//------------------------------//
// Settling Normality 
// Story: Storm on the Horizon 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 21: Settling Normality

"Amazing," whispered the doctor as he inspected the damaged feathers, "Before today, I would have sworn that there was no such thing as a blade that could cut through these feathers."
"I was of a similar mind," agreed Perlin as he held his wings out for the older stallion's inspection.  The doctor had grown quite comfortable with the living he was making off of Torchlight's funds.  Likewise, his manner around Perlin had become much more at ease, now that it was clear that the colt hat no intention of killing him off.
"It's rather fortuitous, given the timing," observed the stallion, "The time for your latest adjustment was coming up.  I even got the necessary supply of mithril shipped in.  If I need to repair your wings, then I might as well just go ahead and match them up with your latest growth."
"Do what you need to doc," said Perlin, "You're the expert."
"Did something good happen in Cloudsdale?" asked the doctor as he took out his tools and began to take measurements along the length of Perlin's wing, "You seem quite pleased with yourself."
"Yeah," said Perlin, smirking, "I guess you could say that.  I met this guy, barely more than a little kid actually.  But he was the first pony I've fought who was able to push me to the edge.  On top of that, I got to see Spitfire show off her real strength.  So it was a good trip all around."
"So you actually fought a Celestial Knight and lived to tell the tale?"
"Not even close.  The moment I saw her, I knew that she was way out of my league.  She'd torch me and scatter my ashes to the four corners of Equestria before I could blink."  Perlin chuckled darkly, wincing as a twinge of pain arced through his bandaged chest.  "Hard to imagine that my old man was planning pitting me against something like that.  And, on top of that, there are at least six others with that kind of power."
"Your father wasn't one for the odds when it came to revenge," said the doctor, "And the fact that he never really thought of you as a son meant that he felt no qualms over throwing your life away if it served his purposes."
"True enough," admitted Perlin.
"Besides which, even if we were still going by the schedule he had set, you were not meant to face the Knights at your current state of development."
"So you know the kind of power that they hold?"
The doctor shrugged as he put away his tools.  "Better than most.  Making your wings was not the only reason your father hired me.  Nor was money my only motivation for serving him."
"Oh?  What was your reason then?"
A dark look flashed across the doctor's eyes.  "I too have a grudge against the Princess.  One day, I would like to let her know the extent of my displeasure."
"You a noble too then?"
The doctor shook his head.  "No, nothing like that.  I was just a student of a very advanced mage, one whose work was and is unsurpassed.  If he were still here, then Twilight Sparkle would most definitely not be known as the most powerful magician in all of Equestria."	
Perlin's eyebrow went up.  "So what happened to him?"
“Let’s just say that Princess Celestia was uncomfortable with somepony as powerful as him in her nation.  So she banished him, stripped him of all his accomplishments and cast him out.  She erased his name from history and tried to destroy his legacy.”  The doctor frowned pensively.  “To this day, I believe that I am the only one of his students still at large.”
“What could be so potent a magic that developing it would lead to Celestia of all ponies to cast the creator out?” wondered Perlin.
“The power to make real that which cannot be real,” answered the doctor cryptically, “To completely change the rules of the world by creating his own within its boundaries.  In such a world, Princess Celestia’s power would be meaningless, less than nothing.  Of course, she couldn’t stand that.”  He paused and sighed.  “There’s no need to concern you with that.  It’s a dark matter.”
Perlin said nothing.  However, he raised his eyebrow when the doctor turned away from him and returned to his work on the colt’s wings.  Perlin found himself wondering if that really was all there was to the doctor’s story.



"Looks like we're here."  Dawn tilted his head to look over Spitfire's shoulder.  True to her words, the town of Ponyville sprawled out below.  While he had been fairly certain that he could fly, Spitfire had insisted on carrying him herself.  "We don't want you pulling those stitches after I put so much work into them," she had said.  Dawn suspected that it also probably had to do with her wanting to visit the hometown of her prospective recruit.
"Hmm, looks like we have a reception," she observed at the same time Dawn picked up the sense of an approaching pony.  A pale blue streak zipped past their field of vision, just in the corner of Dawn's eye.  Looking over, he saw Soarin' hovering, grinning cheekily as he observed his captain and her charge.
"Hey Captain," he said, raising a cheerful hoof in greeting, "I see you brought the kid."
"Of course I did," she said, "I'm bringing him back to his town after all."
The stallion fell in next to Spitfire.  "If you're looking for Rainbow Dash, she and her friends are at the spa."
"The spa huh?" mused Spitfire, "That sounds like fun.  Let's see if we can drop in."
They descended down and came in for a landing in front of the building.  Dawn wasted no time in hopping off Spitfire's back, stretching his legs and extending his wings as far as his injured shoulder would allow.  He gave Spitfire a slightly nervous look.
