...watching the sun as it starts to go down.

October 15th, Sugarcube Corner, Noon...
---------------------------------------

"Come on CK, this isn't really necessary-ow!" Volare rubbed his head and squinted at the lavender Weather Lieutenant idly waving her hoof and smiling cheekily.

"I'm pretty sure that's the fifth or sixth time you've told me that, and I don't take no for an answer, so just enjoy your chow," Cloud Kicker replied insistently. "Besides, I feel like absolute horseapples for kinda turning you and Rainbow Dash against each other like that."

"And that's the fourth or fifth time you've told me that," Volare sighed and took a swig of his rootbeer courtesy of Pinkie Pie (seriously, they had rootbeer here all this time and he had no idea what he was missing out on!). The party mare grinned from across the table and over a massive blueberry muffin that she and Derpy were in the middle of devouring. The part-time mailmare along with half the Weather Team had all arbitrarily decided to crash the place for lunch once Cloud Kicker spotted Volare in there, but Pinkie couldn't be happier to see them all there finally welcoming the pilot into their fold, so to speak. Thunderlane, Cloudchaser, Flitter, Blossomforth, Snowflake, and even Derpy's cousin Raindrops were there, and all had words of praise for Volare's game against Cloud Kicker yesterday. But strangely enough, their Weather Captain wasn't present.

"Say, where is Rainbow Dash anyway?" Flitter took a break from a jelly donut to ask the unspoken question.

"Yeah, where'd the boss get to?" Snowflake boomed. "She still sore from the game?"

"Huh? Nah, she's ok," Volare waved a dismissive hoof, though the way she'd woken him up had been rather surprising. She'd also run off without much of an explanation as to what freaked her out that morning...or last night for that matter. "Had a bit of a leg cramp from where I tackled her, but we fixed that pretty quick." The pilot realized the implications of what he'd just said right as the words left his mouth, and chorus of "oohs" and "oh really's" emanated from the Weather Team, led by none other than the Lieutenant herself who was wearing the widest grin of amusement Volare thought a pony could possibly possess without their face snapping in two. Volare could neither take the words back nor could he quell the burning in his cheeks. Ah, shit...

"Sooo...do tell how you fixed Dash's little problem," Cloud Kicker looped a foreleg over his neck in a chummy fashion, drawing a look of ire from the pilot and a cocked eyebrow from Pinkie Pie. The pink mare concealed her worry with a huge mouthful of muffin, but she kept a close eye on Volare all the same; she knew well of Cloud Kicker's reputation, as well as having been on the receiving end of one or two attempts to get her to jump in the sack. While she believed the Weather Lieutenant to be an overall nice pony that just really liked having sex (it was great fun and a good way of making somepony smile, so Pinkie hardly disapproved), she believed something like that probably wasn't in Volare's best interest, and she readied herself to interrupt the situation if need be via "accidentally malfunctioning" party cannon. Luckily for her, Volare was on point to head Cloud Kicker off at the pass himself.

"She had a leg cramp, we worked it out via some stretches, and that was it," Volare replied matter of factly and took a dismissive swig of his rootbeer. He shot Pinkie a quick wink over the rim of his mug, letting her know he had it all under control, allowing the party mare to relax and go back to her muffin munchings.

"Come on CK, she's my boss now," Volare shook his head. "How do you think that'd look?"

"Wouldn't bother me," she shrugged and pulled Blossomforth in close with a squeak of surprise. "Blossom here is madly in love with me, a higher-ranking Pegasus, but nopony's really bothered by it."

"I am so not madly in love with you, Cloudy!" Blossomforth fumed and stomped her hoof as she struggled to disentangle herself from Cloud Kicker's grasp. "If anything I'm madly irritated with you half the time, and the rest of the time, I-"

"Denial's not just a river in Saddle Arabia, Blossom," Cloud Kicker waggled her eyebrows and smirked. "Come on, just admit it: you can't handle my charms and knowing that you'd lose control of yourself if you gave in, you keep fighting it. It's a conditioned survival response, Blossom, but I know with a just a little bit of persuasion, we could-"

"Gah, you're the most incorrigibly irritating flank pain I've ever met in my life!" Blossom growled and whacked at Cloud Kicker with a wing while the Weather Team broke into a chorus of good-natured laughter at the two ponies' constant antics.

"Then why do you stick around if not to pine after me?" Cloud Kicker mock-swooned, all the while keeping her foreleg hooked around Blossomforth's shoulders. "Come, stand below my balcony and recite poetry to me beneath Luna's moon! Oh Cloudy, Cloudy, wherefore art thou, Cloudy?" To Volare's surprise and utter amusement, even Pinkie Pie facehoofed at that one.

"You screwed up the roles! Besides, fat chance I'll play out your personal fantasies that easily," Blossomforth tugged harder, but her friend's grip was like sticky iron.

"Oh really? Does that imply that you'll do it if I try harder?" Cloud Kicker smirked. "Arise fair Kicker and kill that envious moon...oh wait, that's the old Lunar Rebellion...oh never mind, just kiss me!"

"Yeah right-oof!" Blossomforth finally broke free, spun halfway around, and landed chest-first in Volare's lap. She looked up at the pilot, face as red as a beet, and smiled weakly.

"GASP! Leaving me for the off-worlder!" Cloud Kicker's eyes bugged dramatically. "At least try some pickup lines before diving into his junk like that, Blossom. Jeez, didn't hanging around me teach you anything?" The Weather Lieutenant guffawed loudly as Blossomforth scrambled off of Volare, downed her drink, and plopped herself down on her chair once more, face burning and feathers bristling in what Volare hoped was anger and not something else; he really had trouble telling sometimes. "Holy hoof you guys are a riot," Cloud Kicker chuckled and thumped both Blossom and himself on the back before pulling him towards the door. "C'mon Volare, let's get going!"

"Wait, where? And better yet, why?" Volare cocked his head, not keen on going anywhere with Cloud Kicker that didn't involve some sort of adult supervision...then again she might be one of those that got turned on by public displays...shit. "You're not gonna try to-"

"Pfft, nah. I remember your little issue," Cloud Kicker gave him a sincere smile and a nod. "I am gonna teach you a trick or two." She caught his look and quickly added: "About the finer parts of weather work. Sheesh, you look at me like I'm looking to bang 24/7."

"It's more like 22/6," came Cloud Kicker's voice from the street as they took off for the north of town.

"Oh give me a hoofing break," Blossomforth facehoofed and looked up at Pinkie Pie, sharing her worried look, for they both knew of Volare's little taboo and despite what Cloud Kicker insisted, her libido had gotten her into trouble on more than a few occasions. "Pinkie, could you be a dear and help me keep an eye on those two?"

"Way ahead of ya, Blossom," Pinkie nodded and smiled. "I'll get Dashie to help and...speaking of whom, where is Dashie at anyways?" she tilted her head, revisiting the unanswered question from earlier.

"Good question," Blssomforth shrugged. "Hey, anypony know where Rainbow Dash is?"

"Yeah, saw her at the Library Tree with Twilight Sparkle when I was flying my mail-route," Derpy spoke up. "She said something about 'doing some research.' Weird, huh?"

"Yeah, never really took the boss for the studying sort," Cloudchaser mused. "Makes me wonder what they're up to over there..."

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

Meanwhile, Ponyville Library...

It wasn't exactly an uncommon practice for Twilight Sparkle to stare at Rainbow Dash in shock--in fact that's how they'd first met--but the usual reasons involved crashing into something, pulling off Sonic Rainbooms, setting things on fire, and just general mayhem. But I think this is definitely a new one, Twilight thought as she fumbled for a quill from the stack she'd knocked off her desk at Dash's loud entrance. Dash was rattling off sentences at nearly Pinkie-Piesque speeds, and Twilight had to resist the urge to magically clamp her friend's mouth shut so she could make sense of what the hay was going on.

"Ok, ok, slow down, Dash!" Twilight waved her hooves for the third time, finally getting her brash friend's attention. Dash halted her pacing speech so abruptly that she nearly fell over, and that was when Twilight caught the worry in her eyes, worry that Dash would never show in public unless it was very serious. "Sit down and tell me what's going on, and slowly."

"O-ok, ok..." Dash nodded and flopped down onto a nearby seat cushion. She took a deep breath and Twilight braced herself for a rush of words once more, but to her surprise, Dash only sighed, looked up with that worried expression again and said: "Twilight, what the hay's up with those crystals?"

Oh no...I was right, something bad DID happen, Twilight fretted but did her best to remain calm. "Why, what's going on?"
Volare bled to death through his nose?! Is that even possible? No, wait, I saw him earlier today...calm down, Twilight!

"Ok, you're gonna think I'm totally nuts when I say this," Dash took a deep breath and closed her eyes, steeling herself for the inevitable outpouring of skeptical laughter. "But Volare and I used that speaker-box thingy to play some music last night, I picked up one of those earbuds and...I think I saw into Volare's mind last night or something." To her surprise, her friend didn't explode into laughter. On the contrary, the deathly silence from Twilight actually caused Dash to crack an eye in curiosity. Twilight's face was frozen in a look of shock, her jaw hanging slightly open and the quill she'd been levitating fallen to the desk, forgotten. At her reaction, Dash groaned even louder and buried her face in her hooves. "Yep, that's it, I've crashed one too many times and finally gone bonkers, haven't I? Time to stick me in a cloud-lined room and feed me gruel the rest of my life, huh?"

Twilight shook the stunned look from her face and placed a hoof on her distraught friends' shoulder. "What the-why in Equestria would you think that?"

"Cuz the look you're giving me right now is the look everypony gave you when you tried to make Ponyville fall in love with a ragdoll, that's why!"

"Oh...point taken," Twilight smiled sheepishly but continued to pat Dash's shoulder until she looked up at her. "But that's not why I'm looking at you like that."

"No, I don't think so. Now settle down and listen up," Twilight retrieved her quill and scribbled a few notes before levitating over a small stack of parchment. "I'm just a little shocked it happened to you too is all, and I think I know why-"

"Wait a sec. What do you mean 'you too?'" Twilight wilted slightly beneath her suspicious expression.

"Well, um...ok, not saying I'm proud of what I did, cuz I'd probably never do it again without his permission, but-"

Dash slammed a hoof down on the desk and leaned closer to the startled Unicorn. "Twilight, what did you do to my friend?"

"Hey, he's my friend too and...well like I said, just know that I'm not very proud of what I did," Twilight's ears fell flat. "I was just curious and-"

"What did you do, Twilight Sparkle?" Dash practically shouted, thinking she'd somehow fried Volare's brain and now it had somehow passed onto her like some sort of disease.

"I scried into one his dreams after he got his wing repaired, ok?!" Twilight shouted back as she leaped to her hooves.

"You what?!" Dash cried and made to jump over the desk. "What the hay does that mean?! Did you break his mind, Twilight?!"

"No, no, no, just listen!" Twilight shook her head, realizing they were yet again arguing over his well-being. She heaved a deep sigh, more to put a pause in the conversation and give Dash a chance to calm down than anything before speaking again, this time in a much more calm tone. "Scrying is placing one's self into another's dream and observing it, nothing more. Well, usually..." She caught Dash's glare before hastily explaining. "I mean, one can scry into another's thoughts and affect what they're thinking and doing, but that requires magic beyond what I know, something along the levels of Celestia or Luna."

"Touché," Twilight pawed at the floor before continuing. "Like I said it was a one-time thing. I was just curious about his family and where he'd come from, and I-"

"Oh my gosh, did you see them too?" Dash suddenly cut her off. "His folks and...I think it was his little sister Agatha."

"N-no, I didn't see anything like that," Twilight considered telling her about the darkness, the fire, the blood and bones, but decided against it. "All I really saw was a big desk in a dark room, with Volare sitting in front of it, and-"

"Yeah, I saw that too," Dash grimaced. "Fire and blood and everything everywhere...it was horrible, Twilight," the proud mare frowned, her shoulders shaking slightly at the memory. "What the Ponyhell's our Volare gone through?" she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, doing her damndest to halt the hot tears of helpless anger at being unable to stop whatever it was that had hurt and scared Volare that badly. How he put on a brave face and acted like it didn't affect him was beyond her.

Well, so much for keeping that a secret, Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof before beckoning Dash to sit back down. She laid out the pieces of parchment she'd scribbled notes on with Vinyl last night and did her best to explain that those focusing crystals acted like an amplifying receiver, taking the thoughts sent to it via a transmitter-the earbuds-and causing them to take form, sound from the speakerbox in this case, or imagery from a projector in another. The difference between regular focusing crystals and these red crystals was the red ones' ability to project not only sound and images, but emotions upon the receiving party as well. The receiving party must first be willing to take in those emotions, but once they're in, they can affect the receiver's behavior to differing degrees depending on how strong the transmitter's willpower is.

"So lemme get this straight," Dash held up a hoof and cut Twilight off. "When Volare played that music last night, it...made me act differently?"

"To an extent yes, but only because you were willing to receive it. Probably because it was a style of music you already enjoyed, or perhaps a certain emotion?"

"Heh, yeah you could say that," Dash scratched her mane and smiled nervously, recalling how she's bucked, looped, and zipped all over her house like a Pegasus filly that suddenly discovered the joy of flight. It wasn't a bad feeling...just different. "And what I saw and...felt last night were Volare's thoughts and emotions?"

"Precisely," Twilight nodded. "Now granted you were taken by surprise by them when you grabbed that earbud and interrupted the transmission, but it seems like your mind unraveled it all when you slept. Quite an interesting reaction if I do say so myself," the Unicorn scribbled line after line of notes, but Dash could care less about the research. She was more worried about the images involving her, the ones she hadn't told Twilight about yet.

"So I take it those emotions I felt probably had something to do with that song he played?"

"From what Vinyl and I gathered--and this is only speculation as there aren't any documents that we know of that speak upon these things--each song is an isolated thought process, rather like a book is its own collection of knowledge, therefore it's likely that certain songs would invoke certain emotional combinations unique to them," Twilight tapped her teeth with the quill point before scribbling that down. "The singular emotions themselves may not be unique to that one song, but the arrangement would be."

"That's cool...now how about in English this time, Twilight," Dash snorted in mild frustration at the headache threatening to erupt within her skull.

