Prologue-Pt 9: Emotional Divergence
August 25th, Ponyville, Early Evening...
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“You know Twilight, I think I would’ve preferred to watch Pinkie Pie trot in place over this,” Rainbow Dash groaned loudly; the large bag of flour she was carrying on her back prevented her from flying, so she trotted after Twilight instead as they made their rounds through the Ponyville market booths. Twilight had already gotten the eggs she needed and was hovering them alongside her in a small wire basket. She had also picked up a number of fruits and vegetables and had them stored in her saddlebags.
“Well, you didn’t have to accompany me, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied a little sharply; something was up with Dash and she was going to get to the bottom of it. “Although I do appreciate the company and help; heya Roseluck!” She nodded to the florist Earth Pony who smiled back warmly before returning to closing up her flower booth for the day.
“Yeah, well, not like I could just stand by and watch ya try to lug this heavy bag around with your little librarian muscles, right?” Dash chuckled but quickly changed her tune when Twilight glanced back with narrowed eyes. “I mean, uh….Holder of Loyalty and all that…gotta stick by my friends, heh-heh.”
“I see…” Twilight said suspiciously as she studied the list, or what was left of it, her horn having torn out a large section of it when she tripped and fell into Volare. Speaking of whom… “Dash, are you sure you wanting to help me carry something heavy was the only reason why you avoided staying behind with Volare?”
“Well no, I mean Applejack and Pinkie Pie can handle him, right…hey wait a second!” Her magenta eyes widened as she realized what she’d just walked into.
“Aha, I knew it! You are avoiding him!” Twilight whirled on her Pegasus friend, nearly splattering an egg in her face. “What exactly do you have against him, Dash? Or is it because you lying to him is already weighing on you?”
“Hey, hey, keep it down, Twilight,” Dash glanced around nervously, but the other ponies were more occupied with buying their own goods than watching a Unicorn and a Pegasus apparently squabbling over a bag of flour and a few eggs.
“Or is something else on your mind about him, Rainbow? Well?” Twilight stood there tapping her front hoof, awaiting an answer to her suspicions.
“Well…that’s kinda why I wanted to go with you in the first place, Twilight,” Dash finally admitted, though it wasn’t the whole truth. “We need to talk about Volare…and also about what we know that the others don’t.”
“Oh really? Why is that, dearest, bravest, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight seemed to be enjoying being right a little too much, but the scientist in her was particularly intrigued by the normally cocky Pegasus being backed into a corner like this. It wasn’t right, but she also owed her back for the egghead comments earlier…
“It’s just that…ok, it’s a few things,” Dash conceded. Twilight nodded in understanding and continued walking as her friend spoke. “Ok, first off…now that more ponies know about what happened to him…what are we gonna do if they start asking more about that “thing” he was chasing that made him crash?”
Twilight continued on for a moment before speaking up. “Well, if you just absolutely can’t bear coming clean with Volare”-
“It’s not that I can’t, Twilight!” Dash practically shouted. “I could do it without a second thought…yeah, I sure could. I just don’t want to because…well, because…”
“Because you’re afraid he’ll hate you for it; just like you said.”
“What?! I’m not afraid!” Dash snapped back defensively.
“Alright, cautious then,” Twilight offered, and the Pegasus’ expression softened slightly. “It’s ok to be unsure of something, Dash.”
“Yeah well…I don’t want him to know I’m 'cautious' about that,” she replied a bit quietly.
“Why don’t you…Dash, are you afraid of him and not just the consequences of telling him the truth?” She gave her friend a concerned look.
“Heck no, Twilight! You think I feel threatened by him or something? I can whip him in any race, anytime, anywhere!” The Pegasus tried to flare her wings, but merely succeeded in nearly dropping the bag of flour on the ground.
“And yet you’re still hesitant to tell him the truth…” the Unicorn mused for a moment. What else is she afraid of... “Dash, are you afraid of him thinking you’re weak or something?”
“NO! I mean…I just don’t want to let him down, that’s all…” Dash trailed off, avoiding Twilight’s eyes.
“Let him down? But you just met him. How could he have any expectations of you?” Now Twilight was confused. Dash wasn’t so much afraid of Volare per se but afraid of what he thought of her? Dash has never cared much about what others think of her…what’s gotten into that Pegasus?
“Because I…he…” Dash looked around and beckoned the Unicorn to come closer. “Can you please keep another secret for me, Twilight?”
“Urgh, another? Dash, I’m gonna have to start charging rent for all the secrets you want me to look after for you,” she sighed. “What is it this time?”
“Ok, you know his flight jacket he was wearing when I brought him here?”
“Yes, the burnt-up one in the Library. What about it?”
Dash’s eyes flicked back and forth again. “Ok…before you even came downstairs when I got back with him, I felt something sewn to the inside of his jacket. I pulled it out…and you know what it was?” She paused for dramatic effect.
