//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 - When Lightning Strikes // Story: Heart Plus - Dawn Arc // by SparkStone //------------------------------// -Kasin's POV- -Bring out the other Kasin- It started off as a calm day. I mean, I woke up, made breakfast, talked to my housemates Twilight and Spike, and even went out for a walk. It turned to the worse however as I ran into Rainbow Dash. I always like hanging out with her, as she is my tomboyish friend who makes sure my masculinity in check. I'm not lying. For a while, Rainbow has been belittling me about my manhood. She keeps reminding me, "I'm a guy, toughen up!". I never found this annoying, because the way she stays by my side makes me feel as if I'm protected. She reassures me that everything will be alright without saying much. Maybe I'm too naïve whenever she does as she plummets down towards the ground at top speed. But regardless, I can at say the very least, she's my best friend. Coming to a second would be Spike. Sorry Pinkie, but I still remember you making me cook up twenty orders of chocolate chip cupcakes and seventeen cookie smoothies. "It's okay!" Pinkie said to me…wait, what? Anyways, why wasn't this a calm day anymore? Well, like always, Rainbow would "train" me to become more prideful, trying to get the "Cool, brave, and strong Kasin" out of me without the need to be in sure peril. I could tell she really came to admire that side of me, but I doubt I can ever get "Pride Kasin" out when I want him to. That is the name Rainbow gave me when I'm in fighter mode. Other than the given information, my wing partner has now taken me to the top of a cloud very high up. Yes, Twilight placed a cloud physic spell on me, allowing me to actually touch clouds. "Whoa…this is so soft!" I commented as I felt the clouds by lying on it. "Yeah, first time feeling a cloud, huh?" Rainbow replied. "Yep, and it's awesome…" I trailed off before gulping at the view of how high I was. "S-So…w-what are we doing again?" Rainbow grinned as she said, "We're gonna do some sky diving!" My eyes widened in fear. I looked down again and clutched tightly to my cloud. "C-C-Can we NOT do that? In case you haven't noticed…I DON'T HAVE WINGS!!!" "I know, but if you're gonna get any braver, you need to be daring!" "I'm not Daring Do." I said in a deadpan tone. "You don't have to be! You just have to be Pride Kasin!" "Again! That alter ego of mine doesn't work like that!" I reminded her. "In fact, I'm pretty sure no one knows how it works. Unbelievable strength just coming along with the whole new personality makes no sense to me. Also-" Rainbow nudged me towards the edge before I finished what I had to say. "No! No more smart Kasin! We need Pride Kasin!" Rainbow demanded. "But, but, but-!" "Come on! You know you like it when you're Pride Kasin!" I glared at Rainbow before looking at the distance from the bottom. I once again gulped as I said, "You don't want me to die right? I mean, we had our differences but-" "Ugh! Jeez Kasin!" Rainbow complained. "I'll catch you! You just need to jump off by yourself!" "Rainbow, I've seen your skills in cloud busting and flying. I admit, your pretty good-" I stopped after Rainbow grabbed my shoulders with her hooves. "Pretty good!? Hey! Do I need to tell you who's going to be the next Wonderbolt?!" Rainbow questioned. "Wonderbolt?" "Oh my gosh…you don't even know what are the Wonderbolts!?" Rainbow scoffed. "Are they…really cool ponies?" I guessed. Rainbow rolled her eyes before she flew down. I panicked thinking Rainbow was gonna leave me here for saying that. "Wait! Rainbow! I'm sorry! Please don't leave me up here!" I begged. She came back no more than a few seconds. She had with her a poster. "Ya see this?" She questioned. I looked at it for a while. It was those posters that advertised the top fliers of Equestria. "Oh! Those are the Wonderbolts?" I replied. "Yep! Best fliers in all of Equestria. No joke about it." "Seeing your skills, they better have a good reason not to enlist you yet." I complained. "Heh, thanks." Rainbow said gratefully. "Alright! Now back to sky diving!" I hugged Rainbow and pleaded, "No! Rainbow! Don't make me do this! If you let me to the ground safely, I'll owe you one!" Rainbow smirked as she said, "Alright then!" "Good." I sighed in relief. For a while we stayed where we are. It occurred to me Rainbow was not doing anything at the moment. "Uh, Rainbow? Bring Kasin safely to ground." "Yeah, as soon as you jump off." "WHAT!?" "Then I'll catch you as you fall and bring you safely to the ground." That sly little pegasus! "You are the worst!" "Sue me." I grumbled as I looked down. It was beyond frightening. I began to chant to myself my own lesson. "Have undeniable faith, have undeniable faith." I then jumped right off the cloud and sped down towards my descent. Rainbow flew nearby ready to catch me once low enough. I was still screaming and panicking like a baby, because when you have no parachute and your falling over a hundred feet in the air, you'd start to wish it hadn't end like this. "Don't worry Kasin!" Rainbow yelled to me. "I'm right here when you need-" Suddenly, lightning stuck Rainbow, and she too started to fall unconscious. I panicked and swam through the air to her. I caught her in my arms and tried to brace for impact. Luckily, someone flew fast and grabbed me. It was a light blue pegasus, similar to Rainbow Dash. She had a yellow lightning-like mane and yellow eyes to go with the flow. She made a quick and brief landing, placing me and Rainbow on the ground. "Whoa…" I said to myself, regaining my normal ego. "That was close! I thought we were done for." "Lucky I came by to help." My savior said to me. "Hey…you're that new creature that came to Equestria, right?" "One of the many mysteries." I told her. Rainbow slowly woke up, rising weakly. I saw and helped her