The Running-Pt 12: Cutting Deep
September 11th, Afternoon
-----------------------------------------
Beep…beep…beep…beep
Ugh, my head…well, either someone’s microwave meal is ready, or that’s a heart monitor…if it is one, I hope it’s mine, cuz at least that means I’m still alive…agh, light…bright…ow, scratch that. It’s not just my head, it’s my everything.
Volare attempted to make sense of the noises around him coming through the ringing that filled his head as he closed his eyes against the harsh, artificial light on the ceiling.
Huh, that reminds me…I gotta ask how they have electricity here…jeez, whe-where’s Scootaloo?!
Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep!!
“He’s coming to, Dr. Stable,” an unfamiliar female voice off to his left reported and he felt a pressure on his right forehoof that grew and intensified into a sharp pain that cut through the static in his mind and forced his eyes wide open, despite the light. He was on his back in a blue-walled room. All around him, movement assaulted his blurred-out senses. He felt a wire running from his left foreleg down the bed and over to the heart monitor that continued to beep persistently. Yep, he was alive, alright. He looked forward to a lit display on the wall past the edge of the bed; it was an X-ray of what he assumed was his leg, the right one, in fact. If that was what the bones looked like after that thing chewed on him…eesh. He then attempted to look over and see how bad the leg itself was, but something grabbed his face and pulled him to the left, scratching his wounds against the pillow behind him.
“Ah, Volare! You’re awake!” the mass of pink and yellow filled his vision, and it took him a moment of blinking to realize it was Fluttershy. She was wearing an expression of extreme concern and relief as she held the sides of his head in her hooves and smiled, despite the moisture welling in her eyes.
“Where’s Scootaloo…and why’re you holding my head?” Volare groaned as the pain in his right hoof continued to intensify. He attempted to look again, but at as groggy as he felt, even Fluttershy wouldn’t have had to put much effort into holding him still.
“Scootaloo’s across the hall; she’s fine. And I’m holding your head because…because it’s probably best if you don’t see what’s happening,” Fluttershy said softly in the voice of one experienced in keeping animals calm under stressful situations; and this particular one was no different! As she spoke, she glanced past his shoulder for the slightest instant and bit her lip as a sharp, stabbing pain ripped through Volare’s forehoof. A panicked thought jumped to the front of his mind:
“Oh my god, are they amputating my leg?!” Volare cried and tried to twist his head around, but Fluttershy held him firmly in place with a practiced effort. She didn’t nod, but she didn’t not nod either; her eyes continuing to be riveted on his hoof. “Agh, no, please don’t!!” Volare cried and pulled at his forehoof. “HELP!!!”
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!!!!
…………………………….
“Yeah, and then I was like: ‘you’re not gonna drown Volare’, and so I jumped outta that tree and-bam-kicked that thing right in the face!” Scootaloo crowed and pumped her hoof as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stood at the edge of the bed, fascinated by their friend’s account of the battle not half an hour ago. Applejack and Rarity sat on the other side of the room, shaking their heads in disbelief and uttering relieved chuckles at the recounting of the fight.
Rainbow Dash grinned proudly at how well Scootaloo was taking this. She glanced over at the smaller Pegasus’ right wing, slightly devoid of flight feathers but otherwise uninjured. In fact, besides being a little shaken up (until one of the nurses gave her a lollipop while she stitched up the small cut on Scootaloo’s left cheek), she’d seemed no worse for the wear. Yep, she was pretty good at bouncing back from stuff like this…she’ll make a darn good flier one of these days, Dash crossed her hooves and chuckled; she had a knack for telling this sort of thing.
“Was that before one of them pulled your feathers out?” Sweetie Belle asked, not noticing that the question raised the fur on Dash’s hackles.
“Oh, before. And holy hay, that was just nuts what Volare did to stop them from doing that!” Scootaloo slammed the bed with a hoof and grinned fiercely. “He just growled and his eyes got all narrow and really bright blue…and it was like he just flew across the mud and the next thing ya know, pow-that Cryhena was flying through the air, and I was on the ground, safe and away from that thing! Heh, my brother’s pretty tough, huh?”
He’s got guts, that’s for sure, Dash nodded to herself. He’ll make a darn good flier too…once we get him up there that is…
“Hold on a moment,” Rarity beat everypony to the punch upon hearing what Scootaloo had just said. “Did you say your brother? But I thought Volare was”- but she halted as Applejack gave her a quick elbow to the ribs and a subtle shake of her head. Rarity shot her country friend a demanding glance before she smiled sheepishly and turned back to the fillies.
“Was what?” Applebloom cocked her head.
“Was…from out of town, yes, ha ha! That he was from out of town!” The white Unicorn almost put a little too much emphasis on the explanation, but the fillies bought it, missing the eyerolls exchanged by Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
“Anyway, yeah, we agreed to be brother and sister out there,” Scootaloo grinned, much to her friends’ delight.
“That’s sweet! Now he doesn’t have to pretend to be your brother when we go Crusading again,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Yeah! Heh, wonder what we should do first,” Applebloom mused. “Oooh, how about shark-wrestlin’?” Even the adventurous Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at her suggestion, but before she could kill that little idea, a scream from across the hall interrupted her.
“Oh god, are they amputating my leg?!” Everypony looked up at the door before Applejack spoke.
“Tarnation...that was Volare,” she muttered, pulling her hat a little lower.
“Is he ok?” Scootaloo asked with a slight whimper in her voice. But Dash mussed her mane affectionately and chuckled.
“Heh, yeah he’s just bein’ a baby,” Dash crossed her hooves. “Compared to what happened out there in the woods, I’m pretty sure he’ll be ok. What’s ‘amputating’ mean, anyway?”
“Search me,” Applejack shrugged and turned to the more eloquent Rarity, who had a curious look on her face, her left eye twitching ever so slightly. “Hey Rare; what’s ‘amputatin’ mean?”
“It means…to cut something off,” Rarity finally said after a moment’s hesitation, the implications making Dash slowly unfold her hooves and her eyes lose their distinctive confidence. The room sat silent for a moment before another shout cut through the door.
“Agh no! Please don’t! HELP!!!” Dash didn’t wait for a moment. Before her friends could stop her, she’d thrown the door open and charged across the hall.
…………………………
“Nurse Redheart, please stabilize him!” a male voice belonging to the orange Unicorn Dr. Stable ordered. From out of the corner of his eye, a white-colored Earth Pony with a light pink mane pulled back in a bun gave him an apologetic smile and raised a long, sharp syringe up and over his left foreleg. As the needle descended, Volare felt a scream of terror begin to rise in the back of his throat.
KABAM!
“What the hay are you doing to him in here, huh?!” Everypony in the room looked up as the door crashed open, hitting an orderly and sending surgical tools and a bedpan clattering all over the room. “Get away from him!” Something tugged Nurse Redheart off her feet, and bumped Fluttershy out of the way, and immediately, his vision was filled with cyan and a multicolored mane as Rainbow Dash got between him and the doctor who still had a hold of his right hoof. Her wings were flared and her breath left her muzzle in fierce snorts; she wasn't about to take any chances after the previous incident by the river. Volare turned his head to look, but now Dash’s body was blocking his view! As much as he appreciated her defending him again, her next words only reaffirmed his fears: “Why’re you cutting his leg off?!”
Oh hell no!!
“Ms. Dash, please listen to me,” Dr. Stable said in a gentle but firm tone. “We’re not hurting Volare on purpose; he’s already in enough pain as it is. But we need him to calm down so I can set the bones in his leg, or else he might not walk or run correctly again.” After a few moments’ hesitation, the doctor added: “You can stay right here in this room if you don’t believe me, but I need to sedate him so I can set the bones, ok?”
