//------------------------------// // Inseptium Nova-Pt 10: Acceptance // Story: Blue Angel // by V-Pony //------------------------------// September 13th, Ponyville, Late Afternoon… Volare felt rather worn out, and not just mentally. The remainder of the day had consisted of picking up the rest of the CMC from school, and their reactions to their newest member’s wings being fully functional had been an absolutely priceless combination of wide eyes, huge grins, and excited exclamations that drew the confused attention of everypony in the school yard. There had been much poking and prodding with small hooves as they bombarded him with questions on how he was back to normal, how his injuries were gone, and how his burn marks had even seemed to be considerably lighter. Between Scootaloo and the pilot, though, they’d managed to recount the recent events that had led up to how they’d come to be standing there in the schoolyard. The younger ponies had immediately hustled Volare on over to their clubhouse near Sweet Apple Acres, where they’d attempted to lay out a plan of action revolving around the possible crusades they could undertake now that one of their members could fly. But as much as it pained him to do so, Volare had to put a damper on their enthusiastic scheming, explaining as he’d done to Scootaloo that until he was secure enough to fly flawlessly on his own, he couldn’t risk their own safety by taking them up in the air. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had turned to Scootaloo in disbelief, but the young Pegasus could only shrug her hooves helplessly and nod her head, confirming that was the truth. Although that had squashed a lot of their excitement, the Earth Pony and Unicorn fillies soon huddled up with Scootaloo and before long, they’d announced that until Volare could fly well enough to take them up too, they’d be doing whatever it took to get him to that point. Volare chuckled at the thought of having his own personal ground crew and warned them that it would be tough, and that he didn’t want this to take away from them continuing their crusades. “Oh, don’t worry Volare,” Sweetie had squeaked with a grin. “We can still do plenty of stuff on the ground, and probably better since you’re stronger than all three of us combined.” “But only just barely,” Applebloom had chuckled and hoofed Volare roughly. The Pegasus winced and returned the grin; that kid was tough…she definitely takes after AJ! “Yeah, before ya know it, you guys are gonna be the ones tossing me around,” he laughed heartily, and they’d spent the rest of the hour proposing new ideas that they hadn’t tried before, though the majority of them quite frankly made Volare’s eye twitch in a decidedly non-enthusiastic fashion; I sense pain in the near future…pain and embarrassment…and tree sap, according to Scoots. It wasn’t until they heard Applejack calling across the orchard for Applebloom to come home that they realized how late in the day it had gotten, and Volare quickly dropped off the farm filly with her older sister, who’d inquired as to the situation with Trixie, admitting she was honestly fairly shocked that the proud Unicorn had accepted the idea. “Trust me, AJ…she’s more like me than you think,” he’d said rather cryptically. “How so, sugarcube?” the farm mare tipped her hat back curiously and peered slightly upwards at him. “Well, remember how I’d gotten hurt because I didn’t respect the dangers of this world enough?” “Yeah, Ah remember,” AJ cringed slightly. “Well, I think the problem was I was too cocky and…I guess I just hadn’t been knocked on my butt in so long I kinda fancied myself a little invincible,” he admitted with a disappointed snort. “Heh, well ya’ll had the credentials ta back it up, at least,” Applejack hoofed him lightly, but Volare shook his head. “Yes, but so did Trixie. Outside of Twilight, she might be the most powerful Unicorn around these parts, so it would only be natural for her to be cocky as well,” Volare frowned. “That, coupled with her anger against Twilight because she thought she’d publicly humiliated her on purpose, led her to becoming overconfident and self-righteous; and that was only compounded by Ray and Jill encouraging her behavior,” he practically spat as he spoke their names; he really hated those two! “Hmm, Ah can see where that’d lead to a bit of an over-inflated ego,” Applejack nodded. “An’ this is Trixie we’re talkin’ about here; she already had an ego bigger than Rainbow Dash’s!” she chuckled. “AJ!” Volare returned her chuckle before turning serious again. “In any case, I think all those things combined with her being isolated for so long led to her acting the way she did…those drugs those two slipped her were just the breaking point, I guess,” he sighed and frowned. “In short, she finally got knocked on her flank big time, and when I explained that her current dream of learning human magic to get stronger was a lost cause…and when I told her that I’d lost my dreams too…I think when somepony finally empathized with her, it finally broke whatever wall she’d built around herself, AJ.” The Pegasus looked at his friend solemnly. “I think that the one thing she’s been missing for all this time, the thing that caused her to build up that protecting wall of pride in the first place to compensate, was an honest friend.” “Wow,” Applejack nodded in understanding. “An here Ah am, tha Element of Honesty, an’ Ah couldn’t see it right in front of mah face,” she shook her head and smiled at Volare. “Ah gotta say, sugarcube: that was a mighty good lesson ya’ll taught her there, an Ah tip mah hat to ya,” she did so with a grin which he returned before she turned to head back the farmhouse. “AJ, can I ask you a favor?” Volare said, causing her to pause and glance back. “I know you really don’t like her for what she did, but…can you please give Trixie a chance? I mean, would you mind letting bygones be bygones and be one of those honest friends for her?” At his request, Applejack heaved a huge sigh, muttered a quick prayer to Celestia under her breath, and turned to fully regard the pilot. “Volare, what Ah’m gonna say now, don’t ya’ll take it lightly cuz this ain’t easy fer me,” she paused and weighed the words in her head before giving him a small smile. “But ya’ll did ask nicely, so Ah guess Ah’ll do mah best.” Volare gave her a huge grin of thanks before striding forward and giving her the largest hug he could muster, and he almost didn’t mind when the competitive farm pony returned it with one of her own patented bear hugs that probably loosened a rib bone or two of his. Coughing lightly and