Blue Angel

by V-Pony

Inseptium Nova-Pt 8: Murphy's Law

Notes: Prepare yourselves for probably the slice-of-lifiest slice of life chapter in the whole story! After this, things get...interesting again...and I swear future chapters are gonna be much shorter!

September 13th, Fillydelphia, Pre-Dawn…

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Despite the chaos of the previous night in Ponyville, the true impact of the incident had yet to spread beyond the small town. To every other pony in Equestria, especially an important and bustling city such as Fillydelphia, the issues of little Ponyville seemed to matter fairly, well, little. However, that situation was about to change, especially for a certain substitute mailmare in the city who was about to rise before Celestia’s Sun for the first time in ages…although it wasn’t like she wanted to, after all…

“Mmmph…huh?” Rainbow Dash mumbled and moaned against the strange humming noise coming from her bedside table. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place the noise at first. In response, she reached a searching hoof into the grey pre-dawn light outside the bedsheet cocoon she’d wrapped herself in to emulate her cloud bed as much as possible. Her hoof encountered a roughly egg-shaped object that seemed to be the source of the humming, found a round, flat button on top, and before her sleep-addled brain could tell her otherwise, she pressed it in hopes of stopping the humming…it was to be her undoing…

It’s just mah BASS CANNON!!!!

“Agh!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted in alarm and shot straight up into the air as a wave of sound smashed into her and shook the loose paint from the walls; however, as she was still wrapped in her blankets, she had no idea of knowing just how close she was to the ceiling. The rudely-awakened Pegasus met said horizontal barrier with a loud crack, sending her crashing back down onto the bed so hard that she bounced off the lumpy mattress and landed on the floor in a groaning tangle of musty sheets, cyan hooves, and rumpled wings while the infernal noise continued to blare loudly, blasting the room with powerful bass tones that had almost no business coming out of an object so small. Then again, the DJ that had created it had always had a knack for placing gargantuan sounds into small packages.
It’ll wake ya up noooo problem, Rainbow, she remembered Vinyl Scratch telling her when she’d given it to her a while back, though she’d never seen sense to use it until now…well, it certainly worked as advertised, the Pegasus thought as she fought to untangle herself from the bedsheets and shut the alarm clock from Tartarus off.

“Hey you, shut that damn thing off!” a very angry voice sounded from the wall facing Dash’s bed.

“Yeah, what the hay’s going on?!” another voice, this one female and scratchy, shrieked through the opposite wall.

“The Sun ain’t even up ya damned foal!” a third voice shouted through the floor, accompanied by what Dash could only imagine was something along the lines of a broomstick pounding against the ceiling right beneath her head, adding to the cacophony of sound that relentlessly slammed her eardrums. The Pegasus finally broke free from the bedsheets, leaped back across the bed, and slammed a hoof on the alarm clock, stopping the ‘bass cannon assault’, as she remembered Vinyl Scratch calling it, and leaving the room ringing with silence. Jeez, or maybe that’s just me she thought as she wiggled a hoof in her ear and glared at the steel-grey clock, specifically at the round red button on top labeled 11.

“What the bucking hay, Vinyl,” Dash muttered and rubbed her rose-colored eyes as she staggered to the curtains and pulled them back…and promptly sighing in disappointment as she realized that the window faced a brick wall located directly across the alleyway between her hotel and a department store next to it. Although she couldn’t remember the last time she’d woken before the Sun had risen, she still relished the sight of the golden orb rising over the fields outside Ponyville, lending its light to everypony’s day as they rose from their slumber to begin their daily chores…

“Oh horseapples, I’m late!” Rainbow Dash facehoofed as she remembered why she’d set the alarm so early in the first place: her temp job at the Post Office! Giving herself a hasty check in the mirror and splashing a little water from the sink into her bedmane to straighten it out somewhat, she grinned and nodded to herself before heading out the door, running down the hall, and taking a flying leap out the window, much to the surprise of the Earth Pony hotel maid.
Her powerful wings unfurled and caught the wind, allowing her to launch herself over the brick and glass building that loomed before her, roll to avoid somepony’s massive radio antenna perched on the roof, and finally leveled out before turning towards the Post Office. “Wings don’t fail me now!” Dash grinned into the crisp breeze and accelerated over the foggy city, dodging the few Pegasi out flying at this early hour and arriving at the Post Office just as Celestia’s Sun began to peek over the horizon.

“Heh-heh, just made it,” Dash gasped as she landed and trotted inside. For a moment, she glanced back out the front windows of the aging building, half-expecting the two Pegasi that had been harassing her yesterday to be hanging around. But nopony she recognized was flying near her location and she gave a self-satisfied shrug of her wings before heading straight for the Postmaster’s Office to grab her mailbag and route information. It wasn’t until afterwards, when she went to pick up the newspapers she’d been assigned to deliver that she was treated to the biggest shock she’d had all month.

“No…bucking…way,” she gasped under her breath and held up a copy of the Fillydelphia Press with shaky hooves. There, emblazoned on the front page, was a large WANTED article, with a copy of the hoof-sketched profiles of two brown-hooded Unicorns with green eyes and manes…the same two Unicorns that Rainbow Dash had spotted stalking Volare and Big Macintosh weeks ago. Her jaw slowly dropped as her eyes scanned down the page, reading the charges they were wanted for including, but not limited to: arson, connections to thefts of Canterlot records, torture of fillies, distribution of hallucinogenic drugs, and the assault and attempted murders of multiple ponies including a local resident of Ponyville, Prince Shining Armor, and Princess Luna themselves. They were considered very dangerous and on the run, and anypony with any information at all should contact their local authorities as soon as possible.

A local resident of Ponyville…that particular section stuck out in Dash’s mind, and only one particular resident came to mind. She scanned the page again: ok, it only says attempted murder…still…crap, I gotta find out for sure! The Pegasus dropped the paper back on its stack and headed back into the Postmaster’s Office and asked the white and yellow Unicorn if they had any way of sending a quick letter to Ponyville.

“Mhm, you need a Delivery Dragon,” he nodded towards the door across the hall with the title EXPRESS DELIVERY stenciled on the glass window. The Pegasus nodded her thanks and headed through the door, immediately encountering an orange dragon three times the size of Spike with blue spines running along his head reclining in an office chair, his nose buried in a copy of the day’s newspaper while his clawed feet were crossed over each other and kicked up on his work desk. The dragon looked up from the paper at the sudden intrusion and regarded her with an annoyed look in his dark blue eyes that stared out from under a green visor-cap.

“Not much for knockin’, huh?” he asked with a huff of smoke from his nostrils before returning to his paper. Rainbow Dash stood there for an awkward moment, expecting him to say more, but when he didn’t, she snorted impatiently and approached him.

“Uh hey, look, I’ve gotta send a quick message to Ponyvile and”-

“2 bits,” the dragon muttered in near-boredom and held a claw out from under the newspaper. “That’s for the first paragraph, 3 bits for each paragraph afterwards, missy.” Rainbow Dash stared at him incredulously for a moment before she strode forward and pulled the paper out of the dragon’s claws. He gave her a draconic glare before she slapped the paper down on the desk and pointed at the WANTED poster with an angry hoof.

“Look dude, my friend in Ponyville was stalked by these two a few weeks ago and I tried to help protect him,” she growled. “But I stopped looking out for him cuz of…well, cuz of other reasons and then these two suddenly show up on a WANTED poster from Ponyville right after I carried my friend to the hospital myself after being attacked in the woods.” She bared her teeth and leaned forward, causing the dragon to lean even further back in the chair away from her. “So you’re gonna help me send a message down there to my friend Spike and”-

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a sec,” the Delivery Dragon sputtered and waved his claws. “Spike, as in the one and only Spike from Ponyville?”

“Is there any other?” Dash cocked an eyebrow and allowed the dragon to sit back up straight.

“Nope, sure isn’t. The guy’s a legend among Delivery Dragons like me, ya know that?” he laughed smokily and shook his spiny head. “Connections to Celestia herself, assistant to Twilight Sparkle, and friend of…” he then took a closer look at Rainbow Dash and his eye grew wide as he noted her prismatic mane and tail. “Wait a sec…if you’re friends with Spike…and you got that mane and tail…then you must be”-

“Rainbow Dash,” the Pegasus tossed her mane lightly and grinned, noting the immediate change in attitude her mention of Spike had caused in the Delivery Dragon. “Also the one and only.”

“Holy scales, my apologies, ma’am!” the dragon surprised her by extending a claw and grasping her hoof lightly for a moment. “I just didn’t realize who you are, that’s all; it's just not often we get Elements of Harmony up here in Filly, but we dragons know all about you guys from hear-say. Wow, the Rainbow Dash here in my office; what’re the odds?” He grinned toothily for a moment before realizing what she’d said she’d come in here for in the first place. “Ah, sorry, sorry, you wanted to send a message to Spike right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Dash said and dug into her saddlebag with her wing for some bits. But as she held them out, the dragon shook his head and pushed them away.

“No, no, on such an occasion as this, I’ll happily send your messages to Spike for zero fee…within reason of course,” he chuckled dryly. “Oh, name’s Zipscale, fastest Delivery Dragon in Filly; at your service.”

“Now that’s more like it,” Rainbow Dash smiled. “Finally somepony, er dragon, in this city gives me a little respect. It’s like you guys just don’t care who I am or something.” At her statement, Zipscales’s spines drooped slightly as he frowned.

“Well, that’s a little more accurate than you think,” he tapped his desk with a claw. “’City of Neighborly Love’, my tail-scales,” he snorted a puff of smoke. “I dunno what it is, but you’re right…it’s like they’re too busy and self-absorbed to care about the important stuff outside their own lives. It’s like, if we didn’t deliver their mail and papers to’em, they’d never know the world was passin’ em by…bleh, but enough about discussing the obvious,” he pulled out several sheets of parchment from the desk as well as a feather pen and looked up at Dash with a smile. “Whatcha wanna send Spike?”

“Well, it has to do with these guys,” she again tapped a hoof on the WANTED poster. “I just wanna make sure they didn’t hurt my friend, is all…I just got a bad feeling, ya know?”

“I hear ya there,” he nodded and scribbled on the parchment. “Never doubt your gut, I always say. Who’s your friend, might I ask, just so there’s no mistake.”

“Oh, his name’s Volare; Spike’ll know him,” the Pegasus nodded as Zipscale continued to scribble on the parchment for a few more moments.

“Ok, let’s see here,” he held it up and breathed on it to dry the ink before reading it:
Dear Spike, this is your pal Rainbow Dash here in Fillydelphia. I’m doing ok, but I was just letting you know that there are WANTED posters of those two Unicorns causing trouble in Ponyville up here already, and I also wanted to ask you if Volare was doing ok.
“How’s that sound?”

“That’ll work,” Dash grinned as Zipscale stood up and walked to the window, opening it before taking a deep breath and igniting the letter with a ball of blue flame, sending the embers sailing out the window southwest towards Ponyville.

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Ponyville Library…

Volare had yet again experienced a sleep curiously absent of any sort of dreams; nothing either happy nor sad entered his mind while he slumbered, and he felt it rather odd that his mind could be so…calm, especially after the events of the past few days. Hrm, maybe that’s what’s weird about it, he thought as he rolled over on the couch and re-buried his face in the feather pillow, hiding from the rays of the sun that peeked in through the wide glass second story window of the Tree; the very same window that had started his whole ordeal almost three weeks ago to the day. It feels strange cuz I’m finally calm and content for once…huh…I could get used to this, he snuggled back up into the blanket, intent on sleeping just a little longer before beginning the tasks he’d mentally set out for himself.