up. "Rainbow! Are you okay?!" I asked. "Oh man…what happened…?" Rainbow trailed off before she saw the other pegasus. She then took a battle stance and yelled, "YOU!" "Her?" I made sure. "Yes?" She replied casually. Rainbow gave a nasty look to the pegasus before saying, "What was that for Lightning Dust!?" "Lightning Dust?" I repeated. That must be her name. "What, for saving you two?" Lightning remarked. "No! For blasting me with lightning!" Rainbow accused. "I know when lightning's thrown!" "You mean from her!?" Lightning pointed off to the distance. Up above was a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and yellow eyes that trailed off from each other. Next to her was a dark cloud, probably the same one that shot off lightning. "I hate it when that happens." I groaned. "Unlike you ponies, I'm pretty sure if a human got shot by even one, BOOM! Game over." Rainbow still glared at Lightning. "Even so, I still don't trust you. The way on how reckless you were really got me peeved!" "So, what? You didn't want me here even when your friend was falling out of the sky?" Lightning questioned. "Uh…" "Or you didn't want me here when you got knocked out by the lightning shock?" "Um…" "So you're pretty much saying that you wanted this guy here to plummet to his death?" Rainbow started to pick the ground with her hoof, painfully admitting, "No…I'm glad you saved him…" She then turned to me as she said, "Sorry Kasin…I let you down…" "It's okay Rainbow." I assured her. "I'm just glad that you're alright." Lightning Dust went up to me and said, "So, your name is Kasin, right?" "You heard it loud and clear, Lightning Dust." "You seem pretty cool, wanna hang out?" Rainbow cuts in before I can answer. "No way! You can't hang out with him!" "Rainbow?" I muttered. Lightning Dust crossed her forelegs and said, "So, I can't even hang out with one of your friends that I saved?" Rainbow was again defeated by her argument. I couldn't help but ask, "Rainbow, what did Lightning do exactly?" My tomboyish friend gritted her teeth as she said, "Well for one, her recklessness nearly got the others falling out of the sky!" "Not that I even wanted to! It was a mistake, alright?" Lightning stated. "Well, I don't know about you yet Lightning. If you did nearly kill my friends, it's pretty hard to trust you. Of course, that doesn't tell me if your bad now or not seeing how you saved us." I said. "I guess the least we can do for you at least is spend some time together…right Rainbow?" Rainbow grunted and said, "Fine." Lightning smiled as she said, "Great! How about we do a little race through that town over there?" We looked at Ponyville itself. I was a bit unsure about this as I'm not the most athletic. However, I wanted Rainbow to blow off some steam, even if that meant letting her outrace me and outdo me. I agreed. "Yeah, okay. Rainbow loves competition, so we'll all have fun, right?" "Right." Rainbow said in a deadpan voice. "Yeesh, lighten up." Lightning retorted. -Rainbow's POV- -Friendly Contest- We drew the starting line on the grassy hill. Me, Kasin, and Lightning Dust were getting ready to race. Kasin started to talk about the rules. "Alright, let's not do any bruising, and no flying too high. When I say go, we go." "Right." I answered back. "Got it." Lightning added. We all got into racing positions and Kasin began the countdown. "Okay…Ready, GO!" With that, Me and Lightning Dust burst at quick speed. Kasin was running as fast he could. When we reached the town, the two of us were neck and neck flying fast. Kasin was a bit behind, but he made up for it by climbing on the buildings and jumping from one to the other. As much as I wanted to say how cool that was, I was too focused on the race between me and Lightning. I know I have a grudge against her and all, but she DID get my friends in danger, and I can't trust a pegasus that would do that without even apologizing. I couldn't help but notice though that Lightning was looking back at Kasin though before flying off even faster. We've been flying for a while now, but the race did end. What I wasn't expecting was… "Don't tell me it was a tie!" Lightning Dust complained. "Well, that sucks." I huffed. Before we complained any further, Kasin had just jumped from another building and to us. "Hey! You two are pretty hard to keep up with!" Kasin said. "Well, you're not bad yourself." Lightning admitted. "I can see some skill in you, enough to be called a 'hero'." Kasin blushed at that statement as he said, "W-What do you mean by hero?" "Oh, it's all over Cloudsdale. News about this 'human' creature saving Ponyville along with the help of the town citizens. You're all the rave right now." "Eh heh…really? Cloudsdale huh? Rainbow, aren't you from Cloudsdale?" "Huh? Yeah, I am." I answered. "Yeah, a city up in the skies." Kasin thought before shuttering. "Never take me there. I like the nice soft ground." Me and Lightning rolled our eyes before she said, "Oh come on. It's not that bad." "Yeah Kasin." We both winced before looking at each other. Did we…just agree on something? "Well, glad to see you two getting along. " Kasin grumbled. "Sorry kid, but you should seriously lighten up." Lightning told Kasin. "You're missing out what goes on the clouds." "I think I've seen enough." Kasin responded, rolling his eyes. "Sorry Kasin, but Lightning's right. You gotta open up more to all this." I added. Kasin groaned and complained, "Fine! Geez! Okay, maybe I do need to open up a little." "More like A LOT!" I corrected him. Me and Lightning laughed while Kasin crossed his arms annoyed. I know it was a bit mean, but the look on his face was worth it! Besides, Kasin always gets what's going on. "Anyways!" Kasin said angrily. "Why don't we do something else? Like, I don't know, a free run around town?" "Sure, I'm always up for a race!" Lightning said. "Not a race! I know I'm never