting in and out of the base of the storm clouds, was a dark shape that never quite fully revealed itself from the gray fluff, preferring to peep out of the storm every few moments before diving back in, consistently staying above Volare and Co. as they made their way towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"Huh, what the hay was that?" Flitter could have sworn she saw somepony, almost certainly a Pegasus to be up this high, meandering about the western side of the cold front, but nopony she knew of, short of Rainbow Dash herself, would be crazy enough or skillful enough to navigate the unstable and dangerous base of a storm like this; what with lightning, rain, hail, and downbursts possible. The Pegasus stared at the storm base for a moment longer before deciding that it must have been a piece of debris caught in an updraft and rejoined her sister in guiding the storm over Ponyville, finally allowing it to dump its generous amount of rain upon the town.

But the shape peeked out of the storm one last time, making sure the ponies on the ground weren't looking up before gauging their almost certain destination: the apple orchard. With a crack of blue lightning that lit the sky and hid the creature from the ground below, it exited the storm and zipped from cloud to cloud, making absolutely certain it wasn't backlit by the moon before taking shelter within a stray cloud that had split off from the cold front. The cloud drifted subtly over the farm house, against the wind, before the creature leaped from it and landed lightly on the roof of the large red structure, hanging onto the weather-vane and folding its wings flat before hunkering down upon the roof shingles. It watched in rapt amusement and fascination as the foursome pushed forward through the wind that made the white picket fence creak as if it were about to take off, and finally up the hill towards the large red abode.

"Alright, I've had about enough of this!" Trixie announced about 20 feet from the front porch and whirled around, her violet eyes burning into Volare's blue ones with so much sudden intensity that he nearly toppled over onto his flank in fear; she was capable of tearing a building apart and despite her claims at reform, his mind froze for a moment in panic, unsure of exactly what she was about to do. The answer surprised him.

"Everytime I look behind me to make sure you three haven't been blown halfway across Equestria, I see you smiling or giggling, and you have been since I helped Loam in the hospital. Why?! You claim that it's nothing funny, yet you don't explain why you continue to act this way behind my back! I thought you were my friends!" she stomped a hoof and blinked hard, trying to hold back an angry tear that nevertheless managed to slip between her lashes and linger on her blue-furred cheek before she wiped it away with the collar of her cape. It was then that Volare realized that she wasn't being melodramatic, that she honestly feared that she was being betrayed by her only friends in the world.
"Well-huh?" Trixie's next question was cut off as the Pegasus stepped forward and wrapped her in a friendly embrace for a moment. She nearly lost her grip on the umbrella before Applebloom reached up and snatched it in her teeth, with Scootaloo holding onto her back hooves to keep her from blowing away. "Wh-what was that for now?" Trixie demanded as Volare released her and smiled softly.

"Because I'm sorry, Trixie," he explained plainly. "We just found it amusing that despite your pride keeping you from admitting it, we think you enjoyed helping Loam like that; as we said, it was very sweet, and it proves that you're changing just like you said you wanted to," he said sincerely. "It's my fault, and I should have said something earlier...just goes to show I'm still not very good at reading emotions here or Earth, or anywhere for that matter," he chuckled lightly as Trixie retook her hold on the umbrella.

"Well, that's because you're a stallion; they've never been good at it, for they lack a mare's intuition," she smirked and re-opened the umbrella, satisfied by his explanation for the moment. "Just...thanks," she leaned into him for a moment, and not in the direction the wind was blowing before nodding once and turning back to the porch and hesitating just outside the pool of golden light that spilled out of the crescent-shaped window above the front door.

"What's up, Trix?" Scootaloo peeped over Volare's shoulder and asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Applebloom chimed in. "Tha door's right there, an' on tha other side, all kindsa good food, a hot shower, and a warm bed."

"I uh...maybe you three should go on without me and I'll just wait out here; I'll be fine if you just bring me some food," Trixie suggested, zapping a large chunk of hay bale that was swept into the air and had been hurtling towards them, tossing aside to keep it from slamming into the four ponies. "See, perfectly safe!"

"Uh, yeah, right," Volare rolled his eyes and gave her a sidelong, skeptical glance. "What's eatin' ya, Trixie? You're gonna have to tell me cuz as we've already established, I'm terrible at this reading of emotions business for the most part."

"I just...fine," the Unicorn nodded once, mouthed the words she wanted to say as if rehearsing them, decided against the fancy way, and settled on just telling it plainly. "I know Applejack doesn't like me; none of Twilight's friends do and yet here I am, marching up to her front door and asking to be invited to dinner? Now even you have to admit, that's pretty rude, Volare."

"Yeah, 'cept ya'll don't have ta ask," Applebloom hopped off Volare's back and rang the cowbell hanging next to the door. "Ah already invited ya!"

"Ah right, um...but what if they don't like me anyway?" Trixie started throwing out excuses. "I mean, I don't know how to fraternize with country bumpkins; what do I say, huh?" She twiddled her hooves nervously on the ground. "What do I do-hell with it, goodbye!" she nearly lost her nerve and took off before Volare threw a hoof around her neck and pulled her back to the door. "Let go of me, Volare or so help me I'll blast you over the moon!"

"Eh, I don't think you have the mean-ness in your heart to do so, Trix," Volare chuckled as hoofsteps approached the door. "As for what to say and do: just relax. AJ and her family are very laid-back and easy to get along with, from what I've seen, plus you got me, Scoots, and Applebloom to vouch for you. Just hang loose and mingle; be polite but not too stiff. Oh, and I probably wouldn't refer to them as bumpkins if I were you," he chuckled.

"Mingle and be polite," Trixie savored the somewhat unfamiliar terms before nodding slightly. "Ok, I think I know what to do; I'll just do as they do," she grinned confidently.

"Yeah! Wait, what?" Volare managed to say before the door swung open a small crack and revealed the freckle-faced features of Applejack who looked down at her sister and smiled in relief that she hadn't been blown away by the storm. She kept a tight grip on the other side of the door to keep it from being sucked open by the wind as she spoke.

"Woo-ee, ya'll sure picked a high time ta go fer a trot, sugarcube," she patted her sister's windblown mane. "What took ya'll so long ta get back here?"

"Oh, Ah brought some guests outta tha bad weather, if'n that's ok with you, sis," Applebloom gave her the best winning smile she could muster, which only made Applejack chuckle all the more.

"Heh-heh, 'course it is, 'Bloom. Who'd ya bring?"

"Me!" Scootaloo jumped in through the door, nuzzling her cheek against the country mare's strong leg. "And my bro," she looked back as Volare craned his head around the edge of the door.

"Tha guest o' honor, of course," the green-eyed mare raised a hoof to her forehead in a motion of tipping her hat, which was of course hanging on a hook on the wall; no hats on in the house, don'tcha know.

"And one more," the Pegasus stallion announced with a smile, nodding his head back towards the rest of his body outside the door. "I hope she's not intruding, but she really didn't have anyplace else to go in this weather, AJ."

"Shucks, Volare," she hoofed him in the shoulder and laughed heartily. "Anypony ya'll bring here fer dinner is perfectly welcome-" the farmer swung the door open a bit further to catch sight of who this "one more" was...and halted mid-sentence. Volare looked from Applejack to Trixie, saw that they'd made eye contact, and held his breath. Oh boy, another moment of truth...

"Well, howdy there, pardner," Trixie replied with the cheesiest country accent Volare had ever heard, paired with an overly dramatic tip of her starry hat and a huge grin. "Lan' sakes alive, this here's a real twister of a storm if'n Ah ever saw one, eh?. Mind if'n we partake of some o' yer vittles n' fixin's afore we blow away ta starvation...er, yeehaw?" Volare simply stared in gape-jawed, incredulous silence before slowly turning back to Applejack and giving her the most apologetic smile he could muster. It quite obviously wasn't enough.

"...'cept you," Applejack snorted, while Volare, Scootaloo, and Applebloom combined for what was possibly the most epic triple facehoof in Equestrian history. Volare honestly didn't know which was the less-dangerous option at the moment: the raging storm behind them, or the glowering Earth Pony mare before them...he had a feeling it was the former. Great, now what?!

Notes: I'm cutting the chapter off right here, otherwise, it's gonna get just a little bit too long ^^;
What's gonna happen now? Will Trixie get bucked out into the storm, or will Applejack relent? On the plus side, Trixie seems to be alot nicer (albeit almost awkwardly so).
Tune in next time to find out (and it'll be the last section of Inseptium Nova, so watch out!)

Inseptium Nova-Pt 15: Volare

September 14th, Evening...Sweet Apple Acres...

No man is an island, entire of itself...

-John Donne

Volare honestly wasn't sure what to say to fix the situation. He knew that Trixie didn't mean to insult Applejack on purpose; in fact she'd merely followed his advice of "do as they do and mingle," albeit far too literally. Even so, he could tell that AJ was just barely keeping her composure, and seemed just a hair's breadth away from bucking Trixie halfway back to town in one go. Judging by the general reaction to her behavior, the blue magician quickly realized that she might have said the wrong thing, and swiftly resumed her previous position of holding her umbrella against the storm behind them, her friendly grin being replaced by an apologetic smile. "Um, eh-heh, Ms. Applejack, if you'll just hear me out, I'm sure we can"-

"Nope," the orange pony said flatly with a light stomp of her hoof that caused Trixie to back off the porch and into the wind. "Sorry Trixie, but there ain't no room at our table fer ya," Applejack explained, placing a protective hoof on Applebloom's shoulder and attempting to coax her inside. But to her surprise, the younger filly wrenched herself away from the mare, and whirled to face her with a look of confusion on her face. "Applebloom, what're ya"-

"Aww, c'mon, AJ!" the filly cried, poking her lower lip out in the best pout she could muster. "It ain't fair ta leave Trixie out here in tha rain like that!"

"Yeah, well it ain't exactly polite fer somepony ta show up an' outta tha blue an' insult ya on yer own front porch," Applejack snorted at Volare, taking a step towards him and lowering her voice, though the Pegasus did his best to stand his ground, given the circumstances...this mare could buck your head for an ace in the well in their front yard if she so chose, Volare... "An you...ya'll lettin' mah little sister run around with her," she jerked her head at Trixie. "What tha hay's wrong with ya, Volare? What made ya think bringin' her here ta mooch offa us hard-workin' ponies was a good idea, huh? Why don't ya'll just take her back ta tha hospital an-"

"There's nothing wrong with him!" Scootaloo jumped between Applejack and her brother, puffing her little chest out and narrowing her fucshia eyes at the much bigger mare, who stepped back again, surprised that now two little fillies were sticking up for Trixie, who seemed just as surprised as she was by the sudden show of support. "The stomach bug is going around, Twilight's not feeling good, and there's no more room at the hospital, so we can't just take her back!"

"Well, Ah'm sorreh ta hear that," Applejack replied with a tinge of remorse, but only for those that were honestly sick. "Still doesn't answer why she's here an' makin' fun of us country ponies," she shot the magician a frigid glance that made the chilly air sweeping across the yard seem tropical by comparison.

"Cuz Ah invited 'er fer dinner," Applebloom declared, much to Applejack's rising shock.

"What tha hay, Applebloom?!" Applejack stared with wide green eyes at her sister, who still retained that defiant expression next to Scootaloo and between the two mares, with Volare off to the side trying to find a good moment to get a word in edgewise. But Trixie pre-empted them all.

"If it's too much of a problem, I'll just be on my way," the magician declared, causing her three companions to stare at her in confusion. The Unicorn heaved a sigh and straightened the umbrella before speaking again. "Look, it's getting late and cold; you all need to eat and get warm, and the last thing I want is a fight on my account...again. If Applejack will let me, I'll just sleep under one of their apple tree or something tonight. Volare, thank for trying, but some things just never change I guess, even when you want them to," she gave him a half-smile and turned to leave before Volare caught the edge of her cape with a hoof and halted her.

"No, no, no, you're not gonna sleep under some damned apple tree," the Pegasus shook his head. "If anything, I'll give you money for a room at the Ponyville Inn...oh wait, that place got half-burned down by Ray and Jill...shit."

"Hey you," Applejack prodded him with a hoof. "Don't talk bad about mah trees, Volare-oof!" Applejack gasped as the Pegasus suddenly whirled and shoved her inside, gesturing for his friends to give him just a moment. "Now what the hay was that for, Volare!?" the farm mare glowered at him before he placed a hoof at his lips. He glanced about and quickly took in the rustic home, the multitude of Apple family portraits covering the red wood and wallpaper, the exposed oak beams crisscrossing above their heads that matched the material of the hardwood floor, and just the general aged feeling of the place, recalling it was quite possibly older than Ponyville itself. But at the moment, he was neither interested in the architecture nor the delicious smells of country-style food that wafted out of the depths of the home; no, there were questions that needed answering first.

"Alright AJ, I wanna know a few things right here and now," he explained tersely. "What's your problem with Trixie huh? Is it cuz of what she did when she was last here, cuz from what I understand, she didn't just single you out; she slighted everypony just as equally."

"Well, yeah, Ah'm still sore over that," Applejack admitted.

"So how come nopony else seems to dislike her as much as you, huh?" he demanded. "Why the huge grudge?"

"Cuz her magic is all illusions, and that's practically lyin'," the mare replied. "An' Ah hate lyin'!"

"Wow, really AJ?" Volare gave her a skeptical look. "Is that really all there is to it? Cuz if so, that's pretty lame."

"What, ya'll want a better explanation?"

"Or at least a better excuse," he leaned back against the wall, meeting the mare's stern gaze with a stony one of his own. "Well, AJ, I'm waiting...didn't you say you agreed to help her?"

"Yeah, well helpin' her out and bringin' her here, to mah home, are two different matters, pardner," she scuffed the floor with a hoof, either unable to answer his previous question or refusing to out of sheer stubbornness. "Why in tha hoof did ya take'er outta tha hospital in tha first place?" she finally asked, and the Pegasus decided that he'd best get the conversation moving again, since his sister and friends were still outside in the chilly air.

"We didn't take her out of there, AJ; she checked herself out. I just paid the bill."

"She did that with no place ta go? Tch, dern overly proud fool," the mare muttered disapprovingly.

"She's not, AJ," Volare's sharp retort drew Applejack's attention back to his face. "You wanna know why she left? It's cuz she gave up her room for a sick little kid that was gonna get turned away cuz the hospital is full," Applejack's eyebrow shot up as he continued to speak. "That's why she can't go back, AJ," the Pegasus turned and cracked the blinds on the window, motioning for the mare to look outside.
There on the front porch, was Applebloom wearing Trixie's hat, which was much too big for her, to keep her ears warm, it seemed. Meanwhile, Scootaloo was giggling at how silly her friend looked as Trixie wrapped her cape around the shivering Pegasus filly, shielding the rest of the two with her body against the weather as the umbrella had faded away into the void it had been conjured from. Applejack could have sworn that Trixie was a few shades darker blue than usual, and that's when she saw the magician's teeth chattering in the chilly air. Against her own better judgement, Applejack's pre-prepared scoff caught in her throat as her heart actually went out to the Unicorn keeping the fillies warm. Satisfied with the farm mare's reaction, Volare spoke up again. "Now then, does that look like an overly proud fool to you, AJ? And don't lie, cuz you said you hate liars," he shut the blinds and looked at her. "Right?"

"Yeah...Ah do..." she said with a sigh before an aged voice called out from down the hall.

"Applejack dearie, who's at the door?"

"It's me, Grannysmith," Volare called out before remembering that she'd never met him before, much less heard his voice.

"Me, eh? Me who?"

"Mah friend Volare, tha one Ah told ya about," Applejack leaned into the hall to make sure her elderly grandmother heard her correctly. "An' his friends."

"Oh really? Company during this gale, eh? Where is he and where are his friends?"

"Still out on the front porch," Volare preempted Applejack, causing Grannysmith's voice to change tone from kindly to surprisingly stern and authoritative.

"Well for Celestia's sake young'in, let'em in!" the old mare's voice rang out from the dining room with a wap noise that Volare imagined was either her hoof on the table or her walker being used in lieu of her hoof. The Pegasus reached for the door, but Applejack beat him to it, blocking it for a moment before looking up at him with an expression halfway between annoyance and apology.

"Volare, Ah...Ah'm sorry, alright?" she shook her head once and bit her lip; she wasn't one to mess up enough in order to apologize in the first place very often. "Old habits just die heard, ya know?"

"It's ok, AJ," he patted her shoulder and smiled. "I feel your pain on that one. Now can you let them in before they freeze?"

"Yeah, yeah, right on it," she pulled the door open and greeted the trio with a large smile. "Welcome ta Sweet Apple"-

"Bout time, sis!" Applebloom cut her off with a hoof to the chest, she and Scootaloo pulling Trixie along with them and down the hall, leaving Applejack rubbing her chest with a hoof and shaking her head in disbelief. "C'mon Trixie, ya'll are gonna meet mah Grannysmith and Big Macintosh!"

"Oh, heh-heh, alright, alright," the magician gave Applejack a small polite smile, took the hint of the Stetson hanging on the wall, and hung her starry hat and cape on the hook next to it before allowing the fillies to lead her into the kitchen. The sound of grating chair legs and voices of surprise being quickly covered up by friendly salutations trailed back towards the front door, where Applejack and Volare still stood. The Pegasus shut the door and glanced down at the Earth Pony, who wasn't quite sure what to say, feeling a bit of a fool for treating a guest like that....not to mention that if somepony had told her that morning that she'd actually welcome Trixie into her own home, she'd have told them they'd been hit in the head one too many times!

"She'll be on her best behavior, I'll make sure of it," Volare said softly, bringing a light smile to the orange mare's face. She snorted, made to trot into down the hall, but then turned at the last moment and looked Volare in the eye.

"Oh, and how ya gonna do that if'n she tore down a building all on her lonesome?" a smirk played about her lips as she spoke.

"Well, Pinkie helped, ya know," he stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in reply.

"Ya'll are sweet, sugarcube, but not sweet enough that ya'll won't owe me for this'n. Lucky for ya'll Ah don't make promises Ah can't back up," she smirked and hoofed him roughly in the chest before flicking her tail across his face. "C'mon, let's introduce ya an' keep Trixie from blowin' tha barn up." With a low chuckle as he spat loose blonde hair and sat his saddlebag down under Trixie's cape and hat, the farm mare led the pegasus into the dining room, where Grannysmith was leaning over he walker and shaking the hoof of the blue magician while Big Macintosh stood off to the side with Applebloom and Scootaloo. The large red pony cocked a suspicious eyebrow at Trixie and swept a glance towards Volare and Applejack as they entered the room, but to his surprise, his sister waved a dismissive hoof, indicating she had the situation under control. She led Volare into the kitchen to help carry the finished dishes into the dining room, though the pair still kept an ear on the conversation in the other room. Satisfied, Big Mac's ears returned to the upright position and he visibly relaxed, even approaching Trixie and offering her his own massive hoof in greeting, coupled with a friendly half smile, as was his wont.

"Evenin', Ms...?"

"Trixie," the magician shook his hoof and returned the smile. Wow, Volare was right; they are pretty friendly! "The name's Trixie. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Oh yes, Ah have, youngin'," Grannysmith gave her a crinkly-eyed smile.

"Er, good or bad?" the magician asked hesitantly.

"Heh-heh, mostly bad, ta be honest withcha," she gave a dry laugh that started to sink Trixie's spirits before she was patted on the head by the older mare, as if she were a foal. The Unicorn wasn't sure how to take the gesture at first; it was simultaneously slightly degrading yet...comforting and not exactly unwelcome, she had to admit. She quickly shook the feeling off though as Grannysmith spoke again. "But, if'n Applejack letcha in, then ya'll are alright in mah book...oh mah, are ya'll alright, dearie?" the elder placed her hoof upon Trixie's face again and her eyes widened in concern. "Ya'll are as chilly as tha weather outside; what have ya been doing out there?"

"She kept us warm while Applejack spoke with my brother," Scootaloo gave the magician a grateful smile.

"An' without her magic, we'da been blown away by tha wind on tha way here!" Applebloom exclaimed, flopping against the wall and falling down dramatically, much to her granny's amusement.

"Well, ain't that sweet of ya? Ms. Trixie, ya'll deserve a reward fer that," Grannysmith cut off the magician's protest with a sharp smile. "We'll getcha some food, a hot bath, and a warm bed ta sleep in tonight. Now don't that sound good-wait a sec," something Scootaloo had said earlier finally registered in her head and she turned to regard the filly. "Did ya'll say yer brother?"

"Mhm, I did Grannysmith," the Pegasus filly nodded.

"But Ah thought ya were..." she looked up as Volare re-entered the dining room with Applejack, both ponies carrying large platters full of biscuits, gravy, potatoes, grits, apple pie, and everything in between that you could imagine, all hoof-baked by Grannysmith herself that afternoon, as well as chilled mugs of fresh apple cider (virgin for the sake of Scootaloo and Applebloom of course). As the chef in question glanced between the Pegasi, two and two suddenly clicked together in her aged brain, and she let out a mirthful chuckle as she quickly caught on and rolled with it, unwilling to spoil the mood in her own home. "Ah see now, so that's your brother Ah've heard so much about," her voice caused Volare to look up and she beckoned him over, surprising him with a strong hug that belied her frail appearance before she looked him over and gave a low whistle. "Woo-ee, Applejack was right; ya'll need some meat on them bones," she nudged his leg and chuckled before the orange mare waved a hoof, indicating the table was set and ready to go. "We'll fix that right now; soup's on, everypony!"

What followed was a bit of a strange affair for both Volare and Trixie, as it had been years since the pilot had sat down to a home-cooked family like this (Spike's cooking non-withstanding), while Trixie couldn't remember the last time such an event had occurred for her. The blue duo were a bit hesitant at first, opting to eat their food as politely as possible for fear of upsetting their hosts. But when Grannysmith looked up from her creamed corn and noticed their slow pace, she rapped the tabletop with a hoof and called out to them.
"Do ya'll normally pick at yer food like a buzzard with bones or is their somethin' on yer minds?"

"Oh, um, we just didn't want to offend you with bad table manners, ma'am," Volare replied, causing the entire Apple Family to laugh, even Big Mac who nearly choked on the mouthful of grits he was devouring.

"What's so funny?" Trixie asked suspiciously.
Uh-oh...
But Grannysmith simply shook her head and continued to chuckle while Applejack glanced up for the barest of moments from a bowlful of mashed potatoes and gravy, decided the situation was in hoof, and returned to her task.

"Youngin's, round these parts, if ya'll ain't diggin' in hoof an' hock, the chef feels practically insulted, like ya'll are too good fer her food," the gray-maned mare gave them a small smirk.

"Yeah, c'mon!" Applebloom spoke around a biscuit. "It ain't good cold, ya'll!" Volare and Trixie looked at each other and then looked down at Scootaloo for support only to find that the filly was in the midst of an epic and messy duel with half an apple pie and would likely be in danger if she tried to speak, breath, and eat all at once. The Pegasus and the Unicorn glanced back at each other, couldn't help the grins that spread across their faces, and, at a level just barely below that of Applejack's pace, dug into their food with gusto, much to the delight of Grannysmith.

For a good 20 minutes, the dining room was full of the sounds of food being occasionally devoured punctuated at times by comments of "are you gonna eat that," and "pass the salt," among others. But after a while, Grannysmith got curious, and was able to wheedle the events of the past few days surrounding Volare and Trixie out of her grandchildren and guests between mouthfuls of her Equestrian-famous Red Gala and cinnamon cobbler, as well as how the pilot had gotten there in the first place and how he'd spent the day learning all about pony magic, which Trixie herself was rather impressed with.

The elderly mare took the news of him being a former human surprisingly well, stating that it didn't matter to her where he'd come from; what mattered the most was where he stood right now, and that was quite the elevated spot in her sight, considering all that he'd done since arriving less than a month ago. Trixie, on the other hand, was totally shocked that it had been him that played that music back at the Griffon the other night when she fought Octavia, saying that she didn't understand how a Pegasus could power a piece of a equipment like that. Volare replied that he wasn't sure either, but Twilight was on the case, having tested his brain patterns with some crazy contraption she kept in her basement before sending the results to Celestia.
"And they say I'm crazy," the magician chuckled a bit derisively. "At least I don't lure ponies into my basement and do experiments on their minds."

"That's cuz you don't have a basement, Trix," Scootaloo smirked cheekily. "Or a house for that matter."

"Touche, little one, touche," the Unicorn took the jibe in stride, levitating a dollop of whipped cream from an apple pie and dabbing it on the tip of Scootaloo's nose before the filly knew what hit her.

Volare couldn't help but grin to himself; here he was, a Pegasus, eating food at Sweet Apple Acres...he couldn't imagine what fan of the show wouldn't just kill to be in this position right now! But that thought gave him pause...the gaps between him realizing that these were characters from a show were growing larger and larger, the current one being nearly 15 hours until that particular moment. In fact, it almost irked him that he'd return to that thought of them only being from a show and nothing more...it made him feel like an invader even though they'd invited him not just to this home for dinner...but brought him here to this world to save his life from that crash. Suddenly, he didn't have much of an appetite anymore, and the other ponies quickly picked up on his crestfallen mood.

"You ok, bro?" Scootaloo spoke up, nudging Volare out of his thoughts with a timid orange hoof.

"Huh-oh, yeah, I'm good," he nodded, though it was clear he wasn't fooling anypony. "Sorry, just...thought back to how I got here, that's all."

"Ah see...sounds like it was quite tha harrowin' experience, young'in," Grannysmith frowned. "Ah tell ya what though, after staring ol Death in tha face as many time as ya have, Ah'm surprised ya'll are scared by anythin' at this point," she declared encouragingly.

"Oh, heh, trust me, there're still plenty of things out there that scare me, Grannysmith," he chuckled and shook his head. "It's the nice stuff like this that makes going through all that hell worth it though, ya know?"

"Mhm, Ah second that'n," the elderly mare cracked a near-toothless grin and glanced at Trixie. "An' you, dearie; ya'll don't seem too scared o' much, eh?"

"Oh, well, I don't mean to brag," the blue magician began with a bit of a smug air before catching Volare's skeptical look. "Ah-what I mean to say is...the list of things I'm afraid of now has certainly dwindled over the years, but"-

"Aw shoot, Trixie," Applejack spoke up and hoofed the mare in the shoulder, albeit none-to-gently. "Ah know ya'll don't care much fer embarrassment."

"As I'm sure you don't either, Applejack," Trixie replied rather sharply before continuing. "I was going to say that while my list of fears has gotten shorter the older I've gotten, but what remains on it...those are certainly still in the back of my mind. And yes, Applejack, public humiliation is up there, as is betrayal and death, but surely you share those same fears as well?" she asked with a bit of a biting tone that put Volare a bit on edge before Grannysmith broke the tension with a cackling laugh.

"Hahahaha, well, ya'll definitely don't fear mah granddaughter much, that's fer sure," she chuckled as Trixie shot Applejack a sidelong smirk that the farm mare returned with a soft growl and a shove under the table, to which Trixie responded by magically flipping Applejack's mane into her eyes. "An' ya'll are purdy good at magic. How'd ya'll get so good, anyways?"

"Oh, it's not much of a tale to tell, honestly," Trixie waved a hoof, this time rather sincerely, but Applejack pressed forward with a smirk of her own.

"C'mon, why dontcha tell us how ya'll came ta be called Tha Great an' Powerful Trixie, eh?" the farm mare chuckled, and it seemed to Volare like Trixie winced at the recitation of that name.

"Please don't call me that, Applejack," she said almost emotionlessly, and her tone caught the farm pony and everypony else in the room off-guard. "That name is...was...just...let me leave that behind me for now, alright?"

"Whatcha mean, sugarcube?" Applejack tilted her head curiously, calling the Unicorn by her universal pet-name for everypony for the first time. Something about her tone was...the mare couldn't believe she was feeling this, but it she felt concern for the magician who up until this point Applejack still viewed as rather haughty.

"What I mean is...that's just a showname I gave myself," Trixie explained tersely. "I'm no longer in show-business, therefore I don't feel I need the moniker." She paused for a moment of thought before speaking again. "And in truth, I don't feel like I deserve it much either." Her answered floored Applejack; she figured if Trixie was anywhere in a dictionary she would have been as far away from the word "modest" as possible. And yet, unless her ears were deceiving her, the Unicorn had just humbled herself before everypony in the room.

"Aww, come on Trix, I think your magic is pretty awesome," Scootaloo spoke up with an encouraging grin, which Trixie met with a small smile of her own. "I mean, it's not as great as Twilight's but still"-

"That's the point though, Scootaloo," the magician sighed. "I'm not the greatest and most powerful...tch, now that I look back on it...I see now how foolish I appeared," she wiped her nose with a napkin and passed her glance about the room. "But, I suppose you'd all like to know how I got the name? I warn you, it's not a very enlightening story, nor a very flattering one," she chuckled wryly. "But if you wish...I guess I'll tell you, if anything to just get this damn thing off my chest."

"I didn't have much growing up. Mother and Father worked in a travelling circus of all things, and when I was born, they took me with them, so you could say I've eaten, lived, and slept showbiz since before I knew anything better existed in the world," she rolled her eyes. "Well, I honed my magical skills as best as I could, but I could never get past anything other than simple parlor tricks, which for the life of a circus mare, wasn't necessarily bad...I did feel that there had to to be something better for me out there, though. One day when I was around 10 or so, the circus came to Canterlot, and while there, I was allowed to tour the city and "get some culture" as my father put it.

"Well, I was wandering the city like any wide-eyed young filly would: totally lost in the moment, when I happened upon Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I thought: hey, I'm kinda gifted, maybe I should check it out!" she chuckled at the memory before continuing on. "As I was trotting through the halls, I lost my sense of direction while staring up at the stained glass windows that depicted the great Unicorns that had come through the school over the centuries, and I bumped into a table stacked high with what I can only assume was priceless pottery...I say "was" because the majority of it toppled over and as I was still very young, I only managed to catch two or three pieces with my magic...the rest shattered all over the floor and drew the attention of one of the Royal Guards stationed there.

"I'll have you know I was one terrified little blue Unicorn! I thought I was done, that I'd be tarred, feathered, and run out of town," the Unicorn glanced at Applejack who couldn't help but smirk at the mental image that brought her. "But to my surprise, the Guard didn't do that, though he did march me down the hall, still carrying the pieces of pottery I'd caught, and right to the Head-Mistress's Office..."

"Ya'll don't mean..." Applebloom gasped in shock at the implication.

"Yes, I do mean," Trixie nodded. "Princess Celestia herself. I nearly died from fright as she looked down at me while the Guard explained what had just happened. I thought: no, tarring and feathering is too good for you, Trixie! Oh no, no, no, child, your goose is beyond cooked! But again, to my surprise, instead of sending me to the moon or something crazy like that, Celestia simply...laughed. She pointed out that it was rather silly of whoever it was to stack pottery like that, and besides, I'd done my best to save what I could, which was rather great and powerful for so young a filly...and that was when it started, you could say.

"Celestia asked me to stay in Canterlot to study further at the school, but when I told my parents, they shunned me," the magician frowned at the memory. "Father told me I was wasting my time, that I'd never be 'great and powerful', while mother just laughed. They said that the circus was the best thing for a Unicorn like me, but if I didn't think so to just go back to the school...they had no problem leaving me behind and having another filly or colt."

"So what did you do?" Scootaloo asked with wide eyes, to which Trixie gave her a small smile.

"Well...as best as I can remember, I told my parents off, and father chased me out of the circus area, telling me to never come back, that I wasn't fit to be his daughter," she scowled and her hoof pressed a dent into the table as she spoke. "I said: you know what, you're right! I'm not fit to be your daughter cuz I'm better than that! And so, without any other real place to go, I went back to the School, told Celestia what had happened, and she welcomed me in. I'm not going to lie, those first few nights without my parents near me scared me to death, but I then remembered why I came back there in the first place, and I soon decided they weren't worth wasting any more time or emotions on.

"I soon enrolled in the classes there, and things went very well for a good long time. I worked under Celestia herself for a number of years, but after a while...well...she seemed to be distracted by another pony of even greater potential than I. I heard rumors of what she was capable of, but I never did meet her in person for the rest of the time that I was there," Volare suppressed a quick gasp of realization...he knew who she was talking about, but did she?

"I just...couldn't understand why I'd been left behind like that, and I did my best to advance and get better, hoping to win back Celestia's favor. But then I hit a wall, or a ceiling, rather. I reached a level of magic I couldn't surpass, try as I might; I got so frustrated that I lashed out at my own teachers, leaving me to educate myself, and Luna knows that didn't turn out well. I even gave myself this on accident while trying to deconstruct and reconstruct a brick wall in record time, hoping that such a trick would gain me the attention I craved," she pointed a hoof to a shallow, healed crack near the base of horn.

"I did it to hone my dexterity, but I just never could get it done fast enough to break that record. And the day in which this happened," she gestured at the scar, "I decided that the time had come to just...move on. If I couldn't move up any higher in skill, then I'd broaden my horizons instead. So I left the school at the age of 19, but I quickly found out that nopony has much use for a Unicorn that only half-learned her studies, you see. So, I turned back to the very life that I'd sworn off for years: showbiz," she spat the last word in disgust. "It was then that I readopted the description that Celestia had used for me the first day I'd met her, and made it my own: The Great and Powerful Trixie.

"It wasn't fun, it wasn't pretty, and the times between which I had to hide my shortcomings with illusions, smoke, and mirrors grew shorter and shorter as I constantly tried to one-up myself, constantly pushing myself to be the 'most magical Unicorn in all of Equestria', or so I eventually deemed myself in my denial in order to cover up my failures. My attitude grew worse and worse to the point that any friends I'd made in the School halted contact with me, and even the bartender in Canterlot grew tired of my self-pity. And so, seeing that I was no longer wanted in Canterlot, I began to travel around Equestria, picking up enough bits along the way to fabricate my shows. I'd stay in one town until I felt the heat on me, then I'd move to the next before anypony knew any better.

"That went on for years until I was 25, and then came the night of the Ursa Minor Incident in Ponyville...I believe you all know about that," she chanced a wincing glance at Applejack, but to her surprise, the farm pony only nodded solemnly before twirling a hoof for her to continue. "Then, as you all know, I was absolutely humiliated as the lies I'd built up to cover my own insecurities finally caught up to me, and Twilight Sparkle exposed me for the fraud I was," she took a long drink from her mug of cider, as if to wash down the bad taste of the memory before continuing. "It was when she hefted that Ursa over her head that I realized who it was that Celestia had currently chosen to teach; who it was that, at the time, I'd thought was the cause for all the problems in my life, when in reality it was my own craving for attention and lack of patience that caused that. But I was too scared, angry, and embarrassed to care, and I fled into the Everfree Forest, my resolve to improve my magic beyond my current levels incensed like never before, if only so I might one day return and show Twilight who the real master of magic was...damn, what a fool I was," she slammed a hoof down on the table, startling everypony present.

"Then the situation with Ray and Jill happened and if I'd just seen that they were playing me for a fool, I wouldn't be in this situation right now," she turned to Scootaloo and Volare with a sad grimace as she stood up. "And you two wouldn't have been hurt like that...and the Griffon wouldn't have been demolished...and the Ponyville Inn wouldn't have been burned...dammit, this is all my fault in some way or another!" her voice cracked and she squeezed her eyes shut, hung her head, and sobbed, at this point not having enough pride left to care that she was in a room full of ponies who were all staring at her in solemn silence. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm so damn sorry..."

Trixie heard a chair grate backwards on the floor, though she didn't know whose it was, as well as the hoofsteps approaching her, but she didn't look up until she felt a warm, strong pair of hooves wrap themselves around her neck, and a voice with a southern twang said: "if that ain't tha most honest, humblin' story Ah've ever heard," she looked up to see that the pony hugging her was none other than Applejack. "Then Ah don't know what is, sugarcube." The orange pony's green eyes were slick with tears as she gave her a gentle smile, while Volare could do nothing more than just sit there and watch, afraid he'd shatter this precious moment like so much priceless pottery if he said anything. "Ah'm sorreh Ah gave ya such a hard time before." She crushed Trixie to herself again and simply held her for a long moment before releasing her, grabbing a napkin, and hoofing it to the magician so she could at least wipe her nose and retain a little pride.

"Th-thank you, Applejack," Trixie wiped her eyes and blew her nose into the napkin before heaving a deep sigh and looking the farm pony in the face. "It's much appreciated."

"Feel better, sugarcube?"

"Much, yes," the Unicorn nodded before chuckling to herself. "Heh-heh, imagine if Twilight were here...she'd never let me live this down."

"Nah, she'll never have ta find out if ya'll don't want it ta leave this room," Applejack spat into her hoof and held it out. "An' on mah honor as an Earth Pony, ah promise ta cutcha alot more slack in tha future."

"Yech...do I have to spit in my hoof, or can I least wash it afterwards?" Trixie grimaced while Applebloom and Scootaloo giggled.

"Well, o' course," Applejack said matter-of-factly. Satisfied, Trixie made do with grasping the mare's hoof before rushing into the kitchen to wash it off. "Ah swear, she's almost as bad as Rarity when it comes ta bein' all froo-frooey an' proper...must be a Unicorn thing."

"I'm not as froo-froo as you might think!" Trixie called out over the running water. "I did agree to help rebuild the Griffon once the supplies get here, after all," she declared, trotting back into the dining room, hooves now sans saliva.

"Do ya'll know anythin' about buildings, Ms. Trixie?" Big Macintosh spoke up.

"Well, besides speed-stacking bricks...I'm afraid not," the mare shrugged and blushed.

"Heh, good thing mah brother here knows a thing er two about that sorta thing, seein' as how he helped build tha cow barn down south of tha orchard a few years back," Applejack thumped her brother's barrel chest with a proud hoof and grinned. "So, if'n ya'll are gonna help fix tha place, Big Mac can help...if he ever finishes north orchard harvest afore winter shows up," she smirked to which he simply snorted.

"Ah'll get'er done, dontcha worry, AJ," the stallion drawled. "An' eeeyup, Ah'll certainly help give Ms. Trixie some pointers on how ta fix tha restaurant, which Ah must say Ah'm mighty impressed that she volunteered ta fix her own mess," he gave the Unicorn a warm smile.

"Well, trust me, it wasn't me that came up with the idea, it was him," she pointed a hoof at Volare, who modestly scuffed the floor with a hoof. "He organized it all."

"An' thus we come full circle here," Grannysmith spoke up for the first time in a good while. "Cuz of you darlin' all these things are now in motion; ya'll must feel mighty proud, eh?"

"Nah, just doing what I can with what I've got, which after billing Trixie out of the hospital isn't too terribly much left," he chuckled dryly.

"So then what's tha next step, sugarcube?" Applejack queried.

"I think that one's pretty obvious, AJ," the Pegasus flexed his wings. "I gotta get airborne, learn how to really be a Pegasus, and, probably get a job with weather patrol or something," he trailed off, deciding not to jump the gun on what he planned to do about Rainbow Dash when she returned in less than two days; he really would like to surprise her...but at this rate, he wasn't sure if there was enough time.

"So why ain'tcha flyin' then, hmm?" Grannysmith asked.

"Hmm, whatcha mean, ma'am?" the Pegasus looked up from poking at a piece of pie he had eyed on the table and was contemplating eating in frustration. All this stress is making me fat, that's why I'm not flying, Grannysmith...hahaha, very funny, Volare...

"Heh, ya'll say ya know about pony magic an' how it works, right? How it's all based on confidence in yerself," she leaned across the table and pointed a wrinkly hoof at Trixie for a moment. "Now, ya'll might wanna listen to this too, child, cuz although ya seem alot further along than Volare, Ah reckon ya'll are closer than ya realize."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Grannysmith," the magician cocked her head. "Do please explain." With a sigh and a mutter of a chuckle under her breath, the elderly mare spoke words that nearly knocked Trixie and Volare out of their chairs.

"When's tha last time ya'll had a good buck?" she asked matter-of-factly with a faint smile. "It'd release alot o' tension ta have one an' help ya'll getcha ta where ya need ta be...hrm, maybe ya'll could even help each other out, if'n ya know what Ah mean, heh-heh-heh."

WTF?! was all Volare's mind could scream, as his jaw had dropped open with so much force as to render him speechless. He could only imagine what was going through Trixie's head at the moment, but by the look in her dilated eyes and the quick sidelong glance of what the hell she shot him, it was probably along the same lines as himself. Hey, whaddya know, Grannysmith was right; we are alot alike...god help me... The pilot didn't understand how the other ponies in the room could just sit by and smile like they hadn't just heard what he knew they'd just heard, but there they sat anyways, smiling in anticipation of their answer; even Applebloom...holy hell...Scootaloo!

"U-um, excuse me?" the magician was the first to finally find her voice, though a nervous sweat continued to bead her forehead. "The last time we had a good what now?"

"Ya know, a good buck," Applejack replied with a grin. "Can't go long without havin' one sugarcube, er else most ponies just don't work to their potential. Why, just tha other day, Ah got mahself a great buck an' harvested half tha Southeast field by mahself," she declared, though Trixie and Volare still wore rather thunderstruck expressions which Applejack mistook for skepticism and she turned to her brother. "Hey Big Macintosh?"

"Eeyup?" the large pony looked up from the mug of cider he'd been nursing while keeping an ear on the conversation.

"When's tha last time ya'll had a good buck?"

"Hmmm...Ah reckon just last week, but Ah ain't had a good once since," he gave a small, rumbling chuckle to which Applejack replied by flinging a piece of cauliflower at him that bounced off his nose and caused him to let out a small sneeze which got the entire room laughing...all except for the two blue ponies, of course, who were still halfway between confusion and revulsion that they'd talk about something like this at the dinner table, and in front of the foals, for crying out loud!

"Well, that'd explain why ya'll are so far behind on yer end o' tha harvest," Applejack smirked before Applebloom spoke up.

"Oooh, ohh, can Ah tell'em mah buck story, please AJ?" the filly's innocent question caused Volare's jaw to somehow dangle even closer to the floor than before, while Trixie's head involuntarily slammed onto the table before jerking back up to stare at Applebloom. What in Tartarus was going on at this damned farm?!

"Heh, sure thing sugarcube," Applejack mussed her mane.

"Well, it was just yesterday at school actually, an' it came when Ms. Cheerilee gave me a"-

"OK, OK, I think I've heard about just enough," Trixie clacked her cider mug on the table, thankfully sparing Volare's ears and conscience of...whatever was about to be said!

"Aww, Ah didn't get ta tell mah buck story; an' it happened just a few minutes ago at the table," Grannysmith muttered, looking a bit crestfallen. "Hope Ah don't forget what it was, bein' mah mind ain't as sharp as it used ta be."
OH DEAR GAWD! Volare's mind screamed as Trixie simply stared at the old mare. But-what-how could she-?!

"Hey bro," Scootaloo nudged her brother with a hoof. "Is it ok if I tell mine before we stop, even though you already know it, please?" Volare's mind just about shattered into a billion pieces at his little sister's question, and it took every bit of willpower he possessed not to recoil from her touch or faint dead away in shock. "It happened with you, bro; don't you remember?"

"W-whatcha mean, Scoots?" Volare stammered, trying not to meet Trixie's eyes which were full of growing disgust. "I-I swear, it's not what it sounds like, Trixie; honest! Right, Scoots?" he looked back at the filly in desperation, knowing that the magician seemed to have taken a liking to his sister. But if she thought he was...dear Jesus, help me, she's gonna kill me!!

"Well then, do explain why it's not what it looks like, Scootaloo," Trixie glared at the Pegasus. "And please do so quickly," the Unicorn none-too-subtly placed herself between the two Pegasi as she spoke. The Apple Family sensed the sudden souring of the mood in the room, and Applejack moved quickly to intercede before things went further south.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, sugarcube, what's tha matter with ya?" the orange mare placed a hoof on Trixie's shoulder to calm her, but the magician merely shrugged it off and glared at everypony else in the room.

"You know, I may be rather out of practice when it comes to socialization, but even I have standards when it comes to moral values, believe it or not; and quite frankly, you all disgust me. And that goes double for you, Volare; I knew you loved your sister, but...that's just revolting," she growled lightly, causing Big Mac's hair to rise on his hackles; he wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he knew the power of Trixie when she lost herself the other day, and he did not want that happening in his own home!

"Sugarcube, Ah don't understand," Applejack tried to be patient. "What'd we do wrong?" She looked to Volare for help, but he wore a mask of helpless mortification as he looked to her for answers.

"Wrong!? You call me deceptive and then have the gall to give us all a nice dinner, change the subject to that, and then stand there and ask me with a straight face what you're doing that's wrong?!" Trixie's voice rose and she narrowed her violet eyes at Applejack. "You all make me sick...I'd rather go sleep out in the storm then spend another moment in your presence," with a final swig of her cider, the blue magician whirled and stalked out the door, leaving the entire dining room ringing with stunned silence that was finally broke as Scootaloo sprinted after her and reached her just as she was grabbing for her hat and cape.

"Trixie, come back!" the filly begged.

"Please let go of me, Scootaloo," Trixie snorted, unable to meet her eyes as the filly grabbed her hoof pleadingly. "I know it's probably not your fault," she shot a nasty glance towards Volare, who was silently standing in the door. "And I don't know what the bloody social norms are around here anymore, but I don't think I can stay here any longer and feel like I'm doing the right thing...I'd rather go back to living alone if this is how Equestria feels is the right way to treat their children."

"But I don't understand," the filly replied, tears in her eyes; everything had been so happy and going so well and then...and then this! "We were just talking about buck, that's all!"

"I know, and judging from Volare's reaction, he knows exactly what I think you're talking about," Trixie wiped her mouth in disgust and plunked her hat on her head. "Now, I won't blame you if you go back to him, but if you wanna come with me, I'll figure out a way to get you some help, kid."

"But I don't need help! My bro loves me," Scootaloo cried, nuzzling Trixie's shoulder.

"No he does not, Scootaloo," the magician replied with a sigh. "Not if he does that to you."

"Does what to me?" the filly cocked her head, and it was the very tone of her voice that made the Unicorn pause in her trek to the front door and regard her with a curious look. "He hasn't done anything except hang out with me and save my flank from bullies and Ray and Jill."

"Then what's this buck you said you had with him?" Trixie asked, looking up at Volare for an answer, but to her surprise, he merely shrugged; and judging by the pained expression on his face, he was seemed sincerely confused.

"I had it when I was up in the tree when Ray and Jill attacked us," the filly replied with a straight face.
Ok, now Trixie was confused.

"Huh?" she managed to utter before Grannysmith called out to the pair.

"Youngin's, please come back in here," the elderly mare pleaded. "Ah think there might be some sorta misunderstandin' here." Almost reluctantly, Trixie allowed herself to be lead back into the kitchen, where she looked to the grandmother figure for an answer, as did Volare, albeit he did it more in the air of hopeful vindication than simple curiosity. "Ah just realized somethin': Volare, ya'll ain't from Equestria, and Trixie here doesn't sound like she knows what we're talkin' about, maybe cuz she's been isolated for a good portion of her life; no offense, dearie."

"Oh none taken, I think. But please explain why that matters here, " the magician stood her ground next to Volare by the door, ready to leave if the answer wasn't to her liking.

"What Ah mean is ya'll may not be up ta snuff on Equestrian slang, 'specially among us country folk," her somewhat embarrassed answer stunned Volare and Trixie, who both looked to Applejack and Big Mac, but the stallion simply nodded, while a blush ran into Applejack's face, quite possibly because she thought she knew what they might have misunderstood their slang to mean. "Tha word buck has lotsa meanins dependin' on where ya go in this world, an' the local expression can sometimes confuse out o' towners like yerself. What did ya think we meant, youngin's?" Grannysmith asked them in a kindly manner. Volare glanced sideways at Trixie, but the mare shook her head, her cheeks flushed in mortification. What if they really hadn't meant...and then she went and made a scene because of...oh sweet Luna...

"Ahem, well-uh," Trixie stammered, jabbing Volare in the ribs with her elbow instead. She looked at him, and he cocked an eyebrow before she made a subtly suggestive twirl of her hoof coupled with a questioning raise of her own eyebrows that he met with a small nod and a gulp. Oh yeah, they both had thought the same thing. With that settled, the Pegasus sighed, and spoke up.

"Well, um...ok, please don't get mad, but," he halted, unsure of how to put it without offending somepony, but when he realized there was no way to convey why they acted that way if he sugar-coated it, he shut his eyes and did his best: "We thought you were talking about, well...let's just say it rhymes with a certain word where I'm from and...that particular words refers primarily to"-

"Oooh, I think I know," Scootaloo declared with a grin. "He's talking about that one word he told me not to use: fu-mmmph!" she mumbled through her brother's hoof, who'd reached across the table just in time to stop her.

"Oh for hoof's sake, Volare," Trixie rolled her eyes. "We thought it was a euphemism for sex, ok?" Her explanation drew and even greater stunned silence than her outburst earlier, and this one lasted so long that as artistically challenged as Volare considered himself, he likely could have painted a picture of the frozen ponies in the room before Grannysmith broke it with a long, loud cackling laugh.

"Oh-hohoho-hahahaha-hee-hee-hee, no, no, no dearies," she wiped a tear from her eye and continued to laugh. "Ha-ha, that ain't what we meant at all; buck ain't been used like that since Ah was a little filly," she shook her head as she chuckled, beckoning the two blue ponies to take a seat, which they obediently did, feeling like the biggest fools on the face of the planet as Grannysmith explained that in this sense, the word buck in Equestria was used to mean an extra "kick" added to something, just like the action of a pony bucking at something. That extra kick could be used in insult, praise, or even to mean what they meant here; it all came down to tone and subject usage, and the elderly mare admitted they weren't the first she'd had to explain that to, although it had been years since she had to, so please forgive her for forgetting.
"An' just ta between you an me," she leaned across the table as she spoke in what she thought was a whisper, though being hard of hearing, was more like a dull shout. "This here apple quit bein' juicy 'bout 50 years ago, so ta insinuate that Ah'd be able ta do that anymore would just be crazy, heh-heh-heh!"

"Grannysmith, not at tha dinner table!" Applejack chided her rather ironically. "An' we can all hear ya."

"Oops, 'scuse me child," the elderly mare chuckled, oblivious to the somewhat horrified expressions on the older ponies' faces that thankfully left Scootaloo and Applebloom scratching their manes in confusion.
Thank gawd, Volare thought with relief...but then that made him think of raisins...apple raisins... Things that make ya go b-u-u-uh, he shuddered.

"Anyways, where was Ah," Grannysmith pondered for a moment before finding her spot again. "Oh yeah, when we said buck here, we meant that somethin' that'd give ya an extra "kick" ta get over tha hump and help ya finish a task ya probably couldn't without it. It's just a local term fer inspiration afore somethin' tough."

"Mhm, that's right; mah buck with Ms. Cheerilee was her tellin' me not ta get worried about that test, and trust mah gut if Ah didn't know tha answer...an' Ah got an A," Applebloom concurred with a grin.

"Mah buck was thinkin' about all them ponies that'd go hungry if'n Ah didn't get those apples harvested," Applejack explained before looking to her brother.

"Mah buck was Grannysmith's apple pies," Big Mac admitted with a small smirk, receiving a swat and a chuckle from Grannysmith.

"My buck was not wanting you to die, bro, cuz you'd helped me so much," Scootaloo leaned against Volare, and he reflexively wrapped a wing around her and held her closely. "And cuz I love ya, heh-heh."
Stop making my heart explode, Scoots!

"I...sorry for assuming something like that," Volare said, though he was unable to give them a better explanation than that. Curse you, dark side of the brony fandom!

"I apologize as well, both for my mis-assumption and my outburst," Trixie hung her head for a moment. "I'm sorry I ruined dinner."

"Nah, ya'll just gave us a chance ta digest an' make room fer dessert," Grannysmith smiled, waving it off as no big deal. "Besides, now that ya'll know what this sorta "buck" is, ya can start lookin' for it."

"But how do we find this...buck?" Trixie cocked her head. "What does it entail?"

"Oh, it ain't nothin' in particular," Grannysmith replied with encompassing wave of her hoof. "Could be anythin', really. Heck, did ya'll know Ah get mah buck from talking ta jars and paintin' spots on the wall afore Ah make Zap-Apple Jam?" she cackled. "Kinda silly, eh? But ya know what: it works."

"Mhm, that jam is amazing!" Applebloom licked her lips and grinned.

"Eeyup," Big Mac nodded.

"So it could be anything, eh?" Trixie rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Fer tha most part, yeah, but there's one thing about it ya'll should know afore ya start lookin' for it, an' Ah think that's why ya'll got stopped where ya were, darlin'," Grannysmith frowned. "As ya know, pony magic comes from friendship, relationships, things like that...it's funny cuz buck works kinda tha same way: it's hard ta get good buck from self-motivation; alota times, it comes from somepony or somethin' else," she leaned across the table and patted Trixie's hoof comfortingly. "An' when ya told yer story about how ya tried ta hoof it alone, and how ya'll got stuck and frustrated...Ah decided Ah had ta say somethin," she glanced between the two blue ponies and continued.
"That's what Ah meant about havin' mah own buck a few minutes ago. Mah buck happened when Ah was hearin' tha stories of how ya'll can't quit get over the top o' that hill in whatcha'll are doin," Grannysmith said with a warm smile. "Trixie who just couldn't get any better so she practically gave up fer a while, an' Volare who, despite knowin' all he needs ta know about flyin', still ain't. That's why Ah asked if ya'll had had any good buck-any inspiration-lately."

"I...think I see now," Trixie conceded. "Buck comes from outside inspiration, right?"

"That's right, sugarcube," Applejack grinned and hoofed her lightly. "An' since buck an' magic go hoof-in-hoof with each other, they kinda play by tha same rules, where we draw strength from others. Ah mean, that's what me, an Twi, an tha others do: when we're in a tough spot, we do what we do fer each other and everypony else in Ponyville. We toss out our fear fer ourselves and fight fer our friends. When we're separated from other ponies fer a long time...well..." she trailed off hesitantly.

"Things don't turn out well...things like me happen," Trixie finished her statement with a sigh. "Huh...I guess in retrospect I've never really had any real buck besides the desire to better myself," she admitted.

"An' Ah reckon that's what limited ya, or fer tha most part made gettin' better alot tougher," Grannysmith. "Ah mean, a pony can motivate themselves, but it'd take an awful amount o' willpower an' time, usually longer than we're granted in this life."

"No man is an island, entire of itself," Volare suddenly thought out loud, drawing strange looks. "I mean, it makes sense for ponies too, in that when humans are separated from each other, they can't thrive and improve; in fact, the opposite often happens...no offense, Trixie."

"None taken; as said, I admit my shortcomings there," the magician conceded. "I guess that also explains why I acted the way I did: I feared failure and rejection so badly that I lied to cover up my weaknesses...heh, no wonder I never got any better, since I was too scared to trust myself to improve after I hurt myself."

"Maybe you just needed the right help, right Trixie?" Scootaloo suggested.

"Indeed, child," the mare nodded. "I just hope Twilight can help..."

"Heh, if anypony can educate ya in magic, it'd be Twi," Applejack chuckled. "Just trust yerself, don't be scared, an' you'll be fine," she looked over as she noticed Volare chuckling to himself, and she fixed him with a curious smirk. "An' just what's so funny, sugarcube?"

"Oh, what you said about not being scared," the pilot chuckled again and shook his head. "I guess that explains why Pinkie can do what she does."

"Now Volare, if'n ya'll gimme a headache, so help me Ah'll show ya tha other bit o' buck we do round these parts," Applejack smirked and flexed a hoof semi-threateningly. "An' trust me, ya'll won't mistake it fer anythin' else."

"Just here me out AJ," Volare replied. "Ok, you know how the potential of pony magic involves strength of will, which is bettered by self-confidence and lack of doubt and fear, right?"

"That's right," the orange mare nodded.

"Well, you also know how Pinkie sang that one song about laughing at what she's scared of?"

"Mhm, Ah remember...wait, did she tell ya'll about that cuz if she did, it weren't in front of me," Applejack cocked an eyebrow.

Agh, crap...well, not that she'll know any better...
"Yep, she mentioned it to me over at Fluttershy's a while back," he brushed over the subject quickly and continued. "Basically, she said to laugh at what you're afraid of, right? Well, what's she always doing? Grinning and laughing...therefore, it would make sense to say that Pinkie has next to no fear...or doubt...loads of self-confidence...see where I'm going with this, AJ?" it was Volare's turn to smirk as the farm's pony's eyes grew wide while she put to and two together. "Wouldn't it make sense to say that Pinkie's magic potential is virtually unlimited?"

"Yeah...gosh, never thought of it that way," Applejack shook her head in amazement. "Still don't explain how she pops outta everyplace under tha sun, though."

"Maybe she just breaks the laws of reality?" Volare suggested.

"...ya'll are nuttier'n squirrel pies, pardner," Applejack slapped the table with a hoof and laughed, as did everypony else for a good long moment at Volare's expense. But as he saw even Trixie joining in, he let it roll off his back and simply shrugged.

"Or it could just be Pinkie being Pinkie," he chuckled before Grannysmith glanced up at the clock and tapped her cider mug to calm everypony down again, with Big Macintosh snorting loudly in assistance.

"Thankee kindly, Big Mac," the elderly mare nodded and spoke up. "Well this has been fun darlins, but neither Ah nor tha night are as young as we used ta be, so Ah suggest we start spoolin' it up here," she looked to Trixie and smiled. "Ms. Trixie, Ah reckon ya have so much potential ta be had; just gotta find that buck ta getcha there; whatever it may be. You'll know it cuz you'll feel it in here," she placed a hoof against her own chest. "An' remember: it don't matter what it is, be it books, music, friends, er what-have-ya, or if anypony else thinks it's foolish. What matters is what yer buck means ta you and you alone, cuz it's as different fer everypony as cutie marks can be," she grunted and stood up on shaky legs, grabbing her walker and leaning upon it as she caught her breath and chuckled.
"Heh-heh, hopefully ya'll figure out what inspires ya afore ya get as old as me; cuz buck'll only take ya so far if'n yer body's too beat ta use it." She smiled fondly at Volare. "As fer yourself, Volare, ya obviously have all tha knowledge ya need ta get back in tha air; now ya just gotta figure out how ta put it all together, otherwise, it ain't more than hot air an' scribbles on paper. It was nice meetin' you two. Night, ya'll," she waved a hoof and made her way towards her bedroom while the remaining ponies cleaned up the kitchen and dining room.

"Aww, but I don't wanna go to bed yet," Scootaloo pointed at the clock when Applejack mentioned the time once the task was done. "It's only 9 and tomorrow's Saturday; can I stay up a little longer, Volare?" she gave him the puppy eyes she knew he couldn't resist.

"Hmm, I dunno," the blue Pegasus gave her a squinty look. "What did ya have in mind if we stayed up longer, Scoots?"

"Umm...oh, you could play some of your music," she suggested, and this got Trixie's attention.

"Yes, I'd like to hear some of this as well," the magician declared. "I mean, after all, you do somewhat owe it to me for using it to help Octavia pummel me with her cello bows."

"Since when do I owe you anything like that, Trix?" the Pegasus chuckled before the Unicorn levitated his saddlebag over to herself and held it up.

"Oh, so then you wouldn't care if I tossed this out in the rain, since you're not interested in using the equipment in it?" she nodded towards the storm lashing the windows outside.

"Um, yeah, I do care," the pilot reached for the bag, but she levitated it higher than he could reach. "C'mon Trix, knock it off!" he jumped but she held it up like some evil pinata operator.

"Ooh, you nearly had it Volare. Perhaps if you had some buck, you could fly up there and-oof-hey, gerrofa me!" Trixie growled playfully as Applebloom tackled her while Scootaloo jumped up and jammed her hat down over her eyes. "Who turned out the lights?"

"Our buck is helpin' Volare!" Applebloom declared with a giggle.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo shouted as she tickled the magician mercilessly. After several moments of horsing around, Big Mac shooshed them somewhat, telling them that Grannysmith was already asleep.

"Heh, will do, Big Mac," Volare nodded and Trixie hoofed him the saddlebag. He looked inside to make sure nothing was broken before looking up at the expectant faces of the ponies in front of him, and he snorted softly. "Big Mac, do you mind if we play some music before bed?"

"'S'all right with me Volare," the red pony nodded. "Jus' don't get too loud." With that, Big Mac led the others into the front living room and turned on the lights, while Volare set up the speakerbox and set it to 2 before picking up the earbuds and placing one in in his ear.

"Well, let's see...since we're in more of a country setting here, you mind if I play some music befitting it?"

"Seein' as how ya'll said ya were raised southern, right?" Applejack laughed.

"Ex-actly," Volare mimicked her with a smile.

"Aww, no rock?" Scootaloo pouted. "But country's not as fun as rock."

"Is to; in fact Ah say it's better," Applebloom smirked, receiving a raspberry from her friends before Big Mac settled himself between the two like a great red hill to prevent another argument before nodding his consent to Volare. Trixie sat down next to Scootaloo and looked to Volare, patiently awaiting what he'd play.

"Hold on a sec, sugarcube," Applejack held up a hoof and ran out of the room, returning with a well-worn fiddle and bow that she held up with a hoof. "Ah'll play along if Ah can."

"Oh-ho, think you can fiddle, eh Applejack?" Volare smirked, and the farm pony returned it with a fierce grin.

"Ya'll better believe it," she grasped the bow in her teeth and nodded.

"Well, in that case...I think I know how to start this little session off," and with that, he popped in the other earbud, and began...

"Aww, that ain't fair," Applejack laughed, stomping the hardwood floor as she did so. "Ah ain't that good, sugarcube."

"Ok, ok, so maybe I sat the bar a little too high-ow," he rubbed his head as Applejack whapped him playfully with her fiddle-bow. "I'll tone it down for this one...I may not be from the place this next one sings about, but I think we can all relate about wanting to go home where we're comfortable..."

"You got a place you wanna go back home to, Trixie?" Scootaloo leaned into the magician, who smiled sadly.

"No, unfortunately, since I traveled all over the place, I never really stayed in any place long enough to call it home, Scootaloo."

"Hmm...maybe you can live in Ponyville, huh?" the Pegasus filly suggested with a hopeful grin. The magician chuckled and mussed her mane fondly; her spunky, friendly nature was infectious, she'd give her that.

"We'll see," Trixie nodded and turned back to the two playing ponies, with Applejack commenting that the song made her appreciate home that much more.

"Oh, I've got an even better one than that, if respecting where you come from is what you're looking for..."

"Woo-ee, that one was good, sugarcube, but ya got anythin' just a little bit faster-paced?" Applejack gave her a cocky grin.

"What, that fiddling song wasn't enough of a whuppin' for ya, AJ?" Volare chuckled, the relaxed atmosphere causing him to fall back into a country accent he hadn't used much since he left South Texas.

"Ah think Ah can handle just about anythin' after that," the farm mare waggled her eyebrows and smirked, causing the pilot to give her a dramatically skeptical look.

"Is that so...well, I know a song that...well, if you can keep up with it, I'll crown you the queen of country," the Pegasus smirked.

"Or the fool of fiddling," Trixie suggested, and Applejack squinted at the magician, tossed her mane back over her shoulder, and looked back at Volare.

"Bring it on, sugarcube!"

"You asked for it, AJ..."

It wasn't fair to say that Applejack couldn't keep up, as the fiddle-bowstring she was sawing with snapped about 3/4 of the way through the song, but by the frustrated look on her face and her gasping breath, Volare could tell she had been nearing her limit. "Shoot," the farm mare shook her head at her broken string and chuckled. "Ah ain't never heard a song like that afore," she laid the fiddle up against the wall with all the care of a mother cradling a baby before conceding defeat. "Ah've had it fer the night anyway...by tha way, what kinda instruments were those?"

"Hmm, they were an acoustic guitar and a banjo," Volare replied, but Applejack merely cocked her head at the strange words.

"Acoustic an' banjos?" she repeated the titles thoughtfully before shaking her head once. "Ain't ever heard er seen'em before."

"Seriously?" the Pegasus asked, but then remembered what a certain lavender Unicorn had said earlier. "Huh, Twilight said the same thing, probably because you guys don't have fingers to pluck the strings with."

"Well, duh-obviously," Scootaloo rolled her eyes, though Volare could tell that despite her earlier protest, she seemed to be enjoying herself nonetheless.

"It would explain why the only stringed instruments ponies have are played with bows, though," Trixie offered insightfully.

"Not even the country ponies have heard or seen them...interesting," Volare muttered and re-filed those thoughts yet again. "Well, would you like to hear more of the same?" At their enthusiastic nods, the blue Pegasus smiled, replaced the earbud, and focused on one of his favorite music artists, if not for his voice, then for the meaningful music he sang...

"I'm glad you don't, bro," Scootaloo said as the song ended.

"Huh, whatcha mean, Scoots?"

"That you don't back down, cuz we wouldn't be here if you didn't," she declared with a grin. "Heh, I guess none of us would, even Trix here," she nudged the Unicorn who merely chuckled lightly and patted her on the head.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't use myself as a great example of what to do, determined or not," Trixie chuckled in a self-deprecating fashion, if anything to hide the pained twinge she felt in her chest at that admission. Seeing the bit of pain in her eyes, Volare spoke up.

"Well, I will say this, Trixie: you've got a long way to go to get back to wherever you wanna be, and so do I, but we've got one thing in common," he pumped his hoof and smiled. "We don't give up easy...this is the last song of the night folks, cuz I'm about beat, but...I think it goes pretty well with what we talked about tonight: finding your buck. I dedicate this to Trixie, for being proud of her for refusing to quit, and for taking her first of many steps up from the ashes of rock bottom..."

Volare saw, but didn't think it wise to interrupt, as Trixie suddenly became overcome with emotion towards the end of the song, stood up, smiled her thanks to Volare, and trotted out of the room, wiping at her eyes as she did so. Applejack and her kin soon followed, if anything to help show Trixie to the washroom, leaving Volare alone with a yawning Scootaloo who shuffled over to where he was kneeling as the song ended and nuzzled him softly. He wrapped a wing around her small shoulders and kissed her forehead, placing the earbuds back in the saddlebag and turning the speakerbox off. After a moment of simply sitting and breathing, Scootaloo looked up, rubbing her mane under his chin as she did so, and spoke sleepily.

"Hey bro?"

"Mhm?"

"Promise me something?"

"Yep, Scoots?"

"Don't give up...even if I'm not there to pull you up, don't stay down if you fall, ok?" The familiarity of her request struck him like a hammer, and it was all he could do not to burst into tears at the memory of Aggie speaking almost those exact same words back on Earth. Instead, he squeezed her a bit tighter with his wing and held her until she fell asleep. Moving as carefully as he could, he cradled her in a wing and carried her down the hall, following the nod of Big Mac as he looked up from his own bed. Volare soon found the guest room Trixie was sleeping in, and quietly tucked his sister in. He noticed that there were only two beds, and after a moment's thought, he trotted out of the room and back into the living room.

Guess it's still couch-sleeping time, ol' buddy, he chuckled to himself as he located a blanket and tossed it onto the couch. But as he prepared to settle down to rest, he looked back at his saddlebag, which had seemed to have fallen over at its own accord, exposing the brass-bound corner of the Flight book. Volare looked about the room, sat down on the couch, returned his gaze to the book, which seemed to beckoning him; he never did get a chance to read the section on flight maneuvers...
"Sleep is for the weak," he muttered after a quick glance at the clock. Climbing back to his hooves, he picked up the book and carried it over to a small writing desk in the corner, clicked the light on, and opened the book...
...............
Outside, shielded by the weather by a shred of cloud it had wrapped about itself, the owner of two amethyst eyes wiped the rain from the window pane and peered into the living room, watching as the blue Pegasus named Volare scoured the pages of the Flight book like a pony possessed, occasionally stepping back from the desk and posing in the middle of the room, flexing his wings in different patterns before returning to his reading. After several minutes of this, the creature shrugged, re-wrapped the cloud about itself, and settled on the ground like a small patch of mist to await the dawn...

Semptember 15th...

...the grey light of which came all too quickly for its liking. Yawning and stretching, the creature realized the cloud around itself had been washed away by the light mist that continued to fall from the rainclouds above. With a gasp of surprise and a curse along the lines of "getting old and careless", it peeked into the window once more, saw that Volare had fallen asleep with his head on the book, and decided that it was in its best interest to get airborne and continue observance from afar. It had plenty of rations in its saddlebag, and it didn't wish to make a report until later in the day; no sense in upsetting her employer with an unrequested wakeup call.
With a light grunt, the creature stretched its rust-red wings above its head, crouched down, and kicked off the ground with its hooves, disappearing into the slowly-drifting remains of the cold front in a crack of blue lightning that shook the entire house, jarring Volare's sleep into the first dream he'd had in nearly a week...and it just had to be a strange one to break the trend as an avalanche of thoughts and advice pummeled his psyche

................

If you know not yourself, nor your enemy, you have no hope of victory...

Flames...the crash...rushing wind...crawling...screaming...hooves...stumbling...falling...

If you know yourself, but not your enemy, you may lose or you may win...

Anatomy...physics...red dusk sun...a field of blood...shattered glass...severed wings...more blood drops on the hardwood floor...falling, falling, falling...darkness...

But if you know yourself as well as your enemy, you possess all that you require to achieve victory...

Thrust vectoring...Angle of attack...VTOL...break point...lift...drag...roll...pitch...yaw...

Buck-turn...feather flare...double outside loop...hackle brakes...cloud-kick...hock drop...

If you know the path to victory, you need never fear defeat...

"It's all about confidence and trusting your gut, dude..." a familiar tomboyish voice called from the depths of his memory. The fierce, rose-colored eyes of Rainbow Dash's burned with determination as the rest of her grinning features materialized in his mind's eye. "You've got instincts-use them!"

But, how can that be? I wasn’t born a Pegasus, so where would the flight instincts come from? he protested, to which the Pegasus chortled and rolled her eyes; he seemed to feel something thunk down on his head as she spoke.

"You’re a pilot you dork! All your instincts are up there! We just gotta move them from machines to wings... we just gotta help ya along the next few steps until you gain confidence in your wings, that’s all. After that, you’ll be flying on your own, I’ll bet!" she winked at him and grinned once more before she faded away again. "...you think I got to where I am by being a scaredy-cat.............................?"

..............

You can't fly scared...
Volare suddenly shot wide awake with a snort, toppling backwards out of his seat and landing with a loud thump on the hardwood floor and his right wing aching tingling along the black ring that ran around the base of it. Despite this, he couldn't help the huge grin that broke out upon his face, even as he heard and saw hoofsteps approaching. "Holy shit that's it!" he shouted joyfully as he looked up to see Trixie enter the room, clutching Scootaloo to her chest, though it was apparent by the early dawn-lit expression of irritation on the filly's face that it was against her will to be so.

"What in the burning hay happened?" the magician asked in alarm, her eyes wide as she stared down at him in bemusement.

"I could say the same to you, Trix," he eyed Scootaloo, who gave him an expression that read please god help me!

"Oh, um, Scootaloo got scared by the thunder," the Unicorn replied, but the filly growled and pushed away.

"Grr, did not; I got woken up by you hugging me like I'm some sorta teddy bear," the magician finally set her down and Scootaloo shook her mane. "Jeez, where'd that lightning come from anyways...and why're you on the ground?"

"Heh, had a weird dream," he said as he got to his hooves and glanced back at the book. "First I've had in ages, actually."

"What was it about?" Scootaloo yawned as Volare hurried to the door. "Wait, where're you going, bro?"

"To get somepony whom I promised I wouldn't do anything stupid without her around," he shot her a quick grin before he galloped out the door in the direction of Ponyville, leaving Scootaloo and Trixie glancing at each other in befuddlement. What the hay had gotten into him?

Ponyville Library...

Twilight's dreams had gone just as roughly as Volare's, however, while the Pegasus' dreams were more of a good rough like a thrill ride, the Librarian's dreams were a fitful hodge-podge of imagery and reluctant recollections of personal actions she'd undertaken from the time that she'd met the pilot. From giving him his current form without permission, to practically forcing him to stay in the Library while she quizzed him on the human race for days on end, to her actions in Canterlot that went so far as her being willing to confront Celestia herself for the future of Volare in Equestria...and then the argument with Rainbow Dash in the hospital that had come to blows...she'd alienated herself from one of her best friends. All for what she now believed wasn't simply Volare's safety and well-being, but rather her own selfish desire to have him for herself, all stemming from the reactions her emotions were encountering while in his presence...and the turmoil they experienced when she was separated from him for weeks.
My gosh...it's like I'm addicted to him...this is wrong...this is so, so, so wrong-

Tap-tap-tap!

"Huh?" a sharp noise from across her bedroom roused her from her near-nightmare. The Unicorn lay there under her warm blankets, the only comfort she felt at the moment before the tapping noise repeated itself yet again. She sat up and yawned, allowing the blankets to slide off from over her head and revealing her bedraggled bed-mane and sleepy violet eyes that she blinked in the direction of where the noise had come from: her curtain-shrouded window...a window that was a good 15 feet off the ground with nary anything to stand on besides a narrow window-sill mounted herb garden.

"What in Equestria?" she muttered as the unmistakable sound of a hoof tapping on glass, and it galvanized her into action. Whoever was out there had to have good reason to do so, right? Stumbling out of bed, she hurried to the window, flung open the curtain, and stared out into the dawn-backed features of-
"Volare?!"

"Heya, Twi," the blue and yellow Pegasus grinned and waved a hoof, whirling his wings with a sheepish expression to keep himself from falling backwards. "Could ya open the window please; there's not exactly a whole lot of room to stand out here, ya know?" The Unicorn looked down and laughed despite her earlier gloom at the sight of the Pegasus precariously balanced hock-deep in her herb garden. Twilight quickly unlatched the window, allowing him to hop down into her room.

"How'd you get up here?" she cocked and eyebrow as she shut the window. "And furthermore, why?"

"Oh, heh, Spike's sawing a forest down there and I guess he didn't hear me knock," Volare nodded towards the stairs where, sure enough, the snoring of what common sense would usually say couldn't come from such a small dragon as Spike; in which case, common sense had never met the little guy. "As for how," he gestured towards the window. "Let's just say you're not the only night-owl reader here," he smiled and flexed his wings.

"Wha-you flew up here?!" an excited smile split Twilight's features, but Volare shook his head and chuckled lightly; in fact, the scholarly Unicorn noticed that everything seemed lighter about him this morning, from his tone of voice to the spring in his canter. Just what the hay happened at Applejack's last night? Twilight wondered.

"Oh, heck no; I jumped." At Twilight's doubtful expression, he explained that one of the techniques in the Flight book detailed how a Pegasus can combine its wings and legs for thrust from the ground, enabling it to take off into flight or a tall jump without the aid of wind or a run-up. "It takes a good amount of energy to do it, but I gotta say it's more fun than running into the wind at the very least; no wonder Dash does it all the time," he grinned.

"Have you tried it before now?"

"Oh, yeah, it took me two or three tries to stick the landing this morning," the Pegasus shook a twig from his wing. "Let's just say your shrubs under the window and I became fairly well acquainted more than a few times, heh-heh."

"Are you ok, Volare?" she asked in alarm, but again, he only responded with a smile and a dismissive wave.

"Yep, I'm just fine; there was another technique in that book about counter-thrusting downwards with your wings to lessen the impact before landing; hooves-down or otherwise," he explained. "Seeing as how I didn't break my neck or a wing, I guess it worked out pretty good."

"You...you could've gotten hurt again," Twilight stomped the floor in frustration, feeling her emotions roiling up again. Calm down, Twi...calm down... "Sorry, I just...had a rough night," her ears drooped in self-loathing at the lame explanation, and she felt even more worm-like as the pilot embraced her warmly.

"It's ok, Twi; I couldn't sleep either, hence the reading," he scratched the back of his head. "Plus, we know you care about me alot...and I care about you too, so it's...Twi, why're you looking at me like that?" he asked in worry as the Unicorn's gaze rose to meet his, revealing a pair of melancholy violet eyes brimming with tears.

"Because that's what gave me such a rough night; this is exactly what I was afraid of," she muttered, and it was then that he noticed the battered appearance of her pillow, the remains of tears and mucous staining the pillowcase fabric, and the feathers of it scattered all over the room.

"Twilight," he hugged her and could feel her shaking against his chest. "W-what happened here last night?" he asked, feeling his demeanor slip from confident to concerned and scared for his friend's well-being; he found himself subtly checking her for signs of injury-why he was checking the brilliant scholar for something like that, he was terrified to think about-before she quelled his fears somewhat with an explanation.

"I'm ok, Volare; I'm not hurt," she shook the temple of her forehead against his neck, trying no to jab him with her horn. "Not physically, anyway..."

"What about in other ways?" he held her at hoof's length, but she avoided his blue-hued gaze for the moment. "Twi, please answer me. What bothered you bad that you practically murdered your pillow?" After another moment's hesitation in which Volare continued to hold her and look at her, she finally relented with a sigh.

"Volare, there's something you need to know," she pulled away from him and trotted to the side of her bed, pulling the fallen sheets aside and searching around on the floor before finding the piece of paper she was searching for. "This came arrived from Princess Celestia yesterday," she held up the document. "Remember those tests I ran on you?"

"Yeah, I do," the Pegasus nodded, feeling apprehension knotting in his stomach. Why would she be so upset over the results? "Twi...I'm not gonna fade away, like...the spell that gave me my body's not gonna wear out, is it?" he recalled that she'd mentioned a time limit for the spell that had given Rarity wings.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Twilight shook her head and managed the tiniest of smiles, though it quickly faded back into the rest of her morose features. "However, the test results that Celestia sent back to me...they...well," she hesitated, knowing full-well that she'd only continue to hesitate because she truly didn't want to tell him what they revealed...and that only made her more self-conscious of the fact that she was being selfish about him...and that further served to increase her self-loathing because THAT sort of behavior was only endangering him further, to the point that Volare backed up a step or two.

"Uh, Twi, I think you might wanna calm down," he offered as politely as he dared. "Your mane's kinda on fire."

"Agh-sorry, sorry, sorry!" the Librarian quickly extinguished her smoldering mane and with a sigh, hung her head and levitated the letter over to him. "Just...read it...cuz I can't find the courage to say it, Volare." With a bit of a perturbed look, the Pegasus regarded the letter and began to read it before she interrupted him. "Wait, just...please read it out loud, that way I know I'm not just sugar-coating it for myself, ok?" With a nod of understanding, knowing how the mind could block out what it didn't want to see or read-although that really put him on edge-Volare began to read.

My dearest and most faithful student, Twilight,

I’ve received and reviewed your test results on Volare’s mind patterns, and I’ve come to the conclusion that, possibly because of the magically-created nature of his body, he seems to be channeling magic through his body somewhat like a Unicorn. Except, in his case since he’s a Pegasus, instead of channeling it along a single pathway like a Unicorn, it seems to be escaping his body at all angles. This would explain the fluctuation in the signals between the peaks and valleys of the data; I’ve marked them for you. They’re very faint, but their existence is undeniable. Since these fluctuations are magical, and therefore tied to willpower, it would explain why he has to focus his mind in order to power that equipment, otherwise, the fluctuations have no guidance, and exit his body willy-nilly. I believe that it is this quirk of his body that is allowing him to power those small pieces of equipment, something I’d actually like to witness in person someday, for it sounds quite fascinating.

With time, he may even be able to control this quirk more effectively and use it to his advantage…in fact, if what Luna said about his encounter with Ray and Jill, as well as his description of his rescue of Trixie is accurate, he may already be channeling it, but only when he’s supremely focused, and still only involuntarily; in which case, if you can gather more data, I’d suggest honing that, for it seems to be quite the unique and useful skill in a pinch.

As you well know, yourself, Luna, and I are very sensitive to magical fluctuations in all objects, which would explain why you’re being so strongly-effected by them (I confirmed this with my sister and she said she could feel something “extra” that shouldn’t have been there with Volare-IF Volare were a normal Pegasus…but he is not). Other ponies likely haven’t noticed much of these fluctuations, if at all, so it would be easy to mistake your feelings about these fluctuations as something else…especially if your research pointed to a single solution, in which case, it would again be easy to misinterpret that solution as the ONLY path you were expected to take.

Twilight…I’m so terribly sorry. I know you wish it were something deeper, something more real, but there are too many pieces of the puzzle adding up for there to be much chance of any other possible solution. I had a feeling you’d have an experience like this…I just wish I were there in person to help more than just reply to letters. I’m sorry I ever teased you, even in jest, about your feelings pertaining to other stallions…please forgive me, Twilight. I should have done more to prepare you…I said it’s all a part of growing up, but…nopony deserves to go through what you’ve been going through.

I can’t make you give up on these feelings, but I hope you see reason, and either distance yourself from Volare until his body stabilizes and he learns to control these fluctuations, or you need to create a counter spell (which I know you can do fairly easily), or help him to speed up his stabilization somehow; I’ll discuss the matter further with Luna to see what she did to stabilize herself once she returned from the imprisonment of Nightmare Moon. Either way, I don’t believe it’s to either of your benefits to live in close proximity for a while (though don’t read that as completely cutting off your friendship, for it’s important that a well-educated and level-headed Unicorn such as yourself remain his friend and guide in Equestria), much less enter a relationship that isn’t supported by anything other than circumstantial magical effects…I’ve seen it before and…it never ends well…

You’ll find love one day Twilight, perhaps even with Volare, but until you KNOW for ceratin that relationship is built upon a more solid foundation than circumstance…just know that I’m only telling you these things because I care about your safety and wellbeing (as well as that of Volare). I further suggest that you explain these things to him as soon as possible, before the situation escalates into something either of you regrets.

Again, I offer you my deepest apologies on the situation, Twilight…in truth, this has been one of the more difficult letters to write in sometime. I know you have parents, but, for the longest time, you’ve been like the daughter I never had…and no daughter should have to go through this alone. I wish only to embrace you…but we must both be strong now; for ourselves, for Volare, and for Equestria. I wish you both the best of luck.

-Princess Celestia

As Volare finished the letter, he was afraid to look up from the documents on the page that became more and more blurred as tears of a mixture of vindication, relief, hope, but strongest of all: fear for Twilight welled up in his eyes; if he felt like his heart was being squeezed in a vice, hers must have felt like it was being ripped to shreds...no wonder she took it out on the pillow. Finally, mercifully, the letter levitated away and laid down on an end table, forcing the Pegasus to look at Twilight. She'd been crying silently since after the first paragraph, and it showed on her cheeks and the wet spots on the floor.

"I'm sorry Volare...I'm so sorry," unlike Trixie, who'd stared at the floor in her shame, the scholarly Unicorn forced herself to return his gaze as she spoke, as much of a punishment as it was a way for him to see the sincerity in her face. "Please don't hate me too much." She just knew he probably did...

"Twi...hate you...what do you mean, 'hate you'?" the Pegasus' question caught the Unicorn off-guard and she stared at him in surprise. He slowly, gently, pulled her into an embrace, leaning his chin on her head next to her horn and simply holding her, feeling her return the hug with her hooves and the warm tingling of her magic running from her horn along his jawline as they stood there in silence for nearly a minute. "After everything you've done for me, Twi," he finally spoke up. "For me to hate you over anything, much less something like this...it'd make me the most selfish, despicable bastard on the face of the planet...I could never hate you, Twilight Sparkle." To say that his answer surprised her was a bit of an understatement; she'd been expecting him to be angry, to be raged at, had even prepared herself in case he physically struck her for all the pain she'd caused him. Instead, she got, well this!

"But, I don't understand," she shook her head. "You're not mad at me? Not even disappointed?"

"Well, if anything, I'm a little freaked out that my body is that damn unstable," he chuckled lightly. "Wait-I'm not hurting you right now, am I?"

"N-no, I'm doing my best to control my emotions right now, believe it or not," she managed a weak laugh of her own. "I could probably figure out a counter spell in the future, but that's not the point," she looked up at him. "How could you put me before yourself when you're like this because of me in the first place?"

"You shouldn't have to ask that, Twi," he nuzzled her cheek comfortingly. "For a number of reasons: one, I owe you so much I don't feel like I have the right to be angry at you. Two, because those emotions, whether real, imagined, on influenced by magic or what-have-you, are still your emotions; not mine...and now there's an explanation behind it all." He grasped her hoof and held it. "I already knew you weren't doing this to hurt me on purpose; this merely confirms my beliefs, Twilight," he smiled comfortingly.

"But...I just...urgh, I'm so confused right now, Volare," the Unicorn shook her head and blew air through her lips in frustration as she tried to rationalize her feelings. "On the one hoof, it's obvious looking at the evidence that everything that I've done, all the conclusions I've jumped to, they've all been because my emotions went haywire."

"Because of me-" Volare started to say before she jammed a hoof over his mouth.

"No, no, don't you try to take any of the blame for this, mister," she booped his nose and resumed speaking. "The problem is that because of he nature of your body, I have to discount that emotions and feelings as nothing more than reactions to actions, and be professional and put them aside for both our sakes," she sighed and fixed him with a stare of barely-concealed internal pain. "Thing is...I dunno if I can...those feelings, they...just....ugh, I dunno," she leaned her forehead against his next and tried to put her thoughts to words, but they were just a jumble right now; maybe because she was too close to him and she was dropping her guard, or maybe because he...no, just no Twilight! You know they're not real now, so just drop it already!

"Twilight," the Pegasus stroked her mane gently, which helped her to relax slightly. "I don't want to sound like a hypocrite here, but...I know I said I'm not comfortable with a relationship right now-for multiple reasons, none of which has anything to do with something you did wrong," he too growled slightly, trying to find the right words to say. "But...I hate seeing you sad like this, and I'd..." he paused and she looked back up at him. "I'd do what I can to make you happy...even if it meant"-

"No, Volare," she shook her head and pressed her hoof against his mouth again. This was what she was afraid would happen; what Celestia was afraid of happening! "This is not about me right now; we've seen what my desires have done so far...it's time I start thinking objectively and focus on what's important right now: getting you back in the air."

"Twi...I dunno if I like this, though," the Pegasus replied with a frown. "I just don't think it's right for you to have to treat your emotions objectively like that...it's just not right, Twi. What if some of those emotions you felt were genuine and not just the results of, well, me freaking you out?"

"Time will only tell, Volare," Twilight smiled sadly. She could tell he didn't like this either, but whether it was because he possibly felt something for her as well, or if was just the simple setting aside of emotions for his sake that was bothering, she wasn't sure. "What did I say a while back: maybe one day if the stars align?"

"Heh, yeah, I remember," he chuckled.

"Well, just because they haven't aligned yet, doesn't mean they never will," her smile widened into a hopeful grin as she realized she was ok with this. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof and nodded in finality. "Besides, isn't it you that said flying is more important than all this relationship stuff anyways?"

"Yeah, but not at the expense of you or anypony else," the pilot replied, obviously still unsure. To his surprise, the Unicorn hoofed him in the chest and smiled as brightly as she could muster.

"C'mon, Volare, chin up," she nuzzled his face, her lips dancing dangerously close to his own...but she restrained herself. "If anything, this makes things simpler, and besides...I seriously am ok with this, so don't worry about me, ok?"

"You're not just saying that?"

Was she?
"Nope, honest."
For his sake, she would, though...

"Ok, I guess...I guess if you're ok with this, then I am too," he smiled and hugged her strongly. "Just...lemme know if I'm messing up your head any; I'm not exactly fireproof, heh-heh."

"Will do," Twilight threw him a small salute that did more for his acceptance of this new development than she realized. It reminded him of his task: flight...and with that reminder, he remembered his crazy dream.

"Oh shoot, Twi, guess what!"

"What?"

"I had a dream last night," he grinned. "And it wasn't a nightmare either."

"That's excellent, Volare!" Twilight beamed and fumbled about for a quill and scroll. "What was it about?"

"I'll tell ya on the way, Twi," he headed for the door.

"On the way to what?" she asked bemusedly.

"To wake up a certain Unicorn who promised me a gift that I'll only get once I need it to fend off the cold of higher altitudes," he smirked.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" the Librarian asked as they descended the stairs and she grabbed her scarf to fend off the cool dawn air.

"Sure does," he grinned confidently and threw open the front door, rousing Spike with a blast of chilly air. "Brrr, and if it's this chilly down here, I'll bet it's freeze-your-ass-off cold up there," he laughed and rushed out the door. "Race ya to Carousel Boutique, Twilight!" The Unicorn quickly followed him in a clatter off hooves, shutting the door behind her and leaving the purple dragon confused as all get out.

"Jeez, next time you wake me up like, the place had better be on fire or something," Spike muttered and rolled back over, quickly tumbling back into a dream he was having about propositioning Rarity...though why it involved a baked turkey covered in rubies was beyond him...oh well, if it failed, he'd at least have a tasty snack to drown his sorrows in...zzzz....

Sweet Apple Acres...1 Hour Later...

"Alright darling, this had better be spectacular," Rarity said as she fumbled with the curlers in her mane, doing her best to fix what the bedsheets had done to it with the short amount of time she'd been given, but it was mostly to no avail. Twilight and Volare had given her the barest of explanations and it had only been the urgings of Sweetie Belle that had truly roused her from her sleep at the realization that the blue and yellow Pegasus was going to try to fly. The fashionista quickly made her self semi-presentable and hurried out of the Boutique, barely grabbing the smallish package she'd wrapped Volare's finished gift within at her little sister's behest before the two siblings followed Twilight and Volare out of town. Pinkie saw them leaving and felt that something big was about to happen, but the sick Cake twins had kept her up all night and were still under the weather, so she made the decision to stay at Sugarcubs Corner for now.

Fluttershy had joined them once she'd gotten word from Applejack that Volare was up and what he was going to do, knowing that she could help him in a pinch if something went wrong this time; Shae had followed her as well, leaving Iron Will snoring out on his favorite lawnchair despite the cold wind sweeping in from the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy wasn't the strongest of fliers, but she felt the chilly bite in the air as she opened her cottage windows, and knew it would make for icy eyes, and so she had grabbed the pair of flight goggles she'd been given the day of the Water Tornado months ago and offered them to Volare. He'd tried to refuse, but she insisted, saying he needed them more than she did right now. Scootaloo, Applebloom, Trixie, and Big Mac joined the growing group out front of the farm's picket fence, and after a few leery glances and grumblings about the blue magician's presence, Rarity finally shook her hoof in peace, albeit a bit grudgingly as she still remembered having her mane dyed green by Trixie in the past; they agreed to settle their differences later, but for now, they needed to support their friend Volare. And so, with Twilight holding the Flight Book, and his new set of flight goggles strapped to his forehead, Volare stood in front of them like a blue and yellow Patton, and addressed his friends, marching back and forth along the dew-soaked grass.

"Guys, I wanna thank you for coming out so early today; lord knows ya didn't have to," he nodded to each of his friends in turn as he spoke, while Shae perched on the fence, preening herself and watching him out of the corner of her eye. "You've all done so much for me to get me to this point in my life; to help pick me up, some quite literally from the ashes," he smiled at a sightly-blushing Twilight, whom he'd told in detail of his dream; she'd said that perhaps it was his lack of a dream that was holding him back, and when he tried to argue that that was almost too metaphorical to be a valid reason, the Librarian had simply silenced him with a hoof to the mouth, and told him that everypony needs a dream, buck, inspiration, what-have-you. That dreams, according to Princess Luna, are the mind's way of releasing tension while the body rests, and so perhaps it was quite literally all in his head this entire time; both the problems as well as the solutions. With the final addition of the lessons in the Flight Book, Volare had finally made the transition of his flight experience from machines to wings, just as Dash said he'd need to. And Twilight bet that his inspiration was somewhere within that dream as well, but only he could know it, find it, and use it.

"Others have inspired me to accept my situation here, toughened me up, or saved my life, or simply helped me loosen up and...and get back to where I needed to be as a person," he looked to the rest of his friends and beamed his thanks. "And now, hopefully, those efforts won't be in vain..." And with that, he turned to Twilight, who began calling out final flight checks that ranged from primary feather examination, to estimation of direction and speed of the wind, to the location of the sun to avoid accidental blindness, and even the relative moisture content in the air; all things he'd come to instinctively learn as time went on, but on the first try, it never hurt to have a little help.

Fluttershy took off and hovered in midair, giving him a wave to indicate she was ready, with Rarity, Trixie, and Twilight all prepared to catch him with their magic if he fell. With all systems green, so to speak, Volare slipped the goggles over his eyes, shot his friends a final grin, and crouched down with his belly nearly to the ground, tensioning the muscles in his legs and raising his wings above his body for the power stroke that would launch him into the air like a Jump Jet (one of the things he'd come to realize about Pegasi in his dream), and something they were much better suited for than a long running take off, which was usually unnecessary.

The Pegasus inhaled deeply, something else the Flight Book said aided in liftoff by providing the wings with the maximum amount of "fuel" possible, and closed his eyes, envisioning his task.
Know yourself and your enemy...your task...to fly...know it, do it, achieve victory...
Volare opened his eyes, nodded, and his legs uncoiled in an instant, shooting him straight up into the bright morning sky, whistling past Fluttershy nearly 25 feet into the air with a rush that tore a whoop from his lungs and nearly made him forget to flap his wings.
Crap!
That moment of hesitation nearly cost him as he tumbled from the air, Fluttershy swiftly grabbing him by a back hoof and holding him as he steadied himself with his own wings.

"I'm good, I'm good," he waved off the three Unicorns below who'd prepared to lower him safely to the ground. He gave them a sheepish grin and righted himself, hovering about two meters off the ground and breathing deeply as Fluttershy had taught him, giving the yellow Pegasus a nod of thanks. "Ok, ok, let's see," he muttered, recalling what the book had said. "Thrust down into the air with your hooves to conserve energy while hovering...sounds simple enough," he focused and pushed down with his back hooves, envisioning the air as a springboard...and holy crap, did it work! The Pegasus nearly flipped a backflip with an experimental downwards kick, and he tumbled the rest of the way to the ground with a dull thud, drawing gasps of shock and alarm from his friends.

But as they rushed to his side, they were surprised to find him laughing uproariously. "That. Was. AWESOME!" he chuckled and rose to his hooves, shaking the dew from his mane and wings and grinning like an absolute fool. "Thrust vectoring...holy hell, it's Thrust Vectoring," he laughed, giving a brief explanation of what he meant. He'd studied it back on Earth, but he'd never flown in a plane that could use it, so being able to do it now was a ridiculous thrill. He straightened his goggles and looked up to Fluttershy again. "Comin' back up, Flutters!" Volare kicked off the ground and shot straight back up with a huge grin that wrapped halfway around his head. "Let's fly, Shy!" he quipped, and together, he and his "personal trainer" began flying slow laps around the front lawn at no more than 10 feet of altitude or so, just in case. Everypony else settled down to watch the spectacle, everypony that is, except Twilight, who winced every time he went into a dive that he pulled out just before he hit the ground. Eventually, though, almost like a mother bird having to let her young leave the nest, the Unicorn swallowed her worries and calmed down, striking up a conversation with Trixie and Big Mac over what they intended to do with the Gilded Griffon, although she still kept an eye on the sky, ready to help Volare if he tumbled from the air.

Fillydelphia...Noon...

"Well, Zip, it's been fun," Rainbow Dash smiled and shook the delivery dragon's claw, surprising him from his reading of the morning paper, even though it was already lunchtime. He glanced up curiously from the headlines at the cyan Pegasus, who was holding out her delivery bag to him. "That's the end of my run here, pal. I'll look ya up if I'm up this way again."

"Whatcha mean 'end of your run'?" the blue and orange dragon queried. "You're still on schedule to make tomorrow morning's delivery too," he jerked a thumb at the mailmare schedule where, sure enough, Rainbow Dash's name was penciled in for morning of the 16th too.

"Aww, c'mon, are you serious?" the Pegasus threw two frustrated hooves towards the ceiling; she'd been looking forward to going home today and surprising Volare in the hospital, maybe even spending Sunday with him before heading back to Weather Duty. Celestia knew the poor guy could use probably use the company; Dash remembered how she nearly climbed the walls in boredom when she was last stuck there (before Twilight introduced her to Daring Do, that is). And that was another thing...she felt a growing need to speak with Twilight and the others she'd had her outburst in front of, for the more time she spent being shouted at and berated in Filly, the more she realized she missed her friends. And she had a bad feeling that three days of separation wasn't going to be enough to fix what she broke.

She hated to admit it, but...she needed to swallow her pride and apologize...besides, whoever the hay Volare spent his life with wasn't her business anyways and she had no right to get involved with-
Whoa, what'd she just say?!
Maybe she was wrong about him and Twi-
Ok, ok, knock that off, Dash! Jeez, can't believe I wish my conscience was back to talk with...yeah, I'm losing my mind.

The Pegasus shook the thought away and snatched the mail bag back from Zip, who was giving her a helpless smile. "Trust me Dash, I didn't make the schedule, but I'll make sure you get a lighter load tomorrow morning so you can get home earlier; I can tell you don't like Filly much."

"Meh, it's not your fault, Zip," she waved a dismissive hoof and forced a smile at the dragon who'd been the closest thing to a friend she'd had in the city. "I'll just...go back to the hotel or something....bleh." She wasn't looking forward to takeout again.

"You got food there, Dash?" Zipscale asked as she reached the door. She looked back to see him patting a small cardboard box. "I got some beef here for myself, but there's broccoli and other greens in here I can fire roast for ya," he grinned toothily.

"...you know what," the Pegasus pushed the door shut again and trotted back to his writing desk with a rose-colored eye fixed on the box. "I guess I'll stay a little longer...never had roasted veggies before..."
Sorry Volare, but your bear-hug and hoof noogies are gonna have to wait...and Twi...please don't think I'm avoiding you guys...please...

Sweet Apple Acres...Several Hours Later...

Volare wasn't sure what hurt worse at the moment: his pride or his flank...he was leaning towards the latter but the former was definitely close behind. For the past few hours, he'd been able to execute the basic maneuvers fairly well, but when it came to the more complex ones, namely the Minimum Radius Turn, which Typhoon called the Tornado Turn as it seemed to suck the life right out of you due to the G-Forces it generated, he kept coming close to blacking out whenever he reached the apex of the turn, and more than once, Fluttershy and Twilight had to catch him and lower him back to the ground, though twice now it had happened so close to the ground that all they could do was watch helplessly as he bounced and tumbled through the long yellowing grass of the fields, disappearing in the waving golden sea of blades.

But both times, he'd popped right back up, albeit achingly, refusing to quit. He may not have realized it as he took to the sky again, but there was something else nearby that was aching worse than either his flank or his pride: and that something thudded loudly within the chest of Twilight Sparkle every time he hit the ground or blacked out. It was then that she noticed something else: every time he entered a maneuver, she saw a flash of blue beneath the flight goggles as his eyes glanced towards her before he started the turn..and she knew then that Dash had truly been right: she was holding him back somehow...and it showed every time he lost control, though he claimed that he was at least getting better at crashing gracefully. It was during a short break for snacks and beverages that Grannysmith, having noticed the pain on the Unicorn's face, decided it was time to say something.

"Ahem, boy can't fly as good as ya thought Ah take it?" she observed as she hoofed a mug of ice cold applejuice to Twilight. The Librarian shook her head and groaned helplessly in response. "Ah see how ya hurt when he falls, child...perhaps it's time ya'll gave him a talkin' to ta see what's still botherin' him, eh?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so," she nodded and levitated her mug plus another one over her head and trotted towards Volare, who was sitting up against the barn in the front yard, allowing Fluttershy to work on his sore left wing, which he'd landed awkwardly on in the previous fall. "How is he, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, he's...fine," the yellow Pegasus replied hesitantly, not wanting to wound Volare's pride any further. Instead, she brushed Volare's spiky mane with a hoof and trotted away to let the two speak, pausing long enough to whisper her true feelings into Twilight's ear. "He's hanging onto something...I dunno what, but it's holding him back and making him so tense up there that he can't control himself. I'm afraid if he doesn't loosen up soon, he'll be back in the hospital." And with that, she trotted away to join the CMC, who were huddled around Trixie and asking her all manner of questions regarding magic, cutie marks, and if she really ate pinecones to survive in the woods.

Twilight sat down next to Volare who cracked a blue eye and a smile at her as she offered him the second mug of applejuice. "How ya holding up, Volare," she smiled encouragingly as he took the mug and downed it in a single go, smacking his lips and sighing afterwards as he sat the mug down. "Thirsty?"

"Yeah, I was; thanks," he smirked and leaned his head back against the sun-warm barn wall and closed his eyes again. "This is tough, ya know?"

"Maybe you should call it a day, then," Twilight offered, but he shook his head vehemently.

"No can do, Twi...Dash is coming home tomorrow, and I've got a plan to...well...let's just say she'll have less reason to mess with me for being a weak flier, heh-heh," he looked back at the Unicorn. "That and if I can get this stuff right, it'll prove that you're not holding me back...that we're not together, ya know? Then she'll have to apologize for what she did back in the hospital and-"

"Is that all this is about, Volare?" Twilight cut him off with a stern look. "It's not your business to fix the problems she and I have."

"But that's the thing, Twi, I am the problem," he leaned up as he spoke. "And I'm gonna do what I can to fix it."

"By risking your life doing something stupid, just to prove I'm not coddling and sheltering you, right?" the Unicorn shook her head in mild disappointment. "I appreciate the sentiment and I can see the dim logic in it, but...you don't have to do anything like this, Volare...nothing this stupid anyway."

"And what makes you think it's stupid?" he cocked an eyebrow. "Doing something stupid would mean me doing something I don't understand; but Twi," he flexed his wings. "This I understand now."

"Then how come you keep falling?" she asked bluntly. But when he didn't answer, she spoke again. "You remember how we spoke about a human called Albert Einstein? Well, wasn't it him that said: 'Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results?' Isn't that what you're doing, Volare?" she looked down at her hooves and sniffed lightly. "Wouldn't you call that stupid?"

"I'm sorry Twi," the Pegasus offered reflexively, snorting in frustration and smacking the ground with a hoof. "I just don't know why the hell I'm this close and I just can't get it! What the hell is holding me back?!" The two ponies sat there in silence for a moment before Twilight spoke again.

"Why do you keep looking at me, Volare?"

"Huh?" he glanced up at her in bemusement, but she simply stared at his flight goggles, or the grass...anything but his face as she spoke.

"Everytime you try a maneuver, I see you looking at me," she explained with a worried frown. "Why?"

"I dunno, I just"-

"Are you still seeking approval?" she cut him off and chewed her bottom lip for a moment; she knew she was beating around the bush but she wanted to make sure. "Are you worried you'll make a mistake and I'll get on your case about it?"

"No, I don't think it's that..." he shrugged.

"Then what is it?" she placed a hoof over his and finally allowed her gaze to alight on his face, which was scrunched in uncertainty and worry.

"I think...it might have to do with what we talked about earlier," he scratched his mane to buy a moment or two before finally just saying it. "About the situation between us..."

"Ah, I see," she nodded in understanding; she had a feeling it might have been that. "Still kinda bothered by it?"

"'Kinda's' putting it mildly," he shut his eyes and thunked the back of his head against the barn wall.

"Why're you still bothered by it?" she rubbed his hoof. "I'm ok with it and"-

"For some reason, I just don't believe that, Twi," he spoke without opening his eyes. He felt her hoof press down on his, but she held her tongue as she waited for an explanation. "I just don't feel right with you putting aside your emotions like that for me...I just know I'm hurting you somehow because you can't have me," he turned his hoof over and grasped hers with it. "And I don't wanna hurt you, Twi...you've been too good to me and...here I am just...gawd, I'm still a mess," he squeezed his eyes tighter and bit his bottom lip hard, trying to stay strong in front of her, after all, isn't that what a good soldier did; stayed strong in front of a lady?

Volare didn't feel her hoof leave his but he felt her body lean up over his, and he felt her breath upon his face, and when he opened his eyes he found her own violet orbs staring deeply into his own eyes, while her muzzle was nearly gracing his as well. His heartbeat instantly quickened and he reflexively recoiled back, whacking the back of his head against the barn. But he ignored the sting of pain, his only focus the lavender face of his friend.

"Volare," Twilight softly breathed his name, her lips nearly touching his own as she did so. He wasn't sure what she was about to do, but he almost didn't care...he just wanted her to not hurt on his account and- "Does this make you apprehensive?" her question cut through the fog of his mind, and he barely managed a nod in response. "Cuz this is what'll happen and more if I can't let you go...but I can't let you go if you don't meet me halfway and do the same, ok? I'll only hold you back until we both let go...so just stop worrying if I'll land safely when we do, ok? I'll be fine," she smiled and moved her face past his and leaned her chin on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. "I promise."

Volare had no idea what to say. He wanted her to be happy, and he knew there was only one way to do that, but he had his own moral issues to grapple with if he did that and...not to mention he knew her from a TV show, for crying out loud! While she had to work to draw information out of him, he already knew alot about her...it made him feel like a deceptive cheater, like he'd been given insider information to exploit that Twi could never have...it wasn't fair. It would never be fair...never a stable and even relationship, especially if his body was screwing her emotions up all over the place! But then how could he fix this? How, dammit, how?!
"Twi, I just...don't want you to hurt because of me," he repeated, and to his surprise, she hoofed him lightly in the chest and leaned back to stare at him rather sternly.

"Volare...you wanna know what hurts the most right now?" she tried to keep her voice strong, but even Volare could tell it was nearly about to crack. "It’s you crashing again...and again, and again, and again all because you’re worried about me." She hoofed him again, more firmly this time and left her hoof on his shoulder. "So stop worrying about me and start worrying about yourself, cuz you getting hurt on my account is killing me inside, Volare."

That did it; her voice cracked and the sobs she'd been holding back all day finally burst forth, and she buried her face in his neck, holding him tightly as she continued to speak through tears that were ripping Volare's heartstrings to pieces. "That’s what’s h-hurting me the most. Not the f-fact that I can’t have you as a c-coltfriend but because I may not have you alive at this rate. It agonizes me that you’re getting hurt on my account more than the little sting that comes from knowing I can’t have you," she smiled in acceptance through her tears. "I can handle a little sting."

"But Twi, I owe you so much," he protested weakly, but she simply shook her head and leaned her forehead against his lips, simultaneously silencing him as well as wishing that her forehead and lips could trade places so she could kiss him in grateful appreciation...does that sound weird? she thought for an instant and mentally chalked it up to her mental defenses beginning to crumble. She had to end this quick before she did something they both would regret...again.

"Not your life you don't...not your life," she hugged him again and sighed. "So please...just promise me you'll meet me halfway here...let me go...cuz while you may be sad about a little sting for me," she wiped her nose with a hoof to keep it from dripping on his shoulder. "I'll hurt more than you can imagine if you die because I'm being nothing but an obstacle in your way. Please..." she leaned back and looked at him to see tears wavering in his own eyes. "Don't worry about me...I won't hate you for it...just...let me go," she spoke with more finality than she could recall in some time, and her pleading tone seemed to finally break through as she wiped the water from Volare's eyes with the fringe of her mane and simply smiled to let him know she was ok. Stinging, sore, but truly ok.

"Alright," he bowed his head and conceded defeat. "I'll let you go...but I won't let you fall," he felt the warm fur of her cheek lay up against his own, and they simply sat there for a long moment, soaking up the sun while digesting and accepting the crossroads they'd just passed before Twilight broke the silence.

"You found your buck yet? If so, what is it?" he looked at her curiously; apparently she either knew of the term beforehand or had been speaking to the Apple family. Either way, she knew and there wouldn't be any more god-awful-awkward misunderstandings because of it-yeah, cuz we really need one of those right now...
"What got you inspired, cuz Celestia knows it's not me," she chuckled lightly though her heart ached a bit to say it...it was getting easier the more she said it though.

"How do you know?" he asked wistfully.

"Cuz if it was me, you wouldn't be crashing," she said plainly and pulled him to his hooves. "Cuz Dash was right: I'm only holding you back and that's endangering us both." And because if I was your buck, you’d have come here with my cutie mark on your jacket instead of Dash’s...whatever omen that meant...
"True…heh, she does kinda light the competitive fires in me, eh?” she remembered Volare saying.
Indeed she does...and I just...don't.
Twilight shook off the thoughts and snorted, grabbing Volare's flight goggles as she did so. "So you get up there, and you do what you gotta do, but don't you dare let me hold you back," her commanded, her violet eyes full of fierce vigor, pulling her best Fluttershy Stare impersonation. "You got that?"

"Yes ma'am," Volare smiled and saluted with a wing.

"Good," Twilight slipped the goggles onto his forehead and gave him one last hug before she picked up the mugs to return them to Grannysmith. But as they rounded the corner of the barn, they were confronted by the three wide-eyed fillies of the CMC plus Trixie, who all looked like they were in cahoots with each other by the smiles on their faces.

"Uh-oh, I'm not liking this, Twi," Volare said melodramatically, causing the lavender Unicorn to giggle behind her hoof as Scootaloo and Trixie stepped forward.

"Ok bro, we think we've got an idea of how to help ya," his sister grinned proudly and turned to Trixie. "Tell him, Trix."

"Huh, oh-ahem," the magician composed herself; she thought Scootaloo was the brains of this operation, oh well...
"Ok, we saw how you're having a hard time up there and we were wondering if you've found your buck like Grannysmith talked about yet."

"Who me? Having a hard time? Nah-ow," Volare waved his left wing and grimaced as he stretched it in a particularly sore direction. "Ok, maybe a little bit," he admitted at the skeptical looks from the five ponies, receiving a hoof of rebuke in the left shoulder from his sister. "And no, I haven't found it yet."

"Oh, good," Sweetie Belle squeaked. "I mean, I'm not saying I'm glad you're getting hurt, um...I don't mean it like that-uh..."

"What she means ta say is since ya ain't got your buck yet, it means our idea's not a waste of time," she nodded to Scootaloo, who took off for the farm house on her scooter

"Where's she going?" Twilight asked.

"To retrieve part of our plan," Trixie smiled slyly, and within minutes, Scootaloo returned carrying Volare's saddlebag, which she opened up and blocked the opening of, sharing a wink with the magician and the CMC before pulling out the speaker box and the ear buds, holding them out in her hoof to her confused brother. "Volare, do you remember when I was...well, less of my ideal self the other night, and you played that music for Octavia when she fought me?"

"Yeah, I do," the pilot nodded, having no idea what they had planned.

"When you played it for her, it was like she hit a different level of intensity, and she, an Earth Pony, fought me to a near draw using nothing but her cello bows," Trixie winced as she recalled the sting of one of the bows slashing down on her foreleg like a dull, whippy blade. "She went from demure musician to inspired fighter in a matter of moments, all because that music was what she passionate about...is that how you put it, Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she reached her hoof out and bumped it against Trixie's, who stared at it for a moment before returning the filly's infectious smile and turning back to Volare.

"Anyway, the point is, we were thinking that since you like playing music so much that maybe if you played some while flying, it would, well...be your buck!" the magician declared but was met only by a skeptical chuckle and headshake by Volare.

"Jeez, no offense you guys, but that sounds like a bad movie plot," he rolled his eyes and flexed his wings, preparing to take off again. "That's just dumb."

"Dumb to whom?" Trixie's question stopped him in his tracks. "Did you not say that you played music in your jet while flying, or was that simply an embellishment by your sister?" she fondly mussed the Pegasus' filly's fuchsia mane.

"Well, yeah, I did," the pilot agreed. This is nuts.

"Why?"

"Because it..." his eyes widened in realization. This is crazy. "...it inspired me."

"Then let's not rest until we've exhausted all options!" Rarity pumped a hoof, having trotted over to hear the conversation. Her outburst right behind Trixie sent the blue magician jumping into Twilight's hooves in alarm, and she gave her former rival a sheepish grin that had everypony laughing uproariously for a good moment before Volare shook his head incredulously.

"I still think it's dumb," he muttered doubtfully before Trixie trotted over and swatted him on the head with her hat. "Dumb to whom!? I've seen what that music of yours can do first-hoof; hell, I was on the receiving end of it," she plunked her hat back on her head and practically glared at Volare in irritation; nopony there would have expected Trixie to be so passionate about something other than herself, and her actions took them all off-guard. "Didn't you listen to what Grannysmith said to me last night: as long as your buck inspires you, who cares what anypony else thinks of it?"

"Wow, that's pretty deep, Trixie," Twilight patted the near-fuming mare on the shoulder, and at her touch she immediately calmed down a few notches.

"Sorry, just...it's been a long time since I've learned something and I guess I just got a little carried away when somepony acted as if it weren't real; implying I was lied to and duped," the magician apologized.

"I never said it wasn't real," Volare protested.

"Then you've accepted it?" Trixie asked. "If you've accepted it as fact, then stop trying to fight it, and use it!" Her statement stunned Twilight. That was one of the lessons Celestia had taught at the School years ago! How could she know it word for word unless she...

"Alright, alright, I'll give it a try," Volare patted the air with his wing, popping an earbud in and turning the speakerbox dial to 8. Do or do not...there is no try
Shut up, Yoda!
"What should I play, though," he muttered, and before he could make his decision, Twilight trotted up to him and leaned in close to his ear.

"Volare, listen to me...whatever it might be that inspired you in the past, do it here-think of it-again, no matter what it might be...or who, be it human or otherwise." His left eye snapped to its corner to stare at her as she continued. "I don't care if I'm not your buck, Volare...I don't care if it's somepony else...even if it's somepony whose cutie mark you wore as a patch inside of your flight jacket the day you came here." He stiffened as she said this, his eye full of fear that she assuaged with a quick nuzzle of his cheek. "I don't know how or why, but that doesn't matter right now...if she-or something about her-is your buck...then you take it... and you fly your flank off," her lips brushed lightly beneath his ear and she contrasted that with a quick hard thump of her hoof to his chest that half-knocked the wind out of him.
Damn, guess there's still that little order of business to tend to...bet she hates me now...

But the Unicorn merely grinned bashfully as if she didn't know her own strength, and then trotted back to the ponies who were all arrayed on the lawn, awaiting their friend to try this new idea out. It was then that the Pegasus knew she was right...he loved the heck out of Twilight as a friend, but she was right: she wasn't his buck. No, that honor fell to the Pegasus that had not only saved his life from his jet crash, and all the times after...but she'd also saved him before they'd ever personally met...it may have only been circumstantial, like Twilight's emotions for him, but it was still real. Without her...he'd have never made it out of the dark canyon in his life that he'd tumbled into...he'd be more than dead...he'd have been damned...

The wind suddenly shifted and swirled around Volare's head, whisking his short yellow mane this way and that just as it did the ocean of golden grass that spread out far to the east. Beyond those brassy waves lay the remainder of the storm front clouds piling up and curling about the southern edge of the base of Canterlot Mountain like an eddy in a stream. The water still being spewed and kicked up by the storm caught the rays of the late afternoon sun and ignited a luminous rainbow that spread from north to south as far as the eye could see. It was quite the spectacular sight to be sure, and it was then that Volare was 100% positive...he knew his buck...and soon, she'd truly know him.

"No, not try," the Pegasus muttered as he slapped the flight goggles over his head and popped the earbuds in and focusing his mind on the memories of one song in particular...a bottle of pills...the tossing of a laptop...the flicker of a song...and then...a rainbow in the darkness...it was the song that made him a brony...the song that gave him hope...the song that gave him Rainbow Dash after she'd saved him from himself...on a second thought, he reached back and cranked the volume knob to 11 and pointed it out towards the waves of grass. He wasn't sure what the range of these earbuds were, but he was about to find out!

"Do...." he felt a tear of joy leak from his eye as the intro faded in, and he crouched low to the ground, breathed deeply...and then it hit him why he wasn't making it through the turns without blacking out; the exact same thing that he didn't do that had brought him to this planet in the first place-a lesson that he never learned until now...and thus it all came full-circle.
It's a G-Suit...my god, this body IS a G-Suit! It all makes sense now!!!!
As the lead guitar crashed in, he quite literally exploded into the sky like a whistling blue and yellow rocket!

The shouts of encouragement from ground level quickly faded behind him as he climbed, kicking backwards off the air with every power stroke of his wings in time with the pounding drums as the wind whipped through his mane and tail and toothy grin. But he felt it all-he felt free and alive and oh my god, I'm doing it! I'm doing it! I'm doing it-I'm flying for real!!! his mind shouted. Higher and higher he climbed-100 feet-500 feet-1000-2000-3000-5000!!! Faster! Faster!! Faster!!! There was no way to truly describe the joy that rippled through him as he finally opened in his eyes and began an upward version of a Defensive Spiral to test his wings and body at a higher rate of speed than he had earlier, and so far, so good. He continued to climb throughout the first guitar riff, alternating the banking of his wings to "evenly wear them," his heart rising in rate and sheer joy with each stroke of his wings, thankful for Fluttershy's goggles or else he'd surely have been blinded by the wind that streamed along his body like an icy river-but it couldn't come close to extinguishing the exhilarating inferno that had been ignited in his spirit! Jeez, I can hear Vinyl's speaker all the way up here-that sucker is powerful! He was glad he'd taken the moment to point it towards the fields rather than at the orchard-he doubted the Apple Family needed that much applesauce!

This went on for nearly a full 30 seconds before he broke through the grey cloud base and beheld the golden sun shining warmly upon him. He quickly turned over on his side, inhaled deeply, and began the minimum radius turn at cloud level. He felt his vision beginning to darken, but he clenched his chest muscles as he thrusted backwards with his wings, kicking out with his legs to tighten the turn even faster. He felt the G-Forces on his wings trying to yank them from his body, but he clenched his teeth, growled under his breath, and pushed it further and harder, his chest tightening as if he were in the workout of his life! But his theory worked, and the combination of muscles and inhaled air kept the blood from flowing out of his brain and blacking him out again. Before he realized it, he was through the turn and the wind from had carved a ring through the cloud cover, the solid section of which remained like a giant bullseye. Volare exhaled loudly and grinned; he knew what to do.

He turned his nose skyward and bucked off the clouds, springing him high in the air before he unfolded his wings and swept them backwards, climbing higher and higher until he swore he was nearly level with the sun and he could feel the difference in how thin the air was compared to ground level. Brrr, Rarity was right-he would need whatever the heck her gift was up here! He looked to either side to see ice crystals forming along the leading edges of his wings, and he knew that could be trouble if they weighed them down. But no matter, he was high enough now. Hovering in mid-air and trying to force as much warm blood as he could through his wings-which he'd need again very soon-Volare stared down at the ring in the cloud, folded up his warmed wings, and dropped like a dart as the second verse of the song began.

"Holy balefire, what's he doing!?" Twilight cried as the pilot smashed through the cloud base, trailing condensation behind him like wispy grey banners that joined the contrails forming at the tips of his wings and hooves as he dove. She prepared herself to catch him with a spell, but he was diving too fast to give her more than one shot at it-and even then, she might not hit him with it! But Fluttershy held her back with a hoof and a demure smile. "Fluttershy, what're you?!"-

"Don't distract him, Twilight," she nodded towards the plummeting stallion. "He's facing his fears." As she said this, Volare opened his eyes, beholding the golden-red apple orchard spreading out before him, just like before. Unlike before, it no longer had the appearance of a pool of blood in the sunlight, but just...apples. With a final prayer, Volare suddenly flared his wings and the hair along his body like miniature air-brakes before kicking downwards with all four hooves like the four thrust nozzles of a Harrier Jet.

A Rolls-Royce Pegasus Engine, some strange part of his psyche told him as his dive flattened out and he opened his wings fully. Funny how things turn out...
But there wasn't time to think, he realized as he looked up, for his dive took him a little too close to the ground, and as he shot over his friends on the front lawn and nearly collided with Shae on the fence, he just barely managed to hear Applejack bark out a warning about the apple trees...the small forest of an orchard that rose up to block his path.

Oh shit. There wasn't time to brake. Oh shit! There wasn't time to pull up! Oh holy shit!! There was only time to...realize that things weren't speeding up, but slowing down. Volare's vision shrank to a narrow field of light within which he could see every single tree, limb, apple, twig, and leaf in his path.
Whoa...it's just like with Trixie...just like back on the river...ride it flyboy, ride it!
The Pegasus grinned as he saw the path in his mind's eye. The first tree loomed in front of him and he deftly folded his wings, shooting through a gap in the limbs before flat-rolling to squeeze between two out-reaching branches of another one. He bucked off the air and zigged left to avoid a large contingent of hanging apples that nearly took his head off, following that with another roll that zagged him right and below a massive limb that could have been a tree in its own right! The trees finally began to thin out as he neared the farm house, and the pilot flared his wings again to bleed air speed as his vision lightened and he became more aware of things other than directly in front of him. It was at that point that he realized although he'd been aware of the trees he was flying through, he actually saw nothing outside of that narrow field of vision. Somehow, he'd felt them with his body! Wow...just wow!

The Pegasus banked around a tree, the wake from his wings causing the loose leaves to scatter into the autumn air, and he finally rose up above the treeline to the relieved cheers of his friends, who had thought he'd surely crashed into or impaled himself on an apple tree. He climbed to the roof of the barn, grabbing the shaft of the weathervane in his hoof, pivoting around it, and launching himself back over the trees towards his friends. Applejack stopped halfway between the group and the trees she'd been sprinting into to save him and whooped loud and long, rearing up and tossing her hat which he deftly caught with a hoof, perched it jauntily on his head for a moment, and then tossed it back down to her. He gave his friends a quick salute in midair and suddenly felt a presence at his right wing tip. He turned to see Shae had flown from her perch and risen to his altitude, her fierce golden eyes contrasting heavily with her black and white plumage as she waggled her wings at him and cheereeked as if to say: well, it's about time you got up here!

"Yeah, it really is about time, huh?" Volare grinned in reply and began a slow, banking turn over the fields to the east, keeping pace with the music which diverged into a slower mixture of acoustic guitar and violin. The pair of aviators were quickly joined by Fluttershy, who gave him a proud smile of approval. "Did I learn well, Miyagi?"

"Oh yes, very well...uh-grasshoppah," she smirked bashfully as she quoted what he'd often muttered under his breath during their training, causing him to exchange a high-wing with her in mid-air, though he wasn't quite bold enough to try that with Shae; he still valued his eyeballs after all. Together, the trio climbed and dove gracefully in a V-Pattern, sometimes with Shae flying higher than the rest, sometimes Fluttershy, but all the while Volare remained at the center of the pattern. After several moments of this, Volare nodded back towards the group of ponies, none of which had even thought of sitting down since he'd began, and Fluttershy acknowledged him with a nod of her own; Shae merely followed.

The yellow Pegasus and the osprey landed first and Volare decided to try one last maneuver as the music faded away. He pitched his body up as if rearing onto his rear hooves, thrusting downwards with them and giving his wings the lightest stroke every few moments as he approached. The resulting maneuver was as close as he could come visually to the Section High Alpha, one of his favorite tricks to practice in his jet. But whereas the move made a jet appear to levitate, it made his Pegasus body appear to dance upon the air as he drifted down, finally landing with a huge grin and a quick trot that promptly carried him forward into a low dip in the ground, tripping him up and rolling him forward to land unceremoniously on his blue flank in a light daze. He flopped backwards onto his back and sighed at the grey sky...I take it back; THAT was awesome.

Nice job, flyboy, he heard a tomboyish voice in his head. Now show me whatcha can really do...
"Will do, Dashie...will do," he mumbled as he felt a weight climb onto his belly and clamor up his chest. He looked up into two huge purple eyes and an equally huge grin plastered all over the orange face of Scootaloo.

"Oh my gosh bro, that was so sweet!" she shouted, giving involuntarily hopping up and down and knocking the wind out of her brother.

"Oof-oof-glad ya-ow-thank so Scoots," he chuckled and picked her up with his hooves, holding her up as she posed as if flying above him as everypony else galloped over to him.

"I loved the part where you heading towards those trees like-whooosh! And then we were all: oh no, he's gonna die!" she smirked up at Rarity, who'd hidden her face behind a hoof at the time and was now rolling her eyes behind Scootaloo-and holding a smallish flat box with her magic. "But then you were-whoooom, see ya!-and shot outta there!" Volare chuckled and let her down before rolling to his hooves. It was quite obvious that Rarity wanted to speak with him, but he held up a wing as if to say one moment, and located Twilight towards the back of the group.

"Heya," she said, her violet eyes sparkling and her smile wide and bright.

"Heya yourself," Volare replied breathlessly, flipping his goggles up onto his head and pulling the Librarian into a huge hug. "Thanks for believing in me, Twi," he whispered.

"No, no, thanks for believing in yourself," she booped him on the nose and giggled. "Not gonna lie though; you scared me half to death when you did that dive."

"Eh-heh, yeah, I was just trying to"-

"I know, Fluttershy explained it to me," she preempted him. "No need to apologize cuz, holy hay, I think you know what you're doing now."

"Thanks, Twi," Volare gave his attention to Rarity who politely cleared her throat and levitated the smallish white box over in front of him.

"Volare, ever since you told me of the fashion styles of Earth pilots, I had this little niggling idea in the back of my mind that just wouldn't leave me alone. So, I decided to try my hoof at something a little bit different for you," she proceeded to open the box, dramatically lifting the lid to reveal a white silk aviator scarf neatly bundled in the box. "I'm sorry it took me so long to complete; as with every gift I give, I would like it to have a personal connection to the one I give it to. It too me so long because that silk you see shining on the scarf is silk pulled from Earth." Everypony gaped in awe as she lifted the scarf from the box, its shiny white threads gleaming in the sunlight as it wafted in the breeze. "It took me a dreadful amount of time to find enough to make it."

"Wow, Rarity," the pilot was near-speechless as she wrapped it once around his neck, swatting his hoof away as he tried to touch it while she arranged it. "You shouldn't have."

"And why not?" she squinted an eye at him. "I am the Element Holder of Generosity; giving is what I do, darling." She leaned up and whispered. "And with as much work as I put into this, if you don't want it as a scarf...well...silk is very strong and it would likely make a very nice hang-mare's noose," she winked suggestively and he immediately stopped resisting as she made a final adjustment and stood back to admire her work. "Now even Rainbow would say you look quite dashing!" she giggled at her witty little quip.

"Still, I just...wow," he ran a hoof along the silken threads in admiration. It was perfect. "Thank you Rarity...hey, what's this?" his hoof reached the ends of the scarf. On one end was a small blue patch that looked somehow familiar, and hanging on the other end were three crimson tassels. "These your hoof-work, Rarity?"

"Oh no, actually, you can have these three to thank for that," the Unicorn nodded towards the CMC, who stepped forward wearing huge grins. "Believe me, they insisted on it," she said with a tone that indicated it certainly was not in her original plans.

"Yeah, check it out," Scootaloo pointed at the tassels. "Remember that story of the Red Baron you told me; how you kinda liked him and how he had red on his scarf and planes. Well, there they are!" she grinned, and Volare's heart swelled in adoration of the thoughtfulness of the little filly. Sweetie Belle then grasped the other end of the scarf, turning it over so he could see the blue and yellow shape sewn into the fabric.

"And since you're part of the CMC, we added this here for you," the Unicorn filly ran a hoof over the patch, which displayed the yellow silhouette of a pony wearing a cape against a blue background. Wait, was that-

"It's tha' Cutie Mark Crusaders emblem," Applebloom beamed, as did her two friends. "Ah know it's kinda late ta say welcome to tha group, but now it's sorta official."

"Whatcha think, bro?" Scootaloo smiled as Volare looked up from the generous gift he'd been given from Rarity and the CMC.

"I think it's perfect," he grinned thankfully and wrapped the three fillies in a hug, before gracefully bowing to Rarity. "And thank you, ma'am."

"Oh, pish, it was nothing, darling-oh, but don't let drag it on the ground!" she magically tweaked his ear and caused everypony to laugh as he stood as tall as he could and threw her the crispest salute he could muster.

"Yes ma'am!" he barked before Rarity spoke above the dull roar of laughter.

"So what's the next step in your life Volare, now that you know how to fly and all?" the fashionista queried. "Getting a job, settling down in a home...finding a mare-friend perhaps?" she gave him a suggestive smirk.

"Eh-heh, actually, I've got I've got a plan to fix this situation, before I do anything else," he said aloud, gaining everypony's attention.

"What situation?" Trixie spoke up from next to Big Mac.

"Ah, right, Trixie doesn't know what you guys know about what happened in the hospital between Dash and Twilight," he replied to the magician.

"Did Dash hurt you, Twilight?" the blue Unicorn asked in alarm, surprising the Librarian with the amount of charity she was exhibiting.

I guess if being a Pegasus doesn't work out, Volare could try being a guidance counselor or something...
"Oh, no, I'm ok-I mean, at the time it was more embarrassing than anything, but..." as Volare stored the sound equipment, she quickly recounted the events from her point of view, leading to a few small gasps from some, solemn nods from others, and a downright angry response from Trixie.

"But she-how could she-Rainbow Dash, I swear," the magician sputtered angrily, looking left and right as if searching for the prismatic pony. "Where is she now?"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Trixie, it's ok," Twilight patted the incensed Unicorn with a hoof. "I'm just as much to blame for what happened, plus Dash is our friend."

"Yes, but you are also my friends...right?" she paused hesitantly; perhaps she'd gone too far. But Scootaloo quickly hopped up next to her and hoofed her in the shoulder with a mischievous grin.

"Duh, 'course you are, Trix. What else would we call ya?" Any sort of dislike anypony there might have had at Trixie's modest, grateful smile at having a friend simply evaporated, and one by one, each pony there trotted up and gave Trixie either a hoof-shake in Rarity's case, or a friendly embrace in the CMC's case, or a simple hoof to the shoulder in Applejack's case. It wasn't uber-close-friend stuff, but it was certainly a good start.

"Thank you...thank you all," Trixie suppressed a sniffle and smiled. "It's good to have friends," she stated plainly. And she was right! "Now then...about this Rainbow Dash situation..."

"Right, right," Twilight nodded and got back on track. "Volare and I had kinda joked about a plan back when he was in the hospital to kinda teach her a lesson in the same vein as what we used the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well for."

"The who?" Trixie cocked her head, drawing a smattering of laughter and the friendly hoof of a chuckling Applejack tossed around her shoulder.

"Sugarcube, ya'll got a heap ta catch up on."

"Heh-heh, yes, seems I do, but let's stop getting off track," the magician waved a hoof back towards Twilight. "What was the plan?"

"Well, we never really discussed the specifics, did we Volare?" she looked to the Pegasus for answers, but he shrugged.

"Not that I recall...but here we are and I can fly now, so that's definitely on the way towards what I had in mind," he smirked slyly. "Basically, we said that actions speak louder than words for Dash, so I figured if we could do something that catches her by surprise, it'd make a bigger impact on her."

"What's the surprise?" Fluttershy asked.

"Heh...ol' Dashie thinks I'm still in the hospital according to the letter she sent Spike the other day," Volare chuckled at the requests that the contents of the letter be kept secret. "So at first I thought just me being out of there when she comes back-tomorrow was it? Yeah, tomorrow-would be a big enough surprise on its own. But now...rather than bunting, we can swing for the fences!"

"...Come again, sugarcube?" Applejack scratched her head.

"Urgh, nevermind," Volare shook his head and beckoned everypony closer, as if sharing a massive secret. "Here's the idea I've got...."

Agent F, you called...I take it you have something to report? the mildly irritated voice hissed out of the small green gemstone that rested beneath the graying mane of this "Agent F."

"Yes my Liege," amethyst eyes peered out of the hay loft of the barn that Volare had catapulted himself off of, their owner mildly surprised that he hadn't spotted her just inside the door she'd been watching the events unfold through. Then again, he seemed fairly distracted, what with all that music being played and one of the craziest flight stunts "Agent F" had ever seen a young flier attempt...he very well could have impaled himself on one of those trees, but somehow, he'd avoided them all with relative ease from her viewpoint. Heh, I remember when I used to be able to fly like that...

Don't use that title, you foal, the voice growled bitingly. It implies I'm the ruler or the future ruler of something...by now you should know that none of that is in my plans!

"My apologies, sir," "Agent F" bowed to nopony in particular before giving a report on all she'd heard over the past 24 hours, from the dinner conversation at the Apple Family house, to what had just happened in front of the farm, all of which was received with amused hmm's and is that so's from her Boss.

So he can fly now, eh?

"Yes...he's rough, but it's fairly impressive for his first day doing this," the Agent replied.

That's not a problem...it simply means he'll require further "polishing", the voice's dark chuckle raised the hair of the Agent's mane. Anything else?

"Oh yes, one more interesting thing: that Great and Powerful Trixie has been befriended by the Element Holders and Volare via his compassion."

What!? That bitch! a near-screech of a female voice exploded from the gemstone, causing the Agent to wince in discomfort. After all we did for her, can you believe that?!

We did try to kill her, Jill.

Shut it, Ray!

Hmm-hmm, how about both of you children hush up while the Master is on call, hmm? a second female voice halfway between cultured and deranged sneered at the two arguing Unicorn siblings. The Agent facehoofed; those two were half-worthless. It had taken all of her patience to sneak them out of Trottingham without their cover being blown,and even then she'd nearly given up and simply thrown them in front of the Royal Guards and taken the reward money for herself...oh well, c'est la vie...and the one that had just spoken, well...she pitied any poor fool that met her in an alley at any time, day or night.

How about I burn that little smirk off your face, bitch?! Jill snarled, but was met only with soft, jerky laughter.

Heh-ha-hah-hee-hee, you really think you could, hmm? How about I just pluck out one of your eyes, get into that pretty little skull of yours, and find out what makes you tick instead, Jillian?

Grrr-Bring it on, whore!

SILENCE ALL OF YOU!!! the Boss shouted so loudly that the Agent nearly threw away the gemstone in disgust. What a damn disorganized mess this guy has on his hooves...still, could be worse...could be back in that hell-hole he saved me from...
Agent F, can you hear me still? the Boss asked, his voice back down to normal, but she could practically feel the barely concealed frustrated rage simmering beneath it.

"Yes sir."

Good, my apologies for that and my thanks for your work so far. Are you ready to begin the next phase?

"Yes sir, I understand the plan fully."

No...no you don't. Don't you ever believe yourself to be so wise, the voice growled. Do you understand why we're targeting this human? If not, allow me to refresh your memory. Consider this a trial period, and if it succeeds, it may be applied to other humans as well. We will single this Volare out, find his buck, and then, when we've pushed him to the brink, that is when the true test will begin. Do you know of it? the voice chuckled devilishly.

"Yes, I underst-"

DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?! YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT, SO DON'T YOU DARE MAKE THAT CLAIM AND BELITTLE WHAT I'VE MADE AN ARTFORM!! the voice roared, staggering the Agent sideways and nearly knocking her out of the hay loft. ...Agh, again my apologies, I've had a rough day here...Agent, as you know, it's quite easy to physically break somepony's body, but then they are of no use to me...but to break their mind while still leaving them useful, that is the true challenge here. It's not like breaking a bone, which can be done in an instant. No, breaking a mind, or rather, certain pieces of a mind, without shattering the important parts, takes time; it's rather like performing surgery on a stained-glass window to remove a defective pane. We only wish to remove that which is in his way of becoming useful to us, and the best way to get him to do what we want is to dangle his dream-his buck, whatever that may be-over the fire.

Hee-hee-hee, gloriously devious, Master, that deranged voice cackled, but the Boss ignored it.

Do that, threaten to destroy a pony's dream, and they're putty in your hooves; I've waited a long time to determine if a human mind works the same way. If this trial period proves successful...imagine the possibilities of a human-minded Pegasus behind our cause! The knowledge he may impart us may be the tipping point in the conflict to come...

"And what makes you think he'll support us?"

Ah yes, I figured I'd left you in the dark on something else; silly me...I've learned over the decades that if you want to control something that resists, simply turn its greatest strength into a weakness, and then push it to the breaking point, either mentally or physically, and they'll capitulate to your desires once they realize their greatest bastion of safety is nothing more than a worthless hole in their defenses. However, as said, we cannot use the physical method, one because it would leave him less than useful, and two because now that he has powerful friends like this, they'd likely come looking for him...we don't need that.

"So what's the plan in that regard?"

Make him feel alone in the dark and desperate for salvation. 9 times out of 10, to save their own skins and to prevent themselves from falling off the brink you pushed them too, they'll grasp even the hoof of those that forced them there in the first place...and once that happens, they'll do whatever you wish to keep from slipping back to the brink.

"And what about the other 10%, sir? What if he doesn't take our help?"

The other 10% tend to be honor-bound fools and delusional idiots so set in their ways that you're almost better off throwing them into the abyss at the outset; its such a damned letdown when they refuse your assistance and let themselves fall into honorable nothingness...not like we need fools like that anyway though, right?

"Right sir," the Agent nodded, swallowing the dry lump in her throat.

And hopefully, if this little trial period succeeds...well...how many more humans are desperate for salvation and crying out for help because they're already hanging on that cliff? Billions, I believe it was reported...billions of desperate fools searching for an escape from the oblivion of their doomed existence...if we can accomplish the difficult task and prove a human can be pushed to the brink, think of how much easier it will be to simply show the rest of that race how I've saved one of their own, and then offer that same salvation to those already dangling by the skin of their teeth...those already searching for one to lead them out of the darkness...and do I not fit the bill? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

"Volare, that plan is crazy, even for you," Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

"Better than stupid," the Pegasus replied. "It'll definitely surprise the hell outta her if anything."

"Yes, but that's not much better," everypony else there tended to agree short of Scootaloo, who thought the idea was killer, which was exactly what Twilight was worried about.

"Perhaps, but it would certainly hush dear Dash's arrogant mouth for good on the subject," Rarity offered, wobbling on the fence before stepping over to Volare. "I'll support him in this; besides, I owe her back for what she did to my tail."

"Wadn't Pinkie also involved in that, Rare?" Applejack queried.

"Yes, but she's since apologized and made me quite a few delicious pastries to make up for it," she glanced back at her flank for a moment and frowned in worry. "They haven't gone to my hips, have they?" This elicited a round of chuckles from everypony before Fluttershy assured her that her alabaster flank was still just as perfect as ever. "You really think so, because I personally think it could do with a little workout and slimming down-"

"Oookay, moving right along," Volare cut her off as politely as possible. "Twilight, c'mon, I mean, I kinda do know what I'm doing now, right? Doesn't that make it just a tad less stupid?" he reiterated her original statement with a smirk, but the Librarian wasn't quite convinced.

"Oh come on, Twilight," Trixie nudged her former rival with a hoof. "Live a little; besides, I believe in him. Don't you?" One by one, the other ponies nodded or expressed their support through stomping of hooves, leaving Twilight the last of the Mohicans, so to speak. Faced with that, what little opposition she had left crumbled to dust, and she trotted up to Volare and prodded him in the chest with a hoof.

"Yes, I believe in you as well...and I'll support your plan."

"Even if it's crazy?" he grinned confidently, causing Twilight to roll her eyes and smirk cheekily.

"Well, unfortunately for us both, I like crazy...but only over stupid!" she punctuated her statement with another rough prod in the center of his chest. "But to make this work without it turning into a disaster, we're all gonna have to pull together, cuz Dash is gonna be home in less than 24 hours," she paused and sighed. Still can't believe I got talked into this... "Is everypony ready?"

"YEAH!"

"Then let's go crazy..."

Notes: WHEW, that's quite possibly the longest chapter in the entire story, so I thank you for bearing with me through it, and through all the facts and science content of this story arc, for that matter!
What kind of evil plan does The Boss have in store...what kind of CRAZY plan does Volare have?
What will Dash's reaction be?
And will Ponyville be the same...hell, will it even SURVIVE?!
And who's this mysterious "Agent F?"
Find out next time in the next story arc:
TRUTH OR DARE...

Volare: you really eat this up sometimes, huh?
Author: isn't that my job?
Volare: yeah, you know what, I guess it kinda is

Here's the Q&A: >>>Inseptium Nova Story Arc Q&A <<<
It's got a fun little twist to it this time, so be sure to read the instructions carefully before posting your questions/comments
I'll be taking a break from Blue Angel till at least past the start of Season 3 (mainly to see what they do with Trixie there, if anything, because I'd like to incorporate Season 3 stuff into the story if I can), plus this arc kinda kicked my butt ^^;;

Again, thank you for slogging through this thing with me to this point.
I love you all!

Other notes:
I took inspiration from Volare's flight from this particular movie clip: >>>Test Drive<<<
(if you haven't seen this movie, my god, find it and watch it-some of the best flights scenes in a movie I've EVER seen!)

Fun Fact: until I wrote this scene, I had no idea that the Harrier Jet's engine was called a Pegasus...funny how things turn out indeed ^^

Inseptium Nova Q&A Character Responses!

Personal Notes: Just about any character interaction here should be considered non-canon to the current storyline...this is mainly for fun! I'm going to be linking each of your names to your profiles to give ya'll more site exposure and connections too ^^. It is assumed that The Author and V-Pony are aware of all the story details, both past and present, while the other characters are only aware of the story up to this point...it is also assumed that you, the readers, are the audience watching this little production on stage, so please be as supportive as possible! And without further ado, here...

Alrighty folks, this is V-Pony here bringing you another round of Q&A responses! But, as said in the instructions, things will be a little different this time around, with the questions not only being directed at myself, but at the characters as well (this is mainly at the behest of Scootaloo, who felt everypony should be heard this time around. And hey, if you guys like it, we'll likely do it again!)

Scootaloo: *from somewhere behind stage* YAY!

Ain't she cute?

Scootaloo: Hey, I am so not cute!

Volare: She prefers the term adorable!

Scootaloo: Hey, do not! And stop giving me hoof-noogies!

whack!

Volare: Oof! Fair enough...V-Pony, please continue...ow, kid can hit hard for her size...

Scootaloo: What was that, bro?

Volare: Nothin...nothin...

Dash: *from over a phone link to Fillydelphia* This phone is so awesome! And he said something about hitting hard for your size, squirt, heh-heh.

Scootaloo: Grrr, why does everypony gotta point out that I'm little...sheesh...*crosses hooves and grumbles* And I'd whack you too if you were here-when're you coming home, Dash?!

Dash: Tomorrow, I promise!

Scootaloo: Aww, but that's taking forever! And that still doesn't answer why everypony's gotta point out my size...

Cuz you're adorable, that's why Scoots.

Scootaloo: Aww, c'mon, not you too, dude!

It's nothing bad, it's just endearing, that's all.

Scootaloo: Hey, I'm not a deer!

Volare: No, Scoots, endearing. It means something that others like about you.

Scootaloo: Oh, I get it now. Thanks, V-Pony! ...but I'm still not cute! Blech!

If you say so~...hnnnng-

Scootaloo: Hey, I can break more than the fourth wall of this stage if ya know what I mean, dude *shakes hoof from behind curtain*

Eesh, ok, ok, truce! You're not cute, you're...awesome?

Scootaloo: Darn right! Now get on with the questions and stuff, V-Pony!

Yeah, c'mon, it's cramped as heck back here!

What the-but you're The Author! You're the writer; it's not like you're back there with the...oh, right...nevermind.

Forgot again, huh?

Yeah, eh-heh, kinda did...well, you wanna go first then?

Heck-yeah I do! Bring it on!

...you gonna come out from behind the curtain?

The Great and Powerful Author has no need to come out from behind the curtain-hahahaha!

Volare, have you been showing The Author old movies again?

Volare: Why ya ask?

*points*

*grins*

Volare: ...oops?

*facepalm* Let's just get this over with before-

Trixie: Wait a sec, I'm the only Great and Powerful one around here!

"Were."

Trixie: Yes well-wait up here-how dare you? *lights horn* I will reclaim my title eventually, but that doesn't mean you can steal it, you huge-ego'd foal!

Watch it Trix, or I'll write ya outta the story. *smirks*

Trixie: But you...you can't do that! I'm one of the featured characters! Besides, I thought this was a retelling, not a work in progress!

Hmm...Trixie suddenly suffered a tragic fall out of her little ivory tower so terrible that not even her hard head saved her from it!

Trixie: You wouldn't dare!

...try me, babe.

Trixie: Oooh, why you-!!!

Besides, aren't you supposed to be all humble and what-not now?

Trixie: Humbled yes, helpless no!

Prove it!

Trixie: Well, since we all know how good you are at catching, if you know what I mean-

Applejack: Calm down, sugarcubes! V-Pony asked us ta come together peaceful-like, an' Ah doubt this is what he meant by that! Right, V-Pony?

Yeah, exactly. Thanks, AJ.

Applejack: Shoot, ya'll gotta do better at takin' control o' situations sometimes.

But there's a curtain in the way.

Applejack: That's a lamer excuse than why Ah didn't take kindly ta Trixie...

But I-

Pinkie: Hey, if you close your eyes with all this noise and bumping around, it sounds kinda like porn back here.

Rarity: Pinkamena Diane Pie, that is terribly uncouth!

Pinkie: Well it kinda does.

Big Mac: Eeyup.

Rarity: Ach, I don't believe this...

Pinkie: What, it's not like you're totally in the dark on it, so to speak-heehee. Remember those magazines I found under your bed, Rare?

Rarity: Uh-well-bu-no, no I most certainly do not!

Pinkie: Well I do~

Applejack: Anytime ya wanna lay down tha law would be just dandy, V-Pony.

Alright, that's about enough! Everypony listen up: This will be semi-organized and peaceful or I WILL reach back there and turn this sucker around myself! And what the hell-no more porn references! Sound fair enough?

Everypony: *nods*

*facepalm*...you're all behind a curtain, I can't see you nodding if that's what you're doing.

Scootaloo: We are!

Thanks, Scoots...hopefully we can get through this in one piece...So without, further ado, let's bring out the first of our guests, The Author!
....Author?

Yep?

You gonna come out here and speak?

Still nope.

Any particular reason why?

Spoilers, duh.

Oh, right...

Plus I'm the Great and Powerful Narrator!

Oh for the love of-I'm technically the narrator; you're just the writer!

Ok, ok, just...look, you can hear me just fine from out there, right? So just ask me and I'll answer; simple.

Oh, alrighty then...um, let's see...first question comes from djthomp:
Ok, for the author, what led you (at least for the time being) to kill off any TwiVolare shipping, was it part of the plan from the beginning? I'm assuming it wasn't just to make me happy.

Seriously?

That's the question *shrugs*

Alright, I'll do my best...ok, look...djthomp, nothing made me kill off the shipping; I pretty much had nothing to do with it. It's just bad luck, that's all. There was no "plan" from the beginning...in fact, from what I gathered from Twilight and Volare, what they decided to do was fairly mutual-you'll see more of what I mean in the story soon enough. True, they'd make kinda a cute couple, Twilight was right: she was just holding Volare back, and she had to go!

Volare: That's kinda harsh, ya know?

What, it's true! And you both turned out ok afterwards, right?

Volare: Yeah, all things considered...

C'mon, where's Twi at anyways? Twi, you back here somewhere?

Twilight: Yeah, I'm here. What's up "Author?" *wink*

Hey, you and Volare turned out ok even after you guys decided not to be a couple, right?

Twilight: Oh, well, for the most part, we did, yeah. Granted, it's not like it was something we wanted to do at the time...it was more something we had to do so he could fly without being afraid of worrying me. Does that answer it pretty well; it's still kinda tough to talk about, ya know?

O-oh, yeah, yeah, that's plenty, Twi...just...know that I'm sorry, ok?

Twilight: No need to apologize.

Ya sure?

Twilight: Positive *smiles*

Heh-thanks...so yeah, there you go. There wasn't a plan for this from any "beginning", and it wasn't done to make anypony happy. It was just the truth, and this time, the truth sucked. *shrug* Got any other questions for me, V-Pony?

Um, yeah, we've got a few from E3gner here:
Honestly, where do you get all the music videos. Do you just think of them on the fly and find them on YouTube quick?
Is Lyra Hooves going to be the evil mastermind (so much knowledge on humans after all :pinkieshrug:)
Volare + Twilight or Volare + Dasher?

What the hay...ok, the music videos I get from V-Pony who helps me edit them into the story based on the music that Volare played for everypony at the time. Lyra Hooves...you mean Heartstrings, right? Nope, she's about as far from an evil mastermind as you can get! That's just crazy...but now that ya mention it, it would kinda make sense at the same time...Lyra, you back here?

Lyra: Yep, sure am! Ah, ow, tripped...I'm ok, I'm ok...dern uneven floors. What's up?

This is gonna sound crazy but...are you an evil mastermind?

Lyra: Uh...I don't think so. Why ya ask?

Cuz E3gner was curious, since you have all this knowledge on humans and stuff.

Lyra: Me? Nah, I really only know about their stuff like their socks, tires, and newspapers (which according to Volare are pretty old and outdated anyways). I'd like to know more about them in general though, so it's a good thing Volare used to be one, eh? If anything, I'd say Volare is the evil mastermind since he knows everything about humans!

Volare: What the-that doesn't make any sense!

Lyra: I know, right? *grin*

Volare: ...

Lyra: What?

Volare: Nevermind...Author, keep going.

Will do! Volare + Twilight or Volare + Dasher... What the hay kinda math problem is that? Urgh, I hate weird math like this!

Volare: Uh, well...Twi, what do you think?

Twilight: Hmm, it appears to be an abstract problem with no real numerical solution because the variables are undefined.

Volare: *facehoof* One is too straight-forward and one is too neurotic to give a straight answer...guys, it's not a math problem. It's a question of pairings.

Ah, I get it now. Um...well, seeing as how I'm the author and know the answer to how that turns out...I could answer it...but I don't wanna spoil anything either...so...pass. E3gner, you'll find out soon enough *smirks*

Volare: I don't like this sneaky crap...

Dash: Heh-heh, like the Author said, you'll find out soon enough, flyboy!

Volare: Why do I get the feeling you two are in cahoots...

Dash: Search me *shrugs*

Volare: How am I supposed to do that when you're on the phone, Dashie?

Dash: Yep, guess you're just gonna have to wait, buddy!

Volare: Thou vexes me sorely, Rainbow Dash

Dash: Ha...wait, say what?

Big Mac: Eeyup.

Dash: So not needed right now, Mac!

Applejack: Let's just move along afore somepony gets gets a headache.

Fair enough. Let's see, what else have we got for ya, Author...here's one from Chiman1293: Do you have alot planned for Volare now that he can fly again or are you going to ground him again?

Hmm, like I said before, I'm really only just recalling past events here, so it's not really planning anything per-se. However, I will say that Volare's about to have some...rather interesting events happen to him (some on the ground, some in the air), but nothing too terribly crippling. *grins*

Volare: V-Pony, I'm a little scared now.

Oh, you have no idea, pal.

Volare: This ain't funny, McGee!

Trust me, it's not as bad as you think. Perhaps a little painful and embarrassing, but beyond that-

Volare: I'll find where you sleep at night-both of you-I swear!

Pinkie: Ooh, kinky~

Dash: Hey no fair-what about me, flyboy? *laughs*

Volare: What the-?!

Big Mac: Eeyup

Volare: *facehoof* Let's just...move on before I do something regretful...like jumping off a cliff.

Pinkie: But you can fly now, silly.

Trixie: Alright, lay offa him already! He's stressed enough as it is.

Volare: Thanks, Trix. V-Pony, you got anything else for the "Great and Powerful Author?"

Yep, here's another one from Jayfeather97: Author, when will Volare let anything slip more openly with knowing about them before, I mean I saw SOME slips but not big ones, but I'm just asking will you include bigger slips or not with the intent of hiding it from them forever?

Oh trust me, it's getting easier the longer he doesn't think about it...but one particular mare won't be deterred by simple shrugs and question dodging...not to mention he can't exactly run from her, heh-heh. So it's gonna get tougher...he'll slip eventually...but maybe it'll be easier if he does, hmm?

Volare: V-Pony, I think the Author is abusing me.

Nope, The Author is merely retelling this in a past tense...they have nothing to do with what happened; you know that.

Volare: Yeah, well this omnipotent teasing crap is getting on my nerves.

Dash: I kinda like this Author.

Volare: Oh you would, Dashie.

Dash: Hey, what's that supposed to mean, huh?

Volare: Not tellin' *grins*

Dash: Hey Author, if you write Trixie falling out of her little tower, can you have her land on Volare? That'd be hilarious!

Volare: This is weird as hell...Dashie, you realizing you're arguing and pleading with-

Author: Sheesh, I'm not that kinda author; I'm not the creator, just the recounter...person...thingy...got any other questions for me, V-Pony or should I jet before I piss somepony off? ^^;

Um, yeah, I have a few more here. From Knowledge seeker: When will Volare give us a little more information about his family?
Ah, right, that...perhaps that question is better reserved for Volare himself, eh? Hey Volare?

Volare: Mhm?

Same question: When will you give the readers more info on your folks?

Volare: Oh, um...can we talk about this later? No offense Knowledge seeker, but that's...well, still kinda a touchy subject for now. You'll find out more about them soon enough, just...not right now...sorry.

Trixie: *pat pat* It's ok...the past can hurt sometimes....still, it's better to learn from it than run from it.

Volare: Hahahaha!

Trixie: What, what did I say?

Volare: Oh-heh-heh, nothing Trixie, you just...sounded like a monkey for a sec there.

Trixie: ...I don't get it.

Volare: Nevermind...Knowledge seeker, you and the others will hear more about them eventually; promise. Anymore for The Author?

Hmm...there's a combo question here from D48, but it has to do with unicorn magic...

Eh-heh, probably won't be much help there.

We'll come back to that later, then. Let's see...well, this is the last one for ya, but it's a bizarre one.

I think I can handle it.

Ok...from Beyond the Horizon: Final question, for the author. Could you deliver this message to the Boss for me? I know who you are, I know what you are, but most importantly. . . I know where you are. Soon. . . hehehe eheheheh. . . soon. ~Signed, the Contradicted Spiral. And thats it. Dunno who it was, seemed like a nice chap.

...Oookay, that was pretty weird. I'm not about to talk to that guy though...so how about you give it to him?

Why me?

Cuz you're V-Pony, the omnipotent narrator-guy!

Doesn't make me immune to harm, pal.

Yeah, well...I just refuse to talk with the guy, ok?

Totally reasonable; he's a real prick sometimes, ya know?

Yeah...well, um, if that's all for me, I'll get outta your manes! See ya!

Volare: Well, that was...different. Does this mean the Q&A will be kinda normal from here on out?

For the most part, I suppose. So! Who wants to take their questions next?

Dash: I will! I'm not afraid of some crazy questions (plus I gotta get back to business).

Volare: Business? What kinda business? Didn't you already delivery the day's mail?

Dash: Duh, dude. I gotta catch up on my napping.

Volare: ...seriously?

Dash: Hay yeah! So bring on the questions, V-Pony!

Haha, alright, alright, simmer down, Dash. First ones! From American Brony: Rainbow Dash: Uh, how, famous and revered is Commander Hurricane in Cloudsdale? Also, just what are some of the Big Duties of being a weather Mare? I also heard you are Captain of the Weather Team, what is that like?

Dash: Ok, this'll be a snap! First off, Commander Hurricane is only one of the original founders of Equestria, and it was by her leadership and fortitude that the Pegasi constructed Cloudsdale north of Ponyville. And although she was pretty old when it happened, she led the Pegasus forces in the War of Chaos against Discord over 1100 years ago! And we all know how that turned out: ol' Discord stuck in a statue and Celestia and Luna leading us in harmony ever since.

Volare: Wow, I didn't take you for a history buff, Dash.

Dash: Eh, it's nothin' special, really. Had to learn it at the Flight Academy when I was a little filly...I guess she was just cool enough to stick in my head, heh-heh. And American Brony, you heard I'm the Captain of a Weather Team, eh? Guess my reputation of awesomeness proceeds me more than I thought.

Volare: *facehoof*

Dash: Being a Weather Team Captain is hard work-heck, bein' a Weather Pony in general isn't a trot in the park either! It takes alot of training and self-control to get as good as me, but hay, I guess if anypony else dedicated themselves to being the best like yours truly, I'd have some decent competition.

Applejack: Let's jus' get back on point afore yor head gets too big an' pulls ya away from tha phone, sugarcube.

Dash: Oh, right, where was I? Oh yeah-being a Weather Captain! It's great if you know how to lead and motivate others (but that kinda comes with the job description). It involves being supportive for your teammates, but also knowing when to be tough when you have to. It's probably not nearly as hard as being the Mayor or being a Princess, but ya still gotta know how to lead a team. Hopefully the Wonderbolts notice that enough to let me into their group sooner or later *squee*.

Scootaloo: She's so awesome, right bro?

Volare: If awesome is an ingredient in a self-flattery machine, then yep, I'd say so, heh-heh.

Dash: Hey watch it, you! Just wait till I get back to town and I'll show ya!

Volare: If you say so Dashie, but considering you're just a voice over a phone line right now, it'd be safe to say you're *puts on flight goggles* nothin' but talk! Haha!

Dash: *grumble-grumble* Next question, V-Pony!

Righto! From Chiman1293: Rainbow Dash, you find out that Volare has gotten into the Wonderbolts, and you haven't. How do you react?

Dash: What the hay...well for one, I'd wanna know whose flank he's kissing and two...scratch that, no two. He'd have to be kissing major flank for that to happen. And I don't answer impossible questions. Next!

So you don't think he'd ever make it in there?

Dash: Hey, I never said he wouldn't! I just said it'd be impossible for him to make it and not me-I mean, come on, I'm the best flier in Equestria! What the hay could he do to make it in before me, huh?!

Hey, don't get mad at me; I didn't ask the question, Dash!

Volare: That's assuming I'd even want to be in their group...

Dash: Yeah! Wait, huh, you wouldn't wanna be in there, flyboy? Why not?

Volare: Well, for one, like you said, I'm not nearly a good enough flier to get in there. Two, that's your dream, not mine...and I wouldn't wanna undercut ya like that. And as for kissing major flank...rather figuratively or literally, I'd rather not; being a brown-noser's not exactly my style.

Dash: I like the way you think, flyboy! Leave the professional stuff to the pros-me!

Volare: *rolls eyes* Next question!

Got it! From Brony Assasin: Rainbow Dash: How do you feel about the fact that Volare somehow knew about you, and had a patch of your awesome cutie mark sewn into his flight jacket. What are your intentions for Volare in the future, and how do you feel about Scootaloo and Volare being surrogate siblings? By the way, you are best pony...

Dash: Heh-heh, thanks dude, but don't state the obvious too much or it'll start getting on everypony's nerves *smirk*

Everypony else: *rolls eyes*

Dash: Anyways...about that patch...I really just wanna know how the hay he knew about me...and why he had that patch. As for how I'll find out, well...I've got my own plans for that, which also involve my intentions for him-and seeing as how he's standing right here listening...I think I'll leave it a surprise for him.

Volare: *gulp*

Dash: And when did Scootaloo and Volare become siblings?! I mean, that's kinda weird, but kinda awesome...but how?!

Volare: You'll find out soon enough, Dashie! You're not the only one keeping surprises in the dark.

Dash: Grr, next!

From Beyond the Horizon: To RD: Been a while hasn't it? Anyways, whats your normal workout routine like? What is your favorite food? Do you know Kamina? And finally, what do you know of. . . the Spectra Force?

Dash: Um...I don't know who Kamina or the Spectra Force is, but they sound pretty sweet. Maybe Volare'll explain it later, eh? As for my workout routine...well, let's see. Depending on the weather and my schedule, I usually start out with a few leg and wings lifts with ice weights, then I move to flying laps around my house until I work up a good sweat. Then, if I don't have weather duty, I work on my Wonderbolts tryout routine; it's top secret though, so I can't tell ya everything...but I suppose a little hint wouldn't hurt, hee-hee. Let's just say the finale is rather...explosive.

Scootaloo: Wait a sec, so you explode?!

Dash: Nah, but I'll bet your little eyes'll pop outta your head when ya see it, squirt.

Scootaloo: I dunno if that sounds sweet or...just plain creepy and gross...

Volare: I'd go with gross, sis.

Dash: It's just a figure of speech, sheesh! Favorite food...that's easy: cinnamon oatmeal. I always start my best days out with it! Bring on the next question!

From MoonlitDawn: To Dash: Do you think that Volare will ever be on-par/better than you at flying or weather control?

Dash: Hmm...nah. I mean, aim for the stars, but not the impossible, ya know?

Volare: Oh, ha ha ha...we'll see about that, Dashie.

Dash: Whenever you're ready flyboy; just name the time and place!

Volare: Grr, next question!

Another from Chiman1293: Rainbow Dash: Volare has pulled off a sonic rainboom. A) How far did your jaw just drop? B) What do you do?

Dash: Whoa, that's kinda out there...unless he learned the technique of doing it...nah, he couldn't cuz I haven't taught him how. But let's say he somehow pulled it off and somehow learned hot to control his body and somehow was in good enough condition that it didn't tear him to pieces-

Volare: oO;;

Dash: -then my jaw would probably be right where it is now. Cuz he seems pretty determined and if I taught him how...well, then I'd expect him to pull it off! As for what I'd do...I'd give him the biggest high-wing in history, that's what I'd do! Can you imagine us both doing that at the same time? Dude, it'd be wicked!

Volare: Eh-heh, let's not put the cart before the horse, Dashie.

Dash: I know, I know, it's just....man, that'd be so sweet!

Volare: Maybe...

Dash: No maybe, dude! If it comes down to it, I'll teach ya if ya wanna-though I still doubt it's possible for anypony but yours truly to do it...

Scootaloo: You can do it, bro!

Volare: I'm honestly torn between pride and self-preservation here.

Fluttershy: Just don't do anything you're not completely sure you can do, Volare. Remember the lessons!

Volare: Right, to push your limits, you first must know where they lie...thanks Flutters. Next question!

Right! This one comes from BrilliantPoint: Rainbow Dash,
You've seen Volare fly in his jet and keeping up with you, do you think he will manage to do that as a pegasus? I have this sneaky suspicion he might actually give you a run for your bits, if not beat you.
Brilliant Point
PS,
In my humble opinion the Blue Angels are far more awesome than the Wonder Bolts (however they are very good second).

Dash: Hmm, I dunno...I haven't seen him fly in person since he crashed, so...still, in a straight line, I doubt it; you know who you're talking to here? *Flexes wings* Fastest feathers in Equestria, baby!

Volare: It's not all about speed, Dashie. Technique comes into play too.

Dash: Pfft, technique, smechnique! It's all about speed and power! And as for the Blue Angels being better than the Wonderbolts...you better watch it, buddy! They're only good cuz of their jets. Take those away and you have flightless humans stuck on the ground! Us pegasi, and especially the Wonderbolts, don't need machines to do what we do best! Next question!

Last one, believe it or not.

Dash: Aww, I was having fun-oh well, I gotta get back to work here, so bring it!

This is from Soviet Bacon: What is the pony version of Phillycheese steaks if there is one?

Dash: Well, that's probably the weirdest one I've gotten so far...um, I honestly don't know, pal. I mean, Zipscale had some roast beef, but that stuff made me queasy to look at, so I can't imagine what that'd look like with cheese and stuff all over it-blech. Well, if that's it, I'll be headin' out! See ya guys soon, and Volare...

Volare: Yep?

Dash: I'm gonna have questions...and you better have answers ready cuz you probably don't wanna find out how I'll get'em outta ya otherwise, heh-heh.

Volare: Eep!

Dash: Hahaha, see ya! *click*

Volare: Yes...yes you will.

Scootaloo: Bro, are you mad at Dash?

Volare: Huh? Oh, no, no, not mad, just...ready to take her down a notch or two, that's all.

Scootaloo: Whatcha mean?

Volare: Don't sweat it Scoots. Hey, how about you take your questions next, eh?

Scootaloo: Oooh, I got questions!? V-Pony, gimme-gimme-gimme!

Haha, alright, alright, hold onto your wings, squirt. Come on out here on stage with your bro and we'll get to them. Everypony else, just sit tight and we'll call ya up when your turn comes; it'll be more organized this way.

Scootaloo: Sweet! C'mon, Volare! Whoa, there's a buncha people out there in the crowd!

Volare: You don't get stage fright, do ya?

Scootaloo: Pffft, nah, me and the CMC put on a rock show once in front of a lot of ponies before; this'll be a snap. V-Pony, let's do this!

Okey Dokey. Let's see here...aha, got one from Camlio: Dear Scootaloo, "Alright this question has bugged me for a bit now and since it pertains to you I thought I'd send this question to you directly. We who have watched from behind the veil... That's who's Pinkie's looking at when she makes no sense by the way. Say hi to her for us. Oh right question, well we wanted to know if your hairstyle is meant to imitate rainbow dash or if it's just naturally messy for a Pegasus?"

Scootaloo: Oh, um...nopony's ever asked me that before, heh-heh. Well, it's kinda funny that it looks sorta like Rainbow Dash's, but it's been like that for as long as I can remember, so...I dunno. Then again, I've known Dash since I was really little, so maybe it just grew in that way...I dunno? *shrug*

Volare: Heh, it's ok squirt. Got some more for her, V-Pony?

Eeyup. From D48: Scootaloo: how would you feel about Volare dating Rainbow Dash?

Volare: OO;

Scootaloo: Hahahaha, that'd be pretty sweet, but I dunno...I don't think they like each other much to be honest.

Volare: W-why ya say that, Scoots?

Scootaloo: Oh, you guys are always acting tough around each other, flaring your wings and staring each other in the face. Looks kinda like you're always arguing, even over the phone, ya know?

Volare: Oh, well, ya know...it's all in good fun, sis (totally nothing else, be it voluntary or not...) ^^;

Scootaloo: Suuuure... Besides, my bro's too cool on his own to date Dash, right bro?

Volare: Eh-heh, if you say so...next question, please.

Got it! From Chiman1293: Scoots: You find out that Volare is dating both Twilight and Rainbow Dash. What is your reaction?

Scootaloo: Whoa, that's way out there, dude...and kinda crazy. I've never heard of a stallion having two Special Someponies before...I guess um...I'd wanna know why one is good enough, I suppose.

Volare: Ahem, well Scoots, if I were dating-which I'm not for now-I'd be faithful to one and one only...dating two at once is just asking for trouble, I say. *whispers* V-Pony, she doesn't know the situation between me and Twi. Next question, and quick!

Oh, crap, right right! Scootaloo, here's another one from Menelaus Redz: Scootaloo/Sweetie Belle/Applebloom: Now that Scootaloo's brother can fly, what will be the first crusade attempt to gain all of your cutie marks?

Volare: Oh crap...I almost preferred the double-dating question...

Scootaloo: Well, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle aren't here right now, so I'll answer that one: you know we've got some crazy stuff planned! We've got Cutie Mark Crusader Sky-Divers, Cutie Mark Crusaders Cliff-Climbers, and Cutie Mark Crusader Volcano-Researchers. YAY!

Volare: Help me...oO;

Scootaloo: It's gonna be awesome! Oh, and Cutie Mark Crusader Spelunkers too!

Volare: Wait, isn't that cave exploration?

Scootaloo: Mhm, Spike suggested it (probably cuz he wants us to find him some gems to eat).

Volare: Heh, sounds like Spike alright. Honestly, I'd rather take that one over...Volcano Researchers...eesh.

Scootaloo: You forgot the yay.

Volare: Say what?

Scootaloo: You gotta say YAY at the end of each one.

Volare: Why's that?

Scootaloo: I dunno, it's something we've always done. *shrug*

Volare: Oh, ok. Cutie Mark Crusader Spelunkers-YAY!

Scootaloo: That's right!

Now that's just plain adorable, right there.

Volare: Very funny....next question please!

Well, this one is more of a request than a question...from clonezero: CMC trio-hug?

Scootaloo: Aww, of course! But it's a quar-um...quad-no...you forgot about Volare!

Volare: Quartet, and I'm good. You go hug him.

Scootaloo: Ok! *hugs clonezero. You're welcome! Next question!

Ballor_I: Scoots, why are you so adorable with Volare?

Scootaloo: There's that word again...but I guess I'm just endearing like that, huh? I dunno, I've never had a brother before, but I gotta say: he may be a klutzo sometimes, and he may not be perfect, but I love him all the same, cuz I'm not perfect either...it's just fair like-oof!

Volare: *hugs* Not gonna cry, not gonna cry, not gonna cry!

Scootaloo: Bro, you're squishing me!

Volare: Ah, sorry, sorry...just too darn-

Scootaloo: You say cute and you're gonna get it *shakes hoof*

Volare: ...adorably awesome?

Scootaloo: We'll go with that *grins* Got anymore questions, Mr. V-Pony?

Um, nope, that's all of them, Scootaloo.

Scootaloo: Aww, ok. I'll see ya later guys! *heads back to Sugarcube Corner*

Volare: Heh, love that kid...*sniff*

Yeah, we can all tell.

Volare: Hey, I mean that in all seriousness!

Yep, and so do we, dude. You're doing a great job so far, so keep it up!

Volare: I'm trying, believe me...so who wants to go next?

Twilight: I'll go, actually *trots out on stage*

Volare: Good luck, Twi! *heads backstage*

Twilight: Thanks. Heh, I've gotta get to work on a counter-spell so Volare doesn't mess me up and-whoa, that's ALOT of humans out there! *stares into crowd* Grr, if only it was me asking questions instead of answering them!

But considering the fact that you spent nearly 4 days questioning Volare, we'd be here all year if you got that chance again.

Twilight: Eh-heh, I guess that's kinda true *blushes* Anyways, looks like there's quite a few questions there for me, so let's not dilly-dally!

So, first question! From Cheese Bread Eddy: Twilight: How does it make you feel to know that magic is possibly influencing your feelings toward another stallion? If I was in your position I wouldn't be a happy camper to know that magic, which is my special talent, is making me play emotional gymnastics.

Twilight: Oh trust me, it came as a bit of a shock to say the least, but this isn't the first time my sensitivity to magic has messed with my emotions...happens alot more often than you think, believe it or not. Being what I am has its benefits to be sure, but I have to take them in stride with the bad news too every now and again. As for how I feel about this whole situation...for one, I'm so embarrassed that I acted that way in front of my teacher, sister, and brother back in Canterlot. Two, I'm really more glad than disappointed, and lemme explain why: I'd rather have a relationship built upon values, rather than circumstance. Now that I think back on it, Volare and I had just met, and really only for a few days. In all honesty, he's spent more time with Fluttershy than me and by that logic he should be in a relationship with her if things like that are built upon time. Still, perhaps things like that aren't meant to be quantified...oh well, the reason I'm glad is because now that we know it was all circumstantial, we can both live to our potential and not cautiously hold each other back, ya know?

I think you might be rambling there, Captain Tangent.

Twilight: Eh-heh, yeah, just a bit ^^; So, bottom line: I'm kinda disappointed, but more happy that we know the truth and therefore know how to better handle the situation. Next question please.

Yes ma'am! From Camlio: Dear Twilight, "Have you wondered if your feelings may have not completely been caused by the spell, but, were in fact dramatically increased? We who watch from the veil can see that there was a definite progression in your feelings that would suggest that they would reach that level on their own given time. But, the spell may have accelerated said growth."

Twilight: Hmm, you know, I never thought about that before; sounds like a valid theory to me. However, I believe we can all agree that what was happening was not in either Volare's, mine, or anypony else's best interest. Some things are...just not meant to be rushed, I suppose. Next one please.

You ok, Twi?

Twilight: Mhm, just thinking, that's all.

You sure?

Twilight: Positive, now bring the next one. I'm ready!

Here it is...whew, this one's a doozy. From American Brony: So, how hard is it running a Library in Ponyville? Also, another question that stems from Hearth Warming Eve, well a bit of clarifications. From what I have heard, Starswirl the Bearded is rather important to Unicorn magical understandings, yet... from what I have understood from the play, The Adviser to the Queen of the Unicorns was in fact tutored or Apprenticed under Starswirl. That means that this famous Pony, served and lived before the coming of the Royal Sisters, and.... before Discord. Uh, just actually, I guess I am trying to in a way talk to the professor in the sense to see if my Logic is correct. Is it? If it is not, where did I go wrong?

Twilight: Wow, that is a doozy...let's start with the easy stuff first. It's not too terribly tough running the Library in Ponyville (honestly, I wish it were a bit tougher, if you know what I mean).

Whatcha mean by that, Twi?

Twilight: I mean there's not much traffic through it. Not saying the citizens of Ponyville are, well...uneducated, but they just don't seem to need to check out books too terribly often, that's all. At least the CMC are in there fairly regularly, though I've gotta be careful in what I loan out to them, especially after the Hearts and Hooves Day incident.

Oh yeah, that...who knew Big Mac and Cheerilee could be so destructive?

Twilight: Well, love is quite the powerful emotion after all; it quite literally gave Big Macintosh the ability to move houses, hahaha! Anyways, next bit...Starswirl the Bearded, my personal idol! Well, besides Celestia of course ^^; I won't go into too many details, but suffice to say that many spells, encantations, and studies in regards to magic today are based upon his research. It's true what you say in that Starswirl did tutor Princess Platnum's advisor, Clover the Clever. And yes, this does mean that Staswirl lived in the time before Discord. He lived for quite some time, in fact, serving the Princesses and even helping to devise the Elements of Harmony that defeated Discord the first time! So yes, your logic is quite correct (and don't feel too terribly bad-the history of Equestria and this planet are quite long and confusing, even to me!). Next question!

Gotcha! Ah, another one from Brony Assasin: If Rainbow Dash and Volare do become a couple how will you react, and how do you feel the influence of magical attraction will affect you at that time?

Twilight: Well, that's kinda jumping the gun, dontcha think; I mean, beyond causing him to crash time and time again, what good has Dash done the poor guy? I'd kinda be disappointed if they got together too quickly, but that's their business, not mine, honestly.

Well, she did save his life during those crashes and the Cryhena attack.

Twilight: True...but darn it, Dash is just so...ooh, she frustrates me to no end sometimes! Meh, anyways...as far as magical attraction goes, hopefully I'll have figured out a counterspell by then or Volare's body stabilizes itself; that way, if there are any feelings flying around, we'll know they're genuine and not the product of weird circumstance.

I think he means will the nature of Volare's body affect Dash the same way it effects you?

Twilight: Oh, almost certainly not! True, she's very in-tune with her own magical abilities, but I seriously doubt she's that sensitive to something like that...at least, I hope not. The last thing we need is two crashing pegasi, right? Anyway,s next question!

Ah, here's one I've been wondering about too. From Chiman1293: To Celestia or Twilight or who ever can anwser this question: If small amounts of magic excape Volare's body, does this make him like part unicorn?

Twilight: What? No, not at all! From what I can gather, that's simply a side-effect of the nature of his body. The more stable his body becomes, the less that should happen, and so far, the best way I've seen for him to control that extra bit of magic is to use that sound equipment, as crazy as that sounds. As long as it's being focused and controlled, it should be fine. The problem might arise whenever he's not using it...still, the more stable he becomes, the less the side-effects should be noticed. And if he trains himself, he'll be able to further control his willpower, just as I had to do for myself when I was younger. Combine that with a counter-spell from me and it should be all but nullified and things can proceed normally! Got another one for me, V-Pony?

Eeyup. Ooh, here's a good one from D48: If magic is based on confidence and willpower, does that mean unicorns could get more powerful when under the effects of mind-altering substances that suppress the more logical parts of the brain which would normally say something is a bad idea or outright impossible?

Twilight: Yes, very much so, and not just for unicorns. Drugs like the ones slipped into Trixie's drink or even mind-altering spells can do this. The only problem is, with the removal of the sense of self-preservation comes the increased risk of permanent or even fatal harm. Remember, though the will of a pony can be near-infinite, the body can only take so much before simply shattering under the stress. The mind as well as the body must be able to cope with the stress, therefore extensive training is required for a pony to reach their potential. There was even a rather controversial study many centuries ago of something like that being used on ponies to make them more capable in tasks, but it damaged their bodies so much that the long-term risk wasn't deemed to be worth it. Ever since then, the usage of such things for those reasons has been strongly cautioned against.

Eesh, sounds dangerous.

Twilight: Yes, it truly is. Look what happened with Discord and my friends. He basically suppressed their memories of themselves and their friends, which in turn suppressed their consciences...and look how cruel they became; all because they didn't care...that was a really tough time, but we made it out. You don't know how hard it is for you to look your friend in the eye, tell them who you are and what they mean to you...and you get nothing but scornful laughter in return...*sigh*. I never want to experience anything like that ever again. Next question.

Twilight, I-

Twilight: Next question...now...please.

Sorry...yeah, here we go. From BrilliantPoint: You let Volare know that he had a patch on him that looks exactly like the cutie mark Rainbow Dash has, what are your theories on why he had this on him?

Twilight: Ah, that. I didn't so much let him know but reminded him of it-he and I were in the same room when Dash made that little announcement, remember. As for why he had it on him...the only logical explanation is that he somehow knew of her back on Earth. Heh, dumb prism-head problem got herself spotted doing tricks and he got inspired by her or something...you have any ideas, V-Pony?

Um...nope?

Twilight: Huh, oh well...guess we'll find out when he's ready to tell us, huh?

Guess so...ok, we have one last question here-what the hell, it's for you, Volare, and Trixie. Hey you guys, come out here...you may wanna see this.

Volare: What's up?

Trixie: Yes, what's going on? A message for all three of us? From whom?

Someone called Twisted Visions...anypony you guys know?

Twilight: Not that I can recall, no.

Volare: That's a negative, Ghostrider.

Trixie: Sounds like somepony with a bad taste in showbiz names, heh-heh. What'd they say?

Um, I dunno if you'll like this or even wanna answer this one...Anyway, I hope I am not too late but Volare, Twilight, and Trixie. What are your greatest fears hmm? Oh and Jillian... You have such a beautiful name, but that temper should be worked on. No telling what more trouble you could get into.

Twilight: Well...that's pretty creepy. I think i'm gonna pass on that one oO

Trixie: Same here.

Volare: I wanna know who the hell that was! I mean, you think by Jillian they meant Jill...as in Ray and Jill?

You got me; there's no other writing or anything on the paper.

Volare: Well, if they know those two, I ain't responding to that either. Twilight, should we send somepony to investigate?

Twilight: Yeah, I'll do it. Anymore questions for me, V-Pony?

No, that's it.

Twilight: Good; gimme that note. I'll run some tests on it and let you guys know if I find anything about its origins. Nice talking with everyone! *gallops away*

Trixie: Well...

Volare: Yeah...you knew Ray and Jill fairly well, right?

Trixie: Somewhat, yes. I mainly took them for a pair of foolish cheap hires, but that was apparently the plan the entire time, so I never really got to know their own contacts. Dammit...

Volare: Hey, you didn't know, ok? Those two fooled everypony, me included...hell, they even tricked Luna and Shining Armor, so don't sweat it, alright?

Trixie: If you say so...I'll still tear those two apart if I ever meet them again.

Volare: Well, I'll be right there with ya, cuz we both owe them an ass-kicking!

Trixie: Indeed!

Volare: Hey V-Pony? Since Trixie is out here, you wanna read any questions for her?

Trixie: Oh, the readers want to ask me a few things, hmm? Well let's have them!

Ok, ok! ^^; First one comes from American Brony: Trixie: Do you have any plans for after you help finish rebuilding the Cafe? If you like, I have an idea that can do well maybe for earning some bits... Use your magic performances to perform for little Colts and Fillies? You seem rather good at it.

Trixie: Oh, um, actually I don't know what I'll do to be honest. I'm kind of like Volare in that I'm trying to take life one step at a time for now. But now that you mention it...you really think I could do something like that?

Volare: I think it's kinda sweet, Trix.

Trixie: You don't think it's...strange?

Volare: Nah, I don't think so.

Trixie: Hmm....perhaps I'll consider that. Many thanks! Next!

From Applejack-fan: Seeing as you're getting approval from about everypony in Ponyville, do you think on establishing your new life there? Cuz from the looks of it, you got quite a bunch of friends ready to help you rehabilitate there. Hmm, kinda the same question as before...soo, no idea so far?

Trixie: Well, it's not quite the same question. I never considered living in Ponyville, mainly because I'll bet the residents still aren't very fond of me.

Applejack: Shoot, ya'll got us ta back ya up, sugarcube; so dontcha worry bout that none!

Trixie: Wow...you really mean that, Applejack?

Applejack: Sure as shootin'! Don't act so surprised, Trix; it's what friends do fer each other.

Trixie: But I haven't done anything to warrant something like that in return.

Applejack: Heh-heh, ya'll got alot ta learn about friends, Trixie. It ain't all about returnin' favors and such. It's about bein' neighborly an' helpin' yer fellow pony when they need it, even if they ain't asked for it. So like Volare said: don't sweat it; we'll getcha established an' it'll be just peachy!

Trixie: Th-thank you. Thank you all! Alright, after I help fix what I broke, I'll find a job and place to live in Ponyville! Damn, I feel good! Next question, V-Pony!

Haha, that's the spirit, Trixie! Here we go, one from MoonlitDawn: What job do you think you'll get in Ponyville, if you do choose to settle down there?

Trixie: As Applejack-fan said, I think I'll likely do something entertainment-wise, perhaps for the little ones in the hospital. Or perhaps I'll even work for Lyra and Bon-Bon...you know, help win their respect after ruining their place of business; I feel I owe them that much. We'll see what happens, but I'm quite hopeful for the future now! Let's keep it rolling!

Oh, that's actually all the questions for you, Trix.

Trixie: Only those few...ah, oh well. I hope I helped to clear up a few things. Goodnight everypony! *trots off-stage*

I think she'll be fine.

Volare: Yeah, I just hope she doesn't overdo it, ya know? I'll be back here if ya need me *trots backstage*

Indeed...ok, who wants to go next?

Rarity: I shall volunteer! *trots onstage* Are there any questions in that stack for me?

Yes ma'am, I believe there's a few here.

Rarity: Oh pish darling, don't call me ma'am; it's short for madam and it makes me sound old.

Oh, heh-ok, Ms. Rarity.

Rarity: Much better! ^^

Here's one from Menelaus Redz: "Do you have an eye on somepony whom you would like to be your special somepony? If so (and if you are willing to), what is this pony's name?"

Rarity: Oh-oh my, um...eh-heh, there are certain things a lady does not reveal about herself: her age, her weight, and whom she has her eye on. The first two should be rather obvious as to why, but let me explain the third one, if I may. A lady, especially a business-mare like myself, would be wise to keep that under wraps in case she chases away some of her clientele due her choice in admiration, as well as-

Applejack: Oh lighten up, Rare! Who's tha lucky fella...or filly? *eyebrow waggle*

Rarity: Ugh, I certainly won't be telling you, Applejack!

Applejack: An' why not? Afraid Ah can't keep a secret?

Rarity: Telling a secret isn't telling a lie, so yes, I am rightfully leery of telling you my secret admirations! Plus I honestly wouldn't put it past you to swoop in and steal him yourself.

Applejack: Aha, so at least we know yer barn door don't swing both ways!

Rarity: Well, that's all you'll get out of me, and that's final!

Applejack: Alright, alright, don't getcher saddle in a bunch, girl. Hey Menelaus Redz, ya'll may wanna let this'n go. Next question, V-Pony!

Thanks AJ

Applejack: Not a problem.

Ok...oh, oops, that was the only one, Rarity.

Rarity: What!? No questions on how long and hard I had to search for the silk for Volare's scarf? No questions on the cost of it or how long I slaved over my sewing machine to weave it?!

Apparently not, sorry.

Rarity: Well then, obviously not a terribly fashionable crowd; I think I see one of you wearing all white back there in the back, and this long after Labor Day too! Hmph, good day everypony, I shall help prepare Volare's little surprise for Rainbow Dash...Celestia knows she deserves it, hee-hee-hee. *trots away*

Applejack: Shucks, she seems kinda moody...oh well, that's pretty much par fer the course fer her anyways. Who's next?

Fluttershy: Um, I'll go next, if that's ok with you guys.

Pinkie Pie: No problem! Go gettem, Flutters!

Fluttershy: *shoved on stage* Oof! Oh...my...*shaking*

Uh oh, what's wrong?

Applejack: Ah, applesauce, Fluttershy gets stage fright. Not as bad as Rainbow Dash does, but still purdy bad.

...Seriously? She can stare down a dragon and yet she gets stage fright?

Fluttershy: ...yes

Oh, um...would it help if you imagined the audience naked?

Fluttershy: eep...

Applejack: That's just gross, sugarcube.

Or maybe in their underwear-it's what I was taught way back when.

Applejack: You humans got some strange ways a teachin' yer youngin's.

Well, what would you suggest? Since she's good at staring down dragons, imagine the whole room full of them?

Fluttershy: oo...*flies up and hides in the rafters*

Applejack: *facehoof* Nice one.

...great. Hey, I'm sorry Flutters. Can you please come down.

Fluttershy: Um...no....I think I'll just answer my questions up here, please.

Volare: I'll go sit up there with her *flies up and sits next to her*. You doing ok, Flutters?

Fluttershy: Could be better...

Volare: Well, I'm right here if ya need me, so let's answer these questions and you can go home, ok?

Fluttershy: O-ok...

Volare: Ask away, V-Pony!

Uh, alrighty then...first one from Menelaus Redz...hmm, same kinda question he had for Rarity. Do you have an eye on somepony whom you would like to be your special somepony? If so (and if you are willing to), what is this pony's name?

Fluttershy: Oh my, um...

Volare: You don't have to say it, Flutters *pat pat*

Fluttershy: No, but I want to, it's just...he's right there *points behind stage curtain*

Volare: Oh...oh I see...No problem, Fluttershy. I think I know who you're talking about. Any reason why?

Fluttershy: Um, he's just...really patient and nice...yep.

Volare: Aww, that's sweet. V-Pony, next question.

But wait, who is it?

Volare: Don't worry about it, dude. Next question.

But-

Volare: Next. Question. Please.

Jeez, ok, ok...from BrilliantPoint: Fluttershy,
Congratulations on getting Volare in such a good shape with your training, the nickname Miyagi is well deserved.
How did you feel when you finally saw Volare take to the sky in such a spectacular fashion? I hope he didn't scare you too much when he flew through the orchard when he got too low to the ground.

Fluttershy: Oh goodness, I was a little worried he might get hurt again, but the more he flew, the more I saw he knew what he was doing, and I stopped being afraid. I started cheering him on instead! Needless to say, my soul soared just as high as he did ^^. And thank you for the nickname too, hee-hee.

Aaaaaand, we're done.

Fluttershy: That's it?

Quick and painless.

Fluttershy: Oh, well...that wasn't bad at all. And nopony out there laughed at me! Still...better not push it too much. Later, guys! *flies off to her cottage*

Volare: *lands on the stage* Heh, hard to believe that jumpy mare showed me how to be brave in the air again, huh?

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd hardly believe it. Who wants to go next?

Pinkie: Oooh me, me, me-pick me!!! *hops out on stage*

Hahaha, well, seeing as how you're already here, Pinkie, I say that's not a problem. You ready?

Pinkie: As a perfectly-baked batch of brownies!

Well then, here we go!

Pinkie: Woohoo!! Ooh, can I read the questions myself?

Oh, um, I guess so. Here ya go.

Pinkie: Thanks! Let's see here...ok, here's a good one from American Brony. Hey, you guys just had an election, right?

Wait, how'd you know about-

Pinkie: Well, duh, anypony who's anypony knows about that, silly!

I'm a little scared that you know about this stuff...

Pinkie: Why, who won?

Um...the incumbent.

Pinkie: Aha, that's kinda a weird name though...Incumbent...I thought it was Obama; oh well, good luck to him and America! But here's the question: Are you still planning that party for Volare? How are the babies doing? Ohoho, I sure am! He's gonna love it! And the Twins are mostly fine now; just can't let them have dairy for a while...ew, you do not wanna know the fudge I've had to wade through!

Well, that's just lovely...

Pinkie: Are you crazy?! It was like a hot fudge mudslide at one point!

I really don't wanna know about-

Pinkie: Wait, that's cuz the oven kinda exploded...hee-hee, my bad. Anyways, next question! Here's one from Menelaus Redz: Hope you get better soon! Aww, that's sweet, but I'm not the one who was sick, silly. But thank you all the same! Hmm...here's another one from that crazy D48 guy...him and his wild Polar Bear face-he's so cute, yes he is!

How did you know about his-oh never mind. Let's just keep going before I get a headache.

Applejack: *pat pat* Good answer, sugarcube, good answer.

Big Mac: Eeyup.

Pinkie: D48 writes: Can I have a cupcake? Hmm...no can do.

Aww, well that's kinda-

Pinkie: You get a dozen cupcakes! And what better way to deliver than with my *pulls out her* CUPCAKE CATAPULT! *launches cupcakes into the audience*

Great, now all we need is for Gallagher to show up, and-

Pinkie: Oooh, I've got a hammer too *pulls out hammer from-yep, you guessed it*

*facepalm* This is madness...

Pinkie: Madness...?

Oh shit...

Pinkie: *grins* This! IS!! PINKIE PIE!!!! *smashes cake all over audience* Woohoo, yeah! Get some!!

*wipes frosting from face*...you about done?

Pinkie: Yep *licks frosting off face* Oops, almost ate the questions there.

Yeah, that wouldn't be good-we'd have to call the Cutie Mark Crusader Surgeons...YAY!

Pinkie: No need for that. Next question...um...oh, it's under the chocolate-silly me! From Beyond the Horizon: You remember the little bash we're having two weeks ago yah? Just forget to remember the memory and take a left through the Wall. You know the one.
~Your friend from across the Wall and through the Veil, BtH. Oh yeah, I remember that one. We used waaaay too much rum in that rum cake, hahahaha! Luckily, we used protection, so it's all good.

Um, you what? oO;

Pinkie: Used protection. You know, for the eyeballs from the rum cake craziness?

Oh, right...dunno what I was thinking there...

Pinkie: Oh, but I do *smirk* V-Pony's got a dirty mind.~

Lalalalalala, not listening! There any more questions in there?

Pinkie: Nope, here's the rest of the questions. See ya guys! *hops away*

Jeez....I feel like my heart's gonna explode or something.

Pinkie: You need to drink less coffee! *keeps hopping away*

I KNOW!! Ok, who's next?

Applejack: Well, Ah'm tha only Element Holder left, so Ah guess Ah'll go next. Whatcha got fer me, pardner?

Hmm...here's one from jackal4563: Applejack, what could convince you to willingly eat another sort of fruit aside from an apple? (i.e. pears, bananas, oranges, etc.)

Applejack: Well shoot, we already do that, sugarcube. Big Macintosh an' me tried growin' pears this summer, but they didn't sell too well...so we ate'em ourselves, heh-heh! Beyond that, we grow plenty o' other greens, albeit in smaller crops than our apples. We got carrots, celery, pumpkins, squash, an strawberries too! Tha only real reason we grow so many apples is cuz them trees have been here for decades, and it wouldn't make sense ta tear'em up just ta try new stuff. So we make do with smaller batches where we can. Tha other reason is cuz tha apples sell better than tha other stuff (mainly cuz other Earth Ponies, like Carrot Top, are better at growin carrots, fer example). So, it's kinda a business decision, and kinda a personal choice. Got any other questions for me, V-Pony?

I don't think so, no. That was the only one. You're welcome to stick around though if ya wanna help keep these guys in line, though.

Applejack: Well, that's mighty kinda ya, sugarcube, but Ah gotta help Grannysmith get dinner started.

Aww, ok. Say hello to her for me-oh, and Applebloom too!

Applejack: Sure will. See ya! *gallops off*

Big Mac: Eeyup.

Whoa, what about you, Big Mac?

Big Mac: They got it covered. Ah'll help ya hold down tha fort till it's all done, pardner.

Oh, why thank you.

Big Mac: *nods* Who's next?

Um, well besides the questions for Volare, which we're saving till the end, the rest are kinda scattered now...let's try alphabetical order!

Big Mac: Sounds good ta me.

So that'd make the next pony...um, actually not a pony at all.

Bic: Huh, who is it?

...Lieutenant Cadence!

Big Mac: Who?

Volare: No kidding? She a pilot I flew with the day I crashed and came here, Big Mac.

Big Mac: Aha...a lady-friend of yours, eh?

Volare: Yeah-what, no, not like that!

Big Mac: Uh-huh...

Volare: Meh, whatever. How the heck would we ask her if she's back on Earth?

Well, maybe you can answer the question for her?

Volare: I can try.

Here it is, from clonezero:
Human Blue Angel Pilot named Cadance: Will we ever get to a point where you encounter pony princess Cadence after which Volare drops a lame joke about it?

Volare: Seriously?

Big Mac: Eeyup

Volare: Yeah, not gonna happen....next!

If you say so (I think that'd be hilarious myself)...ok, next pony! You know what, everypony else come on out here! Next questions are for...Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!

Octavia: Um, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Mr. V-Pony, but they're not here this evening. They couldn't get away from Canterlot.

Ah, I see...

Iron Will: Heck, why don't ya just call them with that phone system of yours, huh?

Good idea! *dials* I hope I'm not interrupting anything...

Ring-ring....ring-ring...ring-ring-click!

Celestia: Hello, Princess Celestia speaking. Need a little light in your life, well you've come to the right place!

Oh, um hello ma'am. This is V-Pony, the manager of the Blue Angel project.

Celestia: Oh yes...I've heard of you.

Er-heard of me?

Celestia: Why yes, both good and bad and everywhere in between. It is my business to know what goes on within the borders of my kingdom, isn't it?

I-I suppose so. But what bad have you-

Luna: Tia, come on, who's on the line? Why don't you drop the "high-and-mighty" act for once and just be polite?

Celestia: Well, circumstances being what they are-

Luna: Just because I'm beating you at video games doesn't mean you can be a grouch to everypony who calls the castle. Here, put me on the line.

Celestia: No, I'm quite capable of-hey-ow, ouch-ok, here, here, take the blasted thing! By my name...

Luna: Hello, who's there?

Um, are we interrupting anything, Princess Luna?

Luna: Oh, no, it's just as you heard: Tia often beats me at video games and all of a sudden, I'm on a roll and she turns into a grouch.

What're you playing, if I might ask?

Luna: Battlemare 3. Haha, I've-what's the term-been "pwning her all evening" because she's a nub!

Celestia: ...noob, the term is noob! Get it right if you're going to trash talk, Lulu!

Luna: Oh, oops...I'm still kinda new at this sort of thing. ^^;

Celestia: *grumbles* obviously...

Haha, well don't let us interrupt too much, but I've got a few questions from the readers of the Blue Angel project here, if you've got a few minutes to answer them.

Luna: Oh, yes, I've got a few moments to spare (besides, Tia needs a break-I'm on a 29 kill streak against her).

Celestia: It's not a killstreak, Lulu; this isn't Call of Pony, it's Battlemare 3!

Luna: Well, either way, you haven't "fragged" me in nearly half an hour, so you need a break. Let's help V-Pony with his project really fast and then we can get back to it.

Celestia: Oh alright, fine...put him on speaker.

*click*

Celestia: What's your first question, V-Pony?

Well, it's not technically my question, though it is something I've been wondering lately. This comes from D48: Princess Celestia: What do you think of Trixie and what has happened to her in her life? This includes why you gave up on her as your student in addition to everything that happened afterwards.

Celestia: Trixie? As in the Great and Powerful Trixie?

Yes, though she doesn't go by that moniker anymore.

Celestia: Ah, any particular reason why?

She had a building fall on her and Volare talked some sense into her while they were trapped.

Celestia: Oh...well, my condolences to them both. I hope they're ok...please forgive my sharpness; I didn't realize the situation was so serious.

It's fine (I can get worked up playing games too). But back to the question.

Celestia: Yes, of course. Well, I do remember tutoring a unicorn named Trixie years ago, but she just wasn't cut out for the task I was preparing for; so I had her moved to a different class with suitable tutors.

And what task was that?

Celestia: ...it's truly none of your concern, for it has already passed and it was quite the success. As for Trixie, I didn't abandon her...I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but I was rather desperate at the time and...I might have gotten careless...reckless, even. Heaven knows I likely owe her some sort of apology, but when she dropped out of the Magic School, I thought it best that she find her own way (and as said, I was desperate and time was short). So I picked a pupil more suitable to the task.

Twilight Sparkle?

Celestia: The same *nods*

So what do you think of Trixie now?

Celestia: I'm glad she's finally gotten some common sense; I hope she finds a more clear path in life now. And as always, she's welcome to return to the School for more lessons.

Oh, don't worry about that-she's got a better plan!

Celestia: Oh really...and what might that be?

You'll find out soon enough, more than likely...ma'am.

Celestia: Fair enough. Do you have any further questions?

Yes, one from BrilliantPoint: Dear Princes Celestia,
Due to your experiences with humans you have become understandably wary of them, especially considering the impressive technology they now have. How do you see their future with what you now know about them, and how do you see this influencing Equestria?
Sincerely,
Brilliant Point
PS,
Luna is best pony.

Celestia: Is that so...? Well, as amusing as that is, I must be frank: I feel I'm best pony.

Luna: *whispers* That's what she always says.

Celestia: Hush, Lulu; big sis is talking now. Ahem, as for the humans...I see their future as fairly bleak unless they can turn their ship around, so to speak. If they don't, it will hit the proverbial iceberg and capsize, and that will be the end of that.

Wow, that's pretty harse, ma'am.

Celestia: Being a ruler sometimes necessitates giving honest opinions, no matter how harsh they may be, young one. As I've told Twilight Sparkle, it's a heavy burden to bear, and honestly not something I'd wish on anypony else without the fortitude to carry it. If it gives you any solace, I do have hope for humanity if more of them are understanding and patient like Volare is...but from what Twilight reported, few are like that.

That's true, unfortunately.

Celestia: Que sera sera, I suppose...still, I wish them the best of luck. Any further questions?

Um...simply a further statement from BrilliantPoint:
Dear Princes Luna,
You are best pony.
Sincerely,
Brilliant Point

Luna: Huzzah!

Celestia: ...I believe we're done here. Good luck with your project, V-Pony! Come Lulu, time to end your killstreak!

Luna: Haha, the frags shall be doubled by the time the night is over!

*click*

Big Mac: Well, that was different. Never seen that side of them two before.

Yeah, me neither...huh, guess they're pretty normal sisters when they're not busy in court. *shrug* The next question is for...well, a pony that has yet to make an appearance in the story, Cloud Kicker!

Cloud Kicker: That's me, that's me, coming through! S'cuse me, Big Mac...whew, you're alot bigger in person if ya know what I mean *eyebrow waggle*

Big Mac: Erm...*gulp* Not sure whatcha mean, miss.

Cloud Kicker: Pfft, yeah you do *hip bump*. But I'm not big on the whole "In public" thing, so let's get down to business. You say you got a question for me?

Uh-huh, just one...oh damn, um...

Cloud Kicker: What is it?

Volare's gonna kill me...here it is, from D48: Cloud Kicker: when are you going to start making Volare feel incredibly awkward by offering casual sex? I bet he would be really cute blushing and tripping over his words.

Volare: *falls over on stage* WHAT THE HELL KINDA QUESTION IS THAT?!

Cloud Kicker: Volare...oh yeah, the new guy-all blue and yellow, crazy mane. I've seen him around, but nope, I haven't offered...yet. *turns to Volare* Hrm, there's nopony backstage right now...you up for a quickie, big guy? *flutters eyes*

Volare: I-er-uh...eh-heh, how about not right now, ma'am *backs up*. A little help here, Big Mac?

Big Mac: Uh-uh, you're on yer own, pardner. That mare is crazier'n a bag full of cats!

Volare: *flies behind V-Pony* How about you just go on home and we'll discuss this later.

Hey, don't use me as your human shield, dude!

Volare: Why not-it's not like she's into humans too!

Cloud Kicker: Hmm, not yet anyways *smirk*

...Oh hell no...

*five minutes later*

Ok *gasp* I think we got the door locked.

Volare: You think?! You better, dude!

Cloud Kicker: Hey come on, I was only joking! We don't have to have a threeway here ya know!

Lalalalalala, not listening!~

Volare: Jeez, let's just go to the next question already!

Yeah, good idea! Um, another one from Beyond the Horizon: Where the bloody blue blazes is the Doctor?! I swear, if he's late for another invite, I'll hunt him down myself! That's actually a semi-relevant, safe question.

Volare: Yeah...wait, who's The Doctor?

Big Mac: Oh, that feller. Met him back in tha market tha other day. Brown spiky mane, green tie, hates pears.

Volare: Wait a sec...I think I know him, or well, of him, anyway. Come to think of it, he never did show up tonight, huh?

Nope, sent him an invite but we got no reply...kinda means this question from Akula417 won't be answered either: Doctor, are you simply making a cameo and stating your distaste for pears, or do you plan to have a more significant role in the story? Huh, they make it sound like the guy can just pop in and out of the story whenever he pleases...weird, huh?

Volare: Yeah, weird ^^;. Think he'll show up again?

Who can say if he really is like that...oh well. Next one! From clonezero: Hospital Reception Desk Pony: How close are you to a mental breakdown?

Reception Pony: Very! I need a bloody vacation! Between watching Luna shout the walls down and being semi-threatened by Trixie, I've about had it! And don't get me started on what happened at my house after work last night!

Would it help to talk about it?

Reception Pony: Probably not...but here goes anyways. I got home, and the roof on my house was gone!

Like, it fell in?

Reception Pony: No, gone! As in vanished! What the hay's up with that?! And there was a massive crater in the backyard of the house next door to mine too! Knocked over half my fence!

Who lives next door to you?

Reception Pony: Oh, somepony calling himself The Doctor or something...why?

Volare, I think I know what happened to The Doctor.

Volare: Yeah, me too..hey sir?

Reception Pony: Yeah?

Volare: You can go now. Go take a day off or something.

Reception Pony: Oh believe me, I will! *trots off*

Jeez, must be tough running that place.

Volare: Apparently...anyways, next question?

Yep! These next ones go out to Iron WIll!

Iron Will: Oooh yeah, bring'em on!

Another one from Menelaus Redz: Iron Will: ... You rock! *thumbs up*

Iron Will: OH YEAH! Tell me somethin' I don't know! *flexes bicep* What's next?

A little more serious this time, from clonezero: Iron Will: what are your plans for the future?

Iron Will: Oh, uh...hmm, good question. I was honestly gonna help Fluttershy and her pets this winter, but beyond that...I've actually been considering being a monster hunter.

What the-seriously?

Iron Will: Well yeah. There's plenty of 'em skulkin' around the Everfree threatening her cottage, and what better to catch a monster than with another monster, right? I'd need a partner though...heh, maybe Angel since he terrifies just about anything he comes across anyways!

Haha, makes sense...any other plans?

Iron WIll: Besides that and sleeping...I got nothing. *shrugs*

Well, whatever floats your boat, dude. That's all the questions for ya.

Iron Will: Cool beans! I'll see ya'll later; I'm gonna go catch some Z's! *thunders off stage*

Heh, we're getting a little thin up here on stage. Next questions are for Octavia Philharmonica.

Octavia: Thank you, thank you *bows*. Do I have fans out there in the audience?

Oh, more than you realize.

Octavia: Really? Well, pray tell what their questions are, good sir.

Okies, here's another one from Menelaus Redz: Octavia: Do you string your bows with your own hair (probably tail)? Also, you are best pony!

Octavia: Ah, thank you for that! Ha, wait till I tell Vinyl that I'm considered best pony...but yes, I do in fact string them with my own tail hair, believe it or not. Gives me a more personal connection to them as well as being a rather convenient source of material. And before the thought crosses your mind, no I do not use my own earwax, as Vinyl has often insinuated. I use beeswax, thank you very much, and it works out quite nicely. Any more questions?

Yep, one more, but it's more of a request...a weird request...

Octavia: Does it involve Cloud Kicker and casual sex?

Um, thankfully no.

Octavia: Then I've already seen worse tonight; let me have it.

Okey dokey...this one comes from clonezero: Octavia...will you sign my face?

Octavia: ...well, color me speechless, that's certainly out there for a request. Still not close to the strangest one I've ever received from a fan, but that's definitely top-five.

What was the weirdest one?

Octavia: It came from Cloud Kicker; need I say more?

Oops, nope, no need! ^^;

Octavia: I didn't think so. Well, Mr. clonezero, meet me after this little show and I'll...sign your face. That's just so strange though, isn't it?

There's a reason they call them "fanatics." *shrugs*

Octavia: True, true. Well, if that's all for me, I'll be off! Ta! *trots off*

Volare: Who's next? We've only got a few left, and I'm the only pony left here besides Big Mac!

Yep, that's true...uh-oh, I hope you're not the only one left; we're gonna need Fluttershy for these next ones. Has she left yet?

Volare: I dunno, why?

Cuz the questions are directed towards animals that can't speak English, and perhaps Fluttershy can translate.

Volare: Oh, I see...hey Flutters, you still back here? *flies behind stage*

Fluttershy: Eep, you scared me!

Volare: Ah, sorry, we need ya up on stage, quick!

Fluttershy: Why, what's happened?

Volare: We need an animal translator, of all things.

Fluttershy: Oh, um, perhaps Twilight would be better at that.

Volare: But she's long-gone. C'mon!

Fluttershy: Oh, ok...*flies on stage* Who do I have to translate for?

These two, Shae and a Cryhena...a relatively well-behaved Cryhena, to be more exact.

Shae: Cheereek!

Volare: Yeah, I've been eyeing him all night; I thought they were vicious and evil!

Fluttershy: Oh, no, no, no, only when they're hungry and in large groups. Otherwise, they're fairly docile.

Well, good thing we have an expert on hand. Let's go! Ok, for the Cryhena, from clonezero: What are your feelings about how you and your race were represented in this story?

Fluttershy: Ragh-grr-gragh-rrrr-ruff-grr...

Volare: Is this for real?

Cryhena: Hee-hah-grah-grrr-ruff!

Big Mac: Eeyup.

Fluttershy: He says he feels they were represented honestly and truthfully, and he's proud they've gotten a mention. That's all. You can go now.

Cryhena: Ruff-rooooo! *runs off*

Friggin zoo in here, I swear...ok, next one for Shae, from Menelaus Redz: What are your thoughts on Volare's first flight?

Shae: Cheereek-chirr-tchewk-tchewk-tchewk-screekeep!

Fluttershy: She says he's still rough, he needs to work on pulling out of dives more smoothly since he nearly knocked her off the fence, and he can't fly level farther than she can swim.

Volare: Hey, what the-I thought I did just fine, thank you very much! I didn't crash!

Shae: *rolls eyes* Cheek-eek-eerp-ek-ek-ekeerk!

Fluttershy: Oh my...she says you've got a fat head...

Volare: Shae, I thought we were pals!

Fluttershy: ...but a good heart, so there's plenty of room for improvement.

Volare: Oh...heh, thanks Shae.

Shae: *nods* Cheekeek!

Fluttershy: Do you need me anymore? Angel was being moody and I'm afraid if I leave him and Iron Will home alone, there won't be much home left to live in by the time I get back, eh-heh ^^;

Oh, well then you won't live Iron Will's idea much, then...

Fluttershy: What is it?

Iron Will wants to be a monster hunter and basically use Angel as an attack bunny enforcer-thingy.

Fluttershy: ...Iron Will, don't you dare! *flies off with Shae in hot pursuit*

Volare: Well, that escalated quickly.

Indeed...huh, only one question left before the big stack for you and me, pal.

Volare: Who's it for?

Spike of all persons...hey Spike?

Spike: Zzzzz...

Is he seriously asleep on stage?

Big Mac: Too late fer him ta handle, Ah reckon.

Volare: Spike, wake up!

Spike: Huh-wha, mommy?! *glares* You're not mommy...

Volare: Hardly. We're at the end of the questions pal, and the last one is for you.

Spike: Oh really? Finally, I'm getting some recognition again! What is it?

It's from BrilliantPoint: Spike,
Where do you keep finding those aprons?

Spike: Dude, seriously? You dragged me out here and woke me up for that?!

That's what it says. *shrug*

Spike: Yeah, I'm outta here...and I get them from Iron Will, if ya just gotta know *grumbles and staggers off stage*

Volare: Pffft, he gets them from Will?

Apparently that kitchen line of aprons wasn't the only one he sold-hahaha!

Big Mac: Hmm-hmm, well, if'n that's all tha questions for us regular ponies, Ah'll be seein' ya. Take care, ya'll! *trots after Spike* C'mon buddy, A'll getcha ya home.

Spike: Aww, that's awfully nice of ya, Big Mac....zzzzzz

Volare: *shakes head* Baby dragons...the sleep machines of Equestria. So, what've we got left?

Basically nothing but questions for you and me, pal. And since nopony else is here, you don't have to hold back on the answers, so this works out pretty good.

Volare: You plan it this way?

Kinda; figured it'd make things a little easier on ya...you ready?

Volare: As I'll ever be. Bring'em!

Ok...there's a lot of repeat sort of questions in here about you doing a Sonic Rainboom, among other things. You wanna just answer them all at once?

Volare: Sounds like a plan.

Volare: *facehoof*

Ok, the ones involving the Sonic Rainboom are from Silverhero, MoonlitDawn, ChaosMarineBrony, all basically asking if you can perform one, with MoonlitDawn asking if you can make one with giant angel wings (cuz that'd be awesome). Any response to those?

Volare: Hmm, well, seeing as how I just got back in the air, it's kinda doubtful...I'd have to learn it from Dash, master it, and according to her, there's the problem of being torn to pieces by the forces it generates...so, as of right now, not likely. In the future, who knows? I'd like to try but I got a feeling that it's unique to her and her alone (plus, who knows if she'll even teach me her signature technique?) Next questions!

Yessir! Here's some more kinda on the same subject from Man Of War and BrilliantPoint about how and when you'll tell Dash about that patch in your flight jacket, with BrilliantPoint wanting to know how you'll handle the situation with Twilight since she knows about it. Go!

Volare: Eh-heh, now I think I see why you saved mine for last, huh? Well, in all honesty, I'd almost forgotten about it until Twilight mentioned it...but right after she mentioned it, I was able to fly, so it's obviously pretty important to me. Oh, and as for Twi knowing about it: she was there when Dash waved it in under my nose when I was recovering from my crash, so she knows plenty about it already. How and when I'll explain it to everypony is a different story altogether. I mean, how can I explain it without seeming like I'm crazy or something?! *sigh* Don't worry, I'll think of something sooner or later...Next questions, please!

Gotcha! We're motoring through these things! Oh, Man Of War also mentioned that you and Scootaloo make great siblings, so props to ya there, dude!

Volare: Aww, thanks! I just hope I can live up to her expectations and be a good influence on her...and not screw up again...

What was that?

Volare: Nothing, nothing-next question!

If you say so...next question comes from American Brony: So, once you get back into the air, what do you plan on doing? What are your plans for the future? Or is it just, get back into the air and see what happens next?

Volare: Well, I'm already pretty much back in the air. Now I just gotta get into the swing of things around town, find a job, rebuild the cafe, probably learn how to build a cloudhouse or something...that sorta thing. Plus winter is coming sooner or later, so the quicker I can get this done, the better, right? Next!

Here's one from Chiman1293: You find out that you have gotten into the Wonderbolts, but Rainbow Dash hasn't. How do you react? How do you break it to Rainbow Dash? Do you even tell her?

Volare: Oh wow, um...that's the thing: to get in, you have to train and tryout...but maybe that's not what I'm cut out for here? I mean, I obviously wasn't cut out to be a Blue Angels pilot back on Earth, so why the equivalent here?

Aww, don't be so tough on yourself, man. What happened wasn't totally your fault.

Volare: Yeah, it was...if I hadn't gotten distracted by whatever the hell that thing was, I wouldn't have crashed. Looking back now...gawd I was so stupid! I deserved to crash...

Volare, that's just stupid talk, now you knock it off right now, ya hear me?

Volare: Fine...sorry Chiman1293...let's just say I got in somehow. I'd be elated of course. As for how I'd break it to Dash...jeez, that'd be tough. I mean, that's like her lifelong dream, ya know? IT'd be like stealing someone's dream before they could get there and waving it in their face...but if I don't break it to her, she'd probably find out eventually...and probably kick my ass for keeping it a secret, heh-heh. Anyways, next!

Okies...here's another one from BrilliantPoint: Is there any way I can convince you to let me in on the prank you are going to pull on Rainbow Dash?

Volare: Sorry, but I'm gonna have to decline that one...it's gonna be secret to all not directly involved until it happens, but trust me: it's gonna be awesome...if it doesn't kill me, that is ^^;

Alright, looks like we've got some questions here about music and media and such. From Beyond the Horizon: What other melodious music will you regale us with next eh? What do you think about being a walkin MP3 player? What's your favorite food? Finally, what do you think about the show on Earth and where you are now? (That is to say, how do you think Earth has Equestria as a show, yet where you are is a real, physical place?) I have some theories, but I'd like your take on it. And Twilight's, eventually.

Volare: Wow, buncha stuff...hmm...I guess it all depends on the situation. I never thought of myself as a walking MP3 player, but now that ya mention it, it's kinda neat that I can do that. My favorite food? Well, before coming here, it was probably barbecue ribs, but I seriously doubt those exist here. Since coming here, my favorite food has gotta be Sweet Apple Acres apples, and all the fixin's you can make with them, of course! As for the show and the real place existing at the same time, that's been throwing me for a loop every time I think about it. Gonna have to do some research with twi on this to see how the heck it's even possible, so I'd assume she'd give the same answer as well. We shall discover the truth, though!

Sweet, I'm sure we'd all like to find out about that! From Jayfeather97:
Volare: Can you play this please, so I can see the reactions of the ponies, you haven't played any heavy metal yet.... Awesome song all the way through but best part is definitely 3:13 - 3:29

Or can you play if it's Nightmare Night please

Volare: Heh, we'll see how things shape up (I'm not a huge fan of heavy metal is the thing.) I've got an idea of what to do for Nightmare Night, though! Next!

Ok, yet another one from Menelaus Redz:
Volare: Are you planning on introducing Octavia and the others to the music of the Piano Guys? ( http://www.youtube.com/user/ThePianoGuys ) I think that they would like it. Also if you had to guess, what do you think your cutie mark will look like/mean?

Volare: Hmm, again, I never really listened to that sort of music much, so I wouldn't be able to reliably recreate the notes and music is the thing...however, I have heard of a song by those guys, believe it or not:

So...I guess I could play that and see if Octy likes it. As for the cutie mark...jeez, as bad as this sounds with the CMC trying to help me with it, it's hardly crossed my mind lately...guess it all depends on what I end up being good at, huh? But for now, I've got nothing...seriously. ^^; Next question!

Here are a few more from Knowledge seeker: Do you think you could ever play movies or T.V. shows on Vinyl Scratch's device. I just can't help but wonder how they would react to some Disney movies or some syfy show like Eureka or Stargate.
Also...Are you okay...do you want someone to talk too. I'm here for you whenever you ever need me.

Volare: Aww, yeah, I'm ok, thanks for asking. ^^; At least I know I have someone to talk to outside of this world now...as for the TV shows and movies and stuff...I dunno, I'd have to ask her about that. I mean, her talent is in music, but she's such a tech whiz that I'm sure we can put something together. That'd be pretty sweet; I'll bet Scoots would love Top Gun.

That cheesy movie? Sheesh...

Volare: What? So it's cheesy; it's also awesome! Anyways, next question!

Comin' down to the end here...some more from D48:
Volare: Do you have any plans to troll Celestia with some disturbing music when she asks you to play for her? I figure she has it coming with all the shit she pulls, and if you need some ideas I think these would work. They are not the best songs by the respective bands, but the lyrics should get her seriously wondering what is wrong with you and why the others like your music so much.

Also...Do you ever miss any earth food, especially meat?

Volare: LOL, I dunno if I wanna push things that much! It already sounds like I'm walking a fine line as it is...and yeah, like I said earlier, I miss barbecue, but in all honesty...I'm not saying to go vegetarian or anything, but I've never felt this healthy before in my life!

Yeah, that healing spelll had nothing to do with it...

Volare: Oh shut up. Next question!

Ok, these next ones are kinda sensitive, so bear with me, ok? One from E3gner:
Why is Rainbow Dash the best out of the other mane-6?

Volare: Oh, heh-heh, I wouldn't say better, I'd just say...well...hmmph, this is a little tougher than I thought. It's hard to explain but...let's just say that she's helped me through some stuff I wouldn't have made it through without her, and we'll leave it at that...I feel that after that, she'll always be "best pony" in my mind. Next!

Yeppers! Last one from D48:
How do you feel about Rainbow Dash? We have not seen much interaction between the two of you, and she does not seem to have been on your mind much with all the other insanity in your life so we do not really know where you stand at this point.

Volare: Come to think of it, you're right; we really haven't spent that much time together, huh? How do I feel about her? Well, I'm glad she was able to inspire me to fly to my full potential, but I'm still miffed about what she's said about me, and the situation between her and Twi...I'm gonna fix that soon, though. Overall, I'd say I just really miss her and can't want to show her what I'm capable of now (and probably return the hug she talked about too, heh-heh). Next one!

Last one from Camlio: Dear Volare, This question will be simple friend of the veil, if you asked Rainbow Dash or Twilight out on a date and they said yes, would you be surprised? While I know that may be putting the cart before the pony so to speak. We have seen many things and we wish for an honest answer.

Volare: Huh, again, something I never really put alot of thought into till now. I mean, up until Twi's revelation about why those feelings for me existed, I probably would have eventually asked her on a date...thing is, like I said, would it really be fair, though-with me knowing her long before she met me? I just don't want her to be creeped out, ya know? Same with Dash. For me to ask either of those on a date now...nah, just too soon; sorry if that's lame as hell, but until I come clean, I just wouldn't feel right with it. Got anymore?

Mhm, last ones...oh boy...

Volare: What is it?

...I dunno if you'll wanna answer this one or not, but just know you don't have to.

Volare: Lemme have it.

Ok...from Brony Assasin:
How did you first become a brony, and why was rainbow dash so inspirational to you? How do you feel about the fact that you are now able to fly alongside her as a Pegasus?

Volare: Ah shit...well, the second part I can answer no problem: it's gonna be pretty sweet. The first part though...well, she's an inspiration to me cuz while I was trying to get into the Blue Angels, she was trying to get into the Wonderbolts, so our parallel endeavors was rather inspiring to me. As for how I became a brony, well it happened in Fall of 2011...but how I first met her...that's still pretty damn painful to talk about. Just...suffice to say that without her, I wouldn't be here, and I don't mean because she saved me from the plane crash...she saved me long before that...just, V-Pony, can I go now?

You ok, dude?

Volare: Yeah, I just...I'm done. Sorry folks, but I just gotta go...good night... *flies off*

Damn...I'm sorry man...sorry about that, guys; guess it's still pretty tough for him. Maybe we'll find out eventually, huh? Anyways, we're nearly at the end here, and there're a few questions for me. Hrm... Tyrannosaurus Tux writes: Imma not check the other comments and ask this
What video games you play? We could frag each other sometimes.

LOL, good ol' Tux...you know, he's been following my story longer than everyone else here save for Hazard. Well, Tux, *que hokey accent*... I don't always play video games, but when I do, I prefer Black Ops. I might pick up Halo 4, but I dunno...

Let's see, what's left...
Dancing Dead: V-pony, what's in Fallowstone Cave?
Heh, if you're referring to the one in Skyrim, it's not what's in the cave that's important, but rather, what it leads to: The Giant's Grove!

And the last one for me: Dapurple writes: This story reminds me of this:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=82VTjO-DD_c]
Also, WHEN will we find out what Celestia meant about the planet? Same with Volare being a brony.
Aha, I was wondering when someone would ask about that. Suffice to say that, if from what The Author tells me is true, it's quite the little discovery, or rather a RE-discovery, that Twilight, Volare, and Dash make up in ol' Canterlot. As for Volare being a brony...you'll see...you'll see.

Alright folks, that's it for this Q&A! Tune in soon for the next exciting update in...hey, what the heck is this? It's another stack of questions, but they're...they're not for the good guys...
Lord Frigus: Are we allowed to ask the villains questions?
More of you guys had some questions for the villains too? Oh, and you were even kind enough to include the number to call...great. I just know I'm gonna regret this...

*dials numbers*

*ring-ring...ring-ring...ring-ri-click!*

Jill: Yello? Agent F, this better be you, cuz The Boss is pissed off and wants to speak with you right now!

Um, no, this isn't Agent F, this is-

Jill: Well then get the hell off the line; this is for reserved callers only!

Boss: Wait a moment, Jillian...who is it?

Jill: Not Agent F.

Boss: Hmm, is it that pizza place calling about their missing delivery pony, because I'm looking at most of him right now; the rest of him is in the billiard room, I think...

Jill: Uh, is this Pony-John's Pizza?

I don't think so, no.

Jill: Well then bugger off!

Boss: Wait...they must have called for a good reason, plus how'd they get this number anyway? Put him on speaker.

ka-tick

Boss: Hello, who is this and how'd you get this number?

My name is V-Pony, may I ask your name?

Boss: No you may not; nothing personal, but it's just too great a security risk right now. Just trust that I'm on the line and listening, and that's all you need to know for now. What is your purpose for calling me?

Ah, I see...well, I'm the manager of the Blue Angel Project, and I'm in the middle of answering numerous questions of the project's followers. They gave me this number so I could call and ask you a few questions as well in regards to your recent actions.

Boss: Hmm, I don't recall hearing of this project from any of my subordinates...they must be falling asleep on the job again. Oh well, I can always get new ones...or just tear the eyelids off of the ones I have to prevent that sort of slacking off, heh-heh. Do your acquaintances work for Celestia? If so, I'm hanging up. But if not...well...V-Pony, I have a few spare moments, so ask away-but be quick about it!

Uh-r-right. Here's a question from Lord Frigus: I'd like to know what Ray and Jill think of their boss's plan to get Volare to join... whatever the hell it is they're doing.
I'd also like to know, given what time it is, if they've got anything planned for Nightmare Night. I think that could be a cool bonus chapter.

Boss: Chapter? What the hell's he talking about?

Oh, the Blue Angel Project is a written one recounting the events surrounding the pegasus named Volare.

Boss: Oho, is it really? That would imply you have information on him, hmm? Well, you just may have peaked my interest. Raymond, Jillian, please answer Mr. V-Pony's questions; if he were here I'd ask you to offer him coffee or wine.

Wow, you're kinda nice for an evil guy.

Boss: Tell me: just who in Equestria said I was evil? But I digress, you two, answer his question!

Ray: Uh, you wanna know what we think of his plans? Well, to be honest, he hasn't let us in on much-I'm loathe to give my opinion here since I value my life, though, so...sorry.

Jill: Pfft, hell with you, Ray. I personally think it's a huge waste of time and money. Why don't we just bust in there and murder that bitch ourselves and be done with it?!

Boss: Because that's nigh impossible with our current meager strength,nor is that our primary purpose Jillian, so cool it or I'll chuck you in the lake myself!

Jill: Fine, fine...as for Nightmare Night, we didn't do much beyond dismembering the pizza pony cuz he wanted a tip. A tip when he was nearly an hour late, can you believe that crap-hahahaha!

Ray: You know, I gotta agree with Jill on that one; that request was ridiculous and he just wouldn't leave until we payed him...soo...you could say that we payed him a little extra, heh-heh!

Boss: Yes, and made an absolute mess of the front lobby in the process. I swear, I need to teach you two the finer art of field-dressing a pony corpse without flinging entrails all over the wall-hangings-

Um, excuse me, sir? Can we please move on-this is rather disturbing to listen to.

Boss: Pfft, weak stomach, eh? Fine, next question!

Well, this is one that I got earlier, but nopony agreed to answer it. The sender mentioned Jill though. Do you know of someone named Twisted Visions?

Boss: Oh yes, I do. She's one of my most loyal deciples. Do you wish to speak with her?

No, no, that's ok...she sounds...fun.

Boss: Heh-heh, that she is. She'll do anything for me, and I do mean anything. *licks lips*

Gross...look, here's what she sent, ok? Anyway, I hope I am not too late but Volare, Twilight, and Trixie. What are your greatest fears hmm? Oh and Jillian... You have such a beautiful name, but that temper should be worked on. No telling what more trouble you could get into.

Jill: THAT BITCH!! *runs out while Ray retrieves her to stop her from burning the place down*

Boss: *facehoof* Those two, I swear...moronical indeed. Well, your friends were wise not to answer that particular question, for that's all she needs to get inside...and once inside, the havoc begins.

Inside? Inside where?

Boss: If you didn't answer her question, you needn't worry about that. Next question.

Oookay...clonezero says:
Mysterious Enemy Boss: Do you know of a certain article called the " Evil Overlord List"?

Boss: I'm afraid I don't, no...why, is Celestia on it?

Say what?

Boss: Apparently not...oh well-next!

Uh, ok...from Ballor_I: For the Boss: Have you written your Will?
Also: Why not just ask Celestia, who knows, she may be willing to help you.

Boss: Ha, that sounds almost threatening. I have nothing to offer the world, nor do I intend to die any time soon, therefore I will not be writing a WILL. As for asking Celestia for help with anything...I'd rather eat my own feces first. Let me tell you a little something: the next time she sees my face, it will be her looking up to me as I smile and laugh...not her.

Got a grudge against her?

Boss: That's truly none of your business. Next!

From: Super Big Mac: This question is for evil boss guy:
Do you have a white kitty cat that you pet while smiling evilly? Or do you smoke those long cigars? What are two cliche 'evil-character' things you do, and what is your greatest weakness? Mine is when I monologue. Or rambling on, or whatever. I start doing it when excited or nervous, or when I'm unsure as to what I should be doing. Answer any of my questions, or all of them, I don't care. Have a nice evil day!

Boss: What in the hell...no I don't have a cat; I prefer ravens to tell the truth. Matches my personality a bit better than some crotch-licking feline; smarter too. I neither pet them nor expect affection from them, only loyalty, as I expect it from my associates. No, I do not smoke; it's bad for my health, you fool. As for two "evil cliche's"...I don't know what you're talking about. Again, that implies that I'm evil...and besides, a true master of himself never reveals his weaknesses to anyone but himself! I'll at least trade politeness in kind though, so you have a nice day as well. Next!

This one is from DrakeDragon13: To "The Boss" What exactly did Goldwing do that "got him fired"?

Boss: Ah, that half-wit...suffice to say that I don't appreciate liars that attempt to cross me. You know, I don't think I've ever met a pegasus that wanted to die as much as he did. If only he knew what he was doing when he did it, the consequences that the failures of his actions would bring...oh well. I don't need noble fools among my ranks, and he didn't need his limbs, apparently. That's one of the more entertaining terminations I've had in quite some time, though-it took positively forever for his neck to finally dislocate itself from his shoulders...ooh-hoo-ooh, it was delicious!

You're sick, you know that?

Boss: Said the patient to the surgeon. Next!

Beyond the Horizon: Final question, for the author. Could you deliver this message to the Boss for me? I know who you are, I know what you are, but most importantly. . . I know where you are. Soon. . . hehehe eheheheh. . . soon. ~Signed, the Contradicted Spiral. And thats it. Dunno who it was, seemed like a nice chap.

Boss: I'm not even going to respond to that. However, I may seek this fool out to see if he'll make good on his threat or simply reveal his true self to be a coward right before he dies...I'm getting annoyed now, V-Pony. Hurry up and let's finish this.

Yeah...these two questions are kinda the same, but Chiman1293 and ChaosMarineBrony basically wanna know what it's like working with moronical associates.

Jill: Buck them and the horses they rode in on! I'll show them moronical!

Jeez, I did't even know you were back *rubs ringing ear*

Ray: You even know what that means?

Jill: No, but it sure sounded insulting!

Boss: The truth is often a bitter pill to swallow, dear Jillian. Only the strong can take it without a sugar-coating. And is that not what we're doing here: revealing the truth so long hidden?

Jill: Yeah, yeah, but still...if I find those two there won't be anything left but a pile of ashes and burnt bones!

Boss: Commendable disposal method; much neater than disembowelment to be sure. But back to the question: sometimes working with those of lower intelligence than yourself can be quite tedious...but when that's par for the course, you get used to it and accept the situation for what it is. One must sometimes simply smile and make lemonade, you could say. Next question-I'm actually enjoying these!

From Menelaus Redz:
Boss man: Evil will always triumph because good is dumb! Do you agree or disagree?

Boss: Before I answer that question, let me clarify something for you and for all those that continue to label me as something they quite obviously don't comprehend. Is it not often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? It's all in the perspective. So too does this apply to what one considers good and evil...did you know that I've oft heard the term evil uttered of the seeing by the jealous and foolish blind? Would you consider a pony evil just because it has something another doesn't?

Well, no but I-

Boss: Then I warn you and your friends right now, and this once only: do not bandy the terms good and evil about so lightly. Do you consider a spider evil and so crush him beneath your foot, or does he consider you evil because you seek to crush him? The status quo could be considered good because those under it are blind to the existence of anything else...but I intend to shed light on the truth...and let them decide what is good, and what is evil. Only the wise will see...the foolish shall remain blind and will die in the dark with the rest. So to answer your friend's question: evil is in the eye of the beholder, so do not assume it will win just because one considers a "good" cause to be dumb, for the term "dumb" depends on perspective as well. I prefer to consider the winner of a contest to be wiser and more prepared than the loser...and nothing more.

Wow, that's really deep...

Boss: I'm glad you think so; there may be hope for you yet. Next question!

Applejack-fan writes: Oh, and I've got a message for "The Boss" if I may : whatever you're planning, that's never gonna happen. You know why? Cuz bad guys always end up losing.

Boss: *sigh* How many of your so-called friends have something similar to say? Who are they?

Um...MoonlitDawn says something about how your plan is going to fail, while-

Boss: Really? Does he give a good reason or is it nothing but threats?

Do I have to answer that?

Boss: If you don't want my hoof slipping and hitting the END CALL button, then yes.

Ok, you asked for it...he basically threatens to stick his foot up in...places...and make you run 9001 miles if you try to do anything to Volare.

Boss: .........Bwahahahahahaha!!! That's quite a good one; I haven't heard anything quite like that yet. What places is he talking about?

...John Brown Hindquarters...

Boss: John Brown-hahahaha-that's hilarious! Oh holy Nightmare Moon, this is too much-my chest is hurting I'm laughing so hard-HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Ahem *cough-cough* my...haven't laughed like that in quite some time...hoo, please forgive me, V-Pony, but I'm always torn between feeling pity and morbid amusement at the idiocy of some sentient creatures. I mean, it would be one thing for something like a rodent or mosquito to make idle threats like that, but for a sentient being to do so, without any way to carry it out...holy hoof, that's rich!

I doubt they'll be as amused-I think he was serious.

Boss: Then in that case, I'd seriously advise you to obtain some wiser friends if I were you...at the very least some spare ones if they're going to continue to try my patience like this. But you, V-Pony-haha-you I like for now...and trust me, you don't want that to change. As for what may or may not happen to Volare...just know that it's what I believe is for his own good, and we'll leave it at that.

But how could it be for his-

Boss: DAMMIT ALL!! I HAVE SPOKEN, AND IT'S QUITE APPARENT YOU HAVEN'T LISTENED TO ONE IOTA OF WHAT I'VE SAID, AND HAVE THEREFORE WASTED MY TIME, YOU DOG! ....Go and fetch somepony's stick in the dirt, keep your blissful ignorance for all I care...we're done here. Good day.
*click

Jeez...well, I think that could have gone better. Good thing everypony else was gone too; can't imagine how Volare would've handled something like that. I just hope he watches his back and stays careful.
*sigh*
Sorry that did't really end on much of a high note folks, but trust me, the next story arc should fix that right up! Expect the first chapter from The Author within the next week.

Oh, and enjoy the premiere of Season 3 in the meantime! I'm out!
(oh, also, Dashie stole Volare's jet) :P

Truth or Dare-Pt 1: Antici-....pation

Notes: Yeah, I'm in a weird mood...Alrighty folks, this arc will be a little bit different than the previous one. No more humongous 15k+ word chapters. <---(oops, that kinda didn't work out, eh? ^^; ) Things will finally begin to be consolidated and focused around the two main characters of the story. So without further ado...let's get started!

September 15th, Late Afternoon...

"Aww man, what the hay did you do to this thing, Volare?" Vinyl Scratch groaned out loud as she hefted the rather abused-looking speakerbox up onto the workbench located against the far wall of her home. After outlining his plan of how to gain Rainbow Dash's attention and respect, causing nearly everypony present to want to participate, Trixie included who offered to help with the "special effects", he'd also found that the speaker he'd used back near Sweet Apple Acres was no longer functional, with thin wisps of smoke wafting out of the wire mesh grill that covered the speaker cone itself.

Knowing that the plan wouldn't work nearly as well without a backing track, he'd sent Scootaloo home to Pinkie's and returned the speaker to its creator, who, after getting over the joyous shock of his ability to fly again as well as his new look, had gaped at her damaged creation in disbelief before proceeding to disassemble it for repairs, berating him all the while. The blue and yellow Pegasus grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders while Octavia worked on a composition piece on the other side of the room, casting the occasional glance towards their guest every now and again. Despite the agitation of her room-mate, she couldn't help but contain a demure smile of admiration for how far Volare had come so quickly.

"Uhh, I played it?" he offered feebly, receiving an incredulous stare over the DJ's purple shades in reply.

"Jeez, no feces, Fetlock; I can see that," she grumbled and fiddled with the screwdriver she held with her magic as she undid the screws that fastened the grill on, while Volare considered for the slightest moment to comment on the similarity of her statement to one from Earth, immediately pushing it aside as the grill fell off and Vinyl's jaw dropped open.

"What's the damage, doc?" Volare offered, placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder and leaning in to observe that the speaker cone had a hole burnt through it. Well, that explained the smell and lack of sound. The DJ sighed and spoke without looking up at him.

"You played this on 11, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"...for how long?"

"Maybe 5 minutes," he replied, glancing down at the knob that was melted in place, betraying the obvious truth. So why the question, unless it was rhetorical...either way, he felt a bad scolding coming on.

"Great...frickin' great," Vinyl muttered, spinning the speaker box around and unscrewing the fasteners on the plate that covered the back of the box. "Haven't you ever heard of too much of a good thing?"

"I take it I shouldn't have done that, huh?" the stallion asked his own seemingly-rhetorical question, to which the off-white Unicorn merely nodded and concentrated on the plate. "Sorry if I did something wrong."

"No, no, it's not really your fault, bruh," the Unicorn shook her wild blue mane and snorted. "I didn't really explain the rules, so to speak, and well...I take it since you can fly, you know how pony magic works now, right?" Another screw fell out as he nodded in reply. "And so I take it you also know how the willpower involved is kinda limited by the body it resides in, right?" Another nod and another screw clinked to the tabletop. "Ok, lemme lay it out here for ya," she pointed at the speaker cone. "Think of this whole speaker box as your body, and the sound that comes out of it as your magic, ya dig?"

"Dug."

"Heh, good," she nudged him and continued. "In a pony, that magic is focused and released by wings for a Pegasus, hooves for an Earth Pony, and the horn for a Unicorn. A Pony's willpower might be strong, but it can overload the limits of whatever it focuses magic through. In this speaker, think of the crystal that focuses your thoughts into music as wings, horns, hooves, that sorta thing," she undid the final screw and the plate fell away, revealing the small cavity that resided within...a cavity that normally housed a small ruby or sapphire or some other form of focusing crystal, but which now only held a small pile of blue-tinged dust that left the box with the puff of Vinyl's irritated snort.
"Great...as you can see, just like your wings, that little crystal can get overloaded and simply fail. That's what can happen when a pony cranks themselves to 11 for too long, so to speak." She dumped the rest of the powder out on the table with a groan before sweeping it into a rubbish bin.

"Eesh, that's quite the amalgam," Volare observed, causing Vinyl to shoot him a strange look before Octavia saw fit to speak up.

"He means it's an interesting way of putting it, Vinyl; that shows quite a bit of intelligence on your part, and you should be proud," the cellist gave a cheeky smile before returning to her composition. "Hmm-hmm, it's almost cause for celebration, really, since that doesn't come along too terribly often."

"You know Octy, I may not be the brilliant musician you are," the DJ rolled her eyes and stomped towards her friend. "But that doesn't exactly make me a fool either." Volare sensed the rising tension in the room and considered saying something to try to diffuse the situation as it was something he didn't have time for, but the cellist's next comment threw him for a loop and forced his mouth closed in curiosity.

"Oh yes, so says the mare who thought a bowling alley spanning the duplex was a brilliant plan," Octavia shot back, imitating Vinyl's tone, causing the DJ to move within easy range for a quick swipe of a hoof.

"Say what?" Volare couldn't help but laugh at the the grey mare's statement as she explained that was how Vinyl and her first met, with the DJ setting up the end of a bowling alley at the dividing wall of the duplex. Within the first day of Octavia moving in, a bowling ball had come crashing through the bottom of the wall, causing the cellist to realize what the proprietor had meant by "low rates due to strange neighbors."

"After exchanging, er, pleasantries with her, I scolded her for such a foolish endeavor and rolled the ball back under the wall," Octavia reminisced with a snort. "Surprisingly, she followed my advice and halted her bowling...immediately following it with a blast of noise so ludicrous that it destroyed the dividing wall between the rooms," the cellist face-hoofed.

"Awww yeah, and I was like: 'hey, new roomy!'" Vinyl laughed uproariously, throwing a hoof around her musical friend, who seemed to be halfway between grimacing in horror and smiling in spite of herself, the resulting facial expression of which caused Volare to stifle another snicker. "We've been pals ever since!"

"Eh-heh, yes, more or less," Octavia straightened her bowtie as Vinyl returned to her workbench. "I must admit, I wasn't exactly thrilled at first, but over time, I've grown mostly used to her. I must admit that I was, and am still, impressed with her ability to use her equipment and knowledge of the musical spectrum to create virtually any sound or piece of music she desires."

"Do you ever let her create it for you instead of, well, hoof-writing it yourself; since that'd be easier, I mean?" Volare motioned to the half-finished music sheet, but Octavia shook her head and smiled.

"Oh no, the thought has crossed my mind once or twice, but there's a certain satisfaction one gets from doing things herself, and not taking bloody shortcuts," she gave Vinyl a squinty stare.

"What, I'm just using what momma gave me," she shrugged and returned to the music box, while Octavia returned to her music, leaving a sudden awkward silence to pervade the room while they worked. Volare broke it by clearing his throat and looking over Vinyl's shoulder.

"So, um, back to this," he waved a hoof. "Is it fixable?"

"Yeah, in like a week," the DJ blew out her chops. "I'm all outta spare crystals, dude. I've got an extra box, but that's the blueprint I'm basing them all on, and seeing how fast you trashed this one," she thunked a hoof down on the burnt speaker box, the cone of which crumbled into dust at her impact, "...damn! Yeah, no can do, buddy."

"Crap, I need something for tomorrow, though!" he kicked a hoof against the floor in frustration and headed for the door. "Thanks anyways, Vinyl...sorry I ruined your gift." Octavia looked up at his crestfallen tone and jerked her head in his direction, scowling at her roommate who looked up from her device, shook her head, and called out to him.

"Wait a sec, what's the rush; why do ya need it tomorrow, bud?" the stallion turned back to the DJ, who motioned for him to return to the workbench. Volare complied and explained his plan to the DJ, noting that a small smile crept up on her lips as he laid it out, slowly growing into an ear-to-ear grin that quite frankly creeped Octavia out just a smidge. At the conclusion of the explanation, Vinyl scratched her chin for a moment before laughing and thumping Volare on the chest. "Dude, that plan is wild, ballsy, and just plain nuts...I like it," her reply caused Octavia to facehoof for the umpteenth time already that day. "I think I gotcha covered with something a little bit better than this old thing," she glanced at the ruined speaker before trotting towards her sound room. "C'mon, we're gonna do some recording."

"Wait, say what?" Volare cocked his head and followed her into the insulated sound studio that the DJ and the cellist shared. "Why're we doing"-

"Because we don't have a spare receiver box for your ear-buds right now, plus when you play that music in your head, it takes away from your concentration on the situation at hoof," Vinyl cut him off, setting up a microphone and quickly calibrating the equipment to her liking. "So instead, we're gonna go old-school and play a recording to back ya. This way, you can concentrate on your plan," she shut the door and hoofed Volare a headset of padded earphones, motioning him to put them on. "And if what you've told me is any indication...you're gonna need all the focus you can get to pull this crazy stuntshow off." She plunked a set on her own head and flicked the power switch, causing the instrument panel to glow with red and green lights. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he nodded.

"Then let's get crackin', baby! Wooo!"

A short time later...

Volare's ears still rang with the sound of the music he and Vinyl had just recorded. The DJ couldn't help but grin at his music choices, claiming that since not even she had heard of instrumentation like that, it oughta be perfect for taking Rainbow Dash by surprise, giving Volare the edge he'd likely need. She promised to have everything arranged and ready to go by tomorrow, and that she'd bring the necessary equipment to the pre-determined spot beneath Rainbow Dash's home the following morning, after the prismatic Pegasus had returned of course, to avoid arousing her suspicion. This had led Volare to seek out Derpy Hooves, who he'd been told was the caretaker of Dash's home while she was out of town. The stallion spread his wings and took to the sky again, relishing the feel of the cool wind ruffling his feathers and hoping he'd never get tired of the thrill it gave him.

But he shook his head and focused, searching for the grey and blonde mare as quickly as he could, drawing a few uptilted-expressions of surprise from the ponies in town, many of whom still believed him to be in the infirmary. However, after several minutes of fruitless searching and thoughts of how he'd always been able to spot her in the episodes she was hidden in, he began to worry he wouldn't find her before night fell upon him. But as he hovered just above a great oak tree on the south edge of Ponyville, scanning the town once more, he felt a tug on his tail and looked down into the wall-eyed, grinning face of none other than Derpy herself.

"I heardja were lookin' for me?" the grey mare smiled before her eyes widened in shock and she rose out of the leaves and stared at him. "Whoa, I just realized you're flying!" she pointed a hoof at him, causing Volare to chuckle heartily.

"Heh, yep, that I am," he grinned, doing a little loop and nearly hitting the tree beneath him.

"Wow, you gotta work on your coordination," Derpy observed with a chiding shake of her head.

How ironic, Volare thought before rising back to her level, taking the ribbing in stride. "Yeah, no kidding...anyways, I was meaning to ask: when's Dash coming back tomorrow, Derpy?"

"Oh, um...well, let's see," she drummed her hoof on her chin for a long, long moment, almost to the point of Volare nudging her to make she hadn't zoned out before she spoke up again. "Should be around noon, since they'll probably sign her up for early morning mail delivery too."

"I got a feeling that'll irritate her," Volare chuckled.

"Yeah, miffs me too...means I gotta wait, and wait, and wait, skip muffins for breakfast, and then have'm for lunch instead," she shook her blonde head. "I mean, I love muffins, but for lunch? That's just too much, ya know? That's what makes muffins special; cuz you don't have'm every-single-meal! Ya know what I mean?" she looked at him with an almost pleading expression, but as much as he agreed with her, he also knew he was running out of daylight and decided to keep it simple.

"Makes sense to me, Derpy," his reply lit her face up with a grin and she did a little loop of her own, amazingly avoiding the tree he'd nearly hit himself.

"Great, I knew you'd agree, I just knew it! Oh, um, so...what else is up? Ooh, you wanna see Dash's house?" Without waiting for an answer, she took off, Volare pausing to consider it, knowing her home was south of town, before he shrugged and followed the surprisingly swift Pegasus. Within minutes, they'd reached Dash's towering cloud-mansion hovering nearly a half-mile in the sky over the plain south of Ponyville...somehow still in the same place it had been when Volare had last seen it. As if in anticipation of his question, Derpy spoke up as they reached the front porch of the house. "I've been keeping a close eye on this beauty since Dash left, cuz she told me to make sure it stayed right here and-" Derpy gasped loudly and stared at the structure for a moment before grabbing her ears with her hooves.

"Derpy, what's-"

"It moved! Aww, darn it, the breeze must have shifted it!" the grey Pegasus cried and flew up to the wall of the house, leaning a hoof against it as she spoke. "It was 6 inches further north yesterday and now-grrr, darn it!" She pressed both hooves against the wall as if about to move the colossal structure herself.

"Hey Derpy, it's ok, I'm sure she won't mind it being off just a tad," Volare intervened, hoping to assuage her worries and keep her from hurting herself, cuz there was no possible way she could...holy crap, no way. The stallion's jaw dropped in shock as Derpy gave the building a strong shove and shifted it just a little further than she meant to, grumbled under her breath, and re-shifted it again and again until it was just perfect. She looked up from framing the house with her hooves to see Volare's mouth dangling open.

"Hey, um, I know we're kinda high up, but you'll probably catch a fly in your mouth if you sit like that," she observed matter-of-factly, causing him to slowly shut his mouth and shake his head in disbelief. He'd seen Dash move and spin big clouds and stuff in the show, but a whole frickin' mansion? And by Derpy of all ponies?!

"H-how did you...by yourself...I mean, that thing is huge!" he gestured up at the mansion as Derpy started snickering.

"Yeah, but it's still only made of clouds," she tapped the wall, her hoof bouncing off the fluffy material. "The only real weight is in the base it sits on, silly."

"What's the base out of?"

"Dunno, ice I think," Derpy ducked under the house for a moment before popping back up. "Yep, ice. So yeah, it's mostly clouds, so it's not that hard to move around if ya put your mind to it. Wanna try?"

"Um...I'm good...I don't think I can," he shook his head.

"Why not-oh, right...you're still new at all this stuff," Derpy thunked herself in the forehead with a sheepish grin. "Silly me. Wanna take a tour of the place?"

"Uh, you sure she won't mind?" Volare asked as Derpy headed for the front door, swinging a set of brass keys out of her saddlebag with a smile.

"Nah, she won't ever know." As she reached the key towards the door, a thought flashed through Volare's mind: that patch was likely in her house...and if he could find it and take it, she wouldn't be able to hold it over his head, as it were, and there would go her leverage against him. Still...no, I can't intrude into her home like that, without her permission...I already feel like a big enough creeper as it is for knowing so much about her...no.

"Hey Derpy?"

"Yep?" she looked up from the door.

Last chance, dude...no...it's not right.
"I'm ok," he waved a dismissive hoof.

"Aww, you sure?" Derpy's ears fell slightly. "It's pretty sweet in there."

"I'll bet it is...I just don't wanna intrude into her home while she's gone, that's all."

"Hmm...that's awfully sweet of ya," the mare gave him a lop-sided grin and put away the keys. "Nice to see a guy who respects that a 'mare's house is her castle,' heh-heh. I'll be sure to tell Dash you respect her stuff like that."

"No, no, that's...ok, Derpy," he insisted. "I got a bad feeling if she even suspected I considered going into her home like that..." he gave a somewhat theatrical, albeit sincere shudder that made his point, and Derpy got it.

"Okies," the mare nodded before quirking an eyebrow, a comical expression that, combined with her wall-eyes very nearly caused Volare to stifle a chuckle before he respectfully controlled himself. "Wait a sec-why'd ya wanna know when Dash comes home? You planning something?"

"You could say that," Volare grinned and beckoned her close with his wing. "Hey Derpy, can ya keep a secret? If so, I could use your help with a little surprise I've got planned for Dash..."

Ponyville, Early Evening...

Volare arrived back in town in an ecstatic mood. Somehow, against all odds, things were falling into place rather nicely for this; I mean, who knew Derpy loved to pull pranks on her Weather Captain and was more than willing to help this little collaboration? As the stallion landed and trotted over the southern bridge into town, he couldn't help but grin and stomp his hoof on the ground, doing his best to dissipate the eager butterflies of nervous anticipation fluttering around in his chest.
You'll see, Dashie...by this time tomorrow, you'll know I'm not weak, that you don't have to worry about 'saving my worthless flank' anymore...I may not be better than you, but you'll see that I can-

"Hey, Volare?" a friendly voice snapped him out of his inner monologue, and he looked up to see Twilight Sparkle wearing her signature striped scarf and waving a hoof at him from a bench that was enveloped by the soft glow of firefly-powered lanterns hanging along the wrought iron railing surrounding a sitting area outside what looked-and smelled-to be a coffee shop. The light of the lanterns as well as her namesake reflected off of her wide violet eyes, and Volare couldn't help but subtly tug at his scarf with a hoof before clearing his throat and covering his sudden unease with conversation.

"This is kinda a cozy little place; never been in here, though," he nodded towards the warmly-lit windows through which the silhouettes of dining ponies could be seen, laughing and talking and enjoying themselves.

"Really, you've never been in here?" she nodded at the banner above the door that read Buck Star's Premium Coffee, and this time he failed to suppress the laugh that escaped his lips and caused his friend to cock her head in confusion. "I wouldn't laugh; Buck Star is pretty proud of his coffee and if he hears you laughing, well...let's say a caffeinated, angry Earth Pony is nothing to sniff at," she chuckled. Despite the semi-danger of a pummeling by the rather cavalier coffee clerk, the fact that Volare was smiling and seemed to be brimming with confidence in his plan lifted her spirits...but at the same time awakened a small pang in her belly at exactly why he seemed so confident...

"Hey?" she spoke up, interrupting his explanation of Starbucks coffee back on Earth, and her quiet, almost hesitant tone caught his ear and evoked a concerned expression that clashed so suddenly with his earlier jovial mood that Twilight very nearly regretted saying anything at all. But she'd stepped in it now, so she figured she might as well get it out there while she could, and she motioned him to join her on the bench.

"You sure that's ok, Twi?" he cautiously, referring to the letter from Celestia. Despite the rather late hour and nip in the air that their scarves did their best to ward off, there were still a surprising amount of ponies left on the street, and he definitely didn't relish anything nutty happening just between himself and the Unicorn, much less in front of a others.

"Yeah, it's fine," Twilight nodded, patting the bench with a hoof and assuaging his worries. "I'm in control for now, but we need to keep this short and sweet so I can stay in control." He knelt on the bench, hooking his legs under himself as she explained that she may have determined that as long as they kept their contact to a minimum, with plenty of time for her to "cool down" from overexposure to his body, they'd be ok until she could figure out a counter spell.

"Is it-I mean, am I bothering you right now?" he recoiled slightly, glancing down at her own body as if expecting her to sprout extra legs like some sort of radioactive monster before stuffing that stupid thought under something weighty and focusing on the situation at hoof.

"Mhm, I can feel it," Twilight nodded, biting her lip ever so slightly as she spoke. "It's like...a tingly feeling in my chest and horn and other places and it...ok, ok, let's just get this over with quick," she looked up with a blush on her cheeks and Volare understood, or at least, he thought he understood. Even so, he subtly scooched a further fraction away from her as she spoke. "Alright, why exactly are you doing this thing tomorrow?"

Well, that wasn't the question he expected.
"Whatcha mean, Twi?"
Smooth dodge, Exlax...

"What I mean is why," she replied with more than a hint of concern creeping into her voice. "The overall reasoning behind why you're willing to risk your life to do this."

"For...multiple reasons, Twi," he replied, heaving a small sigh before continuing to speak. "For one, I still remember her poking fun at me for being weak and a drag and what-not. I know she probably didn't really mean it, but as a guy, that hurts my pride a bit, ya know?" he blushed slightly. "So part of it is proving her wrong. Part of it is helping Rarity get a little vengeance on Dash for turning her tail green weeks ago, something I promised I'd do back then. And today, Rarity told me that just seeing the look of shock on Dash's face if this works would be more than enough ammo to throw her way for a long time to come," he laughed heartily, but Twilight barely managed a chuckle, and he quickly calmed down again.

"That's it then?" she asked, dreading the answer she felt was coming...it was the right thing to do, but it still didn't make it hurt much less...

"No, there's one other thing, Twi, and it's even more important: I see an opportunity to fix the situation between Dash and yourself," he placed his hoof on hers and she twitched slightly at his touch, but kept her violet eyes on his silver-blue ones. "It's about what she said back in the hospital when she was mad at you."

"About how if we're together I'd only hold you back," Twilight replied sullenly. "Which we've already established is true," she said as she flipped her hoof over so his was laying "in" hers, rather than simply lying upon it. Despite her play at subtlety, it was impossible to not notice it.

"That's the thing though, Twi," he surprised the Unicorn by preempting her and grasping her hoof with his own, still keeping his eyes locked on hers. "I wouldn't be where I am now without your help, so it's not that you've held me back...so don't think of it terms of black and white, cuz we both know better than that. However, we both also know that Rainbow Dash doesn't really think in any other terms but black and white most days, and because of that, I've gotta do this to prove that she wrongly shot her mouth off and made a fool of herself by assuming things that aren't true."

"Yeah, but that situation was partly my fault too, and-" Twilight protested, but Volare cut her off before she could say more.

"Because of emotions caused by me...now you see why I'm taking responsibility for this," he dipped his head and sighed. "I know this isn't all Dash's fault, but...as you said, actions speak louder than words for her, in terms of getting her attention and proving a point."

"So, what, by doing something like this, it'll prove that I'm not holding you back?" Twilight asked, and at his nod, a small smile quirked the corner of her mouth. "Ah, I see...and by proving that, it'll prove that we're not together because I'd obviously never let you do something this crazy, and...yeah," she trailed off and stared at the ground for a moment, her brow furrowing despite the small smile that remained on her face. "Volare...?"

"Hmm?"

She looked back up at him and allowed the smile to spread across her features. "This is crazy...but brilliant."

"Say what?" He'd honestly been expecting her to admonish him for his plan. "You pulling my leg?"

"No, not at all," she shook her head. "This is actually quite an efficient way to help Rarity gain some comeuppance against Dash, help get Dash from poking holes in your pride, and also would help me let go of you more easily." At his concerned look, she hastily explained. "What I mean to say is: if this works and you don't get hurt...well, it'll make it easier for me to not worry about you and let us both move onto what's more important right now and...gah, I dunno what I'm even saying," she blushed and Volare wrapped her in a quick hug.

"I think I get it," he chuckled. "Besides, look at it this way, Twi: if this thing kills me, I won't be the stupid wedge between you and Dash's friendship anymore-*smack*-ouch!" he rubbed his nose where Twilight had swatted him, looking past his hoof at her suddenly fierce and angry eyes.

"Don't you ever say that about yourself," she growled softly, raising a threatening hoof again. "You're not stupid, Volare. You're brilliant...and kind, and more important than...I-" she paused as she realized her face was rising ever closer to his, her lips wet from an involuntarily anticipatory lick of her own tongue, while Volare's eyes had grown increasingly wider before she'd stopped herself. "Eh-heh-heh," she chuckled lightly, her warm breath brushing his lips in contrast to the cool wisps of autumn evening breeze that wrapped around them and soothed the hot blush of her face as she backed off and seemed to sink slightly into herself. "Sorry...again."

"It's ok, Twi," he wiped the nervous sweat from his brow and stared down at the Librarian who was shivering slightly now, but not from the dropping temperature. He placed a wing comfortingly over her shoulder, but she twitched away from it, standing up from the bench with a determined look on her face, putting some distance between them.

"Volare, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but," she paused, feeling yet another crossroads looming. "I don't think we should live in the same house for now, for obvious reasons," she chuckled dryly, but he nodded in understanding.

"I didn't wanna be the first to say it for fear of sounding..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Cruel and final?" Twilight offered, and just the prospect of being considered that, circumstances or not, made his chest tighten into an icy ball. He merely nodded once in response, but she smiled sadly instead, reaching out to brush his cheek with magical purple aura. "I understand, Volare. And you're not like that," she said reassuringly. Not nearly as much as fate. "Just so you know, whether this plan works or not, I'm still gonna figure out a counter spell so we can be more...normal together, ya know?"

"Ha, yeah that'd be helpful," he chuckled lightly.

"No more of this overly emotional drivel and magically-induced breakdowns and crap, cuz I dunno about you, but it's really wearing on me," Twilight laughed more heartily, though she wished she could do more than that at the moment...more than just brush him with magic...more than just hug him...more than just want to kiss his lips and-agh, gimme a break, hormones, magic, whatever the hay this is!! She composed herself and cleared her throat, nodding and giving him a wave. "Good night Volare. See ya tomorrow."

"Night, Twi," he returned, and with the simultaneous thought of "man, the truth really sucks sometimes," they went their separate ways, Twilight to her Library, and Volare East across Ponyville, half of which he'd crossed before he stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the empty market square and groaned.

"Shit, where the hell am I gonna stay tonight?!" But just as his groaning curse died on the near-empty streets, another cry rose upon the breeze to usurp its place in his ear.

"Help! Help, somepony help!" Volare's head snapped towards the East, his heart pounding and his ears twitching; he recognized that voice.

"Scoots?" he breathed, hoping he'd heard wrong, hoping he hadn't heard her shout for-

"H-h-help!" the faltering cry tore into his mind, galvanizing him into action. She was in danger and he wasn't there to help!

"I'm coming, Scoota-," his breath caught in his throat as he spread his wings and reared upon his back hooves. He cleared his throat and roared. "GRRRR-HANG ON, SCOOTS-I'M COMIN'!!!!!" His hooves pounded the cobblestones as he charged down the street, scooping the air with his wings and shaping it around his body to allow him to move as fast and low as possible, preparing himself to leap upon whatever the hell it might be that had his sister screaming like that.
"I SWEAR RAY AND JILL, IF YOU TWO ARE BACK IN TOWN, I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS WITH MY BARE-oof!" Something small and weighty struck Volare square in the chest as he rounded the corner, knocking him sideways and bowling him over, finally coming to a stop on his back in a pile of fur, feathers, and wheels.

"Oww, jeez bro, good thing I was wearing my helmet," a small voice pierced into Volare's consciousness and he looked up to find he had Scootaloo cradled in his forehooves on his chest, while she grinned down at him sheepishly. "Heh-heh, you ok, bro-ah!" He squeezed her in a sudden hug and held her there to the point of embarrassment as the filly realized just how many ponies had heard Volare's shouts and had come to investigate, instead finding the two surrogate siblings up against a bench in the empty market square. "Uh, bro, I think we might be in trouble." He looked up to see Snowhooves and Firetail skidding to a stop several feet away from them.

"Um, eh-heh, officers," Volare rolled to his hooves and shook himself, giving the duo a respectful nod.

"We heard shouting and we came to help," Snowhooves pawed the street. "What's happened?"

"Yeah, did those two criminals show up again?" Firetail growled, itching for a chance to get a crack at the two Unicorns that had attacked Luna and Shining Armor and caused so much trouble and embarrassment for the underprepared Royal Guards.

"I um...I dunno," Volare looked down at Scootaloo questioningly. "I just heard her shouting for help and I came running to help myself. Scoots, what's up; why the shouting?" But before the sheepish filly could answer, a small giggle of laughter wafted past their ears, and the quartet of ponies looked up to see a tiny brown shape go whooshing over their heads at about rooftop level, giggling nonstop as he swooped and looped in the cool night air. Pound Cake was on the loose.

"That's why," Scootaloo groaned and hopped back on her scooter, which to Volare's surprise had neither been too banged up in the crash nor had it broken any bones when it struck him. "He got out the door at Sugarcube Corner when Pinkie was dealing with Pumpkin and I volunteered to chase him down, but he won't get tired and land! Ugh, this isn't fair; that kid can use his wings and I can't, and he's like, less than two years old! C'mon, we gotta catch him!" She took off on her scooter after the tiny Pegasus. The younger Earth Pony Guard gave Volare a helpless shrug, but he merely grinned in reply.

"Easy guys, I got this," he sighted in on the weaving Pegasus and spread his wings.

"Wait a sec, since when can you-" was all Firetail got out before Volare took off in a burst of street dust, catapulting into the air and zooming right past Scootaloo, who skidded to a stop to watch.

"C'mere, Pound!" Volare called out, but the baby Pegasus either didn't hear him, or was having too much fun to care-probably the latter. "C'mon Pound, I know flying's fun, but you gotta come down now," the pilot urged, winging his way under shop signs and over banners spanning the street advertising everything from carrots to sofas. He could lunge out and grab the baby Pegasus, but if he missed and knocked him askew, he could easily crash, and as young as he was...no, he wasn't about to risk that. Instead, Volare watched the baby closely as he zipped along, noticing a pattern emerging in his flight.

"Aha, so you like repetitive stuff, eh?" the blue Pegasus grinned as he ducked under the eaves of a shop, working out a pursuit curve in his head before applying it to the night-filled street before him. He suddenly put on a burst of speed and shot over the flying foal, rolling over and kicking upwards with his hooves in a Reverse Half-Cuban Eight that caused the tip of his right wing to clip an overhanging sign as his flight path intersected with Pound's. "Hah, gotcha!" Volare grinned as he snagged the foal with his forelegs, cradling him before he could escape and gliding back over to to Scootaloo, whose jaw was hanging slightly open as he landed, shifting the hem of his diaper to his teeth and carrying Pound Cake while the little Pegasus babbled away in baby-talk all the way, sucking on his hooves as he stared wide-eyed at the darkened shops around him, oblivious to the miniature uproar he'd caused.

"I think we got it from here, guys," he spoke through his teeth and tossed a quick salute with his wing. "Thanks for the help anyways. C'mon Scoots!"

"Dude, that was awesome!" Scootaloo cried as she followed him to the pastry shop. Meanwhile, Firetail noticed the small smirk on Snowhooves' face and the younger Guard regarded his superior suspiciously.

"Alright old-timer, what's with the smile? How come you barely reacted when he flew, hmm?" he demanded with a squint.

"Heh-heh, if you listened as much as you flapped your gums, you'd have heard about the Cutie Mark Crusaders going on and on about it earlier," the older pony chuckled dryly and shook his head. "C'mon, kid. We got a patrol to continue to make sure any real hoodlums don't get the chance to cause trouble here anymore.

"Yeah, well if I see those two again, I'll give'em the what-for!" Firetail stomped a bronze-clad hoof on the cobblestones while Snowhooves merely laughed as they resumed their patrol.

Meanwhile, Volare reached Sugarcube Corner, surprised that the door was already open once he arrived. "Um, hello?" he called as he neared, well as best as he could considering what he had his teeth clenched around. Wasn't this how Pound got away in the first place?

"Oh, hiya Volare-bear!" Pinkie popped her head out from behind the door so suddenly that Volare stumbled backwards, slipping on Scootaloo's scooter and falling flat on his flank with a bump, though he still managed to maintain his hold on Pound as he groaned through the hem of the diaper. "Ooh, I'm sorry; lemme take him," Pinkie received the gratefully-hoofed-off baby from the stallion, who reached behind him to dig the scooter out from under himself and hold it out to Scootaloo.

"Heh, sorry bro," the filly chuckled sheepishly as she rolled the scooter inside. "Hey Pinkie, you missed it again! Volare went-"

"Flying off after Pound and nabbed him in mid-air," Pinkie finished the sentence, shocking both Pegasi who hadn't seen Pinkie anywhere that day. "Yep, I know."

"So you saw it?" Volare asked as he stumbled to his hooves. "What I did, I mean?" But the pink mare simply smiled in a sagely manner that did almost nothing to answer Volare's question and did more to cause a slight chill to run up his back. He also didn't remember seeing Pinkie when he first flew...

"...I said I know," the pastry mare quipped, and Volare decided to leave it at that. Best to just not push it further... "So, is that gonna be your new job here in Ponyville; a baby-saver-stallion-thingy?" Pinkie giggled and beckoned them all inside, closing the door softly so as to not wake The Cakes or Pumpkin who were sound asleep upstairs, still a bit worn out from the illness.

"Haha, not exactly," Volare replied. "It's kinda a long story, actually."

"Oh, I've got plenty of time for long stories," Pinkie grinned and sat Pound down in his playpen, closing the mesh netting top to keep him from escaping again. "You hungry?" As if on cue, his stomach rumbled, and he fixed the party mare with a stare of mild horror before laughing and nodding. "Hee-hee, I thought so." Pinkie bounced into the kitchen and went about whipping up some dinner, chatting away with Scootaloo and Volare all the while. They spoke of how he'd flown earlier, the scooter crash, and the "rescue" of Pound Cake, with Volare gracefully dodging around the situation between him and Twilight. He'd expected at least a raised eyebrow from Pinkie on the subject he left out, but she either knew and was being respectful, or didn't know at all...either way, he didn't want to speak about it in front of Scootaloo. Their conversation eventually led into the "surprise" planned for Rainbow Dash tomorrow, and Pinkie's curiosity was instantly piqued.

"Oho, so you're gonna throw a surprise for Dashie and you weren't even gonna tell me?" Pinkie looked slightly crestfallen but wiped it away with an excited grin. "Hee, it's ok; I was kinda planning something for you and her tomorrow anyways."

"What kind of something?" Volare cocked his head, remembering how Pinkie had semi-orchestrated the surrogate siblinghood between Scootaloo and himself, and worrying that she was perhaps getting even crazier ideas.

"Oh, you know, the usual...A "Welcome Home Dashie-Unofficial-Official Welcome to Ponyville Volare-Hey, It's Also Your Birthday We Missed Party!" Pinkie somehow rattled off the longest party title Volare had ever heard in less than three seconds, making his head spin.

"Oh, haha, who told ya my birthday got missed, eh?"

*Ding*, went the oven.

"Lyra told me," Pinkie grinned and tilted her head, pulling out a long pan of steaming goodness and offering them the freshly-baked banana bread she'd somehow managed to create in less than half an hour. Without hesitation, Volare bit into the baked goods, savoring every morsel as his ravenous stomach hungrily devoured piece after piece, Scootaloo keeping pace as best as she could while Pinkie simply giggled as her friends enjoyed her cooking. Finally satisfied, the two Pegasi let out simultaneous burps that caused Pound Cake to burst into giggles of his own, and soon the entire downstairs was laughing, albeit quietly out of respect for the sleeping ponies upstairs.

"So, where ya stayin' tonight, Volare?" Pinkie asked as she cleaned up the kitchen.

"Uh, heh-heh, that's the thing," the stallion poked his forehooves together in embarrassment. "I don't really have a place to stay at the moment."

"Why not Fluttershy's?" Scootaloo offered.

"It's too late to walk all the way out there, silly, same with AJ's," Pinkie gently chided the filly.

"Rarity's?"

"Beauty sleep," Pinkie shook her head.

"Um, oh yeah, how about Twilight's? She's close and in town, and she's such a night-owl she's bound to be up still," the young Pegasus suggested, but before Volare had to dance around that subject again, Pinkie mercifully shook her head once more.

"Nopey-Lopey. How about, instead of Volare walking across town..." she waved her hoof, waiting for Scootaloo to drop the other shoe.

"Oh yeah! Hey bro, we've got room here-why dontcha stay here for the night?" Try as he might, Volare wasn't allowed to refuse the offer, and was soon offered the couch in the back store-room by Pinkie Pie.

"Heh-heh, another couch eh?" the blue stallion chuckled at what had practically become a running gag for himself. "Seems I can't get a decent bed unless I'm hanging on for dear life."

"Better than the floor though, right?" Pinkie clapped a hoof on his shoulder and he conceded.

"Yeah, much." He suddenly realized how tired he was and he decided to turn in for the night and climbed under the hoof-knit blanket Pinkie had tossed on the couch, while Scootaloo leaned in to give him a goodnight hug. But before the two mares left the room, Scootaloo spoke up.

"Hey bro?"

"Yeah, Scoots?" he asked, cracking an eye and a smile in her direction. She shuffled her hooves for a moment, as if trying to decide if her question was bothering him and keeping him from sleep before he nodded encouragingly for her to continue.

"What's it like to fly?"

"Ah, that," he rolled over on his back, feeling his wings twitch beneath him, revisiting that conversation with Derpy from earlier. Muffins were only special to her because she couldn't have them all the time...what if flight, something he had loved since the time he'd first taken the flight yoke with his daddy but was exciting because he could only occasionally go up in the air, became routine and boring...and lost its thrill? But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he wasn't held by the same rules and limitations as a pilot in an airplane...rules put in place by humans. He was a Pegasus, the greatest and most-flexible flight platform he could imagine! That was it...it was only limited by his imagination... At that realization, he arrived at a new epiphany: With it only being truly limited by his imagination-
"It's true freedom, Scootaloo," he finished his thought out loud with a small grin and looked at his younger sister. "And I hope someday, you get to experience it."

"I hope so too, bro," she smiled and hurried after Pinkie, heading up to the loft to sleep while Volare rolled back over and stared at the ceiling. He reflexively stretched his right wing out and examined the feathers, neat, sleek, and ready to rock n'roll at a moment's notice, and he grinned in anticipation of tomorrow. How the hell could he ever think that having freedom like that could be boring? It was something humans could only dream of...heh, living the dream, indeed, Volare!

With a self-satisfied sigh and visions of his plan dancing through his head, he tucked his wing back under himself and shut his eyes, drifting off into a sleep populated by the stunts he was bent on pulling off tomorrow; a routine he'd trained months to perfect as a human in a jet, but had never truly gotten the chance before his accident...a routine that was going to allow him to fulfill his dreams, now re-purposed just as his flight skills had been, into something potentially even greater. His last conscious thought consisted of a single question: Other than fixing the situation between Dash and Twi, was the primary reason for doing this to prove to Dash he wasn't weak...that he was worthy of being inspired by her?

"I’ve got faith that he’ll prove me right yet again," he remembered her saying...

There was no use trying to fool himself on the subject anymore, so he simply admitted it to the ever-listening and friendly darkness of his mind:
Oh hell yes he was! Dashie, you'd better watch out...cuz a new and improved Volare is in town and he's about to roll out the welcome wagon tomorrow!

Notes: Woohoo, it's good to be back, folks! If you haven't guessed by now what Volare has planned, here's one last hint, and I suggest you familiarize yourself with it, for it'll mostly be described from Volare's point of view next chapter!
Flight Routine
Pay special attention to those maneuvers labeled Angel # 6, as that was Volare's flight designation before he crashed.
As for the songs Volare and Vinyl recorded...let's just say that it won't be anything that Dash expects! ;)
Onwards, to craziness!!!

Extra Notes: totallynotabrony created some excellent art for me that'll be used as Ray and Jill's new profile pictures, as seen here:
.
I'll also get to work on profile pictures for Firetail and Snowhooves as well ^^

EDIT: did a terrible editing job on this chapter and left out a tiny, but important section of Twi and Volare's convo. It's small, but important in explaining WHY Volare is taking responsibility for this situation, so please re-read it! Thanks! ^^;;

Truth or Dare-Pt 2: Zero

Notes: If you have the time, you may wanna watch this first. It'll give some insight as to what exactly is going to happen. Pay special attention to Angels 5 and 6:

Also, credit for this version of Cloud Kicker goes to Chengar Qordath and his excellent story The Life and Times of a Winning Pony. Thanks for letting me borrow her!!!
Enjoy...

September 16th, Ponyville, Dawn...

Celestia's Sun was just barely cresting the eastern horizon, its rays peeking through the trees and slopes of Canterlot Mountain's slopes to bathe the town of Ponyville in its warm light, chasing away the purple shadows cast by the mighty snow-topped crag. All was quiet and peaceful, with naught but the sounds of the trickling Ponyville stream harmonizing with the first birdsong permeating the dawn. One would be hard-pressed to find anypony besides the early-to-bed-early-to-rise Apples even out of bed at this hour of the day, many were content to slumber the chilly dawn away in their cozy homes. There are always exceptions to every rule, however...

"C'mon bro, try and keep up!" the distinctive voice of Scootaloo rang out, as did the clattering of her scooter wheels over the cobblestones of the sleeping town. The fuchsia-maned filly glanced behind her to catch a glimpse of Volare as he galloped after her, stifling a yawn with a wing as he ran.

"Jeez, Scoots, why so-*yawn*-early?" the pilot muttered as he blinked the crusties from his eyes and tried his best to wake up.

"Cuz Rainbow Dash is gonna be back today and we gotta be ready! Now c'mon!" Scootaloo had roused him from his sleep not 5 minutes before-hand, chattering excitedly about how Rainbow Dash was due back in town soon and they needed to get their early morning run around town done quick before she showed up. She put on a fluffy pair of pink earmuffs Pinkie had given her and plunked her trademark helmet down over it before snagging her scooter and heading out the door, while Volare tugged on his scarf and stumbled after her.

Grr, gotta wake up; gotta be alert today, he thought as he followed his sister over the East Ponyville Bridge, running along the road that skirted the stream bordering the village. The stallion had a quick idea and dipped his left wing into the brook as he galloped along, splashing the water into his eyes and allowing the shock of the cold liquid to wake him up.
"Much better," he shook the water from his eyes and quickly caught up to Scootaloo.

"Hey, ya made it," she gave him a cheeky smirk as she rolled along, slowing slightly for her brother's sake; she was still faster than him on the ground if he didn't use his wings, after all. "Thought I'd have to call out the Cutie Mark Crusaders Wake-Up Squad for a sec there; banging pots and pans and everything, hee-hee!"

"Haha, not yay," he chuckled, lapsing into a steady pace beside her as they circled the north side of town. He glanced down at the small orange filly, still scarcely able to believe how well she was recovering from the attack just days ago. She was certainly doing a bit better than him; it wasn't just the ultra-early hour that was causing him to be less-than-alert. His Navy past had made him an early riser for some time now. No, it was a rather restless sleep powered by a nightmarish recollection of the attack that had lent itself to his fatigue this particular morning. He'd awoken earlier in the night with that black ring around his wing aching as if it were trying to tighten and squeeze his wing off. The pilot had gotten up and trotted a nervous lap or two around the room before settling back down, but he wasn't quite able to shake the grinning Cryhena features of Ray and Jill as they loomed over him, snickering and laughing softly.

Great, guess that means I'm still not totally settled, Volare thought but he'd shaken it off and laid down again, trying to focus his mind on the routine he'd be performing tomorrow and hoping that would knock him out, but not even that worked. He continued to see Ray and Jill's snarling faces in his dreams, but strangely enough, that wasn't what began to weigh on him. No, he soon began to feel a presence beyond those two, something lingering on the edges of his dreams and filling him with a sense of impending dread; their "employer", he thought grimly as he tried to fight the fear that continued to rise like a viper's head within his chest. But it was useless, and within the hour, he was catching flickers and half-images of draconic, dead green eyes, burning with an evil intellect and prowling about the precipice of his consciousness as if belonging to some beast encircling him, shark-like, closing in for the kill.

But just as he felt that the owner of the eyes would reach him and surely pull his sanity over the edge and gnash it to pieces with a billion razor fangs, a prismatic light flashed in the darkness, causing the eyes to narrow into slits of hate. A blue blur as bright as the sky struck out across the space between himself and the eyes, shattering them into harmless pinpoints of light that faded away into the ebon abyss. The blur blazed with an amount of light that should have blinded and hurt him, but strangely enough it had the opposite effect, pulling his consciousness towards it and warming him with a comforting feeling so powerful he felt nothing could ever harm him again as long as that light remained. He felt at peace, and soon the eyes and the faces and laughter faded from his memory, and the pilot was back to snoozing...until his sister had jumped on him that morning, of course. The details of the dream had fogged over, but he felt it important to tell Twilight or Luna about as soon as the chance arose...but the more he thought about it, the more it faded until nothing but that feeling of warmth and comfort remained, lending him a strength he surely couldn't have found on his own: his buck, the source of which he knew and intended to prove himself to today.

Returning to the present, he again looked down at Scootaloo this time her gaze rising to meet his, and she gave him a huge grin before speaking.

"So, you ready for today, bro?"

"Heh-heh, I hope so, Scoots," he clicked his teeth in indecision, but luckily she didn't pick up on it.

"I think you'll kick flank up there and show Rainbow Dash why I think you're the bravest brother ever," Scootaloo assured him, and just that little show of support managed to lift Volare's spirits and chase away any remaining self-doubt he had sneaking up on him; not to mention the ability to make his heart feel just the tiniest bit larger than usual. "Speaking of her, whatcha think she's doing right now?"

"Oh, well, if what Derpy said is any indication, she's likely already finished up the early mail route and is probably on her way home right now."

"Sweet," the filly grinned again as they continued along their dawn gallop. Her young mind drifted north towards Fillydelphia, and although it was a city she'd never visited before, she wouldn't mind going there if it meant hanging out with Rainbow Dash for a day...

................

Fillydelphia, Post-Dawn...

"If it's the last thing I never do, I'm never taking Scootaloo to this place!" Rainbow Dash spat as she flew out of the city. Though she wasn't exactly in a hurry to leave her friend Zipscale behind, he had been the only real bright spot in an otherwise horrible, uncool, totally rude city that she was absolutely keen to put behind her as swiftly as possible. "City of Neigh-borly love, my flank!" she found herself muttering for the umpteenth time that week as she sped over Horseshoe Bay.

In all seriousness though, it wasn't the city itself or the task she had to carry out that had made the trip a pain. No, that honor fell to the ponies that inhabited it...specifically two Pegasi, the yellow and green ones that had been harassing her off and one throughout her stay. The final straw came as she left the post office for home, when they and a few of their other Pegasus friends whistled and hollered at her, trying to goad her into a fight.
"Alright, knock it the buck off!" she'd finally growled, surprised to find that the entire group had risen to her level to sneer at her, confident in their superior numbers. Despite her athletic prowess, Dash still couldn't help feel a slight shiver climb up her spine as they began to close in around her, snickering and insulting her under their breaths.

"Oooh, she's got a real mouth on her," a black-maned red Pegasus a head taller than her spat. "Imagine what I could make her do with it-"

"Yeah, in your dreams," Dash snarled, backing away into the air as she spoke, wondering where the hay the authorities were.

"Nah, in your dreams, baby," the original yellow Pegasus cracked a snaggle-toothed grin. "I'd be the only bright thing ta keep you company all night long," he swiveled his hips in a lewd manner, causing the Element of Loyalty to spit in disgust, but none of the half-dozen Pegasi goons were backing down. On the contrary, they only got closer, sniggering and licking their lips the whole while.

"Y-you get the hay away from me," she couldn't help the tiny stammer that worked its way into her voice, and strangely enough, she wished her friend Twilight Sparkle was here to teach these guys some manners. Heck, she bet even Volare would show'em a thing or two and-
"Volare...," she mumbled, remembering how he was still lying half-broken in a hospital bed...and how Twilight was still probably cursing her name with every breath for what she'd done to her back in the hospital lobby...jeez, and in front of Princess Luna for crying out loud! She bet every one of her friends hated her by now after what she did!

"Wazzat, bitch?" the green Pegasus leered, shaking her back to the present just in time to dodge the snatching hoof of a silvery-maned brown Pegasus that had snuck up behind her. The mare struck out reflexively, striking the stallion in the face and bloodying his muzzle with a loud yelp. She flapped her wings to gain height over her assailants and spoke as clearly as she could, without a stammer this time.

"I said 'Volare', my friend who's waiting on me back home," she glared down at them with new-found confidence. "A friend who's means more to me than any fight with you freaks!"

"Freaks, huh? That's big talk coming from a streaky-maned nag like you!" the yellow Pegasus shot back at the fiercely-grinning mare.

"Hey, looky there, there is a brain attached to those ears!" Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue before turning to leave, shouting back over her shoulder. "How bout you guys go back to rubbing each other off, cuz I got more way important things to do!"

"Grrah, you'll pay for that, ya freak! You and your Volare buddy are dead if ya ever come back here! Ya hear me: DEAD!" But Dash had long since tuned him out as she sped away at top speed, and as soon as she was far enough away from the city, she allowed the hot tears of fear and shame to course down her face. She'd never admit it had ever happened at all, but it had been a long time since she'd been frightened by stallions like that...and felt the need for her friends by her side so much. She wiped her face and turned towards home and the friends she missed so badly, and in turn, knew she so badly needed to reconcile with.
Damn...she hadn't felt this alone since being trapped in Ghastly Gorge...

..................

South Ponyville Plains, Mid-Morning...

"Whoa, welcome home Rainbow Dash!" but the fatigued Pegasus barely heard the gleeful greeting of Derpy, who gave her a small salute and showed her that she'd managed to keep Dash's cloud mansion from moving even the tiniest fraction. If she weren't so tired and irritated from earlier, she would have given her more praise than a simple "good job, thanks," but as it was, Dash's mind was elsewhere, and even Derpy picked up on it as her friend merely gave her a quick shoulder pat of thanks and took the keys to unlock the door.
"Um, you ok, Rainbow Dash? How'd the mail job go? Didja meet Zipscale?"

"Yeah, yeah, just tired Derps, that's all," she began to feign a dismissive yawn before a real one snuck up on her, the combined actions causing her jaw to pop loudly. "The mail job went ok-coulda been better honestly, and yep, I met Zip; he's pretty cool." At this report, Derpy flashed a satisfied smile, forcing Dash to look at her in a new light and give her props for somehow handling her own mail route there; if she ever went back there, she'd have to ask her how the hay she could stand it...but that'd be way later, if at all...hopefully never, she finally decided. She took a step into her home and breathed deeply, welcoming the familiar and comforting scents of crisp clouds, sky ice, and the paper of scores of Wonderbolts posters that festooned an entire wall of her living room. Ahhh yeah, waaay better than the smoggy air of old Filly! Dash sensed a lingering presence on the front porch and turned to regard Derpy, who was still standing there and still wearing a very large smile, both eyes focused squarely on her Weather Captain. Oookay...this is kinda weird now...
"Eh-heh, can I help ya, Derps?"

"Nope, I'm good. Just wanna know whatcha got planned, that's all," she replied with a curious cock of her head.

"Oh, um, well I'm gonna freshen up real quick and head on into town to catch up with some friends," she explained briefly, not wanting to give up too many details if she could help it, as she was pretty sure Derpy still didn't know about what went down in the hospital between Twilight and herself. Nopony, not even Derpy, could be this happy around her if they knew what she'd done.

"Sounds good to me! See ya later Rainbow Dash," Derpy waved and took off, allowing Dash to finally close the door and be alone with her thoughts; she liked Derpy and all, but now just wasn't the time. Now was the time to plan out what she'd say to Twilight and how she'd go about apologizing without the Unicorn likely blasting her the first chance she saw her. She also meant to go see Volare as soon as possible, and didn't particularly want anypony around when she went to speak with him; she hadn't spoken to him one-on-one without being in the midst of a crisis in weeks, and she felt somewhat disconnected from him and had recently found herself wondering if he felt the same. Oh well, time to change that!

Then she realized that by now, knowing how mad Twilight had been with her, he also likely knew what happened, and her wings drooped at the prospect of going to check on him and being outright rejected in anger by one of the only stallions she felt wasn't looking for a piece of tail first and foremost...not to mention the guilt she still carried around the secret of how she'd caused his plane to-

Oh crap! her eyes bulged in worry. What if Twi told him about how he got here just to spite me!? He'd really hate me for sure then!!!
She sighed in defeat; in truth, she wouldn't blame Twilight for doing something like that, nor would she blame Volare for hating her if he found out like that...after all, she made that little pact with Twilight when they were friends, and she herself had said "buck their friendship." Well, screamed it more like...she deserved to lose her friendship with Twilight over that, and she knew it.

Damn she growled in frustration as she slammed a hoof against the arm rest of her couch. But after a long moment of standing there and waffling back and forth over what action to take, she raised her head and smiled sadly...since when had had anypony thought her to be indecisive in her actions? She knew what she had to do and at the very least, she wasn't afraid to do her duty, even if it meant the last duty of being Twilight's friend. She was the Element of Loyalty and...that meant seeing things with her friends through to the end, and even past it if need be. Well, even if they hate me for what I did, I'm at least gonna apologize. Never been one to start something I can't finish and I've got at least that much of a reputation to maintain, she thought grimly as she tossed her saddlebags off next to the couch, stretching her shoulders and sighing in relief.

Carrying those things normally wasn't tough, but on a long flight like that, the straps had bitten into her withers and rubbed her somewhat raw around the base of her wings, and the sudden removal of the weight caused her to involuntarily yawn as the tension left her. Hmm, maybe she could just take a load off, just for a few-no! No, no, no Dash, you've got important Loyalty duties to handle right now; it's NOT naptime! I don't care how tired you are and how much you really don't wanna get shouted at by your former friends...you don't hide like a coward and nap at a time like this!

She eyed her soft cloud couch though, imported from Prance she chuckled as she recalled Rarity gushing over the gift she'd given her at her last birthday, and felt her limbs grow weary. Hmm, not like I have anything else scheduled though...and I am kinda tired...and Volare and them are still probably asleep since it's Sunday...meh, I deserve a little nap. Unable to help herself, the fatigued mare collapsed onto the cushy couch, rolled over on her back with her wings splayed out, and promptly passed out into a faint series of snores that echoed in the silence of the large, empty cloud mansion.

.......................

Below, Noon...

"So you had another nightmare, huh?" Twilight said, her brow furrowed with concern as Volare finished explaining why he looked like he hadn't slept well, a fact pointed out by Rarity who'd spotted the bags beneath his eyes and fretted over them causing him to not look his best today. The pilot had assured her that he was fine, that Buck Star really did make a mean cup of coffee, and that he was ready to carry out his little plan for the day. Twilight felt there was something behind his lack of sleep though, and she had taken him behind the cow barn just south of Rainbow Dash's house where the others were setting up for the little display he was planning.

"Yeah, it ended...strangely, but well," Volare nodded, recalling the prismatic blur that had chased away the eyes in the dark. "You think those eyes had something to do with Ray and Jill?"

"Well, considering their connection with the Archives break in and Sergeant Greymane's description of those same sort of eyes being the last thing he saw when he was ambushed...it's very plausible," Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Can you remember anything else about them? Did their owner say anything?"

"Not a word," he shook his head grimly. "All I saw were the eyes and Ray and Jill laughing, and that was it."

"Hmm...well, I'll see about passing this information on to Celestia to see if this will help the investigation any," the Unicorn decided, and was about to ask more about that blur he saw until Pinkie Pie peeped around the corner of the barn.

"Hey, you two ready to go? And, um, why're you two yelling?" the party mare cocked her head as she looked from the Pegasus to the Unicorn. They were standing roughly ten feet from each other, with Twilight trying to gauge the radius of the effects of his body so she could determine a safe distance. So far it seemed to be working quite well, but the distance between required them to talk with raised voices, and though it seemed to make perfect sense to them, the two couldn't help but laugh at how silly they must appear to an outside party.

"Yep, we're ready Pinkie," Volare nodded. "And we weren't yelling, we were, um..."

"Exercising our outside voices," Twilight said quickly, drawing a cocked eyebrow from Pinkie.

"Okie dokie..." the pink pony replied, not quite convinced before smiling in realization. "Oh I guess that'd make sense though, since we're outside and all. Now c'mon; everypony's waiting!" the Element of Laughter gestured with a hoof. Twilight and Volare exchanged relieved looks and followed, though both halted in their tracks when they saw what Pinkie meant by everypony...as in everypony from Ponyville! Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and tribes were milling about on the ground below Rainbow Dash's cloud home.

A huge white Pegasus with red eyes and hilariously tiny wings was carrying one end of a massive set of wooden bleachers on his back, with Iron Will supporting the far end. The two mighty creatures set the bleachers down roughly beneath Rainbow Dash's cloud home, the Pegasus giving a mighty "YEAH!" and flexing his bulging forelegs as Iron Will matched him pose for pose, flashing his trademark grin all the while and drawing cheers from the ponies that took their seats as if they were part of some pre-game show or something. Shae was perched atop the bleacher railing and watching the crowd intently, while Fluttershy sat next to her to keep the bird of prey calm.

Even Spike was there, helping Applejack to run a small apple cart that she'd brought out from the farm for extra sales of caramel apples. The CMC had gathered many of their schoolmates around them and were busily chattering away about Volare, Rainbow Dash, and what to expect in just a few minutes. Many ponies were chomping on popcorn and looking up at Dash's house as if anticipation of something, and Volare began to sweat a bit as he started to put everything together; this wasn't going to be like the semi-private show he'd put on yesterday...

"Um, Pinkie?" the pilot found his hooves again and caught up to the party mare. "Why's it look like everypony in Ponyville is here?"

"Cuz they pretty much are," Pinkie quipped matter-of-factly.

"May I ask why?" Volare inquired, his eyes roving over the crowd and finding multiple ponies he recognized from his days in town. At his voice, some of the nearest turned and gave him encouraging smiles.

"Well duh, since you're gonna put on a show, I figure the more ponies that are here to support you, the better. So I told them that something awesome is gonna happen here under Dashie's house and, well," she gestured towards the crowd At her answer, Volare facehoofed and groaned loudly. "What's the matter, Volare-bear?"

"I don't think he's thinking of it as added support, Pinkie; more like added pressure," Twilight explained.

"Aww, no pressure, Volare," Pinkie patted the fretting pilot on the back with a grin. "I believe you can do it, plus all these ponies are probably gonna be at your party tonight, so what better way to make a first impression, hmm?" Before Volare and Twilight could protest this logic, Rarity spoke up, having overheard their rather animated conversation.

"Actually, I like this idea; think about it darling: if you can pull this off, you won't have to put nearly as much effort into one-on-one impressions later. Your actions can speak for you!" Rarity smiled encouragingly. "Not to mention everypony here will see the mane-do and scarf I gave you, ask who you got them from, and...well, imagine the increase in customers I might have!" The fashionista's eyes glittered with excitement while Twilight merely facehoofed.

"So what is he then: a flying billboard for your hoof-work?"

"Well naturally," the white Unicorn nodded sagely before smiling at Volare. "But my friend first; Volare, whether this works or not, your friend I'll remain, so don't allow that to pressure you further."

"Heh, thanks Rarity...I think," the blue Pegasus chuckled nervously before looking from the crowd to the cloud house and back. "I dunno though...what if I do mess up-?" he began to as before Rarity unexpectedly thumped him in the chest.

"Now you stop that stage-fright talk right now, Volare," she said sternly. "I remember what you did yesterday, as does Twilight and everypony else that was here. That was quite the brave display and nopony that saw it doubts your ability to replicate it," her face softened into a smile again. "So stop fretting, dear. Your friends are here and are holding you in the utmost of confidence." The pilot shook his head and chuckled, a bit ashamed by his sudden nervousness. She was right; he'd studied this routine for months! In fact, without being limited by a jet, this should be even easier than before! Besides, did the Blue Angels pilots have problems performing in front of crowds? Of course not! He gave a short determined nod, drawing smiles of encouragement and relief from Pinkie and Twilight.

"Thanks guys...couldn't do this without you," he returned the smiles and headed towards the staging ground next to the wide brassy field of waving prairie grass, still surprised that the growing commotion down here hadn't alerted Rainbow Dash yet. Derpy had reported that she was looking to freshen up and check on him, but that was hours ago. Heh, maybe she took a nap instead...good ol' predictable Dashie, he chuckled. He wasn't disappointed, for Derpy had said she looked pretty tired when she got into town; rather, he took this as an even greater opportunity to make a stronger impact on her.
If Rainbow Dash were well-rested, Volare had no doubt in his mind that she could out-fly him; in fact, she might not even be taken by surprise, and the majority of the purpose of this whole endeavor, to gain her respect, could be lost. However, if she were tired and unsuspecting...well, it just might give him the extra edge he needed.
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak,” as Sun Tzu would say, Volare smiled again and approached Twilight's lavender hot air balloon on the ground directly underneath the cloud home, already fully inflated and ready to fly. A wild blue mane poked up over the edge of the balloon's basket and its owner looked up at his approach and grinned.

"Well dude, you ready to blow some minds?" Vinyl Scratch asked as she connected some wiring with a crackle. The thick black cord ran over the edge of the basket and into a multitude of convex loud-speakers she'd rigged to the sides of the basket. These weren't nearly as powerful as her newer ones, but the sheer number of them the basket now sported more than made up for it; there would be no doubt that the ponies below would be able to hear the music that Volare and Vinyl had recorded yesterday. The DJ connected the opposite end of the wire to her black recording sphere, which she'd attached to the ropes that suspended the basket below the balloon and flashed Volare another grin. "We're good to go when you are, pal."

"Sweet," the pilot nodded and looked back at Rarity and Twilight before trotting around the basket to greet the "special effects" member of the technical support group: Trixie. The magician gave him a quick glance from beneath her wide-brimmed hat and finished tying a small number of fireworks and rockets to the bottom edge of the basket. She gave her work a satisfied nod and her hooves a symbolic little dust-off. She stood up to regard Volare as Vinyl flashed the magician a wide grin that she returned with barely a smile of her own, causing the DJ's brow to furrow and glance at Volare with concern. But he'd seen it too and he was way ahead of her. "You doing ok there, Trix?"

"Oh, mhm, I'm fine," the magician replied quietly, though it was quite obvious that she was even more nervous than he was.

"You sure?" Volare nudged her shoulder. "You look like you got something on your mind, friend; care to talk about it before we get up in the air?" Trixie sighed and rubbed the back of her head for a moment before speaking.

"I just...what if they don't like me because all they remember me for is causing trouble?" she nodded towards the ponies in the crowd, to which Volare could only chuckle and hoof her lightly in the shoulder. "Hey, what was that for?" she demanded.

"Trixie, trust me, thanks to AJ, word has gotten around that you're doing your best to change."

"Yes, though I think she might have taken it just a teensy bit far with how she convinced a few of the more reluctant ones," Rarity tittered in slight disapproval, recalling how Applejack had subtly threatened Bon-Bon when the business mare had refused to accept Trixie's apology at first, even after the magician had offered the mare a free punch to her nose if that would help ease the tension between them. But between Applejack's glares, Trixie's volunteering to repair the Griffon, and Lyra's insistence that having things patched up between Trixie and themselves could help her research on humans, Bon-Bon finally relented; though she was still determined to withhold her final judgement until the Griffon was rebuilt. Afterwards, Applejack had helped Trixie to apologize to Octavia and Vinyl, but it turns out Applejack needn't have helped there.

"I understand entirely," Octavia had replied calmly, taking Trixie aback as she'd expected the same resistance as Bon-Bon's. "Vinyl explained everything to me, about why you acted the way you did, that it was all Ray and Jill's fault," the cellist said between calm sips of tea. "Nopony in their right mind would fully blame you for what happened, and I must say that your desire to go above and beyond what's legally required of you by repairing their restaurant is quite admirable. And no, you don't have to repay me for my broken cello bows, nor the damage done to my cello" she preempted Trixie with a raise of her hoof. "I have plenty of the former and the latter is a tough old gal," the grey mare nodded towards the freshly polished instrument leaning upon its stand in the corner of the duplex.
"She's been through worse at concerts, believe it or not," Octavia chuckled and sat her tea down, eyeing Trixie with interest. "I must say though, that fierce spirit you showed during our duel was quite exhilarating; you don't suppose we could get together and do that again sometime, do you?"

"Oh, uh, I guess so," Trixie replied, relieved at how easy that had been.

"Jolly good," Octavia smiled and finished her tea. "Now then, Vinyl has been going on about something Volare has planned for tomorrow; what exactly is it?" At Trixie and Applejack's explanation, Octavia laughed heartily and agreed to attend the event tomorrow, and as Trixie glanced out at the crowd again, she spotted the cellist near the top of the bleachers, and she gave the magician a cheerful wave that lifted her spirits considerably, and her mouth quirked into a smile of its own accord.

"Besides," Volare continued. "Once everypony sees you helping out with this, they'll surely realize that you're not the pony you used to be," he laid a friendly hoof on her shoulder and smiled. "And they'll be fools to think otherwise." At his words, Trixie straightened her hat and put on a more confident face with a soft growl.

"Well then what're we waiting for? Let's show them what we're made of!" the magician hopped up onto the edge of the balloon and grasped the ropes, standing upright on her back legs and waving at the crowd. "Alright Ponyville, are you ready?!" The crowd responded with a cheer that Volare was certain would wake Rainbow Dash, but somehow, someway, the heavy-slumbering Pegasus never appeared outside her home. It was during this cheering that a rather unfamiliar Pegasus mare approached the section of grassy field occupied by Ponyville's Weather Team, cocking her head in wonderment at all the seemingly random pomp and circumstance.

"Ahem, excuse me," she spoke up once she was within earshot of the Pegasi, and a lavender-colored Pegasus mare with a lemon-yellow mane named Cloud Kicker looked up from her conversation with her best friend, a pale Pegasus mare with a green and pink striped mane named Blossomforth, to regard this newcomer. She stood a few inches shorter than Cloud Kicker and was wearing a rather antiquated set of black and gold flight goggles around her rust-red neck, the same color as the rest of her coat that clashed wildly with her grey-streaked mane. "I'm looking for a Weather Team job and...well, there was nopony at the weather office in town, and...nopony in town at all for that matter," she continued as Cloud Kicker stood up to greet her.

"Whatcha looking for the weather office for; that place is kinda useless unless you're already filing weather reports," the lavender Pegasus explained as she looked the pony in front of her up and down, from the twin black feathered cutie mark and longish grey tail, to her dark-tipped wings, and back up to her shaggy mane, instinctively sizing her up...and checking her out, as it were, for Cloud Kicker was known as Ponyville's resident casanova, and she made it her business to meet everypony in Ponyville.

In a sense, she was somewhat like Pinkie Pie, but while Pinkie simply wanted to make friends, Cloud Kicker often had...ulterior motives, and the cocked eyebrow and amused smirk hardly did much to hide them as she regarded the mare who appeared to be older than everypony else on the Weather Team, causing the more reserved Blossomforth to facehoof heavily. She wasn't often a cougar chaser, but hey, everypony could use a little Cloud Kicker lovin' at some point, right? And you know what they say about a fine wine: the only way to find out if it's gotten better with age is to try it. Even so, the rust-red mare's brilliant lavender eyes never wavered from hers as she spoke coolly, with the air of somepony who'd seen and experienced stranger things than even Cloud Kicker's advances.

"Aha, thanks for the advice Ms...?"

"Cloud Kicker, Ponyville Weather Lieutenant," the younger mare shook her hoof, surprised at the firmness in the shake the smaller mare returned. She glanced down to see that her hoof was well-weathered and tough, and criss-crossed with multiple scratches that disappeared into the fur covering her fetlocks, which she could only assume came from armed conflict...that or kicking barbed wire. It was only after Cloud Kicker looked back up into her face that she spotted the minute scarring around her maneline, the missing piece of her right ear pierced with a jade-colored bauble, and the subtle, hard glint far back within the depths of her lavender eyes that she'd only seen within those who her own mother, a Royal Guard, convened with.

There was no doubting it: Cloud Kicker was looking into the face of a pony who'd seen some serious stuff go down, and she immediately backed off on the charm and dipped her eyes again in respect and slight shame. True she was a casanova by her own personal admission, but even she had standards, and those included not harassing ponies who'd likely been through hell and back and didn't need any extra crap from some amorous Pegasus mare they'd only just met.

But to her surprise, the older mare chuckled lightly as if she'd also seen this act before, and clapped Cloud Kicker on the shoulder, drawing the mare's gaze back to meet hers. "Name's Ravenfire and it's nice to meet somepony of authority around here. And just for future reference, honey," she leaned in and whispered something that Blossomforth couldn't catch but caused a reaction in her world-wise friend that she never thought was possible for anypony else to accomplish: her wild friend's eyes popped wide, her wings snapped to attention with a pomf! and she blushed so heavily that it was a wonder she had enough blood in her brain to stand up straight.

"Eh-heh-heh, you don't say?" Cloud Kicker muttered, shaking her head and doing her best to force her wings back down to her sides.

"Mhm; if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, as it were," Ravenfire chuckled with a sagely smirk of her own. "So, with that out of the way, mind telling me what's going on here?" the older mare asked, shielding her eyes with black-tipped wing from the noon-day sun as she glanced up at a lavender-colored balloon lifting off above the crowd. "My eyes aren't what they used to be; what's happening with that balloon?"

"Well, from what I could gather from Derpy Hooves, one of our Weather Team members," Blossomforth spoke up, gesturing towards the team gathered near her and watching the rising balloon. "This Pegasus named Volare has some sort of prank prepared for Rainbow Dash, our Weather Captain who just got back into town today, so we all came down here to see what he's got in store for our boss. From what I can see, it looks like the Unicorns Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Vinyl Scratch, and Trixie are all up there in that balloon."

"You ever met him before?" Ravenfire squinted at somepony balanced on a wooden platform suspended beneath the basket itself, waving up at the Unicorns above him and looking like he was shouting orders of some kind.

"Nope, but I've heard about him from Derpy; says he's a decent flier but needs better coordination," Blossomforth shrugged as she watched the balloon rise towards the cloudhouse. "And I've heard of some of the things that's he's done, but never met him in person."

"Hmm, interesting," Ravenfire rubbed her chin and continued to squint upwards. "Whatcha think he's got planned?"

"No idea, but whatever it is, he's drawn a heck of a crowd to see it," Cloud Kicker smirked up at the spike-maned stallion who'd finally settled himself on the platform as it neared the cloud house. She made a mental note to meet this Volare character at some point, that is, if he didn't get himself killed doing whatever he had planned...she'd always kinda liked the crazy ones.

.........

"I dunno about this, girls," Twilight finally spoke up just as the top of the balloon reached the level of Dash's cloud house porch, nearly a half-mile above the field of golden grass that stretched north all the way to Ponyville; the sky was wide and clear, with only a few large clouds bordering the staging area, perfect weather for a show. Rarity, Vinyl, and Trixie turned to regard her curiously as she voiced her concerns. "I'm not worried about Volare or anything, I'm just worried that Rainbow Dash might somehow misconstrue this as everypony...I dunno, ganging up on her or something instead of just a little harmless payback."

"Hey, I can hear ya, Twi," Volare called up from the platform below the basket, and she looked down at him to see that he'd gone through his final preparations and seemed more than ready to go through with this. His goggles were slipped up over his forehead and his scarf was wrapped around his repaired wing like a sling, 'to goad her into action,' he'd said cryptically. "Don't worry about Dash getting mad; this is my idea and I'll take the blame if she gets pissed. Besides, if she's as tired as Derpy said she is, I think I can handle just about anything she can throw at me," the pilot said reassuringly, and Twilight nodded in acceptance, taking the balloon higher and stopping it when the basket was level with Dash's porch.

"Haha, Volare is going to positively knock the horseshoes off of Rainbow Dash," Rarity smirked gleefully, causing Trixie to cock a brow. "Oh don't fret dear, I'm merely excited because I'm considering this a little payback to Dash dying my tail green a few weeks ago; just seeing the look on her face when she sees Volare will be more than penance enough for me."

"If you say so," Trixie replied, still a bit unsure of how Dash would react when she saw the magician among her friends; they hadn't exactly last met on the greatest of terms, with the Unicorn vaguely remembering Dash attempting to chase her down and pummel her with her bare hooves as she ran out of town in shame after the Ursa Incident...
But that was neither here nor now, Trixie thought and shook her head, focusing on the task at hoof. For now, she was here to help Volare gain Rainbow Dash's respect, and as his friend she felt obligated to aid him in his endeavor in any way possible. She bent over the basket to check the fireworks-yep, still there and intact-before looking over at Twilight and nodding. She was ready too.

"Heh-heh, this is gonna be sweet," Vinyl Scratch chuckled as she gave the sound equipment a final tweak and powered them up. "The music Volare and I recorded is gonna catch Dash totally by surprise."

"What sort of music is it?" Rarity queried as Twilight sat her hoof on the balloon's megaphone, ready to call Dash out of her house.

"Nothing you've ever heard before, Rare," Vinyl grinned. "Tell the truth, I'd never heard it before yesterday, but it's from one of those video games that Volare told us about the night Trixie-er," she quickly changed tact. "I mean, the night his wing got fixed. He said it was pretty fitting considering what happened to his wing too. You'll see, Rare," Vinyl nodded to Twilight. "This stuff is gonna knock your horseshoes off!" Rarity responded with a playful flick of Vinyl's mane before nodding to Twilight as well. Everypony was ready, even the ponies in the crowd below had grown silent...it was the deep breath before the plunge.

With her own nod of finality, Twilight flicked the megaphone on and spoke through it.

..........

Rainbow Dash...oh, Rainbow Dash!

"Ugh..." a groan escaped the Pegasus' dry throat, while a contrasting cool, wet feeling caressed her upper lip. What the hay? Who was calling her?

Rainbow Dash, wake up! a female voice called out again, piercing through the fog of sleep and causing her to flick a rose-colored eye open and realize that the upper half of her body was hanging off of her couch...and that wet feeling on her lip was a thin stream of drool that had snuck out of her mouth and was dangling back and forth in the breeze that wafted through her home.
"Ugh, gross," she grumbled and hastily wiped her mouth with a hoof. Although she lived alone, personal flaws like that had always irked her; what if they leaked out into her public behavior and messed up her rep? "Who the hay...?" she asked out loud and sat up, cracking the joints in her back and wings as she did so before getting up and staggering to the door.

"Here, let me try, Twilight," another familiar voice-Rarity?!-spoke up. There was a sound of a slight struggle, a burst of audio feedback, and then: "Ahem...Rainbow Dash, get your lazy blue flank up this instant; it's past noon!"

"What the-?" a number of questions shot through Dash's mind simultaneously, causing her to overlook the fashionista's personal jab:
What were Twilight and Rarity doing up here? Better yet, WHY were they up here, and how?! And what did they mean 'past noon?' It was only-
She then glanced at the Wonderbolts clock hanging on her wall to confirm, to her horror, that it truly was nearly 12:30 in the afternoon.
Crap! I overslept! No wonder Twilight is up here to chew me out! Agh, oh no, I dunno what to say and-AGH, I forgot about Volare! So much for a nice surprise! These thoughts snapped her the rest of the way awake, and she jetted to the door, damning her fears and fully intent on apologizing to Twilight any way she could and going to check on Volare as fast as possible. Dammit, I'm sorry flyboy, she thought as she grasped the door handle. I screwed up again...

Dash heaved a sigh and flung the door open, squinting in the bright sunlight and cold wind that struck her face simultaneously. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision, only to nearly fall down in shock once she saw what lay, or rather flew, before her. "What the hay is going on?" she managed to mutter as she took in the sight of Twilight, Rarity, Vinyl, and Trixie of all ponies clustered in the basket of Twilight's balloon, all of them greeting her with warm, friendly smiles. For reasons which she couldn't fathom, a multitude of audio speakers had been jury-rigged in the place of the sandbags along the edge of the basket as well.

"Welcome home, Rainbow Dash," Twilight smiled down at her from the basket. But wait, why was she smiling and why was she welcoming her!? Surely she hated her, right? This had to be a trick and pretty soon Twilight was gonna blast her back into her house and turn her into Tom or something that couldn't fly...right?! But no, Twilight simply continued to smile and lean on the edge of the basket, patiently waiting for the Pegasus to regain her speech functions, while Rarity could hardly conceal the smirk that threatened to spread across her lips; if Dash was surprised by their mere presence...ooh, she wished she'd brought a camera to capture the moment when the brash Pegasus spotted the main attraction!

"Um, Twilight," Dash finally found her voice, but it was anything but brash; in fact it sounded downright humble as she reluctantly trotted out onto the porch and approached the basket. She swore she'd never moved slower at anything else in her entire life! "I uh...we need to talk."

"Yes, yes we do," Twilight nodded in agreement. "But that's not quite what we're here for," she smiled broadly. She truly wished she could leap down and hug her friend, but, current lack of an applied cloud-walking spell aside, she refrained from doing so, instead turning up the burner for the balloon ever so slightly. "Before we talk, somepony wants to show you something...important."

"Aha, who is it? I take it this isn't your idea, then, Twilight?" Dash cocked an eyebrow, but everypony in the basket shook their heads as well. "What the-then whose idea was this?"

"Why don't you ask me yourself, Dashie?" a voice called from beneath the clouds, accompanied by a rapid double tap of hooves on wood. The prismatic Pegasus froze in shock as she recognized the voice-Volare?-almost not noticing Vinyl flashing a toothy grin and touching her horn to a smallish black sphere tied to the balloon's ropes. The speakers tied to the edge of the basket crackled to life as Twilight turned up the burner and the balloon began to rise to the tune of a slow-paced combination of percussion and bells.

Dash's eyes widened as she realized that the ropes that hung off the side of the basket were weighted down with something...something sporting a spiky yellow and black mane that slowly rose up from below the clouds, and her jaw practically dropped off her face as its owner came into view in sync with a victorious rock anthem that flowed from the speakers and drowned out the delighted little squeal that Rarity uttered at the sight of the thunderstruck Element of Loyalty as Trixie shot off two small rockets that exploded in the air above them in a flash of blue and gold sparks, drawing gasps from the crowd below.

"W-Wuuda,﻿ hajida, hajida, HUUUUUH!?! F-flyboy?!" Dash sputtered as she took in the sight of the rising blue Pegasus, whose right hoof was snapped neatly to the flight goggles stretched over his forehead in a salute that rivaled the very crispness of the high-altitude breeze itself as it flowed around him. His face wore a grin of confidence that Dash had never seen on him before, and it was about the time that the rest of his body was revealed, whole and unbroken, that she snapped back to reality. No, she hadn't been staring, honest! "Volare...flyboy, is that you?" Dash looked up at him curiously as he floated slightly above her on the wooden platform. He lowered his hoof and spoke.

"Could be," he replied cryptically as he continued to wear that confident grin. "What's up Dashie? Made it back to town alright? How was the mail route?"

"Could've been better," she replied, her jaw tightening slightly as she recalled the leering faces of the Pegasi that had harassed her, that had made her wish for her friends to be by her side. But now, here they were, and her fears had long since vanished, replaced with a sense of relief and astonishment at the sudden turn of events before her. "But what the hay, you're supposed to be in the hospital," she protested, remembering how broken and helpless he'd been the last time she'd seen him; had it really only been four days ago? But instead of an answer, his grin merely widened a smidge.

"Surprised?" he asked plainly, and Dash shook her mane and snorted.

"Well, duh!"

"Sweet," he chuckled, only confusing Dash further.

"What's this all about, huh?" her eyes roved over his form once more, trailing up to the balloon and its inhabitants that she fixed with a short glare that promised future interrogation for answers before returning her gaze to the pilot, whom she still couldn't quite believe was even real!

"Oh, nothing special, Dashie," he waved a dismissive hoof. "Just thought I'd roll out the welcome wagon for ya."

"Uh-huh," the cyan Pegasus nodded, not convinced one iota that that was the entire truth. He was up to something...but as curious as she was to find out what exactly, her gaze landed on his right wing still wrapped tightly against his ribcage, and she immediately changed her tune. "Well, consider me welcomed. Now get off that thing before you fall, dude!"

"Maybe that's the plan," Volare replied calmly as he stepped backwards towards the edge of the platform, relishing in Dash's stunned silence. Still, he could see she seemed terribly tense as his back hooves bit into the edge of the platform, and as the last thing he wanted to do was drag this out and frighten her too much, he quickly spoke up again. "You know, I seem to recall you saying I owe you big time for everything you've done for me. And you're right, Dashie."

"You heard that, huh?" She could have sworn he'd been asleep...damn.

"Every word."

"Jeez," she blushed lightly and scratched her mane with a hoof. "Well, c'mon and get off there already. I've gotta talk with you and Twilight pronto."

"Ummm...how 'bout nope," he smirked at her growing frustration. "I've got a better idea: how about you catch me instead."

"Hey, wait a sec, flyboy," Dash took a tentative step forward.

"Unless you're chicken," he mimicked her jab from weeks ago and tossed his mane in challenge before nodding upwards at Vinyl, who switched the music to that of the main event as Volare leaned backwards until he was precariously balanced on the edge of the platform.

"Dude, are you crazy!?" Dash shouted in alarm, her eyes wide with worry and her wings twitching in anticipation of having to stop this Pegasus who'd apparently just lost his damn mind!

"No Dash, I'm not crazy," the left side of Volare's mouth quirked upwards as he slid the flight goggles over his eyes while the sounds of the stringed instruments in the music rose in pitch. "I believe I know almost exactly what I'm doing." And with that, he shot her a final salute, tucked his forelegs across his chest and silently toppled backwards off the platform in sync with the crash of a cymbal that ushered in the acoustic strumming of an instrument that had never before graced the ears of any Equestrian below: the Spanish Guitar.

But the beauty of the music was rather lost on Rainbow Dash at the moment, as the mare simply stood there, staring dumbfounded at the spot where her friend had been not one moment before. A tiny whimper left her mouth as she stared upwards at Twilight and the others, her eyes begging for answers, but she was met with only more smiles that served to infuriate her further. Her friend had just fallen and all they could do was smile?!

"May wanna catch him, Rainbow Dash," Twilight quipped cheerfully, and the Pegasus finally found her voice and growled loudly as she spread her wings and raced towards the edge of her porch.

"You're all as crazy as he is!" she shouted and dove over the precipice with nary a sound but the whisper of air around her wings. She immediately wished she was wearing her flight goggles, for as soon as she began the dive, the icy wind nipped at her eyes, forcing her to squeeze them to dangerously narrow slits. Even so, she still managed to key in on the dark blue Pegasus plummeting through the air beneath her, and the Element of Loyalty concentrated on slicing through the air as quickly as possible. "Can't let the fall kill him, cuz that's gonna be my job!" she growled through gritted teeth and she reached out both forehooves to grab him as soon as she got close enough.

Meanwhile, Volare had cracked an eye along with a satisfied grin as he looked back down his body and past his fluttering tail to see that Dash had taken the bait. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but she was already close enough that he could see that by the look on her face and the clench of her jaw, she definitely wasn't happy. Volare tilted his head back towards the fast-approaching ground, and he soon felt his vision narrow while that familiar feeling overtook him as the backing of a female choral voice soared through the bright blue sky. It wasn't fear he felt; more like a heightened sense of things. The rush of the wind in his mane, the crackling of the music in the air, and the thud of each beat of his heart as his eyes clicked, one-by-one, between the faces of the ponies and creatures he recognized in the crowd below him, their mere presence alone serving as encouragement.

Fluttershy...Shae...Iron Will...Spike...Applejack...Lyra...Bon-Bon...Octavia...Big Macintosh...Scootaloo and the CMC...Pinkie Pie...even old Ferrum, they were all there to support him.
His mind's eye drifted back to those flying above him as well, momentarily distracting him from the fast-approaching terra-firma below.
Twilight Sparkle...Vinyl Scratch...Rarity...Trixie...and finally, the pony he'd been awaiting the return of all this time, the pony that buoyed his strength and confidence higher than he ever imagined possible. He heard her breath above him, the curses of concern she muttered for him as she stretched her hoof to save him, and he smiled, for now was the time to prove that he was worthy of being inspired by her, that he was worthy of having her as his buck.
That she didn't need to worry anymore...that because of her, he now possessed the strength to save himself.
Alright Dashie...how do ya like me now?

Time returned to normal as Volare re-oriented himself in the air, the twisting of his body tossing the scarf off of his wing and allowing it to flutter freely behind him. With a grunt, he spread his wings and bristled his fur, hitting the "air brakes" and kicking downwards with his back hooves all at once as he pulled out of the dive whilst the backing track belted out a fast-paced acoustic solo. The G-Forces tugged at his wings as he leveled off mere feet above the bleachers, again hearing the irritated cheereek of Shae above the gasp of the crowd as he nearly knocked her off a railing for the second time in as many days. He was vaguely aware of Fluttershy leaping up and down and shouting at the top of her lungs as he whistled past the bleachers and out over the open fields of waving prairie grass. As the sounds of the crowd died away behind him, he became very aware of the cursings of a certain cyan Pegasus behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to find that not only had she pulled out of the dive with very little effort but she was gaining on him at freight train speed, the massive draft of air beneath her swelling the grass she was skimming like the wake of a speedboat. If he kept flying like this, she'd catch him within seconds...fortunately, his plan was a bit more elaborate than that.

Volare laughed under his breath and just as he heard Rainbow Dash growl "gotcha!" he flared his wings and kicked off the top of the grass with all four hooves, shooting nearly vertically into the air in a Low Transition Pitch-Up Maneuver, causing Dash's lunge to miss beneath him as he soared up into the sky.

"What the-?!" Dash craned her neck and spotted the stallion climbing into the blue. "Well, well flyboy, I'm impressed," she gave a half-growling laugh; she couldn't remember the last time she had a flight challenge like this! The greatest flier in Equestria adjusted her angle of attack and blasted off after him, the rush of wind from her wings so powerful that it thrashed the field grass into brassy ripples, as a boulder would if hurled into a lake by some mighty force of nature. For that was what she was now: a force of nature, the fires in her breast unquenchable by anything other than the attaining of her goal: to catch and pummel/tackle-hug the friend that by all accounts should be lying broken and crippled in a bed somewhere, but against all common sense was flying his flank off! Holy bucking hay, he's flying...uh, right at me!?

Dash realized just in time that Volare must have come about in a tight loop and was now flying downwards straight at her on a collision course as the choir rose to a fever pitch. Ok, take it back: maybe he really HAS lost his mind! But as he approached, he rolled his wings vertically and grinned. Acting purely on instinct, Dash mirrored his move and they streaked past each other in a Knife Edge Pass while Trixie shot off more multicolored rockets into the sky above them.

"Alright flyboy, enough playing around," Dash smirked and looped around, jetting after him in a shallow dive and finally catching up to him. But since they were still a good quarter mile in the air, instead of tackling him, she instead flew beneath him, pulling even and flipping over on her back to glare at him over crossed forelegs with an expression that demanded an explanation. But instead of an answer, he merely smiled and gave her another of those infuriatingly quaint little salutes.

"I guess you're back, huh?" she asked with a hint of pride; just look at what he'd become!

"Hell yeah, I'm back," he nodded proudly.

"So is this all some kinda prank or something?" the prismatic Pegasus cocked an eyebrow as she continued to fly beneath him.

"Heh, you could say that," Volare admitted. "I seem to recall you saying I was free to get you back for that little trick you pulled on me back in the Library, remember?"

"Haha, well it sure worked," Dash recalled the semi-distant memory of how she'd used her feminine wiles and "forced" him to admit he'd lost a race he'd obviously won, and she laughed while playfully swiping at him with a hoof, but he deftly dodged the blow with a laugh of his own. It was then that she realized just how many ponies were hollering and cheering beneath them, and therefore just how many had seen Ponyville's Greatest Prankster get duped big time. "Grrr, you better be ready for payback, buddy!"

"Well, that's gonna have to wait cuz it's not over yet," he flashed her another smile that, when combined with the music she'd never experienced before along with the atmosphere of the whole situation, simultaneously infuriated her and stirred something else within her...but at the implication of what that might be, she only became further incensed and mentally swatted it away. Solo, Dash! Solo, get a hold of yoursel! "-hey, I said 'care to help me finish this, Dashie?'"

"Huh-oh, yeah," she shook herself back to the present and nodded. "Sure thing! What do we do-whoa!" Dash nearly tumbled out of the air in surprise as Volare placed his hooves upon hers and they turned as one back over the crowd, creating the mirror-image Fortus Formation.

"Hey, you ok?" Volare called down as he noticed her sudden tenseness, realizing the reason why just as Dash said it.

"Yeah, just...not a big fan of anypony touching my hooves," she muttered.

"Oops?" he grinned sheepishly.

"Meh, no worries, I'll just getcha back for it later," she grinned cheekily. "Just gimme a heads up next time, ok?"

"Next time, eh? What's that imply?" he shot back playfully, and it gave Dash a moment of pause. It really wasn't just her imagination, she was sure of it now. Yeah, this guy is definitely different...

"Ha, don't read too much into it," she stuck her tongue out at him as the music recycled back into a solo female choral voice again. "So what's next?"

"Just follow my lead and mirror me for now, Dashie!" And with that, he kicked off her hooves and settled in on her left wingtip, waiting for her to roll right side up. As soon as she did and they were both flying abreast of each other, Volare inhaled deeply and rolled left 720 degrees and kicked himself off to the right, banking sharply while Dash shot off to the left, mimicking his every move as they entered dual Minimum Radius Turns that pushed the boundaries of their G-Force tolerances while they circled the staging ground below. Volare could feel his heart pounding as he tightened his chest muscles, fighting to keep his vision from collapsing completely as he pulled through the turn. The pilot glanced out of the corner of his right goggle lens to see that Dash was matching his air speed, ensuring that their flight paths crossed just beneath her house, with both Pegasi tilting to avoid a collision. Their wingtips just barely grazed one another as they passed so close that they could each see the twinkle of excitement in each other's eyes and the grins on their faces before looping back around again. Now this was flying!

This time they charged directly at each other, with Volare performing an aileron roll which Dash mimicked in the opposite direction, both nearly colliding at a combined speed of nearly 500 miles per hour and drawing gasps as they missed each other by mere centimeters. Volare's grinning muscles were getting as much of a workout as his wings as he couldn't help but let the wind run over his teeth again, banking back around and leveling out abreast of Rainbow Dash, who was waiting for him. From what he could see, her face was flushed, but not out of exertion; it was out of the sheer joy of flying like this!
"You doing ok there, Dashie?"

"More than great, flyboy! I'm doing awesome!" she flicked her mane out of her face as they bled airspeed while they took a momentary breather, flying away from the staging ground below at roughly a quarter mile of altitude. "So, where're we headed?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"We're giving you a little room," he replied cryptically, doing a few rough calculations in his head, finally deciding to just wing it, and glanced at her as they wheeled back around.

"Room for what?"

"So you can dive down there and show'em a little Dash," he declared, and the familiarity of that phrase nearly caused her halt in midair. Whoa, what did he just say? But how could he know...? But she quickly recovered to keep from falling behind and gave him a fierce grin and a nod as the guitar broke into another fast-paced solo, as it tailor-made for what she was about to do: The Sneak Pass.

"That's my job," Rainbow Dash chuckled, rolled off his wingtip and broke into a shallow dive, building airspeed as she rocketed towards the ground, leveling off just above the waving ocean of grass but continuing to go faster and faster, crushing through the air in front of her until a vapor cone began to form as she neared the sound barrier, her face contorted into a fiercely determined grin. As the strumming of the guitar and the clickity-clack of castanets intensified, the pressure wave she generated as she blasted over the field shredded the stalks into a golden whirlwind that reflected the light of Celestia's sun all around her, adding to the prismatic glow of her mane and tail as she streaked over the crowd, drawing exultation from them while Volare could only stare in silent admiration at the awesome sight of this absolutely amazing mare and what she was capable of. For the briefest of moments, the thought of I'll never be worthy drifted through his mind, but it fled just as quickly as it appeared as Rainbow Dash looped back around and jetted towards him, throwing on the brakes and blasting him with a wash of cold air and hearty laughter from the flush-faced Pegasus.

"Dude, that never gets old!" she hoofed him in the shoulder as she evened out with him again, doing her best to contain her joy, but...oooh, she just couldn't! Flying that fast in a situation like this brought back memories of the Best Young Fliers Competition, and she just couldn't stop grinning proudly and shooting glances and smirks Volare's way just to see his reaction. "Too bad you probably won't be able to pull that off, flyboy, cuz the rush is just....ahhh, let's keep going! What's next?" she rolled over him and leveled out again. What the hay was wrong with her?! She was acting like a little filly in front of this guy-but you know what, she couldn't care! It wasn't like he had any room to be a critic, right? But as she finally payed attention to his face, it wasn't an expression of criticism beneath the surface, but one of sheer awe and pride in her abilities reflected in the silvery-blue eyes beneath the flight goggle lenses and the small smile he wore.

"Dash, that was amazing to finally see first hand," he blurted out before he could stop himself, and they both paused and stared at one another. "Er-I mean, uh...better than I last remember it....on fire and all, heh-heh."

"Riiiight," Dash half-squinted suspiciously at him before the noise of the crowd calling for more drifted up towards them, calling them back to the situation at hoof; the time for questions would come later. "Hhmm, what's next?"

"Er, right we uh," he muttered, momentarily forgetting the sequence of events in the aftermath of nearly blowing it like that. Stupid, stupid, stupid! But he swiftly recovered and found his place. "Ok, we charge and pitch up past each other at the last second-just mirror me again!"

"Got it!" Dash nodded and they sped off in opposite directions, gaining sufficient distance between them before banking and charging at each other once again. While they passed, their grins reflected each other as well, the suspicions and doubts from a moment before replaced by the joy of flight they had in common as the daring duo Pitched Up past each other and curled high, high, high into the air in mirrored Split S's, arcing nearly half a mile above the level of Dash's cloud house before curving back down and reconvening just beneath one of the few sizable clouds in the sky. Both sensing that the other was beginning to run out of steam, Volare decided to cut the routine short and moved them into the Section High Alpha Pass, both cantering mid-air on their back hooves while waving their forehooves at the crowd below, whose wild cheering was nearly overcome by the cool wind that whisked around their sweat-flecked bodies.

"Man, this is some crazy prank, flyboy," Dash laughed and nudged him playfully with her wing as he responded with a cheeky grin and a Tuck Over Roll that she mirrored step-for-step, causing the illusion of two Pegasi appearing out of one to the crowd below and drawing an impressed nod of approval from the daredevil mare.

"You think so, Dashie?" he smirked. "Pretty neat what a little study'll do for ya, eh?"

"Oh haha, so you read ol' Typhoon's book too, did ya?" At her off-hoof statement, he nearly stalled as he stared at her in shock.

"W-what, you know about that?"

"Oh yeah," she waved a hoof dismissively. "They drummed that thing into my head every day at the Cloudsdale Flight Academy back in the day. Pretty useful stuff, but it's just a little too textbook for me, if ya know what I mean."

"So none of that took ya by surprise?" Volare asked, a bit crestfallen; he was sure he'd had her! Dash merely chuckled lightly and winked at him. True she was proud of his accomplishments...but he was also gonna learn that you didn't prank Ponyville's greatest and not expect swift retribution.

"Well, I gotta hoof it to ya, it did at first. What, you think I've really been following your lead this whole time?" she hoofed him in the shoulder again and gave him a sassy little smirk that sent simultaneously thrilling bolts of anticipation and leeriness through him as she slowly gained altitude to give herself a more dominant position in the air. "I coulda done this from the very beginning." Before he could think, she flicked her tail across his face and rolled beneath him, then back over him, disorienting the pilot as she flew up above him and punched a hole through the cloud, dazzling him as she was backlit by the sun and gave him a little wave...and for a split second it all seemed so familiar before her laugh cut through his thoughts as she grabbed a double-hooffull of clouds.

"You're a good study Volare, but as long as I'm around, it's my job to be the best," she dove down and growled playfully into his ear. "And I'll bet you don't know a thing about weather control." Faster than he could react, she stuffed the clouds over his eyes and shoved him upwards into the cloud, taking a moment to whirl a few loops around it to tighten the fluff before diving inside as well and watching in amusement as he pulled the clouds off his face only to find that nearly all the light and sound from outside had been shut off. It was only him, Rainbow Dash, and the near-darkness of the cool cloud interior.

But after being dazzled by the sun like that, the contrast of the dark interior of the cloud completely blinded him, and as he tried to blink sight back into his eyes, the memories of a dream he'd had where he'd been trapped inside a cloud resurfaced with a vengeance and combined with the nightmare last night, and he groaned as the base of his right wing tightened painfully. He tried to reason with himself that those dead green eyes weren't staring at him out of the ebon blackness, but he couldn't help it! There they were, glaring at him, and an irrational, hyperventilating panic gripped him. Volare slammed into the side of the cloud like a suddenly caged bird, trying to get out, trying to let in some light, trying to get to safety! Lemme out, lemme out! Please, someone help me!!!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down flyboy," he felt two strong hooves grasp his shaking shoulders and hold him steady as a small hole appeared in the top of the cloud, letting in enough light for him to see a sky-blue shape topped by a fiery swathe of colors that slowly focused into the concerned features of Rainbow Dash. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to do...he just remembered that dream and...now he knew without a doubt who that blur had represented, but how could he tell her without looking like a fool?
"Hey, it's just me, Volare. It's me," he heard Dash say and she smiled, all the cheekiness gone from her face and replaced with nothing but sincere friendliness. "You ok?"

"Y-yeah, I know it's you...I know, agh-help!" he cried as his wings locked tightly against his body in fear when his hooves began to sink through the cloud "floor". He thrashed a bit in Dash's grasp until she lightly struck him across the face with a hoof, bringing him to his senses.

"Calm down, Volare! I've gotcha," she tightened her grip a smidge in emphasis, starting to regret pulling this little stunt; for some reason, he didn't take kindly to the dark like this. "I'm not gonna drop you. Now, do you know how to cloud walk?"

"Not really, no."

"Ok, it's actually easier than walking on air cuz you don't have to use your wings," she smiled encouragingly as she set his hooves back on the fluff. "Clouds are to Pegasi like earth is to Earth Ponies. You're the boss of them, not the other way around," Dash recalled the old lessons from years ago. "When you get that through your head, you'll see. Now then, just think of the clouds like ultra springy, soft ground and...there, you're doing it," she nodded downwards and he looked. Sure enough, he wasn't falling through the cloud anymore, rather he was standing atop it, just like a real Pegasus would. Volare shuffled his hooves and kicked up tufts of fluff with a chuckle. This was great! He looked up to grin at her over his little accomplishment to see that she'd backed off of him and had even let go of his shoulders, as she hovered above him with a growing smile of amusement.

"Better?"

"Y-yeah, better...thanks, Dash...I dunno what happened," he lied and shook his head helplessly to cover it.

"Man, you've got more mood swings than Rarity in heat," Dash snickered playfully while Volare stared down at his hooves as he placed one in front of the other, just like the first day he'd learned to walk as a pony, except this was so much more...strange, but in an awesome way, he thought as the dark thoughts left him the more he walked upon the cushy surface of the cloud. In the meantime, Dash continued to hover above him, shaking her head and chuckling to herself before fluttering back to his level once she determined he wasn't freaking out anymore.

Volare looked back up as she took a step towards him with a funny look on her face, and that leery feeling crept up on him again.. "S-so, why're we here like this and why can't I break through the clouds?"

"Cuz I'm controlling them and right now they're as solid as I want them to be," Dash replied matter-of-factly, tapping the cloud with a hind hoof in emphasis before fixing him in an interrogative gaze. "So, did you just make up all that stuff out there, or...?"

"Huh-uh, no, no, that's the Opposing Solo routine I studied for months before I became a Blue Angels pilot, and-" but as he explained the names and technicalities of the maneuvers they just performed, she tuned him out. Not out of rudeness, but out of the realization of why she recognized the flight patterns, why she felt that same feeling again after all this time, and why she was wrong about not remembering when she'd last had a challenge like him...because while in his jet, he was that last challenge, and it had nearly led to his death in a crash of shredding metal and burning flames. She'd caused that...it was her fault...
She soon realized that Volare had stopped talking to her though and she fought her way to the surface of her ocean of thought, gasping for air and regaining her bearings.

"Dashie...you ok?" it was Volare's turn to ask. But instead of wearing a sour face and tipping him off that something was wrong, she put on a...very different sort of expression as she began to slowly approach him. "D-dash?"

"So...flyboy," her eyelids dropped ever so slightly as she spoke, smirking in amusement as Volare involuntarily backed up at her tone. "What was that little prank about, huh? Why'd ya do that, hmm?" she practically purred.

"Uh, cuz I said I owed you a race," Volare did his best to play it cool, though with every step she took he matched it backwards. Yeah, playing it cool wasn't working and no matter how hard he tried, she could read him like a Daring Do novel.

"Wrong answer," she said and stepped closer. "Better think fast flyboy, cuz you're running out of room," she nodded towards the cloud wall behind him, intentionally tossing her mane as she did so.

"C-cuz you said I could prank you!" Volare replied with a bit more strained tone. This was officially not funny anymore!

"Hmm, maybe...but you already said that," she stepped even closer, her cyan hooves shuffling silently over the fluff and smirking devilishly as his flank hit the wall. "Try again, Volare."

"Because you said you were tired of saving my pathetic flank all the time and...well, now you know I can take care of myself just fine, right?" he asked desperately. Is this what Stockholm Syndrome feels like? some crazy little corner of his mind wondered as Rainbow Dash leaned in closer, her eyes half-lidded and her expression downright saucy, relishing in him being the uncomfortable one now.

Hee-hee, payback's a bitch, buddy!
"Is that so?" she growled in her throat as she teasingly allowed the very tip of her tongue to poke out of her mouth.

"Y-yeah, and so I gave you the race I owed you to show I'm not a weak flyer and cuz I could tell it was important to you a-and cuz I just wanted your respect and-whoa!" At his latest statement, Dash suddenly grabbed him by the front of his scarf and hauled his face closer to hers, her other hoof laying across his shoulder against the wall and pinning him in.
"D-Dashie?" he mumbled uncertainly as she slid the flight goggles up onto his forehead, stared directly into his wide silver-blue eyes and grinned as she looked him over from head to hoof and back again.

He was different alright...but not that different, heh-heh.
"You know what Volare...you may be a pain in the flank sometimes...but you're alright" she said in a husky tone that, despite Volare's mental berating, caused his wings to twitch and flare out of their own accord, and she smirked at the reaction she was causing. "And now I'm gonna give you something I've owed you for a while, something you've more than earned."

"Uh-" Volare managed to croak before she pulled him even closer, to the point that their breaths began to intermingle and his mind to shut down...and then she winked. He gasped as she suddenly pulled him into a rib-crackingingly powerful hug and pulled his head into the crook of her neck.
"Dash, what's-"

"Shut up," she cut him off, her tone going from sultry to scolding in a heartbeat. "You were obviously more unconscious than you thought back in the hospital, or else you didn't listen very well: you're not weak and you're worth way more than some dumb race so just...just shut up and hug me, ok?" she squeezed him tighter and he was obliged to return the hug, wrapping his hooves just above the base of her wings, still a bit bewildered over what just happened. "I've had a hell of a trip and I missed you guys...alot. And don't you tell anypony this, but," she pulled back to cock an eyebrow at him. "You got me good; freaked me out bad enough that I should probably pummel the hay outta ya right now, especially since you can't get away," she smirked and tightened her grasp a bit, chuckling at his tensed reaction.
"But all the same, I'm just glad you're ok. But you've got a load of explaining to do, dude," she hoofed him in the shoulder and stepped back, taking him in with an impressed grin. "I mean this is awesome and all, but...how?!" she waved a hoof and lifted the edge of the scarf to inspect it, noting the worksponyship and knowing it had to be Rarity's hoof-work.

"The craziest few damn days of my life, that's how," the pilot laughed in relief that it had only been Dash getting back at him a bit and not something else. "And that was after the day I became a Pegasus!"

"I can only imagine," the cyan mare laughed and shook her mane in disbelief before the megaphone-enhanced voice of Twilight Sparkle bored in through the cloud wall.

"Volare? Rainbow Dash? You've been in there an awfully long time!" they both looked to each other and laughed nervously at the implications of their sudden and very public disappearance and isolation like that. They could only imagine what was going through the crowd's mind at the moment, and if Rainbow Dash knew any better, Cloud Kicker was probably down there spreading all kinds of suggestive gossip in their stead.

"Guess we oughta get back out there, huh?" Dash suggested, noting that the music had long-since ended as well.

"Eh-heh, yeah," Volare nodded with a nervous snort before she hauled him back with his scarf.

"This never happened," she shook a hoof under his nose and gestured at the cloud wall where they just were, and he nodded obediently.

"Believe me, I've got no problem with that."

"Good. Now let's go take our bows and what-not."

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Glad you're back, Dashie," he nudged her with a wing and smiled.

"Yeah, me too...for both of us," she matched his smile and kicked a hole through the clouds, bursting it open and flinging tufts of fluff in all directions, including all over the basket of Twilight's balloon that had been parked just outside. "Oops, heh-heh, sorry Twi!" But Twilight was wearing a less-than-amused expression, and that was before she got covered in cloud fluff. Volare noted that Twilight was the only one in the balloon, and surmised that she must have dropped the others off on the ground before venturing back up here herself. Why, though...?

"Pfft-it's ok Dash, but-blech!" the Unicorn cleared her mouth of fluff. "There are...things we need to discuss though."

Oh, that was probably why, Volare winced and turned to Dash, but her humble reaction surprised him.

"Yeah, no kidding," the rainbow Pegasus rubbed the back of her neck and scuffed the cloud with her hoof. "Look Twi, I-"

"Save it for now. C'mon, both of you," Twilight gestured towards the basket, and Dash obediently hopped in, confused as to why Volare didn't immediately follow. "Volare, you fly along, and keep at least 10 feet away, ok?"

"Got it, Twi," the pilot nodded and followed as the Unicorn took the balloon higher, out of sight of the ponies and creatures on the ground.

"Um, can I ask why?" Dash indicated the isolated blue and yellow Pegasus with a hoof.

"Don't worry, because it's about to be explained," Twilight said tersely. "Along with many, many other things...my friend."

Although Volare had discussed with the Unicorn what her part of the plan was, her tone still didn't give him a warm, fuzzy feeling as she sighed and looked Rainbow Dash in the eye before finally summoning the nerve to speak.

"Rainbow Dash...I want to apologize..."

Notes: Whew, I know I promised no more uber chapters but this is one I've had planned since April! Hopefully Twi and Dash can resolve their differences peacefully!
On a more personal note, today is Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for in regards to this story and you guys.
This chapter officially pushes Blue Angel past half a million words...that's no small feat, either in writing or reading, so from the bottom of my heart, I wanna thank you guys for sticking with me for this long. With hope and luck, we'll stick together for another half a million words, or more!
Volare: Or more?! Are you crazy?!
Author: Nope, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing

Volare: *facehoof*

Truth or Dare-Pt 3: Mea Culpa

*Mea Culpa is Latin for "My Fault"
Notes: So I'm back a little sooner than I expected! Hopefully this chapter clears up any animosity Dash and Twilight held for each other and wipes the slate clean! Also, be on the lookout for some more shiptease! :P

September 16th, Above Ponyville, Late Afternoon...

Rainbow Dash had to grudgingly admit to herself that she was pretty damn nervous standing so close to the Unicorn that she swore had tried to de-wing her in a fit of rage just five days ago; she had a right mind to simply bolt out of the overly confining basket the first chance she got. But Twilight's sudden declaration of a desire to apologize cut through the rainbow mare's worried mind like a knife, and for the second time that day, the impossible happened as Rainbow Dash was stunned into open mouthed silence while Twilight Sparkle's gaze remained shamefully fixed upon the balloon basket floor, allowing her words to soak in.

For an immeasurably long moment, neither mare moved, the lofty whistling breeze gently rocking the balloon the only interruption of the heavy silence that hung like a thick curtain between them. The brash mare finally broke her incredulous stare with a series of rapid blinks before glancing to the side at Volare hovering outside the balloon, as if waiting for him to start laughing and betray the fact that this had to be part of his prank...except he wasn't laughing. On the contrary, his face was nearly as somber as Twilight's and he gave Dash a slight nod of confirmation.

"I wanna apologize too-" he began before Twilight cut him off with a raised hoof, her sudden preemption causing Dash's wings to twitch slightly; she remembered what happened the last time the Unicorn raised her voice so close to her...

"No, Volare, this isn't your fault," the Unicorn said firmly before sighing and with visible effort, raised her vision back to meet Dash's. The rainbow mare always made herself out to be the toughest pony around, but she knew from first-hoof experience that Twilight was just as tough when it came to shouldering burdens...even more so now, and as she looked into her friend's eyes and saw the tears of regret and uncertainty beginning to form there, something wrenched at her heart and it took all her strength to not wrap her friend in a hug right then and there and tell her it was alright, that everything was forgiven despite everything that had happened...that what she'd screamed at her friend had been borne of fear, not true hatred....though that instinctive fear still tugged at the edge of her mind, bidding her to put just a tiny bit more distance between the Unicorn who'd tried to hurt her when last they met...

No...this is a test she's obviously prepared herself for, and for me to just forgive Twilight without letting her have her say...it wouldn't bother me in the slightest, but knowing how she is, it'd probably weigh on her and...things just wouldn't be the same between us until I let her speak her mind. Be strong, Dash...for her, you gotta be strong.
Rainbow Dash closed her mouth and swallowed, trying to clear the dry lump the cold, dry air had formed there before nodding once for Twilight to explain.

"Rainbow, I-" Twilight's breath hitched as her mind returned to that day in the hospital, where she'd snapped and thrown her friend against the wall by her wings-sweet Celestia what had she been planning on doing?! Ripping them off?!-the thought of that and the memory that went with it nearly buckled Twilight's knees. Volare saw it and made to zip over and help, but Dash saw it first, damned her reservations, and caught her friend and gently held her up.

"It's ok Twilight," Dash gave her an understanding smile. "The high altitude gets to me sometimes too."

"Th-thanks," the Unicorn shook her head and quickly regained her balance, steeling herself once more before speaking. "Dash, I can explain what happened that day and...goddess, I was just so far out of line with what I did!" she kicked the side of the basket in anger before the Pegasus patted her with a hoof.

"Hey, so was I," Dash gave her a weak smile. "We were both pretty freaked out over what happened to Volare and...guess it just shows how much we both care about the knucklehead, heh-heh."

"Yes, but that's besides the point," Twilight insisted with a shake of her head. "The point is I let things get out of hoof within myself and I acted in a way I never should have, and in front of Shining Armor and Luna for Starswirl's sake!" she groaned into her hooves once more in shame, but yet again, she felt that same comforting pat on her back.

"Hey, how ya think I felt about what I did?" Dash replied, feeling a twinge of a chuckle in her chest as she realized she was becoming competitive over who held the most blame despite herself. "I mean, jeez, I frickin' hit Celestia's top student, Luna's best friend, and the Captain of the Guard's little sister all at once...and one of my best friends too," Twilight looked up out of her hooves to see that Dash's eyes were a little wetter than normal. "If anything, I deserve more blame than you do, Twilight. I lost my cool and, well, that's so not cool of me to do, heh-heh. But if it bothers you that badly, let's just forget about it and-"

"No, Rainbow Dash!" the Librarian cried suddenly, pushing her hoof off and causing the Pegasus to give her an hurt expression. Element of Loyalty, indeed...even to a fault. "It's not that easy. It wasn't just about me losing my cool that day...it's bigger than that."

"Oh boy," Dash breathed and glanced over at Volare, who again merely nodded his assent. She slowly returned her attention to Twilight and sighed; she had a feeling she knew what this was about...still, she was willing to hear Twilight out for her sake, and conceded to play along for the moment. "How's it bigger than us both freaking out over Volare being attacked in the woods? Scootaloo too; oh by the way, is the squirt doing ok?"

"Yeah, she's doing great," Volare spoke up but quickly nodded back towards the Unicorn again to keep Dash on track.

"Mhm, she is...but when I say this is much bigger than, well...being worried about Volare's safety, I mean it's more complicated than even I could have imagined," Twilight said slowly and looked outside the basket at Volare for the slightest moment and he gave her a worried look. They'd agreed before-hoof to keep the misguided romantic feelings she'd had for him between themselves unless absolutely necessary, and she didn't intend for that to change any time soon. She smiled reassuringly, his tensed forelegs lowered in relief, and she turned back to the patiently waiting Pegasus mare.
"Did Volare tell you why he put on this little show?" her question catching Dash off-guard; that hadn't been what she'd expected at all.

"Um, yeah, he said he wanted to gain my respect and show that he was more than capable of flying and taking care of himself now," she grinned at the stallion. "And he made a believer out of me, that's for sure."

"Did he say anything else?"

"I felt it was best to explain this bit with you present, Twi," Volare said, and the Unicorn nodded in agreement, further confusing Dash.

"Explain what bit? There was another reason, flyboy?"

"Yeah," he scratched his mane in discomfort before continuing. "Remember how you said that if Twi and I got together, she'd coddle me and wouldn't ever let me be free to do what I wanna do?"

"Ah jeez, you didn't take that seriously, did you?" Dash's ears drooped. Yet again, she'd shot her mouth off in anger and he'd taken it to heart...damn! "Flyboy, c'mon, you know I say stupid stuff when I get mad, right?" And scared... Her eyes twitched from pony to pony, praying that nothing in her expression tipped them off of that.

"Yep, but Twilight took it seriously," he motioned towards her with a hoof. "You hurt her pretty bad with that, Dash." His look of disapproval, of disappointment, the first the rainbow mare had seen of him directed towards herself, hurt worse than any insult he could have thrown at her at that moment. "And so, as actions speak louder and more convincingly than any verbal explanation we could think of, I thought this little plan up to show I wasn't being held back, proving we weren't together and thus nullifying your fears and argument against Twilight. I figured that'd help fix this situation cuz the last thing I wanna be is the wedge driving you two apart and ruining your friendship."

"Volare, for the last time, this isn't your fault-!"
"Flyboy, that's just crazy, you're not the cause of-!"

The Pegasus and Unicorn mares paused in their simultaneous beratement of Volare and stared at each other for a moment before bursting into helpless giggles for a few seconds. Dash gathered herself and spoke first, resolved to the fact that what she was about say might change everything between the three of them forever.
"Look guys, I was the one that was way out of line for saying those things, and I'm sorry for that...seriously," she wiped her nose and continued. "It's...it's really none of my business if you guys are together at all and...if what I said ruined something you two had going, just tell me now and I'll do whatever I gotta do to get you back together!" Her determined vow faded into bemusement, however when she noticed the funny little looks that Twilight and Volare exchanged.
"Uh, is this still part of the prank?"

"Nope, no more pranks here, Dash," the Unicorn shook her head, concealing the threatening smile of pride at Dash's little pledge to fix what she thought she'd broken no matter what it took. Celestia bless you, Rainbow Dash.
"Remember how I said this is a little bigger than that?"

"Yeah?" the Pegasus replied, a little leery of what she was about to hear. "What, so you and Volare aren't together?" At her straight-forward expression of her main concern, Twilight and Volare couldn't hold it in anymore, and they burst out into chuckles of their own for nearly half a minute while Dash simply stood there, confused and growing redder by the minute. What had she said? Weren't they together!?

"Oh Dash, you're unbelievably noble sometimes," it was the Librarian's turn to pat her flummoxed friend on the shoulder before clearing her throat and refocusing her thoughts. "To answer your question, no we're not together."

"But why not? I mean, you two get along great, you're cute together, and you're both the craziest eggheads I've ever met," Dash snickered, causing Twilight to blush heavily and Volare to nearly fall out of the sky in embarrassment. "You're practically made for each other!"

"Yes, ahem-well," Twilight shook her mane and cleared her throat again. "Be that as it may, you also forget how I preached that a relationship was the last sort of distraction he needed while getting accommodated to living in Equestria. I didn't separate you two so I could have him all to myself, Rainbow." Dash winced again at the barb she'd tossed at her friend. "I did that so he'd be safe, not so I could have first dibs and make myself out to be a hypocrite."

"Yeah, I get that part, and I'm sorry for saying that, Twilight," Dash admitted with a sniff. "I know you wouldn't do that...I just got pissed and...yeah." And scared...argh, shut up! I'm not scared now, right? Right, so just shut it already! She quickly recovered with a hopeful little smile.

"Apology accepted, but it's understandable; you're not the only one to come to that conclusion," the Unicorn winced herself at all the little remarks made by ponies in town about Volare being isolated in her home like that. They hadn't been maliciously made, but every one of them still stung in a way that Twilight couldn't explain. "But despite what I'd said, I'll admit that after a while I started to feel...different in regards to Volare."

"Oho, different how?" Dash waggled her eyebrows, hoping to break the tension by poking fun at her friend, but her reponse only seemed to make the situation worse as Twilight made a little noise deep in her throat that immediately made Dash feel like a jerk. "Sorry Twi...just trying to lighten the mood a bit," she nudged her friend, who thankfully nudged her right back with a small smile.

"I know, thanks. This is just...hard for me to explain without feeling like a complete fool." She sighed and stomped a hoof once to steel herself before speaking again. "I began to feel different about Volare in a bunch of ways, but I kept denying it because of what I'd been professing."

"Understandable," Dash nodded, her tone more controlled and supportive now.

"Yeah, anyway, as things progressed, I felt greater urges and fears about Volare's safety while in Canterlot...heh, I was so paranoid about his safety that I nearly got into it with Celestia."

"Whoa, no way!?" Dash gaped.

"Eh-heh, yeah," the Unicorn scuffed the basket with a hoof. "Convinced Shining Armor, Cadence, and Luna to bust into the Canterlot Library at night and confront Celestia cuz I was sure she was going to banish Volare just for being human."

"Whoa, whoa, what?!" Dash cried, glancing at the pilot in worry. "Why would she wanna do that?"

"Apparently, Celestia's known about humans for a long time," Volare explained, adding substance to Dash's growing shock. "And she's known them to be dangerous too...she wants to speak with me as soon Twi and I can go back to Canterlot."

"Well then I'm going too!" Dash stomped a hoof in anger. "She's not gonna threaten you and get away with it, just cuz you're different! That's not fair!"

"Dash, calm down!" Twilight laid a hoof on the incensed mare's shoulder. "It was all a big misunderstanding. Celestia was just being cautious and looking out for her subjects' safety, that's all. It only looked bad because I jumped to conclusions...again."

"Aww, it's ok Twilight," Dash nuzzled the Unicorn briefly, slowly feeling the tension in her chest loosen as her friend allowed more physical contact the further the conversation progressed. "You just overthink things too much, that's all."

"I know, and that's what caused all this mess in the first place," the Librarian hung her head. "And it looked even worse when I did some studying and thought I'd figured out why I felt that way about him...I'm such a damn fool!"

"No it didn't and no you're not, Twi," Volare spoke up, again fighting the urge to fly over and comfort his friend. "This is my fault and you know it."

"Volare, I-"

"No, I won't let you blame yourself for this anymore," the stallion cut her off and turned his attention to Rainbow Dash. "Dash...the reason why Twilight flew off the handle like that is because of me, or rather, my body."

"Uh, you're not that attractive, dude," Dash cocked an eyebrow, eliciting a facehoof from the pilot and a giggle-snort from Twilight despite herself.

"Ugh, that's not what I mean!" he groaned, blushing horribly and nervously fiddling with his scarf to distract himself from her impish smirk. "What I mean is...Twilight explained that she's sensitive to magical things due to her education under Celestia; that's why she's so powerful at using magic. Unfortunately, that also means she can be overloaded by magical things, throwing her emotions all out of whack. And I guess cuz she cares about me, it sends that caring instinct into overdrive."

"Ok, so what's your point?" Dash tilted her head, trying to figure out what he was leading up to but coming up empty. "I still say you guys are just crazy for each other and don't know how to admit it," she chuckled imperiously.

"Dash, he wasn't born a Pegasus...what's the nature of his body?" Twilight tried a different angle, and after a moment's pause, the Pegasus' rose colored eyes widened in realization.

"Holy hay, now I get it. His body was magically created by you and that's causing you to act all crazy," she looked at Volare in a new light and ran a hoof through her forelock with a sigh. "Jeez, this is pretty nuts, guys. Forgive me for being a little skeptical, but..."

"I figured as much," Twilight chuckled and nodded towards Volare. "Notice how he's staying at least ten feet away from me at all times?"

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask about that. What's up with that anyway?"

"Well, by lots of trial and even more error, we figured out that ten feet is a pretty good minimum safe distance for us to maintain for the time being, as the closer he gets, the more...extreme the reaction," Twilight explained. "Celestia confirmed it via letter and suggested I perfect a counter-spell in case things escalated to this point."

"Seriously?" Dash cocked an eyebrow. "How bad could it be?"

"Seriously...and if you don't believe us...Volare, could you come here?" Twilight motioned him over. Dash didn't argue; she was actually curious to see this first-hoof.

"Uh, you sure this is a good idea, Twi?" the pilot asked as he fluttered closer, finally landing in the basket where she indicated.

"Probably not...but still, 'for science', right?" Twilight gave a strained chuckle as she felt the effects of his body begin to affect her almost immediately. "Now then...observe." At first everything seemed normal, and Dash was about to say she didn't see anything strange nor feel anything herself before noticing that Twilight had become substantially more tense. Inside of a minute, the Unicorn's brow was wet with sweat, her left eyelid was twitching, her ears were swiveling like radar dishes, and her hooves were nervously tap-tapping away at the floor of the basket while her tail whisked back and forth almost violently as tiny grunts of stress escaped her lips. In any other circumstance, Dash would have burst out laughing at how silly this looked, but when Twilight started to grind her teeth and stare fixatedly at an increasingly nervous Volare, the rainbow mare decided that this had gone from humorous to downright creepy, and that she'd seen enough.

"Ok, ok, I believe you guys," she stepped between Twilight and Volare, cutting off the Unicorn's line-of-sight and giving her a brief reprieve from the effects, though only slightly; the Unicorn could still feel his presence within the basket. "Jeez, this almost as bad as the Love Poison the CMC cooked up for Big Mac and Cheerilee a while back."

"Y-you're telling me," Twilight shuddered, trying to push past Dash to get another glimpse at Volare. "This is r-ridiculous and it's g-getting worse!" Volare quickly took the initiative and jumped out of the balloon, returning to the "safe distance." The relief was near-instantaneous, and Twilight wiped her brow and sighed in relief. "Feel free to laugh now Dash, cuz I know I would if I were in your horse-shoes." But to her surprise, the plucky Pegasus did nothing of the sort, instead gently nuzzling Twilight and giving her a sympathetic expression that said that she now fully understood the issue.

"I wouldn't laugh at a friend in pain, Twilight," Dash conceded with a tearful smile. "You didn't need to hurt yourself to prove anything...I'm not mad at you for what happened. Irritated and still pretty freaked out about it, but not mad; I've been in worse fights and...I messed up just as bad as you and I don't have any right to be any more angry than you are. And I still wanna fix this...cuz I still wanna be your friend if you'll have me." With a weak little whimper, Twilight allowed her head to fall onto Dash's shoulder leaned into her, allowing the tears of relief to flow and darken the Pegasus' cyan fur. Wow...she never imagined Twilight would take it this hard. The Element of Loyalty patted her friend on the back and smiled at Volare, who she could tell wanted nothing more than to comfort his friend as well.

"We're gonna be ok, flyboy. Just...give us a minute, ok? Go and uh, mingle with your new fans before I snatch'em later," she winked and nodded towards the scattered crowd far below; the last thing she needed was to cry in front of him, again. Volare took the hint and departed their air space for the ground below. As soon as Dash felt he was out of earshot, she allowed her confident exterior to fully dissolve, held Twilight at hooves' length and spoke the one remaining worry left on her mind, the weight of which had been crushing her thoughts ever since those punks had confronted her in Filly.

"Twilight?" Dash's normally confident countenance was replaced with one of uncertainty, but at this point she wasn't about to hide it from her friend who'd just spilled her own guts right at her hooves. "I'm sorry about how this is gonna sound but...it's what I'd do if I were in your place to get back at me, and...dammit," she groaned as her voice cracked.

"Dash, what is it?" It was the Librarian's turn this time to do the nuzzling. "You can tell me...at this point, I don't deserve to be mad at you either."

"Ok...I'm all about efficiency, believe it or not," Dash began, and that brought a small chuckle from her friend. "Hey, how else ya think I can snatch naps all the time, eh? Anyways, I just figured, if I was in your position, the best way to get back at me for hurting you like that would be to...to tell Volare the truth about why he's here so he'd hate me when I got home."

"Wow...you really think I'd do that?" she asked, not in anger, but in worry. Jeez, I never thought of doing that...but what if I had? Maybe it's a good thing I didn't...

"No! I mean, I dunno, maybe," the Pegasus backtracked hastily. "It'd be the best way to get back at me for saying what I said...so, yeah, sorry..." she trailed off and Twilight stared at her for a long, silent moment before speaking.

"I think I understand, and you're right," she smiled as Dash looked at her bemusedly. "That would be a pretty effective way of spiting you." Her smile grew as relief flooded her friend's face.

"Wait, so you didn't tell him? Seriously?! But, I thought you hated me badly enough to-"

"Nope, never crossed my mind until you mentioned it just now," the Unicorn preempted her. "We agreed as friends to keep that secret between us, right?"

"Right...wait, so you still wanna be friends?" Dash's ears perked up as a hopeful smile crept into her features.

"Of course I do, Dash," Twilight nodded and surprised the Pegasus with a hoof to the shoulder. "As long as you're ok with being friends with a jumps-to-conclusions-too-much, emotionally whacked-out, eggheaded-Unicorn," she snickered at her own self-deprecating description. Dash blinked some wetness from her eye and matched her smile with a grin of her own.

"Wouldn't have ya any other way, Twilight," she reached a hoof out to shake the Unicorn's, but again was surprised when the Librarian pushed her hoof out of the way and enveloped her in a powerful hug that Rainbow Dash quickly returned and held for well over a minute, just glad that Volare was gone or else he'd probably make some sort of crack about this being "adorable" or something. Still, it made her heart swell with thanks that her friend still stayed loyal despite how upset she'd gotten. When'd I ever get such an awesome pal?
"Hey, Twilight?"

"Mhm?"

"If that thought had crossed your mind before I mentioned it," she leaned back to look her friend in the face. "And if you had been pissed enough, would you have told him anyways?"

"No, because I never intended to lose your trust as a friend, Dash," Twilight replied with another hoof to the shoulder of the Pegasus mare. "You're the Element of Loyalty; you should know better than that."

"I know, I know," Dash muttered. "Losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend-"

"FOREVER!!!"

"Bloody Balefire!!" Twilight swore as a loud voice shouted from above the two mares, startling them so badly that the Unicorn nearly toppled out of the balloon before Dash grabbed her hoof and hauled her back safety. They both looked up at-

"Pinkie Pie?!" they gawked in disbelief at the pink party mare who'd somehow popped out of the skirt of the hot air balloon, and was now dangling above them.

"The one and only!" she beamed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had just broken every single law of physics known to ponies by appearing nearly a mile up in the air like this.

"H-how'd you get up here?" Twilight asked, still a bit shaky.

"Same way you guys did," Pinkie quipped matter-of-factly and continued to grin as if there was completely nothing out of the ordinary going on here. "What's up? Oh hee-hee, besides me of course-and you two too! Ah-haha, I said tutu, and here I am popping out of a skirt, hee-hee!"

"But we, but you-how did you-agh, I'm not even gonna try," Dash clapped a hoof to her forehead to ward off a headache and sighed in defeat. Twilight simply shook her head and laughed helplessly, though something besides Pinkie being Pinkie suddenly sent a jolt of concern through her.

"Soo....how much did you hear, Pinkie?"

"Oh, pretty much all of it," the pink mare answered with an indistinct wave of her hoof and another smile. "But I kinda knew most of it already too."

"How much is 'most of it?'" Twilight asked cautiously, not too keen on finding out that Pinkie was somehow in the hospital room when the Unicorn had kissed Volare. Yes it seemed impossible but this was Pinkie Pie! If Dianna wasn't her middle it'd probably be "Impossible" instead!

"Well, let's see," Pinkie somehow leaned her chin on her hoof although her elbow had nothing to lean on itself, dangling in mid-air as it was...oh well. She inhaled deeply...and the bombardment of improbable began. "I kinda figured something was up between you and Volare-bear, but I didn't say anything cuz I don't get involved with romantic relationships if I can help it; and a good thing too, considering the circumstances-imagine Celestia's reaction if her top student were dating a creature she semi-feared! I knew about Dashie not meaning what she said to you cuz hey, it's Dash-I know how she gets when she's miffed, hee-hee; and I knew Twilight didn't mean it cuz she told everypony she was sorry and nopony would apologize like that and not mean it. Umm...oh, and I knew about how Volare-bear's plane crashed too cuz Dashie told me a while back. You still haven't told him, Dash? Ooh, you'd better do it soon, or else it'll-mmph!" Dash and Twilight both stuffed their hooves into Pinkie's mouth before their minds could explode from the flood of previously "secret" information.

"Jeez, guess the pink cat's outta the bag on a few things, huh?" Dash chuckled nervously as Twilight shot her a mild glare.

"You told Pinkie about that and here I am fretting over keeping it a secret?"

"Eh-heh, yeah, I had to tell somepony else; it was driving me up the walls!" Dash exclaimed. "Besides, what better pony than Pinkie Pie to keep secrets for ya, right?"

"Yes I know that, but she's not the pony you should be telling," the Unicorn squinted an eye at her.

"I know, I know, it's just-oh crap, sorry Pinkie!" Dash pulled hers and Twilight's hooves from the (now somehow even pinker) mare's mouth, allowing her to breathe again.

"It's ok, I've learned to hold my breath for just such an occasion," Pinkie said and she caught her breath. "Anyways, are things gonna be ok between you two or do I need to break out the secret weapon?"

"Secret weapon?" Twilight cocked a brow before Dash nudged her with a wing.

"I got a bad feeling, Twi..." The image of Pinkie's Party cannon, or Buddy Bazooka, or something else exploding way up here didn't sit well with her, and she was a Pegasus for crying out loud!

"Aww, baked goods aren't supposed to make you feel bad...well, unless Applejack is all woozy and tries to cook, hee-hee! Remember that, guys?" Pinkie continued to speak as she swung up into the balloon and returned moments later with a good-sized cake topped with pictures of Dash and Twilight's cutie marks on it and a big smiley face between them. "It's a Friendship Forgiveness cake! Baked it myself on the way up here!"

"What, how?" Dash queried while Twilight sighed; she just never learned to leave well enough alone sometimes.

"It's a hot air balloon; baked it on the flame. Duh," Pinkie patted Dash on the head and grinned, hoofing the cake to her friends. "So, whatcha think? You gonna be ok or should I break out my super secret weapon?" This time, Rainbow Dash took the hint, as well as the cake, smiling as she and Twilight took a bite: chocolate batter with blueberries and pomegranates, she imagined as much for their similarity in hers and Dash's colors as the flavors that mixed in a surprisingly harmonious way, just as she and Dash were just now. Pinkie really did think of everything!

"Yes Pinkie, I think we're going to be ok," Twilight grinned around a mouthful of cake.

"Yeah, we're good," Dash hoofed Twilight in the shoulder and knocked hooves with Pinkie in thanks for the cake; it definitely added to the "ok-ness" of the situation. "Man...I really missed you guys in Filly," she muttered as she chewed thoughtfully.

"What happened, Dashie?" Pinkie asked in concern, sensing her friend's distress, but Dash waved her off.

"Nothing worth bothering you guys about...ugh, wish I hadn't said anything now," she laid the piece of cake down, suddenly not very hungry anymore as the memory of those leering stallions circling her invaded her psyche once again. "Just...things got a little rough and it made me realize what I was missing here, and I thought I'd screwed it up so bad...so, yeah, thanks for not hating me, I guess." This only brought on a double hug from Twilight and Pinkie that Dash eventually pushed away with a playful growl when Pinkie's grip around her neck got a little too tight for comfort. "Haha, I'm alright guys. I'm alright. But, um...I was wondering: what's the plan now?"

"To be honest I'm not sure; Volare didn't say what he had planned after this little show," Twilight shrugged.

"Heh-heh, guess you can't call me the only short-sighted Pegasus in Ponyville, Twilight," Dash winked before Pinkie spoke up.

"Well, I dunno about you two, but I've owed Volare-bear a party ever since he got here, not to mention we missed his birthday with all the craziness that's been going on, and he's been through so much he deserves like three parties! It's kinda also a "welcome home Dashie" party, so...."Welcome to Ponyville", "Birthday", and "Welcome Home, Dashie"...hey, it's like three parties already! Anyways, Applejack's already providing the refreshments and I got the arrangements made at Octy and Vinyl's, since that's the only place that isn't blown up, burned down, or holding sick ponies at the moment."

"Whoa, hold on a sec-blown up and burned down?!" Dash stared at Pinkie for a moment before looking at Twilight for confirmation.

"Oh yeah, that's right she wasn't here when Ray and Jill showed back up and-" Twilight began but was interrupted as Dash's brow suddenly furrowed.

"Ray and Jill," she rolled the unfamiliar names around on her tongue. "Who are they?"

"The two Unicorns that stalked Volare, who also turned out to be the Cryhenas that attacked him and Scootaloo during the Running of the Leaves, who also turned out to be the ones to drug Trixie into demolishing the Gilded Griffin, burning down the Ponyville Inn, and the ones who attacked Princess Luna and Shining Armor!" Pinkie declared, drawing a facehoof from Twilight as Dash suddenly exploded in a fit of rage, flying out of the balloon to kick some nearby clouds to bits.
"Did I say something wrong?"

"You really need to learn the art of subtly, Pink-wait, what am I saying?" Twilight shook her head and sighed as Dash raged against a particularly "sticky" cloud she imagined to be Jill's face for a moment before calming down and landing in the basket moment's later, breathing hard but noticeably calmer. "Feel better?"

"A bit, yeah," Dash snorted and folded her wings, allowing the fur on her withers to lower before speaking again. "I should have been here...I coulda taken those two out before they had a chance to hurt everypony like that!"

"No Dash, they're a lot more dangerous than you think," Twilight laid a hoof on her shoulder as she spoke. "In fact, Trixie saved a bunch of ponies' lives by warning us about them. That's what led to Luna and Shining Armor confronting them instead. Believe me, even if I wasn't as tired as I was last night, they'd have been a hoof-ful for even me...and according to Trixie they had no qualms about killing innocent things to get their way."

"But if I'd been here, I just know I could have-!"

"Dash, you'd have fought very bravely...but likely died very quickly," Twilight squeezed her shoulder as she spoke, as much to calm her as to keep her from flying off in a rage to find and tear those two Unicorns apart...or die in the process.
"In any case, they're long-gone, and because of Trixie's advice, many lives were saved. And as funny as this may sound, without them, Volare wouldn't be flying right now."

"Say what?!" Dash recoiled and stared at her as Twilight recalled the remaining events from that night, including how they'd nearly made Volare make a deal to get his wing functioning again, as well as their possible connection to the Archives Break-In, which Twilight had to explain as well; apparently that was rather hush-hush outside those in the know within Canterlot, probably to keep the populace from worrying too terribly much.

"In any case, Volare knows just as much as I do about that situation, and a lot more than I in regards to what happened between himself, Ray, and Jill; I'm sure he can explain it better than I can, if you wanna know more about that," Twilight finished, nodding at Pinkie. "Like Pinkie said, he's been through more than enough in his time here, so just...use tact if you're gonna ask him about that stuff, ok?"

"Got it," Dash nodded firmly. At least that cleared up how he was flying, but now Dash felt she owed him at least another hug or two...maybe even a bit more if he wanted it...Celestia knew he deserved it, considering how much hell he'd gone through...hell that was all her fault after all because she had to be selfish fool and race his jet. Dash shook that sudden thought away returning to the subject of the party. "So, we missed flyboy's birthday, eh?"

"Yep, 24th," Pinkie nodded.

"Heh, guess that means I owe him 24 swats upside the head," Dash laughed and nudged Twilight. "Ya wanna come with and hold him down while I whoop on him, Twi?" But the Unicorn shook her head.

"No, I'm good. I really don't think he and I need to be in close proximity to each other with a lot of other ponies around right now...no offense," she smiled sheepishly. "I need to get back to work on a counter spell, and as soon as possible because Volare and I still have many things to discuss. He's also gonna need your help, Rainbow Dash."

"You sure, cuz he seems to have things pretty well in hoof right now," she nodded outside the balloon towards the area of sky where their impromptu show had taken place. "Just needs a little polishing, that's all. Why, what's up?"

"Because he's still pretty adamant about going back to Earth to tie up loose ends."

"Loose ends?" Pinkie tilted her head. "What kinda loose ends?"

"He hasn't said exactly what, specifically; maybe you can get that out of him while I work on the counter spell."

"Soo...what's the problem, exactly? You can send him there pretty easily with the same spell you've been using on me, right?" Dash asked with a scratch of her mane.

"Yes, but the problem isn't sending him there, it's getting him back," Twilight frowned.

"Simple: the Sonic Rainboom," Dash grinned at the thought of her flying with Volare like that, but it faded quickly as the Unicorn's frown deepened and she bit her lip in worry. "Twilight?"

"Yes, that would be the obvious answer...but you saw what it did to his human body, right?" Both Dash and Twilight cringed visibly at the memory of his body lying burned and broken to pieces in her Library, scarcely able to believe that had been a mere three weeks ago.

"But that was cuz of the plane crash, though," Dash protested.

"Yes, the fire from the crash caused the burns, but I've got a theory on where the other injuries came from..." Twilight trailed off before shaking her head. "But that's gonna have to wait until I can do some research, and that's gonna have to wait until I figure out a counter spell," she rubbed her eyes with a hoof and sighed. So much to do and so little time! "Anyways, for now, you've got a party to get to," she grinned and nudged Dash.

"Woohoo, finally!" Pinkie squealed and pumped a hoof.

"Aww, you sure you don't wanna go, Twilight?" Dash asked one last time.

"Would if I could, but I can't," the Unicorn smiled with acceptance. "Besides, it's not for me, it's for you guys. Now go have fun."

"Heh-heh, no worries there, Twilight," Dash gave her a final nod and prepared to fly off before a sudden thought hit her. "Oh hay, where's Volare gonna stay if not your Library?" she looked up at Pinkie for help, but the party mare merely shrugged.

"I dunno, I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were ok with him spending the night, but we've already got Scootaloo staying with us, plus the Twins still are a little pukey and we're about to hit the holiday baking season...so...Fluttershy's?"

"Nah, we already burdened her with him for two weeks, so that's not fair," Twilight rubbed her chin. "Applejack's folks are busy with the harvest and Rarity...nah, Rarity will probably sweet-talk him into using him as a living fashion mannequin," she laughed.

"Haha, yeah, Volare doesn't deserve that kind of torture, plus Rarity only has one bed: hers," Dash pointed out.

"Probably not Lyra cuz she's more human-obsessed than I am and there's not telling what she might try to pull."

"I can think of one thing of his she might," Dash waggled her eyebrows and snickered, receiving a magical nose-tweak from the Librarian.

"Rainbow, gross!" Twilight scolded but couldn't help a small smirk of her own. She had to admit, that was dirty but pretty funny...and strangely enough, Lyra probably would try to-Celestia, no, knock it off!

"Can't be the Ponyville Inn cuz of Ray and Jill," Dash couldn't help but growl their names; she swore if she ever caught them alone on a dark night, there was gonna be hell to pay! "Where then? Bon-Bon's?"

"No, she's still all depressed over the Griffin being demolished, and I doubt Volare wants to spend much time around that," Twilight shook her head. Meanwhile, Pinkie got tired of looking from one mare to other as they sat there wracking their brains when the obvious was right in front of them, or rather right below them.

"How about Rainbow's house?" the party mare spoke up, causing Dash and Twilight to look up at her curiously. "Think about it: all the other houses are kinda taken, and you said Volare's gonna need Dash's help with stuff, right? And since Volare can walk on clouds, as we just saw, and can fly well enough we don't have to worry him about falling...why not Dashie's house?" Dash nearly scoffed at the idea before Twilight preempted her yet again.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea, Pinkie."

"Say what?!" Dash rounded on Twilight and stared at her. "You're joking right?"

"You forget I said no more jokes, Dash," Twilight smiled and continued. "Everything Pinkie said makes sense, plus you've got plenty of room in that huge, empty house of yours."

"Yeah, I guess," Dash grumbled above crossed forelegs; she kinda enjoyed her privacy too, ya know! "But what if I-"

"Save it before I change my mind," Twilight cut her off, knowing she was about to bring up the original reason why she'd separated them in the first place. "I'm not as worried as I was about him making too dumb of a decision and getting hurt...plus I feel I owe you the benefit of the doubt to not trying anything funny, especially after what happened when he lost his wing...and then at the hospital, when I should have just listened to and trusted you," her ears drooped.

"Twilight, don't do this because you feel like you're indebted to me," Dash laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Because you don't owe me a darn thing."

"I'm not," Twilight looked up and smiled. "I'm doing it because I trust you more than myself to do the right thing right now."

"Aww...I dunno what to say, Twi," Dash blushed. "Thanks, I guess...but what about you and him? I mean, are you ok with him staying with me, cuz if not, I can find somepony else to-"

"Like I said, save it Dash; I trust you," Twilight booped her in the nose and sighed slightly. "As for me and him? Well...apparently it wasn't real and did more harm than good for everypony, so I'm perfectly willing to let that go. Besides, it's like you said: it's his business whom he wants to be with...or nopony at all if he so chooses. As it stands, I've got no right to have a choice in the matter, only friendly advice."

"So if something were to happen...not saying it will, cuz I got zero interest in the guy," Dash insisted.

"Then I wouldn't hinder it if he was on board with it," Twilight smiled sincerely, though her heart ached slightly as she did so.

"That's nice and all, but...we got nothing in common, so no worries about that, Twilight," the rainbow mare snorted.

"I dunno, I think you two flew great together," Pinkie gave her the tiniest of smiles. "Could be the start of something more."

"Heh-heh, maybe...still, I doubt it," Dash shrugged and prepared to take off before feeling a tug on her tail and turning back to Twilight. "What's up?"

"Just...whatever does or doesn't happen, be mindful of his feelings, Rainbow Dash," Twilight's suddenly serious tone snagged Dash's fleeting attention like a fishhook, and she fully turned to listen to her friend. "You've got a lot more influence over him than you think."

"Of course I'll be mindful of-wait, what?" Dash queried, but Twilight simply smiled in return.

"Ask him and you'll find out what I mean," the Unicorn suggested, her thoughts drifting back to that patch of Dash's cutie mark that Volare had in his flight jacket...perhaps this was how they'd learn about it... "And that's another thing: if for some reason you do become interested in him-"

"Jeez, I'm not interested in the guy!" she tossed her hooves up in frustration. "Trust me: you know how I feel about stallions, and having one living in my house is gonna be weird enough; whether he's a real stallion and I already know him or not!" But Twilight could only continue to smirk at Dash's flustered insistence that she felt zero attraction to him. "Twilight, come on! Like I already said, he's not even that good-looking. I mean hay, look at me," she tossed her prismatic mane. "Can you imagine this being snagged by some random guy who literally fell from the sky?"

"Looking, but you're starting to sound like Rarity, and we all know you're no lady, Dash," Twilight giggled, adding fuel to Dash's consternation. But the fiery Pegasus wasn't about to get rattled by Twilight of all ponies, and she quickly recovered.

"Pfft, well aren't you the egghead pot calling the radical kettle black?" Dash shot back with a cheeky smirk while Twilight stared at her in disbelief that she'd used such a phrase. "What, I'm reading more stuff than Daring Do, ya know!"

"Oh yeah, well what's the history of the letter Q?" Twilight cocked a brow before Pinkie spoke up.

"Um girls, I think we're getting a teensy bit off-topic here," and that caught the other mares' attention; if it was to the point of Pinkie Pie having to play mediator, they really must be on one heck of a tangent.

"Eh-heh, yeah...sorry, Twi," Dash smiled sheepishly. "Where were we?"

"Talking about you and Volare-bear hooking up," Pinkie quipped before noticing that her own left ear was twitching ever so slightly. Hmm...weird...

"Oh, right-what, no we're not gonna-look, like I said, he's a guy and...yeah, I just don't trust'em," Dash said flatly, ignoring Pinkie as she flicked at her twitching ear while staring off into space.

"Even so," Twilight had a sudden thought: she might not trust stallions, but given his non-stallion mindset...hmm, perhaps a little variety could open her eyes a bit. Besides, knowing Dash and that with her, anything could happen, she might as well voice her concerns because she still cared about Volare's well-being. "If that changes...just...you'd better tell him the truth, Rainbow Dash."

"Uh..." Dash feigned ignorance but she knew what was coming. Damn, how am I gonna forget about this and move on when nopony else will?! I feel bad enough as it is without it being brought up all the time...

"You know what I'm talking about," Twilight leveled her gaze at her friend's, not a hint of kidding in her voice. "The last thing he needs is to get into something serious and get hurt like that on down the road."

"I...I won't have to cuz...I won't get interested in him, yeah!" Dash declared with a grin. Saved!

"If you say so," Twilight sighed inwardly, noticing that her friend wanted nothing more than this suddenly-awkward conversation to end as quickly as possible before also noticing that the balloon seemed lighter all of a sudden as well as the abrupt lack of Pinkie Pie.

"Uh, where'd Pinkie go?" the Pegasus and the Unicorn looked about and even up into the balloon itself, but she was nowhere to be found. When the heck had she left? And how?! Grr, damn headaches!
.............
Below...

As expected, the moment Volare landed he was inundated with praise, cheers, and hoof-stomps from the ponies on the ground, and tackle-hugs from the CMC who fought their way through the crowd to him. Wow, never had a reception like this in my life, Volare thought as Iron Will mercifully lifted him and the CMC out of the blur of technicolor manes, tails, coats, and eyes as their owners pelted him with question after question.

"That was some show you put on up there!"

"Thought you were gonna die, kiddo!"

"There's no way you're the real Volare; he's supposed to be in the hospital!"

"Where the hay you been the past few days? He's been out and all over town!"

"Well, excuse me!"

"Wow, what's it like to fly with Rainbow Dash like that?"

"What's it like to be embarrassed by Rainbow Dash like that?" that particular comment drew a smattering of playful boos and laughter, and a heavy blush from Volare as he did his best to stay above the crowd.

"Alright, alright, give him room everypony!" Rarity's voice rang out above the crowd as she pushed them back non-to-gently with her magic before standing beside Iron Will and giving Volare a wink. "Volare's got to breathe before he speak!" Trixie presently pushed her way through the crowd, receiving a friendly nod from Rarity as she joined the fashionista below Volare, as did Fluttershy after a moment's hesitation, with Shae having flown back to her Cottage to avoid the noisy crowd.

"Indeed, so please stand back and give him a chance!" the blue magician commanded, surprising everypony that she wasn't barking about herself, while Fluttershy merely gave a very small, yet very determined nod.

"Heh, thanks guys," the pilot grinned his gratitude before responding to the few answerable questions he could; he honestly didn't know half these ponies and it was a little strange being the sudden center of attention! "Um, it was pretty awesome flying with Dash like that...as for being embarrassed, well...she's a darn good flier and I doubt any of you could match her either," he answered wisely as Scootaloo climbed up onto his back and shouted out above the crowd.

"Listen everypony! This is my bro Volare, and I just wanna take the chance to tell you guys that I love him alot," she hugged his neck. "And I don't want you guys poking fun at him or else you'll have to deal with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, since he's one too!" she waved the end of his scarf in evidence and many of the ponies fled the scene in horror; they knew of the accidental destruction the CMC were capable of and the last thing they wanted was to be on the receiving end of something intentional!

Meanwhile, having dismissed the Weather Team back to Ponyville after Dash still hadn't landed, Cloud Kicker and Ravenfire stayed behind, both seemingly interested in what Volare had to say. The younger mare noticed their simultaneous gazes and nudged the older in the ribs. "Uh-uh, I saw him first."

"And I can hardly see him at all," Ravenfire squinted at the blue and yellow stallion atop the minotaur's shoulders. "Mind telling me what's happening with your better eyes?"

"Oh, well Volare is standing up there with Scootaloo, who's apparently his little sister...weird, I didn't know Scootaloo had a brother," the lemon-maned Pegasus mused while Ravenfire blinked and shook her head a few times, trying to clear a sudden buzz in her ears at the sound of that name.

"Scootaloo, eh?"

"Yep, local kid, member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders; ya know, group of fillies doing everything under Celestia's sun to get their cutie mark, heh-heh," Cloud Kicker explained. "Cute, but the lengths they go to are kinda terrifying sometimes. Uh, hey you ok Ravenfire? You look a little pale."

"Oh, um-yes, yes, I'm fine," she shook her head again, and the buzz was gone as quickly as it came. Weird...
"Just had an old-mare-moment there, haha," she laughed dryly and returned her attention to the ponies atop the minotaur.

"Eh-heh, I think ya overdid it there, kiddo," Iron Will chuckled deep in his throat at Scootaloo's enthusiasm, but she was right: Volare had earned everypony's respect through his actions and he deserved to be treated as such. Plus he had to admit that the spunky little filly backing up her brother like that was just so gosh-darned adorable!

"Volare! Volare son, don't set your sister or friends on me, if you please!" an elderly voice spoke up, drawing the pilot's attention to a blue-eyed elderly Unicorn with a tooth missing from his grin.

"Heya Mr. Smithshoe," Volare hopped down from Iron Will's back and trotted over, leaving the CMC with Rarity while Trixie followed him. "Been a few days, sir. How've you been?"

"Ah, been the same as always; just a few days older and wiser since we last met," his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I've got good news, son. Remember those supplies you ordered? Well they came in a day early believe it or not, and we can get started on rebuilding the Griffin today if ya want!"

"Wow, that is great news, sir," Volare nodded and turned to Trixie. "You up for some building construction, Trix?"

"Heh, I suppose I can give it a whirl, though I don't know much of it," the magician admitted before Ferrum threw an aged hoof around her shoulder.

"Ha, it's a cinch, Trixie. I may not be an Earth Pony, but I know my way around a building for the most part; hay, seen nearly every building on Stirrup Street go up over the past few years, so that's gotta count for something!"

"But do ya'll know anythin' about tha actual buildin' of it?" the deep voice of Big Macintosh rumbled over them as he approached. "Beggin' yer pardon, sir," he gave the elderly Unicorn a respectful nod.

"Nah, no need Big Mac," Ferrum gave a raspy chuckle and thunked the red pony in the chest. "Big Macintosh here'll help ya out if ya need it, cuz he knows more about barn-raising than anypony I know; even me!"

"Well, more o' tha actual raisin' than anythin, sir," Big Mac scuffed the ground modestly.

"Heck, I can help with that," Iron Will flexed a massive bicep and grinned. "You and me, Big Mac; we'll get that sucker put up in no time flat!"

"And we can help with the carpentry!" Sweetie Belle squeaked before Scootaloo shook her head.

"Nuh-uh, remember what happened with the table?"

"Aww, c'mon Scootaloo, that was a table, this is a restaurant; it's different," Applebloom threw her lot in. "'Sides, how hard could it be?"

Oh dear lord... Volare cringed; maybe they could just direct ponies around the build site as Cutie Mark Crusader Traffic Cops...then again, that might go badly too. The pilot tried to argue that this was technically Trixie's "punishment" but even he felt it foolish to refuse help for something like this, especially since nopony...oh crap...

"Wait, so does anypony here actually know anything about construction?" Volare spoke up, facehoofing when nopony said anything. "Great, so we're all just gonna wing it. Bon-Bon's gonna just eat this up..."

"Actually, I may be able to assist you in that area," a refined voice rose above the group of boasting creatures, causing everypony to look down at the grey mare it belonged to.

"Octavia?" Volare trotted forward to address her. "You know about construction?"

"Why yes, while at law school in Trottingham, I got curious about the architecture of the buildings on campus, and so I studied their history and design in my spare time," the bow-tied Earth Pony blushed modestly. "That included their construction processes...what?" she asked as she noticed everypony staring at her in open-mouthed amazement.

"Fencing, law practice, cello playing, and architecture?" Ferrum gave a low whistle and grinned before turning to Volare. "Ya know, at one point, I said you're quite the catch son, but she takes the cake! What I wouldn't give to be young again!" At that everypony either groaned, blushed, or facehoofed while thankfully the CMC remained mostly flummoxed by what Ferrum had just said.

"Ahem-yes, well...ah-ahem!" Octavia cleared her throat loudly, pulling slightly on her bow-tie as she did so. "In any case, I'll provide whatever service I can, as I still don't believe it fair for Trixie to take up this burden alone." She gave the magician a friendly smile that was returned in kind, albeit a bit bemusedly.

"I-um, th-thank you for the help...Octavia, right?" Trixie scratched under her hat nervously-why was she so darn nervous?!

"Mhm, that's right," the cellist nodded. "Your desire to fix this is admirable, and you obviously need help we can all provide. The question is, since this is your endeavor, do you accept our assistance?" Trixie paused and took notice of how many ponies were there before her, all willing to help her reconcile their differences with her and start anew through this project. The blue magician felt a tear of wonderment begin to leak out of one of her eyes before Ferrum spoke up again.

"May wanna accept these helping hooves while ya can, ma'am; never toss away a chance like this in life, I always say."

"Then..." Trixie looked back to Octavia again-but why back her? Did she seek her approval or something?-before nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, I accept."

"Excellent!" Ferrum grinned before noticing one of their number had suddenly gone missing. "Hey, where'd Volare go?" They all looked up at a cry for aid and started laughing uproariously at the sight of Pinkie collaring Volare with a hood and practically dragging him north towards town, saying that it was a good thing her Pinkie Sense had warned her, because he wasn't going to dodge this party anymore with any other crazy ideas!

"Hey, did somepony say party?" Scootaloo cried and galloped after Volare, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom close on her hooves. Everypony else looked at each other for a moment before deciding in unison that the construction could wait till tomorrow, and thundered after the CMC and Pinkie, leaving Fluttershy, Octavia, and Trixie standing still in mild shock.
....................
Above...

"Well, there goes Pinkie," Twilight laughed and shook her head at the sight of Volare being dragged away by the impatient party mare.

"Heh-heh, yep. Well, better go rescue Volare...again," Dash chuckled and stood up on the edge of the basket, preparing to take off; at Pinkie's departure, despite their reconciliation, despite Dash's reassurance that everything was ok, that feeling of nervous vulnerability near Twilight had returned. Not as strong as before, but the fact that it was still there bothered her just enough that she just wanted to go.

"Hey Dash, one more thing."

"Yep, Twilight?" the rainbow mare paused and looked back, itching to get to this party before something crazy happened to Volare; she'd spotted Cloud Kicker down there and the last thing he needed was her sniffing around him and looking for fun. Twilight on the other hoof, still looked worried.

"I know this little problem probably isn't over between us, but I-"

"No Twilight," Dash stopped her with a wingtip to the lips. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over. We're cool," she swiftly insisted and reached down to exchange a quick hoof-bump with her friend. "Like I said, I've been in worse scraps before so don't worry about me being hurt and holding a grudge or anything; what kind of Element of Loyalty would I be if I did that, huh? Besides, it was all a big dumb misunderstanding and I'll be the first to say I was dumber."

"Nah, I was," Twilight replied.

"No, me," Dash insisted with a squinty half-glare.

"Me."

"Seriously Twilight, I was!" Dash retorted.

"No, no, it was me," the Unicorn shot back before they attempted to stare each other down, realizing at the same moment how dumb they both were acting and breaking into helpless fits of laughter. "Let's just agree to disagree?" Twilight suggested as she enveloped her friend in a final hug.

"Agreed," Dash grinned and broke the embrace after a long moment. "See ya, Twilight! I'll take good care of Volare!" She took off after the crowd below, breathing a sigh of relief and praying that whatever the heck nervousness remained in regards to Twilight took its leave, and soon; she was as sincere in her own apology as she could have possibly been...but more than anything, she just wanted things back to normal between them again.
Twilight shook her head again and chuckled as she steered the balloon northwest towards the small park near her Library, hoping she'd made the right decision for both their sakes. Meanwhile, Dash quickly caught up with the crowd just inside Ponyville, spied Volare among them, and dive-bombed him, tackling him to the ground in a great growling hug before lifting him to his hooves and trotting next to him while Pinkie ran on ahead to alert Applejack and Vinyl of the approaching ponies; they were gonna need a whole lot more cider!
"What's up, birthday boy; enjoying the attention?" she nodded towards the ponies following him.

"Well, it's certainly a change of pace," he conceded with a nod; as said, he didn't have a problem being the center of attention, he simply preferred not to as it made life's inevitable goof-ups less noticeable by so many. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash was well aware of how far a little public humiliation could go towards showing who was in charge, and she quickly turned up the heat, still intent on getting back at him for his little prank earlier. Trying to turn my own tricks against me eh, flyboy? Well, the master's gonna show you a thing or two now.

"So, ya ready to take your licks like a stallion?" she asked with a suggestive waggle of her tongue, and snickered at Volare's nervous chuckle and sideways semi-leap away from her. She merely strutted closer and intentionally trotted uncomfortably close, smirking the whole while as he did his best to brush her off, much to her mild disappointment; she'd been hoping for a more humorous reaction.

"Ah-haha, got me there, Dashie," Volare nudged her away with a wing, receiving a flurry of hoof-noogies in return. "Just trying to catch the CMC before they reach Vinyl and Octy's and tear the place apart."

"Eh-heh, yeah, we'd better pick up the pace then," the rainbow mare chuckle and flicked his nose with her tail before cantering ahead. "You comin' with, flyboy?" she shot a grin over her shoulder as they trotted up 5th Street, headed north.

"Huh-yeah, yeah, I am," he shook his mane and sped up to match her, quickly putting space between themselves and the following crowd. "So, um...you and Twilight got things figured out? Where is she?"

"She went home-something about your animal magnetism keeps throwing her off," she winked, drawing a loud guffaw from the pilot. "But yeah, we're peachy," she winked. Not quite...meh shut up, it'll be fine! "Thanks to your help, of course."

"Oh well, ya know," he waved a dismissive wing and blushed lightly. "You guys are Elements and it's important for ya to stick together. Last thing I wanna be is the one to screw that up-oof!" he gasped as she swatted him roughly in the chest with a wing.

"Hey, you didn't screw anything up, so stop blaming yourself for this, ok? It's over and done with, so just drop it," she shot a sideways glare at him before pulling it back slightly as she caught the wince on his face. Dammit Dash, cool it; it's not his fault. "I mean, uh...just don't put more on yourself than you can handle, cuz we both know what'll happen, right?"

"Heh, right," he nodded before she ruffled his mane with a wing before turning right onto Stirrup Street.

"But I'll be around to pull your flank outta the fire in case ya do," she smirked, her confidence returning as she poked fun at him.

"Thought you were done with playing the part of my hero," he fluttered his eyes and sighed theatrically, catching another wing to the face from the playful Pegasus.

"Yeah, well like I said before, I'm gonna start charging for my services before too long, flyboy," she stuck her tongue out and looked up as they neared the musical note-plastered home duplex of Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. "But for now, it's high time you kicked back and relaxed."

"You can say that again," the pilot chuckled before noticing the cheeky little smirk growing on Dash's face, and he slowed to a sudden stop just as she had. "What's on your mind?

"Oh, nothing special...just wondering if you wanna lose a hoof-race there," she flexed her legs in anticipation, her grin growing as he growled softly and subtly lowered himself into a launching stance as well

"Funny...I could ask you the same question," he shot back as he looked to the north towards the duplex, struck with a sudden sense of deja-vu which also brought back the memories of Dash's dirty little tactics during their last race...hopefully they didn't end up on the floor like last time either...still, he was onto her little games this time! "Just remember Dashie: all's fair in love and war!"

"Wait, what?" she asked for the umpteenth time that day as he galloped off, glancing over his shoulder as she recovered and took chase. She grinned fiercely as her heart pounded against her breastbone, though she was almost positive it was simply from the race...then again, she'd been wrong before...wasn't like she had to admit it, though...

....................
South of town...
"Well, that escalated quickly," Fluttershy declared, drawing a chuckle from the grey cellist.

"Indeed it did. Well, I suppose I'd best hurry after them; the party is at mine and Vinyl's duplex and I seriously doubt that Vinyl can handle that crowd and keep the house in one piece all on her own." Octavia made to leave but turned back at the last minute towards Fluttershy and Trixie. "Aren't you two coming?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine; I'm not much for loud parties," Fluttershy smiled demurely. "Besides, I'd better get home before Angel and Shae get into it; but you two go and have a nice time. Well, um...good bye!" She softly flew off, leaving the cellist and the magician alone.

"How about you, Trixie?" Octavia fixed the blue Unicorn with a gentle smile, and though the magician was reluctant to do too terribly many social things so soon, something in the Earth Pony's friendly lavender eyes made her think otherwise, and she had to clear her throat of a sudden dry feeling it had taken on before speaking.

"Yeah I-ahem, yes. I'd very much like that, Octavia, though I don't really know where you live."

"Hmm-hmm, good thing we're headed that way then, eh?" And with that settled, they trotted off together, fading into the distance along with their conversation on the venues they'd performed in.

"Well, isn't that sweet," Ravenfire remarked upon the pair. "Who knew ponies like that could have enough in common to talk about?"

"Yeah...they're totally gonna bang later," Cloud Kicker snickered and took to the sky, stopping after a moment and motioning for the older mare to follow. "C'mon old-timer, we don't wanna be late! Lyra's already gone on ahead and I wanna introduce her to ya; you'll like her," she declared with a very suggestive wink.

"Ha, perhaps-wait, late for what?" the rust-red Pegasus asked as she lifted off and followed.

"Sheesh, you really are from outta town, huh? It's a Pinkie Party, the best kind of party in Ponyville, and everypony is always invited to'em! And the more ponies that come, the more ponies a mare can leave with," she winked jauntily.

"I don't know...I'm not really from around here," the grey-maned mare wavered uncertainly, and Cloud Kicker groaned impatiently.

"Grr, fine. I as Ponyville Weather Lieutenant hereby welcome you to the Ponyville Weather Squad, yada-yada-yada, therefore making you a resident of Ponyville. There, happy? Now let's go already old-timer!" Cloud Kicker grasped Ravenfire's weathered hoof and tugged her along towards town. Judging by how well Volare and Rainbow Dash's show had warmed everypony up earlier, having some fun at the party would be a cinch! And since Lyra was unattached at the moment, perhaps she'd get Ravenfire some fun too!
"Next stop: Pinkie Party!" the lavender Pegasus crowed, and Ravenfire chuckled at her infectious attitude. It had been a long time since she'd last let her mane down...what harm could a spot of fun cause?

Notes: Yay, Twilight and Dash are gonna be ok...but what about Volare? Will he survive the craziness that is Rainbow Dash?
The wild Pinkie Party is a go!

Truth or Dare-Pt 4: Suspicions, Celebrations, and Inebriations

September 16th, Ponyville, Early Evening...

Surprisingly, Volare managed to beat Rainbow Dash to Vinyl and Octavia's house, but only because halfway through their race did he realize that the CMC had just entered a home with an invitingly red "11" button used to activate Vinyl's crazy security system sitting right in the middle of the living room. As that epiphany slammed into him, he left Dash in his dust and stampeded in a panic right into the duplex, expecting the place to look like the disaster area left by a 12-hoofed hurricane plus whatever the hell that security system did. But against all odds, he found the house still in once piece, with Applejack diligently setting up a large number of drink mugs on the refreshment table and turning to greet him with a big grin when he entered the room.

"Well, howdy an' happy birthday sugarcube, even if it is a bit late," she cantered over and gave him a quick hug before noticing he was breathing heavily. "Whoa pardner, ya'll ok?"

"CMC...*pant-pant*...11 button...where are they?" Volare gasped out enough coherent words between breaths for Applejack to get the gist and she chuckled to herself.

"Ah sent'em out in tha backyard with Pinkie, Rarity, and Vinyl; she warned me about that thing and Ah came up with a solution lickity-split," she grinned and waved a hoof at an oaken barrel sitting where the button pedestal once was. "Emptied tha cider barrel into them mugs on tha table over there, bucked out the bottom of tha barrel and tossed it over tha button. That way nopony, CMC er otherwise accidentally sets it off," she winked sagely and hoofed him one of the mugs already full of chilled, fizzy cider. "Down tha hatch, sugarcube; brought it specially for ya." Volare nodded his thanks and downed the mug in a few gulps just as Rainbow Dash entered the house.

"Whoa, look at you go, flyboy," the rainbow mare chuckled as Volare sat the mug on the table, sighed in contentment and wiped his mouth with a hoof before giving Dash a weak half-smile. "We oughta see how you handle something stronger than a little cider later," she bumped him aside and downed a mug of her own. "If you're up for it, that is," she parted the foam on her lips with a devilish grin.

"Ha, maybe Dashie. For now, I just wanna relax and make sure the CMC don't blow the place up; I do kinda represent them, ya know," he waved at the logo-emblazoned end of his scarf.

"I meant to ask about-huh, what's up AJ?" Dash paused as the orange mare tapped her on the shoulder, beckoning her closer as the rest of the ponies and creatures finally trailed in. The duplex was soon filled with with conversation and the clunk of wooden mugs as a few immediately headed to the refreshment table, while others, including Iron Will, trotted straight through and headed for the lantern-lit backyard that bordered the northern curve of the Ponyville Stream.

"Ah noticed Twi wasn't with ya'll; ya get things patched up?"

"Yep, we sure did," Dash nodded, noticing Applejack's eyes scanning the crowd for their lavender friend. "She went back to the Library to...do some research." Crap, she hadn't planned on telling anypony the truth between Twilight and Volare, but Applejack could smell a lie a country mile away. Better make this convincing, then...

"Research, eh?" the Earth Pony tilted her Stetson back.

"What kind of research, Dash?" Volare spoke up curiously.

"Uh...had something to do with the Sonic Rainboom, since that's the only way to get back here from Earth."

"Ya'll plannin' on going back again?"

"I wasn't really planning on it since Twilight can get pretty much all the research stuff she needs on humans from Volare," she hoofed the blue and yellow Pegasus in the shoulder. "But flyboy here wants to go back and...what was it you said?" Ha, if I bring Volare's input into this, there's no way AJ'll figure the truth out!

"Well, I had a decent estate left to me when I...basically died," he chuckled grimly.

"Hey, don't laugh about that," Dash said, allowing just a little too much concern to sneak into her tone, and she scolded herself for it. "I mean, it was a real pain in the wings dragging your heavy flank here, so it's no laughing matter in my book," she hoofed him and laughed at her own a little joke, though she inwardly cringed a bit at her overcompensation, relaxing only when it got a more sincere chuckle out of Applejack and Volare.

"Ah can only imagine," the country mare nickered. "How big didja say ya were, Volare?"

"About 6'1", 180 lbs," he replied, drawing a low whistle from Applejack.

"Woo-wee, that's probably a good bit heavier than a lightweight like RD here," she nudged her friend roughly, ruffling a few feathers in the process, both figuratively and literally.

"Hey, I'm no lightweight!" Dash shot back defensively. "Remember who won all those games at the Iron Pony competition, AJ."

"Only cuz ya cheated an' used yer wings," Applejack cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well...I still say you never said I couldn't," Dash stuck her tongue out and crossed her hooves imperiously. It might have escalated had Volare not stepped between them at the same time that Scootaloo galloped into the room and made a beeline for the Element of Loyalty.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted joyously and gave her idol a flying tackle-hug, drawing a chuckle from the older Pegasus, who looked up and exchanged an understanding look with Applejack; now wasn't the time to be arguing over petty crap. The danger averted for now, Volare politely gave the Pegasi their time, hanging his scarf and goggles on the wall before following Applejack out into the backyard to mingle with the ponies out there. He'd never been a huge party animal, but by the way that Pinkie immediately spotted him and threw a foreleg around his shoulders before pulling towards the other ponies, he felt any reservations he might have had were about to get air-mailed to the moon, so to speak.

