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..."
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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*