hiding his discomfort with a smile, he waved goodbye to his friend and set off for town, noting that he’d have to stop taking Applejack’s strength for granted, and soon! Volare, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo reached Ponyville fairly quickly, and made their way towards Carousel Boutique to drop off the Unicorn filly for the night. The first question out of Rarity’s mouth when she answered the door was if he was enjoying his new mane-cut, to which he replied that he was more than satisfied with it. “Oh, good! I mean, I did what I could with what I had, so I was hoping you didn’t think the style was too garish,” Rarity explained. “I just felt that simply lopping everything off would make you look a little too ‘high and tight’, but smoothing everything over would make you appear a little too…” she trailed off, searching for the politest way to word her feelings. “Let’s just say ‘not me’ and leave it at that,” Volare chuckled and ran a hoof through his mane. “In all actuality, this isn’t too much different from the style I had back on Earth, albeit quite a bit longer, so I gotta thank you for your excellent foresight, Rarity.” “Oh my, Volare,” the fashionista blushed lightly while fanning herself in a dramatic fashion that made both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle fight off the urge to gag. “Brave, valiant, ‘in the money,’, and polite,” she gave him a sly wink. “You’re going to be quite the catch for a lucky mare someday.” “Uh-well-I-“ Volare nearly stumbled backwards at her statement, and it felt like his flushing face had suddenly been thrust into a furnace. He laughed a bit too loudly and kicked at the cobblestones. “Well, I dunno Rare…one of these days I guess, eh-hahaha!” Rarity took note of his awkward tone and backed off, smiling sweetly and wishing him a pleasant evening before heading inside with her little sister, immediately and rather loudly retorting against Sweetie Belle’s mumbled statement that she was most certainly not doing anything in a tree with Volare, kissing or otherwise; that would be totally unladylike and improper, and besides, climbing up a tree would soil her coat and probably ruin her mane! The Pegasus groaned in mortification before feeling Scootaloo’s comforting pat on his foreleg. “C’mon bro, it’s getting late,” the filly urged and hopped onto his back, settling herself down for the short ride over to Sugarcube Corner. On the way there, she voiced her support for Volare, off-hoofedly stating after a small yawn that if it helped any, she hated that mushy stuff too, but Volare only chuckled softly and shook his head at her adorable naivety. “Ok Scoots, you behave yourself for Pinkie, you hear?” Volare smiled and gave his sister a big, long hug once they arrived at the bakery before she leaned back and giggled. “Sure thing, bro,” she beamed and Volare looked over at Pinkie, who was regarding the two siblings with a smile of adoration, so glad that she could make these two as happy as they were. “I think I can handle her, Volare-bear,” the party mare assured him. “You two gonna have breakfast here again before taking another run tomorrow?” “Oh, yeah, if that’s ok with you, Pink-wait a sec,” Volare fixed her with a curious look. “How’d you know about that?” But Pinkie simply replied with a huge wink and a slightly cheekier grin. "Blueberry pancakes and orange juice sound good?” she asked innocently as if she'd never heard his question. The Pegasus laughed out loud, thoroughly confusing Scootaloo before replying that yes, that sounded excellent. “Cool! Don't forget: I still owe ya a party, too. See ya, Volare-bear! Oh, and you can keep the saddlebag!” Pinkie waved a hoof and beckoned his sister inside before Volare turned towards the western side of Ponyville. Pinkie had said she couldn't imagine why Ray and Jill were so scared of her that they broke down the back door of The Griffon to escape her the other night...oh well, if Scoots is staying here until further notice, that outta deter those two from bothering her, at the very least. With another short laugh, reminding himself he didn’t need a headache right now-thanks, AJ-he trotted off into the early evening, noting how quiet Ponyville became beneath the beauty of Luna’s rising moon. The clip-clop of his hooves on the cobblestone streets reflecting off the buildings seemed to almost rudely interrupt the peaceful stillness of the town, their rhythm echoed by those of the patrolling Town Guard brought to him by a light breeze whispering along the streets out of the south. On the way across town, he again passed by the shell of the Gilded Griffon, giving the building a quick nod as if to say ‘I’m gonna keep my promise to you too,’ before continuing on his way. The serenity granted by the moonlit environment allowed the solitary Pegasus to reflect on the events of the last 24 hours as he went along, still in near-disbelief at how at this time yesterday, he’d been confined to a wheelchair. He flexed his wings and smiled, glancing up at the occasional flicker of fireflies that flitted across his path, offering a bright flash of light that betrayed their positions in the dusk-filled streets before disappearing just as quickly again. How quickly things can change, he thought, and this led him to further reflect on the previous three weeks. To think that he’d gone from being a jet pilot, to becoming a Pegasus, to losing his wings and gaining support he could have only dreamed of on Earth…coming within an inch of his life twice to save that of an innocent…and now it had come full circle again...he was back where he’d began. He paused and regarded his reflection in a rainbarrel outside Roseluck’s flowershop. “But I’m not the same,” he muttered out loud. Neither in appearance or mentality. No longer was he the frightened newcomer in this world. No, his trials and experiences had gained him self-confidence he’d only ever felt back on Earth when he was at the controls of a jet; a confidence that would practically fade back into the shadows once he exited the solitude of the cockpit. But here…here he didn’t feel strange walking tall. He didn’t feel like someone would point out his flaws the first chance they got, tell him to wipe that dumb smile off his face, and be normal like everyone else. In fact, except for one or two occasions where he had only his own foolish behavior to blame anyway, he hadn’t felt that aggressive vibe at all from anypony. To say it was a breath of fresh air was as gross an understatement as saying that Luna’s Moon merely outshone the fireflies that wove their golden paths through the