August 25th, Ponyville, Early Evening...
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“Twi, why in Equestria are we runnin’ while carrying all this stuff,” Applejack panted as she and Pinkie Pie raced after the purple Unicorn through the late afternoon streets. Applejack was carrying two saddlebags full of apples she’d picked up from Big Mac’s applecart (for free of course) while Pinkie was carefully balancing a basket of peaches on her head she’d grabbed on a “second thoughts visit” back to the Cakes as they chased her.
“Yeah Twilight, what’s gotten into you, silly filly?” Pinkie Pie chimed in as she dodged around a pair of Unicorns and nearly dropped the basket. “Sorry, peachy goodness comin’ through!!”
Twilight’s mind wasn’t quite in panic mode just yet, but it was definitely getting that way. The more she had thought about Volare and Rainbow Dash being left alone at the Library, the more it ate at her until she got to the point where she couldn’t even think straight enough to grab the rest of the items on her ripped up grocery list. Her hooves kept tapping and every now and again, her ears would flick nervously, facts not lost on Pinkie and Applejack, although they merely chalked it up to her being a little distracted by the Volare situation.
True, Applejack was probably right about him being able to handle his emotions…but then a thought had hit the Unicorn: Dash didn’t know what they had deduced about him…what if she pushed him over those limits with her antics? What if she tried one of her pranks on him? What if she teased him in a way that only a cheeky mare like herself could?! Even if it was just a harmless prank in Dash’s eyes, it might cause some severe emotional trauma to Volare, or worse!!!
She didn’t even want to think about the “or worse” possibilities… It wasn’t until she suddenly took off running towards the Library that her friends realized that this was more than Twilight simply being distracted.
“What’s gotten into me?!” Twilight shouted as she barreled along Ponyville’s main thoroughfare, using her magic to keep the flour bag and eggs levitated above the dwindling crowds of ponies still out shopping. “Haven’t you realized who we left basically alone at the Library together?! At the very least, they might wreck the place! At the very worst….oh Celestia forbid it!!” Twilight pushed herself even harder, but she was wearing herself out. Soon, Applejack and Pinkie Pie caught up to their fretting friend and together they slowed her to a trot before she collapsed through sheer stress.
“Calm down, sugarcube,” Applejack nuzzled her friend gently. “Ah don’t wanna ask what tha worst could be, but ya gotta stop stressing yerself over it or you’ll be in no condition to stop whatever it might be when we get back to tha Library!”
“Yeah, calm down Twilight,” Pinkie patted her on the head. “Besides, Spike’ll keep those two lovebirds in line!”
“They are NOT lovebirds,” Twilight growled and then gasped in realization of what Pinkie just said, nearly dropping the bag of flour right on Applejack. “Spike’s just a baby dragon…oh no…what if they…right in front of him…his innocent little mind!” Twilight made a go to start running again, but her friends held her back while exchanging a worried look with each other.
“Heh, if ya put it that way Twi…maybe we shouldn’t lolly-gag too much in gettin’ back there,” she sped up slightly, Pinkie and Twilight matching her pace.
“Good thing I still have my camera,” Pinkie Pie grinned.
“PINKIE!” Applejack and Twilight yelled in disgusted unison.
“What? It’s for evidence, duh,” the pink pony quipped and trotted merrily along with her friends. The orange Earth Pony and the Unicorn exchanged a glance that asked if Pinkie even knew about the possible consequences. “It’s not like they’re gonna do it right there; that’d just be silly. They’d probably go to someplace more romantic than a stuffy old library tree.”
Apparently she did…
“Hey, my Library’s not stuffy and unromantic!” Twilight retorted, eliciting a chuckle from Applejack.
“Well, Ah wouldn’t consider tha hayloft in mah barn stuffy and unromantic either…er, not that Ah personally know if’n it is or it ain’t,” Applejack grinned innocently at the sudden looks from her friends. “But that’s beside tha point! Ah think what Pinkie is tryin’ ta say is that even IF Ah’m wrong an’ IF somethin’ like that comes about, they ain’t gonna do no such thing like that unless it’s private, someplace like Dash’s cloudhouse er somethin, right Pinkie?”
“Yep! And since Volare has trouble flying and probably doesn’t know how to walk on clouds anyways, I’m not too worried!”
Twilight tried to think of a way to argue against this logic to justify her own worries, but found that she really couldn’t.
Somehow, Pinkie Pie has yet again out-logic’d me… She sighed and hung her head in embarrassment as Pinkie patted her on the head again.
“It’s ok, Twilight; you’re just looking out for our new friend Volare-bear, that’s all! Besides, I’d be more worried about Dash trying to teach him how to fly too fast and him crashing and dying more than anything; but what are the odds of that craziness happening?”
Twilight’s head shot up again, her indigo eyes going wide again in worry, a look which Applejack shared. “Holy roadapples...we’d best get a move on, ya’ll!”
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“Ah yeah, there we go,” Rainbow Dash chuckled with a symbolic dust off of her hooves as she floated down from the top shelf of The Library. All the shelves had been restocked with their books and although a few loose ones somehow remained stacked on the floor, the room was no longer a total wreck.
“I dunno, Dash,” Volare said uncertainly as he tipped the couch back over and moved it to its proper position.
“Whatcha mean, ‘you dunno’? We did a good job and this place is a clean as I’ve seen it in a week,” Dash said, proudly whipping the dust off the couch with her tail before Spike coughed gently from the kitchen doorway.
“Ahem, that’s cuz you’re not here more often, Rainbow. I mean yeah, you did a pretty good job of it, but some of the books aren’t back in the right place and”-
“Hey, Volare offered to clean this place instead of you, right,” Dash gave him a stern look. “And I tossed in my hoof for free, and furthermore”-
“Probably cuz Twilight made you,” Spike grumbled, but Dash heard it.
“What was that Spike? Think I’m not generous enough to go out of my way to offer my help?” She took a few semi-menacing steps towards the small dragon who retreated a similar number of steps into the kitchen.
Man he hated being smaller then these mares!! “Well, you’re certainly no Rarity in that regard, Dash.”
“What kind of friend wouldn’t wanna do that for another friend? Urgh, and don’t even get started with your mushy Rarity plot kissing!”
As Dash made her way into the kitchen, Volare softly followed her with a worried look. He was pretty sure Dash wouldn’t dream of hurting Spike, but then again… And what would he do if she did, jump on her?! She’d kick his ass!
Spike retreated further into the kitchen and somewhat subtly picked up the frying pan he’d been cleaning, holding it up between himself and the incensed Pegasus as he couldn’t help but give another smart aleck remark. “Are you sure you’re not being more ‘friendly and helpful’ than usual because of Volare?”
“What’s that supposed to mean, huh?!” Dash practically shouted; the feathers on her wings bristling as she gave the wooden floor a stomp. “Volare is pathetic, he can hardly fly, and that little bit of teasing I did to him in there was so he’d admit he lost our race; nothing else, so everypony just drop it right now! I FLY SOLO!!!” Despite the blood pounding in her ears from her exclamation, even she could hear the pained little gasp and the quick retreat of hoofsteps from behind her.
Oh crap…I kinda just screamed all that…
Rainbow turned in time to see Volare’s tail retreating around the corner of the kitchen doorway. She quickly trotted out and found him idly staring at a book on an end table, trying to appear like he hadn’t heard what just transpired in the kitchen, but Dash knew that everypony around must have heard what she shouted…and the wounded look he was trying to hide told her all she needed to know. “Hey, why the long face, flyboy?” she asked casually, trying to hide her own worry with a trademark Rainbow Dash grin.
For an instant, a bad bar joke popped into Volare’s mind, nearly making him burst out laughing. But he merely shook his mane instead. “Nothing Dashie…nothing…just being pathetic out here so I don’t bother you or something…”
Dash’s heart dropped at his statement and her ears drooped. She frowned and scuffed the floor idly, trying to think of something to say.
…Just swallow your pride and apologize, you dumb pony!!!
Hey, shut up; I know what I’m doing!
…Yep, you sure know how to hurt your so-called friends, especially when it’s convenient for you, Dash
I didn’t know it would hurt him this bad!!!
…heh, and here I even thought that what you did to him earlier wasn’t just because you wanted him to admit he’d lost, even though you knew he hadn’t…once a loser to deny the truth, and twice a loser to deny one’s own feelings…
Hey, I know my own feelings, so you just back off, ok?!
…apologize and maybe I will.
Alright fine, just this once, jeez…poor guy…but I’m not gonna hug him or anything!!!
“Hey Volare, I…” she began but stopped short when the blue and yellow Pegasus lifted his eyes to hers. It was all the proud Pegasus could do not to hug him when she saw the hurt in those silver-blue orbs…hurt she’d put there.
“If you’re going to apologize Dashie, don’t waste your breath.” Volare’s statement shocked the mare. It was so…sincere…like he actually believed and accepted what she shouted in anger. “I heard what you said and…I know I’m pathetic, and for two reasons. One for thinking that what you did to me back there was out of some stupid misconception that perhaps you liked me or something…and like you said, I fell for it; hook, line, and sinker.”
Again, Rainbow Dash felt the ache in her chest grow. Jeez…that was a worse idea than I thought…
“And the other is because you’re right; I’m a horrible flyer as a Pegasus…I dunno why you’d give me a chance to even try…sorry if I slowed you down, Dash.”
“Now wait a sec here,” Dash replied as she put a hoof on Volare’s shoulder, though he kept his head pointed at the floor. “Everypony has gotta start somewhere, Volare! I saw what you can do in a jet and I think you have great flight instincts; we’ve just gotta translate those to your wings, that’s all,” she gently ran a hoof across his primary feathers, making him jump slightly. “Sorry…forgot that gets your attention a little too much, heh-heh…”
“Eh-heh, just a bit…” he replied and looked up at her. “But what about what you said about me being”-
“Hey, forget that, flyboy,” Dash waved a hoof dismissively. “Sometimes, we all say things we don’t mean, especially when we’re a little miffed; heh, I probably do it more than anypony I know…so…sorry if I hurt your feelings about that,” she rubbed the back of her own head and shut her eyes for a moment. “I just got mad and said something stupid, that’s all.”