gonna reach your speed in this life time, so I just want to do a jog around town." "Boring~!" We both said at the same time. "Just go with it. I have a feeling you'll find it more exciting than you think." He said with a wink. -Kasin's POV- -Test Run- I walked through town with Rainbow and Lightning. The both of them were getting a bit impatient, but Lightning was showing it off without resistance. Finally, she asked. "Ugh, when are we gonna do something!?" I grinned knowing the two wild mares wanted some action. Finally, I stopped and said, "Right now." I ran up the walls and climbed the roofs, and started a roof run. The pegasus were a bit surprised but smiled and got into the fun. They only used their wings to fly up before they landed on a roof and ran with me. together, we jumped from roof to roof. I could see that while the two excelled at flying, they couldn't run at my speed even though I'm a bipedal. "Not bad Kasin!" Lightning complimented me. "Guess you do know how to live a little!" I grinned as I said, "Here! Let me show you something!" I turned to the roads and jumped off towards the lampposts. I changed my route by the direction where the streets took me until I reached the last lamppost. For the last jump, I landed with only one hand on it, holding my entire body. Next, I looked at a nearby clock tower. I dropped to the ground and the two pegasi were at my side. "Whoa, Kasin! Are you gonna do what I think you're gonna do?" Lightning questioned my behavior. I grinned while Rainbow was getting giddy. "Oh my gosh! I think we got pride Kasin to come out!" I rolled my eyes at that claim. Nonetheless, I was excited and started to run at the tower. I felt a thrilling rush tingle my spine, putting my parkour skills to the test. When I reach the walls, I darted up the structure, heading in a straight path. It wasn't long before I reach the rooftop and stood over the building. I held the pole of the clock tower and gazed at all of Ponyville. I could see a few faces like Lyra and Bonbon. Some of the towns ponies even managed to see me and only had the most surprised look on their faces. Six of them in particular even came running towards my direction. Soon, Lightning and Rainbow flew up here with me and commended me. "Nice Kasin!" Lightning complimented me. "That was one cool stunt!" "So…AWESOME!" Rainbow cheered. "Dude! Did we do it?! Is Pride Kasin out?" Again, I rolled my eyes. I was finding this objective to find 'Pride Kasin' a big nuisance. Lightning was a bit confused of what our motives were. "Wait, who's Pride Kasin?" She questioned. "It’s the name Rainbow gave me when I get all serious and super strong." I simply answered. "Sadly, that wasn't him Rainbow. I've always been able to do that before and after our discovery of Pride Kasin. By the way, can you stop calling it that? It sounds weird." "But it fits you so well! When you're all in cool mode, you look like you're even proud of yourself too." Rainbow stated. "I'm never happy about fighting." I said while crossing my arms. "Knowing that I'm hurting someone is one thing, but knowing it's the only way to solve a problem with fists makes me even more mad. It's annoying when a problem can't be fixed by talking." Rainbow sighed and says, "Alright, geez. I didn't want to make you feel bad or anything." "KASIN!!!" A voice yelled. The three of us looked down to see Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Pinkie, and Applejack coming to us. They seemed to be panicking about something. "Kasin! Are you alright!?" Twilight questioned. "Did Rainbow put you up there!?" "Rainbow! I know you're into stunts and all, but it doesn't mean you have to drag Kasin on them!" Applejack scolded her. "Kasin! Kasin! Can you see your house from up there!?" Pinkie asked. "Yeah, it's the gigantic tree way~ over there!" I pointed out. Spike looked over to Fluttershy and said, "Do you think you can fly Kasin down?" "I can try, he's very light after all." Fluttershy said. "N-No offence Kasin." "Actually, that felt kinda complimenting." I told her. "Honestly Rainbow, out of all the things you do, why drag poor Kasin to this?" Rarity added to the list of complaints of the mob of five ponies and a dragon. "Hey! I didn't put him up here! Kasin did it all on his own!" Rainbow informed the mob. "HE WHAT!?" They all yelled in unison. A moment of silence took place before Twilight said, "You MADE him go up there!?" Me and Rainbow face palmed at this mess while Lightning Dust laughed it off. Finally I said, "No, you got it all wrong! I climbed up here BY MYSELF! It was my own decision!" Twilight was defiant of the idea that I went up here on my own. "Please Kasin, you don't need to defend Rainbow. We all know you're not the kind of…human to do this." I huffed at her claim and simply jumped off. They all started to panic until I placed my left hand and two feet on the wall, slowing my fall enough for me to reach the bottom safely. I then stood before them crossing my arms grinning at the stunned expressions. "You don't know me well enough." I said to them. "I told you before, I do parkour. I can do a lot of things even when we're not in peril danger." The girls and Spike were simply lost for words. All except for Pinkie who was saying, "Wow! That was so awesome!" and the two pegasus who were with me earlier. Rainbow and Lightning flew down by my side and laughed at the expressions of the others. "Hahahaha! You should the look on your faces!" Rainbow snickered. "Seriously, you showed them Kasin!" Lightning praised me. I smiled while waiting for the further reactions of the girls and Spike. The dragon simply smiled and said, "Well, you got me Kasin! Nice one!" "Thanks my flaming friend." I responded. Twilight shook her head and said, "I-I…Well, I forgot that you…and…uh…" Rarity stepped in for Twilight and said, "What she's trying to say is, we never