"What's up, squirt?" Rainbow Dash grinned and ruffled the filly's fuchsia mane. "You get your mark yet?"

"Nah, we thought helping Volare get up in the air would be enough to earn us something in that area, but nothing showed up," Scootaloo glared at her offending blank flank, causing Dash to fondly pat her head again.

"Hey, no sweat," she gave a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Even though it didn't get ya your mark, I can't argue with the results," she nodded out the door towards Volare, who was in the middle of trying to shake half a dozen hooves at once and failing hilariously while Vinyl laughed and warmed up her sound equipment with the help of Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Hah, only Pinkie can do that, flyboy...

"Um, Rainbow Dash?" she started as a small orange hoof nudged her in the ribs. "You ok?"

"Oh-uh-yeah, I'm good, I'm good," Dash shook her head and snorted lightly, puffing out her chest and stomping a hoof. "See, fit as a fiddle!"

"Uh, that's not what I meant," Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow. "You were kinda staring at my bro out there, almost like you"- the spunky filly halted in mid-sentence and looked from Volare to Rainbow Dash and back again, a grin widening across her face at the same rate as Dash's eyes, while warning bells began to go off in the older Pegasus' head. Uh-oh...

"Eh-heh, almost like I was what, squirt?" the rainbow mare asked, trying to ignore the heat she felt building in her cheeks that Scootaloo almost certainly saw.

"Do you...like my bro?" the question nearly toppled Dash over in shock. Scootaloo obviously didn't know the complications involved, but Dash recovered just in time to head this off at the pass anyway. "Cuz if you and him got together, that'd be just-"

"Uh, hate to burst your bubble, kiddo, but I don't really like him like that," Dash said plainly. And although it stung a little to see Scootaloo's spirits deflate like that, the relief she felt more than made up for it. "Hey, don't get me wrong: he's a nice guy and all, but...I don't really know much about him," she offered with a slight shrug, but Scootaloo was undeterred.

"That's no problem; I can tell ya all kinds of stuff about him," the filly grinned proudly. "He's pretty cool, ya know for a human-turned-Pegasus and all."

"Yeah, he's tough I'll give him that," Dash conceded sincerely before noticing Trixie arriving with Octavia and her mood instantly changing; she felt she needed to say a few things to the magician before she could comfortably stand in the same room with her. "Tell ya what, squirt. I'm gonna go have a word with Trixie. You go find your friends and we'll meet back up in a bit; I'll bet everypony would wanna hear your story of how you and Volare became brother and sister."

"Aww yeah, that's a great idea! Hey, be sure to be nice to Trixie; she's pretty cool too," Scootaloo beamed, her adolescent romantic thoughts diverted for the time being. Whew, saved again, Dash thought as the filly scampered away to join the rest of the CMC while Vinyl Scratch and Pinkie Pie whipped the crowd outside into a frenzy with a series of shouts and mid-air hoof thrusts before the DJ clicked on her turn tables and punched a myriad of buttons that turned the lanterns outside from their usual golden glow to a series of fading and flashing lights. Rainbow Dash looked on curiously as Vinyl convinced a somewhat reluctant Volare to join her at the turntables, slipping a set of headphones over his ears and giving him a huge grin before the club style music that she was well-known for began to play, shaking the surrounding area with a throbbing bassline beat that Dash couldn't quite recall from past parties. Then again, maybe it was something new she'd thought up.

She then noticed that Vinyl wasn't wearing any headphones herself, nor was her horn glowing to power the equipment...but that meant that Volare was the one playing the music! Huh...since when did he become a DJ? But he's not a Unicorn, so how could he..nah, that's impossible, Dash thought and simply let the music flow over her, allowing it to take the edge off the Volare situation as she roved from pony to pony, receiving praise for the show from some and welcome home's from others, waiting for her chance to catch Trixie alone. Even so, she couldn't help but glance back wistfully and watch as Volare stood tall behind the turn tables, bobbing his head to the beat and grinning like a fool. She felt a mix of emotions, ranging from regret to keeping him in the dark about the truth, to relief that he was unhurt and whole, and elation that he was finally safe and able to enjoy the great life that Ponyville had to offer. Dash smiled to herself and located Octavia, who was holding a hoof to to her head and cringing slightly at the volume of music pounding in from the backyard. The grey cellist caught her concerned look and gave her a pained smile.

"Eh-heh, I'm all for celebrations, but I doubt I'll ever get quite used to this bloody wub music," she spoke in a tone just below a shout over the music.

"Meh, I prefer rock, but it's not so bad," Dash grinned and nudged the proper mare with a wing; she'd never really had much contact with Octavia before and from what she could see, she seemed wound up tighter than one of her cello strings. Still, when she wasn't wincing under the withering assault of Vinyl's subs, Dash had noticed that she possessed a cool, collected demeanor about herself, especially when on stage and playing her instrument. Although she seemed kind of uptight, the Pegasus had to give her props for her lack of stage fright, something Dash herself still suffered from every now and again.
"So, uh...how'd you let Vinyl talk you into using your house for a Pinkie Party?"

"Oh, trust me, it wasn't easy, but any mare with a pulse is susceptible to bribery via Pinkie's baking," her soft chuckle was devoured by the bass. "In any case, I'm going to go up to my studio before this migraine intensifies; it's fairly sound-proof up there and a welcome relief whenever Vinyl gets like this. Oh, just a moment," she trotted over to Trixie, who was leaning against the far wall, sipping from a mug and talking with Iron Will about how forgiving the ponies of Ponyville could be. The cellist leaned in and whispered/shouted something into Trixie's ear and leaned back to gauge her reaction. She stared incredulously at Octavia for a long moment before nodding twice and receiving a hug from the grey mare, who then turned and waved a hoof at Dash, not caring to shout over the music anymore. But Dash got the gist and waved back before the cellist took her leave, heading upstairs.

After another few minutes of small-talk, Iron Will headed back outside as well after noticing that the Pegasus seemed to waiting to speak with the Unicorn. Taking advantage of the lack of anypony speaking to Trixie, Dash somewhat subtly snagged another mug of cider before sidling over and leaning against the wall next to the magician, who at this point had more than noticed the Pegasus' attention in her and been awkwardly avoiding eye contact ever since. After nearly a minute of hoof-shuffling and throat clearing by both parties, Trixie finally spoke up.

"Rainbow Dash," she said simply.

"Trixie," Dash replied just as simply before the music gobbled up the silence between the two again. Well, that hardly broke the ice. "So...I heard you had a rough first day back here."

"Hmm, that's putting it lightly," Trixie muttered, idly running a hoof around the edge of her mug and studying the ripple pattern the thumping bass was creating in the cider.

"Well, um, if it makes ya feel any better, I personally dealt with Ray and Jill myself out in the woods," the Pegasus said, drawing a raised eyebrow from the magician.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I mean...I know it didn't stop what they did to you Trixie, but," Dash paused, picking her words carefully, not wanting to strike anymore nerves today if she could help it. "I figured it'd make you feel a little better to know I knocked half the teeth out of Jill's mouth, heh-heh." That claim drew a short bark of laughter and a lingering smile from Trixie.

"Guess I should congratulate you for beating me to it, then...can't say I would've stopped at just their teeth, though," her grip on the mug tightened slightly, shaking her foreleg as she growled in her throat. "But you know what's strange...I feel as though I deserve what happened after how I treated you and your friends." That threw Dash for a loop; as far as she was concerned, Trixie was still the most boastful, prideful pony she'd ever known, and for her to just come out and admit guilt like that....it made her wonder what the hay else had happened while she was gone.

"Aww, c'mon Trixie," Dash began to reach out a comforting hoof but she shied away from her touch. "Nopony deserves to have something like that happen to them."

"So I suppose that you beating the stuffing out of me would have been a more justified punishment, then?" Trixie's eyes rose to meet Rainbow's and the Pegasus felt a pang of guilt at the look of resigned pain in her face. Apparently Trixie was well aware of Dash's intentions as she attempted to run away in humiliation that night. The magician took a long swig of her cider and swallowed hard before returning her attention to the Pegasus, awaiting an answer.

"Right, that..." Dash scratched her mane. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I should have just"-

"Not sure why you're apologizing for wanting to retaliate, Rainbow Dash," Trixie retorted. "I would have deserved what I'd gotten."

Great, first Twi, now this, Dash sighed.
"Ok, so maybe you deserved it a little bit, but the fight was over and you were running away...for me to jump you like that would've been wrong. Plus, you're obviously different now from then"-

"Am I?" Trixie cut her off again, sniffing lightly. Dash wasn't sure whether she wanted confirmation or if that was just a rhetorical question the magician was asking because she was unsure of herself. Probably a little of both, she decided, throwing caution to the wind and going with her gut on this one.

"Yes, I believe you are." Trixie's ears perked up in surprise; she'd expected a much different answer. But before she could ask why, the rainbow mare continued. "You are because you're putting your pride aside and admitting your mistakes, something even I have trouble with...a lot, actually," Dash's own ears drooped slightly. "What I mean is, I gotta give you respect for having the guts to do that, Trixie; not to mention wanting to fix what you broke even though it technically wasn't your fault."

"Thank you for your kind words, they're much appreciated," Trixie nodded and went to sip from her mug again before noticing it was empty. She gave a half-chuckle and shrugged before sighing. "I wish to apologize for what I did to you as well, Rainbow Dash; that was crude and nasty of me."

"Pfft, nah, it's cool Trixie," Dash ventured another nudge with her wing that the magician thankfully didn't lean away from this time. "Besides, I'm the one that challenged you, and you put me in my place. I'd have done the same to any other pony if I were in your horseshoes."

"Yes, well I didn't have to take it as far as I did," Trixie blushed slightly at the compliments from the pony she least expected them to be coming from. But yet again, Dash laughed off her efforts of downplaying what she'd done.

"You kidding me? I'd have done more myself, but that was still a pretty sweet trick you pulled off: turning my own Rainblow Dry against me," the Unicorn chuckled a bit at the Pegasus' strange way of complimenting others. "How'd you learn how to bend a rainbow, anyway?"

"Oh well, if you must know, I studied how to manipulate the light spectrum when I was a younger filly under Celestia's tutelage."

"Whoa hold up, you learned under Celestia?" Dash stared wide-eyed.

"Y-yes, I did..." Trixie trailed off at the still-tender memories. "But that was a long time ago. And no, before you ask, Twilight Sparkle probably doesn't know, and I'd rather she didn't...I-I'll tell her myself sooner or later. But that's neither here nor now, and I'd rather not talk about it."

"Hey, no problem," Dash waved a hoof and settled back against the wall, idly scuffing the floor before Trixie spoke up yet again.

"So...how've you been?"

"Huh-oh, been great mostly. Dealing with weather duties, crazy psychos, random mail routes, the works," Dash shrugged. "Ya know, normal stuff."

"Right...how'd the mail route in Fillydelphia go?" Trixie looked on in concern as her question initiated a change of body language in the Pegasus, causing her to snort softly and curl her lip. "Rainbow Dash?"

"It-ok, I dunno where you're originally from, but if you're from Filly don't take this the wrong way," Dash tapped a hoof in irritation. "The city is ok, but the ponies there...Celestia, I couldn't stand them! So full of themselves that they could care less about other ponies' feelings!"

"Indeed, and the stallions there are some of the most lewd creatures I've ever encountered. City of Neigh-borly love, my hoof," Trixie spat before catching the funny look Dash was shooting her way. "What?"

"I was about to say the same thing," the Pegasus cracked an infectious grin that Trixie soon imitated. Their grins soon grew into snickers, then chuckles, and then finally all-out laughter as they hurled vulgar insult after expletive against Fillydelphia. "Ya know, if it weren't for the one friend I made at the mail office there, I say it wouldn't be all bad if the place just burned to the ground one of these days!"

"Haha, with the risk of sounding like some madpony, I'd set the flames myself if I got half the chance!" The two blue ponies laughed until their sides hurt and leaned against each other to keep from collapsing, looking like they'd had too much to drink to the other ponies that trotted past them towards the cider mugs.

"Oh man, Trixie-haha-Scootaloo was right: you are pretty cool," Dash shook her head and stuck out her hoof. Trixie looked at it for a short skeptical moment, but when the Pegasus nodded and wiggled the hoof, the magician grasped and shook it. "Wanna put all that dumb crap behind us?"

"Absolutely," Trixie nodded firmly as she released her before looking down at her empty cider mug. "Care for a drink?"

"Nah, I've got a previous engagement with a certain crazy blue Pegasus," Dash glanced towards the turntables outside as the song ended and Volare hoofed the earpones back to Vinyl before the DJ started up another of her own custom songs.

"Ah, I understand," Trixie nodded with a sagely little smile that put Dash on edge.

"What's that look for, huh?" the fiery mare asked defensively, drawing a chortling laugh from the Unicorn as she grabbed another mug.

"Oh nothing, nothing...just the cider going to my head, that's all," Trixie waved a dismissive hoof before heading for the stairs.

"But there's no booze in this cider," Dash muttered and shook her mane. "Meh, whatever...c'mere, flyboy!" she growled and snagged two cider mugs before jetting outside, collaring the pilot out of a stomping style of dance with Pinkie and dragging him over to the patio before plunking him down on a wooden bench and shoving a drink into his hooves. The night was still young, but she'd wasted enough time as it was; this was a party, not a mope-over-the-past-fest.

"Whoa, what the heck, Dash?" Volare gasped in alarm as she motioned the CMC over. "What's the big idea?"

"This is a party and you and I have spent way too much time apart since you got here, so now it's time to make up for it with the best birthday party you ever had. You're not gonna leave my sight the rest of the night," she smirked impishly.

"Sounds like you're lonely, Dashie," he cracked before she swatted him with a wing, threw a hoof around his shoulders and took a long pull of her cider before smacking her lips and leaning on him in an overly-chummy fashion that Volare knew she knew was making him uncomfortable. And she relished every moment of it as he subtly tried to scoot away so her cyan flank wasn't brushing against his navy blue one. But he soon ran out of bench and resigned himself to his fate with a defeated roll of his eyes and a swig of his own cider to wash away the nervous knot in his throat.

"Hardly, but I have missed just hanging with you, so now it's high time we did! Better get used to it cuz this is how I roll at parties," she winked. "Unless you can't handle it..." she baited him with a playful snicker.

"Oh, I can handle it just fine," Volare quickly shot back, taking it hook, line, and sinker, and she hoofed him in the shoulder in victory.

"Good! Now then, Scootaloo's got a story to tell everypony about you and her, and I wanna hear it too," she teasingly flicked the end of his muzzle with a wing.

"Haha, what, you don't wanna dance with me instead?" he nodded back towards the crowd, but Dash gave a scoffing laugh.

"Pfft, me? Dance with and probably embarrass you? Hmm....tempting, but not really my style of fun," she flicked his muzzle again before calling out to the crowd. "C'mon everypony, gather round! Squirt, hop on up here," she patted the bench with a hoof and the filly complied. "Tell us that story of how you and Volare took on Ray and Jill!"

"Sweet!" Scootaloo grinned and her voice took on a more dramatic tone as she slowly stalked along the bench while the ponies slowly filtered over to listen. "This is the tale of the beasts Ray and Jill, and how my bro Volare and I took'em on by ourselves way out deep in the Whitetail Wood!" Sweetie Belle gasped theatrically, drawing laughs from the ponies gathered about and an eye roll from Applebloom. "For all you little baby foals that can't handle an intense story like this, this is your last warning, so get out!" she growled. "But for all the rest of you...here we go!"

"You picked a cute sis, Volare," Dash whispered into his ear and he chuckled as Scootaloo began her story, with Vinyl turning down the music to listen herself.

"Nah...if anything, she picked me, Dashie..."
........................
But not everypony had gathered in the backyard to dance to the music and listen to Scootaloo. On the front patio just over the short side-yard fence, a quartet of ponies had gathered around an umbrella-covered table to shoot the breeze and swap stories.

"So then I says to that Timberwolf, 'hey ugly, you forgot the other 41!' POW, I zapped him right in the flank and sent him yelpin' and burnin' over the hill!" Ferrum slammed a hoof on the table and laughed uproariously as he showed off the gap in his teeth, while Cloud Kicker, Lyra, and Ravenfire shook their heads in wonderment. "Ah yeah, but that was nearly 20 years ago...heh, I can barely light the fires of my old forge anymore now...far too along in years to do what I really wanted to do anyway," he got a little misty-eyed before Lyra spoke up.

"You never wanted to just smith horseshoes and run a hardware store, I take it?" the mint-green Unicorn queried as she snacked on a bowl of corn chips, her chomping met with a derisive snort from the older stallion.

"Pah, of course not Lyra! Just because my daddy, and his daddy, and his daddy smithed'em doesn't mean my dreams had no right to be a little loftier," he leaned back on his bench and sighed. "To tell the truth, it's a little embarrassing, but I'll tell ya if ya wanna know."

"Takes a lot to embarrass me, old-timer," Cloud Kicker gave him a friendly nudge of her hoof, and he took it in stride with a dry laugh.

"Alright, you asked for it, missy," he shook his graying head and sighed, bringing old memories back to the surface. "Way, way back when I was younger-"

"When dinosaurs roamed the planet," Cloud Kicker announced dramatically and caught a stink-eye from Ferrum.

"Heh, what goes around, comes around Ms. Kicker; I may be old, but I'm not helpless yet," he quipped with a smirk, levitating a corn chip from Lyra's bowl and flicking it at the Pegasus before getting back on track. "Now then, where was I...oh yes, when I was younger, I lived in Canterlot near one of the Royal Guard Stations. Every day and every night I'd seen those Royal Guards clank in and out of there all regal and mighty, but I saw a problem with'em. Their armor was too heavy and too hot as well, because on humid days I could smell the stink of a dozen skunky Royal Guards right next door," he cackled at the revolted expression on Cloud Kicker's face.

"That's pretty gross," Lyra declared, still shoveling chips into her mouth and apparently unfazed by his story while Ravenfire just shook her head and smiled, waiting for Ferrum to continue while taking note of the audible clip-clop of the multiple Royal Guards patrolling near the duplex.

"Anyway, long story short, I decided to try making a suit of a different sort of armor for them out of a new material my daddy's daddy had accidentally discovered in his forge way before I was even born," Ferrum beckoned them closer, as if this were the greatest secret ever conceived. His horn glowed and lifted a small piece of a shiny, blueish metal out of his apron pocket, laying it on the table with a tiny clink and inviting them to pick it up. Cloud Kicker hefted it and nearly dropped it in surprise; it weighed almost nothing!
Ferrum chuckled as she stared at him with wide eyes, while Ravenfire cocked a brow at the material. "Go on, try to break it!" Cloud Kicker complied, grunting and straining as she tried to bend it with her hooves, finally resorting to biting it before Ravenfire wisely intervened, snatching it from her with a roll of her eyes. She laid it out in a hoof and studied it intently for a moment before speaking as Lyra looked on, her corn chips forgotten for the moment.

"What is this, Ferrum?"

"That my dear, is just a tiny sample of the metal that makes up what I have hanging in the back room of Mustang Hardware: a material lighter than bronze and stronger than steel," his eyes and smile were positively Cheshire now. "Cobaltium," he declared.

"Cobaltium?" Lyra rolled the strange word around in her mouth before shrugging. "What the hay is that?"

"Never heard of such a thing," Cloud Kicker said and turned to Ravenfire. "You?"

"No, never," the older mare shook her head and hoofed the piece of metal back to the old smith. "I mean, I'm no metal expert, but still...how'd your grandsire come across it, Ferrum?"

"Ha, family legend says he was fooling around with using magic to superheat titanium hotter than his forge ever could. He was trying to make a better mouse trap in regards to armor, but the old ways are hard to beat, ya know? Well, one day he got frustrated and threw a box of cobalt dyeing powder across the room, where wouldn't ya know it: the darn thing fell into the forge and exploded!"

"Ouch, that musta ruined his day," Cloud Kicker winced.

"Oh yeah, ruined the forge too. But when the smoke cleared and he sifted through what was left, he found this little guy nestled in a corner," Ferrum held up the metal and turned it fondly in the lantern light. "He tried to bend it, break it, and melt it, but nothing short of dragon fire would do it, and even then, only slowly. My granddaddy had just discovered his ticket to fortune! But alas, a horrible case of the pony pox took him weeks later, and all he left behind were his notes," he frowned and wiped an eye. "Never got to meet him myself."

"Aww, man...sorry Ferrum" Lyra patted his hoof.

"It's ok, Lyra. Haha, according to my daddy, he was a crazy old coot that ran up debt anyway, and it wasn't until I was trying to figure out a better armor for those skunky Guards when I meddled around in my daddy's bedroom closet and found those notes all hidden away and gathering dust."

"So why didn't you try making more of that stuff and selling it?" Lyra offered and Ferrum let out a laugh so hard he started coughing, drawing the attention of the Guard Firetail who trotted up to help before the old smith waved him off.

"I got it, young'in; I ain't dead yet," he chuckled before catching his breath. "Wooo...trust me Lyra, I tried making that stuff again immediately...and that was when I figured out how my granddaddy ran up so much debt: you have any idea how expensive titanium is?! Well believe you me, my ears about went deaf when I heard the cost, which also kinda put the damper on making the armor for those Guards. A prototype would set me back 10 years worth of wages, and even when I presented the idea to Celestia, she had to turn it down due to the ridiculous cost and scarcity of the metal. The other bad news came when I created a small sheet of the stuff and discovered that, because of the grain of the metal, if you stressed it enough in a certain way, it'd shatter, which made it a huge liability to whomever wore it. Thus ended my attempt at being an armor smith, and I went back to being the Unicorn you see today," he slumped back onto his bench with a small sigh, pocketing the metal after another moment of reflection.

"But you said you had something hanging in your back room at the hardware store," Cloud Kicker recalled, and a small smile quirked at the corner of Ferrum's mouth. "What was that about?"

"Heh, whoever said I couldn't invest in a little hobby, eh?" the old smith asked cryptically before snorting and tapping the table. "But that's enough from me, young'ins. Lyra, you got any more stories that don't involve humans or their stuff?"

"Not that I can think of," the Unicorn shook her head and scooped the remaining crumbs of the corn chips into her mouth.

"How about you, Cloud Kicker? Any other stories besides your sexual escapades?" Ferrum chuckled. "Because as entertaining as that story was about you having...relations with a porcupine," he cringed slightly. "I gotta admit that's probably gonna leave me stuck with bad dreams for a week."

"Ha, that's nothing compared to what I was stuck with for a week!" the Pegasus chortled at Ferrum's twitch-eyed reaction. "Meh, the rest I've got are kinda boring by comparison, so...basically nope," the lemon-maned Pegasus smirked and turned to Ravenfire. "How about you, RF? You got any stories to swap?"

"RF, eh?" the rust-red mare ran a hoof through her shaggy gray mane and blew air through her lips. "Well, I would, but it's mainly work-related and, well...we're not the only ones listening here," she nodded subtly back towards the patrolling Guards. "I've been meaning to ask: why all the Royal Guards in such a small town?"

"Why, you got something to hide?" Cloud Kicker nudged her in the ribs.

"Nothing too terribly incriminating," the older mare replied coolly, drawing a laugh from Lyra.

"Ha, I like her, Kicky!" she said as she sat the empty chip bowl on the table and cracked an enthusiastic grin in Ravenfire's direction.

"Watch it Lyra, she's pretty hardcore," Cloud Kicker warned.

"Oho really?" the mint-green Unicorn raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, made me pop a wingie," the younger Pegasus sniggered while Ferrum very nearly choked in sudden laughter.

"Damn, I'm impressed," Lyra smirked.

"Woof," the red mare grinned toothily, drawing further laughter from the trio of ponies around her before tapping the table to get their attention. "So, back to the all the Guards; there something I need to know about?" Lyra looked up at the sound of raised voices on the other side of the fence and pointed out Scootaloo, who was in the middle of telling her story. The quartet sat and listened for a while as the bold filly re-told her tale, culminating in how Volare had risked his life to keep Scootaloo safe, coming within moments of death before Rainbow Dash swooped in and saved them both, the story punctuated by Scootaloo leaping and punching at the air with a hoof while Dash playfully noogied the hay out of Volare.

But Ravenfire's vision was drawn to the little filly who was the center of attention, grinning hugely and enjoying every moment of it as she climbed back up on the bench and hugged her surrogate brother and Rainbow Dash in thanks, causing Iron Will to grab and use a nearby tablecloth as a tissue, and rather loudly at that. Ravenfire continued to stare at Scootaloo though, trying to decide why she seemed so fixated on her...had she seen her before somewhere? Certainly not, since she wasn't even from this country. But then why did she?-

"-hey RF, you alright?" Cloud Kicker nudged her in the ribs and brought her attention back to the trio that had suddenly become just her and Lyra, Ferrum having excused himself and gone home sometimes during Scootaloo's story.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine...I'm good," she shook that buzzing from her ears again and gave her friend an artificial smile.

"Jeez, starting to worry about ya old-timer," Cloud Kicker stood and stretched. "That's the second time today you've zoned out on me like that; can't decide if I'm more worried about it happening because I'm boring or the danger of you brain-farting on Weather Duty later."

"No, it's...nothing," Ravenfire waved a dismissive hoof before noticing that a few of the Guards had stopped nearby and were talking among themselves, shooting her sideways glances between smatterings of conversation she couldn't catch. "Um, they keep staring at me, Lyra; why's that?"

"Oh, they're just all on edge cuz they failed to apprehend Ray and Jill earlier," Lyra said.

"Makes sense I suppose," Ravenfire nodded before trotting up to a white-muzzled Earth Pony Guard and dipping her head in a bow. "Greetings sir."

"Evening," he replied with a snort.

"I'll just get right to the point: I noticed you staring at me earlier. Is there a problem?"

"Not unless you make one, ma'am; we're a little leery of strangers in town as of late."

"Yes, so I heard..." the older mare trailed off suddenly as she glanced East past the Guard's bronze shoulder pauldron and squinted. "Um, I hate to bother you, but..."

"Snowhooves, ma'am," the Guard clicked a bronze-shod hoof to his helmet. "What is it?"

"I just couldn't help but overhear young Scootaloo's story about Ray and Jill and...here you are being suspicious about strange activity in town," she trotted a half-step past him and looked up across Wither Way at the rooftop of a dog-run style shop next to the Joke Shop, the peak of which was framed by the rising moon. "Pray tell: how often do you have ponies climbing around on roofs here?" she asked with a lowered voice.

"Not often, ma'am, unless you count Mare-Do-Well, but she hasn't been seen in months," Snowhooves wheeled around curiously as Ravenfire's wings began to flare in alarm. "Why?"

"Because, unless my old eyes deceive me, something pony-shaped just moved up on that roof across the moon and ducked down when I looked up," she practically whispered and nodded towards the offending peak. "Weren't Ray and Jill stalking Volare and Scootaloo before they attacked them?" At her words, the implications clicked in Snowhooves mind and he quickly signaled Firetail to come hither.

"Firetail, we've got a possible Code 6 on that rooftop," he said in a hushed tone.

"Uh-oh...wait, what's Code 6?"

The older Guard facehooved and growled. "Dammit, we got weird activity up high, you dirt brain," he looked back at the trio of ponies, all of whom were standing up. "Care to help with an apprehension; we could use the wings."

"Hay yeah, I've been wanting to give those two the what-for ever since they helped bust up the Griffin," Lyra grinned fiercely and hefted her metal chip bowl like a club.

"Count me in," Cloud Kicker nodded and nudged Ravenfire. "Think you got a little fight left in ya, old-timer?"

"More than enough for two cowards like that," the rust-red mare growled through an intimidating grin that made Cloud Kicker cock a brow. In an instant, her whole body language had changed from laid-back to almost frighteningly tense, as if she was itching for a fight. Unsurprisingly, although she wasn't in the authority, she swiftly assessed the situation and took charge. "Snowhooves, you and your partner go around the left of the building. Cloud Kicker, you go around the right. Lyra, you go through the middle and I'll go right over the top. If they're still skulking around, they'll have nowhere to run."

Firetail began to protest the jumping of the chain of command, but Snowhooves silenced him with a hoof. "She's right. Everypony know their role? Good, then move out and be vigilent-if it's not those two then who knows who or what the hay it might be. Either way, we gotta keep the citizens safe." The ponies nodded and silently fanned out across Wither Way, quickly surrounding the building while Ravenfire crept up the siding and over the edge of the thatched roof. With a blur of speed belying her age, she soared up over the rooftop and with a snarl slashed a hoof sideways at head height...and hit nothing but thin air as her momentum carried her over the roof and down onto Lyra with a crash.

"Raven?! RF, what happened?!" Cloud Kicker skidded to a stop and looked down at her friends as the Guards trotted up, searching high and low but spotting nothing that looked like an intruder. Under any other circumstances, the Pegasus would have been amused to see Lyra tangled up on the ground with another mare like this, but now wasn't the time!

"Urgh, guess that was a false alarm," Lyra groaned as Ravenfire helped her to her hooves.

"I think your vision is worse than you thou-hey, wait up!" Cloud Kicker cried as the older Pegasus shook off her jab with a growl and shot up onto the roof again, the younger Pegasus right behind her. "Hey, it's ok old-timer. It's the thought that counts...wait, what're you doing?"

"Observing and not running my mouth," Raven snapped sharply as she knelt down and brushed the thatching of the roof with a wingtip, pausing as her primaries ran over a faint indentation in the straw. She leaned over and stared at it, sniffing it after a moment and making Cloud Kicker feel horribly awkward behind her.

"Um, Raven...?"

"Hold your horses, Kicker," she didn't look up from what she was doing as she again passed a wingtip over the straw roof before smiling grimly and motioning her companion over with a hoof. "What do you see there?"

"Uh," the lavender Pegasus, often considered sharp-eyed by her peers, stared down at the roof just as intently as the older mare was, as if searching for some magic answer, but coming up blank; all she saw was straw. "I think you're getting a little old for whatever it is you think you're-"

"Here, let me show you," the rust-red mare pulled Cloud Kicker into a kneeling position and circled the spot in the thatching with a hoof as she spoke in a calm, controlled tone. "I see a single pony, likely a Pegasus judging by the size but shallowness of the indentation of their hoof here...here...and these two here," she pointed out three more similar dents in the roof. "They stood here long enough for the thatching to bend and hold its shape; the direction of the marks indicate they were looking over the peak of the roof and across the street, directly at us and the party. Therefore, whatever it was likely listened in on us that whole time before betraying their sloppiness; they're either inexperienced or rusty as they left these marks before fleeing," her fierce fuchsia eyes met the Weather Lieutenant's orchid orbs. "That is what my old, experienced eyes see, Cloud Kicker."

"Holy hay," the younger Pegasus breathed as they stood up and she looked at the elder with even more respect now. "Exactly what kind of work did you say you were in, Ravenfire?"

"...nothing too terribly incriminating," the red Pegasus replied just as before, though with a heavier hint of warning in it; perhaps Cloud Kicker really didn't wanna know anymore... The two Pegasi fluttered back down to the ground and reported their findings, with Snowhooves saying he'd alert the Guard to remain vigilent into the night while Cloud Kicker and Lyra opted to keep an eye out themselves for anything else suspicious. Ravenfire, meanwhile volunteered to stay in closer contact with Volare and Scootaloo at the party, as her weaker long-distance vision wouldn't lend itself to much help outside close range anyway.

"Let's just keep this on the low-down for now," Snowhooves suggested. "We don't wanna spook everypony again, ya know?"

"Understood," Ravenfire nodded and made her way back to the party, Lyra took a seat inside the house, and Cloud Kicker kept up a vigil by the umbrella table while the Guards continued their patrols, promising to request further security in the morning. The older mare entered the backyard and did her best to act as normal as possible to avoid alarming anypony, but of course her contrasting colors made her stand out like a sore thumb, and she was quickly approached by Rainbow Dash, with Volare in tow and looking very flustered as she'd just managed to skillfully trip him so his face nearly bounced off her flank, instead missing and being caught around the chin by her tail, leaving him very red-faced indeed.

"Heya, you new in town?" the rainbow mare cracked a jaunty grin and grasped the older mare's hoof before looking her in the eye and noting the hardness that Cloud Kicker had earlier that day, as well as something else she couldn't quite put her hoof on...like the shadow of something familiar. "Do I um...know you?"

"Oho, not likely unless you've been in and around Roam the past five years or so," the red mare shook her head and chuckled as she firmly shook Volare's hoof as well.

"Uh, nope, haven't been there in years..." Rainbow Dash's voice trailed off, and despite her efforts she couldn't prevent the tiniest little whimper from escaping her throat at the mention of that name. Luckily it seemed nopony heard it as Vinyl started the music back up again, a little softer this time as Sweetie Belle and Rarity helped her sort through her discs while Pinkie came bouncing up and shook the red mare's hoof as well as she babbled out her own name along with a slew of other questions in a single breath.

"Haha, well my name's Ravenfire, I'm from west across the Antlertic Ocean, and a mare never reveals her age, especially once you get up there like me, heh-heh," she tittered and turned back to the two blue Pegasi. "And I've certainly heard of you, Ms. Rainbow Dash; 'fastest flier in Equestria' right? I must say, that was quite the show you two put on up there this afternoon."

"Yep, that's me," the rainbow mare quickly buried her momentary bad memories and cracked another confident grin. "And this here is my pal Volare; he's new here too so don't bite him too hard," she smirked as she nudged him in the ribs.

"Argh, what the hell, Dash?" he shoved her back, but this merely set off a playful nudging match that quickly escalated into a full-blown, competitive shoving contest that nearly went airborne and out of hoof before Octavia shouted out of her studio window for them to knock it off before the Guard showed up and broke the party up. This calmed everypony down, causing Dash and Volare to wave the white flag for now, though they did decide to move onto a plethora of safer party games that Pinkie suggested as she bounced into the house. Ravenfire made to follow before she felt a light tug on her gray-streaked mane and she looked down to find Scootaloo standing there.

"Hello there," she beamed and knelt down to her level. "That was quite the tale you spun up there, young one; but how much of it was true?" she playfully squinted.

"Every bit of it," she pumped a hoof and nodded towards Volare as he and Dash entered the house, still squabbling back and forth. "Heh, trust me, I wouldn't make up something like that about me and my bro. We've been through a buncha stuff since we met and...yeah, he'd probably get on my case if I made something up anyways. Oh, names' Scootaloo by the way," she beamed.

"So I heard, little one. My name's Ravenfire, but you can call me Raven for short" she nodded slightly and smiled, glancing to the side to see that Cloud Kicker was still keeping lookout. "I'm about to head inside to keep an eye on your brother. Would you like to help?"

"Heh, sure," she smiled and called out to Sweetie Belle. "Hey Sweetie, I'm headed inside! Wanna come?"

"Nah, I'm learning how to get my cutie mark in being a DJ!" the Unicorn filly squeaked, drawing an amused chortle from Vinyl and a whimper of horror from Rarity, whose eye began to twitch in worry at the thought of her little sister blasting bass all over the Boutique.

"Ha, sweet! Catch ya later then! C'mon Raven," Scootaloo grasped the elder's hoof and pulled her along and right into a multitude of party games being run by Applebloom, Applejack and Pinkie while the ever-constant thumping bassline of Vinyl Scratch carried the party further and further into the evening.

............................

As the night wore on, the CMC trio were taken home by their respective peers, with Scootaloo being taken by Pinkie Pie, all being told because it was a school-night and they needed to get to bed soon. They left reluctantly, but not before saying goodbye and happy birthday to Volare, as did the other party guests as they went on their way in twos and threes. Trixie came down from the upstairs studio with a visible smile on her face, but wouldn't answer anypony's inquiries as to what went on up there with Octavia, though Cloud Kicker had her snickering theories.

The blue magician wished everypony a good night, thanked them for being so accommodating, and left the party after pulling Iron Will out of a game of charades he was badly losing; he always played the part of either a cactus, a hat stand, or a tie rack of some sort, making games with him short but nonetheless humorous. The minotaur and the Unicorn agreed that as former "problems" they should stick together if they could. And so, he walked her to Twilight's house before heading out of town to Fluttershy's, whistling a little tune the whole way there and praying to Celestia that Angel didn't go attack bunny and whack him with a fireplace poker or something when he got there.

Soon, the only ponies that were left were Ravenfire, Cloud Kicker, Rainbow Dash, Volare, Applejack, and Vinyl, who'd moved her turntables indoors to keep them from getting wet with dew in the morning, as well as Octavia who as far as everypony was concerned had probably gone to bed already. Having run out of the regular stuff and seeing no apparent harm in it, Applejack rolled in a smaller keg of higher-proof cider she'd had fermenting since last season. The absence of the younger ponies combined with the tongue-loosening effects of the alcohol, and naturally the party atmosphere between the remaining ponies began to drift towards more adult topics; Rainbow Dash and Cloud Kicker were right in the thick of it, swapping increasingly dirtier stories from times past, including a few that even made Ravenfire turn a few shades darker and made Volare feel extremely uncomfortable as he was the only stallion left in the room by this time. And of course, Rainbow Dash keyed in on him like a heat-seeking missile, noting the lack of mug in his hooves and blush in his cheeks.

"So, flyboy," she smiled cheekily as she leaned against him, intentionally placing herself between him and Cloud Kicker and poking her tongue out at the disappointed look on her Weather Lieutenant's face. Uh-uh, I'm gonna be the one to keep an eye on him tonight, sister! "You having a good time?"

"Huh, oh yeah, great time Dashie," he muttered, doing his best to avoid her eyes but failing miserably as she leaned around him and breathed right in his face; he smelled the booze on her breath and he was concerned about exactly what might happen if she wasn't totally in control of her facilities. But it was like she read his mind and her eyes narrowed seriously.

"Hey, I'm not drunk, so don't clam up on me, alright?" she hoofed him in the chest and leaned her back against his shoulder, sipping from her mug as she spoke. "I promised Twilight I'd be mindful of ya, and that's what I intend to be."

"Thanks, Dash," he bumped the back of his head against hers in gratitude which earned him a soft elbow to the ribs. "You just gotta return every blow in kind, eh Dashie?"

"Yep, and I'm keeping score," she smiled proudly. "And as far as I can remember, since I beat you in pretty much everything from Pin The Tail on the Mule, to Charades, found ya all three times in Hide and Seek...yeah, I'm not even gonna count the rest cuz I'm beating you so bad-hic!" Dash let out a squeaky hiccup that Volare couldn't help but laugh at, earning him yet another elbow to the back. "Hey, what's so funny, huh!?"

"Oh, just...can I be honest, Dashie?" Volare turned his head and smirked, readying his defenses for the inevitable firestorm his comment was sure to bring. "That was the most adorable hiccup I've ever heard in my life." It was a good thing he was ready because Dash glared at him incredulously for only a moment before swinging a wing at his head, which he deftly blocked with his hoof and a grin.

"Gah! I'm so not adorable!" she roared, tossing her mug aside and tackling him, punching him with her hooves every chance she got; not hard enough to really hurt, but hard enough to get her point across. "You may be able to try that crap on Scootaloo, but not on me flyboy-grr!" she growled and swung at him again before he rolled out from under her and stood up, panting slightly and readying himself for another charge.

"You are too adorable and the fact that me saying so is pissing you off makes it even funnier! Two can play at the embarrassment game, Dashie-whoa!" he crowed as she yanked his hoof out from under him, crawling over and holding him down as Cloud Kicker hooted and hollered while the others cleared out to watch in amusement.

"Shut up Cloud Kicker-I'll get you later!" Dash growled and pinned Volare's forehooves up beside his head and sat on his chest, grinning triumphantly inches from his face. "Give up, Volare?" she asked, her fierce, rose-colored eyes burning their way into his own.

"Not even for you, Dashie," he shot back, taking advantage of her momentary shock to get a hoof beneath her and fling her off of himself, jumping up and leaping up on the couch, trying to gain the higher ground to make her work that much harder. "Ha, not so easy when you're buzzed, eh?"

"Grah, I'm not buzzed-hic!-raaagh, c'mere!!" The fiery mare launched herself at Volare, apparently more sober than he thought, and crashed headlong into him, wrapping her hooves around his head in a sleeper hold and tackling him bodily to the ground. Volare felt the blood being cut off to his brain and he struggled to pull her off of him, but it was like wrestling a steel cable...a steel cable that kept up a torrent of innuendos and teasing remarks into his ear about what she'd do to him once he passed out. After a few more moments of struggle, he heard Ravenfire's voice cut into the growing fog.

"You're beaten Volare; this fight's over. Give up and fight another day!"
She was right...damn! The stallion wisely stopped fighting and tapped Dash on the shoulder; he was done. Immediately he felt the pressure rise from his neck and the blood rush back into his head as he took a deep wheezing breath and looked up into the dancing eyes of his foe.

"Ha-*gasp*-gotcha flyboy," Dash sat down next to him and rubbed his back comfortingly as he caught his breath. "Gotta hoof it to ya though-you put up a good fight for a pony with next-to-no fighting experience."

"Hey I...beat Ray and Jill...sorta," he pointed out, and she laughed and threw a foreleg over his neck in a short hug.

"You scrapped with two idiots, I'll give ya that; brave, but no blue ribbon. Now c'mon," she thumped him on the chest and hauled him upright, pulling him over to a couch away from everypony else and plunking him down before shoving a mug into his hooves and settling down next to him with a smile. "We've been hearing nutty stuff from Cloud Kicker; what's the craziest thing you've ever done in your life, eh?" She pulled over a mug of her own and took a swig, smacking her lips and inviting him to do the same. "C'mon, it's good stuff."

"Heh, I dunno," he looked down at the inviting golden liquid and smiled wistfully. "To be honest, booze and I haven't exactly been the best of bedfellows in the past." Dash caught the hint of hurt in his voice and she hooked her foreleg through his. She'd experienced enough bad things in her life to know what even the weirdest fears originated somewhere.

"What happened? Did somepony hurt you while you were...well, having a drink or something?"

"Oh, nothing violent like that, no," he chuckled and licked his lips, parched after their wrestling match and looked down at the increasingly inviting hard cider. "Just...let's say it kinda goes hand in hand-er, hoof in hoof with the craziest thing I've ever done in my life," he muttered.

Ah, so that's what it was, Dash thought and hugged his foreleg closer to herself, not caring that everypony was staring at her right now. He was hurt and she'd kinda added to it by opening old wounds...and she wasn't just gonna sit by and let him hurt alone. "Hey...I'm sorry, ok?"

"Nah, you didn't know, Dashie," he shook his mane and sighed, realizing his mood was deflating the party, and he wasn't about to do that! "Heh, but you know," he looked up and smiled at her. "It might help if I talked about it."

"You sure?" she asked, her eyes searching for any pain in his face he might be trying to conceal for her sake, but he simply nodded.

"Yep...let's see, it's really not all that long a story...but I guess it was kinda funny," he shook his head and told of how he was going through flight training school and he'd gotten...unreasonably drunk with his squad mates on the base in Pensacola, Florida one evening. As a joke, they loaded him into the flight simulator and when he'd woken up, he nearly crapped his pants in fear until he realized he wasn't really in a plane...and then he'd vomited all over the inside of the simulator pod.

"Yeah, that was real fun, cleaning that up for a full day...so yeah, I know worse stuff could have happened, but I guess I didn't trust anyone enough after that to take that chance. So I pretty much cut out social drinking after that night," he gave a pained chuckle. "Dumb story, huh?" he moved to take a resigned sip of the cider before a cyan hoof blocked his mouth from the rim of the mug. He followed the foreleg up to its owner and gave her a questioning look.

"Hey...that was pretty crappy what they did to you, Volare," Dash conceded with a concerned frown. "You...if it hurts too much, you don't have to drink that stuff to prove anything to me or anypony else. But if not, well...just know you can trust us to not pull something like that, ok?"

"Can I trust you, Dashie?" His sincere question tore a needle of guilt through her heart as she realized why he'd seemed so socially awkward until now-he didn't have a good reason to trust anypony...poor guy... She thanked Celestia that she wasn't Applejack because if she was, she'd have probably caved and told him everything right then and there. But she caught herself just in time, knowing he'd only be angry if she told him, and covered her guilt with the next best thing.

"Of course, flyboy," she smiled reassuringly. "I wouldn't pull crap like that either; I know when to draw the line when it comes to pranks." Ok, so it wasn't really the total truth, but it was the truth he was looking for, right? "We're here to have fun, and if that means no booze, than I'll go dry myself," she made to chuck her mug over the back of the couch before Volare caught her hoof with a chuckle.

"No need to do that Dashie, I believe you," he stared once more into that golden pool and smacked his lips longingly; damn he was really thirsty all of a sudden! He took an experimental sip and was treated to the unbelievable combination of the best apples Sweet Apple Acres could offer combined with the slightly dry, citric, fizzy bite of an alcohol content that tasted surprisingly low; it honestly made him wonder if Dash really was a lightweight despite her prior claims judging by how buzzed she'd gotten after only a mug of this stuff. "Oh well, down the hatch," he shrugged and gulped the entire mug in a single go, slamming the container down with a sigh and a light belch that drew a giggle from Rainbow Dash as she too drained her mug and grinned.

"Sooo...?" she waved a hoof as he smacked his lips and squinted slightly as he took in the sensation of the drink rocking his insides with more than just alcohol. It was as if the very magic of every single bit of growing, bucking, and juicing by the Apple family was packed into the drink and filling him with a golden glow of a feeling that slowly spread from his core, blushing his cheeks and bringing a smile to his face that showed as he turned back to Dash.

"It's pretty damn good...and even better with friends," he grinned and nodded his approval.

"That's good, cuz ya know what, flyboy?" the rainbow mare leaned up to him and booped him in the nose. "I'm already ahead of ya by a mug...better grab another if ya wanna keep up."

"Oho, is that a challenge, Dashie?" Volare asked, already feeling the hard cider going to work and loosening him up a bit...but hey, he was with friends he trusted, so what was he worried about?

"You bet your flank it is," she smirked and hoofed him in the chest.

"I dunno, I'd hate to prove AJ right," he booped her right back. "That you are a lightweight. So I may have to respectfully decline," he smirked at her little growl.

"Grr...yeah, well that sounds like the words of a stallion who's afraid he can't keep up with a mare like me," she teased insufferably, baiting him once again and delighting in the little sneer of agitation his lip was curling into. "But hey if ya can't, I'll just have Rarity throw some pretty ribbons on ya so you'll at least look stylish when I take you out to a mare's bar and find ya one that's more your pace. Whatcha think of that, flyboy?" she put as much cocky emphasis on the last word as she possibly could, and it proved to be the final straw for the pilot.

"That last bit was below the belt, Dash," he growled, grabbing the handle of his mug and hers before standing up over her, feeling a little satisfaction at her worried expression, unsure of what he was about to do or if she'd pushed him just a little too much. To her astonishment, he marched over to the cider keg, filled his own and gulped it before filling them both again and hoofing hers back to her with a fierce grin. "There, now we're even. And now," he tossed back his mug again and belched loudly. "Now I'm winning! How ya like them apples, Dashie?"

"Woo-wee, get'er, Volare!" Applejack whooped her support as Dash quickly recovered and guzzled her drink, setting the mug down with a belch and a grin of her own, a blush now very evident on her face.

"So what is this now-hic-a drinking and belching contest?" the rainbow mare smiled mischievously. "Cuz I'll beatcha in both if you're not careful, Volare!"

"Well then-hic-put your money where your mouth is, Dashie," Volare matched her blushing smile and signaled to Vinyl. "Hey Scratch, play us some music."

"Which music?" the DJ asked as she powered up her equipment.

"You know, the one I played that day in front of the Library that I said was good for showdowns...just like this one," he grinned.

"Ah yeah, I remember that one," Vinyl bobbed her head and clicked on her recording sphere, searching for the right song for a moment.

"Wait a sec, what do ya mean, 'played music?'" Dash cocked a brow as Volare took her mug again. "Is that what you were doing out in the backyard? But how; you're not a Unicorn!"

"Heh, I think you'll find Volare is full of surprises, RD," Vinyl chuckled as she nodded to Volare; she'd found the song and waited for the right moment to play it. The Pegasus stallion nodded and hoofed the mugs back to Applejack.

"Keep'em comin', AJ," the pilot said as he jumped back down on the couch next to Dash and shot her a confident grin which Dash met with a determined little glare; neither of them planned on backing down this early, that was for sure. Vinyl nodded to herself-it was time!-and started the music, leaning over her turntables to watch while the Pegasi fixed each other in their narrowed sights, studying their opponent's every detail as they awaited their "weapons."

"Till what, pardner?" the country mare obediently filled the mugs and returned to the "combatants" with a mix of worry and pride for Volare, knowing he might have finally found something he could compete against Dash in that didn't involve speed, power, or fighting skill but rather sheer willpower, which he seemed to possess in spades once he put his mind to it...though that was the part that worried her because at the rate these two were going at, they might just pass out before either gave up. Still, Dash did kinda have it coming considering how she kept goading Volare onwards-heh, it'd be right funny if'n tha fish she baited pulled her right in the drink, though.

"Till one of us wins!" Volare declared, shaking Applejack back to the present situation.

"Which'll be me!" Dash crowed and slammed her drink, belching and hoofing Volare in the chest with a laugh and interrupting his own belch with an oof as Applejack refilled her mug.

"Aha, not-hic-funny, Dashie," he groaned and shoved her with a wing as he drank.

"Is too funny," she shot back, hiccuping directly into her cider and getting foam all over her muzzle, much to Volare's amusement.

"Now that's funny!" he chortled and drained his mug, holding it up for a refill. "I think that's four for me and three for you, Dashie-hic!"

"I think you lost count, flyboy," Rainbow Dash glared and blinked the slight blur away from her vision. I'm not a lightweight and I'm not gonna give him the satisfaction of even thinking it! She downed her drink as she too held her mug up for a refill with a blushing smirk. "Cuz now it's four to four." Applejack obliged them and leaned against the refreshment table, laughing heartily as Volare matched her stubborn friend mug for mug over the course of the next several minutes.

"Five!" Volare called out.

"Six!" Dash soon shot back

"Urp-Seven!"

"Eig-hic!-eight!"

"Ha, I got your eight...nine, now-uuuuurrrp!"

"Hahaha, nice one, flyboy...aaaaand ten!" Dash wiped her mouth and sighed, really feeling the cider working its way through her ans she was starting to have trouble lifting her wings; luckily so was Volare, she observed with a smirk. At least they were still even! Meanwhile, Vinyl Scratch had been moved beyond laughter and was now simply stunned, lifting her shades and staring as the two Pegasi each crossed the dozen mug mark.

"Sweet Celestia, where the hay are they putting it all?" the wild-maned Unicorn muttered. True, she'd seen Earth Ponies drink more in one sitting, but these were two smaller Pegasi!

"Search me, sugarcube," Applejack shrugged as she tilted the small keg and frowned; they were nearly out, but she was more concerned for her friends' well-being as they continued to match each other in cider and belches. This was gettin' nuttier'n a pecan pie!

Meanwhile, Ravenfire looked on in amazement at the determination of Volare. True, she could tell he had long-since begun to flag as his increasingly slouching posture suggested, but he kept up the verbal banter right along with the Element of Loyalty, neither giving an inch; quite the literal opposite as they had to lean against each other more and more heavily to keep from falling over. The older mare felt a nudge on her shoulder and turned to face Cloud Kicker.

"Yes?"

"Wanna take bets on who's gonna win, heh-heh," the lavender mare chuckled and stomped a hoof in approval as Volare and Dash let loose twin belches that rivaled Vinyl's bass from earlier. Celestia only knew what Octavia was thinking was going on down here if she wasn't asleep. "C'mon, I got my money on Rainbow Dash; 3 bits," she held out the money with a grin.

"Hmm, I suppose it's all in good fun," the older mare chuckled at the sight of Dash and Volare staring at each other over the rims of their mugs as they downed their drinks. "I'll match you for Volare; he seems to have a lot of guts," Ravenfire accepted the bet, reached into the small pouch around her neck, and plunked down a hoof-full of strange-looking silver coins on the table.

"What the hay are those?" Cloud Kicker inquired as she picked one up. It had the picture of a proud-looking Unicorn stamped on one side and a hoofprint embossed on the other.

"Roaman Pegarii*, worth roughly half a bit each," she answered tersely as she turned back to the competition.

"Huh, guess I'll accept these, then" the younger Pegasus shrugged and went back to the game, where Dash and Volare were trading barbs over their performances earlier that day as what was left of their inhibitions departed at the same rate as the liquor.

"Ha, that loop you-hic!-pulled halfway through that routine was feeble and amateur at best, flyboy," Dash leaned heavily upon him, her apple-infused breath washing over his cheek as he swayed slightly and gave her a severe look, or as severe as he could muster, anyhow.

"Oh yeah, well that...whatever that-the Split-S you dove into was sloppy and you're lucky you didn't crash."

"Hahaha, me lucky I didn't crash? You're lucky I didn't have to save your flank-again!" she slurped her cider noisily and nuzzled up against his neck for a moment. She had to admit though, for a skinny pain in the neck, he was awfully nice and warm...whoa, no, snap outta it, Dash, she slapped herself in the face and looked down with a little whimper at her empty cup. Great, that meant another...wonder if he's getting as full as I am? "How you holding up there, flyboy?"

"Still going as strong as I-burp!-can. Heh-heh, s'cuse me," he chuckled as tipped his empty mug over, his cheeks blushing pink and framing his weak smile as he felt the cider swill around in his swollen gut. "Guess I'm out too...AJ, what's the count at?"

"Er, 15...each," the country mare declared, fiddling with the spigot and barely getting a final half-mug out of it before shrugging. "Heh, sorry sugarcubes, but we're fresh out." She sighed in relief; at least she wouldn't have to roll these two out of here with the keg later. Besides, she hadn't had any herself, and she set to sipping what was left. Meanwhile, Cloud Kicker and Ravenfire began to pocket their bets since a tie seemed inevitable now. But Vinyl was struck with a sudden idea and sneaked out of the room towards the basement stairs.

"Aww man, and I was this close to beating you too," Dash held her hooves a wobbly inch apart before swiping at his shoulder and missing him completely, her momentum nearly carrying her off the couch before she caught herself with a nervous laugh. "Eh-heh, I haven't been this sloshed in a while." She rubbed her eyes and mouth with a hoof before looking up at Volare with half-lidded eyes. Heh...I guess he's really not that bad-looking, she thought and idly ran her hoof along his shoulder, smiling when he didn't shy away from her touch. "So, flyboy..."

"Hmm?"

"That music...how are you playing it?"

"Oh, um..." he scratched his mane with a hoof, strangely not caring that Dash's own hoof had begun to subtly trail down his upper back, tracing slow circles in his fur as he explained how the nature of his body giving off a tiny amount of magical energy allowed him to play his musical thoughts via Vinyl's amplifying equipment.

"Wow, that's...pretty radical, actually," Dash stopped her hoof just above the base of his right wing as it brushed against something that felt off. She looked down and her hoof recoiled slightly from the black ring that encircled the base of his wing. How the hay hadn't she noticed that yet?! "Flyboy...what is this?"

"Oh, that. I honestly don't have any idea. It showed up after Ray and Jill healed my wing but nopony, not even Luna, knew what it was," he shrugged weakly as Dash gingerly touched it again, while Ravenfire, Applejack, and Cloud Kicker looked on curiously. It felt tougher than fur and feathers should be, almost leathery, and the sensation of it sapped a little of that inner glow the cider had given her as she looked up at him with concern evident in her eyes.

"This isn't hurting you, is it?"

"Huh-nah, it's not. It really doesn't feel any different at all, although it did feel kinda tighter after a bad dream I had last night," he conceded with another shrug.

"What kinda dream was it?" Dash had returned to curiously running her hoof over it, but at her question, Volare paused.

Great, how the heck do I tell her what I saw? She's gonna think I'm crazy or something! So instead, he simply shook his head again and leaned into her touch, allowing her gentle caress to distract him from the imagery that threatened to crop back into his mind. "I can't really remember...I just know I woke up and that ring felt tighter, like it was trying to squeeze my wing off or something. But then I went back to sleep and...when I woke up again, the feeling was gone. Crazy, huh?"

"Hmph, you can say that again," Dash smirked slightly as she slowly allowed her hoof to trace further up the leading edge of his wing, relishing in the sudden twitch it brought him.

"H-hey, watch it there, Dashie."

"Oh trust me, I know what I'm doing," she batted her eyes as she idly played with his primary feathers. "Sooo..."

"S-so," he replied, a tiny moan escaping his lips as her hoof sent sparks of sensation running up and down his wing...which slowly began to try to flare out of its own accord again. Ok, so maybe he wasn't that loosened up just yet! "Hey, didn't you ask about that music earlier?" his question halted her tracing hoof for a moment.

"Yeah, I did. What kind of music was that?" she resumed her teasingly light touches as she spoke. "Never heard anything like that before. So why dontcha tell me, that is...unless this is too distracting for you?"

"...nope, not distracting at all," he said quickly and suddenly scooted his body up against her, pinning his rising wing between them and smirking; problem solved! She gave a tiny growl of frustrated defeat in her throat before resolving to simply lean against him instead as he spoke, relieved to be free of that distraction, as semi-interesting as it had been. "Anyways, to answer your question, that music is called Flamenco."

"Flamingo?"

"No, no, no, Dashie," he chuckled at her misunderstanding and nudged her with a hoof. "Fla-menco. It's a type of guitar music that comes from Spain, the country of my grandfather's heritage. Specifically, it comes from southern Spain: Andalusia."

"Andalusia..." the rainbow mare mouthed the strange word before smiling. "Sounds like a neat place."

"Oh it is, and you know what else, Dashie?" he leaned up away from her, his wing relaxed and his silvery-blue eyes bright with recollection. "That's not the only cool thing that comes from there. There's a breed of horse, the Andalusian, that's long been used as a war horse in human history and is considered by many to be the smartest, purest, and noblest horse breed on Earth....the Horse of Kings."

"Wow..." Dash breathed. "That's pretty awesome, Volare...but I gotta ask: why that music though? Couldn't of been cuz you think I'm all those things, could it?" she cracked cocky grin which drew whinnying laughter from Applejack and Cloud Kicker, while Ravenfire only shook her head and chuckled. But Dash ignored them and motioned for Volare to answer her question.

"Oh, um, not to say you're not all of those things, Dashie-"

"Good answer," she hoofed him playfully. "But for real, why?"

"Because...heh, you're gonna think this is crazy, but the music is from a game called Ace Combat Zero," he replied as Vinyl returned, hovering something behind her back and drawing strange looks from the other ponies. "Whatcha got there, Scratch?"

"Oh, ya know, I saw you guys were gonna end up tied so I figured 'what the hay' and brought up some of my own stuff," she grinned hugely and levitated a sizable bottle into view, a large grinning pony skull quite evident on the label. Applejack stared at it in bemusement while Cloud Kicker facehoofed as Vinyl also set out three small glasses.

"Vinyl, seriously?!"

"What?" the DJ yanked the cork out with her teeth, pouring herself a small cup of the dark amber liquid as Dash and Volare glanced at each other, wondering if they were looking at their own demise in bottled form.

"You're gonna have them go from hard cider to Caribou-ean rum!? That's gonna knock them on their flanks for sure; it's like 140 proof!"

"Well, what better way to decide who's better at tossin' 'em back, eh?" Vinyl threw back the cup and swallowed, wagging her tongue and sighing before filling the other two glasses and levitating them over to the seated Pegasi. "You really wanna see who's tougher? Drink up!" Volare had caught the strong, spicy scent of the alcohol almost immediately after the DJ opened the bottle, and he looked at the cups cautiously. That on top of what they'd already had could lead to a hell of a hangover later.

"I dunno, Vinyl...Dashie, what do you-hey!" he cried as the mare snatched the cup out of midair, gave it an experimental sniff, and downed it, though she swiftly wished she hadn't as it burned its way down her throat, causing her to cough and pound Volare on the back with a hoof before catching her breath. "Dash, you ok?"

"Hay yeah, I'm always ok," she pumped a hoof and pushed the floating cup towards him. "Try it-totally blows that cider away, no offense AJ."

"Oh, none taken sugarcube," the country mare scowled in mild disapproval; she'd been glad those two were finally settling down, but now...oh sweet beans, this could get ugly right quick. Ravenfire on the other hoof dug her Pegarii out of her pouch and added two more to the stack, upping the ante and smiling at Cloud Kicker.

"You back in?"

"Grrr, you bet I am," the Pegasus sat her bits back down and shouted. "C'mon boss, you can take him!"

"You're damn right I can!" Dash looked patiently over at Volare, licking her lips in anticipation. "Not gonna quit on me now, are ya flyboy?" She ran her hoof back up to the base of his wing and tweaked it in just the right spot, causing his wing to try to flare; but as it was still pinned between their bodies, it only managed to uncomfortably strain the ligaments and draw a gasp from his lips. "Well?"

"Not on your life, Dashie," he growled, took the cup, and downed it, albeit at a more controlled pace than she had. It still didn't spare him from the fiery, sweet concoction as it scorched its way down to his stomach. He sighed and wiped his lips, giving her the best smirk her could manage. "One to one?"

"Not for long," the mare tweaked his wing again and waved the cup. "Fill'er up, Vinyl!"

"Haha, that's the spirit!" the DJ laughed and filled the cups again. Dash stared into the drink for a moment before looking back up at Volare, who was matching her grin for grin, refusing to give up.
Heh...guy's like me...just won't quit. All the more reason to keep going! They simultaneously slammed the drinks and motioned for another refill, though Volare's cup nearly fell out of his wobbly hoof. As the DJ poured them more, Applejack hid her face behind her hat, just knowing she was going to hear it from Twilight if she ever found out the Earth Pony had stood by and let this continue.

"So, anywaysh-hic!-tell me about thish Zero game," Dash slurred slightly as she sipped on her fourth cup.

"Ace Combat Zero," the pilot corrected her, suppressing a small heaving sensation that escaped as a burp instead. "It'sh about two fighter squads in a pilot-no, wait...two fighter pilots in a shquad called Galm Team. One's named Cipher, and he's considered by many to-hic!-be the besht fighter pilot of his day."

"Sounds like a rad guy," Dash nodded slowly, her senses dulled by this new influx of booze.

"Yeah, he gets so good and shoots down so many enemiesh that they start calling-hic!-calling him the Demon Lord," he swilled the rum in his cup and downed it with a groan before continuing. "He painted the wingsh of his plane blue...and was never shot down in his career...some say he was the greatest fighter pilot of all time..." he trailed off, gauging Dash's astonished reaction.

"Damn...wait, you said there were two of them though, right? Two-hic!-pilots?"

"Mhm, I did," Volare sighed as Vinyl refilled their glasses again, taking the occasional shot herself as she listened on.

"Who was the other?"

"Oh, him...his name was Larry Foulke, but he better known by hish nickname: Solo Wing Pixy," Volare paused for a moment to force another sip past his lips before resuming. "He got that nickname cuz he once got the whole right wing of his jet shot off. But he not only kept-hic!-flying...but he finished hish mission and landed safely too. Ever since then, he'd painted the wing of his jet red to commemorate the event as he and Cipher flew together, fought together, and shwore their loyalty to one another... what?" he caught the strange grin growing on her face as she leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear, accidentally spilling a little of her drink on his leg.

"Volare...I've got a shecret."

"What kind of secret, Dashie?"

"I'm the greatest flier there is...and you lost your wing but now you've got it back...so you know what that makes us?" she leaned back and clapped a hoof on his shoulder, splashing more of her drink on him, but he didn't care; he was too riveted on her fierce, rose-colored eyes that danced with the light of excitement and alcohol. "That makes me Cipher-hic!-and you're Solo Wing, hee-hee! Isn't that awesome, AJ?"

"Heh, it's a funny coincidence, Ah'll give ya that, sugarcube," though the farm pony had to admit the similarities were striking. But her smile faded as she noticed that Volare wasn't really smiling himself, rather he seemed to be wearing a thoughtful half-frown. Dash quickly noticed and tilted her head in bemusement.

"What's wrong, flyboy? It fits, right?"

"Oh, heh-heh, I'll admit shome of it fitsh," he nodded, though his voice took on a grimmer tone as he spoke. "But I really hope that'sh not totally the cashe...cuz while Cipher and-hic!-Solo Wing were good buddies, they...well...they eventually had a really bad falling out. Solo Wing betrayed Cipher and they tried to kill each other on multiple occasions." He punctuated his last words with a quick toss-back of his drink and a grunt. "So, I guess I'm trying to say: don't hope we're too much like them."

"Jeez..." Dash breathed, tipping her cup up and emptying it before burping softly. "Like you'd try to betray me though, cuz you know I'd kick your flank from here to Cloudsdale and back," she hoofed him in the shoulder with a confident chuckle. "So who eventually won?"

"Well, Cipher did eventually, but-"

"Ha! Told ya," the rainbow mare crowed, thrusting both fore-hooves in air. "Dash wins and the crowd goes wild!" she breathed loudly through her hooves, eliciting an eye-roll from Volare.

"Crazy pendeja," he muttered.

"Say what, flyboy?" Dash cocked a brow and stared at him like he'd just grown an extra wing from his forehead.

"It's Spanish, Dashie," she smirked at her bemused expression. He didn't often speak it much anymore, but the alcohol had loosened him considerably by this point...and since she didn't speak the language, he decided to have a little fun with her head. "Just like this is: Quien es un pony tonto? Tu eres un pony tonto~" he sang drunkenly, further adding to Dash's consternation.

"Heh, I think you've had a little too much to drink, flyboy," she laughed and shoved him with a wing, but he merely shrugged her off. But, seeing that he'd found a way to bring her out of her comfort zone and finally gain some sort of advantage, he cast out his inhibitions with an inward hell with it, and spoke again with the heaviest accent and the cheesiest grin he could muster under the circumstance.

"Rrrainbow Dash soy caliente como el fuego!" he half-growled the words before realizing what he'd just said. Holy hell, have I totally lost it? Do I even care, though...? He winked at her-god he winked!-earning him a swat to the face with a wing and a cup full of rum shoved up to his lips.

"Take it back, maybe you haven't had enough, Solo Brain-cell," she teased and tipped the drink back, pouring it down his throat a little too quickly and making him sputter. "Teach ya to talk fancy to me," she stuck her tongue out at him before realizing this meant he'd had one more drink than her. "Damn, hey Vinyl? One more?"

"Yeah, uno mas?" Volare quipped and caught another muzzle-full of wing, but the DJ was in the midst of chugging the remainder of the bottle, deciding to help her pal Volare out since Dash won too often anyway. The Unicorn slammed the bottle onto her turntable and belched loudly before setting her chin on her hooves and smiling weakly.

"Nope, all gone guys; guess Volare wins," she winked at Applejack who sighed in relief that it was finally over.

"Aww damn!" Cloud Kicker growled as Ravenfire scooped her bits up, but Rainbow Dash refused to be beaten in front of everypony like this. She looked around desperately, but there was no more booze to be found. C'mon Dash, think! You can't lose to this guy-he'll never let you live it down! Suddenly a crazy thought jumped into her mind as her vision trailed up the shelf-covered wall opposite Vinyl's turn-tables. The Pegasus turned to Volare and batted her eyes again, leaned over and accidentally belched in his ear.

"Gee, thanks Dash," Volare waggled a hoof in his ear as she gave him an apologetic smile and staggered to her hooves, pulling him up with her. "Aww, now what, Dash?" Applejack caught the look in Dash's eye and snorted.

"Can't ya'll just lose gracefully, RD?"

"Hey AJ, both of you shut it," she waved a hoof at the singular mare and turned back to Volare, running into him and nearly knocking him back onto the couch. "Now then, I haven't lost yet cuz we're both still standing...so we're gonna go to sudden death rules." Her announcement caused Cloud Kicker to snatch her coins back from Ravenfire and stare at the two Pegasi.

"Oh boy-hic!-what's the entail?"

"Truth or dare...I'll dare ya to do something and if you can't, you tell me a truth inshtead," she smirked and leaned in closely again. "And you know what I wanna know about, flyboy." His eyes widened at her whisper that sounded almost like a threat and she felt his body tense, heard his sharp little inhalation, and she knew he knew that she meant business. "So how about it, Volare?"

"Grr...fine," he bowed his head. "What's the dare?"

"I dare you to beat me to the top," she nodded drunkenly at the shelf-covered wall and smirked. "Without wings."

"Oh goody, cuz if you'd have said with I'd have lost outright," he waggled his tongue at her error and she growled again as they staggered to the wall. Applejack again facehoofed: this was just stupid, stupid, stupid! But these two were on a competitive roll like nothing she'd ever seen before and some strange part of her knew it wasn't right to stop them. She gave a resigned sigh and looked on, hoping they couldn't even coordinate themselves enough to make it high enough to get hurt if they fell.

"On your mark..." Dash nudged the pilot.

"Get set..." he replied with a smirk, determined to not lose this.

"Go!" they both cried and began to climb. To Applejack's astonishment, though they slipped and fell at least twice a-piece, the two hammered Pegasi somehow managed to climb to the corner where the wall met the ceiling, arriving at roughly the same time.

"I won," Dash declared.

"Hell no, I won," Volare snorted.

"Pfft, I did!"

"No, I did, Dashie."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" he glared at her and belched despite himself, causing Dash to chuckle and swipe at him. Unfortunately, the alcohol was having a stronger effect on Dash than she cared to admit, and she finally lost consciousness mid-swing, collared the stallion with a limp hoof, and pulled them both off the wall with a yelp. As he wasn't even near sober enough to fly, all he could do was brace for impact as the floor rushed up to meet them. But as it did so, things slowed down for the barest of instances for Volare, and he had just enough coherent thought left to turn himself under Dash and cradle her protectively to his chest just before they hit the floor with a loud whoomp!

They bounced once, causing Volare's head to snap back and thunk against the floor. He saw bright stars for a second, followed by the fiery colors of Dash's forelock as it settled over his eyes before his vision went dark, and he too passed out. The final sensation he experienced was the comforting scent of fresh rain from Dash's mane and the gentle sounds of her breath in his ear...she was alright...she was ok...urgh this is gonna hurt in the morning...

*Pegarii based on the Roman Denarius

Notes: Whew, this may be the second-to-last uber chapter for a while folks cuz now I gotta fully focus on finals!
However, in the spirit of the chapter, have some more fittingly awesome art from from the excellent JohnJoseco:

Next stop: hangover-land!

Truth or Dare-Pt 5: A Fighting Chance

September 17th, Undisclosed Location, Morning...

Agent, I trust you have something to report?

"Yes, I do. I wouldn't disturb you so early otherwise," she glanced out of the cloud she'd concealed herself within, confirming that no random Pegasi were nearby who could eavesdrop on her.

Are you still hidden?

"Hmm-hmm, of course; if I were discovered, I wouldn't be talking to you, sir."

Hahaha, touche madam. I trust there's been no trouble, then?

"Well, there was a teensy bit of an issue last night with some of the locals; they've brought in extra security since Ray and Jill were discovered, but I handled the situation accordingly."

Wasn't our fault! It was Trixie's!

Hush, we know it was Trixie's fault, Ray; if it were your fault you wouldn't have a tongue to speak with right now. Agent, please continue. What have you discovered? Have you found Volare's buck yet?

"I'm not entirely sure, no. I observed a celebration taking place in North Ponyville though, with Volare as the centerpiece, accompanied by quite a few friends he's made due to his recent exploits."

Interesting...anypony stand out in particular?

"Yes, Rainbow Dash accompanied him almost from the moment he arrived, goading him into activities I doubt he would have done otherwise."

The Element of Loyalty, eh? I wonder what her game is with him...

"I couldn't say, sir. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say she seemed somewhat attracted to him, though I also noticed she brushed off any attempt for anypony to say so."

Ha! That rainbow freak's probably just looking for some stallion to lift her tail and show her a good time, especially if she got hammered! Hey F, how wasted did that idiot get, hahaha-ouch! Jeez Boss, ya don't gotta hit so hard!

This is supposed to be a private call, now get back outside, Jillian! Damn fools...Agent I swear you're the only decent one of the bunch.

Oh is that right, sir? What about me, hmm? Dear Jill hasn't given you nearly as much pleasure as I have...nor is she likely to, knowing her problems.

Shut it, Twisted!

Or what? You'll "burn my orifices shut" just as you've threatened for months on end? Pffft, you're one sad, lonely little mare. Why don't you go service your brother instead; at least he shares enough lonesomeness to be desperate enough to want a pathetic little nag like you-

SILENCE! Out! Everypony get out!

"Um...should I call back later, sir?"

No, because there won't be time...I'll be moving out to search for Her on my own soon and we'll be cut off for a while.

"You still haven't found her?"

No, it seems she picked an inopportune time to finally learn her lesson and stay hidden for once...gah, and we're running out of time. Winter will be upon us within a few months and once that happens, She and the rest of her brood will go into hibernation and be nigh impossible to find.

"Should I return and aid in the search?"

No, you're fine where you are...just remain hidden and complete the mission as you see fit. I trust that you'll be successful.

"Thank you for the confidence, sir. I won't fail you."

For your sake, you'd best hope not. Now come on Ray, you're going with me and Twisted.

Wait, what?! Why me, sir? Why don't you just take Jill instead?

Forgive me, but is that a hint of insubordination I detect in your voice, Ray?

N-no sir, but I just-

Do you fear being alone out there with us? For shame, I thought we had the utmost trust in one another...

No sir-uh, I mean yes sir! We do, sir!

Good, I'm so glad we see eye to eye, heheheh...besides, to be honest, I believe your capacity to cooperate with Twisted far succeeds that of Jillian's.

Ooooh yes, we certainly will cooperate, heeheehee...

Meep!

*click*

"I swear...useless," the Agent facehoofed and shook her head as the green-tinged communication enchantment faded into the morning mist. She peeked her head down through the cloud cover she'd concealed herself in and smiled at the little town below her, the residents oblivious of what was soon to take place if all went according to plan...

Octavia and Vinyl's house...

Rainbow Dash worked constantly to prove that she was the best in everything she possibly could, and although she conceded defeat in areas of higher academics to ponies like Twilight Sparkle, she did so only grudgingly; no matter, she'd just be greater in everything else to compensate! She hated losing and being weak! True, other ponies had weaknesses, but not her; not if she could help it! However, this determination to win was a double-edged sword, for the further ahead of everypony else she pushed herself, the further away from any help she'd hope to receive if she ever got into trouble. Oh well, no matter! If nopony's there to catch me, I'll just never fall! Yeah...never lose, never fail, never fall...never admit any weakness...never need any help...yeah...

Even so, try as she might, Dash couldn't escape the fact that as strong and fast as she was while awake, she shared the same weaknesses as any other pony while asleep, and those weaknesses included nightmares. But this wasn't just any old run-of-the-mill nightmare, she'd always tell herself whenever this one occurred; no, this was something that would often reduce her to waking up as a sobbing cyan shell of herself by the end of it-and the end was fast approaching.

Dash was flying over a strange land full of rolling hills, seven of which rose higher than the rest. Upon the seven hills lie a great and mighty city crowned by massive marble columns, arches, and walls, each decorated with the likeness of grim-looking and mighty ponies; heroes of wars long past. As she soared above the city, a crowd of ponies in strange off-white cloaks below shouted up to her, but they weren't praising her; rather, they were jeering her name and hurling threats skywards, promising her the worst pain and humiliation possible if she ever fell down to them. Above her, steely-sounding shrieks filled the air as shiny-winged shapes circled high above her, casting their foul shadows upon the crowd below.

Rainbow Dash squeezed her eyes shut and flapped her wings faster, trying to escape the snarls and shouts, but horribly, unbelievably, she began to lose altitude. Somehow, she was falling! No! No, no, no, no, anything but this! she thought as she strained her body against the force that dragged her downwards, the thundering hooves of the massive mob that surged beneath her growing in volume with every meter of height she lost. Soon, she was no longer flying horizontally, instead devoting all her effort, all her waning strength to keeping her nose pointed towards the sky as she continued to fall, her eyes filled with the sight of those horrid circling shapes screeching and flexing their horribly shining talons towards her.

No...no, please no, she sobbed, her tears mingling with the sweat that ran down from her forelock and burned her eyes, blinding her to the bright, welcoming sky above her and forcing her to shut them. With the welcome sight of the great blue dome cut off, Dash's hope faded and her strength finally gave out, her wings locking up as she plummeted towards the howling mob below. Morbid curiosity forced Dash's eyes open as she tumbled onto her belly in mid-air, her prismatic mane flashing colors all over the ponies below and lending a hellish light to their grins as the Unicorns among them turned their foreheads skyward to impale her upon their sharp horns.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she looked down, saw the forest of glittering eyes, teeth, and horns ready to receive their gruesome gift, and she let out the tiniest little whimper of terror that she was sure even Fluttershy would call pathetic. Dash felt the tears of regret and shame leak out of her eyes and trail up her temples before being caught in her ears by the wind that whistled past, the wind that betrayed her wings. Her greatest strength, gone. But why? Why? was all she had time to wonder before she squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared to strike the crowd chest first, just like every time before.

...but instead of the sharp stab of pain that always yanked her out of the nightmare, Dash felt something else beneath her; something soft and warm...and comforting. No, not something, realized as whatever it was under her was gently moving up and down as it breathed, blowing warm air through her mane as it did so. But somepony. Dash took in the sound of a gently thumping heart beneath her ear, her own breath slowing down closer to normal as the nightmare faded back into her subconscious...but not before she realized that whoever it was she was laying upon had been the one to save her in the dream...somepony had caught her...but who could it-?

It was then at that point that Dash opened her eyes and was greeted with a sea of Navy blue fur lying beyond the fiery forelock that had fallen over her eyes...fur that had the slightest remaining pattern of healing burns mottling it. Dash's eyes widened in surprise-Wha-but...how? As she leaned her head up to confirm that yes, she'd fallen asleep on Volare's chest, she felt a stab of pain in her forehead that caused her vision to swim as the effects of last night's drinking contest hit her full-force.

"Urgh," she groaned and laid her head back on Volare's chest, praying that nopony else saw this...still, he's nice and warm she thought as she gently snuggled back down against him, silently thanking him for...whatever it was he did to catch her in that dream. But as she settled her head back down, listening to the steady tha-dump of his heart, she felt a sharp little inhalation as Volare stirred and finally awoke.

"Owww...my head," he moaned, bringing a hoof up to his eyes and blocking the bright light of the morning sun, he too feeling the hangover effects of the booze he and Dash guzzled last night. After a moment though, he noticed he wasn't lying on the floor alone, and the last memories of the night rushed back to him as the pilot leaned up off the pillow behind his head and very nearly bumped his nose up against Dash's. "Ah-heh-heh, morning, Dashie," he chuckled nervously as she smiled; the sunlight filtering through her colorfully messy mane combined with her rose-colored eyes inches from his own caused his breath to catch in his throat as he realized she was laying fully against his body, a blanket over her own back and keeping their body warmth tucked in around them. Wait a sec...a blanket and pillow...on the floor...she's on top of me...oh shit! If he hadn't felt so weak and achy, he surely would have leaped up and tossed her off of himself in shock!
"Um, D-Dashie...?"

"Ye-*yawn*-eah, flyboy?" she yawned in the middle of her speech, a tear forcing its way from her eye as she smirked down at him, her mind still a bit hazy. She brought her forehooves up along his chest and arched her back with a little groan above him, cracking her shoulder blades and loosening her wings before flopping back down on him with an oof! "What's up? You ok?" She tilted her face up and smiled, rather oblivious to Volare's mounting concern.

"Did we um...oh god," he squeezed his eyes shut before asking the question. "Did we do anything last night?"

"Huh-what do you...agh, jeez!" Dash's mind snapped out of its haze and she leaned up off of his chest, blushing visibly as she realized what he meant-but she couldn't remember anything! "Uh, I dunno-do you remember if we did, Volare?" She'd almost prefer that nightmare over finding out she'd just done the deed with the guy she'd promised to watch out for.

"I can't...no, I don't remember," he shook his head and groaned. "Uh, do you feel...sore or anything?" he offered but received a half-hearted hoof to the nose in reply.

"Ha, don't flatter yourself too much there, flyboy," Dash glanced around pleadingly, but somehow there was nopony else in sight; nopony to vindicate them of this possible screw up!

"Damn!" Volare and Dash both hissed at once, caught the worried look in each other's eyes, and struggled to get up off the floor. But they were too woozy and achy to do so and Dash merely fell back onto him, growling at the weakness in her limbs. "Vinyl, where are you?" he called out for their hostess, and an off-white hoof waved itself above the turntables knocked over in the corner of the room.

"Huwah-over here," the DJ slurred, looking up over the fallen disc table and yawning mightily, her purple shades askew and her cerise eyes bloodshot. She looked over at the Pegasus pair on the ground and smirked in amusement. "Wazzup, Dash? Dare I ask what's up with you, Volare, hee-hee."

"Not even slightly hilarious," Volare groaned/growled and rubbed his sticky lips with the back of his hoof; his breath stank like fermenting apples and sugar from the rum, and he couldn't imagine how bad it was for Dash if he was breathing right in her face like this. They all looked up as Octavia trotted down the stairs and headed right for the coffee-pot, giving them a half-wave before pausing midstep and double-taking at the two pairs of ponies for the briefest moment of incredulity. She blinked owlishly, shook her mane with a snort, and continued towards the coffee; apparently waking up to Vinyl and Co. in...less than couth situations like this was old hat for her, and that made Volare even more self-conscious as to their predicament. He scooted slightly further out from under Dash and leaned up against the couch, blinking heavily and shaking his head drunkenly. "Vinyl, please...tell me Dash and I didn't do anything too serious last night?"

"Heh, you kidding?" a second voice snickered from behind the turntable as a bedraggled lemon-colored mane bobbed up over the top, soon followed by its owner as she sat up and hooked her forelegs over the table to keep from flopping back down again. Cloud Kicker smirked impishly at the sight of Dash laying atop Volare, faces red as apples before speaking. "You guys did plenty of stuff last night, some of the craziest I've ever seen at a party...though I don't think as wild as me and Vinyl got back here," she nipped the DJ's ear as Volare gulped visibly at the comment, Octavia again thanked her lucky stars her studio was sound-proof, while Dash simply got mad.

"What the hay do you mean "plenty of stuff", huh?! Better spill, Cloud Kicker or I...I'll demote you," the rainbow mare demanded with a growl.

"Sheesh, pulling rank on me this early in the morning, boss?" Cloud Kicker held up her hooves defensively, which only led to her toppling back over with a snicker. Instead of sitting back up again, she lazily raised a hoof into sight instead. "You guys did stuff over there, and out there, and over there on the couch, and even up on the wall," she pointed out the den, backyard, furniture, and the ceiling in turn, and with each location, Volare's eyes grew wider and wider. He finally closed them with a wince and turned to Dash with the most apologetic expression he could muster.

"S-sorry, Dash if we, um...yeah." To his surprise, she snorted softly and patted him on the chest, her head pounding too hard for her to get truly angry at the moment.

"It's ok, flyboy...I don't think we did anything that crazy last night and if we did...it'd be my fault cuz I dragged you into it," she leaned down and gave his flushing cheek a quick nuzzle, feeling guilty as all get out, though more for being caught in such a compromising position than anything else.

"Well, I went along willingly, so no, it's not totally your fault, Dash," he replied, accepting the nuzzle without a fuss. "And the more I think about it...the more I don't think we could have done anything; at the very least, AJ would've probably put a stop to it."

"Or told ya to get a room, heh-heh," Cloud Kicker laughed and wobbled to her hooves, slipping on one of Vinyl's discs and crashing backwards onto the DJ with a groan, eliciting a facehoof from Octavia and a derisive chuckle from Rainbow Dash.

"Ha, serves you right," Dash rolled off of Volare with a light groan and settled herself next to him against the couch, pulling the blanket back over them in an off-hoof attempt to shield them from the eyes of the ponies in the room. She leaned back on the cushion and sighed before nudging Volare in the shoulder. "So, uh...happy birthday?"

"Heh...yeah. Thanks Dash," he returned the nudge and they groaned in unison at the migraines lashing their skulls like twin hammers. "Jeez...we really overdid it last night, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding. Good thing Scootaloo and the rest didn't see us like that..."

"Ah, hell," Volare placed his aching head in his hooves. It was a damn good thing they hadn't, especially Scootaloo; the last thing he wanted was to be a bad influence on her. But Dash patted him on the back comfortingly.

"Hey, I won't tell if you won't, flyboy," she stuck her hoof out and he bumped it after a moment's hesitation. "Promise."

"Promise," he nodded and allowed himself to lean against her before she started giggling lightly for a moment. "What?"

"Heeheehee, did Solo Wing and Cipher ever get plastered like that?"

"Haha, considering how competitive they were, I wouldn't put it past them, Dashie," he shook his head incredulously, just enjoying the relative peace and quiet broken only by Octavia's near-silent coffee sipping and Cloud Kicker and Vinyl whispering and snickering behind the turntable. But, nature abhors a vacuum, and it answered via the front door swinging open and flooding the living room with bright sunshine and laughter.

"Goooood morning everypony!" Pinkie Pie practically sang as Dash and Volare shielded their eyes and Vinyl hissed like some sort of melodramatic vampire being burnt by the light. In hopped Pinkie Pie followed by Ravenfire who gave them a friendly smile and stood silently by the door. "I was told by AJ you guys had one heck of a party after I left and-oooh," the party mare waggled her eyebrows at the sight of Dash and Volare leaning on one another by the couch, the blanket covering everything from the neck down.

"It is so not what it looks like, Pinks," Dash waved a very dismissive hoof , and Pinkie caught her drift, trotting across the room and setting a sizable kettle down on the refreshment table. "Uh, wazzat?"

"Well, like I said, Applejack told me you guys got into some sorta crazy drinking game last night, and knowing how competitive and hard-headed Dashie is-"

"Hey, watch it," Dash waved a hoof in warning but nearly fell over as another migraine struck her.

"Like I was saying-I figured it'd get outta hoof, so I brought over something to cure what ails ya," she popped the top off of the kettle and an indescribable smell filled the room, causing Volare and Dash to wince and Cloud Kicker to start laughing uncontrollably, saying that was the same stuff Pinkie gave to Blossomforth the last time she got hammered and tried to come onto Cloud Kicker. Needless to say, the humor did nothing to alleviate the stench of what Volare could only attribute to something like burnt pickles and mayonnaise.

"Sounds like you're putting me in the same boat as her there, Cloud Kicker," Dash growled. "I was not trying to come onto Volare here," she hoofed him in the shoulder in emphasis. "If anything, I was trying to make sure you didn't get to him!"

"Ha, sounds like somepony is getting a little possessive of the new guy in town," Cloud Kicker stuck her tongue out at her boss, a risky move to say the least but she had a point which Ravenfire drew attention to.

"You were getting rather close to him last night, Ms. Dash; touching him in all the right places, as it were," the older mare smirkingly observed, much to Volare's mortification; he wished he could sink into the floor and disappear as the conversation continued around him.

"Yeah, well I only did that cuz I was drunk and cuz it threw him off his game," Dash hoofed the stallion in the shoulder as he gave her a shocked look.

"So you gave yourself an edge by turning me on...again?" he snorted.

"Well yeah, I like staying consistent," she shrugged. "What, it was all in good fun; and like I said: feel free to hit me right back whenever, dude. I'll keep score," she whispered the last bit with a rather suggestive tone, relishing in his slight recoil of shock.

"Cuz that's exactly what you want, I'll bet," he muttered, catching a quick hoof-noogie in response.

"Meh, that's for me to know and you to find out," Dash snickered, holding her forehead with a wince as the headache spiked while Pinkie doled out the strong-smelling drink. Volare and Dash sniffed the concoction and decided to drink it as swiftly as possible, though not because they were racing. The foul fluid went down thickly and it nearly bounced right back up Volare's gullet before Dash gave his hoof a helpful squeeze; this stuff sucked for her too. With that bit of encouragement, they downed the drinks and allowed Pinkie to push them outside, promising the sun would help them feel better in no time.

Somehow, someway, Dash's mind was once again boggled by Pinkie's wisdom for within half an hour of using the facilities and laying out in the backyard, their headaches subsided and were replaced with an insatiable hunger and thirst. Luckily, Pinkie had come prepared for this as well, and the two blue Pegasi devoured half a dozen blueberry muffins and two glasses of orange juice a piece before sighing in contentment. Dash looked up at the massive sundial in the backyard and groaned lightly-there was a rain shower due over the Southeast fields an hour ago and she was in no condition to help! She then noticed the expectant look on Cloud Kicker's face and it didn't take her long to grudgingly capitulate and allow her Lieutenant to take over for the day.

"Sweet, I'll even get Ravenfire set up and oriented in 10 seconds-"

"Don't you even dare steal that line, Cloud Kicker," Dash growled while Volare barely contained his laughter behind a hoof, yet again receiving an annoyed cyan wing to the face. "And you-don't you have somewhere to be, flyboy?"

"Um..oh crap, I gotta take Scoots to class!" Volare leaped to his hooves before Pinkie waved him down with a giggle.

"No worries, Volare-bear; I got it covered. Took her to class this morning before bringing Raven along from...say, where did you come from this morning?" All eyes turned towards the older mare, who smiled dismissively.

"I too enjoy a bit of morning exercise; I flew a few laps around the town to get my bearings and to figure out the wind patterns of the valley," she waved a hoof in a circular fashion. "And as rusty as I am in matters of weather control, the more familiar with the area I can become, the better, right?"

"Can't argue with that logic, but I gotta ask," Dash turned to Cloud Kicker with an eyebrow cocked. "Why'd you induct Ravenfire onto the Weather Team if we don't really need the extra help and she's not all that good-no offense, Raven."

"None taken, and you do have a point," the older mare slowly turned the attention back to Cloud Kicker. "Why ask me to join if I'll only slow you all down?"

"Um, eh-heh," the lavender Pegasus scratched the back of her mane sheepishly as Dash fluttered closer, her expression brooking no argument and demanding an answer. "Would you believe so she'd come to the party so I could introduce her to Lyra so they'd bang?" Volare's jaw dropped at her shameless statement.

"...seriously, Cloud Kicker?!" Dash growled and leaped at her Lieutenant, missing only because she was still feeling the lingering effects of her hangover. "I swear, you've gotta be the craziest, horniest mare I've ever met in my life! Why the hay did I ever hire you as a Weather Lieutenant anyways?!" She growled and swore as she chased Cloud Kicker across the backyard and into the air, while Ravenfire took the opportunity to lean in and whisper to Volare.

"I think you'd best be on your way before she takes something else out on you," she chuckled at his worried expression. "Oh come on, I saw her picking on you last night; it's kinda adorable actually."

"Ha, well you're not on the receiving end of it, ma'am."

"Even so, for a stallion to have the patience to deal with a mare like that...I guess I'm trying to say color me impressed," she gave him a respectful nod and looked up as Octavia approached, somehow ignoring the tussling Dash and Kicker in the tree above them.

"Ahem, if I'm not interrupting anything here, I do need to head to the Gilded Griffin to assist Trixie with the repairs; Volare you should come too since I'm sure you have to sign off on the supplies as you're the one who bought them. Come, Trixie and I scheduled to meet at 10 and it's 9:50 right now." Octavia's explanation alleviated Volare's momentary worries that he'd have to retrieve Trixie from Twilight's Library; he really didn't need the cellist nor the magician being dragged into this magical aura fiasco.

"Right," Volare flicked his gaze upwards to see the two Pegasi using clouds like massive pillows to wail on each other and decided that jumping into it wasn't worth it right now. "Ravenfire, let Dash know I'll be at the Griffin whenever she decides she's done doing...whatever it is she's doing, heh-heh."

"Yes sir," Ravenfire nodded curtly and settled down with Pinkie and Vinyl to watch the cloud-bashing match between the two Weather Officers as Volare snagged his scarf and goggles from the house before trotting into town with Octavia. By the time they'd reached the site, Octavia had explained that, contrary to what Cloud Kicker had likely insinuated, the time Trixie and herself had spent in her studio last night had been occupied by building plans and design ideas, a good sampling of which were folded up in the saddlebag Octavia was wearing. In addition, she also had to break the bad news to Trixie that all those ponies willing to help her last night were technically disallowed from doing so, as per the terms that The Mayor had signed off on, exchanging "community service" for jail time in Trixie's case.

"But surely The Mayor knows that it wasn't Trixie's fault, right?" Volare asked.

"I'm sure she likely does, but she also needs to keep up appearances. Besides, as Trixie told me, she needs to be seen doing the work herself if she wishes to redeem herself, both to her own conscience and to the ponies of Ponyville," Octavia mused respectfully. "One does have to admire her desire to do right by others and be accepted, hmm?"

Acceptance...what we all desire.
"Yeah, no kidding," the pilot missed the lingering smile on the cellist's lips as they arrived at the build site, with Trixie already ready and waiting, and Ferrum milling about and checking the veritable mountain of supplies that had been delivered earlier that morning. The elderly smith waved Volare over as Octavia approached Trixie, producing a wrapped package that she hoofed off to the magician before rejoining the pilot.

"Well, she's all accounted for, methinks," Ferrum smiled toothily, nodding towards the stacks of lumber, masonry, cement, bricks, mortar, and glass. "All the stuff you'll need to get this baby rebuilt better than she ever was, bless her," he scuffed the remaining foundation of the Griffin, all that really remained as the rest of the wall had come tumbling down during the gale a few days ago, leaving only the side room full of Lyra's human artifacts. According to Octavia, the lyrist should be by with Bon-Bon later that morning to retrieve their personal belongings, and Volare chuckled rather morbidly at the mental image of Bon-Bon freaking out over the remains of her business.

"What about you and I though?" Volare asked as he signed off on the supplies, allowing Ferrum to get back to the hardware store. "What do we do if Trixie can't receive assistance?"

"Oh, that's not entirely true, Volare," Trixie spoke up as she experimentally hefted a pallette with her magic; she'd brushed up a bit on levitating heavier materials with Twilight last night and she could tell the extra study session was bound to pay off. "I can technically request aid from a pony of expertise where needed, and since you paid for the materials, you have an interest in the result as well, allowing you to assist too."

"Ha, gotta love those loopholes," Volare chuckled. "But who're you going to ask for aid?"

"Well, actually," Trixie scuffed her hoof nervously and tilted her hat just enough to hide her face, her voice becoming tentative. "Octavia and I discussed this last night and...I believe she'd be the best one to ask for help." She looked back up, her face showing the slightest blush as she noticed Volare's curiously raised eyebrow. "I-I mean, think about it-we wouldn't have to pull anypony else away from their jobs, she's good in architecture, she can still compose her music while I work, and...well...she's nice t-to talk to..." Again she stared at the dirt, her cheeks suddenly fully flushed and burning before Volare patted her on the shoulder in understanding as Octavia stood nearby, hiding her own slight blush with a hoof to the cheek.

"Trixie, who you ask for help is entirely your business; and I believe you couldn't pick a better mare to help," the magician looked up and grinned in relief, hugging Volare quickly before realizing what she'd done and releasing him just as quickly. "Uh, heh-heh, you ok there, Trix?"

"Ah-yes I'm fine, I just...ahem...thank you" she straightened her hat and jeweled broach, still blushing like mad as she shot Octavia a little grin of victory, which the cellist met with a demure smile of her own before nodding towards the supplies, picking up the building plans Trixie had retrieved from Town Hall; they'd rebuild it on the same foundation and with a similar pattern, but with these newer materials, The Griffin would be grander than it ever was!

"Come on Trixie, Volare, let's get this started!"

...............................

Meanwhile, Dash finally waved the white flag and sent Cloud Kicker on her way to handle the weather duties for the day, taking Ravenfire with her to get her oriented with the rest of the team. The Weather Captain herself stayed behind long enough to help Vinyl tidy the house up. While doing so she learned that there was a distinct possibility that Volare had won the drinking contest last night, and the thought of losing anything, much less to him incensed the fiery mare (even if nopony else was sober enough to remember enough to care-it was the principle of it that pissed her off). Not only had he beaten her in front of her Weather Lieutenant, but he'd had the nerve to cuddle up with her on the floor afterwards; ooh, she'd get him back for that one! Without any real plan in mind, Dash headed south, down Wither Way and was just about to turn onto Stirrup Street when-

"Morning, Rainbow Dash!" The Weather Captain turned to see Twilight Sparkle trotting up to her, a tube-shaped parcel being levitated alongside her. "I was just finishing up a little presentation at the Schoolhouse and was headed to find Volare at the Griffin; I've got something here for him." The Unicorn stopped mere feet from Dash and though she gave her friend a beaming smile, Dash felt that familiar tightness grow in her chest-the seedling of fear. "It's not exactly a birthday present, but I figured he'd find it useful since he's trying to...Rainbow, are you ok? You seem tense," the Librarian's ears fell back in worry as she noticed that Dash was holding most of her weight on her back hooves, as if she were doing her best to subtly shy away from her without actually moving. "Did the party go ok?"

"Huh-yeah, it went...fine," Dash hesitated; she honestly couldn't remember what happened after Volare and her started drinking like fish and the last thing she wanted was for her friend, the one whom had trusted her to watch out for Volare, to find out that she'd let her down. But at the same time, this friend had tried to tear her apart a few days ago and-no, c'mon Dash, snap outta it! This is Twilight, your pal...she wouldn't do that again! Dash forced a smile that did nothing to assuage Twilight's worries, and the Unicorn took a tentative step closer.

"Dash, something's wrong."

"N-nothing's wrong, Twilight!" Dash crossed her forelegs insistently. "I'm just grouchy cuz I haven't eaten yet." But Twilight was far from convinced.

"Did something happen at the party last night?"

"No...ok, I mean, things might have gotten a little out of hoof," Dash winced; little was putting it lightly. "But nothing seriously bad happened, honest."

"You sure?" Twilight narrowed her eyes interrogatively but Dash matched her just as vehemently until the Unicorn sighed and backed off; it was easier to lift Tom by hoof than it was to pry information out of Dash when she was determined to keep it to herself. Oh well, if something really bad had happened, Applejack would have told me so. Changing tact, Twilight opened her saddlebag and held out one of the buttery croissants that Spike had fixed up that morning. "Here, this oughta fix your grumpiness at least." At the sight of the pastry, Dash's demeanor softened considerably, and she accepted it with a nod of thanks.

"Mmm, tell Spike these things kick major flank," the Pegasus grinned through a mouthful of dough before her gaze wandered towards the parcel Twilight was carrying. "Soo, wazzat?"

"Oh, this is the anemometer we used this past Tornado Day to gauge Wing Power," Twilight popped the top off the tube to reveal the partially disassembled fan blades folded neatly inside. "I was gonna ask you to help me gather some data on Volare's base wing power."

"Huh, why's that important?" Dash asked, licking the butter from her hoof and cocking a brow.

"Because it has to do with my theory on what happened to Volare's body when you brought him here via the Sonic Rainboom. I don't want to jump ahead of myself on this though, so I need you to record and bring his Wing Power up if you can."

"How high does he need it, and why?"

"As high as you can bring it because...well, suffice to say that the higher it is when you try to bring him back from Earth the better, and I'll explain it more in detail once I gather more research," Twilight's ears fell and she frowned. "I'm not gonna jump to conclusions again anymore if I can help it..."

"Ah, right..." Normally Dash would have offered her a word of encouragement or a pat on the back, but that tense feeling hadn't abated since she approached her. On the contrary, it had gotten worse, and even in her friend's moment of regret she only desired to keep some space between them. After a second or two of awkward hoof scuffing and wing flexing, Dash spoke up again. "So, you want me to get flyboy's wing strength up, right?"

"Right."

"Well, you came to the right mare, Twi; I won't letcha down," Dash puffed out her chest and grinned. "I'll have Volare up to speed in 10 seconds flat! Well, not literally-I'm awesome, but no miracle worker-but you know what I mean." At least that got a chuckle out of Twilight and allowed Dash to breathe a short sigh of relief.

"Well, don't work him too hard; and if he asks why, well...you're good at motivating him, and I trust you to get it done, Dash," Twilight smiled and hoofed over the tube. "The instructions for assembly are inside as well as the conversion data for-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Dash waved a dismissive hoof and grinned confidently. "I'll bet flyboy'll eat this math stuff up, heh-heh. See ya, Twi! Thanks for the chow!" As she turned to leave, a sudden thought crossed Twilight's mind and she tugged on Dash's tail.

"One more thing, Dash."

"Yep?"

"You know that patch Volare had of your mark inside his flight jacket?"

"Mhm, I remember," Dash nodded nonchalantly, though inwardly her desire to know what the hay was up with that lay just below the level of her dream of joining the Wonderbolts. "What of it?"

"I just gotta ask: you also wondering how he had it?" Twilight suddenly had Dash's complete and undivided attention.

"Hay yeah I am! You too?"

"Well, I'd be lying it I said it wasn't on my mind," Twilight admitted, she too desiring to know if Volare had just simply seen Dash during one of her exploits on Earth, or if another theory of hers was correct: that there was a deeper significance behind it...

"Lemme guess: you want me to get him to spill the beans on it? Well, say no more, Twi, I'll get him to talk," Dash winked and turned to take off again before Twilight could even consider objecting. "Like I said, I won't letcha down!" And with that, she jetted off, leaving Twilight slightly stunned that her curiosity had kept her mouth shut. But until she figured out the counter-spell she wouldn't be able to speak to Volare on the subject herself...so perhaps this was for the best; it was Dash's mark after all, so for her to be the one to discover its significance seemed fitting anyway. With a shrug of resignation, Twilight returned to the Library, trusting that Dash knew what she was doing.

Rainbow Dash arrived over the Griffin site in under half a minute, finding Trixie hard at work setting up the corner stones of the restaurant, while Volare diligently studied the building plans. Unable to resist the temptation, Dash landed and set the anemometer down before sneaking up behind the pilot, waited for just the right moment, and spoke right next to his ear.

"Heya," she breathed huskily, causing him to jump sideways in surprise.

"W-whoa, heya Dash; got me there, heh-heh," he chuckled nervously as she landed and leaned her head right in his field of vision as she pretended to study the plans as well. "Haha, very funny, Dashie," he nudged her out of the way after a moment, taking the expected wing smack to the head in stride as the mare nudged him.

"Soo...you helping Trixie with the building?"

"Nah, I'm really just checking out the plans for now."

"Then who's helping her, cuz Trixie doesn't really seem like a hooves-on type of pony," Dash observed. But somehow, Trixie seemed to be placing the masonry in the right place for the most part, only having to make minor adjustments as she used her magic to heft the bricks into place. As if in answer, Octavia's head popped up from behind a stack of lumber, waving a hoof and telling Trixie she had to erect the building's framework beams first, then the masonry. Dash caught the sheepish little grin Trixie shot towards Octavia before obediently switching tactics as the grey mare looked on with a smile, offering words of encouragement and advice where appropriate. Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes and blinked in disbelief before nudging Volare. "Dude, Octavia's got her whipped."

"Haha, yeah, you could say that, Dash," the pilot chuckled as Trixie magically flicked Octavia's mane and smirked, receiving a tiny glare and a threat of being bashed with a cello again from Octavia before they got back to work. "You guys need any help?"

"No, I believe we've got it well in hoof, Volare," Octavia replied from behind a pile of roofing shingles.

"But we'll call if we need you," Trixie added, hanging her hat on a nearby nail before wiping her forehead and continuing with her labor. Volare didn't exactly feel unwanted by their comments, but he didn't exactly feel useful at the moment either.

"So um, I'm just gonna head out with Dash and, uh-"

"Go get a bite to eat or something, Volare," Octavia waved her hoof in a shooing motion and smiled. "We've got this."

"Uh, you sure?"

"Positive," Trixie nodded with a sideways smile towards Octavia while Dash barely concealed a knowing snicker behind a hoof and nudged Volare with a wing.

"C'mon flyboy, let's leave'em be," she pulled him away, shaking her head all the while and speaking when they were out of earshot. "Dude, seriously...whipped!" Dash laughed and hoofed Volare in the ribs.

"I think it's kinda sweet, actually."

"Hmph, if you say so," Dash shrugged her wings and headed back to the anemometer. "So, you got any plans for today?"

"Uh, that's a good question actually," he tilted his head musingly. "I was gonna take Scoots to school, but Pinkie took care of that. And I was gonna help with The Griffin, but I got the distinct impression that Octy and Trix wanna go it alone for now."

"Heh-heh, you can say that again," Dash waggled her eyebrows. "From fighting to fillyfriends; crazy huh?"

"I wouldn't call them that just yet, Dash," Volare snorted lightly.

"Oh c'mon, seriously dude?" Dash hopped in front of him and flared her wings with a smirk. "You didn't see the looks on their faces? If they're not head over hooves for each other already, they're totally headed that way!"

"And I suppose you'd be the one to spot that sorta behavior in another mare, Dashie?" Volare snarked, dodging a swipe of her wing with a laugh.

"And just what the hay's that supposed to mean, huh?!" She shoved her shoulder against his with a growl. "You think I'm a filly-fooler or something?"

"Nope, totally not insinuating that," Volare insisted with a chuckle, catching a wing to the side of the head that made his ears ring.

"Good, cuz that's none of your business, capiche?"

"Si, senorita," Volare smirked.

"And cut out that crazy language too!"

"Why, does it bug ya?" Dash nearly answered yes before realizing he was playing the same game she'd done on him a few weeks ago. If she said yes, he'd keep doing it to punch her buttons.

Not gonna beat me at my own game, flyboy.
"...nope, not at all," Dash insisted.

"Oh good, then you won't mind if I continue, caballita," he grinned cheekily.

Damn! Oh you're good flyboy...you'll pay for that one later!
"Bleh, c'mon we've got an assignment from Twilight," she picked up the anemometer tube and grinned.

"What's that?"

"Let's head to my place and I'll explain on the way; we'll grab some chow from AJ's since she's right next door," she added and patted his side with a wing at the sound of his growling stomach.

"Sounds like a plan, chiquita."

"Grr," Dash growled, ignoring him for now as they sped off south.

......................

"Morning, AJ," Dash waved a wing as she snagged a hoof-full of apples from the trees surrounding the farm house, having left Volare below her cloud home to set up the anemometer using the included instructions. "Just borrowing a few of these for me and Volare; no biggie, right?" But when she heard an irritated snort rather than words of approval from her friend, Dash paused and looked down at her in bemusement. "AJ?"

"Not gonna lie sugarcube: ya'll pulled a whole bushel of dumb stunts with Volare last night at tha party." Applejack's words further let the wind out of Dash's sails to the point that she landed, her ears drooping and her face frowning in worry as Applejack approached her. "Ah'm tellin' ya what, if'n it weren't fer tha fact that Ah'd be in just as much trouble fer standin' there an' lettin' it happen with mah own cider, Ah'd have told Twilight what ya'll were doin' to that poor feller."

"Hey, he said he was ok with it, AJ," Dash tried to defend herself but trailed off under Applejack's withering gaze. "Ok, ok, so maybe I took it a little far, but nopony got hurt, right?"

"Nopony?" Applejack pushed her Stetson back and narrowed her eyes. "Don'tcha remember what happened?"

"Yeah, Volare and I got into a drinking game and...um...well, to be honest, I don't exactly remember how it ended," Dash rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Or much at all after Vinyl gave us those shots of rum..."

"Well, what's tha last thing ya'll do remember?" Applejack's tone softened slightly, her deeper concern for her friend's well-being showing through.

"Uh...Volare speaking Spanish and talking about some sorta jet squad," Dash scratched her head again and shut an eye in concentration. "And then waking up on top of the guy this morning...yeah, that wasn't awkward," she snorted, shaking her mane to cover the hint of blush that threatened to creep its way into her cheeks at the memory of looking down on Volare, all vulnerable and...no, no, shut it up, Dash! You're just lucky-no, he's just lucky he didn't try anything funny!

"Nothin' else?" Applejack pressed, oblivious of Dash's inner conflict. But when the rainbow mare shook her head again in reply, Applejack sighed and facehoofed. "Well, lemme lay it out fer ya: ya'll lost tha drinkin' game cuz ya'll got cocky an' stupid on booze. Then ya-"

"Whoa, wait a sec, so he did beat me after all!?" Dash cut her off with a growl and a glance back in Volare's direction. "Sleeping with me all warm and cozy and winning the game and just smiling like I'm not a big deal or something?! Grr, you got another thing comin' if you think that makes you better than me, flyboy!" Applejack just managed to yank Dash back to the ground by her tail before she took off, swatting her friend across the face with her hat when she turned to glare at her. "Hey, what's the deal, AJ?!"

"Will ya'll jus' listen for a cotton-pickin' minute, ya dern fool!?" Applejack snorted and stuffed the hat back on her head. "Ya'll need ta learn how ta lose gracefully, Rainbow Dash; 'sides, Ah doubt Volare could care less about that game'n a bull does fer his own pies. What ya'll should really be focused on is thankin' tha poor feller fer treatin' ya right despite ya givin' him blue wings half tha night with yer antics! Yeah that's right, don't pretend ya don't know what Ah'm talkin' about; we all saw it, Rainbow. It's like yer wantin' to make a good ole' dog bite ya just so ya got an excuse to whack'im on tha nose, an' that ain't right!" Dash was stunned for a moment, both by the normally level-headed Applejack's needling outburst and her demand that Dash actually thank Volare for waking up with him! But she quickly recovered with a dismissive wave of her wing and prepared to simply take off in irritation, apples or not, before her friend spoke up again. "An' if yer wonderin' how ya got all warm an' cozy in tha first place...it's cuz Ah'm tha one that set ya up that way."

Dash would have eaten dirt if she'd been in midair, and she rounded on Applejack so fast she nearly tweaked her neck out of place. "You what!? But you just said you didn't think me having a little fun with his head was right! So what's your game, AJ?" But Applejack was resolute as was her wont, and she motioned for the hot-headed Pegasus to calm down before speaking.

"When ya'll lost tha drinkin' game last night, which wasn't Volare's fault by the way-Vinyl drank the last of the rum fer herself-yer sore sport flank challenged Volare to a game of truth or dare. What ya'll whispered inta his ear Ah'd rather not know, but it got'im rattled enough that he followed ya on yer dare: ta beat ya in a climbin' match ta tha top of a shelf on a wall."

"Say what? Why would I-?"

"Like Ah said, ya'll were three sheets ta tha wind, so lemme finish," Applejack stamped a hoof lightly before continuing, Dash hanging on her every word. "Ya got ta tha top of tha wall at tha same time, if'n that's so darn important to ya," Dash winced at the sting of her comment. "But when ya got there, ya passed out and pulled'im off tha wall. Nopony was close enough ta catch ya but Volare, fer some reason er another, felt it right in his mind ta curl up under ya and take tha fall for ya, and when he did, he hit his head on the floor and was knocked out colder'n a cucumber."

Dash felt a twinge in her heart as she recalled the dream she had, realizing that as crazy as it sounded, not only had Volare caught her for real, but...did that mean he was the one to catch her in her dream as well? But what did that mean? How could he be the one to-

"-and so when Raven said he'd probably had a concussion Ah-Dash, are ya'll payin' attention?!"

"Huh-yeah I am," Dash shook her head and blinked twice, nodding for Applejack to continue.

"Right...so like Ah was sayin', since he probably got all concussed, we figured it was best ta not move ya'll, so Ah put a pillow under his head so he wouldn't be too sore in tha mornin' and then put that blanket over ya'll so ya wouldn't catch cold. That's why ya'll woke up like that so if'n ya'll wanna be mad at anypony fer what happened, ya'll better either blame me, or better yet, own up and blame yerself," Applejack snorted and after a moment of digestion, Dash sunk to her flank, her ears and features drooping as guilt hammered her heart. She felt a tear threatening to fall from her eye and she quickly fought it off, but the damage was done.

"I...I just...holy hay, I'm sorry Applejack," Dash rubbed her face with a hoof, but the Earth Pony remained as stoic as possible despite the rather moving scene of Dash apologizing which seemed to happen only once every dozen blue moons or so.

Heh, maybe he's a good influence on her er somethin', Applejack thought.
"Don't apologize ta me, sugarcube, cuz Ah don't need one," she patted her upset friend on the shoulder and nodded towards the navy blue and yellow pony fiddling with something on the ground in the distance. "But he could sure use one, er at tha very least a thank you fer catchin' ya like that." But as Dash raised her worried eyes to meet Applejack's, the farm pony realized just how tough that might be for her to do, and she backtracked ever so slightly. "Ah mean, Ah ain't sayin' go cryin' on his shoulder er nothin' cuz Ah know that ain't yer style," she smiled encouragingly and this seemed to lift Dash's spirits a bit. "But just...Ah reckon it'd make ya feel better if'n ya found a way to thank'm in yer own way, if'n ya'll catch mah drift, Dash."

"Mhm-*sniff*-I do," Dash nodded and smiled. "Thanks for clearing all that up, AJ; you sure saved his flank a good kicking, heheheh!" she chuckled, her more usual cocky grin back with a vengeance.

Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed-oh well, good enough.
"Just don't mess with'm too much er else ya might start sendin' mixed signals, Dash." She too knew about Dash's stance on stallions and if she knew, then Volare likely did as well. "He don't need his head bein' more muddled up than it already is."

"No promises there AJ," Dash spread her wings to leave. "But I'll do my best-ow!" She turned to squint at her friend who'd tossed an apple at the back of her head.

"Jus' given ya what ya came for, right?" Applejack chuckled as Dash mocked her country accent under her breath, scooping up a double hoof-full of apples from the trees before nodding her thanks and flying back towards Volare. "Ah swear, she's about tha darndest mare Ah've ever dealt with," Applejack shook her head and returned to her chores.

.......................

Dash returned to see that Volare had set up the anemometer without much of a fuss, and was standing back, proudly observing his work when Dash landed right behind him, causing him to jump yet again. "Aha, you just love doing that, dontcha Dashie?" he chuckled as she hoofed him an apple, already chowing down on her own.

"Yep," she grinned through a mouthful of fruit before giving the anemometer a cursory glance, nodding her approval and swallowing. "So, you ready to get this show on the road and see whatcha got?"

"Yep, for the most part I guess," he nodded in return as he studied the Conversion Chart Twilight had included in the instructions. It seemed simple enough: set up the anemometer 150 meters away and accelerate along the ground. The fan blades of the device would catch the wind generated by the passing Pegasus and translate it into wingpower using the formula Twilight had built it upon. But Rainbow Dash was less interested in the formula itself and more interested in seeing what Volare could do. And so, after setting up as per the instructions, they began.

"Ready?" Dash called out, and Volare nodded, setting his sights on the road adjacent to the distant anemometer.

"Set?" Dash grinned; doing stunts was one thing, but seeing how strong his wings were was quite another! "Go!!"

Volare pushed off the ground with a grunt and flapped his wings as quickly as he could, accelerating towards the device at what seemed break-neck speed. He'd left his goggles on the ground and he had to squint his eyes to keep them from tearing up as he neared the test distance, his heart pounding and his lungs heaving great pulls of air as he focused on keeping his legs as aerodynamic as possible. With a shout, he zipped past the anemometer, looking back over his shoulder and grinning triumphantly at how quickly the blades were whirring; but he wasn't paying attention and nearly crashed head-long into a dark grey Pegasus stallion trotting south over a low rise in the road.

"Hey, watch it!" the stranger shouted, his silvery mohawked mane billowing as he whipped his head to glare in irritation at Volare, who barely managed to dodge the three Pegasus mares trailing behind him: Cloudchaser, Flitter, and Ravenfire.

"Argh-dammit!" Volare cried as he over-corrected around Ravenfire, caught his wing on the road and flipped over, tumbling to a stop in a dusty heap and a groan, more of embarrassment than pain of having done so in front of Dash. Speaking of whom, it wasn't long before she reached his side and hauled him to his hooves.

"Jeez flyboy, you ok?" she dusted him off and gave him a once-over, paying special attention to his wings.

"Yeah, I'm good I think; just a little dusty," Volare chuckled and ruffled his wings. Dash gave him quick hoof to the chest and an encouraging smile before turning around to confront the four ponies whom he'd nearly crashed into.

"What the hay is your deal, Thunderlane?!" she snapped at the dark grey stallion. "He could have broken a wing cuz of you! What're you doing cantering around here anyway; don't you have weather duty? All of you," she glanced at the other three ponies as well.

"Show me a rule that says I can't canter down a road made for cantering and trotting, Rainbow Dash," Thunderlane shot back, giving Volare a terse look. "And we're all done with the mid-morning showers, thank you very much. Besides, what's he doing flying down the middle of the road anyways...and furthermore, what're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be "under the weather", Captain, as Cloud Kicker said?"

"Heh-heh, nice one," Cloudchaser snickered before being cowed by a glance from Rainbow Dash as Ravenfire cleared her throat. Cloud Kicker had mentioned to her how Dash wasn't exactly fond of Thunderlane and how the two were always butting heads, probably due to Dash's bias against stallions; why she didn't just kick him off the Weather Squad if she didn't like him so much was anypony's guess, but Ravenfire saw an opportunity to gain a little favor here if she could diffuse the situation as she stepped forward to speak.

"Ahem, may I say something?"

"Sure, go ahead," Dash conceded, really not wanting to deal with Thunderlane right now. She waved a hoof towards the older mare to speak.

"Just as Thunderlane said, they finished their shower duties-I just observed for today-and Cloudchaser brought up coming to visit to see if you were doing ok. And apparently you are, Ms. Dash," she nodded respectfully. "Looking much better than you did this morning that's for sure; perhaps it cleared up?" It wasn't until Ravenfire gave Dash a knowing little wink that she decided that this older mare was alright in her book.

"Yeah, a little," Dash rubbed her head and squinted at the noon-day sun. "Head still aches though; gotta be this Fall weather messing my sinuses up or something, eh-heheh."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Thunderlane scoffed before looking past Volare and Dash towards the anemometer still gently turning from the passage of Volare. "Oho, what's this? Showing off your wingpower again, Rainbow Dash?" Volare opened his mouth to explain but Dash preempted him.

"Nope, we already know how great mine is: 16.5," she grinned proudly. "Volare and I were trying to figure out his."

"Hmmph," Thunderlane trotted over and read the meter before bursting into sniggering laughter that burned Volare's face red. "Hahahohohoeheheh, you call that wingpower?" he pointed at the arrow on the device before covering up his face with a wing. "More like wing-lack-of-power!" Flitter and Cloudchaser trotted over to look at the numbers and both exchanged looks with each other before looking back at Volare, not sure if they should share in Thunderlane's laughter or not; they held their boss in a bit more respect than Thunderlane did and laughing at her friend-a friend that was getting to be well known around Ponyville in fact-probably wasn't the best way to get on her good side.

"Uh...good try?" Cloudchaser offered with a helpful smile while Flitter merely nodded, shooting the still-laughing Thunderlane a look of irritation before beckoning Volare over. The pilot reluctantly approached and looked at the number: 8.9-it didn't seem that bad to him. Then again, he'd expected at least 10 or something. Ravenfire looked at the number and shrugged; it didn't mean much to her, while Dash gave Volare an encouraging pat on the back, barely restraining every fiber of her being that just wanted to shut Thunderlane's laughing mug with 3 or 4 hooves at once. But the upper management ponies in Cloudsdale would probably chew her flank if she got into a fight with one of her Team Members over something so trivial, so she reluctantly held her tongue for now.

"Haha, what a joke!" the stallion continued to chortle, wiping tears from his amber eyes and grinning cockily at Volare when he didn't fight back. His ego stoked a bit, Thunderlane pressed on. "Seen better numbers from a one-winged filly-fooler, bahahaha!" Volare felt Dash's hoof on his shoulder tighten almost to the point of pain at the "one-wing" joke; Thunderlane obviously didn't know the history between Dash and the pilot. But just when Volare was certain that Mount Rainbow Dash was about to erupt, Ravenfire spoke up again in that same calm, even tone as before.

"You think you can do better, I take it?" her question caught Thunderlane's attention and he paused in his laughter to stare at Ravenfire, noticing that he was standing alone and laughing by himself.

"Course I can, you old nag. Tested out at 9.3 this past spring on Tornado Day."

"Uh, hold on a sec there, buddy," Rainbow Dash stepped forward, giving Ravenfire a quick glance of thanks as she took the lead. "You were sick on Tornado Day, remember? That 9.3 you pulled was only the prelim time...and I don't think I recall you testing your wingpower since then," she squinted at Thunderlane. "So how about it, pal? You care to put your wings where your mouth is and challenge Volare?"

"Uh Dash, what're you-oof," Volare was silenced by an elbow to the ribs as Dash continued to stare down the increasingly uncomfortable Thunderlane.

"Uh, I wasn't saying I was gonna challenge him or anything," the grey stallion muttered.

"Well why not, huh? You just saw his numbers and were quick to put him down for them; so I say it's time to put up or shut up!" Dash demanded with a grin. "But then again, if a wingpower test isn't your style for today, maybe you wanna challenge him to a sparring match instead!"

"Dash-oof!" Volare caught another elbow to the ribs and a quick glare from Dash that held a subtle but clear message: shut up cuz I've got faith in you. Volare obediently obeyed and as he continued to watch the exchange, a somewhat structured pattern began to emerge.

"Heh, that's more like it," Thunderlane cracked his neck and hopped up and down a few times. "Bring it-what're the terms?"

"To the blood, of course," Dash grinned and brushed the back of her head against Volare's neck. "But I gotta warn ya: flyboy here's got a lot more potential than you think."

"Hmmph, I'll bet!" Thunderlane stretched his wings and leered at Volare.

"Well maybe you don't know this, but he's only been flying for 3 days."

"Say what-three days!?" Thunderlane gaped, looking at Cloudchaser and Flitter for confirmation, but the two sisters merely nodded in reply.

"It's true: Scootaloo said he couldn't fly while we were blowing up that gale a few days ago," Flitter said.

"Yeah, so you know what that means, Thundermouth?" Dash's grin had become positively fearsome. "Means he went from zero wing power to 8.9 in three days! And as far as we know, you're still at 9.3 eight months later...so who's the more impressive flyer, eh?"

"Meh, but this isn't gonna be about wingpower," Thunderlane lowered his head, ready to rumble.

"How observant," Dash shot back venomously. "Lemme also add that he's got the killer instinct of a military pony and he matched me drink for drink last night at a party...and since we both know I can kick your flank at that little game-on multiple occasions, I might add-that means he can drink you under the table any time, anywhere! So if ya really wanna tussle with this guy, be my guest-but don't say I didn't warn you." By this time, Thunderlane's confidence had dwindled substantially, and he barely managed a growl before Dash subtly ran a wingtip along Volare's own wing, causing his feathers to flare against his will.

At first Volare was embarrassed until he caught the look on Dash's face, realizing she was trying to make him look bigger and more threatening to complete the bluff. Taking the hint, he flared his wings the rest of the way and puffed out his chest a little, fixing Thunderlane in the same fierce, silver-blue glare he'd used on Shae. The effect was near-instantaneous, and Thunderlane backed off a few steps before folding his wings and nervously glancing back towards town.

"Eh-heh, you know what? I think I uh...left something in the oven!" Thunderlane turned tail and took off.

"But you don't have an oven!" Flitter called out after a moment.

"Gah!" the grey stallion's mortified cry carried back to them, causing Dash to tear up and start laughing uproariously, clapping Volare on the back with a hoof as she did so. The pilot folded his own wings and chuckled softly, receiving a nod of praise from Ravenfire and respectful smiles from Cloudchaser and Flitter before they too took off after Thunderlane, mainly to make sure he didn't do something else stupid in his frustration.

"That was impressive, Volare," Ravenfire smiled before turning to leave. "But then again, from what I've seen you're just full of surprises." The older mare flapped her wings and took off, leaving Volare with a still-sniggering Rainbow Dash.

"Soo...what the heck was that all about?" Volare asked after Dash calmed down a bit. "You using me to get back at Thunderlane or something?"

"Hey, it's not like that at all, dude," she waved her hooves innocently, but relented at his skeptical look. "Well, ok it might be kinda like that," Dash smiled sheepishly. "Thunderlane's needed to be taken down a few notches for a while, but I can't really do it the way I want to cuz "Weather Captains are supposed to be above that kind of behavior," or so says the Cloudsdale bosses," Dash snorted. "Plus he had no right to talk to you like that. And since I knew Thunderlane is pretty much all bark and no bite..."

"Yeah, ok I get it," Volare nodded and chuckled. Dash threw a hoof around his shoulders and shook him gently.

"Well either way, you handled yourself great; just had ta give ya a little nudge there at the end to make ya look convincing, hee-hee," she smirked and ran a hoof along the edge of his wing again, making him jump a bit.

"Ah-haha, very funny, Dashie," Volare chuckled, surprising her by leaning into her touch for a moment. "You didn't have to jump in there and risk losing face in front of your Weather Ponies, ya know."

"Yeah, well..." she paused, his modesty catching her a little off-guard. "No big deal...plus somepony around here didn't have to catch somepony else's dumb flank when she fell off a wall last night." He looked down at her little smirk and snorted lightly.

"True, then again somepony probably didn't want somepony else to blame him later for not catching her," he replied coyly.

"Oh yeah, well what makes you think somepony else would do that, eh?"

"I dunno, probably cuz somepony else is a little full of herself and doesn't lose very gracefully-hey!" it was Volare's turn to be caught off-guard as Dash simultaneously hoofed him in the chest and nuzzled his cheek for a moment.

"Yeah, well somepony else should still say thank you," she whispered into his ear and nodded towards the previous confrontation location. "And consider that little freebie your thanks, flyboy." She stared into his eyes for a moment, smiled, and then hoofed him again. "But that means we're even now, so you better watch it," she growled teasingly.

"Haha, right," Volare rolled his eyes and trotted back to the anemometer, snagging an apple from the ground next to it and biting into the crisp fruit while studying the numbers. "So...is 8.9 really that bad?"

"Huh-nah, it's a decent start," Dash waved a dismissive hoof. "Besides, like I said, you've only really been flying for a few days, and there's plenty of room for improvement. Besides, if everypony had huge wingpower like me, then I wouldn't be as awesome," she hoofed him in the chest and smirked.

"Heh, or-*gasp*-you'd have to actually start putting effort into improving!" Volare snarked.

"Yeah, I'd-wait, what?" She growled and hoofed him a bit more roughly-that did it, it's on again! "Get your smart-flank mouth over there, cuz we're gonna do this till you can't fly straight!"

"...that could be dirty, Dashie," the pilot snickered, dodging a swipe of Dash's wing as she chased him back to the starting line.

............................
Late Afternoon...

For the next several hours, Volare repeated the wingpower test. Over and over, flapping his wings as fast as he could until sweat poured down his face and and his whole body ached. But although he showed a small amount of improvement the more Dash encouraged him, he couldn't push himself past 9.1 wingpower. Halfway through the afternoon he took a short nap, sleeping right through the CMC's visit. After getting the lowdown from Dash, the three fillies departed for town again, but not before Scootaloo gave her brother a tiny kiss of encouragement on the forehead, an action so adorable that it actually made Dash's chest ache.

The rainbow mare waited until the CMC were out of sight before trotting over to the snoozing stallion and kneeling down next to him. She could feel the heat radiating off of his tired muscles as she gently brushed a wingtip through his mane, using her feathers to wick the sweat from his forehead as she did so. He scrunched his face up a bit as he slumbered, mumbling something she couldn't quite hear. But as she leaned in to listen, she caught a whiff of the odor of a hard-working Pegasus, and she recoiled with a hoof to her nose although she also wore a smirk of admiration. Heh, he's really giving it his all out there.

Dash looked up to see the sun was nearing the horizon and sat up, looking for the nearest useful cloud. She spotted a fat grey raincloud near the base of her home and smirked down at the sleeping pilot before jetting up to retrieve it and position it over him. "Rise and shine, flyboy!" she laughed as she bounced on the cloud, dumping a torrent of cool rain on him.

"Agh-*glub-glub-glub*-the hell?!" Volare shot up, scrambling out of the frigid shower and glaring upwards in consternation at Rainbow Dash rolling and laughing on the cloud. With a little growl, he shot upward, intending to plow upwards through the fluff and knock her from her perch. But she saw him coming and at the last moment she stood up on the clouds and focused her weather control with a grin. Volare hit the bottom of the cloud, sank into it a few feet, and rebounded back towards the ground, spitting fluff and shaking rainwater from his mane. "I swear, Dash!" He soared up above the cloud and hovered down towards her, aiming to tackle her but his tired wings suddenly gave out on him and he fell the final few feet instead, landing next to her on the cloud with an oof and a groan. Before he could act, she'd grabbed his shoulders and deftly flipped him over on his back, holding him down as he blinked the rain from his eyes, his breath catching in his throat as she leaned down over him and grinned devilishly.

"Well well, is this the bird in the hoof that's worth two in the cloud?" she chuckled and allowed the very tip of her fiery forelock to trace its way over his forehead, sopping up rainwater as it went. "Nice try but...your weather skills stink," she leaned in and did something utterly surprising to him: she sniffed him!

"Uh, Dash-?"

"But at least you don't anymore," she leaned back up and patted his chest before hauling him to his hooves. "Relax flyboy, I just didn't want some stinky stallion reeking up my place; now grab that ane-whatzit and c'mon." Volare shakily obeyed, still a little shocked at just how quickly she could toy with him as he bundled up the device, grabbed their belongings, and followed her towards her tower-like house.

"Wait a sec, you said you didn't want me stinking up your-?"

"Yep, you're staying with me till further notice, dude," Dash explained as they gained altitude, staying near him in case his wings gave out again. "Why, you're not afraid of little ole me, are ya?" she waggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Ha, no way," he shot back with a grin into the wind.

"Good, cuz I talked it over with Twilight and Pinkie and we all three agreed this was the best place for you to stay, seeing as how the Ponyville Inn kinda got burned down," she said off-hoofedly as they landed on her front porch. Rainbow Dash reached into her saddlebag and pulled out her house key, unlocking the solid bronze door and leaning on it with a grin. "Had a Unicorn enchant this baby so it'd stay attached to the house and float up here," she gave the metal portal a solid, ringing tap of her hoof. "Nopony in or out without my say-so, got it?"

"Right," Volare nodded, grateful he hadn't given into temptation and toured Dash's house himself when Derpy had offered. "So, why would you be ok with me staying with you, exactly?"

"Like I said, we decided it was for the best; besides, got plenty of workout equipment for your wings here and..." she pushed the door open with a proud smile, revealing the cavernous multi-storied tower interior. "Plenty of space!"

"Wow," Volare gaped, his vision trailing from the red lightning bolt banner hanging from the ceiling to the spiraling staircase that encircled the interior of the tower, and finally over to a side wall covered in what looked like colorful posters. He shivered as the cold, high-altitude breeze caressed his rain-soaked body and he shot Dash a sheepish grin. "Heh-heh, a little cold up here."

"Haha, Scootaloo said the same thing when I showed her my place a while back," she replied as she nudged Volare inside and shut the door, hardly believing that had been barely ten days ago. But she shook the recollection from her mind: it wasn't a little filly she'd invited into her home, but a fully-grown Pegasus stallion...a stallion that still had it coming for his little cracks earlier. But he was in her domain now, she snickered inwardly as he obliviously sat the anemometer on a countertop and hung his goggles and scarf on an ice spire hat rack jutting from the wall; she only needed to wait for her chance.

"Damn, Casa de Dash is pretty sweet," Volare beamed, his face catching a towel that Dash tossed at him.

"Hey, I said knock it off with the fancy talk, alright? I dunno if you're saying something bad about me or not, ya know? Now dry off before ya catch a cold," Dash muttered as she headed for the small kitchen nook, crossing the fluffy floor and leaving little puffballs of cloud in her wake that fluttered back down to rejoin the floor after a moment or two of wandering. She kept an eye on Volare as he wandered about her home, chuckling at how careful he was being to not touch anything. "Dude, loosen up-my place is made of clouds. It's not like you can break anything on accident. I made this place practically Derpy-proof!" To emphasize her point, she punched a large dent in the wall that lasted only a few seconds before the clouds filled the dent back in.

"That's amazing, Dash!" Volare gushed, poking at the wall with an astonished grin on his face. "Just think of how much good this'd do folks on Earth!"

"Heh, yeah well the enchantments I payed for to put this place together didn't come cheap, so it's not like I'd help'em for free," Dash clattered around in the kitchen, accepting Volare's help in throwing together a quick meal of baby spinach salad and carrots, topped off with the apples from the farm. The two ate in near silence-for a bit, Volare more distracted by the astonishing building surrounding him while Dash simply stared at him thoughtfully. She'd never in her wildest dreams thought she'd ever have a stallion enter the sanctity of her sky-house, but not only was there one there, but she'd invited him and fed the guy! Times had certainly changed...meh, I know him well enough to know he won't try anything stupid, so I guess it's ok as long as he behaves himself.

"So," Dash broke the silence as she picked at a particularly elusive carrot.

"So," Volare replied, having finished his meal and gazing upwards about the towering home.

"What's on your mind, flyboy?"

"Oh, I dunno. Just thinking about how crazy this whole experience has been," he placed his hooves behind his head and sighed. "Less than a month ago, I was flying a jet...and now this," he gestured around at the house. "I mean, I gotta thank you, Dash-and not just for letting me stay here," he leaned forward, grasped her hoof and looked into her eyes. "For everything...rescuing me so many times and just...being there for me, ya know?" Dash felt the heat grow in her cheeks a bit as she met his gaze, holding it for a moment before shaking her head and chuckling.

"Aww, just me being me, remember?" she smiled in reminiscence.

"Yeah I know, you say that but...I dunno," Volare's eyes trailed away, pretending to be very interested in the salad as he gathered his thoughts. He'd never been closer to simply telling her the truth about everything he'd known about her right then and there. But he stuffed those thoughts away in some dark corner of his mind as he remembered that not all the things he remembered her for back on Earth were wholesome...some were downright disgusting, and he doubted she'd react well to them, as sorrowful as he was for them. And so he resolved himself to never tell if he could, though that meant he'd never be able to fully come clean about how inspiring she'd been for him...about how she'd pulled him from the darkness...heh, she'd probably brag to me about that forever if she found out.

"Volare?" Dash shook his hoof lightly. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm...ok," he nodded insistently. "Just your cooking getting to me, heh-heh."

"Pfft, well you made it too!" she shot back, flicking the elusive carrot off the end of his muzzle with a cheeky grin. "Anyways, I'm full-hey, wanna see something pretty sweet?"

"Sure." They quickly cleaned up the kitchen and Dash led him around to the living room, waving a hoof at the large collection of framed Wonderbolts posters festooning one of the walls. "Check it out; got all the current members: Spitfire, Soarin', Fleetfoot, Blaze, Fire Streak, High Winds, Lightning Streak, Misty Fly, Silver Lining, Surprise, and Wave Chill; heh-heh, got to hang with him after I won the Best Young Flyer's competition," Dash pumped a hoof proudly. "Best Day Ever!"

"Haha, I'll bet," Volare smiled at her enthusiastic presentation of her personal idols. But as his gaze drifted over the framed and neatly hung posters, he eventually came to a poster that was much smaller than the others. It was much rougher around the edges and didn't hang in a frame, the edges curling every which way and doing nothing to hide the years worth of crud that had accumulated on it. "Got some dirt on this one, Dashie," he licked a hoof and made to wipe off a smudge but was nearly knocked for a loop as Dash hip-checked him out from in front of the poster. "Whoa, was it something I said?"

"No, it's just...this one's important to me, ok?" she held a protective wing over it, her breathing slowing as her momentary panic subsided.

"Sorry...can I see it?"

"Yeah, just be careful-and don't touch it!" she warned, lowering her wing and revealing the pony emblazoned upon it. Volare stared up at the picture intently, noticing it was printed in a much older style than the other more modern posters. The colors were washed out and faded, but he could just make out the mare's pink wings and bright blue mane that poked out of the light blue Wonderbolts uniform. But much of her face was hidden behind a pair of standard-looking flight goggles, though her confident grin showed prominently as she stood upon a crag, one hoof cocked towards her face in a salute. Volare searched for a name, but again, unlike the more modern posters that proudly displayed the names of the flight members, this one either lacked it, or it had been torn off at some point. Volare turned back to inquire of Dash only to giggle at the pose she was striking; emulating that of the pony on the poster.

"Heh-heh, nice one, Dashie," she returned the salute and nodded at the poster. "Who is she?"

"Um..." Dash's grin faded and her ears drooped as she hesitated, chewing her lower lip for a moment before speaking up. "I would tell you...thing is, I kinda promised to keep her name and stuff between me and her." Dash sighed and turned towards the window just as the last rays of the setting sun sank below the western horizon "It...honestly probably doesn't matter anymore," she continued, still turned from Volare. "But I made her a promise and I'm gonna keep it, ya know?"

"Aww, ok," Volare frowned in mild disappointment. "Just kinda interested in why that poster is so important, that's all." At his frown, Dash relented a bit and hoofed him in the shoulder with a small smile.

"But I will say this: she taught me a lot of what I know and...guess you could say she's kinda my inspiration, heh-heh," she chuckled fondly before shaking her head. "Maybe I'll tell ya more some day, but not now, k?"

"Ok. Thanks for the consideration, Dashie," he nudged her back with a smile.

"It's what I do when I can," she winked and returned the nudge with her wing, her mind suddenly drifting to...other things as he yawned. You're not the only curious Pegasus in this house, pal. "You tired, Volare?" she asked abruptly.

"Uh, yeah a good bit, actually," he conceded, lifting his aching wings with a groan. "Gonna be sore tomorrow!"

"Hmmph, well I don't have a spare bed here, but we can grab some softer clouds tomorrow and make ya one. In the meantime, that couch over there was imported from Prance according to Rarity, and is pretty darn comfortable," Dash nudged him towards it. "Go check it out."

"Haha, ok ok, I'm going," Volare chuckled as he trotted across the floor of the tower. But before he got halfway there, Dash spoke up.

"Oh hey, not wanting to brag or anything-"

"Yeah, cuz that's so outta character for you," Volare quipped.

"Very funny-but what I was going to ask was if you'd wondered how this house was being supported, being made of clouds and all."

"Actually, I think I know-the base is made of ice, right?"

"Yep, that's right. And layered on top of that is 3 feet of the softest, bounciest cumulus you'll ever feel," Dash approached him, bouncing slightly as she did so in emphasis. "Heh, I've even slept on the floor here every now and then just cuz it's so comfy. Go on and give it a bounce, flyboy."

"Oookay," Volare cocked a brow but complied...and she was right! "Hah, at the risk of sounding cliche, it's like walking on air!"

"Nah, this is way better than air, flyboy!" Dash bounced a little higher than him with a smirk, inviting him to try to go higher.

"Everything's just a game to you, isn't it Dash?" Volare reiterated as he followed her lead, bouncing off the ripple she caused in the clouds as she landed and using it to launch himself higher than her. "Haha-hey, this is pretty fun, Dashie," he admitted as she bounced again.

"I know, right?" Dash grinned, springing halfway to the level of the next floor and coming down with great enough force that it sprang Volare up into the air before he was ready. And before he could recover, Dash zoomed up into the air and wrapped her forelegs around his body, expertly pinning his wings to his sides while supporting their combined weight with her mighty plumes. Volare realized he'd walked right into a trap of some sort and it was confirmed when he looked down into Dash's devilishly grinning face. She leaned upwards and booped her nose against his before folding her own wings up and allowing them to plummet to the floor below, Volare shouting in panic the whole way down.

But instead of bouncing off the floor, Dash let go of him at the last moment and landed on the clouds hooves-first as he landed on his back and sank into the fluffy floor. He rolled to his hooves and glared at Dash, making to climb out of the fluff but found that his legs were being gently but firmly held in place by the clouds surrounding him, leaving just his neck and head poking up out of the floor. "Ok Dash, what's the big de-" Volare's voice died as his throat tightened in panic when he looked up to see Dash's face was wearing the most mercilessly devious smirk he'd ever seen in his life. Oh my god...

"What's wrong, flyboy? You stuck?" Dash teased as she trotted around him, like a shark slowly circling its prey.

"Uh-yeah, kinda am," Volare did his best to stay calm, but the growing feeling of semi-panic reached a new level as he felt Dash's prismatic tail whisk past his muzzle and curl its way under his chin, lifting him to stare up at her flank as she bent down to look at him with half-lidded eyes. "D-Dashie?" he stammered as her tail slowly, languidly trailed its way down his neck and back up under his chin, keeping his eyes riveted upon her body. "What're you...d-doing?"

"Getting what I've been wanting ever since I met you, flyboy," Dash's voice became husky as her tail slithered away from his chin and she turned to face him, bending down over him and whispering into his ear. "I've been waiting patiently for this for weeks now...and I'm tired of waiting. Time to pay the piper, Volare," she lightly nipped the tip of his ear, causing him to shiver as she nuzzled the little spot just below the base of his ear; the little spot that Volare's fogging mind recalled was some sort of erogenous zone on...oh no, no, no! he thought as he felt something rise through the clouds above his back, his fears confirmed by Dash's playful little squeak of mock-surprise.

"Well, hello there," she purred, running her feathery left wingtip over his shoulder and towards his own wing, tracing a path from the base and halting halfway to the primaries when Volare gasped sharply. "Oh...you like this, eh?" she playfully touched the leading edge of his wing again, her light touch exploding like firecrackers in Volare's mind. God yes he liked it... but no, this-this wasn't right...was it?
Volare's thoughts nearly detonated in a prismatic kaleidoscope as Dash's wingtip finally slid up against his own primaries, their feathers intertwining like the most sensitive fingers he could possibly imagine; only the barest shred of resolve which had kept him in control for this long remained. "Wow, has anymare ever told you your feathers are huge?" Dash chuckled and brushed against them again, and Volare felt his inhibitions fading as he leaned into her touch against his will, groaning slightly as she suddenly pulled her wing away.

Crap, just a little too much there, Dash, the Pegasus thought before changing tactics. She again lifted his chin, this time with her hoof and grinned before booping her nose against his again. "You ok there, flyboy?"

"Ah, why're you doing this, Dash?" Volare moaned, blinking his eyes and trying to glare into hers. But try as he might, he couldn't get mad; all he saw was fierce beauty in her smiling rose-colored eyes. Dash sensed that his resolve was crumbling and decided to explain herself.

"Like I said, you got something I want," she said huskily, her even breaths intermingling with his short, panting ones. "And since this is the best way to take you off your game...well, you did say I was an efficient bitch, right?" she chuckled, licking the end of his muzzle and causing him to recoil a bit, his senses somewhat regained. Good, I don't want him enjoying this too much.

"Uh, would it help if I apologized for that?" he laughed nervously.

"Hmm...I'll consider it later. But for now...I'd rather not take what I want from you, but if you don't wanna cooperate or don't remember...perhaps I can remind you...and you got till the count of 10," she backed away and slowly and teasingly turned so her flank was facing him. She smirked back at him again, her tail curling around and gently cradling the back of his head in case he fainted, which he very well might judging by how stressed she was making him.
"One," she purred, beginning to lower her flank towards his suddenly wide-eyed face, chuckling inwardly and relishing his panicked reaction as he tried to pull away, but her clouds and tail held him still.
"Two..."

"Can't we talk this out?!"

"Nope, we're kinda past that, I think...three..." Lower...

"C-c'mon Dashie, this is a joke right? Hahaha-see, I'm laughing, great joke!"

"No joke-four..."

"Eeep!" Volare squeaked in his throat as he shut his eyes to block out the sight.

"Aww, thought you weren't afraid of little ole me, flyboy," Dash snarked. "Five..."

"Yeah, well I didn't think you literally meant that!" the pilot leaned away from the approaching heat.

"Thought wrong I guess-six..."

"Th-this isn't right, Dash, c'mon!"

"Says who? Seven..." Lower...

"This is some kinda rape, you know that?!" That got Dash to pause for a moment as she contemplated that statement before giggling.

"I dunno...your mouth may say no, but your body says yes...yes...yes," she was close enough now that she was able to slide her tail over his shoulder and tweak his sensitive wingtips. "Besides, we're a half mile in the air; not like anypony can hear you scream up here...oh yeah, eight..." Jeez, I hope this works cuz I'm about all out of ideas after this, she thought to herself as Volare pulled further back. "Oh gimme a break," Dash muttered. "Flyboy, open your eyes."

"No way, Jose!" Volare shook his head vehemently.

"C'mon, it's nothing that's gonna bite ya, promise," she urged, her tone changing from seductive to frustrated. "And knock off that fancy talk!"

"Yeah right, I know exactly what's in front of me...and...like hell I'm gonna open my eyes!"

"Volare, open them now!" Dash growled, giving his head a gentle shake with her tail. His eyes reflexively snapped open...and he stared. But not at what he'd expected: instead, his vision was filled with the cyan curves of the side of Dash's flank, specifically her prismatic thunderbolt cutie mark. A little sound akin to relief mixed with confusion whistled from his mouth and Dash shook her head and snorted. "I've got questions I want answered, and you've got the answers...you know exactly what I'm talking about so no more playing dumb to get some freebie feel-ups!"

"Freebie feel-ups...what the hell, Dash," Volare gasped, the gears in his mind struggling to start turning again. But once they did, his face lit up with realization that he expressed in a short "Oh."

"Yeah, I figured you knew what I was talking about, pal," Dash's voice dropped back into that husky tone again. "So are ya gonna tell me what I wanna know...or do I have to start counting again? I think we were at eight..."

"C'mon Dash," Volare whined audibly, receiving an irritated smack from Dash's tail.

"Don't whine to me, flyboy; I know you're better than that," she chided. "Or I guess we're about to find out if I'm right, eh? Nine..."

"Dash, just," Volare's mind raced at full steam now, searching for way out. Can't move, can't talk her out of this...think-think-think-think! But she's like a damn mare possessed-she won't give up the game for any-wait, that's it! "Gimme a fighting chance!" he demanded, and she paused again, head on a tilt.

"Whatcha got in mind?"

"You like games, Dashie?" Volare grinned desperately.

"Heh, do Pegasi fly?" Dash turned more towards him, though her flank still remained within threatening distance. "What sorta game?"

"Truth or Dare!" he gasped, staring into her eyes pleadingly, praying she'd bite.

"...seriously?" she cocked a brow, her tail leaving his face and she turned to fully face him, kneeling down to his level as she did so.

"As a heart attack." Gonna have one if she says no...

"How's that work here?" Dash queried curiously.

Yes!
"Well, um...you wanna know the truth about that patch, right?"

"That's pretty obvious," Dash chuckled, ruffling his mane with a hoof before frowning slightly. "But you're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Nope, you're gonna have to earn that, Dashie," Volare shot her a friendly grin, his heart-rate leveling off again; oh yeah, he had her hooked. Now it was time to close the deal. "And since I won't tell the truth, you gotta dare me to do something."

"Interesting, but how does that get me the answers I want, eh?"

"Cuz if I can't complete the dare, I have to tell the truth...but that same rule applies to you, Dash," he smiled despite his compromising position. "If I complete a dare, then it's my turn to ask."

"Hmm...what're the other rules?"

"Oh, um..." Volare chuckled proudly to himself-if she was asking for more rules, she was almost sure to accept now! "Terms are limited only to the dares; they gotta be reasonable. Like, no daring me to do a Sonic Rainboom or something like that."

"Well, duh," Dash rolled her eyes and giggled. "So is the game on all the time or...?"

"Nah, let's be reasonable here. How about....once a week?"

"Fridays sound good," Dash nodded before fixing him with a cheeky squint. "But what makes you think I'll accept these terms, hmm?"

Volare grinned defiantly and played his trump card.
"Cuz I know you love to win...and you're not one to back down from a challenge, Dashie. So how about it?"

"Grr...you drive a hard bargain, flyboy," Dash growled softly. "But...I think this could be even more fun." She playfully nipped his ear before hovering off the floor. "You can move now."

"Whew, thanks Dashie," Volare breathed a sigh of relief before staring after the Pegasus as she sauntered towards the stairs. "Wait a sec, where're you going?"

"To bed cuz I'm tired," Dash answered matter-of-factly, her mind already working on what kind of dare she could propose for Volare.

"So you're ok with this?"

"Eeyup."

"Just like that?" he followed tentatively after her.

"Mhm."

"No tricks?"

"Nope."

"No apology for...well, all that crap?"

"Hmm...nope, cuz I say you deserve it for those cracks about my sexuality, beating me in the drinking game, trying to knock me off the cloud earlier, and touching my stuff," she smirked over her shoulder at Volare's incredulous expression as she continued to climb the winding staircase. "But...I'll say we're totally even now. Oh, and for not wanting to have that sorta fun with me, you sure seem to be eager to follow me to my bedroom," she snickered as Volare backpedaled down the stairs, his face blushing furiously. "That couch is comfy, trust me."

"Ok um...you just better not try anything while I'm asleep or something," Volare warned, but Dash stopped dead in her tracks.

"You know, I wasn't thinking about it, but now," she shot him a cheeky grin. "I just might."

"Gah! I swear I hate you sometimes, Rainbow Dash!" Volare snarled and stalked off down the stairs before he felt a sudden presence behind him and two forehooves encircle him from behind as a soft wing-breeze blew past him.

"Hey I...I'm sorry, ok?" Dash laid her chin on his shoulder and simply breathed for a moment as she tried to calm him down. "I never wanted you to hate me..."

"I know, I know...I didn't mean it, Dash," Volare sighed, leaning the side of his head against hers and feeling her heart beating against his wings. "Just tired, that's all. I'm sorry."

"Hey, me too," she gave him a final squeeze and released him, allowing him to face her. "So let's just get some shut-eye, ok? We'll get to your workout stuff in the morning and leave this game til Friday; let's have fun with this. Deal?"

"Deal," he nodded and accepted her quick nuzzle.

"Besides, if I was gonna mess with you, I wouldn't warn you first," she snickered softly, drawing a facehoof from the pilot.

"Hahaha, funny...I gotta ask though: where'd you learn to be so tactful?" At his question, that familiar cocky smile cracked across her face again and she hoofed him softly before hovering backwards up the stairs.

"Hey, cuz I'm Rainbow Dash," she grinned before shooting him a jaunty salute and zooming up to her room, crashing audibly onto her bed as Volare shook his head in amazement.

Crazy mare, he thought with a chuckle as he headed for the couch, his exhaustion leaping upon him like a starving predator the moment his head hit the pillow. On one hand, he was now living with his personal inspiration, but on the other...well, her ridiculously competitive nature seemed to know no bounds and he wondered just how much of her playful crap he could take before he totally lost it. Still, considering how much she'd done for him...he felt he owed her his best effort in return. I wonder just what the hell I've gotten myself into...

.......................................

Canterlot, Mid-Evening...

Dear Princess Celestia,

Volare's adjustment of being a Pegasus is going very well, all things considered. He, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and I have come to terms on why he and I need to keep our distance from each other until I find a spell to counter the magical properties of his body. In the meantime, I've entrusted his training and further orientation to Rainbow Dash, whom I feel I owe the benefit of the doubt after our rather nasty encounter a few days ago.

In addition, The Great and Powerful Trixie has begun reparations to the damages she caused while drugged by the criminals Ray and Jill. Following this, I've agreed to tutor her in the ways of Unicorn magic beyond those of mere illusion.

I wish you luck in the apprehension of those criminals and we'll keep an eye out around town here. Again, thank you so much for clearing up the situation between Volare and myself; I don't know what we'd have done without your council. Speaking of which, I remember you saying you wished to speak to him soon, and I hope you'll be pleased to know that as soon as the counter-spell is applied, I'll be coming to Canterlot with Volare for further research and so you may meet him in person.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

PS: Spike says to tell Luna hi.

Celestia lowered the letter and glanced over her writing desk towards her younger sister, who was wearing an expression that lay somewhere between disbelief and disappointment. "Is something the matter, Luna?" Celestia asked as she filed the letter away.

"Yes, there very much is, Tia: I can't believe you told her that in place of the truth," the Night Princess snorted, drawing a look of ire from the Sun Goddess.

"Do you doubt my judgement in these matters, sister?"

"No, I don't doubt your motives, Tia, for they're in the right place...but to lie like this to your most faithful-"

"Don't patronize me, Luna," Celestia's voice dropped an octave. "I know what I did and more importantly why I did it. It was not a lie; did you not see how he'd affected her?"

"A half-truth, then..."

"...Be that as it may, she still doesn't need to be get mixed up with a human-"

"But he's different from what you perceive him to be, sister," Luna took a step forward but halted at Celestia's dangerous gaze, though the Sun Goddess quickly relented with a rub of her eyes.

"Even if he is as you say, you know Twilight Sparkle doesn't need that sort of distraction from her destiny."

Luna's ears drooped as she hung her head in defeat. "Yes, that is true...I just wish there was a better way."

"Believe me, I don't wish hurt upon her, Luna," Celestia trotted forward and laid a hoof on her sister's shoulder, her resolve overcoming the remorse welling up in her being. "I wish there was another way as well..."

Author: Whew, that's probably gonna be the last uber chapter for a good while, folks!
Prepare for some time skips!
...who was that mysterious Wonderbolt? ;)
And for those who said the explanation for Twilight's feelings for Volare seemed fishy...remember that we were hanging on the words of one of the most manipulative characters in the story: Princess Celestia. And you were right!
I wonder what sort of shit'll hit the fan if Twilight finds out she was lied to like that...
And speaking of shit hitting the fan, how about poor old Volare's situation? XD
Volare: NOT funny
Author: Well, somepony else thought it was funny
Volare: Yeah, well somepony thought that was a buncha crap!
Author: ...somepony else still thinks it was hilarious
Volare: Grah-c'mere!!! *crash*

Truth or Dare-Pt 6: Playing Chicken

September 18th, Rainbow Dash's House...

Rainbow Dash always strove to keep a cool demeanor in any endeavor, and rarely ever showed remorse for her own action-cuz that would imply she was wrong, and therefore had made a mistake, right? Can’t make a mistake, gotta be perfect…can’t fall.
Even so, Dash couldn’t help but not sleep that night, her mind too busy with the events of the past day to allow her to rest. There was no way she felt guilty for what she did to Volare to get what she wanted, cuz that meant she’d screwed up-and she had a reputation to maintain! It had to be something else. Maybe it was a because of the extra presence Volare was causing in her house? Yeah, that’s it-his extra weight is tilting the house and it’s throwing off my equilibrium…meh, I’ll just adjust it in the morning and work him till he loses some weight! Ha, that’ll fix it.

But never in the history of Equestria was a solution to so complex a problem so straight-forward and simple…nor a theory so very, very wrong…and from midnight onwards, his words, spoken out of anger she’d pushed him to, haunted her dreams.
I hate you sometimes, Rainbow Dash!
I hate you Rainbow Dash!
I hate you Dash!
Hate you Dash!
Hate you!
HATE!

“Huh-wuh-agh!!-*thump*-ow…” Rainbow Dash groaned and stared up from the floor of her bedroom, grimly chuckling that nopony had been there to catch her this time. She rubbed her eyes and stared up past her back legs still hooked over the edge of the bed and at the swirling ceiling of the room, watching the sun crawl across it as it rose. Wait a sec-it’s morning already? Dash scrambled to her hooves and made for the window to confirm that, yep it was mid-morning and that she was late for her Weather Team Shift on the-Oh wait a sec, she yawned and tried to shake the cobwebs from her brain. That’s Thursday…today’s Tuesday. Urgh, what a crappy night; wonder if Volare slept ok.

It then all came screaming back to her and she literally staggered as the words that had rebounded back and forth in her mind most of the night struck her like an oncoming buffalo, shattering any sense of self-righteousness she might have retained for her actions last evening.
I hate you, Rainbow Dash!
“N-no, I didn’t want you to-I-,” the words left Dash’s mouth and her head jerked up towards the door before she realized it wasn’t Volare saying those words at the moment; that he wasn’t there at all.

He’s not here…oh no, he hates me and he’s not here and he left! Dash’s heart shrieked in guilt and her breath came in short gasps as she clapped a hoof to her chest and reeled back, sitting down on her bed and forcing herself to focus so the room would stop spinning. “Should have said something more last night Dash-that was wrong, you were wrong, and you know it! No wonder the poor guy’s probably gone,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head and grinding her teeth until the pain brought her back to reality. “Gotta check…m-maybe he didn’t leave…”

Dash made her way downstairs as fast as she could without stumbling, coming to a halt once the couch in the living room came into sight…and he wasn’t there. The blanket was neatly folded across the back of the couch, but Volare was well and truly gone. The stairs blurred through the angry moisture welling up in her eyes as she shakily descended toward the living room floor, berating herself with every step she took towards the couch.
Nice going Dash, you pig-headed mule! First nice stallion to come into your life-into your house, even!-and you run him off because you were being selfish-again! You hurt him again cuz you were selfish! This is why you can’t have nice things-you deserve to be alone. Why, oh why did you have to treat him like crap?!

She paused by the couch and ran a hoof over the blanket, but it was cool to the touch; he’d obviously been gone awhile already, probably while she was nice and cozy and secure in her sanctimonious attitude while he shivered alone, with only his simmering anger to keep him warm, she bet. No wonder he hates you and flew the coop…hay, he probably went to Twi’s and told her all the bad things you did, how you’re a bad pony and-wait, what’s that smell?

Dash cleared her runny nose with a loud sniff and took a more focused whiff of the air-cinnamon? It was then that she realized she’d been so focused on the couch that she hadn’t noticed the light and sounds coming from her kitchen. The tiniest flame of hope sprang up in her breast and she nearly stumbled again as she made her way towards the sounds and smells of somepony cooking breakfast. “F-flyboy?” Dash barely concealed the flutter in her voice as she rounded the corner and screeched to a stop, her jaw falling open and that sliver of hope ballooning into roaring inferno-in way less than ten seconds flat.

“Oh, morning Dashie,” Volare replied cheerfully, his back to her as he balanced a wire-rack of small glass spice bottles on a wingtip he lifted into a cabinet above the stove, which was his true focus as he stirred a spoon within the bubbling mixture on the burner. Dash’s eyes roved around the room and took in the sight of her pantry door hanging open and stocked-holy hay when was the last time it was stocked?!-with bundles, bushels, and sacks of oats, alfala, potatoes, and carrots. Hanging on the wall were fresh cloves of garlic, a few sacks of onions and turnips, while sitting on the floor was a sizeable barrel of something Dash couldn’t make out as the label was turned away from her.

“Heh-gotta say you were right about that couch last night, Dashie,” Volare’s voice pulled her focus back toward the stove, where the navy blue pony was taste-testing the concoction in the kettle. “That couch was-ouch, ok that’s warm enough-was pretty comfy. Considering the semi-threat of certain ponies sneak-attacking me, I slept like a baby last night; how about you-whoa,” Volare’s face shifted from a smile to a concerned frown as he turned and beheld Rainbow Dash’s blood-shot eyes, bedraggled mane and tail, and the rather conspicuous traces of tears on her cheeks. “Dashie, are you ok?”

Dash again felt guilt stab at her heart as he approached to check on her, when he should be hating her for what she did to him last night! Dash just stood there in shock as he brushed a wing across her cheeks and felt her forehead with the back of his hoof, his eyes full of worry until she let a single word cross her lips: “Why?”

“Why?” Volare paused and cocked his head. “Are you really asking why a friend wouldn’t make sure his friend is ok, especially when she walks into the kitchen looking like three shades of hell on such a nice morning?” He leaned in to hug her but she backed away, confusion in her eyes. “Dashie?”

“No, I mean…why are you doing all this?” her eyes flicked across the room towards all the fresh goods and the bubbling pot on the stove, but Volare simply shook his head and sighed; getting her to admit a problem was like talking to a brick wall sometimes.

He humored her though and answered, “Because we had to scrimp to make a meal last night and if I’m going to be working my wings off, I’d rather not have to fly back to town every time I want a snack. So after I dropped Scoots off at school, I grabbed a few things while in town, had Trixie enchant them for me so they wouldn't fall through the floor, and flew them up here," he tapped the barrel in the pantry and grinned. "Also grabbed a little cider from AJ on the way back-regular stuff this time," he winked, but she still had that look on her face, like she didn't quite understand what was going on.

"That's not what I mean," she admitted, shaking her head and looking squarely at the floor before asking one of the dreaded questions on her mind. "D-did you...did you tell anypony in town what I did to you last night?" She expected him to say "yes, of course I did, you psychotic mare," but to her surprise, she felt Volare's wing brush through her forelock and she look up into his friendly sliver-blue eyes, completely absent of the hate she knew he had every right in the world to have there.

"Not sure what good that'd do, Dash," he did his best to smooth out a finicky piece of her mane, but quickly gave up with a chuckle. "I mean, the only one that could do much about it would be Fluttershy since she can fly, and she doesn't even live in town. And if I told Twi, that'd cause another conflict between you two, and I won't be the cause of another of those if I can help it."

"B-but, you could have told the Weather Team," Dash suggested, but again Volare shook his head.

"You're their Captain; how do you think that'd make you look, Dash? No, I won't lose you the respect of your team like that," he paused before hoofing her as gently as he could in the shoulder. "Besides, I'm not one to tattle cuz you used a weakness of mine against me, cuz from a tactical point of view, that was pretty slick." But even his little compliment failed to so much as quirk a grin from her, and Volare's face fell slightly; something was definitely wrong.

"Forget tactics, flyboy," Dash sniffed and looked away from him again. "You've got every right in the world to hate me for what I did to you." But again, he simply stroked a wingtip through her forelock and spoke gently.

"Just because I have the right...doesn't mean I have to act on it, Dash." Volare's statement caused her to stare at him for a moment, her eyes searching his for the joke that had to be buried within them. But when no trace of trickery materialized, Dash felt a significant shard of guilt withdraw from her heart, and she began to breathe more easily again.

"But I don't understand," she shook her head and turned away, pacing across the kitchen a bit. "I mean, how could you just shrug something like that off? I hate being held down like that! If you'd done something like that to me, I'd have probably bit you in the face or something."

"Haha, I believe it," Volare laughed before turning at a hissing noise to find the pot was bubbling over and splashing onto the stove. "Ah, crap!" He quickly shut the stove off and slammed a lid on the pot with a sheepish grin as Dash simply shook her head incredulously. "Thing is Dash, compared to what you could have done and what I've been through...well, all I'm saying is you could have done a lot worse."

"But I should have done a lot better," Dash stomped a frustrated hoof, puffing up pieces of cloud as some of her inner fire began to return. "You deserved a better welcome than that." But Volare simply shrugged his wings.

"Meh, I'm used to being strapped down in my jet all the time." But at Dash's skeptical look, the pilot sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Ok, you wanna know why I really didn't freak out? Like I said, I knew you could have done a lot worse...but on the same token, I didn't feel you would."

"Why?"

"Because...you don't seem to have that kind of mean streak, Dash; to just hurt ponies on purpose."

"How do you know?" Dash asked, stepping forward, suddenly searching for a way she could be blamed, as if a scolding would alleviate a little more guilt.

"Trust me, I can tell," he smiled, but she continued to press, prodding him in the chest with a hoof, her eyes taking on a near-pleading expression.

"But how do you know I wouldn't want to hurt you, flyboy?" Volare reached up and took her hoof in his, closing his eyes and sighing before speaking.

Like talking to a darn brick wall...
"Because if you meant to hurt me, you wouldn't be this upset about it." Volare opened his eyes and smiled comfortingly as Dash squeezed his hoof for a moment before sniffing and growling lightly, a little embarrassed.

"-m not upset," she muttered under her breath, continuing to hold his hoof despite her insistence, just happy he didn't hate her as a little her more of self-confidence returned. I'm not a bad pony...

"Course you're not," Volare returned the squeeze with a wink before turning back to the stove, doling out the food into two smaller bowls and hoofing one to Dash. "Heh, a certain pink pony in town gave me a hint on your favorite breakfast food." Dash sniffed the brownish concoction and her rose eyes lit up as a grin crossed her face.

"Is this cinnamon oatmeal?"

"Eeyup," Volare smiled and sat down at the table, with Dash joining him moments later as they sampled his cooking.

"Mmm, this is great, if a little burnt," Dash nudged him with an elbow, mostly back to her normal self; she chalked it up to the oatmeal.

"Pfft, pardon me if it's not top-shelf," Volare stuck his tongue out, displaying a glob of oatmeal and getting another nudge in the ribs in return. "Believe it or not, Iron Will taught me how to make it while I stayed at Fluttershy's place; you know the guy's a helluva cook?" But as they ate and chatted about nothing in particular besides Scootaloo flipping out and shouting that 'her bro was living with Rainbow Dash', Dash still couldn't help her mind from drifting back to the words in her dream. And the more she thought about it, the more she subtly scooted away from him until nearly an entire wing's worth of distance stretched between them. Volare took notice of her sudden silence and distance and he bumped her with a wingtip. "Hey, you gonna be ok?"

"Huh-yeah, I'm fine," she shook her head and stuffed a spoonful of oatmeal in her mouth. Volare chewed his own food thoughtfully for a moment more before speaking up again.

"You know, if anything that little experience last night kinda set the high-bar for craziness," he chuckled, drawing a strange look from Dash. "What I mean to say is as long as we don't get that crazy again, you don't have to, well..." he nodded at the empty space between them, and she smiled sheepishly at having instinctively gone to the opposite extreme. "Not saying I want you being touchy-feely all the time, but-oof!" He grunted as Dash scooted sideways and threw a hoof around his neck with a cheeky grin, seemingly back to normal once more. "Heh, this is ok, though."

"Aww, you missed me-how sweet," Dash tossed her mane and poked his cheek with her spoon, leaving a sticky gob of oatmeal in its wake. "You know, I really didn't mean to hurt you yesterday-I care about you, dude." Taking a chance, she leaned over and licked it off, eliciting a look of shock from the pilot.

"Blech, well you got a weird way of showing it," he wiped his cheek with a hoof and gave her a squinty look before returning to his meal, his cheeks flushed and hot.

"Well just know that I do, and as for what I did...don't read too much into it, flyboy," she winked and smirked. "Just living up to your expectations of being an efficient bitch." Volare gave a short bark of laughter at that as they lapsed into silence once more. But Dash, her confidence back in full swing, just couldn't resist one more little prank; she leaned in and whispered as huskily as she could. "Besides, you think I'd let you taste the rainbow that easily?" Volare nearly choked on his oatmeal in shock as Dash laughed and pounded him on the back in laughter. She was so caught up that she didn't have time to dodge the glob of oatmeal that Volare flung, hitting her right under the ear and making her yelp in surprise. She glared at him and he smirked in return as they readied their spoons, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

It was uncertain who "shot" first, but what followed would go down as the most intense two-pony oatmeal-flinging war in Equestrian history. Nopony conceded defeat, and it ended when they ran out of oatmeal, neither the clear victor. It left the kitchen and the two Pegasi involved an absolute mess, but the friendly clean-up and banter that followed served notice that all bad feelings that may or may not have existed from the night before were forgiven or forgotten, leaving their minds clear to move onto Volare's wing strength training.

Dash took Volare to the top floor of her house, showing him the array of ice-weights, Drag Chutes, and a crazy-looking contraption built by Blossomforth back before Tornado Day that strapped onto a Pegasus' back and increased wing-flap resistance in order to build strength. "So, did Twilight say exactly why I needed to boost my wing strength?" Volare asked, gravitating towards the colorful drag-chutes and leaving the wing-contraption alone once he noticed what looked like dried blood and feather fuzz crammed into its joints.

"Nah, she didn't say exactly," Dash scratched her head. Did she ever say why? But nothing came to mind and she shrugged, helping Volare strap on a red drag-chute and helping him carry it out the window, grabbing a training whistle on the way out. "Mentioned the Sonic Rainboom, but she was pretty vague about it," she shrugged.

"Meh, I'm sure she's got a good reason for it," Volare conceded as Dash dropped the drag-chute once they were clear of her house. The red fabric billowed down and hung below the hovering pilot as he pushed those distracting thoughts out of his mind, focusing on what Dash had to say; she was the expert here. "So, what're we gonna do, coach?"

"Hah, coach eh?" Dash crossed her hooves and gave him a cocky grin. "I like the sound of that. Ok, simple stuff this week: I want you to fly reps of twenty laps a-piece around each level of my house before taking a ten minute rest. That's sixty laps, flyboy, and then we do it again; think you can handle it?"

"We're gonna find out," he matched her grin, inhaling the cool, lofty air and enjoying the crispness of it. It invigorated him, and the combination of the warm sun overhead, the good food in his belly, and Dash's confident presence made him believe he was capable of just about anything right now. "Ready when you are, coach!"

"Right! On your mark-get set!" Dash's rose eyes met his intense blue ones, and her heart fluttered ever so slightly. Not only had he forgiven her and didn't hate her, but he'd decided to stay, done all these nice things for her, and was now putting his trust in her. Don't fail him again Dash! He's counting on you!
BRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTT!!!!
The whistle blew and Volare took off, the chute billowing out behind him and dragging him back as designed. But one look over his shoulder at Dash made him shake his head and pull back just as hard.

Not gonna let her down...you owe her too much to be a quitter, Volare! She expects better of you and dammit you're gonna give her better!!!

September 21st, noon...

The next four days passed by in a blur, with Volare barely having the time between helping Scootaloo with her schoolwork, monitoring the speedy progress of the Gilded Griffin (Bon-Bon was excited with how quickly Trixie and Octavia had raised the framework), reading through the delivered notes of slow progress Twilight was making on the counter-spell, and his own intense work-out sessions which left him room for little more than blissful sleep at the end of the day. He'd had a few scares during the latter events, including one on Wednesday where he thought he'd broken his left wing when a gust of wind caught his drag-chute and buffeted him right through one of Dash's (thankfully open) upper-level windows.

Dash hadn't been home at the time, having gone off to aid the Weather Team on the North side of Ponyville, and Volare was mortified that she'd come back to find he'd hurt himself yet again. But after untangling himself from the chute-cords and Blossomforth's flying contraption, he'd found his wings whole and unbroken, with only a few sensitive pinions bent out of shape. Even so, that small discrepancy in his wing profile made accurate flight all the more difficult, and as he didn't know how to straighten them correctly himself, he had to wait for Rainbow Dash to get home to help.

After the short scolding and ribbing he'd expected to receive, Dash calmly and gently straightened his pinions, doing her very best not to brush the leading edge of his wing more than necessary. When Volare had asked exactly why Pegasus wings seemed to be so sensitive on the leading edge, she simply shrugged and gently traced a feather along his wing, making him jump as she joked that she never really paid much attention in Anatomy class up at the Cloudsdale Academy; she merely "winged it." However, she did warn him to be careful because as he'd found out the hard way, if those feathers become bent or misaligned, it makes flight more difficult than necessary.

Volare strove to be more careful, flying further away from the house the next day and proudly noting that by evening, when his laps were completed, he wasn't nearly as tired as he had been the previous few days. Dash said that must mean he's improving, and it'll be time to add another drag-chute soon (she personally trained with up to a half dozen, she boasted-and Volare believed it!) By Friday morning over breakfast of hash-browns, however, Dash told him to take the day off, that there were bigger fish to fry that day.
"What bigger fish?"

"Oh, you know...the Truth or Dare kind," Dash smirked at the expression of realization and mild horror that crossed Volare's face. "Aha, so you remember, eh?" But Volare tried to be resolute and he put on a stoic expression as he methodically ate his breakfast.

"Yep, sure do...so when do we start?"

"Hmm, right now if ya want," Dash leaned into him and bumped her cheek against his before whispering. "Soo, flyboy...you gonna tell me the truth about what I wanna know?" She produced his flight patch from under the table and waved it gently in front of him.

"Tempting, Dashie," Volare gave her the cold shoulder and smiled inwardly at her little growl of frustration. "But just because you gave me a place to sleep, a roof over my head, and some cool work-out toys doesn't mean I'll lower my defenses that much." He leaned back into her touch and returned the whisper. "I am enjoying the company though, hee-hee." Her reaction was immediate and not entirely unexpected as she leaned away from him and hoofed him none-too-gently in the shoulder.

"So what-I take it you're not gonna tell me, huh?"

"That's about the size of it, Dash," Volare said as he continued to shovel the hash-browns into his mouth, hoping to fill the looming silence with his chewing. But instead of Dash moving on like he expected and daring him to do something he was sure she'd been cooking up all week, she simply cocked her head slightly and asked a familiar question.

"Why?"

Volare paused in mid-bite and sighed. With her close presence and some structure finally in his life, Volare was nearly lulled into such a sense of security that he began to consider simply telling her right then and there. But as he made to open his mouth to tell her, the reason why he couldn't rose up like a viper hidden in the shadows to strike him in the heart: Loneliness...liquor...and a laptop in the dark...no, how could he ever explain what he-no...he never could...she'd think him a freak, and she'd be right...it would overshadow any good things he associated with her, and she'd never understand why she was so important to him. Instead, Volare inhaled deeply as if to speak, steeled his nerves, and forced a sidelong smile in her direction. "That's for me to know and you to find out, Dashie."

"Grr, you're impossible!" Dash hoofed him again and sank back into her seat, tearing off a chunk of toast and grumbling through it, her hooves crossed in front of her and her wings flicking irritably.

"Heh, you know you're adorable when you're flustered-oof!-ok, I deserved that," Volare rubbed his sore ribs as she gave him an impish smirk while she chewed.

"Hmmph, not as much as you're gonna deserve the Dare I just thought up," Dash flicked his muzzle with a wingtip, gulped a glass of orange juice and belched loudly, ignoring the stallion's astonished expression. "C'mon flyboy, it's already noon; and grab that ane-whatzit."

"Well that's cuz you decided to sleep in-hey, my hash browns!" Volare cried melodramatically as she yanked him away from the kitchen table, pulling him towards the door and throwing it open. The sun splashed across Rainbow Dash's well-toned cyan form and her prismatic mane and tail caught the lofty breeze, reflecting light back into her home behind her as she stepped through the door. She inhaled the crisp air with a great pull of her mighty lungs and stretched her wings before noticing she was short one pony's company-what was taking him so long? With a small snort of irritation, she looked back over her shoulder to see Volare simply standing there, his mouth slightly open and his face wearing an expression she couldn't quite make out. "What're you looking at, hmm?"

Volare caught the implications of her tone and quickly shook his head clear of the feeling of amazement that had taken over his mind and frozen his hooves in place. "Ah-ahem, n-nothing, nothing, Dashie," he insisted as he picked up the anemometer he'd dropped, withering slightly under her glance before the corner of her lip quirked upwards.

"Nothing, eh?" she tossed her mane and flapped her wings before stepping out onto the porch, Volare at her hip. "Guess I'm not doing a good job then."

"Wha-no, I mean, you're doing a good job of-agh, crap what'm I saying?" Volare facehoofed to cover his blushing cheeks before Dash filled the sky with brash, amused laughter as she nudged his ribs mercilessly with a wing.

"Bwahahahaha, you know you're adorable when you're embarrassed, flyboy?" she echoed his earlier remark before leaning against him with a sigh. "Oh man, almost makes me feel bad for what I've got planned for ya, heh-heh-heh."

"Oh, and what's that exactly?" he asked, trying to focus his mind on anything else for the moment.

"You'll see-c'mon!" Dash took a running start down the short path leading from her door, leaped high in the air and tucked her wings before diving out of sight. "BANZAI!!!!"

"Ha, right behind ya!" Volare mirrored her dive and he squinted downwards through the frigid air, again cursing himself for forgetting his flight goggles as his eyes immediately teared up no matter how tightly he squeezed them. But he fought through it and followed the prismatic Pegasus as she flared her wings and glided slowly, allowing him to catch up before they turned as one and headed west towards Sweet Apple Acres. "So what's this Dare you got in mind, and what's the anemometer got to do with it?"

........................

"They're gonna do what!?" Applejack practically shouted at Big Macintosh, but the large red stallion simply shrugged and shook his head, doing his best to show that he truly didn't approve of what was about to take place.

"Well, as far as Ah can gather," he drawled, chewing his iconic hay stalk as he searched for just the right combination of words that would explain the truth without further worrying his sister. But try as he might, Big Mac gave into the fact that he was no poet, and he simply told it like it was: "Rainbow Dash has dared Volare ta fly through tha apple trees as fast as he can, and if'n he knocks one from tha branches, he's gotta start over. Oh, and she said somethin' else about'm havin' ta have 9.4 wingpower by tha end of all of it, so he'd better get it right purdy quick, or else he'll get tired...er somethin' like that," he shrugged his yoke-bedecked shoulders.

Applejack stared at him in shock before realizing he was dead serious. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me-why in Equestria are they doin' that?" she facehoofed, but Big Mac simply shrugged.

"Wouldn't say, but they asked politely enough ta use tha property, so..." Big Mac's words were interrupted by Volare streaking past, dodging trees left and right, whirling through branches and rolling through twigs as he went, feeling the air currents that weaved around the trees just as he had the first day he'd truly flown; but Dash had no idea he'd done such a thing and he'd caught her by surprise when he'd accepted her challenge without a second's hesitation. He managed to give them a short wave of his hoof before narrowly missing a low branch. The pilot tucked his wings and darted under it, scraping the ground with a wingtip and hissing in pain as he unfurled his wings and looped high over the barn, curling back down in a short dive before shooting back through the wooden pillars. "Heh, he's gettin' better, that's fer sure," Big Mac observed, but Applejack was halfway between being worried out of her mind and 'madder'n a wet hen.'

"Yeah, well what's Twi gonna say if'n she finds out he breaks a wing or worse on our property while we just stood here and let'm do it?" Big Mac's face went blank and the wheat stalk tumbled from his mouth as the thought of a raging purple Unicorn helping harvest everything not tied down on the farm came to mind.

"Uh...never thought'a that, AJ," he coughed as Volare continued to whirl through the trees, once or twice bouncing off a branch but never knocking an apple down. The impacts were relatively light, but at this new realization, Big Mac winced every time he struck a branch. "Maybe we oughta, uh...hrm, how do we stop'im?"

"Get mah rope, that's what," Applejack growled, cursing her friend Rainbow Dash for a manipulative fool. Just what the hay WAS her game with him anyway!? But Big Mac shook his head and snorted.

"So you'd wrangle'm at high speed, AJ? Yeah, that'll end well..."

"Yeah, well you got any better ideas, huh!?" Applejack squinted a green eye before her ear pricked up towards the outside border of the Acres; it was the sound of the raucous shouting of Rainbow Dash. "Oh holy horsefeed," Applejack shook her head and galloped towards the shouting, Big Mac hot on her hooves. The memories of finding Volare de-winged that night weeks ago in the Library came flying back to her, and she put on an extra burst of speed that left her larger brother in the dust; she was just thankful Applebloom wasn't around to see this...
But as she crested a short hill that blocked her view, she looked down in shock at the sight before her. "What in tarnation...?"

"Hah, whatcha think about that, Dashie?" Volare shouted, far from seriously injured as he pointed a triumphant hoof at the still-spinning anemometer. "Yeah! 9.5 even after all that!!" Rainbow Dash on the other hoof, was alternating between bouts of shouting, playful shoving, and astonished silence as she continued to return to the anemometer.

"Meh, this thing's gotta be broken or something," Dash tapped on the dial of the machine, convinced that there was no possibly way he could have done what he just did. I mean, he was slowing down and breathing hard and he had to be tired from working all week...unless he was playing possum and had just hustled her. Even so, as she tried to glare at him, she couldn't help but let a small smile of pride crack across her face as he pranced and whooped, flapping his wings and tossing his mane despite the stinging pain of the apple tree splinters that riddled his body. With a sigh of defeat, Dash shook her head and threw a hoof around his shoulders, shaking him gently as Applejack approached, a frown of confusion on her face while Big Mac observed from the top of the small hill. "Oh, heya AJ; what's up?"

"Oh, nothin' much, just wonderin' why tha hay ya'll are puttin' poor Volare through heck'n a half again," Applejack growled but stopped as Volare waved a dismissive hoof and shook his head.

"Heh, nah AJ it's not what you think," the pilot insisted. "It's just a game we agreed on, that's all." He caught the worried glance Dash shot him but he reassured her with a nudge of a wingtip. He wasn't planning on telling anypony about their little pact.

"Well your little game gotcha covered in more splinters'n a hedgehog has pricklers, Volare," Applejack winced as Volare wiped a few pieces of wood from his fur with a chuckle.

"Meh, I've had worse and you know it, AJ. Plus, Dash wouldn't dare me to do it if she didn't think it was reasonable, right?" he glanced at the cyan mare beside him.

"Right," Dash nodded, but her own grin faded as Volare's grew. "Wh-what's that smile for?"

"Cuz I passed your dare...now it's my turn, dear ol' Dashie." If he'd had hands he'd have been rubbing them together in evil glee as it was his turn to relish Dash squirming in uncertainty. But at the sight of Applejack sharing in his grin, feeling Dash deserved to get a little bit back in return, the fiery Pegasus screwed up her courage and puffed out her chest.

"Pfft, I can handle anything you can throw at me, flyboy-so bring it!" Applejack knew that was most likely true, and she too wondered what exactly Volare might challenge her with. But what Volare asked next very nearly floored Dash in shock.

"Alrighty Dashie, tell me the Truth: what bugs you the most in the world?"

"...what kind of question is that, flyboy?"

"That's not the answer I'm looking for, Dashie," Volare mussed her mane, dodging her growling swipe with a backwards hop. "What bugs you the most?"

"Grr-why ya wanna know that, huh?"

"Cuz you already know a good way of punching my buttons, Dash; I feel it's about time I return the favor," he smirked.

"Yeehaw, that'll show'er, Volare!" Applejack whooped and slapped her hat against her hoof while Dash simply stood there, flushing a shade of pink from the neck up as Volare nudged her with a wing. She'd been counting on that Truth as a safety net in case he dared her to do something a little too stupid, but there was no way in Tartarus she was going to tell him any weakness of hers, much less her greatest one! She was trapped in a game she'd agreed upon, and one look at Volare's confident smile revealed that he might have had this planned from the time she'd had a moment of good conscience and had stopped herself the first night he'd spent at her house. Oh you're good, flyboy...but I'm better! You wanna play chicken?-fine; just means losing is even LESS of an option now! And so, bereft of any other option, she threw caution to the wind, bumped her forehead right up against his and growled:

"I decline, now dare me to do something!" Volare backed off in surprise at her renewed ferocity and she smirked a bit at that and took another step forward, flaring her wings and lowering her head slightly. "So c'mon and gimme your best shot, flyboy!"

"Oh, um...hmm," Volare mumbled; he honestly hadn't had a dare in mind, really only intending to figure out how to push her buttons in return. But at this turn of events, he thought quickly and said the first thing that came to mind: "I guess I Dare you to do the same thing I just did."

"Pfft, lame!" Dash snickered.

"Alright, do it and make 17 wingpower by the end of it!"

"Ha, I could do that blindfolded!" Dash smirked before realizing how badly she'd just shot her mouth off. Her slim hopes of Volare somehow missing what she'd just said evaporated as the pilot's head cocked to the side in amusement. Ah crap...

..............................
10 Minutes Later...

"Dash c'mon, you don't have to do this!" Volare called out as Rainbow Dash picked herself off of the ground for the fourth time with an angry growl, spitting leaves and a bit of blood from a busted lip as she shot the pilot a withering glare.

"Shut up, flyboy-I've got this!" she yelled back, visualizing the path through the trees in her mind before throwing the blindfold back on and trying again. And again, within half a minute, she'd crashed into an apple tree, clipping a wing on a branch and flipping her side-long into the scratchy sticks of one already bare of apples; her earlier impacts having knocked them all down already. Big Mac and Applejack looked on from the fence-line, one in respectful silence, and the other in growing pity; what the hay was Dash thinking?! She was gonna get herself hurt, and all for a game?! But Big Mac restrained his sister with a slow shake of his massive head; if it were anypony else, intervention would have been a good idea...but not for this proud Pegasus. She intended to see it through to the finish, even if it killed her, just to prove a point. And that point was that she was infallible, excellent in flight, and unbeatable in competition.

As Dash tumbled to the ground in a heap once more, she heard hoofsteps rapidly approach her as their owner kneeled down beside her. "Dashie...you're hurt," Volare said as he ran a tentative hoof along her bent pinions, receiving an angry slap to the foreleg as Dash staggered to her hooves once more. "C'mon Dash, this is stupid; just stop."

"No way, Volare," Dash growled, glad the blindfold was hiding the grimacing pain in her face as she turned away and glared at the trees, the source of her anger and pain. "I'm not gonna give up and let you win that easily." But before she could take off again, Volare grabbed her hoof and spun her around, pulling down the blindfold as he faced her. It was then that she saw the pain in his own eyes, the realization that she was being hurt because of him...and she nearly relented and gave in right there.

"Dashie, you don't have to-" he brushed a trembling wing against her bruised face, causing her to recoil from even that light of a touch, it hurt so much. But maybe this was a trick...yeah, this was a trick so he'd get to know her weaknesses! The fiery mare shook her head, both in disagreement and to clear the ringing from her ears as she backed away once more.

All the pain you've gone through here is because of me, flyboy...maybe fate's just thought it fitting that the score be evened a little right here, she thought. "Yes I do, Volare; I've gotta play by the same rules as you do, so just back off and let me do this!" Dash growled again as she sighted her path through the trees, tying the blindfold on and stretching her creaking wings, ignoring the pain in her bent pinions that made flight all that more difficult, even for her.

"If you're not gonna have enough sense in your head to stop this Dash then I-" Volare paused, gritting his teeth as he felt his next words would seal his fate...but perhaps she'd understand he did it for her. "I'll forfeit!" Volare's sudden declaration dropped Applejack and Big Mac's jaws and caused Dash to halt in her tracks. Her wings dipped slightly as she turned back to face Volare, never removing the blindfold lest he see the solitary tear-full of an emotion she didn't understand, and was a little scared to try to-slip down her face and soak into the confining fabric. She took a wavering step towards him but stopped once more, a competitive fire flaring up from the comforting promise of automatic victory It would be so easy to say yes...so easy to win if he quit...so easy to get what she wanted. But there was no honor, no joy, no substance in beating somepony like that. It would be a hollow victory, and the spoils that came with it...would seem just as hollow and unearned...and disrespectful. No...you're not gonna be weak and make him quit like this-it's too important to him! You're better than that, Rainbow Dash!

"I'm sorry flyboy," a crooked smile peeked out from beneath the blindfold. "But if anypony wins this, its not gonna be cuz one of us quit!" Her grin widened and she blocked out his shouts of concern, blocked out the noise and the pounding in the ground of his hooves as he galloped to stop her. She blocked it all out...exhaled...inhaled...and took off, Volare's hoof missing her tail by inches as she jetted into the trees, her mind's eye full of her path and her body's other senses working at maximum overdrive as she zipped around branches, rolled through the leaves, blasted through the treetops and swung past the barn, nearly clipping the weather vane at the peak of the roof before pulling what Volare realized to be a perfect Herbst-Maneuver and diving back down over the barn and into the densely-planted apple trees once more.

Even without her eyes, Dash's Pegasus senses "saw" the wind patterns writhing through the branches, and she felt herself coming centimeters from smashing into the wooden pillars, but still she rocketed on, flying, tucking, rolling, and dodging through the trees as fast as she dared, sending a cloud of leaves and sticks sky-high in her passage before they tumbled down all over the farm. She ripped through yet another apple tree, that vicious grin still plastered on her face as she wrapped a hoof around a branch, yanked it backwards in flight, and used it to catapult herself clear of the treeline, flying past the anemometer so fast that it tipped over and crashed to the ground just as she looped back around and landed next to Volare with a mighty thud.

She ripped the blindfold off and glared triumphantly at the astonished stallion, her breath coming in ragged snorts and her heart beating twenty miles a minute as she leaned in and whispered into his ear:
"Now that's how you really fly, Volare," she nipped his ear with her teeth and growled. "And don't you ever quit on me like that, cuz I've got no intention of quitting on you or anypony else-ever!"

"D-dashie, I-" Volare began but Dash cut him off with a wing to the lips.

"Heh, I'm fine. Crashed worse than this when I-whoa, everything's spinning..." Dash moaned woozily and clapped a hoof to her face as the adrenaline of victory wore off and she became very aware of where she was hurting. "Crap...glad my head's a little tougher than those trees, heheheh..." She staggered two or three steps and saw stars before she felt her legs give out. But instead of crashing to the ground, she fell into the warm comfort of somepony's cradling embrace, keeping her head from hitting the ground-and she didn't need two guesses as to who it was again...and dammit, she was too woozy to be embarrassed! "H-hey, flyboy...what's up?"

"Holy hell, Dashie," Volare breathed, running a shaky hoof through her mane and motioning for Applejack and Big Mac to hurry to them. The pilot returned his attention to Dash and turned her head towards the sun, causing her to squint and growl in protest. "Dash, I know this is gonna suck, but I've gotta check you for a concussion-open your eyes and look at the sun."

"What're you-agh, dammit," Dash moaned as a shard of pain pierced her temple and forced her to bite her lip to keep from shouting. But, being the veteran of quite a few crashes, Dash knew he was trying to emulate the test the nurses often put her through at the hospital. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes and stared at the sun for a few moments before slamming them shut, brights spots clouding her vision and adding to the maelstrom of stars and bright colors zipping across her vision. But at Volare's slight sigh of relief and his grip tightening into a hug, she allowed herself to exhale and give a smile that had nothing to do with forced bravado.
"Will I live, Doc?"

"Y-yeah, you're ok; your eyes aren't dilated, Dashie," Volare's face winked in and out of focus behind the dancing spots in Dash's eyes, but she could see the tears of relief welling in his eyes and she quickly reached for the blindfold and held it up to dab at his face, nearly poking him in the eye as she did do. "Heh, thanks Dash," Volare smiled and wiped his eyes before wiping the blood spot that trickled down her temple and lip. He looked over and nodded to Applejack, and she quickly galloped back to the farm house to grab an icepack, while Big Mac kneeled down next Dash, blocking the cool wind that cut across the open farmland and made them all shiver a bit as they sat in silence for a few minutes while Dash recovered. Volare exchanged a smile with Big Mac before looking back down at Dash. Her rose-colored eyes were focusing of their own accord now, and she was craning her neck to peer at the anemometer.

"W-what did I get, Volare?"

"Hmm?"

"My wingpower...what did it measure at?"

"...you're unbelievable, you know that?" Volare shook his head and hugged her again as all three of them chuckled heartily. Applejack soon returned and laid the icepack on the angry-looking dark blue lump on Dash's temple. Applejack sighed and joined them on the ground, taking her hat off and rubbing her face with an incredulous hoof.

"Ya'll two are both crazier'n a couple'a outhouse rats, ya know that?" At that, Dash and Volare stared at each other for a moment, all battered, bloodied, bruised up, and splintery before bumping wings and laughing fit to kill. "Mercy on anypony if they ever got between both of ya."

"What's that supposed to mean, AJ?" Dash squinted out from under the ice pack.

"What she means ta say is...well," Big Mac paused for a moment. "Ah guess if'n ya'll are willin' ta get this hurt over a dumb game, no tellin' what ya'll'd do ta somepony if'n they pissed ya'll off." The three other pony's eyes widened at the sound of the gentle giant cursing before the two Pegasi exchanged another look and burst into chuckles again.

"Ah think ya'll both hit your heads er somethin'," Applejack snorted and stood up, helping Volare to his hooves and in turn helping Dash stagger upright herself. "Woo-wee, that's a nice little molehill ya got growin' there, Rainbow Dash," Applejack chuckled a bit, still feeling like Dash got her just desserts after what she'd done to Volare at the party the other night. "Might wanna take'r ta Ponyville Medical ta get her-"

"No way, that'd mean going through town," Dash interrupted her with a wave of her wing. "And there's no way I'm gonna let other ponies see me like this," she turned to Volare. "Or him like that," she pointed at the splinters embedded in his muzzle and he grinned sheepishly. "We're tough-we can handle it just fine, right flyboy?"

"Uh, eh-heh, sure," Volare rolled his eyes. "It'd be easy enough to ice your bruises, but how're ya gonna get the splinters out of my face, eh? Pull'em out with your teeth?" At his suggestion, Dash snickered and took a sliding step closer. "Oh gimme a break, Dashie."

"Heehee, that'd basically mean me kissing you," she leaned in and waggled her eyebrows before Big Mac snorted very loudly.

"Ahem-get a room," he muttered bluntly, and all three ponies stared at him; apparently he wasn't aware of the whole picture between Dash and Volare. "What, Ah'd rather'm do it there than out here in tha-"

"Oh for gawd's sake, Big Mac!" Volare shouted, and Applejack gave chase, slapping her brother with her hat while the two Pegasi simply stood there mortified, the heat radiating from their faces rivaling that of Celestia's sun before they glanced sidelong at each other.

"Uh, heh-heh, let's not and say we did, flyboy," Dash nudged him with a wing and winced.

"Heh, or let's just not and never speak of it again," he countered, leaning into her as carefully as he could and watching Applejack chase her brother into the appletrees, still cursing her head off. The pilot chuckled before looking up towards the thin stream of smoke wafting up from the treeline of the Everfree Forest, just across the farmland. "Hmm, we could ask Fluttershy to help-she was pretty good at this sort of thing during my reconditioning."

"I was actually about to suggest that," Dash nodded. "She's also fixed me up a time or two. So...shall we?"

"Ladies first," Volare smirked, but settled on trotting along beside her towards the southern end of the farm, as the northern road would take them through town.

"Oh crap, the ane-whatzit!" Dash cried suddenly, and Volare quickly retrieved it and made to set it inside her ground-bound mailbox for later, but she limped over and prodded him in the shoulder. "So, what's it say?"

"Huh?"

"Dude, I asked you this earlier; lemme see," Dash looked over his shoulder at the gauge, grinned, and hooked a hoof over his neck and laughed. "Ha, 17.2 wingpower, a new personal best!"

"Congrats, Dashie," Volare chuckled, folding the anemometer up and setting it inside the mailbox before they trotted off again, mostly in ruminating silence as they limped along, striking a strange pair indeed as they rounded the southern edge of the farm and headed north up the road that cut between Sweet Apple Acres and the Everfree Forest on the way to Fluttershy's Cottage. Volare subconsciously switched positions with Dash on the road, placing himself between her and the looming woods on their left. Dash noticed the gesture and normally would have told him off for it, protesting that she wasn't some weak little filly to be coddled like that. But, given the circumstances, she let it slide this time, nodding her thanks to him as they continued to trot along. "So, why did you keep doing it, Dash?" Volare asked after a few more minutes of silent trotting.

"Hmm, whatcha mean?"

"Why'd you keep pushing yourself like that, even though you...were getting hurt," he winced as she half-turned, revealing the angry-looking lump peeking out from the icepack she held to her head with a wing as she spoke the first thing she always told ponies when they asked her this:

"Cuz I hate losing, plain and simple," she said tersely and looked towards the path ahead, mostly so she didn't have to meet his gaze.

"I don't think it's that simple, though," Volare replied softly, and before he knew it Dash had shoved him up against an apple tree that had snuck under the fence on their right. Despite the ice-pack blocking half her face, the look in her eye was unmistakable: don't you dare second-guess me on this.

"It is that simple, so just drop it, ok?" Her words mirrored her actions as she took her hoof off his chest and stepped back, letting him fall back on all fours as she snorted and shook her head, waiting for him to rejoin her after a moment of hesitation. Silence reigned over the pair as they trotted along before Volare chanced speaking again.

"Winning's not everything, Dashie," he commented, expecting a similar outburst; but he felt like he was onto something here. Why DID she push herself like that? But to his surprise, though Dash's free wing flicked in irritation, she merely dropped her head slightly before replying defiantly:

"Well it...it is to me. Losing's no option."

"...Why?"

Volare's sincere question, mirroring her own earlier, nearly stopped Dash in her tracks to contemplate an answer. Why? Truly...why did she feel that way? But she knew why, especially around ponies like him, and she forced her hooves to keep moving as she spoke. "Because that's what's expected of me, so just drop it already." A lie...or at the very least, a half-truth... But it got Volare to shut up for a while, leaving her thoughts to wander towards other subjects. But, like a foal tugging on the mane of his parent, he inexorably dragged her back once more with his words, but this time in a way that didn't make her want to just stuff a hoof in his mouth so he'd be quiet about it.

"You remember at the party, how I told you why I didn't socially drink anymore, Dash?" She nodded wordlessly and he continued. "And you told me that, if it hurt, I didn't have to drink to prove anything to you or anypony else...what did you mean by that?"

"I-uh..." Dash's trots slowed to a near stand-still for a moment before she gathered her thoughts and turned to face him, hoofing him with a confident grin. "Cuz you'd already proved yourself by saving Scootaloo, helping Trixie, and helping with rebuilding the Griffin. Plus you're a freakin jet pilot; you didn't have to prove anything else, flyboy."

"Then why did you feel like hurting yourself like this would prove anything to me, Dashie?" Rainbow Dash halted so quickly she nearly stumbled forward, and Volare had to turn back around to face her, but she merely stared at the ground, her eye darting left and right and her lips silently moving as she tried to come up with a decent answer. But Volare moved in closer and lifted her forelock with a hoof, and her uncovered eye met his as he smiled gently. "You will never have to hurt yourself to prove to me that you're great, Rainbow Dash; I already know you are."

"Wh-what do you...huh?" Dash cocked her head in bemusement. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the compliment-on the contrary, she relished it-but...that just came out of nowhere! And for him, a stallion, to care about her safety like that, it just...it was strange. And that compliment-if only he knew the truth, he wouldn't think she was so great. What the hay's going on?! I'm Rainbow Dash, I don't brush off compliments; I live for them, right?! "I don't understand...how could you think I'm great? I mean, you've only known me for a month..."

"Heh, let's just say your reputation precedes you," Volare shot her a quick sidelong wink which merely elicited a growl from the mare as she smacked him with a wing.

"Grr, I'm gonna find out about that patch, flyboy, so don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just cuz you care about me or anything...I mean-"

"Hahaha, wouldn't expect you to, Dashie," Volare bumped her with a hip and he took off trotting again. "Couldn't call ya 'great', then eh?"

"Heh, sure," Dash rolled her eyes before catching up to him and swiftly reaching out and entangling her aching pinions in Volare's for a moment, drawing a quick gasp from him before she craned her neck and gave him a quick nuzzle. "Still, thanks."

"A-anytime, Dashie," Volare nodded as she released his wing and they trotted along under the canopy that stretched over and darkened the road, nearing the place where Volare and Shae had encountered what he was almost certain by now had been Ray and Jill. He shuddered visibly as they passed through, and Dash took notice, draping a comforting wing over his back; she'd heard what went on that night, how he'd stood up to the terrors of the night like that despite how scared and weak he'd been compared to how he was now.

"Owe it to ya, ya know," she said, trying to take his mind off of what was obviously bothering him.

"Hmm?"

"I mean, my new record; probably wouldn't have gotten it if you hadn't pissed me off so bad, heh-heh," she continued to hold her wing across his back until she felt him relax. "You know, this could be the beginning of a beautiful...hmm, rivalry, I guess," she winked and stuck her tongue out at him and he merely rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Ha, if you say so, Dashie."

"Hmm, maybe we should have a safe word," Dash mused, smirking as Volare nearly stumbled at her statement.

"Come again, Dash?"

"You know, a safe word so we don't take things too far," she waggled her eyebrows and snickered as his cheeks flushed. "If we're gonna keep playing chicken like this, I mean."

"Riiiight..." he gave her a squinty look that she matched with her uncovered eye. They held like that for nearly half a minute as they trotted, not paying an ounce of attention to where they were going before they both tripped and fell head over wings on a tree root that snaked across the road. As they lay there in the dusty road, Dash sat up and leaned on an elbow, cocking her head as Volare did the same before they both started snickering, then chuckling, then full-out laughing again so hard that it hurt their aching ribs and were probably heard halfway into the Everfree Forest and back up the farm.
"Hahahaha, maybe you're right, Dashie."

"Huh-heeheehee-about what?"

"That safe word," Volare continued to chuckle as they stood up and dusted themselves off. "Cabbages or something."

"Cabbages? What the hay," Dash shook her head as they cleared the rise that led down to Fluttershy's cottage in the near distance. "Why that?"

"Cuz it sounds like nothing else you'd probably say on accident while doing things."

"Hmm, doing things, eh?" Dash said in a suggestive tone as she ran a wing up his neck before wincing in pain. "Ow-extrapolate."

"Oh for gawds-sake, Dash," he rolled his eyes and folded her wing back down as she snickered. "You're crazy."

"Nah, I know exactly what I'm doing," she imitated him with a grin.

"That's what scares me sometimes," Volare replied with a snort. "So, what're we gonna tell Fluttershy when she asks how we got so beat up, eh?" he asked as they neared her front door; he couldn't imagine she'd be too terribly pleased if they told her they'd hurt themselves playing Truth or Dare.

"That's easy: we'll just say you crashed through a tree and fell off a cliff, and so I swooped in and saved ya, getting heroically roughed up in the process of course-cuz that's how bad the fall was!" Dash pumped a hoof and threw it around the neck of her facehoofing friend. "You got a better idea, flyboy?"

"...nope, sure don't."

"Heehee, good answer!"

"Cabbages, Dashie, cabbages..."

Notes: Whew, sorry this chapter is a day late-had it mostly done last night but felt I had to add some better closure this morning! Hope you all enjoyed it!
Extra note: With luck, all future chapters of this arc should be about this length or shorter, so hopefully the story moves a little quicker from here on out!
Also, credit for the artwork goes to johnjoseco while the "flying contraption goes to Chengar Qordath and his story The Life and Times of a Winning Pony

Truth or Dare-Pt 7: Sharp Conversations

September 21st, Location Unknown...

*static*Age-eport-*static*

"Sir...sir, are you there?" Agent F tapped on the green jewel beneath her mane, trying to filter out the voices coming in between bursts of static so she could make her weekly report. But the interference was so bad that she could barely understand the conversation on the other end of the connection. "Where are you? I can barely hear you, sir."

*static*-same on-end-damn-can't get a-hold-moment-Ray, com-ere!*static*

"Sir?" F tapped the jewel again and blew out her chops in frustration before a series of yelps filtered through the static.

*static*-argh, Boss-what the-hay...-ey, hey watch it down there-ouch!

Ah, that's much better-can you hear us now, Agent?

"Yes, fairly clearly in fact. What's going on?"

Well, we've entered the West Borders of the Everfree and the canopy is too thick for a decent signal, so I simply put Ray to good use. Unicorns make quite a nice antenna once you point their horns in the air and use them to boost a signal, heh-heh-heh-hey, stop wiggling up there Ray or we'll lose the connection!

The raspy laugh on the other end sent a chill down F's spine, but she kept her composure and attempted to make her report.

So The Element of Loyalty and Volare have begun a competition, you say? An interesting turn of events.

My money's on Rainbow Dash!

A safe bet to be sure, Twisted-what say you, Agent?

"Sir, are you sure this is-"

Nothing wrong with a bit of sport, is there, Agent? Now what say you?

"...seriously, sir?"

As The Lunar Rebellion. I want to know what you think of the situation, to put it plainly. Does Volare have the capability of beating Rainbow Dash?

"I'm afraid I still don't follow sir, but as of now the only thing he can match her in is sheer determination, though he did trick her into doing something that she couldn't do easily."

Oh really? How so?

"He used her pride against her and it nearly got her killed."

Ooh-hoo-hoo, how deliciously devious! I told you this was a good idea, Ray, did I not?

Yeah, sure...

What was that, Ray?

Ouch-I said 'yes sir!'

Very good...Agent, keep an eye on these developments and if Volare manages to...significantly injure The Element of Loyalty; the less of them in the way, the better. In fact, help that along if you can, but keep a low profile. Call me if anything else changes, but don't do so unless absolutely necessary-using Ray as an antenna won't help us much where we'll be searching soon. Is that clear?

"Crystal, sir."

Excellent. I've got my full faith and trust in you, Agent. I-

But Corvus, how can you-*SLAP*-argh, ah...*static*...p-please forgive me, I-

Silence, you damned foal! You know not to use that name on such an open channel! If Celestia gets wind of it, everything could be undone...and then you'll be undone, piece by little piece. Do you understand!?

Y-yes...please my love-it won't happen it again.

Never?

Never-ever.

Of course it won't-*snort*-forgive my outburst, Agent; surely you understand.

"Yes sir, I do," F nodded grimly; she knew well the value of a good alias, as well as the pains that often had to be taken to uphold it. Twisted Visions was damn lucky He held her in such high regard, lover or no. She'd personally seen Him slaughter half a dozen ponies that had spoken His real name outside of His permission. It wasn't so much that His name was sacred or anything like that, but only that He was right: if Celestia, Luna, or anypony else recognized that name, they'd know He'd escaped His prison, and the element of surprise would be forever lost.
Instead, He'd chosen a more secure alias to go by: a name not heard in Equestria since the time of the contact with humans: Nyctos, the root word for Nyctophobia-'fear of the dark' in Latin. A rather ironic name choice, she'd chuckled, considering He actually preferred the shadows over bright sunlight, though He could tolerate the latter just as much as the former; therefore, who would suspect the connection? "You won't hear a whisper of either of your names from me, sir."

A wise decision, Agent...don't let me down, for the hour of action grows ever nearer, bringing with it an even narrower margin for error. Carry on!
-click-*static*

Rainbow Dash had been 100% convinced that her and Volare's little story would tide Fluttershy's suspicions over. Unfortunately for her, Fluttershy had become quite a bit more assertive over the months that Iron Will had been living with her, and with the subtle threat of The Stare to back her up, she eventually wormed the truth from them on how they'd been injured. Luckily she didn't press much further on why they were playing such a dangerous game. Like a mother scolding her foals, she gently chided them over their suppressed yelps of pain as she treated Dash's head wounds and delicately plucked the splinters from Volare's face and neck. Dash and Volare continued to give each other pained and forced grins throughout the ordeal, each refusing to be the one to shout and jump in pain and causing Iron Will to mutter something about "crazy Spike-head and his even crazier mare;" luckily Dash didn't hear him.

But as painful and embarrassing as that had been, the greater sting had followed when Fluttershy had taken Volare aside and told him that as proud as she was on his wing and flight progress, that he needed to remember that flight wasn't simply just pure strength; that he needed to continue to practice the techniques she'd taught him in order to temper power with grace.
"And I'm also a little disappointed in you too...for other reasons."

"What other reasons, Flutters-ow!" Volare yelped as she worked a particularly stubborn splinter out from just above his left eye.

"Well, I was just thinking: what if Scootaloo had come along and seen you two doing something dangerous and foalish like that, hmm? She idolizes Rainbow Dash and you're her big brother; you both need to set a better example for her," she gave him a firm tap on the nose with a wingtip, as one would to a naughty puppy. That and her words had the desired effect and Volare's ears drooped at the prospect of Scootaloo emulating them and getting hurt herself.

"Jeez, you're right," Volare sneezed lightly as she plucked a splinter from his nose. "Got any suggestions?"

"Well, besides helping Applejack and Big Macintosh buck apples with your hard heads," she patted his mane with a demure chuckle. "I'd say for you two to take it easy this week. Your injuries aren't as severe as hers, but Dash is ridiculously competitive and stubborn; if she even sniffs a challenge she might take you up on it to prove herself and...um..."

"Assert her dominance?" Volare chuckled. "Heh, any reason why she's like that all the time, Flutters...Fluttershy?" Volare's laugh trailed off as he caught the wilted, thoughtful expression on his friend's face. "Hey, did I say something wrong?"

"Hmm-oh, no, no, you're fine," she shook her pink-maned head insistently-almost too insistently for her. "It's just," she leaned around the corner and peeped at Dash who was fidgeting with the medicinal pack Fluttershy had strapped to her head. Fluttershy was extremely conflicted: on one hoof, she knew the explanation could help keep Volare out of trouble, but on the other, if she told him and he let it slip...since she was one of the only other mares in Dash's life that knew why...no, the risk was too high! "She's right there and...I think it'd be more respectful if she told you herself someday; no offense."

"It's fine, Flutters; I'm sure I'll find out eventually," Volare patted her shoulder and closed his eyes, waiting for her doctoring hooves to continue. "Let's get me finished up here, Miyagi."

"Hee-hee, right."

Thus, Rainbow Dash and Volare spent the weekend in semi-quiet recovery at the cloud house; the most strenuous activity they could muster without Dash getting headaches being breathing and wing stretching exercises for Volare mixed in between bouts of Battle Clouds. Although Dash wasn't a great strategist, she was particularly fond of the game and had figured just the right places to put her Cumulus, Seagull, and Bumblebee.
"But the secret to this game, if ya wanna know," Dash grinned sagely. "Is where you put your Weather Pony and Thunderbolt...not like I'm gonna tell ya of course; just lettin' ya squirm knowing I know this game like the back of my"-

"Hrm...Cloud 2?" Volare said, remembering something about this game from the episode where Dash had been stuck in the hospital. It had just been a half-hearted guess, but Dash's jaw dropped open in surprise.

"What the hay-you zapped my Weather Pony!" Dash squinted over the divider of the game board. "You sure you haven't played this game before, dude?"

"Nope, but we have something similar on Earth called Battleship...and I'm pretty good at that particular game," he grinned.

"...I'm onto your sneaky, hustling games flyboy," Dash glared at him suspiciously as they continued. But after 50 matches of the game interspersed with readings from Dash's Daring Do novels, Dash came out on top, though only just so, at 27-23, and she crowned her "victory" with a massive hoof-noogie to Volare that he swore rubbed half his mane off. He looked on in concern though, as even that little activity caused a migraine to flare up in Dash's skull, but she waved him off, saying that she'd be fine and she was ready for another round of games if he was. He played to humor her, but inside he was concerned with just how much she'd really hurt herself...and how much she might be covering up just to keep up appearances.

September 24th...

The games and the books ate up the weekend, and before they knew it, Monday had rolled around again, bringing with it the prospect of more flight training for Volare and Weather Work for Rainbow Dash. But the mare staggered almost as soon as she got out of bed, and the lump on the her head, while having receded considerably, still blazed an angry violet just above her right eye. Needless to say, her behavior and that injury didn't do much to ease Volare's worries, and the pilot took the time when he could to fly into town and discuss the matter with Cloud Kicker, simply saying that Dash had crashed into a tree (which was technically true) and wasn't feeling terribly good.

"It's no problem, Volare; if you wanna spend the week together, alone, I completely understand," the Weather Lieutenant replied with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"No, you really don't understand," Volare facehoofed.

"What's not to get? You're the first stallion Dash has let into her house-ever! She must see something special in ya," she hoofed him playfully and chuckled disarmingly at his blushed complexion. "No worries, I'll handle Weather Duties for her this week-done it before for just this sorta occasion, in fact-though I'm kinda getting concerned about Ravenfire."

"Why, what's up with her?"

"Well, she's...how do I put it delicately?" Cloud Kicker tapped her chin thoughtfully before shrugging. "She sucks."

"Uh-well weren't you the one to invite her to join the Team in the first place?" Volare cocked a brow.

"Yeah, yeah, I know-and it wasn't for the best of reasons. But I don't have the heart to break it to her, cuz she's obviously trying really hard, and I admire that work ethic in anypony," she shook her head and sighed. "It's just...it's only been a week and I'm at my wits' end with the old gal."

"I see...what're you gonna do about this, though? I'm no good at weather work either, so don't ask me to help," Cloud Kicker's ears fell at his statement before perking back up again.

"Hey, I just had a great idea!" Cloud Kicker stomped the ground with a grin. "Think Dash is feeling up to tutoring her?"

"Wait a sec-I though we established that Dash wasn't in the best of shape-"

"Yeah, but weather tutoring is low-stress stuff; plus Dash is the best Weather Pony in Ponyville, which'd make it even easier for her to help. Plus it'd get her outta the house and dispel any...heh-heh, rumors about you two," she winked and laughed heartily while Volare simply rolled his eyes. He had to agree with her though-that did sound like a decent plan. Plus Dash was already complaining about "climbing the walls" and they'd all seen how well that little activity had gone for her last time..

And so he'd returned home, pitching the idea to Dash, who after a moment of grumbling that she was just fine (her argument being undone when she stumbled and fell over the arm of the couch and right on top of a furiously blushing Volare), grudgingly accepted the plan, also agreeing to stay at Ravenfire's place to minimize her flight time as much as possible.
Thus, while Volare continued his wing strength and form exercises, Dash found herself just to the south of Twilight Sparkle's Library, in the cozy West Ponyville Park on a sunny autumn day that she'd love nothing more than to be flying through. Dash had insisted that she go alone, unable to bear the thought of having Volare publicly 'hold her hoof' like some old nag needing help to cross the street. And so she'd nearly crashed headlong into Ravenfire, who'd been told of the plan by Cloud Kicker and had taken the initiative, waiting in the park and cooking some food in a small iron pot over a fire as she waited.

"Whoa, steady on there, Rainbow Dash, heh-heh," the rust-red mare sidestepped the Weather Captain and chuckled as Dash regained her balance, rubbing grumpily at the poultice on her head that Fluttershy had insisted that she wear at least until Friday. The younger mare alighted and trotted over to Ravenfire, eyeing the sizable, weathered grey-brown rucksack she'd brought with her. "You alright there, young one? You look a little...wobbly."

"Yeah, I'm good...kinda hit a tree the other day and Fluttershy got me all fixed up," she waved a dismissive hoof and blinked the slight blurriness from her eyes. "I'll be fine in a few days. In the meantime, we'll getcha up to speed on Weather Control; easy enough for me to do."

"I certainly hope so-to both your health and the tutelage of such a famous mare," Ravenfire grinned and nodded towards the cookpot. "Can I offer you brunch in return?" Dash was slightly taken aback by her generous manners, but the rumble in her stomach silenced any attempt at refusing food she'd considered making.

"Heh, that'd be nice, actually," Dash's mouth watered as Ravenfire hooked the lid off the pot with a piece of curved metal she fished from her rucksack, revealing the simmering and popping veggies, potatoes, and onions within and filling the small park with their scrumptious scent. Ravenfire turned away to get a few cups from her rucksack, but as she did so, Dash impatiently tried to snag a plump onion from the pot.

"Ouch!" she rubbed her muzzle and blushed in mortification as Ravenfire turned back to investigate the cry, shaking her grey-maned head and chuckling in disbelief.

"You know, if I might be so bold, you really need to learn the art of patience, Ms. Dash," she nickered as she expertly speared a few veggies with a fork and hoofed the bubbling cup to her grumbling "teacher".

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dash said, though she took the hint and sat the cup on the ground, waiting for it to cool. "Just hungry, that's all."

"Well, you can live a few extra minutes without sustenance I suspect, hmm?" Ravenfire tittered and filled her own cup, emulating Dash and setting it down to cool before popping the lid back onto the cookpot. The two mares settled down on the crisp green grass and sat in silence for a bit, allowing their food to reach a tolerable temperature before the elder spoke up. "So, Cloud Kicker told me I'm...well, rusty in regards to Weather Control. I thought I'd kept on it fairly well to be honest, but it seems I've lost a step or three over the years, heh-heh-heh," she sighed.

"Nah, we just run a tighter ship here than you're probably used to, that's all," Dash waved a wing, giving the older mare the respect she deserved; judging by the light scars on her hooves and face, she'd earned some slack in Dash's eyes. Even so, there was only so much slack she could give without jeopardizing the schedule that Cloudsdale sent down, so getting Ravenfire back up to speed remained the priority. "In any case, you've got the right pony here to help ya."

"I surely hope so," Ravenfire's features fell slightly. "Derpy's able to control clouds better than I could the other day."

"Aww, how bad could it be?" Dash asked, instantly regretting it; if Derpy of all ponies was better than her...

"I crashed a thundercloud into a bunch of cirrus, causing a hail storm over the North Broccoli fields," Ravenfire facehoofed and groaned, while Dash winced.

Well, that explained how that happened.
"Oh c'mon, it's not all that bad-hay, I've done worse myself," she reached over and patted the older mare on the hoof. "Heh, nearly crashed a cloud into Celestia's face during the Best Young Flyer's Competition a while back."

"Haha, are you serious?" Ravenfire's face brightened a bit.

"Totally serious. Man, I was so embarrassed!" Dash caught herself from saying more, wondering why she was being so open with this mare all of a sudden. Maybe it was because she was from out of town and didn't truly know the reputation that Dash carried around here...or maybe it was because there was something awfully familiar about this mare. But after staring at her for a moment, and with nothing concrete coming to mind, Dash shrugged the issue off and finally decided that it was simply because Ravenfire didn't seem to be a threat as well as needing her help. Nothing wrong with being close to one's students, right?

"Well, from what I heard, you still managed to win the Competition, right?" Ravenfire poked at her food and winced slightly-still too hot. "How'd you pull that off?"

"The Sonic Rainboom, of course!" Dash pumped a hoof and grinned in pride, though she grimaced slightly at the lance of pain that shot through her temple as she did so. "Saved my friend Rarity from falling out of Cloudsdale along with three of the Wonderbolts!"

"You don't say?" Ravenfire's cerise eyes twinkled as she grinned.

"I do say," Dash countered with a cocky grin.

"Heh-heh, you're quite the amazing mare, Ms. Dash."

"Aww, hay, I try," she waved a hoof, blushing slightly at the compliment.

"No, you succeed, and I think that's why so many ponies look up to and depend upon you," Ravenfire mused.

"You think so?" Dash asked, her pride causing her to fish for compliments.

"The evidence speaks for itself," Ravenfire stated plainly, chomping down on a piece of tomato and enjoying the zesty juice that flooded her mouth. "Veggies should be cool enough to eat."

"Mmm, this is great, Raven-can I call you Raven?" Dash asked around a mouthful of onion.

"Of course, Ms. Dash."

"Oh, and drop the 'Ms.' Makes me feel old or some-" Dash cut herself off as she realized what she'd just said. "Eh-heh, I mean, uh..."

"What's wrong with being a little long in the tooth, Rainbow Dash?" Ravenfire chuckled, humoring her request at the same time. "As said, I may have lost a step, but what I lack in speed I make up for in knowledge."

"That reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask," Dash pointed her spoon at Raven's scars. "Knowledge of what, cuz no offense, you obviously didn't make your living as a Weather Pony before coming here, right?"

"Heh, good deduction," Ravenfire rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and blushed. "Well, there's not terribly much to tell: I worked a number of odd jobs in Roam for a few years before deciding the city life just wasn't for me anymore. So I sold everything in my possession there and traveled across the West Continent for a while, finally crossing the Antlertic Ocean this past spring. I've been flying and trotting across Equestria ever since, from Manehattan to Trottingham before finding this little town. It's so quaint and out of the way, and everypony here seemed nice enough from a distance so I figured "what the hay", maybe it's time I settle down. I then saw yours and Volare's little airshow and...well, the rest is recent history."

But her answer, while lengthy, didn't come close to satisfying Dash's curiosity. "By odd jobs, you mean...?"

"Oh, selling things, buying things, trying to scrape out an honest living; not the easiest thing to do in a place like Roam, where it seems like everypony on the street is trying to either con, rob, or mug you," Ravenfire laughed grimly as she stood and rustled through her rucksack, muttering something about herbs to take the edge off the soup to fill up the silence that her vague answer left in its wake. But as she turned the sack over to peer into it, a cloth-wrapped parcel half the length of her wing clattered out of the bag, unraveling as it bounced and revealing its shining contents, much to Ravenfire's grimacing dismay.

"Whoa, sweet!" Dash's eye caught the gleam of metal and trotted over to investigate the peculiar object that had been wrapped in the parcel. She'd never seen one quite like this, but she'd seen enough at Cloud Kicker's place (her mother being a Royal Guard) to know what she was looking at. "Where'd you get this crazy wingblade, Ravenfire?" Her rose-colored eyes danced over the re-curved blade that swooped up and forward into a wicked-looking double-edged beak, while the base of the blade itself hinged into a metal gauntlet that covered the leading edge of the wing, with slats in the front to allow for in-flight airflow information over the sensitive Alula Nerve that ran along it. Dash vaguely remembered from her Flight Classes something about that nerve being the "gateway to flight" but she was too distracted by the flash of the elegant blade to recall it completely. Eh, let eggheads like Twilight and Volare worry about the specifics; I'll worry about the actual flight, heh-heh!

"Picked it up in Roam, if you must know; used to be a fair bit longer than this, but I cut it down to match my lighter frame," Ravenfire smiled despite her worry as Dash nudged the gauntlet with a hoof before its owner gingerly picked it up. The older mare's eyes roved fondly over the diligently-polished surface of the blade, remembering how it had served it her well over the years. "Haven't had to properly use it for some time, but it comes in handy in a pinch for spearing vegetables out of the soup-pot," Ravenfire chuckled and demonstrated by retrieving a potato from the stew with the blade tip and popping the tuber into her mouth with a grin.

"You still know how to use it, then?" Dash pressed with an excited grin. "The blade, I mean."

"Hmmph, of course I know how to use it; wouldn't make sense to carry it if I didn't. Took a few...lessons in Roam on its usage," Ravenfire plucked it up and, despite her better judgement, allowed Dash to help her attach it to her right wing using the somewhat crude leather straps it sported.

Ravenfire sighed, feeling the old familiar weight of the blade as she flexed her wing, sending the sharp edge whistling through the air. As Rainbow Dash respectfully stepped back to give her space, the older mare threw a few thrusts and jabs through the air, whipping the blade forward and pivoting back as if blocking the attacks of unseen foes for a few steps. She then whirled, slashed downwards until the tip nearly grazed the ground before thrusting upwards in a maneuver designed to disembowel a pony; a death-roar frozen upon her lips as she halted her actions, noticing that Dash's eyes were wide with an emotion she couldn't quite read.

"Ahem, yes, well...that's enough for today, I suppose," Ravenfire chuckled as she quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead and shucked the blade off without any assistance from Rainbow Dash.

"...you learned all that for self-defense?" Dash asked, her mind playing back through what she'd just seen and marveling at the skill with which the older mare wielded the blade, as if it were an extension of herself.

"You could say that," Ravenfire replied cryptically. Dash growled inwardly; she respected this mare's privacy and all, but this was just too cool to remain secret, and it was killing her! But Ravenfire sensed Dash's growing frustration, and gave her one more little tidbit to hopefully assuage her; the last thing she needed was for her "weather tutor" to be terribly irritated with her. "Sometimes, a mare's gotta do what a mare's gotta do when she travels alone. I came close to not making out of a hairy situation once, and after that I decided I wouldn't be a target anymore." She looked up at Dash with a very serious expression. "I don't believe I'm that bad of a pony, Rainbow Dash, but I've done enough bad things with this that...if they were taken out of context, others would likely label me a bad pony."

"I don't think you're a bad pony, Raven," Dash reached a hoof toward her, smiling assuredly, but the older mare shrugged it off, keeping herself between Dash and the blade.

"What I mean is...as beautiful and elegant as this might seem, it's made for one purpose and one purpose only...and that purpose is neither beautiful nor elegant, and you should respect it for that, do you understand?" At Dash's serious nod, Ravenfire's countenance visibly relaxed and she carefully held the blade out for Dash to investigate, allowing the cyan mare to hold it in her hooves for a moment before setting it back down on top of Ravenfire's rucksack.

"Hey, I get what you mean-about the whole self-defense thing," Dash spoke up after another heavy moment of silence punctuated only by the crackling cook-fire. At Ravenfire's raised eyebrow, Dash explained. "I mean, look at me: I stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd and attract lots of attention...but not all of that's good, ya know?"

"Yes, I know the feeling."

"Especially from stallions, right?"

"Indeed...Pegasus stallions in particular," Ravenfire nodded grimly.

"What's up with those guys, huh?" Dash growled as she paced, pausing to paw at the grass every so often. "Why've they gotta be so...so..."

"Aggressive?" Ravenfire offered.

"Yeah, that's it! Strut around like they own the clouds and everypony under and over them!"

"Seems to run in our blood," the older mare chuckled as Dash realized just how she was acting and quickly settled down, though her temper didn't abate much.

"Eh-heh yeah, well...I dunno, sometimes I just think that the only reason we even gotta live with half of 'em is cuz we need'em to make foals, ya know?"

"Oh come now, they're not all that bad," Ravenfire nudged her and chomped on her soup.

"From what I've seen, they sure are," Dash snorted and shrugged. "All of 'em nothing but trotting hormone factories looking for nothing but some tail to lift. And they want me to be part of that system? Well buck that!"

"...sounds to me like you speak from experience, Rainbow Dash," Ravenfire frowned.

"Hay yeah I do, sister," Dash scowled and shook her head free of the memories that attempted to snag onto her consciousness, including the experience of what had nearly happened in Fillydelphia. "So I say to Tartarus with stallions!"

"So...you like mares, I take it?" Ravenfire asked innocently, barely noticing the flicker of anger that flashed through Dash's eyes before the Weather Captain controlled herself.

Dash had long ago lost count of how many ponies she'd either told off or given black eyes over their prying questions regarding her sexuality; it might have been her coloration or her attitude, but the stubborn mare refused to believe it was her fault others thought this way about her, remaining convinced that they were quite literally judging this book by her cover. Even so, she decided to give Ravenfire-a stranger in town-a free pass on this one, settling for a simple:
"Hay no! Why does everypony assume that just cuz I don't trust stallions that I must automatically like mares instead?! I mean, I like stallions for a nice roll in the clouds to blow off steam every now and then, but beyond that...just no! As for mares: most of my best friends are mares, and how ya think they'd react to me coming out of the stable like that, huh? They wouldn't look at me the same!" Dash caught her breath and backed up, having realized she'd gotten dangerously close to Ravenfire's face as she ranted, though the cooler-headed red mare hardly batted an eyelash throughout the whole tirade. "S-sorry...just tired of everypony assuming stuff about me, that's all."

"That's quite alright; we all have our little...issues." Ravenfire resisted the urge to say that attitude sounded a lot like what Rainbow Dash said she hated stallions for, but she swallowed her words and pointed out an another anachronism instead. "So you think all stallions are good-for-nothing, tail-lifting, hormone factories with only one thing on their minds?"

"That's about the size of it, as far as I'm concerned." Dash said, irritably chomping on a stewed carrot.

"Then why're you letting Volare sleep in your house?"

Dash nearly choked on the carrot at Ravenfire's question, and the older mare had to pound a hoof between her wings to jar the truculent taproot loose. "Ack-ack, how ya know about that?!" Dash gasped once the vegetable was sent sailing away.

"Lucky guess?" Ravenfire shrugged and chuckled, relieved that Dash was out of danger; but there was no satisfying her curiosity once she became fixated on something, and so Ravenfire relented. "Ok, Pinkie Pie told me."

"Agh, Pinks why would you tell everypony I've got a stallion living at my place?" Dash covered her face with her hooves. "There goes my rep, which means I'll be bucking horny stallions off my front porch till who knows when!"

"I think your fears are a little unfounded, Rainbow Dash," Ravenfire mused, hooking out the last onion from the soup before removing the pot from the fire and dousing the flames with a bucket of water she had nearby. When she looked up and caught the expression of bemused anger on the fiery mare's face, she explained: "If stallions were so inclined to do that, they'd have beaten down your door days ago, as Pinkie told me about Volare's living situation last Wednesday. I don't believe she's told anypony else, and only told me because I asked nicely, with your best interests in mind."

"Yeah well I..." Dash trailed off, unable to find a reason to stay angry, and she deflated somewhat into half-grumbles under her breath. "What if she had?"

"She won't, especially if she respects your issues with stallions. Does she know of them?"

"I-I think so, yeah," Dash scratched her head, still irritated over the thought of a gaggle of stallions hovering around her house and taking her permission of Volare's living there as an invitation that 'Dash was open for business.'

"Then she wouldn't tell any stallion else about it if you were that worried."

"I'm not worried," Dash insisted, catching a similar look that Twilight had given her weeks ago when she'd said the same thing about not being worried about angering Volare. "Ok, concerned."

"And reasonably so," Ravenfire nodded in understanding as she wiped the soup pot clean and sat it next to her rucksack. "Surely you don't share that same concern about Volare though, right? I mean, otherwise, why would you let him stay in your home?"

"Hey, it's not cuz I like the guy or anything," Dash crossed her hooves defensively, eliciting a skeptical look from Ravenfire. "Seriously; he's only there outta necessity cuz there's no other place for him to stay in town."

"Nopony else would take him in, after all I've heard he's been through?"

"Well, it's not that nopony else would take him," Dash paused to gather the right words. "It's just that...ok, it's like this: Rarity only has one bed-hers. Pinkie Pie's got no room cuz Scootaloo is staying with her. Applejack's folks need help with the harvest and anypony there has to work the fields, and that's gonna take away from Volare's wing strength stuff. He's already crashed at Fluttershy's place for a few weeks and we kinda decided it's unfair for her to keep supporting him, and...well, Vinyl and Octy don't have any room, Trixie's staying in Twilight's guest bed, Lyra and Bon-Bon only have one bed a piece, and there's no way in Tartarus I'll let Volare stay at Cloud Kicker's," Dash snorted, idly running a hoof along Ravenfire's wingblade again.

"That's...very considerate of you, Rainbow Dash," Ravenfire nodded, chuckling lightly at the memory of Cloud Kicker's attempts to proposition her.

"Yeah, well don't read too much into it; besides, he's not even a real stallion."

"Aww, well that's rather harsh; he seems nice enough," Ravenfire chided.

"What-no, that's not what I mean. Do you know the truth about him?"

"Truth? What sort of truth?"

"It's nothing bad or anything, just something you might wanna know about so things don't get awkward around the guy," Dash went on to quickly explain how Volare wasn't always a Pegasus, how he'd gotten here from Earth (minus the crash cause of course), and his position on "inter-species" relationships that kept him from making a move on her; how that was really the reason why she was ok with him living with her (she also conveniently left out her playful teasings that took advantage of the situation from time to time).

"But he's a Pegasus now; why would that bother him?" Ravenfire cocked a brow.

"I know, I keep telling him that, but he just won't lighten up about it," Dash shrugged, but Ravenfire merely chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, you're just full of funny little tidbits of information, Rainbow Dash," the older mare shook her head slowly. "You're trying to convince Volare to loosen up in regards to his little relationship issue, and yet you insist that the only reason why you're letting him live with you is precisely because he's got that issue blocking him from making a move on you."

"W-what's your point?" Dash asked, continuing to nervously run her hoof along the wingblade, straying dangerously close to the sharp edge the more distracted she became.

"My point is: if you convince him to lighten up and accept that it's ok for him to have feelings for a mare...what then will you do about your living situation?" Ravenfire paused and fixed the bemused Dash in a scrutinizing gaze. "What I mean to say is: what if the mare he starts to have feelings for...is you?"

"Easy, I'll kick his flank out-ouch!" Dash yelped as she nicked herself on the blade; still ludicrously sharp after 'not having much recent use' as Ravenfire had insisted. Dash glared at the offending weapon as its owner rolled her eyes and tossed her a rag to wrap her hoof in.

"Would you really do that, Rainbow Dash?" Ravenfire sighed as she re-wrapped the old blade and tucked it back into the safety of her rucksack. "Could have sworn The Element of Loyalty would hold herself above something so petty."

"Yeah, well, this Element's also loyal to her own ideals too, ya know," Dash grumbled and squeezed the rag around the cut to stop the bleeding. Ok, maybe I deserved that... "I mean, hopefully if that happens he'll know by then how I feel about stallions, he'll respect me, and it'll be ok," she relented somewhat. "Or I'll at least help him build his own place so he doesn't have to sleep outside in the cold...guess I owe him that much."

"Does he know?"

"Well, no..." Dash trailed off. There was no feathering way she'd tell him why either!

"May wanna make that clear at some point, just so you're not sending mixed signals," Ravenfire smiled knowingly, and Dash wondered if she and Applejack had had the same conversation with each other beforehoof.

"Meh, I'll do it eventually," Dash pulled the rag away and winced; she'd cut herself fairly well. It wouldn't need stitches, but she'd need to keep it wrapped. Great, one more thing in my way now, she grumbled.

"Your hoof going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I'll live," Dash plopped down on her flank and held her hoof above her head to slow the bleeding. "I swear that crazy wingblade is sharp enough to cut shadow!"

"Thanks; gotta keep it ready. Just in case any crazy buncha stallions come beating down my door," Ravenfire winked, drawing a chuckle from Dash, who glanced around and realized something.

"Wait a sec, where are you living?"

"Oh, heh-you're looking at it," Ravenfire gestured to the park and a small tuft of cloud stuck in the topmost branches of a poplar tree.

"You've been living in a park since coming here?" Dash cocked an eyebrow. "That's...kinda hobo, ya know?"

"Pfft, never had much trouble roughing it," Ravenfire waved a dismissive hoof and grinned. "Lived in volcanic craters, on top of cold mountains, and desert valleys, so I think I can handle living in this wild and terrible jungle for a bit, heh-heh."

This old mare was pretty cool, Dash decided before her eyes trailed to the barely-visible marks that tracked over Ravenfire's hoof as well as her face.
"Is that where you got those scars and stuff from-your blade, I mean...you weren't that sloppy with it, were you?" Dash asked innocently, wincing at the throb in her elevated hoof.

"Oh, these old things?" Ravenfire chuckled and held up a hoof, her eyes moving over the thin, pale lines that criss-crossed her hooves and forelegs. Though her exterior retained an aloof grin, her mind was suddenly wracked with the memories of exactly where, how, when, and by whom she'd received them. The drops of sweat and condensation that dripped within the stifling bronze helmet, the clouds of sand-dust that plumed with every staggering hoof step in the empty space surrounded by towering columns, rows of seats, and throngs of ponies screaming and howling for blood... But she quickly shook her head and chuckled. "Meh, picked them up over the years just using my hooves, that's all; not unlike how you just used yours there, heh-heh," she nodded at Dash's nicked hoof.

"Using them for what, though?" Dash pressed.

"...for things I'd rather speak upon at a later date, if you please," Ravenfire retorted, her tone brooking no further argument.

"Ah, ok...sorry," Dash recoiled with a slightly hurt expression.

"Nothing to apologize for-I know what I look like; I know I draw stares, and you're not the first to ask those questions, Rainbow Dash," Ravenfire assured her. "In any case, I also believe we're here to discuss Weather Control, rather than Wingblades, Stallions, and the past, aye?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Dash shook her stinging hoof and nodded in agreement before trotting a short distance away and spreading her wings. "Let's start with the basics, ok; just wanna see whatcha got first. Let's work our way up to building you a home by the end of the day so we don't have to sleep outside tonight."

"You're staying with me?"

"Well yeah, gonna try to take it easy," she tapped the poultice and grinned crookedly. "Don't wanna worry Fluttershy and Volare, ya know?"

"Understandable," Ravenfire smiled and followed Dash up to the nearest cloud to begin.

September 25th...

Volare hated to admit it, but without Dash around he was getting bored-not that he wanted Dash around to bug him, mind you, but it was more of the motivation she brought that he missed. And so, after a few days of strength-training, deep breathing exercises, and lonely dinners, Volare decided to take the rest of the week off and tour the town of Ponyville; something he hadn't really had much of a chance to do by himself ever since arriving there. But, as he'd soon come to find out, his reputation and color scheme didn't exactly lend much to his ability to blend in with the town's crowd. Within moments of landing, he was tackle-hugged by a mint green, golden eyed Unicorn wearing a grin that rivaled Pinkie's.

"Whoa, heya Lyra, what's up-oof!" Volare groaned as the lyricist squeezed him tightly and laughed. "Urgh-what's the occasion for trying to constrict me this time?" he gasped.

"Occasion? Dude have you lost it?" Lyra knocked on his forehead with a hoof. "Nope, not quite ripe yet heeheehee."

"Haha ok for real, what's going on?" Volare asked as Lyra grabbed his hoof and pulled him north up Stirrup Street, scattering ponies left and right like skittles and barely leaving the pilot time to shout an apology. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"It's the 25th, Volare!" Lyra grinned, dodging them around Roseluck who was carring a massive basket of flowers, a bunch of of which Lyra snagged with her magic and stuffed into her mouth. "An-a kno-wha th't means, right?" she asked through a mouthful of daisies.

"Um, remind me again-whoa, sorry Buck Star!" Volare called as he leaped and flew over the coffee shop keeper, his hoof still firmly stuck in Lyra's as she yanked him along like a mad sled-dog. She turned to him and smirked cheekily, not watching where she was going as they rounded the bend to head east.

"You arrived here on the 25th of August, and that means it's your one-month anniversa-*crash!!*" Lyra smacked headlong into a large book hovering its way along the sidewalk, causing Volare to tumble over her, smack into another pony, and roll into a cabbage cart, scattering the leafy vegetables all over the street in a veritable explosion of produce.

"Urgh, that could have gone better," Volare groaned, rubbing his head and opening his eyes to find himself straddled atop a pony whose head was hidden by a wicker basket. It was right about the time that he realized the familiarity of the pony's lavender fur when she levitated the basket off of her head, leaving him staring into the wide and surprised eyes of Twilight Sparkle...and he was on top of her...in public..and now her cheeks were blushing heavily.
Oh son of a bitch, Murphy-will you just leave me the hell alone?!?!

Notes: Looks like ol' Volare just can't stay out of trouble!
Volare: That's not funny!
Author: Pfft, what happened next was hilarious!
Volare: Yeah, to you!
Author: And everypony else! Stay tuned for another quick update this week, folks!

Truth or Dare-Pt 8: Hello, Murphy...

September 25th, Ponyville...

Twilight Sparkle could be described as a high-strung sort of pony six days out of the week, with scarce down-time in between where she wasn't rushing to meet research and study deadlines. Even so, she believed she could handle whatever life might throw at her-she was Princess Celestia's number one student after all-and that included the magical re-education of the (formerly) Great and Powerful Trixie, whom had taken up residence in her Library Tree. The transition had been remarkably smooth, with Trixie willing to lend a helping hoof in almost anything, a fact which Spike had somewhat taken advantage of as he passed on many of his chores to her. Twilight caught on though, and quickly put a stop to it, insisting that Trixie would better serve her fellow ponies by learning practical magic over illusion, rather than sweeping floors and dusting furniture.

As Spike and Trixie had become more acquainted with one another, Twilight had been able to shift a little more of her attention to her main concern: Volare's request to re-visit Earth via the Long Distance Spell. Though she didn't question his motives (which included tying up loose ends, re-distributing his estate, and probably letting his Blue Angel squadmates know they didn't have to mourn him as he was alive and well), nor was she worried about actually getting him to Earth in one piece, Twilight was very concerned with how he'd return. Until his arrival, Twilight had linked the return spell to Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom as it disrupted time and space just enough to allow such travel to occur over so long a distance (though how far away from Earth their planet actually was remained a mystery to her). This return method wasn't a problem for Rainbow Dash, as her ability to perform the Sonic Rainboom had become almost routine the more she practiced it.

The problem lie in actually getting Volare up to that speed as well, and Twilight had been wracking her brains trying to figure out ways to get it to work. True, she knew he likely wouldn't be able to produce the wingpower necessary to go that fast, but neither could Rainbow Dash. That might sound strange, but there was something else taking place within the Sonic Rainboom itself; something else other than just the simple breaking of the sound barrier that disrupted space so much. Something almost like a Unicorn's spell or even a-oof!
"Ah-ow-what the-owowowow!" Twilight was smashed out of her musings by two blurs-one mint green and the other navy blue-who came crashing into her around the corner, sending the Acceleratory Conundrums of Anatomy bouncing off her nose before the two blurs plowed into her, tumbling her hooves over horn into a cabbage stand, a wicker basket unceremoniously landing atop her head as she lay on her back upon the warm cobblestones.

As things quieted down and Twilight realized that nothing internal was terribly damaged, she also came to realize that a soft, warm weight was settled on her belly...and that the usual hustle and bustle of Stirrup Street had gone eerily quiet. Twilight slowly, carefully levitated the basket from off of her head and blinked the sun's glare from her eyes to find herself staring directly into the face of Volare-who also happened to be the weight straddled across her body. Instantly, her cheeks flamed into a blush and if her head wasn't already pressed back against the street, she would have recoiled just a bit further as the two ponies froze in each others' gazes. Everything and everypony around was silent.

"Uh...h-heya, Twi," Volare croaked, and at his words Twilight remembered that she hadn't made any head-way on the spell to counter his body's effects on her, that they were in a very compromising position, and that they were very much in a public place-the last possible spot either of them wanted to be in this situation. Those thoughts flicked through Twilight's mind in an instant, even as the warm, goldish haze his body was causing on her mind began to crawl in like a rising tide, and she quickly focused herself by reverting to an old foal-hood trick: thinking of numbers. One number (or rather one value) in particular stood out-10 feet...the "safe distance" she and Volare had ascertained through trial and error just like this. In a flash, before she could succumb to the haze, Twilight's body lit up white, and with a sharp crack and a pop, she disappeared, teleporting right through Volare's body, and reappeared on the other side of Stirrup Street.

"Heya, Volare; what's up?" Twilight called from across the road, a blush still very evident upon her features as Volare shakily rose to his hooves.

Quick thinking as always, Twi.
"Oh, you know, same ol' same ol'. Fancy running into you here, eh?"
Lame.

"Heh, well I do live just there, silly," Twilight pointed a hoof towards the Library down the street, the forced tone of her voice indicating that he play along to shake the curious eyes of the surrounding townsponies; their "secret issue" was dangerously close to being discovered. All it would take would be the right questions and they'd be the scandal of the town. Or worse, they might over-react and ostracize Volare, Twilight thought. But the pilot caught the hint and nodded.

"Ha, right; silly me," he waved a dismissive hoof. "Oh, my training is coming along pretty good!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I'll be up to 10 Wingpower soon!"

"Really? That's excellent!" Twilight called back. The onlookers, seeing that nothing else exciting seemed to be ahoof, eventually returned to their previous tasks, allowing Twilight and Volare to breathe a sigh of relief as Lyra scrabbled upright, half a cabbage impaled upon her horn and giving her a ridiculous appearance. "You alright, Lyra?"

"Yep, I'm good," she dusted herself off and shook the shish-kabobbed saurerkraut from her horn, shooting the cabbage vending Earth Pony an apologetic grin. "Sorry bout that, sir."

"This is the fourth time this month, Ms. Heartstrings!" the green-maned vendor half-groaned, half-growled, his irritation only slightly abated as Lyra tossed him a hoof-full of bits from her saddlebag. He quickly counted the bits, gave her a terse nod, and went about cleaning up his wrecked cart. "You ok, dude?" Lyra hoofed Volare in the shoulder and waved a hoof at Twilight. "Sup, Sparks?"

"Oh, nothing much: just the usual research," Twilight called back across the street, not coming any closer than the opposite curb, which Lyra found rather curious. "Can I have my book?"

"Huh, oh yeah," Lyra spotted and levitated the leather-bound tome, holding it up in front of her and shaking her head at the title. "Here it is, safe and sound!"

"Toss it over!" the Librarian insisted, and Lyra couldn't help but glance back and forth between the Pegasus and the Unicorn in bemusement, as if she were missing the punchline of an inside joke.

"Oookay, or you could come and get it," Lyra replied, cocking a brow as Twilight's hooves shuffled nervously on the sidewalk.

"Or, you could toss it!" Twilight's forced smile devoured half her face, while a nervous sweat began to break out upon Volare's brow. But before Lyra could ask why the hay she didn't just come and get it, rather than risk damage to it, Volare spoke up.

"Hey Lyra, you and Twilight gotten together to study human stuff yet?"

"Huh? Oh, actually no we haven't," Lyra shook her head. "Hey Sparks, when're we gonna meet up and study those two-legs, eh?" she grinned hopefully at the Librarian, who spotted Volare's desperate wink behind Lyra. Play along.

"Oh, right...um...how about tomorrow?" Twilight suggested, realizing that meant she'd have to delay research on the counter spell. Then again, better than becoming a spectacle in broad daylight here, right? "Can't be today-working on...um-"

"Nah, that's cool; got something special planned for pilot-boy here," Lyra bumped Volare with a hip and chuckled. "Tomorrow sounds good though-here you look busy and we're gonna be late. Catch!" The lyricist flipped the book across the street, barely making it halfway before Twilight caught it with her magic and gave Lyra and Volare a grateful smile.

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow morning then?"

"Yeah, and I'll bring some of my collection for ya to study," Lyra pumped a hoof and grinned again. "See ya, Sparks! Oh, wish Volare a happy one-month!"

"Happy...oh, right!" Twilight beamed in realization. Had it really been exactly a month? It somehow seemed simultaneously shorter and longer-everything but exact...strange. "Happy one-month, Volare!"

"Heh, thanks Twi," Volare nodded before being nearly yanked off his hooves by the rambunctious Lyra. "Uh, I guess I got a date with destiny or something-see ya!" he managed to shout before Lyra yanked him around the corner, and he was gone.

"Date...heh," Twilight frowned, her ears drooping for a moment before shaking the lingering feeling off, focusing on the matter at hoof. This matters more than some passing fancy, she decided with a sigh, opening her book and continuing on the way she'd come before the crash, making sure to glance up above the cover every now and again to avoid anymore collisions.

.................

"Hey, ya finally made it!" Vinyl Scratch looked up from her lunch and shot Volare a huge grin as the pilot was practically dragged around the corner and into the build site of the Gilded Griffin by Lyra. "Happy one-month, bruh! Sit down and grab a bite," she patted the "table" scavenged from the surviving front door of the restaurant, the scuffed brass griffon grab handle reflecting the general state of the property; they'd both seen better days to say the least.

"Yeah, nearly sans hoof; and thanks," Volare chuckled as Lyra released her grip on his numb limb before she galloped over to the DJ and bumped their hooves together in a complicated pattern that seemed to be the work of years of repetition. Meanwhile, Bon-Bon, who was situated on a padded seat next to Vinyl, rolled her eyes and snorted, lifting her yellow construction helmet to scratch at her mane as she pored over the building blueprints laid out on the table before her. "Those the plans I take it, Bon-Bon?"

"Happy one-month, Volare; and indeed they are," she nodded, going from smiles to business as he reached her side and looked at the plans himself. "As you know, it's virtually the same design as the previous building, but we're using more modern materials and re-purposing Lyra's human artifacts room."

"How so?" Volare tilted his head. "Does Lyra know? What about her stuff?"

"Oh trust me, she insisted on this,"' Bon-Bon waved a dismissive hoof. "We're going to be decorating the inside of the Griffin with her artifacts and using that side room as a performance stage for live entertainment. You know: add a little pizzazz to the place."

"Wow, that's...kinda adventurous, Bon-Bon. You sure you're feeling ok?" Volare chuckled and dodged a playful swipe of her hoof. He was glad to see her in higher spirits, and one glance at the construction site explained why: the framework of the restaurant was already erected, as were the arch and beams of the roof. All that truly remained was the masonry, windows, and flooring, and then it would be time to furnish the place. "Wow, Trixie sure has out-done herself; speaking of whom, where's she at? Octavia too-"

"Have at thee!" CLINK-CLANG!

"I will have a-CLANK!-wait, what's that mean?"

"It means take that!" CLANK!

"Whoa, what the hell?!" Volare reflexively ducked and turned towards the source of the shouting and clanging metal just in time to see Octavia backing up over a stack of masonry stones, swinging what looked to be a piece of construction rebar in one hoof downwards towards her foe: Trixie! The blue magician clamored up the stack of masonry after Octavia, until both were standing level at the top. Trixie's hat was missing, and she had a yellow sweat-band tied around her forehead, while Octavia wore a construction helmet similar to Bon-Bon's; both wore fierce grins as they clashed again, Trixie wielding a short shovel with her magic.

"If it means 'take that,' then why're you running away, Tavi-haha!" CLINK-CLANG! She swung her shovel, but Octavia skillfully blocked it with her rebar, turning the blow aside to strike back at Trixie, who quickly back-pedaled to dodge the blow before returning to the attack. Supremely confused and worried that Trixie had gone off the deep end again, Volare made to run up and stop them, but Lyra collared him and shook her head.

"Lemme go Lyra, I gotta stop them!"

"Volare, it's fine," Bon-Bon snorted in an almost bored tone as the shouts and clanks of metal from the two dueling ponies echoed off the surrounding buildings. "They've been at this every now and again since yesterday."

"But-what's-huh?!" the pilot sputtered, trying to break free of Lyra's grip, but the lyricist was surprising strong and she held him firm. "Why're they fighting each other again?!"

"They're not fighting, bruh; they're dueling," Vinyl patted the air with a hoof. "It's totally cool. Just chillax, man."

"But I-" Volare protested, but as he watched, it became clear that something was definitely different about this "fight" this time around. Trixie and Octavia's hoof placements were deliberate, their strikes controlled, their banter more humorous than acidic. Numerous times, he spotted chances where Octavia could have skewered Trixie, or the latter could have easily decapitated the former with her shovel, but neither did anything of the sort. His friends were right: this wasn't the same sort of knock-down, drag-out fight that had left The Griffin in ruins; this was two ponies having a bit of sport with each other. Despite the rasp of the ribbed rebar grating upon the shovel blade accompanying the shouts and scuffling hooves of the duelists, he noticed that even the ponies passing by the construction site barely batted an eye towards them, as if this were old hat. However, their activity did draw the awe of three young fillies who were held in rapt attention as Trixie and Octavia continued their "fight" down the masonry pile, around piles of timber, through the dusty build-site, and finally up on top of the door/table itself.

"Hey, watch it!" Bon-Bon cried as Octavia parried, leaped back, and riposted, nearly trampling the building plans in the process.

"Ah, my apologies Bon-B-whoa, almost got me that time, Trixie!" CLINK-CLANG-CLANG! "Oh, hello Volare; happy one month-haha, have at-agh!" Octavia leaped off the table as Trixie swung the shovel at her feet, nearly taking Bon-Bon's head off as the blade edge bounced off the brass griffin door handle and nicked her construction helmet, spinning it off of her head before she could even think to duck.

"Sorry Bon-Bon!" Trixie blushed slightly before following her opponent, sweat making it past the band on her head and dripping all over the building blueprints. "Oh, and happy-ya!-one month, Volare; we'll be done just as soon as I beat her!"

"Not on your life, Trixie," Octavia smirked and flicked at the shovel, nearly disarming Trixie before she recovered and attacked once more.

"Oh gimme a break, you two!" Bon-Bon cried, Lyra and Vinyl bumped hooves and grinned, and Volare merely shook his head in amazement. Those two were unbelievable. It was about that time that he noticed the three fillies standing there, jaws agape.

"You three out of class?" Volare queried as he trotted over, keeping an eye on the duel.

"Yeah, Ms. Cheerilee...she let us out early-ohmygosh!" Scootaloo cried as Octavia lost her footing, but Trixie caught her with her magic, smirked, and tossed her upright to continue. The orange filly glanced questioningly at Volare, but he gave her a reassuring nod: believe it or not, this is apparently totally normal.

"Wow, those two are..." Applebloom trailed off, eyes wide as Octavia climbed halfway atop a wooden beam, still clashing with the magician; both were tiring, but neither was willingly giving an inch. "...wild!"

"Crazy," Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"Nah, awesome!" Scootaloo beamed and hopped up on Volare's back to nuzzle her brother. "Happy one-month, bro!"

"Haha, seems everypony's keeping track," he chuckled and nuzzled her in return before she reared up and assumed her usual position, with her fore-hooves resting on top of his head as they watched the duel continue.

"Well, yeah you're not exactly crowd-blending material anymore, dude," Vinyl laughed. "Not after the airshow and saving Trixie from that building...oh, and hanging with Fancy Pants is always a plus too. Soak it in dude, you're semi-famous!" The DJ crossed her hooves behind her head and leaned against the table to watch the combatants while Volare did his best to shake off a slight blush with a nervous chuckle.

"Yep, Lyra and Pinkie kinda helped make that happen," Sweetie Belle nodded and gasped as Trixie swung the shovel, missing Octavia by inches and clacking it off of a piece of marble in a shower of sparks. "Maybe we should stop them?"

"Yeah, good luck; Ah ain't gettin' between them two madponies," Applebloom shook her head.

"Won't have to," Bon-Bon spoke up. "They're just...about..." Before she could say another word, Octavia skillfully slid close to Trixie, flicked the shovel blade away with her rebar, and quickly tweaked Trixie's horn with a hoof, interrupting the magical flow just long enough for her to knock the shovel aside and buck it across the build site, disarming the Unicorn and leaving them both breathing hard and sweating buckets. "...done," Bon-Bon concluded with a smirk.

"Whoa," Scootaloo and Volare gasped simultaneously, while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle simply stood there in silent awe.

"Damn, you beat me again, Tavi!" Trixie growled as Octavia tossed her rebar away and wiped the sweat from her bangs, which had gone rather askew during the duel.

"Yes, well don't feel bad; you did get me the first time," she indicated the bruise on her right forehoof as they made their way back towards the lunch table.

"But that's six in a row now," the magician grumbled before Octavia pulled her into a quick embrace.

"And each as exhilarating as the last," the cellist pulled back and smiled, a blush very evident on her features, though Trixie wrote it off as them being hot and sweaty from the duel rather than anything deeper... "Thank you."

"Meh, don't mention it," Trixie mumbled before Octavia nuzzled her cheek against hers. Trixie paused in surprise but smiled as Octavia winked and gave her a smile of her own.

"You just need to work on your technique, that's all; a little less swinging and a bit more thrusting."

"Thrusting, got it," Trixie nodded.

"It's fencing, not a bloody ballyhoo brawl," the cellist and the magician chuckled together as they reached the table.

"Are you two quite done?" Bon-Bon gave them a look of irritation. "We made this lunch here for everypony to partake of, as well as wish Volare a happy one-month; not waste that time swinging shovels at each other!"

"I don't mind, Bon-Bon," Volare chimed in as he and the Crusaders sat down at the table. "It was entertaining to say the least."

"Yes, and more than a little ruinous," the navy/pink maned mare grumbled as she wiped the debris off he blueprints and retrieved her fallen construction helmet. "Now then, are you all sufficiently calmed down, steam blown off, and settled?" she shot Octavia and Trixie a look, and the two duelists smiled in guilty embarrassment. Vinyl merely laughed, hard; she'd never seen Octavia act like this in public, and it was a breath of fresh air to see the normally uptight mare loosening up like this. Lyra nodded and popped the top off of a large bowl of salad and began doling it out, while Volare and the CMC continued to stare at Octavia and Trixie subtly nudging and giving each other side-long looks.

"Ahem, so," Volare cleared his throat after finishing his meal, content to listen to how much progress Trixie and Octavia had made on the building as well as Trixie's tutelage under Twilight, the amount of which would intensify once Trixie was finished with the construction project. "Why were you two going at it like that?"

"Ack-going at it? Nopony's going-oh," Trixie blushed furiously, wiping her face with her sweatband to hide her features while Octavia shook her head and chuckled softly.

"Trixie and I were just...well, blowing off a little steam, as Bon-Bon said. That's all. Just gets a little stressful making sure all these angles are perfectly situated so we don't have warped floors again," she gestured towards the building framework. "And so, we figured, what better way to do so than to, well, continue our little duel from night's previous?"

"Interesting way of going about it," Volare nodded, unable to keep himself from drawing the vague parallels between their duels and his and Dash's "competition." But he shook those thoughts away and focused on the matter at hoof. "So, yeah, thanks for the lunch you guys; and thanks for remembering I've been here a month."

"No problem, dude," Lyra grinned and stuffed a tomato slice in her mouth, much to Bon-Bon's chagrin.

"Don't you ever chew your food, Lyra?"

"Yep, like this," the mint-green mare smacked her lips and chewed very visibly in front of Bon-Bon, causing the Earth Pony to pull a face.

"Yech, of course you do..."

"Don't get any ideas, Scoots," Volare chuckled and nudged his little sister, giving the other two Crusaders a warning look as well. "Sweetie Belle, chew with your mouth closed."

"What're you, my dad?" the Unicorn filly grumbled but obeyed, while Applebloom complied without any insistence; her Grannysmith had taught her well, giving her the what-for if she didn't behave herself at the table.

"Indeed; Lyra's probably not the best example of manners around here," Bon-Bon jumped on the chance to shoot a barb her friend's way.

"Hey, I am too a good influence-UUURP!-'scuse me," Lyra nodded defiantly as Bon-Bon facehoofed. "See? Said excuse me and everything."

"There's a lot more to it than that," the businessmare shook her head slowly.

"Meh, whatever," Lyra shrugged and slurped her drink, drawing muffled chuckles from the four Crusaders. "Hey Vinyl, didn't you have something you wanted to show Volare?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! Couldn't really do much with that old speakerbox you torched, so..." the DJ reached under the table and fumbled around in her saddlebag before pulling out a red ovoid device the size of an orange. She sat it on the table and waved her hoof in presentation-style, inviting the pilot to take a closer look. Topping the device was a series of small knobs, the tell-tale mesh cover of a speaker was embedded into the long side of it, and the unmistakable red dial complete with an 11 poked out of the opposite side, causing Volare to cock an eyebrow as Vinyl grinned and pointed out the features. "Voila: I give you Soundbox 2.0! Lighter and more compact than version 1, but just as powerful. The receiver on this one is internal and totally compatible with the previous version's ear-pieces, the range is improved, and it's linkable with others for a surround sound effect, once I build'em of course. Soo....whatcha think, cuz I think I did pretty damn awesome," she buffed a hoof on her chest as Bon-Bon rolled her eyes.

"Wow, this is pretty sweet, Vinyl," Volare nodded in approval, gingerly picking the device up and turning it over in his hooves.

"Can we try it out?" Scootaloo asked with an excited grin, ready to rock and roll...but her smile faded as Vinyl shook her head and shrugged helplessly.

"No can do, kiddo," she opened the back plate of the box and showed them the empty chamber within. "We're lacking in the crystal department; kinda need one for power storage and signal focusing."

"So put one in there an' let's try it out," Applebloom slammed a small hoof on the table.

"Yeah, Cutie Mark Crusader Music Masters...yay?" Sweetie Belle piped up, but again, Vinyl merely shrugged. "What's with all the shrugging?"

"Again, no can do cuz airshow here kinda blew up my last ones," Vinyl hoofed the red-faced Volare in the shoulder.

"Oops?" he managed to say before the CMC leaped on him, pounding him with their hooves and scolding him for being an idiot, much to Vinyl's amusement. The DJ laughed uproariously as did Lyra, Trixie, and Octavia. Even Bon-Bon managed a chuckle as Volare did his best to evade and deflect the maelstrom of small hooves and playful head-butts, finally flying out of the attacking trio and perching atop the roof-arch of the Griffin.

"Aww, no fair!" Scootaloo sulked, but Vinyl patted her on the shoulder.

"He didn't do it on purpose, you guys. Besides, it's just a matter of locating some new crystals, modifying the speakerbox to take them, tuning the receiver for the correct signal from the ear pieces, and then...well, you get the idea. Pretty simple once ya get the hang of it," Vinyl grinned smugly.

"Ok, so any crystals will work, cuz I think Rarity's got loads of them at the Boutique," Sweetie Belle said, but Vinyl shrugged once more.

"I gotta be honest, I dunno what kinda crystals those were, exactly; this one might have been some sort of sapphire, but I'm only guessing on color. All I got left is the powder they were pummeled into," Vinyl dug around in her saddlebag and pulled out a smaller paper sack which contained a small pile of bluish, sand-like powder. "If I knew what it was I could go and find it my-"

"Well, my sister Rarity knows a lot about gems and stuff, so maybe she can tell us!" Sweetie Belle took off down Stirrup Street before anypony could object, Scootaloo and Applebloom hot on her hooves, leaving the adult ponies sitting in a thick cloud of road-dust and silence.

"Well...they're certainly rambunctious little fillies," Octavia chuckled as Volare fluttered down from the roof.

"You don't know the half of it, Octy," the pilot reached across the table and grabbed a loaf of bread. He chewed thoughtfully, awaiting the return of the CMC and hoping they didn't somehow wreck the Boutique or anything else on the way there or back. Meanwhile, Trixie and Octavia finished up their lunch and returned to the construction of the Griffin under the close eye of Bon-Bon, while Lyra hopped up in a hammock she'd stretched between two structure beams to take a nap.

................................
20 minutes later...

Just as Volare was considering going after them himself, the CMC returned with a rather frazzled-looking Rarity in tow.
"Alright, alright you three, just what is it that's so important you came bursting into the Boutique like that?"

"They didn't tell you?" Volare tilted his head.

"Well, they've certainly been chattering on about something, but I couldn't get a word in edgewise, so here I am myself," Rarity replied before fixing him with a semi-hurt expression. "And just where is your scarf I made you, darling? Do you not like it anymore?"

"Oh, no no no, Rarity I love it; comes in extra handy when flying up near Dash's house," Volare insisted. "But I figured since I'm on the ground and in town, and it's such a warm day, that-"

"Pish relax, Volare I'm only joking," Rarity tossed her violet mane and tittered before addressing the CMC. "Now then, what's gotten into you three, hmm?" Between the younger ponies, Vinyl, and Volare, Rarity finally understood the situation, that they wanted to know what sort of crystal is used to be, and she tumped out a small pile of the blue crystal dust to investigate it using a small jeweler's Loupe she carried in case she came across any gems worth buying. But after a moment of hemming and hawing, she shook her head and leaned up with a frown. "Well, there are two things I can tell you here: one, this wasn't a sapphire, as that's a gem, not a crystal-"

"What's the difference?" Sweetie Belle piped up.

"Well, you see Sweetie, gems are precious or semi-precious stones prized for their color and luster, while a crystal is a bit more specific type of gem...one I'm not terribly familiar with," Rarity admitted.

"At least we know what it's not," Volare said. "But you can't tell us what it used to be?"

"No, I'm afraid not, darling," Rarity shook her head. "There's just not enough structure remaining to tell what kind it was, and that's important especially if you're looking for something of similar design, right?"

"Or close to it, yeah" Vinyl confirmed. "I mean, we've got some wiggle room here, but if I have to modify the internals too much, it's back to the drawing board...again."

"Aww, so are we stuck then?" Applebloom groaned, but the fashionista chuckled and fondly patted the farm filly's ribbon-bedecked mane.

"Not hardly dearie; we may not be able to tell the structure, but I know of someone around town who fancies himself a...crystal connoisseur of sorts," Rarity smirked and trotted off west down Stirrup Street. "Don't go anywhere! I'll be right back in two shakes!"

"Who ya think she's gettin'?" Applebloom asked, but Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Volare?"

"Search me," the pilot shook his head. "Vinyl?"

"Nope," the DJ snorted and settled down to wait a little while longer, wracking her brains for whom Rarity might be speaking of, but coming up empty.
.....................
Rarity soon returned, and it wasn't somepony trotting next to her, but rather somedragon.

"Spike?!" Volare exclaimed as the purple and green baby dragon jogged into the build site, giving the seemingly-snoozing Lyra a claw-bump as he passed her.

"Sup dude?" Spike grinned toothily. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare nodded, trying to recall the last time he'd really interacted with who was technically the first person he'd met when he'd arrived in Equestria. Thought he was cooking my toes...heh. "How ya been?"

"Been catching up my sleep, that's what. The change to Fall does this to me every year for some reason," he gave a small yawn in emphasis. "Anyways, Rarity here says you need my help?"

"Yeah-wait a sec...you're the 'crystal conni-whatzit,?'" Vinyl raised her shades skeptically, to which Spike crossed his arms and grinned smugly.

"Heh, you could say that; my diet is made up of them."

"Oh...duh," the DJ scratched the back of her head before motioning Spike to the table and the pile of blue powder. "Rarity couldn't figure out cuz the structure is all smashed to bits. You got anyway of telling what is used to-hey, what the!?" Vinyl pulled her hoof away as Spike's tongue slithered around the pile of blue powder, pulling it into his mouth. His eyes closed as he mulled the fragments around in his mouth, his fangs crunching lightly upon the powder and sampling its texture, flavor, density, and composition before swallowing it with a sigh. "Jeez, warn me next time," the DJ wiped the saliva from the side of her hoof and looked expectantly at the baby dragon. "Well?"

"Heh-heh, you were right Rarity; it wasn't a gem at all," Spike smiled up at the alabaster Unicorn of his desire for a long moment, and it took a nudge from Vinyl to bring the baby dragon back to reality. "Huh-uh, r-right. Let's see," Spike smacked his lips and rubbed his chin for a moment. "Slightly alkaline taste cuz of the calcium...cubic structure, definitely softer than emerald...with blue coloration. Heh, that was almost a toughie," Spike grinned smugly, milking the moment for all it was worth before declaring: "Fluorite; Blue Phantom Fluorite to be exact."

Everypony was stunned to silence, everypony that is, except Rarity who patted Spike's spines with a hoof.
"Isn't he just an amazing little dragon?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare blinked in amazement. "How did you...?"

"Pfft, you don't live with Twilight Sparkle for years without picking up a few things," Spike gave a "no-big-deal" shrug of his shoulders. "What? She had a buncha books on Geology and I read a few of them; no biggie."

"The Chemistry of Geology?" Volare offered, chuckling at the memory of Dash tossing that book aside in disgust the day they'd crashed into and disorganized the bookshelves of the Library...hours before his wing had been torn off... Again, he shook the thoughts from his mind and focused on the present.

"Yep, that was one of them," Spike confirmed. "Anyways, whatcha doing with a bag of fluorite powder?" he suddenly dropped his voice and whispered, his eyes flicking left and right conspiratorily. "You're not...trafficking the stuff, are ya?"

"What the-hay no, why?!" Vinyl exclaimed so loudly that Lyra tumbled out of her hammock as Spike recoiled, defensively waving his claws.

"N-no reason; it's just some dragons'll kill for finely ground gem-powder like this," the baby dragon explained, and Volare felt something die inside of him...something like innocence, and he facehoofed and groaned.

"Please don't tell me you have personal experience with this, Spike."

"Hay no," Spike crossed his claws defiantly, and Volare relaxed slightly. "I prefer crunching up my gems; keeps my fangs tough, ya know?" he clacked his teeth and grinned.

"Oooh, so terrifying," Rarity swooned dramatically, causing the CMC to roll their eyes and Vinyl to playfully tweak Spike's spines with her magic.

"Riiight, moving right along," Volare nudged the baby dragon with a hoof. "That fluorite is what's left of the crystal that focuses and powers Vinyl's compact speakerboxes. We-well, I-kinda shattered her last one the day I got back in the air cuz I fed too much power through it."

"So lemme get this straight," Spike said as he scratched a claw through the powder. "You used a soft crystal like Fluorite in sound equipment? Jeez, no wonder it shattered; how cheap were you trying to be?" Behind the baby dragon, Vinyl snorted in irritation.

"Uh, I didn't build it, I just played it. She built it."

Spike turned to see the incensed Unicorn and again waved his claws defensively.
"Uh-heheh, meant nothing by it, Vinyl. Honest!"

"Yeah, I'll bet," the DJ slammed her shades back over her eyes to hide her embarrassment. "It was what I could get at the time, alright? I figured: why use the best stuff I've got for a prototype if it stands a chance of blowing up on me? Meh, anyway...got any idea where we can find more of the stuff? I just grabbed what I could when I was in Trottingham and never asked that chick where she found it. Besides, that's what this thing is already calibrated for using," she nudged the speakerbox and shrugged. "So, um...help?"

"So you want us to find you more crystals for your equipment?" Rarity asked. At the DJ's nod, the fashionista's face broke out into an excited grin. "Well, of course I'll help; what sort of Element of Generosity would I be if I didn't help ponies in need, hmm? Spikey-wikey, where can we find some of this...what did you call it?"

"Fluorite. And um...hmm," Spike tapped his chin with a claw. "If I remember right, it's formed in mineral veins in caves. But not just any old-"

"So we head for the nearest cave, then!" Scootaloo declared, pumping her hoof in the air with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Volare, Rarity, and Spike all exchanged worried looks: This probably won't end well... "Cutie Mark Crusader-um...what do you do in a cave?"

"Spelunk!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, and Scootaloo shot her a strange look.

"...yeah it's official: you're part dictionary."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I'm a Unicorn!"

"You mean a dictio-corn?"

"That's not even a word!"

"Haha, you'd be the one to know!"

"Shut up, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle butted her muzzle up against Scootaloo's and glared before Applebloom pulled them apart, giving Volare a nod; she'd played peacekeeper like this before.

"It's settled ya'll: we'll be Cutie Mark Crusader Spelunkers, right Volare?" she looked up at the pilot as if asking permission to accompany them, but to where he didn't even know!

"Um, eh-heh, let's figure out where we're going first. Spike, what sorta cave is this Fluorite stuff found in?"

"Uh...caves near hydrothermal activity, I think; the heat's needed to form the crystals," Spike scratched his spines and glanced sidelong at Rarity, who was clearly impressed so far with what he knew. Volare could tell he was trying to stay cool in front of her, but at the mention of hydrothermal, alarm bells went off in his head.

"Wait a sec, hyrdothermal as in volcanoes?!" he gaped. "Yeah, sorry Vinyl, but I think you may be SOL on this one." There was no way in hell he was taking the CMC near a volcano!

"Nah, not necessarily, dude," Spike shook his head. "The caves don't have to be active anymore, and don't have to be volcanic either. If they were, we'd be up a creek cuz the nearest active volcanoes are out in the Badlands, and that's Dragon Country."

"Eesh, then where do we look, Spike?" Rarity asked, but the baby dragon smiled smugly; he knew alright.

"Near the next best thing: hot springs!"

"Ok, that sounds a little less crazy," Volare chuckled.

"Ooh, hot springs! How exotic-wait, I don't know of any hot springs near here, though," Rarity scratched her mane, but Spike continued to wear that sagely little grin.

"Ha, but I do! C'mon guys, you ready to go on a little trip?" the baby dragon asked, and before anypony could stop them, the CMC shouted in excitement and thundered out of the building site, headed to Celestia-knew-where. "Hey guys, come back! Jeez, hey I'll grab them while you guys meet me at the North Ponyville Bridge!" Spike declared before running after the fillies as fast as his legs would carry him.

"But wait Spike, where're we going?!" Rarity called after him...

1 Hour Later...

"...Spike-wikey, please tell me this is some sort of uncouth joke," Rarity's eye twitched as she looked out off the precipice they were standing on, out over the miles and miles of brown, bubbling muck and mire of Froggy Bottom Bog. Volare's gaze followed suite, flanked on either side by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, while Scootaloo stood on his back for a better look. All of their noses wrinkled at the sulfurous stench that wafted up to them on the afternoon breeze, surefire evidence of hydrothermal activity.

"Nope, not joking," Spike shook his head and nudged Rarity with an elbow before journeying down the slope that ran along the cliff face, headed for the bog. "C'mon, sulfur is good for your skin!"

"Yech, but not easy on the nose," Rarity levitated her handkerchief over her muzzle before following the dragon, Volare and the CMC close behind. But despite Spike's insistence that this area of the Bog was safe, he remembered the episode with the Hydra...

"Hey Spike, you 100% sure this place is safe? I mean, what about Hydras and such?" He wasn't so much worried about himself as he could fly away from danger, but his ground-bound companions certainly couldn't!

"Huh-nah, those guys hang out on that side of the Bog," Spike pointed a claw across a wide gorge about an 1/8th of a mile away, Volare recognizing it as the gap that Twilight bounced across to escape the Hydra. "They can't cross and I dunno why they'd want to; not much for them to eat on this side of the Bog cuz of the sulfur. Kinda drives food away, ya know?"

"Yes, and here we are, heading into it-ugh, yech, disgusting!" Rarity hopped up and down, shaking her back-hoof to dislodge a clump of mud she'd stepped in. "I like spa mud, but not this filth! Spike, slow down! Why do you even need me anyway?" Rarity trotted until she caught up with the baby dragon, who'd paused to consider the next route to take. "Well?"

"Cuz you're gonna help us find those crystals, Rarity," he said matter-of-factly while Volare pulled Applebloom away from the mud before she could pop a large bubble with a curious hoof. He shook his head sternly and she pouted for a moment in reply before allowing herself to be herded after Rarity. Sweetie Belle continued to keep her eye on the path, avoiding any muddy dips in her way, while Scootaloo took advantage of her "ride" to gaze around and take in the scenery.

"But Spike, I know a gem-finding spell, not one for crystals! It's different," she groaned, realizing she'd likely trotted all this way-into a bog, for Celestia's sake-for nothing! But to her surprise, Spike simply chuckled and nodded to the right, beckoning her to follow a narrow path that skirted the edge of the mud on the left, and rose up into a near-vertical rockwall to their right. After a half minute of walking, they turned another sharp corner and came across a jagged section of cliff that stretched away into the distance. Gaping from the cliff-wall every few feet was a dark mouth of a cave, and Spike waved a claw dramatically.

"Behold, the caves of Froggy Bottom Bog!" At his companion's unamused expressions, he dropped the flair with a huff. "Jeez tough crowd. Saw'em the last time Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, AJ, and I were here. Just never got the chance to check'em out."

"Yes, very er...lovely and rocky and oozy," Rarity sniffed as she reluctantly followed him. "But where do I come in if my gem-finding spell won't help?"

"Because you've got an ability nopony else here has, Rarity: your horn glows," Spike pointed out. "Fluorite is always embedded in other rocks and is kinda hard to spot. *But since Fluorite glows when hit by Unicorn horn-light..." he trailed off and blushed for a moment, his next words caught in his throat. Rarity didn't notice though, and was more concerned with getting her 'freshly-permed coat' filthy.

"I suppose that makes sense, but why not get Twilight to help instead?" She fixed him with a suspicious stare. "Why drag me all the way out here before telling me this?!" Volare gulped: if they went back into town to get Twilight, he'd have to make up an excuse to not go, and that would arouse some serious suspicion! Oblivious to his inner conflict, the CMC simply winced at Rarity's near-shouts of irritation. But Spike stood firm in the face of this 'lady-like' storm, faced her, and spoke.

"Because I spend all my time with Twilight and...maybe I just...wantedtospendthedaywithyou!" Spike blushed fiercely and turned away, pretending to stare intently out into Froggy Bottom Bog. Meanwhile, the CMC nudged each other and smiled while Volare's heart went out to the little guy. The pilot shot Rarity a look, but she'd already gotten the message as her face had softened and leaned down to nuzzle Spike's spines.

"Oh Spikey-wikey, all you had to do was ask."

"R-really?" Spike relaxed somewhat, his arms uncrossing though his face still remained reddened.

"Hmm-hmm, of course. I always enjoy spending time with you...when the time calls for it of course," she tittered, Spike turning to face her and wiping an eye, meanwhile Volare breathed a sigh of relief-crisis semi-averted.

"Eh-heh, darn mud bubble popped and got crud in my eye."

"Of course it did," Rarity smiled knowingly before heaving a great sigh and fixing her face in a determined expression. "Now then: let's go find these crystals! Sweetie Belle, you and your friends stay close to Volare." She turned to the pilot. "I'm counting on you to keep an eye on them; do not let them wander off into these caves-no matter how they may want to be spelunkers."

Volare shot her a quick salute and nodded sternly.
"Thought never crossed my mind ma'am, right guys?" A chorus of 'yeahs' issued forth from the fillies, satisfying both the adult ponies.

"Spike, you know this area more than anypony else here; lead the way," Rarity nodded towards the baby dragon, who fixed his own face in a serous squint and marched forward, nearly tripping over a root as he did so. He quickly caught his balance, shook off his embarrassment, and lead them into the first cave they came to.

"Alright guys, I got a good feeling about this!"

.....................
Two Hours Later...

"Alright, that's it!" Volare gasped, brow glistening and chest heaving as he leaned against the cliff-wall. He glared down at the mortified Spike, who was missing a few head spines here and there. Rarity and the CMC were huddled slightly further up the slope, with the mare looking over the scratches the fillies had obtained from the latest near-disaster caused by the local wildlife that made the otherwise beautiful caves their homes. "I'm picking the next cave!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that one would have a pack of Timberwolves living in it, dude?!" Spike shot back, wincing as he plucked a massive tooth splinter from his tail. A trio of the creatures had snuck up on them in the depths of the cave while Rarity was using her horn-light to search for the Fluorite crystals. Rarity had spotted them just in time and bucked one in the face before it could snatch Sweetie Belle, and then the chase through the dark was on! As they chased the ponies from their den, Volare carrying Spike as rearguard protection while the girls ran ahead of them, the pilot had the presence of mind to shout that Spike could breathe fire! He had to give it to the little guy though: he sure was brave in a pinch. Spike had turned and belched a small ball of green flame behind them, hitting one of the combustible predators in the face with a snarl and a crackle of burning brambles. They quickly gave up the chase, allowing the ponies to escape the cave. Even so, Volare had a few choice words coming for Spike, for that had been about the last straw!

"You said you knew this area!" Volare retorted, shaking twigs from his wing feathers. "And that doesn't make up for the bears we found in the first cave; you know, the ones that nearly took your head off," he indicated Spike's broken spines. "Oh yeah, and let's not forget the frickin' Blood-Bats in the cave after that!" he nodded towards the small bite marks on his withers. "C'mon dude, you're leading us from bad to worse!"

"Yeah, well I knew the Bog, not the caves," Spike grumbled, obviously irritated with himself and how he'd been embarrassed in front of Rarity back there. Volare caught the look on his face and figured as much before sighing and patting the dragon with a hoof.

"Look...I know you're trying to look good in front of Rarity, but you do that on your own time, ok?"

"But I-"

"No buts, Spike. There are other lives at risk here besides yours and mine, and we gotta look out for them, ya know?" he nodded towards the shaken CMC and Rarity. "Now tell me the truth, and I won't call you out in front of Rarity: do you know if any of these caves are safe at all?"

"I, uh..." Spike looked away shamefully, twiddling his claws before sighing. "No, I don't know, ok? Sorry..." Volare again patted him with a wing and sighed himself.

"It's ok. At least nopony got hurt too bad," he chuckled and flicked another splinter from Spike's spines. "You sure showed that Timberwolf what-for though!"

"Yeah, well I just didn't want it to hurt Rarity or the CMC, that's all," Spike shrugged. "Nothing special about it."

"Doing the right thing is always special, dude; cuz it's often a lot tougher to do than the wrong thing," Volare nudged him. "And saving our flanks back there and owning up right here-that takes a lot of something in here," he poked Spike in the chest and smiled.

"Heh, thanks Volare. You're alright," the baby dragon smiled in return and stuck out his claw. "Look, uh...I dunno if I ever apologized for giving you such a rough time when you first got here last month, but..." Volare took his claw with a hoof and pumped it once.

"Not really needed, but it's accepted anyway," the pilot nodded, his silver-blue eyes never wavering from Spike's green ones. Little guy's growing up, he thought fondly before hoofing him in the shoulder. "Now c'mon, let's get going back into town."

"But what about the crystals?" Spike asked in sudden alarm, still not wanting to disappoint Rarity. "Everything points to them being out here somewhere!"

"Maybe, but it's getting late and Rarity's getting grumpy. And I'm not sure which is worse, heh-heh," he nodded towards the sinking sun and the Unicorn, who was pacing and grumbling about the humidity ruining her 'coiffure.' "We'll come back some other time, Spike. Just you and me so we don't risk anypony else."

"But we need Unicorn horn-light to find the Fluorite," Spike protested, and Volare groaned inwardly. "Maybe we can come back with Twilight?"

Volare groaned a bit more inwardly, closing his eyes as if in contemplation, though in truth he was trying to decide if there was any way out of this. Again, if Spike wanted to bring Twilight, he'd have to make up an excuse to stay away from her for now, though they could let Spike in on it...and on the other hand, if they stayed out here, they might run into worse! And Twilight would be handier than Rarity in the 'dealing with blood-thirsty predators' department...But I can't be near her till she figures out the counter spell!
With a sigh, he realized there was only one choice for now, and he prayed that whatever greater forces were at work in Equestria would either not damn him for this, or at least give him a friggin break!

"Rarity!" he called out as he opened his eyes, and the alabaster mare came trotting over.

"Yes, what is it, Volare? Have we decided on a course of action-one that hopefully involves a warm sauna bath and a good coat scrubbing at the spa?" she asked hopefully. But against his better judgement, Volare shot her down.

"Not quite yet. Spike says he knows one more cave we can try, so we're gonna head there before going back," he glanced back and winked at Spike, saving him a little face in front of Rarity.

"Are you sure, Spike?" she asked a bit skeptically, and understandably so!

"He's sure," Volare answered when the dragon hesitated. "C'mon, let's go check out the next cave," he waved a wing and fell into step beside Spike, the two males leading the way a short distance in front of the girls. "I'm still picking the next cave, Spike," he hissed, but Spike had no intention of arguing, and he merely nodded in quick agreement as he trooped along.

"Sweet, I wonder what we'll find in the next cave!" Scootaloo grinned with a bit too much excitement for Volare's comfort.

"Maybe a manticore!" Sweetie Belle suggested, and Volare's heart did a little flutter.

"Nah, a baby hydra," Applebloom countered.

"Oooh, or a big ol', slimy swamp monster! Cutie Mark Crusader Swamp Monster Slayers, yay!" Scootaloo declared, and this time Rarity's heart fluttered, especially at the mention of "slimy." Yep, she was certainly looking forward to that bath now! As the CMC continued to banter behind them, Spike and Volare marched along, giving the numerous smaller cave mouths they passed a wide, respectful berth. After a while, Spike nudged the Pegasus with an elbow.

"Dude, why're we passing all those other caves? What're we looking for?"

"Well, we've just been randomly trying different little caves, and animals and such have made their homes in there, right?"

"Right."

"So, let's try a big cave this time; you know, something different so we're not banging our heads on a brick wall so to speak."

"Whoa, but what if something big made its home in there?"

"Aha, good point, but you also pointed out big predators like Hydras stay on that side of the swamp cuz of lack of big food," he nodded towards the distant gorge. "So common sense would say we don't have to worry about big predators here."

"Yeah, but..." Spike thought for a moment. "What if little predators like Timberwolves and such are living in a big cave?"

"Why would they do that when there's plenty of little caves to live in? Besides, didn't you say Timberwolves have a pretty strong smell to them? Just sniff around the cave and we'll know if it's safe." Volare trotted along, secure in a little common sense.

"But what about bears?" Spike's eyes widened for a moment. "Why wouldn't they-"

"Live back there with the rest of those bears in that other cave? Nah, I don't think a place like this could support that many..." Volare trailed off and halted as they rounded a sharp bend in the path and came upon the yawning mouth of a cave so large that it could easily swallow the dragon and Pegasus a dozen times over at once. "...predators." Within moments, Rarity and the CMC came trotting around the corner, bumping into the stopped duo with a chorus of oofs!

"What's happening up there, Spike?" Rarity asked in concern, but as she caught sight of the massive cave mouth, she too could only stare in awe. It wasn't the largest cave she'd ever seen in her life (that honor fell to the cave on top of the Dragon Peak), but this one was certainly a close second.

"Whoa, is that tha cave we're lookin' for?" Applebloom craned her head back to stare up at the stalactite-winged cavern mouth, as did Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Volare motioned for them and Rarity to hang back for a moment while he and Spike checked it out.

Well Volare, ol' buddy, you DID want to find a big one...
"Eh-heh, yeah I think so," Volare nodded and carefully approached the cavern, Spike at his side. They stepped a few feet into the cave, noting that the stone that made up the walls was a much darker color than the other caverns they'd entered previously, giving the interior a much more shadowy appearance than the others. It was almost foreboding...still... Different...that's a good sign. At least we're not ACTING insane. "You smell any Timberwolves?"

"Nah, nothing that strong," Spike confirmed after a moment, though he didn't mention that the sulfurous stink of the bog was kinda perforating everything. Still, Timberwolf breath really reeked, and since he didn't smell any... "We're good," he nodded and motioned for the girls to follow. But as they entered the cool chill of the cavern, the dark walls devoured the reflected sunlight, and they were quickly enveloped in near-total darkness. "Ouch-hey Rarity, your horn," Spike winced after stubbing his foot on a stalagmite.

"Oh, r-right," the fashionista muttered, not keen on wandering through the dark bowels of the planet like this. Luckily the CMC didn't seem too terribly fazed-then again, maybe that was a bad thing. She quickly ignited her horn, flashing a brilliant blue-white and illuminating the interior of the cavern, revealing just how tall the ceiling truly was.

"Whoa, check that out," Spike pointed upwards, and everypony craned their necks to see that the cavern continued to soar higher and higher hundreds of feet above them, the true limit of it disappearing into shadows that not even Rarity's horn-light could breach. Apparently the entire cliff-side here was hollow. But that wasn't what Spike was pointing at. Instead, he was pointing at the faint blue glow that radiated from a jagged crack in the black rock, one that hadn't been there until Rarity had lit her horn.

"Fluorite!" everypony exclaimed at once. But it was too high up on the wall to reach, and Volare didn't feel nearly comfortable enough flying up there through the shadowy, inverted forest of needle-sharp stalactites that reached down towards them. Instead, the small group followed the fluorite vein as it zig-zagged down the wall in incomprehensible patterns, with smaller capillaries branching off the main vein every few feet. But they continued to track the main vein as it neared the ground, finally leveling out and entering a more narrow tunnel that split off from the main cavern. The glowing vein ran along the ceiling of the low tunnel, turned a corner, and finally disappeared into darkness.

Volare and Co. halted and looked about, indecisively-shuffling hooves the only sound besides their breathing and the ambient dripping of cave water far off in the distance. "What're we waiting for, guys?" Scootaloo spoke up impatiently. "Isn't that what we're looking for?"

"Yeah it is, but..." Spike trailed off, sniffing the entrance of the tunnel. Again, he didn't smell anything too terribly amiss, but there was something else lingering beneath the scent of sulfur. Something familiar that he just couldn't quite put a claw on. It was a smell not unlike that of charcoal combined with the must of decay, but darn it if he couldn't tell for sure for all the sulfur stink! "I dunno, guys. The air's hotter down that tunnel. Shouldn't it be cooler?"

"Yeah, but we are in a hydrothermal area, so it would make sense for the air to get hotter the deeper we go," Volare scratched his head. "Besides, you don't smell any predators, do you?"

"No-I mean there's something kinda weird but I dunno what it is," Spike shrugged his small shoulders before Rarity patted him on the spines.

"We've come this far trusting you, Spike. What's a few more feet, hmm?" She smiled, her thoughts preoccupied with finding the mother-lode of glowing fluorite crystals. Just think of what she could do with those in her designs! "I say we go for it."

"Yeah!" The CMC's shout echoed down the tunnel, bouncing all over the place before being swallowed by the obsidian shadows. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Deep Cave Divers, yay!" Taking Rarity's declaration as permission, the 12-hoofed hurricane stampeded down the tunnel, intently following the fluorite vein and disappearing around the bend before the stunned older ponies and Spike could react.

"Son of a bitch," Volare growled and took off after them, Spike and Rarity in hot pursuit. So much for keeping things quiet, he thought. It wasn't that he doubted Spike's sense of smell, and he definitely welcomed Rarity's horn-light, but he'd also seen more than his fair share of movies where loud intruders in caves tended to meet messy ends. The thought of the CMC being attacked galvanized his thoughts, and he put on a fresh burst of speed, nearly going airborne if not for the dangling stalactites above him as he pursued the shouting and laughing trio. To his relief, he found them just as quickly as they'd disappeared, the fillies milling about in the next cavern.

But just as he was about to scold them for running off like than nearly giving him a heart-attack, Rarity rounded the bend behind him and the full illumination of her horn shown about the room...and their jaws all dropped in amazement. But it wasn't at the sight of the massive glowing lodes of blue fluorite embedded all over the cavern walls, nor was it the size of the cavern itself, which was much smaller in comparison to the one they'd just left. No, it was at the sight of what the fluorite was illuminating: a massive pile of gems nearly a dozen feet high.
"By Celestia's beard," Rarity gasped, the blue light from the fluorite reflected and magnified in her azure eyes until all she saw in her mind's eye were the gems before her. Buck the fluorite-this was the real stuff! With a tittering, girlish squeal, she rushed forward past Volare and Spike to inspect the gems. The two males shot each other worried glances before approaching the fashionista, who was flitting from gem to gem at a breakneck pace. "Hmm, yes-yes-yes, cut, uncut...rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, and-ooh, jade! Heeheehee, this is marvelous!" Volare merely facehoofed, but underneath that, something just seemed...off about all this.

"I dunno about this, Spike," Volare voiced his worries, shaking the dragon out of the natural semi-trance he himself had fallen under by the sight of so many delicious stones before him. "Spike? Spike!"

"Huh-wha?" the baby dragon shook his head.

"Spike, stick with me here," Volare said as he did his best to keep an eye on the roving CMC. Scootaloo was inspecting a towering stalagmite while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were attempting to pry/buck a large lode of fluorite out of the wall. "Doesn't anything just seem wrong about this?"

"Huh, whatcha mean?" Spike asked, his hungry eyes trailing back towards the pile of gems despite himself.

"Look around: huge pile of gems like this seem natural to you?" Volare waved a hoof in emphasis. "Who or what piled them here?"

"Oh, I see whatcha mean," Spike shook his head again, forcing himself to turn away from the dominating pile of twinkling stones and think. But the more he tried to think, the harder it got, and he kept trying to turn and look at the gems. "It's a...it's gotta be a-argh, darnit I can't focus-I gotta eat something, dude!" Spike's pleading green eyes stared up into Volare's, and the Pegasus finally relented. He knew how powerful a motivator hunger could be, remembering how Twilight had used it to get him to focus on learning the basics of pony anatomy.

Funny how things come back to you, he thought and finally relented with a small sigh.
"Go ahead, Spike. I'll keep watch."

"Thanks, dude," Spike grinned and sprinted to the gem pile, nearly knocking Rarity into them as he arrived and began scooping clawfuls up into his mouth. Rarity glared at him for a moment, irritated that he'd devour such beauty. Then again, there was so much more to go around, and so she simply smiled, fondly patted the baby dragon, and went back to her own little mission.

"Heh, those two sure are something," Volare shook his head before noticing the small orange presence beside him. "Hey, what's up Scoots? Not interested in spelunking anymore?" he chuckled.

"Nah, I just wanna hang with you for a bit," she grinned and leaned against him. "Been a while since we've gotten to, ya know?"

"Aww, thanks Scoots," Volare felt his heart swell a bit; and she was right. Except for their morning jogs, they hadn't spent much time together lately, what with his training and her schooling getting in the way of things. "So, I guess you're wondering what living with Rainbow Dash is like, huh?" he asked, suppressing an amused smile at Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's lode-dislodging attempts. The tiny fillies weren't making much headway against the massive piece of fluorite, and as much as he felt like lending a hoof, it was keeping them occupied and out of trouble...

"Yeah, I kinda was. So how's it going up there with her?"

"Oh, nothing terribly crazy," Volare fibbed a bit; she didn't need to know or worry about the Truth or Dare game. That was just between him and Dash. "Mainly working on getting my wing-strength up. I'll be passing 10 Wingpower soon!"

"Sweet!" she buzzed her own small wings for a moment before her face fell. "Wish I could get up there and train with you..."

Heart, why must you hurt so bad!?
"Aww, I know Scoots," he hugged her with a wing. "But until I totally trust myself in the air, I don't wanna risk getting you hurt. Heh, no telling what Fluttershy or Dash might do to me if that happened," he grimaced, and not dramatically either.

"Aww, darn...well, maybe you could train me on the ground like we did at Fluttershy's? You know, instead of running laps and stuff," Scootaloo suggested.

"Hrm, that could work. I'll talk to Dash about it the next time I see her. Oh, maybe she could help too since she still knows way more about flying than than I do."

"Yeah, that sounds good! Thanks, bro!" she nuzzled his chest and looked back at her fellow Crusaders for a moment before speaking up again. "So, what're we doing right now?"

"Well, I'm standing watch while Spike and Rarity get whatever it is they have to do out of their system," he chuckled as the gem-obsessed duo continued to circle the pile of riches, one picking up gems and the other devouring them.

"Standing watch? Why? You don't think something's in this cave, do ya?" Scootaloo looked past Volare worriedly, but nothing but the silent tunnel stared back at her.

"I dunno, Scoots. I mean, I thought there might have been, but Spike doesn't smell anything weird, and if something was here, you think it would have shown itself by now," he sighed and rubbed his eyes with a hoof. "I just wish I knew more about this area cuz...something just feels off in here," he scuffed the floor lightly. "I mean, for one it's really warm in here, but I dunno if it's cuz of hot springs or something else." The more he thought about it, the more he felt a chill try to crawl up his spine despite the humid air. But why?! It was like staring at shadows and echos of things just out of his reach. Like a circling predator just outside the reach of the firelight. There was a presence, but the presence of what? Just as he thought it had to be his imagination over-reacting, he felt a supportive pat on his foreleg from Scootaloo. He looked down at her with a smile, but it faded at the sight of her concentrated frown. "Scoots?"

"You know what bro, you're right," she trotted towards the dark wall of the cavern and stared. The encounter with Ray and Jill had forever changed the young filly in that she tended to pay more attention to the details of things more than her peers, and she seemed to be onto something. "Something's...weird here." She sniffed the air, getting that same hint of charcoal and decay that Spike had, but she didn't know anything that would smell quite like that besides, well, charcoal and the Bog outside! And that seemed pretty normal by this point...still...she studied the black wall intently, confused by how it seemed to just absorb Rarity's horn-light.

"Volare darling, would you be a dear and give me your honest opinion?" Scootaloo waved a hoof, and the pilot trotted over to Rarity, who was levitating a number of multi-colored gems around her neck. "What do you think about these on a silver chain? Too flashy, or just too me? Hee-hee!"

"Haha, maybe a little of both," Volare chuckled, glancing over at Spike who was lounging against the pile of gems and crunching noisily on an orange topaz stone the size of his fist. In the meantime, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom gave up on dislodging the Fluorite lode and wandered over to the gem-pile, nosing through it and picking up stones at random, while Scootaloo still continued to study the dark cavern wall with an intense gaze. The pilot shook his head and sighed, trying to relax. Maybe he was really was just overreacting. Maybe, just maybe they'd had enough bad luck for the day, and things were finally starting to look up. He picked up a sizable chunk of lapis lazuli that burned an even more intense blue than the fluorite-filled walls surrounding them. He was no rock expert, but he figured something this beautiful and this large would have brought a good chunk of change on Earth. Hell, it'd probably sell for a good amount in town or look good as a gift for Dash or something...knock on wood, but this is turning into a decent day after all, he grinned.

It was right about that time that Sweetie Belle nudged a large ruby aside and spied something dull brown and out of place in the brilliant gem-pile. "Huh, what's this?" she squeaked and pulled it free: it was a simple cloth bag cinched shut with rope, and something clinked softly inside it. Just as Applebloom turned to investigate, Scootaloo experimentally ran her hoof along the dark wall of the cavern, and it came away sooty, revealing more fluorite covering the wall beneath it.

"What the hay," she muttered, trying to wipe the soot from her hoof before realizing that was where the source of the charcoal smell was. "Hey bro, there's soot all over the-" she said as she turned, but her words died in her throat, her eyes went as wide as saucers, and her jaw dropped towards the floor as she pointed a shaking hoof towards Volare. "B-b-br-r-ro," she managed to stutter, catching her brother's attention. One look at the horrified expression on her face told him something was very wrong.

"Scoots? Scootaloo, what's wrong?" he asked, leaning away from the gem-pile and taking a half step towards her before he heard and felt a low, deep rumble from behind him, coming from beneath the gems. He paused, one hoof in the air, and turned to face the gems. "What the hell," he managed to mutter before another distant-thunder rumble issued forth from under the pile of riches. "Spike, what's going on?!"

"I-I dunno!" the baby dragon cried, pulling Rarity away from the gems, causing her to drop them with a startled eek! The gems fell to the cavern floor and shattered loudly, and an even louder and deeper grumbling sound answered from the twinkling heap. Spike, the CMC, Rarity, and Volare all suddenly came to the same conclusion as to what, rather than who, had piled up these gems-in a cave in the middle of a swamp-as a jet of hot air shot from the end of the pile nearest to Volare, and a stack of rubies and emeralds slid off the pile, revealing a golden-slitted eye nearly half the height of the Pegasus himself: it was a dragon hoard! And its owner looked ready to murder everypony in that cavern.

You gotta be fucking kidding me, Volare thought as the eye moved around in its socket, fixing itself on the closest pony within its field of vision: a petrified Scootaloo. Volare reacted instinctively, as any big brother would for his little sister.
"...hello Murphy," he muttered before bringing up his back hoof, sighting in on the angry eye, and bucking backwards as hard as he could while screaming: "RRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!!"

Vinyl and Octavia's Duplex, Early Evening...

"Do you really think it was a good idea to send them to find those focusing crystals?" Octavia asked without looking up from the simple cello interlude she was writing for the upcoming Hearth's Warming Eve Play. Due to the reconstruction still going on in Canterlot, Ponyville had been chosen as the town to perform it this year. It was to be an outdoor play, and even though it was still months off, Octavia intended to make her mark on it this year, and that entailed starting early!

"Yeah, I don't see the problem with it," Vinyl replied, fiddling with the dials on the new speakerbox, charging it every now and again with her horn to check the resonance, tuning, and so-forth; all the little intricate adjustments that went into producing the perfect combination of sound. "I mean, between Rarity and Spike, they'll probably find something useful, and Volare'll keep the CMC under control. What could go wrong?"

The front door of the duplex slammed open, startling the two musicians who leaped to their hooves in alarm to see who'd enter their home so abruptly. To their surprise, the one who'd kicked the door halfway off its hinges had been the usually prim and proper Rarity!

"Whoa Rares, what gives, girl?!" Vinyl cried, lifting her shades as the alabaster Unicorn trotted in with as much grace and dignity as she could muster...except she wasn't her usual color at the moment. Instead of her properly permed pearly pelt, it was a singed, sooty mix of black and grey, and her normally brilliant violet mane hung in a matted sweaty mess, while her azure eyes looked red and tired.

"Oh my...Rarity, what happened to you?" Octavia held a hoof to her mouth in worry.

"Forget me, you musical miscreants; help them!" she nodded over her shoulder as the fillies of the CMC came trudging in, each a similar mess of soot and bedraggled manes. Spike came limping in as well, turning back to look behind him every few steps as he did so. And finally, Volare entered, and both Vinyl and Octavia gasped audibly: Volare was singed and sooty from hoof to wing, and he was walking with only three of his legs; his back left one he barely allowed to touch the ground as he labored into the building, nudging the door shut with his muzzle before collapsing to the floor in a groaning heap.

"H-heya, guys...made it back," he grinned crookedly before his head lolled to the side and bonked up against the door.

"Holy hellfire," Octavia swore before hurrying to his side, shooing the CMC, Spike, and Rarity away as she did so, while Vinyl ran to grab a wet towel. The sharp smell of burnt feathers and fur rose up from the Pegasus, causing Octavia's nose to crinkle in disgust and worry. "What happened to you?" she asked nopony in particular as Vinyl arrived with a towel, helping Rarity levitate the pilot over to a divan, if anything to keep him from laying his head on the dusty floor (something that Octavia kept getting on Vinyl's case to clean, but now wasn't the time to worry about that!). None of them had any grand medical experience; they needed Fluttershy or somepony of the like, and Octavia was about to voice her concerns about that before Rarity stepped forward and spoke.

"It was my fault," she declared, and Spike and the CMC stared at her in surprise. "I was too pushy and-"

"No, it was my fault, Rarity!" Spike interrupted her, not allowing her to bear the blame. "I didn't pay enough attention and it...well, yeah," he waved a claw at Volare. "If I hadn't been distracted by all the gems, I would have smelled that guy hiding under them, and we wouldn't have-"

"Yes, but the gems he was under and the sulfur from the Bog covered the smell, and there was no way you could have"- Rarity interrupted before being cut off herself.

"Blast it all, what happened?!" Octavia demanded as Vinyl wiped the soot from Volare's face, and he gave her a weak smile of thanks.

"Well, there were bears," Sweetie Belle spoke up softly.

"And Blood Bats," Applebloom added.

"And Timberwolves," Scootaloo said, and with every predator mention, Octavia's heart sank a little further. "But those weren't the worst. We kinda found a dragon...a big one."

"Under a gem hoard," Spike admitted, twiddling his claws nervously under the steadily growing angry glare of the cellist.

"And it attacked, but you should have seen Volare!" Rarity declared, passing her hoof gently through Volare's singed mane. "He was gallant-he kicked that ruffian in the eye before it could grab any of us, and we galloped out as fast as we could!"

"Yeah, but then it came after us," Scootaloo continued. "But my bro flew up and knocked down one of those stalac-whatchamacallits and it pinned the dragon's wing to the ground!" she grinned proudly up at her brother.

"Meh, I ran into one in the dark," he said weakly, waving a dismissive hoof at the sore lump on top of hie head. "No biggie..."

"But it is quite a big deal, darling," Rarity insisted, wincing as Vinyl's towel passed over a darkened spot on Volare's flank that didn't wash off. His fur was scorched black, and he groaned as the burnt fur crumbled into dust at the slightest touch, leaving a semi-bald spot in its wake. The fashionista gently brushed her hoof along Volare's foreleg as she continued to speak. "And when that dragon fell to the ground, he breathed fire at us to spite us before we could escape, and...well, Volare's body blocked it from reaching the CMC."

"Hey, I helped too," Spike spoke up quietly, receiving a pat from Rarity.

"Of course you did; our little Spikey-wikey here is fireproof, and he...well, he did his best," she turned to reveal the opposite side of her body, where a vaguely Spike-shaped outline of soot-free fur stood out like a beacon. "It would have helped if he was larger though. Still, he did what he could to keep me safe." At the sight of Rarity's unsooty flank, despite his burns, Volare let out a great laugh of giddy post-shock mirth, and everypony else soon followed suit in relief until the whole duplex roared with laughter. After a long moment, they finally calmed down, and Vinyl returned to cleaning Volare up, while Octavia shook her head incredulously.

"Volare, I can't tell if you're just ludicrously brave, cursed with horribly bad luck, or a little of both," she chuckled. "But to jump in front of dragonfire to keep your friends safe; now that's borderline insanity. Dragonfire can melt diamonds-you could have been burned to a crisp!"

"Well, I kinda fell in front of it, to be honest," Volare replied with a chuckle of modest embarrassment.

"Either way, I'm proud to consider myself friends with a pony who'd do such a thing," she smiled and went about helping Vinyl clean him and the others up. Nopony else besides Volare was seriously burned, with the CMC suffering singed manes and Rarity's having her pride hurt more than anything. And Volare's burns, though seemingly ugly from the outset, were mainly fur and feather damage. Only a few patches of skin on his left hindleg actually got burned, and nothing nearly as bad as what he'd experienced in the jet crash, so that was a blessing in disguise. All in all, Octavia determined that he probably didn't have to go to the hospital, which he said was good as Twilight would probably kill him if she found out. Even so, it would probably be a good idea to see Fluttershy before he went home, as she probably had more experience with dragonfire burns than the doctors at Ponyville Medical anyway.

"So, I guess the trip was a bust, huh?" Vinyl said off-hoofedly over a meal of simple sandwiches that Octavia and Rarity managed to whip up.

"Vinyl you really need to get your concerns and priorities straight!" Octavia scolded her sharply. "Their health is more important than your bloody damn crystals!"

"Alright, alright jeez, don't bite my head off," Vinyl shot back with a snort. "Somepony's got their strings over-tightened if ya know what I mean," she whispered from behind her hoof, drawing snickers from the CMC.

"It's ok Octy," Volare assured her, wincing a bit as he tried to find a comfortable sitting position that didn't involve his tender hindleg resting on the floor. But there just wasn't any real comfy way to do it! "Grr, anyway to answer your question: no, we didn't get any Fluorite."

"Bummer, dude," the DJ frowned, though she cocked her brow when Volare grinned instead. "What's up? Did ya find something else?"

"Well, I didn't, but Sweetie Belle did," he motioned for the young filly to come over. "Grab that pouch you found out of Rarity's saddlebag, Sweetie."

"Right!" she squeaked and retrieved the brown cloth pouch, complete with clinking contents.

"Show'em, Crusader," Volare said, and Vinyl leaned forward in anticipation. Even Octavia, despite her annoyance with Viny's somewhat insensitive behavior, turned her attention to the bag as it was opened, and its contents gently poured out onto the table with a gentle tinkling noise, revealing a small group of narrow, red and clear crystals, each barely 4 inches long. At their appearance, and for the second time since Volare had met her, Vinyl's shades fell off her face in shock. "I take it you know what those are, Vinyl?" Volare smirked. "Cuz not even Rarity or Spike do."

"Y-yeah, I sure do," the DJ stared wide-eyed and gingerly picked up one of the clear crystals and inspected it, turning it over and over in her hooves and her face splitting into a grin that grew wider and wider as she did so. After flicking the point of the prism with a hoof and chuckling at the crisp ringing noise it made, she set the crystal on the table and spun it. The vibrations of the crystal on the tabletop combined with its points cutting through the air to create a very distinctive, resonant humming sound. "These are Appalantean Crystals, dude."

"Appa-what-an?" Scootaloo asked.

"Appalantus, the Lost City of the Sea Ponies way out in the middle of the Antlertic Ocean," Vinyl explained, her grin somehow growing even wider as she again flicked the crystal so it spun and hummed. "Buck Fluorite, this is the top of the heap when it comes to focusing crystals!"

"Wow, seriously?" Volare cocked a brow.

"Hay yeah!"

"Sweet find, Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo and Applebloom smiled and high-hoofed their beaming fellow Crusader.

"Ohmygosh, dude," the DJ suddenly stopped the crystal and stared at Volare and the others for a moment. "That city sank almost 1000 years ago, and it's getting nearly impossible to find these things. Really makes me wonder how the hay that dragon found them."

"Dragons hoard all kinda of riches; coulda come from anywhere," Spike gulped. "Or anypony..."

"Wonder who the unlucky chap must have been," Octavia mused, but Vinyl was on a different channel, it seemed.

"Do you realize how much other DJ's like me would pay to have sound crystals like these?" the DJ smirked impishly.

"Whoa, wait a sec, you're not gonna sell them, are you?" Spike bristled. "We did kinda go through Tartarus to find them, ya know."

"Oh no way Spike, I'm just sayin' that these are gonna make my sound equipment killer! The clear ones were used back in the day for linked communication, so in theory I should be able to even link the speakers with their resonances, giving them a real surround-sound, concert-style quality." She held up one of the two red ones. "And these ones...holy hay, these red ones boost thought image clarity better than anything pony-made on the market!"

"Ahem, perhaps you should ask their permission to use them, Vinyl," Octavia crossed her hooves and snorted softly.

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, of course," Vinyl then fixed them with the most pitiable expression she could muster-puppy dog eyes and all. "Can I please use these in my equipment, you guys? Pleeeaaaaase?" The effect was instantaneous, but unexpected as Volare burst into helpless laughter rather than immediately capitulating.

"Hahaha, of course you can use them, Vinyl. Not sure what the hell I'd do with them myself anyways," he grinned, though Rarity coughed politely.

"Ahem, well please tell me we'll at least get some compensation for all the trouble we went through, especially since what we found is so much grander than what we originally set out for."

"Ha, you think I'd leave ya hangin' like that, Rarity? I'm hurt-thought you knew me better than that," Vinyl smirked and swept the crystals into the bag. "How's half of the earnings of my next concert sound?"

"H-half?!" Rarity gasped, knowing that the DJ's concerts often attracted clouds of thousands, and that meant tens of thousands of bits. The only reason why Vinyl wasn't rich was because she blew it all on new sound equipment and booze, but that was none of Rarity's business anyway. Still, she could do a lot of good with 5,000+ extra bits.

"Heh, didn't stutter as much as you there, Rares. So how about it?"

"I-um...what do you think, Volare?" Rarity looked to the pilot, but he shook his head.

"Money's no object to me-still got plenty from Luna. But you can get yourself, Spike, and my Crusaders something nice," he smiled. "They kinda earned it, eh?"

"B-but what about you darling?" Rarity insisted. "Surely you must need something!"

"Heh, a bath would be nice."

"Yeah, no kidding bro," Scootaloo sniffed and pulled a face that soon had the whole room shaking in laughter once more.

Heh, happy one-month to me, Volare thought as he sank back into the divan, enjoying the good company of his friends as the CMC retold the tale once more from their own perspectives, going into further details about bears, Blood Bats, and the like that faded into the background as sleep began to overtake the burned, bitten, and battered Pegasus. Alright Murphy, you owe me big time...

Notes:
Whew, sorry for such a long chapter again, but I wanted to try my hand at adventure-style writing again.
Hope it didn't drag too terribly badly!
Next chapter should be quite a good bit shorter and quieter in comparison, considering what happened in this one...
Still, I wonder how Dash is gonna react to Volare's burned butt, heheh!
Volare: Oh haha, aren't you just a barrel of laughs /eyeroll
Author: Yep! *grin*

Author's Note

*Fluorite actually glows when hit by ultraviolet light (the term "fluorescence" actually comes from the name for Fluorite), I just figured Unicorn horn-light probably contains enough UV light to makes this concept work ^^;
-----------Also, not sure when I'll be able to have the next chapter out (got some final classwork coming due this week). But we'll see what I can do! Also, expect more comment responses soon (I know I've fallen off on them).---------------
Also, also, happy New Year!!

Truth or Dare-Pt 9: Good Intentions Pave the Path to Ponyhell

September 28th, Late Afternoon...

As part of his naval aviation training, Volare had personally been through the SERE program and thought he'd seen the worst that the world could throw at him as far as torture was concerned...then he met Fluttershy. Seriously, he never would have suspected that being admonished by the soft-spoken mare could be such a humbling experience. It wasn't The Stare that got him though, nor was it the looming threat of Angel Bunny; no it was the fact that Fluttershy was a master (intentionally or not) of passive-aggressive, mother-hen behavior.

Volare had already experienced this somewhat during his rehab sessions with her, but when he came sheepishly limping into her cottage, his flank looking a touch towards the crispy side, Fluttershy immediately began to tend his wounds. But this time, she voiced her concerns both for Volare's health and that she might possibly be losing her patience with him (just a teeny, tiny bit, though). As she bandaged and doctored his wounds with various crisp-smelling ointments, she scolded him for taking dangerous risks especially with Scootaloo around.

He barely had a chance to get a word in edge-wise to explain that he was saving Scootaloo, but every time he tried, she'd lift her hooves from his wounds and sigh slightly, taking his words for the talking back of an unruly child and drawing out the discomfort of the process. He also feared upsetting her so badly that she might walk off to gather herself, leaving him half-bandaged and in a rather precarious position lying on her living room floor. And so finally, Volare resolved himself to just lay there quietly and take his lumps, so to speak. The problem was, the longer he kept his mouth shut, the more Fluttershy admonished him. And the more she did so, the more her confidence grew to the point where Volare barely had the chance to ask for a glass of water, breaking her mini-lecture on the dangers of dragon fire.

The pilot had to double-take as Angel Bunny actually gave him a sympathetic look for once and retrieved said requested beverage before Fluttershy resumed her bandaging, albeit much more calmly now. This gave Volare a chance to elaborate on the Crystal hunt events which did eventually lead to Fluttershy patting his mane and telling him how proud she was of his bravery, just...be more careful how he displays it; he only has one body after all. With that in mind, he made his way back to Dash's house to recover for the next few days, making sure to avoid town and the farm on the way there (the fewer ponies he had to explain his mummy-esque hindquarters to, the better he figured). And as he trusted Rarity, Octavia, Vinyl, and the CMC to keep their little venture on the down-low (or at least the part about being attacked by the local wildlife-Rarity would explain it as a "nasty mane-dryer explosion" if anypony asked), following the scolding Fluttershy had given him, he felt he could handle just about any sort of ribbing Dash might give him once she came home.

...speak of the devil, and she shall appear, Volare thought as he looked up at the unlatching of the cloudhouse front door. He looked back at his flank, still in the middle of changing his bandages in the middle of the kitchen, and winced; he had a bad feeling his pride was about to be blown to smithereens by a certain cyan mare...

..........................

Meanwhile, Dash had gotten to know Ravenfire a bit more over the past week, including the fact that the older mare had lived in Roam itself for a few years; strangely though, she claimed her memory to be fairly fuzzy on events before her arrival in the great city. She mentioned being involved in some bad weather years ago and hitting her head when she landed so that might have something to do with it. Dash had to hoof it to her though: instead of being frustrated, she'd just 'kept calm and carried on', as she put it, not allowing her future to be held back by her past. This also reminded Dash yet again that they were there to focus on weather work, not their origins.

That advice gave Dash food for thought as she continued Ravenfire's review of weather work, and by Friday she'd shown a good bit of improvement on her convection control...though she could do with a bit more polishing, having managed to singe Dash's mane with lightning and nearly deafen her with thunder on multiple occasions.
Note to self: for the time being, keep her and Derpy FAR away from each other to prevent the complete destruction of Ponyville, Dash thought as she winged her way up to her cloudhouse.

But that wasn't what weighed heaviest on her mind at the moment. No, that place of honor was held by what Ravenfire had told her about Volare: that if Dash didn't feel that he was like other stallions, perhaps she should cut him some slack as far as her aggressive behavior towards him was concerned, especially considering the hell he'd been through since he'd arrived in Equestria. After resisting a bit, waffling back and forth over admitting that Volare wasn't just another run-of-the-mill stallion, she finally admitted that Ravenfire was right, again. But how to cut him some slack without him thinking she'd gone soft on him?

"Hahaha, not everything has to be done all at once, Rainbow Dash," the older mare chuckled, shaking her head. "Ease away from the extremes and do it gradually; be tactful and he likely won't notice the change."

"Aww man, but that could take weeks!," Dash groaned, and Ravenfire rolled her eyes at the madness of the situation. She could tell Dash felt differently for this fellow, but every time she tried to find out how, Dash practically lashed out in defense of her pride, her ego, the fact that she 'flew solo,' and every other excuse under Celestia's sun she could think of. But her vehement deflections only served to prove she truly was hiding something; but like a giant wall obviously shielding something precious, try as she might, Ravenfire couldn't break it down and finally resolved herself to try letting Dash break it down herself, however long that might take.

"Yes, but in the meantime, you can learn more about him and tell for yourself if he really is that much different and worth trusting," Ravenfire said sagely, picking at the remains of her salad as she spoke.

"Trust him with what?" Dash cocked a brow, and again Ravenfire had to suppress a chuckle at how dense the fiery mare could be.

"With whatever it is that has put this barrier between yourself and other stallions-not saying it's unfounded, but perhaps it's time to tackle it, rather than avoid it," the grey-maned mare proposed.

"Meh, maybe," Dash grumbly conceded, scarfing the last cherry tomato and belching lightly as she hopped to her hooves, much to the chagrin of her elder. "Heh-heh, 'scuse me. Well, it's been fun Raven, but it's getting late and I've got a stallion to talk to," she said with a determined grin. "Or at least make sure he hasn't let my house blow all over the place."

"That's the spirit, Rainbow Dash," Ravenfire nodded, remaining seated as Dash stretched her wings to leave. "Oh, one more thing!"

"Yeah?" Dash paused and looked back.

"This...little game you're playing with him...be careful in how you play it."

"Uh...what game?" Dash asked innocently. But the sagely older mare cocked an eyebrow in response, unfooled and undeflected.

"Call it what you will, but you know of what I speak. A last word of advice: just as you seek Volare's weaknesses in order to exploit them...as sharp as he seems, it would be expected that he'd do the same towards you." She paused, chewing a lettuce leaf for a moment. "In fact, he already has."

"Huh, how?" Dash cocked her head, suddenly much more interested in what Ravenfire had to say.

"Hubris...he's using your pride against you-nearly made you get killed in those apple trees," she nodded south towards the orchard.

"Whoa, wait a sec-he wouldn't do that on purpose though, would he?!"

"I don't think so, no; his behavior afterwards doesn't indicate he meant you harm. However, accidentally or not, he's discovered a weakness of yours, and he may exploit it yet again. Be wary, Rainbow Dash. Remember: you're the master of your domain, not him."

"Right, got it," Dash nodded. "Thanks, Raven-I'll be careful."

"I'm sure you will, Ms. Dash. Take care, and good flying!"

"Same to you." And with that, Dash flew home, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
Ha, good one flyboy-using my pride against me. Well, two can play at that game, cuz I got the perfect dare in mind for ya...but wait a sec, maybe he didn't do that on purpose. Maybe it was coincidence? Yeah, maybe...but what if it wasn't! But what if he's innocent and I'm just overthink-nah, that can't be it either. But then what is it?! Weren't you promising to be nicer to him from now on or something?! But what if I'm nice to him and he thinks that means I like him or something-which I totally don't! I'd have to shoot him down! And even if I did-which I don't-he's got that interspecies baggage and I dunno how to deal with that, and it just-ARGH!!!
"Jeez, this guy's gonna be the end of me..." Dash sighed as she landed on her front porch and unlocked her door. "Volare? Flyboy, I'm home!" she called out as she stepped inside the strangely empty house.

Be wary, Rainbow Dash...
She went on the alert, her eyes shifting back and forth and searching for movement; her ears swiveling around like radar dishes to pick out the minute sounds of hooves on cloud fluff...or breathing coming from behind the kitchen counter!
"Ha, gotcha!" Dash slammed a hoof on the counter-top, eliciting a startled yelp from Volare as his head poked into view over the counter. Dash collapsed backwards onto her flank, giggling up a storm and pointing her hoof between laughs.
"Hahaha-heehee, you shoulda seen the look on your face, flyboy!"

"Uh, eh-heh, yep, you got me, Dashie," the pilot chuckled nervously, and Dash readied herself for him to pounce over the countertop to get her back. But when he did nothing more but stand in the kitchen, his eyes downcast in an expression she couldn't read, her laughter resided and was replaced with a look of growing concern as she rose to her hooves.

"Flyboy, you ok?"

"Huh, yeah-I'm fine," Volare replied a bit too quickly. In reality though, he was worried not just for his pride, but because he'd glanced at the calendar a few minutes before Dash had come home and seen what day it was: Friday...gameday. If she saw him injured like this, she'd take advantage of it, and he'd lose for sure...and then he'd have to tell her...and so he desperately deflected her questions and stood up tall despite the pain in his hindquarters.
"Just fine. How're you? How'd Ravenfire do?"

"Oh, she did pretty good," Dash nodded, taking a step towards the edge of the countertop, her eyes narrowing as Volare took a reflexive step in the opposite direction, keeping the counter between him and her. "Kinda got my mane a bit with some lightning, but I've had worse," she chuckled and flipped her mane to show the singe mark. At least it was across the indigo and wasn't terribly noticeable unless she pointed it out...which she just had, but why for him? Why wasn't she worried about him poking fun at her for it? And for that matter, why hadn't he already? Yeah, something was wrong.
"Flyboy, why're you in the kitchen?"

"Who, me? Uh, cooking dinner of course."

"Really? I don't smell anything cooking. Wanna try again?" She took another step, as did he, keeping the lower portion of his body hidden beneath the level of the counter.

"It's...a salad?"

"Eww, just had salad with Raven. Got anything else?"
Another step.

"Nope, sorry Dashie," Volar smiled sweetly. "But if you just go in the living room, I can whip something up and-"

"Flyboy, why're you running away from me?" Dash cut him off, becoming more concerned by the moment, though she disguised it as her simply losing patience.

"Running? Who's running? Ha, not me, that's who," the pilot flared his wings but try as he might, he couldn't stop the wince that snuck into his face long enough for Dash to see it. She also saw the singe marks on his right wing and smelled something else beneath the smell of ointments she knew only Fluttershy possessed.

"Flyboy, stop moving and get out of my kitchen," she ordered, perhaps a bit too harshly, but now she was genuinely worried about him. What had he done while I was gone?

"Can't do both, Dashie-hey!" Volare cried as Dash suddenly vaulted over the countertop, grabbed him by the shoulders and held him in place as she shot him a quick glare, looked past his face and saw...

"Oh my gosh, Volare!" Dash's grip on his shoulders tightened as she took in the sight of his half-bandaged rump and croup, and the burnt and furless patches that clashed with the clean bandages. Even as she looked down at the damage, she saw tiny twitches in the muscles beneath his skin, twitches of pain caused by traumatized nerves. She felt her own shoulders start to shake, her back legs grow a little rubbery, and she suddenly tasted the salad she and Ravenfire had shared. She reflexively gripped Volare's shoulders even tighter to keep herself focused, but though she tried, the sight of his damaged body blurred as tears crept into her eyes when she realized just how much pain he must have gone through to gain such wounds. And to think, if she'd just been here, this wouldn't have happened...if she hadn't let her pride get ahead of her and hurt her head, she wouldn't have had to leave...and if she hadn't made him crash his plane, he wouldn't be here, In Equestria-in her home-and in such sorry shape. She felt a dagger of guilt plunge itself into her heart-if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have to hurt so much...this is all my fault...

"Dashie?" Volare's voice pulled her out of her funk and she shook her head, blinking the blur from her eyes. "You ok? You're kinda hurting my neck here."

"Agh, sorry!" she cried, releasing his shoulders and standing back on all fours again, her eyes still riveted on his injuries. "J-just...my head's still a little fuzzy. Yeah."

"Ouch, sorry 'bout that. Anyways, got my butt burned a bit if ya wanna know, but beyond that Fluttershy says I should be ok," the pilot snorted, turning sideways to give her a good view. "Hoped you'd find out later, rather than sooner; oh well, laugh it up." But instead of the expected snickers and jabs at his pride, he received something totally different: a hug that caught him so off-guard that he nearly toppled over. He leaned against the counter and held Dash as she tightened her forelegs around his shoulders and growled softly into his ear, her heart a maelstrom of anger, frustration, and relief.

"Why've you gotta keep getting hurt like this, flyboy?"

"Oh trust me, Dash it's not like I wanted to get burned by a dragon," Volare chuckled before she leaned back and fixed him with an incredulous look of astonishment, her brow cocked so high that it nearly disappeared beneath her forelock.

"Say what now?"

"Yeah, went crystal hunting for Vinyl Scratch and...well, kinda ran into one in a cave," he scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly before nodding towards the countertop. "Caught me in the middle of changing out my bandages here."

"Were you by yourself?" Dash tensed a hoof to smack him despite her earlier feelings, a little irritated with how nonchalant he was being about being burned again.

"Wha-course not. Had Spike with me. Rarity too," he said, conveniently leaving out the CMC as he figured that not even the adventurous Rainbow Dash would approve of taking them into a cave on the edge of Froggy Bottom Bog.

"Bwahaha, you got Rarity to go into a cave with you? You must me a bigger charmer than I thought," she hoofed him and let go, backing up and giving him space before waving a wing to continue, her worries assuaged for now.

"Oh, well long story short, this dragon burst out of a pile of gemstones, we ran, and it burned my butt on the way out," he gave his singed tail a flick for emphasis. "And that's about it."

"...I think you're hiding something, flyboy," Dash snorted, fixing him with a squint. "You wouldn't just get burned by a dragon for no reason, since Spike is fire-proof and Rarity was probably running faster than everypony outta there. So tell me, what really happened?"

"Damn...ok, just promise me you won't get mad-and for gawd's sake please don't tell AJ about this," he pleaded.

"Uh, ok...did something happen to Applebloom or something?" At his silence, a knot of fear again rose in her gut. "Oh crap...what about Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?"

"They're...a little banged up, but Rarity took care of them," Volare muttered.

"Y-you took the CMC into that dragon cave!?" Dash stomped a hoof. "Are you stupid or something?!"

"We didn't know it was a dragon cave, Dash! If we did, I wouldn't have gone in there, much less taken my little sister and her friends!" the pilot shouted back, his silver-blue eyes blazing into Dash's for a moment and actually causing her to back up a half step. At her retreat, he took a breath and sighed. "Sorry, I just...they just wanted to get their marks and I wanted to help Vinyl, so...yeah. I didn't mean for this to happen," he flicked his singed wing. "I know I got less than what I deserved for not being careful, so if you wanna pile on, go ahead."

"Jeez, Volare," Dash shook her head in disbelief, leaning her forehead on the cloudhouse wall for a moment. One part of her wanted to be angry, but the other...was actually curiously proud of him. "So, I take it you brought up the rear?"

"Yeah."

"That's pretty brave, facing a dragon like that, ya know. You trying to one-up me or something?"

"Ha, didn't exactly face it," he nodded towards his burned behind once more. Talk about suddenly being the butt of all jokes he chuckled to himself. Dash cocked her head and approached again.

"Yeah, well then how'd you get away?"

"Haha, kinda bumped into a stalactite in the dark and knocked it down on the dragon's wing. Lucky shot is all it was," he scuffed up a puff of cloud with a hoof.

"Well, either way you got'em outta there, so...guess I should say congrats," she patted him on the shoulder before noticing the red puckered marks beneath her hoof. "What the hay is this?"

"Oh, kinda got bitten by blood-bats too."

"...seriously?!" Dash facehoofed. "You got bandages for those too?"

"I think so yeah...but I could use a hand-er hoof with changing them. Actually, a hand would be mighty helpful right now," he chuckled and waved a very non-prehensile hoof. Dash rolled her eyes and patted the counter-top.

"Hop on and I'll help fix ya up," she said, the dare she'd cooked up forgotten in lieu of her friends' injury. An injury she could have prevented, she cursed herself for a moment before Volare hopped up and laid down on the counter. "Ok, so it's just a simple wrap?" she asked, fumbling with the bandage roll as she tried her best not to stare at his injuries-totally not at his flank, mind you!

"Yeah, it's just a surface burn, but Flutters wants me to keep it covered to keep infection away," he replied as Dash stretched the bandages tightly over his back. "Agh-yeah, that works. Heh, shoulda seen it a few days ago-you'da have really gagged then, Dashie-ow!" he rubbed his head where she'd whacked him with a hoof.

"Watch it, or I'll barf all over your back," she shot back, poking his ribs with a hoof before tying off the first knot.

"Yeah, well just watch what you're touching back there Dashie, cuz I know you know what to touch when you-ya!" he nearly jumped off the counter in surprise before Dash caught him. "What the hell?!"

"Agh, sorry sorry sorry! I didn't mean to!" she insisted innocently, and she was serious!

"Ouch...yeah, I know you didn't," he settled back down as she tied off the second knot. "I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose, Dash-not unless I deserved it, heh-heh." She paused at his words, her hooves in the middle of the third knot.

He deserves better than what you're giving him, Rainbow Dash, she recalled Ravenfire's words...and she was right. He needed somepony better than her. But before she could sink into dark thoughts again, he nudged her with a wing.

"Oh hey, I almost forgot. Found something in the cave you might like, Dashie," Volare nodded towards something sitting up near a cloud-cupboard. Something blue with golden flecks in it that Dash hadn't seen in years, and her breath caught in her throat as she realized what it was...and her heart dropped at the the same time at the implications.

Remind me to check for a guilt-trip target on my back later...
"I-I...you got this for me?" she asked as she reached out and plucked up the hoof-sized stone. It was rough, unpolished, and covered in scorch marks from the dragon fire, but there was no doubting what it was. Just to be sure, she asked him.
"You know what this is, flyboy?"

"Yeah, I think Spike mentioned it's lapis lazuli. Had it in my hoof when the dragon showed up and realized I still had it once we got away. You want it, cuz no offense but I dunno what I'd do with it," he looked over his shoulder and saw that Dash was staring at the stone, her hoof over her mouth. "Dash?"

Surely he didn't know...he couldn't know, Dash thought as she held the stone in a slightly quaking hoof. When a Pegasus was interested in another, either in courtship or in strong friendship, he or she would give the one they were interested in a feather plucked from their own wing to symbolize the strength of the bond. Now, strong bonds like that also existed between Pegasi and Earth Ponies, as well as Pegasi and Unicorns. But neither of those other two races had feathers to give. So instead, traditionally, they gave the Pegasus they were interested a piece of sky stone, a mineral so named for its resemblance to the sky and only found deep in the ground in caves. And as most Pegasi were naturally claustrophobic, preferring the open sky to closed-in dark spaces, sky stone was particularly prized among them. There was another name for sky stone, though: lapis lazuli...and Dash was holding a huge piece of it in her hooves, practically being tossed away by Volare. If only he knew the significance...

No...no, he can't know it, cuz that'd mean he...it'd look like he wants me to be his...no...no, it can't work like that, she shook her head slowly. True it wasn't a feather, but it was damn close enough...but he deserved so much better, and there was no way in Tartarus it would work with her! But at the same time, she couldn't just say no! He'd gotten burned by a damn dragon to get this for her! He didn't understand, but she would and it just...

"Dammit," she realized she muttered out loud as she caught the strange look on his face. "I-I mean, damn, this is...really nice." She composed herself and smiled thankfully. "Y-you sure?"

"Yeah, like I said: thought of you when I saw it," he nodded and winced at the pain in his wing. Yet again, Dash felt that dagger of guilt dig just a little deeper into her heart.

He wouldn't give me this if he knew the truth...
But she put on a huge grin and gratefully hugged his neck as gently as he could, carefully setting the stone down and going back to the bandage knots, her mind buzzing with activity. As happy as she was to accept such a gift, she also knew this couldn't last, as every time she saw him hurt, she'd blame it on herself. She started to think of how she could fix this without turning into a coddler like Twilight was, but she couldn't see a way out. Unless she kicked him out that was, but that'd be just plain cruel and petty. If only she could convince him to move in with somepony else, he'd be out of sight, out of mind-she wouldn't have to feel guilty every time she looked at him...and that dagger might be out of her heart. But how could she do that? And with who-?

"So, um," Volare's words pulled Dash out of her thoughts once more.

"So," she replied, cinching another knot with her hooves and teeth, making sure to keep up her front of aloof bravado. "What's on your mind?"

"Today's Friday, so I guess I was wondering...um..."

"You lookin' for a special or something? What kinda street-trotter you take me for, flyboy?" she snickered and mussed his mane playfully as he blushed heavily.

"What the-no! I meant you looking to play a game?" Dash paused for a moment before laughing even harder. "Shit, well that didn't fix it."

"After all this, you're worried about that damn Truth or Dare game?" Dash finally said, and he nodded. "Why's that on your mind?"

"Cuz, well I know you hate losing and are always looking for a chance to win...and so I figured you'd hit me while I'm weak and you have the advantage, ya know?" he flicked an emphatic wing over his injuries. "Tactically it makes sense, anyways."

"Pfft, tactics, shmactics," Dash waved a dismissive hoof and reached for a bandage for his shoulder, though she was a little disturbed that he was right: if she'd been in a competitive mood, she might have taken advantage of him that way. Gotta be nicer though, Dash. Think of something so you don't look soft though-wait, that'll work! "I'm Rainbow Dash-I don't need tactics."

"Cuz you're too awesome for them?"

"Yeah-what the hay, no that's not what I mean!" she shoved him roughly as he snickered. "What I mean is...well...ok, you wanna know something cool?"

"Heh, sure."

"Ok, you know that challenge that Thunderlane threw down the other day and I backed ya up on?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That's an old-school thing called a Pegasus Challenge that I taught my Weather Team so they'd have a way to settle arguments without getting too nicked up; cuz being down a Weather Pony or two can really throw a wrench into the schedule, ya know?"

"Makes sense. So you have that 'to the touch' and 'to the blood' stuff, right?"

"Yep, that's right," Dash cinched another knot tight and leaned up to survey her hoof-work; not as clean as Fluttershy's, but it'd do. But just in case, she began to wrap another bandage over his shoulder...plus she was kinda liking him in this position anyways. "There's a buncha other rules involved I'll teach ya one of these days, but the one that's important is the "decline rule.""

"What's that?"

"See, old-school Pegasi were all about honor in battle and everything. Honor in victory, honor in defeat, that sorta thing," she waved a hoof as she spoke. "So when a Pegasus is issued a Challenge, they either gotta accept it or decline it. Thing is, if they just declined it for no reason, they were seen as cowards, and they lost honor."

"Huh, kinda like samurai on Earth," Volare mused.

"Sama-who?"

"Ancient warriors that fought by an honor code kinda like that. Go on," he flicked a wing and she obliged.

"Heh, ok. Well, uh basically if you did have a reason to not accept the Challenge, like an injury," she grazed a wing meaningfully across his bandages. "Then you totally could, and nopony thought worse of you. In fact, if somepony Challenged another and they knew they were injured, the challenger was actually seen as the coward."

"Huh, complicated system ya got there, Dashie," Volare mused, though he thought he knew where this might be headed.

"So you see, flyboy," Dash straightened one of his bent pinion feathers with a hoof. "If I say something like: 'I dare ya to match me in altitude,' which I might have been about to, since you're injured you have all the right in the world to decline."

"So we're playing by Challenge rules now, eh?" Volare looked back with a cocked brow. "Doesn't that give you the advantage since you know them all?"

"Heh, I'd focus less on that and more on the fact that I just explained a loophole to ya," she flicked his mane and smirked. "Plus, if I beat ya when you're not 100%, how could I ever hold it against ya, hahaha!"

"Oh haha, very funny, Dashie," he rolled his eyes but leaned a shoulder back against her foreleg in thanks for her leniency. "But, seeing as how I'm kinda KFC here, I'm gonna have to respectfully decline your Dare."

"Decline accepted...and what's KFC? Is that one of your...oh, what did you call'em?" Dash flicked an ear for a moment. "Pop culture thingies?"

"Something like that, yeah. Means "Kentucky Fried Chicken"," Volare groaned as he tried to sit up before realizing that Dash was still leaning with her forelegs on his back. "So, you gonna let me up?"

"Hmm, maybe," she said teasingly, blowing on his ear and making it twitch. "You're pretty comfy for a skinny guy."

"Hardy-har-har. Well then, guess I should ask if you're enjoying the view while you're back there," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"Nah, I like my flank rare, not well-done," she quipped back. For a moment, they stared at each other before they both burst into laughter. After nearly a minute of not being able to look at each other without snickering, Volare finally composed himself enough to speak.

"So, if we're not gonna do a dare, now what?"

"Hmm, you could always tell the truth," Dash started to smirk, but that dagger twisted again, and the smile died halfway past her lips.
So could you, Dashie...
Luckily, Volare missed it as he was too preoccupied with being dramatic, she thought.

"Heh, when pigs fly, Dashie."

"I figured," she rolled her eyes and hoofed his shoulder.

"I am curious, though."

"What about?"

"Where'd you learn about the Pegasus Challenge from? Or rather, from whom did you learn it?"

"Oh, somepony just as old-school," Dash purposefully let her eyes drift towards the crinkled old Wonderbolt poster on the living room cloud-wall, smiling when Volare caught on.

"I see. So who is she?"

"Was," Dash replied a bit grimly.

"Oh, sorry."

"No problem," she waved a wingtip and glanced back up at the blue-maned, proud figure on the poster. "She was...well...tell ya what, you tell me about what inspired you to be a Blue Angels pilot, and I'll tell ya a little more about her, and that'll be both our Truths for this week."

"Uh..." Volare rubbed his cheek with a hoof, his mind suddenly invaded by memories he'd believed to be long-buried...some good, and some painful as all get-out. "Gonna have to decline that one, Dashie," he shook his head. "Sorry."

"S'okay...I'll just have to decline speaking of her too, heh-heh."

"You're such a tease, you know that?" Volare nudged her shoulder.

"I try," she smirked and hopped off the counter. "Come on, let's get this tragedy out of sight," she chuckled and slapped his rump, causing him to jump in pain and blushing embarrassment. "Ah-hahaha, sorry, flyboy!"

"Anything to feel me up, I swear," he muttered.

"Pfft, don't flatter yourself, KFC," she sniggered.

"Not funny, Dashie."

"Well, I think it's funny," she replied, poking her tongue out at the half-scowling pilot.

"Doesn't make it universally funny."

"...my house."

"...damn," Volare conceded defeat as she pumped a hoof and smirked before helping him towards the couch, though inwardly she cringed as she caught sight of the lapis lazuli stone by the cupboard, knowing that as minor as it was, she'd still lapsed into her usual behavior and hurt him yet again...something she just seemed destined to do. No friend deserved a friend that did that all the time, did they? She'd have to figure out a way to either make it up to him soon or just get him away from her where she couldn't hurt him anymore...for his sake and hers. Because she didn't know how much longer she could take the guilt every time she looked at him and saw him hurt. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't giving up and losing, that it was simply changing tactics...but you'd have had an easier time convincing a pig it could fly...
A dirty, guilty pig of a friend named Rainbow Dash...who'd also forgotten his one month anniversary! Double dammit!!

October 2nd, Rainbow Dash's Cloud-House, Noon...

Over the weekend, while Volare had focused mainly on not splitting his healing skin open as he worked on his wing strength, Dash had subtly been canvassing her Weather Team between shifts, for she'd just been hit by a stroke of genius: if she could find a mare to get Volare interested in, he might move in with them-problem solved! But try as she might, everypony seemed to have prior engagements: Cloud Chaser and Flitter were more interested in Thunderlane (why, Dash couldn't imagine), Blossomforth was a huge prude (she sniggered at the idea of her and Volare trying to spend an evening together), and Snowflake was...well, even if Volare was into stallions, she didn't think it'd be in his best interest to hook up with that musclebound psycho-stallion. She swore the guy was only good for moving cumulonimbus and shouting YEAH!
There was also Derpy, but Dash wasn't sure if Snowflake wouldn't be safer for Volare, what with the pilot's propensity for peril. As nice as she knew Derpy could be...nah, she didn't feel like going through the hassle of signing Volare up for frequent guest benefits at Ponyville Medical. And of course there was Ravenfire, but something told her Volare wasn't a cougar chaser either.

That left only herself and one other pony...and she was the one pony she'd semi-sworn to protect Volare from; but that was back before...well...before Dash started considering Volare's best interests over her own. Besides, she might be the only one she could trust to loosen Volare up and get him over the whole 'inter-species taboo' thing he had going on, as that was really the only problem she saw with her plan. And the best thing was, Dash wouldn't have to worry about Volare being shot down as she knew that mare had no issues with stallions...or anything else for that matter.

If that happened, well...then maybe he'd be outta sight, outta mind-quite a bit if he hooked up with her, Dash thought to herself while showering off after her Tuesday shift. Then again, Dash knew she didn't do long-term relationships, but if Volare moved out and on with his own life, what did it matter to Dash anymore after that? He'd be away from her, she wouldn't have to feel responsible for him anymore, end of bucking story! Ugh, then again maybe she should cut him a little more slack. She was so pre-occupied with her thoughts and the soothing rainwater running out of her shower-cloud that she didn't notice she wasn't alone until she heard a gasp of surprise accompany the opening of the bathroom door. Dash cracked her left eye and her lashes flicked away the falling water to see Volare standing in the doorway, his mouth slightly open and frozen in mid-trot, as if he'd just walked in without paying attention.

"Uh, I-uh...uh..." Volare muttered, his mouth refusing to work as he took in the sight of Rainbow Dash, her mane's prismatic pigments blended together into a maelstrom of multi-colored wonder by the water, her feathers and cyan fur covering her toned body dripping wet, and a small smirk growing across her face as she stared at him through a half-cracked eye.

"Sup, flyboy?" she quipped lightly, amused by his frozen stance as she went back to scrubbing the sweat from her mane, allowing the relaxing torrent to wash over her face before flicking her mane back behind her head and turning to look at him fully. What she saw next caused her to nearly burst into snickering giggles: Volare's eyes had widened, and his wings were steadily rising of their own accord. "Heh, guess that answers my question," she nodded at the flaring feathers.

"Oh shit, no-nonononono!" Volare cried, batting his wings down with his hooves and turning in circles, trying to force them down. But as he did so, he slipped on a washrag laying in the cloud-fluff, causing him to lose his balance and toppled forward into the bathroom, landing on his face with a groan. "Urgh, sorry, sorry, sor-" his words caught in his throat as he felt something warm drip on his head and he looked up to see Dash standing over him, body dripping wet, and a mischievous smile on her face.

"You gonna be ok, dude?" Dash asked nonchalantly as she dried her mane, while Volare half-crawled, half-hopped away from her and pushed himself against the bathroom counter, his head turned away and a hoof over his eyes; his wings were stiff as flagstaffs and his blue face-fur was flushing violet.

"J-just...sorry, I just needed to use the shower cuz I finished working out and I just...agh, I shoulda knocked!" he stammered, shaking his head in a manner that Dash didn't quite understand.

"Dude, it's cool. Shower's free," she waved a wing towards the raincloud, but the most he managed to do was stagger to his hooves, foreleg still crossed over his eyes. "Flyboy, what's your deal? Why're you hiding your face? Heh, am I too radical to behold or something?" she hoofed him playfully, but he jumped at her touch. Ok, this was getting stupid, Dash rolled her eyes. "Seriously, what gives? Why're you all jumpy?"

"B-because I just walked in on you in the shower, that's why!" he shot back, his turned head making it look like he was speaking to the wall.

"So?" Dash cocked her head. "Why ya gotta hide your face?"

"Because you-it-I just...urgh," Volare blew out his chops in frustration as he attempted to articulate his feelings-he was failing miserably and he knew it. He turned his face towards hers, hoof still blocking his eyes and spoke with a straight face. "Because it's improper for a guy to walk in on a girl in the shower, that's all."

"What the-seriously?" Dash asked, more curious than annoyed now. "That some sorta human taboo or something?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Why?"

"What-because it-cuz when a woman is showering, she tends to be naked and walking on a girl naked like that is just rude and invites all sorts of trouble, that's why!" Volare shook his head, blood pounding in his ears and face still blushing like mad. But Dash simply snickered and cocked a brow as she took his hoof in hers and pulled it away from his face.

"So lemme get this straight-and open your eyes already dude, cuz I'm not mad or anything," she booped his nose and he complied, albeit a bit hesitantly. But when a vengeful hoof didn't come slamming into his muzzle, he relaxed visibly, much to Dash's relief. "It's rude to walk in on a girl human all the time?"

"No, only when she's naked," Volare replied in a dead serious tone, but this only served to confuse Dash further.

"What's it matter if she's naked or not?"

"Because humans where clothes when in the presence of others. It's a sign of modesty and self-control...something like that," Volare explained, though he felt strange as hell doing so. "It's tradition."

"Yeah, ok-on Earth. Here, we don't normally where clothes unless it's a special occasion," she flicked his nose with a wingtip. "Makes cleaning up a lot easier, plus wearing clothes along with fur makes things way too hot."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," he nodded, his blush fading and his wings sinking back down again.

"So no sweat, ok?" she hoofed him in the shoulder and trotted to the cabinet, bumping her wet hip against his and nearly making him jump. "Just know we're naked all the time; it's nothing special."

"Oh haha, like I really needed to think of it all the time, Rainbow Dash," Volare rolled his eyes, his wings flicking slightly and drawing another amused smirk from her. "Thanks a bunch. I'll probably never be able to look at Fluttershy with a straight face ever again." And oh gawd...Iron Will...DO NOT WANT!!!

"Why's that, flyboy?" Dash asked, sashaying back up to him and making a point of leaning her wet body on his. "Does having a wet naked girl lean on you like this make you uncomfortable?"

"Ah-I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work, Dash," Volare gritted his teeth and tried to scowl...but the sensation of her warm, trim form pressed against his had sent his mind into a mortified tailspin, and it was all he could do to not leap sideways and have his wings fly up once more.

"And just what am I trying to do, hmm?" Dash asked teasingly, nudging her shoulder against his.

"P-push my buttons."

"Seems to be working to me," Dash mused.

"It's not!" he insisted.

"Uh-huh," she rolled her eyes and leaned in to whisper. "How's about we hop in the shower and I help you scrub behind your ears, eh?"

"...Nope!" Volare cried, shoving her backward with sudden strength, sending her stumbling right out the bathroom door and nearly crashing into the opposite wall. The door slammed for a moment and then re-opened as Volare tossed a towel out onto Dash's nose before he shut the door again. "Occupado!" he called out, but Dash simply laughed and toweled off her wet mane.

"You're something else, flyboy," she chuckled. "You need to get laid or something and loosen up!" she called back, and was answered by a loud thump of somepony falling on their flank in shock. Almost immediately though, she scolded herself a bit for teasing him like that. Oh come on, it's all in good fun-plus it's not like I hurt him! Besides, he seriously DOES need to loosen up...hmm...maybe I really SHOULD take him to see her...let's see, today's Tuesday. Oh good, it's her day off. "Hey, flyboy?"

".....yep?" his voice came back after a long moment.

"You ok in there? Sounded like you fell!"

"I did, thank you very much!"

"Oh, um...you ok?"

"I'm good-yep!"

"Hey, sorry for messing with you like that!"
Whoa, that came outta nowhere, Dash thought to herself.

"It's...it's ok. You're kinda right, though. I do need to loosen up."

That single admission did more to lift Dash's hopes than everything else that had happened all weekend-she finally saw an end in sight!
"Heh-heh, just a little. Hey, I'm headed into town in a bit-wanna come with, or are you still too flank-hurt to hang with me?"

"Hahaha, nah I'm good. Just gimme a few minutes, Dash!"

"Sounds good," she called back, hanging the towel on the doorknob and shaking her mane till it was just the right combination of messy awesome. "I'll be waiting for ya downstairs...don't have too much fun in there without me!" She snickered at Volare's cry of consternation and curses muffled by the falling showercloud. Oh crap, I'll have to go back in there when he's done to turn it off, she realized with a chuckle as she settled down on the couch to wait.

..................
Sugarcube Corner, a short time later...

"And so that's how that went down," Dash chuckled and took a final swig of her chocolate milk, smacking her lips and sighing before setting her drink down and staring across the table at the mare she never thought she'd ask this sort of favor of. The mare blinked her cerise eyes twice in mild disbelief before a smirk spread across her lavender-furred face. She tossed her lemon-yellow mane back and erupted in laughter once Dash's expression didn't change.

"Oh wow, that's some situation you've got on your hooves, boss," Cloud Kicker shook her head and pounded her hoof on the table twice before regaining her composure. "So, what you're saying is: you want me to loosen Volare up a little?"

"Or a lot," Dash grimaced, both at the truth of her statement and her hidden agenda of heading Volare off at the pass and getting him interested in some other mare before he...well, before she'd have to shoot him down. He deserves better. "I know this is probably asking a lot of ya, especially after covering for me all week on the shift-"

"It's no problem, Boss," Cloud Kicker flashed Dash a winning grin and leaned across the table. "It'll be almost like vacation-if you gimme the next few days off with him," she winked. "You did say you owed me one."

"Heh, I suppose I did..."

Cloud Kicker caught the apprehension in Dash's expression and nudged her with a hoof.
"You ok with this, boss? I mean, you were kinda making it a point to keep me away from him at the party..."

"Yeah, well that was then, this is now, end of story; not like I own him or anything," Dash replied a bit too sharply, and her ears drooped and she shook her head. "Sorry, it's just...living with the guy has...really been tough, cuz every time I try to push his boundaries...well, you know why I can't...not to a friend." She also left out the part of how having fun with him had become a complicated dance around taboos, emotional baggage, and other things Dash wasn't inclined to deal with; in her mind, it wasn't petty, it was just a compromise she didn't feel she could make...or know how to. What if she screwed up and hurt him worse? Some Element of Loyalty she'd be if that happened. No, I won't screw up and fail because I...I'm not scared, it's just...dammit!

"Yeah, I do," a slightly pained expression crossed Cloud Kicker's face and she patted Dash's hoof. "Your Weather Lieutenant's on the case-she won't letcha down," she gave Dash a salute and an encouraging smile, which Dash returned after a moment.

"Thanks, CK. You're a real pal."

"Heh, I know," Cloud Kicker grinned and stood up from the table, looking out the door of the confectionary shoppe. "So, you know what's likely gonna happen if I do this, right?"

"Yep," Dash nodded. "I figured you'd be the best pony for the job."

"Hmph, not sure whether I should be flattered or insulted, boss," Cloud Kicker chuckled and flexed her wings. "So, where's this good looking piece of plot at, eh?"

"Hey, you treat him nicer than that," Dash hoofed her in the flank and narrowed her eyes. It was obvious to Cloud Kicker that she was serious and cared about her friend quite a bit more than she'd openly admit.

"Just joking; c'mon, you know me," Cloud Kicker smirked and thumped herself in the chest. "This mare's got a heart bigger than anypony's and plenty of lovin' to go around. I'll take good care of him, don't you worry. Now then," she trotted to the doorway and craned her neck left and right up Stirrup Street. "Where'd he get to?"

"Uh, I think he said something about heading down to the hardware store to check up on"-

"Cool, see ya!" and with that, Cloud Kicker was gone in a puff of street dust, leaving Dash hanging in mid-sentence.

"Huh, so that's what that feels like," she mused as she turned towards Pinkie at the front counter. She knew she had to have been listening. "Hey Pinks?"

"Yep, Dashie?" the party mare looked up from the fresh batch of donuts she's just laid out on the counter.

"Did I do the right-" she cut herself off with a loud sigh. "...can I have a donut?"

"Extra sprinkles?"

"...yeah-if you don't mind."

"Heh, of course, Dashie," Pinkie tossed a donut to her friend and smiled, though inwardly her heart squinched a bit; Dash was right in assuming that Pinkie had been listening, and Pinkie thought she understood what Dash was trying to do...she just had a feeling her friend was going about it all wrong. All Dash had to do was trust him; Pinkie felt like she could. Besides, since when did Dash run from a challenge? But Pinkie kept her bright smile on for her friend's sake. "No charge, Dashie."

"Thanks, Pinks. You're the best," Dash smiled and bit into the fluffy, jelly-filled dough, but it did almost nothing to relieve the seed of uncertainty already germinating in the pit of her stomach. Was she doing the right thing? And if not, WHAT was the right thing to do?

..................

"At this rate, according to Bon-Bon, they should be done sometime this week," Volare grinned as he spoke to Ferrum. The "upper middle-aged" Unicorn laughed and thumped the front counter of his store in approval.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that the old Griffin is coming along smoothly. Hard to believe how well Trixie and Octavia are working together," Ferrum scratched his mane and leaned across the counter conspiratorially. "And if I may be so bold, I'm sensing a...certain chemistry betwixt them, to turn a phrase-heheh."

"That so?" Volare cocked a brow.

"Oh yeah, have you seen them recently? When they're not building or fencing, they're practically cuddling up next to each other and talking about everything under Celestia's Sun, from spells to music and everywhere in between."

"What the-you stalking them or something?"

"Heavens no, son! They were doing that right here in my store!" Ferrum snorted. "I mean, I'm not exactly one for modesty all of the time-cuz really, where's the fun in that-, but when it gets to the point of 'oops, sorry for accidentally playing hoofsie in front of the customers-'"

"Ok, ok, I get it!" Volare cut him off with a wave of his wing and a chuckle. If that were true and this wasn't just one of Ferrum's usual tall tales, they'd be the ultimate example in "opposites attract." "Anyways, to be honest, no I really haven't seen them lately; been kinda in recovery," Volare nodded towards his rump. The bandages were finally off, but the shortened patches of fur where the burns had been were still plainly visible. To his surprise, nopony had really pointed it out, and since Twilight and he were kinda limited to medium-distance speech, she hadn't gotten close enough to notice them-a true blessing in disguise.

"Aha yes, Ms. Rarity mentioned something about how the Cutie Mark Crusaders "accidentally" blew up one of her mane driers. Funny, cuz ever since I met you, you've never exactly been a stickler for mane-fashion," his chuckle was swallowed up by a suspicious squint. "That really what happened, Volare?"

"Uh, you see...thing is-" but the pilot was cut off by the dinging of the front door bell and determined hoofsteps on the hardwood floor. He had just enough time to half turn to see who'd trotted in when a lavender-furred mare pressed her body's length against his, hip-checking him against the side of the front counter, his wings pinned between himself and the counter on one side, and this newcomer on the other. "What the-" he managed to cry out before recognizing the mare.

"Sup Ferrum! Afternoon, Mr. Volare," Cloud Kicker smirked, confidently tossing her mane and cocking her brow as she stared into Volare's steel-blue eyes. "How you doin'?"

"Uh-pretty good, actually," Volare replied, shooting a sideways glance of confusion at Ferrum, who merely shrugged in response; the pilot wasn't as well acquainted with Cloud Kicker's reputation as everypony else...yet. "Yourself?"

"I'm doing great. Just got out of a neat little conversation with Rainbow Dash over at Sugarcube Corner. We...agreed to fix a little problem of yours," her smirk grew a bit wider as she subtly ground the base of her right wing against Volare's left. The effect was near-instant, and Volare winced as his wings tightened within the confined space between Cloud Kicker and the store counter.

"W-what sorta problem-ah," Volare groaned, torn between wanting to step away from the counter to relieve the tension, and the fear of popping a wingy in public. At least the store was empty besides Ferrum and himself...and this crazy mare! "Wh-agh! What's the big idea here, Cloud Kicker?"

"Well, like I said," she spoke almost nonchalantly as she continued to grind her wing against his. "I'm a problem-solving sorta pony, and...well, ever since that little air show you put on a few weeks back, I'd be lying if I said my mind hadn't wandered just a little bit," she punctuated the last word with a half-step towards Volare, pinning him even closer to the counter. Meanwhile, Ferrum's mouth was slightly agape at the wanton display going on in his store. "Wanna know where it wandered, buddy?"

"I can only imagine," Volare replied, trying to push back against her, but although she wasn't Rainbow Dash strong, she had the better leverage and she knew it.

"Oh-ho, wanna have a little shoving match, eh?" She growled lightly, meeting him with equal force and angling her body just as her Krav Pega training had shown her to do; it also came in handy in situations like this. "Tell me, Volare: you like it rough?"

"Ha, depends on what you mean, CK," he shot back, shoving back in earnest now, but he was hopelessly stuck. His wings felt like they were about to snap off if he didn't relieve the pressure, and he couldn't help the tiny whine of discomfort that escaped his throat.

"Want me to let you go, eh? Might be a problem with that cuz by the way you feel," she rotated the shoulder of her wing against his which drew a short gasp from him. "You might just launch me across the room if I do that, if ya know what I mean. Problem is, I kinda like it rough, but I don't wanna break anything in the store if I can help it. Just how can we possibly get out of this sticky situation?" she smirked and flicked her tail across Volare's flank, and he visibly jumped-well, as much as he could considering the circumstances. "Hey Ferrum, you got any suggestions?"

"I-um...ahem!" Ferrum violently cleared his throat and retrieved the wire-rimmed spectacles that had fallen off his face to the counter top. "My only suggestion is to knock it off before you permanently stain either my floor or my counter-top, Ms. Kicker."

"Aww come on man, gimme some help here!" Volare cried while Cloud Kicker continued to chuckle.

"You know, you're almost as fun to mess with as Blossomforth...hmm, maybe you and her and I could get together and have a little afternoon del-"

"OI, FERRUUUUUUUUUM!!!!" a deep-throated shout practically knocked the front door in and quickly let the air out of Cloud Kicker's sails. She looked from Volare to Ferrum in alarm before the heavily-accented voice spoke/roared again. "OI, YA OLD BASTARD! AH KNOW YE'RE IN THERE!"

"What the feather is that?" Cloud Kicker muttered as she relaxed her hold on Volare's body, her original task forgotten for the moment. She allowed Volare to lean against her and catch his breath before she turned back to the pilot, her cerise eyes full of worry, for she'd heard tales from the Royal Guard of voices accented like that...and they always portended some horrible occurrence. "Wha-sorry Volare, I-"

"It's fine," he shook his head, the tension in his wings migrating to his brow and jaw as he reflexively took a step towards a window fronting the store. He'd caught the about-face in her attitude and as much of a relief as it was, it worried him immensely. Ferrum leaned over the counter to watch as Cloud Kicker accompanied him to the glass and they looked out upon a strange and imposing sight in the middle of Stirrup Street:

A massive cornflower-blue Unicorn nearly as tall and broad as Big Macintosh, his face covered in a great orange bush of a mustache and beard, with tail and mane to match. He was wearing a dark blue collared shirt and his waist was girded with a broad leather belt set with large brass studs and a huge bronze buckle. His face was streaked here and there with dark blue patches of pigment and his sea-green eyes burned with emotion as he stomped a large hoof and levitated what was really gaining everypony's attention: a massive claymore-esque sword nearly as long as he was that he'd pulled from the scabbard on his back and swung above his head as he shouted. It was no surprise that everypony on the street had either run for cover or galloped to the Guard Station for help.

"Holy shit, that guy's huge," Volare muttered, his eyes fixated on the blade that looked large enough to cleave two or three ponies in half at once.

"I'll bet he is," Cloud Kicker mumbled, drawing a look of incredulity from Volare before the Unicorn outside resumed shouting.

"C'MON OOT O' THERE FERRUM!! AH'VE COME A LONG DAMN WAY TA RECKON WITH YE ON A LITTLE SECRET YE FOUND YEARS AGO-AN YE KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT AH'M TALKIN' ABOOT!!" The blue Unicorn swished his sword threateningly as he took a menacing step closer to the hardware store.

"Ferrum, he's not talking about-" Cloud Kicker began before Ferrum coughed lightly.

"I can't imagine what else he'd be talking about," the old Unicorn glanced towards the back room door of the store for a moment and sighed. "Figured he'd come looking for it sooner or later."

"He? Who, that guy?" Volare indicated the blue Unicorn who had apparently lost what little patience he already had and was approaching the front door of the store. Volare doubted he could get through it while waving that meat cleaver, but once inside...hell, he could probably reach all the way across the room with the damn thing! They had to do something, and quick!

"ALRIGH', IF YE WON'T COME OOT, AH'M COMIN' IN TA GETCHA!" the Unicorn gave a rumbling laugh and strode forward with purpose now.

"Shit, Ferrum, get outta here," Volare urged as he flared his wings, preparing to do-well, something besides just stand there!

"Yeah, we'll cover you!" Cloud Kicker added, giving Volare a smile and a nod. As worried as she was, she wasn't about to let him stand alone against this guy, cuz if he didn't kill them, Dash'd kill her for letting him do so! "Get ready Volare; as soon as he gets in the door, we'll hit him before he can swing that crazy sword. Damn, wish I'd brought my wingblades-"

"No, stop," Ferrum waved a hoof and trotted forward past the two Pegasi. He fixed them with a stern look. "He's here for me, and nopony else. Don't get in his way."

"Ferrum, you crazy old goat, get back here!" Cloud Kicker hissed, but the older Unicorn merely shook his head and chuckled, drawing looks of surprise from her and Volare.

"Heheh, trust me, I got this under control. Now sit back and watch ol' Ferrum take care of business," he winked and grinned before trotting out the door, the two Pegasi close behind, their better natures (as well as their morbid curiosities) not allowing them to face this crazy pony alone. The size difference was laughable as Ferrum trotted up to the blue Unicorn, who had halted to lean upon his sword hilt and lowered his voice to a less ridiculous level of volume.

"Well well, long time no see, Ferrum," the huge pony gave a great rumbling chuckle, though his face still remained fairly stony. "Ah can see tha years haven't exactly been kind to ye."

"Yeah? Well you look a lot fatter since we last met, you loud little crapper," Ferrum chuckled pugnaciously, not backing down an inch.

"Ha! Well ye've gotten a wee bit smaller in tha meantime, old'n."

"Peh, bet I could still bend ya over my knee like I did all those years ago," Ferrum shot back, causing Volare and Cloud Kicker's jaws to drop.

"Jeez, Ferrum's got bigger stones than I ever gave him credit for," the Weather Lieutenant mused as the larger Unicorn belly-laughed and raised his sword-point off the ground.

"Ya fancy a doin?" the blue stallion growled, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. "Talk like that'll getcha messed oop, haggis-nose."

"Little boy blue," Ferrum smirked fearlessly as the larger Unicorn began to lose his temper.

"Wrinkleh-sheathed shite-gob!"

"Not what your mother said last night," Ferrum puffed out his chest, and the blue Unicorn's jaw fell open in shock.

"Why ya sick ol', dried-oop goolies bampot!"

"Whiny little brat who still can't swing a hammer much less what really counts!"

"Oi, shut it, ya flop-horned old rutter!" the larger Unicorn swung his sword above his head, cracked a grin, and swung it down in a great swooping arc.

CLANG!

Everything and everypony in the street stood stark still and silent for a long, terrible moment...a moment broken by Ferrum's rising dry chuckling as he glanced sideways at the blade half-smashed through the cobbletone street mere inches away from his right fore-hoof. "Heh, you missed."

"Holy shit..." Volare breathed, and this time it was Cloud Kicker's turn to lean on him as her legs suddenly got a little wobbly. She blushed a bit and shot him a small smile before their attention returned to the two Unicorns.

"Gah, course Ah missed," the blue Unicorn spat as he withdrew his blade from the street and resumed leaning on the hilt. "Can't rightleh go aboot gettin' information oot o' ye if Ah split ye in 'alf...uncle."

"UNCLE???!?!?!" Volare and Cloud Kicker practically shouted in astonished unison, while Ferrum simply laughed and trotted forward to thump the large Unicorn in the chest. He glanced back at Volare and Cloud Kicker, beckoning them over with a grin.

"Yep, this here's my worthless great-nephew," he leaned an elbow on the blue Unicorn's shoulder, nodding towards their similar cutie marks. Ferrum's had a hammer, anvil, and horseshoe, while the other's was a simple anvil, but the resemblance was uncanny. The large Unicorn nudged Ferrum back before bowing lightly to the two Pegasi.

"Sorreh ta startle ya there, lasseh; Ah tend ta have that effect," he addressed Cloud Kicker and extended a hoof in greeting, which she took after a very short moment of consideration. He kissed her hoof with a surprising amount of genteel delicacy. "Name's Faber McIronshod."

"Cloud Kicker," the Weather Lieutenant smiled in return, her cheeks flushing as she allowed her eyes to rove hungrily over Faber's large frame. "That's a big sword you got there-you compensating for something?"

"Hahaha! No, no lasseh, it's not a case o' compensation so much as makin' sure tha carpet matches tha drapes, if ya get mah drift," he cracked a huge grin that made Cloud Kicker shiver with the thought.

"Heheh, I'd like to see you prove it," she smirked.

"Oh gimme a break," Volare facehoofed just as the Ponyville Royal Guard finally came galloping up. "Here comes the cavalry...literally and late as ever."

"Stop right there, criminal scum! Drop your weapon and yield!" The Unicorn Sergeant Brassbones ordered Faber. The Sergeant had been assigned to watch over Ponyville by Luna herself after the Ray and Jill incident, and he had zero intention of failing her. Though he was unarmed, he had Firetail and Snowhooves backing him up, though Volare wasn't sure exactly what they could do about Faber's sword. Meanwhile, with the arrival of the Guards, the little stand-off had become quite the spectacle, and a small crowd of ponies had gathered around to watch.

"Uh Sergeant, it's not what you-" Volare began, but the golden-armored charcoal-grey Unicorn cut him off.

"Mind your tongue, Volare. This is Guard Business now," he snapped, while the two Earth Pony Guards gave Volare a helpless shrug. "Now then, I don't know who you are, and quite frankly I don't care," Brassbones growled at the easy-standing Faber. "But you are not going to come into this town and raise Tartarus on my watch! Now drop your weapon and yield!!!"

"Fine, 'ave it yor way," Faber rolled his eyes and dropped the sword with a clang, tossing the sheath off his back next to it. "There ye go, 'ave 'er if ya want...or if ye can," he grinned knowingly. The Sergeant glared at Faber before grasping the blade with his magic...and nearly being yanked off his hooves as he tried to haul it from the ground.

"What the balefire-?" Brassbones growled and hauled upwards on the blade, gritting his teeth as his horn flared brightly for a moment. But for all his effort, all he managed to do was give himself a headache and drag the blade a few inches. After much grunting and huffing, he let up, gasping for breath and glaring at Faber, who stood there with an innocent smile on his face. "Alright you...what the buck's going on here?!"

"You wanna tell 'im uncle, or should Ah do tha honors?" Faber chuckled while Ferrum hoofed him proudly in the shoulder.

"Nah, I'll let ya explain it; you mastered the damn thing after all-and finally!"

"Yeah, took me a wee bit o'smith'n."

"More like 20 years of smithing."

"Hey, hey, hey, explain yourself pal!" Brassbones growled, though Faber merely rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright, hold yor ponies, pretteh-boy," Faber looked towards his blade, lit his horn, and lifted it without effort, much to the Sergeant's shock. The blacksmith grinned and turned the blade over so the Sergeant could get a good look at the runes etched into the fuller. "Enchanted it meself as Ah smithed it, mate. The blade itself is very densely-hammered steel and this enchantment allows its creator to wield it as if it were a just a run o' tha mill sword."

He picked the sword up and swished it through the air, the whistling edge combined with the sound of his magic to literally create a shwing sound. "Ta anypony else, it's a heavy behemoth, but ta me...well, it doesn't bother meh in tha slightest, laddeh." With a flourish, Faber sheathed the claymore and strapped it back across his shoulders before bowing deeply to the flummoxed Sergeant. "Ah deepleh apologize causin' a load o' ballyhoo; just been ages since Ah've seen mah great-uncle Ferrum is all. Tis how all us Scolts ponehs greet each other, aye?"

"Uh, right..." the Sergeant muttered, still in shock at what had just occurred. "Carry on then. Move it along, folks-nothing to see here!" he saved face by bellowing at the onlookers. Firetail and Snowhooves exchanged greetings and apologies with Faber and Volare before following their uptight superior.

"Heh, bastard'd probably shite a diamond if ya fed'm a lump o' coal," Faber snickered before Ferrum thumped him in the chest.

"So, what's the big idea of you suddenly showing up outta nowhere and causing a scene like that, eh?" the old smith scolded his nephew, though the latter hardly looked fazed by it. "Why are you so far from home?"

"Where are you from, Faber?" Cloud Kicker interrupted. "That accent...my Mom is in the Royal Guard's Long Patrol and she's spoken of ponies that talk like you do, and that they come from the highlands of Scoltland. She says they're nothing but trouble and mayhem."

"Heh, well Ah don't like ta brag, but-"

"Well then don't, ya big oaf," Ferrum thumped him again, this time in the neck. "Let's discuss this inside before you start scaring the locals some more."

"Ach, Ah'm harmless as a newborn foal, uncle; so long's ye don't deny meh mah dinner, o'course," Faber chuckled as they headed into the store, Ferrum taking up his position behind the counter as the three others leaned and relaxed where they wished. "Speakin' o' which-ye got anythin' ta eat? Ah'm hungreh enough ta go cannibal 'ere."

"Didn't bring anything yourself, Faber?" Volare asked, and was answered by a half-whine and a grumble from the large smith's gut.

"Does it look like Ah got a kitchen on mah back, lad?" he sighed and shook his head almost forlornly. "Ach, lemme explain mah plight an' mebbe ye'll see fit ta take mercy on little ol' meh."

"Oh for Celestia's sake," Ferrum rolled his eyes as his great-nephew related his tale of how he'd heard of Ferrum's discovery of cobaltium, and how he'd striven to increase his smithing abilities to the point at which he could smith the rare metal as well. And so he'd spent the last 10 years improving, focusing mainly on weapons creation until he'd created the claymore he had strapped across his back, naming it Clare after the ancient Scoltish word claidheamh mór, meaning "bright blade." He claimed it to be so sharp and so dense that it was one of a kind in its ability to do something that he'd never heard of anything else being able to before: cleave the head from a dragon's neck in a single stroke.

"That's a load of horseapples; nothing known to ponydom can do that!" Cloud Kicker protested. Dragon scales were fireproof and damn near blade-proof. True, one could be injured bit by bit, but for something to behead one in one go? "No, that's impossible."

"Heh, ye ever heard of Yahkmar tha Ice Wyrm, lasseh?"

"Yeah, he's from way up north. Legends say he devoured the entire town of Hoofsavik in a single night," the Weather Lieutenant said grimly. "He's a force to be reckoned with."

"Was, lasseh. Was," Faber smirked. "Took 'is head off with Clare 'ere," he patted the sword sheathe fondly, and even Ferrums' eyes widened at the claim.

"You got proof of that, Faber, cuz that's a mighty tall tale to be spinning-even for me!" In response, Faber unsheathed Clare and laid the blade on the countertop, which groaned with the weight.

"Aye, that Ah do. Ms. Kicker: what do ye know aboot Ice Wyrms?

"They're dragons that use ice instead of fire, and they're said to radiate cold instead of heat," the Weather Lieutenant replied, drawing from what her mother had told her over the years. "Makes them tough to fight because regular wingblades and such get too cold and shatter when you strike them."

"Aye, that be true, thank ye lass. Now then, look at tha grain of tha metal 'ere, uncle. See how it's got tiny little fractures oop an' down tha blade way deep in tha steel?" Ferrum stared at the metal for a long moment before nodding. "Ye know as well as Ah what causes that."

"Stress to the metal when exposed to extreme cold," Ferrum conceded and stared at his grinning great nephew.

"Aye, cold like that normally would shatter a blade, as Ms. Kicker explained," he gave her a grateful nod. "But not mah Clare. No, ol' Yahkmar didn't count on 'er bein' so dense an' sharp! Ah don't think 'e knew what hit 'im till 'is ugleh mug was rollin' inta a snowbank!" Faber smacked a hoof down on Clare, and the blade rang loudly, as if proud of its own doings. "An that is 'ow tha Ice Wyrm was slain. Heh, kinda tops yor little story aboot tha Timber Wolf, eh uncle?"

"Meh, whatever. Impressive tale, Faber-now get chunky Clare off my counter before she breaks it!"

"Oi, dinnae be so harsh ta 'er," Faber scowled as he sheathed and laid the blade aside. "She's sensitive, ya know."

"I'm sure," Ferrum rolled his eyes as Cloud Kicker and Volare snickered quietly, entertained by the back and forth of the two Unicorns. "So you're here to learn how to smith cobaltium, I take it?"

"Aye! Lemme at it!"

"Well, sorry to break it to ya son, but the stuff's too expensive to get a hold of all at once, plus your expertise seems to lie in weapons, not armor, which is really what that stuff would be good for anyway. And besides, I retired from smithing right after I discovered it cuz of the cost and scarcity of it."

"What tha-so ye're not even a smith anymore?!"

"Nope, I make an honest living helping the folks of Ponyville by selling'm hardware and building materials-Volare here's one of my best customers, in fact. But nothing more."

"But Ah heard ye'd made a whole suit o-"

"Doesn't matter what you heard!" Ferrum suddenly snapped, knocking a small pen-quill can off the counter with a hoof before sighing. "What matters is what is...and the fact is I-am-retired!"

A moment of awkward silence reigned while Cloud Kicker and Volare tried to decide if they should say something or just respectfully leave before Faber spoke up again.
"Well, shite..."

"So go on home, ya hear?" Ferrum said as he gathered the fallen quills, but Faber shook his head defiantly.

"Can't be doin' that, uncle. Ah've come too far ta go back naow."

"Hmph, you gonna swing your sword and threaten me till I teach you or something?"

"No, Ah mean Ah've literally come too far ta go back," Faber's ears drooped shamefully.

"You can't just hop on a train and go back home?" Volare spoke up.

"Two boats, three trains, an' a hot air yacht, but that last one was more o' a luxury item...as was tha whiskey, wine, an' cider on tha way 'ere," the blue Unicorn chuckled sheepishly. "Spent every last bit Ah had ta get 'ere...that's what Ah mean."

"So you really can't go back?" Cloud Kicker frowned.

"Fraid ye're stuck with meh, lass; least for tha time bein," Faber sighed.

"You gotta be pulling my hoof, kid," Ferrum groaned, but Faber's body language spoke for itself.

"Heh, at this point Ah wish Ah was, uncle," he shook his head before brightening a touch. "Ye're not hirin', are ye?"

Volare and Cloud Kicker couldn't contain their laughter any further as Ferrum's head thonked down on the countertop in sympathetic disbelief.

.................
Ponyville, Evening...

Despite the arrival and distraction of Faber in Ponyville, Cloud Kicker still had a "job" to do, and by Celestia she was gonna get it done!! The rest of the day followed in a blur as she and Volare gave Faber the grand tour of the town and searched for affordable lodgings. The Ponyville Inn was still undergoing repairs though, meaning no rentals for now. Normally, Cloud Kicker would have given the strapping Unicorn a free night or two at her place as he got reconnoitered, but that meant her place was off for "helping" Volare-and as she was being counted on by Rainbow Dash, that meant Volare took precedence over banging the new guy! Damn, now what?

Luckily, after relaying this news to Ferrum, the old blacksmith agreed to make accommodations for Faber to sleep at Mustang Hardware until The Ponyville Inn reopened or he built up enough bits to pay for his own lodgings. Either way, he wasn't about to make his nephew sleep outdoors in the chilly October nights. However, that meant that Faber would need to help Ferrum close the store that evening and move enough stock to set up a bed, leaving Cloud Kicker and Volare to their own devices.

"Finally," she'd muttered, drawing a look from Volare which she quickly wiped away by hooking her wing in his and trotting forward towards parts unknown (except she knew exactly where she was taking him). "C'mon Volare! The night's still young and I've got a little place I wanna show ya."

"Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

"A little night spot that's kinda a favorite of mine," she smirked and pulled him along, not batting an eye at the strange glances the pair were drawing by the score as they quick-trotted south along Stirrup Street, finally arriving at Buck Star's Coffee shop.

"Heh, already been here a few times, CK," Volare began but she cut him off with a wingtip to the mouth.

"Aha, but have you been past here before?" she gave him a cheeky grin as she strode right into the shop, exchanged friendly nods with Buck Star, and continued right out the back door, pulling Volare into a wide plaza-style open space filled with hanging lights, streetlamps, willow trees, and multiple decorative water fountains all arranged in almost whimsical patterns throughout the isolated area. "Welcome...to the Fountain Park-Ponyville's best-kept secret," Cloud Kicker swept a hoof before her in presentation. Hoof-played music and hoofstomps filled the air as ponies of all shapes and sizes ate, drank, and danced to their hearts' content. Volare was somehow reminded of that one scene in Titanic, where Jack showed Rose the lower-end cabins where everypony was equal and welcome. And that was how this place seemed, at least from the outset; nopony was dressed-up fancily. They were here to party and not give two bits about how "uncouth" and "immoral" it might be!

"Wow, how come I haven't seen this place before?" Volare asked. It was smack-dab in the middle of Ponyville after all!

"Like when you're flying over the town? Heh, the willow trees block the view for the most part during the day, and the walls of the surrounding buildings block the sound and lights at night. The hanging nets are a plus," she nodded towards the heavy green and brown netting strung over the plaza, to which many of the lights were attached to. "It's not invisible by any means, but unless you're looking for it at night, you probably won't find it."

"Well, seeing as how I haven't really done any night flying, that'd explain a lot," the pilot conceded, cocking a brow at two Earth Ponies scuffling over what looked to be some sort of gambling game of dice. Across the plaza were a small number of brightly-dressed mares whose body language and garish make-up made no bones about why they were here. "Eh-heh, don't the Guards care about this place?"

"Ha, you think old Buck Star makes his real bits selling coffee?" Cloud Kicker chuckled and bumped hooves with one of the gambling ponies as they walked past. "He gets a cut of all business done in here, and he slips the Guards some "security pay" to make sure nothing really nasty gets in here. Gotta have our fun safely now, ya know? Now c'mon, we're gonna have a blast!" She grabbed Volare's hoof and pulled him towards a covered porch filled with the smells of roasting vegetables and fresh apple cider.

What followed was a night of eating, drinking, and partying the likes of which Volare had yet to experience, and he had to admit: despite his initial misgivings, it felt great to finally just cut loose and not worry about the consequences! He danced, rubbed wings, and bumped hips with Cloud Kicker as she grooved along with him between mugs of cider and sweet red wine. His spirits rose throughout the night as his moderation slowly disappeared, and round about midnight he was even taking the flirtatious looks of Cloud Kicker in stride. Though he didn't exactly return them, he didn't simply brush them off, either.

It was strange, feeling so comfortable like this; it had truly been years since he'd felt so unattached and loose and just...free of duty, even for a while. There was no flight schedule to abide by, no lights-out, no judgmental barking officers, just freedom. And even though it became quite apparent what Cloud Kicker was up to, he almost didn't care. I mean, it wasn't like he was being singled out for public humiliation like Dash seemed to do sometimes-and she never really gave him the chance to get her back, as she tended to avoid the spotlight during times like this, though why she did, Volare hadn't a clue. Rather, everypony was doing it, everypony was loose, and nopony seemed to care whether they flirted, drank, danced, or any combination of the three.

Between drinks, food, and spontaneous dancing, he and Cloud Kicker exchanged bits and pieces of personal information...or they tried anyway, but now wasn't the time to talk-now was the time to act! As they danced on, their actions caught the attention of a large White-Necked Raven that perched on the outside of the nets. The intelligent bird watched them with a curious eye, wondering how two Pegasi so different from one another could get along so well, as well as noting how alcohol had seriously altered the behavior of one of them. After nearly an hour of observation, it lost interest and took wing, flying northwest along the railroad tracks, intent on business known only to itself.

Around about midnight, Volare caught himself staggering after a combination of a little too much drink and a little too much dancing, and Cloud Kicker caught him with a friendly wing and a nuzzle. "Eh-heh, I'm ok-I'm good." In truth he really wasn't as his burned flank was aching, and that black ring around his right wing base was tightening to the point of being uncomfortable, but he did he put on his best tough-pony act anyway...an act that Cloud Kicker saw right through.

"Well I'm glad you're having a good time, but..." she looked around at the other ponies, some passed out, some staggering, and one pair bouncing up and down and barely hidden by the base of a water fountain. Go time! "I'm about ready to get outta here. You?"

"Heh, well considering how you brought me here, if you wanna leave, I'd say that's totally reasonable." He offered her his wing, and she took it with a smile, noting the blush of drink and perhaps slight arousal across his face.

Good, it's working!
"Aww, what a gentle-stallion," she brushed a shoulder against his as they trotted out of the Fountain Park, past the vigilant Buck Star, and out into the cool autumn evening. "Brr, got a little chilly out here," she commented and pressed a little closer to Volare.

"Yeah, just a little bit," he replied, his mind still swimming with the sights, sounds, and booze of the party plaza. As they trotted back down Stirrup Street towards the Southwest District, Cloud Kicker continued to press in closely, a fact that became more and more apparent to him as the cool breeze helped to clear his mind. By the time they'd reached her house on 4th Street, he was very aware of her close presence, and he felt the slightest sense of embarrassment at it. He wouldn't act that way around Rainbow Dash...what would she think of him if he let himself go like that? Yeah, she wanted him to loosen up, but had he overdone it? Cloud Kicker seemed to notice the change in him as well, and she pressed the advantage before it was lost entirely.

"Whelp, we're here," she grinned as she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Yep, so we are," Volare smiled back politely, the buzz from the booze all but subsided. "So, um...I had a great night CK. Thanks for that."

"Aww, you're so cute," she brushed a wingtip past his ear and down his cheek as she looked into his silver-blue eyes. Damn...Dashie, you're missing out here, she thought as she let her eyes trail back down over his neck to wings, his flanks, and his rear and back again, meeting his eyes once more and throwing in a "Cloud Kicker charm" grin for good measure.

"Eh-heh, thanks I suppose," Volare replied, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks as he cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder south towards Dash's house. "So um...we should do this again sometime if you wanna."
Real smooth, dude-you sound like Fluttershy!

That detail wasn't lost on Cloud Kicker and she gave a loud laugh before locking eyes with him again, this time with purpose. "You gonna leave before the main course shows up, pal?" She punctuated the pal with a light shove that sent him stumbling back a step towards the open door.

"M-main course?" he stammered, finally noticing the hungry look in her eye...and it wasn't for food. "What, you want a goodnight kiss or something?" he offered, but she simply laughed and shook her head.

"Hoo-boy, Dash was right about you. Adorable yet...a little too uptight," she leaned in and brushed her muzzle against his. "Good thing I'm here to fix that." She smirked and gave him another little shove towards the door. "We're just gonna bang, that's all. I'll go slow so don't freak out too much, k?"

But despite her light and playful tone, she might as well have tolled some sort of bell of doom in Volare's mind, and he made one last attempt to get away.
"Uh, wait a sec here-you got me all wrong, CK!"

"Uh-uh, I don't think so. Though I do have you all to myself!" she crowed and with one last little shove, she pushed him through the door, and it quickly clicked shut and locked, muffling their voices to the outside world.

.............
Up...

Dash rolled the lapis lazuli between her hooves like one would rub a worry stone, which was fairly appropriate given her current emotional state as she watched the scene unfold between Cloud Kicker and Volare below. She sighed and rolled over on her cloud above the Southwest District, her heart and mind whirling storms of emotion. In her mind, she thought this to be the best way to get Volare over his little taboo, and with Cloud Kicker, there likely wouldn't be any strings attached. But her heart argued that he deserved better than that. Her mind counter-argued that it wasn't like she could give it to him, and her heart protested by saying it wasn't like she'd ever made the effort yet either. In the end, by the time she'd stopped watching Volare and Cloud Kicker walk wing and wing to her place and head inside, Dash's stomach was the one paying the piper as it was caught between the two storms. She didn't quite lose her dinner, but she came damn close, and the only thing that helped was lying facedown in the cool, soothing cloud fluff that blocked out the sights and sounds of the world...and of an event she'd set in motion that, even now, she questioned a little bit.

Dammit! It was like wondering 'what, if, and how' right at the finish line. It indicated uncertainty, and Dash fought back against those feelings, insisting that she was confident, she was right, and even if she wasn't...there was nothing she could do about it now. Maybe that was the feeling that bothered her: that helplessness she hated. That inability to pull something back once it was past the point of no return. It was like a dirty, hurtful word one might utter in reflex in an argument. The pony that said it may not mean it, but it was too late to take back what she'd said...too late to tell the one she'd hurt that she didn't mean it...too late to make it right. What if she was hurting Volare more by what she was having Cloud Kicker do in her place? And for that matter, since she made herself out to be a self-sufficient pony, why didn't SHE do this herself?

"Because I'd probably hurt him there too," she muttered, knowing that putting the onus on somepony else in a matter like this was just as cowardly as not facing up and doing it herself in the first place. "Gah, but what do I even care if he gets over it?! Not like anything could come of it between us," she growled as she rolled over, yelping in surprise as she was greeted by the staring golden eyes of Shae the osprey.

Cheereek-chirk, the black and white bird of prey uttered, head on a tilt as if asking what was wrong. Like all birds of their planet, she possessed the innate ability to perch on clouds, just as a Pegasus did, and she was nestled quite comfortably into the fluff. Dash wondered just how long she'd been sitting there listening to her-if she could understand her, that was.

"Whoa, hi Shae," Dash waved a hoof and sat up, regarding her with a friendly smile. Like any performer, she appreciated the uplifting feeling the sudden company brought, and she instantly felt a little better with someone to talk to, however one-sided it might be. "What brings you up here?"

Chirk-chek, she replied and ruffled her wings.

"Oh, right...birds kinda belong in the air, huh?" Dash pursed her lips and blew out her chops, letting her eyes wander over the numerous pinpricks of stars that dotted the dark sky before she felt Shae peck at the sky stone lying on her chest. "Heh, you like it?" Dash grinned and held the stone up to catch the moonlight. "Volare went through a dragon to get it for me."

Chirrick-chirr.

Dash could have sworn Shae rolled her eyes as she voiced her...disbelief?
"Ok, so maybe he didn't mean to do it for me...but I'm allowed to think what I want, right?"

Chirreerick, Shae said, preening an out of place feather on her chest before staring back at Dash.

"What?"

Chirk?

"Don't you play dumb, Shae...oh what the hay, I'm arguing with a bird that probably can't even understand me-ow!" she pulled a hoof back and investigated the spot where Shae had pecked her. Upon seeing no blood, she half-glared at Shae before rubbing her face and falling back onto the cloud. "Urgh, I'm just tired, that's all." But after a moment, Shae pecked at the stone again, and once more Dash raised her head up on an elbow to stare at the osprey. "What?" Shae answered by dipping her head towards the ground, right at the house that Volare entered, and then right back at the stone in Dash's hoof, blinking her eyes rapidly for a moment before resuming her stare.
"Hmph, yeah, I guess it does look kinda like him," she mused. "Blue, yellow...heh, even a few burn marks...kinda flawed, but...kinda nice too." Dash caught the tilted expression of Shae and what probably could have passed as a smile for an osprey. "Yeah, well...don't think too deep on it, ok? He's a friend and that's it. Nothing more. I mean, it'd make more sense for him to give me a feather instead of this, and there's no way I'd accept it, so...yeah, I dunno."

Chirk-chikirk-eek?

"I'm not afraid of him-I'm not afraid of anything!"

Chirikrikrik!

"Ok, fine, maybe that's a load of horseapples...not like you can tell anypony that though, right?"

Cheerick!

"Damn straight! Anyway, I'm still not afraid of him, I just...I just want what's best for him, and...I dunno if that's me, ok?"

Cheekeck, Shae replied, preening Dash's wing feathers comfortingly for a moment before pulling back to observe her again.

"You..." Dash rolled over and looked Shae straight in the eye, worry creasing her features. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing here, Shae?" But the osprey simply shrugged her wings and nestled her head down into her neck feathers, settling down for the night and putting an end to the conversation; Dash would have to answer that question on her own.
"Ah, ponyfeathers," she growled before looking down at the sky stone and smiling a bit. I swear flyboy, I'm doing this for your own good...as a friend, I hope you understand that I'm trying here.

Dash sighed and tucked the stone away before stretching her wings to fly home. But before she left, movement to the northwest caught her eye, and she turned her attention towards a series of flashes and low rumbles coming from the other side of the Dragon Peak. "Huh, musta missed a little thundercloud or something today," she mumbled, noting that the flashes were brief and quickly subsided, and after another minute of nothing but dark horizon she sighed and rubbed her face with a hoof. "Worrying myself about the wrong stuff right now, Dashie. Get your head on straight, girl," she muttered as she took wing and headed south towards her home, her mind focused on sleep and the prospect of speaking to Volare tomorrow.

...........................
North, Froggy Bottom Bog...

Agent F winged her way over the Eastern Border of the Everfree Forest, taking care not to stray too close to the wild woods lest the excess natural magic it seemed to emit disrupt her flight; the last thing she wanted was to fall into that little piece of Ponyhell. Soon, she smelled sulfur, and along with it came the sight of the bubbling muck and mire of Froggy Bottom Bog. The Agent landed and trotted carefully, her eyes searching the branches and brambles for any nearby dangers that might be skulking about this time of night, something The Bog wasn't for want of.

Sticking to the shadows, she headed uphill above the bog and soon came upon a large cave dug into the western face of a cold gray crag that thrust itself skyward towards the starlit sky above. The scenery would be almost peaceful if not for the pungent smell of the sulfur that enveloped everything around her, including the growing autumn mist that swirled about as she strode through it, carrying with it an underlying smell of death. But it was neither of those things that ruined the mood for her. No, the primary cause of that came from the involuntary chill that crept its way up her spine as she approached the cave, the preordained meeting place.

"You're late," a low, yet commanding voice spoke up from the shadows of the cave mouth. Despite the suavity of its tone, Agent F felt ice crawl past her wings at the sound of its embedded hiss and the tall, dark-grey shape which it belonged to and remained tantalizingly just out of view, hidden just within the shadow side of the light border created by the falling moonbeams. Embedded in his narrow skull was a pair of flat, cold, slate-green draconic eyes that seemed to bores holes into her mind, even at this distance. Despite her tough demeanor, the Agent involuntarily bowed her head, if only so she didn't have to look into those eyes...

"M-my apologies, sir. I got hung up back in Ponyville and I-"

"He didn't summon you here to listen to your excuses, Effy," a feminine voice bordering on the deranged said from across the clearing, just under the trees. The tallish shape of a maroon pony clad in black armor over her chest and legs, and a dark circlet upon her head encircling the base of her horn strutted out of the shadow of the trees, trotting like she was somepony special. And considering what she sported at her sides, Agent F could see why she'd feel that way about herself: a pair of feathered wings so massive that they very nearly dragged upon the ground like the hem of an exotic gown. Though it was far from what she remembered her birth-name being, she preferred to go by the name with which their Boss had christened her with: Twisted Visions. She was a Pegacorn, an offshoot from the ancient time when Pegasi and Alicorns had interbred with one another; a freak from legends long-past, Agent F's eye twitched at the thought. Hanging from the belt at her waist were two silver Colichemarde Rapiers, and the starlight dancing off their gilded hilts was only matched by the light of half-madness that twinkled in her eye as she approached. "Isn't that right, Raymond?"

"Y-yeah, course it is, Ms. Visions," the green maned Unicorn stallion spoke up from behind her, and Agent F's heart went out to the poor guy. He looked like hell and was covered in briar scratches, while his black cloak was shredded beyond almost any conceivable use. His bloodshot eyes and slurring voice betrayed the fact that he likely hadn't slept well in weeks. Ray's eyes flicked upwards at the guttural croak of a white-necked raven perched in the trees to his left. The large dark bird squawked loudly and fluttered across the clearing, landing next to the Agent and inspecting her roughly with its beak, searching for morsels of food. Agent F nearly batted the bird away before the voice in the cave spoke up again.

"Enough, Corax. Let her be. Haven't you had your fill already, you greedy bird-heheheheh." Teeth flashed dully in the moonlight that filtered past the dead vines dangling over the entrance of the cave. Clink-clank, clink-clank came the sound of armor-shod hooves from the dark figure in the cave, accompanying the rustle of feathers and a chuckle that sounded like rasping adder scales and dry leaves brushing together in a foul wind. "Go on, leave her be. Agent, please come hither." In response, Corax left F's side and fluttered over to land on large mound of dark green something on the edge of the clearing. It was from that direction that the stench of death was wafting, and the Agent's nose crinkled as she turned her attention back to the cave mouth.

"Yes...?" she trailed off, unsure if using his alias name was going too far, having seen first-hoof the remains of those that crossed that line. But as if in precognition of her doubts, the tall shape chuckled dryly again, and shook his head, revealing flickers of ragged black and midnight blue locks adorning his mane.

"Ha, of course you can use that name; we're safe here for the moment...unless of course you brought troubles with you, hmm?"

"N-no Nyctos, sir. No troubles."

"Excellent-I do hope the rest of your news bears as great a fortune, for the sake of all present."
Clink-clank-clank-clank-clink. The dark-grey figure known as Nyctos strode back and forth in thought for a moment before halting and turning back to her. "I suppose you're wondering why I summoned you here with Corax instead of my usual methods?"

"Yes, that did cross my mind, sir. Have we been compromised?"

"Now why would you assume such a thing? If we had been, I wouldn't be here in Equestria, now would I?"

"Stupid Pegasus," Twisted snickered, receiving a scathing glare from the Agent before Nyctos stomped a hoof for silence.

"She's not stupid, merely meticulous, my dear. That is why I trust her more than any other pony with this task," grinning teeth gleamed at the edge of the moonlight for a moment before disappearing into a thoughtful frown. "And that is why I summoned her with Corax, for this matter is now too important to risk using that other method of communication so openly anymore, not to mention he tells me he has...interesting information in regards to Volare himself, but I digress. Agent, there have been...unfortunate developments on my end of the plan."

"How so, sir?"

"I have yet to receive word back from those uppity fools I assigned to raise hell and lower Canterlot security after the Changeling Invasion, but as irritating as that is, that's not the most pressing matter at present. The Queen and her brood are nowhere to be found in the Everfree Forest," Nyctos growled lightly. "Ray, Twisted, and I searched their old Hives, but they've moved on; where I know not to. It could be that they learned their lesson this time and left the country for good, or it could be that they've simply gone into hibernation for the approaching winter." As if in emphasis, the chilly breeze picked up, dragging the stench of death back over Agent F again and nearly making her gag.

"Urp, that is unfortunate, sir," she managed to say after regaining her composure.

"But what does that have to do with you, I'm sure you're wondering, eh?" Nyctos resumed pacing for a moment before stopping again. "That means your end of the plan is the only end we have now. Well, the only vital one now, anyway. It is imperative you succeed now, Agent, for there are no second chances now...for anypony."

"Yes sir, I won't let you down," F tossed her best salute, but the lingering stench of death-rot hit her again, and she fully gagged this time.

"As I'm certain you will. I'll have Corax assist you where he can and keep an eye on your actions. Use him to communicate with me and to complete your end of it if you see your chance. Oh, and if you can, please find out if those stuck-up money-ponies were successful in lowering security in the capital as well; it may not be as vital, but I'm not one to so lightly cast aside good fortune if it can be found."

"Urgh, yes sir."

"...I'm sorry, are you bothered by the stink?" Nyctos nodded towards the green mound. "For that's precisely why I called you to this place to begin with: to emphasize the importance of your success as well as the delicate balance in which it hangs."

"Urp-what is that, Nyctos?" Agent F suppressed the rising gorge in her throat as she glanced towards the greenish mound.

"Raymond, Twisted...will you shed a little light on the situation, so to speak-heheheh?" Nyctos asked, nodding towards the tree that blocked the moonlight from falling upon the mound.

"Right away, sir," Ray nodded and focused his magic into a blast of ice that froze the tree-top solid. Levitating her rapiers from their sheathes, Twisted sighted in on the treetop and with a shrill hiss slashed the blades through the frozen branches, shattering them in a cloud of icy twigs and revealing the sight beneath the tree. Agent F was almost wishing she hadn't. There beneath the tree lay the body of a dragon, already decomposing. Its green scales were mottled with bacteria and rot, and small insects clamored over and through it, seeking the rare food of dragon meat. Judging by the size of the cave in which Nyctos stood, it must have lived there. But the most shocking thing about this particular dragon was what it lacked: a head. The head was lying a few feet away, cleanly sliced off right between two vertebrae; the edges of the wound were perfectly smooth, as if cut by some hell-bound razor, something that the Agent knew to be nearly impossible to do...unless of course one knew just the right technique.

"Um...what happened to-"

"-his head? Hmm-hmm-hmm, this particular lizard very nearly derailed our entire operation, believe it or not. Volare and his friends raided his cave like fools a few days ago. And once one steals from a dragon hoard, the owner of the hoard will stop at nothing to retrieve what was taken...and annihilate the one that stole from it," Nyctos' eyes narrowed to gleefully vicious slits as he spoke. "And so, I...intervened, for this dragon would have followed Volare to the ends of Equestria and beyond...and we can't afford to have our little human die now, can we?"

"No sir, not at all," Agent F replied, her stomach twisting in revulsion of the sight of Corax sitting on the dragon's head and tearing at the cat-like eye, his dagger-like beak plunging through the sclera with sickening little pop sounds every few moments, devouring the jelly-like vitreous with great gusto between low croaks of pleasure.

"F, mark my words: Volare must survive till the appointed time; no matter the cost of life on either side, be it pony, dragon, or otherwise."

Pop...pop-pop-pop-squick went the raven's beak into the dragon eye, a constant chorus of morbidity backing the nefarious meeting.

"Yes sir. I won't fail you, sir."

"Heh-heh, I know you won’t for I trust you…and I trust that you trust me when I say there won’t be any room for second chances, errors, or feather-ups. You don’t run, you don’t fail me, you don’t betray my trust. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" The icy eyes flicked towards the raven eating its fill, and F shuddered inwardly.

Of all the damn ponies to be indebted to, I had to pick the biggest psycho since Nightmare Moon...
"Crystal, sir."

"Splendid!" Nyctos practically giggled as his hooves clinked lightly on the cave floor before stopping once more. "Ray?"

"Yeah, Boss?" the stallion swatted away the rapier tip that Twisted was lazily pointing at him.

"You and Twisted get this lizard in the bog, and make sure it sinks. I'll go and check out its horde-cave before we head back. Be vigilant," he reminded them over the retreating sound of his clanking hooves. "For I'm not the only terrible thing that stalks these marshes at night..."

A/N: Whew, ok, I know I said I'd knock it off with the long chapters, but...I felt splitting this up would ruin the flow of it. I hope it didn't drag out too terribly much...I wrote this straight from the heart for the most part...
Volare: You ok, Author?
Author: Yeah, I'm fine...
Volare: Are you crying?
Author: No, just...lots of emotion in certain parts of this, ok? Just...go bang Cloud Kicker and get it over with!

Author's Note

Actual notes:
I feel I should point out a few references/inspirations I used in this chapter (or else my conscience would beat me up over not doing so!)
---Lapis Lazuli ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapis_lazuli ) truly is Latin for Sky Stone, or Stone of Heaven, due to its coloration
---The SERE program that Volare went through will be mentioned yet again, so familiarize yourselves with it
---The concept of using hubris against your enemies has been around for a long time, but many will remember it for its use in "300", so I'll just point that out now before I get called out on it ^^;
---Pegasi have shown to be fairly quick at healing in the show, with Dash recovering from a broken wing bone in a few days, and so I'd assume that extends to burns and other injuries, though it still leaves fairly visible scars. I'm attributing it to the quick Pegasus metabolism
---I've seen multiple stories use the "exchanging feathers" concept to indicate courtship interest in Pegasi (most notably Xenophilia and its spin-offs---> http://www.fimfiction.net/story/27874/xenophilia. But I wondered how that'd work if an Earth Pony or Unicorn showed interest, and so the Sky Stone was my alternative to the feather
---The Pegasus Challenge I'm basing on certain elements of Bushido ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushido ) and hockey fight etiquette ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_in_ice_hockey#Etiquette ) More info to come on that!
---Krav Pega comes from "Life and Times of a Winning Pony"
---Faber is a holdover OC from a previous fandom of mine, and his personality is a split between Stephen the Mad Irishman from Braveheart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs8QKXtCN9w , and The Scotsman from Samurai Jack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-LyFMCIpok. His accent is closer to Stephen's than The Scotsman, but you get the idea ^^
---Faber artwork credited to my great friend Kim! THANKS PAL!!! 8D Go check out her dA: http://kim9158.deviantart.com/art/Faber-350233550 She does commissions!
---Fun fact: go look up those insults-they're actual Scottish cusswords! :P
---Rough equivalent of Faber's sword: http://www.aceros-de-hispania.com/image/battle-ready-sword/204-claymore-twohand-sword.jpg
---The concept of Faber's sword enchantment is one of my own making as far as I can tell, though it does draw a bit from Thor's Hammer Mjolinir in that only those "worthy" of wielding it can do so. That's not exactly the case for Faber's sword, which is just dense and heavy as hell. One with strong enough magic CAN wield it (like Luna, Celestia, or Twilight), it's just much easier for him to do so due to the enchantment he placed upon it as he forged it.
---And yes, I totally stole his sword's name from Clare of the manga/anime "Claymore" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claymore_(manga)
---The name Scoltland isn't a typo :P
---Brassbones' "criminal scum" shamelessly ripped off of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
---The name Yahkmar and the concept of the ice wyrm come from the Conan story "Lair of the Ice Worm" http://conan.wikia.com/wiki/The_Lair_of_the_Ice_Worm (it's damn good-read it!)
---The name Hoofsavik comes from the town Hufsavik in Iceland
---Ferrum isn't from Scoltland directly, though he did often visit his great nephew. This explains why he doesn't share the same heavy accent Faber has.
---And there's another good reason why Volare stopped drinking years ago...he's very susceptible to its effects, especially his attitude and self-control
---Twisted Visions is an OC created for this story by my friend Trixie, whose account can be found here: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Twisted%20Visions. His user avatar is Twisted minus her armor.
---Twisted with her armor: http://static.f-list.net/images/charimage/552857.jpg
---Nyctos' voice/attitude inspired/based upon Slade from Teen Titans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRv3KeZbyl8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNO16EytVAI
---The scientific name for the Common Raven is Corvus Corax

Truth or Dare-Pt 10: Fool's Gold Still Shines

October 5th, Afternoon, Dash's House...

