Blue Angel

by V-Pony

Truth or Dare-Pt 5: A Fighting Chance

September 17th, Undisclosed Location, Morning...
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Agent, I trust you have something to report?

"Yes, I do. I wouldn't disturb you so early otherwise," she glanced out of the cloud she'd concealed herself within, confirming that no random Pegasi were nearby who could eavesdrop on her.

Are you still hidden?

"Hmm-hmm, of course; if I were discovered, I wouldn't be talking to you, sir."

Hahaha, touche madam. I trust there's been no trouble, then?

"Well, there was a teensy bit of an issue last night with some of the locals; they've brought in extra security since Ray and Jill were discovered, but I handled the situation accordingly."

Wasn't our fault! It was Trixie's!

Hush, we know it was Trixie's fault, Ray; if it were your fault you wouldn't have a tongue to speak with right now. Agent, please continue. What have you discovered? Have you found Volare's buck yet?

"I'm not entirely sure, no. I observed a celebration taking place in North Ponyville though, with Volare as the centerpiece, accompanied by quite a few friends he's made due to his recent exploits."

Interesting...anypony stand out in particular?

"Yes, Rainbow Dash accompanied him almost from the moment he arrived, goading him into activities I doubt he would have done otherwise."

The Element of Loyalty, eh? I wonder what her game is with him...

"I couldn't say, sir. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say she seemed somewhat attracted to him, though I also noticed she brushed off any attempt for anypony to say so."

Ha! That rainbow freak's probably just looking for some stallion to lift her tail and show her a good time, especially if she got hammered! Hey F, how wasted did that idiot get, hahaha-ouch! Jeez Boss, ya don't gotta hit so hard!

This is supposed to be a private call, now get back outside, Jillian! Damn fools...Agent I swear you're the only decent one of the bunch.

Oh is that right, sir? What about me, hmm? Dear Jill hasn't given you nearly as much pleasure as I have...nor is she likely to, knowing her problems.

Shut it, Twisted!

Or what? You'll "burn my orifices shut" just as you've threatened for months on end? Pffft, you're one sad, lonely little mare. Why don't you go service your brother instead; at least he shares enough lonesomeness to be desperate enough to want a pathetic little nag like you-

SILENCE! Out! Everypony get out!

"Um...should I call back later, sir?"

No, because there won't be time...I'll be moving out to search for Her on my own soon and we'll be cut off for a while.

"You still haven't found her?"

No, it seems she picked an inopportune time to finally learn her lesson and stay hidden for once...gah, and we're running out of time. Winter will be upon us within a few months and once that happens, She and the rest of her brood will go into hibernation and be nigh impossible to find.

"Should I return and aid in the search?"

No, you're fine where you are...just remain hidden and complete the mission as you see fit. I trust that you'll be successful.

"Thank you for the confidence, sir. I won't fail you."

For your sake, you'd best hope not. Now come on Ray, you're going with me and Twisted.

Wait, what?! Why me, sir? Why don't you just take Jill instead?

Forgive me, but is that a hint of insubordination I detect in your voice, Ray?

N-no sir, but I just-

Do you fear being alone out there with us? For shame, I thought we had the utmost trust in one another...

No sir-uh, I mean yes sir! We do, sir!

Good, I'm so glad we see eye to eye, heheheh...besides, to be honest, I believe your capacity to cooperate with Twisted far succeeds that of Jillian's.

Ooooh yes, we certainly will cooperate, heeheehee...

Meep!

*click*

"I swear...useless," the Agent facehoofed and shook her head as the green-tinged communication enchantment faded into the morning mist. She peeked her head down through the cloud cover she'd concealed herself in and smiled at the little town below her, the residents oblivious of what was soon to take place if all went according to plan...

---------------------------------

Octavia and Vinyl's house...

Rainbow Dash worked constantly to prove that she was the best in everything she possibly could, and although she conceded defeat in areas of higher academics to ponies like Twilight Sparkle, she did so only grudgingly; no matter, she'd just be greater in everything else to compensate! She hated losing and being weak! True, other ponies had weaknesses, but not her; not if she could help it! However, this determination to win was a double-edged sword, for the further ahead of everypony else she pushed herself, the further away from any help she'd hope to receive if she ever got into trouble. Oh well, no matter! If nopony's there to catch me, I'll just never fall! Yeah...never lose, never fail, never fall...never admit any weakness...never need any help...yeah...

Even so, try as she might, Dash couldn't escape the fact that as strong and fast as she was while awake, she shared the same weaknesses as any other pony while asleep, and those weaknesses included nightmares. But this wasn't just any old run-of-the-mill nightmare, she'd always tell herself whenever this one occurred; no, this was something that would often reduce her to waking up as a sobbing cyan shell of herself by the end of it-and the end was fast approaching.

Dash was flying over a strange land full of rolling hills, seven of which rose higher than the rest. Upon the seven hills lie a great and mighty city crowned by massive marble columns, arches, and walls, each decorated with the likeness of grim-looking and mighty ponies; heroes of wars long past. As she soared above the city, a crowd of ponies in strange off-white cloaks below shouted up to her, but they weren't praising her; rather, they were jeering her name and hurling threats skywards, promising her the worst pain and humiliation possible if she ever fell down to them. Above her, steely-sounding shrieks filled the air as shiny-winged shapes circled high above her, casting their foul shadows upon the crowd below.

Rainbow Dash squeezed her eyes shut and flapped her wings faster, trying to escape the snarls and shouts, but horribly, unbelievably, she began to lose altitude. Somehow, she was falling! No! No, no, no, no, anything but this! she thought as she strained her body against the force that dragged her downwards, the thundering hooves of the massive mob that surged beneath her growing in volume with every meter of height she lost. Soon, she was no longer flying horizontally, instead devoting all her effort, all her waning strength to keeping her nose pointed towards the sky as she continued to fall, her eyes filled with the sight of those horrid circling shapes screeching and flexing their horribly shining talons towards her.

No...no, please no, she sobbed, her tears mingling with the sweat that ran down from her forelock and burned her eyes, blinding her to the bright, welcoming sky above her and forcing her to shut them. With the welcome sight of the great blue dome cut off, Dash's hope faded and her strength finally gave out, her wings locking up as she plummeted towards the howling mob below. Morbid curiosity forced Dash's eyes open as she tumbled onto her belly in mid-air, her prismatic mane flashing colors all over the ponies below and lending a hellish light to their grins as the Unicorns among them turned their foreheads skyward to impale her upon their sharp horns.

Her heart thundered in her chest as she looked down, saw the forest of glittering eyes, teeth, and horns ready to receive their gruesome gift, and she let out the tiniest little whimper of terror that she was sure even Fluttershy would call pathetic. Dash felt the tears of regret and shame leak out of her eyes and trail up her temples before being caught in her ears by the wind that whistled past, the wind that betrayed her wings. Her greatest strength, gone. But why? Why? was all she had time to wonder before she squeezed her eyes shut as she prepared to strike the crowd chest first, just like every time before.

...but instead of the sharp stab of pain that always yanked her out of the nightmare, Dash felt something else beneath her; something soft and warm...and comforting. No, not something, realized as whatever it was under her was gently moving up and down as it breathed, blowing warm air through her mane as it did so. But somepony. Dash took in the sound of a gently thumping heart beneath her ear, her own breath slowing down closer to normal as the nightmare faded back into her subconscious...but not before she realized that whoever it was she was laying upon had been the one to save her in the dream...somepony had caught her...but who could it-?

It was then at that point that Dash opened her eyes and was greeted with a sea of Navy blue fur lying beyond the fiery forelock that had fallen over her eyes...fur that had the slightest remaining pattern of healing burns mottling it. Dash's eyes widened in surprise-Wha-but...how? As she leaned her head up to confirm that yes, she'd fallen asleep on Volare's chest, she felt a stab of pain in her forehead that caused her vision to swim as the effects of last night's drinking contest hit her full-force.

"Urgh," she groaned and laid her head back on Volare's chest, praying that nopony else saw this...still, he's nice and warm she thought as she gently snuggled back down against him, silently thanking him for...whatever it was he did to catch her in that dream. But as she settled her head back down, listening to the steady tha-dump of his heart, she felt a sharp little inhalation as Volare stirred and finally awoke.

"Owww...my head," he moaned, bringing a hoof up to his eyes and blocking the bright light of the morning sun, he too feeling the hangover effects of the booze he and Dash guzzled last night. After a moment though, he noticed he wasn't lying on the floor alone, and the last memories of the night rushed back to him as the pilot leaned up off the pillow behind his head and very nearly bumped his nose up against Dash's. "Ah-heh-heh, morning, Dashie," he chuckled nervously as she smiled; the sunlight filtering through her colorfully messy mane combined with her rose-colored eyes inches from his own caused his breath to catch in his throat as he realized she was laying fully against his body, a blanket over her own back and keeping their body warmth tucked in around them. Wait a sec...a blanket and pillow...on the floor...she's on top of me...oh shit! If he hadn't felt so weak and achy, he surely would have leaped up and tossed her off of himself in shock!
"Um, D-Dashie...?"

"Ye-*yawn*-eah, flyboy?" she yawned in the middle of her speech, a tear forcing its way from her eye as she smirked down at him, her mind still a bit hazy. She brought her forehooves up along his chest and arched her back with a little groan above him, cracking her shoulder blades and loosening her wings before flopping back down on him with an oof! "What's up? You ok?" She tilted her face up and smiled, rather oblivious to Volare's mounting concern.

"Did we um...oh god," he squeezed his eyes shut before asking the question. "Did we do anything last night?"

"Huh-what do you...agh, jeez!" Dash's mind snapped out of its haze and she leaned up off of his chest, blushing visibly as she realized what he meant-but she couldn't remember anything! "Uh, I dunno-do you remember if we did, Volare?" She'd almost prefer that nightmare over finding out she'd just done the deed with the guy she'd promised to watch out for.

"I can't...no, I don't remember," he shook his head and groaned. "Uh, do you feel...sore or anything?" he offered but received a half-hearted hoof to the nose in reply.

"Ha, don't flatter yourself too much there, flyboy," Dash glanced around pleadingly, but somehow there was nopony else in sight; nopony to vindicate them of this possible screw up!

"Damn!" Volare and Dash both hissed at once, caught the worried look in each other's eyes, and struggled to get up off the floor. But they were too woozy and achy to do so and Dash merely fell back onto him, growling at the weakness in her limbs. "Vinyl, where are you?" he called out for their hostess, and an off-white hoof waved itself above the turntables knocked over in the corner of the room.

"Huwah-over here," the DJ slurred, looking up over the fallen disc table and yawning mightily, her purple shades askew and her cerise eyes bloodshot. She looked over at the Pegasus pair on the ground and smirked in amusement. "Wazzup, Dash? Dare I ask what's up with you, Volare, hee-hee."

"Not even slightly hilarious," Volare groaned/growled and rubbed his sticky lips with the back of his hoof; his breath stank like fermenting apples and sugar from the rum, and he couldn't imagine how bad it was for Dash if he was breathing right in her face like this. They all looked up as Octavia trotted down the stairs and headed right for the coffee-pot, giving them a half-wave before pausing midstep and double-taking at the two pairs of ponies for the briefest moment of incredulity. She blinked owlishly, shook her mane with a snort, and continued towards the coffee; apparently waking up to Vinyl and Co. in...less than couth situations like this was old hat for her, and that made Volare even more self-conscious as to their predicament. He scooted slightly further out from under Dash and leaned up against the couch, blinking heavily and shaking his head drunkenly. "Vinyl, please...tell me Dash and I didn't do anything too serious last night?"

"Heh, you kidding?" a second voice snickered from behind the turntable as a bedraggled lemon-colored mane bobbed up over the top, soon followed by its owner as she sat up and hooked her forelegs over the table to keep from flopping back down again. Cloud Kicker smirked impishly at the sight of Dash laying atop Volare, faces red as apples before speaking. "You guys did plenty of stuff last night, some of the craziest I've ever seen at a party...though I don't think as wild as me and Vinyl got back here," she nipped the DJ's ear as Volare gulped visibly at the comment, Octavia again thanked her lucky stars her studio was sound-proof, while Dash simply got mad.

"What the hay do you mean "plenty of stuff", huh?! Better spill, Cloud Kicker or I...I'll demote you," the rainbow mare demanded with a growl.

"Sheesh, pulling rank on me this early in the morning, boss?" Cloud Kicker held up her hooves defensively, which only led to her toppling back over with a snicker. Instead of sitting back up again, she lazily raised a hoof into sight instead. "You guys did stuff over there, and out there, and over there on the couch, and even up on the wall," she pointed out the den, backyard, furniture, and the ceiling in turn, and with each location, Volare's eyes grew wider and wider. He finally closed them with a wince and turned to Dash with the most apologetic expression he could muster.