“…I’m sure you’re going to tell me, Rainbow.”
“It was a patch…a patch of my cutie mark!” At her statement, Twilight’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I know right? Pretty wild!”
“But…but how could he know about that? He’s not even from our world!”
“I dunno Twilight. Maybe he spotted me during one of my earlier missions for you and got inspired…” she sighed and dipped her head slightly. “The thing is Twilight…if he knew about me and…I dunno, liked me enough to put a patch of my mark inside his jacket…”
“Oho, is that what it is,” Twilight raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You don’t want him to hate you for telling the truth because you think he might like you, right?” Dash’s mouth dropped open at Twilight’s assumption. “Rainbow, I had no idea you thought of him that way”-
“Hey, hey, hey! You can pull that opposite sex psychological crap on him, but you can’t pull it on me, Twilight,” Dash snorted. But now she was concerned inwardly…was she right? No no, she can’t be right! That’s not how I roll; I don’t share the spotlight with anyone! But what if…NO Dash! “That’s not it at all!” Was it?! Think of something to say, RD!
“Then what is it, exactly? Stop beating around the bush, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight had just about had it with running in circles on this issue. “Let’s even forget how he knows about your cutie mark for a minute and focus on why it matters to you!”
“Because…ok fine, I’ll say it,” Dash looked down at the ground. “I figured if he had that patch, I was important to him and I…I thought maybe he’d be a good member of the Rainbow Dash fanclub, I dunno!”
“…you cannot be serious.”
“Yes…I think I am because that’s the reason why I don’t wanna look weak in front of him.”
“You’re worried you won’t live up to his prior expectations. Is that it, Rainbow Dash?” The Pegasus simply nodded without looking up. Wow…that must have taken a lot for her to admit that she’s afraid of something like that…even if it sounds like something she just made up and doesn’t explain why she was crying over him in the Library, or why she said that if he died because of her, she’d never forgive herself…eh, maybe I’m wrong.
“I think I understand now…you don’t want to tell him the truth because you’re afraid he’ll hate you…but at the same time, you don’t want him to think you’re afraid of him hating you in the first place…jeez, talk about a vicious circle.” The Pegasus simply gave an even smaller nod this time. I never knew Dash’s pride was this complex, either…this makes my fear of being sent back to magic kindergarten seem like a walk in the park.
“Yeah, that’s why I don’t even want him to suspect I’m keeping a secret from him. Because if he asks me and I don’t tell him…he’ll think I’m afraid, and I don’t want that reputation, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash’s magenta eyes burned with a sudden fire. “I don’t wanna be thought of as scared…and weak.”
Guess I was right... “Alright Dash. I’ll try to keep suspicion to a minimum. Oh, you said you were also concerned about our other friends knowing about this situation now?”
“Yeah, I don’t want them to get suspicious over what that “thing” was that Volare chased before he crashed,” Dash looked about to make sure nopony was eavesdropping. But no, they were still mostly alone on the street corner, with nopony in particular paying them any mind.
“But what if they ask about it…or even if Volare asks about it again,” the Unicorn ventured. Oh great, I’m caught up in this too…what if he asks me about it?!
“Oh crap, um…oh! Just say that I mentioned seeing something flying away, but I was more concerned with saving Volare from his crashing jet! Yeah, cuz The Holder of Loyalty puts more value on saving lives than random flying objects!” She held her head up high and grinned.
“Random, fast-moving, sky blue objects…yeah,” she sighed. “This isn’t going to work, Rainbow!”
“Wait…did he ever actually even mention the color of the thing,” Dash asked hopefully.
“Um, actually…no. I don’t remember him saying anything at all about its color,” Twilight’s face grew a small but worried smile.
“Maybe he hit his head in the crash,” Dash suggested almost a bit too mirthfully. “And it jumbled his memory up a little?”
Twilight shook her head. This was so wrong! “Well, perhaps there’s some hope for this yet…I can’t believe I’m helping you to deceive this poor guy, Dash! And if anypony ever found about the color of that thing and put two and two together…well, the cat’ll be sure to be out of the bag then!”
Dash swallowed her reply as Applejack arrived with Pinkie Pie; Volare bringing up the rear, a bit winded from chasing the two Earth Ponies across town. He gave her a weak little grin. It gave her a pleasant sort of feeling…almost fluttery and-
What the…No way…no, I’m not about to prove that egghead right. I fly solo and that’s not gonna change just for some random Rainbow Dash fanboy that showed up!
The blue Pegasus’ mouth moved silently as she debated with herself. She turned away from Volare and the others for just another quick moment.
Besides, he’s slow and weak right now! He can’t hold a candle to me! Argh, why do I even care anyways, he’ll never be as good as me!
…but then why were you crying over him when you brought him here? Are you sure you weren’t afraid; afraid that you’d ruined his life for your own selfish little bit of fun? What’s wrong RD, too proud to even admit it to yourself?