"Oh hey flyboy, where ya been? What's up?"

Rainbow Dash...you're a real bitch, you know that?

"What the-?!"

That little trick you pulled to get Cloud Kicker to "loosen me up" instead of yourself...coward.

"W-wait a sec, flyboy! Just lemme ex-!"

No, Dash, no more explanations, excuses, or please-forgive-me's. We're done. I'm moving on from you and moving in with Cloud Kicker, who's a MUCH more considerate mare and friend than you've EVER been. You're an Element of Loyalty alright: one loyal only to yourself and YOUR interests!

"B-but I-!"

Dash, shut your trap and listen to me. Because of you, I've hurt every single day since I've come here. Because of you, I'm stuck here. The only bright spot in my life has been Scootaloo...but now Cloud Kicker's become the second. But because of you not telling Cloud Kicker everything, we bucked up big time...and now I've gotten her pregnant.

"What the hay?!"

But you know what, I'm ok with that. Wanna know why? Because I love her, and I HATE you...we're going to Las Pegasus this weekend to seal the deal.

"Ok, that doesn't sound like you, flyboy-whoa!"
THUMP
"Urgh, seriously...again?" Dash groaned and rubbed the back of her head, once again staring up at the ceiling above her bed. She scrambled upright and shook her mane to chase the dark thoughts of her nightmare away, but like a persistent little piece of dust caught in one's eye, it just wouldn't stop bothering her. No amount of hard wing workouts, Daring Do novels, or Wonderbolts practice could shake them or the fact that Volare had been gone for the past 3 days. At first, she chalked it up to Volare being worn out from a night of grueling love-making with Cloud Kicker, and so she'd let him have his space, staying at her home since there wasn't any weather work requiring her supervision scheduled until Saturday.

But Wednesday came and went, and by the end of Thursday, when Volare still hadn't returned, her mind had begun harboring those dark thoughts, leading to the nightmare she'd just awoken from. She'd become so worried about what might have actually happened that she avoided Ponyville completely, simply staying home for the time being, alone with plenty to think about...no friendly blue Pegasus stallion to hang with, brag to, tell stories with, or simply talk with and ease her fears.

Dash glanced over at the calendar: Friday. Game day...ugh...I could care less about the game right now. Can't believe I'm saying this, but...I just want Volare to come home.
The more she'd thought about it, the more she'd decided that she'd probably made the wrong decision. She'd become angry, both at herself for running from the challenge of helping Volare herself, and the fact that he'd apparently chosen Cloud Kicker over herself. That meant that Dash wasn't good enough...that meant that she'd lost.

"What's she got that I don't?!" she'd found herself growling over breakfast, but the answer was as plain as the nose on her face: while Dash claimed to be fearless in order to screw up her own courage half the time, Cloud Kicker never claimed to be fearless because she could admit that she was afraid, and that was what allowed her to face her fears and live so care-free. Cloud Kicker, unlike Rainbow Dash, wasn't driven by her pride; a pride that had now apparently alienated and run off the only nice stallion in her life. A stallion she owed so much to already. A stallion that now owed his life to Cloud Kicker, especially if he'd gotten her pregnant...was that too crazy to think? At this point, Dash didn't think so.

"Luna Dammit!!!" she slammed a hoof on the table, overturning her cereal and splashing her chocolate milk all over the fluffy floor. The liquid seeped through the floor and within seconds a muffled shout from beneath her house reached her ears. "What the hay?" she muttered and trotted to a window and looked down to see Pinkie Pie rising up to her home in her crazy candy-copter.

"Rainbow Dash, run!! Er, fly!!!" Pinkie shouted, pedaling the copter as fast as she could to reach the house.

"Uh, why?" Dash looked about, but saw no danger. "What's gotten into you, Pinks?"

"Discord-*huff-puff*-he's taken over your house!!! It's raining chocolate again! Not that I'm complaining or anything, but-RUUUUN!!!!" the party mare shouted, but by now Dash could see that her spilled milk had leaked through the floor and splashed down on Pinkie, soaking her mane into a drippy mess. Dash couldn't help but burst into snickering giggles as Pinkie turned back and re-approached the house.

"*GASP!!!* Oh no, Discord really IS back! He's gotten you all crazy again and stuff!"

"Heheheheh, oh yeah? Why ya say that, Pinkie?" Dash chuckled and leaned out the window again to watch the pink mare rise to her level.

"Cuz the real Rainbow Dash would have enough common sense to get her friends to help fight him. Cuz even if she can't win a fight by herself, she's got enough smarts to get help so she doesn't have to back down! Cuz that's how the real Rainbow Dash rolls!" Pinkie grinned, apparently no longer intent on running away. Whether she knew it or not, her words struck home within her friend, and Dash sighed and hung her head.

"Pinks it's me, honest. That milk in your hair is mine."

"Uh, I dunno if that's physically possible, Dashie-"

"Oh Celestia, no! I mean I knocked it over and it leaked through the floor," Dash facehoofed.

"Ooooh, I get it now," Pinkie nodded, but suddenly frowned again. "But why would you knock over perfectly good chocolate milk? It's not like you're a clumsy pony or anything; you're Rainbow Dash, greatest flier in Equestria and natural-"

"Pinkie, please...just..." Dash trailed off, feeling that dagger twisting yet again. She'd never felt like this, so wracked with guilt that any praise, even the truth, felt like somepony mocking her in her pain and fear. She knew it wasn't Pinkie's fault, and she did her best to keep from snapping at her friend-something she desperately needed right now. "I don't feel well."

"Uh-oh, are you sick? Cuz even though that's what I came up her to check on you in the first place for-since nopony's seen you in town since Tuesday-that's still not good news! Wanna go to Ponyville Medical and check it out?"

"No, it's not that kinda-"

"Or I could go get a Pegasus to watch over you, since I can't walk on clouds. How about Volare-bear?"

"NO!" Dash couldn't stop the shout that escaped her lips, and at the sight of Pinkie's hurt expression, her ears and features drooped. "I-I'm sorry Pinks. P-please don't leave!"

"Aww, I'm not gonna leave, Dashie...I am getting kinda tired though," she chuckled and indicated the candy-copter still whirring around her. "Mind if you come down to the ground so I can rest?"

"Heh, sure," Dash conceded, though she wanted to point out that she felt that Pinkie was full of it: since when did get tired? But she swallowed her words and followed the party mare to the ground, reluctantly admitting that she needed to talk to somepony about this.

"Whew, that's better!" Pinkie smiled and hopped off the copter, stretching her hooves and hopping in place a few times before looking at Dash.

Yeah, knew it-she's not tired in the slightest.
"Sorry bout the chocolate milk, Pinks."

"Nah, it's all good," she grinned and squeezed the milk from her mane and into her mouth and causing Dash to chuckle and pull a face before the two mares trotted over and sat beneath a shady tree. "Now then, what's got you feeling all mopey-wopey, hmm?"

"Ill," Dash corrected her, and Pinkie nodded in a humoring fashion.

"Of course. What's got you feeling under the weather, Dashie?"

Seeing as how there didn't seem to be any escaping Pinkie's insistent nature, Dash sighed and relented somewhat.
"It's about Volare."

"Oooh, how so? When's the last time you saw him?"

"Er..." When he was heading into CK's to bang her...
"Tuesday."

"Interesting," Pinkie murmured and scratched a shapeless little pattern in the dirt. "That's about the last time anypony saw you in town. Did something happen between you two?"

"Well, nothing between us."

"Between you and somepony else?"

"Kinda, I-"

"Or between him and somepony else? Or maybe a little of both?"

Dash had to admit: Pinkie's sense of things like this was positively uncanny sometimes...oh, who the hay was she kidding, she's Pinkie Pie! Dash hung her head and stared at the little shapes that Pinkie had scratched in the dirt before her shoulders rose and fell in a great heaving sigh.
"...both," she mumbled almost inaudibly, and before she could act, she felt Pinkie's comforting hoof on her shoulder.

"I kinda figured," Pinkie said as Dash's eyes met her sincere little smile. "Why haven't you been in town since Tuesday?"

"I guess cuz I'm kinda avoiding him," Dash admitted. For some reason, she'd always felt it easy to talk to Pinkie when she was upset, and this time was no exception. She'd rarely admitted it out loud, but although she and Pinkie had their differences, she could always count on her to spare a kind word or two if she went to her for advice. She just never felt that Pinkie meant her harm, and she trusted her for that.

"And why're you avoiding him, Dashie?"

"Cuz I...cuz I'm worried I screwed up and he might..." the lightest of sobs choked off the end of her sentence, and it was all she could do to not get more upset at that moment.

"Well, there's only one way to find out if you did or didn't, Dashie," Pinkie patted her with a hoof. "Go find him."

"But I-what if he-?"

"No buts, Dashie. Go on, right now. Get going!" Pinkie nudged her with a hoof and grinned. "Get outta that tower of yours and go find Volare!"

"Heh-ok, alright. I'm going already, Pinks!" Dash smiled despite herself; Pinkie's enthusiasm was contagious as all get-out, and by the time she'd taken to the air and neared the edge of town, she was already coaching herself on what to do.
Ok, Dash, you got this. Find flyboy, find out what happened. Who knows? Maybe you're over-reacting to this. Maybe he stayed in town for some other reason-probably to hang out with Scoots at Pinkie's place or something. Or bump some music with Vinyl and Octy. Yeah, when you see him, you're gonna-
"...oh, buck me...n-no..."

Dash nearly crashed headlong into a cabbage cart as she stared in shock north up 5th Street. She recovered just in time to avoid the cart, landing in a shrub outside Buck Star's instead...a shrub full of pointy sticks!
"Youch!" her cry and crash caused a bit of a scene but she quickly hopped out of the bush, brushed herself off and hid her mortification beneath a wing as she quick-trotted around to the corner of the coffee shop and peeked around it at the two Pegasi strolling down Stirrup Street. "You gotta be bucking kidding me..."

Volare and Cloud Kicker were trotting shoulder-to-shoulder together, smiles on their faces and bumping wings every now and again as if they hadn't a care in the world and nodding at nearly everypony they passed. So this was how her Weather Lieutenant spent her day off, eh? By stealing her friend?! Without thinking, she strode out to confront them when...
...not like I own him or anything, Dash's statement came back to haunt her, and she stumbled mid-step around the corner, right into view of them.

"Whoa, heya Boss!" Cloud Kicker grinned and waved a hoof. "Where ya been?"

"Yeah, we've missed you, Dashie," Volare added with a nod as Dash regained her footing and leaned against the wall as if she meant to do that.

"Oh, you know, around here and there-mostly at my place. Had to catch up on my Wonderbolts training and what-not. You know how it is," Dash replied nonchalantly, trying to gauge their reactions. But they maintained their friendly demeanor, neither of them looking terribly angry at her, and she relaxed a smidgen. "How about you guys?"

"Heh, isn't it obvious, Boss?" Cloud Kicker said and hooked her wing in Volare's drawing him closer with a proud little smirk, while Volare simply blushed slightly behind his sheepish grin. "It's going fantastic. Tell her, flyboy."

Grrr...that's MY name for him! Dash nearly growled, but bit her tongue instead.

"Haha, yeah we're doing great here, Dashie. You were right: just needed to loosen up a bit, and thanks to CK here, well..."

"Ha, you mean you loosened me up, if you know what I mean," Cloud Kicker nudged him with her wing and snickered. "Glad you told me about him, cuz he's a pretty special guy-one of the nicest I've ever met, competitive, a gentle-stallion, and a real marathoner with his mouth if ya know what I mean," she winked again, and Dash's heart plummeted. "Whew, that first night-how late did we stay at it, flyboy?"

"Uh, three or four in the morning, I think," Volare scratched his mane and blushed again. "It was a real eye-opener, I think you put it?"

"Yep, sure was. Well hey Boss, we gotta head back to my place; still got a little bit of the day off, ya know? Gotta make it count," she hoofed the stunned Dash in the shoulder before Volare spoke.

"Hey Dashie, don't forget that The Griffin's grand pre-opening is tonight. The Element Holders are all invited, as are a buncha yours and CK's friends. You're welcome to come too," he laid a hoof on Dash's shoulder, but she subtly shrugged his touch off. She felt filthy and horrid, and more than a touch nauseous. "Hey Dashie, you look a little green there; you ok?"

"Yeah, fine-just fine, never better, abso-hoofin-positively awesome, Volare," she forced the words through a clench-jawed smile and put on her best "congratulations for finally getting banged and over your problems I couldn't bring myself to admit I couldn't help you with, so good luck with your life" face.

"O-ok, just...don't forget about tonight, ok? It's really important you show up," he leaned in and gave Dash a quick nuzzle and she had to resist the urge to bite him for mocking her like this. "So, um...see ya tonight?"

"Yeah, sure...whatev," Dash muttered and fixed Cloud Kicker with a listless smile. "Thanks for the help, CK...hope it was worth it," she mumbled the last words in a near-silent tone before spreading her wings to leave. As she flew off, she doubled-back and watched as Cloud Kicker and Volare hooked their wings together and headed for the Weather Lieutenant's house, bursting into uproarious laughter the moment they rounded the corner of the nearest building. They were serious and were rubbing it in Dash's face the whole time.

"Yeah, well...b-buck both of you too!" Dash wiped the angry tears from her face before turning to regard the squeaky weather vane in the shape of the silhouette of a grinning pony head atop the roof of the house she'd settled on. "Oh yeah, what're you laughing at, huh? You wanna pile on, is that it?" she growled at the metal face turning gently in the warm afternoon breeze that further mocked the frigidness in her heart. It was a coldness she'd brought upon herself, but why'd the whole world have to laugh at her for it?!

"Grah, feather yourself!!!" she roared and smashed a hoof into the weather vane, tearing it from the roof and gashing her hoof in the process. "Son of a Diamond Dog," she hissed and stuffed her bleeding hoof in her mouth, tears leaking out of her eyes to mingle with the crimson that dribbled down her foreleg. She pulled her hoof out and glared at the offending gash, knowing she'd need medical attention for it. With a growling sigh of frustration, she spread her wings to fly west for Fluttershy's Cottage when she heard a voice call her name from below.

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow, is that you up there?" Dash looked over the edge of the roof to see Twilight Sparkle craning her neck backwards and wearing a look of abject concern. "What happened? I heard you shout and then this weathervane nearly fell on Spike," she nodded towards the mangled piece of metal and her dragon assistant who was examining the end of his tail to make sure the tip hadn't been sliced off. Satisfied that his tail wasn't suddenly shorter, he shot Dash a glare that demanded answers.

"Oh, I uh...kinda hit the weathervane and...well," Dash fumbled for an explanation, but Twilight gave her a skeptical look.

"Dash, I can see you're bleeding from here, so if you're not going to tell me the truth, at least come down here so I can get a look at you."

"No-no, it's ok. I'll just head to Fluttershy's and-"

"Fluttershy's taken Shae out for a hunt at Froggy Bottom Bog with Iron Will, so if you go there, you'll only have Angel Bunny to doctor you up," Twilight said matter-of-factly, and Dash winced at the prospect. "So come on down."

"Grrr, fine," the rainbow mare grumbled, still a little apprehensive around Twilight, but more embarrassed than anything at this point as she fluttered to the ground and held out her injured hoof. "There, happy?"

"Oh my gosh, Dash," Twilight frowned and cradled the bloody hoof gently with her magic and lead her across the street to the Library. They trotted in silence for a moment, Spike right behind them before Twilight cast Dash a sideways glance. "You sure you did this by crashing?"

"Huh, no I said I hit it...that's all you need to know," Dash turned away and muttered, her eyes searching the street for Volare and Cloud Kicker, but they were well and truly gone now.

"Dash, what's been going on with you? Nopony's seen you in town since Tuesday and the first day back you knock a weathervane off a roof and cut yourself up and won't tell me why," Twilight said as they reached the tree and Spike unlocked the front door to let them in. "I'm your friend, Dash. Please tell me what's wrong."

"Was it you that sent Pinkie after me?" Dash asked suddenly, her injured hoof tensed to pull away from Twilight.

"Wha-no, she mentioned looking for you herself. Why? Have you spoken to her yet?"

"Yeah, she's the one that got me to come back to town in the first place," Dash said as she was lead into the kitchen and Twilight flicked the light on to examine her wound. Dash really didn't want to have the same conversation with Twilight that she'd had with Pinkie. The rather violent encounter in the hospital weeks ago non-withstanding, she'd just never trusted Twilight as much as Pinkie Pie; she seemed too analytical and detached for Dash's comfort sometimes, not to mention she'd always been a little leery of Twilight's propensity to probe into everything in her search for solutions, especially the sensitive subjects. Dash felt she didn't do it on purpose, but that possibility was always there. At least Pinkie was a bit more subtle and less scientific in her approach.

"...yeah she seemed pretty worried," Twilight's voice zoned back into Dash's ears as she cleaned the stinging gash in the edge of her hoof with a warm washcloth. "Wow, you really must have walloped that weathervane, Rainbow Dash-you cut yourself nearly to the bone."

"Eh-heh, guess I don't know my own strength," Dash chuckled sheepishly before Twilight paused and cocked her head. "What?"

"So you really did hit it, huh? Not just a crash?"

"Well I...ugh, yeah, I did," Dash gave up fighting it and Twilight resumed her cleaning.

"What made you that mad to wanna do that?"

"I..." Dash paused once more, thoroughly embarrassed now. She still had her suspicions about Twilight having feelings for Volare, and that kept her from really telling the truth, but she could at least explain some of it. "Oh, I kinda...got a little mad when I saw Cloud Kicker and Volare together...yeah."

"Oh?" Twilight cocked a brow as she wiped the rest of the blood away, applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding while she prepared to heal the wound. "Volare wasn't at your place?"

"No, he's been in town the past few days. I think he's been staying at Cloud Kicker's place." At this revelation, Twilight nearly dropped Dash's hoof on the counter in shock; she too knew of the Weather Lieutenant's wild reputation and worry began to set in almost immediately.

"W-why would he be there, Dash?" Twilight stuttered before going back to preparing the healing spell.

"I...I dunno, but I've been worried about him."

"And with good reason," Twilight nodded as a wispy blue light emanated from her horn, taking the form of a thin glowing thread that descended upon Dash's wound and began threading its way along the edges of the gash.

"Agh-yeah, no kidding...what do you think of that, Twi?"

"Uh-oh, I um...I dunno," the Unicorn lied, trying to concentrate on the spell so she didn't accidentally unzip Dash's hoof entirely. "I guess he's his own stallion and...not to say I don't think he could do better in his choice of mares, but-"

"I totally agree, Twilight."

"You do?" That caught the Unicorn off-guard; she and Dash's different personalities and approaches to problem-solving very rarely allowed them to agree on much of anything.

"Yeah...I think I'm gonna talk to him about that and see what's up," Dash suggested. As pissed as she herself was, and knowing what might likely happen if Twilight spoke to Cloud Kicker...she might likely be out one Weather Lieutenant if Twilight's outburst in the hospital was any indicator of how strongly she felt for Volare's well-being. Dash didn't need that, and since it was pretty much her fault anyway, she decided it was best for her to do the talking.

"That sounds like a good idea, Rainbow Dash," Twilight nodded and smiled as she snipped off the glowing thread with a burst of magic. The remains of the thread evaporated into mist that trailed back into her horn and she leaned back to examine her hoof-work.

"Heh, wow nice job, Twi," Dash flexed her hoof and grinned. "Gotten better at this kinda thing, huh?"

"Yep, I figured I'd start practicing in case Volare or anypony else got dinged up again, eh?" Twilight hoofed Dash in the shoulder and smiled as Dash sat her hoof down and gave her a nod of approval.

"Thanks Twi...for the talk and for fixing me up."

"It's no problem, Dash; it's the least I could do," Twilight replied as she cleaned the washrag in the sink. But after noticing that Dash hadn't left yet, she regarded her friend curiously. "Something else on your mind?"

"Uh, yeah...trying to decide when I'll talk to him."

"I see...you going to talk with him about just this situation, or...?"

"No. No, Twi, I dunno when or even how I'll ever tell him about that," Dash shook her head sadly. Twilight placed a comforting hoof on Dash's shoulder and she leaned her cheek into the touch. "I'm just...I'm scared of what he'll say."

"Rainbow Dash scared, huh? Must be pretty serious," Twilight gave her a nudge, but Dash continued to stare at the floor.

"I-it is. I can't explain why, but...it just is, ok?"

"What're you afraid he'll say, Rainbow?"

"I dunno, I...I mean, I know how I'd react if somepony admitted to ruining my dreams forever...I mean, if somepony ruined your dreams of study and everything, how would you react, Twi?"

Twilight's ears drooped as the realization hit her like a hammer. She gave Spike a look and the young dragon got the message and left the kitchen.
"Oh...I see what you mean. I guess I..."

"You'd be pretty pissed, huh?"

"I...yeah, I probably would if they did it on purpose. But you didn't-"

"How do you know I didn't, Twilight?" Dash asked, her rose-tinted eyes wide and pleading for answers. "You weren't there. How do you know I didn't do it on purpose?"

"Rainbow Dash, that's crazy," Twilight shook her head. "You'd never hurt anypony unless they had it coming-"

"Yeah, but I hurt you!" Dash protested as a guilty tear snuck out of her eye. "And you didn't deserve that."

"That...that was different, Rainbow Dash," Twilight insisted with a sigh around the knot growing in her throat. "We were both in the wrong there."

"But I still hurt you, Twilight!" Dash hung her head and whimpered. "What if I meant it when I made Volare's jet crash?"

"Dash, don't feel like you're the only guilty one there," Twilight replied and laid a hoof across her friend's shaking shoulders. "But that's between us and has no bearing on what happened between you and Volare. Let me ask you this: did you want to hurt him?"

"I...I dunno anymore, Twilight," Dash's eyes leaked steadily now. "I'm afraid to know the answer, cuz I know I wanted to race him...what if I wanted him to do something stupid so he'd crash and lose?"

"Dash, I can't believe that sort of talk coming out of you," Twilight scolded her lightly and hoofed her in the shoulder. "I feel you didn't mean to do it, and if you've got doubts about it, I also feel the best way to chase them away for good is to talk to him about it. You can't keep running from this forever; it's going to eat you up inside and only you can stop that."

"I know, I know," Dash wiped her eyes and sniffed. Her friends were right; she had to talk to him soon before this guilt tore her apart and made her really get hurt. She glanced down at her healed injury, the scar very visible along the edge of her hoof and she tapped it on the floor in determined fashion. No more running...no more. Gonna face the music for real now. Gotta tell him and if he hates me...then he hates me. At least I'll be free of this guilt.
"I...I'll talk with him soon."

"Tonight at the Griffin opening, then," Twilight suggested, not about to give Dash a chance to lose her nerve and reconsider. "I need you to go and help run interference between Volare and I since you know about our little issue," she chuckled sheepishly.

"Heh-heh, yeah. Definitely don't need you freaking out in the brand-new restaurant," Dash returned the chuckle and hoofed her friend lightly, any real sense of apprehension about her friend quickly dissipating by the moment. "Poor Bon-Bon'd have a cow."

"No kidding," Twilight returned the hoof and smiled.

"Sooo...I just make sure you guys stay-what was it? Ten feet apart?"

"About that, yeah. Opposite sides of the room should be ok."

"Hey, speaking of which, how's the counter-spell coming along?"

"Meh, not so great. I'm making a little progress, but it's kinda slow going. However, I think I may be onto an enchantment I can use on an amulet or something like that to block the effects, but testing it is gonna be...interesting," she chuckled dryly.

"I'll pass the word onto Volare about it; I'm sure he's been wondering."

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash. Oh, and you may wanna get dressed up a bit before you go tonight."

"Huh, why's that?"

"The guest of honor might appreciate it," Twilight smiled knowingly, and Dash's eyes widened in realization.

"Guest of honor...oh horseapples, I totally forgot! See ya, Twi! Thanks again!" And with that, Dash zoomed out the door, leaving a whirlwind of paper and a chuckling Unicorn in her wake, glad that her friend was back to her old self once more, but more importantly was beginning to see a little reason as well.

"Heh, better get ready myself, too," Twilight mused as she headed upstairs to her room.

...................

"You think that was a little too harsh, CK?" Volare asked as soon they reached her house.

"Nah, she'll get over it," Cloud Kicker patted Volare on the shoulder as he heaved a small sigh. "Hey, this is for her own good, dude...and yours. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do, it's just...I care a lot for her CK...I don't wanna hurt her too bad."

"Hey, I know you do. But Dash is tough...too tough to be nice to sometimes," she shook her head and opened the door. "You just gotta grit your teeth and knock her in the head every now and again so she sees reason. Then you can be nice."

"Don't I know it," Volare chuckled and followed Cloud Kicker into her home. Tonight was gonna be a big night, in more ways than one. One of the "most important ponies in Canterlot" was going to be there at the Griffin soon, and they all had to look their best! And according to Cloud Kicker, she knew just what to give Volare to help him out with that...

Froggy Bottom Bog, Late Afternoon...

"Well Fluttershy, I'd say that was a pretty successful huntin' session for Shae," Iron Will laughed boomingly at the sight of the contented-looking osprey nestled on a log next to a sizable pile of fish bones on the shore of the Bog. The black and white bird of prey cracked an eye and gave him an annoyed chirk for disturbing the peace before settling back down again.

"Mhm, indeed Will. She looked to really be enjoying herself today," Fluttershy nodded as she offered the great blue minotaur a rice cake, which he took with an appreciative nod. Fluttershy smiled at the progress of Iron Will's manners which, although vastly improved over his previous rambunctious self, had still experienced slip-ups every now and again. But lately, especially after Volare's arrival she'd noted, the minotaur had greatly improved himself. Perhaps all he'd needed was a little genteel motivation from a fellow stallion in the house, and Volare had fit the bill quite nicely. True, there was still his occasional spats with Angel Bunny, but that seemed pretty much par for the course for the little rabbit for most of the creatures he encountered anyway. Sigh, as strange as it might sound, that little bunny's attitude was a mountain compared to the mere molehill that Iron Will's reformation had been...

"Ahh, is it just me, or does the air smell...fresher since we were last here, Fluttershy?" Iron Will spoke up suddenly, pulling the Element of Kindness out of her musings. She sniffed the air experimentally, having avoided doing so for the most part due to the usual sulfurous stench that accompanied the Bog, but to her surprise, he was right. It was still there, but it was much more faint.

"Hmm, you're right Will. Strange, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Wonder if that means that ol' dragon up on the hill finally left?" he jerked a thumb towards the cave across the marsh, and Fluttershy gave a small squeak of fright, glad she'd brought the mighty minotaur along with her. Even Shae looked up in alarm, chireeking softly at the cave.

"D-dragon?"

"Oh yeah, big ol' smelly guy that gave this side of the swamp its stink. Belched sulfur and ash all over the place," Iron Will scratched his chin and peered towards the cave. "He's a pretty decent fellah if you leave his hoard and cave alone; in fact he hardly ever left it that I know of. Makes me wonder if he left for good."

"Wait..." Fluttershy thought for a moment before realizing which dragon Iron Will was speaking of. "That's the dragon that Volare ran into earlier this week."

"Whoa, Spike-head took on a dragon?" Iron Will raised an impressed eyebrow before Fluttershy filled him in on the situation. "I see...huh, maybe that dragon got all sore at what happened and took off, hahaha!"

"Maybe..." Fluttershy frowned; something just seemed...off about it. It was too clean-cut to happen that way, and she'd have seen or at least heard signs of such a large creature leaving the area. But there had been nothing to indicate its passage. Here one day and gone the next for no reason other than a rock to the wing? Fluttershy didn't like it, but she wasn't about to argue the fact that the swamp was likely that much safer without a territorial dragon lurking about, and she eventually pushed it aside in her mind and shrugged off the uneasy feeling before it grew any larger.

After a few more minutes of scattered conversation and jokes about the weather, the trio cleaned up their area, tossed the fish bones into the swamp, and headed home, not noticing the fact that the fish bones only sank a few inches below the surface of the mire before being stopped by the massive corpse of a dragon, its body weighted down by stones stuffed into its body and keeping it pinned to the bottom of the bog. All the while, from a shriveled mangrove tree on the edge of the swamp, a white-necked raven watched them intently, and once they (and especially the sharp-eyed osprey) had left, it croaked softly to itself and made a spitting sound, rousing the equine-shaped creature beside it.

"Hmph, guess Ray and Twisted did a decent job of hiding that dragon corpse after all," Agent F mused as she watched the shapes retreat south.

"Blech!" the raven made the spitting sound again and ruffled his wings in a revolted manner. "Twisted...damn nag...crazy!" it spoke in its broken fashion, its croaking voice a mixture of an imitation of Nyctos, F, Ray, and multiple other ponies overlaid with the tone of somepony with a ridiculously sore throat. "Blech!"

"I take it you don't like her much?" Agent F cocked a brow and had to dodge as Corax lashed a wingtip at her face and squawked loudly.

"Never! Never have, never will! Ever since Corvus found her and took her in, she's been...CRAWK, she'll ruin everything...take my place...GRAWK!"

"Heh, sounds like some-feather's a little jealous," F nudged the raven but had to withdraw her hoof as the moody avian jabbed at her with his dagger-like beak.

"Snap your beak! Keep watch on Ponyville...I'll relay to Corvus...meet here tomorrow."

"Got it," F nodded. Corax clacked his beak twice before taking wing and heading further northwest over the dark peaks of the Drackenridge Mountains and into the misty woods beyond. Shortly after leaving, F took off as well and headed East and then curving south around Ponyville, keeping her watchful eye on the town. Something was happening tonight, she could feel it in her bones. There was an air of excitement about the burg; somepony important was coming to Ponyville...

Ponyville, Evening, The Gilded Griffin...

"I dunno if I can wear this, Cloud Kicker," Volare said hesitantly. "I mean, I'm not a Royal Guard and...isn't this kinda disrespectful to your folks?" The lavender mare turned to regard him with a grin and a shake of her head; she thought he looked great and more than well-dressed enough for the re-opening of The Griffin.

"Jeez Volare, that's the fourth time you've said that and the second time you've loosened that Peytral," she reached a hoof up to readjust the leather straps that held up the red and silver-chased Barding that had been made for Cloud Kicker in preparation of her graduation from West Hoof Academy and becoming a Royal Guard. But life had happened along the way, and though she'd been fairly vague about why, literally weeks before graduating she'd dropped out, much to the chagrin of her family who'd spent a small fortune on having her armor made. It was created from Thunderforged Steel, very strong, very lightweight, and fit her frame perfectly, making it awkward for anypony else to use the entire suit.

Fortunately, pony necks tended to be about the same thickness, and the decorative peytral had slipped around Volare's neck without too much of a fuss. The size was off just enough to warrant adjustment via the uncomfortable leather straps though, and Volare was reminded of military parade dress: nice to look at but hell to wear. The former had been the intention behind Cloud Kicker's suggestion for him to wear part of her armor, and she kept admiring it on him and spit polishing the little smudges she spotted in the steel that had spent years gathering dust in her attic.

"Volare, it's fine. I haven't worn it in years, and I think you look great. Besides, coulda been worse; coulda had you wear the rest of the suit," she nudged him in the ribs and he rolled his eyes at the memory of her trying to cram the helmet and the lamed criniere barding over a head and neck that were too long to wear them and not look like a total fool. Cloud Kicker wore the crested helm instead, preferring to leave the pinching criniere and flank-hugging flanchards at home. "And it's only for a night; I seriously doubt my mom or any other Kicker member is gonna be here tonight, so don't worry about it, ok? Besides, if they do and if they find out what you've done and been through since you've come here...well, they'd feel as honored as I do to have you wear it. Anyways, I'm a Lieutenant, you're a Lieutenant, so if anything we'll just justify it that way," she punctuated her words with a hoof that clanked lightly on the peytral, and he stood up a little straighter in reassurance.

"Heh, if you say so."

"I do say so," Cloud Kicker winked and grinned before nudging him. "Let's not keep'm waiting!" she shoved him semi-roughly and he nearly stumbled onto Stirrup Street before shooting her a short glare and regaining his balance, missing the little smirk that slipped across her face at the sight of his unbarded flank. A half-dressed soldier was kinda hot in her book, but tonight was about much more than that. Tonight was about a little payback towards a certain cyan mare whom they'd seen flutter into the proud-looking, high-roofed Gilded Griffin. She quick-trotted and caught up with the pilot, walking side-by-side with him as they reached the newly-finished oaken doors, the snarling brass griffin head door handles brightly polished and gleaming in the light of the dozens of new firefly lanterns that hung along the edge of the overhanging porch. The smell of fresh varnish and paint was masked by the scent of incense drifting from torches at the corners of the porch, and the brand-new hardwood decking gave not a single creak as they crossed it; Trixie and Octavia had done a damn fine job on the outside, but it was the inside that was the real surprise.

"Here goes nothing...and for the record, I still feel like a fool," Volare hissed out of the corner of his mouth, catching a thump in the ribs from Cloud Kicker.

"Pfft, you look hot, now get in there!" she snickered, and he barely had time to extinguish the quick blush that crept into his features before the Weather Lieutenant pushed open the doors and announced their presence. "Flyboy's in the building!!" she crowed, and everypony of the select crowd already seated turned to stare, while Twilight, Pinkie, Octavia, and Trixie, already seated off to the right, gave him friendly waves of their hooves; Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy had volunteered to take care of the CMC. It was all Volare could do not to turn and smack the rambunctious mare, but as she'd already demonstrated, she could easily kick his ass if he tried. And so he settled for flicking her in the nose with his tail and scanning the room, taking in the myriad of human artifacts that had previously been piled in Lyra's storeroom and now occupied every single open space on the walls. Over the past two days, she'd picked through her collection with his help, deciding which pieces would go where in order to give the restaurant its own particular feng-shui...which happened to be more like controlled chaos.

Even so, and although Bon-Bon had objected at first, even she had to admit that the massive array of artifacts proudly displayed on shelves, hanging from the ceiling, and filling the open spaces in corners and windowsills all illuminated by hanging torchlight did lend the place a personality unlike anything else anypony had ever seen. And with Celestia's apparent OK of having human artifacts displayed (or so Lyra's reasoning told her as she hadn't arrived and banished Volare to the moon yet), the decorating had commenced. Volare didn't have the heart or the gumption to tell her that the mess of chairs, socks, magazine covers, and assorted nick-nacks festooning the place reminded him of what a hoarder's house probably looked like on the inside, but compared to the other buildings he'd seen in town...well, it certainly stood out!

He smiled and waved a hoof at the mint-green Unicorn leaning on the massive bronze globe they'd built the new bar around before letting his eyes resume their scan and quickly spotting the mare he was looking for; as if she were hard to find though. Strangely enough, while everypony else had looked up and stared for a good while before returning to their previous conversations, this normally fiery mare was seated alone in a far corner booth, and had peeked up for only a moment before burying her muzzle in her menu.
"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered and received a friendly nudge from Cloud Kicker. He grinned his thanks before trotting over, focusing on the mare of the moment before him.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was battling her emotions once more. True, she'd screwed up her courage enough to be here while she was styling her mane in a slightly less messy fashion for the occasion and straightened and preened her pinions until they gleamed, but once she'd arrived, her worries crept up on her once more. Could she do this? How would Volare react? Would he hate her? Would he be ok with it? Could she hurt him again? By the time that Cloud Kicker shoved the doors open and shouted the arrival of Volare, Dash's stomach was doing flip-flops, and it took everything she had not to zoom out of the building right then and there.
Dammit, Dash! What're you, a chicken?! She was so deep in thought and trying to distract herself with the menu that by the time she was aware of nervously shuffling hoofsteps next to her table, she realized there was no turning back now. With a gulp and a mental slap to steel herself, she laid the menu down, prepared to greet Volare...but her tongue got in the way as she finally got a good look at the armor he was wearing.

"Whoa...you look-" she started to say, but caught herself once she saw the matching armor that Cloud Kicker was wearing and shook her head instead. "Heh, got all dressed up, eh?" she changed her tone to disguise her worry, and Volare tossed his mane and smiled.

"A little bit; kinda a big night, ya know?" he glanced back over the room, but the guest of honor was nowhere to be found..yet. It was then that he saw how she'd fixed the musses in her mane, and how her feathers were shinier than normal. Even her face seemed to be glowing more than usual and it was then that he realized she was wearing a little rouge on her cheeks. It wasn't much, but the little touch was nice, and it accentuated her best features just enough to quicken his pulse and make him chuckle nervously. "You um..ahem, you look good too, Dashie."

"Hmph, if you say so, flyboy," she cocked a brow at the compliment before remembering why she was really here. It wasn't to look good for him, it was to get and give answers. She glanced at Cloud Kicker and resisted the urge to tell her to buzz off, that she wanted to talk with Volare alone, but she figured what the hay, this probably won't take long anyway, and spoke her mind in a low enough tone that the conversation didn't go beyond the three of them. "So, where ya been the past few days?"

"In town," he answered matter-of-factly, feeling a gentle pat on his flank from Cloud Kicker-hold steady, we'll get through this. "Why?"

"Because you...you never came home on Tuesday night," Dash looked up and fixed him with an expression he couldn't read. At first it seemed like irritation, but underneath...he detected a hint of hurt.

"I um..." he licked his suddenly dry lips. "...think we kinda already clarified that, Dash. CK and I were up pretty late, and-"

"Her bed too comfy to leave?" Dash asked sharply, letting her pain affect her, and the tone of the conversation changed from somewhat tense to downright uncomfortable. If it weren't for Cloud Kicker standing right next to him, Volare might have backed down at the fierce look in Dash's eyes. But the Weather Lieutenant's presence reassured him and convinced him that he could see this through. He composed himself by breathing in, then out, and then replied as honestly as he could:

"Well, her couch was. Wouldn't know about the bed though."

Rainbow Dash likely would have inhaled any food she might have been eating at the time in surprise, and her rose-tinted eyes widened in confusion, searching his features for a hint of a lie before Cloud Kicker trotted up behind her, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her gently as she began to tremble with barely-suppressed snickers. "Wha-huh-what the-?"

"Hahaha, you sound a little stunned there, Boss. Flyboy that good-looking or a manticore got your tongue? Whatcha think: should Volare and I get married and get a couch built for two, or just share the floor?" Volare nearly exploded into laughter at the thought, but barely managed to remain composed and continued to wear his sincere expression.

"Why you-what the feather's your game-!?" was all Dash managed to sputter in abject bemusement, her jaw hanging open and her eyes flicking back and forth between the two before Volare and Cloud Kicker's eyes met...and they burst into helpless giggles that slowly built up into near-uproarious laughter. Dash's face burned red through her rouge and the only thing that kept her from smacking the crap out of them was the fact that they were wearing armor. Volare eventually struggled to stand up, he was laughing so hard, and Cloud Kicker gently but firmly pushed him down onto the bench across from Rainbow Dash, preferring to stand herself. "Ok, just what the hay's going on here?!" Dash finally growled, preparing to kick Volare under the table if need be; she'd deal with her Lieutenant later.

"I gotta hand it to ya, Dash," Volare finally said as his chuckles subsided a bit. "That was a helluva way to get me to loosen up the other night. Giving CK a few days off to cover it was pretty slick too. Efficient as always," though his smile was sincere, Dash still couldn't help but feel like he was mocking her, though that feeling was still being overwhelmed by the revelation that Volare and Cloud Kicker had apparently done terrible things to the couch...or something along those lines! Thankfully, her Lieutenant's next words cleared up her confusion.

"Yeah, but seems you left a few little details out of the equation, Boss. Volare and I stayed up way into Wednesday morning and found out all sorts of news things about each other," she shot Volare a quick smirk, reveling in making Dash squirm a little bit in anticipation. Finally, when she felt she'd made her wait long enough, she revealed the truth. "...things like our origins."

Dash felt a little more guilt seep into her features as she realized what Cloud Kicker was getting at.
"Oh, right..um..."

"Yeah, not so smooth there, Dashie," Volare reached across the table and patted her hoof, giving her a smile as he did so. It was a teasing sort of smile, but it wasn't mocking, and he was right: she might have goofed on that a bit.

"Haha, you never told me Volare was an ultra-exotic, Boss," Cloud Kicker chuckled and thumped the table, though the chuckle was more dry than cheerful. "I mean, as cool as it'd be to be known as the first pony to bang an alien...that little detail was kinda important. He wasn't just nervous and in need of loosening up; he's got a frickin' deeply-ingrained social taboo to overcome, and believe it or not, I've got rules against forcing ponies to do stuff against their will like that. Rule Number Two: Never bang somepony if there are complications involved. Cuz that'd violate Rule One: No banging if there's a chance of regrets. And I'd say trying to break a taboo by force would definitely cause more than a few of those," she snorted in mild irritation of being used like that. "Plus me doing that under those pretenses would be kinda like violating Rule Six: No lying to get sex. Not cool, Boss."

"I...I just wanted to..." Dash trailed off, thoroughly embarrassed now and more than a little thankful they weren't calling her out publicly; in fact, she noticed that Cloud Kicker had even positioned herself in such a way as to prevent anypony from approaching or seeing any part of the conversation. Even so, she tried to defend herself. "But I saw you getting him drunk and taking him home with you. I...I saw you push him through the door, and-"

"That all you saw? Hmph, never figured you for a stalker, Boss," Cloud Kicker chortled, her overall mood still remaining surprisingly light. "And you're one to talk about getting him all boozed up, eh? Remember the party at Vinyl's?" she nudged Dash teasingly. "Nah, he might have been a little buzzed, but that's cuz I was still under the impression of him being nervous; a little liquid courage never hurts, but he was more tired from dancing than wobbly from wine," she hoofed Volare in the shoulder before her expression turned more serious. "Besides, having him totally out of it violates Rule Three: Never take a pony to bed when their judgement is compromised. I could tell he was buzzed, but trust me when I say he was well within his abilities to say no. So why were you following us, hmm?"

"Yeah well, he's my friend and..." she turned to regard Volare who was sitting silently by and observing Dash try to justify her actions. "I just wanted to make sure he was ok...I guess...I dunno." In response, Volare reached across the table again and squeezed her hoof in his, leaving it there and smiling encouragingly. He still wasn't mad, but she couldn't understand why; if it had been her in his position, she'd have been furious!

"So you weren't...doing the deed?" Dash finally put it to words, wincing as she did so.

"Probably would have if he didn't have such a quick mouth," Cloud Kicker snickered at the double entendre as Volare facehoofed. "He must be learning cuz he escaped my flying tackle pretty well, heheh. The furniture kinda paid the price, though."

"Yeah, sorry bout the lamp, CK," Volare grimaced, but she waved a dismissive hoof.

"Meh, it was an ugly lamp anyways," Cloud Kicker trailed off as her eyes roved over the room and caught sight of Vinyl Scratch setting up her equipment on the newly-built performance stage. "Hey guys, I think you can take it from here; I gotta go hit up a certain DJ, if ya know what I mean," she waggled her eyebrows and flashed a huge grin before patting the tabletop. "Good luck, you two," she winked and trotted off, taking a less-direct route that allowed her to sneak up behind Vinyl and tackle-hug her from behind, knocking her off the stage in a giggling mess of nuzzles and playful growls that drew the raucous laughter of nearly everypony in the room.

Volare shook his head in disbelief before turning back to Dash and noticing he still held her hoof in his. "Eh-heh...so..."

"So," Dash tilted her head, not relinquishing the grip on his hoof. Instead, she pulled him halfway across the table by it and stared directly into his eyes. "Flyboy, if this is all a huge joke to you...please...just drop the gag and tell me the truth: did you and Cloud Kicker do anything?"

"Isn't that what you wanted, Dashie?" Volare asked, and Dash's grip tightened slightly as she swallowed the growing lump in her throat.

"Just...please answer the question," she blinked her eyes twice to clear a little blur building up there. "I want to hear it from your mouth. If you didn't do anything, then why didn't you come home that night?" Volare reached his other hoof across the table and gripped Dash's tightly before smiling softly in his reply.

"Because I didn't wanna come home late, wake you up, and startle you, Dashie. It may not seem that way, but I do value my health...plus you need your rest. Pinkie and Cloud Kicker said you were pretty upset that day. And if you must know, I stayed at Lyra's the last few days so we could clean up the decorations for this place." At his words, the remaining anger she had towards him vanished, leaving nothing holding up the dam of emotions that now tore itself asunder in her heart. Throughout it all, he'd had her in mind, unlike her...she'd only cared about her own feathering herself!

"I-I...f-flyboy, I...Volare...p-please, I'm...s-sorry..." Dash stuttered and stammered, trying to find her voice but she was shaking so hard she couldn't. She was terrified of what she might say if it all started flooding out. Volare, never releasing his hold on her hoof, scooted around the bench until he was next to her and shielding what was left of her pride from the curious glances of others in the restaurant.

"It's ok, Dashie...they can't see," he wrapped a wing around her and she leaned into his shoulder, pressing her muzzle into neck and shaking, not caring of the edge of the armor biting into her fur and barely holding back the silent sobs of guilt that wracked her body. "I won't let them," he whispered, and held her hooves in his as she finally let the tears slide from her eyes and wet his shoulder. It was embarrassing, but at the same time, it felt good to cry. She knew he had every right in the world to laugh while she did so, but he didn't...he didn't. After nearly a minute, she finally composed her thoughts enough to take a shaky breath and speak, to try to explain herself.

"Volare, I...I swear I did this for you," she said lamely, and he pulled back a bit to regard her more directly. "I mean...just...I can't stand seeing you hurt anymore."

"Pain's a part of life, Dashie. It's not your fault I-"

"Yes it is my fault, flyboy, because I'm the one that's been hurting you...that's why I wanted you to just...just be interested in somepony else and get away from me, so you wouldn't have to hurt anymore," she growled and half-heartedly tried to shove his hug away, but he wouldn't relent and she quickly gave up. "Those burns...they," the imagery of his burnt flesh and twitching, hurting nerves slammed into her skull and she nearly gagged once more. "Celestia, I'm sorry."

"Dash, those burns weren't your fault."

"Yes they were!" she shook her head and wiped her eyes with a hoof. "If I hadn't hit those trees and hurt my head...and had to go off and leave you. If I'd just mare'd up and stayed, then I could have-"

"Hey, you stop that crazy talk right there, Rainbow Dash," Volare scolded, but she wouldn't hear it, and forged on ahead, her voice becoming nearly hysterical and her attitude more self-demeaning the more she let her frustration take over.

"I made you crash into trees because I cared too much about winning. I wasn't there to stop this place from falling in on you; I was off being a hard-headed bitch. And I wasn't there to stop Ray and Jill from attacking you and Scoots cuz I was more concerned about winning a damn race-"

"Dashie," he whispered, feeling tears in his eyes, terrified that Dash, a constant dependable source of strength, could be hurt so much like this. "Please stop-"

"No!" she pressed her forehead into his neck to escape his hoof and continued, an unstoppable torrent of sobbing, hiccuping emotion now. "And I made you get your wing torn off...I made you fall out of the air cuz you were hungry and I was impatient...and if I hadn't brought you here, none of this would have happened, you wouldn't be in pain all the time, and it's all my fault because I'm the one that-" she was cut off as Volare crushed her into a hug that pressed her mouth into the crook of his neck, silencing her stream of self-deprecation. He leaned his chin against her temple, and she felt something drip down her neck: tears of his own. Tears of pain at the sight of her hurting so much, and for no logical reason in his mind. It upset him that she was hurt, he was angry that she was in pain, that something could hurt her so badly, and he set his mind to it to eliminate the culprit, whatever the cost.

"Dashie, please listen to me," he whispered near her ear, his chin gently brushing that sensitive spot beneath it, but she didn't care. "I'm alive because of you. Without you I'd have crashed and burned. Without you, Ray and Jill would have killed both me and Scoots. Without you...my life'd be so much less brighter," he gently ran a hoof through her mane as he spoke from the heart. I'd have NEVER flown if it weren't for you. "You've saved my ass so many times that...that the little bumps and bruises and burns, they...they're small bones," he lifted her chin so her eyes met his. "They're nothing compared to what you've done for me. How could I blame you for aches and pains when I'd be dead without you? That's crazy talk."

"But I-"

"No buts...no more explanations, excuses, or please-forgive-me's, Rainbow Dash." She was shaken at the similarity of his words to her dream as he leaned his forehead in until it was pressed against her own. "No more blaming yourself for every little nick and cut I get." It was then that his hooves felt the unfamiliar scar along the ridge of her right hoof, and he brought it up to look at it. "My god...Dash, what happened?"

"Oh, heh...I kinda, um...remember how you and Cloud Kicker and I ran into each other earlier today?" she blushed through her tear-smeared rouge. "Well, I kinda got mad and...maybe sorta punched a weather vane off a roof."

"Holy shit, Rainbow," he pulled her hoof closer and did something that nearly made her jerk away on instinct: he gently kissed the scar as a parent would do to an injured child to take away the pain.

"It-it doesn't hurt, flyboy; Twilight fixed me up," Dash muttered, her eyes flicking out towards the restaurant, but nopony was taking notice; everypony was more focused on the antics of Cloud Kicker and Vinyl on the stage, and her Lieutenant shot a grin in her direction: she was causing the distraction on purpose to give them time to talk it out. Bless you, CK...I gotta put a word in for her at Cloudsdale to give her a raise...a big one.

"I know-you're tough," Volare's face flushed after realizing what he'd done, although he didn't release her hoof. "Still, if anypony here should be apologizing, it's me for getting you hurt."

"Hey, you didn't make me do this," Dash nudged him with an elbow, but he shook his head.

"But if CK and I hadn't pulled this little prank to get back at you...I didn't know how badly you hurt about this, and-"

"Exactly," she nuzzled him briefly. "You didn't know, and it wasn't your fault," she squeezed his hoof, simply enjoying the company now as well as the brief turning of the tables. "But what I've been doing is my fault, especially when I tease you...because I know it pushed your buttons and bugs you...hurts you..." her ears fell flat before Volare reached up with a napkin from the tabletop and carefully blotted her runny rouge. It was then that he also noticed the pinch in her fur the armor was causing.

"Grr, damn armor," he growled and pulled it over his head, laying it down on the table with a clank. "Ahh, better," he rolled his shoulders and Dash smiled as she leaned back into him, able to fully feel the comforting warmth of his touch now. After a moment of thought, he chuckled lightly, and she cocked a curious brow. "You think you hurt me when you push my buttons, Dashie?"

"Well, it obviously bothers you," she replied, still seeking justification for her self-deprecation, but he wasn't about to have any of it.

"Dash, compared to the good things you've done for me, those little moments of "what the hell" are worth it."

Dash felt hope rise in her chest, a sneaky little voice that urged her to play along; that maybe she could get out of this without him being mad after all. But she quickly beat it down, scolding herself for thinking like that and trying to win at all costs...but if things turned out that way, she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth either. No, whatever would be, would be, and she'd roll with it. Still, his words made her more curious than cautious now, and she pressed him a bit.
"So...are you saying you like it when I mess with you?" she leaned back to regard him with a half-smile.

"Heh, well like is kinda a strong word for it, but," he scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. "It's certainly keeping things interesting. Kinda fun in a weird cat-and-mouse sorta way." He looked her in the eyes and patted her shoulder. "But trust me when I say this: it doesn't hurt me nearly as bad as you think."

"But what about-?"

"Hey," he hoofed her gently. "When did I ever say cabbages eh?" His words threw her for a loop before she allowed herself a small chuckle of relief...a chuckle that built into a snicker, then a giggle, and then finally a shoulder-hoofing, play-growling, fit of laughter they both took part in that escalated nearly to the point of them knocking each other out of the booth before they realized they were causing a larger scene than even Cloud Kicker and Vinyl were. "Heh, just uh...good joke over here, that's all," Volare explained.

"Hmph, good joke indeed," Dash whispered and nipped his ear. "That was a heck of a prank you pulled, flyboy. I owe both you and Cloud Kicker big time."

"Well, I'll be on my guard, then," she smirked back before her face softened and her ears drooped slightly as she looked away for a moment.

"How can you...be so forgiving of me? I don't get it, I mean, I nearly got you laid so you'd go and leave me alone...that's just...ugh," she shook her head before he brushed her mane with a hoof.

"Because as bad as it sounds now, you thought it was the right thing to do at the time, Dash."

"Yeah, but-"

"And your heart was in the right place...well, mostly," he chuckled and flicked her ear with a wingtip. "Even though you kinda took it to the extreme, it's the thought that counts; and that's why I forgive you," he leaned forward and booped her nose with a hoof. "Besides, you were right all along: I need to adjust and loosen up."

"What about me? I can back off on the teasing and stuff if you wanna," Dash offered, but Volare shook his head and chuckled.

"Nah, but I do promise to tell ya if you're crossing the line too much. Heh, can't believe I'm saying this, but you don't need to change, Dashie; I like ya just the way you are," he tucked a loose red piece of her mane back behind her ear and smiled at her little blush that he had to admit was adorable. She felt the blush as their eyes met and felt a feeling she promised herself she'd never give into since there'd never be any stallion she could trust that much. It was just a smidgen of a feeling, but it was there, and for a moment, she didn't care.

Maybe he's...maybe it wouldn't be such a...
"Meh, keep running your mouth, flyboy," she finally growled softly, hoofing him and looked away once more, fumbling her hooves together for an awkward moment before speaking. "Um...can I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"...........can I have a hug?"

"Heh, Dashie, you know how they say there're no such things as dumb questions?" Volare smiled teasingly, but gently. "Well, this might be an exception to that-oof!" He returned the rib-creaking hug that Dash had wrapped him in and held her there like that for nearly half a minute before she whispered into his ear again.

"Hey, this is just between you and me, ok?"

"When has it ever been anything but, Dashie?" he replied, and she squeezed him a little harder for a moment before somepony cleared their throat next to the table, startling them so badly that Volare nearly knocked the armor off the table.

"Ahh, sorry if I interrupted something here," Bon-Bon waved a defensive hoof. "But Fancypants has just arrived outside. Volare, I need you up here to help greet him!"

"Oh crap! Uh, right," Volare glanced back at Dash and smiled sheepishly. Dash shook her head in response and helped him throw the armor back on, quickly straightening it up and grinning.

"Looks good to me, flyboy," she hoofed him in the shoulder and pulled him close for a moment. "Real good...that ok?" she asked tentatively, her voice losing its husky tone for a moment and nearly making Volare burst into laughter.

"Eeyup," Volare pulled his best Big Mac impersonation and received another hoof in response.

"Good, now get up there and get in tight with Fancypants again." Volare rolled his eyes and shook his head before following the nervous Bon-Bon to the front door.

"Hey you ok, Bon-Bon? You're shaking like a leaf," he noted, and she snorted in reply.

"Y-yes, fine, just fine. First impressions are...yeah." She knew she'd already met Fancypants before, but...for Celestia's sake it was Fancypants, the most important pony in Canterlot!! There had been a damn good reason why she hadn't served anypony yet and risked their wrath: she'd promised Fancypants he'd be the first customer to dine in the newly rebuilt restaurant and she intended to keep that promise! Plus, he'd more than subtly implied he wished to dine with her as well. Imagine that: Bon-Bon, on a date with Fancypants! Her mind swam with the possibilities and implications that would bring about, the success it could generate for the business and her own reputation...not to mention if he took a further interest in her...well, she'd never have to worry about money and working with Lyra again, that was for sure!

"...my, my, this place certainly has improved on the outside, that much is clear," the cultured chuckle of Fancypants trickled through the door, and Bon-Bon's spirits rose with the compliments. "New thatching, firefly lanterns, new hardwood decking, and even the dooknobs have been diligently polished. Heh, perhaps it's not so bad it fell down earlier; truly makes me crave a peek at the interior."

"He likes it already," Bon-Bon whisper/squealed as the hoofsteps stopped outside the door.

"Come my dear, let us go dine!"

"My dear?" Bon-Bon had enough time to mutter before the oak door opened and Fancypants strode through, looking as dapper as ever in his tuxedo and lavender bowtie. His blue mane and mustache had been neatly groomed, and even his monocle looked polished and bright. His jaw gaped slightly at the sight of the interior of The Griffin for a moment before his vision alighted on Bon-Bon.

"Ah, Bon-Bon, this place is positively smashing! And you did it without changing its rustic endearment as well," he reached out and took her hoof before bringing it to his lips and smiling. "Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on a job well done. And Volare, wonderful to see you again, my dear boy. Whew, looking a bit more up in the world since we last met, eh?" he nodded towards Volare's armor.

"Heh, well, not having a building falling on me's definitely an improvement," he nearly said something about the armor being Cloud Kicker's before its owner winked at him and made the 'zip-it' gesture. "Had a good trip down here?"

"Uneventful for the most part. However, just between you, me and the gatepost, I'm positively famished! I just hope the cooking's as good as the view," he winked as he turned towards Bon-Bon, and she felt her face flush.

"W-well I-ahem! I hope it is as well. Would you like to meet the ponies responsible for its construction?"

"Oh absolutely," Fancypants nodded and motioned out the door. "Come my dear, let's get acquainted with the talented architects." Bon-Bon watched in bemusement as a tall, slender, white-coated Unicorn with a pink mane and violet eyes stepped daintily through the door. She wore a gold-chased and jewel-encrusted necklace and her flank was imprinted with a triple fleur de lis cutie mark. She smiled sweetly at Bon-Bon and Volare before leaning easily against Fancypants and taking in the room with wide-eyed appreciation, though her admiration was furthest from Bon-Bon's mind.

"Wh-who's she?" the Earth Pony blurted out before catching herself. The slender mare looked down at her, dipped her head in a short bow, and spoke with a Prancian accent.

"Bonjour, Madame Bon-Bon. Fancypants 'as told me so much about you and zis wonderful little town. My name is Fleur De Lis, please to meet you," she dipped her horn again before resuming leaning upon Fancypants. "I am his wife."

"His...wife..." Bon-Bon murmured, her heart sinking somewhere past her fetlocks as the two Canterlotian ponies smiled politely and waited to be escorted to their table. Volare caught the stunned expression on Bon-Bon's face and stepped in quickly.

"Right this way," the pilot nodded, motioning with his wing towards the table with Octavia and Trixie.

"Ah, Octavia Philharmonica! My dear, it's been ages!" Fancypants grinned and trotted forward, leading Fleur to the table. Once they'd moved on, Volare turned to nudge Bon-Bon, whose mouth was moving soundlessly.

"Hey, you ok?"

"Y-yes, just...fine-no, no I'm not ok...in fact I feel ill," Bon-Bon winced and trotted quickly towards the kitchen. "So ill in fact that I may not come out the rest of the night. Please keep the situation in hoof, Volare. Thank you." And with that, she disappeared into the kitchen.

"N-no problem...jeez," Volare cringed and looked towards the table. Twilight and the others caught his expression, and the Librarian shrugged helplessly-she couldn't get near him still. Instead, Pinkie came hopping over and Volare explained that he thought that Bon-Bon believed Fancypants had asked her out on a date, but once he'd showed up with his wife...

"Ouch," Pinkie frowned and scratched her chin before brightening. "I've got an idea of how to cheer her up! Don't you worry, cuz Pinkie Pie's on the case!" She zipped out of the restaurant leaving Volare bewildered and more than a little worried about what she had in mind.

"Where'd Pinkie go and what's up with Bon-Bon?" Dash asked as he returned to the table.

"Bon-Bon had some feelings beyond business for Fancypants that were crushed when his wife showed up...and I think Pinkie's got an idea for fixing it."

"Oh boy," Dash chewed her bottom lip for a moment before patting the menu in front of her. "Sooo...um...you wanna eat with me, or you wanna go hang with Fancypants and company?"

"Heh, I probably should, but with Twilight over there..."

"Oh, right. Forgot, heheh."

"Well, I'm not complaining terribly about the alternative," he smiled and prepared to settle back down before a hoof tapped him on the back. He gave Dash a helpless little look before turning to find Lyra standing there. And she looked worried. "Uh-oh, what's up Lyra?"

"Well, it's nothing terribly important, but...well," she scuffed the floor with a hoof and looked towards the front door. "There's something at my place you gotta see." Dash raised a brow for a moment before nodding her consent; she had a feeling doing anything crazy with Lyra or anypony else right now was the furthest thing from his mind, plus she'd seen how much he cared for his friend's feelings firsthoof, no matter how silly or small they might be.

"Well, it's big enough to bother you, so let's go check it out."

"Want me to order for ya, flyboy?" Dash tapped her menu.

"Um...yeah, mushroom and potato soup if you don't mind," he said over his shoulder as he followed Lyra out the door.

"Gotcha!" Dash nodded and perused the menu herself for a while before noticing Twilight excuse herself from the group around Fancypants and trot over to her. "Sup, Twi?"

"So...how'd it go? With you and Volare, I mean," Twilight asked in concern. Despite Volare's attempt to shield her and Cloud Kicker's distraction, she'd noticed how distraught Dash had gotten even from all the way across the room. That and the half-cleaned rouge on Dash's cheeks didn't do much to disguise the fact that she'd been crying.

"Go? Oh, it went as good as it could, I suppose," Dash replied, her mind now focused on dinner. But Twilight wasn't satisfied and pushed the menu to the tabletop to get Dash's full attention.

"Did you tell him?"

"I...I tried to, Twilight," Dash groaned and hung her head. "I nearly did, but he stopped me, and told me I didn't need to blame myself for everything he's gone through and that...that I made his life a little bit brighter." She sniffed and looked back up at her friend. "I couldn't do it, Twi. I couldn't hurt him again."

"I...I understand," Twilight sighed and patted Dash on the shoulder. "Do you feel a little better though?"

"Yeah, a lot actually. He said he didn't want me to change, that he needed to be the one to do that. He...said he liked me just the way I am." That little confirmation set off the tiniest of warning bells in Twilight's head, but she held her tongue and remained composed.

"That's good that he's finally wanting to adjust to things, just...you be careful with him, ok?"

"I will, Twi. Trust me on that one. He may not want me to change, but I'm gonna figure out a way to be a better friend somehow. And you can take that to Ponyville Bank," she thumped a hoof on the table and grinned, as did Twilight. Hopefully Dash would tell him everything soon, but for now, she was just happy to see Dash smiling again.

"Ok, so what'd you wanna show me, Lyra?" Volare asked as the lyricist led him into her home. He stumbled over the remains of the cleaning materials they'd been polishing up the human items with over the past few days, nearly toppling over a massive mountain of well-used dishrags as they went along.

"Eh-heh, sorry Volare. Man, I gotta do my laundry," Lyra chuckled and ducked under a precariously-balanced arch of human junk ranging from barstools and lunch-pails, to picture frames, beer mugs, and car parts.

"Yeah, among other things," Volare chuckled as she halted in front of a narrow-framed closet door.

"Ok, I kinda remember what you told me about how humans made weapons and such to fight each other," Lyra reached for the doorknob and turned back to regard him with a serious look. "And, well...I dunno what this is, but it looks like some of the things you've described before and I was hoping you could enlighten me and let me know if it's safe to put up in The Griffin on this perfect little empty piece of wall behind the bar."

Oh gawd what had she found? Volare's mind raced as she pulled the closet door open, thinking that she'd found a bomb, a missile warhead, a land mine, or something of the like that might detonate and blow up either her own house or a significant chunk of the town. "Uh, hang on a sec-holy shit!" Volare shouted as a long, aged piece wood and steel fell out the door and bounced once before settling down, the barrel pointed right at his leg.

"Yeah that-what the hay is it?" Lyra obliviously scratched her mane as Volare jumped out of the potential line of fire, eyes wide as dinner plates and his heart pounding a mile a minute. After the initial shock wore off, the pilot relaxed somewhat, that was until Lyra levitated the object and started inspecting it.

"L-Lyra, that's a rifle; an M1 Garand. Be very careful with tha-oh dear gawd," he moaned as Lyra flipped it around and stared down the barrel end.

"Ooh, an M1, what's it do?" she grinned, trying to see the bottom of the metal tube and noting that there were spiral grooves cut into the inside edge of it.

"For the love of-Lyra, a rifle shoots bullets: little hot pieces of metal that kill things!"

"Oh wow, interesting. How's that work?" Volare's stomach flipped as he saw her magic trailing over the action, fiddling with the bolt and trigger guard.

"The bullets come out of the end you're staring into!" he practically shouted, and she finally got the gist, tossing it away from herself in a panic. "Oh shit, don't do that!" She quickly caught it before it hit the ground and turned with it...pointing it right at him on accident! "Jesus Christ Lyra, just-put it down, put it down! Butt on the ground!"

"Butt on the ground?" she muttered and shrugged. "Um, ok," and she flopped down on her plot, the rifle across her knees and a huge grin across her face. "Like that?" Volare facehoofed and groaned before composing himself.

"No, the fat end is the butt-stock. Just...set it up in the corner, and gently!"

"Like this?" Lyra finally got it right, standing the rifle up next to the closet door before rising to her hooves and patting Volare on the shoulder. "Jeez dude, you oughta calm down before you drop dead."

"Haha, very funny," Volare muttered and trotted forward to inspect the old rifle. "Ok, lemme explain this real quick: Butt-stock, trigger, action, bolt, hand guard, barrel, sights. Pull the trigger to fire it, and that's how it works in a nutshell," he pointed out the features on the gun and pulled the bolt back slightly to see that, yes it was indeed loaded...and the safety had either been broken or rusted off. Great...

"What's wrong?"

"It's loaded with bullets that can travel over half a mile easy and can blow a pony's leg off...or worse," they both cringed at the thought. "As long as it's loaded, it's very dangerous."

"So how do we unload it?" Lyra lifted her hoof to approach it once more, thought better of it, and backtracked, looking to Volare for answers.

"Well, there're two ways. Eject the ammo or fire it," the pilot leaned over the action, and sighed once more. "Problem is, I've never personally handled one of these things before, and since what looks like the safety is missing," he nodded at the broken latch. "If I start fiddling with it, it could go off at any time, even if we simply drop it."

"So let's just shoot it off then. We'll aim it at the wall so it doesn't hit anypony," Lyra grinned at the brilliance of her plan, but Volare shook his head.

"Uh...probably not a good idea. Not only is it loud as hell, but-how thick are these walls?"

"Hmm...about 6 inches of wood and brick. Why?"

"The shell this thing fires is...well, humans on Earth stopped using it because it was too powerful. It'd go through 5 or 6 enemy soldiers before slowing down, leaving a hole the size of my hoof in each one of them." At his description, Lyra's face took on a darker shade of green.

"Eesh...and I've just tossed this thing in here once or twice without knowing. Heh, you humans are crazy," she slapped him on the rump and rubbed her chin. "So, what do we do with it?"

"Put it somewhere safe, somewhere solid."

"Oooh, I got it," Lyra's face brightened and she levitated the gun off the floor to her bedroom, where she swung a large picture of Princess Celestia out of the way to reveal a medium-sized square steel door with a combination lock dial in the middle of it. "Somewhere safe, right?" she chuckled as she unlocked it and slid the rifle inside barrel-first.

"Huh, kinda redundant but brilliant," Volare shook his head in relief as the rifle just barely fit and Lyra closed the door over it, spinning the dial to lock it and replacing the picture. "What the heck else ya got in there?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out...or not," she poked him in the chest with her magic and trotted out of the room. "C'mon, at least I know what to watch out for."

"Where the hell'd you find that thing anyways?"

"Oh, some little old Unicorn in Baltimare had it. I honestly thought it was some sorta crazy plumbing fixture so I figured 'what the hay', and snagged it last week. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare muttered, wondering what other crazy crap had made its way to Equestria. He stepped over a small wooden box that had fallen out of the closet as he followed her, wincing as his hoof somehow managed to clip it and kick it across the floor where it struck the wall and opened up, spilling its lone content and causing Volare to pause in his tracks.

"Whatcha got there, Volare?" Lyra asked as he picked up the smallish, round brass object.

"I dunno...looks like a pocket watch, but-" he pressed the little dial on top of the object and it flipped open, revealing a whirling little dial. But this wasn't a watch. "Whoa...it's a compass."

"A compass?" Lyra peered down at the little brass circle in awe. "What's that?"

"Wait, you seriously don't know what a compass is?" the pilot tilted his head in disbelief as he watched the red arrow pointer in the center of the compass continue to whirl about. He held it flat in his hoof, but it still didn't stop spinning, and it perplexed him.

"Nope."

"Well, on Earth a magnetic compass is used to help someone find which direction is North," he said as he trotted outside, thinking maybe the junk in Lyra's house was throwing the compass off. But moving outside didn't change a thing; if anything, it was whirling faster now, as if it had no idea where North was. "But this one's messed up or something." Or their planet doesn't have a magnetic field...great. What protects them from Mr. Sun Ray Cancer? Celestia's Love?!

"Weird, we don't need compasses here to find North," Lyra replied.

"Then how do you know where it is?"

"Heh, simple. North is always left of East, and West is always right of South," she pointed her hooves in the appropriate directions. "At least, that's how I was taught. See, no compass required."

"Oookay...this place just keeps getting crazier and crazier," he muttered and sat the compass back in the house. "Come on, let's get back to everypony else. Oh, and do not mess with that gun again unless I'm there, ok?"

"Roger!" Lyra tossed a salute and together they trotted back to dinner.

................................

Meanwhile, as Bon-Bon sulked in the kitchen of The Gilded Griffin with a whiskey barrel she'd tapped for the night's occasion and took wine-glass shots in disappointment of discovering that Fancypants was married and hadn't actually been interested in a date with her after all, Pinkie Pie re-entered the restaurant with a rather loud pony she thought would be good for injecting a little life into the place as well as cheering Bon-Bon up. Heck, she had fun with him, why couldn't mopey-wopey Bon-Bon?

"Ach, 'ello an' good evenin' everyponeh!" a boisterous voice boomed from the front of the restaurant and catching Bon-Bon's ear.

"I say, a Scoltspony!" she heard Fancypants' declaration accompany the scraping of a chair on the floorboards. "Good evening to you sir. Haha, I'm a quarter Scolts on my mum's side and it's a delight to meet somepony from the old country. The name's Fancypants."

"Faber McIronshod, great nephew of Ferrum Smithshoe, who Ah've been told provided tha materials ta build this place," he said with a low whistle. Bon-Bon leaned out of the kitchen door and gasped at the sight of the Unicorn that towered a head higher than even the lofty Fancypants. Perhaps it was the whiskey, but...she felt a little stirring in her chest as her eyes inspected his strong form, wondering if he-

Snap out of it, Bon-Bon...this isn't a night for that. This is a night for...for...celebrating, she groaned and returned to the whiskey keg, slumping on the floor as she sampled the biting liquor once more. After nearly 15 minutes, she heard Pinkie Pie say something inaudible, and then felt heavy, but tentative hoofsteps approaching the kitchen before a large cornflower blue head ducked through the doorway.

"Halloo? Pinkie told meh ta check for a poneh named Bon-Bon in here-ach, there ya are, lasseh," he grinned and approached the pink and navy-maned mare. "Name's Faber Mc-"

"Yep, I heard you out there. Wow, you're bigger in person-hic!" Bon-Bon said before she could stop herself, and she felt a deeper blush from something other than the liquor creep into her cream-colored face.

"Heh, so Ah've been told. What're ye doin' all cooped oop in 'ere while everyponeh else is celebratin' oot there?" he nodded towards the door with a friendly smile.

"Meh, I've got nothing to celebrate," Bon-Bon replied sullenly, and Faber's face fell. He got closer and sat down on the floor next to her.

"Ach, what's got ye daown, lasseh? Aren't ye tha owner o' this new place?"

"Co-owner, yeah. Lyra's the other."

"Ah see...well, Ah don't see any Lyra 'ere right naow, so..." he spied the keg of whiskey on the counter and his brow raised. "Does that mean you're enjoyin' that whiskeh all by your lonesome? Whiskeh from me 'ome o' Scoltland, if Ah'm not mistaken," he eyed the label. "Ach, Spurside. Good stuff, that."

"Be my guest--glasses are in the cabinet-hic!" Bon-Bon waved a hoof in the general direction of the cupboards, and the large Unicorn gave her a concerned look before locating two shot glasses, replacing the wine glass in her hoof with one of them. "Hey, what's the big-"

"Lass, if ye drink whiskeh like that, ye'll be shite-faced before ya 'ave a chance ta enjoy it," he filled his shot glass and poured it into hers before refilling his. "Naow then, let's find somethin' ta toast to."

"I dunno," Bon-Bon eyed the liquor for a moment before looking back up at Faber. He seemed sincere and friendly...perhaps a little too friendly. "What do you want?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Pinkeh told meh a little Earth Poneh mare that shoulda been happeh wasn't doin' so well, and thought Ah could try mah hoof at cheerin' ye oop," he smiled and raised his glass. "Or at tha very least keep ye company so ye dinnae have ta be sad alone."

"Hmph, what've you got to be sad for?"

"Ah can't go 'ome for one, nor do Ah 'ave any bits to me name save what Ah've earned these past two days workin' for Ferrum," he levitated three bits out of his bag and winked. "So ye don't think Ah'm robbin' ye o' such fine liquor an' companeh," he made to lay the bits on the counter, but Bon-Bon laid her hoof on his foreleg.

"No...no, that's ok. You can keep the bits. The conversation....it's payment enough," she managed a small smile and raised her shot glass. "To...good talks."

"Aye, an' ta many more."

Clink!

Half an hour later...

Volare and Lyra returned without much fanfare, the Unicorn resuming her post at the bar and Volare rejoining Dash at their table, a pot of steaming soup waiting for him. Dash had already started without him, and he shot her a grateful grin before digging in himself, swapping small talk about the rifle with Dash, while she filled him in on Faber's arrival as they ate. Meanwhile, at the table with Fancypants, they had nearly finished the main course, and everypony was feeling full and happy. Twilight had just finished telling Fleur and husband about how Volare had saved Trixie from the collapse of the original Gilded Griffin when the Unicorn in question cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the entire table.

"Ahem, yes...I um, want to thank you all for being so supportive of me and allowing me to redeem myself through this project. But the true honor goes to Octavia, who thought up the plan at the outset. Without her intervention, both during our duel and afterwards, I'd likely be rotting in the dungeons of Canterlot right now, or worse. Without her, this building wouldn't have been erected. And without her...well...I don't think I'd be who I am today," she smiled and brushed her hoof across Octavia's beneath the table.

"You're too kind, Trixie," the cellist blushed modestly, though under the table she returned the brush two-fold, squeezing Trixie's hoof with her own.

"No, I'm being honest...finally, no more lies and illusion. And so," Trixie placed her hat on the table, lit her horn, and with a flourish of her hoof, she caused a pop and a blue flash beneath the pointy hat. "I went back into the Everfree two nights ago, to gather what I could find of my old wagon that the manticore destroyed. I couldn't find much, though I did recover something I hope you'll accept, Octy." She raised her hat, and beneath it lay a small, incomplete porcelain teaset. Small cracks laced along the outside of the teapot, but it was sound, as were the gold-rimmed little cups, and Octavia's eyes widened as she brushed one with a careful hoof and raised her eyes to Trixie's.

"What's this?"

"This was my personal set, before...well, before everything happened," she scratched her mane nervously. "And I remember how I broke your favorite teacup that night and...I know it won't make up for it, but I was just wondering if you'd-" Trixie was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and a small brown colt with a green mane cantered inside with a huge grin on his face. He seemed vaguely familiar to Trixie until he spoke, and the memories of him back in the hospital came rushing back to her, leaving her momentarily stunned. He'd seemed so sick and weak then...but now, he practically danced across the hardwood as he gazed about The Griffin.

"Aunty Octy!" the young colt cried when he spotted the cellist and rushed to her side, nuzzling her hoof and smiling brightly.

"Why Loam, it's been some time since I last saw you," Octavia wrapped a hoof around him and sat him on her leg. "Everypony, this is my nephew Loam."

"Hi," he waved a hoof shyly as he realized he was now the center of attention. But that shyness evaporated once he locked eyes with the blue magician seated across from his aunt. "Oh my gosh, Trixie!" he said as reached a hoof towards her. "How're you doing?"

"Oh, much better since we last met, Loam," she bumped her hoof against his and smiled. "You're looking fairly chipper yourself, little one."

"Oh yeah, mom keeps telling me I've got so much energy now that if I had wings I'd be flying in my sleep!" His comment drew laughs from everypony all around for well over a minute, including Dash and Volare.

"Aww, you know him, flyboy?" she nudged his shoulder.

"Yep, his mom brought him into the hospital with the flu while Trixie was there. The place was full and they were about to turn him away when Trixie gave up her bed for him."

"Wow...she seriously did that herself?"

"All by herself, yep," he nodded, proud of her. "We teased her about it afterwards, and I know she denies it, but deep down...I know she had no problem with what she did." As he spoke, Loam gave Octavia a final nuzzle and headed out the door, saying he was just checking the place out for now and that his mom would get him good if he were late to bed.

"So, Trixie..." Octavia turned to regard the magician once her nephew had left. Trixie caught a strange look in her eye, and combined with her tone it set her on edge, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

"Um yes, Octy?"

"Let me get this straight," Octavia daintily dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before neatly folding it and fixing her entire attention upon her friend. "You attack my friends, attack me, break my cello bows, tear up my mother's mother's cello, and caused the collapse of this building?"

"Uh, y-yes, that's true," Trixie shrank away from the smolder in the cellist's lavender eyes, and Twilight tensed, sensing trouble.

"And you also destroyed my favorite teacup and try to pay me back by offering me your crude little set?"

"...yes?"

"And you have the bollocks to call me your friend and say you care about me, that you wouldn't be the same pony you are now without me?" Octavia's voice remained steady, though she was now standing up and leaning across the table, while Trixie had practically begun to retreat beneath it.

"........yes."

"You want to know what I say to that, Trixie?" Octavia leaned up a little further and looked down at the magician. "I say I'm absolutely, one hundred percent alright with all of that. But when you got involved with my little nephew...and saved his life...that's when you crossed the line. And now," she reached down and grabbed Trixie by the jeweled broach of her cape and hauled her upright. "You've forced me to cross it as well."

"W-what line is th-that?" Trixie's eyes were wide with confusion and fear, and she missed the tiniest of impish smirks that crossed Octavia's mouth.

"This one." And with that, she closed her eyes, pulled Trixie closer, and mashed her lips against the Unicorn's in a fierce and passionate kiss, right in the middle of the dinner table! Fancypants' monocle fell off his face, Twilight's jaw dropped, Fleur blushed scarlet, Dash and Volare's eyes went wide, and Pinkie merely grinned as Octavia moaned lightly into the kiss, finally pulling away and allowing the flush-faced Trixie to gasp for air.

"I say..." Fancypants muttered quietly, the only noise to break the awkward silence that had fallen upon the table. Octavia wiped her mouth with her napkin once more and leaned back across the table to peck the stunned Trixie on the lips.

"Trixie, how would you like to go and um...test out this marvelous teaset at my place?" she glanced briefly at the teapot and smiled devilishly. Tea was the last thing on her mind.

"...ch-check please!" Trixie called out after finding her voice. She paid their bill, and together the two mares trotted out of the restaurant without another word besides a brief goodbye to their company.

"Dude, I told ya," Dash snickered and nudged the similarly stunned Volare with an elbow. "Whipped!"

"I believe you now, Dashie," he shook his head and downed his ice water with a gulp. "Whew, that was nuts!" Pinkie sensed the still-lingering awkward silence in the room and hopped her way up to the sound stage, looking for Vinyl. "Oh hey, there you two are," Pinkie giggled as she poked her head over the back edge of the stage. "Vinyl, we need some music, stat!"

"Whoa, knock next time!" Cloud Kicker play-scolded and shook a hoof at her pink friend, while Vinyl fumbled about for the shades that had been knocked askew by the Weather Lieutenant's exploratory hooves.

"What happened?" the DJ asked as she finally found her shades under the sound stage and stuck them back on.

"Well, Octavia kinda confessed her love for Trixie, kissed her, and then they both left. Kinda shocked everypony, though I dunno why," she glanced back at the silent restaurant. "It was only a matter of time plus it was pretty obvious, heeheehee!"

"Haha, well if that don't beat all," Cloud Kicker snickered and hauled herself and Vinyl back onto the stage. "Whew you're right, this place is kinda stunned-ish. Hey Scratchy, you got something to liven this place up with?"

"Hay yeah I do, and it'll gimme a good chance to test the equipment out," Vinyl's horn glowed and plucked up a freshly-created disk with music pulled straight from Volare's consciousness the day before, a song for both the cultured present and the ponies who wanted to move! "Alright everypony! I'll let you say it, Pinkie," she grinned.

"LET'S PAAAARRRRTAAAYYYY!!!" Pinkie shouted, the disk dropped, and the music began.

As the music played and swirled about them on the new system Vinyl and Trixie had erected, imagery of the notes, beats, riffs, and counter-melodies flashed over the walls using the projection system on the opposite wall in a laser-light show of epic proportions. Even Fancypants was nodding his head in approval and shaking congratulatory hooves with Lyra on a job well done on the restaurant. Dash looked at Volare, her question eaten up by the sound, but he could read her lips. He nodded: yep, this is from my mind. The fiery mare simply shook her head in wonderment and grinned, hoofing him roughly before tapping her hooves to the music on the table.

Before long, a booming, laughing voice could be heard coming from the kitchen even over the music, and everypony turned to see Faber, obviously fairly inebriated, come stumbling out of the kitchen with Bon-Bon in tow. The two were grinning like fools and both wore heavy blushes from the whiskey and from laughter as they danced across the floor, kicking up their hooves in wild abandon and simply having a good time. Volare winced and turned to see Fancypants' reaction, but rather than disapproving, he was laughing and cheering them on louder than anypony else!

"Well, I'll be damned," Volare laughed and bobbed his head to the music, glancing sideways at Rainbow Dash and noticing just how happy she was...and once again noting just how striking she looked when the light hit her mane just right. Combined with the remainder of the rouge and her contagious, voice-cracking laugh he'd come to enjoy...and he very nearly found himself wishing he'd been born here...that things had been different. That maybe his original discovery of her wouldn't carry so much baggage and then maybe they could-

Dash caught him looking at her and she grinned, leaning in to shout into his ear so he'd hear her over the music; in doing so, her lips brushed against his cheek and she felt the blush break out on his face. "Hmph, guess I still got the touch, eh flyboy?" she said as she leaned back and grinned roguishly.

"Heh, you hear me complaining, Dashie?"

"Huh?" she called back, and leaned in to hear better, but he mistook her actions for something else, and he leaned away just as somepony huge and blue crashed onto their table between them, collapsing it beneath his huge laughing weight. Dash and Volare looked down to see Faber on his back, face red with drink and exertion, while Bon-Bon stood nearby, facehoofing and giggling despite herself.

"Ach, hehehahaha, may Ah 'ave this dance, lasseh?" he winked at Dash, who raised a skeptical eyebrow. She and Volare both exchanged glances before raising their right hooves back and simultaneously punching Faber in the chin, cold-cocking the drunken Scoltspony on the spot. The two Pegasi exchanged glances once more at their completely unrehearsed actions, and immediately burst out laughing.

"Hey, let's get outta here before something else crazy happens," Dash leaned in and chuckled, and for once, Volare had no argument about that.

"Right behind ya, Dashie."

"Yeah, I bet I know why," she flicked her tail and teasingly swatted him in the face as she stood up.

"To stare at your skinny flank? Pfft, nah, I prefer Fluttershy," Volare shot back, and Dash burst into guffaws again.

"You're getting better flyboy, I'll give ya that," she admitted as they waved their goodbyes to Fancypants, Twilight, and the others, Volare leaving the armor by the door for Cloud Kicker to find. "But..." she said once they were outside of the restaurant, and she shoved him up against the wall, placed her hooves on his chest and looked him in the eye, snickering at his quickened breathing. "I'll always be the best," she smirked and blew air on his face before letting him down, snickering at his rising wings.

"I'll get you back just like that one of these days, Dashie," he growled and hip-checked her, ignoring his wings for the moment.

"Ha, fat chance! You'll never turn me on bad enough to get me to pop a wingy in public," Dash shot back and attempted to trip him, but he smoothly cantered over it and returned her smirk with his own.

"That a challenge, Dashie?"

"Pfft, that's a promise," she hoofed him in the shoulder and they lapsed into silence for a moment, simply trotting along and enjoying the sudden peace that contrasted with the noise and lights of the restaurant. "Some crazy good job you guys worked there, Volare."

"Yeah, hard to believe we pulled it off. You think Fancypants'll sponsor it?"

"By the way he was enjoying himself...I'd leans towards 'hay yeah'," she nudged him with a wing. "You did good, flyboy."

"Thanks Dash...just kinda confused now, I guess," he mused as he looked up at the sparkling stars above.

"Whatcha mean?"

"Well, I mean I don't have a job, I don't have a place of my own-"

"Hey, my place is your place, flyboy," she insisted before realizing how that sounded. "Ahem, I mean...till you can build your own house...yeah."

"Thanks, Dash," he grazed his wingtip along hers. "You're an awesome friend."

"Heh, course I am," she puffed out her chest for a moment before glancing about to confirm that nopony else was watching. "But, just between you and me...a little reminder now and again is totally cool too," she nuzzled him briefly and grinned.

"Keep earning'em and I'll keep giving'em."

"Will do, flyboy," she saluted and bumped him with her hip as she walked. He soon picked up on the slight limp she carried herself with due to her scarred hoof, and he offered her his wing in support, which she took after a moment of hesitation. Heh, maybe he IS different...but I know how he feels about it so...well, crap. Gimme a break, he says a few nice words and you change? You're not that petty; you're Rainbow Dash! It'll take more than a little sweet talk and forgiveness to change my mind...and you still never told him everything...still, it'd be a nice start. "So, um...what about your job situation?"

"Oh, I dunno...I was going to ask Ferrum if he wanted help around the store, but now that Faber's working for him, that seems outta the question. And I got a little tour cut coming in from Vinyl, but she's about to pack it up until next spring, so there that goes too," he blew out his chops and sighed. "Got any suggestions?"

"Well...there's always the Weather Team," she suggested and he chuckled.

"Two problems with that: one, I don't know a thing about weather control; two: you'd be my boss, and I dunno how I'd deal with you having more control over me," he said and stuck his tongue out.

"Pfft, as if."

"Oh come on, don't you pride yourself on being able to make me do just about anything, or have I been totally misinterpreting everything from you as a misguided attempt to make me fall madly in love with you?" Volare teased and received the expected wing to the face in response.

"Haha, very funny, flyboy. But while you're feathering around, I'm dead serious."

"You want me on the Weather Team for real?" he glanced sideways to see if she was smiling, but she wasn't. "Oh...but I don't know-"

"Pfft, it's easy enough. Just gotta know a little weather theory and practice it, that's all. Come on, I reviewed Ravenfire in less than a week and she was really rusty."

"There's a difference between rusty and non-existent, Dashie," he muttered, but she placed her wing comfortingly over him.

"Come on, I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think you could hack it. Ravenfire and Cloud Kicker can whip you into shape pretty quick."

"What about you?"

"I have a seasonal review Sunday in Cloudsdale that won't have me back until Thursday, so I'm kinda out."

"I hope it goes well."

"Yeah, me too," Dash's brow furrowed. "Been kinda a crazy year, what with Discord showing up with chocolate rain all over the place."

"Oh come on, that doesn't count!"

"I'm just hoping the Weather Bosses there see that and cut me some slack. We did do well with Tornado Day, so that's a plus."

"True that...so you think I can do it?"

"I know you can do it," she grinned and hoofed him. "Plus, if you learn well enough...it'll set us up for some pretty neat Dares later."

"Oh I just knew you had some kinda crazy agenda, Dashie!" he swiped a wing at her as she galloped off and took flight.

"Hey, you know me!"

"Not sure whether that's fortunate or unfortunate," he replied as he took off after her. "Where we headed?"

"Home, duh!"

"For what, may I ask?" At his words, Dash stopped in mid air, did a 180, and flew past him, swiping at him with her own wing before pulling back alongside him.

"To sleep, you knucklehead!"

"Aha, I knew that."

"Riiight...race you there?"

"You're gonna win, Dashie."

"Might let you win this time, flyboy."

"Nah, I'd rather earn it," he matched her fierce grin with one of his own.

"Good, cuz I don't do charity," she hoofed him and sighted in on the distant house. "Ready?"

"Nope."

"Too bad-set!"

"...dammit, Dashie," he tensed his wings.

"Go!!!" She took off like a rocket, leaving him eating her clouds. Strangely enough, he didn't care...he was just happy they were still friends and understood each other better now. Besides, he'd get her later when she least expected it...

...............................
Hours later...

"Alright guys, you ready for this night to really kick off?" Cloud Kicker grinned and glanced sideways at the two mares she had her hooves tossed over: Vinyl Scratch and Lyra; the DJ wearing the peytral and Lyra wearing her helmet. The three turned out to be the last ponies remaining once the dinner concluded with Fancypants confirming his sponsorship...well all except for the unconscious Faber of course, whom they'd left propped up in the booth, with Bon-Bon volunteering to stay the night with him to keep him out of trouble. After passing that information onto Ferrum, the trio decided to head to Vinyl's place, as it had the most room...plus the DJ's bed was more than accommodating enough for the three of them.

But as they opened the door of the musician's duplex, they came upon the strange sight of Trixie's hat on the floor...followed by Octavia's tie...and then Trixie's cape...and then-
"Oh holy hay, sorry you two!" Cloud Kicker cried when she turned on the lights and found the owners of the clothing to be....very currently involved on the sofa. The pair barely glanced at the intruders before resuming their congressional session...and by the sound of things, it was one hell of a debate. Lyra simply stared for a moment in shock before Cloud Kicker pulled her out of the room, leaving Vinyl by herself for a moment.

"Oh-ah, yeah well, um...you guys look busy so...yeah, we're just gonna leave ya to it," the madly blushing DJ sputtered and flicked the lights off before heading out the door. "Oh yeah, there's a button on the sofa that makes it fold out into a bed if you're interested-"

"Come on, Scratchy!" Cloud Kicker yanked the lingering DJ out the door and shut it, shaking her head at the craziness of it all. "Well, um...party at my place?"

"That works," Lyra snickered, bumping her hip against Cloud Kicker's before noticing the worried expression their DJ friend's face. "What's wrong, Vinyl?"

"Uh nothing, just uh...got this sneaking suspicion I forgot to warn them about something..." she trailed off as they trotted, and it wasn't until they reached the corner before she realized what it was...which was right about the time a loud shout of ecstasy rang out from the confines of the duplex. It sounded like Octavia had just hit a high C...and Vinyl didn't even know she could sing. "Oh yeah, I forgot to warn them about the 11 button on the sofa. Oh well, sounds like they found it anyway."

"Why've you got an 11 button on a feathering sofa?" Cloud Kicker cocked a brow.

"You wouldn't be asking why if you knew the what that it did," Vinyl Scratch cocked a grin and patted her saddlebag. "Good thing I carry my travel one. Gotta come prepared, ya dig?"

"That a double entendre, Vinyl?" Lyra giggled.

"Only one way to find out, eh?" the DJ winked over her shades just before Cloud Kicker grabbed both her friends by the hooves and hauled flank full speed to her house. It was a night of celebration, and as far as the Weather Lieutenant was concerned, they had plenty to celebrate and all night to do it!!! Her only regret was that Ravenfire was missing; she'd love to talk that crazy cougar into a foursome some day...oh well: Rule One: No Regrets, right?

Notes: This...this chapter was fun to write.
Volare: Yeah, and I know why
Author: Oh shut it, Volare...you know you liked it.
Volare: Not about to give you the pleasure of confirming that!
Author: In time, buddy...in time...but for now, we're all just glad the situation around you got fixed somewhat, and that now you're not such a stick in the flank!
Volare: Yeah well...I guess I could get used to it.

Author's Note

Cloud Kicker craziness/rules/armor/etc comes from Life and Times of a Winning Pony
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/28239/the-life-and-times-of-a-winning-pony
Thanks Chengar Qordath!!! (go read his kick ass story!)

Truth or Dare-Pt 11: Thunderstruck

Sorry for the long delay, but I bring you even more science and history!!!!

October 8th, West Ponyville Park...

"Uh, bro...I got a question: what's up with you and getting set on fire?"
If anypony else besides the little orange filly that Volare had to admit couldn't be anything but adorable (even when his mane was in flames) had asked that question, he might have blown his top in frustration. Luckily, a deep breath and the obscenity-destroying presence of the Cutie Mark Crusaders limited his reaction to extinguishing his smoking strands in the Ponyville Stream (the deep breath more for the plunge under the water than for its calming effects), which also served to reduce said shouts of frustration to a massive blast of bubbles instead.

"Is Volare trying to get his Cutie Mark in underwater breathing?" Sweetie Belle asked after the pilot didn't come up for air for nearly a full half-minute.

"Or bubble-blowin'," Apple Bloom cocked her head as Scootaloo trotted forward to poke her brother with a concerned hoof.

"Uh, bro? You ok-ah!" she jumped back as Volare's head breached the water in whale-like fashion, complete with an obligatory blast of water and air from his lips.

"Yeah, never better Scoots," he sighed and ran a hoof through his spiky mane while looking at his reflection in the gently-flowing stream, noting that the second-most forward strand of mane was significantly shorter than its brothers, and the tip was burnt black. "Well, guess it could be worse," he muttered, knowing that the moment Rarity saw him she'd probably chastise him for sullying her good hoofwork to his mane...then again, she hadn't complained much about the dragon scorching his tail, so...

He glanced up at the grove of birch trees growing on the far side of the small park just south of the Ponyville Library, but more particularly at the small cloud hovering up next to them. Ah, the source of my pain...damn you, Mr. Fluffy! As hard as it might be to believe, that little pile of harmless-looking fluff had been a pain in his flank, wings, tail, and everywhere in between for the past twelve hours. He'd been attempting to move it about as he'd seen the Weather Team doing almost effortlessly, but as he'd found out, moving a near-weightless object was much harder than it sounded! To begin with, it was a freakin' cloud, and although he'd gotten used to walking on clouds in Dash's house, pushing them around was a different story altogether. Most of the time, his hoof simply poked into the fluff and did nothing.
After several hours of consulting the "Advanced Weather Control Techniques" books that Cloud Kicker had lent him, he'd gotten frustrated and slammed a hoof into the cloud, which caused a rather interesting reaction in the form of a lightning bolt that shot out and set his mane on fire, leading to him playing ostrich in the stream...multiple times. Needless to say, getting zapped by thousands of volts of electricity sucked...a lot. And having it happen right in front of the supportive CMC didn't help much in the 'setting a good example' department.
Dammit, this would have been so much easier if Cloud Kicker had just given him some hooves-on training herself! Why'd she have to fly off and leave him after only a cursory example of weather control?!

He caught a streak of color in the ripples of the stream and he looked up to behold one of the Weather Team ponies (probably Flitter or Cloudchaser if the color was any indication) flying high above him and pushing a sizable chunk of cloud fluff towards the growing wall of clouds at the northern end of the Ponyville Valley.
Oh, that was why...
Turns out when Rainbow Dash had arrived in Cloudsdale, the Weather Bosses there had surprised her with a B+ rating on her Weather Captaincy there.

"Better than last year's," her snarky letter reply had explained. She was honestly surprised they didn't at least mention Discord's chocolate rain and cotton candy clouds antics. However, there had been one last minor detail: because of the draining of the Highland Reservoir for Tornado Day, Ponyville ended up being short a significant amount of water this year, and so the Weather Bosses deemed it necessary to take semi-drastic action for the valley in the form of a cold front (which would also usher in winter a few weeks earlier than normal, but it was the only real way to fix things in an efficient manner).

Thus, while Rainbow Dash stayed in Cloudsdale and sat on the Equestrian Weather Captain's Board that week, "a stupidly boring meeting of mostly stuck-up Pegasus stallions obsessed with their status and convinced that their own road-apples didn't stink because of it," as Dash had so colorfully put it, she gave the orders to Cloud Kicker to head up the Weather Team in her stead and ready the valley for the cold front to arrive that Friday. This wasn't like any normal thunderstorm though: a cold front was miles long, and required everypony's cooperation to make sure the East end of it didn't get too long and lash Canterlot Crag with nasty weather, or more importantly prevent the West end from snaking out over the Everfree Forest, where the excess magical energy from the wild-growing Zap Apples could potentially spin that end of the cold front into a monster storm called a Supercell, a nasty, whirling thundercloud that often seemed to have a mind of its own and could easily devastate Ponyville if it got out of hoof.

This minor logistical nightmare meant that Cloud Kicker couldn't spare the hours needed to educate Volare on Weather Work; the best she was able to do was to lend him a few textbooks, all of advanced techniques that assumed the reader already knew the basics. And try to connect the dots as he might, Volare was making little headway. He couldn't ask any of his friends for help since every Pegasus with Weather Work experience was helping to prepare the Valley by piling up clouds, disposing of potentially dangerous flying debris, or making preparations to lash down any loose items once the cold front did get there. And the ones that were available to help either had zero weather experience (Fluttershy) or were rather off-limits for obvious reasons (Twilight Sparkle). Damn, he could have used her help like when he learned about Pegasus flight, but then she'd want to know why he wanted to learn Weather Work, he'd have to either tell the truth about the game he and Dash were involved in or lie and that'd just-GAH! He'd never be ready by Friday, and he just KNEW Dash probably had something planned for their game when she got back...and he was sure to lose at this rate...

In short, Volare was having a very bad day. Thank goodness for the support of his fellow Crusaders who'd done everything from cheer him on, to taking over berating the cloud for him (in hopes of getting some sort of 'cloud-cussin' Cutie Mark according to Apple Bloom), and even zapping it with (albeit weak) sparks in Sweetie Belle's case, which surprised the hell out of him the first time. She just explained that she was worried for him and got mad and just...boom it happened! Taking Twilight's history of magic into consideration, Volare knew that meant that she probably cared a lot for him, and that just made his heart swell at the adorableness of it all. Not to be outdone, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo soon offered to buck the cloud for him, but he stopped them before they got themselves hurt.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders huddle!" The younger fillies complied within moments and gathered around him in a way that suggested conspiracy to anypony outside their little organization. But this was how things were: whether he liked it or not, he had become their de-facto leader and they looked up to him in many ways now. And it was precisely that reason why he had to put their best interests ahead of his own. Not only had he become fond of them, but he knew that if they got hurt on his watch he'd have an angry fashionista to deal with on one hoof, and possibly risked being tarred and feathered by the entire Apple clan on the other.

More importantly, there was Scootaloo, his adoptive little sister, whom he made no mystery that he cared for more than anypony else in Equestria (nor would she let him with her constant announcements of her own sisterly love for him). If he got hurt, that was all well and good; he'd committed himself to military duty knowing full well that he risked injury and death in the stead of others every time he went on the job. But if she or her friends got hurt because of him...well...beration, tarring, and feathering would compare little to the lack of forgiveness he'd reserve for himself. He was determined to have the dragon incident be the last straw in that regard, and pledged from that day onwards to be more careful with them. Being zapped by a cloud may not seem like much hurt, but he had no intention of standing by and letting harm befall them if he could help it, either.

"What's the plan, bro?" Scootaloo, asked.

"Yeah, what're we gonna do about that dern cloud over there?" Apple Bloom squinted at the piece of fluff floating by the trees. "He's bein' all innocent like he ain't hurt nopony, but we know better, right?"

"Right!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Volare, what do we do?"

"Yeah, you took on a dragon, bro! You won't let a little cloud stop you, right?"

"Heh, it's not that simple, guys," Volare did his best to suppress a sigh, knowing he was likely in for more pain in the near future, not to mention he didn't know how to break it to them that he didn't have an answer without wounding their spirits (or worse, causing them to come up with their own crazy solution). But then an answer to both problems hit him: "But I just wanna make one thing clear: this is between me and Mr. Fluffy. Nopony else, got it? Whatever you guys see me do here in the next little bit, please, please, please don't imitate me, ok?" Your sisters would kill me otherwise.

"Ok...but what're ya'll gonna do?" Apple Bloom cocked her head in concern at the grim look on Volare's face as he turned to face "Mr. Fluffy."

"Oh, you know...something stupid," he muttered and steeled himself to charge and tackle that damn cloud into the trees if he had to. But just as he mentally signed his WILL, he heard soft chuckling coming from his left and he turned to find the source of it sitting in the shade of an oak tree.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm, I must say: you're quite the amusing pony, Lieutenant Volare," Ravenfire shook her head softly and flashed him a friendly smile.

"Yeah, how so?" the pilot asked, feeling a little embarrassed that the older mare had been sitting there and watching him act like a fool for god knew how long. "And how do you know my rank?" he asked as he approached, the CMC close behind.

"Ms. Rainbow Dash told me quite a lot about you when she gave me my little...review session a while ago," Ravenfire's violet eyes twinkled as she smiled. "You've got much in common with her, if I might be so bold to say so."

"Wh-whatcha mean by that?" Volare cocked his head and halted a few feet in front of the seated rust-red Pegasus.

"Oh, nothing like you're thinking I'm implying, I promise," she nickered and tossed her mane. "Please, you and your Crusaders sit," she patted the ground and shot a glance towards the north end of the valley. "Let's not waste what nice weather we have left, eh?" Ravenfire had been a bit of an enigma since Volare had met her, and he'd never really gotten a chance to simply sit down and get to know her better. Well at this point anything was better than being electrocuted again, and so Volare complied as did the CMC, who seated themselves on either side of him, with Scootaloo preferring to perch on his withers and fix Ravenfire with a strange look.

"Why aren't you up there helping the Weather Ponies, Raven?" the orange filly asked pointedly, drawing a raised brow of amusement from the older mare.

"Heh, straight to the point I see. Your big brother's influence is rubbing off on you, it seems," the older mare laughed again, a light tinkling sound that belied her apparent age and went on for several moments before she cut herself off with a quick snort and a sigh. "Forgive me, it's just been a long time since I've met such a sharp little filly. To answer your question, Cloud Kicker deemed that I wasn't quite up to snuff on team-based Weather Work, and I doubt anypony in town would want an older mare like me doddering about and getting in the way, so...here I am, enjoying the last bit of Autumn. Pity it has to go away so fast," she glanced up at the remaining orange and red leaves clinging to the branches above her. "Never was a huge fan of winter, you see."

"Me neither," Sweetie Belle spoke up and pawed at a stray piece of grass by her hoof. "Rarity always makes me bundle up too much."

"That's only because she cares about your health, child," Ravenfire replied with a sagely smile. "I've seen how she can be a little overbearing, and more than a bit picky when it comes to what to wear, but I can tell she means well. Element of Generosity indeed."

"Meh, she lets it go to her head too much, I think," Sweetie Belle grumbled, and received a chuckling wing-pat on the head by Volare.

"No argument there," the pilot said and turned his attention back to Ravenfire. "So...what else did Rainbow Dash tell you about me?"

"Oh, quite a good bit. I know you're military, your rank of course, that you're a pilot, and that you're not a natural Pegasus, and-"

"That's not his fault, you know," Scootaloo spoke up sharply in her brother's defense. True, nopony in town had really said many negative things in regards to Volare being different, but she wasn't about to pass up the chance to stamp out such talk if she could help it.

"Oh I know, I know, she explained it to me, Scootaloo, and I mean no offense by saying so," Ravenfire waved a dismissive hoof and looked at Volare. "In fact, I'm rather interested in Volare's side of how he's coping with his rather unique situation."

"Oh well there's not much to tell, really," Volare nuzzled the back of his head against Scootaloo's chin in thanks for her defense as he spoke. "I mean, I'm flying because Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy were really patient in helping me out, and living with Rainbow Dash has been...an adventure and a half so far, but for the most part, I think I'm coping ok."

"I see," Ravenfire replied with no small amount of skepticism as she glanced at the burns on his mane and the cloud he'd been about to go WWE on. "Care to explain why you were losing a fight to a cloud, then?"

"Uh yeah...that..." Volare felt mortification burn its way across his face before Ravenfire rose to her hooves, stretched her wings, and trotted over to the cloud.

"Whoa watch it Raven! Mr. Fluffy's nasty!" Apple Bloom cried, but the shortish mare either didn't hear her or didn't care for she simply faced the cloud, stuck her hoof into it, and dragged it over to them like a mother would her naughty child by the ear. The CMC's jaws fell open and Volare only felt his embarrassment grow as Ravenfire sat the cloud in front of him and looked him in the eye.

"You know how to fly, that much is true, but from what I've gathered from observation and from Ms. Dash, you don't know a thing about Weather Work, do you? Either that or you have a strange fascination with being burned."

"I know, right?" Scootaloo giggled before catching a look from Volare and she quickly grimmed up. "Yeah, so he can't control clouds. So what? My bro's still awesome!"

"Trust me, I wasn't calling that into question, Scootaloo. I've heard a great many things about him, and seen the evidence of a good deal more, like the opening of the Gilded Griffin and the ponies that brought together. Volare, I just saw Trixie and Octavia today and I don't think two ponies could possibly be happier in each others' presence," Ravenfire grinned proudly. "And of course, the whole town knows how Volare and Scootaloo saved each other during the Running of the Leaves." At that mention, Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around Volare's neck in a hug. "The list goes on and on, so for somepony to question that would mean they truly don't know him. But we're getting off-topic here. Volare, what do you know about Weather Work?"

"Well, not much obviously," he gestured to the blackened piece of his mane. "Cloud Kicker lent me some of her books, but they're all advanced stuff, and I don't know the basics besides cloud-walking."

"I see," Ravenfire scratched her nose for a moment before brightening. "Would you believe that's actually good news?"

"How in the hay is that good news?!" Apple Bloom threw her hooves in the air.

"Because, since he doesn't know anything to begin with, we can start with a blank slate free of bad habits, child," the grey-maned mare smiled sweetly before turning back to Volare and adopting more of a no-nonsense tone. "But since he's well-acquainted with cloud-walking, we don't have to start from the very bottom either. Now then, since you know how to fly and cloud-walk, I'd also assume you know how Pegasus magic works, correct?"

"Yep, they fly with their wings and maneuver by projecting their willpower into the air through their hooves and other parts of the body, allowing them to bounce themselves in almost any direction they wish and-hey, what's so funny?" Volare demanded as Ravenfire struggled to politely suppress a chuckle behind a hoof.

"Oh, nothing just...heh-heh, please pardon me-ahem!" she cleared her throat and straightened up. "Sorry, could you please repeat how Pegasus magic works?"

Volare sighed and rolled his eyes, feeling a bit like a new recruit being badgered by a drill sergeant all of a sudden.
"According to Typhoon VI's book, Pegasi maneuver by pushing off the air using their willpower projected through their hooves. Ninety percent of it's mental."

"Very true, and I know of old Typhoon's writings," Ravenfire replied, much to Volare's surprise. "And I also know that he had to be...rather careful with how he wrote his book so that certain little...exploitable details didn't become terribly available to the public eye, at least within the bounds of Equestria."

"What do you-"

"Tell me, Volare: what do you know about the weather in Equestria?" Ravenfire cut him off, that strange twinkle having returned to her eye yet again.

"Well um, I know the clouds come from Cloudsdale's Weather Factory, so the Pegasi use them to create weather for the country."

"I see...so what you mean is that Pegasi need the Weather Factory in order for weather to be created, correct?"

"That's what I've gathered, yeah. Why? And why do you keep chuckling like that?"

"Oh nothing, nothing...I've just been out of the country for so long, with different customs and such that it's a little strange to hear such...naive conversation in regards to the weather, that's all."

"Naive?" Volare cocked his head, nearly irritated but strangely curious as to what she meant. Ravenfire leaned in close, not unlike the way in which he and the CMC had huddled earlier, and her Chesire grin grew a fraction wider as she spoke in a tone just above a whisper.

"You make it sound as if Pegasi everywhere need the Weather Factory. Has it never occurred to you that since the Cloudsdale Weather Factory only serves Equestria that other countries would have to resort to...other options?" As she spoke, she reached a hoof into the "Mr. Fluffy" and pulled out a ball of fluff which she held out for him to observe as she sat down on the grass. "Rainbow Dash also told me you're a physics major. Tell me, do you know the physical properties of water?"

"Yeah, it boils at 100 degrees Celcius, freezes at 0, and exists as either a solid in ice, liquid, or gas. Or in the case of clouds here, I guess a combination of gas and solid ice crystals, right?" The CMC simply watched, a little gobsmacked at the sudden science lesson.

"Correct. But what else do you know about water?" Ravenfire grinned and lifted her other forehoof over the fluff ball as one would do in preparation of crushing an ant.

"Um...I dunno, it can also be sublimated?"

"Hmph true, but that's a little too technical for this situation," Ravenfire chuckled and brought her hoof down, squeezing the fluff into the hollow between her forehooves. "What happens with water when its compressed?"

"It can't be compressed, at least not in a liquid state," Volare replied, shaking the cobwebs from the lessons he'd learned years ago.

"Correct, but what about in a gas state, like a cloud?" Ravenfire raised an eyebrow and smiled sagely as she awaited the answer to her little test.

"If a gas is compressed, it condensates into liquid." But as the words left his mouth, Ravenfire moved her left hoof off her right to show him the little pool of water she'd formed in her hoof, and his jaw dropped. "Whoa, that's...that's nuts. What did you do?!"

"Just what you said I did: I crushed the cloud into liquid water. It's one of the abilities a Pegasus is capable of. Surely you've seen Derpy Hooves making it rain by hopping upon rainclouds; how else did you think it worked?" she chuckled. But it made perfect sense: by condensing the cloud through jumping on it, they quite literally mashed the excess rain out of it. Ravenfire had done just that, but on a much smaller scale. "And this leads me to another point: remember when I said Pegasi in other countries have developed alternative methods in regards to weather? Well, what if I told you that those "alternate methods" were in fact the original methods and that the Weather Factory is the alternative?"

"Uh...I'd say I'd want some proof," Volare gave her skeptical look, but the confident expression on her face never wavered.

"That would be hard to come by in textual form, as many references to it have been lost or forgotten, unintentionally or otherwise, over the years for much of the same reasons why Typhoon had to be so careful in how he wrote his book." For some strange reason, Volare felt like he shouldn't be hearing this, but his sense of curiosity drove him past his sense of foreboding with all the grace of a runaway train.
"You see, while the Weather Factory is a much more efficient method of creating weather for Pegasi to manipulate to be sure, it didn't always exist," Ravenfire stood up and trotted a few steps away, still holding the puddle of water in one hoof. "Before the Factory, Pegasi had to make due with the means naturally granted to them. Problem was, those means were too slow, too antiquated, and too inefficient to keep up with the march and speed of Pegasus progress," she glanced grimly back over her shoulder. "But, since you've read Typhoon's book, you know well of how certain things can be forgotten in the hustle and bustle of development."

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare frowned and nodded, realizing just how lucky he was to have learned how to fly the way that he did. "But what other things were forgotten?"

"Or left behind?" Ravenfire cracked a half-smile. "Well, let's just say certain ponies still hold onto the old ways, as quaint and strange as others may view them," she looked down at the puddle in her hoof and sighed. "Too few do, but...just as other Pegasi value the relationships they build with the atmosphere, we too count ourselves lucky in our relationship with the weather, I think...despite what others may believe." And with a twinkle in her eye, she exhaled slowly, inhaled deeply, and then blew a gentle stream of air into her hoof. Volare and the CMC's eyes bugged as the puddle rippled, crested, and then evaporated into a little grey puff of cloud that she tossed into the air above her head with a grin. That grin dissolved into chuckles as she caught the shocked expressions on the Crusaders' faces and she shook her mane and nickered softly as Volare finally figured out a way to work his numb lips, but not before Scootaloo.

"H-how the...what the...that's impossible!" the little filly exclaimed, taking the words out of Volare's mouth. "That's just nuts! Nopony's supposed to be able to-"

"Impossible, or just obscure, Scootaloo?" Ravenfire regarded the incredulous little filly with a soft smile. "Why do ponies find what Rainbow Dash or The Wonderbolts or even Celestia herself to be unbelievable? Is it because it's impossible, or simply because it's a little amazing?" She snagged the puff out of the air and stuffed it back into "Mr. Fluffy" before settling herself back in the grass and smiling gently. "The same sort of amazement others feel when they see you fly your jet, Volare? It's not impossible...just a little out of the ordinary, and easily repeatable if one merely has the education for it." She leaned in closer and smiled sagely. "Would you like a little education, Volare?"

"Wh-why would you wanna do that?" the pilot winced at the skeptical words that instinctively left his mouth. But Ravenfire took it in stride and leaned in even closer to speak in that soft, just-above-a-whisper tone once more.

"Because you seem to be hell-bent on learning Weather Work, and I believe that I can at the very least help you avoid being electrocuted time and again, heh-heh-heh. By the way...why do you seem so intent on learning it that you'd skip the basics like that?" she cocked her head curiously.

"Well, I uh..."

"Because he said that he wanted ta learn it so he could have a job, ma'am," Apple Bloom spoke up, saving Volare's bacon for the moment and drawing a raised brow from the older mare. "Ya know, cuz now that tha restaurant is built, he said he wants ta start...what'd ya say Volare?"

"Earning his keep," Sweetie Belle smiled and hoofed Volare in the shoulder. "He's super responsible!"

"Yeah, he sure is!" Scootaloo hugged him around the neck while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle continued to grin in admiration of their "leader", which of course only made him blush in mild embarrassment.

"Aww, I'm not sure who has who wrapped around their hoof more: you or these three little dears," Ravenfire shook her head and laughed gently before looking back at Volare. "So, if it's only you wanting to learn so you can earn a job, I believe I can help; and as I said, the good thing is since you have virtually no experience, you'll have few bad habits to break, so this may actually make things rather easy. But..." she poked at his hoof with hers. "If there're any other ulterior motives, you'd tell me, right? I just don't want to get in trouble with Ms. Dash or anypony else, you see," she winked knowingly, and Volare wondered if Dash had told her about their game. "No secrets, Volare?"

"No secrets, no," he nodded.

"Excellent," she grinned and stood up, dragging "Mr. Fluffy" behind her as she trotted away towards the trees.

"Hey, where're you going, Ms. Raven?" Scootaloo called out in surprise.

"Oh you know, these old bones need a little rest, and I believe three certain little fillies need to be home soon," she glanced towards the setting sun. "Wouldn't want anypony to believe that Volare isn't responsible now, would we?"

"Aww...darn," Sweetie Belle grumbled as Volare stood up. "I wanted to see something amazing."

"Oh you just may, little one...you just may," Ravenfire smiled once more as she jammed the cloud between two birch trees and hopped up onto it before settling down. "But you and your friends have class in the morning I'll warrant, so it'll just be Volare and I tomorrow. I hope that's alright."

"Yeah, Ah guess," Apple Bloom mumbled, just as crest-fallen.

"Don't be so downcast, young ones," the older mare said as she fluffed the cloud with a hoof. "With a little luck, by the time this cold front rolls through, you just may see your brave leader perform something rather...well, out of the ordinary. See you tomorrow at 10, Volare?"

"You betcha!" he replied with a salute before leading the CMC away to their respective homes. Meanwhile, as Ravenfire settled down and shut her eyes, a pair of curious violet eyes stared out an upper window of the Ponyville Library, their owner having watched the entire exchange with much interest. Twilight Sparkle couldn't hear what transpired between the CMC and Ravenfire, but it certainly set the gears turning in her head, and she turned to go search her Library for a reference on Weather Ponies, for she'd never seen nor heard of any Pegasus being able to create clouds from water like that in her life. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night...

October 9th, Morning, West Ponyville Park...

"Ah good morning Volare! Right on time," Ravenfire beamed and hopped off her cloud as the blue stallion landed and approached her. "You ready to begin?"

"Yeah, but before we do, I've got a few questions for you, ma'am," Volare snorted slightly and halted a few feet from her. "For one, why do you really wanna help me? I mean, you said it yourself: what you know is obscure and that makes it amazing, but why are you so eager to share something that I can't even find a reference to in any of the Weather Books I was given? What's the catch? What do you know? I thought you were "rusty" and that's why you needed that little review session in the first place? And why do you wanna know if I have any secrets?" by the end of his little speech he felt the blood pounding in his ears and he reflexively pawed at the ground.

"You seem curiously suspicious of me, Volare," Ravenfire replied calmly, looking slightly hurt.

"Considering the ponies that have tried to deceive me and my situation since coming here, can ya really blame me for looking strange gift horses in their mouths?" he shrugged his wings and snorted again before regaining his composure and rubbing at his face with a hoof. "Sorry, I'm just-"

"Tired and stressed out, probably due to a bad night's sleep I take it? If so, I've got just the thing, come," she gestured towards a small cookpot under the trees. "I've put some tea on to boil that will help you relax and focus your energy on something a bit more productive." Despite his misgivings, Volare soon found himself partaking of tea and rolled oat cakes with the chipper mare. "Ah, chamomile tea. Just about nothing better for times like this," she smiled and sipped as she regarded the stallion from over the edge of her cup. "You know, unless my old mind is playing tricks on me, I don't believe we ever really got officially acquainted beyond our initial greetings after yours and Dash's little airshow. And if I remember right, the events at the party thereafter didn't really lend themselves to calm and collected conversation," she chuckled.

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare chuckled along with her. "That was pretty crazy. But Dash did tell me a bunch about you from your review session."

"Oh really? Do tell," Ravenfire took another sip and sat her cup down to listen.

"Well, um...she said you didn't always live in Equestria, but I kinda gathered that from what you said about customs here being different."

"Very intuitive. Please go on," she said and chewed on a small piece of oat cake.

"She said you made a lot of progress during your review session, though you could still use some work. Said something about you being out of practice."

"Yes, that's a good way of putting it. Out of practice Weather Team-wise in any case."

"So you lived on your own?"

"Did you determine that just now or did Ms. Dash tell you that?"

"Hmph, a little of both," Volare cocked a brow and smiled; there was something wonderfully quaint about this older mare, and he found her rather interesting to talk to, not to mention that they seemed to share a commonality in being newcomers to Equestria.

"Very sharp indeed, just as she said," Ravenfire nodded and bit off another piece of her cake. "She thinks highly of you, you know-despite what she might say otherwise. I can tell," she smiled knowingly.

"Well I think highly of her as well. She's saved my butt a bunch of times and...well, I'd be dead without her, plain and simple."

"Sounds like you feel as though you owe her."

"Well, not so much that as...ok, maybe," Volare crossed his hooves and frowned. "I mean, she busts her flank and...I guess she just makes me wanna give it my all too."

"Yes, she is quite inspiring, if more than a bit abrasive," Ravenfire chuckled.

"She definitely ignites the competitive fire in me, that's for sure," Volare grinned as he remembered admitting the exact same thing to Twilight before catching the little smile on the mare's face. "What?"

"So that's what this is all about, eh?"

"Uh, whatcha mean? And what's with that smile?"

"Because it all makes sense now, or at least some of it does," Ravenfire shook her mane incredulously. "I mean, I'd mentioned a little game in passing between you and her, but I never suspected an actual competition was ahoof. Ah don't try to hide it now, Volare; I can see it in your face. You're caught," she grinned victoriously.

"Damn," Volare growled and stared at the ground. "Guess you're gonna tell everypony, huh?"

"Now what makes you think I'd do that?" Volare's head snapped up in surprise at her reply. "This is clearly between you and Rainbow Dash, though I am curious as to the nature of it and the reasons for why you're playing it."

"Well...you know that Truth or Dare game we played at the party?"

"...are you serious?" Ravenfire's brows raised as Volare merely nodded. "You are serious...what in the world could have caused you to get wrangled into a game of Truth or Dare by her?"

"Eh-heh, let's say she got me between a rock and a hard place, and we'll leave it at that," he felt his face flush warmly.
Rock meaning cloud and hard meaning...well...yeah...eesh.

"Hmph, perhaps we all have our little secrets that don't need to be brought entirely to light," Ravenfire nodded in understanding. "And I take it that you learning Weather Work probably has something to do with it, huh? Well, seeing as how you seem pretty desperate to learn it, it'd be safe to say the stakes are quite high?"

"No kidding," Volare muttered before she patted his hoof.

"Now you know why I extended a hoof to help you, Volare."

"Wha-you knew all along?" his eyes widened.

"I suspected something was up between you two. And after speaking with her...let's just say I think you could use some help in dealing with this little conundrum. Because let's face it: knowing her pride, she's probably going to get carried away and cause either of you to do something you'll both probably regret. I merely want to help you be prepared in case a situation like that arises so you don't have to play the role of helpless little foal again, no offense."

"None taken," Volare grimaced at the sudden memory flood of crashes, the Cryhena attack, and the dragon. How much good could he have done if he'd only known what to do? If he'd only had the ability...
"So you'd teach me how to win against her?"

"Oho, let's not get carried away there, Volare," Ravenfire chuckled and poked him chidingly. "I can offer you insight but it's up to you on how to use it. Would you like me to show you a thing or two about Weather Work?"

"Hell yeah I would!" Volare grinned as his spirits brightened considerably. "Ahem, I mean yes ma'am, I would."

"Pfft, no need to be so polite Volare," she groaned slightly as she took to her hooves. "Oof, I'm just a grey old mare-not some cute little filly to be lauded over, unlike certain other young weathermares," she winked.

"What the-oh no, I so don't feel that way about her," Volare waved his hooves defensively.

"Her who?" Ravenfire cocked her head and chuckled, hoofing Volare before kicking dirt over the cook fire. "I certainly wasn't implying any mares that light the competitive fire within you," she teased with a smirk.

"Oh will you knock it off, Raven?" he swiped at her, but she nimbly dodged it. "I swear, it's not like that between me and her. It can't be." His ears drooped a bit and he frowned. "She's way out of my league and...there's too many complications besides."

"If you say so, Volare. Now then," Ravenfire's demeanor turned serious once more and she nudged him to regain his attention. "Let's both tempt our fates and get started."

"Ok, what's first?" Volare flared his wings excitedly.

"Hmm...hop on that cloud," she indicated "Mr. Fluffy" and the stallion approached it somewhat apprehensively. "Why're you afraid of it? It's a cloud, it doesn't have a mind of its own," Ravenfire chided him.

"Yeah, well it wasn't zapping the hell out of you all day yesterday," he grumbled and jumped up onto the cloud. "Now what?"

"Hmph, whether you know it or not, you and Ms. Dash both share a common interest in impatience. But that's going to have to be fixed, because although she has the sheer speed and power to get her out of a mistake, you don't. What's your wingpower?" she asked.

"Uh...I think it's stuck at like 10.2 right now."

"Yep, not enough power, so we're gonna have to focus even harder on technique," Ravenfire took to the air and hovered next to him. "What was it you said about water yesterday? That it's not compressible?"

"In liquid form yeah, and it takes a good amount of energy to compress vapor into liquid," the pilot replied as Ravenfire landed on the small cloud next to him. "That's kinda why I was so surprised you could do that."

"Heh, well the powers of the Pegasus race do grant us a certain amount of leeway from what you'd call traditional physics, but you already knew that, eh? How'd you say we maneuver our bodies in flight?" She flapped her wings, carrying the cloud and themselves to an altitude above the treeline.

"By vectoring off the air with our hooves and body, while using our wings for thrust."

"Wrong yesterday, wrong again today young one; we merely pull information from the air flow and pressure around our bodies, but that's all we do with the air," she tapped him on the nose with a hoof. "I thought you studied these things. Care to try again?"

"Um...we thrust off the air with our-"

"No, we do not," she tapped his nose again, this time a bit more roughly and it began to wear on his patience a bit. "Once more!"

"Our hooves bounce us off the air when we-"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, you're altering the wrong part of the equation, Volare," Ravenfire tapped his nose hard enough for it to sting this time, and he growled slightly in irritation. "Hmph, getting angry?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it," he narrowed his eyes and snorted. "Quit screwing with me!"

"I'm not screwing with you, I'm simply not spoon-feeding you like a foal," she replied sharply. She'd gone from motherly and friendly to a drill sergeant within moments, and the transition shocked Volare who'd seen and heard nothing but kind words from her until now. "Now then, try again and think harder this time, or I'll really whop you."

"Look dammit, I dunno what you want me to say!" he threw up his hooves. "Changing the equation? What the hell...we bounce ourselves off the air with our hooves and our-shit!" he cried as she whacked him in the nose hard enough for his eyes to water. "Can't you just gimme a hint or something?"

"All you had to do was trust me enough to ask," Ravenfire smirked and Volare felt his anger simultaneously grow and dissipate. She patted his shoulder this time and smiled. "Just trust me, Volare. I'm here to help you learn, not to mess with you. That seems to be Dash's job, heheh. But you won't learn without a little trial and error."

"Right...sorry...um, what part of the equation am I getting wrong?"

"You've mentioned the solution yourself already...something about water resisting compression," she half-smirked and sat back as she watched the wheels in his head turn.

"Water resists compression...water is...it's in the air...but it's not air, it's the...wait a sec," Volare's eyes brightened and he looked up as he remembered the words from Typhoon's book. "We don't vector ourselves off the air, we vector ourselves off the atmosphere."

"Correct! And the atmosphere is made up of more than just thin air," Ravenfire smiled and thumped his shoulder. "What's the answer? What are we bouncing off of if it's not air?" She tapped her hoof on the cloud for emphasis, and she swore the grin of realization that grew across Volare's face might split the upper half of his head off.

"It's the water in the air!" he declared with a flap of his wings. "The answer is water! Water resists compression which is what makes the air-er sorry, the atmosphere tangible to Pegasi! It all makes sense now! That's why we can vector off of it!"

"And why compressing clouds like this creates rainwater," Ravenfire stomped a hoof and a little rain dribbled out of the cloud. "That's just one of the powers we possess beyond flight. Here, try it yourself."

"Wha-how?"

"You already know how, Volare," she stepped back a bit and nodded towards the fluff. "You already treat the clouds and atmosphere in the correct manner. Now take that a step further and focus on pushing the water out of the cloud."

"But won't my hoof just go right through it like yesterday?"

"Not if you focus on moving the water separately from the air and not get frustrated. If you rush it without knowing what to focus on, you'll create an electrical build up, which will then release itself as lightning, as you found out the hard way," she chuckled and set her hoof on the cloud. "Just press down slowly like me."

"Ok, here goes," Volare imitated her, focusing on the water he knew resided within the cloud. Slowly his hoof sunk into the cloud before halting a few inches deep, and he braced himself to be shocked. Instead, his ears were greeted with the sound of trickling water, and he glanced over the side of the cloud to see rainwater running out of the cloud onto the ground. "Ha, check that out!" he grinned and raised his hoof. The indentation rebounded like mattress foam and he noticed the cloud was a bit lighter-colored than before due to the reduction of water within it. "Wow, that's just...wow," he lifted his hoof to investigate it before grinning at Ravenfire, who was merely smiling that same soft smile once more.

"Haha, you remind me of myself when I first discovered how to do that," she chuckled and flicked him with a wing. "Care to try again?"

"Yeah!" The pilot brought both hooves up and smashed them down, but this time they halted a mere inch into the fluff and a loud crack of lightning flew out and zapped a twig from one of the nearby trees.

"Easy, easy!" the older mare chuckled. "As long as a cloud is heavy with water, that'll happen. That's why you never see a Weather Pony bucking rainclouds before they've lightened themselves. Only when they're light and puffy can you buck them to bits without worry."

"Eh-heh, oops," he blushed and stood there dumbly, waiting for her next instructions and trying not to make a bigger fool of himself than he already was before she hoofed him again.

"Don't act so glum, Volare. It's all part of the learning process! Now come on. Grab the cloud and pull it back down with you," she fluttered down to the ground and looked up expectantly. "What're you waiting for slowpoke, an invitation?"

"Um...just how the hell do you expect me to pull it down there?"

"Oh you're a bright guy, I'm sure you'll figure it out," she chuckled and trotted a short distance away before sitting back down to watch him. "Yet again, you already know the answer, Mr. Physics."

"Oh haha, very funny," Volare rolled his eyes and stared at the cloud, trying to figure out how he was supposed to drag it down there. He couldn't stomp it down there for he felt that Ravenfire would scold him for it, plus knowing his luck he'd probably zap himself. I already know the answer, he thought as his mind chewed on that statement for a moment. He stuck his hoof experimentally into the fluff and focused, feeling out the water vapor surrounding his hoof. At first it didn't feel any different than normal, but gradually he began to notice something: everywhere along his hoof he felt tiny little pinpricks of cold and heat, almost like one would feel when their foot had fallen asleep; it felt like thousands of little jolts of electricity running through his hoof, and he pulled it back reflexively before he was shocked. But when no lightning came, he re-inserted his hoof once more, and focused further on those little pinpricks. They seemed to flow and eddy around his hoof like a current of...
"Holy crap, I feel them!" he shouted excitedly and looked down at Ravenfire who was wearing a small smile. "I can feel the water drops all over my hoof!"

"Good, now pull that cloud down, but not too sharply. You know why it will work, so do it!" she coached and stamped the ground with a hoof.

"Pull it down..." he muttered. Pull it down...pull it down... Volare focused on the droplets once more and cupped his hoof around a good chunk of them. But why would they follow my hoof down? Why not separate in a chunk of fluff? What keeps it together...oh you've gotta be frickin' kidding me! With a sly smirk, Volare gave the cloud a gentle tug, and the whole thing moved a few inches! He tugged it more forcefully but backed off as he felt the pinpricks begin to pull apart, and he relaxed, allowing them to reform their bonds. Slowly and gingerly, the pilot pulled the cloud towards the ground behind him, unable to stop the huge grin of accomplishment that split his face once more. This was so cool!

"Very good, Volare; you're learning quickly, or rather," Ravenfire trotted forward and fixed him with a sagely smirk. "Perhaps you're merely applying what you already knew in the first place, eh? Tell me, what is it you just did? Why did it work?"

"Well, when I stuck my hoof in the cloud, I was able to feel something I hadn't noticed before."

"Because you were looking for it this time," she replied matter-of-factly. "Go on. What did you feel?"

"Ok, this is gonna sound crazy, but-"

"Crazy in an Earth sense or crazy in a Pegasus sense?" That same little smile and slightly cocked brow.

"...touche. Ok, correct me if I'm wrong, but water molecules bond to themselves via Cohesion, and to other objects via Adhesion due to polar electrical forces," Volare recited his chemistry knowledge, knowing full well that if he were to say what he was about to say on Earth they'd probably lock him in the loony bin. "I felt those electrical bonds on my hoof like tiny little ice needles poking at me, I focused on them, and they latched on tighter when I grabbed them. Then when I pulled the cloud, the cohesion of the water vapor caused the rest of the cloud to follow along with me."

"......."

"What? You're looking at me like I'm crazy!"

"You said to correct me if you were wrong, but I see nothing to correct, Volare," Ravenfire patted him on the shoulder. "That's just about spot-on one of the basic lessons Weather Ponies are taught."

"Whoa, seriously?"

"Mhm," she nodded slightly and smiled at his near-youthful exuberance of learning.

"So I'm not crazy?"

"Well, not in a weather sense, no; though I can't say for certain about other areas," she hoofed him and jumped back rather nimbly for somepony her age, and he detected a certain...familiarity in her actions.

Rainbow Dash? Nah, THAT'S crazy talk. He shook the feeling off and chuckled, swiping a hoof at her in return, and yet again she dodged it, grabbed the cloud, and stuffed it over his head.
Yeah, this seems WAY too familiar now, he thought as he staggered about, unable to pull the cloud off his head.
"Ok, this is something I've been wondering about," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the fluff.

"Oh, what've you been wondering, Mr. Volare?" Ravenfire's voice came from his left, and he charged blindly. But it was futile as she merely hopped up in the air and alighted on the cloud above him.

"How come when a Pegasus messes with a cloud, it retains its shape, especially when they're in contact with it?"

"So you're wondering why you can't pull that cloud off your head while I'm attached to it?" Ravenfire asked cheekily.

"Could be, ma'am, ragh!" he swiped a hoof upwards into the cloud, but to his surprise it stuck in the fluff, leading to him staggering about on three legs. "Oh come on, gimme a break!"

"And now I suppose you want to know how your other leg is stuck?" she chuckled lightly and gave the cloud a tap with her hoof, causing Volare's mane to stand on end with static.

"Oh no, please don't do what I think you're gonna do!" he cried, not relishing the thought of being zapped by lightning and deafened by thunder in the close confines of the cloud.

"Oh don't worry, I wouldn't want to permanently hurt you," she snickered and he suddenly felt a "loosening" of that feeling around his head and leg, and with a sudden jerk, he popped free and fell on his flank...and was followed closely by a small bolt of lightning that struck the ground between his hind legs. "Holy shit," he hissed and hopped away, glaring up at the hovering, giggling Ravenfire. "You're evil, you know that?" he cried, but she merely shook her head.

"Hmph, said the student to the teacher when he didn't do so well on a test," Ravenfire landed and pulled the cloud behind her with a hoof, finally taking a seat next to the trees and beckoning Volare to follow. "Come, let's eat some lunch while we discuss what you've learned." If it weren't for the fact that he was indeed learning exactly how Pegasi worked with weather, he would have declined, but yet again his curiosity drove him forward, and for the next hour or so, the two Pegasi spoke more in-depth about surface adhesion and Electrostatics, which turned out to be how Pegasi could mold clouds and force them to keep their shapes while they remained in contact with them by using their hooves to align the electrical charges between the molecules. They also touched on how the more water-saturated a cloud was, the greater the effects that could be wrought upon it due to its higher cohesion (which also explained why the lighter, "drier" clouds were more easy to buck to pieces by Weather Ponies as well as safer to do so due to their lack of tendency to discharge lightning).

This led right back to the discussion of how the more experienced and in-tune with weather a Pegasus was, the better at it they became, just like flight and anything else magic-related in their world. Experience begot confidence, which begot strength, and it was a formula that Volare was becoming more and more familiar with as the days went by. And just like other forms of magic, the electrostatic properties of Pegasus-manipulated weather could be undone or countered, either by physical forces such as very high winds or a countering force by another Pegasus.

....................

"So you see, if you concentrate you can overcome another Pegasus' magic," Ravenfire instructed a few hours later as she held a cloud in place around Volare's body, just as Dash had done weeks ago. He grunted and strained against it, and she tweaked his ear in reprimand. "Don't force it! Find the gaps in the charges. Split them apart just like you would while flying through the air. Find that path of least resistance and go for it!" Now, she was obviously going easy on him for instructional purposes, but eventually she had to put some decent effort into holding him before he broke free and scattered the cloud fluff in all direction with a shout of triumph.

"Yeah! What now, huh? Keep me down, ha! No way!" Volare allowed himself a little cantering strut of pride, grinning like a fool until he felt Ravenfire's wing hit him in the head.

"Heh-heh, that's enough for now," she chided him with a chuckle before trotting in front of and looking up at him. "You've learned well today, Volare, and I want you to practice what you've learned. But before you go, allow me to give you a few rules to abide by when it comes to weather work, and really life in general if you wish: sharpen your reflexes for those will always be useful when encountering weather in all its forms, as you need to be just as quick and unpredictable as it can be; quicker even. And when dealing with weather, don't be afraid to take the path of least resistance if it will lead to a speedier end to the problem; just don't cut corners and get sloppy. Concentrate but don't overthink things, for that will make you too stiff and slow you down when you least want to. And above all, stay balanced and don't become frustrated, for the slightest mistake up there can have terrible ramifications by the time it reaches the ground."

"Yeah...no kidding," Volare gulped, remembering the flat loops he'd pulled with no G-Suit...the slamming shut of the throttle...the fall and flames and the burns...but he shook those thoughts from his mind, vowing to use them as a lesson rather than allowing them to be a hindrance to his confidence. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, young one," Ravenfire smiled politely and turned to trot back to her little campsite before she paused in mid-step. "Oh, by the way: I believe you had a few questions for me earlier this morning?"

"Oh eh-heh, yeah...sorry about that," he scratched his mane with a hoof, but she waved him off.

"No, no, it's perfectly natural to have questions when one is inexperienced. Although...I think I may have answered most of them through our actions this morning," she winked. "However, there is one big one you asked that I did not answer: why you couldn't find a reference to anything I displayed earlier, even in the most Advanced Weather Books?"

"Yeah, that was about right."

"When were those books printed?"

"I uh...I dunno, to be honest."

"Tell me tomorrow when they were printed, for that will go a long way to explaining why there was no mention in any of them," she bowed her head slightly and smiled. "And while you're at it, look up the term Wing Chun as well."

"Why's that?" Volare cocked his head as she trotted away.

"Don't be surprised if you don't find much on it, but believe me when I say that you've been learning the basics of it all day, Lieutenant," she threw a smile and a wink over her shoulder that only caused more questions to detonate in his mind. "Oh, by the way, I think you have three little fillies to pick up from class, eh?" she glanced at the sun.

"Oh crap, yeah I do!" Volare galloped off towards the schoolhouse. "See ya tomorrow, Raven!"

"I do hope so," the older mare hopped back up on her cloud to rest, a small smile on her lips. He's a quick learner, this one...this may yet go well after all...

.................

"Urgh, not a hoofing thing on whatever the hay she was doing yesterday!" Twilight Sparkle groaned and shoved On Tornadoes and Typhoons back into its recess on one of her shelves. Between helping Trixie refresh herself on post Magic Kindergarten techniques and lessons, continuing her work on a counter-spell for Volare's body, and searching for some sort of reference on what that older mare had done, she'd hardly had a spare moment to eat or rest all day. And now, with Trixie gone into town with her fillyfriend Octavia-boy did that sound weird to say-Twilight finally had a moment alone to get a little research done...but all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Grr...no, gotta stay focused," she coached herself, but her eyes kept drifting towards her bed...her cozy, warm, inviting little bed. "Oh buck it," she finally muttered through a yawn and slammed From the Top of the Troposphere shut and shuffled over to her bed. "No rush, Twilight...no rush," she tried to convince herself, but her words were engulfed by a sleepy little sigh that soon devolved into snores that rivaled even Spike's. The purple and green dragon glared across the room at his mother figure for a moment before heading downstairs to try to get some peace and quiet.

October 10th, Morning, West Ponyville Park...

"I'm going to assume by the strange look on your face that you found nothing on Wing Chun?" Ravenfire asked as Volare landed and approached after dropping off the CMC despite their protests that they felt too sick to go to class (but strangely well enough to watch Volare get electrified). The trio of sad puppy eyes they tried on him nearly worked though, and it was only by the grace of Cheerilee calling them into class that he was able to escape with his heart intact.

"Not a thing, at least not in the Weather Books," the pilot shook his mane and frowned. "Oh and those books were printed just two years ago."

"Well that would make a lot of sense," Ravenfire nodded and stood up, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck. "Those books were obviously printed after the Weather Factory was built roughly 10 years ago, so of course they'd likely have no mention of such an archaic, inefficient technique that doesn't fit the current model of full-steam-ahead speed necessitated by The Factory," she sighed slightly, muttering something under her breath about how Pegasi were leaving their history behind. "Oh well, que sera sera, right?"

"I feel your pain there, Raven," Volare nodded, recalling how technology on Earth moved in much the same way, leaving behind classic cars, cool old technologies, and just generally neat stuff one didn't see anymore, all for the purpose of "keeping up with the Joneses." It really made him appreciate what Lyra was doing in her attempts to preserve human artifacts. If only she knew just how great a service she'd be doing on Earth...

"But we're not here to dwell on pain, eh?" Ravenfire hoofed him lightly and trotted towards the cloud once more. "Let's continue. Fly up there and bring back one of those clouds if you please," she nodded towards a number of loose clouds that had broken away from the towering grey wall of rumbling fluff piled at the north end of the valley in preparation of the cold front in a few days. He complied and grabbed one roughly the same size as himself and returned to the ground with it.
"Heh, no hesitation that time, I see."

"I practiced a good bit," Volare grinned, though he grimaced inwardly: Dash probably wouldn't like the holes he'd blown in her house. "What're we doing today?"

"Oh nothing nearly as strenuous as yesterday, to be sure," Ravenfire replied and beckoned him closer before nodding at her cloud. "Bond them."

"Um...ok," Volare tentatively pushed his cloud towards hers, but once they made contact her cloud simply bounced off of his. "Um, before I electrocute myself by pushing even harder, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I'm doing it wrong," he grinned in mild embarrassment.

"Mhm, but it's all based on what you've learned already, so it's nothing terribly complicated," Ravenfire took his cloud in her hoof and stared at it. "Feel the charges just as before, and align them just like so." With a soft whump sound, the clouds bonded together. "And to pull them apart, simply do the opposite. Focus on where you want that charge being split, say right here," she pointed at a spot on the cloud. "Use the cloud as an extension of yourself, feel it as such, and..." Thwop! The cloud split just where she indicated and she hoofed him the cloud. "Now you try, but go slow and be patient cuz if you thought the shock from one little cloud was pretty bad, double that and see how you fare, hahaha!"

"Jeez, thanks for the encouraging imagery," Volare rolled his eyes and tried again, doing just as she said. He focused less on shoving the clouds together, and more on sliding their molecules past each other. With a little hemming and hawwing combined with copious amounts of his tongue poking out of his mouth, Volare managed to bond them with a grin. And just as Ravenfire had done, he focused on where to split the bonds, gave a gentle tug, and they popped apart.
"Ha, not so bad," he chuckled.

"Good. Do it again," Ravenfire smirked. "But this time, less tugging and grunting, more calm, collected control."

"Grr, fine," he nodded and for the rest of the morning until lunchtime, he repeated his actions, adding more fluff to the pile until he had a cloud roughly the size of a tennis court floating above him. Little peals of thunder grumbled within the grey mass, and the surface of it hummed with static and made Volare a little nervous. If this thing discharged....hooo boy...he'd be KFC indeed!

"Very nice, very nice indeed," Ravenfire stamped her hoof in approval and hovered around the cloud to examine it.

"Hey, I got another question, Raven," Volare spoke up as she poked a lumpy piece of fluff into place with her hoof and regarded him with a raised brow. "Dash had said you were rusty at weather work, so what gives? How do you know all this stuff?"

"Hrm, well I could answer that one of two ways: A, your friend Ms. Dash is an excellent coach, or B: well...you know the reason behind your little game with her?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"As I said, we all have the right to have our little secrets, eh?" she winked and half-smiled. "So if you won't sweat mine, I won't sweat yours. Deal?"

"Uh...deal," Volare nodded, though this only served to pique his curiosity even more. Who the heck was the mare, really? She came from Roam like Dash said, but what's up with those scars? Why the secrecy? Was she working for the guy that Ray and Jill talked about? But if she was, why hadn't she tried to kill me or something...hell, she could have easily done it any number of times by now, so that can't be it. Maybe she works for Celestia? Maybe it's all an act-"whoa!" Volare cried as a large bolt of lightning crackled out of the cloud, zipped past him, and struck a tree on the far side of the Ponyville Stream.

"Holy hay, sorry Volare! I didn't realize how unstable you made the thing and I just-damn! You ok?" Ravenfire asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm good," Volare breathed a sigh of relief as the older mare chewed her bottom lip in worry. Hell, or maybe she's really rusty after all, he scolded himself and fluttered over to pat her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Yes I'm fine I just...wow, that was a big one," she chuckled nervously and looked up at him. "Thanks for the concern," she brushed her cheek on his hoof for a moment before turning back to the cloud and scratching her head as if undecided in her next actions; while a Pegasus remained in contact with a cloud, it remained stable, but once it left contact to grab more clouds, without an enchantment to hold the charges in line, it began to become unstable once more. And the more instability one piled up in a thundercloud... "Ok, well this is gonna be interesting."

"What's that?" Volare asked as he joined her in staring at the irritated-looking cloud that was now spitting sparks of static and grumbling fairly audibly.

"We'd best move this thing over the river before trying to break it apart so we don't hurt anypony else. Problem is, it's so unstable now that touching it could cause a rather nasty reaction." She looked up at him with an expression he pinned somewhere between worry and hopefulness. "Any suggestions?"

"Is this a test, or-"

"No, I'm dead serious, Volare," Ravenfire replied grimly. "If you have any ideas, I'm all ears."

"Shit..." he muttered and wracked his brain. He was sure this was some sort of test, but the frown of worry on the older mare's face indicated otherwise. He could go and get some Weather Ponies to help, but they were occupied north of town. There was always Twilight, but how ashamed of him doing something so dangerous and foolish would she be? Besides, he wasn't even sure if she could help. C'mon man, think! What would Rainbow Dash do? He scrunched his face up and squeezed his eyes shut, thinking back through the show. Had she ever moved clouds without touching them? He could have sworn he remembered her doing something like- "Aha, got it!" he declared and flew around the opposite side of the cloud.

"Got what?" Ravenfire called out and cocked her head.

"A little inspiration!" he flexed his wings and swallowed his nervousness, hoping he was right. "Raven, start circling the cloud with me!" He flew around the cloud as he spoke, stirring up the wind with his wings.

"What're you planning, Volare?" she cocked a skeptical brow, but the pilot waved his hoof.

"Just trust me-c'mon!" He grabbed her hoof and pulled her along, and soon the duo were circling the cloud faster and faster, the wind from their wings causing the cloud to rotate, pulling tighter into itself as it did so. "Ok, just a little more! A little faster!" he gritted his teeth and squinted against the wind; he really needed to start wearing his flight goggles more often!

"What's this supposed to do?!" Ravenfire called out over the rather loud howl of the zephyr they'd spun up.

"Compact and stabilize it so we can move it!" He replied and grinned. "Now when I say go, we give it a good kick over the river!"

"Haha, I get it now!" The older mare returned the grin and flexed her hooves, ready to act. "On your mark, Lieutenant!"

"Ready!" The cloud continued to shrink into itself, growing darker and darker by the moment. "Set!" A peal of thunder growled from the cloud like an angry animal. Holy shit, I hope I'm right! "And..." he timed their next rotation in his head. "NOW!" With a mighty kick, the two Pegasi launched the spinning cloud off of their hooves and out over the western fields towards the Everfree. The black cloud expanded as its spinning slowed, groaned in protest, and exploded in a loud rumble of thunder that drew looks of confusion of many ponies on the West side of Ponyville; the cold front wasn't until Friday, right? Meanwhile, the blood pounded through Volare's ears as Ravenfire looked wideyed from the floating puffs of mist where the cloud had been and back to the pilot before a grin split her features and she shook her head and gave a whinnying laugh.

"Hahahaha, you're one hay of an improviser, Volare!" she clapped him on the back and led him back to the decidedly less-dangerous ground. "Whew, let's just sit and talk for a bit; I'm rather winded-no pun intended!"

"Same here," Volare snorted, and he sprawled out on the grass, heaving in air and closing his eyes against the glare of the late afternoon sun. "That-*huff*-was-*puff*-nuts!" He felt a presence flop down next to him and he cracked an eye to see Ravenfire sitting next to him, her mane more windblown than usual and a little of her cool-headed attitude replaced with an excited twinkle in her eyes.

"Indeed it was," she laughed and fell backwards to lie next to him, simply breathing in the air for a moment. "Oof, haven't had to exert myself like that in some time, so pardon me if you will."

"Nah, you're good...heh, not bad for an old mare," he nudged her playfully and received a thump to his chest in return.

"Not bad for a rookie. Where in the wide, wide world of Equestria did you come up with that hair-brained idea?" she tittered.

"Um..." The Sonic Rainboom Episode, duh! "I er...kinda made it up?"

"Hmph, hardly," Ravenfire rolled over on her belly and fixed him with a suspicious look. "You said you were inspired, and it certainly wasn't by me. So who was it?"

"I, uh...ok fine, I kinda got inspired by Rainbow Dash," he admitted.

"Aha, that so? I don't recall her pulling off a stunt quite like that while I've been here. Care to tell me when it happened?"

"She uh...said something about doing something like that for The Best Young Flyers Competition I think." Why the heck is she prying like this?

"Ah, interesting. Did she win?"

"Huh?"

"With a move like that, she must have won some sort of grand prize, right?"

"Er, actually...that move didn't win her the competition."

"What the hay did she do to top that, I wonder?" Ravenfire scratched her nose with a hoof and listened as Volare retold the tale of how she'd saved Rarity from falling from Cloudsdale and had pulled off the move in the process. "Wow...you know, I gotta be honest, when she told me she'd brought you here via the Sonic Rainboom I was a little skeptical, but hearing that she can do it from a third party, an off-worlder to boot...wow." Volare noticed her eyes grew a bit distant and seemed to grow almost misty, but before he could ask, she wiped her nose once more and grinned. "Well, that's certainly some strong competition for you to face in this little game!"

"Well, we kinda agreed to not dare each other to do anything the other wasn't capable of to keep things fair."

"Sounds reasonable enough," she nodded before rolling to her hooves. "Well, I've really only got one more thing to teach you today, but you've kinda already demonstrated it yourself a few times, and today's not the first time."

"What's that?" he asked and rose to face her.

"Remember how I said that we pull flight information from the air using our bodies, including the air pressure around us?"

"Yeah...?" From the return of that near-conspiratorial undertone in Ravenfire's voice, he had a feeling he was about to have his mind blown once more. "What about it?"

"That technique you had us use to compact and spin away that cloud," Ravenfire waved a wing in the general direction of the thunderous demise of Mr. Fluffy. "It made use of the air pressure wave that forms around our bodies when we take flight. That pressure bubble dragged the cloud's edges after us, and cohesion of the water vapor did the rest." She leaned up to look into his face. "Did you feel it?"

"Huh, feel what?"

"The air pressure around your body? Surely you've felt it before otherwise you wouldn't have tried something like that."

"I...um..." Shit, what do I say? That I seriously just imitated Dash and pulled it out of my ass?!

"Ugh, think about it!" she tapped his nose with a hoof. "When you flew through those trees when Rainbow Dash dared you to do so, how'd you avoid them? You had to have been going too fast to see every little twig, right? So how did you know to avoid them?"

"I...whoa, you're right!" his eyes widened as he recalled feeling the branches coming close to but not quite touching his body as he flew. It was almost like close range radar or something; an early warning system for a Pegasus. That combined with that feeling of things slowing down and becoming more focused...whoa, he was like a living fighter jet or something!

"And I heard tell you faced a dragon in a dark cave and managed to avoid the stalactites as you fled from it, right?"

"Well, I kinda ran into one of them, but-"

"Out of how many that you dodged? Dozens? Volare, you've got to stop trying to find excuses for your abilities," she thumped him in the chest. "Accept them! Use them! Hone them for what they are: gifts!" Her tone had become almost strained, and a strange light danced in her eyes above her smile. "Do you now see your potential? And now you're learning Weather Work! I'd be quite excited if I were you."

"Heh, far from un-excited that's for sure," he replied with a grin of his own. "Hate to sound like a broken record, but this is freakin' nuts!"

"Nuts to humans, but to Pegasi, it comes as naturally as breathing," Ravenfire inhaled and exhaled for emphasis. "Remember to hone and practice that ability whenever you can, for the time may come when you have to utilize it in places you can't see well in, if at all."

"Like a cave?"

"Or the darkest thunderstorm," she nodded grimly and trotted over to the birch trees. "You know about all you need to know to try out for the Weather Team on Friday. I wish you luck, and Hoof's Speed."

"Wait a sec, Raven! There's nothing else you can teach me?"

"Heh, you're still on the basics, kiddo-oof," she settled down and tucked in her wings for a nap. "One step at a time. Keep practicing, don't do anything too stupid, and I'll see you on Friday."

"But I-"

"I have faith in you, Lieutenant," she yawned and closed her eyes. "But there's plenty more to go around for yourself; I suggest you take advantage of it. Good day!" Within moments, her head nodded into her chest and she fell asleep, leaving Volare alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that soon turned to Rainbow Dash's return tomorrow evening.

"Heh, I'll be ready for whatever crazy crap you're gonna throw at me, Dashie," he smirked as he headed towards the schoolhouse to pick up the CMC. "I just hope you're ready!"

October 11th, Vinyl and Octavia's Duplex, Late Afternoon...

Dear Volare...

Sup, dude? Hey, sorry I had to bail on short notice like this, but I'll be back Sunday. Got one last little rave in Manehattan to DJ at before winter hits. You know how it is. But hey, just wanted to letcha know that I got the sound-box all revamped and everything with one of those new red crystals. I have't really tested it just yet, but knowing you, you'll probably have a blast! Oh check it out: I modified it so there's no volume dial on this one. Just put those earbuds in, think it and the volume'll move up and down. That way, if you're playing it while flying, you can do it hooves-free. Pretty sweet, huh? Just one more thing before ya try it out though, be really careful thatcha don't-h--gotta-----have------this---being a------whew, it'll make a mess! So yeah, just----on't do anything I-----do! See ya Sunday dude!

"You gotta be shittin' me," Volare sat the letter down with a groan, rolling his eyes at the spatters of ink and what looked like coffee on the bottom half of the letter, smearing the words into an unreadable mess. Knowing his luck, he really could have used that warning, whatever it was. "Meh, probably talking about some crazy 11 button she stuck on there she doesn't want me touching...oh yeah, there it is," he eyed the white numeral'd button warily as he hefted the orange-sized red ovoid with a hoof, remembering the DJ's claims and wondering just how the heck this little thing could amplify sound so much. He peeked through the mesh grill of the speaker to see a roughly 2-inch long ruby-colored crystal suspended within the chamber inside. And when I say suspended, I mean literally nothing holding it up; it was just floating there and turning slowly of its own accord.

"Oookay, that's different," Volare muttered as he sat the speakerbox down. Once he broke contact with it though, the crystal stopped turning and fell against the side of the chamber with a tiny clink. "Yeah, that's really different." Volare touched the speakerbox, and the crystal hovered again, and for the next few minutes he amused himself by tapping the ovoid and making the crystal do a little jig before realizing just how stupid he probably looked. Luckily neither Octavia or Trixie were in at the moment and so before he could make a bigger fool of himself, he grabbed up the speakerbox with its accompanying earbuds, scribbled a quick thank-you note on the bottom of Vinyl's letter (hard to do with one's mouth, ya know?), and headed out the door, glancing at the sun and smiling; Dash oughta be home any minute. He'd already dropped off the CMC at their appropriate homes and so before he headed south for Dash's house, he swung past a crepe cart and snagged a few of the cinnamon flat cakes.

Burdened down with pastries, sound equipment, and saddle-bags, he hurried home, landing on the front porch of the cloud tower and giving the newly-repaired holes in the lower floor's walls a cursory glance before reaching for the door. Heh, with luck she'll hardly notice. Huh, that's weird, the door's unlocked-"AGH!"

"Surprise, flyboy!" a cyan and rainbow blur knocked him off his hooves with a thud and he found himself staring up into the magenta eyes of Rainbow Dash. The zippy mare grinned hugely as she relished the position she had him pinned in: on his back on her front porch. "Ya miss me?"

"Gonna let me in the door before we start fooling around, Dashie?" Volare gasped as the air returned to his lungs. I think now is a safe time to say that since their little come-to-Jesus meeting at the Griffin, boundaries had loosened up considerably between the two; some might say a little too much for two Pegasi simply rooming together. But neither would give in and use the safe word, so...

"Heh-heh, sorry," she chuckled and pulled him to his hooves. "Just so glad to get outta that lame Board Meeting!" she shivered and her face contorted into an expression indicating something between constipation and nausea. "I mean, what the hay, they wouldn't even let us leave that stinkin' room for more than 5 minutes at a time to stretch our wings, and only then for stuff like wizz breaks!"

"Hmph, well as terribly boring as it sounds, I take it you took a lot of wizz breaks, then?" Volare cocked a brow and smirked.

"Naturally," she hip-checked him and eyed the bags. "Ooh, what'd ya get me?"

"Pfft, get you? You're the one that was outta town!"

"Hey I brought me, didn't I? I'd say that's more than good enough," she buffed a hoof on her chest and grinned toothily. "Hope what you got makes up for whatever the hay you did to the walls," she glanced at the patched-over gaps in the walls and looked back at him. "What happened there anyway?"

"Oh, nothing much," Volare shook his mane and picked up the fallen bags, intent on playing it cool and keeping the element of surprise this time. Besides, if he feigned weakness she might go easy on him and he'd be good for another week. True it was kinda deceptive, but all warfare was deception, right? Then again, not all warfare was conducted against a fiery blue Pegasus who could run you down in 10 seconds flat and beat the stuffing out of you for hustling her...
"Just renovating."

"...ookay," she gave him a skeptical look before returning her attention to the bags. "So what didya get me-oh my gosh, yes!!!" she crowed as she snagged a packet of crepes out of the bag and shot him a thankful grin before stuffing one in her mouth. "-ou amember- I li- -thinamom!" she said around a mouthful of pastry and it was all Volare could do to not bust out laughing.

"Been living with you long enough, I kinda figured it out," he quipped and shut the door, hanging his saddlebag gently on a wall hook before turning to find her standing there with an impish grin on her face. "Uh, what's up?"

"Oh, nothin' much..." she sashayed around him with all the innocence of a starving shark and looked up at him expectantly, batting her eyes ever so slightly. "Just, hmm-hmm, glad to be home," she blew a quick breath of air on his nose and snickered as she snatched the remaining packet of crepes from his bag while he wrestled with his wings. "C'mon flyboy, I gotta vent," she beckoned him to the table and together, they discussed her irritating trip and the terribly mundane events happening here in Ponyville. Nope, nothing special happening with him at all...

"Whelp, I'm gonna turn in, flyboy," Dash yawned and stretched her hooves over her head. "Got a big day ahead of us tomorrow; hope you're ready."

"Er, ready for what?" Volare tried to play dumb, but Dash wasn't fooled.

"You've obviously been practicing...well something," she waved a hoof at the patched holes in the walls. "So tomorrow we're gonna see whatcha got."

"Damn," he groaned, and she hoofed him in the shoulder.

"Pfft, it's easy."

"Yeah, for you Ms. Weather Captain," he shot back as she trotted up the stairs.

"And don't you forget that; cuz I'm Rainbow Dash," she winked and headed for her room.

"Better duck so your fat head doesn't get caught in the doorway-hey!" Volare cried as she stomped on the floor above him and knocked a piece of ice down on his head. He rubbed the smarting bump and groaned, no less nervous than he'd been the day she'd left. Well, so much for hustling. He glanced over at his saddlebag and managed a smile though as something resembling a plan formed in his mind...a crazy plan involving a slight edge he'd gained on her before, but it was better than nothing. Then again, we'll see who surprises who tomorrow...

October 12th, Noon, North Ponyville Valley...

"You look nervous, Volare!" Ravenfire greeted the pilot with a smile and a nod, calling over the rising wind that whistled out of the towering grey wall of the cold front poised to roll through the Ponyville Valley. Heavy bluish Arcus Clouds hung from and extended past the leading edge of the front, crackling with energy and heavy with rain ready to be dropped.

"Only a lot!" he laughed and nervously adjusted his scarf and flight goggles for the umpteenth time. He stared out through the glass portals at the myriad of Weather Ponies flitting this way and that along the cold front, some stretching their limbs, some doing small acrobatic loops and twists to warm up, and others hovering silently and keeping the grey wall in line. All he could think was how a rather explosive smallish thundercloud that he and Ravenfire had built was nothing compared to the grey growling mountain range that loomed above them. If that thing blew...Canterlot might not be safe!

"Ha, don't be-and stop fiddling with those things," Ravenfire chided him and tapped the black and gold goggles strapped over her forehead. "Just set them up here and chill. We'll be starting soon; as soon as the sun passes its zenith." Volare glanced up at the golden sphere as it crept across the sky and smiled its warmth down upon the valley, soon about to be extinguished in a massive grey carpet of storm clouds that stretched north halfway to the Drackenridge Mountains and completely dominated the northern skyline. In the town, ponies had battened down the hatches, so to speak, and anypony not involved in the Weather Work looked north from their homes, awaiting the signal from the loudspeaker mounted upon the top of Town Hall. The CMC, Spike, and Trixie peeked out of the windows of the Ponyville Library which Twilight had thrown up a protective bubble around, not quite trusting her single lightning rod enough to keep them safe from a squall line like this.

"Volare's gonna be awesome up there," Scootaloo grinned, catching Twilight's ear.

"What was that, Scootaloo?"

"I said my bro's gonna do awesome with the Weather Team; he's trying out today." At her words, Twilight's eyes widened in worry and she galloped upstairs to stare northward at the looming cloud wall through her telescope. Within moments, sure enough she spotted Volare alongside that strange mare Ravenfire. Even from this distance, she could tell by his body language that he was nervous.

"Oh Celestia give me strength," Twilight muttered under her breath as she swung the telescope, searching for Rainbow Dash and finding her giving her Weather Officers last-second instructions. "Great, I'll bet this is Dash's idea. Who's giving him the tryout, Scootaloo?"

"Rainbow Dash is!" Sweetie Belle piped up excitedly. "Hope he doesn't set himself on fire like he did on Monday though."

"Yeah, that was purdy funny, but Ah don't think he had much fun doin' it. Hey, Twilight, why ya'll lookin' green all of a sudden?" Apple Bloom cocked her head at the Librarian.

"Urp...oh you know, the usual..." Twilight's eye twitched as she stared northward again. "Please be careful Volare...I don't wanna lose you again..."

.............................

"Rrrawr, heya there Raven," Cloud Kicker growled playfully as she hovered up to the older mare. "You too, Volare. Whoa, what's up with the saddlebag?" she nodded at the bag strapped to Volare's side.

"Oh, it's nothing special. Just a little extra insurance I packed for emergencies," he replied with a smirk.

"Heh, oh really? Got a parachute with a good rate in there or something?" she hoofed Volare and chortled. "Haha, get it: parachute rate, cuz insurance and...oh forget it," dropped it and re-focused with a sly smile. "So you guys ready to do this? And ahem, perhaps do something else a little later cuz ya know," she lowered her voice to a husky tone and waggled her eyebrows. "I've read somewhere that storms can be quite electrifying for certain Pegasi, if ya know what I mean?"

"Hahaha, perhaps," Ravenfire threw her head back and laughed, while Volare merely blushed heavily.

"So how about it? Party at my place afterwards? Been almost a week since my last little "group therapy session," she air quoted with a smirk.

"Hmph, don't get too stiff there, darling. That's if we agree to it," Ravenfire stood her ground, so to speak and continued to wear that confident little smile.

"Well you know what they say: all possibilities start with if!" The Weather Lieutenant looked up at the sound of a wailing siren emanating from Ponyville, telling all ponies on the ground to get to cover. "Oops, that's the signal! C'mon guys, to the back! We're gonna push this sucker down the valley!" Ravenfire and Volare followed her to the rear flank of the cold front as the ponies in front readied themselves to haul the clouds southward.

"YEAH!!!" Snowflake the massive white Pegasus roared and whirled an anchor-like device around his head before launching it into the towering cloud bank. He gave the chain a tug that dislodged a small bit of static before nodding to himself and slipping the harness on his end over his head and broad shoulders. "LET'S DO THIS!!!" He bellowed and was answered all the way down the line by every Weather Pony present.

"C'mon winter!"

"We're gonna rock this valley!"

"Kick-flank, man!"

"Woooo, yeah, here we go!!!"

"Alright ponies!" a slightly raspy voice shouted out above the hustle and bustle, and everypony snapped to attention towards the prismatic mare flying parallel to the cloud line, like a queen addressing her knights before a charge. Dash had their uncontested respect and admiration, and Volare couldn't help but grin proudly at the way she took charge; she certainly wasn't the type of pony to sit on her hooves, that was for sure! "I don't wanna see any jostling, bucking, checking, or arguing! This is not a race and we will not get a second chance at this! I do wanna see good teamwork, cooperation, and above all: a great winning attitude! Are we gonna bring in winter like nopony's business?!"

"YEAH!!!" Came the shouting response.

"Hay yeah we are!"

"Whew, The Boss sure takes her Weather Work seriously," Cloud Kicker chuckled and nudged Volare with an elbow.

"Volare! Come out here!"

"Oh no," the pilot's eyes widened and his ears drooped. She was gonna show him up in front of everypony. She was gonna do something crazy! She was gonna-!

"There you are!" Dash chuckled and hauled him out of the back of the pack by his hoof towards the front.

"Wh-what's the big idea, Dashie?"

"Gonna have you help me a bit up here, plus," she half-turned to regard him as subtly was possible. "I don't want Cloud Kicker being any more distracted than necessary, heh-heh. Know what I mean, flyboy?" she nudged him with an elbow. Plus you deserve better and stuff, so yeah...

"Ahaha yeah, gotcha. Thanks for the save, Dashie."

"Save? Pfft, what makes ya think I was saving you?" She giggled and brought him to the front of the Weather Team. "Guys, this is Volare, and I'll bet a few of you know him already-"

"Volare, you're hawt-OW Raven, if you're gonna grab my mouth, use your lips or something next time!" a voice that sounded like Cloud Kicker's rang out from the rear of the cold front, and Volare would have simply fallen and died of embarrassment right then and there if Dash wasn't holding onto his hoof. The smattering of chuckles among the team died out at a quick glare from their Captain, who was struggling to maintain some semblance of cool-headedness.

"Ahem, anyway! Volare's trying out today for the Team, so I want you to give him the respect I give all of you. Volare," she turned to him. "Would you do the honors and give the start signal?"

"Uh sure...Dashie, what's the start signal?" he hissed.

"Just say 'Weather Ponies, let's roll it out."

Optimus Prime would have been proud...or supremely pissed.
"Weather Ponies! Let's roll it out!!!" Volare shouted and was greeted with a wave of "hay yeahs" and "yes sirs" as Snowflake hauled forward on his harness.

"YEAH!!!!" He bellowed once more, and the Weather Ponies along the line tugged, pushed, and shoved, and soon the whole grey wall began to morph and move, rolling over itself as it flowed slowly down the valley towards Ponyville.

"C'mon flyboy, we gotta take the West Flank!" Dash waved a hoof, and he followed her along the grumbling, roiling mass till they reached the unoccupied end a mere hundred or so meters from the borders of the Everfree Forest. "Let's keep it tight on this side, Volare!" she grinned, and together, they pushed the edge of the cold front along, making sure it didn't billow out while at the same time doing their best not to compact it too tightly and set off a chain reaction of lightning. Some Pegasi pulled from the front, others kept the sides tucked in, and a few mopped up the straggling cloud tufts behind the front, but the real action took place just above and behind the Arcus Clouds, where multiple Weather Ponies were stomping and hopping on the fluff to squeeze the moisture from the storm. Lightning crackled, thunder boomed, gusts howled, and rain poured from the underside of the cold front as it chugged along, bringing with it the chilly, humid air of winter.
"Ha, you've been holding out on me, flyboy," Dash flicked him with her tail.

"Hmph, I thought you liked surprises, Dashie!"

"Who coached you, or did you just use your egghead powers and play it by ear?"

"Er...something like that," he fibbed, having a feeling that this was far from the place and time to tell her about Ravenfire's strange little weather quirks.

"Hmph, well we'll see just how much you learned in a little bit. For now, let's keep this train rolling! Aww yeah, keep it up, Weather Team!!!" she called out, receiving a chorus of responses that rippled down the line and back again.

"You're pretty good at that, Dashie," he chuckled, and she gave him a sideways glance and a smirk.

"Well you know me: I love a little control," she snickered and skillfully flicked her tail along the leading edge of his wing, drawing a gasp of surprise from the pilot. "Oopsie," she smiled innocently.

"Haha, yeah right," Volare flicked a wing towards hers, but the moment he made contact, she jumped a bit, glared at him, and he caught a buffet of her wing in the face.

"Not on the job, frisky," Dash shook her head and nodded towards the cold front. "We'll mess around later, but let's get this done first."

"Aww come on, that's no fair! Rainbow Dash!"

"What's that you told Twilight? Life's not all sunshine and rainbows?" She stuck her tongue out at him, flicked her tail across his nose, and all he could do was growl and set his mind to the job which took care of any growing thoughts of...well, anything non-work-related! Within an hour, the shriveled and spent cold front moved out of the valley, leaving the air behind it chilly and breezy. Ponies in town popped their heads out of their homes to survey what little damage there had been, but for the most part the preparation and coordination of the Weather Team prevented any mishaps. Heck, even Derpy managed herself fairly well, only zapping one or two trees with lightning this season. But just as Dash was considering possibly moving her up in rank, the clumsy Pegasus crash-landed into the top branches of the Ponyville Library.

"I'm ok!" she called out after a long pause, causing Dash to breath a sigh of relief and facehoof. Oh well, maybe next year...good thing I brought a more controlled prospect, she looked up and found Volare bumping hooves with Ravenfire and Cloud Kicker, though he seemed to be fending off the lavender mare's playfully exploratory hooves more than anything. I swear, that mare is the horniest creature in Equestria, Dash muttered as she snapped her flight goggles out of the way and jetted over to congratulate the two Pegasi.

"Nice job you two; loads of improvement there, Ravenfire," Dash's praise puffed out in a cloud of fog in the colder air as she bumped her hoof while the older mare dipped her head lightly.

"Thank you, Captain, but it's Volare here that deserves the true praise. He handled himself like a Weather Veteran up there thanks to your supervision," Ravenfire nodded towards the dark blue pilot.

"Hay yeah he did; didn't even singe himself or me," Dash held out her hoof, and Volare flashed back to that first day he'd done that with her, how excited and fresh-faced and half-scared out of his wits he'd been at the time. He looked up at her and matched her grin for grin as he bumped her hoof.

Yep, times had certainly changed a bit...oh no, why's she still grinning at me like that?
"So, uh...did I pass?"

"You mean the initiation test? Hmm, I'd say you did pretty decent at following directions and shoving some clouds around," she said noncommittally as she hovered about him in a slow circle with her front hooves behind her back, as if inspecting him for errors. Reflexively he straightened up and stared straight ahead, awaiting her word. But after a few moments of this, he felt a hoof clap him in the back and he turned in surprise to see Dash on the verge of laughter. "Pfft, you're hilarious sometimes, flyboy. Loosen up!"

"Eheh, right."

"You ready for a real test though?" she leaned in and her eyes glimmered devilishly.

"Don't suppose I have a choice in the matter, huh?"

"At this point, not really," she shook her mane and turned to her Weather Team. "Alright guys, split the west flank off the cold front and push the rest out of the valley."

"What sort of test are you gonna have him do, Rainbow Dash?" Flitter's slightly slurred voice spoke up as she and her sister Cloudchaser approached.

"Yeah, whatcha got in mind?"

"Heh, you'll see. It's not too terribly unreasonable," she shot Volare a sideways glance in emphasis and he gulped visibly; he had a bad feeling he knew where this was going. The pilot looked on as the Weather Team split off the west end of the cold front and tugged it towards them, leaving the charcoal-colored, building-sized chunk of cloud floating just southwest of the Cow Barn near Sweet Apple Acres. With an approving nod, Dash took Volare's hoof and raised it in her own. "Alright Weather Team! You ready to see something awesome?"

"YEAH!!"
"Bring it!"
"Hay yeah!!"
"Woooo!"

"Dash, what exactly is the test?" Volare mumbled before she turned her head and winked.

"It's time to see how you handle yourself in some bad weather, so we're gonna spin that piece of cloud into a little storm. Easy, simple, and straight-forward. Think you can handle it, flyboy?"

Already kinda did that...yeah, why not?
"Guess we're gonna find out, eh?"

"Damn right we are!" Dash turned to fly towards the cloud, but she felt a hoof on her shoulder before she could move. "What's up, Volare?"

"I'll do it...on one condition," he surprised her by grinning a little himself as he reached into his saddlebag with a hoof.

"Condition? What condition?"

"That we play a little...hmm, mood music," it was his turn to lean in and whisper. "Unless you don't want it to be too awesome."

"Pfft, there's no such thing as Rainbow Dash being too awesome," she pumped a hoof and tossed her mane. "Whatcha mean by mood music though-oh, I get it," she nodded as she caught a glimpse of the red speakerbox in the bag.

"So what's it gonna be, Dashie?" Volare asked as he fitted the earbuds into place and cocked his head expectantly. "Wanna be cool...or a mule?"

That did it. Any sort of misgiving or shreds of doubts Dash might have possessed went sailing out the window, and she puffed her chest up and stared Volare in the eye. "You're on!" she growled playfully and clicked her teeth inches from his nose before strapping her goggles back in place. "But this better be good!"

"Oh don't you worry...I'm pretty sure you'll like it," Volare smirked slyly and clicked the speakerbox on as he followed her towards the cloud, feeling a slight pulsating whir from the spinning crystal within the box that soon grew into an audible hum that he could sense throughout his body, from his ears to his legs. "Whoa...that's also different," he muttered as he set his mind on the song he'd pulled up in his mind. Ok, Vinyl said to just think it, and it'll download and copy it-"yow!" the pilot cried slightly at a sting between his eyes. He felt something warm drip down his lip and he reached his hoof up and pulled it away stained red with a few drops of blood that had leaked from his nose. Yeah, that's really different he quickly wiped the blood away before anypony saw, thinking back to the letter Vinyl had left him. A big mess...great, wonder what THAT meant...

"You ready to do this or what, flyboy?" Dash looked back impatiently to see him fiddling with his goggles.

"Y-yeah, just a sec!" Volare strapped down his goggles and gave his nose one last wipe before placing a hoof back over the speakerbox. It felt warm, and the pulsating had somehow increased even further; a quick glance backwards revealed a dull red glow coming from the inside of the bag. Holy shit, Vinyl, what kinda Frankenstein did you make here?! But one look forward at Dash's face, and the cloud looming before them jammed any doubts into the far corner of his mind. Now was the time, this was the spotlight, and they'd just taken center stage. "Alrighty Dashie, I'll be right behind you!" And with that, he inhaled, thought the volume to what he hoped was a decent level, and exhaled as the fitting music flowed out of the speakerbox.

Dash paused in mid-air and glanced back at him with a strange look at the sound of the funky-sounding intro of the song, but after a few moments, the head-banging guitar riff and heavy bassline came in with a crash of cymbals that filled the chilly sky around them with the sounds of air-shaking classic Deep Purple...and when the lyrics rolled in, Volare swore her rose-colored eyes might bug out of her head in amazement.

Coming out of nowhere, drivin' like rain
Stormbringer dance on the thunder again!

"Whoa, you've got music like that in your head?!" Dash exclaimed, her eyes and grin wider and more excited than Volare had ever seen them. "Dude, you've really been holding out on me!" She closed her eyes, trying to take in the sound of the music, but it just...begged...her...to...fly!!!
"Flyboy, you and me. Right now! Let's go!" And with that, she took off, Volare hot on her hooves as they began to circle the grey cold front cloud, the Weather Team looking on in awe at the spectacle before them.

Ride the rainbow
Crack the sky
Stormbringer coming
Time to die!!!

Silver and gold static sparks flew as the blue duo circled the cloud in ever tightening circles, the air pressure from their flight forcing the cloud to rotate and grow like a grey monolith into the bright blue sky. All the while, Dash couldn't help but glance back and shoot a grin every few moments at Volare, her heart hammering along with the beat, feeling a rhythm she'd never experienced before. This was different from the Flamenco guitar air show weeks ago. That was form and grace. This was raw, unadulterated power, speed, wind, and sound. It was like Summer Flight Camp all over again to the power of ten! No, a hundred!! She liked it...a lot!
"Awww yeah, this is buckin' awesome, flyboy!"

"Heh, just wait Dashie...here it comes!" he called back over the wailing wind, feeling an almost burning heat on his shoulder though the saddlebag. He was surprised the damn speakerbox hadn't burst into flames by now; Vinyl must have really made this one tough as hell!

"Here what comes?"

"The second verse!" He shot her his own grin and kicked the side of the cloud to the time of a cymbal crash, drawing a flash of electricity from within the rotating leaden leviathan as the riff shredded its way into the next verse.

Rainbow shaker
On a stallion twister
Bareback rider
On the eye of the sky

"What the hay, are you serious?!" Dash called back through a peal of thunder that grumbled out of the cloud, and they looked up to see that it had stopped growing and was now precariously balanced between thundercloud and full-on supercell. Common sense would have told Dash that this was already dangerous enough, but the music just...it wasn't letting her think clearly! It made her start thinking other things...things even she'd normally think twice about before even considering! She glanced back at Volare, pushing himself to keep up, kicking his legs out every so often to keep the storm pulled in tight and flashing his teeth at her in a confident grin. He wasn't afraid, so why should she be?! Buck it! "Flyboy, we gotta make it bigger!"

"What the-bigger?!" the stallion called back as a loud crackle of lightning shot out of the far side of the cloud and dissipated in the atmosphere.

"Yeah, bigger! Gnarlier! Nastier! Crazier! Faster and louder!!" her ears pricked forwards to punctuate her words.

"Um, Dashie, are you ok-"

"I'm fine! I swear to Celestia I've never been better!" She set her jaw and fought the urge to close her eyes and bang her head to the grinding rock guitar that spurred her onwards and upwards. Although it would be wrong to call Rainbow Dash dumb, it wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to say she didn't possess a huge wealth of common sense to begin with, and when it finally began to slip, there was too little left in the heat of the moment to salvage; she was too focused on pushing the edge as she'd always done to notice the rising danger. The Weather Team was gonna see something totally awesome, like nothing they'd ever seen before! But...it just wouldn't get any bigger! They needed more energy, but how?! As the slithery solo rolled in, she looked left and right, trying to figure out a way to give them an extra boost when her eyes fell upon the sprawling dark carpet of the Everfree Forest. The very forest they were trying to keep the front away from earlier lest it explode into a monster of a storm...she grinned devilishly. Perfect... "C'mon flyboy, push this sucker over the Everfree!"

"But that'll make it grow out of control!"

"Heehee, I know; it'd be a hay of a test," Dash laughed wildly and tossed her mane in the wind. "So let's do it!" Before he could argue, she gave the spinning cloud a nudge with her shoulder in the direction of the Forest, and slowly but surely it began to roll towards it, growling, sputtering, and howling all the while and working in concert with the guitar solo to devour Volare's cries to slow down! But no force short of Celestia herself could extinguish the spark he'd ignited within Rainbow Dash's hammering heart. She'd gotten a taste, and she wanted every bit she could stand, and more!!! The storm cloud rolled over the boundary of the Everfree, seemed to contract for a moment, as if deciding what to do, and then without warning and a great bark of thunder, it began sucking up the energy of the Forest and shot up into the sky like darkest, most evil skyscraper known to ponydom...and still Dash wanted more!

....................

"Oh no..." Twilight looked up from the telescope pointing south and past the crash-landed Derpy's bubble-mark'd flank, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach once she saw what Dash was up to. "Nonononononononono!!" She cried as she galloped down the stairs towards the door, past a worried Trixie, the thoroughly confused CMC and Spike whom she shouted at to keep them inside, and out into the windy, rain-slick streets of Ponyville, just barely able to hear the sounds of steel guitar floating in on the chill air from the far distance. But what concerned her the most was the striated, grey and black, rotating supercell hovering over the south end of the Everfree Forest, towering above even the heights of the spires of Canterlot!

"Twilight, what's happening!?" Trixie cried as she galloped out the door, nearly slipping and falling flat on her flank in a puddle of rain water, but the Librarian's vision was riveted to the South. "Twilight?!" That did it, and the lavender Unicorn's eyes flicked sideways to regard her pseudo-pupil as she halted beside her.

"S-sorry. Dash and Volare have...well, just look!" She waved a hoof and Trixie finally spotted the nasty-looking cloud.

"Holy Luna, what in Equestria is that thing?!

"A supercell thunderstorm...and Dash and Volare blew the thing up-why I don't know, but..." she trailed off, angry and scared for both their safeties. She had to stop that crazy mare before she got Volare or herself killed! It was a good thing she'd been cramming on weather lately, but could she get there in time to do anything?!
"I've gotta stop them!" A white light began to form at the tip of her horn, signalling a teleportation spell, but Trixie's voice stopped her.

"I'm coming too!"

Twilight sighed and shook her mane.
"Trixie, you haven't been reading up on weather like me, so please just stay here-"

"No Twilight!" Trixie's violet eyes locked with Twilight's own in an expression of sternness the Element Holder had never seen before. "Volare's my best friend and he ran into a burning building to save me! Now it's my turn to help. Take me there with you, and I'm not about to take no for an answer." Twilight could tell she was serious; there was no arguing with the intensity in those eyes. Twilight nodded her grim consent and beckoned her pupil closer. Damning the consequences of not having a counter spell for Volare ready yet, Twilight closed her eyes, concentrated, and with a flash of white light and a loud crack, she and Trixie teleported out of town.

................

"Mother of God..." Volare breathed, resisting the nervous urge to fiddle with his flight goggles once more as he stared upwards at the rotating, night-black mass of violent storm cloud soaring above him and Rainbow Dash. Imagine if a whirling skyscraper and an electrical plant spawned some fluffy bastard child of pure evil, and you'll get the idea. Lightning spat out at random intervals, a frigid wind rattled the trees of the Everfree and buffeted them like the breath of an ice giant, and if the storm's energy had sounded like a nest of buzzing, irritated hornets a few minutes ago, it now sounded something akin to every pissed-off lion, tiger, and bear ever conceived roaring all at once..."Oh...my...-"

"Heh-heh, so," he felt an elbow in his ribs and he turned to face its owner with more than a hint of shock on his face. But what had been a desire to berate Dash died as a gasp caught in his throat when he beheld her wildly-grinning face. Her prismatic mane was whipped into fantastic shapes by the gusting breeze as was her tail, and her eyes shined with the light of the lightning strikes mere meters away from them. "You think it's big enough?"

"Huh-wha-" he tried to come back to reality, but all he could see was her fierce rose-colored eyes and that grin that made his vision swim and his head feel light. She shot him a sideways look and hoofed him in the shoulder before turning to observe the storm with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it..." he gulped back his words as she batted an eye in his direction, the hint of an impish smirk curling on her lip. "S-sure is, Dashie. And dangerous."

"Heehee, terrifying?"

"Awe-inspiring."

"Radical?"

"You have no idea," he said in a whisper swallowed up by the growl of the supercell. But Dash read his lips and saw the semi-glassy look in his eyes and the flush in his cheeks as he turned to meet her gaze. Her smile grew as she hovered closer to him and threw a hoof sideways around his shoulders, grasping his scarf and pulling him in closer until their chests were pressed together. The growl of the storm seemed to fade a bit till she could feel his heart hammering out a tune that very nearly matched her own, as well as the heat that radiated from deep inside his saddlebag, and it was at that moment of sweet perfection and accomplishment that she nearly did something she'd sworn she'd never do again. It was only the sting of the reason why she'd made that promise that shocked her back out of the thoughts that had begun to swim in from the edges of her mind...exciting though they might have been, she still had her pride and priorities...not to mention everypony there had their eye on the Weather Captain.

"Well then," she gave him a gentle shake, and he blinked twice, the growl of the storm returned along with a sideways blast of rain that extinguished the heat in his cheeks and left him sputtering. "I'd say you're in, flyboy. Welcome to the Weather Team."

"Just like that?"

"Yep, just like that. I figure if you can handle something like this you can handle pretty much anything," he then noticed the smile on her face never left; in fact, he'd say it became even more devilish by the moment. "Wouldn't you say so, Volare ol' pal?"

"Ok, what the hell's in your head now, Rainbow Dash?" he recoiled slightly-or tried to, but she still had his scarf in her hoof. Shit! And that grin just got bigger and toothier every time her eyes flicked between him and the supercell. Shit!! "Oh no...now what?!"

"Oh yeah," she snickered and pulled him in closer. "It's Friday Volare, and you know what that means. You gonna tell me what I wanna know?"

"Right here, Rainbow Dash?!"

"Right here," she nodded firmly. "So what's it gonna be? Or is that one of those dumb questions you talked about?"

"You know the answer to that," he sighed in defeat, though his pulse continued to elevate the more his mind raced through what the hell she was about to do.

"Hmph, I figured as much...oh well, since you owe me like three weeks worth of dares, and since we've kinda established that I think you can handle just about any weather," she tugged him towards the storm, that fierce predatory smirk still glued to her face. "I triple dare ya to follow me in there and catch me."

Oh son of a bitch...
"Y-you can't be serious, Dashie! That's crazy!"

"Nah...I think I know almost exactly what I'm doing," she winked.

What a time for Dash to become a mistress of irony.
"You're freakin' serious, aren't you?!"

"Did I stutter?" she cocked her head, still tugging him towards the screeching supercell. "Or are you...chicken?"

This seemed WAY too familiar...
"What the-no, I'm not chicken, just not stupid!" He tensed as she pulled him so close that they were nearly nose to nose.

"Hmph, trust me flyboy: I wouldn't dare you to do something unreasonable. I got faith in ya; just follow my lead and we'll be fine," she smiled in what he hoped was a sincere fashion before yanking him closer to the storm. "Now come on! No cabbages!"

"Shit, f-fine! Fine! But we do it my way," he patted the saddlebag and his little source of courage within; he had no idea of the effect it had on Dash. If he had, he'd have thrown it to the ground.

"Ha, I was hoping you'd say that, but you better play something awesome," Dash gave him one final tug that brought their muzzles a fraction of an inch apart. She giggled huskily and batted her eyes before booping his nose against his, the contact of which sent a charge through him and was mirrored by a massive crack of lightning that flashed behind her, illuminating her in such a way that he felt his breath stolen right out his throat once more. She was like the storm: deadly, frightening, and heart-poundingly thrilling and yes...even beautiful. With that thought, he knew what to play to convey feelings he couldn't bring himself to speak. He felt a pinch between his eyes, and the music tore a hole in the sky...

"Oo-oo-oooh yeah," Dash closed her eyes and shuddered as the opening riff burned through her blood like wildfire while the roiling, snarling black supercell thunderstorm behind her beckoned her to rise to the challenge. The music tore through her spirit like lightning, a rumbling thunder in her soul. Volare saw her pupils had dilated when her eyes snapped open and she gave a growl in her throat in answer to the storm's throwing down of the gauntlet. Like an adrenaline shot to the brain, she began to lose control. She locked eyes with Volare one more time and when she bumped her muzzle up against his, she felt a buzzing coming from his body; but like a tiny, last-ditch alarm being swept away by a tornado, she shook it off and snorted softly, her breath intermingling with his. He smelled like fire and cinders, and she smelled like ozone and storm-rain. The perfect combo... "Come and get me, flyboy!"

THUNDER!!!

And with that, she gave a final tug on his scarf, released it, and dove into the storm, leaving Volare frozen in momentary shock.

THUNDER!!!

But he knew the stakes, he knew the rules-he'd had his chance to decline, and now...

THUNDER!!!

...the warm feeling of blood dripping from his nose brought him back to reality to realize...

THUNDER!!!

...holy shit, she'd just lost her mind and dove into a frickin' supercell thunderstorm!!!!

THUNDER!!!

"Right behind you, Dashie!!" he shouted and followed the wake left by her body, intent on catching her and shaking her till she had some sense in her head again, the music all but forgotten.

THUNDER!!!

...........................

A crackling pop of light signaled Twilight Sparkle and Trixie's arrival near the edge of the cold front, and while the stunned ex-magician shook her head, the Librarian craned her head back in alarm at just how huge the whirling storm was up close! She'd never seen anything like it, but this wasn't the time for taking notes and reveling in the wonders of nature! She galloped under the hovering Weather Team and shouted at the top of her lungs over the sound of the rushing wind. "What the hay's going on here?!" A number of the Weather Ponies noticed her and dropped down to the ground, among them Ravenfire and Cloud Kicker, who approached her with worry in her eyes, not something one wanted to see in the expression of a Weather Pony, especially an experienced Lieutenant like her.

"Rainbow Dash just-I dunno, she's gone fruit-bats!" Cloud Kicker bit her lip and glanced back at the howling column of clouds. "I mean, one minute she and Volare were doing an initiation test with a piece of the cold front, and then Volare started playing music from his saddlebag and then Rainbow Dash, she...yeah." The music she spoke of could be dimly heard over the roar of the storm.

"She lost herself to the thrill of it." Ravenfire offered grimly. "She and Volare pushed the storm over the Everfree to make it bigger, and then they both dove into it." At her words, Twilight's heart crashed into the pit of her stomach and a tiny whimper of fear and incredulous anger snuck past her throat. She'd been reading what all went on inside a supercell, especially one fueled by something like the Everfree Forest. It was insane to even fly near one, much less fly into. The winds wrapped around the core of the storm in unpredictable columns of updrafts, downdrafts, and wind shear, and she only knew this from eyewitness accounts that contributed to the books she'd been reading; and most of those eyewitnesses died during their accounts from injuries sustained while flying through the damn things!

"Dash, Volare, what have you done?" she cried, praying and hoping against hope that they'd somehow make it out alive. Even so, whether they made it out or not the storm wouldn't stop until somepony made it stop, and her horn began to glow a brilliant violet as Trixie approached.

"What're you going to do, Twilight?"

"I'm gonna stop that storm if I have to," she replied sternly. Trixie wasn't exactly sure what her teacher was going to do, but the pained look in her eyes told her she was fighting to keep her emotions in check.

"But Volare and Rainbow Dash are still in there!"

"I know Trixie...I know..." Twilight repressed the ache in her heart, but she knew what she had to do to keep Ponyville safe...didn't mean she wanted to, though...please you guys, get outta there!

................................

YOU'VE BEEN...THUNDERSTRUCK!!!

Lightning crackled and whistled all around Volare as he crashed through the hole Dash left in the clouds, and he beat his wings furiously once he noticed the wake closing up behind her. If he lost that, he might lose her! He kicked off the walls of the narrow tunnel of the wake, causing sparks and thunder to crash behind him as he raced to keep up through the dark corridor that turned the light around them a creepy greenish-black color. From somewhere up ahead he could hear Dash whooping along with the music and having a grand old time. He only prayed he could catch her before something really bad happened. But if he caught her, what then?! He hadn't thought about that part. "Shit!" he cried and yelped as blue plasma sparks of St. Elmo's Fire danced along the leading edges of his wings, and he knew from his flight training that meant a lightning strike was eminent.

He flat-rolled and dragged his wings through the cloud walls, but to no avail. He felt it coming, he saw it at the last moment, and somehow, someway, the lightning diverted around his body and slashed a hole through the clouds instead, and the boom of thunder that followed made him glad he was wearing those earbuds. Even so, the shockwave knocked him sideways through the clouds and despite his flight goggles he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt himself being slammed from the top and bottom by the shrieking wind before things suddenly calmed down a notch.

"Hey flyboy, glad ya made it!" At the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice he opened his eyes to behold something totally mind-blowing. She was waving a hoof at him from across a somewhat-calm, amphitheatre-like space within the storm. The cloud ceiling was vaulted high above them and tinged green with what he knew to be hail, and in the very center of the storm was a towering pillar of whirling updraft air that screeched and shrieked like a caged banshee just trying to get free and tear apart the two Pegasi that had invaded its living space. But like the eye of a hurricane on a much smaller scale, the whirling of the storm kept it in check, and if it weren't for the lightning that crackled and spat all over the place and the downpour of rain that soaked him to the bone, Volare would have thought it almost serene.

"This is nuts, Rainbow Dash!" he shouted over the roar of the wind, but she merely tossed her mane and kicked her hooves, striking sparks from the cloud wall, rolling, looping, and grinning like a mad-mare as Angus Young shredded his way through his solo.

"Yeah, but it's beyond rad!" She zipped over to him, dodging random hail stones and sparks as she flew before nearly colliding with him as she whirled a loop around him. "Can you just see the headlines, dude: "Rainbow Dash and Volare-Fearless Fliers of Ponyville!" Haha, it's gonna be so awesome!!"

"Yeah if we-holy fuck!" he cried and dodged a lightning bolt coming right at him. "Jesus Christ, we need to get outta here, Dashie!"

"Catch me and we will!" she snickered and grabbed up a buzzing ball of cloud and hurled it at him. It struck him with a crackle of sparks that left his mane standing on end, and he narrowed his eyes at her and gave chase, kicking cloud puffs and ice particles at her at every wingbeat, losing himself to the excitement of it all as well. He could tell she wasn't flying at full speed on purpose, teasing him and letting him get just so close before zipping away again, or bouncing sideways to evade his swipes. But he soon noticed a pattern to her movement, and the next time she jinked left, he anticipated it, and he very nearly caught the end of her tail in his teeth.
"Whoa, nice try flyboy!" Dash laughed and gathered up a hoof-full of clouds. "But not fast enough!" She looped back around and stuffed them over his head with a giggle, but to her surprise, he shoved both hooves up into the fluff, gave a grunt and a shove, and neatly popped it off of his head with a sly little smirk.

"You're getting predictable, Dashie!" he chuckled and lunged at her before she took off again with a surprised little yeep! that he found adorably out of character for her. Neither of them noticed the dark shape circling just above and beyond the walls of the amphitheatre. It waited its chance, biding its time until a stray lightning bolt flashed right in front of Rainbow Dash, blinding her for a moment. With a croaking cry of die, the black bird crashed through the walls of the storm and slammed into Rainbow Dash's right wing, bending a good number of the primaries, knocking the flight goggles from her face and smashing her sideways into the screaming updraft column.

Volare had just enough time to utter "what the fuck?!" and lock eyes with the large, white-necked raven before it folded its wings and fell out of the bottom of the storm. The pilot considered pursuit, but a yelp of fright drew his attention upwards to see Dash shooting upwards towards the top of the storm, helplessly caught in the updraft. "Son of a bitch!" This had gone from semi-fun and dangerous, to downright terrifying. He growled and without a second thought, plunged into the column. He felt his wings nearly ripped from his body and his ears pop multiple times as the plummeting air pressure carried him skywards at a speed he couldn't even hope to match. But he gritted his teeth and held his course, doing his best to angle his body upwards as he rocketed into the frigid upper atmosphere.

"Dashie, where are you?!" He cried as his eyes flashed left and right and all over the place, searching for that tell-tale patch of rainbow in the middle of the storm, but to no avail. No sunlight made it into the center of the storm; he was flying blind! Only the flickering the lightning gave off illuminated the upper core, barely giving him time to adjust from the bright flashes that half-blinded him, and the relentless thunder that crashed upon his head again and again. Just when he was beginning to lose hope, he heard a scream of pain to his left over the wind, he looked up, and in the bright flash of a lightning bolt, he saw her!

"Volare-AGH!" she cried and clopped her hooves over her head as hailstones the size of marbles pummeled her relentlessly. Her right wing feathers were bent every which way, and she flapped it weakly but it did nothing more than spin her about in the buffeting air. "Where are you?!"

"I see you Dash! I'm coming!" Volare shouted and struggled against the upward current of wind to reach her. He felt his wings growing cold and he gasped when he saw why: they were icing up! They'd gone too high in the storm! Frost crawled across his goggles, obscuring his vision more and more every moment he stayed up there. Soon he'd be just as blind as she was! "Grrah, dammit!!" He roared and stroked towards her, but he was stopped cold when he hit the edge of the column of air and cloud between them; he was stuck in it!

"No! NO!!" Volare cried as he saw Dash tumble into a downdraft and get sucked towards the bottom of the storm. If she fell out the bottom with her wing like that, she'd-"NO!! FUCK YOU MURPHY, YOU EVIL BASTARD!!!" He bellowed and slammed his forehooves against the cloud wall, focused on the charges rippling along his hooves and with a mighty ripping sound, he tore a hole through them! A shout of surprise and amazement later, and he spied the flash of Dash's mane below him, folded his wings, and dove with all the speed he could muster. "Dashie, hold on!!! I'm coming for ya!"

At his cry, the Weather Captain looked up and gasped at the sight of him streaking towards her, and she wondered as she fell: is this what it felt like from his perspective? When I dove for him in his jet? But I...I didn't get there in time...he's not gonna get to me! I know I deserve this, but I don't wanna die!
"Please Volare, help me!" she heard herself cry in terror, and the tone of it tore at Volare's soul. Rainbow Dash, pillar of strength, his friend, about to die because of him...

"NO NO I WON'T LET YOU FALL, DASHIE!!!" He kicked off the air behind him, grit his teeth, and damned every higher power in Equestria that wouldn't help him reach her in time...time that seemed to slow as he neared her. Closer! A little closer! Come on!!!
"Dashie, reach!" he shouted and held out his hoof as he approached, lightning flashing all around, hail pummeling his back and wings, and wind-driven ice stinging his face like a thousand needles, but he didn't care; he was only focused on the Element of Loyalty falling wings-first and staring up at him with fear on her face. He could see the drops dripping off her face, not sure all of it was water but of course it had to be. Dash was strong, and he had to be strong for her now! Volare looked past Dash to see the bottom of the storm coming up fast.
"Reeeeeeeaaccccchhh!!!!" his raw throat screamed hoarsely as stretched his hoof as far as he could, feeling the joints in his shoulder strain and crack with the effort. Just as they slammed through the bottom of the storm and into the blinding lair of black clouds, he felt a trembling something grasp his hoof and pull itself towards him. Despite the shriek of the wind and the torrent of rain, he thought he could still make out a few tear-strained words before they shot out of the bottom of the supercell:

"Th-thanks, flyboy...I'm sorry..."

.................................................

"Holy hay, there they are!" Trixie leaped and jabbed a hoof in the air at the bottom of the storm. Twilight strained her eyes and, sure enough, she saw two blue shapes plummet from the supercell...wait a sec, PLUMMET?!

"Oh nonono!" The Librarian moaned as the two Pegasi fell, Dash for some reason wrapped halfway around Volare's chest as he strained to control their fall. To her joyful surprise though, she saw their fall angle out into more of a steep glide just before they disappeared beneath the surface of the Everfree Forest canopy. She very nearly took off in that direction, but a tap on her shoulder halted her. She turned to see Ravenfire nodding up at the storm.

"Twilight if you're going to stop the storm, do so; it's too violent for any Pegasus to get near."

"But I-"

"Stop it, and then we'll go get Volare, but for now everypony's in trouble as long as that storm remains."

"She's right, Twilight," Trixie agreed despite the fact that she looked like she wanted to run in there and find those two just as much as anypony else. "Stop the storm, then we'll find them."

"R-right!" Twilight steeled her will with a nod and narrowed her eyes at the supercell, the source of her friends' pain and looming danger to everypony in the Ponyville Valley. Without her friends in the way, there was nothing to hold back her wrath against this freak of nature. "Trixie, gimme Trick Number 29!"

"Number 29...oh, right!" Trixie nodded, remembering it from the brief studies she and Twilight had covered so far, and formed a light blue ball of energy at the tip of her horn.

"Combine it with Trick 33!"

"Er...got it," Trixie concentrated and added silver sparks to the ball, causing it to crackle with energy.

"Now pass it over, and gently!" The ex-magician complied, and Twilight took the ball with her magic gratefully. It wasn't that she couldn't pull this off on her own, but having Trixie's help meant that she likely wouldn't totally exhaust herself in the process. Damn you... she muttered inwardly as her horn glowed with a crackling, dark violet energy that began to wrap around the energy ball. Damn you! The energy coalesced and contracted around the ball, causing it to spit huge sparks of silver light. "Damn you..." she actually growled it this time, and the ball suddenly flattened itself out into a disk the size of the Library Tree. It hummed and crackled as it began to spin, faster and faster, until it was nothing but a disk of silver and violet light. "DAMN YOU!!!" she shouted, reared up, and with a flick of her horn and a stamp down of her forehooves, she hurled the spinning disk of energy straight at the storm.

With a great scream akin to rending metal, it slashed into the outer layer of the storm, sliced its way towards the anvil-shaped clouds at the top of the supercell, and exited in an explosion of brilliant lavender that could be seen all the way from Canterlot. The storm groaned like an eviscerated beast, its side torn asunder and leaking energy, lightning, and heat like great gouts of blood. The spinning motion of the storm caught the shredded edge of clouds and like an orange peeling itself, quickly tore its outer shell of clouds off. With nothing left to contain its energy against the force of its rotation, the storm gave one final death wheeze, contracted, and exploded in a loud whoosh of air, rain, and electricity that snapped tree branches and uprooted vegetation for a half-mile in either direction beneath the storm as the water it launched into the air came trickling down out of the atmosphere in a soft shower that bore no resemblance to the monster it had once been.

The entire Weather Team gaped at Twilight and Trixie, the former of whom blushed slightly and muttered something about reading up on old typhoon wranglers before she galloped off into the woods to find Volare and Dash, with Trixie and Cloud Kicker hot on her hooves.

..............................

"You...*huff*-gotta be...*puff*-kidding me," Volare muttered as he flopped Dash and himself up out of the water and onto the muddy shore of the lake. He silently thanked Fluttershy's wing-strength exercises that likely saved his own wings from being snapped off as he'd pulled Dash and himself out of the storm's downdraft, clipped a few trees, and then splashed down in the little lake in the Everfree. He'd curled up under her body as they'd hit, skipping across the surface a few times before they sank and he pulled her to shore; all the while she'd been strangely quiet, but he was so focused on getting to a safe place to rest that he didn't notice until they'd gotten there. He didn't even care that the speakerbox was probably trashed, though a quick pat of his saddlebag revealed that somehow, it was still warm and glowing. Oh well, he could use some good news. At that moment, the storm above them unwrapped itself and exploded, causing it to rain gently upon them. More good news...awesome.

"Holy shit, we're lucky, Dashie...Dashie?" he looked down at the lack of reply-or anything for that matter-from her to see that she was just lying there in the mud. No...
"D-Dashie?" he nudged her shoulder, but there was no response. Her eyes were closed and her chest wasn't moving. Oh my god, she's not breathing!!!
Volare tossed his goggles aside and looked up and around, but no help was coming! He looked back down and patted her cheeks with a hoof, but he didn't even get a groan of response. He placed an ear on her chest, but instead of a heartbeat, all he heard was the swill of water in her lungs and stomach. No pulse!

"Oh gimme a fucking break, c'mon Rainbow Dash!" he cried, but she didn't move. In desperation he placed his hooves on the soft cyan fur of her breast and started chest compressions, forcing the water out of her lungs and trying to generate some sort of pulse. The water spat out in spurts until nothing remained in her stomach or lungs, but still she didn't respond. He swore she was turning bluer as he watched. There was only one other thing he could think of to try, and his stomach and heart did little flutters of their own at the thought of it. Volare looked down at Dash, growing cold and getting rained on, and knew he was letting her slip away if he didn't act.

"Please forgive me, Dashie," he muttered, nervously licked his lips, and leaned down over her face. Even in near-death he had to admit she was fiercely beautiful, but he forced that thought from his mind. She'd be dead if he didn't...just...do it! With a final little prayer, he brought his mouth towards hers. Parting his lips and taking a deep breath, he pressed them tightly against hers and exhaled into her lungs. As he did so, the little red crystal in the speakerbox sparked, and the little burst of energy struck Rainbow Dash in the hoof. Volare leaned back and listened to her chest, but still nothing! He tried to ignore the taste of her lips-like fresh spring water, crisp, wild, and clean-before compressing her chest a few times more.

"C'mon Dashie, please!" he cried as he pressed down, feeling the tears run down his muzzle as he did so and splash on her neck and face. "Please breathe!" But when he leaned in to force another desperate jet of air into her lungs, just as his lips touched hers, a cyan blur whipped out of the corner of his eye and collided with his muzzle in a flash of pain that forced him to squeeze his eyes shut and sit back on his flank with an "oof!" He felt blood once more drip down his front lip, but as he forced his eyes open, he saw something that could make him care less about the pain: Dash's eyes were open and glaring daggers at him.
"Oh my god, Dash you're alive-"

"What the hay's wrong with you, Volare?!" Her sharp words cut him off as she heaved herself to her hooves, coughing and spitting away the last of the lake water and the taste of his lips-his lips!-on hers. She knew that the Weather Team must have seen them fall, and she knew she'd probably never hear the end of it. It pissed her off that she'd been so weak, and embarrassed, and to top it all off that sweet music Volare had been playing was gone. Argh, and my wing feathers are all bent up! And so, her pride eroded and her heart still hammering in fear from the memories of being assaulted by the storm coupled with Volare basically kissing her while she was unconscious...she lashed out at the only creature with ears to hear her anger.

"I couldn't let you-"

"Shut up! Why'd you interefere?!" she staggered to her hooves and stomped towards him, her wings flaring painfully and her eyes blazing with all the rage of an injured tiger as she pawed at the moist earth in agitation. "You got any idea how pissed I am here?! You are such a useless pain in my plot, you know that? I dunno why I even put up with you living with me, I swear to- Hey, what the-don't you turn your back on me!" she stomped a hoof as Volare snorted and turned around, picking up his goggles and trotting away through the trees without a backwards glance through the pouring rain. "Volare!" But when he didn't stop or even slow down, she growled in frustration and galloped forward, halting in front of him and blocking his path as she glared up at him. "Hey, I'm talking to you! You deaf now?!"

"No," he replied firmly in a tone that she'd never heard from him to her before. Normally he seemed to concede dominance to her to avoid bringing down the thunder so to speak, but now he...he flicked his eyes down at her and she very nearly backed up a step. They were the brightest, blazing steel blue she'd ever seen before, and the expression surrounding them was pure disappointment and annoyance. "But I don't think I deserve to be treated that way by you, whether you're now my boss or not, Captain," he practically spat the last word and flicked the rain water off his wings with a dismissive shrug before starting to trot around her.

"What the hay's your problem, Volare?" Dash tried a different, though no less grating angle, trying to step in front of him, but he simply lowered his shoulder and pushed past her with a snort.

"What's your problem, more like, Rainbow Dash," he shook the rain from his mane and trotted on into the underbrush in the rough direction of the Weather Team, forcing her to canter to keep up. "That's not the first time you've treated me like trash, but I think that's gonna be the last time."

"What do you-"

"I think if I'm such a pain in your ass, I'll just pack my bags and go build me a house somewhere else. Lord knows it'd mean I'm not a burden on you anymore," he kicked a fallen stick out of the way and continued on as Dash paused for a moment before catching up with him.

"Hey look dude, I-" she began, but the apology caught in her throat, her anger and pride still in the way. "Y-you pissed me off, ok?"

"That's fine."

"Say what?" she grabbed him by the scarf and turned him around. "You know how bad of an idea it is to piss me off, flyboy?" Her wings flared for an instant before the sting in her right wing hit her, and her ears fell at just how harsh that sounded. "I-I mean-"

"I know what you mean, and it's ok, Dash. You wanna know why that's ok with me?" he sighed and looked down at her, his eyes significantly softer than before.

"Wh-why's it ok, flyboy?" she asked, confusion and guilt leaking into her tone as her grip tightened on his scarf. And he wasn't entirely sure that wasn't just rain running down her face anymore. "You know I'll just get like this when I get pissed, so why's it ok?" Why's it ok for me to hurt you?

"Because," he lifted a hoof to her cheek and smiled softly. "I'd rather face your wrath a hundred times a day than face your gravestone just once in my life. That's why it's ok."

That did it. With those last whispered words, her pride crumbled to dust and she let her head hang in shame, barely suppressing a tiny whimper as she did so. Then again it might have slipped out, she didn't know; she was too focused on blinking away the hot tears from her eyelashes to really notice. It wasn't until she felt the scarf slipping from her hoof that realized he was trotting away again. She looked up sadly, knowing she could let him go and never have to feel this anymore; hell he was wanting to leave now. But...she knew it would be wrong to part this way too...not without resolving some things that still gnawed her soul no matter how mad or how happy she got.

She even had to admit that when she was in Cloudsdale, the main reason why she was so restless wasn't because of how boring the Board Meeting was (ok, anypony with a pulse would admit that was part of the reason), but it was because she missed his company. She missed hanging out with him, chatting it up, playing around, or just simply sitting quietly and reading a book with him. Maybe it was selfishness, or maybe it was something deeper than she cared to admit, but in either case the farther away each of his steps took him into the woods, the greater the ache in her heart grew. And there was only one way to fix that.

"Glad you could make it, Dashie," Volare said without turning his head, echoing her earlier words as he heard hoofsteps gallop up and fall into step with his. On impulse he lifted his wing to block the rain from falling on her, but she pushed it away with a snort. He snorted in return, suit yourself, and kept trotting.

"Yeah well, can't let you trot through the Everfree alone," she countered weakly. "You could just fly outta here, ya know."

"True," he ducked a low-hanging branch and held it out of the way for her. "But can you?"

"Er..." she flexed her right wing and grimaced at the bent-up primaries. It wasn't anything permanent, but taking a preening break in the middle of the Everfree Forest wasn't exactly her idea of a good time either. "Probably could, but I'd rather walk it off. You?"

"Oh I'm good, but I doubt I could forgive myself if I left you behind and some wild animal got a hold of you," he gave her a sideways glance but nothing more.

She couldn't tell if he was still irritated or was simply giving her the cold shoulder until she apologized...if so, damn, he was getting good at this!
"Look, I uh...had it all under control up there, ok?" she said lamely instead.

"Hmph, you probably did until that bird hit you."

"Bird? What bird?"

"I dunno why it did that, or if that's even what that was, but something with black feathers slammed into you when that lightning bolt flashed in front of you."

"Damn...guess I didn't see it," she pursed her lips and sucked on her teeth for a moment. "Even so, you didn't have to help, ya know. No offense, but I've been doing things on my own for years and that's kinda what's expected of me so...yeah."

"Well no offense, but I was trained to serve and protect those that need it, regardless of how prideful she may be," he sighed and recalled a piece of the old-school Navy Flyer's Creed emblazoned on a wall at NAS Pensacola. "I am a United States Navy flyer. I have dedicated myself to my country, with its many millions of all races, colors, and creeds. They and their way of life are worthy of my greatest protective effort."

"Whoa," Dash's eyes widened a bit as the old words trailed through her mind.

"Yeah, I know. And I think that still holds true here," he stopped and looked at her fully, his eyes a little misty and not because of the rain as he replayed the fall, the dive, the terror and anger he felt at the storm for trying to take Dash's life...how he vowed to keep her safe, and he had. He sighed and brushed a hoof against her cheek. "Fact is, if I'd just stood by and watched you hit the ground and die and not done everything I possibly could to stop it...I'd never forgive myself."

For the second time in the last three minutes, Dash was stunned beyond words. This is either a bad day or some sorta record...but...that's how I... The words he'd just spoke...they were nearly a mirror-image of the thoughts that had flashed through her head the day she'd decided to risk herself to rescue him from his jet. She felt the same as he...maybe he...
She covered her growing conflict with a growl, first kicking a loose piece of rock, and then looking up into his eyes before wrapping her hooves around his neck and hugging him tightly. "Hey," she said after a short moment of silence filled with nothing but the falling rain. "Just...do me a favor and don't risk yourself for me again, ok? If you got hurt, I...I'd never forgive myself," she leaned back to look at him, but he simply smiled and gently shook his head.

"Nice try but no promises, Dashie."

Her gaze dropped as his chest pressed against hers, and once more she could feel his heart thudding right along with her own. It was slower and more composed this time, but heavier and louder than before...then again there wasn't a snarling storm drowning it out so maybe it had always been this loud. "Why?" she lifted her eyes and asked after a moment.

"That's kinda one of those dumb questions Dash," he chuckled and she narrowed her eyes. "But I'll humor you this time: it's cuz you're worth it."

They were only five little words, but they had a greater effect on Dash at that time than he could possibly imagine. She felt her heart squinch almost painfully and her throat tighten as she fought back a fresh surge of tears. She'd never had anypony tell her that, much less a stallion...not in a way that she believed one anyway. But now...how could she not believe him? She noticed the tiny bruises from the hail-stones, the battered feathers, and the blood drying on his muzzle from where she'd punched him in anger when he turned his head to glance towards the edge of the forest...he'd dive into a storm for me...wow.

"Heh, come on Dashie, we gotta get moving and let the others know we're-" he froze in mid-sentence as he felt a soft pair of lips lightly graze the side of his head just under his left ear. They stayed there for the shortest of moments, but it was long enough for him to hear the gentle snort of her breath and feel the heat from her touch before she pulled away and he looked down at her, eyes wide and face flushing so hotly he was sure the rain had to be steaming off of him.

"Hmph, better put that silver tongue away before I start believing you, flyboy," Dash said through a blush of her own that she hid under her forelock. Even so, she managed to peek up through her mane, Fluttershy-style and speak her mind. "Thanks flyboy...and I'm sorry I punched you. But if it's all the same...could you please stay at my place still, like...yeah...you know...if that's cool and all..."

"Y-yeah, that's...that's cool," Volare said once he finally got his mouth working. At his words, Dash's confidence surged back and she tossed her mane and smiled.

"Sweet! You know, just till we work on your cloud-building skills cuz if the patches on my walls say anything, it's that you've got a long way to go," she bumped him with her hip and smirked.

"Sounds like a plan," he nodded, still feeling the heat of her touch on his face. That was...whoa...

"Volare! Rainbow Dash!" a voice cried out and he had just enough time to brace himself before a lavender Unicorn bowled them over in a flying tackle-hug, knocking them into a bush as she leaned back to investigate them. "Oh my gosh, you guys are ok! You're ok, right? I saw you fall out of the storm and I just..."

"Uh, Twi we're ok, but um..." Dash's eyes flicked from her to Volare, noticing she was practically laying on top of him. Uh-oh...

"Crap," Volare's eyes went wide as he too realized what had just happened, and Twilight froze in a mild panic...waiting...waiting...but soon...

"That's...weird," the next words out of the Librarian's mouth weren't ones of worry, but more curious confusion.

"What's weird?" Volare cracked an eye, surprised Twilight hadn't gone bonkers yet.

"Why aren't you all shaky and jittery like last time?" Dash asked, but Twilight shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno, it's like...I can't feel the signal anymore. I mean, I can it's just...like it's being suppressed somehow." It was then that Twilight felt the heat radiating out of Volare's saddlebag that had become entangled near his back hooves when she'd tackled them. Her eyes went wide as she used her magic to open the flap on the bag and saw the speakerbox glowing inside. "What in the wide world of Equestria is this..." she mumbled as she reached a hoof towards it.

"Oho, showing her the ropes there, you two?" A chortling voice sounded from the path, and Volare and Dash looked past Twilight's shoulders to see Cloud Kicker wearing a cocked-brow, Cheshire Cat grin of amusement at the scene before her, especially the general area in which Twilight's hoof was fumbling around. "I've heard of a roll in the hay, but a roll in a bush? Heh, I could dig it."

"I think that's poison sumac," Trixie offered, barely containing a giggle of her own at the awkward position her friends were lying in. Had this happened after the Ursa Minor incident, she might have longed for a camera.

"Cloud Kicker, you pervert!!" Rainbow Dash roared and grabbed a branch off the bush and chased her Lieutenant out of the woods, damning how stupid she probably looked in the process. She was gonna get her back for that! Meanwhile, Trixie helped her friends out of the bush, talking about how she'd encountered it before when she was wandering the Everfree, and if they washed it off soon enough they should be ok. Twilight awkwardly grinned her thanks as they trotted out of the woods, wondering just how in Tartarus she'd explain this to Celestia as well as impatiently curious to see what was causing that speakerbox to glow like that, and if it somehow was the reason behind why the signal from Volare's body was being blocked. But she put those thoughts away for later and threw a brief little one-hoofed embrace around Volare's neck, grateful to be able to at least hug him again...for now, other problems could wait a little bit...

That Evening, South Everfree...

"Just what the Ponyhell do you think you were doing, you buzzard?!" Agent F hissed into the beaked face of the white-necked raven Corax. But the bird merely croaked and clacked his beak before speaking.

"Because you wait too long...strike while iron is hot and weak. Flying around with your mouth hanging open. Useless!"

"Look you," the Agent poked the raven in the chest with a hoof. "I've got this well in hoof, ya got that? You're here to watch, not interfere, so you'd better back the buck off before I find something in this forest hungry for irritating raven meat!"

"Creekaw, watch your tongue, nag. Don't forget who's in charge, keraawk!"

"Yeah, well I don't see you holding my freedom papers, now do I?" she poked him once more in the chest before settling back into the dark willow tree for a fitful sleep. "Just stay out of the way...we need Volare's buck alive, not dead."

"Oh? You've found it?"

"There's a possibility, yeah...can't imagine what else would inspire that guy to dive into a storm like that."

"Heereekaw, looking for rainbow tail, that's all."

"I don't think so...but we'll just see, so stay the hell out of it from now on."

"Fine, but one slip-up, one mistake, and you'll wish Corvus hadn't freed you," Corax snapped his beak once more before taking wing, leaving the Agent alone with her thoughts under Luna's Moon and stars...she was onto something here, she just knew it.

*passes out due to sheer chapter length*
Volare: I think the Author's down for the count you guys.
Author: If you try CPR, I swear I'll break your nose!

Author's Note

Hope you guys liked the new concepts introduced in this one! From here on out, there won't be many more science lessons, more an application of what we've already learned. Congratulations for making it this far, for now the real fun begins!

Truth or Dare-Pt 12: The Only Thing Missing...

I could be sitting here on a cloud...

October 14th, Mid-Morning, Ponyville Library...

Of all the ponies in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash most expected Twilight Sparkle to know at least something about everything. True, it was a bit of a lofty expectation of somepony for one to have, but Twilight had always had the answers before, or at least knew where to start looking for them. This in turn meant that when Twilight returned from an overnight search in the upper loft of her Library Tree with a look of dumbfounded confusion on her face, signalling that she in fact knew nothing about something for once, Dash's high hopes came crashing down all that much harder...try Sonic Rain-Nuke hard. And not even Volare could stop her this time.

"What the hay do ya mean you don't know!?" Dash smacked a hoof on the table, nearly launching her glass of chocolate milk all over the room in the process. The fiery mare shot Volare a look as if telling him to cut the crap and reveal that it was all a big joke of his, but this was no joke; he merely shrugged hopelessly as Dash groaned and hung backwards over her chair in frustration. She'd stayed up all night in anticipation of some answers as to what the hay had happened yesterday that made her act even more reckless than usual, making her tired and grouchy, and now she was gonna be late for the Weather Team meeting--all for nothing! "Gotta be bucking kidding me, Twilight. Thought you were some kinda genius or something."

"Yes, well not to toot my own horn, but," Twilight sniffed primly and sat down at the table. "A genius is a genius only in things she familiar with. And this is definitely not one of those; I don't have a single book on these things," she waved a hoof at the speakerbox sitting next to Volare's hoof, simultaneously as innocent as a newborn foal and the crux of the problem. Volare and Spike had done the best they could to explain what Vinyl had told them about the crystals and how they provided greater sound and image clarity than usual, but beyond that they were as much in the dark as Twilight was. How in the hoof Vinyl Scratch had known about these Appalantean Crystals and she hadn't still escaped her...then again, the crazy DJ probably knew of quite a bit more unsavory things that went on in those clubs than Twilight cared to bother herself over...yech.

"Ease up on her, Dashie," Volare gave his impatient friend a playful nudge. "I kinda doubt she's into the whole rave-dance scene anyways. Then again, I heard there was this one time in Canterlot on her birthday..." he confirmed Twilight's thoughts with a cheeky grin that brought on a roll of her eyes and a magical tweak of his nose, just like old times.

Heh, funny that I'd think that way..."old times" were barely a month and a half ago...not sure if time is flying or crawling by sometimes. Twilight rubbed her forehead with a hoof and sipped her coffee, suddenly being reminded of a history lesson that spoke of the first time ponies experimented with balefire...balefire they thought interesting and wonderful at first...balefire they didn't comprehend the explosive properties of...needless to say, it didn't end well. Little knowledge was truly a dangerous thing, the lesson had been, and it was one of the chief reasons why Twilight tended to err on the side of caution when experimenting with new things. She didn't cannonball into the pool, she eased in; less chance of braining one's self on the bottom that way, she figured. It likely annoyed friends like Rainbow Dash to no end, but she didn't get to where she was in her magic studies by being reckless...well, most of the time; there was that "want it-need it" spell incident, but that was another tangent for another day!

Twilight nudged the speakerbox with an experimental hoof, noting how the floating crystal spun a little faster when she came into contact with it, as well as the distinct absence of tweaking, twitching, jittery magical overload feelings she'd gotten when Volare moved away from the box. But as long as he was near it, it was as though the crystal was either sending out a counter-signal, absorbing it, or transforming the signal from Volare's body into something else. Twilight tended to lean towards a combination of those latter explanations, for when she sent Volare outside away from the crystal (a rather humorous-looking experiment that saw the pilot scrambling out of the room as fast as his hooves could carry him, even though hardwood flooring isn't the best traction material...she'd just have to fix the end-table later), she didn't sense any sort of signal, counter or otherwise, from the crystal itself. Therefore, it was transforming the signal from his body into something else, though what the limits (or the lack thereof) of that "something else" was exactly, she wasn't entirely certain.

True, from her earlier experiments with him, she'd found that the signal from his body could be used to power small magical objects like the speakerbox, but that only stoked her curiosity further: what else was it capable of? This could be a first in Equestrian scientific history, for no Pegasus she'd ever heard of was capable of such things (then again, he was likely Equestria's first and only magically-created Pegasus, so go figure). The opportunities and possibilities excited her, but she knew she couldn't just yank Volare away and camp out with him in the Library for days on end anymore; he had responsibilities around town now and...considering Celestia's letter...no, it just wouldn't look right, nor would it fulfill any subconscious desire to be in Volare's presence anymore, for she knew it wouldn't lead to anything further that wasn't just a matter of circumstance...and happy feelings were suddenly crushed by guilt and regret.

"Hey Twilight, you ok?" the Unicorn felt a hoof on her shoulder and she looked up to see Volare staring at her with a worried expression. "You're just kinda...mumbling under your breath there. Should I take cover or something?" He shot a look at Dash, who was already hunkered down on the other side of the couch and watching the exchange with bated breath.

"Heh-heh, no I'm good," Twilight shook her head and smiled, though it was just a tiny bit forced. "Nothing like that, I promise. Just a little frustrated is all."

"We all are a bit," Volare laid his hoof on hers, and she couldn't help the tiny bit of heat that rose into her cheeks at his touch...a touch she'd missed for so long but now she could have because of this...darned crystal she didn't understand a hoofing thing about! Twilight's eyes flicked to Dash's, expecting some sort of look of disapproval, but the rainbow mare was staring out the window, her hoof nervously pawing the floor every few moments and her wings flicking incessantly.

"Hmph, I think Dash is finding this boring," Twilight couldn't help but send a little jab her friend's way, and within moments she received a response.

"What-no! Just not as into this whole science-stuff like you two eggheads are," she took flight and landed in the middle of the table, somehow missing the speakerbox, Twilight's coffee, and her own chocolate milk, though she somehow managed to knock Volare's toast off into his lap. "I'm a take-action sorta mare, not some sit-around-and-twiddle-my-hooves-until-we're late-to-the-Weather-Team-Meeting sorta pony," the emphasis on her words hit Volare like a hammer and he face-hoofed.

"Crap, I totally forgot."

"Duh," Dash hoof-noogied him playfully and grinned. "What would ya do without me, flyboy?"

"Probably get a few less gray hairs," Volare muttered under his breath just loud enough to warrant a suppressed giggle from Twilight. He turned to Twilight and nodded towards the door. "You wanna come with?"

"Oh, um...I dunno if I should," Twilight scratched her mane and turned back to the teetering stack of books-evidence of last night's escapade into crystal education-piled in the middle of the Library floor. "I got a lot of studying left to do on the subject and-"

"Oh come on, you said you didn't have a single book on these things," Volare tapped the speakerbox with a hoof, causing it to give off an audible hum. "Plus if this thing suddenly goes haywire, your magic would count for something-rememeber yesterday?"

"Oh, heh...right," Twiligt blushed; she'd been unable to stop Dash and Volare from harping on how awesome her supercell-shredder technique had been, and how she'd probably single-hoofedly saved Ponyville from their stupidity (a fact Dash emphasized in her apology letter to Princess Celestia). She made sure to remind Dash that Trixie had helped as well, but Dash was so aloof about the apology that she'd probably left that bit out...oh well. The return letter had come back within minutes, with Celestia praising Twilight and gently reprimanding Rainbow Dash, mainly sounding relieved that nopony had been seriously hurt outside of a few bent feathers that the Princess declared that Dash likely deserved anyway.

The sheepish Dash for once didn't argue with that one, having been too occupied with preening said feathers back into place. Celestia's response also praised Volare's brave efforts at saving one of the Element Bearer's lives, and Dash had nearly inhaled one of her feathers in shock, having smugly suspected that Volare would be scolded as well. But once the surprise had worn off, and after a few playful hoof-punches to the ribs, things had settled down, and the two Pegasi had camped out at the Library, anxiously awaiting results that had never come.

"So come on," Volare grabbed up the speakerbox and tugged on Twilight's hoof and gave her a friendly smile. "We haven't hung out in forever anyway, and not even you can theorize your way outta that, Ms. Genius," he booped her nose with a hoof, missing the slightest look of jealousy that briefly passed across Dash's features. She thought he only reserved that for her...meh, it's Twilight and she's his oldest friend here-no biggie.

"But I-"

"No buts, Ms. Brains," Dash joined in, and together they hauled Twilight to the door. "You made us stay here on the hardwood floor all night, so the least you can do is sit in on this meeting."

"But you volunteered to stay!" With a groan, Twilight grabbed her scarf in preparation of her protestations' looming failure. She didn't want leave the warm Library, her books, her coffee, and-holy hoof, it's cold out here!! She wrapped the scarf around her neck as the door swung open.

"Meh, details, details," Dash smirked as they yanked the Unicorn out the door, which slammed, knocking down the barely-balanced stack of books with a dull roar that did virtually nothing to rouse the snoozing Spike from his dreams upstairs. He was too busy chasing sprinkle-donuts and rubies to be bothered with Weather Meetings...they were probably boring as hay anyway.

North Ponyville Park, Noon......

"ROLL CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!!!!!!!" Rainbow Dash's top-of-her-lungs shout rolled across the large green park that lay between the buildings of Stirrup Street and the North District, announcing her presence with all the subtly of a minotaur in a mirror shop. The chilly breeze was blowing in gently from the Northwest, but the sun shown brightly in the cloudless sky that covered the world in all directions like a great cerulean blanket. Perfect, just like Cloudsdale ordered, Rainbow Dash thought. "Wake up, Thunderlane!!"

Thunderlane, who'd been snoozing in the warm windbreak formed by Snowflake's large body, snapped awake with a scream of "MOMMY!" and fell on his flank, much to the amusement of everypony present. "I uh, meant...Thunderlane here!"

"Heh, sure shrimp," Snowflake rumbled before standing at attention along with the rest of the Weather Team members. It was only a mid-month, Sunday meeting, but there were stiff penalties for missing them...namely being singled out by the semi-merciless teasings of the Team, who followed and emulated Dash's aggressive actions. It caused a few squabbles to break out now and again, but after Dash introduced the old-school Pegasus Challenge, everypony there was subject to its rules, and that kept all-out brawls from occurring. Even so, there were some days where somepony went too far with their jokes...and one pony in particular was notorious for stirring up "trouble" on the team, if only for her own amusement when ponies tussled and wrestled with each other.

"Ooo-hoo, what kept ya Captain?" The Cloud Kicker hooted as she caught sight of Dash, with Volare and Twilight arriving after her. "Or rather, should I say who--"two who"s, in fact," she snickered, drawing a snort from Rainbow Dash.

"Research and stuff, none of your business, Lieutenant!"

"Ouch, pulling rank on me again, Boss? You woundeth me greatly!" Cloud Kicker clasped a hoof to her chest as if mortally injured and collapsed to the ground in a heap of giggles and feathers.

"That's not even the proper context for that phrase," Twilight rolled her eyes and sat on the grass to watch, giving Volare an encouraging smile as he approached the line of Weather Ponies.

"Volare here!" the pilot called out, doing his best to help restore order, but with Cloud Kicker's usual voice of reason Blossomforth absent due to sickness, the Weather Lieutenant was in a rare mood today, and she hopped to her hooves and approached him with a smirk.

"Heh, welcome to The Team, newbie," she extended a hoof and grasped his before pulling him towards her. "So...how was the Captain and the Element of Magic, hmm?" she asked with a waggle of her eyebrows. Volare's eyes went wide and he tried to pull away, but she had him caught rather firmly. "Storm-riding yesterday, rolling in a bush afterwards, and then staying up all night long if those tired-looking eyes are any indication," she snickered before Dash intervened.

"Cloud Kicker, I swear! I told you: nothing like that went on yesterday, and I promise that nothing like that went on last night!" The rainbow mare flared her wings and narrowed her eyes, daring her Lieutenant to keep it up. Ever since they'd known each other in Summer Flight Camp, Dash and Cloud Kicker had had an on-again, off-again rivalry of sorts; in fact, even Dash had to grudgingly admit that many of the "button-pushing" techniques she'd used on Volare had been "taught" to her by Cloud Kicker in the past. It had never gone further than that, but Cloud Kicker had never ceased to find amusement in making Dash blow her top every now and again, even after she became her superior; it was just too easy sometimes. And by the looks of things, she'd never let up on her teasings from yesterday.

"Heh, you're sure getting worked up over a lot of nothing, Boss." Within moments, Dash was in her face, all teeth and blazing rose eyes.

"It's not a lot of nothing and you know why," she hissed. "So knock it off!" But just as Dash turned to re-address the Team, Cloud Kicker couldn't help one more parting shot.

"Coulda been worse," the lavender mare muttered, but Dash heard it and rounded on her so fast that she tore a chunk of turf out of the ground.

"Coulda been-you know what, you...you...you!" Dash raised a hoof as if to strike her Lieutenant, something that none of the other Weather Team members had ever seen her do before; true she could be high-strung and competitive, but deep down she loved the Weather Team members like her own little family and always looked out for their well-being. Twilight and Volare traded worried glances and made to stop her, but there was no need. Dash took a breath, stomped her hoof back down, and reached back to her left wing and yanked out a feather with her teeth. With a small smirk, she held the feather in her teeth for all to see before spitting it on the ground and glaring at Cloud Kicker with all the intensity she could muster. A murmur of conversation rippled its way up and down the Weather Team line, though Volare and Twilight exchanged confused shrugs as to what just happened.

"I challenge...Cloud Kicker!" Dash declared and turned to her team for their approval.

"Oh, you've done it now, CK!" Thunderlane laughed.

"She's gonna getcha, Kicky," Flitter chuckled.

"Come on, Kicker, don't back down!" Cloudchaser urged with a stomp of her hoof. "Give it right back!"

"Yeah, you can do it!" Snowflake bellowed, his ludicrously tiny wings buzzing in an almost Scootaloo-like fashion. Her confidence buoyed by the support of The Team, Cloud Kicker flashed a winning smile at Dash.

"What's the challenge, Captain?"

"Pick that feather up and find out, Lieutenant!"

"Again with the rank-pulling, sheesh...don't think that'll mean I'll go easy on you if you wanna little sparring match, RD," she clicked her teeth and flexed a hoof, knowing that with her Krav Pega training, she could beat Dash in a scuffle any day of the week. But to her surprise, Dash had either wised up or had other ideas in mind, because as soon as Cloud Kicker bent over and picked up the feather, Dash smirked and beckoned Volare over.

"Hey, don't drag me into this crap, Dashie-"

"You're a much a part of this as I am, flyboy, now get over here! I need a wingpony for this."

"O-oh, ok," the pilot shuffled over, a bit uncertain as to what was about to happen. "So, um...are we gonna fight her or something?"

"Pfft, if that's the case you're both in for a plot-kicking," Cloud Kicker grinned, but Dash shook her head.

"Nope, somepony once told me that a great warrior picks their own battlefield," she shot Volare a sideways smirk, recalling how they'd stayed up late one night and recited a few of his favorite bits from "The Art of War." "And you're right; compared to you, we can't fight for horseapples, so why bother?"

"Nice application of military know-how; guess he taught you that one," Cloud Kicker gave Volare a respectful nod. "Cuz you sure didn't read it," she stuck her tongue out at her Captain, drawing a growl of frustration from the fiery mare.

"Just give us a few minutes here, ok Kicky?" Volare waved a hoof between the two mares.

"You got it, hawt-flank," Cloud Kicker chortled, bringing a blush to Volare's face and a narrowed set of eyes from Twilight Sparkle as he led Dash away for a moment. Once they were a safe distance away, Volare let her go. "So what's the plan Dash, really?"

"I uh...I dunno, I was seriously just gonna scrap with her but then...well, I remembered what you said, so..."

"Ugh, after throwing down the challenge...shoot first ask questions later, nice one Dashie," Volare facehoofed and looked to Twilight for help. "Any suggestions, Twi?"

"Hm...you could play a game instead."

"A game? What sorta Challenge is that?" Dash asked.

"No offense Dash, but Cloud Kicker would beat you in a fight and smarts aren't exactly your forte, so something like chess is out. Plus since Cloud Kicker was trained at Westhoof she probably knows enough strategy to play chess anyway," Twilight pondered for a moment. "So catch her by surprise; play something she's probably never seen before."

"All warfare is deception. Nice one, Twi," Volare hoof-bumped her before turning to Dash. "Can you think of anything she hasn't played before?"

"Uh...crap...I know she's played hoofball, basketball, and cloudball, but I dunno about anything else."

"Those are Pegasus games though, so try something that's got nothing to do with Pegasi," Twilight scratched her head, but sports were definitely not her area of expertise. "Balefire, I've got nothing."

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm about as in the dark as you can get on what sports you guys play here," Volare shrugged. He remembered something about horseshoes, but he sucked at horseshoes...though he also remembered the pony that Dash was playing horseshoes against! "Hang on a sec; I've got an idea. Be right back!"

"Where're you going, flyboy!?" Dash called as Volare jetted for town.

"To get some insider info!" He turned back to town and was soon over the market-stalls, searching back and forth and hoping that she'd be here on a Sunday. If anypony would know anything about non-Pegasus sports, it'd be her! Luckily, it was near-impossible to miss that iconic brown Stetson, and once he spotted it, he homed in on it like a missile, landing next to the orange mare that wore it so suddenly that she bucked in surprise, nearly knocking him into a cabbage cart with her hip.

"Tarnation! Sorry sugarcube," Applejack smiled as she helped Volare up and dusted him off with her tail. "Been just a mite bit jumpy after that big ol' storm yesterday, heh-heh."

"Totally understandable," Volare nodded, not sure if Applejack knew he and Dash were the cause of it.

"So what's gotcha flyin' round an' spookin' tha hay outta me, eh?" the farm mare asked, leaning nonchalantly on a fruit stand and cocking her head.

"I actually need your help, AJ."

"Help? What's goin' on?"

"It's Rainbow Dash, she-"

"Consarnit, Rainbow," Applejack snorted. "What's she gotten herself inta now?"

"I'll explain on the way-come on!" And with that, Volare galloped out of town, Applejack hot on his heels.

........................

"What the hay, flyboy!" Dash cried as Volare arrived with Applejack in tow. "You just run outta here and leave me high and-"

"Sugarcube, he told me everything on tha way," Applejack shook her head and thumped Dash in the shoulder before fixing the still-grinning Cloud Kicker with a small glare. "An' ya'll really stepped in it from what Ah hear. Oh heya, Twi."

"Hey, AJ. Ok, here's the scoop," Twilight nodded and further explained the situation, shooting glances towards Cloud Kicker, who'd begun to pace rather impatiently.

"I'm waiting, Captain," the Weather Lieutenant called out in a sing-song voice meant to irritate Dash into action, but her friends held her back, albeit with great difficulty. As they huddled, a small crowd of ponies began to gather from the edges of the park, having sensed the tension in the air and wondering what was about to happen. Among them were Faber and Bon-Bon, having closed up the Griffin for an hour to take lunch in the park, and confused as to the cause of the crowd.

"Ach, what's goin' on 'ere, lassehs?" Faber's voice boomed out over the crowd as he pushed his way to the front, Bon-Bon trailing behind in the wake created by the large Unicorn's body. She had to admit: as loud and brash as he could be, he had his uses beyond long hours of sampling the wine in the basement of the restaurant...among other things she wasn't privy to speak about, lest her business image be sullied.

"Rainbow Dash just threw down the Feather," Lyra Heartstrings replied, popping up next to Bon-Bon as they reached the front of the crowd.

"That anythin' like throwin' daown tha hoof-gauntlet?" Faber scratched his chin as he observed the near-distant Pegasi huddling and pacing.

"It's done in lieu of a hoof-gauntlet, yes," Octavia's voice spoke up from behind them as she too pushed through the crowd to the front, Trixie right next to her.

"Who threw down the what?" Trixie cocked her head before taking in the situation before her: Volare, Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash facing off against what looked to be the entire Weather Team. "Well that's not fair!" the magician grumbled and began to gallop out onto the field before Octavia grabbed her hoof and held her back with a shake of her head.

"Uh-uh, this is their business; the Pegasus Challenge is an old and sacred ritual among Pegasi. It's rare enough for them to let other races take part in it but I can't imagine they'd be too keen on you or anypony else rushing out there."

"You're very well read on such a subject," a black and red shape careened out of the sky, plumed up a few loose blades of grass, and landed to Octavia's left before shaking out her grey mane. "For an Earth Pony," Ravenfire cocked her head curiously. "How'd you come by such information?"

"Volare and I spoke about it at length a few days ago, not to mention I've seen Rainbow Dash and her comrades throw down the Feather more than once," the cellist chuckled and nodded towards the Weather Team. "Rather rough and tumble lot, but nopony can argue that they don't get the job done."

"Indeed," Bon-Bon nodded before a distinct feeling of semi-dread struck her, which was strange because the pony that usually caused that feeling wasn't due back until that evening-

"Hey, the gang's all here!" a voice like roughly-hewn firewood logs tumbling over each other shouted from behind the group before a pair of off-white hooves threw themselves across Bon-Bon and Lyra's shoulders and a wild, blue-maned head popped up between the two mares. "Wazzup, guys?" Vinyl Scratch grinned.

"You're supposed to be on tour," Bon-Bon wheezed before the DJ released her neck from her grip.

"Yeah, well the last place was kinda dead, so I blew that popsicle stand last night and hoofed it back here. So wazzup? What's going on-dude, is that Volare out there with the speakerbox?" Vinyl lifted her shades to confirm that it wasn't just dirt on the lenses. "Wow, guess we're gonna see what it can do, huh?"

"Actually, we already got a taste of that yesterday," Trixie replied.

"Say what? Did Volare read my warning?!" The DJ glanced towards the pilot in worry.

"Warning? What warning? About what?" Lyra cocked her head, but Vinyl was focused on the group of ponies out there as they broke their huddle.

"About the effect it can have on certain ponies if he's not careful...that and the nosebleeds..."

....................

"Alright, so what game did ya come up with, hmm?" Cloud Kicker cracked her neck and flexed her wings, confident that her opponents had either decided on a game she'd likely played before, or on a game so far out there that they likely wouldn't be very good at it themselves, giving the physically tougher Lieutenant the advantage. Dash's speed would only take her so far, after all. But to her surprise, the four ponies didn't look the least bit worried, in fact if anything they looked even more confident than Cloud Kicker was.

"We're gonna play somethin' we don't think ya'll've ever played before," Applejack grinned from under her Stetson.

"Oh, so you're going to play, eh? You're slower than a Pegasus and can't fly, so this oughta be good," but the Lieutenant's chortle died in her throat at the look of determination in Applejack's eyes. Just what the hay had they come up with?

"Eeyup, so is Twi," Applejack nodded towards the Librarian, and that little announcement did the trick of taking the wind out of Cloud Kicker's sails. Everypony in Equestria knew what Twilight was capable, and if she could cut a supercell in half...nope.

"I don't think so; no Unicorns," Cloud Kicker shook her head, but Volare stepped forward, asserting himself.

"You didn't say we couldn't have a Unicorn on our team, Kicky."

"Yeah, but I never agreed to your challenge just yet!"

"Actually, by picking up the Feather, you accepted by principle," Octavia called out from the crowd, which murmured its agreement. Irritated that the crowd wasn't really in her favor anymore, Cloud Kicker snorted her consent.

"Fine, but no crazy-flanked magic like yesterday!"

"Oh, don't worry; I won't have to do anything like that," Twilight smirked and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering energy and focusing it at the tip of her horn. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and magical tendrils of violet energy poured out of her horn all over the field, tracing white rectangular borderlines along the grass and building what looked to be two tallish, brassy half-hoops that poked out of the ground, one at either end of the Field. As the ponies looked on in awe, Twilight grinned and dimmed her horn, took a short breath, and conjured up what looked like a chubby blue and white version of a football with a small ring on either end. The ball dropped to the ground and Twilight shut the magic off entirely before looking across the gap at Cloud Kicker. "We challenge you...to a game of Buckby!"

"Buckby?" Vinyl turned the strange word over in her mouth. "What the hay's buckby?" But her question was swallowed up in the great belly-laugh of Faber, who stomped a large hoof in approval.

"Haha, it's tha national game o' me 'ome countreh o' Scoltland! Ye'd best be readeh, ponies! It's a wee bit rougher than ye might expect!" He shouted across the field.

"Ha, whatcha think about that, Lieutenant?" Rainbow Dash smirked, supremely confident that they'd taken Cloud Kicker by surprise. But to her horror, the lavender mare began to laugh, and laugh hard. It was so hard that she nearly fell on her flank, and it was suddenly Dash's turn to feel deflated.

"I think-haha-that your're gonna get your-heehee-plots bucked anyways!" Cloud Kicker wiped her eyes after a few moments and regained her balance and composure with a sly smile. "I was Captain of the Westhoof Buckby team for four years before I left the Academy. And I accept your choice of game."

"Feather it, AJ!!" Rainbow Dash whirled on her friend and swiped at her with a wing before Volare could hold her back.

"Hey, Ah didn't know she played it like that!!" the farm pony shot back. "It's an Earth Pony game after all. Hay, Ah didn't think anypony outside o' tha Apple family played it round these parts."

"Well, apparently we were wrong," Twilight scuffed the ground with a hoof before taking charge. "But we're in this together, for Rainbow Dash's sake," she thumped her cyan friend's shoulder. "And we're not going to back down just because everything's not all sunshine and rainbows, right Volare?"

"Right!" the pilot grinned fiercely. "Besides, how hard could this be?"

........................................
15 Minutes Later...

As it turned out, the rules were simple: buck the ball through your opponent's goal hoop to score a point, three points won the game, no tackling defenders-only the one with the ball, etc. But simple though they were, the execution of such a full-contact sport was another matter entirely.

"Oof! Oh gawd," Volare breath puffed out into the cold air in a groan as he hit the ground once more after receiving Thunderlane's shoulder-tackle to the ribs. He watched as the Buckby ball bounced a short distance away before the white-maned Pegasus grasped it by one of its end-rings and tried to take flight. Luckily, in order to keep within the rules of it being an Earth Pony game, the enchantment that Twilight had placed on the ball kept Thunderlane from flying as long as he had it in his mouth, forcing him to run along the ground...not the type of place that allows a Pegasus to play to its strengths.

"Oh my gosh! You ok, Volare?" Twilight Sparkle levitated him to his hooves, and he gave her a crooked, turf-filled grin.

"Yeah, just got the crap knocked outta me...again. I'm no good on the ground with this thing," he nodded back at the saddlebag which held the speakerbox and the all-important crystal inside. Without it, he couldn't stay in close proximity with Twilight but he was slower than the Pegasi on Cloud Kicker's team with it, leading to him being pummeled every time he got the ball. Smear the steer....haha, very funny, AJ, Volare muttered as he shook his mane, gave Twilight a nod, and they rushed back to the defense of their goal-hoop. But Twilight wasn't athletic, Volare was weighed down, and Thunderlane was getting away, charging towards Dash who was defending the goal against the Wingers' press of Flitter and Cloudchaser, doing her best to keep them from getting into position to catch the ball and score. But as fast as she was, not even Dash could be in two places at once!

"Heh-heh, stop this, Dash!" Thunderlane grinned as he prepared to sling the ball to Flitter with a wing, but just as he flipped it into the air to do so, an orange blur blind-sided him, knocking the wind out of him and sending the Buckby ball flying into the air towards Twilight and Volare.

"Woo-wee, don't try ta tangle with an Earth Pony at her own game, sugarcube," Applejack whooped and took off for the ball, causing Flitter and Cloudchaser to leave Dash's goal to check on their stunned comrade. While Cloud Kicker was right in that her entire team was faster than an Earth Pony could ever hope to be, they stood no chance when forced to conform to the rules and stay on the ground. And Applejack, playing the Fullbuck position, made them pay every chance she got. In fact she was the only reason they were only down 1-0 by this point as she could easily overpower the Pegasi while on the ground. With a devilish grin, Applejack snagged the Buckby ball and wheeled around to meet up with Volare and Twilight at mid-field before the trio began a charge towards the goal guarded only by Cloud Kicker.

But the Weather Lieutenant wasn't without her wiles, and knowing that she was out-numbered and couldn't defend against all three of them, tried for a different tactic. As soon as Applejack tossed the ball to Twilight, Cloud Kicker left the goal and came flying in shoulder-first, landing a solid crack of a tackle on the side of Applejack's head, causing her to pirouette slowly once or twice before landing on the ground with a thud, half the wind and all of the fight knocked out of her and drawing a chorus of boos from the large crowd of ponies gathered along the sidelines. But despite their boos, it was well within the rules to tackle cleanly, and Cloud Kicker scampered away to check on Thunderlane.

"Shit!" Volare cried, nodding to Twilight to score the ball before he doubled back to check on Applejack. "AJ! AJ, you ok?!"

"Why that nasty little Pegasus-" Trixie huffed and began to stalk out onto the field before Octavia and Ravenfire caught and held her back.

"No, you can't get involved, love," Octavia shook her head sternly.

"This is between Pegasi and shouldn't be violated. It's enough that they've allowed a Unicorn and an Earth Pony to participate, so don't force your way out there," Ravenfire added grimly. "It's a matter of honor."

"Grah, damn your crazy honor," Trixie growled but stayed her hoof, staring out onto the field as Volare reached Applejack's side.

"Eh-heh, heya Grannysmith...is it harvest time again?" Applejack giggled woozily, her green eyes doing a very good Derpy impression before her tongue lolled out and she passed out entirely. Volare ignored the loud chime that rang out and signaled Twilight's goal, instead focusing on getting Applejack off the field. Twilight soon joined him and they propped Applejack up near Trixie, who did her best to revive their stunned comrade, but to no avail. She wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, and that left them down a player. Luckily, Thunderlane didn't seem to be faring any better as Cloudchaser and Flitter carried him back to the Weather Team, the stallion mumbling something about Santa Hooves coming to Ponyville that evening.

"That was feathering dirty and you know it, Cloud Kicker!" Rainbow Dash roared from her goal-hoop as the lavender Lieutenant trotted past.

"Clean tackle, Boss. Besides, you know I did the smart thing by taking out your strongest teammate. Why else would you be so flustered?" she smirked and kicked off the ground to rejoin her two remaining team-mates. "All in good fun, Dashie!"

"Grah, dammit!" Dash growled, not taking the loss of her friend from the field very well, not even tying the game made up for it! "Alright, huddle you guys," she beckoned Twilight and Volare over, trying to keep Cloud Kicker from frustrating her...but nopony hurt her friends like that, even if it was part of a game!

"AJ's gonna be ok, Dash," Twilight reassured her when she caught the sneer directed towards Cloud Kicker. "She's just dazed, but I think she's done for the day."

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare winced. "So what's the plan, Boss?"

Knock Cloud Kicker's head in!
"I...I dunno...Twi, you got anything?"

"Yeah...Volare's faster than both Cloudchaser and Cloud Kicker based on their wingpower numbers, but as long as he carries that saddlebag with the crystal, he's too slow," Twilight gave him a pained look. "The only reason why he's carrying it is because of me, so..."

"Don't even think about it, Twi," Volare laid a hoof on her shoulder, but the Unicorn brushed him off with a brave smile, tugging him away from Dash before the cyan mare could get a word in edgewise.

"When we get the ball back, I'll take it in, and you follow me, Volare. When Cloudchaser and Flitter attack me, I'll pass you the ball, and you take it in past Cloud Kicker. Dash, stay back and guard the goal," she instructed, knowing that Dash would likely stop her from carrying out her plan if she got the chance. Besides, that would leave Volare, a slower flyer, to defend the goal, and that just wouldn't do. No, since she'd agreed not to use magic, this was the only way. Sometimes a leader had to make tough decisions, and if she was out of the game, Volare wouldn't need to carry the saddlebag anymore, giving him the advantage once more. "You ready, Volare?"

"Not particularly," he replied as Derpy, acting as referee (which in Volare's opinion probably wasn't the best idea), brought the ball to the center of the field for the opening scrum. They'd won the earlier scrum due to Applejack's superior strength, but without her, whoever emerged from the scrum with the ball was essentially a crap-shoot. Twilight and Volare faced Cloudchaser and Flitter on the opposite side of the ball, waiting for Derpy to drop it to the ground.

"You guys ready?" the cross-eyed Pegasus asked.

"Ready!" Twilight nodded.

"Bring it!" Cloudchaser barked.

"Hey Dashie, we're comin for ya!" Cloud Kicker laughed loudly.

"Stuff it, Kicky!" Dash growled back, yearning to be something other than goal-keeper this round, but she was the fastest so that settled that argument fairly quickly. With a nod of her head, Derpy dropped the ball, and the scrum was on! Twilight, surprising everypony, dove in first, shoved Flitter out of the way, grabbed the ball in her teeth and flung it over her head, nearly smacking the unsuspecting Volare in the face with it.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" he kept up a constant chorus of curses as he galloped away from the pile and headed towards the goal, the plan from earlier forgotten as Twilight was quite literally sat on by Cloudchaser and Flitter, leaving the pilot to face Cloud Kicker on his own.

"Well, well, playing the hero, hawt-flank?" the lavender Lieutenant left her goal and flew alongside the pilot, taunting him with little flicks of her wing-tips across his nose, teasing him with the fact that she could knock him flat any second she chose.

"Something like that!" Volare tried to ignore her, but just as he thought that she'd overestimated her recovery speed and decided to buck the ball at the goal, the Weather Lieutenant knocked his legs out from under him, grabbed the ball out of his mouth, and promptly sat on his chest and stared down at him with a wicked smirk.

"Heh-heh, you should see the look on your face, Volare...it's kinda cute," she batted her eyes at him for a moment before shooting off in the opposite direction. Volare had enough time to roll to his hooves and see Flitter, Cloudchaser, and Cloud Kicker triple-team Rainbow Dash, easily out-maneuver her, and score the goal before Twilight could get there and help.

"Volare, you're an idiot!!" Dash berated him when he sheepishly returned to the huddle. "What happened to the plan, huh?!"

"Well the plan kinda fell apart when I-"

"Don't try to defend him, Twilight," Dash cut her friend off before snapping back around at the pilot. "He didn't listen and tried to grab the glory for himself!"

"Hey, that's not true, Dashie-!"

"Don't Dashie me," the incensed mare prodded him in the chest with an angry hoof. "Cuz of you going all hero, we're one point away from losing!"

"Well what would you have rather me do, Dash?" Volare shot back, his wings flaring in irritation.

"Guys, we should-"

"Stay out of it, Twilight!" Dash cut her friend off again. "This is between me and hooves for brains here! I swear he'd do more good if he played for the other team!"

"Don't treat him like that, Rainbow!" Twilight stood her ground and glared at her friend, realizing all too late that yet again they were arguing over him. "He's doing his best!"

"Well his best isn't good enough for me," Dash growled back. But Volare saw what was happening and he'd be damned if they got into another fight over him again!

"You know what-fine!" Volare shouted suddenly, gaining both mares' attentions as he threw up his hooves and stalked off across the field. "Hey Kicky, care if I join your team?"

"What the bucking hay!?" Dash stomped a hoof, but Twilight didn't try to stop him as she had a feeling she knew why Volare was removing himself from the situation: he was trying to keep them safe from each other.

"Heh, sure! Switch places with Flitter" Cloud Kicker grinned and hoof-bumped Volare as Flitter groaned in protest before heading to Dash and Twilight's team. "Finally wised up and joined the winning side; we'll make you a Weather Pony yet, flyboy" Cloud Kicker chuckled as she hoof-noogied him, and Rainbow Dash nearly exploded in jealous rage.

"That's my nickname for him, dammit!" she started to shout but Twilight magically closed her mouth and gave her a stern look.

"Don't, Dash. She's toying with you till you get mad enough to screw up. Don't fall for it!"

"But I-"

"Hey, I care about him too, ok?" she locked eyes with Dash, and the fiery mare calmed down a smidge. "Take a breath and relax. We're going to win this, but if Cloud Kicker wants to play dirty...then I've got no problem with a little subterfuge myself," she grinned. "All warfare is deception," she recited from her and Volare's lessons from weeks ago.

"Heh, I think I get it. You got a plan, Smartyflank?"

"You bet your wings I do," Twilight winked and beckoned Flitter closer. "Ok guys, here's what we do..."

"So, whatcha think they're cooking up over there, flyboy?" Cloud Kicker nudged him, not bothering to retract her hoof afterwards and leaving it on his shoulder. Volare winced slightly, knowing that Cloud Kicker was only doing this to get under her Captain's skin, but still not feeling totally comfortable with her using Dash's nickname for him like this.

"With Twilight Sparkle, you never can tell," he shrugged, more in an effort to remove her hoof from him, but it stuck as if glued there.

"You think they'll try a head-on attack, LT?" Cloudchaser mused, but Cloud Kicker shook her head.

"Nah, that's a Dash-style move. Like Volare said, with Twilight Sparkle pulling the strings, expect anything but the obvious." And with that, Cloud Kicker and Volare approached the ball-drop circle, with the pilot feeling more like a turnfeather every step he took towards his former teammates. True it was just as spur-of-the-moment as Dash's outburst had been, but that didn't make it any less awkward.

"Ah don't feel right watchin' this, all o' a sudden," Faber mumbled.

"Took the words outta my mouth, big guy," Vinyl nodded in agreement. "They should be on the same team, not going at it like this. Crazy Pegasi..."

"It's not crazy, it's tradition," Ravenfire snorted, but that brought little comfort to the ponies watching the intense match.

"Whatever you say, old-timer," Vinyl replied, and Octavia's eyes reflexively searched the noon sky for a blue moon once she realized that she had no argument with her wild friend for once. This was madness.

"You guys ready?" Derpy asked, but the players merely nodded, neither taking their eyes off their opponents this time. "And...go!" Derpy dropped the ball, and this time it was Cloud Kicker that came up with it, forcing Twilight and Flitter to drop back on defense. Cloud Kicker flicked the ball over to Volare and flew in front of him, intent on shouldering her former comrade or Twilight out of the way if it came to it. But just as they closed to within spitting distance of the two, Rainbow Dash left the goal area and looped high up above the field, backlighting herself with the sun and forcing Volare to refocus on the field.

"What the hay's she doing?" Cloud Kicker muttered, but it became quite clear as Dash came zooming out of the sky and hit Volare broadside as he drew even with Twilight, knocking the wind out of his chest and the ball out of his mouth with a grunt of pain and sending him tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Oops," Dash leaned over and whispered in Volare's ear before tossing the ball to Twilight and heading back to her goal. Volare wobbled to his hooves in time to see Twilight and Flitter closing in on the opposite goal, with Cloud Kicker in hot pursuit from behind. Cloudchaser, alone in goal and seeing that the slower Twilight had the ball, rushed the Unicorn, intent on taking it by force. But Twilight glanced over her shoulder at Flitter pushing on her left flank and grinned toothily. Cloud Kicker caught the grin and realized that she was up to something, but too late!

"Cloudchaser, stop!!" The Weather Lieutenant had just enough time to shout a warning before Twilight intentionally dropped to her knees, causing Flitter to shoot over the Librarian and collide head-on with her sister. The Pegasi rolled in a heap, tangling up hooves, wings, and manes along with Twilight, but the damage was done as the Unicorn tossed the ball in the air and gave it a good buck with a hind-hoof before being smooshed between the two sisters. Cloud Kicker could only watch helplessly as the ball flew through the air, bounced once, and rolled through the undefended goal to tie the score.

"You...that was..." Cloud Kicker gasped and glared at Twilight and the unconscious sisters, but the Unicorn merely smiled smugly.

"Deceptive, just like I'm sure you've learned at Westhoof," Twilight said pointedly, causing the Weather Lieutenant to growl and paw the ground.

"Y-you're disqualified for cheating!"

"No need-agh," Twilight untangled herself from the downed sisters, favoring her right foreleg with a grimace. "I'm not gonna be running for a while on this anyway." She limped away towards Dash, giving her a small, pained grin as she did so before settling on the ground near Lyra, taking herself out of the game and leaving Cloud Kicker and Volare to face Dash, hoping that her friends would catch on and see the reason for her strategy.

"Twilight, you alright?" Volare cried as he approached, but she waved him off.

"I'm fine, but you've got a game to finish."

"But I-"

"No buts, Volare!" Trixie suddenly shouted and took to her hooves. "Don't let Twilight's sacrifice be for nothing! Now get back out there!"

"Shit...fine," Volare muttered, wondering what she meant by that as Flitter and Cloudchaser were carted from the field. Dash was forced to come to the drop-ball circle, which meant that she had to get the ball out of the scrum, or else her goal would be undefended.

"Can't go easy on you now, flyboy," Dash narrowed her eyes at him as Derpy prepared to drop the ball for the final time. The pilot was bruised and battered, but still standing, and Dash nodded her grudging respect towards him.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Dashie," he smirked as Derpy dropped the ball...and Dash promptly tripped him and grabbed the ball right out of his hooves before backing off, her rose eyes darting left and right to try to figure out how she could possibly win this without flying. Volare got to his hooves, glancing sideways at Cloud Kicker, who dropped back slightly to cover the goal in case Dash managed to launch it past the pilot.

"What're you waiting for? Get her!" Cloud Kicker shouted, but Volare hesitated.

"But she's faster than me!"

"Not on the ground she's not!" The Weather Lieutenant shot back and waved him onwards. With a grim nod, he took to the air and circled Dash like a shark after a meal, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"This is stupid, this is stupid, this is stupid," Lyra kept muttering, and Faber gently patted her on the back.

"For hoof's sake, just get it over with!" Bon-Bon cried, unable to stand the sight of the two blue Pegasi going at it like this, game or not. At her words, Volare dipped into a dive, gave Dash an apologetic look, and then zipped back up into the sky, forcing the defiant Dash to keep her attention on him. Cloud Kicker saw her chance and zoomed in, and it was only by divine providence that Dash managed to dodge her wild tackle, leaving the goal at the end of the field unprotected! But just as Dash lined up the buck, Volare smashed into her left flank just below her Cutie Mark, stunning the muscles in her leg and causing her shot to fly off-target and out of bounds, necessitating a time-out as Derpy retrieved the ball from the Ponyville Stream.

"Dammit," Dash hissed in pain as she tried to get to her hooves, but failed again and again like a foal trying to walk for the first time. "Nice shot, flyboy," she muttered grudgingly, unable to feel her lower leg as she fell once more while Cloud Kicker eagerly awaited the arrival of the ball. But as she tried to haul herself upright again, a dark blue hoof entered her field of vision, and she looked up in confusion to find Volare standing over her. "Back off flyboy, I got this-ah!" she fell again.

"Dash, come on," Volare grasped at her forehoof, his heart in pain at the injury he'd caused her.

"Buck you, you're on the other team!"

"So what, we're just gonna keep pummeling each other till we can't stand up straight?" Volare finally took hold of her hoof and pulled, forcing her to look at him again, and it was then that she saw the pain in his eyes. "This is stupid, you know that?"

"Yeah, well it's part of the game."

"If part of the game means hurting you like that, then I won't do it," he replied just as defiantly.

"You'd quit on your own team?" Dash looked up at him in shock, and he nodded.

"If it meant keeping you safe, then yes."

"But...I don't...you-"

"No, you, Dashie," he pulled her too her hooves and smiled. "Cuz of you...cuz you're worth it, remember?"

"Flyboy, you're just a...feather head," she punched him with a forehoof and nearly fell over before he caught her once more.

"For you? Yep," he smiled and looked up at Cloud Kicker. "Hey Kicky, Dash can't trot anymore so I'm switching sides to give her a chance!"

"What the-for real dude? We're just about to win this and you go turnfeather again?"

"Turn-about's fair play, Kicky," he shrugged helplessly. "Besides, this is about you and her, remember? Not me."

"Grr, fine! I'll just knock the crap outta both your plots, then!"

"Fair enough," he nodded and helped Dash to the sidelines near Twilight.

"Heh, guess I screwed up again, huh?" Dash chuckled sheepishly and Twilight could only nod in agreement.

"Not as royally as yesterday, but this is a close second," the Unicorn eyed the knotted muscle beneath Dash's Cutie Mark with a frown. "That's going to cramp up if we don't fix it."

"Grr-it already is!" Dash shook her mane and gritted her teeth as she attempted to stand up straight, but she couldn't put any weight on it without feeling like someone was stabbing a red-hot poker into her Cutie Mark. Volare hooked his wing under hers and she gasped in shock before relaxing slightly and leaning into him.

"This is my fault, Dashie...I'm sorry," he began before she slapped him with her wing.

"No, you cut that out, flyboy. No more of this 'poor me' crap," she said sternly to keep up appearances, though inwardly she was grateful and maybe a little proud. "I pushed you onto the other team and...well, look, I smacked your wing too," she nodded at the bent-up primaries poking off the end of his right wing and winced, knowing that the pain in her leg was likely nothing compared to how his wing felt right now. He was either hiding it well or the adrenaline was keeping him from feeling it. Either way, she felt just as guilty if not more so. "If anything you got even, so just shut it. Let's focus on how we're gonna win cuz that'll make this worth it!"

"Heh, yeah," he nodded and forced a grin through the knife-like pain lancing through his right wing; it felt like something had popped when she hit him, though he wasn't sure what. He had to be strong for her though...man up, Volare! "So what's the plan?"

"Well, you could start by losing that saddlebag," Twilight patted the bag before leaning in towards his ear. "You know, since I'm not out there anymore." Dash heard her though and her eyes went wide in realization. "You'll be faster without it weighing you down."

"You planned this, Twi?" Dash asked in shock.

"Something like that," Twilight smiled. "You two'll probably beat the hay out of yourselves if you oppose each other, and what'll that get you besides more of this?" she nodded towards their well-deserved injuries. "If yesterday proved anything, you're better off working together, for better or worse. Besides, I'd only slow you down anyway," Twilight glanced past the duo at the impatient and uninjured Cloud Kicker. "So go get her!"

"You heard her, flyboy," Dash tugged at the saddlebag impatiently, her fighting spirit flaming back to life. "Lose the weight and let's get back out there! Win or lose, we'll go down fighting together!" She thumped him in the chest. "Am I right or am I right?"

"Heh, you got it, Boss," he grinned, but before he dropped the bag he had a second thought and pulled out the speaker box, remembering how it had helped them reach a different level yesterday. Solo Wing and Cipher at it again, eh? This is for you, Dashie...for us... He popped the earbuds in and concentrated on a song he felt fitting for this situation. Win or lose, they'd all know that she and him did it together today! He felt that sting of a pinch between his eyes, and wiped the blood from his nose before Twilight could notice before placing the box back on the ground and the earbuds back in the saddlebag. "Twi, when Derpy drops the ball, you hit that red button and levitate it where it's not pointed at anypony."

"The 11 one?"

"The 11 one," he winked and gave her a quick salute before jogging onto the field, Dash at his side. Twilight eyed the box leerily as Vinyl approached.

"What're you gonna do with that?" the DJ pointed at the box.

"Volare wants me to hit the 11 button when Derpy drops the ball-" But no sooner had she spoken then Vinyl's eyes went wide and she started waving everypony in the crowd back in a semi-panicked fashion. "Was it something I said?" Twilight cocked her head before shrugging and turning back to the field to levitate the speakerbox above the players.

"Heh, you're barely standing and you probably can't fly with your wing like that," Cloud Kicker chuckled as the two blue Pegasi approached, defiant and unrelenting as ever. "Still, I gotta give you guys props for having some stones. Hardly a complete Pegasus between ya, though-"

"Stuff it, Lieutenant!" Dash growled and flared her wings. "I can fly and he can run, and that's all we need...plus we got a secret weapon."

"You do?"

"We do?" Volare whispered, but Dash ignored him.

"Hay yeah we do! Just drop that ball and you'll find out what it is!" Dash looked back at Volare and winked. "Gotta warn ya though-it's a real doozy!" Volare understood what she meant and he matched her grin with one of his own. She was trying to beat Cloud Kicker at her own game and psyche her out. Barring that, they truly did have a secret weapon if that music worked like it did yesterday and pushed them to a new and unexpected level...he hoped that was enough to give them the edge.

"I'm ready," Cloud Kicker flared her wings and bared her teeth. "Hope you are!"

"Nah, better hope you are!" Dash shot back, and Volare had to resist facehoofing; gotta move above kindergarten level psyche-outs, Dashie.

"Heh, we'll see. Derpy!" Cloud Kicker looked up at the grey and blonde mare. "Drop it!"

"Righto! Go!" As the ball left Derpy's hooves, Twilight magically flicked the 11 button and pointed the box skywards as the music started...and would have blown a hole through any unfortunate low-hanging clouds had they drifted overhead.

The Buckby ball bounced once up in a lazy arc, and Cloud Kicker made a grab for it before the cowbell of the song's intro caught her by surprise, giving Dash just the split second she needed to kick off the ground and snatch the ball right out of Cloud Kicker's reach. The enchanted weight immediately dragged her groundwards, but as Cloud Kicker dove to snag the ball, Volare jumped in the way and threw a shoulder block into her ribs, knocking her sideways and giving them space to separate from their opponent.

"Not gonna be that easy, Kicky!" the pilot smirked and put himself between Dash and the weather mare, feeling the rock music's energy crackle through the air around them like lightning while the bass boomed like thunder, giving the blue duo a backing track unlike anything anypony had ever heard before. The sight of the two Pegasi poised to attack sent a strange feeling down their opponent's back...maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought!

"Damn," Cloud Kicker hissed and immediately retreated a few steps to see what they'd do. But instead of another head-on assault, Dash tossed the ball to Volare and together they charged her full-speed ahead. Hmph, nice try she snorted and backpedaled, deciding to put her back against the goal and dare them to get it past her. That strategy worked for a while as Dash and Volare took turns bucking and tossing the ball towards the goal-hoop, but to no avail. Time and again she only had to move a few feet in order to block the shots, and smirked, knowing they were at an impasse. She couldn't attack, and they couldn't break through her defenses.

Dash and Volare realized the same thing and fell back for a moment to contemplate their next move. "Damn, she's good," Dash gasped and wiped the sweat from her forehead, every other heaving breath loaded with curses towards her throbbing leg.

"She wasn't bluffing, that's for sure," Volare conceded. "She must have been listening during those Westhoof classes, cuz she's matching us move-for-move!"

"We gotta change things up flyboy, cuz if she catches the ball there's no way in Ponyhell we can stop her from taking it past us and scoring," Dash growled and pawed at the ground. "But how?!"

"That's it-we'll throw her a change-up," Volare grinned, both at his idea and the realization that the loud music was making it practically impossible for Cloud Kicker to hear their strategy.

"Say what?"

"It's a trick baseball pitchers use when the batter gets used to their pitch pattern. We change the speed and delivery up, it'll throw her off, and that's all the chance we need!" He nudged her shoulder. "You with me, Dashie?"

"To the end, flyboy," she grinned and nudged him back, neither one concerned with the significance of her words at the time, both only caring about winning a Buckby game at all costs. The simple game was their whole world, and they had no intention of losing as long as they could move.

"Alright then...remember that Thach-Weave Maneuver I told ya about?"

"Yeah, I do," she nodded, remembering that it was meant to force an opponent to split their attention between two wingmen. "But that only works in the air and the ball keeps us on the ground."

"Only if we hang onto it, Dashie," he winked and smirked. "Just follow my lead and she won't be able to stop us. You ready?"

"Ready," she nodded.

"Get airborne, Dashie!" he shouted and to Cloud Kicker's surprise, he galloped towards the opposite end of the field, Dash flying just above him.

"Hey flyboy!"

"Yep?"

"What's this music from?" Dash grinned down at him, bobbing her head to the grinding guitar beat, letting it flow through her just like yesterday.

"Zero!"

"Ha, I figured!" She threw her head back and laughed wildly. "So, you ready to do this, Solo Wing?"

"That's a stupid question, Dashie!"

"What the Ponyhell..." the Lieutenant muttered, utterly confused as to what they were doing. "Haha, running away?" she taunted, but something about the way they'd whispered and winked unsettled her. They had a plan, alright. Without warning, the duo turned and charged once more, but this time they began to touch-pass the ball between each other, Volare on the ground and Dash in the air. Because Dash wasn't holding it, she didn't have to run, and soon Volare gained enough speed to spread his own wings and fly at a low altitude, still passing the ball between himself and her. "That's cheating!" Cloud Kicker shouted in desperation, her eyes threatening to go Derpy on her as she tried to keep track of the rapidly-moving ball as the passes and running/flying routes crossed and recrossed each other in a blur of light and dark blue fur and feathers. Back and forth, up and down, side to side, faster and faster, closer and closer and closer!

"Apparently not!" Dash crowed as she batted the ball back to Volare a final time before diving straight at Cloud Kicker, a merciless grin on her face.

"Hey, hey, hey, no tackling defenders!" Cloud Kicker shouted and threw up her hooves to defend herself. But at the last moment, Dash pulled up and Volare tossed the ball up and slapped it with his wing, sending it spiraling towards the top of the goal hoop. It bounced off the brass ring just as Dash finished executing a forward loop. She saw the blue and white ball in sailing into her periphery and felt the music flow from her mind to her heart like a surge of lightning, and she cocked a devilish grin of anticipation. The prismatic mare focused on the ball, breathed out, and kicked downwards in an arc, catching the ball with her good back-leg and redirecting it with a mighty kick off of the distracted Cloud Kicker's back...and through the goal hoop.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGG!!!! went the goal chime as Dash crashed towards the ground, a satisfied smile on her face as she grinned up into the sun, distantly realizing that her landing was going to hurt like Ponyhell. But to her pleasant surprise, instead of the hard ground, a soft set of hooves caught her, their owner landing on his flank with an oof as her full weight struck him. Dash turned to look, but as this point wasn't terribly surprised to see who'd caught her.

"Heh-*gasp*-you ok-*huff*-Dashie?" Volare winced at the pain in his wing as the music and adrenaline faded.

"D-did...did we...w-win?" Dash gasped as Volare hugged her, glad she wasn't injured any worse.

"Yeah...yeah we did!"

"Cool," she chuckled and brushed a hoof across his mane. "You may suck at first, but you're alright, flyboy," she said just as the other ponies in attendance rushed in to help them up.

"That was rad!" Vinyl pumped a hoof and thumped Volare on the back. "The way you guys just...synced up like that was nuts! It's gotta be that crystal!"

"Vinyl, there you are!" Twilight collared the DJ and hauled her to the side. "You've got some explaining to do about these crazy crystals you turned into a weapon of potential mass destruction!"

"Whoa, whoa, what the hay did I miss while I was gone?" Vinyl lifted her shades in worry before Cloud Kicker spoke up.

"Guys, guys, give'em room!" the Weather Lieutenant shoved the other ponies away from the barely-standing Dash and Volare. Satisfied that they had enough to space to breathe, the lavender mare turned and faced her victorious challengers and grasped both their forehooves in turn. "You won fair and square. Sorry I was such a plot-hole, Boss...Volare. Can you forgive me?"

"Yeah, it's cool-agh," Dash winced as she gingerly tested her back leg-nope! "Just...good meeting you guys...c'mon, Volare. Let's just get back to my place."

"Hey, lemme at least fly you guys up there!" Cloud Kicker protested, feeling like an absolute jackass for causing those two to injure each other like that. But try as she might, they refused her help; the best she could offer was to retrieve Volare's speakerbox and saddlebag before following them to Dash's home in case they fell out of the air, leaving Twilight and the others behind before they realized the trio had even left during the post-game confusion. It was just as well, as Twilight felt that she'd wring all three of their necks, Volare and Dash's with hugs and Cloud Kicker's with her bare hooves!

...................................
Rainbow Dash's House, Late Afternoon...

"Ahh....that feels soooo good," Volare groaned as he stood under the shower cloud in Dash's bathroom, letting the steaming water roll off his aching limbs and wing, the heat soothing his body like nothing else he imagined could possibly do at the moment. He didn't even bother scrubbing himself of the turf and dirt crammed into his wing feathers and fur; he just stood there, his forehead resting against the cloud-wall, alone with the pounding roar of the water...nearly drifting off to sleep on his hooves...

"Heya, flyboy," a husky voice right next to his ear snapped him back to reality and he jumped sideways in surprise at the sight of Rainbow Dash standing just outside the shower. She was filthy and disheveled, and favoring her injured left hindleg, but that did almost nothing to hide the small smirk of amusement at the sight of Volare practically leaping through the cloud wall, all because she walked in on him in the shower. Seriously, what was his deal with that?

"Jesus, Dash," Volare shook his mane. "Scared the hell outta me. Um...you mind?" he motioned for her to leave, but she simply rolled her eyes incredulously and made to step in. "Dash, what're you-?"

"Look dude, I don't care about your crazy naked taboos, ok?" she hopped over the lip of the tub with her front hooves. "I'm hot, I'm filthy, I stink, and I'm tired and sore, so either move over or get the hay out."

"But-"

"My shower, my rules," she replied defiantly, and he rubbed his face with a hoof as he considered his options. On the one hoof, the water felt great on his aching body, but on the other hoof, he'd be showering with Rainbow Dash...or was that second option on the first hoof? Was it bad or good? Either way, he apparently took too long in his decision because Dash simply snorted and hopped all the way in the tub, forcing herself under the warm water with him and sighing in relief. "Ahh...man there's nothing better than that, eh flyboy?" she nudged him with her muzzle and he chuckled nervously before stepping back to give her some room.

"Not much matches it," he nodded and made to finally start scrubbing himself so he could get out, deciding that showering with her risked too many...strange behaviors. Not strange in a bad sense, and he'd be lying if this wasn't some sort of every brony's fantasy-showering with Rainbow Dash-but it was...gah, whether it mattered to her or not, it was too soon and weird for him, and furthermore-

"Agh...ow," Dash hissed in pain as she attempted to place her weight on her back leg and received a lancing pain from the cramped muscle beneath her Cutie Mark. Volare paused in the action of leaving the shower to look back at her with concern. "I'm fine, just...just get out if you want to," Dash waved a wing and set her teeth again, tears starting from her eyes as she tried once more to put weight on her leg. But all she managed to do was make a noise that Volare never in his life would have believed could have come out of her throat: an absolutely pitiful whimper of pain that she did her best to hide only because she wasn't alone. It tore at Volare's heart, it made him want to hug her, to comfort her, to do whatever it took to make the pain stop...the fact that it was a pain he'd put there made it hurt all the more, and he stepped back into the shower.

"Dashie, I-"

"I said I'm fine, dude," Dash insisted, trying to reach her back leg with a hoof to rub the muscle knot away, but that meant she was standing on two legs and could neither keep her balance, nor could she get enough leverage to massage the cramped muscle. With a groan of frustration, she toppled sideways into Volare, and he caught her, drawing a mortified chuckle from her lips. "Sorry flyboy...I'm just...damn. You mind lending a hoof here?"

"How?"

"You know...could you rub my...my flank? I mean, I'd go to Fluttershy's, but we're already here and...yeah," Dash asked, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at both the request itself as well as its nature: she was angry that she couldn't help herself and, no matter how much she trusted Volare, she was still basically asking a stallion to feel her up. Meanwhile, Volare's mind was fogged over a few miles away, realizing that he was not only showering with Rainbow Dash, but she wanted him to give her a rubdown as well.

No, no dude, she needs your help! He physically slapped himself hard enough to draw a strange look from Rainbow Dash, but he blinked twice and nodded nervously. "Y-yeah, I guess so," he licked his lips and added: "But only cuz you need my help, ok?"

"Ok," Dash nodded, feeling a little better that he'd pointed that out himself without the need for a reminder from her. Even so, she couldn't help but moan slightly as he tentatively touched her flank, lightly running his hoof over her toned form despite himself before realizing he had no idea what to do; he was a pilot, not a masseuse!

"Um...where's it hurt?" he asked dumbly, and received an eye-roll and a tail-flick from Dash in response.

"Oh pretty much around the big swollen spot," Dash replied with a sardonic snort, and Volare again ran his hooves along her leg, searching for it. But he was trying too low, and Dash finally facehoofed and placed his hoof on it herself. "Ugh, do I have to spell it out for ya? There, right under my Cutie Mark."

"Ah...r-right," he nodded and withheld the crack about the irony of a pony getting a Charley Horse as he began to rub the swollen muscle knot in gentle circles, starting from the outside and working his way inwards, subconsciously avoiding touching her Cutie Mark as much as he could to the point that she took notice and softened her tone.

"Hey," she nudged him with a wing and met his eyes with hers peeking out from behind her fiery forelock. "You can touch my Cutie Mark; it won't bite," she chuckled softly as Volare's hoof finally trailed up onto it, and he noted that it felt smoother than the surrounding fur, as well as warmer, and it twitched slightly beneath his hoof as he massaged it. "You kinda touched the Tartarus outta it earlier anyway!"

"Yeah...sorry," he apologized yet again, and once more received an eye-roll and a tail flick.

"Will you stop apologizing, dude? You've got nothing to feel sorry for, ok?" she nuzzled his shoulder for a moment before pulling back. "Hey, your Captain just asked you a question. Ok?"

"Pulling rank on me too, eh?" Volare's attempt at a joke eased Dash's worries and she flicked him with her tail again, this time playfully across the nose.

"Don't you forget it. And stop fooling around back there," she felt his touch leave her for a moment before he caught her smirk and realized it was just a dirty joke. "Stop being nice and put a little something into it, dude."

"That could be dirty," he remarked, and she hoofed him with a laugh as he went back to massaging the knot.

"Heh, not giving yourself much credit, flyboy," she smirked at him until he realized what she meant by that, and he snorted indignantly.

"Hmph, like you'd know."

"How do you know I wouldn't?" Dash's eyes flashed devilishly and Volare sensed his feeble defenses begin to crumble as he felt a stirring along his wings.

"Cuz I'd just know, ok?" he shot back lamely, but she merely chuckled again.

"You gotta sleep sometime-ow!" she yelped as he tweaked the muscle knot. "Easy back there or I'll be trotting funny for a week!" Volare paused and their eyes met once more, and after a short pause where both tried to hold back their laughter, the dam broke and a rather immature flood of giggles burst from their mouths.

"Oho, who's giving me credit now, Dashie?" Volare teased as he seized the offensive.

"Dream on, dude. You couldn't handle me," she shot back as he continued to massage the knot, and she reflexively ground her forehead into his shoulder as a fresh bout of pain lanced through her leg. "Ah, that feels good...anyway, you'd be done in-ouch-ten seconds...flat-yah!" she felt her right leg nearly collapse beneath her and her wings flare in alarm as she swore Volare had stabbed her with a wingblade right in the Cutie Mark.

"Jeez, I'm sorry, Dashie!"

"Stop apologizing dammit!" she growled and ground her teeth together. "Just...you've almost got it...press harder, I can feel it loosening!"

"Ok, but it's gonna hurt-"

"I know it's gonna hurt, and it's ok," she cracked an eye and looked up at him with an expression halfway between pleading and dread. "Just...do it...please, for me...no cabbages, ok?"

"Ok," he folded a comforting wing over her back and nodded grimly before resuming his task. But after a few moments of her trying to hold back by grinding her teeth, he halted once more and held up his hoof to her mouth.

"Volare, what're you-?"

"Bite," his order was a strange one and she cocked her head in confusion. "Dash, I can hear you grinding your teeth, so just...just bite my hoof, ok?"

"Dude, no that's stupid. I'll just-"

"Dash, I'm not gonna have you breaking your teeth cuz of me," he snorted and stared at her, his silver-blue eyes blazing with an intensity she'd seen before. "So just...bite, ok?"

"O-ok," she nodded and took his hoof in her mouth for a moment. "But I-"

"Bruises heal, broken teeth don't, and it's as simple as that. Now bite if you have to, Dashie," he felt her tears run down on his hoof as she took it in her mouth once more and he resumed his massaging. "It'll be ok...it'll be ok...it'll be ok," he repeated softly and squinched his eyes shut as she felt her teeth mash painfully into his hoof, but he knew that every bit of pain he felt was one less bit she had to feel...and in some crazy portion of his mind, that made it all ok. Her grunts and whimpers echoed through the bathroom and out into her house, and Volare found himself thankful they were so far up in the air...and swearing that if Cloud Kicker was eavesdropping on them right now that he'd talk Trixie into turning her into a rat or something. At the very least the thoughts distracted him from the pain in his hoof as Dash ground down and simply let the tears flow. Towards the end, when the knot finally loosened and he heard Dash cry out in pain and relief, he thought he felt the skin of his hoof break, but when she withdrew her teeth as she panted, he saw that it was just deep bruising, and nothing more.

"Heh-held back for ya, flyboy," she smiled and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment before lowering her leg to the shower floor with a sigh of relief. "Wow...thanks...thank you," she reflexively reached up and for the second time in as many days, she kissed him gently below the ear before she even realized what she was doing. Once again, Volare froze up and stared at her in shock, while she cleared her throat loudly and aloofly tossed the water off her mane to hide her blushing face. "Right...so yeah, thanks."

"Yep, you're welcome," Volare said tersely before stumbling out of the shower. But before he could get half a step, he heard a small gasp from behind him, and he whirled around, thinking that Dash's leg had locked back up or something. But instead of her clutching her leg, she was staring at the bent-up feathers on his right wing. "What?"

"Dude, your wing."

"Yeah, the feathers are a little bent, so?" but his shrug was cut off as Dash grabbed him by the shoulder and nearly yanked him off his hooves back into the shower. Yep, her leg was just fine! "Whoa, what the hell?!"

"Don't you know anything about feathers, Volare?" Dash rolled her eyes and before Volare could stop her, she brushed a hoof along the darkened mark encircling the base of his right wing, causing the wing to extend against his will.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on a sec here!" he cried and tried to pull away, but she buffeted him across the muzzle with a wing and glared at him.

"Dude, If you don't fix these feathers they'll set that way and then you won't be able to fly right!"

"Oh...I thought you were-"

"Really, dude?" she rolled her eyes and hoofed him. "What kinda mare you take me for?"

"Well, considering our past wing encounters plus our conversation just a second ago..."

"Pfft, trust me as unlikely as that is, if I ever get that interested, you'll be the first to know and there won't be any if's, buts, or maybe's," she smirked up at him. "Plus you got your other little taboo."

"And yet you still find amusement in tormenting me with it."

"Only cuz it's too easy and I'm an efficient bitch and all," she chuckled and snapped her tail at his flank.

"Oh hardy-hard-har...and that's no fair," he grumbled and swished his short tail feebly. "You've got a longer tail than me...can't even fight back there."

"Pfft, I'm sure you'll figure out something," she nipped his shoulder playfully before turning back to his wing. "Now settle down and relax so I can figure out what the hay you did here."

"You mean what you did," he replied as Dash spread his wing and blocked his view of her for the moment.

"Oh...right," Dash chuckled to hide the sting she felt from that little comment before re-focusing on the feathers. "Well, let's see...got three bent-up primaries...two bent-secondaries...and oh, a broken primary."

"Is that bad?" Volare asked, unable to see what she was doing...what was she doing? It felt like...it felt...like...wait, why'm I getting all light-headed? "Dashie, what're you doing back there?"

"Preening your feathers back into place," Dash answered matter of factly as a sharp twinge of pain cut through his wing for a moment before she held up the broken feather with a hoof for him to see. But as she dropped it to the floor that strange tingling sensation returned.

"With your mouth?"

"Duh, how else?" Dash pulled his wing back down till she was in view once more. "Wanna watch?"

"Uh, actually-whoa..." Volare couldn't help the little moan that escaped his lips as Dash's lips went back to work on the sensitive leading edge of his wing. The sight of her preening his wing, her mouth working up and down and along the barbs of the shafts and the fluffy down around their bases coupled with the feeling of absolute, total bliss caused Volare's eyes to roll into his head and his tongue to loll out slightly. "Dashie, this is...wow...wow..."

"Heh, feels good, huh?" she smiled and continued. "All Pegasi gotta preen their wings or else they'll get dirty, won't stay oily, and won't grow right, ya know? We only preen the feathers of other Pegasi we know and care for, like family...or..." Loved ones. she nearly said before realizing how that might sound and how that might ruin the good mood she'd put him in. "...really close friends. Ya know, like you and me."

"Heh...we're really close friends, Dashie?" Volare murmured through the steam of the shower water that bled into the fog of his mind, and Dash paused once more before scolding herself for even thinking twice about that.

"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be? I mean, we've saved each other's plots half a dozen times combined, probably..." And...and he respects me like a mare instead of...some trophy... "...I think I'm winning that one though. Got like four saves to my name since you got here, heh-heh."

"You're keeping score?"

"I don't see why not."

"Forgive me for sounding like a broken record here, but is everything a game to you?"

"Yep, and I play to win 24/7," she poked his shoulder in emphasis and smirked. "But...maybe I'll let ya win every now and again, ya know, like a change of pace or something."

"Thanks, Dashie," she felt his chin on top of her head and she looked up to see him smiling gratefully. The sight of his silver-blue eyes and smile framed by the falling water and steam made her heart flutter for a moment, but she quickly stomped it down with a gentle nip to his wing, making him jump in surprise.

"Heehee, oh don't thank me for having fun, flyboy," she returned to his wing and made sure she kept eye contact with him this time, batting her eyes every so often as she moved up his wing, licking, biting, and preening all the way to the shoulder...and then all the way back down again, never breaking her stare with him as she did so, moving as slowly, sensually, and teasingly as she possibly could, punctuating her actions with the gentle sucking of the shower water from the shafts every few seconds. She giggled in her throat as she felt his wing trying to lift, and saw his left one rising until it stood straight as a ship's mast, but he was so focused on her that he either didn't notice or didn't care.

He was getting lost in her eyes and actions to the point that he'd forgotten he was sharing a shower with her. To his mind, the falling rainwater was just that: falling rainwater, and every fiber of his being yearned for more, threatening to burst the dam of his self-control.
It was only the sudden realization that Dash would probably break his nose that brought him out of the growing fog of his thoughts...
Freak.
Liar.
Pervert.
...and his wing suddenly snapped out of her grasp to his side, causing her to give him a look of confusion. "Sorry Dashie, I um...ahem...think I'm done showering."

"Whoa, I don't think so, dude," Dash grasped his wing again with a smirk. "Still gotta straighten out a few shafts and-"

"I'll figure it out, thank you very much," he replied, but she had his wing grasped tightly in her teeth.

"With my help," she mumbled through the feathers, which caused her tongue to tickle right against the Alula nerve, making Volare yelp in surprise and yank Dash off her hooves into him. The pair crashed out of the shower and onto the floor in a wet heap, and Volare barely had time to scramble to his hooves in embarrassment before Dash snagged him by the tail and tried to yank him back down. "Where ya going, flyboy?" she teased as he broke free and clamored on top of the bathroom cabinet.

"I have no idea, but it's not gonna be in a shower with you, you, you...back off, you crazy bitch!"

"Hey, efficient bitch, and I know what I'm doing, buddy!" she grinned.

"Gah, stop being so damn ironic!" Volare grabbed up a long-handled scrub-brush and used it to fend off Dash for a few moments before she grabbed him by a hoof and yanked him off the counter-top, tossing him across the bathroom and into the cloud-wall with a puff of fluff. Her fighting blood was up again, and though she really hated to admit it to even herself, she might have been a tiny bit turned on from their little "post-awesome, rubbed-it-in-Cloud Kicker's-face" victory preening session.

"Rawr, get back here, flyboy!" Dash growled and leaped for him again, but he scrambled to his hooves and out the door, flying down the staircase as if he'd never had a problem with his wings to begin with. Dash quickly followed though she kinda regretted it, as the cold wind blowing through the house struck her wet body, and it wasn't until she looked back in the bathroom that she realized that Volare had taken the only towel on his way out the door. Damn!
"Dude, where're ya hiding? You took the only towel and it's freezing in here!"

"Heh, who's winning now, Dashie?" Volare's voice rang out from downstairs, and the cyan mare fluffed her feathers and fur up before heading downstairs, grumbling at every step.

"C'mon, gimme the towel, Volare!" she shouted, but all she heard was his chuckle. Cocking a brow, Dash keyed in on the laughter and took to the air. It only took a single lap around the room before she spotted his short tail poking out from under the dining room tablecloth. "Ha, gotcha!" she cried and dove, but he heard her shout and leaped out of the way at the last moment, causing Dash to crash into the table and send it flying across the room.

"Ha, missed me-heeheeheehahahahaha!!!" Volare couldn't help the giggle-fit that struck him as he caught sight of Rainbow Dash all fluffed up and flustered.

"What's so funny?" she cried and shook the table cloth from her head.

"L-look at you...you're so...fluffy! Bwahahaha!!!" The pilot fell on his flank, laughing fit to kill and helpless to move as Dash stalked over and stood over him, a blush of anger and embarrassment spread across her face.

"I'll show you fluffy!" she growled and fell upon him once more, pinning him to the floor and running her wingtips over his chest and belly, tickling him mercilessly.

"Agh-ohahahah-n-noonono-hohohahahaha-staaaawp!" Volare tried to wiggle away, but she had him firmly pinned to the floor.

"Oh no, you thought it'd be funny to laugh at me, buddy, and now you're gonna learn the hard way why ya don't!" she smirked deviously as she continued her tickle attack, and in desperation Volare snapped the towel he still had grasped in his hoof off her flank, causing her to yelp in surprise. He took the opportunity to grab her forehooves and pull them off himself, but that merely made her fall forward, leaving them chest to chest and muzzle to muzzle. Their eyes met, they realized their rather compromised position, and they instantly froze. Time seemed to stand still as their ragged, gasping breaths intermingled and their hammering hearts pounded out a desperate, simultaneous tattoo of fiery energy.

"Uh...h-hi," Volare said the first thing that came to mind.

"Hi," Dash breathed back, unsure of what was about to happen. Just like yesterday, she felt a swirl of emotions rush through her, but unlike yesterday she couldn't chalk it up to some life or death crisis...this was just a little tussle in the living room floor...nothing more...right? "We...um..."

"Yeah..." he swallowed nodded slightly, causing his cotton-dry mouth to come within a fraction of hers.

Dash held her breath, part of her telling her to get off of him and chew him out for trying to get a little action, and another, smaller though even noisier part of her saying it was ok...
"Volare, I..."

"Dash," Volare's eyes searched her own as he too struggled inwardly...but there was too much in the way, too many secrets, too many lies...and not enough truth and trust...and as competitive as Dash was, if they kept going, they wouldn't stop until she- No...it's not right. Plus she was kinda his boss now, so... "We kinda trashed the table," his eyes broke from hers and flicked towards the collapsed food furnishing.

"Hmph, I suppose we did," Dash breathed a sigh of (relief, regret? What the hay's wrong with me?!) and rolled off of him and onto her back on the fluffy floor, doing her best to catch her breath before noticing the chill in the air again. She shivered and sat up, only to find the towel being draped across her shoulders by the madly-blushing pilot.

"S-sorry bout that," he twiddled his hooves and she dried her mane and wings.

"Sorry for what?"

"The table. I'll pay for it-"

"Oh feather the table," Dash stood and helped him to his hooves. Her heart was still pounding and she felt a little light-headed. She fluttered to the couch and flopped down on it, beckoning Volare to join her. "C'mon, I can see you all wet and shivering from here. Let's sit a bit, catch our breath and dry off."

"C-can't argue with that logic-brrrr!" Volare shivered once more as a gust of wind blew through the house. "G-gotta get some central heating in here or something," he chuckled as he joined Dash on the couch. Before he could argue, she snuggled up against him, gave him a look that brooked no argument, and laid her head against his shoulder. Within moments, he felt much warmer, and their combined body heat helped to dry them fairly quickly.

Close proximity sit and chat sessions had become somewhat of a norm for Dash and him since Autumn had been brought in due to the problems inherent with having a house made of clouds, such as not being able to have a fireplace for example. Dash explained that in Cloudsdale the houses were kept warm via strong enchantments that blocked the wind, and via skylights that trapped the sun's warmth, but the buildings there were massive and able to hold much more heat than her relatively small house. She dealt with it by wearing scarves and earmuffs, as well as simply moving the house closer to the ground in the winter.

Even so, it was an imperfect system, and on days like today, where the wind was howling like a timberwolf at higher altitudes, the chill of early winter sliced right through the cloud walls of her tower and raised goosebumps on their necks even after they were dry and warm. What Dash didn't tell him however, was that rare was the time when she had another pony around to help keep her warm...or vice versa. It was a rather pleasant change of pace, but since she didn't want to seem weird and needy, she kept it to herself. Still...it was nice.

"Feeling better?" Dash broke the silence of the cloud tower with a nudge of her temple on Volare's neck.

"Hmm?"

"You stopped shivering, so I figured...yeah." Dash sat up and stretched her hooves over her head, allowing the pilot a little space of his own. He unintentionally matched her in movement and cracked his neck, met with an even louder crack from Dash's vertebrae.

"Hmph, deja vue, eh Dashie?" he cocked a brow, recalling the day they'd "competed" in cracking their joints.

"Heh, a little bit, yep," she smirked and popped her jaw before standing up and tossing the damp towel over Volare's head. "So, I got a question."

"Yep?" Volare pitched the towel aside and cocked his head up at her.

"You said that music was from Zero, right? Why that music?"

"Hmm, whatcha mean?"

"I mean, you coulda picked any old song outta your noggin," she booped his nose. "But why that one?"

"Oh, I see whatcha mean," he nodded and scratched his chin for a moment, searching for the right way to put it. "Well...in the game's story, Cipher and Solo Wing got involved in a big air fight where their allies were getting beaten pretty badly. They showed up in the nick of time, turned the tide of battle against all odds, and earned the respect and admiration of every enemy and ally that saw them there that day. I just figured that, win or lose, that music would fit because it'd show that we kicked ass together...I dunno," he grinned sheepishly. "It was a stupid thought."

"No, I don't think so," Dash smiled and hopped up on the back of the couch and strutted along it. "I mean, you're right: we were just like Solo Wing and Cipher. We went out there, didn't show fear, worked together and bam!" She looped up into the air and flopped down next to him with a grin. "We won...great game by the way," she held out her hoof and he bumped it.

"Heh, thanks."

"Great music too...man, you didn't say that game had rock music in it!"

"Actually, that one doesn't have a lot of rock music. It's more along the lines of that flamenco music and dramatic orchestral stuff."

"Yeah, as cool as that is...what other rock music you got in your head?" she flicked his mane and smiled expectantly.

"You were playing the subtly game fairly well, Dashie, why the sudden lack of patience?"

"Pfft, would you just get your crazy music stuff and bring it over here?" Dash practically bounced in place as Volare retrieved the speakerbox and earbuds and noticed her fidgeting.

"Heh, somepony's excited."

"Yeah, well...it's cuz it's good stuff, ok?" Dash fixed him with a look that he couldn't quite read...was that a pleading look in her eye?

"Mhm, it sure is," Volare nodded and took his time setting up, relishing in pushing her buttons for once.

"Grrr, hurry up, dude! I wanna rock out!"

"Haha, ok, ok! Ever heard the phrase patience is a virtue?" Dash replied with a glare that could send a Cockatrice packing. "Oh, right...ok then, just say please," he smirked and had to dodge as she took a swipe at his nose.

"Ha, when pigs fly!"

"Didn't they when Discord was here?"

"...you're really gonna make me say 'please', huh?"

"Eeyup."

"Gah, alright fine," she winced and groaned loudly. "...please."

"Good enough," Volare smiled, figuring he'd pushed his luck far enough. "Ok, let's see here...I'd ask who you'd wanna listen to, but I doubt you'd know anyone from Earth...do you?"

"Um...well, I mean I saw some things on billboards and stuff while flying around, but I don't think they were rock bands," Dash shrugged. "I think I remember something called Burger King, though....who's the king and what's a burger?"

"Uh, eh-heh...his name escapes me," Volare chuckled nervously, deciding he'd better change the subject from burgers to something else, cuz although Twilight had taken it with a scientific grain of salt, he seriously doubted Rainbow Dash would react as calmly. "That does answer something I've been wondering though."

"Huh, what's that?"

"I noticed you use a good bit more Earth slang than other ponies around here, and I was wondering if you'd picked it up from billboards or something," he smiled and fiddled with the speakerbox for a moment, setting the volume near the low end so as to not blast the house apart. "Guess I was right."

"Yeah, you humans are kinda weird. Those billboards take up all that sky and flying space and have got some weird messages on them. Like, there's this big checkmark-shaped one that said "Just Do It." Just do what?" She shrugged and squinted at Volare's suppressed chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Dashie, nothing," he shook his head and popped an earbud in. "Ok, don't freak out, but this makes my nose bleed when I use it."

"Eww, why?"

"I dunno, Vinyl left a message but she spilled coffee on it. Plus she's not supposed to be back till this evening, so..."

"What the-but I saw her in the crowd today."

"Crap, lemme go ask her about this stuff real quick-" he began to fly off but she caught his hoof and gave him a look.

"Please stay," she said firmly and pulled him back to the couch, worried that if he left and Twilight or Vinyl said not to use the speakerbox then she wouldn't get to hear the music again. It was a little selfish, but besides a little weird behavior they were ok so far, right? "I'll get you a towel for your nose." She zipped into the kitchen and returned with a roll of paper towels before Volare could argue and plopped herself back down next to him. She motioned with a hoof towards the speakerbox and when Volare hesitated she did something he never would have expected: she gave him the puppy eyes...or at least she tried to. She must have been really out of practice because it looked more like a combination of fish eyes and Derpy Hooves.

Note to self: puppy eyes only work with foals. Still, it was a good try and he finally sighed and relented.
"Heh, ok...I'll bleed a little for you."

"Sweet, thanks!" she pumped a hoof, nuzzled him, blushing slightly before bouncing a bit again. For the first time since he'd met her, Volare thought she looked kinda adorable, but he feared his nose might bleed more than he planned, so he kept it to himself. "Play something, um...say, you got any girl rockers on your planet?"

"Ha, as a matter of fact we do have some good ones," Volare smirked and put in the earbuds, thankful that Vinyl had said he only had to bleed once for each song; once they were in the box, they were there for good. "There weren't many lead female rockers, and so the ones that made it big kinda had to develop this tough-girl image, I guess so they didn't seem vulnerable...kinda reminds me of you, actually," Volare's frank words resonated within Dash, but before she could say anything he gave her a little grin and a nod. A small pinch and a wipe of the nose later, and the music began...

...................................
Vinyl and Octavia's Duplex...

"Ok, so these things do what, exactly?" Twilight levitated one of the Appalantean crystals that had tumbled from the small bag Vinyl had showed her when she'd taken the Librarian back to her place to explain the crystals in detail. Vinyl levitated one of the clear crystals and held it up so it caught the light. She'd been polishing them lately to increase their clarity. A half-filled cup of vodka sat next to the DJ's hoof, the other half already swilling in her belly.

"They work just like the focusing gems in my sound equipment," the DJ waved a hoof at the collection of amplifiers and subwoofers piled by the back wall. "They help focus and amplify my musical thoughts through my horn. These crystals work the same way, except their structure is so much more uniform than any old gem, which puts the clarity of the sound generated through the roof. This one little baby here powered everything on my tour," she grinned proudly. "The imagery totally blew those ponies' minds up in Manehattan too."

"Imagery?"

"Oh yeah, what I'm seeing in my head can be projected through my equipment too. Remember The Griffin opening?"

"Oh, so that's what that was. Kinda like a full live show, right?"

"Exactly," Vinyl took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Anyway, that can be done with enough practice with any gem, but that sorta spell can really wear a mare out, ya know? These crystals are so sought after cuz they make it that much easier to put your thought images out there for everypony to see. Hay, I'll bet even ol' Volare could probably do it without my help if he practiced with that red one enough...although there's a bit of an issue with that one."

"This sort of red one?" Twilight held up the second red crystal, and Vinyl nodded.

"Yeah, it's...got a lot more potential beyond simple sound and imagery amplification." The DJ looked left and right (though there was obviously nopony there) and leaned across the table in conspiratorial fashion. "Some say the red ones were hidden away by Celestia herself because of what they can do, and that they're not even originally from Appalantea. You haven't told Celestia about them, have you?"

"What? Why would they be hidden? And no, I haven't told her," Twilight recoiled slightly, feeling like she really shouldn't be hearing this. "Where are they originally from?"

"I honestly don't know, I'm just going by what I heard on the grapevine," Vinyl shrugged and took another sip before pausing and speaking into her cup. "Still...rumors gotta start somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, but...why would she hide them? What's so bad about them?" Twilight looked at the red crystal in a cautiously curious new light, like a scientist might a snake they suddenly realized was poisonous, making it all that much more fascinating.

"It's not necessarily that they're bad, though I can see how they could be abused," Vinyl sat her drink down and picked up the crystal. "Check this out." With a flick of energy from her horn, she squinted her eyes shut, the crystal began to glow, and suddenly Twilight's mind was washed over by a flood of imagery from Vinyl's tour...no not just imagery, emotion! She felt everything Vinyl did at every single moment in the memory chain, from excitement when the show began, to horror and disbelief when the ceiling caught fire (again), to wobbly drunkenness and nausea at the after-party. In fact, the feeling of sickness was so strong that when Vinyl's short demonstration ended, Twilight very nearly ran for the bathroom before stopping herself once she realized she was just fine.

"Whoa, that was...what the hay was that?!" she gaped as Vinyl fumbled around under the table, coming back up with a bloody nose and a rag. "Oh, did you hurt yourself?"

"Nah, it's a freaky side-effect of these things," Vinyl wiped her nose and snorted lightly. "That doesn't come free, you know. Kinda tweaks your brain when you use it and I guess that's what causes the nose bleeds."

"What was that?"

"It's tough getting info on these things, which kinda lends weight to the whole "Celestia is covering something up" conspiracy if you ask me, but it could be cuz these things are so rare and old that nopony knows exactly," Vinyl caught herself once she realized she was going on a very Twilight-esque ramble. "Anyway, the best I can figure out is these red ones allow the listener to feel the emotions of the one using it. You felt them?"

"Yeah, I did," Twilight wiped her mouth and nodded. "And I guess I could see how that could be abused. Nearly made me vomit against my will."

"Eh-heh yeah, that was a crazy party," Vinyl grinned sheepishly. "Kinda goes beyond making ponies vomit, though. Imagine if a DJ like me could make the audience not only see or hear what's going on in my head, but actually feel it."

"You could bend them to your will," Twilight muttered in worry.

"Yeah, if I was evil," Vinyl hoofed Twilight in the shoulder and laughed. "But I don't think anypony like that's ever existed except for maybe Luna when she was Nightmare Moon, but I don't think making us her slaves was her goal anyway," she shrugged. "Meh, I guess if somepony was bad enough they could do it like that, but like I said: you ever heard of anypony like that in history?"

"No, actually I haven't," Twilight shook her head, wracking her brains for a moment but coming up empty. Vinyl was right: the only prominent evil pony in their history was Nightmare Moon, and she'd been defeated before any real harm was done. The history books and Twilight's personal encounter with the Mare in the Moon proved that! "So why the secrecy?"

"Dunno, like I said, it's probably cuz they're just really rare. But just in case, let's keep this on the down-low till we figure out more on these things, ok?" Vinyl held out a hoof, and with reluctance, Twilight bumped it.

"I'm just worried a bit," the lavender Unicorn said as Vinyl investigated the bottom of her suddenly-empty cup.

"Bout what?"

"Well, Volare's got that other red crystal, right?"

"Yep."

"Well...is there any chance of him passing on his emotions like that if he plays music through that box?" Twilight winced at the memory of the nightmare she's scried into a while back. The dead bodies, the flaming skull, the blood-filled envelope...she couldn't imagine that would go over well if he played something and everypony was suddenly hit by something like that.

"Huh-nah, he doesn't have a way of passing them on or projecting them that I know of," Vinyl tossed her mane and sat her cup down with a sigh. "Kinda lacking in the horn department, ya know...though he could sync somepony up with another crystal or use those earbuds or something...I dunno the specifics of how his body works," she shrugged again. "I mean, somepony'd have to be magic-sensitive like you and me, or really receptive to begin with for them to feel anything at all besides the sound of the music; like desiring to feel that way. In any case, it'd be pretty obvious if they were cuz they'd act in a way they normally wouldn't. Like, above and beyond the norm."

In a way they normally wouldn't...oh holy horseapples, Twilight's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she looked South towards Rainbow Dash's house, hoping against hope that Volare and Dash weren't doing strange things with that crystal. Normally she'd consider the idea of turning the Library Basement into a blast shelter to be a bit excessive, but at the rate of crazy those two were going, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

..............................

Volare wiped his nose once more and tossed the blood-spotted towel into the ever-growing pile of crimson-stained cloths. He shook his head and sighed as he looked up to see Dash doing a crazy looping, diving, dodging flight routine to the music, grinning and tossing her mane at every other strum of the guitar. He'd exhausted his knowledge of classic female rockers, from Pat Benetar, to Anne and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and even played a little Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks, but even though Dash grinned widely and pranced to each song like a wild desert wind spirit, she was still wanting for more. And when she came down from the latest song, she was wearing a look almost akin to disappointment.

"Man, I thought female rockers would have, like...better stuff than that," she grumbled a bit as she flopped back down next to Volare. The heat from her flight radiated from her body and her breath came in quick gasps, but her eyes burned passionately, still yearning for something more. "I mean, the other stuff you played by guy rockers was really kick flank, but all these girls wanna sing about is lovey-dovey crap...yech."

"Heh-heh, that's kinda how it was back then," Volare shrugged, having a feeling that explaining that rock culture still somewhat forced women to sing about "acceptable" topics like love in order to make a living would only upset her and earn him a buffet upside the head. But as Dash growled and kicked her hooves in frustration, a smirk sprang to Volare's lips. "However..." Dash's ears perked up. "There was one rocker I'll bet you'd like, if harder rock is what you want."

"Oh yeah, who is she? What's she like?" Dash grinned excitedly.

"She's a lot like you, didn't take any crap, and refused to play by the rules," Volare matched her grin and put the earbuds back in. "And her name...is Joan Jett."

"Now that's more like it!" Dash shouted and took to the air once more, her heart pounding and wings slashing at the air as she whipped the air in the cloud tower into an absolute frenzy with her flight. Volare simply laughed and continued to play, although he couldn't stop Dash from yanking him off the couch and joining her in her mid-air antics.

Dash found it funny that here was something she'd been craving all her life, she just couldn't put a name to it...in fact she still couldn't, but as she looked back at Volare flying above her and blasting the music that set her soul aflame, she knew that had to be it. But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered what it was she'd been craving more: the music, or...no, it's gotta be the music, she shook her head and focused on pulling off a a flat loop turn around the Lightning Bolt banner hanging from the ceiling before bouncing off the house's central column and back past Volare once more.

Volare slowly made his way back to the couch as Dash continued to prance and whirl, a picture of simultaneous elegance, power, speed, and raw, unadulterated, fiery energy. To watch her headbang and shoot him purposeful little grins every few seconds at the words so we can be alone sent a thrill through him and made his heart quicken to the point that he had a little trouble breathing. Dash caught the flush in his face, pulled off a few more loop-de-loops and landed on the couch next to him, breath puffing in the cool air, mane sweaty and wilder than usual, and a few feathers out of place that she set to preening, though she never took her eyes off the pilot.

"Dude...you're good," Dash conceded and hoofed him in the shoulder once she was done preening and the music had faded once more. In fact, he was more than good. In the light-headed after-glow of her flight and the echo of the music, he looked, well...almost handsome...if you didn't count the blood-stain on his upper lip, she chuckled and wiped his face with a towel. "Got a spot there, flyboy."

"Haha, very funny," he rolled his eyes and snatched the towel from her before sinking into the couch and sighing, his mind buzzing and exhausted from the mental strain of playing so much in such a short time. How Vinyl kept this up on a whole tour was beyond him. Then again, she was a Unicorn. "Whew, I'm a little woozy," he chuckled and received a short nuzzle from Dash in response.

"Heh, same here," she nodded, though she still retained that look of longing. "One more before bed...er, couch for you-heheh."

"I dunno," Volare teased.

"Dude, come on, don't make me say please again," Dash groaned and leaned her full weight on him. "Just one more and I'll leave ya alone."

"Pfft, as if I had a choice, right?"

"Now you're getting it," she remarked cheekily and flicked his mane before settling down again.

"Ok, one more," Volare smiled and recalled a song from memory that he felt was safe enough to play. A pinch and some blood, and the music began anew.

[The original video is lost to time and I don't think the composer will post it back up again...song is the same though]
{Here's the original song itself if you prefer: Rainbow Dash Rock Theme }

If Rainbow Dash had flown with all the skill and grace she could muster before, it was thrown to the wind as she took flight again, this time like a near-reckless mad-mare. The music before had sparked something within her, and now it exploded into a veritable lightning storm in her veins that begged her to move, and move as fast as she could. She flipped, soared, dove, spun, bucked, tossed her mane, laughed in that cracking tone that Volare had grown fond of, and generally went a little crazy. From the floor to the ceiling and even out and in one of the windows she flew like a prismatic bullet, zinging off the walls and furniture like a giggling, amazing pinball possessed.
She let her spirit soar as she only had when she was alone and didn't care if she screwed up because nopony would be there to see it; she didn't care if this stallion was sitting right there and watching her every move for he and the music were the source of her joy. She had an audience and she intended to give a damn good show, no matter what furniture suffered in the process! Volare didn't have time to be concerned though as she suddenly flew right at him like she'd done with Cloud Kicker...except this time she had no intention of pulling up.

"Oh shit, look out, Dashie!" was all he had time to cry before she crashed into him, knocking him over the back of the couch as she landed on him in a whooping, giggling heap of fur and feathers.

"Dude, this song rocks! Who wrote it?"

"Ugh...name escapes me," Volare muttered before realizing one of the earbuds had been dislodged in the collision. His eyes searched the cloud floor, worrying that it could easily get lost in the fluff before he spotted it a short distance away. If only Dash wasn't sitting on top of him...

"Dropped something, flyboy?" Dash said as she spotted him reaching for the earbud. But as she leaned over and grabbed it, something happened when her hoof made contact with it. It was like interrupting a current between Volare, the earbuds, and the speakerbox crystal, and Dash felt her whole body buzz with energy as she tumbled backwards off of Volare, the earbud still clutched in her hoof and the music still blasting away. Her mind was assaulted with imagery she didn't understand, a wash of feelings she couldn't comprehend-was that grief she felt? But mixed in with joy, but why? How?

"Ah! Dashie, you ok?" Volare cried as he helped sit her up against the back of the couch, the scene going from wild, fun, and crazy to terrifying in half a heartbeat's time. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her lips mumbled wordlessly as her head thwacked backwards against the couch twice before Volare grabbed her in a hug and held her against his chest, unsure of what was going on and suddenly scared for her safety. "Dashie? Dashie?" he shook her gently, but to no avail as she continued to mutter all the way through the end of the song. But once it ended, she relaxed, and the earbud fell from her hoof to Volare's lap. He snatched it up and glared at it like an unruly child and tossed the buds onto the table before turning back to his friend.

"Huh...wha-appened?" Dash mumbled as her eyes flickered open to the sight of her cloud house stretching away above her and Volare's face hovering near. At the sight of his worried frown, she nuzzled his chest and shivered slightly. "I'm cold."

"I'm here," he answered and held her for a moment before she regained her senses and sat up, rubbing her face and blinking her eyes. "You ok?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a toss of her mane, trying to make sense of the images that had suddenly flooded her mind. But it was like a tangle of movie film all balled up and hanging in one's face. Some of the images were out of focus, and none of them were in order and making any sense, and after a few more moments, she gave up and sighed, leaning back against the couch and chuckling. "Man, what a rush, Volare."

"Freaked me out over here," he replied with a wry smile, though she hoofed him in reply.

"I'm good. Just a little pooped," she giggled and staggered to her hooves, prepared to fly to her room, thought better of it, and decided to trot there instead. She was halfway to the stairs before something in the back of her mind told her she'd forgotten something. "Hey," she turned and trotted back to Volare, leaning up and getting very much into his personal space all of a sudden.

"Y-yep, Dashie?"

"Today was fun...thanks," she smirked and blew on his nose, holding the smirk until he had no choice but to fight his wings once more. "Night, flyboy," she nuzzled him briefly before flicking him playfully with her tail and heading to her room, leaving the pilot bemused, bothered, and blue-winged.

What the hell just happened?

..............................
Post-midnight...

Try as she might to force herself to dream about flight stunts, Wonderbolts, and even the Buckby match that day, that balled-up film reel of imagery kept invading Dash's dreams and bled back in from the darkness at the edge of her mind. Finally realizing that she likely wouldn't sleep if she didn't address it, Dash conceded temporary defeat and turned her attention to the images. But this time, instead of a jumbled mess of pictures and feelings, it began to unravel itself and play across her consciousness. At first it was a bit of a welcome relief for things to make sense, but as the reel flickered by, Dash was once again struck by emotions that occupied every single image.

There were pictures of jet fighters...and she felt joy.
Flashing images of a jet cockpit looking outward as the machine pulled loops, banks, and dives...and she felt an adrenaline rush.
Pictures of war heroes...and she felt admiration.
Pictures of Twilight and her friends...and she felt curiosity.
Pictures of Scootaloo...and she felt joy once more along with the fleeting image of a little girl with red hair far, far out towards the edge of her vision, but she was swept away into the dark...and she felt the first tendrils of worry clutching at her...worry and doubt, feelings she feared above all else.
Pictures of Volare's...mom and dad?! But how could she know that's who they were? And she felt warmth, but they were gone before she could stop them...and she felt that fear blossom like an evil black rose and branch into thorny branches that scratched and tore at her heart.
Blood...bones...bodies and the stench of decay...horror.
Pictures of flames, the pain of burns, of the ground rushing up to greet her...terror. Stark terror and hopelessness.
Eyes...malevolent draconic eyes in the dark circling her like a starving shark...helpless lonesomeness.
But then...a flash of light in the dark...hope.
A rainbow streak across the black sky...longing...a cry for salvation.
And then, what scared her most of all...herself...then regretful yearning and shame...and then all the previous emotions crashing down upon her like a crushing tidal wave that forced her eyes shut, stole her breath, burned her limbs and in one final staggering, desperate effort forced her to scream at the top of her lungs. No words...just a long, drawn-out, pitiful scream.

She thought she heard hoofsteps and imagined that somepony's weight fell down beside her, but that had to be the images, right? What the Ponyhell was going on?! It wasn't until she felt something electrical touch her hoof that the illusion finally evaporated and she sat up screaming once more, throwing her blankets off as her eyes darted all over the room, searching for her assailant. She saw a shadow in the bed next to her, and before she could think, she swung a wild haymaker hoof at it, connecting with a satisfyingly meaty thud that staggered her foe and made him groan in Volare's voice...oh crap...
"V-Volare...is that y-you?" she whispered.

"Jeez, Dashie," Volare rubbed his shoulder and squeezed her hoof in his, prepared to block her if she tried that again. But his irritation was again crushed by the sense of worry that had sent him galloping up the stairs when he'd heard Dash shriek in a tone that brought his blood to a boil-who the hell'd snuck in and dared hurt her?! He realized it was the first time he'd been in her room just as he kicked the door in and ran to her side, not having time to take in the scenery before being smacked by his screaming friend. He squeezed her hoof in his and ran a comforting wingtip down her shoulder, staring into a wide pair of rose eyes that were full of fear. "It's me, it's ok. What happened?"

"I...I dunno, I just..." Dash pushed her hooves into her eyes, doing her best to slow her racing heart and calm her breathing lest she look like a scared little filly in front of him. "You just freaked me out when you flopped on the bed, that's all. Speaking of which, why're you in my room while I'm sleeping, hmm? I don't like Peeping Toms, you know."

"What the-no, it's not like that at all!" Volare shook his head. "I heard you screaming and I just got worried, and-"

"Yeah, I screamed cuz you jumped on my bed," she snorted lightly and yanked the blankets back over her shoulders, doing her best to give him the cold shoulder so he'd just leave and she wouldn't have to think about what the hay all those images about her were about...they came from that song out of his head, but why? Why am I connected to all that stuff? It...it doesn't make sense...unless he...no, that's crazy, he can't...he...I...we're too...he swears he doesn't...gah! "J-just...go back to bed, ok?"

"But I'm worried about you, Dashie-"

"What're you, my nanny? Go back downstairs already...it's the middle of the night and stuff," she faked a yawn and threw the blankets over her head, wrapping herself in a protective little cocoon, hiding away from the world. I'm not hiding! I just...it's too late to deal with this crap...yeah.

"Ok," she heard Volare mumble and felt his hoof brush one last time across the outside of the blankets, and she had to fight the sudden urge to press her hoof up against his through the blankets, a part of her not wanting him to leave her alone in the dark. But by the time she could have acted, his touch was gone, and she rolled over with a snort, trying to force herself to fall asleep again. But it was just so tough because she kept feeling a draft on her cheeks...damn roof must be leaking again...meh, I'll fix it later...

October 15th, Morning, Rainbow Dash's House...

For what seemed the first time in a while, a strange dream didn't wake Dash up by causing her to fall out of the bed, and she wondered why for a moment before remembering what happened last night. "Ugh, guess I got it outta the way early," she muttered and sat up to stretch. But before the blankets fell away from her head, she felt a presence in the room with her, and heard the sound of somepony breathing. Immediately on her guard, Dash tensed herself for a fight as the blankets slid away to reveal...
"What the hay, Volare..." Dash shook her head first in annoyance, then in a sense of growing gratefulness as she took in the sight before her: the navy blue stallion had fallen asleep Lyra-style in the chair across the room. His breath came in soft snores and his head lolled off to the side as he continued to slumber. He must have stayed in my room all night to keep watch, Dash smiled as she softly approached him, noting with amusement the thin string of drool that hung off his lip and pooled on his shoulder as he snored.

"Heh, gimme a break, flyboy. What am I gonna do with you," she rolled her eyes and ran a hoof through his mane, causing his wings to twitch gently and bringing a wordless mutter to his lips. As she looked down on him, she was vividly reminded of the time where she was spying on him instead of staying away from him as per Twilight's orders. She remembered how she couldn't touch him then, wasn't even supposed to let him know she was near, but now...now things had changed. For better or worse, they'd changed and there was no going back.

She smirked once more as Volare's hooves twitched and his nose wiggled as if he were about to sneeze...but after a moment's tension he relaxed and went back to snoring softly. Dash breathed a sigh of relief and had to fight the urge to thank him for watching out for her in a way she didn't want anypony knowing of, least of all him. But she had a feeling it'd likely wake him up, and he looked like he hadn't slept well, so she settled for a sigh and a head shake as she trotted to the mirror and stared at her bedraggled reflection. Her mane was askew, her feathers once more out of place, and her tail looked like somepony had tried to drown a rainbow-colored rat, thought better of it, and then beat the water out of it with a thorny branch. Rainbow Dash wasn't a pony that primped and propered herself like Rarity did, but she did have a bit of an image to upkeep. As she reached for her mane brush, she was once again reminded of her dream and she snorted slightly.

"Jeez, I think I'm losing my mind or something," she muttered to her reflection as she brought the brush up to her mane.

...Whatcha talking about? I've been here the whole time, Dashie!

"......AAAAAHHHH!!" Dash shouted and stumbled backwards, certain that her reflection had just spoken to her. Her shout woke Volare with a snort just in time to bellow in surprise himself as Dash tripped and fell over him, knocking him out of the chair and off onto the floor in a jumbled, groaning pile.

"Damn...good morning to you too, Rainbow Dash," he grunted as he tried to sit up, but she was once again laying across his back, still trying to figure out what had just happened when the voice spoke up again and she finally realized who, or rather what it belonged to.

...You should be nice and tell him good morning as well, Dashie.
What the hay?! You sure picked a fine time to show the buck back up! Where've you been!?
...Like I said, I've been here the whole time. And I gotta say, things have certainly gotten interesting lately.
Ugh...this is ri-feathering-diculous...
Dash let her face sink into the cloudy floor of her home with a groan, wishing she'd just stayed in bed that morning.

"Dash, what the hell happened?" Volare asked as he pulled himself from underneath her.

"Flyboy, you wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

Author: Heehee, the plot thickens!
Volare: And the Conscience returns. About time, I say!
Author: Hey, things could be worse.
Volare: Don't I know it...don't I know it...I wonder if the readers are as curious to find out the origins of those red crystals as I am!
Author: Except you already know their origins
Volare: It's called building suspense!
Author: If I wanted melodrama I'd go find Rarity.
Volare GAH!
Author: ;P

Also, Fluffy Dash courtesy of PonyKim:

X3

Author's Note

The Mandopony song was originally released in November of 2011, see his channel for why it was taken down and re-uploaded in 2014

Truth or Dare-Pt 13: ...Is You By My Side

...watching the sun as it starts to go down.

October 15th, Sugarcube Corner, Noon...

"Come on CK, this isn't really necessary-ow!" Volare rubbed his head and squinted at the lavender Weather Lieutenant idly waving her hoof and smiling cheekily.

"I'm pretty sure that's the fifth or sixth time you've told me that, and I don't take no for an answer, so just enjoy your chow," Cloud Kicker replied insistently. "Besides, I feel like absolute horseapples for kinda turning you and Rainbow Dash against each other like that."

"And that's the fourth or fifth time you've told me that," Volare sighed and took a swig of his rootbeer courtesy of Pinkie Pie (seriously, they had rootbeer here all this time and he had no idea what he was missing out on!). The party mare grinned from across the table and over a massive blueberry muffin that she and Derpy were in the middle of devouring. The part-time mailmare along with half the Weather Team had all arbitrarily decided to crash the place for lunch once Cloud Kicker spotted Volare in there, but Pinkie couldn't be happier to see them all there finally welcoming the pilot into their fold, so to speak. Thunderlane, Cloudchaser, Flitter, Blossomforth, Snowflake, and even Derpy's cousin Raindrops were there, and all had words of praise for Volare's game against Cloud Kicker yesterday. But strangely enough, their Weather Captain wasn't present.

"Say, where is Rainbow Dash anyway?" Flitter took a break from a jelly donut to ask the unspoken question.

"Yeah, where'd the boss get to?" Snowflake boomed. "She still sore from the game?"

"Huh? Nah, she's ok," Volare waved a dismissive hoof, though the way she'd woken him up had been rather surprising. She'd also run off without much of an explanation as to what freaked her out that morning...or last night for that matter. "Had a bit of a leg cramp from where I tackled her, but we fixed that pretty quick." The pilot realized the implications of what he'd just said right as the words left his mouth, and chorus of "oohs" and "oh really's" emanated from the Weather Team, led by none other than the Lieutenant herself who was wearing the widest grin of amusement Volare thought a pony could possibly possess without their face snapping in two. Volare could neither take the words back nor could he quell the burning in his cheeks. Ah, shit...

"Sooo...do tell how you fixed Dash's little problem," Cloud Kicker looped a foreleg over his neck in a chummy fashion, drawing a look of ire from the pilot and a cocked eyebrow from Pinkie Pie. The pink mare concealed her worry with a huge mouthful of muffin, but she kept a close eye on Volare all the same; she knew well of Cloud Kicker's reputation, as well as having been on the receiving end of one or two attempts to get her to jump in the sack. While she believed the Weather Lieutenant to be an overall nice pony that just really liked having sex (it was great fun and a good way of making somepony smile, so Pinkie hardly disapproved), she believed something like that probably wasn't in Volare's best interest, and she readied herself to interrupt the situation if need be via "accidentally malfunctioning" party cannon. Luckily for her, Volare was on point to head Cloud Kicker off at the pass himself.

"She had a leg cramp, we worked it out via some stretches, and that was it," Volare replied matter of factly and took a dismissive swig of his rootbeer. He shot Pinkie a quick wink over the rim of his mug, letting her know he had it all under control, allowing the party mare to relax and go back to her muffin munchings.

"Aww, nothing else?" Cloud Kicker's grin drooped. "No foreplay or-"

"Come on CK, she's my boss now," Volare shook his head. "How do you think that'd look?"

"Wouldn't bother me," she shrugged and pulled Blossomforth in close with a squeak of surprise. "Blossom here is madly in love with me, a higher-ranking Pegasus, but nopony's really bothered by it."

"I am so not madly in love with you, Cloudy!" Blossomforth fumed and stomped her hoof as she struggled to disentangle herself from Cloud Kicker's grasp. "If anything I'm madly irritated with you half the time, and the rest of the time, I-"

"Denial's not just a river in Saddle Arabia, Blossom," Cloud Kicker waggled her eyebrows and smirked. "Come on, just admit it: you can't handle my charms and knowing that you'd lose control of yourself if you gave in, you keep fighting it. It's a conditioned survival response, Blossom, but I know with a just a little bit of persuasion, we could-"

"Gah, you're the most incorrigibly irritating flank pain I've ever met in my life!" Blossom growled and whacked at Cloud Kicker with a wing while the Weather Team broke into a chorus of good-natured laughter at the two ponies' constant antics.

"Then why do you stick around if not to pine after me?" Cloud Kicker mock-swooned, all the while keeping her foreleg hooked around Blossomforth's shoulders. "Come, stand below my balcony and recite poetry to me beneath Luna's moon! Oh Cloudy, Cloudy, wherefore art thou, Cloudy?" To Volare's surprise and utter amusement, even Pinkie Pie facehoofed at that one.

"You screwed up the roles! Besides, fat chance I'll play out your personal fantasies that easily," Blossomforth tugged harder, but her friend's grip was like sticky iron.

"Oh really? Does that imply that you'll do it if I try harder?" Cloud Kicker smirked. "Arise fair Kicker and kill that envious moon...oh wait, that's the old Lunar Rebellion...oh never mind, just kiss me!"

"Yeah right-oof!" Blossomforth finally broke free, spun halfway around, and landed chest-first in Volare's lap. She looked up at the pilot, face as red as a beet, and smiled weakly.

"GASP! Leaving me for the off-worlder!" Cloud Kicker's eyes bugged dramatically. "At least try some pickup lines before diving into his junk like that, Blossom. Jeez, didn't hanging around me teach you anything?" The Weather Lieutenant guffawed loudly as Blossomforth scrambled off of Volare, downed her drink, and plopped herself down on her chair once more, face burning and feathers bristling in what Volare hoped was anger and not something else; he really had trouble telling sometimes. "Holy hoof you guys are a riot," Cloud Kicker chuckled and thumped both Blossom and himself on the back before pulling him towards the door. "C'mon Volare, let's get going!"

"Wait, where? And better yet, why?" Volare cocked his head, not keen on going anywhere with Cloud Kicker that didn't involve some sort of adult supervision...then again she might be one of those that got turned on by public displays...shit. "You're not gonna try to-"

"Pfft, nah. I remember your little issue," Cloud Kicker gave him a sincere smile and a nod. "I am gonna teach you a trick or two." She caught his look and quickly added: "About the finer parts of weather work. Sheesh, you look at me like I'm looking to bang 24/7."

"The precedent doesn't really support much else," Blossomforth rolled her eyes.

"It's more like 22/6," came Cloud Kicker's voice from the street as they took off for the north of town.

"Oh give me a hoofing break," Blossomforth facehoofed and looked up at Pinkie Pie, sharing her worried look, for they both knew of Volare's little taboo and despite what Cloud Kicker insisted, her libido had gotten her into trouble on more than a few occasions. "Pinkie, could you be a dear and help me keep an eye on those two?"

"Way ahead of ya, Blossom," Pinkie nodded and smiled. "I'll get Dashie to help and...speaking of whom, where is Dashie at anyways?" she tilted her head, revisiting the unanswered question from earlier.

"Good question," Blssomforth shrugged. "Hey, anypony know where Rainbow Dash is?"

"Yeah, saw her at the Library Tree with Twilight Sparkle when I was flying my mail-route," Derpy spoke up. "She said something about 'doing some research.' Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, never really took the boss for the studying sort," Cloudchaser mused. "Makes me wonder what they're up to over there..."

..............................................

Meanwhile, Ponyville Library...

It wasn't exactly an uncommon practice for Twilight Sparkle to stare at Rainbow Dash in shock--in fact that's how they'd first met--but the usual reasons involved crashing into something, pulling off Sonic Rainbooms, setting things on fire, and just general mayhem. But I think this is definitely a new one, Twilight thought as she fumbled for a quill from the stack she'd knocked off her desk at Dash's loud entrance. Dash was rattling off sentences at nearly Pinkie-Piesque speeds, and Twilight had to resist the urge to magically clamp her friend's mouth shut so she could make sense of what the hay was going on.

"Ok, ok, slow down, Dash!" Twilight waved her hooves for the third time, finally getting her brash friend's attention. Dash halted her pacing speech so abruptly that she nearly fell over, and that was when Twilight caught the worry in her eyes, worry that Dash would never show in public unless it was very serious. "Sit down and tell me what's going on, and slowly."

"O-ok, ok..." Dash nodded and flopped down onto a nearby seat cushion. She took a deep breath and Twilight braced herself for a rush of words once more, but to her surprise, Dash only sighed, looked up with that worried expression again and said: "Twilight, what the hay's up with those crystals?"

Oh no...I was right, something bad DID happen, Twilight fretted but did her best to remain calm. "Why, what's going on?"
Volare bled to death through his nose?! Is that even possible? No, wait, I saw him earlier today...calm down, Twilight!

"Ok, you're gonna think I'm totally nuts when I say this," Dash took a deep breath and closed her eyes, steeling herself for the inevitable outpouring of skeptical laughter. "But Volare and I used that speaker-box thingy to play some music last night, I picked up one of those earbuds and...I think I saw into Volare's mind last night or something." To her surprise, her friend didn't explode into laughter. On the contrary, the deathly silence from Twilight actually caused Dash to crack an eye in curiosity. Twilight's face was frozen in a look of shock, her jaw hanging slightly open and the quill she'd been levitating fallen to the desk, forgotten. At her reaction, Dash groaned even louder and buried her face in her hooves. "Yep, that's it, I've crashed one too many times and finally gone bonkers, haven't I? Time to stick me in a cloud-lined room and feed me gruel the rest of my life, huh?"

Twilight shook the stunned look from her face and placed a hoof on her distraught friends' shoulder. "What the-why in Equestria would you think that?"

"Cuz the look you're giving me right now is the look everypony gave you when you tried to make Ponyville fall in love with a ragdoll, that's why!"

"Oh...point taken," Twilight smiled sheepishly but continued to pat Dash's shoulder until she looked up at her. "But that's not why I'm looking at you like that."

"I-it's not? You don't think I'm"--she sniffed--"loco in the coco?"

"No, I don't think so. Now settle down and listen up," Twilight retrieved her quill and scribbled a few notes before levitating over a small stack of parchment. "I'm just a little shocked it happened to you too is all, and I think I know why-"

"Wait a sec. What do you mean 'you too?'" Twilight wilted slightly beneath her suspicious expression.

"Well, um...ok, not saying I'm proud of what I did, cuz I'd probably never do it again without his permission, but-"

Dash slammed a hoof down on the desk and leaned closer to the startled Unicorn. "Twilight, what did you do to my friend?"

"Hey, he's my friend too and...well like I said, just know that I'm not very proud of what I did," Twilight's ears fell flat. "I was just curious and-"

"What did you do, Twilight Sparkle?" Dash practically shouted, thinking she'd somehow fried Volare's brain and now it had somehow passed onto her like some sort of disease.

"I scried into one his dreams after he got his wing repaired, ok?!" Twilight shouted back as she leaped to her hooves.

"You what?!" Dash cried and made to jump over the desk. "What the hay does that mean?! Did you break his mind, Twilight?!"

"No, no, no, just listen!" Twilight shook her head, realizing they were yet again arguing over his well-being. She heaved a deep sigh, more to put a pause in the conversation and give Dash a chance to calm down than anything before speaking again, this time in a much more calm tone. "Scrying is placing one's self into another's dream and observing it, nothing more. Well, usually..." She caught Dash's glare before hastily explaining. "I mean, one can scry into another's thoughts and affect what they're thinking and doing, but that requires magic beyond what I know, something along the levels of Celestia or Luna."

"So you didn't take over his mind or anything?"

"No, not at all. And even if I could, that's highly unethical-"

"So spying on somepony's mind isn't?" Dash huffed.

"Touché," Twilight pawed at the floor before continuing. "Like I said it was a one-time thing. I was just curious about his family and where he'd come from, and I-"

"Oh my gosh, did you see them too?" Dash suddenly cut her off. "His folks and...I think it was his little sister Agatha."

"N-no, I didn't see anything like that," Twilight considered telling her about the darkness, the fire, the blood and bones, but decided against it. "All I really saw was a big desk in a dark room, with Volare sitting in front of it, and-"

"Yeah, I saw that too," Dash grimaced. "Fire and blood and everything everywhere...it was horrible, Twilight," the proud mare frowned, her shoulders shaking slightly at the memory. "What the Ponyhell's our Volare gone through?" she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, doing her damndest to halt the hot tears of helpless anger at being unable to stop whatever it was that had hurt and scared Volare that badly. How he put on a brave face and acted like it didn't affect him was beyond her.

Well, so much for keeping that a secret, Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof before beckoning Dash to sit back down. She laid out the pieces of parchment she'd scribbled notes on with Vinyl last night and did her best to explain that those focusing crystals acted like an amplifying receiver, taking the thoughts sent to it via a transmitter-the earbuds-and causing them to take form, sound from the speakerbox in this case, or imagery from a projector in another. The difference between regular focusing crystals and these red crystals was the red ones' ability to project not only sound and images, but emotions upon the receiving party as well. The receiving party must first be willing to take in those emotions, but once they're in, they can affect the receiver's behavior to differing degrees depending on how strong the transmitter's willpower is.

"So lemme get this straight," Dash held up a hoof and cut Twilight off. "When Volare played that music last night, it...made me act differently?"

"To an extent yes, but only because you were willing to receive it. Probably because it was a style of music you already enjoyed, or perhaps a certain emotion?"

"Heh, yeah you could say that," Dash scratched her mane and smiled nervously, recalling how she's bucked, looped, and zipped all over her house like a Pegasus filly that suddenly discovered the joy of flight. It wasn't a bad feeling...just different. "And what I saw and...felt last night were Volare's thoughts and emotions?"

"Precisely," Twilight nodded. "Now granted you were taken by surprise by them when you grabbed that earbud and interrupted the transmission, but it seems like your mind unraveled it all when you slept. Quite an interesting reaction if I do say so myself," the Unicorn scribbled line after line of notes, but Dash could care less about the research. She was more worried about the images involving her, the ones she hadn't told Twilight about yet.

"So I take it those emotions I felt probably had something to do with that song he played?"

"From what Vinyl and I gathered--and this is only speculation as there aren't any documents that we know of that speak upon these things--each song is an isolated thought process, rather like a book is its own collection of knowledge, therefore it's likely that certain songs would invoke certain emotional combinations unique to them," Twilight tapped her teeth with the quill point before scribbling that down. "The singular emotions themselves may not be unique to that one song, but the arrangement would be."

"That's cool...now how about in English this time, Twilight," Dash snorted in mild frustration at the headache threatening to erupt within her skull.

"Ugh," Twilight face-desked with a thump for a moment before altering her approach. "Kinda like how your aerial moves, while unique in their own right, can be crossed over between routines and making all sorts of different combinations."

"Oh, that makes way more sense," Dash grinned while Twilight did her best to not roll her eyes. But Dash's grin faded back into a concerned frown as her thoughts returned to her dream. "But...what's up with Volare's mom and dad and little sister? Has he ever talked with you about them?"

"His little sister yes, his parents no," Twilight shook her head.

"Any reason why?"

"He never said why, just kinda avoided the subject."

"Oh man...you don't think he and his parents are, like, on bad terms do you?" Dash's frown deepened.

"I don't know," Twilight shrugged. "But there's probably a good reason why he doesn't want to talk about them."

"Jeez, should I keep what I saw secret or...what?" Dash bit her lip in worry, a bad feeling growing in her chest that she'd seen something she shouldn't have seen. And then there was still the matter of seeing herself in Volare's thoughts. Those feelings she experienced...longing and shame...his feelings. Maybe he really did like her, but he was ashamed he did because of the whole inter-species issue thing. But the only way to know for sure would be to get him over it somehow...but...
...why, you worried about him?
What the-no, not in that way! If he wanted to try something, he already would have!
...well if he gets over his taboo, what then?
What do ya mean, what then?
...he'll have no reason to hold back if you keep messing with him the way you do.
Yeah, well...I dunno, I'll figure something out if that happens.
...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't hold back anymore.
Whatcha mean by that?
...let's not forget your feelings in this, Dashie.
What feelings? I don't have feelings for him! He's a stallion and he...there's always that risk, ok?
...since when have you been afraid of risk?
This is different!
...and why is that? Is it because you believe that maybe he's different?
Grr, if he is, it's only cuz he's a human, not a stallion!
...variety is the spice of life, Dashie.
Yeah, well...I dunno, ok? How can I even trust him?
...only one way to find out.
Fat chance of that!

"-Dash, are you ok?" Rainbow Dash jerked out of her thoughts at the touch of Twilight's hoof. "You kinda zoned out there for a sec."

"Y-yeah, I'm ok. Just thinking is all," Dash ruffled her feathers and blew out her chops. Ok, so obviously I'm important to him, but why? And how the hay can I even ask him without telling him I basically accidentally spied on his thoughts? That's not cool...and he'd wanna know how I know what even happened, then I'd have to tell him about Twilight...and then he'd really be pissed. I know I would. "Just trying to figure out how I'm gonna tell him what I saw is all."

"Well, whatever you do, do your best to not tear open old wounds, ok?" Twilight scribbled on last bit on her parchment and rolled it up to be filed. "Be subtle if possible." As if that word exists in her dictionary, Twilight winced inwardly. But Dash was who he lived with, Dash was who he trusted, and Dash had seen things nopony else had seen. She just prayed to Celestia she'd figure out a way to talk with him about it, for if Twilight broached the subject herself, Volare might get suspicious and clam up even further. Twilight was just concerned with those images, worried that Volare was hiding something that wasn't healthy to hide. She'd heard bad stories from Shining Armor of ponies who'd gone out on the Long Patrol, seen horrible things out there on the frontier, and come back different ponies than they'd been when they'd left. They'd tried to suppress what they'd seen so they wouldn't worry others, but often-times they ended up in the hospital with mental issues...or ended up dead.

"So when should I talk to him about it?" Dash asked.

"That's going to be up to you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight shrugged slightly. "You know how he acts better than anypony around here."

"Heh, yeah I guess I kinda do," Dash smiled before another thought occurred to her. "Hey, Twi?"

"Hmm?"

"You said those crystals can affect how another pony behaves, right?" Dash frowned, not much relishing the thought of being changed like that, even on accident.

"Mhm."

"Should we tell Volare about that? I mean, it kinda made me go a little crazy with that storm the other day," Dash grinned sheepishly. But to her surprise, Twilight shook her head.

"No I don't think so; since you know how it works now, you should be able to resist it, but there's another reason why: Volare's body gives off that signal because of the nature of his body. Princess Luna said that the fewer nightmares he has, the more stable his mind is becoming. Has he had any nightmares since he started using that speakerbox?"

"Not that he's told me, no. Why?"

"Well, for example, if a Unicorn doesn't use her magic, a sort of pressure builds up, and the mind gets...a little funny, often causing strange dreams and nightmares," Twilight pursed her lips thoughtfully. "And considering the nature of Volare's body and the passive signal it constantly emits...if using that speakerbox and crystals relieves that pressure, I see no reason why we should stop it. In fact it might be detrimental for him to." And knowing what he went through to save Dash from that storm, he might stop it anyway if it meant keeping her or anypony else safe from himself...

"My gosh...how long would he have to keep relying on that?"

"I honestly don't know," Twilight frowned, realizing that Volare may very well have to be tethered to those crystals for life at this rate. If so, then that awakened another fear in her mind: if those crystals turned out to be illicit, and Celestia or somepony else found out about them and confiscated them, how long would Volare's mind last before it began to destabilize again? It was only a theory, but it scared her quite badly, and she had no idea of how to break it to Volare if that turned out to be true. That was when another, equally worrying thought hit her: those crystals were the only thing absorbing enough of that signal for Twilight to be near him once more and if they got taken away...she'd have to avoid him yet again!

"M-maybe that's not even how it really works," Dash offered hopefully.

"Perhaps...I mean, I still don't understand these things completely," Twilight scratched her chin. "The only way to know for sure would be to check a more diverse collection of information, like the Canterlot Library."

"Yeah, and maybe while you're there you can have Luna, like, check out Volare's dreams and give us the lowdown on how things are going in his noggin, huh? Then we'll know for sure if he needs those crystals to function or if we're just freaking out over nothing."

"...Rainbow Dash, that's a brilliant idea!" Twilight grinned and leaped to her hooves. "I'll have to start clearing up my schedule to take Volare to Canterlot with me," she said as her eyes jerked about the room, trying to decide what to do first; she just wasn't used to altering her schedule like this! "I can show him the city, the Unicorn School, and maybe even the Wonderbolts if they're there! He can finally meet Cadance and Celestia and-oh!-while we're there we can finally put our theory to the test!" she clopped her hooves in excitement.

"Huh, what theory?" Dash cocked her head.

"Oh, the theory Volare and I came up with about our planet being-"

BAM! Twlight was cut off with a yelp of surprise at the front door of the Library being slammed open by a wide-eyed Pinkie Pie.

"What the hay, Pinkie?!-" Dash managed to say before the pink mare grabbed her by the hoof and hauled her towards the door.

"Dashie, you gotta come quick! It's Volare!"

"Huh, what's up with him now?"

"He um...might be in some trouble," Pinkie shot Twilight a quick glance that told the Unicorn that she wanted Dash to handle this.

"What sorta trouble? Is he hurt? Did the knuckle-head fall down a well?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that...well, not yet, at least not physically..." Pinkie trailed off, doing her best to not jump the gun and have Dash explode in anger, but the rainbow mare nodded firmly.

"Pinks, I'm right behind you! Twi, you start getting ready to take him to Canterlot. I'll make sure he gets there in one piece."

"Got it," Twilight nodded. "It's gonna take me a few days though."

"That's cool, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Dash replied, and with a whirl of wind and dust, the two mares rushed out of the room, leaving it deafeningly quiet but for Spike's snores upstairs.

.....................................
20 Minutes Earlier...

"I hate to say this again cuz I know I'm probably gonna get whacked for it," Volare said, eyeing Cloud Kicker warily. "But you really didn't have to do this, CK." Although the pilot was ready for the blow, the Weather Lieutenant dodged around his hoof and thwacked him on the back of the head once more with a grin, nearly knocking him off the cloud they were sitting upon.

"Shouldn't have said it then," she smirked cheekily. "Just be gracious, ok? Think of this as my way of apologizing," Cloud Kicker nodded towards the fluffy floating field of towers, blocks, trees, and random shapes she and Volare had carved out of a bunch of clouds they'd cropped together.

"Heh, ok fine, I accept your apology," Volare nodded and smiled before turning to observe their hoof-work. "So this is your special talent, huh, cloud architecture?"

"Yep, more or less. Got my mark when I rescued Fluttershy back in the day."

"When was that?" Volare cocked a brow, not recalling any sort of thing like that happening in the show.

"Well, when Fluttershy fell from Summer Flight Camp during Dash's race, she and I went after her later," Cloud Kicker reminisced. "Dash flew all over the place like a madmare while I took a more methodical approach and found her first. She was ok, just a little shaken up and covered in butterflies," she chuckled. "I brought down a cloud and squished it into a sorta chariot shape, loaded her up onto it, and with Dash's help, we pulled her back to the Camp. Wasn't until later that I noticed my Cutie Mark had shown up," she patted the cloud and sun mark on her flank with pride. "Kinda funny too. I know all the Element Bearers owe their Cutie Marks to Dash and her Sonic Rainboom, but if it hadn't been for her and Fluttershy, I wouldn't have mine either, so I kinda owe it to them both. Funny how the world works sometimes, huh?"

"True," Volare nodded, plucking a piece of floating cloud fluff from the air and molding it in his hooves just how Cloud Kicker had shown him. He pressed, stretched, and twisted until he came up with a shape that looked roughly like an F-18 fighter jet. With a grin and a flick of his hoof, he sent it flying away, though shortly into its flight it broke up into shreds of fluff once more that drifted away in the breeze. "Hmph, guess I got a ways to go, huh?"

"Nah, you're catching on," Cloud Kicker waved a hoof. "I mean, without constant contact from a Pegasus or a Unicorn's enchantment, all clouds eventually do that. Heck, even mine," she nodded towards the rather elaborate apple-cloud tree she'd created, already being picked apart by the wind. "Pegasus magic is pretty sweet, but it has its limits in what's permanent."

"Still way better than what humans could possibly imagine having," Volare mused. "I mean, with even a few Pegasi, just imagine what humans could do: things like redirecting hurricanes and tornadoes, diverting floods and...why're you looking at me like that, CK?"

"Who me?" Cloud Kicker mock-gasped. "Looking at you? The scandal!" Volare couldn't help but burst into giggles at her act, but before he realized it, she'd scooted right up to him and was staring intently into his silver-blue eyes with own cerise pair. "So, Mr. Volare...I've got a serious question."

"Eh-heh, what's up?" Volare chuckled nervously, feeling the heat grow across his cheeks at the Weather Lieutenant's close proximity.

"Oh nothing much...just trying to figure you out is all," she smirked and scooted a tiny bit closer. "I mean, you're a Pegasus on the outside, but still pretty much human on the inside, that much is obvious."

"What's your point?" Volare replied, trying not to give ground-or cloud, rather-but finding it a tad difficult not to, especially when Cloud Kicker's eyes kept roving away from his own and towards...other areas.

"My point is that you're becoming more and more like a Pegasus every day, and that's a good thing," she smiled and sat back slightly, giving him some space so she didn't spook him away; she had a slightly ulterior motive for bringing him up here by himself like this, after all. She was determined to get to the bottom of a little mystery of his, and if she did...well, good thing they were alone. "At this point, unless somepony asked, they likely couldn't tell you weren't always a Pegasus. That is, unless the conversation turned to other subjects," she winked.

"O-other subjects?" Volare gulped slightly, but Cloud Kicker saw it and chuckled in amusement.

"Mhm...relationship-type subjects," she scooted closer again and wrapped a wing around Volare's back before he could think about getting away. She held him firmly, but to his surprise she turned her attention out towards their hoof-work once more, as if she was slightly uncomfortable about the subject herself. "Or rather...having relations."

Or not...
"I got a bad feeling I know where this is going," the pilot muttered and received a sideways glance from the Weather Lieutenant.

"Why's it a bad feeling, though?" She turned her full attention back to him, a serious look on her face. "You told me about your little taboo, but you never really explained why you have it. I just wanna know how you justify it is all."

"Oh, well...um," Volare thought for a moment of a way to put it without being insulting.

"I mean, don't tell me you don't find me or other ponies like Dash or Twilight attractive," Cloud Kicker smirked slightly. "Cuz I've seen evidence to the contrary in your body language, no matter how hard you try to hide it. I saw the look on your face when Blossomforth fell in your lap earlier."

"It's not like that at all, CK!" Volare sighed, unable to explain his true reasons. It was partly the taboo, and partly something else that held him back...and in all honesty that "something else" was probably worse than any taboo could possibly be.

"So you are saying you find some ponies attractive, or...?" Cloud Kicker trailed off as she caught the worried expression of indecision on Volare's face, and she placed a hoof under his chin and turned his gaze back to hers. "Nopony, certainly not me, is gonna judge you if you do, Volare."

"Well, I...I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't..."

"Heh, knew it," she hoofed him softly in the shoulder.

"But..."

"But?" the lavender mare cocked her lemon-maned head. "What's wrong? Why not go after what you like?"

"It's not that simple, Cloud Kicker," he groaned and held his head in his hooves. The Weather Lieutenant patted him on the back, wondering if she'd crossed a line before he spoke up again, this time in a very resigned and quiet tone that shook Cloud Kicker's resolve somewhat. "You wouldn't take something you wanted when what you wanted had no say in the matter, right? Cuz that'd be like theft or rape, right?"

"What-yeah, I mean no, I'd never do that," Cloud Kicker assured him with a squeeze of his shoulder. "That's kinda like Rule Number Three: no banging a pony when their judgement is compromised," she recited from heart.

"Then you'll understand why in human culture it's wrong for humans to have interspecies relationships," Volare lifted his face to meet hers with another sigh. "Because animals on Earth aren't sentient creatures, to have...to have sex with a creature that can't reason or give consent is seen as akin to rape," his shoulders hitched slightly as he took a shaky breath, hoping that Cloud Kicker didn't clobber him for what he was about to say.
"Because animals are considered dumb compared to humans, it's like taking something from another being whose judgement will always be compromised. It's stealing...it's rape...it's disgusting...I'm sorry..." his head collapsed into his hooves again and he sobbed softly for nearly a minute, hating himself for every time he'd felt attraction to Dash, Twilight, Cloud Kicker, or anypony else he'd met since coming here. It was just so damn difficult to adjust to, and he knew he had no right to make them change their behavior on his account. "I'm sorry Cloud Kicker...but that's just how it is...and I dunno if I could ever shake that," he leaned up and blinked the moisture from his eyes before turning back to face her. "I hope you understand." But to his surprise, she didn't look angry. If anything, she looked halfway between amusement and sadness herself.

"Jeez...now I understand what you mean," she pulled him in closer and hugged him tightly with her wing for a long, long moment. "Deep-rooted stuff like that is tough to get over. But," she wiped a tear from his cheek with a wingtip and smiled. "I wanna help you get over it, cuz all this worrying over something like that...it's not healthy. I mean, no offense but you're kinda a nervous wreck, Volare."

"How? I don't think I can-"

"I know you can," she hoofed him lightly in the chest. "Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

Cloud Kicker leaned in and whispered: "Because those rules don't apply here." At her answer, Volare recoiled slightly in confusion. "Heh, before you freak out, lemme explain," she patted him on the back and chuckled softly. "You base your taboo on what humans believe to be lawfully and morally correct, right?"

"Right," he nodded and wiped his nose, curious as to Cloud Kicker's angle.

"So let's focus on the legal side of things: you'd be afraid of getting in trouble with the law for having a relationship with another species on Earth, right? But guess what: no such law exists here. I mean, ponies interbreed all the time, and I'll get back to that in a minute, so you don't have to worry about getting tossed in a dungeon or something for wanting to get a little action," she chuckled, but his brow still remained furrowed.

"Ok, doesn't exactly lighten the moral baggage."

"Very true," Cloud Kicker nodded, glad it was her helping him through this instead of somepony impatient like Rainbow Dash, whom she assumed would simply give up and leave or force themselves upon him in impatient frustration. But she was willing to be patient and work towards her goal of loosening him up. "What's the moral baggage based on? How humans will look at and judge you for your actions?"

"Well, kinda..."

"Two problems with that: One, there aren't any humans here to judge you," she held up a hoof and grinned. "And Two: ponies aren't terribly judgmental on relationships. I mean, take me: I've banged every pony species around. I've banged minotaurs, griffons, dragons..." she counted off her "accomplishments" on her primary feathers, as if tallying up trophies to the point where Volare couldn't keep a disturbed/amused smile from crossing his face at the absurdity of it all. "...Even banged a hydra once and I gotta tell ya: you'd think having all those tongues messing with you would be a barrel of fun, but when the four heads starting fighting over a single muffin...well, that's when things got pretty freaky."

"They weren't freaky before?!" Volare's sides ached with laughter at her ridiculous tale, and she joined in with him for a while before they calmed down again. "Ok, as amusing as that was, what was the point of that morbid little tale?"

"The point is this: I've banged just about everything with a pulse on this planet at some point, and even after all that," she paused and smiled. "Nopony judges me for it." Her smile widened as a look of realization crossed Volare's face, and she hoofed him in the chest. "So you see, if I can do all those crazy things, why in Equestria would anypony judge you for dating another pony, even if they did know you were a human to begin with? And like I said: they probably wouldn't even know unless you spilled the beans."

"I see," Volare nodded slightly, feeling a possible way out of this mess after all. But there was still too much holding him back. "But...I dunno, CK..." he muttered, and she once again placed a hoof on his back, gently massaging the base of his neck in comfort before thinking of one last idea to make him see it was going to be ok.

"Volare, look at me, dude," she lifted his chin once more so their eyes met. "Look me in the eye and tell me your honest opinion: am I a dumb animal?"

"Cloud Kicker, I," he paused, knowing what she was trying to do to make him see reason, and in all honesty appreciating her efforts in doing so. Finally letting go of his doubts and moral issues, he took a deep breath and replied: "No...not at all."

"So it'd be correct to say that ponies are not dumb animals, right?" she smiled sincerely at the sight of the tension leaving his face as the last bit of the wall of his taboo came crashing to the ground.

"Y-yes, that's correct."

"So tell me, Mr. Volare," she leaned in closer to the point where he could feel her breath on his muzzle. "What grounds does your little issue have to stand on anymore?"

"...None." At his admittance she grinned and pulled him into a crushing hug that he gratefully returned and held her in for a good while, his spirit feeling somewhat lighter at the realization that there really was no problem with accepting what he felt anymore. The answers had all been in front of him the whole time, and he was glad this horny mare had taken the time to make him see it...speaking of horny. "Hey, watch it back there!" he yelped and pushed Cloud Kicker away, his wings buzzing from where she'd brushed her hooves against them.

"Heehee, and why's that, Volare?" she snickered and scooted back towards him, undeterred. "Thought you didn't have a leg to stand on with this issue anymore?"

"O-one thing at a time, Kicky," he chuckled nervously, fidgeting with his wings as Cloud Kicker looked on in amusement. "Just gimme some time to adjust, ok?"

"Hey, no problem," she waved a dismissive hoof and settled back down, wondering what else might be the problem before the answer came to her. "Oh my gosh, you're a virgin, aren't you?"

"What the-no!" Volare fumed, blushing like mad as he slapped the cloud with a hoof. "Hell no! Jeez, why would that matter anyway?"

"Cuz I could see the reasoning in a virgin being reluctant to partake in that which they desire," she winked cheekily. "I mean hay, I was a virgin once...a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

You gotta be frickin' kidding me...
"Trust me, you can't wear a uniform for over five years on Earth and not get a little action at some point," he cocked a brow and shot her a small grin, not quite of pride, but something close to it. Cloud Kicker took his grin as one of invitation and threw a hoof around his neck and pulled him in close.

"So riddle me this: when's the last time you got it wet, hmm?" she smirked at his flushing cheeks and gulping throat.

"Uh, eh-heh...counting my time I've been here?"

"Eeyup."

"And my time on Earth...um..." Volare's blush of embarrassment grew until Cloud Kicker swore she could feel the heat radiating from his face; it was so adorable she nearly leaped on him right then and there, but she held off for his sake...plus she was a little curious as to how long it had been. "Ok, now realize I was very busy with some life issues and-"

"How long, dude?"

"...Something like six months, give or take."

"Six months?!" Cloud Kicker's jaw dropped in shock and her eyes went wide, scarcely able to believe anypony could go that long without a little tail. "Damn...no wonder you're blue."

"Oh hardy har, har har har!" Volare rolled his eyes and took to his hooves to leave before she caught his scarf and pulled him back to the cloud.

"Jeez, hang on a sec, flyboy," she shook her head and chuckled before standing up herself and bowing slightly. "It would be my pleasure-no, my civic duty to right such a grievous wrong. Come on!" she grabbed his hoof and took flight, heading towards Ponyville below.

"What the hell-right now!? Volare tried to pull away but she held him firm until they landed and she turned around to look him straight in the eye.

"Yes, right now. We're gonna strike while this iron is hot," her eyes trailed down his body once more, as did her hoof. "Or should I say hawt," she smirked when his wings twitched as she brushed her hoof past their base. She nodded towards her house down the street before trotting off, looking back over her shoulder when he didn't immediately follow. "Well, you comin', hawt-flank?" she cooed, sashaying back and forth and giving him a good, long look at her-ahem-assets and chuckling quietly as his wings twitched again.

"I dunno, Kicky," Volare wiped his mouth in mortification once he noticed he was drooling ever so slightly, but Cloud Kicker simply chuckled in amusement once more.

"Come on, dude," she waved a wing, knowing the importance of letting him make the decision on his own. "It'll be fun, and I'll show ya some pretty neat techniques I've picked up lately." She trotted back and nuzzled his cheek with her own, looking into his eyes and seeing the shred of worry that he still harbored there. As she did so, she didn't notice the pink-maned pony across the street dart into an alleyway and head for the Ponyville Library. "Ok, I'll make ya a deal."

"What sorta deal?"

"If you can convince me that there's no reason in Equestria for you to do this by the time we get to my place, I'll concede defeat and let you be," she placed a hoof on his shoulder and smiled before hustling him along towards her home. "But as fun as this'll be for me, I swear up and down this is more for you than anything. You need this, dude. I can tell."

"You sure this isn't just for you, Kicky?"

"Dude trust me, I get plenty of action regularly," Cloud Kicker tossed her mane and chortled softly before nuzzling him again. "I'm not the one who's gone six feathering months without it."

"Eh-heh, true," Volare nodded, feeling his hooves shuffling along of their own accord, only half-heartedly fighting it now. "But does it have to be you?"

"What? No, of course not! And that's the point," she nudged his shoulder. "I want you to be the one to make that choice, cuz it's up to you and nopony else. You're the master of you, remember that, Volare," she smiled and cocked her head as they neared her front doorstep. "You got about thirty more feet of arguments left if you wanna use them, Volare."

"Uh...um..." the pilot's eyes darted from Cloud Kicker, to the ground, the looming front door, and then back again, but try as he might, he seriously couldn't come up with any reason why not. True he would have preferred to be with somepony else, but...no, there were too many complications for that to happen, and he stuffed his worries under something heavy. Besides, the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right: he did need this, and he was grateful she was offering to help him. "What about protection?" he blurted out as they reached the front door, and Cloud Kicker burst into laughter and threw a hoof over his neck.

"You know what, you're one of the few stallions to ever ask that. Thanks for being so courteous, dude," she hugged him quickly and reached for the door handle. "But I got it covered, remember? Rule Number Five: No banging without safety gear. Trust me, you got nothing to worry about."

"Except telling me just what the hay you think you're doing, Lieutenant!" a tomboyish voice rang out as its cyan owner crashed hooves-first to the ground in front of the door. "Hmm?" Rainbow Dash fixed Cloud Kicker, and to a lesser extent Volare, with a vicious glare in her rose eyes that froze the two Pegasi in their tracks. From around the corner of the building poked Pinkie's poofy-maned head, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Dash had made it just in time.

"Oh, heya Boss," the unfazed Cloud Kicker waved a cheerful hoof. "Good news: Volare and I had a little chat and we got him over his little taboo! So we're just striking while the iron is hot, and-"

"Uh, no you're not," Dash stomped a hoof and, to the surprise of all, grabbed Volare's hoof and sent him spinning away towards Pinkie Pie before turning back to face her Lieutenant, wings flared and lip curled. She had no intention of letting Volare get hurt like this. That and it might have been due to what she'd seen in her dream, but all she cared about right now was keeping him safe. "You honestly expect me to believe that crap, you horn-dog on hooves?" Volare moved to get between the two mares, but Pinkie held him back with a shake of her head.

"Whoa, haven't heard that one before, Boss," Cloud Kicker rolled her eyes and took a step closer, her fighting blood up at the prospect of being denied like this; she wasn't even giving her a fair chance! "And yeah, I expect you to believe it! Besides, you've got no bearing in the matter and have been leading the poor guy on for way too long! It's time to stop playing around, Rainbow Dash," Cloud Kicker's words struck at Dash's heart, and she stumbled back a half-step before regaining her bearings. "I mean, I like messing around with stallions too, but you take this horseapples to a whole new level of blue-wing sadism. It's not his fault what happened back in the-"

"YOU SHUT THE BUCK UP, LIEUTENANT!" Rainbow Dash exploded with such violence that Pinkie Pie quite literally leaped into Volare's hooves in fright and caused Cloud Kicker to fall on her flank, stunned. "What happened back then is between you, me, and a few others and nopony else! And as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one around here allowed to sexually harass Volare and that's final!" she stomped a hoof and snorted, half an inch away from bowling the lavender Weather Lieutenant over, while Volare's jaw dropped in shock.

"Finders Keepers? Really, Dash?" Cloud Kicker snorted in return and picked herself back up. "You think that's fair for him?"

"It's not what's fair, it's what's right!" Dash growled and flicked her eyes towards the navy blue pilot.

"You ever think about what he wants?"

"Of course I do!"

"Tch, coulda fooled me."

"Besides, I'm Captain of both of you, and what I say goes!"

"Wow, you're really gonna pull rank to beaver-dam me, Boss?" Cloud Kicker rolled her eyes, gave Volare a sympathetic look, and sighed. There was just no arguing with Dash when she was like this and as much as she wanted to kick her plot for this...Volare didn't need to see them fight over him. "This may be a whole new low for you. I just hope Volare gets a clue, stops letting you screw with him, and moves the buck out if you don't knock it off, cuz I'm not the only pony who's noticed the crap you're pulling, Captain. Good luck, flyboy-"

"That's my name for him," Dash growled, but Cloud Kicker merely shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever. Hey Ferrum!" Cloud Kicker called out to the old blacksmith who'd been watching the exchange alongside Faber and a over a mug of beer. "I'm all horny and frustrated. Wanna go to the zoo with me?" She was answered by the expulsive blast of Ferrum's beer all over Faber's face, causing the Scoltspony to roar in surprise and knock their table flying as he chased his great-uncle, shouting every curse word known from Equestria to Scoltland and back. "Hmph, oh well. Hey, Rainbow Dash!"

"What is it now, Kicker?"

"I just hope you know that he deserves better than what you're giving him...a lot better." And with that last parting shot, she took to the skies, blasting through the scattering cloud formations that she and Volare had piled up over the past few hours and leaving the trio of ponies alone near her home.

"I'm uh....gonna go," Pinkie Pie wisely said as she gave Volare a quick hug, whispered "it was for the best" in his ear, before hopping off for Sugarcube Corner. It wasn't until she'd gone that Volare realized he was all alone with the still irritable rainbow mare, her back turned towards him as she heaved in shaky gasps every few moments, and he took a step forward and spoke to break the silence.

"Uh, Dashie?"

"What?!" Dash snapped, turning around to face him. The glare in her eyes made him back up slightly and she immediately softened her gaze and put a hoof over her eyes, trying to hide how mortified she was at making a scene like that over him...again. "I mean...what's up, flyboy?"

"I appreciate the concern, but you didn't have to do that, you know," she lifted her eyes to see wearing what she misread as a half-scowl, and his next words only irked her further. "She was telling the truth. We seriously did talk things out and I was just being gracious."

"Yeah well it's a good thing I stopped you then," Dash snorted. "She's about as loose as you get in more ways than one, and it wouldn't matter to her if you were gracious or not. In the morning she'll be gone and won't give a flying feather about you sticking around."

"But I-"

"No buts, now you listen to me, Volare," she took him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. "I did what I did because I"- care too much about you to let you get hurt like that...damn, I can't say it...not out here like this. Feather it! "...Because you're too emotionally fragile to handle a one night stand with her," her bullish pride moved her mouth before her common sense could stop her. "Because once she kicked you out of bed, you'd come running back to me, you'd cry on my shoulder and I'd have to play love doctor till you felt better. So I'm just saving me a wet shoulder and you the embarrassment by heading it off at the pass." Volare stared at her in stunned silence as she reached up and patted him roughly on the shoulder. "You're welcome."

"Gee, thanks," he rolled his eyes before she thumped him again.

"And I said you're welcome. And don't mention it again." She saw the irritation and pain in his eyes, and her heart squinched just as bad as before, knowing that even when she tried to do nice things, she couldn't help but hurt him in some way. And Twilight wants me to be subtle? Tch, like that'll ever happen... "Just...just go home or something..." Dash muttered before running off down the street, head hung in shame. She only wanted to put some distance between herself and him so she didn't have to talk about what just happened, so much so that she didn't look where she was going when she rounded a corner and crashed into a hanging sign, bounced off a tree, and spun into an alleyway before tumbling to the ground in a miserable, sobbing heap.
She'd pissed him off again, she'd hurt her Lieutenant's feelings, and now she was laying in the dirt like a dog, but she didn't care. She didn't care about the filth in her feathers, the grime in her mane, or the mucus running from her nose. For the first time since she could remember, her only self-centered thoughts were negative; there wasn't a shred of positive confidence or bravado she could pull from to console herself with. I'm a bad pony...I'm nothing but a bad pony to him...I don't wanna be but I just...I dunno anymore...
...you're not a bad pony.
Yes I am! And there's nothing's gonna change that! I'm not fixable!
...you're not a bad pony, Dashie.
I AM a bad pony!

Nopony was more surprised than her when a rust-red hoof gently tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked up to see Ravenfire smiling down at her. "You're not a bad pony, Ms. Dash," the older mare said softly.

Great, guess I was saying that out loud... But Dash was so hurt and embarrassed and mad at herself that she couldn't care, and she simply laid her temple against Ravenfire's hoof and cried as the older mare sat down next to her and dusted her off. "Why?" she asked after a while. "Why do I keep hurting him like this?"

"Ms. Dash, I saw everything that happened," Ravenfire smile and knocked the dust out of Dash's mane. "You keep hurting him because you care too much for him for his own good...but you don't act on it until he's in trouble."

"Say what?" Dash sniffed and looked up at her, feeling something familiar in her gently smiling features, something she hadn't felt in years. But it was so vague that it couldn't be her...no, that's impossible and you've said enough stupid stuff so just shut it already, Dash.

"You need to let him know how you feel when he's not in trouble and you can't use that as an excuse. And don't tell me you don't care for him," Ravenfire placed a hoof over her mouth to cut off her objection. "Because everypony, even Cloud Kicker whom you know could likely beat you in a fight yet you jumped in there anyway on his account...even she can see that. And as much as you may hate to admit it, your Lieutenant is right: it's time to stop leading him on. Either act upon your feelings and be forthcoming about your intentions, or be ready to let him go."

"But I just...I don't...grah!" Dash growled and rubbed her face with a hoof to hide her blush. Dammit, I'm acting all possessive and crazy like Twilight was! "I don't know how, ok? I'm just...I don't wanna get...I...I..." she sniffed and hiccuped, completely overcome with emotions that she'd long thought herself above falling victim to.

"Shh, it's ok...you're not a bad pony, I don't believe you're petty and sadistic...you did the right thing today; you just need to follow through, that's all," Ravenfire hugged and rocked her gently as a mother would her own foal, a sensation that to Dash was so unfamiliar and distant that she didn't know how to react at first. But slowly she loosened up and let the older mare rock her back and forth in the street, praying to Celestia that nopony saw them. But of course somepony saw them, or rather, some-raven. The white-necked, black bird stared down at the scene below the clock tower in which it was perched for a few more moments before winging away with a low croak. Things were getting...interesting.

October 17th, Late Afternoon, Sugarcube Corner...

The day around Ponyville had been chilly but sunny and cheerful, with everypony going about their business as was their wont, the vendors vending, the craftsponies crafting, and the bakers baking...well, all but one particular pink baker who had her chin in hooves and was staring down at her formerly hot cocoa-now rather lukewarm-and three strawberry cupcakes, none of which had so much as nibble taken from them. Ravenfire looked up from her own pastries in growing concern as Pinkie once again heaved a great and heavy sigh. Until today, every moment she'd seen the pink party pony had been filled with grins, antics, and enthusiastic conversation that bordered on the hyperactive at times. But to see her so downtrodden and out of her element disturbed Ravenfire quite a bit...although she could wager a guess as to why she was acting like this.

"Ms. Pie?" the older mare said as she brushed her hoof against Pinkie's elbow. "You haven't touched your cupcakes-"

"Here, have them," Pinkie Pie mumbled and pushed them across the small table before returning to staring at the melting marshmallows in her cocoa. Unlike the first time she and the older mare had sat down for an in-depth chat, in which Pinkie had learned that Ravenfire was from Roam and that Pinkie was originally from a Rock Farm, she'd been nearly wordless this time around, quite the feat indeed, and one which Ravenfire felt warranted an explanation.

"Are you ok?"

"No, not really," Pinkie shook her head and frowned at her cup. "I think I really messed things up between Dashie and Volare-bear."

"What? How so?" Ravenfire cocked her head. "And what do you mean 'between them?'"

"Don't be all "beat around the bushy" with me, Raven," Pinkie glanced up with a touch of annoyance in her voice. "You can see it just as plain as day. Besides, Dashie told me what you said to her."

"Ah, so she did," Ravenfire nodded once. "How'd that go?"

"I told her I was sorry I over-reacted to what was happening between Volare and Cloud Kicker, that it was my fault that Dash got all riled up," Pinkie sighed again. "She told me it wasn't my fault, that I didn't understand the whole situation. And maybe I don't, but I do know this: whatever there might be between Dash and Volare...I think I broke it."

"Why would the situation between Dash and Volare concern you so much, Pinkie?"

"Because Dashie needs-" Pinkie stopped herself short and glanced about the room, confirming that they were the only ponies there before leaning towards Ravenfire. "Did Dashie tell you how she feels about stallions?"

"More or less," Ravenfire nodded. "Though not in detail. She doesn't trust them, that much is obvious."

"Mhm, that's right," Pinkie winced as if recalling a nasty memory before shaking it off. "I want her to be happy-that's my job with being the Element of Laughter and all-and I think that what she needs is somepony in her life. Somepony to share that big ol' empty cloud house with and...not make her feel so alone up there," Pinkie smiled sadly. "And I thought Volare could be that pony to make her happy, but...now it's all ruined." Her forehead sank to the tabletop and she groaned. "I talked to Cloud Kicker about what happened, and she was doing the right thing...she was trying to get Volare over that species issue cuz it was causing him too much stress. But Dashie doesn't see it that way and, well you saw what happened. And now it's just so...grrr...darn broken!"

"There there, Pinkie," Ravenfire patted her back gently. "It can't be that bad. I mean, if Ms. Dash told you what I said for her to do, surely you know how easy it is for her to fix this."

"That's just it though," Pinkie leaned up and wiped her face with a hoof. "I've seen how stubborn and proud she can be. I watched her crash over a hundred times trying to perfect a trick once, no matter how many times we told her it wasn't possible. It was like we were telling her she was the problem, not the trick. It was like we were saying she was too scared or something, that she'd always lose no matter what she did...and so to prove us wrong, she kept doing it until Twilight forced her to stop. And even then she kept trying it afterwards...it even put her in the hospital." Pinkie grimaced at the recollection. "But she wouldn't give in...she wouldn't stop until Spitfire herself told her it wasn't physically possible."

"Wow," Ravenfire breathed in awe.

"Yeah...thing is, she won't admit it out loud, but she's afraid of trusting a stallion and getting hurt. And cuz she's too stubborn to admit she's afraid, and too proud to break first-cuz that'd be like losing-I dunno if she'll ever initiate things," Pinkie took a sip of her cocoa, more to wet her dry mouth than anything. "The other thing is I saw Dash and Volare yesterday and today: they were just...avoiding each other."

"Like conversation-wise?"

"Everything-wise," Pinkie exclaimed. "I mean, they'd leave her house and take off in opposite directions, and today I watched Dash walk completely around Carousel Boutique to avoid Volare. Twice!"

"Ah, I see what you mean. And I take it you think it has to do with what happened between Dash, Cloud Kicker, and Volare the other day." Pinkie nodded glumly in reply. "Well...what're we going to do about this?"

"I dunno...I'm pretty sure Volare doesn't know about Dash's problem with stallions, and he needs to to understand what's going on with Dashie," Pinkie's face creased in consternation. "But I dunno if she'd want anypony else but herself to tell him, ya know?"

"Going by what you've said about her pride, I'd say probably not," Ravenfire frowned and sucked on her teeth for a moment before brightening a bit. "I think I have an idea. Where's Volare at?"

"Huh? What's the idea? And he's over at AJ's with the CMC helping the pumpkin harvest, why?"

"Because," Ravenfire stood up and stretched her wings. "Ms. Dash may be too proud to initiate a conversation...but I doubt Volare would have the same issue."

"Oho, I think I see what you're up to, Ms. Clever Feathers," Pinkie grinned and rose to her hooves as well.

"Oh trust me, you don't know the half of it," Ravenfire chuckled in reply and headed out the door.

"Wait for me!" Pinkie cried and began to follow before Ravenfire turned and halted her with a shake of her head.

"No no, I believe I've got this. Volare and I have an...understanding of one another," she smiled and spread her wings, figuring Pinkie had done quite enough to "help" already. "I'll do my best to set the wheels in motion, Ms. Pie. You focus on closing down Sugarcube Corner for the day and I'll meet you at Sweet Apple Acres."

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie tossed a salute before streaking back into the bakery as Ravenfire took off, her wake soon filled with the commotion of pots, pans, and cooking utensils being hastily washed and tossed into cabinets as fast as Pinkie-ly possible.

........................

Sweet Apple Acres...

"Wow, that's a lot of pumpkins," Scootaloo exclaimed as she wiped the sweat from her brow and grinned at Volare, who was breathing rather hard himself.

"Yeah, no kidding-whew!" the pilot shook the dust from his eyes and stared up at the sizable pile of pumpkins he and the CMC had piled up over the last few hours. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had covered the stem trimming, Scootaloo had hauled them half-a-dozen at a time on her scooter and cart towards the barn, and Volare had flown them up and stacked them neatly atop each other near the hay bales.

"All ready for Nightmare Night," Scootaloo giggled and hopped up Volare's back to nuzzle the top of his head with her chin. "Bro, you're gonna love it! The candy, the games, the candy, the craziness, the candy, Luna coming to town and...um..."

"Lemme guess: the candy?" Volare cocked a smirk over his shoulder.

"Yeah!" the orange filly bounced on his back in excitement. "Oooh, why's it gotta be so far away though?"

"When is it?" Volare asked as he trotted out of the barn and headed for the farmhouse to reconnoiter with Applejack and Big Macintosh, who'd promised them a heaping helping of apple flapjacks and orange juice after their job was done. It wasn't really "work" per-se, as they weren't actually getting paid for it, but Grannysmith said she refused to let a good bit of volunteer work go without reward, though she was a little confused as to why Volare offered to help just out of the blue. In truth, he'd done so because he believed Rainbow Dash to be terribly sore at him for happened the other day, or at least that's how it seemed, what with her avoiding him and never saying much more than "hello and goodbye" since then. And so he'd given her her space, deciding it was best to let her simmer down before talking with her. Dashie...I'm sorry I pissed you off so bad...

"-hello, Equestria to Volare," Scootaloo tapped him with a hoof, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Huh-wha-sorry, Scoots. Kinda zoned out there for a sec, heh-heh."

"Yeah, and you nearly walked into that tree stump back there too," Scootaloo frowned. "You ok?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, Scoots," he brushed her mane with a wingtip and put on a false smile; she didn't need to know what happened the other day. It was strictly between him and Dash now. "When was Nightmare Night again?"

"The last Tuesday in October, which is...ummm..." Scootaloo scrunched her face up in an adorable expression that made Volare's heart swell. "The 30th!"

"Heh, that's almost on the same day as Halloween back on Earth."

"Halloween? What's that?" Scootaloo cocked her head as they reached the porch of the farmhouse. They could smell the delicious scents of the flapjacks and country cooking from just inside the door, and their mouths watered as they got nearer to their reward.

"Oh, it's kinda the same thing as Nightmare Night. Candy, scares, games, that sorta thing."

"Weird...I mean, same sorta holiday around the same time of year," Scootaloo scratched her head thoughtfully. "How's that work?"

"I have no idea," Volare shrugged, though she had a good point. Just how the heck did those two holidays nearly coincide with each other? And for that matter, what about Hearth's Warming Eve and Christmas? Winter Wrap Up and Easter? He supposed there was a similar New Year's celebration too...and he'd bet money that Faber celebrated something similar to St. Patrick's Day too, or at least some other equivalent that allowed him to drink like a fish. The similarities were uncanny. Why and how did they exist?

"Volare!" a voice hailed him and he looked back to see Ravenfire landing nearby, a look of concern barely hidden upon her face.

"Hi, Ms. Raven!" Scootaloo grinned and hopped off Volare's back to nuzzle the older mare in greeting. Ravenfire returned the nuzzle with a soft smile before turning back to the pilot.

"Volare, I need to speak with you...alone."

"Aww, seriously?" Volare's stomach groaned in protest. "We were just about to grab some grub."

"I can see--mmm, and smell--that, but good things come to those who wait," she beckoned him to follow her. "There's something rather important you need to know about."

"Can't he eat first?" Scootaloo pouted a bit, but Ravenfire shook her head gently and grazed her neck with a wing.

"I'm sorry, child, but this is more important than food at present. Now you run along and eat. I'll join you shortly."

"Ok, just as long as my bro gets to eat," Scootaloo relented and nuzzled Volare briefly before heading into the house. "He worked his flank off today."

"I'm sure he did," Ravenfire's smile faded into a frown as soon as the door shut behind Scootaloo, and she turned her attention back to Volare. "Why're you hauling pumpkins instead of speaking with Rainbow Dash?"

"Oh, so that's what this is about," the stallion snorted lightly and sat on the porch steps, where Ravenfire joined him. "I take it you heard about what happened, then?"

"I saw it happen," Ravenfire replied, and Volare glanced up in surprise.

"Great, bet we're the talk of the town, then."

"Not exactly, no. As far as I can tell, Cloud Kicker hasn't told anypony on the Weather Team what happened, though as you heard her say, they are aware of how badly Dash has been treating you-"

"She has not been treating me badly," Volare suddenly snapped. "That's just the way she is...I'm the stranger to this world and...I've got no right to ask her to change who she is on my account."

"Well be that as it may, she is changing," Ravenfire laid a hoof on his shoulder. "And you are the chief cause of it."

"Great, no wonder she's so pissed at me," Volare sighed. "Cuz I promised her she didn't have to change, that I liked her just the way she is."

"Oh...you like her as well?"

"Huh-whaddya mean "as well?"" he asked in confusion.

"Do you, or do you not, like Rainbow Dash?" Ravenfire asked point-blank, but Volare's gaze slid towards the porch steps. "I mean, that shouldn't be a problem since Cloud Kicker claims to have gotten you over your relationship issue."

"It has nothing to do with that," he shut his eyes and shook his head. "There are too many...complications involved for me to...to have those kinds of feelings for her."

"Complications?"

"Yeah, complicated complications," he replied, the tone in his voice brooking no further prodding into the subject.

"I see," Ravenfire sighed and scratched her chin. "Would that be the sort of thing you'd need to discuss with just her, then?"

"More than likely, yeah."

"Well, what's stopping you?"

"Everything!" Volare exclaimed suddenly before snorting and shaking his mane. "I mean, have you seen how pissed she is at me? She won't even look at me anymore."

"Do you know for sure that she's that angry?" Ravenfire cocked her head slightly. "Or that it's even anger she's feeling?"

"Well, no. I've kinda just assumed she was and was giving her some space till she cools off," Volare admitted and caught Ravenfire's skeptical look. "Well, what else could it be, huh?"

"Could be fear," Ravenfire stated sagely, taking Volare by surprise. "And if so, we both know how proud she can be...how hard it is for her to admit weakness or defeat." She gave Volare a knowing little smile. "You really think somepony like that would initiate a conversation and reveal her vulnerabilities so easily?" At Ravenfire's words, Volare's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in realization. "Or perhaps she fears she angered you so badly that you're not talking to her, so she gives you space...and so the deadly spiral goes."

"Oh my gawd, you're right!" Volare leaped to his hooves and looked south towards Dash's house in worry. The sun was sinking lower in the sky and he saw no reason why she wouldn't be home by now. He turned to Ravenfire and gave her a huge hug that caught the older mare off-guard with a small squeak. "Thank you Raven," he grinned and took off for the cloud-tower. "Thanks for everything!" he called back just as Pinkie Pie arrived on the scene.

"Whoa, what'd I miss?" the party mare glanced up at the rapidly-retreating Volare and then back at Ravenfire, who was smiling softly and shaking her head, thanking Luna that she'd gotten through to Volare before Pinkie could show up and "help."

"Nothing yet, Ms. Pie. At least, nothing yet..."

.....................................

Rainbow Dash's house...

Rainbow Dash sat alone on the front porch of her house, watching the sun slowly recede into the West as she cradled the Sky Stone Volare had given her in her hooves. She absent-mindedly bounced it back and forth between them, its movement mirroring the waffling conflict raging within her. She knew Ravenfire was right. She knew she needed to talk to Volare and explain why she did what she did. Hopefully that'd be enough to get him to at least speak to her again. He seemed so distant since she'd argued with Cloud Kicker the other day, and she could only conclude that he had to have been angry for her blocking him, and by pulling rank of all things!
That had been so stupid, but she didn't know what else to do to get Cloud Kicker to back off without it looking like she...liked...Volare-no, that can't be! It's a mistake, it's wrong, I can't...no...he's stuck here cuz of me and if he ever found out, he'd...I just hope he doesn't feel the same. With a heaving sigh of finality, she cocked her hoof back to hurl the Sky Stone as far away as she could, praying that she never saw it again, lest she be reminded of her failures.

...Dashie, come on. You know better than this!
Tell me again why you came back?
...To give you advice on not doing stupid things like this!
I don't think it's stupid. It's the right thing to do.
...What? Running away from your problems!?
NO! I'm NOT running away!
...Then what's this going to accomplish?
I...I dunno, ok?
...Dashie, you need to talk to him.
He WON'T talk to me! He's pissed off cuz I treat him like garbage and blocked him from finally getting a little tail. That's how stallions work and it's never gonna change!
...You're being unreasonable, even with yourself.
Just...he just...he deserves BETTER!!!
...But what about you?
I DON'T CARE ABOUT ME, OK?!

And with that, Dash chunked the Sky Stone so hard that tears welled in her eyes, partly from the pain in her shoulder, and partly from...regret? No, I'm Rainbow Dash...I don't regret anything. I don't lose. She ground her shaky hooves into her forehead and sobbed, holding the noise in her throat so hard that it ached, unwilling to admit out loud what she felt within.

"Yowch!" Came a cry of pain from beneath her. Dash looked up in surprise as the flapping of wings reached her ears. A familiar face poked up over the edge of her porch, one hoof holding the Sky Stone, the other rubbing the top of his head. "Jeez, maybe you're more irritated at me than I thought," Volare chuckled dryly as he fluttered up and landed next to Dash and held up the stone.

"No just...dropped it," Dash lied, doing her best to act aloof as she subtly wiped her face with a foreleg.

"Hmph, well you sure dropped it pretty hard...and in a helluva arc," his skeptical frown faded into a look of worry as he spotted the moisture she was unable to wipe from her cheeks. "Dashie? What's going on? Were you crying?"

"N-no, of course not," Dash muttered as she viciously blinked the wetness from her eyes. "Just got some cloud in my eye."

"Ah, I see," Volare nodded and sat down next to her, avoiding her gaze by occupying himself with the stone. He turned it over and over more times than was necessary to observe the way the light reflected off the golden flecks floating in the pool of deepest cobalt blue and criss-crossing cerulean canyons. It was beautiful, yes, but it was far from the reason why he'd come up here. After a glance that told him that Dash was simply staring at her hooves, ears splayed back and mouth pursed into a frown--avoiding speech but not appearing to want to avoid him--Volare took a deep breath and spoke. "So..."

"So..." she echoed, her voice a raspy croak from deep in her throat.

So she had been crying after all.
"I guess you're still pretty pissed at me," he mirrored Dash's actions and stared down at his hooves, missing the upward flick of interest her right ear gave him at his unexpected words. "I mean, who wouldn't be? I nearly made you get into a fight with Cloud Kicker, me being stupid made you have to pull rank on both of us, and I...I should have controlled myself better. I'm sorry, Dashie. I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I just wanted you to know I'm not mad at you; I'm just giving you some space cuz you're obviously pretty pissed at me for what I almost did...so, yeah." He sighed once more and hung his head, not knowing what else to say. It took him by surprise when he felt Dash's hoof lay itself on his shoulder, and he looked up into her bemused eyes.

"You're not mad at me, flyboy?" she asked tentatively.

"No. No, I'm not."

"Why?"

"Why?" he fixed her with a confused expression.

"Yeah, I mean...if you'd pull rank on me like that, I'd blow my top," she chuckled wryly.

"Good thing I got a long fuse then," he returned the soft chuckle, but she shook her head.

"But why? I mean, Cloud Kicker got you over your taboo, so why aren't you pissed that your first chance at really getting over it got blocked by somepony who threw her rank around?" Dash bared her teeth in self-loathing. "I'd wanna beat the crap outta me for that!"

"Heh, trust me Dashie...I've already made the mistake of answering a superior officer with my fists," he chuckled once more, though this time was more of a dry croak than a laugh. "You deserve better than that."

"But what about you?" she squeezed his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "What about what you deserve?"

"What have I done to deserve anything more than what I've got?" Volare replied, and Dash nearly growled in frustration before he continued. "You've had my back just about every moment since I've been here, Dash."

"Well, I still think you deserve better," she grumbled and sat down next to him, gazing at the falling sun to avoid his eyes. "That's why I did what I did the other day. Because you deserve better than the town bicycle. Because I was...I was afraid."

"Afraid?" Volare laid a hoof on hers. "Afraid of what?"

"...Of losing you," her sideways glance sparkled wetly in the light of the sunset.

"Losing me? What do you-"

"Volare, look," she turned to him and laid a hoof on the Sky Stone sitting in his own hoof as her eyes flicked back and forth over the cloud fluff between them. Nodding left and right as if debating something within herself, she finally snorted softly and met his gaze. "Did I ever tell you what this is?" she patted the stone.

"Yeah, it's Lapis Lazuli, right?"

"Right," Dash nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "But did I ever tell you why it's...important to a Pegasus?"

"No, I don't think so. You guys chunk them off clouds often or something?"

"No!" Dash said forcefully. "I mean, no. No, we don't." She held up the stone and continued. "In Pegasus culture it's known as Sky Stone cuz of the way it looks. It's important to Pegasi cuz it only exists in deep caves, which we don't normally go in, ya know? They're given as gifts to Pegasi by Unicorns and Earth Ponies as a substitute for feathers when they..." she trailled off and swallowed hard, altering her words slightly at the last minute. "When they really care about the Pegasus they're giving it to. But you didn't know that and I selfishly took it without telling you what it meant."

"Ah, I see," Volare nodded as the implications of his little gift finally dawned on him, and he felt a knot of worry tighten in his belly, concern that she'd misconstrued too much. "Dashie, I-"

"Just let me finish, ok?" Dash sniffled loudly and laid the stone back down. "Ever since you gave it to me I...I've just felt like I..." her eyes rose to meet his, her mouth trying to put words to the emotions rippling through her heart and soul, but her uncertainty stayed her tongue for now, and she laid her head on his shoulder so she didn't have to look him in the face. "I was afraid I'd lose you to Cloud Kicker and...that your first time would suck when you got kicked outta bed afterwards and you'd never wanna be happy with any mare ever and...I just care about you too much to let you get hurt like that, ok?" Her breath hiccuped and her voice cracked as she bit her lip in frustration at her fear and inability to just say it already!
"I just get frustrated when I'm afraid and...I say things I don't mean. And cuz I didn't tell you what that Sky Stone meant, I was throwing it away, cuz it was a gift I didn't deserve. Bet you think I'm pretty feathering pathetic, huh?"

"Pathetic?" Volare said before lifting her head off his shoulder and looking her in the eye once more. "Dashie, if you're the definition of pathetic, than the dictionary hasn't got enough room to hold whatever the hell awesome might mean." At his words, Dash stopped fighting the tears and simply let them flow, though her hopeful facial expression never wavered. "If anything, I don't understand why I'm worth the trouble to you," Volare said as he wiped the wetness from her cheeks with a hoof.

"It's cuz you said I was to you," Dash replied without hesitation this time. "It's cuz you said I'm worth it and...it's only right for me to return the favor."

"Don't feel like you're obligated to do that for me, Dashie. Ever," he squeezed her hoof in his as he stared into her rose-colored eyes with his own increasingly blurry ones. "I'll never be worth what you're worth-ow!" he cried, rubbing his choulder where she'd hoofed him. "What was that for-"

"For saying something stupid," Dash replied sharply. "And that's way less than I'll give to anypony that says that about you. And you can bet bits on that," she grinned fiercely. "That's how much I care about you, and...you better just get used to it cuz it's not gonna change."

"I-wow," Volare gaped, taken aback by her statement. "I-I'm honored, Dash; truly. Thank you."

"Heh, don't mention it," she shrugged as if this were an everyday thing.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I..." he trailed off, uncertain of how to put it.

"Yeah?"

"I...I care about you too, Dashie-a lot," he picked up the Sky Stone and placed it in her hooves with a smile. "So you don't have to throw this away if you don't want to." Dash stared at the stone dumbly for a moment before setting it aside.

"I still don't understand one thing, though," she asked as she twiddled her hooves.

"What's that?"

"Cloud Kicker was right: I treat you like crap half the time...so how could you possibly care about me so much?" she looked up at him again, worry creasing her brow. "How could you, when I hurt you so bad...I mean, I pulled rank to stop you from doing what you had every right in the world to do yesterday, and I know I embarrassed the hay outta you. I know I hurt you, so how can you say you care about me?"

"Oh, Dashie," Volare shook his head and smiled softly as he grasped both of her forehooves in his. "I know you got excited because of how Pinkie kinda sounded the alarm, or at least, that's what she told me herself. You handled it the way you knew best: in the most effective way possible. Plus I know "delicate" and "subtle" aren't exactly your strong-suits," he chuckled softly, relieved when she joined in for a moment. "More like "hard-headed" and-"

"Hey, watch it," she growled softly.

"...and "loyal to a fault,"" he finished, leaving her staring speechlessly. "And I'm grateful for that...I've never had a friend willing to risk herself for me like that. It's very humbling." He blinked a tear from his eye, unwilling to break the hold he had on her hooves before. "And before you try to say that you're hurting me by your actions, just remember that I said the rest is just small bones. So don't worry about it."

"But I do...cuz all that bad stuff might add up one day and..." Dash couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to.

"Hmph, you don't need to worry about that happening, Dashie," he pulled her closer, and her breath caught in her throat, unsure of what he was about to do. "Wanna know how to tell that you haven't hurt me?"

"How?"

"Silly filly," he smiled softly and winked. "I never once said 'cabbages.'" Dash's jaw dropped at the absurdity of it and she nearly whacked him for making light of the situation. But then she realized he was making light of it not to be nasty, but to ease her worries, and as that cognizance washed over her, she finally let go of her doubt, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him as hard as she could. She didn't speak, and neither did he--there was no reason to--as they simply held each other, content to feel each other's heart beat against their chests, hear their breaths, and feel the tears of relief against their necks which the cool wind of sky eagerly licked away.
But beyond that outside force of nature which not even the greatest Weather Pony could hope to stop, nothing interrupted them in their solace. One could almost hear another bit of the wall between them crash to the ground. They both knew that if they wanted to, nopony could stop them from taking this as far as they wished right then and there. But its foundation was deep, doubts and complications still remained, and after a moment, Dash released him with a sheepish chuckle.

"Eh-heh, so yeah..." she wiped her eyes, feeling the blush flame beneath her cheeks as Volare did the same. "I still think we're crazy. I mean really...cabbages..."

"Nah, I think we know what we're doing for the most part," Volare chuckled and wiped the moisture of her tears from his shoulder. "Heh, what was that you said about not getting your shoulder all wet or something?"

"Hey, shut up," Dash hoofed him as she wiped his tears from her own shoulder.

"Just sayin'," he stuck the tip of his tongue out and she clicked her teeth together in warning.

"Yeah, well in all seriousness, if you ever need anypony to talk to or, even if you have to do something like that, well...I'm not very good at the comforting mushy department, but you can always use my shoulder if you need to," her smile devolved into a half-glare as she grabbed the back of his neck and hauled him closer until they were nose to nose. "But don't you dare tell anypony I said that or I'll give ya a reason to cry on it, ya know?" she growled before booping her nose against his and giggling playfully, though Volare didn't doubt for a minute that she wouldn't make good on her promise.

"Yes ma'am, Captain, I'll keep it between you and me and nopony else," Volare saluted, dodging her hoof swipe.

"Pfft, I'm not your Captain when you're not on the job, so can those horseapples," she pitched a hoof-full of cloud fluff at his head, which he skillfully caught and flicked back at her, catching her by surprise as the puffball splatted against her cheek. "Grr, how'd you do that?"

"Cloud Kicker taught me a few things," he smirked.

"I'll bet," Rainbow Dash waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh haha, no, I mean weather stuff," he swiped up a hoof-full of fluff and fashioned it into a crude version of Dash's cutie mark--minus the rainbow coloring of course--and held it up proudly. "Tada-oh shit!" he cried as the wind snatched it out of his hoof and blew it to shreds.

"Bwahahaha, nice try, flyboy," Dash threw back her head and laughed loud and long for the first time in days, and despite his mortification, Volare felt better knowing he brought her a little joy, even at his own expense.

"Like you could do better," Volare challenged, knowing he was stepping knee deep in it. At his words, Dash's face snapped into a confident grin and she hopped to her hooves.

"Pfft, without even trying!" Dash claimed.

"Wanna put your money where your mouth is, then?" Volare smiled as he stood up.

"Hay yeah I do!"

"Alrighty then, gimme a sec," the pilot galloped off into the house with the Sky Stone, leaving Dash to wonder what he was up to. He emerged a minute later wearing his flight goggles and scarf, as well as the speakerbox in his saddlebag "Figured I'd lend ya a little inspiration and see how that goes," Volare grinned and patted the box with a wing. He placed the earbuds in his ears and concentrated, feeling that familiar prick of pain between his eyes. He wiped the blood from his nose and grinned sheepishly before strapping the goggles over his eyes and stepping to the edge of the cloud porch. "After you, Captain?"

"Heh, sure thing," Dash grinned and bumped him with her hip as she stood next to him. "What're you gonna play this time?"

"Like I said: a little inspiration," he repeated and took a deep breath of the lofty atmosphere before flaring his wings. "Just...let it flow and see what happens. Kinda like an artist, ya know?"

"Hmph, we'll see," Dash smirked. With crack of her neck and a shake of her mane, she leaped from the porch and soared upwards towards the nearest bank of clouds, Volare on her wing as he activated the speakerbox.

(Soundcloud link in case the above link goes down again: Rainbow Rhapsody

The red crystal whirled and hummed as a majestic melody began to flow from deep within his soul, wishing with all his might that he had but just a little more courage to tell her who it was about...

Although Rainbow Dash didn't consider herself a classical fan by any real stretch, even she had to admit that the music filled her with a sense of...awe, especially when the proud aria of a solitary bugle climbed above the underlying harmony of the violins and violas...and then the kettle drums rolled in and the heavier horns blazed to life, lending their deeper voices to the symphony that climbed higher and higher in volume every moment, echoing the rising surge within Dash's chest.
It forced her to go against her dominant nature and slow down. To drift upon the breeze and soak in the symphony of the strings and the cresting brass notes of the mighty trumpets punctuated by the deep baritones of cellos and piano chords that wrapped over and around each other, blending into a rhapsody of majesty and beauty that rivaled that of the fiery sunset that framed the entire west side of the valley.
The music called her to fly, to soar, to forget her pain, fear, and doubt. To simply enjoy the gifts she'd been given-she looked over at Volare and grinned-both physical and otherwise. Despite her joy, a single tear fueled by dozens of emotions at once still managed to sneak out, rolling along her cheek before being blown away into the vast expanse that spread above and below them. The only other time she could recall feeling like this was when she'd earned her Cutie Mark. "Whoa, flyboy what song is this?" she called over the whistling wind. "It's pretty sweet!"

"Heh, believe it or not, the name escapes me," Volare winked and took her hoof in his as they neared the small mountain of fluffy white cumulus lit a burning golden-red by the light of the falling sun. He closed his eyes and bobbed his head back and forth, his eyebrows rising and falling with the notes like a conductor's baton in an almost comical fashion, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he flew. Or at least it would have been comical if not for the emotions that rocked Dash's senses once he made contact with her.
They weren't as strong as the last time they'd hit her, but they were there: Happiness, freedom, joy, the thrill of being alive, heart-pounding fear dissolving into the simple staccato beat of a heart racing with adrenaline and the promise of what was to come. Speed...rushing...diving, looping, whirling, braking, zipping, shooting...silence but for the wind itself and the puff of their breaths in the high altitude air. "And if you think this is awesome," his voice came back to her through the emotional rapids she was riding upon, and she turned to see his eyes open as he grinned at her in anticipation while a mass of French horns belted out a rising tempo. "Then you ain't heard nothin' yet!"

