//------------------------------// // Prologue-Pt 8: Secrets and Lies...and Pinkie Promises // Story: Blue Angel // by V-Pony //------------------------------// August 25th, The Gilded Griffon, Late Afternoon... ---------------------------------- “….ok, so lemme get this straight, here,” Applejack said through a mouthful of hay fries, trying to make heads or tails of the information Rainbow Dash had just rattled off before she dug into her own lunch. “Volare was flyin’ in this machine called a plane with a group called The Blue Angels. An’ he saw somethin’ that wasn’t supposed ta be there in tha sky with’im, an’ so he chased after it?” She’d never seen such a machine nor could she imagine why a Pegasus with wings would need something like that to fly in the first place… “That’s right,” Volare nodded as he went over the details of the incident that caused him to be stuck in Ponyville. He idly poked at the mostly-devoured muffin on the table before him with his hoof; it was all that remained of the half-dozen pastries Bon-Bon had brought in. “And then you crashed?!” Pinkie exclaimed over her plate of lemons. Yes lemons…with hot sauce...don’t ask. “Not before I saved him!” Dash cut in, pounding her hoof on the table and nearly knocking her glass of milk onto her dish of turnips. “Don’t leave that awesome bit out!” “Of course not, Dash,” Volare chuckled as she crossed her hooves and smirked. “Better not dude, or I may not save your useless flank again!” He shot her a look which she returned before sniggering. “Or at the very least the next time won’t be on the house.” “Ok, so Dash swooped in an’ saved ya at tha last minute when ya chased that…whatever it was, an’ then your plane fell from tha sky…” Applejack continued, missing the nervous look Dash shot Twilight’s way. The purple Unicorn returned it with an expression that told her to keep calm. “But ya’ll were so badly hurt that Twi couldn’t save yer old body…whoa hang on! Are ya’ll sayin’ ya weren’t always a pony?” She looked down the table at Twilight, and then back to Dash and Volare; all three nodded seriously. “What did you used to be then, Volare?” Pinkie Pie spoke up. “Well, it wasn’t only that his old body was too hurt to save…it’s that I also didn’t know the spell to save it,” Twilight explained slowly as she thoughtfully chewed on the leafy greens on her plate. “So I changed him into something I do know the healing spell for, though the burns left those sooty marks you see all over him; and Dash suggested something with wings, so…” “But you know everything about everything about everything in Equestria, Twilight,” Pinkie said. “For you to not know a spell to fix Volare…that means he’d have to be”- “Not of this world.” Applejack surmised. “I knew it!!! He really is a space monkey!!” Pinkie gasped and threw her napkin at Volare. The cloth hung off his snout before his laugh caused it to it fall off onto the table. Despite the situation, Pinkie was cheering him up with her antics, albeit indirectly. She dove under the table, her pink mane and blue eyes poking up over the edge as she watched the male Pegasus intently. “I-I’ve got my eye on you! Don’t try anything funny or…or I’ll distract you with bananas! Mmm…bananas!” “This is serious, Pinkie!” Applejack gave her a stern look. “I am serious, AJ! Don’t you know space monkies are serious business?!” Applejack shook her head and sighed before turning back to the pilot. “Is that true Volare, about this bein’ a new body for ya?” “…yes.” Applejack’s green eyes widened. “So….what exactly are, er, were ya…before all this happened?” Volare looked over at Twilight who nodded her approval after a moment. He took a deep breath and turned back to Applejack. “I used to be…a human.” His answer didn’t exactly bring the wild, frenzied reaction he was expecting. “…a what now?” Applejack scratched her head with a hoof. She looked to Pinkie for her opinion on the situation. Surprisingly, the pink pony had climbed back from under the table and was sitting there and calmly chewing a lemon. “Do you know what a human is, Pinkie?” “Nope,” she quipped brightly. “He’s not a space monkey, so it’s all good with me.” "Okay, what tha hay is up with you an’ this space monkey business, anyhow?” “I dunno. I had a dream about them and it bugged me, so I’m on the lookout for them,” Pinkie grinned and spat a lemon seed out. Applejack sighed again; It was just Pinkie being Pinkie and trying to think of an explanation to her behavior only elicited a headache more often that not. The farm pony turned back to Volare. “Ya’ll ain’t pullin mah leg on this’n, are ya?” He shook his head slightly and maintained the straight look on his face. Being the holder of the Element of Honesty, Applejack had a knack for spotting