“You want me to know your father?” Thunder Night asked to Fluttershy.
It had been passed some days since the attack from Shadow Claw, the alpha pony-wolf. Since that day, where Fluttershy revealed to everypony about her relationship with Thunder Night, the two started to spend more time together and strengthening their relationship. It didn’t last too long until the relationship become serious enough for Fluttershy wanting to introduce Thunder Night to her father.
“Don’t you want to meet him, Thundy?” Fluttershy asked.
“It’s not that…” Thunder Night started. “Don’t you think it’s a little soon for that?”
“Thundy, we have been dating for almost a year” Fluttershy said. “I think it’s time for you to meet my family and my father is my only family.”
“Sometime ago you didn’t want to introduce me to your friends and know you want to introduce me to your father?” Thunder Night asked.
“Yes, because I was still very insecure about about all of this” Fluttershy answered. “But now I am more confident about our relationship. And my father is one of the most important ponies to me, along with you and my friends.”
Thunder Night sighed. Meeting his marefriend’s father it wasn’t something that we would like to do, but he said:
“All right, I’ll meet your father.”
That let Fluttershy very happy and she gave him a strong hug. However, Thunder Night didn’t seem very enthusiastic.
In Tartarus, the Lord of Chaos observed the city of Cloudsdale through his mirror.
“You know, Fire Punch, it’s hard to believe that a city like this is responsible by the weather of all Equestria” the Lord of Chaos said to his follower.
“I got it” Fire Punch said. “You will attack and destroy Cloudsdale to upset the weather in Equestria.”
“I am impressed” the Lord of Chaos said. “For the first time, you understood my reasoning.”
“What can I say?” Fire Punch said. “You are an excellent influence, aster.”
“You may have impressed me once, Fire Punch, but don’t push it” the Lord of Chaos answered, making Fire Punch drop his smile. “Now, the question is: what villain will I use to destroy this little city made of cuddly white clouds? It has to be a villain capable of flying and with power and intelligence to do the job.”
The Lord of Chaos thought for a while and then he had an idea.
“Of course, it can only be him.”
“Who, master?” Fire Punch asked.
Without answering, the Lord of Chaos turned to his mirror and called:
“Rothbart, your master calls you.”
An in the mirror appeared the image of an earth pony with brownish coat, dark mane and yellow eyes. His Cutie Mark was an owl.
“What’s your wish, my master?” Rothbart asked.
“I have a mission to you” the Lord of Chaos said to him. “It’s simple, but it requires a certain touch. I want you to destroy Cloudsdale, including its weather factory. Don’t live anything standing.”
“Of course, my master” Rothbart answered, bowing.
“Wait a minute” Fire Punch asked, a little confuse. “Master, how can an earth pony get to Cloudsdale?”
“I understand your confusion, Fire Punch, but it will be answered in a few moments” the Lord of Chaos replied to him, turning then to Rothbart. “Rothbart, reveal your other self.”
Rothbart smiled and then he was surrounded by a dark aura and his body started to change. Fire Punch didn’t want to believe in what he was seeing.
“Oh… my…” he started.
“I know” the Lord of Chaos said. “It’s wonderful.”
After the night had fell, Fluttershy and Thunder Night flew to Cloudsdale, landing in front of a two-level house made of clouds.
“Nervous?” Fluttershy asked to his coltfriend.
“Ah, how bad can it be?” Thunder Night asked. “It’s your father we are talking about. Probably, he is just like you.”
That made Fluttershy give a chuckle, while she knocked the door.
“What’s so funny?” Thunder Night asked.
“That would be my mom” Fluttershy answered.
That made Thunder Night starting to gulp.
The door opened and a pegasus stallion appeared. He had the same coat as Fluttershy, but his mane was as blue as the sky and the eyes were hazel. His Cutie Mark was a tornado.
“Daddy!” Fluttershy exclaimed, hugging her father.
“Flutty, so long I didn’t see you, my dear” he answered, returning her the hug. “You really have to come home more times.”
They ended the hug and Fluttershy said to him:
“I’m sorry, daddy, but you know I rather prefer staying down there.”
