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



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

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Inseptium Nova-Pt 13: Today, I Learned

Notes: Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out! Life is life, ya know? ^^;; Two more parts of this arc remain after this! Also, remember that Theoretical Science Warning at the beginning of the story? Well, this was mainly the chapter it was meant for, so...

September 14th, Ponyville…

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Chapter 1: The Problem

Greetings and welcome to Pegasus Flight and its Applications. I’m assuming that since you’re reading this that you’ve already perused my foreword in this book, and thus know my name: Typhoon VI. Therefore, I’ll also assume that you know that I’m worried about the current situation in regards to the status of Pegasus flight knowledge, and how shallow that pool of knowledge is swiftly becoming. As said, I have multiple theories and opinions on why Pegasi are taking for granted their natural gifts of flight and mastery of the air, and if I may, I’d like to speak upon them for a moment here.

Doubtless one has noticed that the Pegasus race prides itself on getting things done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and I’m not going to knock them on that; for the most part, they do an excellent job keeping the weather in Equestria in check, the seasons rolling along smoothly, as well as a fine job of helping the Earth Ponies with the irrigation of their yearly crops. However, one will also doubtless notice that Pegasi put perhaps too much emphasis on speed, some even to the point of recklessness…I won’t name any names, but surely you the reader can name a good hoof-full of them with little effort. This is where my worries and disappointment begin.

I strongly feel that the Pegasus race-my own race-has become far too obsessed with speed of task and is rather needlessly competitive with their fellow Unicorns and Earth Ponies. The most likely cause is our ancient sense of warrior pride, but that’s speculation for another day. Suffice to say that desire for greater and greater speed has led to cutting of corners in the Pegasus flight process due to impatience to add more Pegasi to the workforce (again, this likely stems from an ingrained instinct to get as many warriors into the field as possible). However, due to the less strenuous and dangerous duties of the day compared to ancient warfare, even more corners are being cut than common sense would allow.

For example, I see many Pegasi fillies and foals being quite literally thrown off of clouds during their flight training. They are tossed off again and again until the Pegasus builds up enough wing strength so that they no longer fall. True, it’s a quick way of building strength, but it sets the wrong foundation for a Pegasus that has the potential to affect not just how it flies, but every single facet of the rest of its life. Rather than learning to fly because they desire to experience the sheer joy of it, they are instead pressed into the workforce machine too quickly for my liking. Add to that the peer pressure, squabbling, and bullying I see being shown towards those that aren’t the fastest to fly, and it forces them to learn the wrong way even worse than before. And so, at the end of the day, you’ll have a Pegasus with strong wings, but weak spirits; since their only reason to fly in the first place was so they wouldn’t fall, they are not flying as their forebears used to…instead, they are merely not falling, and it saddens me greatly to see this happen…and even more when a filly or foal just can’t make the cut and instead of adjusting to a different flying style…they’re merely left behind just as the other flight methods have been abandoned to antiquity by all but the most dedicated fliers. This needs to change, or too many innocent Pegasi may fall by the wayside. Hopefully, the lessons passed down within this book may keep that chance for change alive.

"No offense Fluttershy, but that sounds alot like you," Volare noticed the butter-yellow Pegasus' face had withdrawn behind her pink mane with a light whimper, and he leaned comfortingly against her shoulder. Twilight respectfully paused in her reading and cocked a concerned eyebrow.

"I-I know," she muttered with a shake of her head. "That's about how it went...the coaches tossing me off the clouds day after day, telling me 'you can do better than that!' And then all the other Pegasi that could already fly...ones even younger than me...they constantly badgered me and made fun of me, calling me Clutzer-shy and"-she trailed off into another painful whimper.

"I-I'm sorry Fluttershy," Twilight said with a frown, hovering the book off the stump and beginning to close it. "We'll just...cover this some other time if it bothers you that bad"-

"No, Twilight!" the Pegasus' head shot up in a whiplash of pink and she blinked the moisture from her eyes. "It hurts yes, but this is for Volare, not me. He needs to learn this so he can fly and not get hurt." She glanced sideways at the sympathetic stallion. "And if it means using me as an example of what not to do, then so be it."

"Aww, Flutters," Volare half-wrapped a wing around her. "You're more to me than that. You're my friend and if it hurts that bad, I'm ok with stopping for now."

