Distant Memories and Aching Hearts

Chapters

How it all started
Tidal Wave or Spike?
Fluttering in the Wind
The Shadows of a Dark Past
Burning Love in the Sparkling Night
Sparks Fly for a Dashing New Love Life

How it all started

"Alright mom. Here's the story of what it was like back in elementry school for me." Eternal Flames said to Celestia

*12 years earlier*

The sun was burning brightly and beautifully over the majestic Rogue Mountain. The sounds of young fillies and colts rushing to their first day in elementry school filled the air. Eternal Flames was only 6 years old when he first started elementry. Of course back then, he still had a blank flank but he didn't care. He looked around with amazement and happiness. His ears flung high above his head to the sound of his teacher, Mrs. Asaira, whom to his surprise was a lioness. But despite her being a lioness, she was a kind and devoted teacher who cared for her students no matter who they are, or how they look.

"Alright students, please take your seats. We have a brand new student joining our class today. Please come on up here, young colt, there's no need to be shy." Mrs. Asaira said to Eternal

Eternal nodded and walked to the front of the class and turned towards the other students. who gave him some rather unpleasant looks of disgust and discomfort, all except one. A colt with a minty fur coat and silver white mane, who was smiling at him and waving at him. In turn, Eternal waved back.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself." Mrs. Asaira said with a smile.

Eternal nodded. "Hello, my name is Eternal Flames, it's very nice to meet you all." he says before bowing down for a bit.

"Well, it's nice to have you in our class, Eternal. Why don't you sit with Hurricane Blitz in the back row?" Mrs. Asaira said, pointing to the colt with a minty fur coat and silver white mane.

"Ok sure." Eternal replies.

Eternal then took his seat next to Hurricane who was looking at him with a rather nervous smile.

"H-hi there, I'm Hurricane Blitz. Nice to meet you." Hurricane says extendiing his hoof to Eternal.

"Pleased to meet you, Hurricane." Eternal says shaking his hoof

Mrs. Asaira had assigned her students to learn about adding and subtracting as well as learning how to pronouce certain words that were printed in the books they were reading. During this whole time, Eternal kept hearing the other kids talking about him, but he could tell they weren't talking about him in a good way. Two hours had gone by until it was time for lunch and recess. The children had all ran outside from the back of the school to the playground. Eternal had sat on a bench eating his lunch, which was a simple hay sandwich with hot sauce and a cold bottle of water.

"Hey Eternal...is it ok if I ate lunch with you?" Hurricane asked

"Yeah sure." Eternal replied back.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

They both sat and ate their lunches while talking about how life was like so far. Hurricane explained how he dreamed of being an excellent chef and caring for so many animals that exist in the world. However he also explained how he only had his mom and grandma to help him out and support him since his 2 older sisters didn't seem to keen on helping their "brother who should've been born a girl." This made Eternal very upset after he heard him say that.

"Hey, listen to me, Hurricane. Don't listen to your meanie sisters. Because to me, I think you're pretty cool. You may be shy sometimes, but I that's just who you are. In fact, you might even be possess a small glimmer of hope." Eternal says patting Hurricane on his shoulders.

"Gee, thanks, buddy. Nopony has ever said that about me. So what about you? What is your family like?" Hurricane asks.

Eternal then tells how his older brother, Blue Blaze keeps bragging that he'll is be king one day. Next he tells about his younger brother, Heat Wave who hates fighting and he's going to be coming to elementry school next year. Eternal then explains how he doesn't want to stay cooped up in his kingdom for too long because he wants to find his mom.

"I see, but what will your plans after you find her?" Hurricane asks

"Well, I don't know yet. But I'll find out some day." Eternal replies

"Oh, please, you still going on about how you'll find your mommy, huh? I can get along just fine without mine." says one of the colts

"Hey, mommys are just as important as daddies." said one of the fillies.

"Oh yeah, and how do you know that?" said the colt

"Because my mommy takes good care of me by making me yummy pancakes every morning. She even comes to my tea parties." said the filly with a proud smirk.

"Oh yeah, and how do you know she's not doing it because she feels sorry for you knowing you'll never have friends?" said the colt

"HEY! How about you zip it, or I'll zip it for you." Eternal says, scowling at the gloating colt as he approaches him.

"Oh yeah, and how are you gonna do that, Scar Face?" the colt said still smirking.

At this point, that one name really got to Eternal where he charged straight at him shouting and tackled him to the ground.

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'M GONNA DO ABOUT IT!!!" Eternal shouted before he punches the colt square in the face. He does this again and again and again until the colt throws him off of him with his hinde legs and gets back up.

"You just crossed the line, "Scar Face!" the colt said

"BRING IT, BOZO!!!" Eternal shouted.

The two young colts started fighting while one of the fillies went into the classroom to get Mrs. Asaira. The boys continued their little dispute, but Eternal was the one dominating the fight until finally he threw the colt back onto the ground and pinned him. This left the colt scared as he knew he messed with the wrong boy.