I dunno, I guess I just felt sorry for him, that’s all! And why am I even having this argument with myself?!
…if that’s what you want to think, RD…
Yeah…because that’s how it really is…yeah…I’m not scared…I’m not scared of anything…
“Oh heya Dashie!” Pinkie squealed and jumped onto the rainbow Pegasus, breaking her thoughts and startling the daylights out of her!
“ARGH!” Dash shouted and tried to jump, but the extra weight of the pink pony coupled with the heavy flour bag meant she only managed to kick all four legs out sideways and collapse on the ground. The corner of the bag ripped open, spewing flour dust all over Pinkie and Dash and causing Applejack to give a quick stomp and a whoop.
“Whoo-ee, ya’ll sure are a hoot, Dash,” she chuckled as she plucked a grinning Pinkie Pie off of her blue friend.
A grumbling Dash began to climb to her own feet, but was interrupted by a dark blue hoof entering her field of vision. She looked up to see Volare standing there with a grin, offering to help her up. But Dash swatted his hoof away and clamored to her hooves herself, grabbing the flour bag in her teeth and tossing it onto her back before shooting the grin right back at him. “Ha, I don’t need your help to stand up, Volare; whatcha think I am? Some sorta weak little filly?” Volare recoiled slightly with a hurt expression at her sudden exclamation. Eesh…maybe that was a little too mean…nah, he’s a guy; he’ll be ok.
“I mean, er…I got it this time, dude,” she shook her mane and grinned confidentally, not aware that she was spilling flour all over the road until her gaze followed Volare’s pointing hoof. “Ah crap! Twilight, you may wanna patch this bag up here!”
But Twilight had caught the hurt look on Volare’s face; she was just a bit fed up with Dash’s arrogance. “Nah, I think you’ve got it, Dash. After all, non-weak little fillies don’t ever need help from their friends.” But no sooner had Twilight spoken than Volare stepped forward again, grabbing the spilling flour bag corner in his teeth and holding it upright, stopping the mess.
“What’re you,” Dash started to snap at him, but saw the sincere look on his face…and she just couldn’t do it.
Ok fine…I’ll go easy on him this time, sheesh!
…that’s more like it, RD
“Urgh, I guess I should say thanks, flyboy. Not that I couldn’t have handled it on my own…but thanks all the same-it’s appreciated.” She gave him a smile and a wink on the last words once she determined nopony was looking. Volare mumbled something along the lines of “no problem” but she couldn’t quite catch it due to the bag in his mouth.
“Aww, they’re so cute helping each other like that!” Pinkie exclaimed and whipped out a camera from…apparently nowhere.
“No Pinkie, what’re you doing?!” Dash cried as Pinkie fiddled with the flash button. She took a step forward towards her pink friend, dragging Volare behind her as he attempted to keep the bag from spilling.
“Just getting’ some photos of Volare-bear’s first day here to show at his party, Dashie,” the Earth Pony grinned as she held the camera up. “Say cheesecake!”
“Argh, no!” Dash whirled around and threw her wings over her face in embarrassment. Unfortunately, that action tossed the flour bag off of her back and into the air, ripping it out of Volare’s mouth.
“Oh crap!” Dash cried, her eyes following the bag as the camera went off. Caught in the flash of the camera was Volare, diving forward and catching the bag of flour…which promptly split open completely and spewed white powder all over him. Twilight face-hooved as Volare stood up, grinning sheepishly.
“Heh, sorry Twili-ACHOO,” he sneezed the flour out of his nose.
“Gesundheit,” Twilight rolled her eyes and shook the flour dust from her mane before shooting Dash and Volare an annoyed look. “I swear, you two are more alike than you realize…and it quite frankly terrifies me.” She sighed and picked up the flour bag with her magic; it was about a quarter of the way full. “Well, at least it's not a total loss.”
“Oh, don’t worry Twilight; you can get some from Sugarcube Corner if you need any more,” Pinkie smiled.
“That’s where I just was, Pinkie…urgh, and I didn’t bring enough bits with me to get another bag!”
“No problem, silly,” the pink pony patted Twilight on the head. “I work there and I can get ya the hook-up; duh! Come on, let’s go!” She started hopping away again towards the bakery.
“She never runs outta juice, does she?” Volare shook his head in disbelief and chuckled.
“Nope, Ah don’t think it’s possible,” Applejack answered. “Like Ah said before; it ain’t worth tha headache ta try ta make sense o’ her most of the time.”
“Yep, we just roll with it, flyboy. She’s our pal and is always there to cheer us up, not to mention she makes the best baked goods ever!” Dash exclaimed, licking her lips at the thought of all the sweets Pinkie churned out daily.
“How can ya think of food, Rainbow? We just ate! And besides, Ah’m a fair good cook myself, ya know,” the orange Earth Pony hoofed her friend playfully.