"S-sorry, Dash if we, um...yeah." To his surprise, she snorted softly and patted him on the chest, her head pounding too hard for her to get truly angry at the moment.

"It's ok, flyboy...I don't think we did anything that crazy last night and if we did...it'd be my fault cuz I dragged you into it," she leaned down and gave his flushing cheek a quick nuzzle, feeling guilty as all get out, though more for being caught in such a compromising position than anything else.

"Well, I went along willingly, so no, it's not totally your fault, Dash," he replied, accepting the nuzzle without a fuss. "And the more I think about it...the more I don't think we could have done anything; at the very least, AJ would've probably put a stop to it."

"Or told ya to get a room, heh-heh," Cloud Kicker laughed and wobbled to her hooves, slipping on one of Vinyl's discs and crashing backwards onto the DJ with a groan, eliciting a facehoof from Octavia and a derisive chuckle from Rainbow Dash.

"Ha, serves you right," Dash rolled off of Volare with a light groan and settled herself next to him against the couch, pulling the blanket back over them in an off-hoof attempt to shield them from the eyes of the ponies in the room. She leaned back on the cushion and sighed before nudging Volare in the shoulder. "So, uh...happy birthday?"

"Heh...yeah. Thanks Dash," he returned the nudge and they groaned in unison at the migraines lashing their skulls like twin hammers. "Jeez...we really overdid it last night, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding. Good thing Scootaloo and the rest didn't see us like that..."

"Ah, hell," Volare placed his aching head in his hooves. It was a damn good thing they hadn't, especially Scootaloo; the last thing he wanted was to be a bad influence on her. But Dash patted him on the back comfortingly.

"Hey, I won't tell if you won't, flyboy," she stuck her hoof out and he bumped it after a moment's hesitation. "Promise."

"Promise," he nodded and allowed himself to lean against her before she started giggling lightly for a moment. "What?"

"Heeheehee, did Solo Wing and Cipher ever get plastered like that?"

"Haha, considering how competitive they were, I wouldn't put it past them, Dashie," he shook his head incredulously, just enjoying the relative peace and quiet broken only by Octavia's near-silent coffee sipping and Cloud Kicker and Vinyl whispering and snickering behind the turntable. But, nature abhors a vacuum, and it answered via the front door swinging open and flooding the living room with bright sunshine and laughter.

"Goooood morning everypony!" Pinkie Pie practically sang as Dash and Volare shielded their eyes and Vinyl hissed like some sort of melodramatic vampire being burnt by the light. In hopped Pinkie Pie followed by Ravenfire who gave them a friendly smile and stood silently by the door. "I was told by AJ you guys had one heck of a party after I left and-oooh," the party mare waggled her eyebrows at the sight of Dash and Volare leaning on one another by the couch, the blanket covering everything from the neck down.

"It is so not what it looks like, Pinks," Dash waved a very dismissive hoof , and Pinkie caught her drift, trotting across the room and setting a sizable kettle down on the refreshment table. "Uh, wazzat?"

"Well, like I said, Applejack told me you guys got into some sorta crazy drinking game last night, and knowing how competitive and hard-headed Dashie is-"

"Hey, watch it," Dash waved a hoof in warning but nearly fell over as another migraine struck her.

"Like I was saying-I figured it'd get outta hoof, so I brought over something to cure what ails ya," she popped the top off of the kettle and an indescribable smell filled the room, causing Volare and Dash to wince and Cloud Kicker to start laughing uncontrollably, saying that was the same stuff Pinkie gave to Blossomforth the last time she got hammered and tried to come onto Cloud Kicker. Needless to say, the humor did nothing to alleviate the stench of what Volare could only attribute to something like burnt pickles and mayonnaise.

"Sounds like you're putting me in the same boat as her there, Cloud Kicker," Dash growled. "I was not trying to come onto Volare here," she hoofed him in the shoulder in emphasis. "If anything, I was trying to make sure you didn't get to him!"

"Ha, sounds like somepony is getting a little possessive of the new guy in town," Cloud Kicker stuck her tongue out at her boss, a risky move to say the least but she had a point which Ravenfire drew attention to.

"You were getting rather close to him last night, Ms. Dash; touching him in all the right places, as it were," the older mare smirkingly observed, much to Volare's mortification; he wished he could sink into the floor and disappear as the conversation continued around him.

"Yeah, well I only did that cuz I was drunk and cuz it threw him off his game," Dash hoofed the stallion in the shoulder as he gave her a shocked look.

"So you gave yourself an edge by turning me on...again?" he snorted.

"Well yeah, I like staying consistent," she shrugged. "What, it was all in good fun; and like I said: feel free to hit me right back whenever, dude. I'll keep score," she whispered the last bit with a rather suggestive tone, relishing in his slight recoil of shock.

"Cuz that's exactly what you want, I'll bet," he muttered, catching a quick hoof-noogie in response.

"Meh, that's for me to know and you to find out," Dash snickered, holding her forehead with a wince as the headache spiked while Pinkie doled out the strong-smelling drink. Volare and Dash sniffed the concoction and decided to drink it as swiftly as possible, though not because they were racing. The foul fluid went down thickly and it nearly bounced right back up Volare's gullet before Dash gave his hoof a helpful squeeze; this stuff sucked for her too. With that bit of encouragement, they downed the drinks and allowed Pinkie to push them outside, promising the sun would help them feel better in no time.

Somehow, someway, Dash's mind was once again boggled by Pinkie's wisdom for within half an hour of using the facilities and laying out in the backyard, their headaches subsided and were replaced with an insatiable hunger and thirst. Luckily, Pinkie had come prepared for this as well, and the two blue Pegasi devoured half a dozen blueberry muffins and two glasses of orange juice a piece before sighing in contentment. Dash looked up at the massive sundial in the backyard and groaned lightly-there was a rain shower due over the Southeast fields an hour ago and she was in no condition to help! She then noticed the expectant look on Cloud Kicker's face and it didn't take her long to grudgingly capitulate and allow her Lieutenant to take over for the day.

"Sweet, I'll even get Ravenfire set up and oriented in 10 seconds-"

"Don't you even dare steal that line, Cloud Kicker," Dash growled while Volare barely contained his laughter behind a hoof, yet again receiving an annoyed cyan wing to the face. "And you-don't you have somewhere to be, flyboy?"

"Um..oh crap, I gotta take Scoots to class!" Volare leaped to his hooves before Pinkie waved him down with a giggle.

"No worries, Volare-bear; I got it covered. Took her to class this morning before bringing Raven along from...say, where did you come from this morning?" All eyes turned towards the older mare, who smiled dismissively.

"I too enjoy a bit of morning exercise; I flew a few laps around the town to get my bearings and to figure out the wind patterns of the valley," she waved a hoof in a circular fashion. "And as rusty as I am in matters of weather control, the more familiar with the area I can become, the better, right?"

"Can't argue with that logic, but I gotta ask," Dash turned to Cloud Kicker with an eyebrow cocked. "Why'd you induct Ravenfire onto the Weather Team if we don't really need the extra help and she's not all that good-no offense, Raven."

"None taken, and you do have a point," the older mare slowly turned the attention back to Cloud Kicker. "Why ask me to join if I'll only slow you all down?"

"Um, eh-heh," the lavender Pegasus scratched the back of her mane sheepishly as Dash fluttered closer, her expression brooking no argument and demanding an answer. "Would you believe so she'd come to the party so I could introduce her to Lyra so they'd bang?" Volare's jaw dropped at her shameless statement.

"...seriously, Cloud Kicker?!" Dash growled and leaped at her Lieutenant, missing only because she was still feeling the lingering effects of her hangover. "I swear, you've gotta be the craziest, horniest mare I've ever met in my life! Why the hay did I ever hire you as a Weather Lieutenant anyways?!" She growled and swore as she chased Cloud Kicker across the backyard and into the air, while Ravenfire took the opportunity to lean in and whisper to Volare.

"I think you'd best be on your way before she takes something else out on you," she chuckled at his worried expression. "Oh come on, I saw her picking on you last night; it's kinda adorable actually."

"Ha, well you're not on the receiving end of it, ma'am."

"Even so, for a stallion to have the patience to deal with a mare like that...I guess I'm trying to say color me impressed," she gave him a respectful nod and looked up as Octavia approached, somehow ignoring the tussling Dash and Kicker in the tree above them.

"Ahem, if I'm not interrupting anything here, I do need to head to the Gilded Griffin to assist Trixie with the repairs; Volare you should come too since I'm sure you have to sign off on the supplies as you're the one who bought them. Come, Trixie and I scheduled to meet at 10 and it's 9:50 right now." Octavia's explanation alleviated Volare's momentary worries that he'd have to retrieve Trixie from Twilight's Library; he really didn't need the cellist nor the magician being dragged into this magical aura fiasco.

"Right," Volare flicked his gaze upwards to see the two Pegasi using clouds like massive pillows to wail on each other and decided that jumping into it wasn't worth it right now. "Ravenfire, let Dash know I'll be at the Griffin whenever she decides she's done doing...whatever it is she's doing, heh-heh."

"Yes sir," Ravenfire nodded curtly and settled down with Pinkie and Vinyl to watch the cloud-bashing match between the two Weather Officers as Volare snagged his scarf and goggles from the house before trotting into town with Octavia. By the time they'd reached the site, Octavia had explained that, contrary to what Cloud Kicker had likely insinuated, the time Trixie and herself had spent in her studio last night had been occupied by building plans and design ideas, a good sampling of which were folded up in the saddlebag Octavia was wearing. In addition, she also had to break the bad news to Trixie that all those ponies willing to help her last night were technically disallowed from doing so, as per the terms that The Mayor had signed off on, exchanging "community service" for jail time in Trixie's case.

"But surely The Mayor knows that it wasn't Trixie's fault, right?" Volare asked.

"I'm sure she likely does, but she also needs to keep up appearances. Besides, as Trixie told me, she needs to be seen doing the work herself if she wishes to redeem herself, both to her own conscience and to the ponies of Ponyville," Octavia mused respectfully. "One does have to admire her desire to do right by others and be accepted, hmm?"

Acceptance...what we all desire.
"Yeah, no kidding," the pilot missed the lingering smile on the cellist's lips as they arrived at the build site, with Trixie already ready and waiting, and Ferrum milling about and checking the veritable mountain of supplies that had been delivered earlier that morning. The elderly smith waved Volare over as Octavia approached Trixie, producing a wrapped package that she hoofed off to the magician before rejoining the pilot.

"Well, she's all accounted for, methinks," Ferrum smiled toothily, nodding towards the stacks of lumber, masonry, cement, bricks, mortar, and glass. "All the stuff you'll need to get this baby rebuilt better than she ever was, bless her," he scuffed the remaining foundation of the Griffin, all that really remained as the rest of the wall had come tumbling down during the gale a few days ago, leaving only the side room full of Lyra's human artifacts. According to Octavia, the lyrist should be by with Bon-Bon later that morning to retrieve their personal belongings, and Volare chuckled rather morbidly at the mental image of Bon-Bon freaking out over the remains of her business.

"What about you and I though?" Volare asked as he signed off on the supplies, allowing Ferrum to get back to the hardware store. "What do we do if Trixie can't receive assistance?"

"Oh, that's not entirely true, Volare," Trixie spoke up as she experimentally hefted a pallette with her magic; she'd brushed up a bit on levitating heavier materials with Twilight last night and she could tell the extra study session was bound to pay off. "I can technically request aid from a pony of expertise where needed, and since you paid for the materials, you have an interest in the result as well, allowing you to assist too."

"Ha, gotta love those loopholes," Volare chuckled. "But who're you going to ask for aid?"

"Well, actually," Trixie scuffed her hoof nervously and tilted her hat just enough to hide her face, her voice becoming tentative. "Octavia and I discussed this last night and...I believe she'd be the best one to ask for help." She looked back up, her face showing the slightest blush as she noticed Volare's curiously raised eyebrow. "I-I mean, think about it-we wouldn't have to pull anypony else away from their jobs, she's good in architecture, she can still compose her music while I work, and...well...she's nice t-to talk to..." Again she stared at the dirt, her cheeks suddenly fully flushed and burning before Volare patted her on the shoulder in understanding as Octavia stood nearby, hiding her own slight blush with a hoof to the cheek.

"Trixie, who you ask for help is entirely your business; and I believe you couldn't pick a better mare to help," the magician looked up and grinned in relief, hugging Volare quickly before realizing what she'd done and releasing him just as quickly. "Uh, heh-heh, you ok there, Trix?"

