• Published 26th Mar 2012
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Blue Angel - V-Pony



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

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The Running-Pt 6: Get Set...

September 7th

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Crrrrrack! …Boooooooom! Baboooom!
Thunder rolled along the southern Ponyville plain, emanating from the tower-like cloud house suspended high above the ground. The residents of the town turned their eyes to the noon sky, momentarily confused by the sound of thunder without the accompanying rainclouds before realizing that the racket was coming from Rainbow Dash’s house. But why?!

BOOM! Kerrrrack-BANG!
Lightning and electricity crackled and detonated around the cloud-house as Dash smashed and kicked the clouds she’d piled up earlier that morning. The clouds had started off white and puffy, but the more that the weather pony struck them, the more static built up, until…
KABOOM!!

“Ha, yeah! Take that, urrr-rugh!” the Pegasus struck a puff ball that floated above her head before kicking sideways at another cloud that had attempted to drift past her on the high-altitude breeze that frosted the perspiration gathering on her brow. She swiped the ice out of her forelock with the back of her hoof and continued, enjoying the burn in muscles she hadn’t worked in some time. “Yeah, get some! Ha-ha!”
KABANG!

This peculiar form of training was designed to increase Dash’s hoof-speed and leg strength, boost her tolerance to the drop in temperature that occurred on the day of the race in order to usher in Fall, as well as improve her lungs’ endurance even further in the lower-oxygenated high altitude, and had been something that she’d been secretly developing since last year’s race; secretly because she didn’t want any other pony copying her technique, thus giving her the edge come race day. Simply running laps was one thing, but she was confident that after a week of the cold air, low oxygen, and strenuous cloud-smashing, she could handle anything that race might throw at her! She was absolutely determined to do whatever it took to win this year, and nopony, not Applejack, not Twilight, not even Volare was gonna keep her from that!

Volare… She had to admit, that was the first time she’d thought about him in the last three days, and to say that her mind had welcomed the break was putting it lightly. In fact, she credited her intense training regimen to being able to put him out of her mind for the time being. She soon found that the less she thought about him, the more focused she was able to be.
…but is that really what you want, Dashie? To forget about him just like that?
Oh just shut up already!!
KABOOM! KABANG!!!

She redoubled her efforts, forcing him from her mind again and focusing more on the burning of her muscles as she bashed the clouds to pieces. She pursued one wayward puffball through the upper window of her home, bucking it roughly and sending lightning shooting all over her bedroom and scorching her bed right in the middle of the mattress.
“Ah, road-apples,” she muttered and pushed the cloud into the corner of the room to inspect the damage to her furniture. She quickly licked her hoof and literally smoothed over the mark on the mattress, covering it with the clouds it was made of. Like everything else in the house, clouds and their different forms made up the walls, the furnishings, and even the icebox she had downstairs, making clean-up and the damage-control her often reckless indoor activities necessitated a relative breeze.

Satisfied with the repair, she turned with a low, grinning growl back to the unfortunate cloud practically huddling in the corner of the room. “Now where were we…oh yeah!” She flew across the room and brought her hoof down across the cloud in a mighty chop, breaking it to pieces with an explosion of sparks that frizzed her mane and blew open the ice-paned window next to her. She chuckled as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror sitting over her dresser.

“I look a little like Vol-dammit!” she ground a hoof into her forehead, knowing that the more she thought about the guy, the more she’d be distracted. It wasn’t that she didn’t wanna think about him at all, just not right now…or at least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

“Volare, you’re a nice guy and all, and I really hope that Twilight figures out a way to fix your wing, but for now I can’t let you distract me from getting ready for this race,” she addressed her reflection with authority. “My pride and reputation is at stake here, and I’m not gonna let you mess that up for anything. No more thinking about him or anything else besides the race until it’s over, right?” Her reflection nodded in unison. “Right!”
No more distractions! No more interruptions! And no more thoughts about Volare! Just you, me, and the race!

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” a young voice called out from down below her house. She cleared her head with a shake and trotted across the room, wondering who that could be.
“Rainbow Dash, you there?”

Ah, it’s Scoots, she thought as she approached the half-opened window. Wonder what she’s doing here? “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say hi and see what you were up to! Oh, and I brought a friend who was wondering how you were doing too!”

Who could that be? Dash wondered as she leaned out of the window…and nearly crashed onto her flank at the sight of the worn-out looking pony catching his breath next to Scootaloo. The rainbow Pegasus scrambled to her hooves and looked back at her reflection, frizzed mane, flustered expression, and all.
“You’ve gotta be bucking kidding me…”

--------------------------------------
EARLIER…

“Alright Angel, it’s time you and I had a little come-to-Jesus meeting,” Volare growled, very aware of the irony of that particular statement considering its context. Iron Will stood off to the side, unsure of what to do as Fluttershy determinedly approached the blue Pegasus confronting the white bunny, who in turn was holding a crocheting hook in his little paws and wearing a wicked little grin as he eyed his handi-work: the angry red mark on the side of Volare’s head.

Breaking with the short-lived tradition that had been established over the past week and a half, Volare had fallen asleep inside Fluttershy’s cottage, rather than outside due to his fatigue from chasing Scootaloo around the previous day. Unfortunately, Angel Bunny wasn’t the biggest fan of a sudden change like that, even an innocent one, and he’d proceeded to defend his mistress Fluttershy’s home from the “intruder” he’d found on the couch when he’d come inside for breakfast that morning.

What had followed was a scene that Volare swore was straight out of a Tom and Jerry rerun (minus the general destruction of the furniture), with Angel Bunny waking him up via a crochet hook to the noggin and Volare responding by scrambling off the couch and attempting to catch the elusive little critter with his bare hooves, shouting and cussing up a storm all the while. The commotion they caused finally woke Fluttershy, who came running down the stairs, her over-active imagination conjuring up all manner of horrible things that might be invading her home: like a pack of Timberwolves or…gulp…dragons by the amount of crashing and banging and yelling taking place!

BAM
“Whoa, what the hay is goin’ on in here?”

“Eeeeep!”

“Ah, sorry Fluttershy!”
Compounding all the noise had been Iron Will bursting through the backdoor to investigate the ruckus, nearly scaring the wings off of the mare in the process.

Once she’d gathered herself, Fluttershy stepped in between the righteously-angry Volare and the protective bunny in order calm the storm, with Iron Will standing by as backup. She quickly examined Volare’s throbbing cranium as he explained the situation. Satisfied that he was telling the truth, she turned to Angel and snatched the crocheting hook from his paws and placed up on a high shelf where he couldn’t hope to reach it. She then pulled Volare aside.
“Ok, I know what Angel did was wrong by you, but to him, he’s simply protecting me and his friends, the other animals.”

“Well, I’m getting just a little tired of being terrorized by that little varmint every time I come in the house! I swear, you must have picked that little bugger up from the Cave of Caerbannog or something!” Volare said in exasperation, too angry to care that she likely didn’t get the reference. “Now either he goes, or I go!”

