Notes: Grr....something just feels off about this chapter...but it's SO much smoother after this, so please bear with me, folks! Thanks!
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August 28th, Afternoon
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“H-hello there,” the soft voice momentarily beckoned the pilot out of his despair and drew his gaze to its source that gracefully trotted towards him. The butter-yellow Pegasus’ sea blue eyes peeped out almost timidly from beneath her pink mane as she stopped a few steps away from Volare the way one might approach a wounded animal…which he technically was.
“My name’s Fluttershy. May I ask your name?” she said nearly as gently as she had when she’d first met Twilight on the show, but there was a definitive firmness behind that voice now; a soft strength that Volare didn’t expect, and it took him a moment to find his own voice and respond.
“Oh, um, my name’s Volare,” the pilot replied politely with a slight dip of his head. To his surprise, Fluttershy slowly trotted a small circle around him, looking him up and down with small nods to herself, paying special attention to his right wing hanging in the sling before returning to face him. “Is everything ok,” he asked, again a little surprised by her behavior.
“Oh, well I wish I could say that everything was ok,” she replied with an almost reluctant tone. “But I’m sure you’ve noticed that your wing isn’t in the best shape, right?”
Volare nearly burst into a chuckle but managed to suppress it before it slipped past his lips. “Heh, yeah I’ve kinda noticed. I just…you kinda took me by surprise is all.”
“Oh I did,” she recoiled slightly. “I’m sorry if I worried you,” she apologized, ears drooped and eyes focused on the dirt in front of his hooves.
Nice going, Volare, you bonehead…
“No, no, no, that’s not what I mean at all,” he said insistently. “I just meant…well…I dunno what I meant. I just didn’t know what to expect when I was told to come talk to a pony living around here for help and training and then I find you tending to little animals with a minotaur living in your house. I guess it’s all a little strange to me…”
To his relief, Fluttershy’s head lifted and her face brightened in understanding. “Ah, I see…so I take it you’re here to get your wing fixed? Why not go to Ponyville Medical; they’ve got more resources there than I could ever have…” She backed up a step.
“Maybe she’s right, Big Mac,” Volare suggested, drawing an irksome expression from the red stallion. “I think there’s been a mistake, Fluttershy. You seem like a busy mare with your bunnies out here, and I don’t wanna bother the local animal caretaker with my problems, so-MMPH!!” Big Mac slapped a sizeable hoof over his mouth and gave him a look that warned him that now wasn’t the time to talk. Even Iron Will uttered a soft snort of irritation behind him.
“Please forgive him, Ms. Fluttershy,” Big Macintosh finally spoke. “When he says this is all strange ta him…well…he ain’t lyin’. Mind if Ah explain it to ya...alone? No offense, Will,” he looked back at Volare and the minotaur who nodded his great horns in understandiing.
“I gotcha, Big Mac,” Iron Will laid a massive hand on Volare’s back. “Come on Spike-head; I’ll show ya the grounds while Big Mac and Fluttershy catch up on things.”
“But I”- Volare began to protest being treated like the child that wasn’t allowed to listen to the adults’ conversation, but between the looks of the massive minotaur and farm pony, he quickly decided it was in his best interest to not argue for now. “…ok.”
“That’s the spirit,” Iron Will grinned and led Volare out towards the chicken coop while Big Mac did his best to explain the situation to the rather puzzled Fluttershy. “Ok, in here are Fluttershy’s chickens,” the minotaur gestured towards the henhouse behind the short wire fence. “Watch out for a white one with a red crest though; that one’s Elizabeak and she’s kinda got a knack for escaping her pen. Trust me, I know, and she’s a real pain in the flank to catch sometimes, hahaha!”
“Um, ok…” Volare gave him a strange look as they made the rounds, from the bird houses, to the critter burrows; many of which housed animals recuperating from various injuries. Soon, they returned back to the front of the cottage, the minotaur taking care to avoid the backyard where Big Mac and Fluttershy were conversing. “Hey, Iron Will,” he asked as they re-entered the cottage.
“What’s up, Spike-head,” the minotaur turned and looked down with a smile, lifting a hoof to allow a small mouse to run past.
“I, uh…just have a few questions.”
“Alrighty then,” Iron Will leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, adopting a listening pose. “Whatcha got?”