"No...it's fine...I'll be fine," she shook her head quickly and looked back up at the Pegasus. "Even though it took me years to rebuild my self-confidence after falling from Cloudsdale, I was inspired by the animals I loved so much to be able to fly in my own way. Because of this, though I lack the sheer wing strength of other Pegasi, since I focus more on being efficient, I feel competent enough of a flier to be able to go about my life without worry of falling anymore." She placed a hoof on his shoulder and smiled. "It's that efficiency that I learned the hard way that I've been trying to pass onto you through those exercises...that way, in case your wings aren't as powerful, you won't have to worry about not having an alternate method."

"I see...thanks, Fluttershy," he returned the smile. "Heh, at the very least, being an efficient flier would help on a long-distance flight, right?"

"Mhm, exactly," the mare nodded and turned to Twilight. "Please continue."

"Right," the Librarian replied and turned back to the book.

Chapter 2: A Small Refresher

Although it was my request that you, the reader, be well-acquainted with Pegasi anatomy before even reading this book, I'd wager that even you could use a review. And not to brag, but with my insight into these things, who knows...you may even learn something new, eh?

A Pegasus is not like the other two pony races for reasons other than the obvious: the wings. But since that is the most obvious difference, we'll begin there. A Pegasus' wings are much like a bird's wings: lightweight and flexible, with hollow, truss-strengthened bones that allow the wings to be moved at a ferocious pace without tiring quickly, and fringed with primary feathers that can be used as rudimentary grasping appendages, as well as flight. The feathers are slightly oily to shed water during rainy flight, and fully cover the wings of a healthy Pegasus, primarily aiding in providing additional surface area to the wings, which have a relatively small body to wing ratio when compared with a bird. At first glance, this would seem to make flight impossible, or at the very least, not very sustainable through strength alone. It's very easy to make that conclusion at first glance, but as a Pegasus is not built like Unicorns or heavier Earth Ponies, applying the same rules of thrust required to move mass to a Pegasus is rather foolish. They play by a slightly different set of rules, both physical and magical...more on the latter later; let us now cover the former!

Just like a bird, the ribcage contains Uncinate Processes that strengthen the rib bones against the stresses incurred during flight as well as serving as an anchoring point for some of the wing muscles and tendons. These also provide additional overlapping protection to the Pegasus' internals, making it rather difficult to slip a blade or horn between the ribs and into something vital; natural armor, you might call it. The muscles and tendons that anchor the wings to a Pegasus' ribcage are very flexible, and contain various fibers that allow quick, precise movements at a whim. These fibers are fed oxygen by lungs that are nearly twice the capacity of Earth Ponies or Unicorns. These lungs fill nearly the entirety of the Pegasus chest cavity, the remaining space of which is taken up by an enlarged and powerful heart, which serves to feed the wings the energy they require during flight. The lungs also serve another purpose: during high-speed maneuvers, the blood can rush from a Pegasus' head to its hindquarters, causing it to black out and plummet from the sky. When inflated to full capacity and combined with tension from the chest muscles, a Pegasus can effectively pinch off the blood flow between its upper and lower body for a short time, keeping the blood in its head and preventing sudden blackouts. During all high-speed maneuvers, it is recommended to take a deep breath and hold it for duration of the maneuver for this very purpose.

Moving further down the body, the fur is typically short and unlike Unicorns or Earth Ponies, every single strand not of the mane is angled backwards, further streamlining the body and aiding the Pegasus in cutting through the air during flight. The bones of the body, much like those of the wings, are also hollow and truss-strengthened, cutting down on the weight a Pegasus is required to carry off the ground without sacrificing on strength, flexibility, or protection. The musculature of the legs, while not as densely packed as an Earth Pony, is still very well-developed when compared with a Unicorn (and when compared to heavier Earth Ponies, there's really no need for so much muscle, as a Pegasus is much lighter weight in comparison due to its bone structure). As with the wings, when combined with those lightweight bones, it allows a Pegasus to move its limbs very quickly, generating considerable force behind the movements within a short distance. All told, these physical advantages combine to create a pony with a relatively high muscle to weight ratio But these are all truly just accessories of the Pegasus itself; parts of a whole. It is from within that the true power of a Pegasus manifests itself.