Besides the light snoring of Spike on the chair adjacent to him, the Tree was quiet…almost too quiet. In fact, one might say so quiet as to warrant an awakening nearly as rude as Rainbow Dash’s…

URRRRRP-WHOOSH!!!
“Ahh, what the hell?!” Volare cried as his head shot up from the blanket and swiveled around, searching for the source of the belching noise to find Spike yawning and blinking at the neat scroll on the floor that he’d just expectorated in a flash of green fire. Spike groaned and rubbed his eyes, wondering just who the hay would send a letter at this early hour before he realized that somepony other than Twilight had just cursed in alarm right across from him. The young dragon slowly lowered his claws from his eyes and stared for a moment at the familiar blue Pegasus lying on the couch before the pony finally broke the stillness with a wave of his healed right wing.

“Long-time, no see, eh Spike?” Volare smiled, causing the dragon’s jaw to slowly drop as he finally decided that he wasn’t staring at the remnants of some crazy dream.

“…Holy hay, Volare, you’re supposed to be all beat up and crippled!” the dragon cried with a grin before the Pegasus rolled his eyes and silenced him with a wave of his wing and a hoof to his lips.

“Shh, Twi’s still asleep,” he nodded towards the stairs. “I told her to take a day off cuz of everything she’s done for me, so keep it down, would ya? All the same, I appreciate the sentiment, Spike,” he smiled again and sat up, stretching both wings wide and reaching for the ceiling with his hooves, wincing slightly as his back cracked before he relaxed and looked back at the dragon, who was still staring wide-eyed at him. “What?”

“It’s just…dude, seriously, what the hay happened?” Spike asked in a bit more controlled and hushed tone. But as the Pegasus gave him the short version of last night’s situation, his attention was drawn to the scroll that had woken them up in the first place.

“Hey, real quick, what’s with the scroll?” he nodded at the parchment, and the purple dragon quickly split open the seal with a claw and gazed at the writing before uttering a short chuckle.

“Well, well, Zip, haven’t heard from you in forever,” Spike shook his head and looked up at the confused Volare. “Oh, heh, Zipscale’s the local Delivery Dragon in Fillydelphia; he and I’ve met a time or two, and I recognize his claw-writing anywhere,” he turned over the scroll to show Volare the writing. But beyond the coloring of the ink, which was a dark blue in contrast to Spike’s usual green, he didn’t see much difference and shrugged. Must be a dragon thing. “Anyways, let’s see what he’s got here…oh…ohoho,” Spike chuckled, and Volare stood and trotted over curiously.

“What, what is it?” the Pegasus asked with a cocked eyebrow, but Spike turned so he couldn’t read it.

“It’s from Rainbow Dash,” the dragon smiled cheekily and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Volare to grab for the letter, but the young dragon was quick, and he dodged his swipe, scurrying up onto the over-stuffed chair and continuing to grin at the Pegasus whose face was slowly blushing redder with every moment. “What’s wrong dude? Afraid she said something you don’t want me reading?”

“Dude, quit screwing with me Spike!” Volare practically shouted before they both calmed down as they realized how rowdy they were getting, risking waking Twilight up. “J-just read it already,” Volare snorted and sat down, awaiting the contents of the letter.

“Sheesh, calm down, Volare, I was only funnin’ ya; it’s not even really to you anyways,” Spike waved a claw dismissively before reading the scroll:
Dear Spike, this is your pal Rainbow Dash here in Fillydelphia. Just letting you know that there are WANTED posters of those two Unicorns causing trouble in Ponyville up here already, and I also wanted to ask you if Volare was doing ok.
“There, see?”

“Yeah, I see,” Volare grumbled, not much appreciating the dragon’s cheek this early in the morning. Wow, Luna wasn’t kidding about those two not having anywhere to hide by morning, though! But before he could say anything else, Spike had run over to the small writing desk next to the shelves and pulled out a parchment and quill of his own and began scribbling a hasty reply. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’re you saying back, Spike?” the Pegasus raised a hoof in interruption.

“Oh, nothing special, just that you’re doing fine and are out of the hospital, that I’m actually looking you right in eye this very moment, and-hey!” the dragon growled as Volare snatched the scroll from him, read what he’d written, and promptly crumbled the paper up and tossed it in the waste-bin. “What gives, dude?”

“Oh, that’s just not what I want you to say back, that’s all,” Volare replied. At the dragon’s cocked eyebrow, the pilot hastily explained that he didn’t want Dash to know he was out of the hospital for two reasons: one, he didn’t need her worrying about him flying without her there to help…and that actually stemmed into reason number two: he didn’t want her knowing he was ok just yet; he had the beginnings of a plan in mind to show her that he was gonna be just fine and that he was tired of her shooting her mouth off about him having to be coddled and protected all the time (although he didn’t mention the other reason involving Twilight and himself just yet…) For that plan to work, he had to have the element of surprise, and cited the Mare-Do-Well incident as an example of actions speaking louder than words with Dash, especially if she was put in her place by them.

“Aha, now I see…I think,” Spike nodded, having been told of what Dash had said at the Hospital the other day; he wasn’t very amused with what he’d been told she’d said to Twilight in her anger (though he personally believed Twilight deserved at least some of it, due to her darned jumping to conclusions all the time). The dragon gave the Pegasus a small, wicked grin and began scribbling a reply on a new piece of parchment, holding it up for Volare to read once he was finished:
Dear Rainbow Dash, glad to hear things are ok in Fillydelphia. Yeah, those two Unicorns caused some trouble here last night, but we’re doing ok. Volare’s still safe and sound in Ponyville Medical, in case you were wondering. Hopefully those two crazy ponies get caught and brought to justice soon. Good luck with your mail route and we’ll see ya in a few days!
-Spike

“Looks good to me,” Volare nodded, allowing the young dragon to roll the parchment and send it in a flash of green fire. After a moment or two of silence, Spike beckoned the Pegasus to stand up, and began to walk around him. “What’s up, Spike?”

“Oh, nothing dude, nothing,” the dragon chuckled, looking his friend up and down and noting that he seemed…a little bigger and stronger since he’d last met him in person. At the very least, he seemed a lot more confident, and it showed in the way he stood and carried himself. Spike grinned and gingerly touched Volare’s right wing, causing the Pegasus to chuckle and open it.

“It’s not gonna shatter into a million pieces, Spike,” the pilot smiled as the dragon nonetheless touched the primaries with careful claws, barely able to believe that this same wing had been dismembered and twitching in the kitchen in a puddle of blood just a short time ago. Spike shook the memory away with a slight shudder and nodded his approval at the repairs.

“Well, I gotta hand it to those two psycho Unicorns,” the dragon mused as Volare closed his wing. “They knew what they were doing…whoa, what’s this?” he asked and pointed a claw at the black ring that marked the scar where his wing had been reattached.

“I dunno, Spike. It wasn’t there until those two used that spell on my wing,” the Pegasus shrugged as he glanced back at the ring, confirming that the feathers and fur weren’t burnt or anything…they were growing black from the skin beneath them, which also seemed to have turned black…weird. He nuzzled it carefully with his muzzle, noting that besides it feeling a little more firm than the fur and feathers surrounding it, the ring didn’t smell differently, feel sore or rougher or anything out of the ordinary besides the contrasting color. But although he didn’t think much of it, something about just…unsettled Spike ever so slightly…either that or he was just hungry.

“Maybe you should talk to Luna about it if she’s still in-URRRRRRRRRRRP-WHOOSH!” Spike was interrupted by yet another scroll belching out of his mouth, causing the Pegasus to jumped sideways with a slight yelp to avoid the green embers. “Urgh, sorry dude,” Spike smiled sheepishly and picked up the new scroll. “I hate it when that happens on an empty stomach.” He unrolled it and read the considerably shorter message:
Sounds good. Tell him I said good luck in his recovery and that I owe him a huge hug or something when I get back…just don’t tell him I said this, ok?
-RD

“Aww, that’s so sweet of Dashie,” Spike looked back and the dragon and Pegasus shared a grin and bumped claw to hoof, thick as thieves before the two exploded into barely-contained chuckles, knowing that if Dash ever found out about this…well, she’d best not find out. “Heh, better watch out dude,” Spike snickered. “Methinks Dash has her eye on you and doesn’t wantcha to know about it.”

“Oh, haha, hardly,” Volare rolled his eyes and shook his short mane. “That’s the last thing on my mind or my to-do list…oh crap,” he stomped a hoof in a self-scolding manner. “That reminds me; I got a load of stuff to do today,” he declared as he headed for the front door.

“That doesn’t include trying to fly again, does it?” Spike gave him a wary look before the Pegasus paused and sighed slightly.

“Nope, that definitely doesn’t include that, Spike,” he spread his wings experimentally before folding them again and turning to regard the dragon, a frown creasing his brow. “I got into this whole mess because I wasn’t patient enough and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.” He chuckled dryly as he recalled barely being able to angle himself in flight or fly in a straight line without being winded, to say nothing of his inability to pull out of a dive on his own…and although he certainly felt stronger and more confident in himself since that time, the lesson that Fluttershy had taught him kept his mind focused: “be patient, know your limits, and only push them when absolutely necessary.”
“So until I really learn how to fly the correct way, I’ll stay grounded for now,” he chuckled as he opened the door and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. “At the very least, that literally puts me on even footing with my training partner, whom I’m late for breakfast with.”

“Who’s your training partner?” Spike asked, his head on a tilt.

“Oh, a Pegasus filly by the name of Scootaloo…” Volare paused again and grinned towards the town of Ponyville. “…who also happens to be my little sister.”

“…huh, say what?!” Spike cried in surprise, but by the time he said so, Volare was galloping off down the road in a cloud of dust and hooves. “Jeez, I musta missed some seriously crazy stuff,” the dragon muttered as he walked back inside, glancing at the weathered, brass-bound book sitting on the table by the door, and at the two small black objects sitting on top of the book. He gently examined the objects to discover they were like the earbuds that Volare had worn during his little impromptu music session a while back, and Spike respectfully set those aside before taking a closer look at the book.
“Hrm, “Pegasus Flight and Its Applications,” Spike muttered as he hefted the large book and carried it to the sofa and sat down. “Never seen this one before…”

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Ponyville...

Once Volare had cleared the small rise that separated the Library from the town proper, he'd built up speed from a moderate gallop to a significantly quicker pace, faster than he'd even run as a Pegasus before...faster than he'd ever run, period! It was just so great to be mobile and...just not weak again! He felt strong, he felt powerful, he felt confident (and he would have likely felt embarrassed if anypony had seen him). He grinned as he felt the blood rush through his limbs and down into his hooves that pounded the dirt road in a steady rhythm that quickly carried him onto the cobblestone streets of Ponyville. He wasn't quite ready for the transition in running surface, however, and he nearly lost his footing on the dew-slick stones, forcing him to slow down slightly, though only just so. This was fantastic! Everything works!!!

"Haha, yeah!" he growled through clenched teeth as he rounded a corner and accelerated yet again, making a beeline east for the gingerbread and icing-covered building on the north side of the street. Faster...faster...faster!!

"Whoa, slow down!" Roseluck shouted as she stopped herself from crossing the street, barely avoiding colliding with the blue Pegasus. Between Scootaloo and this new guy, she was really having to keep an eye out in the street lately.