“Heh, true. I dunno, I guess I just got a lot of energy to let out!” Dash flared her wings and hopped up and down. It was a great day for flying after all.
“And ya’ll let out that energy by eatin again?”
“Sometimes, yeah! Come on, flyboy,” she turned to Volare and grinned. “You ready to really soar this time?” The pilot opened his mouth to agree, but Twilight cut him off.
“Well, I have a suggestion Rainbow,” the Unicorn smiled a little too sweetly. An idea had been forming in her mind ever since Dash had confessed that she’d been avoiding him…and what kind of friend did that to her other friends? “How about you make up for the loss of that bag of flour by helping Volare clean up the Library, and then you try flying!”
“Awww, seriously Twilight,” the Unicorn returned Dash’s groan with a stern nod.
“Sure am. Besides, with you two working together, you ought to able to clean the Library in…” Twilight shot Dash a smirk; this was really too much fun sometimes. “Ten seconds flat!”
“Argh, you stole my feathering tagline!!” Dash held her hooves over her head and gritted her teeth in frustration as her friends hooted and snickered at the Unicorn’s joke. She’d really been putting it to Dash lately.
Even Volare had a good laugh at her expense before patting the Pegasus on the back. “Come on, Dashie; let’s go get a head start on”-
“Do NOT call me Dashie!” Rainbow lashed out at him angrily, her pride wounded. “Only my best friends call me Dashie and you’re not one of my best friends…you’re just a pain in my flank!” Again, Volare recoiled at the abuses aimed at him.
“Aww, lighten up, sugarcube,” Applejack urged. “We was only funnin’ ya’ll, that’s all. Besides, Volare can’t be the butt of all our jokes, right?”
It was Rainbow’s turn to snigger at Volare’s annoyed expression. “Hmm, I suppose not. Come on flyboy,” she tugged on his wing, making him jump at the sudden touch and whirl on her, a blush growing in his cheeks.
“H-hey, watch it there, Dash!” That was certainly…different!
“Sorry, Volare,” she gave him an innocent smile and motioned towards the Library across town. “Let’s go get this place cleaned up so I can show ya how to really fly! Oh, and Twilight!”
The Unicorn looked up from studying the ripped flour bag at her friend’s call. “Yes, what is it?”
“Come here for a sec,” the Pegasus pulled the Unicorn towards the street and whispered into her ear. “Remember what I said, Twilight,” Dash looked past her friend at Volare laughing at Pinkie Pie who was drawing a goofy face in the flour dust on the road. “Just play it cool. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?” With a self-assured grin, Dash made her way back over to the male Pegasus.
“But what about you…” Twilight muttered quietly, not suspecting that Dash could hear her over the noise of the market place.
What about me? Dash felt the pang of guilt like a cold knife piercing her chest again before shaking the feeling away. It’ll be ok, RD. You’ve always played it cool and it’s always turned out ok; and this time is no different…right?
“Come on, Volare!” Dash bumped him with her hip. “You know the way back to the Library from here?”
“I think I can manage, why?”
“Cuz if ya don’t I’ll be more than willing to show ya the way,” she laughed at his bemused expression. “Just follow my dust!”
And with that, she took off running, leaving Volare gawking for a moment. “Go an’ get her, sugarcube!” Applejack shouted, slapping Volare in the flank with her hat and causing him to leap forward and run after the rainbow mare. “Yeeehaw!”
“Don’t start flying before we get back, Volare!” Twilight warned him, but he hardly heard her; he was too focused on catching Rainbow Dash. She might have been a hell of a lot faster than him in the air…but on the ground…he felt he had a good chance!
His hooves pounded the cobblestones as he rushed after her, following the prism flash of light from her tail as she jinked and janked around other ponies in the street. They gawked at the sight of two pegasi chasing each other, on hoof no less, but neither cared. As the wind rushed over their ears, their adrenaline began pumping. It might not have been a traditional pegasi race, but it was a race nonetheless!
“You gonna catch me yet there, slowpoke,” Volare heard Dash’s laughter trail back to him from a decent ways ahead of him. She was a LOT faster than Twilight, and Volare really had to concentrate on each and every hoofstep to gain ground on her. His breathing became a little ragged the more he pushed himself, but by the time that they rounded the large fountain in the market square, he’d gotten close enough to shout back at her.
“Don’t look now, Dashie! But I think you’ve got company!”
“Don’t call me Dashie!” she looked back and gasped. He had almost caught her!!
“What’s the matter,” he sucked in breath and managed to laugh. “Does having a friend that can beat you in a race get your goat that bad?”
“You haven’t beaten me yet, and you're not my-huh?!” She glanced back again….but he was gone. She then heard the laugh to her left and realized that he’d somehow pulled neck and neck with her! “You gotta be kidding me!!!” she gasped with wide eyes as he actually started to pass her!