"Ok," Twilight looked up at Volare with a very serious expression. "This is why your acceptance-your total acceptance-of your situation, your body, and magic is very important, Volare," she tapped the book with a hoof in emphasis as she spoke. "For without accepting those things you're experiencing, you won't be able to understand, and therefore accomplish, your task: flight."

"I understand," the pilot nodded. "Or, well, at least I'm hoping to."

"Good, cuz that's what we're here for," Twilight smiled. "Now, I've read ahead in this book, and if I recall correctly, where we stopped just now is about as far as we got weeks ago when we studied that Advanced Pony Anatomy book, right?"

"Yeah, I'm recognizing the terms so far, albeit these are alot more in-depth than from the book in your Library."

"Well, they are from a Pegasus' point of view, and from what I've been able to dig up on the author, he was one of the premiere flight instructors of his day, so I think it's safe to say he knows what he's talking about here," she tapped the book again. "Therefore, don't fight what you're about to learn. Suspend your disbelief if you have to, because...well, since you're a physics major back on Earth, this may very well go against many principles you've been taught."

"Will I have to unlearn them to fully understand, Twi?" he asked with a hint of worry; that'd be ridiculously difficult.

"No, because alot of what you know is still applicable here (though your physics don't take into account forces such as magic being such a great factor in things, mainly because it doesn't really exist on Earth, but that's besides the point). Just...don't think of it as unlearning what you know," she shook her head. "Think of it as a door you never knew was there being suddenly illuminated, and you stepping inside onto a path you hadn't realized existed until right now."

"So just keep an open mind, eh?"

"Now you're getting it," she thumped him in the chest with the back of her hoof and grinned. "You ready to continue?"

"As I'll ever be, Twi," he nodded. "I trust you."

"Trust yourself even further, Volare," she replied and turned back to the book. "Because from here on out, that's going to be the most important step in the learning process..."

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

Chapter 3: The Power of the Pegasi

From here on out, it is assumed that you, the reader, understand the components that make up a Pegasus' body, as well as how the laws of magic work for other pony races: an extension and manifestation of sheer willpower. If you do not fully understand these concepts, close this book and go do some research before you hurt yourself and others. But if you do comprehend magic and how it works, then by all means, read on.

As we've established, magic is nothing more than a manifestation of willpower through a medium. Unicorns project their willpower across space via their horn, and Earth Ponies project their willpower through the earth and things that come from the earth. But Pegasi on the other hoof...there is no place short of the vacuum of space or underwater that a Pegasus cannot manifest its will, for the medium through which a Pegasi does so is the atmosphere itself. Therefore, anyplace that a Pegasus can breathe, it can use its power...and what a power it is to behold; even more so to understand. Unfortunately, this particular ability is the one I've been fearing that's falling by the wayside in favor of superior wing strength; possibly because it takes much longer to master than simply flapping one's wings...but again, the more likely cause is 1000 years of peace leading to the extinction of these studies that stemmed from warfare. For who wants to be reminded of war during peacetime, even in the subtlest of ways? But read these words and heed them well, for what you're about learn is the base of all major flight techniques beyond simple flapping and gliding.

Quite in-line with popular belief (and really no surprise), a Pegasus' main avenue for magic extension does indeed lie in its wings. They are the major source of propulsion for a Pegasus and its key means for getting airborne in the first place (although this is often aided by a good, solid kick off the ground). As said earlier, the wings are lightweight, flexible, powered by muscles packed nearly as densely as those of an Earth Pony's leg, and are sensitive to even the slightest changes in the air current moving around them, whether in flight or at rest. This allows the Pegasus to gauge the wind and make minute adjustments to the wing in order keep flying towards whatever destination it might have in mind (in fact, with concentration, this ability to pull information from the movement of air can be applied to every single strand of fur covering their bodies as well). However, there is a huge misconception about Pegasi that has come about mainly because of the focus on stronger and stronger wings, leaving the body relatively weakened in the process. The misconception is that all of the Pegasus' flight control runs through the wings, and that is simply not the case.