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," he remarked, "Knowing mother, I'm not sure we should let her know I'm back if she's been in any of the baths...mud or otherwise."
"True," agreed Spitfire, "Gotta keep your stitches clean and dry.  Of course, I could always fix them for you later."
"If it's all the same," said Dawn, "I'd rather not.  I find getting laid up with debilitating injuries sufficiently repetitive that I don't really feel like getting the same injury treated twice."
Spitfire shrugged.  "You get in fights, you get hurt.  That's the way of the world."
"And yet the injuries always seem distressingly one-sided," groused the colt, directing an irritated stare at the ground.
Before either Wonderbolt could try to console him, Dawn's ears perked as an excited squeal echoed from within the spa.  Bracing himself, Dawn turned to meet a yellow and pink blur just as it barreled into him.  Fluttershy swept up her son in a tight embrace, gently nuzzling the top of his head as he leaned in against her chest with a sigh.
"Welcome home," she said in her usual whispery voice.
"I'm home," Dawn answered back, just as quietly, any trace of weariness and sarcasm gone from his tone, having been replaced with a sort of relaxed elation.
"I should have mentioned that they'd just gone in, so I don't think they've gotten started yet," said Soarin', his trademark grin in place.
Fluttershy settled down with Dawn facing away from her, but still hugged tightly against her chest by her forelegs, her wings extending to cocoon him as she gently rested her chin atop his head.  Opening her eyes, she gave Spitfire a relieved smile.  "Thank you for bringing him home."
Spitfire chuckled.  "No need to thank me," she said.  She was surprised and amused to see that Dawn didn't display even the slightest trace of embarrassment at being seen in such a tender moment.  If anything, it looked as though he was completely unaware of the world around him as he settled into his mother's embrace.  He sure looks content, she thought fondly.
A chorus of cooing noises echoing from the spa's doorway drew their attention back to the spa itself.  Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack all watched with affection and glee as mother and son basked in their tender moment.  Rainbow Dash was trying her hardest to not look as though she found the scene absolutely adorable.  Twilight Sparkle and Rarity had no such reservations.  Applejack settled for a more subdued reaction, smiling quietly as she watched.  Pinkie, on the other hoof, was practically vibrating in place, her body humming with barely contained excitement as her hooves fought to cover the gleeful grin that threatened to split her face in two.  It was clear that she was trying her level best to contain herself so as to allow Fluttershy and Dawn to enjoy their quiet moment.
"Um girls," said Fluttershy softly, turning pleading eyes on them, "Please go on ahead without me."
"Okay," said Twilight withdrawing back into the spa, the others following her lead, Applejack having to drag Pinkie by her tail.
Rainbow paused on her way back in before looking over her shoulder at Spitfire.  "Wanna join us Spitfire?" she asked, "We paid for one more.  It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."
"Hmm, why not," said Spitfire, an eager grin lighting her features, "It's been a while since I've had a good pampering."  She trotted in after them.  As she went through the door, she stepped aside to give Rarity a slightly wider berth than anypony else, regarding the alabaster mare warily as she made her way into the spa.
"Guess I'll find something of my own to do," said Soarin', "See ya later kid."  He shot off into the sky and disappeared from sight."
For a moment, Fluttershy and Dawn merely sat there in silence, simply enjoying each other's company.
After a long moment, it was Dawn who spoke the silence.  "So...what now?"
"Well," mused Fluttershy, "We could visit Ditzy and Dinky.  I know they've both been worried sick about you; Melon, Scootaloo and Caramel too.   They all want to see you so that they know you're okay."
"Ah, well then..."  Dawn made to leave, but Fluttershy's arms stopped him, her embrace tightening as she pulled him back against her again.
"But that can wait," she said, sighing happily as she nuzzled his mane, "I want to stay like this just a little longer."
"I think I can manage that," said Dawn.  He closed his eyes and leaned back into her embrace.



"Twilight, darling, have you made any progress in your research?"
The unicorn in question lifted her head at Rarity's query and looked over to where the other unicorn was currently receiving a vigorous massage, courtesy of Aloe.  "Um, yes and no," she said, "I've made a lot of progress in sifting through the documents that Princess Celestia sent me.  But that's because most of it ended up completely useless.  I have no leads to follow up."
"What about all those crazy tests you were running on Daaaaaawwwwn...?"  Rainbow's voice trailed away into a pleased moan, tongue lolling, as Lotus worked her hooves deep into the muscles between the pegasus' wings, causing the the two feathery appendages to sag and droop like they were made of slowly melting wax.
