The Running-Pt 9: BBFAD
September 10th, Morning
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Dig it out, Volare!! Consarnit, dig it out!!
Grr-I can’t—ragh!! This damn hay bale is too heavy-aaaagghh!!!
Hayseed, ya can’t! Ah know ya can, now ya dig it out and drag that bucker!! Dig-dig-dig-dig-dig!!!
To say that Volare slept like a rock would have been a gross understatement, as would the statement that Applejack made a half-decent drill sergeant when she put her mind to it. His fellow Crusaders and the country mare had run a myriad of exercises that amounted to a miniature Iron Pony competition, with the older Pegasus pitted against the younger trio for part of it, and against Applejack for other events with Pinkie and Fluttershy taking the role of moral support. While Volare could best any of the CMC individually, as a team they very nearly equaled him in strength events such as the tug-of-war, where after a best two out of three, they were all four covered from head to hoof in mud. Iron Will even tried his hand at wrestling Pinkie Pie, but somehow, she always managed to slip behind him then trip or knock him down, giggling the entire while as if it were no big deal. He finally gave up and went to nurse his pride on the back porch, much to the amusement of everypony present.
Volare then tried his hoof against Applejack in events such as the long jump, and the high jump, but she beat him like a cheap drumset in everything except the barrel weave (though he was fairly certain she let him win that one). They’d then attempted a hoof-wrestling contest, and she’d offered multiple times to let him off easy, but he’d insisted through gritted teeth that he wasn’t going to quit as the CMC cheered him on to the point where Applejack actually had to put forth a fair amount of effort. By the fourth time he’d been thrown to the ground, he could hardly feel his throbbing hoof anymore and had to very nearly be carried into the house at sunset, Applejack scratching her mane at how hard-headed this guy was.
Much the same as yesterday, Volare had to be roused from his slumber on Fluttershy’s couch. But this time, instead of insistent knocking, it was a gentle shaking of his shoulder that brought him back to consciousness. As he opened his eyes and yawned, he followed the butter-yellow hoof on his shoulder back to its owner, who had settled herself on the couch next to him and was looking at him with worry evident on her face. “Huh, Fluttershy? What time is it? Is everything ok? Did Angel Bunny get lost?” Wait, did I just say that…with concern?!
“Oh, no, he’s ok…I’m sorry to wake you so early, Volare,” she withdrew her hoof and glanced briefly at the east-facing window before returning her sea-blue gaze to his. “But I was just a little worried about something that’s been bothering me since Pinkie and I started talking about it…” Volare’s worry subsided a bit as he realized what she was talking about.
“Ah, about what I’ll do after Twilight returns and my wing gets fixed, right?”
“Yes, that,” she nodded once and sighed. “She also said that she and Applejack told you about Scootaloo, right?”
“Mhm, that’s right,” he frowned and looked down at his hooves. “She’s…had a rough life for such a young kid…”
“Yes, she really has,” Fluttershy withdrew behind her mane for an instant, and Volare could have sworn he heard a slight sniffle before she poked her face back out. Well, that’s kinda convenient…
But the extra bit of moisture in her eyes was hard to hide in plain sight.
“Except for when she’s been moved to each of our homes, Scootaloo’s been alone for most of her life…no brothers or sisters.”
“I know,” he nodded solemnly. “And ever since I’ve known, I’ve been wanting to help somehow…I just can’t think of a good way to, ya know? I can’t fly, I don’t have a job to help pay for anything…jeez, that’s something else I need to be thinking about, too.”
“What’s that?”
“Getting a job, Fluttershy,” he looked up from his hooves. “It’s what the Crusaders made me realize yesterday: that life’s a little easier when you have a purpose. Now, I may not have a Cutie Mark or know what I can do here yet, but if I’m going to be staying here, I’d best get off my flank and at least start looking for purpose, ya know?”
“That’s what made their offer so sweet, Volare,” Fluttershy smiled. “As young as they are, I think they know that too. For me, it’s taking care of creatures. For Applejack, it’s, well, apples, hee-hee.”
“For Rarity it’s fashion; for Twilight, it’s knowedge.” And perhaps a little OCD, heh-heh…I wonder what a mark for that would look like.
“Yes, and for Pinkie, it’s parties and laughter,” the Element of Kindness smiled.
“And for Rainbow Dash…it’s just being awesome,” Volare chuckled.
“Very,” Fluttershy shared his laughter about her long-time friend. But after a moment, her expression became serious again. “I see what you mean now: you’re very right. It’s much easier when you know what to do with yourself.”
“Right, and so as soon as I can fly and can perform at my potential, I’ve gotta start looking for my purpose! Holy crap, I am a Crusader,” he laughed heartily before noticing that Fluttershy still wasn’t. Rather, she’d returned to that same worried look she’d woken him up with. “Hey, Flutters…there’s something else still on your mind, right?”
“…there is,” she finally replied, though not without effort. “It’s about Scootaloo…about her…eep, I just can’t say it!” She hid behind her mane again, prompting Volare to sit up straight and squeeze her hoof for a moment.
“Fluttershy, it’s ok…what’s wrong? You can tell me,” he urged, but she shook her head twice.
“No, I don’t know how…it wouldn’t be fair to…to ask you to do it,” she replied haltingly, just unable to put into words what needed to be said…as happy as the little dear had become, it just wasn’t fair to ask this! “I thought I could tell you, but then you don’t even have your mark or know what to do here, and it just wouldn’t be fair to burden you with more right now,” she peeked out from behind the pink curtain, tears welled up in her eyes. This wasn’t the strong Fluttershy he’d grown accustomed to over the past two weeks…and it rather worried him.
“Fluttershy, if you can’t tell me, it’s fine,” he patted her hoof gently. “I’m not mad at you. How could I be? You’ve helped me so much since I’ve gotten here. You’ve helped get me back into shape. You’ve helped me eat healthier, that’s for sure,” she smiled the tiniest of smiles at that. “And you’ve helped me gain a lot of my confidence back. Did you know that in a week, I haven’t had one, single nightmare about falling? It’s all been about flying, being on the breeze, and walking on clouds. That’s gotta mean we’ve made progress, right?”
“I-I guess so,” she sniffled.
“I know so,” he smiled, allowing her to regain her composure.
“Ok, lemme try again,” she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, counting to ten in her head as she did so before turning back to Volare. “Ok, I can’t say it directly; I think I’ll just leave that up to Pinkie…it’s just what she said that you said about Scootaloo that got to me, I guess.”
“What’s that?”
“…about you wanting to do anything you can to take care of her.”
And so this conversation comes full circle.
“Right, and I promised I wouldn’t let her down,” he nodded sharply.
“I know, Pinkie told me that too,” Fluttershy pursed her lips for a moment before speaking again. “If you didn’t know how you’d help, then why’d you promise that?” Her sudden question struck him like a thunderbolt, and he leaned back on an elbow to contemplate that one.
Why had he? Was it because he felt like he needed to do more than he already had? But she was right: how could he with no job and no way to fly yet? Maybe he didn’t care…maybe it wasn’t because he needed to, but because he wanted to…because maybe helping her would right a wrong he never could on Earth…was that selfishness or something else? He really didn’t know.
“Fluttershy…I really don’t know why I promised that, but I swear I was sincere in it,” he tried to gauge her reaction, but for the emotional character she was, she had a pretty damn good poker face when she wanted to. “I just don’t wanna let Scoots down and…I just want her to have a great a life as she deserves, and I…I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Sorry if it sounds delusional, but that’s the honest truth.”
The yellow mare looked at him for a moment longer before suddenly giving him a brief but firm hug. She pulled away quickly, blushing slightly at what she’d just done
“Not that I’m not enjoying the hugs, but why am I suddenly everypony’s wooby?” Volare laughed lightly.
“Oh, erm, sorry for that. It’s just…if you do get a job, will you stay in the area at least? I’m not saying don’t get a job in Canterlot or Hoofington or someplace farther away, but…Scootaloo won’t be the only one sad to see you go if you do, especially so soon…”
“Trust me, if I can find a job in the area, I’ll take it,” he gave her a reassuring smile. “Not only to stay close to Scoots, but to you guys too. You’re great friends, Fluttershy…and I think that’s something I’ll need if I’m gonna live here,” the yellow mare looked up as he wiped his eyes.
“I’m ok. Just…it’s not you guys at all, but as great as Ponyville is so far…I’m kinda homesick too, ya know?” he scratched his mane sheepishly.
“I felt the same way when I left Cloudsdale,” Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “It’s not quite the same as your situation, but I found the more I stayed here, the more I grew to love it. Not saying you shouldn’t miss your home, just saying there’s no reason you can’t visit…oh my, I’m sorry…” She cut herself off and pressed her hooves to her mouth, awaiting Volare’s certain backlash at her statement. But to her surprise, it didn’t come. Instead, a small thoughtful expression began to creep across Volare’s face.