“Ha! Not so bad on the ground as you are in the air, huh, Dashie?” Volare’s laughed changed to a pained gasp as he felt teeth in his tail. “What the?! You and Twlight both, I swear!!” he wheezed as Dash pulled him back, slowing him down as he pulled her along like a race car driver drafting her opponent. “Lemme go, dammit!!”
“Heheh, not even for the Wonderbolts, flyboy!” Dash managed to yell through gritted teeth as they neared the Library, startled ponies leaping out of the path of the freight-training pegasi all the while. Dash snapped her head back and knocked Volare off his feet, sending him tumbling to the ground.
“Later dude-whoa!” she too tumbled to the dirt as the male Pegasus tripped her up. “No fair!”
“Two can play at that game, Dashie,” he grinned and regained his hooves before sprinting off again, nearly at the front door of the Library Tree.
“Argh, you’re not gonna beat me!!” Dash shouted and beat her wings fiercely, roaring along the ground at break-neck speed, forelegs outstretched and eyes squeezed shut with the effort.
Just as Volare reached for the door of the tree, Spike opened it with a friendly smile. “First,” the Pegasus gasped but paused as he noticed Spike’s smile fade into a look of horror.
“Whoa, watch out!!” the dragon cried before leaping to the side. Volare had just enough time to turn around and open his mouth in surprise before Rainbow Dash crashed into his chest, propelling both of them into the Library lobby and creating a veritable explosion of literature as they hit the far bookshelf wall. They slumped to the book-strewn floor, completely exhausted.
“Heh heh,” Rainbow Dash gasped and leaned up, looking down at Volare, whom she had pinned under her hooves against the wall. A strange thought crept into her mind as she looked down at the male under her, completely at her mercy. This is just too easy… “I think I won that one, flyboy,” she announced with a rather devious grin.
“Bullshit, I made it to the door first,” Volare growled before opening his eyes and realizing the compromising position Dash had him in. His silver-blue eyes went wide and he hitched in a sharp breath, unable to stop the heat from creeping across his face. “Um, erm…Dashie…?”
“Yeah, flyboy?” Dash leaned down and gave him a sweet smile, her own magenta eyes half-closed. “Somethin’ on your mind?”
“Um, I…H-hey, you didn’t get mad at me for calling you Dashie,” he realized even as his mind clouded a bit from her deep breaths on his face. Or maybe it was the lack of oxygen from their race…damn he was out of shape!
“Hrm…guess that makes you my friend, then huh?” She leaned in closer, her breath brushing Volare’s eyelashes and making his heart pound even harder than during their race. “And you know what friends do for each other, Volare?”
“W-what’s that, Dashie?” He replied nervously.
“They admit when they’ve lost…and I think you lost, Volare.” She ran a hoof up to the side of his face. “Tell me Volare…did you lose to me?”
“I…I…I,” Volare’s mind just wasn’t functioning now. What in the world had gotten into her?! This was…this felt wrong…it was too soon! But…but…
“It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone that’d give me a challenge like that, Volare,” she practically whispered. “You think you could gimme a challenge again?”
“Y-yes…” The touch of her hoof running along his face felt electric! His mind had all but given up fighting it now.
“But first…” she leaned in, her lips practically brushing his ear. “Just admit you lost…just this one little time…”
“Yes…yes, ok, alright…I lost,” he managed to say weakly before the rainbow-maned Pegasus leaned back up over him…put her hooves on his chest…and then her lustful expression disappeared as she proceeded to laugh her head off.
“Bwahahahahaha! You shoulda seen the look on your face, Volare!!” Rainbow rolled off of him and onto a pile of books, holding her sides as she roared in hilarity. “I can’t believe you fell for that!!”
“But I…but you…what?” Volare’s mind was still spinning as he tried to make sense of the situation. He looked over to his left to see Spike sniggering in laughter as well. “Spike...can you please explain what just happened?”
“Well-haha-I guess that…heeheehee-Rainbow got the better of ya this time…in more ways than one-HAHAHA!”
The small dragon leaned on the bookshelf and looked around the half-destroyed room before somehow laughing even harder, even to the point of hiccupping fire.
“And ya wanna know what else? You promised to clean this whole place for me…and now look at it!! Good luck, bro-hahaha!” He wiped a tear from his eye and plopped down on the over-turned couch, still sniggering at the shocked and confused blue and yellow Pegasus slumped against the wall.
“Y-You guys are all crazy,” Volare managed to exclaim before being drowned out by a fresh bout of laughter from Dash as she helped him to his shaky hooves. “That was an evil little trick, Rainbow Dash.”
“Oh come on; it was just a harmless prank dude.” She flicked her mane out of her eyes and hoofed him in the shoulder. “Feel free to get me right back…if ya can, that is,” she grinned at his face that read like a racer who’d been robbed at the finish line…which he most certainly had been!