“…fine,” Dash turned and took Volare’s face in both hooves, her face a mixture of simmering frustration, frayed nerves, and utter embarrassment at the scene she’d just caused. “Volare, you hear that? The Doc’s just gonna fix your leg. He’s not cutting it off. I’m gonna be right here while they do it, so don’t you freak out, or I’m gonna freak out, ok? And if I do, I’m gonna sedate you. Got it?” The rainbow mare shook her hoof threateningly and then gave his own good hoof a rough squeeze and backed away, letting his head go and finally allowing him to look at his right foreleg. Sure enough, it was still there, and the flesh had been opened up by a scalpel so Doctor Stable could align the broken bones. Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t looked, and he flopped his head back towards the left side of his body.
“I’m sorry, Doc,” he muttered. “I just lost it there for a sec and…yeah, sorry.”
“It’s quite alright, Volare; you’ve been through more than enough to warrant a little distress,” the surgeon gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded to the nurse to approach him again. “Now, Nurse Redheart is going to give you a sedative so I can work, alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good with that.”
“Excellent. Nurse, will you do the honors?” Volare felt a pinch as the needle entered his left foreleg, and within half a minute, he was floating on cloud nine as the surgeon went back to work and Nurse Redheart began the process of dressing his other wounds. He looked over and blinked dazedly as Dash and Fluttershy conversed in the corner of the room…something about why Fluttershy didn’t tell him what was going on in the first place and Fluttershy saying she didn’t want to worry him. Dash face-hoofed and turned back to watch the surgery with a stoic, solemn expression; though he thought he detected the barest tinge of green appearing on her cheeks towards the end of it.
“There, you see Rainbow Dash, Dr Stable had to make an incision in Volare’s wrist so he could re-align the cannon bone of his lower leg because it was broken in two places,” Fluttershy explained, almost as if she were reciting it from a medical journal. The athletic Pegasus gave her long-time friend a long, sideways glance of semi-horror as she continued to describe the surgery in all its graphic detail, saying she’d done this sort of surgery numerous times for her animal friends. Soon, Volare could see that her face had definitely turned a few shades of green.
“H-hey, Doc?” Dash raised a hoof to get his attention.
“Yes, Ms. Dash?” Dr. Stable replied as the Unicorn hovered his tools over Volare’s leg, every now and then a small pop resounding from the bones as they were realigned and a small metal pin inserted between them to keep them in place.
“You got a trashcan anywhere in-urp-here?” the cyan Pegasus asked, holding a hoof over her mouth as she chanced another glance at the splayed-open leg and immediately wishing she hadn’t.
“Right there in the corner, Ms. Dash,” Dr. Stable nodded towards the small yellow receptacle and went back to work.
“G-good…just making sure, that’s all,” Dash replied, shaking her head and giving a snort before looking down at Volare, who finally seemed to have drifted off to sleep. Jeez, poor guy, she thought. He didn’t deserve this crap…maybe what he really deserves is that fanclub from Scoots after all…
A crash and a series of muffled shouts from downstairs caused her and Fluttershy to jump slightly and look towards the door. Dash took one last glance at Volare’s leg, nearly lost her breakfast, and then decided it was probably better to go check out the ruckus in the lobby. “I’m gonna go see what’s going on down there,” she announced and headed for the door before pausing and leaning down to Volare and whispering in his ear so nopony else could hear. “The only reason I forfeited that race was because your crazy flank is more important to me than some silly award…but you owe me big time, flyboy.” She gently hoofed his shoulder before galloping from the room, very nearly knocking the same orderly airborne when she ran through the door again. In her rush, she missed the small smile that graced Volare’s lips before he finally allowed himself to go under the sedation.
“Whoa, Dash!” Applejack yelled as she saw the Pegasus shoot past their room. “What happened to Volare?” she leaned her head out and called, but by the time she did, she just barely caught sight of her rainbow tail flitting around the corner of the stairwell. “Consarnit,” she muttered and trotted across to Volare’s room herself and peeked in. “Volare, are ya’ll-WHOA NELLY!” she skittered backwards on the tile floor, green eyes wide in alarm and nearly bumping into the opposite wall as the disgruntled orderly shut the door on the sight of Volare’s surgery in progress. It was at that point that another series of shouts trickled up the staircase, these sounding like they belonged to Dash, and grabbed the farm pony’s attention.
“Applejack dear, what’s happening out there?” Rarity asked as she stepped into the hall and got a glimpse of her friend’s shocked features. “What’s going on in Volare’s room?”
“Uh, ya’ll ever peel a banana, Rarity?” Applejack asked before shaking the image of the blue Pegasus’ split-open leg from her mind. “Ah mean, uh, Ah’m gonna go see what Rainbow is yellin’ about downstairs!” She galloped off, Rarity on her hooves.
“So is there anything being amputated or not? Applejack!” the fashionista shouted in frustration as she followed the orange mare down the stairs, leaving the CMC alone in their room.
“So wait a sec…” Scootaloo tapped her chin in confusion. “What’s happening to Volare again?”
“Applejack said he’s gettin’ his banana peeled, whatever that means,” Applebloom replied matter-of-factly.
“No, he’s getting it cut up!” Sweetie Belle declared with a grin. “Like how Rarity sometimes does and puts it in cereal!”
“I didn’t know Volare had a banana…heh, my brother’s kinda weird, but in an awesome way, huh?” Scootaloo chuckled innocently before her stomach burbled; she’d never had lunch. “Man, some cereal would be good about now anyway, banana or not.”
“Yeah, same here,” Applebloom nodded. “Ah wonder why mah sis and your sis ran off though, Sweetie. And Rainbow Dash too.”
“I dunno,” the Unicorn filly shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s go find out! Scoots, you stay here! We’ll be back in a sec!”
“Aww, fine,” the Pegasus filly frowned as her two friends galloped out the door. She rubbed at the bandage on her cheek and thought back to what had happened not half an hour ago. I hope Volare’s ok in there, she thought as she looked through the open door across the hall at his room, where the sounds of surgery continued. Get well soon, bro…love ya. With that thought, she suddenly felt a little more relaxed than she previously had been. “Hrm…maybe a little nap wouldn’t hurt,” she mumbled and snuggled down into the warm down blankets. “Heh, this is kinda nice…too bad ya gotta get hurt to come here…*yawn*…this is an awesome bed…” zzzzz
………….............
Slightly Earlier…
“And so I said to the guy: why the long face?” Pinkie chortled and slapped her knee while Iron Will pounded his large blue fist on the seat cushions in the hospital lobby. “But then I realized he was a pig and he didn’t have a long face, so I guess the joke was on me, huh?”
“HAHA, you got that right!” the minotaur chuckled loudly. He’d been fairly depressed and worried and had continued to pace the waiting room floor until Pinkie volunteered to calm him down with a few jokes. 20 minutes into them, however, and he was laughing fit to kill, causing the walls to shake and the light brown Earth Pony stallion orderly at the front desk to consider asking him to leave if he didn’t have an emergency…but was he really about to ask a huge beast like him to get lost? Yeah, I didn’t think so either!
“Ok, I’ve got one,” Will wiped a tear of mirth from his eye and continued. “What did one cat say to the other cat?”
“I dunno, what?”
“Nothing, cuz cats can’t talk,” Iron Will grinned, waiting for Pinkie to burst into laughter, but she simply gave him a strange look and cocked her head to the side. “What?”
“I think you need more practice, Will,” she patted his leg sympathetically. “Hrm, how about we try some charades?”
“Oh, I love charades,” the minotaur stood up. “I’ll go first!” He took a few steps to the side and stood straight and tall with his arms bent at right angles.
“Um, is it one word?” Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“Yep.”
“One or two syllables?”
“Two.”
“Um…I dunno, a cactus?”
“…seriously?”
“Yeah, like those big ones in the desert!” Pinkie posed next to him like a small pink saguaro. “See?”
“Uh…hang on a sec,” the minotaur grabbed a hat hanging near the door and stuck it on one of his horns before posing again. “Now try!”