“It’s ok, Fluttershy. You actually just gave me an idea.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, what you said about visiting…you think since Dash and Twilight brought me here via spell, they could send me back temporarily, just to check on things and tie up loose ends?”
“I dunno,” Fluttershy tilted her head. “But it’d certainly be something to ask her about once she comes back.”
“Indeed. And in the meantime,” he hopped to his hooves and stretched. “I’ve got a race to run and a job to fi-ow, jeez,” he hissed in a breath as he stretched his right foreleg
“Oh my, are you ok?” Fluttershy bent down to investigate the hoof he was holding off the ground.
“Oh yeah, I’m good. Just a little sore from hoof-wrestling AJ, that’s all.” The chuckle died in his throat as the yellow mare gave him a withering look.
“Volare, as happy as I am for you getting stronger and getting your confidence back, you’ve really got to know when to quit.”
“I know, I know, but it was just a game and I didn’t wanna let my Crusaders down, I guess. Heh-heh, kinda dumb, huh?”
“Very dumb...but sweet too,” she shook her head and smiled before shooing him towards the bathroom. “Now go and wash your face and wake up; the CMC and Pinkie should be here soon.”
“Alright, alright, I’m going,” he laughed as he limped slightly to the washroom. “All the same though, I really hope we’re not doing another mini Iron Pony competition today.”
“I don’t think so,” Fluttershy called from the kitchen. “You need to take it easy and rest up for the Running tomorrow.”
“Yeah, don’t need Twilight freaking out when she shows up thinking I’ve gone and hurt myself doing something stupid while she was gone, hahaha,” the blue Pegasus laughed. “No telling what she’d do if she came back and I was in the hospital or something!”
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“Aww, whatcha mean we ain’t doin’ what we did yesterday?” Applebloom whined as Fluttershy broke the news to her. She glanced towards the washroom where Volare was still in the process of cleaning up.
“Because Volare is hard-headed enough that, despite what I’ve told him, he won’t always stop when he should,” the yellow mare explained gently.
“Aww rats,” Scootaloo crossed her hooves and pouted before Sweetie Belle spoke up.
“Actually, I think this is kinda smart. I mean, Volare did hurt his hoof yesterday against Applejack, and he needs to take it easy or else he can’t run in the race tomorrow.”
“Oh hay, and that means I won’t get my Personal Trainer cutie mark,” Scootaloo gasped as it dawned on her. “Yeah, let’s take it easy on him today…but that’s just sooooooo boring!”
“Maybe we can take him into Ponyville today instead?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “I mean, when’s the last time he was there that he wasn’t injured or running so fast nopony could talk to him?”
“I dunno,” Applebloom hesitated.
“I’ll take you all by Sugarcube Corner for treats later~” Pinkie practically sang. That did the trick, and by the time that Volare exited the washroom, the trio had worked themselves up into a sugar-craving frenzy.
“Volare! Volare!!” Scootaloo grinned as she tackled him. “Guess what we’re doing today!”
“Um, I heard something about Ponyville. What’s up?” he chuckled.
“Pinkie’s gonna take us into town so you can talk with other ponies and then we’re gonna go to Sugarcube Corner for treats!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. Volare gave Pinkie a mock-horrified look.
“Oh really? You sure that’s not hazardous behavior, Pinkie?”
“Hrm? Nah, Ponyville’s seen worse,” she waved a hoof dismissively. “Come on, let’s go! See ya Fluttershy!”
“Crusaders, we’re off to Ponyville!” Scootaloo crowed as she hopped up on Volare’s back, and leaned her forehooves on his head, as if it were the wheel of a ship, though she nearly tumbled off once Volare began to trot forward. He quickly steadied her with his good wing and laughed heartily at how adorably rough-around-the-edges she was.
“You like it up there, eh?” he winked.
“Yep, gives me a better vantage point for crusading. Heh, I could get used to this!”
Same here, Scoots…
“Bye girls! Bye Volare,” the Element of Kindness waved. “Have fun and-oh, morning Angel,” she said as she felt a tug at her hoof. The bunny pantomimed being woken up by a bunch of screaming, giggling kids again and gave a small snort at the end of it. “Ah, I’m sorry. They’ll be in town all day, so it’ll give you plenty of time to sleep.” The small bunny face-pawed and stomped back into the house, leaping into his basket and curling up quickly, hoping they’d take their noise elsewhere for a while…a long while!
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“Well, well, you must be the feller that flew through Twilight Sparkle’s window, I take it?” a dapple-grey Unicorn with the bushiest white eyebrows Volare had ever seen laughed and slapped the counter inside Mustang Hardware as the Pegasus entered the building, leaving Pinkie and the rest of the CMC outside for a moment. The Unicorn approached the spike-maned Pegasus, levitating a small pair of glasses out of his vest pocket and placing them on the end of his nose before looking Volare up and down. “Well, no wonder ya didn’t fit through it; you’re so dang tall! Oh, pardon me, name’s Ferrum Smithshoe, but you can just call me Ferrum; I run Mustang Hardware and have for a long, long time,” he stuck his weathered hoof out for Volare to shake.
“Volare,” he replied with a curt nod. “I, uh…don’t believe we’ve met. How do you know me?”
“Heh, saw ya half a month ago walkin’ round town with Twilight and her friends; I’d never forget a crazy mane like that,” he ruffled the Pegasus’ spiky mane with a chuckle.
“Heh, yeah, it’s pretty wacky,” he conceded.
“That and she told me about what happened, so don’t think I’ve been following you around or anything, cuz that’d just be weird as hay, am I right?” he nudged Volare with an elbow and chuckled again. “Just happen to have insider info of sorts. Ah, she also mentioned something about having your wing…er,” he trailed off, not sure of how sensitive a subject that might be.
“This, yeah,” Volare shrugged his crippled right wing forward. “Result of me being stupid, and now I’m paying for it. Luckily Twilight was there right after it happened.”
“Yep, she’s a pretty amazing Unicorn; much better than I ever was, heh-heh,” he gestured to the twisted and hammered pieces of iron that adorned the walls. “Best I could ever really do was abstract metal-working.”
“Oh come on, they’re not that bad,” Volare tried not to wince.
“Son, I’ve been around the block more times than I care to count, and I can sorta tell most times when a pony is fibbing,” he gave him a world-wise look. “No need to be gentle with me, kid; I am a blacksmith after all! Oh hello, there,” his gaze drifted towards the trio of fillies peeking around the edge of the front door. “Friends of yours?”
“Huh, oh yeah, Crusaders, come on in,” Volar beckoned with a nod. “Ferrum’s a good guy, I think. He won’t bite.”
“But he smells weird,” the Pegasus heard Sweetie Belle mutter under her breath before Applebloom gave her a soft kick in the hoof.
“Hey, so does Grannysmith. All old ponies smell like that, plus it’s kinda rude ta point it out,” Applebloom hissed before Scootaloo shook her head and pushed the door open.
“Ugh, you guys really need to learn some sutta…er-suttu…”
“Subtlety,” Volare face-hoofed as they walked in. He turned to introduce them to Ferrum, but instead was met by a strange look on the old Unicorn’s face. “Ferrum?”
“These aren’t your foals, are they?” he asked in surprise.
“Nah, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and Volare is out newest member,” Scootaloo preempted everypony with a proud grin. “None of us have our cutie marks yet, and so we’ve all teamed up to help each other figure them out! Cool idea, huh? Whoa, I’ve never been in here before-check out all this stuff,” she shouted as she ran down one of the aisles, the two other fillies thundering right behind her. Ferrum chuckled and turned to Volare.
“Heh-heh, that true, Volare?”
“About us being in a group like that?” the Pegasus asked nervously, not quite sure how he was going to react. “Mhm, from what I gathered, Grannysmith kinda talked them into it, and…well, I’m kinda a sucker for puppy eyes, so I said yes.”
“Ah, I see,” Ferrum nodded and smiled. “Well, that’s awful sweet of them to wanna help like that. What all do ya do?”
“Oh, um, I’ve only just recently been added, but for now, they’re helping me train for the Running of the Leaves”- he winced as something weighty crashed on a back aisle.
“Ah’m ok!” Applebloom’s sheepish groan filtered up to them, making Ferrum shake his head and shrug. Dented metal could be hammered out, no problem.
“Well, that’s mighty impressive that you’re wanting to run that race so soon after getting hurt. Kinda reminds me of myself when I was young and stupid,” he indicated a missing tooth in his mouth as Volare rolled his eyes. Gee, thanks... “Did anypony ever tell ya about the time I got in a fight with a Timberwolf, and”-
CRASH
“My gosh, Scootaloo, you’re not supposed to climb on that!” Sweetie Belle’s squeak carried over the sound of crunching glass. Volare growled softly and smiled apologetically to the older Unicorn who was doing his best 'friendly grandpa who knows kids will be kids, but is still this close to popping a blood vessel anyway' impression.
