Prologue-Pt 12: A Little Daring Do
August 25th, Golden Oak Library, Dusk...
-------------------------------
“Twilight,” Volare coughed and spoke up in a whisper that the Unicorn hardly registered, but it was enough to divert her anger from Rainbow Dash for a moment. He felt terribly weak, but not quite enough to not come to his friend's defense. “I-I can explain everything. You see, me and Dash, we just-"
“Volare, shut up,” Twilight stomped her hoof, shocking everypony present. Like the head of an emergency room, Twilight was taking charge and heaven help anypony that got in her way! “You need to stop running your mouth right now and save your strength. Rainbow Dash…you and I are gonna have a little chat later, but for now, just keep him warm.” Twilight then turned to Spike. “You-I need you to find me a book with information on limb reattachment as fast as you can; I haven’t studied the spell in depth, and I’m gonna need a reference.”
“Got it, Twilight,” the small dragon nodded and ran out of the kitchen to the bookshelves.
“Pinkie Pie, AJ.” The orange and pink Earth Ponies snapped to attention, the pink one actually giving her a salute and a stern face that would have been rather amusing in any other circumstance. “I need you two to do your best to keep Volare calm…I’ve got a feeling this isn’t going to be fun for anypony involved.”
“B-but I am calm, Twilight,” Volare groaned with his eyes shut, prompting Twilight to glare at him and Applejack to kneel next to him and stroke his mane comfortingly.
“Twi said to hush now, Volare,” the country pony said softly but sternly. “Ya’ll got yourselves inta this mess and now ya’ll gotta reap what you’ve sown. It’s for yer own good, but we’re here for ya.”
“Give him a break,” Dash growled and slapped Applejack’s hoof away. “It’s not his fault!”
“I said we’ll talk about this later, Dash,” Twilight returned the growl with one of her own. She needed to focus and there wasn’t much time to do so; Volare was bleeding out as they spoke, and the less time they spent arguing, the more time they could put towards helping him. She closed her eyes and concentrated, gathering the knowledge she already had on healing. Transforming something into a pony was one thing, as was healing skin burns. But compared to the reattachment of torn muscles and tendons, broken bones-and most importantly, severed nerves-in a manner that allowed a full recovery…those things were practically foal’s play.
For a moment, Twilight considered rushing him to Ponyville Medical, but she wasn’t sure if anypony there knew how to reattach wings, and Volare stood a good chance of bleeding to death on the way to a destination that might not hold any sure salvation. No…the operation would take place right there in her kitchen. She stared at the severed wing lying against the counter…it twitched again.
Celestia give me strength…
“We’re not mad,” Pinkie Pie gave Volare an encouraging smile. “I mean, we kinda are, but more at what you did, and not at you. So cheer up; it’s gonna be ok cuz we’re your friends and like AJ said, we’re here for ya!” She knelt down next to him as well, adding her body heat to his own waning warmth as the blood continued to trickle from the broken wing stump.
“Heh, you guys,” Volare tried to open his eyes, but the kitchen light hurt too much. “You’re all the best…this’d be a heck of a way to go out…urgh, tired…”
“No you stay awake, flyboy!” Dash reached over and nipped his ear roughly, bringing a cry of pain to his lips. Applejack fanned him gently with her hat.
“Can’t let ya go off to dreamland just yet, Volare-bear,” Pinkie poked his nose gently with a hoof, doing her best to hide her worry with smiles. “So just stay awake or we’ll keep poking ya!”
“Oh alright, alright,” Volare grumbled. “We’ll see how much you like it when I poke you in the head when you’re trying to sleep…later…”
“Spike, have you found it yet? It should be in the Anatomy section!” Twilight shouted towards the kitchen door, but she was only met with cries of frustration. “What’s the matter?” Twilight asked as she trotted around the corner before her jaw dropped.
“I can’t find it, Twilight!!” Spike hissed as he tossed book after book onto the floor, nearly falling off the large rolling ladder that ran along the shelves as he did so. The whole top shelf had been emptied, and the dragon was growing more frantic by the moment as his eyes scanned each book cover before throwing them on the floor. Twilight fought down a feeling of mounting panic of her own as she tried to assess the situation.
“What do you mean you can’t find it?” she asked as calmly as she could.
“W-when Dash and Volare cleaned the place up, I dunno-I think they put the books back in the wrong order cuz everything is outta place now!!” Spike shouted this time, alerting the ponies in the kitchen that something was very wrong.
“Are you serious?!” Twilight gasped and began flipping through the books on the shelf at a rapid pace, but there were too many to look through! “Rainbow Dash, you’re impossible!!”
“Either that or you leant it out to somepony.”
“This isn’t happening…” Twilight muttered as her resolve began to crumble, her ears flicking nervously every few seconds. "This isn't bucking happening..."
“Volare’s not gonna make it if we don’t find you some sort of reference,” Spike balled his claws up and pressed them into his eyes in frustration. “And there’s too many to go through and not enough time!! What do we do, Twilight? What now?!” he sobbed. Twilight trotted over and laid her chin on her long-time friend’s head and sighed softly.
“You tried, Spike. That’s all that matters right now,” she looked back up at the kitchen door. “Dammit…I guess I could just wing it…” How ironic…
“B-but, what about what you said before? What if you get the spell wrong? You could turn him inside out, or set him on fire, or-" Twilight stopped his ramblings with a hoof.
“Don’t remind me, Spike. It’s not like I’ve never studied the spell before, it’s just that I’ve never had to use it and so I’m afraid I’ll be rusty when I try," the Librarian licked her lips pensively before snorting softly and gathering herself. "Better rusty than bleeding to death though, right?”
“Is that supposed to be a helpful metaphor,” Spike shot her a look.
“…not very good, huh?”
“Just stick with what you’re good at, Twilight,” Spike gave her a reassuring hug. “And that’s magic. Guys, we’re coming!” The dragon led the way back into the kitchen, the Unicorn right behind him, her mind already buzzing with how she’d go about this.
“Ok, I feel it’s fair that I give you all a heads up,” Twilight looked at Dash and Volare especially. “I’ve got good news and bad news.”
“Oh what could the bad news be; that you couldn’t find a reference book?” Volare moaned slightly.
“…”
Pinkie Pie hugged Volare around the neck at Twilight’s silence. “Oof…great. What’s the good news?”
“Well, the good news is there are two ways we can keep you from bleeding to death, but only one can save your wing and only one is guaranteed to keep you alive,” Twilight finally said reluctantly. “I can try what I know of the spell already and do my best to reattach your wing, then maybe try to fix things later if it doesn’t go right, but it carries substantial risk, Volare.”
“What’s the worst that could happen? I turn inside out or something?”
“…”
“That’s just frickin' awesome. What’s the other choice-agh,” he hitched in a breath as his side alternated between periods of numbness and aching pain.
“Well, the other choice will guarantee that you won’t bleed to death, but…well…you probably won’t ever fly again, Volare,” Twilight gave him a pained look.
“A-and what exactly does that involve?”
“Basically, I sear your wing stump shut.” Volare’s eyes snapped wide open at the bluntness of her response.
“Excuse me Twilight, but I’m gonna answer for him on this one,” Dash spoke up. “Hell no!”