Leaning back against the edge of the tub, Twilight sighed as the heated mineral water warmed the tension out of her body.  "I never got as much data as I hoped.  I've ruled out a bunch of possibilities.  I'm fairly certain at this point that the factor contributing to Dawn's condition is genetic."  A nudge of her hoof sent Pinkie Pie, who was drifting about the tub like a living pool toy, off into an empty section.  The pink mare was content to listen quietly to the conversation, an odd sentiment for her, but understandable, seeing as much of it was taking place over her head.
"An inherited trait?"  Twilight turned to look at Spitfire, surprised to see the mare inserting herself into the conversation.
"You knew?" asked Twilight.
"Well, since it's apparent that this is about Dawn, there's only one thing I can think of that you would bother researching," said Spitfire, her lips twitching into a playful smirk as she reclined on the other side of the bath, "Besides, I have a few inside sources."
Twilight's ear flicked as she wondered what exactly the fiery pegasus mare meant by that.  Instead, she decided to answer Spitfire's original question.  "I'm not sure," she admitted, "I'm only operating on the hypothesis that the cause is genetic because I've ruled nearly everything else out.  There's no sign that it's the symptom of some sort of disease.  It's possible that sufficient magical force trauma could scramble the meridians around his eyes to alter their appearance, but that kind of trauma is seriously damaging and would either impair or eliminate his sight.  His eyes are not only fully functional, but have also developed into a specific form.  At this point, unless it's some form of stimulus I've never even heard of, the only thing I can come up with is that Dawn's eyes are the result of an inherited trait."
"Can you maybe trace his ancestry to find the source?" asked Spitfire.
"That might be helpful," said Twilight, "But there's a big problem with that.  Dawn's an orphan.  He's never talked about it and I wonder if his parents are even alive."
"Ya've never asked?" asked Applejack from over where her hooves were being trimmed and filed by a pair of attendants.  The farmer mare rarely came to the spa, given her intense work schedule.  However, when she did, hooficures were her favorite treatment, given how worn her hooves got thanks to her intense regimen of applebucking.
"I've thought about it," admitted Twilight, "But it feels awkward to try and bring up Dawn's parents.  He's never mentioned them once.  I sometimes wonder if he's ever given them a single thought."
"I doubt it-oooooooh," groaned Rainbow, her leg twitching appreciably as Lotus's skilled hooves undid another knot in her muscles, "As far as...Dawn is concerned...Fluttershy's his mom nooooooooow.  And he's never talked about his parents even before she adopted him."
"Well, that's out for now," said Twilight, "So, right now, our best hope is to try and find somepony with the same condition.  If I could run some comparative tests between them, then we could maybe isolate the common factor that contributes to the Eyes.  It would be best if we had more than one, just to help narrow down the focus to the responsible gene."
"And you haven't found anything?" asked Rarity.
Twilight frowned.  "Unfortunately, most of the stuff Princess Celestia sent me is from scholarly or, at least, wannabe scholarly, sources.  There are some newspaper clippings and even a few entries from certain town records.  But all the ones I've read are hopelessly out of date.  None of those could lead me to help track down a pony currently affected by the condition."
"Unless," suggested Spitfire, "You acted on the possibility that the trait is inherited and tried to track down any potential descendants of the mentioned ponies.  If you could isolate any factors that they have in common with Dawn, then you might be able to determine the cause of the Eyes, even if the ponies in question have never shown any signs of the condition themselves."
Twilight's eyes fluttered.  She was surprised at Spitfire's suggestion, the fiery pegasus showing a great deal of intelligence.  She had assumed that the older mare would either be an athlete uninterested in academic matters, like Rainbow, and thus unable to provide such insight, or she would have a classic military mindset and not bother with something as trivial to her as the investigation of an obscure genetic trait.  "That's a good idea," she admitted, "I'll have to get started right away so that I can try and track the histories of those individuals."
"There's one other thing to consider," added Spitfire.
"What's that?"
"You already know one pony who's displayed the condition.  You even know where you can find her and have more access to her than virtually any other potential investigator in the kingdom."  Spitfire gave Twilight a sly smile.
The lavender mare's eyes widened.  "You mean Princess Luna?"
"Of course.  She's the the one the rumors originated from, isn't she?"
Lowering her head, Twilight stared pensively at her reflection in the water.  "I'd thought of that," she admitted, "But I'm not sure I want to follow through with it.  Nightmare Moon is a very sensitive topic to Princess Luna.  And while I want to investigate the matter, the last thing I want to do is force her to relive painful memories, especially since these memories directly concern the ponies who caused her so much suffering in the first place."
"But she's not uninvolved," Spitfire pointed out, "Solving the mystery of Dawn's eyes could very well lead to solving Princess Luna's own pain.  At the very least, it could provide her with closure."