“Um, maybe some other time, Ferrum; I’d better wrangle these three before they break something really important!” As he looked back to the aisles, a door in the back wall slowly opened, and a gasp from Applebloom reached their ears.
“Holy hay, what in tarnation is this?!” Without warning, Ferrum quickly pushed past Volare and hurried toward the door with a speed that belied his old age.
“A-ah, youngin’, that’s a private room!” he cried, magically levitating the farm filly out of the room and shutting the door again. “Just got a lot of breakable, irreplaceable stuff back there. Sorry, kiddo.” Ferrum seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but Volare was getting embarrassed!
“Crusaders, front and center!” he barked sharply. Within moments, the other three fillies trotted forward and saluted without prompt, nearly making Volare crack a proud little grin, but he held firm and addressed them. “Ok, what’s gotten into you three? We’re Crusaders, and we’re better than little baby foals that run around and break stuff, right?”
“Right!” they all three replied in unison, making Ferrum, who was leaning on a shelf and watching them, cover his mouth with a hoof to stifle a laugh.
“Now then, tell Mr. Smithshoe you’re sorry, and let’s move on out!”
“Sorry Mr. Smithshoe,” the three apologized sullenly and headed for the door.
“Sorry for the mess, Ferrum,” Volare apologized. “I’ll be getting a job soon and I’ll figure out a way to pay for the damage.”
“Aww, don’t ya worry none, sonny,” he waved a hoof dismissively. “Kids are gonna be kids no matter whatcha do; though I will say it looks like ya got’em fairly under control there, heh-heh.”
“We can only hope,” the Pegasus shook his head and sighed. “We haven’t even made it to Sugarcube Corner yet…”
“Wait a sec,” the blacksmith’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me they weren’t all sugar-rushed in here like I thought they were?!”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I kinda wish they were…least we’d know the worst it could get.”
“Goddess help us,” Ferrum muttered. “Think I should lock my front door?”
“Couldn’t hurt.”
“Will do…say, before ya go, you wouldn’t by chance be a military pony…ya know, by the way ya handled them young’ins like that?”
“As a matter of fact, I am, yeah. Got a good amount of flight hours under my belt before this happened,” he missed the look that passed Ferrum’s face as he looked back at his wing. “Never really got up the ranks though, so I guess I’m just giving them a little of what I got myself.”
“Interesting,” the blacksmith quickly smiled and nodded at the door. “Better get after’em, Volare. And it was nice meetin’ ya! Have Twilight bring ya with her next time she needs any hardware, and we’ll shoot the breeze some more, ya hear?”
“Sounds like a plan, sir! See ya!” he waved and galloped off after the trio, hoping Pinkie hadn’t let them get too far, leaving Ferrum alone with his thoughts for the moment. Hrm, that’s funny…could have sworn that Twilight said he’d only been flying a little while…and why no cutie mark on a feller that big? Hrmph, at least those kiddos are helping him…they’ll keep each other busy for sure, heh-heh!
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Luckily for everypony, Pinkie Pie was on top of things, and had corralled the CMC fillies before they could go wandering off. In order to keep them from getting into too much more trouble, she offered to take them on to Sugarcube Corner herself and meet Volare there in a little bit. This sounded like a good plan to him, and they went their separate ways as Volare spotted a familiar building caddy-corner to the hardware store. Occupying the front of the wrap-around porch of said building were two equally familiar ponies, one mare sweeping and another mare sitting at a table and taking her afternoon tea. As he approached, the grey, bow-tie-wearing mare drinking her tea nearly dropped her cup in shock.
“V-Volare?!” she asked as she half stood before setting her cup down. “It’s been weeks, I-oh, bollocks, where are my manners?” she finally got to her hooves and trotted down the short flight of porch stairs to meet him, eying his still-crippled wing. “How’ve you been?”
“Heh, been doing fine, Octavia, thanks for asking,” he smiled and trotted back up to the porch, where the blue and pink-maned mare had sat her broom against the wall and paused in her work. “How about you, Bon-Bon?”
“Oh, we’ve been making ends meet here at the old Gilded Griffon,” she chuckled and patted the wall, prompting a piece of roofing to slide off the top of the building and crash to the ground. “Oh, who am I kidding; this place is really going to the dogs due to lack of business,” she moaned into her hooves and sank into a chair. Concerned, Volare sat down opposite her, with Octavia reassuming her position next to her tea.
“Jeez, what’s been going on? Have you guys gotten in touch with Fancypants yet?”
“Fancypants!?” Octavia gasped. “As in the Fancypants!?”
“Yes, the Fancypants,” Bon-Bon nodded. “Volare met him on his first day here and he said he really liked this café. Ever since then, Lyra and I have been trying to contact him, because we figured if he sponsored the place, business would surely pick up! Urgh, I should have just stuck to candy-making…” She plunked her head down on the table. Octavia, meanwhile, looked at Volare in shock.
“I-I can’t believe you met him,” the classical mare gushed. “I mean, I’ve seen him once or twice around Canterlot, but ever since I moved here, I’ve only heard rumors of him dropping by once in a blue moon. Oh, if only I could meet him in person! How’d you meet him yourself?”
“Thanks for that gratuitous outpouring of support there, Octy; really appreciate it,” Bon-Bon groaned into the tabletop.
“Ah, my apologies, Bon-Bon,” she patted her friend’s mane gently and took another sip of her tea. “Volare, surely you know that Fancypants is a very important pony, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what everypony’s been telling me since I ran into the guy,” the Pegasus nodded.
“And you’ve spoken with him yourself…perhaps you could go to Canterlot and find him,” she tapped her hoof on the table. “You know, tell him that this business would benefit from his support. That your friends need his help.”
“Aha, using me as leverage, are we, Octy?” Volare chuckled dryly.
“No, no need for that, actually,” Bon-Bon looked up. “Surely you’ve noticed my self-proclaimed better half is missing.” Her strange statement caused both Octavia and Volare to double-take before the cream mare face-hoofed. “I meant Lyra.”
“Ah yeah, now that you mention it, it is a bit more quiet than usual here,” Octavia nodded. “Where is she?”
“She’s gone to Canterlot herself for a couple of reasons; one being that she’s got a weekend job there at the palace…lucky her,” she snorted. “But while she’s there, she promised to search out Fancypants and ask for his help, so no need for Volare to worry about that. He needs to focus more on recovering from his accident,” she indicated his trussed-up wing.
“Ah yes, again, my apologies Volare,” the cellist smiled apologetically. “I’ve been so busy lately I nearly forgot.”
“It’s alright, Octavia,” he smiled in return, though inwardly he found it amusing that Lyra was not only searching out pants, but Fancypants… “I’m actually feeling loads better. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, and the CMC have been helping me recover and build my confidence back up so when Twilight comes back with the right spell to fully fix my wing, I’ll be ready for it. In the meantime, I’m planning on participating in The Running of the Leaves tomorrow.”
“Aha, jolly good, Volare!” Octavia grinned. “I’m glad to see you moving so quickly down the road to recovery.”
“Same here; ooh, that means you’ll be running against Lyra, since she’ll be back tomorrow morning before the race begins,” Bon-Bon added, though she couldn’t help but frown at the fallen roof shingle. Chuckling lightly, Volare picked up the shingle, and placed it on the porch.
“You know, once I can fly again, I wouldn’t mind helping to fix this roof,” he nodded upwards. “I may not know much about roofing, but old Ferrum said he has all the tools I’d need…just gotta find a job to buy them with, eh-heh…” His ears drooped as he realized he was yet again getting ahead of himself. To his surprise, he felt a hoof grasp his shoulder and he turned to see Bon-Bon staring at him with pleading eyes.
“Y-you’re serious?”
“Well, yeah, you guys need the help, and I don’t really know what to do with myself here quite yet…so why not?”
“Oh, thank you, Volare!” Bon-Bon smiled. “Every little bit helps, you know?”
“Indeed,” he eyed the falling bits of ceiling and the warped floor that Twilight had tripped over weeks ago. Jeez, a lot of help wouldn’t hurt either… “So that’s my promise to you; I’ll help you fix this place up, and if Lyra can’t get in contact with Fancypants, I’ll do my best to myself,” he pounded a hoof on the table, making Octavia jump.
“Oh, that reminds me,” the classical mare’s pale purple eyes met his. “You remember Vinyl Scratch, right; my roommate?”
“How could I forget,” he thought back to the literal rave scene that had played in his head the first time he listened to her music. “How’s she faring?”
“Oh, much better than here; no offense, Bon-Bon.”
“None taken,” Bon-Bon said through a forced smile.
“Right, well, she’s off touring at the moment, but she’ll be back tomorrow evening. She wants to talk to you once she does get back in town, Volare.”
“What about?” he cocked his head.