seen this side of you Kasin. What's making you act so different?" I shrugged as I replied, "I don't know. Maybe it's because of Rainbow rubbing off on me." They all shuttered at the idea. "Oh, Celestia no…" they all muttered in unison, except for Fluttershy. "Uh, um…Why is…she here?" Fluttershy asked as she pointed towards Lightning Dust. "Oh, she saved me from uh…" I looked over to Rainbow who seemed nervous of what might happened if the others found out. I couldn't lie since Applejack could simply tell, so I said, "She saved us from some trouble earlier, and now we're hanging out." Half the truth, no lies. "Is she…well, nicer?" Twilight questioned. "No bad omen yet, so…yeah, I guess." I replied. "Yeah, she's not bad company. I guess she's changed." Rainbow stated. Lightning grinned as she stepped up to the others and said, "Hey, what's up?" An awkward silence flowed between her and the others. It wasn't until Pinkie jumped in and said, "*GASP!* Do you know what this calls for!?" "Something to celebrate her arrival?" I guessed. Pinkie went up to me and said, "How'd you know that!? Are you psychic? Quick! What am I thinking right now!?" "Parties, balloons, and all the food I should cook for it." Pinkie gasped again saying, "YOU ARE PSYCHIC!!" I rolled my eyes as I said, "Come on, let's just get on with the party." "Whoa! I want to get partying as soon as possible too Kasin, but I need some time to set it up first! Just give me a while and we'll have some fun soon!" I winced at the fact that Pinkie pretty much made me look even sillier than her without intention. I chuckled as I patted Pinkie's mane. "You got me there Pinkie, now go set that party up for Lightning." "Okey-Dokey!" Pinkie said before dashing off. "That girl…" After that, Twilight then went to me and said, "Well, now that's out of the way, Kasin." "Yeah?" "Do you want to spend some time with us?" "Well…I do, but so long as it's something adrenaline rushing. I'm starting to get into this." "Yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "Now you're speaking my language!" Rarity of course hesitated to go and quickly withdrew. "Um, I would, but I just remembered I have some very important business to attend to." With that, Rarity left. Leaving Me, Rainbow, Lightning, Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike. Twilight and Fluttershy seemed unsure about this while Applejack and Spike were just fine with it. "Are you sure you…don't want to do something relaxing? You know, to calm your nerves?" Twilight suggested. "No way Twi. Like I said, I'm too into this. I want to have some fun before we call it quits." I replied. Twilight sighed and said, "Well…I'll do my best to keep up…" -Applejack's POV- -Jealousy takes the mark- The three dare devils took us to the park where there was a track for racing. Kasin was getting real excited about running around and such. It would scare me or anypony for that matter if we had another Rainbow in Ponyville. But if he wants to do it, then I'll encourage him. Besides, it's not every day we get Kasin to ease up a little. I was watching the kid get all giddy as we went to the starting lines. "Alright everybody!" Kasin started off. "We'll just do a quick lap around." "Sounds simple." Twilight commented. "And boring…" Rainbow added. We all looked to the pompous pegasus as they were too good for an old fashion race. "Come on Kasin, don't you have anything to spice it up?" Lightning asked. "Hmm…" Kasin muttered as he held his chin. He then snapped his fingers as he said, "I know! Rainbow, come with me, we're gonna go get some stuff!" "Got it!" Rainbow replied. "The rest of you, wait here. We'll be back soon!" And with that, the two left, giving us time to relax before Kasin came back with whatever he was cooking up. It was just me, Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, and Lightning. Lightning was looking away where Kasin was heading off. "Heh…that kid." she muttered. "What about him?" Twilight asked. "Just that he doesn't really fit the brave hero description I heard of." "And what do you mean by that?" I questioned her. "He has a lot of skill, but he's kind of…I don't know, he looked kinda weak? I mean, tricks are cool and all, but he's not as strong as I thought." We didn't like what we heard, but before we could debate, she then said something else that really got under my skin. "Though, he is cute. Maybe I'll try to get a little time alone with him." I felt kinda hot headed, peeved at her even. I don't want to admit anything except Lightning was talking smack about Kasin at one point and the next, she talks about being alone with him. Celestia knows what she was up to. Fluttershy and Twilight looked a bit furious at Lightning too, but we all calmed down after seeing Spike wondering what we were thinking. Finally, Kasin and Rainbow came back. I was glad they did too, otherwise, things might have gotten ugly. They were both carrying large bags of what looks like hurdle fences and other stuff. "Didn't keep you waiting did we?" Kasin asked. "Not too long." Lightning replied with a suggestive smirk. "Good. I was hoping we brought enough stuff without being too late. Alright Rainbow! Let's set it up!" Rainbow nodded and dashed around the course placing all kinds of things. Kasin was running behind her setting up everything she put on the ground. Eventually they finished, and ran back to us. What they made was a long obstacle course filled with hurdle fences, to stacks of hay, and a couple clouds Rainbow brought down. "Kasin, what is all this?" Twilight questioned. "An obstacle course!" Kasin answered. "We just run one lap around. All you have to do is jump over those hurdles, get over the stacks of hay, and run through the cloud barrier." "Why did you use so many clouds?" Lightning questioned. "You know pegasus can't go through it like you." "Exactly! It evens out the