For a long moment, Twilight was silent, thinking very carefully about the implications of what Spitfire suggested she do.  She didn't want to be a source of pain to Princess Luna.  But at the same time, she also owed it to Dawn to find out the truth about his eyes and bury the twisted legacy of the Cult Solar, once and for all.  "I'll think about it," she said.



Dawn yawned softly as Fluttershy settled him into bed.  The colt was thoroughly worn out from the day’s events.  After cuddling with his mother for a while, she had taken him to reassure his friends.  He had been greeted enthusiastically by Scootaloo and her mother at their house before going to see Ditzy and Dinky.  While that had not been tiring in and of itself, Fluttershy had then taken Dawn to the hospital to get a healing spell from the doctor.  Like always, the spell sapped the colt's energy as it worked to fix his wounds, leaving him asleep on Fluttershy's back as she carried them back to their home.
Fluttershy pulled up the blanket and tucked it around Dawn's body.  After seeing that he was comfortable, she went out and got a spare blanket and some cushions.  Bringing them back into Dawn's room, she set them out next to his bed, so that she could be nearby in case the situation from his first healing occurred again.  In the treatments for his previous injuries, Dawn had shown no signs of relapsing.  But Fluttershy remained close, just in case.  Besides, after spending so much time awash in anxiety over his fate, she just wanted to spend some more time with her son, drawing comfort from knowing that he was back where he belonged.
Curling up next to his bed, Fluttershy's eyes snapped open when her ears picked up the sound of movement.  Looking over, she spied a small shape bounding across the floor before hopping straight into Dawn's bed.  Lifting her head to inspect the intruder, her eyes widened as Fluttershy saw Angel moving to curl up into a ball right next to Dawn's head.  She couldn't keep a small squeal of happiness from escaping at the sight.  It seemed she wasn't the only one who had missed the colt.
Leaning over, Fluttershy planted the gentlest of kisses on Dawn's forehead.  "Goodnight," she whispered softly before laying her head back down and closing her eyes.



"Canterlot?"  Though his eyes remained steadfastly closed, Arkenstone raised an eyebrow in Twilight's direction.
"Yes," replied Twilight, gently folding Arkenstone's cloak in preparation for his move.  Like most businesses in Ponyville, Arkenstone's tea shop had been designed with living quarters behind and above the business front.  Very few business owners in the small town actually lived in a separate building from where they worked.  Now that the shop was nearly complete, Arkenstone would soon be moving out of the library.  Twilight felt a little pang at the thought that they would no longer be staying in the same building, though it seemed silly to be missing him when the stallion would literally be moving next door.
"May I ask why?"
"Spitfire suggested that I talk to Princess Luna about the Eyes of Nightmare," explained Twilight, "I'm not entirely sure about it, since it could bring up painful memories for her.  But I owe it to Dawn to do everything I can to find an answer."
A low hum escaped the stallion as he settled onto the floor, deep in thought for a moment.  "I couldn't tell you what Princess Luna's reaction might be," he admitted, "I have rarely met her since she returned and have never exchanged more than a word or two with her.  I'm afraid I don't have any guidance to offer you in this matter."
A frown spread across Twilight's face.  As she weighed her options, she came to the conclusion that she would have to ask Luna for Dawn's sake and hope that she could avoid hurting the Princess's feelings in the process.  Nightmare Moon was a dark matter to discuss after all.  "I'll go," she said.
"Very well," said Arkenstone, "Then I shall accompany you."
"Okay..." said Twilight automatically before her head shot up, eyes wide and fixed on the beige stallion, "Wait!  What?"
"I will accompany you," repeated Arkenstone, "While I may not be much help in dealing with the Princess, you must remember the current state of affairs in Canterlot.  You will be entering into the nobility's arena, where you must tread carefully.  I promised your brother I would help protect you and he would probably flay me alive if I even thought of letting you go there by yourself."
"But I've been to Canterlot lots of times!" protested Twilight.
"Since the wedding, can you recall any occasion where you haven't been there for any reason other than royal business?"
Twilight paused for a moment.  She had visited Canterlot in the months since the wedding.  However, on all of those occasions, she had done so in order to answer the summons of Princess Celestia.  It had been over a year since the last time she had gone there, even to visit her parents, who had actually been taking it upon themselves to visit Twilight in Ponyville nowadays.  Twilight briefly wondered if that too had something to do with the political climate of Equestria's capital.
"The nobles cannot interfere with you if you are answering the Princess's summons," explained Arkenstone, "To do so would would be considered an obstruction of royal affairs, a crime only slightly below treason.  However, if you travel to Canterlot of your own volition, you will be doing so without her protection.  The nobles will be able to act as they please."