"Ah-yes I'm fine, I just...ahem...thank you" she straightened her hat and jeweled broach, still blushing like mad as she shot Octavia a little grin of victory, which the cellist met with a demure smile of her own before nodding towards the supplies, picking up the building plans Trixie had retrieved from Town Hall; they'd rebuild it on the same foundation and with a similar pattern, but with these newer materials, The Griffin would be grander than it ever was!

"Come on Trixie, Volare, let's get this started!"

...............................

Meanwhile, Dash finally waved the white flag and sent Cloud Kicker on her way to handle the weather duties for the day, taking Ravenfire with her to get her oriented with the rest of the team. The Weather Captain herself stayed behind long enough to help Vinyl tidy the house up. While doing so she learned that there was a distinct possibility that Volare had won the drinking contest last night, and the thought of losing anything, much less to him incensed the fiery mare (even if nopony else was sober enough to remember enough to care-it was the principle of it that pissed her off). Not only had he beaten her in front of her Weather Lieutenant, but he'd had the nerve to cuddle up with her on the floor afterwards; ooh, she'd get him back for that one! Without any real plan in mind, Dash headed south, down Wither Way and was just about to turn onto Stirrup Street when-

"Morning, Rainbow Dash!" The Weather Captain turned to see Twilight Sparkle trotting up to her, a tube-shaped parcel being levitated alongside her. "I was just finishing up a little presentation at the Schoolhouse and was headed to find Volare at the Griffin; I've got something here for him." The Unicorn stopped mere feet from Dash and though she gave her friend a beaming smile, Dash felt that familiar tightness grow in her chest-the seedling of fear. "It's not exactly a birthday present, but I figured he'd find it useful since he's trying to...Rainbow, are you ok? You seem tense," the Librarian's ears fell back in worry as she noticed that Dash was holding most of her weight on her back hooves, as if she were doing her best to subtly shy away from her without actually moving. "Did the party go ok?"

"Huh-yeah, it went...fine," Dash hesitated; she honestly couldn't remember what happened after Volare and her started drinking like fish and the last thing she wanted was for her friend, the one whom had trusted her to watch out for Volare, to find out that she'd let her down. But at the same time, this friend had tried to tear her apart a few days ago and-no, c'mon Dash, snap outta it! This is Twilight, your pal...she wouldn't do that again! Dash forced a smile that did nothing to assuage Twilight's worries, and the Unicorn took a tentative step closer.

"Dash, something's wrong."

"N-nothing's wrong, Twilight!" Dash crossed her forelegs insistently. "I'm just grouchy cuz I haven't eaten yet." But Twilight was far from convinced.

"Did something happen at the party last night?"

"No...ok, I mean, things might have gotten a little out of hoof," Dash winced; little was putting it lightly. "But nothing seriously bad happened, honest."

"You sure?" Twilight narrowed her eyes interrogatively but Dash matched her just as vehemently until the Unicorn sighed and backed off; it was easier to lift Tom by hoof than it was to pry information out of Dash when she was determined to keep it to herself. Oh well, if something really bad had happened, Applejack would have told me so. Changing tact, Twilight opened her saddlebag and held out one of the buttery croissants that Spike had fixed up that morning. "Here, this oughta fix your grumpiness at least." At the sight of the pastry, Dash's demeanor softened considerably, and she accepted it with a nod of thanks.

"Mmm, tell Spike these things kick major flank," the Pegasus grinned through a mouthful of dough before her gaze wandered towards the parcel Twilight was carrying. "Soo, wazzat?"

"Oh, this is the anemometer we used this past Tornado Day to gauge Wing Power," Twilight popped the top off the tube to reveal the partially disassembled fan blades folded neatly inside. "I was gonna ask you to help me gather some data on Volare's base wing power."

"Huh, why's that important?" Dash asked, licking the butter from her hoof and cocking a brow.

"Because it has to do with my theory on what happened to Volare's body when you brought him here via the Sonic Rainboom. I don't want to jump ahead of myself on this though, so I need you to record and bring his Wing Power up if you can."

"How high does he need it, and why?"

"As high as you can bring it because...well, suffice to say that the higher it is when you try to bring him back from Earth the better, and I'll explain it more in detail once I gather more research," Twilight's ears fell and she frowned. "I'm not gonna jump to conclusions again anymore if I can help it..."

"Ah, right..." Normally Dash would have offered her a word of encouragement or a pat on the back, but that tense feeling hadn't abated since she approached her. On the contrary, it had gotten worse, and even in her friend's moment of regret she only desired to keep some space between them. After a second or two of awkward hoof scuffing and wing flexing, Dash spoke up again. "So, you want me to get flyboy's wing strength up, right?"

"Right."

"Well, you came to the right mare, Twi; I won't letcha down," Dash puffed out her chest and grinned. "I'll have Volare up to speed in 10 seconds flat! Well, not literally-I'm awesome, but no miracle worker-but you know what I mean." At least that got a chuckle out of Twilight and allowed Dash to breathe a short sigh of relief.

"Well, don't work him too hard; and if he asks why, well...you're good at motivating him, and I trust you to get it done, Dash," Twilight smiled and hoofed over the tube. "The instructions for assembly are inside as well as the conversion data for-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Dash waved a dismissive hoof and grinned confidently. "I'll bet flyboy'll eat this math stuff up, heh-heh. See ya, Twi! Thanks for the chow!" As she turned to leave, a sudden thought crossed Twilight's mind and she tugged on Dash's tail.

"One more thing, Dash."

"Yep?"

"You know that patch Volare had of your mark inside his flight jacket?"

"Mhm, I remember," Dash nodded nonchalantly, though inwardly her desire to know what the hay was up with that lay just below the level of her dream of joining the Wonderbolts. "What of it?"

"I just gotta ask: you also wondering how he had it?" Twilight suddenly had Dash's complete and undivided attention.

"Hay yeah I am! You too?"

"Well, I'd be lying it I said it wasn't on my mind," Twilight admitted, she too desiring to know if Volare had just simply seen Dash during one of her exploits on Earth, or if another theory of hers was correct: that there was a deeper significance behind it...

"Lemme guess: you want me to get him to spill the beans on it? Well, say no more, Twi, I'll get him to talk," Dash winked and turned to take off again before Twilight could even consider objecting. "Like I said, I won't letcha down!" And with that, she jetted off, leaving Twilight slightly stunned that her curiosity had kept her mouth shut. But until she figured out the counter-spell she wouldn't be able to speak to Volare on the subject herself...so perhaps this was for the best; it was Dash's mark after all, so for her to be the one to discover its significance seemed fitting anyway. With a shrug of resignation, Twilight returned to the Library, trusting that Dash knew what she was doing.

Rainbow Dash arrived over the Griffin site in under half a minute, finding Trixie hard at work setting up the corner stones of the restaurant, while Volare diligently studied the building plans. Unable to resist the temptation, Dash landed and set the anemometer down before sneaking up behind the pilot, waited for just the right moment, and spoke right next to his ear.

"Heya," she breathed huskily, causing him to jump sideways in surprise.

"W-whoa, heya Dash; got me there, heh-heh," he chuckled nervously as she landed and leaned her head right in his field of vision as she pretended to study the plans as well. "Haha, very funny, Dashie," he nudged her out of the way after a moment, taking the expected wing smack to the head in stride as the mare nudged him.

"Soo...you helping Trixie with the building?"

"Nah, I'm really just checking out the plans for now."

"Then who's helping her, cuz Trixie doesn't really seem like a hooves-on type of pony," Dash observed. But somehow, Trixie seemed to be placing the masonry in the right place for the most part, only having to make minor adjustments as she used her magic to heft the bricks into place. As if in answer, Octavia's head popped up from behind a stack of lumber, waving a hoof and telling Trixie she had to erect the building's framework beams first, then the masonry. Dash caught the sheepish little grin Trixie shot towards Octavia before obediently switching tactics as the grey mare looked on with a smile, offering words of encouragement and advice where appropriate. Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes and blinked in disbelief before nudging Volare. "Dude, Octavia's got her whipped."

"Haha, yeah, you could say that, Dash," the pilot chuckled as Trixie magically flicked Octavia's mane and smirked, receiving a tiny glare and a threat of being bashed with a cello again from Octavia before they got back to work. "You guys need any help?"

"No, I believe we've got it well in hoof, Volare," Octavia replied from behind a pile of roofing shingles.

"But we'll call if we need you," Trixie added, hanging her hat on a nearby nail before wiping her forehead and continuing with her labor. Volare didn't exactly feel unwanted by their comments, but he didn't exactly feel useful at the moment either.

"So um, I'm just gonna head out with Dash and, uh-"

"Go get a bite to eat or something, Volare," Octavia waved her hoof in a shooing motion and smiled. "We've got this."

"Uh, you sure?"

"Positive," Trixie nodded with a sideways smile towards Octavia while Dash barely concealed a knowing snicker behind a hoof and nudged Volare with a wing.

"C'mon flyboy, let's leave'em be," she pulled him away, shaking her head all the while and speaking when they were out of earshot. "Dude, seriously...whipped!" Dash laughed and hoofed Volare in the ribs.

"I think it's kinda sweet, actually."

"Hmph, if you say so," Dash shrugged her wings and headed back to the anemometer. "So, you got any plans for today?"

"Uh, that's a good question actually," he tilted his head musingly. "I was gonna take Scoots to school, but Pinkie took care of that. And I was gonna help with The Griffin, but I got the distinct impression that Octy and Trix wanna go it alone for now."

"Heh-heh, you can say that again," Dash waggled her eyebrows. "From fighting to fillyfriends; crazy huh?"

"I wouldn't call them that just yet, Dash," Volare snorted lightly.

"Oh c'mon, seriously dude?" Dash hopped in front of him and flared her wings with a smirk. "You didn't see the looks on their faces? If they're not head over hooves for each other already, they're totally headed that way!"

"And I suppose you'd be the one to spot that sorta behavior in another mare, Dashie?" Volare snarked, dodging a swipe of her wing with a laugh.

"And just what the hay's that supposed to mean, huh?!" She shoved her shoulder against his with a growl. "You think I'm a filly-fooler or something?"

"Nope, totally not insinuating that," Volare insisted with a chuckle, catching a wing to the side of the head that made his ears ring.

"Good, cuz that's none of your business, capiche?"

"Si, senorita," Volare smirked.

"And cut out that crazy language too!"

"Why, does it bug ya?" Dash nearly answered yes before realizing he was playing the same game she'd done on him a few weeks ago. If she said yes, he'd keep doing it to punch her buttons.

Not gonna beat me at my own game, flyboy.
"...nope, not at all," Dash insisted.

"Oh good, then you won't mind if I continue, caballita," he grinned cheekily.

Damn! Oh you're good flyboy...you'll pay for that one later!
"Bleh, c'mon we've got an assignment from Twilight," she picked up the anemometer tube and grinned.

"What's that?"

"Let's head to my place and I'll explain on the way; we'll grab some chow from AJ's since she's right next door," she added and patted his side with a wing at the sound of his growling stomach.

"Sounds like a plan, chiquita."

"Grr," Dash growled, ignoring him for now as they sped off south.

......................

"Morning, AJ," Dash waved a wing as she snagged a hoof-full of apples from the trees surrounding the farm house, having left Volare below her cloud home to set up the anemometer using the included instructions. "Just borrowing a few of these for me and Volare; no biggie, right?" But when she heard an irritated snort rather than words of approval from her friend, Dash paused and looked down at her in bemusement. "AJ?"

"Not gonna lie sugarcube: ya'll pulled a whole bushel of dumb stunts with Volare last night at tha party." Applejack's words further let the wind out of Dash's sails to the point that she landed, her ears drooping and her face frowning in worry as Applejack approached her. "Ah'm tellin' ya what, if'n it weren't fer tha fact that Ah'd be in just as much trouble fer standin' there an' lettin' it happen with mah own cider, Ah'd have told Twilight what ya'll were doin' to that poor feller."

"Hey, he said he was ok with it, AJ," Dash tried to defend herself but trailed off under Applejack's withering gaze. "Ok, ok, so maybe I took it a little far, but nopony got hurt, right?"

"Nopony?" Applejack pushed her Stetson back and narrowed her eyes. "Don'tcha remember what happened?"

"Yeah, Volare and I got into a drinking game and...um...well, to be honest, I don't exactly remember how it ended," Dash rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Or much at all after Vinyl gave us those shots of rum..."

"Well, what's tha last thing ya'll do remember?" Applejack's tone softened slightly, her deeper concern for her friend's well-being showing through.

"Uh...Volare speaking Spanish and talking about some sorta jet squad," Dash scratched her head again and shut an eye in concentration. "And then waking up on top of the guy this morning...yeah, that wasn't awkward," she snorted, shaking her mane to cover the hint of blush that threatened to creep its way into her cheeks at the memory of looking down on Volare, all vulnerable and...no, no, shut it up, Dash! You're just lucky-no, he's just lucky he didn't try anything funny!