“Ooooh, ok…uuuummmm,” the party mare took a quick trot around him, hemming and hawing as she did so. “Are you…a hat-rack? Though I think that’s two words.”
“How in the hay did you guess…and it’s a compound word,” The minotaur looked at her with wide eyes, hat dangling off his horn as they suddenly heard loud voices outside and the front door of the hospital burst open and three familiar characters leapt into the room, the smallest of which wore an incredulous expression as she spied the strangely posed pony and minotaur and spoke up first.
“Ok, what in Orion’s Belt is going on in here?!”
“Twilight!” Pinkie shouted and bounced over to her friend, throwing her hooves around her neck and giving her a huge hug. “Glad you’re back in town cuz”-
“Agh! The minotaur!” the lavender Unicorn shouted and pointed an accusatory hoof at Iron Will, who seemed very surprised that Twilight didn’t know who he was.
“Uh, can I help you? Do you even know who I am?” he asked in confusion.
“Yeah, you’re the beast that’s got everypony in an uproar outside!” the taller white Unicorn declared with a paw of his hoof on the tile floor. Iron Will chuckled softly; they must have him confused with someone else. And so, he pulled the hat from his horn and plunked it onto his head before initializing his trademark introduction, complete with cheesy grin and double thumbs up:
“Iron Will’s the name, training pony’s was my-WHOA WHAT THE-!” he shouted as the largest of the three newcomers, a dark blue Alicorn with a starry, flowing mane, charged forward and grabbed him by his necktie, hovering in the air and holding him above her head. She glared at him with fierce cyan eyes and spoke with regal authority.
“Where have you hidden the filly that you foal-napped; the one named Scootaloo?” her horn glowed a pale blue. “Answer quickly if you value your immediate future, beast!”
“Uh, ma’am,” Iron Will spoke as politely as possible, feeling that his life depended on it. “I dunno what I ever did to make you mad, but I think there’s been a mistake; I didn’t foal-nap little Scootaloo. I brought her here under direct orders from Rainbow Dash because she’d been hurt in a big fight out in the Whitetail Woods during the Running of the Leaves! I swear it’s the truth, so please don’t fry my head off cuz I'm kinda fond of it!"
“Princess Luna, please let Iron Will go!” Pinkie nudged the Night Princess’ shoulder. “He’s telling the truth, honest.”
“Wait, you’re saying Scootaloo got hurt too!?” Twilight demanded with worry as Luna slowly put lowered the minotaur to his hooves. “Where is she? And where’s Volare?!” she asked, half-hysterical again. “I swear this is the last straw for Rainbow Dash! Spike said Dash was carrying him and he was really hurt and”-
“Twilight!” a voice cried from the hallway to their left. The Librarian turned to see Spike running towards her and skidding to a stop, a bit out of breath. He’d heard the commotion from the restroom and had come running as fast as he could, as evidenced by the long strand of toilet paper stuck to his foot. “Eh-heh-heh,” he smiled sheepishly and tossed the paper in a nearby waste bin before speaking. “You made it! To answer your questions, Scootaloo’s upstairs with the CMC, Applejack, and Rarity. Volare’s up there too with Fluttershy but he’s in surgery!” At these words, Twilight didn’t waste time.
“I’ll go help them!” she shouted and galloped for the stairs, intent on healing Volare as best as she could, but she was stopped by Princess Luna, who magically grabbed her and held her back. “Luna, let…me…go!” Twilight strained futilely against her mighty grasp and looked back pleadingly. “I’ve gotta help Volare; I owe him that much!”
“No, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna rebuffed her sister’s student. “Remember what we spoke about in regards to overloading his body with magic too soon! I can promise you’ll likely do his body and mind more harm than good!”
“But Princess, I know I can help! Just let me go! I’ve gotta fix what I know Rainbow Dash bucked up!” The Librarian continued to pull against Luna when a rainbow-colored blur shot out the door and crashed head-on with her, sending the two tumbling across the floor and into a magazine rack, spewing laminated pages of literature every which way. After a moment or two, Dash staggered to her hooves and reached down to help her friend up.
“Ugh, what did I buck up?” she asked dazedly before Twilight slapped her hoof away. “Hey, what was that for, huh?!” the Pegasus bristled as her scholarly friend picked her own self up with a soft growl.
“You know what, Rainbow Dash,” she looked up at the reckless Pegasus, purple eyes full of frustration and anger that rose to the surface as the events of the past two weeks combined with what had obviously just happened out in the woods finally began to break through her weakened psyche. “I just know this is all your fault somehow!”
“Whoa, hang on a sec, Twilight!” the Pegasus waved her hooves. “You don’t know the whole story yet!” As she spoke, Applejack, Rarity, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle exited the stairwell and bumped to a stop at the scene unfolding before them.
“I know enough to know that you were carrying the poor guy half-dead and bloody and that your track record with him is nothing short of horrible!” she stamped her hoof, breath angrily snorting from her nostrils as she glared daggers at her friend.
“Twilight, just listen, ok!” Dash pleaded, her usually thin patience worn even more dangerously so. If this had been any other pony pointing hooves at her like this, she would have lashed out by now, but she was willing to give her friend the benefit of the doubt for the moment. “What happened was”-
“No, you listen!” Twilight suddenly shouted, earning a withering glance from the orderly at the front desk before he ducked down below it, terrified at the sight of the angry Unicorn not three steps from him. “You went back on your promise to stay away from him and look what it caused!”
“Hey, the time limit we agreed on passed, Twilight!” Dash shot back, her patience gone now. “It’s not our fault you got back here late!”
“LATE?! You wanna know why I was late, Rainbow Dash?!” Twilight snarled, a hint of flame beginning to lick up around the base of her mane. She ignored Pinkie’s cry to stop and stomped a step towards the Pegasus. “I was LATE because I was trying to procure safe citizenship for Volare from Princess Celestia for the last two weeks! You have no bucking idea the hoops I’ve had to jump through while there! And you?! You thought a time limit was more important than Volare’s life, you messed around with him, and then nearly got him killed! AGAIN!”
“Hey, this wasn’t my fault!” Dash flared her wings and stood her ground. She was done with being beaten on like this. “I saved Volare’s life in fact, and he saved Scootaloo from some freaky animals out in the woods!”
“Oh-haha-I’m sure!” Twilight rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically. “Good one, Dash, but jokes are over! You need to just get the buck out of here and leave Volare alone before your mere presence kills him the rest of the way!” she pointed a hoof towards the front door. “RIGHT NOW!”
That was it! Dash had had enough! If Twilight wanted to fight dirty, than two could play at that game! In the span of the next few moments, she unleashed her suspicions upon her lavender friend. “Why ya want me to stay away from him so bad, huh? You wanna be alone with him? You got some feelings for him after you kept him locked in your house for a few days?” Dash’s pointed questions made the entire room gasp, and Twilight reeled back as if slapped. “What all did you guys do, huh? I’ll bet that’s the real reason why you don’t want me being friends with him; because I’m stepping on the little egghead’s turf!”
“You-y-you, that’s not true!” the Unicorn sputtered angrily, rebounding back and taking another step towards Dash.
“Prove it!” the Pegasus demanded with a fierce grin. She had the Librarian backed into a corner and she knew it.
“Liar!” Twilight shouted in reply, unsure if she could or couldn’t prove it! Nearby, Shining Armor and Luna exchanged worried looks, unsure if they should step in or let the two friends settle this one themselves.
“Prove it!” Dash repeated and continued to grin right into Twilight’s face, daring her to make a move.
“I don’t have to!” Twilight replied imperiously.
“Ha, you can’t cuz it’s true!” Dash stomped the floor. “Or cuz you’re too scared to try!”
"I’m not scared!” the Unicorn roared, her eyes blazing red and flames flickering in earnest from her mane. But Dash wasn’t afraid, and she blew her a raspberry and laughed.