“Jeez, we sure wrecked the place, didn’t we,” she said with a low whistle as she glanced about the room. “And I’ll bet Twilight’s gonna want them all put back in order too…”
“Knowing her, you’re probably right, Dash,” Volare agreed, with a shake of his head and a snort, trying to focus on the task at hand. “Well, this’ll still probably be better than shopping for baked goods.”
“Heh, you got that right, flyboy,” Dash laughed as she picked up a book and made a face. “The Chemistry of Geology? What the hay-who’d read something like this,” she tossed the book down and sighed. “Well, it may not be ‘ten seconds flat’ fast, but it’ll definitely be quicker as a team.” She turned to Volare and gave him a nod. “Ok, you toss the books up to me and I’ll put them in the shelves. Just try to go in order as much as you can.”
“Right,” he nodded and grabbed the nearest Astronomy book he could get his hooves on and tossed it to Dash who stuck it on the top shelf. “And the sooner we get this done…”
“The sooner I can kick your flank in the air, too!” Dash giggled and dodged a book that Volare tossed up to her with a bit more force than necessary. “Chill dude, I’ll go easy on ya; promise!”
But despite the rather monumental task at hand, Volare had to fight his mind from going back over the details of what just happened at the base of the bookshelves. Her actions had nearly sent his emotions into a tailspin. He was torn: he was still too human, and it was still too soon and there were too many things to worry about to even be thinking about something like that…especially with her, his inspiration, his coach…his friend?
What’s this crazy mare’s game anyways?!
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As Applejack and Twilight followed Pinkie towards Sugarcube Corner, the orange mare finally decided it was time to speak her mind about what had just happened. “Twi, Ah’ve got somethin’ that’s been buggin me, an’ it involves Volare.”
“Doesn’t everything nowadays,” Twilight gave a small groan. “I-I’m sorry, go on ahead AJ.”
“’S’all right, Twi. Now then…whatcha think’s got Rainbow Dash all in a tizzy, eh?” The country mare peeked up from under her Stetson at her purple friend.
“Um, whatever do you mean, Applejack,” Twilight replied, a hint of nerves in her voice which Applejack of course picked up on.
“Don’t try ta pretend ya don’t know notice it, Twi; Dash has become…Ah dunno, even edgier than usual ever since Volare showed up,” she trotted along in silence for a moment to allow Twilight to offer her own perspective on it.
“Yes…I’ve noticed that too,” Twilight said very carefully. This was what she had been the most worried about; if there was one pony that could figure out that she was involved in clandestine activities, even in something as minor as this, it would be Applejack. “I can’t really figure it out myself, though I haven’t had much of a chance to think on it either…urgh, this has all happened too fast!”
“Ah hear ya there, sugarcube,” she nudged her friend comfortingly. “Ah just know it’s gotta have somethin’ ta do with that Volare feller. Heck, even Lyra was actin weirder than usual around him.”
“You don’t say,” Twilight’s ears perked up and she gave her orange friend a look. “What in Equestria do you think could make Lyra of all ponies act even stranger? What was she doing, exactly?”
“Well, ya saw some of it back there at the café, Twi,” Applejack gave a small nod towards The Gilded Griffon off to their right. “Well speak of the devil.” There was Lyra herself standing outside the cafe and eyeballing the front of the building. She was miming a framework with her hooves, as if trying to figure out the best place to hang something. She turned in time to see Applejack and Twilight passing by and waved with a grin before turning back to her duties.
“She seems fairly normal now, Applejack,” Twilight observed.
“Yeah…but there’s a lot less blue an’ yeller around at tha moment as well,” Applejack said wryly.
“True…” the Unicorn nodded thoughtfully before continuing on in silence.
“Bit for yer thoughts, Twi,” Applejack commented, giving her the friendly smile she’d practically become famous for. “Ah’ve also noticed you’ve been a might bit…off as well since Volare showed up outta tha blue.”
Had she figured it out!? Twilight forced a straight face and looked back at her with a tilt of her head. “H-how so?”
“Heh-heh, it’s not anything bad, Twi. What Ah’ve noticed is actually mighty becomin’ of ya.”
“…and that is?”
“Ah’ve noticed ya’ll have become a lot more assertive since Volare showed up. Ah mean, ya’ll have been crackin’ jokes, especially on Rainbow Dash, and it’s mighty funny to see the tables turned like that,” she chuckled. “But…Ah’ve also noticed ya’ll have become kinda moody too, almost more so than Dash. Is something about this Volare character botherin’ ya? Ah mean, from what Ah can gather, he seems like a mighty decent feller, just really lost ‘n uptight cuz of it.”
“Yeah, he sure is…poor guy…yeah, I guess I’ve just been a little more on edge than usual because...urgh, I’m going to sound so selfish if I tell you, AJ!”
“Oh what’s the worst it could be, sugarcube?”