“That’s a hell no from me too,” Volare nodded, appreciating the squeeze that Dash gave his hoof under the blanket. “What good would I be if I couldn’t fly? Besides…you transformed me from a human into a pony, and I trust you, Twilight.”
“Thanks Volare,” Twilight smiled and felt a tear leak from her eye and roll down her face at his bravery in the situation, foolhardy though it may be. “It’s more than likely not going to feel pleasant,” she warned him solemnly. But the injured Pegasus leaned up as best as he could and rolled over onto his stomach, the fur on his side peeling off of the bloody floor with a sticky sound.
“Rainbow Dash…” he looked at his friend who had turned away from the sight of his injured body. He turned her face with a hoof, leaving a bloody smear on her cheek. He hoped she didn’t mind; she looked upset enough as it was. “If this goes bad, please don’t blame yourself, ok?” But she didn’t answer at first; simply nuzzling against his hoof. “Dashie…ok?”
“…O-k-kay,” she whimpered before throwing her hooves around his neck and hugging him as tightly as his injury would allow. Normally her pride wouldn't let her show such emotion like this, but considering the situation...well, feather anypony that had a problem with it! That thought made her hug him even tighter.
“Hey…save the hugs for when I make it,” he whispered into her ear. He then did the craziest thing he could recall doing since he’d gotten there; even crazier than the stunts he’d pulled earlier. Hell why not? If I don’t make it this might be my only chance anyways… He gave her the lightest possible kiss at the base of her ear. She nearly pulled away in shock, but relaxed after a moment, just enjoying the contact of the side of his face against hers, despite the blood staining her blue coat. “Thanks for being my friend, Dashie.”
“Plenty more where that came from, flyboy,” Dash whispered back and gave him another quick hug. When she pulled away with a little smile, he could see a deeper red spreading across her cheeks beneath the blood smear.
As he realized she hadn’t knocked his head off, he felt the heat flushing his own face with what little blood he still had left. He turned his body to Pinkie and Applejack and gave them quick hugs as well. “And you guys…try to keep Twilight off of Dashie’s back if…if this doesn’t work, ok?”
“Won’t have to, sugarcube-cuz you’re gonna be just fine,” Applejack smiled despite her worry.
“Mhm! When you get all better, I’m gonna throw you the best party ever, cuz it’ll be a ‘Volare is better’ party AND your official ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party; cuz I still owe ya one of those too,” Pinkie chirped and mussed his mane. “Good luck, woodchuck!”
“Thanks you guys,” Volare smiled, somehow finding a newfound strength, however feeble. He laid out on his stomach and looked up at Twilight with a cheeky half-grin as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash stepped away from him. “Alright Doctor Sparkle. Do your damnedest.”
“Hold on, sugarcube,” Applejack spoke up, giving him a towel. “Bite down on this…just in case.” Volare nodded grimly and clamped the rag in his teeth before shutting his eyes tightly, awaiting a pain he couldn’t even imagine.
“Alright,” Twilight sighed and concentrated. “Here goes nothing.”
Oh I’m sure it’ll be plenty…Volare thought as he braced himself.
Twilight’s horn flickered a bright magenta as she began the spell. The glow spread from her horn to the severed wing, levitating it off the floor and bringing it closer to Volare’s body. The energy in the spell caused the wingtip feathers to twitch violently, an eerie and fascinating sight that nearly caused Spike to run from the room in horror. But the awe of what was occurring in their little kitchen kept his claws rooted to the hardwood floor. Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to scream, but Applejack plugged her mouth with her hoof, not wanting to break Twilight’s focus.
She hovered the severed base of the wing up to Volare’s side and took a deep breath before letting the aura from her horn fall over Volare’s body as well. He felt that same safe, warm, and comforting feeling he’d felt before when she first helped him to walk. As she bathed the wing and its owner in light, her eyes opened and began to glow bright white. She brought the wing closer and closer to his body until it was a fraction of an inch away.
“Hang on, Volare,” she managed to grunt before a bright white beam shot from her eyes and impacted the small space between his wing and his body. Instantly, the water vapor between the two flashed to steam, and if Volare hadn’t been holding the towel in his mouth, he might have bitten his own tongue off in shock at the sheer amount of pain that flashed from the wing stump, down to his spine, and up and down his body as Twilight began to repair the wings’ separated nerves.
The pain…oh my God!!!
Volare slammed his eyes shut and ground down on the towel until his jaw ached, but there was nothing he could do to block out the raw agony he felt radiating from his side. He could feel Twilight drawing the broken nerves from the stump and joining them together with those of the wing. Every re-connection felt like he was sticking his finger in an electrical socket, and he screamed through the towel as he suddenly felt the pain of the ripped and torn flesh and broken feathers in the wing…he could feel it all!!
He tried to ignore the feeling, but it was almost too fascinating not to as Twilight completed the nerve connections and halted for just the smallest of moments, mainly to wipe the sweat from her brow before it dripped into her eyes. It was a blissful moment almost devoid of the burning pain that wasn’t destined to last as she got right back to it. The light from her horn flashed a darker purple and her eyes turned a golden color as she changed her attention to the tendons and muscles that bound the wing to his ribcage. If he’d looked back, he would have seen his side bathed in a golden-white light as glowing strands zipped to and fro between the wing and his side, re-lacing them back together like one would lace up a shoe. Blood vessels snapped back together, tendons were reconnected, and muscle fibers stretched as Volare became aware of the weight of his wing again. It would have fallen to the floor if Twilight hadn’t been supporting it. He didn’t remember it being so damn heavy!
“Almost done…almost done,” Twilight managed to gasp as the glow from her horn changed color yet again, this time to a nearly midnight-black blue color. Her eyes returned to normal as she focused on repairing his skin cells. This hurt less than the nerves, but was still extremely uncomfortable as she bound the skin together with the finishing part of the spell which appeared in the form of a tiny blue glow zipping back and forth, plunging into and out of his skin as the magic finally joined limb with owner once again. By this point, Volare was barely conscious, but he was most definitely aware of the sensation of touch at the tips of his wings as the blood flowed back into the limb again. The wing flopped to the floor with a soft thud as Twilight released it from her magical grip.
Twilight’s eyes and horn returned to normal and she collapsed to the floor as well, breathing hard and blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to clear her vision of the white blur that dominated her sight. “H-how did I…did it work?” she managed to gasp. “He didn’t turn inside out, did he?”
“Well, Ah’ll be a griffon’s uncle, Twi,” Applejack was the first to break the silence as she helped her shaky friend to her hooves. “Ah think ya did it.”
“Holy macaroons, Volare’s wing is back! Not that it ever really went anywhere, but still, he’s got it back!!” Pinkie Pie hopped up and down as Volare shakily raised his head from the bloody floor.
“And he’s all in one piece,” Spike added with a grin as he patted Twilight’s leg.
“Wonderful…just wonderful,” Volare gasped as he tried to sit up, but just raising his head was a great enough effort in its own right. He looked back at his repaired wing and tried to give it an experimental flap, but it was all he could do to simply wiggle the feathers at the tip of it. The wing fell back against his body and he sighed. “Well, at least I’m not bleeding to death anymore.”