cool air around him as he nodded at his reflection and resumed trotting towards The Library. He had more friends and support than he could remember having at once back on Earth. True, he had a long way to go in regards to getting established here, but the very desire to be established here in this world made him take pause yet again as he finally put a name to the feeling that had been growing in the back of his mind ever since he’d started trotting back from Sugarcube Corner; a feeling that scared him at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he accepted it with hardly a second thought. "It’s something all beings desire in life…acceptance,” he recalled Twilight saying, and it brought a sudden smile of realization to his face. For the first real time since he’d arrived, it all just seemed…natural. It felt like… “Home,” Volare declared to himself as he reached the doorstep of the Library Tree. He sighed slightly at that statement, waiting for the pangs of regret for such a foolish statement to hit him…but to his surprise, none came. Then again, was he really that surprised? He stood there for a moment longer, suddenly searching-almost hoping-for an excuse to come to his mind; yearning for a powerful reason to return home and go back to the daily grind on Earth to hit him like a hammer of “wake the hell up” and knock all these silly thoughts out of his head. Instead, the only thing that hit him was the door of the Library swinging open and clipping the very tip of his nose, jarring him out of his inner musings and causing him to jump back reflexively and look up at whoever the heck had the nerve to- “Oh Volare, I’m so sorry!” the lavender Unicorn framed in the doorway held a hoof to her mouth and regarded him with concern. “Are you ok? I didn’t mean to hit you with the door, I swear! I just heard somepony muttering to themselves out here and I just thought I’d-wait, why’re you smiling like that?” Twilight tilted her head slightly before the Pegasus trotted forward and pulled her into a gentle hug that totally threw her for a loop. As he released her, she looked up at him curiously before he spoke. “Just glad to be home, that’s all, Twi,” he replied before turning and glancing back out the door, smiling at the fireflies flashing in the dark. “Just glad to be home. You enjoy your day off?” he asked as he closed the door with a hoof before setting his saddlebag down and turning back to regard the wide-eyed Unicorn. “Uh, Twi? What’s wrong?” He suddenly recalled her admission to him in the hospital and how this had been the first time since then that he’d been forward physically with her, and he then suddenly wondered if he’d just stepped over the line they’d agreed not to cross. Uh-oh.. “Volare…” Twilight craned her head slightly backwards and took a quick step towards him, her face at the perfect angle to-Major uh-oh! “You look…different. Did you get your mane cut?” Her sudden statement assuaged his worries so suddenly that he couldn’t resist giving a short bark of laughter that caused her to recoil in surprise. “Was it something I said?” “No, no-I mean yes, it was, just…nevermind, Twi,” he chuckled and gave her a quick bump of his hip as he trotted past, not noticing her still-curious gaze lingering upon him before she shook her head and regained her senses. She found her hooves and followed after him, shooting a quick glance at the very interesting book sitting on an end table that Spike had been reading earlier as Volare headed into the kitchen and waved a hoof at said dragon, who was busying himself over the stove cooking something that smelled absolutely delicious! “Heya Spike, what’s on the menu?” “Huh, oh, mushroom soup and-whoa!” The dragon declared as he turned and stared at Volare. “You too, huh?” the Pegasus chuckled as Spike crossed his claws and gave him an approving smile. “Nice mane, dude,” he declared and scratched his chin with a claw. “Looks more…you.” “Yeah, Rarity said the same.” “Oh, Rarity did that, eh?” he asked with a toothy grin. “Mhm, she did a damn good job, I think,” Volare tossed his head and gave a short laugh. "Well, duh, it's Rarity," Spike said matter-of-factly. "That's exactly why it looks good!" Anything to kiss Rarity's flank, even if its through my mane, Volare rolled his eyes before creeping towards the stove. “Mmm, that smells good. Is it about-*thwack*-ow, what the heck, Spike?” He recoiled a step, rubbing his nose and cocking an eyebrow at the spoon the dragon was warding him off with. “It’s not done yet, dude! Go take a seat in there or something and I’ll bring it out soon-sheesh, guy’s a walking stomach, I swear,” Spike muttered to himself as he turned back to the pot bubbling on the cooktop. Rolling his eyes again at the dragon’s rather hypocritical statement, Volare obediently trotted back into the main lobby and flopped down on the couch-his couch-to await dinner. It was then that he realized that Twilight was still regarding him with a rather curious expression. “What’s up, Twi? Did Spike leave something on my face?” he gave his nose an experimental rub, but his hoof came away clean. “No, it’s not that at all,” the Librarian shook her head and approached him, taking a seat next to and curling her forelegs up under herself before turning her head to look at the Pegasus. “It’s just that…well, more than your new mane-cut, which looks great by the way,” her cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she dipped her gaze away for a moment. “But you just…seem different. I dunno how to put my hoof on it, though. It’s like you’re more…” “Confident and accepting of my situation?” Volare chuckled lightly at her amused reaction. “Well, I think you hit the nail right on the head, Volare,” she nodded in agreement, a little weirded out by just how accurate his statement had been, almost as if he’d come to that conclusion himself earlier…wait a sec…if that means what I think it means...then THAT means we can take the next step in getting him back to normal...cuz without acceptance, we're stuck. But with it and that book, there's hope. I wonder... “Volare, what all happened today?” “Soup’s on!” Spike called out before emerging from the kitchen, carrying the steaming pot in his claws and setting it down on the low table in front of the two ponies, the Pegasus staring at the dragon’s unburned claws in shock. “They’re fireproof, dude,” Spike grinned and flexed them in pride. “Just like the rest of me. But enough about me, let’s talk about you!” He doled out the soup into bowls and sat them down before grinning at his meal, digging into it with gusto while his friends had