//------------------------------//
// Meeting in Ponyville 
// Story: Spring's Attraction 
// by RiakMVashnor 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight Sparkle was reading a book in her little tree house of a of a home slash library. Suddenly the door to her humble abode slammed open. And in came Pinkie Pie. Look for good news no doubt. Pinkie came bounding up toward her friend, Twilight and opened her mouth to ask but Twilight beat her to it.
"No Pinkie." Twilight sad sadly. "I haven't found her. I have two of the best from the Royal Guard looking for her."
Pinkie Pie practically deflated with the news. "It's been an entire month Twi. I miss her cool girl remarks and the "awesome" this, "Awesome" That remarks."
"We know what you mean Pinkie." Said Apple Jack whom had just walked in with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Bell. All of which had sad looks that could have not been expressed with words in any tongue. Apple Bloom was practically in tears. 
"Big Mac hasn't been back for three whole days. He went into the Everfree Forest." Then Sweetie Bell broke out into to tears and her body shook with her sobs.
"Rarity won't come out of her room. Not even to eat. I bring her the food I made for her and put it on the table beside her bed. She eats but she just won't come out of her room." With every word that she said she only cried harder.
Scootaloo just sat there pawing at the wooden floor. She didn't say anything but every fiber in her was against bursting into tears. But she just wanted to break down and cry. But she wanted to be strong just like Rainbow Dash.


Riak was still getting used to his new legs. He didn't dare try to use his wings.  He had a hard enough time just using his four legs. The coordination for it was tough. Rainbow Dash was ahead of him of course. But she had had more practice having a horses body.
"Hey R.D.?" Riak called up to her. Could you slow down please?" 
Rainbow Dash slowed down to his speed and smiled at Riak. "You act as if you haven't walked in you entire life. You said that you've been living out here for three years right?"
"Yeah something like that. Anyway, I'm just not used to have four legs." He chuckled at the irony. "When I was a little kid I always wished that I was a centaur but now I'm starting to regret that."
"You mean you didn't always look like this?" Inquired Rainbow Dash.
"Nope. You see what I look like for my upper half of my body?" Dash nodded listening intently. 
"I used to have two legs with the same kind of skin as my torso and I wear clothing."
"I could have my friend Rarity make you some cloths. Of course we would have to figure out how to get back to our original forms."
Riak thought for a second. "Maybe not. We may be the only centaurs in this entire world.  That would be pretty fucking awesome." Riak chuckled.
Rainbow Dash thought about and blushed. Riak didn't notice because he was staring at a shadowy hooded figure ahead of them. Rainbow Dash stood behind him. "Who is it?"
Riak smiled. "It's a good friend who has helped me survive the last four years in these woods." Riak went over to the shadowed figure and started talking. From what Dash could tell by the voice it was a mare but she couldn't tell what they were saying. Her new ears weren't as sensitive as her pony ears. Then the mare removed her hood and was revealed to be Zichora.
Rainbow Dash was relieved to see her. If anyone knew how to get them back to their original forms. "Zichora!" Shouted Rainbow. "It's me." Zichora looked over at Dash and the mare smiled. Riak waved at her to come to them. Trotting over Rainbow Dash could hear the remainder of their conversation. Riak was telling her about the storm and how they had collided and then struck by lightning. And how they had been turned into centaurs.
"A great storm there was but nothing this out of the ordinary happened when our good friend Riak came in the last one. But one thing I know is that I do not know how to fix this. Poison Joke is one thing but this is another matter entirely." Zichora thought for a few seconds and then said, "If anyone knows what to do it would be the third princess to come to ponyville."
Dash thought for a second. "You mean Twi?" She asked.
Riak nodded. "Seems legit. To Ponyville then." Riak chuckled. "Hey Zichora? Guess I'm taller now huh?" Zichora laughed with him.
"Taller you may be but I am still smarter." They laughed again.
"Okay then. See ya later Zichora." Zichora smiled and They shook hooves. Er what ever it would be called with a hand and a hoof. With that Rainbow Dash went with Riak and Zichora went in a different direction then them.
"Ya know," Said Rainbow Dash. "We would probably get there faster if we were to fly."
Riak thought about it then said. "Okay then. Teach me how to fly."
Rainbow Dash smiled and then soared up into the air. She had a hard time keeping her balance in the air because of her large torso. She looked down at Riak who was staring at his wings. "Just flap your wings," Rainbow Dash shouted down to him. "It's not hard. And from the looks of it you have very strong wing muscles."
Riak started to flap his wings. And soon after he was in the air beside Rainbow Dash. "Ha!" Riak said triumphantly. "Now we're getting somewhere!"
Rainbow Dash smiled at him and then started to fly off in Ponyville's general direction. "Follow me." She said. And off they went like the wind.

About an hour after everyone had left Twilight Sparkle was still reading. Trying not to cry. Spike had been so helpful around the house for the last month. All she did was leave a trail of books wherever she went inside the house. And he didn't bicker about it. He just cleaned up. Twilight closed her book and put it away in it's rightful place. Then laying down on one of her pillows she covered her face with one of her wings and wept like a young filly.
