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Chapter 1: The Angel's End3,109 words
Chapter 2: Broken Rainbow2,988 words
Chapter 3: A New World, a New Life4,559 words
Chapter 4: Flight Without Wings3,451 words
Chapter 5: Prismatic Dreams6,919 words
Chapter 6: Visitor6,038 words
Chapter 7: Heart Storm5,833 words
Chapter 8: Demon Rising6,766 words
Chapter 9: The Other Side9,335 words
Chapter 10: The Elements5,799 words
Chapter 11: Homecoming3,866 words
Chapter 12: A Storm in the Heart8,107 words
Chapter 13: Celestial Secret8,941 words
Chapter 14: A Broken Reverie9,306 words
Chapter 15: Demon's Song8,117 words
Chapter 16: Coming to Terms4,735 words
Chapter 17: Blinders Lifted5,550 words
Chapter 18: Hidden Glow6,108 words
Chapter 19: Forty-Eight Hours7,903 words
Chapter 20: Thunderhead6,197 words
Chapter 21: Pour Gas on the Fire6,535 words
Chapter 22: Shards of Memories7,388 words
Chapter 23: Rolling Thunder6,968 words

Chapter 12: A Storm in the Heart

Chapter 12: A Storm in the Heart

PoV - Princess Celestia

Ah...coffee. The wonderful beverage is by far the greatest gift earth ponies could have given to Equestria.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not a morning pony at all. Without coffee to start my day, I would be one cranky princess. I keep this a secret, after all, for if my ponies were to find that the sun princess herself would prefer to sleep in...who knows what sort of talk may begin to flutter about Canterlot. Having just recently reintroduced Luna into modern society, I did not wish to have more on my plate to deal with than needed.

As I approached the gardens, I noticed Luna waiting for me with a very bored look on her face. She had taken to our new arrival much better than I could have hoped, so my only guess as to why she seemed bored was that she had nothing to do all night with him staying at Rainbow Dash's house the previous night. Luckily for all parties involved, my sister had gotten over her infatuation with the draconian, and instead formed a strong friendship with him.

"Sister, could you possibly trot any slower?" my younger sibling complained. Just to spite her, I slowed to a near crawl of a pace, and her left eye started to twitch. "Tia, I thought we were beyond this by now. Please hurry, I am exhausted and wish to rest."

I could not help but roll my eyes and smirk at her impatience. "Very well, dear Luna. Let us bring forth the day so you may rest. Perhaps tonight you could visit Koa, hm?"

At the mere mention of the dragon, her eyes lit up in happiness. "Yes...I do hope so."

As usual, we faced away from each other to bring forth the day - Luna lowering the moon while I raised the bright morning sun. As the last vestiges of night retreated for the western horizon, I could not help but gaze in awe at my younger sister's domain of power. It always pleased me with just how beautiful Luna's night could be, so much so that most times - like today - I honestly wish night could linger just a few more hours.

If only Luna would believe that her greatest admirer was her own sister.

As we both headed to the dining hall to have breakfast with each other, a loud boom caught both of our attention. Both of our eyes swung round to a dangerously large thunder cloud above Ponyville.

I turned to my sister in fear. "Luna..."

She looked at me in shock. "A storm was scheduled for today for Ponyville, but it is not supposed to be anywhere near that large. We need to investiga-" she could not finish, as she let out a large yawn.

I shook my head and smiled warmly. "No sister, I can handle this. You get some sleep."

"Are you positive? I do not wish to leave this to you to handle alone." she responded, her eyes beginning to droop with exhaustion.

I stepped forward and nuzzled her affectionately. "Fear not sister, I am quite capable of handling this. Please, get some rest."

She sighed and began to trudge towards her room. "Very well, Tia. Please do not hesitate to wake me if-"

I shook my head. "I will be fine, Luna. Rest and put your mind at ease."

Luna nodded curtly and left to get some much needed rest. I, on the other hoof, charged my vast magic in preparation for a void-step, and disappeared in a flash of magenta light.

I arrived a moment later and opened my eyes to see I had indeed phased directly into Twilight Sparkle's library. The unicorn herself was sitting at a small desk looking up at me in surprise.

"Oh...hello princess. I was just about to send a letter to you. I take it you saw the storm from Canterlot?" she said quickly.

I nodded. "I have. Do you have any idea why it is so intense? I understand there was a storm scheduled today, but I assume it was not supposed to be this strong."

My protégé nodded and looked out the window at the storm. I joined her and watched as frequent bolts of lightning arced across the sky, causing large amounts of thunder as well. The numerous ponies of Ponyville were also outside, watching the largest storm since the creation of the weather team of Ponyville nearly fifty years ago. None of the powerful discharges of electricity left the clouds, so while bright and loud, the storm did not appear to be dangerous.

