Chapter 11: Homecoming
Another day, another headache…fan-fucking-tastic.
I woke to find myself in what must have been a hospital, because I was surrounded by monitors of every kind and had an IV drip in my arm. The last thing I remembered was seeing Luna after the day with Fluttershy…and then nothing. Just as I was about to sit up, though, a hoof pressed down on my chest to keep me down.
I turned my head to see Dashie with a frown on her face. She looked haggard and sullen, and she was shaking her head 'no' to me. "You've been through a lot, Koa. You need to rest some more."
I raised an eyeridge at her in confusion. "What do you mean I've been through a lot?" I looked outside to see it was daytime now, when it was night the last time I remember. "Ugh…what day is it?"
"It's Tuesday. You've been here for the last four days." she explained quietly.
I sat up quickly, instantly regretting it as my head swam with pain. "Ugh…four days? What happened to me?"
She shook her head and shrugged. "We're not sure. Luna told me that you just kinda fell over when you got back." She then looked a little ashamed and lay her head down on my arm. "Sorry I couldn't be here sooner, but…well you know."
I nodded. "I remember why you had to stay away, Dashie. I'm just glad you're back." I then smirked. "Maybe next time you won't have to go away, and you can just stay with me."
She giggled and shoved me. "Missed me that much, did ya? Yeah, Fluttershy told me about you two's day together. I'm glad you made friends with all the other girls, it means a lot to me. How did you and Luna get on?"
I sighed and shook my head. "Not well at first. She had kind of a thing for me."
Surprisingly, Dash nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I figured she would. We're a lot alike when she lets herself relax, so it would make sense she has the same taste in stallions – or in this case, a dragon. Did the two of you work it out?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I explained everything to her and she's okay with it now, I think."
"If Luna wasn't okay with it, you'd know. She's not good at faking emotions." Dash explained with a smile.
I smiled and pulled her up off of the floor and onto my chest, causing her to smile and hum happily. A moment later, I heard hooves from all the way down the hallway outside my room, and felt the distinct presence of both the princesses. I can't explain how I knew it was them…but I just felt it in the air. This feeling of mine was confirmed when the door swung open gently to reveal the concerned faces of both princesses, Luna looking to be the more worried of the two. As soon as the two demigoddesses saw me, however, they smiled and looked very relieved.
Luna walked forward and nuzzled the disheveled mane of my cyan pegasus. "Rainbow Dash…it is good to see you." She then looked to me and placed a hoof on my hand, which I squeezed softly. "It is good to see you are awake as well, Storm Rider."
I nodded. "It's good to be awake. So…what happened to me?"
"Well, it appears that you overexerted yourself during your body's adjustment. To put it simply, you did too much too soon and your mind and body had trouble catching up. I recommend taking it easy for awhile and being more careful." Celestia explained.
I shrugged. "That's weird. I mean, I didn't feel tired or anything before I passed out."
Luna nodded. "Yes, that is because your mind is still adjusting to your new form. This is also part of the reason you've been experiencing headaches so often. Give it another few days and you will be fine. However, until then I must ask you to please keep physical activity to a minimum. That means no flying, no running, and no…" she trailed off with a blush, eyeing the pegasus on my chest.
I was confused at first, but quickly realized what she meant with a blush of my own. "Oh, umm…you don't have to worry. I'll keep from exhausting myself, I promise. So, when can I get out of here?"
A white earth pony with a pink mane and tail entered behind the princesses, bowing her head in respect as she passed and walked up to me. "Well, you can leave just as soon as I've checked you out. I need to make sure nothing was damaged and that you have no injuries we need to keep an eye on." She then extended a hoof to shake my hand, so I reciprocated. "I'm Nurse Redheart, by the way. It's a pleasure, Mr. Storm Rider. Now, let's get you checked out and you can leave."
The check-up was a little invasive, but then again it was all professional of course, so I just kept calm and let the nurse do her job. Luckily it didn't take too long, and before I knew it I was walking out of the hospital with Rainbow Dash flitting beside me, following both princesses to Ponyville.