You have no idea… “The reason why I’ve been a little stressed myself lately is because I want to ask Volare a lot of questions about the human world, Earth. I guess I just got excited about the prospect of being able to have a first-hand account in him and…I suppose I got a little fixated on him. And when Dash came back into the picture and said she was going to teach him how to fly, instead of me being able to do my research…”
“Ya got a little jealous, eh?” Applejack gave her a knowing smile. “Haha, it’s fine, Twi. Heck, I dunno what’s going on with Lyra, it might be the same thing…but even Ah’ve felt a little different since meetin’ him.”
“You have? How?”
“Hard to describe. Ah don’t think I’ve shown it too much, but Ah’ve felt this certain feelin’ inside Ah ain’t ever felt before…and it’s only when he’s around, cuz I don’t really feel it now.”
“Urgh, maybe Spike was right,” Twilight hung her head.
“What about?”
Twilight then went on to explain about the Anatomy book and Spike’s off-claw comments about the hormones possibly making her think differently.
“Ah see…hrm, Ah suppose that kinda makes sense though.” Twilight gave Applejack a curious look. “Ah mean, we ain’t ever really had a stallion our age around an’ in our lil group of friends like this…I dunno, maybe it’s all a crazy coincidence. Heck, Pinkie don't seem no different than usual, right?”
“…or maybe it’s a misplaced motherly instinct of some sort kicking in,” Twilight suddenly said, this time leaving Applejack with the bemused look. “Think about it: his body is so new to him that he couldn’t even walk without my help. Maybe we’re so interested in him because we want help him get used to this world…”
“Either that or he’s like a new toy being fought over by multiple fillies,” Applejack laughed for a moment. “Could be anything, Twilight. Ah say we just try not to give him too hard a time and keep in mind that he might have an adult body an’ mentality, but he might as well be a little foal with certain stuff ‘round here.”
“Indeed…hey, how exactly did you say that Lyra was acting differently,” Twilight remembered.
“Heh, you saw it; she said he was handsome an' all that…and then she took him back into the café for a good 15 minutes nearly…and when he came back out, he was actin’ like he was halfway between hidin’ somethin’ but wantin’ to talk about it at the same time.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “You don’t think Lyra…”
“Ah thought as much at first…but Volare convinced me otherwise. Ah really think anything of that nature is out of his focus for now, which is probably a good thing,” the Earth Pony nodded. “He don’t need none o’ that muddlin’ his mind while he gets accustomed ta livin’ here.”
“Hey dilly and dally; are you two gonna come inside or what? Mr. and Mrs. Cake are waiting,” Pinkie Pie popped her head out the door of the bakery, startling Twilight and Applejack somewhat; they hadn’t even realized that their little debate had carried them all the way there. “And I can’t exactly get ya the hookup if they’re grouchy!”
“Heh, maybe we oughta talk about this more with Volare rather than make assumptions about him, eh Twi?”
“Yeah, sounds like a good idea. Coming, Pinkie!” She trotted inside after her pink friend, smiling brightly at the thin, yellow Mr. Cake and the plump, turquoise Mrs. Cake.
“Why hello again there, Twilight; back so soon?” Mr. Cake asked.
“Yes well, I ran into a couple of blue problems on the way and…yeah,” she held the ripped flour bag up.
“Oh you poor dear,” Mrs. Cake cried as she reached under the counter and produced another bag. “Here ya go; it’s on the house,” she smiled and exchanged a wink with Pinkie.
“Really? Oh thank you, Mrs. Cake!”
"Um, erm..." Applejack mumbled as she gazed through the glass counter at a cheesecake as large and orange as herself.
"Something the matter, Applejack," Mr. Cake asked intuitively.
"Well, er..." the Earth Pony rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Ah'm a might fine cook mahself, but Ah've just never been able ta get the hang of making cheesecake an', well..."
"Would you like a slice?" Mr. Cake was already grabbing the cake knife from behind the counter.
"Heh, I suppose ya caught me there, sir."
"It's no problem, Applejack," he placed the slice in a box and sat it on the counter. "That'll be three bits; special deal for Pinkie's pal."
"Gosh, thankee kindly, sir!" She grinned and tossed the money on the counter before turning back to Twilight. "Alright, now Ah'm ready!"
Twilight trotted out with the bag and her two friends, keeping a careful magical grip on the bag herself this time. But now a more pressing matter was starting to push its way into her brain. She’d just sent Dash and Volare off to the Library. Two competitive pegasi, male and female…alone there save for Spike.
She really hoped Applejack was right about Volare…
-----------------------------
Notes: And thus passed the most drama-filled grocery trip ever XD;
For those that still think I'm shipping Dash and Volare...heh...stay tuned for more laughs!
I couldn't think of any other place in the story to get these details out there, so sorry for the loads of dialogue and inner conflict argument stuff ^^;;
This will be the last dialogue heavy chapter for a while, so thanks for bearing with me, folks!
Join us next chapter, when Volare resumes crashing...er flying!