"Eh-heh, sorry!" he called back, but she was right; he was nearly there anyways. With a slight groan of disappointment, he slowed to a trot, his lungs taking great pulls of the morning air as he did so, though he noted that he was hardly winded, unlike the last time he'd tried something like this. Wow, Fluttershy's training really paid off...or that healing spell did me wonders...either way, who cares!? "Never look a gift horse in the mouth," he chuckled as he finally reached the door of the bakery and reached up a hoof to knock...but the knock never came as the door opened and a pink mare greeted him with a huge grin. "Heh, morning Pinkie Pie," Volare chuckled between light gasps.

"Whew, out for a little morning run, Volare-bear?" Pinkie queried with a tilt of her head. She looked him up and down and gave a low whistle that brought a slight, self-conscious blush to the Pegasus' cheeks. "Lookin' good there, Volare."

"Oh, well, ya know," he sputtered slightly and waved his hoof dismissively, avoiding the baker mare's blue-eyed gaze for a moment before laughing it off. "To tell the truth, I feel good, Pinkie; I mean, I just ran full-speed from the Library to here and I'm not even winded!" He stomped the ground and grinned. "I mean, if I'd tried that a few weeks ago, I'd be lying on the ground out of breath!" Pinkie nodded in understanding and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hee-hee, you remind me of a little colt who's just learned how to run; doesn't matter where you go or when, but just the running itself is fun enough, huh? Speaking of which, since you were about to knock on the door, I take it you were headed here?" she asked with a sly smile.

"Yeah, I was...wait, how'd you know I was about to..." But he trailed off and shook his head as she merely gave him a quick wink and led him inside, telling him to be quiet cuz she was the only one up right now. "Heh, I take it that means Scoots is asleep too?" he asked. "Where's she at?"

"Last door at the end of the hall on the right," Pinkie nodded towards the stairs on the left side of the front door and sat down between the display counter, chin on her hooves, and watched with a small smile as Volare crept up the staircase. The Pegasus quietly headed down the hall, reaching said door and opening it, revealing the interior of Pinkie Pie's room. But it wasn't the random streamers lining the ceiling and walls, nor the party balloons and confetti that littered the floor (as strange as that was) that drew his gaze. Nope, it was the small fuchsia mane that poked out from under the the pile of blankets on the guest bed...or rather, it was the orange owner of said mane, her small breaths raising and lowering the blankets and punctuated by her signature little whinnies, that held his attention as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He gazed down at the slumbering Scootaloo with a soft smile, deciding that the tiny scar left on her cheek simply added further endearment to the rough-and-tumble filly and swearing that his heart would stop if she got any more adorable. She looked so peaceful that he almost regretted having to do what he did next...

He carefully reached out and flicked the filly's mane with wing, causing her to snuffle her nose and bat at the air with a small hoof before settling down. Please heart, don't explode! He repeated the action again, his smile growing each time and by the third pass, the Pegasus filly blinked and yawned, sitting up and looking at Volare with sleepy lavender eyes. "Huh-bro? Why'm I back in the hospital?" she asked with another yawn.

"Heh, you're not in the hospital, Scoots," he continued to hold that same smile, letting her come to her own conclusion as he did so.

"But if we're not in the hospital...then you're"- Scootaloo gasped and rubbed her eyes, staring up at him for a good long moment before reaching out a tentative hoof and touching his. "Th-this isn't a dream?"

"Nope, I'm real," Volare reached out and booped her nose. "And so're you, Scoots." With a happy cry of recognition, Scootaloo leaped forward and hugged his neck for a long moment before looking back up at him with a huge grin on her face.

"Dude, bro, you're ok! You're ok!" She stood up on the bed which put her at roughly eye level with him as she looked around his shoulder, noting that his right wing wasn't held up by bandages anymore. "How about your...you know," she nodded at the feathered appendage.

"Oh, this old thing?" Volare chuckled and nodded at the wing in question before standing up. "It's doing ok, I suppose, but I think I slept on it wrong or something, cuz it's really sore," he nonchalantly stretched his wings to their full length, turning to regard Scootaloo with the largest wink he could possibly muster. The sparkle in his little sister's eye practically lit up the room as she let out a whoop of joy and launched herself off the bed at him, landing on his back and leaning on his head with a giggle as she hugged her hooves around his face. "Guess you approve, huh?"

"I sure do!" the filly grinned. "Dude, this is great! Oh my gosh, this gives us so many more possibilities!"

"Possibilities, eh?" he peeked up through her hooves. "Like what?"

"For Cutie Mark Crusading, that's what!" Scootaloo declared. "Think about it: now we have a Crusader who can fly, and we can try all sorts of stuff we couldn't before, like Cutie Mark Crusader Skydiving, Cutie Mark Crusader Cloud-Surfing, ooh, and Cutie Mark Crusader-mmph!"

"Eh-heh, let's not put the cart before the pony here, Scoots," Volare chuckled as he removed his wing from over her mouth, doing his best to hide the sheer horror he felt of screwing up something like Cutie Mark Crusader Skydiving...eesh... "I've already promised myself that I won't get back in the air until I really know what to do."

"Yeah, but Fluttershy gave us those lessons," Scootaloo pointed out. "You could use those."

"True, but I still won't take you or the other Crusaders into the air with me until I'm totally confident in my own abilities...and I got a feeling that's gonna take some time and study," he frowned slightly before feeling Scootaloo's belly growl hungrily through his mane, quickly followed by his own growling stomach. "Eh-heh, but before we do any of that, whatcha think about grabbing some breakfast with Pinkie?"

"That sounds like a plan for now," Scootaloo nodded and hopped down off his head before following her brother down the hall, her young mind still abuzz at all the possible Crusades they could now go on...once Volare let them, of course.
.......................

30 Minutes Later, Western Outskirts of Ponyville...

"Haha, better push it a little harder, Scoots!" Volare flashed a sideways grin at Scootaloo, who was neck-and-neck with him on her scooter. During a breakfast of raspberry muffins and toast, Volare had laid out the plans for the day that included visiting Luna and Shining Armor before they left town, getting himself officially checked out of Ponyville Medical as well as checking on Trixie, and finally helping Bon-Bon and Lyra determine the cost to fix the Gilded Griffon. Before they left, Volare asked off-hoofedly if Pinkie's room was normally that festive, but she merely winked and said that she figured that today was going to be a good ocassion to decorate, leaving Volare shaking his head in amazement at Pinkie...well, being Pinkie! She allowed him to borrow a spare saddlbag until he could get his own, and reminded him that she still owed him a party soon.

Scootaloo had then suggested a race, confident that she'd leave her brother in the dust on her scooter again, but as the duo charged out of town and left the slick cobblestones behind, Volare recalled the sensation he'd had when he saved Trixie, how he'd used his wings to augment his speed on the ground. Just as it seemed like Scootaloo would pull ahead for good and beat him to Fluttershy's by a quarter mile or more, the older Pegasus had spread his wings and cupped the air with them, bringing them forward and sweeping them backward in long, fast strokes much like a human would swim the Butterfly.
Using this technique, he more than matched Scootaloo's own wing speed. And when coupled with his more powerful legs, he soon caught up with the speedy filly...and even began to pull slightly ahead of her!

"Aww c'mon bro, no fair; your wings are stronger now!" Scootaloo called up to him, her wings buzzing at maximum speed to keep up.

"Yes, yes they are!" Volare grinned and pulled the air with them, shooting him forward with every stroke. Correction, THIS was the fastest he'd ever run! "Yeeeehaaaa!!" Volare shouted as he galloped at full-speed, though after a moment he got a little too carried away and attempted to run backwards and call back to his sister. "Hey Scoots, I thought this was a race-oof!" The Pegasus tripped backwards over a bump in the road, tumbling head over wings and landing in the ditch with a muffled groan.

"See ya at Fluttershy's!" Scootaloo chuckled as she buzzed past him, and he waved a hoof out of the ditch in confirmation. Yeah, that was enough showing off for now... He pulled himself from the ditch and within a minute had caught up to Scootaloo, who'd slowed down to make sure he really was ok. "Let's just call it a draw before somepony gets hurt, huh?" the sensible filly suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good to me, Scoots," he chuckled breathlessly and ruffled her mane with a wing as he jogged along. "Hey, whatcha say we make this a routine, huh?"

"What, you falling in a ditch?" she giggled.

"Nah, just you and me taking a little run like this in the morning," he grinned down at her. "I think it could be fun."

"Heh, I think so too," she nodded and nudged her shoulder against his. "I'm game."

"Super," he nodded and turned back up the road, and within 10 more minutes, they'd reached Fluttershy's Cottage on the edge of the Autumn-hued Everfree Forest. They were greeted at the door by Iron Will, who took one look at Volare before picking him up in a bone-crushing hug that left the Pegasus kicking at empty air, Scootaloo giggling, and Shae rolling her eyes as she landed on his back and investigated Volare. "Heh, been a little while, Shae," he chuckled as he allowed the osprey to peck gently at his wing, which he unfurled for her, causing the bird of prey and Iron Will to recoil in surprise.

"Whoa, Fluttershy told me what happened, but..." the minotaur scratched his black mohawk and grinned. "But to see it myself...heh, I gotta say Spike-head, you're lookin' better'n ever!" Iron Will laughed boomingly, waking up the birds in the trees and sending them skyward.

"Yeah, and I feel better than ever too," Volare nodded and re-folded his wings, turning back to look at Shae, who was regarding him with a curiosity behind her fierce gaze. Was this really the same Pegasus she'd last seen near death in the hospital bed? "It's me Shae, trust me," he smiled, and after another long moment, the osprey conceded and dipped her head, nuzzling him momentarily before lifting off and landing on the roof of the cottage, satisfied that everything seemed to be alright in the world again.

"As I've said before, Volare," a regal voice sounded from the cottage, and they all turned to regard Princess Luna as she stepped outside onto the dirt path. "You've quite the way with her." Volare looked up from the short bow he'd given the Princess and blushed slightly at the compliment, noting that in the daylight, Luna didn't seem nearly as large and imposing; in fact, the tall Pegasus stood nearly at eye level with the Alicorn Princess.

"Nah, like I said: she and I just have an understanding, that's all," he smiled up at Shae, who was busy preening her wings, though the occasional golden flash between the feathers indicated that she was still keeping an eye on them. "Did you sleep well, Princess?"

"Well, to be honest, no; for more reasons than one," she chuckled lightly. "Sending out arrest warrant information to my sister kept me rather occupied, but then again, I've always been a bit of a night-owl; tends to come with the job description you see," she nodded towards her crescent moon-shaped cutie mark before turning her attention to Scootaloo, who was peeking out from behind Volare at the regal Princess, having never seen her this up close and personal before. "Aha, and you must be Volare's little sister Scootaloo. I must say, you two made quite the little team out there in the woods the other"- but she cut herself off as Volare gave her a pleading look. "Ah, I mean, um...what do you think of your brother's wing being functional again, Scootaloo?"

"Aww man, it's great Luna-I mean, er, Princess," the filly bowed hastily, though Luna quickly dispelled any worries with a soft chuckle.

"Please, 'Luna' is quite fine when we're not in court; oh speaking of which, Shining Armor needs to wake up, for we need to get back to Canterlot soon," the Night Princess declared. "Scootaloo, would you and Iron Will please wake the Prince up; he's just not used to staying up so late." The minotaur and the filly gave the Princess a quick salute and dashed inside. Volare began to follow, but Luna held him back with a hoof, making sure Scootaloo was out of earshot before turning to speak to the Pegasus. "Have you told her the truth of your wing yet?"

"Ah, no, not yet," Volare breathed a sigh of relief; he thought he was in trouble for a minute there! "I dunno how she'll take it if she finds out the Unicorns that fixed me up were the same animals that attacked us in the woods..."