“Chicken!” That was the last straw! Any sort of self-restraint that Twilight might have had at that point finally eroded. She didn’t care if Princess Luna, her brother, and her friends saw what she was about to do, because as far as she was concerned, it was everything Rainbow Dash deserved! She leaped forward and slammed her forehead against Dash’s own, nearly stabbing her with her horn and knocking the Pegasus back a step. Shining Armor had seen enough, though, and he finally decided it was time to step in.
“Twiley, Dash, stop this right now,” he commanded, but it was no use. Twilight glared at him and levitated him out of the way. This was between her and Dash and nopony else!
“So that’s it, huh?” Dash rubbed her head and growled. “This is how it’s gonna be…you and me torn apart by some guy who literally fell into your Library?” she looked at the ground, as if contemplating stopping before snapping back up and baring her teeth at Twilight. “Well, if that’s how little our friendship means to you, then buck you!”
She suddenly charged forward and hit Twilight with her shoulder, bowling the Unicorn over and sending her slamming against the padded waiting room seats. Spitting feathers that flew from the cushions, Twilight regrouped and attempted to kick at Dash, but the Pegasus was too swift, and easily dodged the attack, hovering above the ground and sniggering.
“Ha, you were always too slow, egghead!” Dash stuck her tongue out again before she felt something grab her wings. She looked to the sides to see them enveloped in a lavender glow, the same glow that emanated from Twilight’s horn.
“It’s a good thing I’m better at this then!” Twilight roared and slammed Dash against the floor before picking her up and pinning her against the wall with her spell, holding her up near the ceiling. The normally brave Pegasus was suddenly completely helpless and at somepony else’s mercy, and the feelings suddenly ripped open scars from the past. She began to panic.
“L-let me go, dammit!” she growled and strained, but it was no use! It was a well-known fact that Rainbow Dash was a bit of a claustrophobic, but being held down like this…no, just no! Just as she contemplated pleading for mercy, Princess Luna stepped up to stop the conflict in the only way she knew how: she broke out the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“BE STILL, YE QUARRELLING PONIES! HAST THOU NO SENSE IN THINE HEADS?!” her voice rocked the entire room, causing the lights to flicker and Applebloom to hide behind Applejack…who in turn had jumped behind Rarity…who in her own turn had shamelessly leaped behind the terrified Sweetie Belle. Pinkie’s blue eyes somehow peeked out from under the padded seat cushions that were supposedly sewn to the seats themselves. Even Shining Armor, who was around Luna more than anypony else in the room, had jumped back in surprise. The only evidence of the orderly at the front desk was the very tip of his quivering brown mane poking out over the countertop…along with Spike’s green head spines. Luna’s eyes glowed a bright white as she stepped towards Twilight, whose grip on Dash wavered. Dash on the other hoof, being held motionless as she was and unable to move or look away, nearly fainted dead away from the sight of the Night Princess in all her terrible glory. “ZOUNDS, THOU ART ELEMENTS OF HARMONY, NOT FOOLISH FILLIES! THOU HAD BEST START ACTING LIKE THEM, POST-HASTE, BEFORE I TRULY LOSE MY PATIENCE WITH THEE!!!”
Following a moment so tense one would be hard-pressed to cut it with a chainsaw, Twilight suddenly came to her senses and dropped the rainbow Pegasus to the ground and looked up at the sight of a piece of ceiling plaster nearly falling on her head. Up on a hanging light was Iron Will, shivering from head to hooves; the great minotaur had leapt straight up like a frightened cat at the sound of Princess Luna’s voice. He had no idea anything could ever yell louder than he could! Twilight shook her head and turned back to Dash, who’d quickly gotten to her hooves, though she was shaking so badly she nearly fell right back down again, both from Luna’s voice and from being held down against her will like that.
“F-folks!” the orderly at the desk spoke up rather meekly, raising a hoof to gain their attention. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you all to leave for causing such an uproar.” He then caught the slight glare Luna was giving him before quickly adding: “All except the Princess; she’s free to come and go as she pleases…just please don’t hurt me!”
“Fine, I’ve gotta get ready to take Derpy’s mail duties anyways!” Rainbow Dash shouted, her face crimson with anger and embarrassment. If there was one thing the proud Pegasus hated almost as much as losing, it was being scared…and she’d never admit to being scared if she could help it. Thus, she reacted like any creature that hated to be scared and had its back against the wall: she lashed out without thinking at what had scared her, in this case, her friend Twilight Sparkle. And she did it in the most efficient way she could think of. “You like Volare so damn much? You can have him; cuz saving his sorry flank all the time is getting real old, real fast!” she snorted furiously but with a small sense of accomplishment as she watched the Unicorn’s face contort with emotion. “I’m only sad cuz if he ends up with you, you’re gonna wanna baby him so much that he’ll never he’ll never get to do what he wants to do…he’ll never be free…goodbye.”
With the barest hint of remorse at what she’d just said, the rainbow Pegasus ducked her red face under her forelock and ran for the door, bursting it open and bowling over the ponies outside who’d pressed in close to listen to the argument inside before jetting off for her cloud house as fast as she could fly. Seeing that Dash really had no idea what had gone on between Volare and the Unicorn, and realizing what she’d pushed the fiery Pegasus to say, Twilight made a move to run after her before she felt a hoof clamp down on her shoulder. She turned and wilted under the cold gaze of Princess Luna.
“Twlight Sparkle, I’m very disappointed in you,” she shook her head slightly. “I know you’re tired and stressed out, but you’re better than this. Now then, I believe the orderly is right; it’s best if you all go back to your homes and calm down, rest, and gather your thoughts.”
“But what about Volare?” the Unicorn asked, tears welling in her eyes, partially from knowing she might have just lost her friend Rainbow Dash forever and partly from her emotional outburst in front of Princess Luna. But again, the Moon Goddess shook her head.
“No, Twilight. As distressed as you are right now, and as bad as Spike’s description of him was, I think it’s best for all ponies involved if you give Volare his space today as well,” she gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’ll break the news to him. You may tell your friends as well if you wish. Captain?”
“Yes, my Princess,” Shining Armor stood at attention.
“Clear the grounds and make sure Twilight and her friends get home safely,” Luna frowned and sighed. “It’s been a long day for everypony and rest would do us all some good.”
“Very good, ma’am,” Shining saluted and motioned for them all to follow him, Iron Will included who’d finally climbed down from the ceiling lamp and gave Luna a wide berth on his way to the door. The Captain opened the doors and led them out, asking the crowd outside to disperse immediately before the doors closed behind him, leaving the Night Princess alone with the still-shaky orderly. She quickly gathered up the scattered magazines and rack and levitated them back into place before turning to the front desk.
“Where are Volare and Scootaloo?” Luna asked, and followed the orderly’s hoof pointing towards the stairwell. “Thank you sir…my apologies for the mess,” she nodded cordially and trotted up the stairs, reaching the second floor and following the sounds of Fluttershy’s voice coming from down the hall. Well, Luna, seems we're two for two lately in terms of jumping to extreme conclusions, she sighed. She finally reached two doors across the hall from each other and peeked in the right one first. What she saw nearly made her heart melt as she beheld little Scootaloo sleeping soundly, giving off tiny snores as she somehow slept through the racket they’d caused downstairs. Shaking her head in relief that Scootaloo seemed to be alright, she gently closed the door and trotted across the hall.
“Yes, yes, that’s good,” Fluttershy said from behind the green curtain that had been pulled along the side of Volare’s bed, giving him some privacy from the rest of the room as the surgical team had washed their tools and cleaned their hooves. The operation had been very successful, and Volare’s leg bone was pinned together and sewn back up, leaving what would become a rather nasty scar; but at least he'd walk again. They thanked Fluttershy for her assistance and left shortly afterwards, leaving the Element of Kindness behind to look after him for the moment.