"Ugh," Twilight face-desked with a thump for a moment before altering her approach. "Kinda like how your aerial moves, while unique in their own right, can be crossed over between routines and making all sorts of different combinations."

"Oh, that makes way more sense," Dash grinned while Twilight did her best to not roll her eyes. But Dash's grin faded back into a concerned frown as her thoughts returned to her dream. "But...what's up with Volare's mom and dad and little sister? Has he ever talked with you about them?"

"Oh man...you don't think he and his parents are, like, on bad terms do you?" Dash's frown deepened.

"I don't know," Twilight shrugged. "But there's probably a good reason why he doesn't want to talk about them."

"Jeez, should I keep what I saw secret or...what?" Dash bit her lip in worry, a bad feeling growing in her chest that she'd seen something she shouldn't have seen. And then there was still the matter of seeing herself in Volare's thoughts. Those feelings she experienced...longing and shame...his feelings. Maybe he really did like her, but he was ashamed he did because of the whole inter-species issue thing. But the only way to know for sure would be to get him over it somehow...but...
...why, you worried about him?
What the-no, not in that way! If he wanted to try something, he already would have!
...well if he gets over his taboo, what then?
What do ya mean, what then?
...he'll have no reason to hold back if you keep messing with him the way you do.
Yeah, well...I dunno, I'll figure something out if that happens.
...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you didn't hold back anymore.
Whatcha mean by that?
...let's not forget your feelings in this, Dashie.
What feelings? I don't have feelings for him! He's a stallion and he...there's always that risk, ok?
...since when have you been afraid of risk?
This is different!
...and why is that? Is it because you believe that maybe he's different?
Grr, if he is, it's only cuz he's a human, not a stallion!
...variety is the spice of life, Dashie.
Yeah, well...I dunno, ok? How can I even trust him?
...only one way to find out.
Fat chance of that!

"-Dash, are you ok?" Rainbow Dash jerked out of her thoughts at the touch of Twilight's hoof. "You kinda zoned out there for a sec."

"Y-yeah, I'm ok. Just thinking is all," Dash ruffled her feathers and blew out her chops. Ok, so obviously I'm important to him, but why? And how the hay can I even ask him without telling him I basically accidentally spied on his thoughts? That's not cool...and he'd wanna know how I know what even happened, then I'd have to tell him about Twilight...and then he'd really be pissed. I know I would. "Just trying to figure out how I'm gonna tell him what I saw is all."

"Well, whatever you do, do your best to not tear open old wounds, ok?" Twilight scribbled on last bit on her parchment and rolled it up to be filed. "Be subtle if possible." As if that word exists in her dictionary, Twilight winced inwardly. But Dash was who he lived with, Dash was who he trusted, and Dash had seen things nopony else had seen. She just prayed to Celestia she'd figure out a way to talk with him about it, for if Twilight broached the subject herself, Volare might get suspicious and clam up even further. Twilight was just concerned with those images, worried that Volare was hiding something that wasn't healthy to hide. She'd heard bad stories from Shining Armor of ponies who'd gone out on the Long Patrol, seen horrible things out there on the frontier, and come back different ponies than they'd been when they'd left. They'd tried to suppress what they'd seen so they wouldn't worry others, but often-times they ended up in the hospital with mental issues...or ended up dead.

"That's going to be up to you, Rainbow Dash," Twilight shrugged slightly. "You know how he acts better than anypony around here."

"Heh, yeah I guess I kinda do," Dash smiled before another thought occurred to her. "Hey, Twi?"

"You said those crystals can affect how another pony behaves, right?" Dash frowned, not much relishing the thought of being changed like that, even on accident.

"Should we tell Volare about that? I mean, it kinda made me go a little crazy with that storm the other day," Dash grinned sheepishly. But to her surprise, Twilight shook her head.

"No I don't think so; since you know how it works now, you should be able to resist it, but there's another reason why: Volare's body gives off that signal because of the nature of his body. Princess Luna said that the fewer nightmares he has, the more stable his mind is becoming. Has he had any nightmares since he started using that speakerbox?"

"Well, for example, if a Unicorn doesn't use her magic, a sort of pressure builds up, and the mind gets...a little funny, often causing strange dreams and nightmares," Twilight pursed her lips thoughtfully. "And considering the nature of Volare's body and the passive signal it constantly emits...if using that speakerbox and crystals relieves that pressure, I see no reason why we should stop it. In fact it might be detrimental for him to." And knowing what he went through to save Dash from that storm, he might stop it anyway if it meant keeping her or anypony else safe from himself...

"I honestly don't know," Twilight frowned, realizing that Volare may very well have to be tethered to those crystals for life at this rate. If so, then that awakened another fear in her mind: if those crystals turned out to be illicit, and Celestia or somepony else found out about them and confiscated them, how long would Volare's mind last before it began to destabilize again? It was only a theory, but it scared her quite badly, and she had no idea of how to break it to Volare if that turned out to be true. That was when another, equally worrying thought hit her: those crystals were the only thing absorbing enough of that signal for Twilight to be near him once more and if they got taken away...she'd have to avoid him yet again!

"Perhaps...I mean, I still don't understand these things completely," Twilight scratched her chin. "The only way to know for sure would be to check a more diverse collection of information, like the Canterlot Library."

"Yeah, and maybe while you're there you can have Luna, like, check out Volare's dreams and give us the lowdown on how things are going in his noggin, huh? Then we'll know for sure if he needs those crystals to function or if we're just freaking out over nothing."

"...Rainbow Dash, that's a brilliant idea!" Twilight grinned and leaped to her hooves. "I'll have to start clearing up my schedule to take Volare to Canterlot with me," she said as her eyes jerked about the room, trying to decide what to do first; she just wasn't used to altering her schedule like this! "I can show him the city, the Unicorn School, and maybe even the Wonderbolts if they're there! He can finally meet Cadance and Celestia and-oh!-while we're there we can finally put our theory to the test!" she clopped her hooves in excitement.

BAM! Twlight was cut off with a yelp of surprise at the front door of the Library being slammed open by a wide-eyed Pinkie Pie.

"What the hay, Pinkie?!-" Dash managed to say before the pink mare grabbed her by the hoof and hauled her towards the door.

"He um...might be in some trouble," Pinkie shot Twilight a quick glance that told the Unicorn that she wanted Dash to handle this.

"No, no, no, nothing like that...well, not yet, at least not physically..." Pinkie trailed off, doing her best to not jump the gun and have Dash explode in anger, but the rainbow mare nodded firmly.

"Pinks, I'm right behind you! Twi, you start getting ready to take him to Canterlot. I'll make sure he gets there in one piece."

"That's cool, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Dash replied, and with a whirl of wind and dust, the two mares rushed out of the room, leaving it deafeningly quiet but for Spike's snores upstairs.

.....................................
20 Minutes Earlier...

"I hate to say this again cuz I know I'm probably gonna get whacked for it," Volare said, eyeing Cloud Kicker warily. "But you really didn't have to do this, CK." Although the pilot was ready for the blow, the Weather Lieutenant dodged around his hoof and thwacked him on the back of the head once more with a grin, nearly knocking him off the cloud they were sitting upon.

"Shouldn't have said it then," she smirked cheekily. "Just be gracious, ok? Think of this as my way of apologizing," Cloud Kicker nodded towards the fluffy floating field of towers, blocks, trees, and random shapes she and Volare had carved out of a bunch of clouds they'd cropped together.

"Heh, ok fine, I accept your apology," Volare nodded and smiled before turning to observe their hoof-work. "So this is your special talent, huh, cloud architecture?"

"When was that?" Volare cocked a brow, not recalling any sort of thing like that happening in the show.

"Well, when Fluttershy fell from Summer Flight Camp during Dash's race, she and I went after her later," Cloud Kicker reminisced. "Dash flew all over the place like a madmare while I took a more methodical approach and found her first. She was ok, just a little shaken up and covered in butterflies," she chuckled. "I brought down a cloud and squished it into a sorta chariot shape, loaded her up onto it, and with Dash's help, we pulled her back to the Camp. Wasn't until later that I noticed my Cutie Mark had shown up," she patted the cloud and sun mark on her flank with pride. "Kinda funny too. I know all the Element Bearers owe their Cutie Marks to Dash and her Sonic Rainboom, but if it hadn't been for her and Fluttershy, I wouldn't have mine either, so I kinda owe it to them both. Funny how the world works sometimes, huh?"

"True," Volare nodded, plucking a piece of floating cloud fluff from the air and molding it in his hooves just how Cloud Kicker had shown him. He pressed, stretched, and twisted until he came up with a shape that looked roughly like an F-18 fighter jet. With a grin and a flick of his hoof, he sent it flying away, though shortly into its flight it broke up into shreds of fluff once more that drifted away in the breeze. "Hmph, guess I got a ways to go, huh?"

"Nah, you're catching on," Cloud Kicker waved a hoof. "I mean, without constant contact from a Pegasus or a Unicorn's enchantment, all clouds eventually do that. Heck, even mine," she nodded towards the rather elaborate apple-cloud tree she'd created, already being picked apart by the wind. "Pegasus magic is pretty sweet, but it has its limits in what's permanent."

"Still way better than what humans could possibly imagine having," Volare mused. "I mean, with even a few Pegasi, just imagine what humans could do: things like redirecting hurricanes and tornadoes, diverting floods and...why're you looking at me like that, CK?"

"Who me?" Cloud Kicker mock-gasped. "Looking at you? The scandal!" Volare couldn't help but burst into giggles at her act, but before he realized it, she'd scooted right up to him and was staring intently into his silver-blue eyes with own cerise pair. "So, Mr. Volare...I've got a serious question."

"Eh-heh, what's up?" Volare chuckled nervously, feeling the heat grow across his cheeks at the Weather Lieutenant's close proximity.

"Oh nothing much...just trying to figure you out is all," she smirked and scooted a tiny bit closer. "I mean, you're a Pegasus on the outside, but still pretty much human on the inside, that much is obvious."

"What's your point?" Volare replied, trying not to give ground-or cloud, rather-but finding it a tad difficult not to, especially when Cloud Kicker's eyes kept roving away from his own and towards...other areas.

"My point is that you're becoming more and more like a Pegasus every day, and that's a good thing," she smiled and sat back slightly, giving him some space so she didn't spook him away; she had a slightly ulterior motive for bringing him up here by himself like this, after all. She was determined to get to the bottom of a little mystery of his, and if she did...well, good thing they were alone. "At this point, unless somepony asked, they likely couldn't tell you weren't always a Pegasus. That is, unless the conversation turned to other subjects," she winked.

"O-other subjects?" Volare gulped slightly, but Cloud Kicker saw it and chuckled in amusement.

"Mhm...relationship-type subjects," she scooted closer again and wrapped a wing around Volare's back before he could think about getting away. She held him firmly, but to his surprise she turned her attention out towards their hoof-work once more, as if she was slightly uncomfortable about the subject herself. "Or rather...having relations."

Or not...
"I got a bad feeling I know where this is going," the pilot muttered and received a sideways glance from the Weather Lieutenant.

"Why's it a bad feeling, though?" She turned her full attention back to him, a serious look on her face. "You told me about your little taboo, but you never really explained why you have it. I just wanna know how you justify it is all."

"Oh, well...um," Volare thought for a moment of a way to put it without being insulting.

"I mean, don't tell me you don't find me or other ponies like Dash or Twilight attractive," Cloud Kicker smirked slightly. "Cuz I've seen evidence to the contrary in your body language, no matter how hard you try to hide it. I saw the look on your face when Blossomforth fell in your lap earlier."

"It's not like that at all, CK!" Volare sighed, unable to explain his true reasons. It was partly the taboo, and partly something else that held him back...and in all honesty that "something else" was probably worse than any taboo could possibly be.

"So you are saying you find some ponies attractive, or...?" Cloud Kicker trailed off as she caught the worried expression of indecision on Volare's face, and she placed a hoof under his chin and turned his gaze back to hers. "Nopony, certainly not me, is gonna judge you if you do, Volare."

"But?" the lavender mare cocked her lemon-maned head. "What's wrong? Why not go after what you like?"

"It's not that simple, Cloud Kicker," he groaned and held his head in his hooves. The Weather Lieutenant patted him on the back, wondering if she'd crossed a line before he spoke up again, this time in a very resigned and quiet tone that shook Cloud Kicker's resolve somewhat. "You wouldn't take something you wanted when what you wanted had no say in the matter, right? Cuz that'd be like theft or rape, right?"

"What-yeah, I mean no, I'd never do that," Cloud Kicker assured him with a squeeze of his shoulder. "That's kinda like Rule Number Three: no banging a pony when their judgement is compromised," she recited from heart.

"Then you'll understand why in human culture it's wrong for humans to have interspecies relationships," Volare lifted his face to meet hers with another sigh. "Because animals on Earth aren't sentient creatures, to have...to have sex with a creature that can't reason or give consent is seen as akin to rape," his shoulders hitched slightly as he took a shaky breath, hoping that Cloud Kicker didn't clobber him for what he was about to say.
"Because animals are considered dumb compared to humans, it's like taking something from another being whose judgement will always be compromised. It's stealing...it's rape...it's disgusting...I'm sorry..." his head collapsed into his hooves again and he sobbed softly for nearly a minute, hating himself for every time he'd felt attraction to Dash, Twilight, Cloud Kicker, or anypony else he'd met since coming here. It was just so damn difficult to adjust to, and he knew he had no right to make them change their behavior on his account. "I'm sorry Cloud Kicker...but that's just how it is...and I dunno if I could ever shake that," he leaned up and blinked the moisture from his eyes before turning back to face her. "I hope you understand." But to his surprise, she didn't look angry. If anything, she looked halfway between amusement and sadness herself.

"Jeez...now I understand what you mean," she pulled him in closer and hugged him tightly with her wing for a long, long moment. "Deep-rooted stuff like that is tough to get over. But," she wiped a tear from his cheek with a wingtip and smiled. "I wanna help you get over it, cuz all this worrying over something like that...it's not healthy. I mean, no offense but you're kinda a nervous wreck, Volare."