liars, but Volare looked like he was telling the honest-to-Celestia truth. “Ah see…” she chewed a mouthful of fries thoughtfully for a moment, the whole table having lapsed into silence as the two Earth Ponies digested this new information. “Well I don’t think it makes any difference what Volare was,” Pinkie piped up with a grin. She leaned across the table and rubbed his hoof with her own. “What matters is who he is right now, and that’s the newest member of our town of Ponyville; and you know what that means!” She grinned widely. “Somepony's got a party coming their way soon and I’m gonna make it my personal duty to make sure he feels as welcome as possible!” “Heh, thanks Pinkie…that means a lot,” Volare smiled gratefully. Even though he still wasn’t ready to call this place his home just yet (he’d been there less than a day after all!), he already felt more than welcome here. Pinkie’s attitude simply added to it. But what about Applejack? “I…er, hope that where I come from doesn’t bother you, AJ,” Volare ventured using her nickname. But no sooner had the words left his mouth than the orange pony hoofed him in the shoulder. “Hey, what was that for?” I swear, between AJ and Dash, both of my shoulders are gonna be black and…well bluer in no time! “Don’t ya’ll be assumin’ nothin’ ‘bout me, sugarcube!” she gave him a fierce grin. “Ya’ll may not be where we come from, but it’s like Pinkie said; it’s who ya’ll are now that matters. Besides, we’ve been through crazier stuff than this, what with havin’ ta fight Nightmare Moon, dragons, cockatrices, Discord, an’ a whole mess o’ parasprites that nearly ate tha whole town,” she tapped her hoof on the table in emphasis for each near natural disaster that had taken place recently. And she hadn't even told him about the Changelings yet... “You make it sound like such an inviting place, AJ,” Volare laughed sarcastically. “Hey, it’s home,” she smiled. “An’ ya’ll are welcome to it in mah book.” “So…you’re really ok with all this?” Volare asked in surprise as he looked around the table. He expected a more…extreme reaction than just ‘yep, it’s all good-you’re welcome to stay.’ “You’re seriously not weirded out, cuz I sure as heck still am!” “Could be worse, dude,” Dash smirked. “At least you didn’t pass out like the last time we talked about how you got here!” “Aha, aha, very funny Dash,” he rolled his eyes. “Believe me, compared to the crap I’ve gone through, I doubt you could make it much worse.” His statement sent a pang of guilt through Dash’s stomach. She could think of one way… But the rainbow-maned Pegasus shook the feeling by giving a loud laugh and pounding the table with her hoof. “Well, now that it looks like you’re gonna be staying with us for a while, I guess it’s time you start learning how to fly like a real Pegasus; like yours truly!” she struck a heroic pose, but was playfully swatted in the face by Applejack’s hat. “Better watch out or that big head o’ yourn is gonna drag ya right outta tha sky, Dash,” she laughed as the Pegasus shook out her mussed up mane. “Well, who better to teach him moves like The Buccaneer Blaze, the Super Speed Strut, and The Sonic Rainboom, eh?” Volare’s ears perked up at the mention of the last one, but Dash only chuckled and patted him on the head. “Silly Volare; only I can perform the Sonic Rainboom!” Applejack rolled her green eyes and Twilight groaned. “Not exactly helping him, Dash,” the Unicorn said. “Oh, come on! That doesn’t mean he can’t still learn and make up his own tricks, right? And I can help him get there!” She pumped a light blue hoof emphatically. Volare grinned at the thought of having his inspiration coach him herself. “You really mean it, Dash?” “Sure do, dude! But you better be able to keep up!” “Not to rain on your parade, but I personally think that you’re filling his head with unnecessary things right now, Dash, especially since he has so little flight experience in his current body,” Twilight interrupted. “Pffft, he’s a pilot; he’s at home in the air, I’ll bet,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “At least, when he’s not crashing of course...” She winced as the words somehow snuck out of her mouth, leaving the table in the midst of a very awkward silence for several long moments. Too soon Dash, you idiot, she scolded herself. “So, um…how much flight experience did you have before, Volare?” she asked, desperate to change the mood. “Well, I’m only 23, which is pretty young to earn the amount of hours I had,” he said with a proud little puff of his chest. “I think at last count before The Angels accepted me onto the squad, I had just over 1800 hours in the air, which is roughly 75 days. That may not sound like too much to you, especially if you’re like Dash and