My thoughts on the matter were interrupted as the door to the library opened, revealing the Elements of Laughter and Kindness. Twilight's pink friend was giggling madly, while the timid yellow pegasus was blushing a deep crimson.

"Oh...h-hello, Princess Celestia. It's such an honor t-to have you h-here..." the pegasus mumbled, still blushing.

Twilight walked forward and eyed her two friends with suspicion. "Okay girls, what's going on? I know you know something, because Pinkie only giggles like that when she has a great secret."

The pale yellow pegasus nodded meekly and hid behind her mane. "Um...I-I know what's causing the storm to be this bad."

I was now thoroughly interested, so I gently smiled and nodded. "Very well, what have you discovered, dear Fluttershy?"

The pegasus was silent for a moment before stepping nervously towards the door. "M-maybe I should just show you. Please...f-follow me. Um…if you want to, that is…"

We all followed the timid mare to an open field with the beautiful cloud house of Rainbow Dash hovering above it. I was confused as to why she brought us here and eyed her suspiciously.

"Dear Fluttershy, why did you bring us here? I don't know wha-" I tried to ask, only to be cut off in shock from the noises being heard from above us. It was a mixture of growls in one voice, and moans in another.

Oh dear...

My face matched that of our pegasus guide now, as did Twilight's. The pink pony known as Pinkie Pie simply giggled even louder, now holding her sides and rolling in the grass. I realized that this was in fact the source of the storm, as with each...erm...sound, a flash of lightning would follow.

With awkwardness at an all-time high for me at the moment, I still had to stop this. I took a deep breath and amplified my voice, using what my sister referred to as our "Royal Canterlot" voice. "Rainbow Dash, cease this instant and come out here!"

The noises stopped, and a certain gray draconian popped his head out a window. He looked down at me and looked back inside. "Umm...can you come back in like twenty minutes?"

His remark irked me more than it should have. I knew that it was just his instincts speaking for him, but that did not stop the aggravation from rising within me. And so, in a rare display of public anger, I stomped my hoof and glared at him. "No, you come down here right now or I'll come up there and get you!"

The anger in my voice must have been apparent, as now he was snapped out of his lust-filled frenzy and was now fearful. "Um...o-okay, we'll be right down."

As we waited for the two residents of the cloud house to come down, I noticed Twilight staring at me. I sighed and lowered my head in shame of my behavior. "I apologize you had to see that, my dear ponies. Make no mistake, being a princess does not prevent me from feeling anger or frustration."

A moment later Storm Rider landed before me, holding the cyan pegasus in his arms...who was still panting from their recent physical endeavor. He eyed me with apprehension and smiled sheepishly. "Er...sorry about that. I didn't mean to sound like such a...um...jerk. Yeah...let's use that word."

PoV - Koa

I was embarrassed, aggravated, and afraid all at once. The fact that Dash was currently panting to catch her breath as I cradled her in my arms didn't help, and looking at Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle's expressions just made me feel more awkward.

The princess simply shook her head and smiled. "I will forgive you if you can forgive me for my outburst. Now," she then pointed at the clouds overhead, "this was supposed to be a simple rain storm, not a thunderstorm of record-breaking proportions."

I looked up at the storm clouds that crackled with lightning every now and then...soon realizing what those booms I had heard in the back of my mind were. "Oh...er, I can fix this. Just go on home and I'll make it rain normally. Sorry about the noise, the storm...and the awkwardness."

"Indeed. Well, I have royal duties to attend to, so I assume you can handle things from here, correct?" the princess responded, barely hiding a blush that was rising to her cheeks…but definitely not hiding her thoughts of curiosity about me now. Let's just say her thoughts were a bit lewd for a princess and leave it at that.

I simply nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I got things from here. Thanks for letting me know about this. I'll fix it now so no one-"

"Pony….no pony." Twilight Sparkle corrected.

I rolled my eyes and nodded. "I'll fix it so that no pony will get hurt or anything."

The sun princess nodded and smiled warmly. "Thank you. Now then, I'll leave you to…um…continue."

I still felt really awkward, but I just nodded. "Okay then. It was nice seeing you again, princess. You take care."

"And you as well, Storm Rider. Farewell." the princess then spread her majestic wings and took flight towards the mountain city of Canterlot.