I will again use an Earth Pony as an example here, for Pegasus magic works in ways similar to that of Earth Ponies, who can extend their willpower through their hooves, and into the ground, using it for leverage for greater strength in hauling large loads and jumping longer distances. Now envision a Pegasus doing the same thing, but remove the limitation of the ground beneath its hooves, and realize then that Pegasus magic works in all directions that air touches its body. A Pegasus treats the atmosphere as a medium because, to a Pegasus, the atmosphere can be tangible. I repeat, the atmosphere, clouds, water vapor, and air that a hoof normally simply passes through, can be tangible to a Pegasus (how else did you think a Pegasus can walk on clouds?) Think about that for a moment...and then begin to realize the possibilities inherent with this ability.

"Whoa," Volare breathed, waving a hoof experimentally through the air in front of him and catching Twilight's attention. "That's cr-, I mean, pretty wild," he stopped himself with a sheepish grin that caused the Unicorn to chuckle in amusement.

"That door opening a little bit now, Volare?" she tilted her head and smiled encouragingly.

"Yeah, I'm just doing my best not to get knocked over by it," the Pegasus moved his hoof back through the air again. "Doesn't feel any different, though."

"Silly, that's cuz you're still on the ground," she shook her head and levitated a twig, using it to point back at the text. "'Remove the limitation of the ground beneath its hooves.' It's worded kinda cryptically, but I'm assuming that means you have to be in the air for it to work," she mused and turned to the yellow Pegasus next to Volare. "Fluttershy, does that sound about right?"

"Mhm, I'd assume so," she nodded. "I mean, it's certainly easier for me to maneuver when I'm completely in the air."

"Well, that goes without saying," Volare said. "Remove the drag of the ground, and maneuvering is much easier...heh, just like a plane."

"Exactly," Twilight smiled. "So until we get you up in the air, simply waving your hoof around won't do much; only your wings will be available for magic usage."

"Believe it or not, this is starting to make more and more sense, Twi," the pilot grinned excitedly. "C'mon, let's get going again; where were we?"

"Oh, um...let's see here...aha, got it," the Unicorn paused and looked up. "Are you familiar with Neighton's Third Law?"

"...you're joking me, right?" Volare couldn't decide whether to laugh or scoff. "Does it go something like this: 'for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction?'"

"Yes, that's it almost word for word!" the Librarian nodded emphatically. "How'd you know that?"

"A man by the name of Newton back on Earth," the stallion dead-panned, cocking a suspicious eye at the lavender Unicorn for a few moments before the two burst out laughing at the random coincidence of it all. Fluttershy looked between the two and sighed; she was never that great at this science stuff and was totally lost at what exactly was so funny. After another moment or two of sniggering and eye rolling, the Unicorn and the Pegasus calmed down and turned back to the book, with Volare giving Fluttershy a sympathetic pat and a dismissive shake of his head. "Kind of a sciency inside-joke, Flutters. No biggie."

Twilight cleared her throat to get his attention and tersely tapped the twig twice on the book before resuming her reading.

One of the possibilities that exists for a Pegasus actually explains the reason why a creature with relatively small wings can fly. While a bird would need either a large wing area or very rapid motions of the wings to stay aloft, a Pegasus requires neither. In fact, excessive wing use to compensate for the lack of lift can quite easily tire a Pegasus out, eventually locking its wings up in extreme cases. Without at least the occasional thrust of the wings, the Pegasus will plummet from the sky. A side-note to all Earth Pony and Unicorn readers: this is where a minor advantage of yours lies: if you get tired while using magic, you can simply rest, for you are already on the ground; but for a Pegasus...well, suffice to say we must more closely manage ourselves, for a fall from a great height without a mid-air recovery can shatter most Pegasi bones due to them being hollow. In short, don't be too quick to envy a Pegasus' gift of flight, for it's more of a double-edged sword than you might imagine.

Now then, back to business...instead of simply mimicking a bird in flight, by exerting its willpower on the air around it through its entire body, a Pegasus takes a large load of the lift requirement off of its wings, reserving them mainly for thrust and minor adjustments. The major adjustments in flight are actually carried out by the hooves, which would make sense for behind the wings, they have the strongest muscles in the body. Accordingly, the stronger a Pegasus' legs, the greater the change in flight path it can create by literally kicking its hooves off the air, just as an Earth Pony kicks off the ground to generate power (makes much more sense when you consider a Pegasus doesn't have a tail rudder to speak of, eh?). Yet again, this is much more efficient than trying to change direction with such small wings, leaving the wings free to continue to provide thrust for longer durations of time (or even do something simple such as hovering in place, which requires relatively little energy even if the Pegasus doesn't "stand" on the air at the same time).