“He’s breathing evenly and everything seems to holding together nicely,” she said to herself as she examined Volare, preparing to go home soon herself. “Eeep, what’s that!?” she cried as the entire building shook, and a muffled roar filtered its way up through the floor and the lights flickered as well. Earthquake?! But just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped, and the mare stood frozen next to the bed for several minutes, awaiting a second round of…whatever that was! But nothing else happened.
Tap, tap, tap came a noise from the window, making her jump in alarm before she looked up and smiled in relief at Shae the osprey sitting on the window sill and tapping on the glass with her hooked beak, looking with concern from Fluttershy to Volare in the bed. Chuckling lightly, the mare opened the window and allowed the bird of prey to enter, and she immediately fluttered onto the bed to inspect the sleeping blue Pegasus. “You’ve really grown close to him, huh?” Fluttershy mused with a soft smile. “And Scootaloo too. From what I heard, if it weren’t for you, things might have turned out very differently today.”
“How so, Fluttershy?” a regal voice spoke from behind her. The yellow mare turned and jumped back with a yelp, startling Shae and causing her to cheereek in alarm at the sight of Princess Luna filling the space between the curtain and the wall. Instinctively, Shae dropped down on top of Volare and spread her wings over the sleeping pilot, hissing protectively at the dark blue Alicorn. Meanwhile, Fluttershy’s heart was pounding and she had pressed herself up against the wall; she hadn’t forgotten the last time she and Luna had met face to face on Nightmare Night…it had not gone very well.
“Fluttershy, it’s me; Princess Luna,” the Alicorn said softly, calming the Pegasus and making her relax from her sudden fright.
“Ah…I’m sorry, Princess,” Fluttershy shook her head and blinked. “It’s just that…I remember when”-
“Yes, as do I,” the princess frowned. “We never truly did resolve that little meeting, did we? Well, please allow me to extend my hoof in peace to you. We’re here for the same reason: because we’re both concerned for Twilight Sparkle’s friend, Volare.”
“Y-you know him?” Fluttershy asked in surprise, stepping away from the wall.
“I’ve heard much about him, and how he’s been a great influence in the short time he’s been here in Equestria,” Luna replied. “I know where he’s from, but not of how he came to be in this state,” she motioned to the bed and finally took a good look at the injured Pegasus. Now, Luna had been through the War of Chaos and numerous other conflicts. She’d seen death and destruction. But she couldn’t rightly recall seeing a pony in such a sad state and still alive. She very nearly brought a hoof to her mouth to cover a small gasp, but restrained herself for the skittish mare’s sake. “Could you please enlighten me, Fluttershy? I heard something about wild animals in Whitetail Wood attacking Volare and Scootaloo. Something like that must be investigated for the sake of all ponies that roam that forest.”
“I-I’ll try, but I don’t know all the details,” the yellow mare looked to Shae and waved her hoof at the still-defensive osprey. “This is Shae. She’s Volare and Scootaloo’s friend and has become something of their guardian of sorts; she follows them just about everywhere and looks after them when she can.”
“She’s quite the fighter,” Luna gave the bird of prey a short bow. “Shae, I’m Princess Luna and I mean neither you nor your friends any harm.” But the bird continued to lay as she was, confounding the two ponies until a third voice spoke up from the bed.
“S-Shae,” Volare’s mouth barely moved and his eyes stayed closed, but it was definitely him that spoke through the heavy fog of the lingering sedative. The osprey cocked her head and looked at him expectantly. “It’s ok…if Fluttershy says it’s ok, then you can calm down…you nutty bird.” He cracked his right eye and gave her a quick blue-tinged stare and the bird of prey consented and backed off, fluttering over to a chair in the corner and relaxing, but still keeping a close eye on Princess Luna all the while.
“My, you’ve certainly got a way with her,” Luna nodded with no small amount of admiration.
“Heh, we just have an understanding…that’s all,” Volare hissed in a breath of pain as he spoke haltingly. He cracked his eye further open and searched for the source of the semi-familiar extra voice in the room, but his own body blocked his view. He tried to open his left eye, but found it had a heavy bandage and medical pad partially wrapped over it to cover the gash down the side of his face. “Urgh, wh-who else is there, Fluttershy? I can’t see her, but I apologize if I’m…ugh-less than presentable, heh-heh.”
“A very important somepony who wishes to speak with you,” Fluttershy replied and moved aside, allowing Luna to step into Volare’s limited line of sight.
“Hello Volare,” Luna said gently, giving him a small nod. “I’m Princess Luna, and I’ve come all the way from Canterlot on behalf of Princess Celestia to offer our official welcome to Equestria. I only wish our fair country was treating you a bit better than your current state…dare I ask how you’re feeling?”
“P-Princess Luna…” Volare mumbled groggily before realizing the importance of the pony sitting next to him-the second most-powerful pony in all of Equestria! Her mere presence sent a thrill of awe through him, and he attempted to sit up at the waist to pay his respects, but the pain in his body was a bit too much to bear, causing him to flop back down on the bed and give the Night Goddess an apologetic, lop-sided smile instead. “Sorry Princess…I’d stand but…ow…as to how I’m feeling: like I just fought the worst fight of my life against the worst odds possible...thank you very much, and keep the change...”
“It’s quite alright, Volare,” she shook her head and smiled softly, giving his bed a gentle pat with her hoof. “Don’t say I encouraged you to do this, but with luck like yours, you might fare well in Las Pegasus,” she chuckled lightly before her face fell again. “Unfortunately, as much as we wish we could offer an immediate solution to your predicament, alas, we cannot.”
“W-what do you mean?” Volare asked, his eye widening slightly in worry at the tone in the Princess’ voice; it was apologetic. “Can’t you or Twilight use your healing magic on me again?”
“No…for reasons you’ll be enlightened upon in greater detail in time, I assure you,” the Princess frowned. “But suffice to say that any magic used upon you right now might be…hazardous to your health, and we’ll leave it at that for now.” Well that didn’t ease his worries any!
“Well, was Twilight able to find the healing spell for my wing, at least?” He felt his hopes fade even as he asked her.
“…no, Volare,” Luna shook her head sadly and looked away for a moment. “My sister and her searched the Canterlot Library, the Archives, and even the Starswirl the Bearded Wing itself for nigh on two weeks, but they were unable to locate the spell.”
“So I guess it was never there, huh?” Volare sighed and sank back into the pillow, closing his eyes and doing his best not to cry as his hope went down the tubes. “I’m sorry she wasted the trip, then.”
“Actually, it’s not that it was never there,” Luna replied, causing the Pegasus to look up in surprise. “There was a…situation involving that particular spell, among several others. I’ll allow Shining Armor to explain the situation further tomorrow as he was the one that handled the investigation.”
“Whoa, Twilight’s brother came here too?” Volare asked, his eye straining to see the door.
“Yes, but he took Twilight Sparkle home…she was…stressed, to say the least,” Luna said hesitantly. “But for now, your mind doesn’t need to be burdened with these things. For now, you need your rest,” she gently pushed him back to the bed again and magically tucked the blankets in around him. “I shall return here tomorrow, along with the Captain and Twilight to explain things further. Rest easy tonight, Volare. You’re safe and sound…and quite the hero, it seems as well,” she smiled gently and nodded to Fluttershy and Shae. "I bid you all good evening.”
“Wait, where are you staying, Luna?” Fluttershy gave Volare a quick smile and a pat on the bed before she trotted after the Night Goddess while Shae continued to watch her warily from her chairback perch. Volare turned to listen to them as they trotted to the door.
“I must admit, I didn’t really have a plan for that, Fluttershy,” he heard Luna admit sheepishly. “All I truly need is an open view of the sky so I can monitor the course of the moon.”