to wait for their to cool off; apparently his mouth was fireproof too…wait, duh, he breathes fire, Volare mentally facehoofed. “You were about to talk about what happened today?” Spike asked between spoonfuls of the soup. “Yeah, a whole load of crazy stuff,” Volare chuckled, and over the course of the meal, he recalled the day’s events up to the point of when he left Sugarcube Corner and had that little revelation, but he with-held that as well as the biggest pieces of news till the end, for half of the latter hadn't quite occurred just yet. He needed a certain Librarian's permission for the plan to work, and as delicate as the subject had been with Applejack, he could only imagine just touchy it might be with Twilight Sparkle...and there was still the question of how the heck he was able to power that sound equipment earlier too. "Wow, sounds like it was quite the day indeed," the Unicorn affirmed and stacked her soup bowl with the rest of the dishes in the large pot, which Spike then proceeded to take into the kitchen to wash later before returning to sit on the arm of the sofa. The Unicorn nodded at the somewhat unsettling ring of black feathers and fur at the base of his wing. "Did you ask Luna about that?" "Huh, yeah, but she had no idea what it could mean," he shrugged. "She said she'd ask Celestia about it, though." "Oh, well then...guess as long as it doesn't mean your wing is gonna fall off again," Twilight chuckled, though the Pegasus shuddered slightly at the rather morbid thought. "Yeah, haha, very funny, Twi," he stuck his tongue out at her before she laughed and changed the subject. "You know, I had no idea you could work a business deal like that, Volare," the Librarian observed, rather impressed by how he handled himself. "Heh, nah, just lucky, I suppose," he scratched his head modestly. "I guess it's like Rarity said: the way you present yourself is important; I guess I just said the right things to Fancypants to get his attention, and it just rolled from there." Yeah, totally not cuz I've seen how the guy acts on a television show, cuz that'd be crazy, eh-heh-heh... "Well, that and you'd met him before," Twilight added with a smile. "That's gotta count for something." "Yeah, I guess that's true too," Volare conceded before taking a deep breath. Now or never. "Hey Twi, there's something else I gotta tell ya, and I don't know how you're gonna react, cuz I might have gone just slightly over your head," his hesitant-sounding statement drew a raised eyebrow from the Unicorn, who nodded at him to continue. "Ok, you know how I told you I'll be helping to rebuild the Griffon?" "Yeah, you already got the supplies and now you just need a crew to put it all together, right?" Twilight preempted him. "Right...only problem is according to Fancypants, I don't have enough money left after buying the supplies to hire a decent construction crew nor the equipment needed to set up pillars and raise up the new roof," he explained, pausing to decide how to word his next statement. "So, Scootaloo and I decided that the best course of action would be to get a Unicorn's help; one that can lift heavy objects without the need of expensive construction equipment." "And you were gonna ask me, right?" Twilight asked with a smile, reaching over to pat his hoof. "Is that what you're worried about? That you think I'll be mad if you ask for help?" She tossed her head back and chuckled for a moment before looking back at the Pegasus, whose eyes seemed to meet hers with a massive reluctance. "Volare, I'd be glad to help. When do the supplies arrive?" "Well, see, that's the thing...the supplies should be here in a few days, but...I don't wanna ask your help, Twilight," his answer confused her and Spike, who crossed his arms and spoke up in slight disappointment. "Dude, you think Twilight can't do it? She's the greatest magic-user in Equestria outside of Celestia and Luna, of course," he nodded in the general direction of Canterlot Mountain. "No, I know that...but that's not it," the Pegasus replied a bit more quietly, beginning to sound slightly like Fluttershy. "Are you afraid I'm too tired to do it?" the Unicorn tilted her head. "Cuz even though I'm still kinda worn out from the past few days, this day off helped, and I'll be just fine by the time the materials arrive." But the Pegasus simply shook his head and looked away. "But I take it that's not it either, huh? Volare, what's on your mind?" "Look, Twi," he finally said after a long moment. "You've done so much for me since I've gotten here, I..." he looked up and took her hoof in his own. "I just don't think it's right for me to ask anymore of you for a good while, not until I can repay you or something...otherwise, I'm right back to feeling like I'm freeloading again." "Oh, Volare, that's very considerate of you," she smiled gently. "But you can't hope to put that building up yourself, not in the time period you talked about, anyway." "Mhm, I know, and that's where my plan comes in," the Pegasus paused one last time. "Scoots and I found another Unicorn to help us." "Who, though?" Spike asked in disbelief. "Who else could help you guys lift a roof? Hey, you didn't talk Rarity into doing that, did you?!" he asked with a scowl. "Cuz she's a lady and ladies don't do construction work!" "Oh, hahahaha, I know," Volare laughed. "Rarity told me the same thing; but no, I didn't ask and it's not her." "Um, certainly not Fancypants?" Twilight guessed. "Nope, keep trying," he chuckled, enjoying this little guessing game, surprisingly. "Uh...Vinyl Scratch and Lyra? I dunno," Spike shrugged. "Mr. Smithshoe?" the Librarian queried, hoping the answer was no. "Oh, no way, he's too old for that sorta stuff, and he said it himself," Volare shook his head. "He did say that he'd offer pointers and advice though." "Then who is it that you've met?" Twilight gave up, but Spike, more sarcastically than anything, gave it one last guess. "Oh hay," he muttered. "It's not the Great and Powerful Trixie, is it?" The dragon's chuckles died in his throat as Volare suddenly didn't shake his head the slightest centimeter left or right. The pilot's simple reply was to allow a tiny smile spread across his lips. Spike's reaction was decidedly less subtle. "Are you outta your friggin' mind, dude?!" the dragon roared (not the most terrifying noise coming from such a young dragon, but it certainly got Volare's attention.) "No, I'm not, and I'll tell you why, Spike," the Pegasus replied calmly, and reiterated what he'd told Applejack earlier, about his theory that Trixie simply needed some good, honest friends to support