“You do realize he’s been here a lot longer than you have, don’t you?” Fluttershy replied, her voice a few octaves lower than usual, her suddenly stony facial expression telling the stallion that he was very close to crossing a line that he was pretty sure wasn’t worth crossing. Volare quickly backtracked, his face softening and his ears drooping. At this apologetic display, Fluttershy’s demeanor returned to normal and she gently patted him on the shoulder. “Making him change just for the sake of a stranger isn’t fair, I don’t think.”

“Well, then what do you suggest I do?” he asked, glancing back over Fluttershy’s shoulder to see Angel trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“Hrm…how about instead of constantly butting heads with him, try being nice for a change.”

“Honestly at this point, I’ll try just about anything,” he replied, keeping a wary eye on the bunny.

“Well, you could make him his favorite meal,” Fluttershy suggested, motioning to the kitchen as she did so. “That might win him over. Angel, you stay right there, mister,” she pointed at the bunny who’d nearly crept up behind Volare. He obediently hopped a few steps back and sat down without a fuss.

“Sounds like spoiling him to me, but hey, whatever it takes to get him to do that,” he shook his head and followed her into the kitchen, leaving a rather confused Angel Bunny sitting in the middle of the floor. After a while though, he’d attempted to investigate what was happening with his Fluttershy and that weird-looking blue Pegasus in the kitchen, but Iron Will moved to block his path, standing in front of the door like a great blue club bouncer.

“Don’t think so, shorty,” but his grin quickly faded as Angel went to retrieve the fire-place poker. “Um, Fluttershy, Spike-head? Ya’ll might wanna hurry it up in there!” he called out desperately. Just as he prepared to battle the bunny to a very painful and likely embarrassing conclusion, the two pegasi emerged from the kitchen carrying a dish covered with a silver dinner cloche.

“Hey Angel,” Volare said in a friendly tone, distracting the bunny long enough for the minotaur to snatch the poker from him. But Angel immediately forgot about stabbing Iron Will in the leg and hopped closer to the Pegasus, but not without giving him a suspicious look.. “Looky what I got for ya. A nice…big…supreme salad!” He whipped the lid off the dish with a flourish to reveal an absolutely massive salad topped with fruit and a cherry, just the way Angel Bunny liked it-or so said Fluttershy.

The small rabbit looked from the salad to Volare before motioning him to put it down. The blue Pegasus complied and allowed Angel to sniff the salad tentatively. Again, he looked up at his server warily, but Volare wore nothing but a friendly smile, albeit somewhat forced. “No tricks, I swear, Angel,” he held up a hoof. “Think of it as a peace offering.” Although a nice batch of rat poison might do just as well…
Angel looked to Fluttershy who nodded and smiled as well, beckoning him to eat. Apparently satisfied, the small bunny proceeded to devour the meal that was impossibly larger than himself. Even so, he’d managed to gobble it all down inside of a minute, and was soon sopping up the dressing that remained with a leaf before licking his paws and gazing up at Volare again.

He took a few more hops closer to the blue Pegasus and raised his paw balled in a fist, and Volare tensed, thinking all he’d managed to do was feed this little monster and hadn’t made a damn difference at all! But to his surprise, Angel’s little thumb poked out of his fist in the universal sign of approval. The bunny then proceeded to pat him on the foreleg and nod to Fluttershy before hopping away out the back door, leaving Volare completely stunned.

“Um…what just happened?”

“Oh, he says you’re good with him, now,” Fluttershy smiled happily.

“Wait a sec…so I’ve been sleeping outside in the wind, the bugs, and Shae’s random droppings…and all I had to do was feed the little bugger a salad and…and that’s it!?” Volare exclaimed.

“Well, that dish specifically; he’s a rather fickle bunny, but he means well,” the yellow mare insisted. Iron Will nodded in agreement.

“Had to do the same thing before he’d let me set hoof in the house, Spike-head; though as you saw, we still get into the occasional scrap or three,” he grinned sheepishly. “Like I said before: shoulda gotten him to help me with my assertiveness workshops a long time ago.”

Volare very nearly threw his hooves up in the air at the lunacy of it all, but he managed to calm down enough to speak in a normal tone of voice after a moment of concentrating on keeping the blood vessels in his head from popping. “Fluttershy, just out of curiosity…how much do you love Angel Bunny?”

“Very much so, as he’s been one of my most loyal pets for years now. Why?” The Element Holder cocked her head curiously.

“Oh, no real reason…I was just wondering if you’d be curious in trying rabbit fricassee later for dinner,” he muttered under his breath.

“Frica-what?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Volare heaved a sigh and shelved his irritation with the rabbit…for now. “So, if he’s ok with me…does that mean I can sleep inside now?”

“I believe so, yes,” Fluttershy nodded.

“Ah, that’s great!” he grinned sincerely for a moment before realizing something minor. “Wait, if Iron Will did the same thing to make his peace with him, then why does he still sleep outside?”

“Oh, he snores,” the mare whispered behind her hoof.

“Huh, what about me?” the minotaur asked.

“I-um, said your horns,” the yellow Pegasus insisted.

“Uh, what about ‘em?” Iron Will eyed them as if assuring himself they were still attached to his head.

“They’re very…majestic,” Fluttershy said with smile so emphatic that Volare nearly broke out in chuckles.

“Oh, um, thank you?” the blue minotaur grinned and tapped them with a knuckle. “They are pretty awesome, huh? Do they clash with my tie? How ‘bout my eyes?”

Luckily, before Iron Will’s ego could be stroked any further, the situation was interrupted by a knock on the east-facing window behind Volare. He turned to investigate the knock and felt his heart leap into his throat at the duo of backlit silhouettes peeking in through the glass, one of which wore the largest grin he’d ever seen, while the other’s head looked severely misshapen and monstrous. Before he could cry out in alarm though, the shadows had ducked out of the window in the direction of the front door, the handle of which quickly began to jiggle insistently.

“L-look out!” Volare managed to cry, much to Fluttershy and Iron Will’s confusion.

“Whoa there, Spike-head! What’s gotten into”- the minotaur managed to say before the door burst open, the two shadowy figures standing in the doorway in a way that said we’re coming in, ready or not! Quite unexpectedly, Iron Will screamed.
“AHHHHH!!”

“Holy hell!” Volare shouted as well as he literally shot up from the floor and landed in the screaming minotaur’s arms…and then the frightened duo finally got a good look at the “monsters” and immediately felt like the biggest fools in that corner of Equestria.

“Goooood morning everypony!” Pinkie Pie called out as she hopped inside, stopping short of running into Volare and Iron Will, still rather stunned and unmoving. “Whoa, are you climbing on Iron Will to get ready for the race, Volare? I’d say a tree would make a little more sense, but what am I saying? There’s no tree-climbing involved in The Running of the Leaves!”

“Ya’ll are still bent on runnin’ in that hoof-race, Volare?” a twangy voice that belonged to no other pony but Applejack rolled in through the door, followed shortly by said pony who hung her Stetson hat by the door as she trotted inside. Volare quickly realized it was that very hat that had lent her silhouette such a strange shape…and he also realized that he was still huddled in the minotaur’s grasp.
“Lan’sakes, Volare! Your legs must be getting’ awful strong; otherwise, how else’d ya’ll jump up in ol’ Iron Will’s arms like that, eh?”