"I understand your plight," the Princess nodded. "However, it's not good to keep the whole truth from those you love for too long." Her words caused a pang of emotion within the Pegasus' chest as he was suddenly reminded of the massive secret he was keeping from them...but if he couldn't figure out a way to tell Scootaloo the truth on something like this, how the hell was he gonna break the truth to everypony else about knowing them from a TV show on Earth?! But Luna assuaged his current worries somewhat by giving him a gentle knowing smile. "I'll explain it to her if you wish; besides, if she knows the whole truth, it could be used as a good life lesson for a growing filly such as herself."

"A lesson eh," he pondered it for a moment. "Like Stranger Danger."

"Yes, exac-wait, what?" Luna cocked her head, causing Volare to wave a dismissive hoof.

"A saying back on Earth for little kids; basically it means don't totally trust anyone at first meeting, no matter how friendly and helpful they might seem."

"Huzzah, that is quite a good lesson," Luna smiled in appreciation...but her smile turned into a frown of curiosity as she caught a glance of the black ring on Volare's wing. "Pray tell, Volare...what is that?" she pointed a hoof at the ring.

"Oh, that...huh, I dunno honestly," he shrugged. "I noticed it after I rescued Trixie...maybe it's a side-effect of that healing spell?"

"Perhaps...oh, that also reminds me," Luna suddenly intense gaze regarded him closely. "Did you have any dreams following that spell?"

"No, I didn't have a one last night, good or bad," the Pegasus shook his head. "Maybe the ring has something to do with it?"

"I'm honestly not sure," the Night Princess shook her starry mane again. "But it's certainly strange...do keep an eye on it and I'll be sure to bring the matter up to Tia at the soonest convenience...perhaps she knows..."

"Hopefully...oh, one other weird thing happened again when I saved Trixie," Volare added, explaining that he experienced that zeroing-in effect again, getting tunnel vision as he focused on rescuing the endangered magician. He'd then focused on rolling out of the way of the falling roof and finally on kicking in the doorknob of Lyra's human artifacts room, all within the course of what couldn't have been more than a second or two. "And it was even more intense than the last time; this time I actually saw every single piece of paper and falling piece of wood floating through the air as I ran...I even saw the individual tears on her eyelashes before I grabbed her." He blinked twice and continued. "It was seriously the most intense thing I've ever been through; I don't think I've ever been that focused in my life." In response, Luna laid a hoof on his shoulder and spoke candidly.

"Well, as I said before, in times of distress, we are capable of feats not normally possible, for that is when we tap into the inner magic that all ponies possess," Luna reiterated. "Perhaps, because of the way your body was created, your reaction to stressful situations is a little more intense than usual, and this is merely the way your mind and body cope with it. I wouldn't worry too terribly much on it; as long as it's not happening constantly, I suggest you embrace it as a fortunate gift, rather than fight against it...heaven knows it's saved two ponies' lives already," the Princess mused and turned as Scootaloo and Iron Will returned with a yawning Shining Armor in tow, along with Fluttershy bringing up the rear. "Ah good to see that you're awake, Captain."

"Whoa, you're Twilight's brother, right?" Scootaloo gazed up in awe at the tall Unicorn, causing everypony to chuckle at her wide-eyed expression. "That's soooo cool! A real-life knight!"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not a knight," Shining Armor smiled modestly. "That's a warrior out of legend; I'm just the Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot...who can't even do his job and apprehend two criminals!" He gave the ground an angry stomp and pressed his forehead against the wall, causing Fluttershy to give him a sympathetic pat on the back and Luna to roll her eyes and sigh. Here we go again...

"Captain, I've told you at least twice now: you had no idea they were going to act that maliciously, and neither did I," Luna reassured him. "Your primary duty is to protect me and the citizens of Equestria, and you performed your job admirably."

"Yeah, those two sounded like bad news all over the place," Iron Will declared grimly. "The fact that you guys got that situation under control without anypony gettin' hurt was mighty impressive."

"Yes, but if only I knew something other than defensive spells, I could have nabbed those two when we had the chance," the Captain growled in frustration. "Maybe if I'd leaped up next to them and cast a shield spell around us, they wouldn't have escaped"-

"No, Captain!" Luna barked, causing everypony to flinch and Shae to pause in her preening. "If you'd done that, you would have been trapped in that shield with them, with no way out and no way for me to aid you...and considering what they did to the Inn, you might not have survived," her comforting hoof joined Fluttershy's on his back and she gave him a gentle smile. "Think of Cadance...think of the beautiful foals you'll have together...that's more important than trying to put on a heroic act and needlessly sacrificing yourself in a fight, Captain." The white Unicorn snorted and looked up at the Princess, digesting what she'd said before nodding in acquiescence.

"Y-you're right, Princess...you're right," he sighed and shook his head. "Just frustrates me sometimes, ya know?"

"Hey, from what I heard," Volare spoke up, gaining the Captain's attention. "You did a damn good job of evacuating that building and protecting Luna from those psychos, so chin up...er, sir," he gave Shining Armor a respectful nod, drawing a smile from the Unicorn. "Besides, maybe you should leave the dumb hero stuff to me; seems to be what I do alot of lately anyways," the Pegasus said jokingly.

"Heh, I suppose you're right. Thank you for your support, everypony," he nodded to his friends before Scootaloo spoke up.

"Um, just what the hay did I miss here?" Her question caused them all to burst into laughter for a moment before Luna spoke up.

"Come, Volare needs to officially check out of the Hospital and may need my help to do so, since I'm the one hoofing his bill," she gave the pilot a wink. "We shall explain on the way there before we leave town." She turned to Fluttershy and gave the yellow Pegasus a deep and humble bow. "My dear Fluttershy, I wish to thank you for your hospitality and your star-gazing company these past two nights."

"O-oh, it was nothing, Your Highness," Fluttershy smiled demurely.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble, may I stay with you again when next I visit Ponyville?"

"Oh, be my guest," the Pegasus nodded. "My home is your home, Princess Luna."

"Just Luna," the Night Goddess shook her mane and grasped Fluttershy's hoof in her own, giving her another short bow. "In that case, I shall see thee anon! Take care of yourself, Mr. Will; and do watch out for Angel Bunny." She looked up and gave Shae a short wave of her hoof that the osprey acknowledged with a short chirk before returning to straightening out a flight primary. Shining Armor said his own similar farewells, and with that, the Night Princess led the way into Ponyville, Scootaloo at her side (having left the scooter inside the cottage) with the Captain and Volare following close behind and sharing a smile at the filly's enthusiastic reactions to Luna's recollections of last night's crazy events. This including the revelation that the two Unicorns that healed Volare were also the two Cryhenas that had attacked them in the woods...to which Scootaloo growled a promise of showing them what-for if she ever met them again, cuz nopony hurt her or her brother and got away with it!

........................

Ponyville Medical...

The first thing the group had done when they reached the hospital was ask about Trixie, and after a few minutes of hoof-shuffling and waiting in the lobby, Dr. Stable had confirmed that the magician was in recovery and taking a nap right now. Although it had been touch-and-go for a while at first, she was out of immediate danger and was in fact so close to being back to her regular self that she'd demanded that Nurse Redheart cut the crust off the sandwich she'd been brought, as the "Great and Powerful Trixie" disliked the sensation of crunchy sandwich crust, the Doctor recalled with a chuckle. Oh yes, she'd be just fine and ready to release within the next day or so, although there was still the issue of her medical bill.

"Speaking of which, you have your own bill to take care of," Stable declared and directed them to speak with the stallion at the reception desk...and that was when things got a little nutty.

"Whoa...y-you can't be serious," Volare recoiled from the stallion that had hoofed him the balance sheet on his medical bill, nearly dropping the paper in disbelief. But it wasn't the bill itself that shocked him (despite its rather hefty charge of 3,000 bits), rather, it was the amount of credit owed back to him, as directed by Princess Luna herself. The wide-eyed Pegasus turned back to Luna for confirmation, but she merely smiled and nodded, causing Volare to gulp and re-read the credit owed to him:
"45,000 bits?!" he gasped, his declaration causing Shining Armor's jaw to drop and Scootaloo's eyes to nearly pop out of her head. "You're serious, right?"

"Very, sir," the receptionist confirmed. "Now then, we don't have nearly that large amount of credit in bits to give you here, nor do you seem to have a means of carrying them," he observed as he pulled out a re-credit form and began filling it out. "So instead, we'll simply give you this credit here and you may deposit it in your account at the First National Bank of Ponyville at your leisure. We'll just need your account number here...you do have an account there, right? Sir?"

"Ah, huh?" the pilot shook the daze from his head and stared at the receptionist for a moment. "N-no, I don't have an account there."

"Ah, I see...well," the stallion signed the credit form and hoofed it to Volare, who held it as if it might disintegrate at any moment. "Get yourself an account and get that deposited there and you'll be all set. Hayseed, imagine what I could do with that much money...take care!" And he went back to work as the others helped Volare to stumble out of the lobby and out the front door of the hospital. Out in the town, many of the residents were awake by now and were going about their business, setting up their stalls in the market square and hawking their wares with loud voices that echoed up and down the street, the exceptionally loud ones reaching even as far as the hospital, announcing goods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, jewelry, and various other trinkets that Volare suddenly had the credit to purchase...in fact, he had enough money to buy half the market place in one fell swoop if he so wished!

"Princess Luna, that's rather, well, excessive, don't you think?" Shining Armor whispered as Scootaloo and Volare continued to stare at the credit form.

"I don't think so, Captain," Luna replied with a small smile as Scootaloo wisely took the form from her brother's nerveless hooves, and carefully folded it and placed it in his saddlebags, giving him a quick boop on the nose with her hoof that snapped him to his senses. "I believe that noble acts should be rewarded...and that's two innocent lives he's risked his own to save now...not to mention he has no means of support of his own yet. Besides, I don't believe he intends to spend it all on himself, if he adheres to the habits he's exhibited so far."

"I just hope you're right, Princess," the Captain sighed as Scootaloo chattered away about all the things they could do with all those bits. "Because a stallion with that kind of money could get into a lot of trouble awfully quick..."

"I know, Captain...I know," Luna nodded, glanced at the rising sun, and addressed the Pegasus once he'd gotten Scootaloo to calm down, although the filly still maintained her now-usual perch on his back. "Volare, Scootaloo, as much fun as this has all been, I'm afraid it's time that the Captain and I return to Canterlot."

"Aww, already?" the crest-fallen filly frowned. "But we just met, Princess!"

"Oho, trust me, I'll make sure to visit again sooner or later; I've grown rather fond of Ponyville," Luna smiled and ruffled Scootaloo's mane. "Now then, you keep an eye on your brother and you both keep a lookout for those two Unicorns in case they come sniffing around here again, however unlikely that may be."

"Yes ma'am," Scootaloo leaned up on Volare's head and saluted.

"Will do, Luna," the pilot nodded and accepted her quick embrace.

"Hey Volare," Shining Armor said a bit hesitantly, mindful of Scootaloo's presence and not sure if she was aware of the exchange between Twilight and Rainbow Dash the other day...of what Dash had insinuated about his sister's feelings for the Pegasus... "Tell Twiley I'm sorry we couldn't spend more time together here in town, but if we come back, I want her to give me the grand tour, ok?"

"Heh, sounds good, sir," Volare nodded.

"Just...treat her right, ok?" The tone of the Captain's statement escaped Scootaloo, but Volare understood it fully.

