The Running-Pt 2: Crepuscular Conversing
September 2nd, Late Evening
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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
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Edit: Also,FIRST BITCHEZ
oh dear.... Luna's getting involved. I hope there were plenty of investments in earplugs. they will need it.
Hoo boy, Tia. You're in for it, now.
Heck yeah! This chapter was definitely one of those that makes you just....WOOT!!
I can't wait to see Celestia's reaction when she finds out Volare is a one of those "violent creatures". I just wonder whether she finds out before or after she meets him.
Another nice chapter!
like others have said, I can't wait to see Celestia's reaction when she finds out the truth about Volare. And now there appears to be a new promice, looks like Volare will hopefully be getting his old drive back. Anyway, looking forward to more! 
757913 A month later, once they are securely friends... WAIT WHAT?!
Waiting for the moment when Volare realizes that it was Rainbow Dash who caused his plane to crash and subsiquent death and revival as a pony
756923 LOL will do!
*gasp* *bows to first poster* We are not worthy!
757007 LOL...later...
757445 How's she in for it? I think it's more Twilight who's in for it
757894
Thankies!
757913 Heh, you'll see
758441 Yes, he'd better get his old drive back, otherwise he won't be in shape for The Running of the Leaves!
758683
759585 The shit cannon will be blasting turds THROUGH the fan at that point, methinks
760028 759585
To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,
I thought you said this Volare fellow was nonviolent and peaceful? He must have had you fooled pretty well, judging by his recent actions regarding your friend Rainbow Dash... I stand by my prior statement that no human can be allowed to roam free in Equestria. Unfortunately, due to your reckless actions in changing him into a pegasus, he cannot be allowed to return to his own world even if we erase his memory of his experiences here.
I am saddened that only one option remains as a solution to our problem, and would like to discuss the matter with you personally in the Royal Gardens, so that you can see the results of your actions for yourself.
Princess Celestia
760028
DA HUMIE'S BEEN UNDAH HER NOSE FOR A WEEK NAOW
What she also doesn't realize is that he's a pony and a brony.
She's in for a surprise. Wither it be a pleasant or not-so-pleasant one will remain to be seen.
760271
760347 LOL indeed...many many surprises
760361
Enuff chit-chat. There's some chaos-- I mean fun to wreak.
760361 I assume you got the implication?
760378
760390 Discord statue?
*is tired* 
760448 No. Volare statue.
760559 Oh!
Volare:
I don't expect Twilight would have figured that out either, at least until she saw him. Would be a bit of a shock for her to realize just how far Celestia sometimes has to go to protect her people, even if she doesn't like the decisions she has to make.
Then, the inevitable talk with Rainbow Dash, having to explain that Volare was now a statue, ultimately, because of Rainbow Dash. Imagine the guilt. Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to live with herself and might go to Princess Celestia to intercede on Volare's behalf. Then Celestia finds out Twilight actually sent Rainbow Dash to the other world, multiple times. Any remaining shit proceeds to hit fan.
760578 Twilight: WTF Celestia?!
Celestia:
760578 YAY SHIT CANNON!!!
760591 I imagine something more like...
Celestia: WTF Twilight?!
Twilight:
Volare: ...
Rainbow Dash:
Everypony else:
Huzzah!
Luna is involved!
The fun is indeed in need of some doubling.
MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Also, not to barge in on your story, but
Volare should tell Scootaloo about his sister first. Emotional bonding and stuff. Yeah, yeah, manly tears, lots of friendship, you know, Guy stuff.
If that's gonna happen then I am a physic!
760638 I think you mean psychic.
760638 Heh, the thing is...you don't know the whole story behind his sister just yet...but perhaps he'll tell her as time goes on
760627 Send that shit TO THE MOOOOOOOOOONAH! BE-YETCH!!!
Bloody brilliant- my intrigue rises with every chapter.
I can barely contain the anticipation at this point. >w<
So do want Luna to meet Volare- that's going to be awesome
I also love the way you write. So well detailed and engaging
one of the many aspects that make this story so darn awesome 
760659
Yes I do.
760682
I know, I know. Oh and thanks for the heads up on whats to come!
I really am a PSYCHIC!
this seriously isnt a "Humans are Evil and Violent to the extreme" story is it?
because Celestia sounds like she believes all humans are violent to the core from what she is implying is any indication.
760873
761118 Aww, thanks
And as for Luna meeting Volare...we shall see
761217 Rarity got ze cash to burn!
Heh, hope you like the next chapter as well
761931
Ima watchin' you...
761985 Well, I believe Twilight Sparkle said something earlier in the story about the foolishness of making assumptions when you have such a small data set...perhaps Celestia has had contact with or has seen humans only when they were violent...or seen what they've done from a distance and assumed them to all be that way (remember, she's acting with the safety of her kingdom in mind here). Perhaps Volare can change her opinion of them, eh?