They hit the clouds together and blasted through the towering pile of peaceful fluff, carving a tunnel as one would a road through a mountain until they shot through to the other side, revealing a gently undulating ocean of near-silent floating ice crystals that stretched towards the northwest as far as the eye could see. Unless Dash missed her guess, this was almost the exact spot where they'd first flown together for real, right before Volare had his wing-

"-Hey Dashie!" Volare's enthusiastic voice called out as the music sounded a great crash of cymbals, rolling drums, and foreboding trumpets. "Let's see a few of those tricks you promised me way back when I first got here!"

"Y-you mean my old Best Young Flier's moves?" she asked, shaking the thoughts of that dark night from her mind and focusing on the joy she pulled from the music and from the touch of his hoof.

"Yep, unless those are too old hat for ya," he grinned at her little scowl and motioned towards the sea of clouds as a pounding drumbeat took over. "Your stage awaits, Captain. Show me whatcha got!"

"Ha, hope you brought your avalanche helmet flyboy, cuz you're about to get rocked!" Dash puffed out her chest, gave his hoof a final squeeze before relinquishing her grasp, and dove for the surface of the fluffy white ocean as the music's tempo increased considerably, a shredding rock guitar now backing the strings and woodwinds in an intense harmony she had absolutely no qualms about flying to. With a grin of exhilaration, Dash dove towards the clouds at top speed, pulling up at the last moment and galloping along the fluff, wings flicking in time with her hooves as they kicked up puffs of ice and water vapor at every step, blazing a trail across the clouds.
"The Super-Speed Strut!" she announced proudly, her own personal fantasy from the past about performing these moves for the Wonderbolts flashing through her mind. But her crowd wasn't the fantastic flying team, just her singular friend Volare...but that doesn't mean I won't give it a hundred and ten percent!!

Damn, she's graceful, Volare thought as Dash kicked off the clouds and rolled up into the wind, the backing strings seeming to mirror her actions as they climbed higher and higher in tempo. Up and up she climbed into the darkening sky until she wasn't more than a small blue speck in the atmosphere. With a fierce look of determination plastered across her features, she crossed the sea of clouds high over Volare's head, forcing the pilot to crane his neck back as he watched her glide at top speed, her wings spread and her legs pointed fore and aft of her body while she executed an elegant barrel roll, her mane and tail fluttering along her behind like multicolored banners.

"The Fantastic Filly Flash!" her shouted breath puffed into the chill air as she suddenly folded her wings up at the apex of the roll, tucked in, and dove straight down in a spiral, right at Volare! The stallion could see the devilish smirk on her face as she rocketed towards him--apparently without any intention of stopping--the strings and brass blasting their message of majestic madness across the sky as she plunged.

"Oh shit Dash, watch out!" Volare cried, but just as he prepared himself to leap out of the way, she extended and flared her wings, kicked back off the air, and executed a near-perfect right angle pull-out, one forehoof extended, the other waving at him, and her grin huge and impish as she shot off into the sky once more, trailing a spectrum-colored smear through the air behind her. The strings reached a fever pitch as she rocketed upwards, rolling off in a Chandelle Turn before shooting towards a towering chimney of clouds, the wind whipping her mane into a prismatic firestorm as she tossed it and grinned down at her one-pony audience, totally engrossed in the excited anticipation of what was about to happen.

"And for my grand finale!" Dash announced, her last word nearly muffled by the clouds she slammed head-first through. She popped out the other side trailing a long line of billowy fluff in her wake, the icy mare's tails crackling with static from being suddenly sheared off of their parent cloud. Dash looped high in the air as the strings pelted out a high-energy interlude, all eyes and ears on the intertwining performances taking center stage in the Equestrian evening sky. As the guitar and brass began to reinsert themselves into the movement, Dash tucked tail and arced downwards once more, the clouds still following her like a feathery electrical tail.

"Oh my god..." Volare breathed as Dash streaked overhead, the air crackling with so much energy that it made Volare's mane stand up on end. The staccato drumbeat smashed back into the symphony and framed Dash's flight as she put on a burst of speed and distanced herself from the mare's tail, suddenly doing an about-face and kicking back off the clouds, rocketing back towards the clouds at top speed.

"The Buccaneer Blaze!" she crowed, the wind chilling her grinning teeth as she cocked a hoof back, tensing her muscles like steel cables while she focused on the center of the train of clouds flying right at her. As the music crescendoed, she slammed her hoof into the lead cloud, stopping it dead in the air and causing the trailing clouds to smash into the front one, piling higher and higher like a cresting grey-white tsunami until the stress became too great...and in a massive electrical explosion accompanied by roar like ripping velcro, the cloud wall split apart from top to bottom and shot past Dash, filling the air between them with crackling static and golden-white sparks.

"Holy hell, that's awesome!" Volare whooped and pumped a hoof as Dash executed a gentle loop, allowing her heart to calm down and the wildfire in her spirit to quell itself alongside the draw-down of strings, the gentle rumbling of drums like receding thunder, and the outro of proud brass. The Element of Loyalty came about and glided in to the music, a wily grin on her features and her chest heaving in great breaths of exertion that filled the air about her with puffs of steam. With a flourish of her wings and a hoof on her chest, she gracefully fluttered down and landed beside Volare, opened her eyes, and promptly started giggling uncontrollably at the slack-jawed look of awe on his face.

"Heehee-haha, whatcha think of that, flyboy?" she hoofed him and sat down on the clouds. "Up to your standards of awesome?"

"Wha-nah, not really," he scoffed and dodged a swipe of her hoof with a chuckle. "You left the standards back there somewhere," he waved a wing back behind him and promptly received a playful hoof-noogie from Dash.

"Heh-heh, that's more like it," she nodded before catching the barely-concealed snicker behind Volare's lips. "Ok, what gives?"

"Well, um...kinda wish I had a camera right now," the pilot's lips bulged and he clapped his hooves over his mouth to stop the laughter. "And that you had a mirror!"

"What? What's going on, dude--spill!" Dash's cheeks flared hot in irritation.

"Y-your-heehee-mane. It's all-pffft-I can't-hahaahahahaheehee!!" Volare burst into giggles and fell over, laughing fit to kill as Dash clapped her hooves over her head, only to find that her last trick had static-charged her fur. Her mane, wings, and even her tail were all frizzed out with static, and she groaned in mortification. She'd been trying to show him her stuff, but all she'd done was make him laugh. "Aww c'mon Dashie, it's not that bad," Volare patted her leg once her saw just how blushed her face was and how she hadn't relinquished her hooves' protective position over her mane.

"Yes it is," she grumbled, trying to smooth out her mane but to now avail. "Makes me look like crap." But she suddenly felt a hoof pull hers off her head and she turned to glare at Volare in annoyance. "What're you-"

"Dashie," Volare smiled and held her hooves in his. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing in the world right now that could make you look like crap. That was some damn excellent flying, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," he thumped himself in the chest and his grin widened a smidge. "Feel better?"

"Much, thanks," she smiled gratefully as she recalled her series of stunts. She'd pulled them off countless times before, but never with backing music and never with emotions like that burning through her blood. Heh, guess that means it'll never be as awesome unless he's there playing for me...oh well, guess I can live with that. "From the bottom of my heart," she patted her own chest and nodded.

"Heh, guess I'm a little miffed that I'll probably never learn how to do that stuff myself," Volare shrugged.

"Pfft, it's not that hard," Dash tossed her frizzed mane, though she allowed her hooves to stay in his. "Just takes practice is all...lots of practice. But..." she suddenly grasped his hooves and pulled him closer with a grin. "Like I said, I can teach ya if you want-yow!" she and Volare yelped at once as static leaped between their muzzles and zapped them. She rubbed her nose with a huff before catching sight of Volare's mane, and this time it was her turn to fall over laughing. "Haha! Who's all frizzy now?"

"Heh, I've had much worse," Volare blew her an indignant raspberry which netted him a quick yank of his scarf, flopping him down beside her as she continued to giggle. Volare felt heat bloom in his face at the close proximity of her body, but he pushed his concerns aside and simply enjoyed the moment as they laughed until their sides ached and the sun was halfway below the horizon. "Whew!" he huffed and fluffed up a piece of cloud to lean against, patting it for her to join him which she did with a nod of thanks. "So..."

"So..." she echoed and they chuckled once more for a bit until a sudden chilly breeze caressed her body, causing her to scoot closer to him for warmth. He raised a brow but held his ground as he stared up into the sky as Luna prepared to roll in the night, while Dash stared out at the sunset.

"I got a question."

"Shoot."

"Where'd ya learn those moves anyway?"

"Which ones? The Triple-S and F I kinda made up on my own."

"Triple S and F...oh, the Super Speed Strut and Fantastic Filly Flash, derp."

"Yeah, kinda mouthful without those nicknames," she chuckled and flicked him with a wing.

"What about the Buccaneer Blaze? I mean, outside the Sonic Rainboom, that's gotta be like your best move, right?"

"Heh, you could say that," Dash buffed a hoof on her chest. "It's no big deal, really."

"Tch, sure," Volare rolled his eyes. "But I mean did you make that one up too?"

"Um..." Dash suddenly looked down and glanced side to side. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Uh yeah, sure. What's up?"

"Ok, you're gonna be like the first pony I tell this to, so ya gotta swear you won't tell anypony, ok?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Volare recited and received a hoof to the shoulder.

"Pfft, ok no need to break out the Pinkie Promise. Still, this is uber secret," she leaned closer and whispered. "That trick's not originally mine."

"Oh, so you stole it?"

"Wha-no!" Dash whacked him with a wing. "I'd never use another Pegasus' tricks without permission dude. I'm not that desperate for attention, ya know. Besides, my reputation'd be ruined if everypony thought I stole my tricks."

"Heh, ok I believe you," Volare patted her shoulder. "So who taught it to you?"

"Oh, eh-heh, you know," Dash waved her hoof in a noncommittal little circle. "You've seen her picture before."

"Hmm? Oh, that old Wonderbolt on your wall?" Dash answered his question with a wordless nod and a slight frown. "You ever gonna tell me who she was? Like, was she the reason you got interested in joining the Wonderbolts or something?"

"One of these days, probably...and wait-how ya figure that?" Dash swiped at a loose piece of cloud that floated past her nose to avoid Volare's gaze.

"Well, her poster looks a lot older than the other ones, and the current Wonderbolts don't look much older than you do. And since you've said you've wanted to join them since you were a filly, I just put two and two together," he shrugged. "How's my aim?"

"Eh...you could say she had a hoof in things back in the day," Dash smiled fondly and sighed before catching the look on Volare's face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing I just think it's nice to respect your roots every now and again," he flopped back on the cloud with his hooves under his head, watching the stars wink into existence on the far eastern horizon.

"I suppose so," Dash nodded and mimicked his position for a few silent moments. "Hey, what about your roots, flyboy?"

"Huh-mine?"

"Yeah. What got you inspired to be a Blue Angel pilot?" Dash nudged him with an excited grin. "C'mon, tell me!"

"Uh...well," Volare trailed off, his throat suddenly very dry as a host of memories, some good, and some horrible waged a sudden assault on his mind. His mom...his dad...his sister...his wingman...his plane...his honor... he'd never get them back, so what was the point of even talking about it? He felt a momentary twinge of anger prick his heart at being stuck here like this before remembering that he wouldn't even be alive without the wonderful mare lying next to him...God...if only I could tell her WHY! He must have been grimacing outwardly for he suddenly felt Dash's hoof squeezing his foreleg as she leaned over him with a look of concern.

"Flyboy? Volare, what's wrong?"

"Nothing...it's nothing," he lied, fighting the tears back with every bit of strength he possessed and biting his lip so hard that it-

"Dude, your lip is bleeding," Dash sighed and pressed a piece of icy cloud over the wound before giggling lightly, her cracking voice chasing away the darkness that threatened Volare's mind like sunlight would a shadow. "Heh, guess you can't talk right now, so I'll just throw some guesses out there. Let's see, um...was it some famous war hero? Nonono, not that, uh...a bigger brother? No wait, you didn't have a brother. Hmm...I guess you saw them a bunch when you were little, right?" Volare finally nodded. "Yes! Ok, uuhhh...well it obviously couldn't have been yours truly," she smirked while Volare simply rolled his eyes. "Ok ok, serious face on! Hmm...I'm gonna go out on a cloud here and say...your dad was a Blue Angel, maybe?"

Volare's eyes widened for only a moment, but Dash caught it. "Ha, couldn't hide it from me forever, dude. Wow, so your dad was a Blue Angel pilot? That's pretty sweet! How good was he? Was he a pilot a long time? Who inspired him to fly? Ohhh, was it his dad?" Volare's head spun at the sudden deluge of questions and he motioned for Dash to take the cloud off his mouth.

"O-tay, Ah...oh thit," Volare groaned at his cold, numb mouth as Dash burst into a giggle fit and rolled about on the cloud at the ridiculous sight of Volare laying there with a frizzed mane, lolling tongue, and annoyed squint. When she buried her face in the cloud to muffle her laughter, Volare slyly gathered up a heaping double hoof-full of clouds and tried to whistle to gain her attention. Failing that rather miserably, he poked her with a hoof, and when she popped up to look at him he splattered the cloud fluff all over her head.

"Blech, you're asking for a whoopin', flyboy," Dash growled and spat puffs of ice before realizing his ploy. "Heh, very sneaky, Volare but I'm onto your little game. Trying to get me all distracted so you don't have to answer my questions. Pretty slick, but I wasn't born yesterday."

"Damn. Well, at leasht gimme a shec to let mah mouth get shome feeling beck."

"Heehee, take your time," Dash fluffed up some cloud and reclined upon it as Volare fumbled with his mouth. Looking at him, she had to admit that beneath the awkwardness, the bad mane, and the weird habits, she saw a pretty nice guy, one whom she was trusting with a few little secrets she'd never told anypony else. Maybe even one that she could...
...That you could what, Dashie?
Grr, none of your business.
...You speak to me like I'm actually a voice in your head sometimes.
Well if you're not, then what the hay are you?
...I'm just a coping mechanism to help you make judgment decisions in your lonely times of need. Your conscience. That's all. I'm your slow down and think it through side, something you sorely lack sometimes. Like right now.
What the-whaddya mean right now?
...You're too quick to deny yourself what you want. Why? That's not like you.
Because he...I don't...look, if he knew the truth, he'd-
...The truth about what? That you-?
No I feathering don't, ok? If you're part of me then you know what I'm talking about. I...I can't. It wouldn't be fair for him.
...Well, despite the unnecessary stress you're putting yourself through, I must congratulate you on one thing, Dashie.
Yeah, what's that?
...That you've finally started putting others before yourself.
Yeah well, he deserves better, so-
...Then BE better!

"-Uh, Dashie?" Dash's head snapped up and she blinked at him in bemusement before she realized his mouth was working again. "You um...were you talking to yourself?"

"Wha-nah. What kinda crazy pony does that? Not this awesome one," Dash flicked her hoof through mane, though she inwardly cringed a bit at the artificial bravado in her voice. "Anyways, you were gonna answer some questions?"

"Yeah, I suppose I was," Volare chuckled as he swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Yes, my dad was a Blue Angel, in fact he was the best...or at least, ya know...to a little twelve year old boy he was," he half-smiled at the fond memories, trying to focus on the positive bits. Dash caught the strain in his face though and she placed her hoof over his and nodded for him to continue, though she had a growing feeling this was some of that "tearing open of old wounds" Twilight had warned her about. But Volare smiled wryly, nodded his thanks, and continued. "And my grandpa was a Blue Angel over forty years ago. I never got to meet him myself, he...he died in combat a long time before I was born."

"Agh, jeez," Dash squeezed his hoof, but he shook his head.

"I-it's ok. He went down fighting and served well and...I guess that's the best anyone could ask of him," Volare chuckled again, though this was more of a half sob than a laugh. "My dad always told me crazy stories about him, that he was always ready to go get'em, that he was fearless in the air, that it seemed like nothing could touch him while he was in his Phantom Jet."

"What happened, I mean," Dash paused. "How'd he die?"

"Equipment malfunction of all things finally got him. After he served his four years in the Angels, he returned to duty and flew bomber escort during the Vietnam War. Well, one day he got hit in one of the engines by enemy ground fire during a dogfight and...well, without full power, he was basically a sitting duck, and he made his Weapons System Officer eject," Volare wiped his nose and chuckled, this time sincerely. "Heh, funniest damn thing was that even after that, he still shot down another enemy before they finally ganged up on him and...shot him to pieces."

"Damn, he didn't even get a fair chance," Dash's brow furrowed as her grip tightened on Volare's hoof. "But he sounded like a pretty brave guy."

"That he was," Volare nodded and blinked his eyes a few times. "And my dad was inspired by him to follow the same path and be a Naval Aviator. Scared my mom to death when he told her, or so she always said. But he still joined and after a while he was also accepted into the Angels squad."

"How'd he do?"

"He..." Volare paused for a long moment, eyes closed and muttering something under his breath before sighing. "We'll talk about that some other time, ok?" The pained look on his face begged no further prying and to his relief, she relented.

"It's ok, Volare," she patted his hoof and smiled encouragingly. "So I guess you joined the Navy to follow in their footsteps?"

"For the most part, yep," Volare nodded hastily, though it was clear he wasn't being entirely honest. "Figured I might as well live up to the family name, ya know? I mean, Volare does mean to fly after all."

"Wait a sec, was Volare your grandpa and dad's name too?" Dash cocked her head and Volare laughed.

"Yep, that's true," he chuckled and sighed slightly. "Guess it's time you know a little something about me: Volare's not my first name, but my last name."

"Oh really? What's your first name, flyboy?" Dash cocked a brow at Volare's embarrassed head scratch. "Wait a sec, on your flight suit, I remember there being a J before Volare on one of the pockets. That your first initial?"

"Bingo Dashie, you win a prize," he took her wing buffet to the back of the head in stride. "You want "Disappointment" or "A Barrel of Laughs?""

"Oh come on, how bad could it be, dude?" Dash chuckled and prodded him playfully. "It's not something girly is it?"

"What-hell no!" he crossed his hooves and snorted. "It's just...not something you'd be used to hearing, that's all."

"Dude, c'mon," she placed her hoof on his chest and looked him in the eye. "You think something like a name is gonna change what I think of you? If anything, you'll always be "flyboy" to me."

"Pfft, fine," Volare closed his eyes and awaited the expected ribbing. "My first name is Justin."

"Justin?" Dash chewed on the strange word for a moment. "What's that mean?"

"You mean you're not gonna laugh it up-hey!," Volare rubbed his hoofed shoulder and squinted at Dash.

"I'm not that petty," she smirked. "Names here are pretty important cuz they tend to have to do with your personality or appearance. So what does "Justin" mean back on Earth?"

"Well, it's Latin root is Justinus, meaning "just, fair, or full of justice,"" Volares shrugged. "Don't really see how that relates to me, though," he caught the look on her face. "What?"

"Dude, that makes perfect sense!" she exclaimed. "I mean, you flew for the military, right? And what do they do? They take care of the bad guys and give out justice and all that jazz, right? So you're like...Flying Justice or something," she grinned.

"Heh-heh, if you wanna think of it that way, Dashie."

"I will thank you very much," she poked her tongue out at him and winked. "But...just so we don't damage the mystique you've got, we'll just keep callin' ya Volare."

"Mystique, eh? That's kinda a fancy word for you, Dashie," Volare returned the cheeky grin, eliciting a chunk of cloud fluff to the nose.

"Hey, it was in a Daring Do book, so it's all cool!"

"If you say so, Dashie," Volare chuckled and propped himself back up on the cloud. "Doesn't make me think any less of ya either, though."

"Hmph, darn right it doesn't," Dash snuggled up against him and settled back down to watch the sunset as well. But after a few minutes of silence, the thing that had started this whole mess floated to the top of her thoughts once more, all of it compounded by her snug closeness to him as well, though he seemed to be focused more on the fiery sun and Western sky than her touch. "So, um..."

"Yep?"

"I guess you were telling the truth about that talk with Cloud Kicker, huh?"

"Yep, I was."

"So, like...you're all over your little issue?" Dash felt like disengaging herself from him, but she knew how uneasy that'd look given the conversation, so she stayed put instead.

"As far as I can tell, yeah," Volare shrugged. "Why?"

"Does this, like...I mean, does this mean things are...different between us now?" Dash asked tentatively, not sure what answer she wanted or expected. Turns out she got a little of neither.

"Oho, you afraid you won't be able to mess with me anymore without worrying you'll turn me on and cause me to ravage you?" His little joke was met with a poisonous glare but he nudged her lightly and smiled. "Trust me Dashie, I'd never try that. I owe you too much, you're my friend, and...I'd like to think I have at least some self-control," he nodded once and squeezed her hoof.

"Yeah, but..." Dash trailed off, uncertain of what to say. "What'll other ponies say about us living together now?"

"Well, considering only our friends knew about my issue to begin with--and I trust them to keep it under wraps--I don't suspect their view on it'll change," Volare reasoned. "Plus you're my Boss, my Captain. Something going on between us wouldn't look too good anyways and I respect that, so you don't have to worry about stuff from without or within. And if anypony's got a problem, we'll explain it to 'em just like that."

"Heh, really?"

"Yep, and if that's not good enough, then they're not worth the trouble to try to reason with anyways," he declared with a light snort. "You're my friend and my Captain, and your reputation matters to me too, so don't sweat it-yah!" he yelped slightly as she ran her wing along his with an impish smirk. "Course if you keep doing that things might take a bit of a different turn," he stuck his tongue out as she laughed.

"Pfft, in your dreams, pal," she hoofed him as she giggled.

"Well, don't expect to be able to get away with that scot-free, then," Volare growled and touched the sensitive sole of her hoof with his, drawing a squeak of surprise from the fiery mare as she leaped a full three feet sideways and stared at him. "Heh, seems you're not invincible after all, Dashie. I remember what you said back during our little airshow."

"Grr, you better watch it, flyboy," she growled lightly as she rubbed her hoof.

"But I thought turn-about's fair play," he snarked and dodged a cloud chunk.

"Oh hahaha," Dash snorted and settled back down, though she maintained the distance between them. She knew he was right, but there was no way in Ponyhell she'd admit that without a fight. I mean, letting a stallion touch me and...even if it's just in play, it's...grah! No, not gonna let him do that. Despite her attitude, Volare sensed her unease.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'll just keep putting up with you messing with me," his response surprised her. "I'll just retaliate in...other ways," he smirked.

"Other ways?" she cocked a brow. "Like what?"

"For me to know and you to find out, Dashie," he crossed his hooves behind his head, knowing he was playing with fire but still getting a little thrill out of being the button pusher this time around.

"Yeah, but that still leaves you with blue wings," Dash mused. "How will you take care of that now that you're all...you know, ok with being with another pony and all?"

"Pfft, I've been ok up till now. I think I'll live," he waved a dismissive hoof, but Dash scooted closer once more to press the issue.

"Yeah, but everypony needs to let off a little steam every once in a while," she reasoned.

"Can't argue with that," he nodded.

"So who would it be with?" she grinned and playfully hoofed him. "C'mon, any mare caught your eye yet?"

"Heh, I swear CK asked me the exact same question," he tried to deflect it but she was incorrigible.

"Soooo, tell me!" she bounced slightly as she spoke, doing her best Rarity impression. "Tell me, tell me, tell me! It's gotta be some mare local, right? Oooh, or maybe some stallion?" she snickered at his shocked expression. "That Big Mac sure would be a fine catch for you-"

"Oh gimme a friggin' break, Dash!" he shouted and shoved her to the cloud, landing on top of her as she continued to giggle. She stuck her tongue out as he rolled his eyes and slid off of her.

"Well then who?" she pressed. "Rarity? Nah, too frilly--that's more like a punishment anyways--yech! Fluttershy? Nah, she's too quiet. Pinkie? Nope, too crazy."

"Hey, maybe I like a little crazy," he retorted.

"Pfft, like you need any help in that department. You need somepony to level you out," Dash's face suddenly lit up. "Oh I know, I'll hook you up with Applejack!"

"Oh what the hell?" Volare facehoofed. "I don't think I need help with this, Dash."

"Yeah sure, if you had this all handled you wouldn't have been about to hop in the sack with Cloud Kicker," Dash chortled and nudged him. "Hey, what about Twilight? You eggheads are like two books on a shelf. Hay, you guys'd probably take over Equestria if you hooked up," she grinned cheekily. "Plus I think she kinda likes ya."

"Eh-heh, yeah about that..." Volare trailed off, debating whether to tell her about Celestia's letter or not. It would certainly clear the air on that little issue. Then again, knowing how fiery Dash could be, maybe it wasn't a wise idea, especially if he told her what elicited the letter in the first place. Instead, he settled for something around the middle. "Except we'd have to rely on this sucker for us to function as a couple," he patted the speakerbox.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Dash winced, herself involved in an inner debate over whether to break the news that he might be stuck with that crystal for life in order for him to live normally. But she had a bad feeling it'd be like telling a pony they'd be crippled for life, plus they didn't even know for sure if that was how it'd be, so she kept it to herself. "That would kinda suck if it suddenly stopped working."

"Or knowing my luck, if I forgot to wear it one day," he chuckled. "So, nope, as fun as being the cause of Twilight demolishing something in a fit of magic-overload, I think I'll play it safe with somepony else."

"Well who, then?" Dash asked, not even sure why she was doing this.
...It's cuz you want him to be happy.
Yeah, of course I do. He's been through so much crap that he deserves to be happy.
...You could be the one to make him happy, you know?
Grr, stop reminding me. I just...can't, ok? It's not fair cuz of what I know.
...Then tell him so you can stop waffling on this!
Like Ponyhell I will! If he knew then being with me'd be the last thing on his mind!
...How can you be so sure?
If somepony took my dreams, took away upholding the family name, I'd be pissed beyond belief!
...It was an accident, Dashie.
Yeah, good luck making him understand that.
...Never know if you don't try, Dashie.
Yeah, well never try and I'll never fail!

"Uh Dash, you were kinda muttering to yourself again," Volare nudged her and she blinked her eyes and shook her mane.

"Yeah sorry, just...just thinking. I'm good," she put on a grin and leaned back nonchalantly on a cloud. "So, who'd it be, flyboy? You can't tell me you don't have your eye on somemare?"

"Well, um," he stood up and trotted a short distance away, pawing at the clouds. "There might be one pony-"

"Oh, who?" she brightened.

"It wouldn't matter, though," he smiled wryly as he stared out at the sun. "They're way outta my league."

"Aww, I wouldn't say that," Dash stood up and joined him.

"If you were in my position you might."

"Well if you'd just tell me, maybe I could help you hook up with them, dude," she bumped him with her hip.

"Thought you weren't one to play love doctor," he shot her a sideways smirk.

"Well I can't let my flight buddy get all backed up and stressed out, ya know?" she laid a wing across his back. "What kinda Element of Loyalty would I be if I let that happen? And why the smile?"

"Hmph, I'm just wondering why the sudden interest in everypony wanting me to get laid," he shook his head. "Maybe I'd like something a little more than just a one-night stand."

"Oh, so you're that kinda guy," Dash nodded. "Impressive."

"Why's that?"

"Most Pegasus stallions I know just wanna blow off steam and that's it. So for you to say you want something longer-term, it's...well, it's kinda a breath of fresh air."

"Well, you're welcome, I guess."

"Never said thank you, flyboy," she bumped him again.

"Never directed it at you either," he bumped her back and smiled. "But you're welcome all the same."

"Grr, you'd probably drive any mare loco after a week anyway," Dash snickered and mock-sighed. "Guess you're a lost cause. Oh well, you'll always have me to get ya...well, get ya close I guess," she smirked and flicked him with her tail.

"Joy," he rolled his eyes and returned to staring at the sunset.

"Jeez, or maybe you've forgotten what's it like cuz it's been so long," she teased, meriting a snort in return. "How long has it been since your last one anyway?"

"Relationship or...?" He caught the look on her face and shook his mane. "Oh hell, guess you're just gonna pester me till I tell ya."

"Heh, you know me too well, flyboy," she leaned her shoulder against his and grinned cheekily. "Soo...?"

"Ugh, like six months or something like-"

"Whoa, six months?!" Dash jerked back slightly, her eyes searching his face for any hint of jest, but upon finding none, she let out a low whistle. "Wow...no offense flyboy, but that's gotta suck."

"Well, time flies when you're working hard," he countered lamely. "What, you gonna offer your "help" or something?"

"Nah, I don't give out sympathy ruts," she nuzzled him lightly. "Not my style, ya know? Still, that just...that really sucks."

"Alright casanova, when's the last time you had any fun?" Volare cocked a brow, smirking when she recoiled once more.

"Uh...um..."

"Oh, what's that? Those don't sound like days and numbers, dearest Dashie," he held a hoof up to his ear and his smirk widened as did her blush.

"Sh-shut up, dude," she butted her forehead into his shoulder with a growl. "It's....just been a while since I hooked up with anypony, ok?"

"So what's all this teasing about then, if we're stuck in the same boat?"

"Well, unlike you, I have my own ways of taking care of business," it was her turn to snicker at his shocked expression. "What? Don't believe me? You're not home all the time, ya know. And being a half mile in the air has its perks...like hiding funny noises. Or don't you remember that little lesson?" she smirked as she slowly drew her wingtip along his feathers, eliciting a low groan from deep in his throat. "In fact, since you've moved in, I've done it...like seven times," she bragged. "Twice with you home, actually," she drew her wing back along his and up his neck, making him inhale sharply. "Believe it or not, unlike you, I can be quiet when I wanna be. So don't you worry about me, flyboy. I can take care of myself pretty well, thank you very much. Heh, wanna know which hoof I use when I-?"

"N-no, I'd rather not," he stammered before she pounded him on the back and laughed.

"You're a riot, dude," she smiled and nuzzled him once more. "Still are and always will be."

"And you're crazy and always will be to me," he shot back and settled onto the cloud with a huff.

"Well, didn't you say you liked a little crazy?" Dash asked and sat down before realizing what she was implying. Volare gave her a blushing sideways glance and she cleared her throat loudly. "Ahem, I mean meh--love's for the birds anyways, right dude?" she chuckled and hoofed him once more.

"Heh, guess if that's the case, if it'll make ya feel a little better, I'll just hold off until I find the right mare."

"Aww man, but with your luck, that might take years," she teased and draped a wing over his back. "Good thing you got me to keep ya company in the meantime."

"Well you're my friend and if that's what it takes to make ya happy, I'll do it," he replied, returning the wing-hug with one of his own.

"Aww, you'd really do that? You don't have to, ya know."

"Yeah I know. But like I said, you're worth it, so...yeah," he smiled softly, giving her a tentative nuzzle that she returned twofold before snuggling up closer to him.

...Dashie, just do it already.
But what if I-
...Just tell him when you can. He needs it and so do you.
I dunno...
...Really, Dashie? You're gonna try to lie to me?
Ok, ok, maybe he's...maybe he's a nice guy and...maybe we both need it, but...it's been too damn long and I...I still got standards, ya know.
...Maybe they're a bit too lofty. Biggest wings, biggest hooves, biggest...well, you know.
Eh-heh, yeah maybe...just want the best.
...How about biggest heart?

"Dashie, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shivered visibly and fluffed her feathers. "Wind's getting to me a bit."

"I don't feel any wind," he observed before catching a wing to the back of the head again. "Shutting up, then," he chuckled nervously as her wing drew in tighter and she laid her hooves alongside his.

"Good call," she smiled, nipped him on the shoulder, and leaned back against him with a sigh as they watched the last quarter of the sun go down. She felt his comforting heat against her fur, and despite the stoic expression he attempted to maintain, she could hear the nervous drumming of his heart--or then again maybe it was her own--pounding like distant thunder between them. The puffs of their breath intermingled visibly in the air before them before falling to the clouds and dissipating together into the fluff, just as they'd smashed the clouds as one earlier...just as they'd taken on the storm as one...just as their hearts beat as one--she was sure of it now--and just as their bodies lay against each other as one. A combined bit of comforting warmth in the vast, cold sky, with naught but the crossroads of the oncoming night and the receding day for company. A time of day she loved for its beauty but loathed for its lonesomeness...but now she wasn't alone and allowed herself a deep, contented sigh that drew a raised brow from Volare.

"Heh, just...this is just nice, ya know? The sunset, I mean," she smiled.
...Smooth, Dashie.
Oh shut up!
"I just...I mean, I don't watch the sunset very often, at least, not just with anypony," she caught his gaze and held it with hers, the poorly-hidden implication in her speech as clear as the rising moon. It certainly wasn't lost on Volare, anyway as he swallowed rather nervously.

"I-I can tell...and it's quite, um, beautiful."

"Oh yeah?" Dash leaned up closer, her eyes fluttering ever so slightly despite something in the back of her mind telling her to get a hold of herself. But she quickly stuffed it into a mental box and blocked it out. At this very moment at least, she felt she knew what she wanted. "How can ya tell?"

"I, uh..." Volare trailed off, similar alarm bells ringing in his own head, though not strongly enough to make him lean away; in fact he did the exact opposite, lost in the fierce rose-tinted eyes of Rainbow Dash. "Because...uh..."

"Yes, flyboy?" her breath washed over him as she attempted to coo tomboyishly, a feat nearly impossible for anypony but her, as far as Volare was concerned. But somehow she pulled it off with flying rainbow colors. "Tell me how you know," their lips were mere inches apart, their hearts thundering so loudly she was sure it didn't matter how high in the air they were; somepony would hear them...but she honestly couldn't give a feather right now.

"Be...cause...if you did..." Volare barely breathed as their lips just began to brush against one another. And in a crowning moment of panicking stupid, he blurted out: "Cuz you'd go blind if you did it too often."

"Wow," Dash breathed, and for a moment he was certain she'd continue until she spoke again. "That's a heck of a creative way to kill the moment, flyboy," she sighed and pulled away with a shake of her mane, somewhat thankful he'd done something to stop her. What am I, Cloud Kicker or something? Stupid!
...No, you're just being pony, Dashie.
Oh, go bother my colon or something. Sheesh.

"Wh-what moment?" Volare asked dumbly, the only thing keeping him from face-desking being the distinct lack of a desk at the moment. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What's wrong with you, man?! "We were having a moment?"

"Yep, we were, but now it's gone," Dash shook her head melodramatically.

"No, wait-can't we get it back?"

"Nope, it's flying away so fast I can't even catch it," she gestured westward. "Oops, there it goes, crashing and burning in the top of the sun. Oh no, I'm the moment and Volare killed me! I'm melting-oh what a world!" she teased and hoofed him roughly. "That was a close one, though. Almost had me there, dude. Give me flowers and chocolate and I'd have been all yours-bwahahaha!!"

"Damn," Volare snorted in relief, though there might have been a good bit of disappointment in there too. Still, it was probably a good thing, though, as he still had no idea how he'd explain everything later anyway. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Dash wouldn't be cool with him not coming clean first anyway...and since he kinda liked his head on his shoulders...yeah.

"Aww, don't feel too bad, flyboy," Dash nudged him playfully. "There'll probably be plenty of moments later."

"Pfft, sure," he nudged her back, causing her to shove him a bit more roughly, which he returned with a smirk. "What're you doing, Dashie?"

"Heh, maybe I'm-" she smirked and grasped his scarf and hooked another hoof under his foreleg. "-making a new moment!" She suddenly flipped him over her back and onto the cloud with an oof before leaping on top of him, positioning her wingtips to tickle him like before. "Heehee, gonna make ya smile cuz that's what good friends do, right?"

"Eh-heh, with friends like you, Dashie," Volare struggled to lift her up, but she had him pinned helplessly before an idea sprang into his head. "Who needs enemies?"

"Grr, you take that back!" Dash lunged her wings forward but hit only clouds as Volare slipped below the fluff. "What the hay-whoa!" She whirled, red in the face at a tug on her tail to see Volare fluttering there with a smug grin creasing his features. "How did you?!-"

"That trick won't work on me anymore, Dashie," he blew a raspberry her way. "Gonna have to come up with something new."

"Heh, no cloud tricks, no problem-RAGH!" she suddenly sprang off the clouds and latched onto him with all four hooves, pinning his legs and wings and dragging him back down to the clouds and slamming him back into the fluff, knocking the wind out of him for a moment before leaping off of him and landing on her hooves, ready to wrestle. "Bring it on, flyboy! Unless you're...chicken!"

"Yeah, that's not gonna work this time, Dashie-"

"Bawk-bawk-bawk, chicken!" she pawed at the clouds with her back hooves, pecking at the clouds with her nose, smirking at him the whole time, and making his blood boil. He knew he'd never hear the end of it from her if he didn't do something.

"We'll see about that, Dashie," Volare stood up, made to pounce, and then sank through the clouds and out of sight.

"Whoa, hey no fair!" Dash shouted and stuck her head through the clouds, but couldn't see a thing for all the ice. "Where'd you go-oh hay no!" she yelped as Volare's hoof poked through the clouds and touched her hoof. "You cut that out-yah, stop!" She shouted and danced to the side again when he touched her hooves once more. She keyed in on his muffled laughter and plunged a hoof into the fluff, fishing around until she snagged his scarf and hauling him up to eye level. "Well, well, looky what I caught here. I dunno if he's a keeper, though," she grinned devilishly and booped her nose against his. "Maybe I should throw him back! YAAAAH!!!" With a war-like shout, she yanked him up in the air, whirled him about by the scarf, and tossed him downwards at the clouds. But he managed to grab her hindhoof as he fell, pulling her down with him and hitting the clouds with a muffled splat. They quickly scrambled off each other and crouched down, ready to pounce and go again, neither willing to give up that easily.

.......................
Down on the farm...

"Uh-oh," Pinkie muttered as she stared through the telescope she'd apparently stored behind the farmhouse--'for telescopic emergencies', she'd said--and was now pointing at the sky where it looked like Dash and Volare were...fighting?

"What's uh-oh?" Ravenfire looked up from her catnap and stretched her wings. "I'm old and near-sighted, remember? What's happening up there?"

"Um, ok, I really don't wanna jump to conclusions like with Volare and Kicky, but..." Pinkie twiddled her hooves for a moment. "I think us leaving it to Volare and Dashie to work out was a bad idea."

"What, why?" Ravenfire stood up in alarm and peered through the telescope in time to see Dash body-slamming Volare on top of a cloud. "Oh feather," she muttered and spread her wings. "I don't think this is a false alarm, Ms. Pie. I'll break it up!"

"Wait up, I'll help!" Pinkie shot off towards the barn.

"What, how? You don't have wings!"

"No, but I've got a giant trampoline in here somewhere," Pinkie called back. "You know, for giant trampoline emergencies just like this one!"

"Um, right," Ravenfire scratched her mane. "You just stay put; I've got this," She took off with a burst of speed that belied her age, and she was at the battleground in under a minute and shouting for the two Pegasi to break it up. To her surprise, they both looked up from atop one another, red-faced (whether from exhaustion or embarrassment, she couldn't tell), and breathing hard--ok, that looks like exhaustion...perhaps this went a little too well. She certainly couldn't see their lower bodies as they were draped over one another. "Um...I'm not interrupting something, am I?" she asked, holding a hoof over her eyes in mortification. "Cuz I can come back later."

"What the-no, no, we're not," Volare looked back at Dash, whose blush deepened even further as she hid her chuckle behind her hoof. "Oh gawd no, we're not. Get offa me, Dash!"

"Say please and I'll think about it," she teased and nipped his ear. "We're just having a little fun is all, Raven."

"Yeah, I can see that," the older mare shook her head and snorted. "I honestly thought you two were trying to kill each other or something."

"Nah, we're good," Dash smiled and rolled off Volare before helping him to his hooves and throwing a wing over his back.

"Heh, yeah we're cool," Volare confirmed. "We, um...had a good talk, and we figured things out. We'll be good."

"Excellent," Ravenfire nodded. "Perhaps it'd be pertinent to explain that to the Weather Team. You know, so they don't think you're having...issues."

"Um," Volare stopped and glanced at Dash before shaking his head. "No can do, Raven. What was said here is between Dash and me and nopony else. We promised each other that."

"Right," Dash nodded firmly before cocking her head. "Why, do they think we're...cuz we're totally not! Right, flyboy?"

"Mhm."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that," Ravenfire waved her hooves. "It's just that there's still that matter of someponies seeing you as leading him on, and him as a...well, a bit of a doormat to your antics. No offense."

"Ugh, crap I forgot about that," Dash facehoofed.

"Yes, and without them knowing what was said here this evening, if you show up at the next meeting without a problem between the two of you..." Ravenfire trailed off and gnawed her lip. "Well, you can imagine how that would look. What would be assumed took place."

"You could just say we didn't do anything, Raven," Volare suggested hopefully.

"Yes, and look like I've been hushed up by our illustrious rank-pulling Weather Captain," the older mare frowned as Dash groaned in embarrassment.

"Well how do we fix this, then?" Volare asked as he patted Dash's back. "How do we prove I'm not a doormat and she's not a petty jerk-yow," he rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry."

"S'okay, but you've got a point," Dash said and tapped her forehead. "Think-think-think-think-think! How do we fix this crap?"

"Well, before you two panic," Ravenfire smiled and laid her hooves on their shoulders. "I might have a possible solution that will kill all these birds with a single stone. It's rather old-school, but it's worth a try."

"What is it?" Volare queried.

"Yeah, how's it work?" Dash cocked head.

"Well...it's not terribly difficult. And you're both showponies of a sort, right?" Ravenfire's eyes flicked from one Pegasus to the other as she conspiratorially drew them closer "Because it all really depends on one question: how strong are your presentation skills?"

Notes:
Holy crap, this woulda been up sooner, but the site decided to derp!
Volare: Yeah, sorry about that!
Author: Heh, now we all know your real name.
Volare: Pfft, so?
Author: Justin and Dashie sittin' on a cloud~
Volare: RAGH!!! *tackles* CRASH!!

Truth or Dare-Pt 14: Pride...

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”
-Jane Austen, "Pride and Prejudice."

October 18th, North Ponyville Park, Mid-Morning...

Ravenfire's Plan was simple. The Plan was certainly old-school. The Plan was theatrical. The Plan would (hopefully) be effective. But as Volare, Ravenfire, and Dash gathered the equipment they'd need over the past twenty four hours, most of it in the dead of night so as to avoid suspicion, a simpler analogy kept threatening to erupt from the depths of Volare's corny-yet-appropriate movie quote collection. He held it in as they hid the eight foot long tree branches near the edge of the park, and he had to stomp it back down as they quite literally wrapped thick rags for padding on the ends of the branches. He felt he was winning the battle until the time came to knock on Fluttershy's cottage door and ask her where her old Hoofball equipment was.

"Wait a sec, you played Hoofball, Fluttershy?" Volare had gaped.

"Oh, no, no, no," Fluttershy shook her mane and chuckled softly as she headed inside to fetch the protective padding and helmets. "I just used to wear these whenever I'd give Barry his massages and he didn't quite trust me just yet," she nodded at the near-ridiculous image of "Barry" the grizzly bear sitting at a tiny table and sipping from an equally tiny teacup with an expression of serene calm. Fluttershy trotted over and scratched behind his ears, causing Barry to fall over with a growl of happiness. "But now he trusts me, don't you? Yes you do, yes you do~" she cooed and she rubbed her nose against the bear's.

"Um, can we just grab the pads and go before I hurl?" Dash muttered and received an elbow and a glare from Ravenfire.

"Well, you certainly have a way with animals, Ms. Fluttershy," Ravenfire commented politely as she hoofed the equipment to Volare and Dash. "But we need to be on our way, so..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Don't mind me," Fluttershy blushed slightly. "Oh, but before you go, can I ask what you're doing with them? It's not something dangerous is it?"

"Um, it's uh..." Dash bit her lip for a moment before Volare stepped in.

"Nah, it'd be dangerous if we didn't use this equipment, Flutters," the pilot grinned and gave her a quick wing-hug before picking up the two Hoofball helmets. "Thanks for the help!"

"Oh, um you're welcome?" Fluttershy scratched her mane as the trio of Pegasi galloped off. She felt a tug on her mane and looked down to see Angel Bunny glaring at her. "You think what they're doing is dangerous, Angel?" The rabbit face-pawed--well, obviously!

Cheereek, chirk-ekeek! Shae the osprey offered from the tree in Fluttershy's front yard as she stared after the Pegasi. Shae preened a breast feather back into place before adding her weighty stare upon the Element of Kindness.

"I'd say anything that needs a helmet and pads is probably dangerous," Iron Will chimed in from the stack of firewood around the side of the cottage. "I mean, I wouldn't know about having to use safety equipment, cuz ya know," he flexed his biceps and grinned. "Don't have much experience with it and all."

Well, that explains a lot, Angel thought and tugged on Fluttershy's mane once more before pointing towards Ponyville, specifically Twilight's Library.

"You think I should tell Twilight what they're up to?" Fluttershy cocked her head and Angel nodded vehemently. "Oh, but if they wanted her to know, wouldn't they have told her themselves?" Angel face-pawed once more and let out a tiny groan of defeat before stomping back inside.

"I think what he means is they probably didn't tell her on purpose," Iron Will explained, wiping the splinters from his hands and joining Fluttershy in the doorway. "Why? Who knows? Those three are like danger magnets most days. Still, it'd probably be a good idea to let Twilight know. You know, in case something crazy happens," the minotaur frowned as he recalled the memory of Volare arriving after having his wing reattached, but he quickly shook it off. "C'mon, I'll go with ya, Fluttershy. I gotta hit the cabbage pony's cart anyways...not literally, though-hahaha! Poor guy's stuff gets trashed enough as it is. Weird, huh?"

........................

It finally happened. As Volare and Co. stashed the Hoofball equipment behind a thick clump of bushes, the pilot happened to glance back at the line of fence posts they'd driven into the ground during the chilly night and now stretched a good ways across the far north end of the park. "I can't believe we stole a fence from Ferrum's store."

"More like borrowed without permission," Ravenfire quipped cheekily, drawing a look from Dash and Volare. "But with every intention of returning it, of course."

Well, when in Rome, Volare thought as the corny quote came bursting out of his vocal cords. "This plan is either madness...or brilliance," he waved a wing over the long branches, Hoofball equipment, and various flags, rags, and colorful pieces of cloth all tied to a length of rope, also "borrowed" from Ferrum's store during the night. Note to self: we should probably let Ferrum know that Faber sleeps like a boulder and isn't a great substitute for a burglar alarm.

"You know, it's amazing how often those two terms cross paths," Ravenfire winked and grabbed Dash and Volare with her wings, tugging them close with a wild grin. "Oh, we're a regular trio of scoundrels, aren't we? Hahaha!"

"Hey, you're the brains of this operation," Dash chuckled and hoofed the older mare, once again being reminded of something familiar about her, but unable to put a hoof on it. Something about her attitude and...no, that can't be. She's been gone and dead for years...you're thinking too much about crazy crap again, Dash!

"Yeah, if we get caught, we'll say you made us an offer we couldn't refuse," Volare laughed and applied his hoof to Ravenfire's other shoulder.

"Oof, well you two are the ones assaulting your elder! Perhaps I'll just tell them the whole thing was your idea and you threatened to trip me when I crossed the street if I didn't go along with it!" Ravenfire laughed and broke free of their grasps before galloping out into the open field. "Now come on. I know I've explained the rules, but we've got enough time for a quick run-through before the Weather Team shows up. You did call the meeting, right Ms. Dash?"

"Yep, I told Thunderlane to spread the word," Dash tossed a salute.

"You talk to Cloud Kicker yet?" Volare asked, immediately regretting his words as her enthusiastic grin soured.

"No...not yet," Dash shook her mane and frowned. "I just hope this works...she's one of my oldest friends and-and I know we get into it sometimes, but we've always made up. I mean, we beat the stuffing outta each other back when we were fillies but we never had something like this happen," she sniffed and pawed at her eyes. "Where I pulled rank like a jackass..."

"Hey," Volare trotted over and wrapped a comforting wing about her shoulders. "You shot your mouth off, yeah, but if it's any consolation, I'm kinda glad you did." Dash looked up at his words. "You saved me from making a mistake I'd regret later. And for that I thank you, Dashie," he gave her a nuzzle which she swiftly returned, a tender image not lost upon the thoughtfully smiling Ravenfire, curious as to how Dash so easily dropped her tough shell for the pilot. "And come hell or high water, I'm gonna make sure this gets fixed."

"Y-you mean that, flyboy?" she sniffled and smiled.

"Wouldn't say it if I didn't," he returned the smile and gave her a squeeze with his wing. But as he made to pull away, she tightened her grip, holding him close for a long moment. He hardly would have complained, but seeing as how they weren't exactly alone...

"Ahem, should I reserve a room for you two love-birds or are you keen to just get after it right here in the middle of the park?" Ravenfire's cheeky chuckle broke through, causing Dash to jerk up with a blush on her cheeks. "I could build a quick little cloud-room if you want some privacy, too."

"N-no, we're good," Dash shook her head, looked up at Volare, and slugged him. "That's for making me all sappy, flyboy," she growled playfully as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Well just for that, I'm gonna get you back here in a little bit," he blew a raspberry as she threw her head back and chortled loudly.

"When pigs fly! Now come on, let's rehearse your plot-kicking," Dash flicked him with her tail, making sure to sway her hips just enough to tease him a bit as she trotted out into the open field. "Well, you gonna stand there all gap-jawed or what?"

"Oh, um, sure-I mean nope, coming," Volare shook the fog from his head and followed after her, making sure to bump her with his hip and shoot her smirk as he passed her. Meanwhile, Ravenfire only shook her head and chuckled to herself at the sight of the two Pegasi, neither giving an inch to the other through anything. The perfect competitors.

...................................
Five Hours Later...

"You're gonna do what?!" Twilight Sparkle's puff-breathed outburst made Volare's ears ring as she reared up and placed her hooves on his shoulders. Fluttershy had mentioned that they might be doing something dangerous, and while she might praise their safety precautions, she just couldn't see one single shred of sense in what they were about to do! And she'd just cleared her schedule that weekend for the trip to Canterlot and sent the announcement latter to Celestia and Luna too. How'd it look if she had to cancel because Volare was stabbed full of holes?!

"Ms. Sparkle, please allow me to explain," Ravenfire led Twilight away and spoke to her in private for a moment while Volare returned to waiting for the Weather Team to arrive. "So you see, Twilight," Ravenfire reiterated. "Because of the delicateness of the situation between Volare, Cloud Kicker, and Rainbow Dash, this was the most effective means of handling this on such short notice."

"So you couldn't just talk it out or something?" Twilight's ears flicked forward in irritation. "This is even dumber than the Buckby game!"

"Twilight, please understand that you're in a rather unique situation as a scholar, and therefore would rather talk things out, and I applaud that, I truly do; in fact I wish more ponies thought as you do," Ravenfire sighed and felt a tiny bit of sorrowful memory prick at the edge of her consciousness. But it made no difference, no more noise than a moth hitting a veiled window, and the feeling passed as she glanced back at the arriving Weather Team, with Cloud Kicker at their head. "But Pegasi, no matter how scholarly or educated, will always have the fighting blood of their ancestors running through them; it is just our nature. And when it's brought to a boil, the best and most final way of settling problems between them is not through colorful speech, but through sheer determination and the fortitude to stand in the face of a challenge. For afterwards, nopony, not even you, can question the integrity of physical results."

"Scars and bruises? Is that all it ever is between Pegasi?" Twilight groaned and shook her head. "Is that all that really matters?"

"No, those are not all that matter between us, Twilight," Ravenfire stomped a hoof. "How somepony handles themselves in that situation, gracefully, bravely; those are what truly matter. It's not a show of force, it's a show of spirit!" She laid a hoof on Twilight's shoulder and gave her a pained-looking smile. "Child, you know much, yet you haven't experienced enough to truly understand. But you will see after this," she raised her head proudly and furrowed her brow towards the Weather Team. "You will see what Pegasus Chivalry is all about. I ask only that you don't interfere with this, for it is a matter of honor."

"Buck your honor," Twilight spat ineffectively and hung her head, wanting to clobber Volare and Dash for coming up with such a hair-brained scheme yet knowing they were working under the guidance of a Pegasus who had been around the block far more times than she, if the scars were any indication. "Sorry..."

"It's alright," Ravenfire lifted her chin with a hoof and smiled. "Now then, if you want to help, cheer for your friends. Support them in this endeavor, for I doubt anypony here has witnessed such a thing in their lifetimes. Now then, I must attend Dash and Volare," she made to leave before turning to add: "Oh, and Twilight."

"Yeah?"

"Remember: it's mostly for show and those Hoofball pads will more than prevent anything serious. I'd rather have a couple of sets of good armor, but they'll fit the bill nicely," her smile faded into a serious look. "Twilight, believe me when I say I wouldn't suggest this if I didn't have confidence in them being able to do it."

"I know, I just worry about those two sometimes," Twilight shrugged.

"That's good, for that's the sign of a true friend," Ravenfire spread her wings. "And a true friend you are, Twilight Sparkle." And with those words, she took off and headed for the Team, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts.

"A true friend?" she muttered as she headed towards Fluttershy, Iron Will, and Shae near the trees. "What kind of true friend would let her friends risk themselves like this? I just hope it's worth it..."

......................

"Alright you two," Ravenfire whispered as she trotted past Dash and Volare to join the Weather Team and Cloud Kicker, who was shooting a frigid glare at her Captain. "It's showtime. Start when you're ready."

"Right," Volare nodded and glanced at Dash, who nodded back and flew forward to address the Weather Team.

"Alright, this meeting will come to order," Dash announced as she strutted in front of the other Pegasi. "This was gonna be a light week, but I think we can all use the exercise to keep in shape, so I want five hundred laps around the park, pronto!"

"Five hundred?! Bullshit!" Volare suddenly shouted and stomped a hoof in anger, drawing shocked gasps from the rest of the Team, including Cloud Kicker.

"What did you say, recruit?!" Dash barked and strode towards the flare-winged pilot, stopping just short of bumping her muzzle into his as she bared her teeth and subtly winked. "Care to repeat that?"

"Yeah, I sure do," Volare growled. "What makes you think you can treat us like this, huh?"

"Cuz I'm your Captain and I say what goes...or who goes, if you catch my drift," she added with a snort, matching Volare's silver-eyed glare with her own fierce rose one.

"Oh I'm catching the drift of something alright, Captain," Volare shot back, taking a step forward and pushing his muzzle up against hers. It it were any other situation, Dash might have giggled, but she had to keep a straight face here. "The drifting scent of roadapples!" His outburst drew a fresh set of gasps from the Weather Team and Dash backed off a step. Meanwhile, it was all Twilight could do to restrain Fluttershy from running out and breaking it up, just barely managing to whisper that it was an act and to let them be. The other ponies couldn't see it, but Twilight had noticed the tiny winks and smiles being exchanged by Dash and Volare as they argued, and she knew then for sure that Ravenfire was telling the truth. Meanwhile, Shae needed no restraint, seeing the winks from the beginning and knowing all along that Dash and Volare wouldn't hurt each other on purpose. If birds could smile, the osprey would be sagely grinning ear to ear.

"Oh yeah, well what're you gonna do about it, recruit!?" Dash roared back with a stomp. "I'll kick your plot in anything you wanna do; just name it!"

"Yeah, well what about in something you're not familiar with?" Volare smirked evilly.

"And what might that be?" Dash spat, though she felt a hint of pride welling up within her at what she knew was about to happen.

"You wanna know?" Volare leered at her for a moment, as if considering his options before settling on a choice. Without hesitation, he reached back to his wing, grabbed a feather in his teeth, and sharply yanked it out before turning back to face her. With a confident grin, he spat the feather upon the ground and said: "Pick that feather up and find out!"

"Whoa," Cloud Kicker gaped, completely blown away by the show of stones Volare was putting on. All eyes now turned to Rainbow Dash, their proud Weather Captain, to see if she'd set her pride aside and accept the Challenge of a subordinate thereby putting them on equal terms.

"You know what you...you feathering little plot-hole," Dash snarled and picked the feather up before spitting it back at Volare. "You're on! What's your Challenge?"

"Holy horseapples, I don't believe it," Thunderlane nudged Cloud Kicker.

"Am I seeing things or did she just-" Cloudchaser muttered.

"She sure did," Flitter replied.

"Stick-legs has got guts," Snowflake rumbled.

"Yes, but not many brains," Blossomforth chimed in worriedly. "Rainbow Dash is faster and stronger than him, I'll bet. What could he possibly beat her in?"

"It's as he said," Ravenfire offered, drawing the glances of the Team. "He's not as dumb as you think; he knows that Dash is faster and stronger. However, if he challenges her in something she's unfamiliar in..."

"He'll have the advantage," Cloud Kicker nodded as Volare spoke up.

"I challenge you to...a joust!"

"A joust!?" the confused cry rose above the Weather Team, many of whom had never heard of such a thing.

"What the hay's a joust? That got anything to do with those fence posts over there?" Thunderlane asked as Volare and Dash bumped hooves in agreement of the challenge before leaning close once more, apparently to snarl at one another--at least, to those out of earshot.

"You ready, buddy?" Volare "growled."

"I think so," she whispered back.

"You nervous?"

"Hay no!"

"Good, cuz I sure am," Volare chuckled dryly.

"Aww, well if it helps...I guess I'm kinda maybe a teeny tiny bit nervous too," Dash smirked and held off making contact with him for the time being; they were supposed to be angry at each other after all!

"Glad I'm in good company, then," he snapped his teeth and winked, nearly drawing a giggle from Dash.

"I'm gonna get you after this," she whispered and jammed her muzzle up against his, allowing their breaths to mix.

"Hopefully it's not in too public of a place," he replied.

"Oh no, your real plot-kicking'll be just between us, flyboy," she narrowed her eyes and forced herself a bit closer for a moment before adding: "That way it'll be less embarrassing."

"For you, Dashie," Volare quipped before separating and turning towards the Weather Team. "You remember what to do?"

"I'm a fast learner, flyboy," Dash flicked her tail across his flank and suppressed a smirk. "Cloud Kicker!" she called out. "I'm picking you for my second!"

"What-me, Boss?" the Lieutenant cocked her head. "But I thought you were-"

"Yeah, were--past tense--now get on over here!" she waved a wing with a sincere smile, hoping that the desire to let bygones be bygones was mutually shared by her Lieutenant; though in truth this was per Ravenfire's design to get them to work together again.

"Uh, ok," Cloud Kicker nodded with a bit of confusion and joined Dash at her side to face Volare.

"Flyboy, pick your second!" Dash commanded.

"Right! I choose," Volare's eyes plied along the Weather Team until they settled on... "Ravenfire!"

"What the hay? She's all old and...yeah," Cloudchaser scratched her mane. "What good's she gonna be if you can't continue?"

"That's not how a second works in this particular situation, young one. I'll explain in further detail momentarily," Ravenfire said as she trotted over to join Volare. "There are several rules unique to a joust, but the same rules of a Pegasus Challenge beyond that apply, so no interfering by outside parties," Ravenfire's eyes glanced from the Weather Team to Twilight, who nodded in understanding.

"So I guess you got experience or something?" Derpy queried, drawing a sly grin from Ravenfire.

"You could certainly say that. Now then, allow me to help gird Volare in preparation. You too, Cloud Kicker--follow me." The two Weather Ponies followed Ravenfire and she revealed the equipment necessary for this little competition already neatly stacked and ready.

"Did you plan this out or something, Volare?" Dash gave the pilot a mock-suspicious look.

"You could say that," he winked for Cloud Kicker's benefit as Ravenfire helped to dress him in the protective Hoofball equipment. Cloud Kicker followed suit with Rainbow Dash as Ravenfire ran the flag-draped rope out between the fence posts, stretching it tight and creating a dividing tilt rail for the jousters to charge along. Once secured, she hurried back to the "combatants." "Alright you two, some final words of warning: this is not to the death. This is a test of bravery and skill. If you feel you or you opponent is unable to continue, there is no honor lost in saying so. You will aim for your opponent's chest and shoulder protection, not the helmet. You will charge hard and prove your worth if able. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Dash and Volare nodded before exchanging sideways, theatrically suspicious glances to keep up appearances.

"Good. Now then, Cloud Kicker, since you serve the Captain, you ride out first and we'll follow shortly."

"You got it," Cloud Kicker nodded and together she and Dash picked up her lances--the denuded and padded tree branches--and trotted out to the raucous cheers of the Weather Team, some of whom for really cheering for Cloud Kicker, and others who were really only eager to see Dash get the plot-kicking she deserved. It was then that they noticed that there were a good number more ponies from town scattered among the Weather Team and around the edges of the park, with more trickling in by the minute. They'd seen the Buckby match last week and at the next gathering of the Weather Team, word spread quickly and drew a curious crowd once more to see if last week's craziness was just a fluke.

"Well, guess we're next," Volare declared but before he could head out, Ravenfire collared him and pulled him back for a moment. "Whoa, what's up, Raven?"

"You're terribly nervous," the older mare observed matter-of-factly, waving a wing at Volare's shaking hooves.

"Nah, just excited," Volare countered but quickly wilted under her knowing gaze. "Ok, maybe I am. I just want this to work so the situation between Dash and Cloud Kicker will be-"

"Forget about their situation," Ravenfire cut him off. "Focus on your situation. Remember the other reason why you're doing this: to prove that you're not a doormat to Rainbow Dash. You've already taken the first step in throwing down the feather, but if you don't calm down and follow through and at least look the part, you'll only make yourself out to be a fool and her look like somepony who put you up to this to throw the match on purpose."

"So what do I do? I don't wanna hurt her."

"Heh, that's what these are for," Ravenfire patted the pads with a hoof. "I can tell she feels the same way, but you have to keep up appearances, otherwise it will looked faked and nothing good will come of that." She noticed the furrow in his brow and she laid a hoof on his shoulder. "Volare, remember: she agreed to this. You're still friends after this, no matter what. But if you don't clear your mind and focus, it's not going to work. You've gotta put on a good show, for their benefit as well as yours and Dash's," she waved a hoof at the the Weather Captain who was hamming it up in front of the crowd. "Look at her. She's enjoying herself because she knows what's at stake. In the joust, though you may lose the match, if you win the crowd, then you gain honor and respect, which is exactly what you're aiming for, right?"

"Right," Volare nodded firmly.

"Good!" The older mare thumped him in the chest and glanced out at the crowd for a moment before an idea came to her. "So let's take it to her!"

"Wait a sec," Volare held up a hoof before taking off his saddlebag. "Don't wanna mess this up."

"I've noticed you've been carrying that everywhere. Might I ask what's in it?" Ravenfire peered at the saddlebag as Volare fumbled about in it. He squinted his eyes and a driblet of blood ran from his nose before he closed up the bag and sat it aside.

"Just a little gift from Vinyl," Volare grinned and wiped the blood from his nose before lifting his helmet and holding his hooves to his ears for a moment. "You want me to put on a show, right?"

"Yes, that's at least three fourths of what jousting is," Ravenfire nodded, still curious as to the contents of that bag as Volare replaced his helmet.

"These jousting matches got heralds and what-not?"

"Of course," a smile began to creep across her face as she saw his confidence begin to bloom.

"Cool, then if I'm gonna put on a show, I'm gonna go all out! Let's go, Raven!"

And with that, Ravenfire slipped a lance under his wing and took the rest as they trotted out onto the field while a stomping, clapping beat began to resonate from the bag he'd left behind, heralding their arrival to the crowd in dramatic fashion.

"WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU!!" Volare shouted as he approached.

Dash and Cloud Kicker turned from the crowd and stared as Volare strutted onto the field, stomping his hooves and clapping his wings over his head to the beat and mugging for the Weather Team like nopony's business. "What the hay, flyboy?" Dash had to suppress a laugh and pretend to be enraged for Volare stealing the spotlight, but in truth, she couldn't help herself as she too stomped along with the beat after a moment.

"WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU!! C'mon everypony!" Volare bellowed as he approached, still stomping and clapping his wings. "You guys ready to rock this place?!"

"YEAH!!" Snowflake bellowed, with the rest of the Weather Team following suit. Even Fluttershy and Twilight grinned and shook their heads incredulously as the sight of Volare galloping along the edge of the crowd and whipping them into a shouting, stomping, cheering frenzy that quickly drew the curious attention of what seemed to be everypony in town. As the ponies arrived, they too took up the stomping beat until the entire north park quaked and shook beneath the thumping of over a thousand hooves.

"WE WILL! WE WILL! ROCK YOU!!!"

"Alright now!" Volare sang and head-banged to the sounds of the guitar solo. He strutted, waved his wings, shook his lance, and grinned at the crowd, continuing to stomp his hooves and keep up the high-energy outburst all the way till the end of the song when he leaped up and landed next to Rainbow Dash, bowing his lance to her and the crowd as the echoes of the music died away. All was silent for an instant before the crowd burst into applause, and Dash couldn't help but admit to herself that she might have been a little jealous of Volare at that moment. But in a good way, if that made any sense.

"Heh, who's got the fat head now, flyboy?" she whispered as he stood next to her while Ravenfire addressed the crowd.

"Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome! You're about to witness a jousting match, a challenge thrown down by Volare against Rainbow Dash today. He seeks to restore his lost honor and prove his bravery today against his Weather Captain!" The crowd responded with a great cheer, though some of it was a little half-hearted, as many had no idea what a jousting match was exactly. None shouted louder than the CMC who'd come to inspect the hullabaloo with Pinkie Pie, with Scootaloo jumping atop Pinkie's back and waving her hooves excitedly and cheering for her brother at the top of her voice.

"In a jousting match," Ravenfire continued. "Two ponies face each other along a dividing line wielding lances," she waved a hoof at the respective items. "They charge at each other with the intent of either breaking their lance upon their opponent, or knocking them down. First to three broken lances or the first to knock their opponent down wins." She then approached Cloud Kicker and placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Cloud Kicker shall be Rainbow Dash's second, as I shall be for Volare. In a match, the second is the jouster's partner and the only one they can interact with once the match begins. Unlike your traditional challenge, they cannot step in to aid their jouster if he or she falls; they're there for support only. Does everypony understand?" When an even louder roar of assent graced Ravenfire's ears, she bowed respectfully and waved a hoof towards the jousters. "Chargers, seconds, do you understand and accept these terms?"

"Sure do!" Dash grinned.

"Let's get it on!" Cloud Kicker pumped a hoof.

"Rock 'n roll," Volare nodded and tapped his helmet in salute before jogging to one end of the field, while Dash went to the other, just as they'd rehearsed. Now, it bears mentioning that neither had ever done something like this before, and though they had gone through the motions, as Ravenfire had told Twilight earlier: there was much to be said about practical experience. Still, it seemed simple enough and there was no backing down now! "You ready, Captain?" he shouted.

"Bring it on, flyboy!" Dash roared back.

"Chargers to your marks!" Ravenfire cried and the crowd quieted down as she beckoned Derpy to come forward. "Ms. Hooves, would you do the honors and give the signal. Just raise and drop your hooves and say 'lay on!'"

"Yep, I got it," the grey pegsus saluted as Ravenfire took her place on Volare's end of the tilt rail.

"Remember, aim for the shoulder pad," Ravenfire instructed as Derpy raised her hooves. "It's a bigger target and far from her helmet. When she leans in to hit, roll your shoulder. If the lance doesn't break, she gets no points."

"Gotcha," Volare nodded through the fog his breath was making around the helmet, giving the rags on the end of his lance a cursory glance and trusting that it and their padding would keep them safe. Down the tilt rail, Cloud Kicker seemed to be giving Dash similar instructions. Volare's eyes locked with the Element of Loyalty's, and time seemed to stand still but for the puffing of their breaths and the subtle trembling of the tips of their lances. The roar of the crowd as Derpy dropped her hooves shook them like a crack of thunder and with a push and a grunt against the turf beneath them, they charged!

"Oh, I can't look," Fluttershy moaned as the two Pegasi pounded towards each other, breaths snorting, lungs heaving, wings flaring, hooves flying. As they neared, they lowered their lances and aimed, both noting the wide grins they shared through their helmets, both enveloped in the adrenaline rush of the charge. Neither backing down. Neither showing fear. Neither giving up and running. An unstoppable force and an immovable object that slammed together at lance-point with a great crack of splintering wood.

The crowd roared, tree bark and knotted rags flew skywards, and Rainbow Dash trotted along the edge of the crowd with a huge grin on her face, her lance shattered in half while Volare shook off the impact and stared down at his own lance: still intact. "Well, damn," he muttered as he rolled his left shoulder and winced, knowing that despite the padding it'd likely bruise up really nicely.

"You ok, Volare-bear?" Pinkie's voice rose over the clamor of the crowd.

"Yeah, you alright, bro?" Scootaloo called out with concern, but Volare nodded and tipped his lance.

"Kinda rattled my teeth, but I'm good!" he replied while Dash trotted his way, a mile-wide smirk on her features. "Beginner's Luck, Dashie," he said as they passed each other on the way back to their starting posts.

"Ouch, you must be a worn-down old vet then, heh-heh," Dash grinned cheekily.

"Oho, you'll pay for that one, Captain," Volare growled playfully as Ravenfire straightened his pads and tightened up his lance again. "How'd I do?"

"Besides missing entirely?" the older mare cocked a wry grin as he rolled his eyes. "In all honesty, not too bad. But you ducked your head at the last second; that's why you missed. Chin up and keep your eyes on the prize," Ravenfire smirked at his expression. "Oh come on, it's terribly obvious, Volare."

"Wh-what's terribly obvious-ow!" He shook off the ringing blow from Ravenfire's hoof.

"Focus, Volare!" she urged as Dash tipped her new lance in salute, causing Derpy to look their way. "Don't lose sight of your target! Keep her in your sights and you'll have her right where you want her!"

"Is that a double entendre, Raven?" Volare chuckled dryly, receiving only a knowing smirk from the older mare as Derpy dropped her hooves.

"Lay on!" the bubble-flanked Pegasus cried and the crowd's roar redoubled as the jousters charged once more.

"Here I come flyboy, ready or not!" Dash shouted as she freight-trained towards him.

"Come at me, bro!" Volare bellowed in reply, digging his hooves in and building speed towards their collision. As they met at the halfway point, Volare kept his head up and eyed his target, as did Dash. To the amazement of all in attendance, their lance tips struck each other, snapping the points off and sending them flying without so much as a scratch upon their "armor" as they charged past each other.

"What the feather?" Cloud Kicker gaped as did Dash when she saw her missing lance tip. They both turned and stared at Volare, who in turn was gawking at his own broken lance. All eyes turned to see the opposing lance-points laying embedded in one another on the ground in a heap of twisted wood, a testament to what they'd all just witnessed.

"What's that mean, Raven?" Volare dropped the broken lance and looked to the older mare.

"It means that tilt was a tie," she blinked twice. She knew there was a provision within the rules for such an event, but never had she seen it with her own eyes before. She shook off the shock and helped Volare load up his new lance. "And it means she's still winning 2-1. If she breaks her lance on you, she wins."

"Damn," he muttered and hefted his lance. "Got any strategies, ma'am?"

"Yeah, roll your shoulder when she hits you. That's your only chance," she frowned and gazed across at Dash as she too readied her new lance. "Roll it and hit her hard, try to knock her down. That way, if she does break her lance on you, the knockdown will make you the winner by default."

"How do I knock her down?"

"Aim below the shoulder joint," she tapped a hoof upon her upper chest. "There's a bundle of nerves there. You hit that, and the joint will go limp, and it might knock her down."

"It won't hurt her, will it?"

"No more than you getting your teeth rattled, as you put it," she clapped him on the shoulder and pushed him forward. "Now go get her!"

"Right!" he nodded and tipped his lance. "Ready!"

"Same here! One more and I win, Volare!" Dash called out with a devilish grin. During their rehearsal, Ravenfire hadn't guaranteed who would win due to their inexperience making things very unpredictable. However, that was merely an invitation for Dash to try her hardest and win anyways! Who knows--maybe she'd get good at this and it'd come in handy later?

"Gotta win before you can dance, Dash!" he pilot shouted back and pawed the ground with a hoof, ready to charge again.

"Man, they sure are serious about this," Iron Will declared pointedly.

"Mhm, it's a matter of honor and spirit," Fluttershy nodded in agreement, stunning Twilight.

"You know about this sorta thing too, Fluttershy!?"

"Yes, as Ravenfire said, even the most scholarly and meek Pegasi have the fighting blood," she stared at the ground hesitantly. "Even those who don't want to have it still do. You remember when I Stared down the dragon?"

"Yeah," Twilight nodded; she remembered, alright, and she really didn't relish being on the receiving end of that.

"The fighting blood boils when we need it. That's why Pegasi used to be so warrior-like," Fluttershy looked up, watched as Dash and Volare charged, and spoke forebodingly as they crashed together once more. "They just couldn't help themselves..."

"Agh! Feather it!!" Rainbow Dash's cry of pain rang out over the park as she hobbled away from the impact zone. Volare's lance, padded as it was, had struck her right in the joint of her left front shoulder with so much force that it threw her own thrust off-target and merely glanced it off him without breaking it. As she limped past Volare, she felt something popping in her shoulder joint, and it was all she could do to keep from screaming in pain as she forced herself onwards.

"Oh my god, Dashie, are you ok?!" Volare asked as she limped past, his own broken lance cast aside and forgotten. She lifted her head and gave him a pained smile in return.

"Y-yeah, I'll live," she muttered, putting her head down and gritting as she walked, her shoulder popping loudly enough for Volare to hear it. "I-I've head worse, flyboy. Don't you worry. Good hit."

"Jesus, I'm sorry, Dash!" Volare tried to reach over the barrier, but Dash whirled and glared at him, wings flared and eyes blazing.

"I said good hit, flyboy!" she shouted, her anger flaring hotter than even the burning in her shoulder could hope to muster. She leaned in closer and her eyes softened slightly as she hissed. "We both knew this might happen, but we can't let up. Not now."

"But you're in no condition to charge, Dash," he nodded down at her hoof which she was holding gingerly off the ground, and he had to resist the urge to hold her in apology. "Jeez, this is my fault-"

"You cut that crap out, dude," Dash whacked him in the chest. "No cabbages, ok? Right?!"

"Y-yeah, no cabbages," he nodded, still feeling horrid for hurting her.

"Heh, good," she nodded, she too having to resist the urge to nuzzle him comfortingly as she saw a pain in his eyes that hurt her heart far more than her shoulder. But they had to do this! "We both know you'd be the same, so I gotta be tough too. Besides, I got a reputation to maintain, ya know?" And with a defiant smack to his helmet, she hobbled off to get set once more, leaving Volare with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"That was an excellent hit, Volare!" Ravenfire grinned and thumped Volare on the back as she readied his final lance.

"She's hurt," he replied tonelessly, and her smile faded.

"Well, er, that's sometimes part of the-"

"I hurt her, Raven!" Volare snapped, causing the older mare to recoil slightly. "Her shoulder's screwed up!"

"She knew the risks," Ravenfire offered lamely, but that didn't help! Volare kicked a piece of turf a good twenty feet in a fit of self-loathing as Cloud Kicker grimaced while running her hoof over Dash's shoulder. Though Dash tried to hide it, he could see the distressed puffs of her breath, the flash of her gritted teeth, and the sheen of sweat on her brow through the bars of the helmet. He dug his hoof into the ground in frustration at not being able to comfort her, and though she said it was ok...though she said cabbages...goddamit, I hurt her again!!

"Volare, get a hold of yourself!" Ravenfire's hoof smacked the side of his helmet, replacing the dark thoughts with a ringing instead. "So you hurt her. She's had worse, you know it, and she knows it. You can't stop now, not like this, or the other ponies will know it's all an act. They'll know you had no real intention of following through and you know how that'll make you look?" She grabbed the front of his helmet and yanked his head around to face her. "You'll still be a doormat, and she'll still look like a Captain who abuses her seat of authority to get what she wants. You've got to finish this!"

"But I-"

"No, Volare!" Ravenfire set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "Look, I know you care about her, and I know she cares about you, but don't you dare belittle her courage and go soft on her because that's the very worst thing you could possibly do right now." She sighed and shut her eyes for a moment to slow her breathing. "I know her better than you do, Volare. Trust me on that."

"What? But how could you-?"

"Trust me! Don't go easy on her! She gives it her all out there and she expects you to do the same!"

"Lay on!!" Derpy's cry rang out, jarring them both out of their conversation.

"Go, Volare! Go!" Ravenfire smacked him on the flank and he galloped off down the line on instinct, lance leveled at Rainbow Dash as she hobbled along on three legs, trying to support herself with her wings. At this rate, they'd meet closer to her end of the rail than the middle. He locked eyes with hers, both pairs brimming with tears of pain, one physical and the other emotional as they charged. They were friends, not enemies, and both would be lying to themselves if they said they weren't regretting this right now. But what other alternative was there at this point?! Volare took a shaky breath and continued, his mind racing through all the possibilities and consequences of what was about to happen...and time seemed to slow.

If I hit her shoulder again, it could get dislocated! But if I hit her in the helmet, it could break her neck! If I hit her in the chest, it could break a rib or collapse a lung or worse! Think! Think, Volare, think! There's gotta be another way!
He closed on Dash, thirty feet...twenty five...twenty. He mouthed "I'm sorry." He swore she replied "I know," and that broke him and simultaneously gave him his answer: he wasn't about to embarrass her like this.

All of a sudden, Volare halted in his tracks and raised his lance while Dash continued on, her own lance wobbly under her shaky wing as she gaped at his actions in shock. She dully heard the gasp of the crowd and Ravenfire's shouts of dismay, she thought she heard Fluttershy scream, but she definitely saw Volare's sad smile and the tears beneath his eyes as he closed them in preparation of the impact. Here was her chance at victory. Here was her chance at proving to everypony else that she thought him no different than all the other stallions that had ever made a move on her. Here was her chance to show them all she was still their Captain and would always win no matter what...but...
...Dashie, do I really need to say anything?

"Flyboy, NOOOOOOO!!" Dash cried as she wrenched her lance sideways at the last possible moment, the tip catching Volare's shoulder with a glancing blow that spun him halfway around and nearly knocked him over. Dash continued on past him a short distance as she screeched to a halt, glancing frantically upwards and breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of her unbroken lance as the sounds of the crowd and their friends re-awoke in her ears.
"Volare, what the buck is wrong with you?!" she hissed as she limped back around to face him. It wasn't a hiss of anger so much as worry that they'd be found out, for one look at the expression on his face, and any malcontent she might have had towards him was scattered to the wind. She wanted nothing more than to clobber him, then hug him, then clobber him again for making her heart do flip-flops like this. "Volare, why?"

"Because I'm not about to hurt you when you're like this, Dash," he answered plainly, as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world.

"Grr, I'm fine!" she tried to put weight on her left hoof but instead let out a tiny squeak of pain that tore at Volare's heartstrings.

"You say you are, but-"

"But nothing, dude!" she flared her wings and made to leap over the rail and-hit him? Hug him just to get that look off his face? "Everypony's watching us," she muttered, but Volare caught her drift. Not now. Not when they were expected to compete. "Don't you dare give up and make me-us...make us look like this," she snorted.

"But you're in no condition to charge again, Dash. You couldn't even hit me when I was standing still," Volare pointed out.

"That's cuz I missed you on purpose!"

"Why?" His one-worded question caught her off-guard, and she pawed at the ground, unsure of what to say for a moment.

"Cuz it'd look bad if you just stood there and threw the match like that," she replied before looking back up to meet his eyes. "And I...it wouldn't be fair if I...look, don't make me say I care about you," she shook her mane and gave him a tiny smile. "Not in front of all these ponies."

"Yeah, I know. Your reputation," Volare rolled his eyes, but Dash stomped her hoof.

"No, it's not just that, it's...look, it doesn't matter, ok?" she thumped him on the shoulder. "We gotta finish this somehow. Somepony's gotta win this." At her words, a thought dawned in Volare's head. "Wait, what's with that smile, flyboy?"

"Didn't Ravenfire say it's not about winning? That it's about honor, spirit, chivalry and all that jazz?" Dash felt a smile grow across her face at his implications. "We could withdraw from the match. I because I know you're hurt and it'd look bad to take advantage of that, and you because you admit you're too hurt to continue."

"Hmph, so that basically means me admitting defeat?" Dash scoffed, though she had to admit she saw the wisdom of the plan.

"No, just that we've both made our point and that I, the Challenger, have no more need to continue."

"Still sounds like me throwing in the towel."

"I'll make it up to ya later," Volare winked. "Promise."

"Oh yeah, how?"

"I'll think of something," the pilot glanced back at the very confused Ravenfire. "Heh, but for now, I think we'd best get this show on the road."

"Haha, ok, ok," Dash clicked a salute with her wing. "But just so you know: I wouldn't do this for any old pony."

"Heh, nor would I, Dashie," Volare mimicked her salute. "Ok, we re-charge at a jog, lift our lances, and pass each other respectfully. Quick and easy."

"Got it," she nodded before turning back to Cloud Kicker. "I'm gonna get you back for this, Justin."

"Pfft, guess I'd best be on my guard, then," Volare chuckled as he jogged back to Ravenfire.

"You got that right," Dash shot back with a smirk and returned to her end of the rail while ponies in the crowd exchanged confused mutters.

"What the hay was that all about, Boss?" Cloud Kicker asked but Dash merely shook her head and smiled.

"I missed," she replied with a shrug and prepared herself to charge one final time.

"Looked like it was on purpose," Cloud Kicker shrugged skeptically.

"So what if it was?" Dash pawed the ground with a wince. "What sorta good would it do me if I hit him like that? No, I'm not about charity wins; I like to earn my victories."

"What happened out there, Volare?" Ravenfire cocked her head as Volare returned to her side. "Why'd you stop?"

"I told you: she's hurt and I'm not here to embarrass my captain and my friend by destroying her," he replied with a sideways glance. "Not very chivalrous if I did that, eh?" At his explanation, Ravenfire shook her mane and chuckled while thumping him on the back.

"Heh-heh, well I'll be a gryphon's uncle. There's more to you than I thought, Volare."

"Ma'am?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ravenfire waved a wing and looked out towards the crowd, who were waiting with bated breath for an explanation. "What're you going to do?"

"I'm gonna keep our honor intact. You tell the crowd what's what, ok?"

"Yes sir," Ravenfire nodded. "Do what you intend, Volare." The pilot merely focused down the line, the muttering of the crowd secondary to the task at hoof. He nodded at Dash and she returned the nod. They were ready.

"Um, I guess lay on again?" Derpy said tentatively, and the two lancers charged...at a pace that Tank the tortoise would have likely scoffed at.

"What're they doing?" Iron Will scratched his head in confusion as Dash and Volare cantered along the tilt rail, lances pointed towards the sky.

"One of them must be hurt," Twilight sighed and shook her head. "That's the only explanation. But, I guess this is sorta a good thing."

"How's them being hurt a good thing, Twilight?" Fluttershy queried.

"Not the being hurt part, but them respecting one another's well-being enough to know when to stop," Twilight smiled as Dash and Volare passed each other, dipping their lances in salute. "Thing is, they had to do it in a way that didn't look obvious and didn't make them lose face. But by respecting each other like this...well, see for yourself." Dash and Volare trotted in front of the crowd and bowed side by side as Ravenfire stood in front of them to address the crowd.

"I'm sure a good few of you are wondering why these two Pegasi didn't continue their bout to the finish, yes?"

"Yeah, what gives?" a pony near the back called out, with many near him nodding in agreement.

"I'm sure you may call them cowardly for holding back. I'm sure you may scoff at their lack of commitment to the task," Ravenfire trotted along the front of the crowd while Dash and Volare remained silent, though they weren't making any real effort to hide the fact that they were leaning against each other in support at the moment. "But consider their commitment to each other, and you may see this in a different light. The recruit to his Captain, and the Captain to her recruit." Ravenfire paused, letting her words soak in before continuing. "And who among you could question the courage of these two to charge and strike lance upon one another, not once, not twice, but three times! Ms. Rainbow Dash, to put herself at the equal level of her subordinate and accept his challenge, and Volare, to stand there and be willing to take a lance to the chest so as not to take advantage of his Captain's injury and shatter her honor. Both ponies have exhibited honor and bravery this day, and let not one among you question that!"

"She runs her mouth more than you, Dashie," Volare chuckled and took an elbow to the ribs.

"Hey, watch it," she shot back. "You still owe me, flyboy."

"You name it, we'll do it...within reason," he quickly added once he caught her impish smirk.

"Anything within reason, eh? Do dares count, hmm?"

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be hurt?" he hissed, though he felt her wingtip feathers slide along and grasp his for a moment.

"Not as bad as you think...still, I think a massage is in order," Dash whispered and drew a small gasp from Volare as her feathers found a sensitive spot.

"Hey, knock it off," Volare bumped his hoof along hers and it took all her willpower not to leap sideways at his touch. "I know your weakness, Dashie," he waggled his eyebrows and grinned out of his helmet.

"Pfft, you wish. Still, I'll take you up on that offer," she smiled as Ravenfire approached them and lifted their lances with her hooves.

"Three cheers for Rainbow Dash and Volare, the bravest Pegasi in Ponyville!" As the crowd broke into stomping applause, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Iron Will made their way towards them, as did The Weather Team led by Cloud Kicker.

"Hey," the Weather Lieutenant waved a wing, though Dash only nodded expectantly. "I just...sorry for making you guys go through the-"

"No sweat," Dash waved a wing and leaned back against Volare. "It was honestly kinda fun."

"Well, I'm glad you got it out of the way with minimal injury," Twilight said, eyeing Dash's favored leg. "Though I can't say it's not entirely undeserved," she added with a smile that made Dash and Volare blush in embarrassment.

"Yeah, well horseapples happen," Dash replied and nodded back at Volare. "He can help me fix it when we get home."

"Um, no he really can't," Twilight scratched the back of her head at their puzzled looks. "Not to say he couldn't, but...well, Dash did you tell Volare about the trip he's taking soon? You know, the one I cleared my schedule for and arranged via letter?"

"What trip? Wait a sec...oh crap," Dash facehoofed and groaned at the pain in the movement and her own forgetfulness.

"What's going on?" Volare spoke up. "What trip?"

"Uh, eh-heh, well flyboy," Dash smiled sheepishly. "You're kinda supposed to go to Canterlot to meet Princess Celestia tomorrow morning." Volare's jaw dropped at her statement.

"And we got involved in this-I mean, uh..." he cut himself off at Cloud Kicker's cocked brow. "You let me challenge you when you knew this?"

"I might have slipped my mind a little?" Dash shrugged and nearly fell down at the pain in her shoulder, though Cloud Kicker caught her in time. "I'm ok, I'm good."

"No, no you're not," Twilight enveloped her shoulder in a violet glow and frowned as she scanned the joint. "You've bruised your bicipital bursa, pulled your deltoideus muscle, and strained your brachiophalicus beyond normal limits." At her words, Volare's brows raised and Dash's eyes widened in a very uncool manner.

"...Twilight, am I gonna die?"

"Wha-oh, no, no, no," Twilight chuckled and wiped her eye with a hoof while Dash blushed in silent fury. "You've simply separated your shoulder. You need to go to the hospital and get it checked out overnight is all. That actually works out fairly well, as the train Volare and I need to catch leaves bright and early tomorrow. He can just stay at my place."

"Holy crap, how long are we staying for, Twi?" Volare asked as he tossed the pads off and searched for the speakerbox, just in case his friend started reacting strangely again.

"Just the weekend, but that's plenty of time for Dash to get treated and for you to meet Celestia, Luna, and-oh, you get to meet my sister Cadance too!" Twilight beamed as Volare returned with his saddlebag. "But you need more than just that bag. Luckily, I've taken that into account too. C'mon, I've got everything ready to go at the Library."

"Wait, right now?" Volare asked as his eyes met Dash's for a moment, but she shrugged helplessly; there was no arguing with Twilight when it came to staying on schedule.

"Precisely. Now hurry, we gotta get you cleaned up," Twilight waved a hoof as she headed for the Library, leaving Volare to say his goodbyes to Dash before Cloud Kicker escorted her to the hospital.

"I, well...damn," Volare sputtered, but Dash merely laughed and gave him a quick, tough hug.

"Don't worry, dude," she smiled into his neck and whispered. "You can make it up to me later, hee-hee. Besides, something tells me my Lieutenant and I could do with a little chat, eh CK?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Cloud Kicker scratched her mane before grinning mischievously. "Though I'd love to hear about your plans to 'make it up' later...maybe even lend a hoof, eh?"

"Aaaand suddenly that trip to Canterlot is looking very inviting," Volare chuckled and returned the hug before releasing her. "Good match, Captain," he flicked her a salute before his brow creased slightly. "You sure you'll be ok?"

"Pfft, you know me, flyboy," Dash puffed out her chest and grinned. "Tough as nails and twice as sharp! You think a little padded stick to the brachio-whatever-you-call-it's gonna bring me down for long?"

"Heh, I'm leaning towards 'no way in hell' on that one," Volare smiled as his worries abated and she hobbled forward to nuzzle him once more.

"Bullseye, Volare," Dash smiled and instinctively inhaled his scent of sweat, dirt, and something she couldn't make out...something almost fiery but too faint to tell for sure. She leaned back and looked him straight in the eye, taking him in for a long moment that made him a little nervous and caused Cloud Kicker to cock a brow and smirk slightly. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me; that's just the way the wind blows sometimes, so don't you go blaming yourself for that, ok?"

"Ok," he nodded and she thumped him in the chest with a grin.

"Good," Dash replied before realizing that Cloud Kicker was giving them a strange look. "Ok, enough talk. Get going, flyboy!"

"See ya when I see ya, I guess."

"You better be ready when you do," Dash smirked before letting Cloud Kicker lead her away. "Oh and if you see the Wonderbolts in Canterlot, don't go fanboy and embarrass me, kay?"

"Ha, I'll tell'em you told me to, in that case," Volare replied cheekily before following Twilight, with Iron Will and Fluttershy in tow while Shae remained perched in her tree, ever the observant predator. Ravenfire smiled after Volare, though she was still a little miffed that she didn't get to find out what was in his saddlebag that allowed him to create music like that. Giving a light shrug of defeat, she took off for the little park she'd come to call home, secure in the knowledge that everypony's issues seemed to be settled for now, while The Weather Team dispersed to their respective homes. Meanwhile, the CMC, who'd overheard the conversation between their older Crusader member and his friends, turned to Pinkie with expectant looks on their faces.

"Uh-oh," the party mare gulped, truly worried for one of the few times in her life.

Midnight, Location Undisclosed...

"My Master wants to know what your plan is, exactly, Agent-croak-oak-ak," Corax's harsh chatter echoed across the dead air of the yellowing fields surrounding the sentinel-like tree he and Agent F were perched within, the Agent settled upon a small cloud she'd pulled down from the sky and anchored to the middle branches of the tree.

"How do you mean?" the Agent cracked an eye and glanced at the large black bird-shaped void in the starry sky above her that served as the only visual indicator that the voice was coming from something other than the chilly air itself.

"It's certainly not to simply stand by, yes? For we know you're quite involved with things in town...perhaps a bit too involved."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the Pegasus' feathers bristled in irritation. "You know the delicateness of this endeavor."

"Yes, yes, of course...we simply mean you may be too involved in the wrong areas-keeroak...your interests invested incorrectly, I believe Nyctos put it." Corax ruffled his wings against the night air before continuing once the Agent produced no reply. "Besides, we thought the aim of everything was to keep them both alive?"

"Look you," Agent F turned to face the leering raven with an upturned lip. "Things are well in hoof, so why don't you just back off and go find a nice garbage can to pick through?"

"Hrmph, you say it's in hoof, but my Master grows impatient...and the Element of Loyalty is more emotionally fragile than we suspected. Perhaps she's not the right-"

"You think I'm not aware of that? As for her being the right one, you leave that judgement to me, the one you set this task to."

"Oh, we all know you're aware," the raven leaped off the branch and landed in front of the Agent. Though the bird didn't have lips to smile with, he was certainly doing his best to re-create quite a nasty little smirk aimed at the Pegasus. "Every wall has ears, every ceiling has eyes, and every tiny, shiny speck in the air observes your every move, you know...there's nothing we're not aware of!" Corax squawked, his eyes a pair of emerald pinpricks peering out of the ebon feathers of his face. But the Agent wasn't flustered in the slightest, and she simply rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck.

"Well then, perhaps you're aware I'm about this close to frying you," she half-growled as she ran her hoof along the cloud, producing sparks of electricity with every light contact she made with the fluff. At the dangerous look in her eyes, Corax backed off with a chattering squawk.

"Tch, whatever," he preened a breast feather back into place before turning back to the Agent, who looked like she'd gone back to sleep until she spoke suddenly.

"So, how goes things with your Master, anyway? Haven't heard from him personally in some time," F reached up and tapped the tiny green gem hanging within her mane.

"Oh well...they could be better," F smiled as Corax nervously ruffled his feathers. "Turns out Jill took offense to some of our male recruits and...well, you know how she likes to play with fire?"

"Yes. What happened, did she burn the place down or something?"

"...Half of it and all of them, yes. We're down to barely a dozen now."

"Ouch, how terrible. How's Nyctos taking it?"

"Methinks the only reason why Jill still lives is because we have so few now...that and Ray stood up to him."

"Did he really?" F cocked a brow.

"Yes, and Nyctos backed off after a moment. Said something about 'later' but I didn't catch the rest."

"Hrm, maybe he's grown a conscience."

"Watch your tongue, nag!" Corax croaked harshly. "But we digress. Tell me this then: why did Volare halt his charge upon the Element of Loyalty today?"

"Because he shows mercy, you rat with wings," the Agent snorted, though the bird simply spat in reply.

"Blech, mercy is a weakness!"

"True, but it does prove that he places her well-being above his own," a sly smile creased the Agent's features. "Deeply enough to be willing to take a lance to the chest without flinching."

"Ah...so you truly think she's his-?"

"The signs are certainly pointing that way, and you and your Master getting impatient and involved too early will ruin things."

"Alright, alright," Corax croaked and bobbed his head in agreement. "We will give you more leeway. In the meantime, you stay here in town. I'll follow Volare to Canterlot and keep an eye on him there. Besides, there is...somepony else I need to speak with there anyway."

"Who?" the Agent cocked her head.

"Keh-keh-keh, let’s just say this pawn fancies himself more of a knight in the grand scheme of things," the Raven chuckled throatily.

"Hmph, sounds rather pretentious."

"Oh you have no idea," Corax spat once more before taking wing and heading towards Ponyville to wait for the sunrise.

"Disgusting bird," Agent F ruffled her wings once more, trying to fan away the scene of musty decay the raven constantly dragged about with him. "Yech!"

October 19th, Ponyville Train Station, Morning...

"Ok, have we got everything for the trip, Spike?" Twilight asked as she, Volare, and the baby dragon approached the train platform on the east side of Ponyville.

"Yeah, I think so," Spike replied, doing his best to count the half-dozen bags Twilight was levitating about her as she trotted, but quickly gave up as everything was inside them anyways. Besides, they'd double-triple-checked them last night, what else could they possibly need? "You got what you need, Volare?"

"Hrm? Yep, I'm good," the stallion nodded and gave a huge yawn as he trotted along, carrying naught but his saddlebag and wearing his scarf and flight goggles around his neck. Everything else he'd need was in the suitcases Twilight was carrying, likely stuffed in there somewhere among the research equipment, reference books, and various other odds and ends. "You got half the library packed in there, Twi. What exactly are we gonna be working on up in Canterlot?"

"Like I said, it's that theory you and I came up with in regards to the planet itself," Twilight repeated herself, giving him the benefit of the doubt as it was rather early and they'd left without any coffee, something neither Volare nor Spike were terribly thrilled about, Volare especially after having to break the habit of sleeping on his familiar sofa in Dash's house--he'd gotten zero sleep as a result and was looking forward to catching some Z's on the train ride ahead. "I found some really interesting evidence up in the Canterlot Library that you've gotta see when we...oh what in the wide world of Equestria's going on now!?" Twilight gaped at the sight of the rather sizable crowd gathered on the train platform. The ponies within it waved in greeting at the sight of them, irritating Twilight who'd been hoping to leave town on time. But at this rate, they might miss the train!

"Whoa, what's with the crowd?" Spike mused as they approached. As if acting as the crowd's de-facto leader, Lyra Heartstrings stepped forward in greeting.

"Oh, heya Volare, Twilight, Spike," the mint-green Unicorn waved a hoof, blushing nervously at the rather demanding expression on Twilight's face. "So, um...some of us kinda overheard you were going to Canterlot today, right?"

"Uh, yep that's right," Volare nodded, still confused as to what was going on.

"Let me guess: you wanna go too for some odd reason?" Twilight asked, doing her best to conceal her irritation. In truth, she was looking forward to spending the weekend with just Volare and Spike, something they hadn't done since the pilot had first arrived nearly two months ago. The more ponies they brought, the more possibilities for something crazy to happen cropped up, and Twilight wasn't about to have that sorta stress on this trip! But to her surprise, Lyra shook her head while maintaining her trademark grin.

"Nope, it's not that we want to go...it's that some of us kinda have to go and since this is the only train heading to Canterlot today..." she waved a hoof in a small circle. "Yeah. So, um, yay?"

"Really?" Twilight cocked a skeptical brow. "Why've you gotta go, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Me? Oh, I've gotta check up on my apartment in the city, plus it's the third weekend of the month," Lyra replied.

"What's special about the third weekend?" Spike asked.

"She works at her job in the palace," Volare recalled.

"Yep!" Lyra beamed. "Plus who better to show ya all the sweet hangouts around the city than yours truly?"

"Lyra, we're really only going for some research, not to paint the town," Twilight quipped.

"Well in that case, I've got some pretty neat human doodads I'm sure both Volare and you might find interesting," Lyra winked while Twilight snorted lightly and nodded; she was still technically researching humans after all.

"Ok, so what about the rest of you?" Twilight waved a hoof at the crowd, and Bon-Bon stepped forward along with Faber.

"I've got to keep an eye on Lyra as well as check in with Fancypants on the sponsorship deal."

"Ah'm goin' ta keep an eye on Bon-Bon," Faber explained. "Ya know, in case she gets accosted by any-"

"In the capital of Equestria?" Twilight cut in before Bon-Bon rolled her eyes and hooked her foreleg around Faber's, shocking Volare and everypony else present.

"He's a little protective of me," Bon-Bon explained tersely, her cheeks aflame and pink.

"Whoa, but you said you guys weren't-" Lyra began before Bon-Bon stuffed her spare hoof in her friend's mouth.

"You believe everything you hear in life and you won't have enough room for common sense in your head, Lyra," Bon-Bon smiled slightly as she leaned against the large Unicorn stallion. "Besides, Faber's a little rough around the edges and could use a little Canterlot culture."

"Ach, rough aroun' tha edges?!" Faber blustered and stomped a hoof. "Ah'm as smooth as silk an gentle as a newborn bunneh rabbit, thankee very much!"

"Even so, you're going and that's that," Bon-Bon nudged him with an elbow and a smile.

"What're Canterlot dungeon's visiting hours again? Cuz I got a sneaking suspicion a trip there's in the future. Call it a big, blue, loud hunch," Spike muttered aside of his claw, bringing a chuckle to Volare's lips and a roll of Twilight's eyes.

"Oh fine...I take it you've got a good reason to go, Octavia?" Twilight nodded at the cellist, who returned the nod with a demure smile. Twilight wondered where Vinyl was for a moment before remembering her worry about Celestia and the crystals...which also reminded her that she had no idea how she'd explain why she was suddenly able to be close to Volare without her body reacting badly. Crap!

"Yes I do. I'm escorting Trixie," Octavia waved her fillyfriend forward, much to Twilight's surprise.

"Yes, well...I just didn't want my best friend Volare going to Canterlot for the first time alone, so..." Trixie shuffled her hooves uncertainly; for some reason or another, she felt a bad premonition in the pit of her gut about Volare meeting Celestia. She wasn't sure why, but this seemed the most likely way to alleviate it. "I mean, I know you're going with him, Twilight. It's just that I'd feel better if I went with him too."

"I'm ok with that, Twi," Volare replied with a grateful smile and laid a hoof on Trixie's shoulder, recalling her story of being Celestia's former student. If he got the chance, he'd like to inquire of Celestia's motives about that. "In fact, I'd love to have her and Octy along, if that's ok with you."

"Oh...I supose that's fine," Twilight nodded, deciding that Trixie would likely be a good help in their research, and that she could pick up a few useful books for the former magician in the Canterlot Library anyway. "Who else suddenly has business in Canterlot?" Twilight asked, conceding defeat for now. To her surprise, the Royal Guards Firetail and Snowhooves stepped out of the group and snapped her a crisp dual salute.

"Wherever Volare goes, we're bidden by Princess Luna herself to go as well," Snowhooves explained.

"Cuz of, you know, the whole Ray and Jill thing," Firetail added and received a smack to the helmet from his superior officer. "What? Figured I'd just be frank."

"Haven't you got any sense of discretion, son?" Snowhooves shook his head. "You think they really need to be reminded of that by having you spell it out? I think they can connect the dots themselves!"

"Just trying to prevent any confusion, Snowy," Firetail raised a hoof defensively, but the older stallion stomped his own hoof in reply.

"Will you stop calling me that, Corporal? I'm sir, yes sir, or Lieutenant. Not Snowy," Snowhooves made a face. "I'm your superior officer, not your buddy."

"Aww, come on old-timer," Firetail tossed a hoof over him and grinned. "You know I'm your best friend in town."

"You're gonna be my best dead friend if you don't knock it off, Firetail," Snowhooves bared his teeth before Twilight stepped up.

"Gentleponies, please!" The Librarian raised her voice and shoved them apart with her magic. "I can't over-rule an order by Princess Luna for no reason, but if you're going to tear the train apart arguing on the way to Canterlot, I'm sure she'll understand if you miss the 8 o'clock express," she gave them a look that brooked no argument, and as one the two Guards straightened up, threw her a quick salute, and fell back next to Trixie and Octavia.

"Whoa, Twi. You sure you're not cut out to be a Princess?" Volare chuckled and took the Librarian's playful hoof to the ribs in stride.

"I'm pretty sure," Twilight smirked and looked over the small herd they'd accumulated. "So, is this everypony that suddenly has business in the city, or did we leave anypony out?"

"Wait a sec!" a scratchy little voice shouted from behind the crowd. The sound of small hooves hammering along the wood of the train platform accompanied the "excuse me's" and "whoops"'s approaching through the ponies gathered before the train. After a few moments, a somewhat frazzled-looking Scootaloo pushed her way out of the crowd and galloped towards Volare, jumping at the last moment and wrapping her small hooves around his neck in a huge hug. "I'm coming too, bro," she declared with a hopeful grin.

"Oh, um, I dunno, Scoots," Volare returned the hug and looked over his hoof at Twilight, but Scootaloo preempted anything the Librarian might have said by letting go of Volare and grasping the end of his scarf with the Crusaders logo on it.

"I'm going to help us represent the CMC in Canterlot," she explained quickly, her gaze alternating between Volare and Twilight. "I promise I'll behave! I'll stay in one place, I'll keep within hoof's reach, I'll shine your horseshoes, and-oh, I'll even walk ahead and announce you guys! Fillies and gentleponies, lend me your ears! Plus I've never been to Canterlot and Volare and I haven't hung out in forever! So can I please, please, please go? Please bro? Please Twilight?" She hit the two ponies with the best puppy eyes and the largest, sincerest smile she could muster. Volare felt his heart melt and he glanced sideways at Twilight with a little smile.

"I dunno...Twilight, you think that's ok?" He picked Scootaloo up and sat her on his back. "You think Canterlot can handle Scootaloo?"

"If I'm not a big enough help, I can go get Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and we could-!"

"NO!!!" half the crowd cried, cutting Scootaloo off and breathing a sigh of relief when the orange Pegasus filly settled back down with a quiet "ok". The last thing they needed was the CMC cooped up on a train for half a day. No telling what might happen if they got bored...

"Ach, lasseh just say yes," Faber leaned in and nudged Twilight. "Ye know, before she comes up with any more "elpful" ideas." He was well aware of what the CMC were capable of after they attempted to help him polish up Claire and nearly caused Faber to lop his own head off in the process.

"Celestia forgive me," Twilight muttered and gave a small sigh. At this rate, they may never get their research done. "Ok, you can go, Scootaloo; but only you."

"Sweet! Thanks, Twilight!" Scootaloo pumped a hoof and looked up as two shadows swooped over them, one pony-shaped, the other osprey-shaped. "Whoa, heya Fluttershy!" Scootaloo said as the yellow Pegasus landed and cantered over to Twilight. "What's up? Here to say goodbye?"

"Oh my, you're going too, Scootaloo?" Fluttershy asked, passing a concerned glance onto Twilight and Volare who merely nodded their confirmation.

"Yeah, Pinkie said it'd be good for me and Volare to spend some time together, cuz...well, we've been kinda too busy to lately," Scootaloo hugged her brother's neck and grinned. "But now we got the whole weekend to hang out! Cool, huh? Hey, what's Shae doing here?" she cocked her head up at the osprey who sat preening herself on the train station roof and keeping a watchful eye cast down on the crowd below.

"Oh, that's why I'm here," Fluttershy turned to Volare. "She must have heard that you're leaving town today because she's been agitated since yesterday's joust. She might wanna go with you."

"Really?" Volare looked up at Shae, well past convinced that this bird knew more than she let on half the time. "That right, Shae?" The osprey paused in her preening, clicked her beak once, and continued on, still watching the activity below. "Huh...well, she's not really my pet, though."

"Yes, she's more of a wild creature who can come and go as she pleases, really," Fluttershy pawed at the station platform for a moment. "Not like anypony could really stop her either way if she decided she was going to go. It's just that if she does go, it'd be better if she was in the company of ponies she trusted instead of flying all over the place in the city and alarming other ponies with her wild presence."

"Yeah, and I'm not about to argue with her, either," Volare chuckled dryly. At his words, Shae cheereked and fluttered downwards, landing next to Scootaloo on the pilot's back and fixing the small filly with an expression somewhere between amusement and annoyance. Volare tensed, unable to remember if she'd been this close to Scootaloo before and unsure what she'd do, or how possessive she might be of him. But after a moment of blinking and beak clicking, Shae briefly nuzzled her face against Scootaloo's as if in affirmation before looking towards the train car and back at Volare. She pinched his withers with a talon before jerking her head towards the train once more, and Volare got the message as the train conductor looked at his watch and leaned his head out the window of the engine.

"All aboard for Canterlot!!!"

"Haha, guess you're going whether I like it or not, huh? Well, guys," Volare turned to the small herd with a shrug and a smile. "Let's get a move on, shall we? Canterlot's waiting!"

Cloud Kicker's House, Several Hours Later...

"Heh, thanks for letting me crash here for the weekend, CK," Dash said as she settled herself on Cloud Kicker's couch and looked around at the Weather Lieutenant's house, realizing that she'd never actually been inside it before. It was a lot more plainly furnished than Dash figured it would be, what with Cloud Kicker's personality and all. A few potted plants here and there, a breakfast nook with a table and a few benches next to the small kitchen, and the lone--albeit rather large--couch sitting in the middle of the living room in which she was situated. A few pictures of family and friends sat along the top of the fireplace mantel which was topped with a few sets of something which caught Dash's eye.

"Checking out my wingblades?" Cloud Kicker asked as she followed Dash gaze. She waved a hoof at the three pairs of blades shining brightly in the mid-morning sun that filtered in through the windows and grinned proudly. "That red-tinged set belonged to my grandmother back in the day, the blue one to my grandfather, and the gold ones in the middle I got from my own days in Westhoof. The older ones are just dulled training blades, but the golden ones'd cut Celestia herself if she so much as looked at'em too long!" Cloud Kicker pumped a hoof and nodded contentedly at the sharpening job she'd pulled off herself on those crazy things years a while back. She hadn't worn them in years, but heaven help anypony that broke into her place in the middle of the night cuz she bet old habits'd die hard when it came right down to it!

"I guess they were all Guardsponies, huh?" Dash mused.

"Every one of 'em, yep," Cloud Kicker nodded and flopped down next to her Captain with a couple of glasses of orange juice. "Want me to cut it with your pleasure, Boss?" she asked as she offered her the glass, but Dash shook her head and took it plain.

"Nah, Nurse Redheart said I should probably stay away from stuff like that this weekend while I recover," she flexed her wrapped-up shoulder with a wincing grin. "You know, in case some sorta weird pain crops up or something."

"Ah, right, right," Cloud Kicker nodded in understanding as they both sipped their beverages in silence for a few moments. "So...um...about yesterday."

"What about it?" Dash asked as her Lieutenant scratched her chin, trying to pick her words carefully before simply giving up with a shrug and going with her gut on this one.

"Do you like Volare?" Her question was answered with a sputtering explosion of orange juice from Dash's mouth before she whipped around and stared at Cloud Kicker with huge, accusatory eyes.

"Wh-who wants to know?!" she began before catching herself and crossing her hooves tightly across her chest, OJ forgotten on the table. "I-I mean no way! Him? Pfft, whatever gave ya that idea?" But it was too little, too late, and nothing in the world short of a hoof to the nose could wipe the sly little grin off of Cloud Kicker's face as she leaned in and poked Dash with her hoof. "It's not what you think, ok? I mean, whatever it is you are thinking is so far from right it's left! CK, you listen to me, you-you, you got it wrong!!!" But Cloud Kicker ignored Dash's snorting breath and flared wings and continued to grin and prod Dash playfully.

"...You like the guy, don't you, Dashie?"

"No I feathering don't! What the hay makes ya think I could give a flying feather about the guy, huh?!"

"Well, for somepony you don't care much about, you're sure getting pretty worked up," Cloud Kicker waved her hoof at her Captain. "I mean, your shoulder is hurt and all and yet you're kinda standing on the back of my couch and shouting at me, Boss." Dash looked down as if suddenly realizing where she was and snorted defiantly.

"So what if I am? I'm a Pegasus and I got the right to perch where I wanna, don't I?" But as the ridiculousness of the situation--as well as the ache in her stressed shoulder--began to mount, coupled with Cloud Kicker's stoic sagely smile, Dash finally gave in with a groan and fluttered back to the couch cushions with a pouting look of irritation plastered upon her blushing features. "You got no proof," she grumbled to herself as Cloud Kicker reached across the couch and patted her on the leg before speaking.

"You think so, Boss?" Cloud Kicker's hoof moved from Dash's leg to her shoulder and stayed there. "Look, Rainbow...I know why you feel like you gotta be defensive about this sorta thing, and-"

"No you don't!" Dash's hoof suddenly lashed out and caught her friend in the chest and glared at her through a brimming sheen of angry tears. But Cloud Kicker's grip never left Dash's shoulder, and in fact tightened a smidge as she forced a supportive smile through the dull throb in her chest as Dash ground her teeth and hung her head. "No you don't," she repeated more softly this time, her breath hitching as she spoke. "Just cuz you know w-what happened doesn't mean you know what it's l-like...so d-don't you say that you know, Cloudy...don't you d-dare say you do, ok?"

Dash's sobbing, yet still half-threatening and defiant request proved to Cloud Kicker what she'd suspected for some time now: that her Boss hadn't let go of what had happened to her over a decade ago, that it wasn't Dash just being her usual haughty self...and that it was still likely influencing every single decision she'd made in regards to stallions, even today. And that fact made Cloud Kicker feel like an even bigger jackass for her incendiary snark about it the other day and explained why Dash had exploded so violently about it.

"Rainbow..." Cloud Kicker's hoof trailed down to Dash's and rested there a moment, at a loss of what to say. But again, after a moment of deliberation, she simply went with what her gut said was best. "I'm sorry. For what I said when I teased you about it the other day. I...I didn't know you...still hurt so bad about it. I'm sorry, really." She felt Dash's hoof tense beneath hers and for a moment believed that she was about to slug her in the nose out of sheer spite; and in all honesty, she wouldn't blame her too much if she did. Instead, the hoof tightened upon her own as Dash took a hiccuping breath and a sigh.

"I'm not gonna say it's ok," she muttered and wiped her nose with her other hoof before forcing a smile to her lips. "But I know you're telling the truth, so...yeah." Dash bit her lip for a moment and raised her gaze to her Lieutenant's. "I just don't know how to shake that bad stuff, ok? So just...please knock it off."

"No need to say please, Boss," Cloud Kicker replied. "And if I hear anypony else talking about it, I'll knock their head in myself."

"Heh, thanks, Cloudy," Dash chuckled and wiped her nose again. "Hmph, damn you, Redheart. Sure could use a nip right now. Meh, whatever."

"Boss," Cloud Kicker hesitated once more, drawing a light hoof to the chest from her friend.

"Cloudy, just spit it out, already. Thought you had some sorta crazy evidence cooked up about me liking Volare or something like that."

"Right, about that and about something else," Cloud Kicker took a sip of her orange juice before continuing. "Why'd you try to use me to get Volare over his taboo and get him laid? The real reason?"

"Uh, um...crap," Dash's shoulders sagged, unable to come up with a good answer, or at least a good excuse. And there was no way in Ponyhell she was going to tell Cloud Kicker why she felt she was hurting Volare at the time. "He needed it?"

"Pfft, in my opinion, everypony needs it to stay sane."

"Heh, some more than others," Dash smirked and nudged Cloud Kicker's ribs.

"Hey, it's like someponies who have crazy metabolisms, Boss," Cloud Kicker nudged her right back. "I just happen to have different sorts of cravings."

"Oh gimme a break," Dash giggle-snorted incredulously.

"Nope, not till you tell me why you wanted Volare to get over his issue."

"Ok, then why'd you seem so high-up on wanting to jump in the sack with him?" Dash countered. "You didn't exactly seem remorseful about it when I caught you guys."

"Hey, I just wanted the headlines in the Ponyville Express to read "Cloud Kicker Becomes First Pony to Bang Alien,"" the Weather Lieutenant framed each word in mid-air with her hooves. "Man, I'd have to like, put that front page under glass or something and hang it over the fireplace!"

"You know what, I almost believe you," Dash laughed, but Cloud Kicker waved a hoof dismissively.

"Nah, in all honesty, I was only doing what I did to help the poor guy out. You know, strike while the iron is hot and all."

"Uh-huh," Dash crossed her hooves skeptically.

"I'm serious! Wait, didn't he tell you what we talked about? Like, why he had a problem in the first place?"

"Nah, he just kinda said he was over it and said not to worry about it," Dash shrugged while Cloud Kicker facehoofed. "What?"

"You're about as discerning as Tom sometimes, Boss. Just cuz he's a guy doesn't mean he doesn't have subtleties too."

"Oops?" Dash smiled weakly. "Oh come on, how bad could it be? He seriously was a virgin and was just being nervous, right?"

"Uh, no...no he wasn't," Cloud Kicker frowned and summed up why Volare had been so squicked-out by having a relationship with a pony, about how his culture raised him to believe that any relationship with anything non-human was evil, and that having a relationship with something non-sentient was akin to theft and rape, and that was why he couldn't bring himself to do it, and why he got so nervous about it.

"Whoa," Dash gaped after she finished. "But wait a sec; we're not stupid animals! Why didn't he see that till you explained it to him?"

"Hard to shake years and years of the same thoughts so fast, Dash," Cloud Kicker bit her lip. "You of all ponies should know that."

"Oh...oh damn," Dash buried her head in her hooves and groaned. "I didn't know. I swear if I'd known, I wouldn't have-"

"Just like if I'd have know, I wouldn't have said what I said," Cloud Kicker cut her off firmly. "There's just some stuff that we bury so deep that it hurts too much to dig up and talk about. We both know about your old wounds...and this is probably one of Volare's."

And I was tearing them open, Dash berated herself. "Cloudy...I can't like the guy."

"Why not?" Cloud Kicker cocked her head curiously. "Didn't seem to stop you before you knew this."

"That wasn't-I wasn't being serious!"

"Uh-huh, sure, Boss," Cloud Kicker reverted back to that smirk from earlier. "Explain to me why you can't like the guy."

"Cuz it's not fair if I do!" Dash replied sharply. "Cuz I just hurt him all the time!"

"So? You seem perfectly fine semi-antagonizing every other stallion around here. Not that I'm arguing of course, cuz it tends to send'em my way," Cloud Kicker caught a fluffy pillow to her grinning teeth in response to that. "Heh, my question is: why treat him differently? Hay, why even care about his feelings? Not like you owe him anything, right?"

You could say that. "It's not that, it's just...ugh!" Dash growled at her prideful inability to put thought to words.

"Rainbow...you could have won that joust today," Cloud Kicker nudged her shoulder pointedly. "But you held up and didn't mow him down. Why? Don't you play to win all the time? Why not take advantage of him and win? Why treat him differently?"

"I..."

"Is it cuz he is different?" Cloud Kicker offered. "And not just cuz he's from a different planet and used to be a different species, I mean. I'm talking about compared to other stallions in general. I mean, we both know why you don't trust the average guy, right?"

"Yeah," Dash snorted lightly.

"Maybe you see him differently because he's not the average guy," Cloud Kicker leaned back on the couch and put her hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "I mean, think about it. For one, do you see him eyeballing other mares plots and such 24/7?"

"Maybe he's more of a teats-guy?" Dash offered lamely, causing her friend to howl with laughter.

"Hahahaha!! Nah, I don't think so either," Cloud Kicker wiped her eye. "I mean, maybe he's different because that's not the first thing on his mind. Seriously, I think any mare around town would kill to have the guy if he'd open up more. He's got a solid job, good work ethic, and we both know he's good with foals if the recent lack of CMC-sponsored destruction is any indication. Not to mention he's put his life on the line for his friends a good few times too. I mean, he ran into a burning building to save Trixie of all ponies and dove into a storm to save your plot when you got in trouble, among other things."

"Meh, that was a fluke thing," Dash shrugged defiantly. "So he saved me a few times, big whoop-dee-doo. Should I sprinkle some rose petals on my bed and wait for his return so I can repay him or something, now?"

"As fun as that sounds," Cloud Kicker smirked and dodged a swipe of Dash's hoof. "Nah, he'd probably spook and run if you came on that strong. Dash, my point is, I don't think he's driven by the little head, if you know what I mean."

"Haha, yeah I get it," Dash rolled her eyes. "But just what is your point?"

"That he possibly sees you as more than just a piece of tail to get banged," Cloud Kicker offered and this time it was Dash's turn to snicker.

"Pfft, yeah right. He's a stallion and we both know what's always on their mind."

"Yes, but," Cloud Kicker held up a hoof. "I think we've already kinda established that he's different. Oh, here's a wild thought: maybe he even has feelings for you and he's too afraid to act on them, hmm?"

"Seriously?" Dash scoffed, though if their near-kiss the other day was any indication...he didn't exactly fight it... "H-how can you be sure?"

"He made a move on you yet after living with you for over a month?"

"You notice him missing any teeth?" Dash flexed a hoof.

"See, that's the attitude I'm talking about," Cloud Kicker facehoofed again. "You gotta look past him being a guy, just like he's willing to look past those taboos he's getting over. But if you threaten to cram your hoof down his throat if he lets any feelings he might have blossom, then he'll be stuck and frustrated."

"...Oh."

"Fillies and gentlecolts, a round of applause for Captain Hamhoof," Cloud Kicker announced to the empty room before throwing a hoof around Dash's shoulders. "Anyway, if he does have feelings, I guess the only bit of the equation missing comes from you and brings us right back to where this all started: do you have any feelings for him?"

"N-no, I don't think-"

"Cuz if you don't," Cloud Kicker tried a new angle, one that more readily appealed to Dash's competitive nature. "Like I said, I know plenty of mares who'd line up to hook up with the guy if they got to know him better. Plus, I dunno if you've noticed or not, but it seems like all the really good stallions around town got drafted into Celestia's Guard after the whole Wedding Fiasco. Heh, you know, that actually sounds like a pretty good perk. Maybe I should become a Princess, eh?" Cloud Kicker said thoughtfully, and Dash honestly couldn't tell if she was joking or not cuz a gig like that seemed right up the Weather Lieutenant's alley.

"I think we're getting off-topic," Dash waved a hoof, but Cloud Kicker seemed lost in a mini-fantasy about being surrounded by all the stallions she could possibly imagine.

"Man...I'd probably lose track of them all," Cloud Kicker licked her lips thoughtfully. "And I'd turn the Throne Room into the VIP Lounge."

"Oookay, if you're gonna get all moist over a buncha stallions, Princess, I'm gonna jet," Dash announced, shattering her friend's blissful fantasy.

"Aww ok, fine...party pooper," Cloud Kicker stuck her tongue out. "I'd have invited you and given you first pick and everything."

"Yeah, not funny," Dash waved a threatening hoof. "Anyway, where were again?"

"A palace of phallus?"

"Before that."

"Right, right, just kidding," Cloud Kicker downed the last of her OJ and regathered her thoughts. "Oh, right, I was gonna say that if you do have feelings for Volare, you'd better tell him soon before some other mare gets to know him better and decides to make a move and beats ya to the punch. And seeing as how he's apparently over his little issue..." Cloud Kicker could practically see Dash's defiant little wall being chipped away as she mulled over the possibility of being beaten in anything.

"Yeah, but...but he said he'd hold back from being with any old pony if it made me feel better," Dash's explanation drew Cloud Kicker's eyebrows skyward. "Said he'd wait till we found him the mare he deserves."

"Wow, who?"

"He uh, didn't say," Dash scratched her mane. "Said there might have been one, but she was way out of his league."

"Heh, oh really? Not sure if he's being modest or just nervous," Cloud Kicker mused.

"Whatcha mean by that?"

"Nothing, I just mean that I might make up wild excuses on the spot too if I was afraid somepony would introduce their hoof to my esophagus if I said what my heart felt about them," Cloud Kicker smiled sagely. "That's all."

"Oh that's just stupid," Dash countered with a snort. "Why would he do that? Why wouldn't he just go after somepony else?"

"Cuz maybe his unspoken feelings are so strong that they're making him hang around no matter what this 'out-of-his-league' mare throws at him?" At her words, Dash's eyes widened in realization and her jaw hung slackly as she wracked her brains for a better explanation.

"H-he can't mean me, I mean...I treat him like crap half the time and he just...there's no way in Ponyhell his feelings could be that strong!" Dash insisted, but Cloud Kicker merely shrugged.

"Who could say unless he says for sure. Who knows, maybe he's talking about some other mare entirely."

"But he doesn't hang out with any other mare except me. Unless he's meeting her late at night or something...but then he'd be-oh, I'm gonna kick his flank if he's seeing some other mare behind my back!" Dash growled and pounded her hooves together. "And I'll beat the hay outta whatever no-account mare of the night he's fooling around with too! Dammit flyboy, you deserve better than street-trotting trash like that!"

"Sounding a little defensive there, Boss...almost like somepony who has feelings for somepony else after all," Cloud Kicker smirked as Dash's face blushed fiery red. She'd trapped herself and she knew it.

"Y-yeah, well so what if I think he deserves better?" Dash crossed her hooves tightly and fumed. "He's my friend and I care about him, ok?"

"Nothing in the world wrong with that," Cloud Kicker smiled and laid her hoof on her shoulder. "And definitely nothing in the world wrong with wanting to do it yourself, Boss. In fact, I'd encourage it."

"I know what you're trying to make me say, Cloudy," Dash grumbled. "And it's not gonna work."

"Heh, just because something's not spoken about doesn't mean it doesn't exist, Rainbow," Cloud Kicker smiled encouragingly. "However, unless you know for sure from his side, we won't know if it's worth more than simply existing in thought."

"I'm gonna look like an idiot if I ask him straight-up, Cloudy," Dash snorted. "I mean, what do I say? 'Hey Volare, I think I like you, you like me too? Oh you do? Cool, wanna go on a date and stuff?'"

"...Uh, yeah, that works pretty much."

"Ugh, you're not helping," Dash groaned in frustration. Why the hay am I so unsure about this?!
...Might have to do with you being the reason why he's stuck here, Dashie.
Ok, you're not helping either.
...Just means you care about his well-being, Dashie. There's nothing wrong with that.
But I-
...Not to mention that, as much as you hate to admit it, you need somepony like him in your life. That you're tired of being alone and covering your uncertainty with bravado and excuses all the time. That's what cowards do and that ain't you! You're better than that!! Am I right? Course I am! And don't you try to argue with me cuz only crazy ponies argue with themselves.
I'm not scared of anything!
...Please. Until you let go and trust somepony like him, you'll never get over it and you know it.
But what if he-
...Do you honestly believe with any fiber of your being that he'd treat you that way, physical threats or not?
I...no, I don't.
...Then take a leap of faith, Dashie! Put your faith in somepony other than yourself and let go of your damn pride for once, cuz it's killing you!

"-trying my best, Boss," Cloud Kicker's voice shook her out of her thoughts and back to the present.

"Y-yeah, I know," Dash wiped her face with a hoof and sighed.

"And as for you looking like an idiot...well, considering the crazy horseapples you've done since meeting the guy, I doubt he'd think much different of you if you asked," Cloud Kicker reasoned. "If he's as nice as we both figure, he'll likely understand if you just open up and explain yourself."

"Ugh, I know, I know," Dash sighed loudly and leaned her head over the back of the couch. "I'll figure it out sooner or later, alright?"

Meh, good enough. "Alright, but you'd better hurry up cuz although he promised he'd hold off...he is still a guy and you can't give him too much credit if some mare gets a wild thought in her head and grinds her sexy tail up against him one of these days," Cloud Kicker smirked.

"Hmph, sounds like something you'd do."

"Heh-heh, could be, Boss. But, if you make an effort to try, I'll hold off on the guy," she raised her right hoof in oath. "Guardspony's honor."

"You dropped out of the Academy," Dash snarked.

"Ok, fine, Kicker Clan's honor. You can't get much deeper and you can take that to the feathering bank," Cloud Kicker nodded firmly.

"Heh, sounds fair enough," Dash smiled, her spirits feeling strangely lifted and invigorated. Perhaps because she finally had a goal in mind, perhaps she realized she was potentially competing against not only the clock, but Volare and everypony else in town at once, and perhaps because...well, because it was more than all that. Perhaps because she was curious to know if he possibly thought the same of her...and it thrilled her a little bit because she was unsure of what might happen beyond that point if he confirmed her suspicions; but unsure in a good way, like trying a trick for the first time. In theory it might work, but in practice...well, that's where one earned their bits, as they say. Time to put up or shut up, Dashie.

"Well, in that case, um..." Dash paused for a moment. "Till I decide what I'm gonna do, how do I get other mares to, um...you know..." she waved a hoof ambiguously.

"Back off?" Cloud Kicker smirked deviously.

"Yeah, without me looking like a..."

"Jackass?"

"Eh-heh, yeah, that," Dash scratched her head.

"Well isn't that the million bit question?" Cloud Kicker pondered for a moment. "Well, no offense, but subtlety's definitely not your strong-suit, so that's kinda out. Then again, you could just increase his weather workload and make him look like an unavailable workaholic."

"Nah, that's not fair to him, Scootaloo, or anypony else he like spending time with," Dash shook her head. "Plus he's still gotta get his wingpower numbers up, and weather work doesn't exactly get it done like a good old-fashioned workout."

"Why's he gotta get his numbers up?" Cloud Kicker inquired and received a summarized explanation from Dash about Volare wanting to return to Earth to take care of unfinished business, but needing higher wingpower for the stress of the return trip according to Twilight. "Oh, well that makes sense," Cloud Kicker nodded before a thought dawned on her and she grinned at the brilliance of it. "Heehee, I think I know what could work."

"What?" Dash cocked her head curiously.

"Well, you're always talking about kicking his plot, so why not try practical sparring instead?" At Dash's skeptical laughter, Cloud Kicker hastily explained that it helps build good muscle tone, it would definitely keep Volare occupied, and it would also give Dash a chance to learn how his body works. "You know, for possible future...physical encounters," she waggled her eyebrows so violently that Dash was sure they'd leap off her head if she didn't knock them off herself first.

"What the hay's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing, just...you know...if you ever wanted to check him out from different angles, what better way to do so than from a rear hoof-lock over his flank?" Cloud Kicker chuckled impishly as Dash rolled her eyes. "Just sayin'. Plus, it'd be a pretty good way for you to hang out with him without looking like you're holding him hostage, so in a non-subtle way...it's actually sorta subtle. Huh, funny how that worked out."

"You're serious, Cloudy?" Dash queried as she displayed her wrapped shoulder. "You want us to beat the crap outta each other cuz we saw how well that went yesterday."

"Nah, you use safety pads and stuff like blunted wingblades," Cloud Kicker waved a hoof at the blades over her mantel. "Totally safe with a little guidance. You know how to fight, dontcha?"

"Uh...I brawled with some Changelings and punched out Jill a while back," Dash replied with a hopeful grin that merely drew a low groan of realization from the Weather Lieutenant.

"Yeah, this is gonna take some work..."

Notes:
Author: Oh man, this is about to get good! Place your bets, folks!
Volare: Oh yes, I remember this...and if I remember correctly, the winner's not who you'd expect it to be. :P
Author: Meh, beginner's luck.
Volare: Said the humbled to the victor.
Author: We'll see about that! *tackles*
*Sounds of crashing in background*
Spike: *reading* Whoa, did I get a line in this chapter besides snoring? Sweet! Spike's back in action!

Author's Note

See how many goofy pop culture reference you can spot in this chapter!

Truth or Dare-Pt 15: ...and Prejudice

"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil— a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."
-Pride and Prejudice

October 20th, Canterlot Station, Late Afternoon...

"Whoa, this is so cool!" Scootaloo grinned as she pawed the train platform in anticipation while staring out at the white-walled and pristine City of Canterlot; she'd behaved herself the whole train ride and the suspense to be herself again was killing her! Her wide eyes gleamed in the light of the waning sun as she looked back over her shoulder at Volare and Co. who were debating about what to do first now that they were finally here.

The train ride had been exciting for Volare and Scootaloo at first, for neither had ever been to the Capital, but after the first two hours the wait became somewhat tedious. By the time the seventh hour had rolled around, both decided to catch some sleep after lunch, later being woken up by the proddings of Shae's beak as they arrived in the plateau-perched city.

"Ach, Ah dunno, lasseh," Faber squinted at the shining walls, soaring towers, and glistening golden domes of the buildings surrounding them. The high winds of the mountain side were muffled by the tall masonry battlements, hemming the streets in neatly and amplifying the echoing sounds of hoofsteps and conversation from the ponies trotting about their business. The occasional Royal Guard gave them a cursory glance, but at the sight of Snowhooves and Firetail overseeing the group, they went about their way as well, keeping the peace as was their wont.
"It's almost too clean for mah tastes." The large blacksmith trotted to the edge of the platform and poked a hoof at the cobblestoned street. "Too neat an' tideh; too...sterile. Ah need a lil' wildness-a lil' dirt an' grime ta feel normal, ye ken?"

"Ken?" Scootaloo cocked her head curiously.

"Err...understan'."

"Oh, right, I do!" the Pegasus filly's wild mane bobbed as she nodded and grinned. "I ken!"

"Ach, yer a right terror, but a good'un if tha' makes aneh sense lasseh," Faber grinned and patted her on the head. The Scoltspony's eyes wandered towards the well-dressed stallions and mares that trotted proudly along the roads between the shops, fountains, and places of interest, and he cringed a bit as a few well-to-do-looking ones returned his gaze with smug smiles and barely-muffled laughter at his obvious pony-out-of-pasture appearance. He could tolerate rich ponies and the like just fine, but Faber simply loathed the snooty, uppity ones that felt their own roadapples smelled like...well, fresh apples! Scootaloo mimicked Faber's frown as Volare and Bon-Bon approached, the latter of whom hooked her foreleg around Faber's and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Now don't you worry yourself, Faber. Not all ponies in Canterlot are snooty," the business mare gave him a sly grin. "Though I will say this: they're wonderfully easy to sell to."

"Heh, think ye could rip a few of'em off fer a giggle?"

"Oh, we'll see what happens," Bon-Bon smiled and turned to Volare. "How about you, Volare? What do you think of the city?"

"Well, it's um..." Volare tried to put it into words the sheer majesty that Canterlot gave off, as well as how insignificant it made him feel. It felt like the first time he'd visited Dallas when he was younger, and he remembered nearly falling over backwards as he stared up at the skyscrapers crowding downtown. Combine that with the fact that they were over a thousand feet above the Ponyville valley below and that the city seemed to be balanced on the lip of the plateau, and it was no wonder that he felt those same emotions creeping up on him again. But, seeing as how he couldn't fall down in front of everyone, he settled for a simpler: "It's big."

"Biggest city in Equestria besides Manehattan," Lyra suddenly popped up beside him with a grin and tossing a hoof around his neck. "And despite what some ponies might lead you to believe," she shot a squint at Bon-Bon, "this place has got plenty of places to live it up at. Just gotta know where to look." After simply taking in the sight of the city for a moment, Twilight Sparkle approached and nudged Volare's opposite shoulder with a hopeful smile.

"So, you like my hometown?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I mean for first impressions, it's definitely up there," Volare nodded while eyeing the scattered scaffolding poking out from between a few of the buildings. "Looks like they're still cleaning up after the Changelings, though."

"I'm tired of looking, though!" Scootaloo poked Volare's leg impatiently. "I wanna go check out Canterlot now!" Everypony present couldn't help but chuckle at the rambunctious filly, which only served to irritate her all the more until she'd gone from orange to a dull red of embarrassment and frustration. Before the smallest volcano that Equestria had ever seen could erupt though, Lyra flashed her a winning smile and beckoned Scootaloo to follow her down the street.

"C'mon, kiddo! I gotta grab a few things from my apartment before we get going and I could use the help. We'll let these old stick in the mud ponies stand around and chatter till their teeth fall out in the meantime, eh?" Lyra gave the group a quick wink as the overjoyed Scootaloo galloped after her. "We'll be back in two shakes, guys!" the green Unicorn announced before the pair raced around the corner towards the housing district.

Twilight caught the slightly worried look on Volare's face and nudged him with a hoof. "You ok?"

"Huh? Yeah, just...a little worried to let her out of my sight if I can help it; hate to say it, but Scoots draws trouble like crap draws flies." He caught a purple hoof to the chest for his comment.

"Yuck, don't say that about your little sister, Volare!" Twilight made a face through her chuckles before nudging him a bit more gently. "She'll be fine. It's Canterlot; what's the worst that could happen?" Volare didn't say anything at her comment, but deep down, he felt the familiar stirrings of Murphy rising from the depths like some evil kaiju monster hell-bent on destroying...eh, then again maybe he was over-thinking things. What exactly could go wrong in Canterlot?

................................
Lyra's Apartment...

"Whoa, what's in all these boxes, Lyra?" Scootaloo asked as she weaved her way between the sizable stacks of cardboard filling the Unicorn's abode, most labeled with words like "HATS", "SHOES", and "GLOVES." But what the hay were gloves?

"Oh um, ya know, just a buncha human stuff I've picked up over the past few months," Lyra said as she rummaged through one of the boxes in the corner of the room.

"Ooh, what's in this one?" Scootaloo approached at a box labeled "FUN," but before she could peek inside, Lyra grabbed her hoof with her magic and tugged her away with a stern look masking the relief that the box blissfully remained unopened. "Aww, what gives, Lyra?"

"Sorry kiddo; no 'FUN' for you."

"But why not? What's wrong with-?"

"I'll uh....tell ya when you're older," Lyra quickly cut her off and kicked the 'FUN' box across the floor and into a precariously stacked wall of clothes hangers, lamp shades, and assorted doodads that came tumbling down and buried the box. Whew, filly her age doesn't need THAT stuff just yet...or probably ever.

Unperturbed, Scootaloo turned her attention to a box full of forks, curious as to the purpose of the crazy-looking things. "Um, can I ask why the heck you're all...obsessed over humans?"

"Heh, that's um...kinda like asking why Twilight's obsessed with books," Lyra offered.

"Twilight likes books cuz of what's inside them, duh," Scootaloo pouted, her eyes trailing hopefully back to the buried "FUN" box. "So you like humans cuz of what's inside them or something?"

"What the-no! I mean, kinda," Lyra scratched her nose with a hoof before shrugging. "I mean I wanna know what makes them tick, how they are, what they are, and why they are the way they are. And before Volare showed up, the only way to know was to study what I could find of them: their stuff," she waved a hoof at the boxes.

"You must have done a ton of studying," Scootaloo mused. "Blech, I hate studying. It's so boring! All that book-work and sitting around and stuff," the filly pouted before Lyra smiled and nudged her once more.

"Oh yeah? Well, studying humans can be pretty sweet," the Unicorn grinned before returning to the box she was digging through. "They've got all kinds of doo-dads and gizmos they've created and just tossed out; why the hoof they'd do that is beyond me, cuz some of this stuff-oof!" Lyra toppled back onto her flank, her front hooves gripping a flattish, heavy-looking wooden case. Scootaloo's eyes widened as Lyra threw the top open and pulled out record albums that looked to be decades-old.

"Heh, some of this stuff is pretty cool; and since my cutie mark is all about music...well, I kinda took a liking to these things," Lyra laid out the flat albums with care upon a table, their colorful coverings flashing band titles such as "The Beatles," "The Rolling Stones," "Metallica," and "Led Zeppelin" among others. "These are all rock band records, stuff I heard you and a certain rainbow Pegasus might like," Lyra grinned and pulled out a rolled-up piece of glossy paper and hoofed it to Scootaloo. "Here ya go."

"What is it?" the filly asked, her young mind still a-buzz with the imagery and possibilities the albums presented.

"Well, unroll it and find out," Lyra chuckled and packed the albums back up into the case. "Methinks somepony is bound to like it." Scootaloo unrolled the paper and stared at the simple, yet-prominent image gracing the paper:

"Notice anything in particular about-"

"Whoa, it's like Rainbow Dash's cutie mark!" Scootaloo blurted out in excitement, causing Lyra to burst into a chuckle and pat her head affectionately. "She'll love this! Oh wait, can I give it to her?"

"Ha, you gotta work on your subtlety, kiddo," Lyra pointed out as she put the case back into storage. "But since that was kinda the reason I brought ya here...yep, you can give it to her."

"Oh my gosh, sweet! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!" Scootaloo wrapped her small hooves around Lyra's neck in a tight hug that belied her small size before rolling up and tucking the poster beneath a wing and galloping for the door. "C'mon, I wanna show this to my bro! We can give it to Rainbow Dash together!"

"Haha, ok, ok, hang on squirt!" Lyra laughed as she followed Scootaloo into the street, locking her door and catching up to the filly in short order. But before they'd gotten too far, Lyra grabbed a hold of her small charge and skidded to a halt. When Scootaloo looked up in question, she followed Lyra's pointed nod towards a whitish Pegasus stallion with a shaggy, dark blue mane surveying a steaming row of freshly-baked pies at a bakery stand. His back was to them and his equally shaggy blue tail was flicking back and forth in interest over the pies that seemed to be his whole world at the moment. Even from this distance they could hear him muttering "cherry, or pumpkin, ooh, or even raspberry" under his breath.

"Who's-"

"Shh, watch this, kiddo," Lyra smirked and leaped over a low row of shrubbery, stalking towards the stallion like a manticore hunting its dinner while Scootaloo looked on in bemusement. The stallion, completely oblivious to the hidden Unicorn approaching him, continued to lick his lips while deciding on which pie he wanted the most for that evening. Suddenly and without warning, Lyra leaped from the shrubs and tackled her "prey", knocking him away from the bakery stand and into a rolling pile of hooves and manes which halted with her atop him and grinning like a mad-pony. "Hahaha, long time-no see, Soarin! Heh, I see you've gotten fatter from all that pie-eating."

"What the hay, Lyra?!" The stallion gaped before twisting his way out from under her and leaping to his hooves, ready for anything.

"Just like old times, eh pal?" Lyra snickered at the red-faced Wonderbolt.

"Yeah, a little too much like old times! But try that again when I'm ready and see where it gets ya!" Soarin smirked and tensed himself, wings flexed and legs bent for Lyra's follow-up assault. But to his surprise, Lyra didn't tackle him again but merely beckoned behind her towards a small orange filly who was staring at the curious situation as she approached. Instantly, Soarin's face softened and he gave the little filly his best winning smile. "Well now, who's this little one, Lyra?"

"This is-"

"Hey, I'm not so little!" Scootaloo declared with a puffed-out chest, buzzing wings, and a fierce look in her eye that made him halt in amused surprise.

"Definitely not in spirit, that's for sure," Soarin chuckled as Lyra laid a comforting hoof on Scootaloo's mane. "I'll do my best not to judge you on your size then, Ms...?"

"Name's Scootaloo," she replied after a gentle nudge from Lyra, though she was rather bemused as to why Lyra was smiling the way she was.

"Well, I'm Soarin, and I'm the Co-" he halted at Lyra's quick head shake and wink. "Er, old comrade of Lyra's, yeah. We go waaay back."

"All the way to elementary school here in Canterlot," Lyra nodded and hooked a hoof over Soarin's neck. "You know, Soarin was my special somepony when we were younger."

"Lyra, come on!" Soarin pushed her off of him with a little blushing growl and a flaring of wings. "That was years ago! Things are different now."

"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with reminiscing, buddy. Remember Prance?" Lyra grinned and leaned back against him, drawing a groan of disgust from Scootaloo.

"Yeah, I remember," Soarin conceded, his blush deepening as the memories returned.

"Never knew you liked to eat pie so much till then," Lyra crooned. "What was that nickname you gave me?"

"P-pyra," Soarin swallowed dryly, his eyes flicking towards a frowning Scootaloo. "Ahem, but considering our current company and my current...engagement," Soarin flexed his right wing to show the gold band clasped around the base of the limb, an unmistakable flaming phoenix stamped into the metal that made Lyra's eyes go wide in shock as she stared into his. "More so what'd happen if she caught me like this..."

"Oh crap, y-yeah, sorry dude!" Lyra immediately disengaged the Pegasus and pawed nervously at the ground, her eyes flicking skyward every few moments.

"Um, what's going on?" Scootaloo finally asked, breaking the awkward silence between the two friends.

"Oh uh-well ya see-" Soarin stuttered helplessly before Lyra spoke up and saved him.

"Hey Soarin, Scootaloo here is a big fan of Rainbow Dash."

"Oh really?" Soarin cocked a brow and smiled.

"Yeah, the biggest fan!" Scootaloo replied with buzz of her wings and a huge grin of pride. "I'm the founder of the Rainbow Dash fanclub, in fact!"

"Impressive resume, Scootaloo," Soarin nodded. He winked at Lyra and leaned in a bit closer. "Do you know who Rainbow Dash is a fan of?"

"The Wonderbolts, duh. Everypony knows that," Scootaloo tossed her mane. "She's gonna be the best Wonderbolt there ever was one day!"

"Haha, well from what I hear, her hard-headed work ethic is only matched by her sheer laziness," Soarin chuckled and placed a wing on Scootaloo's head. "But if she can just rein that in, you're right: she'll be a heck of a Wonderbolt one of these days. But in the meantime, she'll just have to keep chasing that dream...one that I happened to achieve a while back."

"Pfft, Soarin, you're so full of yourself," Lyra laughed and thumped his shoulder while Scootaloo's eyes slowly widened at his words.

"Well, when one becomes Co-Captain of the Wonderbolts, one kinda has a right to be-"

"OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE A WONDERBOLT?!" Scootaloo blurted out, her wings buzzing in excitement. At the Captain's nod, she practically danced in place before gathering herself, though only just. "Oh my gosh, a Wonderbolt! I mean, a Wonderbolt Captain! Dude, I gotta go tell my bro I met the Wonderbolt Captain! He's gonna freak!" And with that, Scootaloo tore off down the street towards the train station, leaving Soarin a bit stunned and confused as to who this "bro" was.

"C'mon, Captain," Lyra bumped Soarin with a hip and grinned. "I'll fill ya in on the way."

.....................
Canterlot Station...

"Volare, where are you going?" Twilight queried as he stepped off the station platform in the direction that Scootaloo and Lyra went.

"I'm gonna find those two," Volare's head swiveled left and right as he trotted forward before turning back for a moment. "I've just...got a bad feeling is all."

"A bad feeling of what?" Twilight cocked her head in worry. "This is Canterlot, not the Whitetail Wood-" the Librarian cut herself off, but the damage was done; she could see it in Volare's eyes. "S-sorry...I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, Twi," Volare nodded and snorted lightly. "Just humor me here, ok?"

"But you don't know your way around the city; what if you get lost?" Twilight asked as she made to follow him before Trixie stepped forward.

"I'll go with him," the magician offered, much to Twilight's surprise.

"Wait, but you've never been to-"

"It's been a while...but I think I can manage," Trixie smiled before turning back to Volare. "C'mon, let's go find them and put your fears to rest. I swear, you're such a worry-wort sometimes."

"Yeah, well my track record says I've got good reason to be," Volare retorted as the pair trotted off, leaving Twilight rather confused; when the heck had Trixie been to Canterlot?

"True, but as Twilight said: this is the Capital and there's security out the wazoo here. I'd bet my hat they're just fine," Trixie assured him as they trotted along the streets, earning passing glances but nothing more from the citizens, though Trixie drew a few strange looks from a group of Royal Guards that marched past. "Besides, if Ray and Jill were near, I'd smell their cowardly stink before we saw them. And we both know what'll happen if I ever get another crack at them," Trixie's horn flared momentarily and a nearby shrub crumbled into dust before she took control of her emotions. "S-sorry, I'm just never going to forgive myself for letting those two fool me like that and hurt you and poor little-"

"Whoa, whoa, Mister please don't!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ahh!" Trixie and Volare froze in their tracks as a familiar cry reached their ears over the bustle of the Canterlot streets.

"You little chicken-nugget, you'll pay for this-this insult!" an angry yet cultured stallion's voice rang out in reply.

"Scootaloo," the duo said at once before nodding to each other and pelting off down the street in the direction of the voices, Trixie's hat falling from her head and lying forgotten in the street as they ran.

....................
Corner of Brass Blvd and Equus Ave...

Scootaloo looked up from her flank in fear at the large Unicorn stallion that towered over her. His blonde mane rippled in the breeze while his blue eyes and perfectly white teeth flashed in anger as he glared down at her. He grasped a pretentiously gaudy-and honestly useless for a pony-golden headed walking stick with his magic over his head, threatening her with it like a club as he growled down at the frightened filly.
"You come running around the corner like a mad-pony and dare crash into me-me-and nearly covering my just-brushed coat in dirt and refuse, you little street urchin!?"

"I'm sorry, mister!" Scootaloo scrabbled backwards on her hind-quarters, her eyes glued to the waving stick in fear. Where the hay were Lyra, Soarin, and the Royal Guards?! "I didn't see you! I didn't mean it! I don't even know who you are!"

"Ugh, so you're from out of town, then," the Unicorn rolled his eyes as he advanced on the crawling filly. "A filthy little country pony with nothing better to do than run into a royal prince and get him all dirty! Well, allow me to teach you your first lesson of living in Canterlot and just who you should respect: Prince Blueblood!"

"Hey you son of a bitch!" Blueblood and Scootaloo looked up to see the source of the fierce roar barreling towards them. "Get offa my little sister!"

"Bro!" Scootaloo cried as Volare clattered up, throwing his shoulder into the larger Blueblood with an oof and staggering the prince a good half dozen feet away before he regained his footing.

"How dare you interrupt me as I mete out punishment!?" Blueblood sputtered, glaring at the blue and yellow Pegasus stallion that stood between him and the "guilty," wings flared, nostrils snorting, and eyes blazing a brilliant silver-blue. Blueblood stood up to his full height, brandishing his heavy walking stick as a sneer curled his lip. A few ponies that had been watching from the corner cafe decided it was time to leave, and galloped off before it got ugly. "Don't you know who I am?!"

"I could give a goddamn, you prick," Volare spat and took a stomping step closer while Scootaloo stared at the scene with wide, fearful eyes, though she did manage to get her hooves under her and stand up. "Nopony lays a hoof on my little sister and gets away with it!"

"You must lack brains, peasant!" Blueblood snorted in disgust as he circled his opponent, walking stick twirling threateningly as his gaze tore into the duo's horrid-looking ensembles complete with that foolish little blue pony emblem. He snickered with smug glee as Volare kept himself between the Prince and the filly; this pony was unarmed and clueless. He was nothing more than a loose-tongued twit. "By the looks of your outfits, I'd say you both lack them. Here, allow me to beat some sense into you and remind you of to whom you're speaking!" With that, he raised his heavy walking stick, grinned, and swung it down at Volare's head full-force with a loud clunk that nearly drowned out Scootaloo's shout of fear.

But what caused the clunk wasn't Volare's head, but rather a sizable chunk of 2x4 timber that intercepted the blow. Blueblood's gaze roved from the violet-blue magical aura surrounding the plank to its wielder a few feet away, and his walking stick very nearly mirrored his jaw as it dropped it shock. "Y-you!"

"Yes, me," Trixie growled and pushed the hastily-grabbed construction plank against Blueblood's walking stick, forcing him backwards a step before he caught himself and stood his ground. "Volare, Scootaloo-move." Her friends made haste and complied, scrambling out of the way as the two Unicorns faced off.

"What're you doing back here, you charlatan?! This isn't your place anymore!" Blueblood growled, jabbing his walking stick towards the magician.

"Here between you and the friends I swore to protect?" Trixie snorted and swished the 2x4 through the air. "No, I think I'm in just the right place, so back off!"

"You dare order me around!?" The Prince gritted his teeth and shoved his stick back against Trixie's plank, shocked when she hardly budged. "Hrmph, you're stronger than I remember!"

"And you're smaller than I remember, you jackass," Trixie shot back with a smirk. "As hard as that is to believe."

"I take it you two know each other?" Volare tried to get a word in edge-wise to stop the fight, but Blueblood merely chuckled nastily and smashed his walking stick down at Trixie's 2x4.

"Haha, oh we've known each other multiple times back in the old Gifted School, peasant," The Prince's blue eyes flashed with glee. "Over and over until she moaned like the whore she still is!"

"Funny, I recall a little entitled hall monitor whelp who was doing the moaning and whining; something about an 'equipment malfunction'," Trixie retorted, not giving an inch. "Over and over again."

"Harlot!" Blueblood disengaged and swung his cane with a snarl, his eyes widening as Trixie neatly flicked the stick aside with her plank and returned it to a quarte guard a few feet in front of her body. Her violet eyes were flat and narrowed, her breathing even, and her hooves stanced solidly upon the cobblestones; immovable and unafraid.
"Hrm, seems you've been studying something other than carnival tricks; who taught you, witch?" Blueblood asked as he slashed his stick downwards in a feint before thrusting for Trixie's head. Almost without effort, Trixie's plank twitched to the side, smacking Blueblood's stick away before she returned to her guard position once more.

"It doesn't matter," Trixie shot back, letting the insults roll off her back as she advanced, slashing sideways and thrusting at Blueblood's chest and causing him to hop backwards in a decidedly unrefined manner. "Just know that she'd tear you to pieces compared to what I'm doing! And I'm not the insecure little filly you remember from all those years ago!"

"Hrmph, well just for nostalgia's sake, I'll spank you all the same!" Blueblood roared and leaped at Trixie, renewing his attack with wild abandon. But every thrust and strike he aimed at the magician was turned effortlessly aside as she used the skills she'd learned from Octavia, keeping her line as she moved backwards and forwards, side-stepping blows and thoroughly embarrassing and enraging the Prince. Hooves clip-clopped upon the streets while their snorting breaths echoed off the masonry as they traded blows and blocks while Volare and Scootaloo looked on, the younger Pegasus fearing injury if she intervened and the older Pegasus staying out of it in respect for the duelists. Whatever bad blood existed between them had boiled over, and him getting involved-unarmed as he was-wouldn't help in the slightest.

Trixie attacked first this time, striving to beat the stick from the Prince's grasp, but he parried and kicked a potted plant into the magician's eyes, momentarily blinding her with soil and allowing him to get in several good whacks around her shoulders before she picked up and hurled a brick at him, forcing him to back off with a yelp. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Oh I dunno, I figured you were overdue to catch a brick or two in the teeth!" Trixie spat, shaking off the smarting bruises of the Prince's blows and resuming her stance. "Come, your grace, I thought you wanted to spank me!" The Prince's growing shouts of anger attracted the attention of a contingent of Royal Guards who quickly marched over and surrounded the duelists.

"Stay back, you fools!" Blueblood ordered as he took a small breather, wiping the sheen off his forehead and glaring at the arrival of Lyra and Soarin. "And keep them all out of this as well! This is between me and the harlot witch!"

"Seems the years have been kinder to me than to you, Blueblood," Trixie taunted, surprising even herself in how calm she was remaining despite the insults and threats being breathed against her every other moment by the incensed Prince. It was as Octavia had taught her, both in moments of sparring and without: calm, controlled breaths equaled calm, controlled behavior. Besides, Blueblood didn't know that she could rend him to pieces with her magic if need be, and that fact simply added to her overall calm.

"Yeah, well you've gotten uglier!" Blueblood shot back, knocking her plank aside and getting a clean shot at her head. But once more, the walking stick was flicked to the side, though this time she used her magic to do so, making it seem as though Blueblood had missed, and badly.

"Get him, Trixie!" Scootaloo shouted encouragement from atop Volare's back.

"You've gotten old! Soft! And slow!" Trixie retorted, slashing the plank down across Blueblood's walking stick before flicking the timber upwards and then sideways, slamming it against the Prince's horn just as Octavia had taught her. The impact jarred his magical grip on the walking stick loose and sent it tumbling end over end into the air to land outside the circle of Royal Guards, leaving Blueblood unarmed and vulnerable as Trixie brandished the battered plank with renewed authority. "Yield, Blueblood!"

"Peh, you give orders to me?" The Prince spat and turned to one of his Guards, snatching a spear from the armored pony's grasp without hesitation and turning to face Trixie, a look of sheer hatred in his eyes. "I'll stick you once more before the end, Trixie!"

"What the hell, man?!" Volare tried to push past the Guards, but they simply closed ranks. "Stop this shit!"

"We don't give orders to The Prince," one of the Guards replied stoically, though Volare could see his jaw tightening with disgust as Blueblood advanced on Trixie, speartip glinting in the sunlight. "Much as I hate to say it..."

"Lemme 'elp ye clear yer conscience then, boyo," a voice called out as a greenish aura snatched the broadsword from the Guard's belt. An orange-maned, blue Unicorn describable only as 'large' and 'loud' shouldered his way past the Guard with a great belly laugh, placing himself between the spear-wielding Prince and Trixie and twirling the sword in a great flashing arc. "Hahaha, so laddeh, 'ow about ye calm daown afore ya poke yer eye out, eh?"

"Wha-who in Tartarus are you to butt in and mouth off to-"

"Ah'm sorreh," Faber cut him off with a laugh. "Lemme make meself a bit more clear: ye'd best be droppin' tha spear lad, or else ye won't believe wha' 'appens next...even while it's 'appenin'," he growled through his teeth with a jab of the blade.

Well, this is escalating quickly, Volare thought as he did his best to keep Scootaloo from jumping in to help.

"Gah, how dare you threaten me?" Blueblood snarled, the hesitation evident in his features as he kept his spear pointed at the blacksmith. "I'm a Royal Prince!"

"Ooh, an' Ah'm king o' tha lan' o' "Ah could give a shite'," Faber bowed mockingly, his gaze momentarily flicking over Trixie's form. Satisfied that she was no worse for the wear, he turned back to Blueblood. "Naow tha' we're acquainted yor majesteh, ye wanna stop tossin' aboot silleh lil' titles an' pickin' on mares, or would ye rather face me so Ah can send ye runnin' with yer primped an' permed tail tucked oop against yer twat like tha coward ye are?"

"Ragh, I'll run you through for that!" The enraged Prince shouted, thrusting his spear straight for Faber's chest. With a side-step and flick of his sword, the blacksmith slashed the head off the spear and stepped right up to Blueblood, sword-point nipping at the Prince's throat. The royal Unicorn leaped back with a red-faced squeak, teeth bared and growling threats with every breath.

"Heh-heh, nice try, laddeh. But methinks ye may wanna get a better weapon," Faber grinned and gave a half-salute with the blade. "Then again, ye're already compensatin' quite a bit with that one, so best not be too obvious next go, eh? Riddle meh this: did Trixie tell ye she could 'ave torn ye limb from limb with 'er spells by naow, or did ye really think ye ever 'ad a chance o' winnin' this lil' scrap?"

"What the-you're bluffing!" The Prince countered, though his eyes flicked fearfully at the magician, recalling how she'd just made him miss without even moving. "She's just a trickster; she can't do that! She never could!"

"Heh, keep pushin' 'er an' find oot...or ye can be a stallion an' fight meh instead, oh mighteh Prince," Faber chortled. "Either way, methinks ye've got aboot tha chance o' a wee sheepeh with a loneleh Scoltsponeh on a cold winter night!"

"Woohoo, yeah, you go Faber!!" Lyra stomped her hoof and cheered, though Volare pulled a face at the blacksmith's rather graphic metaphor.

"He's crazy," Soarin stared at the grinning blacksmith.

"Nah, crazy would be Blueblood having the Guards kill him or something," Lyra tossed her mane, though she quickly clapped a hoof to her mouth as the Prince smirked evilly at her. "Oh no."

"Why what a wonderful idea, my dear. Guards...eliminate him! The harlot witch too." The Guards looked at one another in hesitation as Faber backed up towards Trixie, blade at the ready and eyes flicking back and forth. "Well, what're you waiting for?!" The Prince shouted. "I'm the Prince, I'm in charge, and they threatened my life! Kill them! Kill them both!!"

"What-no!" Volare shouted and grabbed at the nearest Guard, who merely shrugged him off and lowered his spear, as did his comrades. "You can't!!" But his cry was drowned out by the ringing of drawn sword blades.

"Sorry, citizen...truly," The Guard muttered as he advanced towards the blacksmith and magician. As Faber's blade flashed in a threatening arc, black sparks of energy leaped from Trixie's horn as it glowed scarlet, ready to defend herself and Faber at all cost. Volare and his friends could do nothing but watch in horror as one would a train wreck about to happen.

"Guards, lay down your weapons! Sheath your swords!!" A commanding voice shouted, and the Guards halted in their tracks to stare at the source of the command, as did Blueblood. There, standing in the middle of the street with a small herd of ponies at her back and Spike the dragon at her side, was none other than Twilight Sparkle herself. Her eyes blazed a brilliant violet and embers leaped from her mane as she glared daggers at each and every one of the Guards and The Prince. Above her hovered the osprey Shae, who added her own harsh cheereek-eek to the conversation as well. "Those are my friends!"

"You heard Twilight Sparkle: shoulder'em!" The Guard nearest Volare bellowed, and without hesitation, the Guards did as commanded, leaving Volare and Co. breathing a sigh of relief and Blueblood stomping mad.

"What're you doing, you fools!? Kill them!!" To the Prince's surprise, the Guard nearest Volare stomped up to him and snatched the broken spear from his grasp. "What're you-?!"

"My apologies your grace, but I'm not about to have the blood of Ms. Sparkle's friends on my hooves," he leaned in a bit closer. "I value my head just a little too much for that." And with that, he shouldered the broken spear and turned to Twilight for further orders. "My Princess?"

"That'll be all," Twilight took a calming breath to keep herself from tossing Blueblood halfway across town. "Er, dismissed."

"Yes ma'am," the Guards saluted before marching away, with Faber returning the sword to its rightful owner and continuing to smirk at Blueblood as Trixie tossed aside the battered 2x4.

"Tch, figures you'd cede to your replacement, even after all this time, Trixie," Blueblood spat, drawing a strange look between himself and the magician from Twilight, though Trixie simply snorted wordlessly in reply.

"Well, well, ye gave it a good go there, boyo," Faber trotted up and clapped Blueblood on the shoulder in an infuriatingly chummy fashion. "But ye may wanna try usin' somethin' smaller next time...since, ye know, that seems ta be what you're more comfortable with anyway."

"I swear to you," Blueblood snarled as he swatted Faber's hoof away. "I'll get you for this. You'd best sleep lightly, fool, lest I come for you in the black, terrible night when you're all alone and helpless in your bed!"

"Ah see...guess Ah'd best sleep on me back, then," Faber chuckled and Blueblood's face flushed even brighter red as nearly everypony present exploded in laughter.

"Oooh, burn!" Spike chortled helplessly as he leaned on Twilight.

Grumbling under his breath, The Prince began to stomp off before Faber picked up his walking stick and waved it at him. "Oi, ye forgot yor lil' stick, laddeh!"

"Grah, shut up about my little stick," Blueblood snatched it away, his eye twitching in irritation.

"Oh, so ye do admit that it's lil', then?"

"What the-grah!! To Ponyhell with all of you!!" The Prince spat and turned to go on his way, disgraced and defeated.

"Jeez, what a douchebag," Volare muttered as he shrugged helplessly at Twilight. "Guess my trouble magnet's still working, eh, Twi?" But just as he thought the danger was passed, a certain orange Pegasus filly just had to get the last word in as she galloped forward and stopped a few steps from the retreating Prince.

"Yeah, you're a douchebag!" Scootaloo announced, and right on cue, Blueblood whirled around and approached her. This time though, Volare managed to get between her and the freshly-angered Prince.

"What did you say, you little brat?" Blueblood spat. "Get out of the way and let her repeat herself to my face, peasant!"

"Alright pal, my name's not peasant," Volare narrowed his eyes and flicked his wings irritably. "My name's Volare and it's better for everypony if you just head on down the road and go home."

"Oh really?" the larger Prince raised himself to his full height and stared down at the Pegasus. "And I suppose you'll be the one to make me?" On impulse, he began to raise his walking stick a final time, but before it got above his head, he felt an iron-like aura grasp it. Looking up in confusion, he realized it was Trixie who'd grabbed it, and that she was smirking coolly at him. Before Blueblood could react, the stick was jerked out of his grasp and smashed across his muzzle with enough force daze him.

"Fetch, dog," Trixie commanded and hurled the walking stick down the road, never once breaking her icy stare with the stunned Blueblood. Faber was right: he never stood a damn chance! She'd been toying with him the entire time! The Prince felt something warm and wet dribble down his upper lip and he blinked the haze from his eyes as Volare prodded him in the chest with a hoof.

"Hey Blueblood," the pilot said with a grin. "Might wanna go wipe yourself off. It'd be a tragedy if your coat got dirty, eh?"

"What-huh?" Blueblood mumbled and reached up to touch his lip, his eyes widening as his hoof came away bloody. "O-oh no! It will stain!!" With a rather feminine moan of horror, the Prince galloped down the street towards the Palace, leaving the herd of ponies rolling their eyes and snickering helplessly.

"Heh, his tail tucked in after all," Faber chuckled as he thumped Volare on the shoulder. "Shite, Ah hate ponehs like that."

"Yeah, no kidding," Volare snorted in relief and knelt down beside Scootaloo, who was still chuckling herself. "Hey you, look at me," he tipped her chin upwards and gave her a serious look. "You gotta stop asking for trouble, Scoots."

"Yeah, but you were here, so I wasn't worried," Scootaloo quipped and nuzzled his shoulder. Nopony, no matter how stern, could withstand such a heartstring assault, and after a moment of helpless eye-rolling, Volare relented and wrapped her in a tight hug, drawing "awws" from the various mares of the group.

"You ok, Scoots?"

"Mhm, thanks bro. Oh hey, I got Rainbow Dash this," the unfazed filly lifted her wing and pulled out the now rather crumpled poster and unfolded it. At the sight of the band logo on the poster, Volare's face split into a grin of amazement and he ruffled her mane with a chuckle. "We can give it to her together, right?"

"Absolutely, Scoots. I got a feeling she'll love it." Shae flew over and landed on Volare's back, giving him and Scootaloo a quick once over. Satisfied that they were unhurt, she began to preen herself, though she kept an eye in the direction that Blueblood retreated.

"We're good Shae, thanks to you guys," Volare looked up and nodded to Trixie and Faber. "You didn't have to-"

"Peh, twas nothin', lad. 'Sides, what kinda friends'd just stan' by an' let tha' sorta shite 'appen, hm?" Faber brushed him off with a grin. "Really, he was nothin'; a pretentious brat tha' needed ta be put in 'is place. Hardleh worth tha broken sweat that rolled off me arse! Hahahahaa!!" Trixie shook her head in disbelief at the crude blacksmith. "Hmph, claimed ta be a prince o' all things. Who was 'e really anyway? This shite 'appen often round 'ere?"

"That truly was the 'great and entitled' Prince Blueblood," Bon-Bon rolled her eyes as she approached Faber. "Nephew to Princess Celestia, the co-ruler of Equestria herself." At her words, Faber's smiled faded and he gulped visibly; he truly had just assaulted a prince! A prick prince, but a prince nonetheless, and nephew of the most powerful pony in the land at that!! But Bon-Bon merely laughed and hooked her foreleg around his. "Pfft, don't worry too much about it; not even the Royal Guard likes him much. And with Ms. Sparkle here to vouch for you," she nodded towards the Librarian, "I don't think you've got much to worry about."

"Even so, I think it'd be a good idea not to incite further trouble; everypony here's still very much on edge since the Changeling attack," Twilight observed. "The Guard especially, since they got rather embarrassed by getting taken by surprise like that."

"Bah, fine. Ah'll do mah best not ta embarrass 'im again," Faber replied, drawing a thump from Bon-Bon. Meanwhile, Volare turned back to Trixie and extended his hoof in gratitude, his eyes roving over the magician's injuries.

"Thanks, Trix. I dunno how to repay you for this. You didn't have to take my lumps-"

"You're my best friend and I'll be damned if I stand by and watch you get hurt, especially by somepony like him," she stomped a hoof and winced at the bruising around her neck and shoulders. Twilight took a tentative step forward, but Trixie waved her off. "I'm fine...it's fine. It was worth it to get back at him."

"Yeah, about that," Spike poked Trixie with a claw. "He said something about your 'replacement.' What was up with that?"

"I think he was talking about Twilight," Lyra pointed out, drawing curious looks from everypony present.

"I dunno what he meant by that," Twilight shrugged and looked back to Trixie, who had a strange expression on her face. "Trixie? What'd he mean by me-?"

"By you replacing me," Trixie's eyes closed and her jaw tightened as energy crackled about her horn as she finally put two and two together. "All those years ago, after all this time...it's still you. Still you stealing the spotlight from me," her eyes opened and she glowered at the confused Librarian. "Twilight Sparkle, hoof-picked student of Celestia...Element of Magic."

"Wait a second, you went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?" Twilight's eyes widened. "I mean, that'd explain why you know some of the spells I do, but I never would have guessed that you-"

"Yes, and you directly replaced me years ago as Celestia's favorite student when I hit a wall and couldn't improve myself further. She turned her attention to one with more potential," Trixie's eye twitched and her starry cape began to billow about her. A nearby sapling burst into flames and caused everypony to jump back in alarm. "For all this time I've wondered who took my place at Celestia's side, but considering how fate has treated me, I'm not really terribly surprised that it was you, once again, that took my honor from me! Of course it had to be you!!"

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, Volare thought as Trixie turned to fully face her former rival. He figured if he kept his mouth shut, nopony would ever know, but now that cat was outta the bag, and she was pissed! Spike leaped behind Twilight as the Librarian reluctantly prepared a counter-spell for the magician's impending attack, hoping against hope that she could save the surrounding buildings in the process. But she knew Trixie's power personally and had taught her too well to hope that this could end anyway but badly. Volare managed to scoop up Scootaloo in a wing and in desperation placed himself between her and the danger, but it turned out it was all for naught, as Trixie inexplicably calmed down and bowed her head in what seemed to be defeat. She even conjured a bucket of water and extinguished the burning tree before she spoke.

"My apologies, Twilight. You're my teacher and though you and I were once enemies, those times are passed," Trixie wiped her face with a hoof and looked up once more at the ponies she'd come to call her friends, and smiled. "Nor does the fault lie with you...any of you." Her eyes roved among the crowd but couldn't find the grey mare she sought. With a disappointed sigh, she turned to face the palace and spoke with her back to the Librarian.

"Twilight Sparkle...I need you to know something."

"Y-yes?" Twilight took a tentative step forward.

"I think I love Octavia." Multiple jaws fell at her words, including Twilight's. But before she could gather herself, Trixie continued. "Please tell her for me." And with that, she began to march stolidly towards Canterlot Palace.

"W-wait a sec, Trixie!" Twilight called out. "Wouldn't it be better if you told her?"

"I would, but she's not here," Trixie said without breaking stride. "I intend to exchange rather harsh words with my former teacher...and I doubt I'll be returning from it." After a beat of shocked silence, Twilight did the first thing that came to mind: she tackled Trixie. "Gr-agh, let me go!!" The magician struggled and kicked and hurled spells left and right, but Twilight surrounded them with a bubble spell that absorbed the blasts as the other stunned ponies looked on, hoping that the bubble held. But hold it did.

"I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed, Trixie! It's not worth it!!" Twilight explained as she magically held the magician down. After several minutes though, and already rather winded from her duel with Blueblood, Trixie tired out and flopped onto the cobblestones, defeated and breathless. "Now then, are you going to remain calm?"

"I don't have much choice in it," Trixie muttered, but even she could see that if she was no match against Twilight's magic, then she'd stand zero chance against Celestia if it came to blows. "I'm done. Please let me up."

"Ok," Twilight nodded, releasing her grip and dissolving the bubble. Trixie staggered to her hooves and gave everypony else a sheepish grin.

"Hmph, guess I should be glad that Twilight is more powerful than me. Wow, never thought I'd say that out loud. Sorry about that everypony, heat of the moment got to me."

"Is that right?" came the sound of Octavia's voice as she trotted up through the small herd of ponies, Snowhooves and Firetail right behind her. Sitting rather comically on her head was Trixie's hat and when she was within hoof's reach she took the hat and swatted Trixie across the muzzle with it. To everypony's surprise, Trixie dipped her eyes in shame as Octavia stared her down. "You mean to tell me you'd save your friends from harm only to go off and get yourself killed to save your honor?"

"Octavia, look I-"

"Without me right there with you?" Octavia grasped Trixie's cape and tugged her closer until they were nose to nose. "You matter to me too much to lose you like that...especially if you love me as well." Before Trixie could reply, Octavia planted a deep kiss on her lips that Trixie returned with equal aplomb after a beat, oblivious to Spike and Scootaloo puling faces alongside the awkward hoof-shuffling of the bystanding ponies. Octavia pulled back with a gasp and looked Trixie's bruises over before plunking the hat on the Unicorn's head and hugging her gently. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help; I got caught up back at the station with the luggage."

"Would've broken it up lickety-split if we'd been there-ow!" Firetail rubbed the spot on his head where Snowhooves thumped him.

"It's ok. I think I handled myself pretty well," Trixie smirked confidently and received a gentle hoof from her lover. "Hit him in the horn and made him drop his weapon just like you taught me."

"Oh, who was it?" Octavia asked.

"Prince Blueblood." At her words, Octavia's back hooves dug into the ground and her hug on Trixie tightened a margin.

"Did you pay that bastard back?"

"Not as much as I could have," Trixie replied, and finally Lyra stepped forward to ask the question on everypony's minds.

"Ok, what's up with you and Blueblood anyway?" Octavia looked at Trixie who nodded her assent.

"As you all now know, Trixie went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns when she was younger, and was quite the student," Octavia smiled and nuzzled her fillyfriend. "She advanced quickly and was on the verge of moving on to the next level of studies but she became distracted. She hit a wall, as it were. Volare, Scootaloo, I believe you two both know of what I'm speaking."

"Yeah, I remember," Volare nodded, as did Scootaloo. "You just couldn't get any better and nearly destroyed your horn in the process."

"Yes, but did I ever tell you why I was pushing myself so hard?" Trixie asked.

"Cuz you wanted to distance yourself from your former life and make something better of yourself, right?"

"That's how it was at first," Trixie sighed and bowed her head for a moment to gather her thoughts. "But all that changed when a certain self-entitled Unicorn stallion was sent to the school and allowed to have the run of the place due to his status; even made him a glorified hall monitor. He was demanding, over-bearing, and overall intolerable, and once he set his sights on me...it was sheer misery from that day forward as I was constantly reminded that if I retaliated, he'd set the Guard on me or tell his Auntie I'd threatened his life...and that'd be the end for me, regardless of my position as Celestia's personal student."

"Wait a sec...not Prince Blueblood?" Spike gaped as Trixie nodded grimly.

"But wait, Celestia wouldn't let anypony do that! It's gotta be some sorta bad mistake, right?" Twilight protested, unable to believe that she'd allow such suffering of a pony to come to pass without recourse-although she had caught a glimpse of the manipulative side of her teacher the last time they'd met. Even so, she had to have been horribly distracted; she wouldn't just ignore such behavior, would she?! "Surely there must be an explanation?"

"If there was, I never really got one," Trixie shrugged as Octavia nuzzled her once more and Scootaloo trotted forward to hug her leg. "Only that 'time is short, not enough to go back and start things over.' For soon, I began to study other magic...magic designed not to help and aid other ponies like Celestia wanted me to, but to hurt and even kill them instead. Well, kill one stallion in particular. I was blinded by my anger and lust for vengeance and soon making him suffer became the only goal in my world. I could only take so much, you see...after a few years, I figured he'd stop, but it only got worse. He beat me with yardsticks and teased me that I'd never be able to fight back, so I was better off laying there and taking my lumps. He even...when we were in our teens, he...well, not all he said about me was false-" Trixie broke off with a choked sob and a stomp of her hoof that drew growls from Spike and Faber.

"Why I oughta...what a friggin jerk," Spike snorted flames and balled his scaly fists. "He better be glad I'm not a grown dragon."

"Ah'll remove tha lil' batard's means o' producin' heirs if Ah ever lay eyes on'm again, Prince or not," the blacksmith bared his teeth as Scootaloo hugged Trixie's leg even tighter.

"I-if he's still bothering you when I'm older, I'll come and beat him up for you, Trixie," the little filly declared, her adorable enthusiasm tugging at everypony's heart strings and meriting a firm hug from the magician before she spoke up again.

"Don't worry about avenging me, you three," Trixie sniffed and forced a smile. "You've done more than enough for that today. A simple smack across the face and public embarrassment will never be quite enough to completely make up for the pain he caused me...but I gotta say," Trixie's smiled brightened as she wiped her eyes. "It felt damn good all the same."

"I can imagine," Volare nodded grimly with a glance towards the palace, actually quite partial to Faber's suggestion. "But something's not clicking for me: what did Celestia mean by 'time is short?' What was so pressing that she couldn't see the abuse you were taking right under her nose, as well as the crap going on here with the Guards?"

Octavia shrugged, and before Trixie could speak, they were interrupted by the nearby landing of a golden-colored Pegasus mare. Her wild and spiky amber mane flashed back and forth as she took in the scene before her. She stepped forward, took a deep sniff of the air, and promptly pulled a face.

"Pee-yew, smells like Royal Pain around here! Did I hear you ponies mention Blueblood?" Her gaze drifted over to Soarin standing next to Lyra and without hesitation, she fluttered over between them and slugged him in the shoulder before giving him a peck on the cheek. At this distance, it was plain to see that her cutie mark matched the mark stamped into Soarin's engagement ring. This was Spitfire, co-captain of the Wonderbolts. "Well, Soarin? I detect the distinct stench of The Pain in the plot. What happened?"

"Heh, heya Spits," Soarin returned the peck with one of his own before nodding towards Scootaloo and Volare. "Well, basically, the little one there-"

"Hey, I said I'm not little!" Scootaloo fumed.

"Oops, right. Scootaloo there, big fan of Rainbow Dash by the way, she kinda ran into Blueblood. He got all mad and tried to hit her with a stick, and then-"

"He did what?" Spitfire cried, her eyes drifting over the smaller filly who was being inspected by Spike for further injuries for a moment before Soarin continued.

"Yeah, but before he did, her brother slammed him outta the way."

"Who's her brother? Skinny blue guy with the bird on his back?"

"Yep."

"Hmph, well anypony that wallops that brat is worth knowing in my book," Spitfire cocked a brow as she approached. "What's your name?" To her surprise, Volare straightened up and threw her the crispest salute he could muster.

"Ma'am, Lieutenant Volare!"

"Impressive salute...Volare," Spitfire nodded and gave him a quick once-over with her eyes. "Lieutenant of what though? I don't remember seeing you in the ranks around here. Oh, and at ease; I'm not in uniform, ya know."

"It's erm...a bit of a long story, ma'am," Volare relaxed. But before he could speak, he was interrupted by the loud rumbling of Soarin's belly, which drew a smattering of chuckles from everypony present.

"Aww man, can't it wait? Somepony did kinda interrupt my dinner," Soarin shot Lyra a look, but the Unicorn's grin quickly went from sheepish to impish.

"How about we kill two birds at once, eh? Seeing as how it's about dinner time for everypony, after all." Lyra glanced at the fading sun and then turned to Twilight, her grin positively Cheshire by now. "Hey Twi."

"Hrm?"

"I couldn't help but notice how close we are to your sister Cadance's house. Somepony told me she's a pretty good cook and that she has quite the sizable dining room." Twilight's eyes widened in realization of Lyra's words. "And we all know how much she loves serving the good citizens of Equestria."

"Nope," she shook her head, but the damage was already done.

"Yeah, I'm sure Princess Mi Amore wouldn't mind a pit-stop there, right?" Soarin joined in with a grin of his own.

"No way!" Twilight protested, but it was like trying to hold back an avalanche single-hoofed.

"Come on, we crave sustenance," Spitfire joined in loudly.

"Spitfire, you just got here! Come on, you guys, we are not invading my sister's!" Twilight fought back as valiantly as she could. "Tell them, Volare!" But to her horror, the pilot joined in with the Wonderbolts and Lyra; it had been a long train ride, after all!

"Food!" he grinned.

"Food!!" Spike grinned and joined in.

"Yea, fooood!!" Lyra echoed as she bumped hooves with Volare "FOOD!! FOOOD!!" Soon the entire herd was calling for food, and even Shae was adding her own shrieks of hunger into the mix.

"Hey!!" Twilight stomped a hoof despite the smile she felt growing across her own face at her friends' boisterous antics. "We are absolutely not going! Seriously!!"

.........................................
West Ponyville Park...

"Haha, better but not quite, Boss!" Cloud Kicker laughed as Rainbow Dash once more leaped to her hooves, spitting soil and grass-clipping as she straightened Cloud Kicker's borrowed sparring helmet for the umpteenth time that day. But although she'd been tossed aside like a ragdoll again and again, instead of becoming discouraged, the hard-headed Weather Captain merely became more determined to find a way to win.

"Grrah, one more time!" Dash yelled as she turned to face the Krav-Pega Master, her safety-padded hoof pawing and tearing out chunks of turf. As sadistic as it might appear, Cloud Kicker had to admit that it was kinda nice to whoop on her Boss for once, and without fear of recourse. And she made it a point to remind Dash of it every moment she could, claiming that a suplex throw was for "forgetting to give her a raise," a wing-bar was for making her buck a whole thunderstorm herself one day, and one particular joint lock was for Dash "refusing her generous offer to share her bed a few years ago."

"I mean, seriously, I couldn't be any nicer, Boss," Cloud Kicker chuckled while Dash thrashed about, trying to unhook her wing from under her Lieutenant's armpit, but to no avail. "Wine, cheese, a movie, more wine, romantic music, and a whole night of rowdy banging. What more could you ask for?"

"Getting me drunk so I'd hop in the sack with you won't prove I swing that way, Cloud Kicker-ragh!" Dash retorted, surprising her friend with a sudden duck-under move that allowed her to grab Cloud Kicker's back right leg and twist her to the ground. She raised her padded hoof to strike, but Cloud Kicker responded by grabbing at her hoof with a grin; she too knew that Dash hated having her sensitive hooves touched. Dash hopped backwards with a snort, her fighting blood boiling as she bum-rushed her Lieutenant once more.

"She's being far too predictable," Ravenfire rolled her eyes and watched from her cloud as, equally predictably, Cloud Kicker countered Dash's rush with a side-step and a trip that left her eating turf once more. This had gone on for most of the day as Cloud Kicker showed Dash a few sparring moves beyond wrestling. But every time that progress seemed to be made, Dash's temper would rise, she'd forget what she'd learned, and simply rush in, relying on her blinding speed to do the deed. This worked the first few times, but Cloud Kicker was a seasoned West Hoof student, and she quickly picked up on Dash's simple patterns as she made a mule out of her boss time and again, her devilish delight plain for all to see.
"Rainbow Dash, try using a little variety for once!"

"Aww nah, don't stop her Raven," Cloud Kicker chortled as Dash squinted up at the cloud-perched older mare. "This is kinda a fantasy of mine: The Boss throwing herself at me cuz she just can't resist the old Cloud Kicker charm! Ooh, or maybe she's throwing herself at me cuz she's pretending I'm some pony else. Some stallion else," Cloud Kicker winked at her boss. With a shout of mortified rage and panted threats of all sorts of bodily harm, Dash charged her Lieutenant, and it was all Ravenfire could do to not step in and show her herself. Unless Dash controlled that temper, she'd never make any progress in....well, what Dash claimed to be a "new hobby" and in no way related to anypony else. She insisted it, in fact.

Well, I wasn't born yesterday, much as I'd like to be a little younger. Oh if wishes were fishes, Ravenfire thought as she glanced up at the distant city of Canterlot as it caught the final glimmering rays of the waning sun. Something in her gut told her that the real reason for Dash's change in behavior was likely settling down for dinner right now, his friends all around him and surrounded by strong, safe walls.

.........................................
Cadance and Shining Armor's Home, Early Evening...

The smell of a veritable autumn feast permeated the sizable home of Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. While the former worked her magic in the kitchen, stirring up and preparing dishes from recipes she'd picked up from her travels the world-over, Shining Armor prepared the table in the dining room. As Cadance carefully watched the vegetable contents of one pot coming to boil, she continued to keep and eye on the main course of the evening that simmered in a shallow pan on the stove: Desert Stew, a type of lentil and rice curry picked up from Saddle Arabia the summer before she married Shining Armor. It was one of her favorite foreign dishes, and although spicy, it was balanced out nicely with a bowl of chilled dates, the Saddle Arabian national fruit. The dish was simple enough to make, but if one lost their concentration for even the slightest bit, it could easily burn.

"Hey good lookin," despite her focus, a smile crept across her face as a voice crooned in her ear. She felt warm breath upon her neck as soft lips gently nibbled her before parting and speaking again. "Whatcha got cookin'?"

"Hmph, your dinner and it'll burn if you distract me too much, mister," Cadance half-turned and met Shining Armor's blue eyes with her own purple ones. He was wearing the goofy little grin he often got when they were alone like this, as if he were happy just to be in her presence-which he was of course. Even so, it was a smile he shared only with her, and it sent a little thrill up her spine to know he appreciated and loved her so much.

"Mmm, smells good," Shining Armor murmured and snuffled her neck once more. "Dinner too."

"Heehee, is that so?" Cadance fully turned and planted a teasing nip of a kiss on her husband's lips with an impish grin. "You like the smell of me working in the kitchen and getting all dirty and smoky for you?"

"Well yeah, cuz that means I get ta clean ya up later," Shining Armor replied and returned the kiss. "Cuz as great as ya look now, I know you'll look better after dinner and a hot bath...and maybe a massage, hmm?"

"Oho, you'd best keep your silver tongue tucked away, Captain," Cadance poked his shoulder with a cooking spoon.

"Ha, depends on where I tuck it away at," Shining replied with a soft growl and ducked under the spoon to catch her lips in hers once more. Cadance had to admit, though he could be a little irritating at times-and what husband wasn't on occasion?-he more than made up for it in charm and sincerity. "So babe, what is for dinner?" Shining cocked a brow at the bubbling pots and pans, and his face fell slightly in recognition of the ingredients. "Not...Desert Stew again?"

Aaaand charm is gone.
"Again?" Cadance jabbed at him with the spoon. "We haven't had this in weeks! Besides, you claimed it was your favorite...Or were you just saying that?"

"Um, you see, uh..." Shining wilted slightly under his wife's stern look. "If I was only just saying that, it was only to make you happy, honey."

"Uh-huh," Cadance rolled her eyes and turned back to stir the meal once more. "I figured as much when you dumped gravy all over it the last time."

"But gravy is awesome!" Shining insisted, his eyes flicking towards the food and back at his wife. "I mean, everything you make is great, this just gives it that coupe de grace oomph!" Cadance' eyes flicked back to his hopeful expression, and she barely managed to hold in a laugh at the sight of him giving her puppy dog eyes. Big beautiful puppy dog eyes that only made her love him all the more despite his occasional moments. With a small shake of her mane and a sigh of defeat, Cadance relented.

"Oh fine, I suppose you can go get the gravy boat," she smiled and pecked him on the lips as she passed him on the way to the dining room, simmering pans and dishes levitating around her. She thought she heard a small yay as Shining Armor galloped towards the larder downstairs, but she didn't have much time to think on it; as soon as she sat the plates down, she heard a knock on the front door.

"Now who could that be this time of day?" Cadance glanced at the clock-it was a quarter past six-before trotting towards the door. "Who is it?" she called, and her face split into a grin at the familiar reply.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!" Without hesitation, Cadance unlocked the door and threw it open, her response halfway out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Clap your hooves and do a little...oh my." Cadance froze in mid-shake, her posterior protruding over the threshold and her eyes wide as saucers at the sight of the small herd of ponies outside the door, the closest of which were Twilight and a lanky blue and yellow Pegasus stallion. His eyes were as wide as hers as he tried to tear his gaze away from Cadance' shapely pink plot practically poking him in the person...but to no avail.

Shining Armor, you lucky bastard, Volare's stunned mind managed to mumble before Twilight elbowed him in the ribs, and he quickly threw a wing up over his eyes. "Agh, oh damn, s-sorry, Plot-Princess flank-Cadance! Princess Cadance." Volare felt his face burn as hot as the sun as he heard Cadance regain her composure with a small ahem of embarrassment.

"Smooth one, dude," Spike face-clawed.

"Gawd, I'm just gonna go fall down a sewer grate now, bye."

"No, wait," Volare felt a slim hoof lay itself on his shoulder and peel his wing from his eyes. Facing him was a lithe pink Alicorn half a head taller than he and projecting an air of elegance and kindness that tore him in two directions. On one hand, he wished to bow, if not out of respect than solace for staring, but on the other, he was almost compelled to hug her in greeting, as if she weren't a Princess but a long-lost friend. Thankfully, before Volare could embarrass himself further, Cadance acted first and wrapped a wing around him in a kind and gentle embrace. "You must be Volare, right?"

"Y-yes Princess," Volare nodded, now even more embarrassed as he caught the looks from his friends. "I am."

"I've heard so much about you, it's almost surreal to see you in person," Cadance replied with a smile as she released him and looked him over, noting the barely-visible burn scars from his origins that Twilight had spoken of, as well as the scarf with the CMC logo and the saddlebag he wore close to his side. It was then that she noticed the little orange filly in her matching cape by his side, trying not to look too terribly conspicuous so that she stayed out of trouble for now.
"Well, well, who might you be, little one?" Cadance knelt down to the filly's level with a gentle smile.

"I-I'm Scootaloo, and I'm Volare's sister," the youngster answered after a moment's hesitation.

"Oh yes, I remember now. You two were competing in the Running of the-" Cadance cut herself off at Volare's pained expression, settling for an awkward rearranging of her tiara for a moment before turning back to Scootaloo, noting the faded scar on her face that Shining Armor had told her about. Poor little one's been through so much. "How old are you, Scootaloo?"

"Ten," she answered proudly and unfazed.

"Aha, graduated to double digits. Quite the accomplishment," Cadance smiled and patted her head with a wing. "Well, I'm Princess Cadance, Shining Armor's wife and Twilight Sparkle's sister-in-law."

"Whoa, sweet!" Scootaloo beamed brightly before sniffing the air wafting from the house. "Mmm, what smells good? I'm starving!"

"Hahaha, I'll bet you are. It's a special dish from one of the countries I've visited in the past."

"Aww, can we have some?" Scootaloo pleaded before Volare patted her on the head with his own wing and gave Cadance a helpless shrug. But Cadance merely chuckled and turned to Twilight and embraced her even more strongly. "It's good to see you again, Twilight. I heard what happened down in Ponyville and I just...oh you should have seen how I scolded Shining Armor when he came home," she chuckled.

"I can imagine," Twilight laughed and hugged her once more before turning to her friends. "Um, you wouldn't be terribly offended if a few of my friends invited themselves over for dinner, would you?" Soarin, Spitfire, and Lyra picked up on her pointed request and added their own hoof waves and hopeful smiles to the mix.

"All of them, hmm?" Cadance pondered with a hoof to her lips before smiling. "I suppose I can whip up a few extra dishes...if they're willing to pitch in of course." Her words brought a chorus of yays, alrights, and hoof-bumps from all present as she led them inside, though Shae was content to perch on the roof instead, preferring the open air to the indoors. Besides, the roof had a skylight and she'd be able to keep an eye on everypony that way, and so she settled in with a content cheerek, preening her feathers and keeping a sharp eye out for any further trouble of the Blueblooded sort. As their home swelled with guests, Shining Armor returned with the gravy boat hovering alongside him and he stopped dead in his tracks in sheer surprise at the amount of ponies and creatures within their home. He wasn't angry, just plain stunned.

"Um, honey," Shining called out over the hustle and bustle. Cadance' eyes met his as he looked from her to the gravy boat and back. "I think we're gonna need a bigger boat."

...........................
A Short Time Later...

"Whoa, that was some trip," Spitfire gasped and took a long swig of her drink as Volare returned the earbuds and memory sphere to his saddlebag while the impromptu dinner party continued back in the dining room. "That was...whoa, man. Just, whoa." Spitfire leaned back on the living room couch and wiped her forehead, her mind buzzing with imagery of military jets, mid-air dogfights, explosions, fire, music, and a myriad of other sights, sounds, and even smells related to the events that Volare had personally encountered since his arrival in Equestria.

"Heh, I think that's about how you first reacted when Vinyl did that with you, Volare," Twilight chuckled and nudged the pilot.

"Nah, I wasn't that out of it, was I?"

"Sure were, dude," Spike smirked and slurped from his own drink, rather amused by the Wonderbolt Captain's reaction to the memory sphere. "Your eyes were giving Derpy a run for her bits and you nearly fell over."

"Well excuse me, but I'd nearly bled to death a few nights before if I recall correctly," Volare stuck his tongue out at the young dragon.

"Eesh, don't remind me; gives my scales the shakes every time I think about that night," Spike shivered visibly before Twilight placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.

"I think that can be said for everypony present," Twilight frowned before moving her hoof to Volare's and looking him in the eyes. His gaze met hers, but words weren't necessary. They both knew he was damn lucky to be alive and sitting where he was today. She gave him a quick smile and a pat of his hoof before turning back to Spitfire, who was still looking a bit dazed. "But let's not spoil the night, hmm? Spitfire, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, just...damn, I saw that too," the normally confident Captain's orange eyes were glinting with rarely-seen moisture and she kept looking at Volare to see if he was truly in one piece, because judging from what she'd seen, he should be six feet under by now. She was known by many as a hard-boiled Pegasus with a take-no-prisoners attitude up at the Wonderbolt Academy. But here...she'd just born witness to all of the pain and suffering this human-turned-pony had experienced, and to tell the truth, it was inspiring to see him still alive and seemingly normal. "Are you...damn, are you ok, Volare?"

"Heh, yeah, I'm good, Spitfire. Why?"

"That just-" she trailed off with a shake of her mane. Though he'd explained that he was simply sharing memories with her to save time, he didn't tell her about what she'd feel as well. With a short snort and a quick swig of the last of her drink, she shook her head once more and tried to focus. "Like I said, that was a trip. I saw the military things you told me about, and I see now what you meant when you introduced yourself as Lieutenant. If we were outdoors and in uniform, I'd salute ya."

"No need, ma'am," Volare shook his head and smiled, very aware that Twilight's hoof had yet to leave his own below the level of the table. He gave her a quick sideways glance but she was turned around and chatting with Cadance behind her chair, so he simply shrugged and let it be for now, though something in the back of his mind told him to be careful, that perhaps those feelings that Twilight had to repress were coming out again. Wouldn't be so bad now, he thought, what with that crystal keeping him stable and he being ok with the thought of having a relationship with a pony. Sure, Twilight could be a little out there sometimes, but she was a nice mare, funny, smart, and easy on the-
Oh my god...keep it together, dude!

"-scooch on over, buddy!" Volare was pulled out of his musings by a mint-green and white tail flicking across his nose. He snuffled and looked up to see Lyra standing there with a wide grin and drinks hovering around her head. "Scooch on in and gimme some room, dude."

"Oh, r-right," Volare nodded and moved over, breaking his touch with Twilight's hoof and causing the Librarian to look up for a moment before moving over as Lyra deposited the drinks on the table.

"Sup, Twilight. Heya Spits," Lyra grinned and offered her a drink, but the Wonderbolt Captain held up a hoof and shook her head.

"No thanks. I think I hear my special somepony calling," Spitfire stood up and gave Twilight and Volare a curt nod before trotting off to find Soarin in the kitchen. Cadance, sensing some strife, nodded to her guests as well and beckoned for Spike to follow her and Spitfire just in case, leaving Twilight, Volare, and Lyra alone in the living room.

"Wow, she seemed kinda...on edge," Twilight observed with a tilt of her head. "And not just cuz of the memory sphere-by the way, that was a good idea, Volare. Really saved us hours of explanation."

"That was the idea behind it," Volare replied as he patted the saddlebag. "Vinyl's quite the genius when she puts her mind to it. You think she'll be ok? She seemed kinda shaken."

"Heh, Spitfire's one tough cookie; she'll be ok," Lyra tossed her mane and slurped her drink. "And as for that sphere doo-hicky, I'm proud to be one of the first ponies to add stuff to it," Lyra pumped a hoof and grinned, though that faded somewhat as Twilight fixed her in a frown. "What?"

"Spitfire seemed to direct her comments towards you, Lyra. Is something going on between you two?"

"Huh? Oh, well maybe," Lyra waved a hoof. "I mean, not anymore I thought, but apparently she's not over it yet. Shame too, cuz I remember her being pretty cool to hang with back in the day."

"Back in the day, eh?" Volare cocked a brow and sampled the drink that Lyra had brought. He couldn't place it at first, but it hinted strongly of apples and honey of all things. And by the taste on the back of this throat, it was fairly alcoholic as well, and so he resigned to sip it rather than gulp it. "What is this stuff, Lyra?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's Cyser, made from Canterlot Clover Honey and Apple Family Cider," Lyra replied and took a draught of her own mug and sighed in pleasure. "It's a type of old Norse-Pony mead from way up north. Good huh? Twi, you gonna try any?"

"I dunno if I should," Twilight hesitated, but at the encouraging smiles from Lyra and Volare, she resolved herself to try a little bit of it, if only out of politeness. She tipped up a mug and the warm mead washed her tongue and throat, warming her to the core and quite instantly relaxing her a tad. To put it simply, Twilight was a bit of a lightweight, and she gave a small, embarrassed burp before regaining her composure. "Ahem, it's good. Thanks Lyra. Now then...back to Spitfire. You knew her in the past?"

"Yeah, she and I go way back to elementary school, actually," Lyra nodded and proceeded to relate how she and Spitfire had been the best of friends for years, always getting into trouble, causing a ruckus in and around the Canterlot Palace, and scaring the daylights out of the staff there on occasion. They seemed inseparable. "But then one day when we were both about 17 or so, this hunk of a Pegasus stallion with a killer blue mane and the silliest, most adorable laugh ever came into our lives." Lyra smiled and swigged her drink. "He wasn't the brightest guy, but by Celestia's beard was he friendly and chivalrous. And dat plot...heehee!"

"Moving right along. Why the tension between you and Spitfire?" Volare nudged her with an elbow, and she gathered herself once more. Thus began a long-winded tale of desire, passion, suspicion, jealousy, anger, and betrayal that culminated in Spitfire, Soarin, and Lyra all ending up in the same bed four years ago. And there were details...oh so many details. In fact, according to Lyra, it was a wonder neither she nor Spitfire ended up with foals.

"And that's how I proved that I was better in the sack than Spitfire. And ever since then she's done everything she can to keep Soarin away from me, including apparently becoming his fiance." Lyra downed the rest of her drink and slammed her mug down before staring curiously as Twilight and Volare's gob-smacked faces. "What?"

"Um, nothing Lyra," Volare blinked twice and shook his mane, his mind trying to process all that she'd just told him-quite proudly it seemed-and the mead wasn't making it any easier! And judging by the curious look on Twilight's face as she peered over her empty mug, she was feeling the same effects. "Just...I can see why Spitfire wants to keep you away from him."

"Yeah, she can't compete so she just eliminates the competition I guess," Lyra shrugged and waggled her empty mug. "Want some more Cyser, guys?"

"Hmm-oh, no, I'm fine," Twilight shook her head as did Volare.

"Aww, ok," Lyra pursed her lips, leaned back on the couch and let loose a wall-shaking belch that drew hoots and hollers of encouragement from the dining room. "Ahhh...Cyser's always good among friends, ya know?" Lyra threw a hoof over Volare's shoulders and grinned at both him and Twilight. "Man, you know what stinks? Out of everypony here, we're the only ones not getting any action."

If Volare and Twilight had any drinks left, there'd have been a simultaneous spit-take of epic proportions. But lacking the prerequisite liquid, they both had to settle for a duet of "What?"

"Yeah, think about it," Lyra waved a hoof towards the dining room. "I mean, Shining Armor and Cadance of course. Spitfire and Soarin. You can bet that Snowhooves and Firetail are gettin' some back in town-"

"Ahem, this is hardly a dinner-appropriate topic," Twilight replied lamely, though Lyra merely laughed.

"Aww come on, Princess. Aren't you curious as to who's with who around here? I know Volare probably is," she nudged the blushing pilot with an elbow. "Come on, dude. Since you're on the prowl and all, you'd best know what's going on so you don't get all frustrated later when you-"

"Whoa, whoa, timeout a-hic-sec!" Twilight waved a hoof and half-stood up before the mead dragged her back to the couch cushion. "What do you mean, 'Volare's on the prowl?' He's already said he's not ok with being with mares because it's too weird for him."

"Ahaha, you may not have a lot to learn book-wise, but from a practicality stand-point," Lyra smirked and her hold on Volare's neck tightened a smidge. "You're kinda lacking. Surely even you noticed ol' flyboy's reaction to Princess Cadance' little door greeting." Lyra's golden eyes flashed with mirth while Volare's face flared scarlet as Twilight put two and two together. "Oh yeah, Volare here had a nice little conversation with Cloud Kicker and according to her, any sorta taboo he might have had against a pony relationship is dead and buried now, eh Volare?"

"Eh-heh, you could um...kinda say that," Volare mumbled, unable to bring his eyes to meet Twilight's for the moment, though Lyra simply laughed again and shook him gently.

"Haha, no need to be nervous, dude. Twi and I are your pals, and admitting your feelings is nothing to be embarrassed about, right Twilight?"

"Uh, r-right," Twilight replied quietly, her eyes shying away from Volare's as well. If Lyra's system didn't already have mead coursing through it, she might have noticed the awkward body language between the two, but fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one's point of view) she continued on, oblivious to their nervousness.

"So, right, where was I? Oh yeah, I swear something's going on between Bon-Bon and Faber, cuz she keeps mentioning something about a bung-hammer, even when they aren't talking about the wine barrels in the basement. And Trixie and Octavia together and doing it every time I turn around," Lyra halted at a series of thumps from the upstairs bedroom and smirked. "Speaking of whom...I think I saw them headed up the steps after dinner. You know, I've never been the after-dinner type. Always felt like digesting first before having a little fun, know what I mean, guys?"

"Eh, sure," Volare forced a smile, supremely uncomfortable with having this conversation in front of Twilight.

"I er...wouldn't know, honestly," Twilight replied, drawing a look of surprise from Lyra.

"Whoa, Twilight so you haven't...you know?" she waved a hoof in a circle.

"....N-no," came Twilight's quiet response.

"Dang, I'm sorry Twi," Lyra reached over and patted the mortified Librarian. "You'll find the right guy soon enough. I mean, hay, I'll bet even Shae's gotten some lately," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood as she nodded up at the osprey peering in through the skylight. Unfortunately, the mead wasn't helping her subtlety much this evening as she raised her mug in a toast to Shae. "Hey Twilight, you're smart. Ever wonder how birds do the deed?"

"What the hell?" Volare muttered as Twilight's eyes shot wide and her face flamed red.

"Well, er...of course I know I just..." the Librarian's eyes darted towards Volare's and he gave her a 'hell no' sort of look. "But the Cyser's kinda gotten to my head and made it all foggy. Sorry," she smiled sweetly and Volare had to surpress a grin as they bumped hooves under the table...hooves that once more stayed in contact after the act.

"Ah, yeah I hear ya there," Lyra nodded and smacked her lips. "You know, us three and Trixie were supposed to study up humans more soon, right?"

"Yep, that's right," Twilight nodded, grateful for the change of subject.

"I've always wondered about how they get it on, like, how much more fun it could be with those fingers and extra joints and stuff," Lyra grinned toothily while Volare face-tabled with a groan. "Volare, what's your favorite position? Speaking of which, what're you guys doing later tonight? You think we could-"

"No!" came Volare and Twilight's responses, quickly shooting down Lyra's crazy request.

"Aww, ok," Lyra checked the bottom of her empty mug once more, shrugged, and picked up the empty containers with her magic. "If you guys change your mind, lemme know, ok? In the meantime, guess it's another night of me and the "FUN" box."

"Ok, I'm afraid to ask," Volare said as Lyra turned to go. "But what's in the "FUN" box?"

"Heehee, come to my apartment and find out, pal," Lyra bumped her hip against his side with a smirk. "Gotta say, you humans invent all kinds of stuff for lonely girls...guys too."

"Damn, Lyra," Volare shook his head in disbelief as she started to trot off. "No offense, but you're kinda a freak."

"Hmm...yep, guess I kinda am. But hey, can't make a jar of peanut butter without a few nuts, right? See ya!" Lyra said matter-of-factly as she left the room, leaving Twilight and Volare alone and in the grip of a heavy, awkward silence. After several moments of throat-clearing and hoof-shuffling, Volare broke the silence.

"So, um...that was interesting."

"Yeah, a little too interesting," Twilight chuckled nervously and looked tentatively towards Volare. "Was she serious? I mean, about the...fun box and the stuff in it?"

"Believe it or not, yeah, she's right," Volare scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Humans do all sorts of crazy things to...well, take care of business."

"You mean achieve sexual pleasure?" Twilight corrected him so bluntly that he gaped at her until she hoofed his shoulder. "Oh come on, just because I don't have any hooves-on experience doesn't mean I don't know about the act of it, Volare. Don't forget: we did go over pony anatomy together."

"How could I forget?" Volare chuckled and returned the hoof.

"So what was more awkward? You learning about pony anatomy or Lyra's...experiences?" Twilight inquired.

"Seriously?"

"Mhm, I'd like to know."

"Why?"

"Oh, I have my reasons," Twilight smiled and leaned in closer. Volare could smell the mead on her breath and it gave him pause in worry for a moment before continuing.

"Fine...probably this."

"And why's that?"

"Cuz you're right here practically taking notes, plus you're a...well, a-"

"But you didn't know I was until I said it," Twilight pointed out with a smirk. "Does that change things between us?"

"Um, I mean, uh...we're just friends right, Twi?" Volare asked, and though it hurt a bit, Twilight did pull back to contemplate his statement with a frown.

"Well, yeah, of course," Twilight nodded, realizing how her behavior must be coming off to him, although a small portion of herself questioned why that was so wrong. Because, well...Celestia didn't know things were safe now, with that crystal, there was a way for them to...

"I'm glad, by the way," Volare's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Hrm, what?"

"That we're friends, Twi," Volare grasped her hoof in his and smiled. "Everypony could use a friend like you."

"Heh, well I'm not perfect, Volare," Twilight shrugged.

"Neither am I, though," Volare countered with a nudge. "But it's friends like you that help fill in those gaps of imperfections and lift others up to higher places."

"...Volare, you're either mocking me or you're very drunk," Twilight pointed out with a hiccuping laugh that Volare soon echoed once he registered her words.

"Hmph, well trust me Princess, I wouldn't mock you," Volare's bow coincidentally made him dodge a swipe of a throw-pillow. "So that must mean I'm quite buzzed. Even so, considering how you saved everyone's butts out there today, though you may not like it much, I'm pretty damn glad you're a Princess."

"Heh, well in that regard, I guess I am too," Twilight conceded.

"I'm gonna have to bow more so you don't set the Guard on me one of these days."

"Pfft, like I'd do that," Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Then again, I might have them chunk you in the moat to clear your head if you don't knock it off, Mr. Blue Angel Lieutenant."

"Junior Lieutenant," he corrected.

"As if titles matter between friends," Twilight laughed and snuggled up against Volare, the mead making her head a little foggy and sleepy. And he was warm, so why not? She subconsciously fumbled her front hooves about for a moment before grasping his own hoof between them and pulling it to her chest as she settled in and closed her eyes, a bit too tired to notice him tense up slightly at her actions.

Well, this is kinda awkward, the pilot thought before allowing Twilight to grasp him, enjoying her company and closeness, something he had to admit he missed since they discovered their little "problem." But one look down at the gentle smile on her sleepy face and all semblance of reluctance melted. Heh, gotta admit she's kinda cute like this...when she's not freaking out, of course, he chuckled and relaxed against the couch shrouded in the semi-dark of the empty living room. The sounds of the party faded into the background, leaving just their quiet breathing and heartbeats to fill the silence of the house corner.

It made Volare reconsider how important he was to her, especially if just being with him like this made her happy. It scared him a bit, among other things, but it also made him realize that he owed her so much already. To take that happiness away from her...was that really fair? Besides, Volare thought as he wrapped a wing about Twilight's shoulder, inducing an adorkably sleepy little groan and a swat at her mane-bangs from her hoof. She's kind, caring, adorable, smart, funny...maybe a little neurotic, but hey, who am I to point fingers at for not being perfect? I mean, she's not really my type and I don't wanna rock the boat between her and Celestia again...still, the fact that she'd fight for me like that...wow.

"Twilight," Volare whispered as he brushed a hoof through her mane, lifting her tickling bangs from her scrunching nose.

"Hmm?" she mumbled and nuzzled up against his chest, listening to his heart...his hammering heart. "Volare, you ok?" she cracked an eye up at him.

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"Your heart's pounding," she pointed out and gave him a look before he shook his head.

"Seriously, I'm fine. Thanks. I just..." he trailed off and looked down at her, a cute little bookworm, a powerful Unicorn, a Princess, his friend. He smiled and wrapped her hooves in his and pulled her closer. "Thanks for being there for me, Twi. I dunno how I'll ever repay you."

"Aww, well you're very welcome, Volare," Twilight smiled and closed her eyes again, her own heart speeding up a bit too. Perhaps his feelings, whatever they may be, weren't totally gone too. Oh please don't let them be gone. But how to bring it back up without things becoming super awkward again? Twilight yawned hugely, eliciting a chuckle from Volare and she snorted lightly at him. Well, perhaps not tonight...too darn tired anyway. She snuggled back up against him once more and smiled contentedly. "Heh, breaking up fights, spur-of-the-moment dinner parties, crazy...er, exploits...not like today can get any crazier, right?"

The quiet alarm bells in Volare's mind rang out anew at her statement, but before he could admonish her, Murphy seemed to beat him to the punch via the swiftly dimming streetlights outside, plunging the living room into near-darkness, lit only by a single candelabra in the corner.

"So, um...you'd be ok with being with a mare, now?" Twilight murmured, oblivious to the towering black shadow passing by the window.

"Twilight, what've you done?" Volare mumbled numbly.

"Hrm, what did I do?" Twilight looked up to see the pilot's eyes growing wider by the moment. Clink-clank...clink-clank...clink-clank came the unmistakable sound of steel-shod hooves on the pavement outside the house...and they were getting closer. It was then that the fur on her neck stood on end as she finally spotted the shadow.

"Twilight, what've you done?!" Volare said, trying to scramble to his hooves to warn everypony, but instead he got tangled up with Twilight.

"What'd I do!? What is that?!" Twilight shouted as the hoofsteps stopped just beyond the door, the darkness outside so heavy that there was no hope of getting a glimpse of it before it-

Boom! Boom-Boom-Boom! The door shook under the blows of a heavy hoof before it burst wide open, shrouding the room in blackness as the wind blew out the candle and a tall dark figure with blazing cyan eyes stepped through the threshold with a confident grin on its face.

"YAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!" Twilight and Volare screamed as the Librarian reflexively leaped into the air, landing in Volare's lap and nearly knocking the couch over. The pilot barely managed to catch her and realized for half a moment that they probably looked like Scooby and Shaggy jumping all over each other before he attempted to stand and flee the room to get Twilight to safety. Instead, he only managed to trip over the table and crash to the ground on top of Twilight.

"L-look, you, get outta here!" Volare feebly demanded as he rolled over and stood protectively above Twilight. Whatever this thing was, if it broke in the door like that, it could probably tear him to pieces at will, and-

"Hahahaha! Zounds, it's been too long, Volare! And you as well, Twilight Sparkle!" Came the most unexpected reply Volare could possibly imagine. As his eyes adjusted to the dark of the room, he was aware of other ponies rushing to the dining room door to stare at the scene before them as he gazed upwards at none other than Princess Luna herself. The Princess of the Night, foregoing all semblance of decorum, lifted both Twilight and Volare in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oof, good to see you too, Luna," Volare gasped, his heart still racing and his face burning in embarrassment as was Twilight's, perhaps even more so than he.

"Luna I love you too, but I think you're killing us," Twilight managed to squeak before the Princess of the Night realized her over-enthusiasm and released them to the floor once more.

"A thousands pardons, truly," Luna bowed quickly as her friends recovered, though she noticed something curious: Twilight and Volare were in close proximity to one another, yet Twilight wasn't exhibiting any strange behavior like her old letter had described, not did she herself feel that presence his body gave off the last time they'd met. Curious, very curious... "I trust I didn't startle you too badly?"

"Us? Nah, though I think Cadance may wanna check the couch for stains," Volare coughed as his breath returned.

"Yes, and I'll yet again have to repair my front door," Cadance rolled her eyes as she entered the living room. "I mean, really Auntie?"

"Eh-heh, forgive me. I don't know my own strength in my exuberance at the news that my friends were in town," Luna's face flushed as she winced at the sight of the broken front door. "At least it's still hanging on the hinges this time, right?" Everypony burst into chuckles as Cadance hugged her aunt, who in turn passed bows and embraces all around, albeit now they were a bit more controlled.

"How'd you know we were in town, Luna?" Volare asked as Luna sampled Cadance's cooking with an approving smile.

"Oh a little bird named Blueblood informed me through a bloody muzzle that some crazy ponies had attacked him and threatened his life right in front of the Royal Guard," Luna's tone became almost sardonic as she eyeballed the suddenly nervous group of ponies. "He gave the names Volare, Faber, Trixie, and Scootaloo of all ponies as the ones who tried to...oh how did he put it-'tear him limb from limb.' Now then, is that the truth, or is he just embellishing things again?" The other ponies weren't sure if she was joking or not-this was Luna for crying out loud, self-proclaimed master of pranks and good humor, right? But Luna's cool gaze roved among the ponies for a moment before realizing that one of the accused was absent. "Where is Trixie? I was told she was here. I trust she's in better spirits since we last met, especially if she was healthy enough to want to tear Blueblood to pieces."

"Uh, well..." Lyra spoke up as her gaze flicked towards the ceiling. Almost right on cue came a thump and a muffled giggle, the owner of which obviously oblivious to the front door being practically kicked in. "She's kinda....indisposed at the moment."

"...Upstairs I take it?" Luna cocked a brow which Lyra feebly answered with a shrug and a feeble grin. "No worries, I'll fetch her." Before Lyra could say another word, Luna made for the stairs.

"Oh holy shitfire," Volare muttered and covered his face with his hooves as if to ward off the inevitable as Luna trotted up to the second story. Twilight mirrored his expression as the Princess' steel-shod hooves clinked along the upstairs floorboards, halting outside what Volare could only guess was the room from which Trixie and Octavia's-ahem-noises were emanating. Luna knocked on the door, but the giggling and thumps continued until they all heard the door begin to creak open...and then...

"Hello? Trixie are you in-AAAGH!!!"

"What in the-Princess Luna?!" came Octavia's mortified cry of panic accompanied by scuffling hooves and what sounded like a nightstand being knocked over.

"L-Luna?!" Trixie's shout burst forth as two new sets of hooves clopped along the floorboards, both shuffling about very nervously by the sound of it.

"O-oh my meteors," Luna mumbled. "A thousand pardons, but um...if you two could just-"

"Begging your pardon, your majesty, but get out!" Octavia shouted, and down the stairs stumbled a very red-faced Luna. The Night Princess wore a thousand yard stare as she trotted numbly back into the dining room, gave the others a very short nod, and proceeded to mutter some sort of prayer under her breath as they all waited for the arrival of the two fillyfriends. Thankfully the silence didn't have to last long as Trixie and Octavia shuffled down the steps a few moments later, but as red-faced as Luna and clearly out of breath...for whatever reason.

"Y-you wanted to see us, Princess?" Trixie asked as she approached, giving her friends a small shrug and embarrassed smile.

"Badly enough that she interrupted, apparently," Octavia remarked, trying her best to wrangle her abnormally messy mane into a half-presentable state.

"Whoa, why do you have rope-marks on your forelegs, Octy?" Lyra pointed out, causing Octavia to try to hide her hooves, something nearly impossible for a pony to do and still remain standing.

"Erm, we were um..."

"Trying a magic trick, that's all," Trixie cut her fillyfriend off with an emphatic grin. Lyra wasn't buying it, but there would be another time to discuss this little kink. For now, Luna cleared her throat and repeated Blueblood's accusations to the blue magician.

"So Trixie, is this true? Did you threaten Blueblood?" Trixie's eyes fell for a long moment before she looked back up with a defeated sigh. She was caught and she knew it. Octavia gave her hoof a squeeze as she spoke.

"Yes, I-"

"It's true, Princess," Volare interrupted Trixie and stood up beside his friend. "I threatened him too."

"Aye Ah did as well, ma'am," Faber declared and stood up as well with a sideways wink at the two blue ponies. "Threatened ta chop 'is 'ead off, in fact."

"Ugh, too much, Faber," Bon-Bon facehoofed as Scootaloo hopped up on the table to stand in front of her brother.

"I-I started it, Ms. Luna," the purple-maned filly admitted, much to the Night Princess' amusement. "I wasn't looking where I was going and I ran into him. I'm sorry."

"Well, we lost track of Scootaloo," Lyra stood up and pulled Soarin with her, much to Spitfire's chagrin. "So we're to blame for letting her run into the guy, ain't that right, Soarin?"

"R-right," the Wonderbolt captain nodded, albeit rather reluctantly; he really didn't need to be under this kind of pressure from a Princess. He could barely handle Spitfire for crying out loud! Luna's vision moved from one "offender" to the other, a small smile sneaking out into her features. But before she could speak, one more pony added her voice to the chorus.

"If we're going to go that far back, then I'm to blame for all of it," Twilight Sparkle herself announced as she rose to her hooves and stood protectively in front of everypony. She glanced back and gave them all a smile before turning to face Luna once more. "I allowed Lyra to leave the station with Scootaloo in the first place, so if anypony is to blame for this mess, it's me, so let your judgement fall away from them, Luna." Twilight bowed before the Night Princess, unsure of what might be about to happen. Behind her, everypony standing tensed visibly, not about to let their friend get hurt without protest; Volare most visibly of all as he took a half step in front of Twilight to shield her if need be. But yet again, the most unexpected of things occurred when Luna began to titter, then to chuckle, then full-on belly laugh in a manner reminiscent of Celestia in the Library a few months back.

"Oh my goodness! Zounds and meteors, this is outrageous and altogether wonderful!" Luna laughed and wiped her eyes with a hoof before gathering herself and beaming proudly at Twilight and company. "You are all so loyal that you'd take the blame for one another for such a crime, and you Twilight, would take the blame for all?" Luna approached the confused Librarian and laid a hoof across her shoulder and smiled. "You may not like it much, Twilight, but you're truly earning the title of Princess, and I'm proud to greet you as such."

"So wait, are we in trouble, or...?" Soarin's query brought a fresh bout of chuckles from Luna as she shook her starry mane.

"Not in the slightest, Captain. From what the Guard reported after Blueblood went crying for the medical wing, seems the whelp got what he deserved for attempting to assault an innocent filly for such an insignificant slight. I swear, if he weren't a stallion, I'd bet a billion bits it was his time of the month," Luna's reply deflated the tension in the room significantly as everypony had a good chuckle at the snooty Prince's expense. "Besides, the dungeon here isn't nearly as big as everypony assumes it to be, and wouldn't hold all of you 'terrible, horrible criminals'. Well, at least not comfortably."

"So can we get back to eating-ow!" Firetail rubbed his head and glared at Snowhooves' stern expression.

"Haha, yes young Guard, you may return to your dishes," Luna nodded her consent as she herself peered at a bowl of candied dates with a hungry eye. The bowl soon emptied once Cadance turned her back, and for a few minutes at least, Luna was too occupied with chewing to speak as the dinner continued around her. However, despite the warm greetings and amusement she garnered from the antics of the entourage that Twilight and Volare had brought along with them, her mind kept flitting back to just how in Equestria Volare and Twilight could be so close now. Either she was right all along and there was nothing going on between those two besides the feelings she'd suspected for some time, or Celestia was right and something had changed things. Whatever the case, she intended to get to the bottom of things.

Luna soon found a gap in the conversations surrounding the dinner table and managed to beckon Twilight aside into the small library adjacent to the dining room. With a quick glance behind her to see if anypony had followed, Luna shut the door behind her and turned to face her niece with a barely-masked expression of concern.

"Luna, what's going on?" Twilight cocked her head as Luna poured herself a cup of water, sipped deeply of it, and got right to the point.

"You and Volare looked fairly cozy back there in each others' hooves," the Night Princess declared, causing Twilight's cheeks to flame pink, but Luna merely smiled and patted the air with a hoof. "Now, now it's nothing to be embarrassed about, Twilight. However, if I recall one of your letters, I believe you said something about you having strange, nearly unbearable sensations when near Volare. However, you seemed fine just then. Not to mention that I sensed a certain lack of...magical presence when I embraced him myself." Luna took another sip of water and fixed Twilight with a sincerely curious expression. "Would you mind explaining what's going on so at least I don't feel like I'm losing my mind?"

"You want the truth?" Twilight sighed after a long moment of thought. At Luna's nod, she left the room for a moment, only to return with a travel bag full of notes that she began to lay out on the coffee table. Most of it looked like gibberish scribbles to Luna, however one long piece of creased-up paper caught her eye: Volare's brain scan test results from a while back.

Twilight laid a hoof on the results and looked Luna in the eye with a perturbed countenance. "In all honesty, I wish I could give you the truth, but the fact is I wish I knew the truth myself."

"Oh?" Luna cocked a brow and leaned forward over the notes, peering at the squiggling lines where she'd assisted Celestia in pointing out certain thought patterns and sequences within the thought processes of Volare's mind activity. "What can you tell me that's changed from this, then?"

"Well, it's more of a theory than anything," Twilight replied with a scratch of her mane before spreading out a new series of papers over the results. "But even by my standards, it's a doozy..."

...........................

"Ahahaha!! Ah gotta tell ye, laddeh," Faber boasted as he thumped his mug down and gave a mighty belch before grinning across the table at his adversary: Prince Shining Armor. The Prince, who was looking decidedly more green than usual, stared over the lip of his own mug and weakly mumbled something under his breath. "Ye got a lot o' spunk, Ah'll give ye that. But ye gotta 'ave tha constitution ta back it oop!" Firetail, Soarin', and Spitfire hooted and hollered at his jest while Snowhooves merely facehoofed. Captain though he may be, the youngin' was still a youngin'. Meanwhile, to escape the craziness of the noise and to hopefully prevent a bad influence on Scootaloo, Octavia and Trixie had taken the young filly into the adjoining room, promising to play whatever game she wanted that didn't involve wrecking the house.

Volare gaped at the empty barrel of cyser sitting on Faber's side of the table. True, though he and Rainbow Dash had polished off a keg between them, the Scoltspony had done it all by himself! And he looked ready for more! The pilot shook his head in disbelief as Faber snatched Shining Armor's mug and downed it as well, looking almost disappointed that the alcohol was all gone.

"Got aneh more, marm?" Faber shook the mug at Cadance, who was looking more than a little irritated that her husband had agreed to such a contest; that cyser wasn't exactly cheap!

"No Mr. Faber, I think you've completely cleaned us out," Cadance smiled politely as she took the mugs from the blacksmith, doing her best to hold her smile till she made it to the kitchen and began washing the dishes in a huff. After a moment, she noticed Shae sitting on the window sill staring at her, and she opened the pane to let her in. But the osprey remained on the sill, and after a moment, Cadance went back to cleaning. "I swear, I love him to pieces, but my Shining Armor gets himself into the craziest situations sometimes."

Cheerekek, Shae replied, drawing a strange look from Cadance. The osprey nodded as if saying do continue, I'm listening

"Can you...understand me?" Cadance cocked a brow, suddenly a bit uncomfortable and thankful she didn't say anything too harsh about her husband. When Shae shrugged her wings and proceeded to preen her breast feathers while keeping an eye on Cadance, the Princess sighed and continued. "Well if you can, I hope you agree with me that he needs to think more and act less. I know he's the Captain of the Guard and I know he's expected to act without indecision...but I just wish he took more into account what others besides his Guard think about those actions. The dangers it could put him in, for example. Even something as minor as that," Cadance jerked her head over her shoulder at the laughter in the other room. "Gah, maybe I'm being too worrisome. I mean, I should have known what I was getting into when I married him, right?"

Cheekekeer, Shae tittered with a nod, done with preening and sitting there watching her every move as she finished cleaning and began to put the mugs away.

"Oh who am I kidding?" Cadance muttered as she shut the cabinet doors a bit more roughly than necessary. "I suppose I should just be a good Princess and deal with it. Keep my mouth shut, smile, and all that no matter what he does. Because I guess anything I say to him is superseded by his duties as Captain of the Guard."

"That's not true-hic at all." Cadance turned to see Shining Armor standing-well, more like leaning out of necessity-in the doorway of the kitchen. The green was still there in his face and his eyes were still a bit derped, but the sincerity rang clear in his words as he spoke. "I knew and loved you before I became Captain, and that still holds true today, babe-whoa!"

Cadance barely managed to catch him as he attempted to trot forward and merely fell face-first to the floor. She rolled him over with a helpless sigh to see him smiling up at her. In any other situation, she might have been angry and taking it as a mocking grin, but...oh darn it, why'd she have to love his goofy ass so much?! "And just what's so funny, mister?" Cadance did her best to look fierce as she levitated a wet rag over and toweled his face with it. Meanwhile, Shae remained on the windowsill, curiously watching the couple.

"Just-hic-how a stallion like me married such a great mare like you," Shining Armor continued to smile as he attempted to sit up. "And how a great mare like you-hic-could put up with a stallion like me." He leaned up closer until his lips nearly touched Cadance's before focusing his eyes on hers as best as he could. "Cadance...you're right, I gotta do better. Can you still put up with me till I do?"

If Cadance was younger, she would have smacked him; she'd have dropped him back to the floor for tugging on her heartstrings like this, but she just...couldn't! Instead, she looked him straight in the eye and gave him that gentle smile she'd become known for. "For any other stallion, no way in Tartarus. But for you...I suppose I can make an exception. You darn knucklehead. Better be glad I love you to pieces."

"Heh, better put that silver tongue away, babe," Shining Armor retorted with a drunken giggle. "And I know you do; heard ya say it to Shae."

"Heard me say it-wait a second!" Cadance drew back with a cocked brow. "You were standing there the whole time?"

"Leaning, but yes," Shining Armor admitted, preparing himself for a smack upside his head. "Was gonna come help with the dishes but heard you talking to Shae and just figured I'd, ya know, listen in."

"Why you sneaky, unbelievable, wannabe Prince who I can't believe I love so much!" Cadance half-heartedly thumped him in the chest with a smirk, causing him to cough lightly.

"Ach-I believe there should be a 'Captain' in there somewhere too, honey." With a chuckling laugh of amusement, Cadance pulled him up into a deep kiss, ignoring the taste of cyser on his breath and simply losing herself to the stallion she'd come to love so much against all odds. Back on the windowsill, Shae decided it was time to go and flapped her way to the rooftop. Though ospreys technically couldn't blush, her feathered face felt decidedly warmer all the same as she distracted herself by returning to watching the streets and alleyways of the growing night.

.................

Meanwhile, back in the dining room, though Faber was out of alcohol, he'd proceeded to challenge any and every pony to a raucous hoof-wrestling contest. Needless to say, Volare and the Guards wisely declined, having personally seen what the hulking Unicorn was capable of. Nopony, not even the rough and tumble Spitfire stood a chance against the massive Unicorn, blitzed as he was, until Lyra and Volare got the idea to call Octavia in. The comparatively diminutive Earth Pony mare sat down across the table from Faber with a calm look on her face, while Faber laughed loudly at the absurdity of such a thing. However, Lyra and Volare winked knowingly at each other; they knew just what Octavia was capable of as well. Bon-Bon knew it too, but she decided that seeing Faber taken down a notch would be too amusing to pass up by warning him.

"Ach, lasseh, are ye sure ye wanna do this?" Faber teased as he wrapped his massive hoof around hers. His smiled faltered slightly though as he looked her in the eye and found her calm and cool as a tomb. Her mulberry eyes were hard and flat and her breathing even, while the corner of her mouth was crooked up in a slight smirk that robbed Faber of some of his confidence. "Oi you, jus' wha' do ye 'ave oop yer sleeve, eh?" Faber growled and gripped her hoof tightly, trying to elicit a reaction, a wince, anything! But no, she didn't flinch, she merely continued to fix him with that calm expression.

"Are you quite done now?" Octavia queried coolly, her eyes never leaving Faber's suddenly shying ones. She flexed her hoof, and the blacksmith finally felt all the strength she'd built up from the years and years of lugging around her cello and the tough musculature that belied her rather lithe frame. She returned the grip and the edge of her hoof bit into his, causing him to bite his lip to keep from making noise. Faber had never felt such strength in a mare, and quite frankly it scared him a little bit. Lyra and Volare bumped hooves and chuckled; apparently Faber didn't know the age-old rule of Earth Ponies: never get into a wrestling match of any sort with one.

But before Octavia could take Faber down a notch, Volare felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see Princess Luna wearing a strange look on her face, and it wasn't directed at the hoof-wrestling contest. Next to her stood Twilight wearing an equally curious expression, this one tinged with concern. Her hooves shuffled in agitation upon the floor and her ears flicked nervously until Luna laid a comforting wing across her shoulder and gave her a warm smile and a nuzzle. "Twilight? Hey, you ok?" Volare made to approach her but Luna's wing moved to block him.

"Be assured Volare, she's fine," the Night Princess replied tersely before nodding towards the backdoor of the house. "But I need you to come with me quickly."

"Whoa wait, what's going-"

"Please don't misunderstand me, Volare," Luna gave him an intense stare that brooked no argument. "I need you to follow me out of this house immediately, and bring that crystal-powered speakerbox with you. Twilight, you stay here with your friends." Volare hesitated at this sudden turn of attitude and events, but when he opened his mouth to protest, Twilight gave him a quick nuzzle and a nod of encouragement.

"Please listen to her, Volare. It's for your own good." At Twilight's words and the tone they carried, Volare felt a jolt of fear course through him.

"W-what's happening, Twi?" But she merely shook her head and nuzzled him again, with more force and lingering a bit longer this time, as if she'd never get the chance to do so again. Needless to say, it only served to spook Volare further.

"Please Volare. She just needs to confirm a few things, that's all. Remember the other reason we brought you here besides research?"

"...oh crap, yeah I do. To check my mind out," he chuckled in relief and shook his head before following Luna. "Jeez, but don't scare me like that, Twi. Made me think it was a matter of life or death or something." As Volare plucked up his saddlebag and followed Luna out the back door, his spirits significantly higher now, Twilight felt a lump of worry growing in her stomach such that she tasted tonight's dinner once more. She marked the location of the nearby bathroom just in case, and prayed that hers and Vinyl's theory about that crystal wasn't as dire as they thought.

......................

As Luna led Volare out of the house, her mind wandered back to the charts, mind-scan results, and figures that Twilight had thrown her way. Though Luna wasn't considered to be nearly the science aficionado that Twilight was (then again nopony really was), the one area that she excelled at was the area of the mind, more specifically of dreams and their translation. Fitting really, being the Keeper of the Night which was the time of dreams, but unless one knew her well, at first glance they'd never guess she knew so much about the mind and its quirks. But what was truly on her mind involved Twilight's explanation of just how she and Volare were able to be so close again. And she prayed to the Moon that she was simply misinterpreting things, for if she wasn't...Volare could be a ticking time bomb.

"Alright, this is sufficient," Luna announced as they reached a granite-columned gazebo perched next to a small fountain, the running water of which chorused with the clip-clop of distant Guard patrols, the fall breeze whistling along the streets, and the sudden flapping of wings overhead. Luna looked up curiously to see that Shae had followed them and perched upon the gazebo, watching their every move with fierce eyes. "Hmm, seems Shae is still watching out for you."

"Yep, she's my friendly neighborhood stalker," Volare chuckled and tossed a wing-salute at the osprey who responded by preening a stubborn pinion and cherking softly to herself. "Like Fluttershy said: she's not a pet and I don't intend to force her to be one. Still, I appreciate the watchover, ya know?"

"Yes, I too can appreciate a watchful presence when needed," Luna smiled and settled herself beneath the gazebo, tucking her forelegs under herself and beckoning Volare to join her, which he did after a moment of thought, settling himself just as Luna was. Though he considered Luna a friend, he still felt strange basically hanging out with the Moon Goddess herself. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest though, and she quickly forwent any further formalities by throwing a wing over him and embracing him, asking him question after question as to how he'd been, how weather work was (she'd never personally participated in it and her genuine curiosity of it despite her age cracked Volare up), if he enjoyed flight, how he was progressing in it, and if he'd found any pony he was particularly interested in.

"Erm, excuse me, Princess?" That last question kind of threw him for a loop and made him all the more aware that she still held her wing over him. She looked down at him with an impish smile and gave an expectant hmm? sound. Framed by the rising moon, he admit that she was beautiful and a little intimidating...and he thought she looked a little hungry, even after dinner. Uh-oh, please tell me this isn't going where I think it's going...Twilight, Dash, and probably Celestia would kill me...eep!

"Just wondering, not to mention I heard Lyra mention something about you being 'on the prowl' as it were, before I kicked the front door in-inadvertently I assure you," she shook her mane and waved a dismissive hoof. She'd also heard quite a bit else between himself and Twilight, but continued to retain the guise of naivety, deciding she'd learn more by putting him at ease than spooking him. She needed to know if he shared the same feelings she sensed still existed in Twilight, for if they did...then that blew this entire theory to pieces and there was never anything to worry about. Still, even this close, she felt nothing of that presence she'd felt when last they'd met, so there was that backing up the theory as well. Oh please let it be wrong! "So I just put two and two together, that and the blush on your face tells me I'm probably on the right track." She gave him a gentle shake with her wing and chuckled softly. "Oh goodness, don't be so tense! It's all in good fun!"

"Heh, well considering today's events, I'm about all funned out," Volare snarked. "And it seems like everypony has been awfully curious about that little tidbit lately too."

"Aha, so you admit it as truth, then? You are on the prowl?"

"How the hell does everypony know about that anyway?!" Volare threw his hooves up in the air, sighed when he realized how loud and obnoxious he was being so late at night, and finally gave a defeated sigh. "Yes, it's true-wait, no, not on the prowl, just...if the right instance came along then yes, I'd be ok with having a relationship with a pony."

"Haha, that's wondrous news, Volare," Luna nodded her approval. "I've heard that it was quite the burden on you until you accepted that there would be nothing wrong with it. And before you ask...well, I and my sister have ears everywhere, so you'd best watch out!" Volare jumped a bit at her exclamation though she simply chuckled. "Did I get you?"

"Say what?"

"The jest, did it 'get you' as they say? Or did I go too far? I went too far, didn't I?" Luna's smile faded into a frown until she noted Volare seemed more confused than irritated. "I um...eh-heh, I've been working on my prank and joke delivery for the upcoming Nightmare Night, you see. I don't want another near-disaster like last year."

"Ah, I see," Volare nodded and patted her hoof hesitantly-was it ok to pat the Princess? But again, she seemed to welcome the contact and so casting aside all caution, he laid his hoof on hers and smiled up at her. "Well, to answer your question: yes, you got me. Got me pretty good, actually, especially with all this lead-up. Bit of a round-about way to give somepony a jump, but it sure worked. I say if you make an entrance like you did tonight, you'll be the life of the party," he chuckled and made to stand up, but to his surprise, Luna's wing held him still. "Um, Luna? This was all a prank, right?"

"Well, not entirely to be honest," Luna shook her mane and tipped her head up to gaze at the moon nearing its zenith, hardly able to believe that it was nearly midnight. "How time flies, even for one as old as I. Promise me you'll treasure the time you have here, Volare." She turned back to regard him with a soft expression; she was honestly not at all prepared to do what must be done if Twilight was correct about him. If he truly was that dependent on that crystal...then it might already be too late, for all she knew. "Especially with Scootaloo, Twilight, and the rest."

"Oookay...I promise, but you're kinda creeping me out again, Luna."

"I assure you, that's not my intention this time," the Night Princess insisted and leaned forward to peer at his saddlebag, her aura plucking at the clasp that held it secure. "Do you mind?"

"Um, no go ahead, ma'am," Volare lifted his wing and Luna levitated the spheroid speakerbox out of the bag and held it up in front of her.

So this is it, Luna thought as she turned the device over and inspected it. The speaker itself looked fairly advanced and Vinyl Scratch claimed ownership of it via her note shaped cutie mark stamped into the bottom of it. "Impressive," Luna commented as she turned it over again, using her magic to gently undo the screw that held the front screen on. Once they were undone, she carefully set the screen aside, lifted off the inner cone...and nearly dropped the speaker in shock at what she saw. No...it can't be...Volare, please not you...

"Luna? Hey Luna, what's wrong?" Volare nudged her, but the Night Princess' memories had suddenly flashed across her mind, and none of them were good. Pain, horror, tragedy, slavery, fire, death...Crystals! An animalistic grin full of sharp teeth, maniacal laughter, and finally scarlet eyes rimmed with violet flames that threatened to devour-
"LUNA! Snap outta it!"

"Wha-huh-oh my stars," Luna shook her mane and sat the speakerbox down to catch her breath while Volare continued to pat her hoof comfortingly as Shae settled back down, having been startled by his sudden outburst. He wasn't at all sure what just happened, nor was he sure what to do, and so he just sat there like a fool, holding Luna's hoof until a Unicorn Guard Patrol happened by and approached to see what was the matter.

"Princess Luna, what's happened? I heard a shout and-"

"No Corporal, I'm fine," Luna waved him off with a wing. "Thank you, but...yes, yes I'm fine."

"This guy ain't bothering ya?" The Guard tipped his spear at Volare as he eyed him closely.

"No, he's out here at my behest. Thank you Corporal, if we need you, we'll call."

"Yes ma'am," the Guard dipped his horn and marched off. Luna waited until his hoofsteps grew distant before turning back to Volare.

"Thank you Volare. You...well, you may not know what you did, but it was needed, and as said, I appreciate aid when it's needed."

"Y-yeah, anytime," the pilot nodded and glanced sideways at the speakerbox. "Um...dare I ask what happened?"

"Oh just...old, old demons, you could say," Luna chuckled and waved her hoof for a moment before wiping her brow and conjuring up a pitcher of water that she drained in a single go before addressing the speakerbox once more. Ok Luna, you can do this...just bad memories and nothing more. Besides, you need to be strong and not spook your friend. She levitated the speaker up again and turned it so she could see the interior...and there it was. A tiny crimson crystal no bigger than a bit coin floating of its own accord within the confines of the device. It seemed insignificant, but Luna knew the power such an object possessed. Oh yes, Twilight and Vinyl were on the right track with their "inspiration theory" alright; more than they'd ever dream they'd be, for it could do more than just that! "So, Twilight tells me the reason why you can be so close now is because this little crystal seems to block or absorb the effects of your body, correct?"

"Yeah, I think that's kinda what we figured out."

"And she said you got this one from a dragon cave, yes?" Luna sat the speakerbox down and noted that once she broke contact with it, the crystal fell back down within the cavity and stopped floating. This is impossible...Tia promised she got rid of them all in the old war with the sea-ponies-

"Yep, Vinyl said it's some sorta Appalantean crystal, though how the dragon got a hold of them is anyone's guess cuz she said the city sank over 1000 years ago. You know how it sank, cuz I got told nopony really knows why?"

"Never took Vinyl to be one to know ancient history." Good thing she's not THAT intuitive.

"I know, weird huh? Anyway, got these burn scars on my rear when we took them from the hoard so we could-"

"Wait, them?" Luna eyed him intently. "As in more of these? Where, how many more?" At Volare's alarmed expression, the Night Princess took a deep slow breath and shook her head. "My apologies, it's...been a long day."

"Y-yeah, no problem," Volare nodded, getting more freaked out by the minute. "There were a couple dozen blue ones and-"

"Any red ones?

"Uh, yeah one other one. Luna, please you're worrying me. Just tell me what's going on here." Volare felt a feeling of inexplicable dread growing in his chest, like he was stumbling onto a secret that nobody should ever know about. The scary thing was, this wasn't the first time he'd felt this way.

"Volare, did you know that dragons can live well over a thousand years?"

"Um, no can't say that I did, Princess. Doesn't exactly answer my question, though."

"Not directly, no," Luna shook her head once more and stood up, trotting a short distance away to gather her thoughts; she must look like a half-frazzled nut right now. "But well, now you do I suppose." She stared down at her reflection in the fountain and sighed. The fact was, she just didn't have the slightest idea of how to break things to him gently. Then again, she didn't exactly have the damning evidence in hoof either, so perhaps there was still hope for him. She prayed that there was, for although it was her duty as co-ruler of Equestria...she didn't know if she could do what needed to be done if no hope remained.

"Luna?" Volare had trotted to her side and nudged her with a wing. She turned and regarded him with worried eyes, and it was the worry that truly scared him. She was supposed to be strong and mighty and yet, she seemed to be looking at him with pity. "Luna, please. Tell me what's going on."

"In all honesty I can't yet, Volare," Luna stared at the rippled moon's reflection, if only to avoid his gaze.

"Then what's it going to take? What do I have to do? I mean, you brought me out here for more than just talk about flight, crystals, sex, and dragons right?"

"Yes, I did. I promised Twilight I'd check your mind's stability through a dream, but now I..." To be honest even further, now that it came to it, she was afraid to know the truth for the terrible possibilities it could bring. True, she didn't believe that Volare was capable of such terrible things, but...neither did anypony else of the Dark King, not really anyway. True he was gruff and a bit of a gloryhound, but he was also a wise military tactician and never ran from a battle, so that was somewhat expected of him in that case. But then came those red crystals...those carbuncles of doom that warped his mind, turned his eyes blood-red and twisted his own horn into a scarlet spike of power. She glanced back at the speakerbox-so small and inconspicuous-and its dangerous contents, and she felt a chill crawl up her spine. Please not my friend too.

"Then let's do it," Volare's voice called back to her and she looked to see him gesturing to his cranium with a hoof. "Let's get me checked out, doc."

"Volare, I don't know if-

"C'mon, you're the Princess of the Night. Twi says this is your forte," the pilot said as he settled back down near his saddlebag and beckoned for Luna to come near. "What, are you scared or something? Pfft, you were Nightmare Moon. What's scarier than that?"

"Oh...you're never too old to be surprised," Luna replied as she slowly sat down next to Volare and settled herself. She took a deep breath, counted to ten, and exhaled, finally somewhat calm. "Alright, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Hell yeah I am. Wanna see how screwed up I am, ya know-heheh," he nudged her with a wing and she gave a dry laugh but little more. "So what do I do? What're you looking for in my noggin?"

"Just relax and you'll see." Luna's eyes closed and her head bowed as her horn began to glow a soft magenta. Lower and lower the horn fell until it finally rested millimeters from Volare's forehead. The glow was warm and comforting, and to his surprise, it gave off the soothing scent of lilac. He felt his eyelids droop and his thoughts slow as his muscles began to go limp. "Are you relaxed yet?"

"Uh-huh...yeah..."

"Good." All of a sudden, Luna's horn contacted his head and before Volare could think, he perceived his consciousness disconnected from his body and sucked through a narrow tunnel of whirling darkness lit with stars, galaxies, and universes. If he had a mouth, he'd scream. If he had a body, it likely would be a scream of agony, but stark terror would have sufficed just as well. But for some strange reason, a comforting presence laid itself about his "shoulders" and made him feel safe. He tilted his "head" up and saw a translucent blue cloud of stars following him.

It's alright, Volare.

W-what's going on?

This is the visualization of your mind that this spell creates.

Yeah, well I don't remember all of THIS being in here-whoa! Volare "cried" as they zipped past what looked like Saturn...that is if the gas giant possessed sixteen green and orange rings.

Hm-hm-hmm fascinating, isn't it? The visualization of a scrying spell differs between users, often by their interests, Luna "chuckled" as they spiraled through the icy tail of a comet. I of course have my interests in the stars, and each of these planets and bodies represents some form of your consciousness, be it memories, emotions, or what-have-you.

Wow...I think I get it now. But damn Luna, this is amazing, Volare "gaped" as they flew through the colossal shadow cast by a behemoth of purple and blue-striped planet. Cyclones and hurricanes raged and swirled across the planet's surface above them while lightning crackled and jolted hundreds of miles out into the blackness of space. So where are we headed?

I'm searching for the significance of that little crystal to you, she replied, and he felt her vision scanning in all directions before sighting in on a familiar-looking blue-green planet. There's our heading, Volare.

Whoa, wait a sec-that's Earth!

Yes, it's been a long time, but I could never forget such a beautiful place, Luna mused as they zipped towards it. But as they neared it, one major difference between the Earth they both remembered and this one reared its head: most of the ocean was completely covered in black stormy clouds and that was right where they were headed!

Hey, hey, Luna are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Yes I do.

We're gonna hit those clouds! That means this space-stuff is gonna end! he "cried" as they hurtled closer and closer until the planet filled their entire field of vision.

Haha, yes I know! The spell is taking us there and I have no choice! I'd say 'hold on tight' but I technically have neither the mouth nor you the appendages to do so!!! She gave a wild laugh and Volare felt himself jolted forward into the black swirling fog..................
.
.
.
..............only to mentally facehoof when he realized that they didn't have bodies that could die. He "opened his eyes" after a moment to find themselves hovering over an ebon ocean. The roiling black clouds formed an near-impenetrable canopy above them but just enough light squeezed through for them to both catch sight of something altogether confusing, breath-taking, and a little terrifying in the near-distance.

Th-that's...whoa, that's me Volare "gasped" as he beheld himself in his former human body standing on something reddish just above the surface of the water and staring the whirling storm straight in the eye. His Blue Angels uniform was clean and unburnt, the brass shined and bright, his hair spiky and blonde just as he remembered, and his right hand at the bill of his officer's cap in a crisp, stoic salute despite the rain that slashed from the sky and struck him in the face. Volare "turned" to Luna's starry cloud in confusion. Luna. Wh-what's going on?

That's your mental interpretation of yourself, she explained quickly as they floated nearer. Everypony, every creature has an "ideal self" and the closer to home one is, the more clear and honest of an image a scryer can achieve. And I must say, you looked good in that uniform, Volare. He felt a soft touch on his "shoulder" and he grinned reflexively.

Thanks, Princess. That means a lot. But what's going on here, though? I thought we were looking for that crystal-

Shh! Luna silenced him for a moment; she thought she'd heard a voice on the wind of the approaching storm...but maybe it was just her-

Hehehehehahahahaaaa...... came a dreadful peal of laughter from the clouds ahead. The rain worsened and Volare's self image winced as the droplets began to truly sting.

Whoa, what the hell was that?! Volare stared at his self-image, seemingly oblivious to what was going on. Luna, what was-?

Volare, get behind me! The pilot suddenly felt himself "pushed" backwards as Luna's starry form placed herself between him and the storm. Even so, as translucent as she was, he could still see what was happening...and what was approaching his image. The clouds somehow grew blacker and descended to the surface of the water in the vague form of a gargantuan dark grey pony with shadowy wings that stretched for thousands of feet across the sky. Armor made of lightning and hail glistened about it and teeth of flames flickered into a wicked grin beneath its single-horned helm as it trotted forward, massive hooves clomping up small tsunamis of tar-like water as it approached Volare's self-image.

Dude, get outta there!!! Volare tried to shout, but his image either didn't hear him, didn't care, or Luna was stopping him. Either way, the Navy officer merely stood there, still saluting, and still glaring into the teeth of the beast. The huge pony gave a grating laugh and raised a hoof above the tiny human. NOOOOOO!!! Luna tensed and Volare shouted as the hoof came down with a mighty splash, burying his image beneath it before turning in their direction and grinning toothily.

Stay back, beast! Luna commanded, yet the massive pony merely threw its head back and laughed like a thunderclap before speaking in a voice that both Luna and Volare recognized, and for terrible reasons.

You? Give orders to me? You're naught but a cloud of stars-hot air, really, Luna! Besides, you're quite the hypocrite to call another a beast. And you, pitiful human...you cast aside the offer I made you, so why should I not give you that which traitors like you deserve? SWIFT AND TERRIBLE JUSTICE!!!!. The pony's voice roared like a thousand lions and his helmet opened to reveal two horridly flat, dead green draconic eyes that stole Luna and Volare's breath from their lungs. You think yourselves invulnerable here without bodies? Well trust me, you don't need bodies to suffer and die-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!!! Without warning, the hoof that had stomped upon Volare's self-image simply exploded and was tossed violently into the air, sending the monstrous pony flying back up to bounce off the cloud canopy before crashing back down and shattering upon the surface of the jet-black ocean with great cursing scream.

Whoa, holy shit!! Volare exclaimed.

Y-yes, holy excrement is certainly quite appropriate here, Luna agreed shakily as they peered through the dark ocean mist tossed skyward by the explosion to see Volare's image standing there, unscathed but for his officer's cap being a bit askew. The image straightened the hat, flicked them a quick salute, and resumed his sentinel-like stance. But even more amazing than that was what it was standing upon, fully revealed now that the ocean water had been tossed aside for the moment. Is that...oh my stars and meteors... Luna gasped. Beneath the image's boots was a giant rendition of the red crystal, unblemished and shining brightly. But unlike the real crystal, it wasn't floating. Instead, the very bottom point sat a few feet above the black water, attached to something silver and metallic and wholly unfamiliar to Luna....but to Volare, however.

What the-that looks like a mast antenna from aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- was all he was able to get out before he felt that sucking sensation again. His vision squeezed to a pinpoint of white light as he and Luna rushed backwards at a speed beyond comprehension. Off of this strange Earth, past the stars, through space, the comet's tail, the green and orange ringed planet, and right through an exploding supernova before he felt sensation suddenly come slamming back into his hooves.

"Holy flaming horseshit!!" Volare managed to shout in surprise before he toppled backwards right into Luna, causing her to stumble as she came to, kicking and spilling the contents of the saddlebag and knocking them both over the wooden railing of the gazebo and into the shallow fountain below. With a blustering spray of water and feathers, the duo made their way out of the fountain, both glad that somehow, someway, half the City Guard didn't come rushing in to investigate. Shae however, came flapping down clicking her beak and making tittering noises, rather amused by this whole wild affair.

"Haha, wow that was some ride," Volare said sardonically as he shook water from his ears. "I hope you enjoyed that Luna, cuz I will not be doing that again anytime soon! Er, Luna?" he turned when she didn't join in with his laughter and saw her silently staring down at her own reflection once more rather than him. "You ok?"

"I'd be lying if I said everything was alright in the world, Volare," Luna replied without looking up, her normally flowing mane drenched and drooping sadly, reflecting her inner thoughts as all of her worries-from Twilight's theory to this-were all finally confirmed in one single stroke. The power of the crystal had symbiotically infiltrated his body and now the stability of his consciousness depended on it, just as its nature portended. She'd seen it before and it had never once ended well, with the users either eventually losing their sanity trying to resist its influences, or worse...losing themselves wholly to its temptations of power. Like an addict, they'd need more and more and more until it was all that mattered and they were driven by their next fix-the chance to demonstrate the crystal's power. For that is what they believe happened to the Dark King, thus the change in the law and the destruction of the carbuncles.

Without a word, Luna nodded for the bemused Pegasus to follow her as she slowly plodded up the short ramp back to the gazebo, unsure if she could do what must now be done. For although he was her friend and it would pain immensely her to do so, wasn't that truly why she brought him out here alone in the first place; to ease his suffering away from everypony else if need be? Wouldn't that be what a true friend would do if she saw her friend suffering so? Yet she thought as she looked back at Volare with Shae now riding on his back and playfully poking him behind the ear with her beak, he isn't suffering...yet. Still, there has never been an exception in this and you know the law. You know what must be done. Now be a good friend and a responsible Princess and at least make it quick-

Her thoughts ceased as she trod upon a few knick-knacks that had fallen out of Volare's saddlebag. Curious, she picked them up and very nearly collapsed to her knees in anguish at her task. There were hoof-drawn scribbles from Volare's fellow Crusaders, what she recognized as the rock band poster for Rainbow Dash that Scootaloo had been waving about earlier, a feather or two from Shae, one of Twilight's red quills, his scarf bearing the CMC logo, and even the bit-bank account information she herself had given him in reward for his good deeds. There was also a short note scribbled to him from Rainbow Dash herself, presumably for this trip:
Hey flyboy, it's RD,
Hope ya enjoy Canterlot, it's a pretty sweet place, 'cept for a few weirdos. Don't get in too much trouble and don't do anything I wouldn't do...then again, that WOULD kinda get ya into trouble, huh? Haha! Anyways, I'm lookin' forward to seein' ya when ya get back, so you better be ready! Don't tell anypony else, but I kinda miss ya already. Tell anypony else and I'll slug ya, so help me! See ya soon, dude!
-RD

Luna sat the trinkets down and stumbled to the gazebo railing and stared down at her reflection once more. For a terrifying moment, she saw herself as Nightmare Moon again, and her heart quaked in fear before the fountain's ripples sweapt away the image, leaving only herself once more. Was she Nightmare Moon, or Luna? Tyrant or Protector? Judge or Friend? For the first time in a very long time, Luna's will faltered, for she saw that if she followed the law, not only would she be losing a friend and a potential innocent soul, but his friends would be losing one they'd come to care for as well. He was no longer some off-worlder that could be cleanly put out of his potential misery as the law dictated she should. This place had become his home. They had become his family. And even though she was a Princess was it truly her right to deny him that, even for the sake of the subjects of the kingdom she'd sworn to protect, and that included all of them, even-Zounds, wait just a meteor-burning moment...

"Luna?" Volare's voice trickled into her thoughts, but she was hardly listening, for another train of thought had suddenly come barreling through her brain.

Perhaps there was not only a way to circumvent the harsh law, but perhaps there could even be an exception proved within himself! I mean, I was evil once, and I turned out alright with help. And Volare shows NONE of the tendencies that other carbuncle users have, so perhaps there IS a way to-

"Luna, you're seriously freaking me out here," Volare nudged her one more time before she turned back to face him with a smile and an excited gleam in her eye. "Whoa, um, I know I sound like a broken record here, but what the heck's going on now?"

"Volare, you still have that bit bank account, right?"

"Uh yeah, I do," he scratched his head, not sure what she was on about now. "Why?"

"Because having citizenship is a prerequisite to have one, which I now recall Twilight setting you up with," Luna nodded, hope springing anew within her. If she weren't in present company, she might have given a little giddy hop and a whinny, but she kept it to herself for now. "That's all, you're free to go back now."

"Wait, seriously?" Volare stared at her incredulously, wondering if this was another little 'gotcha' prank. But she looked totally serious as she settled down under the gazebo to watch the moon. "But what about all that crazy crap in my head, and that thing showing up again! Hey, that was the same voice as the guy that tried to-"

"Make a deal with you, yes I remember," Luna nodded with a frown. "And now that I have confirmation, I may know who we're dealing with."

"Who? Who is this guy?"

"I'm honestly not at liberty to say, especially if it's not the truth and could be misconstrued as late night gossip," Luna gave him a terse smile and quick brush of her wing. "It honestly could have been anything from a superimposition of my own emotions on your consciousness, a vision of the past warping things, or even something simple as us both enduring nothing more than a very intense nightmare. But until I discuss these things further with my sister, I won't know for sure, nor do I wish to alarm you further. Now go on, I'll be fine here. Besides," Luna winked cheekily as Twilight came trotting out from the direction of the house, curious of the sudden commotion outside.

"Volare? Luna, are you two ok?" The Librarian asked as she approached, her mane askew a bit and her eyes tired, having obviously been fretting quite badly this whole time.

"There's a cute little Unicorn just there who cares about you and is raving about some sort of science experiments you two have planned for tomorrow."

"Princess Luna, not you too!" Volare face-winged and hoofed her shoulder before he even realized what he'd done, drawing a small gasp from Twilight. Oh crap, you fucked up now, flyboy, he thought as he smiled weakly at the unfazed Princess. "Um, oops?"

"Haha, fear not, I'll return the favor on Nightmare Night...and it shall be glorious," Luna smirked devilishly and sent Volare galloping off with a swipe of her wing. As soon as he was within hoof's reach, Twilight grabbed him in a tight hug and looked him over before staring into his eyes for a moment. Volare was a little afraid she might do something rash in her worried state but instead, she merely smiled and tried to fix a frazzled part of his mane before giving up and hugging him again.

"I take it things went well, Volare?"

"If you consider re-entering your body ass-first through the head at lightspeed and some impromptu skinny-dipping with Luna as having a good time," his answer drew a strange look from his bookish friend. "Then yeah, it went about as well as it could."

"Luna, what in Equestria did you do to him?" Twilight laughed.

"Oh you know, the usual," Luna waved her hoof non-descriptively with a knowing smile.

"So wait, is my mind ok?" Volare turned back for a moment.

"Yes, just keep that crystal close and do not lose or break it! It's...integral for you two to stay close like this." Yes it's dangerous, yes it can be terrible, but exceptions exist everywhere. Besides, he is a citizen of Equestria, and it my job as Princess to protect him too if possible. And I think it's very possible! "Fare well you two, and I shall ensure a good night!"

"Got it! Thanks a bunch, Luna!" And with that, they headed inside past the overturned hoof-wrestling table with Faber passed out beneath it. Other ponies had already drifted off to sleep on tables, sofas, chairs, and the floor, leaving the place a dull drone of snoring and restless mane-scratching, withers shaking, and tail twitching. Cadance and Shining Armor had to be asleep as well, because he strongly doubted they'd be ok with this, he thought as he facehoofed at the sight of Spike fallen asleep right in the middle of the dinner table. Twilight shook her head in disbelief and deposited the baby dragon on a chair next to Spitfire and Soarin who were cozily curled around each other. "Whoa, this got wild in a hurry. Dare I ask who won the contest?"

"Bro, you shoulda seen it!" A good portion of the air was knocked from Volare's chest as an orange and purple meteor launched herself through the air at him in an almighty tackle-hug. "Faber was winning at first but then Octavia was like 'no way, not today' and she like threw him under the table. It was the craziest thing ever!!" Scootaloo exclaimed, her violet eyes shining brightly with excitement. Volare gave her a hug and sat down on the only unoccupied couch in the house with her and Twilight with a chuckle.

"That's pretty wild, Scoots. Is Octy ok?"

"Oh yeah, she went upstairs with Trixie again," Scootaloo cocked her head up at the ceiling. "They were making a buncha noises again, but I guess they got tired or something. What's up with those noises anyways?"

"Ummm..." Volare and Twilight exchanged blushing glances for a moment before Twilight slowly shook her head. Science was fun and all, but there were certain things one should probably wait to learn, and Volare was apt to agree. "Tell ya what, how about I tell ya what Luna and I saw outside just a while ago, hm? And I promise it's cooler than any noises or hoof-wrestling contests you've ever heard or seen!"

"Aww, but what could be cooler than this," she waved a hoof at the general chaos of the house and Volare had to admit, from a CMC standpoint, this was horrendously awesome; probably top five in destruction she'd witnessed.

Oh gawd...please don't let her get any ideas!
"Ahem, well believe it or not, I think it just might be. Twilight, you might wanna take notes on this crazy crap."

"Way ahead of you," Twilight smirked from behind a scroll, quill at the ready. "Annnnd go."

....................................

Back outside, Luna settled herself one more time to watch the passage of the moon with only Shae for company; for some reason or another, the osprey had decided to stay and watch over Luna for the moment.

"How farest thee, friend Shae?" Luna tried out the traditional Olde Canterlotian greeting, but found it almost strange to do so, having been working so hard to purge the olde tongue from her vocabulary. She chuckled lightly and in reply, Shae chirked quietly and ruffled her feathers against the chilly air. Luna eyed the moon once more and concentrated on improving its arc tonight, closing her eyes and attuning herself with it to do so. "Well, at least you aren't trying to attack me like the last time we met back in the hospital. Strange that as old as I am, things so recent can seem so far in the past."

"Speaking of the past, it seems like you need to explain the past few minutes to me, sister." Shae cheereeked in alarm and Luna's eyes flashed open to see Princess Celestia herself standing at the entrance to the gazebo, her white coat and iridescent mane glimmering in the light of the moon before she stepped into the gazebo, filling a significant portion of it with her form. "Oh please, don't get up on my account," she said as she sat down opposite her sister, though her eyes never left Luna's. "Tell your friend there, that she should probably go, though."

"R-right," Luna nodded, still a bit shocked that Celestia could sneak up on her like that. "Shae, go back with Volare. I'll be ok." Shae gave a reluctant chirk and Celestia a fierce stare before flapping off back to the house. "So, um...what brings you out here, sister?"

"A Guard told me you were out here with Volare, but I see no Volare," Celestia stated matter-of-factly. "And I thought I'd finally greet him myself but instead I find you in the middle of a scrying spell with him before you both took a funny little tumble into the fountain there. So, my concern still is: what did you see in his head? What was so intense as to make you two do that, unless of course you just felt like taking a midnight swim? And of course, most intriguing of all: just how in the wide world of Equestria were Twilight and Volare able to be so close without her having a reaction?" Celestia's eye fixed itself upon her sister, not so much demanding answers as commanding them, but in the strangely gentle fashion of a teacher that she'd become known far and wide for. Luna couldn't quite tell if Celestia was being slightly snarky or speaking out of sincere amusement, but she knew better than to lie to her.

"Alright, this may take a while."

"It's fine, it's a wonderful night thanks to you. I could sit out here all evening if need be," Celestia conjured up a teapot, dainty cups, and a little table for them all before holding out a cup for her sister. "Tea?"

Backstreets of Canterlot, Post-Midnight...

The white-necked raven Corax impatiently clicked his claws against the rearing pony statue he was perched upon and continued to glance up at the moon as it slowly began its decent towards the western horizon. The raven ruffled its feathers and spat in disgust. Pah! Not only does this fool have to cause a massive ruckus in the streets earlier today, but he also has the gall to be so bloody damn late! Again! Corax gave a low croak and snatched a lone firefly from the air with his sharp beak, furiously crunching the unfortunate insect into a useless mass of legs, guts, and chitinous wings as he waited. He didn't even like insects-he was merely fantasizing about the day his master would let him finally devour the corpse of this half-useless informant.

Corax's jet-black head jerked up at the sound of approaching hoof steps and he cursed under his breath. Too loud, too showy-the trot of the entitled. The raven rolled his eyes as the informant finally rounded the corner of the alleyway in an almost nonchalant fashion, as if he had nowhere at all important to be. Needless to say, his very behavior incensed the great bird and he croaked loudly at the pony to beckon him closer. Well, at least he's cloaked this time, damned fool.

"Oh isn't it at all possible to have these meetings when I don't have to sacrifice my beauty rest?" the pompous pony beneath the cloak whined and tossed off the hood to reveal the shiny and groomed blonde mane of none other than Prince Blueblood, and Corax barely resisted the temptation to vomit the firefly all over the damned fool. But they needed his influence and money among other things and so he held his gullet for now.

"You know the answer to that-crroakakak!" Corax stared down at the Prince from his statue. "Besides, considering the scene you caused today"-

"A scene that was hardly my fault!" the stallion stomped a perfectly hooficured leg and once more, Corax felt the bile rise in his neck at the worthless over-indulgence of it all. He knew his Master Corvus' vision like the back of his wing and he would be glad to see such useless fripperies pass into nonexistence when the time came. For that would mean corpses...rich and mighty corpses. Corax had eaten many a body part, organ, and limb, but never the heart of a royal and he could hardly pray more fervently for such a day to hasten nearer! But unfortunately it would have to wait for now.
"-and then she hit me in the nose and stained my beautiful coat!" the pony's voice tuned back in and grated into Corax' blissful thoughts, forcing him to look down at the tiny crimson stains on the stallion's otherwise brilliantly white breast fur. "See? See what she did?"

"Surprised it's not yellow," Corax croaked, though his eye remained fixated on the Prince's chest, rising and falling with every beat of his heart and every breath of his lungs....ooh, those lungs were always tasty! Chewy, but tasty!

"I beg your pardon, you rat with wings?" Blueblood attempted to glare up at him, but with the bruising around his nose and eye from the fight earlier, he looked more clownish than threatening, and Corax' laugh sounded like dried leaves being blown across the cobblestones.

"Crakakoakoakak! I mean it would be fitting if you bled piss, your Highness. That's all." The raven continued to chuckle as Blueblood's face flushed in anger.

"Why you-you horrid little demon bird! I'll have the Guard on you and your Master if you don't shut your beak!" At his words, Corax quit chuckling, but he wasn't silent.

"You fool," he hissed as he hopped down the leg of the pony statue and stuck his beak right in Blueblood's face. "You dare assume you have authority over us?"

"Yes, I do, or have you forgotten who has paid off the Guard and let your Master approach the Archives during the Changeling attack?"

"One act of kindness does not make up for treachery, you corpse! Crorakakoak!" Blueblood backed up a step as the raven snapped his beak half an inch from his eye. "Besides, do you truly think my Master needed your help? You've seen what he can do and how easy he can do it...you simply made it less messy-keerak!"

"Y-yes I know," Blueblood shivered at the descriptions he'd been given of the efficient brutality of Corax' Master. "But doesn't that count for-"

"Not for treachery such as you've threatened this moon, fool," Corax continued to glare into Blueblood's eyes, staring him down though that was hardly a challenge as the cowardly Prince quickly backed off a few steps and out of range of that wicked beak. "In fact, I have a right mind to tell my Master now."

"N-no, wait! Please don't!" Blueblood bowed his head and grovelled, much to Corax' amusement, and he folded his wings after a moment of drawn-out musing.

"Hrm...I suppose I won't, then. Tell me Blueblood, why is it a loud-mouthed, pompous, piss-bleeding fool like you wishes to aid us again; it's been so long, you see," Corax' beak split in a horrid semblance of a grin at the Prince's cowardice.

"Y-you promised m-me the throne if I did."

"And why DO you want the throne?"

"Because my Auntie Celestia humiliated me when she didn't punish that bitch Rarity for embarrassing me at The Gala years ago! After three years she still hasn't!"

"My, my, what a terrible, horrible injustice that is," Corax nodded, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "And why didn't she punish her?"

"Because she's an Element of Harmony, and Twilight Sparkle's friend" Blueblood rolled his eyes and spat. "I'm so damn tired of hearing that old excuse. It just makes me want to...to...well, do something nasty-I don't know what, but it'll be-"

"It will be nothing until my Master says so," Corax cut him off with a clack of his beak. "Until that time comes, you play the part we've given you and nothing more. Don't think yourself invulnerable because of your connections within the Guard because when it comes right down to it," Corax hopped off the statue and fluttered right up to Blueblood's nose again. "They will fear Celestia's wrath more than your money." Corax turned and fluttered back up onto the statue in silence for a moment.

"Well, can't I just-"

"No. No you can't just nothing. You must wait for the right moment, and then," Corax followed a moth with his eyes for a moment until it got within range and he quickly chomped it up. "Then you strike. I know it's probably hard for you, but have patience; for haven't you heard that revenge is a dish best served cold? For once you are King, you can disband the Elements and have your way with dear Rarity however you see fit. See, much more fun yes? Keroakakak!" Corax made to fly away before a thought struck him and he paused once more, slowly turning back to Blueblood with a wicked grin on his beak.

"Wh-what now?" Blueblood's eyes bugged as Corax's black, bottomless pit-like eyes bored into his.

"And if you ever, ever threaten treachery against me or my Master again, you'll learn that we have no qualms against cutting our own purse strings if need be...cut to teeny, tiny, insignificant little twitching pieces that nopony will ever recognize as anything close to Princely." Corax turned and glanced at the falling moon before spreading his wings to leave and giving one final parting shot at the cowardly informant.
"Don't ever confuse usefulness with importance, dear Prince...or else it will be you that gets come for in the black terrible night, when you're all alone and helpless in your bed. If you sleep on your back, you may catch a final glimpse of your demise before you wake up in a box-or many boxes." He turned back and clicked his beak. "And that's if you're lucky! Kerakaoakakaoakakakaka!!!"

Prince Blueblood shivered mightily as the raven flapped away into the night, wondering just how in the name of the Sun and the Moon he'd gotten tangled up in all this. "Oh well, no matter. He's right," Blueblood told himself to screw up his courage. "Once I'm King, none of it will matter. Hell, after I deal with Rarity, Trixie, and the rest-especially that Volare fool. Haha, and perhaps old Corax will fall afoul of some poisoned rat or something? Heeheehee, Blueblood, you're a genius," the Prince chuckled as he left the alleyway, secure in his own little plans and oblivious as to just how small a part he was truly playing in this game.

Author: Woooo, finally got it all done, and yes Twilight, things CAN get crazy in Canterlot! Sorry about the wait you guys, but V-Pony's life has been pretty darn crazy lately. Hopefully it gives him a break soon!
Volare: Yeah, that and you can't edit worth a damn without him either XD
Author: Yeah, well why don't you help smart guy? *thump*
Volare: Ow! Cuz I don't have any hands to type with anymore, ya derpus!
Author: Derpus? I'll show you a derpus! *tackles*
*objects crash in background*
Me: *facepalm* Guess I'm back, you guys. Ya miss me? :P Just like always, spot the references if you can!

Author's Note

I honestly didn't like this chapter at all XD;

Truth or Dare Pt-16: The Princess and the Pebble

Author's Note

Before reading this chapter, please visit this blog page for information pertinent to this chapter, as well as a helpful recap and thank you to all those who kept me focused on continuing this beast of a story!
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/337679/refresher-time-also-many-thanks-are-in-order

Truth or Dare Pt-16: The Princess and the Pebble

"He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
— Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

October 21st, Canterlot, Late Morning

"Twilight, this is nuckin futs, you know that right?" Volare said as he floated back to the colonnaded front lawn's grass, the Royal Library's delicate Sextant cradled gingerly in his hooves. He and Twilight had been hard at work on their planet theory for most of the morning, and the more data they attempted to gather, the stranger things had become; even stranger than finding out that Twilight actually kept a protractor in her saddlebag, for "angular emergencies."

"Nuckin futs?" Twilight cocked her head for a moment before blushing as the pun hit her, as well as its reasoning considering Scootaloo's close proximity to the studying ponies as she explored the Royal Lawn with Spike keeping a close watch over her. "O-oh, right. Eh-heh, you could certainly say that," the Librarian conceded as he once more placed the sextant back among the various other instruments she'd gathered at his behest. From the moment that she declared that their planet probably wasn't round-as deduced from her rather cryptic conversation with Celestia weeks ago-the pilot's mind had spun nearly out of his head as they went through progression after hypothesis after test, each one coming up as empty as the last...or so it seemed.

To start, he'd suggested finding the horizon to confirm the lack of roundness of the planet. "Cuz if we can find a horizon, we can take an angle measurement, and then deduce the size of the thing. Simple geometry. Besides, I got a feeling that Celestia was just pulling your leg," Volare had chuckled. But after multiple attempts at flying high enough to locate the horizon only to find that the country just kept going and even gradually curved upwards into the clouds at the edge of his vision, so high that he could no longer safely fly up to view it without his wings icing up, Volare had about run out of ideas. One thing was for sure: this planet was definitely not playing by the same rules as Earth.

"Like I said," he groaned as he collapsed on the warm lawn, limbs splayed everywhere in Rainbow Dash-fashion. "Nuckin Futs."

"Hee-hee, come on, Volare, it's not nap time. At least we've determined that gravity works at the same rate as Earth, based on free-fall rates and how tired you are."

"Oh hahaha, very funny," Volare rolled his eyes as Twilight ran a hoof through his sweaty mane. Poor guy, he'd been working so hard today. It was one thing she'd come to like about him: that he almost always gave it his all in everything, like he was afraid of failure if he didn't. Kind of like her... Once more, she felt that urge deep within her, an urge she knew was just...wrong, especially considering what Luna had told her last night about Volare's condition.

Condition...he's not sick, she chided herself as she continued to stroke out the mats in the yellow and black mane. He's just fine...he's going to be ok. She'd keep him safe...safe from those who'd pre-judge him, safe from the thing in his head that threatened him and Luna. Safe even from himself, for she felt she'd deduced from both conversations with Luna and Volare the significance of that crystal to him. Though she didn't fully realize the extent of the danger, she felt a hint of deep in her bones...like reading a horror novel about a creature of shadow stalking its prey just out of sight.

No, I don't know how, but I'll keep him safe from that.

"Hrm, who's gonna be ok?" Volare cracked an eye up at his friend who froze in her stroking, almost as if she'd done something wrong. "Who's gonna be safe?"

"Huh? N-nopony, I mean nothing, Volare," Twilight deflected his question and went back to stroking his mane, eliciting a faint little noise of contentment from the winded stallion. "Heh, you like that?"

"Yes ma'am, your Princessship," Volare chuckled and took the expected bonk between the ears in stride. "You're gonna have to get used to that eventually, ya know."

"Yeah, yeah, well that's waaay off yet," Twilight replied and resumed her stroking after a moment. "Besides, if I'm a Princess, what am I doing stroking your mane, hm?"

"Ha, good question," Volare yawned and settled back down. "Remind me to find a big ol' palm branch so I can fan ya later, your Princessness."

"Grr, you're as incorrigible as Rainbow Dash sometimes, you know that?"

"Yep, they make quite the pair," a voice chirped, causing the two ponies to jerk upright in surprise as Lyra came trotting up, a wily smirk on her face. "Whoa, was I interrupting something?"

"N-no, not at all," Twilight insisted as straightened herself back to a reading position over her copious stack of notes while Volare pretended to look very interested in the sextant. Lyra broke the sudden silence with a giggle-snort and plopped down between the researchers, tossing her saddlebag off with a clatter of what sounded like metal and glass.

"Sooo, whatcha up to guys?" Lyra grinned with all the subtlety of a train wreck. "Looks like you got half the Library dragged out here. Seems a little heavy for poetry in the park." Volare gaped at her assertion but Twilight headed him off.

"We're testing our planet theory," Twilight declared proudly.

"Which one is that?" Lyra cocked her head curiously before being bombarded by data from Volare and Twilight, from the lack of natural weather patterns compared to Earth, to the way the sun and the moon had to be moved by Celestia and Luna. By the end of their little spiel, Lyra was doing her best to keep her head from exploding.
"Jeez, you guys seem to have this thing all figured out," the mint-green unicorn rubbed a hoof across her aching forehead as she glanced back over the myriad of notes and measurement tools. "The planet's obviously not round, going by what you've said."

"Yeah no kidding," Volare sighed in exasperation. "Problem is, I'm just so used to tackling this from an Earth point of view and Twi just isn't used to this at all, and between us I think we've run out of ideas in determining the shape of this crazy place."

"But why's the shape matter, anyway?" Lyra scuffed a hoof at a pair of brown leaves that had drifted across the lawn on a chill breeze, evidence that winter was surely coming soon. "What would it explain? And why the sudden obsession, no offense."

"It would explain everything," Twilight declared with so much torrid conviction that Lyra actually recoiled a bit "It would explain why all of these things have to happen this way. I just didn't think about it until Earth was discovered, a different place that plays by different rules and one that makes the perfect experimental comparison. All our lives we've just accepted that they do, but why hasn't anypony asked why these things happen this way?"

"I dunno, ignorance is bliss?" Lyra shrugged with a grin that drew an eyeroll from Twilight. "Ok, government cover up? Like, brainwashing us all into believing that everything is normal and nothing should be questioned?" Twilight and Volare's facehoof replies echoed throughout the courtyard.

"Haha, I can assure you that's not likely the case," a cheerful laugh danced through the air as they looked up to behold Princess Luna approaching down the Palace steps and drawing respectful bows from everypony alike, including the dozen or so Royal Guards that flanked the colonnades around the lawn. To her grateful eyes, the duo looked no worse for the wear, considering the previous night's epiphany about Volare's "condition." She and her sister had spoken well past midnight about a plan of action for Volare, with Luna firmly in his corner and citing his benevolent behavior as evidence that he was different from those that were carbuncle-dependent in the past. And now Luna was here to begin the first phase of that plan: making sure Twilight knew the full implications of that crystal, if need be.

"Heh, sure you couldn't get used to that, Twi-oof!" Volare's chuckle was cut off by a purple hoof to the ribs as Luna halted before them, taking in the bewildering sight of the mish-mash of instruments and notes flung all over the lawn.

"How goes your theory, Twilight, Volare?"

"Could be better," Volare replied as Scootaloo came bounding up out of nowhere upon hearing the Night Princess' voice and, without hesitation, launched herself at Luna in a flying tackle-hug that very nearly brought the weapons of the Royal Guards to bear before catching the sidelong warning that Luna shot them. They returned to stoic attention as Luna returned the hug in kind, allowing Scootaloo to scurry around onto her back and huddle among her flowing mane and wings, giggling all the while. It was a sight that very nearly slayed everypony within sight with cuteness.

"Heh, guess we've got another totally incorrigible pony around here, eh Twi?" Volare chuckled as his little sister finally climbed down and grinned up at Luna.

"Hi Princess! What's up?"

"What's...oh I know this one: the Sun, of course," Luna beamed proudly.

"Um, yeah, I guess so," Scootaloo scratched her mane for a moment before looking up at her brother as Luna breathed a silent yes and pumped her hoof in triumph; it seemed modern slang was still a bit over her head. "Hey, are you sure there's nothing I can do to help you guys out here?" she asked for the umpteenth time that morning. She gave them all the puppy eyes but her pre-disposition for incidental destruction counteracted it as thoughts of her somehow redirecting the Sun's rays through a telescope and melting the Royal Palace sent bolts of fear through the two researchers.

"Yep, we're pretty sure, Scoots," Volare smiled and patted her head. "Besides, it's uh...probably too boring for ya anyway. Lots of numbers, calculations, notes, and books."

"Eew, sounds like school," Scootaloo pulled a face and raced out of the courtyard. Moments later, a winded Spike arrived from the opposite entrance, leaning on the wall as he caught his breath.

"Lemme guess...she went that way?" the young dragon groaned as everypony nodded in the direction that the rambunctious filly had bounded off in. "Oh gimme a fire breathing break," Spike grumbled as he gathered himself and jogged after Scootaloo, determined to keep her out of trouble while Twilight and Volare worked on their theory. He was a dragon on a mission and Celestia help anypony that got in the way!

"Haha, he's certainly a loyal little assistant, isn't he," Luna chuckled and settled herself upon the grass next to the three ponies.

"So what's this other theory I keep hearing about, huh?" Lyra grinned at the two researchers. "What's it about, if not the planet's shape?"

"Well, er," Volare glanced sideways at Twilight, unsure of how to begin or even if it was ok to let Lyra in on it; she wasn't exactly the most scientifically-minded of unicorns after all. But Twilight gave him a simple nod and he shrugged and turned back to the still-grinning mare. "It's about this planet, how the weather works, and how things are always in order rather than random and chaotic like on Earth."

"Huh, never thought about it before," Lyra gave a little shrug of her own and gazed thoughtfully upwards at a team of pegasi pushing clouds to and fro over the capital city. "Guess I kinda took it for granted. Then again, if I came from a different place like flyboy here, I'd probably notice the differences pretty quick, eh? I mean, from random to 'holy crap, those ponies are pushing storms around and two Princesses control the sun and the moon!'" Twilight's brows rose in surprise, never expecting Lyra to be so intuitive, albeit in her own way.

"Well yes, that's quite right," Twilight nodded.

"Hey, don't look so surprised. I am kinda the leading source of human research here in Equestria after all," Lyra grinned proudly. "Anyways, so what's the theory?"

"Well...you know that huge bronze globe of Earth in your collection, Lyra?" Volare asked. "We think that this planet...well."

"Spit it out, dude," Lyra thumped him in the shoulder. "You're acting like I'll think you're crazy or something."

"Yes, I too am curious about this theory I've heard whispers of lately," Luna added.

"Oookay," Volare and Twilight shared another quick glance, and he heaved a small sigh. "We think this planet, outside of a few physical similarities like the atmosphere and the gravity, shares almost no other similarities with Earth and runs on a completely different set of rules because of it."

"We think it's due to the planet's shape," Twilight nodded. "Unlike Earth, which is a round planet and has...what was it again, Volare? That thing that makes the weather work there?"

"The Coriolis Effect, formed by the Earth's rotation as it travels around the Sun, causes rotating storms and weather patterns that-"

"Ok, ok, I think I get it," Lyra rubbed her forehead with a hoof. Meanwhile, Luna herself was struggling to wrap her head around such a force being in effect and humans being at the mercy of such a thing. Relativity certainly accounted for her own growing headache. "So what, I guess we don't have that Corioli-whatsit here?"

"No, which is why the weather must be manipulated by the Pegasi, because otherwise it likely wouldn't happen on its own."

"But what of the Everfree Forest?" Luna interjected curiously. "How does your theory apply there, as the weather seems to act of its own accord within its bounds and above the trees."

"I...we haven't quite figured that out yet," Twilight admitted with a sheepish grin. "Probably something to do with all the Zap Apples there, but in all things there are probably anomalies, so let's just stick with the big picture here for now." She rustled through a short stack of notes she and Volare had compiled that morning. "As said, this planet and Earth share similarities, such as the atmospheric makeup and more importantly, the roughly identical Gravitational Acceleration Rate of 9.8 meters per second squared. And since gravity is defined by the amount of mass of an object, for this planet to have the same gravity as Earth, it therefore must have the same mass as Earth." Over the next few minutes, the Librarian rattled off a myriad of numbers and formulas so ingrained in Volare's mind that he couldn't help but stifle a giggle at Lyra's wall-eyed expression and Luna's obvious struggle in simply keeping up with the on-a-roll researcher.

"So, any questions?" Twilight screeched to a halt so suddenly that Lyra had to fight off the urge to fall forward. Instead, the green unicorn simply raised her hoof like a school-filly. "Erm, yes Lyra?"

"Seriously, when's the last time you got laid?"

"Lyra!!!" It took every bit of self-control Twilight could muster to keep from flinging Lyra over the walls of the castle at that, but she was even more shocked to see Princess Luna hiding a grin behind a wing. "Luna, really?!" Twilight fumed, turning to Volare for help only to find the pilot red as a beet, whether from embarrassment or from trying to withhold his own laughter she couldn't tell. "Volare, c'mon! Back me up here!"

"Erm, well uh Twi, um..." was all Volare could muster, his cheeks blazing at the thought. He knew Lyra knew the truth and was just ribbing her, but...dammit, Twiilight was just so adorkably awkward sometimes! Oh lord, if Dashie saw her now she'd probably crack a wing laughing!

Seeing that she wasn't being immediately reprimanded by the tickled Moon Goddess, Lyra pushed her luck a bit further as she let loose with a raucous peal of giggle-snorts.
"Hee-hee *snort*, I'm just sayin', it's probably-haha-been a *snort* while!" Lyra crammed her hooves into her mouth to try to stop, but she just couldn't, and the murderous blush on Twilight's face wasn't helping! "HAHAA, Twilight you should see your face right now! If Luna were still on the moon, she'd probably see it from there!! HAAHAA-hey!" Lyra suddenly felt herself pushed onto her back by Luna's magic, and she looked up to see mix between a stern glare and a small yet lingering grin on the Moon Princess' face.

"Alright, that's quite enough Ms. Heartstrings," Luna chided as the lyricist sat back up. "You've made your point and I think you upset Twilight," she gestured to the Librarian, but she was no longer blushing and on the verge of exploding from embarrassment. On the contrary, she wore quite the thoughtful expression as she turned to Volare with a growing, rather hungry-looking grin.

"Um, Twilight," the pilot's wings bristled as the Librarian stood up and approached him. Neither Luna, who was still curious about Twilight's feelings for the pegasus, nor Lyra who was staring incredulously at Twilight's sudden boldness, made a move to stop her as she got nearly nose to nose with Volare before grabbing his face in her hooves and speaking a single word.

"Eureka! That's how we can find the shape of the planet! Princess Luna!" she turned to the Alicorn who jerked back to her senses, nearly causing Volare to flop to the ground as Twilight suddenly let him go. "Volare has told me that humans have advanced so far in their sciences that they've even sent astronauts to their Moon and beyond!"

"That's truly fascinating, but I'm afraid I don't quite follow," Luna cocked her head curiously.

"Ugh, don't you get it!?" Twilight stomped a hoof in frustration before nodding up at the sky. "The humans could see their planet from space! They could finally confirm with their own eyes what centuries of data had pointed to: that their planet was round! Haha, that's how we'll figure it out here! Volare, you see it, don't you?"

"I think so, and I'm gonna tell you right now: there is no way in hell that you're launching me into orbit, Twilight."

"What-you, ugh no!" Twilight facehoofed, once more frustrated why other ponies just couldn't see the obvious answer like she could sometimes. Taking a few breaths to calm down, she nodded at the very confused Lyra. "Lyra, you mentioned Luna being able to see my face from the moon. Well, I'll bet that's not all she could see, am I right, Luna?"

"Um, I think so?" Luna shrugged helplessly, still confused about what Twilight was getting at. But it suddenly clicked for Volare and he too cracked an excited grin.

"Luna, you were sent to the moon for a thousand years," he explained, very aware of the pain that flashed across Luna's face at his words. "And I'm sorry that happened to you, but surely while you were up there you were able to see the planet, right?"

"Oh, I get it now!" Lyra beamed as it hit her. "Luna is like Equestria's version of an astro-whosit."

"Astronaut," Twilight deadpanned.

"Right, that thing," Lyra waved a hoof. "And just like the humans who could see their planet from space-man, that's still a trip of a thought by the way-you should have been able to see it from the Moon, right?" But as the trio of researchers stared at Luna, their smiles faded as the Alicorn Princess gave a soft, awkward chuckle.

"Erm, eh-heh, whatever gave you that idea, my little ponies?"

"Oh come on, quit playing games Luna," Twilight urged her, but the Moon Goddess' expression didn't falter, her mouth didn't crease into a 'gotcha' smile. Rather, her lips dipped even deeper into a frown that threatened to smash the other ponies' joy to pieces. "Princess?"

"I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Twilight Sparkle, for while I was sent there while under the influence of Nightmare Moon, I was not imprisoned on the moon itself." The old story, as true a history as it was legend to Twilight Sparkle, came back to the Librarian, and her hope was dashed as she remembered the age-old words:
Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, Celestia defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently IN the moon.

"But I...just...oh balefire!" Twilight fell to a heap upon the grass once more. "It's like every time we get close to an answer, the door slams right in our faces!" Despite her knowledge, Twilight was still a young mare who hadn't lived long enough to deal with disappointment as well as she should, and it was illustrated no better than in the frustrated kick she gave to a stack of books, sending them flying over Lyra's head and all over the front lawn. Her actions drew concerned looks from the posted Royal Guards and left Luna and Lyra at a loss for words as Twilight grumbled into her hooves.

"Hey, it's alright Twi," Volare broke the awkward silence and reached over to stroke her mane with a hoof. "I'm pissed off too, but we gotta be more grown-up than this, ya know?" he said as he comfortingly nuzzled her ear.

"Yeah, well," Twilight faltered at his touch, just enjoying the contact for a moment before realizing that Luna and Lyra were staring at the them. "Ahem, right, you're right," she gathered herself up once more, brushing her hoof across the pilot's, leaving them both wearing slight blushes. "Thanks, Volare."

"N-no problem, Twi."

"Oooh~," Lyra began before Luna flicked her ear with her magic, leaving the green unicorn looking around for the fly that must have bitten her. But unable to find said pest, she shrugged and turned her mind back to the suddenly fascinating conundrum that was the shape of their planet.

Lyra was the sort of pony that liked a good mystery now and again, and this was no exception. True, she'd never cared much for it before, but now that its question had been raised, she knew-just like her obsession with human artifacts-that she'd likely obsess over this as well until the question was answered. Besides, she had a feeling that Bon-Bon would likely call her a nut if she kept bringing it up at work. However...if she had two Princesses plus Equestria's only human-turned-pony backing her up, Bon-Bon would have to believe her then!

"Alright, I'm in," the green unicorn suddenly declared. "I mean, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to solve this little mystery so we don't all lose sleep over it, go bonkers, and eventually annoy our co-workers and her Scoltspony coltfriend to death about it. Am I right?"

"...riiiight," Volare nodded, a bit concerned for Lyra's sanity for a moment before realizing this is Lyra, she's just wired that way, and smiled in return. "So, Twi c'mon. Let's attack this thing from a different angle."

"I dunno Volare," Twilight blew out her chops and gathered up the scattered books with her magic. "I'm just about all out of angles here. And no protractor jokes!"

"Hrm...hey, here's an idea: we can still use the moon to determine the shape of the planet."

"Huh, how?" Twilight queried.

"Well, during a lunar eclipse on Earth, the planet's shadow crosses the face of the moon, and you can see its outline. At the very least, that'd give use a general idea of the shape of the thing." Volare turned to Luna with a grin, in doing so missing Twilight's quiet facehoof. "Does that sound plausible?"

"I'm not so sure," Luna rubbed her chin. "How is it that a shadow can cross the moon where you come from?"

"I...what?" Volare cocked his head in sudden confusion. "It does it when the moon passes into Earth's shadow, which cuts off the light from the sun for a little bit."

"I don't understand why the sun's light would have anything to do with the darkness of the moon, though," Luna said with a bit of a huff, the suggestion of anything darkening her moon without her permission an unthinkable reality. Meanwhile, Lyra had to restrain herself from guffawing, preferring to see how this panned out instead.

"Why, because the sun shining on the Earth casts the shadow across the moon's face," Volare explained as one would to a child. Surely Luna wasn't that naive, was she? She couldn't be-she was the Moon Goddess for crying out loud!
"But you knew that already, right? Stop pulling my leg, Luna."

But instead of a sly smirk, that same look of genuine confusion and curiosity remained plastered upon the Alicorn's face.
"I assure you, I'm not pulling anypony's appendages, Volare. I sincerely don't understand why you feel that Earth's moon is the same as my moon. Wasn't it you who claimed to have 'learned the rules' by now?"

"What..." Volare gaped, knowing she was right but unable to comprehend what she meant. How could it be different? A moon is a moon, right? I don't-"

"Volare, listen well," Luna closed her eyes and spoke in a stern tone. "For anypony to question my authority over the moon is folly, but to presume that something other than myself holds sway over my moon...to presume that I've lost control over it...well, that is just plain dangerous thinking." Her eyes opened and fixed themselves upon the Pegasus before allowing the corners of her mouth to curl up ever so slightly. "But it's a good thing you're my friend, and not just anypony, eh?"

The tension immediately evaporated, leaving Volare chucking nervously. "Heh, thought you were going to blow me up or something for a second."

"Pshaw, for something so small? Don't be ridiculous," Luna chuckled before resuming. "That said, I still find it strange that you'd believe that my moon is governed by the same rules as your moon. Or did you not know of how my moon works?"

"Apparently not," Volare shrugged and looked over at Twilight. "I don't think the Keeper of Knowledge there explained that bit to me."

"I never thought it would make this much difference," Twilight offered weakly before sighing. "Volare, this may come as a shock to you, but...the moon's face isn't lit by sunlight the way your moon is. It gives off its own light which is controlled by its Stewardess Luna, and Celestia during her absence."

"Oh wow, I...what," Volare uttered once more as that little reality sunk in. "What about half and quarter moons," he muttered; he could have sworn he'd seen them in the show. Luna reached over and patted his stunned form with a wing.

"That is why I was confused by your assertion, Volare. Please forgive me, but I thought your idea as foolish as attempting to spot a shadow cast across a candle flame," Luna chuckled, partly at her analogy but mostly at Volare's flabbergasted face. "Now that said, I can dim the moon and create patterns across it, such the half and quarter moons you speak of-"

Oh, well that explains a lot, Volare thought.

"-but lessening the light wouldn't help the ponies at night, you see," Luna explained sagely. "Creative, but not very practical, unless it was Nightmare Night or something."

"I got it now," Volare assured her, though he still shook his mane in disbelief. It's not Earth, Volare ol' boy, it's not Earth. "Heh, next thing you're gonna tell me is your crazy moon doesn't create tides." But his relief returned to mild horror again as his friends blankly stared at him.

"What the hay's a tide?" Lyra asked with a scratch of her mane.

"...oh you cannot be serious," Volare facehoofed at their nodding replies. "You don't have tides here in Equestria?"

"I'm afraid not, Volare," Luna shook her head. "Why, are they important?"

"Well, kinda, uh..." Volare scratched his head before shrugging. "Tides on Earth are when bodies of water rise and fall due to the moon's gravitational pull."

"That sounds like it could be perilous," Luna declared.

"It can be. In some places, the tides rise so fast you can be stuck for hours on high ground or flooded out before you know what hit you," Volare replied grimly. "So none of that rings a bell, though?"

"Nope, nothing like that here, Volare," Lyra chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Wonder why that is. Heh, don't know why you're getting all flustered, Twilight. This whole thinking outside the box thing is kinda fun."

"Not so fun when you've been pondering it for months," the Librarian grumbled into her gravitational glossings. "But you're right, it does raise the issue of the lack of tides here. Not that I'm suddenly craving sudden oceanic shifts or anything, but rather why our moon doesn't create them."

"Maybe it's too far away?" Volare offered, but Luna quickly shot that down.

"I don't believe so, no," the Alicorn Princess shook her mane. "How far away is your moon from Earth?"

"Uh...damn taking me back to elementary school here," Volare chuckled as he furrowed his brow in thought. "Er...something like 230,000 miles away, I think." Lyra let loose a low whistle at the massive number but Luna merely snorted.

"My moon isn't nearly that far away, I can assure you."

"How far away is it?" Volare queried.

"I'm not entirely sure of the number, but..." Luna closed her eyes in thought. "But even now I feel its presence on the other side of the planet, so it can't be terribly far away."

"Alright, well then maybe it's just much smaller than Earth's moon?"

"Even if it was, we'd still see some kind of tidal influence here. I mean, the damn thing has to have mass-no offense, Luna," Twilight interjected as she scribbled a few hasty notes. She squinted at the quill tip, nearly blunted by the morning's note-taking, and reflexively glanced up for Spike who was often nearby with another one at times like this. But finding no dragon assistant, Twilight sighed softly and soldiered on, forcing herself to slow down so she didn't wear the quill out too quickly.

"Yet again, we're just finding more questions than answers." Volare reached over and patted Twilight's hoof with a wing as Luna sat in brooding silence, frustrated at being unable to help Twilight in her hour of need. But answers often came from the strange places, as they were about to discover. Luna, Twilight, and Volare all three looked up at the sound of Lyra's amused snickering as she followed a wind-driven feather that Volare's wing-patting had loosened.

"Heehee, you guys are hilarious when you're all serious," the mare ribbed despite the stern glares sent her way. "Oh come on, it's totally obvious what's going on here."

"Well Lyra, why don't you enlighten this Celestial Student, Moon Goddess, and jet pilot?" Twilight snarked irritably. "Please tell us what these three great minds put together are missing."

"Heh, not calling you guys dumb or anything, but...heheh, you guys are looking at the big picture so much that you're missing the answer right in front of your noses."

"And that is?" Luna raised a brow.

"Hang on a sec," Lyra fished into her saddlebag before pulling out a rather beat-up looking Earth light bulb. With a smile and a spark of her horn, the bulb flashed to life, glowing and humming with a golden glow. "Works a lot better than horn light at night, I've found," Lyra declare proudly before continuing with a dramatic clearing of her throat. "Ahehem! Right, so what Luna said earlier about trying to find a shadow in a candle flame got me thinking. And then what Twi said about the moon having to have mass got me thinking further. And then I saw one of Volare's feathers flying in the wind-"

"Get to the point, Lyra," Twilight snapped.

"Shh, calm down Twilight," Luna urged gently, intrigued where Lyra was going with this. "Give her a chance."

"Heh, no problem," the lyricist grinned before continuing. "Anyways, that kinda took me back to foal-school where we learned that feathers are bigger than rocks, but they aren't as heavy, you know. Feathers fall slower and float whereas rocks, ya know don't."

"...I give up," Twilight facebooked into her notes but Volare gave her a hopeful nudge.

"No Twi, I think I get what she's saying."

"She's talking about foal-school, Volare," Twilight muttered into her notes. "How the hay does that help us here?"

"Hey, going back to the basics got me this far, Twi," the pilot crooked his hoof under her chin and raised her gaze to his. "She's right: we're probably thinking way too deeply about this. Just trust me and listen to her."

"If I had a bit for every time I've had to ask my advisers and friends the most basic and trivial questions since I came back from the moon..." Luna added with a wink. Twilight rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh before sitting back up and swatting away the parchment stuck to her forehead.

"Fine, ok. Lyra, I'm sorry," Twilight nodded at the unfazed unicorn. "Please go on."

"Righto," Lyra nodded and raised the light bulb with her magic once more. "So here's the skinny: I think the moon is like a giant light bulb."

"...Lyra what the heck did you eat this morning?" Volare chuckled while Twilight and Luna simply stared in confused silence. "Because I want some of it," he grinned.

"Wait, what?!" Twilight cocked her head in further befuddlement.

"Indeed, 'what' is more than appropriate here," Luna scratched her ear.

"Twilight, Luna, she's right," Volare declared and held up the light bulb in a hoof. "I mean, it sounds nutballs, but what she's saying makes perfect sense."

"That the moon is a giant light bulb?" Twilight scoffed.

"No, but it's kinda like one," Volare tossed the bulb to Twilight. "Think about it: it's fairly large but without a lot of mass, and it gives off its own light with Luna acting like hand on the light switch." As Twilight turned the light bulb over in her hooves, against her better judgenment, the wonderfully ludicrous explanation began to make more and more sense. "Aha, I see that smile, Twi," Volare teased. "You believe it now, eh?"

"I-yes, I think I do," Twilight nodded and looked up at Luna. "Princess, how would you describe your efforts in moving the moon? Basically effortless?"

"Well, not quite effortless, but yes, it comes fairly easily," Luna replied. "Why?"

"And how would you describe your stay in the moon?" Twilight continued, her hopeful smile growing with every word. True it wasn't really leading to the answers she wanted, but some good news was better than nothing at this point. "You say you couldn't see the planet from up there but what could you see?"

"I, er..." Luna did her best to recall but after a few moments, she shook her head. "Nothing. Once I became Nightmare Moon, everything was but a blur. And once my sister sent me up there...I remember naught but darkness every time I tried to open my eyes." Luna's brow furrowed into a pained frown. "I longed to see my moon's light, but I could not, and so I slept. For a thousand years I slept, until Nightmare Moon returned."

"Yeah, always kinda wondered about that," Lyra tapped her chin. "About Nightmare Moon's return. Why'd it happen in the first place?" Her comments drew a glare from Luna. "I mean, no offense Princess, but you'd think the Elements' spell would be more, I dunno, permanent like the legend says."

"Well believe you me, nopony else is happier that it wasn't than me," Luna snorted in mild annoyance. Something dark pricked at the corners of her mind at the thought of her return, of the Elements' spell that sent her there, and how Celestia had told her she'd come to discover the exact day of her return. She recalled her sister saying it wasn't under the most pleasant of circumstances...

"-Luna, you ok?" Volare's voice startled the Moon Goddess back to the present and she gave a short laugh in reply.

"Ha, yes just er, daydreaming you could say," Luna assured him with a wave of a hoof. "Now then Twilight, what was the aim of your inquiries just now?"

"I mean that if you couldn't see the planet, only darkness while imprisoned in the moon. And if you say that moving the moon is almost effortless on your part," Twilight clicked her teeth thoughtfully. "And it's not causing tides, then maybe it really doesn't have much mass at all. Maybe it is like a giant light bulb! Lyra, you're a genius!"

"Wha-who me?" Lyra looked up in surprise. "I mean, yeah of course I am! Ha, wait till I tell Bon-Bon that Twilight thinks I'm a genius!"

"Haha, I think you may have gone too far, Twilight," Luna chuckled. "Still, a giant light bulb. It seems a bit tough to swallow."

"Well either that and it's made of cheese," Lyra suddenly declared, drawing the strangest looks of the day yet. She fixed Luna with a sudden accusatory stare. "And the reason why you're so acting so un-accepting of it is cuz you're holding out on us, Princess! Which is a bad idea, cuz I love cheese! Well, we're onto you, you, you hoarding-a-whole-cheese-moon type Princess!"

"Um, I...what," Luna sputtered as Twilight and Volare collapsed upon each other in helpless laughter. But Lyra's serious scowl quickly cracked into a chuckling smirk, which then devolved into uproarious guffaws that Luna soon added to once she realized it was all a huge joke. As the four researchers rolled about in a giggling fit, a few Royal Guards on station couldn't help but worry for the future of their country just a bit.

After several minutes of hiccuping giggles, the four ponies finally calmed down enough to gather their senses and the notes that had been scattered every which way by their mirth. "Ok, ok, so I'm willing to buy the moon being like a big hollow light bulb for now, as crazy as that sounds," Twilight acquiesced as she tidied her notes up. "We're still kinda stuck where we were in regards to the planet's shape, though," her smile melted into a frown once more. That brought the other three back to the reality at hoof and left them sitting about in heavy silence once more.

"Man, I'm hungry," Lyra suddenly declared as her stomach gurbled loudly. She stood up and gathered her saddlebag before heading for the Royal Kitchens. "You guys want some cheese?"

"Nah, I'm good Lyra," Volare waved a wing while Luna and Twilight remained within their ruminations.

"Hmph, if you say so. Lemme know if ya figure it out, guys!" Lyra waved cheerfully and headed on her way.

"Heh, she's certainly a different sort of pony," Luna chuckled softly.

"Yep, that she is," Volare nodded in agreement and nudged Twilight. "What do you think of her, Twi?"

"Huh? Oh, uh. I dunno," the unicorn shrugged as she flipped through her notes. "She's definitely out of the ordinary."

"I don't think 'out of the ordinary' quite cuts it. You heard how she stole me from the hospital when she found out I was a human?"

"Oh zounds, I didn't hear that part of the story," Luna giggled. "Though I'm quite familiar with the aftermath." Her face grew stony as she recalled the events of that night, and how she'd failed to apprehend Ray and Jill; how since then nopony had even so much as taken up the bounty on them. If only they were captured, she was sure she could confirm hers and Celestia's worries about that creature Luna had seen in Volare's dream the previous evening. But now wasn't the time for dark thoughts, and she stuffed them back in the shadows and put on a cheerful smile.

"Well Volare, perhaps we're not entirely at an impasse here," she offered.

"How so? I think we've about run out of tricks, ma'am."

"Not entirely," Luna insisted and drew herself back upright. "Twilight, you said that humans were aware that their planet was round long before they actually saw it from their moon, correct?"

"According to Volare."

"That's right, Luna," the pilot affirmed.

"Did they always know it was round?"

"Pfft, no. In fact, we thought it was flat for the longest time," Volare chucked. "Thought we could actually fall off the edge of the world if we traveled too far."

"Then when did the change in thinking take place? What changed your views on the planet's shape if you couldn't see it from without?" Luna asked with a sagely smile.

"Oh that's easy," Volare chuckled. "In the 1500's, the explorer Magellan sailed around the world, proving that the world wasn't flat." At his words, Twilight looked up in astonishment while Luna's smile grew ever wider. "What, Twi? What'd I say?"

"You never told me that!" the Librarian thumped him in the shoulder and cursed under her breath. "Of course, of course, I'm so bucking dense!"

"You never asked!" Volare offered feebly before Twilight tweaked him with her magic, sending him tumbling onto his back. She quickly leaped on top of him with a grin. "Er, Twi?"

"That's it! That's how we'll figure it out! Oh Volare you big idiot, I could kiss you!" Just as suddenly as she'd leaped onto him, she jumped off and disappeared in a flash of light.

"...Well, that was kinda weird," Volare muttered while Luna chuckled behind a hoof. Catching her look, he cocked his head. "What? What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing terribly consequential," Luna insisted. "I just find it amusing and a bit refreshing to be in the company of intellectual ponies." She sighed slightly before shaking her mane. "Not to be so harsh as to call our ponies dull, just that so many of them are so content in their own little towns and families that they rarely have any need to think deeply beyond the next harvest or the next rain shower. But you, you humans are fascinating in that you always seem to be reaching further beyond what most others would be unwilling to go, either due to fear or lack of interest."

"Huh, never really thought about it that way," Volare nodded in appreciation. "I take it Alicorns are different than the average pony i that regard?"

"Oh yes, almost out of necessity," Luna replied while waving a hoof beyond the city walls. "While the average pony may live 80 or more years-which is a fairly long and successful life for most-an Alicorn can live for thousands. And so while the average pony may be content with harvesting and rain-making and governing small towns for their lives, Alicorns inevitably crave something more. Sometimes much more," she said in a near-foreboding tone.

"If we don't satisfy that itch for more be it knowledge, wanderlust, power or what-have-you...we can quite literally be driven mad by boredom." Her short laugh caused a small chill to roll up Volare's spine at the implications of such a concept. "Ha, many would be jealous of Alicorns due to our long life, but...it can be more of a curse than one may believe. After all, there's only so much one can see in this world..."

"Damn...I know you guys sought out Earth as a new place to live way back before Equestria was founded," Volare recalled. "But did your thirst for knowledge have anything to do with it too?" A funny look crossed Luna's face for an instant before she tossed her head back and laughed.

"Haha, I don't think it will ever cease to amuse me how, despite how different you humans and we Alicorns may seem, just how similar we can be at times," the Moon Goddess laid a hoof across Volare's and winked. "But to answer your question: maybe a teensy bit."

"Heh, interesting," Volare mused, not quite sure what to make of this new wrinkle in his growing knowledge of Equestrian history. "Does kinda make we wonder about Twilight though."

"Hmm, how so?"

"That she can think so much more deeply about things than the average pony can," Volare poked thoughtfully at a grass tuft. "Pretty much on a human level."

"Or Alicorn?" Luna smiled once more, but before Volare could say anything they both looked up as the unicorn in question flashed back into existence, carrying a huge leather-bound tome in her magical grasp.

"Ha, found it!" she declared as she sat the book down with an audible thump between Luna and Volare. "Celestia showed me this when I was last here and I gotta admit, I was kinda disappointed in myself when I saw it," she chided as she opened the book and flipped through the myriad of maps and sketches that littered its pages.

"Heh, mind telling me what the heck you could possibly do that would be disappointing?" Volare ribbed her, unaware of the small jolt of pain his comment raised in her. But as she glanced up at his warm smile, that pain was replaced by a slight fluttering in her chest. "C'mon, you're amazing on your bad days, Twi."

"Well, I, er...ahem," Twilight coughed and shook her mane to hide her blush as she continued to search for the map Celestia had showed her. "You'd be surprised, Volare. When I saw this-aha, here we are!" She placed a hoof upon the yellowed pages spread before them, and the pilot's eyes grew wide as he took in the vastness of the world they were living in.

"Wow..." he breathed as his eyes swept over countries like Heliopolis, Prance, and the Zebrican Empire. Over mountains, deserts, and the vast oceans that surrounded them all. Yep, still not in Kansas, flyboy. But as astounded as he was of the vast lands beyond Equestria, a small chuckle nevertheless managed to leak from his mouth.
"Oh, it's nothing, just kinda familiar," he replied at Luna and Twilight's curious looks. "I mean to Earth maps; oceans, continents and all that."

"Why would you assume our planet to be so different from your own?" Luna queried.

"Well so far they've pretty much been night and day, so to speak," Volare replied, yet again wondering how the hell he was going to eventually explain to them that the majority of his knowledge of them still came from a TV show. But the show never talked about anything quite like this! "Just how big is this place and what did you mean by being surprised, Twi?"

"Eh-heh, about that," the unicorn shuffled her hooves in a way that Volare found adorkably awkward. "Believe it or not, until Celestia showed me this map, I didn't know much at all about the world outside of Equestria."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah," her ears fell in shame. "I was a real homebody right up until Celestia practically kicked me out of Canterlot to go make friends in Ponyville. I guess I was just so wrapped up in the books right in front of my nose that I just never had time to worry about the affairs of the world outside the walls of the city. Kinda pathetic, huh?"

"Pathetic?" Volare closed his eyes for a moment before snorting softly and resting his hoof upon hers, much to Luna's curiosity. At his touch, Twilight looked up at his suddenly stern face. "Twilight, you're one of the most awesome and amazing ponies I've ever known, and without you I'd be dead a buncha times over by now."

"But I wasn't the only one who-"

"No Twi, don't try to put yourself down," he held a wingtip over her mouth but allowed his lips to curl into a terse smile. "Just you remember this: I don't care how crappy you might feel or how bad things may get, know you've always got a fan in me. You'll never be pathetic to me, cuz I'd be dead without you." And with that, he pulled her face into a firm nuzzle with his. "Just promise me you'll remember that, ok?"

"I-I..." Twilight stammered, a bit stunned by his sudden embrace, but in a definite good way. She simply sat there for a moment, enjoying his closeness before glancing to the side and seeing the way that Luna's brow was cocked in amusement, as well as the looks that the Royal Guards at their stations among the colonnades were giving her. The suddenly self-conscious unicorn chuckled awkwardly and quickly returned the nuzzle before pulling away and clearing her throat, giving Volare's saddlebag a quick glance.
C'mon Twilight, keep it together...just because the possibility is there doesn't make it right. For as much as she'd love for it to be possible...considering the events of last night and the fragile little thing his saddlebag housed that would allow it to be...it broke her heart, but...no... Besides, she knew somepony else needed him even more than she. For she had been just fine if a bit lonely before Volare arrived. But her friend...no, her friend needed somepony like him.

"I promise," Twilight nodded and smiled at the pilot before adding. "But don't forget Rainbow Dash. I mean, she saved you to begin with, ya know."

"Haha, yeah I know, and she'll probably never let me live it down," Volare laughed warmly and tossed his mane. "Trust me, I'll remember that till my last day, Twi. Anyways..."

"Yep, anyways," Twilight giggled and nudged the map book. "Guess my tangenteering rubbing off on other ponies still works."

"Ha-wait, what?" Volare gave her a strange look that threatened to multiply her giggles. But before they had a chance to, Luna caught a double-flash of sunlight from the balcony that ringed the top of the Archives Building in the near-distance. She knew that be no mere reflection off of a window, and she swiftly nudged the map book as well.

"Ahem, so Twilight, what brought you to bring this map out in the first place?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, what's up with it, Twi? I'm gonna guess you didn't bring it out to here to rag on yourself, eh?" Volare nudged her ribs and received a magical tweak of his ear and a snarky smile in return.

"Guilty as charged, smart-flank. Now check this out," Twilight spread her hooves to either side of the circular map. "According to the markings on this map, the whole known world is roughly 8000 miles in diameter. And I know enough about Earth from our studies and a globe I have to notice a similarity between the two planets"

"That's practically the same diameter as Earth," Volare gaped. "So similar sizes?"

"Similar masses to be more correct, as determined by our near-identical gravities," Twilight nodded with a smile. "Though not the same shape, which is really throwing me off, because if Earth is a sphere and this planet isn't, then what the hay kinda shape could it possibly be? And here's the weird thing," Twilight's tone suddenly turned rather eerie. "Let's assume this planet isn't something ridiculous like a giant cylinder or a crazy blob with a near-flat plane on one side-the whole flat plane being weird enough anyway-floating in space. If we assume that...and it's not a sphere but an unknown shape...where's the rest of the planet?" She spread her hooves to the edges of the map once more.

"What...the...hell," Volare breathed as he ran numbers through his head as the truth began to dawn on him. It's too small. "You sure this is the whole world?"

"The whole known world, yes," Luna suddenly spoke up, catching both ponies' attention. "And I can almost certainly assure you that it's not some ludicrous flying blob that I have to steer my moon's path around."

"Well that's kinda reassuring," Volare licked his drying lips and looked back to the map. "Luna, how did this map come to be, if nopony can see this place from space?"

"This? This map is an amalgamation of multiple ponies and creatures' travelling accounts throughout the centuries, specifically mariners and wilderness explorers," Luna explained. "This map was hoof-drawn from their personal experiences and journal entries."

"But this...this just can't be right," Twilight protested. "For the planet to have the same gravity as Earth and not be spherical, it needs to be bigger. Much bigger, especially if it has a round plane like this. The surface area required to hold such mass means this map should be nearly four times this size, not to mention this whole flat layout thing is a really weird way to map a planet."

"And why would you say that?" Luna cocked an amused brown once more. "Besides, I'm not sure why you're so convinced of its roundness anyway."

"Because it...urgh, because science says so!" Twilight took a few slow breaths to calm down. Why in Equestria didn't more ponies just understand basic geometry, especially the damn Princess of the Moon!? "When a map is stretched into a circular shape like this, it distorts the shape of the continents and oceans in order to fit them on the map."

"And why would they be distorted?"

"Because..." Twilight paused once more, in disbelief that Luna could be this dense. "Because they have to be shrunken, squashed, and stretched to all fit such an overly-perfect shape, which by the way, all the laws of physics say shouldn't exist in nature."

"No offense Twilight Sparkle-and I sense your frustration, by the way," Luna chided gently. "I believe that if you were to compare the accounts of the ponies themselves with the map, you may be surprised at just how squashed or un-squashed things appear," she added with a sagely smile.

"...okay, both you and Celestia know something I don't," Twilight cocked a suspicious brow, to which Luna only continued to smile. "Is this some sorta test or something? Cuz if it is, this is the dumbest damn pop quiz in the history of Equestria!" At her dorky little outburst, Volare couldn't help but bury his face in her shoulder in laughter, to which she replied by tossing him aside with her magic and glaring at him in mild warning, almost as if she might leap on and pummel him at any moment.

At her actions, Luna's attention was once more drawn to the top of the Archives Building by another double flash of sunlight, and she sighed inwardly, knowing it was time. I hope to the moon and stars this goes well...
"Volare, why don't you go get a book to help keep Twilight's head from exploding?" Luna chuckled. "I'll keep her outside to preserve the architecture."

"Heh, that's probably in everypony's best interest," Volare chuckled, shrugging off another magical tweak to his ear as he hopped to his hooves. "What sorta book am I looking for?"

"The Rhyme of the Equetic Mariners, located within the Archives Building," Luna nodded towards the spire-like structure towards the northern end of the Palace. "Technically that building is still off-limits from the Changeling invasion, but I personally feel it's high time we open it back up soon anyway. Go there, head up four flights of stairs, and the Explorers Den will be through the second door on your right. If anypony gives you trouble, simply tell them that you have the moon's blessing, and they should let you pass."

"Ookay, I'll do my best not to get lost," Volare threw Luna a salute and couldn't help one last little rib at his frazzled comrade. "Don't think too hard, Twi; it makes you even more adorkable."

"Gah, get outta here, you!" Twilight resisted the urge to chunk a book at his flank as he trotted away, instead opting to magically tweak the back of his leg so that he stumbled instead. He looked back and returned her playful raspberry with one of his own before trotting around the corner and out of sight, his echoing hoofteps quickly fading into the background noise of the city. Swiftly, before Twilight could get involved in her notes once more, Luna scooted over next to Twilight and laid a comforting wing across the unicorn's back. This was by her sister's design, and as much as it pained her to go through with this, Twilight needed to be made aware of the danger that Volare potentially posed.

"Twilight, I'm afraid I must speak with you about Volare for a moment," the Moon Goddess began as delicately as possible, but Twilight's reply caught her off guard.

"I figured as much," Twilight nodded and stared at the short grass rustling in the plateau city's breeze. "He told me about the dreamscape. And as you know, I've studied dream-scrying enough to realize the significance of those visions, especially that crystal. And I think I know what you're going to tell me."

"Oh?" How was that possible? Did my sister and I not erase all mention of those crystals from-

"We can't be together just because something so inconsequential-yet something so easily lost or damaged-like that crystal allows us to," Twilight hung her head and sniffled slightly. "It wouldn't be fair or safe for either of us, especially if it got lost or, heavens forbid, got broken. Haha, could you imagine us, living in the same close confines and it suddenly broke or something. What would stop me from overloading and, I dunno, blowing up half of Ponyville?" Twilight laughed dryly. Or doing crazy something we'd BOTH regret...like jumping his bones, as Pinkie puts it. "Ah, I don't even know why I'm saying this crap," she held her head in her hooves until Luna patted her on the back.

"It's alright, Twilight," she nuzzled the student gently. "Nopony is forcing anypony into anything."

"But that's another thing: what if he likes me and I have to break his heart?" Twilight suddenly had to fight off a sob. "I dunno if I can do that, Luna."

"Twilight, from what I've seen of him, he's more than a reasonable stallion," Luna held her close and rocked her gently with a wing for a moment. "Explain to him just as you did to me, and I'm sure he'll understand."

"Y-you think so?" Twilight wiped her muzzle and gave the teensiest of smiles. "But I don't even know if he feels the same way. How can I tell him without looking like an idiot?"

"Haha, that's for you to decide, Twilight Sparkle," Luna gave her one more firm wing-hug before rising to her hooves and shaking the grass from her mane. "But considering your track record, if anypony stands the best chance at letting him down easy, it's you."

"Hmph, wish I could say I'm proud of that. Oh, where are you-?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Twilight, but er," Luna's eyes flashed towards the Archives, to the Palace, and then back to Twilight again. She cursed herself for bring such a coward in this but...she just didn't know if she could face Volare after he met with Celestia. "I've got some...royal business to attend to," she replied with air-quotes of her wingtips. "It's been building since breakfast and-"

"O-oh, right!" Twilight suddenly blushed at Luna's implications and waved her off. "Go and er...take care of that."

"I shall," Luna bowed curtly and trotted quickly off towards the Palace, leaving Twilight rather embarrassed. But as soon as Luna was out of sight, she turned from her course towards the Lavatories and headed for the colonnade balconies as covertly as possible, deciding at the final moment that while she might not be able to face Volare herself, she would at least make certain that he returned with her own eyes.
You're so full of it you might as well visit the Lavatories anyway, Luna, she cursed herself as she climbed the marble stairs.

...................
The Canterlot Archives
...................

The smell of fresh paint and lumber hung heavily in the air as Volare trotted along the hallway that circled the interior of the spire-like Archives building. Ladders and scaffolding were stacked neatly against the wall, evidence of the final touch-ups construction ponies were completing as they labored through the repairs and renovations of the building, taking special care to preserve the sanctity of the structure as much as possible. The floors were swept clean, the suits of armor dusted, and the tapestries brushed, straightened, and re-hung with the utmost care to billow in the light breeze that whistled through the Archives. New stained glass windows sparkled in the afternoon light, neatly set within their panes and erasing most of the evidence that the building had been so much as touched, much less violated, during the Wedding Incident.

Luna's pass-code apparently worked without a hitch as Sergeant Graymane and Corporal Spiral swiftly lowered their spears and let him into the as-yet still off-limits building, with no more than a grumbled "don't break anything else" warning from the Sergeant. And although Volare had been given specific instructions by Luna as to which door to enter, he couldn't help it as his eyes were drawn towards a stubby, low shelf-more of a cabinet, really-flanked by suits of archaic-looking Pegasus armor. But it wasn't the armor that beckoned him approach, but the single book situated upon the cabinet. Its title re-igniting the spark of curiosity within Volare's mind and standing out plain as day as he reached a curious hoof towards it: Pegasus Flight: A Military History, by Typhoon VI.

"No way," the pilot mumbled as his hoof graced the rich red leather-bound tome, brushing away a layer of dust that even the renovation ponies had missed. It was clear that nopony had read this book for some time. Hell, according to what Typhoon had said in his other Pegasus Flight book, it was practically against the law for any civilian pony to even touch it-

"Well, well," an amused voice composed of infinite wisdom and tinkling bells resounded down the hall, causing Volare to freeze in his tracks-his hoof still upon the book-and glance towards the source of the voice. But he needn't have even looked, for there was no mistaking the pony from which that voice originated. Even so, it was the sense of unchallengable regality that forced Volare to behold its source with a combination of awe and "shit-his-pants-cuz-he's-probably-in-trouble" fear. It wasn't that he was scared for his life-still, he was in a technically off-limits area with only Luna's blessing as protection. Surely that meant something though, right?! Oh dear gawd, he hoped so...

Clip-clink, clip-clink, clip-clink the sound of intricately gold-shod hooves accompanied the appearance of their owner as she materialized out of the shadows, a graceful, intimidatingly tall alicorn Princess that just as many adored as feared: Princess Celestia. Volare's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth while a cold sweat broke out between his wings and he found himself rooted to the spot as she approached with cool, measured steps. Her small smile reflected the amused tone of her voice as her eyes roved over the features of the blue pegasus frozen before her in a rather guilty 'hoof-in-the-cookie-jar' pose.

"Hmm-hmm, skinny as a bean-pole, indeed," she finally chuckled lightly before halting half a wing's-length in front of Volare. "I believe that's how Twilight described you in her writings. Tell me," she leaned towards the pilot while still wearing that amused smile. She allowed Volare to gulp before continuing. "Is that how you managed to slip past the Guards into such a restricted area?"

"Um...y-you see, I-" Volare mumbled as he tried to get his mind to un-stick itself. He was caught and if he tried to run, she'd zap him to dust-or worse! Images of Princess Molestia danced morbidly through his mind as he tried to focus. You're dead where you stand, dude! You're six feet under, you're meat, you're screwed! "Please don't evaporate me, I'm just looking for a history book for Twilight! I swear-it's called "Rhyme Of The Equetic Mariners!" He finally managed to cry out and threw his hooves over his head in a pathetic expression of futility. But to his surprise, instead of feeling his atoms flying apart, he heard the sound of bell-like chuckling muffled behind a hoof and a massive, yet gentle wing being laid across his shoulders in an almost motherly gesture of comfort.

"Hee-hee, you're quite the comedian as well," Celestia chuckled as Volare lifted his hooves to behold her smiling face, immediately feeling his cheeks and ears burn in embarrassment. "Although Shining Armor offered you a place in the Royal Guard, perhaps you'd fare better as a court jester, hmm?"

"Wh-what, huh? You're not gonna evaporate me?" Volare swallowed hard as his blush scorched away his earlier cold sweat.

"Evaporate you? Why does everypony assume I'd do such a thing? Why, it's almost as common as the assumption that I'd simply send anypony to the moon on a mere whim!" Celestia tossed her mane and laughed once more before meeting his confused gaze with her own. "Oh don't look so bewildered, Volare. I make it my business to know everything about my subjects where needed. And you," she paused as her horn flashed for a moment, conjuring up a pair of sitting cushions and a small table complete with sandwiches, muffins, and tea cups, setting the spread upon the ground before turning back to him. "Are quite the interesting individual from what I've heard-jester or not." Celestia settled herself on a cushion and beckoned towards the table with her hoof, her eyes momentarily flicking towards the saddlebag in which lay the true object of her intentions, or so Luna had said. "Come, I can tell by how jumpy you are that you must be famished. Eat a bite with me and tell me more about yourself."

"R-right," Volare shook his head and shrugged the saddlebag to the side as he sat down, still trying to process this sudden turn of events as Celestia magically poured herself some tea while taking a small bite of her sandwhich. He had so much he wanted to ask her, but he felt it improper to do so after being caught like this! In all honesty, he was just glad to still be in one piece and wasn't exactly privy to pushing his luck by bombarding Equestria's resident Sun Goddess with questions. Whatever his internal struggles though, Celestia seemed to be indifferent, rather than upset as she partook of the food and drink she'd conjured.

"Ahhh, mango-peach," Celestia sighed after a sip of the tea before turning back to her guest who was silently eyeing the sandwiches. "Oh go on, they're not poisoned. If I wanted you dead, I truly would have evaporated you by now," Celestia's dark little joke faded with her chuckles as she looked intently at Volare. The pilot got the gist and sampled a celery and watercress sandwich with a crunch and a satisfied little smile.

"It's good, ma'am," Volare nodded as his stomach rumbled, demanding more. Celestia heard the rumble and nodded her permission as he tucked in hungrily, much to the Princess' amusement. After nearly five minutes of allowing him to eat in silence while she sipped her tea, she coughed lightly and spoke again, eager to begin the true purpose of this conversation.

"So, Volare. I heard from Twilight that you were involved in many Earth organizations, correct?"

"Mppmmph, Ah-wash-"

"Don't rush, dear. Hate for you to choke," Celestia waved a hoof for him to finish. "Take your time and gather your thoughts, for I wish to hear of your exploits...specifically your military ones." At her tone, Volare paused in his chewing and met her gaze once more. Her amused expression hadn't changed, but something dark and sly flickered in the back of her eyes as she stared at him, awaiting his response. Suddenly, Volare wished he'd taken a bigger bite of that sandwich. Still, he knew he couldn't chew forever, her staring at him so intently or not, and so with great effort, he swallowed and spoke.

"Ahem-erm, why would you wanna know about those?" he said reflexively, his usual response when most folks asked him the details of his flight missions. Few though they were, the details were still classified-both by law and by his own morality. Instantly though, Celestia's eyebrow shot up and she leaned forward ever so slightly; not enough to seem threatening, but a measured and well-practiced stance that did just enough to get her point across: obey.

"You sound like you have something to hide," Celestia mused with a light chuckle before sipping her tea. In truth, it didn't truly matter if he did or not-Twilight hadn't simply learned how to scry on her own after all-but she wanted to give him the chance to answer willingly, to earn her trust...and to give her answers to the questions that had been gnawing at the back of her mind ever since she'd gotten word that a human had found his way to her country: just how dangerous had they become? "Trust me, Volare, that's not a good idea with me, for as much as I enjoy playing this little game...I never lose," Celestia took another sip of her tea and beckoned him to speak.

"Eh-heh, well, you see, er..." Volare hesitated, which did nothing to alleviate Celestia's assertion that he was hiding something, but... Here he stood at yet another crossroads between Earth laws and their laws. But it was more than that, for his own morals-and his shame-had a hand in keeping his mouth shut all this time. Oh well, maybe if I give her enough info, she won't pry too much. Not like she can keep me too long here without Twilight wondering where I am anyway, right?

The Naval Aviator heaved a small sigh and took a sip of his own tea before looking up at Celestia, waiting and watching like a foe in a fencing match, ready to counter and riposte at the slightest hint of weakness. Oh come on, Twi loves her like a mom! This is all in your head, dude. Just show her you're not afraid! Yeah, maybe even brag a bit about what you've done! Yeah, show her who's boss here!
"W-where do I begin?" he managed to say.
Oh yeah, smooth, dude...

But Celestia either hadn't noticed or didn't care as she tossed her mane and smiled-whether in encouragement or in hunger he couldn't tell-and waved a wingtip in a small circle. "I already know of your manner of transportation-jets-from Twilight. But what can you do with them? How fast can they go? How powerful are they?"

"Well, um..." Volare forgot his fears for a moment as he rocked back on his nethers to tap his chin thoughtfully with a forehoof. Ok, ball's in your court! Dazzle her a bit with whatcha know! "Kinda depends on what sorta jets you're talking about, ma'am. Er-Princess."

"Either one is fine, Volare," Celestia smiled and sipped her tea. "Let's talk about the jet you fly, this...Hornet, I believe Twilight called it?"

"Yes ma'am, that's what I was trained to fly."

"I'd assume they must fly quite quickly since Rainbow Dash had to break the sound barrier to save you from the crash," Celestia said almost bluntly, though the fact that Volare flinched slightly at her statement wasn't lost on her.

"G-good deduction, Princess," Volare nodded tersely. "That jet has a top speed of just under twice the speed of sound." At his statement, Celestia's eyebrows shot up and she took a sharp sip of tea. Heh, not so smug now, huh?

"H-how is that possible? I thought humans didn't possess magic," Celestia said incredulously, her mind whirring through fears of those jets ever coming to her country-they'd be difficult to stop indeed if they could truly fly that fast.

"No ma'am, it's not magic like you have here-it's complicated technology," he shook his head before adding: "Though I guess you could say that since it was born of human's willpower to fly faster and higher than their foes, it's sorta like the same thing. Just pushing ourselves past our limits."

The willpower of humans, Celestia mused darkly. It had been a long, long time since she'd heard that phrase...the very concept worried her even more now than it did back then. Back when all they'd have to contend with were chariots and spears...

"Um, Princess? You ok?" Volare's words startled Celestia out of her thoughts and she took a reflexive sip from her cup. But it was empty.

"Um he-heh, yes, yes, I'm fine. Just fine," she insisted as she poured herself a new cup. "So I take it these jets go even faster?"

"Oh yeah, way faster. Faster than any pegasus, that's for sure," Volare couldn't help another small smirk from crossing his lips as Celestia's brow creased once more. He quickly buried the smirk in a sandwich as he awaited Celestia's reply. True it might have been a tad sadistic, but to see the almighty Princess at a loss felt a little...empowering, to say the least.

"And er...these jets. Do they fight with wingblades like pegasi sometimes do?" Celelstia's inquiry was met with a short bark of laughter as Volare strove to not choke on his sandwich, bringing a smirk to her lips that she in turn hid with her teacup. Ha, I know what you're trying to do, human, and it won't work. You won't be intimidating me so easily. But once Volare swallowed his sandwich, his answer blew her smugness to a thousand tiny bits.

"No ma'am, they use machine guns for close combat and missiles and bombs for long-range encounters," the pilot answered plainly.

"Machine guns, missiles, and bombs?" Celestia leaned forward slightly, ignoring the edge of her mane dipping in her tea. The way in which he so plainly said these things...by the heavens, how dangerous could they possibly get in such a short time?! "Are they like arrows, spears, and spells?" She felt almost foalish for asking such a thing, but Twilight had either neglected to tell her these things, or simply hadn't been told at all, and so though her pride was stung for the moment, she knew bigger things could be at stake here...like the safety of her ponies.

"Much bigger," Volare smiled, leaning back and crossing his hooves over his chest. "Care to hear what I've been trained to use?"

"Yes. Yes that would be most...insightful," Celestia nodded, conjuring a quill and parchment for notes. Volare had to suppress a chuckle at the very "Twilight-ness" of it all, but he quickly got serious and closed his eyes in thought.

"Well, I suppose we could begin at the beginning...the "humble" M-61 Vulcan Cannon..."

.............................
Back on the Canterlot Front Lawn...
.............................

Twilight had been known from time to time to lose track of the time when she got involved in a good read-or three at once sometimes-but even she was starting to worry about Volare ever so slightly. Never took him for the "lose himself in a good book" sort, she thought to herself as she glanced at the massive sundial situated just to the side of the entrance of Canterlot's Main Gate, Shae the osprey perched upon it and warming herself in the near-noon light after having flown in from her morning hunt. But he's sure been looking for that reference for a long-

"Man, Volare's been gone almost half an hour," Spike's words broke through her musings as he scratched his scales, he too glancing at the sundial, having finally corralled Scootaloo back onto the front lawn. "Think he got lost?"

"Heh, that's always a possibility. He is new in town," Twilight nodded, that worry gripping her just a bit more tightly. "And it is a big city..."

But before she could stand up, Shae chireek'd softly and took wing without a backwards glance, soaring in the direction of the Archives Building.

"Ok, that's just a little bit creepy," Spike muttered and flopped back down beside Twilight. "It's like that bird's got it all figured out or something. You ever seen anything like her before?"

"Outside of maybe Philomena, I'd say no," Twilight shook her mane and chuckled. "But you gotta hoof it to her: she's got a knack for being in the right place at the right time. I think she's got it handled. Us on the other hoof..." Twilight trailed off in a mixture of worry and amusement as she watched Scootaloo do her best to just barely not touch one of the Royal Guards posted before the Main Gate, trying to get some sort of reaction out of him besides that stony stare. "Heh, how Volare handles her being is sister is anypony's guess, huh?"

"Yeah no kidding," Spike rolled his eyes and headed towards Scootaloo in an attempt to keep her from being tossed in the dungeon. "Kids-pfft. Glad I was never this darn difficult when I was one."

"Yeah, you simply grew to the size of a building and blew a hole in the roof right after you hatched," Twilight snickered softly.

"Hey I heard that!!" Spike shook a scaly fist. "And that was mostly your fault anyways! At least I didn't turn my mom and dad into crazy catuses!"

"Cacti," Twilight couldn't help but correct him as the baby dragon did his best to usher Scootaloo away from the Guard. But she quickly dodged him and ran circles about him, laughing and kicking up the front lawn as she went, just being a typical, happy little filly. Just barely, so that nopony could possibly notice, the Guard allowed the corner of his mouth to curl up into the tiniest of smiles. What? If your heart was attempting to explode, you'd have a reaction too, eh?

Just above them, Princess Luna looked down from a palace balcony, amused both by Scootaloo's antics and by how close Volare and Twilight were growing. Sure, her sister wasn't too keen on it, but it was naught but a harmless attraction, right? Besides, they both seemed to be content in each other's presence, and who was she to meddle with that?

"Still," she sighed and shook her mane, understanding where her sister's worries came from, worries that Celestia refreshed her upon after her tale of Volare's dreamscape. She knew that, despite how happy he might make Twilight, if she continued along her destiny's path...they would have to part eventually. And Twilight's own conclusion that a relationship between them wouldn't be safe due to the fragility-rather than the danger-of that crystal saved Luna from having to break Twilight's heart herself. At least Twilight was happy knowing that her friend would be safe and that their friendship would remain intact.

"'Better to have loved and lost,' as old Whinnyson once said? Doesn't make it hurt any less," Luna muttered and snuffled before looking back down at Spike who had given up on chasing Scootaloo and had collapsed on the lawn, winded as the knowledge-hungry Twilight continued to pore over the Map of Equestria, subtly making marks around the edges while Scootaloo changed tact to stalking the butterflies that flitted among the rose bushes that lined the base of the palace wall.

"Dammit all to the moon," she grumbled and ground a hoof into the balcony in frustration, knowing that she'd been right all along, that Twilight truly did feel a genuine affection for Volare-more than what a simple magical overload reaction could produce-and yet, due to fate's cruel twists, it was to be killed before it ever had the chance to sprout...for the good of everypony. She didn't want to break this up, but her sister was unfortunately right. "Grr, I just hope you can tell him with more tact than I, sister. For I scarce relish to do it myself, especially if he shares Twilight's feelings..."

..........................
The Archives Building
..........................

Volare wasn't sure when it happened, whether it was during his rather passionate description of the accuracy of an AGM-65 Maverick or the sheer destructive capability of a B-61 Nuclear Bomb, but during the process of explaining what his Hornet could carry and what he'd been trained to use, he never noticed the moment when Celestia's emotions turned. Such were the powers of her well-practiced Princessly poker face. And in his eagerness to wipe that smug, 'holier-than-thou' smile off her muzzle, in his efforts to up the ante with ever more powerful weapons information when the previous one did nothing more than cinch her eyebrows, he completely forgot the possibility that she could harbor first shock, then fear, and then hatred towards himself and the human race.

For it was quite obvious to her that they'd not advanced, at least in the compassion department, but certainly in their capacity for destructive behavior. But she wasn't about to cave and flinch, no sir-not when her ponies' safety was potentially on the line. For if this human-turned-pony had the will to do such terrible things-her gaze once again wandered over the saddlebag, no longer in curiosity, but in fear of his weaponizing that too-he'd best not be given the tools or the chance to do so. She'd heard quite enough to make her decision, never truly considering that her past paranoia of humans might be influencing her own behavior, despite the promise she'd made to Twilight Sparkle to give him a chance. Well she had, and he'd failed...miserably. Her subjects might not like it, and her student might even hate her for it, but...no, this was for the best; she was well aware of how close her student was growing to him, both out on the lawn and in the days before. He's too dangerous for you, Twilight. I won't let him hurt you.

"Ahem, please pardon me," Celestia interrupted Volare's description of the Hornet jet's landing capabilities with a cough and a raise of her gold-shod hoof. "So sorry to cut you off like that, but I think those sandwiches may be, er...disagreeing with me. Come," she beckoned as she rose to her hooves. "Help me trot this little spell off. I want to show you something in the meantime."

"Er, yes ma'am," Volare nodded, a bit embarrassed by Celestia's forthrightness on such a matter as he took to his own hooves and followed, the lunch spread disappearing with a flash and a pop as they trotted down the curving hallway and towards a stairway that wound its way further upwards into the Archives. "Um, are you-"

"Yes, I'm quite alright; just a little sick to my stomach, that's all," Celestia's answer caused a small alarm to go off within the pegasus pilot, but he attributed it to nerves and ignored it. After a few silent moments of trotting up half a dozen flights of steps and past hallways in various states of near-finished repair, Celestia halted and sighed deeply before turning to pilot and gesturing just above their heads. "What do you see up there, Volare?"

"Hrm-whoa," Volare breathed in awe at the sight of a massive stained glass window that dominated most of the wall from the top of the door archways to the ceiling, similar to the ones that lined the Great Hallway in the Palace, though in much greater detail here. The colorful panes followed the gentle curve of the Archives Building architecture and depicted what appeared to be a highly stylized map of Equestria, complete with winding rivers, towering mountains, lush fields, and above them all a bright sun and moon peeping up from the far left and right hand sides of the painting-like creation. He certainly didn't remember THAT from the show.
"Wow Celestia, it's-"

"Beautiful, I know," Celestia nodded as she gazed at it. "It was the only one untouched during the Wedding Raid here, whereas all the others were shattered beyond repair." The tall Princess reached up and brushed a wing along the bottom edge of the window and smiled softly before glancing sideways at Volare. "Curious, isn't it?"

"What's curious, Princess?"

"That whatever it was, Changeling or otherwise, that rampaged through here, didn't even touch this. To think, that something that hellbent on such destruction would have enough mercy, morality, or what-have-you within it to spare this alone."

"Maybe it just appreciated the workmanship put into it?" Volare offered but was only met with dry laughter from the Sun Princess. "Or I dunno, maybe it just..."

"What? Loved this country enough that it couldn't bring itself to shatter it?" Celestia chuckled, though as that thought coursed through her mind, a sudden and dark, terrifying thought struck her.
What if it...what if it really was...no, no, that's impossible, Celestia! You know that! He can't be back...he just can't-

"Um, Princess? Ma'am?"

"Huh-wha?" Celestia shook her mane and blinked a bit as Volare's words interrupted her macabre musings.

"You were, um...muttering to yourself," Volare reached out a tentative hoof. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Damn sandwiches," she snorted and ruffled her feathers. "Ahem, now then. Where was I?"

"We were talking about this window, ma'am," Volare withdrew his hoof, wondering why Celestia seemed so...unhinged; completely unlike anything he'd ever seen her as in the show. "Are you sure you're-"

"Yes, perfectly fine," Celestia firmly insisted before gathering herself with a deep sigh. "Now then, in regards to the window, don't make the mistake that it's a perfect work of art. Just like the country it represents, it has its flaws: a pit here, a tiny crack there, even a few chips missing from when your friend Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom during the Wedding," she gave a bell-like chuckle before her features suddenly became serious. "But make no mistake, taken as a whole it is still beautiful. Just like this country, just like this peace I've striven so hard to maintain over the past millenia. Just like this window here, though it may have its flaws, I will strive to keep it safe from any wayward dangers that may appear, be they as complex and intentional as an invasion, or as simple as a lost and far-flung pebble accidentally hurtling towards it, unaware of the danger it may itself pose."

"Um, ma'am," Volare, growing increasing uncomfortable with this metaphor, tried to speak, but she silenced him with a wave of a wing and and almost condescending smirk.

"Make no mistake, Volare, that I will do whatever it takes to defend this peace, even if it means hurling said pebble all the way back from whence it came." Celestia folded her wings and half-turned from him back to the window as she let her warning soak in. Despite it being the middle of the day, Volare noticed a distinct dimming of the sunlight streaming through the window, further adding to the chill that crawled its way up his spine at the Sun Goddess' words. "So, my little pebble-er, pony. What exactly are your intentions here?"

"I don't wanna hurt anypony, if that's what you mean, Princess."

"Then why are you so willing and eager to let lose such horrid weapons upon your enemies, hmm?"

"Hey, I never said I was eager to-"

"Please don't interrupt your Princess, Volare," Celestia flicked a warning gaze at him. "And yes, before you argue, I am your Princess according to the citizenship documents you signed in order to create your Ponyville Bank account. Before you ask how I know, I've already told you: it's my business to know of the goings on of my little ponies in regards to their own safety. And to be honest, you're the biggest threat to their safety since before the time of Nightmare Moon, even greater than Discord and the Changelings." She turned and took a step towards Volare, practically looming as she continued. "Because while Discord may have caused loss of life due to his antics while the Changelings would simply feed off of emotion, your race seems to be hell-bent on violence for violence' sake."

Volare suddenly felt very small as she tilted her gaze downwards and took a step towards him. "I don't mean to offend you, but from what you've told me today, of how willing you are to do what you're capable of, and what I know of humanity now, you could never comprehend such a peace as the one here could you? How much effort is put into keeping my ponies safe." She leaned in very closely as her voice dropped to barely above a soft whisper. "No, you'd rather choose the easy way out and resort to death and destruction to advance your cause, wouldn't you? You'd rather shatter it just because you can."

"Whoa, hang on a second Princess!" Volare attempted to interject once he realized what she was getting at, but it was too late.

"No, I've given you humans over a thousand years worth of seconds to change my mind about your barbarism, but nothing has changed at all," Celestia paused for a moment as something soft, almost like regret, entered her eyes. She'd truly been so hopeful... "I'm disappointed in you Volare, for according to Twilight you seemed like such a better pony than you've made yourself out to be this day. Not very wise, considering I see you as an emissary for your species; you need only look in the mirror to know why you failed in that role."

The realization of that fact hit Volare like a ton of bricks, causing him to hang his head in shame. What he saw as good-natured enthusiasm for what he'd been trained to do, to one outside of his military background he seemed like a monster bragging about all the horrible things he was capable of doing. "But Princess, please. I didn't mean to-"

"Considering the delight with which you described your combat capabilities, I'd say you most certainly did, Volare," Celestia cut him off once more. "Thank goodness you don't have the means to cause such things here. However, that brings me to my next point," her eyes once again flicked towards his saddlebag. But in light of what Luna had told her, that his life was likely tied to that crystal, she held off on speaking her true mind instead of seizing it then and there and seeing the pain in her dear student Twilight's face...and possibly causing it to happen again.

For a moment a pair of angry, slate-green eyes flared up in her mind; eyes that, despite their burning rage ran with tears of hatred for the Sun Princess...no...please understand Volare that this is for your own good, for Equestria's good...for your friend Twilight's good. Mercifully, she deflected down a less-severe, but hardly less painful, course. "Your little plan I've heard about-of returning to Earth to 'tie up loose ends' as it were: I don't think that's going to happen either."

"What, why not?!" the pilot cried, near-panic gripping him at the thought of never seeing his home planet again, not even to say goodbye.

"Because of the risks of you bringing more humans back here with you, military especially. You've been trouble enough, or have you forgotten the Supercell you spun up with Rainbow Dash? You endangered one of my Element Holders. Do you have ANY idea of the consequences of one of them being out of action in times of trouble that you and your kind might bring?" Celestia returned to nearly looming over him. She didn't enjoy this, not by a long shot. She knew by Twilight's letters that Rainbow Dash likely egged him on, and more of the blame lie on the rambunctious mare than Volare himself. But she had to guilt him into this decision...for the good of everypony. She just hoped he'd realize his small sacrifice within his own lifetime. Volare's sudden response, however, caught her off guard.

"Stop assuming things about humans based on me!" he practically shouted, rocking Celestia back on her haunches slightly-a bit of an improvement over a cocked eyebrow in Volare's eye as he pressed the advantage. "Look, I know I'm not the best example of my species-I get that. Most people don't even wanna fight unless they're backed in a corner or something."

"Then why do you fight? Is it to bully those who won't? A fine family yours must be, to raise you to think so," Celestia needled him once more and it was all Volare could do to not explode at such an ignorant assumption.

"Look, Princess," he paused for a breath. "With all due respect, you know nothing about the military on Earth, or my family."

"I know enough just from you today," Celestia said as she conjured a teapot and cup in midair to calm her mind and chase away the guilt that her words brought her. True she might have been getting a teensy bit harsh and carried away, but it was for the greater good, was it not? Despite her inner bravado, her confidence began to erode as she felt herself torn between compassion for this beast, and her blossoming desire to simply end it to save her ponies and most of all, her dear student.

Hmm-hmm-hmm-hahaha...look in the mirror, Celestia...so...much...hatred! a familiar voice growled within the depths of her consciousness. But she ignored it and continued. That was the past, ancient history. It was nothing.

"You've not changed, you've only gotten worse over the centuries, especially if you've got no qualms about killing millions in one go. Your race has zero compassion for the lives of others, and never will as far as I'm concerned." She knew she was ignoring the deeds that she herself had praised him for since he'd arrived, but she didn't care; that voice in her head told her to press on and hate him.
"And for an emissary of his own race, as I've said you're certainly not doing a good job of changing my mind on that. Hmph, as great as Twilight claims you to be, at least prove that you're different, that your "wonderful" family raised you differently," she tittered dryly as she poured herself a cup to clear the darkness she felt growing in her heart, one she couldn't place the origin of, why it had appeared, or how it had gotten there. And yet, there it was, choking off the last shreds of her own compassion and understanding like a thorny, twisting tendril of terror...or perhaps that was merely what she hoped, and by that hope, she was blinded. For long life was both a gift and a cynical curse to all alicorns, and if they didn't remain wary and keep it in check, the shadow could take them over.

Fear is my domain, and with every ounce of your struggle...

"Celestia, please...leave my family out of this," Volare ground his hooves against the stone floor, gritting his teeth so hard that the Princess could hear them squeak as he tried with every fiber of his being to not lash out at her condescending, scathing words, knowing that despite her little joke earlier, she was very capable of putting an end to him as quick as thought. Even so, he could feel the hot tears gathering in his eyes as he screwed up his courage and spoke with the last bit of control he could muster. "I don't think you have any right to say anything negative about them. If it makes you feel any better, they're totally innocent and...they're in no position to threaten your precious peace."

"And what of Scootaloo? What would your real sister back on Earth say if she knew you'd replaced her with a pony?"

"She wasn't replaced...nothing could ever replace Aggie...I just won't stand by and let Scoots get run over in life," Volare steeled himself for what he was to say next, wiped his nose with a hoof, and continued. "And if that's wrong of me, a "compassion-less" human, to do...well, then you can stick that damn teapot where not even YOUR sun'll shine."

Celestia reeled backwards from his words, amazed that a mere mortal pony could speak to her in such a way. But instead of seeing it as courage...no...the darkness wouldn't let her.
...I come to realize what you fear all the more.
She saw it as naught but insolence.

"Silence you animal!" Celestia hissed and drew herself up like a viper preparing to strike. "How dare you defy your Princess this way? I should throw you in the dungeon for your insult, or..." the darkness curled her lips into a malevolent smirk. "Perhaps I should just take Scootaloo away from you and give her to somepony else more worthy of being her big brother, hmm? What do you think of that, my little pebble?" the Princess chuckled as she took a deep sip of her tea.
Even the gods lack purity in their hearts...

That was the last straw. Something snapped within Volare as he glared up at the Sun Princess, so much more snide and nasty than the show or Twilight, or anypony had described her as. She was almost a farce of a character, and if he hadn't been hurting so much from her barbs he'd have seen through its artificiality...but just as she'd been blinded by her hope, he was blinded by his moral rage. She could insult him, his actions, and his race...but nopony messed with his family. Screwing up his courage and damning the consequences-for at this point he could care less about them-he took a deep breath and replied:
"I think...I think you should go FUCK OFF!"

It must have been centuries since Celestia, a well-practiced tea drinker even by her own standards, had choked on hot tea. But as she sputtered and coughed the scalding beverage from her nostrils and lungs, she was well-reminded of how easy it was for even a Goddess to be made helpless against the simple words of a mere mortal pegasus as he shouted and vented his righteous fury against her.

"Just who the hell are you to call out me and my race and my loved ones for their flaws in everything that they do?! You call us bullies because we take up arms, but I see who the real bully is here! People and ponies that think they can do whatever they want and treat others however they see fit just because of how high up their asses sit compared to everyone else! Ponies like you! Well I've got news for you, Princess!" Volare stomped towards the choking monarch who, to his surprise, scooted back from his advance, fear in her eyes.
"People like me have made a living fighting against people like you for hundreds of years so that others don't have to! You think you're perfect and without flaw, but I know of quite a few smudges on your record, ma'am!" He knew this had long since escalated past the point of no return, but he couldn't take this uppity Princess' bullshit anymore!! It was time for somepony to take a stand.

"G-get back, human," Celestia managed to sputter as she scrabbled away from a pony she no longer perceived as a pegasus through her tear-reddened eyes, but somepony much more horrible. Whether this was a flashback or fear-addled vision, she wasn't sure, but she knew this: she was more terrified for herself and her ponies than she'd been in nearly a thousand years. For instead of a saddlebag slung across Volare's back, there sat a flowing cape. Not burning blue eyes but a scorching crimson. Not a strong-willed voice of moral anger and reason, but a mocking one of torture and tyranny.
I can taste your wrath...

"Ha, not so brave once somepony stands up to you, huh? When's the last time that happened? Tell me, did anypony speak up when you banished Luna, your own sister, to the moon rather than try something else first? Wonder how much you really love her if you'd just toss her aside like that!"

And your sister's contempt...

"No Luna, please..." Celestia choked out, too quiet for Volare to hear as her mind finally embraced the re-visitation of that long-ago battle.

"And you say that us humans would rather resort to violence than reason? Well, I call you a hypocritical bitch for that!"

"Sister...it doesn't have to end like this," the Sun Princess coughed as she struggled to rise to her hooves.

...and both are delicious!

"Makes me wonder if she knows the truth behind any of it," Volare went for the jugular. "Wouldn't blame her if she hated a crazy, high and mighty bitch like you, even if you are her sister." Unbeknownst to the pilot, his rant had precisely the opposite effect he intended; indeed, they had the same effect that Celestia's had had on him. "Hard to believe anypony could love you, the way you treat your subjects."

The words awoke something even more deeply buried within the Sun Goddess. Years fled forward from the confrontation with Sombra, to an even more terrifying time in Celestia's long existence. Volare's outline blurred...his eyes morphed once more, now replaced with those same draconic, slate-green orbs, burning with an all-consuming hatred...the shade of his form soared towards the ceiling, shrouding the hallway in the very darkness that choked Celestia's heart. She could no longer deny that she knew all along the true source of the shadow, and that it laid to shame anything that the Dark King had been, for he was merely its plaything all along...the raven blackness...the Sun Princess' greatest failure. There was no more room for foalish pretending, for it was very, very real.
Come, you need only look in the mirror, Celestia...see the monster you are to me! The monster you KNOW you are!! Hahahahahahaaaa!!!

She would not fail again-a solemn vow taken in that ebon laboratory of foul deeds.
On the longest day of the thousandth year...the stars shall aid in her escape...and she shall bring about nighttime eternal...
Never again.
For we both know, don't we? That you could never harm your precious little sister...in the end, into darkness you will plunge them all...you selfish monster.
NEVER.

"LUNA!!!!!" Celestia suddenly sprang to her hooves, her face full of fury as she bore down upon the troublesome pegasus who'd been a thorn in her side for far too long. Rather than squelching the spark, his words merely ignited it, burning away her fear and leaving nothing but rage. And what a firestorm he'd awakened.
"You...HOW DOST THOU SPEAKEST ABOUT OUR BELOVED SISTER WITH SUCH ARROGANCE, BEAST?!" Celestia let the archaic words blast from her mouth as she felt her mane, tail, eyes, and wings suddenly explode in heat that staggered Volare back against the bottom of the mosaic window.

Well, that explains where Twilight learned THAT trick, Volare's stunned mind managed to whimper as he stared up at the towering inferno that Celestia had become. Flames licked from her mane at the tapestries hanging from the rafters, sparks flew in the hot wind gusted by her mighty wings, and her very gaze blazed in fire, scorching away her tears and becoming as blazing golden coals that burned into his fearful blue ones. The flames from her body dwarfed that of the window's light, nearly blinding the pilot with the full might of her terrifying majesty. He tried to speak, but his mouth was scorched dry as a desert by the blazing heat and fear without and within.

"EVAPORATION IS FAR TOO KIND FOR A HEARTLESS ANIMAL LIKE THEE!" Celestia's voice seemed to shake the whole building as she let loose her fury upon the pony before her. "NO, THOU SHALT BE BURNED TO CINDERS FROM THE LEGS UP, SLOWLY, SO THAT THOU MAYEST APPRECIATE THE GRAVITY OF THINE FOOLISH AND EVIL WORDS AND BE AN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS WHO WOULD EVER SPEAK SO HARSHLY OF MY SISTER AGAIN!!!"

But before she could bring down her wrath upon him, before Volare could even attempt to run or wonder where the Royal Guards were-for surely they had to hear this-before either of them could think about the ripple effect their actions would have outside the Archives Building, they were both interrupted by a loud chireeeeeeek screech as a bundle of black and white feathers screamed through an un-repaired window, flashed between the two combatants, and landed upon Volare's head. Golden orbed eyes bored into Celestia's own as Shae the osprey spread her wings wide and hissed as she crouched upon the pilot's head, daring Celestia to go through her to hurt her friend.

"WHAT ART THOU-?!"

Chiirekeekeekirrikeek!! Shae chattered and furiously clacked her beak. She glanced down into Volare's face for the barest of instances, more to see if he was okay but also as if to say shut it for now, before redoubling her glare at the Sun Princess. To Volare's incredulous surprise, Celestia halted her advance and cocked her head to the side, whether in curiosity or confusion he couldn't tell. But a cord of something familiar was struck within Celestia as this not-so-normal osprey stared her down with more concentrated wrath and bravery than any normal creature had any right to possess. Her amazement at Shae's courage allowed a small piece of wisdom to pierce the dark shade of anger which enveloped her mind:
You need only look in the mirror...

The Alicorn glanced up and sideways before gasping and recoiling at the reflection which greeted her eyes in the mosaic window: an image of a towering, fiery tyrant hellbent upon turning a brave pony into cinders just because he'd stood up against her hurtful words...hurtful words he'd done nothing to deserve.
She'd become the monster, not him...

"I...I..." was all Celestia managed to mumble before her body extinguished itself and she stumbled backwards against the wall. A tiny part of her wished that had all been just a bad dream, that the creature she'd seen illuminated in the window was just a nightmare. But she only needed to crack one shaky eyelid and see Volare huddled against the opposite wall, chest heaving and eyes dilated in fright, with Shae still protectively covering him with her wings to know it was all horribly real. And she could clearly see that not once had he harnessed the power within the crystal in his bag. She'd merely terrified him for her own reasons he had no fault in. She'd been wrong and she'd nearly-

What would her precious student think about all this...what would her little ponies think?

There was no more room for foalish pretending as she threw her wings up to hide her shame-filled face from the shaken pegasus. Yet, despite his fear, she could tell by his tentative hoofsteps that he was making an effort to approach her, to see if she was alright despite Shae's chittering protests. That selflessness broke her further and it was all she could do to not teleport out of the Archives and hide in her bedchambers like a terrified filly after a nightmare.

"No. No, Volare, I'm...I don't need your...I'm fine," was all she could mumble before regaining a hint of her composure and looking out from behind her wings and the stallion, his hoof extended in a gesture of aid she didn't deserve. "Eh-heh, perhaps it's wasted breath, but are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, just peachy," Volare quipped as he lowered his hoof and back up a few steps towards the stairs at Shae's urging pecks at his mane. He wasn't sure in the slightest what had just happened, but he'd long-since gotten into the habit of not questioning good fortune, be it a generous meal, a warm bed, or his miraculous non-incineration just now. He'd completely forgotten about the book he'd been sent for and just wanted to get the hell out of there and leave the Princess to brood over...whatever the hell just happened. "S-sorry I said that about Princess Luna," he said as he turned to go, but he quickly saw Celestia's horn flash and felt a small tug on his shoulder.

"N-no, it was...understood, if you can believe that," Celestia muttered, still avoiding eye-contact with Volare and confusing him all the more by it. She'd just nearly ended him and now she couldn't look at him? Again: what the hell just happened?!

"Um, excuse me ma'am, but um..." he didn't even know what to say or how to say it, and his question died into the heaviest awkward silence either individual could remember being stuck under in the longest time. But luckily, Shae had little use for awkward silence, and at a sharp cheerk from the osprey, Celestia regained her wits.

"Yes, very 'um', indeed," Celestia attempted to joke, but there was no simple pun that could undo the insults they'd just hurled at each other, however justified they may have been. "Perhaps we should let cooler heads prevail, and...talk about this at a later time?"

"Yeah, I can do with that," Volare nodded hastily, eager to get back to Twilight and the others. "So, um...have a nice day, Princess?"

"Ha," Celestia couldn't halt her dry bark of a laugh that only further fueled her melancholy mood. "I'll try. And I'll do my best to give you one as well, Volare."

"Right," the pilot nodded, but was yet again stopped by an almost tentative magical tug as he turned to go. "Yes?"

"I believe you came here for this," a large, green-bound volume winked into existence near him, it's title clear as day: "Rhyme Of The Equetic Mariners." Volare looked from the tome to Celestia's forced smile, feeling this was an attempt at patching things up. A bit of a lame attempt but again, now wasn't the time to look a gift horse in the mouth, all puns non-withstanding.

"Thanks," he replied tersely as he hefted the book under a wing. "So...um-"

"Have a nice day, Volare," Celestia echoed the pilot and gave him a dismissive wave of her hoof. With little more than a nervously muttered "yeah", Volare hustled down the stairs and past the Archive Guards in as dignified a manner as he could muster, but Sergeant Greymane knew the look of a pony who was putting on a brave face despite being inwardly shaken. But before the old stallion could put much thought to it, Celestia suddenly appeared from the Archives entrance and passed them with hardly a sound save what sounded like...sniffling? Spiral caught it as well and the two exchanged a worried look.

"Hey Sarge, did you hear thunder up there earlier?" Spiral queried hesitantly.

"Nonsense, the pegasi don't have any storms scheduled for today," Greymane huffed, though that meant he was only confirming his own worries: that he hadn't heard thunder either, but the rumblings of the Royal Canterlot Voice being used high up in the Archives. The veteran pony glanced at the retreating forms of Volare and Celestia again and shook his mane to fight off the chill he felt growing up his back. Yet again something very out of the ordinary had happened inside that building, and just like before, he'd been unable to stop it.

....................

At the sound of an approaching set of hooves she'd become more and more accustomed to hearing as of late, Twilight glanced up to see Volare returning with Shae in tow, the weathered green tome tucked under his wing. In an instant, the plan the unicorn had concocted in her mind about speaking with Volare and the feelings they might still mutually share for each other evaporated and turned to dust in her throat, choking her greeting to a simple wave of a hoof and a "hey."

"Hey," Volare replied just as tersely, and though Twilight could tell that something other than their studies seemed to be on his mind as well, her nervousness on the possible subject forced her to focus on the tome instead. "Made it back in one piece."

"Heh, I can see that," Twilight nodded, taking the tome and laying it out upon the lawn as Shae returned to her over-watch on the sundial. The Librarian opened the book and was confronted by a mish-mash of Ancient and Modern Equestrian smattered across the pages, most of it by dozens of different authors with different pensmarehip styles. Facehoofing and groaning, she slid a hoof across the pages, pointing out to Volare the topics ranging from weather reports, to flora and fauna, and sea level findings. And to make matters worse, it looked like a good half of it was written in Archaic style, with plenty of thee's, thou's, and for sooth's tossed in for good measure. For them to find what they were looking for, she explained that they'd likely have to search through and possibly translate the writings she'd found, not only into basic Equestrian English but Modern as well. It wouldn't be terribly difficult, but it was like the planet itself was fighting to hide its own secrets.
"Ugh, we just can't get a break today, can we?"

"You can say that again," Volare laughed dryly, and Twilight looked up to see him searching around the courtyard for a moment before it dawned on her what he was doing. "Where's-"

"Oh, Scootaloo went off with Spike to the market to grab some lunch. Lyra went to the kitchens, and Luna..." Twilight paused for a moment. "She went to take care of some paperwork."

"Ah, right. Duty calls," Volare nodded and despite her nervousness, Twilight had to really try not to burst into foalish giggles. Instead, she laid a hoof across his and simply smiled.

"I can handle this. Go find your sister and get something to eat. Goodness knows Spike could use the help at the very least."

"But I'm not-I mean, right," the pilot nodded once more and rose to leave. "You sure?" He received yet another magical tweak to the ear and a snarky smile.

"Hey, you know how to decipher and translate Olde Prancian and Zebrican to Modern Equestrian while still maintaining the proper tense and context required to even make sense of their maritime usage of astrological azimuths?"

"...huh?"

"Pfft, go on, I got this," Twilight chuckled as Volare staggered off, his mind turned to mush for a moment. But just as suddenly, he halted and turned with a small smile of his own.

"But wait a sec Twi, if we can't find the horizon, then how the heck could they use azimuths to-"

"Oh quit trying to show off and go find Scootaloo before she burns down the Marketplace," Twilight laughed as Volare finally trotted away with a slightly larger spring in his hoof steps. But as he left the lawn, Twilight's smile faded into a frown of uncertainty. Not at the "Rhyme" oh no, she was fairly certain she had that under control...but more to how in the hay she was going to break it to Volare that they couldn't be together after all. And the worst part of it was that she didn't want to tell him, for how could she be sure she'd find a stallion as sharp as him in her lifetime. She felt he was one in a million, and she had to let him go. It just wasn't fair! And so, to take her mind off the subject, she delved head first into the "Rhyme" with an intensity that surprised even herself.

But while Twilight wasn't as skilled at sensing ponies' internal distress, even that of her friends, Luna most certainly was. She could feel it even before Volare glanced up and she saw the worry in his eyes from her lofty balcony. Something had happened to him when he met her sister, and it had shaken him to his core. Swiftly, she made her way down from the Palace as Volare left to find Scootaloo, and she caught up with him right before he entered the Canterlot Marketplace.

"Hail, Volare," Luna's greeting caught the Pegasus by surprise and he jumped slightly before turning with a smile.

"Oh, heya Luna. How goes it?"

"As well as it can be," Luna replied, subtly giving Volare the once-over and, seeing as how he was physically unharmed, gave him a warm smile. "What happened to yours and Twilight's studies?"

"Oh, well we kinda got to a part that involves translations and stuff that I couldn't help much in. And since Spike is kinda handling Scootaloo all alone in the city..."

"Oh yes, your point is well seen," Luna nodded with a small gulp, none-too-keen on the idea of Scootaloo wandering the city, especially after yesterday's incident with Prince Blueblood. She was certain the Prince wasn't fool enough to try anything like that again, but if Scootaloo wandered away from Spike and the Prince found the filly alone...well, he was nothing if not an opportunistic stallion. "I'll let you be on your way then."

"Thanks, Luna," Volare nodded and prepared to go before he felt a wing laid across his back. "Princess?"

"Volare, I'm sorry if this may come across as well, strange," Luna began, trying her best not to spook Volare into silence; but she had to know. "But how goes it with you? I mean, is everything as well as it can be?" Her cyan eyes stared imploringly into Volare's own, and for the briefest of moments he considered telling her everything. But he knew that it could lead to a conflict between the two powerful sisters, and he'd be damned if he was the cause of another rift between two ponies. Even worse, this would make the argument between Twilight and Rainbow Dash look like two toddlers scuffling over a toy in comparison.

"Y-yeah, it's all good, Luna," Volare lied, nodding fervently and dropping his eyes toward the cobblestone street. He knew that Luna likely knew he was lying, and could almost certainly feel his withers shivering beneath her wing as he recalled the image of Celestia, wreathed in flame and towering above him less than an hour before.

"You'd tell me if there was something wrong, right friend?" Luna emphasized the final word with a gentle nudge of her wing, but again Volare refused to look her in the eye as he simply nodded. Convinced that she wasn't likely to get anymore out of him without forcing him, Luna settled for giving him a gentle wing hug and a soft smile. "Go find your sister and Spike. You'll keep them out of trouble like I know you will, right?"

"Heh, you got it," Volare chuckled dryly and headed into the Marketplace without another word, his neck drooped slightly and his wing tips flicking, all the signs of a Pegasus trying to hide internal distress. But Luna hardly needed to see that to know that something had upset her friend. The Moon Goddess trotted out of sight of the Marketplace entrance before letting her hoof steps grow heavy and angry, letting anypony know to stay out of her way. Her eyes flicked upwards towards the Archives Building spire and she growled deep in her throat.

Somepony had hurt her friend, and though she had a damn good feeling who, she was going to get to the bottom of it nonetheless!

Location Unknown

"Corvus? Corvus, what's going on?" Twisted Vision's normally unhinged voice was full of an unusual concern, for the pony she pined for and followed with a near-religious fervor was doing something she'd rarely seen him do in all the time she'd known him. He was sitting in a dark corner of their hideout, the shadows enveloping his tall form with only his gray muzzle and slate-green eyes visible; but that wasn't the unusual part What was strange was what he was doing while in the corner, and that was staring out a nearby dusty window and-
"Why're you laughing, my love? What's so funny?"

"Hehehehahaha...hrm-hrm-hrm..." his laughter rolled across the room, a deep-throated sound like dried leaves being rustled over cracked cobblestones with an underlying lower tone of some unknown beast of Tartarus. Even to a mad pegacorn like Twisted, the sound reached into her mind and ignited the barely-lit spark of fear, raising the hairs on the back of her neck and causing her to ruffle the feathers of her over-sized wings against a sudden chill.

"Corvus?"

"Don't you see it?" His chuckled suddenly ceased being replaced by an annoyed cynicism. "Of course you don't, but allow me to show you. Please, come closer." Twisted obeyed, her hooves' clip-clipping the only sounds in the room besides their breathing. When she was close enough, a dark gray wing splotched with midnight blue lashed out of the shadows and wrapped its pinions around the back of her long neck, pulling her closer to the window pane. Twisted dared not resist his pull, having fully witnessed what those wings were capable of even before he struck down that dragon in the swamp.

"W-what am I looking at, Corvus?" Twisted shuddered despite her devotion to him, and he responded by lifting her chin up to stare out the window and towards the sun. She squinted her eyes against its brightness, but soon she couldn't bear the burn and she shut them in discomfort. "Why're you staring at the sun, my love? Are you alright-?"

"Yes, more than alright, my precious Twisted," Corvus practically cooed as he stroked her neck with a wing tip. "For don't you see the sun up there? It and the moon are bound to their respective Stewardesses, allowing Celestia and Luna to alter their course and brightness as they see fit...as long as they remain in control of their emotions. But look closer and you'll see," the wingtip tightened and Twisted forced an eye open.

"I see nothing but the blinding light of Celestia's sun, my liege," Twisted groaned as her eye teared up.

"Ah, I expected more from you after all I've taught you, my dear Twisted," the wing tip slowly released her and allowed her to move away from the window. "Be glad I hold you in such high esteem."

"I shall always be glad of that, Corvus," Twisted nodded feverishly, his form obscured by the dancing spots the sun's light had burned into her eye. "But what is it that I failed to see?"

"The sun's course changed ever so slightly," Corvus returned to glancing out the window and smiling, his bright teeth shining in the dark. "It wobbled, which means that its Stewardess must be in quite some distress. Haha, maybe she's even upset and crying! Hahaha! Reason enough to have a good laugh when that tyrant is knocked off her pedestal, wouldn't you agree, Twisted?"

"Hee-hee, yes, yes! And it will be nothing compared to what we have in store for her, right my love?" Twisted trotted forward and laid her hoof across Corvus' in the shadows.

"Hrm yes...there will be much wobbling of the sun indeed when that time comes!" Outside the room, the guards posted there shivered in their armor at the sound of Twisted and Corvus' laughter, like a chorusing of demons straight out of Ponyhell itself.

Volare: Well shit...this ain't good oO

Author: You got that write! Haha, get it, 'write', it's a joke!

Volare: Yeah, that's about as funny as V-Pony taking this damn long to update our story!

Author: No kidding. Hopefully we don't have to beat his ass when he does this again, cuz he WON'T be doing this again. Right, V-Pony?

Me: Eh-heh, right! ^^;

Dash: And just when the hay am I gonna be back in this thing, huh? Flyboy, you better get on his butt to get me back out there again!!

Truth or Dare-Pt 17: Sovereign Skullduggery

"Something is Rotten in the State of Denmark"
-Hamlet

October 21st, Canterlot, Early Afternoon

While finding Scootaloo wasn't that big of a problem (luckily he didn't have to follow any screams or explosions this particular time), once Volare had located her within the bustling Canterlot Marketplace, it was all he could do to keep her from wandering off to stare at the next big, exciting, colorful thing that passed by on this crisp autumn afternoon. Luckily, Spike was there to lend a claw, though in truth, he was just as glad of the help, having spent the last hour-plus wrangling the rambunctious filly all by his lonesome.

"They ought to build me a big hero statue or something here in Canterlot one of these days," Spike muttered smugly to himself as he stood guard at the entrance of the covered veranda of a restaurant quite literally called "The Posh Salad." Head-high evergreen hedges lined the porch and shielded it from the street, making it somewhat of a peaceful respite from the busy city.
"I mean, me keeping her from frightening everypony out of their fancy frocks with her antics for that long is like, legendary. Puts the Changeling invasion to shame, almost-"

"You say something, Spike?" Volare cocked a brow, interrupting the young dragon's fantasy. On the padded bench next to him lay Scootaloo, completely tuckered out from her romp around the garden and the huge salad she'd practically inhaled by herself, as evidenced by the lonely pile of croutons remaining on the empty plate on the table in front of her. The pilot found it hilarious that she would be so eager to devour something so healthy, but leave the croutons behind. But they're the best part, he chuckled as he crunched on one of the zesty grain bites left over from the salad slaughter.

"N-nothing, nothing at all," Spike affirmed with a shake of his spines, glancing once more at the snoozing filly and wondering how something so innocent and cute could become so destructive in a mere instant. And then he remembered his own personal greedy dragon incident and inwardly face-clawed. Oh, right...
"Just wondering what's holding Twilight up. I mean, do you even know how hard it was for me to get a table for four at this fancy place?" At his small outburst, the business owner and bar tender Unicorn sniffed importantly, proud of his little eatery.

"Considering that you're the closest confidant of Twilight Sparkle," Volare chuckled as Spike blushed at his tease. "I'd be willing to bet not too difficult."

"Yeah, well it has its perks," Spike huffed and turned his attention back to the crowds of ponies that shuffled along the neatly cobblestoned streets that wound among the storefronts tucked behind the high walls of the city. Some of the city-ponies were lost in their own thoughts of what to buy, others in conversations with their friends about the latest food, entertainment, and news-only the most fashionable things to talk about. This was Canterlot, of course!
It all blended together and reminded Spike of why he preferred the quiet hum of Ponyville to the dull, constant background roar of the mountain-side city. Those things were all well and good to gossip about, but frilly frocks and juicy oat croissants just weren't his thing. Now if those frilly frocks were made by Rarity, well then he'd certainly be more tolerant of them!

Volare, on the other hand, was well used to the noise of others, considering where he came from. And although he too preferred the quiet country life, his threshold for noise pollution was significantly higher than his young Dragon compatriot. This higher tolerance allowed him to dwell upon other things, specifically what had just recently transpired up in the Archives Building with Celestia. His audible gulp as he glanced at the distant tower caught the attention of Shae the osprey, even from all the way up on her perch above "The Posh Salad."

Cheereekek? Her chitter of concern drew a chuckle from the pilot.

"Heh, yes, I'm ok," Volare assured the black and white bird of prey with a shake of his mane. Though in truth, as much as he tried to deny it, he was still quite badly shaken by his fiery encounter with the Sun Princess. And who wouldn't be? She'd threatened to take Scootaloo away from him and burn him to cinders! And for what? Yeah, he'd bragged on his military abilities in a jet, but it wasn't like he had one there, and even if he did, he wouldn't dream using its weapons on the innocent citizens of Equestria! Surely Celestia could see that...couldn't she?"

"You, say something, dude?" Spike's query shook Volare from his musings with a snort and saw that the dragon was staring at him with concern, while Scootaloo continued to slumber on. "You were muttering something about Celestia. Did you meet her at the Archives or something? What did you think of her?" Spike pressed on. "She's pretty powerful, eh?"

"Heh-heh, you could certainly say that," Volare nodded. He hadn't told Spike about the recent events for a couple of good reasons, chief of which was he didn't want Twilight to find out about her mentor going all flame on and scaring the living daylights out of him. The less Spike knew the better as the impressionable young Dragon was liable to spill the beans just in passing conversation to look cool, and that would spell a whole world of trouble for everypony.
"Pretty powerful presence for sure."

"Did she give you that book that Twilight is working through?"

"The Rhyme of the Equetic Mariners? Yep, she did," Volare replied tersely, praying that Spike would change the subject before he dug too deep and figured out too much. "But she didn't have much time to spare from her duties; said we'd talk more later."

"Ah, right. Balancing court affairs with town halls and raising the sun has gotta take a toll on her," Spike nodded. "Hopefully she doesn't like explode in frustration like Twilight does when she's overwhelmed, haha."

"Heh-heh, yeah...wouldn't that be something-something bad I mean," Volare gulped again.

"Yeah. Luckily she's not as high-strung as Twilight."

Thank God for that, Volare sighed and glanced back down at the peacefully slumbering Scootaloo. Oh, to be young like her and not worrying about crap like this, he chuckled dryly and risked a gentle brush of her purple mane with a wingtip. The orange filly mumbled something unintelligible alongside a heart-melting sleepy squeak before curling up tighter and resuming her tiny snores.
Despite the stress and fright of earlier that day, Volare took welcome solace in the peace that could so quickly follow in this land. He leaned back on his chair and took a deep, close-eyed breath, sampling the smells of the Marketplace: the sweetness of chocolate cakes, the tart hint of lemon zest the bartender was shredding over an Earth Pony customer's salad, and the unmistakable buttery aroma of fresh yeast rolls rising in the restaurant's kitchen. For a moment, his fearful recollections were replaced with a ravenous sense of hunger as he suddenly became aware of how empty his poor stomach was!

"Hey barkeep!" Volare raised a hoof and hollered as quietly as he could so as not to wake his slumbering sister. "I'll have what he's having, plus some of those rolls I smell!"

Over the Hedge

Meanwhile, a certain pony who was rather fond of frilly frocks and fancy things had been trotting along the storefronts grumbling to himself about how he'd fallen afoul of that "dirty blue magician whorse," the day previous.
"She simply caught me at a bad time. Yes, that's it," Prince Blueblood nodded to himself. "If I hadn't been distracted by that stupid skinny blue Pegasus and his wretched little shrunken-winged sister, I'd have put that Trixie in her place, just like all those years ago," he spat, his face screwing up in a nasty grin as he chuckled dryly while his tongue prodded at the teeth Trixie had loosened with the walking stick she'd so rudely stolen from him.

"Oh man, these rolls taste even better than they smell!"

"Oh, what have we here?" the blond-maned Unicorn cocked an eyebrow at the irritatingly familiar sound of a certain blue Pegasus as he chanced a peek through the shrubbery
It's the bumbling twit himself Blueblood smirked nastily as he watched Volare hungrily down an entire yeast roll in a single go before washing it down with a quaff from a huge mug, suppressing a belch of satisfaction that his Dragon companion chuckled at. The prince curled his lip at the heathenry of their behavior before his eye alighted on the slumbering orange and purple ball of fluff in the chair between the two.

Yeah, you're a douchebag! He didn't even know what in Ponyhell a douchebag was, but if that little Pegasus brat had shouted it, it must have been some low-class, country bumpkin insult!
"Blind, stupid little whelp," he cursed under his breath. "If it weren't for her, all of yesterday's bother wouldn't have happened!" Blueblood chanced a glance at a puddle of water and spat again at the sight of his freshly blacked left eye, another parting gift from Trixie. Between that and his loosened teeth, Volare's flippant joke about the blood from his busted lip staining his coat being a tragedy, and the sheer insolence with which he'd been treated by everypony involved yesterday, the prince was near to snapping in half with rage.

The azure aura of Blueblood's magic enveloped a nearby loose brick lying on the cobblestones, and even as he hefted it he recalled Trixie's crack about him catching a brick to the teeth. Well, it may not be HER exactly, the Unicorn smirked as he took aim over the shrubs at the Pegasi, trying to decide which one he loathed more at the moment. But this is what they get for being friends with that harlot witch-wait, why in the Ponyhell is this brick getting heavier?!

"Oi naow, what 'ave we here?" A great and horrifying familiar belly laugh preceded from behind the Prince as he realized a light green aura had overtaken his own around the brick and was forcing it back down to the ground. Blueblood gulped visibly as he swore he felt the ground shake with great hoofteps-or maybe it was his heart suddenly pounding in his throat. He turned to see-who else-the great Scoltspony Faber carrying both a greatsword on his back and his trademark grin.
"A lost bird in tha bush?"

"N-now see here, you ruffian," Blueblood began, but was cut off as Faber's magic dropped the brick and he suddenly grasped him by his frock coat collar, dragging him within bad breath's distance. And Faber's, smelling of whiskey and oats, was particularly foul; though not quite as bad as the mood this bothersome Unicorn had put him in. He hauled him further away from the shrubs, down a short alleyway towards a nearby masonry guardrail that shielded ponies from falling off the very edge of the city proper.

"A little lost bird, Ah think," Faber growled, and Blueblood was positive that his smile was more of a toothy leer now. "Jus' wha' do ya thin' ya were aboot ta do to ma friends there?" Faber roughly shoved the prince towards the guardrail and bared his teeth, aiming to teach this spoiled brat a lesson that would stick. For although he'd seemed in good spirits at the time in public, after learning directly from Trixie what the prince had done to her...well, his threat to "remove his means of producing heirs" was hardly an empty threat, and he certainly carried the means to do it with, and then some.

"Why don't you mind your own damn business!" was all Blueblood could muster before he gasped in horror as Faber suddenly drew Claire from her sheath more swiftly than the prince thought was possible. The Scoltspony advanced on Blueblood, forcing the prince back towards the guardrail.

"Oh Ah am mindin' me own business, your high an' mightehness," Faber spat as he stepped closer, the edge of his sword glistening in the sparse light of the alley as he raised it level with Blueblood's muzzle. "Tha safety o' mah friends is mah damn business, especially when it involves shite like you!" He took another step closer, forcing Blueblood further towards the edge of the city.

"Y-you-what are you doing?!" Blueblood sputtered, but it had no effect on the glowering Scoltspony, whose eyes were presently full of cold purpose. The prince chanced a glance backwards over the rail and gulped at the sight of the mountain's craggy roots spreading out away and beneath the city. He'd never survive the fall! "Why are you doing this to me?!" he managed to moan, drawing a short bark of a laugh from the Unicorn that now towered over him, his bulk turning the light of the alleyway into a dim murk that backlit him and made help seem miles away from the isolated Prince of Canterlot.

"Because yer a wee little brick-tossin, tiny-stick-havin', blueblooded baby bastard prince," Faber replied, taking another step closer as he loomed further over the cowering prince. "One who jus' can't seem ta learn a lesson unless it's smacked inta him. An' judgin' by yer behavior, Ah'm willin' ta wager that beatin' Trixie gave ya yesterday was the first one in ages! Yer a tiny lost bird tha' never learned to fly, and is doing nothin' more than suckling a' tha teat o' Princess Celestia's reputation in Canterlot high society. Well ta Tartarus with all tha' uppity shite!"

"B-but I'm the prince of Canterlot," Blueblood offered weakly as he pressed himself against the guardrail-no more room left to run. "I'm supposed to be in charge." At his words, somehow-horrifyingly somehow-Faber's green eyes grew even harder. Lightly, almost gently, he laid Claire upon the prince's shaking shoulder before pressing down upon the hilt, making him lean backwards over the edge of the rail.

"Do ye feel in charge?" Faber's question caused a cloak of cold sweat to drape itself upon Blueblood's shoulders-this crazy pony was going to kill him his mind screamed as he felt the edge of the blade begin to bite through his fur.

"I'm one of the richest ponies in Canterlot. I can pay you anything to make you forget I was going to throw that brick," Blueblood suggested hopefully, and for the briefest of moments, he thought he'd succeeded as he felt the pressure of the blade lessen slightly while Faber cocked his head as if to consider the offer.

"So, ye 'ave lots o' bits, eh?"

"Yes, and I can give you as much as you wish," Blueblood nodded vigorously. "I mean, I don't know what a rough and tumble stallion like yourself does for a living, but I can guarantee that I can offer you so much more! A small fortune if need be!"

"........an' that give ye power over me?" At Faber's words, Blueblood felt bile creep up his throat as the pressure on the sword multiplied tenfold; no longer a gentle touch but a forceful shove backwards and downwards over the rail. "Is tha' wah' ye told mah friend Trixie back in school while ye 'ad yer way with 'er, ya dirty shite cur?"

"Wh-what did she tell you?" Blueblood demanded, his eyes wide with terror now. But of course he knew what she'd said.

"More than enough ta warrant what somepony shoulda done a long time ago," Faber snarled as he pushed the Prince nearer to the toppling point. A sudden breeze whisked its way up the mountainside, highlighting just how long Blueblood would have to think about his past actions as he tumbled to his doom. "Time ta end tha' borrowed time ye've been livin' on. Time ta fly, little bird."

"Just what in the name of Ponykind is going on back here?!" a voice nearly as deep as Faber's and twice as pompous bellowed from back in the alley. Both Unicorns glanced up to behold another Unicorn horned, red in the face and fur and nearly as fat as the two combined standing there and stamping his hoof in irritation. "Well?!"

"Jus' a wee lil' social disagreement, sah. It'll be over shortly depending on the wind," Faber chuckled darkly, at the same time continuing to glare daggers through the shaken Prince with the other side of his face.

"That's the High Prince of Canterlot you're threatening there!" the hefty Unicorn sputtered, the jowls of his face quivering from side to side as he marched closer. His very appearance, from his gaudy golden-sashed blue robe to the ring on the stubby horn perched above his portly face made Faber physically ill inside.

"Aye, that he is-what of it?" Faber cocked his head, his unrelenting claymore still weighing upon Blueblood's shoulder and forcing him backwards over the railing. Meanwhile, the Prince's eyes widened as he realized who the approaching pony was-he might be saved after all!

"Killing him would be tantamount to high treason and would result in your very public execution; that's 'what of it,'" the chubby pony retorted.

"Aww, c'mon. What's a little cleaning oot o' tha gene pool between friends?" Faber laughed, but at the third pony's horrified expression, the Scoltspony finally relented with a sigh and raised his sword, allowing Blueblood to tumble to the cobblestones, breath heaving and shoulders trembling. "Ah'm onleh jokin', mate. As much as it would probableh do this city good, Ah'm no murderin' vigilante; wouldn't be worth cleaning tha rust off me blade 'is rotten royal juices would cause anyway. Jus' wanted ta teach this lil brat a lesson in courtesy."

"Yes, well consider it taught. Now be on your way before I summon the Royal Guard," the chunky Unicorn snorted.

"Alrigh', so if he's tha Prince o' Canterlot," Faber nodded at Blueblood. "Then what's your connection to 'im?"

"I'm-"

"Oh, Ah got it! Yer 'is daddeh!" Faber smirked as the fat Unicorn mouthed for words for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Hardly. I'm Lofty Lineage; High Councilpony of Canterlot. Minister of Agriculture, in fact," the gluttonous pony sniffed before curling his lip at Blueblood. "But no blood relation to The Prince."

"Heh, ye jumped oop 'alf a step in me book jus' for that, sir," Faber laughed loudly as he sheathed Claire. "Not for yer status, but simply for havin' no relation ta this lil' troublemaker."

"Hmph, I'm hardly the troublemaker here, you great brute," Blueblood muttered as he regained his hooves.

"Yes, well the prince has had an awfully bad attitude as of late," Lofty fixed said Unicorn with an annoyed glare. "And I do agree: he's been quite the hoof-full."

"B-but, Mr. Lineage!" Blueblood suddenly stomped a hoof. "I thought you were on my side in this-"

"Silence, you little whelp. This great brute of a gentlepony is correct-you've been causing far too much consternation around here as of late." Lofty turned his attention back to the Scoltspony. "Your name?"

"Faber McIronshod, at yer service," the great Unicorn gave him his best winning smile and a jaunty salute.

"Which anypony around this city hardly needs," Lofty shook his jowls. "What I do need from you both is to stop causing such a horrible ruckus and to go your separate ways immediately. The Princesses and the rest of the Council have had enough bother as of late without you two stirring the pot further."

"Alrigh', alrigh', Ah can take a hint. Ah know when Ah'm no' wanted aroun'," Faber mock-swooned for a moment before guffawing loudly. "Haha, Ah'll be on me way in a moment, sir. But there's jus' one thing Ah wanna make crystal with tha prince here."

"Oh now what," Blueblood whimpered as the tall blacksmith suddenly loomed over him once more. "I've learned my lesson, you great brute. Now be off!"

"Heh, oh no boyo. It's no' tha' easeh with meh," Faber draped a heavy hoof about the Prince's shoulders and pulled him in closer. His smile faded into a snarl as he spoke quietly but forcefully. "Ah know what yer doin' an' why yer doin' it. Ye enjoy tha thrill o' pokin' a bear with a stick-makes ya feel brave an' important-but only when he's restrained an' behind bars. Thing is, Ah'm no' tha bear ye should be worried aboot, mate." Faber's eyes were wide with warning, causing Blueblood to gulp visibly while Lofty licked his suddenly dry lips. "Oh no, Ah've got no restraints on meh; Ah blow off steam all tha time. Keeps it from building oop inta an explosion, ye see."

"Then who-"

"Heh, if ye knew wha' mah friend had done oot in tha Whitetail Woods ta keep 'is little sister safe from those two villains-what he was willin' ta put himself through ta assure 'er safeteh...well, tha last thing ye'd wanna do is keep pokin' tha particular bear. Ah've seen his type before; nice boyo, even keeled, seems ta let a lot o' shite roll off his back. An' easy target for brats like yerself. But though he may show restraint for a good while, eventually those bars won't hold him anymore, and he'll burst oot an' tear ye to pieces." He suddenly released Blueblood, causing the Unicorn to stumble backwards against the rail once more in horror at the thought of Volare suddenly snapping like that.

"Hahaha, but then again, as long as ye leave 'im an his sister alone, Ah don't suppose ye'd have much ta worry aboot. From 'im or from meh-"

"Alright, that's enough," Lofty cut the Scoltspony off with authority this time. His golden eyes squinted out from behind his red-furred rolls of flab in the closest thing to a leer as he could manage. "Begone, ruffian. Go about your business."

"Alright, fine. Ah'm on meh way. Just 'ope tha' His Royalness there 'as learned tha' mah friends' safety is mah business." As Faber trotted away down the alley, he couldn't help but toss out one last comment. "Keep packin' on tha' pounds there, Oh Minister o' Agriculture-Lofty Laminitis* was it? Nice ta see tha' yer livin' well offa tha toilin' o' others." And with that, the Scoltspony rounded the corner and was gone, his heavy retreating hoofsteps and the sweat beaded upon the brow of both high class Unicorns the only evidence the bulky blacksmith had ever been there. After a few moments' worth of strained listening, content that nopony else was coming down the alleyway, Lofty rounded on Blueblood as he regained his hooves once more.

"Just what was all that about, Blueblood?!"

"It was nothing, honestly, Lofty," the haughty prince tried to brush it off, but the councilpony was having none of it; he jabbed a chubby hoof into the front of Blueblood's coat as he berated him.

"Nothing, eh? That great behemoth of a Unicorn didn't seem to see it all as nothing! Blueblood, what in the name of Luna has gotten into you lately?!" Despite Blueblood's flippant attitude, he couldn't help but flush scarlet under Lofty's withering attack.
"First you get into a very public fight over an old flame from the past yesterday in the streets."

"Hey, she's not my-"

"Then, you have the nerve to call the Royal Guard out on her and that Faber fellow-as if you and not Prince Shining Armor command them. Can you imagine how angry he'd be if he found out-to say nothing of what his wife would do," Lofty wiped his sweaty face with a sleeve before continuing, his voice growing in pitch with every rebuke.
"You continued even to the point of nearly getting into a squabble with Celestia's personal student. And NOW you go and butt heads with the damn blacksmith once again," Lofty snatched the Prince's ear and hauled his head around. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Ow! Un-hoof me, you old fool!"

"Old fool? Old fool!?" Lofty suddenly yanked downward with all his weight attached to the prince's ear. To Blueblood, he seemed to nearly tear it from his head as he was forced to a knee while Lofty growled into it.
"It's only because of mine and the High Council's own hard work and placation of the Royal Sisters that you even still exist, you ungrateful whelp!!"

"Oh come on, Lofty," the prince struggled upwards, but his agonized ear forced him to stay kneeling. "Let me up so we can talk like equals."

"Pah, you're hardly my equal, little prince; neither in lineage nor in accomplishment," Lofty rolled his eyes. "You should count yourself extremely lucky that you have access to your Aunt Celestia's treasury, otherwise we'd hardly consider you worth the pain in our flanks." He suddenly lessened his grip and allowed the younger Unicorn's eyes to meet his own, his voice suddenly less manic and lowered as he resumed.
"We know he came and spoke to you last night-the Raven. We know he's watching you, as is his Master." Lofty's knowing words sent a fresh chill down Blueblood's spine as he recalled his midnight meeting with Corax. "We know they're both watching all of us, and the more trouble you cause-the more attention you draw to yourself-the more difficult you make The Plan."

"You and your precious plan," Blueblood muttered under his breath. He knew Lofty heard him, and he expected a blow in return. But strangely enough, the Minister of Agriculture suddenly released him, and the prince cocked his head in curiosity as he was allowed to rise back to his hooves and straighten his frock coat. Lofty Lineage half turned and sighed deeply, leaning his head back to stare at the narrow strip of blazing blue sky and wisps of fluffy cloud visible between the walls of the buildings that crowded the alleyway. Just at the very edge of the gap he thought he could see the corona of the sun peeking into the alley, and it reminded him of the promise that had been passed down through generations of his bloodline.

"What do you know of it?" Lofty glanced back at the prince. "Truly, what do you know of it?"

"Oh, well something about you returning to power. I don't care-there's hardly anything in it for me anyway," Blueblood curled his battered lip and snorted. Besides, once I'm on the throne, you won't matter anyway. "Don't you already hold the highest positions in Canterlot at the Princesses' side? What more could you possibly want?"

"Tragic," Lofty shook his head. "Truly tragic."

"What's tragic? That you're old and fat?"

"Hmph, it must be difficult for somepony like you to understand, since you've gone most of your life never wanting for anything," Lofty frowned. "Never having less than exactly what you desire at all times."

"Well, that's not exactly true," Blueblood. "There was this one time where I-"

"Silence and listen for once in your spoiled life!" Lofty snapped, and the younger Unicorn fell quiet. "Thank you. I mean it's tragic that you don't even know your own ancestry, Blueblood. Do you remember what you read about Unicorn history in school, or were you too busy harassing Trixie to recall that we used to control the Sun and the Moon before the Princesses came along?"

"Yes, yes, I remember," Blueblood snorted, ignoring the barb about the magician.

"I and my fellow councilponies can trace a direct bloodline back to those ancient astronomers, as can you, more than likely," Lofty declared, causing Blueblood to cock a curious brow.

"Nopony ever told me about any of that."

"And why should they? Better to keep you and others in the dark then stoke the hopeful fires of a return to the old ways," Lofty kicked a loose cobblestone down the alleyway with a huff. "Who controls those classes? Who controls what you read and learn in those schools?"

"I honestly thought the High Council did."

"Hmph, hardly. We suggest and insist, but ultimately, it was Celestia who for over 1000 years determined what ponykind could and couldn't learn in Equestria. She kept everypony in the dark, up to and including the truth about Luna and her connection to Nightmare Moon. What better way to keep the population docile than to keep them stupid?"

"But the Council knew about all this?" The prince's mouth gaped. "And you told nopony?!"

"We had to play something that you're obviously unfamiliar with, Blueblood," Lofty shook his heavy head. "We played a long, long game, and bided our time; hopeful that one day we'd return to controlling the sun and moon and therefore our own destinies, rather than be governed by fiat royalty."

"What happened?" The shocked prince pressed, for the first time in a good while concerned about somepony more than himself at the moment.

"Luna returned from her banishment, just as the old mare's tale predicted," Lofty chuckled dryly. "Definitely not something we were banking on. You won't find this in any history books due to Celestia's meddling, but we High Council ponies were actually co-custodians of the Moon with her for that long millennium. While she needed no aid with the Sun, the Moon always gave her fits, and so for generations we not only guided her at court and at government, but in the moon's path as well. In fact, I and the current seats on the Council had just taken over Co-Stewardship when Luna returned, sending us back to mediocrity before we could even spread our wings."

"Well, that's unfortunate," Blueblood offered, but received a venomous glare in return.

"That hardly describes it, young one," the fat rolls round Lofty's nostrils flared angrily. "Imagine being promised all your life such a royal gift as that, to follow in the hoofsteps of generation after generation. To carry on the torch of the family name into the future just as our ancestors had done before. And then, when it's finally your turn to take up the mantle, having it snatched away before you've even begun to savor it!" Lofty loudly and emphatically kicked an unlucky potted plant clear across the alleyway and over the guardrail, sending its leafy contents spinning down the mountain face below with a distant echo of crumbling ceramic. "Damn those Princesses!!!"

Despite the fact that he was cursing his Auntie figure, considering the history lesson he'd just been given, Blueblood tended to agree. "So that's The Plan then? To get back in control of the Sun and Moon?"

"More or less, yes," Lofty nodded grimly. "But we can't do it by force, as evidenced by the failed Changeling invasion."

"Wait a moment-you were behind that?!" Blueblood's eye widened.

"Not solely, no. But we were part of a much larger plot," Lofty chewed his fat lip thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the skies for any Pegasus or Guard spies before continuing in a near whisper. "Our part called for aiding in the capture and swap of Princess Cadance with Queen Chrysalis. That swap allowed Chrysalis to distract Shining Armor enough to allow the Raven's master to enter the city undetected and unhindered on a mission we weren't privy to."

"You mean Nycto-" Lofty clapped a hoof over Blueblood's mouth before he could finish the name, golden eyes raking the skies from within the folds of his face before again being satisfied that nopony was spying on them.

"Yes. Him. Now don't speak his name within this city again," Lofty's chest heaved in spasms, as if he was having a heart attack. Maybe he is, Blueblood thought darkly until the elder Unicorn removed his hoof.
"If he can get his own Raven spy in, there's no telling who or what Celestia has roaming around with their ears open."

"I say security isn't all what it's cracked up to be if they can't spot that nasty bird or if they're allowing this sort of skullduggery to happen right under Celestia's nose," Blueblood pointed out. "Besides, that must be his alias. I mean, if he's as smart as you say, he wouldn't even risk telling you his real name, considering your close position to the Princesses."

"You know, you're a bit more discerning that I've given you credit for, My Prince," Lofty's mood brightened for a bit, even allowing a smile to peek out from behind his jowls.

"Hah, told you I could handle myself," the Royal Unicorn boasted, sending Lofty's eyes rolling in their sockets once more. "Why don't you tell me more about The Plan? Maybe I can help further besides just money for your minions."

"And now you're back. My young Prince," Lofty roughly clapped his shoulder and turned him towards the alley entrance, talking as they trotted. "You and I are mere cogs in this mighty machine. It's not our lot to know the whereabouts of every gear, knob, and lever, or even what their own purposes are. That's up to the driver. We must trust him to lead us where we need to go. Only then can we reclaim what he has promised us-what is rightfully ours."

"Alright, if you say so," Blueblood grumbled, though he chuckled internally. Old fool, just keep telling yourself that, doing the dirty work for me, and stay relaxed; it'll be that much easier to slip a blade between your ribs when the time comes. 'Et tu, Blueblood?' Haha, but of course!
He allowed the older Unicorn to lead him back through the marketplace, passing right by the shrubbery where this all began as if it were no different than its common brethren on either side of the lane. The Prince gave the loathed siblings beyond it a passing snort of disgust before joining Lofty in fading into the hustle and bustle of a city oblivious to the infernal plot it played host to.

----------Meanwhile----------

Speaking of oblivious, before Spike and his pilot friend-the center of said previous consternation-could officially tuck into the steaming mountain of yeast rolls their waiter had just delivered, a bombastic force of nature approached from around the corner.

"Oi!!!" Came Faber's sudden and uproarious greeting as he strode onto the Posh Salad's veranda, nearly making Volare choke on a roll, Spike to duck for cover under the table, and Shae above on the roof beams to chirk in annoyance and embarrassment at not having spotted him coming. Did he ALWAYS have to be so loud!? The blacksmith, equally as oblivious considering his close proximity to Scootaloo still slumbering in her chair continued right up to Volare and gave him a great bear hug out of the blue.
"Whit like, boyo?"

"Ugh, say what?" Volare managed to croak, feeling his ribs creak under the Scoltspony's mighty grip.

"Eh-heh, don't know me own strength mos' days," Faber chuckled sheepishly as he released the pilot, finally noticing Spike's wide eyes and manic pointing at the nearby chair housing the snoring orange and purple ball of fuzz and innocent destruction.
"Spike? Wha's that yer on aboot-oh shite," Faber gasped, clapping his hooves over his muzzle and staring at the tiny filly as if she were a literal bomb about to explode. But miraculously, her eyelids barely stirred and after several seconds she muttered something about "bro, I'll get him for you," before returning to her gentle whinnying snores, allowing everypony present to relax once more.

"Faber, you trying to kill us? Or worse!?" Spike glared at the abashed blacksmith. "You have any idea how long I had to chase her around before she ran out of gas!?"

"Spike, simmer down," Volare wiped his brow after quaffing from his goblet of iced tea to clear his throat of bread crumbs. "Faber, what's going on? Even for you, that was totally out of nowhere! What's up?"

"Well, Ah uh," the blushing Scoltspony shrugged. He hadn't really planned what he was going to say; he was just glad that they were alright and unaware of the near-violent encounter he'd just had with Prince Blueblood and his High Council buddy. "Ye just looked like ye could use a spinal adjustment, so Ah just figured..."

"Uh-huh," Volare eyed him for a moment before gesturing to a seat on the bench, which Faber gladly took. "Is this about yesterday?"

"Yesterday?-oh right, yes. Absoluteleh aboot yesterday," Faber nodded. Totally not about today. "Ah jus' wanted ta officially say good on ye fer standin' oop fer Scootaloo like tha'. Not to mention jumpin' in there with everypony else when Luna showed oop as well."

"Well, you know," Volare blushed slightly. "Guess I just have a bad habit of sticking my nose in others' business when they're in trouble is all, heh-heh."

"Nah, tha's nothin' ta be ashamed of, mate," Faber thumped the smaller stallion's shoulder with a grin. "Not stickin' yer neck oot there an' doin' tha right thing would be worse. Ah mean, if Ah were in tha' same position, Ah'd 'ave probably done worse ta teach The Brat Prince a lesson, given tha' chance."

"Couldn't blame you for that," Volare chuckled. "So what have you been up today, Faber? Head still sore from when Octavia tossed you under the table?"

"Ach, piss off with tha, boyo; tha' was hardly fair. She merely took me by surprise an' after Ah had put away all that Cyser," Faber objected as quietly as possible so as to not wake Scootaloo. "Ah'd love ta see 'er try tha' when Ah'm sober an' ready fer a right scrap."

"They say all is fair in love and war," Volare grinned

"Guess that includes hoof wrestling," Spike added with a toothy snicker at the boisterous blacksmith's expense.

"Well, if tha's tha case, how's aboot you an Ah square off, ye lil' firebrand?" Faber huffed and flexed a hoof. "Go get yer friends an' tha whole Royal Guard too. Ah'll take on all comers an' tha' like with me hooves tied behind me back!" Faber snatched a roll and stuffed into his mouth, chewing mightily while giving Spike the stink eye.

"Haha wow, you're awfully fired up today," Volare pointed out.

"Yeah, mah blood's just fit ta boilin' is all, considerin' what tha prince tried ta do," Faber muttered before catching himself. "Yesterday, Ah mean."

"Did you run into him today or something?" Volare inquired as he took another sip of his tea, keeping his eye on the blacksmith as he did so. As traumatic of an experience as it had been, he had picked up a few things in the discerning department from his latest encounter with Celestia. "Just saying, but you seem pretty fixated on the guy."