"No worries of that, Captain," he gave him an assuring nod. Shortly thereafter, Luna summoned her gothic chariot, boarded it with Shining Armor, and within minutes they had disappeared in the direction of Canterlot in a gust of wind. After a moment of consideration of what to do next, Volare remembered his promise to a certain Unicorn and Earth Pony about fixing up their restaurant...or in this case, rebuilding it. With that decided, he trotted off in the direction of Lyra Heartstring's home which he remembered was only a short distance away from the Hospital.

"Hey, what did Twilight's brother mean by that, bro?" Scootaloo tapped him on the top of the head after a few minutes of wordless trotting, catching Volare by surprise.

"Oh, well, um," the Pegasus thought quickly before speaking. "He just means that Twilight's had a rough couple of weeks and that he wants us to be patient and give her some rest for now, that's all."

"Ah, yeah, that makes sense; Sweetie Belle and Applebloom said she was pretty mad the other day."

Well, so much for keeping THAT on the down-low...

"Oh, whatcha mean?" he asked innocently, not quite sure of what he was going to hear.

"Oh, well, they said that Twilight and Rainbow Dash got into a pretty bad argument, called each other a buncha names, and then Rainbow Dash flew off all angry because she'd forfeited the Running of the Leaves to save us."
If only it were that simple, Scoots... But her next words very nearly made him halt in his tracks.
"Bro...does Dash hate us cuz we made her lose that race?"

"What, no way Scoots!" Volare shook his head. "She knows we're way more important than some dumb old race...she just gets a little carried away sometimes when she's upset, that's all. I think it's cuz she was worried about us...not that she hates us."

"Oh, that's good," the filly determined after a moment. "Cuz I was a little worried there for a sec."

"Worried about what, Scootaloo?" a mint-green Unicorn to their right leaned out over the flowerbox of roses she was tending to, startling Volare for a moment; apparently he didn't quite remember where Lyra's house was after all. "Oh, heya Volare; thought Scootaloo had gotten a lot taller all of a sudden," she chuckled at the sight of the filly perched on her brother's back."

"Morning Lyra," Volare waved a hoof and stood outside the window. After a little small-talk about the weather and her flowers, the Pegasus explained that he needed Bon-Bon and her to come with them; that he needed their presence when he got an opinion on what materials would be needed to help repair their restaurant. Lyra gave him a funny look for a moment before deciding that he was serious, quickly shut and locked her house up, and led him to Bon-Bon's house. After a moment of coaxing the rather-upset Earth Pony outside, she finally relented when Scootaloo announced that they had a way of getting the stuff to fix the place, plus they needed the business-mare's insight on what sort of account to set up at the bank, Volare had added.

"Oh, how and through whom?" Bon-Bon queried as she locked her front door. "And why do you need a bank account all of a sudden?"

"Let's call it a little surprise," Volare smirked and nodded down the street towards the red-roofed building with the title of MUSTANG HARDWARE printed in large block letters above the front porch. Before Bon-Bon could scoff, the two Pegasi set off towards the building, Lyra right on their hooves with a big grin on her face. After a moment's hesitation and realizing she wasn't doing much beyond moping in the living room anyway, the cream-colored Earth Pony quickly caught up with the trio.

"So, you read that book I gotcha yet?" Lyra asked as they neared the hardware store. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"Ah, nope, haven't gotten to it," Volare shook his head. "But I will as soon as I can. We have more pressing issues, though...and I've got promises to keep," he said as they reached the store and he pushed the door open, instantly spotting the dapple-grey Unicorn situated behind the front counter. "Heya Ferrum," the Pegasus waved, but to his surprise, the aging hardware storekeeper cocked his head and adjusted his spectacles before addressing him.

"Hrm, you look kinda familiar, son...there's just something off and I can't...aha," Ferrum's eye brightened and he grinned as he realized what it was. "Well, well, Mr. Volare; didn't hardly recognize ya there without your crazy mane and bandages. How've ya been son?"

"Oh, well, to be honest..." Volare and the others then spent the next half-hour explaining everything that had transpired since they'd last met, from the Running of the Leaves attack, to the hospital stay, to his true origins as a human, the craziness at the Gilded Griffon, and finally what had gone on this morning, excluding the credit from Luna. Damn, I really need to get a copy of my recording from Vinyl...maybe I'll hit her up after this...

"Wow," Ferrum gave a low whistle as he digested the torrent of information. "You've had quite the busy week already and it's still only Thursday, heh-heh," he slapped the counter and chuckled. "So you're a human, huh...just when I didn't think the world could get much crazier"-

"Whoa, whoa, watch it, Mr. Smithshoe," Volare waved a hoof. "If I've learned anything since arriving in Equestria, it's that Murphy's Law is alive and well, and there's no sense in pissing it off by daring something else to happen."

"Who the hay's Murphy?" Ferrum scratched his head.

"Ugh, nevermind," Volare facehoofed. "Basically means if there's a possibility of something happening, expect it to happen sooner or later."

"Aha, gotcha," the storekeeper nodded in understanding before clearing his throat. "Ahem, so, I doubt you came in here just to chat up an old codger like me for no reason. I take it ya got something to fix? You still avoiding those windows, son?" he gave him a wary squint.

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Volare laughed and explained that he intended to help fix the accidental damage caused to the Gilded Griffon and he needed Ferrum's expertise in what exactly would be needed for the repairs.

"Woo-wee, that's a tall order, son," Ferrum frowned. "I passed by the place on the way here and I gotta say...it ain't gonna be cheap. I mean, I like ya an' all, but I if I try to cutcha a deal, it might close me down."

"Heh, don't sell me short just yet, sir," the Pegasus then led the small group to the building site, wincing as he approached it. Jeez, and I thought it looked bad at night...talk about pointing out flaws with a searchlight, he glanced up at Celestia's sun, which was nearing its zenith by now. Ferrum had brought a clipboard and notepad with him, and although he wasn't as instinctively skilled in structural integrity as Earth Ponies, there was something to be said about having been around the block a few times too. He quickly went about his business, mumbling under his breath and scribbling on the notepad with a levitated quill pen while Bon-Bon did her best to dissuade any passerby from staring at her precious cafe for too terribly long.

Volare, meanwhile, spotted something blue and pointed poking out of the rubble, and after tugging it free found it to be Trixie's battered hat. Chuckling to himself, he rolled it up and placed it in his saddlebag, intent on returning it to its rightful owner when he got the chance, before rejoining Lyra outside the building. By the time the Unicorn's summary was completed, he'd gone from thinking he was about to really hit it big with this job, to almost feeling like he was ripping off Volare and his friends.

"Eh-heh, are you sure ya wanna see this, son?" Ferrum winced before the Pegasus nodded his head. "Ok, just don't murder me here...your main problems are that far corner wall there and of course the roof," he pointed at them in turn. "That corner is likely gonna have to be completely rebuilt, which means that all of Ms. Heartstrings' human things will have to be moved from that room, as it'll have to be torn down. The roof...well, the roof is good for firewood and that's kinda it," he said flatly and kicked a wooden shingle in emphasis. "It'll have to get totally replaced too, which is gonna entail new roofing supports and rafters, although that goes without saying. Gimme a moment to check something around back real quick," he explained and walked around the building, scribbling as he went, while Bon-Bon followed him fearfully.

"Wow, when they said the weather went a bit cuckoo down here in Ponyville last night, they certainly weren't joking," a familiar cultured voice spoke out above the bustle of the market, causing Volare, Lyra, and Scootaloo to turn and regard its blue-maned, mustached owner clad in his signature black tuxedo vest...and quite frankly, the lyrist couldn't believe her golden eyes.

"Mr. Fancypants!" Volare declared with a grin, trotting up to greet the well-to-do stallion as if he'd known him for years, causing Lyra's jaw to drop in shock. "How've you been, sir?"

"Oh my goodness, Volare?" the white Unicorn adjusted his monocle and gave a great laugh and a nod towards Scootaloo riding on his back. "Haha, dear boy, you've certainly changed quite a bit since I last saw you; gone and got yourself a foal, I see?"

"Nope, I'm his sister," Scootaloo grinned proudly. "Name's Scootaloo!"

"Charmed, my dear, charmed," he flashed her a winning smile and turned back to Volare. "And to answer your question, I've been just fine; I've been up in Canterlot tending to my real estate business there and I'm just down here for a bit because of a personal request to do so by Princess Celestia herself."

"Oh really? What's that entail?" Volare tilted his head, sending a massive wink Lyra's way, causing the green Unicorn to grin excitedly.

"Well, believe it or not, she's asked me to consider sponsoring a little cafe I'm rather fond of here called the Gilded Griffon...I believe I recommended it to you when last we met," Fancypants chuckled, but his face quickly filled with confusion as he beheld the ruined building. "Oh my, um...am I in the right place?" he looked up and down to confirm that, indeed, this was where the restaurant was.

"Mhm, you're in the right place, sir," Volare confirmed, much to the Unicorn's disappointment. As he frowned up at the building, Bon-Bon finally came back around the building, saw Fancypants, and Lyra had hurry over to muffle her shriek of horror at the sight of the stallion observing her ruined place of business, effectively sinking any hope she'd ever had of him sponsoring it.

"My, it's certainly quite a bit more...rustic than I care to remember," he squinted through his monocle and winced, though he took note of Volare's easy-going expression. "Bit for your thoughts, sir?"

"Oh, heh, just letting my friend Ferrum Smithshoe assess the damage from last night's downburst," the Pegasus played it cool, causing Bon-Bon and Lyra to stay on the sidelines and watch him fill the conversation with relevant small-talk...to them it seemed he either had a plan in the works, or he was flying by the seat of his non-existent pants...in reality the truth was closer to the latter. "It's no biggie, really; we were looking to renovate the place anyway, and that roof was gonna have to come down at some point. I guess the sky simply forced our hoof this time."

"Aha, indeed, pity when that happens," Fancypants nodded solemnly.

"Heh, I'm gonna have to have a word with the Weather Team Captain, Rainbow Dash when she gets back in town," Volare chuckled lightly.

"I'll bet it wouldn't have a chance to go crazy if she were here," Scootaloo pointed out.

"Aha, good one, Scootaloo," the Unicorn shared he chuckle. "She certainly knows a thing or two about weather, that mare."

"Yes sir, that she does," Volare nodded in agreement.

"She's the best at it!" the Pegasus filly added as Ferrum returned from around the building with a grim look on his face. Fancypants respectfully stepped aside to allow Volare to speak with the hardware storekeeper.

"Ok, it's not quite as bad as I thought, Volare," Ferrum scanned back over his notes and blinked twice before continuing "Still...all in all...hmm...you ready for this? Your rough total comes out to about 29,000 bits."

At this announcement, Lyra's jaw hit her chest, Bon-Bon fell on her flank, and even Fancypants let out a small snort, but to Ferrum's surprise, Volare and Scootaloo merely exchanged a look and grinned coolly at the hardware store manager, who cocked an eyebrow at their strange reaction. "Oookay, you're either planning on murdering me after all...or...don't tell me you have the money for all this?"

"Hrm, you could say that," Volare continued to smile, looking back at Scootaloo who reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the credit form, showing it to Ferrum. "As soon as we open a bank account, we'll have the bits needed for it."

"Th-this...this is...wow," the dapple-grey Unicorn wiped his glasses on his apron and looked back over the form. "At least I know you're not planning on murdering me now." As he spoke, Fancypants trotted around, glanced over at the form, and the monocle literally fell off his face.

"Um, forgive me if I seem to be prying, but how in the hoof did Ponyville Medical come to owe you so much credit back?" the Unicorn asked in shock. But before Scootaloo could answer, Volare silenced her with a subtle nudge of his wing and he simply smiled back at Fancypants as he put the credit form back in his saddlebag.