“Oh, well, if you want, you can stay at my cottage,” Volare’s eye shot wide and he nearly laughed out loud as he heard the door snick shut behind the two mares. The thought of Fluttershy suddenly offering Luna room and board at her own home…even after she’d been terrified of her. Good lord, if Luna doesn't put Angel Bunny in line, nothing will, Volare chuckled lightly before finally relaxing and allowing himself to drift off into a very welcome sleep.
………………….
“Grrr, damn you, Twilight!” Dash’s cloudhouse echoed with her shouts of frustration as the rainbow Pegasus threw her ice weights against the walls and kicked her equipment around the room. “Why’d you have to go and make me do that and say that stuff!? Just-GAH!” She picked up an ice weight and hurled it at the floor so hard that it crushed through the clouds and continued on to the floor below it, smashing something loudly before coming to a stop with a muffle thunk in a cumulus couch she had in the living room of her home.
She knew deep down that what she said was selfish, but in all the years she’d known and been friends with Twilight, she’d never come to blows with her like that! And before that, Volare and Scootaloo had gotten hurt and nearly been killed! And on top of that, she’d forfeited the race she’d worked hard for months to prepare for! To say it had been a shitty day would have been an understatement.
…Dashie, you know what you said was unfair and stupid, both for Twilight and Volare, right?
Gee, ya think!?
…then why continue to beat yourself up over it? Why not go and apologize and tell them you didn’t mean it. Tell them you did that because you were-
HEY, I was NOT scared! The Pegasus kicked her bedpost so hard that she shattered it, collapsing the bed corner onto the floor.
…can’t lie to your own conscience, Dashie
Well, you know what, buck you!
…we all get scared sometimes, Dashie. There’s not shame in admitting it.
SHUT UP!
…even you.
BUCK YOU! BUCK YOU!! BUCK YOU!!!
…you know what, fine, Dashie. Fine. If you won’t listen to me, then what good am I?
Nothing except a headache, that’s what! Why don’t you just get lost!?
…can do, Dashie. Good luck…and goodbye.
Hopefully forever, goddess!
…hopefully not…
“Meh, whatever,” the Pegasus waved a hoof dismissively, shoving her guilt under the rug for now and focusing her mind on the traveling to Fillydelphia and covering for Derpy and her mail route for the next few days…yeah, she was totally not looking forward to that. But a promise was a promise…
“This is gonna suck sooo damn badly,” Dash declared and flopped onto her bed, laying on her back and trying to force herself to get some rest…that was, until she heard a cracking noise emanate from the bed below her.
“What the hay-?” she managed to say before the rest of the bed collapsed and fell through the floor, finally coming to rest just inside her front door with a loud crash that sent Dash tumbling onto the floor with a groan.
Urgh…I repeat: what a shitty day…
---------------------
Ponyville Medical Hospital…6 Hours Later…
Volare… a small voice called out in the darkened ER room, the only light coming from a small blue nightlight shaped like Luna’s Cutie Mark plugged into the wall.
Huh, what the heck?
Volare.
Ugh…who in the world’s up and calling me at this hour, Volare thought as he peeped his good eye open and tried to focus on the blurry clock hanging on the wall. In the corner of the room, Shae still sat perched, her head tucked down into her fluffed up neck feathers as she slept silently.
“Volare!” the small voice hissed in a whisper, finally making him roll his head over and look to his left. To his surprise, not three feet away in the bed next to him, was the grinning face of Scootaloo. She was sitting up in her bedsheets and leaning over the edge of her bed so she wouldn’t have to whisper so loud and wake up Shae.
“What the…Scoots, what’re you doing in here, sis? It’s kinda late,” he mumbled and yawned. “Is everything ok?”
“Oh yeah, I’m ok,” she nodded. “I had Nurse Redheart move my bed in here so you wouldn’t be lonely. Oh, and it’s only 8 o’clock, dude,” she sniggered. “I can stay up late cuz I’m not a little foal, ya know?”
“Aww, that’s sweet of you, Scoots,” Volare smiled and felt his heart swell with affection for the sweet little filly. But he quickly noticed she still seemed…a little concerned. “You sure everything’s ok, Scoots?”
“Mhm,” she nodded again, twiddling her hooves as if hesitant to speak again. “I was just worried about you, that’s all.”
“Well, trust me, I’m ok,” he gave her a reassuring nod. “Why would you be worried?”
“Um…please don’t be mad, but…” she hesitated again for a moment. “But it’s about something you said out there in the woods today.”
“Oh?” Volare leaned up on an elbow with a wince, giving her his full attention. “What’s that?”
“You said…right before that thing was,” Scootaloo’s breath hitched slightly and she wiped her face before continuing. “Right when that thing was gonna kill you, you said that you failed your sister again.” Volare’s heart thunked audibly at her words. “What did you mean by that? And that one Cryhena said something else, about you being from another world…they were just trying to get to you right? You’re not really, like, an alien, are you?” she giggled slightly at the thought, but as she looked back at Volare’s solemn face, her smile faded. “Right…bro?” The blue Pegasus closed his eye and sighed…there was no more hiding it anymore.
“Scoots…there are things about me that you need to know,” he said sadly before he began to speak. He had a bad feeling that by the end of this, she’d hate his guts…
……………….
Lyra Heartstrings trotted down the ER hallway, hovering the great brass and leather book she’d found in the Canterlot Library in front of her as she went, searching for Volare’s room. “Aha, there you are,” she smiled as the last room on the left came into view, just as the front desk orderly had said. The mint-green Unicorn had Volare all to herself, and she was finally gonna find out once and for all if her suspicions about him were true! Of course, she’d then repay him with this book, but confirmation came first!
But as she giddily approached the door, she heard a solemn voice speaking inside the room, along with a younger voice she thought she recognized from the race earlier in the day. But who the hay would that be? Lyra leaned up against the door and opened it a crack, peering in and listening to the shadowy conversation taking place within. She could just barely make out Volare lying on a bed near the far wall, and the smaller orange filly named Scootaloo sitting up in the bed between him and the door.
“Scoots, I haven’t told you the whole truth about me because I was afraid of how you’d react,” Volare’s voice said in the shadows with an audible sniffle. “That Cryhena out there was right about me…how I don’t know, but it was telling the truth. I’m not from Equestria, or even from this world.”
“Where are you from, then, bro?” Scootaloo asked with a hint of a quiver to her voice.
“I’m from a planet called Earth. But on Earth, there are no Pegasi.” Lyra heard the filly gasp in the shadows and lean back from Volare in surprise.
“No Pegasi!? Whoa, that’s crazy,” she whispered before calming back down. “But…if there are no Pegasi on Earth…what were you doing there?”
“Heh, Scoots…what I’m trying to say is…I wasn’t a Pegasus before I came here.”
“Then…what were you?” the orange filly finally asked. This is it, Lyra said to herself, though she felt as if this was the wrong way to find out if she was right or not.
“Remember that accident I told you about…the one with all the fire?”
“Yeah,” the filly’s purple mane bobbed in the dim light. “The one that Rainbow Dash saved you from, right?”
“Mhm, that’s right,” Volare nodded in the dark. “Well, that accident is how I got here from Earth…Rainbow Dash saved me and brought me here, and Twilight gave me a new body, because my old one was burned so bad she couldn’t save it.”
“Your old body…” Scootaloo mused, trying to wrap her head around what she hearing.
“Yeah…my old human body,” the blue Pegasus admitted with a sigh, causing Lyra to nearly fall forward through the doorway in shock. Jeez, she never imagined she'd have confirmation like this!
“Human? What’s that?” the filly tilted her head curiously.
“Just like how ponies are the main species here on this planet, humans are the main species on Earth. They basically rule it, or try to at least,” Volare chuckled dryly before continuing. “We tried to rule it by creating technology to overcome our own shortcomings. For example, humans can’t naturally fly, so we invented things called planes so we could fly through the sky.”
