Hello, fellow readers! And welcome back to Calm after the Storm! Before we jump in, what do we have:
johannvanguard: Oh, we shall see soon enough. Or rather, sometime later.
Thanks for the feedback! With that said, let's go!
Chapter 6: A Soulful Wind
"All right, ready for this?"
Visor asks this as he was on his motorcycle, Levin standing next to him on the sidewalk as the two agreed to do a little speed test for a bit of fun.
"From the Crystal Prep entrance to the Canterlot High entrance." The latter reminds him, "A simple straight path."
"All right, let's do it!" Visor was pretty excited as he puts on his helmet and starts up his motorcycle.
The two ready themselves as they watch the traffic lights facing them stay on red, charging up for a head start in the meantime. Once the cars have passed by and the light turns green, they were off!
While Visor's motorcycle was quite fast, Levin proves to be keeping up thanks to the charge up he did. Heck, as they reached the halfway point, Levin was actually gaining more speed to start outrunning him. Though, Visor only had to put more on the throttle to keep it even. Seeing the school in sight, they were neck and neck all the way up to passing the horse statue as it acts like the finish line.
Once the two safely skid to a halt, Visor parks his bike onto the driveway in the courtyard as Levin had a cocky smirk on his face.
"That was SICK!" The former said after pulling off his helmet and placing it on the middle of the handlebars.
"Of course it was! I was outrunning your bike!" The latter points out as he was catching his breath a bit, "Although, it may be close to what I can handle max."
"Now if it was full speed..." Visor trails off as he said this sentence, looking at something off in the distance before getting off his bike. "Isn't that your bicycle over there?"
"What?" Levin was confused for a second before looking at where his friend was looking.
As it turns out, one of the students actually has the same bike he lost almost two weeks ago. As Visor was about to walk over there, Levin holds out his arm to stop him.
"Whoa, slow your role." The latter said, "I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Still, stealing isn't exactly something you can brush off." The former points out.
"Well, how else you think I found out I can outrun motor vehicles?"
Visor just looks at him for a moment before backing away, "All right, but my point stands."
"I know." Levin agrees as he starts walking over to the student, "Excuse me!"
Calling out to said student, he was able to get a better look at his appearance. His height was slightly taller than Pixel's as he had pale light gamboge skin, short silver hair in a faux-hawk style, and orange amber eyes as he wore a zipped-up white jacket over an orange t-shirt, green cargo pants, and orange converse with yellow laces.
"Aren't you one of those guys from Crystal Prep?" The student starts out with.
"If my uniform doesn't give it away, I don't know what will." Levin remarks back, "Are you a new student here, by chance?"
"I just transferred, yeah." The student pauses for a moment, "But, you're not here for jovial conversation."
"You're pretty perceptive." Levin compliments him on, "Then tell me why it isn't that."
"...It's the bike, right?" The student is scoring three for three, "And you're its owner."
"Used to be." Levin caught the student off guard with his response, "Now it belongs to... what's your name?"
"U-Um, Ventus Vivacity." The student hesitantly introduces himself, "Ven for short, if you prefer."
"All right, Ven. Don't get it twisted though, I don't approve of stealing stuff. Best that you stop your habit before it bites you back hard." Levin warns him about before realizing something, "Which reminds me, how did you get the bike?"
"No lie... you left the key in the lock." Levin's face showed embarrassment clear as day upon hearing that.
"Is that so? Wow, I really was in a hurry." Levin shook his head at such a mistake before looking back at him, "Anyways, take care of it."
Levin then starts leaving before hearing Ven call out, "W-Wait, what's your name!?"
Turning back around, he answers. "Levin!"
"...I'll be seeing you around, Levin!" Ven says his farewell as he hops on the bike and rides off.
Visor simply watches as Levin comes back, "Is this where you follow him?" The former wonders out loud.
"Nope. Dude's probably has it rough enough." The latter dismisses the idea.