"P-P-P-Please...don't hurt me! I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" the colt said with his eyes closed with tears flowing out of his eyes.

"The fight is over when I SAY it's over!" Eternal said as he lifted his right hoof and helt a strange vibe coming from inside his body. It felt like a flame had ignited and soon a sudden small flame covered Eternal's right hoof as he got ready to punch the colt one last time.

"ETERNAL STOP!" Mrs Asaira yelled, causing Eternal to cease his final attack. She then walked up to the two colts with a stern and disappointed look in her eyes. "You boys should be ashamed of yourself. You should know better than to engage in personal fights. I'll have to inform your parents about this. After that, tomorrow you will both recieve detention."

"I...I understand, Mrs. Asaira." Eternal said getting up with his head hanging low.

"No, please! Anything but that! My dad is gonna ground me for sure!" the colt said.

"You should've thought of that before you picked a fight with each other. Regardless the situation, you have no excuse to start a fight. Do I make myself clear, boys?" Mrs. Asaira said.

"Yes Mrs. Asaira" Eternal and the colt said.

After school had been dismissed, Eternal was waiting for his father to pick him up. The colt he fought with got a scolding from his dad and of course got grounded for 1 week for starting the fight. 5 minutes went by and Royal Blaze had finally showed up, along with Eternal's brothers Blue Blaze and Heat Wave. Mrs. Asaira had explained the details of what happened at the playground. When she finished explaining, Royal Blaze turned to Eternal with a stern look on his face. Eternal tried to look like he wasn't scared, even though deep inside, he was shaking faster than the rattle on a rattlesnake.

"Alright son, I think it's time we had a talk when we get home." Royal Blaze said

"Yes, dad." Eternal replied

Royal Blaze escorted his three sons back home at the top of Rogue Mountain. The journey to the top was only a 30 minute walk and while they were walking home, Royal Blaze was still upset at the fact that Eternal almost put a young colt in the hospital while at the same time he was surprised to hear that he had awoken his powers at such an early age. They finally arrived back home and Royal Blaze told his two sons to play a few games while he had a talk with Eternal. Blue Blaze and Heat Wave both went into Blue Blaze's bedroom. Royal Blaze had Eternal sit on the couch in the living room. Eternal did so and Royal Blaze sat next to him.

"Now son, I'm very disappointed in you. You could've seriously hurt that child. This is most unbecoming for you as a prince. In fact I should ground you for a whole 2 weeks. However, to be fair, You did stand up to others when they were being picked on. But there's something else you need to know, Eternal." Royal Blaze said.

"What would that be, dad?" Eternal asked

"Asaira told me how she saw you about to land your last attack and how your hoof ignited on fire. I think it's time we had "The Talk." Royal Blaze said.

"What do you mean "The Talk" dad?" Eternal asked

"Listen carefully son, because this is extremely important...The fire that randomly appeared on your hoof was no accident. You've awoken your hidden Rogue powers. But you must understand that what you do with these powers is up for you to decide. If you choose to use it for your own selfish desires, then it'll become nothing more than brutal violence. But if you choose to use help others, and only when it's absolutely necessary, then even the most dangerous technique you'll possess in the future can be honorable. You must look deep within you and ask yourself this: Do you want to bring pain and suffering to others?" Royal Blaze says.

"No, of course not, dad. Even now, I still regret what I did." Eternal says with a sad look on his face.

"Then you have nothing to fear for your powers. It's not the technique or your powers that harms others, it's the desire of one's heart to do so, my son." Royal Blaze explains.

"I understand. But how do you know about this stuff, dad?" Eternal asks.

"Because I went through the same kind of phase when I was your age. Just like you, I got into fights myself. A lot of fights. Speaking of fights, I've thought about your punishment. But instead of grounding you, you're going to spend one week training with your teacher's husband who happens to be "Panja." After your week is done, you can choose to either quit training with him, or keep going until the day when you're old enough to start your journey." Royal Blaze says.

"Alright dad. I'll take my punishment like a REAL prince." Eternal says standing up with a face of determination, which in turn made his father give a little chuckle.

"That's my boy." Royal Blaze said, patting his son on the back. "Now go get cleaned up, it's almost dinner time. Once dinner is done I want you to do your homework and head straight to bed." Royal Blaze said.

Eternal soon got himself cleaned up and headed for the dinner table where he saw his adopted brother, Shadow Force. They started conversing with each other about what they did today. Shadow got a few laughs when he heard that Eternal had a fight with some other colt who was picking on one of the fillies. Eternal wasn't feeling all too happy about the idea knowing that he almost killed somepony. Eventually his brothers and his dad had arrived to the dinner table and started eating their dinner. After 10 minutes of eating, Eternal went back to his room to do his homework. While he was studying, he made a promise to himself that he would never hurt anypony unless it was an absolute emergency and he also promised himself that he'd learn everything his teacher has to offer. Since then, he had became a dedicated student and a respectable prince.