“Heh-heh, yeah,” the Pegasus laughed under his breath as he climbed back down to the floor, his face burning like the face of Celestia’s sun in embarrassment. “I’ve improved a good bit since I first got here, that’s for sure,” he flexed a foreleg experimentally.

“Yes, that’s certainly true, Applejack” Fluttershy spoke up with a nod. “But because he still won’t have recovered from the blood loss of such a terrible injury for a while yet, he’s still prone to dizzy spells when he’s tired and doesn’t keep his blood sugar up.”

“And I’ve been helping plenty with that!” Pinkie crowed as she pulled a huge parcel from her saddlebag; a parcel that smelled like freshly baked cookies.

“Mmm, would those happen to be oatmeal-raisin, Pinkie Pie?” Volare licked his lips, having become very accustomed to the pink pony bringing goodies by during her visits.

“Sure as shootin,” Applejack grinned as she tried to snatch the bag from Pinkie. “That smells been drivin’ me nuttier’n a squirrel in a pecan tree!”

“Hey, hey, hey; these are for Volare-bear,” the pastry chef chided her farm-raised friend before handing the bag to the blue Pegasus. “Here ya go; enjoy!”

“Heh, thanks Pinkie,” Volare smiled as he looked into the bag before noticing that Applejack’s head was suddenly blocking out the light. “Um, AJ?”

“Heya Volare,” the orange mare gave him a devious grin. “Whatcha got in tha bag, pardner?””

“Oh no, these aren’t for you,” the Pegasus cradled the bag protectively and gave her a squinty look.

“Aww, ya’ll ain’t gonna share?” She crept closer, grin widening a fraction. “Cuz Ah think that might be in your best interest, if ya know what Ah mean.” The Pegasus knew that if push came to shove, the powerful Earth Pony would win hooves-down…and he’d probably wake up in the yard with a throbbing headache.

“…help?” Volare squeaked plaintively, causing everypony to burst into laughter and Applejack to clap him roughly on the shoulder.

“Aww, Ah’m jus’ funnin’ with ya, Volare. Just gimme one an’ Ah’ll let ya be.”

“Sure thing,” he regained his composure and hoofed her a cookie before munching on one of his own. “Pinkie Pie, these taste as great as they smell!”

“Well, I’d hope so,” the pink pony grinned a bit smugly as she pulled a small cake out of her saddlebag and promptly devoured it.

“I swear, how you aren’t a diabetic by now is beyond me,” Volare wondered out loud.

“Dia-whozzit?” Applejack cocked her head at the strange word. “What’s that?”

“Well, um,” the blue Pegasus paused, choosing his words carefully. “It’s basically a disease where the body has trouble with regulating the amount of sugar in the blood. There’s a couple of varieties, but I’m not very familiar with the specifics. But I know that taking in way too much sugar can cause the body to start having problems with processing it all…” As he spoke, Pinkie looked down at her own belly, full of sweets and goodies and then back up at Applejack with a bit of an unsure expression, as did Iron Will who had been in the process of snatching a cookie from Volare’s parcel. To her surprise, the orange mare shook her head and laughed.

“Well, Ah don’t think that applies ta Pinkie Pie, Volare. She’s been eatin’ sugary stuff fer as long as Ah’ve known her and she ain’t ever seemed ta have a problem with it. Heck, she even drank a whole cloudful of chocolate rain right before fightin’ ol’ Discord a while back, and not even that slowed her down,” she chuckled at the memory as both Pinkie and Iron Will sighed in relief.

“Hrm, guess I’ll just chalk it up to Pinkie being Pinkie.”

“EX-actly,” AJ clapped his shoulder again. “Now yer getting’ tha hang of it! Oh, almost forgot,” she grimaced slightly. “Reason we’re here is cuz Ah wanted ta see how tough yer legs are gettin’ and if’n ya’ll are in good enough shape ta safely compete in that race. An' bein a veteran of such an occasion, Ah'd be happy ta give ya a once-over."

“That’s mighty considerate of you, Applejack,” Volare nodded. “But I’m not really looking to compete so much as just participate, cuz I know my legs aren’t nearly strong enough to race against ponies like you and Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short so soon, pardner. Let’s just see how well ya’ll have improved,” she opened the front door.

"A test? Hrm, something tells me that my jumping up into Iron Will’s arms isn’t what you had in mind, eh?”

“As well as it turned out, nope,” she chuckled and grabbed her hat. “Follow me and Ah’ll show ya.” Everypony plus Iron Will trailed after Applejack as she led them to the edge of the Everfree where Iron Will’s firewood collection was taking place. “Let’s see here,” she muttered as she looked at the dead trees with a discerning eye. “Nah, too big…too small…too dead…too alive…heh, now that’s a good’n!” She waved a hoof at an averaged-sized dead tree that looked to be some sort of oak.

“Looks as dead as the rest of them, AJ,” Volare observed in bemusement.

“Well, of course! If’n ya’ll buck a live tree, it ain’t gonna do what Ah have in mind!”

“Wait, buck a tree? What for?”

“Ta test your leg strength,” Applejack trotted over to a much larger tree and sized it up before turning her flank to it. “Can’t rightly think of a better way to see how strong a pony’s legs are than by buckin’ a dead tree.” With a fierce grin and a cry of yeehaaw, the mighty farm pony brought a single hoof back and kicked the dead tree…which promptly exploded into a shower of splinters. As Applejack struck a modest pose, Volare heard a small gasping noise behind him and he turned to see Iron Will’s jaw hanging open and a steady, near-silent cry of inadequacy hissing from his mouth.

“Ahem, hey um, AJ,” the minotaur quickly came to his senses. “If ya wanna help me one of these days with clearing these dead trees, I’d be mighty grateful”- but he was cut off by Pinkie patting him on the back with an innocent smile.

“Silly Willy; you know you don’t have any money to compensate her with!”

“…Ahhhhhh, it’s true!” The minotaur bawled into his hands before running back into the house, Fluttershy close behind and calling out that she didn’t care if he was broke…which only succeeded in making him more upset.

“Was it something I said?” Pinkie asked. Who knew a big blue minotaur would be insecure about money?

“Aaaanyway…I may not be able to obliterate a tree like that,” he gave Applejack an impressed nod. “But I’ll give it my best shot!”

“That’s tha spirit, Volare! Wait, ya’ll don’t know how ta properly buck a tree, do ya?”

“Honestly can’t say I ever did it before coming here, AJ.”

“Well, lemme walk ya through it,” Applejack smirked as she beckoned him closer to the tree while Pinkie Pie sat down on the grass to watch and let Volare concentrate. “Now then, Ah want ya to face your flank at that tree and then duck your head.”

“Oookay,” Volare complied, feeling a little foolish. “Now what?”

“Back up till ya’ll are close enough ta buck it, then raise your back legs up and bring’em down against that tree as hard as ya can!”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do,” he shook his head slightly and backed up till he was in range, replaying what Applejack had just done to that other tree in his mind. He focused on a small knot towards the middle of the tree trunk and set his front feet firmly on the ground. Gritting his teeth and letting out a small ha, he lifted his back legs and kicked the tree as hard as he could. At that moment, Volare realized that bucking a tree when you’re not used to it is almost as painful as punching it, except with your foot.