A shiver went down Twilight's spine.  It seemed so weird.  Canterlot had been the place she had been born and raised.  She had grown into marehood running and playing among the hallowed halls of the Royal Palace itself.  Now, Arkenstone's warnings twisted the entire situation around.  All of a sudden, the city perched on the mountainside seemed to fill her with foreboding.
"Then it's easy."  The two ponies looked over at Spike, who was lounging on one of the cushions a short distance away.  The little dragon grinned.  "Let's send a letter to the Princess and get her to 'invite' you to come talk to Luna.  That way you can claim you're answering her summons and you won't get in any trouble."
Twilight's pensive frown morphed into a wide grin.  "Spike!  You're brilliant!  That's a wonderful idea!"
However, Arkenstone did not seem to approve as much.  "That would be an excellent idea," he said, "However, there is one small problem."
Twilight and Spike turned back to him.  "What's that?" asked Twilight nervously.
"I suspect that getting Princess Celestia's permission and invitation will not be so easy," said Arkenstone, "You've told me about your studies since you first started researching the Eyes.  In your correspondence with the Princess, has she brought up the possibility of consulting Luna even once?"
Twilight froze.  "No," she said, "She never brought up talking to Luna at all."
With a sigh, Arkenstone rubbed the back of his head.  "I know her quite well.  So do you.  Princess Celestia is the very image of a protective older sister, which is compounded by the guilt she feels for being forced to banish Luna to the moon in the first place.  She probably fears that bringing up anything connected to the Cult Solar to Princess Luna would revive those traumatic memories that led up to her becoming Nightmare Moon, just as you did.  If anything, she's probably more afraid of hurting Princess Luna than you are.  If you ask her and Princess Celestia forbids you from doing so, then your hooves will be tied and the only way you could consult Luna would be to go behind Celestia's back."
Twilight frowned.  "So.  In other words, the only way to get this done is to go to Canterlot unofficially and seek an audience with Princess Luna myself..."
"...Which puts you at risk of interference from the Noble Court," said Arkenstone, finishing Twilight's thought.
Twilight sighed and slumped down.  "I'm gonna have to think about this a little more," she groaned.
"Take your time," said Arkenstone, "You don't have to go right away.  Besides, your friend is throwing one of her parties tomorrow, isn't she?"
It took a moment for Twilight to remember what Arkenstone was talking about.  Pinkie had opted to move the date for her celebration of Rainbow's success in Cloudsdale to tomorrow.  It was going to be one of her infamous town-wide parties, one that was welcomed, given that there were more than a few ponies who wanted to celebrate the end of the drought.  Fluttershy had also arranged for Pinkie to set up a slightly smaller party at Melon Cream's house for Dawn, with a much smaller number of attendees for the quiet and retiring colt.  Twilight and her other friends would probably drop by to see Dawn even as they enjoyed the festivities of the larger party outside.  Given that, the lavender unicorn's schedule for the following day was all locked up.
"Well, I guess I can wait a little longer," she said softly.



Applejack whistled as she surveyed the state of perplexingly organized pandemonium that had fallen over Ponyville.  Overnight, the town had been transformed by Pinkie's efforts as she went through her paces to set up a celebratory party worthy of what Rainbow Dash had accomplished.
Music filled the air from half a dozen different sources, from Octavia's quartet (invited down from Canterlot by Pinkie), to Vinyl's speakers and turntables.  Ponies could practice ballroom dancing (albeit without the ballroom) to classical in one venue and then head down the block to bang their heads and bounce to Vinyl's rhythmic mixes in the other.  Thanks to carefully compartmentalized sound-dampening spells provided by Twilight Sparkle, the musicians could play as loudly or softly as they wished without having to worry about competing with their neighbors.
The festival atmosphere was enhanced by the presence of stands selling everything from toys to delicious treats lining every street.  Big Macintosh was manning Sweet Apple Acres' own stall in its usual position in the marketplace.  The three adults of the Apple clan had pitched in together to produce a veritable smorgasbord of apple-themed treats that were favorites among the townsponies.  Every once and a while, they had to pause to trade playful jabs with Caramel and Bon Bon as the pair of earth ponies towed their small cart of confections along the byways of town, selling small candies to passing foals.  In addition to this, vendors had come in from neighboring towns, both by train and on hoof, some coming from Canterlot, or even as far as Manehatten.  How Pinkie had managed to get ponies from so far away on such short notice was something the blonde farmer would never figure out.  She simply chalked it up to it being another of the many mysteries of Pinkie Pie.  If there was a pony with an empty stomach, or a full purse, left in Ponyville by the time the party ended, Applejack would eat her hat.