Cloud Kicker leaned in and whispered: "Because those rules don't apply here." At her answer, Volare recoiled slightly in confusion. "Heh, before you freak out, lemme explain," she patted him on the back and chuckled softly. "You base your taboo on what humans believe to be lawfully and morally correct, right?"

"So let's focus on the legal side of things: you'd be afraid of getting in trouble with the law for having a relationship with another species on Earth, right? But guess what: no such law exists here. I mean, ponies interbreed all the time, and I'll get back to that in a minute, so you don't have to worry about getting tossed in a dungeon or something for wanting to get a little action," she chuckled, but his brow still remained furrowed.

"Very true," Cloud Kicker nodded, glad it was her helping him through this instead of somepony impatient like Rainbow Dash, whom she assumed would simply give up and leave or force themselves upon him in impatient frustration. But she was willing to be patient and work towards her goal of loosening him up. "What's the moral baggage based on? How humans will look at and judge you for your actions?"

"Two problems with that: One, there aren't any humans here to judge you," she held up a hoof and grinned. "And Two: ponies aren't terribly judgmental on relationships. I mean, take me: I've banged every pony species around. I've banged minotaurs, griffons, dragons..." she counted off her "accomplishments" on her primary feathers, as if tallying up trophies to the point where Volare couldn't keep a disturbed/amused smile from crossing his face at the absurdity of it all. "...Even banged a hydra once and I gotta tell ya: you'd think having all those tongues messing with you would be a barrel of fun, but when the four heads starting fighting over a single muffin...well, that's when things got pretty freaky."

"They weren't freaky before?!" Volare's sides ached with laughter at her ridiculous tale, and she joined in with him for a while before they calmed down again. "Ok, as amusing as that was, what was the point of that morbid little tale?"

"The point is this: I've banged just about everything with a pulse on this planet at some point, and even after all that," she paused and smiled. "Nopony judges me for it." Her smile widened as a look of realization crossed Volare's face, and she hoofed him in the chest. "So you see, if I can do all those crazy things, why in Equestria would anypony judge you for dating another pony, even if they did know you were a human to begin with? And like I said: they probably wouldn't even know unless you spilled the beans."

"I see," Volare nodded slightly, feeling a possible way out of this mess after all. But there was still too much holding him back. "But...I dunno, CK..." he muttered, and she once again placed a hoof on his back, gently massaging the base of his neck in comfort before thinking of one last idea to make him see it was going to be ok.

"Volare, look at me, dude," she lifted his chin once more so their eyes met. "Look me in the eye and tell me your honest opinion: am I a dumb animal?"

"Cloud Kicker, I," he paused, knowing what she was trying to do to make him see reason, and in all honesty appreciating her efforts in doing so. Finally letting go of his doubts and moral issues, he took a deep breath and replied: "No...not at all."

"So it'd be correct to say that ponies are not dumb animals, right?" she smiled sincerely at the sight of the tension leaving his face as the last bit of the wall of his taboo came crashing to the ground.

"So tell me, Mr. Volare," she leaned in closer to the point where he could feel her breath on his muzzle. "What grounds does your little issue have to stand on anymore?"

"...None." At his admittance she grinned and pulled him into a crushing hug that he gratefully returned and held her in for a good while, his spirit feeling somewhat lighter at the realization that there really was no problem with accepting what he felt anymore. The answers had all been in front of him the whole time, and he was glad this horny mare had taken the time to make him see it...speaking of horny. "Hey, watch it back there!" he yelped and pushed Cloud Kicker away, his wings buzzing from where she'd brushed her hooves against them.

"Heehee, and why's that, Volare?" she snickered and scooted back towards him, undeterred. "Thought you didn't have a leg to stand on with this issue anymore?"

"O-one thing at a time, Kicky," he chuckled nervously, fidgeting with his wings as Cloud Kicker looked on in amusement. "Just gimme some time to adjust, ok?"

"Hey, no problem," she waved a dismissive hoof and settled back down, wondering what else might be the problem before the answer came to her. "Oh my gosh, you're a virgin, aren't you?"

"What the-no!" Volare fumed, blushing like mad as he slapped the cloud with a hoof. "Hell no! Jeez, why would that matter anyway?"

"Cuz I could see the reasoning in a virgin being reluctant to partake in that which they desire," she winked cheekily. "I mean hay, I was a virgin once...a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

You gotta be frickin' kidding me...
"Trust me, you can't wear a uniform for over five years on Earth and not get a little action at some point," he cocked a brow and shot her a small grin, not quite of pride, but something close to it. Cloud Kicker took his grin as one of invitation and threw a hoof around his neck and pulled him in close.

"So riddle me this: when's the last time you got it wet, hmm?" she smirked at his flushing cheeks and gulping throat.

"And my time on Earth...um..." Volare's blush of embarrassment grew until Cloud Kicker swore she could feel the heat radiating from his face; it was so adorable she nearly leaped on him right then and there, but she held off for his sake...plus she was a little curious as to how long it had been. "Ok, now realize I was very busy with some life issues and-"

"Six months?!" Cloud Kicker's jaw dropped in shock and her eyes went wide, scarcely able to believe anypony could go that long without a little tail. "Damn...no wonder you're blue."

"Oh hardy har, har har har!" Volare rolled his eyes and took to his hooves to leave before she caught his scarf and pulled him back to the cloud.

"Jeez, hang on a sec, flyboy," she shook her head and chuckled before standing up herself and bowing slightly. "It would be my pleasure-no, my civic duty to right such a grievous wrong. Come on!" she grabbed his hoof and took flight, heading towards Ponyville below.

"What the hell-right now!? Volare tried to pull away but she held him firm until they landed and she turned around to look him straight in the eye.

"Yes, right now. We're gonna strike while this iron is hot," her eyes trailed down his body once more, as did her hoof. "Or should I say hawt," she smirked when his wings twitched as she brushed her hoof past their base. She nodded towards her house down the street before trotting off, looking back over her shoulder when he didn't immediately follow. "Well, you comin', hawt-flank?" she cooed, sashaying back and forth and giving him a good, long look at her-ahem-assets and chuckling quietly as his wings twitched again.

"I dunno, Kicky," Volare wiped his mouth in mortification once he noticed he was drooling ever so slightly, but Cloud Kicker simply chuckled in amusement once more.

"Come on, dude," she waved a wing, knowing the importance of letting him make the decision on his own. "It'll be fun, and I'll show ya some pretty neat techniques I've picked up lately." She trotted back and nuzzled his cheek with her own, looking into his eyes and seeing the shred of worry that he still harbored there. As she did so, she didn't notice the pink-maned pony across the street dart into an alleyway and head for the Ponyville Library. "Ok, I'll make ya a deal."

"If you can convince me that there's no reason in Equestria for you to do this by the time we get to my place, I'll concede defeat and let you be," she placed a hoof on his shoulder and smiled before hustling him along towards her home. "But as fun as this'll be for me, I swear up and down this is more for you than anything. You need this, dude. I can tell."

"Dude trust me, I get plenty of action regularly," Cloud Kicker tossed her mane and chortled softly before nuzzling him again. "I'm not the one who's gone six feathering months without it."

"Eh-heh, true," Volare nodded, feeling his hooves shuffling along of their own accord, only half-heartedly fighting it now. "But does it have to be you?"

"What? No, of course not! And that's the point," she nudged his shoulder. "I want you to be the one to make that choice, cuz it's up to you and nopony else. You're the master of you, remember that, Volare," she smiled and cocked her head as they neared her front doorstep. "You got about thirty more feet of arguments left if you wanna use them, Volare."

"Uh...um..." the pilot's eyes darted from Cloud Kicker, to the ground, the looming front door, and then back again, but try as he might, he seriously couldn't come up with any reason why not. True he would have preferred to be with somepony else, but...no, there were too many complications for that to happen, and he stuffed his worries under something heavy. Besides, the more he thought about it, the more he realized she was right: he did need this, and he was grateful she was offering to help him. "What about protection?" he blurted out as they reached the front door, and Cloud Kicker burst into laughter and threw a hoof over his neck.

"You know what, you're one of the few stallions to ever ask that. Thanks for being so courteous, dude," she hugged him quickly and reached for the door handle. "But I got it covered, remember? Rule Number Five: No banging without safety gear. Trust me, you got nothing to worry about."

"Except telling me just what the hay you think you're doing, Lieutenant!" a tomboyish voice rang out as its cyan owner crashed hooves-first to the ground in front of the door. "Hmm?" Rainbow Dash fixed Cloud Kicker, and to a lesser extent Volare, with a vicious glare in her rose eyes that froze the two Pegasi in their tracks. From around the corner of the building poked Pinkie's poofy-maned head, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Dash had made it just in time.

"Oh, heya Boss," the unfazed Cloud Kicker waved a cheerful hoof. "Good news: Volare and I had a little chat and we got him over his little taboo! So we're just striking while the iron is hot, and-"

"Uh, no you're not," Dash stomped a hoof and, to the surprise of all, grabbed Volare's hoof and sent him spinning away towards Pinkie Pie before turning back to face her Lieutenant, wings flared and lip curled. She had no intention of letting Volare get hurt like this. That and it might have been due to what she'd seen in her dream, but all she cared about right now was keeping him safe. "You honestly expect me to believe that crap, you horn-dog on hooves?" Volare moved to get between the two mares, but Pinkie held him back with a shake of her head.

"Whoa, haven't heard that one before, Boss," Cloud Kicker rolled her eyes and took a step closer, her fighting blood up at the prospect of being denied like this; she wasn't even giving her a fair chance! "And yeah, I expect you to believe it! Besides, you've got no bearing in the matter and have been leading the poor guy on for way too long! It's time to stop playing around, Rainbow Dash," Cloud Kicker's words struck at Dash's heart, and she stumbled back a half-step before regaining her bearings. "I mean, I like messing around with stallions too, but you take this horseapples to a whole new level of blue-wing sadism. It's not his fault what happened back in the-"

"YOU SHUT THE BUCK UP, LIEUTENANT!" Rainbow Dash exploded with such violence that Pinkie Pie quite literally leaped into Volare's hooves in fright and caused Cloud Kicker to fall on her flank, stunned. "What happened back then is between you, me, and a few others and nopony else! And as far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one around here allowed to sexually harass Volare and that's final!" she stomped a hoof and snorted, half an inch away from bowling the lavender Weather Lieutenant over, while Volare's jaw dropped in shock.

"Finders Keepers? Really, Dash?" Cloud Kicker snorted in return and picked herself back up. "You think that's fair for him?"

"It's not what's fair, it's what's right!" Dash growled and flicked her eyes towards the navy blue pilot.

"Wow, you're really gonna pull rank to beaver-dam me, Boss?" Cloud Kicker rolled her eyes, gave Volare a sympathetic look, and sighed. There was just no arguing with Dash when she was like this and as much as she wanted to kick her plot for this...Volare didn't need to see them fight over him. "This may be a whole new low for you. I just hope Volare gets a clue, stops letting you screw with him, and moves the buck out if you don't knock it off, cuz I'm not the only pony who's noticed the crap you're pulling, Captain. Good luck, flyboy-"

"Yeah, whatever. Hey Ferrum!" Cloud Kicker called out to the old blacksmith who'd been watching the exchange alongside Faber and a over a mug of beer. "I'm all horny and frustrated. Wanna go to the zoo with me?" She was answered by the expulsive blast of Ferrum's beer all over Faber's face, causing the Scoltspony to roar in surprise and knock their table flying as he chased his great-uncle, shouting every curse word known from Equestria to Scoltland and back. "Hmph, oh well. Hey, Rainbow Dash!"

"I just hope you know that he deserves better than what you're giving him...a lot better." And with that last parting shot, she took to the skies, blasting through the scattering cloud formations that she and Volare had piled up over the past few hours and leaving the trio of ponies alone near her home.

"I'm uh....gonna go," Pinkie Pie wisely said as she gave Volare a quick hug, whispered "it was for the best" in his ear, before hopping off for Sugarcube Corner. It wasn't until she'd gone that Volare realized he was all alone with the still irritable rainbow mare, her back turned towards him as she heaved in shaky gasps every few moments, and he took a step forward and spoke to break the silence.

"What?!" Dash snapped, turning around to face him. The glare in her eyes made him back up slightly and she immediately softened her gaze and put a hoof over her eyes, trying to hide how mortified she was at making a scene like that over him...again. "I mean...what's up, flyboy?"

"I appreciate the concern, but you didn't have to do that, you know," she lifted her eyes to see wearing what she misread as a half-scowl, and his next words only irked her further. "She was telling the truth. We seriously did talk things out and I was just being gracious."

"Yeah well it's a good thing I stopped you then," Dash snorted. "She's about as loose as you get in more ways than one, and it wouldn't matter to her if you were gracious or not. In the morning she'll be gone and won't give a flying feather about you sticking around."

"No buts, now you listen to me, Volare," she took him by the shoulders and stared into his eyes. "I did what I did because I"- care too much about you to let you get hurt like that...damn, I can't say it...not out here like this. Feather it! "...Because you're too emotionally fragile to handle a one night stand with her," her bullish pride moved her mouth before her common sense could stop her. "Because once she kicked you out of bed, you'd come running back to me, you'd cry on my shoulder and I'd have to play love doctor till you felt better. So I'm just saving me a wet shoulder and you the embarrassment by heading it off at the pass." Volare stared at her in stunned silence as she reached up and patted him roughly on the shoulder. "You're welcome."

"And I said you're welcome. And don't mention it again." She saw the irritation and pain in his eyes, and her heart squinched just as bad as before, knowing that even when she tried to do nice things, she couldn't help but hurt him in some way. And Twilight wants me to be subtle? Tch, like that'll ever happen... "Just...just go home or something..." Dash muttered before running off down the street, head hung in shame. She only wanted to put some distance between herself and him so she didn't have to talk about what just happened, so much so that she didn't look where she was going when she rounded a corner and crashed into a hanging sign, bounced off a tree, and spun into an alleyway before tumbling to the ground in a miserable, sobbing heap.
She'd pissed him off again, she'd hurt her Lieutenant's feelings, and now she was laying in the dirt like a dog, but she didn't care. She didn't care about the filth in her feathers, the grime in her mane, or the mucus running from her nose. For the first time since she could remember, her only self-centered thoughts were negative; there wasn't a shred of positive confidence or bravado she could pull from to console herself with. I'm a bad pony...I'm nothing but a bad pony to him...I don't wanna be but I just...I dunno anymore...
...you're not a bad pony.
Yes I am! And there's nothing's gonna change that! I'm not fixable!
...you're not a bad pony, Dashie.
I AM a bad pony!