The day after school ended, Royal Blaze escorted his son to where Panja was, which was west from his school. It took them 7 minutes to reach Panja's place which was a wide open grassy plain and at the corner of his eye was a cave, and coming out of the cave was a white lion and a his white lion cub. Panja immediately saw Royal Blaze and ran towards him giving him a friendly headbutt while Royal Blaze did the same with his old friend.

"Looks like you haven't lost your edge there, ey champ?" Panja said before he chuckled.

"I see you've been keeping yourself in shape. You look just as tough as when I last saw you." Royal Blaze said. "Hey listen, I have a brand new student for you that you might find rather interesting."

"Oh? And who might you be referring to?" Panja asked

Without saying a word, Royal Blaze took a step to the left revealing his son, Eternal Flames who walked up to Panja proudly but without smiling as he felt it would insult him.

"I am Eternal Flames, it's an honor to meet you, Master Panja." Eternal says with a bow.

"There's no need to call me "Master" just yet, kid." Panja says reassuringly. "What's the occasion for wanting to train your son? You do realize that my training methods can be a bit...extreme." he says looking back at Royal Blaze.

Royal Blaze walked up to him and whispered in his ear about what happened yesterday. Immediately, Panja had made up his mind and he grew a stern look on his face. Royal Blaze told Eternal to listen to Panja while Royal Blaze went to pick up his brothers. Eternal nodded.

"Alright young man, listen up. For a whole week, you will refer to me as "Master Panja." I've recieved word from your father that you seem to like fighting a lot. Am I right or wrong?" Panja said circling around the young colt.

"You are right, Master Panja." Eternal said

"SPEAK UP!" Panja shouted almost in a roar.

"YES, MASTER PANJA!" Eternal shouted

"Good. Now since this is the first say, we'll have you start by doing at least 50 push-ups." Panja said. "Now stretch your hinde legs back as far as you can but don't spread them apart. At the same time, get down on the ground and push yourself up. I say this just in case you don't know what push-ups are."

"YES, MASTER PANJA!" Eternal shouts.

Eternal then gets down on the ground and starts pushing himself up and carefully back down. At midway, he's already exhausted but he kept on pushing himself. He didn't care of the difficulties that he was facing. Finally he finished his set of push-ups and stood up with his front hooves shaking from fatigue.

"Not bad on your first try, for a rookie. Now I want you to run over to that boulder there 5 times. After that, we'll start with 50 sit-ups and then after that, you'll have your first spar. Do I make myself clear?" Panja says as he inches a bit close to Eternal's face.

"YES MASTER PANJA!" Eternal shouts. He then dashes towards the boulder which took him 30 seconds to reach, and then back to Panja. As he was repeating this process, his legs start to weaken by the time he was in the middle of his 4th lap. He could feel the pain running throughout his entire body. But even still, he kept pushing himself. After he finished his 5 laps, he fell flat on his back.

"Ah, eager to start your sit-ups, aren't ya? Well then by all mean." Panja said as he placed his front paw on both of Eternal's hinde legs pinning them down. "Now start your 50 sit-ups."

"YES, MASTER PANJA" Eternal said panting.

Eternal started out fast with his first 20 sit-ups, he was already familiar with the sit-ups since he saw his dad do it tons of times. Eternal's pace began to get slower since he used up too much energy from his other exercises.

"What are you doing, come on, FASTER" Panja said

"YES MASTER PANJA!" grunted Eternal

Finally Eternal had finished his 50 sets and collapsed on the ground with no strength left in his arsenal.

"Very well done, young man, now take a 10 minute break while I get you something to eat." Panja said walking towards the cave. Eternal just laid on the ground still exhausted from the excercise. He felt like his body was limp. Then at the corner of his eye, he saw a white lion cub running around the grassy plains, not even braking a sweat. Eternal felt like weak and envious of the young cub. Panja soon returned with a bowl of salad. Eternal saw Panja coming and he was a bit confused, when do lions eat vegetables? Eternal sat up, still shaking while Panja gave him the bowl of salad. "Eat up, young man, you've got 5 minutes left. Eat as much as you can."

"Thank you, Master Panja." says Eternal with a smile. He didn't waste any time and guzzled on his snack. To Panja's surprise, he wasn't sure if Eternal would eat his veggies like how most other fillies and colt didn't want to. But this brought a smile onto Panja knowing that he was training a student who was so dedicated to his training. Eternal then finished up his salad and gave the empty bowl to Panja.

"Maybe next time I'll get you a bigger bowl. But why don't you just rest for the next 2 minutes." Panja says with a smile.

"Ok, Master." Eternal said smiling back

Eternal lied down and rested up for the remainder of his break. However, it didn't feel like it was 2 minutes. It felt like 2 hours. His body began to relax bit by bit until finally he was well rested up and ready to go. Panja had finally returned, this time, with the white lion cub standing right next to him.

"Eternal Flames, meet my son, Leo. He's the same age as you and he's been in combat training for 2 years. He'll be your sparring partner from now on. Oh, and just so you're not lost, sparring means "practice fighting." Panja explains.