There was a knock on the door and jogged down the stairs and stopped as he heard Twilight crying. He was brought back by another knock at the door. He hurried to greet his guest and when he opened the door his jaw dropped to the floor at what he saw. It was half stallion and half something else. 
"You must be Spike the dragon." It said. "May we come in?"
"W-we?" Stammered Spike. Spike looked past the stallion and saw a mare with a rainbow asorted colored tail and mane. But it was the same species of what had knocked on the door. Then it hit him like a ton of scrolls. "Rainbow Dash?" The creature nodded.
"Yeah Spike. It's me." Rainbow Dash's attitude had changed with her appearance. She was more timid like Fluttershy than her usual crazy self. "Is Twilight here?" She asked.
Twilight yelled from somewhere inside the house. "I'm over here. Who's asking?" Spike stepped aside to let Rainbow Dash and her friend inside the house. 
Rainbow Slowly approached Twilight and said, "I'm back Twi. I know I look different but we can explain that." Twilight uncovered her face and instantly she only saw her lost friend back from her absence. 
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, tears welling in her eyes. But these tears were happy. Rainbow nodded. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here."
Twilight got quickly to her feet and flew into her friend and holding her tight. "Oh Rainbow." Twilight said through tears. "We were so worried about you. Rarity hasn't gotten out of bed since you went missing." 
Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around her friend and cried too. "I'm sorry I made you guys worry." She said through tears. Twilight looked at her friend.
"Rainbow? Are you crying?" Twilight asked. Rainbow Dash nodded.
"I'm just so happy that I'm back in Ponyville where my friends are." Rainbow Dash got up and put Twilight down.
As she was trying to regain herself Riak shot into the converstation. "It may have been the lighting that struck us that altered her personality. It altered mine when I arrived in this world."
Twilight finally took notice of the Stallion standing off to the side of them. Spike was still inspecting him. "And what is your name stranger?"
"Riak, your Majesty. I am sorry for keeping your friend for so long. We have been asleep for the last month or so. It is my fault the lightning struck us. I am trying to learn to control these kinds of things."
Spike chuckled. "What makes you think you can control the weather?"
Riak smiled. "Follow me and I will show you." Riak walked out the door and everyone followed. Riak's arms shot into the air and lightning struck the ground in front of him. "I don't know what it is but ever since I came to this world I could do anything with the elements. Watch." Riak turned toward them and held out his hand and a ball of fire appeared. "It's odd. And the only element that I have learned to control is fire. Comes in handy when need a fire for cooking my food."
Spike's jaw dropped to the ground again. He stammered trying to understand how this was even possible. "H-how is this po-possible?"
Twilight smiled. "If there is anything that could help it would be one of my books. Follow me inside everypony." Everyone went inside with Twilight and sat down in a half circle while Twilight looked for the right book when suddenly the door to the tree like home and a pink mare came bounding in with three other mares in tow.
"Pinkie!" Twilight said loudly at the pink mare. "I told you to stop busting through the door like that. You're going to break the door."
Then Rainbow Dash quickly got up and tackled the pink mare. "Oh Pinkie Pie. I missed you so much." Pinkie Pie smiled and hugged Rainbow Dash. After a few seconds they got up and Pinkie Pie asked, "And who are you? Matter of fact, what are you?"
Tears started to well up in Rainbow's eyes and she ran crying to Riak who was playing with the ball of fire. Taking care not to burn her he wrapped an arm around her. Riak gave Pinkie Pie a death glare and said, "Are you so blind that you cannot see your own friend in her new form? This is your loyal friend Rainbow Dash. And she-and she-" Riak grunted in frustration because of his inability to speak do to his anger at Pinkie Pie.
Riak was rubbing Rainbow's back to try and get her to calm down. But with every tear she only cried more. Rarity went over to Rainbow and laid a hoof on her back. "Is that really you Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity. "Of course it's me," She said. "Can't you tell by the Rainbow color of my hair," She asked grabbing her hair. "Or by the rainbow color of my tail," She said gesturing to her tail. Then she looked at her flank and noticed that her cutie mark was gone. And that made her cry more. She buried her face in Riak's neck and cried.
Apple Jack walked up to them and Riak waited for her to make everything worse. "Look sugar, we're sorry we didn't notice it was you but you just look different now." Pinkie Pie nodded so fast Riak thought her head might come off.
Rarity nodded and said, "I'm sorry dear. I should have noticed it was you. I mean who else has that lovely rainbow colored mane. Or your one of a kind cutie-" 
Rarity noticed Riak's glare and him mouthing at her to shut up. He pointed at Rainbow's flank which didn't have her cutie mark on it. So Rarity bowed out. 
"I think it's time we all got some rest," Riak said. He helped Rainbow Dash stand. "We'll continue this conversation in the morning. Is there a hotel some around here?"
Then a pony that had a yellow fur coat and a pink mane spoke up. "You guys can stay at my place til morning if you want."
Riak smiled. "That is nice of you too offer but I would rather get a room at a hotel." Rainbow Dash didn't object. She wanted to be alone with Riak. He had been so helpful to her.
With Rainbow Dash clinging to Riak they all said their good night's as Riak and Dash left for a hotel.