Chapter 4: Corn Fest Problems

Moon's POV:

Damnit! I turned around to see my new found crush, Dusty Crophopper, staring at me with a worried look, "Are you okay?"

"Uh," I stammered, "Hey Dusty, yeah i'm fine. Dipper was just about to leak about something about me that WASN'T TRUE!"

"YEAH RIGHT!" Dipper smiled at me and Dusty. She knew, SHE KNEW!

"Well then, once you are done," Dusty looked between us, Do NOT blush at all cost, "Umm...I need-well Maru needs you, it's about your computer?"

"Well, that I can't ignore," I responded, "Dipper will have to get it later, but if she promises…"

"I swear, I promise!" she hollered, Dusty looked at her with a slight frown.

"...Then I won't bother her, for awhile that is," I commented with a threatening look, "Anyways, I hope will talk again Dusty. So see you around!"

I walked away to Maru's hanger, Maru himself was yelling at my computer. I sighed, this is going to be a long day.

Dusty's POV:

Well there goes my chance, I can't help it. My tongue goes tied in a knot and I can't control it. Well she handled my tongue tiredness like a pro and Dipper is thanking me a lot for saving her butt.

"No problem," I replied for the eighteenth time, rolling away to my hanger.

"Dusty….I have a question for you, about Moon?" she asked casually. I nearly stopped, but I took a deep breath and turned.

"What about Moon?" I replied.

Dipper looked away sheepishly, "Well, you seemed a bit tongue tied back there...and….I was wondering do you have some sort of, feelings, for Moon?"

Oh please Dipper, I don't need to be on the spot light again! I replied, "Umm."

"You would be a cute couple," Dipper countiuned, not staring at me, "I know you had feelings for Ishani, but she's not romantically ready for you. She doesn't want to be anything to you but a friend. The reason I am telling you this is because I don't love you. I don't."

"Wait what?" I asked shocked.

"Yes, I don't love you," Dipper replied came with a easy going, "I only wanted to be your friend and I thought that to impress you I would have to fangirl over you. Moon set me straight, but now that I am myself would you mind being my friend?"

"Of-of course," I replied my jaw dropping slightly. Dipper smiled and with a nod left.

Moon. Of all the planes in the world to choose from like Ishani and Dipper, he fell-no not yet, maybe in love with a human. What a strange way of changing events? I sighed to myself, maybe it's time to get back to Skipper about me being there for the Corn Fest.

But who would take care of Moon?

Yeah, she's twenty one. She can take care of herself in the human ways but not in this "World". She is strange yet beautiful and complex to me. Blade has a father relationship with her and the smokejumpers except for Dynamite are all cousins to her. Her relationship to Dipper was extraordinary strange but like sibling love. Dynamite and Maru acted like a uncle and/or aunt ot her. But I don't have a brotherly relationship but she's accepted me.

"Hey Dusty?" I heard Blade ask and I opened the door, "Thanks, I wanna talk to you about Moon?"

Why does everyone talk to me about Moon like i'm a expert, "Go on Blade."

"I know you had the Corn Fest in Propwash and I was wondering about your request, I think you go down there with Moon. Just for a bit and come back," Blade replied, "If a fire been reported and Moon is begging me to let her go once. Even if she was a volunteer in the past, she's not certified here."

"I understand Blade," I replied shocked, yep totally a father protecting his daughter, "I will have to tell Skipper about it though and he might not be please…."

"Tell him that was a order from me," he replied. Then left.

Oh please don't take my propeller, Skipper.

Nope scratch that, don't die from Moon's fury Blade.

Moon's POV:

"So the red goes over there and the blue one over there?" Maru asked me for the seventh time.

I groaned, "Yes you Dummy."

"I am not a Dummy," he retorted fixing the wires and the tower was back online.

"Yes you are."

"No I am NOT!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I am Not!"

"Yes you are, and that's final!" I shouted smiling in triumph. He looked at me with a scowl.

"Umm?" I heard Dusty asked and I froze, is this is super power?! EMBARRASSING!

"Hey Dusty," Maru smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I was here for Moon," Dusty commented as I spun around.

I replied, turning to face him, "I am here, what do you need Dusty?"

"I-I, uh, need to talk to you out here," Dusty stuttered then coughed, "Sorry, Can I talk to you out here?"

"Sure," I replied with a smile, something is weird with Dusty. I want to find out what it is, once we were outside. I asked, "Okay. What is it you really want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about," he paused before taking a deep breath, "The corn fest, Blade wants us to be there since it is Fire season."

"Oh, I see," I replied, Blade doesn't want me to get hurt, like a father, "Well I won't mind, not if you are coming with me. If not I will be completely lost for sure."

"Great!" Dusty exclaimed smiling, then started to Blush around the edges, "Uh there might be a problem….how will we get you there?"

I smirked, "Blade ain't going to like it."

"What is it?"

"We gotta to do it soon, like I said I will love it, Blade's gonna hate it," I replied thinking to when I first did it.

Dusty's POV:

Runway, Check.

Blade going to kill me, Check.

Moon on my wing, Check.

Yep, this isn't my best day. I turned to Moon who waved at Blade, "Are you sure he's not gonna kill me?"

"I made Maru bolt him to the ground, Maru agrees that though this was Blade's idea I know my ways of Gravity and learned to defy it. We'll be fine," she waved her hand to me, but then I heard her whispered to me, "Hopefully?"

"Maru!" I heard Blade yell, "Get me out of this contraption! I'm going to murder her and Dusty!"

"Go! Go!" Moon's urgent yell pushed me forward and I flew off the track, Dipper waved goodbye while we had a problem. The bolts snapped and Blade was coming after us, FULL SPEED!