Yet another use for a Pegasus' hooves in flight is to extend them in the direction of the flight path and cut a gap "between" the air particles with this ability, for with less air acting as drag on its body, the more efficiently a Pegasus can fly, and the faster it can go without becoming unduly tired (this makes an experienced Pegasus' hooves fairly sensitive to touch as they must also be sensitive enough to the density of the air piling up in front of them that they adjust their flight path accordingly). And I'm sure that the readers who have done their outside studying know exactly what can happen when a Pegasus gets going fast enough (though, I'm not allowed to speak of it here for fear of somepony getting killed by it...still, the suppression of such information is rather...irritating). Moving along, with enough practice, in fact, a Pegasus can even learn how to pull off maneuvers simply by shrugging a shoulder against the air, or flexing a leg at a certain angle, or even provide air-braking by bristling the fur on its body. With the risk of sounding cliche, the sky is the limit!

However, although a Pegasus possesses the ability to manipulate the air around its body, it does so through the understanding and usage of Neighton's Third Law. Using this law as a base, it can therefore be calculated how much force a Pegasus must use in the air in order remain aloft without using excessive wing strength. This then, is where the downfall of this particular ability began, I believe, for in order to fully make use of this ability, it must be practiced again and again, in all matter of weather and scenarios. This is because a Pegasus must, must, must form a relationship with the air itself in order to confidently exploit this advantage. For as the basic rule of pony magic goes: experience begets confidence, which begets greater willpower and self-control, allowing greater and more-controlled magic usage. Unless a Pegasus completely puts their trust in themselves and their abilities, they will never reach their potential, and as previously stated, if the only reason why they're flying is to avoid falling...how can they fully trust themselves? Without that mutual relationship built up over years and years of practice, this technique is not only rather useless, but potentially dangerous because all it will take is one single, wayward gust of air or an over-corrected mid-air kick to knock the Pegasus from the sky...sometimes, not even sheer wing strength can save you from that. And, taking into account the rather impatient nature of the Pegasus race, it's little wonder why few of them take the time needed to fully master this technique beyond simple weather manipulation and cloud-walking...in fact, a certain fledgling group of Pegasi I've trained that have taken to calling themselves The Wonderbolts while trying to keep these techniques alive comes to mind, but they and weather are the subject of a different book entirely.

Well, dear reader, now that you know the capabilities of a Pegasus, you can either end your study here, or you can peruse the rest of this book, which breaks down and covers numerous flight maneuvers for all sorts of situations, both friendly...and a few that might fall into the "otherwise" category (unfortunately, those are relatively controlled subjects right now during peace time and I have to be careful in what I'm allowed to write here...should have probably added a disclaimer for all those thinking they'd read this and know how to spin up a hurricane or take on the Equestrian Air Wing all by themselves, eh?) In any case, read on if you like, practice safely, and I hope that I've been of service to you. If you wish to learn even more, please locate a copy of my book "Pegasus Flight: A Military History," although it may be difficult to procure a copy that isn't under lock and key anymore... Good luck, and good flying!

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

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a sec, bro," Scootaloo waved a small orange hoof between the pages of the book and his eyes, interrupting his train of thought and causing him to look up and regard her curiously. The filly's eyes looked rather wobbly and she was shaking her head and snorting softly. "I think you're gonna make my head explode if you don't give it a rest for now," she declared, drawing giggles from the CMC that filled their clubhouse from floor to ceiling. Volare sighed and closed the Flight book, carefully slipping it back into his saddlebag. Now I see what Typhoon VI was talking about...just gotta have an open mind...heh, and less distractions, he cocked an eyebrow at the younger fillies, who had returned to giving him a pleading look that alternated between him and the speakerbox he'd brought along with him.