“Ah, dammit!” he hissed as he hopped away from the tree gingerly, rubbing the side of his right hoof and glaring back at the offending piece of wood. To his surprise, two shallow imprints from his hooves were smashed into the bark, and he grinned despite the pain and turn to Applejack. “How’d I do, teach?”

“Well, coulda been worse,” Volare’s face fell as the farm pony investigated the marks. “But hey, not bad fer a first-timer who ain’t even an Earth Pony! Wanna try again?”

“I’d say it couldn’t hurt,” he shook the sting out of his hoof. “But I feel like I did something wrong.”

“Well, yer aim was a touch off with your right hoof,” she glanced from his hoof to the tree. “Ah think ya hit tha tree with the side of your hoof instead of the bottom. Straighten your aim this time an’ try again.” Volare complied and bucked at the tree again, this time not feeling as great a sting, but not making much progress in the tree explosion department either, nor in the next half dozen times he kicked at the tree until he was rather winded.

“Ok, I’ve got a question, AJ,” he gasped and nodded at the shattered tree next to his. “How the heck did you make that tree do that?”

“Years o’ apple-buckin’,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Oh come on, there’s gotta be more to it than that!”

“Well, it ain’t exactly brute strength, to tell the truth; though in Iron Will’s case, it sure helps.”

“Yeah, I was kinda wondering how something as small as a pony could destroy something like that with relative ease, while a big creature like a minotaur really has to put his back into it, so to speak,” Volare mused. “It just doesn’t add up.”

“Heh, not everything in this world has ta do with fancy mathematics, Volare,” Applejack gave him a friendly shove. “Lemme learn ya a thing er two about ponies.”

“Oooh, this’ll be fun!” Pinkie squeaked and patted the ground next to her. “Come on and sit down, Volare-bear!”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled and plopped down next to the pink pony, who promptly leaned against him while keeping her eyes on Applejack. The scent of her mane, not unlike that of cotton candy, momentarily brought back the memories of that night nearly two weeks ago…when Applejack and Pinkie had held him tightly as Twilight operated on him in a desperate attempt to save his life. He quickly shook the memory away and concentrated on AJ’s lesson.
She explained that Unicorns aren’t the only ponies capable of magic, and that in fact all ponies have a spark of magic within themselves that can be used when the time calls for it. For example, Earth Ponies have a special connection with the ground and with plants, and that they can manipulate their behavior somewhat in the way that Pegasi can control the weather, though it’s often on a much more subtle scale such as crop-growing and apple-bucking.

“Or tree annihilation,” Volare cut in, making Pinkie giggle.

“Mhm. As far as that particular trick is concerned, all Ah do is basically think “tree, break apart,” and when I kick it, the force of my will goes into the tree…and boom! Sorta the same thing with apples. Ah’m just basically tellin’ em “hey, get on outta that tree!” My buckin’ just sorta serves as that extra bit o’ persuasion, but there ain’t much sense in breakin’ an appletree, so Ah just keep that little order to mahself. Heh-heh, sorry if’n Ah’m not better at explainin’ this sorta stuff like Twilight is,” she blushed slightly and kicked at a small rock.

“No, no, that actually explains quite a bit,” he looked down at Pinkie and wondered exactly how the pink pony seemed to transfer from the usual Earth Pony activities to…well, fourth wall destruction, hammer space, and general randomness. It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie and I’ll leave it at that…maybe there’s something in those cookies…oh god I’ve been eating them for the past-

“Hey wait a sec, AJ,” Pinkie interrupted his growing panic with a raised hoof. “Volare can’t explode a tree cuz he’s not an Earth Pony; he’s a Pegasus!”

“Well, Ah can see that, Pinkie. Ah just knew he couldn’t cheat by using Earth Pony magic if he did somethin’ like buck a tree, so Ah figured it’d gimme a more honest idea of his leg strength. Like Ah said, it ain’t fancy mathematics; just common sense.”

Volare found it hard to argue with that logic, and he regained his hooves after a moment. “Well, now that we’re all up to speed here, in all honesty…what’s my grade, teach?” He nodded at the tree.

“Umm…” AJ scratched her chin thoughtfully as she attempted to articulate a response that was at least somewhat encouraging. “E for Effort?”
Or B for Bullshit…
“Gee, thanks,” he groaned while Pinkie rubbed his hoof.

“Well, I think he did pretty good for a first try, AJ.”

“Yep, and nothin’ wrong with tryin’ again if ya wanna, Volare.”

“Well, I’ve got nothing major planned for a little while, so I guess I’ll give it another whirl or two.” The stallion then spent the next half hour kicking and bucking against the tree until the bark finally began to splinter and crack; but by that time, he was legitimately gasping for breath and barely standing on wobbly legs. He collapsed yet again, his head spinning as he observed his hoof-work. “How’s that, AJ?”

“Ah gotta say, ya’ll are about tha most hard-headed Pegasus Ah’ve ever met ‘cept fer Rainbow Dash, o’ course,” she ran her hoof over the broken tree bark and shook her head. “Maybe Ah outta up that grade to a D for Determination instead.”

“Try, try again, I guess,” Volare hauled himself to his hooves but was stopped by a tug at his shoulder. He turned to see that Fluttershy had rejoined him and was wearing a somewhat worried expression.

“You should stop for now, Volare,” she urged. “Remember what I taught you about your limits.”

“Yeah, I know…know them and only push them when I’m sure I can move them,” he recalled the lesson from a few days back.

“And you’ve quite obviously reached them here,” she gestured to the tree. “Besides, you’ll completely wear yourself out at this rate.”

“Aww, you kidding me?” he flashed a ragged half-grin. “I’m good *huff*…damn tree…I just hate starting something I can’t finish is all.”

“Hey, don’t think nothin’ of it, Volare,” Applejack said. “Besides, for a feller in your condition, Ah’d say ya’ll did pretty good.”

“But I don’t wanna do “pretty good.” I wanna do better than that,” he kicked the tree once more, this time with his front hoof.

“Please stop,” Fluttershy pleaded.

“But I”-

“No buts, Volare,” the yellow Pegasus said with sudden authority. “Applejack, is he in good enough shape to run in that race or not?”

“Well, his leg strength could use some work, but if his stubbornness is any indication, he’ll likely do just fine if his endurance holds up; cuz that’s what that race is all about,” the farm pony observed.

“Any further suggestions?” the blue Pegasus asked as he regained his wind.

“Whatcha been doin’ so far?”

“Well, for a while, I did mostly cardio, but that got boring and monotonous pretty quick”-

“Yeah, so we decided: hey, let’s bring Scootaloo over here and have them be training buddies!” Pinkie Pie cut in excitedly. “So Volare’s helping Scootaloo build up her wing strength while he works out his legs by chasing her on her scooter.”

“Heh, that’s right,” Volare smiled at Pinkie’s enthusiasm. “All the while, Fluttershy’s been giving us flight lessons so when we get up into the air, we’re not totally clueless on what to do…and so I won’t crash again either.” All four ponies present nodded solemnly; and although Fluttershy hadn’t been there in person that night, she’d heard enough that she was glad that she hadn’t been.

“Say,” Applejack piped up, trying to brighten the suddenly grim mood. “Did Ah hear right when ya said Scootaloo is trainin’ with ya?”