"...If you say so." Visor reluctantly goes with it with a sigh before changing the subject, "Up for another race?"
"Oh yeah! Let's find out my limit!" Levin got fired up upon hearing that as the two set up their next course.
"What a strange guy." Ven was still processing his interaction with Levin earlier as he rode down the sidewalk towards the city.
His thoughts were then interrupted as he heard his stomach growl to signal its hunger. Seeing a diner up ahead, he goes over and secures his bike on a nearby light pole before entering the establishment. It didn't have much people inside, but he decides to go sit at the counter when one of the waitresses pops up. Literally.
"Hi! Pinkie Pie, at your service!"
"Uh, hi." He wasn't really sure how to respond to her sudden appearance before hearing another voice that has an accent speak from next to him.
"Ya'll get used to it." Looking over, he sees a girl wearing a stetson hat sitting two seats away from him.
"I-I guess. She a friend of yours?" He asks her, though he may already know the answer.
"Yup. Name's Applejack." She gladly introduces herself, "You?"
"Ventus. Call me Ven for short." His stomach then growls, reminding him of why he was there.
"Ah was about to get something myself. How about we split the bill?" AJ offers that visibly surprises him.
"Wait, we just met." He was understandably confused at this.
"Then you'll get to know each other!" Pinkie suddenly said as she puts down plates filled with food.
At this point, he just wants to eat something. As the two dig into their meals, AJ starts a conversation with an obvious question.
"So, ya new in Canterlot?"
"Kind of. I've been here for a couple of months now." He answers, "I have to be able to live on my own sometime, you know?"
"Makes sense." AJ somewhat agrees, "But there's nothing wrong with living with the family."
"Yeah... that's what I said." Ven said, quieter than normal so that the two didn't hear him before taking another bite of his meal.
"What school do you go to? We go to CHS!" Pinkie asks, mentioning hers with a smile.
"What a coincidence. I recently transferred there a few weeks ago." Ven answers after finishing his bite.
Pinkie then zooms herself in close to his face, "No way! At the rate we're getting new faces, I need to up my game!"
"I doubt that everyone should get a Pinkie Party." AJ casually mentions before looking back at Ven, "Though, Ah reckon it was recent too."
"It might be. What makes you think that?" Ven decides to play coy with his words this time.
"Over winter break, we met two boys who also moved here and one of them also goes to CHS." She explains to him, "Maybe ya met him already. He goes by the name Pixel."
Ven took a moment to think before remembering who it might be, "Oh, you mean the kid that got hit in the head by a dodgeball?"
The two were quiet for a second before Applejack answers, "Y-Yeah, that's him."
"That had to hurt. Hope he was all right." He was rather concerned, which Pinkie reassures him soon after. "Don't worry, he's doing much better now!"
"His brother takes good care of him. He goes to Crystal Prep." Applejack mentions.
"Neat." Ven simply said in response before having a thought pop into his head, "Hey, do you two know of any places that need hiring?"
"I saw a couple of stores at the mall with those signs. Why you ask?" Pinkie was curious at the sudden question.
"Nothing, really." He casually said before taking a sip of his drink.
The two found it weird that he drops it so quickly, which Applejack finds a bit suspicious. "I doubt that's just a random topic. Are you looking for a job?"
"I uh... recently got fired from my last job." He eventually admits, "Apparently, I don't work hard enough. Yet, most of them get to take a break every five seconds..."
The two heard a small growl in his voice near the end, coming to the conclusion that he isn't fond of his ex-workers.
"What kind of job are you looking for in particular?" Applejack asks, mainly to prevent him from venting right now.
"O-Oh, anything that involves manual labor. I used to live on the countryside when I was growing up." Ven clarifies, "Farms and the like, ya know?"
AJ thought about it for a moment before getting an idea, "I'll tell ya what! How about you come work at Sweet Apple Acres?"
He was legitimately surprised at the sudden offer, "W-Wait, really!?"