762139
point taken... i just constantly see stories on here that portray humans as evil psycopaths that love to hurt or kill other living beings. and seriously it gets tiring.
762155 But can we really say that isn't true?
762193
sure we are a violent species but the only reason we had to fight in the past was because of survival.
most people though arent violent enough to willingly kill others out of pure spite or hatred.
also you have to realise that our world is a varitable death world compared to theirs. Other than the everfree forest and dragons they have an idealistic world. however that doesnt mean that they dont have enemies that hate them. Take griffons for example. In mythology they were the enemies of horses and ponies whose to say they didnt have war with them in the past? we may be violent but that doesnt mean that they are not violent themselves. I just hate the constant Humans are evil cliche to the point that it only expands on humankinds bad side and not his good side. which means authors are biased against their own species simply because of cynacism.
762155 It'll be explained why she's worried so badly about humans and their potential for violence
762209 Heh, I've considered it
762238 Trust me, Volare doesn't believe that all humans are evil, nor do I. Celestia has a bias against them that'll be explained...and she has it for good reason, trust me!
763109 Well, remember, even Twilight wasn't sure it'd work, and was very surprised when it did! The only reason why she attempted it was because Dash kinda begged her to try. As for the transformation bit, I kinda based it on her adding wings onto Rarity (and that worked out fairly well for the most part, even though Rarity didn't have wings to begin with). Basically, Volare is a very lucky fellow (despite what else ends up happening to him)
And as for the hurting his mind...funny you mention that, for THAT will also be touched upon as well!
Finally, in regards to his old body...well, you'll see about that too
Hope you enjoy the rest I've got posted up too!
763328 He's competitive?
And Spike's just overly-protective of Twilight, that's all. And I don't think he's in any condition to try to join the Wonderbolts
763457 I personally think he's rather relieved that he didn't die in a fiery crash
(or maybe it just hasn't hit him yet that he's stuck there...)
As for him freaking out and destroying things...not likely, as Navy Pilots are trained to remain composed under stressful conditions (including if captured), so maybe it's just his instincts holding everything together for now.
(trust me, things are NOT all sunshine and rainbows for him within the next few chapters...)
Hmm, Shinning Armor and Celestia going to have a talk. I wonder what it could possiblely be about? Could Celestia be telling shinning about humans. And will Shinning tell Celestia all Twilight told him?:twilightoops
, Volare finding out it was Rainbow Dash who caused him to crash
, Scootaloo finding out Rainbow dash basically took away the life of Volare (Will she be able to see her idle the same way?), Volare when he gets Rarity's gift
, and the best reation of them all, Lyra when she finds out Volare is a Human.
As for all the above comments on how ponies are going to react, lets label them out. Celestia finding out Volare is a human, Twi finding out Rainbow Dash has been following Volare
Speaking of which what is Volare's plan for the Gilded Griffon
? Will it be a massive party fill with rock n' role all night long
?
764973 You shall see...
(And don't forget Trixie's reaction when she finds out Earth-magic is mainly smoke and mirrors)
As for the Gilded Griffon...I've got that planned out too, don't you worry
765567
There's plenty of story left for there to be some Apocalyptica for Octy 
(say that three tiems fast)
766356 I did. It wasn't particularly difficult.
Oh I am looking forwards to the upcoming chapters with all the shit that is getting ready to hit the fan. Lyra is going to be all over Volare once she is sure he is playing human music, Luna is inevitably going to find the worst possible time to crash the party and leave our unfortunate pilot struggling to recover, and Celestia is going to find out that Twilight lied to her about Volare's origins. When we add in Rainbow's obvious feelings and the patch popping up further down the line things are going to be a whole lot of fun even without Trixie and her minions.
Dude, can you do us a favor and take a break? You REALLY need to take a break from this. We freakin LOVE the story, but YOU need to sleep so that you can live. :)
766804 oh the images in my head
And Trixie is the least of everypony's problem...
767360 I'll sleep when I'm dead!!!
Dude, pleeaaase do us a favor and take a small break then. :3
769456 lol ok
I was actually planning one cuz a good friend of mine is visiting this week
769679
You need the break. 150,000 words is plenty for a book on its own. :D
769735 Oh trust me, this story is FAR from finished
This...is really only the beginning...
However, I WOULD like you readers to let me know if my writing quality seems to be slipping (i.e. lazy writing)
770536 A slightly above average sized book is about 80,00o words. :/
770544 Oh dang...well, I do know that the longest story I'd ever written before this one was about 49k words...so yeah, I'm WAAAY past that now
Anyways, the next chapter's not gonna be too terribly massive and I'll likely work on it after work tomorrow...so be expecting it sometime Wednesday mebbe
770936 I got so much stuff to do that I prolly wont get around to reading it for a while.
770996 Ouch *pat pat*
It'll be waitin' for ya
771011It includes, but isn't limited to, having a job at a summer camp for a week. DX No internet or anything. Its gonna SUUUUUUCK