her in this, and she'd be just fine; that that may be all she's needed for years. Spike continued to shake his scaly head in disbelief, while Twilight remained silent for her assistant's benefit, as he'd been asleep when Volare and her had discussed this the previous evening. "Ok, so let's say you get her to help you fix the damage she caused so she doesn't have to go to jail, what then?" the skeptical Spike inquired with a squinty eye. "What happens after that? You just gonna set her loose in the world and hope she finds her way? Dude, nopony likes her and in all honesty, even though she's pretty good at some magic, it's mostly smoke and mirrors; fake stuff!" "Perhaps she just needs to be taught the real stuff," Volare shot a quick glance towards Twilight, who smiled ever so slightly. "And then...well, you just might be surprised what she's capable of given the right support; I mean, heck, look at me." "I am, and all I see is a crazy Pegasus that's probably gonna get himself killed...again!" Spike groaned softly into his claws before heaving a sigh and looking back up at Volare. "I only have two questions left: one, just where the hay is she gonna stay while helping to fix that place if you can't afford to keep her in the hospital, and two...who in their right mind would wanna teach her real magic anyways? Isn't she dangerous enough as it is?!" "Well, Spike, I believe the pony whose decisions would effect both the answers to those questions is closer than you think...which is yet another reason why I don't wanna ask her too many more favors," the Pegasus smiled knowingly as Spike realized the implications of his statement...again, his reaction was far from subtle and composed. "Oh no! No way, dude! That's way the hay outta the question; Trixie is not gonna live in this Tree as long as I'm alive and breathing!" the dragon threw his claws to the side and glared at the Pegasus. But when his expression didn't change, Spike growled and looked to Twilight Sparkle for support. "Tell him, Twi; that's just not gonna happen, right?" But when the lavender Unicorn didn't immediately throw her support behind Spike, he turned back questioningly to see that her smile had simply grown. "Twi...please don't tell me you're ok with this." "And what if I do, Spike?" Twilight looked down at him in mild irritation, and her almost coldly spoken statement caught the young dragon off guard, and all he could do was stare at the Unicorn in shock. "Volare and I already had a conversation about this last night, and I agreed to help Trixie however I could; Volare was right: she's no different than he was when he arrived. Confused, no friends, and no way of supporting herself. We helped out Volare just fine, didn't we, so why not Trixie as well, especially if giving her a stability she's never had would make her safer to be around?" "Twi, I just don't know," Spike muttered skeptically. "I mean, this is Trixie we're talking about here, not some run-of-the-mill Unicorn." "Exactly, Spike, and look what happened when she was taken advantage of," Twilight snorted angrily. "She was turned into a weapon of destruction, however accidentally it might have been. And do I seem like the type of pony that would take advantage of somepony else in need of assistance, hmm?" "Well, no," Spike said flatly. "Good, then don't assume from the outset that just because somepony came from less than desirable origins, doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be shown the right path to take to get them to a better place, especially if they are willing to accept the assistance," she looked up at Volare with an intense gaze. "Did Trixie want help from me?" "Actually, yeah, she seemed to be fairly excited about it," Volare replied with a light chuckle, recalling somepony in Trixie's room cheering softly as he and Scootaloo had left. "I really think she wants to turn over a new leaf and start fresh; heck, she's even working on dropping her tendency to speak in the third person!" "No way?" Twilight chuckled as well; she'd honestly thought something that deeply ingrained would be impossible to do...but then again, she'd been proven wrong quite a bit lately too. True, she didn't have any experience in apprenticing anypony in magic, but she'd been taught by Princess Celestia herself, and that had to count for something, right? "Way!" Volare grinned before summing up his point. "So, I guess the only real question remaining is if you're ok with Trixie staying here during the construction of the Griffon...and possibly beyond if she accepts your long-term help." "Well, there's plenty of room," Twilight looked about the massive tree's interior. "There's a guest bedroom where she could stay without a problem, as long as she behaves herself, that is." "Yeah, the last thing we need is you two getting into a brawl in a flammable tree," Spike muttered. "You wouldn't have to worry about me burning the place down then." "Trust me, she'll behave," Volare nodded. "I mean, it's gonna take some adjusting for everypony, and I'll even keep sleeping on the couch down here if I have to, but I'd really like to see this through if possible." Since Twilight seemed to be ok with it, he turned to Spike with a pleading expression. "C'mon Spike, bro...can you help us out here? I mean, if she burns the place down around us, since you're fireproof, at least you can tell me 'I told you so' before I die, right?" he chuckled dryly. "Meh...hrm..." Spike grumbled and closed his eyes in thought for a moment before replying, albeit reluctantly. "I guess I can," he snapped his eyes open and waved a claw under Volare's nose. "But I swear if that mare tries anything funny, she'll be going in the stew pot," he flicked a thumb towards the kitchen, rolling his eyes at Volare's wide, grateful grin. "Speaking of which, I'd better get the dishes cleaned up before the soup sets up in them." He headed off to the kitchen, leaving Twilight and Volare alone for the moment. After a short while, the Unicorn tapped the Pegasus on his hoof. "Hey, there's been something I've been meaning to ask since you came home tonight," she said with a curious expression, continuing once Volare gave her the nod. "Like I said, you seem different, not just in looks, but in the way you're carrying yourself. What happened? And no, I don't think it's anything bad," she waved a hoof. "I'm just curious as to why you see so...well, like you said earlier: confident and accepting of your situation. What did you mean by that?" "Oh, heh, well," the Pegasus mused for a moment. "I just had this weird feeling after I dropped off Scoot's at Pinkie's