fly every single day, but for a human pilot that can only spend a few hours a day at a time in the air, that’s a pretty significant amount.” The three earth-bound ponies nodded in understanding, though Rainbow Dash still seemed somewhat unimpressed. “And considering you can’t earn tactical flight hours until you join the military at 18, that gave me less than 5 years to accomplish that," Volare added. “Wow that’s…” Twilight spoke up, doing a few calculations in her head. “How many days are in your year on Earth, Volare?” “365, and 24 hours in a day.” “Ok, that’s not too different from here; we have 360 and 24 hours too. Anyways, let’s see…if you spent 1800 hours of 5 years in the air…” “Plus a good 6 hours per day studying on and training for flight-time,” he added. “Right of course…hrm…that means you spent about 4% of your time in the air and…a total of almost 30% of your time dedicated to your job as a pilot! Wow…that’s honestly almost as much time as Rainbow spends sleeping in a day,” Twilight mused. “Hey!” Dash protested to the laughter of everypony in the room. “I don’t sleep that much!” “Well, we know why that is, right Volare?” Twilight said with a wink. “Yep, we already established that,” he chuckled. “Whatcha mean, Twi?” Applejack spoke up. “Oh, well, we figured out Dash acts lazy due to the extra”- “Alright, alright, nopony wants to hear about my sleeping habits from the egghead brigade,” Dash jumped up on the table and stared Twilight down. “In any case, you just proved me right, Twilight.” “About what?” she tilted her head bemusedly. “About how much flight experience Volare has. It’s like I said; he’s at home in the air or doing stuff related to flying,” she grinned and mussed his spikey mane. “In a machine, Dash! Not with Pegasus wings!” Twilight explained with an irritated tone. “That’s why I’m worried that you’re filling his head with delusions of grandeur and that he’ll try to push himself too hard and he’ll get hurt because you put those crazy ideas in his head in the first place!” “Well, I’ve got faith that he’ll prove me right yet again, eh Volare?” She grinned at him, but his inner conflict diminished the warmth he felt from that competitive smile. On the one hoof, I wanna impress Dash, but on the other hoof, Twilight’s right and I gotta be careful till I get used to being a Pegasus…wait, now they’ve got me thinking hoof instead of hand…great…heh, guess the place is growing on me more than I thought. “We’ll see, Dash,” he replied and stretched his wings. “Wow, not gonna lie, those muffins hit the spot. I feel great now!” “Good enough to try flying again?” Dash asked excitedly. “I suppose it won’t kill me to try again,” Volare laughed but Twilight held up a hoof. “But you promised to help me grab some supplies for the Library AND to help Spike clean up the mess you made.” “Oh…” his smile disappeared, but she was right. He made a promise and he intended to keep it. Besides, it might really get him on Spike’s good side. “Eh-heh, kinda forgot about that.” “No worries; I’m about ready to go myself actually,” Twilight wiped her mouth and laid her napkin down before standing up. She reached into her saddlebag and laid out the lunch bill’s payment in bits. “I’ve got it covered this time, you guys,” she assured her friends. “Let’s head out!” “YEAH!!! We’re gonna rock this shopping trip!! Make way, comin’ through, everypony!! Woohoo!!” Pinkie Pie threw the door open and hopped through the café and past a very confused Bon-Bon and Lyra, slapping the green Unicorn a high hoof on the way past. She headed out the front door and began trotting in place like a sprinter before a race, waiting for her friends to catch up. It was all Volare could do to keep from bursting out laughing at her random behavior. “Yay, shopping…” Dash groaned as she fluttered her way out of the VIP room, forelegs crossed in annoyance. “Don’t think this is gonna sneak you outta getting your flank handed to ya later, Volare,” she said as poked his nose with her hoof. “I-I thought it was training!” “Yeah, well we’ll see what kinda mood I’m in when we get back there…maybe I’ll go easy on you again.” Dash grumbled. It wasn’t his fault and it really wasn’t fair to take it out on him, but she wasn’t about to look like she enjoyed shopping over flying either…ew. Applejack caught the worried look on Volare’s face and she nudged him. “Heh, don’t worry none ‘bout Rainbow. She ain’t mad at ya and she’s mostly hot air anyway,” she whispered with a wink. “Ah ain’t much fer shoppin’ neither, so Ah’ll make sure not ta drag mah hooves so ya can get back ta flyin’, sugarcube.” “Thanks, AJ,” she returned his smile with a tip of her Stetson before they too headed for the front door. Twilight had pulled her shopping list