"Nah, he's just a brat tha' needed ta be taught some manners is all," Faber waved his hooves, trying to mask his nervous smile by burying his muzzle in a flagon of tea, but the damage was done.

"Say, wait a sec," Spike suddenly spoke up and jerked a claw towards the shrubs. "I could have sworn I heard you talking on the other side of those bushes a few minutes ago. Something about 'a lost bird.' Was that you?"

"L-look boyos, Ah-"

"What happened beyond those bushes, Faber?" Volare pressed. It wasn't that he was angry with what the blacksmith might have done. He was more worried about what trouble might come crashing through the front door of the restaurant to arrest his friend depending on if they found a body or not.

"Ah was takin' care o' a wee rodent problem; nothin' more," Faber insisted with a shake of his red-maned head. "Ah even managed ta let 'im go in one piece, if tha's what yer worried aboot."

"Truthfully?" Volare leaned forward. "I don't want you going to prison on my account, Faber. As your friend, I want the truth."

"The truth, right," Faber sighed, downed the remaining tea much to Spike's chagrin, and grinned. "Truth is, Ah don't thin' His Royal Bratness is goin' ta find botherin' any o' mah friends worth tha trouble anymore, mate."

"So you didn't chop him half or something?" asked Spike.

"Wh-no!" Faber exclaimed. "Why does everypony aroun' 'ere thin' jus' because Ah carry Claire around tha' Ah wanna chop shite oop with 'er? Bollocks ta tha'; Ah'm no murderin' vigilante trouble maker! Honest! Ah swear on me mum!"

"Alright, okay," Volare patted the air with a hoof, glancing at the still slumbering Scootaloo. "We believe you. Just...not saying I don't appreciate the overwatch, Faber," Volare looked his friend square in the eye. "But I don't need you getting tossed in the dungeon for me either."

"Ach, but wha' are friends for, mate?" Faber's trademark grin had returned. "But no, Ah kin. No gettin' in trouble for ye. Jus' gotta make sure ta leave no evidence." He would have belly-laughed at Volare's incredulous expression if not for the sleeping filly nearby.

Chirk-chereekekee-kir Shae suddenly scolded him from the rafters.

"Oi, shut yer beak, Shae. Yer one ta talk-gotten inta plenty o' trouble fer Volare here anyway," Faber chuckled, while Volare swallowed hard.

You don't know the half of it, man...

"Ah promise ta be on me best behavior from naow on, Volare. On me Scolts honor," the blacksmith thumped his chest with a hoof. "Besides, Ah'd never hear tha end o' it from Bon-Bon if Ah got thrown in tha slammer, even if it was for good intentions-hahaha!"

"Heh, speaking of which," Spike got a mischievous look in his eye. "What's up with you two anyway? You guys a hot item yet?"

"Er-well, Ah wouldn't call it tha," Faber suddenly blushed madly as he rubbed his head, taken aback by the young dragon's sudden about-face of the subject. "We're jus' ah...well..."

Chirk-eek Shae chuckled to herself at the hot spot the rowdy stallion had found himself in. The raptor spread her mighty wings and took her leave to the top of the wooden lattice adjacent the shrubbery outside. Her sharp golden eyes traced up and down the alleyways for Prince Blueblood, finally spotting him as he melted away into the bustling marketplace crowd alongside an utterly obese red Unicorn stallion wearing a fine blue and gold robe.

She had half a mind to follow and observe the pair and the other half to investigate what they'd been doing in that alleyway; but before she could decide, a noise like distant boulders striking and crumbling reached her ears, and it stopped her in her tracks. Avalanche?! she thought before realizing the sound was coming from far above, back within the Royal Palace itself. The osprey cocked her head curiously at just what in the world that could possibly mean...

----------Canterlot Royal Palace Lodgings----------

"Look Luna, you don't understand the context of it all! He started it and-"
SMACK

"And that's supposed to be your best excuse, sister?!" Luna roared as the force of her backhoof to Celestia's face sent the Sun Princess spinning halfway around and tumbling over a divan. As she tried to regain her hooves, she looked up and was met by Luna's cyan eyes blazing in fury. "How DARE you threaten and scare my friend nearly to death like that, and for crimes he's never committed!"

"You weren't there, Luna," Celestia magically shoved her sister off and leaped upright, horn glowing and ready-for what? For battle?! "You just don't understand what he's capable of!"

"Oh trust me, I'm well aware of his condition-of his dependency on that crystal, as is your own student! In fact, you're the least qualified of us to make such a claim about who he is and what he can do," Luna spat. Her own horn glowed dimly as she circled to the left, while Celestia went right. The air between the two Royal Sisters crackled with nervous intensity, both figuratively and literally as sparks leaped from their horns, casting strange shadows of the Alicorns upon the walls; dark echoes of a conflict between them long thought left in the past. But today, it surged to the surface once more.

"Tia, what sort of rulers are we that we'd preempt justice based on what we fear may happen?! Are we not a just, rather than a paranoid, nation? Or have things become so primal in the last 1000 years?" Luna fought back angry tears as she steeled herself to throw down her heaviest gauntlet yet. "And that's to say nothing of how badly you'd hurt everypony's trust in you for punishing somepony for crimes they hadn't even knowingly committed!"

"You'd dare speak out against me for that?!" Celestia growled, magically levitating an end table in preparation of hurling it in fury at her sibling. Luna grabbed it with her magic in turn, and for a manic moment, it seemed like they were dancing across the room as they tugged and wrenched at the furniture, both battling for control.

"Yes I would! Not just for a friend, but for the good of all Equestria!" Luna declared with a flare of her wings that sent books flying from the shelves. "For all of our little ponies!"

"He's NOT one of MY little ponies!" Celestia roared back, tearing the end table in half and sending the pieces crashing about the room. "He'll NEVER be!"

"Have you forgotten, sister?" the corners of Luna's mouth curled into a sly smirk. "He is one of our little ponies according to those citizenship documents he signed. I'd be willing to bet that you held that over his head to make a point of obeying your commands. But it's a double-edged sword, for he is therefore entitled to the protection of Equestria's laws and justice system. And so help me," the Princess of the Night continued, rising off the ground as her eyes glowed a sudden and brilliant cyan, a clear challenge to her older sibling. "If I have to stand in the way of one of the very founders of the laws of our land in order to keep even one single little pony safe, well so be it!"

"You treacherous-" Celestia cut herself off and backed down with a growl, gritting her teeth so violently that her jaws creaked. Between Volare's prior outburst about people like him standing up to bullies like her and this today from her own flesh and blood!-it was almost too much! She was trapped within the very laws that she'd help write and she knew it. Try as she might, she wasn't going to win this through force of will. She glared up at Luna and her heart stuttered, realizing that as angry as she was, she wasn't sure she could bear fighting her sister again like she had so many centuries ago. Instead, she settled for blasting a nearby couch to smithereens in a sudden explosion of golden flames, the light of which flickered across her face and showcased the visage of a caged and frustrated animal, rather than a calm and collected Princess.

"You know, a certain side of my morbid sense of curiosity almost hopes that you're right about Volare, sister," Luna declared as she continued to hover above the Sun Goddess. "Especially considering your threat towards him and young Scootaloo's relationship."

"How do you mean?" Celestia snapped back, eyes narrowed in rage.

"I'm just saying that, as much of a royal pain in the plot my own sister can be at times," Luna alighted and her eyes returned to their normal state, looking upon her older sibling in near-pity. "If somepony were to threaten to take her away from me...well...I'm not sure what I'd do or be capable of doing." To Celestia's surprise, Luna trotted over and stopped a few feet from the white Alicorn, her eyes never leaving hers. "But it certainly wouldn't be pleasant. Tia, what you told him is quite possibly the most horrible thing I've ever heard you say. It's no wonder he lashed out at you. What cornered and frightened animal wouldn't-especially when its loved ones are threatened?"

"Fine, you're right," Celestia huffed. "What I said was wrong, and besides I already apologized to him about it. He seemed to be just fine after that."

"The look on his face when he passed me on the stairs said otherwise, sister. He looked shaken to his very soul," Luna slowly shook her starry mane in disappointment, and it was that chagrined expression that hurt Celestia more than any curse or sword could hope to.

"It still doesn't change the fact that he's dangerous, Luna. Especially with his reliance on that crystal, if your scrying spell is even the slightest bit accurate," the Sun Princess tried once more to salvage this argument, but Luna was having none of it.

"Am I not dangerous as well, sister?" Luna asked with a sideways glance. "And are you not also? Isn't Twilight Sparkle herself dangerous?"

"Yes, but we three possess the self-control necessary to wield such power. Volare does not."

"How can you be so sure, Tia?"

"Humans are the most self-destructive species we've ever encountered, Luna," Celestia pressed, eager to bring this quarrel to a swift conclusion. But again, the Moon Goddess stood firm in the defense of her friend.

"So what? Has he expressed any of those tendencies since he's been here outside of the odd disagreement or squabble that all normal ponies go through?" Luna trotted around so that Celestia had no choice but to look at her again. "In my heart I believe him to be different. He has close friends and loved ones. He's not malicious and ruthless. He's not isolated himself in the slightest in spite of the difficulties he's faced since arriving here," Luna insisted, feeling that she was on the cusp of winning this fight for her friend.
"He'e even put his life on the line multiple times and shown no sign of self-centered behavior. You just need to give him a chance and you'll see. He-"

"No," Celestia state plainly, shooting down Luna's best argument yet in mid-sentence. "It's too much of a risk, and that's that."

"But he just-"

"No, Luna! I'm only trying to prevent what you and I both know will eventually happen," Celestia implored. But instead of extinguishing Luna's stubbornly loyal fires, she merely stoked them. Luna dug in her hooves even further and matched her sister with renewed vigor of her own.

"One pony, Tia," Luna shot back, her lip curled into a snarl of angry denial. "Just one is all we have to go by as an example!"

"And wasn't he enough to handle?!" Celestia countered, the thunder suddenly back in her voice once more. "Do you really want to take that sort of chance again? Don't forget what he nearly did to you. What he did do to me!" She turned her neck, exposing the jagged remains of a centuries-old scar beneath her right ear normally covered by her flowing mane.

"You throw those old wounds at me as if I don't remember?! As if I don't recall you being struck down by the King of Fear, leaving me to stand against him on my own?" Luna bowed her head for a moment, recalling that dark day, ashamed at what she eventually had to resort to in order to win the battle.
"That day, I fought not for Equestria, but for you, sister." She looked up again, tears in her eyes. "Does that mean nothing to you?"

"I never said that," Celestia insisted, her outer shell softened by her younger sister's tears as the memories of what happened next came flooding back.
The Northern Empire
The Elements
A Dark Laboratory far, far away from Canterlot
On the Longest Day of the Thousandth Year...
"We both had to resort to terrible things of our own accord due to those Carbuncles and the fallout of their usage," Celestia blinked away her own hot tears that leaked from under her lashes, trying to remain strong even now. Trying not to break down in front of her little sister who had looked up to her for so, so long. "I just don't want to face those nightmares again."

"And we won't have to, Tia," Luna cautiously made her way over and laid a tentative wing along her sister's back, shocked to find that she was shaking like a leaf in a gale. As angry as she was with her for behavior beneath her stature, Luna remembered that despite her age and title, Celestia was still very much only pony. Draping the wing further over her back, she gave her the gentlest of hugs and a smile. "I'll tell you again: I truly feel that Volare is different, sister."

"How so?" Celestia queried, still shaking and blinking away her tears though now she leaned into her sister's embrace a bit. "He told me of all the horrible and destructive things that humans have created since we last interacted with them. Sky machines called 'jets' that carry guns that spit fire and lead, and bombs that can level whole cities in an instant." Celestia looked up into Luna's eyes with an expression of horror. "It was worse than any magic that Sombra or any other pony has ever used in this world. If they ever somehow found a way over here-"

"Hush now," Luna shook her head and laid a feathertip over her sister's lips. "You and I know both know that's impossible. Merely arriving here nearly killed him, and it's only due to all the luck in the stars that he crashed into the very living room of the only pony in Equestria that could save him-and then only after nearly ending him herself with a transmogrification spell." Luna chuckled lightly despite the morbidity of the situation. "But bringing those machines and their weapons here, unless we intend to or they find a way to perform Unicorn magic themselves is not possible."

"How can you be sure?" Celestia sniffed.

"If humans had any inclination to come here before, if they're so scientifically advanced, don't you feel like they would have done so already? Besides, do you truly feel, despite whatever Volare bragged about being able to do in a plane, that he'd desire to unleash that horror on Equestria? Sounds more to me like you scared him into posturing in order to get you to back off-am I right?" Luna's question doused much of her sister's anxiety, though only for a moment. "Haha, you and I both know that you've got a bit of a bad habit of throwing your regal weight around to make a point-"

"Did he tell you he wants to return home?" Celestia's question caught the Moon Princess off guard, and she cocked her head curiously.

"And just how does he propose to do that?"

"I'm not sure," Celestia frowned, now halfway worried for both her country's safety as well as Volare's. "Perhaps he thinks Rainbow Dash can aid him somehow."

"Surely not via the Sonic Rainboom again?" Luna gasped in horror. "But it could kill him! What in the wide world of Equestria would possess him to want to risk such a thing again?!"

"Again, I'm not sure," Celestia lied, having been told by Twilight of his plans to say goodbye and tie up loose ends. But if Luna was worried enough about her friend's safety, perhaps she'd see reason this way and hinder him from leaving as well.
This is quite the scummy scheme, Celestia, she thought to herself. But if it's the only way to keep my little ponies safe...then so be it

"He shouldn't go," Luna shook her head as she paced in place for a moment. "I mean, maybe between Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle they can figure something out for him but...I just don't know."

"I'm sure you can sort that out with him," Celestia proposed. "I mean, it's not as though he likely wants much to do with me right now, all things considered..." And with that, she believed to have finally buried their little spat as well as put the onus on Luna to do the right thing and keep Volare here in Equestria. However, today had proved that the Stewardess of the Moon was nothing if not a persistent Princess as well as a discerning one.

"Nice try, Tia," Luna's words caused Celestia to cock a brow. "No, don't play dumb. I know exactly what you were trying to do just there-nearly fell for it, in fact. Although I was born in the day, it wasn't yesterday-even though I run the night. But that's irrelevant," Celestia rolled her eyes at her sister's attempt at witty slang. "This is a problem you've created with Volare, and thus is a problem only you can solve. That said, hear me loud and clear this one time: I will not tolerate you leap-frogging over the law to suit your personal agendas. Is that clear, Tia?"

"Oh fine," Celestia muttered. "Crystal."
Cryyyyyystaaaaaallllssssss.... The recollection of that serpent-like hiss of a voice sent a chill between Celestia's wings, and she visibly shivered.
Please...not again...
And then what came after...the thought of her faithful student falling like he had as well...it was just too much.

"Sister, listen," Luna pleaded, pressing the advantage at sensing her sibling finally faltering in her stubborn defense.
"I know not the exact details of what was discussed between you and Volare today. And yes, while I will agree that humans have increased their propensity and capability for destruction a hundredfold or more since we last interacted with them, does it not speak even higher of Volare's character that he chooses to not act upon those urges that worry you so badly? Who's to say that like ponies, perhaps exceptions exist with these humans as well?"

"Yes, but," Celestia trailed off, still undecided about how she felt about this whole situation. Luna made an excellent point there: he'd only fought back against her when his back was against the wall and she'd threatened just as much violence in return. And only after she'd threatened to take Scootaloo away from him. In that instance he was nothing more than a cornered and terrified animal doing what came naturally...how horrible I must seem to him she bit her lip to fend off the hot tears once more as the weight of her words finally struck her full force. Oh stars and novas...What have I done?

"-he's not unlike us in that regard," Luna's thoughts broke through Celestia's sorrowful ruminations.

"How do you mean?"

"That he has the capability to wield such destruction, but has enough morality and self-control to choose not to use it," Luna smiled and nudged her sister with a wingtip. "For wasn't that your argument earlier?"

"Yes, but-"

"And," the Moon Princess pushed further, feeling victory within her grasp. "Why wouldn't that self-control translate to that crystal he's become dependent upon to survive due to his unique situation?"

"But Luna, we've seen what it can do," Celestia gnawed further upon her lip in worry, tasting copper as her mind flew through the possible scenarios; from everything being perfectly fine to Volare destroying half of Ponyville. Those crystals, while amplifying Sombra's strength, caused him to become deranged and power-mad. They never had enough time or the wherewithal to ask him why he did what he did-they barely had the chance to stop him before his influence spread beyond the Crystal Empire he'd founded. And since they didn't even know what Volare's talent was they had no idea how to predict what that crystal would eventually do to him.
"I just don't want-"

"You don't want him to suffer the same fate," Luna interjected knowingly. "Nor his friends or Twilight Sparkle to share in it. You're afraid of it happening again, as am I. But we-"

"You say you understand, Luna," Celestia shook her bowed head, blood now dribbling from her broken lower lip, down her chin, and into her flowing mane. "But you don't. You couldn't understand what I went through," she raised her gaze to meet her sister's and Luna was shocked at how tear-reddened her eyes were.
"Not against Sombra, whom we fought together and yes-you defeated alone. But what came after. The fallout of his terror..." Celestia trailed off.

"Nightmare Moon," Luna broke the pregnant silence in a voice just above a whisper. Nothing more needed to be said after that. For a moment, both sisters relived those dark days that followed, how they grew further and further apart due to Sombra's words and influence upon the Moon Princess. Or at least, that's how Luna knew it. Celestia alone knew the real truth behind her sister's transformation, or at least, she knew more than she'd ever let on. For her sister's sake, she'd buried it. Erased it from the history books to keep her safe when she returned.
On the longest day of the thousandth year...
To this day she'd kept that secret from the public, and even her own sister knew only the barest of details.

"You don't understand what it was like to have to banish your own flesh and blood and then have to bear that secret for over a thousand years by your lonesome," Celestia wiped her bloody mouth with a hoof and sniffed. "How heavy of a weight that was to bear."

"But you were deceived, or so you told me," Luna laid a gentle wing about her sister's shaking shoulders. Poor Tia. Normally so strong and fierce, but now...suns and meteors, what did you endure for so long!?
"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known the ramifications of using the Elements of Harmony that way."

"Yes it was my fault," Celestia was near the breaking point now. Although Luna had been back for some time, she'd never confided these feelings with her sister until now. There just hadn't been time or reason to. "I should have known better! About the Elements...about you...about Volare...I-I should have known better about everything!"

And with that, the dam burst. The Princess of the Sun, so calm and so collected for so many centuries, could no longer bear it. The day's terrible events-interrogating Volare, threatening to separate him from the adoptive sister he clearly loved so much, scaring the living daylights out of him via immolation for crimes he was innocent of outside of her own paranoid mind, and now very nearly going to war with her own sister for such an act-were the final breeze blown upon a shaky house of cards.
Celestia broke down into full-on body-heaving, choking sobs. If she wasn't roiling in such painful and mortified sorrow, her mind might have never believed that such an otherwise insignificant mortal Pegasus could bring her to her knees in such a way; her public court image of composed wisdom shattered into innumerable shards. The Alicorn tented her wings over her face and cried into her pinions, blood from her mouth mixing with tears and mucus into a slurry of complete shamefaced despair. How could she ever be forgiven for what she'd done?

For a long, long moment, the Sun Princess grieved alone; just as abandoned and solitary as she'd been for a full millennium. For how could mortal ponies understand? How could she explain how isolated she'd felt for so long? But it didn't last, ending with the arrival of her sibling's warm hooves and wings wrapping about her. Luna held her close, wordlessly letting Celestia weep for what seemed like hours until she was sure that nothing more remained to leak from her sore, red-rimmed eyes.

"Tia," Luna began softly, conjuring a napkin to dab at her sister's ruined lip while gently brushing her mane out of her eyes. "Why must you heap such a burden upon yourself?" Celestia glanced up at Luna; at the sad pitiful smile upon her sister's face. "Why?"

"B-because," Celestia stammered before halting, taking a deep breath to steady her voice. "Because my little ponies need me to be strong and be there for them. To protect them no matter the personal cost." Her voice nearly broke once more, but there was nothing left to cry-she barely managed to swallow past her sore throat as she wiped at her muzzle, her white hoof coming away streaked with crimson from her chewed lip. Her vision blurred a bit as she stared at the blood standing out so brazenly upon her fur, and she was reminded of the bloodshed that followed her Luna's banishment. How it stood out in contrast to the peace she thought she'd gained through her unwilling sacrifice of her own little sister.
But no...that had only been the beginning. Her vision swam further and she suddenly felt light-headed; she would have fainted if not for Luna grasping her hoof and pulling her back from the brink.

"Sister, they're my little ponies too," Luna affirmed with a squeeze of her hoof, hugging her tightly and fighting back more tears of her own. "I'm sorry I had to go away for so long."

"But I-"

"Shhhh, no buts now," Luna shook her head, pressing the napkin over Celestia's mouth and rocking her gently. Ironic, considering how often she used to do this for me, she reminisced. Her older sister had always been there for her, but now it was her turn. "I'm here now. I've only returned for a short time, but I'm back now, and I'm not going anywhere again. I promise: you won't have to shoulder this burden by yourself ever again."

"Oh Luna!" Celestia broke into fresh sobs and buried her face in her sister's starry mane once more, somehow managing to eek out a few more tears in the process.

I'm glad I locked the door when I barged in, Luna thought, none too keen on the Royal Guard wandering in out of curiosity to check on the Royal Sisters and seeing Celestia in such a state.
"It's alright. It's ok," Luna repeated softly, stroking a hoof through her sister's mane, simply letting her cry out what remained of over a thousand year's worth of insecurity. Eventually, Celestia's hiccuping sobs slowed to soft snuffles, all the while keeping her face buried within the hollow of her little sister's shoulder; too ashamed to even look up and see the light of the very Sun she'd managed for so long by herself. In comparison this task seemed so small, but in truth within the Sun Princess' heart, it dwarfed even that.

"How do I fix this, Luna?" Celestia mumbled into her younger sibling's shoulder before looking up, her normally calm eyes now a wide-lidded burning bloodshot cerise, the pupils twitching about in much the same way as a terrified and cornered animal would. Searching for escape but finding no easy exit; only a monumental task that shook their owner to her very core.

Likely how Volare was, Luna thought before shaking the smugness from her mind and grasping Celestia in the most sisterly hug she could possibly muster. Loving but firm, as was her advice.
"Only you can answer that question, sister. As you and I have both come to agree, I was never there during your argument, and I'm fairly certain that the last thing Volare would want would to be brought news that his very existence here nearly caused another violent rift like between Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle."
His refusal to tell me the truth earlier seemed to be proof enough of that.
"And so, the fewer ponies he believes to be involved, the better I'd estimate. But if you can protect Equestria for a thousand years by your lonesome then surely you can find a way to resolve this. I have faith in you, Tia."

Celestia stared at her, incredulity and defeat upon her features at this news. "But I just...I can't...I don't know how to-" the Sun Princess was suddenly cut off by a hoof to the shoulder and a playful smile from Luna that so shockingly contrasted with the whole situation that all Celestia could do was stare for a moment. "Luna, what are-"

"Heh, come now. If you can forgive me for trying to block out the Sun and bring everlasting night to Equestria, surely you can find a way to mend this situation," the Moon Princess chuckled, trying her best to stoke the fires of confidence that she knew were still smoldering deep within her sister's soul. Despite being dampened by tears and trepidation, she feared that if she didn't reignite them, her sister may not ever be the same again.

"Yes, but that was none of your fault," Celestia protested. "I shouldn't have placed my fame and glory over your needs for so long."

"Are we still arguing about water so far under the bridge that it's practically in Tartarus by now?" Luna shook her luminous mane and took to her her hooves, offering a hoof of her own down to her still-reclining sister which she finally took after a moment and allowed Luna to haul her upright. "There is nothing more for me to forgive you for than what I already have. But if you're wallowing in so much self-pity right now that only my words will hold enough weight to suffice, than here they are once more: I forgive you, Tia. Nothing more needs to be said about it." Luna smiled and squeezed her sister's slim shoulder with a hoof.
"I mean you literally changed the history books to make sure I'd have a safe home to return to. As irksome as that was, I understand the intent behind it. What more could you possibly have done to earn my forgiveness?"

"Heh, I suppose you're right," Celestia sniffed and finally chanced a tiny smile. "That was a hell of a difficult thing to pull off, you know."

"And for so awfully long," Luna nodded and grinned, her pity replaced by a sense of awe at how long her sibling had kept up such a charade by her lonesome without cracking under the strain. How she kept the truth a secret until the very last possible moment, and how even now much of it was still hidden from the public eye. She had no idea how she could possibly repay Celestia for such an act, but cutting her some slack for her threats towards her friend while suffering from so much stress seemed to be a fair enough start.
"And I'm eternally grateful for what you've done for me. But Tia," Luna's smile faded a bit as squeezed her sister's shoulder tighter. "This isn't about me. It never was. This is about how you're going to make things right between yourself and Volare. Just you and your little pony."

"But how do I do that?" Celestia pulled away from her sister's grasp, her face no longer pitiful despite her bloody lip and the remnants of mucus covering her muzzle. Her face contorted not in fear but in deep thought as she ran the options through her mind. "How can he possibly understand what happened without context that not even our own citizens are aware of?"

"He doesn't need to know every little detail about why you nearly burned him to a crisp," Luna's comment, while flippant, was supported by another hoof to Celestia's shoulder that assuaged the white Alicorn somewhat.

"That's true," Celestia nodded, debate raging internally within. On the one hoof, she could tell him everything, but then Luna wouldn't be safe unless she swore him to secrecy.
Fat chance of him trusting me enough for that to happen.
On the other, if she only told him part of the truth, he might get curious and go digging. That on its own wasn't necessarily what worried her; it was more if he found the truth on his own without the proper guidance to teach him the context that she feared. Much the same with Twilight Sparkle a few years ago when she was given the barest of bread crumbs that led her to Ponyville at quite literally the eleventh hour before Nightmare Moon's return...she'd have to be cautious in the knowledge she disseminated. But perhaps there was a middle path...

"Tia, are you alright?" Luna nudged her sister. "You were muttering like Volare there for a moment."

"Haha, not even slightly amusing," Celestia cocked a brow.

"You're more alike than you realize, you know," Luna continued, wary of her sister levitating a weighty pillow over her shoulder. "Perhaps you could talk about that."

"We're about to me more alike than you can imagine," Celstia snarked back, waving the pillow threateningly, but the smile on her face belied the rekindled fires blazing within. The Sun Princess had returned, and she had a plan now. "Luna, thank you so much for setting me back on the straight and narrow. But I think I've got it from here."

"If you say so, sister," Luna smiled and turned on her hoof to leave, but not before quipping: "Shall I have the Canterlot weather team stand by in case of a sudden fire?" She took the expected pillow to the back of her head in stride before cantering out of the room with a giggle, glad she was able to save her friend Volare from her sister, but also her sister from herself.
Meanwhile, unseen by either Royal Sister and lost among the sudden poof of down feathers from the pillow case, a single black pinion fluttered down from a high open window in the south wall of the Lodgings-the only evidence that a certain white-necked raven had borne witness to the near-catastrophic encounter hidden from the rest of the eyes of Equestria.
But not for long...

--------------------A Few Hours Later-------------------

"Hrrrraaaaah," Spike gave a toothy yawn and wiped his eyes with a claw, glancing out the front door of "The Posh Salad" at the nearly 30 foot tall sundial in the center of the city's middle ward square. He didn't really even need to see it to tell that it was getting late in the afternoon-the sinking sun told him all that-he really just needed to confirm it for himself before speaking up. "Sooooo, anypony wanna take a bet on what's holding Twilight up?"

"H-hruh?" Volare shook himself out of his doze, groaning as he realized his empty flagon would do nothing for the dry lips he needed to smack together to get working. "What's up, Spike?"

"Oh nothing, just wondering where the burning hay Twilight is, is all," Spike snorted smoke and crossed his claws, fuming over how hard he'd had to fight to get them a table while corralling Scootaloo hours ago. If it weren't for the fact that Faber kept ordering hard cider (literally the only alcoholic refreshment in the entire establishment), they might have gotten tossed out for practically squatting at the best table on the veranda.

"Ach, ye know, naow tha' Ah come ta-hic-think o' it," Faber spoke up from behind a stack of empty cider flagons so massive that it quite literally blocked out the sight of the blacksmith. "Ah haven't seen 'er since yesterday. Where did she go again?"

"I'll give you the short version," Volare replied, glancing at the somehow still-snoozing Scootaloo. She must have really run Spike ragged to be this tuckered out still. Poor guy. "We found this big map in her old Library Tower that was illustrated from multiple explorers' journals and points of view. But to make sense of it all, I had to retrieve this big book from the Archives called The Rhyme of the Equetic Mariners. It-"

"Pfaaaww-ye found what?!" Faber suddenly exclaimed, wiping the cider spittle from his muzzle as he leaned around the stack of flagons. "Did mah ears lie ta me, or did ye say ye found Tha Rhyme?"

"Y-you know it?" Volare cocked a brow at his outburst, glancing back at Scootloo-still asleep.

"Know it? Ah was raised on stories from it, lad. How else ye think Ah got tha wild hair oop me arse ta strike oot on me own?" Faber grinned.

"I heard it was cuz you were broke and got kicked out," Spike muttered, but despite being buzzed, Faber heard his snark.

"Oi ye wee briquette, hush yer yap," the great blue smith growled. "Ah didn't leave because Ah was broke! Ah can't go back because Ah was broke! Learn tha difference afore ye part yer fangs an' gossip about meh!"

Alright alright, sheesh-sorry," Spike patted the air with his claws. "Just frustrated cuz Twilight's taking so long is all. Sorry."

"Eh, it's alright. Ah see yer side of it, Spike," Faber settled back down, the bench creaking as he leaned back on it and stretched. "Did ye send 'er a message or summit?"

"Kinda; I sent a Guard for her after I got the table reserved. But that was literally like 3 hours ago," Spike scuffed the ground with a hindclaw. "I'm sure she's fine, it's just...ugh, she's always on me for not being punchy."

"I think you mean punctual. You're plenty punchy already, buddy," Volare chuckled.

"You know, you're literally playing with fire, dude," Spike crossed his claws and squinted fiercely, or as fiercely as a baby dragon could come across as.

"Mhm, and you're proving my point," the pilot replied with a playful smirk.

"You know, if you weren't my friend and the reservations this tough to get, I'd kick your butt, Volare," Spike balled up his fists, though only in play.

"Pfft, he's already had 'is arse thrashed a half-dozen times at least since he came 'ere, Spike. So Ah would't put much merit on joining that little list," Faber laughed, drawing a incredulous looks from the pilot and baby dragon.

"Hey Spike-truce for like 2 seconds?"

"Heh, sure thing," the baby dragon grinned toothily. But before the brawl could commence, a blinding flash of light filled the restaurant and a loud POP signaled the teleporting arrival of none other than Twilight Sparkle herself. She was levitating a large bunch of notes as well as the map book and The Rhyme, and pieces of paper fluttered out of the stack as she tried to gather herself, obviously flustered by her tardiness.

"Oh holy horsefeathers, I'm sorry I'm so late! I swear it's only because I got caught up in studying Pintogarus' geometric theorems that might help us with figuring out the distance to the moon!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Twi," Volare waved his hooves, beckoning the panting bookworm to take a seat on a bench, which she gladly did. "You're acting like you ran a marathon or something! Wait, why do we need to know about-"

"Oh right, uh," Twilight started to flip through the notes, thought better of it, and leaned across the table and looked uncomfortably deeply into Volare's eyes, her own violet orbs containing more than a tinge of mad scientist at the moment.

"Uh, Twi...?" the pilot breathed, making sure the crystal sphere was still dangling around his neck, which it was. "What's going on? What happened up in the-"

"Volare, this is gonna sound nuckin' futs, but..."

Oh crap, now what? And she's using Earth slang now, the Pegasus swallowed hard.

"Do you believe in the supernatural? Like, ghosts and things of that nature?" Twilight's question was so far out of left field that Volare didn't even know how to react, while Faber was simply confused and Spike wondered if Twilight had finally read one book too many. But one pony in particular reacted in quite the opposite way: with extreme excitement.

"Whoa, I love ghost stories!" a small raspy voice declared, drawing everypony's attention to the formerly snoozing orange fluffball sitting upright in her chair, small wings flapping and purple eyes blazing with youthful enthusiasm.

"You gotta be kidding me," Spike face-clawed as the bartender, recognizing Scootaloo and having heard of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' exploits even as far as Canterlot, hung up his Out For Lunch sign and hoofed it out the door as fast as he could. He figured if he didn't bear witness, he couldn't be implicated and have to stand trial for whatever destruction might be imminent.

Nice to know Murphy is alive and well, Volare winced internally, hoping against all hope that if Twilight did have a tale about ghosts and the supernatural, that it was good enough to keep Scootaloo occupied-for The Posh Salad's sake if anything.

Author's Note

Big recap blog can be found here: Recap Blog

*Laminitis is an infection of the hoof in horses and cattle that can be caused by extreme lack of activity or movement, especially in obese animals.

Prologue-Pt 2: Risky Business

"Sometimes you just gotta say: What The F***"
-Joel Goodson

August 25th, Golden Oaks Library-Ponyville, Dawn...

The fluttering of papers and the scribbling of a quill stirred Spike the Dragon from his fitful slumber. He groaned and rolled out of bed in the loft, sleepily trudging across the Library’s top floor and giving the purple Unicorn at the writing desk a glare for a moment before glancing back at the window. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, but judging by the freshly written paperwork and half-spent candles flickering on the desk, she’d been working for a large part of the night.

“Urgh, Twilight,” Spike yawned widely, exposing his sharp little teeth. “You’ve been up all night writing and keeping me awake! What in Celestia's name have you been doing?”

Twilight Sparkle kept to her writing for a moment, almost as if she hadn’t heard him, but the flick of her ear and the momentary sideways glance of her eye confirmed she heard him, but if she broke her rhythm in the middle of a sentence, she might never get it right. She jabbed the end of the sentence with the quill before sighing and laying it down across the scroll. Fighting off a yawn of her own, she grinned a bit sheepishly at the rather irate dragon who stood there with his arms crossed, awaiting an explanation.

“Eh-heh, sorry Spike.” She rubbed the spines on his head with her hoof, like a nurturing mother would stroke her son’s hair. “I just couldn’t sleep very well because—”

“Yeah yeah, I know,” Spike interrupted with a roll of his eyes. “Because Rainbow Dash is off at that planet gathering information again and you’re worried about her because she’s been gone all night, right?”

“Well, that and I want to get as much information out of her that I can when she gets here before she forgets anything she saw,” she told him as she grinned excitedly. “Oh, I wonder what’s kept her this long? I hope she’s got a load of new information on those bipeds living on that planet. They’re so fascinating and so much like us!”

“Yeah, except they wear clothes all the time, sunburn easily, their air is dirty, and they’re constantly fighting each other,” Spike ticked off on his claws. “Yeah, soooo much like us.”

“Oh come on, Spike,” Twilight swept her hoof over the rough sketches of faces and bodies pinned up on the wall. They were created solely from Dash’s verbal descriptions of the bipeds alone, which probably meant they were a little more “awesome” than they really were, but they were all Twilight could go on at the moment in her study of them which had practically eaten her life up the past few months.

“Look past their problems and see what they are as intelligent lifeforms. Oh what I wouldn’t give to actually meet one in person and ask what their world is like from their point of view,” she exclaimed with a clap of her hooves. Dash could only gather information while hidden in the clouds, lest she be spotted and probably scare the living daylights out of them. In fact, that might have already happened once or twice over one of their northern continent’s deserts, but things could have been worse. But if Dash said she could handle it, she trusted the blue Pegasus as much as anypony could.

And to think it all started as an accident when Twilight was experimenting with a long-distance teleportation spell. She needed a brave volunteer, and Dash had literally barged her way through the front door when she got wind of someone brave being needed. She trusted Twilight and she wasn’t afraid of what might be on another world. Twilight explained that she was linking an escape and return spell with something that Dash couldn’t do accidentally, and what better action to pick than her Sonic Rainboom, something that somewhat distorted space itself and created an easier access point for the spell as well as requiring massive concentration to accomplish. Twilight then hit her with the spell, and within an hour, Dash had teleported back into the Library lobby, her chest heaving and sweat dripping from her face.

Twilight had been worried at first, but Dash held up a hoof and explained that she had just flown the most awesome race she’d ever been in with a bunch of machines on that planet. She wasn’t afraid; she wanted to go back! Ever since then, she had been teleported back to that blue and green planet on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, returning to report what she saw. In truth though, she wasn’t returning just for Twilight’s reports. Dash wanted to keep going back because the bipeds offered competition she could only dream of in Equestria: flying machines.

The flying machines! Those were what intrigued Twilight the most about the bipeds. Just the logistics of getting those metallic things into the air without the apparent aid of magic and without flapping their wings was mind-boggling. Some of those machines were hundreds of feet long and wide! And the bipeds used them to carry cargo as well as hundreds of their own species inside them as transport. Those were the ones that interested Twilight, but Dash was attracted to something entirely different. It was the one thing that kept her going back to that world; the singular thing that gave her a racing thrill like nothing else anywhere: their military jets!

Sure, she knew the risks, having seen them in action shooting each other down with fire and explosions, but she was confident in her abilities to out-fly them and took comfort in the fact that the escape spell was activated when she was moving her fastest, which she’d only have to use if she got into trouble anyways. With that in mind, as she flew about jotting down notes in her head on the biped society, she always tried to make time to ride the contrails produced by the small fighter jets during their drills as well as streaking in between them and daring them to chase her, which they had on multiple occasions. But the coloring of her coat and small size allowed her to blend into the sky with ease, and she nearly always lost her pursuers within seconds. Even so, it was always a thrill!

Still, she wished she could find one that could actually keep up with her for more than a half a minute. She never reported these things to Twilight in detail, mainly out of concern that her friend wouldn’t send her back through fear for the Pegasus’ safety. So, she kept the jet reports vague and gave her just enough info per visit to make her want to send Dash back again.

Twilight herself soon craved more than just observation though; there had been plenty of that already. She craved interaction with a biped now but was far too cautious to go to the planet herself. She actually entertained the thought of Dash bringing one back with her, but the shock of it all might frighten it to death! So for now, she had to be content with observation reports and hope that Dash’s mid-air shenanigans didn’t cause too much trouble.

A sudden crackling noise and a bright flash in the downstairs lobby lit up the whole library and snapped Twilight out of her musings. Rainbow Dash was back! The Unicorn quickly trotted for the stairs with her quill and a new scroll, eager for more information from the Pegasus. But as she descended the staircase, something else other than the usual smell of ozone associated with teleportation spells assaulted her nostrils which crinkled in disgust as her heart leapt in fear. It was the smell of burnt flesh, as well as another chemical she couldn’t identify.

“Dash, Dash, are you alright?!” She hit the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner of the lobby, her hooves slamming the wooden floor as she ran, suddenly taken by a bout of panic. Was Dash injured? Oh by Celestia if she got hurt doing something stupid…

Twilight skidded to a stop in the lobby and gaped at the sight. There was Dash on the floor, looking very shaken up but apparently unharmed. But it was the smoldering blue and black object nearly twice her size that she had her hooves around that drew Twilight’s attention. It took the Unicorn a few moments of gape-jawed confusion to realize that Dash was holding a biped in her library lobby. She sunk to her flank in shock and struggled to find the right words for a time like this. Spike nearly ran into her as he too took in the sight before him.

“D-dash… what happened?” was all she could get out before the biped groaned in agony, an absolutely pitiful sound that tore at Twilight’s heartstrings. It was then she realized the biped was the source of the burning flesh and harsh chemical smell and that the black portions of its uniform were actually scorch marks. She slowly stood up and walked towards it. “What did you do, Rainbow Dash?!” she gasped.

“Twilight, it’s all my fault!” Dash cried out, trying to hold the biped’s head off the floor to keep it from coughing, its face was completely covered by a yellow and black helmet, probably a blessing considering the pain it seemed to be in, Twilight didn’t relish seeing the expression of something with that many burns all over it. What was worse, Dash’s behavior was quite frankly scaring her. The normally brave and confident Pegasus was absolutely hysterical.

“I-I tried to get him to r-race me like usual even though they don’t keep up very long, but this one did, Twilight!” she wore an almost impossible look of fear and admiration as she looked down at the biped who groaned again in an unmistakably male voice. “H-he wouldn’t quit like the rest did. I wanted him to chase me, Twilight! And he did, and then his jet started falling out of the sky and—“ Dash broke off there and ran a hoof over the pilot’s burned uniform. The hot material clung to her hoof and pulled off in strands of blue threads as angry tears squeezed out of her eyes and dripped onto the pilot’s helmet.

“I-I couldn’t let him die like that, Twilight,” she looked back at her friend, hoping to see an understanding look, but only being met with confusion. “I got him out, but only after his jet hit the ground… I wasn’t fast enough, Twilight! I wasn't fast enough," Dash moaned into her hooves. "Goddess, this is all my feathering fault!” she sobbed, furious at herself and fearful for the pilot who began a fresh bout of coughing.

“W-what do you want me to do, Dash?” Twilight asked. The Unicorn’s mind was swimming, just barely staying afloat on a sea of unconsciousness. She had so many questions herself about the injured pilot and what Dash meant about ‘racing like usual.’ Spike saw her eyes start to roll up and gently squeezed her hoof, bringing her back from the brink and giving her a smile he forced through his own worried expression.

“Save him, Twilight,” Dash whispered, her head hung low and her ears drooped. Her normally bright mane had visibly lost its luster as she forced herself to look back up at her friends, her pride trying to force the moisture from her eyes but failing miserably. “Use your healing magic on him! Fix him!”

“Dash, my healing spells only work on the creatures I have healthy anatomical data on, both exterior and interior. All I have is exterior from your observations,” said Twilight as she frowned and hung her own head.

“Speak Equestrian, Twilight!” Dash pleaded frantically.

“Oh, um… I mean I need to know what they’re like on the inside and outside while they’re healthy, otherwise I don’t know what state to return their bodies to. The spells for each species are all different and if I try to use the wrong spell for the wrong species, it might just do nothing or it might hurt him even worse! I’m sorry, Dash, I really am.”

At that announcement, the Pegasus hugged the pilot’s helmet tightly, cursing herself and every dumb thing she’d ever done that led to this moment. Because of her selfish stupidity, this guy was going to die and all she could do was sit here and hug him like a damned foal! Spike reached forward and tried patting Dash on the back, but she jerked away at his touch, his claws scratching her neck, but she didn’t notice. She was too angry at herself and her own helplessness in the situation to care!

But sometimes, when all hope seems lost, even the most insane possibilities become the best last resorts. Dash’s head suddenly jerked up at the idea that had suddenly sprouted in her brain. It was a ridiculous long shot, but that had never stopped the determined Pegasus before! “Twilight,” she almost whispered as she clung to the dying pilot. “You said your magic only works on creatures you have information on, right?”

“Right, physical data,” Twilight nodded, wondering what Dash was getting at.

“And you know a transformation spell that can turn something into anything, right?” Dash looked up at her friend hopefully.

“It’s not a pretty spell, and very painful, but yes I know one,” the Unicorn confirmed, starting to put two and two together here. Was she serious?

“Could you turn this guy into something you have data on and then use the right healing spell on him?” Dash asked, her magenta eyes pleading more than Twilight ever thought possible. “Could you do that, Twilight Sparkle?” She was deathly serious.

“I-I…” The Unicorn ran through every single doubt and bad thing she could think of that might go wrong here inside her head, but the look on Dash’s face forced her to banish those doubts with a sigh. “It’s been a long time since I’ve used it and I might be rusty, but I can try, Dash. But… the pain that the spell causes might be enough to kill him through shock alone, especially considering how hurt he already is,” she said with a frown.

“Twilight…” the proud Pegasus said slowly. “If this guy dies… and it’s all my fault… and I didn’t do everything I could possibly do to save him… I’ll never be able to live that down.” She hitched a breath and gave her friend a very serious and determined look. “And you know I can’t carry a weight like that and still be me.”

“Dash, I—“ Twilight gaped in shock at her friend’s confession. She knew her to be loyal, but not to such a strong degree! Then again, this was Rainbow Dash, the most hard-headed pony she’d ever known as well as the holder of the Element of Loyalty.Learn something new every day I suppose. “I’ll do it… but what if he lives through it? Then what? What’ll we tell him?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Twilight.” Dash held the pilot as he coughed violently. “But right now, there’s no time. Save him, Twilight! Just… what ever you turn him into… give him wings… at the very least, I owe that much to him.”

“Alright!” The Unicorn put on a determined face and closed her eyes, searching for the right spell in her memory before finding it. Her horn lit up a brilliant purple and her eyes flashed open, filled with a bright white light as Dash gently laid the pilot’s head down and moved away, shielding her eyes from the light that shot from Twilight’s horn and spilled onto the dying pilot, engulfing and completely consuming him.

“Whoa… Twilight! Twilight get up!” Spike fanned her face as her eyes flickered open.

“D-did it work?” she asked, completely worn out. It had been a long time since she used that spell and she’d forgotten how much it took out of her.

“And then some! Hurry and wake up!” Twilight opened her eyes completely as Spike pulled her to her hooves and she looked over at where the pilot was, or rather, where he had been. In his place, lying there unconscious and still carrying those same painful burns, was a rather lanky dark blue Pegasus with a yellow and black spiky mane and tail; probably something to do with the yellow, blue, and burnt black flight suit he was laying in the middle of when the spell hit him. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain, and he snorted loudly as he groaned again.

“He’s still burned, Twilight! Use that spell and fix him!” Spike urged.

“Oh, r-right,” Twilight shook her head in disbelief. He’d survived it! But now wasn’t the time to hesitate! She jumped up and made her way over to the new Pegasus and charged the healing spell. For a moment, she felt a pang of disappointment It was just her luck that when she finally got a biped into her library for study, she lost the chance almost immediately. But it was only a momentary regret. Perhaps when he was recovered he’d be able to tell her everything he knew about bipeds and their world!

She hit him with the healing spell, and the burns covering his body faded away in a gentle pulse of orange light. Curiously, the marks were left behind on his coat as sooty-looking scars. Maybe they’d fade in time.

Dash trotted over to the Pegasus and sat down next to him, looking him over and finally breathing a sigh of relief when she saw his breath had stabilized and he was no longer groaning in pain. He was sleeping peacefully. “Heh, looks like you’re not as rusty as you thought, Twilight! Twilight? Oh crap!”

Spike caught Twilight as she collapsed again, the strain of the two powerful spells in such a short time, coupled with her all-nighter finally getting to her. The young dragon grinned with the strain before laying her on the floor with a huff. “She’ll be ok. She just needs her rest.”

Dash yawned in response as the adrenaline left her system, the danger over for now. The day had really taken it out of her! “Heh, all this hard work saving people sure makes me want some shut-eye. I’ll take Twilight to her bed, you keep an eye on this guy, Spike.” She sat Twilight across her back and carried her to the stairs. “Lemme know if he wakes up!”

“But I… but she… argh!” Spike threw his claws in the air in exasperation as they headed up to the loft. He was tired too! “Rats!” The Dragon looked back at the sleeping blue Pegasus and scowled before taking a seat next him. “Grr, you’re not even here ten minutes and you’re already a pain in my scales, dude.”

Upstairs, Dash laid Twilight on her bed and curled up at the foot of it. But before she closed her eyes, she held up the small patch that had been inside the pilot’s jacket. It was burned, but it was very obvious what it was: a small version of her own cutie mark. “Whoever the heck this guy is, he knows me somehow. Heh, bet he’d make a good newbie member of the Rainbow Dash fanclub or something like that.” She chuckled before drifting off to sleep.

"It seems to me that if there were any logic to our language, trust would be a four letter word."
-Joel Goodson

Author's Note

I hope I didn't bore ya'll to death with too much technical info, but it IS a Twilight-centric chapter after all ^^;

Heh, the shit's gonna hit the fan once Volare wakes up XD;

Prologue-Pt 3: Toes For Breakfast?!

“If you're reading this...
Congratulations, you're alive.
If that's not something to smile about,
then I don't know what is.”
-Chad Sugg, "Monsters Under Your Head."

August 25th, Noon

“Mmm, who’s cooking what,” Volare moaned as he breathed in the smell of biscuits and eggs; fried, by the smell of it. He felt his stomach rumble at the thought.
…wake a sec…
Dead men don’t smell breakfast cooking or feel their stomachs growling!

Volare’s eyes snapped open and he took in the scene around him as his eyes focused. Everything seemed…almost too brightly colorful and cheerful, almost as if it weren’t real. But the wooden floor he was lying on was certainly real, as was the blanket covering him.
And so was the smell of the food!

“H-hey!” he croaked, his voice cracking in his dry throat. He could hear movement on the other side of a wall, which was where the smells seemed to be coming from. “Who’s there?” He tried to weakly sit up, but only fell back down again; his legs feeling too weak and wobbly to support himself.

The clatter in the other room ceased almost immediately with a gasp, and Volare could hear footsteps clicking on the hardwood floor, and after a moment, their owner appeared around the corner…and Volare’s mind just about snapped in two.

“Oh hey bro, welcome back to the land of the living,” the small green and purple dragon…yes a frickin dragon…greeted him cheerfully. But Volare’s thoughts had checked out for the moment because he realized who the dragon was, but he just wasn’t quite grasping it yet. He responded to the dragon’s salutation with a series of breathy mumbles. “Um, are you ok, dude?” the dragon’s green eyes betrayed a look of concern, but Volare didn’t quite come to his senses until the dragon clicked his claws in front of his face.

“Huh-wha-how the-what’s going on here?!” Volare finally got his mouth and brain working again. “I’m supposed to be dead!”

“Well, um, you’re not!” the dragon replied with a grin. “And that’s always good news!”

“Then I must be going insane or dreaming, because you’re a frickin talking dragon who cooks breakfast and I know your name,” Volare babbled. Even to a figment of his imagination, he must look totally out of it. “You’re Spike.”

“Yep, the one and only…er, well, at least the only Spike I’ve ever met,” he shrugged his shoulders before giving Volare a sideways look. “Say, how do you know who I am?”

Volare’s mind searched for the answer, but he was in no condition to go into that just yet. “Just…let’s say it’s a long story and…um…Spike, I’ve got a question,” Volare announced, trying to bend his knees under the blanket. “How come I can’t feel my toes?”

“Oh, that’s cause you don’t have any toes, dude,” Spike said matter-of-factly. “At least, not anymore.”

Volare’s eyes widened in fright. “Did you cut them off or something?! Is that what you’re cooking in there?! Oh God, I’m salivating in here over the smell of my own toes being cooked for breakfast!!!” Volare started to panic, thrashing under the blanket but getting his legs tangled up.

“Calm down, dude! Ah crap! Twilight, Dash, you better get down here!!” Spike shouted towards the stairs. “Your flyboy is up and he’s freaking out!”

Volare’s ears heard the familiar names, but his mind didn’t register them as he finally got out from under the blanket and tried to scoot away from Spike, utterly convinced this was some sort of bad hallucination or dream. He should be dead, for crying out loud!!!

He heard footsteps, or rather, hoofsteps on the stairs and as he turned to look, he saw two more beings right out of his memories. The purple Unicorn nearly got run over by the rainbow-mained Pegasus as she raced into the room, stopping just feet away from him before the Unicorn joined her.

“First!” the Pegasus declared, much to the chagrin of the Unicorn.

“So getting here to greet him first was more important than not knocking me down the stairs, Dash?” she said in irritation.

“Oops,” the Pegasus grinned sheepishly before turning to Volare with a wide and friendly smile. “Hey, nice to see you’re awake! I’m Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria, and my slower friend here is Twilight Sparkle,” she exclaimed as Twilight rolled her eyes.

Volare looked back and forth between the two before he screamed in confusion and fear and took off crawling across the lobby. Dash immediately guffawed loudly at the sight but quickly shut up as Twilight scowled at her.

“He’s obviously very shaken up, Dash. Give him a break!” She slowly trotted up to Volare, who had comically tried to climb the bookcase wall in panic, but had merely succeeded in hurling books all over the floor. He turned to face her, back pressed against the wall and his chest heaving in panicked breaths as she gave him the kindest smile she could muster.

“It’s ok. We’re not going to hurt you,” Twilight said softly, taking small steps towards him.

“W-where am I?” Volare finally spat out again. “Why am I here? This isn’t some sorta crazy afterlife is it?”

“No, no, no,” Twilight shook her mane. “You’re in my library and this is certainly not the afterlife.”

“But why am I here?” His breathing had slowed a bit but his eyes were still wide and very confused.

“That…is a bit of a difficult question to answer,” Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof before Dash spoke up.

“You’re here because your plane fell out of the sky and I swooped in and saved your butt!” Dash punctuated the statement by flying up to the ceiling and diving back down again with a dramatic flare of her wings. “And then I created an awesome Sonic Rainboom and Twilight’s spell activated and brought us back here!” She smiled proudly, but Volare’s mouth simply hung wide open.

“Y-you saved me?” he asked in shock, his mind playing back over the crash…the fire…the pain…and then the flash of blue and prism colors.

“Heck yeah I did, cuz I’m awesome like that!” Dash crossed her forelegs and hovered in midair proudly. “Could’t let ya get cooked and all.”

Twilight facehoofed heavily. So much for taking things slow, though she knew that wasn’t Dash’s modus-operandi anyway. She looked back to Volare, who still wore a look of surprise, but at least his jaw had risen from near his chest somewhat as he digested all this new information. “Sorry if that was a little blunt for you,” she apologized. “Dash can be…a little more forward than most ponies.”

“Hey I just don’t like wasting time, that’s all,” Dash shot back. “Besides, I’m not nearly as bad as Pinkie Pie in the “in-your-face” department!”

“Dash, that’s like comparing a earthworm to a python. Nopony is as “in-your-face” as Pinkie is,” she chuckled. Volare managed a smile at that one; she was right after all.

“So, you sorta calmed down yet, flyboy?” Dash asked with a friendly smile.

“Yeah, a bit…but…are you sure this isn’t a dream?” Volare asked, looking back and forth between Dash, Twilight, and Spike, who had since gone back to cooking breakfast, only glancing back every once in a while as his friends handled the situation.

“Not unless we’re all having the same dream,” Spike replied from in the kitchen. “But that’d just be weird as heck!”

“Yeah, it’d be like that one movie if we were all in the same dream at once,” Volare muttered.

“Say what?” Dash asked curiously.

“Um, nevermind,” Volare shook his hands in front of himself to dismiss the subject…except he didn’t have hands. “Whoa, what the hell?!” He looked down at the hooves that had replaced his hands and then finally down at his feet. Spike was right; he didn’t have toes anymore! He had frickin hooves!! He looked back up at Twilight and Dash, fresh panic in his eyes. “OK…what the hell happened to my body?” He squeezed his eyes shut, afraid to look at the rest of himself.

“Dash,” Twilight spoke up. “Go get my mirror, please. Now Volare look, I”-

“Whoa, how do you know my name!?” he cried suddenly, but Dash gestured to the tattered flight suit draped over the back of a chair.

“Your name was on your flight suit,” the Pegasus explained as she fetched the mirror and carried it over in her mouth before Twilight took it with the magical glow of her horn. “Your name is Volare, right? Or did you kill the real Volare and steal his clothes?”

“What the-yeah…yeah, that’s my name,” he confirmed, smiling at her comment despite his fresh fear.

“Dude, we looked up your name and what it means!” Dash smiled brightly. “It’s Latin for “flight”! How sweet is that!? And you’re a pilot and everything. Pre-tty sweet, man,” Dash crossed her hooves again and nodded approvingly, hoping to calm him through compliments; hey, it always worked for her!

“Heh, thanks Dash,” he replied with a slightly embarrassed smile as Twilight approached with the mirror before her.

“Ok Volare, this may come as a bit of a shock to you…or judging by what I’ve seen of you already, a really big shock,” Twilight frowned. “But you’ve gotta know the truth at some point. Take a look.” She floated the mirror in front of Volare who gasped loudly as he beheld himself.

“I…I…” he grabbed the mirror in both hooves and his silver-blue eyes went wide as inspected his new body, a short layer of blue fur covering nearly every inch of himself. “I’ve got a muzzle…and four legs, and a mane, and a tail and…” he then felt something move on his back and he moved the mirror upwards past his yellow and black mane. “Holy crap…I’ve got wings! I’ve got frickin wings!! Oh my god! Holy shit…I’m a flying Pegasus!!!!” he exclaimed, unable to help the wide grin that split his face. The feathered appendages wiggled almost of their own accord, sending the strangest feeling along Volare’s spine It wasn’t an unpleasant one, but it was certainly different!

“Heh, you can thank Dash for those,” Twlight smiled, but then Volare looked back up at her fearfully.

“What…what happened to my real body? My human one?”

“Oh, is that what you bipeds call yourselves? Humans? Interesting,” Twilight nearly ran out of the room for a quill and scroll but stopped herself at the last minute; there’d be plenty of time to take notes later! “Sorry about that, Volare…I get carried away in my studies sometimes.” She blushed slightly.

“Come on and tell him why I decided he should have wings and be a sweet Pegasus like me,” Dash butted in with a smirk as she elbowed Twilight impatiently.

“Very funny, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied with a shake of her mane. “It’s a good thing you’re the Element of Loyalty and not the Element of Modesty; I dunno how you’d survive.” Dash opened her mouth to shoot something back, but quickly slammed it shut again before grumbling in her throat. The Unicorn gave her friend a self-satisfied smirk of her own before turning back to Volare, who chuckled a bit at the proud Rainbow Dash being told off by the egghead Twilight Sparkle; a rare occurrence indeed. “I apologize again, Volare.”

“Nah, it's no problem, relatively speaking,” he waved a hoof pointedly. Man, he didn’t know if he could ever get used to this. “So…why am I in the body of a pony? I take it you couldn’t save my old body…how bad was it?” he asked with a wince.

“Alright brace yourself, Volare,” Twilight put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “It’s a good thing you’re already sitting down because this may be rather hard for you to hear.”

“Man, this guy sure passes out a lot,” Dash exclaimed as she and Twilight dragged the unconscious blue and yellow Pegasus over to the couch and tossed him onto it. “I hope it’s not a health problem.”

“No, I’d say it’s more of a ‘holy Celestia I’m in a different world, my old body is gone forever and I’ll never be able to live my old life again so I’m gonna panic and pass out now’ sort of problem,” Twilight said sarcastically; but she said it in such a dead-pan tone that Dash cracked up anyway. “Hope you didn’t make eggs for four, because I don’t think Volare’s going to be joining us quite yet, Spike.”

“Hey no problem; extra helpings for me aren’t something I’m gonna argue about,” the dragon declared as he plunked the plates of food down on the table and noisily dug into his own eggs and biscuits.

“Hey Spike,” Rainbow Dash paused before heading to the kitchen just yet. “Gimme and Twilight just a few moments; we need to talk about something real quick.”

“We do?” Twilight asked before being pulled towards the front door.

“Don’t take too long guys, or I’ll eat your food too!” Spike stated between mouthfuls of eggs.

“Dash, what’s going on now?” Twilight asked before Dash shushed her with a wing. “What is it?” she hissed.

“Ok, during our whole retelling of how Volare got here, you notice how he said he was chasing a mysterious blue object and how I left the part out about me being that object?” Dash whispered, glancing back at the couch to see Volare still out cold.

“Yeah, what of it?” Twilight asked, a little confused.

“Look…I don’t want Volare to know that was me, ok?” Dash wore a look of worry. “I don’t want him to know that I’m the reason he nearly got killed. Imagine how mad he might get if he found out!”

Twilight nodded in understanding. “Yes I see…but you sure it’s not better to tell him as soon as possible so you’re not basically lying to him all the time, Dash?”

“No, that’s not a better idea Twilight!” Dash hissed in irritation. “That’s the worst possible idea! Just promise me you won’t ever tell him, ok? Cuz if he finds out and hates me forever for what I nearly did to him….that’d be almost as bad as if I’d just let him hit the ground and die in the first place!” Dash again gave Twilight the pleading face from earlier, and it succeeded yet again after a few moments of uncertainty. Twilight bowed her head in concession.

“Alright Dash, I’ll do it…but only for you because you’re my friend!” She gave the Pegasus a stern look. “But if he ever finds out about this, it’ll be on your head, understand?”

“Relax Twilight,” Dash said with a return of her usual confident smile. “With a little luck, the thought’ll never cross his mind…”

“Ok then,” Twilight nodded and headed back to the kitchen. “Hey Spike, we said to wait!” she shouted as they trotted in on Spike devouring hers and Dash’s biscuits.

“Sorry guys,” Spike burped and smiled a bit guiltily but still continued to eat their breakfast. He was enjoying getting back at them a little for making him stay up while they got to rest. “I gave you fair warning and you two took too long!”

“Not cool dude,” Dash crossed her wings and forelegs and shook her rainbow-maned head in disappointment. “Not cool at all…”

The shaking of her mane flashed a multitude of colors across the room and onto Volare’s face, threatening to bring up familiar memories into his slumber. But just as the prismatic visions reached the surface, they sank to the bottom of the river of his consciousness. Volare slept on peacefully, dreaming of flying higher than he ever had before.
Soon…very soon, he’d get a chance to do more than just dream about it…

Author's Note

Side notes: Dash and Twilight are keeping secrets! But how does Volare know them?! Scandal! XD;
Also, if you're wondering, here's about what Volare looks like (I did my best on the sooty burn scars).
And feel free to snicker at his appearance...goodness know everypony else probably will XD

Prologue-Pt 4: Back To The Basics

August 25th, Afternoon

Rainbow Dash left the Library when she realized she was due to move a rainstorm over the town that afternoon, and she was late. “Remember what we talked about, Twilight,” she whispered before waving to Spike. “Take care of Volare you guys! I’ll check back after my shift is done!” And with that she jetted out the door, leaving a swirl of loose papers and dust in her wake.

Twilight set to work reorganizing the books that Volare had tossed off the shelves in a panic. She hemmed and hawed as she floated the volumes back onto the lower shelves before realizing that a number of them on the fourth row were also out of categorical order as she wished, instead having been set up in alphabetical order. “Spike!” she called out to her assistant, whom she was still irritated with for eating most of her breakfast. The baby Dragon popped his head out of the kitchen.

“Yeah, Twilight? What’s up?” he asked, a plate in one claw and a scrub brush in the other. “Kinda busy in here at the moment.”

“Well, I’m kinda busy in here too, fixing your mistakes.” She waved a hoof at the shelf and the tomes scattered along the base of it.

“Hey, I didn’t do that, the newbie did.” Spike pointed a claw at the Pegasus curled up on the couch and snoring softly. “I swear, all the guy does is freak out, make a mess, and sleep.” The Dragon shook his head even as Twilight’s frown became a frustrated scowl.

“You obviously don’t like him, Spike,” she said matter-of-factly, “but that’s no reason to blame your mistakes on him, especially considering what he’s been through just now.”

“Jeez, why don’t you marry the guy if you care about him that much,” Spike said off-handedly. He made a display of gagging as he turned back to the kitchen, but suddenly felt himself hauled off his feet and dangled in front of the now angry purple Unicorn.

“That is completely unfair and unfounded, Spike! I care for him because… well… because I was new around here once and I learned to treat others as I’d want to be treated, and so did you!” She sat him on the floor and rubbed her forehead with her hoof. “I’m sorry Spike. I lost it there for a second.”

Spike looked up at her a bit fearfully. Twilight wasn’t normally this edgy, but as she said, this wasn’t exactly a normal day either.

“Look, this is what I meant,” she gestured at the fourth shelf. “You know I want my books organized by category instead of alphabetical order, right?”

“Oh, I thought it was the other way around,” Spike said as he twiddled his claws, relieved that Twilight wasn’t mad at him for anything terribly serious.

“No, I want the books organized by category and the categories themselves organized in alphabetical order by shelf,” she explained, but Spike was now confused. “Example: start with Astronomy on the top shelf and end in Zoology on the bottom shelf, and then organize the books in each category in alphabetical order.”

Spike was about to throw the scrub brush at his overbearing friend when he heard a soft chuckle from the couch. They turned to see Volare sitting up and watching their exchange in amusement. “Heh-heh, Twilight, has anyone ever told you that you’re hella OCD sometimes?” The dark blue Pegasus smiled before swinging his hooves over the edge of the couch and trying to stand up, but nearly collapsed onto his side. He leaned against the couch cushion to catch his breath. “Urgh, still not used to this I guess.”

“Spike you finish cleaning up the dishes, I’ll fix the books in a bit,” the Unicorn said as she smiled at her assistant. All was forgiven as Spike returned the smile and waved to the ponies before heading back to the kitchen.

“You feeling a little better now, Volare?” Twilight asked with concern at his efforts to stand. He was like a newborn colt who hadn’t discovered how to use his legs yet.

“Yeah, still just feeling a little overwhelmed and… oh God… I passed out again, didn’t I?” At Twilight’s nod he covered his face with his front hooves in embarrassment. “Jeez, you must think that’s pretty pathetic, eh?”

“Well, maybe just a tad bit over-dramatic, but not too terribly pathetic,” Twilight offered her opinion. Volare blushed heavily as his heart sunk a bit. That didn’t help at all! Twilight caught his expression and changed her tact. “What I mean to say is, well, I can’t really relate to how you feel in this situation, but like I told Spike just now, I was new to this place once too. And I personally think that if I just went through a near-death experience and woke up not only very much alive but in a new body and in a new and unfamiliar place, common sense would say that confusion and panic would be a fairly normal reaction. I’m sure I’ve got a book on it around here somewhere if you doubt my sincerity, Volare.”

But the Pegasus merely laughed for a few moments before calming down. “Oh Twilight, you don’t have to prove something like that. Your empathy is enough for now. But, um,” he stared down at his hooves and sighed. “I do wanna clarify just a few more things.”

“I’ll do my best, Volare.” Twilight trotted closer and sat down next to the couch, her head level with the Pegasus’ and looking right into his silver-blue eyes.

“Ok, is my old body gone for good, Twilight?” He looked at her calmly, but she could see the moisture building up in his eyes. “Am I stuck like this forever?” Try as he might, he couldn’t stop the single tear that snuck out and ran down his cheek.

“Oh Volare,” she nuzzled his face comfortingly and sighed. “Yes… yes it’s gone for good. It was much too burned and damaged on the outside to save, and Celestia knows how badly it was hurt on the inside. If we hadn’t changed you like this, you wouldn’t have survived.”

“And there’s no way to get my body back at all?”

“Well, I mean, I could technically have Dash go back and steal a human medical book and we could use the information in there to try something,” Volare’s face rose slightly as she spoke. “But if we use the diagrams in those books, I could only create a generic human body for you. You’d be human, but you wouldn’t be you, Volare. I’m so sorry.”

The two ponies’ ears fell in unison for a few moments as they both finally accepted the truth: He couldn’t go back, and even if he did, by all accounts, he was dead on Earth. No, there was no going back at all.

“I-I understand Twilight.” The Pegasus sniffed and wiped his eyes with a hoof before straightening his face, his military attitude taking over a bit. He was in the presence of a lady, and he should at least show some backbone for her sake! “Well, since I’m stuck this way, I think I should learn more about myself. I think what I really need now is to learn how to at least get off the couch without looking like a fool. Oh, and some chow if Spike left any, that is.” He smiled awkwardly.

“Oh! R-right!” Twilight’s eyes moved over the books for a moment before finding the one she was searching for: “Equine Anatomy.” She floated the book off the shelf and flopped down on the couch next to him with the book in her hooves. “Lemme show you how our legs and bodies work so you don’t fall on your face again, Volare!”

“What, no food?” Volare’s stomach growled audibly as if to punctuate the statement.

“Heh, hunger can be quite the motivation to learn something.” Twilight gave him a friendly smile. “We’ll get you some food once you can walk to the kitchen on your own.”

“…you’re an evil Unicorn.”

Thunder crashed outside and rain began to patter on the roof as the storm Dash was attending to began. What better activity to do inside at the moment than to read a good book? “Ooh, this is just like teaching science to a young colt. It’s so exciting!” she exclaimed, clapping her hooves with a grin. Volare blushed again but she was right. He was about as functional as a newborn at the moment and needed all the help he could get. Twilight beamed and her eyes shined brightly as she opened the book to the Skeletal and Muscular Systems section. “Let’s start with the basics and work our way up from there. It’ll help you to appreciate how we work and what you’ve become.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Volare agreed, nodding as Twilight thrust a hoof in the air.

“For science!” she crowed before beginning the lesson.

“Ew, why are you guys reading about Pony Reproduction?”

Twilight gasped loudly and slammed the book shut before glaring up at Spike who had snuck up on the back of the couch and was reading over their shoulders. “Spike, you creep! It’s for science!”

“Yeah, riiiiight.” Spike turned to Volare who wore a rather bemused expression. “Hey dude, you reading about foal making ‘for science’?” he air quoted with his claws before gagging.

“I-I really hope so,” the blue Pegasus replied slowly, turning to look back at the Dragon with dilated eyes. “Cuz I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t read it otherwise.”

“Oh, you’re not uncomfortable reading this are you, Volare?” Twilight asked as she gasped and put a hoof to her mouth.

“Cannot unsee… what I have seen… with whom I’ve seen it with…” Sitting there as Twilight explained about pony reproduction just as calmly as she explained about bones and ligaments without realizing how much she was embarrassing him was possibly the most awkward moment of his life. “No Twilight, I’ll be fine in a few hours, don’t you worry.” He closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hooves. “Have I learned enough about general anatomy for me to appreciate how ponies walk now?”

“Hmm, I suppose so,” Twilight said very matter-of-factly. She tossed the book on the couch and shot Spike a glare as he tried to lift the book cover back to where they had last been reading.

“Um, erm,” he twiddled his claws. “I think I’ll just sit here and watch.” He sat down on the couch and put on the most innocent face possible as Twilight got to her hooves and stretched before looking up at the window which the rain was still plinking against.

“Hrm, guess we could do this all inside.” She looked back at Volare and smiled. “Ok, you get up off the couch and I’ll support you with my magic. Just go through the basic trotting motion like in the book.”

“O-okay.” Volare pushed himself off the edge of the couch, expecting to fall on his face for a moment but then feeling a gentle warm sensation supporting his body in a purple aura. Twilight’s horn glowed as she held him up just as she promised, and he relaxed and began to put one hoof in front of the other. After a few steps, he put a little hop in his motion and smiled as he got the hang of it. Faster and faster he trotted around Twilight, never looking up from his hooves and nearly running into the Unicorn once or twice.

“Hey, watch where you’re going Volare. Trust yourself,” she coached with a grin. Slowly but surely, the confidence that marked him as a human began to return. After a few more laps, he actually leaped over a small pile of books on the floor.

“Hey Twilight, I think I’ve got the motion down.” He grinned and looked up to see that her horn was no longer glowing.

“Oh, I think you’ve got more than that,” she smirked, causing him to look down. His body was no longer glowing either. He was cantering around the room himself. “Whoa! Whoa, whoa, no way!” He looked up and beamed at his teacher. “I’m doing it Twilight! I’m running on my own!”

Even Spike gave an approving smile, extending his claw to give Volare a high five as he passed him. Then he got fancy, trying to slap Spike’s claw with his wing, but the sudden weight change on his back caused him to lose his balance, and he went careening into the bookshelf with a thud.

“Oh balefire!” Twilight winced and trotted over to the Pegasus as Spike peeked out from behind his claws and groaned at the mess of books that had been knocked off the shelf and all over the room. He’d be cleaning them up all night now…

“Are you alright, Volare?” Twilight nudged him with her snout, but was greeted not with a cry of pain, but laughter. “Er, Volare? Are you—”

“Heh-heh, did you see me running around that room?” The Pegasus whooped and clambered awkwardly to his hooves with the widest smile Twilight had ever seen. Maybe he’d hit his head on the shelf. “I, a human-turned-pony, just learned how to gallop!” He then realized how silly he must have looked and quickly calmed down. “Sorry Twilight, just got a little bit excited there. Yeah, I’m ok.”

“It’s quite alright. I remember when I first learned to run as a filly.” Twilight closed her eyes. “Running was like the ultimate escape, until I found books of course,” she said as she smiled and opened her eyes.

“Well, let’s go again, Twilight!” Volare practically hopped in place as he talked. “I want you to race me around the Library.”

“You wanna race me?” Twilight asked, surprised at how fast he was progressing. Much faster than any colt she’s ever seen. Heh, silly me… he’s not a newborn colt who can’t physically run. He’s perfectly capable of it. He just needed to learn how to use his legs correctly, that’s all. “If you say so, Volare. But I’m warning you,” she gave him a sly smile. “You’re looking at the fifth place finisher at the Running of the Leaves race last year.”

Volare nearly objected that she did so well because it was a marathon and she paced herself, but he just barely stopped himself. Whoa, whoa, watch it there, dude. You're really gonna freak her out if you let it slip like that. He shook his spiky mane and snorted. “Bring it on!”

“Where do we start?” Twilight asked, stretching her legs a bit.

“Hrm… the base of the stairs!” he pointed with his hoof and gestured along the wall. “Then around the room’s edge three times, over the couch, and the first to get back to the stairs wins!”

“Feeling a little overconfident, aren’t we?” Twilight smirked as she took her place by the stairs.

“I’ve got a good teacher,” he replied with a wide grin and looked forward, ready to go.

“Twilight, you always said no horsing around in the Library,” Spike tried to protest. He just knew this was gonna make a huge mess he’d have to clean later.

“Hush, Spike, I need you to be the starter,” Twilight cut the Dragon off, who simply shrugged, consigned to his fate for now.

“On your mark!” Volare’s tail flicked twice, the hair rising on his hackles and his ears pressed against his head. Twilight saw it and wondered if he knew what he was doing or if it was simply the pony version of the reaction humans got when they geared up for something like this.

“Get set!” The Unicorn pawed the floor and snorted softly. She wasn’t normally competitive athletically, but she wasn’t about to let Volare show her up so easily after just learning how to walk. She was determined to put him in his place for now.

“Go!” Spike yelled with a jet of fire from his mouth.

The blue Pegasus quickly jumped out to an early lead as they raced along the wall. But as they started dodging and weaving between the fallen books on the ground, he began to lose ground to Twilight who kept up the same pace throughout the first lap. As they jumped over the couch against the wall, Twilight took the lead!

Into the second lap, being the more experienced runner, Twilight stayed just ahead of her pupil, jinking left and right to keep him from pulling up even with her. “Argh, no fair, Twilight!” Volare cried as she shot him a smug look.

As they rounded the lobby for the final lap, Volare pushed himself further and put on a fresh burst of speed. Not gonna let this egghead beat me! As Twilight tried to block him up against the bookshelves, he gathered his legs under him and leaped into the air, scrabbled his hooves for purchase against the bookshelf to his right, and launched himself over Twilight’s head and into the lead in a shower of geology books.

“Haha, whatcha think about that-hey!” He felt himself tugged backwards by that same warm feeling and looked back to see Twilight’s horn glowing purple again. “That’s cheating-aaaaaaaaaaah!!” he cried as Twilight tossed him back over her head. He bounced off the couch and landed on the floor as she crossed the finish line and trotted in place in a dorky little victory dance. He pounded the floor with a hoof as Twilight cantered over, a smile on her flushed face.

“So —gasp— you thought you could beat me, eh?” She felt giddy for some weird reason! She hadn’t won a race in forever! “Can’t let you win that easily, Volare.”

“You didn’t say we could use magic in that race,” the Pegasus grumbled as he regained his hooves and shook the floor dust out of his mane.

“Didn’t say we couldn’t,” Twilight winked cheekily. “I beat you!” she crowed in a mocking sing-song voice.

“Leave it to a smart ass to find a way to bend the rules,” he gasped as Twilight bumped his hip with hers, a clear message for him to lighten up.

“Alright alright, fine. Next time, no magic,” she said holding up her right hoof pledge-style. “We’ll race fair and square.”

“Heh, we’ll see,” Volare crossed his forelegs and squinted at her. “Maybe next time you’ll have to use your magic to even have a chance in a race!”

“Is that a challenge?” She lowered her head and gave him a fierce look. They both glared at each other for several second before Twilight broke first and snickered. “Oh Volare, you’re too funny!”

He returned the chuckle with one of his own. “Man, I’ll bet we looked pretty dumb back there.”

They both turned to see Spike nearly in tears in laughter on the couch. “HAHA, you guys-heeheehee-totally should marry each other or something! I swear I’m gonna crack a scale here cuz you guys are fighting like an old married couple! HAHAHAHA!” He tried to point a claw at the two ponies, but he merely flopped back down again.

Volare and Twilight looked at each other and grinned. Twilight’s horn lit up. “Should I?” she asked with a glance towards the small Dragon still rolling on the couch and guffawing loudly.

“Oh yeah,” the Pegasus nodded with a smirk. With a flicker of her horn, Twilight grabbed the couch with her magic and flipped it over, sending Spike onto the floor with a thud, his laughter ceasing immediately. The incensed Dragon peeped up over the couch cushion to see Volare and Twilight leaning against each other and laughing hysterically, their laughter only growing once they realized how wrecked the Library was.

“Oh Celestia-heehee,” Twilight giggled at the mess. “It’ll take all day to clean this place up!”

“Aw crap-hahaha-sorry bout that, Twilight,” Volare snickered as Spike angrily kicked a book at the two crazy ponies and headed outside, slamming the door behind him, only to return a few moments later, soaking wet from spines to claws from the rain. “Oh crap, I think we pissed him off, Twilight,” he said softly to the purple Unicorn who slowly ceased her own laughter.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” she said, wiping tears away with her hooves. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve felt like this, and—“

“If you’d read that Anatomy book more closely, you’d realize it’s probably hormones from a male pony in your house or something.” Spike turned away and sat down on an Encylopedia of Everfree Forest Creatures, grumbling to himself.

“Spike, I’m sorry, really!” Twilight stood up and trotted over to the Dragon, Volare following behind. “We didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“Yeah, but you did anyway,” Spike replied looking away from her, a hot tear leaking from his green eye. He glared and hissed at Volare before turning back to the wall.

At that moment, the answer clicked in Twilight’s head. “Spike, are you jealous of Volare being here?”

The baby Dragon spun around so fast he nearly fell off the book. “What?! That guy? No way!” He crossed his little arms defiantly, but continued to glower at the Pegasus.

“Aw Spike come on bro.” Volare took a step forward, his expression genuine. “You know I don’t mean to get between Twilight and you. She’s just teaching me how to be a pony, that’s all.”

“Yeah, I’m worried about you learning too much…” Spike trailed off as he realized what he said and clapped his claws over his face, his scales blushing an even brighter purple than usual.

Twilight and Volare were taken aback and looked at each other for a beat before wincing. “Um, no way, not with you… I mean, maybe sometime waaaaay in the future if the planets align perfectly, but even then it’s a big maybe,” Twilight exclaimed and Volare performed his first of many facehoofs.

“Ow… that hurt a lot more than I thought it would,” he winced as his hard hoof thunked off his skull before turning back to Spike. “Dude, I’d never get between you and Twilight. She’s like a mom to you and that’s just not fair, especially if I just met her.”

Spike looked up at the Pegasus and sniffed. “You for real, Volare? You’re not putting the moves on Twilight?”

“Me? Nah!” Volare shook his mane. “Besides, she’s not even really my type and—“ He cut himself off in mid-sentence and covered his mouth with a hoof. But the damage was done. He turned back to see Twilight with a look of growing rage on her face. “…oh shit…”

“Bro, you might wanna run,” Spike hissed out of the corner of his mouth as Twilight’s mane began to smolder.

“So, I’m not your type, eh?” Twilight asked slowly, taking a step towards the Dragon and the Pegasus, who responded by taking a step back. “Am I not good enough for you or something? Too much of an egghead to be attractive?” Small flames began to dance on top of Twilight’s mane and around her horn as her eyes tinted red.

“Um, er, ya see Twilight,” the Pegasus mumbled as the angry Unicorn stalked towards them. “It’s just that I—“

“You’d better pick your next words very carefully, Volare,” Twilight spoke deliberately. “Because I can do more than just toss you into the air where you can’t fly yet. Hrm, maybe I’ll teleport you on top of the Library in the middle of a rainstorm and see how you figure out how to get down…”

“Um, not to argue with you on that, Twilight,” Volare glanced up at the window and pointed with his hoof. “But the rain’s already stopped.”

“Huh?” Twilight shook her head as she saw the sun break out of the clouds and resume shining through the Library windows. No sooner did she see the nice weather outside than the front door burst open and Rainbow Dash came jetting into the room, landing dramatically in the lobby and shaking the rainwater from her mane.

“Ah yeah, nothing like a late summer storm to really make ya feel alive!” She then glanced about the trashed Library and at the three she’d left there; Volare and Spike were nearly backed up against the toppled couch while Twilight’s mane and tail were curling smoke. “Whoa, what in the name of Nightmare Moon happened in here?!”

“Oh, um, we had a little race and tempers flared a bit,” Twilight quickly explained, back to her usual calm self. Volare and Spike nodded quickly, not wanting to irritate her further.

“A race, huh?” She then realized what her mind had skipped over: Volare was standing up! “Whoa dude, you learned how to trot and gallop while I was gone?” Dash asked excitedly.

“Yeah, our little Volare took his first steps,” Twilight teased.

“Did you get any pictures?” Dash chuckled before making her trademark wub-woo face, much to Volare’s utter mortification. “I’ll bet that was sooo cute-bwahahaha!”

“Oh ha-ha-ha, veeery funny, Dash,” Volare rolled his eyes.

“So how’d she’d teach you? Oh! Did she show you that one book on how ponies work?” Dash started to giggle behind her hooves.

“Yeah, what about it?” the male Pegasus inquired before Twilight spoke up with a wink at Volare. She had his back this time.

“You mean the one that I educated you with when you got curious about colts, Dashie?” Twilight smirked as Dash’s eyes dilated. “Yeah, we used that one.”

“H-hey!! Y-you said you wouldn’t tell anyone about that!” Dash sputtered.

“Ooops, guess it slipped my mind,” Twilight teased her friend as the rainbow Pegasus collapsed on top of the flipped over couch.

Twilight-1
Rainbow Dash-0

“My reputation… it just lost 20% of its coolness!” Dash moaned and shook her hooves at the ceiling as Twilight, Volare, and even Spike rolled in laughter at the overly dramatic pony. Despite the chaos of the past few hours, things were finding a way of working themselves out and even the pilot-turned-pony seemed a bit more settled in despite his reluctance to call this place his home just yet.

But the more he looked out the door at the bright sunny sky, the more he ignored the growling of his empty stomach and the more his body felt the urge to do more than just run laps in a library. The tingle in the feathery wings poking from his back was unmistakable.

He wanted to fly.

Author's Note

Small notes: And now...the real games will begin once Volare is back in his element in a way he'd never dreamed of!

And sorry this chapter was a little drawn out, but I needed to establish that there is truly no going back for Volare and just how much he has left to learn...he's got A LONG way to go!

Prologue-Pt 5: What Are Friends For?

Notes: This chapter was originally going to be nearly 10k words, but I thought that was overkill, so I hope I split it correctly. Warning: Science content and more weird humor ahead!

August 25th, Afternoon

“Oh Rainbow Dash, you’re a real riot sometimes,” Twilight patted her friend on the back with a hoof. “Nopony cares that we had to use a book to educate you about colts. It’s something we all learn eventually.”

“Yeah, just…argh, it’s so embarrassing!” Dash rolled off the couch and shook her mane out.

“What’s embarrassing? Asking for help?” Twilight gave her a look but the rainbow Pegasus shook her head again.

“No it’s not just that…well, maybe it is that, but….urgh, I dunno,” she dismissed it with a shake of her hoof.

“Hey, don’t let your pride get in the way of letting your friends help, Dash,” Twilight smiled knowingly. “That’s what friends are for.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she shrugged her shoulders before glancing up. “Hey, where’d Volare go?”

“He’s over by the front door,” Twilight nodded and Dash looked to see Volare’s wings standing at attention, flapping ever so slightly as he gazed out the door and into the sky. “Oh my…his wings aren’t doing that because…well, you know,” Twilight indicated the Anatomy book with a nod.

“What?! No, Twilight!” Dash burst out laughing. “You think too much sometimes, you egghead! No, that’s a different reaction altogether.” She trotted towards Volare, who was still staring out the door, breathing deeply of the smell of fresh rain and wet grass. “No, what Volare is doing right now is something all pegasi feel: the desire to fly!”

“What’s the difference?” Twilight asked, a little blush sneaking into her face.

“Heh, that’s easy! See the way he’s standing; front legs straight, back legs bent, tail down, and ears back? It’s so he can get a good running start and be more aerodynamic in the air!” Dash grinned, for once knowing something in more detail than her bookworm friend. “As for that…other feeling…” she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, a little extra color in her own face. “Let’s just say that everything stands up and leave it at that. Jeez, I thought you were like the ultimate know-it-all about ponies, Twilight.”

“Huh? O-oh…I guess I’m rusty on pegasi anatomy…” Twilight trailed off, her face fully pink now. They stood there for several moments, looking around at anything but each other.

“Yeah, this isn’t awkward,” Spike said aloud, snapping the two ponies out of it. “Yo Volare! Let’s hear your side of it!”

“Wha-huh? My side of what?” the dark blue Pegasus shook his head, looking back at the dragon.

“These girls wanna know whether you wanna fly or if you’re getting-mmpph!” Twilight grabbed Spike around the mouth with her hoof and gave Volare an overly large smile.

“What Spike means to ask is if you’re having any sudden weird feelings out of the ordinary at the moment.”

Volare gave her a weird look before answering.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, my wings are…I dunno how to describe it,” he glanced back at them and shook them. “Really tingly all of a sudden. It’s like I’m suddenly aware they’re there more than I had before. Dash, do you know what I’m talking about?”

The rainbow pony stepped in front of the horribly blushing Twilight and gave him an all-knowing grin.
“Heck yeah I do! It means you wanna fly, dude!”

“But, how can that be? I wasn’t born a Pegasus, so where would the flight instincts come from?” Volare asked with a frown, but Dash thumped him on the head.

“You’re a pilot you dork! All your instincts are up there! We just gotta move them from machines to wings,” Dash explained as Volare rubbed his head. “You’re already kinda doing it yourself, we just gotta help ya along the next few steps until you gain confidence in your wings, that’s all. After that, you’ll be flying on your own, I’ll bet!”

“Makes sense,” Volare looked back towards the door. “Can we try right now?”

“Why not? I’m up for a little flight myself, actually,” Dash cantered out the door, Spike and Volare on her heels.

“Wait you guys!” Twilight cried as she quickly searched her bookshelf and grabbed what she was looking for before following the trio outside.

“What’s that, Twilight?” Spike asked of the book she hovered next to her.

“Advanced Equine Anatomy,” Twilight held it up, and Volare’s eyes dilated a bit.

“That’s not about what I think it’s about, is it?” Volare asked slowly, his eyes riveted on the book title.

“Um, what do you think is in here, Volare?” Twilight narrowed her own eyes. Volare responded with awkward twirl of his hoof and after a moment, Twilight nearly grabbed a rock and threw it at him. “Volare, you pervert!! This gives further insight on Equine Anatomy, specifically on ponies such as Pegasi and Unicorns!”

“Oh, my bad,” Volare blushed furiously, making Dash chortle and Spike facepalm.

“Yeeahh…I figured it would help you the same way the other book helped you walk; by helping you to appreciate the technical and scientific aspects of the muscles of your wings and how they allow you to fly. And as I said, I’m obviously a little out of touch with pegasi anatomy as well, so it’s a win-win,” she explained as Dash made a face.

“Pffft, he doesn’t need to know all that, Twilight!” Dash shook her mane. “He’s a pilot! He’s got the instincts! Just use them, Volare!” The rainbow Pegasus launched herself into the air and landed on the roof of the Library with little effort. “See, easy!”

“Yes Rainbow, for you it is,” Twilight turned back to see Volare’s mouth dropped open and his wings drooped a bit. “Hey, don’t think you have to move as fast as her. Nopony is judging you right now on how you learn to be yourself.”

“I know but…jeez…how am I ever gonna be able to do what she just did when I can’t even move my wings up and down on my own?” he replied with a tinge of despair, punctuating the fact with his flopping wings.

“It’s all about confidence and trusting your gut, dude!” Dash slammed into the ground hooves-first, rocking the front yard before she grinned fiercely. “You think I got to where I am now by being a scaredy cat?”

“Of course not, Rainbow, but we can’t treat him like an adult in the manners of flight just yet; just like how we had to start from square one on walking and running. And that turned out just fine,” Twilight turned to Volare with a smile that slowly faded to a look of concern. “Unfortunately, flight is much trickier than walking, so we can’t have overblown expectations for him right off the bat. Sorry if that offends you, Volare.”

“No, I understand,” he sighed and looked up at Rainbow Dash. “Hey Dash, you wouldn’t be mad if I studied up on how my wings work before I try flying, would you?”

“Oh…hay, I suppose not,” Dash said, her own wings dipping a tad. “But don’t take too long dude; I wanna see whatcha got!” She flew up into the sky and gathered some clouds in her hooves before bringing them down to Earth and fluffing them into a great pillow. “I’ll just shut my eyes for a bit here while you guys hit the books…” she had dozed off by the time she finished her sentence, making Volare chuckle.

“I swear, I dunno how she does it.”

“Does what?” Spike spoke up for the first time in a while.

“She’s like a light switch: on or off,” the Pegasus mused as soft snores emanated from the cloud. “Heh, anyways, where do we start on this, Twilight?” He turned back and gave the Unicorn a nod, eager to learn.

“Well we…hey, I’m not irritating you with my…well, the way I act, am I?” Twilight asked, not taking her eyes off the cover of the book. “I know it sometimes rubs Dash the wrong way and it bores other ponies to death when I go off on my little tangents like this…”

“Not at all, Twilight.” Her gaze rose to meet Volare’s sincere smile. “You’re wanting to help me adapt to this world, and that in itself is a blessing; much more helpful than a lot of humans I knew, for sure.”

“Really?” her ears perked up.

“Mhm, plus I think your little tangents you fly off on are kinda cute.” Volare gave her a mischievous wink and had to dodge the book as she swung it at his head playfully.

“Ok, now you’re just teasing me!” Twilight protested as Volare laughed and Spike gagged.

“Ugh, am I gonna have to babysit you two lovebirds or something?” Spike crossed his arms. “I thought you said you weren’t gonna put the moves on her, dude!”

“Nah, I’m not! I was just messing around a bit, that’s all,” Volare smiled awkwardly.

“Yeah, well my version of messing around happens to involve causing third degree burns,” Spike scowled.

“...Point taken. No, no, we’re good Spike, we’re good,” he chuckled and turned back to the Unicorn. “Just learning how to fly here and nothing else, right Twilight?”

“Right!” she nodded and opened the book to the Pegasi section, a hint of color other than purple in her cheeks as she began the lesson on Wings.

“Ok, so lemme get this straight,” Volare sighed and rubbed his aching eyes; they’d been over Wings from shoulders to wingtip but there were a few things that he was trying to wrap his head around. Spike had long sense lost interest and had curled up in front of the Library and was snoozing in the sun, as was Dash still on her cloud pillow. “Because of the wings a Pegasus has, they have stronger hearts than most poines due to the increased need for bloodflow to their wings?”

“Yes, that’s right, and larger lungs in order to move more oxygen into the blood for the wing muscles while flying,” Twilight nodded. “Those larger lungs also help tremendously at higher altitudes where there is less oxygen to be found.”

“So that explains why pegasi have such great endurance on the ground; because their bodies are designed for the higher stresses of flight,” Volare tapped his chin thoughtfully.

“Yes, and maybe that’s why pegasi sleep a lot,” Twilight’s eyes ran over the text. “Because the lack of flight stress on their bodies lulls them into a sense of…well, laziness, for lack of a better word. And so if they can’t occupy their bodies with flight, they tend to simply sleep to conserve energy instead. It’s like the everyday challenges we earthbound-ponies face just aren't enough of a concern to them. But that doesn’t make sense either because so many are also hard workers…” the Unicorn closed her eyes, going over the variables in her head.

“Maybe it’s the extra oxygen, Twilight,” Volare spoke up. She opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“I mean…while in my jet, if the oxygen levels get too high, a pilot can get drowsy or even pass out, especially if their bodies don’t need it at the time…so maybe that extra lung power is actually a bit of a hindrance at ground level because they pull too much oxygen from the air when they’re not being active. And in ultra-athletic pegasi like Dash, that would explain their laid-back behavior when not engaged in activities.”

“…which would also explain their desire to constantly be in motion and their almost loathing of things being too slow for their liking,” Twilight looked up from the book with a wide grin. “Volare, you’re a genius!” It had been a long time since she’d had a real scientific conversation like this with someone other than Princess Celestia herself.

“Heh, nah, just common sense,” Volare rubbed the back of his head and smiled. “And a lot of time in planes, I guess.”

“Even so, that was some pretty good deduction!”

“Thanks. So, there was one other thing I was curious about,” Volare turned back to the text and pointed at a section with his hoof. “It says that the nerves and muscles for the wings actually branch out from behind the ribcage instead of the shoulder blades.”

“Which would explain why you couldn’t fly just by shrugging your shoulders a bunch. Heh, imagine how silly that’d look,” the Unicorn giggled.

“Yeah, I’d look like I was confused all the time or something,” Volare laughed as he shrugged his shoulders and ran in a circle around the Unicorn before flopping back down with a chuckle. “Good lord, what’s wrong with me today?”

“Isn’t this how you normally act?” the Unicorn asked with a puzzled look.

“No…I mean, yeah I had my goofball moments, but,” Volare looked down at the wet grass. “All those years of dedicating myself to success and advancement, 'yes sir, no sir' and all that….I guess I kinda lost sight of who I used to be; I guess I overdid it…and lost sight of the really important stuff." He frowned but Twilight patted his back.

“Hey, I know how you feel,” she gave him a soft smile. “I got so absorbed in my own studies that the Princess practically kicked me out of Canterlot and told me to go and be social and make some friends. Heck, she even had to trick me into thinking it was another study lesson, I was so obsessed with learning.”

“You still kinda are,” Volare chuckled.

“Yes, true…but, I’ve learned that some things are more important than having my nose in a book. And I think you’re figuring that out in your own way, Volare,” he looked up at her. “So don’t think of it as something being wrong with how you feel; that’s how I felt at first until I discovered the magic of friendship. Think of it as taking a different path towards what you wanted all the time.”

“And what is it you think I want, Twilight?”

“What we all want in life: acceptance.”

Volare’s eyes widened a bit. She was right. He only busted his butt all those years so he could be accepted into The Angels. And now he was working towards being accepted as a true Pegasus. She was right… “Wow…that’s really deep, Twilight.”

“Yeah, and it took a massive turning point in my life to realize that.” She looked from the Anatomy book, to the sky, and then back to Volare. “Maybe what happened wasn’t so bad…maybe you coming here was just a turning point.”

“Heh, when you put it that way…it really doesn’t seem so bad.” The blue Pegasus smiled and looked at her. “Twilight…thanks. You’re one wise Unicorn and your friends are lucky to have you.”

“But in that case, you’re lucky to have me too,” she tilted her head with a smile. “Because I consider you my friend, Volare.”

His heart leapt a bit and he had to look away because he suddenly 'got some dirt in my eye.' “But I’ve only been here for less than a day and I’ve probably been nothing but a pain in your neck since I’ve gotten here.”

“Hey, if there’s one thing I’ve learned since I came out of my tower and started making friends, Volare,” she nudged him with a hoof. “It’s that I’ve become a fairly decent judge of character. You’re a good guy, if a bit lost. But what are friends are for if not to help get each other get back on the right track.?”

“That…heh…thanks Twilight,” Volare wiped his muzzle and looked back at the book, trying to distract himself so he didn’t shed a happy little tear in front of her. This place was making him soft…but he didn’t necessarily dislike it that much. It was a nice change of pace. He was feeling a little light-headed, but maybe that was the extra oxygen and the hunger in his belly. “Anyways…Um, let’s get back on the subject of wings so I can get my worthless butt in the air!”

“Right!” Twilight said with a determined nod but laughed as she heard Volare’s stomach growl loudly and he forced a grin. “But as soon as this lesson is over, we’re gonna get you some food before you keel over again!”

“Urgh, are you two eggheads gonna quit flirting so we can teach flyboy here how to, ya know, fly?!” Rainbow Dash yawned, looking down at the two mortified ponies.

“W-we are not flirting, Dash!!” Twilight shouted, to which the rainbow Pegasus smirked. Volare simply covered his head with his hooves, blushing even harder than Twilight was. “We were simply discussing how the lessons we learn about friendship and acceptance have a lot of parallels!”

“Suuure…remember you’re the one who taught me all about those colts and pony behavior, Twilight. I’m not as dense a student as you think I am,” she teased until Twilight grabbed the cloud with her magic and dumped Dash out on her flank with a very uncool oof. “Hey, what was that for?!”

“You sleep too much because you take in too much oxygen due to lack of activity and it’s a vicious cycle, Rainbow,” Twilight returned Dash’s bewildered look with a knowing grin.

“...Huh?”

“What I mean to say is you need to do some activities. Go fly around a bit while we finish our lesson and be back in an hour. Then Volare here is gonna show you just how much he’s learned about flying!”

“Ha, we’ll see! You better bring your A-game, Volare!” Dash called as she jetted off to go practice her Wonderbolts try-out routine.

“Well, that was”- Volare began before Twilight cut him off with a look that warranted neither argument nor small-talk. Even his stomach stopped growling under her glare. She wasn’t mad at him per se', but he wasn’t about to tempt fate either. “So, um, where were we?”

“…Wings and how they're attached to the ribcage instead of the shoulder blades." The smile from earlier was long gone and replaced with a look of determination.

"Right, right, got it!"

Small note: Volare had better listen to Twilight cuz she means business about science!
XD;

Prologue-Pt 6: Just Me Being Me

Warning: more science of flight concepts here!!

August 25th, Afternoon

“Alright, so to recap,” Twilight strutted back and forth in front of Volare like a purple drill sergeant, the book hovering inches from her nose.
“Your wings are controlled not by your shoulder muscles, but by separate joints on the ribcage. Those muscles are controlled by nerves running into your spinal cord.”

“Right, and the best explanation on how they work is by envisioning two additional limbs between your front and back legs,” Volare said, looking back over his shoulder at his own wings.
“And to move them, simply tighten the muscles along the top of the ribcage, just behind the shoulder blades to spread the wings, and relax them to lower them. The rest of the wingwork is done in the mind, translating the thoughts of up, down, back, and forth movement to the wings.”

“Just feel them there and focus on that feeling,” Twilight coached as Volare breathed in and tightened the upper ribcage muscles. He felt the breeze rustle the feathers at their tips as they rose into the air.
“Very good, Volare, now lower them.”

He breathed out and relaxed, and just by thinking about it, he folded them neatly at his sides. With a grin of accomplishment, he opened them and closed them several times before looking up at Twilight.
“Alright, ready for the next step.”

“Ok, spread your wings and turn into the wind,” Twilight explained and Volare nodded.

Just like a plane, you turn into the wind to aid in take off.
He complied and felt the wind fill his wings. He found he could rotate the joints at their base to raise or lower their profile and spread or contract the feathers at the trailing edge to catch more or less wind, just like the ailerons on a plane wing. In fact, the feathered appendages were even shaped just like aircraft wings; being somewhat thick and rounded on the leading edge and tapering on the trailing edge to the long primary flight feathers. When wind flowed over the wings, it created a higher pressure underneath them and a lower pressure above, resulting in lift!
Hey…I know these physics!

The blue Pegasus rotated his wings up and down experimentally before stretching them out almost completely horizontal and took a step into the wind. Just that single step with the position his wings were in was enough to make himself almost bounce as the wind ran up under the wing and gave him lift.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, Volare,” Twilight warned him.
“You’ve gotta use more than just your legs to get yourself airborne, as your wing to body ratio is quite small when compared to something like a bird or butterfly. You’re going to have to flap them to get airborne, especially if you don’t have the wind to aid you.”
But at Volare’s drooping ears and tail, she sighed softly.
I suppose going a little further right now wouldn’t hurt too badly

“Alright, go ahead, Volare! Try running into the wind and gliding off the ground!” She hoped he didn’t get hurt…

Volare beamed his thanks and began trotting into the breeze. The more he felt the wind fill his wings, the faster he trotted, eventually breaking into a full on gallop, his wings stiffly pointing to either side of his body as he lowered his head and charged into the wind. He could feel the air rushing under his wings, but running into this wind was tough! For a moment, he wondered if this would even work, but all of a sudden, he felt his burning legs moving in midair and no ground beneath them! He was gliding a few feet off the ground!

“Yeah, I’m doing it!”
He then looked up and realized he was headed right for the trunk of the Library.
“Oh crap!”

“Bank left! Bank left!” he heard Twilight yell, and he dipped his left wing. Instantly, he turned to the left and just managed to miss the Library wall, instead coming to a rather sudden stop in the middle of a hedge bush.
“Volare! Volare, are you ok!?” Twilight galloped to the Pegasus who stumbled out of the bush with a shaky laugh.

“Well, that could have gone worse! How’m I doing, Twilight?”

“Um…on a scale of one to ten?” she tilted her head.

“Yeah, on that,” he shook a leaf out of his ear.

“…about a 2.”

“With 1 being the best right?” Volare’s weak smiled faded as Twilight shook her mane with a frown.
“Well crap, guess I’ll try again.”

Volare spent the next 20 minutes gliding off the ground and banking away from obstacles until he was able to mostly avoid everything, although he actually crashed into Twilight once, though not badly enough to hurt either pony. It was about that time that the Pegasus realized just how tough it was to control his yaw without a rudder.
How the heck are these pegasi able to control it?! Must be something to do with how they flap their wings…oh well, only one way to find out!

They were both determined to get him airborne, and after a few more successful runs, Volare decided he was ready to try flapping his wings and get a little higher off the ground.
“I’ll catch you if you fall, but still, be careful Volare!” Twilight urged with a worried look.

“Thanks, Twilight,” he replied and faced into the wind again. He then thought better of it once he realized he was about to go from a fixed wing aircraft of sorts to a less static wing, and the lessons he’d learned about aircraft dynamics were about to literally go flying out the window.

“Generally, a bird would take off facing into the wind to generate more lift, but because a pony has a relatively large body mass that generates drag, they can’t just plow forward into a headwind, which explains why you could only get a few feet off the ground before tiring,” Twilight explained, her nose buried in the book.

“They generate lift by running forward, and a headwind simply hinders that forward speed; therefore a tailwind is required if they’re taking off from a standstill for most pegasi. Alicorns are typically the only exception because the large size of their wings and the addition of their magic allows them to take off into any reasonable headwind. But your wings are of relatively average Pegasus size, so you’ll have to take off with the wind this time, Volare,” the Unicorn coached, setting the book down and focusing on the Pegasus.
“Once you reach gallop speed, thrust downwards and backwards with your wings until you gain altitude, then bank around me and glide; I’ll keep you steady!” Her horn lit up and surrounded him in that familiar warm aura.

“Got it!” Volare put on a resolute grin as he spread his wings and began to trot in the direction of the wind. As he picked up speed, he recalled his flight experience and raised the trailing feathers on the wings as he began to flap them experimentally, tightening and loosening the muscle clusters along his rib cage. It burned at first, but it was soon replaced with the thrill he felt as each step became lighter and lighter.
As he reached gallop speed, he flattened his ears against his head and held his tail out straight behind him as he gave the wings a mighty backwards thrust…and then he was suddenly airborne! 5 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet! This was amazing!! He was flying without the aid of machinery, something a human could only dream about! But he wasn’t a human…he was a Pegasus!!

“Yeeehaaa!!” he crowed as he tried to gain altitude, but he held up once he heard Twilight calling out to him to get back towards the ground. He reluctantly complied and circled back towards her, finding he could aid in the direction he flew by holding his forelegs before him Superman style and pointing them in the direction he wanted to go, just like the nose of an aircraft.
With the dorkiest grin of all time filling his face and making Twilight laugh so hard she nearly lost her hold on him, he circled the purple Unicorn in a glide, giving her a salute with his right hoof and doing an experimental aileron roll* that nearly crashed him into a tree before he recovered and flew back over her. By this time, Spike had woken up and was standing there by the front porch, mouth agape as Volare grinned toothily and dove towards him, buzzing the top of his spines before swooping back up again.

“Hey watch it, Volare!” Spike shook his claw at him before going to stand by Twilight.
The Pegasus gave him an apologetic smile before swooping back up and landing on top of the Library. He spread his wings and jumped off the roof, letting the wind fill them as he fell until he leveled off just above the ground and glided back down to earth, landing right in front of Twilight and Spike.

He struck a dramatic pose on his two back legs before Twilight smirked deviously and pulled his back leg out from under him, dropping him right on his flank. Spike tackled him and punched him playfully before Volare jumped to his feet, laughing like a fool. This was so exhilarating!!
The Pegasus cantered over to Twilight and bowed with a jaunty wink all of a sudden.

“Thank you, dear Ms Twilight for your assistance,” he said in a mock-royalty voice before sniggering.

“What’s gotten into you, Volare?” she laughed and hoofed him.

“Oh nothing, just the joy of flying, that’s all! Oh Twilight, if only you could experience it! Yes I know you were helping to hold me up and all, but the feeling was still real!!” His wings flapped downwards, sending a rush of air out that nearly toppled Spike over.

“Heh, I think I’ll keep my hooves planted on terra firma unless absolutely necessary,” Twilight smiled before leaning in to whisper into Volare’s ear.
“Oh and by the way…that last little maneuver you pulled off the roof…I wasn’t holding you during that.”

Volare jerked away from the Unicorn like he’d been struck in the face.
“You-what?! You weren’t holding me during that? …Oh my god I just jumped off a roof!” Volare grabbed his head with his hooves and squeezed his eyes shut as his mind raced over what he just did. He only did that because he thought she was keeping him safe!

“I thought your confidence in yourself was high enough to attempt a glide, so I let you,” she explained matter-of-factly.
“It turned out ok though, right?”

“Yes, yes, but still I”-

“Heh, smooth moves, flyboy,” they heard a voice from above them call out and they all looked up. There was Rainbow Dash sitting on a cloud and watching everything that transpired at the Library.
“For a first-timer, that was pretty gutsy!” She hopped up and glided down herself.

“H-how long have you been up there watching this!?” Volare asked in shock. He hadn’t even seen her!

“Oh, right about from where you tried that roll and nearly hit the tree,” Dash chuckled as she landed and trotted up to him and got…almost uncomfortably close.

“Um…can I help you?” Volare asked as Dash leaned in and inspected his upper body, from his wings to his muzzle and back again

“Just checking on a few things…” she tapped the base of his left wing, which flared out in reflex, nearly swatting Dash in the head.
“Heh, looks like that works…hrm…” She poked and prodded his wing in multiple places with her hoof and nose before nodding in satisfaction at the reactions from its owner. She smiled and allowed the wing to fold back down against his side. Volare couldn’t help feeling like he’d just come from the doctor’s office or something; that slightly violated sensation…

“Looks like you’re in touch with everything pretty well, Volare. You ready for the next step?” She grinned and flared her own wings.

“And what’s that?” he replied, reaching back to preen his feathers back into place with his mouth…wait did he just do that!?
Rainbow and Twilight merely laughed as Spike made a face.

“You about done there, dude?” Dash said through a giggle at her heavily blushing friend.

“Y-yes, apparently I am!” Volare sputtered.
“What’s this next step?”

“Heh…keeping up with me!” Dash grinned and took off nearly vertically with a powerful flap of her wings, blowing the rainwater off the grass in all directions. Volare stood there in shock for a moment before attempting to follow, giving himself a running start before soaring up to meet her.
“I’ll take it easy on ya!” The female Pegasus replied before zipping away at barely a fraction of her top speed. Even so, it was all Volare could do to keep her in sight. Suddenly, she was headed right back for him!!

He dove downwards as she blasted past him with a loud laugh, clearly asserting her dominance over the newbie flyer. Volare whirled in mid-air and tried to follow, but it was clearly hopeless.

“Stop messing with him, Dash!” Twilight called from the ground.
“That’s not fair!”

“Oh, he’s a tough guy; I think he can take it, Twilight!” Dash waved her off as she shot straight up into the air, daring Volare to follow her.

“Don’t do it, Volare!!!” Twilight cried, but he was determined to not look weak in front of the Pegasus who had basically been his inspiration to continue to push himself for nearly a year. A little pissed and a little embarrassed, he pushed himself now, harder than he ever had at anything, flying vertically and not even thinking now about his wings worked. He was going only on the thought of catching Dash!

Higher and higher he flew to meet the light blue dot that hovered above him. But as he finally began to near her, a sudden cramp in his stomach hit him. His whole body balled in on itself, and he began to topple out of the sky. The lack of food in his body for nearly 14 hours had finally hit him with a vengeance!

“VOLARE!!” Twilight screamed as the dark blue Pegasus fell limply through the air. She focused her efforts on grabbing him with her magic, but he was moving too fast!!
“Volare, get a grip!!!”

Volare heard her over the wind, meaning he must have been getting close to the ground. He weakly unfurled his wings, and the sudden updraft caused him to be buffeted head over hooves back up into the air. His head spun and his eyes were squeezed shut as he forced his wings open.
She was right…he had tried too much too fast…

He opened his eyes as he neared the ground, clearly seeing the terror on Twilight’s face and Spike hiding his own behind his claws. He could feel himself slowing down a little, but it wasn’t enough! The weakness in his body wouldn’t let him hold his wings out straight anymore, and they collapsed into his body. For the second time in a day, he was fully reminded of how quickly things could change up in the air as he plummeted like a rock.

But seconds before he was to impact the ground, he heard a massive rush of wind behind him and felt something soft grab him around his middle…and then he wasn’t falling anymore! He looked down to see blue hooves lighter than his own coat wrapped tightly around him and beyond that, Twilight and Spike’s faces, their mouth agape.
“Heh, trying to impress me, flyboy?” he heard the familiar voice chuckle into his ear, and he looked up to see Dash’s bright magenta eyes staring back into his own.

“M-maybe,” he managed to mumble as she lowered him towards the ground.
This was so embarrassing!

“Hey, no sweat. You’re new at this and…well, maybe I pushed ya a little too hard,” he felt her smile against his mane.
“Getting yourself killed isn’t gonna impress anypony, least of all me. But I gotta hoof it to ya; that’s was pretty decent for a newbie.” They landed on the ground and Volare walked away shakily before collapsing to the wet grass.

“Volare, what happened?!” Twilight cried as she reached his side, nuzzling him as he raised his head.

“You were doing ok, and then…you just seemed to fold up in midair! You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” Spike asked with concern.

Volare was almost embarrassed to say it…
“Heh, would you believe I got hit with the mother of all hunger pangs?”

Everyone, even Twilight began laughing in relief.
“Are you serious, dude? You about gave us all a heart attack!” Spike thumped Volare on the back.

“Well, you DID eat his breakfast, Spike,” Twilight reminded him.
“And mine.”

“Mine too!” As Dash chimed in herself, her own stomach rumbled loudly, and she covered herself with a blush.

“Heh, seems like we’re all pretty hungry,” Twilight lifted Volare to his hooves.
“You up for some lunch?”

“Am I ever,” his eyes lit up at the mere thought of food, his ears flicked forward.
“What all do you guys have?”

“Well, I don’t have much here at the Library at the moment, Volare,” Twilight shrugged.
“But there are plenty of good places in town to grab a bite to eat, plus we can snag some supplies while we’re out. Let me get my things.” She trotted into the Library for a few moments with Spike in tow, leaving the two pegasi alone.

“Ahem, so, um,” Volare broke the silence with a cough.

“Yep, so,” Dash repeated with a smile and a whistle.
“Whatcha thinking?”

“Oh, nothing much,” he replied, scuffing at the grass with a hoof before looking back up.
“Dash…”

“Yeah?” she glanced at him with a toss of her rainbow-colored mane. She had a hard time looking at him without feeling guilty for the secret she was keeping from him…

“I…I just wanted to say thanks…I mean, I never properly said thank you for saving my sorry butt from the plane in the first place,” he took a step towards her.
“And that if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here.”

Dash masked the pain she felt from that statement with a terse smile.
If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t HAVE to be here…

“And so…I just wanted to say thanks…a lot,” he leaned his neck across her and gave her the pony equivalent of a standing hug. He leaned up away from her and looked into her eyes.
“Thanks for saving me twice…guess I owe ya twice now, huh?”

“What? Nah,” Dash shook her mane. Normally she thrived on compliments and adulation, but...this was different. Way different.
“Just me being me, and nothing else.”

“Well, I’m glad you are the way you are, then, Dash,” Volare gave her cheek a tentative nuzzle as Twilight emerged from the Library without Spike.
“Spike’s not coming with us?” he asked, as Twilight adjusted the saddlebags she was carrying that bore her cutie mark.

“No, he already ate well enough for four ponies today, literally,” she squinted back at the dragon in the front doorway.
“I told him to stay here and tidy the place up.”

“Hang on a sec,” the Pegasus replied as he trotted up to Spike.
“Hey dude, don’t worry too much about the Library; I made most of the mess and I’ll get it cleaned up when I get back, ok?”

“Heh, thanks, Volare,” Spike smiled before hurrying inside.
Maybe this guy wasn’t so bad after all…

“Ok, let’s go get some chow!” Volare trotted back to Twilight. As they headed towards Ponyville, he looked back to see Dash standing there holding her cheek with a very spaced look.
“You coming, Rainbow?”

“Huh-yeah, I am!” she shook her head and hurried after her friends. Despite the breeze that caressed her face as she trotted, the place where Volare had nuzzled her burned with a guilty heat…

* Thanks to Tyrannosaurus_Tux for pointing out that a barrel roll and an aileron roll are NOT the same thing
See his first post after this story for a picture description. ^^;

Small notes: DUN DUN DUN, Dashie feels da burn!
And lol, Volare has debilitating hunger attacks that rival Goku from DBZ
XD;

Prologue-Pt 7: New Kid On The Block

I've seen a few comments about the story being a bit moody, so I decided to brighten the mood a bit! Warning: lulzy humor ahead! Volare is gonna kill me...

August 25th, Ponyville Late Afternoon...

It was just a short walk from The Golden Oak Library on the west side of Ponyville, and within a few minutes, the pony trio entered the medium-sized town. It wasn’t nearly the biggest settlement Volare had ever seen, being smaller than even his own smallish hometown, but in the show as now it seemed to have more than its fair share of nooks and crannies to explore. He wondered how the folks here would take him, being new and all.

“I say dear boy,” a blue-maned white Unicorn wearing a bow tie and black suit-vest called out to him. He had about a half-dozen other well-dressed ponies around him who seemed to hang on his every word. The blue monocle on his face jiggled as he talked; he seemed like a rather upper-crust individual and spoke like one as well.

“Was that you we saw up there just a few moments ago?” He nodded in the general area above the Library with a hoof. “That was quite the show you put on up there; that is until you wore yourself out and fell. Luckily, Ms Rainbow Dash caught you in time! Huzzah!” He stomped his hooves on the cobblestones in applause, and the other ponies around him followed suit.

“Actually, I got hit with some really bad hunger cramps,” Volare muttered and looked down at his hooves. If he would have looked back at Twilight and Rainbow Dash he would have seen that they had looks of shock frozen on their faces.

“Aha I see…those old belly pangs can really muck up one’s day, I warrant? And who am I to judge on how badly things can go when famishment hits at 1000 feet when I myself rarely leave the ground!” he mused, tapping his chin with his hoof before his eyes brightened.
“Oh my, I’m so terribly rude,” he held out his hoof in greeting. “I'm Fancypants and I’m here on visitation from Canterlot,” he nodded towards the majestic castle perched on the mountain to the northeast that overlooked Ponyville. “As I was saying, I was just admiring the little show you and Ms Dash put on up there and I wondered if I could inquire as to what your name is, good sir.”

Volare had never been called “good sir” by anyone in his life, and he was a bit taken aback at what to say at first. But he did what came naturally and gave Fancypants a hoof shake and shot him a quick salute.
“Name’s Volare, sir and I’m new in town.”

“Oh, a military pony-capital!” Fancypants beamed as did his small entourage. "My great-grandfather was part of the old Long Patrol's Ground Units. Quite a bit before your time, I'm sure. Well, my dear boy, since you said you were asking about food, might I suggest the Gilded Griffon café,” he nodded across the market square towards a mid-sized building with a high roof that arched down in flowing overhangs above a covered porch that ran around the building. “It’s not quite as formal as the places up in Canterlot, but I find it charmingly rustic; and the food there is top-hole as well!”

“Alright then sir,” Volare nodded with a smile. “I’ll take your advice and sate my hunger there.”

“Jolly good, Volare! Well, I’m sorry to chat and gallop, but I must be heading back out of town; can’t be late for an appointment, you see,” Fancypants gave him a crisp smile. “If I come back to Ponyville I shall inquire of your presence; I’d like to learn more about a pony such as yourself, especially one with such budding flying skills. Good day, sir!”
Fancypants nodded and turned on his hoof and trotted out of town towards the Ponyville Station, his entourage in tow and chattering about the dark blue Pegasus known as Volare.

“Well, he seemed like a nice guy,” Volare said as he turned back to his friends who still wore the same looks of shock. “Um, you guys ok?”

“Volare…do you even know who that was?” Twilight asked slowly.

“Um, I’m afraid not,” he replied, not able to recall the guy from the show; he was never too good on minor characters…

“That was Fancypants,” Dash exclaimed.

“Yes, that’s what he told me; he seemed like a pretty well-off guy.”

“You don’t know who he is?!” Dash nearly shouted, but Twilight calmed her with a wave of her hoof.

“Dash, this is Volare’s first day in our world; how can you expect him to know anypony?” She turned to Volare and smiled. “Fancypants, according to our friend Rarity, is the most important pony in Canterlot. His opinions don’t carry as much weight here, but if he approves of you being here, anypony else will find it hard to protest.”

“Basically, you just got chummy with the richest guy this side of Manehatten!” Dash grinned. “And you impressed him with your flying too!”

“Heh, I think he was more impressed with you saving my butt, Dash.”

“Even so, dude, you just got in tight with Fancypants!”

Volare ignored how wrong that statement sounded and cleared his throat. "Ahem, anyways….have any of you ever been to the Gilded Griffon?”

“Yeah, it’s kinda a fancy place compared to the other cafes in Ponyville, but it’s more than affordable and right next to the stores we need to visit,” Twilight explained. “You wanna try it, Volare?”

“You’re leaving the decision to me? Wow, thanks guys,” Volare smiled and turned to the café. “If Fancypants says it’s good, I say we go for it!”

“Be careful or you’ll become one of his swooning followers,” Dash laughed.

“Not likely,” Volare quipped as they crossed the market square; looking around at the town interior as they went. Everything he could remember from the show was there, from the market stalls with vendors hawking their wares, to the Town Hall standing tall on the other side of the shops, to Rarity’s Carousal Boutique past that, to the bouncing pink-maned grinning pony headed their way.
…oh crap.
Volare tried to get out of the way, but to no avail. Just as he thought the pink pony would collide with him, she stopped right in front of him and gasped in a lungful of air before talking a mile a minute like only one particular mare could.

“Hi I’m Pinkie Pie, and I’m here to welcome you to Ponyville!! Why am I welcoming you to Ponyville, because you’re new in town!! And how do I know you’re new in town? Because I know everypony in Ponyville and I’ve never seen you here before, you gotta be new, right?”
She finally took another breath and grinned widely before continuing. “So, if you’re new here to Ponyville and I’ve never met you before, then it’s your turn to tell me your name! What’s your name, Mr Blue and Yellow and…burnt Pegasus that has no cutie mark despite obviously being the same age as Rainbow Dash, Twilight and me? Oh hi Twilight and Dash!” she waved a hoof wildly at her two friends before turning back to him. Dash facehoofed.

“So, what’s your name, Mr. Tall, Blue, and Silent? Speak up!”

“Heh, hiya Pinkie Pie,” Volare replied. Man she’s a lot wilder face-to-face than I ever thought possible… “I’m Volare, and yep you’re right; I’m new here.”

“Ooooh, Volare!” Pinkie Pie mused over his name for a moment before grabbing his hoof and shaking it. “Pleased to meet you! I’ve never heard of a name like that; what’s it mean? Example: my name Pinkie Pie has to do with me being pink and liking pie and helping to run a bakery that even happens to make pies! Even though that last bit is kinda a crazy coincidence cuz I didn’t start out liking pie! Can you guess what I started out liking?! Rocks!! Can you believe I was a rock farmer? Isn’t that just nuts? So, what’s your name mean, huh, huh, huh?”

Volare’s head spun as she hopped around him asking these crazy questions at a speed he was having trouble keeping up with. He gave her a chuckle and answered. “Volare means ‘to fly’ in Latin, which is kinda appropriate since I was a pilot and I’m now a Pegasus,” Volare realized he’d made a mistake when Pinkie Pie gasped and pulled a megaphone from seemingly nowhere and began galloping towards a flagpole in the market square. Just as she began climbing it to make some sort of crazy announcement, Dash grabbed her and flew her back down to Volare and Twilight.

“Hey, what was that for? I was only gonna announce that we have a pilot in town! What’s the harm in that?” Pinkie fumed slightly, the megaphone now gone again.

“Pinkie, do you even know what a pilot is?” Twilight tilted her head.

“Yep, it’s obviously what Volare is!” Pinkie smiled, but now it was Twilight’s turn to facehoof.

“Look, Pinkie,” Dash began, twiddling her hooves.
“It’s not that simple…”

“What’s not so simple? Volare is a blue Pegasus kinda like you and he’s a pilot! That’s something everypony should know about him if…no, when I throw him his ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party!” Pinkie grinned, seemingly oblivious to the worried looks the blue pegasi and the purple Unicorn wore.

“Come on, let’s not talk about this out where everypony can hear us,” Dash said, motioning towards the Gilded Griffon. “There are…certain things about Volare that, I dunno…might very badly freak out anypony here if they heard about them the wrong way.”

“Ooooh, I see…secret stuff. Clandestine stuff," Pinkie's eyes shifted up and down the street for a moment. "Heh, you know: I've got some night vision goggles for just such an occasion if you-"

"Ugh, Pinkie come on!" Dash snorted impatiently. "We're starving to pieces here!"

“Well food's not just gonna walk right up and say 'hello', silly filly! Let’s go grab some lunch!" Pinkie giggled as she patted the grumbling Dash on the head while Twilight and Volare shared a quiet snicker behind their hooves. "I’ve got Mr. and Mrs. Cake watching Sugarcube Corner and I’m free for about an hour or so. Oooh, the Gilded Griffon; I have friends working there!” She hopped along towards the café, the other three ponies following her and exchanging glances that read something between: ‘should we tell her’ and ‘what have we gotten ourselves into with Pinkie?’

As they trotted under the porch overhang, twin roaring brass griffon heads greeted them from each of the front double doors. It was quite a bit darker inside the café than outside, but Volare could make out multiple pony-related odds and ends such as horseshoes, wagon wheels, and photos of competition ponies festooning the walls around the eating areas and a small bar in the back.

“Heya Lyra!” Pinkie waved to a mint green Unicorn who was sitting…yes sitting…like a person…on a bench just inside the door. She levitated a few menus with her horn and stood up.

“Afternoon, Pinkie! Oh, hey Twilight and Dash! Who’s your new friend there?” the Unicorn smiled as another pony, this one a cream-colored earth pony with a curly navy blue and pink mane trotted up and stood next to Lyra, smiling brightly at the diners.

“Hello again, Pinkie, Dash, Twilight,” she nodded at the trio before turning her gaze to Volare who was getting just a bit uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. “Might I ask your name, Mr…”

“Volare,” he replied before Lyra whirled on the blue and pink pony.

“Hey, I saw him first, Bon-Bon!” she scowled a bit.

“It’s not a competition, Lyra; besides, he answered me first,” the earth pony replied with a sideways smirk before turning to Volare. “Don’t mind Lyra, Volare; she can be a bit silly at times.”

“So can you!” Lyra sat back on the bench and crossed her hooves in a demonstration of humanity that was both adorable and just a little bit unsettling; Volare couldn’t decide which. “Sorry Volare; we’re just having a slow business day and we got excited with a new customer showing up, that’s all.”

“Why’s business so slow?” the blue Pegasus looked around. Sure enough, there were only two other ponies there; both unicorns and both nose deep in their mugs at the bar. “This seems like a nice enough place, and even Fancypants says he likes it here.”

“Ooh, Fancypants says he likes it here?!” Bon-Bon gasped excitedly. “I-I didn’t realize he enjoyed the place so much!”

“Maybe if you made it more known that he comes here, more business might show up,” Twilight suggested. Lyra and Bon-Bon both nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes, yes, that’s perfect!” Lyra pounded the bench with her hoof before standing up. “I’ll figure out some way to advertise that! Ooh, I hope that doesn’t sound too desperate…”

“Pfft, nah,” Pinkie waved her hoof. “I’ve done crazier things to promote my baked goods than that.”

“Oh, like what?” Bon-Bon inquired.

“Well, first I had to gather a harmonica, a banjo, and a big rubber ball! Then I”- Pinkie was cut off by Volare’s grumbling stomach and slight groan. “Oops, heh, got carried a way there a little.”

“Yeah, ya think? We’re starving here!” Dash grabbed Volare around the shoulders as her own stomach growled loudly. “See? Two great stomachs think alike, Volare! We’ve been working up an appetite while teaching this guy how to fly, so if you could just get us a table, we can”-

“Dash, that’s kinda rude!” Twilight scolded before her own stomach rumbled a bit and she blushed. “Heh-heh, perhaps not as rude as I thought…I’m sorry Bon-Bon, Lyra, but we are quite hungry,” she smiled awkwardly before both the duo waved their hooves at her.

“Oh no, no, no, it’s ok,” Bon-Bon said. “This IS a café after all; besides, there’ll be plenty more time to catch up after lunch!”

“Right, Bon-Bon,” Lyra nodded before hovering a number of menus before her and headed to the nearest table. “Will this work?”

“Um, actually, we’d like a more private booth, if you don’t mind,” Twilight said.

“No problem; you guys get the VIP room!” Lyra announced as she led the others towards the sliding wooden doors of the private room, leaving Bon-Bon to watch the front door. Handing them all their menus, she slid the door shut with her horn, but not before adding: “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do back here!”

“Wait, what do you do, Lyra?” Volare asked, to which she grinned and batted her eyes at him.

“Oh, lotsa stuff…maybe if you have some free time I’ll give ya a little demo later, handsome-"

“LYRA!! QUIT FLIRTING WITH THE CUSTOMERS!” Bon-Bon shouted, making the green Unicorn blush and shut the door in surprise. As they heard her protesting yells fade away towards the front of the restaurant, the three female ponies turned to see Volare’s face turning a dull pink.

“W-what?!” he sputtered.

“Heh, oh nothing dude, nothing,” Dash teasingly pretended to flutter her own lashes at him, but she merely looked like she was blinking rapidly, eliciting a laugh from both Pinkie and Volare before Dash chortled loudly herself. “Bwahahaha, you’re just too fun to mess with, Volare!”

“Yep, that you are, Volare-bear,” Pinkie quipped her new nickname for him before Twilight interrupted them with a small cough.

“Ahem, sorry to break up the amusement, but we need to get down to the business of why we’re back here in the first place,” Twilight said, suddenly serious.

“Uh, eating?” Dash asked as she poked her napkin on the table.

“Well yes,” the Unicorn rolled her eyes as Dash pumped her hoof with an emphatic yes! “And explaining the situation about Volare to Pinkie.”

“Yeah…what’s so secret about Volare anyways?” Pinkie leaned over to him, her bright blue eyes inches from his face. “Are you, or were you ever…a space monkey?”

The moment of stunned silence was broken by the drawl of a familiar voice from near the sliding door. “Ya said they’re back there, eh? Well, don’t mind if’n Ah do, Lyra, thankee kindly!” The door slid open to reveal an orange Earth Pony wearing a brown Stetson hat above her blonde mane and a neighborly smile. “Well, goooood afternoon, everypony! Say, what’re ya’ll doin’ back here in tha VIP”-

Her green eyes then fell on Volare, and after a moment of looking him up and down, she whistled loudly and yelled back out the door. “Lan-sakes, ya’ll were right Lyra; he is a tall drink o’ water!” Volare blushed heavily as Applejack slid the door shut and waggled her eyebrows. “Now Ah see whatcha’ll are doin’ back here!”

Volare’s head hit the tabletop with a groan as the country mare laughed and took a seat between him and Dash, ignoring her blue friend's grumble of consternation at her intrusion. “Ah’m just funnin' ya sugarcube. Name’s Applejack, but ya’ll can call me AJ,” she tipped her hat and grinned. “What’s your name, pardner?”

“His name is Volare, and we are NOT all back here to flirt with him, AJ,” Twilight said, a bit exasperated at the immaturity of her friends; even if they were all just having a laugh, she could only imagine the stress it was causing their new friend. “Volare, you handling this ok? They’re not bothering you too badly, are they?”

“Oh no, it’s all good,” Volare mumbled into the table top before sitting up and putting on a straight face. “I mean, lotsa girls used to flirt with me, so it’s not like I’m not used to it or anything,” he crossed his hooves defiantly. It worked for a moment before Dash and Pinkie burst into loud guffaws, soon joined by Twilight as Applejack looked on with a bemused expression.

“Did Ah miss somethin’ here?” she looked around before Twilight regained her composure.

“Oh well, since you’re here AJ, you might as well learn the truth about Volare as well.”

“Is there somethin’ funny about him besides his bad sense o’ humor,” Applejack asked before hoofing Volare in the shoulder, knocking him out of his self-righteous pose. “Who taught ya'll them punchlines anyway? Rarity?”

“It’s a long story, AJ,” Dash said as Bon-Bon entered the room to take their orders, leaving Lyra on her bench by the door to fume about not getting to see “that blue and yellow Pegasus hunk” again. “But we can talk about it more after we get some food!”

“Indeed,” Volare nodded as he asked Bon-Bon for the first food that entered his mind. “Do you guys happen to have muffins?”
Why had he craved muffins ever since he got here?! Hrm, must be a Pegasus thing…

Small notes: Volare says he'd murder me with his own hooves for the amount of embarrassment I put him through, but then he wouldn't be written about..So I guess I'm safe for now XD;

Prologue-Pt 8: Secrets and Lies...and Pinkie Promises

August 25th, The Gilded Griffon, Late Afternoon...

“….ok, so lemme get this straight, here,” Applejack said through a mouthful of hay fries, trying to make heads or tails of the information Rainbow Dash had just rattled off before she dug into her own lunch. “Volare was flyin’ in this machine called a plane with a group called The Blue Angels. An’ he saw somethin’ that wasn’t supposed ta be there in tha sky with’im, an’ so he chased after it?” She’d never seen such a machine nor could she imagine why a Pegasus with wings would need something like that to fly in the first place…

“That’s right,” Volare nodded as he went over the details of the incident that caused him to be stuck in Ponyville. He idly poked at the mostly-devoured muffin on the table before him with his hoof; it was all that remained of the half-dozen pastries Bon-Bon had brought in.

“And then you crashed?!” Pinkie exclaimed over her plate of lemons. Yes lemons…with hot sauce...don’t ask.

“Not before I saved him!” Dash cut in, pounding her hoof on the table and nearly knocking her glass of milk onto her dish of turnips. “Don’t leave that awesome bit out!”

“Of course not, Dash,” Volare chuckled as she crossed her hooves and smirked.

“Better not dude, or I may not save your useless flank again!” He shot her a look which she returned before sniggering. “Or at the very least the next time won’t be on the house.”

“Ok, so Dash swooped in an’ saved ya at tha last minute when ya chased that…whatever it was, an’ then your plane fell from tha sky…” Applejack continued, missing the nervous look Dash shot Twilight’s way. The purple Unicorn returned it with an expression that told her to keep calm. “But ya’ll were so badly hurt that Twi couldn’t save yer old body…whoa hang on! Are ya’ll sayin’ ya weren’t always a pony?” She looked down the table at Twilight, and then back to Dash and Volare; all three nodded seriously.

“What did you used to be then, Volare?” Pinkie Pie spoke up.

“Well, it wasn’t only that his old body was too hurt to save…it’s that I also didn’t know the spell to save it,” Twilight explained slowly as she thoughtfully chewed on the leafy greens on her plate. “So I changed him into something I do know the healing spell for, though the burns left those sooty marks you see all over him; and Dash suggested something with wings, so…”

“But you know everything about everything about everything in Equestria, Twilight,” Pinkie said. “For you to not know a spell to fix Volare…that means he’d have to be”-

“Not of this world.” Applejack surmised.

“I knew it!!! He really is a space monkey!!” Pinkie gasped and threw her napkin at Volare. The cloth hung off his snout before his laugh caused it to it fall off onto the table. Despite the situation, Pinkie was cheering him up with her antics, albeit indirectly. She dove under the table, her pink mane and blue eyes poking up over the edge as she watched the male Pegasus intently. “I-I’ve got my eye on you! Don’t try anything funny or…or I’ll distract you with bananas! Mmm…bananas!”

“This is serious, Pinkie!” Applejack gave her a stern look.

“I am serious, AJ! Don’t you know space monkies are serious business?!”

Applejack shook her head and sighed before turning back to the pilot. “Is that true Volare, about this bein’ a new body for ya?”

“…yes.”

Applejack’s green eyes widened. “So….what exactly are, er, were ya…before all this happened?”

Volare looked over at Twilight who nodded her approval after a moment. He took a deep breath and turned back to Applejack. “I used to be…a human.” His answer didn’t exactly bring the wild, frenzied reaction he was expecting.

“…a what now?” Applejack scratched her head with a hoof. She looked to Pinkie for her opinion on the situation. Surprisingly, the pink pony had climbed back from under the table and was sitting there and calmly chewing a lemon. “Do you know what a human is, Pinkie?”

“Nope,” she quipped brightly. “He’s not a space monkey, so it’s all good with me.”

"Okay, what tha hay is up with you an’ this space monkey business, anyhow?”

“I dunno. I had a dream about them and it bugged me, so I’m on the lookout for them,” Pinkie grinned and spat a lemon seed out. Applejack sighed again; It was just Pinkie being Pinkie and trying to think of an explanation to her behavior only elicited a headache more often that not. The farm pony turned back to Volare.

“Ya’ll ain’t pullin mah leg on this’n, are ya?” He shook his head slightly and maintained the straight look on his face. Being the holder of the Element of Honesty, Applejack had a knack for spotting liars, but Volare looked like he was telling the honest-to-Celestia truth. “Ah see…” she chewed a mouthful of fries thoughtfully for a moment, the whole table having lapsed into silence as the two Earth Ponies digested this new information.

“Well I don’t think it makes any difference what Volare was,” Pinkie piped up with a grin. She leaned across the table and rubbed his hoof with her own. “What matters is who he is right now, and that’s the newest member of our town of Ponyville; and you know what that means!” She grinned widely. “Somepony's got a party coming their way soon and I’m gonna make it my personal duty to make sure he feels as welcome as possible!”

“Heh, thanks Pinkie…that means a lot,” Volare smiled gratefully. Even though he still wasn’t ready to call this place his home just yet (he’d been there less than a day after all!), he already felt more than welcome here. Pinkie’s attitude simply added to it. But what about Applejack? “I…er, hope that where I come from doesn’t bother you, AJ,” Volare ventured using her nickname. But no sooner had the words left his mouth than the orange pony hoofed him in the shoulder. “Hey, what was that for?” I swear, between AJ and Dash, both of my shoulders are gonna be black and…well bluer in no time!

“Don’t ya’ll be assumin’ nothin’ ‘bout me, sugarcube!” she gave him a fierce grin. “Ya’ll may not be where we come from, but it’s like Pinkie said; it’s who ya’ll are now that matters. Besides, we’ve been through crazier stuff than this, what with havin’ ta fight Nightmare Moon, dragons, cockatrices, Discord, an’ a whole mess o’ parasprites that nearly ate tha whole town,” she tapped her hoof on the table in emphasis for each near natural disaster that had taken place recently. And she hadn't even told him about the Changelings yet...

“You make it sound like such an inviting place, AJ,” Volare laughed sarcastically.

“Hey, it’s home,” she smiled. “An’ ya’ll are welcome to it in mah book.”

“So…you’re really ok with all this?” Volare asked in surprise as he looked around the table. He expected a more…extreme reaction than just ‘yep, it’s all good-you’re welcome to stay.’ “You’re seriously not weirded out, cuz I sure as heck still am!”

“Could be worse, dude,” Dash smirked. “At least you didn’t pass out like the last time we talked about how you got here!”

“Aha, aha, very funny Dash,” he rolled his eyes. “Believe me, compared to the crap I’ve gone through, I doubt you could make it much worse.”

His statement sent a pang of guilt through Dash’s stomach. She could think of one way… But the rainbow-maned Pegasus shook the feeling by giving a loud laugh and pounding the table with her hoof. “Well, now that it looks like you’re gonna be staying with us for a while, I guess it’s time you start learning how to fly like a real Pegasus; like yours truly!” she struck a heroic pose, but was playfully swatted in the face by Applejack’s hat.

“Better watch out or that big head o’ yourn is gonna drag ya right outta tha sky, Dash,” she laughed as the Pegasus shook out her mussed up mane.

“Well, who better to teach him moves like The Buccaneer Blaze, the Super Speed Strut, and The Sonic Rainboom, eh?” Volare’s ears perked up at the mention of the last one, but Dash only chuckled and patted him on the head. “Silly Volare; only I can perform the Sonic Rainboom!”

Applejack rolled her green eyes and Twilight groaned. “Not exactly helping him, Dash,” the Unicorn said.

“Oh, come on! That doesn’t mean he can’t still learn and make up his own tricks, right? And I can help him get there!” She pumped a light blue hoof emphatically.

Volare grinned at the thought of having his inspiration coach him herself. “You really mean it, Dash?”

“Sure do, dude! But you better be able to keep up!”

“Not to rain on your parade, but I personally think that you’re filling his head with unnecessary things right now, Dash, especially since he has so little flight experience in his current body,” Twilight interrupted.

“Pffft, he’s a pilot; he’s at home in the air, I’ll bet,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “At least, when he’s not crashing of course...” She winced as the words somehow snuck out of her mouth, leaving the table in the midst of a very awkward silence for several long moments. Too soon Dash, you idiot, she scolded herself.

“So, um…how much flight experience did you have before, Volare?” she asked, desperate to change the mood.

“Well, I’m only 23, which is pretty young to earn the amount of hours I had,” he said with a proud little puff of his chest. “I think at last count before The Angels accepted me onto the squad, I had just over 1800 hours in the air, which is roughly 75 days. That may not sound like too much to you, especially if you’re like Dash and fly every single day, but for a human pilot that can only spend a few hours a day at a time in the air, that’s a pretty significant amount.”

The three earth-bound ponies nodded in understanding, though Rainbow Dash still seemed somewhat unimpressed.
“And considering you can’t earn tactical flight hours until you join the military at 18, that gave me less than 5 years to accomplish that," Volare added.

“Wow that’s…” Twilight spoke up, doing a few calculations in her head. “How many days are in your year on Earth, Volare?”

“365, and 24 hours in a day.”

“Ok, that’s not too different from here; we have 360 and 24 hours too. Anyways, let’s see…if you spent 1800 hours of 5 years in the air…”

“Plus a good 6 hours per day studying on and training for flight-time,” he added.

“Right of course…hrm…that means you spent about 4% of your time in the air and…a total of almost 30% of your time dedicated to your job as a pilot! Wow…that’s honestly almost as much time as Rainbow spends sleeping in a day,” Twilight mused.

“Hey!” Dash protested to the laughter of everypony in the room. “I don’t sleep that much!”

“Well, we know why that is, right Volare?” Twilight said with a wink.

“Yep, we already established that,” he chuckled.

“Whatcha mean, Twi?” Applejack spoke up.

“Oh, well, we figured out Dash acts lazy due to the extra”-

“Alright, alright, nopony wants to hear about my sleeping habits from the egghead brigade,” Dash jumped up on the table and stared Twilight down. “In any case, you just proved me right, Twilight.”

“About what?” she tilted her head bemusedly.

“About how much flight experience Volare has. It’s like I said; he’s at home in the air or doing stuff related to flying,” she grinned and mussed his spikey mane.

“In a machine, Dash! Not with Pegasus wings!” Twilight explained with an irritated tone. “That’s why I’m worried that you’re filling his head with delusions of grandeur and that he’ll try to push himself too hard and he’ll get hurt because you put those crazy ideas in his head in the first place!”

“Well, I’ve got faith that he’ll prove me right yet again, eh Volare?” She grinned at him, but his inner conflict diminished the warmth he felt from that competitive smile. On the one hoof, I wanna impress Dash, but on the other hoof, Twilight’s right and I gotta be careful till I get used to being a Pegasus…wait, now they’ve got me thinking hoof instead of hand…great…heh, guess the place is growing on me more than I thought.

“We’ll see, Dash,” he replied and stretched his wings. “Wow, not gonna lie, those muffins hit the spot. I feel great now!”

“Good enough to try flying again?” Dash asked excitedly.

“I suppose it won’t kill me to try again,” Volare laughed but Twilight held up a hoof.

“But you promised to help me grab some supplies for the Library AND to help Spike clean up the mess you made.”

“Oh…” his smile disappeared, but she was right. He made a promise and he intended to keep it. Besides, it might really get him on Spike’s good side. “Eh-heh, kinda forgot about that.”

“No worries; I’m about ready to go myself actually,” Twilight wiped her mouth and laid her napkin down before standing up. She reached into her saddlebag and laid out the lunch bill’s payment in bits. “I’ve got it covered this time, you guys,” she assured her friends. “Let’s head out!”

“YEAH!!! We’re gonna rock this shopping trip!! Make way, comin’ through, everypony!! Woohoo!!” Pinkie Pie threw the door open and hopped through the café and past a very confused Bon-Bon and Lyra, slapping the green Unicorn a high hoof on the way past. She headed out the front door and began trotting in place like a sprinter before a race, waiting for her friends to catch up. It was all Volare could do to keep from bursting out laughing at her random behavior.

“Yay, shopping…” Dash groaned as she fluttered her way out of the VIP room, forelegs crossed in annoyance. “Don’t think this is gonna sneak you outta getting your flank handed to ya later, Volare,” she said as poked his nose with her hoof.

“I-I thought it was training!”

“Yeah, well we’ll see what kinda mood I’m in when we get back there…maybe I’ll go easy on you again.” Dash grumbled. It wasn’t his fault and it really wasn’t fair to take it out on him, but she wasn’t about to look like she enjoyed shopping over flying either…ew.

Applejack caught the worried look on Volare’s face and she nudged him. “Heh, don’t worry none ‘bout Rainbow. She ain’t mad at ya and she’s mostly hot air anyway,” she whispered with a wink. “Ah ain’t much fer shoppin’ neither, so Ah’ll make sure not ta drag mah hooves so ya can get back ta flyin’, sugarcube.”

“Thanks, AJ,” she returned his smile with a tip of her Stetson before they too headed for the front door.

Twilight had pulled her shopping list from her saddlebag before they even left the café and had it hovering in front of her face as she walked. “Ok, it’s not a big list, but it has a few important items the Library needs, especially kitchen items-whoa!” The distracted Unicorn caught her hoof on a crack in the wooden floor and toppled into Volare’s back, ripping a big hole in the list with her horn.

“Bwahahaha, that’s rich!” Dash laughed loudly as Volare helped Twilight to her hooves. She was eternally grateful that the list stuck on her horn was covering her fiercely blushing face.

“You ok?”

“Yeah yeah, just tripped a bit back there,” she chuckled as he pulled the list off her horn. “Thanks Volare.”

“No problem!”

“Heh, may wanna wait till we get to where we’re goin’ before ya try ta trot an’ read that list, Twi,” Applejack suggested. “Coulda been worse’n a scuffed hoof if’n ya’ll had wandered outside with that list in tha way like that.”

“Good point,” the Unicorn conceded, knowing her friend was just looking out for her well-being. She rolled the list back up and stuffed it back in her bag. But as Volare and Applejack accompanied her out the door, Volare felt a tap on his side. He turned in surprise to see Lyra standing there and shuffling her hooves, obviously wanting to say something important.

“Everything ok, Lyra?” Volare looked past the green Unicorn at Bon-Bon who was wearing a frown on her face as she kept a close eye on her friend.

“Y-yeah, everything is mostly ok…I just n-need to talk to you about something real quick,” she said a bit nervously.

“Oh, that’s alright. Hey Twilight, AJ; you guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a sec!”

“Ah’ll wait fer ya, Volare,’ Applejack nodded and stepped outside. The blue and yellow Pegasus turned back to the mint green Unicorn who seemed even more nervous now that his friends were gone, as if she were trying to work up the nerve to say what was on her mind.

“Whatcha wanna talk about, Lyra?” He gave her an encouraging smile. Bon-Bon groaned in frustration.

“Oh will you just spit it out, Lyra! You’re holding him up!”

“I’m workin’ on it! Sheesh!” she yelled back at her friend before calming down. “Well, I also wanna show you something too…”

“Oh boy…it doesn’t have anything to do with that “demo” you talked about earlier, does it,” Volare asked with a tinge of concern.

“What? Nah, nothing like that; it’s too public here anyways,” she gave the blushing Pegasus a quick wink. “But I can get my hooves on the back door key if ya wanna come back here after closing hours”-

“LYRA!” Bon-Bon yelled.

“WHAT?!” Lyra threw her hooves up in the air.

“Quit flirting with him and get to the point already!”

“But he’s not a customer anymore cuz he paid and he’s not objecting, Bon-Bon!” She turned back to Volare. “You’re not bothered by me, are you?”

“Oh-ahem-well, not that I don’t appreciate the affection, Lyra,” he picked his words very carefully, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. “But I DO need to be getting back to my friends and it’s just…it’s just too soon. I’m sorry.”

“Too soon?…ookaaaaay…” Lyra gave him a squint and then nodded her head towards a side room with a small sigh. “Just follow me for a sec; I feel like I need to explain myself.”

“I swear Lyra…” Bon-Bon grumbled at the front desk. The green Unicorn stuck her tongue out at the Earth Pony once her back was turned and then smiled at Volare before trotting towards the room’s closed door.

“Heh, we have our differences, but Bon-Bon and I…we make a pretty good team most of the time…just wish the place was jumping more than it is,” she stopped at the door. “But we’ll try that little Fancypants idea of yours and see if it works. Now then…” her tone changed from light and fluttery to very serious. Her horn lit up and zapped the door knob, unlocking it. She turned back and gave Volare a look that matched her change in tone.

“What I’m about to show you in here is very important to me. I don’t even let Bon-Bon in here without my permission.”

“Then why me, Lyra?”

She took a deep breath and let it out in another sigh before opening the door. The room before them was pitch black, though they could see light reflecting off objects on the opposite wall, revealing a fairly small room, almost like a large closet.
“It’s you because…well…I’m involved in a certain sort of study of a certain type of creature and…well…please step inside and close the door behind you.”

Volare complied and shut the door, plunging them into darkness again. Lyra’s horn lit up with a green glow and she gazed at him with lidded eyes. He swore his blush was adding to the light in the dark room. “Kinda cozy in here, eh buddy?” Lyra giggled before straightening her face again. “Ok, I’ve got one very important question for you.” She looked deep into his silver-blue eyes with her golden ones. “Do you believe in the supposedly-mythological creature known as a human?”

Volare’s eyes widened and Lyra giggled again before finding the light switch. As it clicked on, Volare’s vision was assaulted by objects he never thought he’d ever see in a place like this. His lower jaw slowly made its way towards his chest as he looked around the small room.

Bicycle wheels, clocks, hubcaps, and car tires leaned against the wall. Tacked all over the place were yellowed newspaper articles 5 and 10 years old as well as magazine covers, faded photographs, maps, and other assorted doo-dads, all from his world. Sitting on the desk in the corner was a cardboard box filled with what looked like gloves and socks. And the crème-de la crème of it all was the dented brass globe as big as he was that sat in the middle of the room, polished and shined with love and care.

“Uh, wha-huh?!” Volare managed to sputter before leaning against a bookshelf in shock.

“Heh, I know right-pretty amazing!” Lyra trotted towards the middle of the room and turned back to the stunned Pegasus.
“Welcome to my gallery of humanity!”

Volare, Volare, you gotta snap outta it man! Act surprised! But I am surprised! Well, act like you’ve never seen any of this before!! She can’t know you’re a human, she just can’t! Not yet!!!
“Um, wow, Lyra…where did you get all this? I’ve never seen junk like this in my”-

“Hey hey hey!” Lyra’s horn lit up and what felt like an invisible finger prodded him in the chest. “This stuff is NOT junk! They’re historical artifacts from the world of humans! A world called E-arth,” she mispronounced the name with a frown. “Crazy name eh? Almost like how we pronounce earth as in ‘Earth Pony’, but different. But this stuff proves they’re not a myth; they are, or were, real at some point!”

“This is….this is amazing, Lyra,” Volare said as he regained his composure and trotted around the globe, gazing at the articles that populated the wall in such a great number that hardly any of the white paint beneath them showed through. Even the ceiling had newspapers tacked to it! She’d obviously been at this for some time… “Where did you get all this?” He repeated.

“Well, from different spots around Equestria, mostly from Unicorns practicing teleportation spells that summon things from different worlds and bring them here for study. They consider all this stuff trash cuz it’s not what they were looking for; can you believe that?!” She gave the globe an affectionate pat, her hoof ringing lightly on the metallic surface. “So it was all mostly bought or given to me, though I snagged a few pieces via…less savory methods.”

“Wow, Lyra,” Volare turned back to her, genuinely impressed, although a small theory was beginning to grow in the back of his mind. If so much human stuff has made its way here…no, there can’t be THAT many coincidences…maybe that means that more of these ponies besides Twilight and Dash know a lot more about Earth than they let on… “May I ask why you’re studying this stuff and why it involves me?”

“Sure can! Volare…have you ever encountered a crossroads in life when you see something and it just…stirs something inside you? Like you can feel that your destiny lies along one path, and your current boring life lies along the other…and so you pick the path that excites you?” Lyra smiled up at the stuff on the walls.

“I have, Lyra,” Volare replied, thinking back to when he first saw his dad fly his Blue Angels jet in a show; when he decided that no matter what, he felt destined to do the same some day.

“Well, this past spring in Manehatten, I was checking out a shop of curios, and spotted this baby,” she patted the globe again. “I asked the old Unicorn working there if she knew anything about it, but she only replied that she’d accidentally summoned it a few weeks beforehoof, but nopony was interested in buying it. I asked what it was, and she pointed out the name here on the base, proving that it was actually a map of that world! She said that when she summoned it, she could vaguely feel other life forms there, possibly even the ones that made this thing.”

She then trotted over to the desk and hopped up on it, sitting like a human as she leaned her back against the wall. “I became obsessed with finding out more about the life forms there. I asked everypony I could find in Manehatten to the point where I think I annoyed the hay out of them. But I got nothing! So, I bought the globe from that old Unicorn and brought it here, thinking it would at the very least brighten the place if I shined it up.”

She smiled and closed her eyes before continuing. “About a week later, another Unicorn, this time from Canterlot who was visiting Ponyville at the time, came in for a bite to eat. He spotted the globe and told me he had other objects from a place called E-arth; same as the globe! He dug out a hoof-full of these clippings and articles from his saddlebag and said he’d been summoning them for weeks on accident. He of course gave them to me when I asked, saying they were interesting trash, but trash nonetheless and he had no use for them; said the culture they’re from is considered a myth because nopony had ever seen one alive here, and that most of their artifacts are considered elaborate hoaxes…but I kinda doubt that.”

She sighed and opened her eyes again. “Ever since I found out this globe wasn’t some crazy fluke, I’ve found more and more of these things here and there. Even though most ponies say it’s a waste of time to study a mythological culture, especially one from another world entirely…well, like I said, I took the road that I felt my destiny lay upon, and I’ve been at this ever since!”

She grinned and motioned towards the odds and ends in the room. “So, I take it by the stunned look on your face that you have some questions?”

“Jeez…where to start though…” Volare’s mind was spinning. Keep it together man…keep it together. “Alright…I think the biggest question I’ve got is: does the way you sit have anything to do with humans?”

“That’s a pretty perceptive question, Volare; you sure you haven’t studied humans before?” She gave him a mock-serious look before erasing it with a smile. “Nah, I kid! Well, from what I can gather, humans sit like this all the time. And I figured: what better way to understand the subject you’re studying than to act like them, right?”

“To catch a fox, ya gotta think like a fox.”

“Exactly!”

“Does anyone-er, anypony else study this stuff?” He wondered for a moment if Twilight and Lyra were somehow collaborating on this.

Lyra’s face scrunched into a frown. “Well, not that I know of…like I said, most ponies, including Bon-Bon out there, think I’m nuts for wanting to study it…y-you don’t think I’m nuts, do you Volare?”

“Believe it or not, no, I don’t,” he replied with a warm smile. “Call it a hunch, but I think you might be onto something big here.”

“You really do?! Oh thank you, Volare!” Lyra grinned and hopped off the desk. “Any other questions?”

“Um yes, actually it’s probably the other biggest one in my mind right now,” he replied, trying to hide the worry in his voice. “Why me? Why risk telling me when others don’t share the same devotion as you?”

“Well, that goes back to what I said earlier, about having an explanation for my behavior…you see, these human artifacts….they give off a certain, oh, I dunno what to call it. It’s just a certain feeling I’ve picked up on. I get a little more excited than usual whenever something related to humans and E-arth are near me.” *

Volare was visibly sweating now. “Oh is that right? How interesting.”

“Yeah, and when I met you I just…not gonna lie Volare, you’re a good-looking stallion, but that’s not the only reason why I got a little worked up,” Lyra’s statement made Volare tense up a bit. “When you came in the café, I felt that feeling again…like you yourself have been around more artifacts. You don’t study these humans too do you?”

“What, no! This is the first time I’ve seen stuff like this, Lyra,” he lied and glanced around the room.

“But you don’t think I’m nuts and you stayed here through my whole little story…so you must be at least somewhat interested in them, right?”

“I guess you could say I am now.”

“Oh good! Heh, guess my sense for this stuff went a little haywire there, but no harm done after all,” the green Unicorn smiled. “Sorry if this bugged or freaked ya out, Volare.”

“Nah, I think I’ll be ok,” he replied reassuringly. “I fell out of the sky earlier today, so this is pretty low on my freak-out list.”

“Huh, what kind of Pegasus falls out of the sky though, especially a grown one like yourself,” she said thoughtfully. Whether she meant to or not, her statements were making Volare nervous again; he was just about to say so when a hoof rapped loudly on the door.

“I swear Lyra, I don’t know what you’re doing to that poor stallion in there, but Celestia help me, I’ll break down this door if you don’t let him go on about his way!” Bon-Bon shouted with more than a hint of irritation in her voice.

“ALRIGHT, SHEESH! Can’t a pony geek out over something without being judged anymore!?” Lyra turned back to Volare with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry Volare; looks like we’ll have to talk about this some other time. Your friends are probably wondering where you got to. Sorry I kept you so long.”

“Oh no, Lyra, it’s ok. It was…interesting to say the least.”

“Heh, thanks for the support, Volare. You’re a good guy,” Lyra said as she unlocked the door and flicked the light off before leading the male Pegasus out into the café. “Here he is Bon-Bon, all in one piece still!”

“Lyra, I dunno what I’m going to do with you,” the cream-colored Earth Pony rubbed her forehead with her hoof to ward off the fast-approaching migraine. “Volare, I’m terribly sorry about that. When Lyra gets to talking about her studies”-

“It’s ok Bon-Bon,” he held up a hoof. “Twilight gets the same way. Must be a Unicorn thing; no offense Lyra.”

“None taken. Now go get back to your friends! And please come back soon, ya know, for food and stuff!”

“I will! Thanks again you two!” Volare gave them a final wave before trotting quickly out the door.

“I swear Lyra, you’re absolutely smitten with the poor guy,” Bon-Bon shook her head.

“But he was giving me that feeling and I just had to find out; you know how I get!”

“Yes yes yes, I know…just try to be a little more subtle next time, especially with new customers.”

“Heh, sure thing, pal. Oh, I did notice something else different about him though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, he’s a full-grown Pegasus and…well…he said he fell out of the sky earlier.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “And I also saw something different about his flank.”

“Ugh, Lyra, only you…”

“What?! Didn’t you notice it too? It was pretty obvious.”

“Lyra, I wasn’t that terribly interested in checking out the flank of a new customer, and a stallion at that,” she muttered as she cleaned up after the two Unicorns who’d left while Lyra was in the room with Volare.

“I don’t mean it like that, Bon-Bon, although he does have a nice one,” she mused despite Bon-Bon’s growing irritation. “What I mean is what he didn’t have there on his flank, something all adult ponies have; his cutie mark…he doesn’t have one!”

“That…is different,” the Earth Pony paused for a moment in her cleaning of the bar. “Strange even. May have to ask about that next time he comes in or something…”

“Yeah, no kidding. Full grown Pegasus, no cutie mark, has trouble flying, and gives me that feeling…a strange pony indeed…”

................

When Volare finally exited the Gilded Griffon, he came upon a strange sight. Applejack was waiting for him as she’d said, but there, sprawled on the covered porch, was a winded Pinkie Pie breathing hard and sweating like she’s just run a mile or two. “Um, what happened to Pinkie?”

“What in tarnation took ya so long, Volare?” Applejack looked up with irritation. “Did Lyra make a move on ya or somethin’?”

“What? No! I mean, she might have, but that wasn’t what we were doing back there!”

“If’n ya say so,” she batted her green eyes and laughed before turning to Pinkie. “Anyhow, Twi and Dash went on ta get their supplies, an’ Pinkie here was, well…say Pinkie why were ya trottin’ in place like that fer 10 minutes?”

“Cuz I was getting myself pumped up for an awesometacular shopping trip,” the pink pony gasped. “But then I think I overdid it and well, here I am…too pooped to shop.”

“Heh, that’s not too big a problem; we’ll have Volare here carry ya since he kinda owes ya. Ain’t that right, Volare?” the orange Earth Pony gave him a look that warranted little argument.

“Yep, I suppose you’re right,” he tucked his wings tightly against his sides. “Hop on, Pinkie!”

The pink pony suddenly and inexplicably seemed to float straight up from her belly and land on her hooves with an excited gasp. “A pony ride?! How sweet of you, Volare-bear!” She leapt onto his back with great gusto and clamped her hooves around his middle and neck. She was softer than he imagined she’d be, and her bit of mane that dangled in his face smelled like cotton candy and cookies. Pinkie pointed forward with a hoof and squealed into his ear. “Onwards! We’ll shop till we drop like a lemon lollipop!!”

“Um, I think we’re just looking for kitchen items like eggs and stuff; nothing major, Pinkie,” Volare muttered.

“Oh…well…Onwards! To…eggs and not-so-major stuff!!”

With a flick of his ringing ear and an awkward laugh, Volare followed Applejack as she lead him through the streets of Ponyville. If the blue and yellow Pegasus wasn’t getting strange looks before, he certainly was now. He wished more of Pinkie’s mane would fall in front of his face so his blush would at least be somewhat camouflaged within the pink curls.

“Hey Volare, I’ve got a teensy question,” Pinkie spoke up after a bit. “What exactly were you and my pal Lyra doing back in that room for so long, hm?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you…” Volare trailed off.

“Maybe she was putting the moves on him and he’s just too embarrassed to say it, huh AJ?” Pinkie asked her fellow Earth Pony. This drew an irritated growl from Volare.

“Heh-heh, no need ta hide it, loverboy,” Applejack winked over her shoulder.

“For the last time: that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now; for anypony!” he practically shouted, drawing more strange looks from the other ponies along the street.

“Alright, alright, don’t get yerself riled up; Ah was only funnin’ ya,” she chuckled and tossed her mane. “Lan’sakes, yor one uptight pony, Volare! Ya’ll need ta loosen up a bit.”

“I dunno…I’m still kinda new to all this,” he replied, a bit conflicted. He wanted to…but his background of military protocol and public behavior kept fighting him.

“Oh come on, Volare-bear,” Pinkie scratched his mane like a dog. “If you’re gonna hang out with us, you’re gonna have to loosen up…otherwise we’ll have to loosen ya up ourselves!”

“Oh, and how do you suppose you’ll do that, Pinkie?” his backwards glance was met by a wide wily grin on the pink pony’s face. “…Pinkie?”

“Oh we have plenty of ways of making you laugh, Mr Stick-up-his-Plot,” she giggled deviously as he felt her front hooves trail down his neck to his ribs.

“Um, wait a sec, what’re you doing, Pinkie-hah-hah-hah, agh stop it!!” Volare laughed and tried to buck her off his back as she dug her hooves into his ribs and tickled him.

“Tarnation, Volare!” Applejack turned and laughed at the scene behind her. “Ah didn’t know ya had a little buckin’ bronc in ya! Ride’em pony, Pinkie!”

“Hee-hee-haa-not here!!” Volare cried as Pinkie held on even tighter as he leaped, tossed his hips and neck, and stomped on the cobblestones, blushing like crazy from his ears to his wings as he realized that half the town was probably staring at him. It wasn’t that he was against being the center of attention…but not like this!! “Knock it off!!!”

“Promise you’ll loosen up and I will, Volare!” Pinkie giggled loudly, continuing to run her hooves along his ribs.

“You’re damn evil, you-Aha-hahahaha-heehee-ok! Alright, I give! I’ll loosen up, Pinkie!” His chest was hurting from his laughter and from the stress of being stared at by more technicolor ponies than he could shake a dozen sticks at.

“Oki doki loki,” Pinkie laughed and suddenly she stopped and hopped off with a giggle and patted Volare on the back between his wings. “You’re a good sport, Volare-bear. Just a little too uptight sometimes, that’s all. Just don’t be afraid to laugh and have a good time around us, ok? Besides, laughter is good medicine after all."

“Alright…alright, you win…I promise.”

“Do you Pinkie Promise?”

“…what?” his mind struggled to remember what that was exactly. Oh wait….is that what Applejack broke in that one episode that made Pinkie go crazy…uh oh…

“Just do as I do, ok?” Pinkie brought his hoof up to his chest with her own. “Cross my heart and hope to fly,” she brought her hoof across her chest and then flapped her front hooves.

“Cross my heart…and hope to fly,” Volare fluttered his wings.

“Stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie finished by bringing her hoof up to her right eye.

“Oookay…stick a cupcake in my eye,” he mimicked her actions again.

“…that you will loosen up…” Pinkie nodded with a smile.

“That I will loosen up.”

“…and not be an uptight meanypants.” He couldn’t tell if Pinkie was messing with him now or not.

“Are you serious?”

“As a burnt brownie.”

“Urgh…I won’t be an uptight meanypants…”

“There, not so hard right?”

“Heh…I guess not…”

“Let’s see a smile, Volare-bear!” she mussed his mane and grinned infectiously. The Pegasus couldn’t help himself and he matched her grin tooth-for-tooth.

“Much better! Ok, let’s get this shopping done so I can see this flying of yours, Volare-bear!” Pinkie hopped on ahead, suddenly un-tired. Volare looked back to Applejack for an answer, but the orange pony simply shook her mane.

“Don’t ask, cuz Ah don’t think even Pinkie knows how Pinkie works,” she chuckled. “Come on, pardner. Ah’m hankerin’ ta see ya fly after we get them supplies too!”

She trotted off after her pink friend, leaving Volare stunned for a moment. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m actually…enjoying myself…I’d say these mares are gonna be the end of me within the week… “Wait up, AJ!” He galloped off after his friends...yes…friends. Heh…maybe I can get used to this…even the craziness.

Small notes: Phew, sorry if it seemed this chapter dragged a little bit, but I wanted Lyra's reasons for studying and collecting human stuff to seem legit
Remember: I'm too lazy to write pointless filler; it ALL comes into play at some point later in the story
Heh, wonder what Twilight's reaction will be if she finds out that somepony besides her is rather obsessed with studying humans :P
Also: Poor Volare...being the only guy in a group of nutty mares is gonna be rough XD;
Also Also: AJ needs a nickname for Volare but I can't think of one...help? ^^;;

Author's Note

*I’m basing this theory on the fact that certain ponies have certain feelings pertaining to their interests. Example: Rarity can sense when gems are nearby and Pinkie has her Pinkie sense. Lyra’s sense is just a certain feeling she noticed over the years that she always gets when near human-related “artifacts”…of which Volare technically is, right?

Prologue-Pt 9: Emotional Divergence

August 25th, Ponyville, Early Evening...

“You know Twilight, I think I would’ve preferred to watch Pinkie Pie trot in place over this,” Rainbow Dash groaned loudly; the large bag of flour she was carrying on her back prevented her from flying, so she trotted after Twilight instead as they made their rounds through the Ponyville market booths. Twilight had already gotten the eggs she needed and was hovering them alongside her in a small wire basket. She had also picked up a number of fruits and vegetables and had them stored in her saddlebags.

“Well, you didn’t have to accompany me, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied a little sharply; something was up with Dash and she was going to get to the bottom of it. “Although I do appreciate the company and help; heya Roseluck!” She nodded to the florist Earth Pony who smiled back warmly before returning to closing up her flower booth for the day.

“Yeah, well, not like I could just stand by and watch ya try to lug this heavy bag around with your little librarian muscles, right?” Dash chuckled but quickly changed her tune when Twilight glanced back with narrowed eyes. “I mean, uh….Holder of Loyalty and all that…gotta stick by my friends, heh-heh.”

“I see…” Twilight said suspiciously as she studied the list, or what was left of it, her horn having torn out a large section of it when she tripped and fell into Volare. Speaking of whom… “Dash, are you sure you wanting to help me carry something heavy was the only reason why you avoided staying behind with Volare?”

“Well no, I mean Applejack and Pinkie Pie can handle him, right…hey wait a second!” Her magenta eyes widened as she realized what she’d just walked into.

“Aha, I knew it! You are avoiding him!” Twilight whirled on her Pegasus friend, nearly splattering an egg in her face. “What exactly do you have against him, Dash? Or is it because you lying to him is already weighing on you?”

“Hey, hey, keep it down, Twilight,” Dash glanced around nervously, but the other ponies were more occupied with buying their own goods than watching a Unicorn and a Pegasus apparently squabbling over a bag of flour and a few eggs.

“Or is something else on your mind about him, Rainbow? Well?” Twilight stood there tapping her front hoof, awaiting an answer to her suspicions.

“Well…that’s kinda why I wanted to go with you in the first place, Twilight,” Dash finally admitted, though it wasn’t the whole truth. “We need to talk about Volare…and also about what we know that the others don’t.”

“Oh really? Why is that, dearest, bravest, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight seemed to be enjoying being right a little too much, but the scientist in her was particularly intrigued by the normally cocky Pegasus being backed into a corner like this. It wasn’t right, but she also owed her back for the egghead comments earlier…

“It’s just that…ok, it’s a few things,” Dash conceded. Twilight nodded in understanding and continued walking as her friend spoke. “Ok, first off…now that more ponies know about what happened to him…what are we gonna do if they start asking more about that “thing” he was chasing that made him crash?”

Twilight continued on for a moment before speaking up. “Well, if you just absolutely can’t bear coming clean with Volare”-

“It’s not that I can’t, Twilight!” Dash practically shouted. “I could do it without a second thought…yeah, I sure could. I just don’t want to because…well, because…”

“Because you’re afraid he’ll hate you for it; just like you said.”

“What?! I’m not afraid!” Dash snapped back defensively.

“Alright, cautious then,” Twilight offered, and the Pegasus’ expression softened slightly. “It’s ok to be unsure of something, Dash.”

“Yeah well…I don’t want him to know I’m 'cautious' about that,” she replied a bit quietly.

“Why don’t you…Dash, are you afraid of him and not just the consequences of telling him the truth?” She gave her friend a concerned look.

“Heck no, Twilight! You think I feel threatened by him or something? I can whip him in any race, anytime, anywhere!” The Pegasus tried to flare her wings, but merely succeeded in nearly dropping the bag of flour on the ground.

“And yet you’re still hesitant to tell him the truth…” the Unicorn mused for a moment. What else is she afraid of... “Dash, are you afraid of him thinking you’re weak or something?”

“NO! I mean…I just don’t want to let him down, that’s all…” Dash trailed off, avoiding Twilight’s eyes.

“Let him down? But you just met him. How could he have any expectations of you?” Now Twilight was confused. Dash wasn’t so much afraid of Volare per se but afraid of what he thought of her? Dash has never cared much about what others think of her…what’s gotten into that Pegasus?

“Because I…he…” Dash looked around and beckoned the Unicorn to come closer. “Can you please keep another secret for me, Twilight?”

“Urgh, another? Dash, I’m gonna have to start charging rent for all the secrets you want me to look after for you,” she sighed. “What is it this time?”

“Ok, you know his flight jacket he was wearing when I brought him here?”

“Yes, the burnt-up one in the Library. What about it?”

Dash’s eyes flicked back and forth again. “Ok…before you even came downstairs when I got back with him, I felt something sewn to the inside of his jacket. I pulled it out…and you know what it was?” She paused for dramatic effect.

“…I’m sure you’re going to tell me, Rainbow.”

“It was a patch…a patch of my cutie mark!” At her statement, Twilight’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I know right? Pretty wild!”

“But…but how could he know about that? He’s not even from our world!”

“I dunno Twilight. Maybe he spotted me during one of my earlier missions for you and got inspired…” she sighed and dipped her head slightly. “The thing is Twilight…if he knew about me and…I dunno, liked me enough to put a patch of my mark inside his jacket…”

“Oho, is that what it is,” Twilight raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You don’t want him to hate you for telling the truth because you think he might like you, right?” Dash’s mouth dropped open at Twilight’s assumption. “Rainbow, I had no idea you thought of him that way”-

“Hey, hey, hey! You can pull that opposite sex psychological crap on him, but you can’t pull it on me, Twilight,” Dash snorted. But now she was concerned inwardly…was she right? No no, she can’t be right! That’s not how I roll; I don’t share the spotlight with anyone! But what if…NO Dash! “That’s not it at all!” Was it?! Think of something to say, RD!

“Then what is it, exactly? Stop beating around the bush, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight had just about had it with running in circles on this issue. “Let’s even forget how he knows about your cutie mark for a minute and focus on why it matters to you!”

“Because…ok fine, I’ll say it,” Dash looked down at the ground. “I figured if he had that patch, I was important to him and I…I thought maybe he’d be a good member of the Rainbow Dash fanclub, I dunno!”

“…you cannot be serious.”

“Yes…I think I am because that’s the reason why I don’t wanna look weak in front of him.”

“You’re worried you won’t live up to his prior expectations. Is that it, Rainbow Dash?” The Pegasus simply nodded without looking up. Wow…that must have taken a lot for her to admit that she’s afraid of something like that…even if it sounds like something she just made up and doesn’t explain why she was crying over him in the Library, or why she said that if he died because of her, she’d never forgive herself…eh, maybe I’m wrong.
“I think I understand now…you don’t want to tell him the truth because you’re afraid he’ll hate you…but at the same time, you don’t want him to think you’re afraid of him hating you in the first place…jeez, talk about a vicious circle.” The Pegasus simply gave an even smaller nod this time. I never knew Dash’s pride was this complex, either…this makes my fear of being sent back to magic kindergarten seem like a walk in the park.

“Yeah, that’s why I don’t even want him to suspect I’m keeping a secret from him. Because if he asks me and I don’t tell him…he’ll think I’m afraid, and I don’t want that reputation, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash’s magenta eyes burned with a sudden fire. “I don’t wanna be thought of as scared…and weak.”

Guess I was right... “Alright Dash. I’ll try to keep suspicion to a minimum. Oh, you said you were also concerned about our other friends knowing about this situation now?”

“Yeah, I don’t want them to get suspicious over what that “thing” was that Volare chased before he crashed,” Dash looked about to make sure nopony was eavesdropping. But no, they were still mostly alone on the street corner, with nopony in particular paying them any mind.

“But what if they ask about it…or even if Volare asks about it again,” the Unicorn ventured. Oh great, I’m caught up in this too…what if he asks me about it?!

“Oh crap, um…oh! Just say that I mentioned seeing something flying away, but I was more concerned with saving Volare from his crashing jet! Yeah, cuz The Holder of Loyalty puts more value on saving lives than random flying objects!” She held her head up high and grinned.

“Random, fast-moving, sky blue objects…yeah,” she sighed. “This isn’t going to work, Rainbow!”

“Wait…did he ever actually even mention the color of the thing,” Dash asked hopefully.

“Um, actually…no. I don’t remember him saying anything at all about its color,” Twilight’s face grew a small but worried smile.

“Maybe he hit his head in the crash,” Dash suggested almost a bit too mirthfully. “And it jumbled his memory up a little?”

Twilight shook her head. This was so wrong! “Well, perhaps there’s some hope for this yet…I can’t believe I’m helping you to deceive this poor guy, Dash! And if anypony ever found about the color of that thing and put two and two together…well, the cat’ll be sure to be out of the bag then!”

Dash swallowed her reply as Applejack arrived with Pinkie Pie; Volare bringing up the rear, a bit winded from chasing the two Earth Ponies across town. He gave her a weak little grin. It gave her a pleasant sort of feeling…almost fluttery and-
What the…No way…no, I’m not about to prove that egghead right. I fly solo and that’s not gonna change just for some random Rainbow Dash fanboy that showed up!

The blue Pegasus’ mouth moved silently as she debated with herself. She turned away from Volare and the others for just another quick moment.
Besides, he’s slow and weak right now! He can’t hold a candle to me! Argh, why do I even care anyways, he’ll never be as good as me!
…but then why were you crying over him when you brought him here? Are you sure you weren’t afraid; afraid that you’d ruined his life for your own selfish little bit of fun? What’s wrong RD, too proud to even admit it to yourself?
I dunno, I guess I just felt sorry for him, that’s all! And why am I even having this argument with myself?!
…if that’s what you want to think, RD…
Yeah…because that’s how it really is…yeah…I’m not scared…I’m not scared of anything…

“Oh heya Dashie!” Pinkie squealed and jumped onto the rainbow Pegasus, breaking her thoughts and startling the daylights out of her!

“ARGH!” Dash shouted and tried to jump, but the extra weight of the pink pony coupled with the heavy flour bag meant she only managed to kick all four legs out sideways and collapse on the ground. The corner of the bag ripped open, spewing flour dust all over Pinkie and Dash and causing Applejack to give a quick stomp and a whoop.

“Whoo-ee, ya’ll sure are a hoot, Dash,” she chuckled as she plucked a grinning Pinkie Pie off of her blue friend.

A grumbling Dash began to climb to her own feet, but was interrupted by a dark blue hoof entering her field of vision. She looked up to see Volare standing there with a grin, offering to help her up. But Dash swatted his hoof away and clamored to her hooves herself, grabbing the flour bag in her teeth and tossing it onto her back before shooting the grin right back at him. “Ha, I don’t need your help to stand up, Volare; whatcha think I am? Some sorta weak little filly?” Volare recoiled slightly with a hurt expression at her sudden exclamation. Eesh…maybe that was a little too mean…nah, he’s a guy; he’ll be ok.

“I mean, er…I got it this time, dude,” she shook her mane and grinned confidentally, not aware that she was spilling flour all over the road until her gaze followed Volare’s pointing hoof. “Ah crap! Twilight, you may wanna patch this bag up here!”

But Twilight had caught the hurt look on Volare’s face; she was just a bit fed up with Dash’s arrogance. “Nah, I think you’ve got it, Dash. After all, non-weak little fillies don’t ever need help from their friends.” But no sooner had Twilight spoken than Volare stepped forward again, grabbing the spilling flour bag corner in his teeth and holding it upright, stopping the mess.

“What’re you,” Dash started to snap at him, but saw the sincere look on his face…and she just couldn’t do it.
Ok fine…I’ll go easy on him this time, sheesh!
…that’s more like it, RD
“Urgh, I guess I should say thanks, flyboy. Not that I couldn’t have handled it on my own…but thanks all the same-it’s appreciated.” She gave him a smile and a wink on the last words once she determined nopony was looking. Volare mumbled something along the lines of “no problem” but she couldn’t quite catch it due to the bag in his mouth.

“Aww, they’re so cute helping each other like that!” Pinkie exclaimed and whipped out a camera from…apparently nowhere.

“No Pinkie, what’re you doing?!” Dash cried as Pinkie fiddled with the flash button. She took a step forward towards her pink friend, dragging Volare behind her as he attempted to keep the bag from spilling.

“Just getting’ some photos of Volare-bear’s first day here to show at his party, Dashie,” the Earth Pony grinned as she held the camera up. “Say cheesecake!”

“Argh, no!” Dash whirled around and threw her wings over her face in embarrassment. Unfortunately, that action tossed the flour bag off of her back and into the air, ripping it out of Volare’s mouth.

“Oh crap!” Dash cried, her eyes following the bag as the camera went off. Caught in the flash of the camera was Volare, diving forward and catching the bag of flour…which promptly split open completely and spewed white powder all over him. Twilight face-hooved as Volare stood up, grinning sheepishly.

“Heh, sorry Twili-ACHOO,” he sneezed the flour out of his nose.

“Gesundheit,” Twilight rolled her eyes and shook the flour dust from her mane before shooting Dash and Volare an annoyed look. “I swear, you two are more alike than you realize…and it quite frankly terrifies me.” She sighed and picked up the flour bag with her magic; it was about a quarter of the way full. “Well, at least it's not a total loss.”

“Oh, don’t worry Twilight; you can get some from Sugarcube Corner if you need any more,” Pinkie smiled.

“That’s where I just was, Pinkie…urgh, and I didn’t bring enough bits with me to get another bag!”

“No problem, silly,” the pink pony patted Twilight on the head. “I work there and I can get ya the hook-up; duh! Come on, let’s go!” She started hopping away again towards the bakery.

“She never runs outta juice, does she?” Volare shook his head in disbelief and chuckled.

“Nope, Ah don’t think it’s possible,” Applejack answered. “Like Ah said before; it ain’t worth tha headache ta try ta make sense o’ her most of the time.”

“Yep, we just roll with it, flyboy. She’s our pal and is always there to cheer us up, not to mention she makes the best baked goods ever!” Dash exclaimed, licking her lips at the thought of all the sweets Pinkie churned out daily.

“How can ya think of food, Rainbow? We just ate! And besides, Ah’m a fair good cook myself, ya know,” the orange Earth Pony hoofed her friend playfully.

“Heh, true. I dunno, I guess I just got a lot of energy to let out!” Dash flared her wings and hopped up and down. It was a great day for flying after all.

“And ya’ll let out that energy by eatin again?”

“Sometimes, yeah! Come on, flyboy,” she turned to Volare and grinned. “You ready to really soar this time?” The pilot opened his mouth to agree, but Twilight cut him off.

“Well, I have a suggestion Rainbow,” the Unicorn smiled a little too sweetly. An idea had been forming in her mind ever since Dash had confessed that she’d been avoiding him…and what kind of friend did that to her other friends? “How about you make up for the loss of that bag of flour by helping Volare clean up the Library, and then you try flying!”

“Awww, seriously Twilight,” the Unicorn returned Dash’s groan with a stern nod.

“Sure am. Besides, with you two working together, you ought to able to clean the Library in…” Twilight shot Dash a smirk; this was really too much fun sometimes. “Ten seconds flat!”

“Argh, you stole my feathering tagline!!” Dash held her hooves over her head and gritted her teeth in frustration as her friends hooted and snickered at the Unicorn’s joke. She’d really been putting it to Dash lately.

Even Volare had a good laugh at her expense before patting the Pegasus on the back. “Come on, Dashie; let’s go get a head start on”-

“Do NOT call me Dashie!” Rainbow lashed out at him angrily, her pride wounded. “Only my best friends call me Dashie and you’re not one of my best friends…you’re just a pain in my flank!” Again, Volare recoiled at the abuses aimed at him.

“Aww, lighten up, sugarcube,” Applejack urged. “We was only funnin’ ya’ll, that’s all. Besides, Volare can’t be the butt of all our jokes, right?”

It was Rainbow’s turn to snigger at Volare’s annoyed expression. “Hmm, I suppose not. Come on flyboy,” she tugged on his wing, making him jump at the sudden touch and whirl on her, a blush growing in his cheeks.

“H-hey, watch it there, Dash!” That was certainly…different!

“Sorry, Volare,” she gave him an innocent smile and motioned towards the Library across town. “Let’s go get this place cleaned up so I can show ya how to really fly! Oh, and Twilight!”

The Unicorn looked up from studying the ripped flour bag at her friend’s call. “Yes, what is it?”

“Come here for a sec,” the Pegasus pulled the Unicorn towards the street and whispered into her ear. “Remember what I said, Twilight,” Dash looked past her friend at Volare laughing at Pinkie Pie who was drawing a goofy face in the flour dust on the road. “Just play it cool. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?” With a self-assured grin, Dash made her way back over to the male Pegasus.

“But what about you…” Twilight muttered quietly, not suspecting that Dash could hear her over the noise of the market place.

What about me? Dash felt the pang of guilt like a cold knife piercing her chest again before shaking the feeling away. It’ll be ok, RD. You’ve always played it cool and it’s always turned out ok; and this time is no different…right?
“Come on, Volare!” Dash bumped him with her hip. “You know the way back to the Library from here?”

“I think I can manage, why?”

“Cuz if ya don’t I’ll be more than willing to show ya the way,” she laughed at his bemused expression. “Just follow my dust!”

And with that, she took off running, leaving Volare gawking for a moment. “Go an’ get her, sugarcube!” Applejack shouted, slapping Volare in the flank with her hat and causing him to leap forward and run after the rainbow mare. “Yeeehaw!”

“Don’t start flying before we get back, Volare!” Twilight warned him, but he hardly heard her; he was too focused on catching Rainbow Dash. She might have been a hell of a lot faster than him in the air…but on the ground…he felt he had a good chance!

His hooves pounded the cobblestones as he rushed after her, following the prism flash of light from her tail as she jinked and janked around other ponies in the street. They gawked at the sight of two pegasi chasing each other, on hoof no less, but neither cared. As the wind rushed over their ears, their adrenaline began pumping. It might not have been a traditional pegasi race, but it was a race nonetheless!

“You gonna catch me yet there, slowpoke,” Volare heard Dash’s laughter trail back to him from a decent ways ahead of him. She was a LOT faster than Twilight, and Volare really had to concentrate on each and every hoofstep to gain ground on her. His breathing became a little ragged the more he pushed himself, but by the time that they rounded the large fountain in the market square, he’d gotten close enough to shout back at her.

“Don’t look now, Dashie! But I think you’ve got company!”

“Don’t call me Dashie!” she looked back and gasped. He had almost caught her!!

“What’s the matter,” he sucked in breath and managed to laugh. “Does having a friend that can beat you in a race get your goat that bad?”

“You haven’t beaten me yet, and you're not my-huh?!” She glanced back again….but he was gone. She then heard the laugh to her left and realized that he’d somehow pulled neck and neck with her! “You gotta be kidding me!!!” she gasped with wide eyes as he actually started to pass her!

“Ha! Not so bad on the ground as you are in the air, huh, Dashie?” Volare’s laughed changed to a pained gasp as he felt teeth in his tail. “What the?! You and Twlight both, I swear!!” he wheezed as Dash pulled him back, slowing him down as he pulled her along like a race car driver drafting her opponent. “Lemme go, dammit!!”

“Heheh, not even for the Wonderbolts, flyboy!” Dash managed to yell through gritted teeth as they neared the Library, startled ponies leaping out of the path of the freight-training pegasi all the while. Dash snapped her head back and knocked Volare off his feet, sending him tumbling to the ground.

“Later dude-whoa!” she too tumbled to the dirt as the male Pegasus tripped her up. “No fair!”

“Two can play at that game, Dashie,” he grinned and regained his hooves before sprinting off again, nearly at the front door of the Library Tree.

“Argh, you’re not gonna beat me!!” Dash shouted and beat her wings fiercely, roaring along the ground at break-neck speed, forelegs outstretched and eyes squeezed shut with the effort.

Just as Volare reached for the door of the tree, Spike opened it with a friendly smile. “First,” the Pegasus gasped but paused as he noticed Spike’s smile fade into a look of horror.

“Whoa, watch out!!” the dragon cried before leaping to the side. Volare had just enough time to turn around and open his mouth in surprise before Rainbow Dash crashed into his chest, propelling both of them into the Library lobby and creating a veritable explosion of literature as they hit the far bookshelf wall. They slumped to the book-strewn floor, completely exhausted.

“Heh heh,” Rainbow Dash gasped and leaned up, looking down at Volare, whom she had pinned under her hooves against the wall. A strange thought crept into her mind as she looked down at the male under her, completely at her mercy. This is just too easy… “I think I won that one, flyboy,” she announced with a rather devious grin.

“Bullshit, I made it to the door first,” Volare growled before opening his eyes and realizing the compromising position Dash had him in. His silver-blue eyes went wide and he hitched in a sharp breath, unable to stop the heat from creeping across his face. “Um, erm…Dashie…?”

“Yeah, flyboy?” Dash leaned down and gave him a sweet smile, her own magenta eyes half-closed. “Somethin’ on your mind?”

“Um, I…H-hey, you didn’t get mad at me for calling you Dashie,” he realized even as his mind clouded a bit from her deep breaths on his face. Or maybe it was the lack of oxygen from their race…damn he was out of shape!

“Hrm…guess that makes you my friend, then huh?” She leaned in closer, her breath brushing Volare’s eyelashes and making his heart pound even harder than during their race. “And you know what friends do for each other, Volare?”

“W-what’s that, Dashie?” He replied nervously.

“They admit when they’ve lost…and I think you lost, Volare.” She ran a hoof up to the side of his face. “Tell me Volare…did you lose to me?”

“I…I…I,” Volare’s mind just wasn’t functioning now. What in the world had gotten into her?! This was…this felt wrong…it was too soon! But…but…

“It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone that’d give me a challenge like that, Volare,” she practically whispered. “You think you could gimme a challenge again?”

“Y-yes…” The touch of her hoof running along his face felt electric! His mind had all but given up fighting it now.

“But first…” she leaned in, her lips practically brushing his ear. “Just admit you lost…just this one little time…”

“Yes…yes, ok, alright…I lost,” he managed to say weakly before the rainbow-maned Pegasus leaned back up over him…put her hooves on his chest…and then her lustful expression disappeared as she proceeded to laugh her head off.

“Bwahahahahaha! You shoulda seen the look on your face, Volare!!” Rainbow rolled off of him and onto a pile of books, holding her sides as she roared in hilarity. “I can’t believe you fell for that!!”

“But I…but you…what?” Volare’s mind was still spinning as he tried to make sense of the situation. He looked over to his left to see Spike sniggering in laughter as well. “Spike...can you please explain what just happened?”

“Well-haha-I guess that…heeheehee-Rainbow got the better of ya this time…in more ways than one-HAHAHA!”
The small dragon leaned on the bookshelf and looked around the half-destroyed room before somehow laughing even harder, even to the point of hiccupping fire.

“And ya wanna know what else? You promised to clean this whole place for me…and now look at it!! Good luck, bro-hahaha!” He wiped a tear from his eye and plopped down on the over-turned couch, still sniggering at the shocked and confused blue and yellow Pegasus slumped against the wall.

“Y-You guys are all crazy,” Volare managed to exclaim before being drowned out by a fresh bout of laughter from Dash as she helped him to his shaky hooves. “That was an evil little trick, Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh come on; it was just a harmless prank dude.” She flicked her mane out of her eyes and hoofed him in the shoulder. “Feel free to get me right back…if ya can, that is,” she grinned at his face that read like a racer who’d been robbed at the finish line…which he most certainly had been!

“Jeez, we sure wrecked the place, didn’t we,” she said with a low whistle as she glanced about the room. “And I’ll bet Twilight’s gonna want them all put back in order too…”

“Knowing her, you’re probably right, Dash,” Volare agreed, with a shake of his head and a snort, trying to focus on the task at hand. “Well, this’ll still probably be better than shopping for baked goods.”

“Heh, you got that right, flyboy,” Dash laughed as she picked up a book and made a face. “The Chemistry of Geology? What the hay-who’d read something like this,” she tossed the book down and sighed. “Well, it may not be ‘ten seconds flat’ fast, but it’ll definitely be quicker as a team.” She turned to Volare and gave him a nod. “Ok, you toss the books up to me and I’ll put them in the shelves. Just try to go in order as much as you can.”

“Right,” he nodded and grabbed the nearest Astronomy book he could get his hooves on and tossed it to Dash who stuck it on the top shelf. “And the sooner we get this done…”

“The sooner I can kick your flank in the air, too!” Dash giggled and dodged a book that Volare tossed up to her with a bit more force than necessary. “Chill dude, I’ll go easy on ya; promise!”

But despite the rather monumental task at hand, Volare had to fight his mind from going back over the details of what just happened at the base of the bookshelves. Her actions had nearly sent his emotions into a tailspin. He was torn: he was still too human, and it was still too soon and there were too many things to worry about to even be thinking about something like that…especially with her, his inspiration, his coach…his friend?
What’s this crazy mare’s game anyways?!

As Applejack and Twilight followed Pinkie towards Sugarcube Corner, the orange mare finally decided it was time to speak her mind about what had just happened. “Twi, Ah’ve got somethin’ that’s been buggin me, an’ it involves Volare.”

“Doesn’t everything nowadays,” Twilight gave a small groan. “I-I’m sorry, go on ahead AJ.”

“’S’all right, Twi. Now then…whatcha think’s got Rainbow Dash all in a tizzy, eh?” The country mare peeked up from under her Stetson at her purple friend.

“Um, whatever do you mean, Applejack,” Twilight replied, a hint of nerves in her voice which Applejack of course picked up on.

“Don’t try ta pretend ya don’t know notice it, Twi; Dash has become…Ah dunno, even edgier than usual ever since Volare showed up,” she trotted along in silence for a moment to allow Twilight to offer her own perspective on it.

“Yes…I’ve noticed that too,” Twilight said very carefully. This was what she had been the most worried about; if there was one pony that could figure out that she was involved in clandestine activities, even in something as minor as this, it would be Applejack. “I can’t really figure it out myself, though I haven’t had much of a chance to think on it either…urgh, this has all happened too fast!”

“Ah hear ya there, sugarcube,” she nudged her friend comfortingly. “Ah just know it’s gotta have somethin’ ta do with that Volare feller. Heck, even Lyra was actin weirder than usual around him.”

“You don’t say,” Twilight’s ears perked up and she gave her orange friend a look. “What in Equestria do you think could make Lyra of all ponies act even stranger? What was she doing, exactly?”

“Well, ya saw some of it back there at the café, Twi,” Applejack gave a small nod towards The Gilded Griffon off to their right. “Well speak of the devil.” There was Lyra herself standing outside the cafe and eyeballing the front of the building. She was miming a framework with her hooves, as if trying to figure out the best place to hang something. She turned in time to see Applejack and Twilight passing by and waved with a grin before turning back to her duties.

“She seems fairly normal now, Applejack,” Twilight observed.

“Yeah…but there’s a lot less blue an’ yeller around at tha moment as well,” Applejack said wryly.

“True…” the Unicorn nodded thoughtfully before continuing on in silence.

“Bit for yer thoughts, Twi,” Applejack commented, giving her the friendly smile she’d practically become famous for. “Ah’ve also noticed you’ve been a might bit…off as well since Volare showed up outta tha blue.”

Had she figured it out!? Twilight forced a straight face and looked back at her with a tilt of her head. “H-how so?”

“Heh-heh, it’s not anything bad, Twi. What Ah’ve noticed is actually mighty becomin’ of ya.”

“…and that is?”

“Ah’ve noticed ya’ll have become a lot more assertive since Volare showed up. Ah mean, ya’ll have been crackin’ jokes, especially on Rainbow Dash, and it’s mighty funny to see the tables turned like that,” she chuckled. “But…Ah’ve also noticed ya’ll have become kinda moody too, almost more so than Dash. Is something about this Volare character botherin’ ya? Ah mean, from what Ah can gather, he seems like a mighty decent feller, just really lost ‘n uptight cuz of it.”

“Yeah, he sure is…poor guy…yeah, I guess I’ve just been a little more on edge than usual because...urgh, I’m going to sound so selfish if I tell you, AJ!”

“Oh what’s the worst it could be, sugarcube?”

You have no idea… “The reason why I’ve been a little stressed myself lately is because I want to ask Volare a lot of questions about the human world, Earth. I guess I just got excited about the prospect of being able to have a first-hand account in him and…I suppose I got a little fixated on him. And when Dash came back into the picture and said she was going to teach him how to fly, instead of me being able to do my research…”

“Ya got a little jealous, eh?” Applejack gave her a knowing smile. “Haha, it’s fine, Twi. Heck, I dunno what’s going on with Lyra, it might be the same thing…but even Ah’ve felt a little different since meetin’ him.”

“You have? How?”

“Hard to describe. Ah don’t think I’ve shown it too much, but Ah’ve felt this certain feelin’ inside Ah ain’t ever felt before…and it’s only when he’s around, cuz I don’t really feel it now.”

“Urgh, maybe Spike was right,” Twilight hung her head.

“What about?”

Twilight then went on to explain about the Anatomy book and Spike’s off-claw comments about the hormones possibly making her think differently.

“Ah see…hrm, Ah suppose that kinda makes sense though.” Twilight gave Applejack a curious look. “Ah mean, we ain’t ever really had a stallion our age around an’ in our lil group of friends like this…I dunno, maybe it’s all a crazy coincidence. Heck, Pinkie don't seem no different than usual, right?”

“…or maybe it’s a misplaced motherly instinct of some sort kicking in,” Twilight suddenly said, this time leaving Applejack with the bemused look. “Think about it: his body is so new to him that he couldn’t even walk without my help. Maybe we’re so interested in him because we want help him get used to this world…”

“Either that or he’s like a new toy being fought over by multiple fillies,” Applejack laughed for a moment. “Could be anything, Twilight. Ah say we just try not to give him too hard a time and keep in mind that he might have an adult body an’ mentality, but he might as well be a little foal with certain stuff ‘round here.”

“Indeed…hey, how exactly did you say that Lyra was acting differently,” Twilight remembered.

“Heh, you saw it; she said he was handsome an' all that…and then she took him back into the café for a good 15 minutes nearly…and when he came back out, he was actin’ like he was halfway between hidin’ somethin’ but wantin’ to talk about it at the same time.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You don’t think Lyra…”

“Ah thought as much at first…but Volare convinced me otherwise. Ah really think anything of that nature is out of his focus for now, which is probably a good thing,” the Earth Pony nodded. “He don’t need none o’ that muddlin’ his mind while he gets accustomed ta livin’ here.”

“Hey dilly and dally; are you two gonna come inside or what? Mr. and Mrs. Cake are waiting,” Pinkie Pie popped her head out the door of the bakery, startling Twilight and Applejack somewhat; they hadn’t even realized that their little debate had carried them all the way there. “And I can’t exactly get ya the hookup if they’re grouchy!”

“Heh, maybe we oughta talk about this more with Volare rather than make assumptions about him, eh Twi?”

“Yeah, sounds like a good idea. Coming, Pinkie!” She trotted inside after her pink friend, smiling brightly at the thin, yellow Mr. Cake and the plump, turquoise Mrs. Cake.

“Why hello again there, Twilight; back so soon?” Mr. Cake asked.

“Yes well, I ran into a couple of blue problems on the way and…yeah,” she held the ripped flour bag up.

“Oh you poor dear,” Mrs. Cake cried as she reached under the counter and produced another bag. “Here ya go; it’s on the house,” she smiled and exchanged a wink with Pinkie.

“Really? Oh thank you, Mrs. Cake!”

"Um, erm..." Applejack mumbled as she gazed through the glass counter at a cheesecake as large and orange as herself.

"Something the matter, Applejack," Mr. Cake asked intuitively.

"Well, er..." the Earth Pony rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Ah'm a might fine cook mahself, but Ah've just never been able ta get the hang of making cheesecake an', well..."

"Would you like a slice?" Mr. Cake was already grabbing the cake knife from behind the counter.

"Heh, I suppose ya caught me there, sir."

"It's no problem, Applejack," he placed the slice in a box and sat it on the counter. "That'll be three bits; special deal for Pinkie's pal."

"Gosh, thankee kindly, sir!" She grinned and tossed the money on the counter before turning back to Twilight. "Alright, now Ah'm ready!"

Twilight trotted out with the bag and her two friends, keeping a careful magical grip on the bag herself this time. But now a more pressing matter was starting to push its way into her brain. She’d just sent Dash and Volare off to the Library. Two competitive pegasi, male and female…alone there save for Spike.
She really hoped Applejack was right about Volare…

Notes: And thus passed the most drama-filled grocery trip ever XD;
For those that still think I'm shipping Dash and Volare...heh...stay tuned for more laughs!
I couldn't think of any other place in the story to get these details out there, so sorry for the loads of dialogue and inner conflict argument stuff ^^;;
This will be the last dialogue heavy chapter for a while, so thanks for bearing with me, folks!
Join us next chapter, when Volare resumes crashing...er flying!
Volare: D<

Prologue-Pt 10: The Things We (Mis)Say

August 25th, Ponyville, Early Evening...

“Twi, why in Equestria are we runnin’ while carrying all this stuff,” Applejack panted as she and Pinkie Pie raced after the purple Unicorn through the late afternoon streets. Applejack was carrying two saddlebags full of apples she’d picked up from Big Mac’s applecart (for free of course) while Pinkie was carefully balancing a basket of peaches on her head she’d grabbed on a “second thoughts visit” back to the Cakes as they chased her.

“Yeah Twilight, what’s gotten into you, silly filly?” Pinkie Pie chimed in as she dodged around a pair of Unicorns and nearly dropped the basket. “Sorry, peachy goodness comin’ through!!”

Twilight’s mind wasn’t quite in panic mode just yet, but it was definitely getting that way. The more she had thought about Volare and Rainbow Dash being left alone at the Library, the more it ate at her until she got to the point where she couldn’t even think straight enough to grab the rest of the items on her ripped up grocery list. Her hooves kept tapping and every now and again, her ears would flick nervously, facts not lost on Pinkie and Applejack, although they merely chalked it up to her being a little distracted by the Volare situation.

True, Applejack was probably right about him being able to handle his emotions…but then a thought had hit the Unicorn: Dash didn’t know what they had deduced about him…what if she pushed him over those limits with her antics? What if she tried one of her pranks on him? What if she teased him in a way that only a cheeky mare like herself could?! Even if it was just a harmless prank in Dash’s eyes, it might cause some severe emotional trauma to Volare, or worse!!!
She didn’t even want to think about the “or worse” possibilities… It wasn’t until she suddenly took off running towards the Library that her friends realized that this was more than Twilight simply being distracted.

“What’s gotten into me?!” Twilight shouted as she barreled along Ponyville’s main thoroughfare, using her magic to keep the flour bag and eggs levitated above the dwindling crowds of ponies still out shopping. “Haven’t you realized who we left basically alone at the Library together?! At the very least, they might wreck the place! At the very worst….oh Celestia forbid it!!” Twilight pushed herself even harder, but she was wearing herself out. Soon, Applejack and Pinkie Pie caught up to their fretting friend and together they slowed her to a trot before she collapsed through sheer stress.

“Calm down, sugarcube,” Applejack nuzzled her friend gently. “Ah don’t wanna ask what tha worst could be, but ya gotta stop stressing yerself over it or you’ll be in no condition to stop whatever it might be when we get back to tha Library!”

“Yeah, calm down Twilight,” Pinkie patted her on the head. “Besides, Spike’ll keep those two lovebirds in line!”

“They are NOT lovebirds,” Twilight growled and then gasped in realization of what Pinkie just said, nearly dropping the bag of flour right on Applejack. “Spike’s just a baby dragon…oh no…what if they…right in front of him…his innocent little mind!” Twilight made a go to start running again, but her friends held her back while exchanging a worried look with each other.

“Heh, if ya put it that way Twi…maybe we shouldn’t lolly-gag too much in gettin’ back there,” she sped up slightly, Pinkie and Twilight matching her pace.

“Good thing I still have my camera,” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“PINKIE!” Applejack and Twilight yelled in disgusted unison.

“What? It’s for evidence, duh,” the pink pony quipped and trotted merrily along with her friends. The orange Earth Pony and the Unicorn exchanged a glance that asked if Pinkie even knew about the possible consequences. “It’s not like they’re gonna do it right there; that’d just be silly. They’d probably go to someplace more romantic than a stuffy old library tree.”
Apparently she did…

“Hey, my Library’s not stuffy and unromantic!” Twilight retorted, eliciting a chuckle from Applejack.

“Well, Ah wouldn’t consider tha hayloft in mah barn stuffy and unromantic either…er, not that Ah personally know if’n it is or it ain’t,” Applejack grinned innocently at the sudden looks from her friends. “But that’s beside tha point! Ah think what Pinkie is tryin’ ta say is that even IF Ah’m wrong an’ IF somethin’ like that comes about, they ain’t gonna do no such thing like that unless it’s private, someplace like Dash’s cloudhouse er somethin, right Pinkie?”

“Yep! And since Volare has trouble flying and probably doesn’t know how to walk on clouds anyways, I’m not too worried!”

Twilight tried to think of a way to argue against this logic to justify her own worries, but found that she really couldn’t.
Somehow, Pinkie Pie has yet again out-logic’d me… She sighed and hung her head in embarrassment as Pinkie patted her on the head again.

“It’s ok, Twilight; you’re just looking out for our new friend Volare-bear, that’s all! Besides, I’d be more worried about Dash trying to teach him how to fly too fast and him crashing and dying more than anything; but what are the odds of that craziness happening?”

Twilight’s head shot up again, her indigo eyes going wide again in worry, a look which Applejack shared. “Holy roadapples...we’d best get a move on, ya’ll!”

“Ah yeah, there we go,” Rainbow Dash chuckled with a symbolic dust off of her hooves as she floated down from the top shelf of The Library. All the shelves had been restocked with their books and although a few loose ones somehow remained stacked on the floor, the room was no longer a total wreck.

“I dunno, Dash,” Volare said uncertainly as he tipped the couch back over and moved it to its proper position.

“Whatcha mean, ‘you dunno’? We did a good job and this place is a clean as I’ve seen it in a week,” Dash said, proudly whipping the dust off the couch with her tail before Spike coughed gently from the kitchen doorway.

“Ahem, that’s cuz you’re not here more often, Rainbow. I mean yeah, you did a pretty good job of it, but some of the books aren’t back in the right place and”-

“Hey, Volare offered to clean this place instead of you, right,” Dash gave him a stern look. “And I tossed in my hoof for free, and furthermore”-

“Probably cuz Twilight made you,” Spike grumbled, but Dash heard it.

“What was that Spike? Think I’m not generous enough to go out of my way to offer my help?” She took a few semi-menacing steps towards the small dragon who retreated a similar number of steps into the kitchen.

Man he hated being smaller then these mares!! “Well, you’re certainly no Rarity in that regard, Dash.”

“What kind of friend wouldn’t wanna do that for another friend? Urgh, and don’t even get started with your mushy Rarity plot kissing!”

As Dash made her way into the kitchen, Volare softly followed her with a worried look. He was pretty sure Dash wouldn’t dream of hurting Spike, but then again… And what would he do if she did, jump on her?! She’d kick his ass!

Spike retreated further into the kitchen and somewhat subtly picked up the frying pan he’d been cleaning, holding it up between himself and the incensed Pegasus as he couldn’t help but give another smart aleck remark. “Are you sure you’re not being more ‘friendly and helpful’ than usual because of Volare?”

“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?!” Dash practically shouted; the feathers on her wings bristling as she gave the wooden floor a stomp. “Volare is pathetic, he can hardly fly, and that little bit of teasing I did to him in there was so he’d admit he lost our race; nothing else, so everypony just drop it right now! I FLY SOLO!!!” Despite the blood pounding in her ears from her exclamation, even she could hear the pained little gasp and the quick retreat of hoofsteps from behind her.
Oh crap…I kinda just screamed all that…

Rainbow turned in time to see Volare’s tail retreating around the corner of the kitchen doorway. She quickly trotted out and found him idly staring at a book on an end table, trying to appear like he hadn’t heard what just transpired in the kitchen, but Dash knew that everypony around must have heard what she shouted…and the wounded look he was trying to hide told her all she needed to know. “Hey, why the long face, flyboy?” she asked casually, trying to hide her own worry with a trademark Rainbow Dash grin.

For an instant, a bad bar joke popped into Volare’s mind, nearly making him burst out laughing. But he merely shook his mane instead. “Nothing Dashie…nothing…just being pathetic out here so I don’t bother you or something…”

Dash’s heart dropped at his statement and her ears drooped. She frowned and scuffed the floor idly, trying to think of something to say.
…Just swallow your pride and apologize, you dumb pony!!!
Hey, shut up; I know what I’m doing!
…Yep, you sure know how to hurt your so-called friends, especially when it’s convenient for you, Dash
I didn’t know it would hurt him this bad!!!
…heh, and here I even thought that what you did to him earlier wasn’t just because you wanted him to admit he’d lost, even though you knew he hadn’t…once a loser to deny the truth, and twice a loser to deny one’s own feelings…
Hey, I know my own feelings, so you just back off, ok?!
…apologize and maybe I will.
Alright fine, just this once, jeez…poor guy…but I’m not gonna hug him or anything!!!

“Hey Volare, I…” she began but stopped short when the blue and yellow Pegasus lifted his eyes to hers. It was all the proud Pegasus could do not to hug him when she saw the hurt in those silver-blue orbs…hurt she’d put there.

“If you’re going to apologize Dashie, don’t waste your breath.” Volare’s statement shocked the mare. It was so…sincere…like he actually believed and accepted what she shouted in anger. “I heard what you said and…I know I’m pathetic, and for two reasons. One for thinking that what you did to me back there was out of some stupid misconception that perhaps you liked me or something…and like you said, I fell for it; hook, line, and sinker.”

Again, Rainbow Dash felt the ache in her chest grow. Jeez…that was a worse idea than I thought…

“And the other is because you’re right; I’m a horrible flyer as a Pegasus…I dunno why you’d give me a chance to even try…sorry if I slowed you down, Dash.”

“Now wait a sec here,” Dash replied as she put a hoof on Volare’s shoulder, though he kept his head pointed at the floor. “Everypony has gotta start somewhere, Volare! I saw what you can do in a jet and I think you have great flight instincts; we’ve just gotta translate those to your wings, that’s all,” she gently ran a hoof across his primary feathers, making him jump slightly. “Sorry…forgot that gets your attention a little too much, heh-heh…”

“Eh-heh, just a bit…” he replied and looked up at her. “But what about what you said about me being”-

“Hey, forget that, flyboy,” Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “Sometimes, we all say things we don’t mean, especially when we’re a little miffed; heh, I probably do it more than anypony I know…so…sorry if I hurt your feelings about that,” she rubbed the back of her own head and shut her eyes for a moment. “I just got mad and said something stupid, that’s all.”

“So you’ll still teach me how to fly better?” Volare’s ears and wings perked up hopefully.

“Heck yeah I will! In fact, I’m gonna make ya the best flight student I’ve ever had,” she threw a hoof around Volare’s shoulders in a chummy fashion and pumped her other hoof with a grin.

“Well that’s setting the bar high considering he’d be the only flight student she’s ever had,” Spike muttered from the kitchen as he eavesdropped on their conversation. “My bits are on Dash either getting him killed or giving up within the week…”

“T-thank you, Dash,” Volare said, proud to be her official student. “So, um, when do we start?”

“Right now if you want; like I said earlier, we got the Library as clean as we can, so I’ve got nothing to do but see whatcha can do on a full stomach,” she winked and nudged him, recalling the near disaster earlier.

“Urgh, that was soooo embarrassing,” Volare hid his reddening face with a wing, much to Dash’s amusement.

“Hey, look on the bright side, Volare; at least ya made me look awesome when I saved you.” Volare peeked out from under his wing at the grinning Pegasus, who only winked again. “Heh, just kidding; I’m glad you’re here too, flyboy.” She mussed his spiky mane before trotting towards the front door. “Come on!”

“Wait, like ‘right now’ now,” he followed her a bit tentatively. “But Twilight said to wait till she and the others got back.”

“Oh come on; afraid to ‘feel the wrath of the egghead’, are we?”

“Well, no…”

“What, like she’ll read us to death or something? Come on, Volare!” She walked around him and gave him a gentle push towards the door.

“Ok, ok, I’m going,” he chuckled.

“That’s the spirit, dude!”

“I suppose what Twilight doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Volare said off-handedly. But Dash nearly stopped in her tracks at the uncanny nature of his statement.

…sound familiar, Dashie ol’ pal? Feeling that cold dagger of guilt in the old gullet again? Or you simply brain farting this time?
Oh will you just shut up?!

“Dash?” Volare said with a tinge of concern as he noticed her slight pause. “You ok?”

Dash shook her mane and regained her confident composure. “Sure am! Let’s get airborne already!”

“Hey Dashie, just one more thing” the male Pegasus said tentatively before she rushed out the door; so softly that she almost didn’t hear him.

“What’s up, Volare?” She stopped and gave him her full attention once she realized the tone in his voice and saw the welcome smile on his face replaced with yet another look of concern…but this one of a different nature entirely.

“I was just um…wondering…about what you said back there,” Dash saw the blush start to grow on his face again. “What you said about you sometimes saying things you don’t mean when you’re irritated…”

“Yeah?”

His gaze was practically glued to the floor as he finally spat it out: “Well...did that cover…everything you said?”

“Everything I said? Ooh…” Dash trailed off as it hit her. Well that explains the blush…poor guy probably hasn’t had contact with a mare in forever…jeez, now I really sound like a jerk. But she quickly threw on a grin and hoofed him in the shoulder. “Don’t let it mess with your focus too much Volare.”

“Really?” Volare replied in a manner which he realized was a little too enthusiastic. “Erm, I mean, is that so?” He said a little more suavely, but it only made Dash laugh.

“Heh-heh, yep; like I said, I sometimes say things I don’t mean to when I’m irritated, so don’t let it bug ya, ok?”

“Y-you’re not irritated right now, are you?” But this only elicited another hoof in his shoulder along with a squinty look from Dash.

“I might be if you don’t get your head on straight so we can get off the ground, flyboy…I mean, get to flying,” Dash caught herself. She and Volare looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing.
…ok, so it’s not quite an admission, but at least it’s a start.
Thought you said you were gonna leave me alone for a bit.
…hrm, I wonder if that’s what’s wrong Dash…
What’s that supposed to mean?
…nope, I’m shutting up cuz ‘you know what you want’ and all that.
Urgh, I think I’m going nuts here…

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea-the flying part, Dashie,” Volare chuckled as he trotted out the door, pulling Dash out of her brief inner debate. “Hope we don’t take this thing too fast.”

“Hey wait a sec…what exactly are you implying?!” Dash shoved him a little too roughly, nearly toppling him over.

“Nothing. Just flying, RD,” Volare chortled, a sound Dash was becoming a little happier to hear considering what he’d been through. “Just flying.”

“Riiiight….let’s just keep it that way, flyboy,” Dash said before pulling the door shut behind her, leaving The Library empty…save for the kitchen which was soon filled with the sounds of raucous guffawing and the balled up claws of a baby dragon pounding the hardwood floor.

Small notes: For those wondering, Dash does NOT have voices in her head. Those inner debates are simply something that would likely be typical for someone that has to balance a strong sense of personal pride along with The Element of Loyalty.

Prologue-Pt 11: For the First Time in a Long Time

Warning: The GORE tag comes into play

August 25th, Ponyville, Early Evening...

Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie’s hooves’ clattering changed to a soft thumping as they left the cobblestones of Ponyville proper and turned onto the short dirt path that led to The Library tree. The whole way there, Twilight’s eyes scanned the early evening skies high above the tree, on the lookout for any flying blue objects, but so far, they spotted nothing.

“Twi, Ah really think ya’ll are overreactin’ here,” Applejack stated, though she also kept an eye to the sky, wary of the possibility of Dash leading Volare on a flight he couldn’t handle. Her eyes then met Twilight’s angry purple ones as her friend shot a glare over her shoulder. “A-Ah mean, Ah don’t see’em up there either, do you, Pinkie?”

“Nuffin but muffin to report, AJ,” the pink pony saluted and nearly tripped on a rut in the road, barely catching her balance in time to save her peaches from flying into the air. “Phew, that was a close one,” she squeaked and caught up to her friends. She continued to hop along beside them as they crested the low rise that hid the main body of the tree from the sight of the path.

“See? You silly filly,” Pinkie giggled as she hopped and nodded at the intact Library. “They didn’t burn it down or anything! Nothing bad happened at all, and”- but she stopped short as she took a closer look at the place. “Uh-oh…”

“…Nothin’ bad unless ya’ll count tha broken window an’ snapped branches on the second floor, sugarcube,” Applejack nodded with worry at the shattered glass portal in question. All over the ground below it were scattered twigs among the shards twinkling in the setting sunlight. Even from this distance, they could all see the distinctive red tinge of blood splashed on the glass pieces as well as the broken dark blue feathers that littered the ground and did absolutely nothing to ease their skyrocketing fears over what had just taken place.

“Oh no…no no no no no!!” Twilight cried as she dropped the sack of flour beside the path. The basket of eggs fell to the ground forgotten, spattering yellow yolk all over the grass as she raced at top speed to the front door of the tree, Applejack and Pinkie Pie right on her hooves. She nearly sent Spike flying as she yanked the door open with her magic as he’d been rushing out the door himself at just that same moment. “Spike, Spike, what in Celestia's mane happened?!”

The baby dragon, whose claw was still attached firmly to the doorknob, looked up woozily and Twilight gaped; his face was spattered with blood droplets, but they weren’t his. “Volare…Dash…hurry, Twilight,” he managed to gasp, his eyes bulging in fear and shock.

“Rainbow Dash, what did you do?!” She shouted as the three ponies stormed into the tree.

Earlier

“Alright flyboy, I think you’ve already got the basics down, right?” Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted in place for a moment, stretching her wings to their fullest and giving them a few strong flaps to get the blood flowing through them. Even that short burst was enough to ruffle Volare’s mane from several yards away.
Damn, her wings are strong.

“As far as I can tell, yep,” Volare replied, imitating Dash and flapping his own wings, giving his neck a few cracks as he loosened it.

“Heh, nice one,” Dash grinned and cracked her own neck, more loudly of course and bringing a chuckle from Volare.

“Are you intent on competing in everything, Dashie?” He asked as he stretched his legs and hopped up and down a few times before settling back down.

“I try,” Dash laughed and hopped just a little bit higher than Volare, giving him that same competitive grin the whole while. “But for now, we’re not gonna push it too hard; don’t wanna mess up like last time.”

“That’s very considerate, thanks Dashie.”

“No problem; what kind of teacher would I be if I got my student hurt during his first real lesson? Now come on!” She spread her wings wide and Volare did the same. “Just do as I do, and we’ll get ya through this in one piece!”

She trotted forward, Volare just off her left wingtip and slightly behind her. As she gained speed, she flapped her wings, obviously going slower than usual so her student could keep up. But she was a bit surprised when Volare pulled even with her as he began to break into a gallop, his own wings fluttering slightly. “Hmph, going a little too slow for ya, I take it?”

“Maybe a little,” he shot her a cheeky grin before she nodded and took off and gained altitude at a moderate pace, Volare mirroring her all the way. As they reached about 50 feet, she leveled off and looked back over her wing to see Volare was still with her, his legs tucked into his body. Good, he was learning.

“Ok, we’re gonna take this nice and easy this time. Stay at my altitude, and we’re gonna do some basic maneuvers,” she called out over the wind that whistled through their fur at even this relatively slow rate of speed. “Not that I don’t think you can do it, but you’re not ready for the advanced stuff yet!”

“Oho, is that a challenge?”

“It could be!” she grinned and then turned her attention to the front. “But not right now! Stay on my wing, flyboy!”

“Yes ma’am!” Volare gave a little salute with his hoof and followed her lead as she banked around the southwest side of Ponyville. After a few minutes of easy cruising, they found themselves flying over a vast orchard of apple trees with a large red farmhouse at the northern end of it all; Sweet Apple Acres. The setting sunlight glinting off scores of ripe fruit and giving the whole orchard a golden-red glow gave Volare pause for a moment. “Hey Dashie?”

“Yep, what’s up, Volare?”

“I was just wondering: it was just barely spring on Earth when I came here…but I’m seeing ripe apples down there, which means it must be”-

“It’s the last week of August, Volare, the 25th, in fact; and we’re just about ready for harvest season again,” Dash completed his thoughts. “Hee-hee, you know, if you don’t get the hang of flying too soon, at least you can take part in the Running of the Leaves in a few weeks,” she chuckled until Volare swiped a wing at her, which caused him to loose altitude and nearly knock the weathervane off of a small farm building they passed over. “Careful there, featherhead!”

Volare regained his composure with an awkward grin and rose back to Dash before realizing that he wasn’t supposed to know what the Running of the Leaves was.Gotta remember this stuff!
“Ok, both you and Twilight have talked about this Running of the Leaves thing; what is it exactly?”

“You don’t know what it-oh derp, you’re new here,” Dash remembered quickly as she banked back over the orchard again. “The Running of the Leaves is an old Ponyville tradition that takes place during the fall. Groups of ponies gather for a hoofrace in numbers so huge that it shakes the whole ground when they run!” Dash threw her hooves up to accentuate the fact. “So much so that it knocks all the leaves off the trees along the race path, helping to bring in the fall season.”

“So the leaves wouldn’t fall off the trees by themselves eventually?” Volare asked innocently, but was rounded on by Dash, in mid-air no less! She gave him a stern look as she flew backwards on her back, front hooves crossed in consternation.

“As far as I’ve seen, they don’t! Ugh, I know you’re new here, but lemme lay a few things out for ya,” she flipped back over and gestured towards the town below and to their right. “Ponyville was founded by the Earth Ponies, specifically by AJ’s family way, way, way back when. With the help of the pegasi and the Unicorns (but mostly the pegasi), the weather is controlled to allow the crops to grow and feed the town and keep business and ponies flowing through the place. I for example, am one of the weather ponies that keep things under control.” She gained a little altitude and Volare followed her higher into the western sky.

“As for your question on whether the seasons take care of themselves here…for the most part, I suppose they eventually would, but the Running of the Leaves helps clear the trees of their leaves faster and I think it gives the ground good compost for next year…or something like that, so AJ says,” Dash said thoughtfully. “But at the very least, keeping the weather on a predictable schedule helps things run a lot more smoothly for sure around here, plus The Running is good competition.”

“Wow, that’s impressive, Dash,” Volare said with no small amount of awe; he had never thought too deeply about the weather system in the show, but now that he thought about it…it was a fairly complicated process to keep things all in mostly neat balance like that. “Must be a heck of a job.”

“Been doin’ it for years, dude,” Dash cracked a grin and polished her hoof on her chest for a moment. “Just takes some practice, but I’ll bet you’ll get the hang of it too some day.”

“You really think so,” his face brightened. True, he’d only been there a day at the most, so this was really the first time the thought of doing something worthwhile here passed through his mind; up until now, it had just been about wrapping his head around everything that had transpired! But she made it sound so inviting…like he could have a bigger purpose here besides just being the local freak.

“I hate to sound cheesy, but the sky’s the limit, Volare!” Dash gained a little more altitude before doing a quick loop and diving back down at the male, who barely had time to duck before she buzzed just over his mane.

“Whoa, what the heck Dash?! I thought we were gonna take it slow this time,” Volare cried as Dash settled down and matched his altitude.

“Sorry flyboy, just got some energy I need to let off! Ok, history lesson is over!” She did a quick flat roll and grinned mischievously. “Betcha can’t do that without crashing!”

“Done and done,” Volare replied and performed the roll horizontally over her, ending up on her right wingtip. “I was doing that when Twilight was showing me how to fly, Dashie.”

“Oh yeah? You wanna take things up a notch or two, then,” she tossed her mane and dexterously flexed her wingtip feathers as if they were fingertips.

“I think I can handle a notch,” he replied with a determined look. He wasn’t quite as comfortable in his flying abilities as he would have liked to have been at the moment, but the only way to get better was to try, right?

“Alrighty then, follow me!” Dash banked back around the town and went into a shallow climb, heading towards the layer of fluffy white clouds above the orchard. “See if ya can beat me to those clouds, Volare!”

Of course he didn’t, but he still managed to meet her at the relatively low cloud ceiling at about 3000 feet. By following Rainbow Dash’s wing movements, he was able to hover somewhat roughly, though it quickly made his wing joints ach a bit. “Breathe deep when you hover, it makes things easier, flyboy; for me anyway.” But instead of focusing on Dash in front of him, she soon caught his eyes roving the ground below, and not in a way that suggested he was enjoying the view. “On the lookout for egghead and friends, Volare?”

“Hrm? Oh, no-well yes, kinda,” he stumbled over his own words, surprised at Dash’s intuition.

“I thought you said you weren’t worried about her,” she narrowed her eyes.

“It’s not that…I just don’t want her to see us up here and disappoint her or anything.”

“What, you afraid she’ll be mad cuz we’re doing a little flying without her babysitting us? We’re across town, and not where she expects us to be. Or are ya worried about what she’ll think about us up here…all alone…just you and me and the sky?” She fluttered her eyelashes and giggled at Volare’s momentarily stunned expression.

“N-no, none of that, Dash!” Volare hovered backwards a bit and regained his composure somewhat, crossing his forelegs in front of him defensively and avoiding her gaze. “It’s not like that at all. It just can’t be…”

“Whatcha mean by that, flyboy?” Dash asked, a concerned look on her face.

“I mean…I am bothered a bit by us being alone like this, but not really because I care what others think…it’s just…gah, like I said, I’m pathetic; I can’t say it!” He flapped his wings and flew up into the clouds, breaking through the other side after a few moments of flying through fluff. It was peaceful above the cloud cover, and he was greeted with the sight of the setting Equestrian sun blazing in all its glory in the West, backlighting the lumpy cloud tops and making it seem almost like another planet up here; no sound but the whistling wind accompanied him.

But the serenity of the scene was soon broken as a rainbow-maned head popped out of the clouds with a curious look on her face. “I thought I told you to forget about what I said earlier, Volare. You’re not pathetic.” She leaned her chin on her hooves as the male Pegasus turned to face her.

“In this regard, I think I am, Dash. I’m….look inside, I’m still human, and-” he started and stopped for a moment and forced himself to swallow the lump in his dry throat. “Even if what you say is only as a joke, the guy part of me appreciates the attention and wants to think it’s real…but then another part of me is disgusted with me wanting to be with someone of a different species,” he sighed. “Common sense says I should hate myself for feeling this way, but then on the same token, I dunno why I feel conflicted…you…me…we’re too different for that to even exist as anything more than just a joke, and so I’m torn three ways. Gah, now I’m just rambling and not making any sense, huh?”

“No, I think I kinda get it,” Dash pulled herself up and hovered closer, the teasing look replaced by a sincere expression. “You’re still too human mentally for you to accept my little pranks as just pranks. They make you uncomfortable because they’re meant to tease you…but you’re not comfy being teased by a female of a different species like that; even though you’re now of that same species.”

“And yet here you are continuing to do it,” Volare frowned.

“I know, I know…it’s just my nature to mess with ponies that way sometimes, especially the stallions. I think it’s cuz I get a weird little sense of control when I make’em weak in the knees or something, I dunno,” Rainbow Dash look a bit flustered herself, as if even she was having trouble telling somepony this. Not like she'd open up that soon to him anyway...or ever. Besides, what would he think of her if he knew the real reason why?

“So what you’re saying is, you like to flirt with the guys cuz it makes you feel empowered,” Volare said with look of slight revulsion. “That’s pretty cold, Dashie.”

“Well, when ya put it that way, flyboy!” She scowled for a moment, but then her face softened just as quickly. “I just like pranking ponies in the way that gets to them the most, and with stallions, that’s usually the best way, that’s all.”

“Ah…I see now…” he nodded a bit. “At least you’re an efficient bitch.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Dash fumed, making Volare crack up.

“I’m merely stating the obvious only cuz it gets your goat the best, Dashie,” he said mockingly.

“Very funny, very funny, but I’m onto your little games, flyboy,” Dash narrowed her eyes. “So what is it, huh? You uncomfortable with me teasing you or not?”

“Well, if I say yes, then you’ll know my weakness and so you’ll keep doing it,” he tilted his head a bit, a smirk growing on his face. “But then if I do say no, it doesn’t bother me, then you might take that as an invitation to come onto me, and then the human part of me would make me kill myself for not dissuading a different species from feelings I shouldn’t return.”

“But you are a pony yourself, Volare! Don’t be such a damned bigot!” She angrily kicked a cloud, sending wisps of fluff flying everywhere, her magenta eyes burning in frustration.

“So is that an admission of your attraction to me, dear ol Rainbow Dash?” Volare chuckled; it felt good to have found a weakness of hers in turning the tables on the self-proclaimed greatest prankster in Ponyville. “Too bad I’ll have to be a gentleman about it and respectfully decline due to mutual differences. I hope this doesn’t affect our professional relationship.” He punctuated that last remark by sticking out his tongue at her.

“Oh you are good, Volare,” her statement caught him by surprise; he’d been expecting her to tell him to knock it off, but she wasn’t about to admit defeat that way. “But you’ve still got a lot to learn.” She pawed a tuft of cloud up into the air and grinned fiercely before flaring her wings and scattering the clouds beneath them, leaving an empty hole leading back down to Ponyville. He’d started the competitive fires in her belly, and student or not, she felt it was time to put his smart mouth in its place. “Try and keep up…unless you’re chicken.”

And with that, she dove straight down through the clouds, leaving Volare alone, but without any intention of following her when she was like this. “BAWK BAWK BAWK BAWK,” he heard her teasing him from below the cloud cover.

“Not gonna work, Dashie!” He shouted down. Instead, he concentrated on hovering down through the hole in the cloud cover without wobbling, a feat he finally achieved just as he exited the clouds. He looked down over Ponyville as evening approached, deciding it was one of the nicest looking places he’d ever seen at this time of the day.
Hmm…maybe…maybe it could be-.

“BANZAI!” a scream met his ear and he looked down in time to see Dash barreling upwards at him. Without the time to move, he simply braced himself, hoping the fluff of the clouds would lessen the impact of the rainbow Pegasus…but nothing happened! He cracked open an eye to see Dash hovering inches from his own face, obviously trying to intimidate him. But he glared right back at her just as fiercely, not giving an inch. And it was then that Dash did something completely unexpected.

She bumped her muzzle right up against his, relishing the surprise on his face as she growled in a voice that he didn’t entirely disapprove of. “Well, are you a Pegasus stallion or a weak little flightless human?” A familiar scent washed over him and his eyes widened as he inhaled sharply: fresh rain.

Why was that familiar?!

“Come and get me, flyboy!” Dash whirled in midair, flicking her tail teasingly across his face before diving down again. Any inhibitions he might have had blew to pieces and flew away on the wind as a combination of his male and competitive instincts took over.

Damn me to hell…
He tucked his wings in close to his body and dove after her. He grinned against the wind assaulting his eyes as he got closer and closer to the rainbow Pegasus. In flat flight or in a climb, she beat him through sheer wing strength; but in a gravity dive, he seemed to have the advantage; an advantage she didn’t realize until she felt a tap on her cutie mark. She looked back to see Volare grinning widely at her.
“Going my way, Dashie?”

“Nope!” Dash growled and suddenly changed direction to a flatter angle before shooting up into the air at a near 45 degree angle, causing Volare to overshoot her badly. She laughed as he flared his wings like the air brakes of a jet, finally coming to a halt in midair, albeit with a fair amount of effort; his wingjoints screamed from the stress of the stop. She slowed and hovered as he looked around for a moment before spotting the waning sunlight glinting off her colorful mane.

“Can’t hide from me, Rainbow Dash,” Volare shouted as he drew his wings up and beat the air furiously, gaining altitude at what he thought was a rapid pace, but was nothing for the Fastest Flyer in Equestria. Before he’d even reached her, she shot off straight up again, bursting through the cloud cover and disappearing on the other side, leaving a dusk-colored hole in the fluff. For a moment, a shred of sense tried to force its way into Volare’s mind, telling him this was a stupid idea.
For a moment…

Volare smashed through the clouds and shot out on the other side, looking around for his rainbow-maned companion before he heard a sharp whistle from above him. He looked up to see Dash flying even higher, waving a hoof at him the whole while. “Gimme a break, Dash!” he bellowed before rising to meet her as quickly as his aching wings could take him. After nearly a full painful minute, a winded Volare finally rose to Dash’s altitude, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he gasped for breath in the thin atmosphere.

“What’s the matter flyboy? A little outta shape?” Dash breathed deeply and laughed out loud, taking full advantage of her natural pegasi lungpower.

“Heh, well as much as I’d like to make an excuse about me being new at this,” Volare huffed and puffed. “I’m not one to give up so easily. Besides, you’ve got an unfair advantage that’ll either take me years to learn, or not at all.”

“Oh, and what exactly is that?”

“Piqued your curiosity, eh Dashie?” Volare tried to pull another lungful of air to chuckle, but merely succeeded in making a raspy sound. Better get back below the cloud cover…starting to feel dizzy… “Jeez…air’s thin up here…but I know how to take that advantage away from you!”

“Wait, what?!” Dash cried as he dove back down towards the clouds at top speed. “How exactly do you plan on doing that by running away? Get back here, Volare!” She burst through the fluff and quickly found the cloud contrail he was trailing behind himself as he went faster and faster.

“This…is…awesome!!!” Volare cried through slitted eyes, his backlegs and wings tucked against his body and his forelegs extended in front as he fell like a dart towards the ground far below. As he fell, he let his mind wander just a little bit, his eyes trailing along the growing fields and the town of Ponvyville off to his right as he plummeted. His eyes slowly shut as he concentrated on the wind blowing across the fur on his face and along his mane, the icy blasts numbing his cheeks in a bizarrely joyful manner. He’d never experienced such a rush in the warmth and comfort of a jet cockpit!
This was different…this was dangerous…this was truly flying!!!

Volare, pull up!! His mind seemed screamed suddenly, but he shook his head. No way, I’m gonna beat Dash at something-just watch me!

“Volare open your eyes, you feathering idiot!!!” a voice shouted from his left, causing his eyes to snap open. His vision finally focused in time to realize that he was a lot closer to the ground than he’d thought! “Flyboy, get a grip! Open your wings!! Break, break, break!!”
Lieutenant Cadence?! But how-?

The male Pegasus chanced a glance to his left to instead see Rainbow Dash neck and neck with him, a look between fear and anger plastered across her face, but it was hard to tell with the amount of wind buffeting them as they dove. He obediently flared his wings, trying to slow his descent as well as he could. The wind felt like it was going to tear his wings off with the effort, but it wasn’t going to be enough!! The vast orchard of Sweet Apple Acres spread out before him, glistening red like a pool of blood in the last light of the sun; a crimson portal he was being pulled inexorably towards, and through which there was no return.

Dash’s shouts faded away as things slowed down yet again. Against his will, Volare’s mind flashed back to the jet crash…just like this…was it really only yesterday? It seemed so far in the past…in a different time and place...Open that throttle up…pull the hell up! Use your instincts! Get outta there!!!

Volare forced his pain-shrieking wings open again and gritted his teeth with the effort. Come on, come on, come on, please!!!! Volare’s eyes opened up a small slit to see that his descent had hardly slowed, that he was a mere seconds from breaking to pieces in one of the thousands of apple trees rising up to meet up. He was so close he swore he could see the individual apples…and knew he’d never get to sample them…
He shut his eyes tightly and did the only thing he could do…he waited for the end.

I’m sorry guys…sorry Dash…I screwed up…again...

“Not…gonna…let you go that damn easy, Volare!!!” Dash’s angry shout broke through the darkness and self-pity of his thoughts as she pounded her wings through the air and gained the final precious few inches on her falling friend. “Keep your damn wings open and point your bucking legs!!!” He did as she ordered and soon felt an excruciatingly sharp pain in his tail. He looked back to see that Dash had grabbed it in her teeth and was beating her wings in a furious effort to slow him down and turn his nose above vertical. There was a look of fierce determination on her face that he’d never imagined possible, and her magenta eyes glared daggers at him.

He felt the joints where his wings attached to his ribcage began to tear away, and he slackened them slightly until Dash bit down on his tail. Hard. “KEEP YOUR WINGS OPEN, DAMMIT!!!” Dash growled past the tail clamped in her jaws, perspiration being whipped off her face by the wind as she felt her friend slowing down, but it…just…wasn’t…enough!

“RAAAAGH COME ON!!!” Her frustrated shout ran along Volare’s spine as she grabbed his back legs with her hooves and pulled them towards herself with all her might. That did it! Volare’s nose finally tipped up and his wings stopped making that dreadful ripping noise as they leveled his flight out, Dash’s hooves painfully clipping the top branch of an apple tree and scattering fruit everywhere as they rocketed over the edge of the orchard and back towards the northeast; the impact ripped a portion of Volare’s tail out, leaving her spitting black and yellow fur as his momentum carried him further away.

“Slow it up, flyboy!! Slow it up!!!” Dash cried as she tried to catch up to him, but she had worn herself out from trying to stop him from smacking into the ground; it was all she could do to stay within 20 yards of him as he glided along not 10 feet above the ground, his wings locked in place through the sheer stress placed on the joints. Even his legs had locked up, keeping him from pointing his nose.

“I can’t!! I can’t move my wings, they’re stuck, Dash!!!” He managed to waggle his wings up and down slightly, causing him to pitch and roll a bit, but that was it. He looked up in a panic to see where he could possibly land, but the only thing that loomed before them was the edge of Ponvyville…and The Golden Oak Library. The great tree rose up above him like some sort of nightmarish monolith, windows all aglow with yellow light and branches curled out to greet him like demonic claws in the growing darkness. “Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!”

Dash beat the air in a fury, reaching out to grab him by what was left of his tail, but she had no choice but to bank away from the great tree as Volare crashed into it with a sickening crunch. “Volare…aw no!!” Dash circled back around to see that somehow, someway, Volare hadn’t smashed into the tree trunk itself, but had instead torn off a branch and then crashed right through one of the large windows lining the parapet that circled the inside of the tree and sending flying glass everywhere. From the startled cries coming from inside, Spike was already on the scene.

“Volare! Flyboy! Jeez, are you alright?!” Dash shot through the broken window and nearly collided with Spike; the small dragon had apparently been standing on the parapet when Volare invited himself in, barely missing him as he crashed though the wooden railing that lined the walkway, tumbled through the kitchen doorway, and came to a final violent crash against the kitchen wall, knocking all sorts of pots and pans from their hooks in the process.

“Holy Celestia, what the heck is going on, Dash?!” Spike waved his claws. But Dash was hardly paying attention. Her dilated eyes were instead riveted on the short dragon’s head. “What…is there something on my face?”

Dash nodded, unable to speak, though her lower lip had begun to quiver a bit.

“Very funny, Dash, very”- Spike halted in mid-sentence as he wiped a claw across and looked at it before gasping in shock.
It was smeared with blood. “Wha-huh-oh jeez, is it mine?!” Spike felt himself with his claws, but he wasn’t cut anywhere nor was he missing any digits. “But…who’s…” He looked past Dash to the shattered window, where more of the crimson liquid was spattered and dripped from the jagged broken glass. Along with the blood, numerous dark blue feathers, broken and bent, were jammed between the window frame and the glass, and scattered all over the parapet. A few smaller ones even drifted down from above them, so great had the impact been.

“No…no…no…” Dash managed to whisper as her vision followed the blood drops and feathers from the window…over the shattered railing…along the floor…and finally through the kitchen doorway. A low moan greeted her ears as she slowly made her way down towards the first floor. She stepped in a few drops of blood, and the warm liquid made her recoil at the touch. What have you done to yourself…no…what have I done to you? “F-flyboy,” she managed to say as she poked her head around the kitchen doorway and promptly froze.

“Ugh…Dashie?” Volare wheezed at the sight of his friend in the doorway. He leaned his neck up, toppling the cooking pot that had fallen on his head off with a clatter. “W-we’re not dead are we…agh,” he winced at the pain tearing through his right ribcage. Dead men, er ponies don’t feel pain… “Heh…guess not…well,” he tried to stand but only managed to lean his upper body up. “How much did this little fiasco help my rugged good looks?” He tried to force a laugh but only managed to cough violently for a few moments.

“Oh…m-my…gosh…V-Volare,” Dash's voice cracked as she took soft steps at each word, her face absolutely distraught. It was the look that most humans wore behind their hands, but as she didn’t have those, she wore the look with such horror that it scared Volare a bit.

“Dashie? Agh, oh shit…” the male grunted and fell back to floor, flopping in something wet. “What the…” Something warm and wet…
He looked down, and even in the dim light of the kitchen, he could see the dark pool slowly spreading out from his right side. It felt like the pain was coming from the base of his wing, but he couldn’t see enough of it to know for sure. Weird…my left wing hurts like hell from crashing through that window, but my right wing…it doesn’t hurt at all… He jerked back up and looked at Dash with fearful eyes, but was met only with a look of silent horror.
“D-Dashie….Dash please say something, you’re scaring me!!”

It was at that moment that he realized that she wasn’t looking at him but slightly past him. He craned his neck back around and beheld an absolutely surreal sight: his wing…his frickin wing…was torn completely off and laying halfway across the kitchen and twitching slightly, blood slowly seeping out of it and puddling on the floor. It must have been damaged in the dive and then the crash…and when he rolled into the kitchen…that must have done the rest…he was glad he couldn’t turn his head far enough to see where there was undoubtedly a bloody wing stump poking from his ribs.

“Y-you gotta be kidding me…” Volare gurgled in shock. He began to shake violently as Dash fell to her knees and gently wrapped her hooves around him. He felt something small, cold, and wet drip onto his shoulder as she buried her head in his neck, unable to look him in the eye. “What…what am I”-

“Shh, shhh, it’s ok, Volare,” Dash hugged him closely as he tried to look around at his severed wing. But she grabbed him around the back of his head and pulled his face around, finally meeting his eyes with her own. “Don’t look…d-don’t look, flyboy.”

“Dash, i-is he ok?” Spike asked from the doorway. He was trying to play it cool and tough, but he was still only a baby dragon, and she could tell he was close to breaking down himself.

“Yeah, he’s alive Spike,” Rainbow nodded her head grimly. “But he’s really hurt.”

Spike then clicked the kitchen light on and saw the blood all over the floor and Volare’s pained expression. The small dragon covered his mouth with his claws and uttered a very uncool squeak. “Jeez, I-what do I do Dash?! What do I do?!”

“I don’t know, Spike,” Dash ran her hooves over what remained of Volare’s wing, causing him to wince and cry out as her hoof came away bloody. She looked back at him to see his face growing pale and his body cooling from the lack of blood. She came within milliseconds of panicking right then and there, but she mentally slapped herself. She had to be strong for Volare right now! “We’ve gotta stop the bleeding!”

“R-right, I’ll get a towel!”

“And a blanket-we gotta keep him warm, Spike!”

“Right on it,” he nodded and ran for the bathroom, leaving the two pegasi alone for a moment.

“Oh Volare…why’d you have to do it? Why’d you push yourself to this,” Dash muttered as she brushed his mane out of his face, revealing a look of shame before he closed his eyes against the bright kitchen light; it hurt to look at it.

“B-because Dashie,” he mumbled through his battered mouth, cut up by the window glass. “Because I didn’t wanna look weak in front of you.”

Dash’s heart skipped a beat and she stared at him for a long moment.
Did he just say…what I think he just said?
…he did.
Not now!
…yes now, Dash. You were right about him.
How was I right?!
…strange to find somepony who shares the same fears as you, huh?
Shut up!
“Volare, I”- she began to apologize, but he shook his head once.

“It’s not your fault Dashie…I can’t blame you…I was stupid and I screwed up,” he opened his eyes and gave her a painful smile as a tear leaked from his eye.

But it wasn't you that screwed up, Volare. It was me...again... Dash wanted so badly to tell him...but...she just couldn't, not even now. Damn pride! Dammit, dammit, dammit!!!

“But then y-you saved me yet again…if anything, I should be thanking you. For everything. Heh, it’s getting blurry,” he blinked twice and shut his eyes again.

“Don’t lose focus, flyboy,” Dash grabbed his hoof in hers and squeezed. “Stay awake! Uh um…you said I have an advantage over you, when we were up there above the clouds; what did you mean?” She asked, trying to keep his mind occupied and active.

“Oh that, heh…just a little theory Twilight and I came up with,” he chuckled and coughed. “Something about how ultra-athletic pegasi have over-developed lungs and can function better at…ugh, you don’t wanna hear me ramble do you,” he cracked an eye to see her response.

“Keep going, Volare,” she rubbed her face against his hoof and gave him a comforting smile. “I don't wanna hear you stop.”

“Only cuz it’s about you, I’ll bet,” he managed to chuckle.

“Hey, watch it,” she growled softly.

“Gonna kick me when I’m down, Dashie,” he coughed and laughed again before settling down.

“Maybe later, flyboy,” Dash squeezed his hoof again. “Please...keep going.”

“Alright, alright, jeez can’t let a guy get any shuteye, even when he’s been through a horrific accident. Do I seem giddy to you, because I think I might be, heh-heh-heh,” he caught her slightly stern look and got his thoughts back in order as Spike returned with a towel and a few blankets, which he handed to the rainbow Pegasus with a very worried look.
“Jeez, sorry I’m bleeding all over your floor, Spike. I’ll make it up to ya one of these days, promise. You like cake? I'll have Pinkie bake ya one or something."

“Sounds good, Volare,” Spike forced a smile and nodded, biting his lip to keep from losing it. True he was a pain in his scales, but he didn't want to see him dead!

“Spike I need you to go get help,” Rainbow Dash instructed him as she wrapped Volare’s bleeding wingstump as carefully as she could, still managing to make him cry out loudly in pain. “I can’t stop the bleeding; I dunno how. Go find Twilight…hopefully she’ll know what to do.”

“You got it,” Spike said and patted Volare’s shoulder. “You hang in there, dude. I’ll be back as soon as I can!” As he skittered out of the kitchen, Dash turned back to the stallion, whose eyes had started to flutter a bit.

“Stay with me, Volare! What’s my advantage over you? Focus,” she said gently as she wrapped the blankets around him and herself.

“It’s..it’s…your lungs get more oxygen than other pegasi…also explains why you sleep a lot when you’re near the ground…too…much…oxygen,” he snuggled closer to her. “You’re nice and warm Dash…mind if I catch a few winks with you, ol’ pal…?"

“Volare, don’t go to sleep!” Dash shook him till he cracked an eye open. “You gotta stay with me till help comes!”

“But…this is nice…this is perfect…for the first time in a long, long time, I’m happy…I don’t have to fight right now,” he nuzzled against her chest. “Thanks for sticking with me, Dashie…even if I am pathetic.”

“You’re not pathetic, Volare; don’t you ever believe that,” she ran a wingtip through his mane and shut her eyes as she laid her muzzle upon his, doing her best not to let the tears of guilt flow.
…if only it were different circumstances, huh?
Yeah, you’re telling me.
…or are you telling yourself?
Not this crap; not right now, it’s only cuz of my Element.
…keep telling yourself that, Dashie.

A loud crash and shouting startled Dash out of her thoughts. “Rainbow Dash, what did you do?!” She heard Twilight shouting as she burst through the front door and galloped into the kitchen, nearly skidding on the blood on the floor as she stopped at the sight before her. “Wh-what in the name of Celestia and Luna happened in here, Dash?!”

“Holy moly, Volare’s missing a wing,” Pinkie Pie gawked at the severed blue limb in the corner. She sat the basket of peaches on the countertop and poked the wing with a hoof, making it twitch before Applejack whacked her with her hat.

“Not now, sugarcube; we got a heap o’ trouble on our hooves,” the orange Earth Pony turned and laid her saddlebags of apples down before approaching the two pegasi bundled up on the kitchen floor. “Now Rainbow Dash, ya’ll’re gonna have ta let us take a look at’im, alright?”

“And give us a damn good explanation too,” Twilight added, shocking them all, as she hardly ever cursed. “And I’m gonna kick your plot myself if it’s not the answer I wanna hear, Rainbow Dash.” Her horn glowed an angry purple as she approached the pegasi, avoiding the pooled blood on the kitchen floor as best she could while still looking as intimidating as she possibly could. By the look on Dash’s face, she would bet all her bits that she knew exactly what had happened.
Her friend had gone too far this time!

Notes: Ok folks, the PROLOGUE arc of the story is nearly complete...yes, this massive buildup is merely the prologue, as the real story truly begins after the next chapter! Can Volare's wing be fixed? Will he ever fly again? Will Twilight kick Dash's flank once and for all?! Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of *THUNK*
Volare: Jeez, this narrator is an asshole!

Prologue-Pt 12: A Little Daring Do

August 25th, Golden Oak Library, Dusk...

“Twilight,” Volare coughed and spoke up in a whisper that the Unicorn hardly registered, but it was enough to divert her anger from Rainbow Dash for a moment. He felt terribly weak, but not quite enough to not come to his friend's defense. “I-I can explain everything. You see, me and Dash, we just-"

“Volare, shut up,” Twilight stomped her hoof, shocking everypony present. Like the head of an emergency room, Twilight was taking charge and heaven help anypony that got in her way! “You need to stop running your mouth right now and save your strength. Rainbow Dash…you and I are gonna have a little chat later, but for now, just keep him warm.” Twilight then turned to Spike. “You-I need you to find me a book with information on limb reattachment as fast as you can; I haven’t studied the spell in depth, and I’m gonna need a reference.”

“Got it, Twilight,” the small dragon nodded and ran out of the kitchen to the bookshelves.

“Pinkie Pie, AJ.” The orange and pink Earth Ponies snapped to attention, the pink one actually giving her a salute and a stern face that would have been rather amusing in any other circumstance. “I need you two to do your best to keep Volare calm…I’ve got a feeling this isn’t going to be fun for anypony involved.”

“B-but I am calm, Twilight,” Volare groaned with his eyes shut, prompting Twilight to glare at him and Applejack to kneel next to him and stroke his mane comfortingly.

“Twi said to hush now, Volare,” the country pony said softly but sternly. “Ya’ll got yourselves inta this mess and now ya’ll gotta reap what you’ve sown. It’s for yer own good, but we’re here for ya.”

“Give him a break,” Dash growled and slapped Applejack’s hoof away. “It’s not his fault!”

“I said we’ll talk about this later, Dash,” Twilight returned the growl with one of her own. She needed to focus and there wasn’t much time to do so; Volare was bleeding out as they spoke, and the less time they spent arguing, the more time they could put towards helping him. She closed her eyes and concentrated, gathering the knowledge she already had on healing. Transforming something into a pony was one thing, as was healing skin burns. But compared to the reattachment of torn muscles and tendons, broken bones-and most importantly, severed nerves-in a manner that allowed a full recovery…those things were practically foal’s play.

For a moment, Twilight considered rushing him to Ponyville Medical, but she wasn’t sure if anypony there knew how to reattach wings, and Volare stood a good chance of bleeding to death on the way to a destination that might not hold any sure salvation. No…the operation would take place right there in her kitchen. She stared at the severed wing lying against the counter…it twitched again.
Celestia give me strength…

“We’re not mad,” Pinkie Pie gave Volare an encouraging smile. “I mean, we kinda are, but more at what you did, and not at you. So cheer up; it’s gonna be ok cuz we’re your friends and like AJ said, we’re here for ya!” She knelt down next to him as well, adding her body heat to his own waning warmth as the blood continued to trickle from the broken wing stump.

“Heh, you guys,” Volare tried to open his eyes, but the kitchen light hurt too much. “You’re all the best…this’d be a heck of a way to go out…urgh, tired…”

“No you stay awake, flyboy!” Dash reached over and nipped his ear roughly, bringing a cry of pain to his lips. Applejack fanned him gently with her hat.

“Can’t let ya go off to dreamland just yet, Volare-bear,” Pinkie poked his nose gently with a hoof, doing her best to hide her worry with smiles. “So just stay awake or we’ll keep poking ya!”

“Oh alright, alright,” Volare grumbled. “We’ll see how much you like it when I poke you in the head when you’re trying to sleep…later…”

“Spike, have you found it yet? It should be in the Anatomy section!” Twilight shouted towards the kitchen door, but she was only met with cries of frustration. “What’s the matter?” Twilight asked as she trotted around the corner before her jaw dropped.

“I can’t find it, Twilight!!” Spike hissed as he tossed book after book onto the floor, nearly falling off the large rolling ladder that ran along the shelves as he did so. The whole top shelf had been emptied, and the dragon was growing more frantic by the moment as his eyes scanned each book cover before throwing them on the floor. Twilight fought down a feeling of mounting panic of her own as she tried to assess the situation.

“What do you mean you can’t find it?” she asked as calmly as she could.

“W-when Dash and Volare cleaned the place up, I dunno-I think they put the books back in the wrong order cuz everything is outta place now!!” Spike shouted this time, alerting the ponies in the kitchen that something was very wrong.

“Are you serious?!” Twilight gasped and began flipping through the books on the shelf at a rapid pace, but there were too many to look through! “Rainbow Dash, you’re impossible!!”

“Either that or you leant it out to somepony.”

“This isn’t happening…” Twilight muttered as her resolve began to crumble, her ears flicking nervously every few seconds. "This isn't bucking happening..."

“Volare’s not gonna make it if we don’t find you some sort of reference,” Spike balled his claws up and pressed them into his eyes in frustration. “And there’s too many to go through and not enough time!! What do we do, Twilight? What now?!” he sobbed. Twilight trotted over and laid her chin on her long-time friend’s head and sighed softly.

“You tried, Spike. That’s all that matters right now,” she looked back up at the kitchen door. “Dammit…I guess I could just wing it…” How ironic…

“B-but, what about what you said before? What if you get the spell wrong? You could turn him inside out, or set him on fire, or-" Twilight stopped his ramblings with a hoof.

“Don’t remind me, Spike. It’s not like I’ve never studied the spell before, it’s just that I’ve never had to use it and so I’m afraid I’ll be rusty when I try," the Librarian licked her lips pensively before snorting softly and gathering herself. "Better rusty than bleeding to death though, right?”

“Is that supposed to be a helpful metaphor,” Spike shot her a look.

“…not very good, huh?”

“Just stick with what you’re good at, Twilight,” Spike gave her a reassuring hug. “And that’s magic. Guys, we’re coming!” The dragon led the way back into the kitchen, the Unicorn right behind him, her mind already buzzing with how she’d go about this.

“Ok, I feel it’s fair that I give you all a heads up,” Twilight looked at Dash and Volare especially. “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

“Oh what could the bad news be; that you couldn’t find a reference book?” Volare moaned slightly.

“…”

Pinkie Pie hugged Volare around the neck at Twilight’s silence. “Oof…great. What’s the good news?”

“Well, the good news is there are two ways we can keep you from bleeding to death, but only one can save your wing and only one is guaranteed to keep you alive,” Twilight finally said reluctantly. “I can try what I know of the spell already and do my best to reattach your wing, then maybe try to fix things later if it doesn’t go right, but it carries substantial risk, Volare.”

“What’s the worst that could happen? I turn inside out or something?”

“…”

“That’s just frickin' awesome. What’s the other choice-agh,” he hitched in a breath as his side alternated between periods of numbness and aching pain.

“Well, the other choice will guarantee that you won’t bleed to death, but…well…you probably won’t ever fly again, Volare,” Twilight gave him a pained look.

“A-and what exactly does that involve?”

“Basically, I sear your wing stump shut.” Volare’s eyes snapped wide open at the bluntness of her response.

“Excuse me Twilight, but I’m gonna answer for him on this one,” Dash spoke up. “Hell no!”

“That’s a hell no from me too,” Volare nodded, appreciating the squeeze that Dash gave his hoof under the blanket. “What good would I be if I couldn’t fly? Besides…you transformed me from a human into a pony, and I trust you, Twilight.”

“Thanks Volare,” Twilight smiled and felt a tear leak from her eye and roll down her face at his bravery in the situation, foolhardy though it may be. “It’s more than likely not going to feel pleasant,” she warned him solemnly. But the injured Pegasus leaned up as best as he could and rolled over onto his stomach, the fur on his side peeling off of the bloody floor with a sticky sound.

“Rainbow Dash…” he looked at his friend who had turned away from the sight of his injured body. He turned her face with a hoof, leaving a bloody smear on her cheek. He hoped she didn’t mind; she looked upset enough as it was. “If this goes bad, please don’t blame yourself, ok?” But she didn’t answer at first; simply nuzzling against his hoof. “Dashie…ok?”

“…O-k-kay,” she whimpered before throwing her hooves around his neck and hugging him as tightly as his injury would allow. Normally her pride wouldn't let her show such emotion like this, but considering the situation...well, feather anypony that had a problem with it! That thought made her hug him even tighter.

“Hey…save the hugs for when I make it,” he whispered into her ear. He then did the craziest thing he could recall doing since he’d gotten there; even crazier than the stunts he’d pulled earlier. Hell why not? If I don’t make it this might be my only chance anyways… He gave her the lightest possible kiss at the base of her ear. She nearly pulled away in shock, but relaxed after a moment, just enjoying the contact of the side of his face against hers, despite the blood staining her blue coat. “Thanks for being my friend, Dashie.”

“Plenty more where that came from, flyboy,” Dash whispered back and gave him another quick hug. When she pulled away with a little smile, he could see a deeper red spreading across her cheeks beneath the blood smear.

As he realized she hadn’t knocked his head off, he felt the heat flushing his own face with what little blood he still had left. He turned his body to Pinkie and Applejack and gave them quick hugs as well. “And you guys…try to keep Twilight off of Dashie’s back if…if this doesn’t work, ok?”

“Won’t have to, sugarcube-cuz you’re gonna be just fine,” Applejack smiled despite her worry.

“Mhm! When you get all better, I’m gonna throw you the best party ever, cuz it’ll be a ‘Volare is better’ party AND your official ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party; cuz I still owe ya one of those too,” Pinkie chirped and mussed his mane. “Good luck, woodchuck!”

“Thanks you guys,” Volare smiled, somehow finding a newfound strength, however feeble. He laid out on his stomach and looked up at Twilight with a cheeky half-grin as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash stepped away from him. “Alright Doctor Sparkle. Do your damnedest.”

“Hold on, sugarcube,” Applejack spoke up, giving him a towel. “Bite down on this…just in case.” Volare nodded grimly and clamped the rag in his teeth before shutting his eyes tightly, awaiting a pain he couldn’t even imagine.

“Alright,” Twilight sighed and concentrated. “Here goes nothing.”

Oh I’m sure it’ll be plenty…Volare thought as he braced himself.

Twilight’s horn flickered a bright magenta as she began the spell. The glow spread from her horn to the severed wing, levitating it off the floor and bringing it closer to Volare’s body. The energy in the spell caused the wingtip feathers to twitch violently, an eerie and fascinating sight that nearly caused Spike to run from the room in horror. But the awe of what was occurring in their little kitchen kept his claws rooted to the hardwood floor. Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to scream, but Applejack plugged her mouth with her hoof, not wanting to break Twilight’s focus.

She hovered the severed base of the wing up to Volare’s side and took a deep breath before letting the aura from her horn fall over Volare’s body as well. He felt that same safe, warm, and comforting feeling he’d felt before when she first helped him to walk. As she bathed the wing and its owner in light, her eyes opened and began to glow bright white. She brought the wing closer and closer to his body until it was a fraction of an inch away.

“Hang on, Volare,” she managed to grunt before a bright white beam shot from her eyes and impacted the small space between his wing and his body. Instantly, the water vapor between the two flashed to steam, and if Volare hadn’t been holding the towel in his mouth, he might have bitten his own tongue off in shock at the sheer amount of pain that flashed from the wing stump, down to his spine, and up and down his body as Twilight began to repair the wings’ separated nerves.

The pain…oh my God!!!
Volare slammed his eyes shut and ground down on the towel until his jaw ached, but there was nothing he could do to block out the raw agony he felt radiating from his side. He could feel Twilight drawing the broken nerves from the stump and joining them together with those of the wing. Every re-connection felt like he was sticking his finger in an electrical socket, and he screamed through the towel as he suddenly felt the pain of the ripped and torn flesh and broken feathers in the wing…he could feel it all!!

He tried to ignore the feeling, but it was almost too fascinating not to as Twilight completed the nerve connections and halted for just the smallest of moments, mainly to wipe the sweat from her brow before it dripped into her eyes. It was a blissful moment almost devoid of the burning pain that wasn’t destined to last as she got right back to it. The light from her horn flashed a darker purple and her eyes turned a golden color as she changed her attention to the tendons and muscles that bound the wing to his ribcage. If he’d looked back, he would have seen his side bathed in a golden-white light as glowing strands zipped to and fro between the wing and his side, re-lacing them back together like one would lace up a shoe. Blood vessels snapped back together, tendons were reconnected, and muscle fibers stretched as Volare became aware of the weight of his wing again. It would have fallen to the floor if Twilight hadn’t been supporting it. He didn’t remember it being so damn heavy!

“Almost done…almost done,” Twilight managed to gasp as the glow from her horn changed color yet again, this time to a nearly midnight-black blue color. Her eyes returned to normal as she focused on repairing his skin cells. This hurt less than the nerves, but was still extremely uncomfortable as she bound the skin together with the finishing part of the spell which appeared in the form of a tiny blue glow zipping back and forth, plunging into and out of his skin as the magic finally joined limb with owner once again. By this point, Volare was barely conscious, but he was most definitely aware of the sensation of touch at the tips of his wings as the blood flowed back into the limb again. The wing flopped to the floor with a soft thud as Twilight released it from her magical grip.

Twilight’s eyes and horn returned to normal and she collapsed to the floor as well, breathing hard and blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to clear her vision of the white blur that dominated her sight. “H-how did I…did it work?” she managed to gasp. “He didn’t turn inside out, did he?”

“Well, Ah’ll be a griffon’s uncle, Twi,” Applejack was the first to break the silence as she helped her shaky friend to her hooves. “Ah think ya did it.”

“Holy macaroons, Volare’s wing is back! Not that it ever really went anywhere, but still, he’s got it back!!” Pinkie Pie hopped up and down as Volare shakily raised his head from the bloody floor.

“And he’s all in one piece,” Spike added with a grin as he patted Twilight’s leg.

“Wonderful…just wonderful,” Volare gasped as he tried to sit up, but just raising his head was a great enough effort in its own right. He looked back at his repaired wing and tried to give it an experimental flap, but it was all he could do to simply wiggle the feathers at the tip of it. The wing fell back against his body and he sighed. “Well, at least I’m not bleeding to death anymore.”

“D-don’t try to exert your wing,” Twilight managed to say as her vision finally cleared. Her head rang with a high-pitched whine and as she looked over at her patient, a spike of pain slammed into her forehead. “Ugh…that take as much out of you as it did to me, Volare?”

“And then some,” he replied as he beamed his thanks at her. “You’re absolutely amazing, you know that, Twilight?”

The Unicorn looked away for a moment in embarrassment but turned back at Applejack’s friendly nudge. “I-I just hope I didn’t do more harm than good, Volare. I’m going to try to find that book and read back over the spell again…find out what you’ve gotta do for a recovery.”

“No kidding, cuz I can’t even lift the thing,” he nodded to his wing. “It feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.”

“Or like you just went through the workout from heck,” Dash broke her own silence and stepped tentatively towards Volare. “Happens every now and then to me when I work too hard cuz the muscles get torn and stretched. And considering you just had your own shredded muscles reattached...it’s like you worked out for a week straight or something.”

“I’m impressed, Dash,” Twilight nodded her admiration to her friend who made her way over to Volare and nuzzled him comfortingly.

“Glad you made it through that, flyboy,” Dash grinned and gingerly ran a hoof down to his repaired wing. The skin over the joint was bare and an angry shade of coral. “Heheh, hopefully your fur grows back over that sooner or later; makes it look like you’re wearing a pink sweatband or something.”

“Oh, I dunno,” Volare winked. “I think I’d look good with a killer pink scar, eh Dashie?” The female Pegasus shoved him gently, drawing a wince of pain from him.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she smiled innocently, but Twilight wasn’t convinced. Far from it, she intended to put her hoof down right now before Dash got him hurt again…even on accident.

“Well, I hate to do this you guys, but Volare is going to have to rest up, Spike looks tired, and this whole crazy day has just plain worn me out,” Twilight forced a yawn and looked to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “I’m gonna go freshen up and then grab some shuteye.”

“But what about dinner? I had a big peach cobbler planned and everything,” Pinkie wibbled a bit, but Twilight wasn’t moved…much.

“I promise we’ll make it up soon, Pinkie; but for now, I’m asking that Volare get some privacy so he can recover; that’s all,” Twilight replied, doing her best to fight off a sudden craving for peaches.

“Okey dokey,” Pinkie said with a little frown before hugging Twilight and Volare. “You two get some sleep, cuz you deserve it! I’ll just leave these here though….just in case you want a midnight snack or something,” Pinkie grinned and poked the basket of peaches with a hoof. “Come on, AJ. Let’s let’em snooze.”

“Inna minute, sugarcube,” Applejack replied and wrapped Twilight in a strong embrace of her own. “It’s like Volare said; ya’ll are amazin’ Twi. I dunno what we’d do-what Volare’d do-withoutcha.” She pulled back with a smile and suddenly her eyes went wide. “Oh horseflies! Be back in two shakes!” The orange pony galloped past a confused Pinkie Pie and out the door.

“Did I miss something?” Pinkie asked, but Twilight only shrugged. She looked back at Rainbow Dash who had been leaning against the kitchen countertop, trying to look cool and collected, but still managing to snatch glances at Volare when she thought nopony was looking. Glances full of concern and the other emotion Twilight had suspected started this whole mess. Her suspicions were confirmed as Dash began playfully flicking Volare’s mane with a hoof. The flicks soon turned to stroking, which then turned to Volare’s chin falling sleepily to the tops of his hooves. He was soon snoring softly as Dash continued to gently stroke his mane and neck, being careful to avoid his wing.

Wait till AJ and Pinkie are gone and Volare is in bed, Twilight…

Applejack soon returned carrying the heavy flour sack. “Well, it didn’t break like tha other’n,” she grunted as she heaved it up on the countertop. “So it’ll still be good fer bakin with later. But them eggs are all over tha lawn and no good, Twi.”

“That’s the least of my worries right now, AJ,” Twilight waved a dismissive hoof.

“Heh, Ah kinda figured. Ah’ll have Big Macintosh bring ya some more when he gets tha chance.” She suddenly yawned loudly with a little blush. “Woo, Ah guess Ah’m right tuckered mahself. Come on, Pinkie, Dash….hey Spike, what’s botherin’ ya,” she asked as she noticed the sudden frown and crossed claws of the little dragon.

“Oh, nothing,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze. “Just that I helped out too, but nopony said ‘oh thanks, Spike’ or gave me a hug or anything-whoa!” Spike gasped as Applejack and Pinkie enveloped him in a double hug, which was soon joined by Twilight and even Rainbow Dash. “Ok, ok, too much thanks!”

The four ponies laughed as they set the horribly blushing dragon on the ground before Pinkie and Applejack headed for the door. “Night ya’ll! Comin’ RD?”

“Yep, hang on a sec,” Dash replied before softly trotting over to Volare and giving him a soft kiss on the tip of his ear, which flicked in irritation as he slumbered. Dash looked up to see the strange looks on her friends’ faces. “What? Can’t a mare express her relief that her new friend isn’t gonna die? Sheesh!”

“AJ, Pinkie, you two head on,” Twilight spoke up and gave the rainbow Pegasus a sidelong glance. “I’m gonna have a quick little talk with Dash here.”

“Sure ya don’t want us to stay and at least clean the place up a bit?” Pinkie turned a little green as she nodded at the drying blood and blue feathers all over the kitchen; it looked like a murder scene.

“I’ve got it covered, thanks Pinkie,” Twilight waved until the front door shut before rounding on Rainbow Dash with a glare.

“What?” her friend inquired innocently-except this innocence seemed sincere, like she really had no idea that she was possibly doing something wrong. Then again, Twilight was convinced that nopony-not even Rainbow Dash-could be that damn dense.

“Just what exactly happened to cause all this, Dash? And don’t you dare lie to me!” Twilight gave Dash the sternest look she’d ever recalled seeing on her bookworm friend’s face.

“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, Twilight! What, you jealous that Volare wanted to spend more time with me than you? That it, huh?!” Dash flared her wings, her fighting blood suddenly up despite the exhaustion in her bones.

“Ahem, guys,” Spike coughed gently, averting their attention for a moment. He patted Volare’s matted mane with a claw. “Maybe we should move Volare to a bed before you add to the overall disaster that is the kitchen.” His statement drew a look of surprise from Twilight, who up until this point thought that Spike rather resented Volare being there. But she shook the questions away and gave Spike a nod.

“That’s probably for the best. Rainbow, you care to lend us a hoof in getting this guy upstairs?”

“Sure thing. Heh, we probably owe him a little nicer place to sleep than the floor this time, eh,” she chuckled, referring to earlier. Had that only been that morning…it seemed years ago…

“Indeed. Spike, please get my bed ready for him,” her statement brought shocked stares from her friends. “Oh come on; I’m gonna sleep on the couch while he uses my bed! What do you take me for?”

“Heh, totally not thinking what I was thinking, Twilight,” Spike giggled as he headed for the stairs. “Ow!” he rubbed the back of his head as a magical force tweaked one of his green spines. “Twilight Psycho wanting to play doctor and now she wants to let him sleep in her bed…what a crazy-flanked night…” he grumbled all the way up to her bedroom.

Twilight turned to Volare’s peacefully sleeping body. “Well, shall we?” Dash nodded as Twilight surrounded his body with that aura and levitated him from the floor, leaving a bloody Pegasus-shaped outline where he’d been laying. “Poor guy really did lose a lot of blood…makes me wonder how close he came to-"

“Hey, he’s gonna make it now Twilight, so don’t talk about that, ok?” Dash said suddenly, her voice cracking a bit as she did so. “He’s gonna be ok…he’s gonna.”

“I hope so. Support his wings for me, Dash and we’ll carry him upstairs.” Dash gently took his wings in her hooves, drawing a small groan from Volare as they made their way up the steps. After a few moments, they reached the top, and gently laid him down on her freshly-made bed. “Thanks Spike,” she patted her assistant on the head before situating Volare’s limbs and pulling the blanket over his slightly shivering form. Twilight and Dash allowed themselves a moment to look over his face, so peaceful compared to earlier, before Spike coughed again.

“Um, didn’t you girls have something to talk about, cuz I think he can sleep just fine without you two drooling over him,” the dragon said sarcastically before Twilight swatted him in the nose with her tail.

“Yes, we do have something to talk about, and no we are not drooling, Spike! Keep an eye on him please; I’ll be right back. Come on Dash.” The Pegasus reluctantly followed her Unicorn friend back downstairs. They nearly took a turn into the kitchen, but Twilight thought better of it and motioned towards the book-strewn main lobby of the library. She laid down and tucked her legs up under herself on the couch while Dash perched on a pile of books. “Guy’s been here less than a day, and he’s wrecked this place twice,” she shook her head and chuckled lightly. “I guess it could do with a little remodeling anyway.”

“Ok, quit the small-talk, Twilight,” Dash interrupted her. “You said you had something to say and you seemed pretty insistent in saying it, but now that we’re here, you’re stalling for time. What is it?”

Twilight was taken aback at her statement but quickly recovered. She looked towards the kitchen and grabbed two of the peaches with her magic and floated them to herself, offering one to Dash who suddenly realized her own hunger. She dug into the succulent fruit as Twilight spoke up. “Dash…there are certain things you need to know…about yourself and Volare.” Her friend looked up at this, paying complete attention now. “There are certain conclusions that Pinkie, AJ, and myself came to today in the marketplace regarding our new friend, and especially regarding the behavior I’ve noticed towards him…”

“Ok whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a sec,” Dash waved a hoof and spat out the peach pit she had been gnawing on. It landed in a small bowl with a clink alongside the pits of the near-dozen or so other peaches that Twilight and herself had been munching on for the past half-hour. “So you’re saying that the reason why we’ve all felt differently towards him is because of either hormones or a…what did you call it again?”

“A misplaced maternal reaction originating from our instincts as mares to want to provide care and affection to little baby foals and newborns. And since Volare is basically a newborn to us, if not in mind then at least in mannerisms and pony experience, we feel compelled to be around him all the time and shower him with affection,” Twilight said with more than a little self-satisfaction, though she felt the slightest pang of guilt.
Was that really how she felt about it too?

“Yeah…I don’t buy it, Twilight,” Dash shook her head. “I mean, when have I ever acted…motherly?”

“…you remember the little filly you saved from the well?”

“Yeah, of course I do!”

“And the little foal you saved from rolling off a cliff in a baby carriage?”

“Yeah, ok, that was a-"

“And you managed to risk your life to save Rarity and the Wonderbolts from certain death while they were falling helplessly from Cloudsdale.”

“…ok, I think I see your point.”

“Indeed, and I think it’s even stronger in you than the rest of us, Dash.”

“What, why?” she asked in bafflement.

“Because of your Element: Loyalty. Even though you have a pretty significant sense of pride as well as a rather inflated ego because of it-"

“Hey, watch it!” Dash growled.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist. What I mean to say is that even though you have a lot of personal pride, you still manage to put it aside to help those in need, especially those that are weaker than you; a common indicator of parental instinct, I believe.”

“But I…ok, maybe but…hmm,” Dash tapped her chin. Maybe she was right…then again… “But that can’t be true, Twilight. Or if it is, that means that I’m only helping Volare like this because I feel he’s weak.”

“You said it yourself that he is,” Spike spoke up from the stairs.

“Hey, get back up there!” Dash threw a book at the dragon who stuck his tongue out and scurried back up to the bedroom.

“You told him that, Dash?” Twilight asked after a beat.

“Yeah I did…well, he overheard me telling Spike that and…he got really upset,” Dash’s face fell at the memory. “And that’s why we did what we did and he got hurt; cuz he was trying to prove he wasn’t weak like I said. I told him I only said that he was weak because I was angry, so if I tell him that’s actually true now...it’ll break his heart and he’s gonna hate me, Twilight. So that’s why what you say right now can’t be true! Not from me,” Dash hung her head and sighed.

The purple Unicorn gave her friend an understanding look. “Then it must be the hormones.”

“Oh come on, Twilight!” The Unicorn nearly fell over the back of the couch at Dash’s sudden outburst. “Why’s everything gotta be a feathering science project to you? Why can’t you just let some things remain unknown, huh?!” The Pegasus turned away and crossed her hooves, snorting in frustration. “I dunno what it is that’s making me wanna spend time with him and help him…and even kiss him on the ear because I thought it’d be funny and cute-ok there I said it!!!” She shouted and covered her ears with her hooves, as if in shock at what she’d just heard herself say.

“Dash, I”-

“Just…just forget I ever said that, Twilight,” Dash turned back to her friend with a solemn look. “The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t wanna see him get hurt again, but I don’t wanna smother him either, so I’m stuck, ok? That’s my ‘scientific explanation’,” she air quoted and shut her eyes tightly, awaiting Twilight’s response.

“Dash…maybe you’re right,” Twilight said softly.

Dash’s head practically wrenched itself off her shoulders, it spun around so quickly. “Come again?”

“I said maybe you’re right…I’m sorry that I try to put everything into its own little category; it’s just the way I’m wired,” she sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “Maybe there are certain things out there that just aren’t understandable and the very possibility of such a thing occurring makes me wanna go out and investigate it, I dunno.”

“Like Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense?”

“Yeah no kidding, but we all know how that turned out,” Twilight rubbed the spot where a whole moving truck full of ridiculously heavy crap had fallen on her head. “That is one thing that’ll probably never be explained.”

“Kinda like me and my loyalty, huh,” Dash mused. “Like you said, it just makes me do things I don’t understand sometimes…”

“I see…maybe your behavior is actually based on your Element itself, which is causing a chemical reaction in your brain, which is then-" but Twilight cut herself off at Dash’s bemused expression. “Sorry…heh, ok for now, let’s just let bygones be bygones and not try to explain these feelings away.”

“Deal!” Dash spat in her hoof and offered it to Twilight, who grimaced a bit.

“Really?” Dash nodded sincerely. “Urgh, fine,” she rolled her eyes and spat in her own hoof and shook Dash’s. “We won’t worry ourselves over this stuff….for now!”

“Sounds good…so, now what?” Dash asked as Twilight got up from the couch, and trotted over to the kitchen doorway.

“Well, I was going to try to clean up this place at the very least before I went to bed; don’t want any visitors to think somepony got murdered back here.”

“Or performed a surgery that you had no idea how to perform in the first place…but things turned out alright so far,” Dash grinned her thanks at her friend who returned it modestly.

“Well, I just got a little lucky, I suppose.”

“Luck nothing-you’re the most powerful magic user in Ponyville! Even when you haven’t done more than glance over a spell, you were still able to perform it right and save a Pegasus’ wing, and keep him from bleeding to death!” She then looked around at the horror scene of a kitchen and chuckled. “Tell ya what; I’m not that tired or hungry; those peaches really hit the spot. So, I’ll stick around and help ya clean the place up before I head out!”

“Thanks Dash,” Twilight said but gave her a strange look. Since when was Dash ever this complimentary…?

“Well, that was…interesting,” Twilight laughed and tossed the filthy rag in a bucket she’d been using to scrub the floor. Dash followed suite with her own rags she’d been cleaning the errant blood spatters on the counter tops and drawers with. “Why do I feel like I’m covering up a crime scene here,” the Unicorn laughed and dumped the bloody water down the sink. She took one look at the rags and simply burned them as a lost cause before tossing the ash out the window.

“Better than it was, Twilight,” Dash clapped her on the back with a hoof and grinned at their work, Volare’s blood still plastered on her cheek. “That magic of yours sure is helpful at times like this. But poor ol’ pegasi like me just gotta make do with good ol’ hoof and elbow grease.”

“Ok Dash, drop the act,” Twilight demanded of the surprised Pegasus.

“Huh, whatcha mean? What act?” Dash asked, trying her best to look innocent.

“The only reason why you’re suddenly being nice and complimentary to me is just a sneaky way of buttering another pony up. So, just come straight out with it and tell me what you want,” Twilight tapped her hoof impatiently.

“Well, oh fine, ya caught me; I surrender,” Dash held her hooves outwards in a pantomime of being cuffed by the Royal Guards. “There is something I wanna talk to you about.”

“Is it about our blue friend upstairs,” Twilight asked with a small snort.

“How’d ya know?” Dash’s ears fell slightly.

“Oh, mare’s intuition,” the Unicorn chuckled and then her smile faded. “I also need to talk to you about him, and I’m not kidding around here Dash.” The Pegasus nodded and perched on the counter top, completely focused. “Don’t take this the wrong way Rainbow, but I don’t want you and Volare seeing each other for a while.”

“Say what?!” Dash shot to her hooves on the countertop before she could stop herself. “Explain, Twilight!”

“What I mean to say is…I’m worried about you two and whatever these ‘feelings’ you may or may not have for each other; they’ve nearly gotten him killed, and I don’t wanna see that happen,” Twilight frowned.

“Already told ya: I fly solo, Twilight. I’m just having a little fun, that’s all.”

“Well then it’s even worse because there’s a good chance that he sees your teasings as genuine affection.”

“But…he told me that that can’t happen between us, Twilight,” Dash said slowly. “He said he’s…well, it’s…"

“Too soon, hm?” Twilight ventured.

“Yeah, that.”

“Makes sense; he has only been a pony for less than a day, not to mention the pony that he might possibly have feelings for has nearly gotten him killed multiple times, so I can see the hesitation there.”

“But that’s not all,” Dash continued. “He says he feels torn different ways: one way, he might possibly have some sorta feelings for me-the other way, he feels bad for liking a different species.”

“But you’re both ponies now,” Twilight countered, now a bit curious as to what exactly the two pegasi debated in the clouds.

“I know, that’s what I told him, but he said he still feels ‘too human’ to have those feelings for me, and that my jokes and teasings towards him mess with his head.”

“So stop teasing him, Dash,” Twilight said firmly. “…you are just teasing him, right?”

“Well, yeah…maybe…”

“What did you tell him, exactly,” Twilight asked, now more worried than ever.

“Just that I say things I don’t mean whenever I’m competitive and pissed off, that’s all.”

“Did you tell him you were only teasing him and that even your false advances are just for fun?”

“…no.”

“Ugh, crap,” Twilight bonked her head against the wall and stood there for a long enough moment that Dash was afraid that she’d knocked herself out.

“Um, Twilight? You ok?"-

“Yes Rainbow…I’m just fine,” she muttered into the tree bark. “This just further supports why I want you two to have a timeout for a while.”

“For how long, Twilight?” Dash's face scrunched in worry.

“At the very least until he’s recovered,” she looked up and sighed. “But even then I’m not too sure because I don’t know how long the recovery time for something like this is. If anything, I can ask around in Canterlot if anyone knows more about it, even Celestia or Luna themselves if they have the time...” Her head perked up and she looked at the calendar for a moment. “…which is convenient because I have to be there three days from now.”

“For how long?”

“Two weeks,” Twilight replied and turned to Dash. “And with me gone that long, what better reason for you and Volare to stay apart and not rough-horse around; if you or him get hurt while I’m gone, who’ll fix you guys up?”

“Ah, I see now…heh for a second there I thought you just wanted Volare to yourself for a while, Twilight,” Dash said in a deadpan tone that drew a stunned gasp from her friend. “Haha, I’m just kidding,” she winked and then looked at the door at the sound of approaching clawsteps. Crap! She quickly sped to the sink and pretended to wash her hooves, though they in fact needed it anyway as Twilight looked about frantically before knocking the wash bucket off the counter to give herself something to pick up.

“Hey guys,” Spike yawned from the kitchen doorway, rubbing his eyes. “Whoa, nice job!”

“What’s up, Spike?” Dash said as she shook the water from her forelegs.

“Well…we might have an eensy little problem with the Blue Blunder up there,” he jerked a claw at the second floor, missing the scowl Dash gave him. No sooner had he done that than they heard the soft groans coming down the stairs. “I’ve been trying to get some sleep, but Volare can’t settle down and find a comfy spot, or so he says. He…he seems to be hurting quite a bit.”

Twilight and Dash looked at each other for a moment before rushing upstairs, leaving the dragon alone in the kitchen. “Was it something I said? Oooh, apples,” Spike snagged a few of the fruits Applejack had left behind and hopped up on the counter. “Mmm, not such a bad trip downstairs after all.”

“Volare, you ok?” Twilight asked softly as she peeked her head over the top step. She stepped to the side as Dash pushed past her and trotted to the dark blue Pegasus’ bedside.

“What’s buggin ya, flyboy?” Dash asked before Volare turned over and gave her a look somewhere between pain and anger. “What’s wrong, dude?” she gasped and knelt by the bed, grabbing his hoof in her own. Meanwhile, Twilight couldn't help but be slightly amused at Dash's sudden change in demeanor once more.

“I…it hurts too much to sleep,” he motioned down towards his wing, the base of which throbbed visibly, no doubt causing him considerable pain. “If I roll over on my right side, I’m on top of the damn thing, if I roll over on my left, the hurt wing is elevated and just throbs. I can’t sleep on my back, and if I sleep on my belly, my face is in the pillow! Urgh, sorry if I sound whiny, but this sucks. Also, I think I pissed off Spike cuz I can’t go to sleep.”

“Don’t you pay Spike any mind, Volare,” Twilight instructed him. “Baby dragons get cranky when they’re tired.”

“Hey, I heard that!” came a shout from downstairs, causing the three ponies to snicker quietly.

“Told ya,” the Unicorn smiled softly and stood by his bed, or rather, her bed. She took notice of the blood matting his fur down that was sure to stain her bed sheets, but she needed new ones anyway, so this provided the perfect excuse. “How can we help?”

“Can’t you cast some sort of pain-killing or numbing spell or something on me, Twilight,” Volare practically begged, but she shook her head.

“I could, but we need to know if you’re healing correctly, and that pain you’re feeling is the only for sure thing to go by right now, at least until I get a proper medical pony up here. Besides, if I numb you up, how will we know that your wing doesn’t have a blood clot or something, and you lose the wing in the end after all; all because you couldn’t feel the ache of it.”

“Grr…makes sense I guess,” Volare flopped his head over and winced. "I reiterate: this sucks."

“I’m sorry Volare, but you’re just gonna have to tough it out for the night,” Twilight brushed his mane gently with her hoof, truly wishing she could do more to help him. But it was too late at night, she was too tired, and she felt she’d pushed her luck more than enough tonight anyway.

“Hmph, guess I’ll live, Twilight,” Volare chuckled painfully. “But I think Spike is gonna have to sleep downstairs, otherwise he may get so cranky he’ll poison our breakfast tomorrow.”

“I heard that too!!!”

“Hahahaha, indeed Volare, indeed,” Twilight nodded and turned towards the stairs. “Come on, Dash. Let’s let Volare try to get a little rest.”

“But he said he hurts too much to”-

“I know, but there’s nothing we can do right now, plus you and I have an agreement.”

“I-I never agreed to that,” Dash retorted, rising to her hooves defensively.

“But you were going to,” the Unicorn replied derisively.

“Well yeah, but I still never did,” Dash stood with her side pressed tightly to the bed.

“Dash, if you don’t leave Volare alone voluntarily, I’m going to throw you down the stairs myself and you’ll be sleeping here tonight, because I’ll make sure you land on your head!” Twilight pawed the floor in irritation. She just wanted to get some sleep, for Luna’s sake!!!

“I’d like to see you try it, egghead,” Dash’s wings flared upwards, nearly swatting Volare in the mouth as she snorted.

“Um, guys, should I feel totally out of the loop here or what,” Volare spoke up, hoping to diffuse the situation.

“Twilight wants us to spend a few weeks apart so you can recover and don’t hurt yourself again trying to be better than me,” Dash said quickly before Twilight could respond.

“That true, Twilight?” Volare asked, actually not totally against the idea of having a little peace and quiet for a few days.

“Well, not exactly in so many words,” the Librarian replied with a nervous smile. “My main concern is your safety and hers, that’s all. Dash, come on.”

“But Twilight, I,” Dash started but stopped hesitantly. “What happened is all my fault, and I wanna make it up to him, and I don’t wanna wait a few weeks. I wanna make it up to him tonight,” she grabbed Volare’s hoof again, ignoring the shocked look on his face.

“Maybe you should wait more than a few hours after he’s had life-saving surgery before making a move on him like that, Dash,” Spike laughed.

“SHUT UP, SPIKE!!” All three ponies shouted and then burst out laughing.

“Ok, Dash,” Twilight said after wiping a tear from her eye. “What did you have in mind; certainly not that, I hope,” she nodded towards the stairs, but Dash shook her head vehemently.

“Of course not! I was just gonna spend the night with him since he can’t sleep; keep him company, that’s all,” she looked down at Volare and gave him a sincere smile.

“Ooh, nice save, RD,” came another scathing laugh from downstairs followed by a thump and a loud “ow” as what sounded like a little dragon rump hit the floor after being tossed off the counter top. The glow around Twilight’s horn receded as she tapped a hoof for a moment.

“That’s all you intend to do?” she asked seriously. “No antics?”

“Not one, not even if he wants to,” Dash winked at the injured Pegasus. “Sorry flyboy, gotta keep ya from hurting yourself doing something you can’t handle."

“Oh hah-hah, very funny,” Volare rolled his eyes before looking up at Twilight. “You’ll have no trouble out of me; promise. And don’t make me do the Pinkie one, please.”

“Heh, I believe you,” Twilight nodded although she was still a little concerned. “What exactly did you have in mind though, Dash? Gonna stay up all night and play checkers with a guy who can hardly sit up?” Volare rolled his eyes again as Dash headed for the window and unlatched it.

“Nah, nothing like that. I’ll show ya inna sec!” She opened the window and zipped away in the direction of her cloudhouse.

“Any idea what she’s got planned?” Twilight asked absentmindedly as her eyes roved over Volare’s reclined form. Poor guy…you’ve been crashed twice, burned, battered, and now dismembered…what in Starswirl’s Beard is keeping you going, Volare?

“You’ve known her longer than I have,” Volare shook his head and reached out to touch Twilight’s mane with a hoof. She gave a startled little eep before looking down at him. “Heh, sorry…listen, Twilight…I heard what you two said about me down there…about all that instinct stuff and hormones.”

“O-oh, you did?” Twilight replied in surprise. “We thought you were asleep.”

“Nah, just trying to nap; but I heard you all the same.”

“I see…what did you think about all that?” Twilight finally asked.

“I think I’m glad you’re letting things be as they will for a while,” Volare sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “What about you Twilight?”

“Hmm?”

“How many of your crazy theories do you put 100% of your faith in?” But before Twilight could even think of an answer to that one, Dash came zooming back through the window, her wake stirring up the papers on Twilight’s desk and sending them flying about the room before the Unicorn grabbed them with her magic and sat them back on the desk.

“Well, I guess I’ll just re-sort those later,” Twilight with a tinge of annoyance. “What all did you grab, Dash?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Dash grinned, obviously hiding something behind her back. “Only the first in the greatest book series about the best action hero in Equestria ever!” She thrust the book out before her with a huge smile. On the cover was a mare wearing a khaki pith helmet and swinging on a vine away from numerous crocodiles. In her hoof was a small blue statue shaped like two dogs sitting back to back. The title blared out above her:
Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.

“Awww,” Twilight sighed just audibly enough for Dash and Volare to look up. “Um, er, ahem, sorry, just yawning a bit.” As much as the little voice in her head kept screaming to not approve of this…she found it adorable that Dash was wanting to keep Volare company by reading him the very book that she had given to her back when she’d been recovering from an injury herself. As Dash hopped up on the bed and cracked the book open, Twilight decided it was a good time to head to bed herself.

“Well, I think I’ll just head on downstairs and try to get some shut eye. You two behave yourselves”- but Dash had already begun to read Volare the story. Twilight smiled and shook her head as she headed down the stairs. “Spike, if you suspect Dash is trying anything funny with Volare, you have my permission to burn her tail off,” she announced as she flopped onto the couch and threw a blanket over herself.

“With pleasure,” Spike replied, but Twilight was already out like a light.

As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing in the jungle had injured her wing and she was grounded for a few days. A few days?! It might as well be a few months, or a few years! Rainbow Dash read with excitement; this was the first book in the series and it had been a while since she’d read it herself.

“Heh, sounds a bit like me; the crashing and not being able to fly bit,” Volare interjected to which Dash replied with a grin.

“I know right?! I thought the same thing while reading this while recovering from my own wing injury. Now shush flyboy, this baby gets good really fast! Where was I, oh yeah!”
The mosquitoes buzzed loudly. The macaws cried from the high trees. Yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of the predators following her every step...

As she read, Volare felt himself distracted from the throbbing pain in his side, replaced instead by a small ache in his chest, one which felt just a little bit better as he reached down and felt his hoof curl around hers…he nearly pulled away in surprise once he realized what he’d done, but he couldn’t…she’d returned the grip with a firm one of her own as continued the story of Daring Do…
Heh, she may have nearly gotten me killed…but she saved my life and stuck with me…and now she’s reading me her favorite book so I’ll hurt just a little bit less…Rainbow Dash, how’d you get to be so amazing?

Meanwhile, a few miles away to the South and just inside the eastern edge of the Everfree Forest sat a smallish blue wagon with a red roof. Soft blue light shined from behind the shuttered windows from somepony who should have been in a bed a good while ago. But sleep was the last thing on her mind right now…

A rustling bush betrayed the position of a brown-cloaked Unicorn approaching the wagon. The mare looked about cautiously before hurrying across the open space of the glade surrounding the wagon; no sense in tarrying in the Everfree Forest, not even on the edge of it! “Madame, Madame,” the Unicorn knocked softly on the door, looking back over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed. “I have information that may be pertinent to your”-

“Excuse me, whoever you are,” a self-sure voice resounded from inside the wagon, making the lights flicker slightly. “I thought I specifically instructed you to never call me Madame; it makes me feel old and frumpy. Knock again and greet me properly, thank you.”

The Unicorn sighed and knocked again. “Excuse me, ma’am, I have something important for you and I”-

“Not ma’am either, for that is short for Madame, you foolish pony! Take it from the top one more time.”

A branch cracked behind the Unicorn and she whirled to see 2 yellow eyes burning out in the forest, looking right at her. She could just envision the hungry tongue flicking across the sharp, dripping jaws of whatever that thing was! She turned and pounded on the door in earnest. “For Luna’s sake, open the door or you’ll be cleaning my corpse off your front doorstep!!!”

“Oh please, no need to shout,” the voice called out and the door fell open. The Unicorn tumbled in with a crash and slammed the door shut, throwing the bolt to and whipping off her hood to reveal a perspiring green-maned face.

“Are you out of your mind?!” she shouted at the high-backed bench facing away from her. Just above the top of the benchback, she could see a hairbrush being levitated and backlit by the magical blue-burning fire at the end of the wagon. “You could have gotten me eaten by who knows what out there!! Are you even listening to me?! Can’t believe I took this bucking job!”

“Yes, I’m doing my fair share of listening, and quite frankly, you’re beginning to irritate me,” the brush floated down and was placed on the end table next to the bench. A blue pointy hat then floated from the corner of the room and sat down upon what she presumed to be the owner’s head, and as she spoke, it bobbed back and forth. “Jill, you took this job because I offered it, plain and simple. And I can just as easily take it away, for both you and your foal of a brother, Ray.”

The Unicorn fell to her knees and groveled a bit, if only because that was the only way to get things done with this crazy mare. “Please forgive me, or at least leave my brother alone in this; he had nothing to do with my insolence.”

“And it is for that exact reason why I’ll keep you and him as my cohorts for now…speaking of which, where is the guy,” the hat bobbed to the left and right, the shutters over the windows glowing light blue and opening up a crack before shutting again as the hat’s owner peeked out.

“I’d suspect he’s still tracking him,” the female Unicorn said vaguely, getting her mistress interested and putting her in control for the moment.

“Him? Him who,” the hat turned halfway around.

“Why, the new Pegasus in town,” Jill replied. “Blue stallion, kinda skinny. Ray and I spotted him today at the Gilded Griffon.”

“Oh that hole of a café?”

“The exact one, and”-

“Why would a blue Pegasus interest me, dear Jill? Even if he’s new in town, how does that lead me to more information on my research?”

“Because, we saw him conspiring with both Lyra and Twilight Sparkle in the café.”

“Grrr, that green freak and Twilight Sparkle,” the mare practically spat the last name. “Any friend of that little purple twat can go jump off a cliff for all I care!”

“Interesting you should say that,” Jill continued. “Because from what we overheard, he has some serious trouble flying.”

“Is he a foal or something?”

“Not a foal…he’s an adult...without a cutie mark.”

“What in the…you’re completely sure?!”

“Positive. And furthermore, you know how Lyra”-

“Green freak, if you please.”

“Yes…you know how the green freak gets a certain way when she’s near certain objects from other worlds, particularly ones from-"

“From Earth, yes. Did this new blank-flank Pegasus set her off? …don’t nod, I can’t see through this chair, you idiot.”

“Of course not,” Jill rolled her eyes. Good thing she couldn’t see that either. “And yes, he did. Moreover, she took him back into that locked room of hers.”

“Oh that was probably just the first time in a while the green freak had gotten some nookie, that’s all,” the mare dismissed it with a wave of her hoof.

“That’s the thing…they’re either the greatest bedroom athletes in Ponyville, or they didn’t do anything of the sort because they didn’t even look so much as ruffled when they came out of there.”

“So let’s see here…new Pegasus in town with no mark that can’t fly…he sets off the green freak’s ‘human sense’…and then they go into that room I’ve so desperately desired to go in myself…conclusion?”

“Um, you’re interested in nookie in there?”

“NO YOU FOAL!!!” the hairbrush zinged across the room and just barely missed Jill’s head as she ducked. “It means that this new flight-challenged Pegasus has now had close contact with both the green freak and Twilight Sparkle,” she again spat her last name. “Both of whom study those humans to some extent…which means he could potentially grant us access to their research if his trust is plied in just the right fashion. And we all know just how powerful the legends speak of the magic the humans could create…it would be the perfect thing for me to get my hooves on and finally show up little miss goody four-horseshoes once and for all!!”

She was interrupted by another insistent knocking on the door, accompanied by roars from the edge of the glade. “Ms. Great and Powerful Trixie, could you please open the door before this Manticore eats me? Thank you!!!”

“You see, Jill,” the light blue Unicorn stood from her bench and flicked the door open with her magic, grinning evilly. Her pointed blue hat bounced on her head as she laughed at Jill’s brother Ray tumbling inside and slamming the door behind him. “THAT is how you address The Great and Powerful Trixie! By full name and title alone! Hahahahaha!!!”

Small notes: Holy crap, this booger of a chapter is done!!! ^^;;
Thus ends the Prologue Arc of the story folks. I’m going to post a Prologue Arc Q&A blog/chapter/thingy in a bit in order to quickly summarize the Arc and to provide a place for discussions and questions you may have. I’ll also maybe give out a few spoilers as to what the next Arc is about too! ^^
Also, mega bonus points to whomever can figure out the origins of Ray and Jill's names ^^
EDIT: Here's the blog post to post your questions/discussions!

http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/22154

Don't be shy!
:3

Prologue Q&A Responses and stuff! 8D

WELL THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN UP EARLIER BUT THE SITE DECIDED IT WAS GONNA GO LOCO IN DA COCO
:P

Okies folks, here I'm gonna post up as many answers to your questions over the Prologue Arc as I can while I take about a week break from the story due to college projects and finals ^^;
*shot by Coal Buck for borrowing his idea for more reader feedback*

Ask your questions here: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/22154 Don't be shy!

EDIT: Here we go!! Answers in blue!

FelixVerricht: The question is just a how did you manage to squeeze a massive story out of that picture?

Well, If memory serves me, I believe I became interested in something like this when I was reading the Wonderbolts' article on the MLPwiki and how their design was inspired by the Blue Angels flight group. So I searched for a "Wondebolts-Blue Angels" picture and found that on Deviantart. And of course we know of Rainbow Dash wanting to join the Wonderbolts, so I figured: "hey, what if a human pilot's dream was to join the Blue Angels squad, similar to how Dash wants to join the Wonderbolts?"
I figured it's be an interesting parallel story to write and hadn't really seen anything else quite like this out there...and I guess things have just built from there. ^^

Tundara: I was wondering about Volare's Rainbow Dash cutie mark badge, is that going to be coming back into the story at all? It was mentioned early on that Dash had it, but wasn't brought up again in any fashion that I can recall.
Yep yep yep, it's gonna come into play a little later in the story; it's far from forgotten!

GuyFace: Can you right in a moment where just blows up at somepony for some reason? A legit reason, too. That would leave so much room for emotional development. Just a writer's tip!
*readies the pony dynamite*

SovietBacon: When are the Wonderbolts going to come into the mix, and will there be other humans?
At least one of the Wonderbolts shows up in the next Story Arc for sure, with more certainly showing up as the story progresses. As for other humans...I don't have any plans set up for other humans coming to Equestria...doesn't mean I don't have other plans ;)

DocImpossible: Does Volare know that Dash is what he was trying to catch when he crashed, and he's just being polite to save her reputation? Seems like something that he'd do, anyways. Plus, it would be pretty funny whenever the reveal happens (if it happens). "Oh hey volare, did you know that Rainbow Dash was the thing you were chasing?" "Yep, why?" Even better if RD was there and got upset at the question.
To clarify: No, Volare has no idea it was Dash that caused him to crash, therefore he isn't just being polite. He really has no idea. As far as he knows, the shape he was chasing was a rogue aircraft or UFO of some sort. As for if he does find out...

Tyrannosaurus_Tux: Crossover time?
(More pilot jocks from movies. Rainbow'd love that.)
Heh, actually I was thinking of using some pilot personalities to flesh out the Wonderbolts in the future, since we really only know a good bit about two of them, Spitfire and Soarin', only the speculative image and name of another, Fleetfoot, and the only the name of a fourth, Rapidfire. Info here: http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/The_Wonderbolts. As far as I can tell, Fleetfoot appears to have a narrower, more feminine face than Soarin' does, some I'm going to assume Fleetfoot is female. And I have NO idea about Rapidfire.
SO...anyone for an Iceman Wonderbolt?
LOL or Goose?
...ok, maybe no Goose XD;

EDIT: Well...apparently there is more info on the Wonderbolts than I thought: http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Wonderbolts

RabbitING: Got a list of music you'd recommend listening to while reading this fanEpic?
LOL I wouldn't call it epic ^^;;
And you mean like listening to music fitting the chapters? Like Jason The Human did for Truth vs Fiction? http://www.fimfiction.net/story/18724/Truth-vs.-Fiction (excellent lulz to be had here, btw)
Heh, I dunno if I'll forever cement a song as someone's theme like he did for Jesus and Highway Star http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh0iihjANPc
...but I have considered using "background/reading enhancement music" ^^
Nothing certain though
Hrm...maybe if I decide to have a scene with music I'll have a vote from you guys as to which music to use!

Okies, those are all the questions ya'll sent me, but don't be afraid to keep offering more suggestions and feedback here!
I'll be working a little on the next chapter update, but I've got a doctor's appt tomorrow to figure what the heck I'm dying of J/K
...and a major college project is due next week....please wish me luck, folks!
I wub you all
:3

PS: Still waitin for somepony to guess where Jill and Ray's names come from ^^

The Hurricane-Pt 1: Mornings Are Awkward

Ok, so sorry for the delay in updates folks!! As my blog said, I've been pretty sick and busy with college stuff. However, I finally give you the the second Part of Blue Angel.

PART TWO: THE HURRICANE

August 25th, After Midnight

Despite the thrilling entertainment of staying up late and reading an epic adventure story with Rainbow Dash, even Volare found he couldn’t fight his eyelids from shuttering anymore. He felt his grip on Dash’s hoof slacken as she continued to read on, either for his own benefit or for hers, he couldn’t tell. Eventually, mercifully, sleep found the exhausted Volare, and he drifted off with visions of Daring Do battling the evil, dog-monkey Ahuitzotl over the Sapphire Stone.
“Heh, I wonder how much of herself Dash sees in Daring Do; not just in looks, but in her hard-headed, never say die behavior,” Volare thought to himself as an empty, dreamless slumber finally overtook him…but he wasn’t alone for long.

Volare…Volare! a soft voice called pleadingly from the blackness; a thick dark mist that receded scarcely a millimeter as his mind’s eye snapped open and scanned it. But he could see nothing specific in the void around him, only shadows and shades of shadows moving just out of sight.
Volare…please answer me, the voice wafted out again, just as softly as last time, but somehow even more urgent than before. It was a voice he recognized after a few moments…a voice he hadn’t heard in quite some time.

“Huh, what? Mom? What’re you-?”

But the voice cut him off, almost angry this time, but still just as soft as could be.
I told you not to…begged you not to…and look where it got you.

“No! No, this is a dream! You’re not-!”

If that’s what you wish…sad now….disappointed even…

“No, wait, come back!!” Volare reached out into the void of his mind with his hands-“Wait, hands?! But I thought”- He waggled his fingers in front of his face in shock.
“Where are my hooves?! No wait…why am I regretful about this? What’s going on here?!”

Indeed, why are you sad, his mother’s voice mused.
Don’t you want to live your dream, even though it took you from me?

“Mom, please…it’s not my fault; it’s not your fault,” he cried into the dark, feeling his knees hit something solid as he crumbled to them; though when he looked down he seemed to be kneeling in that same void of mists. Like he was kneeling on clouds…which meant that he had just been standing on them.
“Whoa…no, what does this mean!?”

I can’t answer that question, Volare, his mother’s voice whispered again.
So why do you keep asking me?

“I’m not, Mom!” Volare snapped, hitting his fist on the dark clouds swirling beneath him. It was like hitting a bed mattress; solid yet soft at the same time. And when he looked down to investigate, he realized he had hooves yet again. At a flicker of movement behind him, he whirled to face-nothing!
There it was again!
He again spun around, heart pounding, eyes wide. But again, he saw nothing behind him!

“Ok…what the hell is going on…” He paused as he saw and felt the flicker behind him, but instead of spinning his entire body, he simply craned his neck around to find-it was just his wings, and they were both flapping, uninjured!
“Whoa, again, what the hell?!” But this was a different sort of what the hell…it was a joyful type, if such a thing ever existed. He felt the grin widen across his muzzle-yes, his muzzle-as he flapped the wings strongly, enjoying the feeling of the rush of wind over each of his feathers.

Then that’s it then, isn’t it, his mother’s voice returned.

“What’s it, mom,” he called out into the emptiness. Something in the tone of her voice made him feel unsure as to whether he should reach out and search for the feel of the soft dresses he remembered her wearing, or if he should raise his hooves-yes, his hooves…why do I keep emphasizing myself like this!? And in the third person of all things?!-to keep her from striking him in the face in anger and disappointment.

It’s not the best I would have wanted…but at least you’re finally deciding on something real…

“What do you mean? What’s real, mom,” he asked as a feeling of panic began to surge up inside himself; as if he were running out of time to find the answers he needed.

My son, I love you, but you’ve always seemed to have a problem of keeping your head out of the clouds…although this may finally suit that little dream.

“Mom?” He asked, more confused than ever.

But the voice didn’t respond again, instead being replaced by a sound he recognized only as a pony squeeing at something cute….
“Oh great, now what?”

August 26th, Morning

Despite the rough night for everypony, Twilight Sparkle had been up since 8 o’clock. She couldn’t ever remember having spent a night on the couch before, and the answer as to why had bared its fangs in her aching back and sore shoulders.
“Whew, I’d almost rather sleep on the floor than that thing again,” she thought as she loosened her neck and stretched her legs before sleepily making her way to the kitchen to fix breakfast, making it a point to avoid the full-length looking glass hanging from the lobby wall on her way there; she must look like absolute hell.

“I’m not as obsessed as Rarity with looking my best, but I’d rather not have to replace a busted mirror all the same,” she muttered and began making herself a simple breakfast of bran flakes and milk, the noise of which stirred Spike from his own slumber atop the bookcase parapet.

The baby dragon had decided to sleep there to make sure nothing came in through the broken window…the broken window…the blood spots…the horror…eesh, he cringed at the memories from last night as he stumbled to the kitchen. But he nearly jumped out of his scales at the sight before him in there.
“Whoa, what the hay!?” he shouted and fell backwards at the horrendous sight of purple and pink frizz hovering over a bowl of cereal. A pair of bloodshot and irritated purple eyes burned through the frizzy mane before dropping their gaze to the cereal bowl again as a hovering spoon slowly shoveled the food into the mass of fuzz.
“Twilight…is that you?”

“Who else would it be, Spike,” the mass responded before lifting, revealing the tired Unicorn’s face.

“You um….you look like crap.”

“Well, it’s also hard to have bed-mane when you lack one yourself, Spike,” Twilight snapped; she could be a real grouch in the morning sometimes.

“Sorry,” the dragon replied and pulled up a chair to the table before hopping up onto it and eyeing her cereal bowl. After a sigh, she sat the spoon in the bowl and pushed the remains of the cereal to him, which he dug into gladly, which was strange in itself in that he normally preferred gemstones over anything else….maybe the crunchy bran was close enough in consistency for him to tolerate.
“Thanks, Twilight…um, are you gonna be ok,” he asked between bites. When she didn’t respond, he poked her with the spoon.

“Hrm?” the Unicorn’s frizz-head wobbled up from where it had been resting on the table top and she yawned loudly.
“Urgh, sorry Spike; just not with it this morning, ya know?”

“Yeah, no kidding. Saving a crashed pilot from death twice in one day’s gotta be rough, huh,” he patted her hoof affectionately, causing her to return his smile.
“Still, I think you did a pretty good job,” the dragon said matter-of-factly.

“Heh, thanks, Spike,” she smiled, grateful for such a supportive assistant.

“But even so, do us all a little favor, Twilight,” Spike put on a serious face and poked the air between them with the spoon. “Please fix your mane; or tie it up with a rope at the very least. It looks like something out of a late-night movie about to jump off your head and eat me.”

…and gratefulness is gone…
“Alright, alright,” Twilight groaned and trotted to the bathroom. As she clicked the light on and reached for her brush, she nearly gave a small eep of fright when she looked in the mirror above the sink.
“Wow, it really does look like a late-night movie monster, Spike!”
The sounds of her brushing the pesky strands back into place were nearly stifled by the giggles of the baby dragon in the kitchen.
“Well, at least the mirror didn’t”-
Crack…crick…scrick…a small crack formed in center of the glass and quickly spread to the chased silver frame surrounding it.
“Oh, gimme a break…”

“Ah, much better,” she declared after several minutes. Satisfied that the majority of her mane was managed, she headed towards the stairs to check on the duo above them, making a mental note to go pick up a new mirror before she left town. But she slowed her pace to a tip-hoof as she poked her head into the upper room. The first thing she noticed was that the room was all in one piece, making the disaster zone of a first floor look even worse by comparison. The second thing she noticed wasn’t a sight though; it was a sound of two Pegasi still deep in sleep despite it being nearly mid-morning.

But she withheld her scolding once she got a good look at the ponies on the bed. Dash had fallen asleep on top of the Daring Do novel, her legs spread out in all directions over the bed. A small bit of mane dangled in front of her nose and fluttered at each little snore. Volare was propped up by a large stack of pillows, but that hadn’t kept his head from lolling to the side in his sleep, a thin stream of drool trailing from the corner of his mouth to the pillow as he snored somewhat more loudly than his comrade Pegasus. It was obvious he’d fallen asleep as she’d read to him before sleep finally took her as well; the sight was adorable enough to make Twilight involuntarily squee softly.

This was the sound that stirred Volare from his fitful dream. His eyes fluttered open and he gave a large yawn before looking about groggily.
“Urgh, what a dream,” he rubbed his forehead and nodded at the hoof attached to his foreleg. “Well, at least that’s confirmed…huh, what the”-
He looked down the sheets and beheld Rainbow Dash still there, asleep on the book she’d been reading him. Her legs were splayed everywhere and her normally windblown mane was even more unkempt than usual. He reached down and ran a hoof through it, brushing a loose red strand from her face as she groaned a little and idly swatted at her mane before resuming her slumber. He started to give a small chuckle but it was soon interrupted by another huge yawn that managed to squeeze a tear from his eye.

“Guess neither of you got much sleep, huh,” Volare looked over in mild surprise at the voice to his left to see Twilight Sparkle leaning against a small bookcase by the stairs and calmly observing the two Pegasi on the bed.

“T-Twilight!” Volare nearly shouted and caused Dash to mumble something in her sleep. “I swear it’s not what you’re thinking!” He hissed a whisper but was surprised as the Unicorn raised a hoof to halt him, smiling warmly as she did so.

“Heh, and it’s apparent you have no idea what I’m thinking; I know you and Dash didn’t try anything,” she trotted forward a few steps and nodded at the slumbering rainbow Pegasus and held a hoof to her lips, clearly indicating she didn’t want to wake her.
“So don’t worry,” she whispered and sat near the bed, eye level with Volare. Her smile faded a bit as she spoke again, though.
“So, did Dash tell you why I really want you two apart for a while?”

“Oh, um actually no,” Volare said after a pause to gather the thoughts that weren’t totally with him after so little sleep. “Not beyond what she shouted last night, anyways,” he chuckled and looked down at the sleeping Pegasus in a little bit of wonder that such a fiery character could be so peaceful at the moment. The contrast was tangible to say the least.

But even Twilight caught the soft expression on his face, however involuntary, and she shook herself mentally. Time to nip this thing in the bud!
“Well, needless to say, that was only half of the truth; I’m going to be out of town in the next few days for a couple of weeks, and the last thing we all need is you getting hurt while I’m not here to fix you up,” Twilight said with a sincerely concerned look.
“There is Ponyville Medical, but since your body was created magically, I’m not sure if they’d know what to do without me being there to tell them what I did exactly.”

“Yeah, the odds are kinda stacked against me in the ‘staying healthy’ department,” Volare chortled and winced at the ache in his side.
“Hey Twilight, you ever considered working in the medical field yourself?”

The Unicorn’s face turned to mild revulsion. “Oh no…no, no, no I’ve read enough of the horrors of that particular field, and I’d rather that be the only interaction I have with it,” she shuddered visibly.

“But, you fixed me up so well in the kitchen last night,” Volare gave her a grateful smile.
“You saved my life again, Twilight, and”-

“No,” she cut him off with a small hoof stomp. “What happened last night…in all honesty that was…it was,” she tried to find the right words that didn’t make her look like a total foal.

“You were flying by the seat of your pants,” Volare offered.

“Right,” she nodded without really hearing him, and stopped herself once she realized what he’d said. “Wait, what’re pants?” she asked quizzically.

“Really,” Volare started but then shook his head. “Oh right, nopony wears pants. Never mind, then.”

“Nooo, tell me!” Twilight raised her front hooves onto the bed and gazed at him almost pleadingly, her eyes wide like a little kid who’d stumbled onto the adults’ conversation and wanted in on the information.

“Oh…” he couldn’t resist the pleading eyes of these ponies and he finally sighed. “Sure.”

“Yay!” she grinned and levitated a quill and parchment over to herself.

“You’re actually going to take notes on pants?”

“Yep!”

“Can’t believe I’m having this conversation,” he shook his head in disbelief. “Well, let’s see… pants are clothes that humans wear to cover up the lower part of their bodies, from the waist down.”

“Interesting,” she scritched away with the quill before pausing. “Wait, why didn’t you have any pants on when you came here; that suit you were wearing was all one piece. Are human pilots not required to wear pants?”

Volare couldn’t help himself and he burst into suppressed laughter, both for the sake of his wing and so he wouldn’t wake up Dash. After a moment, he wiped a tear from his eye and faced the somewhat red-faced Unicorn.
“Sorry Twilight…you’re just so adorable when you’re naïve, that’s all.”

She blushed a little harder and hid her face behind the parchment in embarrassment.

“Hey, it’s ok, Twilight,” he patted her hoof. “We’re all naïve at some point; it’s nothing to be embarrassed of.”

“I know, I know,” she muttered. And him calling me adorable didn’t help much!
“So…” she peeked up behind the paper, a bit more composed. “Pants.”

“Yes, back to pants,” Volare nodded and nearly sniggered again. Damn, I must be more exhausted than I thought; I’m laughing at the mention of pants for god sake!

“So that’s what they’re called,” Twilight mused, forcing on a professional tone again. “I think I know what you’re talking about from the images Dash described to me from her visits to Earth for my research,” she motioned to the sketched and notes strewn all over her desk. “But why do humans do that; wear pants, I mean?”

“Oh, that’s simple. It’s because we don’t have much in the way of fur, so we wear those to keep our lower bodies warm, among other things,” he wished he could grab and force those last words back into his mouth, because as soon as he said them, Twilight’s head shot up over the parchment in curiosity. Uh-oh…

“Among what other things,” she asked innocently, quill at the ready.

“Um, jeez…it’s to cover up our…well, our, you know,” he nodded at his lower body under the bedsheets, feeling the heat burning in his face.

“Humans have bedsheets under their pants?”

Volare facehoofed. “Ow…no, urgh,” he sighed. “Our unmentionables.”

“Oh I see, your un-Oh! Oh my,” the quill tip stabbed through the piece of paper as Twilight ground to a halt in mid-word, her face redder than Volare had ever seen it.
“I-I’m so sorry Volare! I had no idea; I originally thought they were just different colors of skin-I swear! I’m so sorry if I embarrassed you!” She hid her face behind the parchment again.
“I really don’t know a thing about humans beyond what they look like, and you’re the first human I’ve ever talked to, and I just got carried away…I’m such a foal.”

“No, Twilight,” Volare responded quickly. “No foal saved my life twice with her knowledge and brilliance of magic.”
Am I really saying this? Wow, how quickly things change.
She peeped out from under the parchment.
“And like I said, you ponies don’t know anything about pants, so it’s no offense if you don’t know about them…in fact I don’t think not knowing about pants is an offense at all….anywhere!”

Twilight giggled at his statement. “Heh, yeah, I suppose we really wouldn’t even need them,” she trailed off with a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Um, Twi”-

“Shh, I’m thinking about how to educate you here. You remember the Anatomy book, right?”

Oh god…

“I mean, pony mares don’t really have any dangly bits to cover up; our legs and tails do a good job of that”-

OH GOD…

“-and even stallions are covered up by…” she paused and looked at his body under the bedsheets for a moment. “Say, do human males have a”-

“Um, Twilight,” Volare finally got a word in edgewise before his brain melted down. “Not to interrupt your brilliant scientific statements and questions here”-

“Oh, you think they’re brilliant?” she leaned up on the bed with a grin, making Volare avert his eyes towards the ceiling so he wouldn’t see below the edge of the bed, especially after her statement. Away, bad thoughts!!!

“Yes, yes, I think they’re perfectly brilliant in a scientific context, but could we please talk about this some other time, especially since Rainbow Dash is laying right there.” He punctuated the sentence with a jab of his hoof at the still-snoozing Pegasus.

“O-oh, right! Heh, I kinda got on a roll again,” she smiled bashfully and got back down on all four hooves, much to Volare’s relief.

Never again…not for a good long while…
“No, it’s ok,” he said after a moment. “I remember when I was younger how I wanted to know everything about everything, and I’d get on quite a roll myself. Anyways, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to hear about this later.”

“Yep, plenty, especially if you’re gonna be stuck in bed for a while. Plus I can pack in no time, so we’ll have a few days before I leave to ask all the questions we want of each other,” the Unicorn grinned innocently.

“Oh…joy,” Volare winced a bit.

“So, um…where were again?”

“I think we were talking about me and Dash needing a timeout, Captain Tangent.”

“Haha, very funny,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Thanks. Now then, I’m absolutely not against you spending time together with her, or with anypony for that matter. However, I do think we’ve been moving much too quickly on all of this, probably because of the excitement of a new face in town and the unique situation through which you got here.”

“Heh, maybe a little.”

“Indeed. However, that’s no excuse for placing such a burden on you so early, because I mean, look where it got you.”

Look where it got you…
Volare shook his head. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“The thing is, even though I somewhat trust you to not cause trouble on your own, I really can’t trust Dash not to pull you into it herself; track record not withstanding,” Twilight sighed and frowned.
“I can’t really blame her for it; it’s just her nature to be competitive after all, but she just sometimes has a little trouble drawing the line on where to knock it off, that’s all. And what worries me is that you, another competitive pony it seems, will only get hurt if you try to do things so quickly again.”

“True…heh, she does kinda light the competitive fires in me, eh?” Volare chuckled, not noticing the worry in Twilight’s eyes.

That’s really the least of my worries…
“Indeed, she does,” she forced a smile and nodded. After a long awkward silence in which she kept re-reading her fresh notes about pants and Volare sat there, waiting for her to continue, Twilight decided to change the subject.
“So um, let’s see; how’s your wing doing?”

“Oh, heh, haven’t tried moving it yet,” Volare replied and focused on his right side. He could feel the nerves and tendons bunching in the base of his wing, trying to lift it….but he fell backwards with a grunt, unable to do more than flutter his feathertips.
“No good…still feels like a ton of bricks is strapped to it.” He tried again, but this time felt a sharp pain in his ribs and he cried out before he could stop himself.

“Huh-wha-Volare?” The rainbow Pegasus on the bed next to him stirred, stretching her wings and raising her head before her magenta eyes opened and focused on him and the pain on his face. “Flyboy, you ok?”
She quickly scooted up the bed and began running her hooves over him.
“What happened? Did you strain your wing? Was it a bad dream? Talk to me, dude! Why’re you hurting and where?”

Volare saw she hadn’t noticed Twilight off to the side of the bed, and both he and the Unicorn suppressed giggles at the sight of Dash suddenly acting affectionate and concerned.
“Nah, I just tried to raise my wing to see if it would work, that’s all.”

“Volare, you numbskull,” Dash hoofed him gently in the chest. “I told you it’s like you had a workout from hell! You can’t just go trying to exert yourself like that or else you’ll hurt yourself worse! And knowing Twilight, she’ll probably come up and here and blame it on me or something!”

“Oh Dashie,” Volare was barely containing the giggles now. “I don’t think she’d do that.”

“Oh yeah? Gimme one good reason why miss big-brain wouldn’t jump at the chance to blame me for getting you hurt…when neither of us wants to see you hurt that bad ever again,” her voice cracked a bit on the last word and she hugged his neck gently. Volare looked past her wings and gave Twilight a helpless look, but the Unicorn shook her head and simply smiled. Perhaps Dash was maturing a bit after all…

“I wouldn’t blame you because I’m standing right here,” Dash froze in mid-hug at the sound of Twilight’s voice right behind her. Even her wings were turning red.

“Volare…did you know she was right behind me the whole time?”

“Maybe…”

“You’ll pay for that,” she whispered into his ear and let go of him before turning to face Twilight who by this time was laughing audibly. “Volare if you laugh, I’ll slug you right in the nose,” she said over her shoulder as she crossed her forelegs and simply took her purple friend’s giggles head on.

“Heh-heh, yes ma’am,” he gave her a little salute, doing his best to swallow the laughter that nearly burst from his own throat. Like Twilight when she was naïve about something, Dash was simply adorable when she was flustered and embarrassed like this. But Volare valued his sense of smell, so he fought the urge to hug her and simply patted her on the back.
“Hey, thanks for reading to me last night, Dash. It really helped.”

“Yep,” Dash quipped and hopped off the bed as Twilight finally calmed down. “Well, I suppose you’ll want me out of your manes for a while, so I’ll just be on my way.”

“Aww, come on Dash, we didn’t mean anything by it,” Twilight tried to reach for her, but instead got her hoof swatted away instead as Dash headed for the stairs.

“Nah, it’s cool. I’m just cranky cuz somepony made me read him a bedtime story all night,” she winked and grinned, dispelling their concerns that she was angry with them.
“Not to say I didn’t enjoy it myself of course. Well, guess it’s time I get going and honor our agreement, Twilight. You get well soon, alright flyboy?”

“Sure will, Dashie.”

“And hey,” she dropped the aloof façade for a moment and fluttered back to the bed to give him another quick hug.
“Sorry I got ya into all that.”

“Nah, it’s ok,” Volare returned the hug. “I know you didn’t mean it. You’re a great pal, Dashie.” He held her out at arms’ length. “Thanks for saving me so much; hopefully I can return the favor someday.”

“Dream on dude; that’s my job and you know it,” Dash grinned and flipped her mane out of her eyes. “Oh, also…” She suddenly broke away and pulled something small and colorful from under her wing. It was the patch from inside Volare’s flight suit.
“I think I’ll take this with me too,” she smirked at his shocked expression.

“Hey, wait a sec!”

“What, this important to ya?”

“Um, just a lot!”

“Hmm, seems to look an awful lot like my cutie mark…did you know I found this in your flight suit?” She was obviously teasing him again.

“Yeah…that’s where it was,” Volare replied, feeling the shit was about a half inch away from splattering all over the proverbial fan.

“Gasp,” Dash said melodramatically, warranting a chuckle from Twilight and a groan from Volare. “But that would mean you knew about me before you even came here!”
Twilight’s giggling stopped.

“Um…can I just have it back, please,” the pilot reached feebly for the patch, but Dash withheld it. It was obvious to her that he wasn’t going to answer the questions she had about it at the moment.

“Nah, I’ll hang onto it for ya. Don’t worry, I won’t lose it, since it seems pretty important to ya,” she leaned in closely. “Besides, it’ll give ya extra incentive to come and find me when you’re better,” she whispered and playfully nipped his ear, eliciting a soft growl from him.

“Oh don’t you worry Dashie…I’ll find you.”

“Sounds good,” she leaned up and smiled. “And you better bring answers about this as well,” she waved the patch and mussed his mane with her hoof.

“Huh, answers?!”

But she simply gave him a quick nuzzle and headed for the stairs.
“Yep! See ya when I see ya, Volare! Later Twilight! Dude, Spike you need to wake up!” And then they heard the front door open and shut, and she was gone.

“Urgh,” Volare groaned and flopped back onto the bed.

“Are you going to be ok, Volare?” Twilight asked with concern, but he simply nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll live…my pride is just aching somewhat, that’s all,” as he replied his stomach growled loudly. “And that too.”

“Heh, well, I don’t know much about fixing wounded prides, but I can help take care of that other ache. Some Sweet Apple Acre apples for breakfast sound good?”

“That…that actually sounds delicious,” Volare said with no small amount of surprise; ha hadn’t eaten fruit for breakfast in years and all of a sudden he was craving it!

“Sounds good,” Twilight smiled and trotted down the stairs, returning a few moments later with two bowls and a hoof-full of apples hovering over her head.
“I would have brought more, but I think Spike ate the rest of them; his little stomach strikes again.”

“Is he ok,” Volare asked as she split the apples into quarter slices with her magic and placed them in the bowls.

“Oh yeah, he’ll be ok; that explains why he’s still sleeping it off,” she hovered a bowl over to Volare who dug in hungrily, the juicy fruit practically cracking as he bit it; they were so crisp.

“Mmm, these are good!”

“That they are,” Twilight munched on her own food for a moment before pausing.
“Hey Volare?”

“Yep?”

“Well...Since you’re going to be here in bed for a while," she twiddled her hooves, as if unsure of how to ask the question.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering...would you please answer some questions about humans and Earth," she asked quickly, expecting him to be irritated with being treated like a research project. "I've just wanted some insight on humans for quite some time now, but just haven't had the chance till now. Sorry if that makes you feel...used." Her ears drooped for a moment and she averted her gaze.

“It’s completely fine, Twilight," Volare smiled encouragingly. "Besides, I've got a few questions of my own about your world; it'll be like a trade. An exchange of knowledge," he said with a dramatic flair and a laugh.

“Yay!” she opened the drawer of her work desk with her magic and pulled out a clipboard and some more parchment. “I’ve already got some questions in mind I want to ask, and I’ll probably think of more as we go along…and I swear none of them are embarrassing ones!”

“No anatomy questions?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing like earlier, no. Promise,” she held up her right hoof for emphasis.

“Alright then,” he swallowed a mouthful of fruit, already starting to sate his hunger.
“Shoot.”

I figured you guys deserved something light-hearted and funny, especially after that last intense chapter! And that dream sequence in the beginning is a reference of things to come, so be on the look out for them!
So, now I call on your help. I've already got a few questions in mind for Twilight to ask Volare over the next couple of days, but what would YOU, the readers, like for Volare to tell her about Earth and humans?
Please post your questions in the comments below!
YAY FEEDBACK!
I've missed you guys! X3

The Hurricane-Pt 2: Ignorance is Bliss

Just a heads up: as we'll be dealing with the history of humans, there will likely be a few controversial questions in this chapter, so please don't flame me; this stuff gets deep, and we get really sciency again, so hold on!! And without further ado, let's begin! (I'll credit those questions given to me at the end of the chapter as well!) Last note: Volare crashed before seeing the final four episodes of Season 2, just so ya'll know ^^

August 26th, Morning

“Ok then!” Twilight chirped and hovered the quill above her parchment, eyes aglow with excitement. Finally, she was really going to learn about the humans! She surprised Volare by flopping down on the bed next to him, her eyes skimming the questions already laid out on the paper before she began.
“Well, for starters, how long have humans been on Earth?”

“Whew, tough one right off the bat,” Volare chuckled and chewed thoughtfully on an apple before answering. “That really depends on who you talk to.”

“How’s that?” The Unicorn cocked her head to the side. “You don’t have any concrete evidence?”

“Well, there’s plenty of evidence,” Volare’s eyes flicked left and right as he searched for the right words. “Well, there are plenty of theories, I should say.”

“What kinds of theories?”

“Well, some of them are religious and some of them have to do with the evolution of life.”

“Ah, I see,” Twilight tapped her lip with the quill. “Can you tell me the major ones?”

“Hmm…well, the evolutionary theories state that all life basically evolved from a primordial soup billions of years in the past, with modern humans showing up about 200,000 years ago. There’s some evidence to support that, but even more seems to be mostly conjecture or dead ends or hoaxes.”

“And the religious ones,” the Unicorn prodded as she scribbled down his answers.

Volare closed his eyes to think about this one. Damn, I hope she asks some questions I know a better answer to!
“I’ll just name off what I know: In the Christian religion it’s widely believed through the texts that humans were created about 6000 years ago. I’m not sure what the other major religions state about creation and even though I’m here in a different world…I’d rather not speculate and invite trouble.”

“Fair enough. Why the discrepancy in years though?”

“Again, I’m not totally sure…but to suffice it to say that humans are the dominate species on Earth and have been for thousands of years,” Volare finally said, getting rather uncomfortable already, which Twilight had begun to notice.

“Which religion did you follow, may I ask?”

“I-I’d rather not talk about it, Twilight,” Volare’s head spun a bit. Anything he’d ever learned kinda went flying out the window once he ended up here anyway.

“Sorry about that, Volare,” she patted his hoof with hers. “I just figured the best place to start was the beginning; I didn’t know it was such a sensitive subject.”

“It’s ok, Twilight…you didn’t know…”

Twilight sat there in silence for a bit as she frowned over her notes and what to do next before her ears suddenly perked up. “Hey Volare, tell ya what.”

“Hm?”

“So we don’t have this happen again, if I start to ask a question you don’t feel comfortable answering, just say “pass” and we’ll come back to it later or ignore it altogether. Sound fair?”

“Sounds good to me,” he nodded.

“Good! Oh, and if it’s any consolation, I’m not totally sure of the ponies’ origin either,” Twilight’s statement shocked Volare a bit. “I can tell you what I know of the founding of Equestria, though.”

Volare somewhat recalled its origin from the Hearth’s Warming Eve episode, but he felt a refresher was in order. “Go ahead,” he smiled and settled in as Twilight described how the Earth Ponies, the Unicorns, and the Pegasi at first only cared for each other for their own welfare, as only the Earth Ponies could grow the food, only the Pegasi could control the weather, and only the Unicorns could raise the sun and moon.

“Wait, so the sun and the moon really don’t rise without help here,” Volare inquired.

“As far as I know, no, they don’t,” Twilight shook her head. “Otherwise, why else would there have been so much time devoted to doing so?”

“Good deduction,” he nodded.

“How do the sun and moon rise on Earth,” Twilight suddenly asked.

“Oh, heh, they don’t rise or fall at all, at least not in the sense they do here,” Volare chuckled at Twilight’s astonished expression. “The Moon actually revolves around the Earth similar to Equestria, but the Earth orbits the sun due to the sun’s gravity, revolving on its own axis as it moves, which gives the appearance of the sun rising and falling.”

“That’s…that’s…wow,” Twilight scribbled on the parchment furiously before floating it over to her desk and grabbing a new piece of paper.

“Yeah, it is pretty amazing when you think about it,” Volare smiled softly and munched on another apple slice. “So, back to the founding of Equestria.”

“Right, right! Um, well, like I said, the three tribes eventually came to mistrust each other due to their lack of care of what happened to the other tribes, only for themselves. This eventually bred mistrust, and the fragile peace they had with each other dissolved when a huge blizzard blew up around them one day, forcing them to leave the land due to the famine it caused.”
She then went on to describe how the blizzard followed them everywhere they went due to creatures in the storm known as Wendigos feeding off their hate for each other. The blizzard finally abated once the tribal leaders made peace with one another, and the place they finally founded in peace they named Equestria; this was over 1600 years ago that she knew of.

“What happened after that,” Volare asked. Although he knew the history, he was completely engrossed in the narration she was providing and obviously enjoying herself. Twilight was quite the history buff, it seemed.

“Well, things were very peaceful for a time, but as you know, nature abhors a vacuum,” Twilight’s face fell as she described the reign of chaos brought on by the creature known as Discord, who ruled Equestria in a state of unrest and unhappiness before Celestia and Luna discovered the Elements of Harmony, and used them to defeat Discord and imprison him in stone. Once he was defeated, the two princesses took on the task of raising the moon and sun in the evening and morning, leaving the three pony tribes to go about their lives without having to worry about day and night, focusing more on keeping things in order on the ground and in the sky, in the case of the Pegasi. This switch-over took place roughly 1100 years ago.
“For the most part, things have been the same in Equestria ever since.”

“And then what happened?” Volare smiled like a young kid being told an old story by their grandmother, if the grandmother were a Unicorn even younger than he was, that is.

“Now hang on a moment, I only said I’d describe the creation of Equestria, not its whole history,” Twilight booped his nose with her hoof and grinned. “That’ll be a question you can ask me later. Now…back to humans!”

“Right, what else you wanna know,” he conceded, a bit disappointed to not hear about the battles against Nightmare Moon and Discord from her point of view just yet.

“Plenty,” Twilight riffled the pile of parchments next to her. “How many humans live there?”

“Ok, that’s one I can give a mostly definitive answer on,” Volare laughed. “As far as I know, the Earth population is about 6.8 billion people.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “6.8 billion, with a “B”?!”

“Yep.”

“Holy Celestia…how long do you all live?”

“I think the average lifespan of a healthy human is between 80 and 100 years.”

“We’ve only got a shade over 2 million ponies in Equestria, and only 1000 or so in Ponyville if you include all the farms, so that number is….just mind-boggling! How in the world do you feed them all,” she scribbled on her parchment some more, missing Volare’s sudden frown.

“Actually…we can’t,” Twilight’s scribbling halted at his answer.

“Y-you can’t? Why not,” she looked up with a worried expression.

“Because…because…” Volare hunted for the right words. “Because people reproduced faster than we could keep up with our resources, so the Earth is in a pretty poor state compared to what it could have been if people had more knowledge, plain and simple.”

“B-but what do you do about the ones you can’t feed”- Twilight began but cut herself off at the sad look on the Pegasus’ face. “I-I’m sorry…”

“Again, it’s ok…you didn’t know,” Volare muttered. If anything, he should be the one to say sorry; he was the one guilty of already knowing a lot about Equestria, so he knew the questions that were safe to ask. But Twilight had no idea of the bad situation on Earth…

“…maybe we should stop, Volare,” Twilight suddenly said, her gaze focused squarely on the bedspread where she’d dropped her notes. “This is obviously very uncomfortable for you and”-

“No, Twilight,” he grabbed her hoof, causing her vision to meet his determined one. “You deserve to know the truth…besides, as a scientist, you know not everything is sunshine and rainbows," he smiled grimly.

“Yes but”-

“I can take it…just ask away, Twilight,” he released her hoof and nudged the notes towards her.

“You sure,” she asked with concern.

“Completely…besides, it’s certainly making me appreciate your world more.”

“Heh, alright then,” she floated the paper up again and cleared her throat. “How do you all stay organized, especially with so many people?”

“Now that is an interesting question,” Volare reached over and grabbed another apple slice, frowning when he saw that only three more remained in his bowl. “For the most part, many countries are ruled by a democratic system, with the people all having an equal say-so in the dealings of the country as well as who gets elected to lead them via a rather complex political system I’d rather not get into; too much scum to wade through in there.”

“Interesting…we here just leave the major decisions up to the Princesses and mainly just keep things flowing smoothly for them,” Twilight muttered.

“A Monarchy, eh,” the Pegasus inquired.

“Sorta-it's actually a Diarchy, by the way-with both Princesses sharing equal duties," Twilight replied with a smart little nudge. "Anyway, we don’t have much direct input on the government decisions because they always act with their subjects’ well-being first in mind, instead of themselves. However, we can send letters to them requesting a change here or there, or reporting our findings which could then lead to a change in the future.”

“Hmph, wish the so-called democratic leaders of countries acted with their subjects in mind all of the time like that.”

“They don’t?” Twilight asked, her naivety showing yet again…it was scarily adorable.

“No…a lot of times they act with their own self-interests in mind; almost as if they consider it a right to be in power rather than providing a service to their subjects.”

“That’s horrible!”

“The human nature to dominate is pretty nasty at times,” he sighed and opened his eyes, munching on the apple slice and appreciating how its sweet juice seemed to wash the bad taste of those thoughts out of his mouth.
“But, the way the world is, for the most part, things stay in order due to democracy, although there are a few stragglers in the dictatorship department. The sooner that gets rectified the better, I say. Anyways, next question,” he took another bite and waited.

“Actually, I was going to ask if you had any other questions about Equestria before we move on,” Twilight said as she put the finishing touches on the parchment and hovered it over to her desk before turning back to him with a smile. “I figure an exchange like that is fair, and I’ll be as open a book as I can.”

“Hmm…funny, I’ve never met a talking purple book before,” Volare smirked.

“Oh, hush!” the Unicorn laughed and slapped his leg under the bedsheet. “Go on, ask me!”

“Well, let’s see,” Volare thought over what he didn’t already know about Equestria from the show. “What towns and places exist in Equestria, besides Ponyville of course.” *

“Oh, plenty,” she replied, dragging her hooves over the bedspread in a roughly circular shape. “Here’s Ponyville in the middle,” she created an indentation in the sheet and then pinched up the sheets into a small hill above it.
“And to the northeast is Canterlot, where the Princesses live. At the base of the mountain of Canterlot and to the East of Ponyville is the Whitetail Wood, where the Running of the Leaves takes place every fall. To the West and South is the Everfree Forest,” she indicated that with a sweep of her hoof.
“To the northeast is the big city of Manehatten. To the southeast is the town of Trottingham, and way down in the southwest desert is the town of Appleoosa,” she indicated the towns with further indentations.
“Moving back up north of Ponyville is the village of Hoofington in the northwest and East past Canterlot is the city of Fillydelphia. And finally, above us and to the north is the city of Cloudsdale, where a lot of Pegasi live.”

“Interesting,” Volare chuckled at the creativity of the names of the towns and cities. “What are the jobs of the ponies? Are they still the same as they were before Celestia and Luna took over the job of moving the sun and moon?”

“For the most part yes,” Twilight nodded. “Earth Ponies farm the ground, giving us food, but they also run businesses in town. Unicorns help with magical decisions around town and in Canterlot…in fact, not many Unicorns live here in Ponyville at all,” she explained bashfully.

“Why’s that?”

“Heh, I think a lot of them consider it too backwater and not as regal as Canterlot; but it suits me just fine,” she smiled sweetly

“Seems like a great place to live; kinda quiet and outta the way, but still plenty of things to see and do.”

“Exactly; it’s a good balance, I think,” she nodded. “Anything else you wanna know about?”

“Yeah, do you have any important historical figures in Equestria?”

“Not too terribly many besides the Princesses that I know of personally,” Twilight replied. “I mean, the really big ones are the leaders of the pony tribes that founded Equestria; Chancellor Puddinghead of the Earth Ponies, Commander Hurricane of the Pegasi, and Princess Platinum of the Unicorns. But the really big one I know of is Starswirl the Bearded, one of the most influential Unicorns in history!”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, he revolutionized so much with his studies of magic and magical theory,” Twilight’s eyes glittered excitedly as she named off just a hoof-full of the books he’d written, the creatures he’d studied, and the spells he’s created; the only reason why it was a hoof-full was because Volare raised his own hoof for her to stop for a moment.

“Damn Twilight, you sure do know a lot about him,” he chuckled at her enthusiasm.

“I sure do! Outside of Celestia herself, he’s my biggest influence of study,” she finally paused and shook herself. “Heh, sorry if a lot of that went over your head; I just get a little excited about him, that’s all.”

“It’s quite alright,” he grinned encouragingly.

“So, do you have any influences in your life, Volare,” Twilight asked, and Volare very nearly rattled off the very first name that popped in his head…Rainbow Dash.
But he stopped himself and shook his head.

“Pass,” he replied, and Twilight’s face fell.

“O-oh, ok.”

“Just for now,” he reassured her with a smile. Could he really tell her though?

“Alrighty then. Any other questions?”

“Yeah, it’s about the weather,” Volare replied, eager to change the subject quickly.

“Oh? You interested in how it’s created from Cloudsdale and maintained by the Pegasi; it’s quite a fascinating process, if a bit less understood than I’d like,” she pouted slightly, nearly drawing another laugh from Volare. So damn adorable!

“Yeah, Dash touched on that a bit; she said the weather around Ponyville is fairly unpredictable so they keep things in check to make growing crops a lot easier,” Volare added.

“Is that so strange,” Twilight questioned curiously.

“Actually, yes; you see on Earth, the weather moves along completely on its own due to the rotation of the Earth creating convection currents, jet streams, and wind which push the clouds along into weather formations,” he mused. “I supposed you could say it’s all automated. But that also puts us at the mercy of it.”

“That’s wild,” Twilight scribbled in her notes and looked up. “Did you know that the weather only acts on its own in select places around Equestria?”

“Oh really; do tell,” Volare asked, very much interested now; they never really addressed this much in the show.

“Well, the Everfree Forest comes to mind, but many believe that’s because of the Zap Apples that grow there.”

“Zap Apples?”

“Yes, the very reason why Ponyville was founded was because of the magical Zap Apples found in the Everfree Forest by none other than Applejack’s grandmother Grannysmith,” the Unicorn nodded as she spoke. “Ponies came from miles around to try the ingredients she created with the Zap Apples. Many then settled here in this valley, founding the town, and that was very nearly 150 years ago, making Grannysmith by far the oldest pony I know of besides the Princesses of course.”

“So what do the Zap Apples do, exactly,” Volare crunched on his final apple slice, looking at it closely. It seemed normal to him. “This isn’t a Zap Apple, is it?”

“Oh, no, Zap Apples have a very….tingly texture, if that’s the word for it; not to mention the color spectrum striations. No, that’s just a run-of-the-mill, though nonetheless delicious, Sweet Apple Acres apple. Red delicious, unless I missed my guess. Applejack would know for sure," the Unicorn levitated one of the fruits for a moment as if to glean the truth from it before laying it back in the bowl again, tangent set aside for now.

“Makes sense,” Volare popped the remaining fruit into his mouth with a grin. They really were delicious. “But what makes the Zap Apples special and how would fruit affect the weather?”

“I’m not completely sure, but it seems their magical, electrical properties disturb the normally stable atmosphere above the Everfree, creating unpredictable weather without the input of the Pegasi.” She paused thoughtfully. “In fact, without the Pegasi to keep the weather stable around Ponyville, no telling what kind of storms and bad weather might leak out of the forest and dampen our day here, to say the least.”

“So why is the weather so stable here,” Volare inquired as he digested the latest information and the fruit in his belly, a theory growing in his mind. “Is it because of the presence of the Princesses?”

“I’d imagine so, because from what I’ve read there are other places on this planet where the weather can go haywire like it is on Earth,” again, she paused, chewing her lower lip in concentration. “And just about all of those places have a strange magical phenomenon around them, like Zap Apples, or an active volcano, etc.”

“Makes me wonder if all of your weather is magical here instead of natural like Earth,” Volare wondered out loud but stopped as Twilight looked up at him, bright-eyed. “What?”

“Volare, say that again,” she demanded.

“Um, all of your weather is magical here?”

“I think you might be onto something,” Twilight grabbed a separate book from the shelf simply titled “Theories” and pulled out a separate ink quill.

“How so,” Volare asked, somewhat confused.

“I’ve always somewhat wondered about how the weather around Equestria is formed, but I’ve never had any real time to devote to it nor any other examples to compare it to,” Twilight explained as she uncapped a bottle of ink, blue instead of the usual black. “But now that you’ve explained how the weather on your planet works, I think I have enough evidence to form a hypothesis.”

“A hypothesis on what; the weather?”

“Exactly. You see, your weather is caused by the convection currents on Earth which form due to the Earth's rotation, exposing the atmosphere to the warm sun, right?"

“Right…” Volare replied, not quite sure of what she was getting at. Unless…

“So that would support my theory of Equstria having either a very slow rotation-slow enough to not create any natural wind currents and weather,-or it has no rotation at all, which would explain the need to raise the sun and moon magically and to give us warmth and convection currents, as well as the need for weather creation and control by the Pegasi,” Twilight swatted the paper with the back of her hoof and grinned toothily. "And that would also explain why large storms are so rare; without convection and rotation, those storms can't exist without the outside help of either magical phenomena or the Pegasi!"

“Wow. Mind equals blown, Twilight,” Volare chuckled.

“What?” Twlight cocked her head.

“Never mind; just an Earth saying.”

“Heh, if you say so…I’ve just been reluctant to share this theory because of the lack of outside examples. But now that I have your planet as a contrast, I can delve into this more when I have the time. Maybe I’ll even show it to Princess Celestia and see what she thinks!” The Unicorn grinned widely and grabbed the blue Pegasus’ hoof.
“And it’s thanks to you, Volare! I’ll be sure to credit you in my theory when I talk about it!”

“Oh, heh, it was nothing,” he rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment before looking back down at her. “Ok, I think I’ve asked enough questions. Your turn again, Twilight.” He was interrupted by the sound of the clock on the wall striking 12.

“Oh wow, it’s noon already?!” Twilight exclaimed and hopped off the bed, storing her notes in the desk drawer. “I’ll get some lunch ready!”

“Um, Twilight,” Volare twiddled his hooves slightly. Her jumping off the bedsheets had released a pressure in his lower body.

“Yes, Volare,” the purple Unicorn paused at the top of the stairs.

“Um…where’s your bathroom? I kinda gotta go, ya know?”

“O-oh!” she flushed pink and nodded towards the spiral stairs leading further upstairs. “The closest one is up there.”

“Oh, thanks,” he rolled his legs over the edge of the bed and tentatively tried to stand. “Hey, I think I’m getting a little better,” he managed to say before his legs buckled and he toppled to the side of the bed, with Twilight barely catching him before his face struck the floorboards. “Ugh, or not.”

Twilight supported him with her magic as he sat back up on the bed, trying to shake some feeling back into his legs.
“You lost a lot of blood last night, Volare; you gotta take it slow.”

“Oh yeah; well you don’t have to piss like a racehorse,” he laughed at his own dumb joke before Twilight cracked a bemused smile herself. “You think you could help me up to the bathroom?”

“Well, um, I could, but…” she kicked the floorboard nervously. “I can only hold you up if I maintain line of sight…”

“So you’ll have to watch me use the bathroom,” Volare groaned.

“Pretty much,” Twilight grimaced. “And I’m pretty sure neither of us wants to know each other that intimately.”

“Yet,” Volare chuckled before Twilight shook him in irritation with her magic. “Ah, stop shaking me! Not helping!”

“So what do we do,” Twilight asked, blushing terribly now.

“Uh, I dunno…you got a bucket?”

“…you can’t be serious,” Twilight said with a hint of revulsion in her voice.

“Got any better ideas?”

“…nope,” Twilight headed downstairs and grabbed a metal bucket from the kitchen, passing the groaning Spike on the way back, lying by one of the windows in the warm noon sunshine. “Spike, you really need to get a move on.”

“But Twilight…so many apples…urgh.”

“Deal with it; we’ve only got a short time to work with before I leave out of town.”

“Yeah, but that’s two days from now,” Spike rolled over but Twilight was already up the stairs.

“Will this work?” She asked and sat the pail down. While she’d been gone, Volare had managed to shakily stand next to the bed. He nodded with a strange look on his face.

“That’ll do,” he stood over the bucket, a bit unsure of how he was going to do this, when he looked up to see Twilight still standing there, mouth slightly agape. “You wanna hold my hoof or something, Doc?”

“Um, no, no, I’m good,” Twilight stumbled over her words and herself as she made her way back to the stairs. “I’ll just um, get lunch ready, ok?”

“Sounds good,” Volare replied, sweat beading on his brow.

“…you sure you’ll be”-

“Twilight, I’m sure I can figure out how to piss in a bucket!”

“Right, right, sorry!” She scrambled down the stairs to the kitchen and fired up the stove, eager to drown out the liquid on metal noises upstairs. Spike stumbled into the kitchen after a while and slumped down at the breakfast table before noticing the embarrassed expression on Twilight’s face.

“What’s up, Twilight? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

“Huh-wha? Nope, not a ghost…” she focused on making the cooking the oatmeal without burning it.

“A monster?” Spike yawned his question.

“No, Spike…”

“A snake?”

“SPIKE!” Twilight snapped splashing hot oatmeal on the floor, her mind involuntarily pummeling her with dirty thoughts. “If you really have to know, I had to help Volare use the bathroom because he was so weak, ok? If you’d been awake, I’d have gotten you, another male, to help, but because you were lounging about, I had to help! That answer your question!?” She breathed hard a few times, glaring at the shocked baby dragon before she regained her composure.
“Oatmeal?” She stated rather than asked as she spooned it into a bowl she hovered down from the cupboard and placed in front of Spike.

“For lunch,” Spike started to complain, but stopped himself at Twilight’s stern look. “I mean, oatmeal for lunch; my favorite!” He dug in as Twilight left with two steaming bowls of her own. “Hey Twilight,” the dragon said before she left the kitchen. The Unicorn looked back over her shoulder. He felt bad for her as she’d obviously had a rough night.
“Is Volare ok? I mean, is he gonna be ok?”

“I don’t know Spike,” Twilight replied. “He can’t lift his wing and he’s very weak right now. But his sense of humor is intact.”

“So there’s hope for him yet, huh,” Spike gave her a comforting smile which she returned with a nod.

“It seems that way…hey Spike?”

“Yep?” the baby dragon licked the oatmeal from his lips.

“I’m in the process of asking him the questions I’ve wanted to of the humans and their world. But I’m not going to wear him out too much; he needs his rest. Do you want to help me go window shopping today?”

“Window shopping…” the dragon wondered until it clicked in his head. “Oh, right, the upstairs window,” he looked up at the broken portal. “Sure, I’ll go help ya find one. But what about Volare?”

“Heh, he’s got one of Dash’s Daring Do novels up there,” she flipped her mane as she nodded towards the ceiling. “He certainly won’t be bored if he doesn’t want to sleep while we’re gone.”

“Sounds like a plan, Twilight,” the dragon grinned and shoveled more oatmeal into his jaws while she headed upstairs.

“Knock knock,” she announced halfway up. “Is it safe to come in?”

“Yep, I’m back in bed,” Volare replied as she cleared the top step with steaming bowls hovering around her. “What’s that?”

“Oatmeal,” she smiled before her vision met the bucket. “What’s that,” she echoed, a bit uneasy.

“Heh, certainly not oatmeal, I promise,” the pilot smirked as Twilight hovered the bowl over to him before setting her own bowl down and picking up the bucket with her magic, keeping it well away from her.

“I’ll just, um…” she unlatched the window and tossed the contents out, praying nopony happened to be outside at the moment. When no sound of promised murder reached her ears, she relaxed and sat the bucket back inside before relatching the window. “Hopefully by tomorrow you’ll be able to use the stairs, cuz I think that was a one-time thing.”

“Sorry, Twilight,” the blue Pegasus replied sheepishly.

“It’s ok, just….bleh,” Twilight shuddered and made her way back over to the bed, covering up Volare with the bedsheet before settling back on the bed herself.

“Mmm, what’s in this oatmeal,” Volare asked as he ate it nearly as quickly as Spike.

“Heh, just cinnamon and brown sugar.”

“You ever considered cooking,” Volare asked through a mouthful.

“Oh, please stop it,” Twilight nudged him with a blush. “First you think I should be a doctor, now a cook? I’m just a simple Unicorn who happens to read up on these subjects a lot, that’s all.”

“Knowledge is power, Twilight,” Volare grinned as he finished the oatmeal and sighed. “And you make a pretty powerful cook and doctor if I do say so myself.”

“Oh knock it off, already; you’re embarrassing me.”

“But you’re too good at what you do to be that modest, Twilight,” he smiled and settled back. “Ahh…so, where were we in our little Q&A?”

“Oh, right,” Twilight hovered the quill back over to herself as she slurped down the rest of her oatmeal before setting it down on the bedside table. She grabbed up her notes and readied herself for the next round of questions. “Heh, I don’t know about you, but this has been quite fascinating so far.”

“Indeed,” Volare nodded and awaited her questions.

“Ok, let’s see here…” Twilight’s eyes skimmed down her list. “Let’s move on to some personal questions. What does your diet consists of?”

“Oh, hm…well, don’t get offended at this, but my diet consisted of a lot of protein before I came here…protein from meat.”

“You ate…meat,” the Unicorn shuddered at the last word. “As in, dead animals? That’s…ew.”

“Well, when you put it that way, of course it sounds bad,” he replied with a huff. “I prefer my meat cooked, thank you very much! Besides, I balance it out with lots of vegetables and bread and whatnot. I’m not some savage beast!”

“I know…just, I’ve seen what a bear did to a deer it caught years ago…and I guess that’s my own personal concept of eating meat,” Twilight looked away, a little ashamed. “Sorry.”

“Please stop saying sorry, Twilight,” he patted her hoof. “Makes me feel like the bad guy when you’re upset.”

Twilight looked up in surprise. She didn’t know how to respond to that one.
“Um, I…sorry for apologizing…oops. Well, this is awkward yet again. Um, do other humans eat meat?”

“All the time, but like I said, if they don’t balance it out with other things, they’ll develop health problems. Even so, meat is kinda at a premium for most cultures due to the cost of raising it for slaughter.”

“Wait, you raise animals…just to kill them,” Twilight felt her stomach do a little flip flop.

“Yes, many cultures do,” he said solemnly, aware they’d stumbled onto a sensitive subject.

“…what sort of animals?”

“Mainly cattle like cows, sheep, goats, that sort of thing,” he replied, carefully withholding a certain but of information he’d only reveal if she asked.

“So all those herds of animals that Dash said she’d seen…” Twilight’s eyes got a far away look to them. “Those were only there to die?”

“What sort of animals did she see,” Volare said after a long pause.

“Cows like you said, a few goats, and…” Twilight’s face turned a little green.

Oh god no…

“…animals that looked like bigger versions of Earth Ponies, and not nearly as colorful,” Twilight finally said. “And they weren’t running free either…they were tied up behind fences.”

“Those were horses…Twilight, this may be hard for you to hear, but…” He struggled for the right words. “Some cultures do also raise horses for food, though it’s out of practice in most countries…most people view horses as too intelligent and…and…well, too ingrained in the history of humans to eat.”

“I-I see,” Twilight felt the oatmeal in her stomach rise to the back of her throat before she forced it back down. “What do you mean by ingrained, though?”

“Heh, without the help of horses and plows, humans would have never gotten to where they are in agriculture, Twilight,” Volare grinned. “True, they’ve mainly fallen by the wayside as work animals, horses are very important to human culture, perhaps the most revered work animal in the particular culture I’m from. In fact, without horses, the country I’m from might not have even come to exist.”

“Do they eat horses in your country, Volare,” Twilight asked, apparently fixated on that particular revelation.

“No, it’s illegal in most places to raise them for slaughter, mainly because of their connection with our past.”

“Good…I’d really hate to think I was talking with someone who…who did those sort of things at home, then basically sat down and had a conversation with something similar to his dinner later,” Twilight mused. “It’d be…too morbid for me to process…sorry…you wanna try another question?”

“Yes, please,” he squeezed her hoof with his own, and she was glad he did…it kept the tears of disgust from forming and reminded her that he was…different.
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve got no problem being a vegetarian here either.”

“Heh, thanks…I think I’ll just leave that little bit out,” she crossed out the “diet” section and moved on. “What other important resources are on your planet?”

“Plenty,” he leaned up and began tapping his hoof as he counted them off. “Most currency on Earth is based on the value of gold, a soft and shiny yellow metal. Then there is oil, which is used to power over 80% of industry, although nuclear, wind, water, and solar power are catching up as oil is getting pretty expensive because only a few countries sell a lot of it, allowing them to control the prices of it.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair,” Twilight pointed out, making Volare nod.

“Indeed, hence the move towards alternate energy. There’s also your basic resources like timber, water, other precious metals, and gemstones, all used as currency on the world market that connects all countries and dictates the prices of everything.”

“Wow, so it’s all interconnected?”

“Very…heh, I’d try to explain the Internet, but I’d be here all week doing that,” Volare laughed. And there’s some things there of her and her friends I’d rather she not know about…eesh.
“Suffice it to say that the Internet keep everyone connected, and let’s leave it at that.”

“Fair enough for now,” she smiled. “You mentioned you flew a machine called a jet for a living. What’s that entail?”

“Oh, it’s a military jet. That particular type of jet is used to promote the Navy branch of the United States Armed Forces,” Volare explained.

“The United States?” Twilight asked. “Is that your country?”

“Mhm, it is; to say that it was founded in battle would be a bit of an understatement.”

“Oh really,” Twilight scribbled on her parchment. “Go on.”

“Alrighty then” Volare cracked his neck and went on to describe the entire military history of his country, from beginning to present. He covered all the major wars he could think of, from the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Gulf War 1, all the way up to Gulf War 2 and present. He described the opposing countries and their leaders as horrid villains that had no place on the earth, only 6 feet under it. By the time he was finished, he wasn’t sure if Twilight’s expression was one of awe or just plain shock…maybe a little of both.
“So there you have it; my country’s history. It ain’t pretty, but it’s the truth,” he said solemnly. “You ok, Twilight?”

“Hm, yeah, yeah, just,” she shook her mane a bit. “It’s a lot to take in, Volare. I mean, I knew from Dash’s reports that you were a pretty violent species, but I didn’t realize the history of it ran back so far. Any other particular reason other nations fight, or does ‘for anything under the sun’ work pretty well,” Twilight tried to joke, but by Volare’s expression, she realized she’d guess right.
“That’s a lot of death…” she tried to wrap her mind around it; the most death she’d ever seen was a massive die-off of butterflies after their long migration and the worst she’d read about had been deaths during the blizzards before Equestria was founded.

“Do you have a standing military,” the Pegasus inquired.

“Sort of,” Twilight tapped her quill. “The Princesses have their Royal Guards, and of course there are the Wonderbolts, but they’re mainly for show," she chuckled as she described the only combat effort she'd observed; it had gotten them trapped in a water tower by Spike, who'd grown large and nasty due to a sudden onset of greed stemming from an over-abundance of birthday gifts.

“Um, not to interrupt, but I’ve got another question,” Volare said, making sure to choose his words carefully so as not to arouse suspicion; he wasn’t supposed to have ever seen the guards before. “I’ve noticed there aren’t many stallions here in Ponyville…they wouldn’t happen to be serving as the Princesses guards, would they?”

“That’s very perceptive, Volare,” Twilight narrowed her eyes slightly. “How’d you know?”

Crap!
“Oh, um, well, a lot of the military on Earth are men and are picked from the closest population center, so I just surmised that since Ponyville is the closest town to Canterlot that the same rules applied. And when I saw that there are a lot more mares here than stallions…I guess I just put two and two together.”

“Very impressive,” Twilight smiled. “Although there are a few mares in the Royal Guard, for the most part, yes, the force is made up of stallions conscripted from Ponyville. I guess it’s just something about the stallions from this area that meet the Princesses’ preferences.”
I wonder if that’s why we all got excited when we met Volare, a free stallion in Ponyville…no, no, no, knock it off, Twilight! Stay professional!

“How long do they serve?”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, most of them serve between 4 and 5 years, although a lot of them sign on for longer tours or they get assigned to other towns.”

“Good job security?” Volare mused.

“Or they really enjoy the high life of being a Guard, though I don’t know how anypony could just stand there with that stern emotionless face all day,” Twilight made a serious face. “Halt, who goes there?” she made a motion with her quill as if it were a spear pointed at Volare.

“Only a crippled human-turned Pegasus; I swear I’m mostly harmless,” Volare laughed and held his front hooves over his head before Twilight collapsed into giggles. “So do those guys go out and fight battles?”

“No, I mean, I suppose they could, but…I guess you could say the Guards are more there as a deterrent rather than a fighting force,” Twilight explained. “The Princesses usually have more than enough power to handle the really big problems, I’d wager. You see, there’s never really been any large-scale battles like on Earth here in Equestria; just small skirmishes.”

“Can you tell me about those?”

“Sure,” Twilight smiled and then launched herself into her own tale involving the battle against Nightmare Moon and the second battle against Discord when he escaped his stone prison, both of which he recalled from the show.

“I’ve got a question about Nightmare Moon, Twilight,” he interrupted.

“Yes?”

“What exactly made her transform, I mean from Luna to Nightmare Moon,” he asked slowly. “From what you described, Luna controlled the moon for close to 100 years before becoming Nightmare Moon…why the sudden change of heart and bitterness?”

“You know, that’s something I was never able to figure out, Volare,” Twilight replied. “I’ve searched through books and texts, but was never able to find any solid evidence on why she just suddenly changed. You’d think if she had any reservations about it, they’d show up before 100 years passed.”

“Have you ever spoken to Celestia about it,” Volare offered. “I figure if anyone would know about her, it would be her own sister. Or have you ever spoken to Luna herself?”

“No, neither…honestly, I felt it was kinda taboo to speak about,” Twilight said quietly.

“You think you could ask about that for me when you go to Canterlot?”

“Hmm…I suppose I could,” she then smiled. “Unless you want to speak to the Princesses yourself.”

“M-myself?!” Volare sputtered. “B-but, I dunno, Twilight. I mean, I’m just a regular guy, er pony, and I”-

“Oh come on, they won’t bite,” Twilight shoved him with a hoof. “I’ve known Celestia for years and Luna is, well, she’s getting back to being part of pony society, so don’t be scared of them. They’re really pretty laid-back for Princesses.”

“Only cuz they know you,” Volare muttered. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine! But first you’ll have to recover from your crash,” she nodded at his injury. “This would be weeks if not months in the future, mind you.”

“Of course, of course,” Volare nodded. He still wasn’t convinced, but if Twilight said it was ok… “So let’s get back to you and your friends’ exploits!”

“Right! No questions on Discord?”

“Nah, I think you described him fairly well,” Volare shook his head. “Master of Chaos, likes to cause major headaches, and he got beaten twice by the Elements of Harmony and re-encased in stone. Sounds like a done deal to me.”

“Heh, hopefully for good this time,” the Unicorn nodded in agreement. “Let’s see, who else…oh yeah…do you know of Queen Chrysalis?”

“Queen Chrysalis?” He asked, the unfamiliar name rolling off his tongue with a hiss. “Who was that?”

“You mean who is that,” Twilight corrected him. “She’s the Queen of the Changelings, and we battled her and her army about 6 months ago at a Royal Canterlot Wedding where she tried to impersonate the bride and take the groom for herself, for she fed off of the power of his love for her.”

“What happened,” Volare asked, eyes wide. This Queen sounded like a first-class bitch!

“Well, my friends and I did our best, but the Queen was too powerful…she even took down Celestia for goodness’ sake!” Twilight exclaimed, drawing an audible gasp from the Pegasus.

“No way…”

“Way,” she nodded grimly. “It was the power of the groom’s love for his bride that allowed her to do it.” Her face brightened. “But it was the power of the bride’s love for the groom that broke the trance over him and together, they defeated the Queen, blasting her off far over the Everfree Forest!” Twilight pumped a hoof with a grin.

“But you say is. Is she still alive?!”

“As far as we know, nopony found her body, so we can only assume so,” the Unicorn frowned. “But on the same token, nopony has seen hide nor hair of her since, so maybe she wised up and left the area for good.”

“Hopefully…wait, who was the bride and groom? Did you know them personally?” Volare asked suddenly, but was only met by a sly smirk from the Librarian. “Twilight?”

“Heh, answer a few personal questions of mine and I’ll consider answering that one,” Twilight winked and grinned.

“Alright, fine.”

“Back to your own military,” Twilight added her current note page to the growing stack on her desk and took up a fresh sheet. For some reason, although she was a fairly peaceful Unicorn, the fact that a species like his could survive millennia of warfare and even thrive despite it was intriguing.
“From what you’ve told me and what I’ve seen, you seem to be a nation of war, so I can understand your fascination of battle and military history.”

“Indeed, and that’s just my own country…I’d be willing to bet that violent streak runs all the way to the beginning with everyone,” Volare added, noting they were right back to where they’d started. “I hope you don’t rope me in with the psychos that my country has been trying to stop for centuries, Twilight.”

“No, no, I understand why you did it,” she shook her head again. “Just…doesn’t it affect you; talking about all that death and waste?”

“It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it, I suppose,” he sighed. “My training taught me to be as detached as I could, because the more you think about what your duty there entails…the greater your chances of going nuts thinking about “coulda, shoulda, woulda” all the time, ya know?”

“It’d be like I questioned every decision I ever made in regards to magic,” Twilight mused. “I see how that could drive a pony out of their mind. But tell me; have you ever done something in your jet that you’ve regretted? Please answer if you can, if anything to prove that you’re not some murdering monster.”

So I guess the phrase “making sure I’m still human” wouldn’t be applicable here…
“Well, as many hours as I’ve had in a jet, I was never really one for wanting to go out and blow something up; I didn’t get a rush from that. Just the sensation of flying one of those beautiful machines was more than enough to get my juices flowing,” Volare reminisced and closed his eyes. “However, you can’t be in the Navy for over 5 years without seeing some sort of combat I suppose, and I flew more than a handful of missions in my time, but only in two did I see combat.”

“You can tell me about it if it doesn’t bother you too badly,” Twilight took out a new piece of paper and re-dipped her quill.

“I guess none of it’s classified here,” Volare paused, thinking back over the details of those two missions…how he’d been offered the information on who his targets had been during the mission debriefing…
“Actually Twilight, I think I’ll pass on this one,” he replied suddenly, and his friend’s face fell.

“Are you ok, Volare?” She asked, seeing the creases forming across his brow. “What happened on those missions that’s got you troubled?”

“Let’s just put it this way, Twilight,” he looked up, forcing a pained smile. “I wouldn’t even open up the debriefing files after the missions because I didn’t want to know what happened to my targets.” He sighed and wiped his brow. “Please understand, Twilight...I was taught to be detached, but I was afraid that if I knew who I’d….who I’d done in. If I’d seen their faces…I’m not sure if I could have gone on doing my job. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, Twilight.”

“I-I’m sorry, Volare,” Twilight held up the parchment. “I can…burn this one if you like, and we can forget we ever spoke about it.”

“No, don’t do that,” he held up a hoof. “I’ll likely tell you eventually, but for now, I’d rather your opinion of me not be sullied any further.”

“But, Volare, like you said: it’s a dirty job, but somepony’s gotta”-

“I know,” he cut her off. “And not all facts are sunshine and rainbows…but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish them to be sometimes…” The Pegasi sighed and leaned back into the pillows for a long moment; a moment cut off as the clock on the wall struck 3 o’clock.
“Heh, hard to believe we’ve been talking all-Ahhh” he yawned mightily and shook his spiky mane. “Sorry,” he smiled sheepishly.

“You wanna call it a day, Volare?” Twilight patted him through the blanket, giving him a comforting smile. But that smile was merely a mask, hiding what she felt about this…this human and his race. She didn’t want to blame him for where he came from, but all the same, she had no idea just how rough the situation was on Earth.
“Hey, I’ve got a question.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you…do you like it here better than Earth,” she asked point blank, making him look up in surprise. “I mean, we don’t have the problems you have there on Earth, we don’t have constant war, famine, serious disease…I mean, we have our share of problems sure, but for the most part, it’s pretty stable here.”

“Heh, I know what you mean Twilight, and to be honest,” Volare closed his eyes and thought for a long moment. Was he really ready to accept this place as a home? She was right after all…it was certainly more stable.
“I’ve only been here a couple of days, and although I’ve nearly died twice,” he gave a sarcastic little chuckle. “From what I’ve seen…it’s already head and shoulders over Earth.”

“So…you think you could call this place home? I mean, not my Library specifically,” Twilight caught hersellf and laughed nervously. “But Equestria as a whole, or maybe even here in Ponyville…you think you could live here?”

“Why do you want me to stay, Twilight? Maybe I’ve still got some reservations about it.” Maybe there’s a chance I could go back…maybe, god forbid, this is all a damn dream…

“Even if you did Volare,” Twilight placed her hoof over his. “I’m sorry if this sounds selfish, but I wouldn’t want you to go back.”

“But why…I’m just a violent human like the rest. Why wouldn’t you want me to go back with my own kind?”

“Because…because I think you’re different,” Twilight said before she could stop herself.

“Different how?”

“I just…even though you held an occupation that involved killing others, you obviously didn’t enjoy that aspect of it,” she explained her theory as best as she could. “But you enjoyed the perks of flying that came with it, right?”

“Affirmative,” he quipped.

“Well, you’re a Pegasus, and you can enjoy that flight whenever you want now,” the Unicorn said slowly. “So I don’t think you should go back to Earth, because I think it’s better for you here. Again, sorry if that sounds selfish.”

“Twilight,” Volare began but she cut him off when she threw a hug around his neck. “Wha-?”

“Please consider staying…I’m sorry if this insults you, but your planet just sounds like the worst place possible compared to here,” she looked up with less than dry eyes. “I just don’t want you going back and risking yourself when you don’t have to, that’s all. It’s not fair…it’s not fair…”

“Twilight,” the Pegasus started but stopped again. Was she right? Could he…should he…would he…no, you were taught to not ask those questions. Make a decision and stick with it, Volare!
“I had just achieved my dream of joining the Blue Angels when I came here…that’s hard to let go…”

“Please stay,” the Unicorn pleaded. “Is that the only thing holding you there?”

“I…in all honesty…” Decide! He couldn’t take the sorrowful look on her face much longer!

“Yes?”

“It may take me a while to cut the ties I had with Earth, but…I don’t think I’d have it any other way, Twilight,” the Unicorn’s face broke into a small smile.

“R-really? You mean it,” she asked, her smile growing as she spoke.

“Heh, don’t think I have much choice between not having a human body and those pleading eyes of yours,” Volare beamed back and returned the hug. “Yes…I’ll very, very, very strongly consider staying."

“Good,” Twilight said into his neck and leaned back up, wiping her nose a bit. “Again, sorry I put you through these questions…I just feel like I’ve been interrogating you or something.”

“Nah, you’re missing the bright lamp in my face,” the pilot chuckled.

“Heh, yeah, that’s more Pinkie’s specialty.”

“I know, right,” Volare laughed but cut himself off at Twilight’s questioning look. Shit.

“H-how did you know about that?” the mare cocked her head to the side in puzzlement.

“Good guess? Nah, I’m just tired and agreeing with you, that’s all,” Volare bullshitted as fast as he could.

“That tired, huh,” Twilight giggled and patted him on the head with a hoof. “You want something to eat before you turn in? I’ve got some fresh carrots in the cellar.”

Yuck…carrots…then again…
“Those sound...nice, Twilight. I’ll take a few.”

“Ok,” she chirped and headed downstairs, returning a few moments later with said vegetables. “Here you go,” she placed them within hoof’s reach and looked down at Volare with a soft smile.

“What?” he asked after a moment.

“Oh nothing, nothing,” Twilight tossed her mane. “Just mulling some things over in my head; like how crazy and unlikely all the circumstances are for you to be here, considering how rough and tumble your world is. It’s pretty amazing you got here in one piece.”

“Heh, mostly,” Volare chuckled, the fiery crash entering his mind for the briefest of moments, but he pushed it away before it could take up residence and cleared his throat. “You know, I’m kinda glad you helped me talk about some of the not so great parts of my world today; like I said, it certainly helps me appreciate yours more.”

“You’re welcome, Volare; it can be yours too if you want it," her words cheered him more than she could realize; just like Applejack and the others, she was so willing to offer her home to him. That particular trait was so hard to find on Earth...if he hadn't seen the show before, he wouldn't have been able to wrap his mind around just how in the world they could be so...welcoming.
"I’ve got some more questions for you tomorrow, but you can trust me when I say they’re mostly fun ones,” she tilted her head thoughtfully before smiling and turning back to the stairs. “You have a good rest, Volare; there’s a Daring Do novel by your bed if you can’t sleep.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

“Oh, Spike and I are gonna go get a window to replace the one you mistook for the front door,” she gave him another smile, a bit pained this time.

“Oh, right…hey, I wanna repay you for that, and for all of this eventually,” the Pegasus’ words stopped her on the stairs.

“Don’t sweat it, Volare…you’ve been put through enough as it is; you don’t need to pile onto yourself,” the Unicorn frowned and headed down, stopping once more as he called out to her.

“Wait, what about the wedding?! I thought you were gonna tell me more about that!”

“Oh don’t worry…that’s one of the things we’ll cover tomorrow,” Twilight popped her head back up above floor level and winked.

“Aww, no fair!”

“Heh, sleep well, Volare.”

The pilot grumbled and settled back into the pillows, listening to Spike and Twilight rummaging around downstairs for a moment before the front door opened and shut, leaving him alone in the Library…alone with his thoughts. He chomped on a carrot in mild frustration.
Could I really, truly call this world my home? It was certainly better than Earth in more ways than one…urgh, this is happening too fast! Even so…what about my dream of flying with the Blue Angels? That’s gone now…but if it’s gone, what’s holding me there anyways? Decide, dammit!

It was as his eyelids slipped shut and the carrot fell from his hoof that he made his decision, albeit a mildly conflicted one:
If there were no possible way to go back and achieve his dream…then he’d make Equestria his new home. Perhaps he’d find a new dream here.
Home…I actually like the sound of that…Heh, now I almost hope that I don’t find a way to go back…ignorance truly might be bliss in that regard…

* Equestria map used:

Author's Note

Ok, I'd like to credit "idk12345678910", "Man Of War", "JJ Malcolm", "RedvsBlue327", "totallynotabrony", and "RainbowsAreMagic" for their input and question suggestions in this chapter! There's gonna be one more chapter of Twilight's questions for him, but I PROMISE they're more light-hearted and fun! (she wants to make it up to him for kinda putting him through more crap, after all) Heh, Volare's gonna freak when he finds out more about the wedding XD

The Hurricane-Pt 4: Invasion of Privacy

Small Warning: Dark Tag comes into play!

August 27th, Morning

Why’d you have to be so bucking curious, Twilight Sparkle?! Why?!
The young Unicorn panted in a near-panic from the doorway of the guest bedroom, looking back across the hall towards her own room where Volare was waking up from his fitful slumber.
Why, why, why, why, why?!?!

After she and Spike had returned to the Library with the replacement window pane, she tried to occupy her buzzing mind with how she’d go about repairing the window tomorrow….but of course she already knew how. Spike would use his fire breath to melt the tree sap around the window frame to make it water-tight while she floated it into position.
They’d done it twice before…

Spike fixed her a simple dinner of oats and fresh produce from the cellar while he himself crunched on a clawful of rubies, oblivious to Twilight’s inner musings and wonderings. He simply took her silent munchings on dinner as a sign that she was either very tired or he’d fixed a pretty mean salad; he opted to think it was the latter.

After dinner, she then attempted to occupy herself with packing for the trip on the day after next, but Spike was way ahead of her, and with his help they had the supply list written up and her saddlebags pre-packed within an hour. She then almost absent-mindedly began to re-organize the books of the Library, but Spike noticed that the normally meticulous Unicorn was occasionally mis-placing the books back on the shelf where she’d picked them up from in the first place.
Maybe he hadn’t fixed such a mean salad after all…

“Hey Twilight,” Spike finally spoke up, startling Twilight from her thoughts.

“Huh,” she muttered, shaking her mane slightly.

“Are you ok,” he patted her hoof with a claw. “You seem…distracted. Or tired...or both.”

“How so, Spike,” she protested, floating a book up and sticking it in the shelf.

“You just put that book in the wrong section,” he nodded towards it. “Pages out.” Sure enough, when Twilight looked up at the book, she chuckled slightly at the sight of the book crammed spine-first into the mass of other texts lining the shelves.

“Heh, ok, so maybe I am a little,” she agreed, barely having time to stifle the yawn that popped out with her hoof.

“Yeah, you need to sleep,” Spike grinned and yawned himself. “Ha, guess yawns are contagious.”

“Oh that’s *yawn* ridiculous,” the Unicorn yawned again and giggled.

“Uh-huh,” the dragon crossed his arms. “Well either way, we’re obviously both too tired to be sorting these books. So if you were smart like yours truly,” he grinned toothily.
“You’d head to bed.”

“Oh…fine,” Twilight agreed reluctantly and went about turning down a blanket for the couch for Spike before heading up to the guest bedroom across the hall from her own bedroom.
“Good night, Spike.”

“Night, Twilight.”

But, try as she might and as tired as she was, she just couldn’t focus on sleep. No, unfortunately, Twilight was fighting a losing battle against her fierce curiosity; curiosity over what exactly had the blue Pegasus across the hall spooked badly enough that he was blatantly hiding part of his past from her. She tossed and turned for hours, wracking her brains over what they’d talked about that day, but by 4 in the morning, she’d realized that he’d revealed nothing else that might point back to why he was so afraid to tell her about his military past.

Unable to bear it any longer, Twilight had crept from the guest room to her bedroom where Volare was sound asleep, much to her relief. At least he wasn’t in so much discomfort that he couldn’t fall asleep on his own now. She tip-hoofed softly to his bedside and observed him for a few moments before closing her own eyes and leaning her head close to his. Her horn glowed a dim purple as she focused her mind. She’d cast scrying spells before, but nothing quite like this; then again, she’d never had a reason to until now.

From what she’d read in her texts, anypony could lie about anything, as well as hide their deepest secrets from anypony else, even from someone as sensitive to the truth as Applejack. However, nopony could truly lie to themselves, especially not when their mind was at its most vulnerable: in their dreams. Yes, she knew it was somewhat unethical to do this, but she just had to know what he was hiding from her in regards to his missions…this was the thought she focused on as she cast the dream scrying spell.*

As the tip of her horn touched his forehead, she opened her eyes with a gasp to find herself in a dark and nearly empty space, empty that is except for the long waist-high desk before her. It seemed to be illuminated and encircled by a dim light source from up above, clearly making it the focus of this particular memory she’d forced his dreams into experiencing, although one end of the long desk exited the light and seemed to fade into the infinite shadows that pressed in around it. As she watched, a two-legged figure entered the circle of light from the shadows around it and approached the desk, himself dressed in a blue and yellow flight suit. Although she could only see portions of the side of his face, she could feel from the consciousness around her that this was Volare.

She stayed well outside the circle of light as he stood at silent attention beside the desk for a long moment. And that was all he did was stand there, saying nothing, doing nothing but breathing. The suspense was getting to Twilight, but before she could consider saying something to snap Volare into action, a rustling noise from outside the light caused the pilot to look up. From out of the shadows and along the desk slid what looked to be a thick envelope with the bright red words DEBRIEFING clearly printed on the outside of the dull orange parcel. The package skidded to a stop inches away from Volare’s end of the desk, and he reached for it tentatively, his hand visibly shaking as he did so.

So this is what he must remember about this, Twilight thought as the pilot plucked the thick envelope from the desk top. He turned it over in his hands and looked up past it, towards the end of the desk where it had slid from. He mumbled something incoherent to the darkness before shaking his head and setting the parcel down again. It gave a more weighty thump upon the desktop than something of that size deserved to, almost as if it were a physical burden within his mind. He pushed it away with some effort and began to step away from the desk.

No, I want to see it! Twilight’s mind cried, her horn lighting up the space around her. Volare immediately noticed the new light source, and his head pivoted on his neck until he faced her, his face hidden in the shadows cast by the light above them.
Crap! she thought and extinguished her horn quickly. The pilot shook his head slowly and then turned back to the desk, the dream altered by the Unicorn’s intervention.

He reached back down for the parcel with what seemed to be a new resolve and without hesitation, tore open the seal and dumped out the contents upon the desk.
A horrified Twilight immediately wished he hadn’t…

Instead of papers or files spilling from the mouth of the manila folder, a torrent of ludicrously bright crimson blood poured out, splattering all over the desk and running off onto the floor and covering Volare’s shiny boots. Accompanying the flood were the sounds of children laughing and woman screaming as wave after wave of blood splashed against the desk. Even in an unconscious state of mind like this, Twilight felt the bile rise in her throat, and the only thought in her head was to get the buck out of Volare’s head!

The light from her horn cleared away the shadows around her like a broom would sweep filth from the floorboards, but in the process revealed something even more disturbing. All around her were the bones of hundreds of humans, piled as high as her flanks and glistening with the same color blood that continued to drip from the envelope in Volare’s hands. This was no longer a dream…she’d stumbled into a nightmare of the worst kind. She gasped and turned back to the pilot at the desk, who finally dropped the envelope into the puddle of scarlet dribbling off the desktop. As the parcel splashed down into the liquid, he looked back up at her, and the shadows finally fled away from his face.
But it was no longer his face…it was a burnt, bloody, grinning skull.
Twilight screamed…

…and then found herself back in her bedroom, gasping for breath mere inches from Volare’s face which was illuminated by the early dawn light peeking in over the window sill. The blue Pegasus groaned in his slumber and his eyelids fluttered slightly as he frowned. A drop of sweat clung to Twilight’s muzzle, threatening to splash down on his face and reveal the Unicorn standing above him, invading his dreams and secrets. Without a second thought, Twilight scooted backwards away from him and slipped out the bedroom door and back into the guest room before realizing she’d been holding her breath the entire time.

She released it with a gasp and pulled breath after breath into her searing lungs. She was hyperventilating…she couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t done this since she was a little filly.
Get a hold of yourself, Twilight!!
She finally calmed down and leaned against the doorframe, her mind a jumble of thoughts. What had she been thinking? She’d just violated the sanctity of Volare’s mind and for what; to learn only a symbolic hint of what scared Volare the most?
Well, you’ve certainly succeeded in that regard, and probably ruined any sleep you might have had planned for days to come! Why’d you have to be so bucking curious Twilight Sparkle?! Why?! Why, why, why, why, why?!

“Ugh, what a dream,” Volare mumbled as he turned over and felt a sharp pain in his right side. His eyes snapped open and he stared directly into the dawn sun. “AH!!” He cried and instinctively flopped over again, getting entangled in his bedsheets in the process. The nightmare he’d been experiencing suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks, and he cried out loudly, unable to move his entangled legs.

“Agh, help!” he yelled before he could stop himself, and just as he fell out of the bed on his head, left wing flapping wildly and his right wing hanging painfully, Twilight burst into his room.

“Volare, Volare, are you alright?!” She cried, her horn glowing as she untangled the bedsheets from around his hooves. “What happened?”
Oh please don’t have seen me…

“Ow,” Volare rubbed his sore forehead with a hoof, actually rather thankful that his right wing was dangling over his face; at least it was hiding the blush that crept across it as he realized he’d woken up screaming from a bad dream…and Twilight had walked right in on him during it.
“Oh…bad dream to say the least,” he grinned sheepishly as he sat up next to the bed. As he looked up at the Unicorn, a look of realization crept into his expression.
“And…I think I saw you in it, of all people, er, ponies.” He shook his head a bit helplessly. “Heh, I’ll get that down eventually; the whole ‘ponies’ instead of ‘people’ phrases.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal Volare,” Twilight replied. She avoided looking him in the face for a while, expecting to see a skull in its place before she realized just how dumb that was…even so…“What was the dream about and why do you suppose I was in it?”
Moment of truth…

“I…I dunno, really,” he blinked his eyes and yawned. “I can’t say for sure why I saw you there, but…let’s just say it was a pretty nasty nightmare and leave it at that.”

You can say that again...I think I'll just wait for him to tell me about that stuff himself...poor guy.
“Are you gonna be ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve had it before…just been a while,” the Pegasus shook his head again before struggling to his feet. “Heh, actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to try tackling the stairs,” he nodded towards the flight leading up to the room above them.

“Why’s that-oh,” Twilight turned away quickly, pink in her cheeks. “Right, um, you go on and do that and I’ll go get Spike up and get breakfast ready.”

“Heh, sounds good,” Volare nodded and limped slowly up the short flight of stairs. Above them lay yet another small study-like area and just off to the side was indeed a bathroom like she'd said. And to his surprise, they had running water not unlike that on Earth. He did his business in the appropriate basin and ran the water by pulling a cord that read PULL TO FLUSH. Again, surprisingly simple, so much so that Volare laughed and pulled the cord twice more before realizing how silly he must look standing there and flushing a toilet like a little kid.

He quickly washed his face in the sink and got the first really good look at himself in the mirror above the sink. His yellow spiky mane was matted all over the place, his blue fur was crusted in blood from the surgery, and his silver-blue eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags sitting beneath them. He grimaced and then made a face before laughing at himself.
“Boy Volare, you sure look like hell.”
He did his best to scrub some of the blood from his mane and neck before giving up when he realized he was just going to have to shower to get the rest of the mess off of himself.

Still chuckling to himself, he limped out of the bathroom and began to make his way down the stairs. He got about two steps down before his head started to spin, and it was all he could do to catch the wall with a hoof and weakly cry out for help. Within 30 seconds, Twilight was at his side, and she helped him back to her bed and tucked him back in.

“Ugh, Volare, you’re still too weak to be stressing yourself like this”- Twilight began to gently scold him before she was cut off by a shriek from outside the Library.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH” a normally cultured voice rang out and woke half of Ponyville. Twilight trotted to the window and unlatched it curiously to see what all the commotion was about.
“I’LL DESTROY THE BOTH OF YOU!!!”

“What in Celestia’s mane…” Twilight breathed before catching her breath at the sight in the street below her. Pelting across the road were Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, giggling so hard they could barely run. But it was a good thing they could, because right on their hooves was a veritable storm of indigo mane, white fur, gritting teeth, and…a green blur?

“Pinkie and Rainbow, get back here this instant!!!!” The scream of rage that could only belong to Rarity rang out again, piercing its way through Twilight’s eardrums and making her head ring. But she quickly saw the reason for Rarity’s distress: her tail had been dyed lime green...and she only needed one guess as to who was responsible.

“Run Pinkie, run!!” Dash laughed, causing Volare’s ears to perk forward and his left wing to flare slightly at her voice, though his right wing still hung limply at his side.

“What’s going on out there, Twilight?” That screaming voice sounded familiar.

“It’s my friend Rarity…let’s just say she’s not too pleased with Dash and Pinkie at the moment,” Twilight suppressed a giggle as the prankster duo suddenly split up and ran down opposite streets, leaving the white Unicorn below out of breath and leaning against the outside of the Library.

Rarity…oh yeah, the drama-queen pony…good lord, what did you do to her, Dashie? Volare thought.

“I’ll…get…you…*huff huff*,” Rarity moaned as she realized that although few ponies were actually out in the street at such an early hour, many were peering at her from their bedroom windows, wanting to know the reason for being woken up at dawn.
“Um, I-er…you see…” she seemed rooted to the spot in embarrassment.

“Rarity, get inside,” Twilight called out and unlocked front door with a flash of her horn, snapping her out of her funk.

“Twilight, I,” she started to protest, but nodded instead. “R-right.” She quickly ran in the front door and shut it behind her, cutting her off from the stares of the sleepy townsponies.

“Wha-Rarity?!” Volare heard Spike cry out in surprise before falling off the couch downstairs. He then heard hoofsteps on the staircase before the Unicorn they belonged to entered Twilight’s bedroom. Volare could see why Spike fancied her on the show; even with a lime green tail and somewhat unkempt mane, she was quite striking to behold up close.

“T-thank you for helping me out there, darling,” Rarity began as she looked back down the stairs, as if she expected to be followed. “I was just about petrified in embarrassment with what those two charlatans Pinkie and Dash had done to my poor tail…and then I’d realized I’d run out of the house without at least brushing the bed tangles from my mane…oh, the horror!”

“Oh, it’s not so bad, Rarity,” Twilight remarked, grimacing a bit all the same.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a brush suitable for manes around, would you darling,” Rarity asked as she shut the door. “I just couldn’t bear it again if somepony saw me with a green tail and unkempt mane and-WHO IN EQUESTRIA IS THAT?!”
The white Unicorn practically leaped back against the bedroom door as she turned around and spotted the blue Pegasus sitting up in Twilight’s bed.

“Oh, hi,” Volare gave a small wave somewhat embarrassed. Apparently, nopony had yet to tell Rarity about him. “Name’s Volare. And I take it your name is Rarity?”

“Why yes, it is,” Rarity looked from Volare to Twilight and back again before a small smirk formed on her lips. “Well, well, Twilight. Forgive me if I seem forward, but I never knew you fancied Pegasi stallions.”

“What…NO!” Twilight shook her head while Volare facehoofed. “Rarity, I’ll get you a manebrush if you’ll just sit down; let’s just say it’s really not what you think.” The purple Unicorn headed downstairs, nearly running over Spike in the process.
“Agh, Spike, what’re you doing?!”

“Nothing, just wondering why you left Rarity in there with Volare…alone.”

“Oh, you’re impossible.”

“So, um,” Rarity searched for the correct words to say to a stallion sitting in her friend’s bed early in the morning…a bed that looked fairly well-used. “Have you known Twilight long; I haven’t seen you in town yet.”

“Not too long, about 3 days,” Volare replied.

“Oh,” Rarity’s eyes widened a bit. “I see…she must have warmed up quite quickly to you, then?”

“Heh, I guess you could say that,” Volare smiled, a tad oblivious.

“Hrm, you must think I’m quite the sight,” she said to change the subject, not wanting to get too deep into Twilight’s personal taste in relationship etiquette.

“What,” Volare looked up, misunderstanding her for a moment before he realized she was doing her best to hide her green tail and tangled mane from him. “Oh, no, not like that; I mean, you look good Rarity,” Volare sputtered, he too searching for the right words to make her feel better without sounding like a jackass himself.

“I heard that,” Spike growled, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Oh, morning Spikey,” Rarity nodded at the small dragon. “Sorry you have to see me like this so early in the morning.”

“Nah, it’s totally fine, Rarity,” Spike walked over and sat beside her before giving Volare a look that said this is how it’s done.
“You look good to me rain or shine, day or night, dusk or dawn.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet,” she leaned down and gave him a quick peck on his head spines, making him go limp and lean against the wall with a goofy look on his face as Volare hid a laugh behind his hooves.

“So, what happened to your tail,” Volare asked, nodding at the green hair she was still attempting to shield with her body. She sighed and let it fall in front of her.

“Well, if you must know, it seems that Pinkie and Rainbow Dash-you do know who they are, don’t you?” she interrupted herself, to which Volare nodded. “Oh, right...yes, those two have a habit of pulling jokes on everypony, and apparently, I was their newest victim.”

"You don’t say,” Volare rubbed his chin with a hoof. “And so they dyed your tail green?”

“Yes, while I was asleep of all things! Such an invasion of privacy," she swooned a bit. "Ugh, doesn’t it just clash appallingly with my mane,” she whimpered slightly.

“Oh, I’m sure there’re worse combinations out there. I mean heck; look at this nasty animal sitting on my head,” Volare laughed sincerely at his own messy mane, trying a little self-deprecating humor to cheer her up.

“Heh, you’re too kind,” Rarity sniffed slightly. “In any case, those two hoodlums waited around outside my front door until just a few minutes ago, and if it weren’t for them laughing at my clashing fashion, I might have walked into town like this, Celestia forbid! So, here I am…and there you are…and quite honestly, you really could do something with your own mane, darling…your whole self, honestly; no offense.”

“None taken; I know I look like crap,” Volare laughed. “I haven’t showered in days,” his statement caused the white Unicorn’s jaw to drop in shock.

“Finally found it,” Twilight announced as she re-entered the room with the brush, which Rarity promptly took and began attending to her mane with. “Whoa, what happened to Spike,” she giggled as she inquired of the young dragon slumped against the wall.

“He couldn’t handle Rarity’s charms,” Volare piped up, causing the white Unicorn to pause in her brushing and look at him for a long moment.

“Twilight, you simply must tell me where you picked up such a strange yet charismatic stallion,” Rarity’s amused smile faded a bit as she cocked an eyebrow. “But if I were you, I’d at least bathe him before letting him sleep in my bed.”

“…yeah, you’ve really got some catching up to do,” Twilight’s horn glowed with a slight crackling noise as she turned Rarity’s tail back to its usual indigo. The fashionista grinned her thanks.

“Well, I wasn’t really intending to be up nearly this early this morning, so I suppose I have the time,” Rarity replied and sat the brush down, her mane back to its former glory. “Ah, much better! So, please tell me about this…Volare, was it darling?”

“Yes ma’am,” the blue Pegasus nodded as he and Twilight disclosed the full story behind how he’d come to be there in Twilight’s bedroom.

Author's Note

*There is actually some historical evidence to support the practice of dream scrying http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptdreamscrying.html

Ok, so I intended for this chapter to be a bit longer, but then I decided the best transition was a chapter break before the Q&A from Twilight finishes up (otherwise the next chapter would be simply MASSIVE).

I also figured I'd gone long enough between updates too :twilightsheepish:

The Hurricane-Pt 5: Mind = Blown

August 27th, Noon

“And that’s how Volare came to be in my bedroom,” Twilight finally finished the recap, stopped pacing the floorboards, and flopped down on the end of the bed, noting the rather shocked look on Rarity’s face in the process. The white Unicorn’s mouth was hanging open ever so slightly, and Twilight’s horn glowed as she closed it for her. Rarity turned her head to face Volare, as if expecting some sort of off-beat punchline, but there the Pegasus was, still sitting on Twilight’s bed and wearing a sincere smile.

“True story,” Volare nodded as the fashionista shook her mane in slight disbelief. True, she and her friend had probably handled stranger circumstances overall, but even so, this particular circumstance was…unique to say the least and a bit tough to swallow.

“This is-what I mean to say is,” Rarity tried to speak, cleared her throat and tried again. “Ahem, sorry. What I meant was…this is incredible. Twilight, do you realize the significance of what you’ve done here?”

“Well, I know I kinda winged a spell or two, but they’ve kept Volare alive up to this point, and more or less in one piece,” Twilight tilted her head as Volare gave her a playful but thankful shove in her shoulder.

“No!” Rarity suddenly interjected, bue she corrected herself quickly when she caught the perturbed look on the Pegasus’ face. “I-I mean, yes, those are certainly important as well, for without those, Volare would not be here! But what I’m talking about are all the new ideas our new friend here has brought with him from Earth!”

“Friend?” Volare cocked an eyebrow. “So soon, Ms. Rarity?”

“Oh just Rarity, darling,” she waved a hoof slightly. “And of course ‘friend’! Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine! And though I have less than kind words to say about Pinkie and Rainbow Dash at the moment, as well as a bit of irritation that you were introduced to them first, without inviting me to lunch”-

“It was kinda a spur of the moment thing, Rarity,” Volare twiddled his hooves. “If you’d been there, we would have invited you as well.”

“Oh pish, of course you would have,” Rarity smiled brightly. “What’s a meal without me there to hoof out the newest and juiciest gossip? In any case, a friend of any of my friends, even those two hoodlums, is a friend of mine!” She grinned and turned to Twilight. “Anyways, back to my point: his ideas!”

“Which ones,” Twilight asked, a bit defensive of her friend and more than a little wary of the somewhat hungry look in Rarity’s eye.

“Why, the culture of Earth, of course,” Rarity beamed. “True, they’re a fairly war-like race, but surely such an advanced group has a sense of fashion, right? Volare, if you’d be so kind, I’d like for you to tell me all you know about it,” she grabbed a quill and parchment from Twilight’s desk and hovered them before her, ready to take notes on the subject.

“Um, Rarity,” Volare suppressed a laugh. “I’m not sure if I’ll be much help; I was a soldier, and most of our “fashion” was utilitarian and not exactly what you have in mind.”

“Hmm, even so, I’d like to listen to what you have to say about it,” the white Unicorn said earnestly. “Or at the very least tell me what you yourself find attractive on other human mares.”

“They’re called women, Rarity,” Twilight interjected with a bit of irritation.

“Right, right, women,” Rarity mouthed the strange word for a moment. “So, what can you tell me about it, Volare?”

“Well, if you really must know,” he relented and told her all he could remember about military uniform dress, rankings, medals and service bars of present-day uniforms. He told her of pilots’ garb, even about how some pilots still wore silk scarves to emulate the spirit of the first aviators, something Volare himself had taken up doing on occasion. To his surprise, Rarity scribbled down more than a few notes on the subject.

“How about the fashion of your women,” Rarity tapped the quill tip on her teeth twice before looking up. “Do you know anything of that?”

“Eh-heh, I’m pretty sure I’m not much help there, Rarity,” the Pegasus blushed slightly.

“Oh come now darling, tell what tickles your fancy when you see a woman walking by wearing it,” Rarity batted her eyes suggestively, and the Pegasus did his best to swallow the dry lump in his throat.

“W-well, I-er”-

“Ooookay, I think that’s plenty, Rarity,” Twilight stepped in again, forcing a smile. Like herself with science, Rarity could sometimes get carried away with her fashion. “He’s obviously not much help in that department, especially if you keep putting those sort of thoughts in his head. Besides, even if he does tell you what sort of women’s clothing he finds attractive, I doubt it would have the same effect if a mare wore it.”

“Oh, you never know,” Rarity mused. She looked over at Volare who was attempting to sink down and hide under the bedsheets as subtly as possible. “Unfortunately,” the Unicorn hopped up and stretched, gazing up at the clock on Twilight’s bedroom wall. “Since we’ve been at this for more than 2 hours now, it’s gotten me caught up on my schedule, and now I must run.”

She gave Twilight a quick hug before turning to Volare. “I’m sorry if I made you a tad uncomfortable, but “fashion is my passion”, as Pinkie would say,” she chuckled lightly. “I’ll see about making you a little something suitable for a pilot to wear.”

“But I can’t fly at the moment,” the Pegasus protested, gesturing to his limp wing.

“Oh, but surely Twilight can get you airborne again,” Rarity patted his hoof. “And when she does, I’ll make sure my little gift finds you. Do take care Volare, Twilight,” she smiled and patted Spike’s spines. “You as well, Spikey. Ta!” And with that, the fashionista trotted down the stairs and out the door, on the look out for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie as she headed towards Carousel Boutique.

“Well, that was….interesting,” Volare shook his head a bit.

“Heh, sorry about that,” Twilight apologized. “Rarity can be a little overbearing at times, but she means well.”

“Oh, I know, I know,” Volare said off-handedly before realizing what he’d uttered.

“You know?” Spike eyed him curiously. “But Rarity said she’s never met you before; how could you know she was like that?”

“Oh, um,” the Pegasus was getting a little tired of this crap! “I just knew a few women from Earth like her, that’s all, heh-heh.”

“Riiight…ok,” Spike replied with a not-quite-convinced tone. “So, you two gonna continue your little Q&A while I fix the window all by my lonesome?”

“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot, Spike,” Twilight slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Um, Volare, are you ok with waiting for a little while? I know I promised to tell you about the wedding, but we really need to fix this window before pests and weather start getting in.”

“Oh no, that’s totally fine, Twilight,” Volare waved a hoof before a thoughtful smile spread across his face. “In fact, if you don’t mind, could I sit outside in the yard while you two fix it?”

“A-are you sure you’re strong enough for that, Volare,” Twilight said with no small amount of surprise.

“Yeah, yeah, I think I’ll be ok,” he stretched his left wing and slung his hooves over the side of the bed again. “Besides, this way I won’t delay having the window fixed any longer, what with you having to run in and out and check on me all the time.”

“Aww, that’s very considerate, Volare,” Twilight smiled. “Are you sure?”

“Urgh,” he stood up straight, causing his knees to pop audibly. It was painfully obvious that he wasn’t nearly recovered yet as the blood ran out of his face and he paled quickly. But he set his jaw, and after a moment, his vision lightened somewhat. “Totally. It’ll give me a chance to get outta this dark Library anyways, no offense, Twilight; I just miss having the sky over me, you see.”

“Completely understandable,” the Unicorn nodded and offered her shoulder for him to lean on. “Come on, I’ll help you down the stairs.”

“Nah, nah, I-agh-think I got it,” he forced a pained grin as he limped towards them. “Just be ready at the bottom to catch me in case I fall,” he chuckled lightly. As he reached the top of the stairs and saw how far he would fall, his vision swam a bit, and he had to shake his head to clear it. That was weird…

“Aye-aye, captain,” Twilight gave a small salute and waited patiently at the base of the stairs, Spike following behind him.

“Heh, don’t-ow-call me captain, Twilight,” Volare winced and forced his mind to focus, determined not to get light-headed and fall in front of her. Dammit, come on, Volare! He hated feeling so damn weak!

“Oh, why’s that?” the Unicorn asked as the Pegasus made it to the bottom with a small sigh.

“Because I only made it to Lieutenant.”

“Ah, I see…so you’d only have two bars on your uniform shoulder, right?”

“Ah, so you were listening up there, eh?”

“Of course,” she smiled and escorted him to the front door. “Spike, where’d I put that window-ah, nevermind,” she spotted it leaned near the front door. “Found it! Gimme just a sec and we’ll fix it…again,” she gave a small shake of her head, causing Volare’s ears to droop.

“I’m sorry about that, Twilight,” he said with a downcast face. “I’ll help pay for it when I can find a job.”

“Hey,” the Unicorn rounded on him slightly and poked him in the chest with a hoof. “You didn’t mean it, so don’t you worry about it, ok?”

“I know…but even if I didn’t mean it…I just,” Volare trailed off, a pained, distant look in his eyes.

“Volare?” Twilight nudged him with concern.

“Sorry, I’ve just…I guess I’ve just got a bad habit of not letting things go…even the little things like that…even the accidents,” he looked at her with a sigh. “Sorry.”

“Quit apologizing,” the Unicorn scolded him gently. “Like I said, it’s not your fault, and even if it was, I forgive you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. Why do you seem so surprised?”

“I guess…so many things are stored in permanent records on Earth, and it makes it tough to truly forgive and forget, ya know?”

“Well, that’s not how things are around here, so don’t worry, ok?”

“Ok.”

“Good,” she gave him a one-hoofed hug and then looked down with concern at his right wing, practically dragging on the ground. “Can you not lift that at all, still?”

“Not a bit,” he gritted his teeth and tried, but only succeeded in raising his blood pressure a bit. “It’s weird; I can feel everything along it, but I just can’t move it.”