"Yeah! We were thinking of getting extra help around the farm." She briefly explains, "So how about it?"
"Sounds like a win-win, don't you think!?" Pinkie agrees with her friend as they wait for his response.
Ven simply looks at the two with a dumbfounded expression on his face before answering, "W-Well, I don't see why not."
After the two finishes their meals, the two then split the bill pretty evenly before heading out.
"Nice meeting you!" Pinkie calls out to mainly him, which he does a small smile in return.
Once stepping out, he goes over to get his bike when another familiar face notices them.
"Darling!" Rarity calls out as she walks over upon seeing Applejack, who responds in kind. "Oh hey, Rarity! Where did you come from?"
"I just came back from shopping for new fabrics. A few new ideas came to me for the boys, so I figured to expand more on ventures I've dabbled in beforehand."
"Uh, sounds fancy." Applejack simply said.
"Friend of yours, I'm guessing?"
The two turn to see Ven with bike in tow, most likely watching their conversation until now.
"Oh! You didn't tell me you had company." Rarity points out.
"Rarity, meet Ventus. Ventus, Rarity." Applejack introduces the two.
"Call me Ven." He adds as he shook Rarity's hand.
"Pleasure to meet you..." She trails off a bit before continuing, "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"You may have seen me around CHS? I recently transferred there." He answers.
Despite that, Rarity was still hesitant. "That's nice, but... Oh! I've seen you go by the boutique a couple of times."
"Let me guess, you work there." He simply retorts, which she confirms. "You're right on the nose! Do you have an eye for fashion, perchance?"
Applejack then steps in at this point, "Come on! We don't have all day!"
"Oh right, the farm. I'll stop by the boutique when I have the time." He said before taking his leave.
"Very well. Have fun, you two!" Rarity waves them off as the two heads to their destination.
"Woo! T-That was... wow..." Levin was busy catching his breath as the two stop at their last finish line.
"I swear you just keep getting faster." Visor admits, "And I'm not sure if that's good or not."
"W-Well-" That was all Levin said in response as he was still recovering.
Visor then sees that they have stopped near the 'Sweet and Sour' diner and points it out, "Talk about convenient, huh? Let's get a bite to eat."
Levin has finally caught his breath when he answers, "Sure."
Once Visor parks his bike, the two go inside and looks around to see it was not as filled as they thought it was gonna be. That expression then shifts to a bit of surprise as they saw Sci-Twi was sitting at a table by herself.
Visor smirks as he connects the dots and pats his friend on his back, "Have fun, you two."
"What?" Levin was a bit confused as Visor walks over to the counter, "What are you-"
"Levin!"
Turning to see who called his name, he sees Sci-Twi waving at him and realizes what Visor meant. Taking this chance, he waves back as he walks over to her table, "Hey, Twilight."
"What brings you here?" She asks a simple question to start off their conversation.
"Me and Visor just had a little race, which ends up with us near here." He answers before casually mentioning, "That's why I'm sweating a bit, too."
"Cool... Wanna sit?" She offers, which he accepts as he sat across from her.
"Thank you. What about you coming here?" He wonders out loud.
"I was thinking of getting something sweet and remembered this place that your friends introduce me to a while back." She clarifies before looking down at the menu in front of her on the table, "Don't know what I should get, though."
"Cake isn't a bad choice." He suggests, "Pie, cheesecake, even ice cream galore."
"Made it sound like a little jingle." She points out.
Levin has a small smile as he chuckles, "Looks like Visor is rubbing off on me a bit..."
The waitress then comes by with her pen and paper ready as she addresses the two, "Have you decided?"
Sci-Twi went first, "I'll have... a piece of smore cheesecake."
"Uh, same as her." Levin wasn't sure what to get either, so just goes with it.
He wasn't sure, but he could have swore that he heard the waitress mutter "cute" as she wrote their order down before walking off.
"OK..." He quietly said to himself before Sci-Twi continued the conversation.