“Yep, that’s right,” Volare replied.

“How’s she doin’, anyway? Runnin’ ya a merry chase, Ah reckon?”

“And then some,” the Pegasus chuckled. “As for right now though, I’m assuming she’s ok; she’s in class at the moment.”

“Aha, that’s right; she’s in the same class with mah sister Applebloom…hey wait a sec, don’t that let out here soon?”

“OH, I knew there was something I forgot to tell you, Volare!” Pinkie suddenly gasped, causing the pilot to leap half a step back in surprise. “You ever had something poking you in the back of your noodle but you couldn’t figure out what is was because it’s in the back and you can’t turn far enough to see it?”

“…come again, Pinkie?” Applejack scratched her head.

“I think I know what you mean,” the pilot nodded. At least, I hope I do…

“Right! Well, anyway, it’s been bothering me that I couldn’t remember why else I came over here, but now I remember: Volare, you wanna come pick up Scootaloo from school with me today?”

“Sure do,” he answered without hesitation.

“Ah’ll come too since Ah’ve gotta pick up Applebloom anyways and help drop off Sweetie Belle at Rarity’s, since she’s still workin’ on somethin’ special for ya,” Applejack winked.

“She’s still working on my gift?” Volare asked, feeling slightly guilty. “She doesn’t have to”-

“Uh-uh, Volare,” Applejack held up a hoof to stop him. “If’n she offers ya a gift, ya’ll had better take it, especially if she takes this much time and effort ta make it. Trust me on this one; she kinda takes a little pride in bein’ tha Element of Generosity.”

“Ok, ok,” he finally consented. “Well, what’re we waiting for?” He asked as he took a step forward and nearly stumbled to his knees again, still tired from kicking that tree.

“Just you, silly,” Pinkie patted his mane with a friendly grin. “Just you.”

Despite the support of his friends, and he knew he’d get a scolding if he admitted this out loud, but he still couldn’t help but continue to feel like he was being a bit of a burden on them. Hopefully they won’t have to wait on me much longer…then I can start pulling my own weight around here.

--------------------------------------
MEANWHILE…

“Heya Scootaloo!” a small yellow filly with a large red bow in her mane called out to her friend before she could gallop out the door not ten seconds after the bell rang. The purple-maned school-foal skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder.

“What’s up, Applebloom?” she asked as Applejack’s little sister approached, followed close behind by the small, grayish-white sister of Rarity’s named Sweetie Belle. Together, the trio formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders, though lately there hadn’t been much crusading due to Scootaloo constantly running off with Pinkie Pie right after class.

“Oh, we were just wondering,” the Unicorn began. “It’s kinda been forever since we went on a crusade, and…well…”

“Just where tha hay have ya been runnin’ off to after school, huh?” Applebloom blurted out, momentarily distracting the various other fillies and colts streaming out of the schoolhouse past them. The trio wisely moved out of the doorway to avoid being bumped into as well as unwanted attention. “We know ya’ll ain’t goin’ ta Pinkie’s cuz we went by an’ checked a couple of times. So just where ya been? And why? We miss ya, Scoots!”

“Applebloom,” Sweetie Belle let out a small squeak. “You don’t think Scootaloo’s avoiding us on purpose, do you?”

“Um, I’m right here,” the Pegasus rolled her eyes before putting on an excited grin. “It’s nothing like that at all you guys. You see”-

“Aww, horseapples, here comes trouble,” Sweetie Belle whispered. Sure enough, trotting down the hall and heading straight for them was Pinion and his little gang of goons. “Whaddawedo?!”

“Act natural,” Applebloom suggested.

“Way ahead of ya,” Scootaloo grinned and held her ground as Pinion approached. “What’s up, Pinion?”

“Uh, nothin’ much…you doing ok?”

“Yep, you?”

“Yep, just fine,” Pinion looked from his friends to CMC before speaking again. “Well, um, I’d better get going. Got more important stuff to do than talk with you.”

“Same here.” And with that, Pinion’s group headed out the door without another word. Scootaloo turned to her shocked friends. “What?”

“Um…why didn’t he mess with you?” Sweetie Belle inquired. “Not that I wanted him to or anything.”

“Yeah, Pinion’s always had somethin’ ornery ta say to ya. What gives?” Applebloom asked.

“Well, it all has to do with a new Pegasus in town that I met a few days ago,” the Pegasus filly replied.

“Oooh, is he your age, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle cooed.

“What, no! He’s way too old for me, Sweetie! He’s almost more like a…well, it’s hard to explain.”

“Well, ya’ll had best get ta explainin’ what this new feller has ta do with you an’ Pinion…well, respectin’ ya all of a sudden,” the farm filly demanded. “And why ya’ll have suddenly fallen offa tha edge of Equestria!”

“Applebloom, that’s impossible,” Sweetie chided her friend.

“How do ya’ll know that? Ya suddenly a dictionary and an encyclo…uh, encycla”-

“Encyclopdia,” the Unicorn dead-panned.

“Right, that! Hey, wait a sec!-”

“Guys, I thought we were talking about where I’d been lately,” Scootaloo interrupted with a buzz of her wings.

“Oh, right. Sorry Scoots.”

“Yeah, sorry. Go on an’ tell us whatcha been up to.”

“Heh, sure thing. Remember that day that I went out to help Rainbow Dash with her newest trick…?”

------------------------------

“Hey Volare?” Pinkie asked as she, him, and Applejack trotted along the road to Ponyville, leaving Fluttershy to get her house ready for Scootaloo. Volare was a little surprised at Pinkie’s lack of using his nickname, and when he turned his attention to her, he was met not with her usual grin, but with an almost hesitant look.

“Yeah, what’s up, Pinkie?”

“Well, I’ve got a question.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“Ok,” she heaved the smallest of sighs, but that action alone combined with her suddenly out of character behavior made Volare’s stomach tighten. What in Equestria could possibly make Pinkie Pie act like this? Even Applejack looked concerned, but not to the degree that her pink friend was as she started to speak.
“Fluttershy and I have been talking over the past few days, which is something we’d normally do, but it’s what we were talking about that’s kinda got me worried.”

“What’s the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, slowing her stride slightly.

“We’ve been wondering what Volare’s gonna do once he can fly again,” she looked to the Pegasus. “What’re you planning on doing? You’re not gonna leave, are you?”

“What, no, of course not,” Volare replied, a bit shocked at Pinkie’s question, but more in the fact that it made him realize that he really had no plan after that. “I mean, I haven’t really thought much on it, but I’m pretty sure I’ll stick around Ponyville; it’s kinda the only place I know, plus you guys all live in or around it.”

“Ah, ok, that’s good,” Pinkie nodded, her face brightening considerably. “Cuz we were just a little worried that once you could fly, you’d have no reason to stay cuz you wouldn’t need our help anymore-”

“Pinkie,” Volare halted in his tracks and placed a hoof on her neck, causing her to stop as well. He gave her the most sincere expression he could possibly muster as he spoke. “I’d never do something like that with those intentions. That’s neither something I have the right to do, nor do any of you deserve. I promise you, as long as I'm wanted around, I’ll stay.”