Luna turned around to meet my eyes and smiled. "Well, now that Rainbow Dash is back, you have a choice on where you wish to stay. You can either continue to stay in the palace, or you may stay with Rainbow Dash."
Dashie looked a little nervously at the princess. "Umm, Luna? I live in a cloud home, remember? Can dragons even walk on clouds?"
Celestia replied, not turning around. "Dragons of the sky can indeed, Rainbow Dash. So if it's what you choose, he can stay with you."
The rainbow-maned pegasus looked at me and I shrugged with a grin. "Do you even need to ask?"
Dash smiled and nodded. "Alright then, looks like you're rooming with me then until you can get a place of your own. I'd ask you to just stay with me permanently, but it'll be a little cramped in there with you. Fluttershy told me that you have power over clouds and such though, so I'm sure you could make your own place, right?"
I bobbed my head side to side in thought and smiled. "It wouldn't be such a bad idea, actually. I guess I'll get started once I finish adjusting and all that."
Both princesses stopped at the entryway to Ponyville and turned to me. Celestia smiled and nodded in agreement. "Very well then, we will leave you to settle in. Always remember that if there's anything you need, you can always contact me or my sister. Twilight Sparkle can help you with that. You will always have a home in the palace with us." The sun princess then turned around and spread her wings. "Well, we must be off to bring forth the night. Goodbye you two."
Luna watched as her sister flew away, and then stepped forward hugging both me and Rainbow Dash. "It was good to see the two of you together, it warms my heart." She released us and looked at me with a warm smile. "Take care of her, Storm Rider. Rainbow Dash means very much to me."
I nodded and placed my hand on Dashie's neck, rubbing her mane softly. "I will Luna, don't worry."
Luna nodded to the two of us and took flight to catch up with her sister, quickly vanishing in the distance. Rainbow Dash then turned to me, a tired smile on her face. "Well I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Unless there's something else you need to do, we should go back to my place so I can get cleaned up and go to bed. I've got work in the morning."
I nodded. "Sounds good to me. Lead the way."
We walked through Ponyville a ways until we came across an open field about a mile away from Twilight Sparkle's library (or tree-brary…something). I looked up into the sky to see a giant house made completely of clouds and rainbows. It had huge columns made from clouds, as well as fountains of rainbows.
"You made that?" I asked, trying and failing to hide my awe.
She nodded and smiled with pride. "Yep! Took me a little over two weeks to get it just the way I wanted it, but yes, I built it all by myself."
"Wow…that's intense. I hope my house looks that cool." I responded with a smile.
She shrugged and smirked. "Maybe if you have Equestria's most awesome flier helping you it will."
I smirked right back and looked around. "Well where is she? Point me in the right direction and I'll go find her."
Dash shoved me with a giggle. "Jerk. Come on, let's get up there. You should be able to make it up there without hurting yourself. Just be care-"
Before she could finish I jumped into the air and flapped my wings hard, shooting up into the air and flattening the grass all around us. I then opened my wings and glided down to softly land on the doorstep to the cloud house. Rainbow Dash then landed next to me with a glare.
"What?" I asked, looking innocent.
She sighed and shook her head. "You're supposed to be taking it easy, Koa. I don't want you passing out just because you're trying to show off."
I smiled and patted her on the head. "Don't worry about me, Dashie, that took no effort."
She glared at me a moment longer before walking over and opening the door. "Just don't strain yourself, Koa. I mean it."
I walked in after her and sat down on a cloud couch, which was unbelievably soft…a little too much, actually. Still, I guess I'd have to get used to it if I was going to be staying here. I looked up at Rainbow Dash now, noticing she was looking at me expectantly. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Alright Dashie, I'm sorry. I'll be careful."
She nodded and smiled. "Good. Now then, I'm going to go take a shower, so I guess you can watch some TV until I get out." She started pointing around the house. "Kitchen's over there, bathroom's up here. I've also got a few cases of Applejack Daniels on top of the refrigerator if you want a drink."
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Applejack Daniels? What's that?"