"Nothin' else?" Applejack pressed, oblivious of Dash's inner conflict. But when the rainbow mare shook her head again in reply, Applejack sighed and facehoofed. "Well, lemme lay it out fer ya: ya'll lost tha drinkin' game cuz ya'll got cocky an' stupid on booze. Then ya-"

"Whoa, wait a sec, so he did beat me after all!?" Dash cut her off with a growl and a glance back in Volare's direction. "Sleeping with me all warm and cozy and winning the game and just smiling like I'm not a big deal or something?! Grr, you got another thing comin' if you think that makes you better than me, flyboy!" Applejack just managed to yank Dash back to the ground by her tail before she took off, swatting her friend across the face with her hat when she turned to glare at her. "Hey, what's the deal, AJ?!"

"Will ya'll jus' listen for a cotton-pickin' minute, ya dern fool!?" Applejack snorted and stuffed the hat back on her head. "Ya'll need ta learn how ta lose gracefully, Rainbow Dash; 'sides, Ah doubt Volare could care less about that game'n a bull does fer his own pies. What ya'll should really be focused on is thankin' tha poor feller fer treatin' ya right despite ya givin' him blue wings half tha night with yer antics! Yeah that's right, don't pretend ya don't know what Ah'm talkin' about; we all saw it, Rainbow. It's like yer wantin' to make a good ole' dog bite ya just so ya got an excuse to whack'im on tha nose, an' that ain't right!" Dash was stunned for a moment, both by the normally level-headed Applejack's needling outburst and her demand that Dash actually thank Volare for waking up with him! But she quickly recovered with a dismissive wave of her wing and prepared to simply take off in irritation, apples or not, before her friend spoke up again. "An' if yer wonderin' how ya got all warm an' cozy in tha first place...it's cuz Ah'm tha one that set ya up that way."

Dash would have eaten dirt if she'd been in midair, and she rounded on Applejack so fast she nearly tweaked her neck out of place. "You what!? But you just said you didn't think me having a little fun with his head was right! So what's your game, AJ?" But Applejack was resolute as was her wont, and she motioned for the hot-headed Pegasus to calm down before speaking.

"When ya'll lost tha drinkin' game last night, which wasn't Volare's fault by the way-Vinyl drank the last of the rum fer herself-yer sore sport flank challenged Volare to a game of truth or dare. What ya'll whispered inta his ear Ah'd rather not know, but it got'im rattled enough that he followed ya on yer dare: ta beat ya in a climbin' match ta tha top of a shelf on a wall."

"Say what? Why would I-?"

"Like Ah said, ya'll were three sheets ta tha wind, so lemme finish," Applejack stamped a hoof lightly before continuing, Dash hanging on her every word. "Ya got ta tha top of tha wall at tha same time, if'n that's so darn important to ya," Dash winced at the sting of her comment. "But when ya got there, ya passed out and pulled'im off tha wall. Nopony was close enough ta catch ya but Volare, fer some reason er another, felt it right in his mind ta curl up under ya and take tha fall for ya, and when he did, he hit his head on the floor and was knocked out colder'n a cucumber."

Dash felt a twinge in her heart as she recalled the dream she had, realizing that as crazy as it sounded, not only had Volare caught her for real, but...did that mean he was the one to catch her in her dream as well? But what did that mean? How could he be the one to-

"-and so when Raven said he'd probably had a concussion Ah-Dash, are ya'll payin' attention?!"

"Huh-yeah I am," Dash shook her head and blinked twice, nodding for Applejack to continue.

"Right...so like Ah was sayin', since he probably got all concussed, we figured it was best ta not move ya'll, so Ah put a pillow under his head so he wouldn't be too sore in tha mornin' and then put that blanket over ya'll so ya wouldn't catch cold. That's why ya'll woke up like that so if'n ya'll wanna be mad at anypony fer what happened, ya'll better either blame me, or better yet, own up and blame yerself," Applejack snorted and after a moment of digestion, Dash sunk to her flank, her ears and features drooping as guilt hammered her heart. She felt a tear threatening to fall from her eye and she quickly fought it off, but the damage was done.

"I...I just...holy hay, I'm sorry Applejack," Dash rubbed her face with a hoof, but the Earth Pony remained as stoic as possible despite the rather moving scene of Dash apologizing which seemed to happen only once every dozen blue moons or so.

Heh, maybe he's a good influence on her er somethin', Applejack thought.
"Don't apologize ta me, sugarcube, cuz Ah don't need one," she patted her upset friend on the shoulder and nodded towards the navy blue and yellow pony fiddling with something on the ground in the distance. "But he could sure use one, er at tha very least a thank you fer catchin' ya like that." But as Dash raised her worried eyes to meet Applejack's, the farm pony realized just how tough that might be for her to do, and she backtracked ever so slightly. "Ah mean, Ah ain't sayin' go cryin' on his shoulder er nothin' cuz Ah know that ain't yer style," she smiled encouragingly and this seemed to lift Dash's spirits a bit. "But just...Ah reckon it'd make ya feel better if'n ya found a way to thank'm in yer own way, if'n ya'll catch mah drift, Dash."

"Mhm-*sniff*-I do," Dash nodded and smiled. "Thanks for clearing all that up, AJ; you sure saved his flank a good kicking, heheheh!" she chuckled, her more usual cocky grin back with a vengeance.

Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed-oh well, good enough.
"Just don't mess with'm too much er else ya might start sendin' mixed signals, Dash." She too knew about Dash's stance on stallions and if she knew, then Volare likely did as well. "He don't need his head bein' more muddled up than it already is."

"No promises there AJ," Dash spread her wings to leave. "But I'll do my best-ow!" She turned to squint at her friend who'd tossed an apple at the back of her head.

"Jus' given ya what ya came for, right?" Applejack chuckled as Dash mocked her country accent under her breath, scooping up a double hoof-full of apples from the trees before nodding her thanks and flying back towards Volare. "Ah swear, she's about tha darndest mare Ah've ever dealt with," Applejack shook her head and returned to her chores.

.......................

Dash returned to see that Volare had set up the anemometer without much of a fuss, and was standing back, proudly observing his work when Dash landed right behind him, causing him to jump yet again. "Aha, you just love doing that, dontcha Dashie?" he chuckled as she hoofed him an apple, already chowing down on her own.

"Yep," she grinned through a mouthful of fruit before giving the anemometer a cursory glance, nodding her approval and swallowing. "So, you ready to get this show on the road and see whatcha got?"

"Yep, for the most part I guess," he nodded in return as he studied the Conversion Chart Twilight had included in the instructions. It seemed simple enough: set up the anemometer 150 meters away and accelerate along the ground. The fan blades of the device would catch the wind generated by the passing Pegasus and translate it into wingpower using the formula Twilight had built it upon. But Rainbow Dash was less interested in the formula itself and more interested in seeing what Volare could do. And so, after setting up as per the instructions, they began.

"Ready?" Dash called out, and Volare nodded, setting his sights on the road adjacent to the distant anemometer.

"Set?" Dash grinned; doing stunts was one thing, but seeing how strong his wings were was quite another! "Go!!"

Volare pushed off the ground with a grunt and flapped his wings as quickly as he could, accelerating towards the device at what seemed break-neck speed. He'd left his goggles on the ground and he had to squint his eyes to keep them from tearing up as he neared the test distance, his heart pounding and his lungs heaving great pulls of air as he focused on keeping his legs as aerodynamic as possible. With a shout, he zipped past the anemometer, looking back over his shoulder and grinning triumphantly at how quickly the blades were whirring; but he wasn't paying attention and nearly crashed head-long into a dark grey Pegasus stallion trotting south over a low rise in the road.

"Hey, watch it!" the stranger shouted, his silvery mohawked mane billowing as he whipped his head to glare in irritation at Volare, who barely managed to dodge the three Pegasus mares trailing behind him: Cloudchaser, Flitter, and Ravenfire.

"Argh-dammit!" Volare cried as he over-corrected around Ravenfire, caught his wing on the road and flipped over, tumbling to a stop in a dusty heap and a groan, more of embarrassment than pain of having done so in front of Dash. Speaking of whom, it wasn't long before she reached his side and hauled him to his hooves.

"Jeez flyboy, you ok?" she dusted him off and gave him a once-over, paying special attention to his wings.

"Yeah, I'm good I think; just a little dusty," Volare chuckled and ruffled his wings. Dash gave him quick hoof to the chest and an encouraging smile before turning around to confront the four ponies whom he'd nearly crashed into.

"What the hay is your deal, Thunderlane?!" she snapped at the dark grey stallion. "He could have broken a wing cuz of you! What're you doing cantering around here anyway; don't you have weather duty? All of you," she glanced at the other three ponies as well.

"Show me a rule that says I can't canter down a road made for cantering and trotting, Rainbow Dash," Thunderlane shot back, giving Volare a terse look. "And we're all done with the mid-morning showers, thank you very much. Besides, what's he doing flying down the middle of the road anyways...and furthermore, what're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be "under the weather", Captain, as Cloud Kicker said?"

"Heh-heh, nice one," Cloudchaser snickered before being cowed by a glance from Rainbow Dash as Ravenfire cleared her throat. Cloud Kicker had mentioned to her how Dash wasn't exactly fond of Thunderlane and how the two were always butting heads, probably due to Dash's bias against stallions; why she didn't just kick him off the Weather Squad if she didn't like him so much was anypony's guess, but Ravenfire saw an opportunity to gain a little favor here if she could diffuse the situation as she stepped forward to speak.

"Ahem, may I say something?"

"Sure, go ahead," Dash conceded, really not wanting to deal with Thunderlane right now. She waved a hoof towards the older mare to speak.

"Just as Thunderlane said, they finished their shower duties-I just observed for today-and Cloudchaser brought up coming to visit to see if you were doing ok. And apparently you are, Ms. Dash," she nodded respectfully. "Looking much better than you did this morning that's for sure; perhaps it cleared up?" It wasn't until Ravenfire gave Dash a knowing little wink that she decided that this older mare was alright in her book.

"Yeah, a little," Dash rubbed her head and squinted at the noon-day sun. "Head still aches though; gotta be this Fall weather messing my sinuses up or something, eh-heheh."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Thunderlane scoffed before looking past Volare and Dash towards the anemometer still gently turning from the passage of Volare. "Oho, what's this? Showing off your wingpower again, Rainbow Dash?" Volare opened his mouth to explain but Dash preempted him.

"Nope, we already know how great mine is: 16.5," she grinned proudly. "Volare and I were trying to figure out his."

"Hmmph," Thunderlane trotted over and read the meter before bursting into sniggering laughter that burned Volare's face red. "Hahahohohoeheheh, you call that wingpower?" he pointed at the arrow on the device before covering up his face with a wing. "More like wing-lack-of-power!" Flitter and Cloudchaser trotted over to look at the numbers and both exchanged looks with each other before looking back at Volare, not sure if they should share in Thunderlane's laughter or not; they held their boss in a bit more respect than Thunderlane did and laughing at her friend-a friend that was getting to be well known around Ponyville in fact-probably wasn't the best way to get on her good side.

"Uh...good try?" Cloudchaser offered with a helpful smile while Flitter merely nodded, shooting the still-laughing Thunderlane a look of irritation before beckoning Volare over. The pilot reluctantly approached and looked at the number: 8.9-it didn't seem that bad to him. Then again, he'd expected at least 10 or something. Ravenfire looked at the number and shrugged; it didn't mean much to her, while Dash gave Volare an encouraging pat on the back, barely restraining every fiber of her being that just wanted to shut Thunderlane's laughing mug with 3 or 4 hooves at once. But the upper management ponies in Cloudsdale would probably chew her flank if she got into a fight with one of her Team Members over something so trivial, so she reluctantly held her tongue for now.

"Haha, what a joke!" the stallion continued to chortle, wiping tears from his amber eyes and grinning cockily at Volare when he didn't fight back. His ego stoked a bit, Thunderlane pressed on. "Seen better numbers from a one-winged filly-fooler, bahahaha!" Volare felt Dash's hoof on his shoulder tighten almost to the point of pain at the "one-wing" joke; Thunderlane obviously didn't know the history between Dash and the pilot. But just when Volare was certain that Mount Rainbow Dash was about to erupt, Ravenfire spoke up again in that same calm, even tone as before.

"You think you can do better, I take it?" her question caught Thunderlane's attention and he paused in his laughter to stare at Ravenfire, noticing that he was standing alone and laughing by himself.

"Course I can, you old nag. Tested out at 9.3 this past spring on Tornado Day."