from her saddlebag before they even left the café and had it hovering in front of her face as she walked. “Ok, it’s not a big list, but it has a few important items the Library needs, especially kitchen items-whoa!” The distracted Unicorn caught her hoof on a crack in the wooden floor and toppled into Volare’s back, ripping a big hole in the list with her horn. “Bwahahaha, that’s rich!” Dash laughed loudly as Volare helped Twilight to her hooves. She was eternally grateful that the list stuck on her horn was covering her fiercely blushing face. “You ok?” “Yeah yeah, just tripped a bit back there,” she chuckled as he pulled the list off her horn. “Thanks Volare.” “No problem!” “Heh, may wanna wait till we get to where we’re goin’ before ya try ta trot an’ read that list, Twi,” Applejack suggested. “Coulda been worse’n a scuffed hoof if’n ya’ll had wandered outside with that list in tha way like that.” “Good point,” the Unicorn conceded, knowing her friend was just looking out for her well-being. She rolled the list back up and stuffed it back in her bag. But as Volare and Applejack accompanied her out the door, Volare felt a tap on his side. He turned in surprise to see Lyra standing there and shuffling her hooves, obviously wanting to say something important. “Everything ok, Lyra?” Volare looked past the green Unicorn at Bon-Bon who was wearing a frown on her face as she kept a close eye on her friend. “Y-yeah, everything is mostly ok…I just n-need to talk to you about something real quick,” she said a bit nervously. “Oh, that’s alright. Hey Twilight, AJ; you guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a sec!” “Ah’ll wait fer ya, Volare,’ Applejack nodded and stepped outside. The blue and yellow Pegasus turned back to the mint green Unicorn who seemed even more nervous now that his friends were gone, as if she were trying to work up the nerve to say what was on her mind. “Whatcha wanna talk about, Lyra?” He gave her an encouraging smile. Bon-Bon groaned in frustration. “Oh will you just spit it out, Lyra! You’re holding him up!” “I’m workin’ on it! Sheesh!” she yelled back at her friend before calming down. “Well, I also wanna show you something too…” “Oh boy…it doesn’t have anything to do with that “demo” you talked about earlier, does it,” Volare asked with a tinge of concern. “What? Nah, nothing like that; it’s too public here anyways,” she gave the blushing Pegasus a quick wink. “But I can get my hooves on the back door key if ya wanna come back here after closing hours”- “LYRA!” Bon-Bon yelled. “WHAT?!” Lyra threw her hooves up in the air. “Quit flirting with him and get to the point already!” “But he’s not a customer anymore cuz he paid and he’s not objecting, Bon-Bon!” She turned back to Volare. “You’re not bothered by me, are you?” “Oh-ahem-well, not that I don’t appreciate the affection, Lyra,” he picked his words very carefully, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. “But I DO need to be getting back to my friends and it’s just…it’s just too soon. I’m sorry.” “Too soon?…ookaaaaay…” Lyra gave him a squint and then nodded her head towards a side room with a small sigh. “Just follow me for a sec; I feel like I need to explain myself.” “I swear Lyra…” Bon-Bon grumbled at the front desk. The green Unicorn stuck her tongue out at the Earth Pony once her back was turned and then smiled at Volare before trotting towards the room’s closed door. “Heh, we have our differences, but Bon-Bon and I…we make a pretty good team most of the time…just wish the place was jumping more than it is,” she stopped at the door. “But we’ll try that little Fancypants idea of yours and see if it works. Now then…” her tone changed from light and fluttery to very serious. Her horn lit up and zapped the door knob, unlocking it. She turned back and gave Volare a look that matched her change in tone. “What I’m about to show you in here is very important to me. I don’t even let Bon-Bon in here without my permission.” “Then why me, Lyra?” She took a deep breath and let it out in another sigh before opening the door. The room before them was pitch black, though they could see light reflecting off objects on the opposite wall, revealing a fairly small room, almost like a large closet. “It’s you because…well…I’m involved in a certain sort of study of a certain type of creature and…well…please step inside and close the door behind you.” Volare complied and shut the door, plunging them into darkness again. Lyra’s horn lit up with a green glow and she gazed at him with lidded eyes. He swore his blush was adding to the light in the dark room. “Kinda cozy in here, eh buddy?” Lyra giggled before straightening her face again. “Ok, I’ve got one very important question for you.” She looked