“Well…don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but…”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve seen how gentle Fluttershy is with her animals out there and…why should I trust you about what you say about her being able to help me? For all I know, that banner hanging on the wall in there could just be a”- But he stopped as Iron Will knelt down and locked eyes with the Pegasus. “Uh-oh…”
“Volare,” the minotaur spoke slowly and clearly, without raising his voice. “I don’t know where ya come from or what ya did while you were there, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned while being around these ponies here, and especially Fluttershy, is to never judge a book by its cover.”
“I-uh,” the pilot leaned away from the towering beast. What was he supposed to say: I've seen her on a show and she's demure and gentle and timid and-oh gawd, help! “Would you care to elaborate…please…don’t eat me!” he practically squeaked as he squeezed his eyes shut. But when he didn’t feel himself being devoured, he cracked an eye open to see Iron Will grinning toothily at him.
“Heh, all ya had to do was ask, Spike-head,” the minotaur sat down on the floor and reclined back against the wall again. “So I take it ya kinda doubt Fluttershy’s ability to help ya rehabilitate your wing and restore your confidence in flying again, hmm?”
“Mhm,” Volare nodded, still surprised at Iron Will’s sudden change in demeanor. Not wanting to invite any more trouble from the minotaur, he quickly sat down next to him. “Yeah, I guess after all the build-up I was given about this mighty Hurricane pony and how they’d improved themselves after such a short time…I just wasn’t expecting it to be somepony like her. Iron Will…I mean, I see how she’s talented in helping animals with their injuries…I just don’t see how such a shy and kind pony like her could ever help me in my particular situation, that’s all.”
“Heh, I once thought the same way as you,” the minotaur’s gaze drifted to the banner hanging in the corner, a soft smile tugging the corner of his mouth as he did so.
“I really doubt it,” Volare mumbled. The minotaur glanced down and caught the look of despair on the Pegasus’ sagging features. For once in his life, he had no idea what to say; no phrase of encouragement to give this guy. No wonder he’d gotten out of the business when he did… He then noticed how the pony kept snatching glimpses at the pink apron he was wearing, doing his best to avoid the minotaur’s eyes every time he did so.
“Heh…you interested in this old thing,” Iron Will chuckled and lifted the edge of the fabric with his thumb and forefinger.
“Sorry…it’s just,” Volare searched for the right words. “Why the apron…and why pink? I mean, you’re a big blue minotaur; what gives?”
“Hahahaha, you’re one of the few creatures I’ve met that’s been brave enough or curious enough…or I guess just plain strange enough to ask me that question,” Iron Will laughed despite the bemused expression on Volare’s face. “Then again, who am I kidding; I’m a minotaur, right? Who’d wanna risk asking such a question of a big scary beast like myself?” He elbowed the Pegasus gently, though that in itself was nearly enough to knock him over.
“Heck, probably think I’d eat’em for breakfast, eh? Hahaha!”
“Ooof, yeah, no kidding,” the pilot rubbed his sore side, sensing that perhaps the big guy had something to get off his chest. If he wasn’t going to eat him for asking…what was the harm in it? “Sooo…what’s the deal with it?”
“Never knew a Pegasus so curious about kitchen apparel,” the minotaur mused before shrugging. “Oh what the hay…you want the long version or the short version? And before ya answer, just know that the long version explains things much better and leaves us both feeling less…well, awkward to say the least.”
“Long version then,” Volare nodded towards the backyard where Big Mac was still talking with Fluttershy. “We’ve got time.”
“Heh, alright then,” Iron Will cracked his knuckles, though Volare wasn’t sure why, and placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes as he began his tale.
………………………..
“Hmm…sounds like the poor dear’s been through a lot in such a short time,” Fluttershy sympathetically surmised, to which Big Macintosh nodded. “To be pulled from one’s world like that, then to be changed into an entirely different species, and then to have…*gulp* that happen to him…no wonder he’s so unsure of everything. He just doesn’t know what to expect anymore,” she trailed off and blinked away the moisture that had crept into the corner of her eye. The red farm pony noticed her distress and placed a gentle hoof on his smaller friend’s shoulder.
“An’ that’s why Ah brought’m to ya, Fluttershy; cuz Ah know ya can do what it takes ta get’m back on ‘is hooves, so ta speak. And at alot more reasonable pace than Rainbow Dash would ever have the patience for,” the stallion gave her a small smile. “Ya helped me tha same way a while back…hay, ya even did tha same for your big blue friend in there,” he nodded towards the cottage.