"Uh, hold on a sec there, buddy," Rainbow Dash stepped forward, giving Ravenfire a quick glance of thanks as she took the lead. "You were sick on Tornado Day, remember? That 9.3 you pulled was only the prelim time...and I don't think I recall you testing your wingpower since then," she squinted at Thunderlane. "So how about it, pal? You care to put your wings where your mouth is and challenge Volare?"

"Uh Dash, what're you-oof," Volare was silenced by an elbow to the ribs as Dash continued to stare down the increasingly uncomfortable Thunderlane.

"Uh, I wasn't saying I was gonna challenge him or anything," the grey stallion muttered.

"Well why not, huh? You just saw his numbers and were quick to put him down for them; so I say it's time to put up or shut up!" Dash demanded with a grin. "But then again, if a wingpower test isn't your style for today, maybe you wanna challenge him to a sparring match instead!"

"Dash-oof!" Volare caught another elbow to the ribs and a quick glare from Dash that held a subtle but clear message: shut up cuz I've got faith in you. Volare obediently obeyed and as he continued to watch the exchange, a somewhat structured pattern began to emerge.

"Heh, that's more like it," Thunderlane cracked his neck and hopped up and down a few times. "Bring it-what're the terms?"

"To the blood, of course," Dash grinned and brushed the back of her head against Volare's neck. "But I gotta warn ya: flyboy here's got a lot more potential than you think."

"Hmmph, I'll bet!" Thunderlane stretched his wings and leered at Volare.

"Well maybe you don't know this, but he's only been flying for 3 days."

"Say what-three days!?" Thunderlane gaped, looking at Cloudchaser and Flitter for confirmation, but the two sisters merely nodded in reply.

"It's true: Scootaloo said he couldn't fly while we were blowing up that gale a few days ago," Flitter said.

"Yeah, so you know what that means, Thundermouth?" Dash's grin had become positively fearsome. "Means he went from zero wing power to 8.9 in three days! And as far as we know, you're still at 9.3 eight months later...so who's the more impressive flyer, eh?"

"Meh, but this isn't gonna be about wingpower," Thunderlane lowered his head, ready to rumble.

"How observant," Dash shot back venomously. "Lemme also add that he's got the killer instinct of a military pony and he matched me drink for drink last night at a party...and since we both know I can kick your flank at that little game-on multiple occasions, I might add-that means he can drink you under the table any time, anywhere! So if ya really wanna tussle with this guy, be my guest-but don't say I didn't warn you." By this time, Thunderlane's confidence had dwindled substantially, and he barely managed a growl before Dash subtly ran a wingtip along Volare's own wing, causing his feathers to flare against his will.

At first Volare was embarrassed until he caught the look on Dash's face, realizing she was trying to make him look bigger and more threatening to complete the bluff. Taking the hint, he flared his wings the rest of the way and puffed out his chest a little, fixing Thunderlane in the same fierce, silver-blue glare he'd used on Shae. The effect was near-instantaneous, and Thunderlane backed off a few steps before folding his wings and nervously glancing back towards town.

"Eh-heh, you know what? I think I uh...left something in the oven!" Thunderlane turned tail and took off.

"But you don't have an oven!" Flitter called out after a moment.

"Gah!" the grey stallion's mortified cry carried back to them, causing Dash to tear up and start laughing uproariously, clapping Volare on the back with a hoof as she did so. The pilot folded his own wings and chuckled softly, receiving a nod of praise from Ravenfire and respectful smiles from Cloudchaser and Flitter before they too took off after Thunderlane, mainly to make sure he didn't do something else stupid in his frustration.

"That was impressive, Volare," Ravenfire smiled before turning to leave. "But then again, from what I've seen you're just full of surprises." The older mare flapped her wings and took off, leaving Volare with a still-sniggering Rainbow Dash.

"Soo...what the heck was that all about?" Volare asked after Dash calmed down a bit. "You using me to get back at Thunderlane or something?"

"Hey, it's not like that at all, dude," she waved her hooves innocently, but relented at his skeptical look. "Well, ok it might be kinda like that," Dash smiled sheepishly. "Thunderlane's needed to be taken down a few notches for a while, but I can't really do it the way I want to cuz "Weather Captains are supposed to be above that kind of behavior," or so says the Cloudsdale bosses," Dash snorted. "Plus he had no right to talk to you like that. And since I knew Thunderlane is pretty much all bark and no bite..."

"Yeah, ok I get it," Volare nodded and chuckled. Dash threw a hoof around his shoulders and shook him gently.

"Well either way, you handled yourself great; just had ta give ya a little nudge there at the end to make ya look convincing, hee-hee," she smirked and ran a hoof along the edge of his wing again, making him jump a bit.

"Ah-haha, very funny, Dashie," Volare chuckled, surprising her by leaning into her touch for a moment. "You didn't have to jump in there and risk losing face in front of your Weather Ponies, ya know."

"Yeah, well..." she paused, his modesty catching her a little off-guard. "No big deal...plus somepony around here didn't have to catch somepony else's dumb flank when she fell off a wall last night." He looked down at her little smirk and snorted lightly.

"True, then again somepony probably didn't want somepony else to blame him later for not catching her," he replied coyly.

"Oh yeah, well what makes you think somepony else would do that, eh?"

"I dunno, probably cuz somepony else is a little full of herself and doesn't lose very gracefully-hey!" it was Volare's turn to be caught off-guard as Dash simultaneously hoofed him in the chest and nuzzled his cheek for a moment.

"Yeah, well somepony else should still say thank you," she whispered into his ear and nodded towards the previous confrontation location. "And consider that little freebie your thanks, flyboy." She stared into his eyes for a moment, smiled, and then hoofed him again. "But that means we're even now, so you better watch it," she growled teasingly.

"Haha, right," Volare rolled his eyes and trotted back to the anemometer, snagging an apple from the ground next to it and biting into the crisp fruit while studying the numbers. "So...is 8.9 really that bad?"

"Huh-nah, it's a decent start," Dash waved a dismissive hoof. "Besides, like I said, you've only really been flying for a few days, and there's plenty of room for improvement. Besides, if everypony had huge wingpower like me, then I wouldn't be as awesome," she hoofed him in the chest and smirked.

"Heh, or-*gasp*-you'd have to actually start putting effort into improving!" Volare snarked.

"Yeah, I'd-wait, what?" She growled and hoofed him a bit more roughly-that did it, it's on again! "Get your smart-flank mouth over there, cuz we're gonna do this till you can't fly straight!"

"...that could be dirty, Dashie," the pilot snickered, dodging a swipe of Dash's wing as she chased him back to the starting line.

............................
Late Afternoon...

For the next several hours, Volare repeated the wingpower test. Over and over, flapping his wings as fast as he could until sweat poured down his face and and his whole body ached. But although he showed a small amount of improvement the more Dash encouraged him, he couldn't push himself past 9.1 wingpower. Halfway through the afternoon he took a short nap, sleeping right through the CMC's visit. After getting the lowdown from Dash, the three fillies departed for town again, but not before Scootaloo gave her brother a tiny kiss of encouragement on the forehead, an action so adorable that it actually made Dash's chest ache.

The rainbow mare waited until the CMC were out of sight before trotting over to the snoozing stallion and kneeling down next to him. She could feel the heat radiating off of his tired muscles as she gently brushed a wingtip through his mane, using her feathers to wick the sweat from his forehead as she did so. He scrunched his face up a bit as he slumbered, mumbling something she couldn't quite hear. But as she leaned in to listen, she caught a whiff of the odor of a hard-working Pegasus, and she recoiled with a hoof to her nose although she also wore a smirk of admiration. Heh, he's really giving it his all out there.

Dash looked up to see the sun was nearing the horizon and sat up, looking for the nearest useful cloud. She spotted a fat grey raincloud near the base of her home and smirked down at the sleeping pilot before jetting up to retrieve it and position it over him. "Rise and shine, flyboy!" she laughed as she bounced on the cloud, dumping a torrent of cool rain on him.

"Agh-*glub-glub-glub*-the hell?!" Volare shot up, scrambling out of the frigid shower and glaring upwards in consternation at Rainbow Dash rolling and laughing on the cloud. With a little growl, he shot upward, intending to plow upwards through the fluff and knock her from her perch. But she saw him coming and at the last moment she stood up on the clouds and focused her weather control with a grin. Volare hit the bottom of the cloud, sank into it a few feet, and rebounded back towards the ground, spitting fluff and shaking rainwater from his mane. "I swear, Dash!" He soared up above the cloud and hovered down towards her, aiming to tackle her but his tired wings suddenly gave out on him and he fell the final few feet instead, landing next to her on the cloud with an oof and a groan. Before he could act, she'd grabbed his shoulders and deftly flipped him over on his back, holding him down as he blinked the rain from his eyes, his breath catching in his throat as she leaned down over him and grinned devilishly.

"Well well, is this the bird in the hoof that's worth two in the cloud?" she chuckled and allowed the very tip of her fiery forelock to trace its way over his forehead, sopping up rainwater as it went. "Nice try but...your weather skills stink," she leaned in and did something utterly surprising to him: she sniffed him!

"Uh, Dash-?"

"But at least you don't anymore," she leaned back up and patted his chest before hauling him to his hooves. "Relax flyboy, I just didn't want some stinky stallion reeking up my place; now grab that ane-whatzit and c'mon." Volare shakily obeyed, still a little shocked at just how quickly she could toy with him as he bundled up the device, grabbed their belongings, and followed her towards her tower-like house.

"Wait a sec, you said you didn't want me stinking up your-?"

"Yep, you're staying with me till further notice, dude," Dash explained as they gained altitude, staying near him in case his wings gave out again. "Why, you're not afraid of little ole me, are ya?" she waggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Ha, no way," he shot back with a grin into the wind.

"Good, cuz I talked it over with Twilight and Pinkie and we all three agreed this was the best place for you to stay, seeing as how the Ponyville Inn kinda got burned down," she said off-hoofedly as they landed on her front porch. Rainbow Dash reached into her saddlebag and pulled out her house key, unlocking the solid bronze door and leaning on it with a grin. "Had a Unicorn enchant this baby so it'd stay attached to the house and float up here," she gave the metal portal a solid, ringing tap of her hoof. "Nopony in or out without my say-so, got it?"

"Right," Volare nodded, grateful he hadn't given into temptation and toured Dash's house himself when Derpy had offered. "So, why would you be ok with me staying with you, exactly?"

"Like I said, we decided it was for the best; besides, got plenty of workout equipment for your wings here and..." she pushed the door open with a proud smile, revealing the cavernous multi-storied tower interior. "Plenty of space!"

"Wow," Volare gaped, his vision trailing from the red lightning bolt banner hanging from the ceiling to the spiraling staircase that encircled the interior of the tower, and finally over to a side wall covered in what looked like colorful posters. He shivered as the cold, high-altitude breeze caressed his rain-soaked body and he shot Dash a sheepish grin. "Heh-heh, a little cold up here."

"Haha, Scootaloo said the same thing when I showed her my place a while back," she replied as she nudged Volare inside and shut the door, hardly believing that had been barely ten days ago. But she shook the recollection from her mind: it wasn't a little filly she'd invited into her home, but a fully-grown Pegasus stallion...a stallion that still had it coming for his little cracks earlier. But he was in her domain now, she snickered inwardly as he obliviously sat the anemometer on a countertop and hung his goggles and scarf on an ice spire hat rack jutting from the wall; she only needed to wait for her chance.

"Damn, Casa de Dash is pretty sweet," Volare beamed, his face catching a towel that Dash tossed at him.

"Hey, I said knock it off with the fancy talk, alright? I dunno if you're saying something bad about me or not, ya know? Now dry off before ya catch a cold," Dash muttered as she headed for the small kitchen nook, crossing the fluffy floor and leaving little puffballs of cloud in her wake that fluttered back down to rejoin the floor after a moment or two of wandering. She kept an eye on Volare as he wandered about her home, chuckling at how careful he was being to not touch anything. "Dude, loosen up-my place is made of clouds. It's not like you can break anything on accident. I made this place practically Derpy-proof!" To emphasize her point, she punched a large dent in the wall that lasted only a few seconds before the clouds filled the dent back in.

"That's amazing, Dash!" Volare gushed, poking at the wall with an astonished grin on his face. "Just think of how much good this'd do folks on Earth!"

"Heh, yeah well the enchantments I payed for to put this place together didn't come cheap, so it's not like I'd help'em for free," Dash clattered around in the kitchen, accepting Volare's help in throwing together a quick meal of baby spinach salad and carrots, topped off with the apples from the farm. The two ate in near silence-for a bit, Volare more distracted by the astonishing building surrounding him while Dash simply stared at him thoughtfully. She'd never in her wildest dreams thought she'd ever have a stallion enter the sanctity of her sky-house, but not only was there one there, but she'd invited him and fed the guy! Times had certainly changed...meh, I know him well enough to know he won't try anything stupid, so I guess it's ok as long as he behaves himself.