"Hi, pleased to meet you." Leo says to Eternal

"Hi, Leo." Eternal replies back

"Ok, now that introductions are out of the way, follow me you two." Panja says.

Panja escorts the boys over to the top of the cave where they'll be sparring after their daily exercise. Panja signals the boys to face each other and they do so. All too quickly, both Leo and Eternal looked at each other with not smiles, but determined angry faces.

"Alright, boys. Prepare yourselves. But first, Leo, go easy on him, he just recently joined." Panja says to his son.

"Got it dad." Leo replies, never braking eye contact with Eternal.

"Alright.....BEGIN!" Panja shouts

Without a seconds thought, Eternal charges straight forward while Leo just stood there not moving a muscle. As soon as Eternal lunged himself at Leo, the young cub stepped to the side at the last minute without even flinching, causing Eternal to land face first on the floor. But he got back up and turned towards Leo, charging straight at him and started throwing punches and kicks. Leo on the other hand kept dodging each and every attack until Eternal landed a lucky shot in his face. Leo almost loses his balance but keeps standing. Leo then becomes frustrated and attacks Eternal without warning. The two boy battle it out with Leo dominating over the young colt. But Leo made sure not to use his claws on Eternal. Realizing it was getting out of hoof, Panja stepped in.

"HEY, HEY! Break it up you two. This is a sparring match, not an all-out battle royale." Panja exclaims, pushing the boys apart from each other while they continue panting. Finally, Leo calmed down.

"Sorry, dad. He just got a lucky hit, and I lost control of myself, that's all." Leo explains

"Alright. Ok, since this is the first day, I think we should call it a day. Today was light but tomorrows another story." Panja says to Eternal who was finally calmed down.

"Hey, Panja! I'm back." Royal Blaze shouts from the bottom near the cave entrance. Panja grabs Eternal and places him on his back and walked towards the edge and jumped down on each rock one by one until he reached the bottom.

"Very well then. I have your son here with me. He's got plenty of heart. I'll be looking forward to seeing him tomorrow after he gets off of school, my friend." Panja says.

"Thank you, Panja. Come on Eternal, let's go. It's dinnertime. Your brothers are waiting." Royal Blaze says to Eternal as he jumps off of the big white lion's back.

"Okay dad." Eternal says.

Back in the present day

"Since then, I've been training with Master Panja, even though my punishment ended at the end of the week. I was so fixated on beating Leo and probably surpassing Master Panja. Although, I never did have the chance to do either. But hey, I can't win 'em all." Eternal explains to Princess Celestia.

"That's quite an interesting story. You know, you've made me and your father so proud of you. The fact that you dedicated you life to learning everything in school and wanted to keep training makes me feel happy." Celestia says with a warm smile.

"Thanks, mom. It means a lot to me knowning that I've made you happy." Eternal says hugging his mom.

"You're welcome my son." Celestia says hugging him back. "Well I have to get back to Canterlot, I've got a lot of work to do. I'll stop by next week for another one of your stories." She then lets go and walks out the door and flies off to Canterlot.

"Heh, ok mom." Eternal says before closing the door.

Tidal Wave or Spike?

Tidal Wave had been given a paid week vacation after treating several ponies who were in terrible condition. One of them was Big Mac, who had got a concussion from one of the tree branches falling onto his head. During his time at the hospital, Tidal Wave started to develop feelings towards one of the nurses. Specifically, the nurse with the white fur coat, and pink mane which was in a bun. Tidal Wave didn't really know it at the time, but he soon realized he had fallen head over heals in love with the mare.

During his vacation, he was just sitting on a bench, reading one of his medical books. As he was reading, Spiked had bumped into him without either of them paying attention.

"Oh my. Are you ok, Spike?" Tidal asked

"Yeah...yeah, I...I'm fine." Spike replied with is head hung low.

"You sure? You seem rather upset. Here, why don't you sit down and we'll talk about it. Stallion to dragon."

"Um...I guess." Spike then takes a seat on the bench.

"Now what seems to be troubling you? You're not your usual cheerful self."

"Well...it's Rarity."

"I see. What is it about her that's troubling you, my dear friend?"

"I've had a crush on her since I first met her. But unfortunately, she's got those same feelings, but towards you."

"Wait, she what? Oh, now I see the trouble. You're upset because she doesn't have the same feelings towards you."

"Yeah" Spike looked down.

"Well, I think it's safe to say tell you that I don't exactly see her the same way. I mean, you said you've loved her since you first met her, so obviously you deserve to be her special somepony."

"Yeah, but what can I do?"

"Well for one thing I'll talk things over with her. Then I'll try to help get you two together. Besides, I've already had my eyes on somepony else I met in the hospital."

"Really? Who is it?"

"Nurse Red Heart, of course."

"WHAT?! But you're too young for her!"

"Nonsense, I'm 22 years old. I'm old enough to date her. But before I do that. First I'm going to help unite you with your, how shall I put it, "Diamond in the Rough."