“I just…I dunno,” the yellow Pegasus hesitated, scuffing the ground lightly with her hoof. Though she’d grown more confident over time since the Water Tornado, old habits died hard. “I mean, yes, I’ve helped birds with broken wings before, but from what you’ve told me, this problem with his wing seems to be magic-based, and I don’t know how much help I’d be there.”
“Fixin’ ‘is wing ain’t the big problem right now,” Big Mac insisted. “It’s them dreams he’s been ‘avin…what do ya make of’em,” he inquired, knowing that of all ponies, Fluttershy must have had some experience with dreams that involved things that scared her, and perhaps she’d be able to make sense of them.
“Well, from what you’ve said, not only can he not physically fly, but that crash coupled with other evidence has”- she gasped and paused as it hit her. She looked up at Big Mac with wide, understanding eyes. He merely nodded softly. “He’s afraid to fly…”
“Now ya see tha true reason why Ah wanted ta bring ‘im to ya,” Mac explained. “If anypony can help him with this problem…it’s you.”
…………………………..
“So you traveled around giving assertiveness workshops for a while,” Volare reiterated. Though he recalled a few of the details the minotaur had just told him, he rolled with the story as if he’d never heard a bit of it before. If anything, it acted as a good refresher course on the great blue beast sitting next to him. “And the lessons you taught were basically catch-phrase based?”
“Mhm, that’s true,” Iron Will replied. “And for the most part, it worked out pretty well…that is, till I met your friend Fluttershy and thought I could make some pretty good bits off of her.”
“But I take it things didn’t go as planned?”
“Heck, they went almost too well!”
“How so?”
“Well, I taught her a lesson or two to show that my advice could work on even the shyest of ponies,” Iron Will clarified. “But then…well…let’s just say she really took things to heart.” He then recalled how Fluttershy had practically gone on a rampage around Ponyville, scaring the living daylights out of everypony she ran into. She eventually got control over herself and made use of the advice he’d given her, telling him “no” when he demanded payment for the assertiveness lessons.
“And when I asked what she meant, she explained that since I guaranteed that if she wasn’t satisfied with my lessons, she owed me nothing.”
“Well, that must have thrown you for a loop,” Volare chuckled at the image of the great minotaur being denied by the shy Pegasus.
“To say the least; in fact she was the first pony to ever not be satisfied,” Iron Will sighed. “But, I’m a minotaur of my word, plus she did teach me a new catch phrase to use in my workshops: ‘no means no.’”
“Certainly sounds like a good way for one to assert their confidence,” Volare stated, feeling a small bit of pride for Fluttershy for standing up to this guy.
“Yeah, it was…too good in fact,” he frowned. “When I tried working ‘no means no’ into my presentation…I never saw another bit from those ponies again,” he groaned and put his head in his hands.
“Ah, jeez,” Volare couldn’t help but give the minotaur a pat on the forearm. “Talk about a major backfire.”
“Yeah, no kidding…”
“So what happened after that?”
“Well…to say that the next few months of my life weren’t my proudest would be just a teensy understatement,” he smiled sheepishly. “Since I didn’t have any real income outside of those workshops, I lost my associates pretty quickly.”
“Your goats?”
“Yeah…you’d think that such an unpicky creature would gimme some leeway, right? Well, think again,” he snorted. “As soon as I couldn’t give them stuff to munch on, they left me high and dry.”
“Then what happened?”
“Well, I jumped from job to job, trying my hand at everything from lumberjacking in the Everfree Forest to carnival work. Heck, I even tried my hand at selling cooking tips and merchandise!”
“I guess that explains the apron, eh?”
“Yeah, it was a prototype at combining my reputation as a self-help guru with cooking advice…seriously, I was pretty desperate.”
“Ok…” Volare replied, a bit unconvinced. “But why pink?”
“Well, this particular model was marketed towards mares.”
“How many did you sell?”
“Um…I think one, but then she gave it back after about a week,” Iron Will glumly admitted. “Said it gave her a bad reputation in the kitchen…can’t imagine why though.”
“It’s a mystery that’ll probably never be solved,” Volare shrugged, feeling more and more sympathetic for the guy by the minute. “Did things get any better when the merchandising campaign fell through? Did you actually try your hand at cooking anything?”
“Not after I nearly burned the studio down trying to make a salad,” Iron Will replied matter-of-factly. “Yeah, I’ll probably never work there again…”
“Ouch…so where’d you go from there?”