“D-don’t try to exert your wing,” Twilight managed to say as her vision finally cleared. Her head rang with a high-pitched whine and as she looked over at her patient, a spike of pain slammed into her forehead. “Ugh…that take as much out of you as it did to me, Volare?”
“And then some,” he replied as he beamed his thanks at her. “You’re absolutely amazing, you know that, Twilight?”
The Unicorn looked away for a moment in embarrassment but turned back at Applejack’s friendly nudge. “I-I just hope I didn’t do more harm than good, Volare. I’m going to try to find that book and read back over the spell again…find out what you’ve gotta do for a recovery.”
“No kidding, cuz I can’t even lift the thing,” he nodded to his wing. “It feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.”
“Or like you just went through the workout from heck,” Dash broke her own silence and stepped tentatively towards Volare. “Happens every now and then to me when I work too hard cuz the muscles get torn and stretched. And considering you just had your own shredded muscles reattached...it’s like you worked out for a week straight or something.”
“I’m impressed, Dash,” Twilight nodded her admiration to her friend who made her way over to Volare and nuzzled him comfortingly.
“Glad you made it through that, flyboy,” Dash grinned and gingerly ran a hoof down to his repaired wing. The skin over the joint was bare and an angry shade of coral. “Heheh, hopefully your fur grows back over that sooner or later; makes it look like you’re wearing a pink sweatband or something.”
“Oh, I dunno,” Volare winked. “I think I’d look good with a killer pink scar, eh Dashie?” The female Pegasus shoved him gently, drawing a wince of pain from him.
“Ah! Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she smiled innocently, but Twilight wasn’t convinced. Far from it, she intended to put her hoof down right now before Dash got him hurt again…even on accident.
“Well, I hate to do this you guys, but Volare is going to have to rest up, Spike looks tired, and this whole crazy day has just plain worn me out,” Twilight forced a yawn and looked to Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “I’m gonna go freshen up and then grab some shuteye.”
“But what about dinner? I had a big peach cobbler planned and everything,” Pinkie wibbled a bit, but Twilight wasn’t moved…much.
“I promise we’ll make it up soon, Pinkie; but for now, I’m asking that Volare get some privacy so he can recover; that’s all,” Twilight replied, doing her best to fight off a sudden craving for peaches.
“Okey dokey,” Pinkie said with a little frown before hugging Twilight and Volare. “You two get some sleep, cuz you deserve it! I’ll just leave these here though….just in case you want a midnight snack or something,” Pinkie grinned and poked the basket of peaches with a hoof. “Come on, AJ. Let’s let’em snooze.”
“Inna minute, sugarcube,” Applejack replied and wrapped Twilight in a strong embrace of her own. “It’s like Volare said; ya’ll are amazin’ Twi. I dunno what we’d do-what Volare’d do-withoutcha.” She pulled back with a smile and suddenly her eyes went wide. “Oh horseflies! Be back in two shakes!” The orange pony galloped past a confused Pinkie Pie and out the door.
“Did I miss something?” Pinkie asked, but Twilight only shrugged. She looked back at Rainbow Dash who had been leaning against the kitchen countertop, trying to look cool and collected, but still managing to snatch glances at Volare when she thought nopony was looking. Glances full of concern and the other emotion Twilight had suspected started this whole mess. Her suspicions were confirmed as Dash began playfully flicking Volare’s mane with a hoof. The flicks soon turned to stroking, which then turned to Volare’s chin falling sleepily to the tops of his hooves. He was soon snoring softly as Dash continued to gently stroke his mane and neck, being careful to avoid his wing.
Wait till AJ and Pinkie are gone and Volare is in bed, Twilight…
Applejack soon returned carrying the heavy flour sack. “Well, it didn’t break like tha other’n,” she grunted as she heaved it up on the countertop. “So it’ll still be good fer bakin with later. But them eggs are all over tha lawn and no good, Twi.”
“That’s the least of my worries right now, AJ,” Twilight waved a dismissive hoof.
“Heh, Ah kinda figured. Ah’ll have Big Macintosh bring ya some more when he gets tha chance.” She suddenly yawned loudly with a little blush. “Woo, Ah guess Ah’m right tuckered mahself. Come on, Pinkie, Dash….hey Spike, what’s botherin’ ya,” she asked as she noticed the sudden frown and crossed claws of the little dragon.
“Oh, nothing,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze. “Just that I helped out too, but nopony said ‘oh thanks, Spike’ or gave me a hug or anything-whoa!” Spike gasped as Applejack and Pinkie enveloped him in a double hug, which was soon joined by Twilight and even Rainbow Dash. “Ok, ok, too much thanks!”
The four ponies laughed as they set the horribly blushing dragon on the ground before Pinkie and Applejack headed for the door. “Night ya’ll! Comin’ RD?”
“Yep, hang on a sec,” Dash replied before softly trotting over to Volare and giving him a soft kiss on the tip of his ear, which flicked in irritation as he slumbered. Dash looked up to see the strange looks on her friends’ faces. “What? Can’t a mare express her relief that her new friend isn’t gonna die? Sheesh!”
“AJ, Pinkie, you two head on,” Twilight spoke up and gave the rainbow Pegasus a sidelong glance. “I’m gonna have a quick little talk with Dash here.”
“Sure ya don’t want us to stay and at least clean the place up a bit?” Pinkie turned a little green as she nodded at the drying blood and blue feathers all over the kitchen; it looked like a murder scene.
“I’ve got it covered, thanks Pinkie,” Twilight waved until the front door shut before rounding on Rainbow Dash with a glare.
“What?” her friend inquired innocently-except this innocence seemed sincere, like she really had no idea that she was possibly doing something wrong. Then again, Twilight was convinced that nopony-not even Rainbow Dash-could be that damn dense.
“Just what exactly happened to cause all this, Dash? And don’t you dare lie to me!” Twilight gave Dash the sternest look she’d ever recalled seeing on her bookworm friend’s face.
“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, Twilight! What, you jealous that Volare wanted to spend more time with me than you? That it, huh?!” Dash flared her wings, her fighting blood suddenly up despite the exhaustion in her bones.
“Ahem, guys,” Spike coughed gently, averting their attention for a moment. He patted Volare’s matted mane with a claw. “Maybe we should move Volare to a bed before you add to the overall disaster that is the kitchen.” His statement drew a look of surprise from Twilight, who up until this point thought that Spike rather resented Volare being there. But she shook the questions away and gave Spike a nod.
“That’s probably for the best. Rainbow, you care to lend us a hoof in getting this guy upstairs?”
“Sure thing. Heh, we probably owe him a little nicer place to sleep than the floor this time, eh,” she chuckled, referring to earlier. Had that only been that morning…it seemed years ago…
“Indeed. Spike, please get my bed ready for him,” her statement brought shocked stares from her friends. “Oh come on; I’m gonna sleep on the couch while he uses my bed! What do you take me for?”
“Heh, totally not thinking what I was thinking, Twilight,” Spike giggled as he headed for the stairs. “Ow!” he rubbed the back of his head as a magical force tweaked one of his green spines. “Twilight Psycho wanting to play doctor and now she wants to let him sleep in her bed…what a crazy-flanked night…” he grumbled all the way up to her bedroom.