"Really?" Spike asks. Tidal Wave gives a simple nod. "Gee, thanks, Tidal Wave!" Spike shakes Tidal Waves hoof with his claws.

Spike and Tidal Wave soon made their way towards Carousel Boutique where they found Rarity making a dazzling purple dress and Spark Wave just running around getting the right tools for Rarity to use. Spike just stood there wide eyed at how busy they are.

"Boy he just doesn't even WANT to stop yet his body tells him he has to. I feel sorry for him." Spike says

"Yes, but Spark Wave has been in much more difficult situations than this." Tidal Wave replies to Spike.

Rarity soon sees the young dragon and the "stallion of her dreams." She waves over at them and they wave back. Rarity continues to work on her dresses.

"So what brings you both here, darlings. Did you need me to patch up your suit? I can try to squeeze in an appointment but the orders are just stockpiling up these days. I might actually be booked for the rest of the month." Rarity says

"Actually, Rarity. I was hoping we could talk after you're done making your dresses." Tidal Wave says.

"Is that it? Ok sure darling. Come by around 8 PM and we'll talk then." Rarity replies, finally done with her purple dress.

"Very well then, Rarity. But can Spike join?" Tidal Wave asks

"I don't know what this is about, but I suppose my little Spikey Wikey can join." Rarity says looking towards Spike with a big smile.

"Excellent, I'll be back by 8 PM. Come along, Spike." Tidal Wave says, walking out the door with Spike next to him.

"Take care, darlings." Rarity replies. The doors soon close and Spike and Tidal Wave had decided to head home.

After Tidal Wave and Spike had a quick bite to eat, they made their way back to the Carousel Boutique.

"Are you sure you can talk her out of her crush she has on you?" Spike asks Tidal Wave

"Well, I am going to give it my best. But rest assured, my friend, I am going to be truthful towards her. Just have faith, cross your claws and let me do the talking." Tidal Wave says before knocking on the door.

"Come in darling." Rarity says in a sing-songy tone.

Both Tidal and Spike walk and to see Rarity walking out of the kitchen wiping her mouth clean with a napkin. Obviously she had finished her dinner as well.

"How about we go into the kitchen and talk. I even finished cleaning up the table." Rarity says.

"Ok sure, come along Spike." Tidal Wave says. The three of them take their seats on the table. Rarity at the front with Spike and Tidal on each side of her.

"So darling, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Rarity asks, turning to Tidal.

"Well, Rarity, I'm going to be honest with you. You're a unique and generous pony. You even possess all the qualities of the perfect bride." Tidal Wave explains.

"Oh, darling, thank you. I must say that for a young stallion such as yourself, you possess the qualities of the perfect groom." Rarity says blinking twice at Tidal.

"Yes, well here's the thing. Rarity, I love you...but...only as a sister. I've already had a crush on somepony else. I met her in the hospital and I plan on asking her out." Tidal Wave explained. After hearing that, Rarity felt her heart sank.

"W-what? I...I don't understand."

"Rarity, you must understand this. Are you aware that Spike has had his eye on you since he first met you? He's known you way longer than me and my friends put together. If you're looking for a special somepony, then you can stop searching because he's sitting over there." Tidal Wave says, gesturing to Spike from across the table.

"Tidal Wave, darling. I know that Spike has had these feelings towards me, but he's only like a little brother to me." Rarity says, making Spike feel HIS heart drop as well.

"Is that how you truly feel, Rarity? Because, to be honest, I think there's more to it than meets the eye. I say you should give Spike a chance and let him show you he'll make a wonderful groom. Maybe even better than me." Tidal Wave says

"B-but I..." Rarity gets cut off.

"Please Rarity. He loves you. He worships the ground YOU walk on." Tidal Wave explains.

Rarity then turned to Spike who was looking at her. She stares at him for a while and then extends her hoof at him.

"Oh, Spikey-poo. I just don't know what to think anymore." Rarity explains.

"Look, Rarity. I love you. But if you don't want to, I understand. Because to me, what matters is your happiness. I realized this over time when I first fell in love with you." Spike said staring straight into Rarity's eyes, holding Rarity's hoof.

The moment she heard those words, her heart felt like it had taken off. But she couldn't make up her mind on who she should be with: The stallion who had a natural gift for saving lives, or the dragon who's known and had a crush on her since the day he met her. Finally, after waiting for 5 minutes. Rarity finally made up her mind.

"Well, Spike... if I'm going to be honest with you...I...I guess I've been keeping my true feelings about you bottled up. So now, I only have one question for you, Spikey." Rarity says making Spike nod. "Spikey, will you be my special somepony?"

Hearing this made Tidal Wave smile. Without answering, Spike hugged his new marefriend, and Rarity did the same with her new coltfriend and this made Tidal Wave sigh in relief knowing that Spike and Rarity had finally gotten together.

"Well, since you're both busy. I'll just be on my way back to the apartment. Congradulations, you two." Tidal Wave says walking out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

"Tidal, wait!" Spike shouted from the kitchen, making Tidal Wave stop. He turns around quickly to see Spike running towards him and stop right in front of him. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for me."