Nopony was more surprised than her when a rust-red hoof gently tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked up to see Ravenfire smiling down at her. "You're not a bad pony, Ms. Dash," the older mare said softly.

Great, guess I was saying that out loud... But Dash was so hurt and embarrassed and mad at herself that she couldn't care, and she simply laid her temple against Ravenfire's hoof and cried as the older mare sat down next to her and dusted her off. "Why?" she asked after a while. "Why do I keep hurting him like this?"

"Ms. Dash, I saw everything that happened," Ravenfire smile and knocked the dust out of Dash's mane. "You keep hurting him because you care too much for him for his own good...but you don't act on it until he's in trouble."

"Say what?" Dash sniffed and looked up at her, feeling something familiar in her gently smiling features, something she hadn't felt in years. But it was so vague that it couldn't be her...no, that's impossible and you've said enough stupid stuff so just shut it already, Dash.

"You need to let him know how you feel when he's not in trouble and you can't use that as an excuse. And don't tell me you don't care for him," Ravenfire placed a hoof over her mouth to cut off her objection. "Because everypony, even Cloud Kicker whom you know could likely beat you in a fight yet you jumped in there anyway on his account...even she can see that. And as much as you may hate to admit it, your Lieutenant is right: it's time to stop leading him on. Either act upon your feelings and be forthcoming about your intentions, or be ready to let him go."

"But I just...I don't...grah!" Dash growled and rubbed her face with a hoof to hide her blush. Dammit, I'm acting all possessive and crazy like Twilight was! "I don't know how, ok? I'm just...I don't wanna get...I...I..." she sniffed and hiccuped, completely overcome with emotions that she'd long thought herself above falling victim to.

"Shh, it's ok...you're not a bad pony, I don't believe you're petty and sadistic...you did the right thing today; you just need to follow through, that's all," Ravenfire hugged and rocked her gently as a mother would her own foal, a sensation that to Dash was so unfamiliar and distant that she didn't know how to react at first. But slowly she loosened up and let the older mare rock her back and forth in the street, praying to Celestia that nopony saw them. But of course somepony saw them, or rather, some-raven. The white-necked, black bird stared down at the scene below the clock tower in which it was perched for a few more moments before winging away with a low croak. Things were getting...interesting.

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

October 17th, Late Afternoon, Sugarcube Corner...

The day around Ponyville had been chilly but sunny and cheerful, with everypony going about their business as was their wont, the vendors vending, the craftsponies crafting, and the bakers baking...well, all but one particular pink baker who had her chin in hooves and was staring down at her formerly hot cocoa-now rather lukewarm-and three strawberry cupcakes, none of which had so much as nibble taken from them. Ravenfire looked up from her own pastries in growing concern as Pinkie once again heaved a great and heavy sigh. Until today, every moment she'd seen the pink party pony had been filled with grins, antics, and enthusiastic conversation that bordered on the hyperactive at times. But to see her so downtrodden and out of her element disturbed Ravenfire quite a bit...although she could wager a guess as to why she was acting like this.

"Ms. Pie?" the older mare said as she brushed her hoof against Pinkie's elbow. "You haven't touched your cupcakes-"

"Here, have them," Pinkie Pie mumbled and pushed them across the small table before returning to staring at the melting marshmallows in her cocoa. Unlike the first time she and the older mare had sat down for an in-depth chat, in which Pinkie had learned that Ravenfire was from Roam and that Pinkie was originally from a Rock Farm, she'd been nearly wordless this time around, quite the feat indeed, and one which Ravenfire felt warranted an explanation.

"No, not really," Pinkie shook her head and frowned at her cup. "I think I really messed things up between Dashie and Volare-bear."

"What? How so?" Ravenfire cocked her head. "And what do you mean 'between them?'"

"Don't be all "beat around the bushy" with me, Raven," Pinkie glanced up with a touch of annoyance in her voice. "You can see it just as plain as day. Besides, Dashie told me what you said to her."

"I told her I was sorry I over-reacted to what was happening between Volare and Cloud Kicker, that it was my fault that Dash got all riled up," Pinkie sighed again. "She told me it wasn't my fault, that I didn't understand the whole situation. And maybe I don't, but I do know this: whatever there might be between Dash and Volare...I think I broke it."

"Because Dashie needs-" Pinkie stopped herself short and glanced about the room, confirming that they were the only ponies there before leaning towards Ravenfire. "Did Dashie tell you how she feels about stallions?"

"More or less," Ravenfire nodded. "Though not in detail. She doesn't trust them, that much is obvious."

"Mhm, that's right," Pinkie winced as if recalling a nasty memory before shaking it off. "I want her to be happy-that's my job with being the Element of Laughter and all-and I think that what she needs is somepony in her life. Somepony to share that big ol' empty cloud house with and...not make her feel so alone up there," Pinkie smiled sadly. "And I thought Volare could be that pony to make her happy, but...now it's all ruined." Her forehead sank to the tabletop and she groaned. "I talked to Cloud Kicker about what happened, and she was doing the right thing...she was trying to get Volare over that species issue cuz it was causing him too much stress. But Dashie doesn't see it that way and, well you saw what happened. And now it's just so...grrr...darn broken!"

"There there, Pinkie," Ravenfire patted her back gently. "It can't be that bad. I mean, if Ms. Dash told you what I said for her to do, surely you know how easy it is for her to fix this."

"That's just it though," Pinkie leaned up and wiped her face with a hoof. "I've seen how stubborn and proud she can be. I watched her crash over a hundred times trying to perfect a trick once, no matter how many times we told her it wasn't possible. It was like we were telling her she was the problem, not the trick. It was like we were saying she was too scared or something, that she'd always lose no matter what she did...and so to prove us wrong, she kept doing it until Twilight forced her to stop. And even then she kept trying it afterwards...it even put her in the hospital." Pinkie grimaced at the recollection. "But she wouldn't give in...she wouldn't stop until Spitfire herself told her it wasn't physically possible."

"Yeah...thing is, she won't admit it out loud, but she's afraid of trusting a stallion and getting hurt. And cuz she's too stubborn to admit she's afraid, and too proud to break first-cuz that'd be like losing-I dunno if she'll ever initiate things," Pinkie took a sip of her cocoa, more to wet her dry mouth than anything. "The other thing is I saw Dash and Volare yesterday and today: they were just...avoiding each other."

"Everything-wise," Pinkie exclaimed. "I mean, they'd leave her house and take off in opposite directions, and today I watched Dash walk completely around Carousel Boutique to avoid Volare. Twice!"

"Ah, I see what you mean. And I take it you think it has to do with what happened between Dash, Cloud Kicker, and Volare the other day." Pinkie nodded glumly in reply. "Well...what're we going to do about this?"

"I dunno...I'm pretty sure Volare doesn't know about Dash's problem with stallions, and he needs to to understand what's going on with Dashie," Pinkie's face creased in consternation. "But I dunno if she'd want anypony else but herself to tell him, ya know?"

"Going by what you've said about her pride, I'd say probably not," Ravenfire frowned and sucked on her teeth for a moment before brightening a bit. "I think I have an idea. Where's Volare at?"

"Huh? What's the idea? And he's over at AJ's with the CMC helping the pumpkin harvest, why?"

"Because," Ravenfire stood up and stretched her wings. "Ms. Dash may be too proud to initiate a conversation...but I doubt Volare would have the same issue."

"Oho, I think I see what you're up to, Ms. Clever Feathers," Pinkie grinned and rose to her hooves as well.

"Oh trust me, you don't know the half of it," Ravenfire chuckled in reply and headed out the door.

"Wait for me!" Pinkie cried and began to follow before Ravenfire turned and halted her with a shake of her head.

"No no, I believe I've got this. Volare and I have an...understanding of one another," she smiled and spread her wings, figuring Pinkie had done quite enough to "help" already. "I'll do my best to set the wheels in motion, Ms. Pie. You focus on closing down Sugarcube Corner for the day and I'll meet you at Sweet Apple Acres."

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie tossed a salute before streaking back into the bakery as Ravenfire took off, her wake soon filled with the commotion of pots, pans, and cooking utensils being hastily washed and tossed into cabinets as fast as Pinkie-ly possible.

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

Sweet Apple Acres...

"Wow, that's a lot of pumpkins," Scootaloo exclaimed as she wiped the sweat from her brow and grinned at Volare, who was breathing rather hard himself.

"Yeah, no kidding-whew!" the pilot shook the dust from his eyes and stared up at the sizable pile of pumpkins he and the CMC had piled up over the last few hours. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had covered the stem trimming, Scootaloo had hauled them half-a-dozen at a time on her scooter and cart towards the barn, and Volare had flown them up and stacked them neatly atop each other near the hay bales.

"All ready for Nightmare Night," Scootaloo giggled and hopped up Volare's back to nuzzle the top of his head with her chin. "Bro, you're gonna love it! The candy, the games, the candy, the craziness, the candy, Luna coming to town and...um..."

"Yeah!" the orange filly bounced on his back in excitement. "Oooh, why's it gotta be so far away though?"

"When is it?" Volare asked as he trotted out of the barn and headed for the farmhouse to reconnoiter with Applejack and Big Macintosh, who'd promised them a heaping helping of apple flapjacks and orange juice after their job was done. It wasn't really "work" per-se, as they weren't actually getting paid for it, but Grannysmith said she refused to let a good bit of volunteer work go without reward, though she was a little confused as to why Volare offered to help just out of the blue. In truth, he'd done so because he believed Rainbow Dash to be terribly sore at him for happened the other day, or at least that's how it seemed, what with her avoiding him and never saying much more than "hello and goodbye" since then. And so he'd given her her space, deciding it was best to let her simmer down before talking with her. Dashie...I'm sorry I pissed you off so bad...

"-hello, Equestria to Volare," Scootaloo tapped him with a hoof, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, and you nearly walked into that tree stump back there too," Scootaloo frowned. "You ok?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine, Scoots," he brushed her mane with a wingtip and put on a false smile; she didn't need to know what happened the other day. It was strictly between him and Dash now. "When was Nightmare Night again?"

"The last Tuesday in October, which is...ummm..." Scootaloo scrunched her face up in an adorable expression that made Volare's heart swell. "The 30th!"

"Halloween? What's that?" Scootaloo cocked her head as they reached the porch of the farmhouse. They could smell the delicious scents of the flapjacks and country cooking from just inside the door, and their mouths watered as they got nearer to their reward.

"Oh, it's kinda the same thing as Nightmare Night. Candy, scares, games, that sorta thing."

"Weird...I mean, same sorta holiday around the same time of year," Scootaloo scratched her head thoughtfully. "How's that work?"

"I have no idea," Volare shrugged, though she had a good point. Just how the heck did those two holidays nearly coincide with each other? And for that matter, what about Hearth's Warming Eve and Christmas? Winter Wrap Up and Easter? He supposed there was a similar New Year's celebration too...and he'd bet money that Faber celebrated something similar to St. Patrick's Day too, or at least some other equivalent that allowed him to drink like a fish. The similarities were uncanny. Why and how did they exist?

"Volare!" a voice hailed him and he looked back to see Ravenfire landing nearby, a look of concern barely hidden upon her face.

"Hi, Ms. Raven!" Scootaloo grinned and hopped off Volare's back to nuzzle the older mare in greeting. Ravenfire returned the nuzzle with a soft smile before turning back to the pilot.

"Aww, seriously?" Volare's stomach groaned in protest. "We were just about to grab some grub."

"I can see--mmm, and smell--that, but good things come to those who wait," she beckoned him to follow her. "There's something rather important you need to know about."

"Can't he eat first?" Scootaloo pouted a bit, but Ravenfire shook her head gently and grazed her neck with a wing.

"I'm sorry, child, but this is more important than food at present. Now you run along and eat. I'll join you shortly."

"Ok, just as long as my bro gets to eat," Scootaloo relented and nuzzled Volare briefly before heading into the house. "He worked his flank off today."

"I'm sure he did," Ravenfire's smile faded into a frown as soon as the door shut behind Scootaloo, and she turned her attention back to Volare. "Why're you hauling pumpkins instead of speaking with Rainbow Dash?"

"Oh, so that's what this is about," the stallion snorted lightly and sat on the porch steps, where Ravenfire joined him. "I take it you heard about what happened, then?"

"Not exactly, no. As far as I can tell, Cloud Kicker hasn't told anypony on the Weather Team what happened, though as you heard her say, they are aware of how badly Dash has been treating you-"

"She has not been treating me badly," Volare suddenly snapped. "That's just the way she is...I'm the stranger to this world and...I've got no right to ask her to change who she is on my account."

"Well be that as it may, she is changing," Ravenfire laid a hoof on his shoulder. "And you are the chief cause of it."

"Great, no wonder she's so pissed at me," Volare sighed. "Cuz I promised her she didn't have to change, that I liked her just the way she is."

"Do you, or do you not, like Rainbow Dash?" Ravenfire asked point-blank, but Volare's gaze slid towards the porch steps. "I mean, that shouldn't be a problem since Cloud Kicker claims to have gotten you over your relationship issue."

"It has nothing to do with that," he shut his eyes and shook his head. "There are too many...complications involved for me to...to have those kinds of feelings for her."

"Yeah, complicated complications," he replied, the tone in his voice brooking no further prodding into the subject.

"I see," Ravenfire sighed and scratched her chin. "Would that be the sort of thing you'd need to discuss with just her, then?"

"Everything!" Volare exclaimed suddenly before snorting and shaking his mane. "I mean, have you seen how pissed she is at me? She won't even look at me anymore."

"Do you know for sure that she's that angry?" Ravenfire cocked her head slightly. "Or that it's even anger she's feeling?"

"Well, no. I've kinda just assumed she was and was giving her some space till she cools off," Volare admitted and caught Ravenfire's skeptical look. "Well, what else could it be, huh?"