Twilight turned to Volare’s peacefully sleeping body. “Well, shall we?” Dash nodded as Twilight surrounded his body with that aura and levitated him from the floor, leaving a bloody Pegasus-shaped outline where he’d been laying. “Poor guy really did lose a lot of blood…makes me wonder how close he came to-"
“Hey, he’s gonna make it now Twilight, so don’t talk about that, ok?” Dash said suddenly, her voice cracking a bit as she did so. “He’s gonna be ok…he’s gonna.”
“I hope so. Support his wings for me, Dash and we’ll carry him upstairs.” Dash gently took his wings in her hooves, drawing a small groan from Volare as they made their way up the steps. After a few moments, they reached the top, and gently laid him down on her freshly-made bed. “Thanks Spike,” she patted her assistant on the head before situating Volare’s limbs and pulling the blanket over his slightly shivering form. Twilight and Dash allowed themselves a moment to look over his face, so peaceful compared to earlier, before Spike coughed again.
“Um, didn’t you girls have something to talk about, cuz I think he can sleep just fine without you two drooling over him,” the dragon said sarcastically before Twilight swatted him in the nose with her tail.
“Yes, we do have something to talk about, and no we are not drooling, Spike! Keep an eye on him please; I’ll be right back. Come on Dash.” The Pegasus reluctantly followed her Unicorn friend back downstairs. They nearly took a turn into the kitchen, but Twilight thought better of it and motioned towards the book-strewn main lobby of the library. She laid down and tucked her legs up under herself on the couch while Dash perched on a pile of books. “Guy’s been here less than a day, and he’s wrecked this place twice,” she shook her head and chuckled lightly. “I guess it could do with a little remodeling anyway.”
“Ok, quit the small-talk, Twilight,” Dash interrupted her. “You said you had something to say and you seemed pretty insistent in saying it, but now that we’re here, you’re stalling for time. What is it?”
Twilight was taken aback at her statement but quickly recovered. She looked towards the kitchen and grabbed two of the peaches with her magic and floated them to herself, offering one to Dash who suddenly realized her own hunger. She dug into the succulent fruit as Twilight spoke up. “Dash…there are certain things you need to know…about yourself and Volare.” Her friend looked up at this, paying complete attention now. “There are certain conclusions that Pinkie, AJ, and myself came to today in the marketplace regarding our new friend, and especially regarding the behavior I’ve noticed towards him…”
------------------------------------
“Ok whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a sec,” Dash waved a hoof and spat out the peach pit she had been gnawing on. It landed in a small bowl with a clink alongside the pits of the near-dozen or so other peaches that Twilight and herself had been munching on for the past half-hour. “So you’re saying that the reason why we’ve all felt differently towards him is because of either hormones or a…what did you call it again?”
“A misplaced maternal reaction originating from our instincts as mares to want to provide care and affection to little baby foals and newborns. And since Volare is basically a newborn to us, if not in mind then at least in mannerisms and pony experience, we feel compelled to be around him all the time and shower him with affection,” Twilight said with more than a little self-satisfaction, though she felt the slightest pang of guilt.
Was that really how she felt about it too?
“Yeah…I don’t buy it, Twilight,” Dash shook her head. “I mean, when have I ever acted…motherly?”
“…you remember the little filly you saved from the well?”
“Yeah, of course I do!”
“And the little foal you saved from rolling off a cliff in a baby carriage?”
“Yeah, ok, that was a-"
“And you managed to risk your life to save Rarity and the Wonderbolts from certain death while they were falling helplessly from Cloudsdale.”
“…ok, I think I see your point.”
“Indeed, and I think it’s even stronger in you than the rest of us, Dash.”
“What, why?” she asked in bafflement.
“Because of your Element: Loyalty. Even though you have a pretty significant sense of pride as well as a rather inflated ego because of it-"
“Hey, watch it!” Dash growled.
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. What I mean to say is that even though you have a lot of personal pride, you still manage to put it aside to help those in need, especially those that are weaker than you; a common indicator of parental instinct, I believe.”
“But I…ok, maybe but…hmm,” Dash tapped her chin. Maybe she was right…then again… “But that can’t be true, Twilight. Or if it is, that means that I’m only helping Volare like this because I feel he’s weak.”
“You said it yourself that he is,” Spike spoke up from the stairs.
“Hey, get back up there!” Dash threw a book at the dragon who stuck his tongue out and scurried back up to the bedroom.
“You told him that, Dash?” Twilight asked after a beat.
“Yeah I did…well, he overheard me telling Spike that and…he got really upset,” Dash’s face fell at the memory. “And that’s why we did what we did and he got hurt; cuz he was trying to prove he wasn’t weak like I said. I told him I only said that he was weak because I was angry, so if I tell him that’s actually true now...it’ll break his heart and he’s gonna hate me, Twilight. So that’s why what you say right now can’t be true! Not from me,” Dash hung her head and sighed.
The purple Unicorn gave her friend an understanding look. “Then it must be the hormones.”
“Oh come on, Twilight!” The Unicorn nearly fell over the back of the couch at Dash’s sudden outburst. “Why’s everything gotta be a feathering science project to you? Why can’t you just let some things remain unknown, huh?!” The Pegasus turned away and crossed her hooves, snorting in frustration. “I dunno what it is that’s making me wanna spend time with him and help him…and even kiss him on the ear because I thought it’d be funny and cute-ok there I said it!!!” She shouted and covered her ears with her hooves, as if in shock at what she’d just heard herself say.
“Dash, I”-
“Just…just forget I ever said that, Twilight,” Dash turned back to her friend with a solemn look. “The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t wanna see him get hurt again, but I don’t wanna smother him either, so I’m stuck, ok? That’s my ‘scientific explanation’,” she air quoted and shut her eyes tightly, awaiting Twilight’s response.
“Dash…maybe you’re right,” Twilight said softly.
Dash’s head practically wrenched itself off her shoulders, it spun around so quickly. “Come again?”
“I said maybe you’re right…I’m sorry that I try to put everything into its own little category; it’s just the way I’m wired,” she sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “Maybe there are certain things out there that just aren’t understandable and the very possibility of such a thing occurring makes me wanna go out and investigate it, I dunno.”
“Like Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense?”
“Yeah no kidding, but we all know how that turned out,” Twilight rubbed the spot where a whole moving truck full of ridiculously heavy crap had fallen on her head. “That is one thing that’ll probably never be explained.”
“Kinda like me and my loyalty, huh,” Dash mused. “Like you said, it just makes me do things I don’t understand sometimes…”
“I see…maybe your behavior is actually based on your Element itself, which is causing a chemical reaction in your brain, which is then-" but Twilight cut herself off at Dash’s bemused expression. “Sorry…heh, ok for now, let’s just let bygones be bygones and not try to explain these feelings away.”
“Deal!” Dash spat in her hoof and offered it to Twilight, who grimaced a bit.
“Really?” Dash nodded sincerely. “Urgh, fine,” she rolled her eyes and spat in her own hoof and shook Dash’s. “We won’t worry ourselves over this stuff….for now!”
“Sounds good…so, now what?” Dash asked as Twilight got up from the couch, and trotted over to the kitchen doorway.