"So," Dash broke the silence as she picked at a particularly elusive carrot.

"So," Volare replied, having finished his meal and gazing upwards about the towering home.

"What's on your mind, flyboy?"

"Oh, I dunno. Just thinking about how crazy this whole experience has been," he placed his hooves behind his head and sighed. "Less than a month ago, I was flying a jet...and now this," he gestured around at the house. "I mean, I gotta thank you, Dash-and not just for letting me stay here," he leaned forward, grasped her hoof and looked into her eyes. "For everything...rescuing me so many times and just...being there for me, ya know?" Dash felt the heat grow in her cheeks a bit as she met his gaze, holding it for a moment before shaking her head and chuckling.

"Aww, just me being me, remember?" she smiled in reminiscence.

"Yeah I know, you say that but...I dunno," Volare's eyes trailed away, pretending to be very interested in the salad as he gathered his thoughts. He'd never been closer to simply telling her the truth about everything he'd known about her right then and there. But he stuffed those thoughts away in some dark corner of his mind as he remembered that not all the things he remembered her for back on Earth were wholesome...some were downright disgusting, and he doubted she'd react well to them, as sorrowful as he was for them. And so he resolved himself to never tell if he could, though that meant he'd never be able to fully come clean about how inspiring she'd been for him...about how she'd pulled him from the darkness...heh, she'd probably brag to me about that forever if she found out.

"Volare?" Dash shook his hoof lightly. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm...ok," he nodded insistently. "Just your cooking getting to me, heh-heh."

"Pfft, well you made it too!" she shot back, flicking the elusive carrot off the end of his muzzle with a cheeky grin. "Anyways, I'm full-hey, wanna see something pretty sweet?"

"Sure." They quickly cleaned up the kitchen and Dash led him around to the living room, waving a hoof at the large collection of framed Wonderbolts posters festooning one of the walls. "Check it out; got all the current members: Spitfire, Soarin', Fleetfoot, Blaze, Fire Streak, High Winds, Lightning Streak, Misty Fly, Silver Lining, Surprise, and Wave Chill; heh-heh, got to hang with him after I won the Best Young Flyer's competition," Dash pumped a hoof proudly. "Best Day Ever!"

"Haha, I'll bet," Volare smiled at her enthusiastic presentation of her personal idols. But as his gaze drifted over the framed and neatly hung posters, he eventually came to a poster that was much smaller than the others. It was much rougher around the edges and didn't hang in a frame, the edges curling every which way and doing nothing to hide the years worth of crud that had accumulated on it. "Got some dirt on this one, Dashie," he licked a hoof and made to wipe off a smudge but was nearly knocked for a loop as Dash hip-checked him out from in front of the poster. "Whoa, was it something I said?"

"No, it's just...this one's important to me, ok?" she held a protective wing over it, her breathing slowing as her momentary panic subsided.

"Sorry...can I see it?"

"Yeah, just be careful-and don't touch it!" she warned, lowering her wing and revealing the pony emblazoned upon it. Volare stared up at the picture intently, noticing it was printed in a much older style than the other more modern posters. The colors were washed out and faded, but he could just make out the mare's pink wings and bright blue mane that poked out of the light blue Wonderbolts uniform. But much of her face was hidden behind a pair of standard-looking flight goggles, though her confident grin showed prominently as she stood upon a crag, one hoof cocked towards her face in a salute. Volare searched for a name, but again, unlike the more modern posters that proudly displayed the names of the flight members, this one either lacked it, or it had been torn off at some point. Volare turned back to inquire of Dash only to giggle at the pose she was striking; emulating that of the pony on the poster.

"Heh-heh, nice one, Dashie," she returned the salute and nodded at the poster. "Who is she?"

"Um..." Dash's grin faded and her ears drooped as she hesitated, chewing her lower lip for a moment before speaking up. "I would tell you...thing is, I kinda promised to keep her name and stuff between me and her." Dash sighed and turned towards the window just as the last rays of the setting sun sank below the western horizon "It...honestly probably doesn't matter anymore," she continued, still turned from Volare. "But I made her a promise and I'm gonna keep it, ya know?"

"Aww, ok," Volare frowned in mild disappointment. "Just kinda interested in why that poster is so important, that's all." At his frown, Dash relented a bit and hoofed him in the shoulder with a small smile.

"But I will say this: she taught me a lot of what I know and...guess you could say she's kinda my inspiration, heh-heh," she chuckled fondly before shaking her head. "Maybe I'll tell ya more some day, but not now, k?"

"Ok. Thanks for the consideration, Dashie," he nudged her back with a smile.

"It's what I do when I can," she winked and returned the nudge with her wing, her mind suddenly drifting to...other things as he yawned. You're not the only curious Pegasus in this house, pal. "You tired, Volare?" she asked abruptly.

"Uh, yeah a good bit, actually," he conceded, lifting his aching wings with a groan. "Gonna be sore tomorrow!"

"Hmmph, well I don't have a spare bed here, but we can grab some softer clouds tomorrow and make ya one. In the meantime, that couch over there was imported from Prance according to Rarity, and is pretty darn comfortable," Dash nudged him towards it. "Go check it out."

"Haha, ok ok, I'm going," Volare chuckled as he trotted across the floor of the tower. But before he got halfway there, Dash spoke up.

"Oh hey, not wanting to brag or anything-"

"Yeah, cuz that's so outta character for you," Volare quipped.

"Very funny-but what I was going to ask was if you'd wondered how this house was being supported, being made of clouds and all."

"Actually, I think I know-the base is made of ice, right?"

"Yep, that's right. And layered on top of that is 3 feet of the softest, bounciest cumulus you'll ever feel," Dash approached him, bouncing slightly as she did so in emphasis. "Heh, I've even slept on the floor here every now and then just cuz it's so comfy. Go on and give it a bounce, flyboy."

"Oookay," Volare cocked a brow but complied...and she was right! "Hah, at the risk of sounding cliche, it's like walking on air!"

"Nah, this is way better than air, flyboy!" Dash bounced a little higher than him with a smirk, inviting him to try to go higher.

"Everything's just a game to you, isn't it Dash?" Volare reiterated as he followed her lead, bouncing off the ripple she caused in the clouds as she landed and using it to launch himself higher than her. "Haha-hey, this is pretty fun, Dashie," he admitted as she bounced again.

"I know, right?" Dash grinned, springing halfway to the level of the next floor and coming down with great enough force that it sprang Volare up into the air before he was ready. And before he could recover, Dash zoomed up into the air and wrapped her forelegs around his body, expertly pinning his wings to his sides while supporting their combined weight with her mighty plumes. Volare realized he'd walked right into a trap of some sort and it was confirmed when he looked down into Dash's devilishly grinning face. She leaned upwards and booped her nose against his before folding her own wings up and allowing them to plummet to the floor below, Volare shouting in panic the whole way down.

But instead of bouncing off the floor, Dash let go of him at the last moment and landed on the clouds hooves-first as he landed on his back and sank into the fluffy floor. He rolled to his hooves and glared at Dash, making to climb out of the fluff but found that his legs were being gently but firmly held in place by the clouds surrounding him, leaving just his neck and head poking up out of the floor. "Ok Dash, what's the big de-" Volare's voice died as his throat tightened in panic when he looked up to see Dash's face was wearing the most mercilessly devious smirk he'd ever seen in his life. Oh my god...

"What's wrong, flyboy? You stuck?" Dash teased as she trotted around him, like a shark slowly circling its prey.

"Uh-yeah, kinda am," Volare did his best to stay calm, but the growing feeling of semi-panic reached a new level as he felt Dash's prismatic tail whisk past his muzzle and curl its way under his chin, lifting him to stare up at her flank as she bent down to look at him with half-lidded eyes. "D-Dashie?" he stammered as her tail slowly, languidly trailed its way down his neck and back up under his chin, keeping his eyes riveted upon her body. "What're you...d-doing?"

"Getting what I've been wanting ever since I met you, flyboy," Dash's voice became husky as her tail slithered away from his chin and she turned to face him, bending down over him and whispering into his ear. "I've been waiting patiently for this for weeks now...and I'm tired of waiting. Time to pay the piper, Volare," she lightly nipped the tip of his ear, causing him to shiver as she nuzzled the little spot just below the base of his ear; the little spot that Volare's fogging mind recalled was some sort of erogenous zone on...oh no, no, no! he thought as he felt something rise through the clouds above his back, his fears confirmed by Dash's playful little squeak of mock-surprise.

"Well, hello there," she purred, running her feathery left wingtip over his shoulder and towards his own wing, tracing a path from the base and halting halfway to the primaries when Volare gasped sharply. "Oh...you like this, eh?" she playfully touched the leading edge of his wing again, her light touch exploding like firecrackers in Volare's mind. God yes he liked it... but no, this-this wasn't right...was it?
Volare's thoughts nearly detonated in a prismatic kaleidoscope as Dash's wingtip finally slid up against his own primaries, their feathers intertwining like the most sensitive fingers he could possibly imagine; only the barest shred of resolve which had kept him in control for this long remained. "Wow, has anymare ever told you your feathers are huge?" Dash chuckled and brushed against them again, and Volare felt his inhibitions fading as he leaned into her touch against his will, groaning slightly as she suddenly pulled her wing away.

Crap, just a little too much there, Dash, the Pegasus thought before changing tactics. She again lifted his chin, this time with her hoof and grinned before booping her nose against his again. "You ok there, flyboy?"

"Ah, why're you doing this, Dash?" Volare moaned, blinking his eyes and trying to glare into hers. But try as he might, he couldn't get mad; all he saw was fierce beauty in her smiling rose-colored eyes. Dash sensed that his resolve was crumbling and decided to explain herself.

"Like I said, you got something I want," she said huskily, her even breaths intermingling with his short, panting ones. "And since this is the best way to take you off your game...well, you did say I was an efficient bitch, right?" she chuckled, licking the end of his muzzle and causing him to recoil a bit, his senses somewhat regained. Good, I don't want him enjoying this too much.

"Uh, would it help if I apologized for that?" he laughed nervously.

"Hmm...I'll consider it later. But for now...I'd rather not take what I want from you, but if you don't wanna cooperate or don't remember...perhaps I can remind you...and you got till the count of 10," she backed away and slowly and teasingly turned so her flank was facing him. She smirked back at him again, her tail curling around and gently cradling the back of his head in case he fainted, which he very well might judging by how stressed she was making him.
"One," she purred, beginning to lower her flank towards his suddenly wide-eyed face, chuckling inwardly and relishing his panicked reaction as he tried to pull away, but her clouds and tail held him still.
"Two..."

"Can't we talk this out?!"

"Nope, we're kinda past that, I think...three..." Lower...

"C-c'mon Dashie, this is a joke right? Hahaha-see, I'm laughing, great joke!"

"No joke-four..."

"Eeep!" Volare squeaked in his throat as he shut his eyes to block out the sight.

"Aww, thought you weren't afraid of little ole me, flyboy," Dash snarked. "Five..."

"Yeah, well I didn't think you literally meant that!" the pilot leaned away from the approaching heat.

"Thought wrong I guess-six..."

"Th-this isn't right, Dash, c'mon!"

"Says who? Seven..." Lower...

"This is some kinda rape, you know that?!" That got Dash to pause for a moment as she contemplated that statement before giggling.

"I dunno...your mouth may say no, but your body says yes...yes...yes," she was close enough now that she was able to slide her tail over his shoulder and tweak his sensitive wingtips. "Besides, we're a half mile in the air; not like anypony can hear you scream up here...oh yeah, eight..." Jeez, I hope this works cuz I'm about all out of ideas after this, she thought to herself as Volare pulled further back. "Oh gimme a break," Dash muttered. "Flyboy, open your eyes."

"No way, Jose!" Volare shook his head vehemently.

"C'mon, it's nothing that's gonna bite ya, promise," she urged, her tone changing from seductive to frustrated. "And knock off that fancy talk!"

"Yeah right, I know exactly what's in front of me...and...like hell I'm gonna open my eyes!"

"Volare, open them now!" Dash growled, giving his head a gentle shake with her tail. His eyes reflexively snapped open...and he stared. But not at what he'd expected: instead, his vision was filled with the cyan curves of the side of Dash's flank, specifically her prismatic thunderbolt cutie mark. A little sound akin to relief mixed with confusion whistled from his mouth and Dash shook her head and snorted. "I've got questions I want answered, and you've got the answers...you know exactly what I'm talking about so no more playing dumb to get some freebie feel-ups!"