place. This is gonna sound corny as heck, but I looked at my own reflection and kinda confirmed what you just said: I'm right back where I started, uninjured and whole, but even though I've kinda come full-circle here, I'm not the same, inside or out," he gestured to his head with a hoof, indicating both his mental state and his new mane. "And...then I started thinking about how much I've gained in such a short time, some of it more than I ever had back on Earth. Then I realized what that different feeling was, why I felt more confident in myself today, and why I didn't have any regrets at all when I considered continuing to live here," he looked up at Twilight with a smile that barely hid the moisture that involuntarily began to gather in his eyes. "I didn't have any regrets declaring it so because it just felt right to say. Either way, when I weighed everything in my head, it all boiled down to this: the feeling I've been experiencing...it's the feeling of being accepted...of being home." And with that confession, the tension in his body-his doubt-finally released, and he blinked, two tears falling from his eyes and trickling down his face before he could wipe them away. If he'd looked up at that moment, rather than at the couch cushion, he'd see an expression of pure joy and relief on Twilight's face, and before he realized what was happening, she'd grasped him with her magic and pulled him over in a tight, warm hug. The Pegasus buried his face in her indigo mane and heaved a great sigh, smiling hugely despite the tears that continued to fall from his eyes as she continued to hold him closely. He soon became aware of a wetness plinking onto his own neck, and he felt her warming cheek pressed against his neck as she chuckled in slight embarrassment. "Eh-heh, it's ok, Volare. It's ok...I'm here...and I'm proud of you; that took alot of guts to admit." "I know, Twi, I know," he hitched in a breath and released it slowly, leaning back and looking her in the eyes. "I'm ok...it feels good, ya know? To finally admit it, I mean." "That you feel accepted here?" she nuzzled her cheek against his. "Yeah...heh, gotta wonder if this is how old Iron Will felt when he decided that he didn't have to fight anymore, and that he was happy to live with Fluttershy...just relieved and glad to finally find what you've been searching for," he continued to hold her at hoof's length, his silver-blue eyes staring into her violet ones, both still wet with tears of joy and relief, and at that moment, despite her promise, Twilight hoped against all hope that he'd just lean over and kiss her softly...she just felt it would be right, even if Spike was staring at them...Spike?! "Dude, if you just gotta make eyes at my mom, at least do it where I won't walk in on-agh!" Spike shouted as the mortified Twilight levitated the nearest object she could find-a book, of course-and hurled it at the dragon, who dodged it by leaping back into the kitchen, muttering curses under his breath. . "I-I'm sorry, Volare," Twilight looked back at him, blushing like a madpony and expecting him to be annoyed or something. but whether he was truly aware of emotions she just couldn't help, or he was just too dense to notice, instead of seeming irritated he was merely smiling in amusement, and he reached over and patted Twilight gently on the foreleg to emphasize that it was no big deal, much to her relief. Again, Twi? Holy hoof, get a hold of yourself, girl! "No sweat, Twi; nice throw, but you gotta work on your accuracy," he teased and stood up, retrieving the book and setting it down on the table before deciding that the mood could do with some lightening up. "So, I forgot to mention something else rather crazy that happened to me today," he declared with a smirk. "Oh really? Crazier than talking to your reflection in a rain-barrel?" Twilight teased back with a smirk of her own. "Believe it or not, yeah," Volare looked around before spotting something on the table by the door. "You remember that little impromptu rock show thingy I did a few weeks ago?" "How could I forget?" Spike called from the kitchen. "Worst...wakeup call...ever!" Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I remember. What about it?" "Well, last night before Trixie showed up, me, Bon-Bon, Vinyl, Octavia, and Lyra had a little 'history of rock 'n roll' session," the Pegasus replied as he plucked up the ear-buds that Vinyl had given him and picked up his saddlebag as well, bringing them both back to coffee table as he continued to speak while pulling the new speakerbox out and setting it up. "It went pretty much like the little session in your front yard, with Vinyl powering the sound equipment so I could play the music in my head." He quickly described how the speakerbox worked exactly, how it was supposed to receive the signals decoded from his mind via the ear-buds, playing the signal as music. "But then, after those two Unicorns healed me, when Trixie showed up and the big brawl happened, when Octavia faced her she requested that I play her some music, as it helped her to focus much like how she played music when she fenced up in Canterlot." "But she lost and it wasn't until Pinkie showed up that Trixie finally got beaten," Twilight concluded. "Mhm, but that's not the point I'm trying to make here-ah, got it," Volare smiled as he clicked on the speaker and set it towards the low end, "4", being especially careful as he sat the equipment down that he didn't accidentally bump it closer to "11." Yeah, that wouldn't go well... "The weird thing is, while the speakerbox has its own internal power source powered by...I think Vinyl said some sort of crystal," he shrugged after a moment. "The ear-pieces here don't," he held them up for Twilight to see. "According to Vinyl, they require an external power source to decode and produce the signal, Unicorn magic in her case. However, this is where things get crazy." The Pegasus popped the ear-buds into his ears, sat down, and nodded at the confused Librarian. "When Octavia fought Trixie, and I played that music for her...Vinyl said that in the heat of the moment, she forgot to power these. And yet, the music still played." As Twilight's eyes widened in awe at his statement, he simply grinned in return, realizing that since he didn't have to fear anypony seeing the images in his head, he could use any music he wanted, as long as he was careful...thus, he decided on a piece of music he remembered being written specifically for the lavender Unicorn who'd given him so much... If the oceans were violet, then that would be a fair comparison to how wide