deep into his silver-blue eyes with her golden ones. “Do you believe in the supposedly-mythological creature known as a human?” Volare’s eyes widened and Lyra giggled again before finding the light switch. As it clicked on, Volare’s vision was assaulted by objects he never thought he’d ever see in a place like this. His lower jaw slowly made its way towards his chest as he looked around the small room. Bicycle wheels, clocks, hubcaps, and car tires leaned against the wall. Tacked all over the place were yellowed newspaper articles 5 and 10 years old as well as magazine covers, faded photographs, maps, and other assorted doo-dads, all from his world. Sitting on the desk in the corner was a cardboard box filled with what looked like gloves and socks. And the crème-de la crème of it all was the dented brass globe as big as he was that sat in the middle of the room, polished and shined with love and care. “Uh, wha-huh?!” Volare managed to sputter before leaning against a bookshelf in shock. “Heh, I know right-pretty amazing!” Lyra trotted towards the middle of the room and turned back to the stunned Pegasus. “Welcome to my gallery of humanity!” Volare, Volare, you gotta snap outta it man! Act surprised! But I am surprised! Well, act like you’ve never seen any of this before!! She can’t know you’re a human, she just can’t! Not yet!!! “Um, wow, Lyra…where did you get all this? I’ve never seen junk like this in my”- “Hey hey hey!” Lyra’s horn lit up and what felt like an invisible finger prodded him in the chest. “This stuff is NOT junk! They’re historical artifacts from the world of humans! A world called E-arth,” she mispronounced the name with a frown. “Crazy name eh? Almost like how we pronounce earth as in ‘Earth Pony’, but different. But this stuff proves they’re not a myth; they are, or were, real at some point!” “This is….this is amazing, Lyra,” Volare said as he regained his composure and trotted around the globe, gazing at the articles that populated the wall in such a great number that hardly any of the white paint beneath them showed through. Even the ceiling had newspapers tacked to it! She’d obviously been at this for some time… “Where did you get all this?” He repeated. “Well, from different spots around Equestria, mostly from Unicorns practicing teleportation spells that summon things from different worlds and bring them here for study. They consider all this stuff trash cuz it’s not what they were looking for; can you believe that?!” She gave the globe an affectionate pat, her hoof ringing lightly on the metallic surface. “So it was all mostly bought or given to me, though I snagged a few pieces via…less savory methods.” “Wow, Lyra,” Volare turned back to her, genuinely impressed, although a small theory was beginning to grow in the back of his mind. If so much human stuff has made its way here…no, there can’t be THAT many coincidences…maybe that means that more of these ponies besides Twilight and Dash know a lot more about Earth than they let on… “May I ask why you’re studying this stuff and why it involves me?” “Sure can! Volare…have you ever encountered a crossroads in life when you see something and it just…stirs something inside you? Like you can feel that your destiny lies along one path, and your current boring life lies along the other…and so you pick the path that excites you?” Lyra smiled up at the stuff on the walls. “I have, Lyra,” Volare replied, thinking back to when he first saw his dad fly his Blue Angels jet in a show; when he decided that no matter what, he felt destined to do the same some day. “Well, this past spring in Manehatten, I was checking out a shop of curios, and spotted this baby,” she patted the globe again. “I asked the old Unicorn working there if she knew anything about it, but she only replied that she’d accidentally summoned it a few weeks beforehoof, but nopony was interested in buying it. I asked what it was, and she pointed out the name here on the base, proving that it was actually a map of that world! She said that when she summoned it, she could vaguely feel other life forms there, possibly even the ones that made this thing.” She then trotted over to the desk and hopped up on it, sitting like a human as she leaned her back against the wall. “I became obsessed with finding out more about the life forms there. I asked everypony I could find in Manehatten to the point where I think I annoyed the hay out of them. But I got nothing! So, I bought the globe from that old Unicorn and brought it here, thinking it would at the very least brighten the place if I shined it up.” She smiled and closed her eyes before continuing. “About a week later, another Unicorn, this time from Canterlot who was visiting Ponyville at the time, came in