Games could be found around any corner, the various stalls and booths holding all kinds of activities for ponies young and old to try their hoof at.  Prizes hung from supporting poles, just waiting for an eager foal to earn one through a game or a dashing stallion to win one for his fillyfriend.  Zecora set up shop in front of town hall, telling stories from far away lands and ancient times, enhancing her presentations with bursts of colorful powders that caught the light and transformed from one shape to another.  Friends chatted and laughed amiably as they wandered from one attraction to the next.  Couples strolled along the streets, pressing so close to each other that their tails twisted and braided together or kept a short, but pointed distance, blushing furiously and shyly if their hooves so much as bumped together.
The ambience of warmth, love, and friendship washed across the town.  This was Ponyville at its best, when its ponies were reveling in the closeness of their relationships with their neighbors and sharing their hospitality freely with others, whether they were a born native or a visitor from out of town.  This was Applejack's home and she watched with a fierce pride as it shined with the light of one of Rarity's perfectly cut gemstones and displayed its finest facets to the world.
"You seem in good spirits."
Applejack jumped slightly and turned to look at the deep blue stallion who came to stand next to her.  Red River's eyes roamed over the sights and his ears swiveled, taking in the sounds.  The normally cheerful and sometimes boisterous stallion had been surprisingly subdued and quiet as of late, coming to more resemble his friend, Storm Front.
"Ya got somethin' on yer mind?" asked Applejack, internally wincing at the coolness of her own tone.
A larger part than she cared to admit was still bitter over the likelihood that the stallion she had grown so attached to would just one day up and leave.  Once he did, Applejack wondered if she would ever see him again, or if he might just occasionally wander through like a listless vagabond.  In her fillyhood, she had experimented with wandering abroad herself, but found that the place where she truly belonged was on her farm, with her family.  In contrast, Red River had left behind the only home he had ever known and traveled to places and ranged over distances that Applejack wouldn't dream of.  His life had been one of motion, to lay his head down on a grassy plain one night and then on a rocky mountain the next.  Maybe they had simply been too different to truly connect with one another, Applejack's feelings being nothing more than a foolish crush and a pretense towards an impossible dream.
She half-expected Red River to grin and deny that he was worried, or tease her for her concern and curiosity.  However, he turned to meet her eyes, his face uncharacteristically serious.  Applejack didn't know what to think as she stared into his cerulean orbs, looking for any hint of what was on the stallion's mind.  After a long moment, he sighed and looked away.
"Yes, there is," he admitted before looking back at her again, "And it's you."
Applejack's cheeks flushed a brilliant red at Red River's words and the intensity of his gaze, taking an involuntary step backwards.  "What are ya talkin' about?"
A flickering look of uncertainty passed over Red River's features, as though he was uncertain he should answer her.  "I have been thinking about the future.  I've reflected and meditated and it always brings me back to the same conclusion."
"And what's that?"
"I'm a traveler.  I've spent my life moving from one place to another, plying my skills as a mercenary, working odd jobs when those skills weren't needed, leaving and doing it over again somewhere else."  He turned his gaze upward, his eyes surveying the starry tapestry hanging over them.  "I've seen and done so many things.  But I've only just scratched the surface.  The world is vast, full of places I've never been and things I've never done and, even if I live to be as old as your grandmother, I'll never experience more than a fraction of it.  That knowledge has filled me with excitement and driven me onwards since the day I first left the temple."
Applejack's heart sank with each word that issued from the azure stallion's mouth.  She could hear it in his voice, the passion, the dedication to a life that she knew she had no place in.  There was no way she could try and tie him down when she realized how much he loved the road.  The best she could hope to do was to stifle her foalish crush and move on.
"And yet..."  Applejack's train of thought came to a crashing halt with those two uncertain words.  "...And yet, when I think about that now, it doesn't fill me with the vigor it did before.  When I close my eyes and think about moving on, I feel as though I'll be leaving something important behind, a piece of myself.  That feeling has confused me for a long time.  The more I reflect on it, the more I realize..."  Red River looked down into her eyes again, his expression unreadable.  "...I don't want to go."
Applejack's heart thudded alarmingly in her ribs as Red River's words echoed in her mind.  Her excitement made her cheeks flush all the more vividly as the implications of the stallion's words slammed into her mind.  But Red River wasn't finished yet.
"I think..." he said, pausing as he searched for the right words, "I think I would like to make a home here, in Ponyville, with you, if you'll have me."
Now it was Applejack's turn to struggle for something to say as Red River looked at her intensely, waiting for her answer.  The spectacle of Pinkie's party faded into the background and then vanished altogether as Applejack's focus narrowed, until the whole world was nothing more than just the two of them, together under Luna's starlit night.  Realizing she couldn't find the words to express herself at the moment, Applejack did the only thing that she could think of.  She leaned forward and gently, hesitantly, pressed her lips to Red River's.