“You didn’t have to stop to tell me that, silly,” Pinkie chuckled before giving him a quick hug. “But it’s easier to hug you this way, so it’s all good.”

“Ya’ll ‘bout ready ta keep movin?” Applejack called from up ahead, having continued on once she’d seen Pinkie cheer up. The straggling duo quickly caught up and resumed their trotting in silence for a minute or two before Applejack spoke up again. “Why’d it seem ta worry ya and Fluttershy about what Volare did once he’s better, Pinkie?”

“Oh, just, ya know,” she waved her hoof in a nondescript fashion, which Applejack wasn’t about to buy.

“Out with it, sugarcube.”

“Ok, ok,” Pinkie chuckled nervously. “Volare, the other reason we were wondering about whether you’d leave or not was…well, do you have any family you’d try to go back to?”

If Volare was shocked by her previous questions, he was practically floored by this one. He thought about lying for a moment, but decided against it. Besides, Applejack would know if he was lying or not and then things would only go downhill from there. He spoke after a moment’s contemplation. “You know I can’t go back,” he attempted to dodge her question.

“I know, but if you could”-

“Pinkie,” Applejack hissed. “Lettem be on it. He’ll tell ya when he wants ta, ok?”

“Aww, ok…”

“To answer part of your question, Pinkie,” Volare said after a moment of silent trotting. “I had family back on Earth, yes.”

“Any brothers or sisters?” the pink pony asked innocently.

Suppose it couldn’t hurt worse than kicking a damn tree for half an hour…
“Mhm, a younger sister named Agatha.”

“Oooh, what’s she like?”

“Well, in all honesty, a lot like Scootaloo,” he smiled at the memory of his conversation with the brave filly on the same subject a few nights previous. “She was brave for her age, had a bit of an attitude, and was a real handful at times. But we got along for the most part, and she just about always meant well. And just like Scootaloo’s doing now, she’s pushing me to get better and better as the days go on; partly due to the potential embarrassment of a kid passing me up, and partly due to me just wanting to…well, set a good example, I guess.”

Volare missed the quick glance that passed between the two Earth Ponies before Applejack spoke up. “Um, sugarcube…do ya’ll mean ta say that ya haven’t talked to Scootaloo about family?”

“Nothing more than what I just said; why?”

“Good; just don’t say anymore ta her about it if ya don’t have ta, ok?” Applejack’s sudden plea and change of tone grabbed Volare’s complete attention, and he slowed his trotting pace even further as he looked at her questioningly. “Look, Volare, since we’re friends here…there’s somethin’ about Scootaloo that Ah think ya’ll should know.”

“What is it?” Volare’s face began to reflect the fearful knot growing in his gut.

“Ya say ya’ll talked with her about your own family, right?”

“About Agatha, yeah.”

“…ya ever wonder about her family?”

“Come to think of it, I guess I have a few times. Do they live in town because I haven’t seen or heard about them at all.” Nor in the show…

“Volare…there’s a reason why Scootaloo lives with Pinkie Pie for now…and it’s that same reason why she’s also lived with me…and Rarity…and Fluttershy…and Twilight…and would’ve probably lived with Rainbow Dash at some point if’n she could fly. Celestia knows that’d just send her little heart soarin,” the farm pony said with a hint of sorrow hidden behind her smile. With every name she added to that list, that horrible feeling gripping Volare’s chest squeezed just a little tighter. After a moment’s reflection, Applejack looked back to him. “Ya get it now, sugarcube?”

“Scoots is an…orphan…” he finally said it. Before he could think to stop the next question from escaping his mouth, it was too late. “How?”
Shit.

“Well, some of it happened about 9 years ago, before she came to Ponyville,” Applejack began. “But from what we can gather, her pa lost his life in a tryout for the Wonderbolts when Scootaloo was just over a year old. He was in tha middle of pullin' some sorta stunt an’…well, he crashed and didn’t make it.” Applejack hung her head and allowed Pinkie to speak for a while, not noticing the expression of recollection that flashed across Volare’s face for the slightest moment at the explanation of how Scootaloo lost her dad.

“Yeah, and when she was 4, her mom brought her here to live. Things were pretty good for a while, she’d joined the Weather Patrol and flew with Rainbow Dash when she was just starting out, and she was pretty good at it too; I know she taught Dash a thing or two. I even met them a few times when they came into Sugarcube Corner for cakes and pies. Heh, she used to spoil Scoots as often as she could…” Pinkie wiped her eye for a moment before continuing. “Well, one day, her mom left Scootaloo with me and the Cakes as she went off on a weather trip to the Gryphon Kingdom…what other ponies say is kinda sketchy, but the Gryphons said she flew into a storm…and never came back out.”

“They never found her body,” Applejack took the reigns again. “An’, well…guess ever since then, me an’ Pinkie an’ tha rest o’ tha Element Holders have been takin’ care of her. Twilight’s even let her stay with her once or twice after she moved to Ponyville herself. Scoots doesn’t know the details about exactly what all happened…we figure it’s better if she knows when she’s older; that’s why Ah asked if’n ya’ll talked with her about it. That little filly’s been through so much already so soon we just don’t think she deserves to have more heaped on her than she needs to.” At this point, Volare was having to wipe at his own eyes every few seconds, unable to listen to this much more and having to stop trotting as he couldn’t see through the sheen of moisture in his eyes. They waited patiently in silence for a while to let him regain his composure.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” he finally spoke. “I’m just thinking, ya know: What if I’d failed her when she was being harassed? What if I hadn’t been there at all? There’s no telling what might have happened…and what those bullies had already done to her…god…AJ, Pinkie…you should have been there,” Volare wiped his eyes again, only wanting to hug Scootaloo and tell her it was going to be alright. As he spoke, he felt his voice begin to crack with tears.
“I saw her from down the street…and I saw the brave little face she was trying to put on. But I also saw the tears running down her cheeks she was trying to hide…I’d seen that before on Aggie’s face and I just…I couldn’t take it anymore-I had to do something! And now I hear this about Scoots and I just…I just wanna tell her it’s gonna be alright, ya know? That I’m not gonna let her get hurt anymore…she’s too young for that…makes me wanna fly more than ever; not to leave, but to just…to keep her safe.”

Pinkie Pie patted the sniffling pilot’s back and looked over at Applejack, smiling softly to let her know she already had a plan in mind. Scootaloo never had any siblings…but she’d been watching these two, and the wheels in her pink-maned head had been turning for a while now…she just needed to know if Volare was going to stay in order for this to work. And now, despite the sorrow this had caused him…sometimes the best sort of joy is born of sorrow…
“Volare-bear, it’s ok; she’s not alone in this, and it’s because of ponies like you that she won’t be. Heh, you’re kinda like me right now, in fact.”

“Huh, how?” he asked, wiping his muzzle.

“Well, I’m the Element of Laughter, and it’s my personal duty to make other ponies smile, no matter how tough that might be. It’s kinda like what you wanna do for Scootaloo: help make her happy.” She slipped a hoof around Volare’s shoulders in a chummy fashion. “Did you know that ever since I met Scootaloo, I’ve done my best to make her smile, even before I became an Element Holder? But it’s always been kinda tough to cheer up. And then she met Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.”