"Could be fear," Ravenfire stated sagely, taking Volare by surprise. "And if so, we both know how proud she can be...how hard it is for her to admit weakness or defeat." She gave Volare a knowing little smile. "You really think somepony like that would initiate a conversation and reveal her vulnerabilities so easily?" At Ravenfire's words, Volare's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in realization. "Or perhaps she fears she angered you so badly that you're not talking to her, so she gives you space...and so the deadly spiral goes."

"Oh my gawd, you're right!" Volare leaped to his hooves and looked south towards Dash's house in worry. The sun was sinking lower in the sky and he saw no reason why she wouldn't be home by now. He turned to Ravenfire and gave her a huge hug that caught the older mare off-guard with a small squeak. "Thank you Raven," he grinned and took off for the cloud-tower. "Thanks for everything!" he called back just as Pinkie Pie arrived on the scene.

"Whoa, what'd I miss?" the party mare glanced up at the rapidly-retreating Volare and then back at Ravenfire, who was smiling softly and shaking her head, thanking Luna that she'd gotten through to Volare before Pinkie could show up and "help."

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

Rainbow Dash's house...

Rainbow Dash sat alone on the front porch of her house, watching the sun slowly recede into the West as she cradled the Sky Stone Volare had given her in her hooves. She absent-mindedly bounced it back and forth between them, its movement mirroring the waffling conflict raging within her. She knew Ravenfire was right. She knew she needed to talk to Volare and explain why she did what she did. Hopefully that'd be enough to get him to at least speak to her again. He seemed so distant since she'd argued with Cloud Kicker the other day, and she could only conclude that he had to have been angry for her blocking him, and by pulling rank of all things!
That had been so stupid, but she didn't know what else to do to get Cloud Kicker to back off without it looking like she...liked...Volare-no, that can't be! It's a mistake, it's wrong, I can't...no...he's stuck here cuz of me and if he ever found out, he'd...I just hope he doesn't feel the same. With a heaving sigh of finality, she cocked her hoof back to hurl the Sky Stone as far away as she could, praying that she never saw it again, lest she be reminded of her failures.

...Dashie, come on. You know better than this!
Tell me again why you came back?
...To give you advice on not doing stupid things like this!
I don't think it's stupid. It's the right thing to do.
...What? Running away from your problems!?
NO! I'm NOT running away!
...Then what's this going to accomplish?
I...I dunno, ok?
...Dashie, you need to talk to him.
He WON'T talk to me! He's pissed off cuz I treat him like garbage and blocked him from finally getting a little tail. That's how stallions work and it's never gonna change!
...You're being unreasonable, even with yourself.
Just...he just...he deserves BETTER!!!
...But what about you?
I DON'T CARE ABOUT ME, OK?!

And with that, Dash chunked the Sky Stone so hard that tears welled in her eyes, partly from the pain in her shoulder, and partly from...regret? No, I'm Rainbow Dash...I don't regret anything. I don't lose. She ground her shaky hooves into her forehead and sobbed, holding the noise in her throat so hard that it ached, unwilling to admit out loud what she felt within.

"Yowch!" Came a cry of pain from beneath her. Dash looked up in surprise as the flapping of wings reached her ears. A familiar face poked up over the edge of her porch, one hoof holding the Sky Stone, the other rubbing the top of his head. "Jeez, maybe you're more irritated at me than I thought," Volare chuckled dryly as he fluttered up and landed next to Dash and held up the stone.

"No just...dropped it," Dash lied, doing her best to act aloof as she subtly wiped her face with a foreleg.

"Hmph, well you sure dropped it pretty hard...and in a helluva arc," his skeptical frown faded into a look of worry as he spotted the moisture she was unable to wipe from her cheeks. "Dashie? What's going on? Were you crying?"

"N-no, of course not," Dash muttered as she viciously blinked the wetness from her eyes. "Just got some cloud in my eye."

"Ah, I see," Volare nodded and sat down next to her, avoiding her gaze by occupying himself with the stone. He turned it over and over more times than was necessary to observe the way the light reflected off the golden flecks floating in the pool of deepest cobalt blue and criss-crossing cerulean canyons. It was beautiful, yes, but it was far from the reason why he'd come up here. After a glance that told him that Dash was simply staring at her hooves, ears splayed back and mouth pursed into a frown--avoiding speech but not appearing to want to avoid him--Volare took a deep breath and spoke. "So..."

So she had been crying after all.
"I guess you're still pretty pissed at me," he mirrored Dash's actions and stared down at his hooves, missing the upward flick of interest her right ear gave him at his unexpected words. "I mean, who wouldn't be? I nearly made you get into a fight with Cloud Kicker, me being stupid made you have to pull rank on both of us, and I...I should have controlled myself better. I'm sorry, Dashie. I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I just wanted you to know I'm not mad at you; I'm just giving you some space cuz you're obviously pretty pissed at me for what I almost did...so, yeah." He sighed once more and hung his head, not knowing what else to say. It took him by surprise when he felt Dash's hoof lay itself on his shoulder, and he looked up into her bemused eyes.

"Yeah, I mean...if you'd pull rank on me like that, I'd blow my top," she chuckled wryly.

"Good thing I got a long fuse then," he returned the soft chuckle, but she shook her head.

"But why? I mean, Cloud Kicker got you over your taboo, so why aren't you pissed that your first chance at really getting over it got blocked by somepony who threw her rank around?" Dash bared her teeth in self-loathing. "I'd wanna beat the crap outta me for that!"

"Heh, trust me Dashie...I've already made the mistake of answering a superior officer with my fists," he chuckled once more, though this time was more of a dry croak than a laugh. "You deserve better than that."

"But what about you?" she squeezed his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "What about what you deserve?"

"What have I done to deserve anything more than what I've got?" Volare replied, and Dash nearly growled in frustration before he continued. "You've had my back just about every moment since I've been here, Dash."

"Well, I still think you deserve better," she grumbled and sat down next to him, gazing at the falling sun to avoid his eyes. "That's why I did what I did the other day. Because you deserve better than the town bicycle. Because I was...I was afraid."

"...Of losing you," her sideways glance sparkled wetly in the light of the sunset.

"Volare, look," she turned to him and laid a hoof on the Sky Stone sitting in his own hoof as her eyes flicked back and forth over the cloud fluff between them. Nodding left and right as if debating something within herself, she finally snorted softly and met his gaze. "Did I ever tell you what this is?" she patted the stone.

"Right," Dash nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "But did I ever tell you why it's...important to a Pegasus?"

"No!" Dash said forcefully. "I mean, no. No, we don't." She held up the stone and continued. "In Pegasus culture it's known as Sky Stone cuz of the way it looks. It's important to Pegasi cuz it only exists in deep caves, which we don't normally go in, ya know? They're given as gifts to Pegasi by Unicorns and Earth Ponies as a substitute for feathers when they..." she trailled off and swallowed hard, altering her words slightly at the last minute. "When they really care about the Pegasus they're giving it to. But you didn't know that and I selfishly took it without telling you what it meant."

"Ah, I see," Volare nodded as the implications of his little gift finally dawned on him, and he felt a knot of worry tighten in his belly, concern that she'd misconstrued too much. "Dashie, I-"

"Just let me finish, ok?" Dash sniffled loudly and laid the stone back down. "Ever since you gave it to me I...I've just felt like I..." her eyes rose to meet his, her mouth trying to put words to the emotions rippling through her heart and soul, but her uncertainty stayed her tongue for now, and she laid her head on his shoulder so she didn't have to look him in the face. "I was afraid I'd lose you to Cloud Kicker and...that your first time would suck when you got kicked outta bed afterwards and you'd never wanna be happy with any mare ever and...I just care about you too much to let you get hurt like that, ok?" Her breath hiccuped and her voice cracked as she bit her lip in frustration at her fear and inability to just say it already!
"I just get frustrated when I'm afraid and...I say things I don't mean. And cuz I didn't tell you what that Sky Stone meant, I was throwing it away, cuz it was a gift I didn't deserve. Bet you think I'm pretty feathering pathetic, huh?"

"Pathetic?" Volare said before lifting her head off his shoulder and looking her in the eye once more. "Dashie, if you're the definition of pathetic, than the dictionary hasn't got enough room to hold whatever the hell awesome might mean." At his words, Dash stopped fighting the tears and simply let them flow, though her hopeful facial expression never wavered. "If anything, I don't understand why I'm worth the trouble to you," Volare said as he wiped the wetness from her cheeks with a hoof.

"It's cuz you said I was to you," Dash replied without hesitation this time. "It's cuz you said I'm worth it and...it's only right for me to return the favor."

"Don't feel like you're obligated to do that for me, Dashie. Ever," he squeezed her hoof in his as he stared into her rose-colored eyes with his own increasingly blurry ones. "I'll never be worth what you're worth-ow!" he cried, rubbing his choulder where she'd hoofed him. "What was that for-"

"For saying something stupid," Dash replied sharply. "And that's way less than I'll give to anypony that says that about you. And you can bet bits on that," she grinned fiercely. "That's how much I care about you, and...you better just get used to it cuz it's not gonna change."

"I-wow," Volare gaped, taken aback by her statement. "I-I'm honored, Dash; truly. Thank you."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I..." he trailed off, uncertain of how to put it.

"I...I care about you too, Dashie-a lot," he picked up the Sky Stone and placed it in her hooves with a smile. "So you don't have to throw this away if you don't want to." Dash stared at the stone dumbly for a moment before setting it aside.

"I still don't understand one thing, though," she asked as she twiddled her hooves.

"Cloud Kicker was right: I treat you like crap half the time...so how could you possibly care about me so much?" she looked up at him again, worry creasing her brow. "How could you, when I hurt you so bad...I mean, I pulled rank to stop you from doing what you had every right in the world to do yesterday, and I know I embarrassed the hay outta you. I know I hurt you, so how can you say you care about me?"

"Oh, Dashie," Volare shook his head and smiled softly as he grasped both of her forehooves in his. "I know you got excited because of how Pinkie kinda sounded the alarm, or at least, that's what she told me herself. You handled it the way you knew best: in the most effective way possible. Plus I know "delicate" and "subtle" aren't exactly your strong-suits," he chuckled softly, relieved when she joined in for a moment. "More like "hard-headed" and-"

"...and "loyal to a fault,"" he finished, leaving her staring speechlessly. "And I'm grateful for that...I've never had a friend willing to risk herself for me like that. It's very humbling." He blinked a tear from his eye, unwilling to break the hold he had on her hooves before. "And before you try to say that you're hurting me by your actions, just remember that I said the rest is just small bones. So don't worry about it."

"But I do...cuz all that bad stuff might add up one day and..." Dash couldn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to.

"Hmph, you don't need to worry about that happening, Dashie," he pulled her closer, and her breath caught in her throat, unsure of what he was about to do. "Wanna know how to tell that you haven't hurt me?"

"Silly filly," he smiled softly and winked. "I never once said 'cabbages.'" Dash's jaw dropped at the absurdity of it and she nearly whacked him for making light of the situation. But then she realized he was making light of it not to be nasty, but to ease her worries, and as that cognizance washed over her, she finally let go of her doubt, threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him as hard as she could. She didn't speak, and neither did he--there was no reason to--as they simply held each other, content to feel each other's heart beat against their chests, hear their breaths, and feel the tears of relief against their necks which the cool wind of sky eagerly licked away.
But beyond that outside force of nature which not even the greatest Weather Pony could hope to stop, nothing interrupted them in their solace. One could almost hear another bit of the wall between them crash to the ground. They both knew that if they wanted to, nopony could stop them from taking this as far as they wished right then and there. But its foundation was deep, doubts and complications still remained, and after a moment, Dash released him with a sheepish chuckle.

"Eh-heh, so yeah..." she wiped her eyes, feeling the blush flame beneath her cheeks as Volare did the same. "I still think we're crazy. I mean really...cabbages..."

"Nah, I think we know what we're doing for the most part," Volare chuckled and wiped the moisture of her tears from his shoulder. "Heh, what was that you said about not getting your shoulder all wet or something?"

"Just sayin'," he stuck the tip of his tongue out and she clicked her teeth together in warning.

"Yeah, well in all seriousness, if you ever need anypony to talk to or, even if you have to do something like that, well...I'm not very good at the comforting mushy department, but you can always use my shoulder if you need to," her smile devolved into a half-glare as she grabbed the back of his neck and hauled him closer until they were nose to nose. "But don't you dare tell anypony I said that or I'll give ya a reason to cry on it, ya know?" she growled before booping her nose against his and giggling playfully, though Volare didn't doubt for a minute that she wouldn't make good on her promise.

"Yes ma'am, Captain, I'll keep it between you and me and nopony else," Volare saluted, dodging her hoof swipe.

"Pfft, I'm not your Captain when you're not on the job, so can those horseapples," she pitched a hoof-full of cloud fluff at his head, which he skillfully caught and flicked back at her, catching her by surprise as the puffball splatted against her cheek. "Grr, how'd you do that?"

"Oh haha, no, I mean weather stuff," he swiped up a hoof-full of fluff and fashioned it into a crude version of Dash's cutie mark--minus the rainbow coloring of course--and held it up proudly. "Tada-oh shit!" he cried as the wind snatched it out of his hoof and blew it to shreds.

"Bwahahaha, nice try, flyboy," Dash threw back her head and laughed loud and long for the first time in days, and despite his mortification, Volare felt better knowing he brought her a little joy, even at his own expense.

"Like you could do better," Volare challenged, knowing he was stepping knee deep in it. At his words, Dash's face snapped into a confident grin and she hopped to her hooves.

"Alrighty then, gimme a sec," the pilot galloped off into the house with the Sky Stone, leaving Dash to wonder what he was up to. He emerged a minute later wearing his flight goggles and scarf, as well as the speakerbox in his saddlebag "Figured I'd lend ya a little inspiration and see how that goes," Volare grinned and patted the box with a wing. He placed the earbuds in his ears and concentrated, feeling that familiar prick of pain between his eyes. He wiped the blood from his nose and grinned sheepishly before strapping the goggles over his eyes and stepping to the edge of the cloud porch. "After you, Captain?"