for a bite to eat. He spotted the globe and told me he had other objects from a place called E-arth; same as the globe! He dug out a hoof-full of these clippings and articles from his saddlebag and said he’d been summoning them for weeks on accident. He of course gave them to me when I asked, saying they were interesting trash, but trash nonetheless and he had no use for them; said the culture they’re from is considered a myth because nopony had ever seen one alive here, and that most of their artifacts are considered elaborate hoaxes…but I kinda doubt that.” She sighed and opened her eyes again. “Ever since I found out this globe wasn’t some crazy fluke, I’ve found more and more of these things here and there. Even though most ponies say it’s a waste of time to study a mythological culture, especially one from another world entirely…well, like I said, I took the road that I felt my destiny lay upon, and I’ve been at this ever since!” She grinned and motioned towards the odds and ends in the room. “So, I take it by the stunned look on your face that you have some questions?” “Jeez…where to start though…” Volare’s mind was spinning. Keep it together man…keep it together. “Alright…I think the biggest question I’ve got is: does the way you sit have anything to do with humans?” “That’s a pretty perceptive question, Volare; you sure you haven’t studied humans before?” She gave him a mock-serious look before erasing it with a smile. “Nah, I kid! Well, from what I can gather, humans sit like this all the time. And I figured: what better way to understand the subject you’re studying than to act like them, right?” “To catch a fox, ya gotta think like a fox.” “Exactly!” “Does anyone-er, anypony else study this stuff?” He wondered for a moment if Twilight and Lyra were somehow collaborating on this. Lyra’s face scrunched into a frown. “Well, not that I know of…like I said, most ponies, including Bon-Bon out there, think I’m nuts for wanting to study it…y-you don’t think I’m nuts, do you Volare?” “Believe it or not, no, I don’t,” he replied with a warm smile. “Call it a hunch, but I think you might be onto something big here.” “You really do?! Oh thank you, Volare!” Lyra grinned and hopped off the desk. “Any other questions?” “Um yes, actually it’s probably the other biggest one in my mind right now,” he replied, trying to hide the worry in his voice. “Why me? Why risk telling me when others don’t share the same devotion as you?” “Well, that goes back to what I said earlier, about having an explanation for my behavior…you see, these human artifacts….they give off a certain, oh, I dunno what to call it. It’s just a certain feeling I’ve picked up on. I get a little more excited than usual whenever something related to humans and E-arth are near me.” * Volare was visibly sweating now. “Oh is that right? How interesting.” “Yeah, and when I met you I just…not gonna lie Volare, you’re a good-looking stallion, but that’s not the only reason why I got a little worked up,” Lyra’s statement made Volare tense up a bit. “When you came in the café, I felt that feeling again…like you yourself have been around more artifacts. You don’t study these humans too do you?” “What, no! This is the first time I’ve seen stuff like this, Lyra,” he lied and glanced around the room. “But you don’t think I’m nuts and you stayed here through my whole little story…so you must be at least somewhat interested in them, right?” “I guess you could say I am now.” “Oh good! Heh, guess my sense for this stuff went a little haywire there, but no harm done after all,” the green Unicorn smiled. “Sorry if this bugged or freaked ya out, Volare.” “Nah, I think I’ll be ok,” he replied reassuringly. “I fell out of the sky earlier today, so this is pretty low on my freak-out list.” “Huh, what kind of Pegasus falls out of the sky though, especially a grown one like yourself,” she said thoughtfully. Whether she meant to or not, her statements were making Volare nervous again; he was just about to say so when a hoof rapped loudly on the door. “I swear Lyra, I don’t know what you’re doing to that poor stallion in there, but Celestia help me, I’ll break down this door if you don’t let him go on about his way!” Bon-Bon shouted with more than a hint of irritation in her voice. “ALRIGHT, SHEESH! Can’t a pony geek out over something without being judged anymore!?” Lyra turned back to Volare with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry Volare; looks like we’ll have to talk about this some other time. Your friends are probably wondering where you got to. Sorry I kept you so long.” “Oh no, Lyra, it’s ok. It was…interesting to say the least.” “Heh, thanks for the support, Volare. You’re a good guy,” Lyra said as she unlocked the door