Twilight had literally just finished the section of the book that led into the maneuvers themselves when they'd realized how late in the day it was getting...and whom Volare was also late in picking up from class and having a Crusading meeting with. They'd bid Fluttershy goodbye and raced back into town, Volare doing his best to explain aircraft control surfaces along the way and why, since a Pegasus' entire body was literally a control surface, it was quite possibly the most maneuverable air platform ever conceived; but between the huffing, puffing, and galloping, he truly wasn't able to convey what he'd meant and why he was so damn excited! Although he seemed just short of comprehending everything-alot of the concepts were either familiar or related to what he already knew-it was finally clicking together now. Soon...soon, he'd be back in the saddle, so to speak...and when that happened...look out Dashie, cuz there's gonna be a new Volare in town!

With that realization, he also felt that he was that much closer to proving her claims about himself and Twilight wrong...suddenly, the wildly-conceived plan he'd come up with back in the hospital didn't seem so crazy anymore! Thanks for actually helping me this time, Murphy... Still, something about the suppression of information rather unnerved him; it just smacked of fascism or...something! Twilight shrugged it off as nothing more than the author trying to keep things organized as well as keeping eager Pegasi like himself safe from themselves (she emphasized himself with a magical poke in his chest and a wry grin), causing Volare to roll his eyes and push it to the back of his mind for now.

Upon swinging past the Library, Twilight announced that Volare could spend the rest of the day as he pleased, and to take the book with him if he wished, that she'd stay here and rest up, awaiting the test results from Celestia (she'd politely refused the invitation to the Apple Family dinner, insisting that if Grannysmith herself had invited him, it must be for a good reason, and she didn't want to get in the way of that). The Pegasus thought about it, and then snagged his speakerbox and earbuds (he figured the Apple Family might enjoy a little music), hugged Twilight goodbye and thanked her for spending the day with him. Volare then galloped off for the schoolhouse, where he was greeted by a rather impatiently waiting trio of Crusaders that nonetheless glomped him mercilessly and decreed that his "punishment" for being so late would be to carry them all to the Clubhouse. He promised he'd explain what had made him so late, but after nearly half an hour of reading and explanation, the younger crusaders had had enough, and instead were more interested in the speakerbox that Volare was carrying and that Scootaloo had been chattering about for the past day and a half.

"Heh, I guess I made ya wait long enough, huh?" the stallion chuckled and popped the earbuds in, turning the speaker to 3 and glancing back at the CMC. "You sure you don't wanna plan some crusades instead?"

"No way!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Scootaloo's been bragging about how her brother can make this thing play anything he wants and we wanna see that for ourselves!"

"Yeah, crusade-plannin' can wait up fer a while," Applebloom drawled. "Besides, we all know what our current one is: gettin' ya'll up in tha air."

"Aww, c'mon, you guys don't have to worry about that," Volare waved a dismissive hoof. "That'll happen in time."

"Yeah, but it'll happen faster if we help, I'll bet!" Scootaloo declared with a large grin that squinched the corners of her purple eyes. "But planning time's over, playing time's now!" She poked him impatiently with a small orange hoof.

"Alright, alright, hold your horses, Scoots," the stallion laughed and hmmm'd. "Well, we've got about an hour before you guys have to be home, so we can play a few songs...what kinda music you guys wanna listen to?"

"More rock!" Scootaloo practically shouted.

"Country!" Applebloom stomped a hoof.

"Something with good singing," Sweetie Belle suggested. They all three looked at each other and glared, and Volare sensed an argument was about to break out. Time to head this off at the pass...

"Ok, ok, that's kinda a tall order...but what if I played some songs that has some of all of that in them, huh?" he asked with a wink. At their emphatic nods, he chuckled softly, focused his mind, and thought of a few songs that fit the rather picky bill...

By the end of the third song, the younger CMC were practically bouncing off the walls, and Scootaloo had gotten so deeply into the solo of Free Bird that Volare was worried she'd either throw something a hip out (as young as she was) or kick him in the head as she leaped past him.
Note to self: go easy on the Skynyrd with these kids...

"Ok, ok, cool it down you guys," he patted the air with his hooves, waving his wings for emphasis until the excitable trio finally settled down somewhat, though they were only able to sit down for a few moments before standing back up, almost jittery with nervous energy. "What the hay did Ms. Cheerilee feed you three today?"

"Uh, oatmeal and sugar cookies," Sweetie Belle smiled sweetly, her eye twitching ever so slightly. "Why?"