I then looked over at the group of young mares and noticed Twilight and Fluttershy still blushing like crazy, while Pinkie Pie was giggling softly. Dash had fallen asleep in my arms, so I just sighed and shook my head. "Look, I'm sorry you girls are caught in this awkward situation, but unless you all want to get wet, you should get away from me and go home." I then chuckled. "That sounded a little dirty…" I shook my head and smiled. "Anyway, I need to go ahead and calm this storm down so Dash and the other pegasi have a job to do, so you should all get going. Once Dash finishes work this afternoon, we'll all meet up at the library and chill out, okay?" The three mares nodded and walked away…except Fluttershy. I was confused at first until I heard the soft thought-voice of Fluttershy thinking a great many things in curiosity…specifically what could be making Dash moan that loudly.

The yellow pegasus blushed a deep crimson and looked very embarrassed. "W-well I'll s-see you later, S-Storm Rider. Um, that is, if that's okay…" She then quickly trotted away towards her house, and I couldn't help but smile at how cute she was.

I then looked down at the sleeping mare in my arms and kissed her cheek, causing her to stir. "Dashie, you got work today. Wake up, love."

Her eyes opened slowly and she yawned. "Mmm…what a great morning this has been, hm? Wait…why are we outside?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You don't remember?" She shook her head, causing me to chuckle. "Well apparently during our actions this morning, I accidentally caused a thunderstorm. This caused Princess Celestia to come to Ponyville to find out what was causing it. Let's just say it all ended with a severe amount of awkwardness between Fluttershy, Twilight, Celestia, and me."

"Fluttershy was there? Oh, by Celestia…she's probably mortified." she responded with a frown, flying out of my arms to float in front of me.

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, she was. She'll get over it though, trust me. Anyway, we're going to hang with them after you're done with work. Just meet us all at the library as soon as you get off, mmkay?"

The cyan pegasus nodded and smiled. "I'll be there. Just make sure you don't go causing any more natural disasters, okay?" With a smirk and a giggle she sped off with amazing speed, leaving me to figure out what to do for the day.

"Hmm…I guess I could go see what Applejack's up to or if she needs any help on the farm. Should keep me busy for a few hours at least." I muttered to myself.

PoV – Applejack

The storm this morning had me pretty worried, but I hunkered down and got to work anyway, pruning the dead branches off of the apple trees in the north field. It was mindless work, and it let me relax a bit while I wiled the day away.

"Hey Applejack!" yelled a voice from down below. I got so surprised I fell out of the tree I was in. I didn't hit the ground though, and instead felt myself being held by strong scaled arms. I turned my head to look up at the face of Storm Rider, and he was smiling softly.

He let me down onto the ground and I nodded politely. "Well thank ya kindly fer catchin' me, friend. Ah coulda gotten a nasty bump on mah head from tha' fall. So, what can Ah do ya fer, Rider?"

He shrugged. "Well Dash went off to work and Celestia has yet to tell me what I need to do as far as the job she gave me, so I figured I'd come over and see if you needed any help with anything in the meantime. So, do you need any help?"

I looked around at the orchard, noticing all the branches that were laying on the ground from the trees I'd pruned. I looked back at the dragon and nodded. "Ah could use some help, actually. If ya would, please gather up all them branches and put 'em in the barn fer me. We gotta let 'em dry out so we can use 'em fer firewood durin' winter."

The dragon nodded and set about walking around the north orchard, gathering all the clipped branches I had left around. I couldn't help but watch him as he worked, actually feeling a little jealous of my rainbow-maned friend. Not because of the draconian specifically, but simply because of the fact that RD had a special somepony and I didn't. It definitely wasn't because of lack of ponies interested or even my older brother…it was simply that I didn't have time to do the whole dating and "getting to know you" thing. Maybe if I could meet a pony that I was already friends with, we could just move straight to the "together" phase.

I guess I have RD to thank for that kind of "efficient" thinking.

As I continued to prune the trees, my mind started to go even farther, thinking about who I found attractive. I hadn't had much time to really think about it, even in my teen years because of the farm. Not that I didn't love my family business, but it certainly didn't leave much personal time for me, except during the winter. As I thought more and more on the subject, I found that there were a few stallions that I really liked to look at, namely Twilight's older brother, as well as some of the other guardsponies.

Maybe I just have a thing for stallions in uniform.

Still, I found it strange that I also found a few mares attractive too. Rarity, for example, was unbelievably beautiful. She was the kind of pony you could see easily fitting in with nobility or even royalty, but was as kind and generous as could be. I mean sure, she got a little frou-frou sometimes, but that was only once in a great while. Cherilee, my sister's schoolteacher, was also a really pretty mare, but more as a down-to-earth style like me (or so I've been told). She was intelligent and in her mid-thirties, but she had a young soul that all her students loved.