“Well, I did try Hydra Wrestling in Froggy Bottom Bog for a little while.”
“Oh…wow, how’d that go,” the Pegasus asked with a wince.
“Badly! Hardly anypony showed up to watch!” Iron Will exclaimed, much to the Pegasus’ surprise.
“Damn…you’d think somepony out there would wanna see something as epic as a minotaur wrestling a hydra…”
“I know, right?!” Iron Will sighed again. “I mean, it drew even smaller crowds than when I tried Beehive Punching.”
“Um, maybe that’s because ponies thought you were losing your self-respect and were getting desperate,” Volare offered.
“Yeah, but I don’t think it was till I hit rock bottom that I kinda began to realize that,” the minotaur’s face fell even further.
“What exactly was rock bottom?”
“When I fell into a canyon in the Everfree I was trying to jump for bits.”
“Oh…so literally rock bottom…damn…”
“Yeah, broke my leg in the fall,” Iron Will gestured to his left leg and the scar that ran along his thigh. “Chipped a tooth too.”
“Oh…what a travesty,” Volare said with just the slightest bit of sarcasm. “What happened then?”
“Well…I finally put aside my pride and asked another pony for assistance, but…no matter how loud I yelled for help, nopony came…it did bring in the Cryhenas, though.”
“Cryhenas?” Volare asked, rolling the simultaneously familiar yet strange word around on his tongue. Wonder if they’re like hyenas back on Earth…yech, he shuddered.
“Yeah, nasty creatures with big teeth and bad hair that are a little smaller than you are. They make this awful combination of laughter and sobbing noises, almost like some sort of crazypony whenever they get near food,” Iron Will explained. “They normally eat dead things, but they won’t hesitate to go after young animals…or hurt ones. That canyon was full of their cries as I crawled outta there on what was probably the longest night of my life…”
“How’d you get away,” the Pegasus asked, eyes wide at the thought of Iron Will being pursued by dozens of the nasty things.
“To this day, I have no real idea,” he shook his horns slowly. “I just know that I eventually crawled my way out of the Everfree, I headed towards the nearest lights I saw, hoping they’d keep their distance. But as I crawled onto the front porch of the little house I’d found, and I heard those Cryhenas getting closer and closer…well…I kinda gave up hope right then. I passed out in front of the door, cursing myself for being so foolish and just hoping I wouldn’t wake up in the middle of them eating me.”
“Damn…” Volare breathed, trying to imagine the great blue creature next to him near death and helpless to defend his own life against a mob of creatures with mouths full of teeth and an appetite for minotaur. “But here you, right?”
“Mhm, here I am,” Iron Will replied. “Nopony else was as surprised as me when I woke up in the middle of the floor of a little cottage with a warm blanket thrown over me and my broken leg in a brace; not to mention I was whole and uneaten,” he chuckled. “Take a wild guess who it was that saved my dumb flank from becoming dinner. Go on, guess,” he grinned as he nudged Volare with an elbow.
“I remember that night like it happened yester-eve,” a soft voice said from the backdoor. The two males looked up to see Fluttershy trotting into the room from the backyard by herself.
“Whoa, that was you that saved Iron Will from the Cryhenas?!” Volare asked in surprise.
“It’s not that big a deal,” Fluttershy replied quietly. “I just did what I felt was necessary.”
“Hey, it is too a big deal,” Iron Will protested as he stood up and walked up to the yellow Pegasus. “If it weren’t for you…I’d be fertilizing the Everfree by now!”
“More specifically a big strong tree, right?” Fluttershy asked innocently.
“Sure would be,” the minotaur grinned, despite how surreal that statement sounded.
“You can tell him the rest of the story if you want, Iron Will,” Fluttershy encouraged him.
“Heh, sure thing,” he turned back to Volare, still wearing a grin that said he was too grateful for Fluttershy’s kindness to care about what anypony else thought about what he was about to say. “Well, Fluttershy took me in and cared for me till my leg healed up, but once it was fixed…I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself.”
“Cuz you’d already tried just about everything under the sun, huh,” the pilot deduced.
“Yeah, didn’t even know where I could go. I asked her if I could stay for a little while longer till I got a job and could move on. I even learned to help take care of the animals while I was healing up…I guess I kinda owed it to her anyway, seeing as how much strife I’d put her and her friends through with my crazy workshop,” The minotaur chuckled at the far away memory of working up the crowd and the plethora of silly catch-phrases he’d spent long hours into the night writing down and rehearsing.