"Oh, don't worry, it was obtained legally," Volare explained cryptically, remembering Luna's warning about hoof-outs to strangers. "That's all ya need to know, sirs. And as I said, as soon as my good friend Bon-Bon," he beckoned her with a nod of his head to approach them, which she did on shaky hooves, never taking her eyes off of THE Fancypants. "sets me up with an account at the bank, the money will be available. So whatcha say, Ferrum? You think you can get the supplies necessary for the repairs?"

"Um, yeah, yeah, I can, but it'd take me two or three days at the very least to get it all ordered and shipped here, son," the elderly Unicorn replied.

"That's totally fine," Volare nodded. "I'm headed to the bank with Bon-Bon to set up the account right now, and we can get it all done there, I'll bet." He then turned to Fancypants, who had recovered his monocle and was regarding him with a rather impressed expression. "Mr. Fancypants, I believe there's also something Ms. Bon-Bon has been wanting to ask you, or so she's told me time and again," he motioned for Bon-Bon to speak.

"Um, eh-heh, yesh, well," the Earth Pony sputtered nervously for a moment before steeling herself and speaking. "Mr. Fancypants"-

"Oh my dear, just Fancypants is fine," he flashed her a charming smile that nearly knocked Bon-Bon off her hooves.

"Uh, right, I was just wondering if...well," she cleared her throat and finally spoke the question she'd been burning to ask for months now. "Would you be interested in sponsoring the Gilded Griffon, since you like it so much...I mean, especially since we're about to renovate it?" She winced and awaited his answer, as did Lyra who was holding her breath a short distance away.

"My dear, it would be my pleasure to do so," Fancypants grasped Bon-Bon's hoof and graced it with his lips, meeting her eyes with his own. "And if it's not too terribly forward, once it's rebuilt, would you further honor me by allowing me to be the first to dine there..." Bon-Bon's face flushed scarlet and she looked over at Lyra, who was shaking a hoof in the air and grinning, while Volare could barely conceal a grin of his own while Ferrum chuckled behind his clipboard. Scootaloo had luckily turned away before sticking her tongue out in minor disgust at the suddenly mushy situation.

"O-oh, of course," the Earth Pony finally found her voice and returned the Canterlot Unicorn's smile with one of her own. "Absolutely!"

"...with you," Fancypants winked and flashed her a grin identical to his other ones...except this one did knock her off her hooves. Bon-Bon swooned and passed out into the arms of Lyra, who shook her head in disbelief.

"She says yes," the lyrist declared with a chuckle.

"Capital!" Fancypants declared and turned to Ferrum. "Mr. Smithshoe, get those supplies here post-haste; if I'm going to have my name on something, it needs to be worthy of it!"

"Aye sir," Ferrum nodded and grinned. This was by far the largest transaction he'd ever taken part in!

"And you, Volare," Fancypants regarded the Pegasus with a nod. "You've got my support in this endeavor; I do wonder, however, how you intend to rebuild this place once those supplies get here. A construction crew is expensive and I'm not sure if you'll have enough left in your account to hire a decent one," he frowned slightly.

"Oh, I'll think of something," Volare assured him. "If need be, I'll swing a hammer myself!"

"That's the spirit; a real go-getter this one is!" Fancypants declared to ponies passing by. "Now then, I have to get back to Canterlot now that we're at an agreement, but once the renovations are complete, please send word to me as quickly as possible, so that we may get some advertisements started! Haha, I'm excited, aren't you?" And with that, the most important Unicorn in Canterlot trotted away in the direction of the train-station. As soon as he'd disappeared around the corner, Volare relaxed, letting out a great sigh of air and wiping his brow before turning to Lyra, who'd laid Bon-Bon down on a bench before approaching the Pegasus with a smile on her lips.

"Piece of cake, right-whoa!" He chuckled as the Unicorn quickly embraced him in an excited hug that nearly toppled Scootaloo from her perch on his back.

"Ok, ok, enough with the mushy, huggy stuff already," the filly said as she unwound the mare's hooves from around her brother's neck. "You're gonna give him ideas."

"Ssshh, Scoots!" Volare chuckled sheepishly and swatted her with a wing, receiving a tweak of his ear in return.

"That was absolutely amazing, Volare!" Lyra declared. "The way you handled that was...wow, do you have any business experience?"

"Nope, just feeling extra confident today I guess," Volare grinned and pumped a hoof as the realization of what had just happened finally hit him. "Whew, that was awesome! Hey, Ferrum?"

"Yessir," the elderly Unicorn replied sharply as Lyra fanned Bon-Bon's face, slowly bringing her friend to her senses.

"Ready to head to the bank?"

"Absolutely, sir," the dapple-grey pony nodded, and once the mortified Bon-Bon regained her hooves, they followed her to the First National Bank of Ponyville.

....................
1 Hour Later...

"Well, that was relatively painless," Volare said as he glanced at the paperwork related to his account and stuffed it into his saddlebag. Ferrum's account was credited the amount for the supplies, and he promised to order the supplies that very day. Bon-Bon and Lyra again thanked Volare and Scootaloo for working the break they'd been waiting for a long time for before heading to their respective homes. It was at that moment that Volare and Scootaloo found themselves trotting through town with nothing to do and drawing strange looks from passersby who couldn't help but stare at the orange filly riding on top of the blue stallion's back. Scootaloo didn't have to go back to school till that following Monday, but the rest of the CMC weren't out of class for a few more hours.

"Heh, whatcha think of Fancypants asking out Bon-Bon to the place that she works?" Scootaloo stated flatly after a while. "That seems kinda...tacky," she declared, using a word she'd learned from Rarity.

"Nah, I think the word you're looking for is trashy," Volare chuckled, though he had to give Fancypants props for the smooth delivery.

"I thought it was rustic," Scootaloo rolled her eyes and they both laughed until her stomach burbled loudly for the second time that day.

"Again, Scoots?" the older Pegasus glanced up at her and smirked.

"Well, it is after noon, bro," the filly gestured at the Sun.

"Wow, it is...time flies, huh? Whatcha in the mood for; we got plenty for whatever ya want," he patted his saddlebag which jingled with the sound of the bank bag of bits contained within it, still not quite able to believe their sudden great fortune.

"Hrm, I dunno," the filly mused. "What're you in the mood for?"

"Oh come on, you know this town alot better than I do"- he began to say before a loud crash sounded off to their left, drawing their attention north towards a straw-roofed house similar to the other ones in Ponyville, only this one was festooned with music notes and seemed to be spouting curses from the two mares that lived there. Fittingly, it sat a fair bit away from the other homes as well, nearly right across the street from Ponyville Medical. "How about dinner and a show?" Volare chuckled and trotted closer until there was no doubt of origin of those voices.

"Vinyl, why can't you ever keep your bloody wub boxes under control when I'm rehearsing?!" Octavia's normally reserved voice shouted over the sound of a pounding bass beat that leaked under the door and vibrated Volare's hooves.

"Say what, Octy? Speak up, I can't hear ya! It's not my fault you gotta rehearse when I do!" the tomboyish voice of the DJ yelled, further lending weight to the feeling that Volare simply knocking on the door would be fairly useless. Instead, he rolled his eyes, tried the doorknob, and it turned, allowing him and Scootaloo entry into the music-filled duplex of Vinyl and Octavia.

"Yo Volare, wazzup?" the DJ's voice called from the right side of the house, which seemed almost mechanical in nature, with right angles and metal surfaces everywhere but contrasted by the absolute mess of pizza boxes, beer cans, and general trash laying everywhere. "Mi casa es su casa, bro!" Vinyl grinned and pushed a button on the turntables in front of her, silencing the bass tones that shook the room from the large pair of subwoofers that flanked her turntable stand. She pushed her shades up and pulled off her headphones, approaching Volare and giving him a one-hoofed hug. "Heya Octy, check it out; it's Volare! And his little sis Scootaloo too! Wazzup, Scoots?" Vinyl offered her an off-white hoof, which the filly readily bumped with a grin.

"Hello there, Volare," the cellist mare on the other side of the house called in greeting as she laid her signature cello (freshly buffed and shined after its ordeal the previous night) against the wall and made her way towards the two Pegasi. Her side of the house was more rounded and organic, with meticulously carved bookcases full of volumes of music lining one wall, and soft velvet cushions lying on the plush rugs covering the hardwood floors. A fireplace crackled in the far corner, warding off the light chill of the autumn afternoon and completing the look of refined culture. All in all, it created a rather starkly contrasting interior split down the middle at what Volare guessed used to be the wall that separated the duplex...no telling what the heck had knocked it down in the first place. "What brings you here this time of day, and with your little sister no less?"

"Heh, well, your roommate's cooking, believe it or not; that onion and potato soup was excellent," the Pegasus replied with a nod in Vinyl's direction. "That and she said she'd get me hooked up with some new sound equipment, since Trixie kinda blew it all up last night."

"Oh yeah, that's right," the DJ nodded and trotted through a door behind her turntables to search for a replacement speaker box. While she was gone, Volare took note of a rather out-of-place silver pedestal sitting on the border between the rooms. He approached it curiously and saw that built into the pedestal was a large red button with the inscription 11+ painted on it in blocky white numbers

"Um, Volare," Octavia said as she saw the Pegasus looking at the button. "What're you doing?"

"Oh nothing, just looking at this weird button...what's it for?"

"Well, to fully answer that question would require a demonstration," the cellist said with a hint of a groan in her voice. "Unfortunately...well, do you notice how the front wall of the house looks newer than the rest of the walls?"

"Yeah, I did notice that," Volare replied with a nod. "Why's that?"

"Well, if, figuratively speaking, somepony didn't warn somepony else not to lean on that pedestal because that button is rather sensitive...do you happen to know Mr. Smithshoe down at Mustang Hardware?"

"Mhm, I do," Volare replied with growing unease of the bright red button. "Why?"

"Because he'd be swimming in bits again if somepony were to accidentally depress that button...and there's no way to stop what will happen if it gets pressed...figuratively speaking, of course," Octavia crossed her hooves and snorted. Volare regarded the pedestal like the one that released the boulder that nearly crushed Indiana Jones, decided that he didn't feel like giving Ferrum any more money that day, for whatever reason that might entail, and quickly stepped away from the big red button as Vinyl reentered the room.

"Ok, found it," she held up a new speaker box, this one trapezoidal in shape and grinned. "You still got those earbuds I gave ya?"

"Yep, but they're back at the Library."

"Aha, well, if ya wanna play some music or something while I whip up some lunch, be my guest; you're gonna love this stuff, kiddo" the Unicorn declared to Scootaloo and motioned to her headset before heading for the kitchen nook that sat between the two contrasting halves of the house, while Octavia took a seat on a cushion to watch, motioning for Scootaloo to join her, which she did with a smile and the two introduced themselves.

"Whoa, wait a sec Vinyl," Volare raised a hoof. "Don't I need your magic to work this stuff?" To his surprise, the DJ turned and shook her head.

"Didn't you notice last night, dude?" she asked, but when the Pegasus shrugged his shoulders in confusion, Vinyl laughed and clapped him on the back. "Heh, I didn't expect ya to cuz I just realized it this morning, but there was something crazy about that song you played for Octy when she fought Trixie."

Crap, she saw the images in my head...
"Oh, what's that?" he asked nervously.

"When you played that song...I didn't use my magic to help." Volare was taken aback at this declaration, and he shook his head incredulously.

"H-how's that possible?" he asked, but the DJ returned his earlier shrug with one of her own.