Applejack could have sworn she felt a snapping spark jump between them, as though she had been rubbing her hooves on a carpet for an hour before making contact.  A sense of elation shivered down her spine as she sensed the magnitude of her accomplishment.
Pulling away after a long few seconds, Applejack's emerald eyes glittered as she smiled at the azure stallion, who was looking quite stunned.  "Sugarcube," she said softly with a half-lidded gaze, "After that, Ah'm gonna lasso ya and hogtie ya before Ah letcha even think about leavin'."
Red River sat stiffly, blinking, completely poleaxed by the turn of affairs.  "Well," he said, "That's a declaration that's rather hard to argue against."
An orange foreleg wrapped around his shoulders and dragged the stunned stallion off his rump as Applejack dragged him along towards the nearest festivities.  "C'mon sugarcube!  We've got a party to enjoy!"



Storm Front looked on quietly as Applejack led Red River off to frolic amongst the merrymakers of Ponyville.  The quiet pegasus had slipped away at the earliest opportunity and was now watching the proceedings above, his dark colors allowing him to blend in with the night sky.  Much like Dawn, Storm Front had never been one much for spending time amongst crowds of ponies if he didn't have to.
"Oh here you are," observed a soft voice from behind him.
The stallion turned around to see a familiar grayish-blue mare with a silky green mane and tail approaching him.  Of course it would have been Flitter.  She was the only pony who seemed to consistently notice his presence, even when he was doing his level best to just blend into the background.  No matter what, her eyes always seemed to find him.  For a stallion who was used to going effortlessly unnoticed, it was a bit unnerving.  More importantly, he’d done something he’d never done before and entrusted her with the story of his past.  Of all the ponies Storm had associated with, only Red River knew as more about him than Flitter did.  He couldn’t even place the reason that compelled him to bare his history to her in the first place.  But, in the face of her earnest gaze, Storm found he could rarely turn down her request.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I just realized you were up here and I was wondering..."  Flitter looked down at the party below, letting her legs dangle limply and twitch nervously.
"Yes?"
She took in a deep breath.  "Wouldyouliketogotothepartywithme?"  The question came tumbling out so fast that the stallion had to take a brief moment and make sure that he'd heard her correctly.
That gave the stallion pause.  He was not used to being approached by mares, particularly since they never seemed to notice him (which was more his doing than theirs).  A relationship had always seemed a problematic prospect, given the fact that his calling often led to him moving about from place to place.  He hadn't ever really given much thought to settling down into a relationship.
But then again, neither had Red River.  And now he was out, enjoying the festivities with Applejack after apparently having started...something...with her.  If Storm's oldest friend and companion was thinking about giving up a life of wandering and mercenary work, he wondered what it meant for him.
"If you'd rather not..." said Flitter hesitantly, looking away, "I understand."
As she began to drift away, a hoof wrapped around one of her own.  She looked up to see that Storm Front had glided in close and now was holding one of her hooves gently in his own.  She blushed fiercely at the contact.
"I'm sorry," said Storm Front softly, "I'm not used to doing things like this.  I generally prefer not to be the center of attention."
Flitter nodded feverishly.  "It's alright," she said, smiling as she returned his grip, "I'm kinda new to this too.  And I don't like having everypony watching me either.  Why don't we just do something quiet together."
Deciding that this didn't seem so bad, Storm Front let a small smile spread across his normally impassive face.  "I'd like that." 



High above Ponyville, two pegasi danced through the night.  There was no music playing up this high and the sounds from the various musicians playing in the town below were isolated from the empty sky.  Yet, neither of them cared.
Once again, Rainbow Dash hurtled through the sky, pulling her body through incredible loops, rolls, and corkscrews while Soarin' followed hard on her tail, desperately trying to catch her.  It was the same affair that had taken place only two days ago in the skies outside of Cloudsdale.  But this time, the attitude wasn't tinged with anger and frustration on the part of Rainbow.  Instead, she laughed cheerfully and playfully as Soarin' did his level best to catch up to her.
"Come on Mr. Wonderbolt!" she teased, whipping her tail back and forth, "You're gonna have to do better than that!"
In spite of his lack of success in catching her, a happy grin spread across Soarin's face.  The last time they'd done this, Rainbow's combined fatigue and hunger had slowed her down and he'd still barely been able to keep up.  Now that she was rested and had recharged her calorie reserves, catching her was practically an impossibility unless she made some kind of tremendous oversight.  But that was unlikely.  Now seeing her at her best made Soarin' realize that Rainbow Dash was one of the best, if not the best flyer he'd ever seen.  Deciding that just following along in her wake was getting him nowhere, he put his mind to work and began to take a different approach.