“Yes, and living with your animal friends, I know” Fluttershy’s father said. “It’s just I wanted to see you more often, just that.
“I know, daddy” Fluttershy answered.
And Fluttershy’s father’s attention turned to Thunder Night, saying him:
“So, you are the one.”
“My name is Thunder Night, sir” Thunder Night introduced himself, making a sly bow with the head.
“You can call me Raining Storm” Fluttershy’s father said. “Finally I get to know my daughter’s coltfriend. I just got a little disturbed by the fact of you two being dating for month without me knowing about it.”
“Dad, that was my fault” Fluttershy’s said. “It was me who didn’t want to talk about our relationship with nopony else.”
“Yeah, yeah” Raining Storm said. “Well, why don’t you come in? Dinner is ready.”
They got in and sat around the table, where Raining Storm had prepared some boiled daisies. While they ate, Raining Storm asked to Thunder Night:
“So, Thunder Night, what do you do for living?”
“I’m a guard in the Lunar Royal Guard” Thunder Night answered.
“Ah, so you work for Princess Luna” Raining Storm said. “How is it to be a nocturnal royal guard?”
“Well, it’s basically like being a diurnal royal guard” Thunder Night said. “The only difference is that it’s during night.”
That made Fluttershy give a little chuckle, but Raining Storm remained with his serious air, what didn’t cheered up the hope of Thunder Night in getting along with his marefriend’s father.
“I heard that you, thestrals, don’t support the sunbeams” Raining Storm said. “Is that truth?”
“Well, yes” Thunder Night answered. “Our skin and our eyes are too much sensitives.”
“You don’t tell me” Raining Storm said. “You know, Fluttershy likes to stroll in sunny days.”
“Dad…” Fluttershy said, in a reproving way to her father, knowing what he was trying to insinuate.
“What?” he asked to his daughter. “I’m just talking with your coltfriend. I thought it was what you wanted.”
“Yes, but not in that way” Fluttershy said.
“Easy, Fluttershy, it’s all right” Thunder Night said. “I understand your father. After all, I can’t do with you the things you like to do during the day. But let me tell you something, sir, I love your daughter and I’ll do anything in my power for her.”
Raining Storm stared at Night Thunder for a few seconds and prepared to say something. Then there was kind of a loud hooting and shouting and explosions outside. They hastily left the house and were shocked by what they were seeing.
It was a creature that looked like a cross between a pony and an owl. The front half was covered with brown feathers and the back half of covered by brownish coat. The head was just like the one of an owl and the front legs had claws, while the hide ones had hooves. And, on the back, there were great wings.
“What is that?!” Raining Storm asked.
“It looks like a griffon” Fluttershy said.
“No, it’s not a griffon” Thunder Night said. “Griffons have the head from an eagle, not from an owl.”
It was then that the creature gave a strong hoot that created supersonic waves that destroyed the houses they hit, making the ponies around starting to flee.
“We have to do something” Raining Storm said. “I’ll help the Cloudsdale Guard.”
“No, dad, you’re retired from the guard” Fluttershy said.
“Just because I’m retired, it doesn’t mean that your father can’t give some fight to a monster like that” Raining Storm said.
It was then that the creature, that was Rothbart, turned to the place where Fluttershy, Thunder Night and Raining Storm were and shoot one of his supersonic screams.
“Watch out!” Thunder Night shouted, pushing his marefriend and her father to safety, while the scream passed through them and hit a house nearby.
“Thank you, Thundy” Fluttershy thanked him, hugging him. “You saved us.”
“Well, I have to admit, boy” Raining Storm said. “You’re very fast.”
“Thank you” Thunder Night thanked, happy to have finally impressed Fluttershy’s father. “The night strengthens thestrals, for that I had enough speed to dodge that attack.
Rothbart then flapped his wings and started to head towards the place his master told him to head to.
“Oh não!” Raining Storm exclaimed. “He is in his way to the weather factory! We have to stop him now!”