“The very reason why she’s suddenly so successful,” Octavia said a bit grudgingly. “That music that you played for us a few weeks ago, the songs she recorded…she went home and mixed that music into her-ugh-wub music and has been blasting that all over her current tour. According to her, it’s fresh, it’s awesome, and she needs more of it from you. And you say I’m using you as leverage,” she chortled.
“No kidding. Well, at least I helped somepony.”
“Yes, well, as I’ve said, she’ll be back tomorrow evening, and in her letters, she been positively raving-no pun intended-about that music you gave her, so just be aware that she might do something…rather rash next time she sees you,” the grey mare said abashedly.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Volare nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for her.”
“Oh trust me, you’ll probably hear her before you see her,” Bon-Bon chuckled. “Not that I envy her or anything, but outside of the Element Holders, Vinyl may be this town’s biggest celebrity.”
Poor Spike…left out again, Volare thought.
“I’ll bet if I had the sound equipment necessary, she could use the Griffon as a venue; that outta bring in business for sure…but I guess it costs money to make money…Lyra, I really hope you find Fancypants.”
“Well, as I said, if I can get a decent job, I’ll help you fix the place up right,” the blue Pegasus assured her. “Heck, why stop with the roof, right?”
“You’d really do that for us?” Bon-Bon returned to her pleading stare, to which he simply nodded. “YES!! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” To all of their surprise, Bon-Bon’s display drew a small group of ponies closer to the café, and she quickly put on her business face and ran out to usher them into the building. Octavia shook her head.
“Ah, poor Bon-Bon,” she mused as she idly ran her hoof along the rim of her cup. “If she could offer decent pay, I’d play here to help too…but alas, a mare has to eat, right?”
“Indeed,” Volare agreed solemnly, though a plan to help was already beginning to form in his mind. He just needed to get back in the air, dammit!
------------------------------
Canterlot…
After breaking the bad news to Cadance and Shining Armor about hers and Celestia’ inability to find the right spell for Volare’s wing, Twilight returned to the Archives building the following day in a last-ditch attempt to find an alternative spell. But after re-skimming the Starswirl the Bearded Wing and finding nothing but more dead ends, she resigned herself to the fact that the spell was well and truly gone. She was absolutely certain her recollection of that spell had come from that room, as she had never had reason to visit the Archives Building beforehand, and that logic at the very least stopped her from tearing through the rest of the Archives in desperation.
But as she flipped through an ancient manuscript on constellation movement, she began to go back over the Sergeant’s account of the theft again. There was something about the entire break-in that just didn’t sit right with the librarian. The fact that whatever that thing had been that had disabled the Sergeant could somehow obtain the pass-spell that only the most-trusted of Canterlot ponies carried. But as Shining Armor had said, the investigation had turned up nothing, that all other ponies that knew the spell had an alibi. So how did that thing get in there without forcing the door and leave without a trace so quickly?!
That was something else that unsettled the Unicorn: whatever it was, it knew what it was looking for, and general destruction notwithstanding, it could have done so much more damage than just the shattered hourglass and mirrors in the roughly 10 minutes that the Sergeant was out-cold. Perhaps it knew of the protection spells on many of the manuscripts that could counter-attack a potential destroyer…but that would imply that the intruder had been in there before and had either experienced them itself or had prior knowledge of them. But that all led back to the intruder having been there before…and nopony knew who it could have been; on top of that, it still left the question of the broken glass. And with no evidence to go on, the case was unclosed, but for all intents and purposes, was dead in the water. All they could do was damage control in the form of repairs, tighter security, and the relocation of the stolen scrolls.
There was one last thing that Twilight kept turning over and over again in her mind, and it was something she’d questioned Shining Armor on the previous evening. It involved his protection spell and when he began to cast it. He’d explained that a threat had been discovered against Canterlot barely a week before the wedding, but what it was exactly, he claimed was still classified information, as that was still being investigated.
“Why ask about my spell, though?”
“Because depending on when you started casting it, that intruder might have already been inside Canterlot by then, which would explain why you never detected it,” Twilight explained.
“Ugh, still hung up on that, eh Twiley?”
“Yes, it’s just been bugging me how something like that either got through your spell undetected, which we know is nearly impossible, or it was already in the city when you cast it…or,” her eyes widened in realization. “The intruder knew of when the Changelings were going to break through your spell, and was waiting outside the barrier when it happened…which would imply collusion with the Changelings!” she declared.
“Or…it could mean somepony just took advantage of the general chaos of the situation,” the Captain shook his mane. “You’re a smart kid, and you know there’s still too many variables to jump to conclusions just yet. Just leave the investigation to us, Twiley; you’ve got enough to worry about as it is with helping Volare.”
“Oh, fine,” she’d pouted and trotted off to try to rest, knowing that security issues were delicate matters, but not appreciating being left out of the loop either.
The Unicorn closed the worn manuscript with a thump and sighed. She sat it back on its appropriate shelf and trotted for the door, disappointed that this little venture back to her hometown had done more to raise further questions rather than answer previous ones. Sergeant Greymane greeted her at the door with a curt nod and closed the portcullis with a clang, his pass-spell snicking the deadbolts back into place before escorting Twilight out of the building.
“I appreciate your extra effort into this, Ms. Sparkle,” the older Unicorn spoke up, breaking the silence of the structure.
“Yes, well, if you don’t mind my saying, something just stinks about this whole break-in and theft,” she snorted. “It just doesn’t add up!”
“I’ve been saying that for months, ma’am, but I’m just a low-ranking NCO; that investigation stuff is for the higher-ups,” he rolled his eyes. “And that’s a desk job I promised myself I’d never accept. Hay, I’ll patrol and protect this city till my hooves wear off if I have to; seems to be more honor in that, or at least that’s what my increasingly senile mind tells me, heh-heh!”
“Well, that’s very admirable, Sergeant,” Twilight acknowledged him. “And I don’t think you’re senile.”
“Why thank you for the kind words, ma’am,” he gave her a small bow as they stepped out the front door of the Archives. “I wish you the best of luck in helping your friend, and if I don’t see you before you leave tomorrow, I likewise wish you a safe journey home!”
“Thanks, Sergeant,” she waved a hoof. “Good night!”
“Pleasant dreams, Ms. Sparkle,” he snapped her a crisp salute and returned to his patrol.
On the way back to her siblings’ home, Twilight felt a shadow slide over her own, and she looked up to see Princess Luna landing next to her, in broad daylight no less!
“Whoa, Luna, what’re you doing out so early…er, late?”
“I believe early would be the correct term of phrase, Twilight,” the princess smiled warmly. “And we’ve been meeting enough in the daytime lately to make your surprise seem rather…out of place.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that Luna. I’m just frustrated because neither I nor Celestia could find the spell to help out Volare,” she hung her head.
“Ah, I see. Well, please don’t take my question as too terribly crass, but I was wanting to know your departure time for Ponyville tomorrow, so that I won’t delay you too horribly.”
“Well, I had promised Volare that I’d be in The Running of the Leaves with him, but”- she yawned involuntarily. “Ah, ‘scuse me! I don’t think I’m in any condition to do that; I’m just mentally burned out from staying up so late and doing so much research at once…”
“It’s quite alright, Twilight. I’m sure Volare will understand,” she gently patted the smaller Unicorn on the head. “You’ve done all you could do to help him here. Now, chin up! Even though we can’t help him with his wing, that doesn’t mean we have to go to Ponyville with sullen faces, now does it?”
“No, I suppose not,” Twilight shook her head and smiled. “Thanks, Luna. I’ll be leaving in the afternoon so you can have some time to rest after your moon duties. You're welcome to lunch at my brother and sister's home as well.”
“Ah, that’s very considerate of you, thank you,” Luna gave a short bow. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to Ponyville…I hope I don’t terrify them as badly as I did the last time I showed up.”
“Nah, they know who you are now,” Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “Plus you’ll be there in the daytime and that’ll probably put their minds a bit more at ease.”
“We can only hope. I shall see you anon, Twilight Sparkle!” The Moon Goddess gave her one last nod before taking off again for the West Tower, leaving the Unicorn to wonder how the Ponvyville Express engineer would react to having Luna on the train…oh well.
--------------
The West Tower…
“Crap!” a frustrated cry echoed down the first floor hall and caught Celestia’s attention. The Sun Goddess looked up from a letter she was composing and listened.
“Double crap and hayseed!” Curious, Celestia sat her letter aside and went to investigate the cursing, the source of which turned out to be a mint-green Unicorn in her employ on the weekends pacing back and forth just outside the door to the Royal Gardens.
“Lyra Heartstrings, is something wrong?” Celestia asked, causing the Unicorn to whirl in surprise and nearly fall on her face in shock.
“Wha-uh, Princess!” Lyra bowed hastily. “No-nothing’s wrong, I just”-
“Please, I’m not mad,” Celestia assured her with a warm smile. “That letter was dreadfully boring anyway. Come, tell me what’s got you all hot and bothered.” She hooked her legs under herself and sat on the grass, while, much to her amusement, Lyra hopped on a stone bench and sat on her flank like a human would.