play since the pegasus can simply fly over everything. So while we have to struggle through getting over things, you have to at least bust all the clouds to finish the race." "Wow, that actually sounds right." Rainbow admitted. "Nice work on the brains there." Kasin grinned, happy to hear the compliment. Back to the game he then said, "Alright everybody! Let's get on the starting line!" We all did what he said and placed are footing to the line. I looked over at Lightning who was next to Kasin, giving him a dirty look. I REALLY wanted to smack her in the head. I don't know why, I must be violent today or something. "Okay! On your mark…Get set…GO IF YOU'RE A DUMPSTER DIVER!" We all hesitated to go except for Lightning, who zoomed on ahead. After a while, she realized what Kasin said, and came back with an annoyed expression. We were all laughing at her mistake. "Pfft, heheh. You smell fine for someone who dives in trash." Kasin snickered. "Ha! I'm sure glad I actually waited! Good one Kasin!" Rainbow praised him. "You sure got us there partner." I commended the boy. Lightning went over to Kasin and said, "Alright funny boy, for that, how about we make this more interesting?" "Eh? What, are you planning to get me back?" Kasin asked. "Nah, I just want to make it more exciting. Let's have a bet!" "What kind?" "If I win, you and I are going out on a date." We all jumped yelling, "WHAT!?!?" Kasin stepped back and said, "Uh…I…What?" "Wow, you lucky dog." Spike said. "So, what do you say?" Lightning asked. "Wait a minute, what happens if someone else wins? Or what if I win?" "If somepony else wins, they'll go on a date with you. If you win, I'll buy you something." "That hardly sounds fair!!" Kasin yelled. "And why does this bet have to revolve around me!? Why not Spike!? Wait…what happens if Spike wins?" "If it's a date, I'm out." Spike told the two. Lightning rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, if he wins, then I'll get him…" "Gems" Spike said to her. "Yeah, sure, whatever." "I don't know…" Kasin replied. "I mean, this seems a bit weird for a friendly competition." "Aw, is Kasin gonna back out?" Lightning taunted him. Kasin crossed his arms and said, "Fine! Just a date, right? No biggie. All we have to do now is actually start the race." "Good, it's a bet." We all lined up at the line again, but this time something was very different. I looked over at the others and saw Twilight and Fluttershy looking more determined to win as much as Rainbow Dash. Even I felt like giving it more than my best. Spike and Kasin didn't seem to look like they were going to win this race judging from their expressions. Kasin then started the race off. "Ready…set…and GO!" We all rushed off with a lot of dust behind us. Not surprisingly, Rainbow and Lightning flew off ahead of us, Kasin was second, I was third, and behind me were Fluttershy and Twilight. Far behind was Spike, trying to catch up. I was getting kinda nervous seeing the two in first place, even though I knew it was bound to happen. With the grounded runners racing through, we headed towards the first set of obstacles. Hurdles. "Here we go!" Kasin yelled as he jumped over not one, but two fences! It was the longest jump I've ever seen. He kept on doing it until he got to the last of them. For me, I just jumped over one at a time. It wasn't as stylish, but it got the job done. Fluttershy, having wings, was allowed to fly over them all. Twilight was having as much trouble as Spike getting through them. They would at times trip over one or take their time trying to jump one. With them so far behind, they were probably not going to reach us. Next was the stack of hay. All the pegasus just flew over it. There was no flying around, it was up and over, like Kasin said at one point. When he ran up to the wall of hay, he simply ran up it and got over in a snap. I dropped my jaw at his stunt, and quickly tried to keep up. It was trouble to climb it, and wasted a lot of time. When I finally reached the top, Kasin was already heading towards the next obstacle. I tried my best to catch up, and as I did, I noticed Twilight and Spike slamming against the stacks of hay by mistake. The last obstacle was a long barrier of clouds. This was the hardest and probably the only challenge for the pegasus. They had to pretty much bust or dig through the clouds to reach the finish. For me, Kasin, and if Twilight and Spike gets by, all we had to do was run through it and navigate through the fog. I don't know how much clouds Kasin and Rainbow brought down, but it was like going through a thick fog. I couldn't see what the others were doing or where I was heading. I decided to just keep going straight, but doing that, I bumped into something. "Ow!" Kasin yelled. "Whoops! Sorry Kasin!" I apologized. "Man, I got way too many clouds here." Kasin complained. "Well, almost there AJ. Let's finish this!" My heart was beating. We're actually ahead? If I win this, then that would mean… "Applejack! Let's go! Before the pegasus break through the cloud barrier!" I snapped back into reality and ran with him saying, "Sorry! Had my…uh, head in the clouds there for a second!" "Ha! Good one AJ!" We were running through and up ahead, I could actually see the silhouette of the finish line. We were so close! But before we reached it, I saw Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust doing something unbelievable. "Come on! Almost there!" Rainbow yelled. "I'm so gonna win this!!" Lightning declared. Kasin and I looked back and saw the clouds were actually being pushed by the two! The clouds were literally being moved instead of dug through. Kasin tapped my shoulder and said, "They did something really smart! We better run!" I nodded in agreement and we went back into the race. We were so close, but Kasin suddenly stopped and turned around. "Kasin?" I called him. He started