“Well, I was going to try to clean up this place at the very least before I went to bed; don’t want any visitors to think somepony got murdered back here.”
“Or performed a surgery that you had no idea how to perform in the first place…but things turned out alright so far,” Dash grinned her thanks at her friend who returned it modestly.
“Well, I just got a little lucky, I suppose.”
“Luck nothing-you’re the most powerful magic user in Ponyville! Even when you haven’t done more than glance over a spell, you were still able to perform it right and save a Pegasus’ wing, and keep him from bleeding to death!” She then looked around at the horror scene of a kitchen and chuckled. “Tell ya what; I’m not that tired or hungry; those peaches really hit the spot. So, I’ll stick around and help ya clean the place up before I head out!”
“Thanks Dash,” Twilight said but gave her a strange look. Since when was Dash ever this complimentary…?
--------------------------------------------
“Well, that was…interesting,” Twilight laughed and tossed the filthy rag in a bucket she’d been using to scrub the floor. Dash followed suite with her own rags she’d been cleaning the errant blood spatters on the counter tops and drawers with. “Why do I feel like I’m covering up a crime scene here,” the Unicorn laughed and dumped the bloody water down the sink. She took one look at the rags and simply burned them as a lost cause before tossing the ash out the window.
“Better than it was, Twilight,” Dash clapped her on the back with a hoof and grinned at their work, Volare’s blood still plastered on her cheek. “That magic of yours sure is helpful at times like this. But poor ol’ pegasi like me just gotta make do with good ol’ hoof and elbow grease.”
“Ok Dash, drop the act,” Twilight demanded of the surprised Pegasus.
“Huh, whatcha mean? What act?” Dash asked, trying her best to look innocent.
“The only reason why you’re suddenly being nice and complimentary to me is just a sneaky way of buttering another pony up. So, just come straight out with it and tell me what you want,” Twilight tapped her hoof impatiently.
“Well, oh fine, ya caught me; I surrender,” Dash held her hooves outwards in a pantomime of being cuffed by the Royal Guards. “There is something I wanna talk to you about.”
“Is it about our blue friend upstairs,” Twilight asked with a small snort.
“How’d ya know?” Dash’s ears fell slightly.
“Oh, mare’s intuition,” the Unicorn chuckled and then her smile faded. “I also need to talk to you about him, and I’m not kidding around here Dash.” The Pegasus nodded and perched on the counter top, completely focused. “Don’t take this the wrong way Rainbow, but I don’t want you and Volare seeing each other for a while.”
“Say what?!” Dash shot to her hooves on the countertop before she could stop herself. “Explain, Twilight!”
“What I mean to say is…I’m worried about you two and whatever these ‘feelings’ you may or may not have for each other; they’ve nearly gotten him killed, and I don’t wanna see that happen,” Twilight frowned.
“Already told ya: I fly solo, Twilight. I’m just having a little fun, that’s all.”
“Well then it’s even worse because there’s a good chance that he sees your teasings as genuine affection.”
“But…he told me that that can’t happen between us, Twilight,” Dash said slowly. “He said he’s…well, it’s…"
“Too soon, hm?” Twilight ventured.
“Yeah, that.”
“Makes sense; he has only been a pony for less than a day, not to mention the pony that he might possibly have feelings for has nearly gotten him killed multiple times, so I can see the hesitation there.”
“But that’s not all,” Dash continued. “He says he feels torn different ways: one way, he might possibly have some sorta feelings for me-the other way, he feels bad for liking a different species.”
“But you’re both ponies now,” Twilight countered, now a bit curious as to what exactly the two pegasi debated in the clouds.
“I know, that’s what I told him, but he said he still feels ‘too human’ to have those feelings for me, and that my jokes and teasings towards him mess with his head.”
“So stop teasing him, Dash,” Twilight said firmly. “…you are just teasing him, right?”
“Well, yeah…maybe…”
“What did you tell him, exactly,” Twilight asked, now more worried than ever.
“Just that I say things I don’t mean whenever I’m competitive and pissed off, that’s all.”
“Did you tell him you were only teasing him and that even your false advances are just for fun?”
“…no.”
“Ugh, crap,” Twilight bonked her head against the wall and stood there for a long enough moment that Dash was afraid that she’d knocked herself out.
“Um, Twilight? You ok?"-
“Yes Rainbow…I’m just fine,” she muttered into the tree bark. “This just further supports why I want you two to have a timeout for a while.”
“For how long, Twilight?” Dash's face scrunched in worry.
“At the very least until he’s recovered,” she looked up and sighed. “But even then I’m not too sure because I don’t know how long the recovery time for something like this is. If anything, I can ask around in Canterlot if anyone knows more about it, even Celestia or Luna themselves if they have the time...” Her head perked up and she looked at the calendar for a moment. “…which is convenient because I have to be there three days from now.”
“For how long?”
“Two weeks,” Twilight replied and turned to Dash. “And with me gone that long, what better reason for you and Volare to stay apart and not rough-horse around; if you or him get hurt while I’m gone, who’ll fix you guys up?”
“Ah, I see now…heh for a second there I thought you just wanted Volare to yourself for a while, Twilight,” Dash said in a deadpan tone that drew a stunned gasp from her friend. “Haha, I’m just kidding,” she winked and then looked at the door at the sound of approaching clawsteps. Crap! She quickly sped to the sink and pretended to wash her hooves, though they in fact needed it anyway as Twilight looked about frantically before knocking the wash bucket off the counter to give herself something to pick up.
“Hey guys,” Spike yawned from the kitchen doorway, rubbing his eyes. “Whoa, nice job!”
“What’s up, Spike?” Dash said as she shook the water from her forelegs.
“Well…we might have an eensy little problem with the Blue Blunder up there,” he jerked a claw at the second floor, missing the scowl Dash gave him. No sooner had he done that than they heard the soft groans coming down the stairs. “I’ve been trying to get some sleep, but Volare can’t settle down and find a comfy spot, or so he says. He…he seems to be hurting quite a bit.”
Twilight and Dash looked at each other for a moment before rushing upstairs, leaving the dragon alone in the kitchen. “Was it something I said? Oooh, apples,” Spike snagged a few of the fruits Applejack had left behind and hopped up on the counter. “Mmm, not such a bad trip downstairs after all.”
“Volare, you ok?” Twilight asked softly as she peeked her head over the top step. She stepped to the side as Dash pushed past her and trotted to the dark blue Pegasus’ bedside.
“What’s buggin ya, flyboy?” Dash asked before Volare turned over and gave her a look somewhere between pain and anger. “What’s wrong, dude?” she gasped and knelt by the bed, grabbing his hoof in her own. Meanwhile, Twilight couldn't help but be slightly amused at Dash's sudden change in demeanor once more.
“I…it hurts too much to sleep,” he motioned down towards his wing, the base of which throbbed visibly, no doubt causing him considerable pain. “If I roll over on my right side, I’m on top of the damn thing, if I roll over on my left, the hurt wing is elevated and just throbs. I can’t sleep on my back, and if I sleep on my belly, my face is in the pillow! Urgh, sorry if I sound whiny, but this sucks. Also, I think I pissed off Spike cuz I can’t go to sleep.”