“Well…you sure I’m not bothering you, Princess?”
“Yes, very sure.”
“Ok, it’s like this: my friend Bon-Bon and I are trying to run a café in Ponyville called the Gilded Griffon. Problem is, business has…well, it’s sucked,” her coarse description caused Celestia to raise an eyebrow. “We’re not making enough money to keep the place, but we have a plan to get help. Ya see, there was this blue and yellow Pegasus with a wacky mane that showed up in Ponyville a few weeks ago named”-
“Volare,” Celestia preempted the Unicorn, whose golden eyes widened in shock.
“Whoa, wait, you know him too?!”
“Heard a lot of him is more accurate,” Celestia chuckled lightly. “Do continue.”
“Right, right, sorry,” she chuckled nervously. What? It wasn’t every day a pony got to talk with the Sun Princess! “Anyway, the café did ok for a while, but business has dropped off recently. I honestly think the place is kinda drab and boring, but Bon-Bon insists it’s simply modest, not loud and moronic, or something like that,” she shook her mane and swung her rear hooves back and forth on the bench for a moment, waiting for Celestia to speak. But the princess merely motioned for Lyra to continue, content to listen for the moment.
“Right, um…so that Volare guy, his first day in town, he said he met Fancypants….you do know Fancypants, right?”
“Only the most important pony in Canterlot, or so I often hear,” Celestia chuckled.
“W-well, besides you and Princess Luna, of course!” Lyra interjected a little too loudly. “Sorry…anyway, Volare said that Fancypants mentioned he liked eating at our café, and then we got the idea of asking the guy to sponsor the place to bring in more business. Thing is, we haven’t seen him since. So I’m up here looking for him, but I can’t find him either and I gotta go back to Ponyville tomorrow morning…ugh, Bon-Bon’s gonna kill me…” she slapped the stone bench with a hoof in frustration.
“I take it that’s why you were cursing about hayseeds, among other things?” the princess gave her a knowing smile.
“Ah-ha-ha, yeah, you heard that?” the Unicorn chuckled sheepishly, totally losing any pride she had left and just wanting to go sulk in a corner for a bit. “Sorry if I interrupted you, Princess. I’ll just keep looking for the guy before I run outta time.” She made a move to get up and leave, but Celestia stopped her with a magical tug on her hoof.
“Now Lyra, what kind of princess would I be if I didn’t care about the plights of my subjects?” she frowned slightly before making a quick decision. “Don’t give up just yet. I can inform Fancypants via the Royal Guard that you need his help.”
“You’d really do that, Princess?” Lyra gasped, jaw agape.
“Of course, now relax,” she pulled her back down onto the bench. “There’s no need to rush; we’re not going to run out of daylight unless I will it, heh-heh.”
“Oh, r-right. Thanks, Princess,” Lyra echoed her chuckle and relaxed again, returning to swinging her hooves. “Sooo…”
“Mhm?”
“You said you know of Volare?”
“That’s correct,” Celestia nodded. “Twilight Sparkle told me quite a bit about him.”
“So you know about his…accident?” she gulped at Volare’s description of the dismemberment.
“Indeed, I do…poor stallion’s been through quite the trial of late,” Celestia shook her head solemnly.
“Yeah, no kidding…he mentioned you and Twilight were looking for a way to fix his wing. Was it a spell or something? Did you find it?” she asked, but the hopeful look on her face was quickly extinguished.
“Unfortunately, no,” the princess sighed. “To make a long story short, the spell wasn’t where it should have been, and so now we have to wait until it’s found again before he can be completely healed.”
“Ah, that really sucks,” Lyra grimaced. “But on the bright side, I heard he was recovering from the injury pretty well. So well in fact that he’s gonna be in The Running of the Leaves this year, same as me!”
“Aha, that is good to hear,” Celestia declared sincerely.
“Yeah, he says it’s more about participating than competing; said it’s make him feel more at home, whatever that meant. I guess he’s not from Ponyville, huh?”
“Oh, I should say not,” the sun goddess chuckled. “He’s from quite the distance away, in fact.”
“Oh, where from?” Lyra asked, but was met by a shrewdly smiling expression on the princess’ face. “What, you make it sound like you know.”
“And I do,” she smiled and tipped her head up, choosing her next words for a moment before speaking. “Did he do anything specific while in town when you met him?”
“Uh, yeah, first met him when he, Twilight, and a few of their friends came to eat lunch at the café. Why?”
“Did you show him your room full of trinkets?”
“Oh yeah, sure did!” Lyra beamed. “He said he thought they were interesting. Heh, he laughed when I told him about that big box of socks I sent you…you remember that, right?”
“Oh, er-right, how could I forget?” Celestia forced a small smile.
“You still have them, right?”
“I’m…sure they’re around here someplace,” Celestia shrugged her wings. “It is a big palace after all!”
“Right, gotcha,” the mint-green Unicorn nodded. “So yeah, he saw my E-arth stuff, why?” Celestia winced at her pronunciation of the planet’s name.
“Well, I know you like those sorts of things, and I believe you mentioned a while back that whenever you get near Earth objects, you get a certain…feeling somewhat like Pinkie Pie’s “Pinkie Sense,” correct?”
“Yeah, I do. Wanna know something weird about that, though?” Lyra frowned slightly.
“Hmm?”
“When I first met Volare, I got that exact same feeling, and I even told him so, but he said he’d never seen or heard of those objects, much less been near them, so we just kinda chalked it up to my sense going a little haywire for a bit…and that was that,” she shrugged. “Weird, huh?”
“Hrm, I dunno,” Celestia tapped her chin. “Perhaps not as weird as you think, Lyra.” At her answer, Lyra’s eyes grew a little wider.
“H-how so?”
“With risk of sounding like I know everything-which I don’t, mind you-I’ve learned that when one has a certain gift for something like that, be it a simple gut feeling, a Pinkie Sense, or…a Lyra Sense in your case, that one should follow it and trust it,” she leaned in closer and nearly whispered: “Especially if it’s never led them astray before.”
Lyra’s jaw slowly dropped further, and her golden eyes grew to saucer size as she began to gasp in air. “Wait, you don’t mean that…Volare’s from…but how?!”
“I couldn’t say for sure, Lyra. As I said: I merely know of him, while you’ve met him face to face at least once.”
“Well, more than that actually,” Lyra raised a hoof.
“And your sense went haywire each time you met him?”
“Come to think of it…yeah, it did!”
“Well then, I believe the only solution to this pickle is to discuss it with him again. I taught my student Twilight Sparkle many things, including reactions, in that there is always an action to cause a reaction,” she explained. “In your case, whenever you’re around Volare or Earth objects, your sense alerts you to them. Therefore, one would conclude that these occurrences aren’t by mere chance, especially if they’re being repeated again and again.”
“Yeah, that does make sense,” Lyra nodded. Though she wasn’t much of a science guru, she appreciated the Princess putting it in terms she understood. “You know, he said he believed I was onto something big…now I wonder if he was just messing with me or something else. Yeah, I’m gonna talk to him when I get back to Ponyville!” Lyra hopped to her hooves and gave Celestia a quick bow. “Thank you so much for your help and advice, Princess Celestia! Um, if I don’t see you by tomorrow morning, erm…take care!” she waved awkwardly.
“Oh, you likely will…oh, Lyra, two things before you go,” the Princess said. “One: in regards to Volare, I don’t believe there’s more than one sentient race where Volare comes from, and certainly no Pegasi…may wanna ask him about that too,” she said with a wink, making Lyra’s eyes nearly pop out of her head at what the Princess was implying, much to Celestia’s amusement. “And two: …the way you were just sitting…is it comfortable?”
“Oh yeah, ya get used to it, but it makes me feel like I’ve got a better view of my surroundings; makes it waay easier to turn your head and check out the scenery,” Lyra grinned. “See ya, Princess!” As she galloped off, Celestia stood and stretched her legs one at a time before contemplating the stone bench with a soft hrrmmm.
…………..
Lyra hurried towards the palace quarters where she stayed during her weekend visits and quickly began packing her belongings. She thought back over what she and Celestia had just discussed, but it wasn’t about Fancypants sponsoring the café. Far from it, her mind was quickly clicking two and two and two together, forming a completely new picture of Volare.
For one, he’d said he’d fallen out of the sky before he met her…but what kinda Pegasus did that, even before he got hurt?
Two: according to the Princess, she should trust her senses instead of assuming they’re just going batty.
Three, and this was the one that really got her going: if Volare was from Earth, but there were no Pegasi on Earth, according to Celestia; only one sentient race, and that had to be the humans she’d been dedicating herself to studying, it just had to be! But that would imply that Volare really wasn’t a Pegasus at all, which could only mean one thing. Lyra knew of certain spells used to change the form of a being, but very few Unicorns could master such a feat…one of whom lived in Ponyville and had walked right into the café with Volare!