“At least the nerves are intact, then,” Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “Well, we can’t have you dragging it around, so until we get it figured out,” she looked around for a bit before laying eyes on the blanket on the couch. She quickly hovered it over and folded it into a crude sling before binding up Volare’s wing against his side. “There, that’ll do for now.”

“You think it’ll heal up, Twilight?”

“I…” she hesitated. She really had no idea; if she’d done the spell correctly, he should have had some mobility by now, but she didn’t want to worry him. “I’m sure it will. I mean, I couldn’t find any book in my collection that talks about what I did, but I know I read about it somewhere! If it’s not better by the time I leave tomorrow, I’ll search the library in Canterlot unil I find something on how to get you back to normal.”

“Thanks, Twilight. You’re a real pal. And even if it doesn’t heal completely…I still owe you my life,” he gave her a small squeeze of his own, despite the ache in his wing.

“Aww,” Twilight blushed a bit before turning to the door. “Ok, you ready to get back into the world, so to speak?”

“Mhm,” he nodded and she opened the door, letting in the mid-morning light. “Ahhh,” he squinted in the light…but the warmth of it felt so good on his sore body, and he soon became acclimated to the brightness outside. Twilight led him around to the side of the Library with the broken window and pulled up a bench for him to sit on. As he sat down, he spied the broken glass shards and feathers scattered on the ground beneath the window, and he visibly shuddered at the memory of that night. Had it really only been two days ago? It seemed like an eternity since then…

As he pushed the memory from the forefront of his mind he looked out and beheld Ponyville waking up for the day, well, the ones that hadn’t already been roused by Rarity’s screaming. Although the town proper was some distance from the Library, from here he could see Earth Ponies and Unicorns alike opening their windows and leaving their homes for their jobs or just to enjoy the pleasant day. In the sky, a few Pegasi flew here and there, some landing in the town square and poking about the market stalls already open for business. Volare settled back into the bench and allowed himself to relax a little bit. It was so peaceful. The early fall sun was still warm, though there was a definitive nip in the breeze that caressed his sore limbs, promising cooler days to come soon. He looked up to see the leaves on the Library were already starting to brown ever so slightly. He turned to observe Twilight floating the window pane out the door and over to the base of its future home.

“Hmm, looks like it’ll be sunny again today,” Spike said out loud as he observed the cloudless sky, a claw shielding his eyes. “No storms scheduled by the Pegasi; perfect weather to fix this thing,” he said as he headed back inside and reappeared on the inside of the broken window, standing on the parapet that ran along the inside of the tree.

“Wish I could help,” Volare said as Twilight gave the new window pane a final inspection.

“Heh, we’ve got it; this isn’t our first rodeo, as Applejack would say,” she grinned.

“Yeah, no sweat,” Spike said as he rubbed his claws together. “Same way as always, Twilight?”

“Mhm, you’re good to go, Spike,” Twilight nodded. Volare watched as Spike opened his mouth and breathed green flames along the edges of the broken window, melting the sap that held the pane in place. Once it was sufficiently loosened, he gave it a swift kick and knocked it out of the hole in the tree, Twilight catching it before it smashed into the ground. She hovered it off to the side and sat it down before floating the new window up to Spike. Working carefully, the dragon guided the window into its place and gently heated the edges of it, causing the tree’s sap to flow out and seal the window in place. He gave it a few quick thumps with a claw knuckle and then gave Twilight a thumbs up; it was holding well.
“And that’s that,” Twilight said matter-of-factly as she sat the broken window pane and glass shards by the street to be picked up by rubbish ponies later. She turned back to see Volare gaping a bit. “What?”

“Wow, that was pretty cool,” the Pegasus grinned. “You two made a good team there.”

“Yeah, we kinda do,” Spike nodded as he exited the tree. “When I slow down enough for Twilight to keep up with me of course,” he flexed an arm before catching the Unicorn’s expression. “What, I’m just kidding, Twilight.”

“I know, but I still feel this innate need to keep you in your place,” Twilight tousled his spines with a hoof. “Can’t imagine why, though,” she said with a wink in Volare’s direction.

“Argh, alright, alright,” Spike growled a bit and pushed her hoof away. “Gonna embarrass me…so now what?”

“Well, we already packed my things last night,” Twilight reflected. “Did we already get all the supplies picked up for you while I’m gone?”

“Yep, they’re all packed away in the cellar, and if I need more gems, Rarity is bound to have some.”

“True…hmm…” she tapped her chin before catching the somewhat pleading look on Volare’s face. “Yes, Volare?”

“Well, I was just wondering,” he twiddled his hooves. “Since you’re not busy, and you did promise you’d tell me about it…”

“Oh, right, the wedding!” Twilight exclaimed. “I seriously almost forgot; I’m sorry! Gimme a sec and I’ll go get my notes and quill,” she ran back inside.

“Heh, you’re interested in a wedding, dude,” Spike crossed his arms and gave Volare a strange look.

“Well, actually yes,” he replied. “More specifically who the bride and groom were because Twilight gave me this suggestive little half-answer when I asked about them.”

Spike’s eyes went wide and a grin grew across his face. “Dude, you’re in for a good one, then.” As the baby dragon took a seat against the tree, Volare became distracted by a flash of color out of the corner of his eye; a flash of pink color to be exact, and it was bouncing right for him.

“Howdy there, Volare-bear,” Pinkie Pie giggled at the little rhyme and waved as she approached, stopping when she was mere inches from the Pegasus’ nose. She inspected him for a moment before looking him in the eyes with her own bright blue ones. “Sooo…you look a lot better than the last time I saw ya!” She suddenly gave him a tight hug.

“Wha-Pinkie?” Volare winced in slight pain before returning the hug. “You ok?”

“Mhm, I am,” she said into his shoulder before pulling away. “Just glad you are too, that’s all,” she said with a grin. “How’s your wing? Whoa, why’s it tied on like that? I could have sworn Twilight stuck it back on with a spell.”

“Heh, it’s not tied on, just tied up for the moment,” he laughed a bit. “Still can’t move it worth anything, though. Twilight says that if it’s not back on the road to recovery by the time she leaves tomorrow, she’s gonna look through the library at Canterlot to figure it out.”

“I see….wait, she’s leaving tomorrow?” she asked with a tilt of her poofy-maned head.

“Yeah, you didn’t know?”

“Nope, she never told me anything about it,” Pinkie then leaned in closely. “You think it’s a secret mission?”

“If it were secret, why would she tell me about it? Maybe she just hasn’t gotten around to talking about it; she is a pretty busy girl after all.”

“…good point! Speaking of whom, where is she anyways?”

“She ran inside to get her notes,” Spike flicked his thumb towards the front door.

“Ooooh, what’s she taking notes on,” Pinkie asked excitedly.

“Me, actually,” Volare said. “I’ve kinda been her little guinea pig the last few days in the Q&A department.”

“I see; it all makes sense now…wait, what?”

“Ugh,” Volare facehoofed. “I’ve been telling her about Earth and she’s practically written a novel on it; probably a study report. And in exchange, she’s been telling me about Equestria.”

“Aha, I get it now,” Pinkie beamed. “What were you guys about to talk about, exactly?”

“Actually, she was going to tell me about some sort of wedding you guys helped save a while”-

“OH, the Royal Canterlot Wedding!!” Pinkie squealed. “That was a superiffic wedding and the most epical "battle to save the day" battle ever!!”

“Yeah, Twilight mentioned something about a fight there against someone named Queen Chrysalis,” Volare nodded. “She didn't go into too much detail, but you’re making it seem like such a huge event!”

“It really was! Practically all of Equestria got involved! Ooh, ooh! Did she tell you who the bride and groom were,” Pinkie practically bounced as she talked….actually she did bounce…quite a bit in fact. Volare had no idea where she got all the energy from. Maybe there was something in those cupcakes…

“That was actually gonna be my first question,” Volare replied as Twilight ran out the front door with her quill and notes.

“Found them!” she skidded to a stop and spotted the pink Earth Pony. “Oh, heya Pinkie! How’s it going?”

“It’s going great,” Pinkie grinned. “Volare here was just telling me how you were gonna tell him the story of the Royal Canterlot Wedding…and who the bride and groom were,” she nudged Twilight in the ribs with an elbow. “Soo….tell him!”

“Heh, alright, I will,” Twilight chuckled and sat on the grass. But right as she was about to begin, she noticed Volare’s eyes drooping as he slowly leaned forward. “Volare?” She held the Pegasus up with her magic.

“Huh…wha,” he shook his head groggily. Maybe it was the warm sun causing it, but he was just feeling so sleepy all of a sudden…or maybe it was lack of blood sugar due to the blood loss…yes, that was it! “H-hey, Pinkie?”

“Yeah, what’s up, Volare-bear,” she asked a bit fearfully.

“Do you…do you have anything sugary?”

“When don’t I, why?”

“Because…all the blood I lost…it’s got my blood sugar down and that’s why I feel so weak,” he blinked heavily. “So I was wondering if you had anything sugary to spare so I don’t pass out and miss such a good story on such a fine day.” Quick as a wink, Pinkie produced some cookies from her saddlebags and waved them under Volare’s nose, much as a doctor would wave smelling salts under the nose of an unconscious person. Salty or not, it did the trick, and Volare’s nostrils snuffled deeply. “Ah, that smells good.”

“Tastes even better, silly,” Pinkie said as Volare took a small bite…which led to another and another, finally ending with him devouring the cookie with great gusto.

“Thank you sir, may I have another,” he chuckled as he felt the warmth of the cookie spread throughout his body. After a minute or two, he sat up, eyes wide and alert. “How much sugar is in those things?”

“Well, I don’t call them my triple sugar cookies for nothing,” Pinkie beamed proudly and held out another one. “You did want another, right?”

“Absolutely!” The Pegasus practically inhaled it and licked his lips. “Wow, these are great. I feel a lot better now, thanks Pinkie.”

“It’s one of the many things I’m here for,” she grinned and turned to Twilight. “Um, you can let him go I think.”

“Oh!” the Unicorn released her magical grip on Volare, allowing him to lean back on the bench. “Sorry.”

“It’s good,” Volare waved a hoof dismissively. Damn, those cookies hit the spot! It seemed all the food around here, even the carrots which he’d sworn for years he hated, tasted great!

“So, let’s tell him about the bride and groom now!” Pinkie practically pleaded, making Volare laugh out loud. And here I thought I was the one who wanted to hear about it!

“Ok, ok,” Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at Volare. “Alright, since you’ve been so patient; the names of the bride and groom are Princess Mi Amore Candenza and Prince Shining Armor.”

“…who?” Volare tilted his head in confusion. He had never heard their names pop up on the show.

“Oh, you know Cadance doesn’t like everypony using her formal name, Twilight,” Pinkie shook her mane. “Princess Cadance is Celestia’s neice!”

“That would explain the royalty part,” Volare nodded, noting the almost uncomfortable expression on Twilight’s face. “Heh that’s kinda funny though.”

“Oh, how so?”

“Heh, in the Blue Angels squad I had just joined there was a pilot who’s name was almost the same: Cadence,” he chuckled. “She was a real hot-head and the only female pilot on the squad. Princess Cadance wouldn’t happen to be the same way, would she?”

“No, no, no, Cadance is kind and caring and patient,” Pinkie smiled. “And she was Twilight’s foal-sitter when she was younger too!”

“Whoa, small world,” Volare said thoughtfully. “And who’s Prince Shining Armor?”

“…my older brother,” Twilight finally said.

“Whoa…” the Pegasus slumped back a bit, digesting this new information. “I didn’t know you had a brother, Twilight.”
…crap

“That’s because I never told you, Volare,” Twilight gave him a wary look. “You keep acting as if you should know these things. Why is that?”

“Oh-um, I just studied up on things a good bit back on Earth and it’s kinda weird for me to not know at least a hint of what’s going on, that’s all,” Volare gave an exaggerated grin.

“Ah, I feel the same way sometimes,” Twilight nodded in understanding.

Jeez, Volare, you really gotta just stop assuming things or they’re gonna start suspecting you…
“Anyways, why didn’t you tell me you had a brother…” a look of shock spread across his face. “…who’s royalty by marriage…which would make you royalty, Twilight!” He pointed a shaking hoof at her. “Jeez, um, should I be bowing?”

But Twilight simply frowned and shook her head. “See, that’s why I didn’t want you to know. It makes me…uncomfortable.”

“Why would you be ashamed of being royalty?”

“It’s not shame. I just don’t want anypony treating me any differently than if I were just normal, regular, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, but you’re not normal and regular,” Pinkie gave her a chummy hug. “You’re awesometacular Twilight Sparkle, and we wouldn’t want you any different!”

“Yes, you feel that way, Pinkie, but Volare hasn’t known me as long, and”-

“Hey, I can vouch for myself,” the Pegasus interrupted. Without missing a beat, he achingly rose from the bench and bent his neck in a small bow. “If it’s what you want, that will be the extent of the formalities I’ll show to you,” his eyes rose and he smiled.

Twilight blushed almost as pink as Pinkie Pie, and that was no small chore! “Volare, stand up; you’re embarrassing me,” she patted his mane and he complied, sitting on the bench again before chuckling to himself. “What?”

“Oh, well, you’ve got plenty of ammunition to toss my way on my bad flying and newness to being a pony,” he shook his head. “But now I’ve got a way to push your buttons if I so choose,” he gave her a cheeky grin.

“How so?”

“My Dear Princess Twilight,” he replied with a mock English accent, making the Unicorn blush anew. She hoofed him in the side without thinking as Pinkie rolled in the grass in giggles. “Argh, am I not allowed to have a sense of humor,” he laughed as he grimaced from the blow.

“Ah, sorry,” Twilight winced. “Just…watch how much you bandy that one about, ok?”

“Doesn’t everypony know, though?”

“Yes, most of them do, but I just don’t like the attention of being bowed to and all that,” she explained. “Just treat me like you would before I told you, that’s all I ask.”

“Heh, ok,” Volare agreed and leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. Across his vision, the occasional colorful Pegasus zipped by high above him. But strangely enough, the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to be up there with them. He drifted in his thoughts for a long moment, his brain calculating how high they were and then for some strange reason he then began to calculate how long it would take for him to fall from such a height and how many pieces he’d splatter into when he hit the ground…

“Equestria to Volare,” he was roused from his thoughts by a pink hoof waving in front of his face.

“Huh,” he shook his head and tore his eyes from the sky and looked back down at Twilight and Pinkie who both wore concerned looks. Even Spike, who’d been silent this whole time, had risen from his seat against the Library to see if he was ok.

“You kinda spaced out there for a minute,” the dragon said. “You ok, dude?”

“Yeah, yeah, I just…” he blinked twice and shook his head again, as if trying to shake a fly from his ear. First the stairs, and now this… “Yeah, I guess I did space out; I’m good.” Spike nodded and then sat back down as Pinkie hopped up on the bench with Volare, just in case he fell over or something; she was beginning to think this guy was just putting on a brave face to cover his weaknesses for the moment. He reminded her a lot of Rainbow Dash in that regard…

“You seemed pretty deep in thought,” Twilight offered. “What about?”

“Heh, flying, or well, the lack thereof,” Volare admitted.

“Well, unfortunately, you’re a good ways away from doing that anytime soon,” Twilight patted his hoof. “Anyways, you wanna know anything else about the wedding before we move onto the rest of the questions I have for you?”

“Just a little bit. I take it your brother is older than you?”

“Mhm, 8 years to be exact,” she nodded and smiled.

“What’s he like?”

“Oh, um, he’s a good head taller than me, about your height in fact, but a little heavier. He’s got darker blue eyes than you, and a blue mane with white fur…”

“No, not what he looks like,” Volare chuckled at Twilight’s scientist tendencies. “I mean what’s his personality? What’s he to you as a big brother? Are you proud of him getting married?”

“Of course I’m proud of him,” Twilight smiled. “True, he did kinda beat me to the punch, but he’s older so I guess that’s reasonable,” she said, a bit crestfallen.

“Oh, it’s ok Twilight,” Pinkie nudged her with a hoof. “You’ll find yourself a stallion one of these days. Heck, he might even be in town right this minute; ya never know,” she winked at Volare who’s eyes went a little wide and he coughed lightly. Pinkie got the gist and she backed off before Twilight noticed. “Or, he might even be in Canterlot and you’ll meet him when you go there tomorrow!”

“Who told you about that,” Twilight asked in slight surprise.

“Volare did; uh-oh, was it a secret?”

“No, I just hadn’t gotten around to tell you I suppose,” she tried to look irritated at Volare, but realized how hypocritical that would have been…as many unsaid things of his that she knew…

“Ah, we kinda figured as much, right Volare,” she bumped a shoulder against him, and he smiled in return. This pink pony was certainly doing her best to cheer him up…then again, this was Pinkie Pie; it was practically her job to do so!

“Right. So what’s Shining Armor’s personality like? He hasn’t let being royalty go to his head yet, has he?” he continued where he left off.

“Oh, not if I can help it he won’t,” Twilight chortled. “In fact, I’ll be visiting with him when I’m in Canterlot just to make sure it’s not,” she winked. “And did I mention he’s the Captain of the Royal Guard,” she said with more than a little pride.

“Whoa, seriously?!”

“Yep; he’s pretty dedicated to his job though, and it doesn’t let us see each other too often.”

“When’s the last time you saw him?”

“The wedding 6 months ago, actually,” Twilight sighed. “It’s been such a busy summer that I haven’t had the chance to talk with him in person since. Although I can send letters to him via Spike, it’s just not the same, ya know?”

At least you have that small luxury, Volare though, almost bitterly. No, come on man, it’s not her fault; don’t you dare put a shred of blame on her!

“…and since we have a good two week break between now and the Running of the Leaves, I figured now’s as good a time as ever to go visit; plus I’ll be looking into how to fix your wing,” Twilight continued. “Hey, maybe I’ll even get him to come down with me and compete in the Running this year!”

“That’d be superiffic, Twilight!” Pinkie beamed. “Oooh, and I could ride in your balloon like last time and call the whole race with Spike again!”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” the Pegasus grinned, feeding off of the pink pony’s infectious happiness. “So what’s he like as a brother to you?”

“Heh, it may seem kinda silly, but until I moved here to Ponyville, he was really my only friend outside of Princess Celestia.”

“Nah, I sorta know the feeling,” Volare shook his head before his eyes went soft and distant. They only did so for a moment, but the Unicorn made a mental note of it.

“He was my BBBFF.”

“Say what?”

“Oh, Big Brother Best Friend Forever,” Twilight explained. “Like I said, kinda silly, but that’s been my nickname for him since I was this tall,” she held a hoof close to the ground.

“Awwww,” Volare involuntarily said as he thought of a baby Twilight that small. She’d certainly grown since…

“So how about your family, Volare,” Twilight asked. All of a sudden, it was like a switch flipped, and the blue Pegasus practically clammed up.

“Uh, I, um…” he closed his eyes and sighed. “W-what do you want to know?”

Twilight took note of this sudden change in demeanor, and treaded carefully in kind. “Just the basics. You had a mom and dad, right?”

“Mhm, every human baby does at some point or another.”

“How were they to you, I mean as parents?”

“Um…”

“Did they love you?” Twilight asked before she could stop herself. She could tell she was touching a raw nerve here, but she didn’t know how to back out of it now. Luckily, Pinkie Pie was there and noticed the same thing.

“Of course they loved him, Twilight,” she leaned into Volare slightly. “Just look at how great a guy they raised!”

“Heh, thanks Pinkie,” Volare gave a half smile. “Yeah, they loved me for the most part, but when I got a little older, well…things often go this way…we kinda had a falling out and…can we please talk about something else for now? Sorry.”

“No, no, it’s ok,” Twilight scribbled something in her notes before moving on. Whatever she’d stumbled onto about him, it was obviously too painful to talk about, and she swore to herself that she wouldn’t go back into his mind like that again to see for herself.
“Um, let’s see…were you married yourself before you came here?”

The question came so far out of left field that Volare laughed loudly for a moment. “Nah, I’d never had time during my job to even consider it.”

“Were you single, though?”

“Let me remind you that I was a pilot in the greatest stunt squad to fly the skies,” Volare said suggestively, but Twilight wasn’t fazed. “…ok, yes I hadn’t had a real date in years.”

“Workaholic, huh?”

Volare made a face and nodded with a groan.

“Oh, oh, I have an idea!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I can help both you and Twilight find a special somepony, since you two haven’t had a date in forever!” But at her statement, Twilight and Volare simply roared with laughter.

“Oh lord, Pinkie,” the Pegasus wiped a tear from his eye. “You’re too much sometimes. I think I’ve got it covered on my end.”

“Already got your eye on somepony,” she waggled her eyebrows before Twilight swatted her with her notes.

“Oh, lay off the poor guy; he’s got bigger things to worry about right now. Like recovering, right Volare?”

“Right.”

“Yeah, but what about after he’s gotten better?”

“Well, I’ll probably get a job to help pay for the damage to Twilight’s Library.”

“I told you not to worry about that,” she reprimanded him again.

“Well, I’ll at least get a job so I have something to do,” he explained. “Being in the military…it gives you this sense of duty. I guess it’s the macho competitive atmosphere or something, but it sometimes makes you feel guilty if you’re not constantly working towards some sort of goal or accomplishing a task.”

“You don’t feel guilty right now, do you?” Twilight asked.

“A little, yeah,” he admitted. “I mean, I’m practically free-loading on you guys and”- He stopped when Twilight’s notes swatted him on the nose. “Ouch, what was that”-

“Stop feeling guilty for things your friends do for you, Volare,” Twilight scolded him, this time legitimately irritated. “They’re called favors, and that’s what friends do for each other.”

“Sorry…just been a while since I’ve had friends outside of the job, I suppose,” Volare hung his head. “Just not used to the generosity around here.”

“Well, you better get used to it,” Twilight lifted his head with her magic and winked at him. “Cuz we got plenty more where that came from!”

“We sure do, and even more than that!” Pinkie grinned and tossed some confetti from her saddlebags onto him.

“What was that?”

“That was some more!” Pinkie said matter-of-factly, causing the pagasus’ face to split into a grin again.

“Heh, thanks you guys,” Volare smiled. He felt so damn lucky… “So, you have anymore questions about my family, Twilight?”

“Um, just one…who else were you close to in your family besides your parents,” she asked tentatively, not wanting to spoil the fragile good mood.

“Well, like how you had a BBBFF, I guess I had a…LSBFF,” he said. At their questioning looks, he explained: “My Little Sister Best Friend Forever. Let’s just say that she was my closest friend for years.”

“You still in contact with her?” Twilight asked, and Volare immediately got that distant look in his eyes again, but it didn’t fade this time as his smile faded completely.

“I…we…I haven’t spoken to her since I went into the Navy,” he finally said. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

“Did you have a falling out with her too”-

“Never, Twilight,” Volare suddenly growled and wiped at his face. “Sorry, got dust in my eye or something…I may have watched out for her because she was my little sister, but she was just as competitive as I was…I let her win a lot, but every now and then, she’d beat me for real and it’d make me realize that I needed to push myself that much harder or else she’d catch me one of these days.”

“I think Shining Armor and I had the same thing going,” Twilight smiled. “As I got better at magic, he wasn’t just letting me beat him in our little games anymore…maybe that’s what pushed him on.”

“Did you ever ask him?”

“No, I never did actually. Maybe I can when I meet him tomorrow,” Twilight mused and scribbled something else in her notes. “Oh, Volare, pertaining to your little sister; what was her name?”

“Agatha,” he said after a pause. “But I called her Aggie all the time…it irritated her,” he chuckled at the memory.

“Volare, you keep saying was,” Twilight said and the Pegasus stiffened. “Isn’t Agatha”-

“No more, Twilight,” Volare looked up, his eyes visibly wet this time. “You’ve heard about her, and there’s no way she can be here for you to get to know her better, so that’s all you need to know, ok,” he blurted out and hung his head. “She can’t be here like me…and that’s the end of it…can we please just talk about something else?”
Though he tried to hide the hitch in his voice, he couldn’t stop the tear from falling and visibly splashing on the bench. He wiped his eyes roughly and sighed, shaking his head softly.

Without saying a word, Pinkie gave him a gentle hug while Twilight simply sat there on the grass like a fool. She looked over at Spike, but he had fallen asleep during this. Great…
She looked back up at Volare. “I-I’m sorry, Volare…urgh, I just keep asking the wrong questions today…sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Twilight,” Volare replied as Pinkie let him go. “I just got a little bitter there, that’s all. Just be grateful you can still see your brother, ok?”
“Ok,” Twilight agreed, though to what she wasn’t exactly sure…maybe she didn’t want to know.

“Besides, it’s like we said earlier,” Volare forced a smile. “A scientist accepts that not everything is sunshine and rainbows, even if they wish they could be.”

Still didn’t make it fair, Twilight sighed before a thought popped into her head; a way to turn the mood around!
“Hey, speaking of science, Volare,” the Unicorn perked up. “You’ve been able to talk with me about all these theories and numbers without getting bored to death like most other ponies do…why is that?”

“Oh, that,” Volare chuckled. “Well, it may come as a surprise to you, but I hold a degree in Applied Physics through the Navy, fairly useful if you’re a pilot or an engineer on the ships.” *

“Wow, seriously?” Twilight smiled, though inside she was a little disappointed. And here she thought he was just interested in it because of her…just a little too much wishful thinking… “So you really weren’t just going along with what I said?”

“Nope, I’d have called you on it if you were wrong, though that hasn't happened quite yet,” he flashed her a smile, his mood lightened significantly.

“So you’re interested in Physics, eh,” Twilight asked, to which the Pegasus nodded. “Hrm, what else are you interested in? Or what humans in general are interested in?”

“Like entertainment or something?”

“Yeah, exactly,” the Unicorn pulled out a new sheet of paper and readied her quill. “Were you into sports?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Volare grinned. He then went on to describe the sport of baseball, and how he’d played the pitcher position for years, from Little League through high school. He wasn’t nearly good enough to go pro or even go to college on a scholarship on it, but it kept him out of trouble and he enjoyed the thrill of the game. He finally had to hang it up when he tore a tendon in his elbow and had to have Tommy John surgery; he didn’t recover fast enough to make it onto his Senior Year team, but he still played sandlot games whenever he could.

“So I guess you stayed in pretty good shape as a kid,” Twilight asked, remembering Rainbow Dash’s reports of a lot of humans seeming pretty overweight.

“Mhm, I was skinny as a beanpole for the most part, as my coach would say,” he chuckled at the memory. “Didn’t matter what I ate, I just couldn’t put much weight on as long as I stayed active.”

“That’s a plus,” the Unicorn hmm’d and made another mark on her notes.

“What exactly are you writing down about me there, Twilight,” Volare asked, trying to peer over the top of her notes without falling off the bench; and impossible task to say the least.

“Huh? Oh, just information on humans in general and how you personally compare to them, that’s all,” she explained.

“Am I gonna get a passing grade, teach?”

“Heh, don’t push your luck too much,” Twilight laughed and read down the notes.

“Psst, Twilight, I think he deserves an A for Effort,” Pinkie said past her hoof, as if in secret.

“Hrm, maybe…”

“Aww, come on, teach, gimme a break,” Volare played along for a moment. “Tell me I’m gonna pass; I can’t fail this exam,” he begged with mock-terror.

“Well, for what I can see, you could do with some improvement,” the Unicorn winked. “But it’s looking good so far. What else…oh, are you a big reader of books?”

“Not nearly as much as you, Twilight,” Volare shook his head. “Then again, that seems about impossible-ow!” He rubbed leg where Twilight had poked him with her quill.

“Care to extrapolate,” she waved the quill dangerously while wearing a mischievous grin.

“Nope, I’m good.”

“What were your favorite books?”

“Oh, I read all sorts of things, though I liked science fiction the best.”

“Makes sense,” she nodded and chewed on the quill for a moment. “Who were your favorite authors?”

“I don’t think you’d recognize them,” he began to protest but stopped when she looked up.

“Doesn’t mean I’m not still interested.”

“Oh, ok…lemme think,” he tapped his chin for a bit before recalling all the major authors he enjoyed reading; from Stephen King, to Edgar Allan Poe, to David Cook, and all the way to Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and their detective novels. Those last ones in particular got Pinkie’s attention, and she rattled off into a story of how she and Twilight had used deduction to figure out the mystery of who had been devouring baked goods on a train.** Though it had turned out to be their friends the whole time, it was still fun using logic to figure things out like that.

“Very interesting,” she marked off something else on her notes and looked up. “What else? You like movies and...TV, I think it's called?”

“What human doesn’t,” he stated before describing the types of shows he liked to watch, though he nearly let it slip about a certain animated show that beat the pants off of most other shows of the day. He then went over the movies he enjoyed, which spanned all topics from Action, to Drama, to Comedy, and even the occasional Romance flick.

“Romance movies? Kinda weird for a soldier to be interested in, wouldn’t you say,” Pinkie Pie gave him a playful nudge.

“Well, I,” he sputtered. “I merely dabbled in them and…oh, what’s wrong with having a sensitive side?!” he asked, completely red-faced as Pinkie rolled off the bench in a fit of giggles. Even Twilight had to fight to write her notes down in a straight line as she held in a bout of laughter of her own.

“Heh-heh, oh Celestia,” she chuckled and sighed. “Let’s see…hrm, I actually don’t have any more questions on my list.”

“Wait, seriously,” Volare’s head cocked to the side.

“Well, not at the moment anyway. Pinkie do you have any questions for him on the subject of entertainment?”

“Do I?!” She leaped back up on the bench, blue eyes wide. “Volare…how do you feel about parties?”

Oh lord…
“Well, I never really went to too many; too busy with my job, you see”-

“So you never just cut loose and had a blast?” the pink pony asked. “Never jumped up on the floor and cut a rug? Never just partied all night long?”

“Heh, I think I was a little too reserved for that sorta thing.”

“But you seemed so confident when you were talking about flying,” Pinkie mused. “That never crossed over into the social scene?”

“I suppose not,” he frowned. “It’s different Pinkie…on the dance floor, you’re under the control of the crowd, of the music; moving to their every whim…but in a jet,” a smile grew on his face. “Or in the sky, you are in control of you…it’s hard to explain, but I just felt more free and myself when isolated in a jet cockpit where I was mostly free to make my own decisions…do what humans were never supposed to do. It was a different kind of danger than being swept up on the dance floor, but it was a danger I enjoyed…that kind of danger, of living on the edge with nothing around but the sky and the wind as your judge…it was more fun than a dark floor on the ground.”

“Wow,” Pinkie said in awe. “That’s…”

“Awesome? I know,” Volare grinned.

“…Meh, I still prefer to party on the ground,” Pinkie giggled, making Volare sputter again. “Oh, lighten up, I’m just joking. Hrm, what other questions…oh! Did you ever listen to music in your jet?”

“Oh, all the time,” he grinned again at the memories. “In fact, I listened to music on foot, in the car, at home…heck, pretty much everywhere. It gave me a rhythm I lacked without it, I suppose.”

“Ooooh, if you like music that much,” Pinkie got an extra twinkle in her eye. “I’ll be right back!” Without warning she dashed off from the Library and headed into town, her pink tail the last thing they saw before she zipped around the corner of a house.

“What the heck was that all about,” Volare shook his head and turned to Twilight, who merely shrugged.

“I dunno, honestly,” she stood up from the grass and stretched. “But I’m gonna go put these notes up while she’s gone. You want some food?”

No sooner had she asked than Volare’s stomach growled audibly. “Heh, I guess that’s your answer; those cookies didn’t exactly hold me.”

“You in the mood for anything specific?”

“Oh, just any old thing you’ve got in there,” he waved a hoof. “Though if you have any of those peaches left that Pinkie brought over the other night, I’ll take one of those.”

“I’ll see what I can find; I think the bottomless purple stomach over there ate them all, though,” she snickered and pointed at Spike, who was stretched out in the sun and snoring softly. Volare rolled his eyes at the snoozing dragon as Twilight disappeared into the tree, reappearing a few minutes later with a few brown vegetables hovering around her head.
“Well, I was right; all the peaches are gone. But I found some potatoes.” She quickly zapped them with her horn and pitched one to Volare. “Careful, it’s hot!”

“Agh, no kidding,” the Pegasus tossed it from hoof to hoof before breaking it open to cool it. She’d cooked it through and through with her horn, and he couldn’t help but chuckle again. “Heh, microwave,” he muttered, drawing a look from the Unicorn. “Nevermind,” she shook his head and began to eat the toasted tuber. He looked back over at Spike still snoozing in the sun.
“Hey Twilight?”

“Mhm?” she said around a mouthful of potato.

“What exactly is Spike gonna do while you’re gone, unless he’s going with you?”

“No, he’s staying here this time to watch the house.”

“And me, right?”

“Actually, that all depends,” Twilight said thoughtfully.

“Whatcha mean?”

“I mean if your wing isn’t getting back to normal by the time I leave tomorrow, I’ll have to leave you with someone more responsible than Spike.”

“Hey, I can take care of myself,” he protested lightly.

“I’m sure you can, when you’re healthy,” she replied a bit sharply. “But it’s gonna take you a good while to recover from that blood loss, and in the meantime, I wanna leave you in the hooves of someone who can help in case you get light-headed or something.”

“But who?”

“That’s just what’s bugging me a bit…I don’t know who. Certainly not Pinkie or Rainbow Dash, for obvious reasons.”

“How about Rarity?”

“Hrm, maybe, but she’s always got a busy schedule filled with dress-making and seeing clients for her designs,” she pondered. “And I doubt she’d want a crippled Pegasus hanging around and distracting her, no offense.”

“It’s ok,” Volare replied. As he finished up the potato. “How about Applejack?”

“Heh, I would, but as nice as she is, she’d likely put you to work, and as weak as you are right now, I dunno how you’d handle it.”

“Oh come on, I’ll bet I could work on a farm a bit,” he hopped up from the bench and immediately got light-headed and had to slump back onto it. “Ow…or maybe not quite yet.”

“Indeed,” she was about to continue down the list of ponies who could take him in when Pinkie reappeared , and she wasn’t alone this time. “Oh gimme a break,” Twilight moaned as she beheld the pink pony hopping their way, a pair of mares in tow that Volare didn’t recognize immediately.

“I’m back!” Pinkie practically sang. “When you said you pretty much couldn’t function without music, I thought of my two friends here, sooo…guys, this is Volare,” she said to her two friends.

One of the ponies in question was a grey Earth Pony mare with light purple eyes, a long dark mane and wearing a purple bow tie and carrying herself with a rather cultured air, similar to Rarity, though this attitude didn’t seem to be artificial, but rather ingrained in her personality. On her flank was a treble clef cutie mark the same color as her eyes and bow tie. She gave Volare a gentle nod as she approached.

The other pony was her exact polar opposite in appearance and attitude and seemed vaguely familiar. While the grey mare seemed refined, this one seemed anything but. The white Unicorn had a wild cobalt blue mane that hung off one side of a face that wore a wide grin and dark purple shades that hid her eyes entirely. On her flank was a cutie mark in the shape of two black musical notes, hanging around her neck was a small black sphere, and on her back was a bright blue saddlebag labeled similarly to her cutie mark. She seemed to be constantly bobbing her head to some hidden beat as she approached, giving her an all-around party-hard, raver expression. Without hesitation, she trotted up to Volare and shook his hoof heartily.

“Dude, so you’re the new guy in town,” she greeted him with a tomboyish voice that was only accentuated by the fact that she was practically shouting at him as she did so. “Welcome to Ponyville! Name’s Vinyl Scratch and this here is my good pal and roommate Octavia,” she gestured to the grey mare who dipped her head with a wince at Vinyl’s mannerisms.

“Vinyl, perhaps you should take it down a notch,” she spoke with a light English accent as she nudged her friend in the side. “You’re not in the club at the moment and there’s no need to”-

“Say what?” Vinyl asked loudly. “You gotta speak up,” her horn glowed and a small ear bud floated from out of her ear. “I’m bumpin some mad beats and you’re gonna have to talk louder!” At that moment, Volare remembered who Vinyl Scratch was from fan art on the net; she was also known as DJ PON-3, the premiere disc jockey of Equestria.

“Urgh, can’t you ever give those blasted tunes of yours a rest, even to meet a friend of Pinkie’s,” Octavia facehoofed.

“Oh, alright, I gotcha,” Vinyl turned to Volare and hoofed him the ear bud; it was cordless and lightweight. “Pop that in your ear and we’ll get acquainted DJ PON-3 style!”
Not entirely sure what he was getting himself into, Volare obediently put the ear bud in and looked to the Unicorn.
“Hang on to your flank!” she laughed. In his ear-in his mind, really-Volare heard and practically saw a record being dropped onto and spun on a DJ turntable. There was a scratch of a needle on a record and a moment of silence before Volare’s mind was bombarded with an assortment of bass, percussion, and over-dubbing that rocked his ear drum and nearly shook him to his knees. All around his mind’s eye, bright lights the same color as Vinyl’s cobalt mane flickered and flashed to the pounding beat, making his real eyes blink as if trying to clear themselves.

“Good stuff, huh?” Vinyl clapped him on the shoulder after a moment before he nodded quickly. This wasn’t exactly his style of music, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get used to it. He grinned in response to Vinyl’s question and she laughed again before clicking the music off with her horn and floating the ear bud out of Volare’s buzzing ear.
“That was a little of my own personal work,” she said proudly. “Whoa, you ok, dude,” she lifted her shades off to reveal dark magenta eyes as she looked down at the Pegasus whose body was shaking a bit as he sat on the bench, his mind bouncing all over the place. “Have you never done this before?”

“What did you do to him,” Twilight cried as she shoved the DJ out of the way and patted Volare on the face. “Volare, are you ok? Pinkie didn’t you tell them what had happened to him?”

“Well, I didn’t quite get that far,” the pink pony said as she kicked at a dirt clod.

“It seems like Vinyl may have overdone her welcome,” Octavia shook her head and knelt down in front of Volare. “Twilight, it’s ok; Vinyl did the same thing to me when we first met. She simply hit his mind directly with her music, in all honesty acting a bit like a hallucinogenic drug; but it’ll wear off in a bit. See, there he goes,” she gestured to the Pegasus who leaned forward and shook his head a few times before looking up and surprising Twilight with a smile.

“Volare, are you”-

“Yeah, I’m good,” he answered and turned to Vinyl. “That was a helluva rush.”

“I know, right?!” the wild-maned Unicorn held out a hoof to him before frowning. “Oh come on bro, don’t leave me hangin’!” Volare laughed heartily at that moment despite the ringing in his head. His first hoof-bump with a pony and he was sharing it with Vinyl Scratch! He returned the hoof bump with gusto, making Vinyl whoop and turn to her roommate.
“I like this guy, Octy!”

“You seem to like all stallions whose heads don’t implode from your bloody wub-wub music,” Octavia rolled her eyes. “I do apologize for Vinyl’s behavior; she can be a bit…outgoing to say the least. A bit too much so at the best of times.”

“Meh, you’re just a little too uptight, Octy,” Vinyl gave her a friend a rough shove and flicked her shades back down over her eyes. “So dude, Pinkie here says ya really like music.”

“Mhm, can’t live without it,” Volare replied as he wriggled a hoof inside his ear, trying to relieve the buzzing that remained.

“She also says you’re from a different planet called Earth, but that’s just Pinkie being Pinkie, right,” Octavia inquired with a slight smile. Volare looked over at Twilight who nodded reluctantly.

“Actually, she’s right; I am,” the Pegasus announced to the surprised mares. “I’ll explain more about it in detail later, but that’s not why Pinkie brought you here, no offense.”

“None taken, dude,” Vinyl nodded. “She said something about how you had certain types of music we might be interested in talking about.”

“That’s correct.”

“Well, then you’ve come to the right two mares to chat about it,” the Unicorn sat down on a rock and put her ear buds away in her saddlebag, allowing her to lower her voice back to a more normal pitch.

“Or rather, we were brought to you,” Octavia corrected her roommate, who laughed in response.

“Heh, guess you’re right! Whoa, what happened to your wing,” Vinyl pointed at the limb in question bound against Volare’s side.

“Oblivious as ever,” Octavia shook her dark-maned head in mild disbelief tempered with the weariness of one who’d seen it time and again.

“Oh, heh, flight accident; crashed through the window there and got it ripped off,” he said matter-of-factly, despite Octavia’s shocked expression; even Vinyl raised her shades off her eyes again in respect. “Twilight fixed me up though and I’m just recovering as best as I can. Sorry if I seem a little woozy; I did nearly bleed to death,” he smiled a little smugly, though he wasn’t exactly sure why.

“Whoa, that’s hardcore, man,” Vinyl nodded her head slightly as did Octavia in agreement.

“Indeed, that does sound rather brutal. At least you don’t seem too worse for wear,” the grey mare added.

“So, if you’re gonna be ok, let’s get back to the music,” Vinyl grinned and crossed her hooves. “What sort do ya like?”

“Yes, what types interest you,” Ocvtavia asked. “You wouldn’t happen to like classical music would you; strings, wood-winds, horns and the like?”

“Nah, he’s obviously more into my style of music,” the white Unicorn disputed. “I mean, did you see his reaction?”

“Actually,” Volare spoke up. “I appreciate them both. However, there is a type of music that I hold closer than either of those.”

“Oh, and what might that be,” Octavia asked, head tilted to the side.

“A little Earth-style music called classic rock ‘n roll.”

"Oh, Classic eh? Perhaps I'll enjoy this," the grey mare smiled demurely.

“Classic Rock ‘n Roll,” Vinyl repeated slowly with a growing grin. “I like the sound of that! How’s it go?”

“What,” Volare asked, a bit confused.

“You know, hum a few bars,” Vinyl urged him, but Volare laughed.

“Oh lord, I can’t sing to save my life!”

“Perhaps you could describe it in terms of the musical notes themselves,” Octavia offered. “Do you have knowledge of scales, measures, and musical notation?” But Volare met her expression with a blank stare. “Um, basic things like lines, signatures, notes, and clefs?”

“You’re gonna have to speak English, Octavia,” the Pegasus replied sheepishly. “I just listen to it, I don’t write it.”

“Well, what sort of instruments are involved,” Octavia asked, a little perturbed that he didn’t know the basics of music. All the while, Twilight remained off to the side, scribbling furiously on her notepad.

“Hrm, there’s drums for the rhythm of course, and sometimes trumpets and keyboard depending on the style of the song,” Volare replied. “But the main attraction of any rock song is the electric guitar.”

“…Say what, now?” Vinyl Scratch asked, completely in the dark as to what he was talking about.

“You know, electric guitar, BAH-NAH-NAH-NAH,” he mimed strumming a guitar between his hooves before realizing how futile this was. “Urgh, this is what I was afraid of; I can’t play, write, or sing, only listen and I have no way to share Earth music with you guys!” He hung his head. “Sorry I had Pinkie drag you two down here…”

“Oh, you gave it a good go, Volare,” Octavia patted his shoulder gently. “It’s just tough to convey things sometimes without the correct musical medium to”-

“Now hang on just a sec,” Vinyl jumped down off the rock and trotted over to Volare. “Just cuz you don’t have the instrument or the ability to write it doesn’t mean you can’t play it for us.”

“Huh, how,” the Pegasus asked as Vinyl grinned. She hoofed him both earbuds this time.

“Here, pop those back in your ears and watch me work my magic,” she reached down to the black sphere hanging from her neck and twice clicked a small dial on the side of it before looking up back up at him as he put the buds in his ears.

“This isn’t gonna blast me with more of your music is it,” he asked cautiously. “Cuz as fun as that was…”

“Nah, you are gonna blast us with your music,” the white Unicorn announced, causing Twilight to pause and look up cursiously.

“Ah, is this that recording device you’ve been working on, Vinyl,” Octavia asked as Vinyl hovered what looked like a small speaker from her saddlebags and sat it on the ground.

“Sure is; I hope I got all the bugs out or else Volare might fry his own brain with epicness,” Vinyl laughed as her horn glowed and powered up the speaker. Twilight gulped visibly as Pinkie giggled like crazy.

“Say what?!” Volare yelled, hardly able to hear what she was saying outside the noise canceling earbuds. These things were damn good!

“Nothing dude, nothing!” Vinyl called out and clapped him on the shoulder a bit too roughly. “Just play a song in your mind and it’ll play on this speaker here,” she pointed to it with a hoof. “And it’ll get recorded here,” she gestured to the black sphere around her neck.

“Where’d you get all this technology,” Volare asked one more question.

“Heh, we’re not as backwards as you think around Ponyville! Now come on! Play us a rock song!!” She grinned hugely. “Um, you guys may wanna stand back; that speaker may be small, but it sure packs a punch.” Octavia already had her hooves close to her ears just in case. Twilight obediently followed suit and looked over at Pinkie in shock who had produced a carton of popcorn from out of nowhere and seemed to be ready for a show.

“Alright, here goes nothing!” Volare yelled and focused his mind on playing one of the greatest classic rock songs of all time…

Author's Note

So, this chapter is to make up for the previous one that I and many other felt was a little too short. ^^;
Also, I’ve got an idea of what song he might play, but please tell me what what you think the greatest classic rock song of all time is, and I’ll alter the next chapter to reflect it. That’s right, you the readers, get to decide some more on how the story will go!
:D
Also-also, I hope I wrote Octavia and Vinyl correctly. I based it on how they talked on Epic Wub Time: Musicians of Ponyville--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sob1t-iUCmE <--

Also-also-also: thanks to JJ Malcom, RedvsBlue327, Man of War, and idk12345678910 for their ideas for the Q&A!

* The US Navy Nuclear Power School offers Engineering Physics degree work which is essentially Applied Physics work

** Interesting that Volare likes Agatha Christie novels, as the MMMMystery on the Friendship Express is actually somewhat based on “Murder on the Orient Express”, and Agatha Christie novel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_on_the_Orient_Express#References

The Hurricane-Pt 6: Rock Shows, Bad Hair, and Groupies

And for those wondering, the song I picked for Volare to introduce the ponies to rock with was:

August 27th, Afternoon

Sweet child~! Sweet chiiiiii~iiiiild o’ miiiiiiii~iiiiiiiiiiiiine~!

As the music faded out, Volare opened his eyes and leaned back into the bench, breathing rather hard; admittedly perhaps having gotten a little too into the song. But it was a damn good song! The first thing he noticed was the small speaker that Vinyl had placed on the ground; all around the front of the speaker, the grass had been flattened in an arc by the sound, and the very air seemed to reverberate with the echoes of the song he’d just thought of. The blue-maned Unicorn wasn’t kidding when she said that little thing packed a wallop! A few of The Library's leaves were even lazily falling through the air, having been prematurely knocked from their perch by the rock song.

He pulled an earbud out and looked to his right to see Vinyl Scratch’s bare face, her shades having fallen off sometime around Slash’s big guitar solo. Her jaw was hanging partially open, barely managing a whistling squeak in response to the song that had quite literally rocked Twilight’s front yard. The yard’s purple owner’s mane was frizzed out much like it had been when Rainbow Dash had used her Patented Rainblow Dry on her, making Volare nearly laugh out loud at the sight. Pinkie Pie’s popcorn had been blown all over the yard, and her own mane was poofed more than usual, but she wore a large grin on her face, indicating she’d enjoyed the little show.
The Pegasus grinned hugely at Vinyl and hoofed her in the shoulder. “Good stuff, huh?” He asked, echoing her earlier statement. “Whatcha think?”

“I-I,” Volare looked over to see Octavia shaking her mane and twiddling a hoof in her ear. “What were those high-pitched, tapping and flowing notes I was hearing in the song? Was that from the guitar?”

“You got that right,” Volare replied, his lips still pulled back in an adrenaline-fueled grin.

“Is it a stringed instrument?” the grey mare asked hopefully.

“Mhm, it is, and”-

“HA!” Octavia pointed a hoof at the still-stunned Vinyl Scratch. “I told you that one day a stringed instrument was going to… blow your mind I believe is the term, Vinyl?”

“Uh…I…wow,” Vinyl finally managed to clear her throat and speak. “Dude, that was beyond amazing,” she levitated her shades back up onto her face and gave Volare a respectful nod. “And I got it all on here,” she tapped the sphere around her neck and grinned hugely.

“I think I could come to like this Rock N Roll as well,” Octavia smiled, surprising Volare immensely. “Especially if it has more strings like that!”

“Heh, glad I could give it to ya,” the Pegasus looked over at Twilight. “What did ya think, Pinkie?”

“That…was…rock-a-riffic!!” Pinkie Pie shouted, leaping up and bucking her legs in the air, her blue eyes wide with excitement. “When I throw you that party, we gotta play music like that!”

“Haha, we’ll see what happens,” Volare grinned. “How about you, Twilight?”

“Well, it was certainly loud,” the purple Unicorn gave a small chuckle and tugged on her right ear to clear the buzz in it. “Not really my taste of music, though.”

“Well heck with you guys, cuz that kicked major flank,” Vinyl crowed. “What was the name of the song? And who was the guy with the epic hat and shades?”

“Whoa, you could see all that!?”

“Yeah, your thoughts got directly sent to me through my horn and through this,” she tapped the sphere around her neck. “Same way you saw a buncha lights and stuff when I played you some of my music.”

“Wild,” Volare breathed. “Well, the song is called Sweet Child O’ Mine, by the rock band Guns ‘N Roses,” Volare replied. “And the guy with the top hat and shades is Slash, one of the greatest electric guitarists of all time.”

“I could tell,” Vinyl nodded enthusiastically. “That guy was off the chain!”

“Why would they name their band after flowers and…guns?” Octavia mused.

“You know, I never did figure that out,” Volare replied. “Sometimes, Earth bands give themselves crazy names just to stand out, and I guess Guns ‘N Roses was the pick of the day, and they just went with that.”

“Hrm, well it certainly is catchy…wait, what are guns?” the grey mare asked suddenly.

Oh crap, the Pegasus thought. Now what?
But Twilight spoke up before Volare had to. “Heh, we’ll get him to explain later. For now, let’s listen to some more music. You got anything, well…less crazy in your head, Volare?”

“Aww, really,” Pinkie’s smile faded somewhat. “But I liked that…”

“I’m sure I can think of something,” he grinned his thanks for the Unicorn’s save before looking about for a minute. “Hey, where’d Spike go?” The baby dragon wasn’t where he’d seen him snoozing at the base of the tree when he started the music.

“W-what the hay was that?!” a voice called out from above them. The ponies looked up to see a small purple dragon halfway up the tree and clinging to a branch; shaking from snout to tail.

“Looks like you scared him up the tree, Volare,” Twilight laughed out loud. “Oh come on Spike, it wasn’t that bad!”

“Well, you try snoozing in the sun and minding your own business and then WABOOOOOM you get the craziest wake up call of all time,” the dragon grumbled as he shimmied along the branch and hopped in through one of the Library’s windows, emerging from the front door a few moments later, still looking a bit shaken up. “I mean, did you really have to blast that thing so loud?”

“Hey, don’t knock the sound, baby,” Vinyl patted her speakerbox with a hoof.

“Not knocking it. In fact, if it weren’t for it scaring me awake, I might have enjoyed it,” Spike admitted.

“Sorry Spike,” Volare’s face fell. “I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“Nah, it’s cool bro,” the dragon gave him a half-smile. “Just gimme a heads-up next time you…um, what exactly were you doing there,” he asked, imitating the motions that Volare had been making.

“Oh, that’s called air guitar,” the Pegasus said sheepishly. “Humans tend to do it when they listen to rock music they really appreciate.”

“Humans?” Vinyl asked when she caught the strange word.

“Mhm, it’s a race from the planet I’m from,” Volare nodded. “Like I said, I’ll explain later.”

“Ok, gotcha,” the Unicorn nodded as she fiddled with the speaker box.

“Is it because you can’t play one that you imitate it,” Octavia spoke up before realizing how harsh that sounded. “Er, sorry.”

“No, it’s ok, Octavia,” the Pegasus shook his head and chuckled at Pinkie attempting to do the air guitar herself, nearly falling on her face as she did so. “It’s true; that’s why they do it. So even though they can’t actually play a guitar, they can at least emulate doing so and enjoy themselves. Have you never imitated a…what instrument do you play?”

“Cello.”

“Oh…well, that’d be rather awkward-looking…so I take it that’s a no?”

“Correct.”

“Right…hrm…”

“You said you know music beyond this Rock N Roll, right,” the grey mare asked, breaking the small awkward silence that had ensued.

“Mhm, a little bit.”

“Would you care to play some for us?”

“Oh, I dunno,” Volare scratched his mane with a hoof. “I’m not nearly as up to snuff on that sort of music as I am of rock.”

“Actually, I’d like to hear something a little different as well, Volare,” Twilight piped up, doing her best to straighten her frizzed-out mane. “If you don’t mind.”

“Heh, well, I suppose I could give it a whirl,” the Pegasus looked to Vinyl. “You ok with that?”

“No problem,” the Unicorn nodded and sat the speaker box back down. “I just toned the speaker down a bit so we don’t all get pummeled too badly again. Ready when you are.”

Volare popped the earbud back in and focused his mind again, this time on one of the few classical songs he knew fairly well.

Once the song ended in a great clash of cymbals, Volare opened his eyes again to see Octavia beaming with joy, while Vinyl Scratch seemed to be frowning slightly, causing him to pull the earbud from his ear again. “You ok, Vinyl?”

“Yeah, I’m good…just not really my style, that’s all,” she shrugged slightly. “Still cool, though.”

Twilight’s head was on a slight tilt, but she was wearing a smile, so he supposed she’d enjoyed it as well.
Pinkie’s blue eyes were as wide as her smile.
“Wow, why can’t you ever play like that, Octy,” the pink mare asked innocently.

“Ahem-well, um,” Octavia sputtered slightly before attempting to straighten her un-crooked bowtie. “I don’t normally have the benefit of an entire orchestra backing me up, Pinkie. Even so, I’d suppose the Royal Canterlot Symphony would simply die to hear me play something like this for them…do you mind if I make a copy for myself, Volare?”

“Oh, go right ahead, Octavia,” the Pegasus nodded, figuring piracy of music didn’t really apply here anyway.

“Oh please, call me Octy,” she smiled demurely.

“Heh, alrighty, Octy,” Volare smiled before noticing movement a short ways past the grey mare. There, along the path leading into town, a small group of ponies had gathered, drawn in by the strange-sounding music from Vinyl’s speaker box.

“Looks like we got an audience,” Vinyl nodded in their direction. “You up for a little performance, Volare?”

“Now, hang on a minute,” Twilight said cautiously. “Volare, I don’t want you straining yourself anymore than you have to.”

“Actually, I think I’ll be ok, Twilight,” the Pegasus reassured her. “I’m not really doing anything physically taxing; it’s all in my head, so to speak."

“Alright, well you cut it off if you get woozy or something, ok,” she patted his hoof.

“Roger, Twilight!”

“Huh, my name’s not Roger,” she protested, but he’d already put the noise-blocking earbud back in.

“How many you want, Vinyl,” he said loudly. To his surprise, her horn glowed light blue and he heard her voice in his head through the earbuds.

Eh-heh, sorry dude. Probably should have done this earlier.

“Whoa!” he jumped a bit. “I can hear you in my head!”

Mhm, keeps me from having to yell at ya, And I can hear you just fine, by the way, so no need to yell yourself.

“Oops.”

No problem! As for how many to play…gimme enough for a good sample size to mix. Ponies were saying my shows were getting a bit dull, so this outta spice things up a bit!

“Sure thing; any type of music in particular?”

Some more rock would be good…you know anything with good bass? Ya know, some epic WUB-WUBS?

“Heheh, yeah, I’ll throw one in there. You ready?”

Ready! She gave him a quick hoof pump, what he supposed was the pony equivalent of a thumbs up. He nodded and shut his eyes, focusing his mind once more as he began to play a “show” of sorts that would stretch on into the afternoon, all the while fighting the urge to play some of the music created by the fandom…but he knew that was FAR too risky, especially if Vinyl could “see” his musical thoughts…

Small sample of the music played.

Volare finally opened his eyes, mentally exhausted, to see that nearly two dozen ponies from town had gathered on the edge of Twilight’s yard and were watching him and Vinyl with wide eyes and more than a few hanging jaws. When they noticed his eyes had opened, the crowd began to stomp the ground in applause. Spooked, he immediately cut the music off and pulled out the earbuds only to be met with groans of disappointment from the townsponies as well as Vinyl Scratch.
“Aww man, that all for today?” she asked, a bit crest-fallen.

“Yeah, just…a little tired, that’s all,” the Pegasus gave her a lopsided grin. “What time is it, anyways?”

“2 in the afternoon,” a green-maned Unicorn on the edge of the crowd held up the watch on his leg in evidence.

“Wow, I’ve been playing for over 4 hours…no wonder I’m beat,” the Pegasus chuckled lightly.

“Aww, you’re not going to call it a day so soon, are you,” another Unicorn, this one wearing a brown hood asked with a frown.

“Yeah, don’t go!” an Earth pony with a red mane called out, quickly being echoed by the others around her.

“Hey, what’s your name, anyway,” the Unicorn with a watch asked with a grin.

“Ookay, show-pony” Twilight stepped in front of the yellow-maned Pegasus. “His name’s Volare and he’s recovering from a very drastic surgery, so excuse him if he’s kinda tired.”

“I’m not that tired,” Volare began to protest, but stopped when Twilight shot him a glance over her shoulder. “Ok, maybe I am a little tired…”

“There you have it,” Twilight addressed the small crowd. “Straight from the pony’s mouth. So if you don’t mind, I’d like for you all to head back to town while Volare gets some rest.”

“Okey dokey, Twilight,” Pinkie smiled and gave the Unicorn and Volare a quick hug apiece. “You heard Twilight; move’em out!”

“Hey, that’s mah line, sugarcube,” an voice called out as the crowd dispersed, leaving the voice’s orange owner standing there, leaning against a rock, her Stetson hat tilted against the afternoon sun. “Volare, them songs were amazin’. Ah had no idea ya’ll had such great music back on Earth!”

“Heh, you heard them, huh AJ?”

“For tha most part; loved that one about the muddy river” Applejack cracked a grin.

"Well, I was raised in The South, so I guess I kinda grew up country, so to speak."

"Not a dern thing wrong with that," she trotted forward and looked the Pegasus over. “Well, ya’ll don’t look too worse fer wear,” she chuckled and hugged him roughly, before he winced and she quickly realized he was still sore from the injury. “Wing still givin ya trouble?”

“Yeah, can’t even lift it,” he replied, scuffing at a pebble with a hoof.

“Ah wish Ah knew how ta help, sugarcube,” Applejack gave him a sympathetic look.

“Heh, just you being here to check up on me is enough,” Volare replied before looking up at Vinyl and Octavia, who seemed to be trying to stay outside the small ring of ponies around the Pegasus. “Hey, what’re you two doing hiding over there? Come here! AJ, I’d like to introduce you to”-

“Well, howdy Vinyl, Octy! Lan' sakes, it’s been a season’r two since Ah last spoke with ya'll,” she shook Octavia’s hoof mightily before giving Vinyl Scratch a bear hug, one the DJ pony returned with some effort.

“You know them?” Volare asked in slight surprise. The two musicians didn’t exactly strike him as ponies the country girl Applejack would know. But her southern enthusiasm knew no bounds when it came to making friends, apparently.

“Course Ah know’em! Any friend o’ Pinkie’s is a friend o’ mine! We met at the Grand Galloping Gala about two and a half years ago…just been outta contact fer a bit cuz o’ how busy this here summer’s been, heheh,” the orange mare admitted.

“It’s no biggie,” Vinyl shrugged. “I was outta town touring and Octy spent the summer in Canterlot, sooo…no worries, AJ.”

“Indeed. Besides, with everypony back in town now, we’ll have plenty of opportunity to catch up on things,” Octavia nodded. “It’s a little funny though…”

“Hmm, what is,” Applejack tilted her hat back.

“Oh, that we’re meeting back up like this, partly because of Volare being here, I think,” she motioned to the blue Pegasus. “I mean, we likely would have run into each other eventually, but like you said, as busy as things had been, there’s no telling for how long we might have fallen out of contact…” the grey mare’s face scrunched with slight worry for a moment before raising her lilac eyes to meet Volare’s.

“Aww, stop,” he blushed. “I’m not taking any credit for your little reunion here; I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m just…well, here. That’s all,” the Pegasus protested.

“Well, either way, you brought us back together, Volare-bear,” Pinkie mussed his mane with a pink hoof. “And that’s a fact!”

“Exactly, Pinkie,” Applejack grinned. "So, what's the occasion of this little show, anyways?"

"Well, turns out Volare has been Twilight's little science project for the past few days," Pinkie said mysteriously, much to Twilight's chagrin.

"Heh, more like study buddies," the purple Unicorn corrected her. "I just figured, what better chance to learn about Earth than from a former inhabitant of it."

"Makes sense," the orange Earth Pony nodded. "Find anything interesting so far?"

"Enough for her to practically write a book on me," the blue Pegasus piped up. "And we came up with a buncha theories on the weather and on Pegasi anatomy too!"

"Oh really," Applejack asked, genuinely impressed. "And whatcha gonna do with this info, Twi?"

"Well, I..."

"Oh why hide it; she's going to Canterlot tomorrow to catch up with her brother and show our findings to Celestia and Luna," Volare explained.

"Volare!" Twilight hissed.

"What's wrong with ya'll headed ta Canterlot, Twi," Applejack inquired.

"Well, it's just that...urgh," she leaned in close and quickly explained the situation with Rainbow Dash and how she wanted to keep her away from Volare until she got back from Canterlot, mainly to keep her from accidentally getting Volare hurt again.
"And I was reluctant to tell anypony because while I'm gone, Volare's gotta stay with somepony and I figured that asking for somepony to look after him for two weeks on such short notice would be rude...so that's why I haven't said anything."
In truth, there was another reason...but no, she wasn't about to tell anypony but Celestia about that!

"Aww, sugarcube, ya'll don't have ta be scared ta ask a friend a favor," Applejack chuckled. "Kinda funny how Volare even played a song about that. Thing is, Ah'd let him stay at tha farm, but Grannysmith'd put him ta work and Ah dunno how his body'd take it. No offense, Volare."

"Nah, it's ok AJ," the Pegasus replied, a bit embarrassed at how much of a burden he was becoming. "Not sure how bad of a whip-cracker your granny is, but I doubt I'd be much good on the farm in my condition anyway."

"Well, Ah'm sure ya'll are gonna figure somethin' out," Applejack smiled and tipped her hat to her friends. “But fer now, like Twilight said, Volare’s lookin’ a might bit bushed, so we should let’im rest up. Come on, ya’ll!” Applejack headed south off the path and cut through the field that surrounded Ponyville, taking the quick route back to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Aww, fine,” Vinyl grumbled a bit as Volare hoofed her the earbuds. “But when you feel better, you and I had better have a recording session or something,” she patted the black sphere around her neck. “Cuz this stuff is gold!”

Volare blushed hotly at the compliment as the DJ gave him a quick hoof-bump and trotted off. Octavia gave him a small nod and a smile of thanks before following her roommate, who was chattering non-stop about how she was going to remix all the music Volare had given her today.
“Dude, Octy, you should have seen what I saw in that music!! There was this guy wearing a giant rat head all lit up with lights, and guys dressed in hats like AJ’s, and OHH, even this one guy that had the most AMAZING mane I’ve ever seen! If I can figure out how to make this thing create images, I’ll show ya!”

“As long as you don’t keep me up late with your bloody wubs,” Volare heard Octavia mutter before they trotted out of earshot.

“See ya, Volare,” Pinkie hugged him. “And if you need a place to stay, you’re welcome at Sugarcube Corner, even if Twilight says no,” she said quietly into his ear before pulling back with a grin. “Sleep well!”
She gave him a wave and hopped off back into town.

“And then there were three,” Volare stated as he looked back to Twilight and Spike, who’d resumed his nap at the side of the Library Tree. “Dang, you’re right about him, Twilight; he’s a snoozing bottomless stomach of a dragon!”

“Well, he is a baby dragon,” Twilight chuckled as she nudged Spike awake. “Hey, if you sleep much longer you’re going to have trouble sleeping tonight.”

“Aww, come on, Twilight,” Spike grumbled as he stumbled into the Library, the Unicorn right behind him.

“You coming, Volare,” Twilight turned and asked when she noticed the blue Pegasus wasn’t following her.

“Huh, yeah,” the Pegasus shook himself from his thoughts. Was this all really happening? Did I just show off rock music for a DJ pony and part of Ponyville? If this is a dream, I’d rather not wake…this is nuts!
“Coming!”

He stood up from the bench, stretched his legs with a creak, and headed after her as fast as he could, which amounted to little more than a slow trot; his legs were still fairly weak, and nearly tripped on the door threshold before sheepishly shutting the door behind him, nearly tripping over Spike who’d curled up in the sunlight falling through the front window. He made his way over to the couch in the lobby and hadn’t so much as flopped down on it than Twilight dumped him off of it.
“Hey Twilight, what gives?”

“You said it yourself out there,” she nodded towards the front yard. “You haven’t bathed in days and you’re not going to filthy up another piece of furniture in here. So if you must lie down, please do it upstairs on the already-nasty bed.” The Unicorn roamed about the room, picking books from the shelves and scrutinizing them before putting them back, muttering all the while and periodically giving little shakes of her mane.

“Hey Twilight…is something the matter,” Volare asked. “You seem…I dunno, kinda snippy and restless.”

“Oh that,” she replied. “Just a little…worried I guess.”

“What about?”

“Well, for one, I still don’t know who you’re staying with starting tomorrow,” she replied, tossing a small book back onto the shelf with a frustrated grunt. “And two, well…some of those songs you played…they worry me.”

“How so, Twilight,” the Pegasus took a step towards her.

“The words in them…the lyrics,” her eyes flicked back and forth over the floorboards, avoiding his gaze. “I mean, some of those songs seemed like harmless fun, but in others...the lyrics seemed so violent…and in others, they were so sad. I know it sounds silly, but it was almost like I felt those songs reflected your actual feelings and were more than just songs you'd heard…”

“Oh Twilight,” he wrapped his good wing over her back and pulled her into an embrace. “Those songs…they’re just another way that humans cope with their problems, that’s all. The lyrics just describe how they feel at the time, and sometimes it’s just a better way of letting their anger out than"-

“One of those songs talked about murdering their love and putting them in the ground,” she looked up at him, worry in her eyes. “Have you ever felt that way, Volare?”

“What-I….no, Twilight,” he groaned and closed his eyes. “Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t have played some of them…you probably think I’m some sort of freak by liking that kinda of music…”

“No, it’s not you, Volare,” she leaned into him. “You’re a product of your environment and…if that’s what you were raised around, it would only make sense that you’d come to like it…again, it just worries me that you lived in such a rough place, that’s all.”

“I appreciate the concern, Twilight.” He gave her a quick squeeze with his wing. “But I’m not there anymore. I’m here to stay. Hopefully Equestria will have a better influence on me.”

“I know…I know,” the Unicorn said quietly as she pulled away from him and pretended to stare at the disorganized books on the shelves; in truth, her mind was swimming, thinking over the things she’d learned about him in the last 24 hours. From his descriptions of how rough a world Earth was, to his occupation as a soldier, to his horrifying dreams, and now even to the entertainment from Earth. Nearly all of it pointed towards violence and strife…she was too scared to ask him what she really felt at the moment. She was scared that he’d brought more than just stories and music from Earth. She was scared that he’d brought the actual horrors themselves with him, that they could manifest themselves in him at any time, especially if he got mad if he found out about the secrets she knew about him…she was even starting to regret having to spend one last night in the same house as him…no Twilight, stop thinking that way! Volare’s your friend! He’d never hurt you or any innocent pony…he’s different from other humans…right?

“Twilight?” Volare nudged her gently. “You spaced out again.”

“Agh, sorry,” she shook her mane. “You hungry, cuz I think that might be the problem with me, heheh.”

“Well, now that you mention it”-

“Oh good, I mean-heh, you know what I mean,” she chuckled a bit too happily and busied herself about in the kitchen, returning after a bit with two hastily-made salads. “Dig in,” she said through a mouthful of lettuce leaves, and Volare obliged, albeit a bit uneasily due to Twilight’s behavior.

“Something else on your mind, Twilight,” Volare asked after a bit.

“Hmm? Oh, I guess it’s,” she looked back at the lobby. “I think it’s the books being all out of order; it’s got my whole day thrown off…I’m weird like that…”

“Jeez, you’re more OCD than I thought,” he patted her hoof. “But it’s adorkable, so it’s ok with me if you are,” he said half-teasingly. “Besides, I do owe you an actual clean-up with those books. Who knows; maybe we’ll find that book on limb-reattachment and you’ll have one less thing to worry about finding in Canterlot.”

Twilight sat down her salad with a small sigh before joining Volare in gazing at the mess.
“You sure you want to, Volare?”

“Hey, it’s the least I can do before you head off tomorrow,” he smiled and bumped her with a hip. “Besides, can’t let you be all wobbly in the noggin when you tell Celestia about our weather and anatomy theories, right?”

“Heh, right,” the Unicorn nodded, feeling a bit better at the thought of meeting Celestia again for the first time in a good while. “Well then, let’s get started,” she pulled each section of books down and stacked them neatly in piles. “You sort them alphabetically, and I’ll sort them categorically, and this shouldn’t take too long,” she said with a determined smile. At the very least, it would take her mind off of Earth and its darker aspects for a few hours…

“Whew, holy crap,” Volare leaned against the couch with a sigh and wiped his brow before looking up at the neatly filed and sorted volumes lining the Library walls. “We did it!” he exclaimed, looking up through the freshly-repaired window and into the darkening sky, Luna’s moon rising in the distance. Unfortunately, as they both feared, they didn't find the book they were looking for in the collection. But at least the place was clean!

“Yeah, we did,” Twilight said with some effort, though not nearly as much as the recovering Pegasus. “You gonna be ok?”

“Huh, me? Yeah, I’m good,” the Pegasus slid down against the couch despite his statement, unable to fight his slumping eyelids. “Just…just gimme a minute…”

“You’re not fooling me,” Twilight helped him to his hooves and ushered him towards the stairs. “Come on, horsefeathers; let’s get you to bed before you fall on your face.”

“Heh, yeah,” he mumbled quietly, allowing her to help him up the steps and into the bed. “I guess that’d be embarrassing…”

“Sleep well, Volare,” Twilight patted his hoof and turned to leave, but stopped when he grasped her hoof in his. “Yes?”

“What about who I’m staying with while you’re gone,” he asked, eyes still closed.

“Don’t worry Volare,” she said reassuringly. “I’ll think of something.”

“You always seem to,” he trailed off as sleep finally took him. “Thanks…Twilight…zzz.”

“You’re very welcome,” she smiled softly and levitated his hoof back onto the bed before clicking the light off and heading across the hall to her own bed. As she crawled beneath the covers, she once more went over the days' events, what she’d learned…and exactly what tomorrow had in store for her. With those thoughts bouncing through her head, she too drifted off to sleep, leaving the Library quiet and dark under a star-filled night sky.

“Well, that was certainly interesting,” the green-maned Unicorn stallion mused as he turned down his small cot in the apartment he and his sister had rented at the Ponyville Inn.

“That it was, Ray, that it was,” his sister replied, tossing off her cloak and sitting down on the edge of her own bed, chin on her hooves as she thought back to the little concert of sorts they’d watched from the crowd in front of Twilight’s Library Tree. “I knew that Pegasus guy was strange, but I never figured he was from another planet!”

“Who, that Volare character,” Ray looked up with a sneer. “The one helping that DJ pony make all that noise…well, that’d explain why Lyra was so interested in him.”

“How do you mean,” Jill asked, her green eyes narrowed.

“Well, let’s see: he’s from a different planet, that much we know because he said it to his friends, and he sets off Lyra’s weird senses…senses set off by human artifacts or things in contact with them. Ergo…”

“Volare must from Earth,” Jill concluded.

“Exactly!” Ray said, flopping back on the cot, hooves behind his head as he shut his eyes.

“Well, what’re you waiting for,” Jill cried, half-standing up. “Tell the boss what’s”-

“Already did,” the stallion grinned and held up his watch which glowed with an unnatural green-gray light.

“Ah, I see,” Jill nodded and chuckled as she relaxed a bit. “What all did you say?”

“Oh, the basic stuff the boss was looking for,” Ray said with an almost bored air. “Reported Volare’s origin, his injuries, his apparent recovery…”

“Which doesn’t seem to be going so well,” Jill said thoughtfully. “Did you see his wing; it was all tied up in a sling. Did you report that?”

“Mhm, that too…let’s see, what else…Oh, the boss seemed particularly interested in his choice of music, especially after I spoke some of the lyrics,” the male Unicorn nodded slightly.

“Ooh, did you tell the boss about that song that talked about being “back in black” and about death, nooses, and bullets,” Jill grinned evilly.

“Mhm, sure did, but the boss was more interested in that one song that talked about killing and burying one’s loved ones.”

“Oh yes, that was deliciously violent and amazing,” Jill’s eyes glittered with malicious intent. “And the music perfectly matched the anger of the lyrics too!”

“Indeed.”

"What was with that song about the "fat bottomed girls"? I mean, who would find a mare with a fat flank attractive?"

"I have no idea, but it was pretty catchy...the boss said it was ridiculous though," Ray frowned a bit.

“Oh, and that one song he played, about “finding out who your friends are” in times of trouble; what a damn joke,” Jill cackled, though Ray didn’t join her in laughter.

“Actually, the boss took that one fairly seriously too, of all things…plus I don’t really see how friendship is that big of a joke to you, sis.”

“Oh come on!” Jill slammed the bed with a hoof. “Don’t tell me you’re going soft like those goody-two-horseshoes Ponyvillians!”

“Well no, of course not,” Ray shot her a glare. “I’m just saying that it’s sometimes a good thing when you have somepony there to watch your back when you get in a tight spot, that’s all.”

“Oh, pish, you are so getting soft,” the mare rolled her eyes before catching Ray’s serious expression. “Oh Luna help me, what did I say now?”

“Remember when you got drunk at the bar the other day?”

“Y-yes…I do…not one of my finer moments, for sure,” Jill’s gaze fell to the sheets on her cot.

“You know who it was that kept you from falling on your face and looked after you until I found you?”

“Who?”

“Lyra, of all ponies.”

“The “green freak”?”

“Yeah…that…she watched out for you till I got there, so I just…don’t think she really deserves being called that; that’s all.”

“…yeah, you’ve gone soft,” Jill laughed and slapped him on the belly, causing him to roll up and groan.

“Argh, what the hell, Jill?!” He looked up, his face contorted in anger.

“Come on!” Jill beckoned him with a growl. “Let’s see what you’ve got!”

“Ragh!” he roared as he leaped at her.

.............................
20 minutes later….
................................

The two Unicorn siblings laid out flat on the floor, breathing hard and covered in bruises. This wasn’t their first brother-sister squabble like this, but it had been quite some time since their last one, and admittedly they were both a little out of shape for this sort of thing.

“O-ok, so maybe you’re not as soft as I thought,” Jill gasped and gave her brother a gap-toothed grin; it seemed in the scuffle that he’d knocked out one of her teeth, and sure enough, there it was embedded in his hoof.
“Heh, I think that’s mine,” she snatched the tooth from his hoof and hit it with a spell before jamming it back in its spot in her mouth with a cry. “There, good as new!”

“Urgh, what was the point of all that,” Ray rubbed the knot forming on the back of his head.

“Just blowing off a little steam, brother, and proving you still have some backbone left…ow, I think I bit my tongue,” Jill groaned and rolled to her hooves with a shake of her mane. “Oh, one more thing…you didn’t tell the boss about my little episode at the bar the other day, did you?”

“Nah, of course not,” her brother smiled crookedly and stood up himself as his sister sighed loudly. “What is it now?”

“Oh, I’m just thinking,” Jill replied, dabbing at her bleeding nose with the edge of her cloak. “Just…dammit, how long do we have keep up this act?!”

“Until such time as the boss releases us from our bargain,” Ray said in an almost sing-song voice, as if he were quoting something for the hundredth time. “And until then, we keep an eye on the targets.”

"I can understand the others...but why Volare," Jill tapped her chin. "What's so special about him that the boss wants him surveyed?"

"Wouldn't say and I didn't ask," Ray replied. "I think it's just coincidence that Trixie wants us to follow him as well...oh well, if it kills a few birds with one stone, so be it."

“Oh yeah...and what about the “great and powerful Trixie,” Jill said in as mocking a tone as she could muster with a bloody nose and bitten tongue, waving her hooves in a melodramatic fashion as she did so.

“We stay in her service until the time comes. Like the boss said: it’s a perfect cover as long as we act like…well…”

“Idiots.”

“I was going to say inept sidekicks, but basically yes. It’s the perfect cover cuz who would suspect”-

“So says our almighty boss,” she rolled her eyes.

“Hey, the boss has been right up until now, and you know what’s been said happens to the doubters,” Ray warned.

“Urgh, don’t remind me,” Jill shuddered slightly. “Well, I suppose all we can do is enjoy the ride, huh?”

“Pretty much…and the pay,” Ray grinned.

“Ah yes…the pay is good…and it’s like we’re practically robbing that fool of a wannabe blue magician,” Jill laughed loudly, her brother joining in after a moment.

“You know, we kinda are,” the stallion’s sides hitched in laughter. “Like taking candy from a foal, hahahahaha!”

Author's Note

DUN DUN DUN!
Turns out Ray and Jill may have a more significant part in the story after all!
Also, I figured Octy would love "In The Hall Of The Mountain King" because of all the cellos used in it X3
And again, thank you to those that suggested the other songs he might play!
And take note-those songs he played all have some sort of significance to him, and weren't just randomly picked...
Also also...bleh I hate transition chapters XP

The Hurricane-Pt 7: You Need Professional Help

August 28th

Come on, bro! Don’t give up! a voice called from the dark recesses of Volare’s mind, beckoning him away from his dreamless slumber and into memories long past…

“Hmph easy for you to say,” the young man picked himself up from where he’d stumbled running up the steep hill. Above him, illuminated by the warm red-orange glow of the setting sun that bathed the slope stood a girl a few years younger than himself. Her elbows and knees were bruised and scraped from climbing the hill, but she stood at the pinnacle, fists on her hips and breathing hard with a fierce grin on her face.
“You don’t have a half-busted knee!”

Excuses~! she cried in a sing-song voice. You hopped up just fine after that home plate crash, so you’re either just letting your little sis win again…or--she gasped dramatically--you really ARE turning into an old man before your time!

“Gimme a break, Aggie,” he cried, using his sister Agatha’s pet name.

Nope!

“Argh, fine,” Volare set his jaw and forced himself up the hill despite the ache in his knee. After a few moments, he reached the top, grabbed Agatha, and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, spinning around for a moment before falling to the ground in a heap, laughing till the pain in his sides surpassed that of his knee and he fell onto his back in the cool grass. His sister soon flopped down next to him and snuggled up against him. Volare bumped her shoulder with his head and she responded in turn with a light punch to his ribs.

Guess you’re not as old and broken as I thought, big bro.

“Heh, I’m only 17, Aggie,” the young man chuckled.

Oh fine; guess I should “respect my elders” then.

“Yeah, that’s-hey wait a sec,” Volare frowned as his sister snickered. He gave her an elbow which she returned before they settled down again.

Hey bro?

“Hmm?”

I didn’t mean it.

“Mean what?”

Saying you’re getting old and broken…sorry.

“Aww, it’s ok, sis,” the young man said with a smile. “I know you’re only messing with me; heh, kinda motivates me in a way.”

Oh?

“Yeah…think of how embarrassing it’d be if my younger sis started beating me for real!”

Hey, I’ve beaten you a couple times, she rolled over slightly and gave him a irritated look. Admit it!

“Not discounting your successes, Aggie,” he mused. “Just saying that in a weird way, you pushed me to better myself…and I thank you for that.”

Oh, I get it now…hey bro?

“Yeah?”

Do I get on your nerves?

“Heh, all the time,” he laughed. “I debated on calling you Aggravation for a while, actually.”

You’d get a knuckle sandwich if you did!

“Heh, precisely why I didn’t,” he replied. “But hey, what else are little sisters for sometimes?”

I guess…hey bro?

“Yep?”

Thanks for being my pal and sticking up for me, even if I do irritate you.

“It’s no problem, sis,” he gave her upper arm a gentle squeeze. “Thanks for being my pal, too.”

Mhm! she smiled and looked up at the stars winking into existence in the dark blue sky above them. Hey, one more thing and I swear I’ll shut up.

“What’s up, Aggie,” he asked, though the mild annoyance in his voice was mainly an act; he never really tired of having these little talks with his only sibling as he knew he was getting closer and closer to leaving the nest so to speak…and so he treasured these moments.

Promise me that after you leave home, no matter what you do, you do your best, ok?

“Aggie, I”- but she cut him off as she rolled over completely and gave him a serious look.

Cuz you know I won’t be there to pester you to do better. So promise me you won’t give up, ok?

“Heh, I promise, Aggie,” he hugged her firmly. “I promise…"

……………………………..

“Lieutenant Volare!” a voice barked. The Junior Officer in question blinked and the peaceful hilltop scene before him was gone, replaced by a cold grey office with an equally graying Navy Commander standing on the other side of a dark desk. The floor tilted slightly, revealing them to be on a ship, an aircraft carrier to be exact. By the glare in his eye and the throbbing vein in his temple, he was obviously irritated with him…Oh now I remember why…
“Just what in the hell were you doing out there today?!”

“Sir,” the pilot finally found his voice. “I was trying to prove myself and serve my country well, sir!”

“That’s brave and all, but until you buy the damn jets yourself, you DO NOT fly like that EVER again,” the Commander sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose to calm down. “You’ve gotta learn when to back off and call it a day; you’re not bullet-proof, son.”

“I know sir,” the pilot nodded. “But if I hadn’t acted”-

“Look, I know where you’re coming from,” the Commander shook his head and tapped on the desk. “I used to be a hotshot like you, but when you get half the ass shot off your bird because you were trying to play hero…well, it changes the way you think. I appreciate your intervention out there today, but you were real damn lucky; there’s no two ways about it.”

“I couldn’t run sir, or they’d have followed me right here,” Volare explained calmly. “And they shot down my wingman, so”-

“But no pilot in his right mind takes on three enemy fighters at once, Lieutenant,” the Commander said gruffly. “You gotta think before you throw yourself into that kind of a shitstorm!”

“But there was no time to think, sir”-

“That’s enough; I’ve heard enough,” the Commander said with a dismissive wave of his hand, though deep down he knew the pilot was right. “The point is, if you keep flying like that, we’ll be burying what’s left of you off the side of this ship, and that’s something none of us wants.”

“I just didn’t want to show weakness, sir.”

The Commander’s head snapped up from looking at his paperwork at what he was sure had been a smart-assed statement. But his glare faded as he saw the sincere expression on Volare’s face. “Damn, son…you got a death wish?”

“No sir, but I did make a promise to someone that I wouldn’t give up on something if I could help it.”

“I see,” the Commander shook his head slightly. This kid was a real pain in the neck…but at least he was a well-intentioned pain in the neck. “I’m not gonna ask who it was”-

“It was my little sister, sir.”

“Ah,” he’d read the pilot’s file and knew of who he spoke…poor girl. “Alright then. You wanna prove yourself, Lieutenant?”

“As much as I can, sir.”

“Then I think I might have an assignment for you…well, for determined guys like yourself anyway,” he reached into the stack of papers on the desk and pulled out a slim manilla folder. “You up for a challenge?”

“Yes sir!”

…………………………………..

The room was dark as he returned to that all-familiar room…like a robot stuck on autopilot, he helplessly watched through his own eyes as he approached the dark desk again Please no, not this again!…felt himself pick up the up the bulging DEBRIEFING file…watched as his hand released it to fall to the desk with a thunk…but something different happened then. There, off in the distance, a soft purple light flashed, just for an instant. Whatever it was changed his mind, and he then marched back to the desk and dumped the contents out.

Oh god…
Molten metal and brimstone flowed from the mouth of the envelope, setting the desk on fire and filling the room with smoke and causing him to choke and sputter as the black fumes enveloped him. The heat in his hand was unbearable and he dropped the package to the desk again. But as he heard it hit the burning wood, the desk and the floor around it shattered, dropping him through the floor and into the excruciatingly bright daylight of a cloudless sky.

The smoke around him quickly blew apart in the wind and he found himself strapped back in the cockpit of his jet…and it was falling…fast. The altimeter was screeching its warning in the voice of a banshee, warning him of the impending doom quickly approaching. He instinctively grabbed the stick but yanked his hand away from it almost immediately in a flash of steam and the smell of cooking meat. He looked down at his hand to see the palm covered in blisters.
The flight stick had burned him…

His eyes flicked up out of the cockpit to see a small town on the ground spinning up to greet him…the town of Ponyville! He was going to crash into Ponyville! No, it’d kill everypony there in the explosion!!!
He glanced back at the flight stick, red hot; daring him to grab it. He looked back out at the town…Dammit!

Volare grasped the flight stick with both hands, screaming as the hot metal bit into his flesh and scorched him to the bone in an instant. But he couldn’t stop! He yanked back on the stick with all his strength, willing the nose of the plane away from the town below as the stench of his hands burning away assaulted his nose. He…had…to…save…them…….no! His hands finally burned away to ash, leaving him with nothing to grip the stick with but the blackened stumps that used to be his wrists.
He just barely managed to tightly shut his eyes and send a silent apology to everypony in town as his jet struck the market square and buried itself up to the wings before it detonated in a ball of fire…

Volare’s eyes snapped open and he screamed loudly at the pain in his hand and the fear in his heart which was beating so fast he felt it would burst through his chest! His vision flicked to his right to see his hand-no his hoof!-was lying in a hot pool of light created by the rising sun shining through the window of Twilight’s bedroom.
Oh God… he pulled his hoof from the light to see that it wasn’t burned in the slightest, much to his relief. What the hell kind of dream was that!?

He turned at the sound of hooves thundering on the floor boards as Twilight burst into the room, her violet eyes wide with worry and her mane in a tangle that suggested she’d literally just woken up.
“Volare, are you ok?!” She hurried to the bedside and grasped a hoof in hers as he quickly blinked the relieved tears from his eyes. “What happened?”

“Urgh…about the worst dream I’ve had in years,” he managed to groan as he flopped back on the pillow, avoiding putting his head in the sunlight for the moment.

“Care to talk about it,” Twilight asked gently, noticing the stress in his face.

“Actually…yeah, I kinda do,” Volare replied after a moment’s hesitation, much to Twilight’s relief. “But first,” he sat up and stretched before getting out of bed. “Where’s your shower?”

“Huh?-oh!” Twilight sputtered at his sudden request; in fact she’d been about to suggest that fairly soon, because as polite as she’d been recently, she wasn’t sure she could take the smell that had been following him around for too much longer. “It’s at the end of the hall,” she nodded at the narrow door at the end of the hallway that curved along the tree’s interior.

“You got hot water I hope?”

“Mhm, absolutely,” Twilight nodded before Volare turned to her with an overly dramatic expression. “Um, Volare-?”

“Y-you’re my hero,” the Pegasus said with false sentiment before slowly heading off towards the bathroom. As he went, Twilight took note that although his steps were slow, he was no longer limping in stiffness, giving her hope that his recovery was going somewhat well.

“Oh, wait a sec Volare,” Twilight trotted after him before he made it in the door.

“Hm, what’s up?”

“Lemme take that,” she undid the sling around his wing and floated it away from his body. The wing fell limply towards his hooves, making the Pegasus wince. “Ah, sorry! I just wanted it out of the way so you could get completely clean, and”-

“Nah, it’s fine,” Volare forced a one-eyed grin, shrugging his right shoulder to keep the wing from dragging on the ground as he walked into the somewhat cramped bathroom. “You meant well. I’ll just, um…yeah, hold it under the water. Yeah, this’ll work; thanks Twilight!”

“Y-you’re welcome,” the Unicorn replied as she couldn’t help but study the dried blood crusted all over the sling…and then her thoughts roved to the bedsheets in her bedroom. “Um, I’ll be right back inna sec,” she called over her shoulder as she heard Volare turn the water on.

“YAH, this water gets hot quick!” the Pegasus shouted, jumping out of the hot stream before adjusting a pulley jutting from the wall with the two pull cords appropriately labeled HOT and COLD. They were grasped and pulled with his teeth, just like with the toilet FLUSH cord, which actually got Volare thinking a bit.
“Hey Twilight!” he called over the roar of the shower.

“Yeah, what’s up,” Twilight called back, groaning at the sight of the blood and filth-stained bed sheets. She was be willing to bet the crud had soaked all the way down to the mattress; a quick levitation of the mattress pad proved her right. So gross…can’t believe this poor guy has been laying in this mess for days…

“Oh, I was just wondering,” Volare explained as he got the water temperature just right and hopped under the soothing torrent, closing his eyes as the water washed the filth and blood from his coat. “I noticed that the temperature setting of this shower was adjusted with pull cords designed for pony mouths. But you’re a Unicorn; why would you need pull-cords when you can just use your magic to adjust it?”

“Oh, that’s because this Library was built to accommodate all types of ponies,” Twilight replied, bundling the sheets up and setting them on the floor for a moment. “Remember, this building used to be a totally public Library before I moved in.”

“Ah, that makes some sense,” Volare said as he scrubbed the blood from his mane. “Plus I’ll bet it makes flushing the toilet a little easier for Spike, huh?”

“Hey, I heard that!” the young dragon called from downstairs, causing the two ponies to chuckle. After a moment, Volare returned to cleaning up and Twilight went back to scrutinizing the filthy bedsheets.

“So, Volare,” the Unicorn said as she investigated the mattress, making sure that wasn’t dirty too.

“Yeah?”

“You wanna talk about that dream you had that made you scream like a foal,” she asked with a hint of a grin.

“Grr, I knew you’d bring that up,” the Pegasus said with mock irritation. “Well, it does have to do with my sister, whom I did say I’d tell you more about eventually, so…here goes.” He then explained the dream as best as he could, even including the part about crashing his plane in the middle of Ponyville, which made him wake up so violently in the first place.

“Whoa…that sounds pretty deep, Volare,” Twilight replied once he’d finished. “I’m sorry your sis is stuck on Earth; she seems like a pretty nice girl.”

“Yeah…no kidding,” Volare muttered with a wince, more in inner pain than the ache in his side as he carefully washed his limp wing.

“So was that fight against the three other jets one of the missions you didn’t wanna talk about,” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, it was.”

“Why’d you keep quiet on something like that?”

“…because I didn’t want you to think I was some sort of vicious murderer, Twilight.”

“But you were merely doing your job; I can’t fault you for that, even if it did end in you taking other humans’ lives. I mean, from the sound of it, you prevented an even greater loss,” she trailed off, thinking about how the fight must have gone, but having never seen a dogfight before, she was left guessing at how one had beaten three. “Do you think you could show me one of these days?”

“Huh, how?”

“Well, I can use a spell to view what your mind views, kinda like what Vinyl did with your music yesterday. Just think it, and I’ll see it like I was right there with you.”

“Wow…you Unicorns are something else,” he replied in awe.

“Heh, just using what we know, that’s all,” Twilight said modestly before giving up on the bedsheets. At least the mattress had been spared… “So you’ll show me one of these days?”

“…sure,” Volare replied a bit reluctantly. He’d left important details out when he’d recited what had happened on the mission in the dream…classified details he’d kept to himself ever since…could I trust Twilight enough to tell her? Hell, not like anything would come of it…the law can’t reach me here I guess…still...
“Whoa, do I smell smoke!?” the Pegasus suddenly cried, peeking his head out through the shower curtain to indeed see smoke and more than a few flames billowing from Twilight’s bedroom. Without thinking, the soaking wet pony charged from the bathroom and into the bedroom, beating away the smoke with his good wing.
“Argh Twilight, *cough* what the hell?!”

“Ah, I’m sorry Volare,” Twilight cried, turning away from the floating ball of fire in the corner of the room. “Those bedsheets were kinda a lost cause and I figured this was for the best.”

“So you *cough-cough* set them on fire inside the Library?!” The Pegasus asked in shock.

“I’ve got the fire contained,” the Unicorn explained, denoting the violet spell that encased the flaming bedsheets.

“Yeah, well what about *cough* argh-the smoke?!” Volare trotted to the window and threw it open, doing his best to sweep the fumes from the room with his wing.

“Heh, sorry Volare,” Twilight grinned sheepishly as the last of the sheets burned to ashes which she then tossed out the window and into the small flowerbed below. She then stopped and couldn’t help but stare for a moment at the tall blue Pegasus standing in her room, his fur glistening wet, his mane clean and bright yellow, his face a look of mild annoyance as he shook the smoke from his wing and turned to the bookish Unicorn.

“Um, Twilight…you ok?”

“Huh…yeah, just fine,” she shook her mane and looked away for a moment to compose herself. “Just um, admiring your mane, that’s all.”

“My mane,” Volare asked and checked his reflection in the opened window. “Looks like I stuck my hand, er hoof, in an electrical socket,” he chuckled at the spiked monstrosity perched on his head and turned back to Twilight before he noticed that Spike was leaning against the doorway with a smug little grin on his face, having caught Twilight staring at the dripping wet stallion in her bedroom. “Oh, morning Spike. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothin’ much,” the baby dragon cocked his head slightly. “Just trying to remember a little song, that’s all.”

“What song is that, Spike,” Twilight inquired.

“Oh, I think you know it…goes something like this,” the dragon said cheekily. “Twilight and Volare are trottin’ in a tree~. K-I-S-S-I-N-hey, you know what; you guys are already in a tree, and-ARGH-ow-ouch-agh-ugh!!” the dragon cried as the door glowed purple and slammed in his face, sending him bouncing down the stairs. Twilight turned to Volare, her face a boiled lobster red.

“I-I uh…” she stammered quietly. She was so embarrassed!

“Hey, Twilight,” Volare nudged the Unicorn gently.

“Y-yes?” she replied to the floorboards.

“Nothing much…just admiring your mane,” he said teasingly to break the tension, causing Twilight to realize that her mane was still tangled up in bedcurls.

“Haha, very funny,” she muttered and levitated a towel out of the bathroom, tossing it over his eyes with a wet slap. “Dry yourself off before you slip and fall and then I’m stuck nursing you back to health again."

“Yes ma’am,” Volare gave her a blind salute from under the towel and complied, tossing the towel back to her once he was done and leaning against the bed. “Aahhh...” he sighed.

“Feeling better?”

“Much,” he smiled and nodded, trotting slowly to the window and breathing in the morning air. “So, Twilight. As far as my dream was concerned, what did you think about the part where I burned my…” he trailed off as he looked down towards the ground.

“Where you burned your hands off,” Twilight shuddered at the grim though. “What I thought about it…Volare? Volare?!” She cried as she noticed the blank look on the Pegasus’ face.

“Twilight…I…I…oh god, what…” Volare mumbled as his eyes locked onto the dirt below him. Everything else besides the ground swam in his vision, and it felt like the floor beneath his hooves was tilting forward, trying to dump him over the windowsill…and in truth, it seemed like an inviting prospect; to fall, and fall, and fall…and then-

“Volare!” the Unicorn grabbed him as his front hooves slipped off the windowsill and he began to topple over the edge. She hauled back and tossed him roughly onto the floor where he lay there, breathing quickly with a glassy-eyed stare. “Volare, what’s wrong?” Thinking quickly she grabbed the wet towel and wrung the water off it into his face, causing him to sputter to his senses.

“Huh-wha-what the hell?!” his silver-blue eyes flicked wildly around the room before settling and focusing on the worried purple Unicorn standing over him. “What happened?”

“You…it was like you tried to fall out the window,” Twilight said with moisture clouding her vision. “You scared me half to death! What were you thinking?!”

“I-I dunno,” Volare replied shakily, staggering to his hooves and shaking his mane every few seconds and flicking his ears, as if being bothered by a fly. “It was like the ground was telling me to…to throw myself out the window…jeez, this is really bad, Twilight.”

“You’re telling me,” she sighed and laid her temple on his neck.

“No, I mean, I know what the problem is.”

“What is it,” she looked up.

“What I just felt…I’ve felt it before-all since yesterday,” he pressed a hoof into his eyes. “I felt it going down the stairs and again in the front yard when I was watching some Pegasi flying around town. That sickening feeling of almost wanting to fall so the dizziness will stop. It’s vertigo.”

“Oh great,” Twilight groaned, having heard the term from Pegasi before. And it was absolutely not what a creature with wings would ever want to feel. This was actually starting to sound suspiciously familiar. “This doesn’t help matters with your wing, huh?”

“That’s a negative, ghost-rider,” Volare muttered and opened his eyes. He carefully leaned over the edge of the window and looked down again, only to be struck with that same sensation. He quickly pulled himself back in, breathing hard and wiping off the sweat that beaded on his brow. Gimme a frickin’ break, man…

“What do we do, Volare?” Twilight asked with concern. “I’ve gotta head out of town in a few hours and I don’t want to leave thinking you’ll be falling out of windows or something,” she fussed as she wrapped his limp wing back up against his body with a clean sling.

“Ouch, oh please gimme a little credit, Twilight,” he chuckled grimly. “I’m not that clumsy!” He was interrupted by a loud knock on the front door of the Library. He looked to Twilight questioningly. “Who’d be up this early?”

“Got me,” Twilight shrugged as she opened the door and began to head downstairs before Volare cleared his throat loudly.

“Ahem, Twilight,” he gave her a small smile. “Might wanna do something with your mane before you greet company at the door.”

“Oh, you,” she tossed a ball of paper from her desk at him as she grabbed a mane brush from the bathroom. “I swear you spent one morning with Rarity and you’re already a fashion critic.”

“Nah, just gotta uphold my title of weirdest hairdo in front of company, that’s all,” Volare laughed and headed for the front door, stepping over a groaning Spike on the way down the stairs. “You ok, dude?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve had worse,” Spike murmured into the floor and gave him a thumbs up.

“Well, stop kissing the floorboards, we have company,” Volare replied and pulled open the door. “Well, good mor-agh,” he jumped back a bit in surprise as he had to look up into the face of the huge red pony at the door. He was carrying a straw basket in his mouth that looked ridiculously tiny in comparison to the rest of him. Thrown around his neck was a heavy-looking plow-yoke that he seemed to carry without any problem at all. Volare wisely took a few steps backwards as the large stallion stepped inside, the floorboards creaking under his huge hooves as he did so. It wasn’t until Volare spotted the large green apple slice on his flank that he recognized the pony as Big Macintosh, the (much) bigger brother of Applejack.

With a movement belying a creature of his size, he gingerly sat the basket on the end table by the front door, being careful to set it level before turning to Volare and giving him a friendly nod and smile. “Howdy,” he said in a deep but laidback tone.

“H-howdy,” Volare returned the greeting as the huge pony stepped forward. As tall as the blue Pegasus was, this guy had him by a whole extra foot of height, and looked to weigh nearly twice as much! He knew Big Mac was large from the show, but to see the big guy in person…well that was just another experience entirely!

“Is Twilight in,” Big Mac regarded him curiously as he looked past him into the Library to see Spike sprawled out by the stairs. “Ya’ll party a little too hard last night or somethin’?”

“Wha-oh,” Volare chuckled at the baby dragon. “Nah, Twilight kinda shut the door on him and knocked him down the stairs. He’ll be ok.”

“Yeah, so says you, loverboy,” Spike groaned as he sat up. “Up there putting the moves on my surrogate mom…jeez.”

Volare looked back at Big Mac as the large pony snorted and narrowed his green eyes. Uh-oh…

“Ah’ve never seen ya’ll round here before; who’re ya’ll ta go a courtin’ Ms. Sparkle, huh?” the large pony took a step towards Volare, who gave him the friendliest smile he could muster. “Hey, Ah asked ya’ll a question!”

“Hey Spike, buddy,” the Pegasus called over his shoulder. “How’s about you help out your old pal here, eh?”

“Nope,” Spike grinned toothily and sat on the stairs, enjoying the little show by the front door.

Volare turned back to Big Macintosh and gulped. “Um, I swear this isn’t what it looks like and what Spike said was”-

“A lot more’n Ah’d trust from some spike-headed Pegasus botherin’ Ms. Twilight at the crack of dawn,” Big Mac pawed the floor with a massive hoof. “Now ya’ll had best explain yourself afore Ah buck ya halfway ta town in one go!”

“Well, I-you see,” Volare stuttered as the red pony loomed over him. Some first impression this was turning out to be!

“Big Macintosh!” Twilight called cheerfully from the stairs, her mane back to its usual shape. But her cheerfulness disappeared once she realized what the stallion was about to do to Volare. “Hey, what’s going on; knock it off!”

“This here fella is tryin’ ta court ya against yer will,” Big Macintosh growled. “Ah’m just takin’ out tha trash so ya’ll don’t have ta dirty yer purdy little hooves, Ms. Twilight!”

“No, this is my friend!” the Unicorn cried, causing the red pony to look up in confusion. “And who said he was…courting me?” She followed Big Mac and Volare’s gazes to the purple and green baby dragon sitting on the stairs, whose toothy grin faded in an instant as Twilight advanced on him.
“What did you say to Big Mac, huh?”

“O-oh, nothing much, Twilight,” Spike tried to laugh it off, but the Unicorn was having none of it. She magically grabbed him by the tail and held him upside down. “Ok, ok, I said he was putting some moves on you! That’s all, sheesh!”

“He was not putting the moves on me, Spike,” Twilight growled in such a tone as to make even Big Mac and Volare back up a step or two. They both glanced at each other, and as fellow stallions instinctively knew that they were better to stay out of this one.

“B-but I saw you making eyes at him after he got out of the shower!” Spike cried in protest as Twilight shook him back and forth.

“What?! I was not making eyes at him,” Twilight shouted, red creeping across her cheeks. “A-and even if I did, that’s no reason for you to tell that to Big Mac just so he’ll take it out on him for you!” She plunked the dragon back down on the stairs and sighed. “Spike, I’m disappointed in you.”

“But Twilight, I”-

“Give him a break, Twilight,” Volare interrupted, surprising everypony in the room. “Although the way he went about it was kinda underhanded, he still had your best interests in mind,” the Pegasus gave the baby dragon a hard stare followed by a small wink that told him he had his back; that he saw it was a misunderstanding.

“But Big Mac could have really hurt you,” Twilight tried to argue, but Volare held up a hoof.

“But he didn’t, so there’s no reason to get on Spike’s case too badly. I’m just fine, if a bit freaked out,” he then turned to the red pony and held out his hoof. “So I take it you’re Big Macintosh, eh?”

“Eeeyup,” the stallion smiled and shook his hoof heartily. “And you are…?”

“Ah sorry, Volare.” At the mention of his name, Big Mac’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“Ya’ll ain’t jokin’, right?”

“Um, nope, that’s my name.”

“Ah, consarnit,” Big Mac threw a hoof over his eyes and groaned. “Applejacks’s gonna kill me if’n she finds out Ah threatened ta buck ya halfway ta town!” He caught Volare’s curious look and sighed. “AJ is my sis. She sent me here with some eggs she said she owed to Twilight and her new friend Volare, who just went through a pretty rough surgery. Horsefeathers, Ah shoulda put two an’ two together when Ah saw your wing all bundled up! Can ya please not tell AJ Ah said them things?”

“Heh, of course, Big Mac,” Volare thumped the stallion’s plow yoke. “So you say Applejack mentioned me?”

“Mhm, she mentioned ya, and by tha looks of it, Ah’d say your surgery involved your wing,” he spoke somewhat slowly, but far from dumbly as he gave the bandaged wing in question a gentle poke with his nose. “What exactly happened, might Ah ask?”

“Well, it’s not the shortest story in the world, but I’m pretty sure we can discuss it over breakfast,” Volare replied. “Twilight, you any good at cooking eggs?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure I won’t burn the kitchen down, but I’ll try my hoof at it,” the Unicorn half-squinted at Spike. “Unless a certain baby dragon wants to get back on my good side by helping me with breakfast.” Spike took the hint and hurriedly threw on an apron before grabbing the basket of eggs and following Twilight into the kitchen as Big Mac and Volare seated themselves at the breakfast table benches.

“Heh, sorry Ah kinda jumped ta conclusions like that on ya, Volare,” Big Mac scratched his mane a bit as he spoke. “Ah’m just a little over-protective of AJ’s friends sometimes.”

“Heheh, I know the feeling,” the Pegasus responded with a tap on the table, remembering the times he’d pulled his own little sister out of a jam or two. “It’s tough being a big brother sometimes.”

“Amen ta that,” the red pony nodded in agreement.

“Well, those turned out pretty good, Twilight,” Volare patted his stomach contentedly. He was actually a little surprised that the ponies around her partook of protein like eggs, but it was all good to him. Over the meal, they’d explained the entire situation to Big Macintosh, who’d listened intently; the red pony only interrupting two or three times to clarify a detail or two, including the parts about why Volare was going to need a place to stay soon when Twilight left town later that day.
As they concluded the tale with Volare’s strange dream and behavior upstairs, Big Mac had leaned back on the breakfast table bench, idly chewing a stalk of hay in the corner of his mouth as he ruminated on this new development while Volare complimented Twilight on her cooking…for the most part.
“And you even managed to keep the kitchen in one piece too-ow,” the Pegasus shook his hoof as Twilight swatted it with a floating wooden spoon.

“You were saying,” the Unicorn grinned a bit daringly.

“Ah believe Ah may speak for this feller in sayin’ ya’ll did a might fine job o’ cookin’ them eggs, Ms. Sparkle,” Big Mac grinned.

“Well, aren’t you the country gentleman, Big Macintosh,” Twilight smiled.

“Eeeyup.”

“Hey, I helped too,” Spike drummed his claws on the table.

“Of course you did, Spike,” the Unicorn patted his head spines. In truth if it weren’t for him, she truly might have scorched the eggs or the walls, so she truly was thankful, though still a bit too irritated with him to show it outright.

“Either way, those were good,” Volare declared. “So, do you have any further questions about the situation regarding…well, regarding me, Big Mac?”

“Hrm, Ah’m just thinking…so ya’ll were tha one Ah saw doin’ stunts over tha orchard with Rainbow Dash tha night AJ said ya’ll got hurt, right?”

“Ixnay on the untstay,” Volare hissed out of the corner of his mouth, but it was too late.

“Stunts?” Twilight inquired with a frown. “Is that how you got hurt, Volare?”

“Well, it was nothing really,” he tried to dismiss it with a wave of a hoof. “Just a little friendly competition with Dashie, and…what?”

“…that’s it, I’m killing Rainbow the next time I see her,” the Unicorn deadpanned, making Big Mac guffaw for a moment before he realized how serious she appeared to be.

“Come on Twilight, just cuz we were doing stunts doesn’t make it that big a deal,” Volare protested, not taking any chances with the volatile Unicorn.

“Tell that to mah cows,” Big Mac spoke up. “When ya’ll were tearin’ tha sky up over their barn, one of ya’ll nearly took the weathervane off tha roof; really shook’em up somethin’ fierce,” the red pony frowned for a minute before his face softened. “Then again, it has been some time since we had sour cream, so Ah guess Ah should thank ya.”

“Heh, you’re welcome?”

“Eeyup. So, even after all them stunts, ya’ll are sayin’ ya can’t fly after tha surgery?”

“Well, it’s only been two days, Big Mac,” Volare said a bit defensively.

“But even so, ya’ll should be able ta at least lift your wing by now.”

“If things went as planned,” the Pegasus argued back.

“Ya’ll sayin’ ya doubt Twilight’s magic in this,” Big Mac cocked an eyebrow.

“Well, no…I mean, maybe a little,” Volare sighed before Twilight patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s ok, Volare. Big Mac, it’s true; even I’m not sure of exactly what spell I used on him, or more correctly, the specifics of said spell. In all honesty, I’m not even sure how he’s still sitting here breathing, considering all the ways I could have blown him up, or set him on fire, or turned his bones to jelly...” she mused.

“Gee, that’s comforting,” Volare muttered.

“Hrm,” Big Mac hummed thoughtfully for a moment. “So lemme ask ya this: even if tha spell did work as planned, would ya be able ta fly?”

“Huh, what kind of a question is that,” Volare asked a bit too snippily.

“It’s exactly what Ah mean; from what ya’ll told me of your dream and how ya feel, Ah got a strong feelin’ it’s not just a physical problem ya’ll are facin’,” the farm pony explained. “What Ah’m getting at is: if your wing worked just fine right now, would ya’ll be able ta show me some o’ them stunts ya’ll pulled tha other night?”

“I...” Volare trailed off, looking down at the table top. His mind swam as he thought over the crashes, the dreams, the feelings of wanting to literally leap from the bedroom window…
You’re not bulletproof, son!
Yeah…no kidding…
“Urgh, sorry…just thinking about what’s happened made me revisit those eggs a bit,” he wiped his mouth with the back of his hoof. “And not in a good way, heheh.”

“Ah see,” Big Mac nodded, his suspicions somewhat confirmed. “Got your confidence shaken pretty bad, I reckon.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement, and try as he might, Volare couldn’t argue against it. It was true…maybe it had been the fool-hardy behavior of one who liked to dance close to the flames but only because he’d never been burned before…but ever since he’d had his wing torn off, he’d felt his confidence eroding. And nearly leaping out the bedroom window in a fit of vertigo-induced madness was the final straw. He rubbed his eyes with his hooves and hung his head in acceptance that his confidence in himself was ebbing away.

“Wounds’ll heal up in time,” the red Earth Pony stated with a philosophical tone that belied his country-bred appearance, causing the blue Pegasus to look up curiously. “But it’s always the emotional ones that are tha hardest to fix.”

“Yeah, well I’m starting to think it’s more than that,” Volare’s brow furrowed in worry.

“Even so, tha mind and tha body have gotta be workin’ together for things ta get done.” He then told him a short story about how he’d been out bucking an apple harvest. He’d fallen behind in his work and was hurrying to catch up when he bucked an apple tree so hard that it fell on him, hurting him fairly badly.

“You sure you didn’t get hurt cuz you lost that bet to AJ and she made you wear one of Grannysmith’s girdles down Stirrup Street,” Spike asked with a cheeky grin, causing the stallion to pause in chewing his hay stalk for a moment.

“…that was a different time.”

“Heh, whatever you say” Spike rolled his eyes and chuckled quietly at the image of the massive red pony stumbling down the road, squeezed into the old girdle and AJ following right behind him, laughing her orange flank off.

“Ah needed particular care in both the physical and the mental department, cuz applebucking’s part of mah job description and what good would Ah be if Ah was fearful of another tree fallin’ on me if Ah bucked it,” Big Mac nodded after a moment’s consideration. “Cuz that’s what Ah was; scared of mah own talent. It’s a pretty strange feelin, that…being afraid of yourself.”

“What’s your point, Big Mac,” Volare interrupted, getting a bit impatient at how long the farm pony took to calmly get to the point.

“Mah point is ya’ll are gonna need some serious help,” Big Mac replied. “Not only will the pony Ah have in mind help ya’ll recover like they helped me, but they’ll give ya a place ta stay, seein’ as how ya’ll have kinda exhausted all your options.”

“Which pony is that,” Twilight asked, breaking her own small silence.

“Oh, ya’ll know’em,” the stallion replied with a quick wink. “They’re kinda professional at this sorta thing…Volare, ya’ll need ta go see The Hurricane.”

“Did you see what that crazy Pegasus nearly did to himself, Jill,” Ray asked his sister as the trotted through the early morning sunlight that filtered down through the edges of the Everfree.

“Yeah, just about tossed himself out the window,” the mare Unicorn replied with a small chuckle. “He’d have made an interesting splatter on the ground if he did.”

“You scare me sometimes, sis,” Ray shook his head slightly. “Besides, that wouldn’t exactly do less than piss the boss off…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Jill waved a hoof. “Not like we could have done much if he did jump, though.”

“Meh, let’s just say it was lucky both ways and call it a day.”

“Sounds good to me,” the mare kicked a pine cone into the bushes as the trotted along. “So, why’re we headed into the forest at just past the crack of dawn again,” she yawned dramatically.

“To report Volare’s movements to the “Great and Powerful Dunderhead”,” Ray chortled.

“Oh…joy,” Jill rolled her eyes. “I swear, if it weren’t for the extra pay we’re swindling from her, I’d have shown her some real magic a long time ago,” she shot a green beam from her horn and burned a butterfly flitting across the path to cinders.

“I know, I know,” Ray patted his moody sister’s back as they approached Trixie’s wagon. “But until that time comes, we stick to the plan, got it?”

“Bleh,” Jill stuck out her tongue for a moment before knocking on the door. When nopony inside answered, she levitated a rock up the door and pounded on it so hard it chipped the door’s red paint.

“Who in Equestria has the nerve to awaken the Great and Powerful Trixie from her beauty sleep?!” a voice from inside squawked.

“It’s us, Ray and Jill, come to report to you, Mistress,” Ray announced.

“Just what is so important that you couldn’t wait until morning to disturb Trixie,” the voice called back hoarsely.

“Um, it is morning,” Jill replied, doing her best to hide a laugh.

“Wha, argh!” the blue magician pony stuck her head out the window only to be struck in the eyes by the light of the rising sun. “Oooh, fine…make it quick; the Great and Powerful Trixie was up late because some pony out there in Ponyville kept blasting some sort of crazy music over the field all damn night,” she groaned. The two unicorn siblings quickly explained the situation with Volare, how they thought he actually was from Earth by his public statements and music, and about how he’d nearly hurled himself from the window earlier in the morning.

“So what are you saying,” Trixie yawned. “That’s he’s losing his mind or something?”

“Eh, more or less,” Ray nodded. “We think we shouldn’t hesitate for too terribly long before we talk to him personally.”

“And you may also be interested to know that Twilight Sparkle is leaving town for a few weeks, and Volare is currently en-route to his temporary abode while she’s gone,” Jill added.

“Ah, this truly does give us the perfect chance to…persuade this Volare to see things my way,” Trixie grinned in a less-than-wholesome fashion. “Where did they say they were headed again?”

“Well, we didn’t really stick around long enough to hear for certain,” Ray explained as he studied the pine needles littering the ground, pretending to respectfully avoid her gaze but laughing his flank off on the inside. “But they did seem to be headed this way.”

“Yep,” Jill added with a slight snicker at the shocked look spreading across Trixie’s sleep-deprived face.

“…HIDE THE WAGON, YOU FOALS!!!”

Author's Note

Notes: Heh, I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter alot more than the previous one...I know I did ^^;
And Volare is FINALLY leaving The Library!
What sort of plans do Ray and Jill have?
Just who is this mysterious Hurricane?
And will Volare's sanity crumble or triumph?
Find out next time, on Blue- *THUNK* Urgh...
Volare: Jeez, the way this guy drags out stories can get irritating! I mean, jeez, I know it's also a Slice of Life story, but talking about the details of frickin breakfast?! When are we gonna see some action again, man?!
Patience, Grasshoppah...*passes out*

Also, readers of this story please check out this special blog dedicated to you guys!
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/28254

The Hurricane-Pt 8: Not At All What I Expected

Notes: I am SO sorry for taking this long to get this chapter out! I’ve been out of town and getting my fall college classes situated and it’s been eating my time this week (plus this is my first official week of summer vacation, so I’m taking it a little easier than usual). ^^
'nother note: Volare crashed his jet the day after the episode that aired on the 24th of March...he never got a chance to see it...
So without further ado, I give you possibly the weirdest chapter in the story up to this point!

August 28th, Noon

Twilight had her belongings for her trip packed away in her saddlebags and had given the keys to the Library to Spike, trusting him to watch the place for the next two weeks.
“Please don’t burn the place down while I’m gone, Spike,” she’d requested as sincerely as possible.

“No worries there, Twilight. I’m a dragon; I know all about fire,” the dragon replied with a proud grin.

That’s what I’m afraid of…
Even so, the train to Canterlot wouldn’t wait, and as this trip had been planned months in advance, it would be awfully rude to be late. Twilight said a little prayer to Celestia and then she, Big Macintosh, and Volare headed for the train station in town.

“Seriously, who’s The Hurricane?” Volare asked for the third time as he followed Big Macintosh and Twilight along the road between the Library and Ponyville.

Twilight sighed at Volare’s constant questions. The guy just didn’t like surprises, apparently…but she had a feeling that if they told the him outright, the skeptical nature of his species might make him think it was all a big joke. She was out of time and places to put him though, so there wasn’t any other real alternative. She looked his way as they entered Ponyville and headed east towards the station.
“The Hurricane is just as Big Macintosh said: a physical therapist of sorts…not to mention the things she accomplished in regards to the Water Tornado this past spring.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up,” Volare interrupted. “Water tornado? What’s that?” He wasn’t just playing dumb to avoid suspicion here; he really had no idea what she was talking about this time!

“Well, like we talked about, weather here in Equestria is usually created by the pegasi. And every year, the water reservoirs up in Cloudsdale need to be replenished so clouds and therefore weather can be created there,” Twilight nodded towards the clustered puffs of clouds far in the distance north of Ponyville. “Each year, one town in Equestria is picked on a rotation basis to be the town to contribute the water to Cloudsdale. And the way it’s pulled up to the city is via Water Tornado.”

“And I take it the weather ponies in each town have something to do with that,” Volare mused as they crossed the market square already filling with meandering and chattering ponies.

“They have everything to do with it,” Twilight corrected him. “It’s a very specific process because they have to lift a certain amount of water up to Cloudsdale at just the right time of the season because if they don’t get enough up there, there’s bound to be a drought.”

“Good news is it’s near-impossible ta have too much water up there cuz tha extra’ll keep till next season,” Big Mac nodded softly as he spoke, thankful he’d never have to worry about fording excess rainwater while Applebucking; not an inviting prospect to be sure!

“Very perceptive, Big Mac,” Twilight smiled.

“Ah have mah moments,” the stallion smirked modestly, drawing a chuckle from his smaller friends.

“Anyways,” Twilight composed herself. “Water use here remains mostly the same from year to year, so the amount needed to be pulled up there varies little. Thus the only real variable in all this is the amount of power needed to be generated in order to create a large enough Water Tornado. The standard of power measurement is called Wing Power, because the weather ponies create the vortex by flying in a circle around the town’s excess water reservoir. Their circular motion creates a negative pressure, which pulls the water up through the vortex and out, sending it to Cloudsdale,” the Unicorn explained, though Big Macintosh had somewhat tuned her out by this time, not wanting to scramble his brains trying to sort through all her fancy science talk. He understood the process well enough to not require definitions for everything. Instead, he focused on trotting ahead of the two ponies engaged in their conversation, making sure they didn’t bump into anypony as they neared the increasingly crowded area around the train station.

“So how much power is needed to do something like that, Twilight,” Volare inquired, his mind buzzing as he tried to calculate how strong pegasi must truly be to be able to do such a thing…and if he’d one day be able to do something similar.

“800 combined Wing Power has become the standard over the years,” Twilight replied. “Though the record is 910 set by Fillydelphia last year. Ponyville had the task of creating the Tornado this past spring, and Rainbow Dash headed the team, intent on breaking 1000 Wing Power, especially since Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts herself was to attend. Dash pushed everypony hard…but…”

“But I take it they couldn’t do it,” Volare asked, noting the slight frown on Twilight’s face as she spoke.

“Well, we were more than prepared to, but The Feather Flu hit a lot of the team, and actually knocked out so many of the pegasi that we were in serious danger of not being able to even reach 800 Wing Power, let alone break the record,” the Unicorn continued.

“What happened,” Volare asked, eyes wide, thoroughly engrossed in Twilight’s recounting. He was mildly surprised when the frown faded from the Unicorn’s face, replaced by a grin.

“The Hurricane happened.”

Up…

“Heh, gotta hoof it to her, Twilight can tell a cool story every now and then,” Rainbow Dash smiled down from the puffy little cloud she was situated on just over Ponyville proper. She’d finished her weather duties early that morning and had spotted Twilight, Big Macintosh, and Volare leaving The Library's keys with Spike before heading into town; Twilight carrying two heavily-laden saddlebags.
“Oh my gosh, I totally forgot; today’s the day Twilight leaves for Canterlot,” Dash had berated herself for a bit before she saw the fresh sling Volare’s right wing was held up in.
“Whoa…his wing’s still not any better…” she muttered with more than a small pang of guilt. Propelling herself with the lightest wing flaps she could muster, she’d followed the trio to the train station. But as she’d listened to Twilight’s distinctive voice above the crowd, she began to take notice of a pattern of movement at the edges of the throng of ponies at the station.

Skulking about between the buildings and alley-ways were two green-maned ponies wearing dull brown cloaks that obscured their facial features. They moved in what seemed to be a choreographed pattern, criss-crossing their routes ever so often to pass information along to each other. The cyan Pegasus above caught onto their behavior fairly quickly, taking note of the fact that they were constantly within earshot of Twilight, Volare, and Big Mac, having in fact been doing so since they’d left the Library and entered town.

“What in the hay are those two doing…” Dash’s brow furrowed as she squinted down, keeping track of them but having to lessen her attention on her friends at the train station to do so. She pressed the underside of her muzzle flat against the fluff of the cloud and flattened her ears to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Why did they seem so familiar…?

Down…

“And that’s the story of The Hurricane,” Twilight finished with a grin. True, she’d stretched the truth just a little bit in a few places, but on nothing more than technicalities that shouldn’t affect Volare’s opinion of her too much…at least, before formally meeting her…plus the math she'd used was technically correct...if all else failed, he'd just have to give her a chance...

“Wow,” the Pegasus shook his head in amazement. “That’s pretty wild, Twilight. So The Hurricane gained back her confidence and physically improved herself that much in such a short amount of time?” According to Twilight's account, The Hurricane had increased her Wing Power over 1200% in just under 3 days!

“That’s correct,” the Unicorn replied.

“And now she’s going to basically be my personal trainer,” Volare grinned.

“You got it! If anypony can get your confidence back up to where it needs to be, it’s her,” Twilight smiled. “And because she works at a much more reasonable pace than Rainbow Dash, there shouldn’t be too much danger of you crashing through windows anytime soon.”

“Haha, very funny. At least until you figure out how to fix my wing. Then watch out, breakable objects!” Volare rolled his eyes and laughed as Twilight mussed his mane with a hoof. But then his face softened a bit. “Hey Twilight?”

“Mhm?”

“Thanks for helping me with this…thanks for everything, really,” his vision slid to the ground in respect and more than a slight amount of shame. “I mean, you’ve been so patient when you could have just said ‘to hell with it’ and tossed me out on my”-
But Twilight clamped his lips shut for a moment with a zap of her horn.

“I don’t wanna hear another word of self-loathing come out of your mouth, ok?” the Unicorn gave him a serious look. He nodded in reply. “Good. Besides, it’s not really me you should be thanking for this; it’s Big Macintosh,” she gestured to the red stallion who gave a modest nod.
“In all honesty, if he hadn’t come up with this idea, I’m not really sure what I would have done,” she admitted.

“Yeah, we kinda already went over that,” Volare said. “Can’t stay at Rarity’s cuz I’ll likely get in the way; Pinkie’s about as manic as you can get which isn’t exactly what I need to recover; and AJ’s granny’ll work me to pieces on the farm. And I think you said that even if Rainbow Dash hadn’t promised to lay off of me for a few weeks”-

“Don’t even think about it, Volare,” Twilight cut him off with another stern look that brooked no argument this time. “You know full well you’d have to fly to get up there-which you can’t-and even if you could, the whole place is made of clouds and since you don’t know how to walk on clouds yet…”

“Heh, I’d fall through the floor anyway,” Volare chuckled as Big Mac shook his head slowly. “So I guess that really does only leave The Hurrricane as an option, huh?”-

Up…

“All aboard!” the train conductor pony called out, pulling Dash’s attention back to the train platform. The sudden announcement forced Twilight to give her two friends a brief hug before jumping onto the train. She waved a hoof from the windows and said that she’d be back in time for the Running of the Leaves and that she might even be able to convince her brother Shining Armor to come down and watch his little sister compete. Volare called back that he’d do his best to get into shape before then so he could possibly compete as well, since he owed Twilight back for their little race in The Library a few days earlier.

Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself as the train pulled away in a puff of smoke and steam.
“Flyboy competing in The Running? Heh, I’ll believe it when I see it,” the Pegasus tossed her mane with a smile though, inwardly hoping he did get well enough to at least watch herself compete before resuming her little spy mission. “Now where did you two-aha, there!”

She hovered the cloud a little lower, keeping a close eye on the two ponies as they regrouped at the edge of the buildings by the station, without a doubt watching Big Mac and Volare now as the two stallions trotted away from the train station and headed back west across town. The cloaked ponies flitted between the buildings, keeping to the shadows and staying hidden from Big Mac and Volare and not allowing Dash to get a good look at them herself, despite her advantageous position.

“These guys are good,” she muttered as she followed them. At the very least, since these two were following her friends, she wouldn’t have to keep track of two separately-moving pairs of ponies.

Down…

“Oh heya, Volare!” Lyra waved her hoof from the covered porch of the Gilded Griffon. “Long time no see!”

“No kidding,” Volare trotted over and she embraced him with a smile. He grunted in discomfort as her hoof brushed his wing and she gasped in surprise.

“Ah! I’m sorry,” she apologized quickly, but the Pegasus shook his head dismissively.

“It’s ok,” he forced a small smile and tried to shrug his wing, but to no avail. “I’ll live.”

“Jeez, is this why you’ve been gone for a while,” the mint-green Unicorn inquired. “What happened to your wing?”

“Well, let’s just say I had a little flight accident and leave it at that,” Volare said with a sheepish grin. “Big Mac here is taking me to get some treatment from The Hurricane, and”-

“OH, I know her!” Lyra grinned. “She's really good at what she does! She’ll get you fixed up in no time!”

“Heh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Lyra,” Volare replied before Big Mac snorted softly.

“Hey, not ta rush ya er nothin’, but Ah do need ta get back to tha farm,” the red stallion said as politely as possible. “Ah left Applebloom there alone and…well…she may not be as bad as Spike in the ‘burning things to tha ground department’, but…”

“Oh crap, I didn’t know!” Volare said quickly. “Sorry we didn’t get much time to catch up, Lyra, but we’ll get togther real soon again-promise!”

“It’s no problem,” Lyra smiled. “But when we do…you think you could bring some of that music you played yesterday?”

“You heard it?”

“Nah, but the whole town is talking about it,” Lyra explained. “And Vinyl Scratch blasted a lot of it last night, saying she was gonna remix it all in one of her shows and I was just wondering”-

“Ahem,” Big Mac cleared his throat.

“Ah, sorry!” Lyra gave Volare another hug, more carefully this time. “Get going and we’ll see ya when we see ya!”

“Will do! Bye Lyra!” And with that, Big Mac and Volare trotted out past the edge of town and headed for the bridge that spanned the small streamed that bordered Ponyville’s western side. Unbeknownst to them, two cloaked shapes quietly forded the stream to their south before hurrying through the tall grass of the field that stood as a buffer of sorts between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres. Just as unknown to all of them was the small puffy cloud that seemed to have a mind of its own, following them all as they left the town.

Up…

As the cloaked ponies hurried through the tall grass, Rainbow Dash finally decided on where she’d recognized them from: they were in that random crowd at The Library yesterday. In fact, one of them had been the one that had called out the time and asked for Volare’s name. The fact that they were now seemingly following Volare’s every move unsettled Dash, and although she’d promised not to have any contact with him for his own sake, she wasn’t about to let somepony get the drop on him either!

“But just what are you two doing…” the Pegasus wondered out loud as the cloaked duo jumped the fence and snuck through the northern section of Sweet Apple Acres, always sticking to the shadows of the thickly-clustered apple trees. Despite their calculated sneaking, they were obviously in a hurry, as their pace only increased once they hit the narrow strip of land between the orchard and the forest. Dash hurried after them as quickly as she could without giving herself away, but they were like ponies possessed! They quickly disappeared under the edge of the woods, leaving the Pegasus sorely vexed.

“Well, horse-apples!” she slammed her hoof into the cloud before calming down. She’d have to inform Big Mac there were intruders on his farm as well as let Volare know he was being followed…that is if the others would allow her to break her promise, if only for a moment. Surely they would…maybe she’d even give the guy a hoof-noogie or two…
…you know that’s wishful thinking, Dashie.
Agh, you again?!
…yep, me again.
Now what?!
…just reminding you of your promise, that’s all.
Grr, fine…but what do I do?
…keep an eye out for him if you wish, but don’t interact with him; not only would you be breaking Twilight’s trust in you, but you’d potentially be putting Volare in danger again.
Yeah, well I can control myself just fine this time. Promise!
…don’t promise me, Dashie. I’m merely your conscience and if you lie to me…you’re only lying to yourself…which I think you are.
Bleh!
…either way, this may only be a false alarm. Who knows-it seems Volare gained more than a few fan-ponies after his little musical interlude. Those two might have just been admirers.
I dunno…
…jealous?
What?! Heck no!
…just checking.
I thought you knew what I was thinking.
…not all the time.
Urgh, this is making my head hurt.
…well, arguing with yourself isn’t usually thought of as healthy behavior.
Shut up.
…will do. And just for the record, I’m not entirely worried about you not being able to control your behavior, Dashie.
Then what’re you worried about?
…more worried about how Volare will react to your giving him hoof-noogies, that’s all.
Well, maybe that was an exaggeration.
…even so, in case you haven’t noticed, you affect him, Dashie…not entirely sure what it is, but we’ve both noticed a change in his behavior whenever you’re around him.
Yeah…he does tend to take more risks…
…so, in the meantime while he recovers, watch over him when you can, but let him be for now.
Alright, fine.
…oh, speaking of keeping an eye out….may wanna get back to sneaking after him.
Huh? Crap! And I’m not sneaking, I swear!
…uh-huh…
Oh shut up!

She quickly looked around and spotted the red and blue stallions heading along the road that skirted the northern edge of Sweet Apple Acres.
“Doing more than just talking about The Hurricane, eh,” Dash mused as she followed the pair.

Down…

“So, where does this Hurricane live, Big Mac?” Volare asked as they trotted past Sweet Apple Acres. Just off to their left, nestled in a small clearing among the appletrees that had sprung up outside the farm’s fence, was a treehouse that he knew belonged to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, though none of the trio were anywhere to be found at the moment. A breeze out of the orchard to the south wafted over them, bringing with it the delightful aroma of fresh apples, ready to be bucked and busheled. The pilot breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent for a moment before catching up to the red workhorse.

“She lives right around these parts, actually,” the larger pony replied.

“I see,” Volare responded to the stallion’s vague answer. He wanted to know more, but he deemed it wiser to not push the patient country pony. Besides, they’d be there soon if he was being honest. And being Applejack’s brother, Volare assumed honesty ran in the family, so he resigned himself to trotting along beside him. But after a while, he began to flag behind him somewhat.
“Hey Big Macintosh-*huff*- could you slow up a bit,” he requested as he blinked his eyes, fighting off the light-headed feeling that had been creeping up on him since they’d left town. “Not to be a bother, but I’m not exactly in the best shape for power-trotting, heheh.”

“Oh, sorry,” Big Mac shook his head apologetically, and promptly slowed his pace. “Ah just let mah thoughts o’ Applebloom home alone get me carried away and rushin’, that’s all.”

“Say, why’s she home alone anyways,” the Pegasus asked as they trotted up a low rise in the path. “Isn’t AJ at home? What about Grannysmith?”

“Nah, she’s down at tha cow barn bottlin' some sour cream,” he gave Volare a sidelong knowing look and chuckled. “And bless Granysmith’s ol’ heart, but she can’t keep up with mah youngest sister’s antics fer more’n a minute er two afore her hip starts givin’ her problems. In any case, Applebloom says she isn't feeling too well and is supposed to be catching up on her homework in the meantime," he said with more than a tinge of doubt in his voice.

Volare chuckled at the thought, remembering how he'd gotten on his own sister's case whenever she pulled the same stunt.
“Oh, right…well, I’d hate to be the cause of your home being burned down,” Volare perked up a bit, forcing himself to speed up slightly. “So let’s get me dropped off at The Hurricane’s so you can get back to your…home…” Volare nearly stopped as they cleared the rise and he beheld the home of The Hurricane…a home Volare recognized from the show in a heartbeat.
No…you’ve gotta be kidding…

Sitting there across a small bridge spanning an equally small creek was a quaint little cottage, the roof of which seemed to be built from or covered by a living layer of moss and branches, almost as if it were part of the nature around it. Poking from the roof was a chimney that was covered in bird houses. Running along the red fence that lined the path to the cottage were rows of additional birdhouses, both large and small, as well as what looked to be numerous pet houses along the ground. The choruses of chirping birds and clucking chickens reached Volare’s ears as Big Mac continued towards the cottage.

“Wait a sec,” he tried to protest, but the stallion was already halfway across the bridge, either having not heard the Pegasus or ignoring him. “Please let this be a joke…”
He hurried across the bridge, and halted beside Big Mac at the split Dutch-style front door of the residence. He took note of the fact that the majority of the birdsong that filled the air around them had fallen silent, and the owners of said songs were poking their beaks out of their houses and trees surrounding the cottage, wondering who this strange new Pegasus could be.

“…you gonna knock er just stand there?” Big Mac’s words startled Volare out of his thoughts.

“Huh-yeah, yeah, sorry,” he muttered before knocking on the upper portion of the door with his hoof. After a moment, when nopony answered, Big Mac knocked on the door himself this time, forcefully enough that it echoed across the creek. Within seconds, the upper half of the door swung open, and Volare nearly fell on his flank in shock at who it was that opened the door. You’ve gotta be frickin kidding me!!!

“What’s all the racket out here?!” the huge blue creature on the other side of the door asked gruffly, the smallish yellow eyes beneath his great horns tracking along the path and bridge before looking down and noticing Big Macintosh and a rather shaken-up looking blue Pegasus with a spikey yellow mane. Immediately, his face softened and his scowl was replaced by a friendly grin.
“Well, good morning there, Big Macintosh! What brings you and your friend all the way out here, huh?” He looked down at the Pegasus, who besides visibly shaking hadn’t moved an inch.
“What’s up with you, spike-head?”

“Y-you’re a m-mino”-

“Yeah, I’m a minotaur,” the blue beast finished his sentence for him, straightening the almost obscenely small black business tie that hung from his massive neck with a well-practiced movement. “Never seen one before, eh?” He suddenly flexed both his arms, the muscles bulging along their lengths as he struck a dramatic pose in the doorway and grinned before running a hand through his dark mowhawk.
“Impressed, I take it?”

“Uh…yes, mhm, I am,” Volare found his voice after Big Mac nudged him roughly. But what the hell was HE doing here?!

“Name’s Iron Will,” the minotaur stuck a huge hand down over the door in greeting, nearly enveloping Volare’s own hoof as he grasped it. “I already know Big Mac, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never met you before. What’s your name, spike-head?”

“I’m Volare,” the pilot replied with a bit more confidence now that he knew who this guy was and that he didn’t seem to want to pull his head off…yet. He recognized him from the show, if vaguely. All he could really remember was this guy being Bugs Bunny’d by Pinkie Pie…
“And yeah, I’m kinda new around here.”

“I see,” Iron Will leaned on the bottom door, the wood creaking dangerously with his weight. “So what brings ya out here?”

“Volare’s got a hurt wing an’ well…his confidence has seen better days cuz o' it,” Big Mac answered when Volare hesitated.

“Poor fella,” the minotaur frowned slightly as he eyed the sling Volare’s wing was held up in. “Ya know I’m not really in that sorta business anymore…”

“Oh, Ah know all about that,” Big Mac gave the minotaur a sympathetic smile.

“So I take it you’re not The Hurricane we came out here to ask for help,” Volare couldn’t stop his mouth from venturing his last remaining thought that was keeping him from his growing despair. The minotaur’s reaction surprised him, however.

“Ha…hahahaha-AHAHAHA,” Iron Will laughed heartily for a bit, causing a few startled birds to go shooting off into the sky. He wiped a tear from his eye and straightened his tie again once he’d calmed down. “I should say not! If you’re looking for The Hurricane, you’ll find her out back feeding the little bunnies.”

“Bunnies,” Volare asked, his mind not quite comprehending what had been said…or rather, how it had been said.

“Yep, bunnies gotta eat! Got a whole posse of ‘em running around the place,” Iron Will replied. “Gotta be careful I don’t step on the cute little guys, ya know? Well, enough about bunnies, if you’re here for The Hurricane’s help, I’ll take ya to her.”
And with that, the massive minotaur unlocked the bottom half of the door. As it swung open, Volare caught a flash of-pink?!-around his waist. It took him a moment to realize it was a cooking apron. In all honesty, it looked like something Pinkie Pie would own...if it weren’t for the fact that it had a reproduction of Iron Will’s grinning mug emblazoned upon it. What in the name of all that’s holy…?!

Fighting the urge to laugh for fear of being eaten for breakfast, Volare followed the blue minotaur through the cottage, his massive horns nearly brushing the ceiling as he crossed the floor. The place was just as quaint on the inside as it was on the outside; the walls were soft earth tones, the hardwood floor was covered in a multitude of colorful rugs, and the evidence of animals living there was everywhere, mainly in the numerous food dishes along the walls and the bird cages and miniature houses lining the shelves and window sills. Even the shaft of the fireplace chimney had bird houses attached to it. A staircase in the corner led upstairs. The minotaur’s eyes constantly swept the floor, probably on the look out for any small creatures his hooves would certainly crush if he wasn’t careful where he stepped.

They quickly reached the backdoor of the cottage and Iron Will opened it with a flourish. “Hrm, where’d she go-ah, there she is,” he pointed out into the yard. Volare followed his gesture out into the yard and groaned, his heart sinking past his stomach as he laid eyes on the pink-maned butter-yellow Pegasus surrounded by a sizable group of bunnies she was feeding. Though he could hear her gentle humming and singing all the way from here, it did nothing to help the somewhat nauseated feeling of disbelief that rose in his chest. He swallowed hard and looked to Big Mac with pleading eyes.

“Please…tell me this is some sort of joke.”

“Nnope,” the farm pony drawled.

“But…what…huh?!”

“She’s the best in the business, believe it or not,” Big Mac replied with a sincere nod.

“But…she’s The Hurricane!?” Volare couldn’t wrap his mind around it…he just couldn’t! Nothing in the show had ever mentioned anything like this about her!

“Mhm, where’d ya think the name Hurricane Fluttershy came from,” Iron Will jerked a thumb towards the small banner hanging in an almost hidden fashion high in a corner inside the cottage, behind some bird nests. The banner itself looked like something a pageant competitor back on Earth would wear. And sure enough, sewn on the banner in large gold lettering were the words HURRICANE FLUTTERSHY.

“Hm, did somepony call me,” a soft voice queried from out in the yard. Volare slowly turned to face the voice’s owner. “Eep, who’s that,” the yellow Pegasus jumped back half a step when she caught sight of the unfamiliar blue pony standing between Big Macintosh and Iron Will.

“He’s a friend, Fluttershy,” Big Mac replied. “And he needs your help somethin’ awful.”

Volare looked up at Big Mac again and nudged him as Fluttershy cautiously approached. “Big Mac,” he whispered.

“Hm?”

“One of the reasons why Twilight said I couldn’t stay with Rainbow Dash was because I haven’t figured out how to walk on clouds yet, and since her house is made of clouds, I’d likely fall right through the floor, right?”

“Eeyup,” the red stallion nodded.

“Why am I suddenly wishing you guys had just saved me the trip and done that instead?” he asked despairingly, his light-headed cranium feeling the growing ache of an approaching migraine. How was Fluttershy, the most timid pony on the show-no, of all time-going to help him gain back his confidence and help him fly again?!

Up…

“Bwahahaha!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help herself as she rolled in laughter high above Fluttershy’s cottage. She buried her face in the cloud to muffle her giggles at Volare’s reaction to all of this. If only he knew what was in store for him…he’d likely be reacting a bit differently.
“Well, heheh,” she laughed out loud, tears squeezing from her eyes and soaking the cloud. “You wanted to learn from The Hurricane, flyboy? You’re in for it now!” Fluttershy was by far her most-improved flight student, and the cyan Pegasus was proud to admit it…in truth, if Dash herself couldn’t get Volare back in the air, then Hurricane Fluttershy was the pony for the job!

Down…sorta…

“Ray, Jill,” Trixie squeaked as the wagon she stood in tilted slightly as the breeze hit it.

“Yes, Mistress Trixie,” Ray asked, though Jill simply sniggered.

The blue magician Unicorn let Ray’s lack of speaking her full title slide this time; there were bigger problems at hoof. “When I said to hide the wagon…I DIDN’T MEAN UP IN A DAMN TREE!!!”

Ray and Jill winced at her shriek of anger and fear, though it barely hid the grins on their faces. “Well, what pony would think to look up there,” Jill called in mock sincerity up to the wagon suspended nearly 60 feet above the forest floor.

“While I admire your ingenuity, it’s outstripped by your lack of common sense!” Trixie cried, scowling down from the wagon window at the two Unicorns whole smiled up at her. “Besides, I can see from here that those two stallions turned off the path and headed northwest away from here, so if you’ll wipe those idiotic grins off your faces and get me down”-

“You wanna get down the slow way,” Ray asked as his horn glowed bright green.

“—or the fast way,” Jill added with a snicker.

“Slow way, slow way!” Trixie shouted, her pale blue mane disheveled and her violet eyes dilated in distress.

“Say please, oh Great and Powerful Trixie,” Jill leered upwards, though Ray shot her a serious look, worried she was taking it a bit too far.

“Grrrr,” the magician growled, finally relenting. “…please.”

“Good call,” Jill replied as she and her brother floated the wagon down to the ground. As soon as the wheels hit the dirt, Trixie jumped out, her face flushed in righteous anger. “Just what in Equestria is the matter with you two?! You’re supposed to be my subordinates! I’m the Great and Powerful Trixie and I won’t be treated like some worthless, low-class foal,” she turned to grab her hat from inside the wagon.

“What’s the difference,” Jill sniggered maliciously out of the corner of her mouth to Ray, who couldn’t help but smile in return, though much less viciously.

“Knock it off sis,” he hissed. “You’re gonna blow our cover!” At that thought, Jill finally relented, her smile fading into an expression of nausea as she imagined what would become of them if they failed their real boss…no amount of cheap tricks pulled on Trixie was worth that sort of hell…

“Now then,” Trixie straightened her mane and jammed her hat on her head before stepping back out of the wagon. “From what I saw, that country buffoon Macintosh and that Pegasus with a bad mane-cut”-

“Volare,” Ray spoke up. “His name’s Volare.”

“Did I ask you,” Trixie snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, his name is Dirt! For now, all I’m interested in is finding out how he’s from Earth, what he’s doing here, why he’s here, and how I can get him to open that room The Green Freak has at that café. For once I learn the secrets of the magicians of Earth, I’ll finally be able to defeat that purple menace”-

“Twilight Sparkle,” Ray interrupted again.

“I KNOW HER NAME!” Trixie stomped her hoof in anger before taking a deep breath to calm down somewhat. “As I was saying, whether this Volare character likes it or not, he’s going to be the catalyst towards my learning a higher form of magic than that purple foal could ever dream of! And once I do…then I shall avenge my honor and take back my place as Equestria’s Greatest Magician!!!”

Author's Note

Notes: Again, I apologize for the lateness of the chapter! Questions will soon be answered in the next chapter, not the least of which is what the buck Iron Will is doing wearing a pink apron!

Volare: Hell, I’m just finally glad to get outta that old Library! Now then…WTF is with you sending me to Fluttershy to get my confidence back and re-learn how to fly, huh?!

Again, patience Grasshoppah.

Volare: I’ll ‘grasshoppah’ you…right in the nose!
ARGH!! *crash*

The Hurricane-Pt 9: Prove Me Wrong

Notes: Grr....something just feels off about this chapter...but it's SO much smoother after this, so please bear with me, folks! Thanks!

August 28th, Afternoon

“H-hello there,” the soft voice momentarily beckoned the pilot out of his despair and drew his gaze to its source that gracefully trotted towards him. The butter-yellow Pegasus’ sea blue eyes peeped out almost timidly from beneath her pink mane as she stopped a few steps away from Volare the way one might approach a wounded animal…which he technically was.
“My name’s Fluttershy. May I ask your name?” she said nearly as gently as she had when she’d first met Twilight on the show, but there was a definitive firmness behind that voice now; a soft strength that Volare didn’t expect, and it took him a moment to find his own voice and respond.

“Oh, um, my name’s Volare,” the pilot replied politely with a slight dip of his head. To his surprise, Fluttershy slowly trotted a small circle around him, looking him up and down with small nods to herself, paying special attention to his right wing hanging in the sling before returning to face him. “Is everything ok,” he asked, again a little surprised by her behavior.

“Oh, well I wish I could say that everything was ok,” she replied with an almost reluctant tone. “But I’m sure you’ve noticed that your wing isn’t in the best shape, right?”

Volare nearly burst into a chuckle but managed to suppress it before it slipped past his lips. “Heh, yeah I’ve kinda noticed. I just…you kinda took me by surprise is all.”

“Oh I did,” she recoiled slightly. “I’m sorry if I worried you,” she apologized, ears drooped and eyes focused on the dirt in front of his hooves.

Nice going, Volare, you bonehead…
“No, no, no, that’s not what I mean at all,” he said insistently. “I just meant…well…I dunno what I meant. I just didn’t know what to expect when I was told to come talk to a pony living around here for help and training and then I find you tending to little animals with a minotaur living in your house. I guess it’s all a little strange to me…”

To his relief, Fluttershy’s head lifted and her face brightened in understanding. “Ah, I see…so I take it you’re here to get your wing fixed? Why not go to Ponyville Medical; they’ve got more resources there than I could ever have…” She backed up a step.

“Maybe she’s right, Big Mac,” Volare suggested, drawing an irksome expression from the red stallion. “I think there’s been a mistake, Fluttershy. You seem like a busy mare with your bunnies out here, and I don’t wanna bother the local animal caretaker with my problems, so-MMPH!!” Big Mac slapped a sizeable hoof over his mouth and gave him a look that warned him that now wasn’t the time to talk. Even Iron Will uttered a soft snort of irritation behind him.

“Please forgive him, Ms. Fluttershy,” Big Macintosh finally spoke. “When he says this is all strange ta him…well…he ain’t lyin’. Mind if Ah explain it to ya...alone? No offense, Will,” he looked back at Volare and the minotaur who nodded his great horns in understandiing.

“I gotcha, Big Mac,” Iron Will laid a massive hand on Volare’s back. “Come on Spike-head; I’ll show ya the grounds while Big Mac and Fluttershy catch up on things.”

“But I”- Volare began to protest being treated like the child that wasn’t allowed to listen to the adults’ conversation, but between the looks of the massive minotaur and farm pony, he quickly decided it was in his best interest to not argue for now. “…ok.”

“That’s the spirit,” Iron Will grinned and led Volare out towards the chicken coop while Big Mac did his best to explain the situation to the rather puzzled Fluttershy. “Ok, in here are Fluttershy’s chickens,” the minotaur gestured towards the henhouse behind the short wire fence. “Watch out for a white one with a red crest though; that one’s Elizabeak and she’s kinda got a knack for escaping her pen. Trust me, I know, and she’s a real pain in the flank to catch sometimes, hahaha!”

“Um, ok…” Volare gave him a strange look as they made the rounds, from the bird houses, to the critter burrows; many of which housed animals recuperating from various injuries. Soon, they returned back to the front of the cottage, the minotaur taking care to avoid the backyard where Big Mac and Fluttershy were conversing. “Hey, Iron Will,” he asked as they re-entered the cottage.

“What’s up, Spike-head,” the minotaur turned and looked down with a smile, lifting a hoof to allow a small mouse to run past.

“I, uh…just have a few questions.”

“Alrighty then,” Iron Will leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, adopting a listening pose. “Whatcha got?”

“Well…don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but…”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve seen how gentle Fluttershy is with her animals out there and…why should I trust you about what you say about her being able to help me? For all I know, that banner hanging on the wall in there could just be a”- But he stopped as Iron Will knelt down and locked eyes with the Pegasus. “Uh-oh…”

“Volare,” the minotaur spoke slowly and clearly, without raising his voice. “I don’t know where ya come from or what ya did while you were there, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned while being around these ponies here, and especially Fluttershy, is to never judge a book by its cover.”

“I-uh,” the pilot leaned away from the towering beast. What was he supposed to say: I've seen her on a show and she's demure and gentle and timid and-oh gawd, help! “Would you care to elaborate…please…don’t eat me!” he practically squeaked as he squeezed his eyes shut. But when he didn’t feel himself being devoured, he cracked an eye open to see Iron Will grinning toothily at him.

“Heh, all ya had to do was ask, Spike-head,” the minotaur sat down on the floor and reclined back against the wall again. “So I take it ya kinda doubt Fluttershy’s ability to help ya rehabilitate your wing and restore your confidence in flying again, hmm?”

“Mhm,” Volare nodded, still surprised at Iron Will’s sudden change in demeanor. Not wanting to invite any more trouble from the minotaur, he quickly sat down next to him. “Yeah, I guess after all the build-up I was given about this mighty Hurricane pony and how they’d improved themselves after such a short time…I just wasn’t expecting it to be somepony like her. Iron Will…I mean, I see how she’s talented in helping animals with their injuries…I just don’t see how such a shy and kind pony like her could ever help me in my particular situation, that’s all.”

“Heh, I once thought the same way as you,” the minotaur’s gaze drifted to the banner hanging in the corner, a soft smile tugging the corner of his mouth as he did so.

“I really doubt it,” Volare mumbled. The minotaur glanced down and caught the look of despair on the Pegasus’ sagging features. For once in his life, he had no idea what to say; no phrase of encouragement to give this guy. No wonder he’d gotten out of the business when he did… He then noticed how the pony kept snatching glimpses at the pink apron he was wearing, doing his best to avoid the minotaur’s eyes every time he did so.

“Heh…you interested in this old thing,” Iron Will chuckled and lifted the edge of the fabric with his thumb and forefinger.

“Sorry…it’s just,” Volare searched for the right words. “Why the apron…and why pink? I mean, you’re a big blue minotaur; what gives?”

“Hahahaha, you’re one of the few creatures I’ve met that’s been brave enough or curious enough…or I guess just plain strange enough to ask me that question,” Iron Will laughed despite the bemused expression on Volare’s face. “Then again, who am I kidding; I’m a minotaur, right? Who’d wanna risk asking such a question of a big scary beast like myself?” He elbowed the Pegasus gently, though that in itself was nearly enough to knock him over.
“Heck, probably think I’d eat’em for breakfast, eh? Hahaha!”

“Ooof, yeah, no kidding,” the pilot rubbed his sore side, sensing that perhaps the big guy had something to get off his chest. If he wasn’t going to eat him for asking…what was the harm in it? “Sooo…what’s the deal with it?”

“Never knew a Pegasus so curious about kitchen apparel,” the minotaur mused before shrugging. “Oh what the hay…you want the long version or the short version? And before ya answer, just know that the long version explains things much better and leaves us both feeling less…well, awkward to say the least.”

“Long version then,” Volare nodded towards the backyard where Big Mac was still talking with Fluttershy. “We’ve got time.”

“Heh, alright then,” Iron Will cracked his knuckles, though Volare wasn’t sure why, and placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes as he began his tale.

………………………..

“Hmm…sounds like the poor dear’s been through a lot in such a short time,” Fluttershy sympathetically surmised, to which Big Macintosh nodded. “To be pulled from one’s world like that, then to be changed into an entirely different species, and then to have…*gulp* that happen to him…no wonder he’s so unsure of everything. He just doesn’t know what to expect anymore,” she trailed off and blinked away the moisture that had crept into the corner of her eye. The red farm pony noticed her distress and placed a gentle hoof on his smaller friend’s shoulder.

“An’ that’s why Ah brought’m to ya, Fluttershy; cuz Ah know ya can do what it takes ta get’m back on ‘is hooves, so ta speak. And at alot more reasonable pace than Rainbow Dash would ever have the patience for,” the stallion gave her a small smile. “Ya helped me tha same way a while back…hay, ya even did tha same for your big blue friend in there,” he nodded towards the cottage.

“I just…I dunno,” the yellow Pegasus hesitated, scuffing the ground lightly with her hoof. Though she’d grown more confident over time since the Water Tornado, old habits died hard. “I mean, yes, I’ve helped birds with broken wings before, but from what you’ve told me, this problem with his wing seems to be magic-based, and I don’t know how much help I’d be there.”

“Fixin’ ‘is wing ain’t the big problem right now,” Big Mac insisted. “It’s them dreams he’s been ‘avin…what do ya make of’em,” he inquired, knowing that of all ponies, Fluttershy must have had some experience with dreams that involved things that scared her, and perhaps she’d be able to make sense of them.

“Well, from what you’ve said, not only can he not physically fly, but that crash coupled with other evidence has”- she gasped and paused as it hit her. She looked up at Big Mac with wide, understanding eyes. He merely nodded softly. “He’s afraid to fly…”

“Now ya see tha true reason why Ah wanted ta bring ‘im to ya,” Mac explained. “If anypony can help him with this problem…it’s you.”

…………………………..

“So you traveled around giving assertiveness workshops for a while,” Volare reiterated. Though he recalled a few of the details the minotaur had just told him, he rolled with the story as if he’d never heard a bit of it before. If anything, it acted as a good refresher course on the great blue beast sitting next to him. “And the lessons you taught were basically catch-phrase based?”

“Mhm, that’s true,” Iron Will replied. “And for the most part, it worked out pretty well…that is, till I met your friend Fluttershy and thought I could make some pretty good bits off of her.”

“But I take it things didn’t go as planned?”

“Heck, they went almost too well!”

“How so?”

“Well, I taught her a lesson or two to show that my advice could work on even the shyest of ponies,” Iron Will clarified. “But then…well…let’s just say she really took things to heart.” He then recalled how Fluttershy had practically gone on a rampage around Ponyville, scaring the living daylights out of everypony she ran into. She eventually got control over herself and made use of the advice he’d given her, telling him “no” when he demanded payment for the assertiveness lessons.
“And when I asked what she meant, she explained that since I guaranteed that if she wasn’t satisfied with my lessons, she owed me nothing.”

“Well, that must have thrown you for a loop,” Volare chuckled at the image of the great minotaur being denied by the shy Pegasus.

“To say the least; in fact she was the first pony to ever not be satisfied,” Iron Will sighed. “But, I’m a minotaur of my word, plus she did teach me a new catch phrase to use in my workshops: ‘no means no.’”

“Certainly sounds like a good way for one to assert their confidence,” Volare stated, feeling a small bit of pride for Fluttershy for standing up to this guy.

“Yeah, it was…too good in fact,” he frowned. “When I tried working ‘no means no’ into my presentation…I never saw another bit from those ponies again,” he groaned and put his head in his hands.

“Ah, jeez,” Volare couldn’t help but give the minotaur a pat on the forearm. “Talk about a major backfire.”

“Yeah, no kidding…”

“So what happened after that?”

“Well…to say that the next few months of my life weren’t my proudest would be just a teensy understatement,” he smiled sheepishly. “Since I didn’t have any real income outside of those workshops, I lost my associates pretty quickly.”

“Your goats?”

“Yeah…you’d think that such an unpicky creature would gimme some leeway, right? Well, think again,” he snorted. “As soon as I couldn’t give them stuff to munch on, they left me high and dry.”

“Then what happened?”

“Well, I jumped from job to job, trying my hand at everything from lumberjacking in the Everfree Forest to carnival work. Heck, I even tried my hand at selling cooking tips and merchandise!”

“I guess that explains the apron, eh?”

“Yeah, it was a prototype at combining my reputation as a self-help guru with cooking advice…seriously, I was pretty desperate.”

“Ok…” Volare replied, a bit unconvinced. “But why pink?”

“Well, this particular model was marketed towards mares.”

“How many did you sell?”

“Um…I think one, but then she gave it back after about a week,” Iron Will glumly admitted. “Said it gave her a bad reputation in the kitchen…can’t imagine why though.”

“It’s a mystery that’ll probably never be solved,” Volare shrugged, feeling more and more sympathetic for the guy by the minute. “Did things get any better when the merchandising campaign fell through? Did you actually try your hand at cooking anything?”

“Not after I nearly burned the studio down trying to make a salad,” Iron Will replied matter-of-factly. “Yeah, I’ll probably never work there again…”

“Ouch…so where’d you go from there?”

“Well, I did try Hydra Wrestling in Froggy Bottom Bog for a little while.”

“Oh…wow, how’d that go,” the Pegasus asked with a wince.

“Badly! Hardly anypony showed up to watch!” Iron Will exclaimed, much to the Pegasus’ surprise.

“Damn…you’d think somepony out there would wanna see something as epic as a minotaur wrestling a hydra…”

“I know, right?!” Iron Will sighed again. “I mean, it drew even smaller crowds than when I tried Beehive Punching.”

“Um, maybe that’s because ponies thought you were losing your self-respect and were getting desperate,” Volare offered.

“Yeah, but I don’t think it was till I hit rock bottom that I kinda began to realize that,” the minotaur’s face fell even further.

“What exactly was rock bottom?”

“When I fell into a canyon in the Everfree I was trying to jump for bits.”

“Oh…so literally rock bottom…damn…”

“Yeah, broke my leg in the fall,” Iron Will gestured to his left leg and the scar that ran along his thigh. “Chipped a tooth too.”

“Oh…what a travesty,” Volare said with just the slightest bit of sarcasm. “What happened then?”

“Well…I finally put aside my pride and asked another pony for assistance, but…no matter how loud I yelled for help, nopony came…it did bring in the Cryhenas, though.”

“Cryhenas?” Volare asked, rolling the simultaneously familiar yet strange word around on his tongue. Wonder if they’re like hyenas back on Earth…yech, he shuddered.

“Yeah, nasty creatures with big teeth and bad hair that are a little smaller than you are. They make this awful combination of laughter and sobbing noises, almost like some sort of crazypony whenever they get near food,” Iron Will explained. “They normally eat dead things, but they won’t hesitate to go after young animals…or hurt ones. That canyon was full of their cries as I crawled outta there on what was probably the longest night of my life…”

“How’d you get away,” the Pegasus asked, eyes wide at the thought of Iron Will being pursued by dozens of the nasty things.

“To this day, I have no real idea,” he shook his horns slowly. “I just know that I eventually crawled my way out of the Everfree, I headed towards the nearest lights I saw, hoping they’d keep their distance. But as I crawled onto the front porch of the little house I’d found, and I heard those Cryhenas getting closer and closer…well…I kinda gave up hope right then. I passed out in front of the door, cursing myself for being so foolish and just hoping I wouldn’t wake up in the middle of them eating me.”

“Damn…” Volare breathed, trying to imagine the great blue creature next to him near death and helpless to defend his own life against a mob of creatures with mouths full of teeth and an appetite for minotaur. “But here you, right?”

“Mhm, here I am,” Iron Will replied. “Nopony else was as surprised as me when I woke up in the middle of the floor of a little cottage with a warm blanket thrown over me and my broken leg in a brace; not to mention I was whole and uneaten,” he chuckled. “Take a wild guess who it was that saved my dumb flank from becoming dinner. Go on, guess,” he grinned as he nudged Volare with an elbow.

“I remember that night like it happened yester-eve,” a soft voice said from the backdoor. The two males looked up to see Fluttershy trotting into the room from the backyard by herself.

“Whoa, that was you that saved Iron Will from the Cryhenas?!” Volare asked in surprise.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Fluttershy replied quietly. “I just did what I felt was necessary.”

“Hey, it is too a big deal,” Iron Will protested as he stood up and walked up to the yellow Pegasus. “If it weren’t for you…I’d be fertilizing the Everfree by now!”

“More specifically a big strong tree, right?” Fluttershy asked innocently.

“Sure would be,” the minotaur grinned, despite how surreal that statement sounded.

“You can tell him the rest of the story if you want, Iron Will,” Fluttershy encouraged him.

“Heh, sure thing,” he turned back to Volare, still wearing a grin that said he was too grateful for Fluttershy’s kindness to care about what anypony else thought about what he was about to say. “Well, Fluttershy took me in and cared for me till my leg healed up, but once it was fixed…I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself.”

“Cuz you’d already tried just about everything under the sun, huh,” the pilot deduced.

“Yeah, didn’t even know where I could go. I asked her if I could stay for a little while longer till I got a job and could move on. I even learned to help take care of the animals while I was healing up…I guess I kinda owed it to her anyway, seeing as how much strife I’d put her and her friends through with my crazy workshop,” The minotaur chuckled at the far away memory of working up the crowd and the plethora of silly catch-phrases he’d spent long hours into the night writing down and rehearsing.
“But…well…not to say I didn’t want to move on,” he smiled down at her. “But, I dunno, I kinda came to admire Fluttershy and her ability to balance both confidence and compassion…she kinda became a role model for myself. Heh, needless to say, I guess a lot of her personality rubbed off on me during my stay.”

“And that explains why you still wear that ridiculous apron?” Volare chuckled. “No offense.”

“Hey, I don’t wear it everywhere, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Iron Will replied as he re-adjusted his tie with a small huff of indignation. “I just happened to be baking when ya showed up, that’s all.”

“Baking?”

“Yep, brownies,” the minotaur replied with a beaming smile and a thumbs up which seemed to be more directed past Volare rather than at him.

“Oookay…but I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”

“Heh, well, Fluttershy’s friend Pinkie Pie lent me a hoof in that department.”

“I see…so now you freeload on Fluttershy?” Volare asked experimentally.

“NO!” The minotaur practically shouted, scattering the small group of furry critters that had sat down around the room to observe the situation. “Ah, sorry guys! Temper got the best of me there for a sec…”

“But you’ve certainly improved on it,” Fluttershy declared with a demure smile partially hidden by her mane.

“Aww, thanks, Shy,” the minotaur beamed his thanks. “Yet another thing she’s helped me with, Spike-head,” he nodded between the Pegasi. “And in regards to your statement, I think I’ve heard her state that things have actually been easier here since I got situated.”

“That’s true,” Fluttershy nodded. “It helps to have a stronger friend to move things around the house, and the presence of a 9 foot minotaur here has certainly deterred the predators of the Everfree from skulking about the property too.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Volare stated, still somewhat stunned by all these revelations in such a short time. “Still,” he face fell. “Doesn’t exactly ease my worries of how you can help me with my confidence and get me back in the air.”

“She’s gonna help ya, Volare,” Iron Will declared. “All I ask is just don’t judge too quickly and don’t doubt her, that’s all.”

“It’s ok, Iron Will,” Fluttershy replied. “He’s not of this world and...from what Big Mac told me, the race he used to be before Twilight turned him into a Pegasus was a rather skeptical one.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa; back up a sec,” Iron Will made a T with his hands. “Spike-head’s from another world and isn’t even really a Pegasus?”

“That’s right, though that’s not to say he couldn’t learn to be one,” Fluttershy explained.

Iron Will whirled to face Volare, a strange look between hurt and anger his face. “Volare, here I am spilling my guts to you and you don’t even tell me you’re not really a pony?! I feel so…hustled,” he cried as he threw a beefy arm across his eyes.

“Oh what a terrible world,” Volare muttered with a roll of his eyes

“Now, now, Will; Volare’s been through more than you can imagine according to Big Macintosh, and he trusts me and by extension you to help him get back on his way to flying,” Fluttershy explained. “Now, unfortunately, I can’t actually get you back up into the air as long as your wing is still hurt, you know that, right?” Volare nodded.
“Just making sure,” she nodded as she offered a hoof to him. “May I see your wing, please?”

“I suppose you kinda have to, doc,” the blue Pegasus replied as he undid the sling and readied himself for the pain of his wing thumping to the floor. But Fluttershy was ready, and she caught it as gently as a cloud. With well-practiced expertise, she examined every inch of the limb, from the tips of the flight feathers, along the leading edge and the carpal joint, and finally pausing when she saw the darkening scar from the surgery ringing the base of the wing. Almost as Rainbow Dash had done, but much more gently, she prodded and poked the wing at various nerve points, but was only able to solicit tiny flutterings of his primary flight feathers as well as a grunt or two from his throat.
“Hrm…” Fluttershy hummed with a look of concern on her furrowed features.

“Will he live, Fluttershy,” Iron Will joked, eliciting an attempted kick from the blue Pegasus.

“I almost forgot to laugh at that one, Willy,” Volare shot back. “Did you ever try stand-up in your travels?”

“Hey, don’t call me Willy,” the minotaur protested with a growl, but a quick glare from Fluttershy calmed the two males down. “Sorry…”

“It’s fine,” Fluttershy replied before looking up. “Well, I think I know what the problem is, but I can’t fix it here…”

“What is it,” Volare practically demanded, his wing nearly jerking out of her grasp as he moved.

“Careful, Volare,” she warned. “The nerves in your wing are in good shape, which is why you can feel me poking around. But that’s not where the problem lies,” she nudged the base of his wing where the scar was. “You see this dividing line? That’s where Twilight made the repair magically when she re-attached your wing, right?”

“Mhm, that’s right.”

“I can’t believe you survived something like that,” Fluttershy said with a tinge of awe in her eyes. “I mean, not only the blood loss, but just the massive shock of getting your wing torn off like that would have killed most creatures…it must have hurt terribly,” she surmised as she gently stroked the base of his wing, not an uncomfortable sensation, Volare had to admit.

“Well, it definitely wasn’t a picnic,” he replied with a chuckle. “I’ll tell you what, it actually hurt even worse when Twilight basically rewired the nerves and tendons back to each other. I made the mistake of looking down at it and it was like someone lacing red and purple strings together…it was”-

KA-THUMP!

The two Pegasi looked up to see that Iron Will had fainted dead away at the description of the surgery. Volare face-hoofed while Fluttershy chuckled at the sight.
“The “mighty Iron Will”,” Volare muttered. “I think a little too much of you might have rubbed off on him, Fluttershy.”

“No, the poor dear’s never been good with blood,” she smiled with a bit of embarrassment. “In fact, I often have to send him out of the cottage if I have a particularly badly hurt animal I’m tending to or else he’ll…well, he’ll do that, heehee.”

“Heh, well at least he puts on a tough face most of the time,” the pilot chuckled lightly before turning back to the matter at hoof. “So, what do you suppose is the problem?”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I was just going to say that it looks like Twilight carried out the surgery wrong,” she prodded the base of his wing gently. “I’m sorry if this hurts, but can you feel my hoof here?”

“Mhm, I can,” he grunted softly.

“Ok, follow this sensation…you feel my hoof running over what feels like little knots and tangles under there?”

“Agh, yep, I do. What is that?”

“Well, when you said it felt like she was tying your tendons and muscles back together, that feels like that’s what she did in her desperation to reattach your wing and keep you from bleeding to death.”

“So Twilight did the surgery incorrectly, huh?”

“To say the least,” Fluttershy nodded. “It saved your life, but it’s basically crippled your wing because she didn’t reattach the fibers with the correct amount of tension. Basically, your wing is a limp noodle until those get tightened.”

“And you can’t do that here,” Volare inquired, trusting Fluttershy more and more by the minute.

“I’m afraid not. I mean, I could if the repairs hadn’t already been made, but since the surgery was done with a spell that even Twilight didn’t fully comprehend…” she trailed off with a sad look and hid beneath her mane. “I can’t fix what I don’t understand…I’m sorry, Volare.” He heard her sniffle beneath her pink locks, and it was all he could to keep from wrapping her in a comforting hug. Instead, he gently lifted her chin from under her mane and smiled down at her.

“Hey, it’s ok Fluttershy. You did your best and…I’m still very impressed at what you know in regards to animal injuries and fixing them,” his compliments brightened her face to his relief.

“Really? T-thank you,” she smiled softly and helped him wrap his wing back up in the sling.

“Besides, the good news is Twilight is on her way to Canterlot right now to figure out exactly which spell it is she used and how to fix my wing if you can’t, so don’t worry because we have a backup plan,” Volare beamed. “Besides, even if you could fix me up here and now, I’m not exactly in the best shape to try flying cuz of all the blood I lost.”

“So I heard,” Fluttershy nodded. “Heehee, Big Macintosh said you even got light-headed just from the trot over here,” she patted his shoulder.

“Heh, remind me to give him a country boy whoopin’ next time I see him,” he winked before he realized something. “Hey, where is Big Mac, anyway,” he looked out into the backyard full of every animal imaginable except big red farm ponies.

“Oh,” the yellow Pegasus chortled. “He kept saying something about his little sister burning the barn down, so I let him go. That little Applebloom is such a dear when she’s not clowning around with her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”

“Oh, what’s so bad about them,” Volare asked but was surprised when Fluttershy turned to him with worry in her sea-blue eyes.

“Well, as sweet as those three are…when you get them together, they’re like a 12-hoofed typhoon.”

“Heh, can’t handle a fellow storm, Hurricane Fluttershy,” Volare teased.

“Oh ha ha ha, very funny,” Fluttershy gave the most demure little laugh Volare had ever heard. “So you heard my little nickname, huh,” she asked quietly, her eyes traveling up the gold-lettered banner gathering dust up in the corner.

“Mhm, I did,” Volare replied. “It and the facts that Twilight fed me about you are what led me to put my trust in you before we'd even met…I figured if anypony could help me regain my body’s strength before I actually get back in the air, The Hurricane could. And even after meeting you and getting to know you a little better…well, could you please help me, Fluttershy?"

“Oh, but I thought you doubted me,” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly, behavior Volare had never seen in her before…but it very much amused him.

“I admit that I did…but,” he looked over at Iron Will’s unconscious form. “An old self-help guru recently told me not to judge a book by its cover…and I intend to follow that advice as best as I can. So, seeing as how I showed doubt in you…could you please prove me wrong,” he asked with a small bow.

“Heehee, I’ll do my best,” the yellow Pegasus returned the small bow, already warming up a bit to this politely skeptical human-turned pony.

………………………………

“Hey, Big Mac,” Rainbow Dash called out as she dove off the cloud she’d been resting on as she watched the conversations unfold beneath her. “You got a sec?”

“Whoa, sure thing, Dash,” the farm pony hopped to the side with a grace that somewhat belied his bulk to allow Rainbow Dash to land and trot next to him. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I was just flying around minding my own business, when”-

“Ya’ll were spyin’ on me an’ Volare, weren’tcha?”

“What, no! I mean…” even Rainbow Dash wilted slightly under the knowing stare of Big Macintosh. “Ok, it started off that way!”

“Ya’ll sure it’s still not going that way?”

“Well, if it was, I’d still be hiding over Fluttershy’s place and spying on Volare, wouldn’t I?”

“…touché.”

“I promised Twilight and myself I wouldn’t break my promises, and I’m gonna do my best not to. Besides, you and I both know that Fluttershy is the best for this sorta job; outside myself of course,” she grinned as Big Mac rolled his green eyes.

“So, if ya’ll ain’t spyin’ on us “anymore”, what are ya doin, hrm?”

“Well, would you believe that I wasn’t the only one following you guys through Ponyville earlier?”

“Say what, now,” Big Mac paused in his tracks, forcing the Pegasus to turn and face him before she overshot him.

“Yeah, there were these two ponies in brown cloaks following you around,” she recalled. “They followed you out of town and then hauled flank across the field and into your orchard.”

“They were in The Acres?!” Big Mac nearly bellowed. “Ah knew Ah picked a bad day ta leave Applebloom home alone!” He nearly took off running but Dash yanked on his plow yoke.

“Whoa, easy Mac! Those two kept going and ran into the Everfree Forest; they’re not on your farm anymore, so relax,” she patted his panting side comfortingly. The big guy was slow to anger, but mess with his family and you were simply inviting trouble!

“So what do we do, then,” the red stallion asked.

“Well, I was gonna ask your permission to patrol between your farm and Fluttershy’s place and keep an eye out for those creeps.”

“Alright, sounds like a plan…and this has nothin' ta do with Volare?” he asked with a stern look.

“I hope not,” Dash shook her mane before realizing her statement. “N-no, not me! I mean I hope those two creeps weren’t tracking Volare for some reason…”

“Heh, well, Ah’d hate ta be them if’n they try somethin’ on mah farm,” Mac pawed a deep rut in the road with a massive hoof.

“Or if they try anything near Fluttershy’s place,” Dash added. “Between her Stare and Iron Will’s ego, they might not make it outta there in one piece, heheh,” she chuckled a bit too viciously.

“Heh, and don’t forget Angel Bunny; little varmint tried to bite me again when I left,” Big Mac showed her the missing tuft of fur around his right rear fetlock. "Ah swear that lil' rabbit's got a mean streak a mile wide!"

“He still doesn’t like you, huh?”

“Ah know…Ah just don’t understand why…”

“Maybe he feels like you’re getting a little too close to Momma Fluttershy,” Dash snickered, drawing a very un-amused expression from the farm pony. “What? Hey, if you’re into Fluttershy like that, I’ve got no prob”-

“Now ain't tha time,” Big Mac growled softly.

“Fine, fine, don’t take a joke, big guy…oh Celestia-heheheh,” Dash’s eyes widened and she began a fresh bout of giggles.

“Now what?”

“Heh, if I’m right about how Angel Bunny feels about stallions near his “mom”,” tears of mirth squeezed from her eyes as she struggled to speak. “Volare’s in for a rough time there because of him…bwahahahaha!”

Author's Note

More notes: Volare, beware the bunny!!!
Volare: :twilightoops:

The Hurricane-Pt 10: Many Meetings

6 Hours Later…

Canterlot Station-August 28th, Evening

Twilight Sparkle gazed out through the train-car windows and into the city that was falling into the covering of her namesake, the soaring towers and pinnacles above her seeming to reach up to personally greet Luna’s stars as they winked into existence while the Princess of the Night raised the moon up and over the horizon. Although Canterlot looked its best in the daylight, it was almost an insult to not call it beautiful when shrouded in night as well. Not the same sort of splendor as the sun glinting off the spires, domes, and great panes of glass, but a different sort of beauty, a parallel of equal majesty to be sure. Just as the two Princesses ruled the city, so did the two phases of the-

“Twiley!”

“Shining-oof!” Twilight was knocked out of her musings not two steps off the train as a large white Unicorn with a blue mane grabbed her up in a strong embrace and gave her an affectionate (if that were a possible description) hoof-noogie on her head before holding her at arm's length and looking down at her.

“Wow, have you grown since we last met?” Prince Shining Armor beamed down at her in the light cast by the streetlamps that surrounded the station. He was wearing his military uniform, and he looked every inch the Captain of the Royal Canterlot Guard. Beside him stood the cerise Alicorn mare that gave him his royal title, his wife Princess Cadance, herself wearing a simple violet veil over her mane that nonetheless managed to accent her smiling eyes. Twilight on the other hoof was wearing her saddlebags and nothing else; to say she felt a little underdressed was a bit of an understatement, but her relatives' easy-going manner around her abated any worries she might have had in regards to appearance.

“Heh, maybe a little taller, Shining,” Cadance smiled and nuzzled her sister-in-law. “Unlike you, who’ve just grown a little wider,” she playfully jabbed her husband in the ribs with her horn, making him yelp and jump sideways.

“H-hey, it’s not my fault,” he sputtered. “Ever since I became a prince, I’ve been buried in paperwork and hardly even have time to take my Guards out for drills anymore…or see my little sis,” he gave Twilight a bit of a pained smile, not sure if he’d ever get used to this being royalty business.

“Oh, she’s just giving you a hard time, right Cadance,” Twilight winked at her sister, who winked back in return.

“Maaaaybe, heehee,” she playfully nudged Shining Armor again. “I don’t care how old and fat you get; I’ll always wub you,” she baby-talked him, knowing that he enjoyed it in private, but also knowing it would embarrass the hay out of him in front of his sister…and by the looks of the blush creeping across his face, it was working.

“You know, Cadance,” he sniffed dramatically. “You’ve acquired a bit of a mean streak since we got married. As a prince, I’m offended to be treated so,” he pretended to swoon…right on top of her. She quickly moved out from under him, sending him tumbling to the street in a chuckling heap.

“Stallions; I swear the older they get, the stranger they become,” Cadance shook her head and helped him to his hooves. She noticed Twilight’s uncomfortable stance and gave her a gentle smile. “Heh, you’ll learn about it one of these days…unless you already have,” her eyes suddenly brightened.

“What? My little Twiley has a coltfriend?” Shining Armor looked around but saw that Twilight was standing there face-hoofing alone.

“Urgh, no, not yet…” the librarian trailed off. “I’ve been too busy to even think about something like that.”
Liar…

“Oh? Busy with what, your friendship studies?” Cadance asked sincerely. “How are those coming along?”

“Oh, they’re actually going pretty well, but that really hasn’t been my main study of focus lately,” Twilight replied, much to both her siblings’ surprise.

“Whoa, Twilight not studying friendship?!” Shining Armor gasped in mock horror. “That’s…that’s not possible! Cadance, is Luna’s sky falling?” But instead of an answer, he was met with flick of her tail across his muzzle. “Ow, I was just kidding. Twiley, if you’re not mainly studying friendship, then what are you studying?”

“Well, I still send Celestia the occasional letter on the subject, but that’s beside the point,” the purple Unicorn replied and shivered as an early fall breeze caressed her back and ruffled her mane. “Brr, mind if we trot and talk about this; I’m not used to this cool mountain air.”

“Oh, of course,” Cadance nodded as she and Shining Armor led their younger sister towards their house. The Captain of the Guard carried himself with a little less than his usual stiff-lipped military poise, perhaps to put his little sister a bit more at ease. He was the Captain, but not a stranger; he was still her BBBFF, and he made it a point to not strut and clank his hooves loudly like he was often expected to. Cadance on the other hand carried herself with her usual grace, her small hooves making the barest of clipping noises on the street as they trotted along, Twilight between the married couple. “So…”

“Oh, right! Well, I don’t know if you know about this or not, but there’s been a recent discovery that’s ignited a new field of study around Equestria,” Twilight explained with a grin.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, Twiley,” her brother bumped her with his shoulder. “What is it?”

“Ok…it seems that a certain spell was leaked from the Starswirl the Bearded Wing in the Canterlot Archives this past spring. Some ponies think it was done intentionally, but I tend to believe that in the chaos of the Changelings attacking the Royal Wedding, a few likely snatched some texts because ever since then, literature not really seen outside of Canterlot have been popping up in the strangest places,” the smaller Unicorn replied.

“Yeah, I think I know what you’re talking about, Twiley; Celestia and Luna have had my Guards running all over the place recovering important documents lost during the attack,” The Captain of the Guard said, nodding to a pair of said armor-clad Pegasi as they marched past, their bronze-shod hooves clanking along the Canterlot cobblestones.

“Indeed,” Twilight nodded. “And until a few months ago, nopony had found anything particularly useful…or exploitable. But that changed when a scroll of Starswirl’s was found, and the spell within it, though relatively harmless, has become an object of fascination among Unicorns outside of Canterlot.”

“And what does this spell entail?” Candance inquired.

“Well, it has to do with inter-dimensional travel; bringing objects to our world from beyond the stars,” Twilight explained as both her siblings’ eyes widened. “As well as sending things from our world to others; works just like a long-distance teleportation spell, which I thought it actually was until I attempted it.”

“And I take it you’ve been studying this? How come I haven’t really heard of it until now?” Shining Armor asked, not feeling particularly comfortable with being left out of the loop here.

“Well, I thought I was the only one with the knowledge of the spell until I started seeing objects never before seen in Equestria, almost always in possession of Unicorns,” Twilight replied. “Turns out I was a fairly late to the party as this spell’s use had been going on for quite some time. What was interesting was that this spell only brought in objects from one particular world, and never from anywhere else.”

“How do you know all the objects came from the same place?” Cadance queried as they reached the front door of their home. She quickly unlocked it with her horn and flicked on the lights, revealing a richly adorned home more than fit for a prince and princess. She quickly trotted to the kitchen and prepared some hot tea, keeping an ear pricked to Twilight’s explanation.

“Because patterns began to emerge in the materials used and the labeling of the objects, as well as-whoa, nice place,” the librarian again caught herself gazing at a lavishness that would have made even Rarity green with envy. “Oh-heh, sorry. Anyways, because of those patterns and the constant mention of the planet’s name in newspapers, magazines, and other pieces of literature, we came to call the planet they came from Earth.” She quickly opened her saddlebag and lifted out a rolled up newspaper with the title NEW YORK TIMES on the front page, which was covered in pictures and writings in a style not dissimilar to that used in Equestria. And filling those pictures were the faces and forms of the humans that covered the planet.

“Wow,” Shining Armor wiped his brow. “And here I thought we were alone in the universe…and then I get proven wrong by my little sister,” he gave her a proud smile.

“Oh, and that’s not the best part though,” Twilight beamed and opened up her other saddlebag, lifting out a large stack of freshly written-upon parchments. “For the last few months, I’d actually been sending my friend Rainbow Dash to Earth to explore it, and you won’t believe the information she was able to deliver to me, even while thousands of feet in the air!”

“…but I take it by the almost creepy grin you’ve got on your face that’s not the biggest surprise you have in those papers,” her brother chuckled at the look her sister would often get when she was revealing her studies’ findings. Cadance returned with the hastily-prepared tea and floated the cups over to her sister and husband before settling down on the couch.

“Heehee, far from it,” she giggled as she sipped from her cup. “Because a few days ago, Dash took a little longer in returning from Earth than usual…”

“And?” Cadance and her husband asked in unison.

“When she returned…she wasn’t alone…”

“Ow-hey, Miyagi,” Volare groaned into the pillow he was facedown in, his body stretched out on the simple cot Fluttershy had set up in the main room of her cottage. “You sure this is supposed to-argh-help me?” He ground his teeth as the yellow Pegasus standing over him rotated his right wing in small circles. The previous six hours had been filled with jogging around Fluttershy’s property, various cardio exercises, and a few minor strength-building activities such as squats and having small animals sit along Volare’s out-stretched left wing as he lifted them. All the while, he’d kept his right wing tightly tucked up against himself within the sling, not wanting anything to touch it for fear of the pain it would likely cause. He hadn’t paced himself during the exercises though, mainly just excited to get going on the road to recovery, and now he was paying the price for it.

“Mhm, very much so,” Fluttershy replied as she flexed the crippled limb as gently as she could, though she could tell by the small jerks rippling through it that she was causing its owner a fair amount of discomfort. “I know it hurts, but we can’t let your wing just sit up against your side and shrivel, otherwise it won’t ever heal. This merely makes sure the blood doesn’t clot up in it. I also want you to focus on the sensation of how it moves.”

“Oh believe me, I don’t have much choice in that matter,” he grunted.

“No, I mean really focus on how I’m moving it. Here, flex your left wing,” she instructed and he followed suit. “Now then, feel how I’m moving your right wing? Move your left wing in the exact same motion.”

“Urgh, got it,” he said into the pillow. She slowly flexed the wing to its fullest, lightly running her hoof along the primary feathers at the end, letting him know just how far his wing was stretched. He imitated the motion with his left wing, keeping it outstretched as Fluttershy moved his right wing slightly forward, supporting its weight as she paused, waiting for Volare to match her. As he did, she gently touched a nerve in the middle of the wing, bending the edges of the limb downwards into a vague cup shape. Volare focused on that same nerve in his left wing, and once he’d copied her actions, she brought the right wing down and back in a sweeping motion, allowing him to feel the air cupped within the wing. Once he’d copied the motion in his left wing, they repeated it twice more before he looked back to see her grinning.

“That was wonderful, Volare,” she beamed encouragingly. “Just do me a favor and keep that motion in mind, because we’ll build on that eventually.”

Not sure how that’s gonna help if my wing stays crippled, Volare grumbled to himself.
“If you say so,” the blue Pegasus sighed as she finally sat his wing down before wincing again as she worked her hooves into his sore shoulders. He hissed in a breath as she found a knot in a muscle and worked at it. “Hmm, not sure if I enjoy this more than I “enjoyed” passing out and falling on my face in the dirt earlier,” he chuckled grimly.

“I’m terribly sorry that happened, Volare,” she rubbed his back between his wings gently, again, an alien sensation that he nonetheless rather appreciated. “Believe me when I say that wasn’t a necessary part of what we did today.”

“Fluttershy, I know you didn’t mean for that to happen,” he turned his head and peeked at her with his left eye. It was all in the name of establishing a base for himself to work off of, and considering that his body was so weak that he couldn’t even keep pace with Fluttershy on a slow jog after a few hours…that base wasn’t exactly the most impressive thing he’d ever created in his life. In fact, a matchstick bridge in 3rd grade science class sprang to mind as something he was more proud of…and that was after he’d burned it…
“Didn’t really make it any less embarrassing…”

“Well, don’t you worry about that,” she gently scratched him behind the ear with her hoof. “You don’t have to push yourself so hard that you collapse for you to impress me…in fact that kinda worries me more than anything.”

“I know, it’s just…urgh…” he tried to argue, but the scratching felt so good! Oh gawd…yet again I realize I’m no longer human…

“In fact, if you must know, I think you did very well for your first day,” she patted his mane and went back to working the knot out of his shoulder. She looked over at Iron Will, himself snoring in the corner of the room after his own daily workout, and smiled. “You’re in a bit better shape than Will is.”

“Yeah, well I wasn’t out there pulling up dead trees from their roots,” he muttered. Suddenly, Fluttershy stopped working at his shoulder and he looked up in mild surprise.

“Volare, I think that might be part of your problem,” her sea blue eyes reflected the seriousness of her statement.

“Hrm, what’s that?”

“You keep comparing yourself to others that are far and away better than you, no offense,” she explained. “So you push yourself to be their equal or even succeed them, but that’s potentially dangerous…isn’t that how you got in this predicament in the first place?”

“Well…yeah,” Volare tried to argue that statement but found he really couldn’t.

“You even did that earlier today with our little exercises. You know you could have told me you were tired and wanted to stop, right?”

“I know, I know,” he grumbled, still a little embarrassed.

“And you know today wasn’t the day for proving anything other than where we could start from, right?” He nodded in reply.
“Big Macintosh told me about your dreams…about your sister and how you promised her you’d always push yourself to do better. But for now, in order to get better, you’re going to have to be patient, otherwise you might cause permanent and lasting damage that would limit your potential,” she gave him a quick pat on the back.
“And what would your sister think if you limited yourself from being dumb, hrm?”

“Heh, she’d probably kick my butt if she were here,” Volare chuckled at the thought. “Alright, alright, I’ll be patient…for you.”

“Nope, for yourself,” she booped his nose and smiled, although it was all Volare could do to not let his little inner whoop become a bit more outer: Fluttershy just booped my nose…HNNNNNNGG!!
“Now lay back down so I can finish what I started.” He conceded and relaxed again as she returned to rubbing the base of his left wing.

“Agh, mmm…has anypony ever told you you’re really good at this sorta thing, Fluttershy?” he asked, and he didn’t mean just the massage. It made him wonder what else she had in store for him…

“I think a few might have,” she blushed slightly and felt around on his back, kneading out the last knot she could find. “I picked up a few things from the spa Rarity and I go to once a week…you really think I do a good job?” she pressed in at the base of his neck, cracking the joints and relieving the pressure built up there from the day’s activities.

“Ooooh yeah…absolutely…” Volare sighed and relaxed. Before he realized it, he’d drifted off to sleep…and thankfully, it was the most peaceful, dreamless sleep he’d had in days. No nightmares, no fire, no blood, no skulls…just sleep.
Oh yeah…so worth it…

“Whoa…th-that’s crazy, Twilight,” Shining Armor’s blue eyes were as wide as the mouth of the cup full of now-cold and untouched tea sitting in front of him. He shakily floated said cup over to himself and sipped from it before shaking his head in disbelief for the umpteenth time. “So for the last few days, you’ve been basically living with this guy?”

“Hey, it’s not like that at all, big brother!” Twilight protested quickly. “He just…he didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Not like you wanted him to go anywhere else, right Twilight…?

“So I take it all this information you’ve gotten from him on Earth will be shared with the Princesses once you meet with them during your stay?” Cadance asked, her own mind ruminating over what Twilight had called the barest of summaries about this human-turned Pegasus named Volare.

“Mhm, absolutely,” she beamed. “In fact, without him and his input I couldn’t have continued my theory on Equestrian weather nor would I have even given any serious thought to how the behavior of certain Pegasi is linked to the levels of oxygen in their blood, for example! And don’t even get me started on the first-hoof levels of history of this entirely new planet he was able to provide me with!”

“Heh, you sure you’re not smitten with this guy, Twiley,” Shining Armor gave his sister a playful nudge, being met this time not by a flick of his wife’s tail, but by a less-than-gentle magical shove that sent the Captain of the Guard flank-over-muzzle backwards off the couch with an audible oof!
“Ow…I guess I had that coming…”

“To say the least,” Twilight grumbled. “I only just met the guy and…even if I did have feelings for him, he’s been through so much crap in such a short time it…it just wouldn’t be right to force myself onto him like that.”
Not to mention what I know from his dreams…yeah, he doesn’t need any more of my “help”…
“Besides, I think the only real thing we have in common is our love for physics anyways, and that’s just coincidental.”

“Well, that’s very considerate of you, Twilight,” Cadance nodded before shooting her husband a stern glance to which he could only give a sheepish grin and a small shrug. “I’m sure Volare appreciates the sentiment as well. So you’re also going to search the Canterlot Library to find the book with the spell that’ll fix his wing correctly?”

“Yes, that’s one of my priorities while I’m here for sure,” Twilight replied. “Or at the very least figure out where the hay I even saw such a spell…”

“Well, there’s no sense in trying this late at night,” Cadance shook her mane softly. “Instead, how’d you like to help me make dinner while Shining Armor sets the table, hmm?”

“I’d like that,” Twilight grinned as she followed her into the kitchen as the blue-maned stallion complied and began to prepare the dinner table.

“Me, a prince and the Captain of the Guard, reduced to setting the table like a servant…what a world,” Shining Armor moaned melodramatically, making the mares in the kitchen giggle.

“Does he always act so goofy around you, Cadance?” the librarian inquired.

“Well, not all the time,” she rolled her eyes. “I personally think it’s just something he does for attention.”

“I heard that!”

“I know you did, dear; now get back to work! Besides, you know you’re only royalty because of my marriage to you, right?” she teased.

“…When’s the last time I told you I love you a lot?!”

Cadance chuckled. “I find it rather endearing, actually, and a welcome break from all the usual pomp and circumstance of being royalty, so…I usually let it slide. I guess it’s just the personality our coupling has developed…it’s hard to put a hoof on it actually.”

“Wish I could help determine what it is, exactly,” Twilight’s face fell a bit.

“Oh, don’t you worry,” Cadance nuzzled her. “You’ll know what I mean one of these days.”

Hopefully that doesn’t mean “one of these days in the distant future”, Twilight sighed inwardly. She felt happy for her brother and sister-in-law…but it did make her yearn for something just a little bit more all the same…
One of these days…

August 29th

Fluttershy’s Cottage-Morning

*tweak*
“Mmm-mrhm, knock it off,” Volare mumbled sleepily as he rubbed his nose with a hoof, trying to relieve the sensation of something flicking it.

*tweak-tweak-whack!*

“Wha-hurgh?!” Volare sat up suddenly and fell off the cot right onto his injured wing. So much for a peaceful rest.
“YOW, what the hell?!” He blinked his eyes sleepily and searched the room for his nose’s assailant. But all that greeted his eyes was the main room of the cottage slowly being filled by the rays of the rising sun. The other animals inside had been sleeping peacefully, but many of them were restlessly milling about or had run out of the room at the Pegasus’ outburst. He failed to notice the small shape complete with a wicked little grin and shiny black eyes that watched his every move as it huddled beneath the armoire against the back wall.

“Volare, what’s wrong,” Fluttershy appeared at the top of the stairs, rubbing her eyes with a wing before trotting down towards him. He quickly scrambled to his hooves and investigated the ground where he’d fallen, hoping to find some sort of evidence that would vindicate him…but there was nothing!

“I-uh,” he rubbed his muzzle again. “Something kept flicking my nose and then, well…it woke me up to say the least,” he said in frustration. “If it weren’t for the fact that my nose hurts like I got slapped, I’d think I was going a little nuts there for a minute!”

“No, something certainly hit you,” she eyed the red mark on his snout and frowned. “Can’t tell what though.”

“Urgh, sorry for waking you, Fluttershy,” he sighed.

“Oh, it’s fine,” she squinted out the window. “It was about time to get up anyway.”

“So, what sort of crazy exercises have you got planned for me today,” Volare asked jovially. “Cuz at this rate, it could range anywhere from sparring with Iron Will to helping you water the flowers.”

“…did you hit your head when you fell out of bed?” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Hm, nah. Just slept really well until I got that rude little awakening, that’s all,” his eyes scanned the floor again. I swear, I’ll find whatever the heck did that…

“That’s good news,” she smiled and stretched her wings to their fullest before noting the slight frown on Volare’s face. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she quickly folded her wings back up and pretended to study the floor.

“I’m good,” he smiled and stretched his one good wing in the same manner. “Er, well, half-good, heheh. So, no need for apologies.”

“Oh, ok,” the animal caretaker nodded and headed for the back door. “Go on and wash your face and wake up, then meet me outside…then you’ll see what I’ve got planned for today.”

As she opened the door, she encountered Iron Will lounged out in a wooden lawn chair she actually felt badly for as it nearly sagged in half under his bulk. The diurnal birds in the trees were just waking up for the day, not quite ready to fill the area with their songs, while the nocturnal birds had long-since headed back to their roosts. The morning sun had just managed to fully clear the horizon, and a slight breeze carrying the scent of autumn was racing through the grass and blowing away the ground mist that remained from the night before. Strangely enough, there was only a single cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky. It was going to be a gorgeous day! “Morning, Iron Will,” she chirped.

“Oh, morning, Fluttershy,” the minotaur rubbed his eyes and sat up carefully, minding the chair. “Sleep well?”

“Mhm, I did,” she nodded and waved a hoof to the rest of the animals that were just now waking up themselves. “And good morning to all of you as well!”

“So what was all that shouting I heard in there?” he asked as he scratched his Mohawk and yawned. “Spike-head have a bad dream?”

“Oh, no, he said he actually slept very well,” she replied with a tilt of her head. “Seems something woke him up by swatting him in the nose.”

“Did whatever hit him leave a mark?”

“Mhm.”

“Wouldn’t happened to have been shaped like a rabbit foot, would it?”

“Well, now that you mention it…yes, it kinda was…”

“Oho, is that so,” Iron Will glared towards the door, giving the small white shape he perceived to be hiding in the shadows somewhere in there the stink eye. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Unfortunately yes,” Fluttershy sighed. “He just never does well with strangers.”

“Believe me, I can more than attest to that,” the minotaur pointed to the small, bucktooth-shaped bite scar on his own nose. “He’s a brave fella though, I’ll give’em that. He takes care of his “mom”, that’s for sure,” he gave Fluttershy a soft look as she picked up a burlap bag of bird seed and carried it up to the bird feeder in the middle of the backyard. “Coulda used his help when I was still giving lessons, heheh.”

“Yes, but he needs to learn manners,” Fluttershy said as she filled the feeder and sat the bag back down, keeping her front hooves crossed in irritation. “I mean, goodness knows I love him to pieces, but treating guests this way is no way for him to behave.”

“Heh, there was many a time when I’d like nothing more than to “love him to pieces” too,” the minotaur clenched a massive fist slightly, cracking his knuckles. “But we eventually got along pretty good, didn’t we?”

“Yes, eventually,” Fluttershy chuckled. “But even so, Volare’s going to need his rest and doesn’t need Angel attacking him in his sleep, for whatever the reason.”

“Hrm,” the minotaur stroked his short beard for a moment before a smile grew across his face. “I might have an idea…what’ve you got planned for Spike-head today?”

“Well…”

……………………….

Volare washed his face in the sink and flicked the water off before reaching for the towel he had looped over the drawer handle adjacent to the sink…but it was gone!
“Argh, now what,” he grumbled and shook the water from his mane before he spotted the towel poking around the corner of the cabinet. “Aha, gotcha,” he exclaimed as he bent down to grab the towel in his teeth…and was immediately staring into two beady black eyes nestled within a frowning white face topped by two huge white ears: Angel Bunny…and he was far from amused. He balled a tiny paw into a fist and shook it under Volare’s nose in a gesture that could only mean one thing: I’m gonna knock your block off!
“Um…hi? Oh shit…”

………………………

“That’s funny, Will, cuz I was actually planning on having Volare help me with her today,” Fluttershy reacted to the minotaur’s idea with a smile.

“Oh? Is she doing ok?”

“Mhm, she just hasn’t been flying for too long and I don’t have the time to accompany her on her hunt today. Plus it’d allow Volare a chance to really observe the correct technique of how to fly, especially since her body type is fairly similar to his.”

“So, you’re basing his technique on hers? Interesting,” Iron Will nodded. “So when will he start?”

“Well, as soon as he”-

“Oh GAWD, GET HIM OFF, GET HIM OFF, HELP!!” a wet blue Pegasus came pelting out of the cottage, bucking and tossing his mane like he’d lost his mind…until Fluttershy saw what was firmly clamped onto his head, or rather who.

In the single cloud above the cottage, a lighter blue Pegasus shot awake at the shouting below her, nearly rolling off the cloud before she caught her bearings. “What the hay?!” She looked down to see what looked like Volare howling in pain while what looked like a white rag of some sort was angrily latched onto his face and biting his ear.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Dash breathed as Fluttershy approached the thrashing Volare.

“Angel Bunny!” she shouted, though shouting for Fluttershy was rarely more than an outside voice used to speak over the din of animals in her backyard. But it wasn’t so much the loudness as much as the tone that got the enraged rabbit attached to the blue and yellow Pegasus to stop biting him and look up curiously. “You let him go right this instant, mister!” The small rabbit reluctantly obeyed, releasing Volare’s ear from his teeth and hopped to the ground.

“Agh, what the hell was that all about?!” Volare cried, touching a hoof to his slightly bleeding ear. At least he hadn’t managed to take a piece out of it! He glared down at his assailant, recognizing him as Fluttershy’s pet bunny Angel, who was wearing the most innocent expression the pilot had ever seen on an animal, though the corner of his mouth not facing Fluttershy was crooked upward in a vicious little grin.

“Oh, he’s just not very good with strangers,” Fluttershy explained, though no less irritated as she did so. “Angel, you’ve got to stop doing this to ponies that come around here!” To Volare’s surprise, the bunny made a gesture between Volare and Fluttershy before miming running his paws over someone on a bed, making extraordinarily lewd faces as he did so before stomping his foot and shaking a tiny fist at Volare. Even Iron Will blushed slightly at this little outburst before looking at the two Pegasi with wide yellow eyes. “Angel, go back in the house this instant! Momma will deal with you momentarily.”
The small bunny stuck his tongue out at Volare before hopping back into the cottage.

“Did he just imply that you two…?” Iron Will crossed his index fingers together but couldn’t bring himself to finish the question lest it ruin his mental image of Fluttershy being sweet and innocent, however true Angel’s outburst might have been. He cleared his dry throat with a great ahem and loosened his tie slightly, feeling it getting rather hot outside all of a sudden, a gesture not lost on Volare who face-hoofed mightily.

“Yes he did,” Fluttershy frowned. “And no we didn’t. I was simply massaging the knots out of Volare’s muscles because he doesn’t understand the concept of pacing himself,” she hoofed the Pegasus lightly in the shoulder and smiled, clearing the tension from the air substantially.

“And I do thank you for that,” he grinned his thanks before realizing that his right wingtip feathers were brushing down along the grass, having left his sling behind. “Oops, lemme grab some-wait a sec,” he paused before he re-entered the cottage where the vengeful bunny was likely hiding in wait. “Um, help?” he asked sheepishly.

“I got ya covered, Spike-head,” Iron Will walked inside and grabbed the sling from where it had fallen off in the tussle before heading back outside with it, swearing he felt little black eyes burning holes in his back as he left. “Found it,” he announced as he began to truss up Volare’s wing, but Fluttershy halted him with an upraised hoof.

“No, wait, before we do that,” she turned to and trotted up to the blue Pegasus. “Do you remember the motion?”

“Huh-oh yeah,” Volare grinned and spread his left wing.

“Good, now flap it like you would if you were already in the air,” she instructed. “Place yourself on the breeze and move yourself forward through the air.” She grasped his crippled wing and flexed it forward just as before as he did the same before bringing them back against his body.

“What the hay is she doing,” Dash wondered aloud as she watched the yellow Pegasus run her hooves along the base of Volare’s right wing as he continued to flap his left wing, the wind from it blowing back Fluttershy’s mane as he imagined himself flying above the clouds. But the yellow Pegasus soon frowned and folded his wing back up against his body.

“What’s wrong, Fluttershy,” Volare asked, already a little light-headed from the activity.

“Oh, nothing, I was just checking to see if anything had possibly changed with your wing here,” she patted the limb as Iron Will tied it back up with the sling.

“Any change?”

“I’m afraid not…and I’m a little bit irritated with you as well.”

“Huh, me?!” he asked, more than a little shocked. What had he done?!

“Mhm, you’re repeating the motion just fine, but you’re flapping your wing like crazy, like you’re trying to take off. I said to imagine yourself already in the air, soaring, using technique over brute strength,” she explained.

“Hey, what’s the matter with a little brute strength?” Iron Will asked, unable to help himself as he gave his left bicep a quick peck. “Heh, sorry; old habits kinda die hard.”

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” Volare hung his head. “It’s like you said; I just need to slow down and be patient.”

“Yes, exactly,” she nodded. “Which is exactly why you won’t be doing any real exercises today.”

“Wait, what? Why not?” the pilot’s ears drooped; he’d been hoping to try them again without running himself ragged this time.

“Because I have a special task to ask of you,” Fluttershy explained. “You really ran yourself into the ground yesterday and even now, after only flapping one wing for a few minutes, you’re breathing hard. I don’t think you’re in any condition to train today.”

“Ah, I see,” Volare’s face fell further.

“However, that’s not to say that you might not enjoy this little favor, if you’re up to it of course,” he looked up to see a twinkle in Fluttershy’s eyes.

“I thought you said to avoid taking up challenges I couldn’t handle,” he eyes her suspiciously.

“Mhm, I did, which is why I’m offering you that choice,” she explained. “I’ve got an animal that’s in the process of rehabilitation herself and I need somepony to help put her through her paces today. And because I don’t have the time to do it myself, I’m asking you to help.”

“What sort of animal is she?” Volare cocked his head, looking around the yard. “Is she here?”

“No, but she can be,” the yellow Pegasus said cryptically with a small smile. “Would you like to meet her?”

“Sure,” Volare matched her grin with one of his own, amazed that even Fluttershy could make something sound cool with a vague description. "No, but she can be"…what is this, some sort of ninja? He knew it was a stupid thought, but he couldn’t help himself. She had him curious. “Yes, I’d like to meet her.”

“Alrighty then,” Fluttershy raised a hoof to her a mouth and gave a high-pitched cheereek whistle out towards the Everfree Forest. Within moments, it was answered by a slightly lower-pitched chewk-chewk-chewk call that sent small birds scattering into the sky above the trees. “Ah, here she comes.”

Volare’s eyes scanned the treeline before he spotted the black and white feathered creature winging her way towards them. Again, she gave that high chewk-chewk call as she glided less than a foot above the tall grass before suddenly pulling up and alighting on top of the chicken coop, her black talons sinking into the wooden pinnacle with little resistance. The Pegasus’ jaw dropped as the bird of prey before him displayed a long, narrow wingspan that was twice the width of Iron Will’s great horns before folding them up and clacking her blue-black beak quietly. The bird’s piercing yellow eyes met his silver-blue ones out from under a black band of plumage that circled halfway around her white head before melting away into the darkness of its dorsal feathers.
The bird stood proudly on the roof; if she had been standing on the ground, she would have been half as tall as Volare was. Her white chest and underbody feathers shined in the morning light, unafraid of anything in the yard, the owner of which spoke up after seeing Volare had been made speechless by the sight of the great bird or prey. Even Rainbow Dash, as high above them as she was, was more than a little stunned at the sight of such an animal. But it wasn’t just the sheer sight of her that had rendered him so…no, it was the memories that such a bird awakened…

“Volare, this is Shae,” Fluttershy gestured as the bird’s head snapped around at the mention of her name. “She’s an”-

“-Osprey*,” Volare interrupted her. “Ah, sorry, it’s just that I’ve seen birds like her before, back on Earth,” he grinned fiercely up at Shae, who cocked her head curiously, having never seen this particular Pegasus before. “They live around waterways, and whenever we’d dock into port on our Navy ships, we’d always see loads of these guys all over the place.”

“Mhm, that’s correct,” Fluttershy nodded.

“But we’re not anywhere near any major bodies of water, are we?” Volare asked.

“Well, there is the Ponyville River and the Everfree Forest River,” she indicated the general direction of both with a hoof. “But as for large bodies of water, no, the closest one is Horsehoe Bay far on the northeast side of Canterlot Mountain.”

“So, how did you come across Shae,” the blue Pegasus asked, now being watched closely by the female osprey, curious about this new blue pony who somehow knew her name just as Fluttershy did.

“Well, as far as I know, she blew in here on a storm that must have carried her away from the sea,” she grimaced. “She was rather badly injured when I first found her, stuck right up there, actually,” she pointed to a tall oak tree on the edge of her property. Sitting up near the top of the tree was a large bundle of sticks; a nest by the looks of it. “It took her many months of recuperation before she was able to fly again.”

“How long has she been flying, Fluttershy,” Volare asked as he continued to lock eyes with the osprey.

“Hmm, about three weeks.”

“Just three weeks?!” Volare exclaimed, startling the bird slightly, causing Shae to ruffle her feathers for a moment. “And you want me to do what with her, exactly?”

“Just put her through her paces,” Fluttershy explained. “She’s only hunted a few times that I know of since she’s recovered, and they’ve all been escorted outings, so I’d like you to take up the task for me today.”

“But I”- he protested, to which Shae gave a cheek-cheek cry, almost as if she were chuckling at his hesitance. It wasn’t just that he knew nothing about the bird, but it was in the way that Fluttershy, a lover of animals, so flippantly mentioned taking this bird out for a hunt. “Am I qualified for this?” he leaned in and whispered, making Fluttershy giggle.

“There’s nothing to it,” she smiled encouragingly, walking towards the back of the cottage and picking up a well-worn leather saddle. She hovered it over to Volare and dropped it onto his back. “Just escort her and make sure she doesn’t get lost. In the meantime, I want you to observe her; how she flies, how she moves, how she conserves her energy until it’s needed, which is exactly what you need to be focusing on.” She tightened the straps of the saddle down and smiled. “There we go.”

“Heh, ok Zen-master; I guess if you trust me...” Volare chuckled. “How do I go about this, exactly?”

“Well, you’re wearing her favorite perch, so all you need to do is call to her, and she’ll come. Like this: cheeereeek. Now you try.”

“Um, ok…cheeereeek!” To his wonder, Shae lifted off the coop and glided down to him, alighting her surprisingly light body on the saddle and standing up straight on her long, pale legs, putting her right at eye level with the blue Pegasus. Her golden eyes seemed to stare directly into his soul, her sharp hooked beak a hair’s breadth away from his face. She was no longer beautiful so much as she was terrifying this up close and personal. Instantly, all activity from the animals in the backyard ceased, everything falling so silent that one could hear the leaves on the Everfree Forest trees rustling in the middle distance. Even Iron Will was frozen in place.

“Don’t look away, Volare,” Fluttershy urged, her hackles standing on end at how quickly the situation had changed, at how charged the air between Volare and the young osprey had become. She had a feeling Shae would do this because Volare kept locking eyes with her, but not this quickly…and now she was too close to do anything to stop her if she set her mind to putting those tearing claws and beak to work. Volare would be wishing for a pummeling from Angel instead, then…

“Ok, why not?” He had a fleeting thought of running, but her claws were firmly dug into the saddle strapped to his back. Nope, that wouldn't help...

“Because she’s challenging you; asserting her dominance.” Shae had done the same to Fluttershy, but the yellow Pegasus had The Stare to back her up…but what did Volare have? Oh no, this so close to all going so wrong; what were you thinking, Fluttershy?!

“Oh,” he silently damned the sweat threatening to drip from his brow and into his eye, forcing himself to stare the bird of prey down. “That’s just excellent…”

From up above, it was all Rainbow Dash could do to keep from diving down there and breaking her promise…but that would surely cause Shae to attack! Come on, flyboy! Come on, she mouthed silently. Don’t give in! Show some guts, dude!

Author's Note

Notes: Heh, looks like that ol’ Volare boy has gotten himself in a heap o' trouble.
Volare: Jeez, is that a Dukes of Hazzard reference?
Me: Maybe…
Volare: I swear, if you make this bird eat my face...I'll haunt you
Me: O.O ..*re-writes*
Volare: D8<

*Here's a reference to Osprey's in case you're wondering what they look like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey

And thanks to Ghrathryn for the idea of muscle memory retention for Volare's wing! :pinkiehappy:

The Hurricane-Pt 11: A Necessary Evil

Pre-Notes: Whew, so here's what I've had cooking up since before Memorial Day...hopefully I didn't write Fluttershy too terribly out of character here because this gave me an opportunity to explore something I've always wondered about her and how she felt about a certain subject in regards to her animals...SO, buckle up kids, cuz here comes the longest frickin chapter I think I've ever written for anything!

August 29th, Morning

“Wake up, sleepy-filly,” a kind voice softly interrupted Twilight Sparkle’s slumber. She’d been dreaming about a myriad of things, most prominent of which was sifting through the information piled up in her mind over two decades of learning to locate just where in Equestria she’d seen that spell she’d used to repair Volare’s wing.
“Wake up, Twilight,” a gentle nudge accompanied the voice now, and the unicorn groaned in response before rolling over to face the owner of the voice: a smiling Princess Cadance.

“Urgh, it’s too early,” the normally early-rising unicorn protested as she threw her mane over her eyes to block the sun radiating in from the nearby window.

“Come on, Twilight,” Cadance nudged her with her nose. “Sunshine, sunshine…”

“Mmmm…ladybugs awake,” Twilight murmured from behind her mane, a small hint of a smile peeking through the strands of violet hair at the memory of her former foal-sitter’s rhyme.

“Clap your hooves,” Cadance punctuated each word with a tap of her from hooves against Twilight’s.

“And give a little shake,” the two mares finished the rhyme in unison before Twilight’s face rose from her pillow, her grin interrupted by a massive yawn.

“Heh, ‘scuse me. What time is it?” she asked, squinting at the rising sun filling the window.

“It’s just after eight,” Cadance replied. “I figured you’d be up by now, so I”-

“Eight?!” Twilight gasped and rolled her legs out from under the blankets before standing and stretching. “I’m late! I’ve got so much to do today!” The librarian rushed for the front room, passing her brother on the way there.

“Whoa, slow down, Twiley,” Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow in amusement. “What’s shifted you from snoring to galloping all of a sudden?”

“Slept in! Got a lot to do today! Urgh, where’re my saddlebags?! All my research from Volare on humans is in there!!” Twilight replied in staccato fashion as she ran back to the guest bedroom where she’d been sleeping, passing by Cadance again before diving under the bed to search for her bags. The Royal couple shared a small chuckle before Shining cleared his throat.

“Ahem, sis?”

“If it’s a story that’s going to slow me down even further, I’ll have to hear it later, big brother,” Twilight called from under the bed, painfully bumping her horn as she crawled back out again. “Ow, nope, not under there…”

“Twiley?”

“Not now, Shining!” Twilight growled lightly as she galloped past them again, searching the front room before throwing her front hooves into the air. “Argh, where’d those bags go!?” She turned back, her mane frazzled and her eyes a bit too dilated to see Cadance hovering her bags in mid-air with a small smile.
“Where? How?!”

“They were hanging on the hook on the back of your bedroom door,” Cadance explained as she passed the bags over to a considerably calmer Twilight.

“T-thank you,” the unicorn shook her head and sighed. “Sorry, when things aren’t organized, I get a little worked up.”

“I’d hate to see a lot worked up, in that case,” Shining Armor chuckled and gave his sister a gentle hug. “Twiley, I know you’re a bit of a workaholic, but aren’t you technically on vacation?”

“Well, sorta, yeah…”

“So why don’t you tell us what you have planned for this “vacation” that’s got you so worked up, hmm?” Cadance asked. “Besides, it’ll give you time to wake up, have some breakfast and…well, heehee…”

“What?” Twilight cocked her head.

“You always did have horrible bed-mane, Twilight,” Cadance barely managed to stifle her giggles behind a hoof as Twilight blushed and blew a curl of violet mane-hair out of her eyes.

“Well, I suppose I could do with some breakfast,” the unicorn smiled as she realized she’d nearly rushed out the door looking like this; in Canterlot no less! Rarity would have killed her…
But thinking of Rarity made her think of certain other ponies; one yellow-maned blue one in particular. Hmm, I hope Volare’s having a less-stressful morning than I am…

Unfortunately, that was not the case…
Volare found himself currently locked in the most dangerous staring contest he’d ever participated in, for his opponent facing him not an inch away was a hungry and aggressive young female osprey named Shae. He’d been told not to blink or look away from the large bird of prey as it stared him down in a battle of wills…but what about beyond that?!
“F-Fluttershy…how long does this usually go on for?” He asked as gently as he possibly could, all the while staring right back at the burning yellow orbs sitting above Shae’s sharp beak.

Fluttershy found her voice after a moment and spoke up. “I-it all depends…” she replied, doing a bad job of hiding her uncertainty. “Seconds…minutes?”

“Oh, great,” the blue Pegasus returned his full attention to Shae. She seemed to almost have a sneer on her face as she glared at him, challenging him…taunting him… Now, Volare was never one to be terribly nasty if he could help it, but when presented with a challenge…well…the fact that he didn’t always think about the consequences of his actions when he did whatever it took to win was loudly reflected in his crippled wing. Even so, like most any creature, when backed into a corner like this, the instinct of fight or flight took over…and Volare had never been the kind of person to run away if he thought he could win…his training in the Navy only further reinforced those values. And at the rate things were going here, it was only a matter of time before a drop of sweat dripped into his eye, forcing him to blink…and then he was fairly certain he’d lose more than just a simple staring contest.

Time to force the issue a bit.
Without warning, and in a move that made Fluttershy’s legs go weak in sudden terror, Volare butted his muzzle right up against Shae’s beak. The bird jerked backwards for an instant, but before she could recover, the Pegasus narrowed his eyes in a predatory leer, bared his teeth, and growled deep in his throat.
You wanna piece of me, you crazy damn bird? Well come on!!!
If one were to say that a bird of prey could never express more than fierce pride in its face, that theory would have been sorely tested this day as Shae recoiled even further from the Pegasus in front of her, the Pegasus she thought she’d been frightening this entire time. Instead, his narrowed eyes seemed to be blazing slits of volcanic blue, burning right back into Shae’s own golden eyes…which finally blinked and turned downwards as she turned her feathered head away, no longer wishing to challenge such a creature.

The first thing that Volare realized was that Shae had turned her head away. The second thing he noticed was that his face was still intact, and a whistling noise was making its way through the roar of blood and adrenaline rushing through his head, accompanied by a rather loud WHUMP sound. It took him a moment to realize that the whistling was Fluttershy letting out a long, loud gasp of relief from behind her hooves. The WHUMP was Iron Will falling flat on his flank in shock. High above them, Rainbow Dash let out her own breath she'd been holding, albeit hers was through a fierce grin of pride for Volare's ballsy effort.

“Oh…my…goodness, Volare,” the yellow Pegasus hesitated before trotting to his side and nuzzling his neck comfortingly. “A-are you ok?” She looked up at him to confirm what she’d just seen…but no, his eyes-his face, they were back to normal now.

“Y-yeah, I think so,” he nodded before he realized just how crazy his actions had just been, and he felt his legs wobble slightly. Luckily, Fluttershy caught him before he lost his balance, and she held him there for a moment so he could regain his bearings. “W-what just happened?” He asked for confirmation from Fluttershy.

“It was…that was,” she searched for the right words, but was having trouble getting that image of his snarling face out of her mind; just how quickly he’d gone from staring certain harm in the face, to literally staring down said harm…it had almost looked evil…almost like-

“That was amazing,” Iron Will breathed. Fluttershy and Volare turned to see the minotaur getting to his hooves and dusting himself off, his composure regained. “The way you just…it was like a switch clicked over or something, and you became a different pony entirely when your back was against the wall! Heh, could have used that in my old lessons too, I’ll bet…”

“Wow,” Volare said aloud. “I-I hope I didn’t scare Shae too badly.” But his worries were abated as Shae turned back to him at the sound of her name and gave his mane a soft peck and a chewk as if to say that she was just fine.

“No, no, that’s just how certain animals behave when meeting new creatures,” Fluttershy explained. “She just needs to be know who’s boss, that’s all,” she gently ran a hoof along the back of the osprey’s head. The bird of prey, who only moments ago seemed ready to rip Volare’s face off, responded to the caress by nuzzling the side of her face against Fluttershy’s hoof, chirring softly to herself. “And that would be you for now,” she added.

“Oh, sweet,” Volare couldn’t help but puff out his chest a little bit. He’d just stared that bird down! Who’s the man now, woooo!
“So I take it she’s not gonna try that again, I hope?” the blue Pegasus asked, eying the bird suspiciously, a look Shae returned with a wary glance of her own.

“Well, she shouldn’t,” Fluttershy mused. “She tried that on me when we first met, but she couldn’t fly then…so this might be a bit of an experimental outing; that is, if you still want to take her out,” her face fell slightly. “I’d understand if you didn’t…”

“No, no, I”- Volare looked from Fluttershy to Shae, who looked almost friendly now. She seemed to know what was about to take place, and her claws scratched impatiently at the leather saddle. Fluttershy looked up at him with a hopeful smile. “Well, I’d hate to disappoint you two…I guess, as long as she doesn’t try to tear me some new eye sockets, I’ll be ok with putting her through her paces.”

“Oh, wonderful!” The yellow Pegasus hovered for a joyful moment before coming back down. “Ok, you’re going to need a couple of things; just a moment” she explained as she hurried into her cottage, leaving Volare alone in the yard with Shae and Iron Will. The minotaur approached the bird and extended a hand in greeting, to which Shae sniffed it like a dog and gave it a quick nuzzle.

“Heh, she’s not as bad as the act she puts on, most of the time” Iron Will chuckled. “Even so, you just never know how she’s gonna react around strangers.”

“Well, she seems a bit better-behaved than Angel,” Volare nodded towards the cottage.

“Hahaha, ya got that right, Spike-head,” the minotaur laughed heartily as Fluttershy returned, carrying her personal saddlebag.

“Here you go, Volare,” she strapped the bag to Shae’s perch-saddle. “I’ve packed you a full lunch of dried fruits and pressed rice-cakes in there, as well as a map in case you get lost.” She seemed to have had this planned in advance, and Volare couldn’t put his hoof on it, but it unsettled him just a bit. Or maybe it was the giant pink butterfly emblazoned on the side of the saddlebag he was wearing. He cringed slightly and did his best to ignore Iron Will’s soft snicker behind his hand.

“Wait, where exactly am I taking her?”

“Well, I was going to ask you to follow the brook in front of my cottage south down to the Ponyville stream so Shae can stretch her wings.”

“And hunt?”

“…yes, that too," she replied after a moment.

“I figured as much; ospreys eat fish, so you’d want me to stay near water, right?” he asked matter-of-factly.

Fluttershy smiled softly, glad that Volare wasn’t making a huge deal about it. She nodded. “Mhm, that’s right. And if you want to, you can circle around Sweet Apple Acres and say hi to Applejack and her family on your way back.”

“Heh, I’d like that,” he smiled in return, though his face quickly creased with mild concern. “But is Shae ok with that?”

“Oh yes, she should be; she’s already met Applejack when Big Macintosh was recovering from his applebucking accident here. Just make sure Shae eats before you go there, and there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Alright then,” Volare nodded. “When do we leave?”

“Right now if you want,” Fluttershy replied.

“Oh, right,” he chuckled. “Well then…I guess I’ll be off. Any particular time you want us to be back?”

“Any time before sunset should be good. Just make sure to pace yourself, and if you lose sight of Shae, just call her like I showed you; she should come back.”

“Sounds good,” the blue Pegasus turned towards the back gate of the yard. “You ready, Shae?”

“You promise not to eat Spike-head’s face off while you’re gone?” Iron Will chortled before Fluttershy gave him a kick to the thigh that he hardly felt.

“Haha, very funny,” Volare rolled his eyes, and to his utter amusement, Shae did the same. “Hey Fluttershy, before we leave…”

“Mhm?”

“Can Shae…understand us?”

“For the most part, I’m not entirely sure,” Fluttershy tapped her chin. “I mean, she seems at least as smart as Angel Bunny, so I’d assume she could understand our body language and tone of voice at the very least. Why?”

“Oh, just wondering, that’s all,” Volare gave the osprey a short glance before turning back to the gate. “Well…here we go!”

As he trotted out the gate, Shae settled herself on her perch, chirring lightly as he rounded the cottage and headed for the brook. As soon as his short tail disappeared around the corner, Iron Will turned to Fluttershy, his usually confident face creased with mild concern.
“Is something wrong, Will?”

“Well, it’s just that I’m a little worried with you sending out Volare on his own so soon, that’s all.”

“I think he’s well enough to take a little trot around the Acres,” she replied with a little nod of self-assurance.

“Yeah, I know…but you could have gone with him, right?”

“Mhm, I could have…but he needs to feel like he’s making progress by doing something on his own for a bit,” Fluttershy replied. “Besides, if I’m there, Shae won’t act naturally and that won’t help matters either.”

“Well, I just hope you know what you’re doing, Fluttershy,” the minotaur sighed and scratched the base of a horn. “Want me to follow and keep an eye on him?”

“No, I think he’ll be ok,” Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow in mild amusement as she watched the solitary cloud that had been hovering over her cottage since yesterday scoot across the sky, following Volare’s trail. “I’ve got a feeling he’ll be plenty looked after.”
Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen…

Volare’s hooves clipped over the small wooden bridge that spanned the brook in front of Fluttershy's house. He briefly considered simply staying on the road for easier travel, but a light tug on his mane from Shae’s beak convinced him otherwise.
“Alright alright, we’ll follow the water,” he chuckled as he left the road and turned slightly northeast, following the brook. Although it was only early morning, he could already see the air above the stream dancing and refracting as the sun’s rays pulled the moisture above the surface. Small birds winged through the air above them, and he could hear hidden animals scurrying through the stand of trees to his right as he trotted along, causing Shae’s head to rotate around in little jerks of observation in the manner of all birds of prey. It had been years since he’d done a little nature hike like this, and to say that it was a breath of fresh air...

Huge understatement he thought as he inhaled the clean air deeply through his nostrils; so much cleaner than what he was used to on Earth…if he was really going to stay here, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to such unsullied beauty the likes of which no longer existed on Earth, at least, that he was aware of. For nearly 10 minutes of trotting, he was so engrossed in his thoughts of the natural world around him that he hardly noticed them coming to a convergence of the Ponyville Stream from the northwest and the brook he was following. He halted at the water’s edge and looked left and right as did Shae before she chirred at him and pointed to the right with her beak.

“South then, eh? Well, you know the area better than I do, Shae,” Volare nodded and turned right, following the widening stream until they came to a bridge that led over it and into Ponyville itself. From this distance he could just barely make out the shapes of multi-colored ponies wandering to and fro among the shops and little goods stands, going about their lives as if nothing would ever go wrong while under the close protection of the two Princesses living high on the mountain that loomed up into the clouds in the far distance past the town. A moderate breeze was blowing towards them, bringing with it the muffled drone of ponies conversing, selling, and haggling over pricing as well as the delicious scents of fresh baked goods…which got Volare’s stomach rumbling. The osprey’s head cocked to the side in curiosity at the sound emanating from below her clawed feet.

He momentarily considered crossing the bridge and touring the town by himself for a bit, maybe even grabbing a bite to eat…until he was reminded that he wasn’t alone by a sharp peck to his neck from the osprey riding on his back. He turned to face the bird of prey with a look that said: ‘alright then, what do you suggest we do?’
In response, Shae ruffled her black and white feathers and pecked at his saddlebag already full of food prepared by Fluttershy.

“Oh, right, heheh,” Volare chuckled sheepishly as he opened the bag and laid out a paper-wrapped package of rice cakes. There was no way Fluttershy could have prepared those that morning; he’d woken her up. She must have made them last night after he fell asleep…which meant she had planned this little outing this morning. He looked to Shae bemusedly.
“So does that mean she knew you’d try to take my head off when we first met, eh?” He gave the osprey a gentle nudge with his muzzle but only received an irritated chewk and a peck on his nose in return. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry…sheesh, testy bird…ow!” He turned back to see Shae sitting there with a yellow strand of his mane in her beak, having yanked it out of the back of his head. “You’re a sneaky one, you know that?” The osprey responded with what Volare swore was a chuckle of a chirr-chirr-chirr noise.

“Well, just for that,” Volare smiled and plunked himself down on beside the bridge and leaned back against one of the wooden posts that flanked either side of the entrance to the span. “I think I’ll just sit here and eat for a spell.” Shae responded by first attempting to snatch the rice cake from Volare’s mouth and then by hopping down from the saddle and appearing to sulk for a moment.
“Aww, come on Shae,” Volare offered her a piece of the rice cake. “I’m just hungry and weak, that’s all. I know you’re hungry too and we’ll get back on the trail as soon as I eat, ok?”

The osprey looked at the rice cake and back to Volare before almost seeming to shrug her wings in defeat and settling down in his shadow, ignoring the food and closing her eyes for a moment as the Pegasus munched away at the rice cake, not noticing the small cloud that had literally been shadowing them for half the time they’d been walking.

…….

“Poor guy,” Dash said to herself from high above Volare and Shae. “He’s getting better, but he can’t even walk half a mile without getting tired…I guess that’s progress though.” Dash flopped down on her belly and observed the Pegasus below her eating and conversing with Shae…and at that moment she had the strangest desire to be that bird, if only so she could sit and listen to Volare talk.
“What the hay? Snap out of it, Dash,” she muttered to herself. “You promised you wouldn’t bug him and mess up his recovery and that’s just what you’re gonna do!”
Then why am I spying on him like this…is it because I’m worried Fluttershy’s training might make him pass me up? Nah, that’s crazy…then again…maybe I’m just worried he might-
The rainbow Pegasus snapped out of her musings when she noticed a sudden bout of movement down below her.

……..

“Whoa, watch out, Shae!” Volare cried as the osprey’s mighty wings swung open, nearly knocking the food out of his hoof in the process. Everything had been fine until just a moment ago, when something had jumped and splashed in the stream behind him. Shae’s eyes had snapped open and she turned to observe the water’s surface intently, hardly moving a muscle save for her golden eyes. At the sight of a second splash, she’d practically exploded into movement. And with her wings now spread wide, she hopped up onto the post Volare was leaning against and faced into the wind, her head bobbing up and down slightly as she tested the air currents.

“What’s gotten into you?” Volare inquired before the osprey gave a loud cheeereeek and took off into the air. Volare gasped as she nearly hit the ground from such a short takeoff perch before the wind filled her wings and she climbed nearly 200 feet into the sky. At first, Volare’s heart did a little jump at the sight, that sense of vertigo sneaking up onto him again, but it quickly evaporated as Shae dove back down on the breeze, skimming just over his head with a gentle chuckling chirr, as if she was having fun buzzing him like that. Volare hopped to his hooves and watched as Shae again banked over the stream convergence and glided, her eyes riveted on the surface of the water.

Um, what was it Fluttershy said-oh yeah: observe how she flies Volare thought, focusing his attention on her technique. He quickly picked up her flight pattern a she circled over the water, waiting for another splash it seemed: Flap, flap…glide. Flap, flap…glide, a pattern which conserved energy and made the most out of the breeze blowing over the short plain between their location and Ponyville. He saw that, although she’d only been back in the air for a few weeks, she showed no fear of the air beneath her wings failing her, or the ground that would surely rush up to strike her if she fell…no, she flew fearlessly…and then suddenly, she spied another splash in the stream, her wings folded up into her body and she dropped like a feathered stone towards the surface of the water, making Volare’s stomach clench in anticipation of the impact to come. He didn’t even have enough time to scream out a warning…

Shae’s body hit the stream's surface talons-first with a wet smack and she disappeared under the water for a moment, leaving Volare’s heart in his throat, thinking he’d just seen this crazy bird kill itself. But then, she emerged from the water, gave the water clinging to her feathers a great shake, and pounded her wings against the air, gaining altitude again and uttering an irritated series of tittering noises as she circled the water again for another attempt. Volare then looked down under the surface of the stream to see a multitude of fish swimming there, and he quickly berated himself for a fool for thinking Shae so stupid.
“Come on Shae, you can do it,” he breathed as the osprey dove into the water twice more, but both times came back out empty-clawed. She alighted on the wooden post and shook the water from her feathers, clicking her beak and scratching at the post in frustration.
“A little rusty I take it?” Volare’s query was met by an angry glance and a sharp kee from the bird who folded her wings up and returned to watching the water intently.

“It’s ok, Shae,” he trotted up next to the post and stood next to the bird of prey, noticing that she was breathing hard. “I kinda feel your pain…want to fly, but just can’t…hey, at least you gave it a good try”- the osprey cut him off with a quick buffet of her wing to the side of his head, as if to say: ‘shut up, I’m working here!’
She quickly returned to watching the water, her gaze never wavering from the gently flowing stream, waiting for the next ripple that indicated the location of her prey. A very long moment of breathless silence passed in which Volare trotted over and observed the water himself; there wasn’t a single ripple of a fish to be had. Thinking quickly, he tossed the remains of his rice cake into the stream. Immediately, the surface boiled as a multitude of fish swarmed up to devour the morsel so carelessly thrown in the water. Shae saw the action on the surface and looked back him with an expression of almost reluctant gratefulness. She suddenly leaped from the post, halfway opened her wings, and hit the water with a great splash. At first, Volare thought she had somehow missed, but instead he let out a whoop as Shae emerged from the water with a medium-sized silvery fish clasped in her sharp black talons. She circled over the small field between the stream and Ponyville before dropping the flopping fish in the short grass and landing next to it.

“That was awesome, Shae-” the blue Pegasus began to say, but his beaming smile wavered as Shae pinned the fish to the ground with a claw, slime and blood oozing out from between her talons. She gave him a quick glare of triumph before spreading her wings protectively over her kill and began to savagely slash through the shining fish scales with her sharp beak.

……

Even high above them, Dash could see the blood and entrails being ripped from the flopping fish as Shae savored her well-earned meal. She’d never really seen such a display of violence by another predator before, and she couldn’t quite tell if she was fascinated or revolted by the sight of this bird ripping pieces off the animal that she’d just plucked from its home and snuffed the life out of. She finally decided that it was more revolting than fascinating and she quickly flopped over on her back and looked away, though she could still hear the clicking and popping of fish scales being torn away as well as the crack of bones as the osprey hungrily ate her breakfast.

…….

It was strange, watching Shae tear into and eat that fish in front of him…not in the sense of he’d never seen another creature killed before, but strange in the sense that although he’d had his own wing torn off and reattached; although he’d already had a number of close calls with death since he’d gotten there; and the very bird of prey he was watching had come within an instant or two of likely tearing half of his face off, Volare had never really stopped to consider just how violent this world could actually be until he witnessed such an act naturally occurring right in front of him. Life was real here, as was death…it just took witnessing it first hand for him to appreciate that here just as he did on Earth.

Seeing is believing he thought as he watched Shae devour the fish for a few more moments before she stopped and looked up at him. She slowly relaxed her wings and brought them back to her sides as she cocked her head and chirred, her hunger apparently sated for the time being. She then did something he didn’t expect as she grasped the remains of the fish in a claw, of which there was still a considerable amount, and hopped towards him before laying the fish down before him and stepping back. When he gave her a curious look, she responded by nudging the fish towards him and stepping back again, waiting…but for what?

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Volare shook his head before Shae slowly opened her offal-covered beak and clacked it together once before looking between the fish and himself. Again, she nudged the fish a little closer to him and sat back, waiting. It was then that he understood what she meant, and quite frankly, it made his stomach churn a little bit.
“Um, Shae, that’s nice of you and all, but…I-I dunno if I wanna eat something you’ve been, well, kinda annihilating,” he chuckled nervously. When he didn’t make a move towards the fish carcass that she’d offered him, Shae’s feathers drooped a bit, and she made a disappointed-sounding noise in her throat, almost as if she felt like she’d done a bad job.
“No, Shae, no, it’s not your fault,” Volare quickly said. “I just…” he looked at the fish remains and visibly shuddered this time before shaking his head firmly. “I couldn’t take the food that you hunted and earned. Maybe next time when I haven’t already eaten something myself, ok?”

Although it wasn’t really the answer she wanted to hear, it did seem to perk the osprey up somewhat as she hopped back over to the fish…and proceeded to devour what remained.
“Jeez, I think you needed it more than me anyway,” Volare laughed out loud, not quite hearing the sound of retching coming from the cloud above him.

Two Hours Later…

Volare and Shae had continued on their way along the Ponyville Stream after a quick rest, finally turning away towards the south as the water wrapped back north around the town’s southern edge. Instead, Volare trotted along the path that led out of Ponyville and towards Sweet Apple Acres. The orchard of apple trees on the other side of the white rail fence to their right waved in the near-noon breeze, wafting the smell of their ripe fruit all over the countryside. Off to their left and south of Ponyville lay a series of largely empty fields of tall prairie grass swaying in great golden waves as far as the eye could see, terminating in a low hill that poked up above the horizon far in the distance. After nearly a half hour of slow-paced trotting, Volare passed the sweet Apple Acres farm proper nestled amongst the trees. But surprisingly, besides the occasional sound of chickens clucking, the place seemed vacant.

“Wonder where everypony went,” Volare said out loud, to which Shae simply shrugged her wings. She soon seemed to lose interest and the osprey fluffed up her feathers and leaned into the Pegasus’ mane, quickly falling asleep in from the combination of Celestia’s warm autumn sun and Volare’s hoofbeats, the pace of which he felt himself better able to manage as time passed. Maybe it was the nice weather, maybe it was the food Fluttershy had given him; either way, though he felt his hooves growing a little bit heavier with each trotting step, he still felt better than he had in the past few days.
How long have I been here anyway…less than a week? he wondered to himself as his hooves jogged along, slowing eating up the miles of road that stretched around the border of Sweet Apple Acres.

As they continued along their way, they reached a junction in the road. The path to the left continued off into the south and disappeared over a low rise out of the valley, while the path to their right curved back around the massive Acres. Not wanting to get lost, Volare took the right path, and within a few minutes they came upon a familiar building: the cow barn that the Pegasus had nearly knocked the weather vane off of the night he’d had his flight accident. It was certainly bigger than he remembered from way up in the air, and as he trotted towards it, he was greeted by a loud twangy whoop as an orange Earth Pony wearing a Stetson hat galloped out of the barn and gracefully leaped the fence before skidding to a stop in a cloud of dust a few feet from the Pegasus, startling Shae from her slumber with a squawk and causing the osprey to flutter off and sit on a fence post while shooting the Earth Pony a bit of a sour look, not happy about being woken up from her nap like that.

“Well lan’sakes look at ya’ll there all up an’ at’em,” Applejack grinned brightly as the cantered up to Volare and gave him a great hug, mindful of his wing still trussed up in the sling. “How ya doin’, sugarcube? Oh, is that lil’ Shae? Back in tha air again, Ah take it?” She beamed at the osprey who returned the smile with a wary glance.

“Mhm, she is, and I’m doing much better lately, AJ, thanks,” he looked past her at the barn. “Whatcha doing here at the barn? I passed by the main farm a while back and the place looks empty. Where’s everypony gone?”

“Well, Ah’m here at the cow barn fer the afternoon and Big Macintosh is in town runnin’ tha apple stand,” AJ explained. “Grannysmith is more’n likely inside the farmhouse restin’ and Applebloom is in school at tha moment.”

“Makes sense,” Volare nodded. “Fluttershy has me out with Shae to put her through her paces since she hasn’t been recovered and flying for very long.”

“She already eaten lunch?”

“Yep, she did,” Volare’s face contorted at the memory. “That was certainly different to watch.”

“Yep, Ah’ve seen her eat a fish er two more’n once. Heh, and other ponies say Ah have bad table manners,” AJ chuckled. “Then again, life’s gotta do what life’s gotta do ta continue, ya know?”

“Indeed,” Volare’s stomach grumbled yet again and he blushed. “Heh, I guess the snacks Fluttershy sent with me aren’t exactly the most filling things in the world.”

“Ya got anymore in that saddlebag-hey wait a sec, is that Fluttershy’s?” AJ smirked in amusement.

“Uuhhh, maybe,” Volare replied as he turned his body to hide the pink butterfly saddlebag strapped to his side. “She’s letting me borrow it to carry my food in; I’m pretty sure it’s the only one she had.”

“Heheh, no problem, Volare,” AJ grinned. “Not like it sets off yer eyes er nothin’…”

“Wait, really?” the Pegasus asked uncertainly.

“…nope,” Applejack chuckled, prompting Volare to give her a playful shove before she motioned over to the wooden bench sitting in the shade of the trees around the cow barn. “Ah got me a couple o’ apples for a snack. Wanna join me for a little lunch outta tha heat of the day?”

“Heh, that actually sounds pretty good,” the Pegasus conceded and looked back to Shae. “Wanna sit in the shade, pal?” The osprey responded by fluffing her feathers out and turning her back to the sun, obviously more in the mood for catching a few rays instead. “Alright, suit yourself, but there’s plenty of room over here if you change your mind.” He followed Applejack over to the bench and opened the saddlebag, pulling out the package of dried fruit Fluttershy had packed. The majority of it looked like apples, but there looked to be a few grapes and what cranberries in there as well.

“Mm, that looks good an’ all Volare,” AJ smiled and held up a yellow-green apple with her hoof. “But Ah’ll bet it don’t beat tha taste o’ this here golden delicious.” She bit into the fruit with a crunch and smacked her lips loudly. “Mmmm, just as great as the rest of them. How’s that dried fruit o’ yourn comin?”

Volare poked at the fruit with his muzzle and took a bite. He was pleasantly surprised to find it was bursting with flavor, having little to no juices in it to dilute it. He himself held up the dried fruit and grinned. “I think I like it just fine, AJ. Besides, Fluttershy must have sent it with me for a reason, so I’ll at least humor her and eat it.”

“That’s mighty considerate of ya, Volare,” Applejack nodded and finished her apple, core and all. “So, what’s the plan for tha rest of your day?”
Volare then went on to explain how Fluttershy had him on a training regimen of sorts, that yesterday she’d put him through a base test and that today was mainly about observing Shae in flight and making sure she didn’t get into any trouble during her hunt.
"Beyond that, I was going to finish taking a lap around the Acres to give myself a bit of a lower body work out then head back to Fluttershy’s place.”

“Sounds like a pretty full day. Oh, how’d yor first impression go with Angel Bunny?”

“Oh…him,” Volare made a face. “Well, let’s say it could have gone much better.”

“What happened?”

“He tried to pull my head off, I think.” By the end of Volare’s description, Applejack was wiping away tears, she was laughing so hard.

“He’s an ornery critter fer sure,” AJ finally said. “But don’t feel like he’s singlin’ ya out; he tends ta do that with everypony that shows up there. Heck, he even did that to Big Macintosh when Fluttershy was helping him recover from his applebucking injury.”

“Oh, how so?”

“Well, Ah guess he mistook Big Mac’s leg fer a really big red carrot er somethin’, cuz one minute we’re talkin’ with Fluttershy an’ tha next thing we know, this little white rabbit had a hold o’ Big Mac’s leg with his teeth, growling an’ bitin’ like a critter 10 times his size,” Applejack had to pause as both her and Volare shared a hearty laugh for a moment. “He’s a brave one, though, an’ Ah’ve never really seen him give up without a good fight first.”

“Why do you suppose he acts that way?”

“Hrm, couldn’t really tell ya,” AJ scratched her head. “Mah best guess is he thinks Fluttershy is his momma, so if’n Ah were ya’ll, Ah wouldn’t put any moves on Fluttershy while yer there,” she waggled her eyebrows suggestively prompting Volare to swipe her hat and swat her with it.
“Hey, hey, hey, leave mah hat outta this,” AJ chuckled and jammed it back over her blonde ponytail mane. “It didn’t do no harm ta nopony.”

“Alright, alright sheriff, I’ll behave,” Volare chuckled.

“So, why exactly did Big Mac tell ya to have Fluttershy help ya with yor situation? Twilight not able ta find a solution in that big ol’ Library o’ hers?”

“No, she couldn’t find a single book on the subject,” Volare explained. “So that’s one of the things she’ll be doing in Canterlot while she’s there for a while.”

“Well, if anypony can find ya tha right information ya’ll need, it’d be Twi,” Applejack patted his crippled wing gently before giving him a gentle smile. “Hope she does, cuz Ah dunno how a skinny feller like yerself’d do with bein’ an Earth Pony, heheh,” she chuckled again even as Volare attempted to shove her off the bench with a laugh of his own. True, between being somewhat leery of getting back in the air when the time came to simply getting his wing healed correctly, he was still very worried about his future in regards to flight. But the more that he thought about it, the more he realized that Applejack was right: Twilight Sparkle was his best chance at getting airborne again. He’d just have to be patient about it and trust in her for now…

After explaining her plans to Cadance and Shining Armor, Twilight had spent the majority of the day wandering through the streets of Canterlot, checking out all the shops and venues she hadn’t seen in a good while, as well as seeing how the city had changed since the Changeling attack the past spring. In the weeks following the attack, many more forms of security had appeared under Shining Armor’s watch, ranging from extra enchantments on a number of gates to the physical increase of the number of Royal Guards in certain areas. The Princesses weren’t about to drop their guard anytime soon in case of a retaliatory attack from Queen Chrysalis or any fanatics that might have supported such a take over.

But soon, as the months passed, and the likelihood of such an event decreased, the strain of keeping that much of a military presence began to show as the populace began to complain about their home being treated as more of a fortress than a city. Many of the Canterlot ponies had even begun to publicly protest the situation, and it was at that point that Celestia and Luna conceded to allow the extra Royal Guards they had brought in to return to their respective towns. Ever since the drawdown, the city had returned to its previous state, albeit Shining Armor still did his best to keep security as sharp-eyed as possible.

And so, things had returned to normal, although a number of new buildings erected since the incident marked where the attack had physically scarred the beautiful city; not to mention all the holes smashed into the street by the Changelings themselves that were still being encountered and filled in by repair crews. But all in all, the ponies themselves had thankfully not changed too terribly much. They were still as friendly as Twilight remembered, if a bit more appreciative of their belongings due to the attack.

After eating a brief lunch, Twilight made her way towards the Canterlot Library, located halfway up a large round tower near the center of the city. Waving a quick hello to the guards stationed outside of it, she sat her saddlebags down at a table off in a quiet corner of the building and breathed in deeply, the scent of thousands upon thousands of books recalling the memories of how she used to spend hours just studying and enjoying the texts of the past during her earlier years. She zapped the lamp on the table with her magic, giving the corner a soft flickering light before she headed off towards the filing system, intent on finding the spell she’d used to repair Volare’s wing as quickly as possible. She’d let her sibling know that she might be gone for a good while, even prepared to camp out inside the Canterlot Library if need be. She wasn’t scheduled to meet the Princesses for a few days, giving her plenty of time in which to work…

Volare finished eating lunch with Applejack and had prepared to set off again to complete the trek around The Acres. She’d offered to go with him, but she had to finish up her chores at the cow barn.
“I’m sure I can manage it, AJ,” he smiled and gave her a hug goodbye. “Thanks for the lunch and the talk.”

“Just head on down here any ol’ time and we’ll chat it up again if’n Ah get tha chance to,” the Earth Pony returned the hug and waved him on his way. “Just be careful when ya get onto tha west side o’ The Acres cuz that’n borders tha Everfree Forest. An’ critters occasionally come outta it ta sniff around the orchard fence, so just keep yer eyes peeled, Volare.”

“Will do, AJ,” Volare gave her a quick salute. “Come on, Shae. Cheereek,” he whistled, calling the osprey to his saddle.

“Looks like ya’ll’re gettin’ tha hang o’ her already, Volare,” AJ chuckled, though Shae lightly pecked the back of the Pegasus’ head in a defiant manner.

“Heh, let’s just call it a work in progress for now,” Volare replied with a swat to Shae’s tail feathers with his good wing. “Take care, AJ!”

“See ya soon, Volare!”
And with that, he headed off out of the cow barn yard and down the trail that curled around the southern tip of the orchard. As he walked, Volare noticed that Shae kept glancing up into the late afternoon sky.
“Whatcha got, Shae?” he asked as he too quickly scanned the sky, but it was empty save for a single cloud…a cloud he was starting to think was following him…nah, it had to be his imagination. With a shrug of his shoulders, he continued along the path. After a few more minutes of trotting, the path turned north and began to lead the through a relatively narrow gap between the trees of the Everfree Forest and the apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres. And with the sun falling the way it was in the west, it was making that narrow gap more shadowy and less and less inviting by the minute.

“Well, that looks ultra friendly,” Volare muttered sarcastically as he approached the gap. Further in, the older, graying trees from the Everfree actually arced over the path; the tips of their branches intertwined like claws with the apple trees on their right, creating a tunnel that would likely be completely dark once evening was upon them. He momentarily considered simply walking all the way back around Sweet Apple Acres, but that would not only take hours that he didn’t have since he’d promised Fluttershy to be home by sunset, but he’d have to walk back past Applejack who’d probably have a good chuckle at him being afraid of the dark or something.
“Hell with it; we’re going in,” Volare declared as Shae scratched her claws on the saddle and sheeked fiercely.

The blue Pegasus quickened his pace as he approached the first real challenge he’d faced in Equestria. As he jogged along, he became aware of two sets of green eyes watching him from out of the darkness of the Everfree on his left, though every time he turned his head to look, they blinked out of existence, only to reappear further down the road. What the hell?
“I got a bad feeling about this, Shae,” Volare muttered; the osprey seemed to nod her head in agreement as she kept her eyes riveted on the close-in branches of the tree line and the skittering of dead leaves being kicked out of the path of something following them in the underbrush.

……………

“Hey Ray,” Jill hissed in the growing darkness of the trail within the fringes of the Everfree. They’d been sent out by an irritated Trixie to confirm exactly where Volare had been taken to; though it might have been towards Fluttershy’s, there was no telling where they might have turned off on the way there.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Looky what we got here,” she pointed a hoof and grinned wickedly at the dark blue shape trotting through the fading light and into the corridor that ran parallel to the Forest. “He look familiar to you?”

“You gotta be kidding me,” Ray said as he glared out of the bushes and observed the Pegasus known as Volare making his way along the darkening path, a good-sized black and white bird of prey riding on his back. “It’s too bad the boss says he’s not a target yet, or else this’d be the perfect time, don’t you think, sis?”

“Indeed…then again, I’ve never been one against taking the initiative,” she grinned as she followed them parallel to the path, making sure to avoid stepping on twigs or anything else that might overly reveal their presence.

“No sis,” Ray warned as he tugged on her cloak. “If the boss finds out you disobeyed”-

“He won’t find out if you keep your trap shut!” Jill whirled and practically snarled. “Besides, it’s been a damn long time since I’ve gotten a chance to pull something limb from limb,” she grabbed a branch from the ground with her magic and plucked the leaves off one by one in emphasis. “It’d be-*pluck*-so-*pluck*-damn-*pluck*-easy to do it right here…where nopony can see us or stop us…maybe the bird at least…yes, I’ll bet I could make it squawk, heeheehee…”
As she giggled, she slowly extended a hoof into the twilight to reveal that it wasn’t really a hoof anymore: that from the end of the hoof a series of blunt claws had begun to emerge. The front teeth of her mouth elongated and she growled lightly through her grin as her green mane expanded to the point that it sprang out from under her hood in great shocks of spiky hair.

“Sis, control yourself,” Ray pleaded with his sadistic sister. Oh why had he promised mum he’d stick by her despite her issues?! Luna help him, that was why they were in this situation in the first place! Damn you, Jill!

“Move your worthless flank, Ray!” Jill screeched and swatted him in the face with the branch. “I’m gonna have my fun and nopony, not even you, is gonna deny me of that!”

…………..

“What the hell is that?!” Volare cried at the sudden bout of screeching and hollering. The forest suddenly became quiet for a moment…but that was soon followed by something close to his size crunching through the underbrush and giggling maniacally. Every possible nightmarish thing Volare had ever seen in movies or video games or heard of in ghost stories came ripping through his mind as he saw a pair of malicious bright green eyes creeping straight for him out of the shadows. But just as he felt the urge to run, he remembered the young osprey on his back, depending on him to look after her. He knew she could probably hold on as he ran, but he wasn’t about to take the chance and abandon her to…whatever the hell that was!

“Alright look you,” he shouted at the eyes heading towards him. “I’ve had a long-assed day and I’m tired and cranky and not in the mood to screw around here! So if you’re gonna eat me, then come outta there and eat me already!!” He stomped his hoof and spread his good wing menacingly as he yelled, and his heart swelled with pride as Shae screeched her own warning out into the shadows before brushing his neck with a wing of her own, as if to say: ‘I’m here and I’ve got your back, pal!’

For a moment, the eyes continued to stalk towards them, and Volare prepared himself to fight…whatever that thing might be to keep Shae safe, but miraculously, they stopped just short of popping out of the underbrush before blinking into darkness and disappearing. After a long moment of silence, they heard footsteps of some sort stumbling off through the trees, headed away from the pony and the bird on the road.
“You think we scared it off, Shae?” Volare asked the bird who responded with a smug little puff of her chest and a jerk of her beak towards the northern end of the tree tunnel.
“Good idea; I don’t wanna push our luck either, even if we are pretty badassed,” Volare grinned in the dark and Shae simply rolled her golden eyes as the Pegasus trotted briskly towards the exit.

………....

“Jill, listen to me,” Ray whispered fiercely into her ear. “If you use the power that the boss gave you when he didn’t give you permission to, he will know! He’ll feel it and he’ll come looking for you and it won’t be you doing the dismembering then! Please listen to me, sis!” His final plea stopped her just short of the road. She turned to face him, her face still contorted, but not in a toothy grin this time; no, it was a look of guilt and sorrow. Ray grunted in surprise as she grabbed him in a hug around his neck before allowing him to lead her away from the road and back into the woods.

“Ray…what the buck is wrong with me?” she asked, holding her shaking hooves in front of her face. The claws were gone…they were just hooves again, and her teeth were back to normal, as was her mane.

“It’s what the boss has done, sis…it’s not you,” he gave her another hug before setting her up against a tree. He had a theory about what the boss’s influence did to those that chose to follow him, and he had a feeling that those that were mentally unstable were the first to completely lose themselves to the desires that he dangled in front of their noses…again he found himself wondering just how in the hell they’d gotten themselves into this mess. “You just stay right here and I’ll follow the Pegasus. I’ll be right back as soon as I confirm where he’s going, ok?”

“Ok,” Jill whimpered through the mane that now dangled over her face. Ray nodded and continued to trail Volare and his bird. Yet again, as he’d done dozens of times in the near-past, he swore that if he ever got the chance, he’d get himself and his sister as far away from all this as he possibly could. And if he had to face down the bastard that had forced them into this predicament, doing these horrible things for him just because they made one little bad deal…well so be it! Better to die with a free will than live a slave…

…………………..

Rainbow Dash had wanted so badly to tell Volare not to go through that place, that she had a really bad feeling about it, but she was caught between her promise to not interfere and her sense of loyalty to her friends. By the time she’d made up her mind to reveal herself and convince him to go back, he’d already run into it. Despite her worries, things stayed quiet under the trees…but not for long.

“Oh no, nononononono,” Dash hissed and cursed as she propelled her cloud along the top of the tree tunnel, unable to do more than listen to a series of cackling giggles emanating from under the branches, soon answered by Volare’s shouting and Shae’s fierce screeching. Dash gathered herself for a dive that would send her crashing into the tunnel and into a fight with Celestia-knew-what in there in order to keep her friend safe. But just as she jumped off her cloud, she spotted Volare’s blue form in the rising moonlight come trotting out of the tunnel as if nothing had happened!

“Dang, flyboy can handle himself when he needs to after all,” she chuckled in relief as she waited for a moment to make sure whatever he’d encountered in there didn’t follow him. When she was sure the coast was clear, she got back on her cloud and continued to follow her friend, who by this point was jogging along at a good clip and headed straight for Fluttershy’s cottage. Even so, Dash had to fight the urge to fly down there and make sure he was really ok, maybe even give him a hug and a stern warning about messing around in the Everfree…but she knew he had to do this on his own, that she was only there to make sure he was safe; and safe he was, for now…

……………..

As Volare cleared the final rise in front of him, he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the warm, inviting light from the windows illuminating the grass around Fluttershy’s cottage. “Holy crap, finally!” he exclaimed as he trotted up to the front door and knocked on it with a hoof. Within moments, the top door swung open and Iron Will appeared, immediately grinning when he saw Volare and Shae.
“Well, looky here,” he said as he opened the lower door. “Looks like ol’ Spike-head made it back in one piece after all. Where’s Angel Bunny; he owes me five bits,” the minotaur chuckled as the Pegasus made his way into the house. Instantly, the smaller critters in the main room went silent at the sight of Shae perched on Volare’s back.

“Sorry guys,” Volare apologized as he hurried to the back door. “I’m taking her outside right now-oof!” He stopped dead in his tracks as he ran right into Fluttershy who happened to be coming in while he was going out. “Ah, sorry Fluttershy! You ok?”

“Oh no, I’m fine,” she smiled in return and stepped aside to allow him to head out the door. She watched for a moment as Shae gave Volare a quick nuzzle with the side of her face before flapping up and landing in her tree, settling down on the nest there and almost instantly falling asleep. The blue Pegasus turned back and smiled sheepishly.

“Heh, long day for everypony and bird involved on my end,” he chuckled. “How about you, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, the usual, mostly…nothing terribly interesting beyond tending to my animals and-oh, there was a little kitty that got stuck in a tree earlier today!” she exclaimed, eyes a little wider than usual.

“Ooh, tell me all about it,” Volare requested as he headed back inside. “Over dinner preferably; I’m starved!”

The two Pegasi swapped stories at the dining table over what had happened that day. The kitten stuck in the tree that Fluttershy had mentioned was saved by Iron Will who volunteered to climb the old tree despite the fact that Fluttershy could have flown up there and gotten it down.
“Eh, I just saw the poor little guy up there all mewling and helpless and I just acted, that’s all,” the minotaur admitted. “Couldn’t let him stay up there and make a fuss all day, could I?”

“No, and what you did was very nice, Will,” the pink-maned Pegasus patted his hand thankfully. “He’ll surely be grateful for a long time for that. Now what about you, Volare? How’d your day with Shae go?”

Volare then went on to describe the trek around the countryside, with the young osprey, (though for now he left out the part about whatever the heck it was he’d encountered in the tree tunnel if only so he didn’t worry Fluttershy). He also described in detail how he’d observed Shae in flight, like Fluttershy had instructed, particularly how he had realized that her flight pattern was an energy-conserving flap-flap-glide that allowed her to circle over the stream for quite some time, waiting for a fish to catch.

“Good observation, Volare. Keep that pattern in mind because it'll be what we base your flight training on once your wing is fixed," she smiled quickly before her tone suddenly changed slightly. "So she caught a fish eventually, I take it?”

“Mhm, she did after I helped her a bit” Volare explained what he did with the rice cake but shuddered a bit at the memory of the osprey tearing into her prey like that. “Is that why you wanted me to take her hunting; because you couldn’t stand the sight of seeing another animal killed? Cuz I know you seem to love all animals and…I guess that’d sadden you, huh?” Fluttershy looked down at the table for a moment, as if picking her words very carefully before looking up and giving him a surprising answer.

“No, it wouldn’t sadden me terribly at all, to be honest.”

“Huh?!”

“Mhm. I’m not ignorant in the ways of nature, Volare,” she said with a bit of a clipped tone. “I know that animals like ospreys and other predators need to eat at some point, and it’s not their fault that there’s only one food type they can eat. Besides, if it weren’t for them, certain animals like fish would overpopulate their habitats and ruin them for everypony, so creatures like Shae help to keep things in balance.” She twitched her mane out from in front of her eyes and looked at the blue Pegasus intently.

“And don’t think I don’t feel for the animals that die, Volare…I truly do. When I was a filly, I wished for every animal, from the smallest ant to the greatest flying dragon in the sky to live-though I wasn’t overly fond of the dragons, but that’s beside the point. As I grew, I realized that although I wanted every creature to be able to live…it’s not about what I want, but what’s required for life to go on…and sometimes that involves lives being lost. It was painful for me to accept, but without their sacrifice, life couldn’t continue for other creatures…so I guess you could say it’s a necessary evil.”

“Fluttershy, I”- Volare tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He might have expected such profound knowledge from someone like Twilight Sparkle…but from Fluttershy?! Even Iron Will raised an eyebrow at her statement, but kept silent, munching on a solid head of lettuce he’d plucked from the garden that day.

“Yes?”

“I just didn’t really think you thought that deeply on the subject…sorry if you thought me an ignorant fool…”

“You’re not a fool,” Fluttershy reassured him. “A bit ignorant maybe, but that’s only because we’ve just met…hrm, maybe naive is a better word, hm?”

“Heh, yeah...that works,” he muttered. I don’t think it matters if we’ve just met or not, Fluttershy…the point is, I underestimated you again…
“Something else I meant to point out; you know I flew jets for my Earth’s Navy, right?”

“Mhm, Big Macintosh mentioned it, why?”

“Well, it’s just what you said earlier that got me a bit…about the necessary evil. I think it applies to war as well.”

“Oh, how so?” Fluttershy asked, intrigued by how a concept of nature could apply to such terrible conflict.

“Well, without the bravery and sacrifice of a few…the majority may not survive,” he looked up sighed. “I think that war, and the sacrifices made during it, are the necessary evils required that ultimately lead to peace.”

“Ah, I see what you mean,” Fluttershy nodded. The closest thing she knew to war was the Changeling attack on Canterlot, but even with that little to go on, Fluttershy could see what he meant about necessary sacrifice by a few for the good of many. She and her friends were the few…and it was for the good of all Equestria that they fought that battle. Luckily there had been no death involved, but still…were they not prepared to give all as the Holders of the Elements for the good of their country and their Princesses? Did that make them soldiers just like Volare…?

Flutterhsy shook the troubling thoughts away and got her mind back to task. “So, back to Shae’s hunt…did anything else happen in regards to it?”

“Oh yeah, she did try to offer me some of the fish she caught, but I couldn’t eat it because”- Cuz it made you queasy to look at? –“because I didn’t earn the kill, and I didn’t want to take that away from her.”

“Well, if she does it again, you should accept at least a bit of it.”

“Huh, why?”

“Because that’s her species’ way of bonding with their hunting partners,” the yellow Pegasus explained. “And since you helped her gain her meal as a partner, she felt you had earned a share as well, hence her generosity.”

“Ah, I get it now.”

“Sooo,” Iron Wil spoke up, trying to change the subject from the mutilation of fish to something less repulsive. “Who’s up for the brownies I baked yesterday, hm?”

“Heh, I’ll take a few,” Volare began to say, but Fluttershy cut him off.

“No, none for you, Volare.”

“Wha-why not?” he practically whined. I mean, it wasn’t everyday you got to try a minotaur’s cooking!

“Because, while you’re recovering, I want you to stay on a strict diet,” Fluttershy squinted at him. “And unfortunately brownies aren’t on the list.”

“Well crap,” the blue Pegasus crossed his hooves. “What is on the list?”

“Just about everything you see in front of you,” she gestured to the bowls of fresh greens, soybeans, and lentils he’d been munching on. “The foods are high in iron and protein, something you need a lot of if you’re going to get stronger as well as to replenish the blood you've lost. And you know what else is high in iron and protein?” she asked with a look that said she already knew the answer, as if she were quizzing him.

“Umm…” Volare hemmed for a moment before the pieces of the puzzle began to snap together in his mind. No way… “Fish?” She simply nodded and smiled in reply. “And lemme guess, dried fruit and rice cakes too?” She nodded again. “Fluttershy…the food you prepared for me was made last night wasn’t it?”

“Mhm.”

“You had this whole day planned out from the very beginning, huh?”

*nod*

“So I guess you knew I’d get in a leg workout from escorting Shae all day as well as the nutrients I'd need from the fish she caught?”

*nod and smile*

“Zen Master, I promise to do my best not to questions your methods as often as I can,” Volare knelt comically in front of the blushing yellow Pegasus and bowed his face to her hooves. “Teach me what you know, oh wise one.”

“Hahahaha, now you’re getting it, Spike-head!” Iron Will laughed and slapped the table with a hand, happy he was finally trusting Fluttershy’s methods of rehabilitation.

………………

Outside, on the outskirts of the cottage grounds, Ray watched as Volare was led outside by a massive blue minotaur and given a blanket to use to sleep outside in the yard behind the building. He couldn’t catch much conversation at this distance, but it sounded like something about not wanting to be attacked by an Angel Bunny in his sleep, and that something called Shae would keep the bunny at bay if Volare slept under her nesting tree. Aha, so Shae must be that bird he was walking with.
“Shae wouldn’t eat him, would she?” the Pegasus asked as he settled in beneath the tree that Ray surmised held the bird.

“Nah, but Angel doesn’t know that,” the minotaur winked in the darkness and laughed heartily before clicking a finger off of his horns in a small salute. “Night, Spike-head!”
As Ray watched, the minotaur made his way back into the cottage and shut the door, plunging the backyard into the relative darkness of a moon-filled sky, the purity of which was only broken by a smattering of stars and a single cloud that had settled itself over the cottage. The green-eyed unicorn had seen enough to make his report to Trixie, and he quickly retreated, leaving Volare to sleep peacefully as he went to retrieve his troubled sister from the night-shrouded forest.

……………

“Iron Will, I need you to come with me please,” Fluttershy requested of the great minotaur as he re-entered the cottage.

“Sure thing, Fluttershy. What’s up?” he asked as he followed her out the front door of the cottage and out onto the small bridge over the brook in front of the cottage.

“I need to take care of something, and I’ll need a bit of a witness to it,” she explained, instantly getting Iron Will’s full attention. “Well, you notice that single cloud overhead?”

“Mhm, I do,” the minotaur replied as he tilted his great horned head back to give it a closer look.

“Notice anything unusual about it?”

“Hmm…now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen that cloud before lately…does that sound crazy?”

“No, because I’ve seen it too; for the past two days, actually,” Fluttershy raised a hoof to her mouth and called out. “Rainbow Dash! Please stop hiding and come down here!”

“What the”- Iron Will started to say, but he was cut off by a cry of frustration from the cloud.

“Aww, nuts!” The cloud slowly floated down towards the cottage to reveal the rainbow Pegasus nestled on top of the fluff, having certainly been observing the current situation at ground level below her. “How’d you know it was me, Fluttershy?”

“Why else would a single cloud keep still above my house since yesterday morning?” the yellow Pegasus smiled knowingly; although she wasn’t as in-tune with weather as other Pegasi, she still retained the innate instinct in regards to weather patterns that all Pegasi were born with. “Don’t you have weather duty?”

“Nope, not till tomorrow afternoon, and what I had today I got done in less time than it takes ya to say Dash” she grinned proudly as Iron Will snorted softly and leaned against the fence in front of the cottage to observe the long-time Pegasi friends discuss the situation.

“And why’d you get it all done so quickly?” Fluttershy’s seemingly innocent question caused Dash’s cool demeanor to change to one of agitation.

“Well, I erm, just wanted to take a long nap! Yeah, that’s why.”

“Over my cottage?”

“Hey, can’t a mare sleep where she wants?” Dash crossed her front hooves. “Especially if said mare got her work done hours ahead of schedule?”

“Not arguing about where so much as why,” Fluttershy replied innocently, though Iron Will silently smiled from shade of the tree, proud that she’d been able to take his assertiveness lessons and reinvent them for use in her own subtle way.

“Oh, cuz, uh…I was coming to check on Tank,” she quickly said, referring to her pet turtle.

“Dashie,” Fluttershy said in a gently chiding tone. “You know Tank lives in the swamp, right?”

“Um, well,” sweat beaded along the nervous Pegasus’ brow as she felt herself being backed into a corner, just as Volare had been with Shae…except Dash didn’t have the heart to growl at her best friend!
“I might have”-

“Dash, please stop lying,” Fluttershy said in a surprisingly serious tone. “I saw your cloud leave after Volare left with Shae today and you followed him right back to my house this evening.” She leaned in close enough that Dash had no choice but to look her in the eye. “You know you’re not supposed to be bothering him, right?”

The minotaur looked up in surprise as Dash recoiled slightly. Well, this wasn’t something he was told about…

“Yeah, I know,” Dash avoided Fluttershy’s gaze for the moment. “But it’s not what you”-

“Because you know what happened last time you challenged him.”

“I know…”

“And that’s why he’s out here, away from you, so he can take things slowly and not push himself too hard until Twilight comes back with a solution to his wing problem.”

“I know!” Dash practically shouted, causing Fluttershy to withdraw her face behind her mane. If there was one thing that still really got to her, it was angry shouting. “Ah, I’m sorry Fluttershy,” Dash stroked her friend’s mane before moving it away from her face. “I’m not mad at you, ok? I’m more mad at myself that I let things get out of hoof…and then Volare got hurt because of me…and, agh, I know I’m supposed to stay away and not bother him, but I couldn’t help it, ok? I just wanted to make sure he was doing ok.”

“And he is,” Fluttershy said reassuringly. “That’s why he took Shae out today to stretch her wings; it was also so he could get some legwork exercises in without burning himself out as if it were a contest.”

“Clever,” Dash chuckled before her face contorted into worry. “Oh horseapples, I almost forgot!”

“What is it, Dash?”
The rainbow Pegasus quickly explained how she’d spotted those two strange hooded ponies following Volare, Twilight, and Big Macintosh through town, even going so far as to observe them heading right to Fluttershy’s cottage before they broke off the chase and cut through Sweet Apple Acres, disappearing into the Everfree Forest. Big Macintosh was going to keep an eye out around the orchard while Dash had volunteered to keep watch around Fluttershy’s place.

“But that’s not the wildest part,” Rainbow Dash’s magenta eyes were wide and sincere as she spoke. “When Volare and Shae went under that tree tunnel south of here, I heard something giggling and screeching, and them him yelling at something in there. He came out ok, but it scared the hay outta me all the same!” She rubbed her mane indecisively. “I dunno what it was that he ran into in there; it might have been those two ponies in cloaks, or it might have just been some creature from the Everfree, but whatever the case…either way, he had a close call out there tonight.”

“Hm, he didn’t mention that to me…I wonder why…

“Couldn’t tell ya, pal,” Dash shrugged.

“You’re sure this isn’t a ploy to stay near Volare, right?” Fluttershy inquired warily.

“110% sure,” Dash nodded to emphasize her point.

“Shouldn’t we inform the Royal Guard about this, though,” the yellow Pegasus suggested.

“I thought about that…but what if we’re wrong and it’s just a false alarm with those two? That probably won’t go over well,” Dash explained with a frown, though she had a feeling they were probably involved in whatever Volare had encountered that evening; there were just too many coincidences! “Besides, guards here might scare them off, and I’d rather catch them in the act instead and figure out what the hay they’re up to.”

“But what about your weather duties?”

“Heh, you know I can do my duties faster than anypony around,” Dash grinned with a flap of her wings. “Ten seconds flat on most days; maybe the occasional 11 second workday, but those are few and far between.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Fluttershy giggled softly, never wanting to argue with her oldest friend, but instead finding amusement in her outlandish claims-although they often turned out to be true.
“But that still leaves us with the problem of you being near Volare when you promised you wouldn’t…”

“Fluttershy please,” Dash grasped her friend’s hooves in her own. “When have I ever asked you for anything?”

“Um, well, last week, you asked me for a cup of”-

“Ok, that’s beside the point,” Dash waved her hooves dismissively. “The point is: I just wanna see for myself that he’s gonna be ok.”

“You don’t trust me?” Fluttershy asked, looking a bit hurt.

“No, it’s not that! I just… look what nearly happened earlier. Even though I didn’t need to help in the end, I could have if he needed me to! And if he got hurt again when I could have made a difference…I guess I’d feel it was my fault or something.”
…just tell her, Dashie.
Oh shut up, I don’t need your help!!!
…sure…sure…

Fluttershy caught the hesitance in her eyes and finally sighed. Her explanation didn’t seem to be the whole truth, but she seemed sincere enough. “Ok, I suppose since you promised to not interfere, I guess it wouldn’t hurt if you just kept an eye on him.”

“Oh thank you, Fluttershy!” Dash grabbed her friend up in a hug. “You’re a pal, a real pal, you know that?”

“Heh, I try,” the yellow Pegasus smiled.

“Think of it as one less thing you have to worry about; a little peace of mind,” Dash grinned, though Fluttershy wasn’t sure peace of mind was exactly what this was bringing her…indigestion was more like it.

“Just keep out of sight, ok?” The pink-maned Pegasus requested. “No telling how he’ll react if he knows you’re following him around.”

“You got it,” Dash saluted. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into trouble he can’t handle, and nothing more. See ya tomorrow!” She hopped on her cloud with a grin and zoomed off towards her cloudhouse on the southeast side of Ponyville, not intending to spend the night outside again.

“I got a bad feeling about all this,” Iron Will said aloud. “And I don’t even know half the story.”

“You’re telling me,” Fluttershy shook her mane and sighed again. “I just hope she keeps her word…” Even so, why did she feel like she’d just been roped into another one of Rainbow Dash’s crazy schemes…those always ended in disaster!

Meanwhile, across the valley, the soft snores of a violet-maned unicorn filled the Canterlot Library as Twilight Sparkle, having searched through a good half of the books pertaining to transformations and manipulations but finding nothing pertaining to the spell she sought, slumbered on through the night. Perhaps tomorrow would hold greater fortune in her search.
I promise you Volare…she thought to herself as she ran through the memories of every spell she could recall while she slept…I’ll fix this…I’ll give you your wings back even if I have to read every book in the Library…hrm, that actually doesn’t sound like all that bad of an endeavor...could be kinda fun, actually…

.............

A few towers over from the Canterlot Library, Princess Luna was standing upon the balcony of her abode, monitoring the moon's progress as it tracked up into the sky. She was very in-tune with all things related to her night, and she was feeling distant magical flickers of...well, she wasn't sure exactly what. But as faint as they were, they were somehow familiar to her...and not at all in a pleasant way.

Author's Note

Notes: Whew, holy hay, I’m glad this chapter is over and done with! Starting with the next one, Volare learns a little bit more about the Pegasus known as The Hurricane, we get some more insight on Ray and Jill’s situation…and will Twilight ever find the spell to help Volare?!

Volare: Dude, your preview format sucks

Me: Shut up or I’ll kill you off

Volare: ….you wouldn’t

Me: …try me…

Volare: Oh FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-!!! Oh wait, you'd be outta a job if you did, so HA!

Me: :ajbemused:

EDIT: I forgot to mention; this is the map I'll be using when referencing any locations around Ponyville:
http://aurebesh.deviantart.com/gallery/31093498#/d3kk1e9

The Hurricane-Pt 12: Miyagi

September 2nd, Afternoon

To say that Volare’s first week in Equestria could have gone better would have been a gross understatement. The pilot-turned-Pegasus reflected back on the past few days with somewhat more than a sense of awe. He’d gone from fulfilling his dreams of becoming a jet pilot with the Blue Angels, to escaping a horrible accident by what seemed to be divine intervention of the Rainbow Dash kind, to becoming a completely different species able to fly under its own power, losing said power, and now working alongside somepony whom he never would have logically pegged as the individual to get him back in the air: Fluttershy.

If he’d been told 8 days ago that this would be his new reality, he would have likely scoffed at it (although being in this world, minus the drama so far would’ve seemed like a great change of pace).
Had it really only been 8 days…?
Ever since surviving the accident that had severed his right wing, he’d found himself asking that question more and more, with the appropriate addition of days in the question, of course. Whereas on Earth, time seemed to whiz by in the daily race to get things done in a non-stop 24 hour cycle, here…it was like there was no hurry at all. It was like the majority of the inhabitants of this world knew that rushing things would likely only lead to disaster. In all honesty, it was one of the things he was beginning to like about the place…but then again, wasn't it his propensity to push things ahead of schedule that had caused his predicament to begin with?

And so, with that hard-earned lesson in mind, he’d resolved himself to follow the steps of Fluttershy’s rehabilitation program she’d developed for creatures that had suffered from severe physical traumas that would likely leave behind lingering mental scars. He’d arrived at her cottage with his confidence in his abilities to fly shattered to pieces, for though he’d been involved in more than his share of close calls in his relatively short flight career, he’d always come out in one piece. But after his injury, he’d come to realize that it had all been a game of Russian Roulette; that he’d merely been playing the odds…until the odds finally played him. And the nightmare he’d had following it…It had nearly completely broken him mentally in matters above terra-firma, but Fluttershy had seen this sort of behavior in injured creatures before, and knew that avoiding what they feared would likely not help them overcome their trauma.

Over the past three days, he’d shown considerable progress, both in his physical reconditioning as well as his mental state. He’d gone from experiencing a sense of vertigo whenever he even saw something flying to going out and helping Shae the osprey hunt fish in the nearby streams and rivers. No longer did he feel the fingers of fear clutching his chest whenever Shae soared high in the sky or when she folded her wings and dove like an arrow into the water, returning from below the surface with a fish; food for them both. Instead he felt a fierce sense of pride in the bravery of the young bird of prey’s abilities to trust its instincts so strongly in its own fight to survive, something he knew he’d have to tackle sooner or later. Thus, Volare and Shae had grown rather close over the past three days, not as master and pet, for Shae was a bit too wild for that and Volare knew it, but they’d certainly developed a mutual respect for one another.

However, as Volare had been raised as a human, expected to push himself and expecting near-instant results, a little of that human skepticism began to show through during his training. Those feelings of doubt finally came to a head on the afternoon of the fifth day of his rehabilitation…

Volare hung his head and gasped slightly as he trotted across the backyard of the cottage, having just returned from another hunt with Shae that had entailed chasing after her when she had suddenly refused to return to his saddle when he called her. He’d finally caught up to her and gotten her to perch on him, but she seemed…almost annoyed with him; like her having to always return to him instead of to the sky was holding her back. True, she enjoyed the free ride and his companionship, but even she was starting to feel like he was more of a hindrance than a help, despite his enthusiasm.
More than once, he’d whooped and scared away the fish she was hunting, leading to wasted effort and many pecks to the side of his head. Today, as bad as it made her feel, she decided she’d just about had enough. The only reason she returned to him was because she remembered how he’d defended her back at the edge of the Everfree Forest from…whatever those eyes belonged to! Even so, Volare seemed to understand that her patience was wearing thin, and as soon as they returned to Fluttershy’s cottage, he let Shae go up to her tree and he hung the saddle up before going to his rehabilitator who was busy feeding her chickens.

“Fluttershy,” the blue Pegasus spoke almost tentatively. The mare instantly picked up on the worry in his voice and sat down the bucket of corn kernels she’d been tossing over the chicken wire fence before giving the stallion her full attention.

“What’s wrong, Volare?” she asked, worry filling her sea-blue eyes. “Oh, you didn’t get hurt out in the field with Shae today, did you?” She flittered over to his side and began investigating his wings and limbs, causing him to chuckle lightly. Even after learning that she was much more mature in life matters than he’d previously thought, her tendency to over-react a little whenever one of her friends might be hurt never failed to amuse him.

“No, I’m ok, if a bit tired,” he smiled reassuringly. “But I thank you for the concern. Um…find what you’re lookin’ for there, doc?” Fluttershy realized she had his left rear leg lifted at a bit of an awkward angle and quickly let it back down, blushing a bit as she did so.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she squeaked before composing herself. She hesitantly moved to touch his leg again before Volare nodded his consent. “Just let me know if I’m hurting you, ok?”

“Will do,” he replied as she began to run her hooves over the muscles in his legs, hemming and hawing as she did so, her brows knitting as she closed her eyes and frowned slightly. “Something wrong?”

“Oh, no, actually things are going very well,” she said as she untied the sling around his right wing, holding it up off the ground as she spoke, flexing it to its apex and back, watching the primaries twitch as she did so. “The fibers in the base of your wing aren’t shriveling and the ones in your left wing are growing stronger with daily use, as are your leg muscles. Even your breathing seems to have improved.”

“Heh, probably this fresh air out here,” Volare joked and flapped his good wing before Fluttershy re-trussed the crippled one back up and looked at him with a bit more intensity than usual; it quite frankly worried him and he quickly settled down again. “What?”

“I’m just curious about why you seemed so upset when you came back from the field today,” she motioned for him to follow her as she picked up the bucket of kernels and made her way towards the cottage, hanging the bucket up on the wall before they walked into the shade of the small house. Volare sat down at the table as Fluttershy brought them both a bundle of fresh spinach leaves which she split between him and herself.

“Heh, keeping me on that strict diet, I see,” he chuckled as he munched on the leafy greens. These ponies are gonna kill my love of bacon eventually…hmm, stuff’s not too bad though.

“Mhm,” Fluttershy nodded with a smile before motioning with her hoof to Volare after a moment’s silence. With an “oh” of realization, Volare described the morning hunt and how he believed that Shae probably felt about him, as well as how he’d begun to have some feelings of doubt creep back into his mind.

“In short, I don’t think Shae needs my help to fly and hunt anymore,” Volare finally explained. “I just kinda feel like I’m getting in her way now.”

“I see,” Fluttershy nodded in understanding.

“And, ugh,” he groaned slightly before continuing. “I know I said I wouldn’t doubt your methods of rehabilitation, but…I dunno, I just know there’s a fine line between being inspired to do better by the actions of those above you, and getting discouraged by trying to emulate those above you but unable to match them…heh, does that sound stupid?”

“No, not at all.” She had a feeling she knew where this was going, though.

“Well, I feel like I’m slipping towards that discouraged side of the line in regards to my training…sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” Fluttershy patted his hoof encouragingly.

“I don’t wanna sound whiney, though…”

“Volare, trust me,” she looked at him intently, making him drop his gaze to his spinach in sudden shame. “When it comes to situations like this, one treatment can’t fit all patients. It’s important for you to let those helping you know if what they’re doing is causing more hurt than help.” She lifted his chin so his eyes met hers. “What’s got you discouraged, Volare?” It was at that moment that the pilot realized that perhaps she was just as unsure about exactly what was the best course of treatment for him.

“Well, it’s a couple of things,” he twiddled his hooves uncomfortably as he spoke. He’d never been known to whine, had always taken things in stride as best he could…or simply walked away when he realized he couldn’t win. But he was stuck in this situation, admittedly by his own doing, and there was no running away. However, on the same token, if he wasn’t going to be barked at by voicing his displeasure…
“Ok, to start, I think I’m making progress in the vertigo factor because I’m not running fall speed and impact force calculations through my head whenever I see something flying over my head anymore.”

“That’s certainly good news,” the mare returned his sheepish grin with a smile of her own, though she frowned as his face fell slightly when he continued.

“However…as much as I appreciate the cardio and leg strength exercises that come with having to follow Shae all over the place when she hunts, I feel like she’d just too many steps ahead of me when it comes to flight and therefore is a bit too impatient with me in keeping up with her. I guess it’s cuz I can’t get up there into the air and accompany her that’s got me down the most…it’s just discouraging to me when I can’t match my partner in effort.”

“But that’s not fair for yourself, Volare,” Fluttershy countered. “You can’t fly just yet.”

“I know that, Fluttershy…but as smart as Shae is, I don’t know if she can rationalize it that way like we can,” he sighed. “So yeah, I feel like I can’t match her and that’s discouraging me…and I’m just holding her back…so I’d like to stop going hunting with her for now, if you don’t mind; at least till I can fly again. Plus I don’t think my body is processing fish too terribly well,” he said in embarrassment, causing them both to chuckle and grimace simultaneously.
“However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t wanna stop exercising and building strength where I can,” he quickly added.

“Of course not,” Fluttershy nodded. “I’m glad you’re admitting this now before it really got you down later, Volare.”

“I’m just glad you’re not mad at me for kinda questioning your methods.”

“You’ve just gotta let me know if it’s not working,” she explained and gave him a semi-fierce grin. “Be assertive!” she growled lightly and laughed before her face softened, becoming almost sorrowful; the abruptness of the change worried Volare. Was it something he said?
“You…you’re not afraid of me, are you?”

“Um, I,” Volare began. Shit, what do I say?! He knew of her Stare, of her ability to talk down dragons, and what happened when little animals didn’t love her *shudder*…so yes, under certain conditions, he likely would fear her, and greatly! But looking at her kind face now, the way she was being so patient with him to make sure he was getting the best treatment possible…
“No, not right now anyway…though Iron Will may have told me a story or two that would make anypony cautious if they-”

“Somepony call my name?” the huge blue minotaur surprised both Pegasi as he suddenly poked his head in through the window with mischievous grin, sending Fluttershy shooting halfway to the ceiling and Volare toppling out of his chair. “Whoa, was it something I said?”

“Kinda, yeah,” Volare rubbed the shoulder he’d landed on as he got to his hooves and Fluttershy returned to the table, righting her chair and sitting back down in it. “But not what you think.”

“What did I say, then?” Iron Will asked with a confused scratch of his head, causing Fluttershy and Volare to exchange quick looks before bursting into laughter. Volare shook his head after a moment, reassuring Fluttershy that what he heard didn’t affect how he felt around her too terribly much.

“Oh, it was nothing, Will,” Fluttershy said as she patted him on the head. “Just a funny story, that’s all.”

“Well, ok then,” the minotaur shrugged his shoulders and headed for the backyard. “If ya need me, I’ll just be out back working some stress outta my neck and shoulders.”

“Be careful, Will,” Fluttershy nodded before turning back to Volare. “So you’re not afraid of me, then?”

“Nah, I’ll just be sure to watch my step,” he replied, glad the mood had lightened considerably. However, they were still left with a small conundrum on their hooves. “How am I gonna get my training in now?”

“Well, you said you’re already feeling better about flying, right? I could try carrying you over the fields and get you a feel for being back in the air if you want.”

“Hey, let’s not push it too much now,” Volare laughed nervously.

“I was only joking,” she chuckled and booped his nose again. “I’m not the strongest flier and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do that anyway.”

“Heh, doing better than me,” he gave her a soft tap on her wing. “At least you can get off the ground.” The two Pegasi sat there wracking their brains over what they could do for a moment before Fluttershy looked up, her eyes considerably brighter. “Hrm?”

“I think I know what you might need.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm,” she looked at the wall for a moment as if contemplating her next move before turning back to him. “You say Shae is a little too far ahead of you and it’s discouraging you, right?”

“Yep, unfortunately.”

“So maybe we need someone closer to your speed, so to speak…no offense,” she spoke the last words so quietly it took Volare a moment to understand what she’d said.

“Oh, heh, none taken,” he chortled. “It’s true, I suck.”

“Oh you do not suck,” she gave him a gentle smack on the shoulder. “You put those thoughts out of your head, even in jest.”

“Heh-heh ok, ok,” he raised his hooves defensively. “Just don’t beat me to pieces, Miyagi.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “You’ve called me that a number of times…what’s a Miyagi?” To add to her confusion, Volare broke out into a series of chuckles, though it relieved her to see him smiling like this. In truth, she’d felt something off about him ever since he and Shae had come back their trip around Sweet Apple Acres that evening. She wondered if it had to do with what Rainbow Dash had said she’d heard…what Volare had conveniently left out of his recollection of the day, but why? She was determined to find out, but now wasn’t the time. For now, she’d let him relax in the relief that she wasn’t mad at him for wanting to change up his rehabilitation routine. He finally stopped chuckling long enough to speak.

“Well, Miyagi isn’t a what, but a who. He’s an important person in a movie called The Karate Kid. You know what movies are, right?”

“Mhm, we don’t have many, but I know what they are. But tell me more about this Miyagi. Was he a good person, I hope, cuz I’d hate to be compared to the bad guy,” Fluttershy hid her face behind her hooves for a moment before Volare chuckled again.

“Heh, far from it. Hrm, do you have some free time? I can tell you about the movie and how Miyagi fits into it…and why I keep calling you by his name.”

“Sure, I’ve got time,” Fluttershy smiled and settled into her seat.

“Alrighty then, let’s see what I can remember,” Volare grinned.

Meanwhile, above Ponyville, a certain cyan Pegasus was getting heavily involved with a set of puffy cumulus clouds that had drifted in on the breeze from the weather factory at Cloudsdale north of the town. Normally these clouds would have been destined for shading some weary pony, but oh no, not today!
“Hate to do this to ya, but…nah, I regret nothing!” Rainbow Dash snickered as she spiraled down from the heavens and smashed through the first of the fluffy clouds, sending ice and water vapor flying. She quickly followed suit with the others until the air was completely full of water drops. Turning a quick 180, she zipped back through the water, the wake of her passing dragging the vapor behind her in a great swath of water that thinned out as she flew. With a fierce grin, she zigged and zagged through the air, finally coming to rest about 150 feet from the ground before throwing her hooves up in the air and turning about to see her work.

“Oh yeah!!” she crowed. The light from the mid-afternoon sun struck the path of water vapor falling through the air, revealing a shimmering lightning bolt outline reminiscent of her cutie mark. “Who’s the mare, huh? Who’s the mare?” She grasped her hooves together and shook them to the sound of applause.

“Yeah, Rainbow Dash!!” the cries rose to meet her as she fluttered to the ground just to the east of Ponyville, face filled with a confident, toothy grin and her eyes closed as she soaked in the cheers. She opened them to greet her adoring fanclub…of one.

“Huh?!”

“Wow Rainbow Dash, that was a good one!” the young orange Pegasus before her hooted and hollered like ten ponies, her fuchsia mane bobbing all over the place as she jumped up and down in excitement.

“But I-where’d everypony else go?” Dash muttered as she looked about. But sure enough, the only pony there was the small Pegasus; nopony else had seen what she’d just done, and she nearly sunk to her flank in despair before the smaller Pegasus grabbed her hooves and shook them heartily, grinning wildly the whole time. Dash sighed. Well, at least my self-proclaimed number one fan caught that one…
She brought a hoof up and mussed the younger Pegasus’ mane before putting on a smile for her only fan present, the very founder of the Rainbow Dash fanclub: Scootaloo.
“So you caught that one, eh Scoots?”

“I sure did! That was your cutie mark you just made with the rainwater, wasn’t it?” She beamed up at her idol.

“Heh-heh, sure was,” Dash polished a hoof on her chest fur for a moment before tossing her mane skyward to watch the rain she’d atomized fall into and around the Ponyville Stream.

“What do ya call that one?” Scootaloo asked as she produced a notebook and pencil from her saddlebag. Adorning the notebook’s cover were multiple images and drawings of Dash, the prized one being a photo from this past summer that showed Scootaloo standing on Dash’s back as they mugged for the camera. She had filled the book with all things Rainbow Dash, including her own patented tricks, the newest of which she was just itching to write down.

“Hrm, I dunno yet…I kinda just made it up on the spot,” the older Pegasus grinned before tapping the ground with a hoof. “Um, what do you think it should be called, Scoots?”

Scootaloo gasped and her purple eyes went wide. She’d had input on Dash’s tricks before, but she’d never asked her to name one of them! “Um, but why me-I mean, that’s awesome you’d ask me, but why?”

“Simple: you were the only one around to see it besides me of course, and I’ve made up and named a whole mess of tricks already,” Dash sat down next to her biggest fan. “So, I feel you should get to name this one.”

“Oh my gosh, dude this is so sweet!” Scootaloo practically squealed before she realized who she was sitting next to. She quickly regained her composure in order to project “cool and collected” rather than “Rainbow Dash fanatic”.
“Ahem, I mean, yeah, of course I’ll help you name it.”

Dash couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at Scootaloo’s enthusiasm. Though she had no siblings of her own, she sometimes considered the smaller Pegasus her little sister more than a fan. She’d never told her so, but because Scootaloo was almost always there to watch her practice her stunts, she never felt totally stupid in doing so. As long as somepony is looking up to me…I’ll keep it up…even if I never do make the Wonderbolts…not that I wouldn’t, but still…
“Thanks, Scoots. Whatcha got for me?” she asked as she leaned back on the grass and rested her eyes for a moment.

“Um,” Scootaloo tapped her hoof on her chin and winked an eye, thinking hard for a fitting name for such an awesome stunt. “Well, you made a lightning bolt with the rain…how about The Rainbolt?”

“Scoots…” Dash’s magenta eyes shot open and stared at the sky for a moment before she turned to Scootaloo and grinned. “That’s genius! Gimme some wing!”

“It is? I mean, I am!” The younger Pegasus hopped up as Dash did before jumping and swatting her small right wing against Dash’s strong one. She was so excited that she did her best to hover in mid-air like she’d seen Dash do…but only managed to crash back to the ground. She spat out pieces of grass and blushed heavily as Rainbow Dash did her best to contain a giggle. Instead, she gently patted her biggest fan on the head and flicked a leaf from her mane.

“Keep trying, kiddo; you’ll catch me one of these days,” she nodded, totally serious. “You remind me of me when I was your age…just a little less air-borne. But don’t stop trying, cuz as awesome as I’ve seen you while on your scooter, I’ll bet you’re 4 times as that much once you learn how to fly!”

“Wow, thanks RD,” Scootaloo grinned and hopped on her scooter, puttering along next to her idol as she trotted along back towards Ponyville. “So, what else ya got planned for today?”

“Oh crap,” Dash paused in her tracks for an instant. She was supposed to be watching the Acres for those two creepos…what if they snuck back near the town while she was showing off…what if they messed with Scoots, her biggest fan? Or messed with Volare again like she was positive they’d already done…
“Nopony messes with my friends or my fans…not on my watch,” she growled before she realized that her orange companion had stopped a few feet ahead and was looking back at Dash in alarm.

“What’s wrong, RD?”

“Oh, um, nothing Squirt,” the rainbow Pegasus shook her mane. “I just, um…forgot something on the other side of town, that’s all.”

“Forgot something like what?”

“A couple of somethings, actually. Gonna be pretty busy with them to tell ya the truth, so why don’t ya run along back into town, eh? I’ll catch up with ya later, ok?”

“Aww, ok,” Scootaloo’s face fell for a moment before Dash mussed her mane again, causing her to chuckle before she buzzed away on her scooter, her small wings pushing her along the ground with great speed like tiny plane propellers.

“Heh, cute kid,” Dash smiled before turning back to the eastern edge of town. Back to the spy games…
With a whoosh of air forcing the grass along the roadside flat, she took off into the air again, headed towards the Acres and snagging one of the few clouds she’d spared earlier on the way there.
“Good thing I didn’t clear all you guys out, eh? Heh-heh.” She nestled down into the fluff and resumed her waiting game between Fluttershy’s cottage and the northern edge of the orchard, hoping that Big Mac was still keeping an eye on his end.

…sure you’re not watching for somepony else?
Oh knock it off, so what if I am?
…perhaps you’re worried The Hurricane will improve him past you, eh?
Meh, Fluttershy’s good, but she’s not THAT good!
…only time will tell.
Yeah, and once he gets back in the air, it’ll be time for him to REALLY learn a thing or two about flying!
…
Within reason of course!
…that’s better.
Yeah, I think I’m losing it…Volare’s gonna pay for this one of these days.

“And that’s the story of The Karate Kid,” Volare leaned back in his seat smiled at Fluttershy’s wide-eyed expression. “A real underdog story if there ever was one. I think humans like those stories the most because Earth is full of adversity and…well, I guess we like seeing one’s efforts pay off in the end, especially against all odds, and-Fluttershy, are you ok?”

“Oh! Mhm, I’m fine,” she shook her head twice before cocking it over to the left, her eyes never leaving his, a thoughtful air growing about her.

“…what, is there something on my face?” the pilot chuckled nervously.

“No, not at all; I’m just thinking about what you said about the movie, that’s all.”

“Heh, it wasn’t all that great of a movie, Fluttershy.”

“But it certainly seems that way.”

That’s only cuz your data set is small…heh I guess I got a little Twilight rubbing off on me. But he decided to humor the mare for the moment. “Ok, what stood out the most to make it seem so great to you, Fluttershy?”

“Well, it wasn’t any one thing, really. More like, hrm…it’s hard to put a hoof on it,” she thought for a moment. “Ok, you remember how you said that I’m like Mr. Miyagi because we both had methods that seem originally seem strange, especially when taken by themselves?”

“Mhm, I do.”

“But when put together, they make sense,” a strange, excited smile began spreading across her face as she spoke. “For example, the ‘wax on, wax off’ scene. At first it just seemed silly, but in fact he was helping Daniel to build muscle memory for his karate lessons later.” She paused and tilted her head again. “Remember that wing motion I told you to keep in mind, the one we’ve been repeating on your crippled wing for several days now?”

“Yes…” Whoa, wait a second here …

“Do you remember why we’ve been doing those?”

“Um, yeah, you said so my wing doesn’t shrivel up.”

“Why else do you think we were doing that?” Flutteshy’s smile was practically Cheshire now.

After a moment’s thought, the realization hit Volare like a ton of bricks.
“What…no, no way, that’s just…that’s crazy!”

“What’s crazy? The exercises for muscle memory part?”

“Well no, not that…I mean, yeah, the parallel is uncanny, but,” Volare shook his head in disbelief. “I never thought about that!”

“Those aren’t all the distinctions I saw, Volare.” When the pilot gave her a curious look, the mare explained herself. “You said that even though Mr. Miyagi could beat anyone in a fight in the movie, he preferred to settle things peacefully, right?”

“Right…I guess that kinda is you, huh? Especially in regards to The Stare; what a weapon, huh?” He grinned.

“Hee, it’s useful in a pinch,” she blushed slightly at the compliment and continued. But as she did, she became rather quiet. “There’s one more thing I saw between me and him, Volare.”

“What was it?”

“Well…remember how Mr. Miyagi was a World War II veteran, even receiving some awards for his actions?” She withheld her questions about the war for now, drawing the conclusion that if there was a second world war than there must have been a first…Volare’s planet didn’t exactly sound like her type of place to be.

“The Medal of Honor, yeah. That group he was with, the 442nd Infantry Regiment was the most-decorated to come out of that war.”

“Mhm, but he didn’t seem terribly proud of it,” Fluttershy continued, her voice growing even softer.

“Well, he said it was something he was required to do, and he did it to the best of his abilities,” the blue Pegasus said. “But Fluttershy, except for that skirmish against the Changelings, you haven’t been in any wars, have you?”

“No…”

“Then where’s the connection you see there?”

Fluttershy sighed softly and raised her gaze from the tabletop to his own. Her eyes, full of excitement moments ago, were now full of worry. “Volare, I want to tell you something important…I’m just a little ashamed that it took you telling me about a movie to get me to say this.”

“Ok,” the stallion leaned across the table, doing his best not to show too much concern and spook Fluttershy. She’s been so strong since I’ve gotten here…why the sudden change, though?

The yellow mare’s blue-green eyes drifted up to the corner of the room, where THE HURRICANE banner was hanging. “Volare, how did you come to know about me?”

Her question caught him by surprise; he nearly answered “from a TV show,” but he quickly recovered. “Oh, um, well Big Macintosh first mentioned you when we were trying to figure out who to take me in while Twilight was out of town. He said that you could also help me rehabilitate myself.”

“Yes, but how did he refer to me?”

“Ah, I see…as The Hurricane.”

“Is that how you define me now?”

“Huh, Fluttershy I don’t understand”-

Her gaze returned back to meet his. He couldn’t quite define the emotion filling her eyes, but it seemed almost like…disappointment. “Do you see me as more than just The Hurricane, now that you’ve gotten to know me better?”

Dammit, now he was really stuck! He’d known her as anything but The Hurricane before he’d even met her, so how the hell did he answer this one truthfully?!
“Fluttershy, I…” He trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you, Volare,” she sniffed lightly. “It’s just…I’ve felt like Mr. Miyagi did in that movie for a while now in regards to my behavior…” She sniffed again, and hung her head.

Ok, now Volare was worried! He grasped her hooves in his and squeezed gently, bringing her vision back to his; her sea-blue eyes peeking through the strands of pink mane, almost as if they were hiding from him of their own accord.
“What do you mean, Fluttershy?”

“What I mean is…for a good while now, I’ve felt like other ponies have defined me by my behavior and the deeds I’ve done. But the problem is, most of the time, I’m quiet and out of the way; the only time I do deeds that get noticed always seem to be negative, or aggressive, or scary things like me being overly assertive, the animal incident at the Grand Galloping Gala, The Stare, or me being called The Hurricane for my efforts this past spring.”

“But that last one doesn’t seem so bad,” he replied in an attempt to gloss things over somewhat.

“But that’s not me, Volare,” Fluttershy raised her head to the point that her mane slid away from her face, revealing two distinct tear trails glistening on her cheeks. Volare couldn’t help himself, and he slid around the table and sat next to her, spreading his left wing across her back and held her close, doing his best comfort his mentor who until now he thought had become invincible to a degree. “That’s not how I want to be known. I don’t want you or anypony to be intimidated of me because of what I’ve done.”

“Ah, I see now,” he nodded and stared at the table. Now he saw why she seemed to do an about-face in emotions when she asked if he was scared of her. He didn’t think she felt so strongly about this…

“I don’t want to be defined by aggressive actions, even the ones I had to take out of necessity. Just like Mr. Miyagi,” she wiped her face with a hoof and turned to stallion. “And I just feel so terribly guilty about this whole situation, Volare.”

“What, how? You didn’t do anything wrong, Fluttershy!”

“Yes, but I played up my reputation as The Hurricane too much, I think,” she explained. “I feel like I should have told you sooner about who I truly was instead of you continuing to think I was some all-knowing master of flight. I’ll bet if you knew the truth you wouldn’t have put such blind faith in me knowing what I was doing; but the truth is, this rehab situation is like nothing I’ve ever dealt with. I’m learning as I go along, just as you are…I’m sorry.”

“Fluttershy, it’s ok. I”-

“Did they get you thinking that way because they told you about how much I increased my wingpower in a few days for The Water Tornado; that I must have some secret technique or something?”

“Well, they did mention it, yeah.”
Nice save, Volare…lame.

“Well the truth is this: I began with .5 wingpower,” she frowned at the memory. “After training myself for a few days, I came back and had my wingpower tested again. It came out to 2.3.”

“That’s actually a pretty impressive improvement, Fluttershy,” Volare said in what he thought was a helpful tone. But it only served to make Fluttershy pound the table with a hoof.

“Is that what they told you? Volare, do you know what the average wingpower of the other Pegasi that day was? 10…and I was a measly 2.3…”

“Ahh, jeez-I mean, come on Fluttershy, that’s not so bad…better than me right now, right?”

“But that’s only because of your injury…before that, who knows what you were at, especially if you were keeping up with Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, I think she was messing with me a little…or a lot, more than likely,” Volare chuckled lightly, trying to cheer his friend up. But nothing seemed to be working. “What happened after that?” was all he managed to ask.

“Well, the day of The Water Tornado came, and the other Pegasus ponies, the ones not missing and sick from the Feather Flu, had to get their combined wingpower up to 800 to move the water up to Coudsdale.”

“Mhm, I remember that.”

“How much did they tell you I contributed?”

“Well, Twilight didn’t say specifically, actually,” Volare replied, wracking his brains for the numbers but realized she hadn’t mentioned anything concrete.

“The other Pegasi got their combined power to 795, and that’s when I jumped in, something I didn’t even want to do in the first place…did she tell you about that? Did she tell you I was scared stiff?”

“Well, no…” He kinda guessed she’d be nervous, but not that nervous, especially after getting to know her these past few…oh…now I think I get it…

“Oh Twilight…guess she couldn’t have convinced you to come to me for help if you knew the whole truth,” she shook her head and continued. “I jumped into the tornado and added my wing strength to theirs, and we managed to bump it up to 801, pulling the water up into the sky.”

“But that’s great, Fluttershy! Without you, they”-

“Volare, you don’t understand…even with me, they only gained 6 more wingpower…I’m still a weaker flier than most of them,” she held her face in her hooves. “I dunno why they even gave me the title The Hurricane if I was still such a weak flier. You see why I almost resent that nickname now? Why I don’t wanna be known first as The Hurricane and Fluttershy second? That’s what I’ve felt guilty about, Volare. Because without that lie, you wouldn’t be here…”

“Aww, Fluttershy,” he hugged her gently as he spoke. He wanted so badly to get his own guilty secret off his chest at that moment, if anything to simply make her feel less alone in carrying such a heavy weight all the time, but as upset as she was, he knew that was a horrible idea. Instead…
“I think I know how you feel.”

“Hmm?”

“Not personally, but I mean I understand what you meant; that you’d rather be known for who you want to be, not who you had to be, am I right?” At her simple nod, he continued. “However, if I were you, I wouldn’t resent that distinction of The Hurricane. Heh, you’re doing better than me cuz knowing myself, I’d probably let the fame go to my head a bit. But you’ve got a smart noggin on your shoulders here,” he patted her mane gently, bringing the softest of curls to the corners of her mouth.

“You’re not letting what you did in the past: The Stare, The Hurricane, the scary little mental breakdowns-ow,” he chuckled as she hoofed him in the shoulder at that last comment, her smile growing a bit as she did so.
“Heh, my point is you’re not letting those things define who you are, and for that I commend you. And in regards to your actions with The Water Tornado and The Stare…as aggressive and out of character as those things were for you, I also commend you for doing what you needed to do, despite how scared or reluctant you might have been in those situations. Those decision took a lot of guts, Fluttershy, more than many people I knew ever had. So I say instead of repressing those things in fear of them taking over who you are all the time, embrace them for who you can be when the time comes.”

He nudged her shoulder lightly to get her to look up at him and see him smiling brightly.
“Just don’t let those things define you, and keep being the you that you wanna be, and it’ll work out just fine. I don’t think you’re a phony; look at what you did for Big Mac, Iron Will, and your animals. Look what you’ve done for me so far. And as for your actions that led to you being called The Hurricane; you threw away your fear to help your friends and achieved real results! That’s not fake! And heck, if anypony thinks otherwise, I’ll vouch for you if I have to-hey!” He gasped a bit as she suddenly threw her hooves around him and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder and sniffling for a bit. It wasn’t all-out crying, but it was close enough for it to wrench at Volare’s heart. He simply held her there for a long, long moment, letting her hug out whatever emotions that might have been welling up in her.

“T-thank you, Volare,” she finally said, looking up at him with wet eyes, though she also wore a smile that eased his worries. “Thanks for…for seeing who I really am and not being mad at me.”

“Mad? How could I be mad at you, considering all you’ve done for me? Heck, you don’t think I’m whiney so it’s the least I could do, right?” He wasn’t even really all that upset even though he’d basically been tricked into coming here. But would you have really come if you’d known the truth from the outset? Hrm…probably not…dammit Twilight, why’ve you gotta be so damn devious and smart!? Speaking of which, he wondered how her search was going…

“Thanks, Volare…for letting me get that off my chest.” She finally released him from her embrace and looked down at her uneaten spinach, a little more color than usual flushing her cheeks.

“You’re very welcome, Fluttershy.”
Hope you can do the same for me if I ever get up the nerve to tell YOU guys the truth about what I know…
“Hey, I don’t mean to change the subject, but I was kinda wondering...”

“Yes?”

“What other connections did you see between The Karate Kid and this situation?” It was now her turn to be caught off-guard by his question, and she shook her head with a giggle before responding.

“Hmm, you said it’s an underdog story, right? Well, isn’t that kinda what you are right now?”

“Ah, I see what you mean,” he grinned sheepishly. “Guess the odds are kinda against me, huh?"

“Indeed. But that’s far from all. You’re a stranger in a strange land, trying to make his way in the world without a desire to cause trouble, but trouble seems to find you anyway, right?” she tapped her hooves together to emphasize each fact as she spoke.

“You can say that again, though a lot of it’s my fault, heh-heh.”

“Even so, it still does, and you’re fighting through it.”

“Well, at least I’m not being jumped on by thugs…unless Angel Bunny counts,” his response drew a long chuckle from both Pegasi. “Speaking of which,” he glanced back and forth, actually rather surprised he hadn’t been jumped when Fluttershy hugged him. “I haven’t seen him in a good while. Where is the little rascal?”

“Oh, him…I gave him a good talking to the day that he jumped on your head,” Fluttershy explained. “I told him that if he didn’t have anything nice to do or say to you, that he was better off leaving you alone because you’re here until you get better or at least until Twilight comes back.”

“Guess he doesn't have many positive things to say to me, huh?”

“I suppose not…as for where he’s been lately,” she glanced towards the back door. “He’s been outside a lot. Maybe he’s out there with Iron Will watching him exer”- She suddenly stopped mid-sentence and gave Volare a knowing grin.

“Ok, you’re smiling like the fox that robbed the farmer blind,” the pilot placed his hooves on his hips, a rather difficult maneuver for a pony to pull off, even when sitting. “What’re you thinking?”

“Remember how I said we should find you a partner closer to your speed; someone that’s not so far ahead of you in flying that you don’t feel like you’re being left in the dust?” She stood up and trotted towards the back door as she spoke, Volare rising and following her.

“Don’t remind me,” he groaned lightly. “But yes, I remember.”

“Well…how about Iron Will? He can’t fly and I’m sure he’d be more than willing to help you build up your strength.”

“Um, I dunno if that’s the best idea,” Volare raised an eyebrow as she opened the door, only to reveal a minotaur-less backyard. Just as he was about to ask where the rather-hard-to-miss blue guy could have disappeared off to, he yelped in surprise as half a dead tree landed just outside the picket fence that bordered the yard. “Whoa, what the hell!?”

“Heh-heh, sorry about that Spike-head!” a gruff voice called from off to the side of the yard. As Fluttershy and Volare followed the laugh, they were soon greeted by the creaking and cracking noise of splintering wood and the sight of Iron Will literally punching dead trees at the edge of the Everfree Forest to splinters as Angel Bunny watched from the fence. As he broke the trees to pieces, the minotaur placed his horns under the timber and tossed it high into the air, most of it landing near the house in a heap. Shae was up in her tree silently observing the commmotion, looking more than a little annoyed that she had, yet again, had her nap interrupted by some crazy and loud creature. She turned her attention to Fluttershy and Volare as they watched Iron Will work. As each piece crash-landed by the fence, Angel comically scribbled on a piece of paper he held in his paws and held it up, revealing a number between 1 and 10.

He’s judging…whatever the hell that crazy minotaur is doing! You gotta be kidding me, the wide-eyed blue Pegasus thought to himself.

“He’s breaking up the dead trees into firewood for the winter, Volare,” Fluttershy noted the astonished expression on her friend’s face and explained. “That’s his strength building exercise for today. Would you like to try your hoof at it with him?"

Volare slowly looked from the mighty minotaur, smashing trees to bits with ease, and then back to Fluttershy with a much less-than-excited look. “Fluttershy, I think he might be a little too far ahead of me in the strength department.”

“Oh, he’ll go easy on you, I’m sure,” Angel Bunny heard her speaking and turned to snicker silently at the shocked stallion for a moment.

“Fluttershy, lemme let you in on the plot of another underdog movie: Rocky 3.”

“Oh, what’s that about?”

“It’s about a boxer named Rocky who gets his butt kicked by another big boxer named Clubber Lang, all because he underestimates him.” Volare pointed to himself and then to the minotaur. “Me: Rocky. Him: Clubber Lang. Me: Hell no!”
As he spoke, Iron Will chopped off a tree limb the size of Volare with a single blow and kicked it high in the air where it landed upright in the growing pile of firewood.
“As friendly as Iron Will is, I’d rather not even take the chance.”

“Hee, yeah, I think I see what you mean now,” Fluttershy blushed terribly. Even Shae seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and relaxed slightly. True, though she viewed Volare as a bit of a burden, the proud osprey would still rather not see him accidentally broken to pieces by Iron Will either.

“It’s ok,” Volare sighed and hung is head. “I’ll figure something out sooner or later…”

“Well, tell you what,” Fluttershy nudged him. “Since you already took the morning to go hunting with Shae, and I need to get some supplies for my pets as well as food for us…how about you take the afternoon off and come with me into town, hmm? It’ll give you a chance to catch up with the ponies in town and maybe we’ll find somepony to help you out too. You feeling up to going into town?”

“Absolutely!” Volare smiled, realizing it had been some time since he’d had contact with anyone besides Fluttershy, Iron Will, and Shae. “When do we leave?”

“Lemme get my saddlebags and we can go. Iron Will!”

“Oh heya Fluttershy,” the minotaur waved. “What’s up?”

“Volare and I are going into town for a bit. Keep an eye out while I’m gone, please?”

“You got it!” he flashed a smile and a thumbs up before returning to his work.

Rainbow Dash was awoken from the nap she’d slipped into above the cottage by the sound of Volare and Fluttershy trotting down the path towards Ponyville. As much as she wanted to follow them to see what all they were going to do, she knew she had a duty she’d promised to uphold. She slapped herself awake and scanned the tree-line of the Everfree, watching for intruders and beginning to wish that they had gotten the Royal Guard involved after all. At the very least, they could rotate shifts in and out, but here she was, balancing weather duty in the morning with stunts and tricks with the Rainbow Dash fanclub (of one she thought glumly), as well as creep patrol.
“Then again, if anypony’s up to the task, it’s me,” she whispered with a grin. She settled down on the cloud and kept her eyes riveted on the forest, her vision flicking between Fluttershy’s cottage and the trees…but soon the warm afternoon sun and her own physical exhaustion/laziness began to take their toll. Within minutes of waking up, she had fallen asleep again.
Well, it’s not like it’s my fault…hrm, didn’t Volare and Twilight say something about why Pegasi like me are tired all the time…oh well…zzzz

“Darling, it’s been simply too long since we last did this,” Rarity cooed as she slipped up to her neck into the warm water of the spa bath. Her smile shown through the mud mask heavily applied to her face as she literally soaked it all in.

“But I thought we did this last week, just like every week,” Fluttershy replied, a bit distressed despite the soothing bath, and rightly so! She and Volare hadn’t gotten three hoofsteps into town before Rarity spotted them and practically tackled them both, saying she’d been worried those two had either fallen off a cliff or had taken to doing other things in their cabin in the woods, a joking statement that still caused Volare to face-hoof heavily and Fluttershy to blush as pink as her mane.

“Come on Rarity, knock it off,” Volare had groaned. “She’s helping me rehabilitate my wing and nothing more; you know that full well.”

“Oh, I know Volare,” she tittered. “I’m only having a bit of fun. How has your recovery been coming, since we’re on the subject?”
The two Pegasi quickly explained the situation, and that they were at a bit of an impasse until Twilight figured out exactly what spell she used to save his life and reattach his wing.

“That’s actually something I’ve been a little worried about. Has anypony gotten word back from Twilight on how things are going there?” Volare asked.

“No, not that I’ve heard,” Rarity replied. “But I know how you can find out.” She led them to Twilight’s Library and called for Spike, who was more than pleased to see Rarity knocking on the door. The baby dragon was quickly briefed on the recent events and how Volare would like to know how Twilight’s mission was going, or if Spike had gotten word from her at all.

“No, nothing on my end,” Spike shrugged. “Which might mean she and Celestia or Luna are either seriously involved in debate so crazy they can’t send out letters, which I kinda doubt, or,” a little worry leaked into his visage. “She hasn’t met with the Princesses yet.”

“Oh no,” Rarity gasped. “What if her train never made it there? What if it crashed and fell off the mountain? What if Twilight is hamming it up with Canterlot upper-class…without moi? Forget the train crash, that would be THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!!!” Rarity began to swoon backwards, but just before she hit the ground, she magically dragged a nearby bench over for her to fall on…and fell right into the lap of Lyra!

“Oh, heya Rarity,” Lyra grinned down at the shocked white Unicorn. “Long time no see, eh? Oh, and it’s Volare and Fluttershy! Volare, ponies around town have been wondering where you disappeared off to, so I’ve just been telling them you’re out at Fluttershy’s getting treatment for a wing injury; gotcha covered,” she threw him a small salute and a wink. “So how goes the wing rehab?” Rarity quickly clamored out of the green Unicorn’s lap and got to her hooves, composing herself to appear a little more lady-like.

“Well, it’s a little give and a little take at the moment, Lyra,” the pilot smiled sheepishly. “In fact, we were just talking about how we’re kinda stuck with it until Twilight figures out the correct spell to use to totally fix it; that’s why she’s up in Canterlot.”

“Oh, well that explains where she went,” Lyra nodded. “Seems she kinda up and left without telling too many folks because everypony that’s gone to the Library has been kinda surprised to see just Spike in there. But he’s handling the place pretty well, from what I’ve seen,” she gave the proud little dragon a wink. “He hasn’t burned it down, so that’s a plus.”

“Urgh, why does everypony assume that’s what I’ll eventually do to the place?!” Spike threw his claws up in the air in frustration.

“Dragon,” Rarity, Lyra, and Volare all said in unison before bursting into giggles. Even Fluttershy had to suppress a few of her own before they settled down again.

“In all seriousness Spike,” Volare said solemnly. “Could you please help me by sending a letter to Celestia to see if she’s spoken with Twilight yet?”

“Sure thing,” Spike nodded and grabbed a quill and scroll from inside. “Whatcha wanna write?”

“Um…I guess something along the lines of asking if she’s spoken to or seen her yet, and if so, if she’s made any progress on a healing spell she promised to find; that a friend of hers is depending on her to find it, otherwise he might never fly again.”

“Ok, I think that’ll work,” Spike dotted the final period and looked up. “You wanna tell her who you are?”

“Um, I don’t think that’s important for now,” Volare glanced at Lyra, the only pony there who didn’t know the whole story behind how he’d gotten there. Spike caught his glance and nodded.

“Gotcha, maybe later,” he rolled the scroll up and took a deep breath before spewing out a small ball of green flame that quickly consumed the letter and blew away up into the air, heading for Canterlot. “Alright, if Celestia’s not too busy, she oughtta respond fairly quickly.”

“Sounds good. In the meantime,” he turned to Lyra. “How’re things at the Gilden Griffon coming?”

“Oh, well, uh,” Lyra pawed the ground nervously. “Not so good, actually. I wasn’t able to get into contact with Fancy Pants to get him to sponsor the place…in fact he hasn’t been back here since last week. Probably busy up in Canterlot, but without him to sponsor the ol' GG, I dunno how we’re gonna get more business.”

“Well, maybe I could help,” Volare suggested, recalling the small crowd of ponies that he and Vinyl had attracted with their little musical session, much to Lyra’s wonder. “If I can convince Vinyl it’s a good idea, maybe she’ll have a new venue to play at and bring in business for you guys!”

“Wow, that’d be great, Volare!” Lyra shook his hoof heartily. “You really mean it?”

“Course I do,” he smiled and gave her a wink, which she returned without the others noticing. Guess she remembers why too.

“Ooh, Bon-Bon’s gonna freak once she hears about this! And in a good way for once,” the green Unicorn chuckled.

“Heh, I guess I’ll find Pinkie sooner or later and get her to talk to Vinyl, then we’ll”- but he was interrupted as Spike suddenly hiccupped, inhaled, and belched a ball of flames, a letter materializing from the smoke and falling into his outstretched claw. He peeled off the sun-shaped seal and cleared his throat before reading it.

“Ahem, Dearest Spike. I regret to inform you that I haven’t seen my student Twilight Sparkle in months, and certainly not in the time frame you mentioned. Quite frankly I’m getting a little concerned myself because she was due for a meeting with me over two hours ago. But I’ve never known her to be late if she can help it, so as soon as I locate her I’ll inform you. Please tell your friend that your Princess is on the case. Best regards, Princess Celestia.”
Spike looked up with genuine worry this time.
“Oh boy…”

“Seems our dear Twilight Sparkle is in a bit of a pickle,” Rarity surmised.

“Or she could simply be caught up in reading the books they have up there,” Fluttershy offered, the first time she’d spoken since Rarity had greeted them. “I mean, the Canterlot Library is many times the size of her own collection, so maybe she just got really, really distracted…?”

“You know, you might be right, Fluttershy,” Spike crossed his arms and chuckled. “If Twilight gets on a roll as far as books are concerned, everypony better just get outta the way!”

“Or maybe she hasn’t found what she’s looking for yet,” Volare said a bit glumly.

“Aww, cheer up Volare,” Lyra patted him on the back. “I may not know Twilight as well as you guys do, but if anypony can find the book or information you need, it’d be her! And if the Princess finds her, then you’ve got two super smart ponies looking for what ya need,” she grinned, her logic lifting Volare’s spirits substantially and thoroughly baffling Rarity. “It’ll get found, just you see. In the meantime, I’ve gotta get back to the café and tell Bon-Bon the good news. Don’t be strangers, you guys; the old GG welcomes anypony anytime…within reason of course, heh-heh. See ya!”

The green Unicorn quickly trotted away, having quite the animated conversation with herself as to what she’d say to Bon-Bon and how her friend would react to the news. “Well, she’s certainly a strange pony,” Rarity chuckled.

“Aren’t we all though,” Volare replied. “In our own ways, of course. I think Lyra’s a good-intentioned pony.”

“Yes, if a little scatter-brained, always going on about things from Earth” the fashionista smiled. “Still, you’re right, she seems mostly harmless…perhaps I should get to know her better. Oooh, if her café business really takes off perhaps I could help with the interior design and get rid of all that murk in the place!”

“I dunno, I kinda like it,” Spike chimed in. “Seems kinda…”

“Rustic, as Fancy Pants would put it,” Volare chuckled to which Rarity gasped audibly.

“You spoke with Fancy Pants, the most influential pony in Canterlot?! Not that I closely admire him or anything,” she said with a flip or her mane. “But how?!”

“He was one of the first ponies I met when I came into town,” the pilot nodded. “Said I did a good job of flying till I nearly crashed.”

“Which time?” Fluttershy asked in a seemingly innocent tone but winked at Volare; she knew the pun she’d just made.

“Haha, the first time. Cuz of hunger cramps if you can believe that. He’s the one that recommended the café, Rarity. So if you’re truly interested in getting to know him better, you may wanna give that interior design idea some serious consideration.”

“I shall! Oh we simply must talk about it some more at the spa, or have you forgotten what day it is, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, um, of course not,” she fibbed. “See, the thing is, Volare and I”-

“Can come with us! Spike too! How about it, Spikey-wikey?” To Volare’s abject surprise, the baby dragon agreed.

“Whoa, seriously dude?” Volare gaped, but Spike simply nodded.

“Yeah, it’s relaxing. You should try it sometime.”

“Uh, I think I’m ok,” the stallion chuckled nervously.

“Aww, really Volare?” Fluttershy asked. “You sure? I’m sorry, but Rarity and I do this every week and I completely forgot, I swear. I mean, if it’s not ok with you, you know the way back to the cottage, right?”

“It’s totally ok, Fluttershy,” he said reassuringly. “And I know the way back…but I think I’ll stay and check out the town, if it’s all the same to you guys.”

“Suit yourself, darling,” Rarity consented and led them towards the spa. Volare stopped outside the building and looked about for a place to nap, honestly feeling a little bit tired. Hrm, maybe mine and Twilight’s theory was right about Pegasi lungs taking in too much oxygen he thought as he spotted a big shady tree across the street from the spa. Then again, that was supposed to only apply to ultra-athletic Pegasi…unless that means I’m getting stronger myself.
He settled his back against the tree and observed the scene about him before allowing his eyes to slide shut. His ears flicked with the bustling sounds of ponies going about their business in the town, and he quickly began to tune it out as sleep approached him.

But just as he was about to zonk out, he heard a chorus of higher-pitched voices headed his way. Opening his eye a crack, he watched as a strangely familiar, small orange Pegasus filly on a scooter came rolling down the sidewalk, being closely followed by half a dozen colts and fillies, all chanting something he could just barely make out from this distance. As they got closer, he recognized the rider on the scooter, and an ember of anger burned in his chest as he realized what she was being called.

“Bawk, bawk, bawk, chicken! Cluck-cluck-bawk-bakawk!” The group hooted and hollered as they followed her, but nopony else on the street seemed to care as they went about their busy days, taking the children’s behavior as innocent play. Only a cripple-winged blue Pegasus under a tree paid them any heed, having been able to spot the tell-tale signs of bullying ever since he and his sister had entered the public school system.
He didn’t need to see the poorly-wiped-away streak of tears running down the orange Pegasus’ face as she rolled along or the mean-spirited looks on the face of the group that was harassing her. No, all he needed to see was the look of mortification plastered on her face as she bravely rolled on, doing her best to ignore the chants being hurled at her back. He’d seen that look on his own sister’s face too many times to mistake it…or to stand by and let it continue.

“Chicken-chicken, Scootachicken,” a Pegasus colt with a brown mane and red coat named Pinion jeered loudly above the rest. “Bawk-bawk, chicken can’t fly!”

“Hey you!” a voice called out from beneath the shady tree they were passing under. Pinion turned to see a strange-looking blue Pegasus with a spiky yellow and black mane sitting up against the trunk of the tree. The scooter-riding Pegasus looked up at his voice.

“What do you want, huh?” Pinion yelled back.

“Any reason why you’re harassing that poor filly and calling her a chicken?” the blue Pegasus asked, not moving from his position beneath the tree.

“If you really wanna know,” Pinion shot back. “It’s cuz she can’t fly! So why don't you back off!"

“Cuz she can’t fly?!” The blue Pegasus sputtered and gathered his hooves under him. He stood up to his full height, a head taller than Pinion, and began trotting their way. He finally stopped a few feet in front of the bully and gave him a stern look before showing him his trussed-up wing. “Well I can’t fly either; that make me a chicken too?” As the blue Pegasus shot back at the red one, the orange filly slowly scooted on the other side of him until he was between her and Pinion. It seemed this guy was either nuts or on her side…

“Now look here,” Pinion backed away a few steps, not used to feeling threatened like this, but Volare matched him, making sure to maintain eye contact in the same way that he did with Shae. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“And there won’t be any trouble, as long as you quit harassing that little filly and be on your way. Unless you feel like being a stallion and roping me into that group of non-fliers, and calling me a chicken as well, as is the fairness of your definition of the word. Then you might have a little trouble on your hooves," he replied, his upper lip curled in a slight sneer.

“Old-timer, why don’t you just mind your own business and go back to being lazy in the shade,” Pinion suggested with a haughty grin.

“Lazy, eh?” the blue Pegasus laughed. “What’s your anti-definition of lazy? Does that usually involve bullying little fillies or did you have something else in mind and you just happened to pounce on an innocent kid? Seems like it’s you that needs to mind your own business and be on your way!” He emphasized the words with a light stomp of a hoof.

The crippled Pegasus wasn’t backing down, and the look he was giving Pinion…it was like his angry blue eyes were burning their way into his…nope, the colt wasn’t about to tangle with this guy, even if he was crippled. The chicken wasn’t worth losing face over!
“Meh, if I was in a worse mood, I’d buck your head in! Good thing you caught me in a good one today.”

“Well, come back next time in a bad one and we’ll see what’s what, eh? Now get on your way!” Volare growled and flared his good wing while stomping the ground, sending the bullies scattering down the street in a tangle of hooves, wings, manes, and curses. Chuckling to himself, he turned back to the small orange filly who was standing there gob-smacked, completely at a loss for words for what had just happened.
“You ok, kid?”

“Um, yeah, yeah, I am,” the filly finally found her voice and grinned her thanks at the larger Pegasus. “Wow, that was amazing! Thank you!”

“Heh, it was nothing,” Volare shook his mane. “Just seemed like we had a bit in common in the lack-of-flight department and I felt I should say something. Name’s Volare,” he stuck out a friendly hoof.

“I-I’m Scootaloo,” the Pegasus smiled and shook his hoof with her smaller ones as hard as she could, grinning like a fool all the while. This guy just stood up for me out of nowhere…but who is he exactly...and why's he falling down like that...uh oh...

Author's Note

Notes: Whew, and thus ends The Hurricane story arc! Twilight seems lost, the Running of the Leaves is less than two weeks away, and we learn that Fluttershy and Volare have a little more in common than at first glance!
...and now ol' Volare is back to his old passing out shenanigans...
I wonder what'll happen next?

Volare: You need to practice your subtlety dude, seriously

Me: Oh bugger off! I just made you a hero of sorts

Volare: Oh...fine, I'll give ya that...

Stay tuned for the Q&A for this arc to be posted tomorrow!! :D

EDIT: scratch that, I posted the blog tonight!

Q&A location:

---------------------> http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/35303 <-----------------------

The Hurricane Story Arc Q&A Responses!

Ok, again I got some really good questions from you guys so I hope I return them with some equally good answers!

Camlio: Here's a question for your Q&A, was Volare's name chosen due to its meaning or for any other reason?
Well, let's see here...Volare is a Latin word meaning "to fly" and the reason why it was chosen by his parents was to reflect the family heritage of aeronautics (pilots, dirigible captains, etc.) His father and grandfather before him were also Blue Angels pilots during their flight careers, and his dad wanted that tradition continued with Volare. Volare is also the translated name of an Italian song, and I believe the English translation of the lyrics fairly well reflects what's happening to Volare in the story...which is interesting because I discovered this song about halfway through the Prologue Arc:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volare_(song)

"Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu" (Volare) Italian lyrics:

Penso che sogno così
non ritorni mai più,
mi dipingevo le mani
e la faccia di blu,
poi d'improvviso venivo
dal vento rapito,
e incominciavo a volare
nel cielo infinito.

Volare ho ho
cantare ho ho hoho,
nel blu dipinto di blu,
felice di stare lassù,
e volavo volavo
felice più in alto del sole
ed ancora più sù,
mentre il mondo
pian piano spariva laggiù,
una musica dolce suonava
soltanto per me.

Volare ho ho
cantare ho ho hoho
nel blu dipinto di blu
felice di stare lassù.

Ma tutti i sogni
nell'alba svaniscon perchè,
quando tramonta la luna
li porta con se,
ma io continuo a sognare
negl'occhi tuoi belli,
che sono blu come il un cielo
trapunto di stelle.

Volare ho ho
cantare ho ho hoho,
nel blu degl'occhi tuoi blu,
felice di stare qua giù,
e continuo a volare felice
più in alto del sole
ed ancora più su,
mentre il mondo
pian piano scompare
negl'occhi tuoi blu,
la tua voce è una musica
dolce che suona per me.

Volare ho ho
cantare ho ho hoho
nel blu degl'occhi tuoi blu,
felice di stare qua giù,
nel blu degl'occhi tuoi blu,
felice di stare qua giù
con te..
------------------------------------------
"In the Blue Painted Blue" (Volare) English lyrics:
I think that dream like that
Will never return
I painted my hands
And face blu
Then all of sudden I was
Abducted by the wind
And I started to fly
In the infinite sky

To fly ho ho
To sing ho ho hoho
In the blu, painted blue
Happy to stay up there,
And I flew and flew
Happy, higher than the sun
And yet more up,
While the world
Slowly dissappered down below,
A sweet music playing
Just for me

To fly ho ho
To sing ho ho hoho
In the blu, painted blue
Happy to stay up there

But all dreams
Vanish at dawn because
When the moon sets,
It takes dreams with itself
But I keep dreaming
In your beautiful eyes,
That are blue as the sky
Spangled with stars

To fly, ho ho
To sing ho ho hoho,
In the blue of your blue eyes
Happy to be down here
And I keep flying, happy
Happy, higher than the sun
And yet more up,
While the world
Is slowly vanishing
In your blue eyes
Your voice is a soft music
That plays for me

To fly ho ho
To sing ho ho hoho
In the blue of your blue eyes
Happy to be down here
In the blue of your blue eyes
Happy to be down here
With you...

So in short, Volare's name has Latin roots --------->and feel free to point out the parallels between the song lyrics and what's happened in the story so far as well ("abducted by the wind", for example)

Cry Havoc: My question: HOW MANY THINGS WILL EXPLODE?
Hrm, I haven't really given that too much thought....but I do know at least one thing DOES explode in an epic and crazy fashion, though I won't say what :P

enigmaMystere: Two questions for the Q&A:

1. does volare listen to every kind of music? and
2. who is his favorite of the CMC?

i know these have nothing to do with the current plotline, but i'm just extremely curious about it.

Heh, it's no problem.
1. Well, Volare's main passion in music rests in classic rock, though he's usually up for listening to just about anything with a good beat or message in it (so no "shoot da gangstas and slap da hoes" rap) XD;
He's also somewhat fond of the music of his favorite video game series, Ace Combat (go figure, right?)
Volare: But it kicks ass to listen to while flying!
Me: Heh, I gotta give ya that one.
2. As far as his favorite of the CMC...that'll be made fairly obvious pretty soon (if it isn't already), the reasons for which will also be revealed as part of the next story arc.

Chiman1293: 1. Are you going to set up a possible shipping connection with all of the mane 6 and/or other ponies? When I say shipping connections I mean how when the mane character (Oh my god I am starting to write mane when I mean main. I am sorry I had just say this.) spends an extended amount of time with another pony, it seems to always lead to a possible ship. This and when you consider the fact that the mares have been having all of those funny feellings. Plus all of the other this Twilight thought about when she and Volare were having her chat. When you take all of this, it just seems like every single time volare and somepony works together there is the possibity for a relationship.
2. How much of the ideas we bring up/suggest in the comments do you imply/impose/put into your story? How much of what we say effects the plot?
EX: How much explosions will happen do to our influence?

The "funny feelings" bit will be addressed...and it's not what you think :P
As for chipping connections...you'll see what happens! ^^ (but no, he won't be shipped with everypony; that's kinda the last thing on his mind at the moment, in all honesty. I mean, he yanked away from his dream job, lost his body, and is now having to keep secrets from the creatures that are now bound to be his new friends...so yeah, relationships are kinda far from his mind atm).
As for how much your ideas affect the story...well, they certainly help, especially if I hit a creativity wall (the music suggestion chapter was a good example). If he and Scoots hit it off, I may need suggestions for antics for them to get into too ^^:
And as for explosions....dammit, I'm gonna have to add more at this rate XD

TopNotchBrony: Okie dokie, I've got a couple questions for ya.
How long are you planning for this fan fiction to go for? And much darker are we going to get?
Well, I'm still scribbling down story arc ideas, but I think I've got something like 12-14 planned so far. And considering the previous two arcs averaged about 75k words...we're probably looking at somewhere between 900k and 1 million+ words at this rate (my fingers are like GAWD DAMN, MAN!) XD;
We'll see how things pan out.
And as for how much darker things are gonna get...well, let's just say if you could see what I've got planned, you might wanna hurt me ^^;;
It will get much, much darker sooner or later, trust me

enigmaMystere: Oooh, one more question: has fluttershy ever considered a relationship with either volare or iron will??
Heh, I was wondering when this question would come up ^^;
As far as Volare is concerned, I don't think so (she wouldn't seem to be the pony to immediately wanna date someone so soon after meeting them.) For now, she's just a good friend. As for Iron Will...heh, he might have joked about the idea, but nothing serious has ever come about between the two of them. He felt he owed her too much as it was and that it wouldn't be fair if he pulled a move like that. So, nah, they're just good friends.

Randombrony856: Will Volare ever get a party?
Yep, Pinkie's got something special planned for him. ;)

SovietBacon:
1, Is Volare going to be mutilated anytime soon?
2, Is there going to be a big fight?
3, How long is the story going to be?

1:
Volare: oO;;;
Um, he already had his wing torn off and reattached, what more do ya want from the guy?! XD;
Volare: Dude, this isn't funny! *smack*
Me: Ow...but to answer your question...let's just say any physical hurt he incurs will be nothing compared to other pain he'll endure...
2:
Heh, hard to have a fic with a military pilot without there being a big fight (though I wonder what your definition of "big" is)
3:
As stated above, probably in the 900k+ words territory ^^;

enigmaMystere: oh, one more question, but for rainbow dash!
do you think you'd ever tell volare about your feelings (because we know you have amorous ones ), as well as that patch you have?
Heh-heh, Oh yes, that's one of the reasons why she's spying on him: to see if she can find out any info about that (she kinda feels like that's fair since he must have known about her in someway before she saved his butt).

Okey dokey folks, if ya'll have anymore questions, just ask them and I'll answer them here up until the next chapter goes up!
The name of the next story arc:
The Running
(in which Volare gets help from a rather unexpected source...)

The Running-Pt 1: On Your Mark...

Notes: Woohoo, here we go! New story Arc!!! 8D
Volare: *facehoof* So much for remaining semi-professional...

September 2nd, Afternoon

Scootaloo was never one to back down from a thrill, but the roller-coaster of emotions she was rocketing along on here was almost too much for the little filly to handle! A little over an hour ago, she’d been admiring Rainbow Dash as the amazing prismatic Pegasus performed a new stunt, smashing apart clouds and drawing her own lightning bolt-shaped cutie mark in the sky with the water vapor which glistened in the sun as it fell, filling the blue sky with a myriad of colors as her personal hero fluttered to the ground.

Despite Scootaloo being the only member of the Rainbow Dash Fanclub to see the trick (the rest of the members having lost interest and run off into town, though Scootaloo couldn’t imagine why), the older Pegasus hadn’t seemed too terribly disappointed with the lack of viewership. Instead, she’d surprised the fuchsia-maned filly by asking her to help name the trick, which she’d quickly and fittingly christened The Rainbolt. But soon after, Dash abruptly changed gears from brash and cocky to almost worried, an emotion the younger Scootaloo had rarely seen in her personal idol.

When pressed for what was bothering her, Dash only muttered something about “somepony messing with her friends” and “that she had forgot about multiple somethings.” Scootaloo had no idea what she was talking about; hadn’t she already finished her weather duties for the day?
Dash said she’d be fairly busy for the rest of the afternoon and told her number one fan to run along into town and that she’d catch up with her later.

A little disappointed and more than a little miffed that Rainbow Dash wasn’t letting her in on what she still needed to do (since she had promised her that she would be free that afternoon to show off her tricks), Scootaloo nonetheless conceded and headed back to Ponyville while Dash shot off along the town’s southern border, headed in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
Hrm, wonder if she’s got something planned with Applejack…oh well, maybe I’ll see her near the clubhouse later….yeah!

And with that optimistic thought lifting her spirits, Scootaloo put on a grin and a fresh burst of speed as she buzzed along on her scooter, zipping over the eastern bridge that spanned the Ponyville Stream and entering the town proper, looking for nopony in particular, though she wouldn’t mind speaking with one of Dash’s friends like Rarity or Pinkie as she hadn’t seen them in a few days. At the irritated behest of Rose as Scootaloo whizzed past the florist pony, she slowed her scooter down to a fast trot speed, still skillfully maneuvering around the meandering ponies in the market place as she went along, but not spotting the ponies she was looking for.

That’s weird…Rarity is normally out and about promoting her designs while Pinkie is usually hopping around and chatting it up with everypony in sight-

“Hey Scootachicken!” a snide young voice called from her left, breaking her out of her inner musings. She knew the voice well, and she did her best to ignore the red-coated Pegasus trotting her way with a wicked little grin pulling on the corners of his mouth. “Hey Scootachicken, I’m talking to you; unless you’re deaf too!”

“Urgh, what do you want, Pinion?” Scootaloo growled lightly as the young colt approached, a small group of his friends (Pinion's minions, Scootaloo thought) trailing behind him. He’d been on her case for one thing or another almost from the day he’d met her, and lately, ever since he’d learned how to fly short distances, he’d begun to berate her for not being able to fly; apparently the newest form of which involved calling her names of flightless birds. And different varieties of “chicken” seemed to be the words of the week.

“Nothing, just wondering if you laid any eggs yet, chicken,” Pinion sniggered, his friends following suit. “Grade F for flightless, right? Hahahaha!” Despite Scootaloo’s urge to wipe that smirk off his face, she held back, knowing that if she made a move his friends would likely be all over her in an instant. She may have been fast on her scooter, but she certainly couldn’t fight half a dozen colts and fillies at once…

And so, she made do with ignoring him for as long as she could, but the more she buzzed away on her scooter, the further he followed her, calling her a chicken, a coward, a flightless blank-flank filly and every other name his young vocabulary could spit out. And the fact that Scootaloo couldn’t turn and confront him without the fear of being ganged-up on made it all the more maddening!

“Bawk-bawk-bawk, Scootachicken can’t and never will fly, heeheehee!!” Pinion cackled as he pursued her, doing everything he could to make her turn around and face him. But by this point, tears of embarrassment were dripping down Scootaloo’s orange cheeks, and she wasn’t about to give him the pleasure of knowing that he was getting to her by turning around and showing them to him. She quickly wiped them away and rolled on, praying to Celestia that they’d just stop…or for somepony to tell them to stop! She looked up pleadingly at the eyes of the adult ponies milling along the sidewalk, but they seemed to either be too busy to care or assumed that it was all harmless play and just part of growing up. But it didn’t make it hurt any less!!!

Perhaps it was then that fate intervened or perhaps her little prayer had been answered (either way, she wasn’t about to argue) as a dark blue Pegasus with a crippled wing that she’d never met before stood up from under an oak tree shading half the street across from the Ponyville Spa and placed himself between Scootaloo and her harassers. He stood an entire head taller than even the somewhat tall Pinion and faced him and his little gang down with an intensity that evoked memories of Fluttershy’s Stare she’d used on a cockatrice a couple of years ago. Whatever the case, it worked, and the stranger soon sent Scootaloo’s bullying peers packing with a growl and a stomp of his hoof.

To say that Scootaloo was elated was an understatement as she grasped the Pegasus’ friendly hoof and shook it heartily as he introduced himself as Volare. But no sooner had he done so than he got a strange and exhausted look on his face, as if he’d just run a marathon. He blinked his silver-blue eyes heavily and staggered forward a step before giving her a crooked grin that was soon devoured by the dirt of the street as he collapsed face-first into it, his non-bandaged wing giving a slight twitch before he lay still.

It was at this point that Scootaloo’s emotions plunged off of a drop-hill of the roller coaster and she began to get that feeling in her stomach that one gets during such a fall. “Volare, Volare, are you ok, dude?” she cried as she poked him with a hoof. But when he answered with a groan that wasn’t even audible due to his close proximity conversation with the ground, Scootaloo left worry-ville and crashed smack-dab into panic-town. She looked about with wide lavender eyes, searching out the nearest adult pony to help, but to her surprise, the street had become somewhat deserted; the nearest adults were far to the west near the Town Hall. Her vision then alighted on the spa across the street where she was almost positive she could hear the voices of adults that could help.

“Hang on Volare, I’ll think of something,” she hesitated for a moment, looking down at her would-be savior in worry before deciding on a course of action. “I’m gonna get help; just sit tight!” She galloped across the street to the spa, her ears picking up on a particular voice of a pony she was ironically semi-searching out earlier: Rarity.

.............................

The owner of the voice in question was as deep in conversation with Fluttershy as she was in the deliciously hot and soothing spa bath she was sharing with her long-time friend. Adjacent to them was Spike who was snoring lightly on a padded table as the cerulean spa pony Aloe massaged his claws while her lavender sister Lotus applied a heated towel to his face. For a male dragon who often worried about his perceived masculinity in front of other mares, especially Rarity, he was willing to dare the most masculine creature in all of Equestria to admit that such a treatment was anything short of heavenly.

“Heh, seems Spike has fallen into this routine fairly well,” Rarity giggled before turning back to Fluttershy. “So let me get this straight: Volare’s wing is beyond your ability to rehabilitate?”

“Yes, unfortunately,” Fluttershy replied glumly. “Because of the magical nature in which it was put back on his body, the extent of which I can help him is really out of my hooves. All I can really do now is help him build his strength back up and keep his spirits high.”

“Which is why you’re in town searching out a training partner for him in the first place, right?”

“Mhm, that’s right,” the yellow Pegasus nodded, having recalled how Volare had been spending time with Shae but had become frustrated over not being able to fly and feeling like he was being left behind. “It seems he really hates hitting his own physical limits.”

“Heh, sounds like another certain Pegasus I know,” Rarity chuckled before a frown creased her face. “A certain Pegasus whom I still owe for conspiring with her pink prankster partner for turning my coiffure an absolutely un-couth shade of chartreuse! Ah, I’m sorry darling; I got off-track. Please continue.”

“Well, that’s just it; for now, we’re kinda stuck,” it was Fluttershy’s turn to frown. “He won’t be fully recovered until Twilight gets back into town, hopefully with a spell to fully fix his wing.”

“Indeed,” Rarity winced. “It seems almost like a combination of wonderful but horrid luck that Volare made it through such an ordeal, but at the cost of his current situation…I know what it’s like to fly, but that was different. That was temporary. I’m sure a Pegasus unable to fly is like a Unicorn who can’t use her horn…I’m not sure if I could handle such a trial if I were in his place.” She leaned up in the bath and absent-mindedly popped a few fragrance bubbles on the surface of the water. “Makes me wonder what keeps him going…Fluttershy, what is his motivation right now, as he knows that you can’t help him any further until Twilight returns.”

“Well that’s yet another reason why we were looking for a training partner,” Fluttershy explained. “Volare hasn’t really told me anything about his inspirations or about his past beyond the promise he made to his little sister years ago to always push himself to do better.” In all honesty, he hadn’t told her anything else about his family or his friends back on Earth, saying he wasn’t comfortable with talking about them, and she’d been having to grasp at straws a bit in order to figure out the best method of training and rehabilitation, a task which was beginning to wear upon her…it also made her wonder exactly why that promise to his sister was so important to him that he’d been willing to risk his own physical safety just to prove…prove what, though?

It seemed that the only thing that motivated him to push himself before was his sense of personal pride in the perfection of his abilities, but that had been grievously wounded by his horrific experience that proved that he was just as vulnerable to the whims of life and death as everypony else. True, it had made him a wiser pony, but also an almost overly-cautious one who was now merely seeking simple motivation rather than being driven by it. And now, without that cocky sense of invincibility to drive him, he obviously needed someone to motivate him to continue his rehabilitation, but they needed to strike a good balance with whomever they picked for the job.

As said, they’d tried Shae, but she was too impatient after a while, and Dash would probably be even more so, to say nothing of the fact that she’d promised Twilight that she’d leave Volare alone (a promise that Fluttershy was more than a little uncomfortable with helping to bend the boundaries of by letting her stay near the recovering stallion). Fluttershy herself didn’t have the time to devote to his recovery due to her duties with her own animals. And Iron Will, as nice as he was, would likely hurt Volare on accident. And to make matters worse, Volare had revealed that he wished to participate in The Running of the Leaves in two weeks so unless they found him a suitable rehab program soon, not only would he be disappointed in himself, but Fluttershy would be disappointed that she couldn’t help him at least achieve that goal.
“So you see the dilemma we’re in?”

“Yes, I do see,” Rarity rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Volare needs someone to motivate him, but not someone to break him in half or leave him behind and frustrate him…a tough balance to strike indeed.” She idly popped a few more bubbles with her magic before the action of which sent a single small bubble floating off into the air and nearly falling back into the bath before a slightly larger bubble bumped into and merged with it; the combined warm air of the two pulling the linked bubbles towards the ceiling and out of sight in the cloud of steam that rose from the hot water. Within a few ticks of a thought, the imagery of the situation caused an idea to click into existence in Rarity’s brain.
“Fluttershy, I think I have the solution to the problem,” she smiled for a moment at her friend’s curious expression before she continued. “I believe Volare needs a training partner with the same interest in flying as he does.”

“But we already tried that with Shae.”

“A-ta-ta,” she chided softly. “Shae was already flying. We need somepony who’s in the same boat as Volare: not quite able to fly but sharing that same fiery desire to get airborne and shatter the very winds with their wings!” she exclaimed with a dramatic flair, slinging water from her violet mane as she half-stood in the bath with a grin that shone through her green mud mask.

“Ah, I see what you mean now,” Fluttershy nodded and smiled approvingly, though her face quickly creased with mild worry again. “But who fits that description around here?”

“Well, isn’t that the million-bit question?” Rarity huffed slightly and settled back in the bath, a bit crest-fallen; she hadn’t even considered the options before she’d created the solution and she scolded herself a bit for it. Gah, this is like deciding on creating an outfit before even taking into account the materials one has at her disposal; it does nothing but create a false sense of excitement…excitement that will ultimately be quashed once one realizes that she lacks the materials required in order to-

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, help!!” a cry accompanying the crash of the spa door flying open tore Rarity from her inner beratings. The fashionista pony looked up to see a very flustered Scootaloo galloping towards the spa bath, a look of fear filling her already-anxiety-riddled face as she clattered to a stop just as Rarity was sure she was going to collide with the bathtub.

“Why Scootaloo,” Rarity exclaimed, standing up in the tub. “Whatever has you so worked up and worried, darling?”

“Yes, what’s the matter, Scootaloo?” Fluttershy queried, her sea-blue eyes wide with her own version of waxing worry.

Scootaloo looked from the yellow Pegasus to the white Unicorn before inhaling a deep breath and rattling off her explanation in such a way as to make one wonder exactly how much air her little lungs were capable of holding.
“Ok I came into town and these bullies started following me but I tried to ignore them but I couldn’t take it anymore and then this weird-looking blue and yellow Pegasus with a crippled wing that I’ve never met before stood up for me against them but now I think he’s dead cuz he’s lying on the ground outside and he won’t even move and so I promised him I’d go get help so here I am and can you please please please please please help cuz if he really is dead I don’t want him haunting me later cuz I didn’t try! Oh and he said his name is Volare!” Her lavender eyes were full of an innocent yet intense sincerity that demolished all thoughts of this just being some crazy joke; the rambunctious little filly was totally serious!

The absolute silence that filled the air between them all in the aftermath of the orange filly’s explanation was even more palpable than the steam that curled up around Fluttershy and Rarity’s absolutely shocked visages, their minds filled with images of Volare somehow being beaten to a pulp by a gang of young ponies. The yellow Pegasus looked to her Unicorn friend, her hooves pressed tightly over her mouth; she didn’t need to say a word, as her eyes spoke her mind more clearly than she ever could at that particular moment. Rarity on the other hand managed to utter no more than a distressed squeak from her slack-jawed mouth before both she and Fluttershy practically exploded into motion. The two leaped from the spa tub in unison and thundered towards the door of the building in a dual-pony stampede of hot water and suds, the commotion of which even managed to arouse Spike from his heavy sleep.

“Hurgh-huh, what’s happening? Ah, I’m blind!” Spike cried before he tossed the hot towel from his face in time to see Rarity and Fluttershy and…Scootaloo?! racing out the front door of the spa, the younger pony shouting loudly all the way there. He looked questioningly towards Aloe and Lotus.

“Scootaloo said that a pony outside named Volare is dead!” Aloe explained with worry.

“Do you know him?” Lotus asked at Spike’s sudden expression of disbelief.

“You gotta be kidding me-yeah, I know the guy!” Spike grumbled as he hopped from the table and hurried after his friends. “And he’s been a real pain in my scales since day one…I swear if he’s really not dead, I’ll murder him with my own bare claws! Murder, I tell ya!” He liked the guy, just not enough to let him interrupt his spa session like this…gah did he really just say that?!

..............................

The last thing that Volare saw, or even remembered doing before his vision shrank to pin-points and finally darkness, was grinning at Scootaloo before he felt himself falling, blessedly losing consciousness before his face hit the ground. It was a short drop to be sure, but it was a no less a comfort.
Crap…I passed out again…dammit, at least this time is kinda peaceful and my thoughts don’t seem to be trying to scare the hell outta me…aww man, I hope I didn’t freak out Scootaloo too badly; poor girl looked worried enough already…and now here I am, face-first in the dirt, leaving her alone in the street...what if those bullies come back and mess with her…oh shit, what if they come back and mess with ME?!

It was about that time that he felt himself being shaken rather violently back and forth, and not in a subconscious way; no this felt very real.
Yep, that’s it, those brats came back and are kicking my ass while I lay here…just great!
But beyond the shaking sensation, he felt no real pain, just light-headedness and mild motion sickness as the shaking intensified. Strange that his sense of balance would return first…maybe he really was getting better. His other senses began to arrive in short order, starting with his hearing, the receptacles of which were greeted not by the sounds of giggling kids as they wailed on his limp body, but an entirely different and rather unexpected voice.

“Volare, Volare, wake up! Ah, he’s not dead-speak to me, Volare!” the voice cried in a cultured accent that was nonetheless cracking a bit under the apparent stress of the situation. Volare’s vision expanded from darkness, to pin-points of light, to full-blown blurry color vision, and within an instant, he focused on the creature shouting his name and shaking him back and forth. It was white and dripping wet, with indigo hair that nearly dragged on the ground, a green face that seemed to be melting off, and bright blue eyes surrounded by wet drooping eyelashes. Volare couldn’t help it: he screamed at the top of his lungs.

“AAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH, WHAT THE HELL?!” he cried and tried to push the creature away before it suddenly wrapped its arms around his head and squeezed, cutting off his air as it squealed in…joy? Just as he was about to hit it, the thing let him go and held him at arm’s length again and smiled with relief. His vision drifted past the thing’s shoulder to see a yellow shape with dripping pink hair standing behind it, and on the opposite side of the green-faced thing, a small orange shape with fuchsia hair that seemed to have a mix of joy and relief all over its grinning face. And further behind them all was a familiar short purple and green shape shaking its head as it crossed its arms in annoyance. It was then that he twice blinked heavily and his vision cleared…and he blushed with extreme embarrassment.
“Agh, jeez,” he moaned as he realized that the creature shaking him was none other than Rarity wearing a mud mask, and that what he’d thought were…gawd, he didn’t know what he’d thought…they were his friends and they’d obviously come to see if he was ok.

“Ah, Volare darling, are you alright?” Rarity hugged him again before shaking him gently, though the expression of irritation seemed overshadowed by relief. “What’s gotten into you-scaring us like that?”

“Scaring you like what?” he managed to shake his head before he grabbed his forehead with a groan, trying to stem the pain of a migraine that slammed his skull like a hammer.

“Hey uh, Rarity,” Spike poked her in the shoulder with a claw. “I know you’re never one to not make a scene if you can’t help it, but uh…”

Rarity looked up to see that ponies up and down the street were poking their heads out of their shops in curiosity at the sight of Rarity kneeling in the dust of the road, dripping wet and shouting and shaking a blue Pegasus like she was in the grip of an epileptic fit. The white Unicorn quickly blushed pink and hauled Volare to his hooves without warning, nearly sending him toppling back to the ground in surprise. With a burst of strength that belied her lady-like figure and demeanor, she hauled flank into the spa, half carrying, half dragging Volare out of the sight of the prying eyes of the public street before almost unceremoniously dumping him on a padded couch and diving back into the spa tub.

Her mud-covered face barely peeked over the edge of the tub, wide blue eyes peeled for anypony that might wander in and ask what she’d been doing while Aloe and Lotus rolled their own; they thought they’d seen it all with Rarity, but she apparently had a few more tricks up her proverbial sleeves. But when no such pony arrived for well over a minute, Rarity breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed for a moment before turning her glare on Volare, who was just now sitting up and holding his head in his hooves, the sight of which tempered her embarrassment and instead reignited the fires of concern that had fueled her rather rash actions in the first place.

“Volare, pray tell, just what in Equestria happened out there!?” the Unicorn asked as politely as she could, given the circumstances.

“Yeah, why was Scootaloo saying you were dead?” Spike queried as he re-entered the spa, followed closely by Fluttershy and said orange Pegasus filly. Fluttershy didn’t return to the bath but instead began to towel off her mane while Lotus quickly grabbed a palm branch and fanned the flush-faced Volare.

Volare and Scootaloo quickly explained the situation with Volare adding that he was already fairly tired to begin with, which was why he’d sat down beneath the tree in the first place, but that when he’d seen Sootaloo being harassed like that, the adrenaline in his system must have kicked in. But once it was over and the adrenaline in his system subsided, his blood pressure dropped and *click* he was out like a light, he punctuated the fact with a loud tap of his front hooves. He turned to Scootaloo and gave her soft smile. “I’m sorry if I worried you all…I just couldn’t stand by and let her get treated like that…sorry.”

“Volare, there’s nothing to be sorry about,” Fluttershy patted his hoof comfortingly. “You did what you thought was right, and while I doubt those little colts and fillies would do anything too terribly serious to Scootaloo,” her eyes trailed to the small Pegasus who was staring intently at the floor, convinced this was all her fault. “I know how badly words can hurt…so no, we’re not mad at you, nor at Scootaloo for over-reacting just a tiny bit.” She lifted the smaller Pegasus’ chin up and wiped her face with the towel before giving her a comforting smile.

“Well then…I’m sorry for freaking everypony out,” Scootaloo said, her face still frowning a bit despite the encouraging smiles from everypony save Spike, who’d gone back to sleeping under a hot towel anyway. “I’ll just get outta your manes and”-

“Now hang on a sec, kid,” Volare shook his mane again and blinked his eyes, still somewhat fighting off the migraine and light-headedness it brought with it. “I’m sure that what you did wasn’t anything more than what anypony would expect of you to do…perhaps a little bit more than what was necessary, but even so, it was much better than leaving me to lie in the road like that,” he grinned his thanks.

“But you could’ve really gotten hurt,” Scootaloo protested. “Those bullies could have jumped on you and then…then what would I have done? They were too many to fight alone!”

“Heh, come here, Scootaloo,” Volare patted the bench and the smaller Pegasus obeyed, hopping up and sitting next to him before looking up with trusting eyes. “Lemme tell you a little something about bullies. I’ve dealt with them in the past, and the one thing I’ve learned with them is it’s mostly all an act; a bit of a show of bravado they put on to prove they rule the roost, so to speak.”

“But Pinion had his friends with them, and they outnumbered us,” Scootaloo replied with a furrowed brow and crossed her little forehooves in an adorable expression of frustration that nearly made Volare hug her right then and there.

“And you wanna know something else about the bullies that lead around a buncha friends like that? It’s because they’re too cowardly to go out and do their own dirty work by themselves,” Volare growled lightly in his throat and tapped the edge of the bench loudly with his hoof, as if speaking from memory. “But the thing is, if you can stand up to the leader, show him you’re not afraid, that’ll often rattle him enough that it’ll scare his buddies too when they see that their “mighty leader” found something he suddenly couldn’t handle,” he smiled and patted Scootaloo on the shoulder. “And once the leader realizes you can’t be scared, more often than not he’ll go find somepony else to mess with, and that’ll be the end of that.”

“Hrm, makes sense,” the orange Pegasus smirked and nodded. “The only problem is that Pinion doesn’t just wanna scare me; he likes to make fun of me because he can fly and I can’t,” she frowned. “Guess it’s cuz he feels all special or something…”

“Exactly,” Volare nodded. “And he tries to hang that over your head, but you wanna know why I think he does that?” Scootaloo cocked her head curiously. “I think he does that because he’s already a little scared of you.”

“Huh, how?”

Volare knew he took a risk in what he was about to say, but he figured it was a small enough one… “You fast on that scooter?”

“Heh, yeah,” her face brightened. “Rose and other grown-up ponies are always telling me to slow down in town,” she said with a small sense of pride.

“Faster than Pinion can fly, I take it?”

“Huh-yeah, way faster. Why?”

“Then the proof is in the pudding, Scoots,” he nudged her playfully. “He’s scared that since you’re already faster than he is simply on your scooter, that you’ll really show him up once you do get airborne. So he’s trying to knock you down and discourage you before you even get off the ground.”

“Ah, that does make sense,” Scootaloo nodded. “And here I thought he was doing it just because he was a jerk.”

“Well, there might be some of that in play as well,” he chuckled. “But the point is, you’re not the one who should be scared; he is, and that’s why he’s acting that way. Unfortunately, it sounds like this guy is pretty persistent, so there’re really only two options of how to put him in his place and get him off your back for good.”

“How?”

“Knock him on his flank now, which I think we’ve already discussed isn’t the best way to go; from personal experience I’ve found it only tends to escalate from there. Or option B: learn how to fly and really shut him up.”

“Aww darn,” Scootaloo groaned. “But I’ve been trying to fly for forever now and the closest I’ve come was falling out of a tree…”

“Why’re you trying to fly at such a young age, though? It can’t all be because of Pinion, can it?”

“Well, um…” she motioned for him to lean in closer. “The truth is, I’m the founder of the Rainbow Dash fanclub but I can’t fly and it’s kinda embarrassing, especially when a few of our members already can.”

“Ah, I see,” Volare nodded, remembering how Scootaloo strongly wanted to emulate Rainbow Dash…well, isn’t that funny, Volare ol’ pal?
“So I take it you’re her biggest fan?”

“Hay yeah I am!” Scootaloo grinned. “I know all her tricks and everything,” she pulled out her scrapbook from her saddlebag and showed it to him. “I even got to name her newest trick earlier today! Do you know Rainbow Dash?”

“Heh, we’ve um,” he looked to Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike to gauge their reactions to Scootaloo’s question, and they were all expressions of sudden concern of what exactly he’d say. If he told her the truth…nah, he didn’t wanna put a damper on the young filly’s enthusiasm for her personal idol. “Let’s just say we’ve met a few times.”

“Awww, cool dude!” Scootaloo gave him an impressed grin. “What’d she say about your wing being all hurt like-um, sorry,” she trailed off, realizing how awkward the question was.

“It’s alright Scootaloo. I hurt it in an accident, but why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just that…well, urgh,” she bowed her head for a moment before finally saying it. “I was gonna ask you if you could teach me to fly because I’m kinda too nervous to ask Dash to help me…plus she’s too busy with her weather duties and personal training anyways…”

“And napping,” Volare chuckled, lifting Scootaloo’s spirits somewhat and reassuring her that she wasn’t bothering him. “Lots of that!”

“Ha, no kidding. But since you’re hurt, I didn’t wanna bug you with asking you to help…soo yeah, sorry…”

“Hey, just cuz I can’t fly right now doesn’t mean I can’t in the future,” Volare nudged her again. “Just like you, I believe.” Instantly, Fluttershy and Rarity, who’d been silently watching the little interchange between the two Pegasi exchanged glances of their own at his statement. Rarity beckoned for Fluttershy to come closer and her friend subtly trotted around the spa tub and stopped next to her, leaning on the tub wall and continuing to watch the flightless Pegasi for the moment.
“I don’t know much about teaching other Pegasi to fly, but I’ll stand by you at the very least if those bullies come a-knockin’ again. Us flightless birds-of-a-feather gotta flock together, eh?”

“Heh-heh, yeah,” Scootaloo clucked loudly and pecked Volare’s shoulder with her muzzle before dissolving in a fit of giggles. “Except we’ll really show those bullies who’s chicken if they bug us again, right?”

“You got that right, Scoots,” Volare grinned, allowing himself to be reminded of someone from his past…the feeling was faint but familiar…
“Till we learn how to fly, we’ll tough it out together.”

“Fluttershy,” Rarity whispered. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I think so,” her friend nodded and smiled. She hoped so…

“Ahem, Scootaloo,” Rarity spoke up, surprising the younger Pegasus who thought that the fashionista had gone to sleep for sure; she’d been so quiet. “Perhaps there’s a solution to both of your flight problems.”

“Ooh, did you hear that Volare?!” Scootaloo hopped up on the bench, grabbing Volare’s shoulder excitedly, making him chuckle audibly. “What is it!?”

“Well, Volare is rehabilitating his wing over at Fluttershy’s cottage as well as working to recover from his injury in time to participate in The Running of the Leaves next week. We’re rather pressed for time in this, but if you’re interested, we believe you could help Volare’s recovery and maybe even learn a thing or two about flying from him and Fluttershy too.”

“Whoa, you really mean that?!” Scootaloo’s grin practically encompassed her face as she looked from Fluttershy to Volare and back again, her little wings buzzing with excitement.

“Heh, I guess if Fluttershy is ok with it,” the blue Pegasus looked to the yellow one for confirmation.

“Well, as long as you don’t completely destroy my cottage”-

“Sweet!!” Scootaloo shouted and hopped off the bench, striking a dramatic pose on the edge of the spa tub. “We’re gonna be kick-flank fliers in no time-whoa!” She slipped and splashed into the tub, causing everypony present to facehoof. Even Spike, who was somehow aware of the situation even while under the towel, gave her “dive” two thumb-claws down.

“Um, lesson number one, Scootaloo,” Fluttershy chided gently as the smaller Pegasus surfaced and spat out the sudsy water in embarrassment. “Know your limits, right Volare?”

“Heh, yep,” he smiled and helped Scootaloo out of the tub. “I’ve learned that the hard way more than once…welp, I’m up now, sooo…you good to go, Fluttershy?”

“Oh yes, I am,” she grabbed her saddlebags and peeked inside before groaning lightly. “No wait, not yet. We forgot to get food for ourselves and the pets.”

“Ooh, I’ll help!” Scootaloo galloped outside and hopped on her scooter with a confident grin. “Gimme some of your list of stuff you need and some bits and I’ll meet you back here in no time!”

1 Hour Later…

The twin hooded figures of two Unicorn siblings peeped out from the underbrush that flanked the grounds of Fluttershy’s cottage. They looked up towards the solitary cloud that had become commonplace above the cottage and even from this distance they could hear the soft snores of the rainbow Pegasus snoozing on her fluffy perch.
“Heh, she’s out like a light; come on,” Ray hissed all the same and motioned for Jill to follow him. They quickly slunk out of the woods and headed for the shrubs that lined the western end of the property, pressing their bodies into the foliage as they reached it in order to keep out of sight. Trixie had sent them to confirm for certain the location of Volare, and since their real boss hadn’t sent them any new orders yet…it seemed like a good chance to make a few extra bits…so here they were.

“You’re positive this is where he’s at?” Jill whispered as she peeked around the shrubbery and into the backyard at the myriad of animals milling about. She saw no sign of the blue Pegasus nor the yellow owner of the property; only the animals. “And where’s this giant blue minotaur you were raving about?”

“You actually want to see that guy?! He’s bucking huge!”

“Well, I don’t see him, so let’s go search the place. Maybe Volare’s inside,” Jill slipped around the side of the shrub and swiftly snuck over to the cottage and peeked in the window. The animals in the yard shuffled about nervously at the sight of a strange pony in the yard, but didn’t do anything to indicate fear just yet. “Argh, I don’t see him in there,” Jill reported and looked back to see Ray still standing by the edge of the shrub. “Ray, what’re you doing?! Get over here!” she hissed angrily.

“I’m standing watch in case that minotaur shows up!”

“Gah, fine, fine…just keep quiet,” she returned her attention to the door and grasped the knob with her hoof. “Maybe that Pegasus is upstairs resting…”

But as she turned it, the knob squeaked loudly and a nearby creature awoke from her nap. But it wasn’t Rainbow Dash…no, this creature was potentially worse than her or even Iron Will. Her golden eyes snapped open and focused on the source of the noise that had roused her from her slumber: the knob of the backyard door. But it wasn’t Iron Will, Fluttershy, Volare, or any other pony else she recognized turning said knob and intruding on the property…and this particular osprey didn’t take kindly to intruders in her territory…especially familiar-smelling intruders…

Ray looked on from the edge of the shrub as Jill slowly opened the door. She had just gotten a hoof over the threshold when a faint flutter of feathers behind her grabbed her attention. She turned just in time to see a black and white mass of beak, claws, and burning golden eyes swooping down at her head, said claws ripping right for her face! Jill ducked just in time as the bird zoomed past her head and climbed up into the air, landing on the roof and screeching angrily at the intruders and clacking her talons on the roof before taking off and diving again.

“Holy buck, Ray!” Jill cried as she dove flat on the ground, though the bird’s claws ripped a long tear in the hood of her cloak. The Unicorn got up and galloped as fast as she could, cursing under her breath all the while. “You were supposed to be standing guard, dammit!”

“I was watching out for a bloody minotaur, not some damn attack bird!” Her brother growled back as the pair turned as one and charged their horns, prepared to blast this crazy osprey from the sky. But just as they sighted in on her, a loud groan and a cry of confusion rang out from the cloud above them; Rainbow Dash was awake! They could fight this bird without much trouble, but not an Element Holder!
“Buck it; run!” Ray and Jill hoofed it for the underbrush of the Everfree, narrowly avoiding one last minute swipe from the osprey before she returned to her tree, chereeking haughtily as the intruders disappeared into the forest.

Once they were about 50 feet into the trees, the two Unicorns whirled about, breathing hard and half-expecting that crazy osprey to continue her pursuit. But instead, they were treated to the sounds of Rainbow Dash asking “what the hay was going on down there.” “Heh, good thing that bird is territorial,” Ray gasped. “Or else it’d still be on our flanks. You ok, sis…sis? Oh buck!”

“You idiot!” Jill grabbed up dirt clods and twigs from the ground with her magic and hurled them at brother for a few moments before finally calming down somewhat.

“Well, at least we know for sure that’s where they are,” Ray investigated the rip in Jill’s cloak and when he saw no blood or torn fur beneath it, he zapped it with his horn, instantly mending the fabric. “Come on sis, let’s get back to the Great and Powerful Bungler before that minotaur shows up.”

“Grrr, you and your minotaurs,” Jill growled and followed him. “I keep telling you, there’s no damn minotaurs around here, but no, you just carry on, and on, and on about them…I swear Ray, the one bright brain cell you’ve got in your head sleeps almost as much as that damn Rainbow Dash…”

.....................

Said rainbow Pegasus stretched and looked about at the sound of Shae’s alarmed screeching…but she didn’t see anything amiss! She yawned and looked down towards the Everfree Forest, seeing nothing weird (for the Forest’s standards anyway) there either. “Shae, what the hay has gotten into you?” she called down at the chattering osprey who sat preening her feathers in her roosting tree and overall looking very proud of herself. Dash shook her head and finally turned towards the road leading into Ponyville, spotting Iron Will lounging on a pile of firewood he’d been breaking up for the winter some distance off the side of the road. The blue minotaur’s snores barely carried past the beefy forearm he had thrown over his muzzle and face, shielding it from the afternoon sun…which had quickly become an early evening sunset.

“Wish I had a camera to prove I’m not the only one who enjoys the hay outta a good nap, heh-heh,” she chuckled before looking further past him towards town when she noticed movement. There, coming down the path from Ponyville were Fluttershy and Volare; that was the normal part. But what she didn’t expect was the small orange and fuchsia shape buzzing along the ground on a scooter before them, alternating between leading the way and zipping back around behind the older Pegasi who seemed to be sharing a good chuckle at her antics.

“Scoots…what the hay are you doing here…” Dash flopped down on her belly and pondered to herself as the trio of Pegasi neared the cottage. Iron Will awoke for a moment at the sound of Scootaloo’s buzzing wings but quickly fell back to sleep, worn out from breaking all that firewood earlier. Soon, the Pegasi were within earshot and what she heard shocked her.

“Wow, I can’t believe this is finally gonna happen!” Scootaloo giggled as she buzzed about, shooting Volare an excited grin as she skillfully flipped around and began rolling her scooter backwards along the road as she continued to speak with the older Pegasi. “First you save me from those bullies, and now you and Fluttershy are gonna teach me how to fly! And once I’m up in the air, I’ll finally be able to show Rainbow Dash what I’m made of!”

“Now Scootaloo,” Fluttershy rebuked her gently. “It’s not an instant process. It takes time and concentration and”-

“Yeah, yeah, I know that Fluttershy!” Scootaloo smiled and laid her scooter up against the cottage wall before suddenly galloping forward and jumping onto Volare’s back, nearly knocking him over in surprise, though he covered that up with a loud laugh of his own. “I’m just excited, that’s all! Are you excited, Volare?”

“Hahaha, sure am, Scoots.”

Scoots?! But that was HER nickname for the squirt Dash thought, swatting at a stray piece of unfortunate cloud fluff that drifted into her line of sight.

“Hey, pretty soon you’ll be back in the air too, and then maybe I’ll have to start you up a fanclub also, huh?” Scootaloo didn’t expect her innocent expression to cause what happened next.

Say WHAT?!?! Dash fumed and swore under her breath. That Volare was stealing her number one fan?! But how!? What the buck had he done that was so special, huh?! What had he-how did he-argh, she HATED losing!!!! She couldn’t help it anymore. Thinking quickly before she exploded, she grabbed up two hoof-fulls of cloud fluff and jammed them over her mouth before she angrily shouted out a long, drawn out NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

“Whoa, did you hear that?” Volare looked up and flicked an ear towards the sky.

“No, what was it?”

“I dunno,” the stallion looked up but all he saw was a solitary cloud…a familiar solitary cloud. “It sounded like that cloud was screaming or something.”

“Yeah...I think you hit your head kinda hard when you fell in the street, dude,” Scootaloo chuckled and mussed his spiky mane before they followed Fluttershy into the cottage to prepare dinner. “Cuz that just sounds crazy!”

“Yeah, so it would seem,” Volare eyed the cloud one last time before the overhang of the cottage roof obscured it from his vision and he set his mind to helping Fluttershy plan dinner…hopefully without burning down the kitchen like he’d nearly done two days ago…yeah, that’d make a great impression on Scoots…

Meanwhile, as Spike lay under layers of hot towels, completely relaxed and alone with Rarity save Aloe and Lotus, he swore he felt more at ease than he ever had. Oh yeah…life was good…
But he found it wasn’t to last as a sudden feeling of pressure welled up in his gut. He quickly sat up, sending hot towels flying every which way as a claw shot to his mouth.

“What’s wrong, Spikey-wikey?” Rarity cried in alarm as he coughed and belched embarrassingly. The belch soon became green flames that flew from his mouth, finally abating and revealing the rolled up and Sun-sealed scroll they’d carried with them and dropped onto the padded massage bench. “Ooh, it’s a letter from Princess Celestia! Perhaps it’s about our Twilight! Open it Spike, open it!”

“I’m workin’ on it,” Spike groaned, completely mortified at the way in which he’d played mail-dragon just now. He leaned forward and opened the scroll:

Dearest Spike, I believe I’ve located Twilight Sparkle; she’s just fine so no worries in that regard. Please tell your friend that Twilight and I will get to work on solving his problem to the best of our abilities as soon as we can. Oh and please tell Pinkie Pie that the cupcakes she sent were simply divine!

Will keep you posted.

Best regards, Princess Celestia.

“Well, finally some good news,” Spike smiled as he finished the letter out loud and rolled it back up before laying back down and pulling the towels back over himself. “Now I can really relax…”

The towels kept him from hearing the soft chuckling laughter of disbelief that rolled from Rarity’s lips before she too settled back in the spa bath. She knew she’d likely have wrinkly fur if she stayed in for too much longer…but she had the place rented out for an hour more yet…although the fact that she did have Volare’s unfinished special gift waiting for her at Carousel Boutique gave her pause…decisions, decisions…sorry Volare, but priorities come first…and slighty-wrinkly fur won’t stop me from making your gift…sooo….zzz

Twilight Sparkle was just about at the end of her rope! For the past three days she’d scoured the Canterlot Library from top to bottom. She’d searched from Anatomy all the way to Zoology in regards to what had happened to Volare’s wing, but after not finding one single reference to it, she’d soon ventured outside the realm she expected answers to be in. She delved into Calculus, History, Alchemy and even into Cryptozoology, and on and on, into more and more ancient tomes that contained forms of Ancient Equestrian she didn’t quite recognize.

All around the corner of the Library she’d made camp in was a veritable fort-wall of stacked books that didn’t have the answers she was looking for but was in too much of a hurry to put back immediately, the gateway of which was topped by the two volumes of “Spells and Incantations” leaning against one another like a pointy-roofed gatehouse. As the wall of books grew, so did her frustrations, both at herself for not being able to find what she was looking for and at the old Library itself for not being able to offer her the assistance she needed.

And as her search dragged into its third consecutive evening, those frustrations came to a boil and with a cry of DAMMIT, she grabbed up a book with her magic and hurled it over the book wall…but to her surprise, she didn’t hear it hit the ground.

“The Chemistry of Geology,” a soft but regal voice sounded from outside the wall, the book itself floating back up into Twilight’s line of sight as if in evidence. “I know it’s probably not the most entertaining of reads, but I could have sworn you had a copy of this and enjoyed it nonetheless…I never thought it boring enough to hurl through the air though I suppose it has the potential to add some entertainment value to it, hmm-hmm-hmm,” the voice chuckled as its owner popped her white, crowned head over the wall, causing Twilight to fall back in alarm.

“P-Princess Celestia!” the studious purple Unicorn cried, realizing she’d very nearly clocked her teacher in the head with a book. “I-I’m so sorry!”

“It’s ok,” the Alicorn princess nodded and smiled, setting the book down on top of the wall and looking back to her student. “Permisson to enter your fort, Ms. Sparkle? I swear I come in peace.”

“Oh, y-yes, of course!” Twilight nodded emphatically, to which Celestia took wing and gently floated down inside the make-shift shelter of tomes, taking care not to topple the structure with her mighty wings. “What brings you here?”

“Oh, well, it’s evening and Luna has taken over the moon’s nightly path for now,” Celestia gestured towards the window. “But those are near-certainties nowadays. What you mean is why I’m here in the Canterlot Library instead of resting my weary mind, as you should be, especially after having searched for so long…”

“How’d you know I was looking for something here?”

“I received a letter from Spike requesting information on how you were doing, and I figured ‘where else could Twilight Sparkle lose herself for three days but a library?’”

“Heh-heh, that’s true,” Twilight nodded sheepishly.

“That letter also mentioned something about you searching for a solution for the problem of a friend of yours,” the Princesses’ eyes twinkled, whether in divine knowledge or simply due to the candlelight flickering behind Twilight, she wasn’t sure. “And since you’re a more than a little late for the meeting we were supposed to have…”

“Oh my gosh Celestia, I’m sorry, I completely forgot!”

“It’s quite alright, Twilight. My, but you seem stressed out. And I rather doubt you built this fortress of knowledge here out of sheer boredom. So my question that I raise to you that I believe addresses all of these issues at once is: what’ve you been looking for these past three days here?”

“Heh, very perceptive, Princess.”

“I sometimes have to be,” Celelstia winked and settled down on one of the many cushions Twilight had dragged into the corner. She patted the cushion adjacent to her and Twilight obediently sat down, and became visibly less flustered.

“Well, it’s kinda a long story,” Twilight explained, but Celestia simply smiled again, as she always seemed to do.

“We’ve got all night to chat, and catch up, Twilight,” she gestured idly with a hoof. “If that’s ok with you, that is.”

“Heh, I suppose I kinda owe you for missing our meeting earlier today, huh?” She floated her saddlebags over and pulled out the thick stack of hoof-written notes.

“As long as you were spending your time doing something constructive like helping your friends, I suppose I can’t really fault you for it,” she gently patted her student’s hoof. “However, I feel I owe you the time to speak with me, especially after such a busy summer…I’ve missed speaking face to face with you, my dearest student.”

“So have I, Princess,” Twilight’s face fell for a moment before her eyes moved back to her notes and brightened. “So, I suppose we can catch up and talk about what I’m looking for all at once! Hold onto your seat cushion, Princess…this gets a little…scientific.” She tried to put on a serious face until she looked over to see Princess Celestia literally grasping the cushion she was seated on, a very un-Princess-like, silly grin on her face, the very image of which caused Twilight to burst into helpless chuckles. It felt good to be spending time with her mentor again.

“I don’t think it’s going anywhere, Twilight,” she returned the chuckle with another wink before her student finally opened her notes and began…

More Notes: Ok, this may be the only update this week due to my temporarily increased work schedule, but I have Friday off and the next chapter already planned so...maybe...in any case, I wonder how Dash will react once she realizes that Volare has no intention of "stealing" Scoots, as well as what Celestia will say once Twilight tells her what's been going on in Ponyville for the past few days...and with whom...

Oh, and I forgot to add this:
8D
Volare: *facehoof again*

The Running-Pt 2: Crepuscular Conversing

September 2nd, Late Evening

Over the course of the last few hours, Twilight Sparkle had spent her time catching up with Princess Celestia on the events that had transpired over the summer since the Royal Wedding, both in Canterlot proper and abroad. For Celestia’s part, besides her usual royal duties of being the caretaker of the sun and upholding diplomatic relations, the majority of her time had been taken up with writing letters to the families of Canterlot as well as to the ones that had attended the wedding, apologizing for the lapse in security and the incident with Chrysalis and her Changeling army. Most of the letters were well-received, though there was the occasional family that requested compensation which Celestia granted-within reason, of course.

The remainder of her time had been spent assisting with the repairs of the city as well as the beefing-up of the Royal Guard forces, events which Shining Armor had already explained to Twilight, including how a small population of rather affluent ponies had protested the extra security to the point that Celestia had to send a large amount of the Guards home to their respective towns in order to quell the frustrated mutterings that could have potentially snowballed into something more widespread. The Princess merely shook her head in mild disappointment, loving her subjects dearly but knowing they could also be fairly fickle in regards to the balance between safety and personal freedom. Hopefully, the day wouldn’t come where her decision to listen to them more than her intuition would lead to even greater disaster…then again, she might have been just a teensy bit overly cautious.

“Alas, such are the responsibilities and tribulations of being a Princess,” Celestia chuckled and shook her head. “Not exactly something I’d wish upon you, my dear student.” She nodded to Twilight who’d been busy scribbling on a fresh parchment by the light of the candles that lined their "fortress", hanging on every word of her mentor’s account of the summer.
“But how about yourself, Twilight Sparkle?” The purple Unicorn looked up from her notes. “What have you been doing this past summer? And if I might be so bold as to ask, but does it have anything to do with what you’ve been up to here?” She cocked an eye at the veritable book fort that they sat within.

“Well, yes and no,” Twilight replied cryptically. “My life has been mostly the same since the wedding, though some ponies around Ponyville, and Equestria in general really, look at me a bit differently now, since I’m related to royalty and all…somepony actually bowed to me in Trottingham about two weeks after the wedding,” she said with a slight blush. Clearly what Celestia said was true: she was in no shape or fashion cut out for royal life; she was just too modest for it.
“But, for the most part, life’s continued to move on fairly normally for me. Well, there was that minor disaster involving Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash trying to create an airborne pastry delivery service.”

“Oh yes, I remember your letter about that rather fondly,” Celestia laughed merrily as she recalled how Twilight had said she wasn’t sure if she should be amused with the sight of cupcake icing raining from the sky or if she should take it a bit more seriously and tell them to quit while they were ahead before they spread their confectionery calamity to other towns in Equestria. Luckily for all involved, Mr. and Mrs. Cake reprimanded Pinkie for wasting baking goods and explained that nopony truly needed a service like that in the first place. The disappointed looks on Pinkie and Dash’s faces had stayed for a few days before the two pranksters put their ambition to better use via the Pegasus bringing Pinkie actual clouds from Cloudsdale for Pinkie to use in the kitchen, thus creating the Cloudy Cotton Candy Cupcakes.

“And as I said in the letter to Spike, they were simply divine,” the Royal Princess smiled. “Have you tried them yet?”

“Actually I haven't, no,” Twilight admitted.

“Well, I believe I just so happen to have one left in here,” Celestia opened the small saddlebag she wore on her left side and rummaged around. Sure enough, after a moment, she produced a small cupcake that would have looked fairly ordinary if it weren’t for the dollop of pink fluff perched on top. She handed it to her student who took a bite and savored it for a moment before grinning.

“Hey, this is really good,” Twilight commented, taking another bite. Of course, all of Pinkie’s creations tended to be good-except for the ones that involved hot sauce-but Twilight had to admit she’d had her doubts, if only because Rainbow Dash had leant a hoof; everypony knew that cooking was not the Pegasus’ forte. But it seemed that Dash had grabbed just the right type of clouds for this creation, leaving the eater with a light and airy aftertaste on top of the sugary goodness that was Pinkie’s cooking. Once the snack had been devoured, Twilight wiped the crumbs from her muzzle and grinned again.
“Darn, and to think I’ve missed out on these because I’ve been a little too busy wrapped up in the study and usage of a spell I discovered shortly after the wedding,” she said with a tinge of disappointment that gave way to hope at Celestia’s following statement.

“Oh? And what spell might that be? Where was the reference you started with?” Celestia asked, always excited to hear about the new fields of magic and study her student was constantly venturing into.

“From a scroll I found on that same visit in Trottingham where I was bowed to, but I’m fairly certain that’s not where the spell originated from,” Twilight replied, raising Celestia’s eyebrow ever so slightly. “Come to find out, it wasn’t even the original scroll; it was only a recent copy, and once I delved a little deeper into the subject, I’d realized it wasn’t anything new I’d found, but rather, something very ancient…and I was far from the first Unicorn to re-discover it.” The Unicorn levitated a yellow scroll from her stack of notes and sat it on a pillow, as if worried she’d damage it, despite it being a copy and not an original.
As Celestia’s eyes scanned over the writing in silence, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. It was a teleportation spell to be sure, but this one was different…it spoke of being able to reach out from this world and bring in objects from beyond, making it almost a hybrid of a conjuring and teleportation spells. But this, whether intentionally or not, seemed to have built-in limits, for it also only spoke of bringing in objects from one particular place…

“So…you’ve gotten involved in this little niche of study too, I see?” Celestia said, but whether it was a simple statement or one of negativity, Twilight couldn’t tell, for she quickly returned to her silent examination. But it was plain to see that Celestia had seen this particular spell before. Not wanting to chance it being the latter, Twilight quickly broke the lengthening silence.

“Um, is something wrong, Princess?”

“Oh, not at the moment, no, Twilight,” Celestia floated the scroll back over to her student along with a soft smile. “I’m just wondering what caused you to be interested in such a field of study, that’s all.”

“Well, after being held captive in Canterlot Mountain with Princess Cadance, I realized that if I’d known a spell that could have teleported us out of the mountain, we could have stopped Queen Chrysalis even sooner, preventing all the damage to the city as well the battle itself, more than likely,” Twilight faltered in disappointment for a moment before shaking the feeling off. “And so, kinda like the steps you took in case something like that ever happened again, I began more heavily researching teleportation, not only in its basic form, but of myself and other objects through space and matter itself.”

“A very difficult task, indeed, Twilight,” Celestia nodded thoughtfully. “That’s not even something I’ve quite gotten the hang of yet. My apologies; do go on.”

Twilight felt a slight sensation of pride once she realized she was delving into a niche that her own mentor hadn’t mastered, but she quickly swallowed it and continued. “Yes, well as I said, on that same trip to Trottingham, I was skimming through a series of scrolls in one of their stores when I came across that,” she pointed at the yellow parchment. “As I read it, I realized I held the answer to my problem in my hooves, and when I asked how much the scroll was, the shop-keeper surprised me when she only quoted me 10 bits. 'Only 10 bits’, I said, and she said yes, that it was only a copy, and therefore not particularly valuable. I was a bit hesitant, but it seemed to have the information I needed, so I bought it and began experimenting with it once I got back to Ponyville.”

“And how’d that go?”

“Apparently I read the scroll a bit incorrectly in the shop, but I didn’t realize it until I tried it,” Twilight explained. “It wasn’t just a long-distance teleportation spell, as I had been certain I’d read it as-I think the ink might have been smudged a bit, honestly. But the spell itself actually allows the caster to bring in objects from another world, and, I assumed at the time, also allowed them to send things to that other world as well.”

“Ah, very interesting,” Celestia nodded again, masking her growing worry. She knew the spell alright, as well as its purpose, and creator…
“I noticed you said ‘world’, as in singular, not plural?”

“Oh, right, it turns out the spell only mentions one specific planet, but again, I couldn’t make out the name at first because of the sloppiness of the copy,” Twilight frowned. But before she could carry on, Celestia preempted her and spoke.

“Twilight, as much as I’m sure you’re excited about something like this,” she paused, her expression almost one of a mother bird cautioning her young one before it left the nest for the first time. After a moment’s silence, she heaved a small sigh and continued. “I just feel the need to give you some information on that particular planet, as well as a word or two of warning.”

This statement struck Twilight as very odd; for one, she had no idea that Celestia knew of Earth, and two, that she would know enough of Earth to warn her about it. Was it possible she knew just as much as Twilight did via Volare’s testimony, especially if she had words of warning for her?
“What is it, Princess?”

The Caretaker of the Sun drew herself up as if to stand but instead simply readjusted her posture on the cushion, as if getting herself comfortable for a long lecture. “Twilight, I’m going to be point-blank: I know very well of that scroll copy you have there,” she nodded at the parchment. “The original document was stolen from the Starswirl the Bearded Wing during the Changeling Attack, and for that reason alone it should be regarded with some caution, for who knows why that particular document was stolen in the first place?”

“I personally think that’s a coincidence, Princess, but I already knew that it came from there from the other Unicorns who’ve obtained copies of the spell as well as the shopkeeper herself who had multiple copies for sale,” Twilight beamed proudly, oblivious to the tiny wave of worry that passed over Celestia’s brow.
“And I know it’s from the SB Wing, but what harm could somepony possibly cause with a teleportation spell like that?” Besides what she and Rainbow Dash had already caused, but it’s not like that would bring about the end of the world, right?

“The SB Wing?” Celestia cocked her head curiously.

“Why yes, that’s what I’ve heard Unicorns calling it lately, I suppose because of how prolific the spell’s usage has become, huh?”

That particular statement did absolutely nothing to calm Celestia’s worries, however. She had no idea the spell had become so widespread so quickly. If only she hadn’t been so busy this summer! “Twilight, as amusing as that might be to you, to reduce Starswirl the Bearded’s name to mere acronyms is a bit…disrespectful, don’t you think?”

“I never really thought of it as disrespectful, Princess,” Twilight frowned. “I simply thought of it as a more efficient way of shortening such a long name, that’s all. I was more excited about the release of information from the Wing.”

“Despite the way in which it was released?”

“Well, I didn’t know that at the time, of course,” Twilight explained. “It wasn’t until I spoke to Shining Armor a few nights ago that we confirmed it was the Changeling attack that led to that document being stolen, along with other spells and writings that nopony has been able to make heads or tales of due to them being written in Ancient Equestrian.”

“Well, I’m sure if you got a hoof on them, you’d be able to decipher them, my dear student,” the Princess smiled again, realizing that Twilight had truly meant no harm in researching that spell….not that she truly suspected her of course…but it never hurt to be careful.

“Well, maybe,” the Unicorn blushed at the compliment. “I’m not nearly as up-to-date on that particular language as I should be, and it would probably take me a good while to figure them out.”

“Well, even so, if anypony could devote the time to doing so, it would be you, Twilight Sparkle. And as for calling that section of the Archives the SB Wing…I suppose there’s no real harm in it,” she chuckled. “It is a bit of a mouthful to say all the time.”

“Indeed,” Twilight nodded in relief, thinking that she’d said the wrong thing there for a moment. But this was Celestia, her mentor; what subjects were off-limits between the two of them? “Anyways…back to the matter at hoof?” she offered.

“Oh yes, sorry about that. Seems we both have a penchant for flying off on strange tangents, don’t we?”

“Oh believe me, I can be a lot worse according to other ponies,” Twilight laughed, remembering what Volare had said back in her own Library.

“Well, going off on those is often a good way to debate a topic as well as-oh look, we’re doing it again,” Celestia laughed. “Tangents on tangents; good Sun!”

“Hee-hee, that was you that time, not me,” Twilight gently shoved the Princess, an offense that would normally carry a punishment of prison time or worse, but between the teacher and the student…it was all in good humor. “Ok, now let’s get back on topic. You were going to warn me about that planet?”

“Oh yes, right,” Celestia composed herself and cleared her throat, though her expression still stayed relatively soft. “That planet the scroll refers to is Earth, a fairly dangerous place not fit for ponies in the slightest. But the danger lies not in the planet itself, but in its inhabitants, specifically creatures called humans who seem to love nothing more than to destroy each other.”

“I see,” Twilight replied, yet again shocked that Celestia somehow knew about humans apparently before the Unicorn had even spoken to Volare. So much for telling her I’d discovered a new species…
“But how does that danger tie in with the teleportation spell?”

“Imagine one of those violent creatures being brought here to Equestria, Twilight; even on accident,” Celestia’s face finally fell into worry. “Or worse, more than one. Imagine what a creature that seems obsessed with destroying itself would do to another species of intelligent creatures like ponies.”

“Surely they can’t be all bad,” Twilight said hopefully.

“Well, that’s a given, Twilight, but even if a friendly one were to be brought here there would still be the chance of the diseases that they no doubt carry doing damage here as we have no natural defense against something we’ve never experienced.”

“But what of the information we could learn from them, Princess?” Twilight pushed, her hope for Volare being accepted by the Princess-much less being helped-fading rapidly.

“Even that carries far too much risk, Twilight,” Celestia shook her head slowly but firmly. “The risks simply out-weigh the benefits of bringing one of them here.” She noticed Twilight’s excitement turning to disappointment, and she quickly tried to soften the impact of her ruling. “However, that’s not to say that you couldn’t bring their objects here in order to study them indirectly, for I believe that’s already been going on for quite some time now.”

“Huh, you knew, Princess?” Twilight looked up at her mentor in surprise.

“Mhm, it’s my business to know what my subjects are doing where it would concern the safety of others,” Celestia replied. “In fact, one of my weekend assistants here at the castle, Lyra Heartstrings, has become fairly obsessed with Earth objects, and just last month she gave me an entire box-load of human socks. Why? Even she wasn’t totally sure; she just said I should have them. I personally think she was running out of places to put them,” the Princess winked and grinned, her worries abating somewhat at Twilight’s small chuckle.

“So, you’ve known this entire time that Unicorns are pulling objects from Earth here?” Twilight felt a little bit cheated and more than a little bit silly now that she realized that this whole time, Celestia had known while Twilight babbled on like a foal who'd discovered its own shadow. Then again, she was keeping the whole truth from Celestia about Volare for the time-being, so rather than feel like a hypocrite, she figured turn-about was fair play for now.

“Yes, that’s correct. That’s why I was so worried about the other spells that got stolen, for there are a fair number in the Wing that could cause some serious harm if they ever got released to the public; I’m sure Shining Armor told you about how I’ve had the Guard searching high and low for them, right? Just don’t want any more negative news coming out of Equestria on the hooves of the wedding incident, that’s all.”

“Can’t believe I’m saying this, but if they’re so dangerous…why not destroy them?” Twilight asked with a wince at the thought of desecrating valuable literature like that.

“Well, the problem is two-fold: for one, just because they’re potentially dangerous doesn’t mean they need to be destroyed. And two: Starswirl placed a myriad of spells on the majority of them to ensure that they’d be exceedingly difficult to completely destroy. We discovered this when one of my Unicorns set a scroll on fire and it simply reformed itself from the ashes, writing and all,” Celestia smiled at the memory of the mage trying again and again to burn the scroll before finally giving up as it regenerated every single time.
“There’s no telling what other incantations he might have placed on the spells…some might cause them to reform themselves, like that one…or others might cause the potential destroyer to be destroyed themselves.”

“Sounds like you got lucky on that one,” Twilight said. “And knowing Starswirl’s potential, he could have placed anything on those scrolls. But why did he do such a thing in the first place?”

“Preservation would be my best guess. Living on through his writings, so to speak,” Celestia surmised with a small shrug. “Thus, the scrolls are kept under lock and key in the Wing more for safety’s sake than anything; not just the denial of that knowledge, as some have surmised in the past."

“Well, that certainly explains a lot,” the lavender Unicorn leaned back and stretched a bit before settling back down and gently chewing her lower lip thoughtfully, still disappointed at Celestia’s bias towards humans and even more worried about Volare now. After another short and empty moment of silence, Celestia craned her neck over to peer at the relatively fresh notes that Twilight had stacked up by her saddlebags.

“Might I inquire as to the subject of that rather large and studious-looking stack of writing you have there, Twilight?” she smiled gently, hoping to change the subject to something a little less dark. “I believe I was told to hold onto my seat cushion because things were about to get ‘scientific.’”

Twilight caught her drift and smiled, happy to speak about something else as well. However, she knew she had to be careful how she worded things from here on out, for she had no idea exactly how Celestia would react if she figured out that Volare was human…and since the theories she’d brought to discuss with Celestia were formed via his assistance…well, she’d just see how things went. She picked up and shuffled through her notes, quickly bringing up a series of parchments that brought a smile to her face.
“Celestia, do you remember that comment we joked about soon after the wedding, when we saw Rainbow Dash asleep on a cloud right in the middle of the reception?”

“Oh yes, despite Soarin’s attempts to woo her, right?” the Princess chuckled at the image of the Wonderbolt Co-Captain attempting to nudge Dash awake so they could dance again and instead receiving a sleepy hoof to the snout that left his muzzle and pride badly bruised. “Heh-heh, I remember. You’d said something about how Rainbow Dash could sleep through anything, and that if it weren’t for the fact that there had been a fight at the wedding and my request that she perform a Sonic Rainboom after the vows that she probably would have slept through the whole event instead. Why?”

“Well, after my comments, that got me thinking on exactly why Pegasi like Dash tend to either sleep a lot or seem rather laid-back when they’re not flying,” Twilight explained. “Like the Wonderbolts; I mean, have you ever really seen Spitefire act anything but cool and collected at social events?”

“Come to think of it, no I really haven’t,” the Alicorn shook her head. “But what of it?”

“I started to develop a theory on why those Pegasi would act that way, but I hit a brick wall for the longest time, mainly because of my studies on that teleportation spell and when I tried to broach the subject to Rainbow Dash, she said that it was a bunch of hooey. Guess what she did right afterwards?”

“Took a nap?” Celestia’s artificially innocent response drew chuckles from her student.

“Yep, exactly. So I simply filed it away for a while, but recently I was able to complete it.” She then went into the description of how Pegasi lungs, especially those of ultra-athletic ones, were built for strenuous activity, and when that activity wasn’t occurring, the lungs tended to pull in more oxygen than needed, resulting in laid-back behavior when at rest and the frequent occurrence of naps in Rainbow Dash’s case. What all of this added up to was the explanation behind the reason why Pegasi tended to be like light switches: on or off, with little to no dimmer switch to speak of.

“That’s quite the interesting theory, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia praised her student as she looked over the notes. “It seems sound enough and it certainly explains a lot of tendencies about Pegasi that most would take for granted. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight dipped her horn in thanks before filing the notes back in the stack.

“I do have a question in regards to that theory though, Twilight.”

“Yes?”

“You said you hit a wall right after the wedding and couldn’t really get any further with it. Your continuation of it implies that something happened to allow you to continue work on that theory, I take it?”

“Well, not something so much as somepony,” Twilight paused. Mini-moment of truth…

“Oh really? Who, might I ask?” Celestia grinned encouragingly.

“Would you believe the same friend that Spike mentioned in that letter?”

“Aha, is that so?” Celestia gave her a cheeky grin. “Ooh, is it a stallion?”

“P-Princess!” Twilight sputtered, feeling the heat growing in her cheeks.

“What, I’m merely inquiring as to his or her sex,” the Alicorn chuckled, obviously having a little fun ribbing her still socially-awkward student. “So is it a stallion…or maybe a mare?” She cocked an eyebrow in fascination.

“Does it really matter?” Twilight asked, crossing her hooves in embarrassment, absolutely not expecting a conversation with the Princess of the Sun to turn into semi-suggestive sleepover gossip. Twilight’s blush deepened as she reminded herself that she’d literally had Volare in bed for three days and that even Celestia wasn’t immune to assuming the results of such activity…best to nip it in the bud now, then. “Ok, fine, he’s a guy.”

“Why’re you blushing, Twilight?” Celestia inquired. “It’s not like we’re talking about anything…uncouth as Rarity would say.”

“I know, I know,” Twilight growled and mentally slapped herself, quickly gathering her composure and taking a deep breath. “Sorry…just not good at talking about stallions still, I guess,” Twilight groaned and hid her face in her hooves once she realized how that sounded, but Celestia simply patted her comfortingly.

“Heh, I believe all mares are at some point, Twilight; goodness knows I was. And I’d be willing to wager that stallions face the same dilemma in regards to mares as well. It’s all part of growing up and nothing to be ashamed about,” she smiled as Twilight’s gaze peeked out from behind her hooves. “But if it’s any consolation, I do apologize for poking fun at you like that. I should have stopped sooner; I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok, Princess,” Twilight sniffed and re-focused her thoughts. “Sorry, where was I?”

“You were going to tell me about the stallion that helped you out with your theory, I believe."

“Oh, um, well, he’s a Pegasus that’s about a head taller than me and kinda lanky. He’s got a dark blue coat with a spiky yellow and black mane that kinda sweeps back over his head and a short little tail with matching colors,” Twilight pantomimed the description with a flick of her much longer tail. “As well as these really intense blue eyes…but besides those, he’s not really dangerous-looking at all, he’s really just…I dunno, he’s just…what?” Twilight stopped at Celestia’s growing look of amusement.

“I didn’t really mean his physical description, Twilight, though he does sound like a unique-looking individual,” she chuckled at her student's scientific nature that seemed to manifest itself at every turn. “I mean his name, his personality, where he came from, and how he was able to help you with your theory.”

“Oh, that!” Twilight blushed, inwardly berating herself for treating Volare like a science project…again. “Well, his name is Volare, he's about three years older than me, and he’s…former military and I think that might be where he gets his manners from; he tends to be polite, though I’ve noticed he has a bit of a competitive streak that’s reared its head more than once.” Twilight couldn’t help but grimace at the memories of the night of Volare’s injury…

“Military…interesting. Do you know of who’s country and why he happens to be former instead of active, as young as he sounds?”

“Um, actually,” Twilight paused, not wanting to lie to her mentor…but considering the alternative… “We haven’t spoken at length on it, to tell you the truth.”

“Oh, ok then. You mentioned that competitive streak in a bit of a negative tone,” Celestia tilted her head slightly. “Care to elaborate?”

“Oh, heh, well, let’s just say that he thought he could match Rainbow Dash not only in wits on the ground but in flight skills, and…well, that’s actually related to the solution of the problem I’m working on here,” Twilight grinned sheepishly.

“He seriously tried to challenge Rainbow Dash in the air?” Celestia asked in a mixture of disbelief and mild amusement. “Did he know who she was?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Twilight replied, leaving out the part about Volare’s possession of the patch of Dash’s cutie mark.