“Don’t you pay Spike any mind, Volare,” Twilight instructed him. “Baby dragons get cranky when they’re tired.”
“Hey, I heard that!” came a shout from downstairs, causing the three ponies to snicker quietly.
“Told ya,” the Unicorn smiled softly and stood by his bed, or rather, her bed. She took notice of the blood matting his fur down that was sure to stain her bed sheets, but she needed new ones anyway, so this provided the perfect excuse. “How can we help?”
“Can’t you cast some sort of pain-killing or numbing spell or something on me, Twilight,” Volare practically begged, but she shook her head.
“I could, but we need to know if you’re healing correctly, and that pain you’re feeling is the only for sure thing to go by right now, at least until I get a proper medical pony up here. Besides, if I numb you up, how will we know that your wing doesn’t have a blood clot or something, and you lose the wing in the end after all; all because you couldn’t feel the ache of it.”
“Grr…makes sense I guess,” Volare flopped his head over and winced. "I reiterate: this sucks."
“I’m sorry Volare, but you’re just gonna have to tough it out for the night,” Twilight brushed his mane gently with her hoof, truly wishing she could do more to help him. But it was too late at night, she was too tired, and she felt she’d pushed her luck more than enough tonight anyway.
“Hmph, guess I’ll live, Twilight,” Volare chuckled painfully. “But I think Spike is gonna have to sleep downstairs, otherwise he may get so cranky he’ll poison our breakfast tomorrow.”
“I heard that too!!!”
“Hahahaha, indeed Volare, indeed,” Twilight nodded and turned towards the stairs. “Come on, Dash. Let’s let Volare try to get a little rest.”
“But he said he hurts too much to”-
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do right now, plus you and I have an agreement.”
“I-I never agreed to that,” Dash retorted, rising to her hooves defensively.
“But you were going to,” the Unicorn replied derisively.
“Well yeah, but I still never did,” Dash stood with her side pressed tightly to the bed.
“Dash, if you don’t leave Volare alone voluntarily, I’m going to throw you down the stairs myself and you’ll be sleeping here tonight, because I’ll make sure you land on your head!” Twilight pawed the floor in irritation. She just wanted to get some sleep, for Luna’s sake!!!
“I’d like to see you try it, egghead,” Dash’s wings flared upwards, nearly swatting Volare in the mouth as she snorted.
“Um, guys, should I feel totally out of the loop here or what,” Volare spoke up, hoping to diffuse the situation.
“Twilight wants us to spend a few weeks apart so you can recover and don’t hurt yourself again trying to be better than me,” Dash said quickly before Twilight could respond.
“That true, Twilight?” Volare asked, actually not totally against the idea of having a little peace and quiet for a few days.
“Well, not exactly in so many words,” the Librarian replied with a nervous smile. “My main concern is your safety and hers, that’s all. Dash, come on.”
“But Twilight, I,” Dash started but stopped hesitantly. “What happened is all my fault, and I wanna make it up to him, and I don’t wanna wait a few weeks. I wanna make it up to him tonight,” she grabbed Volare’s hoof again, ignoring the shocked look on his face.
“Maybe you should wait more than a few hours after he’s had life-saving surgery before making a move on him like that, Dash,” Spike laughed.
“SHUT UP, SPIKE!!” All three ponies shouted and then burst out laughing.
“Ok, Dash,” Twilight said after wiping a tear from her eye. “What did you have in mind; certainly not that, I hope,” she nodded towards the stairs, but Dash shook her head vehemently.
“Of course not! I was just gonna spend the night with him since he can’t sleep; keep him company, that’s all,” she looked down at Volare and gave him a sincere smile.
“Ooh, nice save, RD,” came another scathing laugh from downstairs followed by a thump and a loud “ow” as what sounded like a little dragon rump hit the floor after being tossed off the counter top. The glow around Twilight’s horn receded as she tapped a hoof for a moment.
“That’s all you intend to do?” she asked seriously. “No antics?”
“Not one, not even if he wants to,” Dash winked at the injured Pegasus. “Sorry flyboy, gotta keep ya from hurting yourself doing something you can’t handle."
“Oh hah-hah, very funny,” Volare rolled his eyes before looking up at Twilight. “You’ll have no trouble out of me; promise. And don’t make me do the Pinkie one, please.”
“Heh, I believe you,” Twilight nodded although she was still a little concerned. “What exactly did you have in mind though, Dash? Gonna stay up all night and play checkers with a guy who can hardly sit up?” Volare rolled his eyes again as Dash headed for the window and unlatched it.
“Nah, nothing like that. I’ll show ya inna sec!” She opened the window and zipped away in the direction of her cloudhouse.
“Any idea what she’s got planned?” Twilight asked absentmindedly as her eyes roved over Volare’s reclined form. Poor guy…you’ve been crashed twice, burned, battered, and now dismembered…what in Starswirl’s Beard is keeping you going, Volare?
“You’ve known her longer than I have,” Volare shook his head and reached out to touch Twilight’s mane with a hoof. She gave a startled little eep before looking down at him. “Heh, sorry…listen, Twilight…I heard what you two said about me down there…about all that instinct stuff and hormones.”
“O-oh, you did?” Twilight replied in surprise. “We thought you were asleep.”
“Nah, just trying to nap; but I heard you all the same.”
“I see…what did you think about all that?” Twilight finally asked.
“I think I’m glad you’re letting things be as they will for a while,” Volare sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “What about you Twilight?”
“Hmm?”
“How many of your crazy theories do you put 100% of your faith in?” But before Twilight could even think of an answer to that one, Dash came zooming back through the window, her wake stirring up the papers on Twilight’s desk and sending them flying about the room before the Unicorn grabbed them with her magic and sat them back on the desk.
“Well, I guess I’ll just re-sort those later,” Twilight with a tinge of annoyance. “What all did you grab, Dash?”
“Oh, nothing much,” Dash grinned, obviously hiding something behind her back. “Only the first in the greatest book series about the best action hero in Equestria ever!” She thrust the book out before her with a huge smile. On the cover was a mare wearing a khaki pith helmet and swinging on a vine away from numerous crocodiles. In her hoof was a small blue statue shaped like two dogs sitting back to back. The title blared out above her:
Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.
“Awww,” Twilight sighed just audibly enough for Dash and Volare to look up. “Um, er, ahem, sorry, just yawning a bit.” As much as the little voice in her head kept screaming to not approve of this…she found it adorable that Dash was wanting to keep Volare company by reading him the very book that she had given to her back when she’d been recovering from an injury herself. As Dash hopped up on the bed and cracked the book open, Twilight decided it was a good time to head to bed herself.
“Well, I think I’ll just head on downstairs and try to get some shut eye. You two behave yourselves”- but Dash had already begun to read Volare the story. Twilight smiled and shook her head as she headed down the stairs. “Spike, if you suspect Dash is trying anything funny with Volare, you have my permission to burn her tail off,” she announced as she flopped onto the couch and threw a blanket over herself.
“With pleasure,” Spike replied, but Twilight was already out like a light.
As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky. But her crash landing in the jungle had injured her wing and she was grounded for a few days. A few days?! It might as well be a few months, or a few years! Rainbow Dash read with excitement; this was the first book in the series and it had been a while since she’d read it herself.