“Just like Pegasi,” Sctootaloo’s sore wings buzzed involuntarily, making her wince slightly. “Ow, heh-heh.”
“Yeah, just like Pegasi,” the pilot chuckled. “The humans that fly those planes are called pilots, and I was one of them. It was a crash in one of those planes that messed up my old body like that…”
“Ah, I get it now,” Scootaloo nodded. “It’s not so bad, though.”
“Huh, how’s that?”
“It sounds bad, but if that hadn’t happened, Dash wouldn’t have saved you, and you’d probably never be here, right?”
“Yeah, probably,” he chuckled. “You know, Twilight said pretty much the same thing when I talked to her about this stuff…like it was a good thing that happened…like this world is a better alternative to what Earth was,” he thought out loud.
“Huh?” Scootaloo said, causing Volare to shake his head and snort lightly.
“Nothing Scoots...nothing, just thinking, that’s all.” His words were followed by a small moment of silence before the filly broke it again.
“Well, anyway, like I said, it’s not so bad cuz if you hadn’t shown up here, no telling what would have happened out there in the woods,” Scootaloo said with a grim tone unbecoming of a young filly her age. “If you hadn’t been there, I’d probably be”-
“Scoots, don’t think that way,” Volare interrupted her, feeling that if she finished her sentence, his heart wouldn’t be able to take it. “Heh, could’ve asked for a better Pegasus to be there, though…I failed to keep you safe, Scoots.”
“No you didn’t, Volare,” she sat up in the dark and gave him a stern look. “I mean, yeah, we got scared and stuff, but we’re ok now! We made it because of you, big bro.”
“Scoots, you don’t understand,” Volare said quietly, forcing Lyra to lean further into the room to hear him. He was almost envious of Scootaloo’s ability to view things in such shades of grey, rather than the black and white of failure and success. He heaved a great sigh before continuing. “You asked what I meant by failing my sister again, right? Look…back on Earth…that’s where my little sister was that I told you about.”
“Yeah, Aggie, right?”
“That’s her,” Volare nodded and winced inwardly at the painful memories he was dredging up. “Well, something happened to her and…I’d made the same promise to her; that I’d keep her safe. And when it happened…I wasn’t there to save her…” He paused to wipe the tear that trickled from his eye, ignoring the others that were soaking the bandage over his other eye. “I said she was a lot like you and…that’s the truth. And when I found out about your past…and when I saw you that day trying to be brave even with those bullies chasing you…I saw too much of Aggie in you.” His voice cracked and he nearly burst into sobs as he spoke. “I-I made a promise to myself right then and there that I’d help you. That I…I’d do whatever it took to keep you safe and…and give you a better life. That maybe if I did that, it’d redeem me of my failure to Aggie. And then today on the riverbank…I failed you and her again, and I’m sorry…I’m sorry,” he finally broke and turned, sobbing into the pillow and hiding his face from his surrogate sister in shame. Even Lyra had to bring a hoof up to her mouth to reign in a sob of her own and restrain herself from trotting in there and hugging the poor guy.
“I’m so damn sorry, Scoots,” he continued. “If I’d only been stronger today…I just feel like this wouldn’t have happened. I should have told you, but like I said, I was afraid you’d hate me for hiding the truth and…and using you for my own personal, selfish redemption.” He paused to catch his breath and try to calm himself for Scootaloo’s sake. “What I used you for was…was just wrong. I knew it every moment that I kept doing it that it was wrong but every time I saw you smiling and being happy…I felt it was right somehow. If you hate me now, that’s totally understandable. I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest if you walked out that door tomorrow and never wanted to speak to me again. I’d honor that…I’d even stop being your big brother if you wanted me to. But please believe me that even if you hate me, I’ll always have a spot in my heart for you…because you’re as much a little sister to me as Aggie was, Scoots…I love you, squirt.”
Throughout Volare’s soulful outpouring, Scootaloo had sat on her bed, silently digesting this information as a wide range of emotions passed across her face. But to her surprise, even though she knew he was right…there was one emotion that was missing. As strong a case as he’d made, she couldn’t find it in herself to blame her brother for any of this. And when she finally spoke, she spoke words that nearly caused Volare to climb out of his bed, as injured as he was, and hug the little filly as comfortingly as he could. “Volare…what you said about this all being your fault…I know that’s not true and you don’t have to lie to protect me.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the one that got hurt in this, not me. And I know what happened was my fault,” she said guiltily.
“No, Scoots…that’s not true.”
“Yes it is. Those things were after me and if I hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.”
“Scootaloo, listen to me,” Volare sat back up and pleaded. “You can’t blame yourself for something like that. You’re just a little kid and that’s not fair to yourself to say those things.”
“Then you stop being unfair and blaming yourself!” the filly hopped to her hooves and demanded fiercely, shocking the older stallion that she could use such a clever reversal on him. She wiped her nose and continued. “You saved my life, and we’re safe now. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, bro.”
“Yeah, thanks to Dash,” Volare attempted to rebuff the praise, but Scootaloo wouldn’t have any of it.
“Yeah, her too. But if those things had fought fair, you would have won for sure,” Scootaloo’s smile practically lit up the dark. “So don’t blame yourself…cuz I believe you did your best out there.”
“Heh…thanks Scoots,” Volare shook his head in disbelief and finally relented. “That means a lot.”
“Mhm, no problem,” the filly nodded and settled back down before looking over at him again. “You know, now that I think of it…I am kinda mad at you.”
Oh great, now what did I do? “But Scoots, I thought”-
“I’m mad that you’d be dumb enough to think that I’d hate you for anything you’ve done, dude.”
“Wait, what?” Ok, now he was confused.
“You’ve been helping me since we met, and what I said out there by the river…that I didn’t care that you’re from someplace else…that’s still true,” she wiped her eyes again and smiled over at him. “I don’t hate you for that and I never have.”
“Really?” Volare felt a fresh bout of emotions rise in his chest.
“Yep,” she nodded once before adding: “And I still wanna be your little sister if you’ll keep being my big brother,” she declared hopefully.
HNNNNNGGG!!
“Scoots…of course I will…I always will,” he sniffled and reached across the gap between the beds for her hoof, and she reached across for his, but…the distance was too great and it left their hooves fractions of an inch apart, evoking the events by the river yet again. But as Volare strained to reach her, her bed miraculously seemed to slide slightly closer to his, a dim glow emanating from the opposite side of the mattress. Not caring to ask why, he grasped her hoof as soon as he was able to and held it tightly, allowing the joyful, relieved tears to roll from his eye unchecked and soak into the pillow next to him. Somewhere, deep in the hollows of his psyche, he thought he perceived a freckle-faced smile in the dark, and he thought he heard his sister Aggie’s voice in his mind…she was whispering that it was going to be alright…that she was proud of him and that it was ok to let go. As he held this little filly’s hoof, he felt a boulder-like weight he’d been carrying for years rise from his chest and ease. It didn’t disappear for good, and it likely never would entirely…but for that moment, he felt more at ease than he had in a long, long time…
The radiance that surrounded Lyra Heartstrings’ horn subsided, as did the outline she’d cast on the side of Scootaloo’s bed facing the door. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof and looked down at the book she’d brought, then back up at the two Pegasi and smiled. It could wait…
She picked the book up off the floor and silently closed the door with a quiet snick on the touching scene inside the room, leaving the two siblings alone in the glow that continued to shine from the Princess Luna nightlight. The truth could cut deep sometimes…but other times, it could set you free…
----------------------------
Notes: And that my friends, is the end of The Running Arc!
I hope you enjoyed it!
As before, be on the lookout for the Arc Q&A soon!
EDIT: Here it be------------------------>>> http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/56524 <<<<
In the next story Arc of Blue Angel:
How will Volare's recovery go?
Will Twilight and Dash be able to mend their relationship?
What exactly is that book that Lyra found?