"Freebie feel-ups...what the hell, Dash," Volare gasped, the gears in his mind struggling to start turning again. But once they did, his face lit up with realization that he expressed in a short "Oh."

"Yeah, I figured you knew what I was talking about, pal," Dash's voice dropped back into that husky tone again. "So are ya gonna tell me what I wanna know...or do I have to start counting again? I think we were at eight..."

"C'mon Dash," Volare whined audibly, receiving an irritated smack from Dash's tail.

"Don't whine to me, flyboy; I know you're better than that," she chided. "Or I guess we're about to find out if I'm right, eh? Nine..."

"Dash, just," Volare's mind raced at full steam now, searching for way out. Can't move, can't talk her out of this...think-think-think-think! But she's like a damn mare possessed-she won't give up the game for any-wait, that's it! "Gimme a fighting chance!" he demanded, and she paused again, head on a tilt.

"Whatcha got in mind?"

"You like games, Dashie?" Volare grinned desperately.

"Heh, do Pegasi fly?" Dash turned more towards him, though her flank still remained within threatening distance. "What sorta game?"

"Truth or Dare!" he gasped, staring into her eyes pleadingly, praying she'd bite.

"...seriously?" she cocked a brow, her tail leaving his face and she turned to fully face him, kneeling down to his level as she did so.

"As a heart attack." Gonna have one if she says no...

"How's that work here?" Dash queried curiously.

Yes!
"Well, um...you wanna know the truth about that patch, right?"

"That's pretty obvious," Dash chuckled, ruffling his mane with a hoof before frowning slightly. "But you're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Nope, you're gonna have to earn that, Dashie," Volare shot her a friendly grin, his heart-rate leveling off again; oh yeah, he had her hooked. Now it was time to close the deal. "And since I won't tell the truth, you gotta dare me to do something."

"Interesting, but how does that get me the answers I want, eh?"

"Cuz if I can't complete the dare, I have to tell the truth...but that same rule applies to you, Dash," he smiled despite his compromising position. "If I complete a dare, then it's my turn to ask."

"Hmm...what're the other rules?"

"Oh, um..." Volare chuckled proudly to himself-if she was asking for more rules, she was almost sure to accept now! "Terms are limited only to the dares; they gotta be reasonable. Like, no daring me to do a Sonic Rainboom or something like that."

"Well, duh," Dash rolled her eyes and giggled. "So is the game on all the time or...?"

"Nah, let's be reasonable here. How about....once a week?"

"Fridays sound good," Dash nodded before fixing him with a cheeky squint. "But what makes you think I'll accept these terms, hmm?"

Volare grinned defiantly and played his trump card.
"Cuz I know you love to win...and you're not one to back down from a challenge, Dashie. So how about it?"

"Grr...you drive a hard bargain, flyboy," Dash growled softly. "But...I think this could be even more fun." She playfully nipped his ear before hovering off the floor. "You can move now."

"Whew, thanks Dashie," Volare breathed a sigh of relief before staring after the Pegasus as she sauntered towards the stairs. "Wait a sec, where're you going?"

"To bed cuz I'm tired," Dash answered matter-of-factly, her mind already working on what kind of dare she could propose for Volare.

"So you're ok with this?"

"Eeyup."

"Just like that?" he followed tentatively after her.

"Mhm."

"No tricks?"

"Nope."

"No apology for...well, all that crap?"

"Hmm...nope, cuz I say you deserve it for those cracks about my sexuality, beating me in the drinking game, trying to knock me off the cloud earlier, and touching my stuff," she smirked over her shoulder at Volare's incredulous expression as she continued to climb the winding staircase. "But...I'll say we're totally even now. Oh, and for not wanting to have that sorta fun with me, you sure seem to be eager to follow me to my bedroom," she snickered as Volare backpedaled down the stairs, his face blushing furiously. "That couch is comfy, trust me."

"Ok um...you just better not try anything while I'm asleep or something," Volare warned, but Dash stopped dead in her tracks.

"You know, I wasn't thinking about it, but now," she shot him a cheeky grin. "I just might."

"Gah! I swear I hate you sometimes, Rainbow Dash!" Volare snarled and stalked off down the stairs before he felt a sudden presence behind him and two forehooves encircle him from behind as a soft wing-breeze blew past him.

"Hey I...I'm sorry, ok?" Dash laid her chin on his shoulder and simply breathed for a moment as she tried to calm him down. "I never wanted you to hate me..."

"I know, I know...I didn't mean it, Dash," Volare sighed, leaning the side of his head against hers and feeling her heart beating against his wings. "Just tired, that's all. I'm sorry."

"Hey, me too," she gave him a final squeeze and released him, allowing him to face her. "So let's just get some shut-eye, ok? We'll get to your workout stuff in the morning and leave this game til Friday; let's have fun with this. Deal?"

"Deal," he nodded and accepted her quick nuzzle.

"Besides, if I was gonna mess with you, I wouldn't warn you first," she snickered softly, drawing a facehoof from the pilot.

"Hahaha, funny...I gotta ask though: where'd you learn to be so tactful?" At his question, that familiar cocky smile cracked across her face again and she hoofed him softly before hovering backwards up the stairs.

"Hey, cuz I'm Rainbow Dash," she grinned before shooting him a jaunty salute and zooming up to her room, crashing audibly onto her bed as Volare shook his head in amazement.

Crazy mare, he thought with a chuckle as he headed for the couch, his exhaustion leaping upon him like a starving predator the moment his head hit the pillow. On one hand, he was now living with his personal inspiration, but on the other...well, her ridiculously competitive nature seemed to know no bounds and he wondered just how much of her playful crap he could take before he totally lost it. Still, considering how much she'd done for him...he felt he owed her his best effort in return. I wonder just what the hell I've gotten myself into...

.......................................

Canterlot, Mid-Evening...

Dear Princess Celestia,

Volare's adjustment of being a Pegasus is going very well, all things considered. He, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and I have come to terms on why he and I need to keep our distance from each other until I find a spell to counter the magical properties of his body. In the meantime, I've entrusted his training and further orientation to Rainbow Dash, whom I feel I owe the benefit of the doubt after our rather nasty encounter a few days ago.

In addition, The Great and Powerful Trixie has begun reparations to the damages she caused while drugged by the criminals Ray and Jill. Following this, I've agreed to tutor her in the ways of Unicorn magic beyond those of mere illusion.

I wish you luck in the apprehension of those criminals and we'll keep an eye out around town here. Again, thank you so much for clearing up the situation between Volare and myself; I don't know what we'd have done without your council. Speaking of which, I remember you saying you wished to speak to him soon, and I hope you'll be pleased to know that as soon as the counter-spell is applied, I'll be coming to Canterlot with Volare for further research and so you may meet him in person.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

PS: Spike says to tell Luna hi.

Celestia lowered the letter and glanced over her writing desk towards her younger sister, who was wearing an expression that lay somewhere between disbelief and disappointment. "Is something the matter, Luna?" Celestia asked as she filed the letter away.

"Yes, there very much is, Tia: I can't believe you told her that in place of the truth," the Night Princess snorted, drawing a look of ire from the Sun Goddess.

"Do you doubt my judgement in these matters, sister?"

"No, I don't doubt your motives, Tia, for they're in the right place...but to lie like this to your most faithful-"

"Don't patronize me, Luna," Celestia's voice dropped an octave. "I know what I did and more importantly why I did it. It was not a lie; did you not see how he'd affected her?"

"A half-truth, then..."

"...Be that as it may, she still doesn't need to be get mixed up with a human-"

"But he's different from what you perceive him to be, sister," Luna took a step forward but halted at Celestia's dangerous gaze, though the Sun Goddess quickly relented with a rub of her eyes.

"Even if he is as you say, you know Twilight Sparkle doesn't need that sort of distraction from her destiny."

Luna's ears drooped as she hung her head in defeat. "Yes, that is true...I just wish there was a better way."

"Believe me, I don't wish hurt upon her, Luna," Celestia trotted forward and laid a hoof on her sister's shoulder, her resolve overcoming the remorse welling up in her being. "I wish there was another way as well..."

---------------------------

Author: Whew, that's probably gonna be the last uber chapter for a good while, folks!
Prepare for some time skips!
...who was that mysterious Wonderbolt? ;)
And for those who said the explanation for Twilight's feelings for Volare seemed fishy...remember that we were hanging on the words of one of the most manipulative characters in the story: Princess Celestia. And you were right!
I wonder what sort of shit'll hit the fan if Twilight finds out she was lied to like that...
And speaking of shit hitting the fan, how about poor old Volare's situation? XD
Volare: NOT funny
Author: Well, somepony else thought it was funny
Volare: Yeah, well somepony thought that was a buncha crap!
Author: ...somepony else still thinks it was hilarious
Volare: Grah-c'mere!!! *crash*

Comments

[Blue Mist]

Get home from work, see Blue Angel update email. sprint for a computer.

[Listie The Scribe Maid]

(Joke) Alt. Title: Blue Dump and The Things Trixie Will Do For Money

[Matdat]

500k words, am I seeing things?

Wow! I want to read this, the description seems awesome. And then you say that you have thrown in physics in everything, and now I want to read it even more. And, all I'm able to do is sigh when I realise that I wont have time to read this in a good while.
WELL, lets stay optimistic.
As you might have guessed reading this, I've just found this fic, and haven't yet read it.
Before reading something of epic length like this though, may I ask how far the story is gone? Is it going towards ending, or is the story still progressing? Or something like that?
I mean, this is in my read-later, without a doubt Ill try start reading it soon, but just wondering, as this is marked as incomplete, how far is the fic gone? (If you even can answer that, dunno what you have planned etc )

Anyway, even before reading this, thanks for putting it up for everyone to enjoy! ^^
M

[myhe01]

F**K YEAH!

NEW CHAPTER

[ru771an]

I wonder if this is a Dash X O.C, or something like that.
The signs....oooooooooo

[MoldyShishkabob]

Aww maaaaaannn…

DAMMIT PINKS! Y U HELP THEM THRU HANGOVER!

I WANTED SADISTIC PLEASURE DAGNABBIT!

[myhe01]

Screw Twilight. I want Volare X Dash

[DeltaOsprey]

I am one of those people who thought it was funny Volare.

[Astarea]

The sexual tension is so dense that you can almost suck on it...

WHY DON'T THEY JUST GET A ROOM AND GET ON WITH IT?

(although not really, this way is kinda interesting)

Also stop adjusting the story for season 3 with that "her destiny"

[q97randomguy]

betrayed her wings; her greatest strength, gone.

Independent clause needed for semicolon.

Volare's mounting concern.

maybe I've been reading too much Winingverse, but this made me chuckle.

Dare I ask what's up with you, Volare, hee-hee"

Missed a period.

I got the distinct impression that Octy and Trix wanna go it alone."
"Heh-heh, you can say that again," Dash waggled her eyebrows. "From fighting to fillyfriends; crazy huh?"

This.

as he neared the test distant,

distance

I gotta thank you, Dash; and not just for letting me stay here

you don't need the and, thanks to the semicolon.
D

ash's face was wearing the most mercilessly devious smirk he'd ever seen in his life. Oh my god...

And the section thereafter was just so funny/wrong/right.

Again, thank you so much for clearing up the situation between Volare and myself; I don't know what we'd have done without your council; speaking of which,

You should really avoid having 2 semicolons in one sentence. The second one would make a fine sentence on it's own.

"Even if he is as you say, you know Twilight Sparkle doesn't need that sort of distraction from her destiny."

Nice way to work in some canon integration!

[derpyhooves15]

Just came here to say that the Red Arrows are the best. This could be considered trolling, in truth, it kinda is. But its an undeniable truth. The Blue Angels themselves said that the Red Arrows had skill above their own. Sorry, just had to say, its kinda a British pride thing, but still...

[Jlargent]

I think I know who that mare is in the poster that Volare looked at.

[djthomp]

Awkward wakeup, go!

Daaaaamn, Dash.

I think I spy a Firefly.

[Bleh]

Great chapter

[Pale Sky]

Heck yeah! An update. Now I need moat...please?

[Uncr3at1ve]

The mystery Wonderbolt is Firefly isn't it? Also, this was a very... suggestive chapter.

[BadLuck_Derpy]

Confound this V-Pony and his update times... Steeling my precius sleep by making an update...

Well, who needs sleep if there's a new chapter to read

[Cades]

As my sister says: "Rainbow Dash? More like Rainbow Douche."
I totally agree with her there. I hate Rainbow Dash. I hate her even more so due to her borderline raping Volare.