and flicked the light off before leading the male Pegasus out into the café. “Here he is Bon-Bon, all in one piece still!” “Lyra, I dunno what I’m going to do with you,” the cream-colored Earth Pony rubbed her forehead with her hoof to ward off the fast-approaching migraine. “Volare, I’m terribly sorry about that. When Lyra gets to talking about her studies”- “It’s ok Bon-Bon,” he held up a hoof. “Twilight gets the same way. Must be a Unicorn thing; no offense Lyra.” “None taken. Now go get back to your friends! And please come back soon, ya know, for food and stuff!” “I will! Thanks again you two!” Volare gave them a final wave before trotting quickly out the door. “I swear Lyra, you’re absolutely smitten with the poor guy,” Bon-Bon shook her head. “But he was giving me that feeling and I just had to find out; you know how I get!” “Yes yes yes, I know…just try to be a little more subtle next time, especially with new customers.” “Heh, sure thing, pal. Oh, I did notice something else different about him though.” “Oh?” “Yeah, he’s a full-grown Pegasus and…well…he said he fell out of the sky earlier.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “And I also saw something different about his flank.” “Ugh, Lyra, only you…” “What?! Didn’t you notice it too? It was pretty obvious.” “Lyra, I wasn’t that terribly interested in checking out the flank of a new customer, and a stallion at that,” she muttered as she cleaned up after the two Unicorns who’d left while Lyra was in the room with Volare. “I don’t mean it like that, Bon-Bon, although he does have a nice one,” she mused despite Bon-Bon’s growing irritation. “What I mean is what he didn’t have there on his flank, something all adult ponies have; his cutie mark…he doesn’t have one!” “That…is different,” the Earth Pony paused for a moment in her cleaning of the bar. “Strange even. May have to ask about that next time he comes in or something…” “Yeah, no kidding. Full grown Pegasus, no cutie mark, has trouble flying, and gives me that feeling…a strange pony indeed…” ................ When Volare finally exited the Gilded Griffon, he came upon a strange sight. Applejack was waiting for him as she’d said, but there, sprawled on the covered porch, was a winded Pinkie Pie breathing hard and sweating like she’s just run a mile or two. “Um, what happened to Pinkie?” “What in tarnation took ya so long, Volare?” Applejack looked up with irritation. “Did Lyra make a move on ya or somethin’?” “What? No! I mean, she might have, but that wasn’t what we were doing back there!” “If’n ya say so,” she batted her green eyes and laughed before turning to Pinkie. “Anyhow, Twi and Dash went on ta get their supplies, an’ Pinkie here was, well…say Pinkie why were ya trottin’ in place like that fer 10 minutes?” “Cuz I was getting myself pumped up for an awesometacular shopping trip,” the pink pony gasped. “But then I think I overdid it and well, here I am…too pooped to shop.” “Heh, that’s not too big a problem; we’ll have Volare here carry ya since he kinda owes ya. Ain’t that right, Volare?” the orange Earth Pony gave him a look that warranted little argument. “Yep, I suppose you’re right,” he tucked his wings tightly against his sides. “Hop on, Pinkie!” The pink pony suddenly and inexplicably seemed to float straight up from her belly and land on her hooves with an excited gasp. “A pony ride?! How sweet of you, Volare-bear!” She leapt onto his back with great gusto and clamped her hooves around his middle and neck. She was softer than he imagined she’d be, and her bit of mane that dangled in his face smelled like cotton candy and cookies. Pinkie pointed forward with a hoof and squealed into his ear. “Onwards! We’ll shop till we drop like a lemon lollipop!!” “Um, I think we’re just looking for kitchen items like eggs and stuff; nothing major, Pinkie,” Volare muttered. “Oh…well…Onwards! To…eggs and not-so-major stuff!!” With a flick of his ringing ear and an awkward laugh, Volare followed Applejack as she lead him through the streets of Ponyville. If the blue and yellow Pegasus wasn’t getting strange looks before, he certainly was now. He wished more of Pinkie’s mane would fall in front of his face so his blush would at least be somewhat camouflaged within the pink curls. “Hey Volare, I’ve got a teensy question,” Pinkie spoke up after a bit. “What exactly were you and my pal Lyra doing back in that room for so long, hm?