“And they formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Volare added.

“Right, and that was one of the best things to happen for Scootaloo,” Pinkie nodded. “But for some reason, she’s just never really super happy and excited outside of that little group, and it’s been kinda frustrating for a pony like me, ya know?”

“Can’t imagine you not being able to cheer anypony up, Pinkie.”

“I know, right? But then guess what happened recently?” she asked with a grin.

“What?” Already smiling at Pinkie’s infectious energy.

“You happened.”

“Me? But I didn’t”-

“Wrong; you have, Volare-bear,” she booped his nose. “Ever since you came into the picture and met her, I’ve never seen Scootaloo so happy outside of her two friends. It’s like something just clicked between you two. Whether you noticed it or not, I sure did!”

“Maybe it’s cuz of what he told her about his sis, Pinkie?” Applejack chimed in.

“Whatcha mean, AJ?” Pinkie asked before catching the wink she shot her over Volare’s back. “Oooh, I see…maybe she does too.”

“Ok, just what’re you two scheming over?” Volare’s head scanned left and right between the mares, always a step behind in their nonverbal communication. Mares here are about the same as women on Earth in that regard…gimme a break!

“Oh, nuffin, muffin,” Pinkie giggled.

“Fine, keep your secrets,” he gave the pink pony a playful shove before trotting in the direction of Ponyville again.

“Hey wait up Volare!” the party pony called, grabbing his short tail in her mouth to slow him up.

“Whoa, what now, Pinkie?” He then noticed the serious look on her face. “Uh-oh, what’s up?”

“You really wanna help take care of Scootaloo and keep her safe?”

“Yes, of course,” he nodded insistently. “What can I do?”

“Just…for now, if you promise to take care of her, don’t let her down if you can help it, ok?”

“I promise,” Volare smiled. “In fact, I’ll Pinkie Promise if that’ll make ya feel any better.”

“Nah, no need; I believe ya! Besides, AJ here’d tell me if you’re not telling the truth anyway, right AJ?”

“Eeyup!”

“Well, that’s…comforting,” Volare chuckled. “I do have a request of you two, though: could you please not tell Scootaloo I was a human just yet? I’d like to tell her myself when the time is right, and I’m afraid if I don’t do it right, she might freak out.”

“Totally understandable,” Applejack nodded. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“And me,” Pinkie assured him, though she’d noticed that since he’d shown up, she was having to carry an awful lot of secrets in her noodle. C'est la vie…

“Thanks, guys,” Volare chuckled as the two mares bumped him with their hips and they set back off at a brisk trot, headed for the schoolhouse on the west side of the town.

-------------------------------

“Whoa, he seriously did that?” Sweetie Belle squeaked at the conclusion of the story of how Scootaloo had first met Volare. The CMC had made their way outside and were sitting in the shade of a tree on a low hill, hooting and hollering at Scootaloo’s retelling.

“Yep, he sent Pinion and his buddies packing!” the Pegasus filly grinned.

“Yeehaw! Sounds like they were runnin’ down that street like a buncha scalded cats,” Applebloom chortled.

“And tripping all over themselves too,” Sweetie laughed.

“So that explains why he didn’t so much as say howdy and see ya earlier, huh?”

“Yep, guess he’s got a better memory than I thought!”

“Volare sounds like a pretty nice feller,” Applebloom concluded, to which Sweetie Belle nodded. “Kinda strange that he ain’t got a cutie mark yet, as old as he says he is.”

“Yeah, that is kinda weird,” Sweetie said. “Has he ever explained why?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Scootaloo admitted. “We’ve kinda been too busy training for the Running of the Leaves to talk about that stuff.”

“Whoa, you’re gonna be in the race, Scoots?” Sweetie exclaimed.

“Me? Nah, that’s Volare. I’m just helping him train for it. He doesn’t think he can win cuz he’s still recovering from an injury to his wing, but if he does win it, guess who gets the credit?” She struck a pose and grinned proudly.

“Ooh, maybe that’ll be your Cutie Mark!” Applebloom suggested.

“A personal trainer, eh? Heh, sounds fun enough, and it’s certainly been fun enough!” She grinned, thinking of the possibilities. Maybe, when she got up into the air, she could even help Dash as her personal trainer! Yeah!

“Scoots, there’s something else Ah can’t figure out, though,” the farm filly cut in. “Ya’ll said he has like, dark spots on his coat?”

“Yeah, they’re kinda fuzzy and faded, but they’re there. Why?”

“Cuz from what ya said, that sounds an awful lot like tha burn marks mah brother Big Mac got a while back helpin’ out tha old blacksmith in town…what’s his name again?”

“Ferrum, I think,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Rarity goes to him from time to time to help her make jewelry out of gold and silver and stuff. He’s pretty good at it.”

“Anyway, that’s what those marks sound like,” Applebloom concluded. “He ever say anything about them?”

“No, I just figured he just had a weird-colored coat. I mean, when ya see the rest of him, you’ll see why those were the last thing on my mind,” Scootaloo chuckled. “He’s kinda weird-looking, but he’s a great guy, trust me.”

“Um, did you say he’s blue with a crazy, spiky yellow and black mane?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking towards the road that led up to the school.

“Yeah, why?”

“Cuz I think that’s him,” she pointed a hoof. “And he’s with Pinkie Pie and Applejack!” Sure enough, trotting up the path was a blue Pegasus stallion with a spiky mane, skinny legs, and a trussed up right wing, accompanied on either side by the Earth Ponies. His presence was already getting strange looks from the school-colts and fillies, as well as from their teacher Ms. Cheerilee.

“Yep, that’s Volare alright,” Scootaloo chuckled as she hopped to her hooves. “C’mon, let’s go meet him!” The CMC bounded down the hillock towards the older trio, and within seconds, Scootaloo had launched herself into a flying tackle, using her wings for extra oomph as she leaped onto Volare’s back and hugged his neck, much to Pinkie and Applejack’s amusement. “Heya Volare!”

“Heh, nice to see you too, Scoots,” he chuckled. So much for me hugging her! “Hey Scoots?”

“Yep?”

“Can’t breathe, squirt,” he gasped.

“Ah, heh-heh, sorry!” she released her grip but remained standing on his back and smiled down to her friends. “Well, don’t just stand there you guys; say hi!”

“H-hi,” Sweetie Belle squeaked, nearly melting Volare’s heart. “You’re a lot taller than I thought…”

“Howdy, Ah’m Applebloom,” the farm filly cut in and shook his hoof, much like her older sister would. That Apple family friendliness sure did run in the family! “An’ this here’s mah pal, Sweetie Belle!”

“I can tell him my name, gosh!” Sweetie squeaked again before looking back up to him. “I’m Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister. I heard you met her?”

“Yep, I have,” he recalled the first time he met her in Twilight’s bedroom…that had been interesting… “For a fashion pony, she’s pretty cool.”

“So what’re you guys all doing here?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, AJ is here to take Applebloom home, and I’m here to drop off Sweetie Belle at Rarity’s before we head back to Fluttershy’s and get back to flight lessons and fun stuff like that!”

“Wait, before ya’ll go, we have some questions for Volare!” Applebloom cried, making Applejack very nervous as to what exactly her little sister might say. “Scoots said ya’ll are 23 years old, right?”