Volare: D<
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RD has gone too far with the teasing.....also i think the Romance Tag is probobly needed?At least i hope so....(Im a snob for Romance)
416782 Heh, but RD doesn't realize what Twilight and AJ do...how harmful it could be
And no Romance tag, because Volare is rather freaked out by it and RD is just messing with him, ergo, not Romance
Just her being a sneaky turd and winning at all costs
Wonder how Volare'll get her back for that little trick?
416800Awww.....Im always a sap for romance.....Maybe it can turn into that later?!OH PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE
Add it anyway if you keep teasing like that.
416819
416861 Oh believe me, once Twilight finds out that Dash already messed with him like that...
416868 yes the jelousy of twi of dash already making a move like that
I kind of like Twilight as a troll.
416879 not exactly. She's more concerned about him getting the wrong idea
416899 she was taught by the Troll Princess herself.
Shhhuuuurrree>>417096
I like the Lesson Zero reference that Applejack mentioned.
I actually prefer dialogue-heavy chapters as long as they are extensive.
“Heh, maybe we outta talk about this more with Volare rather than make assumptions about him, eh Twi?”
“Heh, maybe we outta talk about this..."
"outta"
I do believe it's "oughta".
And let's see what happens when Volare 'gets Dashie back'. She'll be all: "Whoa, fly-boy! What are you trying to do, here!?"
And she'll get all freaked out and then he'll be all,
memes.at/animations/fine%20troll%20dancing.gif
417102 You'll see!~
417181 Good eye
417452 Aha, thanks
I'll just go edit that
Like I said, the next few chapters are certainly more....actiony ^^
LOL, just wait till ya see what happens
417466
You're welcome!
417452 this needs to happen, 417466
418904 Heh, he might even make the Princess proud
416800 Hindsight is a bitch aint it
But I'm going to have to wait till tomorrow to keep reading to see it
Dash is kind of a bi$% in this chapter. The sad thing is i can kind of see that happening. If I were volare, I would actually be kind of pissed at her and freaked out by everypony ,but lyra at this point.
I guess I just got excited about the prospect of being able to have a first-hand account.
This should be first_
hoof
im what17k words in?
no matter ill just keep readen till ican read no longer this better not be incorrectly rated and end up with a rd dp with spikeand volley(yesispelled that wrong on purpose) if that were to happen u would be a dead man/women good thing its not right? right?
419072The Princess is not a troll! I believe that given the whole, 'everyone treats her like a goddess, and everything must be perfect for her." Deal and everyone CONSTANTLY fussing about you and everything being perfect, life would get boring, so she plays tiny pranks here and there to lighten the mood. True it's usually at the expense of her subjects, but that's only because they are so blindly obedient and that they constantly try to please her, they are the PERFECT targets. So just because she's ruler of all the land, she can't play a teeny prank now and then without being considered a troll? She doesn't even do anything terribly important, mainly making her subjects embarrassed that they got fooled.
Man, so she can't have fun or else she's given an unfair label? Wow, I'd KILL myself if I couldn't joke around a bit every once in a while. If I couldn't laugh I might have had the balls to actually kill myself those half dozen attempts.
why do i get the feeling that we'll get to chapter 12 and all of a suddon it'l be volare X fluttershy?
bam! right in the shipping!
I was going to yell about something, oh yeah Volare doesn´t rhyme with polar. It sounds like Volar-eh, sort of. AND IT´S ITALIAN!
Hope he doesn't just shrug it of as nothing when he finds out about the secret if he does I don't even want to read the story.
Volare: D<
Where did Volare's eyes go?!
3003386 I always pronounced it Vol-air
3003386 isn't it latin? modern humans don't know how to pronounce latin.
All dat drama....while getting a bag of flour XD
I think that Dash and Volare should hook up...My opinion...I won't know until I keep reading. I favorited this story a long while back, but never had the chance to really read it. Now that I am...I definitely believe that it deserves the favorite and if I haven't already the follow that you are/have gotten. I guess life just really gets in the way of reading a story that is almost 800K words and not complete yet.
Can't wait to get deeper into this story and I really have to say that you have made it into my top 5 favorite MLP writers!
Also, I am a sucker for writers that include "intimate" scenes between lovers. Can't have a good romance without the juicy details. Hehe.
While the story is good, and judging by the length and popularity it does get better, I would not put it upon the pedestal that Your Human and You, Cyberfire, Griffin the Griffin and Echo have climbed upon.
3003386 it's Latin and pronounced vol-air.
Why would we ever suspect that? I mean, the way you keep on trotting out (heh, see what I did there?) the entire "keeping Dashies involvment in his crash secret" thing, I doubt you will keep it secret till, say, Dash admits to him from guilt when they're dating, for some added tension between our Blues duo.
Dash is kind of shitty.
Hmm... a ponified version of the Blues Bros. Think they're on a mission from God?