"Yeah, what's so bad about that, bro?" Scootaloo cocked her head. "We brought some with us if you want any," she added as Applebloom held up sugar-loaded cookie from her saddlebag.

Lord help me, Volare echoed Free Bird for an instant shaking his head and forcing a smile. He looked out the window and sighed in slight relief at the sight of the sun nearing the horizon. "Nah, I'm ok guys. For now, we gotta think about getting Sweetie and Scoots home," he nodded at the two fillies who groaned in disappointment. "Now c'mon you two, Applebloom said that Grannysmith invited me to dinner to speak with me, so it's gotta be pretty important; so I don't wanna be late." And quite frankly, I doubt three sugared-up fillies running amok around the old gal is the best thing for her health.

"Eeyup, that's right," Applebloom nudged Volare's leg. "Plus ya'll don't wanna eat grits'n gravy, 'n apple cobbler cold," she made a face and giggled.

"Heh, that doesn't sound too terribly appetizing," but the stallion's chuckles faded at the sour looks on Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's faces, and he relented slightly. "Ok, ok...if I play one more song, will you guys cooperate and come back to town with me?"

"Yes!" came the unanimous reply, including a completely unexpected Applebloom.

"Alright then, we have a deal," he smiled and focused one last time. "Ok...This last one actually reminds me alot of you three...and how you're looking to grow up so fast," he looked at each one of them in turn as he spoke. "I dunno if you know or not, but I think you should enjoy the time you all have together right now, rather than rushing through it...cuz once it's gone...well, you'll always have the memories...but they'll be nothing like the real thing...here goes..."

Once finished, the CMC stared at each other for a long, quite moment before enveloping Volare in a group hug. "I love you guys," Sweetie Belle declared with a half-whimpering cry that tugged at Volare's heartstrings.

"Yeah, I mean, I know we're trying to find our marks, but," Scootaloo looked up from under her brother's wing. "I don't want it to end that fast."

"Mhm, so let's make a promise right now, ya'll," Applebloom stood back from the group and stuck out her hoof. "Even if we get our marks, we won't stop bein' friends. That we'll stick together for as long as we can after our crusadin' is done and even after this here ol' clubhouse falls off this tree," she wiped her nose and grinned. "Who's with me?"

"Count me in," Sweetie slapped her hoof down on top of the farm filly's.

"Me too," Scootaloo did the same, and after a beat, they all looked up expectantly at Volare. "Psst, that means you too, bro" the Pegasus nudged him.

"Who, me?" Volare asked in surprise. He hadn't expected them to take the song that seriously, nor did he expect them to include him in their little vow. "Heh, I don't wanna impose and ruin your fun"- but his excuse was stopped as Scootaloo thonked him on the head.

"Really, bro?" she squinted skeptically. "You're a Crusader too, ya know; of course you too!" The other two nodded in agreement. The stallion began to make another excuse before halting himself. He saw the looks in their eyes, and the excited and friendly grins on their faces, and he just had to ask himself: why was he hesitating? Did he think they were pulling his leg? Was it because of that age gap stigma? But here...as long as it involved friendship, it didn't seem to matter; not to them, and not to anypony else. They were of the same interests, and that was all that mattered right now. It was then that he realized something else: how much of an influence he stood to be in their lives, especially Scootaloo. Perhaps he was afraid of screwing up and setting a bad example? But another look at their expectant smiles scattered his worries to the wind. Trust yourself, Volare...they're counting on you.
With a determined grin, he settled a hoof onto the the trio's smaller ones and nodded.

"All for one and one for all!" he cried before he could stop himself. He immediately clapped a hoof over his mouth and his cheeks flamed into color at the fillies' bemused expressions.

"Scootaloo, your brother is weird," Applebloom whispered to the Pegasus filly, though not quite silently enough to escape Volare's ears.

"Yeah I know," she shook her head and snorted before hoofing the stallion in the chest. "But I like him alright. Cutie Mark Crusaders move out!"