"Oh think nothing of it. After all, you're like a little brother to me as well. Now why don't you go back to your marefriend. It's never a good idea to keep a lady waiting." Tidal Wave says before giving Spike a pat on the head.

"Okay. Thanks for everything!" Spike says going back to Rarity. Tidal Wave walked out of the Boutique and straight back home. He opens the door to see Spark Wave and Ground Dasher going at it again.

"You're gonna regret the day you EVER called me a glutton!" Ground Dasher said, with his entire hoof around Spark Wave's neck.

"Then how come you're not finishing me off, glutton?" Spark Wave says in a choking tone.

'Oh dear, not this again.' Tidal Wave thought to himself.

Fluttering in the Wind

Hurricane Blitz was on his lunch break at the hayburger joint, sitting at a table, thinking about how to set the mood right for when he'd confess his love to Fluttershy. However, it was hard for him to think straight with his heart pounding fast and Twilight once again stuffing her cute face with hayburgers. This made him chuckle seeing as how Twilight enjoyed the burgers he made. Hurricane then hatched a plan where he'd invite Fluttershy over for a romantic dinner. But he realized it was a bad idea, seeing as how much his friends fight all the time. He thought of having a picnic with her, but with the way Ground Dasher raids the basket all the time, that plan shoots out the window. Finally, his lunch break was over and he headed back into the kitchen to start cooking up more hayburgers.

After his shift was over, he decided to head home, trying to figure out how he can confess his love to Fluttershy. While he's walking home, he gets all frustrated and then decides to grab a leaf from a tree and sat underneath. He placed the leaf over his mouth and began playing it like it was actually an instrument. He remembered how his grandmother taught him how to play the leaf whistle, and how it helped him relax and clear his mind.

He kept playing his relaxing and soothing tune, which caused some birds to flock towards him, along with a couple of other animals: squirrels, mice, ground hogs, and a rabbit, specifically, Fluttershy's rabbit: Angel Bunny. He didn't notice him at first because his eyes were closed as he was playing the leaf whistle. Pretty soon he heard the sounds of galloping growing louder as he kept on playing. After finally finishing his little song on the leaf whistle, he opened his eyes to see Fluttershy standing in front of him with that adorable smile on her face. This made Hurricane blush as he put the leaf down.

"Oh...uh...hi Fluttershy. What brings you here?" Hurricane asks with sweat running down his forhead

"I couldn't help but hear your wonderful music. What kind of instrument were you using?" she asked.

"Well, it was this." Hurricane replies, showing her the leaf he used to play the soothing music.

"A leaf? But how is that even possible? Where'd you learn how to play it and who taught you?" Fluttershy asks, as she walks towards Hurricane and sits next to him.

"It was my grandmother. She taught me how to play it before she died about a year ago." Hurricane says, looking directly at Fluttershy's beautiful teal eyes.

"Oh. I'm sorry you lost your grandmother. I bet she's still proud of you though."

"Yeah. I miss her so much." Hurricane says looking at the afternoon sky. Then he starts getting an idea on how he can confess to Fluttershy how he really feels about her. "Say, Fluttershy. I noticed that you care for a lot of animals. Even the ones that are predators. Is this one of your special talents?"

"W-why yes. I just feel so broken-hearted seeing them in so much pain. But seeing their smiles and the happiness in their eyes after all the caring makes my efforts all the more satisfying."

"Well...I never told you this, Fluttershy. But when I lived in Rogue Mountain, my family owns a zoo, which I felt was more of a playground to me when I was young. But as I grew up, I started feeling attached to all the animals like they were my family."

"Really? I didn't know that. I wish I could see them just once. But I don't know where Rogue Mountain is at. Do you think there's any way I could at least visit your hometown?"

"Well, it's not exactly open to outsiders and to make things even more stressful, it's a 5 days walk. If it were closer and they allowed guests over there, then I'd take you there almost every day."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me, though." Fluttershy says.

Hurricane gives her a reassuring smile and places his hoof over her shoulder. Fluttershy gasps at his actions, making him pull his hoof away. "I-I-I'm sorry about that, Fluttershy! ...I-I didn't mean to startle you!" he says all worried.

"No, no, it's alright. Could you warn me next time?" Fluttershy asks looking down covering her blushing face.

"Ok, I will." Hurricane says, blushing as hard as Fluttershy. Hurricane then felt like it was time to tell her his true feelings. This was it, the moment of truth. It's now, or never. "Um...hey, Fluttershy?"

"Y-yes? What is it?" she asks, still blushing

"Um...t-there's been something I've been meaning to...to tell ya." Hurricane says, hiding his blushing face under his bangs.

"Oh...ok."

"I...I kind of have a..." Hurricane stutters. "...a...a crush on you, and...I was hoping if...maybe...we could, you know...go out?" Hurricane asks, bracing himself for her rejection. He keeps his eyes closed tight. After a minute he opens them up to see that Fluttershy was only inches away from his face.