“Well, I’m sure if he did, he would have realized that to challenge her in the air was a fool’s errand,” Celestia chuckled, either missing or ignoring the nervous look that crossed Twilight’s face for a moment.

“Oh, heh-heh, believe me, he does now.”

“How badly did she beat him?”

“Um…well, she didn’t so much as beat him as he beat himself,” Twilight explained. “He tried to match her in a dive and…well, Dash helped him to mostly pull out of it, but he incurred an injury in the crash that resulted in a rather unique wing situation, which is why I’m here researching it in the first place.”

“Well, I just so happen to be in the possession of a wing or two,” the Princess smiled as she shrugged her own massive pair of regal wings. “Perhaps I could offer some advice?”

“Hrm, I dunno…no offense, but I kinda doubt you’ve personally encountered something quite like this before, Princess,” Twilight suddenly yawned mightily. “Ooh, sorry. And I’ve practically torn this library in half searching for answers, which is likely where you’d go for information anyway, right?”

“Touché,” Celestia frowned. “Even so, I suppose I could find some time to help you search back through these books to see if you maybe missed something while you were tossing old tomes at my head,” she nudged Twilight and chuckled. “Not to mention it’s rather late already and you’re barely able to sit up straight," she indicated the guttering candles inside the book fort.

“Aww, that’s not true, I’m *yaaaaawn* just fine, Princess,” Twilight protested, but her mentor simply shook her head and smiled that same soft smile that had practically become her trademark.

“Come now, Twilight Sparkle. You’re exhausted from living in this library for three days and I’m quite worn out from my own daily duties. Neither one of us is in any shape to coherently search for anymore information tonight.” Against Twilight’s soft protests, Celestia extinguished the candles with a single poof of magic and carried the sleepy Unicorn from the library and to Shining Armor and Cadance’s home. She gave them a quick explanation as to where Twilight had been for the last three days before pulling Shining Armor aside for a word.

“Yes, my Princess?” the Captain of the Guard asked with concern; she didn’t often come to his door herself asking to speak with him. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing serious, Captain,” Celestia reassured him. “But if you can get the time tomorrow, I’d like to speak with you at length on recent events that I feel you should know about.”

“Please come in, Princess; we don’t have to wait till tomorrow,” Shining Armor beckoned her inside, but the Princess gently shook her tiara-crowned head.

“No, Captain, they're not that urgent. Besides, I’m rather tired from the day’s duties and I couldn’t burden you and your wife with my presence for the night, for I’d likely fall asleep as soon as I relaxed,” she exaggerated a bit, but it did the trick. Shining Armor bid her good night and went inside, leaving the Princess alone with her thoughts as she walked the post-midnight streets of Canterlot, something she hadn’t done in ages. She was glad that it was late enough that the streets were empty of ponies who would otherwise see her drop the overly-cheery facade she'd been wearing since Twilight mentioned that spell and allowed her true worry to crease her brow. She knew Twilight Sparkle’s curious nature, and the intuitive Princess had played the oblivious mentor role long enough that evening that she’d noticed that her student seemed to be hiding something from her, though what it was she wasn’t about to speculate on without solid proof. Still, if she’d been in possession of that spell-scroll for so long, it really made Celestia wonder if her star pupil had graduated past teleporting socks and human knick-knacks to Equestria and had moved on to…bigger ventures…

The Princess shook the thought from her head; perhaps she really was just tired. To take her mind off the subject, just as Twilight Sparkle had done earlier, she too looked up and smiled at the artistic canvas that was the night sky, proud of her sister’s hoof-work. In truth, she somewhat envied her sister, for although Celestia controlled the sun and all its brilliance, that glory was often too much save for sunset and sunrise, forcing other ponies to look away from it most of the time. Luna on the other hoof, had the night sky to work on, and thousands of stars to light it, to say nothing of the brilliant moon that was now past its zenith and waning towards the horizon.

She gave a small chuckle at the irony of the situation, considering how it had been Luna’s bitterness of the daytime that had caused all those problems over a thousand years ago. Celestia felt fairly secure in the fact that she’d likely never go the same route over her slight envy of her sister’s night sky…but then again, there was something to be said for the non-existence of sun-gazing as opposed to star-gazing…
No…I can’t even let myself think that way, not even in jest, for to do so would take away from her accomplishments, the trials she’s been through…and how much stronger she’s become since her return…no, Luna you’ve always been strong, and for that I’m proud of you, little sister.

She made her way inside the castle and passed the balcony on which Luna was residing, playing the literal role of the night-time sentinel. "Ah, good evening, Luna," Celestia draped a wing over her younger sister for a moment.

"Quite nearly good morning, Tia," the Princess of the Night replied, having almost completely erased the old Canterlot way of speaking from her vocabulary, though the occasional royal "we" sometimes slipped out.. "Did your meeting with Twilight Sparkle really carry you so far into the night?"

"In truth it did, though I did take more than a few moments to admire your beautiful sky tonight," Celestia nudged her sister who leaned into her and sighed gently.

"Thank you, Tia," she looked up and smiled. "However, don't take offense to my statement, but you've certainly seen better days," she grimaced slightly at Celestia's sleep-deprived features, but the older sister simply laughed off the gibe. "Are you faring well?"

"Not entirely no, but I'm sure some rest would do me good all the same," she hugged her sister with her wing once more before turning to depart the balcony and leave Luna to her nightly duties. "Oh, before I go..."

"Yes?"

"Seems Twilight Sparkle made a new friend recently."

"Huzzah, that is good news," Luna beamed. "But wait; isn't making friends and learning about friendship her business? If so, then what makes this particular friend unique enough to mention, if you'll forgive my asking?"

"Well, he's a rather odd-looking blue and yellow Pegasus with a spiked yellow and black mane, a short black and yellow tail, and blue eyes named Volare who was apparently former military, though he hasn't told Twilight where he's from or what country he served. His name doesn't ring any bells as far as the Guard is concerned-we certainly haven't ever had any blue Pegasi in it recently-nor have I ever seen or heard of him," she gave her sister a slightly concerned look. "Have you, dear sister?"

"No, neither his name nor his description are familiar to me. He must be from outside Equestria."

"Which is exactly what Twilight said...a little too convenient if you ask me..."

"Tia?"

"Ah, sorry, I'm just talking out loud," Celestia shook her mane and blinked heavily. "Probably because I'm so tired and not thinking clearly. Well, allow me to leave me to your duties and I'll see you in the morning when you lower the moon. Good night, Luna."

"Sweet dreams, Tia," Luna replied as her older sister climbed the stairs up the tower to her personal chambers. The Princess of the Night mulled over what had just transpired, wondering exactly what Twilight and Celestia had been speaking at length upon, as well as who this Volare character was. But, if he was a friend of Twilight's Luna felt that she should make his acquaintance as well, if only because it was the studious Unicorn herself that had brought Luna out of her own shell last year...

With a decisive nod and a smile, Luna made the promise to herself to someday meet Twilight's new friend. With that decision established, she returned her full attention to the Equestrian night, ever-watchful for any trouble that would dare to rear its head beneath her moon.

Earlier...

Following a dinner that Volare had helped to cook that nearly had all involved bursting at the seams with veggie goodness, the dark blue Pegasus trudged out to what had become his sleeping location beneath Shae's roosting tree, still not trusting Angel Bunny to leave him alone while he slumbered. Two nights ago, Fluttershy had been kind enough to provide him with a sleeping pad and blankets to ward off the early autumn chill, and he was personally a little grateful that this wasn't a permanent setup, that as soon as Twilight returned with that spell to fix his wing, he could go back to sleeping indoors where it was nice and warm.
But that got him thinking: what exactly would he do once he got his wing fixed? His first thought was to show Dash what he could do, but the mere thought of getting back in the air and getting maimed again made his stomach a little queasy. Well, guess I'm not as back to normal as I thought...well, as back to normal as I could be, anyway...

And then that got him thinking about what he'd left behind...his dreams, his life on Earth, everything that had made him who he was until just barely a week ago. As he sighed and looked up at the night sky, brimming with stars and the bright-faced moon, he found himself asking the question he'd oft-repeated time and again at about this phase of the night: could he really, truly call this place his home? This wasn't a game...there was no reset button. He was well and truly stuck here...although saying he was stuck implied it was a negative situation. Then again, since he'd arrived, his experience hadn't exactly been the poster-child for positive occurrences. Perhaps that was what he needed to feel more attached here...more positive stuff...hrm, some positive dreams would be nice..............

"Heya Volare," the blue Pegasus snorted lightly and looked up from where he'd nodded off to see Scootaloo standing in the middle of the backyard and looking a bit guilty for having woken him up. "Ah, I'm sorry; I didn't know you were asleep already!"

"Nah, it's ok Scoots," Volare sat up and yawned. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much, I just wanted to sit out here with you for a little bit, if that's ok."

"Heh, it's fine," he scooted over and allowed her to sit on the pad as they both leaned against the tree. "Lemme guess: you couldn't stand Angel Bunny either, huh?"

"What-nah, he's a real sweetie," Volare looked at her in shock. "Why?"

"How the heck...that little monster attacked me when I first came here, he bit Big Macintosh, and he took a chunk out of Iron Will's nose a while back! How can you call him a sweetie!?"

"I dunno, he didn't do any of that to me," Scootaloo shrugged her little wings. "Maybe he just doesn't like new guys around Fluttershy and he's totally ok with other mares?"

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me if that's true," Volare face-hoofed. What the hell did that make Angel Bunny...some sorta pimp?! "I guess that would explain alot though..."

"Actually, if he did mess with me, I'd just get Rainbow Dash after him; that'd show him!" Scootaloo chuckled.

"That'd make two of us, cuz that little terror doesn't fear me at all. Why ya think I'm sleeping out here for crying out loud?" Volare laughed before settling down again.

"Hey Volare?"

"Hm?"

"You ever wish you didn't have to have others fight your battles for you?"

Volare turned to look at her, shocked that such a mature statement would come from a filly so young. "Whatcha mean by that, Scoots?"

"Well...I really look up to Rainbow Dash and all, but I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be as great a flyer as her so I can take care of myself someday," she explained. "And it's a little embarrassing when I can't do it myself. You ever feel that way, Volare?"

"Yeah, all the time," Volare replied. "But the way I got past that was pushing myself to do better...mainly because I made a promise to someone a long time ago that I always would..."

"Who was it?" Scootaloo asked after a beat.

"Hrm?"

"The one who you made that promise to?"

"Ah...that would be my little sister; she was always right behind me, pushing me to do better 'or else she'd pass me up one of these days,'" he laughed at the memory. "And when I left home, I made that promise that I'd always do my best to get better, even if she wasn't there with me."

"Where is she now?" Scootaloo asked innocently, oblivious of the twinge that her query sent coursing through Volare's heart.

"She's...far away right now, Scoots," he replied almost cryptically, causing her to look up at him in confusion. "But trust me when I say this, if she were here, I'm pretty sure you two would hit it off just fine."

"Heh, that's good," Scootaloo shivered a bit against the night chill and snuggled up against Volare. His heart winced yet again before he gently wrapped his good wing around her.

"Hey, I just had a funny thought," Volare said after another long moment, if anything to make sure Scootaloo didn't fall asleep outside.

"Oh, what's up?" Scootaloo yawned lightly.

"Were you serious about that "Volare fanclub" comment earlier?"

"Well yeah, I made one for Rainbow Dash, but there's no reason to not make one for you too if you want it," Scootaloo beamed. "Heh, we could have crazy spikey mane hats and everything!"

"Scoots, as nice as that gesture is...I don't think I've done nearly enough to deserve something like that, not like Rainbow Dash has."

"Well, what you did for me in town today was more than enough," Scootaloo protested with a grin.

"Heh, we'll see what happens, but for now...let's save the fanclub till we're flying, ok?"

"Aww, ok," she said with a discouraged air.

"Hey, Scoots?"

"Yep?"

"Something else I've learned since I've started my rehabilitation that I really badly lacked before all this is patience. I believe you've got the drive to be just as great a flyer as Rainbow Dash is, but that's gonna take time and patience to accomplish...same with me and my injury. So in the meantime, until we get you airborne, I want you to keep your head high and a smile on your face, knowing it's all gonna add up to you flying in the end," he stuck out his hoof. "If you can do that, I'll promise to do the same. Also, I want you to sleep inside if Angel Bunny will let you; no sense sleeping outdoors and catching a cold like dumb ol' me. Deal?"

"Deal," Scootaloo shook his hoof before standing up and stretching. She then surprised him by turning around and hugging him around his neck, a gesture he returned gently. "Thanks Volare...for everything today." With a little grin, she trotted back into the cottage, leaving Volare with a myriad of emotions bouncing about in his head and his heart. He finally decided it was too late to get into another internal debate with himself and simply resolved himself to the fact that everything was right in the world, that it was taking care of itself right now, and that the best thing to do would be to simply accept that fact and get some shut-eye.

Above him, Rainbow Dash watched the blue Pegasus lay down and throw the blanket over himself before quickly falling asleep. She too had mixed feelings bouncing around within herself, though hers were of a different variety entirely. In truth, she was stuck between the anger and rather immature suspicion of Volare stealing her number one fan in order to start his own fanclub (a worry that had somewhat abated itself with Volare's statements to Scootaloo just now), to disappointment in herself for not having done anything really special for Scootaloo lately besides letting her watch her new tricks...in fact it was that realization combined with the dissolving of her suspicions about the fanclub that made Rainbow Dash feel like something she rarely ever did-and would likely never admit to anypony: a jackass.

She rolled over on the cloud and growled softly to herself, shivering in the slight breeze that blew in from over the Everfree Forest. She quickly tucked herself into the fluff of the cloud and out of the wind, her thoughts switching to wondering about exactly what Scootaloo had been talking about that Volare had done for her in town that day. It wasn't like Scoots was out of her sight for that long! What could have possibly happened that had made her wanna hang out with Volare all of a sudden...and why at Fluttershy's house of all places? It was questions like these that slowly drove Rainbow Dash towards the edge of sleep, her last conscious thought before she nodded off entailing Volare's recovery, and how she couldn't wait till he was back in the air, for two reasons: One, she wouldn't have to babysit his flank anymore, and two...she could then begin the process of kicking said flank all over the sky for for stealing her number one fan all the same (even if he didn't intend to start his own club!) Or at the very least, I'll kick his flank for making me wait so long to kick his flank...yeah, that sounds better...heh-heh...zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Notes: Celestia be trollin'!

Whew, not gonna lie, this chapter was kinda rough to write without giving away all the secrets and intrigue all at once!

Volare: Dude, just cuz you're not supposed to give it all away in the story doesn't mean you can just reveal everything in the notes! Sorry folks, this is what happens when the Author stays up till 1:30 in the morning to work on this story.

Me: But the time of my writing matched the time in the story!

Volare: Yeah, when they're all tired and incoherent, so go to bed!

Me: Aww, ok. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of- *CLUNK*

Volare: There, now maybe you'll sleep! I swear, this guy's dedication to this thing is gonna get him killed...

Me: Zzzzzzz...urgh...zzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Running-Pt 3: Security Matters

September 3rd

The dawn rays of Celestia’s sun filtered their way through the fiery forelock of Rainbow Dash’s mane, gently coaxing the Pegasus from her slumber upon her cloud. Her rose-colored eyes blinked twice and finally opened before she yawned and stretched her powerful wings and legs, standing up to observe the peaceful scene of Fluttershy’s property below her. She watched as a rooster fluttered his way to the top of the chicken coop and crowed twice before heading back to earth, signaling the start of the day.

Dash sighed. As strange as it might sound for a Pegasus like her that enjoyed her rest, this was her second favorite part of the day besides sunset. She wasn’t sure why; perhaps it was because the dawn meant a new day was upon them, full of new opportunities and the promise of new adventures. Or perhaps she just liked the serenity of the countryside before everypony was up, hustling and bustling about. Strange indeed, especially for a Pegasi that liked it when everything was moving and active, and was no stranger to loud noises, as those who’d heard her Sonic Rainbooms could attest to. In truth, perhaps it was simply the small break away from all that activity that she craved every now and again, and was only attainable during this small hour of the morning.

Whatever the case may be, her attention turned from enjoying the morning to paying attention to the grumble in her gut as it cried out for sustenance. “Hrm, maybe I’ll hit up the ol’ Barnstormer Bed N Breakfast up in Cloudsdale,” she mused, referencing the inn she’d made it a habit to visit at least once a week but had fallen off on that routine recently due to the arrival and over-watch of a certain dark blue Pegasus stallion. Speaking of whom…
She peeked down over the edge of her cloud to see him sleeping peacefully at the base of the old oak tree in Fluttershy’s backyard.
Hrm…suppose it couldn’t hurt anything…

As quietly as she could, Dash floated down from the cloud and landed softly a small distance away from the sleeping Volare. She approached on silent hooves and stopped once she was standing over his slumbering form. She observed him for a short time, from his steady, even breathing, to the musculature that was beginning to show through his blue coat, proving that he was indeed getting stronger day by day. Her smile faded a bit as her eyes moved to his crippled right wing he had tightly tucked up against himself, the flight feathers at the ends twitching ever so slightly, revealing the only true function that wing possessed for the moment. Her heart went out to the poor guy, knowing it was partially her fault he was in this predicament…no, that it was more than partially her fault…that it was mostly her fault.

She resisted the urge to comfortingly stroke his spiky yellow mane, even for a moment, knowing that would likely wake him up…besides, she was already basically breaking her promise to both him and Twilight just standing here like this.
No…no further, Dashie.
…too bad you can’t eh?
Yeah…poor guy.
…you really feel like a lot of this is your fault?
Yeah, I do…kinda wish I didn’t make that stupid promise now.
…why?
So I could at least tell him how bad I feel but at the same time, how proud I am of him being tough about it like this…I dunno. I mean, yeah, I hurt my own wing pretty good once, but nothing like this.
…says something of his resilience, eh?
Yeah, must come from being human or something…either way, I’m proud of him for not moping about too much and wanting to get back in the air…I guess that’s just what I wanna tell him.
…but what about him “stealing” Scoots from you?
Bah, that was just a silly thought…he knows I’d kick his flank if he did that, though I AM curious as to what he did that made her suddenly take an interest in him like that.
…and what about the REAL reason why you’re following him around like this?
Whatcha mean?
…you know what I mean…what he had in his jacket when you brought him here…that IS the real reason you’re following him, right?
CRAP, yeah…um, maybe I could at least ask him about that …urgh, I’m too hungry to think at a time like this!
…well then go eat, you silly filly!
Ya think? Grr, I’ll just figure out a way to ask him later.
…maybe Scoots could help?
Yeah, maybe…wait, what?
…go eat and we’ll figure this out later.
Grr, I swear I’m going crazy…Volare, you’re gonna get a real piece of my mind once Twilight gets back!
And with that, Dash gently lifted into the air and fluttered a safe distance away before shooting off into the sky in the direction of Cloudsdale, and more importantly, breakfast!

Volare, on the other hoof, was dreaming again. After four wonderfully dream-free (and therefore nightmare-free) nights, the law of averages had apparently dictated that the blue Pegasus should once again venture into that land of unconscious experiences. Mercifully however, this didn’t seem to be a nightmare about falling, about fire, or about anything involving death. No, this dream entailed a peaceful mass of white, puffy clouds that slowly swirled about Volare, blocking out the majority of light that occasionally peaked through the gaps in the fluff, betraying the fact that it was almost certainly daytime.

As the clouds swirled about him, Volare again realized that he was standing upon them, something that should be impossible, but seeing as there was no other floor available to stand on…yep, he was standing on the clouds, alright. But I don’t know how…hrm, I wonder if all Pegasi can stand on clouds…all except me, of course.

Yet again reminded that he was a stranger in a strange land, Volare cautiously walked forward on the slowly-moving fluff, expecting any moment to be dropped out through the floor and plunged into what he could only expect to be miles of empty blue sky…with the cruel ground waiting for him below. He looked over his shoulder to see his crippled wing still tucked up and bandaged against his side. Yep, I’d definitely be screwed. But when nothing besides his continued standing upon the clouds happened, he tossed caution slightly to the side and experimentally poked a hoof through the wall of clouds that surrounded him. Once he was assured of them not exploding-why the heck would they do that anyway?-he boldly walked through the eddying clouds and finally stuck his head out into the sunlight of the sky.

Sure enough, he was floating high above the ground, but as the cloud he was standing within continued to support him with ease, the shock of being up so high didn’t hit him nearly as hard as it would have otherwise. However, one question did immediately leap to the forefront of the crippled Pegasus’ mind: How the hell did I get up here?! Better yet, WHY the hell am I up here?! He wasn’t truly scared so much as startled and confused; though he did ask himself why he had to have such crazy dreams all of a sudden. Were they a message? A premonition? Unconscious Pegasi instincts? Memories? …a warning, perhaps? But a warning against what?!

Just as Volare began to wonder if Equestria had anypony along the lines of a psychic medium he could consult, the clouds that he was poking his head out of suddenly re-engulfed him and held him tightly, blocking out the sunlight again. He felt the panic rise in his chest as he realized he couldn’t move at more than a snail’s pace, as if he was no longer moving through cloud fluff but through tar…white puffy tar…yeah. He opened his mouth to yell for help before remembering that he was high above the ground and that nopony would hear him scream. He’d have to do this on his own. He pushed back against the clouds that squeezed his chest, making it difficult to breathe and therefore impossible to cry out anyway. Damn…just the act of drawing breath was nearing the excruciating point, and his eyes squeezed shut with the effort involved.

Just as he was on the verge of striking out at the clouds with his hooves (he figured they were now more solid and therefore would be easier to push aside), he heard the most unexpected thing imaginable at the time: laughter, specifically giggles of amusement coming from a small pony that under normal circumstances should also have not been up in the clouds.
“Volare-heehee! Volare get up! Open your eyes, Volare! Come on dude, you look ridiculous-hahaha-heehee!”
Damn crazy dreams…

With a sleepy snort and a gasp, Volare’s eyes snapped open again to reveal him laying on the ground-the ground, NOT swirling clouds-a shady tree spreading above him, the gentle pink hues of a slightly post-dawn sky, and one particular foal by the name of Scootaloo standing on his chest and announcing her pride at having woken him up thusly via a large grin and equally huge and happy purple eyes that bore no trace of sleepiness despite the early hour. Unlike the blue Pegasus she was perched upon, she seemed to be quite the morning-pony.

“Morning, sleepy-head!” the foal quipped, ruffling Volare’s mane playfully.

“Urgh, what time is it,” the pilot groaned, though he knew the answer.

“Just past dawn,” Scootaloo replied matter-of-factly. “Come on, the sun’s been up for nearly 20 minutes now!”

“Heh, and why’re you so excited to be waking me up at the crack of dawn, eh?” Volare sat up against the tree and stretched his joints, particularly his neck which had been cocked at a strange angle as he’d slept.

“Duh, today Fluttershy’s gonna start training us to fly,” she grinned.

“Oh crap, you’re right,” Volare shook the sleep from his head, swearing that some of that fluff from those clouds had taken up permanent residence in there. “But is Fluttershy awake yet?”

“Um, actually I don’t think she is,” Scootaloo replied with a tinge of embarrassment. “I just kinda woke up and ran out here cuz I just wanted to get started…sorry,” she kicked at a dirt clod as she trailed off into sheepish silence before Volare chuckled.

“It’s ok, Scoots,” he stood up and stretched his legs again. Without thinking, he also stretched his left wing and immediately felt unbalanced before he realized it was because his right wing was still trussed up against his side. He sighed and untied the sling with his mouth, allowing his wing to fall freely towards the ground. “Hey Scoots, can you do me a favor?”

The foal’s ears flicked up and she looked up with an eager smile. “Sure, what’s up? Hey, um…you sure you’re not mad at me waking you up?”

“Yes, I’m totally sure,” she reassured her with a smile of his own.

“Heh, ok. So whatcha need help with?”

“Well, Fluttershy’s told me I need to stretch my wing every now and again so it doesn’t get all shriveled and useless, which would make flying a real pain once my wing heals up. But I need help with the stretching…soo…”

“I’m on it!” Scootaloo shot him a small salute and grabbed his wing with her hooves, eagerly pulling it away from his body before he could cry out from the popping of the stiff wing muscles. “Like this?”

“Argh, not quite like that,” he hissed from between the clinched teeth of a forced grin. “A little more gently, if you please.”

“Got it,” she replied and repeated her actions, though much more slowly than before, listening as Volare reiterated the coaching that Fluttershy had given him on the subject. Soon, she had the motion down, and she could feel his wing warming via a combination of fresh blood flow through it and the rays of the sun striking it.

“Ah, much better, thanks Scoots,” Volare sighed after a few minutes and tied his wing back up in place as the filly held it up before he gratefully patted her on the head.

“No problem, Volare,” Scootaloo’s grin widened as she caught the older Pegasus by surprise by jumping on his back and wrapping her hooves around the top of his head, blocking his vision for a moment. “So, what’re we gonna learn today?”

“Hrm, I’m not really sure, my little purple-maned blindfold-buddy,” Volare said with a chuckle. Scootaloo moved her hooves, allowing him to peek through a crack and make his way towards the center of the yard without tripping over everything. He looked up towards the upper room of the house and confirmed the lack of movement inside Fluttershy’s room. “Well, you were right about Fluttershy still being asleep. But…I don’t see the harm in starting early.”

“Sweet!” the filly let go of his head and perched on his back, her wings buzzing as she hopped somewhat painfully on his spine. “Where do we start?”

“Heh, yeah-ow,” he grunted before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I guess we can start with what you already know about flying, Scoots.”

“Well, um,” Scootaloo quickly stopped bouncing and got rather quiet. “Thing is, nopony’s ever really taken the time to teach me much about it…I’ve kinda been learning on my own.”

“Hence the bumps and bruises, eh?” he asked instead of the first question that popped into his mind in regards to her flight abilities…no, that could wait for the moment.

“Yep.”

“I see...makes ya a tough little booger, though,” he looked over his shoulder with a smile. “You said the closest you came to flying was falling out of a tree?”

“Kinda, yeah,” Scootaloo blushed. “And that was kinda an accident on its own. Like I said, all I really know about flying is to flap my wings as fast as possible…yeah, I stink,” she hung her head.

“No, no, no; not at all, Scoots,” Volare shook his own head. “You’re doing the best with what you know, that’s all.”

“And that’s next to nothing,” she groaned in frustration.

“Well, I say it’s time to expand on that knowledge,” Volare grinned and spread his good wing. “Let’s start with the basics and work our way from there until Fluttershy wakes up. Sound like a plan, pal?”

“Hee, yep, sounds good to me!” Scootaloo perked up and fanned out both her wings in imitation of the older Pegasus as they began with a little bit of “takeoff posture.”

…………….

Fluttershy’s eyes slowly flickered open and she gave a huge yawn and a small snort before her ears pricked up at the sounds from the yard below her window. Nopony was supposed to be up yet…but she certainly heard somepony down there...hrm, sounds like Scootaloo…and she was screaming!

Every bit of sleepiness dissolved from the yellow mare as she bounded over to the window and threw open the curtains, looking down into the yard with wide eyes, searching for the squealing filly…and nearly bursting into relieved giggles at what she saw.

From what she could gather, the reason why Scootaloo was squealing wasn’t in fear; no it was in unbridled amusement and laughter at the comical character that Volare was cutting. Apparently, Shae still had a lot of wild streak in her, and the black and white osprey was busy chasing the blue Pegasus around the yard and playfully nipping at his mane with her beak, all the while Volare was doing his best to not shout out every expletive he knew as he fled the “wrath” of the bird of prey, whom they’d woken up with their antics.

“Come on Shae! I thought we were pals!” Volare cried as he ducked a swipe of her claw, instead catching a mighty buffet from her wing right on the nose. “Argh, knock it off, you crazy bird!” Shae finally relented after a few more moments, chereeking to herself as she resumed her perch in her tree and began to preen her feathers, all the while keeping a watchful golden eye on the two flightless Pegasi below.

“You ok, Volare?” Scootaloo finally managed to ask after her laughter had subsided. The Pegasus in question had turned several shades closer to crimson in absolute embarrassment.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I’m fine,” he insisted, though his heart was pounding like a drum. He didn’t honestly think Shae was going to tear into him…but you try standing still while a bird nearly as big as you divebombed you with claws like spearpoints-even in play! He looked up into the tree at the young osprey who paused in her preening to give him a soft cheerk as if to reassure him it was all in good fun before returning to her business.
“Heh, well, next time tone it down a bit, ok?”

Cheereek-cheerk

“Ok, fine, we won’t wake you up so early next time, sheesh,” he looked back at Scootaloo and shook his head. “So, where were we?”

Fluttershy stayed at her place in the window for another good hour or so, her heart swelling with pride as Volare repeated the techniques she’d shown him in regards to posture on the ground, how to maximize one’s lift, the flap, flap, glide form he’d observed from Shae, and even how to breathe properly in flight; all techniques designed to increase endurance in preparation for true flight. The impatient Scootaloo had to fight the urge to wanna move through the system faster, but Volare repeated Fluttershy’s advice that flight strength would come naturally the more time one spent in the air. But one had to first get in the air before that could happen, so she swallowed her impatience and soldiered on. It was all Fluttershy could do not to grin at the fact that her and Rarity's plan was already working; that not only was Volare looking excited and motivated, but Scootaloo was finally getting the proper flight lessons she deserved!

It wasn’t until both Scootaloo and Volare began to wonder out loud how much longer Fluttershy was going to sleep in that the yellow mare realized how long she’d been sitting there observing them. With a small squeak of embarassment, she quickly bounded away from the window and down the stairs, startling Angel Bunny from his slumber with an explosion of irritated chatter.
“Oh, I’m sorry Angel, but momma’s got something to take care of first-you’ll get breakfast soon, I promise!”

Ignoring the tossed carrot stem that bounced off her flank, Fluttershy hurried to the backdoor, slowing her pace to a trot before composing herself and heading outside.
“Well, there she is!” Volare called out and waved a hoof.

“I’m sorry I slept in,” Fluttershy feigned a yawn. “What all have I missed?”

“Well, Volare’s been showing me the basics of flight and that’s been fun and all,” Scootaloo replied. “But it wasn’t as funny as Shae chasing Volare cuz we woke her up too early-hahaha!”

“Wouldn’t be so funny if it was you being chased by her,” Volare ducked his head under her middle and lifted her onto his back, playfully bouncing her about for a moment before facing Fluttershy. “Yeah, let’s just say that Shae still has a lot of wild animal in her.”

“And it’s likely she always will,” Fluttershy nodded. “But she’s fairly reasonable for a carnivore, so just stay on her good side, and you’ll come out ok. But back on the subject of flying, how’re things going there?”

“Pretty good,” Scootaloo pre-empted Volare again. “We covered breathing, take off position, wing position, flapping, and we were about to talk about gliding when you came out here and”- she paused as her stomach gurgled loudly, quickly followed by Volare’s, which caused all ponies present to chuckle.

“Seems like you’ve worked up a bit of an appetite,” Fluttershy blushed slightly.

“You can say that again!” the small filly grinned shamelessly. “I’m starving! What’s to eat around here?”

“Scoots, have some manners,” Volare gently tweaked her on the head with his good wing. “At least say please.”

“Oh no, it’s ok,” Fluttershy nodded. “I’m a bit hungry myself, to tell the truth. Would you like to come inside and”-

“Hay yeah!” Scootaloo jumped off Volare’s back and raced inside, nearly running over a pouting Angel Bunny in the process. “Oops, sorry Angel! Hey Fluttershy, I think Angel’s hungry too! Must be why he looks all grumpy, huh?”

“Well, Ms. Fluttershy,” Volare chuckled and gestured towards the cottage. “Shall we?”

“Yes, let’s,” Fluttershy smiled in return as the two grown Pegasi trotted inside to prepare breakfast.

………………………….

The preparation of breakfast went fairly smoothly, considering the fact that the kitchen was a bustle of three Pegasi and a grumpy bunny who were soon joined by a massive, groggy minotaur who stumbled over to the teapot bubbling on the stove.
“Urgh, I swear, you ponies make sleep impossible sometimes,” Iron Will muttered as he filled a mug with a particularly strong brand of coffee that none of the ponies would even dare to try.

“Well, sleeping outside all night on a pile of firewood might have contributed to that,” Fluttershy quipped.

“Touche,” the minotaur smirked and sipped his coffee in a manner that very nearly had Volare cracking up; all he was missing was a copy of the newspaper and a fez hat.

“Yech, how can you drink that stuff?” Scootaloo made a face as she caught a whiff of the bitter-smelling liquid.

“It’s an acquired taste, but it sure does wonders in the morning,” Iron Will grinned and sat at the breakfast table before looking back at the small filly who continued to stare almost defiantly at him, finally giving her his full attention. “What’s up; never seen a minotaur before?”

“Nah, I saw ya on the way in here,” she replied. “Like Fluttershy said, you were sawing logs on a pile of logs, heehee.”

“Heh, very funny. What’s your name, kiddo?”

“Scootaloo. Yours?”

“Iron Will,” the minotaur shot her his trademark grin. “Former trainer of ponies and very deeply indebted friend of Fluttershy’s. Whatcha doing over here, if I might ask?” he inquired as Volare sat the oatmeal and daisy sandwiches at the breakfast table while Fluttershy finally got around to giving Angel Bunny his bowl of lettuce snips and tomato slices. They all tucked in eagerly, Volare still hardly able to believe he’d acquired a taste for the vegetarian fare. Between mouthfuls of oatmeal, Scootaloo quickly explained what happened back in town yesterday as well as why Volare and Fluttershy brought her here, to which the minotaur gave Volare a look of pride. “Heh, looks like ya didn’t really need my help in the assertiveness department after all, Spike-head.”

“Well, I wasn’t about to let those bullies mess with Scoots, so I just did what I felt was the right thing to do at the time; nothing special,” the pilot replied matter-of-factly, giving Scootaloo a pat on the head, causing her to give a messy oatmeal-filled grin of thanks.
In truth, he knew the real reason why he did it…but did they really need to know now…nah.

“So now here ya are, learning right along with Volare how to get up into the air, eh?” Iron Will continued.

“Mhm, that’s right,” said Fluttershy. “They’re both about the same skill level; Volare by his injury and Scootaloo because of her age, so we figured they’d make great training partners.”

“Oho, so was that yours and Rarity’s plan all along?” Volare chuckled as Fluttershy blushed slightly, as if she’d gotten her hoof caught in the cookie jar, though she wasn’t sure what the consequences would be.

“Possibly,” she said with a small nod.

“Well, it seems to be working out overall so far,” the blue Pegasus smiled, relieving Fluttershy who had a small fear that he might be irritated from the slight deception involved.

“Sorry we kinda tricked you into it,” the pink-maned mare apologized.

“Nah, it’s no problem. Just…there’s no need for deception, Fluttershy,” Volare gave her a less-then-soft look. “Just tell me straight up next time; heck, I probably would’ve accepted anyways.”
Nice one, hypocrite, he groaned inwardly at himself.

“Ok, I’ll try,” she nodded and returned to her food. After a few mostly quiet minutes of munching and sipping, Scootaloo broke the silence yet again, this time her eyes riveted on Volare’s trussed up wing.

“So, Volare?”

“Hrm?”

“You said you hurt your wing in an accident, right?”

“Yep, that’s right,” he nodded, feeling slightly uneasy at her inquisitive tone. If he told her the truth...Dash might hate him for it…then again, it was his OWN stupidity that got him messed up in the first place…

“…what exactly happened?” she asked with a mixture of curiosity and worry, as if she expected to be reprimanded for meddling in something that wasn’t really her business. Her overall appearance as she asked him-well, more like asked her half-eaten bowl of oatmeal, her gaze unable to meet his-was enough to make Volare’s heart ache. He looked over at Fluttershy for advice, but she merely gave him a small shrug that read: "your choice."

…oh screw it…no harm in telling her this portion of the truth I suppose.
“Scoots, the truth is I hurt it trying to impress Rainbow Dash.”

“Wait, say what?!” the foal’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as she gazed up at him.

“Heh-heh, yeah,” the pilot rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “I got a little carried away and I just…well, let’s just say that if it hadn’t been for Dash’s help, I’d be dead right now. She saved me, even though my decision to impress her wasn’t the brightest thing I could’ve done.”
Ok, so it wasn’t the REAL truth, but it’d suffice for now.

“Wow…she’s pretty awesome, huh?” Scootaloo grinned.

“Yeah…she really is something,” Volare reminisced over how she’d also called him weak and pathetic when he’d been out of the room, but he also remembered how she’d apologized profusely for her outburst, that she often said things she didn’t mean when she was angry. Although he’d been injured trying to prove her statement wrong anyway, he owed her his life…and for more than just that…so much more than just that.
Yes…Dash was indeed awesome…, he thought to himself, unable to stop the somewhat goofy-looking grin from spreading across his face. He just wished he could tell her how much so without looking like a complete fool or a freak…or both.

“You like her, don’t you?” The completely unexpected question tore into Volare’s thoughts and blasted his musings to pieces, nearly knocking him on his flank in sudden shock. Fluttershy’s spoon clattered to the table in shock while Iron Will’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, his coffee all but forgotten as he awaited the outcome of this little exchange. Volare made a move to berate Scootaloo for her seemingly innocent question before realizing that would really make her assumption seem correct.

“Uh…wha-?” Was all he managed to say, much to the filly’s amusement.

“Well, do ya?” she repeated with a grin.

“N-not anymore than you do, Scoots,” Volare quickly composed himself and countered. “Ya know, Rainbow Dash fanclub and all.”
It can’t be like that…she’s so far outta my league and...gah, I know we’re not different species now but…no, just no.

“Riiight…just so ya know,” the small filly said in a chiding tone almost unbecoming of a pony her age. “You wouldn’t be the first Pegasus to get hurt trying to impress her like that.”

“Well trust me, it’s not like that at all,” Volare crossed his front hooves defiantly. It was because he was trying to disprove her comments about him being weak but if he told Scoots the truth, her heroic vision of Dash might be tarnished…then again, was that REALLY why he did it...dammit, it had to be! You owe me, Dashie!
“Besides, how would a little filly like you know all about feelings like that, huh?”

“Little?!” Scootaloo bristled and stood up on the table, her wings buzzing furiously as she stepped toward Volare. “I’m not so little; I’m 10 years old in fact and I’ll be 11 next spring, so don’t think I don’t know a thing or two about that sorta stuff, ok?” She stopped once she was nearly nose to nose with the older Pegasus.

“Ok, ok,” Volare chuckled and raised his hooves defensively. “Sorry…didn’t realize you weren’t so young, that’s all.”

“Yeah, it’s ok,” she settled back down at Fluttershy’s expression that read ‘get off the breakfast table or else.’ “Oh, speaking of which, how old are you?” she punctuated the question with a mid-air jab of her spoon.

“Heh, I’m 23.”

“23?!” Scootaloo’s eyes went wide again as she suddenly looked from Volare’s flank to hers, an innocent enough action that nonetheless made the pilot a little uncomfortable. I mean, how would you feel if a 10 year old was looking back there, eh?

“Um, what’s wrong, Scoots?”

“Nothing, it’s just…ok, it is something. A big something,” she stared at him in concern.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense, what is it?”

“You’re 23 years old and I just realized…well, you don’t have a cutie mark…what’s up with that?” she cocked an eyebrow and frowned.

Oh shit…again. Now what, genius?
“Um, ya see Scoots…I”-

Unbelievably, at that moment there came a series of knocks on Fluttershy’s door before it swung open and a cheerful pink pony came bounding into the kitchen. “Goooood morning, everypony! Just popping in to see how Volare is doing and-heya Scootaloo! What’s up?” She wrapped the small filly in a hug before being distracted by the sight of the massive blue minotaur filling an entire side of the kitchen as well as the steaming pot of oatmeal on the stove.
“Ooooh, oatmeal and Iron Will; what a combo! Mind if I join?” Without really waiting for permission from the hostess, she grabbed a bowl and began spooning out a helping of breakfast of her own before sitting down at the table and bombarding them with questions of why Scootaloo was here, how she’d been, how Volare was holding up, and how Fluttershy’s training regimen was going.
“Oho, what’s that there?” she pointed a pink hoof at the mug cradled in Iron Will’s hands. *sniff sniff* “Smells like coffee! You know, I’ve never had coffee before, but I’ve been told it’s really good for a pick-me-up! You mind if I try a sip, Mr. Will?”

The minotaur’s yellow eyes widened and he looked uncertainly from his mug, to Pinkie, and finally over to the Pegasi, the older two slowly shaking their heads in semi-terrified fashion and the younger looking supremely confused as to why Pinkie would even wanna try that nasty stuff. As Iron Will protectively covered his go-juice, much to the relief of everypony, Volare could only shake his own head in mixture of relief and disbelief as she gave up and suggested they all go back outside to see what Fluttershy had taught Volare and Scootaloo so far.
Saved by the Pinkie…who knew?

Meanwhile in Canterlot…

Twilight awoke with a start when she realized that Celestia’s sun was past its zenith and shining down through the skylight in the guest bedroom of Cadance and Shining Armor. True, she had plenty of reason to sleep in (she’d been studying non-stop the past three days for Luna’s sake!), but that ingrained habit of waking early so as not to waste daylight was hard to break, and the fact that she had slept in caused a slight pang of guilt to rise in her chest as she sat up in bed.
“Calm down, Twilight. What’re you worried about, anyway? You’ve got plenty of time to”- then the memory of last night hit her, about what Celestia had said about humans, and she groaned audibly. Oh yes, she had plenty of reason to worry now…for hers, and Volare’s sake…oh, and for Dash’s too since she’d been the one Twilight had been sending to Earth!

“Twilight, is everything ok in there?” Cadance called from the front room of the house.

“Oh y-yes, everything’s…fine,” Twilight replied quickly in a tone she hoped was convincing enough.

“Well, if everything is ok, I’ve got some snacks out here for lunch if you’re interested.”

Twilight was about to protest and say she needed to get back to the Library as soon as possible, but the emptiness in her gut forced her to push that task to the side for now. “Coming,” she called out and quickly adjusted her mane in the mirror before heading out and meeting Cadance by the small tea table set up by the front window. Arranged on a chased silver platter were a myriad of dainty sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres snacks made from wheat and various other grains all set up in preparation for, well, snacking upon. The purple Unicorn gave her sister-in-law a quick nuzzle before settling down and wolfing down two of the sandwiches in a positively Applejackian-fashion before she caught Cadance’s look of amusement and slowed down considerably.

“I take it you were fairly famished?” Cadance inquired with a chuckle. “Or is my cooking so off-kilter that you’re forced to eat it as fast as possible?”

“Oh no, it’s definitely the former,” Twilight grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry I let you sleep in so late, but when Celestia brought you back here herself and explained where you’d been the past few days, I figured you deserved a good night’s rest.”

“Celestia brought me back herself?” Twilight nearly choked on a slice of bread and butter. “She wasn’t irritated was she?”

“Not at all; in fact she seemed pretty proud of you for being so dedicated in your studies,” Cadance smiled. “But we all need sleep at some point, even you, little sister.”

“Heh, I suppose I needed it,” Twilight admitted that she’d worn herself to a frazzle, as AJ would put it. “Hrm, maybe I’ll just take a day from it; I’ve got more than enough time to figure things out while I’m here.”

“Were you able to find anything to help Volare with?” The princess asked with concern.

“No, absolutely nothing,” the purple Unicorn wilted slightly.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something on the subject,” Cadance patted her shoulder. “I mean, you had to have seen that spell somewhere, right?”

“Right, just not in the Canterlot Library, apparently…but that’s not the worst part.”

“Uh-oh, what else happened?”

“Well, turns out Celestia…wait a sec,” she looked about the house, suddenly noticing the absence of a certain pony. “Where’s Shining Armor?”

“Oh, he was told by Celestia to meet her this morning at the castle. All he told me was that she had recent events to discuss with him. Why Twilight, you’re looking a little green around the gills, so to speak. What’s the matter?”

“Oh, um,” Twilight muttered, suddenly light-headed. “I’ve just got a bad feeling, that’s all.”

“About what?”

“Well…turns out my discovery of humans wasn’t so ground-breaking after all.”

“Oh, how so?”

“Yeah, apparently Celestia has known about them for a long time. But that’s not the bad news,” she idly pushed around a sandwich crust with her hoof.

“What is it, Twilight?”

“Celestia also knows about the long-distance teleportation spell I've been using and about how Unicorns have been using it since the spell documents for it disappeared during the Wedding," Twilight explained. "And for whatever reason, she has a pretty serious bias against humans; says they’re very dangerous and should basically be avoided as much as possible.”

“Wow,” Cadance sat back in her seat, sincerely surprised. “I never knew she knew about humans for one; she never spoke a word of them that I can remember.”

“Yeah, she says she’d never want one brought here because of the danger they pose…and guess what Volare is, er was.”

“Well, he’s…oh my,” Cadance’s eyes widened as the weight of Twilight’s words dawned on her.

“Exactly…that’s yet another reason why I couldn’t find help for Volare,” the Unicorn frowned. “The one pony I thought I could count on to assist me hates humans…or is seriously afraid of them…or both. Either way, I dunno what she’d do if she found out Volare was a human, especially considering her subjects’ well-being is her number one priority.”

“Oh, she surely wouldn’t do anything too terribly rash,” Cadance insisted. “I mean, this is my auntie, not some horrible tyrant.”

“Well even so, now I’m really worried about what she might find out from Shining Armor since I told both you and him the truth about Volare.”

“Ah, I see…but surely Shining Armor wouldn’t betray Volare like that.”

“Yes…unless he doesn’t realize Celestia’s bias against humans and simply thinks he's giving her helpful information,” Twilight’s eyes widened in fear. “And since his ultimate loyalty rests with the Princess, as he’s her Captain of the Royal Guard…if she suspects anything about what we discussed last night…oh no, what if these “recent events” she wants to talk to my brother about are her suspicions?”

“Ah, I see what you mean,” the princess tapped her chin with her hoof. “But surely if she knew the entire story about Volare; that he’s no threat to her kingdom, surely she’d grant him leniency. That is, if she asks questions that would lead to him discussing his good character instead of the simple fact that he was a human…there’s just so much room for error,” Cadance frowned again.

“Crap…” Twilight moaned into her hooves as Cadance nuzzled her gently.

“It’s ok, Twilight. If worse comes to worse, surely all we need is somepony of authority to vouch for Volare’s good nature and sway Celestia’s favor,” the Alicorn said thoughtfully. “The only question is who, if you or I aren’t sufficient enough?”

But before Twilight could even begin to think of an answer, there came a gentle knock at the door. After a moment, the knock repeated, no more forcefully than the first time. “You expecting visitors, Cadance?”

“Not that I can remember,” the princess replied and approached the door, looking through the peephole before jumping back a step, eyes wide in surprise.

“What is it, sis?” Twilight asked, leaping to her own hooves.

“You’re not going to believe this, but it’s Princess Luna at the door,” the pink Alicorn replied breathlessly.

“Hello in there?” Luna called from outside. “Cadance, is Twilight in at the moment? I’d very much like to speak with her.” Cadance looked back to the Unicorn, who didn’t know what to do. Why in Equestria would Luna wanna speak to her, and in the middle of the day?!
“She’s not in trouble, I assure you,” Luna continued. “I’m actually curious about somepony that Tia mentioned last night; somepony named Volare.”

“Um, just a moment, Luna,” the lesser princess replied and stomped on the floor like she was walking away before turning to Twilight and whispering. “What’s the call?”

“Does she feel the same way about humans like Celestia does?” Twilight whispered, to which Cadance shrugged.

“I don’t know if she even knows about them…then again, I didn’t know that Celestia knew of them either until just now…sorry, Twilight.”

“Hello, is your sister in, Cadance?” Luna called again a bit more loudly, though not sounding any more impatient than before…still best not to risk the wrath of the moon goddess either way, though…
“I think I hear her in there.”

“Let her in,” Twilight finally conceded; what choice did they really have? Cadance obeyed and opened the door, allowing the midnight-blue princess entry.

“Ah, Twilight Sparkle, it’s been far too long since we last spoke face to face,” Luna bowed politely to her before embracing her niece. “And you, Cadance. How’re you and your husband faring?”

“Oh, very well, thank you, Luna,” Cadance smiled in reply. “Twilight and I were just in the middle of lunch. Would you like some?”

“Ah, I am quite hungry,” Luna eyed the sandwiches. “I’m not imposing, am I?” the Princess of the Night asked uncertainly, still not quite back into the social swing of things.

“Not at all, auntie,” Cadance insisted. “Come, sit and eat with us.” As the three ponies sat back down, Luna quickly turned the small-talk back to the true matter at hoof of which she’d come here in the first place to speak of.

“As I was saying before you granted my entry into your abode, Cadance, my sister mentioned a pony Twilight and her spoke at length of named Volare. He had claimed to formerly be part of the military, but neither I nor Tia could recall the name of any such pony in our ranks, past or near-present,” she eyed Twilight and Cadance. “Would you happen to know anything more of him?”

Twilight looked at Cadance who nodded her consent after a moment. Luna’s request for information seemed sincere as well as separate from that of Celestia’s, possibly meaning that she didn’t share the same bias after all. Twilight decided to take a chance.
“Princess, Luna...a bit off-topic, but before I answer your question…do you happen to know anything about humans?”

“Humans? Is that some sort of race of creature that sprang up in Equestria while I was indisposed for a millennia?” Luna asked curiously, shocking Twilight a bit that she’d speak of her banishment so lightly. But the fact that Luna seemed to have absolutely no prior knowledge of humans raised the Unicorn’s spirits, as well as another question: if Celestia knew of them for so long, why not Luna as well? And of course Cadance knew nothing of them until recently…did that mean she was keeping them a secret from her not only her niece but from her very own sister, co-ruler of Equestria? And if so, that of course begged the question of why? What purpose would the hiding of such knowledge serve?

But the Librarian held her questions for the moment. “No Luna, they’re actually a race from a different world entirely.”

“Ah, I see…interesting. But what does that have to do with this Volare character?” Luna inquired, a bit confused.

“Everything, actually,” Twilight finally replied and with Cadance’ help, she began to explain exactly who Volare was, and why he was spoken of so much in the first place. Her mind went back to Cadance’ statement about how a pony of higher authority with a different opinion on Volare and humans in general might sway Celestia’s favor…perhaps Luna, with her lack of prior bias and therefore more openness to information, would be that pony. She certainly hoped so, anyway…
"Please get comfortable, Luna," Twilight suggested as she went to retrieve her notes on Volare and humanity. "This might take a little while."

The Canterlot Gardens…

“You wished to speak with me, Princess Celestia?” Shining Armor asked as he approached the sun goddess who was taking a slow tour through the gardens as she split her attention between the afternoon sun and the rows of statues and shrubbery.

“Yes, I did,” Celestia nodded curtly and beckoned him closer. “Come Captain; trot with me.” The stallion obeyed, and after a few minutes they were deep within the Royal Gardens and consequently away from any possible eavesdropping ponies...not that there was anything to eavesdrop on of course. However, she intended to treat this situation with as much tact as possible, and that included not causing her Captain to clam up on her in regards to the issue at hoof, especially since it involved his own sister. This had to be treated delicately...

"Princess?" the blue-maned Captain inquired after several more minutes of relatively quiet trotting punctuated by the occasional hmm or ah as Celestia literally stopped to smell the red and pink roses that bloomed from the stems curling their way across the faces of the shrubs.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but I do have matters of security to attend to, and"-

"If you recall, Shining Armor, we both have matters of security to tend to," Celestia replied with a tone one might describe as practically snippy. She inhaled the fragrance of another rose before telepathically picking it and turning to face her Captain. "What I mean to say is: yours and my jobs both entail keeping the kingdom safe, do they not?"

"Why yes, yes they do," Shining Armor replied, still a bit put off by the Princess' reply; she'd never spoken to him quite like that before. "Princess, again begging your pardon for asking, but surely you brought me out here to speak of matters besides the sampling of the flowers?"

"Heh, very perceptive, Captain," she reclined on a stone bench and gestured for him to join her.

"I prefer to stand, your majesty," he protested, thinking it a bit strange to recline with the Princess of the Sun in order to have a conversation; he was married after all and didn't exactly need rumors being spread if somepony happened to find them out here...Cadance would kill him at the very least...

"Hmm, suit yourself, Captain," Celestia nodded before continuing, her gaze alternating between her Captain and the rose that floated before her face. "To return to my previous statement and your subsequent reply to it: you do agree that our jobs of keeping Equestria safe take precedence over just about everything else, correct?"

"Yes, that's very correct, especially after The Wedding incident," Shining Armor said sternly. "Who could have known that so many enemies of the kingdom could be brought together in such numbers?"

"Exactly, which is why it is our utmost priority to nip security matters in the bud before they gain the potential to become a bigger problem, no matter their source," she casually crushed the rose with her magic before tossing it away into the shrubbery and turning her full attention to Shining Armor.
"Am I not correct?" Her question was almost completely devoid of emotion; the previously warm-temepred environment of the Royal Gardens suddenly seemed to drop a few degrees, whether real or imagined the Captain couldn't quite decide.

"Yes, you absolutely are, My Princess," he replied with an inexplicable feeling of dread at the subtle change in tone her discarding of the rose brought on.

"Would I also be correct in stating that both our jobs at keeping the kingdom safe could be severely hindered if certain pieces of information were withheld from us," she looked at him. "Especially from each other?"

"Um, I-Princess, are you ok?" Shining Armor asked, worried that she might have spent too late of a night out in the street or possibly hit her head, causing her to act this way. "You know I wouldn't knowingly keep secrets from you if they pertained to national security, Celestia."

"Neither would I if I could help it," she sighed and looked away. "But how about unknowingly?"

"Ma'am?"

Celestia returned her rapidly cooling gaze to Shining Armor. "Just trying to clarify a few things in the loyalty department, that's all." Shining Armor immediately fell to a knee and grasped her forehoof gently.

"Princess, you know my loyalty rests with you above all other ponies," he declared. "To have it questioned by anypony is practically a slap to my very face!" At his statement, she smiled, her face warming instantly and the Captain's growing fears (for whatever reason) vanishing with hardly a trace.
"Whew, not going to lie, ma'am, but you really had me worried there for a moment," he chuckled.

"Oh, what about? Not keeping secrets, are you?" Celestia asked with a small grin, her eyebrow raising slightly before chuckling herself and giving the Captain a gentle magical shove. "Oh come now Captain, I'm only teasing. Here, stand up before you kill me with kindness."

"Ah, yes of course, your Majesty," Shining Armor blushed and returned to his hooves, still not completely sure what had caused him to resort to such royal decorum in order to prove a point. "My apologies."

"No offense taken, Captain," she smiled again and reclined upon the bench a little further and closed her eyes for a moment. "So tell me, Shining Armor..."

"Yes, My Princess?"

"Does the name of a pony called Volare ring any bells?"

"Volare...ah yes, it does, actually," Shining Armor replied, causing Celestia to crack an eyelid.

"Oh does it really; I've honestly only heard of him just last night, and from your own sister Twilight of all ponies," Celestia cracked her other eye to gauge his reaction. "How did you hear of him? Was he part of your Guard?

"No, he's actually a friend that Twilight spoke of to me and Cadance a few nights ago as well. Why, is there a problem with him?"

"There's the hrm...potential for one, yes," Celestia put particular emphasis on the word for the Captain's sake before closing her eyes again.

"How do you think so, ma'am?" Shining Armor couldn't remember anything particularly bad his sister had told him of Volare, save his rather violent origin of entry into Equestria, though that in and of itself wasn't really his fault either. The fact that he'd survived such an ordeal had actually very much impressed the Captain and he'd made it a point to meet this pilot-turned-pony as soon as he could.

"Well, please don't take offense of what I'm about to say, Captain"-

"Never, my Princess," Shining Armor preempted her statement, whatever it might be.

"Heh, thank you...but I fear your sister and my student Twilight might be hiding something from me pertaining to this Volare," she caught the shocked look on her Captain's face...shock mixed with a tinge of anger that somepony might hide information from his commander. "Something she may have actually spoken to you about already."

"Is that so," Shining Armor frowned. "...Is it a matter of national security, ma'am?"

"I'm afraid it might be," Celestia nodded with no small amount of worry creasing her brow. She sat up and looked her Captain straight in the eye. "Shining Armor...we agreed to not hide anything from each other if it pertained to the safety and well-being of this kingdom, correct?"

"Yes." He was fiercely loyal to his sister, but if she was hiding something from the Princes...Twilight, please forgive me.

"Then if that is the case, Captain, please tell me all you know about this Volare."

Notes: DUN DUN DUN, Celestia is expert manipulator! :P

Sorry this chapter took so long to get out...and sorry if it feels a bit choppy (I think it does anyway) ^^;;
But I swear things get smoothed out a bit in the next few installments.

Next up, Volare discovers why Scootaloo hasn't learned how to fly, Dash visits Cloudsdale and concocts a plan involving Scoots and her own conscience (wut), Celestia reacts to Volare's origins, we find out just what the hay Ray, Jill, and Trixie are up to, and Pinkie Pie continues her quest for Iron Will's coffee (not-lol, that'd make a funny off-shoot side-story thingy)

The Running-Pt 4: A Line in the Sand

September 3rd

“URRRRRRRRRRP!!! Ah yeah, that really hit the spot,” Rainbow Dash sighed contentedly as she leaned back in her seat, pushing her plate across the table and barely suppressing the belch that drew the eyes of nearly half the Barnstormer’s customers.
“Heh, ‘scuse me,” she muttered and reached for her glass, full of premium Cloudsdale rainwater, something she hadn’t savored for a good while. In fact, it had been ages since she’d had a cooked meal like this, having settled for the pre-made Weather Patrol boxed lunches they were issued every morning before Weather Duty as well as the occasional baked pastry from Pinkie Pie.
She gulped the water deeply, relishing the clean, crisp flavor that washed down the remains of her breakfast. She’d split time between lookout at Fluttershy’s place for those two creepos she’d spotted in town nearly a week ago, and her Weather Duties and Wonderbolt training, and she felt she’d earned this. So if she belched a little louder than usual…it was only in appreciation for the great meal, right?

Ok, so you said that Scoots could help me with getting information from Volare?
…mhm, I did.
Well, my stomach is full…so what’s up? Oh, and before you tell me…
…yes?
Is it crazy to have these sorta conversations with you-er, myself? Me?
…why’re you asking me? I’m merely a reflection of your conscience and nothing more, Dashie.
Oh…right…so, anyway, the plan?
…well, since you made that promise to Twilight about giving Volare his space till she gets back, instead of spying on him from a distance like you’ve been doing, why not have Scoots do it for you?
Huh, how?
…easy, Dashie; she’s your number one fan. She’ll do just about anything for you, right? Just have her ask the questions you wanna ask him, and I’ll bet she’ll do it.
I dunno, that sounds kinda…manipulative, don’t you think?
…maybe, but that’s probably the fastest way for you to get information AND keep your promise, though. Besides, being you, I can tell that your flying back and forth between Fluttershy’s and Weather Patrol is getting more than a little annoying. And it’d only be till Twilight gets back, then you can go back to asking Volare yourself.
Oh…fine, maybe I’ll try that out inste-

“Heya Rainbow Dash,” a grey pony with a blonde mane and wobbly yellow eyes named Derpy Hooves spoke up from the booth adjacent to hers, jarring her from yet another inner discussion. “Been forever since I’ve seen ya here. How ya been?”

“Been pretty good, Derps,” Dash quipped and grinned. “Same as when ya saw me two days ago at Weather Patrol. You?”

“Ah, right, I forgot,” Derpy blushed. “I’ve been pretty good myself, but hey, I was just wondering something…”

“Yep?” Dash began to take another drink.

“I haven’t really seen ya training for it like last year, so I was wonderin’…are ya gonna be in The Running of the Leaves again?”

Dash literally did a spit take, blasting the opposite booth seat with water and face-hoofing in realization. “Ah, horseapples!”
She’d been so caught up in looking after Volare that she’d almost forgotten!
…you mean spying on Volare?
Oh, whatever!

“Well, that was kinda gross. Sooo…you’re not gonna compete this year, Dash?” Derpy asked as she idly tapped her hooves together. “Cuz if ya are, I dunno how you’ll find the time, what with Weather Duty and…say, what have you been up to the last week or so after Patrol?” Derpy eyed the Weather Captain…or at least Dash thought she was eyeing her.

“Oh, um, nothin’ too special,” Dash waved a hoof dismissively. Just playing secret agent pony… She quickly weighed her options: information via spying on Volare or humiliation by being beaten in the race again by Twilight or AJ or worse…Volare himself...information or humiliation. Heh, easy choice! “But thanks for reminding me, Derps.”

“Huh, about what?” Derpy cocked her head in slight confusion...or she might have simply been refocusing her eyes, Dash really couldn’t tell.

“About the race, silly-filly,” Dash stood up and stretched her wings. “I totally forgot about training for it till you spoke up.”

“Aha, you’re welcome?”

“Yep,” she grinned and leaned on her Weather Patrol partner’s shoulder. “Think you could do me a favor, Derpy ol’ pal?”

“Heh, sure, Rainbow Dash,” she smiled in return. “What’s up?”

“Well, I’m gonna need somepony to cover for me in the Squad for the next week till The Running of the Leaves is over; that way I can focus on my training. Think you can handle it?”

“I think so, yeah,” Derpy squinted an eye in thought. “If I remember right, it’s a pretty light storm load this coming week anyway; don’t wanna get the ground all muddy and sloppy for the race, ya know? Soooo…yep, I think we can handle a week without ya.”

“Sounds good,” Dash clapped her on the back. “And I’ll tell ya what: since you’re being such a good sport about this, I’ll even take your mail route up in Fillydelphia off your hooves for a few days as thanks. Deal?” She stuck out her hoof, which Derpy shook without a second thought.

“Deal! Thanks Dash! Good luck in the race!”

“No, thank you, Derpy,” the rainbow Pegasus grinned her thanks and made her way towards the door.
…oh no, that sounds a little too manipulative.
Oh, shut up!
…just saying.
I know, but I’m taking her mail route after the race, so it’s no biggie, ok?
…Ooookay, Dashie. You’re the boss.
“Darn right I am!”

“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Derpy called out from behind her.

“Eh?”

“Who ya talkin’ to?”

“Er, uh, that cloud! Bye Derps!” She shot off from the front porch of The Barnstormer, leaving a rather confused Derpy in her wake.

“I didn’t know clouds could listen…hmph, learn something everyday I guess,” the blonde pony shrugged and turned her attention to the breakfast that had just arrived at her table: buttered blueberry muffins! Her favorite! Sorry you crazy clouds, but you’ll have to listen to me later!

………………..

20 minutes later

“Ok, so what ya’ll are sayin’ is ya wanna break from lookout?” Big Macintosh asked as he leaned on his plow, wiping away the sheen of sweat from working in the afternoon sun.

“It’s just until after the Running of the Leaves, Big Mac,” Dash explained. “I just totally forgot about having to get into shape for the race, and I need some time to get focused.”

“Who’re ya tryin’ ta beat this time?” the red farmpony raised an eyebrow.

“Well, everypony, duh,” Dash crossed her forelegs defiantly, but Big Mac simply cocked an eye at her until she caved. “Ok, fine…I don’t want Twilight to beat me again this year.”

“Sure that’s it?”

“Well…” I swear, he must have picked this crap up from AJ or something! “There might be one other pony…”

“Oh, surely not Volare,” Big Mac said with a touch of sarcasm. “Or are ya finally feelin’ a little guilty that he’s workin’ his tail off while ya lounge around on your cloud and play spy games?”

“I swear Big Mac!” Dash bristled and took to the air, getting awfully close to the much larger stallion.

“Eeeyup?” he snorted softly, standing his ground. “Got somethin’ ta say? Or was that little story ya cooked up about them two cloaked ponies followin’ me an’ Volare tha other day just an excuse ta stay close to’im…for whatever reason might be ticklin' your fancy?”

“Oh come on, dude! I swear I saw those guys!” Dash pleaded, landing and calming down, if only to appeal to his nature. “Besides, you know I made that promise to Twilight and to Volare that I’d give him his space…things just happened in between then and now, that’s all.”

“Well, whatever ya call it, the bottom line is ya’ll have been kept from your race trainin’ and now ya wanna get back ta that, right?” Big Mac still had half the south field to plow and less daylight to do it with, so he quickly got the conversation back on track.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Dash made an attempt to avoid his gaze; his accusation that she’d made up those two ponies really stung. Was her behavior that outta whack that she seemed to be lying about everything?

“So ya want me to take up watch against, well, whatever might show up from tha Everfree Forest?”

“If you could, yeah…that way I can train…”

And if it’ll get her away from Volare, so much tha better…
“Alright, Ah think Ah can handle it.”

“What, really? Just like that?” Rainbow Dash chanced a smile, which he returned.

“Eeeyup; maybe them things ya saw gave up an' left.”

“No catch?”

“Nnnope.”

“Ah, thanks Big Mac,” she gave him a quick hug that made him blush just the slightest bit deeper red. “You’re the best, dude. I’ll figure out a way to make it up to ya, promise!”

“Heh, just don’t mention it, Dash,” the red stallion nodded. “Now, Ah’ve got some plowin’ ta do, and Ah believe ya’ll have got some gettin’ inta shape ta do.”

“Right!” Rainbow Dash shot off to the north.

“Hey Rainbow Dash! Ain’t your house that way?” Big Mac nodded towards the southern end of Ponyville, away from Fluttershy’s.

“Oh, right!” Dash quickly about-faced. “Force of habit or something…see ya!” She jetted off to her cloud mansion, which was looking a little worse for the wear as she hadn’t been there to keep up with it for the past week; a few windows had fallen in, and the cumulus roof seemed to have been blown askew by the breeze.
“Heh-heh, better clean the place up first.” As she got to it, she made a vow to keep away from Fluttershy’s completely, hoping that Scootaloo and Volare would be safe without her help, though she was still curious as to what the hay he did for Scoots that day in town… Meh, she’d figure it out later. At least here at home, she had no excuses for not being in shape and focused come race day. And she had NO intention of coming in second place this year; to Volare, AJ, Twilight, or any other pony!

Meanwhile, in Canterlot…

“And that’s all I know about humans, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak,” Twilight said as she finished her recounting of her notes on Volare and Earth, though she hadn’t yet gone into the theories he’d helped her with.

“Or straight from the human’s mouth,” Cadance chuckled.

“Quite,” Princess Luna nodded and frowned. “Well, I can see why my sister would be cautious about letting humans come here to Equestria. But set the propensity for violence and disease aside, and though they may still be dangerous, well…am I not also dangerous?” The Moon Goddess sat up a little straighter. “But as you said, Twilight Sparkle, being dangerous does not make me evil, nor you, or you,” she continued, nodding at Twilight and Cadance in turn.

“Indeed, or Princess Celestia for that matter,” Cadance added. “But if she understands that, then why the seemingly unbudging bias against them? Twilight, did she seem at all in the mood to give a single human a chance, especially one so cruelly tossed on our shores by fate as Volare?”

“Well, I,” Twilight began. “She just seemed so…against the thought of one even being here that I dropped the subject with her entirely, so we never spoke on the possibility of what she’d do if one was already here. But I just keep having this bad feeling about would happen if she found out…especially if that’s what she wants to talk with Shining Armor about,” she groaned and held her head in her hooves as thunked it down on the table. “Urgh, why’d I have to tell you two everything about him!?”

“You had no idea this might happen. Besides, Twilight, look on the positive side,” Cadance rubbed her sister-in-law’s back. “It only seemed like Celestia wanted to speak to him because of your comments about him being former military, and it would therefore make sense that she’d want to speak with the Captain of the Guard. If anypony would know about who was in her ranks, it would be your brother.”

“Very true, Twilight,” Luna smiled encouragingly as the purple Unicorn looked up from the table. “Besides, why’re we acting as if your brother told her everything if that’s all that piqued her interest? If he didn’t tell her about his origins, there’s nothing to immediately worry about and when you’re ready, I’ll accompany you when you decide the time is right to tell her the truth about Volare.”

“You’re right…maybe he didn’t tell her everything,” Twilight nodded and sat back up, wiping her nose. “We’ve gotta keep a positive outlook on this, for Volare’s sake at the very least.” She was interrupted by the opening of the front door as Shining Armor trotted inside. Moment of truth…again…

“Welcome back, honey,” Cadance nuzzled her husband who looked rather shocked to see Princess Luna at their table sipping tea and eating sandwiches.

“Good afternoon, Captain,” Luna called cheerfully. “Care for some sustenance?”

“No, no, I’m…ok,” he hesitated before sitting down and staring at the tabletop for nearly a full minute of silence before Twilight finally broke it and asked the question on the three mares’ minds.

“Sooo, BBBFF…” Cadance and Luna remained silent as the two siblings conversed with an air of suffocating tension.

“Yes, Twiley?” the Captain looked up at his sister who was wearing an all-too-artificial smile.

“How’d the meeting with Celestia go?”

“Oh, it went,” he replied cryptically with a sigh.

“What all did you talk about?” Twilight asked, feeling a bead of nervous sweat begin to trickle down her left temple.

“Mainly security issues; same ol’ same ol’…”

“What sorta security issues?”

“This and that, nothing you’d really be interested in, trust m-”

“I may not be Applejack, but nopony has to be to see that you’re making a really crappy attempt at lying, Shining Armor,” Twilight cut him off gruffly as she placed a hoof on his foreleg. “We know you talked to Celestia about my friend Volare…now what all did you talk about pertaining to him?”

“Everything you told me about him, I told her.”

“O-oh really?” Twilight stuttered, her heart skipping a beat. “Including his origins?”

“That he was a human? Yeah, I did…why?” The Captain of the Guard looked up as he felt his sister’s grip on his leg tighten. “T-Twiley, is something wrong? Why’s your eye twitching like that…and your ear? …Twiley?”

…………….

5 Minutes Later…

CRASH! “ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?! ARRRRGH!!!” KABOOM!

“Oh sweet Sun Goddess, I didn’t know!!!” Shining Armor moaned into his hooves as one purple Unicorn’s screams of rage punctuated the crashing of objects being telekinetically hurled against the walls emanating from the adjacent room. Princess Cadance sat next to her husband while their sister proceeded to take her frustrations out on the poor dining room, calling her brother every name imaginable, ranging from synonyms for “imbecile” straight on up to the genus name for dung beetles. And the worst part of it all for Twilight was that she knew it wasn’t totally his fault…just….RAAGGH!!! Stupid, stupid, stupid!!

“It’s ok, it’s ok,” Cadance patted the wailing Captain and shooshed him gently. “You didn’t know she has a bias against humans, Shining Armor. It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but still…I still told her everything!” He looked up with tear-streaked eyes. “Twiley, I swear I didn’t know!”

“SHUT UP, BBBFF!!” a knotted spoon shot through the doorway straight at his head before Princess Luna caught it with her magic and swiftly untied it, laying it on the table as she tried to keep calm despite the chaos that raged in the house around her; she was honestly a bit surprised nopony outside had asked what the matter was…yet. Though outwardly she seemed to be simply chewing the corner of a sandwich crust, inwardly, her mind was racing through every possible scenario they might have to go through now in order to save Twilight’s friend from whatever fate Celestia might decree.

“Shining Armor, listen to me,” Cadance gently shook her husband. “What was Celestia’s reaction to what you told her? Was she even angry at all?”

The Captain looked up into his wife’s eyes, so full of concern she was trying to bravely mask, and he realized just how pathetic he must have looked. He was the stallion of the house and here was his wife weathering the storm while he moaned like a foal into the table. He quickly got a hold of himself and cleared his throat. “I-I dunno really, she just seemed kinda detached about all of it. She just said it was a matter of security so I told her what I thought she needed to know…holy hay, I’m so sorry!” He plunked his head down on Cadance’ shoulder in embarrassment.

“Well, surely Tia had some sort of reaction,” Luna spoke up as she eyed the scorched barstool that skidded through the doorway. She gently alighted it and sat it down in the corner before continuing. “My sister has a wicked poker face when she needs to, but it’s far from perfect. She didn’t just sit there and say nothing, did she?”

“Well, um, she did tell me to tell Twilight that she’d have to work overtime in order to free up another time slot so she can speak with her again,” Shining Armor recalled.

“And I can guess whom about,” Cadance muttered.

“Yes, and she said she wants Twilight to take some time to rest and relax from her studies so she’ll have a clear mind for when she summons her to meet again,” the Captain replied as Twilight came stomping into the room, somehow having overheard his statement over the cacophony she was causing. Shining Armor had seen his sister angry in their youth, but this was practically terrifying. Her eyes were tinged red, and small flames licked up from her mane and tail at each step, giving her a positively demonic visage that set even Princess Luna on edge.

“Buck that noise!” the Librarian growled. “I say we go and talk to Princess Celestia right this instant before she writes up the banishment papers!”

“No, Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Luna rose from her seat, the shadow the Moon Goddess cast seeming to devour the light around her body until she seemed as nothing but a bright-eyed shade of darkness standing between Twilight and her siblings. She didn’t want to hurt the Unicorn who’d been instrumental in not only rescuing her from that 1000 year prison but in bringing her back from social obscurity…but so help her, she wasn’t about to let her harm the Captain of the Guard and his wife, even in righteous anger!
“That would be the wrong thing to do. I think Tia had a good reason for wanting you to relax.” Almost as if she expected her to react this way…well, she’s certainly known her longer than I have.

To her relief, her small display of power worked, and Twilight halted her advance as she seemed to shrink into herself a bit, though she stomped her hoof in frustration. “How the hay am I supposed to relax?! I might have just gotten Volare banished, though it’s not like I didn’t have any help!” She shot her brother a venomous look.

“Twilight, you know it’s not your brother’s fault,” Cadance interjected. “He didn’t know how Celestia felt about humans; he was only following the request of his superior, just as he was trained to do. Luna is right; we should take some time to think this out instead of taking it out on your brother and then barging in there in your current state.”

“I like that idea, especially the first part,” Shining Armor nodded hastily.

“But I”-

“Before you make another attempt to explain how losing your head like this will help your friend,” Luna hadn’t moved from her spot, though the light in the room around her had begun to return, as had the color to her eyes. “Please explain to me what exactly you’d do; yell at one of the most powerful creatures in Equestria? As fond as she is of you, I doubt that would end on even the slightest positive note, for you or for Volare.”

“But I-just-URGH!” The purple Unicorn threw her mane back and stalked back into the dining room, soon redoubling her tirade against the objects that would make the most satisfying noises when tossed.

“Twilight Sparkle, you should really try calming down,” Luna called out, but Cadance preempted her with a fierce shake of her head.

“Luna, you were away for 1000 years and missed Twilight growing up. She sometimes needs an outlet for her anger; trust me, I foalsat for this filly,” she chuckled despite the destruction mere feet away from her. “If you tell her to simply calm down, it won’t end well.”

“What do you suggest we do; hold her down till she quits?” Luna asked bemusedly.

“Yeah, good luck with that one,” Cadance sighed and called out to the raging Unicorn. “Twilight, if you want, there’s some old china in the upper cupboard that I don’t really care much for if you”-

CRASH!

Luna shook her head at the absurdity of it all: the most powerful of the Elements of Harmony still had a childish rage-streak, the Captain of the Guard had been reduced to a half-blubbering mess held together only by the sheer will of his wife, and her own sister Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, was apparently an extremely prejudiced xenophobe, even against the friend of her most-faithful student. Luna wasn’t exactly prepared to take charge just yet, still feeling somewhat of an alien in her own country…but she supposed now was as good a time as any!

“We just need to let cooler heads prevail for now,” she explained as clearly and as authoritatively as she could. “Besides, we don’t really know for sure if Tia is planning on banishing Volare, despite all the evidence that might support it. For now, we bide our time till Celestia summons Twilight. We are all royalty here, by blood or by marriage, and we will handle this situation with the dignity and poise becoming of such ponies!”

She was answered with further crashing and the explosion of numerous porcelain objects in the other room.
“We will do our…best to keep our composure!”

“Cadance,” Shining Armor murmured into her shoulder. “Was that grandma’s china exploding in there?”

CRASH-KACHINKLE!!

“No, I think that was...”

“Ahhh…sorry, gran-gran,” Shining Armor choked back a sob.

“We shall…oh Tartarus,” Luna threw her hooves up in the air in capitulation and plopped down on the couch, cramming a sandwich into her mouth. “This doesn’t bode too terribly well at all!”

Over at Fluttershy’s…

“Well, *gasp* this has been interesting,” Volare chuckled and leaned against Shae’s tree, pulling in deep breaths of blessed oxygen as Scootaloo bounced about like a orange, enthusiastic ball of pure energy unmatched but for the equally springy pink pony next to her.

“Aww come on, Volare!” Scootaloo pleaded and tugged at his left hoof. “Just one more try; this is fun!”

“Yeah, come on, Volare-bear!” Pinkie Pie echoed, pulling on his other hoof in a mirror image of the younger Pegasus.

“Fun for you, Scoots,” Volare protested weakly as he allowed them to haul him to his hooves. “And Pinkie, why do you want me to go again?”

“Easy: it’s fun as all hay watching you trying to catch Scootaloo on her scooter,” Pinkie replied with an infectious grin that despite Volare’s exhaustion caused him to smile as well. He shot Fluttershy and Iron Will a helpless look, but his only reply was an equally helpless shrug from the butter-yellow Pegasus and a loud snore from the minotaur, who’d been hard at work breaking up more firewood for the winter all afternoon. He looked up at Shae perched in the tree above him, but only got a fierce look of indifference.

“Guys, help me out here,” he begged playfully, though he knew it was almost no use; he was up and Scootaloo was running back to her scooter again, grin plastered all over her face as she hopped on and “gunned” it, buzzing her wings like a little racecar driver at the starting line.

“Come on, dude! One more!”

The blue Pegasus shook his head and chuckled. This kid was impossibly determined…Dash, you may have some serious competition sooner rather than later. “Alright Scoots, we’ll go one more time!”

“Awesome!” Pinkie giggled and raised a hoof. “On your mark!”

He pawed the ground with a hoof, snorting softly as he gathered his remaining energy, which wasn’t saying much considering they’d been at this nearly all day!
But, despite his “gimme a break” act, in truth, he was actually rather enjoying the change of pace from running laps and wing strength exercises.

“Get set!”

That was it…that was the key he thought as he took in a few deep breaths and tensed his legs, ready to chase Scootaloo again.
It wasn’t a chore anymore…it was fun…wonder if this was Fluttershy’s plan too…

“Go!” Pinkie dropped her hoof and Scootaloo shot off across the yard and onto the road back to Ponyville. Volare sprang after her and quickly sped up to a gallop, forcing his burning legs to keep going. He pounded his hooves against the dirt road as Scootaloo buzzed along, the gap between them holding steady at about 20 feet for nearly a minute before Volare began to flag, feeling like he was pulling fire into his lungs rather than the cool evening air.

“Heh, you’re gonna beat me again, Scoots!” Volare called out between huffs, causing the faster filly to look back over her shoulder and shoot him an encouraging smile.

“Come on dude, don’t let me beat ya!” Scootaloo replied in a familiar fashion that nearly stopped Volare in his tracks.
Did she really just-
“Seriously try to catch me this time!”

The pilot shook his head and refocused, setting his jaw and returning her grin with a determined one of his own. “Alright Scoots, you asked for it!” He poured more effort into his stride, slamming each hoof down like a piston as he propelled himself after his younger companion. Slowly but surely, he began to close the gap!
20 feet…15…12…10…5!
He even flapped his good wing in order to increase his speed, bringing him nearly within hoofs’ reach of touching Scootaloo’s fluttering tail, their pre-determined signal that he’d caught her, as tackling her off the scooter probably wasn’t the safest idea despite her helmet.

But just as he reached out in mid-stride, straining every last fiber of his being to finally catch her…she seemed to sense his presence and smirked, suddenly changing directions and shooting off to the left, leaving Volare grasping at air and tumbling face-first into the dust of the road. Dammit, she did it again! He lay there groaning and heaving deep gulps of air, his energy all but spent until he heard Scootaloo roll up next to him.
“Dude, it’s more than just speed. Ya gotta be quick on your hooves too,” he could tell she was shaking her head by her shadow, and it he felt slightly mortified to be given pursuit lessons by a filly less than half his age…lessons and rules he was more than well-acquainted with, even though he was limited to the 2 dimension of the ground rather than the 3 dimensions of an aerial dogfight. Still, he was impressed that a filly as young as her grasped the value of agility over pure speed and power.

“I know, I know,” he sat up and sighed, giving her a crooked, dirt-filled smile that caused her to crack up and flop down next to him in the soft grass that lined the roadside. She pulled off her helmet, allowing her purple mane to flip up into its distinctive little ducktail style before she leaned against him, breathing hard herself.

“Still, that was a lot better than your other tries; almost caught me there.”

“Yeah, well if I wasn’t recovering from losing so much blood from my accident, I probably would’ve caught ya,” Volare gave her a gentle shove, which she returned two-fold.

“Yeah, keep talkin’,” she giggled. “Heh, just wait till we’re both up in the air, then we can really work on our moves!”

“Oh trust me, you’ll probably blow me away just as bad in the air as on the ground, Scoots,” he mussed her mane. “Then again…maybe you’ll always have to worry about me just lettin’ ya win, and it’ll bother ya all the time, always in the back of your mind thinking: “man, did I really beat him that time, or is he just being nice to me again?””

“Yeah right!” she hoofed him in the shoulder and they calmed down, simply enjoying the early evening air that cooled their burning lungs. After a while, Scootaloo hopped back up and tapped the dozing Volare on the head. “Dude, did you really fall asleep?”

“Oh-huh-yeah, yeah, guess I did,” the older Pegasus grinned sheepishly.

“Getting’ old already, huh?” Scootaloo teased, causing Volare to leap to his hooves and nearly keel over again from sheer exhaustion.

“No-whoa, I mean, just worn out from chasing the fastest scooter-er in Ponyville…is that even a word?”

“Scooter-er….can’t say I’ve ever heard it before,” the filly cocked her head. “But if it involves me being the best at something…meh, I’ll take it.”

“Heh, sounds good to me,” Volare stretched and sighed, not relishing the long walk back to Fluttershy’s. “You ready to head back home, Scoots?”

For a moment, the filly hesitated, as if his phrase had awoken something hardly touched within her consciousness. But it was only for a moment, and she quickly returned to her enthusiastic self. “Yeah, we’d better get back, otherwise, Fluttershy’ll think I beat you so bad that you dried up and blew away in the wind, old-timer, heehee!”

“Wha-old-timer!?” Volare sputtered and made to chase Scootaloo again, but his left foreleg nearly buckled under him, it was so worn out. “Ow…well, gimme a few hours to defend myself from that little jab, ok?”

“Heh, sure, gramps. Let’s get back to Fluttershy’s,” Scootaloo popped her helmet back on and hopped on her scooter, going substantially slower to accommodate her slower friend…totally not cuz she was tired too…no way. But soon, she began to wobble on her scooter. Volare spotted this, and quickly lifted her onto his back, folding her scooter away and tucking it under his trussed-up wing.

“Come on, Scoots. I gotcha,” he smiled and trotted along, estimating they’d probably reach Fluttershy’s in about 15 minutes at this pace. It wasn’t destined to be a terrible 15 minutes though, as the two Pegasi were treated to the sights and sounds of the early Equestrian evening. Crickets chirped in the grass, fireflies darted across their path, and frogs croaked somewhere off to their right from the creek that ran from Fluttershy’s cottage to the Ponyville Stream. Above it all, Luna’s bright moon had begun to rise from the horizon, and it would soon completely clear the ground and be floating high above their heads, lighting the way back home.

“Hey Volare,” Scootaloo mumbled sleepily into his ear.

“Yeah, Scoots?”

“Nnnmm…do old-timers like you like prune juice or apple juice more…mmmzzz.”

“Why you cheeky little…” Volare chuckled and nuzzled her before continuing on his way. “If ya weren’t already asleep, I’d leave ya here to find your own way home.” He muttered playfully, though inwardly, he shook his head at the thought. Leave Scoots here all alone in the dark…nah, never. You wouldn’t do it to her…so don’t even think that way about Scoots, not even in play.
Did he feel responsible for her outside of their training time…possibly yes. Did he think that was wrong to feel that way…no, absolutely not, at least he hoped not..

It was with thoughts of past and present bouncing around in his head that he arrived back at Fluttershy’s cottage, where Pinkie Pie was ready to greet them, accompanied by the delicious scent of dinner he feared he was going to be too tired to each much of.
“Whew, you two look like a couple of soufflés about ready to collapse!”

“Um, Pinkie…I don’t think soufflés are supposed to collapse,” Volare pointed out, to which the pink pony shrugged.

“Eh, I was never good at makin’ em anyway; cupcakes and cookies are more of my forte,” she smiled. “But in either case, you both looked pretty tired.”

“You can say that again, Pinkie,” Volare grunted as the pink-maned mare helped lift Scootaloo from his back and took the scooter as well, laying it against the wall of the cottage. “Heh, she’s pretty quick, I’ll give her that.”

“Did ya catch her yet?” she asked with a hopeful smile.

“Nah, not quite yet,” his reply caused her mane to droop slightly. “Came close, but then I literally ended up eating dirt when she changed direction.”

“Eeew, in my experience, I’ve never really eaten dirt that tasted too great, even with hot sauce,” Pinkie said to Volare’s befuddlement. “So I can at least relate, if that makes ya feel any better,” she patted him on the head.

“Yeah, guess it helps a little,” he replied, swearing he could still feel some road grit stuck somewhere behind his back teeth.

“Well, trust me, Fluttershy’s got something a lot better than road dirt cooking in there, so cheer up, Volare-bear!” Still carrying Scootaloo, Pinkie began to hop away.

“Whoa, wait a sec, Pinkie,” she stopped and turned at her name. “Where ya taking’ Scoots?” he asked, a small bit of alarm unintentionally creeping into his voice. Whoa Volare, calm down; it’s just Pinkie!

“Oh, silly stallion, it’s Monday tomorrow, and she’s got school,” she chided him gently. “She’s staying with me in town for now, so take care of her scooter till tomorrow! I’ll bring her by after school so you two can get back to it! See ya!” And with that, she hopped off into the evening, leaving Volare with more questions than answers. And that included why she was staying with Pinkie instead of her folks’…in fact, he’d never even thought of Scootaloo’s parents until now. Were they ok with Scootaloo staying with other ponies like this? They were never mentioned in the show…who were, they? What were they like? Where did they live? Come to think of it, Scootaloo had never even mentioned a word about them…but why-?

“Volare, the food’s getting cold!” Fluttershy called from inside the cottage, making the pilot feel like a little kid being called to dinner by his mother or something.

“Coming, Momma Flutters!” Volare called back jokingly, grabbing Scootaloo’s scooter and hauling it inside. Aaaand the appearance is complete he thought to himself as he sat the scooter down inside and greeted Iron Will and Fluttershy with a tired smile before shutting the door against the growing night.

………………..

Two pairs of green eyes watched from the long field grass as Pinkie hopped away along the darkening road, carrying her softly snoring charge. “Ray, come on, we won’t have a better opportunity than this! Let’s grab the brat before she gets away!” Jill hissed as she took a few steps towards the hopping pink pony before her brother collared her.

“Are you crazy sis! The Boss hasn’t told us to do anything of that sort yet; just observe! Besides, don’t you know who that is carrying her?” Ray whispered with a slight shudder.

“Yeah, that’s Pinka-what’s-her-name. What of it?”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie,” Ray corrected her. “She’s an Element Holder, and from what I could gather, she’s one of the most dangerous of all of them! Didn’t you read the documents on her? And let's not even get into the rumors...”

“Oh hell…please refresh my memory on what could possibly be so bad about a pink pony that smells like cotton candy,” Jill rolled her eyes.

“Four words: Hammer Space…and Party Cannon,” Ray gulped and pulled her away from the road and back towards the Everfree.

“Hammer and Party what?” Jill asked in bewilderment, though her brother responded with a shake of his head.

“Come on, I’ll explain it on the way back to Trixie’s. The important thing is that we now know where both Volare and the kid are staying. At the very least, it’ll make planning the next step a little easier if we know their patterns.”

“But she’s right there!” Jill hissed once more before Ray pulled her close.

“Jill, for the last time, you do not want to tangle with that one unless you have half an army backing you! Those Element Holders are bad news! Now come on!”

“Argh, fine,” the mare replied with another roll of her eyes as she followed her brother towards the forest. “At least we won’t have to deal with that Rainbow one now that she’s leaving to train for that race-whatchamacallit.”

“The Running of the Leaves,” Ray corrected her again. “And yes, that is quite the fortunate turn of events cuz I seriously doubt that big farm stallion can watch all of the edge of the Everfree by himself.”

“See, told ya it was a good idea to eavesdrop today,” Jill sniggered as they entered the forest.

“Yes, for once today, you were right," he humored her, if only to get her mind off of ambushing Pinkie Pie in the middle of the night. "Come on, I wonder what Trixie has planned for us next…”

…………………..

“The Great and Poweful Trixie demands to know where you two have been!”

“We went out for a walk,” Ray replied before his sister could shoot back with something less than polite; they still needed Trixie’s employment for immediate pay and cover.

“Where, might I ask,” the magician Unicorn was busy simultaneously brushing her mane and straightening the bend in the end of her pointy hat, all the while draped over her easy chair like some great cat with hooves.

“Around Fluttershy’s cottage, madam.”

“Why were you wandering around that wannabe veterinarian’s shack, of all places?”

“Finding that Volare you’re sooo interested in,” Jill imitated Trixie’s accent.

“Why you little”- Trixie whirled to face her petulant employee when Ray yet again stepped between them.

“And we did find him, Trixie. We’ve confirmed without a doubt that he’s staying at Fluttershy’s home until Twilight returns.”

“Oh really?” Trixie practically purred. “Well, I say we pay him a little visit before my purple opponent shows herself in town again-oh and do refer to me as Great and Powerful, if you please; thank you.”

“Um, there’s a small problem with that…Great and Powerful Trixie,” he practically gagged. “You see, living there with her is a crazy attack bird and a minotaur.”

“Ray, there’s no bloody minotaur living there!” Jill screeched, slapping him upside the head and making his ears ring.

“Ignore her, madam, I swear there’s one there,” Ray insisted. “For your own safety, I wouldn’t recommend confronting him while he’s there. I’d personally wait for a more opportune time.”

“Ray,” Trixie spoke after a moment of contemplation. “The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for this information. You may sleep in my wagon tonight.”

“And what about me huh? I’m the one what suggested we go spying over there today and we wouldn’t have found this stuff out without that happening!” Jill snapped.

“Hrm, yes…you…can sleep outside where your yelling is less…bothersome.” The door glowed blue and flung open. “Goodnight, Jill.”

“Sorry sis,” Ray said helplessly as his sister stalked out the door and sat down next to the wagon, crossing her hooves against the slight chill of the air. Well…this sucked! She looked up at a slight commotion inside before Ray emerged from the wagon and sat down next to her, conjuring a fluffy-looking blanket out of thin air and laying it over his sister.
“I got your back, sis,” he smiled and shut the door, sitting down next to her before nodding off. Jill sat there for a moment, holding the blanket in her hooves before leaning over and giving her brother a nuzzle of thanks.

“Ray, you really get on my nerves sometimes,” she muttered. But you’re always looking out for me anyway…meh, thanks I guess…

September 6th

Over the past three days, the routine had been relatively unchanged for Volare and Scootaloo. The younger Pegasus would get dropped off at class for the morning by Pinkie Pie, who would then go and visit with Volare and Fluttershy. During this time, Pinkie would concoct a myriad of crazy exercises for Volare to attempt, including, but not limited to high and long jump, push-ups with Pinkie on his back, tug-of-war with Iron Will (which was as painful as it sounded), wing-lifts with the help of Fluttershy’s animals as before, and the introduction to Volare of the sport of hoofball, which was almost identical to soccer. The only difference was that he now had four legs to coordinate around the yellow and blue ball instead of two, which leant an extreme advantage to Pinkie Pie who’d been playing this sport since she left the rock farm as a filly.

The game quickly became a favorite of Volare’s as well, though in the beginning it often devolved into him simply chasing Pinkie as she literally ran and skipped circles around him, all the while juggling the ball between her hooves and occasionally off of Volare’s head and flanks. Well, now he knew how it felt to play the pony version of the Harlem Globetrotters!
The pink mare seemed to burst with boundless energy, and she often had to give Volare a rest, though the duration he required between the breathers he needed continued to grow until he could kick the ball back and forth with Pinkie for nearly half an hour before running out of gas. But he got a welcome relief whenever Scootaloo arrived from class and brought fresh legs to the competition as she and Volare teamed up against Pinkie in order to finally steal the ball from her and play some keep-away of their own over her head and through her legs till the pink mare was practically tied in knots trying to keep up, leaving Scootaloo and Volare rolling on the ground and gasping for air between bouts of giggles.

The game also served its purpose well of increasing Volare’s leg strength and stamina in preparation not only for The Running of the Leaves, but for when he could fly again, which had been Fluttershy’s plan from the beginning, along with his chasing Scootaloo on her scooter (the rider of which was also increasing her wing strength prior to flying through her repeated chase games with him.) She could also see his confidence returning in bundles now as he would occasionally flap his good wing and leap completely over Pinkie in pursuit of the ball, though he never actually took to the air.

Hopefully this keeps up and Twilight returns soon with a spell to fix his wing Fluttershy thought as she watched the pilot-turned-Pegasus romp with Pinkie and Scootaloo. She barely managed to dodge the hoofball as it rocketed past her and struck the sleeping Iron Will in the chest, startling him so badly that he collapsed the lawn chair he’d been sprawled in.

“Alright, who’s the pony this belongs to?” the minotaur growled playfully as he picked the hoofball up and gave them an overly fierce glare. Scootaloo and Pinkie immediately pointed at Volare who was promptly pelted with the ball before he could protest, leaving him stunned and wall-eyed on the grass.

“N-nice shot, Willy,” he mumbled as Scootaloo tackled him and proceeded to tickle him back to his senses, the two quickly becoming a rolling ball of fur, feathers, and laughter. Pinkie Pie, stifling her giggles as best she could, made her way over and sat down next to Fluttershy, who was softly shaking her head in disbelief.

“Whatcha shakin’ your head for, Fluttershy? Ya got a rattle in your gourd?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that, Pinkie, heehee,” Fluttershy blushed. “It’s just that, well…Scootaloo…”

“Ah, I see,” Pinkie nodded knowingly and looked on as the smaller filly was lifted up onto Volare’s back as he proceeded to kick the hoofball up into the air for her to catch and bounce off his head. “Been a long time since I’ve seen her this happy outside the Cutie Mark Crusaders too…”

“Indeed,” the yellow mare nodded.

“Does he know yet?” Pinkie asked quietly.

“About Scootaloo…no, I haven’t told him, have you?”

“Not a peep yet,” Pinkie shook her puffy-maned head. “Think we should?”

“I’m sure it’ll come up sooner or later...and if and when it does, we'll do what we can to help,” Fluttershy replied with a small sigh. As much as she wanted Twilight to hurry back and fix Volare’s wing…she inwardly hoped that his return to the air wouldn’t mean the end to the smiles on this child’s face.
Her thoughts and her gaze turned northward to Canterlot, where she hoped the search was going well for her scholarly friend.

Back in Canterlot, where the situation was becoming distinctly pear-shaped…

Twilight Sparkle wasn’t a stranger to walking on eggshells in regards to certain touchy issues she’d encountered in life, but this situation had upped the ante from eggshells to having to perform the most graceful tapdance of all time on top of fine china and glassware. For the first time in her life, the scholarly Unicorn had no means of working towards the solution of a problem herself but at the same time being forced to not search for a means in fear of upsetting the precariously balanced situation that might end in Volare being tipped off into the void. For fear of angering Celestia any further than she likely already had, for Volare’s sake, she was forcing herself to stay away from her steadfast companions: books, specifically those of the Canterlot Library.

For the past few days, Twilight had done everything she could to distract herself from the inevitable invitation that would surely come from Celestia, bidding her to meet with her in the evening in order to tell her what judgment she’d meted out for Volare. From helping to fix the room she’d wrecked in her frustration, to visiting the old Magic Kindergarten School she’d attended (a task she would have gagged at had she had much of a choice), Twilight had done everything she could possibly think of without actually entering the Library or, heaven forbid, the castle itself where Celestia was surely busy with her own royal duties.

And that was another thing: never would Twilight have ever thought that she’d not only not want to talk with her mentor, but practically dread it! But here she was, doing her best to relax, but not too much in case the summons caught her off-guard. She’d need to be in prime mental condition when the time came, in case she had…had to what? Fight for Volare’s fate? What’s gotten into you, Twilight Sparkle?!

She was working herself up into an absolute tizzy, and pretty soon, she was positively, without a doubt convinced that Celestia was going to banish Volare from Equestria. What would he do? Where would he go in his injured state? It’d be a death sentence!
Oh why couldn’t this damned letter just hurry the hay up and get here!?
She had to admit after a while, that the stress of the unknown of what was about to take place was very quickly overtaking her fear of what exactly that letter might say. At least when it finally arrived she could stop worrying herself into sleeplessness about it!

Finally, on the evening of the third day after Shining Armor’s meeting with Celestia, the dreaded letter with the Sun-shaped seal on it arrived at Cadance’ doorstep. She quickly took the letter from the mail-pony and brought it inside, where Twilight practically snatched it out of her hooves with her magic and breathlessly tore open the envelope. Her eyes scanned the letter before she looked up and spoke.
“Celestia wants to meet me in the Library immediately to speak further on Earth and humans…one human and his fate in her lands in particular. And she wants me to come alone…”

The letter fluttered from Twilight’s magical grasp to the floor and, in stark contrast to just a few days ago, the Unicorn began to hyperventilate in a panic, something Cadance hadn’t seen her do since she foalsat for her; a panic that grew as the dread of receiving that letter that had kept her focused finally evaporated, leaving her a nervous wreck. Thinking quickly, Cadance led her over to the couch and sat her down, holding her hooves tightly and casting a soothing spell over her that quickly calmed her down, just as it had years ago. She rocked her back and forth, humming softly for nearly 20 minutes until she was sure that she was back to normal.
“Twilight’s it’s going to be ok. Remember, this is Celestia, not some crazypony tyrant. Come on, I’ll go get Luna and Shining Armor, and we’ll all go speak to Celestia about this. You don't have to go it alone this time.”

Without waiting for an argument, Cadance hoofed Twlight her saddlebag of notes and led her out of the house and through the empty evening streets to the guardhouse where Shining Armor was stationed that evening. If the worried look on his sister's face didn't clue him in to what was happening, then Cadance' summary of the letter surely did. “I’ll get Luna. Wait right here.” Within minutes, he returned with the Princess in tow, having quickly explained the situation on the way back.

“I had a feeling that summons might come soon,” Luna muttered as she gave the young Unicorn a warm embrace. “Now Twilight, we’re all here to support you in this matter, but you yourself must handle this with dignity and grace in order to give your friend the best chance possible. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do,” Twilight nodded after a moment of hesitation. “But she wants to discuss Volare’s fate, Luna…she’s probably already decided.”

“Oh…” the Moon Goddess’ heart sank at the news, but quickly hardened in her resolve to protect the subjects of her land, even from one of their own rulers.

“Well, we’re with you all the way, regardless of the outcome,” Cadance gave her sister in law a little hug and looked to her husband. “We’re ready.”

“It’s set then,” Shining Armor leaned inside and told his guards he was off to speak with Celestia before turning in for the night, and wished them a pleasant evening before handing the nightwatch keys over to his lieutenant and shutting the guardhouse door behind him. He heaved a sigh and set his sights on the Canterlot Library at the end of the street. He couldn’t believe he was going to do this…but blood's thicker than water. Sorry Celestia, but I've been Twiley's brother longer than I have your captain...
“Well, let’s go,” he spoke plainly and began to lead their little brigade towards the massive old building. To Twilight, besides the pit of doubt she felt forming in her belly, it was like a semi-lucid dream. True, she could turn back if she wanted, but she knew that to do so would damn her friend…no, she allowed Cadance and Luna to flank her and lead her onwards.

To her surprise, the closer they got to their destination, the less reluctantly Twilight’s hoofsteps became, and by the time they reached the short flight of wide, flat steps that lead up to the front door of the Library, she had pushed her way past her brother and was reaching for the door handle before Luna’s voice stopped her.
“Twilight, remember…for the sake of your friend. Keep calm, and do this with dignity.”

“Luna, I understand what you mean, and I’m more than a little scared…but I’m not about to let Celestia treat my friend this way!” Without a second thought, Twilight focused her magic on the door handle before anypony could stop her. The hay with dignity, this was the fate of her friend they were talking about!!

Within the Library itself, sitting inside the little book fort that her student had constructed around herself three nights previous, Celestia sat and scribbled on a multitude of scrolls at once, all illuminated by a myriad of candles that filled the book fort with a warm glow but did little else to ward off the shadows of the otherwise darkened Library. Though she’d promised Twilight that she’d work overtime in order to free up the evening, she’d gotten caught up in these last half dozen province reports that she was quickly speed-reading through in order to give her full and undivided attention to-

BAM!
Princess Celestia jumped slightly as she heard the Library door thrown open. Quickly following suit were the pounding of hooves on the granite floor and the labored breathing of a pony sprinting towards the book fort. Celestia rose to her hooves and looked out over the wall of books in time to see Twilight Sparkle skid to a stop just inside the circle of light projected by the candles, breathing hard and with a look close to fury on her face.
“Why, Twilight! What’s the matter?”

“You know damn well what the matter is,” Twilight said fiercely as the sound of additional hoofsteps neared them from the front hall. “I know that you know my friend Volare, and that you know where he came from, and what he was, even though it all began with my idea to study Earth with that spell, therefore it’s my fault, not his! And since I know you hate what he was, I know that you intend to send him away as fast as you can so that you don’t have to deal with him before he becomes a “security issue.” Isn’t that right, Princess?”

Celestia was taken completely aback at her student’s behavior, but that emotion was surpassed by the surprise she felt as the additional hoofstep owners came into view. “Shining Armor, you told your sister about what we spoke about?”

“Yes, I did, ma’am,” the Captain of the Guard nodded once. “And I for one don’t particularly like being manipulated into giving out the information required to banish somepony, especially a friend of my family. He has no choice of what he was; what matters is what he’s trying to be, and that’s simply finding his place in Equestria like anypony else would!” He stepped aside to allow his wife Cadance to speak.

“Auntie Celestia, please listen to them. You have no right to banish Volare just because of what he used to be. He’s better than what you think him to be, I swear upon it!”

“Cadance…Captain, I,” Celestia began but halted again and groaned softly as she saw the final hoofstep owner trot into view. “Oh no, you too, Luna?”

“Absolutely me too, Tia,” the Moon Goddess stepped forward until she was within a body’s length of her sister. “Just because something has the potential to be dangerous doesn’t mean that gives you the right to judge it as though it has already committed a crime. I may have been gone for 1000 years, but as far as I can tell, the laws of being fairly judged by one’s actions, not one’s propensity for them as a species instead of a separate individual, still hold firm here in Equestria.”

“Luna, I don’t think you understand,” Celestia began, but her sister cut her off again.

“No Tia, I understand perfectly. Volare’s presence here is entirely not his fault.” Despite being smaller than her sister, Luna nevertheless seemed to grow in size until she was staring her sister directly in the eye. “I myself would like to speak with him in order to better understand him and help him find a way to live here. But for you to want to punish him for whatever prior prejudice you may hold against his kind, simply for being one of them, is an absolute injustice in my eyes. Tia, I love you, sister. But if that is truly your intention this night, to abuse your power as ruler of this land as you see fit…then there may well be trouble ahoof!”

Luna took a step back in order to give her sister a chance to answer to these charges brought against her. To her, the Princess of the Sun seemed as a ruler under siege, both literally within her little book fort and figuratively, as the four most powerful magic-users in all of Equestria stood before her as a united front, neither intending to allow Celestia to banish Volare without a damn good reason. But to her surprise, and in fact to the surprise of everypony present, instead of meeting these charges with a hasty explanation or a plea to calm down, Celestia did the most unimaginable thing possible at that moment.

“Hmm…hmm-hmm-heh-heh-hahahahaHAHAHA” her soft, restrained chuckles grew into tinkling laughter, which further grew into loud guffaws of mirth. Twilight was aghast at the sight of Princess Celestia leaning on the book wall in laughter, wiping away the tears that squeezed out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!”

The purple Unicorn and her companions backed up another step, ready for any sort of trick Celestia might have up her sleeve….if only she’d stop laughing-why was she laughing so much? Just what the hay was going on here!?

Author’s notes:

*Line in the sand: a point beyond which, once the decision to go beyond it is made, the decision and its resulting consequences are permanently decided and irreversible

Captain: brace for impact! Shitstorm-iceberg ahead!
(yeah, I just made that up, cuz that’s pretty much what we’re about to smack into here…or are we?)
Volare: dude, you’d better break this tension quick, or so help me, I’ll kill ya myself!

The Running-Pt 6: Get Set...

September 7th

Crrrrrack! …Boooooooom! Baboooom!
Thunder rolled along the southern Ponyville plain, emanating from the tower-like cloud house suspended high above the ground. The residents of the town turned their eyes to the noon sky, momentarily confused by the sound of thunder without the accompanying rainclouds before realizing that the racket was coming from Rainbow Dash’s house. But why?!

BOOM! Kerrrrack-BANG!
Lightning and electricity crackled and detonated around the cloud-house as Dash smashed and kicked the clouds she’d piled up earlier that morning. The clouds had started off white and puffy, but the more that the weather pony struck them, the more static built up, until…
KABOOM!!

“Ha, yeah! Take that, urrr-rugh!” the Pegasus struck a puff ball that floated above her head before kicking sideways at another cloud that had attempted to drift past her on the high-altitude breeze that frosted the perspiration gathering on her brow. She swiped the ice out of her forelock with the back of her hoof and continued, enjoying the burn in muscles she hadn’t worked in some time. “Yeah, get some! Ha-ha!”
KABANG!

This peculiar form of training was designed to increase Dash’s hoof-speed and leg strength, boost her tolerance to the drop in temperature that occurred on the day of the race in order to usher in Fall, as well as improve her lungs’ endurance even further in the lower-oxygenated high altitude, and had been something that she’d been secretly developing since last year’s race; secretly because she didn’t want any other pony copying her technique, thus giving her the edge come race day. Simply running laps was one thing, but she was confident that after a week of the cold air, low oxygen, and strenuous cloud-smashing, she could handle anything that race might throw at her! She was absolutely determined to do whatever it took to win this year, and nopony, not Applejack, not Twilight, not even Volare was gonna keep her from that!

Volare… She had to admit, that was the first time she’d thought about him in the last three days, and to say that her mind had welcomed the break was putting it lightly. In fact, she credited her intense training regimen to being able to put him out of her mind for the time being. She soon found that the less she thought about him, the more focused she was able to be.
…but is that really what you want, Dashie? To forget about him just like that?
Oh just shut up already!!
KABOOM! KABANG!!!

She redoubled her efforts, forcing him from her mind again and focusing more on the burning of her muscles as she bashed the clouds to pieces. She pursued one wayward puffball through the upper window of her home, bucking it roughly and sending lightning shooting all over her bedroom and scorching her bed right in the middle of the mattress.
“Ah, road-apples,” she muttered and pushed the cloud into the corner of the room to inspect the damage to her furniture. She quickly licked her hoof and literally smoothed over the mark on the mattress, covering it with the clouds it was made of. Like everything else in the house, clouds and their different forms made up the walls, the furnishings, and even the icebox she had downstairs, making clean-up and the damage-control her often reckless indoor activities necessitated a relative breeze.

Satisfied with the repair, she turned with a low, grinning growl back to the unfortunate cloud practically huddling in the corner of the room. “Now where were we…oh yeah!” She flew across the room and brought her hoof down across the cloud in a mighty chop, breaking it to pieces with an explosion of sparks that frizzed her mane and blew open the ice-paned window next to her. She chuckled as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror sitting over her dresser.

“I look a little like Vol-dammit!” she ground a hoof into her forehead, knowing that the more she thought about the guy, the more she’d be distracted. It wasn’t that she didn’t wanna think about him at all, just not right now…or at least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

“Volare, you’re a nice guy and all, and I really hope that Twilight figures out a way to fix your wing, but for now I can’t let you distract me from getting ready for this race,” she addressed her reflection with authority. “My pride and reputation is at stake here, and I’m not gonna let you mess that up for anything. No more thinking about him or anything else besides the race until it’s over, right?” Her reflection nodded in unison. “Right!”
No more distractions! No more interruptions! And no more thoughts about Volare! Just you, me, and the race!

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” a young voice called out from down below her house. She cleared her head with a shake and trotted across the room, wondering who that could be.
“Rainbow Dash, you there?”

Ah, it’s Scoots, she thought as she approached the half-opened window. Wonder what she’s doing here? “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say hi and see what you were up to! Oh, and I brought a friend who was wondering how you were doing too!”

Who could that be? Dash wondered as she leaned out of the window…and nearly crashed onto her flank at the sight of the worn-out looking pony catching his breath next to Scootaloo. The rainbow Pegasus scrambled to her hooves and looked back at her reflection, frizzed mane, flustered expression, and all.
“You’ve gotta be bucking kidding me…”

EARLIER…

“Alright Angel, it’s time you and I had a little come-to-Jesus meeting,” Volare growled, very aware of the irony of that particular statement considering its context. Iron Will stood off to the side, unsure of what to do as Fluttershy determinedly approached the blue Pegasus confronting the white bunny, who in turn was holding a crocheting hook in his little paws and wearing a wicked little grin as he eyed his handi-work: the angry red mark on the side of Volare’s head.

Breaking with the short-lived tradition that had been established over the past week and a half, Volare had fallen asleep inside Fluttershy’s cottage, rather than outside due to his fatigue from chasing Scootaloo around the previous day. Unfortunately, Angel Bunny wasn’t the biggest fan of a sudden change like that, even an innocent one, and he’d proceeded to defend his mistress Fluttershy’s home from the “intruder” he’d found on the couch when he’d come inside for breakfast that morning.

What had followed was a scene that Volare swore was straight out of a Tom and Jerry rerun (minus the general destruction of the furniture), with Angel Bunny waking him up via a crochet hook to the noggin and Volare responding by scrambling off the couch and attempting to catch the elusive little critter with his bare hooves, shouting and cussing up a storm all the while. The commotion they caused finally woke Fluttershy, who came running down the stairs, her over-active imagination conjuring up all manner of horrible things that might be invading her home: like a pack of Timberwolves or…gulp…dragons by the amount of crashing and banging and yelling taking place!

BAM
“Whoa, what the hay is goin’ on in here?”

“Eeeeep!”

“Ah, sorry Fluttershy!”
Compounding all the noise had been Iron Will bursting through the backdoor to investigate the ruckus, nearly scaring the wings off of the mare in the process.

Once she’d gathered herself, Fluttershy stepped in between the righteously-angry Volare and the protective bunny in order calm the storm, with Iron Will standing by as backup. She quickly examined Volare’s throbbing cranium as he explained the situation. Satisfied that he was telling the truth, she turned to Angel and snatched the crocheting hook from his paws and placed up on a high shelf where he couldn’t hope to reach it. She then pulled Volare aside.
“Ok, I know what Angel did was wrong by you, but to him, he’s simply protecting me and his friends, the other animals.”

“Well, I’m getting just a little tired of being terrorized by that little varmint every time I come in the house! I swear, you must have picked that little bugger up from the Cave of Caerbannog or something!” Volare said in exasperation, too angry to care that she likely didn’t get the reference. “Now either he goes, or I go!”

“You do realize he’s been here a lot longer than you have, don’t you?” Fluttershy replied, her voice a few octaves lower than usual, her suddenly stony facial expression telling the stallion that he was very close to crossing a line that he was pretty sure wasn’t worth crossing. Volare quickly backtracked, his face softening and his ears drooping. At this apologetic display, Fluttershy’s demeanor returned to normal and she gently patted him on the shoulder. “Making him change just for the sake of a stranger isn’t fair, I don’t think.”

“Well, then what do you suggest I do?” he asked, glancing back over Fluttershy’s shoulder to see Angel trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Hrm…how about instead of constantly butting heads with him, try being nice for a change.”

“Honestly at this point, I’ll try just about anything,” he replied, keeping a wary eye on the bunny.

“Well, you could make him his favorite meal,” Fluttershy suggested, motioning to the kitchen as she did so. “That might win him over. Angel, you stay right there, mister,” she pointed at the bunny who’d nearly crept up behind Volare. He obediently hopped a few steps back and sat down without a fuss.

“Sounds like spoiling him to me, but hey, whatever it takes to get him to do that,” he shook his head and followed her into the kitchen, leaving a rather confused Angel Bunny sitting in the middle of the floor. After a while though, he’d attempted to investigate what was happening with his Fluttershy and that weird-looking blue Pegasus in the kitchen, but Iron Will moved to block his path, standing in front of the door like a great blue club bouncer.

“Don’t think so, shorty,” but his grin quickly faded as Angel went to retrieve the fire-place poker. “Um, Fluttershy, Spike-head? Ya’ll might wanna hurry it up in there!” he called out desperately. Just as he prepared to battle the bunny to a very painful and likely embarrassing conclusion, the two pegasi emerged from the kitchen carrying a dish covered with a silver dinner cloche.

“Hey Angel,” Volare said in a friendly tone, distracting the bunny long enough for the minotaur to snatch the poker from him. But Angel immediately forgot about stabbing Iron Will in the leg and hopped closer to the Pegasus, but not without giving him a suspicious look.. “Looky what I got for ya. A nice…big…supreme salad!” He whipped the lid off the dish with a flourish to reveal an absolutely massive salad topped with fruit and a cherry, just the way Angel Bunny liked it-or so said Fluttershy.

The small rabbit looked from the salad to Volare before motioning him to put it down. The blue Pegasus complied and allowed Angel to sniff the salad tentatively. Again, he looked up at his server warily, but Volare wore nothing but a friendly smile, albeit somewhat forced. “No tricks, I swear, Angel,” he held up a hoof. “Think of it as a peace offering.” Although a nice batch of rat poison might do just as well…
Angel looked to Fluttershy who nodded and smiled as well, beckoning him to eat. Apparently satisfied, the small bunny proceeded to devour the meal that was impossibly larger than himself. Even so, he’d managed to gobble it all down inside of a minute, and was soon sopping up the dressing that remained with a leaf before licking his paws and gazing up at Volare again.

He took a few more hops closer to the blue Pegasus and raised his paw balled in a fist, and Volare tensed, thinking all he’d managed to do was feed this little monster and hadn’t made a damn difference at all! But to his surprise, Angel’s little thumb poked out of his fist in the universal sign of approval. The bunny then proceeded to pat him on the foreleg and nod to Fluttershy before hopping away out the back door, leaving Volare completely stunned.

“Um…what just happened?”

“Oh, he says you’re good with him, now,” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“Wait a sec…so I’ve been sleeping outside in the wind, the bugs, and Shae’s random droppings…and all I had to do was feed the little bugger a salad and…and that’s it!?” Volare exclaimed.

“Well, that dish specifically; he’s a rather fickle bunny, but he means well,” the yellow mare insisted. Iron Will nodded in agreement.

“Had to do the same thing before he’d let me set hoof in the house, Spike-head; though as you saw, we still get into the occasional scrap or three,” he grinned sheepishly. “Like I said before: shoulda gotten him to help me with my assertiveness workshops a long time ago.”

Volare very nearly threw his hooves up in the air at the lunacy of it all, but he managed to calm down enough to speak in a normal tone of voice after a moment of concentrating on keeping the blood vessels in his head from popping. “Fluttershy, just out of curiosity…how much do you love Angel Bunny?”

“Very much so, as he’s been one of my most loyal pets for years now. Why?” The Element Holder cocked her head curiously.

“Oh, no real reason…I was just wondering if you’d be curious in trying rabbit fricassee later for dinner,” he muttered under his breath.

“Frica-what?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Volare heaved a sigh and shelved his irritation with the rabbit…for now. “So, if he’s ok with me…does that mean I can sleep inside now?”

“I believe so, yes,” Fluttershy nodded.

“Ah, that’s great!” he grinned sincerely for a moment before realizing something minor. “Wait, if Iron Will did the same thing to make his peace with him, then why does he still sleep outside?”

“Oh, he snores,” the mare whispered behind her hoof.

“Huh, what about me?” the minotaur asked.

“I-um, said your horns,” the yellow Pegasus insisted.

“Uh, what about ‘em?” Iron Will eyed them as if assuring himself they were still attached to his head.

“They’re very…majestic,” Fluttershy said with smile so emphatic that Volare nearly broke out in chuckles.

“Oh, um, thank you?” the blue minotaur grinned and tapped them with a knuckle. “They are pretty awesome, huh? Do they clash with my tie? How ‘bout my eyes?”

Luckily, before Iron Will’s ego could be stroked any further, the situation was interrupted by a knock on the east-facing window behind Volare. He turned to investigate the knock and felt his heart leap into his throat at the duo of backlit silhouettes peeking in through the glass, one of which wore the largest grin he’d ever seen, while the other’s head looked severely misshapen and monstrous. Before he could cry out in alarm though, the shadows had ducked out of the window in the direction of the front door, the handle of which quickly began to jiggle insistently.

“L-look out!” Volare managed to cry, much to Fluttershy and Iron Will’s confusion.

“Whoa there, Spike-head! What’s gotten into”- the minotaur managed to say before the door burst open, the two shadowy figures standing in the doorway in a way that said we’re coming in, ready or not! Quite unexpectedly, Iron Will screamed.
“AHHHHH!!”

“Holy hell!” Volare shouted as well as he literally shot up from the floor and landed in the screaming minotaur’s arms…and then the frightened duo finally got a good look at the “monsters” and immediately felt like the biggest fools in that corner of Equestria.

“Goooood morning everypony!” Pinkie Pie called out as she hopped inside, stopping short of running into Volare and Iron Will, still rather stunned and unmoving. “Whoa, are you climbing on Iron Will to get ready for the race, Volare? I’d say a tree would make a little more sense, but what am I saying? There’s no tree-climbing involved in The Running of the Leaves!”

“Ya’ll are still bent on runnin’ in that hoof-race, Volare?” a twangy voice that belonged to no other pony but Applejack rolled in through the door, followed shortly by said pony who hung her Stetson hat by the door as she trotted inside. Volare quickly realized it was that very hat that had lent her silhouette such a strange shape…and he also realized that he was still huddled in the minotaur’s grasp.
“Lan’sakes, Volare! Your legs must be getting’ awful strong; otherwise, how else’d ya’ll jump up in ol’ Iron Will’s arms like that, eh?”

“Heh-heh, yeah,” the Pegasus laughed under his breath as he climbed back down to the floor, his face burning like the face of Celestia’s sun in embarrassment. “I’ve improved a good bit since I first got here, that’s for sure,” he flexed a foreleg experimentally.

“Yes, that’s certainly true, Applejack” Fluttershy spoke up with a nod. “But because he still won’t have recovered from the blood loss of such a terrible injury for a while yet, he’s still prone to dizzy spells when he’s tired and doesn’t keep his blood sugar up.”

“And I’ve been helping plenty with that!” Pinkie crowed as she pulled a huge parcel from her saddlebag; a parcel that smelled like freshly baked cookies.

“Mmm, would those happen to be oatmeal-raisin, Pinkie Pie?” Volare licked his lips, having become very accustomed to the pink pony bringing goodies by during her visits.

“Sure as shootin,” Applejack grinned as she tried to snatch the bag from Pinkie. “That smells been drivin’ me nuttier’n a squirrel in a pecan tree!”

“Hey, hey, hey; these are for Volare-bear,” the pastry chef chided her farm-raised friend before handing the bag to the blue Pegasus. “Here ya go; enjoy!”

“Heh, thanks Pinkie,” Volare smiled as he looked into the bag before noticing that Applejack’s head was suddenly blocking out the light. “Um, AJ?”

“Heya Volare,” the orange mare gave him a devious grin. “Whatcha got in tha bag, pardner?””

“Oh no, these aren’t for you,” the Pegasus cradled the bag protectively and gave her a squinty look.

“Aww, ya’ll ain’t gonna share?” She crept closer, grin widening a fraction. “Cuz Ah think that might be in your best interest, if ya know what Ah mean.” The Pegasus knew that if push came to shove, the powerful Earth Pony would win hooves-down…and he’d probably wake up in the yard with a throbbing headache.

“…help?” Volare squeaked plaintively, causing everypony to burst into laughter and Applejack to clap him roughly on the shoulder.

“Aww, Ah’m jus’ funnin’ with ya, Volare. Just gimme one an’ Ah’ll let ya be.”

“Sure thing,” he regained his composure and hoofed her a cookie before munching on one of his own. “Pinkie Pie, these taste as great as they smell!”

“Well, I’d hope so,” the pink pony grinned a bit smugly as she pulled a small cake out of her saddlebag and promptly devoured it.

“I swear, how you aren’t a diabetic by now is beyond me,” Volare wondered out loud.

“Dia-whozzit?” Applejack cocked her head at the strange word. “What’s that?”

“Well, um,” the blue Pegasus paused, choosing his words carefully. “It’s basically a disease where the body has trouble with regulating the amount of sugar in the blood. There’s a couple of varieties, but I’m not very familiar with the specifics. But I know that taking in way too much sugar can cause the body to start having problems with processing it all…” As he spoke, Pinkie looked down at her own belly, full of sweets and goodies and then back up at Applejack with a bit of an unsure expression, as did Iron Will who had been in the process of snatching a cookie from Volare’s parcel. To her surprise, the orange mare shook her head and laughed.

“Well, Ah don’t think that applies ta Pinkie Pie, Volare. She’s been eatin’ sugary stuff fer as long as Ah’ve known her and she ain’t ever seemed ta have a problem with it. Heck, she even drank a whole cloudful of chocolate rain right before fightin’ ol’ Discord a while back, and not even that slowed her down,” she chuckled at the memory as both Pinkie and Iron Will sighed in relief.

“Hrm, guess I’ll just chalk it up to Pinkie being Pinkie.”

“EX-actly,” AJ clapped his shoulder again. “Now yer getting’ tha hang of it! Oh, almost forgot,” she grimaced slightly. “Reason we’re here is cuz Ah wanted ta see how tough yer legs are gettin’ and if’n ya’ll are in good enough shape ta safely compete in that race. An' bein a veteran of such an occasion, Ah'd be happy ta give ya a once-over."

“That’s mighty considerate of you, Applejack,” Volare nodded. “But I’m not really looking to compete so much as just participate, cuz I know my legs aren’t nearly strong enough to race against ponies like you and Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short so soon, pardner. Let’s just see how well ya’ll have improved,” she opened the front door.

"A test? Hrm, something tells me that my jumping up into Iron Will’s arms isn’t what you had in mind, eh?”

“As well as it turned out, nope,” she chuckled and grabbed her hat. “Follow me and Ah’ll show ya.” Everypony plus Iron Will trailed after Applejack as she led them to the edge of the Everfree where Iron Will’s firewood collection was taking place. “Let’s see here,” she muttered as she looked at the dead trees with a discerning eye. “Nah, too big…too small…too dead…too alive…heh, now that’s a good’n!” She waved a hoof at an averaged-sized dead tree that looked to be some sort of oak.

“Looks as dead as the rest of them, AJ,” Volare observed in bemusement.

“Well, of course! If’n ya’ll buck a live tree, it ain’t gonna do what Ah have in mind!”

“Wait, buck a tree? What for?”

“Ta test your leg strength,” Applejack trotted over to a much larger tree and sized it up before turning her flank to it. “Can’t rightly think of a better way to see how strong a pony’s legs are than by buckin’ a dead tree.” With a fierce grin and a cry of yeehaaw, the mighty farm pony brought a single hoof back and kicked the dead tree…which promptly exploded into a shower of splinters. As Applejack struck a modest pose, Volare heard a small gasping noise behind him and he turned to see Iron Will’s jaw hanging open and a steady, near-silent cry of inadequacy hissing from his mouth.

“Ahem, hey um, AJ,” the minotaur quickly came to his senses. “If ya wanna help me one of these days with clearing these dead trees, I’d be mighty grateful”- but he was cut off by Pinkie patting him on the back with an innocent smile.

“Silly Willy; you know you don’t have any money to compensate her with!”

“…Ahhhhhh, it’s true!” The minotaur bawled into his hands before running back into the house, Fluttershy close behind and calling out that she didn’t care if he was broke…which only succeeded in making him more upset.

“Was it something I said?” Pinkie asked. Who knew a big blue minotaur would be insecure about money?

“Aaaanyway…I may not be able to obliterate a tree like that,” he gave Applejack an impressed nod. “But I’ll give it my best shot!”

“That’s tha spirit, Volare! Wait, ya’ll don’t know how ta properly buck a tree, do ya?”

“Honestly can’t say I ever did it before coming here, AJ.”

“Well, lemme walk ya through it,” Applejack smirked as she beckoned him closer to the tree while Pinkie Pie sat down on the grass to watch and let Volare concentrate. “Now then, Ah want ya to face your flank at that tree and then duck your head.”

“Oookay,” Volare complied, feeling a little foolish. “Now what?”

“Back up till ya’ll are close enough ta buck it, then raise your back legs up and bring’em down against that tree as hard as ya can!”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” he shook his head slightly and backed up till he was in range, replaying what Applejack had just done to that other tree in his mind. He focused on a small knot towards the middle of the tree trunk and set his front feet firmly on the ground. Gritting his teeth and letting out a small ha, he lifted his back legs and kicked the tree as hard as he could. At that moment, Volare realized that bucking a tree when you’re not used to it is almost as painful as punching it, except with your foot.

“Ah, dammit!” he hissed as he hopped away from the tree gingerly, rubbing the side of his right hoof and glaring back at the offending piece of wood. To his surprise, two shallow imprints from his hooves were smashed into the bark, and he grinned despite the pain and turn to Applejack. “How’d I do, teach?”

“Well, coulda been worse,” Volare’s face fell as the farm pony investigated the marks. “But hey, not bad fer a first-timer who ain’t even an Earth Pony! Wanna try again?”

“I’d say it couldn’t hurt,” he shook the sting out of his hoof. “But I feel like I did something wrong.”

“Well, yer aim was a touch off with your right hoof,” she glanced from his hoof to the tree. “Ah think ya hit tha tree with the side of your hoof instead of the bottom. Straighten your aim this time an’ try again.” Volare complied and bucked at the tree again, this time not feeling as great a sting, but not making much progress in the tree explosion department either, nor in the next half dozen times he kicked at the tree until he was rather winded.

“Ok, I’ve got a question, AJ,” he gasped and nodded at the shattered tree next to his. “How the heck did you make that tree do that?”

“Years o’ apple-buckin’,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Oh come on, there’s gotta be more to it than that!”

“Well, it ain’t exactly brute strength, to tell the truth; though in Iron Will’s case, it sure helps.”

“Yeah, I was kinda wondering how something as small as a pony could destroy something like that with relative ease, while a big creature like a minotaur really has to put his back into it, so to speak,” Volare mused. “It just doesn’t add up.”

“Heh, not everything in this world has ta do with fancy mathematics, Volare,” Applejack gave him a friendly shove. “Lemme learn ya a thing er two about ponies.”

“Oooh, this’ll be fun!” Pinkie squeaked and patted the ground next to her. “Come on and sit down, Volare-bear!”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled and plopped down next to the pink pony, who promptly leaned against him while keeping her eyes on Applejack. The scent of her mane, not unlike that of cotton candy, momentarily brought back the memories of that night nearly two weeks ago…when Applejack and Pinkie had held him tightly as Twilight operated on him in a desperate attempt to save his life. He quickly shook the memory away and concentrated on AJ’s lesson.
She explained that Unicorns aren’t the only ponies capable of magic, and that in fact all ponies have a spark of magic within themselves that can be used when the time calls for it. For example, Earth Ponies have a special connection with the ground and with plants, and that they can manipulate their behavior somewhat in the way that Pegasi can control the weather, though it’s often on a much more subtle scale such as crop-growing and apple-bucking.

“Or tree annihilation,” Volare cut in, making Pinkie giggle.

“Mhm. As far as that particular trick is concerned, all Ah do is basically think “tree, break apart,” and when I kick it, the force of my will goes into the tree…and boom! Sorta the same thing with apples. Ah’m just basically tellin’ em “hey, get on outta that tree!” My buckin’ just sorta serves as that extra bit o’ persuasion, but there ain’t much sense in breakin’ an appletree, so Ah just keep that little order to mahself. Heh-heh, sorry if’n Ah’m not better at explainin’ this sorta stuff like Twilight is,” she blushed slightly and kicked at a small rock.

“No, no, that actually explains quite a bit,” he looked down at Pinkie and wondered exactly how the pink pony seemed to transfer from the usual Earth Pony activities to…well, fourth wall destruction, hammer space, and general randomness. It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie and I’ll leave it at that…maybe there’s something in those cookies…oh god I’ve been eating them for the past-

“Hey wait a sec, AJ,” Pinkie interrupted his growing panic with a raised hoof. “Volare can’t explode a tree cuz he’s not an Earth Pony; he’s a Pegasus!”

“Well, Ah can see that, Pinkie. Ah just knew he couldn’t cheat by using Earth Pony magic if he did somethin’ like buck a tree, so Ah figured it’d gimme a more honest idea of his leg strength. Like Ah said, it ain’t fancy mathematics; just common sense.”

Volare found it hard to argue with that logic, and he regained his hooves after a moment. “Well, now that we’re all up to speed here, in all honesty…what’s my grade, teach?” He nodded at the tree.

“Umm…” AJ scratched her chin thoughtfully as she attempted to articulate a response that was at least somewhat encouraging. “E for Effort?”
Or B for Bullshit…
“Gee, thanks,” he groaned while Pinkie rubbed his hoof.

“Well, I think he did pretty good for a first try, AJ.”

“Yep, and nothin’ wrong with tryin’ again if ya wanna, Volare.”

“Well, I’ve got nothing major planned for a little while, so I guess I’ll give it another whirl or two.” The stallion then spent the next half hour kicking and bucking against the tree until the bark finally began to splinter and crack; but by that time, he was legitimately gasping for breath and barely standing on wobbly legs. He collapsed yet again, his head spinning as he observed his hoof-work. “How’s that, AJ?”

“Ah gotta say, ya’ll are about tha most hard-headed Pegasus Ah’ve ever met ‘cept fer Rainbow Dash, o’ course,” she ran her hoof over the broken tree bark and shook her head. “Maybe Ah outta up that grade to a D for Determination instead.”

“Try, try again, I guess,” Volare hauled himself to his hooves but was stopped by a tug at his shoulder. He turned to see that Fluttershy had rejoined him and was wearing a somewhat worried expression.

“You should stop for now, Volare,” she urged. “Remember what I taught you about your limits.”

“Yeah, I know…know them and only push them when I’m sure I can move them,” he recalled the lesson from a few days back.

“And you’ve quite obviously reached them here,” she gestured to the tree. “Besides, you’ll completely wear yourself out at this rate.”

“Aww, you kidding me?” he flashed a ragged half-grin. “I’m good *huff*…damn tree…I just hate starting something I can’t finish is all.”

“Hey, don’t think nothin’ of it, Volare,” Applejack said. “Besides, for a feller in your condition, Ah’d say ya’ll did pretty good.”

“But I don’t wanna do “pretty good.” I wanna do better than that,” he kicked the tree once more, this time with his front hoof.

“Please stop,” Fluttershy pleaded.

“But I”-

“No buts, Volare,” the yellow Pegasus said with sudden authority. “Applejack, is he in good enough shape to run in that race or not?”

“Well, his leg strength could use some work, but if his stubbornness is any indication, he’ll likely do just fine if his endurance holds up; cuz that’s what that race is all about,” the farm pony observed.

“Any further suggestions?” the blue Pegasus asked as he regained his wind.

“Whatcha been doin’ so far?”

“Well, for a while, I did mostly cardio, but that got boring and monotonous pretty quick”-

“Yeah, so we decided: hey, let’s bring Scootaloo over here and have them be training buddies!” Pinkie Pie cut in excitedly. “So Volare’s helping Scootaloo build up her wing strength while he works out his legs by chasing her on her scooter.”

“Heh, that’s right,” Volare smiled at Pinkie’s enthusiasm. “All the while, Fluttershy’s been giving us flight lessons so when we get up into the air, we’re not totally clueless on what to do…and so I won’t crash again either.” All four ponies present nodded solemnly; and although Fluttershy hadn’t been there in person that night, she’d heard enough that she was glad that she hadn’t been.

“Say,” Applejack piped up, trying to brighten the suddenly grim mood. “Did Ah hear right when ya said Scootaloo is trainin’ with ya?”

“Yep, that’s right,” Volare replied.

“How’s she doin’, anyway? Runnin’ ya a merry chase, Ah reckon?”

“And then some,” the Pegasus chuckled. “As for right now though, I’m assuming she’s ok; she’s in class at the moment.”

“Aha, that’s right; she’s in the same class with mah sister Applebloom…hey wait a sec, don’t that let out here soon?”

“OH, I knew there was something I forgot to tell you, Volare!” Pinkie suddenly gasped, causing the pilot to leap half a step back in surprise. “You ever had something poking you in the back of your noodle but you couldn’t figure out what is was because it’s in the back and you can’t turn far enough to see it?”

“…come again, Pinkie?” Applejack scratched her head.

“I think I know what you mean,” the pilot nodded. At least, I hope I do…

“Right! Well, anyway, it’s been bothering me that I couldn’t remember why else I came over here, but now I remember: Volare, you wanna come pick up Scootaloo from school with me today?”

“Sure do,” he answered without hesitation.

“Ah’ll come too since Ah’ve gotta pick up Applebloom anyways and help drop off Sweetie Belle at Rarity’s, since she’s still workin’ on somethin’ special for ya,” Applejack winked.

“She’s still working on my gift?” Volare asked, feeling slightly guilty. “She doesn’t have to”-

“Uh-uh, Volare,” Applejack held up a hoof to stop him. “If’n she offers ya a gift, ya’ll had better take it, especially if she takes this much time and effort ta make it. Trust me on this one; she kinda takes a little pride in bein’ tha Element of Generosity.”

“Ok, ok,” he finally consented. “Well, what’re we waiting for?” He asked as he took a step forward and nearly stumbled to his knees again, still tired from kicking that tree.

“Just you, silly,” Pinkie patted his mane with a friendly grin. “Just you.”

Despite the support of his friends, and he knew he’d get a scolding if he admitted this out loud, but he still couldn’t help but continue to feel like he was being a bit of a burden on them. Hopefully they won’t have to wait on me much longer…then I can start pulling my own weight around here.

MEANWHILE…

“Heya Scootaloo!” a small yellow filly with a large red bow in her mane called out to her friend before she could gallop out the door not ten seconds after the bell rang. The purple-maned school-foal skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder.

“What’s up, Applebloom?” she asked as Applejack’s little sister approached, followed close behind by the small, grayish-white sister of Rarity’s named Sweetie Belle. Together, the trio formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders, though lately there hadn’t been much crusading due to Scootaloo constantly running off with Pinkie Pie right after class.

“Oh, we were just wondering,” the Unicorn began. “It’s kinda been forever since we went on a crusade, and…well…”

“Just where tha hay have ya been runnin’ off to after school, huh?” Applebloom blurted out, momentarily distracting the various other fillies and colts streaming out of the schoolhouse past them. The trio wisely moved out of the doorway to avoid being bumped into as well as unwanted attention. “We know ya’ll ain’t goin’ ta Pinkie’s cuz we went by an’ checked a couple of times. So just where ya been? And why? We miss ya, Scoots!”

“Applebloom,” Sweetie Belle let out a small squeak. “You don’t think Scootaloo’s avoiding us on purpose, do you?”

“Um, I’m right here,” the Pegasus rolled her eyes before putting on an excited grin. “It’s nothing like that at all you guys. You see”-

“Aww, horseapples, here comes trouble,” Sweetie Belle whispered. Sure enough, trotting down the hall and heading straight for them was Pinion and his little gang of goons. “Whaddawedo?!”

“Act natural,” Applebloom suggested.

“Way ahead of ya,” Scootaloo grinned and held her ground as Pinion approached. “What’s up, Pinion?”

“Uh, nothin’ much…you doing ok?”

“Yep, you?”

“Yep, just fine,” Pinion looked from his friends to CMC before speaking again. “Well, um, I’d better get going. Got more important stuff to do than talk with you.”

“Same here.” And with that, Pinion’s group headed out the door without another word. Scootaloo turned to her shocked friends. “What?”

“Um…why didn’t he mess with you?” Sweetie Belle inquired. “Not that I wanted him to or anything.”

“Yeah, Pinion’s always had somethin’ ornery ta say to ya. What gives?” Applebloom asked.

“Well, it all has to do with a new Pegasus in town that I met a few days ago,” the Pegasus filly replied.

“Oooh, is he your age, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle cooed.

“What, no! He’s way too old for me, Sweetie! He’s almost more like a…well, it’s hard to explain.”

“Well, ya’ll had best get ta explainin’ what this new feller has ta do with you an’ Pinion…well, respectin’ ya all of a sudden,” the farm filly demanded. “And why ya’ll have suddenly fallen offa tha edge of Equestria!”

“Applebloom, that’s impossible,” Sweetie chided her friend.

“How do ya’ll know that? Ya suddenly a dictionary and an encyclo…uh, encycla”-

“Encyclopdia,” the Unicorn dead-panned.

“Right, that! Hey, wait a sec!-”

“Guys, I thought we were talking about where I’d been lately,” Scootaloo interrupted with a buzz of her wings.

“Oh, right. Sorry Scoots.”

“Yeah, sorry. Go on an’ tell us whatcha been up to.”

“Heh, sure thing. Remember that day that I went out to help Rainbow Dash with her newest trick…?”

“Hey Volare?” Pinkie asked as she, him, and Applejack trotted along the road to Ponyville, leaving Fluttershy to get her house ready for Scootaloo. Volare was a little surprised at Pinkie’s lack of using his nickname, and when he turned his attention to her, he was met not with her usual grin, but with an almost hesitant look.

“Yeah, what’s up, Pinkie?”

“Well, I’ve got a question.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“Ok,” she heaved the smallest of sighs, but that action alone combined with her suddenly out of character behavior made Volare’s stomach tighten. What in Equestria could possibly make Pinkie Pie act like this? Even Applejack looked concerned, but not to the degree that her pink friend was as she started to speak.
“Fluttershy and I have been talking over the past few days, which is something we’d normally do, but it’s what we were talking about that’s kinda got me worried.”

“What’s the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, slowing her stride slightly.

“We’ve been wondering what Volare’s gonna do once he can fly again,” she looked to the Pegasus. “What’re you planning on doing? You’re not gonna leave, are you?”

“What, no, of course not,” Volare replied, a bit shocked at Pinkie’s question, but more in the fact that it made him realize that he really had no plan after that. “I mean, I haven’t really thought much on it, but I’m pretty sure I’ll stick around Ponyville; it’s kinda the only place I know, plus you guys all live in or around it.”

“Ah, ok, that’s good,” Pinkie nodded, her face brightening considerably. “Cuz we were just a little worried that once you could fly, you’d have no reason to stay cuz you wouldn’t need our help anymore-”

“Pinkie,” Volare halted in his tracks and placed a hoof on her neck, causing her to stop as well. He gave her the most sincere expression he could possibly muster as he spoke. “I’d never do something like that with those intentions. That’s neither something I have the right to do, nor do any of you deserve. I promise you, as long as I'm wanted around, I’ll stay.”

“You didn’t have to stop to tell me that, silly,” Pinkie chuckled before giving him a quick hug. “But it’s easier to hug you this way, so it’s all good.”

“Ya’ll ‘bout ready ta keep movin?” Applejack called from up ahead, having continued on once she’d seen Pinkie cheer up. The straggling duo quickly caught up and resumed their trotting in silence for a minute or two before Applejack spoke up again. “Why’d it seem ta worry ya and Fluttershy about what Volare did once he’s better, Pinkie?”

“Oh, just, ya know,” she waved her hoof in a nondescript fashion, which Applejack wasn’t about to buy.

“Out with it, sugarcube.”

“Ok, ok,” Pinkie chuckled nervously. “Volare, the other reason we were wondering about whether you’d leave or not was…well, do you have any family you’d try to go back to?”

If Volare was shocked by her previous questions, he was practically floored by this one. He thought about lying for a moment, but decided against it. Besides, Applejack would know if he was lying or not and then things would only go downhill from there. He spoke after a moment’s contemplation. “You know I can’t go back,” he attempted to dodge her question.

“I know, but if you could”-

“Pinkie,” Applejack hissed. “Lettem be on it. He’ll tell ya when he wants ta, ok?”

“Aww, ok…”

“To answer part of your question, Pinkie,” Volare said after a moment of silent trotting. “I had family back on Earth, yes.”

“Any brothers or sisters?” the pink pony asked innocently.

Suppose it couldn’t hurt worse than kicking a damn tree for half an hour…
“Mhm, a younger sister named Agatha.”

“Oooh, what’s she like?”

“Well, in all honesty, a lot like Scootaloo,” he smiled at the memory of his conversation with the brave filly on the same subject a few nights previous. “She was brave for her age, had a bit of an attitude, and was a real handful at times. But we got along for the most part, and she just about always meant well. And just like Scootaloo’s doing now, she’s pushing me to get better and better as the days go on; partly due to the potential embarrassment of a kid passing me up, and partly due to me just wanting to…well, set a good example, I guess.”

Volare missed the quick glance that passed between the two Earth Ponies before Applejack spoke up. “Um, sugarcube…do ya’ll mean ta say that ya haven’t talked to Scootaloo about family?”

“Nothing more than what I just said; why?”

“Good; just don’t say anymore ta her about it if ya don’t have ta, ok?” Applejack’s sudden plea and change of tone grabbed Volare’s complete attention, and he slowed his trotting pace even further as he looked at her questioningly. “Look, Volare, since we’re friends here…there’s somethin’ about Scootaloo that Ah think ya’ll should know.”

“What is it?” Volare’s face began to reflect the fearful knot growing in his gut.

“Ya say ya’ll talked with her about your own family, right?”

“About Agatha, yeah.”

“…ya ever wonder about her family?”

“Come to think of it, I guess I have a few times. Do they live in town because I haven’t seen or heard about them at all.” Nor in the show…

“Volare…there’s a reason why Scootaloo lives with Pinkie Pie for now…and it’s that same reason why she’s also lived with me…and Rarity…and Fluttershy…and Twilight…and would’ve probably lived with Rainbow Dash at some point if’n she could fly. Celestia knows that’d just send her little heart soarin,” the farm pony said with a hint of sorrow hidden behind her smile. With every name she added to that list, that horrible feeling gripping Volare’s chest squeezed just a little tighter. After a moment’s reflection, Applejack looked back to him. “Ya get it now, sugarcube?”

“Scoots is an…orphan…” he finally said it. Before he could think to stop the next question from escaping his mouth, it was too late. “How?”
Shit.

“Well, some of it happened about 9 years ago, before she came to Ponyville,” Applejack began. “But from what we can gather, her pa lost his life in a tryout for the Wonderbolts when Scootaloo was just over a year old. He was in tha middle of pullin' some sorta stunt an’…well, he crashed and didn’t make it.” Applejack hung her head and allowed Pinkie to speak for a while, not noticing the expression of recollection that flashed across Volare’s face for the slightest moment at the explanation of how Scootaloo lost her dad.

“Yeah, and when she was 4, her mom brought her here to live. Things were pretty good for a while, she’d joined the Weather Patrol and flew with Rainbow Dash when she was just starting out, and she was pretty good at it too; I know she taught Dash a thing or two. I even met them a few times when they came into Sugarcube Corner for cakes and pies. Heh, she used to spoil Scoots as often as she could…” Pinkie wiped her eye for a moment before continuing. “Well, one day, her mom left Scootaloo with me and the Cakes as she went off on a weather trip to the Gryphon Kingdom…what other ponies say is kinda sketchy, but the Gryphons said she flew into a storm…and never came back out.”

“They never found her body,” Applejack took the reigns again. “An’, well…guess ever since then, me an’ Pinkie an’ tha rest o’ tha Element Holders have been takin’ care of her. Twilight’s even let her stay with her once or twice after she moved to Ponyville herself. Scoots doesn’t know the details about exactly what all happened…we figure it’s better if she knows when she’s older; that’s why Ah asked if’n ya’ll talked with her about it. That little filly’s been through so much already so soon we just don’t think she deserves to have more heaped on her than she needs to.” At this point, Volare was having to wipe at his own eyes every few seconds, unable to listen to this much more and having to stop trotting as he couldn’t see through the sheen of moisture in his eyes. They waited patiently in silence for a while to let him regain his composure.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” he finally spoke. “I’m just thinking, ya know: What if I’d failed her when she was being harassed? What if I hadn’t been there at all? There’s no telling what might have happened…and what those bullies had already done to her…god…AJ, Pinkie…you should have been there,” Volare wiped his eyes again, only wanting to hug Scootaloo and tell her it was going to be alright. As he spoke, he felt his voice begin to crack with tears.
“I saw her from down the street…and I saw the brave little face she was trying to put on. But I also saw the tears running down her cheeks she was trying to hide…I’d seen that before on Aggie’s face and I just…I couldn’t take it anymore-I had to do something! And now I hear this about Scoots and I just…I just wanna tell her it’s gonna be alright, ya know? That I’m not gonna let her get hurt anymore…she’s too young for that…makes me wanna fly more than ever; not to leave, but to just…to keep her safe.”

Pinkie Pie patted the sniffling pilot’s back and looked over at Applejack, smiling softly to let her know she already had a plan in mind. Scootaloo never had any siblings…but she’d been watching these two, and the wheels in her pink-maned head had been turning for a while now…she just needed to know if Volare was going to stay in order for this to work. And now, despite the sorrow this had caused him…sometimes the best sort of joy is born of sorrow…
“Volare-bear, it’s ok; she’s not alone in this, and it’s because of ponies like you that she won’t be. Heh, you’re kinda like me right now, in fact.”

“Huh, how?” he asked, wiping his muzzle.

“Well, I’m the Element of Laughter, and it’s my personal duty to make other ponies smile, no matter how tough that might be. It’s kinda like what you wanna do for Scootaloo: help make her happy.” She slipped a hoof around Volare’s shoulders in a chummy fashion. “Did you know that ever since I met Scootaloo, I’ve done my best to make her smile, even before I became an Element Holder? But it’s always been kinda tough to cheer up. And then she met Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.”

“And they formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Volare added.

“Right, and that was one of the best things to happen for Scootaloo,” Pinkie nodded. “But for some reason, she’s just never really super happy and excited outside of that little group, and it’s been kinda frustrating for a pony like me, ya know?”

“Can’t imagine you not being able to cheer anypony up, Pinkie.”

“I know, right? But then guess what happened recently?” she asked with a grin.

“What?” Already smiling at Pinkie’s infectious energy.

“You happened.”

“Me? But I didn’t”-

“Wrong; you have, Volare-bear,” she booped his nose. “Ever since you came into the picture and met her, I’ve never seen Scootaloo so happy outside of her two friends. It’s like something just clicked between you two. Whether you noticed it or not, I sure did!”

“Maybe it’s cuz of what he told her about his sis, Pinkie?” Applejack chimed in.

“Whatcha mean, AJ?” Pinkie asked before catching the wink she shot her over Volare’s back. “Oooh, I see…maybe she does too.”

“Ok, just what’re you two scheming over?” Volare’s head scanned left and right between the mares, always a step behind in their nonverbal communication. Mares here are about the same as women on Earth in that regard…gimme a break!

“Oh, nuffin, muffin,” Pinkie giggled.

“Fine, keep your secrets,” he gave the pink pony a playful shove before trotting in the direction of Ponyville again.

“Hey wait up Volare!” the party pony called, grabbing his short tail in her mouth to slow him up.

“Whoa, what now, Pinkie?” He then noticed the serious look on her face. “Uh-oh, what’s up?”

“You really wanna help take care of Scootaloo and keep her safe?”

“Yes, of course,” he nodded insistently. “What can I do?”

“Just…for now, if you promise to take care of her, don’t let her down if you can help it, ok?”

“I promise,” Volare smiled. “In fact, I’ll Pinkie Promise if that’ll make ya feel any better.”

“Nah, no need; I believe ya! Besides, AJ here’d tell me if you’re not telling the truth anyway, right AJ?”

“Eeyup!”

“Well, that’s…comforting,” Volare chuckled. “I do have a request of you two, though: could you please not tell Scootaloo I was a human just yet? I’d like to tell her myself when the time is right, and I’m afraid if I don’t do it right, she might freak out.”

“Totally understandable,” Applejack nodded. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“And me,” Pinkie assured him, though she’d noticed that since he’d shown up, she was having to carry an awful lot of secrets in her noodle. C'est la vie…

“Thanks, guys,” Volare chuckled as the two mares bumped him with their hips and they set back off at a brisk trot, headed for the schoolhouse on the west side of the town.

“Whoa, he seriously did that?” Sweetie Belle squeaked at the conclusion of the story of how Scootaloo had first met Volare. The CMC had made their way outside and were sitting in the shade of a tree on a low hill, hooting and hollering at Scootaloo’s retelling.

“Yep, he sent Pinion and his buddies packing!” the Pegasus filly grinned.

“Yeehaw! Sounds like they were runnin’ down that street like a buncha scalded cats,” Applebloom chortled.

“And tripping all over themselves too,” Sweetie laughed.

“So that explains why he didn’t so much as say howdy and see ya earlier, huh?”

“Yep, guess he’s got a better memory than I thought!”

“Volare sounds like a pretty nice feller,” Applebloom concluded, to which Sweetie Belle nodded. “Kinda strange that he ain’t got a cutie mark yet, as old as he says he is.”

“Yeah, that is kinda weird,” Sweetie said. “Has he ever explained why?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Scootaloo admitted. “We’ve kinda been too busy training for the Running of the Leaves to talk about that stuff.”

“Whoa, you’re gonna be in the race, Scoots?” Sweetie exclaimed.

“Me? Nah, that’s Volare. I’m just helping him train for it. He doesn’t think he can win cuz he’s still recovering from an injury to his wing, but if he does win it, guess who gets the credit?” She struck a pose and grinned proudly.

“Ooh, maybe that’ll be your Cutie Mark!” Applebloom suggested.

“A personal trainer, eh? Heh, sounds fun enough, and it’s certainly been fun enough!” She grinned, thinking of the possibilities. Maybe, when she got up into the air, she could even help Dash as her personal trainer! Yeah!

“Scoots, there’s something else Ah can’t figure out, though,” the farm filly cut in. “Ya’ll said he has like, dark spots on his coat?”

“Yeah, they’re kinda fuzzy and faded, but they’re there. Why?”

“Cuz from what ya said, that sounds an awful lot like tha burn marks mah brother Big Mac got a while back helpin’ out tha old blacksmith in town…what’s his name again?”

“Ferrum, I think,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Rarity goes to him from time to time to help her make jewelry out of gold and silver and stuff. He’s pretty good at it.”

“Anyway, that’s what those marks sound like,” Applebloom concluded. “He ever say anything about them?”

“No, I just figured he just had a weird-colored coat. I mean, when ya see the rest of him, you’ll see why those were the last thing on my mind,” Scootaloo chuckled. “He’s kinda weird-looking, but he’s a great guy, trust me.”

“Um, did you say he’s blue with a crazy, spiky yellow and black mane?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking towards the road that led up to the school.

“Yeah, why?”

“Cuz I think that’s him,” she pointed a hoof. “And he’s with Pinkie Pie and Applejack!” Sure enough, trotting up the path was a blue Pegasus stallion with a spiky mane, skinny legs, and a trussed up right wing, accompanied on either side by the Earth Ponies. His presence was already getting strange looks from the school-colts and fillies, as well as from their teacher Ms. Cheerilee.

“Yep, that’s Volare alright,” Scootaloo chuckled as she hopped to her hooves. “C’mon, let’s go meet him!” The CMC bounded down the hillock towards the older trio, and within seconds, Scootaloo had launched herself into a flying tackle, using her wings for extra oomph as she leaped onto Volare’s back and hugged his neck, much to Pinkie and Applejack’s amusement. “Heya Volare!”

“Heh, nice to see you too, Scoots,” he chuckled. So much for me hugging her! “Hey Scoots?”

“Yep?”

“Can’t breathe, squirt,” he gasped.

“Ah, heh-heh, sorry!” she released her grip but remained standing on his back and smiled down to her friends. “Well, don’t just stand there you guys; say hi!”

“H-hi,” Sweetie Belle squeaked, nearly melting Volare’s heart. “You’re a lot taller than I thought…”

“Howdy, Ah’m Applebloom,” the farm filly cut in and shook his hoof, much like her older sister would. That Apple family friendliness sure did run in the family! “An’ this here’s mah pal, Sweetie Belle!”

“I can tell him my name, gosh!” Sweetie squeaked again before looking back up to him. “I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister. I heard you met her?”

“Yep, I have,” he recalled the first time he met her in Twilight’s bedroom…that had been interesting… “For a fashion pony, she’s pretty cool.”

“So what’re you guys all doing here?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, AJ is here to take Applebloom home, and I’m here to drop off Sweetie Belle at Rarity’s before we head back to Fluttershy’s and get back to flight lessons and fun stuff like that!”

“Wait, before ya’ll go, we have some questions for Volare!” Applebloom cried, making Applejack very nervous as to what exactly her little sister might say. “Scoots said ya’ll are 23 years old, right?”

“That’s right.”
I think I know where this is going…

“So how come ya’ll ain’t got your cutie mark yet?”

Shit!
“Um, about that…”

“Yeah, and Applebloom said those marks on your body are burns,” Sweetie Belle pointed. “Why’re you covered in burn marks, huh? Did you fall in a fire?”

Double shit!
“Well, you see…” he shot Pinkie a Applejack a helpless look, and they quickly got the message.

“Hey Applebloom, would ya look at tha time; we’re late!” Applejack announced all of a sudden.

“Huh, late fer what?”

“For um…” she looked to Pinkie, unwilling to lie to her little sister, even for Volare’s sake.

“For pig-tipping!” Pinkie grinned. Applejack shot her a look of seriously?!

“Huh, pig-tippin’? What’s that?” Applebloom cocked her head curiously.

“It’s like cow-tipping, but with pigs! You gotta tip’em over otherwise their bellies won’t get any sun and then…well, you know what’ll happen to pigs who’s bellies don’t get tanned?”

“What? What’ll happen?” Applebloom asked, eyes wide.

“They’ll start flying! And believe me, pigs flying is no laughing matter!” Pinkie winked at Applejack who could only facehoof in disbelief. “So, go help your sister pig-tip while I take Sweetie Belle home!”

“Why’ve I gotta get home so early?”

“Because your sister needs help on the gift she’s making for Volare, that’s why,” the party pony hustled her onto the road. “Volare, you take Scootaloo to Fluttershy’s and I’ll meet ya there later, ok?”

“Affirmative,” he gave her a quick salute and trotted off, cutting through Ponyville to avoid Pinkie and Sweetie Belle. They made quite the strange sight, Scootaloo and Volare: two flightless pegasi, one riding on top of the other and trotting at top speed towards the southern edge of the town. After a few minutes of this, they cleared the buildings and headed over the bridge that spanned the Ponyville Stream and headed south along the main road.

“Heh, you sure have gotten better, Volare,” Scootaloo giggled as they jogged along.

“Oh, how so, Scoots?”

“Well, you practically ran through town without breaking a sweat and keeping me balanced up here. So I think you’ve gotten a lot better.”

“Thanks,” he gave her a quick grin over his shoulder, happy just to see her smiling into the wind that blew her purple mane back. She spread her little wings and gave a whoop.

“Faster Volare! It’s like I’m flying!”

“You got it, Scoots!” And with that, he broke into a full-on gallop, pounding down the dirt road at top speed and just enjoying the thrill of it all: the thundering of his heart, the burn of his leg muscles, and the joyful laughter of the little Pegasus filly riding on his back. He looked to his right to see the trees of Sweet Apple Acres flying by, though he could distinctly remember it taking much longer than this to pass them the last time he was out this way with Shae. Maybe he really was getting better at this. He only cut it back once he felt her begin to lift off his back as she beat her wings against the breeze. “Oh no, not yet, pal,” he chided her softly as he slowed to a trot.

“Awww, but I was so close,” she pouted slightly before Volare gave her a nudge with his good wing.

“You will one of these days, Scootaloo. And I hope I’m there to see it.”

“Heh, me too,” Scootaloo hugged his neck. “Oh, that reminds me!”

“Hrm?”

“Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said that if I train you well enough, and you win the race, maybe I’ll get a personal trainer cutie mark,” she giggled. “Whatcha think about that?”

“That’s pretty wild, Scoots,” Volare chuckled. “But don’t get your hopes up on me winning anything. I only just ran down the road and I’m about beat, heh-heh.”

“Aww, that’s not so bad. We still got four more days to get ya in shape,” she patted his mane before looking up at a loud, rolling noise coming from further down the road to the south.
Booooommmmm…
“Whoa, what was that?”

“Sounds like thunder,” Volare cast an eye skyward, but there was nothing but blue sky and…a strange lack of the usual white puffy clouds that filled the azure space overhead. “Hrm, all the clouds are gone…”

“Think somepony took them?” Scootaloo offered as another boom rolled over them.

“What kinda pony would take all the clouds? Who would”- Wait…he bet he knew who would… As another thunder clap sounded, he turned his eyes southwards and searched the horizon for any thunderclouds, but all that met his eyes was a tall, thin cloud with a flicker of color poking from the side of it. “Hey Scoots, what’s that waaaaay over there?”

“Huh, what-that?” She peered southwards and chuckled. “That’s Rainbow Dash’s house up there. Think it’s her making all that thunder?”

Ba-booom!
“For some reason, I wouldn’t put it past her. Wonder how she’s doing and how that’s gonna help her in the race later, though.” But as much as he’d like to go see what she was up to, he’d made a promise to Twilight before she left, and he intended to keep it as well as he could.
“Oh well, let’s leave her be, Scoots…Scoots?” He suddenly realized the lack of her albeit slight weight on his back. He turned to see her galloping down the road. “Whoa, Scoots, where ya going?”

“I’m gonna see what Rainbow Dash is up to! You coming or what?”

“Dammit, you gotta be kidding me,” he breathed as he took off after her. But due to the already strenuous run down there he’d made, he was quickly flagging behind the orange filly. It was all he could do to keep her within sight as he pushed his body to keep up. “Well, Dashie-*gasp*-here I come-huff*-ready or not!”

Within minutes, he’d caught up to Scootaloo, who was already calling up to Rainbow Dash. By the time he reached the filly’s side, he could hear the rainbow Pegasus’ voice calling from the house suspended high up in the air.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say hi and see what you were up to,” Scootaloo called back. “Oh, and I brought a friend who was wondering how you were doing too!”

Oh boy…
Volare looked up as a rather frizz-maned Rainbow Dash poked her head out of an upper window in the house, only to jerk it right back in faster than thought.
Whew, maybe she didn’t see me…

“Hey Dash, what’s wrong? Come on down and say hi! I thought I was your number one fan!”

Ouch, Volare thought and cringed. Talking about innocently twisting one’s arm…er, hoof!

“Crap, just a minute!” the Element of Loyalty’s reply carried a distinct groan on the tail end of it, and after another moment in which Scootaloo prepared to call up again, Dash flew out of the window and glided down towards the two flightless pegasi. As she looked ground-ward, she observed Volare giving her the most helpless grin she’d ever seen.

“You and me both, flyboy,” she muttered as she landed. “You and me both…”

“Heya Dashie,” he managed to croak after a moment.

“Heya Volare,” she echoed just as reluctantly.

“Why’re you two looking at the ground?” Scootaloo asked. “Isn’t that kinda rude?”

Damn you Scoots…you’re gonna be the death of me…death via angry purple Unicorn. Unbeknownst to him, very nearly the same thought was rushing through Dash’s mind, though with the addition of pummel Volare’s spiky head in inserted somewhere before the death via angry purple Unicorn bit. Oh yes, absolutely…

Notes: Damn you Scootaloo and your undefeatable adorableness!!!!
Heh, wonder how things'll go once Twilight finds out they were kinda forced into breaking their promise...
And I wonder what Applejack and Pinkie Pie are schemin' up too.
Also, I believe I found evidence supporting Volare's statement of where Angel Bunny is from:

The Running-Pt 7: There's a Storm Coming...

September 7th

“Sooo, what gives? Why’re you two acting so weird and looking at the ground instead of each other?” Scootaloo frowned, looking from Rainbow Dash to Volare with a bit of disappointment. Here were two of the coolest Pegasi she knew, and she figured if they were awesome apart they’d be even more awesome together! But instead, they were practically ignoring each other!

“Oh, um, she’s just way too awesome to look at directly, that’s all,” Volare chuckled, Dash smirking at his overly-emphatic compliment.

“Yeah, well, I was just…checking out this sweet pebble,” she suddenly grabbed a non-descript grey rock from the ground and held it up with a grin, causing Scootaloo to scratch her mane in confusion; those definitely weren’t the answers she was expecting.

“If you say so….but what’s so great about that rock, anyway? And what was all that thunder doing coming from your house,” the small Pegasus peered up at the cloud spire floating high above them.

“Excellent questions, squirt. This particular rock has the power to make any stallion do anything you want,” she held the rock up proudly, though Volare snorted in disbelief.

“How the hay could a rock make a stallion do anything?” the orange filly eyed the rock skeptically.

“Observe: it can…make him flinch!” she pretended to hurl the rock at Volare’s head, hanging onto it at the last moment as he predictably jumped. “Heh-heh, and…it can make him do other stuff too!”

“Ooh, like what?” Scootaloo asked, completely engrossed with this suddenly not-so-ordinary stone.

“It can do this. Hey Volare,” she called out to him.

“Huh?”

“Go get it!” She hurled the rock as hard as she could, sending it flying a good distance up the road before it bounced to a stop in the dirt, puffing up a cloud of dust in its wake.

“…you’re not serious, are you, Dash?”

“Yep, totally serious,” she gave him a grin.

“Not gonna work, I’m afraid,” he stood his ground and returned the grin with a fierce one of his own. “Not even for you, Dashie.”

“Oh, yeah it will,” she sauntered closer to him, a strange look on her face. “Cuz if you don’t go get it…I may have to embarrass you in front of Scoots,” she whispered the last bit as teasingly as possible. That got Volare’s attention, and he stumbled back a step, suddenly reminded of the other reason why he was avoiding the rainbow Pegasus.

“Alright, alright, no need to play hardball,” he shook his head and turned back up the road, guesstimating where the rock had landed before trotting that way, leaving Dash and Scootaloo behind for the moment.

“And that is how the rock works,” Rainbow Dash smirked and ruffled the smaller Pegasus’ mane who giggled at her personal idol’s antics. Maybe she wouldn’t have to pummel Volare’s head in after all, cuz that look on his face was priceless. “So, what brings you two down this way, eh?”

“Well, Volare and I heard thunder, but there’s totally no clouds in the sky,” Scootaloo glanced up. “So we were like: huh, where’s the thunder coming from? Then we heard it coming from here, so we just ran down here to check it out. What’s going on up there anyway?”

“Heh-heh, how’s about instead of me telling ya,” she knelt down slightly. “I show ya instead. Hop on, squirt.” Scootaloo’s eyes suddenly got very large, and her ears laid back on her head in worry.

“Uhh, I dunno Dash. It’s pretty high up there and I can’t fly yet,” she gulped.

“Don’t worry kiddo; I won’t letcha fall,” she beckoned her. “Come on.”

“Erm…you sure Volare wouldn’t get mad?”

“Mad?” Dash cocked her head. “Why would he get mad?”

“Well, he’s kinda…sorta,” she hesitated, trying to find the right words. “He’s been looking out for me and…I dunno how bad he’d freak out if I went that high in the air.” Well, that didn’t do much to answer Dash’s question. In fact, it raised multiple other questions, including the one she’d had for a while of what Volare had done for Scootaloo back in town last week. But she quickly replaced her frown with a confident grin.

“Trust me, he won’t get mad; I’ll make sure of that,” she assured her. “Besides, didn’t I hear ya say once that it’d be sweet to check out my cloud house one of these days?” That brightened up the filly’s features substantially, much to Dash’s relief. She wasn’t just trying to show Scootaloo her home; in truth, she wanted to speak to Volare alone, and this was the perfect way to do so without seeming suspicious.

“Yeah, I remember,” she gulped again and clamored up on Dash’s back. “Just don’t let me fall, ok?”

“Never, squirt,” she gave her a quick nuzzle. “Now hang on tight cuz here we go!” And with that, she took off from the ground, albeit much more gently than she usually did in order to accommodate her smaller charge on her back. As she circled to gain altitude, she felt Scootaloo lift her face out of her mane and begin to look around.

“Whoa, everything’s so…different up here,” she grinned in spite of the whirling feeling in her stomach. She felt the cool wind whipping through her mane in a way her scooter-riding never could duplicate as they climbed higher and higher, eventually reaching the base of Rainbow Dash’s house over a quarter-mile up in the sky. As the pair glided down towards the path that led up to the house itself, Scootaloo gazed in awe at the customization that the clouds were capable of.

Falling off of the edge of the house were little trickles of what looked like rainbow essence, though she couldn’t exactly remember if that was the right term from Ms. Cheerilee’s lessons. The trickles spilled out of the clouds themselves and fell over 100 feet before dissipating into the mist which explained the flashes of color that surrounded the house. The house itself towered up over them, a full 4 stories of dark blue and white clouds interlaced with columns of ice carved in an ancient-looking style that Scootaloo couldn’t place. The crowning glory of the home was the massive rainbow sprouting from the roof of the dome that topped the tower, spilling back down and disappearing into the cloud base again.

“Whoa, your house is awesome, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo gasped as they landed on the short path that led up to the front door of the home, above the lintel of which was a large, stylized version of the rainbow Pegasus’ cutie mark that curled its way along the edge of the door frame before terminating in a swirl of prismatic clouds that wafted in the high-altitude breeze. “Brrr, it’s cold up here,” the smaller Pegasus shivered and tried in vain to wrap her small wings around herself.

“Ah, yeah, I forgot about that,” Dash smiled sheepishly as she trotted up to the door. “It’s something ya gotta get used to if you’re gonna be high in the air. Fortunately, there’s no breeze inside, so let’s head on in and check the place out, ok? Wait, you know how to cloud-walk, right?”

“Y-yeah, I think so,” she replied uncertainly. “Ms. Cheerilee says it’s all in a Pegasus’ instincts, right?”

“Yep, that’s right. Just be confident in yourself and think of the cloud as the ground, and…” It wasn’t quite that simple, but for now, it’d suffice as she watched Scootaloo gingerly step out onto the path, a thrilled grin breaking out on her young face as she realized she wasn’t tumbling through the clouds but standing on “solid” gound. “That’s it squirt! You’re a natural!”

“Hey, this isn’t so hard,” she pranced and kicked at the puffs of white for a moment before another cold breeze cut through her excitement and she quickly huddled back up against Rainbow Dash, struck with a fresh bout of the shivers.

“Maaaybe we outta getcha inside where it’s not so chilly, eh?”

“S-sounds g-g-good,” the orange filly chattered as Dash opened the door and trotted inside out of the wind. The first thing she saw once her eyes adjusted to the dimmer interior was the massive, shimmering red lightning bolt banner hanging from the vaulted ceiling. “Whoa, what’s that?”

“That, Scoots, is a little something Rarity made for me that represents my Element of Harmony: Loyalty,” she grinned as she looked up at the ruby-encrusted cloth that billowed softly above them, the only real sound in the house besides the wind outside.

“It’s kinda quiet in here,” the filly observed, giggling at the echo that bounced back at them.

“Heh, well, when ya live alone, that kinda tends to be the norm,” Dash chuckled despite the slightest of twinges in her chest. Scootaloo, as young as she was, caught the tinge of sadness in her idol’s response, and she looked back up at her. She’d never thought much on Dash living alone; she’d always thought she liked it that way…

“Dash, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing Scoots, nothing,” Dash waved a hoof dismissively and shook her head. “Now then, ya wanna see what all that thunder was all about?”

“Hay yeah!” the filly quickly forgot her worry and hurried after the rainbow Pegasus who led the way up the spiraling staircase of the house towards the top floor. “Hey, I got a question!”

“What’s up?” the older Pegasus looked back as they neared her training room.

“Why’ve ya got stairs in here?” The question struck Dash as odd until Scootaloo explained herself. “I mean, if you’re the greatest flier in Equestria, what would you need stairs for?”

“Hahaha, that’s a good question, squirt,” she chuckled and tapped her chin. “I dunno; guess it’s just the style up in Cloudsdale I tried to recreate here. Plus, I guess it’s pretty helpful if somepony that can’t fly like Twilight or you dropped by.”

“Or Volare?” Scootaloo said with a grin, nearly stopping Dash in her tracks. But the mare quickly regained her composure and laughed it off.

“Ha, never considered bringing that whacko up here, though I guess if he ever wanted to, I’d”- But she stopped short as Scootaloo hoofed her in the leg, and not in a friendly fashion. She looked down in surprise to see the smaller filly practically glaring up at her. “Whoa, what’s up, Scoots?”

“Don’t call Volare a whacko,” she said in a stern tone so unfitting for such a young filly that Dash nearly laughed out loud again. But she soon realized that she must have struck a nerve somehow. “He’s not…”

“I-I’m sorry Scoots,” Dash relented and frowned, completely at a loss of what to say.

“You just…you don’t know how much he’s helped me, that’s all,” Scootaloo finally said, her eyes riveted on the cloud puffs between herself and Dash. “He wouldn’t let me get called a chicken cuz he believed I’m better than that…and I don’t want him being called a whacko…cuz I think he’s better than that…so, yeah, just don’t, ok?”

The rainbow Pegasus was torn emotionally between being proud of Scootaloo for standing up for herself and her friends like this…but she never expected to be the one she’d stand up to. “Scoots, I”- It then dawned on her that this might have something to do with she’d overheard the little filly saying a few days ago; about what Volare had done for her. The things that Dash had wanted so badly to ask Scootaloo once she was out of earshot of Volare…she suddenly felt like this was the wrong way to go about things; to manipulate Scootaloo, however minor, in order to get information.

…Just buck up and ask him yourself, Dashie!
I know, I know! And dammit, you show up at the worst possible times, you know that?
…Only when I’m needed the most, Dashie.
Grrr…I dunno if I can.
…What have you got to lose? What’re you afraid of-finding out that Volare is a bigger influence on Scoots in the short time that he’s known her than you’ve ever been?!
I…
…Coward.
I’m not a coward!
…Then go ask him what happened!
Alright, I will!

“Hey Dashie? Scoots? Where’d you guys go, huh?” a voice rang out from down below them.

Well, speak of the devil, Dash thought as she turned to Scootaloo and gave her a smile. “Hey, I’m sorry I called Volare that…I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok Dash,” she looked up at her. “Maybe if you knew, you wouldn’t have.”

Oh gimme a bucking break, Scoots too?!
…Looks like I’m gonna have competition.
Like hay you will!
“Maybe…hey, tell ya what. Come check this out and I’ll be right back, ok?”

“Ok, what is it?” The orange filly followed Dash as she trotted through a door and revealed her training room. Various implements involved with building strength and endurance lined the room, from ice-weights to drag-chutes made to increase wing strength, to weight belts and medicine balls for increasing hoof strength. “Whoa, is all of this stuff yours?”

“Every bit of it. Ya think I keep in this great a shape by lazing about?” she flexed a toned foreleg with a grin.

“Actually, I kinda did.”

“Oh,” Dash’s grin disappeared as rapidly as it appeared. She quickly trotted over to a cloud floating off to the side of the medicine balls and gave it a swift kick, creating a short crack of thunder. “That’s what that thunder was all about; I was using these to build my hoof speed up for the race.” But Scootaloo was barely listening, instead making a beeline straight for a bright red and white medicine ball that had caught her eye, causing Dash to deflate slightly at the fact that she was unable to impress her fan further.
“Well, um, if ya want to, check out the equipment and the rest of the place. I’m gonna go have a word or two with Volare. Just don’t try to fly off the edge of the house, ok?”

“Ok, ok, I got this,” Scootaloo waved a hoof and hopped over and tried to pick up the weighted ball. “Urgh, what the hay kinda beach ball is this?!”

“Heh-heh, keep tryin’, squirt,” Dash chuckled.

“Helloooooo? I swear Dash, if you ran off with Scoots, I’ll…I’ll…I’ll sic Fluttershy on you!” Volare called out from down below.

“Holy horsefeathers,” she grimaced at the thought of having to deal with The Stare. “That won’t end well…coming, dude!” With that, she left Scootaloo to her own devices and zipped out the window, spiraling down quickly and landing with a dramatic thump in front of the blue stallion, her impact sending road dust flying in all directions. As she shook herself and turned to face Volare, she had to suppress laughing at the sight of him attempting to grin around the rock he was holding in his mouth. “What the hay are you doing?”

He spat the rock out before speaking again. “Found it, I think. Can’t believe you thought a rock was cooler than me; you wound me yet again, Dashie,” he feigned a Rarity-esque swoon before catching himself and chuckling, not noticing the guilt that flashed across Dash’s face as she took note of the crippled wing still trussed up next to his ribcage. She quickly shook it off and replaced it with a stern look, approaching Volare determinedly. “Dashie?”

“Volare, in all seriousness, you know you’re not supposed to be here,” she growled. “Why?! What if Twilight finds out you broke your promise?! She’d be mad at you and me!”

“Nah, she’d probably be surprised you didn’t break yours first,” Volare chortled again, causing Dash to take pause. Something had changed since she last saw him up close. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it though…he just seemed a little less…well, feeble. A little stronger. She half-wondered what Fluttershy had been feeding him.
“Hello, Volare to Dashie?” he waved a hoof in front of her eyes. “Thought you wanted to know why I’m here.”

“Oh yeah, right,” she shook her head and listened as he recounted the events that had led up to his running down the road with Scootaloo on his back, and that who was he to deny her the joy she so badly deserved?
“So…I guess you know about her then, huh?” Rainbow Dash, ever the pillar of strength and pride in the Ponyville community, actually had to resist the urge to wipe at her own eye for a moment. It wasn’t that she’d never heard Scootaloo’s past before; on the contrary, she was more familiar with her origins than most. It was just…what pony with a heart could hear it and not have it ache for the poor filly? She quickly changed the subject so she wouldn’t have to resist the urge again.

“I take it that Scoots and her friends don’t know about where you’re from then, huh?”

“Nope, I figure there’s no real need for right now. They’re just little kids that don’t really need to worry about that kinda stuff at their age, ya know?”

“Yeah…oh, what about…well, this,” she gestured at his wing.

“Double-nope, Scoots doesn’t know the full truth about that either.” Dash was about to ask why he felt the need to keep that a secret when he preempted her. “Dash, when I was younger, back on Earth…remember how I told you I played sports?”

“Yeah, I think so,” she recalled the day when she, Pinkie, Applejack, Twilight, and Volare had spent lunch at the Gilded Griffon swapping stories and personal history. She suddenly longed for another day like that…

“Well, I played a sport called baseball when I was a little kid, and I grew up wanting to be just like this big-time, major league player that I looked up to and always wanted to be like, ya know? Well, one day, I finally got to meet the guy and…well, he turned out to be the complete opposite of what I expected,” Volare frowned at the memory. “He was constantly on his phone, hardly smiled, was always yelling, and then when he signed a jersey of his that I had, he told me to “give it up kid; you’ll never make it to the bigs anyway.”

“Jeez,” Dash’s gaze drifted around the road, trying her best not to meet Volare’s. He sighed and continued, turning as if to speak to the empty road for a moment.

“I guess that day, I found out the hard way that just because you look up to someone because of what they do, doesn’t mean they’re the best person to look up to. The image of this guy I’d modeled my own playing style on went out the window, and I threw out everything of his I ever had, wanting to distance myself from this jerk. It’s not quite as extreme, but I haven’t told Scootaloo what happened because I know she’s a huge fan of yours and…" he turned to face Dash once again. "I know she holds you in such high regard and if I’m afraid that if I tell her the truth, that flawless image she’s had of you…it’ll be tarnished for good. And I know you’re too good of a pony for me to risk her thinking that way of you and ruining whatever past you guys might have." He looked back down at the ground for a moment before raising his eyes to meet hers. "And that’s why I haven’t told her, because I think she deserves a role model like you, Rainbow Dash.”

For the second or third time that day, Dash was just plain stunned to silence. What Volare had just said…well, it made her feel something she didn’t quite understand…but it made her wanna laugh in joy, cry in guilt, and just plain hug the hay outta him for doing something like to protect her image.
…And to think you called him a whacko.
Shut up, you think I don’t feel worse about that now!? Jeez, it’s bad enough without your “help”.
“Volare…I…”

“Yeah?” he cocked his head curiously, unaware of how much his story had just affected the Element of Loyalty. She very nearly asked him to give her a hug, but she stopped herself yet again.

“Can I ask you another question?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“What happened when you first met Scootaloo?” She had to pick her words carefully because wasn’t sure how he’d react if he found out she’d been spying on him, albeit to protect him from those creepos, but still. But by the time that Volare had finished describing how he’d met Scootaloo and how much she’d reminded him of his little sister, from the brave face she’d worn while being harassed that initially made him jump into the fray and save her; to the way that Pinkie said he’d brightened her day and made her smile like nopony had in years-not since the very mother that Dash had herself flown with; and finally, to the way they’d pushed each other in their training-him to help her to fly, and her to help strengthen his resolve…As tough as Dash considered herself, she just couldn’t stand there and take it anymore! Damning her worries for what Twilight might say, she trotted forward and wrapped Volare in a strong hug that she held him in for several long moments.
I mean, what the hay, it should be HER teaching him how to fly...this poor guy with a crippled wing that SHE caused shouldn’t have to be the one to go out of his way to do that…or be the one to save her…
…maybe a little jealous there, Dashie?
No…I mean, maybe…just more, I guess, disappointed in myself…that I’m not keeping up my end of it…that I’m not the great role model he says I am. The one Scoots deserves.
…feeling a little like that ball player he told you about, huh?
Yeah…
…well, tell him!

“Heh, is this what you meant about embarrassing me in front of”-

“Just shut up and hug me, you big-hearted idiot,” she hoofed him in the shoulder and buried her face in his neck, hugging even tighter as she did so. “Sorry I snapped at you like that.” But those weren’t the true words she’d been wanting to tell him for the past two weeks, though...a confession that overshadowed even the question that had been burning in her mind ever since she’d reached into his burnt flight jacket and found that prismatic little patch… Try as she might, every time she tried to look at him and say it, she just…couldn’t put aside her pride and tell him. She could only hug him.
…meh, I guess that’s good enough for now, Dashie.
S-shut up…just shut up…

“Dash, it’s ok…it’s ok,” he rubbed her back gently, being careful around her wings, but not truly understanding why she was hugging him so darn tightly. “I can get a little snappy too when I get interrupted doing…um, what exactly were you doing to make your mane like that?” he asked, noticing as she brushed against him that her mane had taken on a very frizzy element, almost as if she’d been electrocuted. She jerked back from him, half-wanting to smack him for ruining the moment, but also in realization of what she’d looked like when she ranted at him…no wonder he’s not taking me seriously…

“Aww, horse-apples,” she groaned and tried to at least smooth her forelock down, but to no avail. “I was training with thunderclouds and I got zapped…crap, not cool!”

“Meh, I kinda like it,” Volare smirked. “A little edgy and loads better than this rat’s nest I’ve got growing on me,” he shook his spiky mane and rolled his eyes. “Can’t do a damn thing with it somedays.” Dash chuckled as well, appreciating his unintentional attempt at brightening the mood, and bumped him with her hip.

“I dunno; I’ve seen worse.”

“Like when you and Pinkie dyed Rarity’s tail green?”

“Bwahahaha! Dude, you saw that?”

“Yeah, saw it when I was stuck in Twilight’s guest bed for four days,” Volare guffawed loudly at the image of Rarity rushing into Twilight’s room, an absolutely bedraggled mess, only to scream at the sight of the battered and bloody Volare laying in the middle of Twilight’s bed. “Did she ever get you back for that?”

“No, I’m sure that’s coming sooner or later though,” Dash rolled her eyes before focusing back on Volare as a sudden thought hit her. A mischievous grin played across her lips as she began to circle him in a slow canter, looking him up and down before giving a low whistle.
…Dashie, what’re you doing?
Just havin’ a little fun with the guy, relax.
“Wow, not gonna lie flyboy, but you’re really looking a lot better since the last time we met face to face. What’s Fluttershy got you doing?”

“Heh, that’s for me to know and you to find out at the race,” the stallion winked as he followed her with his eyes, not about to give her the pleasure of having turning his whole body to keep her in view until she disappeared behind him. “See something you like there, Dashie?” His eyes went wide as he suddenly felt a warm breath by his ear as she leaned in from behind until her head was even with his. He turned to find himself staring into her rose-colored eyes.

“I dunno…how bout you?” she waggled her eyebrows and grinned.

“Um…Dashie,” he managed to mumble.

“Yeah?”

“Y-you know I don’t like this teasing crap, right?” he shivered despite himself. He had to fight the urge to back away, but he was absolutely certain that was what she wanted.

“I know,” she leaned in so close that the quickening breaths from their muzzles began to intermingle.

“Then…why?”

“How do you know I am, eh?” she asked as the ends of their muzzles touched ever so slightly. Volare hitched in a breath and swallowed hard, trying to clear his suddenly dry throat. He was very aware that his left wing had begun to flare out completely against his will.

“Because…because you and I both know that it can’t go beyond that.” He really wasn’t sure if he felt stupid or thankful when his words caused her to back off slightly…and hoof him in the chest yet again.

“Ugh, you’re still off on that,” she grumbled.

“Probably for the best right now, Dashie,” he blinked away the drop of sweat that had snuck into his eye and sighed slightly. “And you know why.”

“Yeah but…what if you weren’t, hmm?” she brightened a bit. “What then?”

“Right now?”

“Yep,” she locked eyes with him again and moved up just a bit closer. “What would happen right now if you were a natural-born pega”-

“Rainbow Dash, are you just gonna leave me up here all day?” Scootaloo’s voice broke into their dialogue, causing them to both look up to see the orange filly leaning out of the window and peering down at them. “Hey, what’re you guys doing down there anyway?”

“Oh, um, nothing, Scoots, nothing!” Volare called back and shot Dash a look. “She’s coming up to get ya right now…right Dashie?”

“R-right!” the rainbow Pegasus gave him a squinty glare before shooting up to the house and retrieving Scootaloo. “Well Volare,” she muttered as she returned. “I think Scootaloo officially broke half my house on her own.”

“How’d you break a house made of clouds?” the stallion eyed the small filly, who sat twiddling her hooves guiltily.

“Well, first I tried lifting this big heavy beach ball, but it kinda fell down the stairs and might have possibly knocked over some furniture…which then may or may not have fallen down the second flight of stairs and torn some pictures from the walls.” She looked up at Volare with a misty-eyed expression. “Wanna hear the rest?”

“There’s more?” He gaped.

“Um, yeah, kinda…I sorta knocked a hole in the floor of Dash’s training room too.”

“With what?!”

“Some ice weights.” Volare glanced between the Pegasi mares in disbelief. Maybe there was more than a kernel of truth in how Fluttershy described Scoots and her friends as a twelve-hoofed hurricane…jeez, this was only one-third of that…
“I’m sorry…” Her nearly-tearful apology melted any shred of irritation he might have had against the little filly as she hugged his forehoof.

“Aww, it’s ok, Scoots,” Dash mussed her mane with a soft smile. “The place is made of clouds, and is easy to fix and rebuild. Heh, it kinda needed a revamping anyways.” She grinned sheepishly and looked to Volare. “Well, guess you guys outta get back to Fluttershy’s before she thinks a dragon ate ya or something; Celestia knows what the hay she’d do.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Volare chuckled and prepared to leave, Scootaloo already getting ahead of him before he felt a tug on his tail. He turned in time to have Dash give him a quick nuzzle before whispering into his ear.

“Hey, it was nice catching up with ya; I missed you."

"Same here," he smiled and nodded sincerely, watching Scootaloo out of the corner of his eye.

"I’d like to know more about what happened at Twilight’s when ya get the chance…and just, ya know, the other stuff I’ve been missing the past two weeks. When ya get the chance of course,” she looked him dead in the eye and poked him in the chest with her hoof. “And this never happened.”

“You got it, boss,” he chuckled and took off after Scootaloo, leaving Dash standing alone in the road, a little proud that she had resolved to stop spying on him and just learn what was going on fairly. Part of her hoped that Twilight didn’t find out…but then again, another part of her didn’t care. If this was what it was gonna take to pull her out of this funk and finally learn the truth about him-as well as tell him the truth-then she’d do whatever it took. Her thoughts then roved to what he’d said about how she’d have to wait to find out about what kind of training Fluttershy had been giving him…holy hay, what if he was hustling her this whole time?! What if *gasp*…maybe he really didn’t want her teasing him because he’d already put the moves on Twilight while he’d been staying with her?!
It made a lot of sense…
Whatcha think about that, eh?
…I’ve got no positive input on that one, Dashie
Oh buck you, then! He’s hiding something and I’m gonna figure it out!

“Volare, you dog” she chuckled incredulously as she watched him gallop away. “I’ll get to the bottom of your little secrets sooner or later. But for now, I’ve got a race to win…urgh, and I gotta fix my poor house…again.” She shot up into the sky, intent on really beating the thunder outta those clouds this time!

Over In Good Ol’ Canterlot…

Twilight Sparkle had had trouble sleeping, and with good reason considering the implications for their planet she’d learned last night. But it had been her excitement over Celestia not only allowing Volare to stay despite his past, but actually offering to do whatever it took to help him out that had Twilight so energized that she’d literally woken up Shining Armor and Cadance in the middle of the night to tell them the good news. Though just as joyous, the couple didn’t possess the younger Unicorn’s almost hyper-active energy when it came to new discoveries, and they soon had to go back to bed before she got the chance to tell them the rest.

Sleep had finally found her though, but she was up bright and early the next morning, ready to finally find some help for Volare’s wing. To her surprise (though at this point it really wasn’t much of a surprise so much as the early hour of it), who of all ponies should come knocking on the door but Princess Luna herself yet again! The night princess had refused her offer of breakfast though, saying she had only a few short minutes to gather more intimate information on Volare’s particular injury, from start to finish.

“Well, from what I can gather from Rainbow Dash, when he tried to pull out of a steep dive, the stress on his muscles locked his wings into place, not allowing him to steer which eventually led to him crashing through my Library window and…” she swallowed the lump in her throat and doing her best to recall that horrible event as objectively as possible. “The glass and the impact combined to shred his right wing joint…and I guess the way that he tumbled when he hit the floor did the rest, and it tore the wing completely off.”

“My goodness,” Luna held a hoof to her mouth. Twilight then went on to describe the surgery that left his wing intact, with the nerves properly repaired, but the connective tissue such as muscles, ligaments, and even the bones themselves apparently weakened to the point that he had very little movement in the limb at all. It might possibly have something to do with them being locked in place at impact, making them behave much like a rigid but brittle piece of glass when dropped…

“Do you know how to help him, Luna?”

“I’m afraid not, no,” she shook her starry mane sadly. “Treatment for that kind of an injury is beyond my knowledge, though I do have a word of caution for you on something that’s been bothering me ever since you described how he arrived here in Equestria and more importantly, how he came to be in the form he is now.”

“What about it?”

“Well…this may not apply to his particular situation, but after you and your friends saved me from the curse of Nightmare Moon, and I reverted to my current form,” she gestured at herself. “Perhaps it was a side-effect of the transformation magic of the Elements of Harmony that re-created me in my previous image, but my new body wasn’t able to cope with any additional magic for some time. If I so much as attempted a spell, or if somepony attempted one on me, then I became light-headed and…well, some would say a little unruly.” Though the princess chuckled, Twilight cringed at the thought of what a goddess like Luna considered “unruly”…whatever destruction that might entail…

“Oh-hohoho my, those were some interesting days, Twilight Sparkle. You know the north tower, where Shining Armor’s detail posts at night?”

“…yes?”

“Well, that used to be a lot taller, let’s leave it at that, ahahaha…trying but interesting times, indeed…why Twilight, you look a little green. Are you alright?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” the purple Unicorn waved a hoof and nearly fell down at the implications of what Luna had just said. Considering all the other magic that Twilight had used on Volare since his transformation, she was almost glad that he’d been crippled in bed! “Luna, when you were…unruly…did you have any strange dreams?”

“Oh yes, very much so,” Luna’s face fell slightly. “I had nightmares galore every time I closed my eyes. Why? Does this have to do with the dreams you said Volare was having?”

“…possibly.” At her hesitant tone, Luna finally put two and two together and let out a small gasp.

“Twilight Sparkle…did he tell you about his dreams or did you procure that information via other means, such as dream-scrying?”

“The second one,” the Unicorn finally groaned.

“Ah, well, that might explain a bit about the rather disturbing images you described,” she sighed and closed her eyes, not relishing the answer she was expecting. “Besides the healing spell you attempted, did you perform any other magic on him?”

“…yes.”

“What kinds?” If Luna had opened her eyes while she persisted, she would have seen Twilight’s head sinking further and further behind her forelegs.

“…levitation magic to help him walk. Some minor telekinesis. Um, flight magic to help him stay in the air while he learned to fly”-

“Wait, you were teaching him how to fly?” Luna’s eyes snapped open. “How soon after his transformation?”

“…about 18 hours,” Twilight managed to squeak from behind her hooves, her heart dropping like a stone as she realized that she’d been doing Volare so much more harm than good. At her answer, Luna actually double face-hoofed and sighed loudly into them for a long moment.

“Twilight…to say that was rather irresponsible would be putting it lightly,” she paused and reached across the table and placed a friendly hoof on Twilight’s own to reassure her that she wasn’t angry…just worried. “Despite the fact that he has a full-grown Pegasus body, you know that Pegasi take years to master flight. It’s not just about wing strength; it’s about a Pegasus’ relationship with the air itself, and that can’t be built in a day.”

“I know, I know…it’s just that he seemed to wanna fly so bad, and Rainbow Dash was egging him on, and”- Luna held up a hoof to cut her off.

“Wait, Rainbow Dash got involved in this too? How involved?”

“Um, she’s the one who brought him here and wanted to make him a Pegasus instead of letting him die.”

“Ah, I see now,” Luna mused. “Have you ever considered that perhaps Rainbow Dash has designs on this fellow?”

“Designs…no, she wouldn’t,” Twilight shook her head. “She’s too proud and too respectful for that sort of thing…I think…I hope…urgh,” her face fell into her hooves again.

“Might want to ask her about that when you return to help Volare, Twilight. Eh-heh, though I must say, your pre-emptive instructions for them to stay separated until you come back were quite insightful,” she gave a small chuckle. Satisfied, she got up to leave, and as Twilight showed her to the door, she turned to give her one last piece of advice. “Twilight, although you had a hoof in creating his body, you don’t own him; just keep that in mind, alright? And no offense, but you really don’t even know what’s best for him.” At her statement, Twilight’s heart sank even further until Luna gave her a fridnly nuzzle. “But, you thought you did, and that’s what counts. Just…be cautious in what magic you use on him for the time-being-oh, it would be a good idea to speak with Tia about this detail as well before you research the correct spell to use on him tonight.”

“R-right,” Twilight nodded. “Thanks for the advice, Princess Luna.”

“Oh, just call me Luna from now on, Twilight; we’re family now and the formalities aren’t needed outside of the court,” she began to give her a slight bow before catching herself with a laugh. “Old habits, you know?”

“Heh, wish I could say I knew the feeling,” the Unicorn chuckled as Luna waved a hoof and set out for her quarters, leaving Twilight one worried Unicorn. Things had gotten so much more complicated all of a sudden. Just what damage had she done to Volare by going into his mind like that? He’d said it had been a long while since he’d had that particular nightmare…what repressed memories had her curiosity awoken? And further more, if what Luna said was true in regards to the after-effects of transformations-the mental instability…how were they going to even use a spell on Volare to fix his wing now?! Would Celestia even help her if she knew the possible effects? She suddenly wished she hadn’t been away for so long. She’d buck herself if he got hurt while she was gone…especially if it was on her account.
“Just hang in there, Volare,” she groaned as she shut the door and ground her hoof into the wood in frustration. “We’re gonna get this figured out…I swear it.”

Carousel Boutique…

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle called as she bounced into her sister’s upstairs workroom, the room she reserved for her most delicate of projects-projects that weren’t helped by the excitably loud Unicorn filly bursting in unannounced like that. Rarity flinched at the commotion, very nearly ruining the stitch pattern she’d been working on before carefully laying her work down and turning to her sister with a bit of a flustered smile.

“Ah, Sweetie Belle. How was school today?”

“It was great!” the Unicorn squeaked and grinned.

“Well, it certainly seems like it was,” Rarity laughed lightly. “What did Ms. Cheerilee teach you today?”

“Oh, it wasn’t that that made the day so great. It was the pony me and Applebloom met today!”

“Oh, and who might that be? And Scootaloo didn’t meet this pony too?” Rarity asked, curious how such a young filly could lead her on like this, whether intentionally or not.

“Oh no, she knew him already. His name’s Volare and he’s helping Scootaloo learn how to fly!” At her answer, Rarity couldn’t help but grin at how swimmingly her and Fluttershy’s plan was proceeding. But she humored her sister and allowed her to explain what happened with Pinion, how he even seemed a little scared of Scootaloo, as if something bad might happen if he bullied her.

“Well, I happen to know this pony, and that Pinion had best watch his behavior, or Volare may very well publicly humiliate the little ruffian yet again,” she nearly cackled at the justice that was served that day before composing herself.

“Where’d ya meet him, sis?”

Rarity nearly answered before her mind flashed through the times she’d met him: first had been practically in bed with Twilight, and secondly had been when she’d thought he was dead in the street; and both situations had involved some form of humiliation on her part… “I met him at lunch, Sweetie,” she finally decided. It wasn’t a lie and it preserved her lady-like reputation she valued highly, even to her own little sister. “And he’s quite the interesting fellow. And an interesting fellow like him deserves an interesting gift,” she waved her hoof at the item in question.

“Oooh, what is it?” the younger Unicorn asked as she ran a hoof over the smooth white fabric before being lightly snapped at by a floating yellow tape measure. “Ah, what gives?”

“Uh-uh, careful Sweetie Belle,” Rarity warned. “This fabric is delicate right now, and until it’s cured and sheathed in stronger threads, it’s very easy to disrupt the pattern I’ve woven into it.”

“What’s it made of?”

“Can’t reveal that quite yet either,” she smiled. “Everything about it is a surprise, but suffice to say that it fairly well fits his origins.”

“Origins? Oh yeah, that reminds me,” Sweetie Belle asked just as Rarity realized she’d stepped into the very issue that Pinkie had warned her about at the door as she’d dropped the white filly off from class. “Do you know where Volare is from; cuz me and Applebloom and Scootaloo were about to ask him when Pinkie said something about Applebloom needing to go…pig-tipping or something like that, so we never got to ask….sooo, do you know, big sis?”

“Erm, that’s also part of the surprise,” Rarity explained quickly. “I’m sorry but if I let even one little iota of information out on this, the surprise might get ruined. Sorry, Sweetie Belle, you understand, right?”

“Aww, nuts,” the green-eyed Unicorn crossed her hooves and pouted for a moment before nodding her head. “Yeah, I guess I do…when’re you gonna give it to him?”

“Ohhh, soon enough Sweetie Belle,” Rarity answered cryptically enough that her sister finally gave up and went to do her homework. “Soon enough…”
Volare, you owe me big time…

That Evening…

“So, Volare, I’ve got a question,” Scootaloo asked as she and Volare entered Ponyville on the way to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie’d had to leave earlier than usual, but she said she’d be home in time for Volare to drop off Scootaloo. That afternoon had been more of the same, though Fluttershy had further gone over the specifics of wing angles and how just the slightest difference in them could cause a pony to glide or to fall out of the sky. That had been followed by Volare further chasing Scootaloo on her scooter, during which time he’d nearly caught her again, but every time she changed direction suddenly, his legs just couldn’t keep up, and more often than not, he’d ended up further digesting more of the road outside of Ponyville. He’d finally figured out a way to sharply turn left using the drag of his flared good wing, but when it came to right-hand turns, he continued to fail miserably. However, he had noticed that he wasn’t nearly as tired as he had been at the end of the other days. It was like he was imbued with a new energy of some sort. Maybe it had something to do with his earlier meeting with Rainbow Dash…maybe…though it still hadn’t allowed him to do any further damage to that tree he’d been kicking. Sooner or later, he swore to himself he’d break that damn thing!

“What’s up, Scoots?” he glanced down at the younger filly keeping pace with him, her small hooves clipping lightly on the cobblestones contrasting with the heavier clop-clop of his own.

“I was just wondering something about you,” she hesitated, as if searching for the right way to ask it.

“Ask away, pal,” he assured her with a smile.

“You won’t get mad?”

“Why would I get mad?” he frowned slightly.

“I dunno…cuz it seemed like you were avoiding answering it earlier, sorta…”

“Scoots, what’s on your mind?” What followed was a silence that carried them nearly completely across the rapidly-emptying main square of the town before she spoke again.

“It’s…” she finally nodded in resolve and met his friendly gaze. “It’s about those burn marks that Sweetie Belle asked about that you’ve got on your body.”

“Ah, that,” he nodded solemnly.

“How’d you get them? Did you get in an accident involving a buncha fire or something?”

That’s putting it mildly, Volare chuckled to himself as they passed the empty Apple-selling booth that Big Macintosh ran during the day. “Yeah…yeah I did.”

“What happened?”

“Well…I’ll spare you the gory details and just say that I got into a flight accident…a really bad one.”

“Aww, but I like gory details…wait, what’s 'gory' mean?” Scootaloo’s innocently bold question knocked him for such a sudden loop that he couldn’t help but chuckle and give her a loving pat on the head.

“Trust me, if I could be in your position of being innocent enough to not know the specifics of that particular word, I’d do a little dance where I stand,” he laughed and smiled, though it was in a tone that pleaded to not ask anymore about the details. Inwardly, he hoped and prayed that this innocent little kid lived as long as possible without having to be exposed to the cruelties of the world anymore than she already had...

“Ok, well, you’re here and mostly in one piece,” Scootaloo nodded to his wing. “How’d you make it outta a mess like that?”

“Well, believe it or not, Rainbow Dash saved my sorry flank,” he smiled despite the violent imagery that played in his head. “And that’s actually how we first met.”

“Heh-heh, that’s like the opposite of the fairytale of the knight in shining armor rescuing the princess,” Scootaloo grinned.

“Oho, you know that story, eh?” he gave her a squinty smirk as they turned onto the road that dead-ended at Sugarcube Corner.

“’Course, all little ponies know that one. The princess is captured by a dragon or something, and then the prince rushes in and slays the dragon and rescues the princess,” she explained animatedly, kicking and bucking fiercely at an imaginary dragon and making Volare’s heart nearly explode at the adorableness of it all. “Then they fall in love and all that other mushy stuff,” she snickered.

“Hahaha, well trust me, it’s nothing like that between me and Rainbow Dash,” he assured her with a dismissive wave. “Besides, do I look like a princess to you?”

“Hee-hee, a weird-lookin’ one,” she sniggered, before putting on a curious expression. “So you don’t feel anything for her at all?”

Did he? He paused for a moment to consider the question that he’d been avoiding asking himself…it had to be somehow ironic that this little filly would finally broach such a question he himself had been-what, scared?-of asking himself. But why had he been avoiding it? Was he afraid of what the answer might be? And if so, why was he afraid? He’d just been through numerous near-death experiences including, but not limited to, having his body permanently taken away, staring down a psycho bird, and actually making friends with Angel Bunny…and he was afraid of a simple question…from the mouth of an innocent filly who didn't mean him any harm, no less? He shook his head before deciding on a somehow less-than-satisfactory answer. “Only gratitude, really Scoots.”

“Nothing more?” she gave him an eyebrow waggle that unnervingly emulated a little too much of Rainbow Dash from earlier. Makes me wonder what else she’s picked up from her…
“Cuz I could have sworn I saw you and her making eyes at each other, earlier.”

“From all the way up in the air, Scoots?” he gave her a skeptical look. How much HAD she seen? Dammit Dash!

“Sure looked that way,” she shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh, trust me, I simply said I had something in my eye and she was checking it out for me, that’s all,” he forced a grin and ruffled her mane. “Besides, Dash and I…we’re just too different for something like to ever happen. Plus, even if I did have any feelings for her…I just think she’s waaaaay outta my league and way too awesome to wanna waste time on a guy like me anyways.” Well, at least that much was true, he thought as they finally reached the bakery.

“Aww, I dunno,” Scootaloo hugged his foreleg and grinned up at him. “I think you’re pretty awesome too.”

HNNNNNNNNG
“Heh, thanks Scoots,” he composed himself and returned the hug before he felt her snickering in his ear. “Ok, what gives?”

“…a pretty awesome princess!” she leaned back with a cheeky grin filling her features.

“Hey c’mere you,” he laughed and started tickling her, not noticing the blue-eyed pony peering through the window and smiling from ear to ear at the playful ruckus they were causing without a care in the world that they were drawing some stares from the early-evening ponies trotting through town.
Oh yeah…I’ll bet my last banana bread bundt cake this works out just superrific!

Down on the Farm…

After explaining to Applebloom that Pinkie must have been mistaken about the pig-tipping, Applejack had helped Grannysmith and Big Macintosh prepare dinner. Things went as normal, with the occasional spot of conversation breaking out over Applebloom’s school lessons and Big Mac’s observations of the ground being fairly tough this time of year before the youngest Apple family member spoke up about something other than school or farm work.

“Hey Applejack?” the yellow filly looked up from her apple fritters with an expression that for some reason aroused tension in the strong country mare; an expression that warned that Applebloom was about to get something fairly weighty off her mind…and she could guess who about.

“Yep, Applebloom?”

“Ya know what Volare feller?”

Yep, Ah was right.
“Mhm, Ah know’im fairly well. What about’im?”

“Mole-hair?” Grannysmith spoke up from across the dinner table. “Who’d name a pony after some varmint fur?”

“Nah Grannysmith, Volare!” the youngest filly giggled and shouted to the hard-of-hearing old mare.

“Ah, gotcha, gotcha, dearie; no need ta yell at the dinner table though,” the pale green mare chided the younger. “Gotta take that sorta tom-foolery outdoors. But who’s this feller? Ah ain’t never heard hide nor hair o’ him afore.”

“Oh, he’s a friend of Scootaloo’s an’ he helped scare off some bullies messin’ with her last week,” Applebloom said matter-of-factly. “An now he’s helpin’ her learn how ta fly over at Fluttershy’s place.”

“Aww, ain’t that sweet’a him?” Grannysmith smiled widely.

“Yeah, he’s a mighty nice feller,” Big Macintosh put his two cents in. He looked across at Applejack who gave a subtle shake of her head, indicating they should say as little as possible right now. “Former military stallion.”

“Ya’ll have met’im too?” the elderly mare queried. “Applejack, what about ya’ll? Ya met him afore today, cuz Ah'm feelin' a might outta tha loop here.”

“Yeah, me an him have met once er twice,” AJ’s mind flashed back to the images of holding the bloody and dying Pegasus and having to explain why she had crimson stains on her own coat once she’d returned that day. “He’s the feller Ah told ya about who cut himself a while back.”

“Oh, is that how he messed his wing all up?” Applebloom spoke up. “When Ah saw’im today, he was walkin’ round with his wing all trussed up like a turkey, heh-heh.”

“Yeah, it might’ve had somethin’ to do with that,” Big Mac mused.

“Sounds like a funny-lookin feller,” Grannysmith chuckled.

“Oh, ya’ll don’t know tha half o’it! He’s all blue colored with these fuzzy spots on’im that look like them burns Big Macintosh got last year workin’ with ol’ Ferrum.”

“Ahh yeah, Ferrum,” the eldest mare sighed with a smile. “He was a mighty fine drink o’ water back in the day…did Ah ever tell ya tha time he an’ Ah went on a little date and’ snuck off behind tha”-

“Grannysmith!” Applejack cried, not needing to hear of her romantic exploits at a time like this. “Not at the dinnertable!”

“Aww shucks, ya’ll ain’t as fun as ya used ta be, AJ,” she tapped the table with a weathered hoof. “Anyways, what else ya notice about Volare, Applebloom?”

“Erm, he had this kinda wild-lookin mane that spiked every which way, and…oh, tha weirdest thing about’im is he ain’t got a cutie mark!”

“Wha-no cutie mark?” Grannysmith frowned. “Tha poor dearie. Ya’ll say he’s about Scootaloo’s age?”

“Nah, she said he’s twenty-three.” At her answer, Grannysmith’s eyes shot wide, making Applejack’s stomach tighten. Uh-oh, she was afraid she’d react like this!

“Twenny-three and no cutie mark?!” the old mare practically shouted. “Why that’s…that’s just plain unheard of!”

“Ah know; ain’t it weird?”

“If bein’ as old as Ah am has taught me anything’, it’s some ponies get their cutie marks slower’n others,” Grannysmith sunk back down into her chair. “But twenty-three years? Whew, that’s a new one fer me; an Ah thought Ah’d seen it all, heh-heh.”

“Why ya think he’s like that?” Applebloom queried. Applejack and Big Mac both had to fight the urge to wrap this subject before things got a little too complicated, but Grannysmith wouldn’t let them get a word in edge-wise. If it were a different subject, Applejack would’ve found it amusing, as the old mare hardly ever got this riled up for anything anymore unless it involved Zap Apples, of course.

“Hrm, can’t reckon Ah can rightly answer that’n in confidence, dearie,” she rubbed her old chin with a hoof. “Only thing Ah can think of is maybe he ain’t found his callin’ in life yet.”

“You mean like me an’ Scoots an’ Sweetie?” Applebloom’s face lit up as a thought began to germinate in her helpful young mind. Applejack could see the wheels in her little sister’s head turning, and she was powerless to stop what she said next. “Hrm, The Cutie Mark Crusaders are all about findin’ out what we gotta do fer our own cutie marks…maybe we can ask Volare ta be a member an’ we can all help each other figure it out?”

Applejack and Big Mac exchanged glances in which they both decided that this was not the best course of action, and they moved to squash it as fast as possible. “Now, now, Applebloom,” the red pony drawled. “Ah dunno how bad Volare wants ta hang around with a buncha school-fillies.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda weird ta say tha least,” Applejack agreed. “Ah mean, what if other ponies start sayin’ stuff?”

“Like what?” Applebloom asked innocently.

“Well, er, about how strange it is fer a twenty-three year old stallion ta be runnin’ with fillies half his age,” the country mare cringed at the thought. She knew that Volare wasn’t like that, but still...

“Well, Big Macintosh an Ah run around all tha time with each other and nopony says anythin’ bad about it,” Applebloom persisted.

“That’s cuz ya’ll are brother an sister,” Applejack said sternly. “An as nice a feller as Volare is, he ain’t relations with none of ya, and it…it just ain’t right.”

“Well, what if he was”-

“That’s enough, Applebloom,” Big Mac rumbled. “If’n he was ya’ll or your friends’ brother it’d be alright, but…just ta avoid complications, get them thoughts outta your head right now.”

“But he runs around with Scootaloo,” Applebloom grumbled into her hoof, leaving Big Mac with no real response to that. He looked to Applejack for advice, but before she could speak, she was yet again preempted by Grannysmith, who’d been patiently listening to and digesting this exchange.

“Aww, fiddlesticks ta tha both of ya,” she spoke up suddenly, gaining the rest of the family’s attention. “Ah think what Applebloom’s suggestin’ is awful sweet, an’ if this here Volare’s had twenty-three years and he still ain’t got his mark, well…than Ah say he can use all tha help he can get. And ya’ll know dern well tha Apple family has always been about helpin’ tha ponyfolks. Ain’t that right, Applejack?”

“Yeah…” she replied to the table, recalling her own words from years ago.

“But Grannysmith”- Big Mac began but the elder cut him off with a raised hoof and began to address them as she would her Zap Apple jam jars.

“Big Mac, ya’ll seem ta know this feller purdy well. An Ah’m throwin’ in mah lot with’im based on ya’ll’s information here. Now, if’n what ya’ll said was a buncha fibbery, best out with it right now. Otherwise, Ah expect ya’ll ta support your little sister’s idea right along with me and get your friend some help with his cutie mark findin’,” she looked from one pony to another. “Now then, is this all true? Speak now er forever hold your peace.”

Ignoring the strangely-placed wedding quotation, Applejack finally nodded her consent as she recalled Volare's emotional response to Scootaloo's background earlier. “It’s true…he ain’t one o’ them foal-creepers; Ah can guarantee that.”

“That’s true…Ah…Ah guess Ah trust him with Applebloom,” Big Mac agreed. “He’s been doin’ mighty well with Scootaloo so far too…”

“Then it’s settled,” Grannysmith grinned nearly-toothlessly. “If’n Applebloom asks Volare ta be part o’ their little group, ain’t none of ya’ll gonna stop it, ya hear? Furthemore, if’n anypony says anything ta tha contrary o’ tha good things what ya’ll said about him tonight, then Ah don’t wanna hear anything about it spreadin’ beyond that point, cuz ya’ll are gonna tell’em tha truth and back’im up cuz he’s your friend. Sound fair?”

“Ah guess,” Big Macintosh replied reluctantly.

“S’ppose Ah can’t argue that logic,” Applejack said with a nod. She knew Grannysmith was right and she trusted Volare with Applebloom as much as she trusted him with Scootaloo.

“Good,” Grannysmith declared with a short nod and turned to the young yellow filly. “Ah’m mighty proud of ya’ll for wantin’ ta help other folks like this, Applebloom. But are ya sure your friends’ll be ok with this?”

“Heh, Ah’ll talk to’em about it,” Applebloom reassured her. “But seein’ as how Volare scared that bully Pinion so bad that he wouldn’t mess with Scoots anymore…maybe he can be like our bodyguard er somethin’ and keep them other folks from messin’ with us about bein’ Blank Flanks," she grinned at her brilliant little idea.

“Ho-ho, Ah bet he’d like that, ‘specially if he’s former military; give’m something ta watch out for, eh?” she cackled. “Who knows: maybe that’s his callin’?”

“Protectin’ stuff?” Applebloom cocked her head curiously.

“Why not? At this point, he’s like ya’ll three fillies: just lookin’ for a purpose, that’s all.”

“Yeah! Yeehaw, Scootaloo’s probably gonna flip once she hears about this,” Applebloom grinned and bucked happily, kicking over her bowl of fritters and launching them all over the room, causing one to actually stick in Grannysmith’s mane-bun. The little filly laughed uproariously as the elderly mare tried to reach the fritter, but to no avail, even with Big Mac trying his best to grab it with his mouth without swallowing half her mane in the process.

Applejack sighed and pulled her hat lower over her eyes. Ah’m awful sorry Volare, but there’s a storm comin’ your way…an’ Ah can’t do a dern thing ta stop it…

Canterlot Library Steps…

As Twilight Sparkle finished her full explanation to Celestia on how Volare had come to be in the body he was in, as well as the way his injury had played out, the Sun Goddess thought for a long moment before speaking. “Well, this certainly is quite the pickle Volare’s in. And what Luna said is very true in regards to too much magic at once causing mental instability. Did she tell you about what happened to the North Tower?”

“Yeah, she mentioned it used to be taller or something,” Twilight cringed.

“Yes, well, suffice to say that Luna’s attempt at magic too soon after her transformation resulted in the top third of the tower evaporating,” Celestia explained as Twilight gaped in shock. “It wasn’t pretty to say the least, though we’re pretty sure nopony was killed in the incident.”

“Wait, pretty sure?” The Unicorn’s eye twitched slightly.

“Well, yes, when things evaporate, they tend to not leave much evidence behind…that would include bodies,” Celestia leaned in and said rather quietly. “So, even though there was nopony scheduled to be up there that night, there’s no real evidence to support what happened either way…in any case, the bottom line is magic-overload is dangerous for all ponies involved. I suppose we’re just lucky that Volare’s body, as unstable as all magically-created things are, was created in Pegasus form. Doubly lucky that he hasn’t really learned how to fly or perform weather manipulation yet either; the last thing we need is a rogue thunder cloud blowing everywhere and terrorizing innocent ponies.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Twilight groaned at the thought of what might have happened if she’d given him the body of a Unicorn instead…half of Ponyville might have been destroyed…or *gulp* evaporated. She looked up as she felt a friendly hoof on her shoulder.

“However, that doesn’t mean we can’t research the correct healing spell to use on his wing once his mind and body have had a real chance to acclimate to each other’s presence. It’s just unfortunate that his mind is still human, and I have no idea how long that might take.”

“Heh, his mind definitely isn’t the most stable thing I’ve ever encountered either, as good-natured as he seems,” the Unicorn looked to the Library doors and began to trot forward to begin her search before she heard a soft whistle behind her. “Huh?”

“Twilight, I don’t believe that’s where you’ll be needing to search for that healing spell, if you haven’t already found it in there,” she said shrewdly.

“Ok, so if it’s not in the Canterlot Library…then where else could it be?”

“Well, judging by your explanation of the situation and how your little impromptu surgery was attempted,” she paused again and closed her eyes, as if searching her memory for the correct move to make. Finally, she opened them again and smiled. “I believe I know where to look.”

Notes: AAAAAANNNNDDD...this was alot more fun to write than the last chapter, to say the least!
Volare and the CMC...a crippled Pegasus running around with a 12-hoofed hurricane...yeah, what could go wrong?
Volare: I've got a feeling I'm going to heavily dislike you in the near future...
Me: hey, it was Grannysmith-approved!
Volare: and to think I had a soft spot for the old mare...dammit!

The Running-Pt 8: A Thief, A Crusader, and a Hell of a Night

September 7th, Evening

Twilight Sparkle’s face brightened considerably at Celestia’s claim that she might know where the spell would be that could fix Volare’s wing…the very one that she had attempted herself with less-than-satisfactory results. For a moment, she cringed inwardly at how tough she’d made his situation via her good intentions. But she quickly focused back on her mentor who stood there, waiting patiently for her student to respond. “W-where do you think it is, Celestia?”

“Follow me and I’ll explain, Twilight,” the Princess nodded in a direction other than the Canterlot Library front doors, confirming that the better part of two weeks of her search for the spell had indeed been all but wasted in the wrong building! Twilight quickly caught up with her teacher’s long-legged strides that carried her along at a quick and quiet pace that belied her much larger body; as if the Sun Goddess weighed nothing at all. The smaller lavender Unicorn tried in vain to match her pace and grace, but to no avail; though her efforts did elicit a soft chuckle of amusement from the Princess. She was young yet…she’d grow into it if she so chose.

“Where are we going?” Twilight finally spoke up after nearly half a minute of the brisk pace through the Canterlot evening that was eerily reminiscent of the night when she first arrived at the train station.

“Well, from what you and Shining Armor have told me, I believe I know what you tried to do to help Volare’s wing,” Celestia nodded slightly to a trio of ponies who’d stopped to bow respectfully to her.

“I hardly remember what I did or even read on the subject, Princess,” Twilight shook her head, trying in vain even now to recall something that she might have read the involved that spell…but try as she might, nothing came to mind, and it was frustrating the hay out of her! Celestia noticed her furrowed brow and she gently brushed the Unicorn’s mane with her wing.

“Twilight, over the years, I’ve discovered that sometimes, in dire situations especially, our minds can recall the oddest of things,” she chuckled softly. “A long-forgotten scent, a name lost to seasons, or even a long-dormant skill awakened in order to help another pony’s in need. Even something as specific as a spell,” she gave her student a soft approving smile. “Meseems your mind happened to recall that particular spell at that time. In any case, I’ve decided that if we can find this spell, I’ll teach it to you so that once Volare is stabilized, you can send me a message and I’ll assist you; I’ll explain further once we find it.”

Twilight smiled with pride at the thought of her mentor and teacher relegating herself to a mere assistant in a situation like that; stepping aside to let her student complete a difficult task herself. “Where’s the spell located?”

“I’ve deduced that since it’s not in your Library or the Canterlot collection, there’s only one other major place of knowledge that you’ve been recently; the only place where that spell should be located,” the Princess took a sharp turn onto a wider thoroughfare lined with bushes, trees, and statuary.

“Should be?” Twilight cocked her head.

“Yes, if it wasn’t stolen like a few other spells during the Wedding Incident…what a damned mess,” she sighed slightly but shook it off. “Do you remember when you were looking for that time travel-stopping spell because you thought the world was going to end on a Tuesday?” she chuckled.

“Hey, it wasn’t just any Tuesday!” Twilight protested. “I was visited by my future self and…nevermind, yes I remember, why?” But the Princess simply smiled and nodded her head slightly, waiting for Twilight to drop the other horse-shoe. The Unicorn’s eyes widened as she finally realized where they were headed. “Wait, you’re not telling me the spell is in the Canterlot Archives, are you?”

“The very same,” Celestia replied curtly as they approached the dome-based tower flanked by two grey Royal Guard Unicorns dressed in dark armor indicative of their high security status.

“But why would a spell like that be locked up in there?”

“For numerous reasons, including the general harm it can cause; see Volare as evidence. There’s also a chance, because it supplants the body’s natural healing process, of it becoming quite the addiction to use, so the willy-nilly use of it must be prevented,” Celestia quickly changed gears and looked up, smiling at the blue-armored Archive Guard Unicorns who retained their stoic stances. “Good evening, gentlecolts. How’re your duties coming along?”

“Good evening Princess,” the older, grey-templed Unicorn on the right spoke gruffly. “Things are quiet and peaceful; nothing to report.”

“Nothing but stray leaves and grass trimmings moving around out here, ma’am,” the younger Unicorn guard on the left added. “Much better than this past spring, begging your pardon.”

“Stow it, Corporal Spiral,” the gruff guard barked. “I don’t particularly like being reminded of my own personal failures!”

“It’s quite alright, Sergeant Greymane,” Celestia waved a hoof. “That’s all water under the bridge now and there was nothing you could do. I’m just thankful that nopony lost their lives in the incident.”

“Aye, true, true,” the officer nodded. “I take it you and Ms. Sparkle have business in the Archives?”

“Indeed, we do,” the Princess replied. “We’ll more than likely be in there rather late, so don’t concern yourself too terribly if we don’t come out for some time.”

“Duly noted, Princess,” he resumed his stoic pose.

“Good luck in your search, ma’am,” the Corporal smiled before getting a thwack from the Sergeant’s spear butt. “Ow…I mean, right!” He mimicked the Sergeant’s pose as Celestia and Twilight entered the building, doing their best to hold in their giggles.

As they trotted into the nearly silent structure-the only noises they could hear coming from the numerous guards that patrolled the interior-Twilight took in the sight of the ancient tapestries and numerous old weapons that hung from the walls; relics of an ancient era. All around them were signs of the building in various stages of repair from the break in that past spring. New paint and wallpaper filled the building with their dull odors, and stacks of bricks were neatly piled in corners, awaiting their turn to heal the building’s scars.

“Which one of these wings is it in, Princess?” Twilight gestured to the numerous heavy wooden portals that flanked the hallway every few paces. Celestia paused and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Which sections of the Archives did you enter?”

“Just the Starswirl the Bearded Wing,” Twilight nodded to the locked door covered in an iron portcullis and marked with a series of large blueish-white stars above the lintel.

“Well, then that’s our ticket,” Celestia smiled and trotted forward. “The old SB Wing, as you called it.” Her horn lit up and zapped the lock with the pass-spell, and within moments, the old deadbolts slid away and the gate swung open with a creak. They were greeted by the sight of thousands upon thousands of priceless scrolls neatly stacked and sorted upon one another in shelves that surrounded a large half-hourglass in the middle of the room…wait, what?!

“Whoa, Princess,” Twilight exclaimed as she saw the sand-filled half-glass. “Didn’t there used to be a whole hourglass in here?”

“Yes, there used to be,” Celestia replied with a sigh. “But whoever broke in here destroyed it before leaving," she gestured to the piled remains of shattered glass on the floor. "Your brother the Captain knows the finer details better than I.”

“I’ll be sure to ask him what the hay happened for sure,” the Unicorn nodded before turning back to her mentor. “Well, where do we start?”

“Eh-heh, that’s where I was afraid we might have a bit of a problem,” Celestia chuckled nervously, a rarity for her. “Since the scrolls were rather tossed all over the room by whatever it was that got in here, they’re out of the usual order from what I’m used to…so in short…I have no idea exactly where.”

“Urgh…here we go again,” Twilight groaned and reached for a scroll, her resolve flickering for just an instant before she strengthened it. No, I made a promise to Volare, and I intend to fulfill it…he’s just gonna owe me a big one when I get back…nah, make it two or three…then again, no telling what interesting things I might find in this place. Yeah, look on the bright side, Twilight!

September 8th, Morning

Volare groaned softly and turned over in his sleep, enjoying the tail-end of a nice, peaceful dream of his simple drifting on the breeze like a leaf…like the leaves that would soon fall in the Running two days from now. But his mind barely drew the connection as his eyes flickered open and he yawned deeply, stretching on the couch in the middle of Fluttershy’s cottage and simply taking in the sounds of the soft nickering breaths of the yellow mare upstairs. The square of early morning light filtered in through the window and illuminated the dust motes that swirled in and out of the glow the border of which slowly crept its way along the floorboards in the direction of the couch…but it was a ways off yet. He looked down through lidded eyes at the small basket sitting at the base of the couch, and in particular at its small, long-eared white occupant.

Volare had to admit: when Angel Bunny wasn’t being a little terror, he was kinda endearing; all curled up and giving on tiny little snores as his front legs wiggled every few moments. The blue Pegasus chuckled to himself and closed his eyes again. He decided that he’d earn the chance to sleep in a little bit today, that things were finally falling into place in the world for him. He was thankful for a little bit of peace…he half-contemplated simply relaxing the rest of the day away like this. He did have a race to rest for, after all! He knew the chances of winning weren’t great, but there wasn’t any sense in not trying, right?

But for now, he snuggled back against the cushions and sighed, drifting back off into his dreams…he also knew the odds of sleeping the day away like this were just as low, but one could hope, couldn’t they? Unfortunately, Volare’s chances of relaxing were more like slim-to-none…with none being the more likely outcome if a certain trio had their way…

“Alright Applebloom, you’ve been grinning your head off half the morning and the other half you’ve been lookin’ at the clock,” Scootaloo stated as she and Sweetie Belle trotted side by side with their friend out the door at noon, let out early for the weekend. “So what gives?”

“Yeah, what’s going on under that bow of yours?” Sweetie giggled and patted the country filly’s mane as they stopped near the white picket fence that lined the schoolhouse property.

“Oh, heh-heh, Ah’ll tell ya once we get ta tha clubhouse,” she nodded in the direction of their center of CMC operations to the southwest.

“Does it have to do with a new crusading idea?” Sweetie Belle asked excitedly.

“Somethin’ like that,” Applebloom smiled cryptically.

“Aww, really?” Scootaloo groaned softly. “I was gonna go hang out with Volare and learn some more about flying.”

“Now don’t be such a stick in tha mud, Scootaloo,” an older voice spoke up from down the fence line. The trio looked up to see Applejack leaning against the fence and smiling from under her hat. “Ah hear pray tell ya’ll ain’t been spendin’ much time with your friends lately.”

“Howdy sis!” Applebloom grinned and galloped up to Applejack, giving her a big hug upon arrival. She looked up and read her sister’s facial expression, trying to gauge her reaction as she was still unsure how she felt about her little plan. But Applejack simply returned the hug with a strong one-hoofed embrace and smiled warmly in return. “Ya don’t need ta walk me home today; we’re gonna head to the clubhouse and talk about crusadin’ stuff!”

“Aha, well, if’n that’s true, Ah’ll just head on over ta Fluttershy’s and let Volare know Scootaloo’s takin tha day off. Heh, Ah’ll bet he’ll appreciate a breather anyhow; dern fool’s gonna run himself into the ground at this rate!”
In truth, she was somewhat hopeful that Scootaloo would go and spend some time with her friends and get Applebloom’s mind off her scheme so Volare could get a little rest…however, she did make a promise to Grannysmith that she wouldn’t get in the way if her little sister tried to help Volare in her own way. And when Applejack made a promise, she’d keep it consarnit!

“Sounds good, sis! Come on guys!” Applebloom whooped and galloped off towards the clubhouse, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hot on her hooves, leaving Applejack standing alone in a filly-sized cloud of dust.

“Ack-ack-achoo!” The mare sneezed and chuckled. “Must be pretty secret for Applebloom ta wanna talk about it at mah old treehouse…aww who’m Ah kiddin’, she’s probably gonna tell’em about her plan.” She sighed and set out down the road to Fluttershy’s cottage. “Guess Ah’d best get on down there an’ give Volare support for when this little whirlwind hits.”

“Ok, so what’s so important that you made us run after you all the way to the clubhouse?” Sweetie Belle huffed as she finally caught up to her two more athletic friends and sat down beside the clubhouse, more than a little winded.

“Yeah, spill the beans already, Applebloom; is it a crusading idea?” Scootaloo urged, her wings buzzing excitedly as she hopped up and down. Her farm filly friend was rarely this secretive about crusading ideas unless it was something big…and thinking up the big ideas was normally Scootaloo’s job, so she was very curious to see what Applebloom had thought up today.

“Well, it sorta has ta do with crusadin’ but it ain’t any specific crusadin’ idea just yet,” Applebloom answered with a grin and paused. When she was certain that her friends were hanging on every word she said, she finally broke the dramatic silence. “Ya’ll know Volare, right?”

“Scootaloo’s friend, yeah,” Sweetie Belle nodded, her green eyes wide in anticipation. “What about him?”

“Hey, you’re not gonna take my personal trainer idea, are you?” Scootaloo asked in sudden worry, but Applebloom shook her head.

“Nope, not plannin’ on it. What Ah wanna talk about is Volare’s cutie mark.”

“Um, he doesn’t have one, Applebloom,” the orange Pegasus pointed out.

“Exactly, he’s 23 years old an’ a blank flank like us,” Applebloom nodded. “So Ah was thinkin’…”

“Oooh, I know where this is going!” Sweetie Belle spoke up with a grin. “You wanna help him get his mark right?”

“That’s the first part of mah idea Sweetie, yeah. But it’s more than that. Remember how Pinion didn’t even mess with Scootaloo after Volare gave him tha what-for?” Her friends giggled at the memory of the overly-proud Pegasus colt practically tucking tail and trotting off the other day. “So like Ah was sayin’, Ah was thinkin’ of how Volare could help keep them bullies that like makin’ fun of us fer bein’ Blank Flanks offa-well, offa our flanks, heh-heh.”

“That could work,” Scootaloo nodded. “But what’s the second part of our plan? You gonna pay Volare to be our bodyguard or something?”

“Nope, better,” the yellow filly grinned smugly. “Ya ready? Ok…we make Volare part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” For a long moment of stunned silence, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle simply stared at their friend, not sure if she was joking or not.

“Applebloom, are you serious?” Scootaloo finally asked.

“Sure am.”

“I think you’re crazy,” Sweetie said matter-of-factly.

“Nah, nah, hear me out, guys,” the farm filly waved her hooves. “Scootaloo, ya’ll said that when Volare helped ya out, he said he was no different from us in his lack of cutie mark, right?”

“Yeah, that’s why he got involved with Pinion, because he said that he’d have to pick on us both since we’re both…Blank Flanks,” Scootaloo’s eyes widened.

“Exactly, he already said himself he’s one of us,” Applebloom’s eyes glimmered excitedly. “An’ Ah figure, since he’s one of us, and the CMC was formed ta help us Blank Flanks get our mark, what better way for him ta get his mark than ta team up with us? That way, we can all work together ta find our marks, and him just bein’ with us outta keep them bullies away. Besides, Grannysmith said it’s a good idea cuz tha Apple Family is always lookin’ ta help out tha pony folks. Scoots is helpin’ him learn how ta fly, and Ah wanna help him this way.”

“Applebloom,” Sweetie’s expression read somewhere along the lines of shocked amazement. “You’re still crazy…but a good crazy,” she giggled and nudged her friend.

“Well, that’s one down. Whatcha think, Scoots?”

“I…I dunno,” Scootaloo hesitated. “I mean, yeah it’s a good idea, but won’t we be taking away from Volare’s rehab stuff?”

“Nah, we can help him with that too,” Applebloom smiled. “Besides, tha more tha merrier, right?”

“I guess so, yeah,” a grin finally cracked across Scootaloo’s face and she looked up in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage. “Well, it’s kinda early, but he should be up right now. Wanna go ask him?”

“Ah take it you’re up for this idea, then?”

“If Volare is, then yeah! Heh, hey Sweetie, if this works, you’ll have to find something to do to help out Volare too!”

“Hey, I’ll figure out something!” the small Unicorn replied with a frown. “Maybe I’ll…oooh, I know! I’ll make him a Crusader Cape like ours!”

“Bet he’d look pretty good in one of them, eh?” Applebloom nodded her approval. “Well then, Ah say time’s a wastin’. Let’s go tell’im the good news!” And with that, Applebloom again led the trio back onto the road and eased into a trot towards Fluttershy’s cottage. “How do we break it to’im, though?”

“How do you break what to who?” A bubbly voice spoke up, startling the CMC until they realized it was just Pinkie Pie…who’d somehow popped out from behind a tree skinnier than she was. “Is that some sorta weird new cutie mark crusade?”

“Jeez, how the hay do you keep doing that, Pinkie?” Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief.

“Keep doing what?” Pinkie cocked her head, waiting for specifics.

“You know, that!” Sweetie Belle pointed at the tree.

“How do I keep doing trees?” the baker pony frowned. “Um, are you sure you three are old enough to know about that sort of thing…cuz if you are, I think you might wanna get your bits back from whoever told you about it, cuz I’m pretty sure that’s impossible. Although Fluttershy did say she wanted to be a tree one time, but even then I dunno how that’d even work and-,” she suddenly noticed their apprehensive looks and for quite possibly the first time in her life, she cut her own self off. “Uh, heh-heh, nevermind. What were you saying you’re going to break?”

“Some news,” Sweetie Belle replied with a smile as they returned to trotting down the road.. “Some good news, in fact!”

“Ooh, I like good news,” Pinkie hopped along. “If there’s ever any news worth breaking, it’s always good news! Wait, breaking it how and to whom?”

“To Volare,” Applebloom said proudly. “Ah got me an idea for’im and us last night, an’ it’s even Apple Family approved!”

“Aha, what is it?”

“We’ll tell ya on the way to Fluttershy’s,” Scootaloo replied. “But ya gotta keep it a surprise when we get there, ok?”

“Okey dokey lokey!” Pinkie grinned and listened as she hopped alongside the CMC, headed for a rendezvous with almost certain antics…or at least that’s what her Pinkie Sense was telling her.

Knock, knock, knock!
“Huh-wha?” Volare mumbled and sat up with a start, yanked out of his subconscious by the sound of a hoof striking the door across the room. “Hrm-who is it?” he mumbled and yawned, scratching his back lazily.

“It’s Applejack, and Ah’m here ta warn ya, Volare!” the farm mare’s voice called anxiously. Warn him?! With a thump and a rumble, Volare jumped from the couch to rush to the door, but only succeeded in tangling his hooves in Angel Bunny’s basket, tripping him up and sending the suddenly awake and irate rabbit sailing across the room and crashing into the wall.

Heh, I almost say that serves ya right, Volare smirked briefly and got to his hooves. “Sorry, Angel,” he hissed as the bunny stomped off to find some peace and quiet elsewhere. The Pegasus finally reached the door and tugged it open, nearly bumping muzzle to muzzle with Applejack in the process.

“Whoa, howdy Volare!” she grinned with a blush much more slight than the one that quickly flashed across the Pegasus’ own face as he backed off.

“Heh-heh, heya AJ,” he chuckled dryly before straightening himself and looking at her ruddy face once more, all business this time. “You said you’re here to warn me about something? What’s up? Is something bad on its way here?” He looked past her shoulder at the road behind her, thoughts of all sorts of beasts from the show running through his mind; from a swarm of Parasprites, to a pack of Timberwolves. But when he saw nothing out of the ordinary and heard her chuckle audibly at his display of alarm, he looked back at her with slightly less tension.

“Nah, nothin’ bad enough ya’ll gotta be lookin’ out fer danger er nothing,” she shook her head and trotted inside. “But it is somethin’ Ah felt Ah should give ya fair warnin’ abuout.”

“Alright, what’s the punchline, AJ?” he asked in puzzlement.

“No punchline,” she said seriously. “This ain’t a joke, Volare. Thing is, mah sister Applebloom’s got it in her head that ya’ll and her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have a lot in common.”

“…I don’t get it.”

“Ah didn’t at first till she explained what she meant, and if it were any other situation, it’d make sense,” Applejack snorted softly. “Thing is, she got Grannysmith on her side in this, an’…well, what she wants ta do is, since ya’ll and them are all Blank Flanks…she wants ya’ll ta”-

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!!
The two ponies’ eyes shot to the door at the rapid series of knocks that were much lighter than Applejack’s had been. To their surprise though, the voice that called through the door wasn’t who they expected. “Heya Volare-bear! It’s Pinkie Pie! Lemme in, I got somethin’ to show ya!”
Volare half-considered not answering the door before Pinkie called again.
“Come on, I know you’re in there! I heard you talking to somepony!”

The Pegasus gave Applejack a helpless look before shaking his head and slowly opening the door a crack…before it burst open as the pink party pony and three multicolored fillies jumped out of the lower periphery of his vision and through the door in unison and tackled him to the ground, giggling up a storm the whole while. “Hee-hee, gotcha!” Pinkie smiled and hopped off of him, letting have a good look at who else had knocked him over.

“Heya Volare!” Scootaloo grinned and hugged his chest while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle smiled down at him just as broadly.

“Oof, what’re you guys doing here?” Volare managed to force out what was left of the air in his lungs as a dry laugh. “Getting your cutie marks in ninja ambushes?”

“Nah, nothin’ like that,” Applebloom said as they got off of him and helped him to his hooves.

“Yet!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“…super,” Volare caught his breath before noticing that each of the CMC as well as Pinkie were still wearing larger-than-average grins…and for Pinkie, that was saying a lot! “Ok, what gives? Why all the huge smiles, eh?” he asked with a wary squint.

“They’ve got a surprise for ya, Volare!” Pinkie hopped up and down. “Oooh tell him! Tell him, tell him, tell him, the suspense is killing me!”

“What the-Pinkie, we already told you, ya goof,” Scootaloo giggled.

“I know, I meant my suspense for Volare’s reaction when you tell him!” The party mare beamed and continued her hopping.

“Alright, spill the beans you guys,” the blue Pegasus laughed.

“Ok, here we go,” Applebloom cleared her throat, gaining Volare’s attention. “Volare, in recognition of your actions a few days ago when ya saved Scootaloo from Pinion and his ornery friends”-

“Oh get to the good stuff, Applebloom!” Scootaloo nudged her friend impatiently.

“Alright, alright, Ah’m workin’ on it, sheesh! Can’t a filly have a chance ta make a good presentation? Like Ah was sayin…cuz ya’ll caused Pinion ta stay away from Scoots, it gave me an idea. We all saw that ya don’t have a cutie mark on ya, and Ah figured: hey, it makes sense that he stood up for Blank Flanks cuz he is a blank flank! An’ then Ah remembered ya’ll said ya’ll are 23 years old and still don’t have your cutie mark. Grannysmith suggested that Ah help and Ah think I know a good way to!”

As she spoke, Volare’s own smile became more forced as he realized that Applebloom was mistaking his lack of a cutie mark as a natural occurrence, and that because she didn’t know the truth about him, the good-hearted and helpful filly been concocting a scheme to help him get his, just like the crazy stunts they did as a group in the show…wait a sec!
“Um, what sorta way is that?” he asked, bracing himself for the forthcoming answer which he imagined could range anywhere from volcano-diving to shark-wrestling. Do they even have sharks here? He sincerely hoped not.

“Volare, since we all feel like ya stood up fer Blank Flanks everywhere that day, and as fellow Blank Flanks, because we wanna help ya figure out who ya are in life too, I, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle wanna offer ta make ya an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader!” The three fillies plus Pinkie grinned enthusiastically, awaiting the flabbergasted Volare’s answer. He absolutely didn’t expect that to be their idea.

“I-uh…wow,” he stumbled back a step or two. True, he wasn’t sure if the rules of cutie marks even applied to a being like him, but even so, the gesture from the three young fillies was so heart-warming, he almost said yes right off the bat just to humor them. But he quickly stopped himself and tried to think about this rationally. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Sweetie Belle shook her head emphatically. “We seriously just wanna help you.”

“Yeah! Well, there might be something else…sorta,” Scootaloo added sheepishly.

“Scootaloo, knock it off!” Applebloom hoofed her friend rather roughly. “He ain’t gonna go for it if’n ya tell him everything up front! You’d make a terrible sales-pony!”

“But I don’t wanna lie to him either, Applebloom,” the orange Pegasus frowned and looked back to Volare, who thought he’d guessed what the catch was now.

“Let me guess,” he chuckled lightly. “You wanna help me out, but at the same time, you want me to keep the bullies off your back, right?” By the adorable sight of the three fillies awkwardly scuffing the ground with their hooves, he was pretty sure he’d guessed right. He turned to Applejack and Pinkie Pie and beckoned them aside for a moment. “Hey, help me out here, guys. I dunno about this.”

“What’s the problem, Volare?” the pink pony asked. “This seems like a fun idea!”

“I dunno…don’t you think other ponies would think it’s a bit…weird for somepony like me to be running around with these little fillies?” Volare worried. “I just don’t wanna give the wrong impression that I’m a”-

“Now hold your horses there, Volare,” Applejack held up a hoof. “Mah family an’ Ah already had this here little discussion last night. Grannysmith approved of the idea, and she said tha Apple family has your back in this. Ah’m not totally fer the idea mahself, but that’s mainly cuz, heh-heh, Ah fear for your own safety just a bit.”

“Aww, come on, AJ! I’m not that weak!” Volare about-faced on his stance, suddenly a little miffed. He knew he wasn’t in the best possible shape right now (and that was putting it lightly), but to be told he couldn’t handle the antics of three fillies without concerning Applejack about his personal safety? Perhaps it was who the statement was coming from, but it just made him feel inadequate to hear that. And he hated feeling inadequate! Perhaps it was his military training that told him to always search for a way to succeed in his mission that some of what others would consider to be hard-headed behavior stemmed from, or maybe it was just foolish pride; either way he wasn’t one to take being told he wasn’t capable of something!

“Now, now, Ah didn’t mean nothin’ by it, sugarcube,” Applejack patted the air between them with her hoof. “Just lookin’ out for ya, that’s all.”

“I know, I know,” he shook his head. “But damn it all if I’m just tired of feeling like it’s me that has to be watched out for all the time here…just frustrates me as a guy and hurts my pride, ya know?”

“I think Ah know whatcha mean, Volare,” she patted his shoulder. “Still ain’t gonna make me keep an eye out for ya any less; it’s the least Ah can do for a friend, so don’t let it make ya feel that way, ok?” Her green eyes smiled warmly from beneath the brim of her Stetson.

“Mhm, same here!” Pinkie grinned and nodded.

“Heh, thanks guys,” the Pegasus again felt that increasingly familiar feeling of sincere gratitude squeezing his chest, something he’d never felt much of back on Earth; there’d always been a catch, or payment, or something required in return for a favor. True goodwill outside of charity had become an increasingly rare gem to be found back home. But here…they were just freely given, and it boggled his mind from what he was used to experiencing. He had to duck his head for a moment to blink the threatening moisture out of his eyes. But as he did so, a thought occurred to him. “Uh-oh, what about Rarity?”

“What about her?” Applejack asked.

“What’s her stance on me running around with her younger sister?” He’d seen her lose her temper, both on the show and here, and though not nearly as scary as Twilight Sparkle could be, the last thing he needed was a fashionista Unicorn chasing him with scissors and sewing needles because she was angry at him for spending too much time with Sweetie Belle.

“Shoot, Ah’ll bet she’ll be fine with it, Volare,” Applejack laughed his worry off. “Ah’ll confirm that with her later today, but Ah’ll bet she’ll even kinda welcome it.”

“Huh-why’s that?”

“Cuz if ya’ll are keeping Sweetie Belle occupied, that’s more time she’ll have ta work on her fashion designs without her little sister muddlin’ things up, as cute as she is-heh-heh.”

“Yeah, and it’ll give her time to finish your gift too!” Pinkie chirped.

“She’s still working on that, eh? Bless you, Rarity,” Volare smiled for a moment before he encountered his last remaining doubt in regards to this. “Pinkie, AJ…you both know I’m not…well, from around here,” he shot a glance over at the CMC, who were waiting patiently. “What’s gonna happen if I don’t earn my mark? Wouldn’t that tip them off that something’s not right?”

“But who’s to say you won’t?” Pinkie asked. “I mean, let’s look at it this way: what if you do earn your mark with them?” Volare paused and realized he’d never given much thought to it; he’d been so preoccupied with getting back in the air that he’d forgotten about one of the most important things in pony society. One’s cutie mark defined their purpose in life…and he had no idea what he’d do past learning how to fly again…maybe that’s what he needed though: focus and purpose! Something to look forward to beyond that-something to work for and keep moving up towards. That philosophy had served him well in the past and he saw no reason why it wouldn’t work here!

“Heh, I guess if I earned my mark, it’d give me purpose here,” Volare echoed his own thoughts, becoming more hopeful of this idea by the moment.

“Ex-actly!” Applejack beamed and clapped him on the back. “That’s also what Grannysmith said. Hay, if ya’ll are gonna stay here anyways, might as well get in wing of things, eh? At tha very least, it’d stop ya from moochin’ offa Fluttershy-hey!” she jumped away as Volare made a cheeky move to swipe her hat right of her head. “Lan-sakes, Ah’m likin’ this idea already! How ‘bout you, Pinkie Pie?”

“I think it sounds like a super-stupendously-awesometastic idea!” the party mare beamed and stood between the Pegasus and the three fillies. “So what’s it gonna be, Volare? Have a fantastically fun time helping the CMC get their cutie marks and vice versa…or lose your best chance at finding who you really are and making these three poor, adorable little angels the saddest little fillies in all of Equestria because you were just a big ol’ stick in the mud?” As if on cue, the CMC adopted forlorn looks that tugged at Volare’s hearstrings, even though he knew they were half-fabricated.

“I dunno…”

“Pleeaaaaassseeeee?” the CMC asked as pleadingly as possible. And after only a few moments of looking at those wide, innocent, colorful eyes, his heart melted, and he relented.

“Alright, alright, I’ll do it,” he chuckled. “I’ll accept membership; just turn off those faces before my soul explodes, will ya?”

“YAAAAAAAY!!!!” The three fillies (plus Pinkie Pie again!) squealed and tackle-hugged Volare. He was ready this time though, and though it took some serious effort, he managed to stay on his hooves. Applejack, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall and laughing and kicking up a ruckus so loudly that it finally woke Fluttershy. The yellow mare trotted downstairs rubbing at her eyes sleepily before smiling at the heart-warming sight before her.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” she said as she also silently took in the fact that Volare was, although with great difficulty, holding up the entire CMC and Pinkie on his back, a testament to the physical training he’d been putting himself through. Fluttershy nodded in approval and began to trot towards them when the backdoor of the cottage slammed open and Iron Will poked his massive frame into the doorway, causing all ponies present to jump in alarm and Volare to simply collapse under the weight of his friends.

“What the hay is goin’ on in here now-oh hello there,” he gave a friendly wave to the half-petrified Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, who’d never seen a minotaur before. “Friends of yours, Scootaloo?”

“Yep, we’re here to help Volare!” she grinned proudly.

“Don’t worry, guys,” Volare assured them as he scrambled to his hooves and stood in front of the great blue beast. “Iron Will here is a tough guy, but he’s a real softie once ya get to know him-hey, hey, lemme down, man!” He shouted in alarm as Will picked him up with little effort, as if to remind him who he was talking about. “Don’t make me insult your cooking, dude!”

“*gasp* You wouldn’t!” Iron Will glared at him for a moment, but Volare simply stared right back.

“Try me.” After a moment, the minotaur sat him down and shook his great head.

“Sheesh, no need to play dirty in front of the kids,” he tightened his tie and huffed a great sigh. Volare had to really try to not burst out laughing at how out of left field that statement sounded coming from him.

“Oh come on, Will. I didn’t mean it; your brownies are kick-ass stuff!” the Pegasus grinned.

“Is this guy for real?” Sweetie Belle giggled.

“Oh yeah, he’s for real alright,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Anyways!” she strode forward, gaining everypony’s attention and adopting a rather formal tone. “For our first act as fellow Crusaders, and since I know that you’re trying to get into shape for The Running of the Leaves, we’ll hereby suspend any major crusading in order to help with your training!”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Volare shook his head. “But it’s somehow overpowered by how sweet that is to offer, Scoots,” he smiled. “How’re you planning on helping?”

“I dunno, actually,” the orange Pegasus scratched her mane. “I figure we just do the same thing we’ve been doing, except now whenever I get tired, Sweetie Belle or Applebloom can rotate out for me.”

“Hey, how’ll that help me out?” the older Pegasus asked bemusedly.

“Keeps ya’ll on your hoof-tips, that’s fer sure; tha more tha merrier, right?” Applejack laughed. “Come on Volare; Pinkie an’ Ah’ll help ya keep them fillies in line!” The country mare opened the door and led the way outside into the noon sunshine. Perched on the warm sod-covered roof was the osprey Shae, keeping a wary eye on her territory as well as an open ear to the conversation inside. As the commotion in the cottage suddenly ceased, she looked down to see an orange mare wearing a hat followed closely by a strange parade of three fillies, two Pegasi, a blue minotaur, and one still very irate bunny waiting for Fluttershy to serve him his already very overdue breakfast; he didn’t care if he’d overslept! Shae shook her dark-feathered head and chereek’d softly to herself, as if in disbelief at how quickly the world had gotten so strange.

Canterlot Archives…

Throughout the night and into the next morning, Celestia and Twilight did their best to sort through and search the scrolls of the Starswirl the Bearded wing. The ever knowledge-hungry Unicorn so badly wanted to read and digest the information contained on these priceless papers, and she even found some manuscripts hoof-written by Starswirl himself! But she had forced herself to lay them aside for now, focusing on finding this healing spell. The progress was painfully slow, as many of the scrolls were written in Ancient Equestrian, forcing teacher and student to meticulously translate them before they could properly search back through the texts. As they hunted and translated, Celestia further explained the specifics and the history of the particular spell they were looking for.

During the War against Discord and his minions of chaos (the harpies, trolls, goblins, chimeras, and the like that fought on the side of the draconequus), the Royal Pony Sisters were forced to rise to the level of the defiance of logic via magic that made Discord so dangerous. By creating a healing spell designed to quickly mend the wounds of their own troops, they were able to keep up a constant defense against the God of Chaos until the Elements of Harmony were finally forged and used to defeat Discord.

The spell was of the dual-cast variety that required two magic users of similar power to simultaneously use the spell on whatever it was they wanted to heal of injury. It was created in this way in as a fail-safe, ensuring that that no one pony or creature could go rogue and whirl about the battlefield on their own, slaying and healing at will and turning themselves into an invincible god of battle. No, it would take the concentration and coordination of two individuals working together at the same time.

Each half of the spell focused on different parts of the body one wished to heal. One half focused on reconnecting the nervous system, while the other focused on healing damage to connective tissue such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, and even bones. From what Celestia could gather, during her search for the time-stopping spell, Twilight had glanced at and translated a portion of the healing spell, apparently the nervous system portion if the results to Volare’s wing were any indicator. While he could feel everything in his wing, because there wasn’t another pony there to cast the connective tissue portion of the spell, the tendons and muscles were simply rejoined and roughly knotted together, rather than correctly realigned and linked in the correct order. In short, the base of Volare’s wing had become nothing more than a chaotic bundle of blood vessels, muscles, and bones; no wonder he had no use for it!

Twilight softly banged her head on a bookshelf as it occurred to her how much pain and discomfort she’d caused the poor stallion, but Celestia reassured her that once they found the spell, she felt that Twilight had gained enough magical knowledge and strength to operate at the same level as either Luna or Celestia. When Volare’s mind and body were more solidly synced, either of the Royal Sisters could find time to escape their duties long enough to make the journey to Ponyville, dual-cast the spell with Twilight, and properly heal Volare’s wing for good.

However, after searching the Wing until the night had turned to dawn, the dawn had further evolved into noon, and the searching duo ran into dead end after dead end, they began to realize that that particular scroll must have been one of the ones that was stolen in the break-in, along with the transportation spell and a few other minor ones. Twilight Sparkle groaned audibly, but the Sun Goddess quickly alerted the patrolling guard, telling him to notify and summon Shining Armor to them, surmising that perhaps they’d over-looked it somehow; and if they had, the Captain of the Guard would surely know where it had gone, as he’d been head of the original investigation into the break-in.

Within a few minutes, Twilight’s brother galloped into the Wing, breathing hard from sprinting to the aid of his Princess. He quickly caught his breath and snapped her a crisp salute, which was a side of him that Twilight had rarely seen. But as he was currently serving the Princess of the Sun directly, he was very different from his usual, easy-going self. “At ease, Captain,” Celestia nodded and he relaxed slightly.

“You summoned me, my Princess?”

“Yes, I did. We…may have a problem, Shining Armor,” the princess looked at the stacks of scrolls lay piled about Twilight and herself. “You’re aware of the situation with Volare’s wing, correct?”

“Affirmative, ma’am,” he nodded sharply, snatching a quick glance at the unkempt appearance of Twilight, who seemed more flustered and worried than even he thought possible…he almost preferred the psychotic Unicorn that destroyed half his home in a fit of righteous anger over this bedraggled, hoof-twiddling little Unicorn he saw huddled next to the princess.

“Well, your sister and I have isolated the particular spell she attempted to use to heal him, but we can’t find it here. Do you know where it is, Captain?” she asked hopefully and gave a brief description of the incantation in question. After a few moments of pondering and searching his memory, Shining Armor sadly shook his blue-maned head.

“I’m sorry Princess, but that scroll was one of the ones that was stolen during the wedding attack and is still unaccounted for.” At his simple answer, Twilight groaned loudly and buried her face in her hooves. All the effort she’d put into the past two weeks…wasted and worthless!! She could just see Volare’s disappointed face now as she walked in the room and broke the news to him that he’d have to stay crippled indefinitely. But after a moment of nervous hoof shuffling by her brother and a comforting hoof on her shoulder from her mentor, Twilight’s mind cleared itself of its self-pity, and it began to turn again. She wiped her eyes and looked up with a question nearing her lips.

“But I just don’t get it,” she shook her head. “What would the Changelings want with a healing spell like that? You think Queen Chrysalis got really hurt?”

“I don’t think it was for that purpose, Twilight,” Celestia frowned. “Because at the time of the theft, Chrysalis had yet to be defeated or even harmed by Shining Armor and Cadance’s spell. So they wouldn’t need that particular spell at that time. Any ideas, Captain?”

“Only thing I can think of is they were just being generally destructive when they broke in here and stole those things; we have evidence of them breaking into and ransacking other buildings as well,” Shining Armor scratched his chin. “Thing is, only the Starswirl the Bearded Wing was entered during the break-in, and even then, not even forcibly.”

“Wait, so the door wasn’t broken down?” Twilight asked in shock. “But that means somepony must have opened it with a spell that only the Princesses, you, me, and the Guards know, right?”

“That’s correct,” her brother nodded. “I temporarily suspected a mole amongst my guards, but no conclusive evidence has surfaced to support that.”

“Well, it’s obvious that whatever broke in did so in order to get in here,” Twilight eyed the broken hourglass. “Who was here during the attack?”

“The only officer with the key-spell for the Wing besides me: Sergeant Greymane,” Shining Armor replied. “He volunteered to stay and guard the Archives when the Changelings broke through the barrier, while the Archive Guards went to assist in the fight.”

“Did he see what happened?”

“More than that,” Shining Armor suddenly shivered. “One moment and I’ll fetch him.” Within a few minutes, the Captain returned, followed closely behind by the older guard from the front of the building, having just returned to his shift at noon. “Sergeant Greymane, my Princess,” the Captain indicated the older officer, who bowed curtly.

“Afternoon, Sergeant. My student Twilight Sparkle has some questions for you regarding the break-in this past spring,” Celestia explained.

“Ah yes, by far the greatest blemish on my service record. Forgive me, ma’am,” the Sergeant grimaced and bowed again before addressing Twilight with a slight sigh. “I suppose you want to know what I saw that day, eh?”

“Yes, please,” the librarian nodded. “I’m just trying to make sense of a particular spell the Changelings apparently stole when they broke in.”

“Begging your pardon, Ms. Sparkle, but I’m here to tell ya that it’s my personal opinion that it wasn’t the Changelings that did it,” Greymane said with a one-eyed squint.

“Ugh, here we go again,” Shining Armor muttered under his breath as the Sergeant began his tale.

“What happened, Sergeant?” Twilight shot her brother a venomous sideways glance and beckoned the older officer to continue. He nodded and trotted out the barred door, glancing about the wide hallway until he was certain he was in the right place before speaking.

“Yeah, happened right here…Well, it was like this: Me and my Archive Guards were standing watch around and inside the building when the Changelings broke the barrier,” he pointed towards the door and the general direction of the palace. “I told them to go and help the citizens and I’d stay here and make sure nothing got into the building. Well, as I patrolled the halls, this…dark, shady thing just melted out of the shadows and began just strolling down the hall towards me, as if it were taking the grand tour of the place!” He snorted and bared his teeth for a moment before resuming.

“Anyways, I said ‘hey, you’re not supposed to be in here! There’s a battle going on! Who are you?’ But it didn’t answer. Instead, it just kept coming, and when I shined my hornlight at it, it ducked behind one of those tapestries outside,” he motioned to one of the long, flowing purple cloths. “When I investigated it, the thing was just gone! It wasn’t until I felt, rather than heard this presence behind me, and by the time I turned to look, it hit me in the side of the head and knocked me out cold; gave me a splitting headache that lasted a week, too! Strange thing was, before I hit the floor, I heard hoofsteps, so whatever that thing was, it had to be a pony of some sort! By the time I came to, the Starswirl Wing door had been opened. I charged in there, ready to murder something, but the place had already been ransacked, and whatever that thing was…it was gone! Whatever it was, it bucking knew what it was doing! Please forgive me of my shortcomings, your highness,” he bowed to Celestia yet again, who merely gave him a gentle brush of the grey mane he was named for.

“I’ve already forgiven you many times over, Sergeant,” she smiled softly. “You acted with the citizens of Canterlot in mind first, and that’s all I can truly ask of you.”

“But Sergeant,” Twilight interrupted the exchange. “You said you didn’t think it was a Changeling. Why?”

“Because, Ms. Sparkle,” his face grew slightly ashen. “When that thing snuck up behind me, I saw part of its face out of the corner of my eye before it hit me…it stood taller than me, unlike a short Changeling, and it didn’t have eyes like a Changeling,” he swallowed hard and shook his head. “Changelings have blue eyes, and while slanted and mean-looking, they’re full of life. This thing’s eyes…they were like dead things, dark green to the point of being nearly black…all flat and no light in them at all. I tell ya, Ms. Sparkle, they were the most soulless, lifeless, evil-filled things I’ve ever seen,” he shivered and shook his head again. “That’s all I remember, and trust me, I don’t want to remember it!”

“Eesh, I can understand that,” Twilight gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry for dredging up old memories, Sergeant. I was just curious.”

“It’s alright, ma’am,” he gave her the tersest of smiles. “But does that sound like a Changeling to you?”

“No, it really doesn’t,” the lavender Unicorn shook her head before her brother spoke again.

“Trust me, Twiley, we’ve done a complete investigation on this, and no creature in Equestrian history has eyes like that,” he frowned. “Begging the Sergeant’s pardon, but it might be something the blow to his head caused.”

“Meh, maybe you’re right, and maybe I’m right, but I know what I saw,” the gruff old Sergeant snorted. “Now then, if I can’t be of any further assistance, I’ll return to my post…no telling the trouble that Corporal out there is getting into without me to keep him in line, heh-heh.”

“Carry on, Sergeant,” Celestia nodded her consent. The officer snapped her a salute and trotted back down the hall and exited the front door from whence he came. “Well, to say this is a bit of a sticky situation would be an understatement, eh Captain?”

“Indeed it is, Princess,” he sighed and rubbed at his eyes; every time the Sergeant told him that tale, even though they couldn’t find evidence of that particular creature, the vividness of the way the officer told his tale…it greatly unnerved the young Captain of the Guard. He quickly shook away the thoughts and focused. “What does this mean for Volare and his wing, ma’am?”

“Captain, there’re no other officers around, you may drop the formalities,” Celestia chided him gently. “This means our solution to his problem will have to be further-delayed. However, perhaps this is fortuitous as well, because we were going to have to wait for at least a few more weeks for the link between his body and mind to become strong enough to handle that much magic at once. At the very least, now there can be no temptation to use the spell too early,” she smiled in apology.

“But if they haven’t found that scroll by now”- Twilight groaned, but Celestia cut her off.

“Now, now, it’s going to be fine, Twilight. From what you’ve told me, Volare is in good hooves with Fluttershy, and at the very least should be physically and mentally strong enough now to at least take this news,” she pursed her lips. “In the meantime, all we can truly do is to continue our search. Perhaps we overlooked it somehow or it got moved to another section of the Archives by mistake?”

“Fairly possible,” the Captain nodded once he noticed Celestia’s tone; doing what they could to keep Twilight from despairing. He gave his sister a quick one-hoofed hug. “We’re gonna find it, Twiley. Volare’s gonna be back to his old self again, I promise. And if it’ll help, I’ll go with you to help break the news to him when you return to Ponyville. If that’s alright with Celestia, that is,” the siblings turned to the Princess, who chuckled lightly.

“Of course it is,” she nodded. “Oh, that means Luna will have a decent escort now.”

“Wait, Luna is going too?” Twilight asked in surprise.

“Yes, she also said she’d like to meet Volare, as well as help him with the dreams you said he’d been having,” the Princess gave her a knowing look, and Twilight’s ears fell back for a moment. “Maybe soothe his mind if things are a little rough; she is the Princess of night, sleep, and dreams after all.”

“Right, right,” Twilight nodded before realizing the time. “Ah, it’s after noon, and we’re leaving the day after tomorrow!”

“Aha, well, in the meantime, I’d like you both to do a favor for me in regards to this spell going missing,” Celestia’s light tone had been replaced with a heavier, serious one. “Captain, have you heard any reports of ponies using dual-cast spells lately?”

“Not a peep, Celestia.”

“Good; I’d like to know if you do. Same with you, Twilight Sparkle. We don’t need any ponies running around Equestria all mentally unstable due to the over-use of something like that,” she suddenly smirked slightly. “Everypony knows that Twilight and I are quite enough.”

“Huh?” the librarian cocked her head at the Princess’ strange statement.

“Oh come now Twilight, don’t tell me you haven’t at least considered me a bit unhinged at some point?” she put on a rather creepy, hungry-looking grin.

“Um, Princess, do you feel ok?” Shining Armor took a step back, as did his sister.

“Celestia?” Twilight said rather meekly before the Sun Goddess broke into soft chuckles.

“Oh you know I’m just playing around,” she waved a hoof. “Just because I’m a Princess doesn’t mean I can’t have a laugh now and again, even in the most difficult of times such as these…which is when I personally think laughter is needed the most to keep hopes up.”

“Ah, right,” the Captain nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. His mind had flashed back to the Library a few days ago…yeah, reeeeeeally didn’t need that again…

“Haha, very funny,” Twilight snorted and rolled her eyes, but still couldn’t help but smile.

“In all seriousness though, keep an eye out for anypony acting…strangely and or doing things like that,” Celestia requested. “They may need to be questioned, especially if they’re using that particular spell, because that could lead right back to whoever stole it in the first place, and why. But for now, I’m a bit worn out mentally from doing this as well as keeping the sun on its course, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave. Good luck, Twilight, Shining Armor. I’ll see you again before you leave for Ponyville.”

And with that, the Princess left the siblings alone with their thoughts. After a beat, Shining Armor’s gaze met his sister’s. “Twiley, what you’re doing here…it really makes me proud, ya know? That you’re going through this stuff to help your friend like this.”

“Well, I kinda owe him, Shining,” she frowned. “I’m partially the reason he’s in this mess in the first place…”

“With Dash being the second party,” the Captain nodded. “Ah, that reminds me, you say you’re going back in two days?”

“Yes, why?”

“That’s the day of the Running of the Leaves. Didn’t you say Dash competes in that?”

“Yeah, she does…and Volare said he was going to-agh, horseapples!” Twilight facehoofed. “I promised Volare I’d run in the race against him, but at this rate, I dunno if I’ll get back in time to do that now…dammit. Letting you down again, Volare.” She thought back to the impromptu race they’d had in her Library and how she’d cheated using her magic...he said he owed her back for that. It was just over two weeks ago, but so much had happened recently that it seemed almost an eternity in the past.

“Hey, buck up,” Shining Armor hoofed her gently in the shoulder. “You’re doing what’s best for him and that’s what’s important; I’m sure he’ll understand that and forgive you for missing a little race, right? And if he doesn’t, well I’ll be there to set him straight,” he grinned fiercely.

“Heh-heh, yeah,” she cheered up and smiled. “He’s really gonna flip the hay out when he meets Princess Luna, I think.” She and her brother shared a hearty laugh before the Captain excused himself to return to his duties, leaving Twilight alone in the silent Starswirl Wing. She sighed and turned back to the scrolls, determined to give them one last go-through, hoping she and Celestia had missed it somehow…who knows, maybe there was an alternate spell somewhere in here…

Everfree Forest, Evening…

The hooded twin figures of Ray and Jill trotted quietly along the well-worn dirt path that penetrated deeper into the huge forest, heading southwest as they went. They’d recently convinced The Great and Powerful Trixie that it was probably a smarter idea to move her wagon further into the woods, to decrease their chances of being found. Earlier in the day, they’d huddled at the edge of the trees to the north, watching as Volare and the three fillies Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle, the latter sister to some of the Element Holders, romped and played around the cottage that Fluttershy lived in. They were accompanied by three Element Holders this time, and though they were out of earshot, it was plain to see that they were undertaking some sort of training focusing on Volare’s leg strength, as it involved lots of kicking, bucking, and jumping. But no minotaur, as Jill had laughingly pointed out.

“That was weird, eh?” Jill muttered in reference to earlier.

“Yeah, wonder why they’re all together like that, and why that Volare guy is suddenly running around with those kids,” Ray replied quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of the predators that stalked these woods…which was part of the reason why they’d not likely be found, for who was crazy enough to look for them in the Everfree?!

“Heh-heh, maybe he’s a foal creeper,” Jill snickered nastily, though Ray wasn’t nearly convinced.

“I dunno…then why would one of the fillies’ own sisters be there with them encouraging him?”

“Meh, maybe he’s just a good actor or something.”

“Well, either way, if they all keep hanging out like this, it’s not gonna make our jobs any easier…”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jill swatted at a branch that hung in her path. “One Element Holder is bad, but three? That’s bucking suicide. And if two of those brats are related to Holders, that’ll be just that much more heat on our flanks if we”-

“I know, I know…why ya think we were focusing on the Pegasus filly, Scootaloo? She has no family to come after us,” Ray sighed and kicked at a pebble as he trotted. “This was supposed to be simple; in-and-out. But this is getting more complicated by the”-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!! A MANTICORE!!!!!!!” the unmistakable scream of Trixie shredded the relative silence of the woods to pieces.

“What the hay?!” Jill growled, more on edge than ever. “That useless magician must be seeing things”-
RRRAAAAOOOOWWWRRGHH!!!!
At the sound of the growling roar coming from the same general area as Trixie’s wagon, both siblings broke into a gallop and tore down the trail, reaching the clearing within half a minute. As they broke into the glade, sure enough, they saw a huge red and yellow manticore was crouched outside of Trixie’s wagon, swiping at the door and biting at the “Great and Powerful Trixie” sign that hung above it. Aparently, they’d moved the wagon right into its territory, and it wasn’t about to stand for it.

“How dare you eat my sign!!” the blue Unicorn shouted from inside her wagon, hurling her mane-brush and hitting the great beast right on the nose. It growled and snuffled before snapping the sign off and throwing it across the clearing, tearing at the door in earnest and rocking the small wagon, threatening to tip it over. Trixe fired spell after spell at the manticore, from ropes that did little more than tangle its wings up, to sparklers and fireworks that only served to incense it further. The Unicorn finally noticed movement on the edge of the woods and saw her cohorts standing there, in all honesty having a good chuckle at the rather laughable sight.

“Well, don’t just stand there, you damn foals!!! The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you-agh, stop it, eeeeek!!!” she screamed as the manticore tore a wheel off the cart, knocking it on its side. It quickly jammed a massive paw into the window and hooked around inside, fishing out Trixie’s hat. “No, don’t eat my hat! Eat me before you eat my hat, you bucking monster! Oh no, no, no, no, no, I didn’t mean that literally!!!! Ray and Jill, help me you idiots!!!” she begged as the beast tossed the hat aside and went after the Unicorn again.

“Do we have to?” Jill rolled her eyes and looked to her somewhat more conscientious brother.

“Yeah, we have to.”

“Aww, why? This is hilarious,” she laughed again as the manticore tore another wheel off the cart while Trixie continued to spew nasty epithets at it. “Not like we really need that waste of space to do our mission, ya know.”

“Yeah, but she pays us real bits, and if she cuts us off, you won’t be able to hit the Gilded Griffon’s bar anymore…”

“…Oh buck that noise!” Jill growled and charged into the clearning, her brother right on her hooves. “Hey ugly! No not you, GPT; try this on for size!” She quickly channeled a spell through her mind and blew a great bout of fire from her horn, engulfing the manticore’s hind quarters and causing it to whirl in rage, swatting Jill across the face and sending her crashing against a tree. The beast covered half the glade in a single leap, aiming to bring its claws down on Jill’s body and tear her to pieces. But before it landed, Ray had grabbed it with a levitation spell, holding it in mid-air while Jill regained her senses, not noticing the blood trickling down from the claw marks her chest, only feeling the burning hate for this animal bursting forth. “Oh yeah? Hit me, mother-bucker?! Well, have some more of this!!!” She ignited the helpless manticore with her spell again.

The smell of burning flesh and fur permeated the air, as did the pitiful howls of the manticore who no longer wanted to fight; it only wanted to get away from these psychotic ponies! “Yeah, yeah, get some, hahahahaha!!!!” Jill cackled as the fire reflected in her eyes, pouring more flame onto the dying beast before Ray saw her malicious expression…and his resolve splintered. With a burst of magic, he snapped the manticore’s neck, mercifully ending its life before dropping it to he ground, extinguishing the flames with an ice spell before the forest burned down.

He looked to his sister, who was still breathing hard and snorting softly, still not noticing the amount of blood dripping down her chest and sprinkling the ground. “Jill…Jill?” he touched her gently with a hoof, and she snapped out of it, finally realizing she was bleeding heavily and collapsed onto the ground.

“Heh, I think we overdid it a bit, eh Ray?” she chuckled softly and winced. “How bad is it?”

“It’s pretty bad,” he frowned.

“Can we fix it? Please tell me it’s not that bad!”

“Oh yeah, it’s not that bad,” he chuckled. “You and I have given each other worse while scrapping. You ready?” her gaze met his.

“Ready,” she nodded. With a concentrated force of will, the two sibling charged a spell between them in the form of two glowing strands, one green and the other white. The strands intertwined and came together in a single glowing, rope-like shape that bound itself around Jill’s chest, sinking into her fur and making her cry out in pain before the glow subsided. She looked down to see her chest whole and unclawed, and she took a deep and welcome breath and grinned at her brother. “Seems like it gets easier everytime, Ray.”

“Practice makes perfect.”

“Eesh, hurts almost as bad as the original injury most times, though,” she rubbed her chest and grimaced. “You’d think whoever the hay invented this damn spell would have done it differently. And what’s up with it being a two-parter?”

“Search me,” Ray shrugged. “All I know is that it’s a good thing the Boss taught it to us, cuz we probably would’ve died at least 7 or 8 times by now, haha!”

“Well, you might have,” she hoofed her brother in the chest and leaned back against a tree. “He didn’t invent it, did he?”

“The Boss? Nah, cuz knowing him, if he did, he’d be taking credit left, right, and center for it,” Ray chuckled and sat next to his sister.

“Where’d he learn it from?”

“Who can say? From what I’ve gathered, the guy is older’n dirt, and probably picked it up somewhere along the way.”

“Meh, in any case, good thing he did…oh buck, what about the Great and Powerful dunderhead?” Jill glanced at the wagon wreckage, and the blue form that laid sprawled out beside it, unconscious but breathing.

“Looks shaken up, but she’ll live,” Ray chuckled.

“Good, cuz you don’t wanna cut me off from that Gilded Griffon booze,” Jill cackled softly. “Half the town would suffer my wrath, hee-hee.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Ray closed his eyes and sighed softly. “Hell of a night, eh sis?”

“Yeah,” she closed her eyes as well. “Hell of a night…”

Notes: DUN DUN DUN!
And sorry this took me a little longer than usual-work was a pain!
Who was it that broke into the Archives without actually breaking in...and why?!
Stay tuned!

EDIT: Credit for inspiration in this chapter goes to reader GHOST-091...he'll know why ^^
Thanks dude!

The Running-Pt 9: BBFAD

September 10th, Morning

Dig it out, Volare!! Consarnit, dig it out!!

Grr-I can’t—ragh!! This damn hay bale is too heavy-aaaagghh!!!

Hayseed, ya can’t! Ah know ya can, now ya dig it out and drag that bucker!! Dig-dig-dig-dig-dig!!!

To say that Volare slept like a rock would have been a gross understatement, as would the statement that Applejack made a half-decent drill sergeant when she put her mind to it. His fellow Crusaders and the country mare had run a myriad of exercises that amounted to a miniature Iron Pony competition, with the older Pegasus pitted against the younger trio for part of it, and against Applejack for other events with Pinkie and Fluttershy taking the role of moral support. While Volare could best any of the CMC individually, as a team they very nearly equaled him in strength events such as the tug-of-war, where after a best two out of three, they were all four covered from head to hoof in mud. Iron Will even tried his hand at wrestling Pinkie Pie, but somehow, she always managed to slip behind him then trip or knock him down, giggling the entire while as if it were no big deal. He finally gave up and went to nurse his pride on the back porch, much to the amusement of everypony present.

Volare then tried his hoof against Applejack in events such as the long jump, and the high jump, but she beat him like a cheap drumset in everything except the barrel weave (though he was fairly certain she let him win that one). They’d then attempted a hoof-wrestling contest, and she’d offered multiple times to let him off easy, but he’d insisted through gritted teeth that he wasn’t going to quit as the CMC cheered him on to the point where Applejack actually had to put forth a fair amount of effort. By the fourth time he’d been thrown to the ground, he could hardly feel his throbbing hoof anymore and had to very nearly be carried into the house at sunset, Applejack scratching her mane at how hard-headed this guy was.

Much the same as yesterday, Volare had to be roused from his slumber on Fluttershy’s couch. But this time, instead of insistent knocking, it was a gentle shaking of his shoulder that brought him back to consciousness. As he opened his eyes and yawned, he followed the butter-yellow hoof on his shoulder back to its owner, who had settled herself on the couch next to him and was looking at him with worry evident on her face. “Huh, Fluttershy? What time is it? Is everything ok? Did Angel Bunny get lost?” Wait, did I just say that…with concern?!

“Oh, no, he’s ok…I’m sorry to wake you so early, Volare,” she withdrew her hoof and glanced briefly at the east-facing window before returning her sea-blue gaze to his. “But I was just a little worried about something that’s been bothering me since Pinkie and I started talking about it…” Volare’s worry subsided a bit as he realized what she was talking about.

“Ah, about what I’ll do after Twilight returns and my wing gets fixed, right?”

“Yes, that,” she nodded once and sighed. “She also said that she and Applejack told you about Scootaloo, right?”

“Mhm, that’s right,” he frowned and looked down at his hooves. “She’s…had a rough life for such a young kid…”

“Yes, she really has,” Fluttershy withdrew behind her mane for an instant, and Volare could have sworn he heard a slight sniffle before she poked her face back out. Well, that’s kinda convenient…
But the extra bit of moisture in her eyes was hard to hide in plain sight.
“Except for when she’s been moved to each of our homes, Scootaloo’s been alone for most of her life…no brothers or sisters.”

“I know,” he nodded solemnly. “And ever since I’ve known, I’ve been wanting to help somehow…I just can’t think of a good way to, ya know? I can’t fly, I don’t have a job to help pay for anything…jeez, that’s something else I need to be thinking about, too.”

“What’s that?”

“Getting a job, Fluttershy,” he looked up from his hooves. “It’s what the Crusaders made me realize yesterday: that life’s a little easier when you have a purpose. Now, I may not have a Cutie Mark or know what I can do here yet, but if I’m going to be staying here, I’d best get off my flank and at least start looking for purpose, ya know?”

“That’s what made their offer so sweet, Volare,” Fluttershy smiled. “As young as they are, I think they know that too. For me, it’s taking care of creatures. For Applejack, it’s, well, apples, hee-hee.”

“For Rarity it’s fashion; for Twilight, it’s knowedge.” And perhaps a little OCD, heh-heh…I wonder what a mark for that would look like.

“Yes, and for Pinkie, it’s parties and laughter,” the Element of Kindness smiled.

“And for Rainbow Dash…it’s just being awesome,” Volare chuckled.

“Very,” Fluttershy shared his laughter about her long-time friend. But after a moment, her expression became serious again. “I see what you mean now: you’re very right. It’s much easier when you know what to do with yourself.”

“Right, and so as soon as I can fly and can perform at my potential, I’ve gotta start looking for my purpose! Holy crap, I am a Crusader,” he laughed heartily before noticing that Fluttershy still wasn’t. Rather, she’d returned to that same worried look she’d woken him up with. “Hey, Flutters…there’s something else still on your mind, right?”

“…there is,” she finally replied, though not without effort. “It’s about Scootaloo…about her…eep, I just can’t say it!” She hid behind her mane again, prompting Volare to sit up straight and squeeze her hoof for a moment.

“Fluttershy, it’s ok…what’s wrong? You can tell me,” he urged, but she shook her head twice.

“No, I don’t know how…it wouldn’t be fair to…to ask you to do it,” she replied haltingly, just unable to put into words what needed to be said…as happy as the little dear had become, it just wasn’t fair to ask this! “I thought I could tell you, but then you don’t even have your mark or know what to do here, and it just wouldn’t be fair to burden you with more right now,” she peeked out from behind the pink curtain, tears welled up in her eyes. This wasn’t the strong Fluttershy he’d grown accustomed to over the past two weeks…and it rather worried him.

“Fluttershy, if you can’t tell me, it’s fine,” he patted her hoof gently. “I’m not mad at you. How could I be? You’ve helped me so much since I’ve gotten here. You’ve helped get me back into shape. You’ve helped me eat healthier, that’s for sure,” she smiled the tiniest of smiles at that. “And you’ve helped me gain a lot of my confidence back. Did you know that in a week, I haven’t had one, single nightmare about falling? It’s all been about flying, being on the breeze, and walking on clouds. That’s gotta mean we’ve made progress, right?”

“I-I guess so,” she sniffled.

“I know so,” he smiled, allowing her to regain her composure.

“Ok, lemme try again,” she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, counting to ten in her head as she did so before turning back to Volare. “Ok, I can’t say it directly; I think I’ll just leave that up to Pinkie…it’s just what she said that you said about Scootaloo that got to me, I guess.”

“What’s that?”

“…about you wanting to do anything you can to take care of her.”

And so this conversation comes full circle.
“Right, and I promised I wouldn’t let her down,” he nodded sharply.

“I know, Pinkie told me that too,” Fluttershy pursed her lips for a moment before speaking again. “If you didn’t know how you’d help, then why’d you promise that?” Her sudden question struck him like a thunderbolt, and he leaned back on an elbow to contemplate that one.

Why had he? Was it because he felt like he needed to do more than he already had? But she was right: how could he with no job and no way to fly yet? Maybe he didn’t care…maybe it wasn’t because he needed to, but because he wanted to…because maybe helping her would right a wrong he never could on Earth…was that selfishness or something else? He really didn’t know.
“Fluttershy…I really don’t know why I promised that, but I swear I was sincere in it,” he tried to gauge her reaction, but for the emotional character she was, she had a pretty damn good poker face when she wanted to. “I just don’t wanna let Scoots down and…I just want her to have a great a life as she deserves, and I…I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Sorry if it sounds delusional, but that’s the honest truth.”

The yellow mare looked at him for a moment longer before suddenly giving him a brief but firm hug. She pulled away quickly, blushing slightly at what she’d just done

“Not that I’m not enjoying the hugs, but why am I suddenly everypony’s wooby?” Volare laughed lightly.

“Oh, erm, sorry for that. It’s just…if you do get a job, will you stay in the area at least? I’m not saying don’t get a job in Canterlot or Hoofington or someplace farther away, but…Scootaloo won’t be the only one sad to see you go if you do, especially so soon…”

“Trust me, if I can find a job in the area, I’ll take it,” he gave her a reassuring smile. “Not only to stay close to Scoots, but to you guys too. You’re great friends, Fluttershy…and I think that’s something I’ll need if I’m gonna live here,” the yellow mare looked up as he wiped his eyes.
“I’m ok. Just…it’s not you guys at all, but as great as Ponyville is so far…I’m kinda homesick too, ya know?” he scratched his mane sheepishly.

“I felt the same way when I left Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “It’s not quite the same as your situation, but I found the more I stayed here, the more I grew to love it. Not saying you shouldn’t miss your home, just saying there’s no reason you can’t visit…oh my, I’m sorry…” She cut herself off and pressed her hooves to her mouth, awaiting Volare’s certain backlash at her statement. But to her surprise, it didn’t come. Instead, a small thoughtful expression began to creep across Volare’s face.

“It’s ok, Fluttershy. You actually just gave me an idea.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, what you said about visiting…you think since Dash and Twilight brought me here via spell, they could send me back temporarily, just to check on things and tie up loose ends?”

“I dunno,” Fluttershy tilted her head. “But it’d certainly be something to ask her about once she comes back.”

“Indeed. And in the meantime,” he hopped to his hooves and stretched. “I’ve got a race to run and a job to fi-ow, jeez,” he hissed in a breath as he stretched his right foreleg

“Oh my, are you ok?” Fluttershy bent down to investigate the hoof he was holding off the ground.

“Oh yeah, I’m good. Just a little sore from hoof-wrestling AJ, that’s all.” The chuckle died in his throat as the yellow mare gave him a withering look.

“Volare, as happy as I am for you getting stronger and getting your confidence back, you’ve really got to know when to quit.”

“I know, I know, but it was just a game and I didn’t wanna let my Crusaders down, I guess. Heh-heh, kinda dumb, huh?”

“Very dumb...but sweet too,” she shook her head and smiled before shooing him towards the bathroom. “Now go and wash your face and wake up; the CMC and Pinkie should be here soon.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going,” he laughed as he limped slightly to the washroom. “All the same though, I really hope we’re not doing another mini Iron Pony competition today.”

“I don’t think so,” Fluttershy called from the kitchen. “You need to take it easy and rest up for the Running tomorrow.”

“Yeah, don’t need Twilight freaking out when she shows up thinking I’ve gone and hurt myself doing something stupid while she was gone, hahaha,” the blue Pegasus laughed. “No telling what she’d do if she came back and I was in the hospital or something!”

“Aww, whatcha mean we ain’t doin’ what we did yesterday?” Applebloom whined as Fluttershy broke the news to her. She glanced towards the washroom where Volare was still in the process of cleaning up.

“Because Volare is hard-headed enough that, despite what I’ve told him, he won’t always stop when he should,” the yellow mare explained gently.

“Aww rats,” Scootaloo crossed her hooves and pouted before Sweetie Belle spoke up.

“Actually, I think this is kinda smart. I mean, Volare did hurt his hoof yesterday against Applejack, and he needs to take it easy or else he can’t run in the race tomorrow.”

“Oh hay, and that means I won’t get my Personal Trainer cutie mark,” Scootaloo gasped as it dawned on her. “Yeah, let’s take it easy on him today…but that’s just sooooooo boring!”

“Maybe we can take him into Ponyville today instead?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “I mean, when’s the last time he was there that he wasn’t injured or running so fast nopony could talk to him?”

“I dunno,” Applebloom hesitated.

“I’ll take you all by Sugarcube Corner for treats later~” Pinkie practically sang. That did the trick, and by the time that Volare exited the washroom, the trio had worked themselves up into a sugar-craving frenzy.

“Volare! Volare!!” Scootaloo grinned as she tackled him. “Guess what we’re doing today!”

“Um, I heard something about Ponyville. What’s up?” he chuckled.

“Pinkie’s gonna take us into town so you can talk with other ponies and then we’re gonna go to Sugarcube Corner for treats!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. Volare gave Pinkie a mock-horrified look.

“Oh really? You sure that’s not hazardous behavior, Pinkie?”

“Hrm? Nah, Ponyville’s seen worse,” she waved a hoof dismissively. “Come on, let’s go! See ya Fluttershy!”

“Crusaders, we’re off to Ponyville!” Scootaloo crowed as she hopped up on Volare’s back, and leaned her forehooves on his head, as if it were the wheel of a ship, though she nearly tumbled off once Volare began to trot forward. He quickly steadied her with his good wing and laughed heartily at how adorably rough-around-the-edges she was.

“You like it up there, eh?” he winked.

“Yep, gives me a better vantage point for crusading. Heh, I could get used to this!”

Same here, Scoots…

“Bye girls! Bye Volare,” the Element of Kindness waved. “Have fun and-oh, morning Angel,” she said as she felt a tug at her hoof. The bunny pantomimed being woken up by a bunch of screaming, giggling kids again and gave a small snort at the end of it. “Ah, I’m sorry. They’ll be in town all day, so it’ll give you plenty of time to sleep.” The small bunny face-pawed and stomped back into the house, leaping into his basket and curling up quickly, hoping they’d take their noise elsewhere for a while…a long while!

“Well, well, you must be the feller that flew through Twilight Sparkle’s window, I take it?” a dapple-grey Unicorn with the bushiest white eyebrows Volare had ever seen laughed and slapped the counter inside Mustang Hardware as the Pegasus entered the building, leaving Pinkie and the rest of the CMC outside for a moment. The Unicorn approached the spike-maned Pegasus, levitating a small pair of glasses out of his vest pocket and placing them on the end of his nose before looking Volare up and down. “Well, no wonder ya didn’t fit through it; you’re so dang tall! Oh, pardon me, name’s Ferrum Smithshoe, but you can just call me Ferrum; I run Mustang Hardware and have for a long, long time,” he stuck his weathered hoof out for Volare to shake.

“Volare,” he replied with a curt nod. “I, uh…don’t believe we’ve met. How do you know me?”

“Heh, saw ya half a month ago walkin’ round town with Twilight and her friends; I’d never forget a crazy mane like that,” he ruffled the Pegasus’ spiky mane with a chuckle.

“Heh, yeah, it’s pretty wacky,” he conceded.

“That and she told me about what happened, so don’t think I’ve been following you around or anything, cuz that’d just be weird as hay, am I right?” he nudged Volare with an elbow and chuckled again. “Just happen to have insider info of sorts. Ah, she also mentioned something about having your wing…er,” he trailed off, not sure of how sensitive a subject that might be.

“This, yeah,” Volare shrugged his crippled right wing forward. “Result of me being stupid, and now I’m paying for it. Luckily Twilight was there right after it happened.”

“Yep, she’s a pretty amazing Unicorn; much better than I ever was, heh-heh,” he gestured to the twisted and hammered pieces of iron that adorned the walls. “Best I could ever really do was abstract metal-working.”

“Oh come on, they’re not that bad,” Volare tried not to wince.

“Son, I’ve been around the block more times than I care to count, and I can sorta tell most times when a pony is fibbing,” he gave him a world-wise look. “No need to be gentle with me, kid; I am a blacksmith after all! Oh hello, there,” his gaze drifted towards the trio of fillies peeking around the edge of the front door. “Friends of yours?”

“Huh, oh yeah, Crusaders, come on in,” Volar beckoned with a nod. “Ferrum’s a good guy, I think. He won’t bite.”

“But he smells weird,” the Pegasus heard Sweetie Belle mutter under her breath before Applebloom gave her a soft kick in the hoof.

“Hey, so does Grannysmith. All old ponies smell like that, plus it’s kinda rude ta point it out,” Applebloom hissed before Scootaloo shook her head and pushed the door open.

“Ugh, you guys really need to learn some sutta…er-suttu…”

“Subtlety,” Volare face-hoofed as they walked in. He turned to introduce them to Ferrum, but instead was met by a strange look on the old Unicorn’s face. “Ferrum?”

“These aren’t your foals, are they?” he asked in surprise.

“Nah, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Volare is out newest member,” Scootaloo preempted everypony with a proud grin. “None of us have our cutie marks yet, and so we’ve all teamed up to help each other figure them out! Cool idea, huh? Whoa, I’ve never been in here before-check out all this stuff,” she shouted as she ran down one of the aisles, the two other fillies thundering right behind her. Ferrum chuckled and turned to Volare.

“Heh-heh, that true, Volare?”

“About us being in a group like that?” the Pegasus asked nervously, not quite sure how he was going to react. “Mhm, from what I gathered, Grannysmith kinda talked them into it, and…well, I’m kinda a sucker for puppy eyes, so I said yes.”

“Ah, I see,” Ferrum nodded and smiled. “Well, that’s awful sweet of them to wanna help like that. What all do ya do?”

“Oh, um, I’ve only just recently been added, but for now, they’re helping me train for the Running of the Leaves”- he winced as something weighty crashed on a back aisle.

“Ah’m ok!” Applebloom’s sheepish groan filtered up to them, making Ferrum shake his head and shrug. Dented metal could be hammered out, no problem.

“Well, that’s mighty impressive that you’re wanting to run that race so soon after getting hurt. Kinda reminds me of myself when I was young and stupid,” he indicated a missing tooth in his mouth as Volare rolled his eyes. Gee, thanks... “Did anypony ever tell ya about the time I got in a fight with a Timberwolf, and”-
CRASH

“My gosh, Scootaloo, you’re not supposed to climb on that!” Sweetie Belle’s squeak carried over the sound of crunching glass. Volare growled softly and smiled apologetically to the older Unicorn who was doing his best 'friendly grandpa who knows kids will be kids, but is still this close to popping a blood vessel anyway' impression.

“Um, maybe some other time, Ferrum; I’d better wrangle these three before they break something really important!” As he looked back to the aisles, a door in the back wall slowly opened, and a gasp from Applebloom reached their ears.

“Holy hay, what in tarnation is this?!” Without warning, Ferrum quickly pushed past Volare and hurried toward the door with a speed that belied his old age.

“A-ah, youngin’, that’s a private room!” he cried, magically levitating the farm filly out of the room and shutting the door again. “Just got a lot of breakable, irreplaceable stuff back there. Sorry, kiddo.” Ferrum seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but Volare was getting embarrassed!

“Crusaders, front and center!” he barked sharply. Within moments, the other three fillies trotted forward and saluted without prompt, nearly making Volare crack a proud little grin, but he held firm and addressed them. “Ok, what’s gotten into you three? We’re Crusaders, and we’re better than little baby foals that run around and break stuff, right?”

“Right!” they all three replied in unison, making Ferrum, who was leaning on a shelf and watching them, cover his mouth with a hoof to stifle a laugh.

“Now then, tell Mr. Smithshoe you’re sorry, and let’s move on out!”

“Sorry Mr. Smithshoe,” the three apologized sullenly and headed for the door.

“Sorry for the mess, Ferrum,” Volare apologized. “I’ll be getting a job soon and I’ll figure out a way to pay for the damage.”

“Aww, don’t ya worry none, sonny,” he waved a hoof dismissively. “Kids are gonna be kids no matter whatcha do; though I will say it looks like ya got’em fairly under control there, heh-heh.”

“We can only hope,” the Pegasus shook his head and sighed. “We haven’t even made it to Sugarcube Corner yet…”

“Wait a sec,” the blacksmith’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me they weren’t all sugar-rushed in here like I thought they were?!”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I kinda wish they were…least we’d know the worst it could get.”

“Goddess help us,” Ferrum muttered. “Think I should lock my front door?”

“Couldn’t hurt.”

“Will do…say, before ya go, you wouldn’t by chance be a military pony…ya know, by the way ya handled them young’ins like that?”

“As a matter of fact, I am, yeah. Got a good amount of flight hours under my belt before this happened,” he missed the look that passed Ferrum’s face as he looked back at his wing. “Never really got up the ranks though, so I guess I’m just giving them a little of what I got myself.”

“Interesting,” the blacksmith quickly smiled and nodded at the door. “Better get after’em, Volare. And it was nice meetin’ ya! Have Twilight bring ya with her next time she needs any hardware, and we’ll shoot the breeze some more, ya hear?”

“Sounds like a plan, sir! See ya!” he waved and galloped off after the trio, hoping Pinkie hadn’t let them get too far, leaving Ferrum alone with his thoughts for the moment. Hrm, that’s funny…could have sworn that Twilight said he’d only been flying a little while…and why no cutie mark on a feller that big? Hrmph, at least those kiddos are helping him…they’ll keep each other busy for sure, heh-heh!

Luckily for everypony, Pinkie Pie was on top of things, and had corralled the CMC fillies before they could go wandering off. In order to keep them from getting into too much more trouble, she offered to take them on to Sugarcube Corner herself and meet Volare there in a little bit. This sounded like a good plan to him, and they went their separate ways as Volare spotted a familiar building caddy-corner to the hardware store. Occupying the front of the wrap-around porch of said building were two equally familiar ponies, one mare sweeping and another mare sitting at a table and taking her afternoon tea. As he approached, the grey, bow-tie-wearing mare drinking her tea nearly dropped her cup in shock.

“V-Volare?!” she asked as she half stood before setting her cup down. “It’s been weeks, I-oh, bollocks, where are my manners?” she finally got to her hooves and trotted down the short flight of porch stairs to meet him, eying his still-crippled wing. “How’ve you been?”

“Heh, been doing fine, Octavia, thanks for asking,” he smiled and trotted back up to the porch, where the blue and pink-maned mare had sat her broom against the wall and paused in her work. “How about you, Bon-Bon?”

“Oh, we’ve been making ends meet here at the old Gilded Griffon,” she chuckled and patted the wall, prompting a piece of roofing to slide off the top of the building and crash to the ground. “Oh, who am I kidding; this place is really going to the dogs due to lack of business,” she moaned into her hooves and sank into a chair. Concerned, Volare sat down opposite her, with Octavia reassuming her position next to her tea.

“Jeez, what’s been going on? Have you guys gotten in touch with Fancypants yet?”

“Fancypants!?” Octavia gasped. “As in the Fancypants!?”

“Yes, the Fancypants,” Bon-Bon nodded. “Volare met him on his first day here and he said he really liked this café. Ever since then, Lyra and I have been trying to contact him, because we figured if he sponsored the place, business would surely pick up! Urgh, I should have just stuck to candy-making…” She plunked her head down on the table. Octavia, meanwhile, looked at Volare in shock.

“I-I can’t believe you met him,” the classical mare gushed. “I mean, I’ve seen him once or twice around Canterlot, but ever since I moved here, I’ve only heard rumors of him dropping by once in a blue moon. Oh, if only I could meet him in person! How’d you meet him yourself?”

“Thanks for that gratuitous outpouring of support there, Octy; really appreciate it,” Bon-Bon groaned into the tabletop.

“Ah, my apologies, Bon-Bon,” she patted her friend’s mane gently and took another sip of her tea. “Volare, surely you know that Fancypants is a very important pony, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what everypony’s been telling me since I ran into the guy,” the Pegasus nodded.

“And you’ve spoken with him yourself…perhaps you could go to Canterlot and find him,” she tapped her hoof on the table. “You know, tell him that this business would benefit from his support. That your friends need his help.”

“Aha, using me as leverage, are we, Octy?” Volare chuckled dryly.

“No, no need for that, actually,” Bon-Bon looked up. “Surely you’ve noticed my self-proclaimed better half is missing.” Her strange statement caused both Octavia and Volare to double-take before the cream mare face-hoofed. “I meant Lyra.”

“Ah yeah, now that you mention it, it is a bit more quiet than usual here,” Octavia nodded. “Where is she?”

“She’s gone to Canterlot herself for a couple of reasons; one being that she’s got a weekend job there at the palace…lucky her,” she snorted. “But while she’s there, she promised to search out Fancypants and ask for his help, so no need for Volare to worry about that. He needs to focus more on recovering from his accident,” she indicated his trussed-up wing.

“Ah yes, again, my apologies Volare,” the cellist smiled apologetically. “I’ve been so busy lately I nearly forgot.”

“It’s alright, Octavia,” he smiled in return, though inwardly he found it amusing that Lyra was not only searching out pants, but Fancypants… “I’m actually feeling loads better. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, and the CMC have been helping me recover and build my confidence back up so when Twilight comes back with the right spell to fully fix my wing, I’ll be ready for it. In the meantime, I’m planning on participating in The Running of the Leaves tomorrow.”

“Aha, jolly good, Volare!” Octavia grinned. “I’m glad to see you moving so quickly down the road to recovery.”

“Same here; ooh, that means you’ll be running against Lyra, since she’ll be back tomorrow morning before the race begins,” Bon-Bon added, though she couldn’t help but frown at the fallen roof shingle. Chuckling lightly, Volare picked up the shingle, and placed it on the porch.

“You know, once I can fly again, I wouldn’t mind helping to fix this roof,” he nodded upwards. “I may not know much about roofing, but old Ferrum said he has all the tools I’d need…just gotta find a job to buy them with, eh-heh…” His ears drooped as he realized he was yet again getting ahead of himself. To his surprise, he felt a hoof grasp his shoulder and he turned to see Bon-Bon staring at him with pleading eyes.

“Y-you’re serious?”

“Well, yeah, you guys need the help, and I don’t really know what to do with myself here quite yet…so why not?”

“Oh, thank you, Volare!” Bon-Bon smiled. “Every little bit helps, you know?”

“Indeed,” he eyed the falling bits of ceiling and the warped floor that Twilight had tripped over weeks ago. Jeez, a lot of help wouldn’t hurt either… “So that’s my promise to you; I’ll help you fix this place up, and if Lyra can’t get in contact with Fancypants, I’ll do my best to myself,” he pounded a hoof on the table, making Octavia jump.

“Oh, that reminds me,” the classical mare’s pale purple eyes met his. “You remember Vinyl Scratch, right; my roommate?”

“How could I forget,” he thought back to the literal rave scene that had played in his head the first time he listened to her music. “How’s she faring?”

“Oh, much better than here; no offense, Bon-Bon.”

“None taken,” Bon-Bon said through a forced smile.

“Right, well, she’s off touring at the moment, but she’ll be back tomorrow evening. She wants to talk to you once she does get back in town, Volare.”

“What about?” he cocked his head.

“The very reason why she’s suddenly so successful,” Octavia said a bit grudgingly. “That music that you played for us a few weeks ago, the songs she recorded…she went home and mixed that music into her-ugh-wub music and has been blasting that all over her current tour. According to her, it’s fresh, it’s awesome, and she needs more of it from you. And you say I’m using you as leverage,” she chortled.

“No kidding. Well, at least I helped somepony.”

“Yes, well, as I’ve said, she’ll be back tomorrow evening, and in her letters, she been positively raving-no pun intended-about that music you gave her, so just be aware that she might do something…rather rash next time she sees you,” the grey mare said abashedly.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Volare nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for her.”

“Oh trust me, you’ll probably hear her before you see her,” Bon-Bon chuckled. “Not that I envy her or anything, but outside of the Element Holders, Vinyl may be this town’s biggest celebrity.”
Poor Spike…left out again, Volare thought.
“I’ll bet if I had the sound equipment necessary, she could use the Griffon as a venue; that outta bring in business for sure…but I guess it costs money to make money…Lyra, I really hope you find Fancypants.”

“Well, as I said, if I can get a decent job, I’ll help you fix the place up right,” the blue Pegasus assured her. “Heck, why stop with the roof, right?”

“You’d really do that for us?” Bon-Bon returned to her pleading stare, to which he simply nodded. “YES!! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” To all of their surprise, Bon-Bon’s display drew a small group of ponies closer to the café, and she quickly put on her business face and ran out to usher them into the building. Octavia shook her head.

“Ah, poor Bon-Bon,” she mused as she idly ran her hoof along the rim of her cup. “If she could offer decent pay, I’d play here to help too…but alas, a mare has to eat, right?”

“Indeed,” Volare agreed solemnly, though a plan to help was already beginning to form in his mind. He just needed to get back in the air, dammit!

Canterlot…

After breaking the bad news to Cadance and Shining Armor about hers and Celestia’ inability to find the right spell for Volare’s wing, Twilight returned to the Archives building the following day in a last-ditch attempt to find an alternative spell. But after re-skimming the Starswirl the Bearded Wing and finding nothing but more dead ends, she resigned herself to the fact that the spell was well and truly gone. She was absolutely certain her recollection of that spell had come from that room, as she had never had reason to visit the Archives Building beforehand, and that logic at the very least stopped her from tearing through the rest of the Archives in desperation.

But as she flipped through an ancient manuscript on constellation movement, she began to go back over the Sergeant’s account of the theft again. There was something about the entire break-in that just didn’t sit right with the librarian. The fact that whatever that thing had been that had disabled the Sergeant could somehow obtain the pass-spell that only the most-trusted of Canterlot ponies carried. But as Shining Armor had said, the investigation had turned up nothing, that all other ponies that knew the spell had an alibi. So how did that thing get in there without forcing the door and leave without a trace so quickly?!

That was something else that unsettled the Unicorn: whatever it was, it knew what it was looking for, and general destruction notwithstanding, it could have done so much more damage than just the shattered hourglass and mirrors in the roughly 10 minutes that the Sergeant was out-cold. Perhaps it knew of the protection spells on many of the manuscripts that could counter-attack a potential destroyer…but that would imply that the intruder had been in there before and had either experienced them itself or had prior knowledge of them. But that all led back to the intruder having been there before…and nopony knew who it could have been; on top of that, it still left the question of the broken glass. And with no evidence to go on, the case was unclosed, but for all intents and purposes, was dead in the water. All they could do was damage control in the form of repairs, tighter security, and the relocation of the stolen scrolls.

There was one last thing that Twilight kept turning over and over again in her mind, and it was something she’d questioned Shining Armor on the previous evening. It involved his protection spell and when he began to cast it. He’d explained that a threat had been discovered against Canterlot barely a week before the wedding, but what it was exactly, he claimed was still classified information, as that was still being investigated.
“Why ask about my spell, though?”

“Because depending on when you started casting it, that intruder might have already been inside Canterlot by then, which would explain why you never detected it,” Twilight explained.

“Ugh, still hung up on that, eh Twiley?”

“Yes, it’s just been bugging me how something like that either got through your spell undetected, which we know is nearly impossible, or it was already in the city when you cast it…or,” her eyes widened in realization. “The intruder knew of when the Changelings were going to break through your spell, and was waiting outside the barrier when it happened…which would imply collusion with the Changelings!” she declared.

“Or…it could mean somepony just took advantage of the general chaos of the situation,” the Captain shook his mane. “You’re a smart kid, and you know there’s still too many variables to jump to conclusions just yet. Just leave the investigation to us, Twiley; you’ve got enough to worry about as it is with helping Volare.”

“Oh, fine,” she’d pouted and trotted off to try to rest, knowing that security issues were delicate matters, but not appreciating being left out of the loop either.

The Unicorn closed the worn manuscript with a thump and sighed. She sat it back on its appropriate shelf and trotted for the door, disappointed that this little venture back to her hometown had done more to raise further questions rather than answer previous ones. Sergeant Greymane greeted her at the door with a curt nod and closed the portcullis with a clang, his pass-spell snicking the deadbolts back into place before escorting Twilight out of the building.
“I appreciate your extra effort into this, Ms. Sparkle,” the older Unicorn spoke up, breaking the silence of the structure.

“Yes, well, if you don’t mind my saying, something just stinks about this whole break-in and theft,” she snorted. “It just doesn’t add up!”

“I’ve been saying that for months, ma’am, but I’m just a low-ranking NCO; that investigation stuff is for the higher-ups,” he rolled his eyes. “And that’s a desk job I promised myself I’d never accept. Hay, I’ll patrol and protect this city till my hooves wear off if I have to; seems to be more honor in that, or at least that’s what my increasingly senile mind tells me, heh-heh!”

“Well, that’s very admirable, Sergeant,” Twilight acknowledged him. “And I don’t think you’re senile.”

“Why thank you for the kind words, ma’am,” he gave her a small bow as they stepped out the front door of the Archives. “I wish you the best of luck in helping your friend, and if I don’t see you before you leave tomorrow, I likewise wish you a safe journey home!”

“Thanks, Sergeant,” she waved a hoof. “Good night!”

“Pleasant dreams, Ms. Sparkle,” he snapped her a crisp salute and returned to his patrol.

On the way back to her siblings’ home, Twilight felt a shadow slide over her own, and she looked up to see Princess Luna landing next to her, in broad daylight no less!
“Whoa, Luna, what’re you doing out so early…er, late?”

“I believe early would be the correct term of phrase, Twilight,” the princess smiled warmly. “And we’ve been meeting enough in the daytime lately to make your surprise seem rather…out of place.”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that Luna. I’m just frustrated because neither I nor Celestia could find the spell to help out Volare,” she hung her head.

“Ah, I see. Well, please don’t take my question as too terribly crass, but I was wanting to know your departure time for Ponyville tomorrow, so that I won’t delay you too horribly.”

“Well, I had promised Volare that I’d be in The Running of the Leaves with him, but”- she yawned involuntarily. “Ah, ‘scuse me! I don’t think I’m in any condition to do that; I’m just mentally burned out from staying up so late and doing so much research at once…”

“It’s quite alright, Twilight. I’m sure Volare will understand,” she gently patted the smaller Unicorn on the head. “You’ve done all you could do to help him here. Now, chin up! Even though we can’t help him with his wing, that doesn’t mean we have to go to Ponyville with sullen faces, now does it?”

“No, I suppose not,” Twilight shook her head and smiled. “Thanks, Luna. I’ll be leaving in the afternoon so you can have some time to rest after your moon duties. You're welcome to lunch at my brother and sister's home as well.”

“Ah, that’s very considerate of you, thank you,” Luna gave a short bow. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to Ponyville…I hope I don’t terrify them as badly as I did the last time I showed up.”

“Nah, they know who you are now,” Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “Plus you’ll be there in the daytime and that’ll probably put their minds a bit more at ease.”

“We can only hope. I shall see you anon, Twilight Sparkle!” The Moon Goddess gave her one last nod before taking off again for the West Tower, leaving the Unicorn to wonder how the Ponvyville Express engineer would react to having Luna on the train…oh well.

The West Tower…

“Crap!” a frustrated cry echoed down the first floor hall and caught Celestia’s attention. The Sun Goddess looked up from a letter she was composing and listened.
“Double crap and hayseed!” Curious, Celestia sat her letter aside and went to investigate the cursing, the source of which turned out to be a mint-green Unicorn in her employ on the weekends pacing back and forth just outside the door to the Royal Gardens.

“Lyra Heartstrings, is something wrong?” Celestia asked, causing the Unicorn to whirl in surprise and nearly fall on her face in shock.

“Wha-uh, Princess!” Lyra bowed hastily. “No-nothing’s wrong, I just”-

“Please, I’m not mad,” Celestia assured her with a warm smile. “That letter was dreadfully boring anyway. Come, tell me what’s got you all hot and bothered.” She hooked her legs under herself and sat on the grass, while, much to her amusement, Lyra hopped on a stone bench and sat on her flank like a human would.

“Well…you sure I’m not bothering you, Princess?”

“Yes, very sure.”

“Ok, it’s like this: my friend Bon-Bon and I are trying to run a café in Ponyville called the Gilded Griffon. Problem is, business has…well, it’s sucked,” her coarse description caused Celestia to raise an eyebrow. “We’re not making enough money to keep the place, but we have a plan to get help. Ya see, there was this blue and yellow Pegasus with a wacky mane that showed up in Ponyville a few weeks ago named”-

“Volare,” Celestia preempted the Unicorn, whose golden eyes widened in shock.

“Whoa, wait, you know him too?!”

“Heard a lot of him is more accurate,” Celestia chuckled lightly. “Do continue.”

“Right, right, sorry,” she chuckled nervously. What? It wasn’t every day a pony got to talk with the Sun Princess! “Anyway, the café did ok for a while, but business has dropped off recently. I honestly think the place is kinda drab and boring, but Bon-Bon insists it’s simply modest, not loud and moronic, or something like that,” she shook her mane and swung her rear hooves back and forth on the bench for a moment, waiting for Celestia to speak. But the princess merely motioned for Lyra to continue, content to listen for the moment.

“Right, um…so that Volare guy, his first day in town, he said he met Fancypants….you do know Fancypants, right?”

“Only the most important pony in Canterlot, or so I often hear,” Celestia chuckled.

“W-well, besides you and Princess Luna, of course!” Lyra interjected a little too loudly. “Sorry…anyway, Volare said that Fancypants mentioned he liked eating at our café, and then we got the idea of asking the guy to sponsor the place to bring in more business. Thing is, we haven’t seen him since. So I’m up here looking for him, but I can’t find him either and I gotta go back to Ponyville tomorrow morning…ugh, Bon-Bon’s gonna kill me…” she slapped the stone bench with a hoof in frustration.

“I take it that’s why you were cursing about hayseeds, among other things?” the princess gave her a knowing smile.

“Ah-ha-ha, yeah, you heard that?” the Unicorn chuckled sheepishly, totally losing any pride she had left and just wanting to go sulk in a corner for a bit. “Sorry if I interrupted you, Princess. I’ll just keep looking for the guy before I run outta time.” She made a move to get up and leave, but Celestia stopped her with a magical tug on her hoof.

“Now Lyra, what kind of princess would I be if I didn’t care about the plights of my subjects?” she frowned slightly before making a quick decision. “Don’t give up just yet. I can inform Fancypants via the Royal Guard that you need his help.”

“You’d really do that, Princess?” Lyra gasped, jaw agape.

“Of course, now relax,” she pulled her back down onto the bench. “There’s no need to rush; we’re not going to run out of daylight unless I will it, heh-heh.”

“Oh, r-right. Thanks, Princess,” Lyra echoed her chuckle and relaxed again, returning to swinging her hooves. “Sooo…”

“Mhm?”

“You said you know of Volare?”

“That’s correct,” Celestia nodded. “Twilight Sparkle told me quite a bit about him.”

“So you know about his…accident?” she gulped at Volare’s description of the dismemberment.

“Indeed, I do…poor stallion’s been through quite the trial of late,” Celestia shook her head solemnly.

“Yeah, no kidding…he mentioned you and Twilight were looking for a way to fix his wing. Was it a spell or something? Did you find it?” she asked, but the hopeful look on her face was quickly extinguished.

“Unfortunately, no,” the princess sighed. “To make a long story short, the spell wasn’t where it should have been, and so now we have to wait until it’s found again before he can be completely healed.”

“Ah, that really sucks,” Lyra grimaced. “But on the bright side, I heard he was recovering from the injury pretty well. So well in fact that he’s gonna be in The Running of the Leaves this year, same as me!”

“Aha, that is good to hear,” Celestia declared sincerely.

“Yeah, he says it’s more about participating than competing; said it’s make him feel more at home, whatever that meant. I guess he’s not from Ponyville, huh?”

“Oh, I should say not,” the sun goddess chuckled. “He’s from quite the distance away, in fact.”

“Oh, where from?” Lyra asked, but was met by a shrewdly smiling expression on the princess’ face. “What, you make it sound like you know.”

“And I do,” she smiled and tipped her head up, choosing her next words for a moment before speaking. “Did he do anything specific while in town when you met him?”

“Uh, yeah, first met him when he, Twilight, and a few of their friends came to eat lunch at the café. Why?”

“Did you show him your room full of trinkets?”

“Oh yeah, sure did!” Lyra beamed. “He said he thought they were interesting. Heh, he laughed when I told him about that big box of socks I sent you…you remember that, right?”

“Oh, er-right, how could I forget?” Celestia forced a small smile.

“You still have them, right?”

“I’m…sure they’re around here someplace,” Celestia shrugged her wings. “It is a big palace after all!”

“Right, gotcha,” the mint-green Unicorn nodded. “So yeah, he saw my E-arth stuff, why?” Celestia winced at her pronunciation of the planet’s name.

“Well, I know you like those sorts of things, and I believe you mentioned a while back that whenever you get near Earth objects, you get a certain…feeling somewhat like Pinkie Pie’s “Pinkie Sense,” correct?”

“Yeah, I do. Wanna know something weird about that, though?” Lyra frowned slightly.

“Hmm?”

“When I first met Volare, I got that exact same feeling, and I even told him so, but he said he’d never seen or heard of those objects, much less been near them, so we just kinda chalked it up to my sense going a little haywire for a bit…and that was that,” she shrugged. “Weird, huh?”

“Hrm, I dunno,” Celestia tapped her chin. “Perhaps not as weird as you think, Lyra.” At her answer, Lyra’s eyes grew a little wider.

“H-how so?”

“With risk of sounding like I know everything-which I don’t, mind you-I’ve learned that when one has a certain gift for something like that, be it a simple gut feeling, a Pinkie Sense, or…a Lyra Sense in your case, that one should follow it and trust it,” she leaned in closer and nearly whispered: “Especially if it’s never led them astray before.”

Lyra’s jaw slowly dropped further, and her golden eyes grew to saucer size as she began to gasp in air. “Wait, you don’t mean that…Volare’s from…but how?!”

“I couldn’t say for sure, Lyra. As I said: I merely know of him, while you’ve met him face to face at least once.”

“Well, more than that actually,” Lyra raised a hoof.

“And your sense went haywire each time you met him?”

“Come to think of it…yeah, it did!”

“Well then, I believe the only solution to this pickle is to discuss it with him again. I taught my student Twilight Sparkle many things, including reactions, in that there is always an action to cause a reaction,” she explained. “In your case, whenever you’re around Volare or Earth objects, your sense alerts you to them. Therefore, one would conclude that these occurrences aren’t by mere chance, especially if they’re being repeated again and again.”

“Yeah, that does make sense,” Lyra nodded. Though she wasn’t much of a science guru, she appreciated the Princess putting it in terms she understood. “You know, he said he believed I was onto something big…now I wonder if he was just messing with me or something else. Yeah, I’m gonna talk to him when I get back to Ponyville!” Lyra hopped to her hooves and gave Celestia a quick bow. “Thank you so much for your help and advice, Princess Celestia! Um, if I don’t see you by tomorrow morning, erm…take care!” she waved awkwardly.

“Oh, you likely will…oh, Lyra, two things before you go,” the Princess said. “One: in regards to Volare, I don’t believe there’s more than one sentient race where Volare comes from, and certainly no Pegasi…may wanna ask him about that too,” she said with a wink, making Lyra’s eyes nearly pop out of her head at what the Princess was implying, much to Celestia’s amusement. “And two: …the way you were just sitting…is it comfortable?”

“Oh yeah, ya get used to it, but it makes me feel like I’ve got a better view of my surroundings; makes it waay easier to turn your head and check out the scenery,” Lyra grinned. “See ya, Princess!” As she galloped off, Celestia stood and stretched her legs one at a time before contemplating the stone bench with a soft hrrmmm.

…………..

Lyra hurried towards the palace quarters where she stayed during her weekend visits and quickly began packing her belongings. She thought back over what she and Celestia had just discussed, but it wasn’t about Fancypants sponsoring the café. Far from it, her mind was quickly clicking two and two and two together, forming a completely new picture of Volare.

For one, he’d said he’d fallen out of the sky before he met her…but what kinda Pegasus did that, even before he got hurt?
Two: according to the Princess, she should trust her senses instead of assuming they’re just going batty.
Three, and this was the one that really got her going: if Volare was from Earth, but there were no Pegasi on Earth, according to Celestia; only one sentient race, and that had to be the humans she’d been dedicating herself to studying, it just had to be! But that would imply that Volare really wasn’t a Pegasus at all, which could only mean one thing. Lyra knew of certain spells used to change the form of a being, but very few Unicorns could master such a feat…one of whom lived in Ponyville and had walked right into the café with Volare!

She slammed a hoof down on her bed with a grin. That was it! She knew she wasn’t crazy! She had to seriously fight the urge to leap about the room and squeal in joy, for she knew nothing about this was set in stone yet. “Keep it together, Lyra…save it for when he says it himself,” she smirked as she forwent placing her accoutrements in her bag neatly, preferring to go at it haphazardly, cramming the items in excitedly until there was nothing left to pack.

Breathing hard and grinning from ear to ear despite herself, Lyra tossed the bag on the ground and laid down on the bed, doing her best to relax….but she just couldn’t!! She began to go over other things in her mind, including that fact that she considered Volare her friend, and that she should be concerned rather than angry that he hadn’t told her the truth to begin with. Maybe he’d been freaked out himself, which would definitely imply him being stuck in a world that wasn’t his original…yeah, that had to be it.

“Jeez, poor guy,” she muttered. “Stuck in this world, and now he won’t be able to fly…” an idea of how she could help suddenly popped into her mind. “…yet!” She raced out of her quarters towards the Canterlot Library. “Whoa, is that a…book fort?” she did a double-take as she ran through the main lobby of the building and headed for the Pony Anatomy section
Though she wasn’t the most well-read of Unicorns, she had found the time to pop into the building more than a few times during her stays in the city, and she thought she recalled a particular book that would definitely help Volare keep from crashing through windows at the very least when they did find that spell to fix his wing. He was her friend and she was gonna do her part to help him too!

South of Ponyville…

Rainbow Dash kicked at a cloud in disappointment, grumbling to herself as she gazed down the road that ran under her house and looped around Sweet Apple Acres before disappearing behind the apple trees in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage. Somehow, against her better judgement, this had come to be part of her daily routine since yesterday. She’d wake up early, thunder-train, rest a bit and eat lunch, and then return to training, this time with ice weights and some light acrobatic flight to stretch and cool her muscles. She’d then settled down on the edge of the base of her cloud house and wait…but for what, she wasn’t entirely sure.

…that’s a lie and you know it, Dashie. We both know what, or rather, whom you’re waiting to coming trotting down that road.
S-shut up! I’m just resting my hooves, that’s all! Besides, you know we made that promise to Twilight!
…didn't stop you before.
Well, we’ve stretched it far enough as it is!
…then why sit and wait?
I…I dunno, ok? Just shut it! You know I don’t wait for anypony!
…If you say so, Dashie.

After arguing with herself on why she was waiting and watching the road, she’d finally shake herself and stand, stretching her wings and diving off the cloud, pulling up just before she hit the ground before fluttering to the earth and standing on the road, feeling the ground beneath her hooves. She’d crouch in a sprinter’s stance, pick a point further up the road, and break out of the blocks, sprinting as hard as she could for the spot, repeating it over and over until all thoughts of why she was waiting were extinguished, replaced only with the pounding of her heart and the inhale and exhale of her mighty lungs.

Once she was satisfied that her times had significantly improved, she’d once again stand in the road, staring towards the spot where it curved around the orchard and disappeared. Finally, she snorted impatiently and took to the sky again, softly cursing the blue Pegasus stallion for making her waste her time waiting for him to come trotting up the road. Oh well…maybe he and Scoots were having a grand old time together…

…maybe if you focused on what you really wanted, rather than this race, you’d-
I swear, I’m gonna-!
…what? Not like you can hit me without going through your own thick skull first, Dashie.
I-I’ll replace you!
…you wouldn’t
I would!
…shutting up.
Good!

“Volare, I swear to you,” she growled as she landed on her cloud house base again and kicked a substantial piece of fluff loose. “You’re gonna pay for messing with my emotions like this…one way or another,” she allowed herself a wicked smirk before heading inside to bunk down for the night. Tomorrow was the big day, and it was gonna be kick-flank awesome or her name wasn’t Rainbow Dash!

“Well, that could have been worse,” Volare chuckled to himself as he, Pinkie, and the CMC made their way through the early evening-shrouded west Ponyville road towards Fluttershy’s cottage, himself limping slightly on his sore foreleg. Back in Ponyville, the town was still more or less intact, even after the three younger fillies got a hold of an experimental dessert Pinkie had been working on: a cupcake made of pure sugar. Just to be near such a diabetes-inducing treat had been enough to cause Volare’s tastebuds to cringe in fear of sugar overload. Unfortunately, where the older Pegasus had learned to practice moderation in regards to Pinkie’s confectionary snacks, the younger CMC members didn’t have nearly as much restraint; no sooner had they heard what the cupcake was made of, then they’d devised a plan to snag it from the top shelf of the bakery and divide the spoils amongst themselves.

What had followed was very nearly a scene out of either a horror or a comedy film; Volare really couldn’t tell which. But as he’d run on ahead of the sugar-charged typhoon barreling down the street, doing his best Paul Revere impression to warn the Ponyvillians that the CMC were coming, he was glad he’d told Ferrum to bolt his front door shut. That is, until he tried to enter it for shelter, of course, which was about where the horror film portion came in, as he ran from door to door, resisting the urge to cry “Sanctuary” before doubling back to Sugarcube Corner and luring the CMC inside, where Pinkie and him did their best to keep them contained until the sugar rush wore off…exactly 4 hours later.

With that ordeal behind them, by the time that Volare and Pinkie got the CMC between them and headed on the road to Fluttershy’s to drop the blue Pegasus off, they were both completely exhausted (something that Volare would have never thought possible in regards to Pinkie!). On their way there, the somewhat sugar-crashed fillies discussed what they were going to do tomorrow, the conversation eventually leading to the odds of Scootaloo getting her personal trainer cutie mark whether Volare won the race or not.

“Trust me guys, I’m not likely to do very well,” he’d chuckled. “Applejack says my endurance still needs to get worked on, and Fluttershy is actually kinda concerned that I might not even finish the race.”

“An’ that’s what we’re talkin’ about, Volare,” Applebloom acknowledged. “If we put all our eggs inta one basket, and that basket don’t work out, we’ll all get egg on our face.”

“What’s that even supposed to mean?” Scootaloo asked with a giggle. Pinkie and Volare shook their heads and smirked at one another, listening as the fillies debated their next move.

“She means that we should have a backup plan, in case Volare doesn’t win,” Sweetie Belle explained.

“Ah, gotcha…hey wait a sec! You were gonna steal my idea of a personal trainer cutie mark?!” the Pegasus filly growled, barely keeping her pace without stopping to glare at her friends. “Is that the reason why you were helping Volare?”

“Well, kinda,” Applebloom admitted. “But we’re all Crusaders, so if’n we all got that mark cuz we helped him…no harm done, right, eh-heh?”

“But!” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Since Volare doesn’t think he’ll win, I think we should all have a backup plan; you too Scoot.”

“Oh, I see whatcha mean,” Scootaloo tugged on Volare’s shoulder. “No offense dude, but we gotta have a Plan B.”

“Glad you’re so confident in me, Scoots,” he chuckled and mussed her mane. “What kinda Plan B?”

“I dunno,” she shrugged and turned to her friends. “Guys?”

“No clue,” Applebloom shook her head. “Sweetie?”

“Pinkie?” the Unicorn immediately deferred to the party mare, who was also good with an idea on the spot.

“Oh, hrm, lemme see here,” Pinkie hemmed and hawed for a moment, pretending to think hard. But in truth, this was just the opportunity she’d been waiting for, and she knew exactly what to suggest as she glanced over at Volare and Scootaloo and grinned to herself. “I think I got a good one! Ok, you remember the Sisterhooves Social?”

“Yeah, Ah do!” Applebloom nodded. “But how’s that gonna help us with our cutie marks?”

“She’s obviously got more to say, Applebloom, so hold your horses!” Scootaloo chided her friend. “What about it, Pinkie?

“How about getting your siblings to run in the race with you tomorrow and get your sibling tag-team runner cutie marks, or something like that?” Pinkie declared and waited for the idea to sink in. “Just a small suggestion, of course.”

“But…there’s no way Ah could keep up with Applejack,” Applebloom frowned. “Besides, she’s gonna be runnin’ against Rainbow Dash again anyhow, and Ah don’t wanna mess her up.”

“Applebloom, you’ve got more than one sibling,” Sweetie Belle pointed out, not seeing the small grimace that crossed Scootaloo’s face, though Volare did. He was about to make a move to point this conversation in a different direction before Pinkie spoke up again, giving him a quick wink as she did as if to say trust me, I know what I’m doing.

“Exactly! When’s the last time that Big Macintosh ran in the race?” Pinkie asked with a giggle. “I’ll bet a big stallion like him could shake down half the leaves in the Whitetail Wood on his own!”

“Ummmm,” the farm filly thought for a moment. “Never, that Ah can remember. But even if he did run in the race, we’d never win tha thing!”

“But it’s not about winning, silly filly,” Pinkie chuckled. “It’s about helping to bring in fall and having fun while doing it! And what’s a more fun way to do that than running it with a brother or sister? Sweetie Belle, you could have Rarity get out of that stuffy old Boutique and run too!”

“Heh, yeah, she has been spending way too much time in there,” the Unicorn filly chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll ask her to run in it too! We may not win, but we’ll have fun all the same!”

“Well, that’s all well and good,” Scootaloo grumbled loudly. “But what about me? I don’t have a sibling to run with for Plan B, and like Volare said, he may not win the whole thing, so that means I’ll be a bad trainer! Ugh, I’m never gonna get my mark that way!”

“Well, Volare could help with that,” Pinkie patted Scootaloo on the head and turned to the older Pegasus, who was giving her a curious look.

“How?” both Pegasi asked in unison, causing them to giggle.

“Well, Volare may not be your brother per-se, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a good stand-in for tomorrow’s race,” Pinkie winked again at Volare, who felt a strange feeling welling up in his chest at her suggestion.

“Huh, that could work…but isn’t that kinda cheating?” Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow, though seeing a solution in sight had made her extremely hopeful.

“Hmmm…nah, I don’t think so. Besides, show me a rule book on getting your cutie mark anyways,” she chortled and again turned to the older Pegasus. “Whatcha think, Volare-bear?”

“Yeah, wanna be my big brother for a day?” Scootaloo asked innocently while sporting the biggest grin he’d seen her wear since he met her. Again, Pinkie gave him a huge wink and a grin of her own: Go with it! “Please? I promise I won’t run too fast! Pretty-please, Volare?” That about did it for him, and he very nearly broke down and hugged the little filly where she stood. Instead, he pretended to hear something out in the grass, and when the others looked, he did his best to wipe the tears from his eyes before they turned back around. “Sooo…please?” Scootaloo repeated.

“Scoots,” he actually did stop this time and knelt down until he was eye level with the little orange filly, awaiting his answer with huge, excited eyes and hoping that she didn’t spot the remaining moisture threatening to spill from his own. “You know you don’t have to say please for something important like that…you know I’d say yes.”

“YAAAY!” Scootaloo threw her hooves around his neck and suddenly she became the one giving him the hug. He slowly brought his own hooves around her small body and held her protectively, feeling her grin against his neck as she squeezed her thanks out of the blood vessels in his neck. But at that point, he couldn’t care; he was too happy to. Luckily, before he blacked out from sheer joy and lack of blood pressure, Scootaloo released his neck and went bounding up the road, chattering with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom about all the fun they were going to have tomorrow, that they’d never run the race before, and that maybe this crazy plan might work after all!

Volare simply knelt there for a moment and stared after her until he felt a soft presence next to him, along with the smell of cotton candy and baked goods. He looked up to see Pinkie smiling softly down at him. “You…you and AJ,” he sniffled slightly. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?”

“Nope, don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pinkie grinned innocently before leaning in and whispering. “PS: Applejack only helped.”

“Heh-heh, thanks Pinkie,” he rose to his hooves. “It was a…very nice gesture.”

“Hee-hee, no problem!” she quipped and began to hop after the trio, as did Volare, though with less of a hop and more of a trot. “Hey, who knows? Maybe this’ll really get them their marks?” At this point, the Pegasus honestly couldn’t tell if this was really all about that or not anymore, or if Pinkie really was serious about not planning anything.

“No kidding,” he decided to play along…that is, if there were a game to play along to at all! Then again, maybe Pinkie did plan this…or maybe this was all just some delusion in his head; a joyful delusion, but a delusion nonetheless. Note to self, don’t try to predict Pinkie Pie!

“And you know,” Pinkie turned and smiled knowingly. “If this turns out pretty good, maybe you could be her BBFAD for a bunch more days!”

“Eh?”

“Her Big Brother For A Day, duh. Except for more like a week, or a year, or even more! But that's kinda a long acronym, eh? Hee-hee!” Pinkie winked as she bumped him with her hip, giggling while continuing to hop along as if nothing significant at all had just occurred…though Volare had a feeling she knew much better than that. Fluttershy was right: Pinkie was able to broach the subject better than she could.

“That…that sounds really good,” he chuckled and hurried after the fillies. I’d love that, actually…second note to self: don’t be fooled by her goofy nature, cuz Pinkie Pie ALWAYS knows what’s really going on…

“Well, that’s certainly interesting,” Jill snickered to herself as Ray zapped the watch he wore on his wrist. She lay on her back and grinned at the stars that filled the sky as Luna’s moon cleared the horizon. “You telling the Boss about this?”

“Mhm, I think he’d like to know.” The timepiece began to glow a pale green-grey, and within moments of it activating, a slightly-cultured voice that carried a subtle hiss at times crackled through over the watch. To the outsider, the voice seemed normal, but because Ray was the one wearing the watch, not only could he hear it, but he could feel it slithering through his inner ear and into his mind as it spoke.

Ray, report, it demanded tersely.

“Boss, the filly named Scootaloo is going to be in The Running of the Leaves tomorrow, as are the fillies Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.”

Will they be accompanied? the voice now carried a lilt of the mildest interest.

“Yes, Applebloom by her brother Big Macintosh, Sweetie Belle by her sister Rarity, the Element of Generosi”-

I know who she is, you imbecile! the voice growled impatiently. Don’t waste my time with titles and fripperies! Now then…what about our dear little filly, Scootaloo? the voice dripped with sincerity so false and disgusting it made Ray's skin crawl. Who’s she running with, hmm?

“Volare, it seems.”

That crippled Pegasus from Earth? their Boss laughed dryly.

“The same,” Ray replied, keeping an eye on his sister who’d begun to tear a piece of grass to shreds in boredom.

They’re more foolish than I ever imagined…no matter. Ray, Jill, your target is Scootaloo. Separate her from the herd, and strike quickly, the voice said with a distinct lack of empathy. She’s no good to us without breath in her body, so please do your best to take her alive, though if she resists, feel free to experiment. But if you ruin this opportunity...if you kill her, you'll wish that the very stallion that sired you had never been born!

“Yeah, what about that Volare guy?” Jill asked sardonically.

He’s a lost little fool of a Pegasus who can’t fly and can barely run. He’s no threat, especially compared to Big Macintosh and Rarity. ‘Work smarter, not harder’ I always say, the voice chuckled coldly.

“Yeah, but what if he interferes anyway?” the female Unicorn persisted. Ray noticed that as Jill spoke, she began to wear that same malevolent grin that was plastered on her face when she was burning the Manticore to death the previous night.

Hmm, Ray, when’s the last time your sister really eviscerated a creature that put up something resembling a fight? their Boss asked with a tone approaching amusement.

“Too long, Boss!” Jill cackled, baring her teeth wickedly and making the hair on the back of Ray’s neck stand up.

Ah, you’re turning out so well; it just warms my heart…Jill, you just may get your chance if that fool gets in the way. If he does…leave him in pieces so small that even the crows will find it difficult to find a decent scrap to take home and vomit into the gullets of their filthy offspring! The voice laughed long and loud before the spell wore off, leaving Ray and Jill alone with nothing but its echo that meandered through the grass before dying somewhere out in the open field west of Ponyville…

Notes: And thus the shitstorm gathers strength...
Oh, and in response to Lyra looking for Fancypants:

Idk what's wrong with me today XD

EDITS COMPLETED! ^^;

The Running-Pt 10: ...Go!

September 11th

Canterlot…

“All aboooooaaard!” the voice of the Ponyville Express conductor rang out through the post-dawn mist. Galloping through the streets of Canterlot and half-lugging, half-levitating her baggage was the mint-green Unicorn Lyra, doing her best not to collide with anypony trotting through the streets at such an early hour.

“Whoops, ‘scuse me, comin’ through!” Lyra shouted as she whirled around a small group of well-dressed Unicorns who stared incredulously after her. “Sorry guys; got a train to catch!” She huffed and puffed as she neared the station, her hooves banging out a loud rhythm on the smoother cobblestones that surrounded the platform before she skidded to a stop, nearly colliding with the middle-aged conductor sounding his call.

“Eh-heh, Lyra Heartsrings, headed for Ponyville,” she smiled sheepishly and quickly flashed her boarding pass. The conductor nodded, allowing her to board as he himself jumped on, signaling the engineer to pull out. Whew, she’d made it just in time! The lyrist quickly found a seat and collapsed into it, breathing hard. She couldn’t believe she nearly slept in! No matter, she thought as she cracked open her bag and grinned at the title of the rather large brass and leather-bound book she’d searched for in the Canterlot Library last night.

True, she hadn’t exactly checked it out from the collection, but she’d be back in two weeks anyway. Plus Celestia had given her permission to take it, though Lyra had very nearly not made it to her quarters due to almost dying of laughter when she encountered the Sun Goddess attempting to sit like a human (her posture had been terrible!). Maybe Celestia’s embarrassment of being caught in such a position played into her allowing the Unicorn to take the book out of the city. But in any case, she wasn’t sure who else would need it more in this situation than her buddy Volare. “He’s gonna freak when he sees this,” she giggled and shut the case again, settling in for the morning-long ride back to Ponyville.

The Edge of the Everfree...

THOCK! THOCK! THOCK!!
Iron Will groaned and opened his eyes at the strange noise coming from the edge of the Everfree. The great blue minotaur stretched and yawned on the sagging lawnchair he’s taken to sleeping in before rising to his hooves and scratching his hip, looking towards the source of the sound. To his surprise, he saw a blue Pegasus bucking at a tree over and over again. He half-wondered who that could be before he blinked his eyes and spotted the wing secured against its side and a spiky yellow mane he’d recognize anywhere. But just what the hay was he doing over there? Smirking at his strange behavior, Iron Will strolled through the Fluttershy’s back yard, giving Shae’s oak tree a friendly pat before calling out over the short field.

“Hey Volare!” he bellowed, causing the Pegasus to halt momentarily and Shae to wake up with a startled squawk. The black and white osprey glared down at the minotaur as he jogged towards the pony in question. “Whatcha doin’ up so early? You know the race doesn’t start for a few more hours, right?”

“Oh, I know,” Volare nodded, panting slightly as he indicated the tree he’d been bucking at the past few days. “Just waking myself up and kicking this damned stubborn old tree, that’s all.”

“The only stubborn thing around here is you, Spike-head,” Iron Will shook his head and chuckled. He glanced at the tree, noting that wood around the knot he’d been focused on was cracked and splintered, and a good number of woodchips lay scattered on the ground beneath it, but he still wasn’t causing anywhere near the destruction that Applejack had demonstrated. “Why’re ya still bucking it? You’re not gonna be able to break it like an Earth Pony or a big strong minotaur like yours truly,” he flexed a bicep for a moment and grinned.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t try anyways,” the Pegasus chuckled and lined up for another kick. “Besides-THOCK-it gives me-THOCK-something to-THOCK-work towards!” He paused and inspected the new dents he was leaving in the wood. “Ya know, an accomplishment.”

“Well, if anypony who’s not supposed to be busting trees manages to bust one anyway, I guess it’d be you, Spike-head,” the minotaur clapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Heh, thanks Will. That means a lot,” Volare grinned and snorted lightly at the tree, feeling his heart pounding and hearing the blood rushing through his head. “Guess that’s enough for now, though. Don’t wanna wear myself out before the race, eh?”

“Yep,” the minotaur nodded as the two stood for a moment before he spoke again. “Hey, I know you’ve probably already gotten this before, but I was just curious on what you’re planning on doing after you can fly again. Hopefully not tree-busting,” he flicked a thumb at the tree and chortled. “Cuz as much as I admire your determination, that’ll only get you so far in the world.”

“No kidding; nah, it won’t be that,” Volare agreed with a chuckle. “Funny you ask that though, because Fluttershy and I had a talk about that yesterday, and I really don’t know what I’ll be doing,” he shrugged. “I’ve already promised to help take care of Scootaloo and fix up the Gilded Griffon café in town, but I’ve gotta get a job for both of those.”

“Well, hay, I’m probably no good at taking care of the kiddos, but I can help ya fix the building,” he grinned. “Free of charge.”

“Wow, you mean it?”

“Yep. You’re my pal, Volare and any friend of Iron Will’s is entitled to the occasional favor. Just don’t overdo it, ok?” He snorted lightly and gave Volare a severe look before cracking and chuckling.

“No problem, Will; thanks,” the Pegasus shook his head though. “Still leaves me without a job…”

“Aww, you’ll figure something out,” the minotaur assured him and glanced up at the sound of the cottage back door swinging open and Fluttershy trotting out and inhaling the fresh morning air before waving to Iron Will and Volare. “Heh, but for now, you’ve got a race to focus on.”

“Oh crap, that also reminds me,” the blue Pegasus muttered as the two males made their way back to the cottage. “Me and the rest of the Crusaders have gotta convince Rarity and Big Macintosh to compete in the Running of the Leaves with their siblings. Cutie Mark acquisition; you know how it is,” Volare explained at Iron Will’s curious look.

“Well, I say we don’t have a moment to lose,” the minotaur declared.

“A moment to lose on what?” Fluttershy cocked her head as they made it into earshot of the yellow mare.

“Pinkie suggested an idea for the Crusaders to earn their mark today,” Volare explained with a smile. “Come on, Fluttershy; I’ll explain on the way to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Why go there first?” Iron Will inquired.

“Because the strongest pony in Ponyville is bound to be up by now,” the spike-maned Pegasus said as the trio began to trot towards the farm in the near distance. Curious as to this sudden development, Shae roused herself from her nest, stretched her wings, and took off, following the two ponies and minotaur at high altitude. It was less boring than sleeping in that morning anyway…

……………..

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a sec,” Big Macintosh patted the air with a hoof as he attempted to digest the information he’d practically just been force-fed. “Ya’ll have designs on me doin’ what today?”

“It ain’t just you, Big Mac,” Applebloom said, having heard the commotion on the front porch and run downstairs, taking the forefront of the explanation while Volare and the others stood by, thinking it terribly amusing that this small yellow filly was doing her best to manipulate her massive brother into running in a race with her. “It’s Sweetie Belle runnin’ with Rarity and Scootaloo with Volare too. It’s for our Sibling Team Runnin’ Cutie Marks, er Ah think that’s what Pinkie Pie said.”

“Sibling Team Runnin’, eh?” Big Mac cocked an eyebrow at Volare. “But Volare ain’t Scootaloo’s brother.”

“Oh, he’s just bein’ a stand-in for today, in case Scoot’s idea fer her Personal Trainer Cutie Mark don’t work cuz Volare don’t think he can win tha race.” Again, Big Mac looked from Applebloom to Volare, who could only offer him a sheepish grin. Just what the hay had he been missing these past two weeks?

“Come on, Big Mac, please!” Applebloom pleaded. “’Sides, Ah know ya were gonna take tha day off ta watch Applejack race anyways.” The large red stallion gave out a guilty whinny at that and shook his head slowly, knowing he was caught.

“Alright, alright, Ah’ll run with ya, Applebloom,” he finally consented with a sigh. “But don’t expect us ta win nothin’; Ah may be purdy strong, but speed ain’t mah strongsuit.”

“YAY!” his sister cheered and hugged his leg. “And it’s ok if ya ain’t fast. It’s like Pinkie said: it ain’t about winnin’, it’s about havin’ fun!”

“Indeed,” Fluttershy nodded and smiled before looking up to the farmhouse. “Um, is Applejack up yet?”

“Ah’ll get her!” Applebloom preempted everypony and galloped inside, nearly tripping up the front porch in her excitement. Within minutes, and after a few surprised shouts from Grannysmith, Applebloom led a yawning Applejack out of the farmhouse back to the steadily-growing group. The orange mare adjusted her Stetson and eyed her brother for a moment.

“So, Applebloom said ya’ll agreed ta run, eh?”

“Eeyup.”

“Just like that?”

“Eeyup.”

“Ya know ya ain’t gonna beat me, right Big Mac?” Applejack asked teasingly, giving him a nudge of her elbow.

“…Eeyup,” he finally responded with the slightest wince. He wasn’t a proud pony, but it didn’t mean he enjoyed conceding defeat to his younger siblings.

“Well, with that settled,” Applejack grinned. “Who all we got left ta gather up?”

“Sweetie Belle, Rarity, and Scootaloo,” Applebloom reported.

“Whoa, hold on here,” Applejack’s eyes grew a little wider. “Ya’ll are gonna get Rarity ta run too?”

“Yeah, we’ll explain why on tha way there!” Applebloom explained, practically bouncing in place with nervous energy. “Come on, everypony!” And with that, she charged off along the road to Ponyville, the four older ponies plus Iron Will hurrying after her. Shae shook her head in confusion and took off from the roof of the farm house, following the small herd of creatures below her.

…………..

“Alright, Rainbow Dash! Today’s the day!” The rainbow Pegasus grinned fiercely at herself in the mirror before quickly hefting an ice weight in either forehoof. “You’re gonna be tough! You’re gonna be fast! You’re gonna win this race and show everypony that you’re the most athletic pony in all of Equestria; not only in the air, but on the ground too!”

She dropped the weights with a thump and flexed her wings a few times before taking a running start and leaping out the northern window of her home, doing a few laps around the cloud tower before zooming up high in the air, up above the cloud cover and balancing on tuft of cumulus. She breathed the chilly air deeply and released it in a great woosh of wind from her nostrils, enjoying the way that Celestia’s rising sun warmed her cyan coat.

“Oh yeah…it’s gonna be an awesome day,” she grinned as she dove off the cloud, rocketing her way towards Ponyville. “But to be a champion, ya gotta first eat the breakfast of champions! Hmm, where haven’t I gone in a while…ah I know just the place!” She put on an extra burst of speed in order to arrive in town in spectacular fashion. “Look out Ponyville, cuz Rainbow Dash is coming to breakfast!”

………......

To everypony’s surprise, Rarity agreed to run in the race almost without argument. Volare honestly thought that the fashionista Unicorn, a creature that hated even getting her hooves dirty, was just pulling their legs, but she quickly convince them otherwise, saying competing in the Sisterhooves Social with Sweetie Belle was nice, it was done under the pretense that she was actually Applejack, and not Rarity. The Running would give Rarity and Sweetie Belle a chance to further bond as sisters from the beginning of the event, rather than realizing it at the end.
“Plus, if my efforts can go towards getting Sweetie Belle her Mark…well, what better thing for one sister to do for another, right?” The violet-maned Unicorn declared to the group patiently listening inside her boutique; Iron Will having to wait outside for fear of knocking something over with his bulk.

“Plus you’ve been indoors waaay too much lately working on something for”- but Sweetie cut herself off at Rarity’s harsh glare.

“Working on something for who?” Volare asked curiously.

“Oh, um…I mean she was working on some new fashion stuff for winter, yeah,” Sweetie quickly explained. “Gotta be at least a season ahead in style creation, as she always says. Right, Rarity?”

“Right,” she nodded, proud that her younger sister had paid such close attention…even if it was for the purposes of lying convincingly. “So, you say the race is in a few hours, right?”

“That’s right,” Fluttershy replied before blushing deeply as her stomach rumbled loudly. “Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could we please go and get something to eat?”

“Yeah, no kidding; I’m starvin’ Marvin out here!” Iron Will announced from outside, bringing a strange look to Volare’s face as he turned to face the minotaur’s lower torso, the upper half of his body obscured by the building.

“Hey, Will?” the Pegasus called.

“Yep?”

“Does the term “South Park” mean anything to you?”

“Uhhh, nope! Why?”

“Huh, weird…no reason,” Volare shook his head and chuckled as his own stomach growled. “In any case, I’m up for some grub too. You think Pinkie Pie is up yet? I figure since we still gotta pick up Scootaloo and she’s staying at Sugarcube Corner anyway, we’d all grab some breakfast there.”

“That actually sounds rather nice,” Rarity agreed with a smile. “Just let me grab my hat…hrm, what should I wear that’s good for breakfast and for a race?” she asked out loud, causing everpony present to facehoof as she ran upstairs to search.

……………..

“Dude, it’s been forever!!” a voice shouted from down the street. Volare had enough time to halfway turn towards it before its small green and purple owner jumped up tackled him, causing the group to burst into laughter. The small dragon looked up and grinned toothily. “What’s up, Volare? How’ve ya been?”

“Heh, great to see you too, Spike,” Volare laughed as the dragon dropped back to the ground. “I’ve been good. Very good, in fact. Still not back in the air yet, but that outta change soon, eh?”

“Yeah, Twilight’s supposed to be back today with help,” Spike smiled brightly. “Haven’t heard from her in a bit though, so I hope everything’s ok…”

“Cheer up, Spikey-wikey,” Rarity spoke up, causing the dragon’s face to flush a shade of pink. “If there’s anypony that could find any spell to fix anything, it’s Twilight Sparkle that can! And she will!”

“You got that right!” Volare nodded, tossing aside his momentary doubt. “You wanna come to breakfast with us, Spike? We’re headed to Sugarcube Corner before the race, and”- But he was cut off by the small dragon racing past him towards the bakery, nearly bowling over Roseluck in the process. “Guess that means yes, huh?” He looked back and grinned at the ever-growing group of ponies and creatures following him and drawing more and more attention from the Ponyville residents who were wondering just what in Equestria could bring such a varied group to be wandering the streets together. Why, the pied piper Pegasus of Ponyville, Volare, of course, he chuckled to himself. “Heh, hope Pinkie’s got plenty of room!” the blue Pegasus declared as they began the final leg of their short journey down to gingerbread house-shaped bakery.

……………

“Whoa, Volare-bear, you brought half of Ponyville here for breakfast?” Pinkie grinned. “Hope you’re paying!” Everypony present roared in laughter at the blue Pegasus’ thunderstruck expression before Pinkie clapped him on the shoulder and winked. “Just kidding! It’s on the house today!”

“Oh my gosh, Volare!” was all he had time to hear before an orange blur leaped from the stairs and enveloped his head in a warm, enthusiastic hug. “You excited, dude? Cuz I sure am!”

“Mpmph-guff-mmmphaph,” Volare managed to grunt until the excited filly finally released his face and slid down to his back. “Sorry; I said I sure am, Scoots,” he smiled over his shoulder. “We’re gonna rock those leaves off those trees!”

“Hay yeah we are!” The small Pegasus grinned fiercely and pumped a hoof. “Even if we don’t get our marks, it’s still gonna be awesome!”

As the relatively-large herd got settled in, Volare and Spike sat next to each other and began to relate what had happened over the past two weeks. Volare explained how his training had gone, and how he’d progressed to the point where he was able to go through quite a bit of physical activity without getting light-headed and tired. He spoke of his hunts with Shae and how he was now a Cutie Mark Crusader, as well as what they intended to do at the race today. For Spike, it had been mostly boring, having to only occasionally deal with an overdue Library book or things as inconsequential as the floor gathering dust from the lack of Twilight’s hooves trotting about on it. To tell the truth, it had been the longest he’d been separated from his surrogate mom in a long time, and he’d been getting a little depressed lately, especially when he woke up from a bad dream and she wasn’t there to talk to.
“Well, don’t worry Spike,” Volare assured him with a smile, glancing sideways at Pinkie galloping back and forth across the room and serving the group. “She’s on her way back today, and when she gets here, you guys can go out and do something special together like grab dinner or something.”

“Yeah, that actually sounds pretty good,” the dragon nodded and crunched into the quartz-crystal granola cake Pinkie had made especially for him. He frowned a bit after a moment of chewing, though. “Man, maybe I miss her so badly because she hasn’t even sent a letter in like a week. The last time she went to Canterlot, she wrote me via Celestia just about every day.” He looked up at Volare in alarm. “You think something happened to her?”

“I dunno…have you tried writing to Celestia to ask?”

“I-uh…no, actually,” Spike said sheepishly and went to go ask Pinkie for ink, quill, and parchment. Volare shook his head slowly until he felt a soft tug on his hoof. He looked down and exchanged smiles with Scootaloo. “What’s up, squirt?”

“Can I sit with you?” Scootaloo indicated the empty seat to his left.

“Well, I don’t see why not,” he nodded, and she promptly hopped up onto the bench and settled down before looking back up at him. “You eaten breakfast yet?”

“Huh, oh yeah, Pinkie made me this awesome bread full of nuts and bananas and stuff. Heh, she’s a pretty good cook…almost as good as my mo”- but she cut herself off and looked down at the floor, heaving a tiny sigh before growing quiet. The sight tugged at Volare’s heartstrings, and he gently placed a hoof on her mane, feeling her take hitching breaths and trying not to cry. Finally, she wiped her face and looked back up at him, trying to force a calm face. “Sorry…I’m ok…just thought of something not so good, that’s all.”

“Nothing to be sorry for, Scoots,” Volare smiled and pulled her in close to his side, holding her until her breathing steadied and she gave him a soft shove in the ribs.

“Ok, ok, I’m good, dude,” she chuckled and gave him a mock scowl that brought a smile to his lips at how brave she was trying to be. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

“I know ya will,” he winked and they both looked up as Spike returned, finishing scribbling the letter and reading it out loud.

“Ok, it’s not much but here goes. Ahem:
Dear Princess Celestia. This is Spike writing on behalf of Twilight’s friend, Volare. He just wants to let Twilight know that he’s doing well in his recovery and is planning on participating in The Running of the Leaves today. We’re both wondering how Twilight’s progress with the healing spell she went to find is going and if she’ll be bringing it back with her when she returns. Also, should we expect her in time for the race? Your humble servant, Spike.
Sound good?”

“Short, sweet, and to the point,” Volare nodded. “Send it.”

“Yessir!” Spike saluted and burned the letter, sending the embers flying out the window in the direction of Canterlot. “Shouldn’t take long for her to reply.” As they waited, Volare observed the close-knit group of ponies chatting amongst themselves, speaking of subjects ranging from cutie marks, to cooking, to farm and harvest work. It all blended into a low drone that Volare found a bit relaxing. In fact, he found himself dozing off when Spike suddenly coughed and belched fire, spitting a letter marked with a Sun Seal out onto the table and drawing everypony’s attention. Even Shae, who was keeping watch outside the window, looked in curiously at the bright flash of light.

“Eh-heh, sorry bout that, everypony,” Spike said sheepishly and opened the letter. The message was clearly written by Celestia and seemed almost too short:
Dearest Spike, unfortunately, due to circumstances regarding Twilight’s research here, she’s much too tired to participate in the race today. And in regards to the healing spell…Twilight needs to speak to you personally about that. I wish you all a safe Running of the Leaves, and forgive me for not attending this year. Good Running!
-Celestia

Volare felt his heart sink slightly at that announcement; the original reason he was participating in this thing was so he could beat Twilight fair and square in a race. But now that obviously wasn’t going to happen. And what Celestia had written back, about Twilight having to speak with him about the spell personally…it was hard to gauge one’s tone via writing, but that statement really didn’t seem all that optimistic. As the blue Pegasus’ brow continued to furrow, it was Spike’s turn to give him a gentle shake.
“Hey dude, I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll bet she’s just doing her best not to distract you from the race, that’s all,” the dragon said hopefully.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Volare said half-heartedly. But one look down at Scootaloo’s smiling face made him force those feelings to the side. He had plenty of time to worry (if there even was a reason to worry) once Twilight returned. For now, Scootaloo was counting on him, as were the rest of the Crusaders. He was determined to put on a happy face for them at the very least, no matter what perceived bad news he got!

BAM! “Ooooh yeah, what’s up, everypony!?” A boisterous voice emanated from the blue and prismatic streak that jetted through the front door and came to a sudden halt right above the table Volare was sitting at, startling him so badly that he nearly tumbled backwards off his seat. Rainbow Dash (who else?) landed gracefully and gave the room a wild grin before looking down at Volare and chuckling. “Scare ya there, flyboy?”

“N-no, no way!” he protested, sitting up straight and tall, though this only put him at the level of her knees. “Chair’s just got a wobbly leg, that’s all.”

“That was awesome!” Scootaloo shouted excitedly and grinned up at her personal idol.

“I try, I try,” the rainbow Pegasus flipped her mane before jumping off the table and sitting next to Volare. “So what’s up dude? You ready to get whooped in this race?”

“Oh, heh, I already knew that was gonna happen. It’s ok, cuz Scoots and I are gonna be running together anyway.” Volare explained, much to Dash’s surprise.

“Oh really?” she squinted at the orange Pegasus filly. “You trying to usurp me as race champ, squirt?”

“Maybe,” Scootaloo grinned back. “Wait, what’s ‘usurp’ mean?”

“Hard ta be dethroned when ya don’t hold tha crown in tha first place,” a country-accented voice chided the rainbow Pegasus.

“I think it’s that particular pony you may wanna worry about,” Volare chuckled and nodded past Dash. She turned curiously and found she was face to face with her athletic rival, Applejack.

“Mornin’, Dash,” the farm mare grinned fiercely. “Now what was that ya’ll were sayin’ bout tha race?”

“Oh, nothin’ much,” Dash matched her tooth for tooth in her own determined smile. “Just that I’m gonna smoke everypony in it this year!”

“Oh really?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “And how’s that gonnna be any different from last year when Ah whupped ya fair, square, and soundly, eh?”

“Ohoho, don’t you worry about that, AJ,” Dash flicked the brim of her friend’s Stetson, causing Volare and Scootaloo to ooooh softly. “I’ve been workin’ on something extra special to gimme the edge this year!”

“Well, Ah’ll believe it when Ah see it, Rainbow,” Applejack snorted softly. “But save it fer tha startin’ line. Right now, we’re all tryin’ ta grab some grub afore-hoof.”

“Why ya think I’m here?” Dash asked innocently. “I’m looking forward to some of Pinkie’s cooking to start my day!” She rubbed her hooves in anticipation. “What’s on the menu, Pinks?” she asked the party mare, who’d hopped over to wait on her friend. Without hesitation, Dash picked the biggest bowl of cereal on the menu, and soon had her muzzle buried in milk and oats, devouring her meal with gusto that nearly made Applejack jealous. After nearly an hour of good-natured back and forth banter in which the group of companions traded playful barbs and stories (though they all would admit that it wasn’t quite the same without Twilight being there), they all began to get a little antsy, looking up at the clock that hung behind the counter of the bakery and counting the minutes that remained before the race finally began.

When the time finally came, the small crowd filed out of the bakery and headed out the east side of Ponyville, Shae following above them as they finally reached the pre-ordained starting and finish line at the edge of the Whitetail Wood, a large forest that lay in the shadow of Canterlot Mountain. Stands lining either side of the line were quickly filling with residents of the town who were mainly eager to see who would win the race this year: Applejack or Rainbow Dash. The air itself seemed to be charged with nervous energy, as if it had somehow been anticipating this all year long. Spike ran along the edge of the grounds to a flat pink hot air balloon laying on the ground. with a blast of green fire, he quickly inflated the balloon and tethered it to a stake before running back over to the growing group of racers, the likes of which also included the CMC, Volare, Big Macintosh, and Rarity, who’d finally decided that no hat was probably for the best; no point in mucking it up on a tree branch or something worse.

“Ok, guys, for all you new racers this year, here’s how it goes.” Spike pointed towards Canterlot Mountain which rose to the northeast of them. “The path circles the mountain for about 20 miles and comes back here. It’s a long race, so pace yourself. There’s just a couple of rules,” Spike explained, as if this were old hat, though in truth it was only his third year doing this. “Stay on the path, use only your legs in the race, and above all: no cheating!”

“Yeah,” Applejack bumped Rainbow Dash with her hip as Spike handed out numbers for the racers. “Not like it’d help ya win, though.”

“Heh, not gonna have to cheat this time!” Dash crowed unabashedly and flexed a foreleg. “I had this in the bag before I even woke up, cowgirl!”

“We’ll see,” the orange mare snorted and grinned, taking her spot on the starting line. Volare stepped to the line wearing number 16, and nervous as all get out; it had been a long time since he’d done anything in front of a whole load of folks like this. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash spotted it, and called him out on it.

“Getting stage fright, flyboy?”

“Of course not!” he protested. “Just shakin’ out the nerves, that’s all!”

“Well, I guess somepony has to take Twilight’s place as race egghead, eh? Heh-heh!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment on my sharp wit, Dashie!” Volare shot her a grin.

“Haha, good one!” Dash snickered. “Still doesn’t make ya fast like me, though!”

“Watch it there, sugarcube,” Applejack warned with a smirk. “Volare’s been workin’ them legs purdy well tha last two weeks. He just might surprise ya if’n ya’ll ain’t careful!”

“Yeah, well we’ll see about that!” Rainbow Dash gave a snort as Volare smiled his thanks at Applejack.

“Thanks, AJ.”

“No problem, pardner,” she winked and settled herself at the line, as did Dash.

“Now Volare, be careful with Scootaloo,” Fluttershy cautioned him as the filly in question took her position next to him, mirroring Rainbow Dash’s starting stance. “She’s never run a race this long before, and if she gets tired, you might”-

“Ah Fluttershy, you worry too much,” Scootaloo waved a hoof dismissively, prompting Volare to shrug helplessly. “I’ll be ok! Besides, we both know it’s really Volare we gotta worry about,” she gave him a playful nudge in the leg, inadvertently nicking the hoof still sore from wrestling Applejack two days ago.

“Aha, yeah,” Volare grinned toothily to hide a grimace of pain as Fluttershy took a seat near the edge of the stands, Iron Will preferring to stand next to her. “Well, I say that as fellow Crusaders, we just look out for each other and call it even. Deal?”

“Deal!” Scootaloo grinned and waved down the line to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle who were also taking their marks along with their own siblings. “Good luck you guys!”

“See ya’ll at tha finish line!” Applebloom called back and nuzzled Big Mac’s leg. “Ya ready, big brother?”

“Eeyup!” the large red pony nodded and squinted down the path, waiting for the bell.

“Ready, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity smiled down at her little sister.

“Mhm, sure am!” she squeaked in reply. “I think this’ll be even better than the Sisterhooves Social cuz we’re sisters from the beginning instead of knowing at the end like last time.”

“Ah, that’s so…wait you were listening in on me, weren’t you?” Rarity gave her sister a wary squint.

“Maaaaybe,” she smiled innocently, making the Element of Generosity shake her head in disbelief.

“My little sister is growing up and becoming an eavesdropping little lady,” she sniffled, though nopony could tell if it was being serious or overly dramatic. “Where has the time gone to?”

Volare, Dash, and Scootaloo all facehoofed at their dramatic friend before they all three realized what they’d done, laughing a bit before refocusing their minds on the task at hoof. They glanced to the side as Pinkie made her way to the balloon along with Spike, who set up a loudspeaker in the basket before they hopped in and untied the balloon, which began to rise into the air. With little warning, Shae took flight again and flew near the basket, taking up an overwatch position on the basket edge and nearly scaring the living daylights out of Spike before Pinkie assured him that the great osprey was friendly.

“Testing, testing, uno, dos, tres!” Pinkie Pie giggled into the loudspeaker for a moment. “Welcome to the annual Running of the Leaves!” she announced to hoofstomps and cheers from the ponies in the stands. For the third year in a row, I’m here with my co-announcer Spike the dragon to give you an eye in the sky view of all the action! This year, we have some old faces along with a few new ones, and”-

“Whoa, whoa, hold on!” a voice cried out from the edge of the crowd. Everypony turned to see a mint-green Unicorn with wild golden eyes pushing her way through to the starting line, grabbing a number marker from a pile on the ground and grinning sheepishly. “Sorry I’m late you guys; that train ride was killer!”

“Welcome to the show, Lyra,” Volare chuckled, causing the musical Unicorn’s eyes to brighten as she sidled up to him with a wide grin. “What’s up?”

“Heh, just came here from Canterlot with something that might help ya,” she nodded back towards town. “I’ve got it sitting in my stuff at the Gilded Griffon, and I’ll show ya after the race; you’re gonna freak when ya see it, I’ll bet!”

“In that case, I guess I’ll have to make time to go check it out,” Volare smirked.

“Oh, also,” Lyra leaned in and whispered. “Celestia and I had a little talk about that feeling I get when I’m near stuff from Earth…and I’m getting it soooo bad right now!” she laughed at the blue Pegasus’ shocked reaction. “We’ll talk about it later! For now, let’s race!”

“Y-yeah, let’s,” Volare shook his head in disbelief. Well, I guess she’d figure it out eventually…oh well, I guess worse stuff could happen, right?

“On your mark!” Spike called out from above them. Volare looked down the line to Dash, who gave him a fierce grin and a nod.

“Get set!” Pinkie cried. The blue and yellow Pegasus then glanced down at Scootaloo and nearly laughed out loud at the sprinter’s stance she’d taken. He crouched down as well, planning on not getting separated from her during the initial mad rush. Let’s do this!

BR-R-R-R-IIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGG!!!! the loud speaker’s bell rang, sending the racers galloping forward in a growing cloud of dust. The Running of the Leaves had finally begun!

“Annnnnnd they’re off with the bell like a herd of stampeding…well, ponies!” Pinkie Pie announced excitedly as the leaves began to be shaken from the trees by the thundering hooves of the herd below them. “As I was saying before, we have some old faces back for more this year, like Rainbow Dash and Applejack, whom many of you have come out to see and root for this year! Applejack is the defending champion from last year and is plenty proud of it, but according to Rainbow Dash, she’s gonna ‘smoke everypony in the field’ this year! Hrm, why would she wanna smoke them? I think that’s kinda gross, don’t you, Spike? Why not just finish ahead of them?”

“Uh, I dunno, Pinkie Pie,” Spike replied with a shake of his head as Dash and Applejack shot ahead of the herd and disappeared around a bend.. “Anyway, though Dash and AJ will be the main spectacles this year, as evidenced by their early separation from the pack, we have many new faces participating this year as well!”

“Mhm, righto-rooney, Spike!” Pinkie grinned. “Our latecomer Lyra Hearstrings nearly missed the race like she did last year, while a few surprise entries have already made themselves known and are making a name for themselves too!”

Down below, Lyra shook a hoof at the balloon, shouting something about being stuck in Bon-Bon’s taffy machine last year, while Big Macintosh plowed ahead through the cloud of dust and falling leaves kicked up by the thundering hooves of the ponies in front of and around him, keeping Applebloom in the corner of his vision as he reached an open spot in the path, surprised at his own sudden desire to put on a good show for his little sister. “Ya’ll keepin’ up ok back there, Applebloom?”

“Yep, Ah’m good!” the yellow filly called back with a grin, but immediately closed her mouth to avoid getting anymore dirt stuck in her teeth. “Blech, gross!”

Behind them, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were galloping neck-and-neck with Volare and Scootaloo, the older ponies trading barbs about who would have the worst mane-do by the end of this whole ordeal, while the younger fillies shouted excitedly about getting their marks this way, and if they did, how they’d have to run even more races in the future!
“Hear that, Volare?” Scootaloo chuckled and nudged her running partner, ducking under a large flying wad of orange and red leaves. “If this works, we’ll be spending even more time as running buddies!”

“Whew, sounds good, Scoots!” Volare shouted back over the roar of pony hooves.

“Well darling, looks like this is where we must part ways!” Rarity smirked as she spotted an opening in the crowd before her and her sister. “Ta!”

“See ya Scoots!” Sweetie Belle called back as the Unicorn duo shot through the gap and headed up the pack towards Applebloom and Big Mac. That left Volare and Scootaloo squarely at the back of the crowd with Lyra, who already seemed to be winded.

“You ok, Lyra?” Volare huffed in concern.

“Who me? Yeah, I’m good!” Lyra shook her mane and galloped on. “Just a little tired from running all morning before getting here, that’s all!”

“Well, I hope it was all worth it,” the blue Pegasus replied, and to his surprise, Lyra grinned widely again.

“Oh trust me, it’ll be waaay worth it…for you,” she winked and looked ahead. “See ya at the finish line, guys!” she flicked her tail and took off after Rarity and Sweetie Belle, leaving the Pegasus pair in her very sudden dust.

“Ach-aha, what’d she mean by that?” Scootaloo coughed and cocked an eyebrow.

“You got me, Scoots,” he shrugged before giving her a friendly nudge. “Hey, I know darn well you can catch up to the rest of the CMC up there. I’ll be ok back here,” he winked, but she shook her head once.

“Nah, I promised Fluttershy I’d keep an eye on you,” she gave him a cheeky grin. “And that’s what I’m gonna do…even if you are a slowpoke, hee-hee!”

“Oh come on, I’m not that slow!” he sputtered as Scootaloo ran a quick circle around him, giggling all the while. “Ok, maybe a little slow but not-aww come on Scoots, gimme a break!” he laughed as he and the smaller Pegasus filly galloped along at a brisk pace, watching in mild awe at how just their own meager hoofsteps were enough to shake the remainder of the leaves from the trees, almost as if they were the ones officially ushering in the beginning of the Autumn season itself

………………..

Unfortunately, they weren’t the only ones observing the arrival of Autumn, at least in a benevolent fashion. In their wonder, the two Pegasi failed to notice the pair of green-eyed shadows flitting from bush to stump to boulder along the path, always keeping within sight of the trailing ponies. After a few minutes of observing that the two Pegasi weren’t going anywhere fast, the stalkers convened at a small glade off to the side of the road and blocked off by thickly-growing birch trees.

“Ok, so what’s the plan?” the female shadow asked, tossing off the hood that semi-camouflaged her among the underbrush to reveal none other than Jill the Unicorn. “Just get in there, grab the brat, cut that Volare to shreds, and run?”

“That’s about the size of it,” her companion nodded, tossing aside his own cloak to reveal her brother Ray, his face full of anticipation. “But we only tear up Volare if he gets in the way. This is supposed to be hit-and-run, not stand-and-fight,” he looked up at the flashes of pink hot air balloon that occasionally poked through the tree canopy. “There’re too many eyes watching and ears listening for it to be anything but.”

“Aww, who cares if they see?” Jill whined softly, her hooves extending into dark claws and her mane roping out into a raggedy ridge of green fur that ran down the grey and brown fur of her back. “Isn’t this what these disguises are for?” She gave an evil laugh through the mouthful of sharp teeth sprouting from her gums as Ray began a similar change himself.

“Yes, that’s true,” he snarled, his body lengthening slightly, hindquarters becoming larger and more muscular as his front legs shrank in size, dropping his head closer to the ground on a strong, stout neck. “But we can’t use magic in these disguises to defend ourselves if an Element Holder gets wind of what’s happening and comes to help. So, this has gotta be quick!” He gnashed his teeth experimentally, and involuntarily gave off a low noise that resembled a mixture of demonic laughter and the anguished cries of a crazypony. “Ugh, I hate some of the side-effects of this thing!”

“I dunno, I kinda like it, hee-hee-hee-haa-haw-gaah-hee-haaa,” Jill cackled for a moment before sniffing the air, the predatory instincts of the animal form she and her brother had taken beginning to kick in. “You know, our Boss may irritate the hay outta me sometimes, but ya gotta admit, he gives out some great early Hearths-Warming Eve gifts,” she flexed her claws and tore a branch off a bush experimentally. “This spell is awesome!”

“Heh, you got that right,” Ray chuckled himself, looking back along the green ridge of fur running along his own spine down to the scraggly green tail that completed the disguise of an Everfree Forest Cryhena. True, they hadn’t been seen this far east in Equestria for some time, but this would do just fine for their assignment. Cryhenas’ senses allowed them to track prey better than anypony could ever hope, and that alone insured that Volare and Scootaloo would never be able to hide from them in these woods.

“Come on, Ray,” Jill growled and began to stalk out onto the path. “They’re getting away!”

“No, wait, we gotta figure out a way to get them further away from the others,” he glanced up at the hovering balloon again. “Some way to get them out of-wait, I’ve got an idea! Follow me, sis!” He gave her a fang-filled grin and dashed across the path, sprinting through the woods at break-neck speed to get ahead of the Pegasus pair, his sister hot on his heels. He’d better have a damn good plan, cuz she was already getting antsy to tear something to pieces! Volare, ooohhh, you’d better decide to fight because it’s been waaaaay too long, she practically moaned to herself in the thrill of the promised slaughter to come!

…………………….

“Whew, hold up a minute, Scoots,” Volare pleaded, limping slightly up to a large maple tree. The filly turned with a look of concern on her face and trotted back over to her partner, giving his chest a worried nuzzle.

“You alright, Volare?”

“Oh yeah, just this hoof is giving me issues,” he shook the sore appendage in question. “It’s just cramping on me a big, that’s all. Just gimme a sec and I’ll stretch it out.”

“Ah, no problem,” Scootaloo nodded. “As long as you’re ok, it’s all good,” she buzzed her wings and jumped/flew up onto a head-high rock and perched there, watching her running mate work the kink out of his sore limb.

“Heh, whatcha doing up there, Scoots?” he chuckled after noticing where she’d gone.

“Keepin’ an eye out for danger!” Scootaloo smirked playfully and scanned the area like a little soldier, giving him a salute after a moment. “All clear, sir!”

“Get down here before you fall and land on your adorable little head,” Volare laughed and kicked a pile of fallen leaves at her.

“Adorable? Eww, gross,” she made a face and glided down from the rock and landed next to him, tucking her small wings back up against her sides with a grin of accomplishment.

“Impressive,” Volare nodded. “How’d you pick that up?”

“Learned from the best,” Scootaloo replied matter-of-factly.

“Aha, Rainbow Dash I take it?”

“No,” she said in a tone that made Volare take pause and look down at her questioningly. “Learned from you, dude,” she said and gave him a smile that nearly made his heart burst in pride, adoration, and just…sheer happiness for the little filly. That she attributed her progress to him…that he was making a positive influence in her life…it really struck a chord within him. “You ok, Volare?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve got a tear running down your face, dude,” Scootaloo frowned in concern and cocked her head. “Does your leg hurt that bad? Maybe we should just stop and let Pinkie pick us up if it does.”

“Nah, it’s not my leg,” Volare shook his head and wiped his face with the back of his hoof, feeling his face burning in embarrassment as he did so. “The pain’s a little higher up.” Somewhere around the chest area… “But I’ll be ok.”

“Promise?” she asked, a bit unconvinced.

“Promise,” he grinned and leaned back off of the tree, testing his weight on his hoof and nodding at the diminishment of pain in the limb. “I think I’ll make it.”

“Well, let’s test it out!” Scootaloo said suddenly and galloped ahead a few paces before turning back. “Come on Volare, race ya to that rock!” she indicated a large boulder by the edge of the trail further up ahead.

“You’re on!” he growled softly and took off after the giggling filly, though with her headstart and quicker hoof-speed, she beat him there by a healthy margin. “Heh, now what? Race ya to that bush?”

“The one shaped like you, all tall and skinny and goofy-looking?” Scootaloo teased and took off. “Gonna beat ya there again!”

“Not without a fight you won’t!” he laughed and forced the dull ache of his hoof aside, chasing the filly and feeling a rising sense of joy he hadn’t felt this strongly in a long, long time. Again and again, the fleet-footed filly beat him to their mini-race destinations, and in this way, they quickly worked their way up around the base of the mountain, and soon were nearing the northeast corner where according to Rainbow Dash, a hairpin turn would send them back on the home stretch towards Ponyville through a bunch of maple trees.

“Dammit,” Volare hissed to himself as the cramp in his hoof returned with a vengeance, forcing him to lean against another tree near a sign planted in fork in the road and stretch it. Scootaloo, ever the bundle of energy, ran circles around him, stopping only after he playfully threatened to stick out a hoof and trip her just to see how far she’d roll.

“Aww, you’re no fun,” she nudged him playfully and finally settled down for a moment. Volare, seeing the disappointment on his face, just couldn’t help himself, and against his better judgment, he put on a tougher face for his little sister for the day.

“Hey, I can be fun,” he squinted. “You calling me Mr. Unfun or something?” Scootaloo took the hint in his voice and crouched down in the path like a cat ready to pounce.

“Maaaaybe…prove you can be fun!” her whole body seemed tensed and ready to spring into action as she spoke with a wide, playful grin.

“Ok, gimme a real challenge! And none of this ‘race me to a tree’ stuff,” he stepped away from the tree, ready for anything.

“Hrm…I know!” Scootaloo declared as she looked towards the split in the path. “See the hill the trail climbs up?”

“Yeah,” he replied, already slightly regretting his decision to allow her to pick the challenge. “What about it?”

“Would you consider it tougher to race me to the top of that instead of to another boring old tree?” the Pegasus filly smirked, knowing she had Volare caught.

“Um…what happens if I say yes?”

“Race ya there!” she suddenly shouted and took off, turning left as indicated by the arrow on the sign. She got fully a quarter of the way up the hill before turning and waving to Volare. “Come on, slowpoke!”

“Grrr, you asked for it, Scoots!” the blue Pegasus growled playfully and limped to the bottom of the hill, looking up at the cheekily-grinning Scootaloo. “If you don’t beat me to the top, I’m gonna tickle the hay outta ya!” And with that, he turned left at the arrow, his mind pushing aside the near-silent alarm bell that went off at the momentary familiarity of the situation that struck him. He forced himself to charge up the hill, the filly’s squeals of delight rolling down past him as the pair raced up the steep embankment. But after passing the halfway point, Volare began to flag. The lingering effects of his wing injury coupled with his aching hoof finally served to slow him to a near-crawl up the hill. His leg muscles screamed in burning pain, and perspiration poured down his face, forcing him to blink the sweat from his eyes, the very action of which seemed to tempt him to nod off and rest, just for harmless little moment. He very nearly decided to lay down on the cool, inviting dirt that the covered the incline before he heard Scootaloo shout down at him. When he looked up, time seemed to stop as he took in the eerily familiar scene above him.

“Come on Volare! Don’t give up!” Scootaloo cheered him on, beckoning him to take the spot next to her at the crest of the hill. Her little knees were scuffed and scraped from the climb, but the rough and tumble filly grinned anyway, sending a thrill through him. He half-considered questioning this curveball that fate had thrown him, but after a moment, he thought better of it, deciding to play along.

“Easy for you to say, Scoots; you don’t have a half-busted hoof!” he called up, shaking the appendage in protest.

“What a lame excuse!” Scootaloo shook her head. “You jumped up every time Applejack threw you to the ground, and I know that had to be worse than this! Either that, or you’re just letting me win,” she teased before mock-gasping. “But I could have sworn you agreed to never do that! Volare, are you going back on your word?”

“Wouldn’t think of it, Scoots,” he chuckled and heaved himself to his hooves, trudging up the hill once more.

“Oooh, oooh, no, I know what it is!” Scootaloo practically danced as she spoke. “Maybe Pinion was right…maybe you’re just an old-timer after all, hee-hee!”

“Gimme a break, Scoots!” Volare grumbled. “You know that Pinion is an idiot anyways!”

“Yeah, well maybe I thought he was,” she continued. “Maybe I suddenly think he’s smart and handsome, and-whoa!” she shouted as Volare suddenly surged up the hill.

“Oh I know you didn’t just say what I think you just said!” he growled playfully and lunged, clearing the top of the hill and landing next to the startled Scootaloo with a very protective big-brother-like glint in his eye. He grabbed up Scootaloo and slung her over his shoulder, balancing her on his good wing as he spun in a circle and laughed like a fool. “Now you take that back or I’ll spin till we both lose our breakfast all over this hillside!”

“Alright, alright, I give!” Scootaloo cried after a moment, grabbing Volare around the head and pulling him to the ground, tickling his ribs with her back hooves until he reached up and flipped her onto her back.

“My turn!” he chuckled and proceeded to give her the tickling of her life, the tomboyish filly finally turning over on her belly and crawling a short distance away before turning and leaping back onto Volare’s head, giving him the best hoof-noogie she could muster. After a good few more minutes of this horseplay, the Pegasus duo flopped down onto their backs, a giggling, half-worn-out mass of aching ribs and stomachs.

“We need to do this again, Volare,” Scootaloo declared after a moment, looking up at the blue Pegasus, who’s chin her head was resting under. “Cuz this is fun as all hay.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t mind,” he nodded, his chin mussing her purple mane as she did so and making her giggle and snuggle up closer under his chin. “But that’d mean we’d have to wait till next year. And what about your sibling-racing cutie mark? What if you don’t get it today?”

“Meh, that was kinda a long-shot anyway,” she chuckled. “But if ya wanna, we can try other sibling stuff…it’d be something I’ve never really had a chance to try till now, ya know?” she said off-hoofedly, though the implications of her statement resonated hopefully within Volare.

“But we already said I’m just a stand-in,” the older Pegasus protested, his hope fading at his own words. “A Big Brother For a Day, I think…or so Pinkie said.” To his surprise, Scootaloo leaned up and looked him in the eyes, her expression one of deep and serious thought; in all honesty a rather-foreign feeling for the normally leap-before-she-looked filly.

“And she also said there’s no rulebook for getting your cutie mark…and I think she said something else about you being my big brother for longer than a day,” a grin began to grow across her face. “That right?”

“You’re as big an eavesdropper as Sweetie Belle,” Volare chuckled, bringing his hoof up to his forehead. “Oh where has the time gone to?” he imitated the fashionista.

“I’m serious, Volare,” Scootaloo’s tone got his attention. This wasn’t a joke after all… “Did I hear right?”

“Yeah…yeah, you did,” the older Pegasus admitted.

“Soo…since there’s no rules about it really…you wanna be my big brother again to help me get my cutie mark? Except, ya know, for longer than a day?” it was her turn to ask hopefully. “And then, I dunno, maybe even after we get our marks?”

“Scoots, I…what you’re asking…I dunno,” Volare said, suddenly hesitant. What were the Equestrian rules on this sorta thing? What if he said yes but then they said no and he ended up disappointing Scootaloo? But one look at her hopeful expression and all doubt melted. This was what she wanted, and this was absolutely what he wanted. With a small but happy sigh, he nodded. “Yes. I’ll do it, Scoots.”

“Really? No fooling, dude?” she asked warily.

“No fooling,” he held up a hoof. “On my life.”

“Heh, sweet,” Scootaloo smiled before gasping slightly and looking back to him with a wide grin. “Oh my gosh, this is awesome! I have a big brother!!! YEAAAAHH!!!” She hopped to her hooves and leaped about the hilltop, bucking dirt every which way and making Volare laugh until his sides hurt. He didn’t have the heart to tell her there might be legal issues involved with this arrangement, because at this point, he could care less.

Aggie, he thought suddenly. I promised I’d fix what happened…I just hope this is the right way to do it…to redeem myself for failing you like I promised I never would. Thanks, sis…thanks for everything…
He smiled inwardly before turning back to the proudly-strutting filly.

“Dude, we gotta tell everypony!” Scootaloo continued to crow before Volare realized something.

“Uhh, Scoots, hate to burst your bubble, but we gotta find somepony before we tell them.”

“Oh hay, you’re right,” the filly grinned sheepishly before the pair jogged over the rise, continuing to climb in altitude as they went along.

………….

“I can’t believe that worked,” Jill gaped at the arrow that Ray had switched in the fork of the path.

“Heh, oldest trick in the book, sis,” Ray grinned toothily. “Plus I know these woods like the back of my hoof-er-paw,” he flexed and studied the clawed appendage for a moment before nodding towards the hill the two Pegasi had run up, giggling like a couple of fools. “Maybe you’re right and that guy is a foal-creeper.”

“Or a filly-file; the worst sort,” Jill growled. “What better reason than to rip his good off, eh Ray?” Her brother shuddered at the thought before shaking it away. He very nearly might pity this guy when they caught them.

“Come on sis, they’re gonna run outta road here soon, and they’ll be tired from climbing up there,” he started towards the embankment. “And I wanna catch’em before they un-corner themselves!”

………….

“I dunno Scoots,” Volare looked around them as they continued to climb. “This just doesn’t feel right.”

“Whatcha mean?” the filly asked, seemingly unbothered by the off things bothering the older Pegasus.

“Well, for example: there are still leaves on the trees here,” he nodded up at the still-leafy branches.

“Well duh, that’s what the race is for; knocking them off,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You worry too much, dude.”

“No, that’s not it,” Volare frowned. “I mean, the group we were following had knocked just about all the leaves off the trees ahead of us up to this point. So why are there still leaves in the trees?”

“Oh, good question,” the Pegasus filly replied, a feeling of unease finally germinating in her own belly.

“And if we’re following the race group, where are their hoof prints?” He pointed at the ground in realization. True, the ground was rather rocky and devoid of dirt, but if two dozen racing ponies came dashing through, they’d leave some sort of sign of their passage: broken sticks, hoof prints, bent branches. But so far, ever since they took that left fork in the road, they’d seen none of that. “Plus, Rainbow Dash said something about some maple trees past a fork in the road; haven’t seen a single one yet!”

“Huh, you think we took a wrong turn or something?” Scootaloo asked as the road before them curved around a rock wall…and dead-ended at the edge of a steep-edged cliff that jutted out over the woods.

“I’m gonna say yeah,” Volare groaned. Fluttershy and the rest were gonna kill him! He had to admit though, it honestly wasn’t that bad of a view…until he realized that the forest below and behind them had grown quiet…too quiet. Deathly quiet in fact. No birds sang, no bugs buzzed, even the wind itself seemed to momentarily cease. It was eerie enough to make the hair on the Pegasi’s necks stand on end. The thing was, Volare seemed to recall that things like this only happened when predators were near…

SNAP
The sound of a breaking twig down the hill behind them caused both ponies to jump and turn in mid-air to face the source of the noise. Soon, a soft sobbing chuckle wafted around the rock wall towards them, making them tense and back up a step towards the edge. Accompanying the chuckling cries were the sounds of growling and claws scraping on stone as something approached them.
“V-volare?” Scootaloo whimpered slightly, pressing her small body against his. “What’s going on?”

“I dunno,” he whispered back and placed a foreleg protectively in front of her. But the misshapen twin shapes that came stalking around the corner made his heart pound in fear. “C-cryhenas,” he managed to mutter as the predators cackled at the sight of their prey. Everything that Iron Will had said about the animals that had nearly ended his own life came rushing back to Volare. The shape of the body, slightly shorter but more stoutly-built than the Pegasus, remained the same, though he didn’t remember the minotaur speaking of the color of their ragged spine hair, which on these particular individuals was a dull, mossy green; the same with the scraggly tails that nearly dragged along the ground behind them. The sharp claws that scratched on the stone as they approached gleamed dully in the afternoon sun. The jaws, perfectly suited for cracking the leg bone of a minotaur, nevermind a pony, opened and closed in a semblance of speech. That was something else that Iron Will never mentioned; how intelligent these predators seemed, almost as if they really could talk and taunt their cornered prey. Imagine Volare’s surprise when the one closest to them spoke through a cackling laugh.

“Well, well, well, what’ve we got here, hee-haaa-ha? Two little ponies who’ve lost their way?” it snarled in a vague reference to a female voice.

“Sis, this is supposed to be a disguise!” the other beast (a male) growled and swatted at the back legs of the female, who whirled and snapped at him.

“Gah, who cares? Nopony’s gonna see anything way back here anyway?” The female turned back and grinned a mouthful of fangs at her prey.

“Give us the filly and nopony gets hurt,” the male suddenly demanded.

“Aww, can’t we please hurt them just a teensy little bit?” the female whined and flexed her claws, gouging a scrawling mark along the rock wall as she did so.

“What the hell is this?!” Volare growled himself, taking a step forward. “Scoots, get behind me…now!”

“R-right,” the filly nodded and scooted backwards until he stood protectively over her.

“You know these guys?” the pilot asked, trying his best to stall for time and keep her calm.

“N-no way!”

“Well, you know what they say about talking to strangers,” he declared and bared his teeth. “So why don’t you two guys just get lost, eh?”

“Yeah, go the hay away!” Scootaloo added fiercely.

“Fat chance!” the male growled and stepped closer. “We’re not leaving without her!” he pointed a claw at the glaring filly.

“We don’t have all day, so give her up! Now!” the female demanded.

“Yeah right,” Volare snarled and stomped a hoof. “Over my dead body!”

“Oh I was soooo hoping you’d say that,” the female predator crept closer.

“You take the big one. I’ll grab the kid!” The male instructed as he too came closer and closer, forcing the ponies to back up until their hooves very nearly hung off the edge of the embankment behind them.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way!” the female grinned and gnashed her fangs.

“Volare, what do we do?” Scootaloo whimpered and grabbed at his foreleg, igniting a spark of anger inside of him. How dare they do this?! How dare they threaten him and his...his little sister like this!?! He looked back over the edge and thought he might see a way down…a painful way, but much less worse than being chewed up here!

“Scoots, get on my back,” he ordered, to which she quickly complied.

“What’s this? Ponyride time, heh-heh-heh!” the male chuckled and prepared to leap at them.

“You holding on tight, Scootaloo?” Volare asked, feeling her grip his mane in her shaky little hooves in response.

“Yeah,” she whispered and stared wide-eyed through his spiky mane at the two Cryhenas mere inches away, so close they could feel their hot breath wash over them as the predators laughed in anticipation of the kill.

“Good…cuz this could get rough…”

Canterlot…

“Wait, so you’re telling me that Lyra’s got Volare figured out?” Twilight asked around a mouthful of cereal, her question directed towards Princess Celestia who’d come to pay her student one last visit before seeing her off. Princess Cadance had prepared a quick and simple brunch for her husband and sister-in-law before they departed, while Princess Luna had arrived shortly after noon, accepting their offer of some simple granola and berries.

“Well, somewhat. I may have dropped enough hints for her to figure it out,” Celestia grinned somewhat sheepishly. “I actually think it might be beneficial for you and Lyra to help each other in your studies, as she has a rather large collection of human artifacts to study right there in Ponyville.”

“What?!” Twilight spewed cereal onto the tabletop before she could stop her outburst, nearly dropping the tea she’d been levitating as well but luckily had the presence of mind to sit it on the table before continuing. “Where the hay has she been keeping them and why hasn't she told me about this?!"

“I advised her that it would be wise to keep it under wraps if she could, for a number of reasons,” the Sun Goddess chuckled as Twilight quickly mopped up the mess with a rag. Which might have necessitated her giving me that box of socks when she ran out of room to store them...oh well. “Which is also why I’d like for you to study with her, as you seem to have a bit more self-control, and don’t seem to be the one to go shouting the findings of your sensitive studies all over Equestria.”

“Heh, most of the time!” Shining Armor chuckled and nudged his sister as he trotted by. “Remember the Library?”

“Yes, yes, we all remember,” the Librarian rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically at Celestia. “Anyway…you say you don’t want her…our discoveries spread everywhere. Any particular reason?” She had been hoping that she’d managed to change her mentor’s general opinion on humans, but now she feared she was taking a step back again. But the Sun Goddess’ answer alleviated her worries somewhat, while raising yet another new question.

“It’s not what you think, Twilight Sparkle,” she explained slowly and clearly. “Ever since I’ve known of the humans, they’ve worried me for two reasons, one of which we’ve already gone into great detail about; although in regards to that, you’ve helped me see that not all humans are inherently bad.” Twilight smiled with a hint of pride at that. “There is another reason I’ve wanted to keep information on them relatively quiet, though. It’s rather minor compared to the human race in general, but you need to know that there are…certain creatures in Equestria and beyond that sometimes display an unhealthy fixation on off-worlders, and humans are no exception.”

“Ah, I see,” Twilight nodded and glanced to the side for confirmation from Luna, but the Night Princess simply continued to silently eat her food and observe the conversation. Hrm, she must’ve had a later night than I thought… “And I take it Lyra is one of them?”

“She’s getting that way, yes,” Celestia chuckled lightly. “But fortunately, she’s what you call a benevolent-obsessed, mainly doing what she does for research and recreation. No, the one’s I worry about are the malevolent-obsessed, the ones that would do anything in their power to grab hold of the tiniest shred of human information and bend it to their will.”

“How so?” Twilight cocked her head bemusedly. Celestia sighed softly and frowned before continuing.

“For example: imagine if Queen Chrysalis had been a human-malevolent-obsessed creature and had gotten her hooves on human technology, such as their guns,” Twilight’s eyes widened in growing horror. “Imagine how much worse the Wedding Incident might have gone if her entire army had been armed with human weaponry. That is what I fear: somepony with an evil heart getting ahold of one of their terribly destructive inventions and using it for their evil purposes. That is why I’m so worried about the wrong information getting out about humans. That is why I caution against randomly bringing objects to our worlds, because it’s like fishing blindly with a sharp stick in the dark; you never know quite what you’re going to get.”

“O-oh my gosh…” Twilight’s face had fallen further and further as the repercussions of such actions finally and truly dawned on her. What if, instead of harmless objects, somepony had transported a bomb here?! Or worse!? She couldn’t imagine much worse, but what if they had and somepony evil did get it!?

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia stroked the lavender Unicorn’s mane gently, bringing her back to reality. “This is exactly why I want you to help Lyra and guide her with her research. She has a wonderful gift for sensing objects from Earth, and together, not only could you two do a great deal of good work towards the better-understanding of humans, but you could also help keep Ponyville, and by extension Equestria safe via your research.”

“And what about Volare?” Twilight looked up questioningly.

“Ah I figured you’d ask about him sooner or later,” Celestia smiled warmly. “In regards to Volare, just…don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like you treat his origins the same way as if he were an object brought from Earth; which he is of course. He’s an object with a potential to do a lot of good things if he puts his mind to it, as you’ve shown this blind old mare is possible.” As well as many bad things if the wrong being ever found out…

But Twilight, as satisfying as this information was, still had one question burning to be asked. “Celestia,” she spoke with such a solemn tone that everypony in the room grew quiet. “These malevolent-obsessed…do you know who any of them are? Who we should watch out for specifically?” The white Alicorn chewed her bottom lip for a moment with a distant look in her eye, as if considering if she should even answer the question at all. But after a moment, she relented somewhat.

“I’m not entirely sure anymore, Twilight,” Celestia admitted with a small shrug. “But just to be safe, only tell of Volare’s origins to those you trust. That might also go a good ways to help him get settled here if he decides to stay. Heavens knows how rough it might be for him if everypony knew about it and bothered him constantly about it.”

“Which is yet another good reason to keep Lyra on the straight and narrow, Twilight,” Cadance spoke up. “She’s a dear and terribly fun to talk and share a laugh with, but as Celestia said, she doesn’t have the best sense of self-control. Just let her know to tell only those she trusts the most about Volare being a former human, that’s all.”

“Exactly, Cadance,” the Sun Princess nodded. “You say your closest friends already know, Twilight?”

“Yes, though not to the depth of the details Volare and I discussed and took all those notes upon.”

“Well, my first suggestion to you, once you get back into town, is to pass this information along; to ‘head it off at the pass’, as Applejack would put it,” Celestia chuckled and returned to her previously light-hearted tone as Twilight returned to sipping her tea. “That’s honestly all I have left on the subject, Twilight. And speaking of Applejack, shouldn’t she be in The Running of the Leaves by now? I wonder if she’ll defend her title this year.”

Before Twilight could reply, a letter flashed into existence in mid-air, startling everypony present before it dropped softly to the table-top. “It’s from Spike,” the librarian announced as she glanced at the green fireball-shaped seal on the scroll before opening it and glancing at the clock. “He should be helping Pinkie announce for the race right now; what’s he doing sending letters at a time like…” But she trailed off as she read the hastily scrawled text, her eye growing wider and her face more worried by the moment.
Suddenly, her magical grip on her teacup weakened, and it slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor. The levitating letter began to shake, as did the lavender mare.

“Twilight, what’s wrong?” Cadance rose to her hooves and started around the table.

“Yeah Twiley, what’s wrong?” The Captain of the Guard asked, trying to conceal the concern he felt growing in his chest at his little sister’s reaction to the letter.

“Did something happen to Spike?” Luna inquired gently, setting her food down on the table. But when Twilight looked up from the letter, her face was such a contorted display of distraught emotions that it put even the Princess of the Night on edge. “Twilight Sparkle?”

“N-no,” the Unicorn stammered and dropped the letter to the tabletop. “I-it can’t…no…no…no…”

“Twilight, what. Is. Wrong?!” Celestia practically demanded, more concerned for her star pupil than she could ever remember being.

“I-It’s Volare,” she finally choked out. “He’s…something really bad happened. Spike doesn’t know exactly what, but he said he saw Rainbow Dash carrying Volare and he was”- she broke out into a sob. “H-he doesn’t know if Volare’s going to make it! Why, just…why?” She broke down and sobbed into her hooves as Luna reached out and picked up the letter herself, quickly skimming it and meeting her sister’s gaze with a look of fierce determination that brooked no argument and nearly made the Sun Goddess recoil. It wasn’t so much a request as it was a statement, and Celestia simply nodded her consent.

“Come Twilight, Shining Armor,” Luna announced and rose to her hooves, magically pulling on the two Unicorns as she quickly made her way out the door and gave raised her head into the air, giving a loud, long whistle as she did so. “Forget the train; that will take far too long! Twilight, I need you to calm down. For yourself and for Volare!”

“I…I just…ok, I’ll try,” Twilight nodded and wiped her eyes, though she still wore a look of extreme distress, as did her brother to a lesser degree.

“What’re we going to do, Princess Luna?” Shining Armor inquired as the sound of leathery wings filled the air. He looked up to see a pair of dark-armored, dragon-winged Pegasi pulling a black, gothic chariot streak out of the West Tower and land next to Luna with a flash of lightning.

“Where to, my Mistress?” one of the Pegasi rasped. Luna turned back to Shining Armor and Twilight and beckoned them aboard.

“We’re going to Ponvyille…immediately!”

Notes: And thus, the shitstorm truly begins...

The Running-Pt 11: I Won't Back Down

BIG WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE, DARK THEMES, AND GORE AHEAD!

Chapter inspired by this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8i5NLyXZdc&feature=related

September 11th, Afternoon

“Tree!! Tree!!”

“OOF-I know, I see it-agh!”

“Dodge it, Volare!”

“Since when did you become a-OW-backseat driver, Scoots?!”

“Bush!!”

“Crap! AGH, son of a-!”

“Blech-leaves…oh holy hay, BOULDER!!!”

“Oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-BAM—Owwhaaahaaaowwww!”

BANG
CRUNCH
SLAM
BAM
THUD

“…………….agh, dammit…that really could have gone better,” Volare hissed under his breath as he gathered his aching hooves under himself and staggered upright, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears and massaging a loosened tooth with his tongue. He drew in a ragged lungful of air that made his ribs ache, but as of yet, he didn’t seem to have broken anything serious. His crippled wing had become untied in the fall and hung limply at his side, full of dust, leaves and sticks. “You still back there, Scoots?”

“Yeah, barely,” the Pegasus filly groaned and patted the back of his head in confirmation, though she dropped a sizeable chunk of his mane in the process. “I think I ruined your mane, dude.”

“Heh, forget it,” the pilot panted and gazed up towards the top of the embankment that towered over him, just now realizing how high the damn thing was! In a stroke of brilliance (or stupidity, time would only tell), he’d backed up away from those two Cryhenas and at the last possible moment, he’d stepped backward off the ledge, flipping over on his rump with Scootaloo hanging onto his neck for dear life. Together, they’d slid/fallen down the steep incline, jumping and tumbling around rocks, ledges, and brambles, finally coming to a rest at the base of it in a cloud of dust and curses. He could feel blood running from the briar scratches on his flanks, and was aware of the dry and rocky dirt that crusted his body from head to hoof, but they were alive and well away from those two things…for now.

He then focused on the snarling duo nearly 100 feet above them and grinned. “What’s wrong? Scared of heights ya bastards?!” It wasn’t until after he’d shouted that he realized that he wasn’t at that moment. That he’d put his fear of it aside for Scootaloo…for his little sister. He felt her nuzzle his raggedy mane before standing up on his back and putting her own two bits into the conversation.

“Yeah! Who’s the bad-flanks now, huh?!” the filly hopped slightly as she crowed, causing the Cryhenas to snap and screech at the empty air between them before pulling back over the edge. “You think they gave up?” Scootaloo asked before Volare noticed the pebbles falling off the edge of the incline as the predators raced back down the rise towards the fork in the road.

“No, they’re just not crazy enough to take the fast way down!” He said as he turned to run in the opposite direction, intent on circling back around the base of the mountain and finding help before those things caught up to them. But as he stepped to run, his right forehoof threatened to buckle under him, and he hissed in pain before forcing himself to limp as fast as he could.

“You ok, Volare?” Scootaloo asked fearfully.

“Yeah, I’m good…think I tweaked my leg worse in the fall,” he forced a smile that became more of a rictus-grin every time the hoof hit the ground. “Scoots, you’re faster than me now…get outta here and go get help!”

“No, I’m not gonna leave you behind with those things!” she protested and hugged his neck tightly, listening to the far-off cries and arguing of the Cryhenas behind them. “Besides, I dunno where to go!”

“Heh, great, neither do I,” Volare muttered as he willed his aching legs to keep pumping up and down. I wonder if those damn things planned this…it’s like they knew we’d be tired after climbing that hill…why did that seem so familiar, dammit?! He quickly crammed any thoughts that didn’t involve running as fast as he could away in a dark corner of his mind, knowing that his and more importantly, Scootaloo’s survival rested on him thinking clearly and staying focused. Applejack’s drill-sergeant-esque shouts came flying back to him full-force: C’mon Volare…move them hooves! Dig it out!!! Dig-dig-dig!!!

…………………..

“I can’t believe that fool of a Pegasus did that!” Ray growled in disbelief as he and Jill sprinted down the backside of the hill, nearing the arrow marker they’d switched to trick the two Pegasi.

“No kidding,” Jill snarled angrily. “What if he’d gotten that brat killed, huh? Then we’d really be deep in it with the Boss!” They reached the bottom of the incline and skidded to a halt, listening for anypony that might have heard the commotion running down the trail. But after hearing nothing but the near-silence of falling, fiery-hued leaves, the duo turned their attention to the direction of their prey, which they could just barely hear crashing through the woods in the distance. They jogged almost leisurely around the base of the embankment, pausing again once they reached the place where the Pegasi had crash-landed, littering the ground with orange and blue feathers.

“You can run, little ponies,” Jill grinned wickedly, sniffing the shreds of yellow and black mane hair that sat in a small heap in the dirt. She followed the scent into the air and gave a cackling howl in the direction that the two Pegasi had fled.

“But you can’t hide!” Ray growled in his throat and sounded a snarl that echoed that of his sister.

“Oh Ray, it’s been forever since the last hunt!” Jill flexed her claws and gnashed her teeth, working herself into a blood-mad frenzy. “Let’s run these two down like the cowards they are!!”

“Right behind you, sis!” Ray roared and they took off, tearing along the easily-defined trail of broken sticks and the occasional spot of blood that Volare had left as he ploughed ahead through the scratching and grabbing brambles, trying desperately to outrun their pursuers.

………………

“Scoots *gasp* I dunno *huff*,” Volare gasped audibly as he ran, nearly tripping on a rock in exhaustion and just barely catching himself before dodging a tree he would have hit head-on otherwise. “I’m running out of gas here!”

“C’mon, Volare!” Scoots pounded her hoof lightly on his neck like a jockey urging her mount on. “They’re right behind us!” She looked back to confirm that, sure enough, the Cryhenas were hot on their trail, their evil cackling, croaking cries getting closer every moment. Soon, the filly thought she could see their glowing green eyes shining in the shadows of the trees, and imagined she could hear their sharp fangs clashing together as they chased them. “Faster, Volare!”

“Scoots, this isn’t gonna work-AGH!” the blue Pegasus yowled in pain as a tree branch caught at his crippled wing, nearly tearing a hole clean through it while ripping out a number of his down feathers in the process. His lungs burned, his eyesight blurred, and his forehoof screamed in agony every time it pounded against the ground. As much as he wanted to keep fighting it, he felt it in his bones that sooner or later he was going to trip on a root or a rock, and before he’d make it to his hooves, those things would be all over him!

Soon, he heard and smelled the water of a flowing river before them, along with a possible waterfall in the near-distance. As they burst through the tree-line and ran down a gentle embankment, the actual sight of the river confirmed what he’d sensed, and his heart fell when he saw how rough and deep the current was as small whitecaps curled up and crashed down over rocks and tree branches that stuck up from the riverbed. If he wasn’t so tired, he might’ve been able to swim it, but Scootaloo…no, she was too young to even attempt such a feat. She’d be beaten to death on the rocks or drowned by the current. There was no place else to flee, unless they ran parallel to the river bank. But as he tried to lift his hooves from the mud that covered the ground from the riverside to the tree-line, he knew that wouldn’t work either, that he’d run himself ragged just trying to move quickly, making him easy prey for the Cryhenas. And they certainly couldn’t go running back into the woods, right into the waiting jaws of those things. They were well and truly trapped.