“Heh, sounds a bit like me; the crashing and not being able to fly bit,” Volare interjected to which Dash replied with a grin.
“I know right?! I thought the same thing while reading this while recovering from my own wing injury. Now shush flyboy, this baby gets good really fast! Where was I, oh yeah!”
The mosquitoes buzzed loudly. The macaws cried from the high trees. Yet all of these distracting noises were not enough to cover the sound of the predators following her every step...
As she read, Volare felt himself distracted from the throbbing pain in his side, replaced instead by a small ache in his chest, one which felt just a little bit better as he reached down and felt his hoof curl around hers…he nearly pulled away in surprise once he realized what he’d done, but he couldn’t…she’d returned the grip with a firm one of her own as continued the story of Daring Do…
Heh, she may have nearly gotten me killed…but she saved my life and stuck with me…and now she’s reading me her favorite book so I’ll hurt just a little bit less…Rainbow Dash, how’d you get to be so amazing?
--------------------------------------
Meanwhile, a few miles away to the South and just inside the eastern edge of the Everfree Forest sat a smallish blue wagon with a red roof. Soft blue light shined from behind the shuttered windows from somepony who should have been in a bed a good while ago. But sleep was the last thing on her mind right now…
A rustling bush betrayed the position of a brown-cloaked Unicorn approaching the wagon. The mare looked about cautiously before hurrying across the open space of the glade surrounding the wagon; no sense in tarrying in the Everfree Forest, not even on the edge of it! “Madame, Madame,” the Unicorn knocked softly on the door, looking back over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being followed. “I have information that may be pertinent to your”-
“Excuse me, whoever you are,” a self-sure voice resounded from inside the wagon, making the lights flicker slightly. “I thought I specifically instructed you to never call me Madame; it makes me feel old and frumpy. Knock again and greet me properly, thank you.”
The Unicorn sighed and knocked again. “Excuse me, ma’am, I have something important for you and I”-
“Not ma’am either, for that is short for Madame, you foolish pony! Take it from the top one more time.”
A branch cracked behind the Unicorn and she whirled to see 2 yellow eyes burning out in the forest, looking right at her. She could just envision the hungry tongue flicking across the sharp, dripping jaws of whatever that thing was! She turned and pounded on the door in earnest. “For Luna’s sake, open the door or you’ll be cleaning my corpse off your front doorstep!!!”
“Oh please, no need to shout,” the voice called out and the door fell open. The Unicorn tumbled in with a crash and slammed the door shut, throwing the bolt to and whipping off her hood to reveal a perspiring green-maned face.
“Are you out of your mind?!” she shouted at the high-backed bench facing away from her. Just above the top of the benchback, she could see a hairbrush being levitated and backlit by the magical blue-burning fire at the end of the wagon. “You could have gotten me eaten by who knows what out there!! Are you even listening to me?! Can’t believe I took this bucking job!”
“Yes, I’m doing my fair share of listening, and quite frankly, you’re beginning to irritate me,” the brush floated down and was placed on the end table next to the bench. A blue pointy hat then floated from the corner of the room and sat down upon what she presumed to be the owner’s head, and as she spoke, it bobbed back and forth. “Jill, you took this job because I offered it, plain and simple. And I can just as easily take it away, for both you and your foal of a brother, Ray.”
The Unicorn fell to her knees and groveled a bit, if only because that was the only way to get things done with this crazy mare. “Please forgive me, or at least leave my brother alone in this; he had nothing to do with my insolence.”
“And it is for that exact reason why I’ll keep you and him as my cohorts for now…speaking of which, where is the guy,” the hat bobbed to the left and right, the shutters over the windows glowing light blue and opening up a crack before shutting again as the hat’s owner peeked out.
“I’d suspect he’s still tracking him,” the female Unicorn said vaguely, getting her mistress interested and putting her in control for the moment.
“Him? Him who,” the hat turned halfway around.
“Why, the new Pegasus in town,” Jill replied. “Blue stallion, kinda skinny. Ray and I spotted him today at the Gilded Griffon.”
“Oh that hole of a café?”
“The exact one, and”-
“Why would a blue Pegasus interest me, dear Jill? Even if he’s new in town, how does that lead me to more information on my research?”
“Because, we saw him conspiring with both Lyra and Twilight Sparkle in the café.”
“Grrr, that green freak and Twilight Sparkle,” the mare practically spat the last name. “Any friend of that little purple twat can go jump off a cliff for all I care!”
“Interesting you should say that,” Jill continued. “Because from what we overheard, he has some serious trouble flying.”
“Is he a foal or something?”
“Not a foal…he’s an adult...without a cutie mark.”
“What in the…you’re completely sure?!”
“Positive. And furthermore, you know how Lyra”-
“Green freak, if you please.”
“Yes…you know how the green freak gets a certain way when she’s near certain objects from other worlds, particularly ones from-"
“From Earth, yes. Did this new blank-flank Pegasus set her off? …don’t nod, I can’t see through this chair, you idiot.”
“Of course not,” Jill rolled her eyes. Good thing she couldn’t see that either. “And yes, he did. Moreover, she took him back into that locked room of hers.”
“Oh that was probably just the first time in a while the green freak had gotten some nookie, that’s all,” the mare dismissed it with a wave of her hoof.
“That’s the thing…they’re either the greatest bedroom athletes in Ponyville, or they didn’t do anything of the sort because they didn’t even look so much as ruffled when they came out of there.”
“So let’s see here…new Pegasus in town with no mark that can’t fly…he sets off the green freak’s ‘human sense’…and then they go into that room I’ve so desperately desired to go in myself…conclusion?”
“Um, you’re interested in nookie in there?”
“NO YOU FOAL!!!” the hairbrush zinged across the room and just barely missed Jill’s head as she ducked. “It means that this new flight-challenged Pegasus has now had close contact with both the green freak and Twilight Sparkle,” she again spat her last name. “Both of whom study those humans to some extent…which means he could potentially grant us access to their research if his trust is plied in just the right fashion. And we all know just how powerful the legends speak of the magic the humans could create…it would be the perfect thing for me to get my hooves on and finally show up little miss goody four-horseshoes once and for all!!”
She was interrupted by another insistent knocking on the door, accompanied by roars from the edge of the glade. “Ms. Great and Powerful Trixie, could you please open the door before this Manticore eats me? Thank you!!!”
“You see, Jill,” the light blue Unicorn stood from her bench and flicked the door open with her magic, grinning evilly. Her pointed blue hat bounced on her head as she laughed at Jill’s brother Ray tumbling inside and slamming the door behind him. “THAT is how you address The Great and Powerful Trixie! By full name and title alone! Hahahahaha!!!”
------------------------------------
Small notes: Holy crap, this booger of a chapter is done!!! ^^;;
Thus ends the Prologue Arc of the story folks. I’m going to post a Prologue Arc Q&A blog/chapter/thingy in a bit in order to quickly summarize the Arc and to provide a place for discussions and questions you may have. I’ll also maybe give out a few spoilers as to what the next Arc is about too! ^^
Also, mega bonus points to whomever can figure out the origins of Ray and Jill's names ^^
EDIT: Here's the blog post to post your questions/discussions!
http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/22154
Don't be shy!