"I...I'd love to." She says, still blushing but with a bright smile on her face. She then lean in and hugged Hurricane, making him hug her back ever so gently. Pretty soon they lock their lips together. Hurricane had finally found the courage to confess to Fluttershy and in return, she agreed to be his marefriend. They soon break the kiss and stare into each others eyes.

"So...what time do you want to go out?" Hurricane asks her.

"Well...how about tomorrow in the evening, we can have tea and a nice tasty dinner." Fluttershy says.

"Okay then. I'll make the food. I'll see you then, Fluttershy." Hurricane says giving her one last hug before heading home. Fluttershy waved at him and she slowly began to blush once again.

'Thank you so much, Hurricane Blitz.' She says in her thoughts. Soon she heads back to her cottage as she remembered that a grizzly bear was in need of a massage to relax it's stiff neck and back.

Hurricane arrived back home to tell his friends the news, only to see that Ground Dasher and Spark Wave, to his surprise, playing yet another game of poker but they aren't fighting this time. Eternal Flames sees Hurricane and walks up to him.

"Hey, welcome back, buddy. I just finished making dinner. Go ahead and take a seat, I'll serve you a plate." Eternal says

"Ok, but um... I need to tell you something." Hurricane says, making Eternal turn towards him.

"Okay then. What is it?"

"Do you remember how I told you that I had a crush on Fluttershy?"

"Let me guess, you asked her out."

"Yeah."

"Well, what did she say?"

"She actually said "Yes"

"Then I'm proud to hear that. Just be sure to take care of her. Although with how you take care of animals, I think you and her will make an excellent pair, buddy." Eternal says with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Eternal. What about you? Are you gonna see Sunset Shimmer again?" Hurricane asks.

"I don't know if I ever will. But I still love her." Eternal says, before he walks over to the window to look at the setting sun. "If I do, I might have to.....move out on my own."

"OH YEAH!!! A ROYAL FLUSH!!!" Ground Dasher shouts, flashing the cards onto the tables. "OH YES!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2 YEARS, I FINALLY WON A POKER GAME!!!!!" As he was celebrating his little victory, Spark Wave was shaking his head left and right.

"Well, since you've won, I'm going out for some fresh air." Spark Wave said, getting out of his chair. He walked towards the door only to get stopped by Eternal's voice.

"Don't be out for too long, mother is already lowering the sun. It's going to be a while before aunt Luna is going raises the moon, too, so try to make it back before it gets too dark." Eternal says, sitting down at the dining room table.

"I'll try to make it back early, "chief." Spark Wave says before disappearing behind the door.

"Ugh, I hate it when he calls me that." Eternal says with a face hoof. "Just because I'm a prince, doesn't mean I can be called by one of my blasted titles such as "chief" or "honorable prince", sheesh!"

"He never called you that other name, Eternal." Hurricane says before grabbing his plate of food and taking a seat.

"Yeah, I know, but still, I have to try to make my point across." Eternal replies.

It took Spark Wave a few minutes to reach the river. He walked towards the bridge that extended over the river and leaned towards the rails, watching the ripples. While he was watching it, he started drifting off in his mind, thinking about his parents and wondering how they're doing back at the Rogue kingdom. He knows that he made a tough decision to leave his homeland, but he knows his parents wanted him to be happy and live a life of his own. He's then interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He turns around quick to see Shadow Force.

"What brings you here, buddy?" Shadow asks.

"Oh, nothing much, just thinking about my parents." Spark Wave replies.

"I wish I could relate." Shadow says. "You're very lucky you had parents."

"You know, Shadow. You should consider yourself lucky as well." Spark Wave says. "In your case, family is about who you love, not just about who brought you into this world. With the love and support of your foster family, a ROYAL family at that, you're actually a pretty lucky stallion knowing they gave you a second chance."

"Yeah, you do have a point there, and I'm grateful for everything Royal Blaze and his sons did for me." Shadow says, stepping towards the rails and leaned onto it, staring at the river.

"You know, I'm also envious of you. You even won the heart of those two mares, Lyra and Bon Bon. But when it comes to comitted relationships, you know those two are inseperable." Spark Wave says, elbowing Shadow Force.

"Yeah, but going out with them isn't exactly going to be easy. Then again, no relationship is easy." Shadow says.

"Don't you think you boys should get to bed? It's almost dark out here." says a female voice.

This startles the boys and they turn around to see Princess Luna.

"PRINCESS!" the guys shout in unison.

The Shadows of a Dark Past

Back at Canterlot, in Celestia's castle, she and her husband, Royal Blaze, had finished up their work in Celestia's chambers. Celestia went out to the balcony to lower the sun few inches more. She is then confronted by her sister, Luna. Celestia noticed that Luna had an uneasy expression on her face where a past memory had hit her.

"My dear sister, what seems to be troubling you?" Celestia asks, all concerned.

"I just remembered.....a memory of....HIM!" Luna said, all shaky.

"What do you mean "Him?" Celestia asks.

"My first...husband...Dark Void." Luna says, closing her eyes tightly.