"You don't spike your hair anymore?"
Her question got his attention, "Oh, my hair? Actually, I found out a neat little trick a few nights ago."
He then starts rubbing his hands together, having electricity start sparking around them before he brushes them upwards on his hair. To her surprise, it kept the hair in place to resemble his spiky style.
"That's impressive!" She compliments, "How long can it stay like that?"
"For quite a bit. Though, it stays up longer when I'm charged up." He briefly explains, "Kinda like a balloon, when you think about it."
She then lets out a giggle, "Hopefully, it doesn't stick to anything."
He just gives her a playful smirk in response, immediately knowing what she's talking about before their order arrives with the waitress placing them on the table. The two give their thanks before digging into their meals.
From a distance, Visor sat in his seat at the counter as he waited for his order, watching the two enjoy each other's company with a smile on his face.
"Dude, if this isn't a sign, I don't know what is." He mutters as the two share a small laugh over something that was said.
"Here we are!"
Applejack exclaims this as she and Ventus has arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, the latter taking in the view in the setting sun's light as a familiar feeling stirs inside him.
"Feels like I'm back home." He mentions as fond memories were starting to surface.
"Should help make ya feel comfortable, then." AJ points out as she starts walking over to the house.
Ven took a minute to lock up his bike on one of the rail poles the porch has before going to the door, which AJ opens just after he reaches her and lets him inside first. Though, he wasn't expecting a dog to greet him with happy barks.
"Whoa! Easy!" He was a bit hesitant on what to do right now as he watches said dog walk around him a bit.
"Don't worry, she's a friendly girl." She reassures him as she closes the door behind them, "Aren't ya, Winona?"
Two happy barks was the cute dog's response, Ven relieved to know that now before gently patting her head. "Good girl."
"There ya are, sis!" A young voice calls out as the two sees another girl with a red bow in her hair come down the stairs before seeing him too, "Who's he?"
"He's a new friend of mine I made today. Ventus, meet my little sis Apple Bloom." Applejack answers by introducing him.
"Call me Ven." He adds as he does a simple wave to her, "Nice to meet you."
"I brought him here to have some extra help around the farm." Applejack mentions, "Turns out, he grew up as a farm boy too."
"Really? I don't really hear an accent from him." Apple Bloom points out.
"...Ah reckon ya'll couldn't hear how subtle it is compared to a snake in grass." Ven suddenly lets it out to prove it, "Plenty of practice, ah tell ya what."
The sisters and even Winona stare at him for a moment, most likely processing what just happened before he spoke normally again.
"A lot of practice, mind ya." He admits back in his previous voice, "Anyways, who should I ask for the job?"
"Oh, right. Where's Granny Smith, sis?" AJ's question was towards her this time.
"Her and Big Mac haven't came back from their last delivery yet." She answers, "Though. they should be soon."
"Alrighty, how about we wait in the living room until then?" AJ suggests, which the two agrees upon.
"Sure! I'd like to know more about Ven!" Apple Bloom mentions before going off ahead with Winona following her.
Before Applejack went after her, Ven stops her for a moment. "Uh, AJ?"
She turns to look at him, "Yeah?"
"Um, I don't say this often but..." He hesitates a bit before finishing, "Thanks for the help."
"Oh. No problem, sugarcube." She said in response, "My friends showed me that everyone needs kindness every now and again."
Ven forms a small smile upon hearing that, "They sound like good people."
He then gestures her to go first into the living room, with him pausing to process their little exchange before muttering:
"Really good people."
And done! All right, starting with the obvious:
Introducing a new character now? Weird timing yes, but it's something that will come into play later. Trust me.
As for the rest, Levin and Visor are testing the former's powers in terms of speed before finding themselves meeting Sci-Twi at a familiar restaurant, which the latter takes this opportunity to let the two have fun.
What will happen next? We shall see soon. Until then, I'll see you next chapter!