:3
Stats
Page generated in 0.044 seconds
Total duration
790 users online
1,214,893 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
You, sir, are freaking amazing.
One thing, though. Doesn't Twilight have a spare bed?
460515 Heh, nah, I'm just writing what comes to me
I don't recall her having one
It really doesn't have any bearing on the story though, except Volare sleeping upstairs and her sleeping downstairs (and of course Spike bunking next to Volare later, which could lead to them bonding a little better ^^ )
460773
I remember AJ and Rarity sleeping in it when they stayed with Twilight. Although, you're right, it doesn't affect the story.
460780 I'll have Spike retroactively set it on fire
Problem solved
J/K
460916 Thanks dude!
Hrm...I suppose I can post the Q&A chapter tonight or tomorrow. Either way, it'll give me about a week's worth of a break from this story for college exams and projects
Shit just got 10x more interesting- didn't think that was possible XD Never would of guessed you'd bring Trixie- sorry..."The great & powerful" Trixie
into the plot. Ashamed to say I had no idea it was her until Ray said her name there at the end 
Hell- I forgot she even existed XD
Okay, so Trixie thinks humans have magic, so she wants to harness it to show up Twilight? Trixie logic.
461026
YOU MUST ADD MOAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
after exams...
461339 Mhm, think of how many famous magicians there have been
Houdini
David Copperfield
Kriss Angel
Penn & Teller
Not to mention all the technology we have which could easily be misconstrued as magic to a pony that doesn't have a firm grasp of science (jets for example)
Like you said: Trixie logic
462474 Give my poor fingers and sanity a break!
I just added the Q&A blog post to my profile, so go check dat out
Dang, this has been good from the start and is getting even better! Nice little twist with The G&P Trixie by the way. Definitively didn't see that coming. Keep up the awesome work!
462773 Thanks a bunch!
The G&P Trixie will be appearing rather frequently from now on (you know, I honestly don't read many stories involving her...weird)
Which is unfortunate because she's an angsty, hilarious character to write
462817
Huh, you know, you're right, there aren't very many. And true, her personality makes her a great character to write with.
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WITCH IS IN TOWN
Proceed with the rome-antics, if you would please.
edcone.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341cc33e53ef0153919a61cb970b-800wi
463651 Double Burnsy all the way across the page~
I see no accidental double-postage.
Nope.
None.
463900 Well played, but I'm on to your little game, Tux
Well, that's decided, moving on.
I have just finished ch. 1-12 and I must say that....
....
this is one GOOD story!
The only thing that puzzled me was the following in ch. 2:
“…English, Twilight!” Dash pleaded frantically..
Wasn't the pony language called Equestrian?
MOAR! MOAR!!!, I say!
464689 Sounds good!
464921 Heh, I thought about it afterwards, but I thought it sounded funnier that way
462817
Trixie actually shows up in a fair number of stories I've read, probably at least in part because "Boast Busters" was one of the earliest episodes and she's thus among the first prominent one-shot characters of the entire show. Since we don't really know anything about her background before coming to Ponyville (technically not even just how long she's been a showmare -- it's recently struck me that for all we know she could have just been starting out) and haven't seen her again since, her characterization in fan fiction is kind of all over the map. Sometimes she learns her lesson from the episode, possibly even going into full atonement mode; sometimes she just carries on as before; and sometimes she descends into all-out villainy. In any case it's apparently not uncommon for her to strangely fixate on this one pony commonly known as Twilight Sparkle for one reason or another...
Of course, Volare will probably recognize her on sight (or first name-drop, whichever comes first). Should be interesting to see how her attempts to "ply his trust" will work out in lights of that.
leaving bloody a pegasus-shaped - 'a' should be before 'bloody'
Keep and eye - should be 'an'
on pile of books - on "a" pile of books
hurting quiet a bit - should be "quite"
Geez... this could get interesting real fast. I'm loving it. Still.
Yay I finished the prologues!
I am loving this story so far. One of the best I've read on fimfiction. You're evoking so much emotion from me. The way Twilight was acting made me want to slap her. (If you see this Celestial sorry.)
What the, the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE?!!? HERE ?!?!
I love the pacing and how you've gradually built up the entire chapter without rushing it. But man, this is certainly one huge prologue you've got here.
to be honest... i hate Trixie appearing in fics that i read.
but, other than that: LOVE IT!
GODDAMMIT V-PONY!!! Y'ALL ISN'T JUST ONE PONY/PERSON!!!
I'm surprised nopony threw up at all that blood. I love this story a lot.
Great chapter, I just think Twilight might have been a bit more out of it from the surgery spell. But then again, she could not have had that important dialogue with Dash.
Sorry for all the comments. I just like to get out my thoughts.
wow that was a good prologue sooooo... i say that twilight is best at magic but my avatar seems to disagree...
Avatar: i have actual sparkles
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/runescape/images/2/23/Magic_Emote.gif
Avatar:so i must be better at magic then twilight sparkle
i wanna kill trixie soooo bad in fact i just got warmed up
advancedanime.com/pictures/normal_2f52578e00.jpg
That was hell of a prologue!
You, sir, in my opinion, have the best prologue for a story EEEEEVVVVVEEERRRR!
And hell, if all these chapters so far was just the prologue, then the story must be...well, there is no word to explain how amazing it will be.
Now it is time to carry on reading!
462479 YOU HAVE SINNED! YOU MISSPELLED CRISS ANGEL'S NAME! MAY THE CONSUL HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOUL!
I'm part of it so your punishment is... To keep writing good fanfics for ETERNITY! MU HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Lol (we wil make you live forever to accomplish this)
Signed the king of ziolia
I'm sorry. So far, I have nothing storywise to interest me.
trixie has no idea what shes getting herself into messing around with human technology...if she learns about nuclear power. Equestria will burn
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke
I think someone needs to tell Trixie that quote.
Hell even Twilight would have trouble believeing humans made it to space without magic.
2203392ooh apples!
So far really the only thing this story has going for it is that there are no glaring problems. The biggest one really is how fast rd and oc already have romantic feelings in less than 12 hours. After all the entire prologue while word wise is long, but it's just 1 day.
While there is some internal conflict with these feelings, they just come across as a bit shallow and unconvincing.
As for the names jill and ray, the newly introduced characters I'm going to reserve judgement till they actually do something.
Ya... Magic, sure.
OK, I gotta say this: There's a difference between acting 'motherly' and saving a life. Pretty sure most of us would risk our life to save a child or friend.
pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8869-luna_disappointed.png
iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/WHATATWIST.gif
4433593 I speak from personal experience, having actually saved someone's life. Old man nearly fell from the top of a 60-70 foot escalator coming out of a subway station. I had to prop him up onto the rails, and if I didn't, he would have died. I didn't know him, I just took action.
I think you mean to have 'ever' instead of 'never', because it just doesn't work in this sentence.
...Why did they not immediately rush him straight to the hospital the second that spell was finished?
Just like any fanfiction dealing with something like this: main character starts in a toaster, transfers to the frying pan, and finally gets stuck in the oven... Great story by the way. Makes me feel the main character is real and has his own flaws.
He's just lost a limb and might die - who says something like that in this situation?!