Twilight's eyes had become by the time the song ended, but it wasn't just because of the great music. No, it was from seeing something impossible, namely, a Pegasus powering a piece of equipment that only a Unicorn was supposed to be able to power. And more than that, it had been brief, but she could have sworn that she'd caught a piece of melody within that song that seemed somehow familiar to her...how though, she couldn't imagine, and it only served to confuse her even further. The Librarian stood up and backed up a step, regarding Volare as if she'd just seen him for the first time, finally finding her voice as he pulled the ear-buds from his ears, sat them next to the speakerbox, and smiled sheepishly. "Th-that's...that's just impossible, Volare." "I know, but there it is anyway," he waved a hoof at the speaker box. "Nothing up my sleeve cuz I'm not wearing any, so to speak, Twi." He then noticed low whistling coming from the kitchen and realized that Spike had picked up the tune of the song and continued to play it as he cleaned the dishes, drawing a chuckling head-shake from the Pegasus. He then turned back to the Unicorn, who was staring at the floor, shaking her head, and mumbling under her breath. "Twilight, I need your help explaining this, cuz if this is something bad, I gotta know, since neither Octavia nor Vinyl had any solid explanation when I went back and played some more music at their studio," he cocked a suddenly-wary eye at the sound equipment, as if it might leap off the table and bite him. "Wait, you went back and played some more?" the Unicorn asked suddenly. "As in, more data to prove this wasn't a fluke?" "Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way, Twi"- but he was cut off as Twilight began chattering excitedly about the uses of magic, how all ponies have latent magic within them affected by their purposes, willpower extensions, cutie marks, and how she'd never seen or heard anything quite like this and that it should be completely impossible-but then again, nopony had ever set out to prove it-kinda like how they determined what the shape of the planet wasn't through the theories they built earlier, but that wasn't the point here, the point was that- "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, Twi!" Volare waved his hooves wildly, his mind spinning from the sudden bombardment of information, half of which he either only caught snippets of, didn't understand, or disregarded entirely as the enthusiastic ramblings of an adorkable Librarian Unicorn. The Element of Magic halted in her tracks, much to Volare's relief, and stared at him for a moment before it dawned on her what she'd just done. "Phew, somepony stop the crazy train, already," he chuckled and patted the couch, beckoning her to sit down and explain things. "Ah, eh-heh-heh, sorry about that, Volare," Twilight blushed and returned to the couch, visibly more calm and collected. "I just got excited and flew off onto a tangent there." "Or half a dozen tangents," the Pegasus laughed, regarding her with amazement. "Now then, I'm not the genius you are, so please slow down and explain what's happening here. What were you talking about?" "Wait, you really don't know?" Twilight asked innocently. "Know what? Half the stuff you just rattled off went totally over my head, Twi," he replied, a bit frustrated. "Oh, oh goodness, um," the Unicorn suddenly realized that he likely didn't know much about magic, seeing as how he came from a world void of it, which would explain why he seemed totally clueless. Darn it Twilight, you gotta stop this jumping to conclusions and assumptions crap! He's not from here, therefore you can't assume he'd just know right off the bat! She decided that there was no harm in asking, though. "Volare, the terms I just listed were all in regards to magic...what do you know of magic?" she pressed, noting his bemused reaction to her question. "Uuhhh...like how it works?" "Exactly." "Well, Trixie and I kinda went over some of this, but the thing is, the only "magic" I know of from Earth is nothing more than illusions," the Pegasus shrugged. "But here...it's much, much more. I mean, look at what it did for me!" he flapped his wings as evidence...and might as well have danced in that case since his entire body was there because of Twilight's spell. "I can't just call it smoke and mirrors when I owe my very existence to it, eh?" "That would be rather...stupid," Twlight chuckled lightly, knowing now that they'd likely have to go back to Magic Kindergarten levels here for him to learn...but who better to teach him than the Holder of the Element of Magic? If she couldn't handle teaching him the basics, how could she hope to apprentice Trixie? The Librarian nodded in determination and decided on a course of action to bring him up to speed, a requirement if the foreword of that that book was any true indicator. "So you admit it exists here in more than illusion form, right?" "Mhm, I do." "Good, so what do you know about it so far-wait, has anypony gone over books on the subject with you?" At his negative headshake, she continued. "Well then...what have you observed in regards to magic?" she asked with a barely-concealed twinkle of excitement in her eye. "Hrm, well, I've seen you teleport and you, Lyra, Vinyl, and Rarity levitate things with it, and of course Vinyl power her equipment with it"- "Yes, yes, but those are all results and reactions," Twilight interrupted him with a wave of her hoof. "But can you offer me an explanation as to how those things are occurring?" "As in how magic works?" At her nod, Volare scrunched his face up in concentration before finally sighing and shaking his head. "I truly have no idea, Twilight. The only real explanation of any sort I've gotten is from Applejack." "Oh really?" Twilight cocked her head in interest. "Extrapolate." "Ugh, I'm going to bed," Spike stretched and yawned, giving the two ponies a half-wave as he headed for the staircase. "Just keep it down, wouldja? Oh, and welcome home, Volare," he nodded to the stallion and disappeared up the steps. "Night Spike!" Twilight called back before returning her attention to Volare. "You were saying?" "Um, she said something about "telling" apples to fall with her thoughts from the trees she bucks, as well as "telling" a tree to explode if she so chooses whenever she kicks it with the intent of destroying it," he smiled at the image of the shocked and slack-jawed Iron Will asking if AJ could help him clear trees one of these days after her tree-splosion demonstration. His recollection drew a short chuckle from Twilight. "Hmm-hmm, well