"Heh, sure thing," Dash grinned and bumped him with her hip as she stood next to him. "What're you gonna play this time?"

"Like I said: a little inspiration," he repeated and took a deep breath of the lofty atmosphere before flaring his wings. "Just...let it flow and see what happens. Kinda like an artist, ya know?"

"Hmph, we'll see," Dash smirked. With crack of her neck and a shake of her mane, she leaped from the porch and soared upwards towards the nearest bank of clouds, Volare on her wing as he activated the speakerbox.

The red crystal whirled and hummed as a majestic melody began to flow from deep within his soul, wishing with all his might that he had but just a little more courage to tell her who it was about...

Although Rainbow Dash didn't consider herself a classical fan by any real stretch, even she had to admit that the music filled her with a sense of...awe, especially when the proud aria of a solitary bugle climbed above the underlying harmony of the violins and violas...and then the kettle drums rolled in and the heavier horns blazed to life, lending their deeper voices to the symphony that climbed higher and higher in volume every moment, echoing the rising surge within Dash's chest.
It forced her to go against her dominant nature and slow down. To drift upon the breeze and soak in the symphony of the strings and the cresting brass notes of the mighty trumpets punctuated by the deep baritones of cellos and piano chords that wrapped over and around each other, blending into a rhapsody of majesty and beauty that rivaled that of the fiery sunset that framed the entire west side of the valley.
The music called her to fly, to soar, to forget her pain, fear, and doubt. To simply enjoy the gifts she'd been given-she looked over at Volare and grinned-both physical and otherwise. Despite her joy, a single tear fueled by dozens of emotions at once still managed to sneak out, rolling along her cheek before being blown away into the vast expanse that spread above and below them. The only other time she could recall feeling like this was when she'd earned her Cutie Mark. "Whoa, flyboy what song is this?" she called over the whistling wind. "It's pretty sweet!"

"Heh, believe it or not, the name escapes me," Volare winked and took her hoof in his as they neared the small mountain of fluffy white cumulus lit a burning golden-red by the light of the falling sun. He closed his eyes and bobbed his head back and forth, his eyebrows rising and falling with the notes like a conductor's baton in an almost comical fashion, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he flew. Or at least it would have been comical if not for the emotions that rocked Dash's senses once he made contact with her.
They weren't as strong as the last time they'd hit her, but they were there: Happiness, freedom, joy, the thrill of being alive, heart-pounding fear dissolving into the simple staccato beat of a heart racing with adrenaline and the promise of what was to come. Speed...rushing...diving, looping, whirling, braking, zipping, shooting...silence but for the wind itself and the puff of their breaths in the high altitude air. "And if you think this is awesome," his voice came back to her through the emotional rapids she was riding upon, and she turned to see his eyes open as he grinned at her in anticipation while a mass of French horns belted out a rising tempo. "Then you ain't heard nothin' yet!"

They hit the clouds together and blasted through the towering pile of peaceful fluff, carving a tunnel as one would a road through a mountain until they shot through to the other side, revealing a gently undulating ocean of near-silent floating ice crystals that stretched towards the northwest as far as the eye could see. Unless Dash missed her guess, this was almost the exact spot where they'd first flown together for real, right before Volare had his wing-

"-Hey Dashie!" Volare's enthusiastic voice called out as the music sounded a great crash of cymbals, rolling drums, and foreboding trumpets. "Let's see a few of those tricks you promised me way back when I first got here!"

"Y-you mean my old Best Young Flier's moves?" she asked, shaking the thoughts of that dark night from her mind and focusing on the joy she pulled from the music and from the touch of his hoof.

"Yep, unless those are too old hat for ya," he grinned at her little scowl and motioned towards the sea of clouds as a pounding drumbeat took over. "Your stage awaits, Captain. Show me whatcha got!"

"Ha, hope you brought your avalanche helmet flyboy, cuz you're about to get rocked!" Dash puffed out her chest, gave his hoof a final squeeze before relinquishing her grasp, and dove for the surface of the fluffy white ocean as the music's tempo increased considerably, a shredding rock guitar now backing the strings and woodwinds in an intense harmony she had absolutely no qualms about flying to. With a grin of exhilaration, Dash dove towards the clouds at top speed, pulling up at the last moment and galloping along the fluff, wings flicking in time with her hooves as they kicked up puffs of ice and water vapor at every step, blazing a trail across the clouds.
"The Super-Speed Strut!" she announced proudly, her own personal fantasy from the past about performing these moves for the Wonderbolts flashing through her mind. But her crowd wasn't the fantastic flying team, just her singular friend Volare...but that doesn't mean I won't give it a hundred and ten percent!!

Damn, she's graceful, Volare thought as Dash kicked off the clouds and rolled up into the wind, the backing strings seeming to mirror her actions as they climbed higher and higher in tempo. Up and up she climbed into the darkening sky until she wasn't more than a small blue speck in the atmosphere. With a fierce look of determination plastered across her features, she crossed the sea of clouds high over Volare's head, forcing the pilot to crane his neck back as he watched her glide at top speed, her wings spread and her legs pointed fore and aft of her body while she executed an elegant barrel roll, her mane and tail fluttering along her behind like multicolored banners.

"The Fantastic Filly Flash!" her shouted breath puffed into the chill air as she suddenly folded her wings up at the apex of the roll, tucked in, and dove straight down in a spiral, right at Volare! The stallion could see the devilish smirk on her face as she rocketed towards him--apparently without any intention of stopping--the strings and brass blasting their message of majestic madness across the sky as she plunged.

"Oh shit Dash, watch out!" Volare cried, but just as he prepared himself to leap out of the way, she extended and flared her wings, kicked back off the air, and executed a near-perfect right angle pull-out, one forehoof extended, the other waving at him, and her grin huge and impish as she shot off into the sky once more, trailing a spectrum-colored smear through the air behind her. The strings reached a fever pitch as she rocketed upwards, rolling off in a Chandelle Turn before shooting towards a towering chimney of clouds, the wind whipping her mane into a prismatic firestorm as she tossed it and grinned down at her one-pony audience, totally engrossed in the excited anticipation of what was about to happen.

"And for my grand finale!" Dash announced, her last word nearly muffled by the clouds she slammed head-first through. She popped out the other side trailing a long line of billowy fluff in her wake, the icy mare's tails crackling with static from being suddenly sheared off of their parent cloud. Dash looped high in the air as the strings pelted out a high-energy interlude, all eyes and ears on the intertwining performances taking center stage in the Equestrian evening sky. As the guitar and brass began to reinsert themselves into the movement, Dash tucked tail and arced downwards once more, the clouds still following her like a feathery electrical tail.

"Oh my god..." Volare breathed as Dash streaked overhead, the air crackling with so much energy that it made Volare's mane stand up on end. The staccato drumbeat smashed back into the symphony and framed Dash's flight as she put on a burst of speed and distanced herself from the mare's tail, suddenly doing an about-face and kicking back off the clouds, rocketing back towards the clouds at top speed.

"The Buccaneer Blaze!" she crowed, the wind chilling her grinning teeth as she cocked a hoof back, tensing her muscles like steel cables while she focused on the center of the train of clouds flying right at her. As the music crescendoed, she slammed her hoof into the lead cloud, stopping it dead in the air and causing the trailing clouds to smash into the front one, piling higher and higher like a cresting grey-white tsunami until the stress became too great...and in a massive electrical explosion accompanied by roar like ripping velcro, the cloud wall split apart from top to bottom and shot past Dash, filling the air between them with crackling static and golden-white sparks.

"Holy hell, that's awesome!" Volare whooped and pumped a hoof as Dash executed a gentle loop, allowing her heart to calm down and the wildfire in her spirit to quell itself alongside the draw-down of strings, the gentle rumbling of drums like receding thunder, and the outro of proud brass. The Element of Loyalty came about and glided in to the music, a wily grin on her features and her chest heaving in great breaths of exertion that filled the air about her with puffs of steam. With a flourish of her wings and a hoof on her chest, she gracefully fluttered down and landed beside Volare, opened her eyes, and promptly started giggling uncontrollably at the slack-jawed look of awe on his face.

"Heehee-haha, whatcha think of that, flyboy?" she hoofed him and sat down on the clouds. "Up to your standards of awesome?"

"Wha-nah, not really," he scoffed and dodged a swipe of her hoof with a chuckle. "You left the standards back there somewhere," he waved a wing back behind him and promptly received a playful hoof-noogie from Dash.

"Heh-heh, that's more like it," she nodded before catching the barely-concealed snicker behind Volare's lips. "Ok, what gives?"

"Well, um...kinda wish I had a camera right now," the pilot's lips bulged and he clapped his hooves over his mouth to stop the laughter. "And that you had a mirror!"

"Y-your-heehee-mane. It's all-pffft-I can't-hahaahahahaheehee!!" Volare burst into giggles and fell over, laughing fit to kill as Dash clapped her hooves over her head, only to find that her last trick had static-charged her fur. Her mane, wings, and even her tail were all frizzed out with static, and she groaned in mortification. She'd been trying to show him her stuff, but all she'd done was make him laugh. "Aww c'mon Dashie, it's not that bad," Volare patted her leg once her saw just how blushed her face was and how she hadn't relinquished her hooves' protective position over her mane.

"Yes it is," she grumbled, trying to smooth out her mane but to now avail. "Makes me look like crap." But she suddenly felt a hoof pull hers off her head and she turned to glare at Volare in annoyance. "What're you-"

"Dashie," Volare smiled and held her hooves in his. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing in the world right now that could make you look like crap. That was some damn excellent flying, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart," he thumped himself in the chest and his grin widened a smidge. "Feel better?"

"Much, thanks," she smiled gratefully as she recalled her series of stunts. She'd pulled them off countless times before, but never with backing music and never with emotions like that burning through her blood. Heh, guess that means it'll never be as awesome unless he's there playing for me...oh well, guess I can live with that. "From the bottom of my heart," she patted her own chest and nodded.

"Heh, guess I'm a little miffed that I'll probably never learn how to do that stuff myself," Volare shrugged.

"Pfft, it's not that hard," Dash tossed her frizzed mane, though she allowed her hooves to stay in his. "Just takes practice is all...lots of practice. But..." she suddenly grasped his hooves and pulled him closer with a grin. "Like I said, I can teach ya if you want-yow!" she and Volare yelped at once as static leaped between their muzzles and zapped them. She rubbed her nose with a huff before catching sight of Volare's mane, and this time it was her turn to fall over laughing. "Haha! Who's all frizzy now?"

"Heh, I've had much worse," Volare blew her an indignant raspberry which netted him a quick yank of his scarf, flopping him down beside her as she continued to giggle. Volare felt heat bloom in his face at the close proximity of her body, but he pushed his concerns aside and simply enjoyed the moment as they laughed until their sides ached and the sun was halfway below the horizon. "Whew!" he huffed and fluffed up a piece of cloud to lean against, patting it for her to join him which she did with a nod of thanks. "So..."

"So..." she echoed and they chuckled once more for a bit until a sudden chilly breeze caressed her body, causing her to scoot closer to him for warmth. He raised a brow but held his ground as he stared up into the sky as Luna prepared to roll in the night, while Dash stared out at the sunset.

"Yeah, kinda mouthful without those nicknames," she chuckled and flicked him with a wing.

"What about the Buccaneer Blaze? I mean, outside the Sonic Rainboom, that's gotta be like your best move, right?"

"Heh, you could say that," Dash buffed a hoof on her chest. "It's no big deal, really."

"Um..." Dash suddenly looked down and glanced side to side. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Ok, you're gonna be like the first pony I tell this to, so ya gotta swear you won't tell anypony, ok?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Volare recited and received a hoof to the shoulder.

"Pfft, ok no need to break out the Pinkie Promise. Still, this is uber secret," she leaned closer and whispered. "That trick's not originally mine."

"Wha-no!" Dash whacked him with a wing. "I'd never use another Pegasus' tricks without permission dude. I'm not that desperate for attention, ya know. Besides, my reputation'd be ruined if everypony thought I stole my tricks."

"Oh, eh-heh, you know," Dash waved her hoof in a noncommittal little circle. "You've seen her picture before."

"Hmm? Oh, that old Wonderbolt on your wall?" Dash answered his question with a wordless nod and a slight frown. "You ever gonna tell me who she was? Like, was she the reason you got interested in joining the Wonderbolts or something?"

"One of these days, probably...and wait-how ya figure that?" Dash swiped at a loose piece of cloud that floated past her nose to avoid Volare's gaze.

"Well, her poster looks a lot older than the other ones, and the current Wonderbolts don't look much older than you do. And since you've said you've wanted to join them since you were a filly, I just put two and two together," he shrugged. "How's my aim?"

"Eh...you could say she had a hoof in things back in the day," Dash smiled fondly and sighed before catching the look on Volare's face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing I just think it's nice to respect your roots every now and again," he flopped back on the cloud with his hooves under his head, watching the stars wink into existence on the far eastern horizon.

"I suppose so," Dash nodded and mimicked his position for a few silent moments. "Hey, what about your roots, flyboy?"

"Yeah. What got you inspired to be a Blue Angel pilot?" Dash nudged him with an excited grin. "C'mon, tell me!"

"Uh...well," Volare trailed off, his throat suddenly very dry as a host of memories, some good, and some horrible waged a sudden assault on his mind. His mom...his dad...his sister...his wingman...his plane...his honor... he'd never get them back, so what was the point of even talking about it? He felt a momentary twinge of anger prick his heart at being stuck here like this before remembering that he wouldn't even be alive without the wonderful mare lying next to him...God...if only I could tell her WHY! He must have been grimacing outwardly for he suddenly felt Dash's hoof squeezing his foreleg as she leaned over him with a look of concern.

"Nothing...it's nothing," he lied, fighting the tears back with every bit of strength he possessed and biting his lip so hard that it-

"Dude, your lip is bleeding," Dash sighed and pressed a piece of icy cloud over the wound before giggling lightly, her cracking voice chasing away the darkness that threatened Volare's mind like sunlight would a shadow. "Heh, guess you can't talk right now, so I'll just throw some guesses out there. Let's see, um...was it some famous war hero? Nonono, not that, uh...a bigger brother? No wait, you didn't have a brother. Hmm...I guess you saw them a bunch when you were little, right?" Volare finally nodded. "Yes! Ok, uuhhh...well it obviously couldn't have been yours truly," she smirked while Volare simply rolled his eyes. "Ok ok, serious face on! Hmm...I'm gonna go out on a cloud here and say...your dad was a Blue Angel, maybe?"