She slammed a hoof down on her bed with a grin. That was it! She knew she wasn’t crazy! She had to seriously fight the urge to leap about the room and squeal in joy, for she knew nothing about this was set in stone yet. “Keep it together, Lyra…save it for when he says it himself,” she smirked as she forwent placing her accoutrements in her bag neatly, preferring to go at it haphazardly, cramming the items in excitedly until there was nothing left to pack.
Breathing hard and grinning from ear to ear despite herself, Lyra tossed the bag on the ground and laid down on the bed, doing her best to relax….but she just couldn’t!! She began to go over other things in her mind, including that fact that she considered Volare her friend, and that she should be concerned rather than angry that he hadn’t told her the truth to begin with. Maybe he’d been freaked out himself, which would definitely imply him being stuck in a world that wasn’t his original…yeah, that had to be it.
“Jeez, poor guy,” she muttered. “Stuck in this world, and now he won’t be able to fly…” an idea of how she could help suddenly popped into her mind. “…yet!” She raced out of her quarters towards the Canterlot Library. “Whoa, is that a…book fort?” she did a double-take as she ran through the main lobby of the building and headed for the Pony Anatomy section
Though she wasn’t the most well-read of Unicorns, she had found the time to pop into the building more than a few times during her stays in the city, and she thought she recalled a particular book that would definitely help Volare keep from crashing through windows at the very least when they did find that spell to fix his wing. He was her friend and she was gonna do her part to help him too!
-----------------------------
South of Ponyville…
Rainbow Dash kicked at a cloud in disappointment, grumbling to herself as she gazed down the road that ran under her house and looped around Sweet Apple Acres before disappearing behind the apple trees in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage. Somehow, against her better judgement, this had come to be part of her daily routine since yesterday. She’d wake up early, thunder-train, rest a bit and eat lunch, and then return to training, this time with ice weights and some light acrobatic flight to stretch and cool her muscles. She’d then settled down on the edge of the base of her cloud house and wait…but for what, she wasn’t entirely sure.
…that’s a lie and you know it, Dashie. We both know what, or rather, whom you’re waiting to coming trotting down that road.
S-shut up! I’m just resting my hooves, that’s all! Besides, you know we made that promise to Twilight!
…didn't stop you before.
Well, we’ve stretched it far enough as it is!
…then why sit and wait?
I…I dunno, ok? Just shut it! You know I don’t wait for anypony!
…If you say so, Dashie.
After arguing with herself on why she was waiting and watching the road, she’d finally shake herself and stand, stretching her wings and diving off the cloud, pulling up just before she hit the ground before fluttering to the earth and standing on the road, feeling the ground beneath her hooves. She’d crouch in a sprinter’s stance, pick a point further up the road, and break out of the blocks, sprinting as hard as she could for the spot, repeating it over and over until all thoughts of why she was waiting were extinguished, replaced only with the pounding of her heart and the inhale and exhale of her mighty lungs.
Once she was satisfied that her times had significantly improved, she’d once again stand in the road, staring towards the spot where it curved around the orchard and disappeared. Finally, she snorted impatiently and took to the sky again, softly cursing the blue Pegasus stallion for making her waste her time waiting for him to come trotting up the road. Oh well…maybe he and Scoots were having a grand old time together…
…maybe if you focused on what you really wanted, rather than this race, you’d-
I swear, I’m gonna-!
…what? Not like you can hit me without going through your own thick skull first, Dashie.
I-I’ll replace you!
…you wouldn’t
I would!
…shutting up.
Good!
“Volare, I swear to you,” she growled as she landed on her cloud house base again and kicked a substantial piece of fluff loose. “You’re gonna pay for messing with my emotions like this…one way or another,” she allowed herself a wicked smirk before heading inside to bunk down for the night. Tomorrow was the big day, and it was gonna be kick-flank awesome or her name wasn’t Rainbow Dash!
---------------------
“Well, that could have been worse,” Volare chuckled to himself as he, Pinkie, and the CMC made their way through the early evening-shrouded west Ponyville road towards Fluttershy’s cottage, himself limping slightly on his sore foreleg. Back in Ponyville, the town was still more or less intact, even after the three younger fillies got a hold of an experimental dessert Pinkie had been working on: a cupcake made of pure sugar. Just to be near such a diabetes-inducing treat had been enough to cause Volare’s tastebuds to cringe in fear of sugar overload. Unfortunately, where the older Pegasus had learned to practice moderation in regards to Pinkie’s confectionary snacks, the younger CMC members didn’t have nearly as much restraint; no sooner had they heard what the cupcake was made of, then they’d devised a plan to snag it from the top shelf of the bakery and divide the spoils amongst themselves.
What had followed was very nearly a scene out of either a horror or a comedy film; Volare really couldn’t tell which. But as he’d run on ahead of the sugar-charged typhoon barreling down the street, doing his best Paul Revere impression to warn the Ponyvillians that the CMC were coming, he was glad he’d told Ferrum to bolt his front door shut. That is, until he tried to enter it for shelter, of course, which was about where the horror film portion came in, as he ran from door to door, resisting the urge to cry “Sanctuary” before doubling back to Sugarcube Corner and luring the CMC inside, where Pinkie and him did their best to keep them contained until the sugar rush wore off…exactly 4 hours later.
With that ordeal behind them, by the time that Volare and Pinkie got the CMC between them and headed on the road to Fluttershy’s to drop the blue Pegasus off, they were both completely exhausted (something that Volare would have never thought possible in regards to Pinkie!). On their way there, the somewhat sugar-crashed fillies discussed what they were going to do tomorrow, the conversation eventually leading to the odds of Scootaloo getting her personal trainer cutie mark whether Volare won the race or not.
“Trust me guys, I’m not likely to do very well,” he’d chuckled. “Applejack says my endurance still needs to get worked on, and Fluttershy is actually kinda concerned that I might not even finish the race.”
“An’ that’s what we’re talkin’ about, Volare,” Applebloom acknowledged. “If we put all our eggs inta one basket, and that basket don’t work out, we’ll all get egg on our face.”
“What’s that even supposed to mean?” Scootaloo asked with a giggle. Pinkie and Volare shook their heads and smirked at one another, listening as the fillies debated their next move.
“She means that we should have a backup plan, in case Volare doesn’t win,” Sweetie Belle explained.
“Ah, gotcha…hey wait a sec! You were gonna steal my idea of a personal trainer cutie mark?!” the Pegasus filly growled, barely keeping her pace without stopping to glare at her friends. “Is that the reason why you were helping Volare?”
“Well, kinda,” Applebloom admitted. “But we’re all Crusaders, so if’n we all got that mark cuz we helped him…no harm done, right, eh-heh?”
“But!” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Since Volare doesn’t think he’ll win, I think we should all have a backup plan; you too Scoot.”
“Oh, I see whatcha mean,” Scootaloo tugged on Volare’s shoulder. “No offense dude, but we gotta have a Plan B.”
“Glad you’re so confident in me, Scoots,” he chuckled and mussed her mane. “What kinda Plan B?”
“I dunno,” she shrugged and turned to her friends. “Guys?”
“No clue,” Applebloom shook her head. “Sweetie?”
“Pinkie?” the Unicorn immediately deferred to the party mare, who was also good with an idea on the spot.
“Oh, hrm, lemme see here,” Pinkie hemmed and hawed for a moment, pretending to think hard. But in truth, this was just the opportunity she’d been waiting for, and she knew exactly what to suggest as she glanced over at Volare and Scootaloo and grinned to herself. “I think I got a good one! Ok, you remember the Sisterhooves Social?”
“Yeah, Ah do!” Applebloom nodded. “But how’s that gonna help us with our cutie marks?”
“She’s obviously got more to say, Applebloom, so hold your horses!” Scootaloo chided her friend. “What about it, Pinkie?
“How about getting your siblings to run in the race with you tomorrow and get your sibling tag-team runner cutie marks, or something like that?” Pinkie declared and waited for the idea to sink in. “Just a small suggestion, of course.”
“But…there’s no way Ah could keep up with Applejack,” Applebloom frowned. “Besides, she’s gonna be runnin’ against Rainbow Dash again anyhow, and Ah don’t wanna mess her up.”
“Applebloom, you’ve got more than one sibling,” Sweetie Belle pointed out, not seeing the small grimace that crossed Scootaloo’s face, though Volare did. He was about to make a move to point this conversation in a different direction before Pinkie spoke up again, giving him a quick wink as she did as if to say trust me, I know what I’m doing.
“Exactly! When’s the last time that Big Macintosh ran in the race?” Pinkie asked with a giggle. “I’ll bet a big stallion like him could shake down half the leaves in the Whitetail Wood on his own!”
“Ummmm,” the farm filly thought for a moment. “Never, that Ah can remember. But even if he did run in the race, we’d never win tha thing!”