And will Ray and Jill ever be brought to justice?!
Volare: When can I fly again? The suspense is killing me!!
Author: Patience, grasshoppah!
Volare: I'm here to kick ass and have patience, and I'm about all outta patience!!! D:<
Author: Oh FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU- *CRASH!*
Volare: Bow to your sensei!!! *Karate hoof-chop*
Stats
Page generated in 0.046 seconds
Total duration
1,022 users online
2,120,019 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
It's time to read. nightmaremode.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/copyrightpirate-7200972.jpg
Edit: A well done chapter, now to wait for the next one, keep up the good work :)
A touching Chapter
Woot another update!
The reactions of everyone whe Luna started shouting was priceless!
Bravo, bravo. This was an amazing chapter. There's not much else to say.
BTW, Volare, you did good out there, and don't let anypony tell you otherwise.
You know, Volare should really stop abusing the author because the author could make him pink or change his gender.
Simply Amazing. great work yet again.
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw7481-ae269c413e7ac0cc338dff0c6e691c5a_2.gif
D'awwwwwwwwwww
Volare: Now give me my flight back
Author: Never!!!
Volare: That's it bitch prepare for karate kid style. (Goes into Crane position)
Me: (Runs up and kicks Volares leg out from underneath him) BAHAHAHAAHAH, TROLOLOLOL
Volare: You asshole....
Me: BAHAHAHAHA
Dat ending!
Amazing chapter! Can't wait for the next arc.
-reads description-
Applied AND Theoretical physics, you say?
-reads word count-
Well, there goes my month.
1076873 Ahh. Alright. I studied Latin for like a week, so I have a basic understanding of pronunciation.
is it bad that my heart seems to have broken and then healed itself an then grew twice it's original size
update finaly yesssssss
Twilight, why u jump to conclusions?
So many quotable quotes, and memorable moments (yes Im looking at you "HHHHNNNNGGG") but stil one thing.
“Applejack said he’s gettin’ his banana peeled, whatever that means,”
I am rather sure of your intension when you wrote this down, but I have to apologize cus my shrimp-filled brain took that phrase to a place it should not go. That and the ensuing conversation ... gaaah Im a terrible person XX.
---------------------------------
Anyway I guess that is strike two for Twilight (and Luna too), and her presumptions.
EXCELLENT! Loving the story!
I NEED MOAR.
All I have to say is
Best chapter so far, even if I'm not usually into the sappy stuff
VOLARE WILL LIVE
Great chapter and story arc.
Keep it up! Can't wait to see where this goes.
UpdateUpdateUpdate! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!
That was beautiful.
I await the next arc with major patience.
Volare, you have my full support. I know you'll get better quickly.
Luna vs Angel. Hell yes!
Im sorry but Twilight is SO STUPID in this chapter.
She is meant to be the thinker of the group,The smart one and is shown to be smarter then even the princess at times but she jumps to conclutions right now? I know she was under stress at the time and alot has happened but she gets outwitted by Dash?
Plus, She is the on to start the fight and not dash first, Which is the most weirdest thing of them all.
ANYWAY, After that long,Drawn-out,Boring Rant, This was a really good chapter and hope to see more in the near future.
I thought Twilight was supposed to be the understanding one
But still a great story dude! Cant wait for more!
Great work once again. That scene with Scoots at the end was absolutely beautiful and Lyra's little touch with the beds was very sweet, although it will be hard for her to confess to her spying whenever that comes up.
Of course, the real surprise in this chapter was the fight between Twilight and Rainbow which is going to have some serious consequences. I fully expect Volare to ask for Rainbow when he wakes up, and when he learns what Twilight did he is not going to be happy. I also expect Twilight will be catching a whole lot of fallout from her other friends because the fight really was her fault.
I'm not crying, I just got a something in my eye
1079577 I am not really surprised. Twilight has a bad habit of jumping to conclusions and not taking handling friendship issues logically so it is easy to see her starting the fight, and if you pay attention is is very clear that Rainbow Dash is a whole lot smarter than she lets on so it is not hard to believe she could shut Twilight down like that when pushed. Things get even easier for Rainbow when you factor in the time she has spent worrying about Twilight making a move on Volare and how awkward she knows Twilight can be when confronted with serious emotional issues like this, especially with how hard it is to prove what happened behind closed doors.
So many feels!! Truly a fantastic way to wrap up the arc.
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting really tired of Volare's injuries?
Not that he can't be prone to have accidents, but I think he has spent all of 1 1/2 chapters without an injurie.
Damn, Twilight! Calm yo' filly ass down!
Damn, Rainbow Dash! I wanna give you a hug! But, you scary, bitch!
CONFLICTIN' EMOTIONS!
That was exceptionally sweet. Just so you know, this is my favorite story in the whole fandom, and I really wish that I could thumbs it up and favorite it more than once.
Q&A: Not Required
Next Chapter: Required.
Also, someone throw a bucket of cold water on crazy Twi, and prepare for the incoming massive guilt trip.
Excellent story....
Question for the others: Why hasn't this been troped yet?!
Wow, this is so awesome!! I absolutely love this story! I hope Volare recovers soon and that they find the spell. Awww, Scoots and Volare are awesome as brother and sister. It just fits so perfectly.
Also, I hope RD and Twi work this out. I can't stand it when good friends fight. Anyway, I can't wait till the next story arc!! 
s'all I got to say.
assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/busey_clapping.gif
YES! FINALLY! BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR A WHILE!
This chapter was awesome and you should feel awesome.
Still wondering what the Blue Angels did when they found the crashed plane but not a body. Also wondering if Cadence will somehow become involved into this.
Anyways loving it so far, keep it up!
Damn. This is exactly the kind of SHITSTORM i've been waiting for. Yes! Excellent chapter my friend. I can see Volare learning about the fight that happened between Twilight and Dash and being disgusted with them both and then they both feel SUPER guilty. MUA HA HA HA HA HA ACHHGEOHGLKVNGHGGH. Sorry, had to cough there.
Also, 1080734
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/19889144.jpg
1080895
'Sup, John-boy?
verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/demotivational-posters-hey1.jpg
1080916 I'm doin pretty good. Pretty good.
IMO this was in the 5 best chapters so far, from the amputation, to the fight, and everypony hiding when luna used the royal voice, and how she almost killed IW for foal-creeping, btw after that thing she did with the beds, Lyra is officially my second favorite pony, behind AJ, of course.
wait... what is this, the story didn't stop on a cliffhanger and im not asking for more, its almost like my hunger has been... satiated?!!!
WHATS GOING ON?!!!
I found this here song while I was listening to a bunch of 50's stuff. (I had been playing a lot of Fallout!)
I found it to be very relevant.
1080940
Amazing story arc!
I can't wait to see what happens next!
“So wait a sec…” Scootaloo tapped her chin in confusion. “What’s happening to Volare again?”
“Applejack said he’s gettin’ his banana peeled, whatever that means,” Applebloom replied matter-of-factly.
That was just too fucking priceless
Poor Rainbow Dash. Volare gets trashed without it being her fault for once, and she still gets blamed. Worried sick about Volare, with Scoots injured as well. And still has no idea about what's up with that patch of her cutie mark.
1078798 Or have cryhenas tear him to shreds... oh wait.
1079313 Well, yeah. If Volare ever actually dies, we have no main character anymore. He's not expendable, so he'll always survive.
Amazing! Stunning! tears were shed!
need MOAR!
MAN! such a huge story! After 2 days I am totally blown away by the epicness of this!
1078708 You're very welcome!
1078760 Heh, glad ya liked it
Poor Iron Will
1078792 Aww, really?
Thank you!
1078797 Thank you!
1078798 Volare: well you ain't gettin burned, cut up, bitten, broken, and crashified!
Author: Could be worse...at least you haven't exploded...yet
Volare: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU-!!!!
1078803 Thankies!