"It's liquor made from fermented apple cider. Applejack makes it by adding some special ingredients and aging it in a steel barrel for a few weeks. You had me try some stuff called Jack Daniels when we were on Earth. It's a lot like that, except sweeter and it has more of a kick." she explained.
I nodded slightly and pursed my lips. "Sounds good, Dashie. I might take you up on that. I guess I'll take a shower after you then. Let me know when you're done."
She nodded and left the room, and I immediately got up and grabbed a bottle of the sweet whiskey. I didn't know why, but some alcohol sounded really good right about now. Of course, I can't remember if I'd ever had any before, but Dash said I had, so I figured it couldn't hurt. As I took my first sip, I felt a warm feeling in my throat and stomach as I swallowed the sweet and tangy liquid.
Mmm…like liquid gold.
I sat on the couch nursing my drink as time ticked by, enjoying the warm feeling it gave me. I accidentally belched, and half-expected a jet of flame to come out. What happened instead left me chuckling. Upon letting out my "uncouth emanation", a grey cloud sparking with electricity came out instead, slowly dissipating into the air.
"Well…glad to see you're having fun." came Dash's voice from upstairs.
I looked up at the top of the cloud stairs to see Dash standing there, her mane and tail combed to the normal spiky style I loved, and her cyan coat shined with the dampness that it was now. I smirked and raised my eyebrows suggestively. "I love it when you get all wet for me." I then smacked myself at realization of what I just said. "Uh…s-sorry about that, Dash. I didn't mean to say that, it just kinda slipped out."
She was blushing like crazy, but looked down and grinned when she saw the bottle. "Well those new dragon instincts plus alcohol are gonna get to you. I'll let that one slide, but the next time you say something like that, you better mean it."
I smirked right back, and my mouth moved again, seemingly on its own. "Well why don't you come here and sit on my lap? I'll show you whether I meant it or not." I again realized what I said, growling in frustration and standing up before finishing off the rest of the liquor and throwing the bottle away. "I'll be taking a cold shower if you need me."
She giggled and nodded. "Good idea."
Taking a shower was a chore at first, as I was nearly twice the size of Dash, which meant her shower was only half the size I needed. I had to hunch over the whole time on my knees, but luckily I was able to use my manipulation of water to get the liquid where I needed it without too much trouble. After a few minutes, I was clean and sparkly, so I shook myself dry and walked out of the bathroom feeling very refreshed.
I looked at a wall clock to see that it was 21:44, so I slowly walked over to the couch and lay down. I was not tired in the least, which made sense seeing as how I was physically able to go for a week or more without sleep, so instead I just lay there and looked out the window across the way. The stars were shining brightly and I wanted nothing more than to soar through the night sky, but I knew that I couldn't risk unconsciousness again, so I stayed put.
I was broken from my thoughts by the soft sound of wings flapping from the stairs, and as they got closer I heard Dash's breathing. She smelled like a summer thunderstorm (yes…it does have a smell), and I couldn't help but smile when she stood in front of me.
"Are you really going to lay out here all by yourself?" she asked curiously.
I shrugged and sat up. "I mean I guess. That is unless of course you want a horny dragon in your bed with you. You might not be in heat anymore, but that doesn't stop me from thinking dirty thoughts every time I see you." I growled and rolled my eyes. "These dragon instincts are pissing me off. I remember reading somewhere that the average human man thinks about sex once every ten seconds. Well, let's just say that's a vast understatement for dragons."
She giggled and shook her head. "Who said I mind?"
The message traveled in through my ear and was instantly interpreted by my brain as an invitation…and this set the draconic primal mind on fire with activity. I grinned seductively and stood up. "Well in that case I'm more than happy to oblige, my beautiful vixen."
"Beautiful vixen, hm? That's a new one. But…I like it." she responded with a giggle and blush. She then inclined her head towards the stairs. "Well come on, don't keep me waiting."
Before she could fly away, I caught her in an embrace and carried her bridal-style up the stairs her bedroom, which was easy to find as it was the only other room upstairs besides the bathroom.