Volare's eyes widened for only a moment, but Dash caught it. "Ha, couldn't hide it from me forever, dude. Wow, so your dad was a Blue Angel pilot? That's pretty sweet! How good was he? Was he a pilot a long time? Who inspired him to fly? Ohhh, was it his dad?" Volare's head spun at the sudden deluge of questions and he motioned for Dash to take the cloud off his mouth.

"O-tay, Ah...oh thit," Volare groaned at his cold, numb mouth as Dash burst into a giggle fit and rolled about on the cloud at the ridiculous sight of Volare laying there with a frizzed mane, lolling tongue, and annoyed squint. When she buried her face in the cloud to muffle her laughter, Volare slyly gathered up a heaping double hoof-full of clouds and tried to whistle to gain her attention. Failing that rather miserably, he poked her with a hoof, and when she popped up to look at him he splattered the cloud fluff all over her head.

"Blech, you're asking for a whoopin', flyboy," Dash growled and spat puffs of ice before realizing his ploy. "Heh, very sneaky, Volare but I'm onto your little game. Trying to get me all distracted so you don't have to answer my questions. Pretty slick, but I wasn't born yesterday."

"Heehee, take your time," Dash fluffed up some cloud and reclined upon it as Volare fumbled with his mouth. Looking at him, she had to admit that beneath the awkwardness, the bad mane, and the weird habits, she saw a pretty nice guy, one whom she was trusting with a few little secrets she'd never told anypony else. Maybe even one that she could...
...That you could what, Dashie?
Grr, none of your business.
...You speak to me like I'm actually a voice in your head sometimes.
Well if you're not, then what the hay are you?
...I'm just a coping mechanism to help you make judgment decisions in your lonely times of need. Your conscience. That's all. I'm your slow down and think it through side, something you sorely lack sometimes. Like right now.
What the-whaddya mean right now?
...You're too quick to deny yourself what you want. Why? That's not like you.
Because he...I don't...look, if he knew the truth, he'd-
...The truth about what? That you-?
No I feathering don't, ok? If you're part of me then you know what I'm talking about. I...I can't. It wouldn't be fair for him.
...Well, despite the unnecessary stress you're putting yourself through, I must congratulate you on one thing, Dashie.
Yeah, what's that?
...That you've finally started putting others before yourself.
Yeah well, he deserves better, so-
...Then BE better!

"-Uh, Dashie?" Dash's head snapped up and she blinked at him in bemusement before she realized his mouth was working again. "You um...were you talking to yourself?"

"Wha-nah. What kinda crazy pony does that? Not this awesome one," Dash flicked her hoof through mane, though she inwardly cringed a bit at the artificial bravado in her voice. "Anyways, you were gonna answer some questions?"

"Yeah, I suppose I was," Volare chuckled as he swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Yes, my dad was a Blue Angel, in fact he was the best...or at least, ya know...to a little twelve year old boy he was," he half-smiled at the fond memories, trying to focus on the positive bits. Dash caught the strain in his face though and she placed her hoof over his and nodded for him to continue, though she had a growing feeling this was some of that "tearing open of old wounds" Twilight had warned her about. But Volare smiled wryly, nodded his thanks, and continued. "And my grandpa was a Blue Angel over forty years ago. I never got to meet him myself, he...he died in combat a long time before I was born."

"I-it's ok. He went down fighting and served well and...I guess that's the best anyone could ask of him," Volare chuckled again, though this was more of a half sob than a laugh. "My dad always told me crazy stories about him, that he was always ready to go get'em, that he was fearless in the air, that it seemed like nothing could touch him while he was in his Phantom Jet."

"Equipment malfunction of all things finally got him. After he served his four years in the Angels, he returned to duty and flew bomber escort during the Vietnam War. Well, one day he got hit in one of the engines by enemy ground fire during a dogfight and...well, without full power, he was basically a sitting duck, and he made his Weapons System Officer eject," Volare wiped his nose and chuckled, this time sincerely. "Heh, funniest damn thing was that even after that, he still shot down another enemy before they finally ganged up on him and...shot him to pieces."

"Damn, he didn't even get a fair chance," Dash's brow furrowed as her grip tightened on Volare's hoof. "But he sounded like a pretty brave guy."

"That he was," Volare nodded and blinked his eyes a few times. "And my dad was inspired by him to follow the same path and be a Naval Aviator. Scared my mom to death when he told her, or so she always said. But he still joined and after a while he was also accepted into the Angels squad."

"He..." Volare paused for a long moment, eyes closed and muttering something under his breath before sighing. "We'll talk about that some other time, ok?" The pained look on his face begged no further prying and to his relief, she relented.

"It's ok, Volare," she patted his hoof and smiled encouragingly. "So I guess you joined the Navy to follow in their footsteps?"

"For the most part, yep," Volare nodded hastily, though it was clear he wasn't being entirely honest. "Figured I might as well live up to the family name, ya know? I mean, Volare does mean to fly after all."

"Wait a sec, was Volare your grandpa and dad's name too?" Dash cocked her head and Volare laughed.

"Yep, that's true," he chuckled and sighed slightly. "Guess it's time you know a little something about me: Volare's not my first name, but my last name."

"Oh really? What's your first name, flyboy?" Dash cocked a brow at Volare's embarrassed head scratch. "Wait a sec, on your flight suit, I remember there being a J before Volare on one of the pockets. That your first initial?"

"Bingo Dashie, you win a prize," he took her wing buffet to the back of the head in stride. "You want "Disappointment" or "A Barrel of Laughs?""

"Oh come on, how bad could it be, dude?" Dash chuckled and prodded him playfully. "It's not something girly is it?"

"What-hell no!" he crossed his hooves and snorted. "It's just...not something you'd be used to hearing, that's all."

"Dude, c'mon," she placed her hoof on his chest and looked him in the eye. "You think something like a name is gonna change what I think of you? If anything, you'll always be "flyboy" to me."

"Pfft, fine," Volare closed his eyes and awaited the expected ribbing. "My first name is Justin."

"You mean you're not gonna laugh it up-hey!," Volare rubbed his hoofed shoulder and squinted at Dash.

"I'm not that petty," she smirked. "Names here are pretty important cuz they tend to have to do with your personality or appearance. So what does "Justin" mean back on Earth?"

"Well, it's Latin root is Justinus, meaning "just, fair, or full of justice,"" Volares shrugged. "Don't really see how that relates to me, though," he caught the look on her face. "What?"

"Dude, that makes perfect sense!" she exclaimed. "I mean, you flew for the military, right? And what do they do? They take care of the bad guys and give out justice and all that jazz, right? So you're like...Flying Justice or something," she grinned.

"I will thank you very much," she poked her tongue out at him and winked. "But...just so we don't damage the mystique you've got, we'll just keep callin' ya Volare."

"Mystique, eh? That's kinda a fancy word for you, Dashie," Volare returned the cheeky grin, eliciting a chunk of cloud fluff to the nose.

"If you say so, Dashie," Volare chuckled and propped himself back up on the cloud. "Doesn't make me think any less of ya either, though."

"Hmph, darn right it doesn't," Dash snuggled up against him and settled back down to watch the sunset as well. But after a few minutes of silence, the thing that had started this whole mess floated to the top of her thoughts once more, all of it compounded by her snug closeness to him as well, though he seemed to be focused more on the fiery sun and Western sky than her touch. "So, um..."

"So, like...you're all over your little issue?" Dash felt like disengaging herself from him, but she knew how uneasy that'd look given the conversation, so she stayed put instead.

"Does this, like...I mean, does this mean things are...different between us now?" Dash asked tentatively, not sure what answer she wanted or expected. Turns out she got a little of neither.

"Oho, you afraid you won't be able to mess with me anymore without worrying you'll turn me on and cause me to ravage you?" His little joke was met with a poisonous glare but he nudged her lightly and smiled. "Trust me Dashie, I'd never try that. I owe you too much, you're my friend, and...I'd like to think I have at least some self-control," he nodded once and squeezed her hoof.

"Yeah, but..." Dash trailed off, uncertain of what to say. "What'll other ponies say about us living together now?"

"Well, considering only our friends knew about my issue to begin with--and I trust them to keep it under wraps--I don't suspect their view on it'll change," Volare reasoned. "Plus you're my Boss, my Captain. Something going on between us wouldn't look too good anyways and I respect that, so you don't have to worry about stuff from without or within. And if anypony's got a problem, we'll explain it to 'em just like that."

"Yep, and if that's not good enough, then they're not worth the trouble to try to reason with anyways," he declared with a light snort. "You're my friend and my Captain, and your reputation matters to me too, so don't sweat it-yah!" he yelped slightly as she ran her wing along his with an impish smirk. "Course if you keep doing that things might take a bit of a different turn," he stuck his tongue out as she laughed.

"Well, don't expect to be able to get away with that scot-free, then," Volare growled and touched the sensitive sole of her hoof with his, drawing a squeak of surprise from the fiery mare as she leaped a full three feet sideways and stared at him. "Heh, seems you're not invincible after all, Dashie. I remember what you said back during our little airshow."

"Oh hahaha," Dash snorted and settled back down, though she maintained the distance between them. She knew he was right, but there was no way in Ponyhell she'd admit that without a fight. I mean, letting a stallion touch me and...even if it's just in play, it's...grah! No, not gonna let him do that. Despite her attitude, Volare sensed her unease.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'll just keep putting up with you messing with me," his response surprised her. "I'll just retaliate in...other ways," he smirked.

"For me to know and you to find out, Dashie," he crossed his hooves behind his head, knowing he was playing with fire but still getting a little thrill out of being the button pusher this time around.

"Yeah, but that still leaves you with blue wings," Dash mused. "How will you take care of that now that you're all...you know, ok with being with another pony and all?"

"Pfft, I've been ok up till now. I think I'll live," he waved a dismissive hoof, but Dash scooted closer once more to press the issue.

"Yeah, but everypony needs to let off a little steam every once in a while," she reasoned.

"So who would it be with?" she grinned and playfully hoofed him. "C'mon, any mare caught your eye yet?"

"Heh, I swear CK asked me the exact same question," he tried to deflect it but she was incorrigible.

"Soooo, tell me!" she bounced slightly as she spoke, doing her best Rarity impression. "Tell me, tell me, tell me! It's gotta be some mare local, right? Oooh, or maybe some stallion?" she snickered at his shocked expression. "That Big Mac sure would be a fine catch for you-"

"Oh gimme a friggin' break, Dash!" he shouted and shoved her to the cloud, landing on top of her as she continued to giggle. She stuck her tongue out as he rolled his eyes and slid off of her.

"Well then who?" she pressed. "Rarity? Nah, too frilly--that's more like a punishment anyways--yech! Fluttershy? Nah, she's too quiet. Pinkie? Nope, too crazy."

"Pfft, like you need any help in that department. You need somepony to level you out," Dash's face suddenly lit up. "Oh I know, I'll hook you up with Applejack!"

"Oh what the hell?" Volare facehoofed. "I don't think I need help with this, Dash."

"Yeah sure, if you had this all handled you wouldn't have been about to hop in the sack with Cloud Kicker," Dash chortled and nudged him. "Hey, what about Twilight? You eggheads are like two books on a shelf. Hay, you guys'd probably take over Equestria if you hooked up," she grinned cheekily. "Plus I think she kinda likes ya."

"Eh-heh, yeah about that..." Volare trailed off, debating whether to tell her about Celestia's letter or not. It would certainly clear the air on that little issue. Then again, knowing how fiery Dash could be, maybe it wasn't a wise idea, especially if he told her what elicited the letter in the first place. Instead, he settled for something around the middle. "Except we'd have to rely on this sucker for us to function as a couple," he patted the speakerbox.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Dash winced, herself involved in an inner debate over whether to break the news that he might be stuck with that crystal for life in order for him to live normally. But she had a bad feeling it'd be like telling a pony they'd be crippled for life, plus they didn't even know for sure if that was how it'd be, so she kept it to herself. "That would kinda suck if it suddenly stopped working."

"Or knowing my luck, if I forgot to wear it one day," he chuckled. "So, nope, as fun as being the cause of Twilight demolishing something in a fit of magic-overload, I think I'll play it safe with somepony else."

"Well who, then?" Dash asked, not even sure why she was doing this.
...It's cuz you want him to be happy.
Yeah, of course I do. He's been through so much crap that he deserves to be happy.
...You could be the one to make him happy, you know?
Grr, stop reminding me. I just...can't, ok? It's not fair cuz of what I know.
...Then tell him so you can stop waffling on this!
Like Ponyhell I will! If he knew then being with me'd be the last thing on his mind!
...How can you be so sure?
If somepony took my dreams, took away upholding the family name, I'd be pissed beyond belief!
...It was an accident, Dashie.
Yeah, good luck making him understand that.
...Never know if you don't try, Dashie.
Yeah, well never try and I'll never fail!

"Uh Dash, you were kinda muttering to yourself again," Volare nudged her and she blinked her eyes and shook her mane.

"Yeah sorry, just...just thinking. I'm good," she put on a grin and leaned back nonchalantly on a cloud. "So, who'd it be, flyboy? You can't tell me you don't have your eye on somemare?"

"Well, um," he stood up and trotted a short distance away, pawing at the clouds. "There might be one pony-"

"It wouldn't matter, though," he smiled wryly as he stared out at the sun. "They're way outta my league."

"Well if you'd just tell me, maybe I could help you hook up with them, dude," she bumped him with her hip.

"Well I can't let my flight buddy get all backed up and stressed out, ya know?" she laid a wing across his back. "What kinda Element of Loyalty would I be if I let that happen? And why the smile?"

"Hmph, I'm just wondering why the sudden interest in everypony wanting me to get laid," he shook his head. "Maybe I'd like something a little more than just a one-night stand."