“But it’s not about winning, silly filly,” Pinkie chuckled. “It’s about helping to bring in fall and having fun while doing it! And what’s a more fun way to do that than running it with a brother or sister? Sweetie Belle, you could have Rarity get out of that stuffy old Boutique and run too!”
“Heh, yeah, she has been spending way too much time in there,” the Unicorn filly chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll ask her to run in it too! We may not win, but we’ll have fun all the same!”
“Well, that’s all well and good,” Scootaloo grumbled loudly. “But what about me? I don’t have a sibling to run with for Plan B, and like Volare said, he may not win the whole thing, so that means I’ll be a bad trainer! Ugh, I’m never gonna get my mark that way!”
“Well, Volare could help with that,” Pinkie patted Scootaloo on the head and turned to the older Pegasus, who was giving her a curious look.
“How?” both Pegasi asked in unison, causing them to giggle.
“Well, Volare may not be your brother per-se, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a good stand-in for tomorrow’s race,” Pinkie winked again at Volare, who felt a strange feeling welling up in his chest at her suggestion.
“Huh, that could work…but isn’t that kinda cheating?” Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow, though seeing a solution in sight had made her extremely hopeful.
“Hmmm…nah, I don’t think so. Besides, show me a rule book on getting your cutie mark anyways,” she chortled and again turned to the older Pegasus. “Whatcha think, Volare-bear?”
“Yeah, wanna be my big brother for a day?” Scootaloo asked innocently while sporting the biggest grin he’d seen her wear since he met her. Again, Pinkie gave him a huge wink and a grin of her own: Go with it! “Please? I promise I won’t run too fast! Pretty-please, Volare?” That about did it for him, and he very nearly broke down and hugged the little filly where she stood. Instead, he pretended to hear something out in the grass, and when the others looked, he did his best to wipe the tears from his eyes before they turned back around. “Sooo…please?” Scootaloo repeated.
“Scoots,” he actually did stop this time and knelt down until he was eye level with the little orange filly, awaiting his answer with huge, excited eyes and hoping that she didn’t spot the remaining moisture threatening to spill from his own. “You know you don’t have to say please for something important like that…you know I’d say yes.”
“YAAAY!” Scootaloo threw her hooves around his neck and suddenly she became the one giving him the hug. He slowly brought his own hooves around her small body and held her protectively, feeling her grin against his neck as she squeezed her thanks out of the blood vessels in his neck. But at that point, he couldn’t care; he was too happy to. Luckily, before he blacked out from sheer joy and lack of blood pressure, Scootaloo released his neck and went bounding up the road, chattering with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom about all the fun they were going to have tomorrow, that they’d never run the race before, and that maybe this crazy plan might work after all!
Volare simply knelt there for a moment and stared after her until he felt a soft presence next to him, along with the smell of cotton candy and baked goods. He looked up to see Pinkie smiling softly down at him. “You…you and AJ,” he sniffled slightly. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?”
“Nope, don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pinkie grinned innocently before leaning in and whispering. “PS: Applejack only helped.”
“Heh-heh, thanks Pinkie,” he rose to his hooves. “It was a…very nice gesture.”
“Hee-hee, no problem!” she quipped and began to hop after the trio, as did Volare, though with less of a hop and more of a trot. “Hey, who knows? Maybe this’ll really get them their marks?” At this point, the Pegasus honestly couldn’t tell if this was really all about that or not anymore, or if Pinkie really was serious about not planning anything.
“No kidding,” he decided to play along…that is, if there were a game to play along to at all! Then again, maybe Pinkie did plan this…or maybe this was all just some delusion in his head; a joyful delusion, but a delusion nonetheless. Note to self, don’t try to predict Pinkie Pie!
“And you know,” Pinkie turned and smiled knowingly. “If this turns out pretty good, maybe you could be her BBFAD for a bunch more days!”
“Eh?”
“Her Big Brother For A Day, duh. Except for more like a week, or a year, or even more! But that's kinda a long acronym, eh? Hee-hee!” Pinkie winked as she bumped him with her hip, giggling while continuing to hop along as if nothing significant at all had just occurred…though Volare had a feeling she knew much better than that. Fluttershy was right: Pinkie was able to broach the subject better than she could.
“That…that sounds really good,” he chuckled and hurried after the fillies. I’d love that, actually…second note to self: don’t be fooled by her goofy nature, cuz Pinkie Pie ALWAYS knows what’s really going on…
---------------------
“Well, that’s certainly interesting,” Jill snickered to herself as Ray zapped the watch he wore on his wrist. She lay on her back and grinned at the stars that filled the sky as Luna’s moon cleared the horizon. “You telling the Boss about this?”
“Mhm, I think he’d like to know.” The timepiece began to glow a pale green-grey, and within moments of it activating, a slightly-cultured voice that carried a subtle hiss at times crackled through over the watch. To the outsider, the voice seemed normal, but because Ray was the one wearing the watch, not only could he hear it, but he could feel it slithering through his inner ear and into his mind as it spoke.
Ray, report, it demanded tersely.
“Boss, the filly named Scootaloo is going to be in The Running of the Leaves tomorrow, as are the fillies Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.”
Will they be accompanied? the voice now carried a lilt of the mildest interest.
“Yes, Applebloom by her brother Big Macintosh, Sweetie Belle by her sister Rarity, the Element of Generosi”-
I know who she is, you imbecile! the voice growled impatiently. Don’t waste my time with titles and fripperies! Now then…what about our dear little filly, Scootaloo? the voice dripped with sincerity so false and disgusting it made Ray's skin crawl. Who’s she running with, hmm?
“Volare, it seems.”
That crippled Pegasus from Earth? their Boss laughed dryly.
“The same,” Ray replied, keeping an eye on his sister who’d begun to tear a piece of grass to shreds in boredom.
They’re more foolish than I ever imagined…no matter. Ray, Jill, your target is Scootaloo. Separate her from the herd, and strike quickly, the voice said with a distinct lack of empathy. She’s no good to us without breath in her body, so please do your best to take her alive, though if she resists, feel free to experiment. But if you ruin this opportunity...if you kill her, you'll wish that the very stallion that sired you had never been born!
“Yeah, what about that Volare guy?” Jill asked sardonically.
He’s a lost little fool of a Pegasus who can’t fly and can barely run. He’s no threat, especially compared to Big Macintosh and Rarity. ‘Work smarter, not harder’ I always say, the voice chuckled coldly.
“Yeah, but what if he interferes anyway?” the female Unicorn persisted. Ray noticed that as Jill spoke, she began to wear that same malevolent grin that was plastered on her face when she was burning the Manticore to death the previous night.
Hmm, Ray, when’s the last time your sister really eviscerated a creature that put up something resembling a fight? their Boss asked with a tone approaching amusement.
“Too long, Boss!” Jill cackled, baring her teeth wickedly and making the hair on the back of Ray’s neck stand up.
Ah, you’re turning out so well; it just warms my heart…Jill, you just may get your chance if that fool gets in the way. If he does…leave him in pieces so small that even the crows will find it difficult to find a decent scrap to take home and vomit into the gullets of their filthy offspring! The voice laughed long and loud before the spell wore off, leaving Ray and Jill alone with nothing but its echo that meandered through the grass before dying somewhere out in the open field west of Ponyville…
----------------------
Notes: And thus the shitstorm gathers strength...
Oh, and in response to Lyra looking for Fancypants:
Idk what's wrong with me today XD
EDITS COMPLETED! ^^;
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1009883 Enjoy!
daaaaaaamn those pants be fancy!
1010651 Me thinks I should get myself a pair.
I do not like Ray. But Jill, I... I really hate.
Celestia you troll.
Although something tells me there must be a plan/reason behind what Celestia did.
1010651 Indeed!
1010677
1010738 Yeah, she's got some...issues...some of which may not be her fault, considering what that healing spell can do to one's mind, as well as who gave it to her and Ray
1010844 Not exactly. She's a teacher as well as a the co-ruler, remember, and therefore she encourages learning. She knows that this particular field of study is important to Lyra, and she figures it's more important for Lyra to make that discovery for herself, rather than simply giving it all to her.
Plus, now that her opinions on humans have changed somewhat, perhaps Celestia is now a bit more open to the thought of having her subjects interact with Volare and know his origins.
Volare: playandroid.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Bitch-Please.png I'm not fighting that monster Jill
Author: Well too bad deal with it.
Volare: You know if I come out of this alive your going to die.
Author: What do yo mean if?
Volare: Well what I mea-.......... You wouldn't dare.
Author: Try me.
Volare: ..... You win this round.
Author: I always win against you.
Volare: Yeah because you make this up.
Author: Touche.........
Me: Awwww no fighting, well I'm outta here. Unless I change the Author's words. Muahahahahaha
I control the Author!!!!!!
Author: In your dreams.
Me: Try me.
Author: ...............You win this round...........
(Volare laughing in background at almost similar scenario happening to Author.)