“But…well…not to say I didn’t want to move on,” he smiled down at her. “But, I dunno, I kinda came to admire Fluttershy and her ability to balance both confidence and compassion…she kinda became a role model for myself. Heh, needless to say, I guess a lot of her personality rubbed off on me during my stay.”
“And that explains why you still wear that ridiculous apron?” Volare chuckled. “No offense.”
“Hey, I don’t wear it everywhere, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Iron Will replied as he re-adjusted his tie with a small huff of indignation. “I just happened to be baking when ya showed up, that’s all.”
“Baking?”
“Yep, brownies,” the minotaur replied with a beaming smile and a thumbs up which seemed to be more directed past Volare rather than at him.
“Oookay…but I thought you said you couldn’t cook.”
“Heh, well, Fluttershy’s friend Pinkie Pie lent me a hoof in that department.”
“I see…so now you freeload on Fluttershy?” Volare asked experimentally.
“NO!” The minotaur practically shouted, scattering the small group of furry critters that had sat down around the room to observe the situation. “Ah, sorry guys! Temper got the best of me there for a sec…”
“But you’ve certainly improved on it,” Fluttershy declared with a demure smile partially hidden by her mane.
“Aww, thanks, Shy,” the minotaur beamed his thanks. “Yet another thing she’s helped me with, Spike-head,” he nodded between the Pegasi. “And in regards to your statement, I think I’ve heard her state that things have actually been easier here since I got situated.”
“That’s true,” Fluttershy nodded. “It helps to have a stronger friend to move things around the house, and the presence of a 9 foot minotaur here has certainly deterred the predators of the Everfree from skulking about the property too.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Volare stated, still somewhat stunned by all these revelations in such a short time. “Still,” he face fell. “Doesn’t exactly ease my worries of how you can help me with my confidence and get me back in the air.”
“She’s gonna help ya, Volare,” Iron Will declared. “All I ask is just don’t judge too quickly and don’t doubt her, that’s all.”
“It’s ok, Iron Will,” Fluttershy replied. “He’s not of this world and...from what Big Mac told me, the race he used to be before Twilight turned him into a Pegasus was a rather skeptical one.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa; back up a sec,” Iron Will made a T with his hands. “Spike-head’s from another world and isn’t even really a Pegasus?”
“That’s right, though that’s not to say he couldn’t learn to be one,” Fluttershy explained.
Iron Will whirled to face Volare, a strange look between hurt and anger his face. “Volare, here I am spilling my guts to you and you don’t even tell me you’re not really a pony?! I feel so…hustled,” he cried as he threw a beefy arm across his eyes.
“Oh what a terrible world,” Volare muttered with a roll of his eyes
“Now, now, Will; Volare’s been through more than you can imagine according to Big Macintosh, and he trusts me and by extension you to help him get back on his way to flying,” Fluttershy explained. “Now, unfortunately, I can’t actually get you back up into the air as long as your wing is still hurt, you know that, right?” Volare nodded.
“Just making sure,” she nodded as she offered a hoof to him. “May I see your wing, please?”
“I suppose you kinda have to, doc,” the blue Pegasus replied as he undid the sling and readied himself for the pain of his wing thumping to the floor. But Fluttershy was ready, and she caught it as gently as a cloud. With well-practiced expertise, she examined every inch of the limb, from the tips of the flight feathers, along the leading edge and the carpal joint, and finally pausing when she saw the darkening scar from the surgery ringing the base of the wing. Almost as Rainbow Dash had done, but much more gently, she prodded and poked the wing at various nerve points, but was only able to solicit tiny flutterings of his primary flight feathers as well as a grunt or two from his throat.
“Hrm…” Fluttershy hummed with a look of concern on her furrowed features.
“Will he live, Fluttershy,” Iron Will joked, eliciting an attempted kick from the blue Pegasus.
“I almost forgot to laugh at that one, Willy,” Volare shot back. “Did you ever try stand-up in your travels?”
“Hey, don’t call me Willy,” the minotaur protested with a growl, but a quick glare from Fluttershy calmed the two males down. “Sorry…”
“It’s fine,” Fluttershy replied before looking up. “Well, I think I know what the problem is, but I can’t fix it here…”
“What is it,” Volare practically demanded, his wing nearly jerking out of her grasp as he moved.