And then there was Fluttershy.

I had met Fluttershy through RD years ago, and she was still easily the most beautiful mare I'd ever seen. She had a profound natural beauty that mares envied, including me. She was kind, gentle, and infinitely loving of her friends and the animals she cared for. She was easily the sweetest and most compassionate pony I knew, which was saying something. Another unique thing regarding her was that she was the only pony I'd actually thought about being with romantically. I never told anypony about these thoughts of course, because I was pretty sure she didn't like mares that way. Still…the daydreams wouldn't stop, and the few times she would let me see that beautiful loving smile of hers, I always felt weak in the knees. Me and Fluttershy were almost as close with each other as we were with RD…and I didn't want to ruin that relationship by saying something stupid and scaring the shy pony.

"Why don't you just tell her? I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Storm Rider's smooth deep voice said from behind me.

I turned with a look of confusion. "Tell who about what?"

He just smirked a toothy grin. "Tell Fluttershy how you feel about her."

"H-how-" I started, only to be cut off.

He smiled and kneeled, placing his free hand on my shoulder. "I may have forgotten to mention that I can hear the strong thoughts of a pony…and the thoughts you were thinking about you and Fluttershy were pretty loud, if you know what I mean."

The shock wore off and I just sighed, closing my eyes in frustration. "Ah want to, Rider…really I do. I just don' want her ta not wanna be around me anymore because 'a how Ah feel."

The dragon stood up and took flight, quickly dropping off the load of branches at the barn before heading back to me. When he landed he sat down in front of me so that he could look me in the eyes. "Applejack, Fluttershy loves all of her friends…you and Rainbow Dash most of all. Do you think that in a million years she'd ever want to be away from you because of something like this? I haven't even known her that long, but even I know that the worst that could happen is that she doesn't return your feelings…in which case she'll be a little embarrassed, but otherwise nothing would change. Just pony-up and do it. I'll even go with you for moral support if you need me to."

The thought of him being by my side when I told Fluttershy about my feelings made me feel a lot safer and more confident for some reason. The more I thought about what he said, the more it made sense. I knew Fluttershy well enough to know she wouldn't stop being my friend simply because of how I felt about her. If anything, she'd be flattered. It was no secret that the pony didn't think much of herself, so even if just as a confidence boost, she would want to know what I felt.

Besides…keeping secrets was a little dishonest, and that didn't sit right with me, being the Element of Honesty and all.

I looked up at him after a moment with a smile. "Awright Rider, Ah'll take ya up on that. Let's finish up here and get goin' before RD gets off work, okay?"

He nodded and continued walking around the north field, picking up the rest of the branches as I moved from tree to tree, pruning them.

We finished just a little over a half-hour later, the job having gone much faster since I had help. As we walked towards Fluttershy's cottage, we were talking about random things when somehow the subject of this morning's freak storm came up.

"Ah tell ya, Rider, Ah ain't never seen a storm tha' bad. How do ya think it happened?" I asked him.

He chuckled and looked a little embarrassed. "W-well, that was kinda my fault. Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You caused tha' storm?" He just nodded in response. "Why would ya do somethin' like tha'?"

He rubbed the back of his head nervously and looked down. "That was the result of multiple accidental magical discharges on my part. I didn't even know I was doing it, to be honest."

I was still confused and stopped him, looking at him curiously. "How was it an accident?"

"Well…" he started, then sighed before continuing. "Remember how you remarked I was one hay of a dragon?" I nodded, and couldn't help but giggle at the thought. "Well, let's just say this dragon wanted to show Dashie how much he missed her…and during this morning fun, I didn't realize that I was making lightning with every...um…action." My eyes widened in shock, but he just continued. "Yeah…imagine my surprise when I get a visit from Princess Celestia herself so that she could yell at me for it. It was awkward, to say the least."

I felt the giggles bubbling up inside of me, but I couldn't control it. Before I knew what was happening, I was rolling on the ground in laughter. Thankfully for me, the dragon was a good sport and was chuckling too. After gasping and catching my breath a few times, I stood up and wiped a tear away, still giggling softly. "Hooey, you dragons are a raunchy bunch, aren't ya?"

"I guess. The funniest part was when I stuck my head out the window and told the princess to come back in twenty minutes." he replied, a smile on his scaled lips.

I couldn't help but gasp in shock. "You what?"

He just nodded. "Yes…I told the ruler of Equestria to give me twenty minutes to finish my not-so-secret intimate relations with my marefriend. I attribute it to dragon hormones, because normally I'd never say something that stupid."