Author: Shut up.
Volare: Pffffffft.
Me: To bad for you both as I assets.diylol.com/hfs/521/1c6/517/resized/all-the-things-meme-generator-get-all-the-likes-5816c4.jpg
Volare and Author: How did we get into all this mess?
1010738 That's the idea, methinks.
1010899 So in summary, yes there was a plan.
That picture cracks me up
And of course another good chapter and I can't wait for the darn race to finally happen!
Don't you dare do something bad to Scoots!
“No telling what she’d do if she came back and I was in the hospital or something!” He's totally going to be back in the hospital again, isn't he.
Oh Pinkie you sly dog you.
I'm still waiting for Volare to have to explain why there was a Rainbow Dash patch in his plane. That'll probably be even more fun than when Lyra tries to talk to him.
Also, did you know that, in Latin, "Volare" isn't pronounced "voh-LAYRE"? It's supposed to be pronounced "vo-LA-ray". Dunno if that's a pronunciation error on your part or if it's just how Volare likes to say it.
Horray! Moar gore!
encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT72H9XvkhLdK53RXSyyK6XKDvZR8dgKCupZ6VEOpDdGsCZvGst7g
Just replace "Thread" with "Story"
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/091/829/shitstorm%20a-brewin%27.png
Looks like next chapter's gonna be intense!
And thanks for the frequent updates, this is the like only story I'm following right now that gets new chapters with any consistency, it really helps satisfy the pony craving in between seasons.
Yay! Another chapter! Awww, Scoots is so adorable.
And oh boy I sense an, 
encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQEYQz4scv7gpQfGgDxydVW8cOWO5rzO4Y6bcL9dMXFjGxURQ6W
very soon. But I do believe some way or another Ray and Jill will get their flanks kicked by Volare. Either that or the fact that they didn't take into account Twilight will be there more than likely bring up the rear if she does race along with Volare. Anyway, can't wait till the next chapter!
go on volare kick Jill's flank
cool story brah
1010899
And that description made me a tad famished.
And who comes from a world where violence is endemic, and who has gone through military training in that world. Sure, a lot of his training won't transfer well to his new form, but he definitely has the necessary mindset. Anypony who attacks him is in for a big surprise.
1007171 Thanks, bro.
I understand if you have other plans, but that'd still be fun, you know? Volare having to decide between Twi and Dash?
ih0.redbubble.net/image.10729503.2550/sticker,375x360.png
static.fjcdn.com/comments/Holy+_8f60300adf121a788c44633189c06eee.jpg its about to hit the fan!
Oke let me get this straight. That "Boss" is after Scootaloo and not Volare?
So Jill and Ray just wanted to mess around with him all the time, but nothing really plot relevant? 
Sorry if seem confused here guys but due to me not beeing a natural English speaker I tend to skip certain details, some of them beeing crucial to the story. 
I think Volare will kick Jill's flank if she so calls looks at Scoots, more rather ponynap her. But anyway, Volare will be a badass soon enough.... I can smell it coming.
"The fact that whatever that thing had been that had disabled the Sergeant could somehow obtain the pass-spell that only the most-trusted of Canterlot ponies carried."
"But that all led back to the intruder having been there before…and nopony knew who it could have been!"
"...that intruder might have already been inside Canterlot by then, which would explain why you never detected it..."
"Fancypants mentioned he liked eating at our café, and then we got the idea of asking the guy to sponsor the place to bring in more business. Thing is, we haven’t seen him since. So I’m up here looking for him, but I can’t find him either..."
"...within moments of it activating, a slightly-cultured voice that carried a subtle hiss at times..."
Hmmm.
th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/076/2/d/detective_pinkie_pie_by_c_h_loboguerrero_c-d4t0t34.png
^Hmm, indeed....
Welp, better get inside before the shitstorm rolls in.
i.imgur.com/k3ZiD.png
My friends, grab an umbrella, because the shits about to hit the fan!
1012292
1010945
1011062 Wait till you meet their Boss
1011071 Yeppers
1011235 Yeah, I made that at like 4 AM...
And yes, the race be starting in the next chapter-finally!!!!
1011303 No guarantee there...
1011312 Maybe....
And yes, I'm of the opinion that Pinkie Pie is MUCH smarter than what she lets on half the time
1011371 That's gonna be...interesting too
Heh, he likes to pronounce it VOL-AIR (it'd be funny if that wasn't even his real name...like a middle name or something)
1011450 WOOHOO!!!
1011527 It's been brewing for about the past 20 chapters
1011555 You're welcome!
And yes, it will be!
1011640 You'll see!
And nope, Twilight's not gonna take part-she's too burned out mentally from staying up late studying and researching
1011773 The f**k, English?
1016569 I'm glad I could make someone laugh :D. I have writers block atm and making people laugh slowly gets rid of it.
1011660 WOOHOO, Thanks!!
1011792 Dang....I'm honored to have you read this far into my story, good sir.
Here, have a mustache!
1011823
Volare: RUN!
1011912 Not to mention his body was created magically an is still rather unstable because of that. No telling what he's capable of (remember what happened with Luna?
) That and there are few things more terrifying than the wrath of a big brother towards those that hurt his little sister... 
1011976
1012091 We'll see...and wtf is that in the picture?
Looks like Dr Zoidberg and...something else.
1012094 Basically yes
1012098 Ray and Jill are after Scootaloo for as yet undisclosed reasons (which will be revealed shortly)
And ever since Ray and Jill reported to their Boss that Volare is from Earth, he's had them keep an eye on him as well (again, you're not supposed to know quite yet)
1012246 In all honesty, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to have Volare do...but I woke up from a dream last night, and I know now...Jill and Ray are in for a bit of a surprise
1012292 Interesting deduction. However, as Shining Armor said, there are still too many variables to come to a conclusion for now. (yay mysteries!)
1013066
That's be a good idea, kiddo!
1013242
1014318 Thank you!
I still need to work on that...but it doesn't come into play till MUCH later in the story, so I've got plenty of time
1014469 Wow, for someone to say that...just...wow, I dunno what to say in response
But know that I'm greatly honored by your statement.
Thank you!
And I'll try to have the next chapter up by Saturday morning! (got all day to work on it today)
Volare: I swear to god, if you gender swap me...
1014660 Dat works too
1016083 Oops?
Consarnit, Applejack! Quit messing up the English language!
1016185 Eh-heh, oops again?
*Edits*
Thanks for the help!
1016413 Dat it be!
1016604 I hope that subsides soon!
1016614
Teehee.
I just finished reading your story and have a few things to say.
1. It is a damn shame that your readership keeps dropping.
2. 130,000 more words till this is tied for the longest story I've read.
3. Um why doesn't anyone think to use a memory spell to go into Twilight's head and get the spell from there, I mean she remembered it before so it IS in there right. Would that just make it too easy?
4.Love the story so far keep it up!
1016859 It's dropping?
Oh well *shrug*
Oh, it's got ALOT more than that to go!
The memory spell has two problems:
1. it can cause serious mental issues (see Volare's nightmare that Twilight altered)
2. Twilight only saw a portion of the spell while she was skimming the scrolls looking for the Stop Time spell (it's like you're looking for a reference and you only read the summary before moving on) That's literally ALL she remembers, so using a memory spell like that carries more risk than reward.
Thanks, will do!
The memory spell in the show didn't have any problems I remember, but I'll go with the seeing a portion of it, that's a good explanation (might want to put it in the story).
981926
Why bother with that when an M1 abrams would be so much more fun!
1016926 True, the one in the show didn't, but that was pulling on major memories that were easy to find. She'd really be digging into her own mind to find this obscure fact, and that might cause issues...but yes, I'll be discussing it soon
1016965
1016633 Gee thx for the answer. I also remebered that Trixie is interested in Volare too because she thinks he could teach her human magic
.
Anyway, "LET THE SHITSTORM COMMENCE!"
1017052 Yep, the subjects of "offworlder-obsessed ponies" is discussed briefly in the next chapter, so that outta answer a few questions about them
Working on the chapter right now (but I need food!)
Well, the shitstorm continues to grow, and it looks like we are finally going to get it either next chapter or more likely the one after it. This should be good.
Also, Scoots is too cute.
1016965 nah the m1 is nothing you should try die ratte panzer
or would that be maby a little overkill...???
1022798
That was a German concept, and we want some way to get away unseen. Something that big would be spotted miles away.
Though, if we're going for concepts, the IS-7 might be a better solution....
maybe the object 704, T95, or T92.
Or.....
DONE! Holy shit! I started reading this 3 days ago and it has been one big shitstorm.
thar be a shit stom a brewin'
I swear to God if you do anything ANYTHING to Scootaloo I will do a reading of this fanfiction, but instead read the worst fic I can find.
Try and stop me, but I will rile up the Scootaloo fan club. Which I happen to be a member of.
In response to the pic at the end. Double Facepalm.