[stardust flare]

BUT!!!!!!!!! I LIKE UBER CHAPTERS !!!! fimfiction-static.net/images/emoticons/fluttercry.png fimfiction-static.net/images/emoticons/rainbowderp.png fimfiction-static.net/images/emoticons/unsuresweetie.png fimfiction-static.net/images/emoticons/derpyderp2.png

[jplsnake252719952012]

wow rainbow that was borderline rape

[Lord One Fish]

As rarity would say, IDEEEEEAAAAAAAA
Lyra finds or volare and rainbow get hold of a fighter jet.
Tired of rainbows constant ribbing, volare challenges dash to a race BUT they must each use the form of flying that they used for the most of their life. Twilight (presumably cured at this point) temporarily changes volare into a human (not himself though) so he can fly the jet. The race is eaither a draw or a very close victory to volare. I know and understand why dash is acting the way she is, but I feel she needs to be brought down a notch and be basically beaten at something she's good at. Even if its a draw, I feel that it would give the two pegisie or how ever you pronounce it, a more equal ground.
Just giving my two bits, and (not so) patiently eating for the next chapter........

[Lord One Fish]

I mean waiting. Not eating. I think

[Tyrannosaurus_Tux]

Sometimes I want a firearm just so I can shut people up by waving the gun at them and thumbing the safety a few times.

*Click*

Shut up, Thunderlane. Shut up or start running.

[kooarbiter]

1795143

dont ask him that, its a running tradition for the followers to not ask how much of the story is left, that way we can spend more time loving this story instead of being depressed at how many chapters are left

btw awesome chapter, boderlining bonage clop for a moment there, but a great chapter nonetheless,

and obviously volare shall have soem revenge for what happened :maniacle laughter:

side note for the boss: you cant spell slaughter without laughter

[clonezero]

If popular media is to be believed, Volare getting the couch means their relationship is progressing quite nicely.
----------
Wonder who agent F is, got a lot of guesses but gonna wait and watch for more clues.
----------
Oooh snap Celestia no you didn't!

[Aero Burst]

PS: Spike says to tell Luna hi.

So is this spiluna? Or just wishful thinking on my part.

and ya RD is apparently the best rapist?

[Man Of War]

Whooo, it's here! Great chapter! Wow, Dash is really pushing him, but unfortunately I guess that's one way of worming the truth out of him, it's going to be interesting to see where this little game of truth or dare will led them. I also get the strangest feeling that that Wonderbolt is a certain family member of Dash's, but that's just a hunch. Well, as always, looking forward to the next chapter!

[Plotbuster]

Usually i'm a fan of Rainbow, but this chapter kind of irked me. Honestly, if I had been in Volare's hooves, I probably would have bit her in the face and told her to get the hell off of me not too far into her little countdown. Whether i had any kind of attraction for the mare in the first place, this would have killed it, most likely replacing it with rage at her uncaringly toying with my emotions over and over again. This is not how friends act. There's such a thing as jokingly flirtatious, but Dashie went way past that almost instantly. Using Volare's confused emotional state to dig information out of him is more a tactic used in a hostile interrogation.

You've repeatedly hinted at events in her past possibly casting her actions in a different light, but seriously, can she not put herself in Volare's shoes for a second? If their situations were reversed, Dash would be FLIPPING OUT. HARD. Like, have a nervous breakdown, kill Volare and possibly spend a fair amount of time in a mental hospital recovering. She has a problem with stallions. Okay. Let's just say that, if she acted like this to me or anyone I knew, I'd have a problem with her. She seems to like Volare, although her emotions are so jumbled up and her actions are so out of alignment with them that it's really hard to tell. Basically, she's being a manipulative word i shall not say, and her "problem with stallions" obviously doesn't stop her from being overtly sexual with them to manipulate them into getting what she wants.

Bleh. Normally Dash is one of my favorite characters, but right now her actions are causing me to chew through several sheets of partical board. suddenly i've gone from loving this story to loving everything about it but Dash, and needing to know WHY. Why is Dash acting in this way that, for all her vaunted chillyness, is so totally not cool. Seriously, she's gonna give Volare a complex here. He has enough problems, and Dash is honestly already one of them, but does she need to become an even bigger one? I really wanna see Volare turn it around on her and see how she likes it, but i like him too much to wish that on him, and i doubt she'd get it anyway.

Rah rah sis boom bah, love your work. even though i want to bite Dashie in the face right now, it's only because your story is good enough to make me feel emotionally invested in your characters, and feel aggrieved when one of them starts acting in such a plotholish manner. It's not even an unexpected action really, as Dash has acted in this way before. It's just, she went way too far, and for some reason I expected her to know better. It doesn't help that Volare's a total doormat when it comes to Dash. and yes, I mean TOTAL. I don't care how much you respect/love/feel indebted to someone, when they treat you like garbage, run your emotions through a food processor, and toy with your heart, at some point you're done. Constantly rubbing it into his face that she's better than him, and doing literally anything to keep it that way. Volare just let's that all slide. Even Fluttershy stands up to ponies occasionally.

The last straw for me is the fact that about half the time, Dash IS nice to Volare. It turns the whole situation from a 'Wow Dash, the way you treat Volare is messed up' to 'Wow, that's sick. I actually feel sorry for Dash if that's the only way she knows how to interact with him.' This kind of brings me back to when she said "the Dash flies solo." Yes you do, kiddo. Yes you do. Just because I'm feeling spiteful, I'll toss out a little comment on how well that attitude's going to serve you in your dreams of joining the greatest flight TEAM in Equestria. Or, you know, ever being happy in your life.

[Starscape]

Wait, THE HELL?

Twilight's destiny? What destiny?

And Celestia LIED??? I can't BELIEVE it! Don't lie Celestia!

[Dapurple]

Okay, I love the story, but how will "Sleepless in Ponyville" and "Wonderbolt Academy" affect the story, if at all?

[142 with an 8]

1795189

Yeah! what he said!

And now reading time!!!!

[ShadowBro]

Well, damn. Celestia is up to something.

All units take cover. Enemy artillery has launched shit. Repeat, shit is soon to hit the fan.

[Commentator]

1796576 You've roughly summed up all my thoughts on that too. Thanks for saving me the effort!

[Blaz3r747]

OH COME ON!!!! please just get patch bit out of the way omg ARG!!!!!!

very good chapter but Jesus dude it's like being lead by my ear with how dragged out that one particular plot point is becoming at least just get SOME of the truth into the open.

your very good at this but please for the love of god GET ON WITH IT!

All in all very good read and i will be reading on

P.S. loved the interrogation tactic by dash

[Lazaro Sol]

*Dash "rapes" volare*
I'm ok with this in fact... Hold on a sec -* goes to the univerce of this story* hmm what now? OOOO! I know!*moves volare to dash's bed* heh heh heh!

[Chiman1293]

So Blue Wing... That is a new one.

And if Dash keeps doing this, she is going to go to far and really mess with Volare's head. He will get confused and is not going to end well.

1796576 You bring up so many good points and I would like to thank you for that.

[Deceius]

Look, can we just get to the romance tag already? I'm doing my best to stick with it here, but this is god damn ridiculous.

[D48]

Well, that was very interesting with Volare and Rainbow. I like how she is dancing back and forth between competitive and cuddly even if she does not understand everything that is going on with herself yet. I am also very much looking forwards to seeing that relationship develop along with the interesting dynamic between Trixie and Octavia. I was also amused by the conclusion with CK and Vinyl which I could see happening even if it does technically lean on one of her rules because she knows Vinyl will not regret the sex in the morning (although the alcohol is another story).

Also, because you brought it up I feel the need to tear into your physics. First and foremost, air resistance is never accounted for which is an enormous factor at those speeds. For normal subsonic flight with large objects you are looking at quadratic air resistance, so the amount of effort required to sustain a given speed increases drastically as that speed increases and becomes a major factor long before you hit the calculated airspeed for Rainbow Dash. This also has a very strong effect on the actual acceleration and velocity curves during flight because the ponies will tend to pick up most of their speed in the first portion of the trip before air resistance starts to counteract some of the applied force. I could make some assumptions here about the actual constants to give a more accurate model, but I really do not feel like doing differential equations right now.

Another major factor that makes this whole mess even worse is the fact that a pony is going to transition from laminar to turbulent flow at some point as velocity increases which makes things very ugly because the transition is weird, and while the exact transition point is hard to predict with the limited information available it is almost certainly going to happen before mach .45 which is what Rainbow was clocked at. There are also further complications with your assertions about the Sonic Rainboom because that requires that you get up into the transonic region where things get really weird with pockets of supersonic airflow around an otherwise subsonic body, the insanity of trying to calculate this around moving wings, and working out how the hell Rainbow is supposed to add power with her wings at those velocities because the aerodynamics she is used to working with no longer apply. That said, we can at least disregard supersonic flow because Rainbow clearly hits her absolute limit at just past the sound barrier so it is safe to assume that she cannot get above mach 1.2 and out of the transonic regime.

Finally, I am definitely with you on that body mass being too high. I would guess something like half that number for Rainbow because she never struck me as especially large, although I could see a bigger pegasus hitting that kind of size (my headcannon has Derpy being significantly larger than average which helps her haul cargo and would put her here). Earth ponies would naturally be bigger and heavier with AJ likely being at least 170 and Big Mac being well over 200 pounds of muscle while unicorns are somewhere in the middle, but that is a different subject and not particularly relevant to this discussion.

Ok, I really need to stop rambling now because it is almost 1 am and I need to leave for work at 7, although I must admit I am somewhat amused at how far off on a tangent your physics got me.

[Anonymous Assassin]

Very awesome chapter! I l really love the ship tease that has been going on with Dash and Volare... but damn that went beyond teasing... I think Volare needs to give her a dose of her own medicine and somehow turn the tide on her... or for God's sake they should just bang already!!!!!! Loved this chapter, this just makes me fall in love with the story that much more. I love me some Dashie, but she is being pretty hard on Volare. I mean what exactly does one do about a severe case of blue wing? Stupid sexy Rainbow...

Can't wait to see what happens next!!!

[Dr Daring Doo]

OH yeah!
Nuff said

[DrakeRenar1]

Yay update!!!

Dang 3am in the morning well I guess I'll read it later!

[LtCWest]

Me, seeing the update
i1268.photobucket.com/albums/jj580/charlieg1999/SPARTANS/tumblr_m9zj24S9bZ1qcakl4o1_r1_500.gif

Afterwards
Oke, that was interesting and things are getting somewhere.
Form what I've read the boss is searching for Queen Crysalis of the Changelings (if the terms "brood" and "hibernation" are any indication)

For some reason Rainbows constant wing-smacking of Volare remainds me of these guys:
i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff3/Vala_/IOFF/NCIS/ncis-1.jpg

That mysterious Wonderbolt, hmm...
th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/239/3/4/firefly_wonderbolt_by_mlpjordan-d5cnfyi.png
Pink feathers, possibly pink coat as well, and blue mane, also RD is connected to her...
Before I spoil it, lets sing a song!

(1:58, Volares action when he finally gets the boss)

Also, Celestia plotting!!! What a schocker, what a twist!

Cant wait to read more, this is definitly one of my favorit fimfics so far (On par with Past Sins, Fallout: Equestria (currently at chapter 30), Project: Sunflower and Arrow 18)
PS: Darn it, had to repost 2 times because of wrong links!!!

[yrfoxtaur]

It strikes me that the reason Luna is dissappointed is that Celestia told Twi that uncontrolled radiant magic is the cause of her attraction, when in fact (reading much into the 'half truth' statement) it's that plus real attraction (plus, just maybe, a bit of a protective motherly sentiment)

1795410
Pretty sure that this is a destiny separate from what canon Celestia had in mind.

1798318
WRT your postscript:The edit button is a thing!

[Jess887cp]

INB4 Pinkie was the wonderbolt, and tragically lost her wings.

[LtCWest]

1798564
I know, pretty usefull tool. I used it in conjunction with Copy/Paste. I would have gone mad if I had to rewrite everything, instead I just changed a the few wrong links.

However, I did not realised there was a "Preview" option until the last edit. *headdesk, breaks keyboard, minor concussion*

[yawkat]

The calculations in the first part of https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1lvK9u1V0bPfqMdcoNr90DBWYkbNoTIDzPuPxzekO_aw on Wingpower are a little bit weird. I will just say that the acceleration is constant.
We have got the distance and the time.
The formula for accelerated movement is
distance = 0.5 * acceleration * time²
thus
acceleration = distance / (0.5 * time²)
if the given distance is 150m and the time is 3.2s the acceleration would be = 150m / (0.5 * (3.2s)²) = 150m / (5.12s²) = 29.296875 m / s².
On the other hand, if you say that she is not accelerating at all during the entire distance, you would be correct, though I really doubt that. In my opinion it would be more reasonable to think of it as an accelerated movement, but we got very little information on that topic anyway.