"That's the thing; I haven't been able to figure it out either. My best guess is it has to do with how your body was created: magically," she chuckled and shook her head again. "Magic's a weird thing, dude...maybe it has something to do with that spell those guys used on you."

"Magic Overload," Volare muttered with worry. But he hadn't had any nightmares, so that wasn't it...maybe Luna was right...maybe it was just another weird side-effect...

"Possibly," Octavia spoke up. "Then again, perhaps not. Either way, this seems to be a fairly safe means of testing to see if it works again; I mean, worse-case scenario: it doesn't work and Vinyl has to power it herself, right? And if it does work and you want some answers as to why, you can always ask Twilight Sparkle; she knows more about magic than anypony in Ponyville."

"Right," Vinyl nodded and nudged the Pegasus. "So whatcha say dude? Wanna give it another spin, no pun intended," she chuckled and gave the turntable disk a twirl. "Gonna take me a sec to make lunch anyways; might as well kill some time, eh? Probably better than listening to Octy lecture on the history of 32nd notes or something."

"I heard that, and for your information, 32nd notes are extremely important in musical structure!" the cellist growled softly, but the DJ waved her off with a raspberry, causing Scootaloo to give a short giggle.

"Oh, what the heck, let's do it," the Pegasus chuckled and placed the headset over his ears, scrunching down his mane in the process. "Just one song to test it, ok?"

"Sure thing...hey Scoots," the Unicorn got the filly's attention. "What kinda music you like?"

"That's easy: rock!" Scootaloo grinned.

"Ooh, good, cuz believe it or not, that's Volare's specialty," Vinyl then turned to Volare and nodded. "Give her something from one of those videogames or something!"

"Yeah, something fast and rockin!" the filly suggested.

"Ok, ok, if I gotta pick one song...and you want something fast-paced..." Volare breathed in and out slowly and focused his mind on something fast...something rocking...something that fit his little sister's 'gotta-prove-myself' personality...heh, I got one...

Needless to say, within seconds, Volare confirmed that it was him and only him sending the signals from the headset to the music equipment...but how? Yeah, he'd definitely need to ask Twilight about this.
"...dude," was the first word that reached his ear as he removed the headset. But it wasn't from Vinyl, and it certainly wasn't from Octavia, as this was practically old hat for them. No, the word had escaped the mouth of the filly with the wide, lavender eyes staring at him from across the room.

"Scoots, you ok?" Volare chuckled and approached his little sister, who was rooted to the spot in awe. It wasn't until he nudged her shoulder than she came to her senses and grinned up at him.

"That was so awesome, bro! Can you do that all the time, like whenever?" the feisty filly leaped to her hooves in excitement.

"Well, apparently whenever I have one of Vinyl's headsets on and...holy crap, maybe that's it!" Volare declared and called into the kitchen. "Hey Vinyl, do you remember if I ever took those earbuds out when those two Unicorns used that spell on me?"

"Actually, I don't think you ever did, cuz I don't remember having to give them to you when you played that song for Octy," the DJ shook her head and her eyes widened in realization before she poked her head out through the kitchen door and stared at him. "Dude, maybe that is it! I mean, that's crazy, but maybe when that spell got used on you it, I dunno...merged you with my ear-buds or something!"

"That's rather...out there, even for you, Vinyl," Octavia chuckled. "Still, magic is and always will be a strange force of nature..."

"Yeah, except I remember them being knocked out of my head when Trixie grabbed me, plus we found the broken pieces of one them in the cafe ruins...no, I don't think that's it either," the Pegasus countered before shrugging as his own stomach rumbled. "Agh, I'll just ask Twi about it later or something; I'm too hungry to think right now!"

"Then let's eat!" Vinyl grinned and levitated out a large tray covered in small cups full of various soups that she sat down on the dining room table. "Dig in, guys!"

..........................

"Ahh, that really hit the spot more than you know, Vinyl," Volare patted his stomach and burped, drawing a look of ire from Octavia and giggles from Scoots and the DJ. "Heh, sorry."

"Nah, it's cool; you know, in some countries, it's actually a compliment to the chef if ya belch after the meal," the DJ said.

"True, but Equestria isn't one of those countries. How many times must I remind you?" Octavia chided her friend.

"Uh, I think I lost count," Vinyl replied through a mouthful of tomato soup, causing the cellist to facehoof.

After a few more minutes of small-talk, Volare carefully packed away the speakerbox in his saddlebag, thanked Vinyl and Octavia for the hospitality, and opened the door. However, he didn't get but two steps outside before a white and violet blur charged around the corner and collared him before he could even fight back. "Agh, what the hell?!" he cried before he realized that he was being magically and physically dragged along by none other than Rarity! "Rare, what gives, huh?"

"I've been looking for you all day, darling," the Unicorn fashionista declared. "I've followed your trail from the Library, to the Hospital, to the bank and that ruined cafe, and now to here. So now that I have you, I can take you to the Boutique and do what finally needs to be done!" she raised a forehoof to the sky in emphasis before resuming pulling him along, Scootaloo close behind and giggling maniacally, having overheard Rarity swearing that she'd fix his problem one of these days...and today was that day!

"And what the hell is that?!" Volare inquired in a mild panic that was only heightened as she turned back without stopping and gave him a look that was halfway between a devilish grin of anticipation and hunger. Oh shit...

"We're going to fix that crime against fashion on your head once and for all!" she flicked his ragged mane and snorted. "Now come along without a fuss, unless you want me to get rough...that is, unless you like it rough, Volare," she laughed and batted her sapphire eyes suggestively, but there was no sexual lust in her gaze; only the desire for justice against the criminal his mane had apparently been branded as. And the only justice it deserved, apparently, was death via scissors and combs. With a fierce, determined grin, the Unicorn flung open the door of the Boutique once they reached it, and pulled the struggling Pegasus inside, Scootaloo right on his hooves. So much for the peaceful day!

"Somepony help me! Heeeeeeeeellllllll"- Volare's pathetic cries for aid were cut off as the door to Carousel Boutique slammed shut.
Oh yes, Murphy's Law was still very much alive and well in Equestria...

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

Author's Notes:
My basic reaction to what just happened:

Volare: That's not funny in the slightest!
Author: Oh come on, you come out looking great dude; don't you remember?
Volare: Yeah, well I don't remember screaming like a girl back there...
Author: What's wrong with being a girl, huh?
Volare: Uh....nothing?
Author: Exactly.

Confused yet?
So...yeah, we have a little mystery here, and a little intrigue...what exactly is up with Volare's body and how does he continue to manage to find trouble no matter how well the day might be going? Also, we have...possible Fancypants x Bon-Bon shipping (does that even exist yet?!), and Dash dealing with potentially pissed off neighbors in Filly...and just what the heck is Volare planning, anyways?! Seems he's got his mojo back, though...hopefully Rarity doesn't hurt him too badly XD I do wonder what that big red button does though *cue Men In Black reference*

Comments

[RaptorCalloftheShadows]

*peers at Volare* .... Heehee.... *pulls out a Rule 63 Gun* ...C'mere, you.... :3 *advances on him slowly...*

[Endrax]

"Oh, be my guest," the pegasus nodded.  "My home is your, Princess Luna."

Probably should be:

"Oh, be my guest," the pegasus nodded.  "My home is your home, Princess Luna."

[Starscape]

This chapter is great! The thing we most needed after that traumatizing cafe event was a slice-of-life. Thank you dear sir!

Looking forward to more!

[Blue Mist]

I gotta say this, I've been reading this since the beginning and never would have guessed and the craziness that is Volare's life.
Or the awesomeness of this story which...

media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6o6htGZsj1rqbd8d.gif

[D48]

Well, not much really happened here, but it was very good and that is sort of the nature of a slice of life chapter so it is to be expected. My only question is how much longer will it be until Dashie gets back because it seems like she should be getting towards the end of her stay and she seems like the next logical point of drama in this story.

[Scarves]

DEATH BY MANE CUT!! From Rarity no less.

[Mike32oz]

lol poor Volare

[Applejack-fan]

What I'm Made Off!!!!! Epic song!!!!!!!!!!

[Archmagejay]

Oh nooooooo rarity got him quick call in miss OP sparkle to defuse the situation

[shadowless_night]

1307604 *pulls out barret 50cal with shredder rounds*
ok im ok with cloppers, i dont mind the fked up rules of the internet wich infect everything.... I even tolerate haters who post clop to make us look bad and such.
but you DO NOT
i repeat DO NOT touch my favorite story's main character.....
so go ahead .... take the shot.... thar be a shitstorm a brewing my friend... only question is will you be the cause of it? *aims at head with sniper*

[Anubis Nox]

1307978 ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=I.4658609997349564&pid=1.9

a1.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/128/681e795d28f74b1cbc4d75db2b9e299c/l.jpg

[blastdragon]

I predict that next chapter the word flightsuit will be used.

[LtCWest]

And thats the reason why I love the show in the first place, its not about the action or the adventure or heroines go through, its those nice and subtle everyday interactions, aka slice of life. One of the reasons I had a neck for Stargate: Universe , at least they gave it a proper finish .
Anyway, I recently found out myself what a wonderfull feeling running can be. Having been a fat ass most of my life, it took a while to reach this point but now whenever I go out for a morning jog and change into a sprint....I just can't describe it, it just feels good!
(I recently found out that if I "force" my breath to be full and not go too shallow, then it eases a crippleing pain on my right side, it feels like my right lung beeing stung by one of my ribs, that builds up whenever I overexert myself and would normaly force me to stop.)
Well on to the next chapter, see you next time.

PS: You already promised a few chapters ago to keep 'em short and yet those 10k+ word megapages still keep popping up. I guess someauthor is a bit carried away by his/her own story! And about that butten, as long as its connected to rocket engines...

[LtCWest]

Crap, forgott to mention: Human heroes tend to be trouble magnets. Its like they are the polarised matter the keeps pulling all that evil ant-matter. Not that real anti-matter is evil, that is.

[DeltaOsprey]

Hello Murphy. We meet again I see. Well come on you arrogant bastard lets see what you got. Me and Volare will take on whatever you throw at us. Isn't that right buddy?

Volare: I don't know you and I want no part of this plan.

That hurts dude. Oh well. *presses red button* LET IT BEGIN! LET IT BEGIN!! MWAHAHAHAHA!!

[Gyvon]

I have a pretty good idea as to what's happening to Volare-bear.

I don't wanna risk spoiling it for everyone here, but if I'm right, it'll mean an even bigger change in flyboy's life.

[Anubis Nox]

"That sounds like a plan for now," Scootaloo nodded and hopped down off his head before following her brother down the hall, her young mind still abuzz at all the possible Crusades they could now go on...once Volare let them, of course.

Should be Crusaders.

I've seen other mistakes so far, but can't be stuffed putting them up yet because I'm tired and I will finish reading this chapter tomorrow and do a proper comment, and know I'm just typing what I'm thinking.

Proper comment tomorrow.

[yrfoxtaur]

1307623
alternatively:

"Oh, be my guest," the pegasus nodded. "My home is yours, Princess Luna."

[IcanConfuse]

What is wrong with long chapters? I love this fic, the long chapters just means there is more to love!

[RaptorCalloftheShadows]

1307978 *reaches into pocket nice and calm... and pulls out .... your rifle's firing pin* Good Luck with that shot, man. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Rainbow_Dash_lolface.png

[Rhodesm96]

Big red button?

[q97randomguy]

1308024
Sorry, but anti-matter is not magnetically charged. It has the same neutral charge of regular matter it's just that the nucleus is negative and the positrons that orbit it are positive ( as their name implies), it still adds up to 0 charge.
1308277
I agree completely.