Thunder Night and Raining Storm took flight with Fluttershy staying behind. After all, she would not be helpful, as she didn’t have her friends with her to use the Elements of Harmony.
The pegasus and the thestral and other brave pegasus, tried to confront Rothbart, but he continued to launch sonic screams. Hopefully, many knew how to dodge them perfectly. But their luck changed when Rothbart launched beams from his eyes, hitting and paralyzing the ponies temporarily, long enough for him to attack.
"This is complicated" Thunder Night said to Raining Storm. "He's too powerful."
"I will not let a monster like this destroy Cloudsdale and its role to Equestria" Raining Storm said.
And then he launched an attack against Rothbart.
"No, wait, Raining Storm!" Thunder Night exclaimed.
But he did not hear him because he was too busy to attack. But Rothbart, seeing that he was approaching, released a sonic scream that hit Raining Storm. He felt as if his ears were exploding, what made him block them with his hooves, as he moaned in pain.
"Daddy!" Fluttershy exclaimed, distressed, seeing what was happening.
Then Thunder Night, using all his strength, punched Rothbart which was pushed away some meters, while he ceased his cry. A little disoriented, Raining Storm lost his balance and began to fall. Seeing this, Thunder Night flew quickly to catch him, managing to do so.
"Are you kay?" he asked to Raining Storm while he recovered.
"Yes, I am" Raining Storm replied. "Thanks to you. Thank you, my boy. I owe you my life again."
"I'm sure you would do the same" Thunder Night said.
Rothbart, having recovered from Thunder Night’s attack, approached and said to him:
"You'll regret for what you did, your bat sample. Get ready, because you will feel an agony that you never felt before."
But before he could make an attack, a voice called:
"Hey, Rothbart!"
They all looked and saw Purple Smoke and Melody nearby, using a spell to walk on clouds.
"Get in with somepony of your own size" Melody told him.
"Or at least as ugly as you, owl face" Purple Smoke continued. "But of course I'm not talking about us."
"You!" Rothbart exclaied, seeing the two Generals. "You'll pay for having me locked in a cell for centuries!"
"Sorry, but we didn’t arrest you, remember?" Purple Smoke asked him. "It was Golden Paladin."
"It doesn’t matter!" Rothbart replied. "If I can catch at least one General, I will feel much better knowing that I got one of the siblings of the great leader of the Generals."
And having said this, he launched a shower of feathers and Melody and Purple Smoke defended themselves with their shields. As the battle between them occurred, Thunder Night helped Raining Storm to get down.
"Daddy!" Fluttershy exclaimed, approaching her father and embracing him. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am" he said. "All thanks to Thunder Night."
Raining Storm turned to Thunder Night and said to him:
"I apologize for the way I treated you, my boy. It is that Fluttershy is my only child and loved to make sure she was okay with a good stallion."
"Dad..." Fluttershy said, smiling, understanding his father.
"You don’t have to apologize" Thunder Night said. "I understand. If I had a daughter, I also would do the same as you, sir. But on the part of saving your life, I think we both have to thank Purple Smoke and Melody. After all, they saved us from that monster."
"I think you're right, Thunder, my boy" Raining Storm said. "But before they had arrived, you saved my life, twice, and this is something I will never forget and that makes me realize that my daughter will be in good hoofs with you."
Thunder Night was very glad to hear that. He had gotten the approval of Raining Storm. His moment of happiness was interrupted by a hoot that came from Rothbart, who had just been shot down by the combined forces of Purple Smoke and Melody. After he had fallen, Melody took the cell blaster and told him:
"It's time to return the bird to its cage."
And she began to suck Rothbart into a life cell and, after that, she put it in the prison-book.
"And it seems that Cloudsdale was saved" Raining Storm said. "Hey, since the danger is over, what do you say to continue our dinner."
Thunder Night and Fluttershy gave a laugh and then nodded and the two went back into Raining Storm’s house.
Despite Melody and Purple Smoke’s efforts to arrest Rothbart, it turned out that he escaped from the prison-book when the Dragon King made Spike steal it. Now the pony that could become a monstrous owl was free to continue to serve his master.