"To Ponyville!" Sweetie Belle squeaked as they thundered out of the clubhouse, Volare pausing to pack up his speakerbox before hurrying after them, unaware of the eyes peering out of the top of the clump of trees that backed the clubhouse not 10 meters away. They watched his every move and their owner chuckled lightly as the blue and yellow stallion caught up with the CMC, placed them on his back, and galloped into town; it had heard every word of their conversation within the clubhouse.
A Pegasus that prefers to run over flight, has no cutie mark, plays music on a whim, and spends his time with his sister's friends who are searching for their own marks as well...no purpose...yet...hmm, this Volare was an interesting fellow to say the least...

.................
Meanwhile...the Library...

Twilight Sparkle re-read at the letter she'd just received from Celestia, blinking away the tears that ran from her eyes as she did so. She ignored Spike's worried calls from the other side of her locked room door, instead whimpering slightly through the hoof she pressed up against her mouth as her violet eyes traced a path back over the fateful words again and again, until the negative image of them was burned into the back of her eyelids so that closing her eyes no longer hid the sight from her. The Unicorn allowed the letter to fall from her hooves and drift to the floor as she pulled her favorite plush blanket up over herself, rolled over, and continued to soak the pillow with her tears.
She'd been right...why couldn't she have just been wrong this time?

The tears that continued to drain from her eyes were a mixture of salt and water on the surface, but the emotions that triggered them and ran below the surface of the saline ranged from sadness, to disappointment, to embarrassment, and strangely...even relief. Relief that now there was no more wondering what she'd been feeling about Volare ever since he'd arrived. No, slightly afterwards, specifically after she'd poured a significant amount of her own magic into the creation of his body...a magically unstable body, one she'd be especially sensitive to the effects of (which also explained how he was able to power the music equipment himself-because of the nature of his body, he apparently possessed just enough excessive latent magic to do minute tasks like that...that excessive magic had been the secret behind her emotions going so haywire all this time). She just couldn't believe she'd been so blind to it till now. Thinking back on it all, the feelings had truly started right there, before she'd even truly begun to know him...there was no arguing that and she knew it.

The letter from her mentor, full of regret and sympathetic apologies, merely confirmed it...the Pony Social Interactions book had been wrong; not because what it said wasn't true, but because Twilight, in her desperation to find an answer to her dilemma, had grasped onto what she'd hoped was the truth, and tried to shoehorn it into place as the solution to her question: the feelings she'd been experiencing...had they been love?
"The truth isn't all sunshine and rainbows," Volare had once told her, and even now, she agreed whole-heartedly...still, it didn't make it hurt any less.

She didn't love Volare...apparently, she never did...she could only pray that her foolish behavior hadn't caused him to deviate from the path he needed to take toward regaining the ability to fly again. Celestia help her, if she made him crash for any reason, be it distraction or otherwise...whether as his friend or his lover, she wasn't sure if her heart could take that pain all over again!

"Volare...I don't wanna hold you back, but please...please don't do anything stupid," she'd told him before he'd left the Library earlier that day.

"I won't," he'd replied with that confident, no-worries half-smile that Twilight had grown accustomed to seeing. "I promise, Twi. For your sake, I promise..."
She only wished she'd returned the favor all this time...for his own sake.

"Dammit...dammit, dammit, dammit!" With a series of angry, choking grunts, the frustrated and heart-broken Unicorn punched her pillow until tear-streaked feathers filled the air, and she finally fell into a fitful sleep, unsure of how she'd even be able to face him and tell him the truth now...

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

Notes: Well folks, for those of you who've been pushing for a Twi-Volare shipping...I think it may officially be over :'(
At the very least, now we know why Twilight has been so emotional and distressed ever since meeting Volare...I just hope this doesn't mean they'll have to separated so Twi can function normally...I really hope not! DX
Volare: Dang, I didn't think you of all folks would get emotional over this.
Author: Shut up, you! Just shut up...it was a rough time for you and...I wasn't there to help either you or Twilight.
Volare: It's not your fault *pat pat* And it turned out alright in the end, right?
Author: Yeah, like that makes me feel any better! Anyways...tune in next time for the Apple Family Dinner...and an extra special guest arrives unexpectedly...somepony NOT named Volare. Oh, also, who the hay was watching Volare and the CMC anyways!? D<
Volare: You know who it was...
Author: Shhh, I'm trying to build suspense!
Volare: And not a word about the science of Pegasus flight...
Author: Meh, that stuff's a breeze for me
Volare: Lucky you...

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