We walked for another few minutes laughing about this morning's events, but then stopped as we realized we were now standing a few yards away from the yellow pegasus' cottage.

PoV – Koa

I couldn't sense the emotions Applejack was feeling at the moment, but from the way she was staring at the house, I knew she was very nervous…and even a little scared. To remedy this, I placed a hand on her neck and massaged the tense muscles.

She looked up at me and I just smiled. "Applejack, you got this. I'll be right next to you the entire time. You'll be fine, I promise. I mean if worse comes to worse and she turns you down, at least you can say you tried. And I truly believe with every ounce of my being that Fluttershy would never ostracize you or anything simply because you like her. If anything, she'd feel good that somepony likes her that way. Just trust me, it'll be okay."

The cowmare smiled warmly at me and nodded. "Thanks, Rider. Awright, Ah'm ready."

I nodded and knocked on the door. Some shuffling was heard from inside as well as the soft sound of fluttering wings. A moment later the door opened a crack to reveal two vivid blue eyes and a soft pink mane.

Once the pony realized it was two of her friends, she opened the door wide and smiled. "Oh, hello, you two. Please, come in…I was just brewing some tea. Would you like some? It's jasmine and chamomile."

I nodded and smiled. "Some tea sounds awesome, Fluttershy. Thank you." Applejack nodded softly as well, but didn't speak. I looked up at the yellow pegasus and gestured my head towards the earth pony. "Applejack would like some too, please. We appreciate it."

The kind mare smiled and nodded. "Oh it's no trouble at all. I'll return in just a minute with some hot tea for the two of you. You can sit on the couch if you want to."

Fluttershy left the room for what I assumed was the kitchen, humming a tune in her beautiful singing voice. As I looked to Applejack, who was now sitting on my left, I could tell she was very nervous.

"Applejack, what's wrong?" I asked with concern.

Her eyes darted around nervously before she looked up at me, her bright emerald eyes filled with fear. "Rider, Ah-Ah don't know if Ah can do this…"

I patted her back firmly and shook my head with a look of determination. "No, Applejack…you can do this. Now come on, you're supposed to be one of the most loyal friends and toughest pony in Equestria, by what Dash has told me. You got this, AJ. I know you do."

Just then Fluttershy returned carrying a tray in her mouth. She set it on a small table in front of the couch, and we each took a mug of tea. I took a sip of the steaming liquid to find a relaxing blend of herbs and scents that instantly put my mind into a pleasant state. I looked to the earth pony to see it was having the same effect on her, as she was smiling pleasantly now. After a few more sips Applejack set down her mug of tea, standing up and sitting next to her pegasus friend next to me.

"Ah…Ah got somethin' Ah need ta tell ya, sugarcube." She stated, now with much less nervousness.

The pink-maned pony set her mug of tea down as well and looked at her friend curiously. "Um, o-okay. What is it, Applejack?"

Applejack's eyes shot to me for a moment, looking behind her friend. I just nodded and smiled. The cowmare then looked back to her close friend with a smile. "Well it's about us, Fluttershy…you 'n me. It's somethin' Ah've been thinkin' about fer awhile now, and I gotta tell ya." I watched as Applejack put her front hooves in her lap and stared at them nervously. "Ah hope it don't change nothin' b'tween us fer worse, but Ah need ya ta know how Ah feel." She then looked up at her friend and smiled softly. "Ah really like ya Fluttershy, and Ah don' mean just like a friend." The timid pegasus gasped, but Applejack continued. "It's awright if ya don' feel tha same about me, but as tha Elemen' of Honesty and yer friend, Ah gotta tell ya tha truth. Ah don' want no secrets b'tween us."

The pegasus was blushing madly now, and she looked back at me. I just nodded towards Applejack and smiled. She turned back to her friend and looked down at her hooves as well, nervousness overcoming her. "W-well Applejack…um…"

The earth pony's smile dropped and she sighed sadly. "Ya don' feel tha same about me, do ya? 'sokay, sugarcube…Ah wasn' really expectin' ya to. Ah mean Ah hoped, but…" As I watched from behind Fluttershy, a single tear dropped from the orange pony's eye. However, she looked up and smiled warmly at her friend. "Ah hope we can still be friends though."

The pegasus was silent for the longest time before whispering, "I…I don't want to be friends anymore, Applejack."