Rainbow Dash went into another loop, tightening her turn as she went before diving down in a spiraling maneuver.  Just as she pulled out, she felt a light breeze against her back.  Looking over her shoulder, Rainbow's eyes widened as she saw Soarin' now practically on top of her, a smug grin on his face as he reached out with his forelegs to wrap them around her.
Rainbow beat her wings and switched directions in a tight angle that would have impressed Dawn, slipping away from Soarin's grasp, just as his arms closed around the space where she should have been.  "Close one flyboy!" she taunted, "But not close enough!"  She swished her tail, snapping it just in front of Soarin's nose before she was off again.
Soarin's grin widened.  He hadn't fully expected to catch her the first time, but it proved his theory of how to catch up with her.  "I'll get you next time," he murmured determinedly as he watched Rainbow's movements carefully.  Reading the angle of her wings and the set of her body to anticipate where the cerulean pegasus would pull out of her maneuver fast enough to actually be there to take advantage of it was no easy feat.  But Soarin's many years as a veteran flyer gave him enough experience and judgment to succeed.
As Rainbow went into a high climb, she looked back and saw no sign of her stallion behind her.  Did he give up? she wondered as she looped back over and prepared to go into another corkscrew.  However, just as she pulled out of her loop, pale blue color filled her vision.  Before Rainbow could react, she ran into Soarin's chest just as he pulled up underneath her to match her motions.  She didn't get a chance to escape as his arms quickly wrapped around her and pinned her wings against her back, pulling her tightly against Soarin's chest.
"Gotcha now!" he taunted before pulling the two of them into a light dive, aiming for the biggest concentration of clouds (and practically the only ones) in Ponyville's sky, Rainbow's house.
The two of them dropped down onto Rainbow's porch with a light poof as the clouds cushioned their impact.  Moving quickly, Soarin' rolled over so that he pressed Rainbow's back against the clouds, pinning her tightly.  "Looks like I win," he said with his trademark goofy grin as he gazed deep into Rainbow's rosy eyes, "Do I get a prize?"
Rainbow Dash squirmed a little to extricate her forelegs from Soarin's grip.  Grinning mischievously, she wrapped them around the back of Soarin's  neck and pulled him in close.  "Yeah, I've got your prize right here," she said.
Their lips met while, above the young couple, the stars of Luna's night sparkled merrily, as if in celebration of their newfound love.



Meanwhile, even as the massive town-wide celebration ran its course, a much smaller affair was taking place.  In the small but pleasant house owned by Melon Cream, a much smaller number of individuals celebrated the safe return of a rather remarkable colt.
Dawn and Fluttershy had arrived by virtue of a rather circuitous route that kept them well clear of the main sweep of the festivities.  While the larger party had ostensibly been for Rainbow Dash, Dawn and Storm Front's roles in the battle for Cloudsdale had not exactly been carefully kept secrets, making them both important fixtures to everypony in town.  While neither of them liked the spotlight, the storm cloud-colored stallion's almost preternatural skill for fading, wraithlike, into the background until he was all but forgotten allowed him to avoid notice; Dawn had the unique disadvantage of having a rather memorable appearance, made possible by his draconic eyes.  Very few ponies who saw him failed to notice him and rarely forgot him.  Thus, it was highly unlikely that the ebony colt would be able to survive getting across Ponyville without becoming the center of attention, something he strongly disliked.
Thus, instead of attending Pinkie's larger party and basking in the adoration of the inhabitants of Ponyville, it was no surprise that Dawn opted to adopt Fluttershy's suggestion of enjoying a quiet evening with his closest friends.  Melon Cream hadn't hesitated to offer her home as the venue and Pinkie had kindly volunteered to provide the food, an offer that had been accepted, provided she cut back on the sugar.
Dawn had barely set hoof through the door before he had been tag-teamed by both Scootaloo and Dinky in an enthusiastic greeting, toppling over as the two fillies tackled him.  After managing to extricate himself to the amused tittering of his mother, Melon, and Ditzy Doo, Dawn reflected on his situation and how far he had come.
Less than a year ago, he had been living alone in the wilderness, with only the animals and monsters of the Everfree to keep him company.  But now, he had a mother (now with the possibility of a father in the future), he had friends of all ages.  He had a home.  As Dawn settled against his mother's side while everyone talked and chatted, a feeling of contentment settled in his heart.  I'm truly happy, he realized.
The small group of guests chatted, played games, snacked on Pinkie's treats, and generally enjoyed each other's company.  Dawn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as it seemed that both Dinky and Scootaloo were competing for his attention.  Other friends dropped by over the course of the night before heading back out to enjoy the larger party outside.  The entire evening seemed to fade into a blur of warmth and affection as the ebony colt simply enjoyed his time amongst his friends and family.  For Dawn at least, all the problems that had plagued him throughout his life seemed a world away.



Story Three: Fin