“That’s right.”
I think I know where this is going…

“So how come ya’ll ain’t got your cutie mark yet?”

Shit!
“Um, about that…”

“Yeah, and Applebloom said those marks on your body are burns,” Sweetie Belle pointed. “Why’re you covered in burn marks, huh? Did you fall in a fire?”

Double shit!
“Well, you see…” he shot Pinkie a Applejack a helpless look, and they quickly got the message.

“Hey Applebloom, would ya look at tha time; we’re late!” Applejack announced all of a sudden.

“Huh, late fer what?”

“For um…” she looked to Pinkie, unwilling to lie to her little sister, even for Volare’s sake.

“For pig-tipping!” Pinkie grinned. Applejack shot her a look of seriously?!

“Huh, pig-tippin’? What’s that?” Applebloom cocked her head curiously.

“It’s like cow-tipping, but with pigs! You gotta tip’em over otherwise their bellies won’t get any sun and then…well, you know what’ll happen to pigs who’s bellies don’t get tanned?”

“What? What’ll happen?” Applebloom asked, eyes wide.

“They’ll start flying! And believe me, pigs flying is no laughing matter!” Pinkie winked at Applejack who could only facehoof in disbelief. “So, go help your sister pig-tip while I take Sweetie Belle home!”

“Why’ve I gotta get home so early?”

“Because your sister needs help on the gift she’s making for Volare, that’s why,” the party pony hustled her onto the road. “Volare, you take Scootaloo to Fluttershy’s and I’ll meet ya there later, ok?”

“Affirmative,” he gave her a quick salute and trotted off, cutting through Ponyville to avoid Pinkie and Sweetie Belle. They made quite the strange sight, Scootaloo and Volare: two flightless pegasi, one riding on top of the other and trotting at top speed towards the southern edge of the town. After a few minutes of this, they cleared the buildings and headed over the bridge that spanned the Ponyville Stream and headed south along the main road.

“Heh, you sure have gotten better, Volare,” Scootaloo giggled as they jogged along.

“Oh, how so, Scoots?”

“Well, you practically ran through town without breaking a sweat and keeping me balanced up here. So I think you’ve gotten a lot better.”

“Thanks,” he gave her a quick grin over his shoulder, happy just to see her smiling into the wind that blew her purple mane back. She spread her little wings and gave a whoop.

“Faster Volare! It’s like I’m flying!”

“You got it, Scoots!” And with that, he broke into a full-on gallop, pounding down the dirt road at top speed and just enjoying the thrill of it all: the thundering of his heart, the burn of his leg muscles, and the joyful laughter of the little Pegasus filly riding on his back. He looked to his right to see the trees of Sweet Apple Acres flying by, though he could distinctly remember it taking much longer than this to pass them the last time he was out this way with Shae. Maybe he really was getting better at this. He only cut it back once he felt her begin to lift off his back as she beat her wings against the breeze. “Oh no, not yet, pal,” he chided her softly as he slowed to a trot.

“Awww, but I was so close,” she pouted slightly before Volare gave her a nudge with his good wing.

“You will one of these days, Scootaloo. And I hope I’m there to see it.”

“Heh, me too,” Scootaloo hugged his neck. “Oh, that reminds me!”

“Hrm?”

“Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said that if I train you well enough, and you win the race, maybe I’ll get a personal trainer cutie mark,” she giggled. “Whatcha think about that?”

“That’s pretty wild, Scoots,” Volare chuckled. “But don’t get your hopes up on me winning anything. I only just ran down the road and I’m about beat, heh-heh.”

“Aww, that’s not so bad. We still got four more days to get ya in shape,” she patted his mane before looking up at a loud, rolling noise coming from further down the road to the south.
Booooommmmm…
“Whoa, what was that?”

“Sounds like thunder,” Volare cast an eye skyward, but there was nothing but blue sky and…a strange lack of the usual white puffy clouds that filled the azure space overhead. “Hrm, all the clouds are gone…”

“Think somepony took them?” Scootaloo offered as another boom rolled over them.

“What kinda pony would take all the clouds? Who would”- Wait…he bet he knew who would… As another thunder clap sounded, he turned his eyes southwards and searched the horizon for any thunderclouds, but all that met his eyes was a tall, thin cloud with a flicker of color poking from the side of it. “Hey Scoots, what’s that waaaaay over there?”

“Huh, what-that?” She peered southwards and chuckled. “That’s Rainbow Dash’s house up there. Think it’s her making all that thunder?”

Ba-booom!
“For some reason, I wouldn’t put it past her. Wonder how she’s doing and how that’s gonna help her in the race later, though.” But as much as he’d like to go see what she was up to, he’d made a promise to Twilight before she left, and he intended to keep it as well as he could.
“Oh well, let’s leave her be, Scoots…Scoots?” He suddenly realized the lack of her albeit slight weight on his back. He turned to see her galloping down the road. “Whoa, Scoots, where ya going?”

“I’m gonna see what Rainbow Dash is up to! You coming or what?”

“Dammit, you gotta be kidding me,” he breathed as he took off after her. But due to the already strenuous run down there he’d made, he was quickly flagging behind the orange filly. It was all he could do to keep her within sight as he pushed his body to keep up. “Well, Dashie-*gasp*-here I come-huff*-ready or not!”

Within minutes, he’d caught up to Scootaloo, who was already calling up to Rainbow Dash. By the time he reached the filly’s side, he could hear the rainbow Pegasus’ voice calling from the house suspended high up in the air.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say hi and see what you were up to,” Scootaloo called back. “Oh, and I brought a friend who was wondering how you were doing too!”

Oh boy…
Volare looked up as a rather frizz-maned Rainbow Dash poked her head out of an upper window in the house, only to jerk it right back in faster than thought.
Whew, maybe she didn’t see me…

“Hey Dash, what’s wrong? Come on down and say hi! I thought I was your number one fan!”

Ouch, Volare thought and cringed. Talking about innocently twisting one’s arm…er, hoof!

“Crap, just a minute!” the Element of Loyalty’s reply carried a distinct groan on the tail end of it, and after another moment in which Scootaloo prepared to call up again, Dash flew out of the window and glided down towards the two flightless pegasi. As she looked ground-ward, she observed Volare giving her the most helpless grin she’d ever seen.

“You and me both, flyboy,” she muttered as she landed. “You and me both…”

“Heya Dashie,” he managed to croak after a moment.

“Heya Volare,” she echoed just as reluctantly.

“Why’re you two looking at the ground?” Scootaloo asked. “Isn’t that kinda rude?”

Damn you Scoots…you’re gonna be the death of me…death via angry purple Unicorn. Unbeknownst to him, very nearly the same thought was rushing through Dash’s mind, though with the addition of pummel Volare’s spiky head in inserted somewhere before the death via angry purple Unicorn bit. Oh yes, absolutely…

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Notes: Damn you Scootaloo and your undefeatable adorableness!!!!
Heh, wonder how things'll go once Twilight finds out they were kinda forced into breaking their promise...
And I wonder what Applejack and Pinkie Pie are schemin' up too.
Also, I believe I found evidence supporting Volare's statement of where Angel Bunny is from:

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