The orange pony was immediately devastated, and I was surprised beyond belief. "W-what? Y'all don' wanna be mah friend no more either?" The pony immediately started to let tears flow, but she then turned her gaze to me, glaring. "You…this is yer fault! If y'all hadn' talked me inta tellin' her abou' mah stupid feelin's…" She then stood up and snarled at me. "Some friend you are…"

Before she could continue Fluttershy stood up and glared right back at the angry earth pony mare. "Stop it right now, Applejack!" The fact that Ponyville's shyest resident was now yelling at Ponyville's toughest caused the cowmare to stop in her tracks in shock. The gentle pegasus then sighed and fluttered over to Applejack, a soft smile on her face. "You didn't let me finish, Applejack. I don't want to be friends with you…because I want more than that. I…I just never thought somepony as pretty and strong as you would ever like somepony like me. I'm just so plain, and scared of everything…"

Applejack's face was one of shock, happiness, and contentment, all at once. She looked at the fluttering mare in front of her and smiled. "Ah'm scared 'a stuff too, sugarcube. Ah was scared 'a tellin' ya about mah feelin's, and I was scared 'a losin' ya as a friend. Fer tha record though, y'all are tha prettiest mare Ah've ever seen…and nothin' ya say or do is ever gonna change mah mind about tha'."

"R-really?" Fluttershy squeaked out.

Applejack stepped forward and nuzzled her hopefully soon-to-be marefriend with a smile. "Ah never lie, sugarcube." Applejack then stepped back and looked to me. "Ah'm real sorry about what Ah said to ya a minute ago. Can y'all forgive me?"

I nodded and smiled. "Of course I forgive you, Applejack." I then looked between the two mares and grinned. "Well, it looks like you two got things from here. I'm going to head over to the library and see if there's anything I can do for Twilight while I'm waiting on Dash to get off work. Meet us there when you can, okay?"

The two ponies nodded, and Fluttershy nuzzled my hand affectionately. "Thank you for making Applejack brave enough to talk to me, Storm Rider. I don't think I'd ever have been brave enough to talk to her."

I kneeled and pulled the two ponies into a hug, which both of them returned. "Well, the two of you are welcome." I released them and stood up, smiling. "Well I'm sure the two of you have a lot to talk about now, so I'll leave you to it. Remember, library tonight. Don't miss it, we're all going to be there."

The two ponies nodded in response, so I opened the door and walked towards the center of town, where I was told the library was.

I walked into the library a bit later, immediately seeing a young purple dragon cleaning up some books and parchments that had been strewn about. He looked up at me with a smile and nodded. "Oh, you must be Storm Rider! Twi told me you'd be coming around at some point." He placed the books and scrolls on a table and walked over to me, holding out a small clawed hand to shake. "I'm Spike, Twilight's personal assistant and previously the only dragon in Ponyville. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have you here."

I kneeled and took the small clawed hand in my own, smiling. "Well Spike, I'm Storm Rider. I work for Princess Celestia directly, I'm from another world, and I'm Rainbow Dash's boyfriend…or dragonfriend, or however you refer to it."

He looked surprised and smiled. "Really? Wow…I didn't think Rainbow Dash would ever date again after that last guy. You must be pretty cool to get her attention."

I shrugged. "I mean I guess I am. I don't think I'd be where I am now if it weren't for how we met."

"What do you mean?" the small dragon asked.

I stood up and sat in the small chair at the table, looking down at the small dragon. "Well I'm sure you remember what happened to Rainbow Dash, right?"

He nodded and looked really sad. "Yeah…that was horrible. I didn't think Fluttershy would ever speak again after that."

I nodded. "Yeah…it blew hard. Anyway, for some reason when she died in this world, she came to mine, more specifically, my house. I looked after her until Twilight Sparkle and the princesses found a way to get her to come back."

His eyes widened and he smiled. "Oh yeah, I remember you! Your name was...Koa, right?"

I nodded. "Yep, that's me. I go by Storm Rider around here, though…except for the two princesses and Rainbow Dash. They still call me by my real name in private."

Spike smiled. "Wow…I don't know why I didn't realize sooner that you were the guy I met on Earth. Well, Twilight will want to talk to you since you're here, so I'll go and get her for you, okay?" I nodded and he turned around, hopping up the stairs quickly.

I sat back in the chair, letting some electricity flow into my hand. I held my hands slightly apart and let the miniaturized bolt of lightning pass from hand to hand for a few minutes while I thought to myself about what had transpired so far today. Well, I had scared most of Ponyville with a storm, caused a large amount of awkwardness for myself and five mares, and got two crushing ponies together. All in all, a pretty good day so far, and I was excited as to how it was going to progress from here.

My thoughts were stopped when I heard the familiar clop-clop of hooves coming downstairs, and I looked up to see the violet unicorn descending them with her dragon assistant.