“Careful, Volare,” she warned. “The nerves in your wing are in good shape, which is why you can feel me poking around. But that’s not where the problem lies,” she nudged the base of his wing where the scar was. “You see this dividing line? That’s where Twilight made the repair magically when she re-attached your wing, right?”
“Mhm, that’s right.”
“I can’t believe you survived something like that,” Fluttershy said with a tinge of awe in her eyes. “I mean, not only the blood loss, but just the massive shock of getting your wing torn off like that would have killed most creatures…it must have hurt terribly,” she surmised as she gently stroked the base of his wing, not an uncomfortable sensation, Volare had to admit.
“Well, it definitely wasn’t a picnic,” he replied with a chuckle. “I’ll tell you what, it actually hurt even worse when Twilight basically rewired the nerves and tendons back to each other. I made the mistake of looking down at it and it was like someone lacing red and purple strings together…it was”-
KA-THUMP!
The two Pegasi looked up to see that Iron Will had fainted dead away at the description of the surgery. Volare face-hoofed while Fluttershy chuckled at the sight.
“The “mighty Iron Will”,” Volare muttered. “I think a little too much of you might have rubbed off on him, Fluttershy.”
“No, the poor dear’s never been good with blood,” she smiled with a bit of embarrassment. “In fact, I often have to send him out of the cottage if I have a particularly badly hurt animal I’m tending to or else he’ll…well, he’ll do that, heehee.”
“Heh, well at least he puts on a tough face most of the time,” the pilot chuckled lightly before turning back to the matter at hoof. “So, what do you suppose is the problem?”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I was just going to say that it looks like Twilight carried out the surgery wrong,” she prodded the base of his wing gently. “I’m sorry if this hurts, but can you feel my hoof here?”
“Mhm, I can,” he grunted softly.
“Ok, follow this sensation…you feel my hoof running over what feels like little knots and tangles under there?”
“Agh, yep, I do. What is that?”
“Well, when you said it felt like she was tying your tendons and muscles back together, that feels like that’s what she did in her desperation to reattach your wing and keep you from bleeding to death.”
“So Twilight did the surgery incorrectly, huh?”
“To say the least,” Fluttershy nodded. “It saved your life, but it’s basically crippled your wing because she didn’t reattach the fibers with the correct amount of tension. Basically, your wing is a limp noodle until those get tightened.”
“And you can’t do that here,” Volare inquired, trusting Fluttershy more and more by the minute.
“I’m afraid not. I mean, I could if the repairs hadn’t already been made, but since the surgery was done with a spell that even Twilight didn’t fully comprehend…” she trailed off with a sad look and hid beneath her mane. “I can’t fix what I don’t understand…I’m sorry, Volare.” He heard her sniffle beneath her pink locks, and it was all he could to keep from wrapping her in a comforting hug. Instead, he gently lifted her chin from under her mane and smiled down at her.
“Hey, it’s ok Fluttershy. You did your best and…I’m still very impressed at what you know in regards to animal injuries and fixing them,” his compliments brightened her face to his relief.
“Really? T-thank you,” she smiled softly and helped him wrap his wing back up in the sling.
“Besides, the good news is Twilight is on her way to Canterlot right now to figure out exactly which spell it is she used and how to fix my wing if you can’t, so don’t worry because we have a backup plan,” Volare beamed. “Besides, even if you could fix me up here and now, I’m not exactly in the best shape to try flying cuz of all the blood I lost.”
“So I heard,” Fluttershy nodded. “Heehee, Big Macintosh said you even got light-headed just from the trot over here,” she patted his shoulder.
“Heh, remind me to give him a country boy whoopin’ next time I see him,” he winked before he realized something. “Hey, where is Big Mac, anyway,” he looked out into the backyard full of every animal imaginable except big red farm ponies.
“Oh,” the yellow Pegasus chortled. “He kept saying something about his little sister burning the barn down, so I let him go. That little Applebloom is such a dear when she’s not clowning around with her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”
“Oh, what’s so bad about them,” Volare asked but was surprised when Fluttershy turned to him with worry in her sea-blue eyes.
“Well, as sweet as those three are…when you get them together, they’re like a 12-hoofed typhoon.”
“Heh, can’t handle a fellow storm, Hurricane Fluttershy,” Volare teased.
“Oh ha ha ha, very funny,” Fluttershy gave the most demure little laugh Volare had ever heard. “So you heard my little nickname, huh,” she asked quietly, her eyes traveling up the gold-lettered banner gathering dust up in the corner.