as crude as that explanation is, AJ wasn't too far from the truth believe it or not." Good old Applejack telling it like she see's it. She glanced to the side and spied the brass-bound book sitting on the end table across the Library lobby. "Hey Volare...you wanna know what I did on my day off?" "Huh-oh, sure," the Pegasus replied, taken by surprise by the sudden change in subject matter. "Well, beyond sleeping past noon for the first time in years," she tossed her mane and chuckled at that, "I happened to read an old book that Spike found on the table by the door after you left for breakfast at Pinkie's place," she levitated the aged tome across the room and hovered it above her left shoulder, smiling in amusement at his recognition of the book title and cover design. "I've never seen this one in my own collection before...where do you suppose it came from?" "That's the one that Lyra borrowed from the Canterlot Library just for me, so hand-er, hoof it over, Twi," he reached for the book, but the Unicorn held it just out of his reach with a cheeky little grin. "Aww c'mon Twi, that's not playing fair," he leaned over with a low growl and tried to snatch the book, but she merely pushed him back with her magic and continued to hold the book out of his reach. "Grr, it's like you don't want me to read it or something!" To his surprise, Twilight's grin faded slightly as she responded to that statement. "You know, in truth, I kinda don't." Volare immediately stopped struggling against her and stared at her quizzically. Since when did Twilight NOT wanna share knowledge with everypony?! "Not right now anyway, and I'll tell you why." She hovered the book to the table behind her and sat it down. "The last time I gave you knowledge, we didn't take the time to study it thoroughly, and it nearly got you killed, Volare. I won't have your blood on my hooves again...neither literally nor figuratively." She placed one of her hooves on his own and looked him in the eye. "I'm not gonna get you hurt again because I got too impatient to see progress made." "Twi, I..." "Just hear me out, Volare," she held up a hoof. "I'm the reason why you crashed and got your wing hurt so badly, and I fully realized that as I read that book. And so I made a promise to myself today, that I wouldn't let you read that book and attempt what you saw in there without the proper knowledge required to safely attempt those things." She placed her other hoof on his own and continued to meet his gaze with hers. "And I will teach you what you need to know, because you won't be who you really need to be without that knowledge before-hoof. However, I've got to have you promise to be willing to meet a few terms first." "Ok, what're the terms?" Volare asked without hesitation; he wanted to know what was in that book! "First, do you truly accept that Equestria is now you're home?" At his questioning expression, she glanced towards the stairs to make sure that Spike had truly gone too bed, but she leaned in and spoke softly into his ear, just in case. "Volare, I'm not asking you to make this decision because of what I told you back at the hospital, I swear it. It's just extremely important that you accept where you are in order for this to truly work." "I...I do...I accept that this is my new home; and I've got no regrets," he nodded. "But I'd still like to go back to Earth and tie up loose ends, ya know, just so I don't leave anyone hanging." "And that's very responsible; I've got no problem with that," she smiled, though it also worried her slightly. No regrets at all...but what about his family? Surely they miss him...focus, Twilight! Focus! "The reason why you need to accept this place is because unless you do, you won't be able to commit to what you need to commit to." "What exactly am I committing to here?" the pilot asked warily. "Twi, what's in that book?" "You'd make a horrible doctor, Volare," Twilight chided him. "Cuz, ya know, you don't have any patience." "...wow, that was kinda lame, Twi." "Yeah, I know," she facehoofed and shook it off before looking back up at him. "So to reiterate: do you accept Equestria as your new home?" "Yes," Volare said determinedly. "Do you therefore accept that what you may learn could likely fly in the face of what you know to be possible back on Earth?" the Unicorn asked, sounding almost like a judge laying out the rules before a fight. "Meaning?" "What I mean to say is...can you permanently suspend your prior disbelief?" Ok take it back, instead of Michael Buffer, Twilight Sparkle has officially risen to Morpheus levels here...red pill or blue pill, Volare? "You won't be alone in this, I can promise you that," she reassured him. "But neither I nor anypony but yourself can make you believe what you're about to be taught. Do you accept these terms?" ".........yes," the Pegasus repeated his answer with just as much finality as her question. She smiled widely at his response and stood up, grabbing the book and trotting away. "Wait, where're you going, Twi?" "To bed, silly stallion," she nodded at the clock. "It's late and you need your sleep." She levitated the blanket off the back of the couch and tossed it to him with a smirk. "C'mon, seriously?" he grumbled, tossing the blanket on the cushions in frustrations. "How the heck you think I'm gonna sleep after what you just told me, huh?" "Hrm, I'm sure you'll find a way," she winked and re-approached him, giving him a quick nuzzle and making sure she kept the book far out of his reach. "You're an evil Unicorn, Twi," he muttered in defeat into her ear. "So you've told me, Volare," she leaned back and smirked cheekily. "So you've told me. Seriously though, get some rest, cuz we start bright and early after you and Scootaloo grab breakfast tomorrow," she declared as she headed for the stairs, book in tow. "Start what tomorrow?" he implored as he reluctantly settled down under the covers. He looked over as Twilight stopped next to the light switch and grinned back at him, hardly able to contain her own excitement at the prospect of teaching her friend how to truly become an Equestrian pony! "The first day of the rest of your life." CLICK! ---------------------------------------- Notes: Whew, so it looks like Volare is finally gonna be back in action, and good on him for accepting where he is now, but also on still wanting to go back and take care of his final responsibilities on Earth. Wonder how the heck he's gonna officially resign from the service, eh? ^^; The rest of this arc will be rather sciency, so heads up! 8D In the next chapter, we shall discuss...da magicks! Volare: