//------------------------------// // Until We Meet Again // Story: Daring Do and the Tiny Tornado // by Metool Bard //------------------------------// It didn't take long for Recon to lead the breezie safari out of the cave. As soon as they stepped out into the desert, Windsday scanned the immediate area, and then checked the position of the sun. "Alright, we can work with this," he mused. "If my calculations are correct, the breezies should have just enough time to gather the pollen they need for their odyssey. Just to be safe, we might want to keep a close eye on them." "Isn't that what we came here to do in the first place?" said Daring half-jokingly. Windsday sighed. "You know what I mean, Professor Do." The breezies then scattered in all directions, descending upon every flower they could find and gathering pollen in their tiny satchels. Tree Hugger took in a deep breath and let it out in a content sigh. "You smell that, Flutterslice?" she said. "The aura of this place is, like, so alive with magic and positive vibrations. All is right in the world." "I know what you mean," said Fluttershy, dipping her voice. "They look so happy and peaceful. I'm glad we were able to save them from those nasty poachers." "Oh, fer sure, Flutterslice. Fer sure," said Tree Hugger with a nod. She then smiled. "Hey, I really dig how you stood up to that psychedelic bad karma dude. I've seen my share of radical stuff, but that was, like, the most righteous thing I've seen in a long time." Fluttershy blushed and hid her face behind her bangs. "Oh, I don't think I was that great. I-if anypony deserves praise for stopping him, it's Ms. Daring." "Trust me, I don't deserve all the credit here," said Daring with a laugh. "I really couldn't have taken those guys on by myself. Especially considering the state my body was in at the time." Tailspin cast her eyes downward. "Yeah, about that..." Daring looked over at Tailspin and tilted her head. "What's wrong, Tailspin?" Tailspin let out a sigh. "Dare, I-I still feel bad about ruining your vacation. I acted like a selfish git, and it got you into trouble. I-I'd understand if you didn't want me to be your partner anymore." Daring shook her head. "Tailspin, don't beat yourself up over this. You're right; you shouldn't have run off like that. But in all honesty, this whole mess couldn't have been avoided. Atotoztli II and Girimehkala were still hunting down breezies. You know me; I'm not the kind of pony to turn a blind eye to that kind of thing." "B-but you got turned into a breezie to save me. Th-that shouldn't have happened," muttered Tailspin, averting her eyes. "I-I should've been more careful. I should've listened to you." "Yeah, that's all true, Tailspin. I'm not arguing that," said Daring. "But at the same time, I'd gladly get cursed again if it meant keeping you out of harm's way." Tailspin looked up and blinked. "H-huh? What do you mean?" "You want to know what my real stance on partners is, Tailspin?" "Um, yeah?" Daring smiled and looked off into the distance. "You know as well as I do my adventures are dangerous. Part of the reason I work alone is because I don't like putting other ponies in that kind of danger if I can help it. So whenever I do have a partner, I take it upon myself to make sure they survive." "But, what about that whole thing about not knowing who to trust?" inquired Tailspin. Daring chuckled. "C'mon, Tailspin. You really think I don't trust Bluster? Sure, the guy has an ego, and he's not really an adventurer like I am. But I knew for a fact that despite all of his complaints and his skittishness, he wasn't going to abandon me or the breezies. I know I can be a bit paranoid around strangers, but that doesn't change the fact that there are still plenty of ponies in this world that I trust." She then turned to Tailspin. "In fact, I'm looking at one right now." Tailspin blushed. "M-me? B-but I screw up all the time." "You didn't screw up when I said I needed a breeze to take down Girimehkala, did you?" Daring countered. "W-well, no. But—" "But nothing, Tailspin. You can't let your past mistakes hold you back," said Daring, draping a wing over Tailspin's shoulder. "Trust me, if I did that, I wouldn't be much of an adventurer, now would I?" Tailspin sighed. "Doesn't change the fact that I'm a klutz who never thinks things through." "Maybe now's a good time to start doing that, then," said Daring. "Tailspin, I know it's hard for you to keep yourself in control when you get excited. I'd be lying if I said it didn't happen to me once or twice. It's something you need to work on, and I'm willing to help you out. You're my partner, after all. And I always look out for my partners." Tailspin's eyes watered as she hugged Daring. "Th-thanks, Dare. Th-that really means a lot coming from you." "I know, kiddo. I know," said Daring softly. "Your prof speaks wisdom, Spinmeister," said Tree Hugger sagely. "I suggest taking her lesson to heart." "I will," said Tailspin, looking up at Tree Hugger. "And, thanks for putting up with my nonsense. You know, the whole dragging you out into the desert thing and all that guff." "Ah, don't sweat it, Spinmeister," said Tree Hugger with a shrug. "The Tree abides." Fluttershy tilted her head. "Abides by what?" "It just means that no matter what life throws my way, I just roll with it," said Tree Hugger. "Except when life throws you a crazy warmonger bent on destroying Equestria with the breezies, apparently," said Daring. Tree Hugger giggled. "Yeah, well. There's only so much bad karma I can take before it starts to harsh my mellow. Especially when some bad dude starts glorifying war. I let a lot of stuff slide, but that isn't one of them." "I couldn't agree more," said Fluttershy, brushing the back of her head. "I guess that's why you kept speaking out against him, even though he was ready to kill you for doing so." "You know it, Flutterslice," said Tree Hugger with a nod. She then giggled again. "But truth be told, I don't think I would've had the guts to stare him down like you did." "Oh, I don't control when I use the Stare," said Fluttershy, twiddling her hooves. "I-it just happened." "So it was, like, instinct? Girl, that's even more righteous," said Tree Hugger, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I'm glad to have met you, Flutterslice. You've got a really radical vibe that I can, like, totally dig. Blessed be." "Oh. Well, thank you," said Fluttershy, brushing the back of her foreleg sheepishly. "You're very nice, too. We should definitely keep in touch after this." "I'm down with that," said Tree Hugger. "In fact, there's this great place up in Wooddock that has, like, the best cupcakes you've ever tasted. We should totally hook up and go there sometime." Fluttershy sniggered. "Well, I've eaten my fair share of cupcakes, so we'll just have to see about that. Actually, there's a great bakery in Ponyville where my friend Pinkie Pie works. Maybe you can try some of her cupcakes so we can compare." "Sounds like a plan, Flutterslice," said Tree Hugger. "I'll be sure to hit you up when I get the chance." Daring suddenly felt a ticklish sensation in her hind leg. Turning around, she saw that it was Recon trying to get her attention. "What's up, boy?" she asked. Recon pointed to the sky above. Daring turned to see the breezies beginning to flock back together, each of them carrying tiny pouches filled to the brim with pollen. "Ah, wonderful. It looks like the breezies are ready to begin their odyssey," said Windsday, adjusting his glasses. He then turned to Fluttershy. "Ms. Fluttershy, would you like to do the honors of starting them on their journey?" Fluttershy blinked. "M-me?" "But of course. You are our guest of honor, after all." Fluttershy swallowed. "A-are you sure that's okay? I mean, you're the breezie expert." "Yes, I am," said Windsday with a warm smile. "And in my expert opinion, I think you're more than capable of handling this." "Didn't you say that pegasi have to go through extensive training for this kind of thing, Bluster?" asked Daring, raising an eyebrow. Windsday cleared his throat. "Normally, yes. But after much deliberation, I've come to the conclusion that Ms. Fluttershy knows enough about the breezies to help them on their way." "I-I'm still not sure about this, Professor Windsday," said Fluttershy meekly. "I mean, I might know a lot about animals, but you clearly know more about the breezies than I do. I-I don't know what kind of breeze they need." "Then I'll teach you, my dear," said Windsday. "After all, that's what we educators do best." Tree Hugger smiled. "Go ahead, Flutterslice. This should be, like, a breeze for you." She then laughed. "Heh, get it? Breeze?" Fluttershy giggled. "Y-yeah, I get it. Alright, I'll do it." "Splendid," said Windsday, adjusting his glasses. "Now, come up here so we can get started." Fluttershy nodded and complied. "Now, just spread your wings and flap them at a steady pace, like so," said Windsday, providing a demonstration. "Remember, not too fast, but not too slow. We want the breezies to reach their home in time, but we don't want them spinning out of control." "Got it," said Fluttershy, mimicking Windsday's movements. Gradually, the breeze started to pick up. All of the breezies started twittering and waving at the ponies as they started to leave. "Goodbye, my little friends," said Fluttershy. "I'll see you all in Ponyville." "Busnick, pommellai! Ne moikeh!" came a chorus of farewells. The breezies started heading off into the sunset with the help of Fluttershy and Windsday. Daring Do watched in silence as the magical display of color seemed to put her in a trance. She barely even acknowledged Recon crawling up her body and into her pocket. "May your aura bless all of Equestria, breezies," said Tree Hugger. "Peace out." Tailspin leaned her head against Daring's shoulder. "Y'know, you're kinda right, Dare. This is nice." "Told ya," said Daring with a smirk. "Or are you just saying that because we just went on a big adventure?" Tailspin shrugged. "Eh, little of Column A; little of Column B. I just hope my next adventure doesn't start with me screwing up." "Yeah, I hear you, buddy," said Daring whimsically. She paused for a moment before turning back to Tailspin. "Oh, by the way. Remind me to look up that Girimehkala guy when we get back to the university." Tailspin gave Daring a quizzical look. "Why?" "Well, I still don't know how to spell his name, and I kinda need to know that," said Daring. Tailspin's lips curled into a sly grin. "Got some inspiration for your next book, Ms. Yearling?" Daring snickered. "Yeah, you could say that. It at least saves me the trouble of making up something myself to kill some time while Ahui gets his act together." Tailspin nuzzled up to Daring. "I know this isn't quite how I pictured our first real adventure together turning out, but thanks for keeping your promise, Dare." "Don't mention it, Tailspin," said Daring. She then gave Tailspin a look. "And I mean it; don't mention it. I'm still trying to keep my secret under wraps, and it's gonna be pretty hard with you bragging about being in my latest book." Tailspin's face flushed red. "H-hey! I-I wasn't planning on doing that!" "No, that would require you to plan things out in the first place," Daring teased. "Okay, now you're just messing with me." "What can I say? It's part of my charm. Oh, and one more thing." "Yeah?" "You owe me a proper vacation." Tailspin's expression drooped. "Oh. I-I guess I do, don't I? Or, are you joking again?" Daring smirked and gave Tailspin a wink. "I'll leave that for you to decide." Tailspin groaned and massaged the bridge of her nose. Tree Hugger sighed and shook her head. Kinda sweet, but it's hard to listen to the breezies' vibrations with them gabbing away like that, she thought. She then shrugged as she turned her attention back to the breezies floating off over the horizon. Ah well. The Tree abides. The End