running back and jumped. I wasn't sure what he was doing until I saw Fluttershy was being tossed by the clouds and almost fell down crashing to the floor. Kasin caught her while Lightning and Rainbow flew passed us, and finished the race. "Darn…" I muttered. Kasin placed Fluttershy down and said, "You okay? What happened?" "I-I'm sorry. When I was trying to get through those clouds, I ended up getting stuck in them. Rainbow and Lightning didn't notice that I was in there when I flew by." Fluttershy explained. "Well, at least you're okay." I said to her. "Anyways Kasin…You have a huge problem." Kasin raised an eyebrow and asked, "And that would be?" "WE TIED!?!?" Rainbow and Lightning screamed. -Kasin's POV- -Double Date- I didn't like this one bit. Rainbow and Lightning tied, which meant the bet says that I'd have to take both of them out. "NO FREAKING WAY!!!" I shouted. "The bet with the date was one thing, but I am SO NOT going to take two girls on a date!" "Come on, it's no big deal." Lightning stated. "No big deal!?" Me along with the others said in unison except Rainbow Dash. "Well, I mean…Both of us did win." Rainbow pointed out. "And the bet was whoever finished first gets to go on the date." Lightning added. "But…but this is just so…weird! I mean, what will everybody think? Human guy takes two mares out on a date!? That is just wrong on so many levels!" I said. "Well, why don't you choose who to go out with Kasin?" Rainbow suggested. "I...I can do that?" "Yeah, go ahead Kasin." Lightning encouraged. "By the way, I always thought you were kinda hot." I felt a blush run across my face as Rainbow said to me, "You know, we can have a lot more 'fun' if you go out with me." I couldn't say much except a stuttering of, "Eh...uh...um...huh?" Just when I was about to go into it further, the two snickered and soon, burst into laughter. "Oh my gosh! He actually thought we were serious!" Rainbow shouted. "Haha! Man Kasin! You're a riot!" Lightning added. I was so confused. "Wha?" "We know it's not a good idea to go on a date with two girls Kasin." Rainbow told me. "But the least you can do is at least take us both somewhere." "Wait, so its…not technically a date?" "No, it'll still be a date." Lightning said to me. "Just without the actual snuggly stuff." I sighed in relief as I said, "Thank goodness…I actually thought I was gonna do something crazy." "Oh no, you still are." Lightning corrected me again. "Tomorrow, we're going hiking!" Rainbow declared. "The Shaggy cliffs near the Everfree forest is screaming with action!" "Shaggy Cliffs?" I repeated. "Why there?" "Lightning suggested it a while ago. Says it's real hard to climb." "Well, you certainly know the mountains around here." I pointed out. "Considering this is your first visit to Ponyville and all." "Eh, you pick up a few things in town." Lightning stated. Suddenly, a new voice yelled, "Hey! Nice one there!" We all looked up to see two pegasus flying towards us. One was a mare that had a flaming orange mane with orange eyes. She had a blue suit which covered what I believed was a yellow coat judging by the color of her wings. The other had a dark blue mane and green eyes. I think he had a white coat under his blue suit due to his wings being white. As the two got closer, I saw Lightning looking a bit excited and Rainbow…well, BEYOND excited. She was like Pinkie every time I served up another batch of cookie milkshakes. Rainbow repeatedly chanted, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" while Lightning tried to maintain her over excitement. "Okay, I give up. Who are they?" I admitted. Rainbow and Lightning glared at me for that. Dash then went up to me and said, "Oh, come on! I just told you today!" "Today?" I repeated. "Oh! They're the Wonderbolts, right?" The fore mentioned pegasus landed and said, "That's right, and I'm the leader of the group." I swear, those two pegasus were REALLY getting giddy over all this. It really got me curious of this famous flying team, so I decided to go ahead and talk. "Nice to meet you! I'm Kasin." I introduced myself. "Everypony knows the one and only 'human' that saved Ponyville." "Great, I'm a celebrity." I cheered sarcastically. "I actually hope not to get too much attention to myself. I'm not so big on crowds." "Heh, you're funny Kasin." She told me. "By the way, I'm Spitfire, and the one next to me is Soarin." "Sup?" He greeted with a hoof to fist bump. Rainbow was still beyond belief and joy as she said, "Oh my gosh! W-What are you doing here? N-Not that's like…a bad thing, but…it's just that you don't visit Ponyville that often and, and, and-" Lightning played it cool and simply said, "You're here for the new scouting, aren't you?" "Scouting?" Me and my friends all said in unison. "That's right…Lightning Dust…" Spitfire said in a disappointed tone at Lightning Dust. "I hope you've changed after that little incident you pulled." "I know it was wrong, and I wish I could make up for it." Lightning stated with a apologetic tone. "She has proven herself trustworthy so far." I stated. "Really?" Spitfire asked, surprised to hear this. "Yeah, she wasn't too much trouble." Rainbow added with a smirk at Lightning. "Huh…Well alright then." Spitfire replied. "Well, good to hear you turning it around Lightning." Lightning Dust smiled as she said, "Thanks! Means a lot coming from you." "By the way." I said to Spitfire. "Why are you doing some scouting around here? Is there someone you're keeping an eye out for?" "Well, this town managed to fend off an army of revolutionaries. Now I don't know about you, but the way I see it, there must be some talented pegasus here to push them back." she explained. "Oh! Well if that's the case, then you should really take a look into Rainbow!" I told her. "She really pulled through when it happened. Saved us from a lot of trouble." "Really? Well Rainbow, you