"Most Pegasus stallions I know just wanna blow off steam and that's it. So for you to say you want something longer-term, it's...well, it's kinda a breath of fresh air."

"Never directed it at you either," he bumped her back and smiled. "But you're welcome all the same."

"Grr, you'd probably drive any mare loco after a week anyway," Dash snickered and mock-sighed. "Guess you're a lost cause. Oh well, you'll always have me to get ya...well, get ya close I guess," she smirked and flicked him with her tail.

"Jeez, or maybe you've forgotten what's it like cuz it's been so long," she teased, meriting a snort in return. "How long has it been since your last one anyway?"

"Relationship or...?" He caught the look on her face and shook his mane. "Oh hell, guess you're just gonna pester me till I tell ya."

"Heh, you know me too well, flyboy," she leaned her shoulder against his and grinned cheekily. "Soo...?"

"Whoa, six months?!" Dash jerked back slightly, her eyes searching his face for any hint of jest, but upon finding none, she let out a low whistle. "Wow...no offense flyboy, but that's gotta suck."

"Well, time flies when you're working hard," he countered lamely. "What, you gonna offer your "help" or something?"

"Nah, I don't give out sympathy ruts," she nuzzled him lightly. "Not my style, ya know? Still, that just...that really sucks."

"Alright casanova, when's the last time you had any fun?" Volare cocked a brow, smirking when she recoiled once more.

"Oh, what's that? Those don't sound like days and numbers, dearest Dashie," he held a hoof up to his ear and his smirk widened as did her blush.

"Sh-shut up, dude," she butted her forehead into his shoulder with a growl. "It's....just been a while since I hooked up with anypony, ok?"

"Well, unlike you, I have my own ways of taking care of business," it was her turn to snicker at his shocked expression. "What? Don't believe me? You're not home all the time, ya know. And being a half mile in the air has its perks...like hiding funny noises. Or don't you remember that little lesson?" she smirked as she slowly drew her wingtip along his feathers, eliciting a low groan from deep in his throat. "In fact, since you've moved in, I've done it...like seven times," she bragged. "Twice with you home, actually," she drew her wing back along his and up his neck, making him inhale sharply. "Believe it or not, unlike you, I can be quiet when I wanna be. So don't you worry about me, flyboy. I can take care of myself pretty well, thank you very much. Heh, wanna know which hoof I use when I-?"

"N-no, I'd rather not," he stammered before she pounded him on the back and laughed.

"You're a riot, dude," she smiled and nuzzled him once more. "Still are and always will be."

"And you're crazy and always will be to me," he shot back and settled onto the cloud with a huff.

"Well, didn't you say you liked a little crazy?" Dash asked and sat down before realizing what she was implying. Volare gave her a blushing sideways glance and she cleared her throat loudly. "Ahem, I mean meh--love's for the birds anyways, right dude?" she chuckled and hoofed him once more.

"Heh, guess if that's the case, if it'll make ya feel a little better, I'll just hold off until I find the right mare."

"Aww man, but with your luck, that might take years," she teased and draped a wing over his back. "Good thing you got me to keep ya company in the meantime."

"Well you're my friend and if that's what it takes to make ya happy, I'll do it," he replied, returning the wing-hug with one of his own.

"Yeah I know. But like I said, you're worth it, so...yeah," he smiled softly, giving her a tentative nuzzle that she returned twofold before snuggling up closer to him.

...Dashie, just do it already.
But what if I-
...Just tell him when you can. He needs it and so do you.
I dunno...
...Really, Dashie? You're gonna try to lie to me?
Ok, ok, maybe he's...maybe he's a nice guy and...maybe we both need it, but...it's been too damn long and I...I still got standards, ya know.
...Maybe they're a bit too lofty. Biggest wings, biggest hooves, biggest...well, you know.
Eh-heh, yeah maybe...just want the best.
...How about biggest heart?

"Yeah, I'm fine," she shivered visibly and fluffed her feathers. "Wind's getting to me a bit."

"I don't feel any wind," he observed before catching a wing to the back of the head again. "Shutting up, then," he chuckled nervously as her wing drew in tighter and she laid her hooves alongside his.

"Good call," she smiled, nipped him on the shoulder, and leaned back against him with a sigh as they watched the last quarter of the sun go down. She felt his comforting heat against her fur, and despite the stoic expression he attempted to maintain, she could hear the nervous drumming of his heart--or then again maybe it was her own--pounding like distant thunder between them. The puffs of their breath intermingled visibly in the air before them before falling to the clouds and dissipating together into the fluff, just as they'd smashed the clouds as one earlier...just as they'd taken on the storm as one...just as their hearts beat as one--she was sure of it now--and just as their bodies lay against each other as one. A combined bit of comforting warmth in the vast, cold sky, with naught but the crossroads of the oncoming night and the receding day for company. A time of day she loved for its beauty but loathed for its lonesomeness...but now she wasn't alone and allowed herself a deep, contented sigh that drew a raised brow from Volare.

"Heh, just...this is just nice, ya know? The sunset, I mean," she smiled.
...Smooth, Dashie.
Oh shut up!
"I just...I mean, I don't watch the sunset very often, at least, not just with anypony," she caught his gaze and held it with hers, the poorly-hidden implication in her speech as clear as the rising moon. It certainly wasn't lost on Volare, anyway as he swallowed rather nervously.

"Oh yeah?" Dash leaned up closer, her eyes fluttering ever so slightly despite something in the back of her mind telling her to get a hold of herself. But she quickly stuffed it into a mental box and blocked it out. At this very moment at least, she felt she knew what she wanted. "How can ya tell?"

"I, uh..." Volare trailed off, similar alarm bells ringing in his own head, though not strongly enough to make him lean away; in fact he did the exact opposite, lost in the fierce rose-tinted eyes of Rainbow Dash. "Because...uh..."

"Yes, flyboy?" her breath washed over him as she attempted to coo tomboyishly, a feat nearly impossible for anypony but her, as far as Volare was concerned. But somehow she pulled it off with flying rainbow colors. "Tell me how you know," their lips were mere inches apart, their hearts thundering so loudly she was sure it didn't matter how high in the air they were; somepony would hear them...but she honestly couldn't give a feather right now.

"Be...cause...if you did..." Volare barely breathed as their lips just began to brush against one another. And in a crowning moment of panicking stupid, he blurted out: "Cuz you'd go blind if you did it too often."

"Wow," Dash breathed, and for a moment he was certain she'd continue until she spoke again. "That's a heck of a creative way to kill the moment, flyboy," she sighed and pulled away with a shake of her mane, somewhat thankful he'd done something to stop her. What am I, Cloud Kicker or something? Stupid!
...No, you're just being pony, Dashie.
Oh, go bother my colon or something. Sheesh.

"Wh-what moment?" Volare asked dumbly, the only thing keeping him from face-desking being the distinct lack of a desk at the moment. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What's wrong with you, man?! "We were having a moment?"

"Nope, it's flying away so fast I can't even catch it," she gestured westward. "Oops, there it goes, crashing and burning in the top of the sun. Oh no, I'm the moment and Volare killed me! I'm melting-oh what a world!" she teased and hoofed him roughly. "That was a close one, though. Almost had me there, dude. Give me flowers and chocolate and I'd have been all yours-bwahahaha!!"

"Damn," Volare snorted in relief, though there might have been a good bit of disappointment in there too. Still, it was probably a good thing, though, as he still had no idea how he'd explain everything later anyway. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Dash wouldn't be cool with him not coming clean first anyway...and since he kinda liked his head on his shoulders...yeah.

"Aww, don't feel too bad, flyboy," Dash nudged him playfully. "There'll probably be plenty of moments later."

"Pfft, sure," he nudged her back, causing her to shove him a bit more roughly, which he returned with a smirk. "What're you doing, Dashie?"

"Heh, maybe I'm-" she smirked and grasped his scarf and hooked another hoof under his foreleg. "-making a new moment!" She suddenly flipped him over her back and onto the cloud with an oof before leaping on top of him, positioning her wingtips to tickle him like before. "Heehee, gonna make ya smile cuz that's what good friends do, right?"

"Eh-heh, with friends like you, Dashie," Volare struggled to lift her up, but she had him pinned helplessly before an idea sprang into his head. "Who needs enemies?"

"Grr, you take that back!" Dash lunged her wings forward but hit only clouds as Volare slipped below the fluff. "What the hay-whoa!" She whirled, red in the face at a tug on her tail to see Volare fluttering there with a smug grin creasing his features. "How did you?!-"

"That trick won't work on me anymore, Dashie," he blew a raspberry her way. "Gonna have to come up with something new."

"Heh, no cloud tricks, no problem-RAGH!" she suddenly sprang off the clouds and latched onto him with all four hooves, pinning his legs and wings and dragging him back down to the clouds and slamming him back into the fluff, knocking the wind out of him for a moment before leaping off of him and landing on her hooves, ready to wrestle. "Bring it on, flyboy! Unless you're...chicken!"

"Bawk-bawk-bawk, chicken!" she pawed at the clouds with her back hooves, pecking at the clouds with her nose, smirking at him the whole time, and making his blood boil. He knew he'd never hear the end of it from her if he didn't do something.

"We'll see about that, Dashie," Volare stood up, made to pounce, and then sank through the clouds and out of sight.

"Whoa, hey no fair!" Dash shouted and stuck her head through the clouds, but couldn't see a thing for all the ice. "Where'd you go-oh hay no!" she yelped as Volare's hoof poked through the clouds and touched her hoof. "You cut that out-yah, stop!" She shouted and danced to the side again when he touched her hooves once more. She keyed in on his muffled laughter and plunged a hoof into the fluff, fishing around until she snagged his scarf and hauling him up to eye level. "Well, well, looky what I caught here. I dunno if he's a keeper, though," she grinned devilishly and booped her nose against his. "Maybe I should throw him back! YAAAAH!!!" With a war-like shout, she yanked him up in the air, whirled him about by the scarf, and tossed him downwards at the clouds. But he managed to grab her hindhoof as he fell, pulling her down with him and hitting the clouds with a muffled splat. They quickly scrambled off each other and crouched down, ready to pounce and go again, neither willing to give up that easily.

.......................
Down on the farm...

"Uh-oh," Pinkie muttered as she stared through the telescope she'd apparently stored behind the farmhouse--'for telescopic emergencies', she'd said--and was now pointing at the sky where it looked like Dash and Volare were...fighting?

"What's uh-oh?" Ravenfire looked up from her catnap and stretched her wings. "I'm old and near-sighted, remember? What's happening up there?"

"Um, ok, I really don't wanna jump to conclusions like with Volare and Kicky, but..." Pinkie twiddled her hooves for a moment. "I think us leaving it to Volare and Dashie to work out was a bad idea."

"What, why?" Ravenfire stood up in alarm and peered through the telescope in time to see Dash body-slamming Volare on top of a cloud. "Oh feather," she muttered and spread her wings. "I don't think this is a false alarm, Ms. Pie. I'll break it up!"

"No, but I've got a giant trampoline in here somewhere," Pinkie called back. "You know, for giant trampoline emergencies just like this one!"

"Um, right," Ravenfire scratched her mane. "You just stay put; I've got this," She took off with a burst of speed that belied her age, and she was at the battleground in under a minute and shouting for the two Pegasi to break it up. To her surprise, they both looked up from atop one another, red-faced (whether from exhaustion or embarrassment, she couldn't tell), and breathing hard--ok, that looks like exhaustion...perhaps this went a little too well. She certainly couldn't see their lower bodies as they were draped over one another. "Um...I'm not interrupting something, am I?" she asked, holding a hoof over her eyes in mortification. "Cuz I can come back later."

"What the-no, no, we're not," Volare looked back at Dash, whose blush deepened even further as she hid her chuckle behind her hoof. "Oh gawd no, we're not. Get offa me, Dash!"

"Say please and I'll think about it," she teased and nipped his ear. "We're just having a little fun is all, Raven."

"Yeah, I can see that," the older mare shook her head and snorted. "I honestly thought you two were trying to kill each other or something."

"Nah, we're good," Dash smiled and rolled off Volare before helping him to his hooves and throwing a wing over his back.

"Heh, yeah we're cool," Volare confirmed. "We, um...had a good talk, and we figured things out. We'll be good."

"Excellent," Ravenfire nodded. "Perhaps it'd be pertinent to explain that to the Weather Team. You know, so they don't think you're having...issues."

"Um," Volare stopped and glanced at Dash before shaking his head. "No can do, Raven. What was said here is between Dash and me and nopony else. We promised each other that."

"Right," Dash nodded firmly before cocking her head. "Why, do they think we're...cuz we're totally not! Right, flyboy?"

"Oh no, it's nothing like that," Ravenfire waved her hooves. "It's just that there's still that matter of someponies seeing you as leading him on, and him as a...well, a bit of a doormat to your antics. No offense."

"Yes, and without them knowing what was said here this evening, if you show up at the next meeting without a problem between the two of you..." Ravenfire trailed off and gnawed her lip. "Well, you can imagine how that would look. What would be assumed took place."

"Yes, and look like I've been hushed up by our illustrious rank-pulling Weather Captain," the older mare frowned as Dash groaned in embarrassment.

"Well how do we fix this, then?" Volare asked as he patted Dash's back. "How do we prove I'm not a doormat and she's not a petty jerk-yow," he rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry."

"S'okay, but you've got a point," Dash said and tapped her forehead. "Think-think-think-think-think! How do we fix this crap?"

"Well, before you two panic," Ravenfire smiled and laid her hooves on their shoulders. "I might have a possible solution that will kill all these birds with a single stone. It's rather old-school, but it's worth a try."

"Well...it's not terribly difficult. And you're both showponies of a sort, right?" Ravenfire's eyes flicked from one Pegasus to the other as she conspiratorially drew them closer "Because it all really depends on one question: how strong are your presentation skills?"

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Notes:
Holy crap, this woulda been up sooner, but the site decided to derp!
Volare: Yeah, sorry about that!
Author: Heh, now we all know your real name.
Volare: Pfft, so?
Author: Justin and Dashie sittin' on a cloud~
Volare: RAGH!!! *tackles* CRASH!!

Blue Angel

by V-Pony

Truth or Dare-Pt 13: ...Is You By My Side