"Get back here with Moon!" I heard Blade roar and I sped quickly and faster than Blade.

"Shake him off!" Moon ordered, "I have a plan."

I swerved side to side, up and down. Blade looked on in fear, but still kept his pace. Moon, she was holding on with ease. With a smirk she sat on my wing, and waved to Blade, "See I'm fine Blade, go back. I think I see a fire!"

Blade rushed back to base and we made a quick race away to Propwash. I smiled as Moon stood up again and went to my back wings. She made a quick tweak with my antenna and then was back up front. I found the signal for landing and with a look at Moon. We landed at Propwash.

"Welcome back, Dusty!" Someone yelled to me, I smiled when I saw Moon climbed down and walk beside me.

"Hey, Dusty?" I saw Mayday then I saw him look to Moon, with a chuckle he continued, "I thought Blade was joking about you, but I should know by now that he doesn't joke easily. What's your name sweetheart?"

"Moon," she replied, "Sorry about the delay. Someone decided to chase us because of a choice I made."

"Ah, that you were riding with Dusty on his wing standing up?" Mayday laughed as Moon slowly nodded her head, "Well, he's mad and is proberally going to break Dusty's Propeller, but he'll get over it."

"I better save Dusty," she replied and I chuckled, "Sooner than later, can I talk to Blade sometime?"

"Yeah, go right ahead. Skipper, Dottie, Sparky, and Chug are in there as well," Mayday commented, "Dusty, you gotta get ready for your stunts for the corn fest."

"Okay, Mayday," I replied and left to get my paint job done.

Moon's POV:

I was yelled at for half a hour about the risks of stunt riding, which I told people for forever. So you know what? Yell at me Blade, just keep yelling, "-Do you know how much I am going to pulverize Dusty? If I find out your injured I'll-"

"I am fine," I replied sighing, "Please don't kill Dusty because of some choice I made. If you want to kill someone go kill a few fires. THAT should keep you busy."

"Fine, but if something happens to you, I will come up there myself," he growled. I groaned inside, Blade beating up Dusty and Skipper pulling him off of Dusty went through my head.

"See you Blade, we will come back tomorrow," I replied, Dusty told me it's a two day thing but his stunts is the last day. So I enjoyed the company of his friends. I didn't mind, Skipper was nice to me on the spot. Chug and Dottie got use of me and Sparky kept ogling me, like I was a goddess, "Tell them I miss them."

"Will do," Blade reply came, I swear I felt him smirk.

Then the call was done, I smiled inside. I didn't know this but it was all gonna change. It will just Change.

Dusty's POV:

Moon was waiting for me with a smile on her face, my new paint job was like my first rally race and the pontoons came off. I don't mind, they don't hurt. It's like getting use to pain in a normal spot for years. You get use of it.

"You took your sweet time," she commented with a hint of sarcasm, "How do you feel?"

"Better," I replied bouncing on my old tires, "I feel better but I can never be complete."

"I guess," she replied and I nearly, NEARLY blush, "It's better to feel incomplete than complete. It means you are ready for change, then those who aren't."

"How do you come up with such memorable speeches?" I heard Dottie ask, she was behind me.

"They are easy when you seen a lot of change in life," she replied looking down, I felt sad too. Moon was hurting and I want to find out why.

"I'm sorry," Dottie replied seeing Moon's face, "Truly I am."

"It's okay, I get use of it," she replied before she stood up and left. I felt cool wetness against my wing and I saw Dottie with a wet rag.

"You are done and Dusty?"

"Yeah?"

"Make Moon, Moon. Something is tearing her alive inside and we need to know what it is. I wanna know now more than ever," Dottie replied, "It's sad to think a young woman, fell apart."

"I'll try Dottie," I replied looking where she once stood, "But she hates it, talking about her past and I. I get so tongue tied over her."

"Are you saying you….?" Dottie let the hang in the air, I didn't know for sure but it sounded a lot like before. So I nodded, "Oh My!"

"I know, it's strange," I replied, "I feel so protective over her, not like a brother but-something more."

Moon's POV:

Well, Dusty's taking off and I am in the crowd watching his amazing stunts and racing ways. It's beautiful in person than in a movie. He's so agile now and can speed across the runway twice in a minute. I smiled, I knew he could do that.

So I followed the crowds oo's and ah's. I didn't mind, it felt like home. No one told me I didn't belong and I felt at ease for the first time in a decade. I clapped at the very end as Dusty landed and everyone yelled in praise at the little Cropduster. Turned racer. Turned-oh you get it!

I climbed down from the pews, "Hey Dusty!"

"Hey Moon," he replied cheerily, "Did you like it?"

"Yeah of course I did you big dummy," I smirked when he acted that he was offended, "You do a amazing job up there. Beautiful in my words."

"Thanks," he replied and I smiled, "Moon I wanna-?"

Then a big boom went off, Dusty screamed my name but all I saw was white. Then ringing in the ears. I woke up in a haze to see Dusty over me, shielding me from what ever it was. He looked down at me, "Moon! Moon! Can you hear me?!"

"Yeah, you don't need to scream," I mumbled trying to stand up but winced, my leg was on fire. It throbbed and raced with pain, "Or I am injured."

Dusty looked down at my left leg where a piece of shrap metal was sticking out, big that the width of my leg was covered in blood, I felt queasy and cold. Then heat and dizziness, what was going on? Why was I so sick?

"-on Stay with us!" he hollered, "Stay….please for me…..Help! Injured….Moon."

Then it all went black. Yet I still felt Dusty's presence there. Warm and comforting?

Welp, I am dead.

Or Dusty's dead.