manage to impress us again." Spitfire claimed. "How about you and Kasin here hang out with us later? My treat." "Oh, um, uh, sure! Yeah! Totally!" Rainbow accepted with a lot of stuttering. "Great! Later then!" Soarin said as they left flying away. After the two left from a quick meet and leave, Rainbow was all ecstatic, dangerously similar to Pinkie when she…Okay, you know what? Just imagine one of my recipes right in front of her. There, that's how crazy Rainbow was right now. "You okay Dash?" I asked. "You looked like Pinkie when I make a treat at the bakery." "Are you kidding!? I'm more than okay! I'm beyond happy! I'm-" I grabbed Rainbow and held her upon my hands and yelled, "OKAY! I get it! You're a huge fan!" I then sighed as a placed her on the ground gently and said, "Well, it's great that they invited us to hang out later. I wonder who else will be in their scouting?" Twilight happened to pop up in the conversation asking, "Lightning? How did you know about their scouting?" "I heard about it up in Cloudsdale. I was pumped hearing about it too." She answered. -3rd POV- -Party of Masks- "Wait a minute! Why isn't it telling the story from my point of view!?" Pinkie complained to you, the reader. "What? Is my literature skills not good enough for you!? I mean, come on! A lot of cool stuff happened at this party and I want to talk about it! I mean, I made the party after all you know." Then out came the silhouette of the pony, Spark Stone tapped Pinkie's shoulder. He whispered something to Pinkie, making her react with a big smile. She then hugged Spark saying, "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you! My very own chapter!? When? Where?" Sparks shadowed hoof plugged Pinkie's mouth as he left the scene. Pinkie nodded and turned back to you and said, "Sorry about that! Back to the story!" At Sugar Cube Corner, the gang went to the planned party. For using only about a few hours, Pinkie had outdid herself. Kasin and crew gazed at the numerous amount of food decorating the room inside the bakery. Many of Kasin's creations from Rainbow smoothies coloring the counters to cookie milkshakes and chocolate drops making tables look like cookies themselves! It was a candy house for Lightning Dust's big welcoming. "Wow…It's…like a filly's pony tale." Lightning commented. "The best part is you can actually eat it!" Pinkie said to all of the others as she took a dozen cupcakes nearby and swallowed them whole. "Are you actually tasting them or inhaling them?" Kasin questioned. "Whatever she's doing, we gotta snack as much as possible before Pinkie gobbles them up!" Rainbow stated. With that said, the party began. Treats of great and chip size were munched on and taken to the stomachs of the partygoers. Games were often included such as 'who can eat the most', and 'Cupcake toss'. Even though Rainbow and Lightning were competitive, they were easily beaten by the bottomless pit and endlessly energetic Pinkie Pie, who was clearing games faster than Applejack's apple bucking. It was nothing but a grand time. Everyone did eventually get tired and took it easy, except for Lightning, Rainbow, and Pinkie. Still as active as ever. Over by Kasin who was by the table relaxing with a tropical smoothie, was then confronted by Twilight who walked over to him. "So, are you still that 'active' Kasin from before?" Twilight asked. "Well, in all honesty, I feel like having a nice nap." He told her with a wide grin. Twilight giggled as she said, "Well, knowing that you're happy is good enough for me." "Thanks Twi." Kasin said gratefully. "So, how do you feel about this 'double' date?" "Still find it weird. I guess I just have to deal with it. I have a feeling that it wouldn't make any of us technically dating though." "Well, that's not so bad." Twilight implied. "Why isn't it so bad?" "Just is." Kasin shrugged as he continued to sip from his smoothie. A while passed before Twilight decided to strike up a conversation. "So Kasin…Why don't you tell me about your world?" She asked before she thought to herself, "Wait, that might not be a good topic…" "My world?" Kasin repeated. "Well, I told you before, they both carry a lot of similarities. When it comes to people and personalities, they can be seen pretty similar, both good and bad." "So, even the revolutionaries?" Kasin sighed as he said, "…Yeah…On our world, they're known as terrorists." "Oh…" Twilight spoke softly before changing the subject. "H-How about the technology? Is there anything different there?" "Technology?" Kasin repeated. He snickered before he said, "Oh yeah, there's a huge difference." "By how much?" "Well, while you have carriages, letters, and magic. My world has hundreds of vehicles bustling the roads that take people anywhere without the need of someone pulling or pushing them. Devices that can communicate from far places, which makes it almost as if they're in the same room as you even when they really aren't. and most of all, electricity." "Electricity? What could you use electricity for?" "For everything!" Kasin exclaimed. "Great people from back then found a way to utilize the energy of electricity allowing us to do everything we can't do alone, or improve the things we do. The technology of my world is very advanced. Sure, you may have some of them, but until you find a new way of making energy, you won't get to see what you're missing." "Sounds exciting. Is that something you miss?" "Do I miss my technology? Hmm…well, kinda. But having you girls gives me enough excitement. I'm happy enough." "That's nice to hear." Twilight then looked Kasin in the eyes and soon started to get closer. She closed her eyes and got ready for a kiss, but Kasin patted her shoulder and stopped the moment. "What are you doing?" Kasin questioned. "Huh?" Twilight said in surprise. "U-Uh…well, I uh…" "Just lost in the moment there?" Kasin thought. "Y-Yeah…just