“So you’ll still teach me how to fly better?” Volare’s ears and wings perked up hopefully.
“Heck yeah I will! In fact, I’m gonna make ya the best flight student I’ve ever had,” she threw a hoof around Volare’s shoulders in a chummy fashion and pumped her other hoof with a grin.
“Well that’s setting the bar high considering he’d be the only flight student she’s ever had,” Spike muttered from the kitchen as he eavesdropped on their conversation. “My bits are on Dash either getting him killed or giving up within the week…”
“T-thank you, Dash,” Volare said, proud to be her official student. “So, um, when do we start?”
“Right now if you want; like I said earlier, we got the Library as clean as we can, so I’ve got nothing to do but see whatcha can do on a full stomach,” she winked and nudged him, recalling the near disaster earlier.
“Urgh, that was soooo embarrassing,” Volare hid his reddening face with a wing, much to Dash’s amusement.
“Hey, look on the bright side, Volare; at least ya made me look awesome when I saved you.” Volare peeked out from under his wing at the grinning Pegasus, who only winked again. “Heh, just kidding; I’m glad you’re here too, flyboy.” She mussed his spiky mane before trotting towards the front door. “Come on!”
“Wait, like ‘right now’ now,” he followed her a bit tentatively. “But Twilight said to wait till she and the others got back.”
“Oh come on; afraid to ‘feel the wrath of the egghead’, are we?”
“Well, no…”
“What, like she’ll read us to death or something? Come on, Volare!” She walked around him and gave him a gentle push towards the door.
“Ok, ok, I’m going,” he chuckled.
“That’s the spirit, dude!”
“I suppose what Twilight doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Volare said off-handedly. But Dash nearly stopped in her tracks at the uncanny nature of his statement.
…sound familiar, Dashie ol’ pal? Feeling that cold dagger of guilt in the old gullet again? Or you simply brain farting this time?
Oh will you just shut up?!
“Dash?” Volare said with a tinge of concern as he noticed her slight pause. “You ok?”
Dash shook her mane and regained her confident composure. “Sure am! Let’s get airborne already!”
“Hey Dashie, just one more thing” the male Pegasus said tentatively before she rushed out the door; so softly that she almost didn’t hear him.
“What’s up, Volare?” She stopped and gave him her full attention once she realized the tone in his voice and saw the welcome smile on his face replaced with yet another look of concern…but this one of a different nature entirely.
“I was just um…wondering…about what you said back there,” Dash saw the blush start to grow on his face again. “What you said about you sometimes saying things you don’t mean when you’re irritated…”
“Yeah?”
His gaze was practically glued to the floor as he finally spat it out: “Well...did that cover…everything you said?”
“Everything I said? Ooh…” Dash trailed off as it hit her. Well that explains the blush…poor guy probably hasn’t had contact with a mare in forever…jeez, now I really sound like a jerk. But she quickly threw on a grin and hoofed him in the shoulder. “Don’t let it mess with your focus too much Volare.”
“Really?” Volare replied in a manner which he realized was a little too enthusiastic. “Erm, I mean, is that so?” He said a little more suavely, but it only made Dash laugh.
“Heh-heh, yep; like I said, I sometimes say things I don’t mean to when I’m irritated, so don’t let it bug ya, ok?”
“Y-you’re not irritated right now, are you?” But this only elicited another hoof in his shoulder along with a squinty look from Dash.
“I might be if you don’t get your head on straight so we can get off the ground, flyboy…I mean, get to flying,” Dash caught herself. She and Volare looked at each other for a moment before they both burst out laughing.
…ok, so it’s not quite an admission, but at least it’s a start.
Thought you said you were gonna leave me alone for a bit.
…hrm, I wonder if that’s what’s wrong Dash…
What’s that supposed to mean?
…nope, I’m shutting up cuz ‘you know what you want’ and all that.
Urgh, I think I’m going nuts here…
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea-the flying part, Dashie,” Volare chuckled as he trotted out the door, pulling Dash out of her brief inner debate. “Hope we don’t take this thing too fast.”
“Hey wait a sec…what exactly are you implying?!” Dash shoved him a little too roughly, nearly toppling him over.
“Nothing. Just flying, RD,” Volare chortled, a sound Dash was becoming a little happier to hear considering what he’d been through. “Just flying.”
“Riiiight….let’s just keep it that way, flyboy,” Dash said before pulling the door shut behind her, leaving The Library empty…save for the kitchen which was soon filled with the sounds of raucous guffawing and the balled up claws of a baby dragon pounding the hardwood floor.
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Small notes: For those wondering, Dash does NOT have voices in her head. Those inner debates are simply something that would likely be typical for someone that has to balance a strong sense of personal pride along with The Element of Loyalty.