“Mhm, I did,” Volare replied. “It and the facts that Twilight fed me about you are what led me to put my trust in you before we'd even met…I figured if anypony could help me regain my body’s strength before I actually get back in the air, The Hurricane could. And even after meeting you and getting to know you a little better…well, could you please help me, Fluttershy?"
“Oh, but I thought you doubted me,” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly, behavior Volare had never seen in her before…but it very much amused him.
“I admit that I did…but,” he looked over at Iron Will’s unconscious form. “An old self-help guru recently told me not to judge a book by its cover…and I intend to follow that advice as best as I can. So, seeing as how I showed doubt in you…could you please prove me wrong,” he asked with a small bow.
“Heehee, I’ll do my best,” the yellow Pegasus returned the small bow, already warming up a bit to this politely skeptical human-turned pony.
………………………………
“Hey, Big Mac,” Rainbow Dash called out as she dove off the cloud she’d been resting on as she watched the conversations unfold beneath her. “You got a sec?”
“Whoa, sure thing, Dash,” the farm pony hopped to the side with a grace that somewhat belied his bulk to allow Rainbow Dash to land and trot next to him. “What’s on your mind?”
“Well, I was just flying around minding my own business, when”-
“Ya’ll were spyin’ on me an’ Volare, weren’tcha?”
“What, no! I mean…” even Rainbow Dash wilted slightly under the knowing stare of Big Macintosh. “Ok, it started off that way!”
“Ya’ll sure it’s still not going that way?”
“Well, if it was, I’d still be hiding over Fluttershy’s place and spying on Volare, wouldn’t I?”
“…touché.”
“I promised Twilight and myself I wouldn’t break my promises, and I’m gonna do my best not to. Besides, you and I both know that Fluttershy is the best for this sorta job; outside myself of course,” she grinned as Big Mac rolled his green eyes.
“So, if ya’ll ain’t spyin’ on us “anymore”, what are ya doin, hrm?”
“Well, would you believe that I wasn’t the only one following you guys through Ponyville earlier?”
“Say what, now,” Big Mac paused in his tracks, forcing the Pegasus to turn and face him before she overshot him.
“Yeah, there were these two ponies in brown cloaks following you around,” she recalled. “They followed you out of town and then hauled flank across the field and into your orchard.”
“They were in The Acres?!” Big Mac nearly bellowed. “Ah knew Ah picked a bad day ta leave Applebloom home alone!” He nearly took off running but Dash yanked on his plow yoke.
“Whoa, easy Mac! Those two kept going and ran into the Everfree Forest; they’re not on your farm anymore, so relax,” she patted his panting side comfortingly. The big guy was slow to anger, but mess with his family and you were simply inviting trouble!
“So what do we do, then,” the red stallion asked.
“Well, I was gonna ask your permission to patrol between your farm and Fluttershy’s place and keep an eye out for those creeps.”
“Alright, sounds like a plan…and this has nothin' ta do with Volare?” he asked with a stern look.
“I hope not,” Dash shook her mane before realizing her statement. “N-no, not me! I mean I hope those two creeps weren’t tracking Volare for some reason…”
“Heh, well, Ah’d hate ta be them if’n they try somethin’ on mah farm,” Mac pawed a deep rut in the road with a massive hoof.
“Or if they try anything near Fluttershy’s place,” Dash added. “Between her Stare and Iron Will’s ego, they might not make it outta there in one piece, heheh,” she chuckled a bit too viciously.
“Heh, and don’t forget Angel Bunny; little varmint tried to bite me again when I left,” Big Mac showed her the missing tuft of fur around his right rear fetlock. "Ah swear that lil' rabbit's got a mean streak a mile wide!"
“He still doesn’t like you, huh?”
“Ah know…Ah just don’t understand why…”
“Maybe he feels like you’re getting a little too close to Momma Fluttershy,” Dash snickered, drawing a very un-amused expression from the farm pony. “What? Hey, if you’re into Fluttershy like that, I’ve got no prob”-
“Now ain't tha time,” Big Mac growled softly.
“Fine, fine, don’t take a joke, big guy…oh Celestia-heheheh,” Dash’s eyes widened and she began a fresh bout of giggles.
“Now what?”
“Heh, if I’m right about how Angel Bunny feels about stallions near his “mom”,” tears of mirth squeezed from her eyes as she struggled to speak. “Volare’s in for a rough time there because of him…bwahahahaha!”
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