a bit lost is all." "Hey! Kasin!" Rainbow called who was with Lightning at the moment. "Come over here! We need to talk about tomorrow." "Alright!" Kasin yelled back. He turned to Twilight and said, "Nice talking with you. See ya later." "Right…" Twilight said back. As Kasin left, Twilight began to think to herself. "Why didn't Kasin kiss me back this time? Is there something different? Is he…is he seeing somepony?! Oh…" Over by Rainbow and Lightning, Kasin was walking up to them. "So what's up?" Kasin asked. "We've decided to go to Shaggy Cliffs around the afternoon." Lightning told the two. "We'll meet nearby the Everfree forest entrance." "Cool, so Shaggy Cliffs is supposed to be dangerous and stuff, right?" Kasin asked. "Yeah, they even said there's this crazy avalanche that starts once a day." Rainbow stated. "Whoa, that is crazy. Must be some sort of shaky weather there." "Heh, good one Kasin." Lightning complimented him. "Other than that, I have a small favor I need to ask." "What's up?" "I need a place to stay, and I was wondering if I could stay over where you are right now." Apparently Twilight heard and went towards the three. "Who's going to stay over?" "Lightning needs a place to stay." Kasin stated. "But why with me?" "I wanna get to know the hero of Ponyville a little more." Lightning answered. Twilight seemed to huff at this, somewhat suspicious of her actions. Kasin rolled his eyes as he said, "Well, if it's okay with Twilight, sure. But this hero stuff is kinda annoying." "Well, it's alright I guess…" Twilight said to Lightning. "We have the couch still open, so you can sleep there." "Sounds comfy." Lightning joked. "Well, now that's all set, let's get back to having some fun!" "Yeah!" Rainbow cheered as she walked with Lightning. Kasin chuckled at Rainbows new friendship with Lightning while Twilight seemed to be somewhat annoyed of her. A while later, the party was coming to an end. Everyone began to leave. "Well, that was quite a party Pinkie, I can't wait for the next one." Rarity commended her. "Bye everypony!" Fluttershy said. "'Great time. See you tomorrow Kasin, you too Lightning!" Rainbow shouted as she flew away. "See ya!" Pinkie shouted to everyone else. "Bye! Have a good night!" Kasin said to Pinkie as she went back inside to clean up. As the four housemates were about to head back to the library, Lightning challenged Kasin. "Hey, race you there!" "No thanks." Kasin replied. "I just remembered something important. I'll be right back, see you home!" Twilight nodded and said, "Alright then, see you soon!" Lightning, Spike, and Twilight went over to the library while Kasin walked the other way. He caught up with Applejack who was just heading home as well. "Kasin?" Applejack noticed. "What are you doing here?" "Just need a favor AJ." Kasin stated. "Kinda late for a favor right now, what is it?" "It's about Lightning." Applejack tilted her head somewhat confused. "What about her?" "There's something not right about her. I started to feel suspicious about Lightning after Spitfire showed up. Lightning came to Ponyville, where the Wonderbolts showed up. She happened to help when Rainbow and I got caught in an accident, and most of all, on her first visit, she knew about Shaggy Cliffs. Something doesn't add up. There are too many coincidences and too much luck. I didn't want to tell the others and ruin a chance to be friends with her, but I think she might not have changed after all." Applejack then had a concerned expression. "So what do you want me to do?" "That depends on what you think you should do. If something happens tomorrow, then…try to look into it. Get some detective work or something." "Why are you asking me? Why can't you do it?" "I'm going to Shaggy Cliffs tomorrow. I…might not have the chance to look for clues." Applejack then became worried. Immediately, she debated his plan. "Kasin, hold it! If you're not sure you'll make it back tomorrow, then why are you playing into Lightning's plan? Just…tell the others! Just tell them what's going on!" "I would AJ, really." Kasin claimed. "But I have no evidence. I don't have any proof that she's still bad. And if I were to accuse her, I'd just make myself look like a fool while Lightning will just look even more innocent. We have to play it smart Applejack. For now, just play it smart and in secret." "But…Kasin…" "Listen AJ." Kasin said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm counting on you to do this right. The reason why is since you're honest, the others will believe you easier regardless of proof or reason." Applejack nodded and replied, "I-I get it…but are you really sure? What'll happen to you and Rainbow?" "I have no idea…we'll just hope for the best." Kasin left back to the library as Applejack watched him leave. -Kasin's POV- -The last thing I see- I came home a bit later than planned. I was still on the edge about Lightning Dust. What was she planning? Is it already in action? Did it have anything to do with Twilight or Spike, whose with her right now? Or maybe Rainbow. With very limited information on my suspect, I couldn't think of what she was planning in that mind of hers. I entered the library and saw Lightning on the couch asleep. I went upstairs and saw Twilight and Spike sleeping unharmed. I sighed as I walked outside to the balcony and looked up at the night sky. A cool breeze flows as I gazed at the stars and the moon. I truly loved the night. In secret, I do not very much like the day, something I will explain another day. Anyways, everything seemed fine until the air grew stale. I didn't know why until I felt a sudden push. It caught me off guard and the next thing I knew, I'm pushed over the fence and plummeting down to the far ground. I took one more look back to the balcony to see my attacker. Lightning Dust was grinning menacingly over her actions and my demise.