When she saw me she smiled and nodded. "Hi there, Storm Rider. Sorry, but I was upstairs studying a minute ago...I wasn't expecting you here for at least another hour. What can I do for you?"

I shrugged. "Well Dash won't be getting off work for another hour or two, so I came by to see if you two might need help with anything while I wait."

The unicorn looked around the room and at the bookcase then turned her gaze to me with a smile. "Well, I was actually planning on re-alphabetizing the library. When I finish up my late-night studying, I tend to just re-shelve the books haphazardly, not really paying attention to where I put them, so I usually reorganize them at least once a week to make sure I will be able to find everything. With you here, we'd be done in about forty-five minutes as opposed to a few hours." She then looked down at her assistant. "No offense Spike, but you can't carry too many books all at once without dropping them."

The purple dragon shrugged. "None taken Twi, I'm still a baby after all. I'll get stronger as I get older."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "Well alright then, let's get going. Help me pull all the books off of the shelves and I'll go through them one by one. Once I have them all organized, you two can put them back on the shelves, okay? After you two pull them off the shelves for me, I guess you can sit and talk until I have them alphabetized. Sound good to you?" Spike and I both nodded and proceeded to pull all the books off of the shelves.

The job went a lot faster than I thought it would, and before I knew it we were done. This was all well and good, of course, as at that moment, Pinkie Pie walked in the door with a wide smile on her face.

"Hi everypony! Or is it one pony and two dragons? Whatever…hi!" the bubbly pink mare exclaimed. She then dropped a box that was on her back onto the floor. "I brought cupcaaakes!" she replied in a sing-song voice.

I quickly grabbed one of the amazing baked treats and sat down, taking a bite. I moaned in approval of the cupcake and smiled at the baker. "By Celestia, Pinkie Pie, you must be magical to be able to make things this good. Thanks so much."

The mare giggled and patted me on my knee. "You're welcome, Stormie! I love to see my friends smile, and if I can do it by making super-amazing-awesome cupcakes, then that makes it even better!"

I nodded in agreement and smiled at her. "Well you've definitely succeeded, Pinkie Pie."

"Good afternoon, my friends! I apologize for being so early, but I simply had to gift something to the dragon that makes our Rainbow Dash so happy." said the regal-sounding voice of Rarity. She walked up in front of me and levitated a bottle of expensive-looking wine out of her bag. I took it and she smiled warmly at me. "That is Canterlot Royal Reserve honey mead. It was a gift from a customer of mine who was attempting to woo me many months ago. Unfortunately, I do not partake of alcohol often, and I am actually allergic to the cloves put into this wine to give it its unique taste and texture. With that being the case, I thought that perhaps you and Rainbow Dash could put it to more use than I could…perhaps for a romantic evening under the stars some night?"

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Rarity. I have to admit, I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I do have a soft spot for sweet alcohol. I'll be sure and put this to good use sometime soon."

The next two ponies to walk in the door were none other than Applejack and Fluttershy, and it was clear that the two were thick as thieves now. I simply looked up at the two of them and smirked when I caught their eyes. Both of them blushed and nuzzled each other softly before looking to their friends.

"Girls, we got an announcement ta make." Applejack stated loudly.

Twilight nodded, although by her expression, I could tell she already knew what was going on. "Okay girls, what's going on?"

Fluttershy kicked her hoof against the floor nervously. "Umm…well, me and Applejack…" She swallowed and sighed. "We're dating now." The room was silent for a long time before the three other mares nearly bowled over the new couple with hugs. Fluttershy was surprised, and made that feeling known. "Y-you mean you all are okay with this? You're not mad at us?"

Rarity let loose a light, airy giggle and shook her head. "Dear Fluttershy, why would we be angry with either of you? I will admit that I do not understand the dynamics of a relationship between two mares, but that does not make me any less happy for the two of you. Two of my closest friends have found love, and in each other no less! Oh, this is simply wonderful!"

Pinkie Pie was hopping around happily. "Oh yay! This is just so amazing! This calls for a huge fun-erriffic party!"

Applejack shook her head. "Now hold on there, sugarcube. Ah'd prefer we keep this quiet until we know how tha rest 'a tha town'll act about us, kay?" The pink pony seemed instantly deflated, but then Applejack continued. "But, Ah was thinkin' 'a takin' 'er out for 'er birthday next week, ta have a picnic in tha Whitetail Wood. We could use some treats, Pinkie."

The bouncy baker smiled and nodded. "Okay! I'll make you the most amazing picnic basket ever!"

Applejack smiled at her eccentric friend and nodded. "Ah know ya will, Pinkie. Ah trust ya."