When I stepped inside, I noticed Wonderbolts paraphernalia everywhere, as well as a huge circular cloud bed right in the middle of the room. I set my rainbow-maned pegasus on the bed before laying down on it myself, letting my wings splay out on either side of me. The room was small in comparison to my size, so I wasn't surprised when I felt the tip of one of my wings hit a mirror that hung on the wall.
Dash giggled and scooted over to me, resting her head on my chest. "I can see already that your house is going to be a lot bigger than mine."
I nodded. "Well, I'm like twice your size. Big dragons need big houses."
She then rolled over on top of me, splaying her legs off of me and laying chest-to-chest. I could feel the bits of electricity moving all throughout her body, as well as her strong heartbeat against the sensitive scales of my chest. When I closed my eyes, I could oddly still see, except that now my vision was entirely different. There was no color and the room was not there, but I could very clearly see the shape of the pegasus on my chest. As I turned my head around, I could see other fuzzy shapes in the distance, and through this new ability I assumed they were other ponies around Ponyville.
"Dash…I can see you. I can see everypony in Ponyville." I remarked.
I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was confused. "What do you mean you can see them?"
I chuckled and began stroking her mane, watching the bits of electricity jump around my hand and the point of contact through my closed eyes. "I mean that somehow with my eyes closed, I can see you by seeing the electricity in your body. I can also see every other pony in Ponyville. I have a feeling this is really going to help sometime in the future."
I opened my eyes and saw her smiling at me, her head resting on her crossed front hooves. "You just get weirder and weirder, you know that?"
I chuckled and continued stroking the soft rainbow mane. "Yeah, but you love it. Makes me more interesting."
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "You're an ex-human from another world that's now a dragon. I think 'interesting' doesn't quite cover it." I chuckled and used my thumb and forefingers to gently massage the pegasus' neck. She groaned and smiled. "Ah…that feels good."
I allowed a very small amount of my latent electricity to flow through my fingertips, causing a small static charge in them. As I moved my fingers across Dashie's mane and coat now, I could see small white-blue tendrils of lightning jumping from my fingertips to her body. As soon as this happened, she let out a long drawn-out moan and looked at me in confusion.
"What did you just do?" she asked, panting a bit.
I smirked and ran my fingers over her hoof, where she could see. "Just a little something I thought I'd try. I take it you like it?"
I returned to running my hands down her body, passing between the base of her wings and her cutie marks. As soon as I touched the tattoo-like marks, she arched her back and yelled as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her body convulsed for a few seconds until she collapsed on top of me, panting heavily. I was confused as to what had just happened to her and worried I had hurt her…until I felt a dampness on my lower abdomen where her flank was positioned.
I smirked at the panting mare and let the electricity flow back to my core, resuming running my hand through the rainbow mane. "Well now…it seems a certain somepony got a little excited, hm?"
Dash continued panting on my chest, but spoke in between breaths. "That's…not…fair…Koa."
I chuckled softly and continued running my hands through the soft rainbow mane. "I warned you, Dashie…but no, no one ever listens to me. Now you have to face the consequences."
She took a deep breath and regulated her breathing, then looked up at me with a grin. "I never said it wasn't awesome. Maybe we can continue this after work tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Sounds like a plan, love. I'll spend time with the other girls until you get home, I guess."
She smiled and lay against my chest, and I couldn't help but feel sleep starting to overtake me. Somehow, being with Rainbow Dash just made me relaxed, and I loved the feeling.
"Hey Koa? C-could you maybe not tell anypony about this?" she pleaded.
I grinned and placed my hand on her hips, rubbing my hand gently over the cutie mark on her right flank. "What, tell your friends about how you got overexcited from me barely touching you?"
She moaned as I touched the marks, smiling the whole time. "Y-yes…that. Especially don't tell AJ, because she'd never let me live it down. Besides, you used magic. That's cheating."
I shrugged and continued rubbing the sensitive area, eliciting pleased sighs from my mare. "Well, it's not really their business. I won't be telling anypony about anything we do privately."
She nodded and rested her head on my chest, closing her eyes and falling asleep almost immediately. Utterly relaxed and happy to be reunited with Rainbow Dash, I soon followed her into the dream world.