Hopefully next chapter we have more Rarity and Twilight
Too bad the song from Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't the theme song All of Me [youtube=NYDdKKwzEG0] That was my favorite song from the game.

[LtCWest]

1308469
Well, thanks for pointing that out, but I must damit that I was speaking figuratively up there and not scientific, seems it went a bit wrong.
Its still nice to see how many well read people roam the internet.

[clonezero]

clonezero
19&$-2012
Died from a lethal case of diabeetus
...
respawning as a hr 1 chicken wyvern

Uugh damn you and how you've made Volare and Scootaloo's bond so extremely cute.

-------------------
Huzzah +1 to Volare's genre savyness! And he seems to have gained a new superpower so to speak. What is it called?

-------------------
And lastly, damn Fancypants you got so much fg swag!

[Menelaus Redz]

1308145 This is what I thought it should have been as I was reading this chapter.

[q97randomguy]

1308588
I know how sometimes we have a great metaphorical comment and then we botch it in the delivery. Also, if you didn't know the science before now you do, thus becoming a more well read internet person.

[LtCWest]

1308617 Indeed!

[q97randomguy]

1308641
Posted 3 min. ago? Hmmm, it appears that there is a 3 min lag between posts and notifications popping up.

[Beyond the Horizon]

Wait, if we're getting into Sonic music, at least put this in at some point! It would be criminal not to.

[Alaborn]

Lyra Heartstring's home which he remembered: should be a comma after home

"Where's she at?": Nopony ends a sentence with a preposition! NOPONY.

[shirotora]

Hell hath no furry like Rarity scorned at bad fashion

[DrakeRenar1]

Yeah update! Too bad I can't read this right now!

[GuyFace]

Sonic Heroes is one of my favorite games. Holy shit-balls. I think I just had a brain-splosion.

[Chiman1293]

Well, Ray and Jill are screwd now. They can never show their faces in public again. And now there boss will see this and he will be angry.

And Rainbow still things that Volare is in the hospital. When she gets back to Ponyville, it is going to be good!

And I think that really Volare doesn't care about Rarity working on his mane. Otherwise he would of resisted.
Well at least he can get a peak at the thing Rarity has been working on.

I guess all that is left to do is to go and get rid of Trixie's ego.

And then he is going to find himself with nothing to do.

And of course I demand MOAR!

[TacoTown]

video game rock songs? WHY did you not do "We Are the Lazy Generation"?!

[asdfabaeradjargasdfasd]

A couple of things.
1. As long as you don't randomly use stereotypes, I'll love this forever.
2. As long as the only love is Twilight vs RD for Volare, I'll be fine. Just don't give Volare a harem or something, or make it too easy/hard.
3. Are you or aren't you going to use some brony music? Like Balloon Party!
4. This story needs some fan art and some fan music.
5. When are you going to bring up Volare's history again?

[asdfabaeradjargasdfasd]

1309446
Dragonfable, too.

1309323
Nothing to do? Music, keeping his being a brony a secret, having Twilight and Rainbow fawn over him, it's a full-time job!

By the way, did Twilight ever mention why she likes him?

1308765
No. Just no.

1308416
"You see this button here? I'M GOING TO PRESS IT!!!!"

[TacoTown]

1309633 which song?

[Mordecaiser]

"Mi casa es su casa, bro!"
did she know what she just said?

[Man Of War]

Woo! Another awesome chapter! Ugh, the mystery of the Black Ring is going to kill me... I just hope it doesn't mean something is basically sitting like a time bomb just waiting to go off. But ya know, I just can't wait to see what Rarity does to poor Volare's mane. As we all know she can be a little... over the top to say the least, but at least the super secret surprise is probably going to be revealed soon. As always, looking forward to the next chapter!

[radiation_pony]

i want rd watching brony watching mlp just say you'll do it
pleese

[V-Pony]

1303082 LOL nice

1305577 The wait is over!

1307604 LOL wtf?
Volare: Not good!
Author:

1307623 Oops, thanks!

1307652 Indeed!
The next one is a little slice-of-life too...but not nearly as long...and the ending has rather interesting implications

1307680 I'm just trying to show the craziness of what can happen when a human is tossed into Equestria like this.
Like Volare kinda said:

Kinda funny that what he told Trixie was rather similar, eh?
And thank you for the compliments!

1307764 Oh trust me, quite a few important things happened here, for this sets up the events of the next story arc:
The Gilded Griffon will be rebuilt
Fancypants will finally be sponsoring the place
Bon-Bon x Fancypants (maybe for the lulz?)
Volare now has quite a bit of money to sling around and do as he pleases (will temptation strike?)
Volare not having enough money left for a construction crew may leave them in a tight spot, especially if he's also going to pay Trixie's medical bills too...the question remains: how will the magician choose to repay him?
Dash met possibly the only real friendly face in Filly
As for Dash coming home soon...well, she's working the mail route for three days, and today was the first day...so two and a half more days till she returns! And yes, there shall be some drama to be sure

1307795 LOL nah, he was more freaked out by the look in her eye...to say that he misinterpreted it because of Rarity's penchant for high drama is putting it a bit lightly

[V-Pony]

1307868 But he ain't poor; he got money

1307877 YAR!

1307883 Heh, it's ok. I make fun of him for his looks EVERY moment possible
At least he has a decent personality?

1307914 LOL nah, he's just being a big baby
Volare:

1307978 Volare: my support grows day by day

1308003 Heh, mebbe...mebbe not

1308024 Sorta...especially if the villains here know of the destructive potential of humans and seek to use it for themselves...

1308010 Yesh, same here
And dang, that's pretty sweet! See, you can do anything when you put your mind to it!
As for my promise of the chapters being shorter...I think I got a little carried away by this one, but the next one is a good deal shorter for sure

1308012 Trust me, this whole story is basically a demonstration of Murpy's Law
Volare: For god's sake, don't piss it off!

1308099 Volare: FFFFFFUUUUUUUU-!!!!

1308119 Orly, do tell (here or in PM)

1308131 Nope, you go on crusades, not crusaders

1308145 Yep, that's what I meant

1308277

[asdfabaeradjargasdfasd]

1309668
Rage of the Forsaken
Dragon Rage
Into the Fray-Drakonnan's Rage
Call of Kathool Achoo
Chapter 1 final boss fight music
Chapter 2 finall boss fight music
You Will Become What You Once Destroyed
Etc.

[V-Pony]

1308410 Nice one!
LOL I'll bet Pinkie used her pocket universe thingy to sneak into the back of the rifle and steal it

1308416 Oh you have NO idea...

1308469 for Science!

1308598 LOL Scoots, why you gotta make hearts stop and stuff?
And it's not really a super-power...in fact, it's more of a small side-effect than anything...and not necessarily a good one
Yep, Fancypants got dat swag (lol if Fleur di Lis finds out)

1308602 Crazy how one single letter left out can cause confuzzlement, eh?

1308693 LOLL mebbe...Volare played Sonic games WAY back when and just happened to recall that particular song in that it kinda pertained to Scoots' attitude on life. Beyond this one, though, I don't know if any of the other songs stuck with him (maybe it's cuz that song was used during an absolutely epic boss fight against Metal Sonic?)

1308707 Thanks for pointing that out

1308765 Volare: tell me about it

1309005 Aww, well I hope you like it when you do

1309052

1309323 Possibly...then again, they CAN shapeshift as a disguise but if they do and get in a tight spot, they can't use magic to get outta that jam
Their Boss may be angry...or maybe not because He found out what he wanted to find out...he may only be angry because Ray and Jill are trying to run and hide...
Eeeyup, RD is gonna be surprised...pleasantly or not still remains to be seen
Well, Rarity DID kinda drag him off with her magic...
As for what she's working on...perhaps, though she likely won't give it to him until he's "earned" it
And yep, gotta fix the situation with Trixie...and I haz a plan for dat
As for him having nothing to do? Pffft, this is Ponyville, there's always something to do! (Learns how to fly without crashing, for instance)
And there shall be MOAR!

[Beyond the Horizon]

1310265 Sigh, I'll have to beat it into his head then huh? The only question is do I use the sledgehammer. . . or the funnel?

[Anonymous Assassin]

1307978

I agree... I don't really approve of cloppery, though I have read some really excellent stories with some cloppish scenes. I reeeeeaaaalllyyyy hope that "certain people" will have the decency not to mess with the awesomeness of this story and taint its characters with... *sigh* clop. However I don't mind innuendo and suggestive behavior, and what happens behind the closed doors of a certain tree house or (preferably) in the privacy of a particular cloud house that may or may not be vaguely described is certainly cool with me. By the way V-Pony I am loving this chapter, and I really don't mind the longer chapters, I am a bit disappointed when I see anything below 8-10K but the frequent updates definitely make up for the shorter ones.

[V-Pony]

1309446 LOL that would have worked to. I was originally gonna do this song (as it pertained to the CMC and their crazy attempts at a rock band), but I changed things up at the last minute:

Perhaps I'll use it at some point

1309468 Hey, tis ok dude. We'll save ya a seat when ya get back
(you're gonna miss the fight against Trixie and the craziness that follows, however)
(and if it's any consolation, I didn't like that particular chapter much...it was just essential to the story)

1309619 Stereotypes such as what?
As for romantic interests...don't worry, there won't be any sort of harem AT ALL (I rather dislike stories like that). But for now, Volare's seriously got other issues besides romantic stuff.

Exactly, Scoots!
For right now, he's pretty content with keeping the promises he made, because he feels like he owes these ponies so much for being so accommodating
As for it being easy or hard later...there's an old Chinese proverb saying: "the strongest steel is forged in the hottest flames"...and that's all I'll say on the subject for now...
Mhm, gonna use some more fandom music (especially since it seems Volare doesn't exactly need Vinyl's help all the time to play music now; he doesn't have to worry about her seeing "weird images" in his head)
Heh, if you wanna make some art/music, be my guest (I can't really make either)
As for Volare's history...it's a'comin! (remember, while the others know for the most part that Volare's past seems like a rather touchy subject, a certain cyan pegasus who's had virtually no interaction with him in the story so far, does not...)

1309633 LOL not really fawning...more like Twilight respecting his reservations for now and Dash probably using those to her advantage to mess with him
And yep, during her little breakdown in the hospital room, Twi mentioned a myriad of things, from him being the first guy to REALLY listen and interact with her on the subjects of science without blowing her off, actually respecting her theories and opinions, and helping her develop new ones. Basically, she geeked out in an adorkable way
Trust me, if I were in Volare's position, minus the emotional baggage, I'd date Twi in a heartbeat...but for multiple reasons, Volare is holding back...hopefully he tells somepony what all those reasons are soon, because as Luna said: it's not good to hold back the truth from those we love/care for

1309674 Yep, "my house is your house, bro"

1309766 I hope not either! Hopefully, Celestia will know what's up about it (though Spike feeling rather uneasy about it worries me...)

1309932 We'll see what happens

[V-Pony]

1310218

1310302 Trust me, if anything escalates to that point, I'll likely simply imply things...perhaps I'll try my hand at more mature stuff, but if I do, I'll probably post it as a separate story-chapter-thingy at some point (still, it's unlikely)
Besides, if I can simply imply things through results and dirty humor, rather than actual intimate details, it makes it more fun because it allows the reader to make it as dirty or clean as they want, I don't have to change the story rating, and it allows me to be more...creative in how the situation gets handled
Thanks for the compliments too!

[TacoTown]

1310399 i would have loved to see that song used.