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you…” Volare trailed off. “Maybe she was putting the moves on him and he’s just too embarrassed to say it, huh AJ?” Pinkie asked her fellow Earth Pony. This drew an irritated growl from Volare. “Heh-heh, no need ta hide it, loverboy,” Applejack winked over her shoulder. “For the last time: that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now; for anypony!” he practically shouted, drawing more strange looks from the other ponies along the street. “Alright, alright, don’t get yerself riled up; Ah was only funnin’ ya,” she chuckled and tossed her mane. “Lan’sakes, yor one uptight pony, Volare! Ya’ll need ta loosen up a bit.” “I dunno…I’m still kinda new to all this,” he replied, a bit conflicted. He wanted to…but his background of military protocol and public behavior kept fighting him. “Oh come on, Volare-bear,” Pinkie scratched his mane like a dog. “If you’re gonna hang out with us, you’re gonna have to loosen up…otherwise we’ll have to loosen ya up ourselves!” “Oh, and how do you suppose you’ll do that, Pinkie?” his backwards glance was met by a wide wily grin on the pink pony’s face. “…Pinkie?” “Oh we have plenty of ways of making you laugh, Mr Stick-up-his-Plot,” she giggled deviously as he felt her front hooves trail down his neck to his ribs. “Um, wait a sec, what’re you doing, Pinkie-hah-hah-hah, agh stop it!!” Volare laughed and tried to buck her off his back as she dug her hooves into his ribs and tickled him. “Tarnation, Volare!” Applejack turned and laughed at the scene behind her. “Ah didn’t know ya had a little buckin’ bronc in ya! Ride’em pony, Pinkie!” “Hee-hee-haa-not here!!” Volare cried as Pinkie held on even tighter as he leaped, tossed his hips and neck, and stomped on the cobblestones, blushing like crazy from his ears to his wings as he realized that half the town was probably staring at him. It wasn’t that he was against being the center of attention…but not like this!! “Knock it off!!!” “Promise you’ll loosen up and I will, Volare!” Pinkie giggled loudly, continuing to run her hooves along his ribs. “You’re damn evil, you-Aha-hahahaha-heehee-ok! Alright, I give! I’ll loosen up, Pinkie!” His chest was hurting from his laughter and from the stress of being stared at by more technicolor ponies than he could shake a dozen sticks at. “Oki doki loki,” Pinkie laughed and suddenly she stopped and hopped off with a giggle and patted Volare on the back between his wings. “You’re a good sport, Volare-bear. Just a little too uptight sometimes, that’s all. Just don’t be afraid to laugh and have a good time around us, ok? Besides, laughter is good medicine after all." “Alright…alright, you win…I promise.” “Do you Pinkie Promise?” “…what?” his mind struggled to remember what that was exactly. Oh wait….is that what Applejack broke in that one episode that made Pinkie go crazy…uh oh… “Just do as I do, ok?” Pinkie brought his hoof up to his chest with her own. “Cross my heart and hope to fly,” she brought her hoof across her chest and then flapped her front hooves. “Cross my heart…and hope to fly,” Volare fluttered his wings. “Stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie finished by bringing her hoof up to her right eye. “Oookay…stick a cupcake in my eye,” he mimicked her actions again. “…that you will loosen up…” Pinkie nodded with a smile. “That I will loosen up.” “…and not be an uptight meanypants.” He couldn’t tell if Pinkie was messing with him now or not. “Are you serious?” “As a burnt brownie.” “Urgh…I won’t be an uptight meanypants…” “There, not so hard right?” “Heh…I guess not…” “Let’s see a smile, Volare-bear!” she mussed his mane and grinned infectiously. The Pegasus couldn’t help himself and he matched her grin tooth-for-tooth. “Much better! Ok, let’s get this shopping done so I can see this flying of yours, Volare-bear!” Pinkie hopped on ahead, suddenly un-tired. Volare looked back to Applejack for an answer, but the orange pony simply shook her mane. “Don’t ask, cuz Ah don’t think even Pinkie knows how Pinkie works,” she chuckled. “Come on, pardner. Ah’m hankerin’ ta see ya fly after we get them supplies too!” She trotted off after her pink friend, leaving Volare stunned for a moment. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m actually…enjoying myself…I’d say these mares are gonna be the end of me within the week… “Wait up, AJ!” He galloped off after his friends...yes…friends. Heh…maybe I can get used to this…even the craziness. ------------------------------- Small notes: Phew, sorry if it seemed this chapter dragged a little bit, but I wanted Lyra's reasons for studying and collecting human stuff to seem legit Remember: I'm too lazy to write pointless filler; it ALL comes into play at some point later in the story Heh, wonder what Twilight's reaction will be if she finds out that somepony besides her is rather obsessed with studying humans :P Also: Poor Volare...being the only guy in a group of nutty mares is gonna be rough XD; Also Also: AJ needs a nickname for Volare but I can't think of one...help? ^^;;