“Shit…shit, shit, shit,” Volare growled and muttered, glancing up and down the river, hoping he’d overlooked something. But no, there was nothing but the river and the mud before them, and the predators behind them. The time for running was over…the time for dying was at hand… But no, a little further down the riverbank, he spied a willow tree leaning out over the water, with branches just low enough for Scootaloo to reach if she stood on tip-hoof on his head. There’s no tree-climbing involved in the Running of the Leaves, Pinkie’s words returned to Volare, who never thought fate could be this damn ironic! It wasn’t perfect, but he’d take it.

“Scoots, I need you to listen to me,” he said as calmly as he could despite the approaching crashing and cackling. “Scoots?!”

“Huh, yeah?” the wide-eyed filly looked back into Volare’s steely-blue gaze as he hurried towards the willow tree, his hooves making a sucking pop noise every time he lifted them from the mud.

“Climb on my head and get up in this tree,” he indicated the lowest branch he could reach, and stood up straight and tall. “Scoots, right now!” he barked.

“O-ok!” she nodded and did as he instructed, barely able to reach the branch and pull herself up. “Come on, I’ll help you up!” she reached a tiny hoof down in a gesture of assistance so brave that it made Volare grin despite the desperate situation.

“You know those branches won’t hold me, kiddo,” he shook his head grimly. “Now you climb up where those things can’t reach you and you stay up there!” He put his tail towards the tree trunk and faced the tree-line above him, awaiting their pursuers.

“But what about you!?” Scootaloo cried in fear as she reluctantly obeyed, though she had a sickening feeling she knew what he was going to say; that premonition didn’t help ease her concern even when he finally answered her as the two Cryhenas cleared the trees and halted at the top of them embankment.

“Don’t worry about me, Scoots,” he looked back and gave her an encouraging smile. “If I can hold them off long enough, somepony is bound to miss us and come looking.”

“B-but…Volare, they’re gonna hurt you...they’re gonna get you!!” she said in anguish.

“But they’re not gonna get you, Scoots,” he gave her a solemn nod and blinked away a tear. “I promise they won’t get you…if it’s the last thing I do, you’re gonna grow up to fly and be Rainbow Dash’s personal trainer and everything.” He smiled sadly before straightening his face and glaring at the two predators as they slinked down towards them, taking their time now that they knew they had their prey cornered.

“Give her up, freak!” Ray snarled as he approached. "You're on the wrong side of the mountain for anypony to hear you call for help, so why don't you make this easy, eh?"

“Uh, how about no?” the Pegasus shot back and stomped his hoof in the cold mud, though he knew the predator was right.
Heh, never thought it'd come to this, eh Volare?

“Look, this whole thing is bigger than you or us!” Jill growled. “And we know exactly what you are; where you come from, but that doesn’t make you special in the slightest! Our Boss is more powerful than you can ever imagine, and he desires this child for a reason, so give her to us! Now!”

“I don’t give two shits and a flying fuck about your boss!” the blue Pegasus snorted and stomped his hoof again, hard enough to splatter mud into the air. He was right: the time for running was over…it was time to stand and fight! “As long as I’m breathing, you’re not gonna lay a claw on that innocent little girl!”

“Oh yeah, and what’re you gonna do to stop us, huh?! You’re not exactly in a position to make threats!” Jill cackled and crept forward. To her surprise, Volare lowered his head, his ears splayed back, good wing flared wide, and remaining mane hair standing on end as he bared his teeth and glared fiery blue daggers into her own eyes. His face contorted into the most fearsome and angry expression he could muster as he tried to stare her down like he’d done to Shae.

“Oh, I’m not making threats, bitch,” he snarled through clenched teeth. “I’m making promises! Get the hell away from Scootaloo or else!”

But the female quickly recovered and laughed sardonically. “What, you think we’re just some wild animals that spook when somepony stares at them, huh?!”

“That’s enough!” Ray swiped at his sister with a growl. “You’re saying too much as it is!”

“Well, pardon me if I’m trying to teach him the error of his ways before I rip him to pieces!” she barked back before turning back to Volare. “Looks like you have something in your eye there, you staring freak…my claws!” She leaped forward and slashed at Volare’s face, but the Pegasus quickly backed up a step, leaving her swiping at empty air. Ray then tried his chances, but as he snapped at Volare’s fore-leg, the pony kicked at him instinctively, connecting with his jaw in a glancing blow.

“So, he’s not so helpless after all,” Ray growled and rubbed his face before circling to the left, Jill going to the right as they attempted to flank him. Volare did his best to keep an eye on either attacker, but soon they had him twisting his head left and right to keep from being surprised.

“Look out on your left!” Scootaloo shouted as the male Cryhena lunged forward, grabbing for Volare’s forehoof again. But just as before, the Pegasus jerked the leg out of range and brought his hard hoof down on the predator’s thick skull with a loud crack, making it back off, whining as it did so.

“Grrrr, lemme show you how it’s done!” Jill roared and leaped into the air, aiming for Volare’s head this time. But again, the Pegasus’ strength and endurance training with his legs came into play, and he quickly side-stepped the attack, slamming a foreleg against the Cryhena’s ribcage as it flew past, sending her splashing into the mud with an angry growl.

“Yeah, get’em, Volare!” Scootaloo cheered wildly as the two predators regained their feet and circled around the larger pony again. The blue Pegasus grinned fiercely, his fighting blood up and boiling, causing him to pull great snorting breaths as he whirled, dodged, and countered; sweat poured down his face and flanks as he fought with every bit of determination a big brother would fight for his little sister with. After the initial engagement, the three battlers feinted and pulled back like prize-fighters feeling out each others’ weaknesses, mud slinging and splattering every which way with every quick and jerky movement; the only sounds their gasping breaths and quiet snarls contrasting with the relatively peaceful noise of the river that formed the border of their battleground. But the attacking duo knew that as tired as he already was before he took his stand, he couldn’t keep this up forever. Sooner or later, he’d make a mistake…

That mistake came quickly as Volare got a little too aggressive with a counter-attack, actually attempting to bite Ray as he sprinted past him, slashing at his shin with a claw as he did so. But it was merely a diversion as Jill quickly struck from the opposite flank, grabbing his back hoof in her jaws and yanking his unbalanced legs out from under him. Instantly, Ray dove to the ground for his face, slashing at Volare’s forehead and opening up a deep gash that stretched from above his left eyebrow all the way down his face to his cheekbone.

“Agh-shit!” Volare cried as Jill raked her teeth along his back leg, attempting to hamstring him as her fangs tore through the fur and skin with ease, popping several strands of muscle as they sliced along before being stopped by a kick of his leg at her throat. She hopped out of the way of the desperate strike and resumed her position next to Ray, both animals uttering their trademark moaning cackles as they stared up at him, shiny green eyes full of murderous intent and unabashed ecstasy at the pain they were causing him. The Pegasus staggered to his hooves, blinking away the blood that ran into his eye while trying to keep track of his two attackers. Wait, where’d the male go?!

“Gotcha!” he heard him growl at the same time he felt teeth bite down on his back leg again. With a strong wrench of his neck muscles, the male twisted Volare down to his knees before slinging him sideways through the slippery mud and slamming him up against the willow tree. Before he could recover, he pounced on his right forehoof, grabbing it in his powerful jaws and grinding down. Volare screamed in agony as he felt the bone splinter between evil chuckles that sent hot breath panting over the limb. The Pegasus bashed him in the head twice with his left hoof to free himself-but it wouldn’t let go!!

“Bite me eh, mother fucker?!” Volare growled and in desperation leaned forward and grabbed Ray’s left ear in his teeth, biting it clean off with a rubbery snap. That did the trick as the male let go with a shriek of pain, dabbing at the blood that trickled down the side of his head while Volare spat the severed ear into the river with a growl of disgust. Mike Tyson, eat your heart out!

“How’d you like the taste of your own medicine, huh?” But he barely got a chance to regain his hooves before the pair grabbed him again, this time on both forehooves, and together, they hurled him to the side, sending him flying head-first into the mud of the riverbank. He staggered up and wiped the grit from his eyes to see Jill attempting to climb the tree, claws scrawling deep slashes in the tree trunk as she did so. But Scootaloo was giving her a damn hard time of it as the small filly angrily hurled sticks and biting insults down onto the Cryhena’s head, keeping her from getting a good grip on the slippery willow bark.

“Ugh,” Volare groaned and forced himself to his hooves again, limping towards them and half-dragging his broken leg through the cold river mud. “Get…the hell…away from her,” he gasped and kicked a glob of mud that splattered all over the side of Jill’s head. She snapped her face around and cackled, baring her blood-covered teeth as Ray turned to oppose him.

“Ha! What’re you gonna do-bleed on me?” she laughed as Ray circled around to Volare’s left, intent on breaking his other forehoof.
It’s just a flesh wound, bitch!
“You’re a broken wreck of a wannabe Pegasus! Why don’t you just make things easier on yourself and just lay down and quit?” She spat a wad of phlegm into the mud and resumed her attempts at climbing the tree.

“He’s not a wannabe!” Scootaloo cried as she hurled a rather sizeable chunk of tree bark right into Jill’s gaping mouth, nearly choking the predator as she was forced to slide back down and hack up the fibrous material as Ray snapped at Volare’s left hoof, missing when the Pegasus leaped to the side and kicked at him with a back leg, knocking Ray to the ground. “He’s better than both of you combined!”

“What a disgustingly heartfelt sentiment,” Jill snarled and spat out the last chunk of bark. “Ray, stop dancing around and get rid of that guy!”

“Well, I thought we agreed that you wanted to take the big guy-agh!” Ray yelled and rolled out of the way as Volare attempted to stomp on his sprawled form. The male Cryhena jumped back a half step before springing forward again, jaws agape and aiming for Volare’s throat. But the Pegasus snapped his good hoof up and caught Ray in the eye, knocking him back down with a yelp and making him crawl on the ground, rubbing his face in the cool mud to try to sooth the pain that radiated from his eye socket. Volare stepped over him, intent on finishing the Cryhena off before a scream from Scootaloo reached his ears. He snapped around to see that Jill had finally gotten a grip on the tree trunk and was swiping at Scootaloo, forcing the filly to climb up to the higher branches to get away from her. “Volare, help!” she cried, her fear-widened eyes staring into the toothy oblivion that was the Cryhena’s jaws.

“Get away from her!” Volare shouted and half-limped, half charged at the tree. But Jill saw him coming at dropped down to the ground, growling deep in her throat.

“Ray, you’re useless!” she spat at her injured brother and rushed towards the Pegasus, diving under his flailing kick and knocking his injured back leg out from under him. Wheeling about, she grabbed his tail in her jaws and dragged him towards the water’s edge, hurling him into the shallows before turning back to Ray, who’d staggered to his feet, his right eye blackened and swollen shut. “Kill him, Ray!!!!” she shrieked and loped back to the tree, resuming her attempts at the climb.

“With pleasure,” Ray snarled and blinked the mud from his good eye before rushing to the downed Pegasus and grabbing him by the throat and flipping him over onto his back by the shore, sitting on his chest and forehooves, pinning him down in the mud. “What was that you said earlier, Volare? Something about ‘as long as you’re still breathing we won’t touch your dear little Scootaloo?’”

“Fuck you!” Volare tried to jerk away from the predator, but he held him down, hot spittle from his fangs dribbling onto the Pegasus’ neck and face.

“Well, I say it’s time to rectify that situation!” And with that, Ray placed both claws on Volare’s neck and forced his head under the surface, trying to drown him. Volare yelled in anger and fear, his voice muffled and bubbly by the river water as his legs thrashed uselessly in the mud. He could vaguely hear the Cryhena’s cackling laughter over the rushing water that flooded his ears, but soon that began to fade away. His lungs began to scream for air, threatening to relent and pull in a breath of water that would surely end him. His vision began to darken as his thrashing slowed. Ray’s face and the tree above the water began to dissolve into nothing but brown and grey shapes that shimmered above the water’s semi-reflective surface, backlit by the Autumn sky they’d helped to bring in. But through it all, he still retained the clench-tooth expression of fury on his face, still reaching for Ray’s face with his good hoof…still fighting…still…fighting…can’t….quit……..for…….Scoots……I’m sorry….

As he began to finally lose consciousness, the pressure on his throat suddenly shifted as the grey and brown shape above the water turned a half instant before a second shape, this one small and orange and purple, came streaking over the surface of the water and struck the brown shape with a loud yelp audible even over the rushing river water. The pressure on his chest lifted, and he instinctively raised his head above the water in a blast of stale air and sputum, blindly lashing out with his hoof over the orange shape and connecting with Ray’s head, sending the predator spinning into the mud.

Volare heaved great lungfuls of air and looked down through his water-logged vision, seeing that the orange and purple shape was none other than Scootaloo, having glided down from the tree, over Jill’s head, and kicked Ray in the jaw with all her might before splash-landing in the shallows on Volare’s chest. Her little wings buzzed fiercely and sent water droplets flying everywhere as she growled as loudly as she could, emulating the older Pegasus in nearly every detail. In any other situation, Volare was certain his heart would have burst in pride at the little filly’s act of bravery, but his attention soon turned to Jill, who was churning through the shallows towards them, her eyes shining with murderous fury.

“That’s it, you’re really starting to piss me off!” Jill roared, so angry that she was beginning to foam at the mouth. “Die, you freak!!” she screamed and lunged at Volare, but the Pegasus rolled out of the way, leaving the Cryhena with nothing but a snout full of water and river mud. The blue Pegasus ducked his head and heaved Scootaloo onto the back of his neck, limping as fast as he could towards the tree again. But before they could get more than halfway there, Ray came sprinting up behind him and hit him in the ribs with his shoulder, knocking the wind out of Volare and sending him splashing into the cold mud.

Scootaloo attempted to turn to protect her big brother, but Jill was already upon her, grabbing up the little filly and grasping her wings in her claws and forcing her to lay chest-down in the ooze. “Now then, stay the hell down!” Jill crowed as Ray onto and held Volare’s mane in his jaws and stood on his crippled wing, holding the left temple of his head in the grime at an angle that forced the Pegasus’ eyes to roll up towards his forehead to keep Scootaloo in sight. They were beaten and out of breath…they were done.

“S-scoots,” Volare managed to gasp between crushed and bloodied lips. “Why didn’t you stay in the tree?” What the little filly said next very nearly did cause his heart to burst.

“Because,” she said through a crooked little smile in a voice barely above a whisper. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders look out for each other…no matter what.”

Near the Finish Line…

“Well, well, looks like there’s gonna be an upset this year, folks!” Pinkie Pie called out over the loudspeaker as the balloon hurried to keep up with the prismatic lead runner, who was way out in front of the pack and grinning her head off “At this rate, Rainbow Dash will almost certainly knock Applejack off her pedestal as this year’s Running of the Leaves champion!”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Dash called up to the balloon between breaths. “Gotta hoof it to my training program and dedication to”-

“Whoa, hold on a second here, ponies!” Pinkie suddenly paused and look down at her tail. That was weird…she could have sworn it just moved on its own…huh, oh well! She shrugged and shook her head. “Nevermind, false alarm!”

“What was that, Pinkie?” Spike asked curiously. “What false alarm?”

“Oh, I thought my-whoa, there it is again!” the party mare glanced down and held up her tail, which was twitching and flicking like crazy for a few moments before settling down again.

“Hello, I thought we were talking about my training technique here?” Dash waved a hoof, jumping over a small crack in the ground as she yelled up to the balloon.

“I know we were!” Pinkie called back down. “But my tail is-OH MY GOSH!” her back legs twitched madly, nearly pitching her against the side of the basket. “This is really, really, really rough!” she moaned, her hooves on either side of her face.

“Is it your Pinkie Sense?” Spike asked, shooting the sky a wary glance. He didn’t think anything could fall on him way up here, but you never knew… Shae on the other hand, was very agitated by all this, and she flapped her wings and cheereeked, curious as to why Pinkie had suddenly become even more animated than usual.

“Yeah, and it’s going c-r-r-r-r-ra-a-a-a-a-az-z-z-z-z-y-y-y-y-y!” She stammered as all four of her legs shook back and forth, threatening to wobble her completely out of the basket before Spike grabbed her forehoof and held her down.

“W-w-w-w-w-e-e-e-ell, w-w-w-what’s c-c-c-causing it?!” the dragon queried as he looped a rope around her middle, tying her safely to the basket.

“What’s going on up there?” Dash asked, an inexplicable feeling of unease growing in her gut as the loudspeaker picked up the conversation above her and announced it to all ponies present at the finish line that was rapidly approaching. “Pinkie?!”

“It’s her Pinkie Sense! She’s really freaking out!” Spike yelled, causing Shae to screech and take flight away from the feedbacking megaphone.

“What about?” Rainbow Dash called back, her eyes flitting between the finish line, the basket, and the group of racers that had been trailing her but were now nearly on her hooves, Applejack the foremost among them. “Pinkie Pie!!!”

“I dunno!” she finally managed to answer, holding herself up on the rim of the basket with a shaky hoof. “It’s never been this bad before!” She then looked down on the group of runners and allowed her eyes to follow the northward-curling path behind them until it disappeared out of sight under the trees that covered the base of Canterlot Mountain. She strained her eyes for any flashes of a blue or orange Pegasus, but she didn’t see anything! “Uh, Dash…where’s Volare and Scootaloo?”

“Huh, I left them behind at the starting line!” Dash recalled with a shake of her head. “They’re probably bringing up the rear by now, why?”

“Cuz I don’t see them anywhere,” Pinkie’s tone indicated a rising panic in the back of her throat as the wobbles returned full force. “Oh no, you don’t think…”

Rainbow Dash’s gaze shot from the finish line, to the balloon and back again twice before she uttered a growl of disbelief, her traits that made her the Element of Loyalty kicking in at the worst possible time. “Grr, you gotta be kidding me!!” Abandoning the race, she took off into the air with a rush of wind, soaring over the crowd and doing a quick looping turn before zipping off over the trailing racers and headed back the way she’d already ran. Seeing this, Shae took off after the Pegasus in a streak of black and white feathers. Something in her gut told her that something was very wrong…where were the two Pegasi that had been staying at Fluttershy’s cottage? Where were Volare and Scootaloo?

“Uh-oh,” Iron Will uttered softly as he saw the osprey follow after Rainbow Dash. “I’ll, uh-be right back!” He shot Fluttershy an apologetic smile and took off down the race path as well, forcing the runners to split around him like a river around a giant blue sprinting boulder.

“What’s going on?” Was all Fluttershy managed to ask before the thundering hooves of the arriving racers obscured her cry.

Flying low over the race path, Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath that Volare had better be dying, otherwise she was gonna kill him herself for making her forfeit the race to search for his dumb flank! And if he got Scoots lost in the woods….oooh, he was soooo in for it when she found him! Dash soon reached the northeast turn of the race path, and still no sign of either of the flightless Pegasi! “Darn it, where the hay did you guys go?!” the prismatic Pegasus growled and bucked a pile of leaves into the air, looking up as Shae landed next to her with a soft chirk.

“Whoa, what the hay-?” Dash, muttered in surprise before Shae took off again, nodding at the Pegasus to follow her. “Oookaay,” she muttered warily as the black and white osprey flew just above the surface of the dirt trail, her sharp golden eyes searching over every nook, cranny, and ripple in the dust, looking for any sign of the two Pegasi. Soon, they reached a fork in the trail that Rainbow Dash recalled fondly as the spot where she’d switched the arrow marker, making Applejack take a wrong turn up the hill that rose to their right. But as they paused in front of the sign, Dash noticed something about it: it was flipped around again and pointing up the hill!

Motioning for Shae to follow, Dash galloped up the hill a ways before she encountered a flat paper square on the ground with the number 16 printed on it-Volare’s race number! “Volare?” she called a bit more softly than she intended to as she hurried up the hill, noticing the small hoofprints alongside the larger ones. “Yeah, you definitely went this way…but why? And who the hay switched the…” she trailed off as she turned the corner of the hill where it became rocky and noticing the strange scrawling marks etched in the stone walls and ground. “…sign?”

A sensation of sickness began to rise in her chest as the normally cocky Pegasus slowed her pace, not sure what she was about to see around the corner. As she rounded the turn and came to the edge of the precipice, she stopped dead in her tracks and looked down to see a trail of broken sticks, bushes, and tree limbs leading down the steep incline, at the bottom of which was a small pile of something bright and colorful laying in the dust.

“What the…” Dash shook her head as she and Shae floated down the hill, landing near the pile. But as she approached, a hoof involuntarily flew to her mouth in a way that she’d never do in public, nevermind the bird of prey perched next to her. She reached down and picked up a scrap of the pile before realizing it was a chunk of Volare’s spiky mane. She then looked around and noticed other flecks of color on the ground: blue down feathers, a few un-developed orange primary feathers, and…
“Oh no…oh bucking hay, no!” Dash gasped in comprehension of what the fresh red spots were: blood. Her eyes, usually slightly lidded in a confident, laid-back expression, grew wider in worry as they followed the path of red spots to the point where the disappeared into a path that had been recently crashed through the underbrush. And running right alongside those spots was a pair of prints of a creature that the Pegasus didn’t recognize. All she knew was that the claw tracks attached to these prints matched the marks etched into the stone up on the hill.

“Aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!” a distant, tiny scream reached Dash’s ears, causing her to bristle in apprehension and Shae to clack her beak in concern. “Aaaahhhhh!” the scream came again, shorter this time-a cry of pain, and Dash recognized it. Scoots…
“…mother fuckers!!!!” a grating roar of rage and agony crashed over Dash and the osprey, galvanizing them into action.

“Oh my gosh, that was Volare!” The Pegasus said to Shae, who cheereeked in anger and took off in the direction of the noise at tree-top level. “Oh buck that, I’m going first!” Rainbow Dash growled and shot off over the autumn-hued trees, the rush of air following her blasting the remaining leaves off the trees in a fiery mini-hurricane led by a worried-to-death, enraged prismatic blur of gritted teeth, raw emotions, and the most terrifyingly-infuriated rose-colored eyes anypony had ever seen!
Hang on guys, I’m on my way!!!

“Aww, that is sooo damn sweet,” Jill cackled as held up Scootaloo by her wings, pinning them together at an unnatural angle with her claws and making the filly yelp in pain. “Remind me not to puke next time…that is, if there is a next time! Oooh, I really hope there is, because I haven’t had such a delightful day in years!”

“Ugh-wish I could say the same,” Volare snorted, trying to get his breath back and lunge at Scootaloo’s assailant, but the weight of Ray on his back and wing kept him pinned to the ground. The Cryhena dug his claws into the back of Volare’s neck, punching through the skin and fur and dragging long, slicing gashes all the way to his shoulder, making the blue Pegasus roar in pain and strike uselessly at Ray’s hip with his good wing.

“Stop it, you’re hurting him-agh!” Scootaloo cried, reaching for Volare with a hoof before Jill slapped it down out of the air, repeating the action twice before wrapping a claw around the filly’s body, crushing her forelegs against her sides and holding her still. The Pegasus responded by swatting Jill in the snout with her wing before the Cryhena held her at arm’s length, a slow-growing grin of pure evil spreading across her features.

“So, you still wanna fight, eh?” the female snickered and reached forward towards Scootaloo’s right wing, pinning the base of the buzzing limb with her thumb-claw before leaning forward towards the back of her neck with a whisper that sent chills of fear down the orange filly’s spine. “Poor little Pegasus…never gonna grow up and learn to fly, now. If only you’d just given up,” she cooed nastily before gripping a primary feather between her front fangs. With a jerk of her neck, she popped the pinion off of Scootaloo’s wing, making the filly let out a squeal of pain that absolutely shredded at Volare’s heartstrings and soul. The small orange feather, a drop of blood dripping from the end, was then unceremoniously spat into the mud and crushed under Jill’s claw like a piece of trash.

“No, p-please,” Volare groaned, his body tensing and trying to throw Ray off, but to no avail as Jill simply grinned sadistically and snickered at his feeble efforts.

“Please what? You gonna beg now, big guy?” Jill clacked her fangs and reached for another feather, plucking it off with the same motion and making Scootaloo shriek. “Better ask for a cherry on top and maybe I’ll thank about it!”

“Aaaah, no, stop!” the filly cried, struggling to escape, her back legs kicking in mid-air and her tail thrashing uselessly in distress. She tried to curl her body up to get away from the pain as Jill yanked out another feather, this one an even longer primary, but the Cryhena squeezed her midsection, threatening to crack her ribs in her claw and forcing Scootaloo upright again.

“Hee-hee, having fun now, aren’t we?” the predator giggled in evil glee to the point that even Ray was getting uncomfortable with this. He raised an eye to the sky, knowing that their time was growing short here.

“Jill, stop this,” he ordered her, knowing that there were certain lines ponies just didn’t cross, and he was damn sure this was one of them. Nothing good could come of this; he felt it in his gut. “That’s enough!”

“Oh come on, just a few more, Ray!” the female beast pleaded before pulling out another feather and drawing another squeak of agony from the little orange Pegasus. “Besides, the Boss said we can experiment if she resisted us. And she can obviously fly when she means to; I’m just taking precautions against her getting away!”

“No…stop it…stop it!” Volare pleaded softly, squinting through the blood dribbling into his eyes. “Just let her go…take me instead…please.” Jill suddenly reached forward and grabbed his face in her claw, squeezing his cheeks and giving his head a shake.

“D’aaaw, so cute and loving,” she flicked a claw across his muzzle, splitting the skin and opening another cut that began to turn the cratered grey mud beneath him a dark crimson. “But it’s not you who we’re here for, freak!”

“Just stop hurting her…please!” the Pegasus gritted his teeth against the fresh ache of the cut on his face and growled. “Stop it right now, goddamit!” But Jill ignored his pleas, stared him right in the eye, and yanked another feather out of Scootaloo’s wing with a wide-mouthed grin.

“I-it’s ok, Volare,” the little filly grimaced and put on a brave smile, trying to hide the pain just like she had the first day Volare met her. “It doesn’t-agh-hurt that-ugh-bad. I’ve had worse…I-I’ll be ok,” she assured him as a tear trickled from her eye and ran down her face. “Promise.” The look on her face and her tone of voice, full of reassuring hope to give Volare solace that he hadn’t failed her…it broke his heart. Tears squeezed from the older Pegasus’ eyes as well as he scraped a shaky hoof through the mud and feebly reached for her small form as if to offer her what little comfort and protection he could...to let her know it truly was going to be alright…

“No, Scoots…I promise,” Volare rasped, again trying to stand before being forced back into the cold quagmire…but a fire within him had been sparked…and it was growing rapidly with every moment. “I’m not gonna let them take you.” He growled far back in his throat, and once again, he attempted to lift his body from the grime, this time making it to his knees and straining his crippled wing even further than before, gritting his teeth against the pain so hard that they squeaked. “Put her down, you bitch,” he snarled in a strained tone that actually made Jill take pause.

“Why do you keep fighting, huh?” she snapped, pulling another feather from Scootaloo. But this time the little filly didn’t cry out…she only continued to smile bravely; only allowing another tear to leak from her purple eyes, once so full of life, now only looking forward to the forthcoming darkness that surely awaited her. It was that stoic look of false hope that gnawed at Volare’s soul and made him strain even harder against his captors, reaching for Scootaloo with every fiber of his being. He wasn’t going to let her real hope be replaced with false ones! He wasn’t going to let her give up her hopes and dreams like this!!

Amused, Jill allowed Scootaloo to free one of her hooves and reach for and comfort Volare, but the Cryhena held their hooves just inches apart, cackling with evil glee as she did so. “Oooh, come on, you’re so close! Oops, too late!” she jerked Scootaloo out of Volare’s reach. “Come on, be a good sport and try again-oops, too slow again! Hee-hee, one more try”-

“Jill, I said that’s enough!” Ray growled before being met with a withering stare from his sister.

“Lemme have my fun, Ray! It’s been too damn long since I have, so you just sit down and be quiet!” her exclamation sent a string of spittle flying onto Ray’s leg, and he immediately backed down; there was no sense talking to her when she was like this. Jill gave a satisfied snort and went back to holding Scootaloo just out of reach of Volare, relishing the groans that rose from the blue Pegasus’ throat as he forced himself up despite the claws that bit deeper into his neck the higher he pushed and reached, trying desperately to at least touch Scootaloo’s little hoof and let her know it would be ok…that he wasn’t giving up. Jill finally grew tired of this little game, and leaned down into Volare’s face and snarled in frustration.
“I just don’t understand it; why don’t you just lay down and give up and die!? What’s this brat to you anyway, huh?! You’re not even from this world!”

The little orange filly, finally hearing those fateful words, turned and looked into Volare’s eyes for confirmation. He couldn’t hide the truth any longer, nor could the tears that spilled from his eyes...at this point, what did it matter if she hated him for it anyway? But to his surprise, instead of disappointment or confusion, Scootaloo simply gave him a soft smile and whispered: “It doesn’t matter…I love him cuz he’s still my brother.” Volare’s heart exploded, and the growing fire within him threatened to burst its bindings and roar forth.

“What was that?” Jill snarled and shook Scootaloo roughly. “What did you say you little orange road-apple?!” That did it…the chains that held back the inferno snapped, the sound of their shattering echoed through his aching soul.

Volare made a growling noise in his chest that sounded like grinding gravel. He looked up into Jill’s face, his steely eyes seeming to blaze with the volcanic blue fire that raged in his heart, and snarled in a tone so full of anguish and remorseless fury that it put Ray and Jill’s hair on end. “She’s my sister…you filthy, cowardly, heartless, shit-eating mother fuckers!!!!!” As he glared at Jill, he was vaguely aware of his vision shrinking in radius, centering on her grinning, fanged mouth like the targeting computer of his jet. That’s what it was now: a target. His mind began to shut down his senses as it focused itself on what was important now: his objective, his mission, his purpose: save Scootaloo…and now it was time to fulfill it. He took a deep breath…blinked once…and exhaled slowly as time slowed to a crawl.

All of his self-doubt…all of his insecurities…all of his failures, past, present, and those he feared he’d make in the future…they all faded into the background, for they didn't matter right now.
For an instant in time, nothing held him back anymore!
He suddenly didn’t care about the blood that trickled into his eyes and tinged his vision red…
He didn’t notice the rushing of the river’s current somewhere off to his right as his ears shut down…
He didn’t care about the ripping and popping sensation coming from the back of his head as another piece of his mane unzipped itself from his scalp, the spray of feathers from his crippled wing as he pulled loose from under Ray’s grip, the raking of the claws down his neck and shoulders, or the pounding of his hooves in the chilly mud as his sense of touch dulled…
All he cared about was the mental target he’d placed on Jill’s mouth: a simple tree knot.

The female Cryhena had enough time to halfway gasp before Volare closed the gap between them with swiftness that one as injured as he was had no business possessing. On three legs, he covered the short distance and slammed his good foreleg into the ground, pivoting his strong back legs around and taking aim at his target with an almighty double-hoofed buck that he put every last bit of his remaining strength behind. He felt the tree knot give a satisfactory crunch before he felt his right hoof continue on through it, blowing shards of teeth and globules of blood into the air and causing Jill to drop Scootaloo as the predator was sent flying across the mud, slamming into the base of the willow tree and slipping to the ground with an agonizing moan.

Volare collapsed to the ground with a lop-sided grin, his strength spent as Ray sat in stunned silence at what had just happened. He looked down at the blue feathers and fur that fluttered from his numb grasp and landed silently in the mud where he’d just held that Pegasus completely at his mercy not ten seconds earlier. How? He had him and he just…he just…Jill?! The male Cryhena scrambled past the two Pegasi to help his sister.

“Jill, are you-AGH!” he recoiled with a yelp as his efforts were met with slash to the snout. Jill staggered halfway-upright and growled in an anger that went beyond wanting to have her fun anymore. She just wanted to kill this bastard of a Pegasus and get on their way before something else ridiculous happened!

“Stupid-ass!” she snarled and limped towards the fallen blue Pegasus. Scootaloo, free of her captors for the moment, again tried to valiantly take a stand in front of her exhausted big brother, but Jill simply grabbed her by the mane and jerked her off of her hooves before turning back to her own brother. “Ray, get your useless flank over there and finish this-NOW!”

“You finally done with your fun, Jill?!” Ray shook his head in irritation and approached Volare, who barely had the strength to lift his head off the ground. The male Cryhena bent down and grasped the Pegasus’ neck in his paws, feeling the life-giving flow just beneath the short blue fur as his own blood from his severed ear dripped down on his fallen foe. He positioned a claw to tear open the largest vein in his neck and end this once and for all. He turned the Pegasus’ face towards his own, and squinted down at him with his un-blacked eye. “You fought well, off-worlder. But you should have listened…you should have given up while you could…I’m almost sorry to do it like this.”

“W-why?” Volare croaked, causing Ray to halt momentarily, not sure if he meant why he was almost sorry or why they were going through all this trouble at all.

“I promise it’s nothing personal…as a fellow brother who would obviously do everything he could to help his little sister, I hope you understand,” Ray snorted with a sense of finality and lowered the claw to tear Volare’s life out. The blue Pegasus looked with pleading eyes into Ray’s own, full of pity but also a purpose as determined as his own had just been. Volare then looked over at Scootaloo, dangling in Jill’s grasp and spoke his likely final words:

“Scootaloo, I’m sorry…I failed you…I failed my little sister again,” he closed his eyes and felt the warm tears flow down his bloodied and grime-crusted cheeks as he hitched in his last ragged breath. “Please forgive me…”

But just as Ray pressed the claw to his neck, a high-pitched whistling sound began to fill the air, making the Cryhenas halt and look up. “What the hay”- Ray managed to speak...

BLAM!
A multi-colored missile suddenly came blasting over the treeline and smashed into Ray, launching the Cryhena into the top branches of the willow tree and allowing Volare to land freely in the mud. The yellow and blue Pegasus opened an eye and beheld the most unbelievable thing he could possibly imagine. If it weren’t for the whooshing wind flowing off her wings and caressing the fur on his face as she hovered next to him, he’d swear he was dead or dreaming.
“D-Dashie?”

But Rainbow Dash didn’t so much as glance down at him. The fighting blood of the Pegasus race boiled in her veins as she took in the scene before her:
Volare lying on the chewed up battleground of the riverbank, the orange and blue feathers littering the ground, and said feathers missing from both Volare’s and Scootaloo’s wings. It was somewhat difficult for other ponies to grasp the significance of a Pegasus’ feathers, as they lacked their own, and Ray and Jill (being Unicorns) were no exception. But for something to pull the feathers out of a Pegasus’ wings before it was their time to be shed; to ruin their ability to fly and fight, their livelihood, and in the case of foals, their development, was one of the worst things one could do to a Pegasus. It was no better than maiming a warrior so he couldn’t fight anymore, and to the proud Rainbow Dash, that was the most cowardly, insulting thing she could possibly imagine a Pegasus enduring, nevermind the fact that Scootaloo was a filly and Volare a friend caught up in this; that simply added fuel to the raging inferno. If she thought she’d been angry before, now she was positively furious!
“Oh…you buckers are dead where you stand!!”

Ray tumbled from the tree and splashed down in the mud before staggering to his feet, spitting teeth and rubbing his head before getting a clear look at his assailant and gasping in honest-to-goodness fear. “Jill, buck the kid! Let’s get outta here; we can’t fight her!”

“Pah, she’s just a single Element,” Jill growled in anger, obviously too angry to be in her right mind anymore. “Besides, we’ve got a hostage here,” she grinned down at Scootaloo wriggling in her grasp and looked back up at the snorting Rainbow Dash. “Hey, Element! Looky who we got!”

“Drop Scoots before I tear you apart!” Dash snarled, pounding her hooves together with an audible crack for emphasis.

“Ha! I’ll rip this brat’s throat out before you get halfway over-AGH!” Distracted, Jill didn’t see the black and white shape come diving out of the sky before it was too late. The ripping black talons of Shae the osprey met Jill’s already mangled face, tearing at her eyes and forcing her to drop Scootaloo in the mud before retreating back to her brother’s side. Shae crouched down over Scootaloo, spreading her wings protectively and cheereeeeking shrilly as if daring Jill to come closer again.

“It’s Fluttershy’s damn attack bird!” Ray shouted and stomped a claw in frustration at how quickly this situation was getting out of control. If only they’d stopped messing around earlier! Suddenly, the ground around them began to quake as if a freight train were approaching. “Oh great, now what?!”

“YOU HURT MY FRIEND, I’LL BE YOUR END!!!!” a voice roared as something massive and blue came smashing through a tree horned-head-first and cleared the riverbank in a single bound, landing with an earth-shaking crash and standing to his full, towering height. Iron Will’s yellow eyes blazed with righteous fury and his heavily-muscled arms and hands flexed so hard that his knuckles cracked, ready to break these two Cryhenas to pieces for daring to harm Scootaloo and Volare!

“Holy hay, a minotaur!” Jill shrieked. “Let’s get the buck outta here!!” And with that, the predatory duo broke and ran for the underbrush as fast as they could, their tails tucked squarely between their legs as Shae took off in pursuit.

“I hate to say I told ya so, but”-

“Shut the buck up and run, Ray!” Jill growled and ducked a final swipe of Shae’s talons before they disappeared through a natural hedge flanked by thickly-growing maple trees that halted the osprey’s pursuit. The bird of prey quickly doubled back and returned to the battlefield to see Rainbow Dash finally fluttering to the mud with a squelch, instinctively trotting over to check on Scootaloo first.

“I’m fine, I-I’m ok,” the orange filly insisted, a little shaken up, but no worse for the wear save for a few missing feathers and a scratch on her left cheek. She grinned up at her idol for a moment before her eyes trailed over to her fallen adoptive brother. “Volare!” she scampered over the mud and collapsed by the blue Pegasus’ side, hearing Dash’s soft gasp as she finally got a good look at how badly Volare was hurt as she too knelt down next to him. The brash rainbow Pegasus couldn’t help but force her hooves into her mouth to keep from crying in front of Scootaloo.

“Heh-heya Scoots,” Volare smiled weakly before turning to their savior, who was doing her best not to burst into angry tears. “Dashie-ugh…we gotta stop meeting like this…”

“Shut up,” Dash growled softly, a tornado of emotions whirling through her as she tentatively caressed the remnants of his black and yellow mane with a hoof, fighting the urge to hit him out of sheer frustration; partly at him getting hurt again like this, and partly at how mad she knew Twilight Sparkle was going to be once she found out. “Just s-shut up you idiot. Why’d you have to go and get hurt again?” her voiced cracked.

Volare wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question, and answered in the only way his traumatized mind could: “S-sorry…you win the race?” he asked, trying to cheer her up. But instead, this time she actually did swing her hoof down at him, changing its course at the last moment so that it hit the mud with a splat instead.

“No, I didn’t,” she shook her head and blinked away the tears she was fighting so badly to hold back in front of everypony. “I forfeited, but that doesn’t matter right now, ok?” She grabbed him under his forelegs and hauled him up onto her back, steadying him with her wings before momentarily nuzzling his face that hung limply against her neck before taking control of the situation. “Now hang on! Iron Will, bring Scootaloo to Ponyville Medical Hospital as fast as you can; it's on the north side of town! Shae, let Will take her,” Dash barked, and the osprey, who’d been hopping after Scootaloo in concern, seemed to nod in understanding and allowed the huge minotaur to pick up the filly, nestling the tiny Pegasus protectively in his massive arms as he gave Dash a quick salute.

“You got it, Ms. Dash!” he called up. “I’ll make sure those things don’t touch her on the way back to town. Now you get Spike-head to the right kinda help, and I’ll meetcha there pronto!” And with that, the benevolent creatures vacated the riverbank in two groups, one racing through the trees, and the other jetting above them and disappearing over the rise within seconds. On the other side of the natural hedge they’d taken shelter behind, Ray and Jill gathered their wits and tried to make sense of that had just happened and why things had gone so wrong.

“I don’t get it,” Jill kept shaking her head as she and Ray ventured back onto the riverbank once the coast was clear. Her scarred Cryhena features began to melt away into that of her natural Unicorn state as she plucked up the fallen teeth scattered around on the shore and smooshed into the mud. “I just don’t get it…what the buck was that…thing he did!?”

“That,” Ray said solemnly as he too turned back into a Unicorn and went about picking up his misplaced teeth, frowning at the number missing and knowing he’d likely be gap-toothed for the rest of his life now; the healing spell was powerful, but it didn't regenerate what was permanently lost. He grimaced in pain as he touched his still-swollen eye; apparently that one was going to take a while. “Was the power of the love of a brother for his sister, Jill. It’s something I hope you respect now.”

“Yeah, whatever,” the female Unicorn spat blood and snorted. “Next time I see that guy, I’ll finish him off myself!” Ray shook his head sadly as his sister growled, disappointed that she hadn’t learned anything from this…and scared that he was losing her faster than he’d originally thought. Oh buck me…the Boss is gonna be pissed when he finds out about this…horseapples!

Everypony down by the finish line wanted to know what the hay was happening and why Rainbow Dash had suddenly left the race and shot back into the woods, followed by Iron Will. “Everypony calm down!” Pinkie pleaded through her megaphone, despite the fact that the balloon had already landed. “My Pinkie Sense was going off and Dashie went to go check on Volare and Scootaloo, that’s all!”

“Yeah, well Ah ain’t never known Dash ta give up a challenge with a lead like that without a darn good reason!” Applejack replied warily, clicking off the loudspeaker and rubbing her ringing ear with a hoof. “Now, what’d your Pinkie Sense say?”

“I can’t put it into words, really,” the party mare said sheepishly. “All I know was that I started shaking like crazy all over the place; and that usually means something not-so-good is happening. Huh, I guess it does make sense that Dash would think it involved Volare and Scootaloo, cuz I haven’t seen those two since the start of the race!”

“Oh no,” Fluttershy gasped, hooves held to her mouth in a near-panic. “What if they fell and got hurt or eaten by some wild creature?!”

“Relax, Fluttershy,” Spike said, trying to calm the jumpy mare. “The Whitetail Wood has been under pony control for years now, and is one of the safest places a pony can go in Equestria. I’m sure they just took a wrong turn or something. You’ll see: Dash’ll fly back over those trees, all mad that she gave up the race to save the Blue Blunder and Scootaloo from being lost in the woods”-

“Look, there she is!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, pointing a small hoof at the sky and the fast-approaching prismatic Pegasus…who seemed to be carrying somepony with her. She streaked over the finish line and towards Ponyville without a word and so quickly that the ponies below barely got a good look at the limp and bloody Pegasus she was carrying on her back, but they'd recognize those blue and yellow colors anywhere: Volare.

Within the next half-minute, the confused ponies were treated to the sight of Iron Will thundering down the path, the small blob of orange that was Scootaloo cradled in his arms. “Will, what in Equestria is going on!?” Rarity shouted in a near-panic as he ran past, also headed in the direction of town.

“No time to explain, Rarity!” he called back over his shoulder.

“Meet us at the hospital!” Scootaloo shouted before the minotaur lumbered around the bend and was gone, Shae flying right behind them. The remaining ponies stood there in shocked silence for a moment before a mint-green Unicorn leaped to the head of the group and took charge.

“C’mon guys! I dunno what happened, but Volare and Scootaloo need our support!” Lyra Hearstrings pounded a hoof on the ground. “Now let’s gooooooo!!” And with that, she galloped off down the path to town, followed closely by a near-stampede of curious and worried ponies of all shapes and sizes. Pinkie and Spike took off in the balloon, with the dragon scrawling and burning a hastily written, worried note to Twilight before focusing on speeding the balloon along as fast as possible. Down below, Sweetie Belle, riding on Rarity’s back, looked over at Applebloom with a curious expression as the yellow filly hung onto Big Mac’s neck while the huge pony raced along with the herd.

“What is it, Sweetie?” the yellow farm filly asked.

“Is it supposed to rain today?” the white Unicorn cocked a light-green eye to the blue sky above them, nearly devoid of clouds of any sort.

“I don’t think so, but that’s a mighty weird sorta question ta ask when your two fellow Crusaders just got carried past ya to tha hospital!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Why?” But Sweetie shook her head in mild confusion before replying.

“I dunno,” she glanced up at the sky again before shrugging. “It’s just that when Rainbow Dash flew over, I could have sworn I felt some raindrops hit me in the head…I hope Volare’s ok…”

“Ah think ya speak fer all of us there, sugarcube,” Applejack spoke up, trying to keep up her composure for the sake of her sister, but somehow, someway, knowing that something really bad must have happened out there in the woods…and she didn’t need a Pinkie Sense to know that!

…………….........

Up in the air, above the crowd and away from the prying eyes of her friends, the proud Rainbow Dash finally let her worries out as she rushed Volare to the hospital. She didn’t fight the hot tears that dripped from her eyes and fell to the ground below…nopony would ever see them and the cold wind blowing past her would dry them long before she reached the hospital.

“Dashie…?” Volare managed to groan.

“Save your strength, flyboy,” the rainbow Pegasus tried to hush him with a hoof to his mouth, but instead, he did something that took her completely by surprise. He gently kissed her hoof and whispered:

“I’m sorry if I made you lose the race, Dash…If I'd only been stronger, I'd have been able to keep up with you...a-and Scoots and I wouldn't have-” But she pressed the hoof firmly against his lips, shaking her head softly and letting him know he didn’t have to say anymore. With a soft smile pressing against her hoof, he nodded his thanks and closed his sorrowful eyes, falling completely limp on her back as he finally succumbed to his exhaustion. The tears flowed anew and turned to frost on her cheeks in the wind as she put on a fresh burst of speed, determined to get him to the emergency room in time.

Flyboy, I swear if you die after making me forfeit…I’ll kill you myself...you big-hearted, brave idiot!

20 Minutes Later...
The speed with which Luna's dark gothic chariot covered the distance between Canterlot and Ponyville utterly stole Twilight Sparkle's breath away, and it had been all she could do to hang onto the iron railing lining the inside of the car being pulled at the maximum pace by Princess Luna's dragon-winged dark Pegasi. Shining Armor held fast to the railing as well as the countryside below them past by in a blur of fields, rivers, and scattered buildings, while Princess Luna herself stood proud and tall in the saddle, so to speak, leaning into the wind and sticking to the steel floor of the chariot as if her whole body had become magnetized with magical energy.

"Hold!" Luna cried suddenly, and the chariot quickly slowed to a halt and whooshed down over the town of Ponyville, circling Town Hall before rapidly descending to the ground and landing in the Market Square. To the three ponies' surprise, the sight of Luna's chariot didn't quite bring the fearful and panicked reactions it had caused the last time she'd arrived in the village like this on Nightmare Night; it was quite the opposite in fact.

"Where is everypony?" Shining Armor inquired, looking left and right down the empty and silent streets as he got out of the chariot with somewhat wobbly legs.

"I-I dunno," Twilight replied, having re-composed herself on the flight there, but not faring much better than her brother as she stepped down and nearly went stumbling into a food stand due to the rapid change in pace. Princess Luna steadied her with her magic for a moment before quickly observing the silent town. All around the Market Square were empty food stalls, most still full of food, though one or two were inexplicably overturned, spilling their contents all over the cobblestones.

"Perhaps they are all still at the race ground?" the Night Princess mused out loud before a grey and dull yellow flash of color between two buildings caught her eye. "Halt, citizen of Ponyville!" The pony in question turned, saw who it was, and stopped with such a sudden yelp of surprise that she tilted forward and fell over a cabbage cart. Twilight, Luna, and the Captain hurried to help the pony up before realizing who it was.

"Derpy Hooves!" Twilight exclaimed, dusting Rainbow Dash's Weather Patrol teammate off. "Where is everypony?"

"Well, that's a good question," the blonde mare tapped the ground and thought for a moment. "I just got back in town myself and I was saying to myself 'hey Derpy, where'd everypony get to?' Then I said: 'oh duh, you silly mare, today's the Running of the Leaves,' so I flew over to the race grounds to see how things were going. But then you know what I saw?"

"Please tell us with haste, Ms. Hooves!" Luna urged, her patience wearing thinner with each passing moment.

"You won't believe it: a big ol' minotaur carrying little Scootaloo in his arms and shouting all kinds of crazy rhymes went running across the Square and knocked over a buncha stalls as he went. He musta made everypony mad, cuz he was being chased by the racers themselves! Huh, apparently the finish line is at Ponyville Hospital or something cuz that's where everypony went," Derpy reported, not noticing the growing looks of concern exchanged between the three mages. "Heh, but you know what-they all lost cuz Rainbow Dash beat'em there by a mile! Did you know she had a race partner too?"

"A race partner?" Twilight asked, a sick feeling in her gut.

"Yeah, lanky blue and yellow guy, but I guess he was sleepin' on the job, so Dash just carried him the rest of the way to the finish line. Crazy, huh? ...guys? Princess, Twilight, where ya going?!" But the three magic users had heard enough, and they quickly galloped towards the western side of town. Apparently, a minotaur had foal-napped Scootaloo and had been chased to the very same hospital that Dash had taken Volare to. Could this day get any weirder?! Twilight thought as they approached the large building marked with a red medical cross sign on the neatly-clipped front lawn. Sure enough, milling around the front doors of the building were the racers as evidenced by the paper number markers adorning the flanks of a hoof-ful of them, their supporters, and what looked to be half of Ponyville.

"Ok, Princess, you take the minotaur and get Scootaloo; Twilight and I will find Volare and Rainbow Dash," Shining Armor laid out his strategy. "No major spells; this is a hospital and there are enough injured ponies inside as it is. We get in, we find them, and we get answers. Sound good?" The two mares nodded and the trio approached the front walk leading to the door.

"Please stand aside, citizens!" Princess Luna ordered, making the ponies turn in surprise; at the sight of the Moon Goddess, the gathered crowd parted like the sea, permitting entry to the doors for the three mages.

"Wow, I gotta learn that trick one of these days," Twilight muttered as the Princess halted in front of the door and addressed the audience, who were rather stunned to see Luna here of all ponies.

"Citizens of Ponyville: Fear not, for Twilight Sparkle, the Captain of the Royal Canterlot Guard, and I have the situation in hoof. Now, please stand back!" She lifted an armor-clad dark blue hoof and placed it against the door. "On the count of three."

"One," Twilight said, ready to do what she had to do.

"Two," Shining Armor breathed, hoping things weren't as bad as they seemed at the outset.

"Three!!" Luna shouted and pushed the door open, allowing the three mages to leap inside, ready for anything! But what they saw inside completely shocked and flummoxed the trio into gape-jawed silence.

"Alright, what in Orion's Belt is going on here?!" Twilight demanded.

Notes: Did Dash get Volare to the hospital in time?
What will Twilight say when she gets there?
And just what the heck are they looking at!?
Tune in next time to-*SMACK…THUD*
Volare: I swear, the things you put me through…

The Running-Pt 12: Cutting Deep

September 11th, Afternoon

Beep…beep…beep…beep

Ugh, my head…well, either someone’s microwave meal is ready, or that’s a heart monitor…if it is one, I hope it’s mine, cuz at least that means I’m still alive…agh, light…bright…ow, scratch that. It’s not just my head, it’s my everything.
Volare attempted to make sense of the noises around him coming through the ringing that filled his head as he closed his eyes against the harsh, artificial light on the ceiling.
Huh, that reminds me…I gotta ask how they have electricity here…jeez, whe-where’s Scootaloo?!

Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep!!

“He’s coming to, Dr. Stable,” an unfamiliar female voice off to his left reported and he felt a pressure on his right forehoof that grew and intensified into a sharp pain that cut through the static in his mind and forced his eyes wide open, despite the light. He was on his back in a blue-walled room. All around him, movement assaulted his blurred-out senses. He felt a wire running from his left foreleg down the bed and over to the heart monitor that continued to beep persistently. Yep, he was alive, alright. He looked forward to a lit display on the wall past the edge of the bed; it was an X-ray of what he assumed was his leg, the right one, in fact. If that was what the bones looked like after that thing chewed on him…eesh. He then attempted to look over and see how bad the leg itself was, but something grabbed his face and pulled him to the left, scratching his wounds against the pillow behind him.

“Ah, Volare! You’re awake!” the mass of pink and yellow filled his vision, and it took him a moment of blinking to realize it was Fluttershy. She was wearing an expression of extreme concern and relief as she held the sides of his head in her hooves and smiled, despite the moisture welling in her eyes.

“Where’s Scootaloo…and why’re you holding my head?” Volare groaned as the pain in his right hoof continued to intensify. He attempted to look again, but at as groggy as he felt, even Fluttershy wouldn’t have had to put much effort into holding him still.

“Scootaloo’s across the hall; she’s fine. And I’m holding your head because…because it’s probably best if you don’t see what’s happening,” Fluttershy said softly in the voice of one experienced in keeping animals calm under stressful situations; and this particular one was no different! As she spoke, she glanced past his shoulder for the slightest instant and bit her lip as a sharp, stabbing pain ripped through Volare’s forehoof. A panicked thought jumped to the front of his mind:

“Oh my god, are they amputating my leg?!” Volare cried and tried to twist his head around, but Fluttershy held him firmly in place with a practiced effort. She didn’t nod, but she didn’t not nod either; her eyes continuing to be riveted on his hoof. “Agh, no, please don’t!!” Volare cried and pulled at his forehoof. “HELP!!!”

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!!!!

…………………………….

“Yeah, and then I was like: ‘you’re not gonna drown Volare’, and so I jumped outta that tree and-bam-kicked that thing right in the face!” Scootaloo crowed and pumped her hoof as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stood at the edge of the bed, fascinated by their friend’s account of the battle not half an hour ago. Applejack and Rarity sat on the other side of the room, shaking their heads in disbelief and uttering relieved chuckles at the recounting of the fight.

Rainbow Dash grinned proudly at how well Scootaloo was taking this. She glanced over at the smaller Pegasus’ right wing, slightly devoid of flight feathers but otherwise uninjured. In fact, besides being a little shaken up (until one of the nurses gave her a lollipop while she stitched up the small cut on Scootaloo’s left cheek), she’d seemed no worse for the wear. Yep, she was pretty good at bouncing back from stuff like this…she’ll make a darn good flier one of these days, Dash crossed her hooves and chuckled; she had a knack for telling this sort of thing.

“Was that before one of them pulled your feathers out?” Sweetie Belle asked, not noticing that the question raised the fur on Dash’s hackles.

“Oh, before. And holy hay, that was just nuts what Volare did to stop them from doing that!” Scootaloo slammed the bed with a hoof and grinned fiercely. “He just growled and his eyes got all narrow and really bright blue…and it was like he just flew across the mud and the next thing ya know, pow-that Cryhena was flying through the air, and I was on the ground, safe and away from that thing! Heh, my brother’s pretty tough, huh?”

He’s got guts, that’s for sure, Dash nodded to herself. He’ll make a darn good flier too…once we get him up there that is…

“Hold on a moment,” Rarity beat everypony to the punch upon hearing what Scootaloo had just said. “Did you say your brother? But I thought Volare was”- but she halted as Applejack gave her a quick elbow to the ribs and a subtle shake of her head. Rarity shot her country friend a demanding glance before she smiled sheepishly and turned back to the fillies.

“Was what?” Applebloom cocked her head.

“Was…from out of town, yes, ha ha! That he was from out of town!” The white Unicorn almost put a little too much emphasis on the explanation, but the fillies bought it, missing the eyerolls exchanged by Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Anyway, yeah, we agreed to be brother and sister out there,” Scootaloo grinned, much to her friends’ delight.

“That’s sweet! Now he doesn’t have to pretend to be your brother when we go Crusading again,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah! Heh, wonder what we should do first,” Applebloom mused. “Oooh, how about shark-wrestlin’?” Even the adventurous Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, but before she could kill that little idea, a scream from across the hall interrupted her.

“Oh god, are they amputating my leg?!” Everypony looked up at the door before Applejack spoke.

“Tarnation...that was Volare,” she muttered, pulling her hat a little lower.

“Is he ok?” Scootaloo asked with a slight whimper in her voice. But Dash mussed her mane affectionately and chuckled.

“Heh, yeah he’s just bein’ a baby,” Dash crossed her hooves. “Compared to what happened out there in the woods, I’m pretty sure he’ll be ok. What’s ‘amputating’ mean, anyway?”

“Search me,” Applejack shrugged and turned to the more eloquent Rarity, who had a curious look on her face, her left eye twitching ever so slightly. “Hey Rare; what’s ‘amputatin’ mean?”

“It means…to cut something off,” Rarity finally said after a moment’s hesitation, the implications making Dash slowly unfold her hooves and her eyes lose their distinctive confidence. The room sat silent for a moment before another shout cut through the door.

“Agh no! Please don’t! HELP!!!” Dash didn’t wait for a moment. Before her friends could stop her, she’d thrown the door open and charged across the hall.

…………………………

“Nurse Redheart, please stabilize him!” a male voice belonging to the orange Unicorn Dr. Stable ordered. From out of the corner of his eye, a white-colored Earth Pony with a light pink mane pulled back in a bun gave him an apologetic smile and raised a long, sharp syringe up and over his left foreleg. As the needle descended, Volare felt a scream of terror begin to rise in the back of his throat.

KABAM!
“What the hay are you doing to him in here, huh?!” Everypony in the room looked up as the door crashed open, hitting an orderly and sending surgical tools and a bedpan clattering all over the room. “Get away from him!” Something tugged Nurse Redheart off her feet, and bumped Fluttershy out of the way, and immediately, his vision was filled with cyan and a multicolored mane as Rainbow Dash got between him and the doctor who still had a hold of his right hoof. Her wings were flared and her breath left her muzzle in fierce snorts; she wasn't about to take any chances after the previous incident by the river. Volare turned his head to look, but now Dash’s body was blocking his view! As much as he appreciated her defending him again, her next words only reaffirmed his fears: “Why’re you cutting his leg off?!”
Oh hell no!!

“Ms. Dash, please listen to me,” Dr. Stable said in a gentle but firm tone. “We’re not hurting Volare on purpose; he’s already in enough pain as it is. But we need him to calm down so I can set the bones in his leg, or else he might not walk or run correctly again.” After a few moments’ hesitation, the doctor added: “You can stay right here in this room if you don’t believe me, but I need to sedate him so I can set the bones, ok?”

“…fine,” Dash turned and took Volare’s face in both hooves, her face a mixture of simmering frustration, frayed nerves, and utter embarrassment at the scene she’d just caused. “Volare, you hear that? The Doc’s just gonna fix your leg. He’s not cutting it off. I’m gonna be right here while they do it, so don’t you freak out, or I’m gonna freak out, ok? And if I do, I’m gonna sedate you. Got it?” The rainbow mare shook her hoof threateningly and then gave his own good hoof a rough squeeze and backed away, letting his head go and finally allowing him to look at his right foreleg. Sure enough, it was still there, and the flesh had been opened up by a scalpel so Doctor Stable could align the broken bones. Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t looked, and he flopped his head back towards the left side of his body.

“I’m sorry, Doc,” he muttered. “I just lost it there for a sec and…yeah, sorry.”

“It’s quite alright, Volare; you’ve been through more than enough to warrant a little distress,” the surgeon gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded to the nurse to approach him again. “Now, Nurse Redheart is going to give you a sedative so I can work, alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good with that.”

“Excellent. Nurse, will you do the honors?” Volare felt a pinch as the needle entered his left foreleg, and within half a minute, he was floating on cloud nine as the surgeon went back to work and Nurse Redheart began the process of dressing his other wounds. He looked over and blinked dazedly as Dash and Fluttershy conversed in the corner of the room…something about why Fluttershy didn’t tell him what was going on in the first place and Fluttershy saying she didn’t want to worry him. Dash face-hoofed and turned back to watch the surgery with a stoic, solemn expression; though he thought he detected the barest tinge of green appearing on her cheeks towards the end of it.

“There, you see Rainbow Dash, Dr Stable had to make an incision in Volare’s wrist so he could re-align the cannon bone of his lower leg because it was broken in two places,” Fluttershy explained, almost as if she were reciting it from a medical journal. The athletic Pegasus gave her long-time friend a long, sideways glance of semi-horror as she continued to describe the surgery in all its graphic detail, saying she’d done this sort of surgery numerous times for her animal friends. Soon, Volare could see that her face had definitely turned a few shades of green.

“H-hey, Doc?” Dash raised a hoof to get his attention.

“Yes, Ms. Dash?” Dr. Stable replied as the Unicorn hovered his tools over Volare’s leg, every now and then a small pop resounding from the bones as they were realigned and a small metal pin inserted between them to keep them in place.

“You got a trashcan anywhere in-urp-here?” the cyan Pegasus asked, holding a hoof over her mouth as she chanced another glance at the splayed-open leg and immediately wishing she hadn’t.

“Right there in the corner, Ms. Dash,” Dr. Stable nodded towards the small yellow receptacle and went back to work.

“G-good…just making sure, that’s all,” Dash replied, shaking her head and giving a snort before looking down at Volare, who finally seemed to have drifted off to sleep. Jeez, poor guy, she thought. He didn’t deserve this crap…maybe what he really deserves is that fanclub from Scoots after all…

A crash and a series of muffled shouts from downstairs caused her and Fluttershy to jump slightly and look towards the door. Dash took one last glance at Volare’s leg, nearly lost her breakfast, and then decided it was probably better to go check out the ruckus in the lobby. “I’m gonna go see what’s going on down there,” she announced and headed for the door before pausing and leaning down to Volare and whispering in his ear so nopony else could hear. “The only reason I forfeited that race was because your crazy flank is more important to me than some silly award…but you owe me big time, flyboy.” She gently hoofed his shoulder before galloping from the room, very nearly knocking the same orderly airborne when she ran through the door again. In her rush, she missed the small smile that graced Volare’s lips before he finally allowed himself to go under the sedation.

“Whoa, Dash!” Applejack yelled as she saw the Pegasus shoot past their room. “What happened to Volare?” she leaned her head out and called, but by the time she did, she just barely caught sight of her rainbow tail flitting around the corner of the stairwell. “Consarnit,” she muttered and trotted across to Volare’s room herself and peeked in. “Volare, are ya’ll-WHOA NELLY!” she skittered backwards on the tile floor, green eyes wide in alarm and nearly bumping into the opposite wall as the disgruntled orderly shut the door on the sight of Volare’s surgery in progress. It was at that point that another series of shouts trickled up the staircase, these sounding like they belonged to Dash, and grabbed the farm pony’s attention.

“Applejack dear, what’s happening out there?” Rarity asked as she stepped into the hall and got a glimpse of her friend’s shocked features. “What’s going on in Volare’s room?”

“Uh, ya’ll ever peel a banana, Rarity?” Applejack asked before shaking the image of the blue Pegasus’ split-open leg from her mind. “Ah mean, uh, Ah’m gonna go see what Rainbow is yellin’ about downstairs!” She galloped off, Rarity on her hooves.

“So is there anything being amputated or not? Applejack!” the fashionista shouted in frustration as she followed the orange mare down the stairs, leaving the CMC alone in their room.

“So wait a sec…” Scootaloo tapped her chin in confusion. “What’s happening to Volare again?”

“Applejack said he’s gettin’ his banana peeled, whatever that means,” Applebloom replied matter-of-factly.

“No, he’s getting it cut up!” Sweetie Belle declared with a grin. “Like how Rarity sometimes does and puts it in cereal!”

“I didn’t know Volare had a banana…heh, my brother’s kinda weird, but in an awesome way, huh?” Scootaloo chuckled innocently before her stomach burbled; she’d never had lunch. “Man, some cereal would be good about now anyway, banana or not.”

“Yeah, same here,” Applebloom nodded. “Ah wonder why mah sis and your sis ran off though, Sweetie. And Rainbow Dash too.”

“I dunno,” the Unicorn filly shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s go find out! Scoots, you stay here! We’ll be back in a sec!”

“Aww, fine,” the Pegasus filly frowned as her two friends galloped out the door. She rubbed at the bandage on her cheek and thought back to what had happened not half an hour ago. I hope Volare’s ok in there, she thought as she looked through the open door across the hall at his room, where the sounds of surgery continued. Get well soon, bro…love ya. With that thought, she suddenly felt a little more relaxed than she previously had been. “Hrm…maybe a little nap wouldn’t hurt,” she mumbled and snuggled down into the warm down blankets. “Heh, this is kinda nice…too bad ya gotta get hurt to come here…*yawn*…this is an awesome bed…” zzzzz

………….............
Slightly Earlier…

“And so I said to the guy: why the long face?” Pinkie chortled and slapped her knee while Iron Will pounded his large blue fist on the seat cushions in the hospital lobby. “But then I realized he was a pig and he didn’t have a long face, so I guess the joke was on me, huh?”

“HAHA, you got that right!” the minotaur chuckled loudly. He’d been fairly depressed and worried and had continued to pace the waiting room floor until Pinkie volunteered to calm him down with a few jokes. 20 minutes into them, however, and he was laughing fit to kill, causing the walls to shake and the light brown Earth Pony stallion orderly at the front desk to consider asking him to leave if he didn’t have an emergency…but was he really about to ask a huge beast like him to get lost? Yeah, I didn’t think so either!

“Ok, I’ve got one,” Will wiped a tear of mirth from his eye and continued. “What did one cat say to the other cat?”

“I dunno, what?”

“Nothing, cuz cats can’t talk,” Iron Will grinned, waiting for Pinkie to burst into laughter, but she simply gave him a strange look and cocked her head to the side. “What?”

“I think you need more practice, Will,” she patted his leg sympathetically. “Hrm, how about we try some charades?”

“Oh, I love charades,” the minotaur stood up. “I’ll go first!” He took a few steps to the side and stood straight and tall with his arms bent at right angles.

“Um, is it one word?” Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“Yep.”

“One or two syllables?”

“Two.”

“Um…I dunno, a cactus?”

“…seriously?”

“Yeah, like those big ones in the desert!” Pinkie posed next to him like a small pink saguaro. “See?”

“Uh…hang on a sec,” the minotaur grabbed a hat hanging near the door and stuck it on one of his horns before posing again. “Now try!”

“Ooooh, ok…uuuummmm,” the party mare took a quick trot around him, hemming and hawing as she did so. “Are you…a hat-rack? Though I think that’s two words.”

“How in the hay did you guess…and it’s a compound word,” The minotaur looked at her with wide eyes, hat dangling off his horn as they suddenly heard loud voices outside and the front door of the hospital burst open and three familiar characters leapt into the room, the smallest of which wore an incredulous expression as she spied the strangely posed pony and minotaur and spoke up first.

“Ok, what in Orion’s Belt is going on in here?!”

“Twilight!” Pinkie shouted and bounced over to her friend, throwing her hooves around her neck and giving her a huge hug. “Glad you’re back in town cuz”-

“Agh! The minotaur!” the lavender Unicorn shouted and pointed an accusatory hoof at Iron Will, who seemed very surprised that Twilight didn’t know who he was.

“Uh, can I help you? Do you even know who I am?” he asked in confusion.

“Yeah, you’re the beast that’s got everypony in an uproar outside!” the taller white Unicorn declared with a paw of his hoof on the tile floor. Iron Will chuckled softly; they must have him confused with someone else. And so, he pulled the hat from his horn and plunked it onto his head before initializing his trademark introduction, complete with cheesy grin and double thumbs up:

“Iron Will’s the name, training pony’s was my-WHOA WHAT THE-!” he shouted as the largest of the three newcomers, a dark blue Alicorn with a starry, flowing mane, charged forward and grabbed him by his necktie, hovering in the air and holding him above her head. She glared at him with fierce cyan eyes and spoke with regal authority.

“Where have you hidden the filly that you foal-napped; the one named Scootaloo?” her horn glowed a pale blue. “Answer quickly if you value your immediate future, beast!”

“Uh, ma’am,” Iron Will spoke as politely as possible, feeling that his life depended on it. “I dunno what I ever did to make you mad, but I think there’s been a mistake; I didn’t foal-nap little Scootaloo. I brought her here under direct orders from Rainbow Dash because she’d been hurt in a big fight out in the Whitetail Woods during the Running of the Leaves! I swear it’s the truth, so please don’t fry my head off cuz I'm kinda fond of it!"

“Princess Luna, please let Iron Will go!” Pinkie nudged the Night Princess’ shoulder. “He’s telling the truth, honest.”

“Wait, you’re saying Scootaloo got hurt too!?” Twilight demanded with worry as Luna slowly put lowered the minotaur to his hooves. “Where is she? And where’s Volare?!” she asked, half-hysterical again. “I swear this is the last straw for Rainbow Dash! Spike said Dash was carrying him and he was really hurt and”-

“Twilight!” a voice cried from the hallway to their left. The Librarian turned to see Spike running towards her and skidding to a stop, a bit out of breath. He’d heard the commotion from the restroom and had come running as fast as he could, as evidenced by the long strand of toilet paper stuck to his foot. “Eh-heh-heh,” he smiled sheepishly and tossed the paper in a nearby waste bin before speaking. “You made it! To answer your questions, Scootaloo’s upstairs with the CMC, Applejack, and Rarity. Volare’s up there too with Fluttershy but he’s in surgery!” At these words, Twilight didn’t waste time.

“I’ll go help them!” she shouted and galloped for the stairs, intent on healing Volare as best as she could, but she was stopped by Princess Luna, who magically grabbed her and held her back. “Luna, let…me…go!” Twilight strained futilely against her mighty grasp and looked back pleadingly. “I’ve gotta help Volare; I owe him that much!”

“No, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna rebuffed her sister’s student. “Remember what we spoke about in regards to overloading his body with magic too soon! I can promise you’ll likely do his body and mind more harm than good!”

“But Princess, I know I can help! Just let me go! I’ve gotta fix what I know Rainbow Dash bucked up!” The Librarian continued to pull against Luna when a rainbow-colored blur shot out the door and crashed head-on with her, sending the two tumbling across the floor and into a magazine rack, spewing laminated pages of literature every which way. After a moment or two, Dash staggered to her hooves and reached down to help her friend up.

“Ugh, what did I buck up?” she asked dazedly before Twilight slapped her hoof away. “Hey, what was that for, huh?!” the Pegasus bristled as her scholarly friend picked her own self up with a soft growl.

“You know what, Rainbow Dash,” she looked up at the reckless Pegasus, purple eyes full of frustration and anger that rose to the surface as the events of the past two weeks combined with what had obviously just happened out in the woods finally began to break through her weakened psyche. “I just know this is all your fault somehow!”

“Whoa, hang on a sec, Twilight!” the Pegasus waved her hooves. “You don’t know the whole story yet!” As she spoke, Applejack, Rarity, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle exited the stairwell and bumped to a stop at the scene unfolding before them.

“I know enough to know that you were carrying the poor guy half-dead and bloody and that your track record with him is nothing short of horrible!” she stamped her hoof, breath angrily snorting from her nostrils as she glared daggers at her friend.

“Twilight, just listen, ok!” Dash pleaded, her usually thin patience worn even more dangerously so. If this had been any other pony pointing hooves at her like this, she would have lashed out by now, but she was willing to give her friend the benefit of the doubt for the moment. “What happened was”-

“No, you listen!” Twilight suddenly shouted, earning a withering glance from the orderly at the front desk before he ducked down below it, terrified at the sight of the angry Unicorn not three steps from him. “You went back on your promise to stay away from him and look what it caused!”

“Hey, the time limit we agreed on passed, Twilight!” Dash shot back, her patience gone now. “It’s not our fault you got back here late!”

“LATE?! You wanna know why I was late, Rainbow Dash?!” Twilight snarled, a hint of flame beginning to lick up around the base of her mane. She ignored Pinkie’s cry to stop and stomped a step towards the Pegasus. “I was LATE because I was trying to procure safe citizenship for Volare from Princess Celestia for the last two weeks! You have no bucking idea the hoops I’ve had to jump through while there! And you?! You thought a time limit was more important than Volare’s life, you messed around with him, and then nearly got him killed! AGAIN!”

“Hey, this wasn’t my fault!” Dash flared her wings and stood her ground. She was done with being beaten on like this. “I saved Volare’s life in fact, and he saved Scootaloo from some freaky animals out in the woods!”

“Oh-haha-I’m sure!” Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically. “Good one, Dash, but jokes are over! You need to just get the buck out of here and leave Volare alone before your mere presence kills him the rest of the way!” she pointed a hoof towards the front door. “RIGHT NOW!”

That was it! Dash had had enough! If Twilight wanted to fight dirty, than two could play at that game! In the span of the next few moments, she unleashed her suspicions upon her lavender friend. “Why ya want me to stay away from him so bad, huh? You wanna be alone with him? You got some feelings for him after you kept him locked in your house for a few days?” Dash’s pointed questions made the entire room gasp, and Twilight reeled back as if slapped. “What all did you guys do, huh? I’ll bet that’s the real reason why you don’t want me being friends with him; because I’m stepping on the little egghead’s turf!”

“You-y-you, that’s not true!” the Unicorn sputtered angrily, rebounding back and taking another step towards Dash.

“Prove it!” the Pegasus demanded with a fierce grin. She had the Librarian backed into a corner and she knew it.

“Liar!” Twilight shouted in reply, unsure if she could or couldn’t prove it! Nearby, Shining Armor and Luna exchanged worried looks, unsure if they should step in or let the two friends settle this one themselves.

“Prove it!” Dash repeated and continued to grin right into Twilight’s face, daring her to make a move.

“I don’t have to!” Twilight replied imperiously.

“Ha, you can’t cuz it’s true!” Dash stomped the floor. “Or cuz you’re too scared to try!”

"I’m not scared!” the Unicorn roared, her eyes blazing red and flames flickering in earnest from her mane. But Dash wasn’t afraid, and she blew her a raspberry and laughed.

“Chicken!” That was the last straw! Any sort of self-restraint that Twilight might have had at that point finally eroded. She didn’t care if Princess Luna, her brother, and her friends saw what she was about to do, because as far as she was concerned, it was everything Rainbow Dash deserved! She leaped forward and slammed her forehead against Dash’s own, nearly stabbing her with her horn and knocking the Pegasus back a step. Shining Armor had seen enough, though, and he finally decided it was time to step in.

“Twiley, Dash, stop this right now,” he commanded, but it was no use. Twilight glared at him and levitated him out of the way. This was between her and Dash and nopony else!

“So that’s it, huh?” Dash rubbed her head and growled. “This is how it’s gonna be…you and me torn apart by some guy who literally fell into your Library?” she looked at the ground, as if contemplating stopping before snapping back up and baring her teeth at Twilight. “Well, if that’s how little our friendship means to you, then buck you!”

She suddenly charged forward and hit Twilight with her shoulder, bowling the Unicorn over and sending her slamming against the padded waiting room seats. Spitting feathers that flew from the cushions, Twilight regrouped and attempted to kick at Dash, but the Pegasus was too swift, and easily dodged the attack, hovering above the ground and sniggering.
“Ha, you were always too slow, egghead!” Dash stuck her tongue out again before she felt something grab her wings. She looked to the sides to see them enveloped in a lavender glow, the same glow that emanated from Twilight’s horn.

“It’s a good thing I’m better at this then!” Twilight roared and slammed Dash against the floor before picking her up and pinning her against the wall with her spell, holding her up near the ceiling. The normally brave Pegasus was suddenly completely helpless and at somepony else’s mercy, and the feelings suddenly ripped open scars from the past. She began to panic.

“L-let me go, dammit!” she growled and strained, but it was no use! It was a well-known fact that Rainbow Dash was a bit of a claustrophobic, but being held down like this…no, just no! Just as she contemplated pleading for mercy, Princess Luna stepped up to stop the conflict in the only way she knew how: she broke out the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“BE STILL, YE QUARRELLING PONIES! HAST THOU NO SENSE IN THINE HEADS?!” her voice rocked the entire room, causing the lights to flicker and Applebloom to hide behind Applejack…who in turn had jumped behind Rarity…who in her own turn had shamelessly leaped behind the terrified Sweetie Belle. Pinkie’s blue eyes somehow peeked out from under the padded seat cushions that were supposedly sewn to the seats themselves. Even Shining Armor, who was around Luna more than anypony else in the room, had jumped back in surprise. The only evidence of the orderly at the front desk was the very tip of his quivering brown mane poking out over the countertop…along with Spike’s green head spines. Luna’s eyes glowed a bright white as she stepped towards Twilight, whose grip on Dash wavered. Dash on the other hoof, being held motionless as she was and unable to move or look away, nearly fainted dead away from the sight of the Night Princess in all her terrible glory. “ZOUNDS, THOU ART ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, NOT FOOLISH FILLIES! THOU HAD BEST START ACTING LIKE THEM, POST-HASTE, BEFORE I TRULY LOSE MY PATIENCE WITH THEE!!!”

Following a moment so tense one would be hard-pressed to cut it with a chainsaw, Twilight suddenly came to her senses and dropped the rainbow Pegasus to the ground and looked up at the sight of a piece of ceiling plaster nearly falling on her head. Up on a hanging light was Iron Will, shivering from head to hooves; the great minotaur had leapt straight up like a frightened cat at the sound of Princess Luna’s voice. He had no idea anything could ever yell louder than he could! Twilight shook her head and turned back to Dash, who’d quickly gotten to her hooves, though she was shaking so badly she nearly fell right back down again, both from Luna’s voice and from being held down against her will like that.

“F-folks!” the orderly at the desk spoke up rather meekly, raising a hoof to gain their attention. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you all to leave for causing such an uproar.” He then caught the slight glare Luna was giving him before quickly adding: “All except the Princess; she’s free to come and go as she pleases…just please don’t hurt me!”

“Fine, I’ve gotta get ready to take Derpy’s mail duties anyways!” Rainbow Dash shouted, her face crimson with anger and embarrassment. If there was one thing the proud Pegasus hated almost as much as losing, it was being scared…and she’d never admit to being scared if she could help it. Thus, she reacted like any creature that hated to be scared and had its back against the wall: she lashed out without thinking at what had scared her, in this case, her friend Twilight Sparkle. And she did it in the most efficient way she could think of. “You like Volare so damn much? You can have him; cuz saving his sorry flank all the time is getting real old, real fast!” she snorted furiously but with a small sense of accomplishment as she watched the Unicorn’s face contort with emotion. “I’m only sad cuz if he ends up with you, you’re gonna wanna baby him so much that he’ll never he’ll never get to do what he wants to do…he’ll never be free…goodbye.”

With the barest hint of remorse at what she’d just said, the rainbow Pegasus ducked her red face under her forelock and ran for the door, bursting it open and bowling over the ponies outside who’d pressed in close to listen to the argument inside before jetting off for her cloud house as fast as she could fly. Seeing that Dash really had no idea what had gone on between Volare and the Unicorn, and realizing what she’d pushed the fiery Pegasus to say, Twilight made a move to run after her before she felt a hoof clamp down on her shoulder. She turned and wilted under the cold gaze of Princess Luna.
“Twlight Sparkle, I’m very disappointed in you,” she shook her head slightly. “I know you’re tired and stressed out, but you’re better than this. Now then, I believe the orderly is right; it’s best if you all go back to your homes and calm down, rest, and gather your thoughts.”

“But what about Volare?” the Unicorn asked, tears welling in her eyes, partially from knowing she might have just lost her friend Rainbow Dash forever and partly from her emotional outburst in front of Princess Luna. But again, the Moon Goddess shook her head.

“No, Twilight. As distressed as you are right now, and as bad as Spike’s description of him was, I think it’s best for all ponies involved if you give Volare his space today as well,” she gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’ll break the news to him. You may tell your friends as well if you wish. Captain?”

“Yes, my Princess,” Shining Armor stood at attention.

“Clear the grounds and make sure Twilight and her friends get home safely,” Luna frowned and sighed. “It’s been a long day for everypony and rest would do us all some good.”

“Very good, ma’am,” Shining saluted and motioned for them all to follow him, Iron Will included who’d finally climbed down from the ceiling lamp and gave Luna a wide berth on his way to the door. The Captain opened the doors and led them out, asking the crowd outside to disperse immediately before the doors closed behind him, leaving the Night Princess alone with the still-shaky orderly. She quickly gathered up the scattered magazines and rack and levitated them back into place before turning to the front desk.

“Where are Volare and Scootaloo?” Luna asked, and followed the orderly’s hoof pointing towards the stairwell. “Thank you sir…my apologies for the mess,” she nodded cordially and trotted up the stairs, reaching the second floor and following the sounds of Fluttershy’s voice coming from down the hall. Well, Luna, seems we're two for two lately in terms of jumping to extreme conclusions, she sighed. She finally reached two doors across the hall from each other and peeked in the right one first. What she saw nearly made her heart melt as she beheld little Scootaloo sleeping soundly, giving off tiny snores as she somehow slept through the racket they’d caused downstairs. Shaking her head in relief that Scootaloo seemed to be alright, she gently closed the door and trotted across the hall.

“Yes, yes, that’s good,” Fluttershy said from behind the green curtain that had been pulled along the side of Volare’s bed, giving him some privacy from the rest of the room as the surgical team had washed their tools and cleaned their hooves. The operation had been very successful, and Volare’s leg bone was pinned together and sewn back up, leaving what would become a rather nasty scar; but at least he'd walk again. They thanked Fluttershy for her assistance and left shortly afterwards, leaving the Element of Kindness behind to look after him for the moment.

“He’s breathing evenly and everything seems to holding together nicely,” she said to herself as she examined Volare, preparing to go home soon herself. “Eeep, what’s that!?” she cried as the entire building shook, and a muffled roar filtered its way up through the floor and the lights flickered as well. Earthquake?! But just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped, and the mare stood frozen next to the bed for several minutes, awaiting a second round of…whatever that was! But nothing else happened.

Tap, tap, tap came a noise from the window, making her jump in alarm before she looked up and smiled in relief at Shae the osprey sitting on the window sill and tapping on the glass with her hooked beak, looking with concern from Fluttershy to Volare in the bed. Chuckling lightly, the mare opened the window and allowed the bird of prey to enter, and she immediately fluttered onto the bed to inspect the sleeping blue Pegasus. “You’ve really grown close to him, huh?” Fluttershy mused with a soft smile. “And Scootaloo too. From what I heard, if it weren’t for you, things might have turned out very differently today.”

“How so, Fluttershy?” a regal voice spoke from behind her. The yellow mare turned and jumped back with a yelp, startling Shae and causing her to cheereek in alarm at the sight of Princess Luna filling the space between the curtain and the wall. Instinctively, Shae dropped down on top of Volare and spread her wings over the sleeping pilot, hissing protectively at the dark blue Alicorn. Meanwhile, Fluttershy’s heart was pounding and she had pressed herself up against the wall; she hadn’t forgotten the last time she and Luna had met face to face on Nightmare Night…it had not gone very well.

“Fluttershy, it’s me; Princess Luna,” the Alicorn said softly, calming the Pegasus and making her relax from her sudden fright.

“Ah…I’m sorry, Princess,” Fluttershy shook her head and blinked. “It’s just that…I remember when”-

“Yes, as do I,” the princess frowned. “We never truly did resolve that little meeting, did we? Well, please allow me to extend my hoof in peace to you. We’re here for the same reason: because we’re both concerned for Twilight Sparkle’s friend, Volare.”

“Y-you know him?” Fluttershy asked in surprise, stepping away from the wall.

“I’ve heard much about him, and how he’s been a great influence in the short time he’s been here in Equestria,” Luna replied. “I know where he’s from, but not of how he came to be in this state,” she motioned to the bed and finally took a good look at the injured Pegasus. Now, Luna had been through the War of Chaos and numerous other conflicts. She’d seen death and destruction. But she couldn’t rightly recall seeing a pony in such a sad state and still alive. She very nearly brought a hoof to her mouth to cover a small gasp, but restrained herself for the skittish mare’s sake. “Could you please enlighten me, Fluttershy? I heard something about wild animals in Whitetail Wood attacking Volare and Scootaloo. Something like that must be investigated for the sake of all ponies that roam that forest.”

“I-I’ll try, but I don’t know all the details,” the yellow mare looked to Shae and waved her hoof at the still-defensive osprey. “This is Shae. She’s Volare and Scootaloo’s friend and has become something of their guardian of sorts; she follows them just about everywhere and looks after them when she can.”

“She’s quite the fighter,” Luna gave the bird of prey a short bow. “Shae, I’m Princess Luna and I mean neither you nor your friends any harm.” But the bird continued to lay as she was, confounding the two ponies until a third voice spoke up from the bed.

“S-Shae,” Volare’s mouth barely moved and his eyes stayed closed, but it was definitely him that spoke through the heavy fog of the lingering sedative. The osprey cocked her head and looked at him expectantly. “It’s ok…if Fluttershy says it’s ok, then you can calm down…you nutty bird.” He cracked his right eye and gave her a quick blue-tinged stare and the bird of prey consented and backed off, fluttering over to a chair in the corner and relaxing, but still keeping a close eye on Princess Luna all the while.

“My, you’ve certainly got a way with her,” Luna nodded with no small amount of admiration.

“Heh, we just have an understanding…that’s all,” Volare hissed in a breath of pain as he spoke haltingly. He cracked his eye further open and searched for the source of the semi-familiar extra voice in the room, but his own body blocked his view. He tried to open his left eye, but found it had a heavy bandage and medical pad partially wrapped over it to cover the gash down the side of his face. “Urgh, wh-who else is there, Fluttershy? I can’t see her, but I apologize if I’m…ugh-less than presentable, heh-heh.”

“A very important somepony who wishes to speak with you,” Fluttershy replied and moved aside, allowing Luna to step into Volare’s limited line of sight.

“Hello Volare,” Luna said gently, giving him a small nod. “I’m Princess Luna, and I’ve come all the way from Canterlot on behalf of Princess Celestia to offer our official welcome to Equestria. I only wish our fair country was treating you a bit better than your current state…dare I ask how you’re feeling?”

“P-Princess Luna…” Volare mumbled groggily before realizing the importance of the pony sitting next to him-the second most-powerful pony in all of Equestria! Her mere presence sent a thrill of awe through him, and he attempted to sit up at the waist to pay his respects, but the pain in his body was a bit too much to bear, causing him to flop back down on the bed and give the Night Goddess an apologetic, lop-sided smile instead. “Sorry Princess…I’d stand but…ow…as to how I’m feeling: like I just fought the worst fight of my life against the worst odds possible...thank you very much, and keep the change...”

“It’s quite alright, Volare,” she shook her head and smiled softly, giving his bed a gentle pat with her hoof. “Don’t say I encouraged you to do this, but with luck like yours, you might fare well in Las Pegasus,” she chuckled lightly before her face fell again. “Unfortunately, as much as we wish we could offer an immediate solution to your predicament, alas, we cannot.”

“W-what do you mean?” Volare asked, his eye widening slightly in worry at the tone in the Princess’ voice; it was apologetic. “Can’t you or Twilight use your healing magic on me again?”

“No…for reasons you’ll be enlightened upon in greater detail in time, I assure you,” the Princess frowned. “But suffice to say that any magic used upon you right now might be…hazardous to your health, and we’ll leave it at that for now.” Well that didn’t ease his worries any!

“Well, was Twilight able to find the healing spell for my wing, at least?” He felt his hopes fade even as he asked her.

“…no, Volare,” Luna shook her head sadly and looked away for a moment. “My sister and her searched the Canterlot Library, the Archives, and even the Starswirl the Bearded Wing itself for nigh on two weeks, but they were unable to locate the spell.”

“So I guess it was never there, huh?” Volare sighed and sank back into the pillow, closing his eyes and doing his best not to cry as his hope went down the tubes. “I’m sorry she wasted the trip, then.”

“Actually, it’s not that it was never there,” Luna replied, causing the Pegasus to look up in surprise. “There was a…situation involving that particular spell, among several others. I’ll allow Shining Armor to explain the situation further tomorrow as he was the one that handled the investigation.”

“Whoa, Twilight’s brother came here too?” Volare asked, his eye straining to see the door.

“Yes, but he took Twilight Sparkle home…she was…stressed, to say the least,” Luna said hesitantly. “But for now, your mind doesn’t need to be burdened with these things. For now, you need your rest,” she gently pushed him back to the bed again and magically tucked the blankets in around him. “I shall return here tomorrow, along with the Captain and Twilight to explain things further. Rest easy tonight, Volare. You’re safe and sound…and quite the hero, it seems as well,” she smiled gently and nodded to Fluttershy and Shae. "I bid you all good evening.”

“Wait, where are you staying, Luna?” Fluttershy gave Volare a quick smile and a pat on the bed before she trotted after the Night Goddess while Shae continued to watch her warily from her chairback perch. Volare turned to listen to them as they trotted to the door.

“I must admit, I didn’t really have a plan for that, Fluttershy,” he heard Luna admit sheepishly. “All I truly need is an open view of the sky so I can monitor the course of the moon.”

“Oh, well, if you want, you can stay at my cottage,” Volare’s eye shot wide and he nearly laughed out loud as he heard the door snick shut behind the two mares. The thought of Fluttershy suddenly offering Luna room and board at her own home…even after she’d been terrified of her. Good lord, if Luna doesn't put Angel Bunny in line, nothing will, Volare chuckled lightly before finally relaxing and allowing himself to drift off into a very welcome sleep.

………………….

“Grrr, damn you, Twilight!” Dash’s cloudhouse echoed with her shouts of frustration as the rainbow Pegasus threw her ice weights against the walls and kicked her equipment around the room. “Why’d you have to go and make me do that and say that stuff!? Just-GAH!” She picked up an ice weight and hurled it at the floor so hard that it crushed through the clouds and continued on to the floor below it, smashing something loudly before coming to a stop with a muffle thunk in a cumulus couch she had in the living room of her home.

She knew deep down that what she said was selfish, but in all the years she’d known and been friends with Twilight, she’d never come to blows with her like that! And before that, Volare and Scootaloo had gotten hurt and nearly been killed! And on top of that, she’d forfeited the race she’d worked hard for months to prepare for! To say it had been a shitty day would have been an understatement.

…Dashie, you know what you said was unfair and stupid, both for Twilight and Volare, right?
Gee, ya think!?
…then why continue to beat yourself up over it? Why not go and apologize and tell them you didn’t mean it. Tell them you did that because you were-
HEY, I was NOT scared! The Pegasus kicked her bedpost so hard that she shattered it, collapsing the bed corner onto the floor.
…can’t lie to your own conscience, Dashie
Well, you know what, buck you!
…we all get scared sometimes, Dashie. There’s not shame in admitting it.
SHUT UP!
…even you.
BUCK YOU! BUCK YOU!! BUCK YOU!!!
…you know what, fine, Dashie. Fine. If you won’t listen to me, then what good am I?
Nothing except a headache, that’s what! Why don’t you just get lost!?
…can do, Dashie. Good luck…and goodbye.
Hopefully forever, goddess!
…hopefully not…

“Meh, whatever,” the Pegasus waved a hoof dismissively, shoving her guilt under the rug for now and focusing her mind on the traveling to Fillydelphia and covering for Derpy and her mail route for the next few days…yeah, she was totally not looking forward to that. But a promise was a promise…
“This is gonna suck sooo damn badly,” Dash declared and flopped onto her bed, laying on her back and trying to force herself to get some rest…that was, until she heard a cracking noise emanate from the bed below her.

“What the hay-?” she managed to say before the rest of the bed collapsed and fell through the floor, finally coming to rest just inside her front door with a loud crash that sent Dash tumbling onto the floor with a groan.
Urgh…I repeat: what a shitty day…

Ponyville Medical Hospital…6 Hours Later…

Volare… a small voice called out in the darkened ER room, the only light coming from a small blue nightlight shaped like Luna’s Cutie Mark plugged into the wall.
Huh, what the heck?
Volare.
Ugh…who in the world’s up and calling me at this hour, Volare thought as he peeped his good eye open and tried to focus on the blurry clock hanging on the wall. In the corner of the room, Shae still sat perched, her head tucked down into her fluffed up neck feathers as she slept silently.
“Volare!” the small voice hissed in a whisper, finally making him roll his head over and look to his left. To his surprise, not three feet away in the bed next to him, was the grinning face of Scootaloo. She was sitting up in her bedsheets and leaning over the edge of her bed so she wouldn’t have to whisper so loud and wake up Shae.

“What the…Scoots, what’re you doing in here, sis? It’s kinda late,” he mumbled and yawned. “Is everything ok?”

“Oh yeah, I’m ok,” she nodded. “I had Nurse Redheart move my bed in here so you wouldn’t be lonely. Oh, and it’s only 8 o’clock, dude,” she sniggered. “I can stay up late cuz I’m not a little foal, ya know?”

“Aww, that’s sweet of you, Scoots,” Volare smiled and felt his heart swell with affection for the sweet little filly. But he quickly noticed she still seemed…a little concerned. “You sure everything’s ok, Scoots?”

“Mhm,” she nodded again, twiddling her hooves as if hesitant to speak again. “I was just worried about you, that’s all.”

“Well, trust me, I’m ok,” he gave her a reassuring nod. “Why would you be worried?”

“Um…please don’t be mad, but…” she hesitated again for a moment. “But it’s about something you said out there in the woods today.”

“Oh?” Volare leaned up on an elbow with a wince, giving her his full attention. “What’s that?”

“You said…right before that thing was,” Scootaloo’s breath hitched slightly and she wiped her face before continuing. “Right when that thing was gonna kill you, you said that you failed your sister again.” Volare’s heart thunked audibly at her words. “What did you mean by that? And that one Cryhena said something else, about you being from another world…they were just trying to get to you right? You’re not really, like, an alien, are you?” she giggled slightly at the thought, but as she looked back at Volare’s solemn face, her smile faded. “Right…bro?” The blue Pegasus closed his eye and sighed…there was no more hiding it anymore.

“Scoots…there are things about me that you need to know,” he said sadly before he began to speak. He had a bad feeling that by the end of this, she’d hate his guts…

……………….

Lyra Heartstrings trotted down the ER hallway, hovering the great brass and leather book she’d found in the Canterlot Library in front of her as she went, searching for Volare’s room. “Aha, there you are,” she smiled as the last room on the left came into view, just as the front desk orderly had said. The mint-green Unicorn had Volare all to herself, and she was finally gonna find out once and for all if her suspicions about him were true! Of course, she’d then repay him with this book, but confirmation came first!

But as she giddily approached the door, she heard a solemn voice speaking inside the room, along with a younger voice she thought she recognized from the race earlier in the day. But who the hay would that be? Lyra leaned up against the door and opened it a crack, peering in and listening to the shadowy conversation taking place within. She could just barely make out Volare lying on a bed near the far wall, and the smaller orange filly named Scootaloo sitting up in the bed between him and the door.

“Scoots, I haven’t told you the whole truth about me because I was afraid of how you’d react,” Volare’s voice said in the shadows with an audible sniffle. “That Cryhena out there was right about me…how I don’t know, but it was telling the truth. I’m not from Equestria, or even from this world.”

“Where are you from, then, bro?” Scootaloo asked with a hint of a quiver to her voice.

“I’m from a planet called Earth. But on Earth, there are no Pegasi.” Lyra heard the filly gasp in the shadows and lean back from Volare in surprise.

“No Pegasi!? Whoa, that’s crazy,” she whispered before calming back down. “But…if there are no Pegasi on Earth…what were you doing there?”

“Heh, Scoots…what I’m trying to say is…I wasn’t a Pegasus before I came here.”

“Then…what were you?” the orange filly finally asked. This is it, Lyra said to herself, though she felt as if this was the wrong way to find out if she was right or not.

“Remember that accident I told you about…the one with all the fire?”

“Yeah,” the filly’s purple mane bobbed in the dim light. “The one that Rainbow Dash saved you from, right?”

“Mhm, that’s right,” Volare nodded in the dark. “Well, that accident is how I got here from Earth…Rainbow Dash saved me and brought me here, and Twilight gave me a new body, because my old one was burned so bad she couldn’t save it.”

“Your old body…” Scootaloo mused, trying to wrap her head around what she hearing.

“Yeah…my old human body,” the blue Pegasus admitted with a sigh, causing Lyra to nearly fall forward through the doorway in shock. Jeez, she never imagined she'd have confirmation like this!

“Human? What’s that?” the filly tilted her head curiously.

“Just like how ponies are the main species here on this planet, humans are the main species on Earth. They basically rule it, or try to at least,” Volare chuckled dryly before continuing. “We tried to rule it by creating technology to overcome our own shortcomings. For example, humans can’t naturally fly, so we invented things called planes so we could fly through the sky.”

“Just like Pegasi,” Sctootaloo’s sore wings buzzed involuntarily, making her wince slightly. “Ow, heh-heh.”

“Yeah, just like Pegasi,” the pilot chuckled. “The humans that fly those planes are called pilots, and I was one of them. It was a crash in one of those planes that messed up my old body like that…”

“Ah, I get it now,” Scootaloo nodded. “It’s not so bad, though.”

“Huh, how’s that?”

“It sounds bad, but if that hadn’t happened, Dash wouldn’t have saved you, and you’d probably never be here, right?”

“Yeah, probably,” he chuckled. “You know, Twilight said pretty much the same thing when I talked to her about this stuff…like it was a good thing that happened…like this world is a better alternative to what Earth was,” he thought out loud.

“Huh?” Scootaloo said, causing Volare to shake his head and snort lightly.

“Nothing Scoots...nothing, just thinking, that’s all.” His words were followed by a small moment of silence before the filly broke it again.

“Well, anyway, like I said, it’s not so bad cuz if you hadn’t shown up here, no telling what would have happened out there in the woods,” Scootaloo said with a grim tone unbecoming of a young filly her age. “If you hadn’t been there, I’d probably be”-

“Scoots, don’t think that way,” Volare interrupted her, feeling that if she finished her sentence, his heart wouldn’t be able to take it. “Heh, could’ve asked for a better Pegasus to be there, though…I failed to keep you safe, Scoots.”

“No you didn’t, Volare,” she sat up in the dark and gave him a stern look. “I mean, yeah, we got scared and stuff, but we’re ok now! We made it because of you, big bro.”

“Scoots, you don’t understand,” Volare said quietly, forcing Lyra to lean further into the room to hear him. He was almost envious of Scootaloo’s ability to view things in such shades of grey, rather than the black and white of failure and success. He heaved a great sigh before continuing. “You asked what I meant by failing my sister again, right? Look…back on Earth…that’s where my little sister was that I told you about.”

“Yeah, Aggie, right?”

“That’s her,” Volare nodded and winced inwardly at the painful memories he was dredging up. “Well, something happened to her and…I’d made the same promise to her; that I’d keep her safe. And when it happened…I wasn’t there to save her…” He paused to wipe the tear that trickled from his eye, ignoring the others that were soaking the bandage over his other eye. “I said she was a lot like you and…that’s the truth. And when I found out about your past…and when I saw you that day trying to be brave even with those bullies chasing you…I saw too much of Aggie in you.” His voice cracked and he nearly burst into sobs as he spoke. “I-I made a promise to myself right then and there that I’d help you. That I…I’d do whatever it took to keep you safe and…and give you a better life. That maybe if I did that, it’d redeem me of my failure to Aggie. And then today on the riverbank…I failed you and her again, and I’m sorry…I’m sorry,” he finally broke and turned, sobbing into the pillow and hiding his face from his surrogate sister in shame. Even Lyra had to bring a hoof up to her mouth to reign in a sob of her own and restrain herself from trotting in there and hugging the poor guy.

“I’m so damn sorry, Scoots,” he continued. “If I’d only been stronger today…I just feel like this wouldn’t have happened. I should have told you, but like I said, I was afraid you’d hate me for hiding the truth and…and using you for my own personal, selfish redemption.” He paused to catch his breath and try to calm himself for Scootaloo’s sake. “What I used you for was…was just wrong. I knew it every moment that I kept doing it that it was wrong but every time I saw you smiling and being happy…I felt it was right somehow. If you hate me now, that’s totally understandable. I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest if you walked out that door tomorrow and never wanted to speak to me again. I’d honor that…I’d even stop being your big brother if you wanted me to. But please believe me that even if you hate me, I’ll always have a spot in my heart for you…because you’re as much a little sister to me as Aggie was, Scoots…I love you, squirt.”

Throughout Volare’s soulful outpouring, Scootaloo had sat on her bed, silently digesting this information as a wide range of emotions passed across her face. But to her surprise, even though she knew he was right…there was one emotion that was missing. As strong a case as he’d made, she couldn’t find it in herself to blame her brother for any of this. And when she finally spoke, she spoke words that nearly caused Volare to climb out of his bed, as injured as he was, and hug the little filly as comfortingly as he could. “Volare…what you said about this all being your fault…I know that’s not true and you don’t have to lie to protect me.”

“Huh?”

“You’re the one that got hurt in this, not me. And I know what happened was my fault,” she said guiltily.

“No, Scoots…that’s not true.”

“Yes it is. Those things were after me and if I hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.”

“Scootaloo, listen to me,” Volare sat back up and pleaded. “You can’t blame yourself for something like that. You’re just a little kid and that’s not fair to yourself to say those things.”

“Then you stop being unfair and blaming yourself!” the filly hopped to her hooves and demanded fiercely, shocking the older stallion that she could use such a clever reversal on him. She wiped her nose and continued. “You saved my life, and we’re safe now. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, bro.”

“Yeah, thanks to Dash,” Volare attempted to rebuff the praise, but Scootaloo wouldn’t have any of it.

“Yeah, her too. But if those things had fought fair, you would have won for sure,” Scootaloo’s smile practically lit up the dark. “So don’t blame yourself…cuz I believe you did your best out there.”

“Heh…thanks Scoots,” Volare shook his head in disbelief and finally relented. “That means a lot.”

“Mhm, no problem,” the filly nodded and settled back down before looking over at him again. “You know, now that I think of it…I am kinda mad at you.”

Oh great, now what did I do? “But Scoots, I thought”-

“I’m mad that you’d be dumb enough to think that I’d hate you for anything you’ve done, dude.”

“Wait, what?” Ok, now he was confused.

“You’ve been helping me since we met, and what I said out there by the river…that I didn’t care that you’re from someplace else…that’s still true,” she wiped her eyes again and smiled over at him. “I don’t hate you for that and I never have.”

“Really?” Volare felt a fresh bout of emotions rise in his chest.

“Yep,” she nodded once before adding: “And I still wanna be your little sister if you’ll keep being my big brother,” she declared hopefully.

HNNNNNGGG!!
“Scoots…of course I will…I always will,” he sniffled and reached across the gap between the beds for her hoof, and she reached across for his, but…the distance was too great and it left their hooves fractions of an inch apart, evoking the events by the river yet again. But as Volare strained to reach her, her bed miraculously seemed to slide slightly closer to his, a dim glow emanating from the opposite side of the mattress. Not caring to ask why, he grasped her hoof as soon as he was able to and held it tightly, allowing the joyful, relieved tears to roll from his eye unchecked and soak into the pillow next to him. Somewhere, deep in the hollows of his psyche, he thought he perceived a freckle-faced smile in the dark, and he thought he heard his sister Aggie’s voice in his mind…she was whispering that it was going to be alright…that she was proud of him and that it was ok to let go. As he held this little filly’s hoof, he felt a boulder-like weight he’d been carrying for years rise from his chest and ease. It didn’t disappear for good, and it likely never would entirely…but for that moment, he felt more at ease than he had in a long, long time…

The radiance that surrounded Lyra Heartstrings’ horn subsided, as did the outline she’d cast on the side of Scootaloo’s bed facing the door. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof and looked down at the book she’d brought, then back up at the two Pegasi and smiled. It could wait…
She picked the book up off the floor and silently closed the door with a quiet snick on the touching scene inside the room, leaving the two siblings alone in the glow that continued to shine from the Princess Luna nightlight. The truth could cut deep sometimes…but other times, it could set you free…

Notes: And that my friends, is the end of The Running Arc!
I hope you enjoyed it!
As before, be on the lookout for the Arc Q&A soon!
EDIT: Here it be------------------------>>> http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/56524 <<<<

In the next story Arc of Blue Angel:
How will Volare's recovery go?
Will Twilight and Dash be able to mend their relationship?
What exactly is that book that Lyra found?
And will Ray and Jill ever be brought to justice?!

Volare: When can I fly again? The suspense is killing me!!
Author: Patience, grasshoppah!
Volare: I'm here to kick ass and have patience, and I'm about all outta patience!!! D:<
Author: Oh FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- *CRASH!*
Volare: Bow to your sensei!!! *Karate hoof-chop*

The Running Q&A Responses!

Blue Angel The Running Q&A

Wow, I got a LOAD of questions this time, so let's get started! 8D

Jayfeather97:
-Will Volare ever have a chance of getting back to Earth?—He’s already expressed some interest in it, so it can be assumed that he’ll look for a way to go back at some point, if only to tie up loose ends
-Will he tell us what happened to Aggie?—That will be revealed in the future…though not in a way you expect…
-Was it fun typing this up?—The Q&A or the story itself?
The Q&A is always a great way to get focused reader feedback, and the story itself has been a heap of fun so far

Ocbaker:
-Will Volare find out that Rainbow Dash caused him to crash?—Maybe…
-Does Twilight have feelings for Volare like Rainbow has?—What makes you think Dash also has those particular feelings for him? She already stated that she’s only been teasing him because she kinda gets her jollies from making guys weak in the knees…the bigger question is WHY, though? Then again, her pride could be keeping her from admitting something... As for Twilight…well, you’ll see very soon

Djthomp:
-Will Twilight ever stop jumping to conclusions?--Hopefully after this she will

Daruss:
-Will that patch of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark ever have a significant role?—Yes, very much so
-Will Rainbow Dash ever tell Volare of her feelings?—What feelings? That she thinks he’s halfway between being fun to mess with and hang out with, but at the same time she feels guilty for his shortcomings cuz it’s mostly her fault? For now, she feels mostly guilty, but she’s too proud to admit it, because that’ll mean she’s accepting that she was wrong…and that’ll basically mean she lost, and she HATES losing above all else.

Bobtehnoob:
-Will Volare ever tell the Mane 6 (and the other ponies) about his being a brony?—For now, it’s best if he didn’t…I mean how the hell WOULD he explain it without them thinking he’s gone crazy?
-Will other humans appear?—There’s a strong possibility of that happening, yes
-Will Volare ever regain his ability to fly? Of course. Why did I ask?—What kind of story about a pegasus would this be if he didn’t?
-Will any other background/one-shot characters appear in the series? (Gilda, Trixie, etc) I’m considering it, yep. And Trixie is already in it…
-Will the Princess Sisters meet Volare in person (and maybe also develop feelings for him)? Luna already met him and will meet him again multiple times.
-Who does Volare have his eyes on? Right now, his main focus is getting healthy and possibly getting back to Earth to tie things up there. His second focus is being a big brother to Scoots and getting a job because he wants to help fix the café for Bon-Bon and Lyra. Beyond that…well, you’ll see…
-Who has their eyes on Volare?—That’d be telling
-What is Volare's last name?—That IS his last name…you mean what is his FIRST name?
-Will/does anyone in the human dimension miss Volare?—Possibly…
-Will/does anyone in the human dimension find out/see the flying blue blob that is Rainbow Dash?—You’ll see…
-What will happen at Volare's "funeral" on Earth, and what will they bury? (assuming that it hasn't happened it)—Hard to bury a body when there is no body to bury. SOP would be to list him as MIA until a sufficient incident investigation can be completed. Hard to pronounce a soldier as KIA without physical evidence (body, uniform, something)
-Did Volare have a crush on anyone back on Earth?—He was a little too obsessed with his job (for reasons as yet unrevealed) to worry much about that. In truth, his love was for flight and the joy that it gave him (he's a dork like that XD )
-Will Twilight get Rainbow Dash to collect some of Volare's old stuff and some anatomy books to turn him back to the human he used to be?—That’s unlikely. As stated, even if she got it CLOSE, he still wouldn’t be the same person. Scars from past accidents, reminders of his failures, a tweak in a limb causing a certain gait, a certain irregularity in his hairline…all those unique features combined (along with his experiences) made him who he was. Without all of those together…he wouldn’t be whole, and Twilight has already stated that wouldn’t be fair to do that to him
-Was Volare part of the fandom (listened to Tombstone, Mic the Microphone, etc), or did he just watch the show?—A little of both (he wasn’t HEAVILY into the fandom, as evidenced by his lack of intimate knowledge of background characters, but he was rather familiar with the main characters-especially Rainbow Dash). He did listen to brony music though.
-Will Volare show Vinyl more music?—Abso-frickin-lutely!
-Will Volare accidentally slip up and play brony music for Vinyl?—that’d be funny…maybe…
-Will this become another “Background Pony” type fic?—how so?
-Does he miss any of the technology he has at home?—What guy wouldn’t? However, that situation may be somewhat rectified soon.

MisterMisterMister:
-Will you ever stop torturing the poor guy?—Oh don’t worry…he’ll get what he deserves pretty soon…but what’s a story without conflict?

Chiman1293:
-Will you add events from Season 3 in your story?—Depending on how important they’d be to the story, I’ll see what I can do. Beyond two released songs, there’s not much info out on S3 yet…but if a random background character shouts something silly, I might make Volare responsible for it or something
Volare: YEAH!!!!
Dash: Shut up, you idiot!
Volare: :P

Jplsnake252719952012:
-When will you give the guy a special somepony-he deserves one at least.—For now, he’s got bigger things to worry about like recovering from his injuries, but once he gets settled…perhaps somepony will find him…

Beyond the Horizon:
-What does Volare miss the most about Earth?—At this point…more than likely flying, in all honesty. In regards to family…well, old wounds tend to scar over and hurt less over time. You’ll see…

And the reward for most Q&A questions goes to: Bobtehnoob! :P
I’m working on the next chapter as we speak, so expect it soon! (this break won’t be as long as I thought) ^^;

Inseptium Nova-Pt 1: Red Barons and Herrings

September 12th

“Volare? Volare, where are you?” the small orange Pegasus called out into the night-shrouded valley. She stood alone at the top of a craggy rock face, feeling the lightest of breezes ripple along her mane from out of the darkness. Her legs ached as if she’d run a mile, and her breath came in quick little gasps. Scootaloo looked back over her shoulder fearfully, eyes dilated, though she wasn’t completely sure why. All she knew was that something was back there, and she needed to get away from it; she wanted her brother.

I’m here Scoots…I’m here the comforting voice replied from somewhere across the vale, lending her the strength she needed to climb down the slope and into the unknown.

“Where? I can’t see you, bro,” Scootaloo called out again, feeling her way down the hill until her hooves reached the hard valley floor. She trotted forward two steps and bumped into a cold, vertical surface nose first. It didn’t make sense and it stretched left and right as far as she could feel with her hooves. She began to panic a little bit and whimpered slightly. “V-Volare?”

Up…look up, Scoots, the friendly voice instructed. She complied but couldn’t see anything.

“Where?” she reached forward and up in the murk until she felt a warm, friendly hoof that contrasted with the coolness of the vertical face grasp her own and pull her skywards, finally lifting her over the edge and up into a hug that seemed as soft as a Pegasus’ wing. Following the gentle pull, she climbed up onto something warm and welcoming before curling up within the feathers and giving a contented sigh of relief.

Found ya, Scoots she heard Volare’s voice near her ear, and felt a cheek nuzzle her own before the feathers wrapped her in their cozy, secure embrace.

“No, I found you, big bro,” she snuggled deeper into the hug and settled down, unafraid of whatever baddies might be hiding out there in the dark. “And I’m glad…”

…………………

Volare awoke to the sensation of the early autumn breeze rustling the tattered remains of his mane. He blinked drowsily and yawned, beginning to stretch before remembering that he’d have to careful, and not just because of his injuries. He looked to the right for the source of the breeze to see the window hanging open a crack; Shae must have left sometime ago, probably to go hunting, he surmised. By the angle of the sun slanting through the window, it looked to be nearly noon.

The Pegasus craned his neck downwards and smiled affectionately at the little tuft of fuchsia that poked out of the wing he’d wrapped over his torso. He felt tiny exhalations against the fur on his chest, and heard the occasional, almost imperceptible little whinnies that emanated from that ball of blue feathers as its occupant slept rather fitfully, though much more soundly than she had last night, when he’d helped her climb up onto the bed with him.

He chuckled quietly at the memory before lightly brushing his left hoof over that fuchsia tuft. “Heh, you said you wanted to sleep in here so I wouldn’t be lonely...but I’m starting to think there might be another motive involved.” He paused and frowned in thought at that. He wondered just how much the trauma of yesterday had truly affected the tough little filly. True, though he could see that she was recovering from it fairly well, all he could do was thank his lucky stars that she was young; that she’d have alot of life ahead of her to experience plenty of good things to take the place of yesterday.

Hopefully, in time, this would all just become nothing more than a bad dream. For himself, however, it would serve as another grim reminder that he could take nothing for granted here; that as brightly colored and welcoming as it might seem, this world had the same rules of life and death as Earth, and that they should be held in just as high of a regard…that lives like Scootaloo’s should be treasured and protected just strongly.

“Mmmph-mmm…” Scootaloo mumbled something in her sleep, prompting Volare to give her a gentle squeeze with his wing.

“That’s my promise to ya, Scoots,” he whispered softly. “Whatever it takes…even if I’ve gotta become a frickin’ cyborg or something to function (and at the rate I'm going, that's not outside the realm of possibility), I’m gonna be the best big brother you deserve.”

South of Ponyville…

“Ok Rainbow Dash, just remember to make sure ya don’t miss any homes on the route, cuz they all count on me to deliver their mail. And without their mail, there’s no telling what could happen!” Derpy Hooves declared as Rainbow Dash tightened her saddlebags in preparation for the long flight Northeast to Fillydelphia.

“Right, right, gotcha,” the rainbow Pegasus nodded impatiently, ready to get this show on the road, but not because she was excited to be delivering the mail. Celestia forbid if I ever got excited over that, she thought. No, she was in a hurry to leave so she could get as far away from a certain lavender Unicorn as fast as she possibly could. She needed to cool her hooves for a few days away from her long-time friend; she could feel it in her gut. She just hoped that Twilight felt as crappy about what had happened yesterday as she did. “Twilight, you jerk,” Dash muttered with a kick of her hoof. She hoped somepony else told her the truth, cuz it certainly wasn’t gonna be her; she wasn’t entirely sure what she’d do if she re-met the Unicorn so soon after their tiff, but it probably wouldn’t be anything pleasant!

“Say what, Rainbow Dash?” Derpy cocked her head.

“Nothing, Derps; nothing,” the mare shook her head and glanced back to the northeast before sighing. “You totally sure you can keep an eye on my place while I’m gone?” she asked warily, to which the blonde Pegasus gave a lop-sided salute.

“Oh yeah, abso-posi-lutely,” she quipped with a nod. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t get blown an inch from this spot,” she pointed definitively at the cloud porch. “And I promise it’ll be in one piece when ya get back, just like ya said.”

“Heh, thanks Derps,” Dash gave her weather teammate a quick, one-hoofed hug before looking towards Ponyville, specifically the hospital. For a moment, she contemplated going there and speaking to Volare before she left, if anything to head off whatever Twilight might say to him…but surely he and Scootaloo heard everything… She hung her head for a moment before the breeze whistled through her flight feathers, lifting her spirits somewhat.

No moping, Dashie. That ain’t your style, she thought as she flexed her wings in the wind. Whatever happens…well, it happens. You’ll deal with it cuz you always have. I guess what really matters is Volare ends up happy…whether it be with Twilight or…nah. Dash, you fly solo, remember; and in his condition, he’d obviously only be a distraction. Besides, Volare already said it won’t work; though whether that’s just something he told me cuz he wants to be with Twilight kinda remains to be seen…maybe he’ll come around, but if he doesn’t, then oh well, buck it! It’s also not your style to let crap like this slow you down! She returned Derpy’s salute and gave her a bit of a forced smile. “See ya in a few days, Derps!”

“Later, Rainbow Dash!” her fellow Pegasus grinned and waved as the fastest flier in Equestria shot off of the side of her house, did one last fly-around of the tower, and took off for Fillydelphia. Within minutes, she was nothing more than a cyan speck that blended into the skyline and disappeared to the north of the rising sun.

Knock-knock-knock!

Volare and Scootaloo looked up from their debate over what exactly the hospital food was made out of. Volare was leaning towards over-ripe asparagus while Scootaloo had theorized it was green-colored dirt; it sure tasted like it, in any case! “This stinks,” the filly had grimaced after trying to choke down spoonful of the stuff. “They trick you into coming here with their nice, warm beds, and then once they’ve gotcha here, they try to poison your lunch!” Volare did his best to suppress a chuckle at her adorable pouting face as she pushed the food away before the knocks on the door resounded.

“Come in!” Volare called before the door swung silently open, revealing Princess Luna in all her glory. Scootaloo uttered a small squeak before her brother patted her head reassuringly; the Princess of the Night meant nopony any harm.

“Good morning, Volare, Scootaloo,” the Alicorn mare smiled warmly as she stepped inside. “I trust you slept well?”

“As well as it gets, all things considered, Princess,” Volare laughed dryly but halted mid-way as he caught sight of the blue-maned, white Unicorn stallion that trotted in after Luna. From Twilight’s description, there was no mistaking who that was, and he had no intention of making a bad impression! “Officer on deck!” he sat up with a grimace and threw Captain Shining Armor a salute, nearly thunking himself in the head with his encased forehoof in the process.

“At ease,” the Captain nodded and patted the air with a hoof. The pilot smiled gratefully and settled back down, leaving Scootaloo rather confused as to what just happened. “So you must be Volare; Twiley’s told me a whole lot about you.”

“Same here,” the Pegasus replied as Shining Armor approached the bed, his widening eyes roving over the various injuries and bandages that criss-crossed Volare’s body, the most prominent of which were the leg cast and the heavily-packed medical pad over his left eye.

“Wow, I heard you got hurt pretty badly in that scrum out there, but I never imagined it was that bad,” he said solemnly and shook his head. Volare could see it in Shining Armor’s eyes that he was doing his best not to stare at his injuries. It really made the Pegasus wonder just how much action the Captain had actually seen, because he was acting almost like a green soldier in regards to his injuries instead of how a more detached senior officer would. In fact, besides the Wedding Incident, Twilight hadn’t mentioned any other conflict Shining Armor might have been involved in, at home or abroad. But, the Unicorn did outrank him, and Volare still respected the ranking system, so he did his best to ease the Captain’s concerns without unintentionally embarrassing him.

“Yeah, well you should see the other guy,” he chuckled, causing the uncicorn officer’s frown to crack into a grin.

“Both of’em!” Scootaloo added with a fierce grin of her own. “We sure showed them!”

“So there were two of them, I take it?” Shining Armor asked as he levitated a clipboard from his brass-buckled saddlebag along with a quill. “That’s actually what we came to speak with you two about…if you feel well enough, that is.”

“Yeah, I do,” Scootaloo nodded and looked back at Volare. “How ‘bout you, big bro?” the blue Pegasus looked from her to Luna and Shining Armor, who both wore slightly confused expressions before he nodded.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Volare replied and settled back down onto the bed, wincing at the aches in his body as he did so. “Where should we start?”

“From the beginning of the race is as good as any,” Luna said, taking a seat across from them to politely observe her Captain make his report.

Twilight Sparkle yawned and stretched her neck as she sat up from her reading desk. Despite Princess Luna’s order to get some rest, after Twilight had explained the spell situation to the others and apologized for her outburst, the very fact that she had become so unhinged and violent towards one of her best friends…it quite frankly frightened her. She wondered if it had anything to do with the strange feelings she’d been having in regards to Volare, the very same ones she’d asked Celestia about and she’d told her she needed to figure out for herself. She no longer believed them to simply be maternal…she couldn’t believe that a maternal instinct could cause her to physically attack a friend like that. She’d put them aside for a time, but they’d only resurfaced with a vengeance, and she had to know what it was before somepony else got hurt again!

And so, unable to get her mind off the subject, the lavender Unicorn had searched her personal library deep into the night and had finally found the book she’d been looking for…the very same book she’d used to educate Dash about other colts with as well as to teach Volare the basics of Pegasus anatomy. “Guess I need a refresher myself,” she thought and skimmed the pages before reaching a section she’d never thought she’d really ever have to seriously reference...and it wasn’t the History of Pony Hooves, either! In all honesty, she thought she got more than enough interaction on the subject with her Friendship Reports… Searching the text, she quickly found the reference she was looking for and located the book on the far right side of the third shelf of her collection: “Pony Social Behavior.”

She’d torn through it deep into the night, eventually piecing together enough information to make her literally sit back in shock as she finally realized what those feelings had been, even after the conversation that she had had with Dash about why they couldn’t happen. The fact that she’d basically become what she thought she’d been against this entire time…the hypocritical shame she felt at the realization was crushing, and she’d been so mentally beaten by that time that all she could do was lay her head in her forehooves and softly cry until she fell asleep.

Her embarrassment was further compounded when she woke and found that someone, likely Spike, had tossed a blanket over her shoulders to ward off the early autumn chill that seeped in through the slightly open window in her bedroom. Moaning softly as she stretched her legs, Twilight trotted to the window and opened it fully, stepping out onto the balcony and taking in the sight of mid-day Ponyville. She breathed in the scent of the new season that The Running had brought with it, and sighed as she looked in the direction of Ponyville Medical.

After a moment’s hesitation, she gave a determined nod and trotted back inside, closing the book and placing it back in its place; she knew it was likely wishful thinking, but she nonetheless really hoped that Spike hadn’t seen what she’d been reading. The dragon was still asleep despite the rather late hour, but she had no intention of waking him and having him ask where she was going. She quietly slipped out of the Library and shut the door before heading to the Hospital, intent on avoiding any other pony’s distractions as much as possible. Volare deserved an explanation as to what exactly had happened, both in Canterlot and in the Hospital lobby yesterday…or rather, she needed to get it off her chest. She was just so bucking scared of how he’d react…Celestia give me strength…

“Repeat that last bit, if you please, Scootaloo,” Princess Luna leaned forward at the Pegasus’ description of what happened when Volare lunged forward and struck the female Cryhena in the face. Even though the pilot chided the filly on embellishing the story a little (including how she swore he’d set the Cryhenas on fire), something about the filly’s description, however exaggerated it might be as children are often wont to do, caught her attention. “What did you say happened to Volare’s eyes?”

“Oh, his eyes got really bright blue before he just…he moved so fast that creep didn’t have time to react,” Scootaloo replied, glancing back at her brother, who’s uncovered eye was it’s usual color. “Why?”

“Nothing, just…” the Night Princess looked to Shining Armor, who’d paused in his report to hear what she had to say. “It’s just that the only times a pony’s eyes change color like that is in the midst of a large magical discharge, often-times caused by instances of extreme distress.”

“Huh?” the orange Pegasus cocked her head in confusion, causing both Shining Armor and Volare to chuckle.

“She means that something like that usually only happens with magic users like Unicorns and Alicorns when they’re upset or in trouble,” the Captain explained. “Thing is, though you two were definitely in trouble out there, Volare’s neither of those creatures.”

“Yes, but his body was created via magical means, so there may be something in that. And you and I both know that Pegasi and Earth Ponies are also capable of their own versions of magical discharge; Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom, for instance,” Luna mused. She also knew that when a pony’s loved ones were in danger, it could often inspire them to acts greater than they’d normally be capable of… In truth, she couldn’t recall encountering something like this before, and didn’t want to offer an explanation that wasn’t much more than an educated guess if she could help it. Perhaps her sister would know more…
“But for now, I’d rather not speculate. Suffice to say that something significant happened out there within yourself, Volare.”

“Should I be worried?” the pilot asked with a rising hint of concern in his voice. “I mean, I’m not a danger to others, am I?”

“At this point, I’m not entirely sure,” the Night Princess shook her head. “You haven’t had any dreams out of the ordinary, have you?”

“Um, a few weeks ago, I did keep having this one nightmare over and over, but recently, I haven’t had anything besides dreams of flying and…just general peace. Why?”

“Just making sure; strange dreams can often indicate more serious internal problems, but good ones like that can mean things are going well within your self. But for now, if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it too terribly; we don’t want anypony else jumping to wild conclusions,” she grimaced slightly at the memories of the past few days.

“Indeed,” Shining Armor agreed and quickly skimmed back through his paperwork. “Ok, I think that’s all we’re going to need-oh, did you say those Cryhenas actually talked and identified themselves?”

“Yeah, they did-Ray and Jill, I think,” Volare nodded. “Though they seemed angry at each other for doing so, like they were trying to keep their identities a secret or something.”

“Strange, very strange,” Luna muttered. “Iron Will mentioned something about that as well, that he’d encountered beasts like those before in the past but that those particular Cryhenas didn’t seem entirely natural. He couldn’t recall ever hearing one speak, but he said it was something about the way they smelled more than anything that tipped him off.”

“They just stank to me,” the blue Pegasus shrugged with a groan. “Wait, you said Iron Will told you that? Did you really stay at Fluttershy’s last night?”

“O-oh, yes, yes I did,” Luna smiled, taken off guard by the sudden change in topic. Shining Armor raised an eyebrow; he could have sworn that Twilight had said that Fluttershy was terrified of Princess Luna.

“How’d that turn out?”

“Fairly marvelously, surprisingly” the Princess chuckled. “Fluttershy was quite the friendly hostess, and she kept me company outside her cottage, swapping stories and laughs until the early morning as I monitored the moon. Knock on wood, but I believe we reconciled any past difficulties me might have had.” Volare couldn’t help but smile along with her, happy that the still-socially awkward Luna had managed to make a new friend on her own, and out of Fluttershy no less!

“Um…I’ve been staying with Fluttershy for the past few weeks…did Angel Bunny give you any trouble?” Volare asked with a bit of a wince.

“Oh no, the little dear entirely lived up to his name last night,” the Moon Goddes smiled. “He even made me dinner! He must be the sweetest little rabbit I’ve ever met.”

WTF?! That settles it...Angel Bunny is definitely a pimp, Volare thought.
“How’d Iron Will take it?” the Pegasus asked, causing Luna to grin rather sheepishly.

“Oh him….um…let’s just say that recent events have caused him to take a bit of a dislike to me,” the Princess replied hesitantly.

“Oh, how bad could it be?” Volare waved a hoof.

“He rather avoided me like the Cutie Pox last night,” the Princess replied, her ears drooping in disappointment.

“Whoa, what happened to cause that? That guy’s not afraid of anything, well except Angel Bunny…I think,” the pilot chuckled.

“Well, when a certain Princess has to resort to the Royal Canterlot Voice, even the toughest creatures quake in their hooves,” Shining Armor laughed, caught up in the mirth of the moment before catching the short glare that Luna shot him. But it was too little, too late.

“Whoa, when did that happen?” Volare asked, looking at the Princess with a bit of nervousness. “Did it have anything to do with that shaking I felt last night?”

“…yes, it did,” Luna finally conceded with a frown.

“What happened?”

“I…don’t think I’m the best pony to tell you, Volare,” the Princess admitted, glancing at Scootaloo hesitantly; she just didn’t feel it was proper for a child like her to know what happened just yet. “Though I witnessed it, I don’t know you as well as your friends, and I don’t want to speculate and make the situation worse with hearsay information.” At Volare’s drooping features, Shining Armor spoke up again.

“But, the good news is, I’m pretty sure Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack are coming to visit you anytime now,” the Captain looked up at the clock, which indicated 2 in the afternoon. He also noticed the questioning expression on Volare’s face at his lack of mention of Twilight and Dash.

“What about the Crusaders?” Scootaloo sat up hopefully, causing the three adults to chuckle.

“I’ll bet they’ll be here too,” Shining Armor replied, patting her on the head. “In fact, part of the reason they’re coming here is to pick you up and take you to Pinkie’s place, cuz the hospital staff say you’re stable and ready to check out.”

“But what about Volare?” the orange Pegasus looked back at her brother with worry. “I don’t wanna leave him alone here.” Her statement tugged at Volare’s heart, and he pulled her into a soft wing-hug.

“I’ll be ok, Scoots,” he said with a reassuring nuzzle. “But you’ve got class to go to, kid, and that’s more important than killing time here with me. Besides, I’m sure you can visit, right?” he glanced up at the Captain and the Princess.

“Of course, I can’t see why not,” Luna replied with a nod. “But your older brother is right; your schooling comes first,” she winked at Volare, showing that she accepted their rather impromptu, but no-less-touching, sibling relationship. She’d have to locate the correct paperwork in Canterlot, but she was positive that Celestia wouldn’t have a problem of approving of Volare’s surrogacy. Besides, she had to admit that the sight of them together just seemed…very fitting. At the very least, she knew that nopony, not even her or her sister, could take away what they’d been through and bonded over; meeting them halfway like this only seemed the right thing to do.

“Aww, shit,” Scootaloo grumbled, nearly making Volare choke on the remains of his overly-ripe asparagus/green dirt hospital food. Did she seriously just say that?! The Captain and the Princess exchanged confused glances again before Volare headed them off.

“Uh-heh-heh, Scoots?” he spoke, gaining her attention.

“Yeah, bro?”

“Where’d you hear that word at, squirt?” He knew the answer…

“Oh, you said it out there in the woods when you were mad,” Scootaloo replied matter-of-factly. “So I figured, if you said it, it’s ok for me to say it too, right? What’s ‘shit’ mean, anyway?” Volare couldn’t help but double face-hoof despite the cast on his right leg. He felt like sinking into the bed and disappearing; he’d corrupted the little kid’s mind...he was sooo going to hell for that! Oh god…what ELSE did she remember from out there?! But he quickly gathered himself and tried not to roll off the bed and hide.

“Oh, um…it means…it’s a strong word for excrement,” Volare explained, causing Scootaloo’s head to tilt, Luna’s eyebrow to shoot up, and Shining Armor’s jaw to drop, reactions not lost on the pilot, who quickly added: “But I said that word in anger, and even then, it probably wasn’t the best thing to say at the time. So I don’t want you repeating that word anymore, ok?”

“Aww, ok,” the filly nodded. “So I guess that also means I shouldn’t say ‘mother fu-’”

“OOOOOOOOKAY!” Volare clapped his hooves together with an overly bright smile. “I’m betting we’re holding up the Princess and the Captain, so I say it’s time we say good bye and let them get on back to Canterlot, eh?”

“Y-yes, very good,” Shining Armor nodded a bit shakily, still a bit shocked about what Scootaloo had just said. Oh well, I guess it could be worse… Luna kept her composure a bit more, though, and gave Volare the gentlest hug she could muster, minding his injuries as she did so.

“I wish you the best in your recovery, Volare. Don’t worry about your hospital bill; I’ve paid it in advance myself,” she explained to the surprised pilot.

“But Princess, I…why?” He still just couldn’t grasp the generosity of these ponies!

“Volare, surely you know better than to…look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak?” she said with a chuckle. “In all seriousness, consider it a reward for your bravery out there today. Your and Scootaloo’s report and insight into this situation will surely benefit all ponykind that journey through the Whitetail Wood from now on.” As she and her Captain turned to leave, Volare called Shining Armor back to his bed for a moment.

“Excuse me, Captain?”

“Yes, Volare?” he nodded to let Luna know he’d be along shortly.

“How’s Twilight in all this?” the pilot asked with concern. “I noticed you didn’t mention her coming here later today…”

“Ah yeah, well,” the Captain fumbled for the right words. In truth, he felt a bit disgusted at his little sister for her behavior, but surely she had an explanation for it! “Let’s just say the entire trip for her was…stressful but somewhat successful and leave it at that for now. She’ll be able to explain more when she does come to visit you…which, knowing her, shouldn’t be too terribly long from now.”

“Shining Armor, sir,” Volare spoke frankly, leaning up a bit as he did. “Did Luna’s using her Royal Voice have anything to do with her?” The white Unicorn avoided his one-eyed gaze for a moment, still a bit put-off by his injuries. But when he didn’t lay back down and relax, the Captain finally relented somewhat.

“Yes, yes it did…please don’t ask me to say anymore, Volare,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper so Scootaloo wouldn’t hear. “I’ve said and speculated enough as it is. Twilight is one of your closest friends, and she will be the one to fill you in further; not me.” His answer didn’t do much to satisfy Volare’s curiosity, but in respect for the Captain, he finally laid back down and closed his eye.

“Forgive me, sir,” the Pegasus muttered. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”

As we all are…
“It’s fine. Now then, get well soon Volare. And if you’re ever interested,” his cheerful change in tone caused the Pegasus to glance up at him. “I’m sure we could use a pony with your courage in the Royal Guard somewhere.”

“I’ll consider it, sir,” Volare smiled gratefully before throwing him another small salute. “Have a safe journey back…oh, and say hello to Cadance for me!”

“Heh, will do,” Shining Armor nodded and headed out the door, leaving Volare and Scootaloo alone with the ticking clock and their cold and getting colder “food”. The blue Pegasus kept mulling over this new information in his mind, worried about what happened with Twilight to cause Luna to react that way…and what about Rainbow Dash?!

“You bored, Volare?” Scootaloo asked after approximately half a minute, drawing a light laugh from her brother. Apparently, she was no longer fazed by meeting the Princess of the Night in person anymore.

“Yeah, kinda,” he conceded, looking about the room for something to occupy themselves with. He chuckled inwardly as he thought back to the episode where Dash had hurt her wing and was cooped up in a hospital bed like this. She’d read a Daring Do book to pass the time, but from what he could see, there weren’t any books to be found in the room. He frowned for a moment before a thought hit him. He didn’t have any books, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t tell her a story from his memory. “Hey Scoots, you like stories?”

“Yeah, sure do!” she bounced slightly on his chest with a grin. “Oooh, tell me a story about Earth!”

“Heh, you’re interested in that old place, eh?”

“Well, duh, it’s where my big brother is from,” she hoofed him lightly. “Why wouldn’t I be interested?”

“Ok, ok,” he laughed and searched his mind for a good one before settling on a story he knew fairly well. “Alright, this is a story that’s pretty important to me, but I gotta warn you; it’s a military story that involves a lot of folks losing their lives.”

“Dude, I’ll be fine,” Scootaloo hoofed him again. “I mean, it’s not as bad as what we went through, right?” she asked with a hint of uncertainty.

“Nah, not like what we went through,” he ruffled her mane. “I’ll keep the bad stuff to a minimum. Besides, it’s the guy the story is about that’s more important than the violence.”

“Who’s the story about?” She asked rather impatiently; the suspense was really getting to her!

“One of the greatest human flying aces of all time: Manfred von Richtofen, the Red Baron!”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_von_Richthofen

30 minutes later…

“Wow,” Scootaloo breathed as Volare finished speaking. She sat silent for a moment, thinking back through what she’d just heard before looking up at him, her eyes large and intense. “Was that a true story? I mean, the planes and everything?”

“Every word,” the blue Pegasus nodded; he’d managed to sneak in a brief description of the planes used during World War I into the story to better allow the filly to understand the details. “The Red Baron was very real, and was a very good pilot for his time. He didn’t use brute force to solve fight his battles, but instead, he used his head and better tactics than his enemies to beat them.”

“Hey, kinda like what you told me about Pinion and his gang when we first me, huh?”

“Exactly!” Volare smiled. “He flew smart and used his plane’s advantages of superior maneuverability to outfly his faster opponents. Heh, he even used a really cool tactic of diving out of the sun when he fought so his enemies couldn’t see him.”

“But then…why’d the Baron do something so weird when he died?” Scootaloo frowned, referencing how the ace pilot had flown rather foolishly during the air combat that resulted in his death. “I mean, he wasn’t dumb…so what happened?”

“That’s actually a really good question, Scoots,” Volare added his own frown to hers. “Some folks think that he was really stressed out and not thinking clearly, some think he might have had a head injury that made him act out of character, and others even think he let the possibility of extra glory in combat get the better of his common sense through target fixation. Either way, you’re right in saying that something went wrong that day.”

The two Pegasi sat in silence for a few more moments before Scootaloo spoke up again. “Hey, you said a couple of times that you used to fly in the military, right?” she looked up at him expectantly. “I guess you meant on Earth, huh?”

“Yep, that’s right, Scootaloo,” he nodded.

“Did you ever do anything like the Red Baron did?” she asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. She didn’t catch the hint of a frown that creased his brow under the heavy bandage. “Like, did you ever fly like him?”

“Ah, well, that’s kinda a tough question to answer,” Volare replied. He couldn’t even begin to think of how he’d explain how his jet differed from the Baron’s old Tri-plane and how tactics therefore differed immensely. “Pilots like me were taught some of the same moves he did, but…combat now is a lot faster than it was way back nearly 100 years ago.”

“Whoa, that story was almost 100 years old?” Scootaloo asked in wonder, her mouth hanging slightly open.

“Mhm, it’s so famous that it’s been recorded and passed down again and again ever since,” he replied.

“Wow…but so…did you ever do that sorta stuff? Like, did you ever fly outta the sun at someone and get him?” she asked as she spread her wings and circled the bed top for a moment before leaping up and landing on Volare’s chest with a joyful growl.

“Hmmm…maybe once or twice,” he replied a bit cryptically.

“Did you ever have a derp moment like he did?” Her question was innocent, but it changed the tone of the conversation almost immediately. “I mean…is that how you…how you crashed? Sorry,” she apologized. As young as she was, she sensed the change as well. But to her surprise, Volare merely patted her on the hoof and sighed slightly.

“Yeah, I kinda did, to be honest,” he admitted with a bit of a sheepish grin.

“What happened?”

“Well, um,” he tried to think and remember exactly what did happen that day. “I remember chasing something that kept flying around me, but I never got a good look at it. And when it pulled off this crazy move in midair, I tried to follow it…and my plane couldn’t take it.”

“And that’s when Dash swooped in and saved you, huh?” Scootaloo surmised. “But wait, what the hay was she doing on Earth?”

“I think Twilight mentioned something about Dash helping her do research on the planet, humans in particular. I think it was because it would be easier for Dash to watch the humans than it would be for Twilight, plus if she got into trouble she could get outta there faster than anypony.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Scootaloo nodded. “That’s just kinda crazy that Rainbow Dash was there at just the right time to save you,” she mused.

“Heh, well, from what I’ve seen, she kinda seems to have a knack for that sorta thing,” Volare chuckled, though Scootaloo had brought up a good point. How the heck had Dash been there at just the right moment like that? She was good…but that was just a little too eerie for his liking. He made a mental note to ask her about it again as soon as he could.

“Knock, knock!” a voice called from the doorway, causing the two Pegasi to turn and see a violet-maned white Unicorn poking her head into the room. “I hope you two are decent!”

“As decent as two bed-ridden Pegasi could be, Rarity,” Volare called back. With a light chuckle, the fashionista trotted into the room, got sight of Volare’s injuries, and gasped audibly, causing Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie to rush into the room and bump into her, sending them all sprawling across the floor in a heap.

“Wow, and you say we can’t help but trip over our own hooves,” Swetie Belle tittered as she scampered into the room, followed close behind by Applebloom. The Crusaders ran past the older ponies and leaped onto the bed, landing on Volare and causing the Pegasus to let out an audible oof and force a bit of a pained smile.

“Heya guys!” Scootaloo cried joyfully, refraining from hopping when she saw Volare’s expression. “Maybe we better get off the bed; you’re kinda standing on Volare’s legs.”

“Oh gosh, sorry pardner,” Applebloom smiled sheepishly and hopped down, as did the other two Crusaders. “C’mon, they wanna talk to Volare real fast.” They quickly ran out the door to respectfully give the others a chance to talk with the Pegasus. By this time, the adults had regained their hooves with much jostling and a little grumbling.

“Why’d ya’ll gasp like that, Rare?” Applejack inquired with a bit of an annoyed grunt. “It ain’t like Volare’s dyin’ er nothin’ anymore…again, eh-heh.”

“Yeah, funny how we all keep meeting this way, AJ,” Volare chuckled.

“How’re you feeling today, Volare?” Fluttershy asked as approached and examined him quickly. “You seem to be healing very well.”

“Trust me, I feel loads better than I did when I came in here,” the pilot assured her. “I’m not even on any pain killers that I can tell,” he held up his IV-less foreleg. “The worst of it is my right hoof, honestly, and as long a I don’t bump it, it’s not to bad.”

“Mhm, Dr. Stable did a good job setting everything straight,” the yellow mare smiled. She turned back to Rarity, who still stood a short distance away, her mouth still slightly agape in mild horror. “Rarity, what’s wrong?”

“He looks ok to me, Rarity,” Pinkie trotted forward and looked at the Pegasus. “Well, except for the bandages and blood stains and broken limbs, but other than that”-

“Don’t tell me you don’t see it?!” the Unicorn gestured wildly in disbelief, causing even Volare to give himself a quick once-over again.

“Uh, see what, Rarity?” the blue Pegasus queried again before she approached and reached out a shaking hoof that hesitantly alighted on the back of his head.

“Your unique mane is a disaster,” she moaned. At a declaration of a fashion crime, rather than one of impending doom, the others in the room broke into relieved fits of laughter. “What, I’m serious!” Rarity insisted. “I mean, yes, I’m very glad that he’s whole and un-… ‘amputated’, was it?”

“Eh-heh, you heard that, eh?” Volare blushed. “I think I over-reacted a bit.” Rarity smiled, though a blush had begun to spread across her cheeks as she spoke again.

“Yes, well, Applejack said something in here looked like a peeled banana and in all honesty, the only thing that jumped to the forefront of my mind when she said that was”-

Oh…My…GOD!!! Volare’s mind screamed, thankfully drowning out whatever it was that Rarity was thinking of. The most mortified blush he’d experienced since coming here flared across his face as his hearing faded back into existence.

“-and then Sweetie said something about cereal…oh well, in any case, I’m glad they didn’t amputate anything, especially that,” the Unicorn finished speaking, much to everypony’s relief, for none of them in that room was without a reddened face…even Pinkie Pie! Applejack’s might have been as well, but her face was hidden too deeply under her hat for him to tell.

“Y-yeah…um…great-good thing they didn’t” Volare managed to mutter before clearing his throat and thoughts as best as he could. “Ahem, anyway…in regards to my mane, I think we had a little bet going about whose would come outta that race looking better, eh?”

“Ah yes, I remember now,” Rarity nodded before wincing at the sight of his tattered hair again.

“I think you came out smelling like a considerably sweeter rose than I did, Rarity,” the pilot grinned sheepishly, desperate to leave the prior conversation piece as far behind as possible.

“Aww, you’re too kind, darling,” Rarity smiled before examining his mane again. “Hmm…well, the good news is I think I may be able to do something with it. I my opinion, it won’t be quite as unique as it once once, but…hrm, we’ll see what we can do.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” Volare nodded before noticing that the two friends he’d known the longest were still missing. “Hey, where are Twilight and Rainbow Dash?” At his words, the mares shifted uneasily from hoof to hoof, neither of them wanting to be the first to speak…they all remembered Twilight’s emotional apology and explanation of the recent events in Canterlot last night. Finally, Applejack gave a soft snort and spoke up, albeit from under the brim of her hat.

“Sugarcube…Ah dunno if’n ya’ll know or not, but…somethin’ happened here in tha hospital last night and…well…uh-”

“Luna said it had to do with Twilight causing her to use her Royal Voice,” Volare preempted her. “Is she ok?”

“Yeah, Ah think so…thing is, it involved Rainbow Dash too an’…we promised Twilight not ta talk about it with ya before she did…” The normally forthright farm pony was being uncharacteristically hesitant, and the more she sought for the right words, the more worried Volare became. But at the same time, he respected his friends’ promise to their own, even older friend than him.

“Applejack, I know I don’t have the right to ask you to tell me what happened, especially if Twilight made you promise not to talk about it,” the blue Pegasus began. “But please just tell me this…are Dash and Twilight ok or not?” For a moment, the horrid mental image of Dash being shouted to pieces by Luna crossed his mind.

“They’re not hurt, Volare,” Fluttershy spoke up. “At least, not physically...I think….eep!”

“Fluttershy, shoosh!” Pinkie chided her friend before turning to Volare with a reassuring smile. “Volare-bear…just listen to Twilight when she comes to talk with you…she’ll explain everything, so don’t worry, ok?” The pilot nodded obediently.

“As far as Rainbow Dash is concerned, if it will ease your mind any until Twilight arrives…she’s away in Fillydelphia for a few days tending to Derpy Hooves’ mail route there,” Rarity explained. “So she’s in good health as well, so please just relax, darling.”

“Right…thanks guys,” Volare snorted definitively. “Um…not that I’m gonna worry too much, but does anypony know about what time Twilight’s gonna visit?”

“Hey guys, Twilight’s coming up the hall!” Scootaloo ran into the room and reported.

“Whoops, that’s our cue to scadoo, sugarcubes!” Applejack announced and gave Volare a nod and a touch on the brim of her hat. “We’ll see ya soon, Volare!”

“See ya, Volare-bear!” Pinkie sang as she hopped out the door.

“Good luck with your recovery, Volare,” Fluttershy patted him on his good hoof. “And don’t worry about Shae; she’s safe back at my cottage.”

“Heh, thanks,” Volare smiled as Rarity approached him again.

“Volare…I just feel like we haven’t had much time together ever since you got here, but I promise you, I’ll deliver my gift to you as soon as I can,” she smiled gently. “And the moment you get back in the air, I just know you’ll positively look smashing in it!”

“Looking forward to it, Rarity,” the pilot chuckled lightly and nodded as the white Unicorn and yellow Pegasus left the room, leaving just him and Scootaloo. The small orange filly carefully jumped back on the bed and gave him a quick hug.

“I’ll visit you every day after school, big bro!” she promised, her bright purple eyes wide and hopeful.

“Heh, after you do your homework,” he booped her on the nose, making her shrug her small hooves and snort sheepishly.

“Meh, fine,” she grumbled before giving him another hug. “And I’m gonna help Rarity with her gift for you…Sweetie Belle told us what it is, and me and the other Crusaders have got some cool ideas for it!”

“What is this gift, anyway?” Volare asked curiously, but Scootaloo simply shook her head.

“It’s a surprise, duh!” She hoofed him lightly and jumped off the bed. “See ya-whoa, heya Twilight!” the filly giggled and took off down the hall, following the quickly fading sound of the group’s hooves. All was silent for a god half-minute before the sound of hooves returned, albeit these belonged to a single pony, a lavender Unicorn in fact. Those hoofsteps almost hesitantly approached the door before the midnight-blue tip of her mane poke around the door, followed by her horn and finally her solemn face.

“Twilight, that you?” Volare’s voice called from the bed in a bit of a strained tone that tugged at her heartstrings. She knew he was hurt, but just how badly, she wasn’t sure. It was almost strange, hearing his voice after it being almost a constant for four days and then totally absent for two weeks. It took her an awkward moment to realize she was still silently standing in the doorway before finding her own voice.

“Mhm, it’s me,” she replied as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. She turned back and approached the bed slowly. “How’re you feeling?”

“Been better, that’s for sure,” he chuckled and turned over to face his friend. But as he turned, and she finally got a good luck at just how grievous his injuries were, she recoiled a step in shock, frozen in place and unable to not stare with eyes even wider than her brother’s had been. “Twilight…are you ok?” At his words, her hoof flew to her mouth to stifle a cry of heartache. She shook her head softly as she approached the bed.

“No…no I’m not ok…and neither are you, Volare,” she hitched in a breath. Deep down, somehow, she knew this wasn’t Rainbow Dash’s doing-it wasn’t just the claw and bite marks that said so either…no, this was her fault…she’d left and he’d nearly died. Even if it weren’t true, she felt so terribly guilty right now that she didn’t care. She reached the side of his bed, trembling in a mixture of fear, anxiety, and…that same emotion she’d stayed up half the night studying. With shaking hooves, she grasped his good hoof and brought it up to her cheek, closing her eyes nuzzling it comfortingly for a moment before Volare sniffled himself. “I was so worried about you, Volare…when I got the letter from Spike I…I didn’t know what to think and I just”-

“Hey come on, Twilight,” he forced a laugh; he didn’t expect her to be this upset. “I’m alive, right? I’ll be fine…so please calm down before I start with the waterworks myself, ok?” He gently stroked the side of her face with his hoof until she stopped shaking and opened her eyes and looked into his, blinking away the threatening moisture as she did so. “Come on…I know you can smile, right?”

“Mhm,” she mumbled, sniffing once and giving him the tiniest of smiles. “Sorry, I just…sorry…”

“Nothing to be sorry for, Twilight,” the Pegasus gave his emotional friend’s hoof a gentle squeeze with his own. “I’m ok, Scootaloo’s ok, and that’s all that matters.” They stood there for a few more awkward moments, Volare waiting for her to speak and Twilight trying to decide what to say. Luckily, he made the decision for her. “Sooo…hopefully the trip to Canterlot was a little less ridiculous than what went on down here, heh-heh.” That finally got a little laugh out of her and it relieved him greatly.

“Well, to tell the truth,” the Unicorn wiped her nose and shook her head. “It might have been even crazier.”

“Finally, I get to be told a story for once,” Volare chuckled. “Or at least I hope so.”

“Well, settle back, cuz this might take a while,” the Unicorn returned the laugh and magically pulled a short bench over to the side of the bed and sat down to tell her tale.

2 Hours Later…

This time, it was Volare’s turn to say “whoa” as Twilight finished her recounting of the events in Canterlot. It was just like their time spent at her home weeks ago, albeit compressed and less…historical in nature. And as much as she would have liked to have told him, now wasn't the time to discuss the findings on their planet either. One step at a time, Twilight...

“Yeah, wild huh?” the Librarian concluded, still in a bit of disbelief herself. “Who knew Celestia knew about humans all this time, huh?”

“No kidding…” the pilot replied, still trying to wrap his head around all the information he’d just been given, in quite a bit of detail too. “So I guess after all was said and done, it’s ok for me to stay here in Equestria?”

“Absolutely,” she nodded. “Although I still feel really crappy about not being able to find the spell for your wing.” She hung her head in disappointment. True, she hadn’t told him why they couldn’t find it (he had enough on his plate as it was) but just the fact that he was counting on her and she failed him…it irked her to say the least.

“Hey, it’s no biggie,” Volare assured her, though he had to admit that was the kindest bald-faced lie he’d ever told anyone…at the very least, he now knew why Twilight couldn’t heal his current injuries like she had his burns. Yeah, he’d take a broken leg over going full cupcakes. But, he didn’t want to bring back emotionally worn-out and upset Twilight, so he put on the bravest face he could muster instead. “Besides, even if you had found it, like Princess Luna said, something like that could seriously hurt the…bond between my mind and body?”

“Right,” Twilight nodded. “Because your body was created magically, there needs to basically be a ‘cool-down’ time between that creation and when more magic can be safely used. In naturally-born beings, this is a fairly short time, but in creatures whose bodies were formed from magic itself, it’s apparently very dangerous to the mind-body link. I mean, look what happened with Princess Luna after she was healed of the curse of Nightmare Moon.”

“Yeah…man, I really hope nopony was in that tower,” Volare grimaced at the thought of being evaporated…he wondered if it would hurt and if so, how badly…eesh, best to think about something else…

“I just wish I’d known about the consequences afterwards,” Twilight said apologetically. “If I’d known that every time I used a spell on you, it stretched that bond closer to the breaking point…what if it had broken?” He could see her raw emotions starting to peek through again, and the pilot quickly preempted her again.

“But you didn’t, so don’t blame yourself, ok? You did what you did to help me, and that’s all that matters.” Thanks for that little lesson, Scoots. “Well, that and how long I’d have to wait until the spell could be used on me. How would I know, anyways?”

“Did Princess Luna talk to you about your dreams?” Twilight asked with a slight wince. She wondered if he told her about the nightmare she’d stumbled into; the Unicorn still shuddered at the vivid images of blood, death, and terror within his mind…and that got her right back to thinking about just more pain this poor guy had experienced in his life beyond what she saw right in front of her.

“Yeah, and I said I’d had some nightmares a while back, but lately, things have been pretty peaceful.” At his answer, the Librarian breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Oh, that’s actually very good,” she smiled. “I’ll have to talk to Luna more about it, but that’s supposed to be a sign of the bond strengthening and becoming more stable and able to withstand further magic. Grr, now I’m really irritated I didn’t find that spell; we could be using it right now!” she smacked the bed with a hoof in frustration.

“Hey, no need to jump to conclusions on it just yet,” Volare patted her hoof in a calming fashion. “This is my mind we’re talking about here, and I’d rather not have it match my body too much, heh-heh.” But his light-hearted statement caused Twilight’s features to droop slightly…it was almost as if she could feel the next question rising in his throat before he even said it. “Speaking of which, Luna mentioned something about jumping to conclusions and what-not…and then she said she used the Royal Voice downstairs in something that involved you. What happened, Twilight?”

The Unicorn looked up to meet his single, blue-eyed gaze. It wasn’t angry, as she’d feared…but it was definitely full of concern. That might change here in just a minute… “I…it has to do with what happened out there in the woods, Volare. And with the conclusions I jumped to in regards to it.”

“What conclusions?” Volare asked curiously.

“I…dammit, I blamed Dash for what happened to you out there,” her sudden admission took Volare completely by surprise, and all he could really do was stare at her in disbelief as she herself stared at the floor in shame.

“But…why?”

“I dunno…I was just stressed and…her track record with being around you when you got hurt really badly was…just bad and,” she spoke haltingly, obviously growing more and more upset as she did so. Volare still wasn’t mad, though he was disappointed. Still, his main concerns still lay in the “why” field, rather than the “what the hell is wrong with you, Twilight” field.
“And then we got into this argument that got out of hoof and…and then I threw her against the wall with my magic. Volare,” she finally looked up at him with tears welling in her eyes. “I dunno what I would have done if Luna hadn’t stopped me; I’d never raised my hoof against Dash like that before but…I’ve never been so blinded by emotions like that either. And then…I-I dunno if she said this because I scared her or if she really meant it or not…but before she flew, she accused me of making moves on you while you were stuck at my place…and having feelings for you, and that I’d chosen you over mine and Dash’s friendship.”

“But…what…huh,” was all Volare managed to mutter before coming to his senses; he was more confused than angry about what she'd just said. “But that’s not true, right? Surely she just said that because you freaked her out, Twilight. We didn’t do anything outside of just talk about Earth. Did she know that?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Twilight moaned softly.

“Then she must have said that because she got caught up in the moment. Trust me, she’s said a few things to me when she’s pissed that she wouldn't say otherwise, so don’t sweat it, ok?” But to his surprise, Twilight recoiled from his touch…that wasn’t why she was upset…not because something wasn’t true…but the exact opposite. And the fact that she knew better simply made it all the worse. “Twilight? What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, Volare…I’m so sorry…I knew better and I just…I failed…I’m nothing but a damn hypocrite…” was all she managed to say before her voice cracked. She silently rose to her hooves and began walking slowly towards the door, barely avoiding tripping over the short bench through the sheen of shameful, guilty tears that filled her eyes.

“Twilight, wait; I don't understand,” Volare sat up, but she didn’t stop. “Twilight Sparkle, please come back!” But the only other motion she managed besides her slow trot was one long, slow, guilty look over her left shoulder before she reached the door and grasped the doorknob with her magic. “Twilight, don’t make me try to get out of this bed!” he warned loudly. “Cuz if I do, I’m probably gonna fall on my face. And then you’re gonna have to use your magic on me to hold me up and keep me from breathing through the floor.”

She finally halted at his words. Despite her shame, she felt the smallest hint of a chuckle begin to creep towards her mouth that the mental image he was creating.

“And apparently, if you use your magic on me, I might lose my mind so-urgh,” he sat up fully, supporting himself with his good hoof. “So unless you want me to go cuckoo for cocoa puffs, please come back here and tell me what’s wrong.”

The Unicorn didn’t look back as she directed her reply towards the door. “Cuckoo for what?”

“Cocoa Puffs.”

“What the hay are those?”

“Cereal.” Twilight turned and regarded him incredulously.

“How can you talk about cereal at a time like this?” she asked as a tear trailed its way down her face.

“Cuz I don’t like seeing you sad and feeling like you failed,” he gave her a sincere and reassuring smile. “Now please…come back here and tell me what’s on your mind; I’m not mad at you.”

“Promise?” Twilight asked, the tiniest sensation of hope rising within her as she prepared to do something she never would have dreamed of doing before yesterday.

“Promise.”

“Ok,” the Unicorn mare gave a small nod and a tiny sigh as she felt the cold sensation of the tear slip off her chin and fall to the floor. Yet another moment of truth… All of a sudden, she teleported in a white flash of light and reappeared by the side of the bed. Before the Pegasus could utter a word, she reared up on the short bench, grabbed him by the shoulders, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against the stallion’s own. It didn’t last long, it was awkward, it was fumbling…but it was soft and genuine. And it absolutely stunned Volare to the point of complete and utter silence as his mind simply exploded and refused to work for very nearly ten full seconds past the point when Twilight’s lips broke away from his own.

He felt his chin drop down against his chest as he lost all feeling in his good hoof, collapsing from the shock and nearly tumbling off the bed before the madly blushing Unicorn grabbed him and held him up with a spell before she even realized what she was doing. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” she stammered and laid him back down on the bed. Whether she was apologizing for the spell or for what she’d just done, Volare didn’t know. Look on the bright side, Twilight…my mind broke BEFORE you used that spell, so now we’ll never know if Luna was right…hahahaha… He was vaguely aware of Twilight holding his good hoof in her own as she continued to stare intently at the bedspread next to him, occasionally stealing glances at his reaction from under the edge of her indigo forelock. Correction: NOW he was feeling the effects of the most-mortified blush he’d worn since he’d gotten there.

“Volare…Volare?”

Volare can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number... his muddled mind managed to think before he finally snapped back to his senses and looked down at his embarrassed friend. At his sudden movement, she retreated slightly, unsure if he was going to hit her or what…
“Twilight…I…please tell me that’s part of your explanation.”

“Are you mad?” she asked innocently. “I knew it, you’re mad…I shouldn’t have done that-I-I’ll just get the buck out of here and never”- But she stopped as Volare held his hoof over her babbling mouth for a moment.

“I promised you I wouldn’t be, Twilight…as freaked out as I am, I’m not mad,” he shut his good eye tightly. The thing he’d pledged to do-not get involved-he’d just taken another step towards somepony finding out that he’d known them all long before meeting them…and my god, he’d just been kissed by a pony! An admittedly attractive one, but-no Volare! Just no…dammit! He mentally slapped himself before speaking again. She was chiding herself for jumping to conclusions, and he intended to be just as self-vigilant. “I would, however, like an explanation, cuz unless I missed my guess, it seems like this was a long time coming.” It’s always the quiet ones…stop it, this is your friend! Let her explain, you idiot!

“G-good deduction,” the Unicorn admitted. “Ever since I told Rainbow Dash to give you space on the grounds that having feelings for you was dangerous for your health because of her reckless behavior around you, I’ve been second-guessing myself. I told her it was wrong, and I tried to rationalize it as some weird form of maternal instinct or something,” she hung her head as she spoke. “We then sat up for days on end writing down theories and discussing things that no other stallion I’ve ever met would do with me. Most of them just blow me off as a bookish egghead, but you…even though you were kinda stuck there, you still spent that time with me and didn’t blow me off like all the rest. You respected my desires and made me feel special.” She knew she was rambling now, but the floodgates were opened, and it wasn’t going to stop until she’d run dry. The longer she spoke, the more ashamed she became, and the lower her face sank towards the bed.

“I-I thought I understood friendship pretty well because of all the reports I send to Celestia, but these feelings I tried to rationalize…the more I tried to make sense of them that way, the less sense they started to make. I even asked Celestia about them, but she told me it was something all ponies go through in life, and that I’d have to figure them out for myself. I was going to but then I got the letter from Spike and…I didn’t know what came over me when I just attacked Rainbow Dash like that, but I was determined to keep her away from you because I didn’t want you hurt anymore.”

By this time, she was practically speaking into the bedspread and had been reduced to a barely audible, pitiable little lavender Unicorn. Volare had the presence of mind to reach his hoof under her chin and lift her face up till she was looking at him. Even if he tried, the Pegasus wasn't sure if he could have been angry with her for what she'd done; he was just about positive that being mad at her in this state wouldn't end well for anypony anyway. Besides, he thought he was beginning to understand now, and he nodded for her to continue. She wiped the tears from her eyes but new ones took their place before she’d even begun to speak again.

“And then she accused me of having feelings for you, even after we discussed that you’d said it wasn’t right for you to return them, even if we did have them. She told me to disprove it, and I…I couldn’t. I couldn’t because I’d be lying, Volare,” she held her face in her hooves. “I knew I was being a hypocrite because I’d told her to stay away from you because I suspected she had those feelings for you…but then, like I said, we spent that time together and…I-I...”

She paused to take a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. “And the more I thought about it, the more I feared that was it true; that the very thing that had been stressing me out so badly was what I’d condemned as wrong. Last night, even though Luna told me to get some rest, every time I closed my eyes, all I thought about was how I’d possibly been lying to myself this whole time. I stayed up late, found a bunch of books on the subject, and read for half the night before my fears were confirmed: I was right…the feelings I was trying to deny and re-label as something else entirely…they were real. And they’d caused me to become jealous…they’d caused me to shame myself in front of my friends, Princess Luna, and my brother. And they caused me to hurt one of my best friends…all because I’m a hypocrite. I then tried to sleep, but all I could think of was how I’d screwed up and how badly you were lying there hurt because of me.”

“Because of you?” Volare cocked his head.

“Yes…because I wasn’t here to help.”

“Twilight, you weren’t here because you were trying to find the spell to heal me.”

“Yes, but…I just feel that subconsciously, I was lying to myself and looking for answers from Celestia on what I was feeling…besides, why did I want you healed in the first place?”

“Because you wanted to help me,” Volare patted her hoof. “Because you’re my friend.”

“Are you sure that was it, though?” Twilight looked up and stared intently into his eye. “Cuz I’m starting to think it was more than that…that I was doing what I did to earn your affections, despite what I’d told Dash…what I’d agreed to her with. And because I wasn’t there, you got hurt during the race…so it’s my fault.” At this point, the Unicorn wasn’t sure what made sense anymore…she just knew she felt so damn guilt and ashamed that she was looking for anything to blame herself for. But again, to her surprise, Volare didn’t strike her in anger or for being the hypocrite she knew herself to be. Instead, he grasped her hoof in his own and held it until she came closer to her senses.

“Twilight…you know that’s crazy, right?” He finally said with a smile that lifted her spirits slightly. “I know you make more sense than that…that something like that was so far out of your control that the odds of it being your fault are probably a billion to one.”

“I know, but”-

“No buts, Twilight,” he squeezed her hoof. “You’re a damn good friend who’s simply found out she’s not immune to being human…er, pony. You know what I mean,” he chuckled lightly, as did she. “You felt emotions you weren’t familiar with, and when you found out, you freaked out. Probably a little more than anypony else would, no offense, but you were upset because you thought you’d done wrong by everypony.”

“Still, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner...I guess I was also just scared of what you'd say...”

“Yet again, that’s not your fault; you were out of town and unable to because you didn’t understand them. And when you came into town again…well, from what I heard, you weren’t in the most rational of moods to begin with,” he nodded sagely.

“But well…now what I have told you-again, I’m sorry I kissed you like that,” she blushed heavily again as she recalled the extremely recent memory. “What do you feel about…well, that?”

“That, huh?” Volare mused out loud. It hadn’t been as bad as he’d thought…but still, he’d promised himself…

“Yeah, like…again?” Twilight asked hopefully, her blush growing ever heavier until she saw his brow furrow. “Ah, sorry, sorry, sorry,” she hid under her forelock.

“Twilight…it’s ok,” the pilot picked the next words more carefully than he could imagine doing for any other situation he’d experienced recently. “I honestly feel kinda flattered you’d feel that way for me…but, there are three problems I see with this. One: the only reason you like me is because I’ve done things for you that no other stallion ever has. It made you feel special, but there’s a term for that on Earth: infatuation or puppy love.”

“Yeah, I know…that’s what I found in my book of Pony Social Behavior,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Wait, you really had a book on that and you never read it?” Volare chuckled.

“Well, I never thought I’d need it because I thought I already knew all there was to know about friendship for the most part…except it was all pretty much mare-to-mare friendship and not between me and a stallion,” though she facehoofed, the sight of her using self-deprecating humor eased Volare’s worries somewhat. “Anyway, that’s the term I found that made me realize what I’d been feeling…I guess I just hoped so badly that they were something more than it wore on me.”

“Well, at least we know it wasn’t some crazy brain parasite turning you into some sorta rage-zombie, right?”

“…huh?”

“Urgh, never mind…” Note to self: pop-culture references on Earth continue to not apply here…recommend different jokes. “My first point is, now we know what’s really going on. But that brings me to my second point: unfortunately I’m gonna have to respectfully decline, Twilight.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that…guess I really am not your type, huh?” she laughed dryly.

“That’s got nothing to do with it, Twilight,” Volare shook his head softly. “It’s just that what I told Dash weeks ago still rings true now. It’s still just too strange for me. Put yourself in my position: if you came from a planet where inter-species relationship was not only taboo but illegal in most places…yeah, now you see where my reservations come from. I know this sounds cliche' as all hell, but I swear up and down it’s got nothing to do with you, Dash, or anypony else. This whole thing rests squarely on me.”

“Then how come you kissed Dash the night you lost your wing?” Twilight asked warily.

“Oh, heh, um…let’s just chalk that one up to me thinking ‘oh what the hell, I’m gonna die anyway, so what’s the harm?'" He explained sheepishly.

“Guess that makes sense…” Twilight eyed him for a moment. “Just…I figured I’d point out that where you kissed her, right under the ear…that’s considered an erogenous zone for ponies…so forgive me if I thought you were trying to elicit that sort of response,” she blushed again, as did Volare.

“Jeez…yeah, definitely didn’t mean to do anything like that…anyways, back on my second point, if I get involved with somepony and I find a way to go back to Earth…then what?”

“Wait, you’re not considering going back are you?” Twilight asked in alarm.

“I dunno…I mean, I would like to go back temporarily, if only to tie up loose ends. But then that brings me to my third and final point: my biggest concern right now isn’t romance, its getting the heck back up in the air one way or another so I can go back and tie up loose ends,” he flopped his hooves to his sides in emphasis, accidentally banging his injured one on the bed rail. “…ow.”

“Ah, I see,” Twilight nodded. As disappointed as she was in his decision…it also put her mind at ease for the time being. She didn’t have to worry about “coulda, shoulda, woulda” and be afraid about his reactions to her admission. She also didn’t have to worry about him possibly having feelings for Dash; he wouldn’t make such a point if he did, right? And it even seemed like Dash never had feelings for him to begin with...she really was just teasing him...ugh, now she really felt stupid. However, their conversation did clear her mind of doubt and refocused it on what was important. He was right: he needed to get back in the air as soon as possible. And with his mind apparently in good enough shape to take magic again…all they needed was the right spell!

“Oh, did Dash have anything else to say about me when she blew up at you?” Volare asked. “And don’t worry, I’m not gonna be mad at what you tell me; I know how she is about shooting her mouth off.”

“Um, actually yeah…she said that she was kinda tired of having to save your flank and that if you ended up with me that I’d coddle you so much you’d never be free and be allowed to do what you wanna do,” she winced at Dash’s words, but was rather flummoxed when Volare chuckled loudly.

“Oh, heh-heh, is that so, Dashie?” he laughed again and shook his head. “Doesn’t she remember what happened the last time she said something like that?”

“Yeah, you went and got your wing torn off trying to prove her wrong,” Twilight hoofed him in the shoulder. “Big dummy.”

“Haha, yeah,” he rolled his eyes. “But are those her main grounds for accusing you of having feelings for me…even though you kinda do,” he nudged her in the ribs, only to be smacked by a magically levitated pillow. He spat feathers as he continued. “Pfft, yeah, anyway…she thinks we did a buncha stuff while I was cooped up, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Twilight nodded, surprised that he was acting so light-hearted about this. What was he planning…

“Even though we didn’t…and her other main grounds are based on your cooping me up and not letting me be free due to being overprotective, right?” He smirked.

“That’s right.” Yeah, he was planning something, alright…

“And I take it we can’t just convince her via talking it out like this, right?”

“Right, especially not if she finds out what I did,” Twilight winced before Volare nudged her again.

“Hey, what happened here doesn’t leave this room,” he squeezed her hoof again. “Promise.”

“Thanks,” she smiled before continuing. “As I was saying, actions tend to speak louder than words for her; did you know we actually had to all dress up as a superhero called The Mare Do Well just to prove that she was being full of herself and letting success go to her head?” She laughed at the sometimes ridiculous nature of the hard-headed Pegasus before frowning slightly at Volare. “But now I’m concerned; what’re you planning?”

“Oh, nothing specific yet,” he chuckled slyly. “But come hell or high water, I’m not gonna be the wedge that drives you two apart; I’m gonna help fix this anyway I can!”

“I admire your bravery, but for now, you need to focus on getting well,” she levitated the blankets over him and fluffed his pillow before gesturing for him to lay down.

"Well, in that case, may I make a suggestion?" The Unicorn eyed him warily, again not quite sure what to expect.

"Yes?"

"Could Cadance possibly use her spell on you guys to fix your friendship?" Although his question was sincere, it was now Twilight's turn to burst into laughter. "What?"

"Hahaha-oh, just...Cadance's spell doesn't work quite like that," she caught her breath after a few more moments. "Her spell is a love spell, not a friendship spell. And although I think I made it fairly obvious, I'm not exactly into mares." The implications of his innocent suggestion hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt a fresh wave of heat creep into his cheeks. Somewhere, TwiDash fans are cheering like maniacs right now, I just know it, Volare thought.

"Is Dash?" the off-handed question escaped his mouth before he could stop himself. Twilight gave him a strange look before replying, though what she said surprised him.

"Um...I don't know, actually; I've never seen her with another stallion around, so who could say? Maybe it's something we can ask her about?" the studious Unicorn asked sincerely.

"Uh-heh, ahem...nevermind then," Volare chuckled, totally mortified at the thought of them asking which way the fiery-tempered rainbow Pegasus' barn door swung...yeah, that's just destined to go well... "You can um...just go now...I'll be hiding under here," he yanked the sheets over his muzzle, but was still unable to drown out Twilight's mirthful laughter that continued for nearly another minute before she calmed down and spoke again.

"Oh, I meant to ask…since I was very wrong for accusing Dash of causing these injuries-not to mention I dunno how she’d caused claw marks to begin with-care to enlighten me on what did happen out there before I go?”

“Oh, this old thing?” Volare replied off-handedly as he waved his broke leg. “And this, and this, and this?” he gestured to the bandages before Twilight swatted him with her tail.

“Yes, those you nutty pony,” the Librarian chuckled, more in relief that he was handling the situation a lot better than she thought he would…and a whole heck of a lot better than she had, that was for sure!

“Heh, long story short, Scootaloo and I got lost in the woods, these two crazy talking Cryhenas attacked us, and me and Scoots kicked their asses for a while until Rainbow Dash, Shae, and Iron Will showed up and chased them off. Oh, and Scoots is now my little sister.”

“Wait, hang on a sec, what?” Twilight’s jaw dropped. “Dash saved you guys?!”

“Yep.”

“Who’s Shae?”

“An osprey I helped Fluttershy with. She’s kinda wild, but you might like her.”

“Ookay, and how’d you and Scootaloo become siblings?”

“Luna’s figuring out the paperwork with Shining Armor and Celestia, but basically, I saw she needed somepony to look out for her, she reminded me a lot of my own sister back home, soooo…yeah, we agreed to be brother and sister. Oh, also, I’m part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders now.”

“Ok, now I’m kinda afraid to ask, but it's pretty obvious I have some catching up to do,” the Unicorn chuckled and gave him a gentle hug. “However, you need your rest more than anything, so we'll catch up some more tomorrow when I come visit, ok?”

“Sounds good Twilight,” he smiled as she released him and headed for the door. “Hey, you sure you’re gonna be ok?”

“Yeah, I’m a lot better now, thanks,” she replied with a curt nod. “Feels good to get that sorta weight off your chest, ya know?”

Actually I do…

“You sure you’re not mad at me?” Twilight asked one last time as she reached the door.

“Not in the slightest…like I said, a little weirded out, but not mad. Hey, Twilight; one more thing.”

“Hrm?”

“Thanks for being my friend...and don't take this the wrong way, but...the fact that you'd put my safety before your friendship with Dash...it wasn't right, and it was pretty misguided...but that's probably the most noble thing anyone's ever done for me.” Despite what she’d promised, Twilight felt her heart flutter slightly at his words. “You may be crazy sometimes, but it’s a good crazy.”

And fluttering is gone…kinda.
“Heh, get some rest, Volare.”

“Aye aye, Captain’s sis,” he saluted as she opened and shut the door before he settled down into the blankets, his mind processing everything that had just happened. With Twilight unable to get that spell, he surmised that Scootaloo would probably be flying before he could again...and on top of that, Twilight kissing him...jeez. Could this day get any crazier?

Famous last words...

Within what couldn’t have been a span of more than 10 minutes, he heard the door re-open and stealthy hooves approach him. “Volare…you awake?” The Pegasus flicked his eye open and nearly tumbled out of the bed for the umpteenth time that day as two golden eyes set within a mint-green face filled his vision.

“Ah, Lyra?!” he blinked his eye to clear it. Yep, it was her alright…and she was sitting on the bed at an uncomfortably close distance and wearing the most peculiar of smiles. He hadn’t forgotten her offer of a “private session.” Can’t I get a break from this crap here?! Come on, twice in one day!? “Yeah, guess I’m awake now…what’s up?” he managed to keep his composure as he spoke.

“Oh nothin’ much. Just wanted to drop in an see how you’re doing…wow you got pretty messed up out there,” her eyes roved over his injuries. “Jeez, did you lose your eye too?”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” he groaned and sat up. “And no, it’s just this big damn bandage hanging over it. In fact, wanna help me untie this thing; I’m kinda getting a little tired of having no depth perception.”

“Sure thing,” she nodded, and within moments, she’d untied the bandage, exposing the line of stitches that ran along his features, but allowing his left eye to open and bring Lyra into greater focus.

“Ah, you have no idea how much better than feels,” he sighed before his stomach growled so loudly that it made Lyra jump.

“Dang, that was pretty bad,” she chuckled. “Don’t they feed you here?”

“Nah, but they try to poison ya,” he nodded towards the cold plate of green mush. “I tried, but I seriously can’t eat…whatever that is.”

“Asparagus,” Lyra said matter-of-factly.

“I knew it! Wait, how’d you know that?”

“Oh, I come here all the time, believe it or not,” she raised up her forehoof and indicated the faded stitch lines that criss-crossed near her elbows and then pointed to the ones that ran across her knees. “Bon-Bon says I’ve got a knack for busting by elbows and knees every time I trip, heh-heh.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Volare chuckled. He had to admit, as…strange as Lyra was, for a Unicorn, she was pretty down-to-earth to talk with.

“Sooo, yeah, I feel your pain there with the hospital food, buddy,” she gave a mock-sigh of sadness. “It’s too bad you’re stuck here when a certain green Unicorn knows where to find some good eats at this hour. A little place called the Gilden Griffon.”

“Oh, ha-ha, trust me, if I could walk, I’d follow you through the gates of hell for some food right now,” the pilot laughed as his stomach growled in agreement. Suddenly, Lyra’s face brightened and she gave him a grin that was practically Cheshire in nature.

“Who says ya have to walk?” Without an explanation, she ran out of the room.

“Well, that was weird…hope she doesn’t expect me to fly there just cuz I’m a Pegasus,” he shrugged his crippled wing with a snort.

“Nope!” Lyra called out as she re-entered the room, pushing a wheelchair with her magic. “We’ll just roll ya on down there.”

Lyra’s gonna make me sit like a…you gotta be kidding me.
“Um, can we do that? I mean, the hospital staff won’t get miffed, will they?”

“Nah, they know me. Like I said: I come here all the time. Here, lemme help ya,” she pushed the chair up against the bed and levitated him down into it. “Comfy?”

“Yeah, this actually isn’t too bad,” he replied. The chair had convenient notches for his wings to slip through in the back, keeping him from sitting/leaning back on and stressing them.

“Cozy?”

“Yeah, guess you could say that,” he chuckled lightly. Ok what was she up to?

“…Familiar?” At that single word, Volare’s head very nearly pulled an Exorcist as he looked back at the Unicorn with wide, questioning eyes that were merely treated to the sight of Lyra smiling back down at him. “Heh, it’s ok…I kinda figured it out a while ago and I'll totally explain how. But for now, let’s go grab some chow and get ya reacquainted with a certain DJ who's been bugging the holy hay outta me to see ya ever since she got back in town!” Without any further explanation, Lyra wheeled him out of the room, down the elevator, and out the front door into the late afternoon so quickly that Volare could have sworn he was getting kid-napped….foal-napped….whatever!
Oh well, apparently it comes with free food…

………………..

As Twilight entered her home, her mind was already working on a solution to the problems before her, not just between Dash and herself, but in regards to Volare’s condition. She’d have to make absolutely sure via Luna, but she might be able to use a little healing magic at a time to at least get him back on his hooves quicker than normal. And if that didn't work...A new thought then popped into her head: one last final way to find that healing spell for his wing. It was risky, but she’d done it before, albeit to her friends and not to herself.

She settled down upstairs at her desk and concentrated on it: the memory spell she’d used to save her friends from Discord. And now there was a chance she could use it to save Volare as well…

Notes: Woohoo, new story arc! It’s even got that new story arc smell! *inhales*
Volare: You’ve really gotta stop writing this at 3 in the morning…

*Inseptium Nova = New Beginning (in Latin)

**Red Herring: A red herring is a clue which is intentionally or unintentionally misleading or distracting from the actual issue.

I wonder what Volare’s reaction to Lyra revealing she knows he’s a human now will be!
And I hope that Dash and Twilight can get their situation solved with Volare’s help!

...also....300k words...dayum @.@

Inseptium Nova-Pt 2: You've Gotta Be Bucking Kidding Me...

September 12th, Evening...

“Lyra, No! No, No, No, NO, NO!!” The normally cream-colored Bon-Bon’s face was an irritated pink that matched half her mane as she waved a large wooden spoon and scolded her green Unicorn friend like a dog just inside the front door of the Gilded Griffon; to say that her blood pressure really didn’t need this would be a gross understatement. “Are you even further out of your mind than usual?!”

Volare practically hunkered down under Lyra’s chin as she leaned over him, placing herself somewhat between her exasperated friend and her wheelchair-bound one. “Nope, totally all in here still,” she tapped her own forehead with a hoof. “Volare’s just so hungry he could eat a house, so I brought him to the food.”

House…ha…she nearly said….oh nevermind…

“Why didn’t you take the food to him, Lyra?!” Bon-Bon facehoofed and groaned. “Take him back to the hospital right now!”

“Aww, but he’s already here,” Lyra gestured towards the Pegasus, who was doing his best to not get hit in the head as the argument swirled above him. “Can’t he just”-

“NOW, Lyra!” The Earth Pony shook her spoon threateningly under the Unicorn’s nose. “You heard what happened at the hospital today! If Twilight Sparkle finds out you did something this scatter-brained with him”-

“Ahem, ladies,” Volare cleared his throat loudly, gaining a smile from Lyra and a small, flustered glare from Bon-Bon. “May I put my two bits in?”

“Yeah, let’s hear what he has to say, Bon-Bon,” Lyra nudged her friend. “Maybe he’s totally cool with it.”

“I’m really just worried about what Twilight will do if she finds out you foal-napped him from the Emergency Room,” the Earth Pony returned the nudge in a none-to-gentle fashion. “Of course I’m also worried about his health too,” she quickly added as she caught Volare’s skeptical expression.

“Ok, first off, how’d you all hear about what happened with Twilight?” the Pegasus asked.

“Oh, well, news travels fast in a small town like this,” Bon-Bon shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

“Uh-huh, you mean gossip,” Volare rolled his eyes. “Look, the situation with Twilight is…complicated,” he began, remembering how she’d practically leaped onto him, kissed him, then poured her heart and shame out at his hooves. “But just know that it’s been resolved, and there’s no reason to spread gossip about what happened, ok? She’s my friend and I don’t want anypony spreading rumors that she’s dangerous.” To his surprise, Lyra clapped him on the shoulder with a hoof and smiled.

“Well, if Volare says it’s all good, then I believe him. Bon-Bon?”

“I suppose so,” the Earth Pony mare shrugged again, tapping the wooden spoon against her foreleg in a reluctantly decisive manner.

“And what about you being here? You ok with that too?” the Unicorn smiled encouragingly.

“Well, I didn’t have a whole lot of choice about being brought here, but yes, I am ok with being here right now, if Bon-Bon will let me, that is,” as he looked up hopefully at her, his stomach practically roared in protest. “Eh-heh, sorry; that hospital food isn’t exactly appetizing.”

“It’s the asparagus, I tell ya,” Lyra spoke aside of her hoof before turning back to Bon-Bon. “As you can see, my dear Bon-Bon, Volare’s starving. Now, are you really going to make him go back to the hospital and eat the crud they serve there over your excellent cooking?” she asked in the sweetest tone she could manage. Bon-Bon knew it was a ploy, but the poor Pegasus did look fairly famished…

“Oh…fine,” she finally conceded. Lyra gave a little whoop and began to wheel Volare in but was stopped short by a wooden spoon poking her in the nose. “But if you try any funny business Lyra, so help me, I’ll”-

“Volare?” a familiar, cultured voice called out from near the back wall of the rustic, candle-lit restaurant. A grey mare with a lavender bowtie leaned out from a booth where she’d been sipping her early evening tea at the mention of the Pegasus’ name. She too had heard rumors of what had happened at the emergency room but had yet to see any concrete eveidence until now. But as Lyra waved cheerfully and wheeled the injured stallion towards the booth, Octavia nearly dropped her teacup in shock at the sight of Volare’s condition.

Like Shining Armor, she tried not to stare out of respect for her friend, but…well, it wasn’t often you saw a pony alive with injuries like that! But before she could either apologize or offer her condolences, a loud voice rang out from the kitchen.
“Volare? Where!?” the double doors swung open to reveal the wild-maned, off-white Unicorn Vinyl Scratch. She was wearing her trademark shades despite it being indoors and nearly sunset, and hanging around her body was a stained apron that read WUB THE COOK in large bold lettering. With a grin that practically devoured the bottom half of her face, her head swiveled left and right as she trotted into the room and right past the seated Pegasus.

“I swear, when I see that guy I’m gonna give him the biggest frickin’ flying tackle hug of all”- She then turned around, saw Volare, and her jaw dropped open at the pitiful sight. She lifted her shades in shock as she did nothing in comparison to Octavia in regards to not staring. “…time…”

“Heya Vinyl,” Volare gave her a crooked grin. “Sorry to disappoint you, but as great as that sounds, I dunno if my poor body can take much more fun right now.”

“Holy hay, dude,” the DJ breathed softly. Like the others, she just couldn’t recall seeing a pony this injured up close and personal like this; it was rather disquieting to say the least. She took a step towards him before leaning against the booth, a little light-headed as she took in the bandages, the cast, and the blood-stained gauze pads that seemed to be the only things holding his body together. Seems like every time I meet this guy, he’s in worse and worse shape. “What happened? Wait a sec, you weren’t at that one rave in Fillydelphia where the roof caught fire and fell in, were you?”

“No, I actually got attacked by wild animals,” Volare dead-panned, though now he was mildly concerned about just how crazy Vinyl’s latest tour had been.

“Jeez…” the DJ muttered under her breath as she took another step towards him, raised a hoof as if to embrace him, then stopped. The normally boisterous Unicorn was acting almost tentative, as if she were unsure exactly what was ok to do and say around him. “Sorry about what I said I was gonna do, dude…I just didn’t have any idea you got so…”

“Bucked up?” he offered, finding he actually preferred the local dialect to the alternative word. It conveyed the same meaning without seeming as dirty and rude...plus he had to get used to watching his mouth, especially if he was going to be living around Scootaloo...might as well start early.

“Yeah…sorry.” But the Pegasus snorted and beckoned her closer.

“Hey, I’m fine. Just a little more beaten up than usual, but I’m gonna live, ok?” As soon as she was within reach, he pulled her into a one-hoofed hug with his good leg. “No comments are off-limits cuz I’ll probably shoot a few back myself, and as long as you don’t jump on me, I’m pretty much ok with anything on my left side. So don’t any of you guys hold back, ok?” He released her and grinned. “Good enough?”

“Yeah, that’ll hold me,” she returned the grin with one of her own, glad he was taking this well before his stomach groaned yet again, causing her to chuckle softly. “Jeez, you’re just all kinds of messed up today! Bon-Bon, you got that soup ready to go yet, cuz I don’t think hugs are gonna hold ol’ Volare together here much longer!”

“You tell me, you wubbing foal,” the Earth Pony waved her spoon. “Wasn’t that what you were working on back there?”

“…oh, right,” the DJ grinned sheepishly, plunked her shades back on, and galloped back into the kitchen, where numerous clatterings and bangings were soon heard as she hastily completed her task.

“I didn’t know Vinyl could cook,” Volare mused.

“Oh, you can thank Octy for that,” Lyra gestured towards the grey mare who nodded demurely.

“Well, I wasn’t about to let her live with me without her at least possessing some sort of housekeeping skill,” she chuckled. “She seemed better at making a mess more than anything, but once I showed her the basics, I couldn’t keep her out of the kitchen.”

“Well, it’s definitely helped on those long, lonely tour nights,” Vinyl declared as she hovered a large steaming kettle out into the dining area. “Cuz the other option of greasy fast food, while fun at first, really doesn’t do my stomach any favors after a while. Ahh, hope you guys like this,” she grinned as plunked the pot down and doled out smaller bowls to her friends. The enticing aroma of onions and potatoes washed over Volare, whose mouth began to water as he couldn’t help but stare at the meal before him. Lyra pushed the Pegasus up to the table edge and quickly filled his bowl before hoofing him a spoon. He dug in with gusto, savoring every last bit of the soup that washed away any memory of the hospital food he’d tried to choke down earlier. Sorry Nurse Redheart, but I think I’ll be bunking at this place while I recover, thank you very much!

After the initial few minutes of silence broken only by the clink of spoons in bowls, the five ponies eventually began to chat and fill each other in on the events that had occurred over the past two weeks, starting with Vinyl Scratch’s tour up and down the East Coast. Volare was rather intent on not interrupting the reunion of the four companions, but Lyra had other ideas; as far as she was concerned, he was a much a part of this group as any one of them!

“Oooh, I’ve already heard this one,” she nudged Volare with an elbow. “This is hilarious. Go on and tell’m, Scratch!”

Immediately, the DJ got fairly serious and spoke in a tone that one might use while reciting something awfully tedious…or awfully familiar. “Ok, just a heads-up: I’m not supposed to talk about certain events that may or may not have happened on my latest tour, or so says my attorney.”

“Oh boy, who’s your attorney?” Volare asked around a spoonful of soup.

“Me,” Octavia answered matter-of-factly, causing the Pegasus to burst out laughing.

“Makes sense, surprisingly. Go on, Vinyl.”

“However,” the DJ grinned cheekily. “I can tell ya what I might have seen…my mind was kinda whacked out during half of those shows and there’s no telling what I might have seen was real or a hallucination, right Octy?”

“Indeed,” the grey mare nodded, causing Volare to facehoof.

“Since when did you become a lawyer, Octavia?”

“Oh, certain mares that live with certain roommates that may or may not half-destroy their musical venues on a nightly basis often have to do a little late-night reading on these subjects,” the cellist shrugged.

“Alright, then what can you talk about?” Volare queried, a little wary of what he was about to hear.

“Ok, I’ll tell ya what I can “remember,”” she air quoted with her hooves before smirking knowingly. She paused and eyed each pony in the room from behind her shades before speaking in a dramatic fashion. “…It was a dark and stormy night”-

“Oh, come off it, Vinyl!” Octavia snorted and threw a napkin and hit her-splat-right in the face. “You might as well tell the bloody truth if you’re going to be this over-the-top! Or at the very least, stop being so dramatic about it; it's not like anypony died, right?" Her tone caused Volare to slowly stare back over at the DJ, who simply shrugged her shoulders in an 'I dunno what the heck you're talking about' fashion.

“Heh-heh, fine, fine,” the DJ chuckled and tossed the napkin back to the tabletop. “Ok, ok, so it wasn’t stormy, though it was kind rainy when I set out the day after meeting you and your music, Volare, which I spent the whole afternoon remixing into my own brand of tunes,” she nodded to the Pegasus. “I traveled to Baltimare first, and things were pretty normal, that is, until I played the first song that you played for me waaay back when at Twilight’s place.”

“Um…Sweet Child O’ Mine?” Volare offered; a lot had happened in the last two weeks to remember something that specific.

“That’s the one. Turns out nopony in Baltimare was familiar with rock ‘n roll, and…well…they kinda freaked out when I played it.”

“Oh, damn…freaked out bad or good?” Volare winced.

“Oh, just your general freak out at first, but when I played a second rock song, they got kinda used to it, and by the end of the show, they were calling for more-but I didn’t have anymore!” she held out her hooves helplessly. “And that’s kinda when the trouble started that night…”

“Uh-oh, what happened?”

“Well, when you give a buncha crazy ravers something they really want…it’s not a good idea to deny that from them until they’ve had their fill first,” Vinyl scratched the back of her head nervously. “With only a limited set, and them not interested in any repeats, they kinda got…rowdy, to say the least. So I had to haul flank out to the wagon and get the hay outta there.”

“Heh, you’re leaving out the part of when the crowd knocked out the back wall of the place trying to catch you,” Lyra laughed fitfully, causing Bon-Bon to thwack her on the shoulder with her spoon. Octavia was rolling her eyes, and Volare could only sit there with a bemused expression, eye twitching ever so slightly.

“Damn…sorry my music caused that,” he apologized sheepishly.

“Nah, it’s not your fault, dude,” Vinyl hoofed him lightly. “Besides, in all the confusion, the stage manager didn’t get a chance to collect his cut from me, so I had a few hundred extra bits to sling around when I got to Maretha’s Vineyard for my two-nighter there.”

“Ah, Maretha’s Vineyard,” Octavia reminisced. “There’s no better vacation retreat on the east coast.”

“Yeah, till DJ-PON3 dropped by for a visit,” Bon-Bon groaned. “I heard that the every single stained-glass window in the old cathedral they had you playing in was destroyed on the first night, Vinyl!”

“Not my might fault they didn’t put a sound-proof spell on them,” the DJ shrugged innocently, drawing a laugh from Volare.

“Lemme guess, you’re gonna blame Slash again?” he asked.

“Nah, the song that did the windows in was actually Back In Black,” the Unicorn chuckled and leaned back in her seat, as if it were no big deal that she’d just destroyed over 200 hundred years worth of history. Bon-Bon glared at her incredulously, while Octavia only chuckled softly; Celestia forbid it, but she might have been getting used to the madness that was her roommate.

“What happened after that?” Volare queried, morbidly curious as to what chaos the music he’d given the DJ had caused afterwards.

“Well, I didn’t really have to run out of Maretha’s Vineyard, but I definitely didn’t stay past the second night. I hoofed it up the coast as fast as I could and took a few day’s rest in the next town over.”

“Which town was that?” the Pegasus asked as he grabbed another bowlful of Vinyl’s soup.

“Fillydelphia.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah…that didn’t go too well,” she winced behind her shades, the first evidence of her being somewhat regretful of what had happened. “I think I’m gonna have to play in roofless venues from now on.”

“Dare I ask which song caused the roof to catch fire?” Volare pushed ever so slightly.

“Uh, yeah, that one about the river…Chatahoocha-macallit,” the Unicorn. “I had some pyrotechnics left over from Baltimare so I figured ‘what the hay’, and used them during that song.” Her response left Volare’s jaw dangling.

“You’re telling me you used a buncha explosions during a country music song?”

“Yeah, something wrong with that?” she tilted her head as Volare facehoofed.

“Pyrotechnics on Earth are…kinda reserved for rock music,” he explained. “Using them during country music songs is…practically bad taste.”

“Oh…” the DJ’s ears drooped slightly. “Well, maybe you can come on my next tour and you can tell me what’s best to use and when, eh?” she nudged him with an elbow, drawing a grin from the Pegasus and a look of disbelief from Octavia and Bon-Bon.

“Maybe,” Volare mused for a moment before realizing something. In the show, he remembered the crazy rock show the CMC had put on during an episode, so rock wasn’t completely unheard of. But two of the most musical ponies in Ponyville had both claimed to have no knowledge of electric guitar until he explained the concept to them…something wasn’t adding up where to professionals hadn’t heard of it while three little fillies had. But when he voiced these concerns to the two, they returned his questions with soft chuckles.

“It’s not that rock isn’t completely unknown in Equestria,” Vinyl explained. “It’s just that what is played here has music created magically by Unicorns and has pretty much no lyrical backing like your music.”

“Indeed, most lyrical music here is of a more…refined nature. That might explain the rather crazed reaction your music caused in those already mentally-loosened ponies at Vinyl’s shows,” Octavia nodded.

“So that’s why you guys seemed unsure about electric guitars,” Volare mused. “You knew of the music, but the way it’s created here is much different than what I described....interesting”

“Yes, the only stringed instruments I’d ever had experience with were things like my cello,” she nodded to the large wooden instrument and bow leaning up in the corner of the booth next to theirs. “And Lyra’s lyre. Not exactly the most rocking musical pieces ever invented. And that’s why I was so surprised when you said that the instrumentation in those songs was created by stringed instruments. Heh, and also why I was poking fun at Vinyl because she thought that stringed instruments were suited for nothing beyond slow-paced, cultured music; not that there's anything wrong with that of course."

"Boring", the DJ mouthed in Volare's direction, causing him to barely suppress a laugh.
“I see,” the Pegasus nodded; now it made sense. “Hard to play a stringed instrument without a bow or magic, eh?”

“Exactly…not that I’m complaining; I love my cello,” the Earth Pony smiled. “Oh, that reminds me: you said you were from a place called Earth, right?”

“It’s a different planet, yep,” Volare nodded.

“I remember, though I’m not much less confused than I was the last time you mentioned it,” Octavia conceded before being interrupted by Bon-Bon.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on a second here,” she stared at Volare. “Nopony ever told me you’re from another planet! How’d you get here?!”

“I’ll explain it shortly, Bon-Bon,” the Pegasus assured her. He felt he could trust his friends at the very least with this sort of information (though he had no idea how it could possibly be abused anyway). Besides, the lack of weight of keeping it a secret had helped ease his fears about it with Scootaloo… He had a feeling he knew the next question to be asked, though, and he braced himself for it.

“Well, you said a particular race lives there called humans, right? And that this particular style of music is played by them?” But Lyra preempted Volare before he could answer.

“Yep, that’s right, they do! I’m kinda a semi-expert on them,” she declared with a grin. “Makes me wonder how ol’ Volare’s favorite sort of music is a type that can’t be played with hooves like his. Nope, it’s gotta be played with something the humans have called hands,” she wiggled her forehooves in the air. “Hands are soooo cool and useful! Can you imagine the things we could do if we had them?"

“Well, he obviously heard it when he lived there,” Octavia countered, ignoring Lyra's mild obsession with hands. “Besides, Volare already admitted to not being able to play or write music himself, no offense,” she nodded to the Pegasus.

“None taken, I guess,” Volare blushed as the somewhat embarrassing announcement was made in the presence of three of the greatest musicians in Ponyville.

“Hey, ya don’t have to know it to know it’s good, I always say,” Vinyl grinned and hoofed him lightly, bringing a smile to his lips.

“That almost made sense Vinyl, bravo,” Octavia clapped her hooves on the tabletop before turning back to Lyra. “You were saying?”

“You say Volare must know the music because he lived on Earth and heard it there, right? Well, I just so happened to have a little conversation with Princess Celestia herself up in Canterlot about Earth…and it turns out that Pegasi don’t live there.” She gave Volare a squinty, knowing smile and he began to sweat slightly under her wide, golden-eyed gaze.

“Whoa, whoa, ok, now you’re telling me that Celestia herself knows of Earth?!” Bon-Bon demanded.

“Yeah, she’s apparently known about it for over 1000 years or more,” Volare replied to the shocked Earth Pony.

“Does anypony else here feel completely out of the loop too?”

“Meh, I think it’s just you, Bon-Bon,” Lyra snickered and dodged the wooden spoon again.

“But wait a sec, guys,” Vinyl spoke up. “If Pegasi don’t live there on Earth at all, how’d Volare hear all this human music in the first place?” She eyed the Pegasus a bit warily through her shades. “Got something you wanna tell us, dude?”

“Yes, how could you know all of this?” Octavia queried, leaning across the table curiously. Those two, combined with Bon-Bon awaiting an explanation and Lyra practically grinning her head off (didn’t she already claim to know anyway?! WTF Lyra?) finally caused Volare to cave.

“Aw, hell, guess there’s no real reason to hide this anymore either,” he sighed. Well, Twilight had assured him that Celestia would allow him to stay despite being what he was… He nodded decisively and looked up from his soup. “Guys…I wasn’t born a Pegasus on Earth. In fact, I was never a Pegasus on Earth.”

“Say what now?” Bon-Bon scratched her head in confusion. “That hardly makes sense, Volare.”

“I know it sounds crazy from the outset, but I was actually born a human before arriving here,” his words shocked all of them except Lyra into befuddled silence, their heads moving back and forth between the mint-green Unicorn and the blue Pegasus as they conversed. “I think Lyra here even guessed it at some point, right?”

“Uh, heh, I kinda did after I spoke with Celestia,” she said a bit sheepishly. “But then you got all hurt and when I came to talk to you about it last night…I kinda, sorta listened in on you and Scootaloo on accident.” To her surprise, he didn’t get angry. Instead, his eyebrow merely raised a touch.

“You did, eh?”

“Yeah, that was…really touching, Volare,” Lyra wiped her eye for a moment. “I think you’ll make a great big brother for her, even if you’re not a true Pegasus.”

“Tell me…was that you that moved her bed?” he asked, recalling how Scootaloo’s bed had seemed to miraculously slide closer to his.

“Hrm….could have been,” Lyra replied with a wink and a smile.

“Thanks for that…really,” Volare smiled in return before Bon-Bon whacked the tabletop with her spoon, unable to sit there with her jaw dangling any more. She’d obviously been missing out on the juiciest gossip to pass through Ponyville in some time and she wasn’t about to be denied any longer!

“Ok, can somepony please explain to me what I’ve been missing here, cuz I feel like my head’s about to go flying off my neck if I keep twisting it back and forth like this!” She took a breath and composed herself when she realized the mini-scene she was making. “Ahem, sorry…Volare…Lyra…somepony, could you please let me into the loop now?”

“Heh, sure thing, Bon-Bon,” Volare nodded and pushed the empty soup bowl away from himself and sighed; that had really hit the spot, but he was getting a bit tired of having to repeat himself on this subject. “Man, I just feel like a broken record in regards to my story cuz I keep having to tell it over and over.”

“Oh, I can actually fix that,” Vinyl held up a hoof and trotted into the kitchen, emerging a short time later with her saddlebag. She sat the double-note-labeled bag on the adjacent table and rummaged through it before pulling out her familiar recording equipment. The DJ sat the black sphere on the table and then clipped a tiny black bud to Volare’s bandages and grinned. “Compared to the thought-recorder, this is pretty simple stuff. Just speak your story and it’ll get picked up by this mic and it’ll get sent here,” she patted the sphere. “I’ll getcha a personal copy of it. Then, when you wanna tell your story again without wasting a whole lotta time, just pop these in their ears,” she waved the earbuds that had nearly blown the Pegasus’ mind last time he’d worn them. “It’ll play their minds a condensed audio version of your story within a minute or so, and then they’ll know all of it.”

“Just like that, huh?” he asked, astounded.

“Just like that,” she clapped the tabletop.

“Wow, that’s really impressive and time-saving, Vinyl,” he conceded. Transferring thoughts and information like data downloads on Earth…jeez, it’d probably eliminate the need for the public school system, to be sure…

“Seems like it would save an awful lot of parchment and writing as well,” Octavia added.

“My own design,” Vinyl grinned and turned back to Volare. “But ya gotta make the initial recording here first,” she tapped the mic on his chest. “Which, depending on length, might take a few hours. You up to it, dude?”

Anything to keep from having to constantly repeat myself…
“Depends on how long you guys are willing to sit here and listen to me ramble on about myself,” he chuckled.

“I’m cool with it,” Lyra nodded.

“I'll stay as well,” Octavia decided. “But I suppose I’ll have to put on another pot of tea if I’m going to stay that long,” she smiled politely and headed for the kitchen. "You like it strong?"

"Strong as you've got, Octy," Volare replied.

“Well, I’m not about to run off without my equipment, so you know I’m sticking around,” Vinyl declared. Everpony then turned to Bon-Bon, who surprised them all with her response.

“Enough delay already,” she cried. “Let’s get this show on the road! I wanna know what I’ve been missing out on!”

“Heh-heh, you asked for it,” Volare laughed and turned to Vinyl. “Where do I start?”

“Oh, any old place,” she fiddled with a button on the sphere. “How about starting on how you got here; Pinkie never really explained much more to me and Octy other than the fact that you’re from Earth and like music, so don’t worry about thinking you’re rehashing old stuff to me and her, ok? Just go with it, dude,” she hoofed him again and grinned.

“Well, alrighty then!” Volare said in his best Ace Ventura impression, suddenly glad these mares didn’t get Earth references yet. Feeling empowered, relaxed, well-fed, and a little silly, he threw another one in for good measure: “Hold onto your butts!”

Twilight's Library...

“Ok Spike, I’m going to need complete concentration for this,” Twilight Sparkle declared as she situated herself on a plush cushion in the middle of her bedroom. She’d been unable to contact Princess Luna and Shining Armor before they'd returned to Fluttershy’s Cottage, but she felt it polite to wait until morning, especially considering the past 48 hours’ events. Instead, she intended to make one last-ditch effort to recover find that healing spell within the recesses of her mind, specifically the memories of the night when she, Spike, and Pinkie Pie had snuck into the Canterlot Archives. She’d explained the situation to her assistant, who had done his best to make her as comfortable as possible, as she’d said that this could take quite a few hours to accomplish, depending on how thoroughly she had to search.

“Isn’t this basically the same memory spell you used on the others when Discord messed their minds all up?” the young dragon asked, grimacing at the memory of the painful time when their best friends had been reduced to fighting amongst themselves due to the Master of Chaos’ tricks.

“It’s exactly the same spell, Spike,” Twilight confirmed, settling further into the cushion and stretching her neck and limbs in preparation. “The only difference is that instead of me using memories to clean up a messy mind, as theirs was, I’m using it to explore my own mind, which is already fairly well organized.”

“For the most part,” Spike muttered under his breath.

“Riiiight,” she eyed her assistant for a moment before continuing. “By going into my memories and searching them manually, I actually stand a better chance of recalling very specific information such as this spell. However, I have to be extremely careful while doing it.”

“Why’s that?” Spike asked with concern. “They’re just memories; it’s not like you could get in trouble for real in there, can you?” he pointed at her head.

“It’s not that, Spike,” the Unicorn shook her head. “It’s that our memories and personal experiences make us who we are at this moment in time. Messing up memories can be just as bad as physically messing with the past; get one too many things out of place, and it could alter everything in a butterfly effect.”

“Hmm, for example?” the dragon waved his claw for her to extrapolate.

“Ok, ummm…say I go into my memories and while there I do something as simple as knock over and break that lamp,” she nodded at the lamp beside her bed. “Not so bad, right?”

“Doesn’t seem that way,” the dragon scratched his spines.

“Well, because I destroyed my memory of that lamp, I’ll have no memory of it in reality, so I might one day see that lamp and say: hrm…is that a new lamp?”

“How’s that bad?” Spike tilted his head in puzzlement.

“That’s just a basic example, Spike,” Twilight frowned. “Imagine if I made a bigger mistake, like accidentally burning down the Library or something, Celestia forbid. And then I come out of my memories inside said Library that, according to my memories, shouldn’t even exist! It could cause me to lose my mind because things aren’t adding up anymore,” she said with a grimness that made Spike get shivers on his arms.

“Eesh…” Spike gulped, the implications of what she’d said finally starting to hit him. “What if you…I dunno, killed somepony on accident in your mind….what then?”

“Well, it’d be just like anything else destroyed in the mind,” Twilight replied, her brow furrowed with concern. “I’d retain no memory of them…it would be like I never knew them at all…”

“That’s horrible!” Spike gasped, his claws shooting to his mouth before he could stop himself. But Twilight merely nodded grimly and continued.

“Exactly, which is why I need total concentration when I perform this spell. If I alter so much as one tiny thing in my mind, it could change everything.”

“Right, right, gotcha,” Spike patted her hoof in understanding and headed for the door. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me. What if somepony comes to the door?”

“Tell them I’m…very indisposed at the moment,” she smiled solemnly as Spike closed the door. The Unicorn breathed deeply a few times to center her mind before closing her eyes and casting a white-hued spell that enveloped her entire body from horn to hooves. She focused on the exact time and date of when she and her friends had entered the Archives, and in her mind’s eye, she was whisked across Equestria, through the night, and into Canterlot itself, finally stopping outside the Archive Building itself. After a moment’s hesitation, she blinked and looked around, feeling somewhat…lighter than usual, as if she weren’t quite all there. In actuality, she was a semi-tangible apparition, unnoticeable by her memories unless she made herself known, which was exactly what she didn’t want. It was exactly how she felt when she’d entered Volare’s dreams two weeks ago.

She quickly shook the thought away and observed the evening-clad building, still neat and pristine, and without any of the damage defacing it from the Changeling attack that wouldn’t come for some months yet. Strangely, the ambiance of the night seemed artificially silent, lacking the usual sounds of crickets and night-birds chirping in the trees. Interesting…maybe my memory of these minor details is already fading… Even the breeze seemed to be somewhat lacking; in truth, the only real noises she could hear were the splashings of the numerous fountains near the Archives and the clip-clop of approaching hooves and small dragon claws.

“I still don’t see how sneaking into the Archives is gonna help her find out about her birthday present,” a bubbly voice reached her ear, and she turned to see the memory of Pinkie and Spike all dressed in black and leisurely approaching the Archives while she couldn’t help but guffaw at the character the memory of herself cut, sneaking from bush to tree to fountain like some sort of secret agent; though she had to admit it was rather surreal watching herself do these things again in person. She blushed in embarrassment despite the lack of any other real pony being around as she watched herself get tossed through the window, followed by Pinkie and Spike.

After a moment of rolling her eyes, she quickly hopped in through the window and watched as the trio of prowlers began to sneak their way through the Archives…they’d be back soon… Twilight sighed and sat down to wait, silently observing the unwrecked memory of the Archives structure, its many arches and pillars unmarred from the attack, the tapestries intact, and the lack of construction material stacks all over the place. She found herself sighing a bit: if only there was a way to go back and REALLY change the past using these memories…the catastrophe that could be prevented…

Again, she found herself chuckling softly; she’d already tried that and it had only led to her past self worrying herself silly. Nope, best to leave the past alone, memories included. Well, speak of the devil, here I come, she thought as she watched herself, Pinkie, and Spike finish their trek around the building.
“Ok, if my calculations are correct, the Starswirl the Bearded Wing should be right…here!” her memory declared…right in the exact same spot in which they’d entered the place.

“Um, Twilight?” Spike spoke up.

“What is it Spike?” her memory asked with an excited smile.

“Isn’t this where we came in?” the dragon asked in annoyance and motioned at the window, through which Pinkie Pie suddenly popped again.

“Cool! Can we climb in the window again?” the party pony giggled. “That was super fun!”

“I don’t understand,” her memory paced back and forth in frustration. “It’s supposed to be right here! How’re we supposed to find it now!?”

“Maybe we should ask somepony in the Starswirl the Bearded Wing,” Twilight mouthed right along with Pinkie Pie’s suggestion as she pointed at the Wing door that lay right across the hall from where they’d entered in the first place. Twilight’s memory stared at the portcullis-covered door in befuddlement.

“Huh-how’d I miss that?”

How HAD she missed that…this certainly gave a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘hindsight is 20/20’ Twilight facehoofed as her memory stared hungrily in through the bars at all the scrolls and books sorted neatly inside the place instead of being thrown and stacked haphazardly as they currently were in reality. Eesh, this difference in my memory and reality is giving me a headache, the Unicorn said to herself as an Archive Guard, one she didn’t recognize, approached her terrified memory before he greeted her cheerfully and opened the gate for her.

“Heh-heh, thanks,” her memory smiled sheepishly before following her friends into the Wing. Shaking her head in minor disbelief at the situation, she pursued herself through the iron gate and watched as her self-image caught sight of herself in a bronze-framed mirror and gasped at her appearance.

Hold on a second, she thought as she watched herself bemoan the situation. I don’t remember that mirror being here when Shining Armor, Celestia, and I spoke with Greymane… She did remember the piles of broken glass piled here and there, but she’d simply assumed them to all be from the broken hourglass, the memory version of which was still towering over the room and intact. She certainly hadn’t remembered seeing the frame for that mirror either…weird. She wasn’t even sure why it seemed to be that big of a deal anyway, but for some odd reason, its lack of appearance in reality was bugging her…and since she hadn’t meddled with the memory of it and because it was hardly possible to create something that significant in a memory on mere accident, it had to have been there that night she snuck in;. Maybe she’d ask about that next time she was in Canterlot…

“But how do we find the Time-Stopping Spell?” Spike's voice cut into her inner (inner?) thoughts.

“I…don’t…know!” her memory groaned loudly.

Twilight groaned herself and watched closely as her memory began searching the scrolls at a frantic pace. Ok Twilight, if you ever truly paid attention in your life, now’s the time to do so!

Fillydelphia…

“Hey, watch it, ya multi-colored weirdo,” a large green Earth Pony shouted as Rainbow Dash bumped her shoulder against his as she trotted along the sidewalk, attempting to take in the sight of the historical old city. It would have been nice…but the locals were definitely ruining it for her; apparently, they didn’t take kindly to out-of-towners, even ones as famous as her. City of Neigh-borly love, my flank! The only thing that had kept her from caving in the heads of some of these guys was her desire to keep Derpy’s reputation as mail-mare intact. “Ya hear me, I’m walkin’ here!” the Earth Pony barked inches from her nose.

Alright, that’s it! When in Roam…
“Oh yeah, well you’re gonna be limping pretty quick if you don’t get outta my face, buddy!” She flared her wings and growled.

“Believe you me, I can’t get away from your ugly mug fast enough!” the Earth Pony snorted and turned away before kicking the dirt off his hooves in her direction and trotting off down the street. Rainbow Dash fought every urge in her body to fly after him and kick his flank across town…but instead she counted to 10 and shook her head; she’d already been in one senseless argument recently, and she didn’t need another on her mind. With a kick of finality directed at a small stone on the sidewalk, the Element of Loyalty took to the sky to search for the Post Office. Derpy had said they’d be able to give her the correct route she’d have to follow for the next three days.

“Hey watch it, I’m flyin’ here!” an orange and blue Pegasus shook his hoof at her as she jetted past him. You gotta be bucking kidding me…these next three days are gonna suck… She sighed and glanced back towards the south and Ponyville, her home…where Volare was likely lying in bed, broken all to pieces in a selfless act of heroism that not even she could come close to topping. For her to argue over petty things while her friend was hurt and needed her help…no…not gonna let it get to me she decided and continued her search for the Post Office. I’m not gonna be delayed one more minute than I have to here…Volare, I’ll be home as soon as I can…and you better be well enough to sit up and hug me…or something…brave idiot…urgh, I’m gonna kill him for making me worry…

Ponyville…

“Well, at least things could be worse,” the green-maned Unicorn Ray mused as he and his sister Jill trotted down the evening streets of Ponyville’s Town Square. Most ponies were in their homes by now, the market stalls having closed some time ago, leaving the duo to trot down the sidewalk at their leisure. They weren’t exactly trying to hide tonight, even having left their cloaks at the Ponyville Inn, for it was only the first day of autumn and wearing heavy cloaks on a relatively comfortable night like tonight might have actually drawn more undue attention than necessary. A plump bag of bits jingled at his hip, courtesy of The Great and Powerful Trixie (though certainly not at her consent), and the two had one purpose in mind: to drown their failure to capture Scootaloo in the strongest alcoholic beverages they could find.

“Oh yeah, what’s that supposed to mean?” Jill growled, pausing to rub gently at her still-painfully-throbbing face injuries left over from the previous day’s fight with Volare and Scootaloo.

“Well, even though we failed rather spectacularly,” Ray snickered, drawing a glare from his sister. “The Boss hasn’t sent anypony to eliminate us, nor has he shown up to do it himself.”

“Well, even he’s not dumb enough to pull a stunt like that in the middle of Ponyville,” Jill rolled her eyes, her tongue running over the teeth she’d replaced that morning from what she’d been able to find scattered on the riverbank. “Blech, I think I’ve got a few of your molars in here,” she spat in disgust.

“How ya figure that?” the male asked as they passed the Ponyville Spa; that particular business still appeared to be open, with soft blue, flickering lights emanating from the windows. What he wouldn’t give for a full-body massage right now…Luna knew he needed it!

“Cuz I always kept my teeth clean. I think there’re rotten spots in a few of these,” she spat again, causing Ray to chuckle.

“Heh-heh, well, even so, you admit it could be worse,” he snorted.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Jill stopped touching her teeth and focused on searching for a good place to get wasted.

“A few things are still bugging me, though,” Ray rubbed his chin as he trotted.

“Oh goddess, what now? You feeling bad for robbing poor old Trixie blind?” Jill scoffed. “Come on, she’s lost in the Everfree Forest. She won’t need the money where she’s going; besides, now we know where she kept getting the bits from, and in my opinion, I’m glad we did what we did, when we did. Didn’t look like she could keep paying us for too much longer anyways,” she nudged the bag of bits with her magic.

“Well, I do feel somewhat crappy for doing that,” Ray conceded. “I mean, she did provide for us for months.”

“Pah, and made you grovel and debase yourself in her presence,” Jill checked her brother with her hip with a sardonic grin. “Trust me, this was for the best. She was useless, high on the stink of her own piss, and unreasonably overbearing. At least The Boss has standards for employees like us, right?”

“I guess,” Ray said with a tinge of uncertainty as they passed Sugarcube Corner, the lights in that building out for the night and the occupants more than likely fast asleep by this hour. “That’s the other thing that’s bothering me, though.”

“Oh Nightmare Moon in heaven, what is it now, Ray?!” Jill facehoofed in disbelief. “How am I supposed to focus on getting plastered with you constantly bugging me with your personal regrets?!”

“It involves the Boss,” Ray replied grimly, his tone instantly calming Jill visibly. “He…hardly seemed angry that we failed so badly. In fact, he almost seemed amused by the entire debacle…isn’t that weird? It’s like he was expecting this to happen or something.”

“What, you think he can tell the future now?” Jill sneered, though her eye did trail down to the watch that Ray constantly wore, looking for that tell-tale dull green glow that indicated that things on the other end of the line might not be sleeping like everypony else at this time of night…it was dark and silent though, and she resumed her confident attitude. “Come on, Ray; you’re overthinking this stuff too much! I personally think we caught him on a good day, and he considered all the success we’ve had for him so far, so he cut us a break, and that’s it! Besides, who the hay could he send to off us anyway? You know we’re tougher than anypony in this town!”

“Yeah, only because he allowed us to be that way,” Ray chided Jill, glancing towards the shadows of a nearby alley they were passing, half-expecting to see eyes watching them in the darkness, waiting for them to say the wrong thing so they could report to Him…He seemed to have spies all over the damn place! “I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that if we attempted to defy him, he could just as easily take that power away too!”

“Pfft, whatever,” Jill blew a raspberry at the alleyway in a mocking fashion. “He doesn’t scare me that bad.”

“So says the pony that ran from The Element of Loyalty yesterday,” Ray shot back rather bitingly, drawing a shove from his sister.

“Hey, that was different; we weren’t in any position to use magic and really put up a fight! Besides, we were already beat up by that Volare guy,” she practically spat his name. “What I really wanna know is how in Tartarus that guy put up such a damn fight, and all for that little brat filly too!”

“You got me on that one, but I’ve never seen somepony just not back down like that,” Ray replied. Then again, a brother’s love is a powerful thing…

“Well, in any case, I can tell ya this much: if we could have really fought back, I wouldn’t have run from any of the Element Holders!” Jill boasted. “Seriously, I dunno why you’re afraid of those guys anyways; they seem like a buncha over-friendly, happy-go-lucky pushovers who totally lack a killer instinct,” she snickered as they passed the Ponyville Clock Tower, which read 8:45 PM. Her snickering faded as she caught the slightly sickened expression on her brother’s face, as if he were reviewing things in his mind that he’d rather not think about in the first place. “Ray, what’s gotten into you?” Jill nudged him, but he caught her hoof with his magic and pushed it away. “What the hay gives, huh?”

“Jill…I’m disappointed in you,” he clicked his teeth as he spoke towards the cobblestone street. “You’re blinded by your overconfidence.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, the slightest bit of uncertainty entering her words at the suddenly stern tone of her brother’s normally rather soft-spoken voice.

“You’re making a whole load of foolish, uneducated, disrespectful statements, and sooner or later, they’re gonna get you killed,” he looked up at her, his brow creased in concern for his sister. “And you know that’s the last thing I want.”

“Aww, Ray, don’t get all sappy on me right now,” Jill pretended to gag, but the sincere look on her brother’s face finally caused her to cave, and with a groan she relented. “Ok, ok, what’s on your mind, bro?”

“You want to know why I fear and most importantly respect the Element Holders?”

“Ugh, if it’ll get rid of that long face of yours and tell me how to beat those guys when the time comes, sure,” she nodded impatiently; she didn’t wanna take too long on this, or else she’d lose her desire to get hammered. “Educate me, brother.”

“With pleasure,” Ray halted and leaned against the brick façade of what looked to be a Joke Shop, closed for the evening. With a deep sigh and shake of his head (I’m only having the patience to do this because I know it could keep you alive, sis), he began.
“I’m taking this as best as I can from the safety manual on The Elements The Boss supplied for us…you did read it, didn’t you?”

“Uhhh…” Jill grinned sheepishly. “I might have skimmed it?”

“Ugh, I’m gonna take that as a no,” Ray rolled his eyes. “Although that would go a long way to explain your disrespectful attitude towards our potential opponents. Did you know that you’re not the first to underestimate them? Does the name Discord ring a bell?”

“That draconequus weirdo that turned this place upside down a while back?” Jill mused. “Yeah, I remember hearing something about that. Why, what did he do, get all arrogant and let them attack him?”

“…”

“Oh you can’t be serious,” Jill facehoofed.

“Held a big target on his chest and everything,” Ray confirmed grimly. “The point is, even with the amount of power he had, he dropped his guard for an instant, and it was his downfall…and he held more power in one single claw than we could ever hope to have combined, even with The Boss’ knowledge and assistance.”

“Jeez,” his sister’s eyes had dilated considerably as she digested this revelation.

“They also were the ones to defeat Nightmare Moon,” Ray added, causing Jill’s jaw to drop. “All because she underestimated their combined power and dropped her guard in her arrogance.”

“Holy hay…” Jill slumped against the wall. And here she was boasting about taking them all on by herself…she wouldn’t last a second against them if what Ray said was true…

“Got your attention now?” Ray asked derisively.

“Y-yeah…I just never knew it was them that beat those guys,” Jill admitted. “I always assumed it was Celestia or Luna or somepony else…but that hodge-podge of mares are the ones that did all that?!”

“Indeed, they were,” Ray nodded. “Now then, allow me to explain why The Boss has no intention of making those same mistakes; the reasons why he respects them as foes, and why he expects us to respect them as well, especially when they’re together. However, he believes that if we understand why they’re dangerous, we won’t get taken by surprise, giving us a chance to either fight or run successfully.”

“I’m all ears,” his sister replied sincerely as his brother paused, eyeing a pair of chatting Unicorns that trotted past them, engrossed in their own conversation about what to wear for the autumn season. They were no threat, the duo surmised and resumed their conversation after a moment, moving a little further away from the street and around the back corner of the Joke Shop.

“Alright, we’ll start from the least dangerous Element Holder and work our way up to the most dangerous. Who would you say from the outset is the least dangerous one?”

“Hrm, after what you’ve told me, that’s kinda a toughie,” Jill tilted her head in thought. “Heck, if I had to say one, I’d guess Fluttershy, The Element of Kindness. I mean, that certainly sounds the least dangerous, right?”

“You’re correct in that, Jill,” Ray confirmed. “But don’t underestimate her even for a moment, because she possesses an ability the others don’t: she can literally stare any creature into submission when she puts her mind to it. That includes dragons, so imagine how that’d work on us.”

“I see…is that kinda what Volare was trying to do by the river?” Jill’s fur bristled as she spoke his name; she really hated that guy!

“Well, since he’s been living with Fluttershy for a few weeks now, it’d make since if he’s trying to emulate her somewhat,” the male Unicorn mulled. “If so, I’d say yes.”

“Well, it obviously didn’t work very well,” Jill grinned for a moment, though she had to admit the sheer intensity of his glare had forced them to take pause at the time.

“That’s only because we’re not wild animals driven purely by instinct; we’re a little too sentient for something like that to work on us. Plus he wasn't Fluttershy, so there's no telling if she herself actually would send us running like foals or not,” Ray explained. “However, imagine what she could do if she gained control over a dangerous animal with that ability. Let’s just be glad she’s got a very long fuse and doesn’t get angry very easily.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jill nodded, not much relishing the thought of Fluttershy sending a horde of vicious animals their way…or worse…

“Alright, next,” Ray got back on track.

“Umm…How about Rarity, the Element of Generosity?” Jill offered. “I mean, all she really does it make dresses, right? What’s so bad about that?”

“Aha, so you did read a little of the manual,” Ray chuckled before continuing. “It doesn’t seem so bad at first, but she’s been observed using her magic to control hundreds of moving objects at once with pin-point precision.”

“How’s that dangerous?” Jill queried.

“Because a large number of those objects happened to be sharp things like scissors, sewing needles, and hatpins,” Ray explained. “Imagine a cloud of those headed your way; you think you could stop them all?”

“Eesh…I dunno,” Jill grimaced.

“All it would take is one, single sewing needle to get through and-splat-right through your eye socket,” her brother shuddered slightly. “And that’s all she wrote.” Jill visibly gulped at the description.

“Well, that’s just wonderful,” the female Unicorn turned a little green. “How’s her temperament?”

“Oh, much, much shorter than Fluttershy’s for the most part,” Ray replied grimly. “Not to mention that she’s more likely to fight nobly for her friends when they’re in danger, despite her melodramatic appearance.”

“Great…,” Jill said sarcastically. And those were just the two LEAST dangerous ones…Ray made them sound like small armies all on their own! “Dare I ask who’s next?”

“You tell me,” Ray shrugged.

“Oh come on,” she growled in a combination of frustration and growing unease.

“Hey, this is for your own good, sis,” her brother shook his head and pursed his lips. “Next.”

“Oh fine…um, The Element of Honesty?”

“You’re correct, Jill,” he nodded. “You sure you never read this thing before?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Just lucky guesses, I suppose.”

“Either that or you’re more observant than I thought,” Ray chuckled before Jill hoofed him in the chest.

“Alright, stop condescending me already,” she demanded. “Why’s Applejack so dangerous?”

“You saw her blow that tree to pieces by kicking it, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, as long as you keep your distance, she’s a minimal threat. But if she gets close enough…she has the ability to turn you into that tree.”

“…come again?”

“Splinters,” Ray rolled his eyes. “Just replace ‘splinters’ with teeny tiny body parts, and you’ll be spot on. Her legs are freakishly powerful from bucking those appletrees for years, and her endurance is legendary. So if you ever get into a fight with her…” He waited for his sister to drop the other horse-shoe.

“Ugh, fine. Keep your distance and finish it fast, otherwise she’ll outlast you,” Jill responded, though yet again, she shuddered at the thought of body being turned into ‘splinters’ in an instant from a single kick from the farm pony.

“Exactly,” Ray smiled, proud that his sister was catching on; he knew she might need it one of these days… “Ok, we’re halfway done. Who would you say is next dangerous?”

“Oh, I dunno…seriously. Pinkie, The Element of Laughter?”

“Nope, guess again.”

“Jeez, Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty?”

“That’s the one,” Ray nodded. “And I think we experienced that first-hoof enough to know why she’s dangerous.”

“No bucking kidding,” Jill replied as her brother subconsciously ran his tongue over his own teeth, realizing at that point that he was in fact missing two or three. Great…

“She just always seems to be in the right place at the right time,” he flicked an eye towards the night sky, half-expecting the rainbow mare to be sitting on a cloud and ready to dive down onto them. Ray had already seen that pony in his nightmares once, he didn’t need to see her again any time soon! “And she never gives up on a friend or backs down from a challenge. That hard-headedness makes her extremely dangerous.”

“Not to mention she moves way to damn fast to hit or catch her,” Jill added with a growl. “Alright, enough on her. Pinkie’s gotta be the next most dangerous, right?”

“What would your reaction be if I said no?”

“I’d say to quit jerking my damn chain,” Jill snapped back before realizing that her brother wasn’t joking. “Wait, seriously?”

“Seriously. The next most dangerous is the Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle,” Ray continued. “Personal student and protégé of Princess Celestia herself, it was by her personal doing that the fall of both Nightmare Moon and Discord came about. She’s so dangerous not just because of the fact that she could probably turn everypony in this town inside out in the blink of an eye, but because, for the most part, she plans her moves accordingly and researches the ever-loving buck out of things before acting upon them. This makes her extremely difficult to surprise and overcome.”

“Then how the hay do you beat her?” Jill demanded. “She’s not invincible, is she?!”

“No, no, far from it,” Ray shook his head. “Her weakness is her propensity to get overly emotional over the smallest things and fly off the handle, not to mention she’s somewhat lacking in social experience.”

“I see…wait, how’s a lack of social experience a weakness?” Jill tilted her head curiously.

“Because, if you can get her into an overly sensitive situation that requires experience, rather then simple knowledge from her books, she can get rattled and begin to make errors. Those errors pile onto each other to the point that she gets emotional and drops her guard…and then you’ll have her right where you want her. It would take time, but she can be beaten if one just goes about it accordingly.”

“Heh, sounds like a bit of a sheltered fool if you ask me,” Jill snickered. “Just toss her to the dogs for a day and she’ll crack after a while.”

“Correct, sis,” Ray nodded. “The only problem is, her fellow Elements support her so strongly, that something like that would be fairly difficult to accomplish. The best course of action would be to avoid seeking her wrath as much as possible; although, she could probably be stabbed in the back fairly easily if one said the right things and befriended her. She certainly wouldn’t expect that!”

“Ooh-hoo, Ray, that sounds so deliciously devious!” Jill giggled nastily before a gruff voice interrupted her.

“Hey you two,” a Royal Guard Unicorn posted in town called towards her, shining a light from his horn over the siblings. “No loitering back there! It’s late; get where you need to get, pronto!”

“Dammit,” Ray hissed. “Yes sir, right away sir!” The Unicorns quickly vacated their little conversation spot and headed back onto the road, all the while being eyed by the wary Guard. “Let’s get somewhere else before finishing this; I don’t think that a Guard eavesdropping on us talking about the Elements like this is a great way to keep a low profile.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Jill agreed, though it still left her wondering how the hay the last remaining Element, the giggly, scatter-brained Pinkie Pie, was the most dangerous. Surprisingly, she wanted to know! The female looked back and forth across the street, searching for a sanctuary before her eyes alighted on a familiar building. “Come on, Ray,” she nudged her brother towards the somewhat rustic café and tavern she’d become a bit of a regular at. “They’ve got some good booze here and we can finish this little discussion once we get inside.”

“Sounds good, sis,” Ray replied as he glanced back over his shoulder at the Guard still giving them a suspicious glare; he wasn't as big on social drinking like his sister was, but he preferred it over getting scrutinized by the authorities. He followed her up to the front door of the building, and by the time they got there, Jill was already licking her lips at the thought of the great hard cider they served here.

“Heh-heh, I’m gonna get so damn plastered you may have to drag me outta here, Ray,” Jill snickered softly as she reached for the door. “I wanna drink so much that I don’t wanna even remember that Volare freak, although if I ever see him again, I swear I’ll implode the guy!”

As she pulled the door of the Gilded Griffon open, a cheerful voice reached her ears and she stared wide-eyed at its blue and yellow owner in abject shock and total disbelief.

“Hold onto your butts!” he laughed, causing Jill to nearly snap the doorknob off in a sudden fit of rage and evil glee at the sight of her clueless foe mere feet away, his back to herself and her brother, and without an Element Holder in sniffing distance!

“Oh, hee-hee-hee-you’ve gotta be bucking kidding me…”

Notes:

Volare: Oh f**k you and your crazy cliffhangers, dude! D<
Author: :P

Special thanks to JasontheHuman's story "Anthropology" for the references to Lyra being obsessed with hands http://www.fimfiction.net/story/4656/Anthropology <<<<<---it's an excellent story!

Inseptium Nova-Pt 3: Hammer-space and Musical Therapy

Notes: I recommend wearing a good set of headphones during this chapter if you wish to fully enjoy it :)
Oh...and remember those Theoretical Physics I talked about? They come into play again...

September 12th, Night...

Jill practically cackled as she stood in the doorway of The Gilded Griffon; the bastard of a Pegasus Volare that had ruined their assignment of foal-napping the filly Scootaloo, embarrassed them in front of their Boss, and knocked out half the teeth in her head in the process was sitting right there in front of her, completely unaware of either her presence or her identity. She turned to her brother Ray, who looked reluctant, but certainly didn’t seem to be in the mood to hold her back either; he merely followed her gaze towards the wheelchair-bound blue Pegasus and then back to her and nodded his consent. The maddened mare grinned at his acquiescence and prepared herself to make the small amount of time that Volare had left an absolute living hell.

“What’s that they say, brother?” she growled evilly, indicating her face. “An eye for an eye?”

“And a tooth for a tooth,” Ray nodded grimly, showing his own repaired teeth in emphasis. As much as he respected Volare’s bravery, and as much as he knew that revenge was a dish best served cold and in a less public place…what were the odds of such a silver-plattered opportunity happening again?! Besides, if need be, they’d eliminate the witnesses as well…

But just as the duo took a step into the café, the watch on Ray’s wrist glowed a dull green, and burning pain coursed its way up his foreleg, through his shoulder, and into the base of his skull, causing him to hiss in pain and pull his sister back against his will. She stumbled backwards with a small shriek of protest, causing the porch door to slam shut and drawing the attention of the ponies inside.

“What the hay was that?” Vinyl Scratch lifted her gaze from the activated recording box and peered towards the now-empty door, where she could have sworn she’d seen two ponies standing there not a moment before. Volare tried to turn and look at the door, but the back of the wheelchair blocked his view.

“What was what?” But Lyra shook her head and chuckled.

“Oh, I know those two,” the green Unicorn replied as she got up and trotted towards the front door. “Couple of regulars; they’re kinda weird but they tip well.”

“Oh my, if Lyra thinks they’re a bit strange,” Octavia raised an eyebrow and spoke out of the corner of her mouth, drawing a snicker from Vinyl and Volare. “I can only imagine what her definition of truly bizarre might be.”

"Well, Lyra, you'll miss how I crashed my plane and got a new body from Twilight," Volare called out, causing the green Unicorn to pause.

"Oh, I knew that from what I overheard," she smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I certainly didn't!" Bon-Bon waved her spoon threateningly, causing the other three ponies at the table to chuckle. She turned to Volare with a curious look. "What's a plane and how did you crash it?"

"Oh, um, a plane is a machine humans use to fly, and I crashed it cuz I was chasing something..." he trailed off, trying to evoke the memory of exactly what it was. But everything was just too fuzzy to recall and he shrugged in frustration. "I dunno what it was, but I tried to follow it, the plane couldn't take it, and it crashed. But Rainbow Dash saved me at the last minute and brought me here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Rainbow Dash saved you!?" Vinyl asked in surprise. "What the hay was she doing on Earth!?"

"Something about research for Twilight on humans," Lyra replied as she approached the front door. "Long story short, Volare's human body was too messed up and Twilight gave him a new one in the form of the Pegasus you now see before you, albeit with better hair," she chuckled at Volare's expression of mortification. "There, and now you're all caught up!"

"Crazy bucking times we live in," Bon-Bon shook her head incredulously.

.................

“Ray, what the buck is the matter with you?!” Jill hissed angrily as she picked herself up out of the flowerbed that skirted the wooden porch railing. Her brother had dragged her halfway around the building before letting her go and leaning against the raised porch, breathing hard and blinking rapidly.

“I-I dunno,” he groaned, rubbing his wrist where he could still feel the burn from the watch. “It was like something”-

Intervened, an irritated voice glowed from the watch. And with damn good reason. Just what were you two foals intending to do just now!?

"B-boss?" Jill cried, recoiling from Ray for a moment. "You heard all that?"

When am I never listening; do you take me for a fool as big as yourselves? You're on very thin ice, Jill! I suggest you and your brother do exactly what I say if you wish to keep your damn heads attached to the rest of your bodies! Ray and Jill looked back and forth at each other, both in shock that He'd heard everything. They nodded at each other before Ray spoke up.

"S-sorry, your lordship," he made an attempt to bow to his own hoof before a crackle of energy from the watch shot through him again.

Not yet you're not...now then, I've had certain suspicions about that Pegasus Volare ever since you met him two weeks ago. Those suspicions were only heightened after your little encounter out in the woods. I'd wish to confirm those for myself, so for now, do not bring harm to him.

"But Boss! He made us look like idiots and kept us from accomplishing our mission yesterday!" Jill protested. "We deserve our revenge!"

Jill, close your dribbling mouth and listen up, the voice growled darkly, sending a chill down the siblings' spines. I want you to go into that building and observe Volare; nothing more unless I give the word. Is that perfectly clear? The tone of his voice brooked not one iota of nonsense.

"Crystal, sir," Ray spoke for his sister, giving her a nudge.

"Y-yeah, absolutely," Jill replied, a drop of sweat dribbling down her face as she spoke.

Very good...may have some use for you two yet. If my suspicions of this Volare are correct, then your little failure to obtain the filly for leverage against...well, it doesn't really matter now, does it? The point is, it will seem insignificant compared to the bigger fish we'll have to fry! The voice contained an absolutely maliciously evil glee that not even Jill could come close to matching; she could practically envision its owner dancing in place as he spoke...and it was a far more terrifying image than one could imagine possible.

"And what if you're right, sir?" Ray spoke up. "What then?"

I'll give the word on that. But just be prepared for anything.

"And if you're wrong?" Jill ventured hesitantly. "I mean, if he's not what you suspect, your liege?"

...Kill everything that breathes in that room, because we'll have no more business here in this town. What did you say you'd do, Jill? Implode them? Ahahaha, I actually like that little idea; do that if I'm wrong. It'll be like my little 'well, you told me so' gift. How's that sound, my dear Jill?

"Heh-heh, sounds fair enough," Jill licked her lips in anticipation while Ray hardly suppressed a shudder before the front door of the restaurant swung open and Lyra stuck her head out into the evening.

"Hey, are you guys gonna come in?" she asked cheerfully, unaware of the glowing watch that Ray hid behind his back. "Plenty of good food in here!"

"Is it warmer in there?" Ray feigned a shiver against the night.

"Always," Lyra grinned, causing Ray to turn to Jill and wink.

"Well then, let's head on in, sis."

"Indeed," Jill nodded. "My throat's rather parched, Lyra. You got a cure for that in there too?" she asked as they trotted in, following the green Unicorn down the main aisle on a path that would take them right past Volare and the others.

"Eeyup," the lyrist nodded and lead them towards their usual corner booth. Seconds crawled by like hours as the distance between Jill and her hated foe closed with every hoofstep, and she could feel each nerve and muscle fiber in her body tensing to tear the guy apart; it was all she could do to keep trotting in a casual, straight line behind Lyra.

Stay your hoof, Jill, the watch glowed softly, causing Lyra to look back in mild confusion as they passed the wheelchair-bound Pegasus and stopped in the far corner of the restaurant.

"You guys say something?" she cocked her head curiously at the siblings. "It sounded kinda...growly."

"Huh-no, not me," Jill shook her head as they sat down on the bench seats. "Probably Ray's stomach aching for food, heh-heh." Ray rolled his eyes and swore he heard a noise not unlike the sound of a pony face-hoofing on the other end of the watch.

"Well, like I said, you guys came back to the right place," the green Unicorn smiled cheerfully. "Our special tonight is wild onion and potato soup paired with Trottingham Brown Ale. Or something stronger like you usually get?" she winked at Jill. But before the mage could agree, Ray stopped her with an outstretched hoof.

"No, no, the ale sounds fine," he gave his sister a short glare. "We'll get that and two bowls of that awesome-smelling soup over there." Ray dug into the bit bag and dropped four golden coins on the table that Lyra swiftly swept up and floated away.

"Coming right up!" she beamed and trotted away, leaving Jill to hoof Ray in the shoulder an irritation.

"What the buck, Ray?" she hissed. "I came here to get wasted, not eat dinner!"

"Yeah, well the Boss said to keep a level head, not make a scene, and observe this Volare guy," he nodded towards the blue Pegasus who was looking over the back of the chair at them. Ray shot him a quick smile before turning back to his sister. "And the more natural we look, the less suspicion we'll draw...and you getting all hooched-up and rowdy won't help. So for now, just enjoy the meal courtesy of the Great and Powerful Twit," he snickered as did his sister. They turned slightly in the booth to watch Volare as he returned to his story after Lyra served the two Unicorns and returned to her group.

"Heh, anyways, where was I?"

"We were at the part where you officially met Twilight and Rainbow Dash," Lyra nodded.

"Oh, that must have come as a shock, considering Pegasi and I'm assuming other ponies like us don't exist on Earth, correct?" Octavia hardly suppressed a small chuckle at Volare's reddened face.

"Yeah...that could have gone alot better," he rubbed the back of his head and laughed, reminiscing how he'd literally crawled across the Library floor in a panic, thinking Spike had chopped off and cooked his toes for breakfast. Over the course of the next few hours, he retold his tale in its entirety, from meeting the rest of the Mane 6, to attempting to fly for the first time, and the gory surgery that followed, prompting Octavia and Bon-Bon to push the rest of their bowls of soup away to prevent any further nausea. This only resulted in Lyra and Vinyl exchanging a shrug and devouring their food for them, seemingly unfazed by the nature of Volare's wing injury.

As he continued to speak of the aftermath of the surgery, the conversations with Twilight that followed, and then finally his experiences at Fluttershy's cottage, Jill lifted her nose from her third mug of ale and nudged Ray in the shoulder. "Hey Ray *hic* you gonna finish telling me why Pinkie Pie is the most dangerous Element Holder or what-*hic*?"

Ray swallowed a spoonful of the soup and looked his sister in the face. Her cheeks were mildly flushed, and despite The Boss' orders, she looked to be attempting to get at least somewhat hammered anyway. And judging by the way she was mowing through the ale, obviously bored with Volare's personal history, that might not be too long in coming. Maybe telling her this information might sober her up somewhat... He sighed and sat his bowl down before speaking in a voice hardly above a whisper, still keeping an eye on Volare and the others in case more important information came up...or one of them approached their table for some odd reason.

"Ok, this may take a little while to explain," Ray cleared his throat and leaned over the table towards his sister before continuing. "The other five Element Holders are dangerous because they exist just like us within certain bounds, namely physical, elemental, and magical. Those rules and limits have allowed the relative potential of the Element Holders to be calculated, hence their danger level; and this individually, mind you. Remember that together, they defeated foes far beyond us."

"Right, right, you already explained that-urrrp" Jill belched, drawing laughter from Vinyl Scratch.

"Good one, dude!" she called out with a cheeky grin. "But check this one out: URRRRRRRRP!! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Vinyl, that is revolting," Octavia slapped the table with a hoof in indignation. "A lady should cover her mouth before doing something like that, and certainly not with so much gusto!"

"A lady?" The DJ asked, the word practically foreign to her. "Pfffft, how long have you known me, Octy? I roll how I roll, and that's how I go!" She pumped a hoof and belched loudly again, causing Bon-Bon and Octavia to facehoof, while Volare and Lyra laughed uproariously. Even Jill and Ray snickered a bit before turning back to their own conversation.

"You were saying, Ray?" Jill tilted her head curiously, waving her hoof for her brother to continue. The alcohol was obviously going to her head, but she was still in control for the most part.

"Right, I was saying that we can actually measure their danger potential because they're bounded by rules. Now, what do you suppose the Element of Laughter is all about?"

"I dunno, joyful stuff?" Jill eyed the quickly-emptying mug of ale in front of her.

"Indeed, and joy can come about in the strangest and most random of ways. Therefore, one of the components of the Element of Laughter is randomness." He leaned further across the table with a serious expression. "And it's that very randomness that makes her dangerous."

"Uh....I don't get it."

"She's unpredictable," Ray said with finality. "And therefore it's very difficult to gauge her potential; it could be massive or it could be tiny. We just don't know, but I'm leaning towards massive, and I'll tell you why: One of the reasons she's unpredictable is because of her propensity to seemingly ignore the laws that govern the rest of us at will." At this revelation, ale spewed from Jill's nose back into her mug, and she coughed loudly as she tried to clear her head of the foam.

"Ach-ach-say what?!" She barely managed to contain her question, drawing a quick glance over from the others.

"She's good," Ray waved a hoof reassuringly before turning back to his sister. "Keep it down, Jill. But yes, it seems the laws and rules that bound us occasionally don't apply to Pinkie Pie. That and she has certain...unique traits that seem to stem from this ability to 'break the rules'."

"Like what?"

"Well, do you know of her Pinkie Sense? It's sort of an early warning system that allows her to detect danger near her or her friends, making it very difficult to get the drop on her, so a surprise attack wouldn't work because we hypothesize that she'd sniff it out before it even occurred."

"So just attack her head-on then," Jill declared with a small growl. "Keep her in sight and just beat her with brute force. I mean, she's not exactly Celestia herself. I'll bet one good fire-spell right on that curly mane of hers would send her packin', heh-heh."

"True...but you have to hit her with it first," Ray crossed his hooves and leaned back.

"Huh, whatcha mean? She can't dodge a spell or block one; she's just an Earth Pony, not a Pegasus or Unicorn."

"Very true. However, even though she's not a Unicorn or a Pegasus, she can still pull off acts of magic or speed that those two races couldn't ever dream of achieving. Multiple times, she's been observed literally popping out from behind objects smaller than herself, ingesting things larger than her stomach would be (and all in one go, mind you), as well as instances of pursuing friends and foes with a speed that belies her appearance," he took a swig of his drink and wiped his lips. "Thing is, nopony can truly explain it, nor do they actually see much of this happen."

"Huh, then how can they witness it?" Jill cocked her head in confusion; all this thinking combined with the ale was starting to give her a headache.

"I mean, they see the results of it, but as far as actually seeing how or where she pops out of is another story altogether. To the casual observer, it would seem like she reappears and disappears at will, something even a Unicorn can't do without at least a flash of magic to betray their exit or entry back into this plane of existence," he poked at his soup spoon for a moment, awaiting Jill's reaction.

"That's crazy," she shook her head in disbelief. "There's gotta be an explanation as to how she does these things, Ray. I mean, is she of this world?" Her question caused Ray to snicker for a moment before Jill kicked him rather painfully under the table.

"Ow-sorry, sis," he winced and calmed down. "Yes, she's 'of this world,' certainly more so than Volare over there," he nodded at the blue Pegasus, who was in the middle of speaking about meeting Scootaloo for the first time. "As for your question of if there's an explanation for her behavior and potential...well, beyond the usual 'it's just Pinkie being Pinkie' that you might get from the locals, there is one plausible theory that was contained within the manual the Boss gave us; mainly because it makes the most sense, I suppose."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense here, Ray," Jill hit the table with her mug. "Get on with it!"

"Thing is...for it to make sense, you have to kinda toss out alot of what you think is real and not real, Jill," Ray warned with a solemn expression; he wasn't joking on this.

"Try me."

"Ok, you asked for it," Ray wiped his brow and gathered his thoughts. "Remember how I mentioned that one of the two things you need to worry about her is the concept of hammer space?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jill nodded. "But you never really explained what that was, exactly."

"Basically, it refers to being able to pull an object, such a large hammer-hence the name, out of thin air or out from behind or within an object smaller than the object being produced."

"...What?"

Ray sighed and closed his eye for a moment. "Ok, say I take this mug," he held up the object in question. "And somehow hid it behind or under this spoon," he held the spoon between the mug and Jill. "Or I produced it from behind the spoon."

"Impossible," Jill declared. "That's not even slightly possible."

"Aha, because you're thinking in terms of what you believe to be real and not real. Now throw that concept out. How would you explain a large object being pulled from behind a smaller object like that?"

"I dunno...a rip in space or something?"

"..." Ray simply smiled.

"Wait, are you serious?" Jill gawked, but her brother merely nodded. "Dammit, I should have read that manual!"

"Indeed, you should have," Ray chided his sibling for a moment before continuing. "Hammerspace is just that: a rip in space that allows many objects to be stored within it like some sort of grab-bag, waiting to be pulled out within a moment's notice. Or in Pinkie's case, emerge out of things like a pile of sponges or apples, without anypony first seeing her enter said places."

"But that's...so damn random," Jill blinked.

"Now you're catching on," Ray nodded. "This then leads us into the only solid explanation anypony has come up with on how Pinkie utilizes this hammerspace. Brace yourself for this one, cuz it's a doozy."

"I...jeez, I hope I can take this," Jill gulped.

"Hope so too," the male replied grimly. "Alright...are you familiar with the concept of a pocket universe?"

"....Nope, nuh-uh, buck that noise!" Volare and Co. looked up again as the female Unicorn shouted and literally threw her soup spoon at her companion, the metal instrument thunking off his forehead and clattering to the floor before the male Unicorn magically grabbed her and shut her mouth as he realized they were being stared at again.

"Heh-heh, nothing to see here, folks," he waved his hoof dismissively, doing his best to grin his way out of this. Never should have let Jill drink anything here period...

"Weird indeed, Lyra," Octavia sipped her tea and nudged the green Unicorn in reference to her statement earlier.

"Meh, I kinda like'em," Lyra shrugged her off before turning to Volare. "Ok, so back to what you were saying about Scootaloo being kinda like your little sister," she smiled encouragingly as her friend returned to his tale.

"Jeez Jill, I said to brace yourself." Ray hissed and released his sister.

"Well excuse me," Jill snapped, downing the rest of her ale in a huff. "Not everyday you get your mind blown, ya know?"

"Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg," her brother said sagely and chanced a peek through the window blinds adjacent to him; nope, no Royal Guards thundering up the street to investigate...good. "Now then, are you ready to continue?"

"Yeah, I guess," his sister sighed and sat the mug back down, suddenly not having much of an appetite for ale anymore; she was craving something alot stronger to get her through this particular brand of madness. To hell with these Elements-the whole lot of them can rot in Tartarus, she growled to herself.

"Ok, just try to stay calm and relax, Jill. Now then, as I said, are you familiar with that particular concept?"

"Yeah, I've read about it; something about a larger space contained within a much smaller space...hrm, that kinda makes it it's own brand of hammer space, huh?" Jill conceded, wincing at the headache she felt coming on again. Too much damn space! "But...you're not saying that's the secret of Pinkie Pie, are you? A pocket universe? Is that even possible? And how the hay would that work anyways?!"

"First question: yes, it might be the secret, and it might be mostly conjecture, but this is best theory we have and I don't think anypony else has had the cojones to ask her directly about it."

"And why's that?"

"Um...I'll be getting to that," Ray grimaced for a moment. "Second question: yes, the theory revolves around the concept of a pocket universe being the answer behind hammer space; and as said, she utilizes it quite frequently. Third question: is it even possible? Well, the evidence speaks for itself the more you think about it, so I'd say yes, it's a very plausible explanation. Fourth question: how does it work? Well, my dear sister, this is where the danger of Pinkie Pie lies."

"Her random and unpredictable behavior?" Jill queried with that same growing sense of morbid interest she'd felt about the other Element Holders...but for some reason, this interest also carried a sense of dread the others didn't...she wanted to know, and yet was afraid to hear the answer. Get a grip, Jill! This is frickin' Pinkie Pie we're talking about here, not some crazy, other-worldly demon, right? ...right?

"Precisely," Ray nodded. "In fact, we believe it to be the source and explanation for her unpredictability. For you see, we believe that she actually carries a pocket universe either within herself or on her person at all times, ready to use at any time she desires. For example: she might want to carry a literal giant hammer, half a house, a wagon, etc, all within this space."

"How can she carry something like that with her?" Jill's jaw dropped. "I mean, an entire universe able to hold things many times its own size...she can't possibly lift all that by herself! And that still doesn't explain why we can't see the damn thing!"

"Who's to say the pocket universe is massive and visible?" Ray ventured knowingly. "What if it were so small as to be barely noticeable?"

"Ok, let's say it is really frickin' small," Jill suspended her remaining disbelief for a moment. "The density of something like that would be ridiculous. She still shouldn't be able to carry it."

"Indeed, however, the majority of the universe is mostly empty space, so the density may not be as great as you think. Plus, because this thing doesn't seem to comply with known physics, because it's small it may only weigh small, instead of large, so to speak," Ray did his best to explain. "The point is, this pocket universe she carries with her is a powerful weapon of surprise."

"And random behavior...Ray, you know this is insane, right?" Jill hid her face behind her hooves, her headache pounding her cranium by now.

"What's that saying we heard Lyra and Volare use a while back: gotta think like a fox to catch a fox?" Ray grinned. "Gotta think like Pinkie to beat her....only problem is, that carries the possibility of going completely bonkers in order to do so..."

"Ok, enough of the damn specifics," Jill snapped, hitting the table with her forehead to stop the ache; needless to say, it didn't work very well. "Owww...just explain why that pocket thingy makes her so damn dangerous and let's leave this madness behind, alright?"

"Heh, sounds fair," Ray patted her hoof comfortingly. "I told you it wasn't for the faint of heart or mind, Jill. Anyways, the reason why it makes her so dangerous is because that pocket universe allows her flexibility beyond what most normal ponies like you and I would expect. In short: the ultimate surprise attack. We think that pocket universe might also be a wormhole of sorts, allowing her to transcend space and time in order to"-

"Ray I swear to Nightmare Moon," Jill snarled and looked up at him. "You're gonna make my brain explode. Why is she so damn dangerous already!?"

"Fine, I'll give you the dumbed-down version. Basically, we believe that rip in the laws of physics that the pocket universe creates also allows her cover great distances with ease as well as allowing her to literally pop out of thin air anywhere she wants."

"Huh, that would be pretty useful for a surprise attack," Jill nodded.

"Yeah, but that's not the worst part," Ray said grimly. "She has the ability to pop out of anywhere or anything."

"So? How's that bad in itself?"

"Ok, suppose she decides she doesn't like you and she gets it in her head to use this ability. Say she doesn't just want to surprise you by popping out behind you and whacking you with a hammer; no that's not good enough in this instance." Ray's face turned slightly ashen as he spoke. "So she decides to exit space right through your chest." Jill's eyes snapped wide at this implication, and she couldn't help but look down and make sure Pinkie wasn't about to burst, grinning and bloody, out through her ribcage.

"Jeez..."

"Or out of your skull," Ray suggested. "Or out of your back. Or even out of your"-

"OK, OK!" It was now Jill's turn to slam her brother's mouth shut with her magic, her mind on the verge of snapping. "Isn't it enough that now I'll never be able to walk past that bakery again without wondering if I'll suddenly fly to pieces...but now you gotta spell it out?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Ray shook his head and pushed her hooves off of him, wicking the sweat off his brow with the back of a foreleg. "It freaks me out too. Now you know why I said you don't wanna confront her without at least half an army backing you up. But there's good news, Jill."

"What in Tartarus could be good news about that?!" Jill hissed in a half-panic.

"As long as she remains calm and cheerful, the likelihood of her using her potential like that is fairly limited, as it is with the rest of the Element Holders," he explained. "It's a damn good thing the Elements don't allow malevolent creatures to wield their power, otherwise, we'd be in a whole lot more trouble."

"Yeah, no bucking kidding..." Jill said shakily as she glanced out the window towards Sugarcube Corner; the normally innocent and friendly looking building now seemed as foreboding as the Gates of Taratarus themselves. The lights were out inside of it, but she now swore she could see that blasted pink pony's gleeful blue eyes burning out of the upper-most window towards her...Holy hay, get a grip!

"...besides," Ray's voice trickled back into her mind. "The real thing you gotta worry about with Pinkie Pie is her Party Cannon anyways. It has the ability to-mmmppphh," but he was cut off by Jill jamming her hoof in his mouth. She was pretty sure her brain couldn't take anything else about that pink menace right not.

"Ray, just shut up, ok?" She turned her attention to Volare, and listened to him finally finish his story, ending with the misunderstanding between Twilight and Dash (though he left out the details of what happened between himself and Twilight, just as he'd promised).

"I just hope they can get that figured out," the Pegasus' features drooped in worry. "I'd hate to basically be the cause of their friendship breaking up." But before he could mope further, a cheerful foreleg grabbed him around the shoulder and squeezed him in a chummy fashion.

"Hey dude, no sweat," Vinyl assured him with a grin. "Friends get into scrums every now and then; Celestia knows Octy and I do all the time."

"Well, for the most part, it's justified," the grey cellist grumbled into her teacup.

"Even so, if the strength of the friendship is great enough, ain't nothing that can break up two pals forever," the DJ declared with a pump of her hoof. "So don't sweat it too much, dude. It's like Twilight said: you need to focus on getting better for now."

"Yeah, that's right!" Lyra nodded.

"Absolutely," Bon-Bon said. "That way, you can fix the roof here like you promised, right? Ow, Octy, what was that for!" she rubbed her head as Octavia dropped the large wooden spoon to the tabletop.

"Oh lay off of him, Bon-Bon," she leaned across the table and gave Volare a gentle pat on his good hoof. "He'll get well when he gets well, and there's really no rushing that," she said with an encouraging smile.

"Heh, thanks, guys," Volare smiled at the four mare surrounding him. "This is really helping more than you know. Heh, now we're all caught up..." The five ponies sat there in silence for a moment or two before Vinyl Scratch broke it again.

"Sooo, um..." The DJ looked up at Volare hopefully, twiddling her hooves and raising her shades in the process to reveal her almost pleading cerise eyes. Volare had a sneaking suspicion about what she was going to ask.

"What's up, Vinyl?" He smiled warmly.

"Oh, um, you know, nothin' much," she scratched the back of her head for a moment before speaking her mind. "Just wondering if...ya know...you got anymore awesome music in that noodle of yours," she nudged him lightly with her elbow, eliciting a chuckle from the Pegasus.

"I never would have guessed," he shook his head in mild disbelief. "You're a real character, you know that, Vinyl?"

"Eh, I try," she grinned. "So come on. What else ya got in there? I know what you played the other day wasn't nearly all the music you know!"

"Vinyl!" Octavia scolded her room mate. "The poor dear's just finished telling us his epic of a tale. Can't you at least give him a moment to recuperate? Besides, I feel almost like you're using him for your own personal success."

"It's fine, Octy," Volare insisted. "I'm only crippled in body, not mind," he laughed at the self-deprecating joke before Vinyl spoke up again.

"Hey, I got an idea," she beamed excitedly. "How's about I pay ya a cut of the tour earnings since you helped out, eh? And any sort of future music you give me will earn ya a similar cut. It's not a whole lot, but it'll help keep ya afloat until you can get a real job, anyways. How's that sound?"

"You know what...I could live with that," Volare nodded after a moment's consideration. It wasn't exactly copyright infringement...oh who was he kidding? Not like Bon Jovi was gonna sue him in Equestria, right?

"Sweet! Gimme just a sec!" The DJ grinned and galloped back into the kitchen, searching for something as Bon-Bon spoke up.

"Now wait just a sec here, Vinyl Scratch!" the cream-colored mare objected. "If you've got extra bits to share, why not help fix this place up, eh?"

"Couple of reasons," Vinyl said as she returned from the kitchen, hovering the familiar-looking speakerbox that Volare had played through a few weeks ago; apparently, the DJ had been bumping some beats while cooking the taters...or something like that. She sat the speaker on the table and began switching over wires and flicking switches from the audio recorder to the box as she spoke. "For one, you gotta give a little to get a little, Bon-Bon; you're a business mare, you know that, right?"

"Yes, I understand," the navy and pink maned Earth Pony frowned. "What's the second reason?"

"Well, the cut isn't very big, cuz the tour runs on kinda a tight budget...however, with Volare's Earth music, the margins might not be so tight anymore, and the cuts could get bigger. Besides," she finished hooking up the speaker and looked up with excitement in her eyes. "It'll be Volare's money to do with as he wishes since he's earned them well. If that involves using it to fix the place up, that's between you and him, not me." At this declaration, Bon-Bon looked to Volare hopefully.

"Would you help us, Volare?" she asked sincerely. But Lyra took the more direct route and leaped up into Volare's lap, grinning like a fool and causing Bon-Bon's jaw to nearly hit the floor.

"Yeah, dude! You wanna help us fix this place up, huh?" Her golden eyes were inches from his own, as was her smile, and Volare was a little concerned about what might happen if he refused. But he didn't have to find out as Bon-Bon collared her rambunctious friend and forcibly sat her back at the table, causing the Pegasus to burst out laughing.

"We'll see what happens, guys," he assured them with a smile. "I still gotta recover, but if I'm not really using the money anyways...I'll make sure it goes to good use."

"Woohoo!" Lyra whooped, and despite her friend's behavior, Bon-Bon gave a little sigh of relief herself. After a moment, Volare felt another nudge at his shoulder from the DJ's elbow.

"Sooo...hint hint," Vinyl grinned from ear to ear, holding out the earbuds in her hoof.

"Ok, ok, I'll play some music for ya," Volare shook his head and laughed again. Man, it felt good to laugh-it felt good to be alive! Not 24 hours ago, he was barely clinging to life, but now...now things were different As he accepted the ear buds from Vinyl, Volare had an idea cross his mind: I wonder if I could play some fandom music...oh wait a sec... "Hey Vinyl; question?"

"Yep, what's up?" the Unicorn looked up from adjusting the speaker to the LOW setting, not wanting to deafen all ponies at the table.

"This music gets recorded using your magic, right?"

"That's right. All your thoughts, including your mental images associated with the song, pass right through my horn and into this baby," she patted the black sphere she had clipped around her neck. "And everything gets recorded. Why?"

Damn...he couldn't imagine her reaction if she saw Rainbow Dash or something in his mind associated with a song from Earth where ponies weren't supposed to exist...this secret stuff sucked!
"Any reason for the mental images?"

"Oh, um, they really just enhance the whole experience and give the listener a better idea of the real-time state of mind of the music composer," The DJ explained. "I've actually got a new little gadget I'm workin' on that can project your mental images onto a screen in sync with the music, giving you a real-time view into the mind of the composer. Cool, huh? Wanna try it?" She'd already begun to dig in her saddle bags for the device before she'd finished speaking, and the DJ quickly brought out what looked to be a cylinder the size of a soda can covered in tiny adjustment dials and with a small metal tripod attached to it. In fact, it looked very much like a re-purposed, miniature telescope. She quickly set it up and pointed it at the nearest blank wall above the table before turning to grin at Volare. "I swear this won't mess your mind up...I think...wait why'd ya ask about the images again?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just wondering if those images will always accompany the music."

"Nah, only if I'm there to help 'translate' everything into the appropriate media," she air quoted with her hooves. "Otherwise, it's just audio if you did the recordings yourself. Why, got something to hide?" she grinned cheekily.

"Don't we all, Ms. Totally Didn't Burn the Roof Down?" he countered quickly, fighting to control the nervous sweat that threatened to pop out on his brow. To his surprise, it worked.

"Touche'," Vinyl chuckled and fiddled with the equipment one last time. "Heh, if you want to, I can actually get ya one of these speakers from my place later if ya wanna do your own personal recordings, especially if I'm on tour and I come back looking for new material."

"That...actually sounds really good," Volare replied with an enthused nod. "Thanks, Vinyl."

"No problem. But for now," the DJ turned the speaker on with her magic and turned back to the Pegasus. "It's time to see what else ya got; and let's focus just on rock this time! Lyra, Bon-Bon, you may wanna hang onto those benches. This could get pretty intense."

"I like intense!" Lyra crowed as Bon-Bon rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure you do," Octavia chuckled while Volare began to fit the earbuds into his ears before pausing for a moment.

"Hey, I've got an idea. How about, instead of last time when I just played alot of music all over the place, why don't I play you guys a little rock music from each decade back on Earth and explain the thoughts behind the songs themselves afterwards. I'll stick with the stuff I liked to play while flying in a plane for simplicity's sake."

"Oh, I see, sort of like a history lesson for us musicians," Octavia nodded in understanding. "I say let's do it!"

"Even better," Vinyl Scratch said.

"Yeah, heh, sorry Bon-Bon," Lyra patted her friend's hoof in mock comfort. "This might be kinda beyond you, since you're not a musical pony and all."

"Oh yes, I forgot, I'm simply the proprietor of this establishment allowing you to sit here and do this," Bon-Bon scowled. "Don't mind me."

"Oh, lighten up francis," the DJ chuckled. "Just relax; I think you'll like this too. Ready when you are, Volare!" she gave the Pegasus a nod and he popped the buds in his ears and focused his mind on the earliest piece of modern music he could think of...ah, there's a good one

"Jailhouse Rock", by Elvis Presley, released the year of 1957," Volare said, and the music began...

As the music trailed off and image of Elvis Presley dancing in prison garb faded, Volare opened his eyes to explain that he wasn't actually in prison but on a movie set; but to his absolute and utter surprise and hilarity, while Lyra, Octavia, and Vinyl seemed to have been bobbing their head to the beat and simply enjoying the music, Bon-Bon had turned a shade of crimson and was visibly fanning her face as she spoke.
"Oh my goodness, is that what humans look like?" she tried to slow her breathing but was finding she was having trouble doing so.

"Yep, that's them alright, Bon-Bon," Lyra smiled and nodded, a bit concerned at how strong a first reaction her friend had had to one, although to tell the truth, this was also Lyra's first look at a 'live' human beyond pictures in newspapers and such.

"Who in Equestria was that incredible, amazing hunk of a man dancing up there!?" Bon-Bon asked shamelessly, causing Volare's jaw to nearly topple off his face and onto the table in shock. Uh-oh...he might have just created a monster...

"Oh, um, that was Elvis Presley, known as the King of Rock N Roll back on Earth," Volare explained as Bon-Bon finally got control of herself but only after Lyra had the idea of slapping her in the face with a cold, wet dishtowel.

"Blech-ok, ok, I'm fine! Sheesh, sorry if a mare's got urges every now and then," Bon-Bon grumbled, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Well, would you believe you're not the first to react that way?" Volare chuckled and went on to explain that when Elvis first came onto the music scene in the 50's, he caused so many young women to throw themselves at his feet and dance lewdly (for the time), that many actually considered Elvis a danger to society because of his potential to cause riots among the younger people he played for.

"Wow...kinda like what happened at my shows," Vinyl mused. "Good thing I didn't play any Elvis music or else the whole country might be in trouble-heh-heh."

"Indeed," Volare laughed and refocused. "Music can be pretty powerful, from inciting riots, to raising spirits and morale. Here's a song from the next decade that kinda embodies a little of all of that, as well as one of the most creative uses of an electric guitar that I can recall:

"The Star Spangled Banner", by Jimi Hendrix, 1969..." he closed his eyes and played.

By the time that Volare opened his eyes, he knew that something was amiss, but he wasn't quite sure what until he inhaled and his nostrils caught the scene of burning straw. He looked up in shock to see that Lyra, in all her wisdom, had grabbed Bon-Bon's good floor broom and had proceeded to air-guitar on it until the very end, when she emulated Jimi Hendrix by setting the broom on fire and smashing it on the tabletop in a rock n roll frenzy of epic proportions. Jeez, maybe I should quit while I'm ahead, Volare thought as Bon-Bon finally wrestled the smoldering remains of the broom away from her co-worker and trotted it back to the kitchen with a heavy heart, as if an even closer friend than Lyra herself had just been violently murdered.

"Well, that was...interesting," Vinyl nodded, impressed with how Hendrix was able to manipulate his guitar and equipment just as she was able to manipulate and remix the very chords and notes of her own music to produce just the right sound. Octavia, on the other hand, was less than impressed, and had her hooves stuffed in her ears the entire time, eyes squeezed tightly.

"Is it over yet?" the cellist shouted with a wince before realizing that it was indeed over, and her cheeks flushed slightly as she cleared her throat. "Ahem, yes, well...forgive me, I just never imagined that a stringed instrument could be bastardized in such a fashion. I'd honestly almost prefer Vinyl's wubs over that cacophony of clashing chords and crescendos."

"Aww, come on, that was rad, Octy!" Vinyl playfully shoved her stuffy roommate's shoulder. "Holy hay, Volare, that guy was playing like he was totally out of his mind up there!"

"Heh-heh, he almost certainly was more than a little chemically altered," Volare chuckled, and explained that the song was played at a huge hippie festival called Woodstock that was used to protest the Vietnam War, a largely unpopular conflict that had been dragging on for years and killing many thousands of people. "Sorry to kill the atmosphere...but there's alot of conflict on Earth at some point or another, and there's usually one side that supports it, and one side that's against it...that's the truth of the matter and there's no hiding it. However, hopefully music like this can simply be enjoyed without the baggage of conflict attached to it. But until then, protest pieces like this will likely continue to be created." The mood in the room changed abruptly, with Vinyl calming down and looking down at the table, Lyra twiddling her hooves, Octavia taking pause in her tea-drinking, and even Bon-Bon growing silent for a moment in respect for those lost.

"Dang, sounds like a bad situation over on Earth," Ray muttered, to which Jill shook her head and snorted.

"Meh, sounds to me like whoever lives on Earth needs to get their heads on straight and figure things out, rather than protest with music and what-not."

"Anyways," Volare spoke up with a brighter tone. "I've got a similar piece of music in mind from the next decade that's alot more upbeat...in fact alot of the music created after the Vietnam War ended was much less edgy and reflected the relief felt at the end of the conflict. This particular piece has an almost classical nature to it in the beginning, one I think you'll like, Octy. In fact, it's considered by many to be the greatest electric guitar solo of all time," he declared with a wide grin.

"Hmm, is that so?" the grey mare queried, eager to move on from the previous conversation. She doubted she'd truly enjoy this rock music as much as her friends...but there was a first time for everything, right? "What's the song called?"

"Eruption', by Eddie Van Halen, 1978...

"...Oh...my...goodness," were the first words that reached Volare's ears as the music faded out. He turned to see who'd spoken, thinking it had been Lyra or Vinyl, but surprisingly, it was Octavia who'd actually stood up on the bench seat and had been staring intently at Eddie's fingers tapping all over the fretboard as he played his soul out. The grey mare turned her wide lavender eyes towards Volare and simply continued to stare to the point that Volare nearly asked if she was ok before she finally spoke again. "If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I would have told you that was Unicorn-made and impossible to physically play...but there it was," she tapped the wall where the projection had been. "Volare, that was, dare I say it, a joy to listen to. That right there is now the new pinnacle of stringed instrumentation and talent in my opinion."

"Whoa, Octy," Vinyl Scratch chuckled in amazement. "I wouldn't have figured you for the rocking type at all, but I guess you finally found something you like, eh?"

"Like it...I loved it!" The cellist declared, shocking everypony at the table. "The execution of the cadences, the triad chords, and the procession from A Flat all the way up into E flat was absolutely flawless, and the rate of speed at which that human accomplished it...just...my, allow me a minute to compose myself," she fell back into the seat in a mild daze for a few more moments before her eyes cleared and she sat back up. "Ah, what happened?!"

"You um...kinda freaked out over the music, Octy," Vinyl patted her on the back. "But, that's a heck of a piece to freak out to. And once again, you were right: a stringed instrument totally blew my mind...and yours too, apparently."

"Ahem, yes, well-er," the grey mare stammered and blushed slightly before standing up and heading to the kitchen for a stronger brew of tea, leaving her friends in stitches of amused laughter. Vinyl Scratch patted the wall where the images had been played and spoke up.

"Dude...that guy, Eddie, was it?"

"Yep."

"Ok, I've seen that look before at my shows, and that guy's mind was definitely blasted, man," she laughed uproariously.

"I really dunno how he could have done it without being like that, to be honest," the Pegasus conceded. "Seems alot of music from that era involved something like that at one point or another. But hey, that's the history of rock n roll."

Octavia soon returned with a new kettle of hot tea and poured herself a new cup before nodding to Volare. "Alright, everything's fine now. You may continue, Volare."

"Heh, if you say so," the Pegasus shook his head in amazement of the reactions the music was getting. "Ok, time to move onto the 1980's, and I think I'll play a song a little less crazy and mind-blowing than the last two, but no less fun, in my opinion."

"Oh boy, what is it this time?" Bon-Bon asked, a little intimidated by what might come popping out of his mind next.

"A song that is literally about the joys of rock n roll and how it can affect your mind and body and inspire you to crazy stuff, just as it's been doing this whole time with you guys:

"Can't Stop Rockin'", by ZZ Top, 1985...

"Well, I suppose that pretty sums things up, Volare," Vinyl stated with a grin, her normally messy blue mane even messier than usual from head-banging like crazy. "The song's right: rock just makes you do crazy stuff."

"Indeed it does," Octavia agreed, her own mane a bit of a mess, though certainly not from head-banging (a lady would never do such a thing...all the time...). She smoothed out the loose hair and took a demure sip of her tea, pretending like she hadn't just completely lost herself to the rhythm of the music just now. Lyra, on the other hoof, was grinning from ear to ear, and had very succeeded in pulling Bon-Bon out onto the floor to dance like a fool as she'd been doing.

"That was a rush!" The green Unicorn declared as she sat back down. "Why didn't you get out there with me, Bon-Bon?"

"Because that's just...ugh, too embarrassing to do," she crossed her hooves defiantly, though even she had to admit she had to really restrain herself from dancing to that song...or maybe not so much dancing as just moving!

"Just certain songs you can't help but not groove to, Bon-Bon," Volare said encouragingly. "Totally not judging if you do."

"Hmph, maybe later," the cream colored mare settled further into her seat.

"Heh, maybe you should play some Elvis again; that outta get her flank moving," Vinyl snickered behind her hoof, causing Bon-Bon to blush terribly and shoot the DJ a withering glare before Lyra clapped her hoof around her and laughed until the Earth Pony couldn't help but smile herself, though she stopped short of full-blown laughter.

"Ok, ok, sorry...maybe I liked it a little-the latest song, not Elvis, I mean...oh buck it," Bon-Bon tossed her hooves up in the air in defeat before turning to Volare. "Alright, might as well not fight it anymore. What else have you got in store for us, Volare?"

"Hrm, well, now we're into the 1990's, not exactly my favorite time period for rock music; I'm honestly pretty partial to the 80's," the Pegasus tapped his chin for a moment in thought before brightening. "However, there was one band in the 90's I took a liking to, though their greatest work was truly in the decade previous. Here's a good song from them in the 90's anyways, though. I warn ya, it's not exactly a get up and dance song so much as it's a 'holy crap, what an epic musical experience' song:

"Fear of the Dark, by Iron Maiden, 1993..."

"Ooh, this sounds good," Jill cackled softly as the music began to play...

"...Dude," was all the noise that came from the table in front of Volare as the chanting of the crowd and the voice of Bruce Dickinson faded away into a silence that so completely filled the Gilded Griffon that one could practically hear the elevated heart rates of all ponies present, including Ray and Jill far off in the corner. Even they felt the power of that song, but for different reasons, and they shuddered to think more strongly on them. The watch on Ray's wrist glowed dully, indicating that whoever was on the other end of the connection was absolutely listening...and possibly enjoying what it was hearing.

Vinyl Scratch lifted her shades off her face and wiped off the sweat that had accumulated at the top of the lenses before breathing that single word again: "Dude...that crowd was off the chain..."

"I know," Volare nodded sagely. "Iron Maiden's a pretty powerful band; their fans are pretty crazy too."

"Well, yeah, that and the subject of the song...now I really feel like walking home tonight," Bon-Bon shuddered slightly. Apparently, these ponies didn't care much for songs about one of the most ancient and ingrained phobias of diurnal creatures: Nyctophobia, the fear of the dark.

"Silly filly, you can just stay here with me," Lyra declared, seeking to break the rather somber mood by throwing a hoof around her friend's shoulder and grinning. "We can camp out in the kitchen, and roast marshmallows on the stove, oh and sing campfire songs!"

"But we don't have a campfire in the kitchen," Bon-Bon protested in mild confusion.

"What about the broom," Octavia glanced back at the burnt cleaning instrument in question. "It's halfway there already anyway."

"NO!! Not my poor broom!" Bon-Bon cried in horror, drawing a mirthful laugh from everypony at the table. And just like that, the joyous mood had returned.

"Got anything a bit less grim left in there?" Vinyl tapped Volare's noggin, causing him to brush her off and chuckle.

"Getting a little pushy there, eh Vinyl?" he shoved her playfully, nearly falling out of the wheelchair in the process before righting himself with a sheepish grin and gathering his thoughts. "Hrm...ah, I got one. We're into the 2000's decade now, and this one is about standing up for what you believe in, never giving up, and making your own destiny instead of simply going with the flow; something I think everypony here can take to heart," he nodded at each of the four mares in turn before focusing on the music:

"Knights of Cydonia", by Muse, 2006...

Yet again, Ray and Jill found themselves drumming on the table at their booth against their will, feeling the music getting into their bones the longer they sat there and listened. It almost made them forget about their current job...almost...
Octavia stood up again on the bench and placed her forehooves on the arms of Volare's chair, and stared intently at him in a most un-ladylike fashion for a few long moments; nopony knew exactly what she was about to do. Even Lyra looked worried, and she'd done this to Volare just about everytime she'd been around him, although granted her reasons were all research-based.

"Uh...Octy? Can I help you?" Volare inched away from the grey mare's gaze before she smiled and spoke.

"That...was absolutely amazing," she turned to Vinyl. "Did you hear all the detail given to that song? From the notes that were sung, to the trumpets and guitars, even down to the rhythm that imitates a pony's galloping stride. If I might be so bold, dear Vinyl, that may be the greatest rock song I've ever heard!"

"Heh, I thought you said that about "Eruption"," Volare chuckled.

"No, that was different," the cellist turned back to him and got down off the chair, much to his relief. "That was an instrumental, but this...this "Knights of Cydonia"...this was truly a complete and epic song worthy of being played even within Canterlot itself!" Octavia beamed and sat back down. "I do say, that I may be beginning to enjoy this rock n roll much more than I ever thought possible. What's next?"

"Ha-ha, this is sweet!" Vinyl Scratch pumped a hoof and grinned. "Volare, we're turning Octy to our side!~" she waved her hooves at her room-mate and made an oooohhhh noise with her mouth, eliciting a smack from Octavia that sent her toppling off the bench and onto the floor, giggling like a madpony, causing Bon-Bon to facehoof.

"Well, I suppose it could be worse; Vinyl doesn't have any drink in her...yet," she muttered.

"Oh, I can fix that!" Lyra declared and started for the cellar but was stopped as Bon-Bon grabbed her tail and yanked her back to the table.

"Ooooh no; we don't need any further help here, Lyra Hearstrings!"

"Aww...but Vinyl's funny as buck when she's drunk," the Unicorn scrunched up her nose in such a way as to make Volare undecided in if he wanted to hug her for being adorable or simply chuckle heartily like the rest. He settled for the latter, and after a few minutes of mirth, the four mares returned to their seats, staring intently at Volare and waiting patiently for the next song.

"Heh, well, we're kinda coming to the end here," Volare smiled sheepishly. "It's only 2012 back on Earth, so there's really only one more decade we can cover as far as music is concerned...hrm, but which to pick?"

"How about a song about flying?" Lyra suggested. "You haven't done one of those yet and you were a pilot...and now you're a Pegasus. You can't fly right now, but-ouch!" She rubbed her horn where Bon-Bon had tweaked it. "What was that for, huh?"

"For insensitively reminding our friend of his condition, Lyra," the Earth Pony chided. "Perhaps that's why he's avoided the subject, because it bothers him. Did you ever think about that?"

"Um, actually Bon-Bon," Volare interrupted. "Rememeber what I said earlier: don't worry about there being any untouchable subject with me in regards to my condition; I'm aware of it and I've accepted that I'm stuck for now. Might as well not fight it and waste my time, eh? Now, in regards to not having played a song about flight yet...huh, guess I just never thought to." He scratched his tattered mane, searching his memory for a recent song about flight before settling on a good one and smiling.

"I take it you know a good finale to this rock n roll history lesson?" Octavia inquired.

"Yep, and it tells a story on its own," Volare nodded. "This song tells the tale of the largest air battle in Earth's military history: the Battle of Britain; specifically it speaks of the foreign fighter pilots who came to aid the country of Britain in her darkest hour, when she was quite literally standing alone against the greatest enemy the modern world had ever faced at that time." Volare settled his thoughts on the song, closed his eyes, and allowed the lyrics to tell their story...

"Aces in Exile", by Sabaton, 2010...

"Wow..." Bon-Bon breathed as the images and music faded.

"That was awesome!" Lyra declared. "Makes me wish I was a Pegasus and could do that sorta crazy stuff!"

"Same here, though I'll take being a Unicorn and being able to spin my discs over everything else," Viny grinned and turned to Volare, who had taken the earbuds out and was airing out his ear canals with a shake of his head. "Heh, sorry we kinda dragged this on for a while, dude."

"Nah, it was fun, just like last time," the Pegasus insisted. "Besides, you guys also got educated on a little of the musical history on Earth. Heh, never done anything quite like that before."

"Well, I think you did a real bang-up job," Bon-Bon said as she stretched her neck and looked up at the clock: 10:00 PM. She then noticed Octavia, the mare who'd surprised them all by practically begging for more music, was sitting rather silently and chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "Bit for your thoughts, Octy?"

"Huh, oh, it's nothing," the cellist waved a hoof dismissively before Vinyl gave her a wary look.

"Oh really? There's obviously something on your mind, Octy, so just out with it, dude. What's up?"

"What's bugging ya, Octy?" Volare chimed in, and the grey mare looked up at him for a moment before sighing and speaking.

"Well, it's just...I've always adhered to playing music of a more refined nature, but here I am listening to, and loving, this rock n roll, something that very nearly flies in the face of what I've learned as a cellist. I mean, I can appreciate it just as any musician would appreciate other forms of music, but...well, I know this is going to sound foolish, but...you've got me a little worried, Volare."

"Huh? Worried about what?" the Pegasus cocked his head.

"Well, about the state of music on Earth...I noticed that the majority of the music you've played for us now and in the past has been rock," Octavia explained with a furrowed brow, not quite raising her gaze from the tabletop as she spoke. "I mean, yes, you did play that one piece...Ride of the Valkyries I believe, but beyond that, it's all been rock or rock-derived." She finally raised her gaze to meet his. "I suppose my question is: is there no real room for classically styled music on Earth anymore?"

"Oh, Octy," Volare chuckled in relief despite himself; he'd thought it was something really bad. "I can't have possibly listened to every piece of music on Earth. I'm simply playing what I can recall from my memory that I believe it wholesome compared to some of the trash clogging up the music industry back there. Now, classical music is still very much alive on Earth, so don't worry too terribly badly about that."

"Oh, good," the cellist gave a small and sat back on the bench. "I was afraid it had gone extinct or something."

"Nah...although I will admit that it's not even close to being mainstream music anymore; in fact it's more of a niche business than anything now," he replied with a small frown. "Which is kinda unfortunate; I mean, I never really listened to much of it-please don't hurt me!-but it is the root of alot of modern music."

"I heard bits and pieces of it in that song Aces in Exile," Octavia pointed out with a nod towards the recording sphere that Vinyl was in the process of making a minor adjustment to. In truth, the Unicorn was appreciating the little break, as those songs had begun to wear on her just a little bit as well. "So at least it's not completely gone," the grey mare surmised. "Are there any new uses for it besides additions to other songs?"

"Actually yes," Volare popped the earbuds back in. "Vinyl, fire up that speakerbox again," the Unicorn followed his request curiously. "Ok, here's one really big way I know of that classical music is still used: as backing tracks for movies. I'll play a few pieces from the only real composer I can think of off the top of my head: Hans Zimmer. In fact, this music has been used in some of the biggest movies of the past decade on Earth, so classical is far from kaput!"

"Up is Down", from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End...

"Discombobulate", from Sherlock Holmes...

“Those were all composed by one man?” Octavia inquired in amazement.

“As far as I know, yeah,” Volare confirmed. “He’s created the musical scores for loads of movies and is a modern day musical genius; or at least, I think so, as much awesome music as this guy creates. And as many directors that recruit his services for scoring movies, he’s probably up there in terms of premiere composers. Sorry if I don’t know much more on the guy,” he smiled sheepishly.

“It’s quite alright,” the cellist assured him with an understanding nod. “As you said, classical isn’t your strong suit, so there’re no worries in not having as in-depth knowledge regarding it."

“Thanks, Octy,” Volare said with a small sigh. “You know, it really is too bad that classical style just isn’t really recorded as stand-alone music anymore like other genres. I guess that’s just how things go…when it’s not worth the expense, no matter how great it is, in general, it won’t be attempted.”

“It limits creativity, yes,” Bon-Bon spoke up. “But that’s how business goes, unfortunately,” she frowned. “If it’s losing you money instead of making it, don’t do it.”

“Aww, that’s black and white and boring,” Vinyl pouted. “It’s no fun if you don’t take some risks and live a little!”

“But if it’s not helping, then it’s hurting, Vinyl,” the Earth Pony sat up, eager to flex her business muscles. Octavia simply sat there, a bit disheartened by the state of affairs while Lyra was torn between the two ideals. But Bon-Bon’s words had sparked an idea within Volare.

“Actually, there is one other major use for classical music on Earth,” he interrupted their little argument with a tap of his good hoof on the table. “And it also involves what you just talked about, Bon-Bon, in regards to not doing something unless it’ll help your overall business cause; or any cause at all for that matter.”

“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow,” Octavia admitted.

"Yes, explain," Bon-Bon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, Bon-Bon here says that you shouldn't expend funds on something unless it helps you to make bits, right?"

"Mhm, that's a principle of business, honey," the mare nodded.

"So would you justify spending extra on something like classical music if it made you more money in the end, via promoting your material?"

"...I think I get it now," Octavia brightened considerably. "Are you saying there's something like that on Earth?"

"Absolutely, in fact there are companies dedicated to just that sort of work," Volare nodded. "Promotional advertisements for movies need something to grab the attention of the audience and make them say: 'wow, I wanna see that.' That can be done one of two ways: visually, or..." he put the earbuds back in and grinned. "...audibly...hold on tight..."

"Heart of Courage", by Two Steps from Hell...

"Conviction", by Groove Addicts...

"Return of the King", by X-Ray Dog...

"Dreamchasers", by Future World Music...

"...I...I..." Bon-Bon could only mumble, feeling for the tabletop with her hooves so she had something to lean on and not fall out of her seat. "I believe-I..."

"Stand corrected?" Octavia asked with a smug grin.

"Y-yeah, that...wow," the cream-colored mare looked down at her hooves to see that they were visibly shaking from the emotional overload the music had caused within her.

"*sniff-sniff*," Vinyl had lifted her shades and was wiping at her eyes. "That was beautiful, man...just beautiful," she smiled through her shameless tears. "I mean, I just...wow..."

"Well, I can tell you guys one thing," Lyra beamed. "I'd go see that movie if the advertisement was that kick-flank!" she pumped a hoof.

"Mhm, I believe that's the point," Volare couldn't help but continue to grin at his friends' reactions. Even though he didn't know a quarter note from a treble clef, he felt a camaraderie between them and himself formed by the music itself.

"You know what," Octavia spoke up again. "I think I understand why those companies dedicate themselves to this kinda of promotional artistry, or at the very least why they choose music like this rather than rock n roll; no offense, Volare."

"None taken," the pilot replied. "What's your theory, Octy?" The grey mare leaned back in her seat and crossed her hooves before speaking.

"Well, I believe classical music is chosen because it has the ability to stir emotions unlike any other form of music, due to its lack of lyrics moving the music along. It doesn’t limit one’s audience with language; it actually transcends the spoken word itself, until it’s just the music that matters, and nothing else," the cellist explained.

"And humans and ponies alike would remember that emotion and pin it to that product," Bon-Bon surmised, taken aback by the looks given to her by the others. "What? Gotta know this stuff to run a business, ya know."

"Well, I still like techno, dubstep, and rock n roll, thank you very much," Vinyl slapped her shades back down and grinned, all traces of emotion besides her usual bravado gone without a trace. "Classical's cool and all, but it just doesn't mix with rock," she declared with a half-hearted shrug.

"Oh, there you go again," Octavia rolled her eyes. "Just because your ineptitude limits your ability to mix music together doesn't mean it's the music's fault, you know."

"My inepti-what?" the DJ leaned over the table with a snort of sudden anger. "Don't use your fancy words to put me down, Octy, or I'll wake you up with my custom alarm clock; and I know how much you hate that," she smirked cheekily.

"Oh, Vinyl, you're impossible!" the cellist glared back; the air between the two musicians suddenly seemed charged with a dangerous energy that might explode at any moment. Lyra and Bon-Bon were taking bets on who'd win this time, and even Ray and Jill were leaning into the aisle and looking over, wondering exactly what might happen between the polar opposite ponies. However, Volare thought quickly and again tapped the table with his hoof to get their attention, but it was no use; neither mare was backing down or breaking their stare with each other.

"I ain't blinking first, Octy," the DJ said with a leering grin.

"Oh, you're probably blinking right now behind those shades, you cheater," Octavia shot back with a short growl. There was just no talking to those two when they were like this. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, Volare did the only thing he could think of: he tossed the earbuds back in his ears, focused his thoughts, and played the first mixtures of electric guitar and classical music he could think of:

"...got your attention now?" the Pegasus chuckled as the two musicians miraculously stopped their arguing and sat there, spellbound by the seemingly miraculous mixture of techno, rock, and classical music combined with scenes of jets soaring across the cafe wall, missiles streaking through the sky, and explosions ripping through everything in between, while Ray and Jill sat in open-mouthed silence down the aisle at what they'd just seen. By this point in time, the two siblings were fairly convinced that they wanted nothing to do with Earth and the crazy people that lived there! However, the watch on Ray's wrist pulsed again, almost in approval, it seemed.

"Aww, I think you did," Lyra chuckled in a mixture of amusement and mild disappointment; her money had been on Octy this time.

"What the hay was that?!" Octavia and Vinyl both asked simultaneously causing all ponies present to burst into giggles for a moment.

"Aha-that...was music from a video game series called Ace Combat," Volare replied. "The majority of the music within it is a mixture of rock, techno, classical, and acoustic blended to match the missions you're sent on within it."

"A video game?" Octavia scratched her head. "What in the hoof is that?"

"Oh, um...think of it as a very interactive movie, where you the player have the ability to move the story along through your actions," the pilot tried his best to explain.

"Is that story real?" Lyra asked a bit hesitantly, a little shaken by the scenes of shredding metal and detonating jet fuel she'd just witnessed.

"Huh-oh, no, not those games," Volare chuckled and waved a hoof dismissively. "Some of the planes themselves are based on real ones, but the stories are purely fiction. It's just a flight simulator, not a history book."

"A flight simulator, eh?" Vinyl mused, occasionally wondered what it was like to fly, as had her earth-bound friends. "But why would you wanna mess with a simulator if you had an actual jet to hop in and fly?" Her naive question nearly caused Volare to snicker, but he quickly caught himself and explained that he couldn't always go up in a plane just willy-nilly; that there were alot of rules and regulations to follow. Plus, he hadn't always been old enough to fly, so he'd played these games in the meantime.

"When did you start flying?" Bon-Bon asked.

"Oh, hmm...well, my dad used to take me up in a little prop plane we had when I was about 10, but he never let me touch the controls; he was always real strict about that," he fondly recalled with a chuckle. "I started taking official lessons when I was 14, and I had my flight certifications when I was 16. I then joined the Navy when I was 18, and by the time I was 23, I'd flown my first missions."

"Whoa, how old are you now, dude?" Vinyl queried with a look of surprise. "We're all like 21 and 22 here, so you're already older than all of us. Well, BB is like 25, so she's grandma of the group."

"Hey!" the mare in question growled and swatted at Vinyl with her hoof.

"Whoa, watch it granny, or you might throw a hip out at your age," the DJ snickered as Bon-Bon simmered, grumbling to herself while the others barely concealed their own laughter behind their hooves.

"Anyways, right now I'm...hmm, well, the dates here are different than on Earth...what's today?"

"It's the 12th of September," Octavia announced.

"Huh, and I guess it'd be like the 11th or 12th of April back on Earth...well, either way, I missed my 24th birthday; it was on the 7th of April," he said with a tinge of disappointment before Lyra playfully nudged him.

"Oh boy, don't let Pinkie Pie find out, or she'll never let you hear the end of it till you let her throw you a party," Bon-Bon chuckled.

"Well, actually, she did mention something about throwing me a 'welcome to Ponyville' party the first day I was here...but then things kinda went haywire after that," the Pegasus glanced back at his crippled wing. "...very haywire."

"Yeah, no kidding," Vinyl muttered, the mood suddenly growing a little somber again before the cellist among them spoke up with a bright smile, hoping to change the subject yet again.

“Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'd give my left hoof to learn some of this music you’ve played this evening and present it to the Canterlot Symphony…” Octavia mused in excitement.

“Well, there’s no reason why he couldn’t help you too, Octy,” Vinyl grinned and nudged Volare. “How about it, buddy? You could just jump from my studio to hers in the same house if ya wanna have a recording day or something.”

“Heh, I don’t see why not,” the pilot shrugged and turned to the other two mares. “Well, Bon-Bon, I’ve already agreed to help you fix the place up. There anything you want me to help with while I’m at it, Lyra?”

“Oh, nothin’ much,” Lyra smiled slyly. “Just as much info on humans as you can give me.”

“Haha, I figured. Hey, you know what we could do?”

“Hrm, what?” the green Unicorn asked.

“Twilight and I already did a big study on humans. Maybe we three could team up for research purposes, or at the very least, exchange notes. I mean, you two are kinda in it for the same thing, right?” Volare proposed.

“Well, considering I didn’t even know that Twilight was researching them until you said something about it, I guess I could use the help,” she scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Heh, and knowing Twilight Sparkle, she’s probably gone into extreme detail in her notes…I’ll have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Soooo…?” Volare twirled a hoof and Lyra looked back at him, golden eyes bright and enthused.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” she smacked a hoof on the table decisively and hopped to her hooves. “When do we start?”

“Now hang on a moment," Bon-Bon protested, trying her best to be the voice of reason within the group. "Volare here still has a long way to go until he's fully recovered. Shouldn't that be his primary focus until then?" The three musicians twiddled their hooves a bit shamefully, looking everywhere but at Volare until the pilot chuckled softly.

"Heh-heh, it's ok Bon-Bon; they're just excited, that's all. Heck, I am too," he insisted before looking up at the clock: it was nearly midnight and the sight of the late hour involuntarily caused the Pegasus to issue a massive a yawn that he barely suppressed with his hoof. "Ah-haha, excuse me," his face flushed slightly. "Guess I'm a little bit more worn out than I thought."

"Indeed," Bon-Bon nodded a little smugly, her mare's intuition proving her correct once again. "It's late for everypony. Lyra, last call and then get him back to the hospital, please." Volare complied by hoofing the ear buds back to Vinyl who stored them back in her saddlebag, along with the speakerbox and the mini-projector.

"Righto," the Unicorn tossed up a salute, a little sad that they couldn't hang out a bit longer, but knowing that her friend was right all the same. Besides, she thought as she made her way down the aisle towards the siblings in the corner booth, there's plenty of time for that tomorrow!

"Boss, did you find what you were looking for?" Jill asked impatiently, hoping against hope that He hadn't and that she could finally take her revenge against that crazy Pegasus.

Well, things certainly were along the lines of what I expected, the watch glowed dully. But I need solid confirmation in order to-

"Crap, here she comes," Ray hissed, trying to hide the watch under the table. "Boss, whatcha want us to do, and hurry!"

Hold on a moment, Ray! the voice growled back, a hint of panic contained within it, as if its owner knew his little theory was moments away from being dashed to pieces. Jill, act natural!

"Got it!" Jill whispered and thunked her head down on the table amongst the ale mugs in a semblance of a drunken stupor, causing Ray to facehoof.

What happened!?

"Oh, she's acting naturally, Boss," Ray replied as Lyra drew near. "What about me? Do we off these guys yet or what?"

No, just...this whole thing has taken too long-ask her directly!

"Say what?"

Ask somepony there what they've been talking about, and depending on the answer, I'll either allow you to eliminate them or I'll give you a different order.

"Aye, sir," Ray whispered as the golden-eyed Unicorn reached their booth and tapped on the table in hopes of awaking Jill.

"Last call guys-whoa, it usually takes alot more than that to knock her off her hooves," Lyra chuckled and gave Jill's shoulders a gentle shake as she piled up the soup bowls and mugs and hovered the stack off the table. "Come on, dearie-this is a restaurant, not a sleep station. If you wanna pass out in any store though, I suggest Quills and Sofas," she said with a wink. "Not to say I've done it alot, but it's certainly more comfy than this old booth"-

"Ahem, excuse me, Lyra," Ray tapped her shoulder with his hoof. "Sorry to cut you off, but do you mind telling me who that is and what you've all been talking about?" He gestured towards Volare. "We just couldn't help but overhear and see the little show he put on..."

"Oh hay, I guess there's no real harm in telling," Lyra chuckled. "That's Volare, he's from Earth, and the coolest thing is: he used to be a human until he crashed his jet and Twilight Sparkle made him a new body with her magic; well, I mean, cool that he used to be human, but not so cool that he almost died, but you know what I mean, right? Anyways, my passion is studying the humans and now I've got one for a friend; how sweet is that eh?" At her response, the watch under the table on Ray's other hoof glowed hotly, nearly making him wince. "Anyways, Bon-Bon says you guys have gotta clear out and head home for the night. Want me to call a cab-wagon?"

The watch continued to scorch Ray insistently, and he gave a short shake of his head. "No, no, we're good. Just gimme a minute here to get Jill up and we'll get outta your manes." As a last gesture, he plunked two more golden bits on the table as a tip, even though she likely wasn't about to need it...

"Heh, if you say so," Lyra scooped up the tip along with the dishes and turned for the kitchen. "Have a safe night, you two!"

"Oh, it's not us you've gotta worry about being safe," Jill snickered into the table as her vision followed the Unicorn right past the group again, her gaze riveting on Volare with an absolutely murderous glint in her eye. "What's the plan, Ray? Slice N Dice? Implode everything? Or just burn it all to cinders...ooh, how about all three at once-hee-hee!"

"Boss, what's the call?" the male Unicorn whispered under the table, preparing himself for just about anything. But the order that reached his ears nearly floored him, quite literally almost knocking him off the bench.

Ray...go to the bathroom.

"...Uh, come again sir?" Ray twiddled a hoof in his ear. "Did you say to"-

Yes, I absolutely did.

"But I don't have to go that badly, sir."

No, I don't need you to go, I just want to speak with you in there.

"You're in the bathroom, sir?" Ray snuck a peek towards the room in question, not savoring the thought of their employer having been within spitting distance the entire night. But the sound of a groan and a facehoof emanated from the watch before it burned bright green in anger.

Ray. Bathroom. Speak privately. Now!! the voice barked. Jill, you stay out here and so help me, if you raise your hoof against that Pegasus, I'll break it off myself and use it to connect your eye socket to your ear canal!!

"Y-yes sir," Jill nodded shakily, not about to argue with Him even if it turns out he wasn't practically right behind them the whole evening.

Good. Ray quickly stood up, stretched and yawned convincingly and spoke out loud to his sister.

"Stay right here," he indicated the booth. "I'm gonna hit the bathroom and then we'll head out of here, capisce?"

"Yeah, yeah, got it-urp," Jill replied. "Just hurry it up, ok?"

"Be back in a flash," her brother winked and headed for the bathroom. No sooner had he shut the door than the watch burned brightly again, filling the small enclosure with a brilliant green light that hurt forced Ray to squint against the glare. "Alright, I'm here. What're your orders, sir?"

Ray, listen very carefully to what I'm about to say, his Boss replied, more than a hint of...was it excitement in his voice?! You've served me well in the gathering of information, as has your sister, but now the game has changed. Ray felt a feeling of dread suddenly rise in his throat at the tone of that statement.

"Um...you're not...firing us, are you?" he gulped, but despite the hairs rising on the back of his neck at the sound of light chuckling rising from the watch, he relaxed an almost equal amount as he realized that neither he nor his sister's time on this planet was severely limited...yet.

Oh, no, no, no, not at all! What kind of reward would that be for your hard work, Ray? I'm fair, am I not?

"Y-yes sir."

Excellent. Yeah, he definitely seemed to be in a good mood.

"...Sir, orders?"

Oh, right, right, my apologies, Ray. Apologies?! Ok, he was either jerking his chain and intending to kill him anyway, or- As I've said, the game has changed, possibly for the better. And as much as your sister likely won't enjoy this, because the game has changed, so has the objective.

"And that is, sir?"

Volare will not die tonight. Nor will his friends.

"Wait, seriously?" Ray's jaw dropped in shock. "But why!? Volare at the very least deserves"-

Employment? You were going to say employment, were you not, Ray? The voice had suddenly gone cold and brooked no argument in the slightest.

"But sir, I...I don't understand," Ray shook his head in disbelief. Revenge was within their grasp and now their own Boss had to get in the way?!

Nor do I expect you to. But trust me, I have my reasons for letting him live, the greatest of which is because of where he came from and what he used to be...and more than likely still is, mentally.

"A human?" Ray asked, confused. "But what's so great about humans? They seem violent and stupid," Ray spat.

Violent yes...stupid, possibly. Misguided...absolutely, Ray could practically feel his Boss's face creasing in a grin as he spoke. It would make sense to say that misguided things crave guidance, would it not? The purposeless seeking purpose?

"Yeah, I guess," Ray nodded.

Not to mention that he may possess information that may help our cause, his Boss added.

"Well, why don't we just drag him back to your place and beat it outta him?" Ray suggested, rubbing the bitten notch still missing from his ear. "It'd make me feel better, that's for sure"-

YOU FOOL! the watch scorched Ray's wrist so badly that he crumpled to his knees in pain. THIS IS SO MUCH FURTHER BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE!! I'VE WAITED PATIENTLY FOR FAR TOO LONG TO ALLOW A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS TO BE BUCKED UP BY YOU AND YOUR SISTER'S PETTY DESIRES FOR REVENGE!!! ...that's another thing...if we beat the information out of him, we'll have no further use for him...but I have more intricate designs on him beyond mere wisdom and knowledge...

"Argh, what...that employment you were talking about?" Ray offered, trying to regain a little favor as he held his burning wrist gingerly.

Exactly. That determination and unwillingness to give up when his back was against the wall and he had no other options...imagine how great an ally that might be if we could make him see things our way...combine that with the predatory mind of a human contained within the body of a Pegasus whose body was created magically, rather than born...and begin to imagine the possibilities that lie beyond merely beating him to a pulp.

"So, you want him to work for you?" Ray rose to his hooves with a groan. "What good is that gonna do if he's stuck in a wheelchair? And what's the guarantee that he'll even consider being recruited?"

Aha, my dear Ray...that's where you and your sister come in, the voice practically dripped with an ecstatic anticipation, as if He'd been waiting a long time for something like this to come about.

"I don't understand, sir."

Offer him a deal of employment; he needs the money and the purpose. All he needs to do is come and meet me in person...as for how you and your sister come in: you two have been given the ability to sweeten the deal, especially in his case. And as you know, it's much, much easier to capture flies with honey than with vinegar.

"I, um..."

Oh for crying out-Ray...you and Jill offer him the deal. In immediate exchange, include the offer to heal him of all of his ailments, but only if he agrees to come and meet me afterwards. And DO NOT harm the others; you're still undercover, we don't need a scene being caused, and if you harm his friends, it will likely cause him to refuse the deal.

"Aha, now I get it," Ray nodded. "That's pretty slick, sir; I dunno how he'll be able to say no, especially since he seems to wanna get back in the air so badly. But what if we heal him and he suddenly has second thoughts?"

Oh, hrm, just include a minor paralysis variation on your spell as a precaution. Just tell him the healing process will immobilize him for a short time, and he'll never know the difference.

"And what if he recognizes Jill and I?"

He won't as long as you don't tell him your names...*sigh* if only you hadn't been so damn arrogant as to speak your names out loud back in the woods...

"Yeah, well, we weren't exactly intending to let him live at the time."

Hmm...an understandable limitation; you had no idea an Element would come to his aid like that...even so, be cautious and careful in your words, at least until you've used your spell on him...by that time, he'll be too tied up with everything to put up too much resistance, heh-heh-heh! ...and by the time you bring him to me, if he still continues to resist...I'll see to him myself.

"Haha, good one, Boss," Ray grinned, though inwardly he was still disappointed that he wouldn't get his revenge...oh well, maybe if the guy screwed up, the Boss'd let him and his sister have their way with him as a favor for all their hard work...Luna knew their Boss didn't tolerate screw-ups or double-crossers in the slightest!

........

"He wants us to what?!" Jill hissed in fury as Ray quickly explained the plan once he'd returned to the booth. "Is he bucking serious?!"

"Very...apparently, he's worth alot more to the Boss alive than dead, so we gotta do it this way."

"I don't...grr, of all the things in the fires of hell, this is the worst damn thing that could happen," Jill practically gnashed her teeth before Ray grabbed her hoof and squeezed it to calm her down.

"Jill, listen to me...if we get this done for the Boss...maybe he'll finally keep his end of the deal he made with us."

"Fat chance," Jill spat. "It hasn't happened yet, so I say he's never gonna buckin' do it!"

"Maybe this is the chance we need, though...if Volare's that important to him, maybe we can use him as leverage to make the Boss uphold his end." His face was creased with concern that their Boss was still listening, but He'd claimed He was turning in for the night and expected to see Ray and Jill bright and early the next morning with Volare in tow; plus the watch was completely cold and silent, so maybe he didn't hear...

"I guess," Jill chewed her lip for a moment, knowing this was really all for her, but...but maybe she was enjoying the gifts this guy had given her a little too much to give them up! However, one look at her brother's pleading face helped to tip the balance, and she finally nodded her consent. "Alright, alright...but only cuz you're giving me those damn puppy dog eyes," she shoved her brother roughly before smiling. "Thanks for thinking of me, bro."

"No problem, sis," Ray nodded and looked up at Volare before heaving a small sigh. "Well then...you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Jill replied, standing up from the booth and cracking her stiffened joints. "Let's do it." And with that declaration, the two siblings trotted right up to Volare and the group around him without hesitation.

"Just follow my lead, sis..."

"Oh hey, I almost forgot!" Lyra thunked herself in the head with a silly grin. "I picked up something from The Canterlot Library for ya while I was up there."

"What is it?" Volare cocked an eyebrow curiously.

"Heh, I'll run ya by my place before taking ya back to the hospital and give it to ya," she waggled her eyebrows suggestively, though nopony present could tell if she was fooling around or serious...or what!

"Lyra, I swear, if you jump on this poor stallion while he's stuck in this chair," Bon-Bon warned.

"Pffft, nah, I'd help him outta it first!" Her response drew a looks of horror from both Bon-Bon and Volare, raucous laughter from Vinyl, and an incredulous headshake from Octavia before the green Unicorn returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning up, with Bon-Bon following her closely in order to give her a piece of her mind on what she thought of her friend "jumping" on Volare...whatever that might entail! The blue Pegasus yawned and chuckled again before feeling a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around in the chair and beheld two Unicorns shorter than himself who looked like could be brother and sister.

"Can I help you guys?" Volare asked in a friendly fashion, completely unaware that the two ponies before him had been the same two creatures that had nearly killed him and Scootaloo the day before. "I don't think we've met. I'm Volare," he held out his good hoof, which Ray and Jill shook politely in turn.

"Pleased to meetcha," Ray smiled back. "And it's not you who can help us; it's us who can help you."

"We've been watching you tonight, and we heard your story," Jill spoke up.

"And what a sad story it was, sir," Ray held his hoof over his heart. "And so, my sister and I, being the traveling healers that we are, would like to offer you our assistance." At Ray's on-the-spot explanation, Jill shot her brother a one-eyed squint of disbelief before smiling up at Volare.

"Would you like our help, Volare?" she said as sweetly as she could, nearly gagging at the tone she was forcing herself to use. The Pegasus turned and glanced back at Octavia and Vinyl for advice, but the two musicians looked as confused as he was. Volare turned back and regarded the two rather warily, though he wasn't quite sure why...it was just the strangest feeling he'd suddenly had...

"I'll bet there's a catch, right?"

"Aha, he's a smart one, sis," Ray chuckled and patted Volare's chair. "A smart one indeed. Yes, there is a small condition you'll have to abide by...but trust me, compared to how we can help you, it's well worth the tiny trouble."

"Alright, what's the deal?" Volare crossed his hooves. "Whatcha offering?" Ray looked from the Pegasus, to his sister, and then back again before grinning and speaking.

"That what you desire the most...that which a Pegasus just isn't a Pegasus without," Ray paused to allow the implication to sink in and Volare's eyes to widen.

"Y-you mean you...you'd really?" he stammered slightly, getting a little choked up with emotion as he awaited the duo's answer with anticipation. Oh please, oh please, oh please-I know it's gotta be too good to be true, but oh please...just gimme a break just this once!

"We really do," Jill nodded and smiled toothily. "Out of the kindness of our hearts." Gag!

"The gift of flight is your again, along with a clean bill of health...if you agree to our terms," Ray declared, elated at the sight of the tears of joy that snuck out of Volare's eyes. Oh yeah, they had him! Things were lookin' up for everypony!

.......................

Sugarcube Corner Loft...

"Huh?!" Pinkie Pie sat upright in her bed, and looked down at her left foreleg. Did it just twitch?

"Ugh, what's up, Pinkie?" Scootaloo yawned and rolled over to regard the pink pastry chef staring intently at her hoof...but nothing else happened.

"Oh, um, nothing I guess," the Element of Laughter shook her head and smiled disarmingly. "Just a feeling I thought I had. Head on back to dreamland, Scoots," she chirped and laid back down, listening to the orange filly settle back into her own bed. Within minutes, her little snores filled the loft, lulling Pinkie closer to sleep herself. Darn Pinkie Sense...always waking me up at the weirdest times...wonder if it's broken or something...zzzzzz...

....................

"I-I..." Volare stuttered, his mind being bombarded by an avalanche of emotions, doubts, and hopes as he took in what these two seemingly random Unicorns had just told him. He looked back over at Octavia and Vinyl Scratch again with a tearful smile, wondering if they'd tried to shoot this deal down. But instead, both musicians were grinning their approval. "Guys, should I?"

"Dude, that's a stupid question!" Vinyl hoofed him in the shoulder. "I say hay yeah, do it!"

"Indeed," Octavia nodded with a chuckle of joy. "Somepony once said to grab opportunity with both hooves. Besides, what're the odds of this chance coming up again?" She looked over at the two patiently waiting Unicorns. "But I'm rather curious as to the terms of this deal."

"Oh, they're nothing too terribly special," Ray waved a hoof dismissively. "Just come and meet our employer afterwards, thank him yourself if you want. It's by his good graces that you're being offered this gift, you know."

"Who's your employer?" Vinyl asked, suddenly a little hesistant.

"It doesn't matter unless he agrees to come see him," Jill spoke up. "So what'll it be, Volare? Flight and good health? Or be wheelchair-bound for who knows how much longer?"

"Those are the only terms?" Volare asked warily.

"The only immediate ones, yes," Ray replied. "And I say immediate because he may even be able to offer you purpose in this world; you know, a job, money, acceptance, all that kinda thing. It pays well," he tapped the bag of bits on his hip with a grin.

"Very well," Jill nodded with an equally large smile. "And your friends could obviously use the money and help around here," she glanced around at the well-worn building. "No offense."

"Oh, none taken, but I don't work here," Octavia shrugged, eyeing the siblings carefully before addressing Volare. "It's up to you."

"Heh, I still say do it," Vinyl slapped the tabletop with a grin. The pilot looked back and forth between the two musicians whom he'd promised to help, and the two Unicorns who were offering him the chance of a lifetime and he paused and closed his eyes...he was at a crossroads in life he'd likely never be able to return to.

"Could I come back here and help my friends?" Was all that Volare asked. "I've kinda promised them my assistance."

"Oh, I don't see why not," Ray replied. "I mean, you'll have working wings and the sky'll be the limit for ya again, eh?" he nudged Volare with an elbow. "So what's it gonna be? I know it's late and you're tired, so I'm not gonna bug ya for too much longer-"

But Volare had already decided.
"I'll do it," he confirmed with a soft strike of his good hoof on the arm of the chair. "What do I do?"

"Excellent!" Ray grinned and stood on one side of the wheelchair, with Jill on the other. "You just sit right there. Oh, you two at the table...you may wanna stand back for this."

"No kidding," Jill snickered. "Cuz this is always wild!" Octavia and Vinyl obediently hopped over the bench and stood on the other side of it, staying within eyesight of their friend. "Ready?"

"Ready! Oh, and Volare...this may sting a little," Ray replied, and the two Unicorns began to focus their power. Within a few moments, the candles around them began to flicker as everypony felt a breeze being pulled from every corner of the room towards the duo as twin points of light began to shine from their horns. Their eyes suddenly flashed white-green as two rope-like strands, one green and one white, slithered out from their horns and began to revolve around Volare.

"This is it, dude!" the DJ grinned and pumped her hoof.

"Good luck, Volare!" the cellist smiled encouragingly.

"What the hay is going on out here?!" Bon-Bon cried as she peeked out the kitchen door to see the two Unicorns who'd been drinking all night in the corner were now casting some sort of spell on Volare. The glowing strands that surrounded him began to tighten up their revolutions, spinning faster and faster as they did so, throwing off a mixture of pale green and brilliant white light. Just as the two-part spell converged, Lyra exited the kitchen and shouted above the loud humming being generated by the magic whirling around the Pegasus.

"Ray, Jill, what the hay are you doing?!"

Ray and Jill?! Oh no....no, you gotta be kidding me, NO! Volare's mind screamed as he caught a glimpse of the sibling's faces: they were contorted into the same hungry grins that he recognized back on the riverbank yesterday. It was a trick...it was all a damn trick! "AAAAAGH!!!!" Volare shouted in agony as the spells tightened around him and began to contact his fur, sending burning pain flying back and forth along every inch of his body as the green and white strands sank into him.
This isn't a healing spell! Holy shit, they're killing me! Volare, dammit, you knew this was too good to be true...shit, this is it...you're gonna die right here...right now...

The Pegasus cried out in pain once again and toppled out of the wheelchair, thrashing on the ground and trying to get away from the constricting noise, burning sensation, and whirling lights that swam in and out of his mind, but it was no use. As the rest of the spell disappeared entirely inside himself, he felt his body stiffen up for a moment, having the sensation of snakes and worms writhing beneath the surface of his skin and fur, especially so around the base of his crippled wing and broken leg, before he lost all feeling to his muscles, and he collapsed onto the floorboards, finally laying still and quiet. The only sounds he made were his labored breathing and soft, aching groans as he attempted to lift his head and face his attackers...but it was all he could do to open his eyes and simply stare at their hooves; he couldn't move a muscle! WTF?!

"What in the burning hay did you do to my friend, guys?!" Lyra demanded again as she galloped forward and stood over Volare, reaching down to lift him from the floor before Ray swatted her hoof away.

"No, don't touch him! The healing spells are working within him right now and if you interrupt the process, the shock could kill him!" he explained with a nervous growl that sent Lyra stumbling backwards, torn between his warning and simply wanting to make sure her friend was alright. "Trust me, just give him a minute or two and he'll be back to normal in"-

BANG-BANG-CRASH-KABLAM! Everypony looked up in fear and alarm as a blast of blue and red sparks smashed the front door open, leaving it leaning drunkenly on its single remaining hinge as the sudden gust of outside wind extinguished the majority of the candles within the restaurant, shrouding a good portion of it in semi-darkness as the door-smasher slowly climbed the porch stairs. Ray and Jill looked fearfully at each other as the hoofsteps approached ominously.
Clip-clop...clip-clop...clip-clop.
The streetlamp outside illuminated the sudden silhouette of a pony as she stood in the doorway and surveyed the building's interior for a moment. Her normally well-brushed mane was full of sticks and leaves, her pointy hat had been irreversibly soiled, and her cape was in tatters, but there was no mistaking the light-blue mare they belonged to as she stepped inside, her dark violet eyes burning with an unholy fury.
"Ray...Jill..." her strained voice snarled, almost completely concealing the conceited tone it usually carried. "I know you thieving little bastards are in here...so come out, before I really get pissed off!"

The Great and Powerful Trixie had arrived!

Notes: Hmmmm...this probably won't end well oO

Also, Special Thanks to all those that suggested music genres and songs! :)

Also, also...I believe that the terror of Cupcakes ain't got nothin' on Pinkie bursting out of your chest like a friggin Alien! oO

All credit to songs and pictures goes to their respective artists!<<<<

Prologue-Pt 1: Clear for Takeoff!

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong..."
-Murphy's Law

March 24th, 2012
NAS Kingsville, Texas
0700 hours

“Ah, good morning, flight team,” Captain Snow, veteran of the Second Gulf War and third year flight lead of The Blue Angels greeted cheerfully through his flight helmet mic. It was the first practice day of a new season; late March. The South Texas sky was nearly cloudless and the breeze was gently blowing in off the coast from the Southeast. The early morning sun gleamed off the bright blue and yellow paint of seven F/A-18 Hornet jets of the U.S. Navy. Perfect weather for flying! He looked down at his jet's gauges and at the HUD, nodding at each positive reading from his instruments before clicking his mic again. “Complete final check-in before commencement. Angel Number One ready.”

“Angel Number Three ready,” barked Lieutenant Bruce, a second year Angel pilot and Snow’s eventual replacement at the end of the season, as Angel pilots served a maximum term of three years before rotating out. Bruce was more than capable and loyal enough to take his place.

“Angel Number Two ready. Urgh, glad ya’ll can’t smell that bagel that ain’t agreeing with me,” joked Lieutenant Gentry, another second year and one of the most random people Snow had ever encountered. But he came highly recommended and once in the air he was all business.

“Stow the idiocy, Gentry,” snapped Lieutenant Junior Grade Cadence, a second year and the first female Angel pilot in their history. Some whispered she was only put there to satisfy the need for politically correct diversity, but Snow knew she was deadly in a jet, and took no guff off of anyone who thought they knew her otherwise. “Angel Four ready for takeoff.”

“Angel Five checking in,” Captain Babcock piped up. “Got a small hesitation in engine number two, but I think it’s just the morning cold is all. She’ll run fine once she’s warm.” Babcock was their oldest member, a veteran of the First Gulf War, and nearing his late forties. But his record was impeccable, and he knew jet engines like most Navy wonks never would. “Ah there we go.” Snow could practically hear Babcock’s smile over the radio as he blipped the throttle. “Angel Number Five is ready for takeoff!”

After a few long moments of silence, Cadence yelled into her mic, “Hey Volare! Wake up!” Her voice startled their newest recruit, Lieutenant Junior Grade Volare, out of his thoughts in the cockpit of Angel Number Six. He was a mere twenty-three years of age, but he had already acquired nearly eighteen hundred flight hours, absolutely determined to be accepted onto the squad he'd idolized since his youth. But despite his extensive hours, he was still young, and young minds tended to wander. But while some young minds wandered towards women, glory, or what-have-you, his wandered towards something rather unexpected.

He was almost embarrassed to admit it, but he was a closet brony in the Navy, and had been for some time now. He could only imagine the barbs that would be hurled at him if his peers discovered he watched My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, although he’d heard rumors that Cadence thought the show was amusing.

But it wasn’t really the show’s humor or good lessons that intrigued him. No, it was a certain group of ponies that got his attention: the Pegasi stunt group, The Wonderbolts, and their biggest fan and the most amazing flyer on the show, Rainbow Dash. He was quick to draw the comparisons between The Wonderbolts and the Blue Angels, and even quicker to see the similarities between Dash’s desire to join the stunt squad and his own wish to be part of The Blue Angels; something his own granddad had been part of in the sixties and his father had been a member of in the eighties. Flying was in his blood!

Well Dash, he thought to himself as the other pilots sounded off. Looks like I beat ya to the punch! Who’s awesome now? He patted his flight jacket where he'd sewn a small patch the shape of Dash's lightning bolt cutie mark into the inner lining. It seemed dorky as all hell, but it had given him an extra bit of confidence for a nearly a year now, and then some. Volare smiled at the thought before Cadence interrupted his little moment of pride.

“Er, um, sorry. Angel Number Six air-ready sirs… and ma’am,” he acknowledged the female Lieutenant as she’d demanded he do despite the fact that he was technically her superior-if not in rank than in flight hours.

“Boy, she’s got you whipped!” remarked Major Ernest, a third year squad member out of the Marine Corps and a real redneck smart ass if there ever was one.

“Hey watch it Ernest, or I’ll show you a thing or two,” Volare shot back at the Marine before Snow stopped the nonsense.

“Alright enough chatter! Ernest, are you ready to get this show on the road?”

“Ya mean in the air? Heh-heh yeah! Angel Seven ready to rock ‘n roll! Yeehaaww!” Everyone else rolled their eyes.

Snow tried to facepalm but realized the helmet visor was in the way. Ernest rivaled Gentry in weirdness, but he was a good ol’ boy so to speak, and loyal to his country to an almost scary degree. Snow would deal with him if the time came. Then again, if he was out by year’s end, then he’d be Bruce’s problem. Heh-heh, Ernest would probably learn a few manners the hard way then!

“Alright folks, I wanna take this nice and slow for Angel Six. It’s his first practice with us, and I don’t want you guys doing anything too crazy and wigging him out!” Snow started to drop the formalities a bit. It was probably a bad habit he admitted to himself, but it was something that happened the more the team bonded together.

“Don’t worry Volare,” Cadence cooed into her mic. “I’ll be nice and gentle for your first time,” she cackled loudly, giving Snow a thumbs up through the jet canopy. The other five pilots responded in kind, with Volare picking up on it last but following suit.

Heh, gonna miss this one of these days, Snow thought as he gave the ground control crew a thumbs up of his own. Guess I’ll just have to make this a season to remember!
“Ground Control, this is Flight Lead. My team is ready, over.”

“Roger, Flight Leader,” came the quick response from the control tower flanking the tarmac. “You are clear for takeoff. Give us a good practice over coffee, will ya? Over!”

“Will do!” he said, chuckling as he looked out at his team before turning the nose of his jet towards the end of the runway and touching the throttle, propelling the Hornet towards its destination with the atmosphere. “Follow me single file and we’ll meet at 10,000 feet. Volare, you studied the routine?”

“Yes sir!” Volare confirmed quickly. He was ready for this! He thought back to Dash right before her big race when she performed her first Sonic Rainboom and the determined face she made at the starting line. If it weren’t for the dark flight visor, the other pilots would have seen him making that same face right now; tongue in the corner of his mouth and all!

“Volare, get control! Oh shit! Pull up, Volare!” Snow barked, circling his plane as he helplessly watched Angel Number Six plummet to the ground, both engines flamed out.

Why, oh why, oh why did I have to get carried away?! Volare fought the stick, trying to pull the jet out of the death dive. How had things gone so wrong so fast?!

Everything had gone smoothly at first, and he'd executed his low transition pitch-up takeoff with perfect precision, keeping his landing gear extended and performing a "dirty roll" before retracting the gear, rolling twice more, and then joining the squad, who were hooting and hollering at him for being "too textbook and stiff." He took the jabs in stride, a huge grin on his face as Snow told them all to simmer down, that it was time to get down to business. Volare was told that for his first day to take it easy, and that although he'd studied the routine backwards and forwards, the Captain preferred for the new member to observe for a time and get used to the Hornet's sensitive, modified controls before really jumping into it. They didn't need any hot-dogging causing an accident.

But then, while flying solo on the port side of a diamond formation in observation, he could have sworn he saw something that very nearly blended in with the blue of the sky go streaking past a cloud to his left at a shallow downwards angle. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him until he saw it shoot out from the cloud and dive into another one.
“Flight Lead this is Angel Six, over!”

“Go ahead Six.”

“Sir, did you see that thing at seven o’clock low? It was hauling ass!”

“…please clarify, Six, over!”

“Sir, are there any other blue planes in the vicinity with air clearance at the moment, over?”

“I don’t have anything on my radar, Six, over!” Snow shook his head for a moment before his radio squawked in his ear again.

“Contact! Contact! Ten o’clock high!” Volare shouted as he spotted the small blue shape again go shooting upwards and around another cloud without emerging from the other side. Instantly, the combat instincts he'd honed for the past four years kicked in and took over. “Tally-ho on possible hostile. Angel Six in pursuit!”

Without asking for permission to engage, Volare tilted the nose of the jet up and shot after the object, despite Snow’s yells to cease and desist. Their Hornets were unarmed, but he’d at least get visual confirmation on whatever that thing was! Volare thought he had enough experience, but in the heat of the moment also forgot that Angel pilots don’t wear G-suits to prevent blackouts.* That was going to be part of today’s practice session, and he had no idea just how much his life would be affected by such a fast and foolish decision.

The shape shot out from behind the cloud and arced over his jet, trailing a colorful blur of a wash behind it. Volare tried to follow the object, but the flight path took his vision right into the sun. He shielded his eyes and cursed, looking around frantically for the object before realizing it was flying right above his canopy! Although it was silhouetted by the sun, Volare could tell it was too small to be a jet. Then it… waved at him? He swore it frickin waved at him before it shot off again and suddenly pulled an impossible maneuver, turning a perfect right angle in midair and zipped behind a cloud, as if daring the pilot to follow him.

“Don’t do it, Volare! The plane can’t take it!” Snow tried to warn, but it was no use. The hot-headed young pilot had his sights fixed and he was going for it! The kid was good and he'd read his record a dozen times before-hand, but the Captain still cursed himself for ever getting talked into letting this hot-shot on the squad. "Shit-fire you crazy son of a bitch!!"

As Volare attempted to whip a tight pursuit arc around the small cumulus cloud at over seven hundred miles per hour and follow the cyan shape, the G-forces of the turn caused him to black out for an instant. His nerveless arms fell forward onto the stick and throttle, slamming the intake shut. This stalled the engines and the plane began to plummet.

He came to moments later to the sounds of every alarm he could imagine in the jet blaring at him. His altimeter warning screeching at him made him realize he was nearly at five thousand feet! The voices of his teammates and commander faded into the roar of the wind as the young Lieutenant fought for control, reminding him of just how quickly things could go pear-shaped when a person left terra-firma. "Mayday! Mayday! Engines one and two are out! Control is nil-argh, dammit!" he cried into the mic as his eyes flicked from his instruments to the ground that was quickly filling his canopy, and back to the numb-feeling flight stick before him.

“Dammit rookie!” Cadence dove her jet after him, knowing that Snow would probably chew her ass for this. Why’d she have to be soft at the worst damn times?! She quickly reached the stricken plane and stayed on his wingtip, barking orders into her radio. “Volare, open that throttle up and give it fuel! Pull the hell up! Use your instincts! Get outta there!” She coached him as best as she could, but as her screaming warning lights told her, she soon had to pull out of the dive herself. Volare was on his own as she craned her neck to stare at the floundering jet with a sick, helpless feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sure the kid was a hot-shot, but nobody deserved it like this...

“Come on, come on, come on!” Volare pulled back on the stick, his shoulder shaking with the effort as he punched the throttle, dumping fuel into the engines, but only succeeded in flooding them, causing them to spew black smoke as he headed towards the ground. He could see that his current trajectory would take him straight into the middle of the airbase, killing who knows how many there. There was only one way to avoid it…

He made the decision without thought, and took his hand off the throttle and grabbed the stick in both hands. He heaved back on the stick to pull the nose away from the base and at least hit the hopefully empty field bordering its eastern perimeter. After a few agonizing moments, the Hornet's nose finally lifted more towards the horizon and out over the empty prairie and marshlands, but he was now too close to the ground to even think about gliding to a safe landing! He had one last option left.

“I screwed up…sorry guys...sorry Dash…” His hand trailed down to the bright yellow ejection seat ring and grasped it firmly. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, he yanked the ring, popping the canopy open… and then else nothing happened!
It was a malfunction at the worst possible time.

The howling wind tore away his briefly-uttered “Wha”- before his Hornet belly-flopped into the ground, bounced once, and then burst in a ball of fire and shredded metal. As the flames began to eat through his flight suit, he felt everything move in slow motion as his mind struggled to process his final milliseconds. He could tell if he lived there would be much pain to come from the flames, but he was going to die, so his mind didn't think about that. No, the only absurd thought his mind could conjure as the plane ricocheted back into the air was that of Rainbow Dash frowning at him with an almost apologetic look; almost like it was her fault that he was going to die.

There was a sudden ripping sensation about his shoulders, and then he then felt… nothing… no, more than nothing! He heard the wind whistling past his ears and felt himself being whisked away from the wreckage at a speed so fast he could hardly get his eyes to focus. A comforting voice was talking to him, but he couldn’t understand it. He thought he was peacefully going to heaven for a moment, but then he felt more. He felt the pain of the burns from the jet fuel all over his body. He sucked in a breath to scream, but was silenced by a muffled explosion and a sudden extra rush of cold air over his body, temporarily taking away the pain.

He tightly hugged whatever it was that was carrying him faster than he ever thought possible. It was comfortingly soft and smelled like rain. But the high altitude and lack of an abundance of oxygen was getting to him now, and he soon lost the struggle to remain conscious. Before his vision “pin-pointed” out, he saw that same bright patch of cyan, a brilliant prism flash of colors, and then peaceful darkness as the roar of the wind slowly faded away into silence.

"Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect..."
Margaret Mitchell

*Blue Angels pilots don’t wear G-suits due to the fact that they’d inflate and deflate too much during their maneuvers and interfere with their flight sticks. So they learn to tense their body muscles instead to prevent too much blood flow from the brain at once.

Author's Note

Because this story was originally begun as a one-shot, this first chapter, I admit, is a bit rough around the edges and full of inaccuracies. However, I'm slowly re-writing this opening chapter and if you'll just bear with me and continue to read, I think you'll find that the quality of the story improves drastically after this. Thanks for your patience and your willingness to embark on this journey of a story. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I've had writing it (and still AM writing it!)

The Hurricane-Pt 3: Meanwhile...

Notes: Ponyville Reference Map:
http://i938.photobucket.com/albums/ad221/9moviefan/PonyvilleMap.png

August 26th, Afternoon

“Ahh, feels good to get outta that old Library every once in a while, eh Twilight,” Spike announced as he strode down the path into Ponyville. “Twilight?” He turned to see his Unicorn friend plodding along slowly behind him; and as short as his little legs were, there was no excuse for her lagging this far behind. Something had to be on her mind because she kept looking back at the tree.
“Twilight, you ok?”

“Huh,” her assistant’s question snapped her out of her thoughts; she’d been thinking back over what Volare had told her of Earth and the humans. She had started out wanting to know so much…but now…did she really want to continue?
“Yeah, I’m good,” she shook her head and trotted quickly to catch up with Spike before hovering him up and onto her back. “Just thinking about what window to replace the broken one with, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh, we know which one to get because we’ve replaced that window twice,” Spike said, not quite convinced that was truly what was on her mind. "Once because of bad weather, and the other time because Rainbow Dash tried a Sonic Rainboom too close to town and it blew the window out,” Spike ticked off on his claws as they entered the town proper. “And now a third time because of the Blue Blunder back there. Heh, next time it breaks I say we board the sucker up”-

“He’s not a blunder!” Twilight cut in rather loudly, drawing the stares of multiple ponies out enjoying the afternoon in town. “Um, heh-heh…” she laughed weakly before trotting quickly towards the small hardware store in town, Mustang Hardware.
“For your information Spike, he’s got quite the brilliant mind. You should see the theories he and I have come up with since he’s been here.”

“Are you sure he’s not just going along with them because you have him trapped in your bedroom,” the dragon’s deadpan statement drew a few stares of its own. “What, you wanna hear the whole story? It’s hilarious-MMMPH!” A mortified Twilight magically clamped his jaws shut just in time as they entered the store.

“Spike, will you please not make me out to be some sort of lonely psycho?!” The Unicorn hissed angrily, not noticing the cloaked figure near her dissolve back into the throng of mildly-curious ponies.
“It’s nothing everypony; Spike ate too many apples and now he’s cranky and tired, that’s all.” She released his mouth experimentally as the hardware store manager Mr. Ferrum Smithshoe waved a hoof at her. The dragon wisely kept his mouth shut for the moment.

“Heya Twilight, long time, no see,” he gave her a bright smile. He’d been working the store for over 20 years, and seemed to be a world-wise, elderly Unicorn…though he preferred the term “upper-middle-aged.” His little store serviced all of Ponyville, providing services and products ranging from lumber, tools, nails, and even smithing horseshoes, an occupation handed down through generations and reflected in the family name. Likewise, located squarely on his flank was a cutie mark in the shape of a horseshoe being struck with a hammer.

“Afternoon, Mr. Smithshoe,” Twilight smiled sweetly to the dapple-grey stallion. “You’re looking grand today; how’s business treating you?”

“Aww Twilight, you always know how to make an old stallion feel like a colt again. And please, call me Ferrum,” he grinned, showcasing the missing tooth on the right side of his mouth which he claimed he’d lost in a fight with a Timberwolf years ago, but many ponies figured he’d simply knocked out in a household accident. Even so, he liked to brag about it every now and again with a grin that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. If there was anything like a town grandfather figure, Ferrum fit the bill nicely; as he’d “seen it all and done it all and knew everypony in between.”
“Business has been steady, thanks for asking. But enough about me, what brings you here? Didn’t break another window did ya?”

“…”
Spike nodded quietly behind her.

“That bad, eh? Well, come on, I know the one ya need,” he headed off along the glass aisle, trotting to the correct section without hesitation. He hovered a large pane of bluish glass from the shelf and grinned. “This the one, right?”

“Mhm, that’s correct.”

“Knew it,” he winked and headed back to the front counter. “Well, at the very least, I’m glad you’re keeping me in the window business, as bad as that might sound, heh-heh. Have to start givin’ ya a frequent customer discount in that department,” he had a good chuckle at her expense and sat the pane next to the counter.
“Ah, so what happened to it this time,” the Unicorn squinted at Spike. “Was it you, young feller?”

“Don’t look at me,” Spike waved his claws. “It was actually-” he caught the stern glance from Twilight, telling him to pick and choose his words carefully.
“Um, I think I’ll let Twilight tell this one.”

“Oh? Well, it couldn’t have been a tree this time, right? No storms lately for that,” Ferrum mused. “And Rainbow hasn’t done any Sonic Rainbooms lately…hrmph, I’m stumped. What happened?”

“Well, did you happen to see that blue and yellow Pegasus I was walking in town with yesterday,” Twilight asked.

“The one with the wacky-looking mane? Yep, I saw him,” he nodded. “Friend of yours? If so, some friend he is going around and busting out windows; they ain’t cheap, ya know!”

“Yes I know…and no, it’s nothing like that,” she quickly corrected him. “You see, he’s…well…he’s kinda new to the whole flying thing.”

“He looked pretty grown to me,” Ferrum objected. “He just never used his wings before or something?”

“You could say that,” she replied after a moment’s hesitation.

“Weird fella. So what happened? Oh it’ll be 80 bits for the window, by the way,” he popped open the register and scooped the money into it that Twilight dropped from her saddlebags.

“Well, he tried to match up against Rainbow Dash and he”-

“Um, did he know that he challenged the fastest Pegasus this side of Canterlot?” Ferrum cocked a bushy eyebrow and leaned against the counter.

“Yes, but it’s not like that…ugh, it’s complicated,” she hung her head. “Let’s just say she and him got into a little competition and he ended up crashing through my window.”

“Talk about bad luck.”

“You have no idea…his wing got torn off in the crash.”

“Oh…goddess,” Ferrum cursed softly, mumbling a few words under his breath. “Did he make it?”

“Yes, he’s recovering right now at my place; I reattached his wing myself and now we’re just waiting for him to get better.”

“Impressive; the surgery not the crash, mind you,” he gave her a nudge. “So, what you’re saying is…you’ve got a fella in your room that was foolish enough to challenge Rainbow Dash to a race, who crashed through your window and lost a wing, and now you’ve got him at your home...alone,” the grey Unicorn cracked a grin. "I'd say you've got yourself a right fine fish in a barrel there, but as bad luck as he is, ya might wanna throw that one back!"

“Mr. Smithshoe!!” Twilight chided him, but he only laughed softly.

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it, Twilight! You tell him ol’ Ferrum down at the hardware store wishes he gets well soon,” he gave her a soft smile that crinkled his eyes and opened the door for her. “Let me know if you need help installing the window; I may not be as young as I used to be, but I can at least offer ya moral support.”

“Yeah, and bark at us while we install the thing,” Spike groaned. “You young folks don’t know nothin’ about good, hard, honest work,” he mimicked Ferrum but only got a rough pat on the head from him.

“Hey, what else are old folks for,” he shrugged and laughed. “Good luck!”

“Thanks for the help, Ferrum…oh, I almost forgot,” Twilight stopped halfway out the door. “Do you have any mirrors?”

“Awww man, I’m sooooo bored,” Rainbow Dash moaned into the low-hanging cloud she was laying on. She had just finished up her weather duties for the day which merely consisted of moving the loose clouds out that formed over Ponyville, giving the townsfolk below a nice sunny day, just as planned. She had amused herself with bunching the clouds up to the west of town and kicking them to pieces, but had quickly tired of that.
She had then started to practice her Wonderbolts tryout maneuvers but quit halfway through. She knew them by heart and quite frankly, they’d become boring and repetitive, just like her daily routine. In fact, the only real excitement she’d gotten lately had been from the new guy, Volare. She’d enjoyed having someone just as reckless as her to compete with, although it had gotten him hurt and she’d nearly embarrassed herself by crying on him.
Hopefully he hadn’t noticed…
And now she had to wait for two whole weeks before she could even talk to him again!

“Man, what am I gonna do for two weeks without Volare to pick on,” she flopped over and looked up into a sky the same cyan shade as herself. Normally, she’d just let her mind wander into that great blue space, but for some reason, her mind seemed tethered today.
…feeling a little guilty perhaps?
Ugh, you again?
…can’t escape your conscience, Dashie.
What do you want?
…the question is: what do YOU want?
Why can’t my conscience just be up front about anything?
…aww Dashie, then where would the fun be in that?
Am I truly losing my mind here; playing mind games with myself?! She asked as she grabbed two hoof-fulls of cloud and stuffed them into her ears.
…I’d assume you are if you think clouds stuffed in the OUTSIDE of your ears will block out a voice on the INSIDE of your head.
“Oh fine, fine…so what is it do you think I want,” she asked out loud to the sky. “Cuz right now, I have no idea…”

“Hey Dashie,” a voice chirped from below the cloud. Dash poked her head down through the cloud to see Pinkie Pie standing there and waving her hoof with a grin. “Who’re you talking to up there?”

“Oh, just a little self-debate,” the Pegasus replied as she floated through the bottom of the cloud towards the ground. This might just be the savior from boredom I need!

“You talk to yourself,” Pinkie tilted her head to one side. “You loco in the coco or something?”

…hmm, maybe you’re nuts after all
Oh shut it!
“Nah, just bored out of my wits. How about you?”

“Meh, same,” Pinkie blew air through her lips in an exaggerated sigh. “Got through with work early at Sugarcube Corner. You?”

“Same.”

“Since when do you work at the Corner,” the pink mare gave her a quizzical look. “Is that you I hear up in the attic at night?”

“Um, Pinkie…” Dash looked at her friend with concern before the pink pony burst out into giggles.

“Nah, I know you don’t work there; you can’t cook for beans! Or simply cook beans for that matter,” she giggled and snorted, making Rainbow Dash roll her magenta eyes. “In any case, I’ll figure out what’s walking around up there at night one of these days. Anyways, you said you’re bored?”

“Yeah, ‘out of my mind’ bored,” she groaned and tossed her hooves in the air.
I swear if you say anything.
…my proverbial lips are sealed.
Thank you very much.

“Me too,” Pinkie sat down for a moment before jumping back up as if the ground had burned her flank. “I got an idea!”

“Oh, what is it,” Dash’s wings flared excitedly. If there was anypony that could liven the situation up, it was her random pink friend.

“When’s the last time we pranked anypony,” Pinkie’s blue eyes glinted.

“Hrmm…good question…and besides Fluttershy, who haven’t we pranked yet?”

“How about Volare-bear,” but Pinkie’s grin faded quickly as Dash shook her mane.

“Nah, we can’t do that; poor guy’s been through too much as it is, plus I promised Twilight I’d give him some space for a few weeks,” the Pegasus frowned sadly.

“Ah, I see,” Pinkie patted Dash on the back, noting how upset just talking about him made her. But this was a different type of upset than what she was used to seeing from Rainbow Dash; most of the time she was upset about losing a race or not making the Wonderbolts. But this time…she looked genuinely sorrowful.
“Dashie, you wanna tell me what’s really going on between you and Volare?”

“Whatcha mean,” Dash took a step away, immediately defensive.

“What I mean is…you may not show it too much, but I know you’re a caring pony. And you seem more upset than one usually would about something like this,” Pinkie picked her words carefully, knowing she’d touched some sort of nerve with Dash. The pink mare may have been a goofball, but she was fairly in tune with her friends’ emotions as well. “You sound almost like it was your fault or something.”

“But it’s all my fault!” Dash said quickly, before her ears drooped and her vision dropped to the dirt. “I mean…”

“But you kept his crash from becoming a splattered-to-goo-doozy of a crash!” Pinkie exclaimed, but it did nothing to bring a hint of a smile to Dash’s lips. She changed tactic. “Dashie, look…yeah, you messed up, but you didn’t run away. You stuck by him until help showed up. And then, um…what happened after that; I kinda left for the night,” she grinned sheepishly.

“Oh, heh, we stayed up reading some Daring Do because his wing hurt too much to sleep,” Dash finally smiled slightly. “I think I’ll make him a fan of her yet.”

“See, now why do you feel guilty? You saved him and then stayed up all night to comfort him,” Pinkie smiled brightly and thumped her lightly on the chest. “Now that’s the loyal Rainbow Dash I know, not this mopey-wopey pony you were just a second ago. So, tell me why you said it’s all your fault.”

“Pinkie, I,” Dash started to protest, but the Earth Pony gave her the big blue sad eyes…and her resolve faded. “Oh…fine…but Pinkie,” Dash looked and beckoned her friend closer. She complied a little too much, and Dash was soon speaking into her poofy pink mane. “Blech! Can you keep a secret; like the biggest secret I’ve ever told you?”

“You can count on me,” she replied with a salute that nearly tweaked Dash on the nose. “Oops, sorry.”

“Heh, it’s ok,” Dash smiled a bit cautiously. “I trust you, Pinkie…now look, this is what’s got me bothered…”

....................

Pinkie sat there for a long moment after Dash finished telling her everything, from being the cause of his plane crash, to finding the cutie mark patch in his jacket. She looked shocked, something Rainbow Dash never even considered to be possible. She waved a blue hoof in front of the pink mare’s face after she didn’t respond.
“Um, Pinkie…?”

“Wow, that is a jumbo secret,” Pinkie breathed and looked back up Dash. “I’ll keep this safe for you…” Dash let out a sigh of relief; although Twilight and Spike also knew what had happened, it still felt that much better to tell somepony what had happened.
“…but,” Pinkie’s statement interrupted Dash’s relief.

“Hrm, what’s wrong Pinkie?”

“It’s just,” she looked conflicted, and her blue eyes kept flicking from Dash to the ground, and left and right. “This is one of those secrets that really shouldn’t stay a secret for long.”

“Yeah, that’s why I had to tell you, Pinkie,” Dash assured her. “I’ve told Twilight too; heck she was there when it all went down.”

“But Dashie…the longer you keep this from Volare,” she hesitated again before continuing. “I got a bad feeling it’s only gonna get worse when he finds out.”

“Is your Pinkie Sense going off about this,” the Pegasus asked in worry, but the Earth Pony shook her head.

“No, at least not yet,” she looked up at Dash, trying to force a smile, but for once, she just couldn’t. “This really worries me, Dashie.”

“Pinkie…should I have not told you,” Dash asked, not worried that Pinkie would spill the beans, but that she’d strained her relationship with her fellow prankster…why couldn’t they just go do that to put this behind them!?
…maybe you should tell him, Dash.
Shut up, no, I won’t tell him; he'll hate me, dammit!!
…but if even Pinkie, the unofficial greatest keeper of Ponyville’s secrets is uncomfy with keeping this one-
No! No, no, no, no, it’ll be fine! You’ll see, so stop thinking about it, ok?!
…fine.
Good!

“It…it’ll be tougher than any secret I can remember keeping,” Pinkie finally replied, tipping her head up and giving Dash a small smile. “But I’ll do it for ya. Just remember what I said, Dashie.”

“Yeah, yeah, got it,” the Pegasus gave her friend a quick one-hoofed hug. “Thanks, Pinkie. You’re the best.”

“Aww shucks,” the pink mare giggled and brightened substantially. “So, if we can’t prank Volare…who haven’t we gotten in a long time?”

“Hmm,” Dash pondered, pushing the thoughts of the dark blue Pegasus aside for now. Her face lit up in nearly-evil glee a moment later. “How about…Rarity?”

“Oooh, good one,” Pinkie chortled. “Race ya to the Boutique?” Her tail waggled in excitement.

“Lookin’ to lose, I see,” Dash grinned, but her expression turned to bemusement as Pinkie sniggered again. “What?”

“Oh, it’s not a regular race,” Pinkie laughed at Dash’s puzzlement. “You gotta hop there on one hoof, and I’m the one-hoof-hopping race champ in Ponyville!”

“Well, that’s…random to say the least,” Dash chuckled, trying to balance on her back left hoof before nearly falling on her face. “But I’m game!”

“Ok! On your mark…get set…GO!” The two ponies took off hopping across town, crossing the market square and nearly smashing through a pane of blue tinted glass being hovered along by a purple Unicorn.

“What in Celestia was that,” Twilight’s head spun around, trying to see just what the heck had gone hopping past her and left nothing but a dust cloud in its wake.

“Looked like Pinkie and Dash running a…hopping race?” Spike scratched his spines and shrugged, shifting the small decorative mirror in his claws as he did so; the thing was framed in silver and was heavy! “Those two are nuts sometimes.”

“Heh, well at least they don’t seem to be too affected by the incident last night,” Twilight replied. Hopefully Volare is doing ok…oh what if he tried to use the bathroom and hurt himself going up the stairs?!

“Hey, Equestria to Twilight,” Spike snapped a claw in front of her muzzle. “You still there or should I try dialing again?”

“Ha ha, nah, I’m ok,” she replied and began trotting on her way towards the Library again, window pane in tow.

“You sure? You’ve just seemed really distracted ever since you quizzed Volare for like 6 hours today,” Spike mused. “Did humans end up not being as fascinating as you thought?”

“No, nothing like that, Spike,” she turned back to him. “But you were right; they are an extremely violent, if hardy species…I just figured if I got some input from someone at ground level I’d get a different opinion on the situation.”

“How bad is it?”

“A lot worse than we ever thought; I’ll have to compile my interview into a study on their planet sooner or later,” Twilight sighed. “And it’s not going to be going into the Comedy section of the Library either." More like the Tragedy section…

“You find out anything specific about Volare?” Spike asked as they hit the dirt path leading to the Tree.

“I almost did.”

“Almost,” Spike inquired with a suspicious squint.

“Yeah, he skimmed the duties of his job, but…he was reluctant to go into detail about what he’d done,” she frowned. “He even stated that the details weren’t classified here, but he still refused to talk about them…”

“Like he was afraid to remember them or something,” Spike offered.

“Yeah, exactly,” Twilight nodded. But he’d crashed twice in 48 hours, lost his body, and even faced dismemberment almost in stride…what in Celestia’s name could possibly spook a guy like that?

A rapid knock sounded on the wagon door, rousing the blue Unicorn inside from her slumber. “Who interrupts the Great and Powerful Trixie’s afternoon nap so rudely?!” She asked the door spitefully. “Speak quickly!”

“Oh Great and Powerful Trixie,” a stallion’s voice replied from the other side of the door. “I have a report on my findings of the day.” It was the voice of Ray, her cohort.

“Make it quick,” Trixie unlocked the door and opened it, allowing the pony inside. He shut the door behind him and tossed the grey cloak from his head, revealing his wild green mane and equally wild green eyes which quite nearly had a glint of madness in them. He was constantly grinning and he wore a broken watch on his left wrist, which only added to the façade of…“offness.”

“Oh my dear G&PT,” Ray kneeled bowed quickly, using the nickname that simultaneously amused and irritated Trixie. “I have news of the flight-challenged Pegasus from yesterday.”

“Oh?” Trixie turned most of her attention to him. Ray may give off the air of a nut too obsessed with his job, but that attention to detail and his unwavering hoof-kissing behavior were useful perks to her; unlike his sister who seemed to only be interested in mouthing off.
“Do tell, Ray. Here, sit down,” she motioned to the couch.

“Ah, thank you, Mistress,” he grinned wider than usual and plopped down on the silken couch, wriggling his tail into the cushions in a way that began to erode any respect that Trixie may have been fostering for him.

“Ahem, you were saying?”

“O-oh, yes, yes! I was just in the marketplace today when I overheard Twilight Sparkle and her pet dragon Spike talking about keeping that blue Pegasus trapped in her bedroom.”

“What in the…why,” Trixie’s eyes widened. Could Twilight have possibly bedded a stallion of her own, albeit in the kinkiest way possible? Hmm, the purple Unicorn didn’t strike her as one to be into those sorts of things…Interesting…

“I think they mentioned something about him crashing through a window and getting hurt.”

“Oh…”
Nevermind then…
“Then he’s either more helpless than ever now or she’s merely helping him recover…heh, I’ll bet it’s the latter. That little egghead has probably never even been with real stallion before..."

“Um, why does that matter,” Ray asked, a bit perturbed at her obsession with Twilight Sparkle’s behavior. “Do you and Twilight have a history or something?”

“What? No, nothing like that,” Trixie growled again, although she was thankful that he’d obviously not heard about the Ursa incident. “We…had an encounter in the past, and it ended badly, and let’s leave it at that.”

“Ooohh I see,” Ray nudged Trixie roughly. “One of those things, eh?” He waggled his eyebrows, chasing away the last bit of respect Trixie held for him at the moment. “What?”

“…Get the hell out! Out, out, out!!” She hustled the green-maned Unicorn out the door and stepped on something metallic in the process. “Oh Ray,” she cooed as she picked it up with her magic.

“Y-yes Mistress,” Ray turned, hopeful she was only joking before something smacked him in the muzzle and fell to the ground.

“Take your idiotic broken time piece and get back to work! And don’t come back until you know for sure why that blue Pegasus is in there! And why don’t you get his name as well, idiot!” She sneered.

The wagon door slammed shut, leaving Ray alone in the glade.
“Sheesh, what a weirdo,” he muttered as he picked up his watch and trotted back towards Ponyville where he had a room reserved at the local inn. “Wonder how my sis is doing…”

“Hit me again!” Jill slurred as she slammed the shot glass back down on the bar surface of the Gilded Griffon, liquor drops barely missing Lyra as they spattered every which way. The green-maned and cloaked Unicorn before her had already downed half a dozen hard cider shots and was begging for more. Normally, Lyra would have cut her off, but it had been the best business they’d had all day…and she knew Bon-Bon would be furious if she did…so…

“Coming right up,” Lyra smiled and refilled the glass, hovering the liquor bottle back under the bar and well out of the reach of the Unicorn who was barely holding herself up on the barstool.

“Ya know,” Jill mumbled as she held up the drink with her horn, nearly dropping it as she did so. Her vision swam before her. “For a couple of Green Freaks, you ain’t so bad-HIC!” She tossed the liquor back and swallowed before looking down into the empty glass again.
“Hey, you two,” she waved a hoof drunkenly. “Hit me…hit…me…again?”

She promptly fell off the barstool and passed out on the floor. Lyra sighed and shook her head, hovering the proper amount of bits from Jill’s saddlebags and depositing them in the register before helping Jill to her hooves.
“Come on you,” she huffed as she helped the Unicorn to the door with a combination of muscle and magic. “You got a ride coming?”
She sat Jill against the outside of the café, praying to Celestia that she didn’t puke on the sidewalk.

But the Unicorn only murmured something about “her brother” and a “hotel room.”
Quite frankly, Lyra didn’t want to know. She looked up in exasperation and spotted a similar Unicorn to Jill trotting back into town. He immediately recognized his sister propped up against the café and galloped on over.

“Oh gimme a break, sis,” Ray moaned as he hefted her onto his back. “Ugh, you gotta lose some weight.” He then looked at Lyra who was standing there with a rather helpless smile on her face.
“Thanks for well, taking care of her.”

“No problem,” Lyra nodded.

“Well um…guess I’ll get her to bed,” Ray grinned sheepishly. “Say, what was your name?”

“Lyra. Yours?”

“Ray, and this is Jill," he paused awkwardly. " Well, uh…see ya,” he waved a hoof and carried his sister off towards the hotel in the waning daylight. You know, I dunno why Trixie calls her a Green Freak; she’s not so bad…

Author's Note

Soo...I guess you could call this chapter meaningful filler? Oh and Ferrum is Latin for Iron, of which horseshoes used to be forged out of ^^
EDIT: changed a small bit that I thought sounded silly and out of place, even for Trixie

The Running-Pt 5: Royal Librarian Revelations

September 6th, Evening

“HAHAHAHAHa-hee-hee-hmm-hmm…hahaha, ahhh,” for nearly a minute, Twilight, Shining Armor, Cadance, and Princess Luna stood aghast at the sight of Princess Celestia, the most powerful Alicorn in Equestria, laughing till she cried. None of them were quite sure what to do, though Luna was prepared to slap some sense into her older sister in a magically metaphorical sense, when she finally calmed down enough to speak through her labored, hiccupping breaths.
“Ah-haha, I’m so terribly sorry for that,” Celestia finally managed to gasp out before she gave her eyes a final wipe and she sat up a little straighter, though her shoulders still continued to hitch slightly.

“P-princess?” Twilight managed to stammer before the white Alicorn quickly raised a hoof and cleared her throat.

“Ahem, a thousand pardons for my behavior just now,” the Sun Goddess said not unlike the manner in which a naughty child might apologize. One might even go so far as to say that she looked a little embarrassed for what she’d just done, though that might have simply been the flushed look one was likely to get after a laughing fit of that magnitude. “I must admit, I haven’t had a good chuckle like that in some time.”

“Auntie, this is no laughing matter!” Princess Cadance stomped her hoof lightly. To her surprise, Celestia shook her head softly.

“No, no, you’re right; it’s not, Cadance,” she gave a quick snort and an even more fierce shake of her head, her flowing mane filling the book fort for a moment before it too settled down along with its owner. “I was just so overwhelmed with emotion just now that I couldn’t help but express my mirth, that’s all.”

“Mirth?!” Twilight practically shouted, though Luna shot her a look, warning her to lower her voice. “What exactly is mirthful about this, Celestia?” she asked in a slightly more controlled manner, though only just.

“Indeed, you’ve got us all worried to death for Twilight’s friend here,” Shining Armor chimed in, setting himself slightly in front of his sister in a protective stance. But Celestia merely continued to smile softly before shaking her head once more and speaking again.

“You’ve all grown so much so fast,” she said with a musing, cryptic tone. “And I’m very proud to be a witness to that growth this evening.”

“Begging your pardon ma’am,” the Captain spoke up. “But huh?”

“Shining Armor,” she turned to him. “You’re here to support your sister in this endeavor, correct?”

“Yes ma’am, I am.”

“And you’d protect her,” she gave him a somewhat intimidating gaze. “…even from me?”

“Absolutely,” he nodded without the slightest hint of hesitation, causing Twilight’s heart to swell with pride for her brother.

“Even now, you stand your ground in protection of her, as do you, Cadance. You’ve learned that there are times when one must put aside the petty chain of command when the well-being of their loved ones is at stake.” She smiled at the growing realization on the Prince and Princess’ faces. “And for that, I’m proud of you.” Without missing a beat, she turned to Luna. “My dear sister.”

“Yes, Tia?” Luna asked, a little confused as to the sudden turn of events and change in tone of this conversation. But now that she thought about it, her sister’s candor hadn’t changed at all save her calming down after laughing.

“You’ve demonstrated your desire for fairness and the prevention of crimes such as unwarranted punishment this evening. You wouldn’t let the fact that your own sister might be the one guilty of such injustices deter you, and for that, I commend you,” she bowed gracefully and finally turned to Twilight, who was the most confused pony of all.

“Celestia, I don’t understand,” the Unicorn shook her head. Here she was, having just burst in and demanded that her own mentor not bring harm to her friend, and instead of being angry at such an intrusion and display of emotion, Celestia was…happy?!

“Twilight, I must admit,” Celestia’s smile grew a smidge. “That you acted very foolishly this evening. You’ve confronted me in possibly the most hard-headed manner possible, displaying little tact in your approach, and making demands of me that I’d normally completely dismiss as the ravings of a mad-pony who obviously didn’t care much for their own personal safety. Honestly, if you were any other pony, I might have blasted you to cinders by now.” With every word, Twilight’s heart dropped another slot until she was sure it was buried somewhere around her stomach. She could feel her face burning scarlet as she stared at the floor, blinking through the growing tears of embarrassment as she prepared for the harsh scolding for her behavior to continue.

“However,” Twilight’s ears pricked forward at the friendly tone of the word, and she chanced a peek up at the Sun Goddess, who was still smiling gently.
“The fact that you did all these things and risked your own safety for the sake of an innocent proves that you’ve matured beyond what I thought a pony your age would be capable. And that is why I couldn’t help but express my pride in your growth the way that I did.”

“So, you’re not mad at us?” Shining Armor chanced the inquiry, which was answered by a single shake of the Sun Goddess’ head. “Well, even if you’re not, that still leaves the issue of Volare’s fate in question.”

“Ah yes, about that,” Celestia actually blushed slightly as she spoke. “As proud as I am of your willingness to protect others, I’m afraid I’m going to have to burst your bubble somewhat.” The four who’d come to confront her all drew in a collective breath as they hung on every single one of Celestia’s next words.
“There wasn’t any real need to begin with.”

“Wait, what?!” Twilight blurted out. “B-but you said you wanted to discuss his fate!”

“Doesn’t mean it’s a bad one,” Celestia said calmly. “It seems you all worked yourself up just a little bit over this issue. But the truth of the matter is I had no intention of punishing Volare at all, especially so after I spoke with Shining Armor about him. I’m apparently very out of sorts with humans in general as well, so I decided the least I owed Volare was a sporting chance.”

Twilight stumbled back a step or two, stunned. Luna stepped forward in her stead. “This…this isn’t a jest, is it? You’re really not going to harm Volare?”

“Luna, you know I appreciate jokes and puns as much as any other pony, but in regards to one’s fate in my lands,” she leaned forward with a serious look. “I don’t play around about that.” She nodded at the look of relief that grew across all of their faces before Cadance spoke up.

“Then why the secrecy, Auntie? Why the need to draw this information out of my husband like that?” she asked, raising a very good point to which her three companions nodded.

Celestia visibly sighed before speaking. “I haven’t told this to anypony yet, and quite frankly it’s been eating at me ever since the wedding, but…” She looked around at the ponies that stood before her. To them, she didn’t seem to be the mightiest creature in the land. Far from it; in fact, she seemed very…distraught as she spoke, an emotion completely unlike anything they’d ever seen from her before.
“I confess that I’ve lost a bit of the faith I once had in myself in regards to keeping things safe, as well as the discernment of the truth. I mean, I couldn’t even tell the difference between my own niece and an imposter before it was too late…”

“Celestia, that wasn’t your fault-” Twilight began before the Princess cut her off.

“Yes it is, Twilight. I’m the one who’s supposed to be responsible for keeping my subjects safe, and I let that danger sneak right in under my damn fool nose,” she angrily slammed a hoof down on the book wall, nearly toppling it before sighing and regaining the composure she’d momentarily lost. She looked up from the books with an expression of guilt that tore at the Unicorn’s heartstrings. This was supposed to her mentor, strong and confident…not weak and remorseful and…just so damn vulnerable like this. In all honesty, Twilight was past the point of being mad at her; now she was just scared and wasn’t quite sure what she expected to hear…or whether she even wanted to hear it.

“My point is…I now rely on your advice more than ever in order to aid me in difficult decisions such as this one. I needed unbiased information from a third party that I trusted, and one who was unaware of my own feelings towards humans: your brother,” she glanced at him and gave him a small smile that was equal parts guilt and gratitude before continuing. “That unbiased information, untainted by emotion or the desire to defend an individual by hiding the whole truth caused me to have a change of heart for Volare’s presence here.”

The regal Alicorn idly stacked some books that had fallen off of the wall back into their places for a moment, if only to allow her words to sink in before she spoke again. “I will admit: I was at the very least planning on quarantining him for observation until I deemed him safe, although that was the worst I’d do, I swear,” she raised a hoof over her chest in punctuation. “But yours and your brother’s descriptions of him have convinced me otherwise. I’m very sorry if this little misunderstanding caused you to lose your faith in me, and for that I humbly beg your forgiveness.” Celestia bowed even more deeply than before, to the point that her crown seemed likely to fall off. Completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events, the four companions nervously pawed the ground and stared at anything but Celestia for an awkward stretch of silence before Princess Luna spoke.

“And I very graciously offer my you my forgiveness, sister,” the Moon Goddess decided that now wasn’t the time for formalities and walked under the little book fort gatehouse, embracing Celestia in a strong hug. “I just hope you can forgive us all yourself for acting so…hastily.”

“As I’ve said, there’s nothing to forgive, Luna,” she held her sister at arm’s length and smiled. “Though it was hasty, you all acted with good intentions, and I would expect nothing less of you all.” Cadance and Shining Armor bowed respectfully to their Princesses before they both felt a magical tug at their shoulders pulling them up and into Celestia’s embrace, leaving Twilight Sparkle alone outside the book fort.

“Even though you say there’s nothing to forgive, ma’am, with all due respect, I-” Shining Armor began to say before Celestia shooshed him.

“Captain, I believe that when a Princess had dispensed with formalities to the point that she’s embraced you in a hug, it would only be prudent if you did the same; if only for a moment,” Celestia gave him a short wink and a chuckle as Cadance elbowed her husband in the ribs. The Sun Goddess looked past her Captain’s shoulder and saw Twilight still standing outside, alone and looking very mortified at having very nearly started a brawl of epic proportions in the Canterlot Library, all because she had overreacted! As the Unicorn began to waver in her resolve to stand there rather than run out of the room and scream and hide her face in sheer embarrassment, Celestia quickly released the three in her embrace and looked at them in turn.

“Now then, Luna, I believe you have a moon to attend to,” she eyed the white orb hanging above them through the Library skylight. “And Captain, Cadance I believe you have some well-earned sleep to get. As for me, I still have a little unfinished business here with a certain Unicorn.” They caught her drift and her nod in Twilight’s direction and quickly bowed respectively before filing out of the book fort. Cadance was the first to approach the heavily blushing Librarian.

“Please don’t be embarrassed, Twilight,” she gave her a quick hug. “There’s nothing wrong with sticking up for your friends.”

“Yes, but only if there’s a good reason,” the Unicorn muttered and hid under her forelock.

“The point is, you believed there was a good reason, Twiley,” Shining Armor gave her a hug of his own. “And any wrong you think you committed here is already forgiven, so chin up, ok?”

“Indeed,” Luna smiled and lifted Twilight’s face to meet hers. “We accomplished what we came here to do, regardless of how it happened. Your friend Volare is safe, and is going to get the help he needs. But it is you that Celestia called here to speak with in that regard, not us, so we must take our leave.” Luna surprised Twilight by giving her a powerful hug of her own.

“Heh-heh, thanks for backing me up, you guys,” Twilight grunted from between the Moon Goddess’ hooves. “But Luna, you may wanna work on your hugs; they’re kinda crushing.” Chuckling softly, Cadance and Shining Armor left the Library, quickly followed by Luna who gave Twilight and her sister one last short bow of respect before shutting the front doors behind her…though she had to jiggle the door handles that Twilight had loosened in her initial entry before they’d click shut completely, leaving Twilight and Celestia alone in the vast, empty building.

The silence between them was palpable and broken only by the rhythmic ticking of a clock somewhere deep in the bowels of the structure and the occasional flutter of papers by a stray breeze that managed to sneak under the doors. For a moment, Celestia wondered if her student was going to be alright before she spoke up. “Celestia…I-I’m sorry I doubted you…”

“Twilight, if anypony here needs to be sorry, it’s me for not being frank with you in the first place,” the Princess insisted. “My back-hoofed attempts at gathering information warranted such a reaction at the very least, I can assure you. In fact, it’s something I really should have thought a bit more about in hindsight, considering who it was that I was trying to sneak around…Detective Sparkle,” she gave her student a knowing smile, referencing the Friendship Express Mystery that Twilight had solved practically single-hoofed.

“Even so,” Twilight looked Celestia in the face as she tried to explain. “Ever since the wedding, I’ve felt a little…off. And then all of a sudden, this poor guy dropped into my life and although it was because he was hurt, we spent a few days just talking together, something no stallion had ever done for me, and…ugh, maybe it’s motherly instinct, or hormones, or something, but I’ve just been”-

“Shh, it’s alright, Twilight,” Celestia smiled and beckoned her closer. When the Unicorn had awkwardly stumbled within reach, the Princess brought her into a gentle and calming embrace. “There’s no need to explain; I think I understand. I might be a few centuries removed from such things, but it’s something all young mares go through at some point in their lives.”

“Could you please tell me what it is exactly so it’ll stop causing me to act this way?” Twilight pleaded, looking up through the Princess’ wing feathers hopefully, but only receiving a smile and a pat on the head that made her feel much too young yet again.

“Unfortunately, that’s not something I believe is my place to influence your decision in. That’s something you’re going to have to come to grips with yourself, my student,” Celestia smiled and pre-empted Twilight before she could press the subject further, releasing her and bidding her to sit down next to her, much as they had done three nights previous. “Now then, back on the subject of which I originally called you hear to speak about…I’d like to know more about what you’ve been holding back on in order to protect your friend Volare.”

“I thought Shining Armor told you everything,” Twilight replied as she took a seat despite herself.

“Well, he told me a lot, but he’s not exactly the most detailed-oriented pony in non-military issues; you know how stallions can be,” Celestia winked and Twilight giggled. “Sometimes it takes a mare’s touch to really get to know about something. Plus, I believe you spoke about a few more theories that Volare helped you to establish; Shining Armor didn’t mention those at all nor did he mention any solid information about the human race itself. Seeing as how I’m apparently out of sorts in regards to their current culture, I’d like to know more about them as well.”

“Really?” Twilight mused. “I mean, are you sure? That’s kinda a lot of information to sort through,” she tapped her hooves together. “Besides, I’m really kinda here about helping to get his wing fixed…did he speak about that?”

“He mentioned it in passing, yes,” Celestia nodded. “But again, not enough detail for me to really help much. The point I’m trying to make is that I’d love to help where I can, but in order to do so, I’m going to need to know exactly what, or rather who, I’m dealing with here. I’ve got a good portion of the night freed up here and if need be, I can speak with you tomorrow as well.” She suddenly placed her hoof on Twilight’s and looked her square in the eye. “And I swear on my crown that no information you give me is going to lead to Volare coming to any harm. I just want to know more about him and where he came from so I can better offer my aid. I promise, Twilight.”

The longer the Unicorn looked into her mentor’s smiling face, the more her uncertainties melted away until she too was smiling just as widely. Celestia had no reason to lie, she surmised, and she seemed to genuinely want to help Volare, if only because she felt a little guilty for jumping to conclusions a bit herself. Twilight finally nodded her consent and opened her saddlebag. “I believe you, Celestia,” she said as she pulled out the now well-worn stack of quill-written notes. “But where do you want to start?”

“I believe that in order to better understand your subject, it’s often best to start at the beginning,” the Alicorn replied with the air of a professor teaching her pupil, but her answer made the scholarly librarian grimace a bit. “Is something the matter, Twilight?”

“Well, you see…I asked Volare the same question about humanity when we first started this little foray…wait, did Shining Armor tell you why we began the study in the first place?”

“No, he actually didn’t mention that,” Celestia leaned forward slightly. “What happened?”

“Well, Volare was actually badly injured enough that he was bed-ridden for a number of days, so instead of him just lying there bored out of his mind, we did this little study to kill time,” Twilight replied, thanking whatever powers that were that her brother had been mature enough not to make light of her having a semi-helpless stallion in her guest bed, completely at her mercy, for four days…and a damn good thing she didn’t mention Volare running out of the shower to help her because he though she’d set the bedroom on fire as she disposed of the bedsheets his wound had sullied. The sight of him as the sun caught his glistening fur hadn’t exactly been unwelcome…

Twilight mentally slapped herself and got back on point, doing her best to ignore her suddenly hammering heart and praying that Celestia didn’t somehow detect it. Amazing the myriad of emotions a pony could run through in a mere instant! “Ahem, sorry…the first thing I asked him about pertained to humanity’s origins, and his explanation was to the effect of humans having near-limitless theories as to their origins, from divine creation to evolution; he said he wasn’t comfortable speculating about something like that, so we moved on.”

“It’s quite understandable,” Celestia nodded. “I believe anypony of decent character wouldn’t chance putting their hoof in their mouth on subjects they didn’t have a clear answer for either. In fact, I’d wager a guess that neither of us knows the true origin of our own particular species, correct?”

“Yes, I actually told him that myself,” her student replied matter-of-factly.

“I suppose that makes you a pony of decent character,” Celestia winked. “But I think we both knew that already, eh?”

“Sooo…does that mean you think Volare is of decent character?” Twilight tilted her head with a smirk, to which Celestia chuckled.

“He seems decent, I’ll give him that so far. Where did you go from there?” Twilight then went on to describe, in as much detail as she could from what Volare had spoken on, how she and Volare had swapped information about their own respective countries and how they’d come to be. While Equestria did have a bit of a turbulent past, it paled in comparison to the formation of Volare’s country, The United States of America, which seemed to be born from battle and constantly involved in some sort of conflict or another. She also described how the population crisis on Earth and how the human race had nearly multiplied to the point of eating itself out of house and home, so to speak.

“Well, now you know of one of my reservations of the humans finding their way here,” Celestia frowned. “They can stand as one and fight like nothing I’ve ever seen, but at the same time they lack common sense in some of the simplest things such as the management of their own food supply.”

“However,” Twilight raised a hoof. “According to Volare, they are making an effort to raise awareness to the growing crisis…there’s just so many that it’s hard to get the to message to all of them.”

“Well, that’s certainly a step in the right direction,” the Alicorn princess sighed. “Hopefully they can get it together before it’s too late…” Despite the grim situation, the princess couldn’t help but smile inwardly in disbelief. Within just a few sentences of discussion of the humans’ current predicament on Earth, she was already feeling sorry for them…maybe even rooting for them to pull themselves out of the fire they’d set upon themselves; something she never thought she’d ever feel about them.

“Indeed; the one thing humans certainly have an abundance of is the potential for flexibility and change,” the Unicorn mused out loud, to which Celestia agreed. The princess wasn’t nearly convinced that humans were as benevolent of a species as her ponies, but still…her opinion of them was changing the longer they spoke on them. The two continued on for a while longer about the humans’ multiple problems, from political, to environmental, and everywhere in between that did nothing but demonstrate at the very least their ability to adapt. The political situation worried Celestia the most for it still demonstrated that even the most-educated humans could still display a wanton desire to destroy and dominate.

Still, according to Twilight’s description, the majority of humans seemed to simply be trying to do what they could with what they were given without the intent of destroying themselves (though they might certainly be unintentionally headed down that path all the same)…and that led right back to simply educating the masses about what was good and bad for their own continued existence. It certainly made the Sun Goddess further appreciate the fact that most ponies were decently educated and brought up in a way that would be the most beneficial to their survival.
Knowledge is power…how true that lesson rings when one sees what the lack of it can cause, she thought to herself. Soon though, Celestia grew curious about the planet she’d known of for so long but knew almost nothing about.

“Did you speak at length about the Earth itself?” Celestia asked after Twilight reached the end of that particular section of notes.

“We touched on it a bit, though I didn’t ask him too terribly many questions about it,” the Unicorn shuffled through her papers until she reached the correct section.

“You weren’t curious about it?” Celestia queried with a knowing look on her face.

“Well, no, not at the time,” Twilight’s ears fell slightly. “I take it you know why?”

“Shining Armor mentioned you were sending somepony to Earth via that transportation spell we touched on during our last conversation,” Celestia explained, though she also grimaced slightly at how horrid of a taste that little meeting had left in her own mouth, to say nothing of how badly it must have made her student feel. “Twilight, I feel I must apologize as to how harshly I responded to your mention of that spell when last we met.”

“No Celestia, it’s fine,” the Librarian shook her mane, though she shuffled her notes with more than a hint of discomfort at the recent memory. “You were simply looking out for my well-being…I realize that now. Thank you.”

“Still, I just regret that I didn’t handle the situation more gracefully,” the Alicorn blew air through her pursed lips in a long sigh before giving her student a sheepish sidelong smile. “Hindsight truly is 20/20, eh?”

“Heh, indeed,” Twilight chuckled lightly. “But as long as we see our errors for what they are, we then have a good chance at rectifying them in the future.”

“You learn well, my faithful student,” the Princess nodded.

“You toot your horn well, too,” Twilight smirked as Celestia swatted at her with her long tail.

“Scratch that; you learn a little too well,” the Alicorn jabbed back with raised brow and smirk upon her own lips, simply glad that the tension that mere minutes ago had so permeated the atmosphere between herself and Twilight had all but evaporated into the comfortable and easy-going exchange she always enjoyed with her student. “Ah well, where were we?”

“We were talking about the pony I’d been sending to Earth to gather information on the humans and their planet from afar. Well, more like she volunteered once she got wind that I needed help.”

“Ah yes, well…I’m going to take a wild guess and say it was Rainbow Dash you’d been sending there?”

“Heh, good guess,” Twilight chuckled. “What tipped you off?”

“What other pony would so selflessly go to a new and potentially dangerous planet in her friend’s stead?”

“True, true,” the Unicorn said, still in wonder of Dash’s unceasing ability to laugh in the face of the unknown and dive right in with hardly a second thought. Reckless? Yes. Brash? She swore that if she had a middle name it would be that word. Brave? Absolutely. She went on to describe how Dash had actually been returning to Earth again and again not because she enjoyed gathering information for Twilight. No, that mission had been placed squarely in the backseat. Dash had finally admitted that she enjoyed racing the humans’ military jets, as nothing back in Equestria offered the challenge they did.

Celestia face-hoofed and groaned audibly. “Ah, Rainbow Dash, you fool-hearty Pegasus. Shining Armor did explain how that led to Volare literally being in the shape he’s in, though; speaking of which, I’ll need to talk with you about the specifics of that situation as well. I can’t blame you for what Rainbow Dash caused, but I certainly don’t condone such reckless behavior. That damn hindsight continues to creep up on one, doesn’t it?” the Princess chuckled grimly, though Twilight merely nodded.
“Gah, Twilight, does it make me sound like a bad Princess if I say that I’m not entirely sad about what happened to Volare, for without him, we wouldn’t be learning so much about humans?”

“I felt the exact same way throughout my entire study, Celestia,” her student sighed. “On the one hoof, I was learning so much, but on the other…well, it was nearly at the cost of Volare’s life. And that’s another reason why I defended him so strongly.”

“Hrm?”

“Because he’d already been through so much in such a short time,” Twilight stared intently at her notes. “To have yet another bad thing happen to him like that…I dunno if he could have taken it or not, but I couldn’t have…it wouldn’t have been fair.”

“I understand, Twilight,” the Sun Goddess placed her hoof on the Unicorn’s lavender shoulder, brushing aside the violet forelock she hid beneath and raising her face to meet her own. “Stop being so hard on yourself for doing the right thing, alright?”

“Ok,” she nodded and wiped her nose before turning back to her notes yet again. “So yeah, anyway…”

“You and me and our tangents,” Celestia chortled softly along with her student. “Back on the subject of Rainbow Dash coming and going to Earth! If I might be so bold, I’d make the deduction that her multiple trips means that the planet is compatible with pony life, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right, though she did mention that certain parts of the planet have air that doesn’t have enough oxygen for her to breathe and continue to fly at top speead,” Twilight replied, remembering the theory about Pegasi lungs that she and Volare had developed. “But for the most part, I’d say yes, it’s safe to say that it’s compatible for us.”

“What about their day and night cycle? How do they raise and lower their own sun and moon?” Celestia jerked back slightly in confusion as Twilight stifled a giggle with her hoof. “What, was it something I said?” She looked about at the books that surrounded them, as if pleading for an explanation of the joke, but receiving none from the silent tomes.

“Oh, no, no, no, it’s not that,” Twilight regained her composure and turned back to her notes. “It’s just that I’m looking at it from Volare’s point of view here. On Earth, they don’t raise their sun and moon. In fact, they don’t actually rise and fall at all. The moon naturally orbits the Earth due to gravity while the planet itself rotates, giving the appearance of a rising and setting moon. The same situation applies for the sun in regards to the rising and falling appearance, though Earth orbits it from over millions of miles away due to that star’s massive gravity of its own.” She looked up from her paperwork and this time failed to suppress a laugh at the shocked expression plastered on Celestia’s face.

“That’s…that’s just…”

“I know, I said almost the same thing,” Twilight smiled and patted Celestia’s hoof, realizing just how humorous the situation must look. Then again, what she’d said was tantamount to blasphemy on their own world, so she could understand the Princess’ reaction to such a new concept actually existing somewhere after all. “But, because of Volare’s explanation of Earth’s rotation, that allowed me to understand how the weather there works compared to our own.”

“How’s it different from here?”

“Well, the rotation creates convection currents, jet streams, and wind which push the clouds of the planet along into naturally-occurring weather formations, from rain to large, rotating storms. In short, without that rotation they call the Coriolis Effect, they’d have no weather.” She flipped over the page and came to one completely covered in excited ink blotches and scribbles. “And that is what leads me to my next theory, Celestia.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” She leaned forward, playing the part of the curious student in an amusing role reversal of sorts.

“Well, I’d always wondered how our weather around Equestria was created, but I’d never had any real time to devote to that study nor did I ever have anything besides our planet to compare it to,” Twilight began, spreading the parchments out on the ground before her, her eyes leaping back and forth between them in anticipation of her presentation.

“Well, that’s easy Twilight,” Celestia replied. “Our weather is created by the Pegasi and always has been, while I and Luna raise and lower the sun and moon.”

“That’s correct, but why?” Twilight pointed a hoof at Celestia as she queried rhetorically. “Why do we have to do things this way? And don’t say ‘it’s always been that way’ because it has to have a reason why it’s done this way. And so, over time, I developed a hypothesis as to why, but because of my lack of data spread, I couldn’t really go much further than that.”

“And that hypothesis is?”

“That our planet either rotates so slowly that wind currents and weather cannot exist naturally as they do on Earth, or that it doesn’t rotate at all; either way would explain the necessity to raise and lower the moon magically in order to create uniform warmth and convection currents, as well as the need for the magical creation and control of weather by the Pegasi in order for life to exist here,” Twilight grinned. “And you know what proves my theory? The lack of large storms here on our planet, for without that Coriolis Effect here, they cannot naturally exist except through the massive collaboration of Pegasi.”

Celestia’s face progressed through several emotions rather quickly at the hearing of this. From confusion at such a new concept, to understanding as she realized all the facts firt together correctly, and finally to that same sort of pride she’d felt for her student’s actions earlier in the evening. She smiled and riffled through the notes herself for a moment, nodding and confirming multiple equations that Twilight had scribbled down before setting them back down again and looking at her student intently. The Unicorn was on the cusp of a breakthrough in science, but unfortunately, it was her duty as her mentor to point out the problem with her theory. The Sun Goddess weighed her options for a moment before deciding on a course of action: although she’d rather not reveal such information so quickly and to one so young and eager to go and investigate it herself, she felt the need to help her student now took precedence over any long-shot issues this information might cause later.

“This is a very perceptive theory, Twilight, and I commend you for such a strong effort in this field, as well as Volare for aiding you in the formation of it,” Celestia began. “But, however, I feel I must point out a rather fatal flaw in your theory before it causes you embarrassment down the road if you decide to take it to a more serious level.” The scholar tilted her head in bemusement, a feeling of dread and upcoming disappointment growing in her stomach.

“W-what’s wrong with it, Celestia? I’ve double and triple-checked my facts and figures and it all leads back again and again to the same conclusion,” she snatched the notes up and skimmed the quickly. “Where did I go wrong?”

“Whenever did you come to the conclusion that our planet conforms to the same rules as Earth?” Celestia asked with a serious expression; all evidence of her joking around in the slightest having suddenly fled her face.

“W-what do you mean?” Twilight stuttered, feeling her confidence for her theory cracking.

“Think about it,” Celestia gestured to her notes. “Your entire theory hinges on the assumption that our planet is just like Earth. But how do you know it is?”

“I…” Twilight wracked her brains for everything she’d ever been taught about their planet, but in all honesty, it had only just been glossed over in magic kindergarten and never really mentioned again; learning about the planet beneath their hooves was for Earth Ponies, not Unicorns who were brought up know all there was to know about magic and the management thereof. The lavender Librarian had always been so engrossed with learning what lay beyond their world that she’d taken for granted her studies on the very ground she walked upon daily…in short, she had to admit that she knew very little about her own planet in comparison to other subjects. Her confidence in the theory shattered into a billion particles. “…I don’t…I was simply using the scientific method to form my theory, but without solid data, that theory is worthless!” She threw her papers down in a heap and hung her head sadly. Here she was thinking that she was going to impress her mentor with yet a new discovery, but yet again, she’d been shot down by the ancient princess. She’d known of the transportation spell and she’d just torched her weather hypothesis before it could even get off the ground!

“Now, chin up, Twilight,” Celestia nudged her student and plucked the notes off the floor. “You followed the method as admirably as you could, but we’re not just going to leave your theory here to die.”

“We’re not?” she looked up in surprise.

“No, what kinda of teacher would I be if I simply let my students fail without showing them how to succeed?” Twilight’s frown was quickly replaced with a hopeful look. “I’m going to show you where your process went awry; now come look.” She levitated the notes before the duo and turned to the parchment floating furthest to the left. “Let’s start at the beginning of the method. It all begins with a question, correct?”

“Yes, in this case, “how does the weather on our planet work?””

“And what does that lead to?”

“That leads to data gathering, which is then used to form a hypothesis,” Twilight replied in turn.

“And that is?”

“That the weather here doesn’t behave like on Earth because the planet doesn’t rotate, hence you and Luna having to raise the moon and sun yourselves.”

“Ah, see, I believe that’s where you went wrong,” the Princess pointed a slim white hoof at the offending document.

“How so?”

“You gathered data alright; and a good amount of it to say the least,” she chuckled. “But it was data gathered on Earth. How much data did you gather on your own planet?”

“I-oh…” Twilight quickly saw her error and face-hoofed. “Argh, how could I have been so sloppy?!” Despite her little outburst, Celestia continued to smile softly.

“It’s not a bad theory at all, trust me. But you’re trying to apply rules you hardly understand to a place that they may not even exist in,” she then turned to the paper that diagramed the Earth’s convection currents as described by Volare. “For example, your theory is based on Earth weather which plays by Earth-rules, so to speak. These rules state that weather exists there because of the convection currents caused by a rotating, round planet…Twilight, the problem is: why’d you assume that our planet is round and therefore plays by the same rules?”

The gravity of what the Princess just said hit Twilight like a ton of bricks and she recoiled into a completely upright sitting position, unable to stop herself from running calculations upon calculations through her head upon the revelation of such a possibility as their planet not being a uniformly round shape like other planets…well, the only other planet she’d personally researched. Twilight you foal, you assumed they were all the same based on such a small data set…that makes you no better than Celestia assuming that all humans are the same based on her own personal, and therefore relatively small, experiences. “What…how…wow,” she muttered, shaking her head slowly and trying to focus on the notes floating before her. Her vision began to darken…she was going to faint!

“It’s ok to use your words, Twilight,” Celestia said softly as she quickly conjured up a paper fan and cooled her student’s brow with it until the lavender Unicorn raised a hoof in silent appreciation.

“I’m good, I’m good…sorry,” she shook her head once more and refocused, clearing her throat loudly before turning back to her mentor. “But I…I just could have sworn there were records clearly stating that our planet is round!”

“Name one,” Celestia said calmly. It wasn’t an order per-se, but neither was it an optional request. A small, shrewd smile graced her lips as she waited for her student to respond.

“Uhhhh…oh, I know!” Twilight brightened. “There are accounts by Smart Cookie herself that Chancellor Puddinghead stated that the planet is round!”

“Heh, yes she did,” Celestia chuckled at the recollection of Pinkie Pie’s spot-on interpretation of the scatter-brained Chancellor during last year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve play. “However, she wasn’t talking about our planet. I believe her exact words were: “The Earth is round; there is no up or down.” And Twilight…are we on Earth?”

“Uh-but…no,” Twilight’s ears drooped in confusion. “But how could there be a record of that? How could she even be aware of Earth!?”

“I’ll explain that all in due time, I assure you,” Celestia assured her. “But the fact of the matter still stands in what she said: that the Earth is round.”

“Oh, horseapples, fine!” Twilight snorted in frustration at Celestia’s continued cryptic answers. “Ok, if we’re obviously not on Earth, and therefore I can’t rely on such a theory, I’ll start on a new one by asking what is the shape of our planet?”

“Now, isn’t that the million-bit question,” Celestia chortled. “But the answer is right in front of you, Twilight Sparkle. Or should I say, all around you,” she gestured at the Canterlot Library’s massive array of shelves upon shelves of books.

“Well, how come I’ve never found any information on it before?” Twilight protested, still not quite able to believe what was transpiring even as she spoke.

“Well, have you ever had a reason to search for it?” Celestia asked matter-of-factly. “Hard to find what you’re not looking for, Twilight.”

“Touche,” the Unicorn muttered. “So where do I look?”

“As our time is somewhat limited,” the Sun Goddess chanced a glance at the moon through the skylight. “I’ll spare you the trouble.” She closed her eyes and golden aura enveloped her horn as she mentally searched the aisles she’d walked so many times over the years. “Aha, there we go,” she tittered as she spied in her mind’s eye a large book high, high up on a shelf lining the eastern wall of the building. She levitated the book down from its perch and mentally guided it over to the book fort, finally opening her eyes when the book cleared the makeshift walls. She gently lowered the leather-bound tome to the ground before them and cracked open the pages, searching for a few moments before finding what she was looking for.

“Does this look familiar?” she asked as she fully opened the large volume to reveal a large and very detailed map hoof-drawn with great care upon the slightly yellow pages.*

“Yes, I think…” Twilight quickly spied the country of Equestria towards the eastern side of the map. But the rest of the countries were almost completely unfamiliar to her, she never having reason to travel to such far-off places and therefore never having a reason to study them, having been too caught up in other research to allow her such travel anyway. Simply put; she'd labeled it a distraction and therefore put it out of her mind. She actually thought it rather ironic that she had a home-made globe of the Earth in her Library and no real maps of her own planet outside of Equestria itself in her possession. Twilight, you're a real homebody, even when you don't mean to be...ugh. “I mean, I recognize Equestria, but the rest of these countries, only in name...and even then, barely."

“This is a map of our entire world, Twilight” Celestia explained. “West to East and North to South.” But after a few more moments of wide-eyed viewing, Twilight returned to the task at hoof.

“But Celestia, how does this help me determine the shape of the planet?” the Unicorn demanded. “This map is good and all, but it’s printed on a piece of paper, and that’s bound to distort the shape of the landscape and continents anyway.”

“Yes…yes, it is,” Celestia mused quietly, doing her best to hide her disappointment for now as she idly flipped the page back and forth with her hoof. It’s almost as if half the map is missing…oh well, she’s young yet. She’ll get it; and knowing Twilight, it’ll be sooner rather than later…

“You make a good point, Twilight Sparkle” she finally spoke up, pulling her student’s attention up from the map as she shut the book with a dull THUMP. “Therefore, that is exactly what I want you to study up on in your spare time.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully before an idea formed in her head. “Aha, I know! Since it’s partially yours and Volare’s theory, bring him back here too when you get the chance. It’ll both give me a chance to meet him and you could both learn more about our own planet while working on perfecting your theory.”

Twilight looked past the friendly expression and squinted at her teacher in a mildly suspicious fashion. “You know something we don’t, don’t you?”

“Only what it is my business to know, my faithful student,” she masterfully deflected the question with a disarming smile. “And it’ll be your business as well…once you earn it, of course.”

“Urgh, fine, keep your secrets for now,” the Unicorn pulled her quill from her saddlebag and furiously scribbled a few notes on a spare piece of parchment before folding it up and stuffing it back into an interior pocket of the bag. “We’ll come back to this later once we help him.”

“Hmm-hmm, my, we’re quite the tangenteers, aren’t we?” The Sun Goddess chuckled and levitated the large book up to the top of the corner of the book fort wall and turned back to her student with a silly grin hardly fitting for a pony of her status.

“Princess Celestia, that’s not even a word,” Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile herself.

“Well, I’m the co-ruler of Equestria,” Celestia sat up and spoke in a mock-royal tone, placing a hoof over her heart as if reciting some sort of pledge. “Therefore, I’ll be the one to decree the existence of new words,” she finished by sticking the tip of her tongue out at her student before they both burst into giggles.

“Well, either way, you’re right. We do tend to fly off on some wild digressions,” the Unicorn shook her mane before having a quick thought of her own. “Princess?”

“Yes?”

“Seeing as how we’re honrary tangenteers and all…you keep mentioning that you’ve known humans for a while, right?” Twilight gauged her teacher’s reaction, which was to suddenly suck in a moderately deep breath and regain her composure.

“Um, yes that’s right. Why?” the Alicorn asked, a tinge of nervousness sneaking into her voice; she’d really thought they’d left this subject behind by now.

“Exactly how long?”

“Well, if I remember correctly, I’ve known of them for over 1600 years,” Celestia’s eyes turned upward as she recalled the memory.

“Wow, for that long huh?” Twilight wondered out loud. “No offense Princess, but now I can see why you said you’re out of sorts in regards to who they are as a species. Depending on what they were like back then, that might go a long way to explaining why you felt so strongly about them, if I might say so, of course.”

“It’s not that simple, Twilight,” Celestia replied with a tone so melancholy that it caught the Unicorn off guard and she froze in mid-thought, her full attention on her teacher. “You know from Volare’s description that humans have a penchant for self-destructive behavior…but do you know how badly?” She gazed at her student with doleful eyes, unable to help her feelings of regret for what she witnessed, even from so long ago, from leaking into her facial expressions.

“Um, he didn’t go into specifics of how they used to be that far in the past; just mainly their current society,” Twilight responded, the sudden change in Celestia’s candor from light and airy to just plain glum greatly worrying her, though she wasn’t sure why. It was just something in her teacher’s attitude in regards to what she was about to recall that caused the fur on Twilight’s hackles to rise ever so slightly, as if in anticipation of…of what?! “Celestia?”

“Twilight Sparkle,” the Unicorn at first thought she was answering her query, but instead she began to speak on why exactly humans bothered her so badly. “When we first discovered humans, they were a ridiculously violent, filthy, self-serving species caught up in something they called The Dark Ages. Did Volare mention anything like that?”

“No, that doesn’t ring any bells,” the Unicorn scratched her mane with a hoof. “We mainly went over the history of his own country and that doesn’t go back nearly 16 centuries, so maybe that’s why he never mentioned it.” However, the number 1600 did strike a chord with her, and within moments she remembered what it was!
“Wait, Princess, you said 1600 years, right?”

“Mhm, that’s right.” She looked on curiously as Twilight quickly rummaged back through her notes in a flurry of flying papers.

“That very nearly coincides with the founding of Equestria!” She couldn’t help but let out a gasp of realization as she recited the information from the parchments. “Humans didn’t exist here at one point, did they?!”

“Oh, heavens, no!” Celestia guffawd loudly this time, her laughter echoing throughout the vast depository of knowledge. “The advisors of my court were doing a little experimentation in a search for a new world to live in because of the blizzards and managed to contact Earth on accident,” she continued her recollection. “As you reaffirmed that it still is just a while ago, it was fairly compatible back then with our races as well, and we honestly would have gone there to live if not for the blizzards being stopped by the three founding nations combined with the presence of the humans on Earth.” She paused and sighed audibly again, suddenly looking very tired, and not just because of the late hour. When she spoke again, it was with a rather distant look in her eyes.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, Twilight, but what we saw…it very nearly puts the reign of Discord to shame in terms of sheer violence. I couldn’t subject my ponies to that, and so I told my advisors to leave the humans and Earth be; that time spent on that place could be better used elsewhere. That is yet another reason why I’ve seemed so….well, biased against humans and their coming here.”

“Ah, now it all makes sense,” Twilight nodded, though she couldn’t imagine why Celestia didn’t just explain this from the beginning…unless there was something else bothering her about the subject that she didn’t want to talk about in the first place…But before she could broach that subject, the Sun Goddess sat up straight and flexed her wings, casting off the bad memories and worries as if they were a heavy coat weighing her down. In truth, she felt a little better just by getting this off her chest, especially since it now caused her student to see why she felt that way, instead of her just thinking she was abusing her power to overrule anything she wished.

“However, humans like your friend Volare seem to be the exception, if not an overall improvement, to the madness that existed so far back in the humans’ history,” the Alicorn princess nodded approvingly. “What’s particularly noteworthy is that even though he was in the military, he’s not a blood-thirsty, violent warrior.”

“That is pretty true,” Twilight chuckled. “In fact, I’d almost say he was kinda meek for a military person. Then again, he said he didn’t join the military with the sole purpose of fighting and killing.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, he says the only real reason he joined was so he could fly jets; he said he loved the freedom of it…the feeling of it he said he couldn’t get elsewhere,” the Unicorn explained, to which the Princess nodded.

“Indeed, the feeling of flight is quite unlike anything else.”

“In any case, he said he didn’t relish being order to go out and kill others just to obtain that feeling, but the system wouldn’t allow him to fly unless he was willing to do so,” her face fell into a pained frown and she looked down at her hooves. “Now you see the true reason why I want to help him get back into the air…and why I believe I don’t want him to leave.”

“Oh?”

“Yes…I don’t want him going back and risking his life fighting on Earth just so he can fly.” She looked up with tears of worry welling in her eyes. “Not when he can peacefully fly as a Pegasus right here in Equestria, if you’ll let him stay.”

The Royal Sister thought hard for a good, long moment, her right hoof grasping her own chin firmly as she silently considered her options. She finally decided to handle this as diplomatically as possible…and as fairly as she could. “You say he bears us no ill will?”

“None,” Twilight assured her with a shake of her mane. “In fact, he even admitted to feeling a little bit guilty that we were so generously helping him, because that sort of generosity is hard to find on Earth, apparently. So, if you were to send him back to Earth, not only would he be crippled and have no human body, probably dooming him to a failed existence there, I’d have built his hopes up for nothing. That’s what I’d feel the most guilty about: promise him help but take no action towards doing so, almost as if I were sugarcoating his own demise…that’s why I was so afraid of you sending him back.”

To her surprise, Celestia grabbed her student up in a crushing hug that rivaled that of Princess Luna, and that was no small task! “Twilight Sparkle…you’ve come a long way from the nose-in-a-book mare I sent to live in Ponyville barely three years ago, do you know that?”

“Hrm?” the Unicorn mumbled into her mentor’s snow-white shoulder.

“It used to be that you cared for nothing but knowledge and books,” she held Twilight at arm’s length and beamed in pride. “But now here you are, putting yourself in harm’s way for a near-stranger, all in the name of helping them have a better life than what they came from. That’s a rare gift, Twilight. And gifts aren’t to be wasted.”

“Huh?” the scholar stared back, puzzled, though yet again for some unexplained reason, a feeling was building in her chest. But this wasn’t doom or dread…this was something much more bubbly and hopeful.

“I promise to do what I can to help Volare. He’s obviously no threat to anypony here, from what I’ve heard and from you’ve seen of him. I’ve still got my reservations, mind you, so I’d like you and your friends to keep as close an eye on him as you all can until he gets fully integrated into Equestrian society. Can you do that for me?”

“Y-yes of course!” Twilight’s swiftly-growing smile began to overtake her other features. “So you’ll let him stay for sure?”

The Sun Goddess nodded and chuckled. “Yes, I’ll let him stay for sure.”

To say that Twilight Sparkle shattered the silence of the building in a manner than any fellow Librarian worth her salt would frown on…would be a gross understatement. “YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!” The Unicorn let all reservations fly out the window as she leapt about in a manner that evoked memories of when she’d first earned her cutie mark. Despite the commotion, Celestia couldn’t help but laugh merrily along with her student’s infectiously enthusiastic display of sheer relief and joy. Once they both calmed down, Celestia stood up and stretched her limbs before speaking.

“I’ll come and get you tomorrow when Luna begins to raise the moon again, and we’ll discuss Volare’s personal situation in further detail. And then,” she grinned. “We’ll get to work on finding a solution to his problem and get him back in the air where he obviously belongs. Deal?”

“Hee-hee, deal!” Twilight hugged the Princess tightly for a moment before letting her go and stepping outside the book fort, followed by her mentor. “Want me to escort you to your tower?”

“Oh, no, I’m a tough old bird; I think I can handle it,” the two mages shared one final chuckle as they headed out the front door of the Canterlot Library and into the post-midnight, moonlit city. In lieu of waking anypony, Twilight merely waved a hoof before practically hopping off down the cobblestone street towards her siblings’ home, no doubt intent on waking them from their slumber with the good news about Volare. Celestia, on the other hoof, simply shook her head and smiled before making her own way back to her tower. In her mind, she flipped over the old map in the book to the opposite, blank side of the page for a moment before mentally closing it again. Celestia old girl, hopefully in your kindness you haven’t begun to dig up something that should remain dead and buried for good…for the sake of everypony.

On the way up the tower steps, she encountered her sister tending to the moon, seeming to be halfway in a trance as she gently waved a hoof at the night sky, causing a comet to streak across the stars and disappear over the northern horizon. After a moment, she came to realize that somepony was standing behind her.

“What was your decision on Volare?” she asked, getting straight to the point, as was her wont.

“He’s to stay in Equestria,” the elder sister replied after taking a moment to observe her younger sister’s hoof-work.

“I take it Twilight Sparkle made a good argument for him then, eh?” Luna glanced back over her shoulder, shooting Celestia a small smile.

“Well, yes…that and the fact that five of the most powerful magical beings in Equestria were all crammed into one tiny little space. Somepony had to be the voice of reason in there so as to avoid destroying the Library,” the Sun Goddess dead-panned. “Goodness knows if the initial explosion didn’t kill me, Twilight probably would.”

“Huzzah, that’s a good jest, sister,” Luna chuckled. “So will you be helping Volare in his plight?”

“Yes, Twilight and I will begin our search for aid for him in earnest tomorrow.”

“I’d like to help as well, if I may.”

“Heh, if you wish,” Celestia said and began to turn to go before Luna grabbed the end of her tail telepathically in the way she used to when they were younger and the Moon Goddess wanted to get her attention. It worked, halting the elder sister in her tracks.

“Tia, I have a request.”

“Yes?”

“When Twilight returns to Ponyville in the next few days, I’d like to go with her and meet this Volare myself.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Well, he’s a good friend of Twilight’s and she claims he’s had some rather bad dreams which I think I might be able to either interpret or at least help him to suppress,” Luna explained; being the keeper of the moon and night also meant she was rather acquainted with dreams as well. “In any case, he seems to be important to her…Important enough that I did what I did back there,” Luna’s translucent-maned head dipped. “I’m sorry I doubted you, sister.” She felt her sister wrap her front hooves over her shoulders from behind and rest the bottom of her chin on her head for a moment, avoiding her crown in the process.

“No Luna, twas I that gave reason to be doubted via my behavior. I should have been more frank and upfront with my feelings instead of sneaking about like that.” She pulled away and spoke again after a moment. “Luna, promise me something.”

“Yes?”

“Please promise me you…won’t be afraid to do something like that again if you feel that I’m not being as I should.”

“Of course, sister,” Luna looked back around entirely and smiled warmly, easing the small amount of worry that still remained in Celestia’s heart. With the evaporation of that shard of concern, all the tension finally left the Sun Goddess’ body and she suddenly felt exhausted. “Are you alright, Tia?”

“Yes, yes,” Celstia chuckled and held a hoof to her head. “Just a bit worn out, that’s all. I think I’ll have a bit of a later dawn tomorrow. Good night Luna, and thank you.”

“Good night, Tia. Sweet Dreams.” Luna turned back to her night sky as she heard Celestia continue up the stairs to her room. The Moon Goddess smiled to herself and flicked her left hoof, causing a star in the west to glow just a little bit brighter than usual. She willed her good tidings out upon the rays of that star, wishing Volare sweet dreams as well. He’d earned it; they all had. He was going to be safe…

Notes: Whew, took me till 4:30 in the morning, and I know I’ll be hurting at work tomorrow, but by far the most difficult and dialogue-heavy chapter of this story is now complete! New concepts have been forged, things aren’t quite what they seem, and I think Trollestia is still alive and well.
Volare: Let’s have some action next chapter!
Me: Oh trust me, there will be!

*Credit for the Map of the Known World of My Little Pony goes to Hlissner on Deviantart

EDIT: Wow, this puts me over 200k words...just wow...I'm gonna have to do something special for the readers that have stuck around for so long! ^^