The door then opened again to reveal a shiny and freshly-showered Rainbow Dash. "Hey there everypony, sorry I'm late!"

"You're not late, Dash. Just in time, actually. Although, you did miss something rather important." I answered to her. I then motioned to the yellow pegasus and orange earth pony. "I'll let them tell you."

Dash turned to her two friends and smiled. "So, what's going on?"

"W-well…" Fluttershy started, "me and Applejack are…" She gulped and looked into her friend's violet eyes. "We're dating now…we're a couple, Dashie."

The rainbow-maned pegasus just looked at me and I nodded. She then looked back to her friends and smiled, pulling the two of them into a hug. "I don't know why, but I always had a feeling you two would be perfect for each other." She then released her two closest friends and smiled. "I mean come on, this calls for a celebration…and I have just the thing…" Rainbow Dash reached into her saddlebags, producing three bottles of the sweet whiskey I had quickly come to love. My mouth immediately started watering, and Dash smiled. "I know all of you except Rarity enjoy AJ's whiskey, so here ya go." She then pulled a bottle of sparkling apple cider out of her other pocket. "For Rarity, some sparkling cider. Alcohol-free, of course."

Rarity took the bottle with a smile. "Thank you, dear Rainbow Dash. You always know just what I like."

Dash chuckled softly as she passed out the bottles of cider to us to share. "Well I've been friends with you girls for years. Stands to reason I'd know at least some of the things you like. Oh yeah, I almost forgot." She reached into her bag and produced a wooden box a little larger than my fist. She then hoofed it to the small purple dragon. "A fire ruby for Spike, aged four months in a silk-lined mahogany box."

Spikes eyes widened, and he licked his lips. "Wow…how did you get this, Rainbow?"

She shrugged with a smirk. "I have my ways." She then took a serious expression and placed a hoof on the small dragon's shoulder. "If not for you, Storm Rider and I might not have gotten to Equestria. I just wanted to say thanks…for everything, Spike. Thanks for being awesome."

The dragon dropped the box on the floor and hugged the cyan mare tightly. "You're welcome, Rainbow Dash. I'd do anything for my friends."

The two released each other and smiled. Rainbow Dash then turned to me and gestured to the window. "Well the clouds are all in place and are awaiting your command, Koa."

I nodded and looked out the window, noticing the silky sheet of stratus clouds covering the sky. I focused on the clouds and let them flow with a light rain. I then released my hold on them, letting them do their own thing as I looked back to my marefriend (still feels awesome to be able to say that). "If I may ask, why do I have to be the one that makes it rain?"

She shrugged. "Well Luna told me that an old dragon used to be the one that did that. Apparently you're the one that inherited that ability through his sacrifice and the spell that was cast to get you here."

I raised my eyebrow and smirked. "So…you move the clouds and I make it rain or storm, hm? It's like we were made for each other."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Corny…but I'll take it." She then turned to the group and grinned. "Well come on, this is supposed to be a fun time. Let's chill out and enjoy the rainy day with friends!"

A few hours later, the fun was winding down for the group. Applejack and Fluttershy had fallen asleep on the aptly-named love seat in each other's hooves while Twilight and Rarity were sitting on the couch talking near the bookcase with their limbs curled under them like…well, like ponies. Spike was curled up against Rarity with a smile on his face as she slowly stroked his spines with a hoof as he slept, and lastly Dashie and I were laying on the floor together.

The night was in full swing by now, and I knew we had to head home. After all, I might not have a job to get to yet, but Dash did. So I regretfully stood up and motioned to the cyan mare to follow me.

I then looked at our host and her alabaster partner and smiled. "Well girls, I really enjoyed this but Dash has an early morning, so we should probably get going."

Twilight stood up and nodded. "Well we hate to see you go, but I guess you're right. Will we see the two of you again soon?"

I looked at Dash and she just nodded to her friend. "Sure, Twi. We'll come by this weekend after I finish work, okay? I'm sure you can find something to do for the next two days until Saturday."

Twilight smiled and nodded before stepping forward and shaking my hand with her hoof. "Well Storm Rider, it was a pleasure to get to know you better. We'll meet again soon, okay?"

I nodded and smiled. "Sounds good, Twilight Sparkle. Goodnight everypony."

Dash and I arrived at her home a few minutes later, and seeing as how I was nowhere near tired, I simply showered and lay in bed with her until she fell asleep. It was probably a little after midnight by this point when I heard a tapping at my window.

I looked up to see Luna flying outside of it, so I gently rose out of the bed and opened the window. "Luna? What's going on?"

She smirked and motioned out the window. "I thought we could have a little fun tonight, Koa..."

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