Surprisingly, Celestia knew who Luna was talking about.

"I think i understand now, sister. But I think you should explain it all to your son. He's in Ponyville after all." Celestia says

"I suppose..."

"But remember that you still have to raise the moon since I have to lower the sun."

"I know, sister."

2 hours later

Luna had arrived at Ponyville to discover Shadow Force and Spark Wave talking about their lives. Luna decided to drop in on them and took them by surprise.

"PRINCESS!" the stallions shouted.

"Relax, boys, there's no need to get all excited. I just wanted to talk to one of you. If it does get too dark, I'll escort you back home...is that alright, Shadow Force?" Luna asks.

"Oh, I see. Very well then. I'll leave you two alone. Take care." Spark Wave says before jogging back to the house.

"Now, Shadow, I want to tell you something that's really important." Luna says. "You might not know this, but I happen to know a few things about your parents."

"Wait what?" Shadow asks, trying to confirm what Luna just said. "Did you just say you know about my parents? Well, I don't see a reason why I shouldn't hear you out, Princess. Go ahead and tell me."

"Very well then." Luna says. "Now, you see, your grandfather, King Sombra, once had a son who once fought against him. His son's name was Dark Void, a former prince of darkness. I met him when he had finally became an adult. He wanted to put a stop to his father. My sister and I had already banished Sombra to Tartarus. Later on, I got banished to the moon, alongside with Dark Void, mostly because my sister couldn't take a chance on him, but for me, I was blinded by jealousy."

"Wait a second, what does this have to do with my parents?" Shadow asks.

"Allow me to explain. You see, I was Nightmare Moon when I was banished to the moon along with Dark Void. Because he was against the thought of me having MY revenge against Celestia. Eventually, I took a liking to Dark Void, but he never felt the same way. It wasn't until we fought so many times, and of course I lost count, that we...bonded. Eventually, he brought out my good side and we...bonded. But it was all shot downhill because Sombra had been sent to the moon after he escaped Tartarus. Dark Void and I fought against Sombra as he tried to destroy the moon. We fought with all we had until Sombra caught me off guard. I thought he was going to finish me off, but Dark Void...he...he just jumped in the line of fire. I lost control and took out Sombra sending him back to Tartarus. I triumphed over Sombra, but the sad part about it was...I tried to save Dark Void. I used every ounce of magic to trying to save his life...but...it was too late." Luna then broke out in tears.

"I...I..." Shadow said all shocked.

"11 months later, I had my child. A child who looked just like his father and grandfather. Celestia paid a visit to see me. I told her to take my son somewhere safe where he wouldn't have to live a life of neglect. It was my last request before I lost myself to my dark side yet again, my dark side known as Nightmare Moon. Today, I stand right in front of the grandson of Sombra...and the son of Dark Void." Luna says, looking at Shadow Force, who was wide eyed and shocked.

"Y-you mean, all this time?!" Shadow asked.

"Yes...my son. I'm your mother. I'm so sorry!" Luna says, walking towards Shadow, wrapping her hooves around her son.

"M...Mother..." Shadow said, getting all choked up and teary eyed. Shadow then returned Luna's hug with a hug of his own. "I understand, mother, you did what you had to do to help keep me safe. I don't blame you. I'm just glad I finally know the truth."

"I'm so relieved." Luna responds, holding her son close. "I know it's getting late, but can I take you out to dinner? I want to be able to hear all about your adventures when you grew up with my nephews and my brother-in-law."

"I don't mind at all. I think I have plenty of bits leftover from my family therapy sessions." Shadow says.

"Oh no, allow me to treat you instead." Luna says.

"Are you sure? Because I don't mind paying." Shadow replies.

"I insist, son. It's the least I can do after all that's happened." Luna says.

"Alright then. Let's go." Shadow says.

Luna and Shadow headed to a nice, but not too expensive restaurant. At first, many of the customers and workers were surprised to see that Princess Luna would be having dinner at Cafe Hay, and with a "special guest" at that. Luna and Shadow Force took their seats outside enjoying the rising of the moon and the setting of the sun. They each placed their orders and while they were waiting, Luna asked Shadow what his childhood was like when he was taken in by Royal Blaze.

"Well, you see mom." Shadow explains. "When I was growing up, Royal Blaze enrolled me into the same elementary school Eternal Flames went to and at first, I wasn't exactly too popular. Apparently, my grandfather's name AND his reputation spreaded all over the Rogue kingdom and I was always sawn as a menace and somtimes the kids would call me names like "Evil Grandson of Sombra" or "Shady Grandson" and stuff like that."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry you went through that." Luna says, placing her hoof over Shadow's.

"Yeah, but during the whole bullying thing, there was only one colt who stood up FOR me." Shadow explains. "And that was Eternal Flames when he was always aggressive." he'd chuckle. "He'd make threats towards those bullies saying if they ever crossed him OR me again, he'd roast them alive. He was always rough around the edges, but deep down, he truly cared about me."

"I'm happy to hear that. There's nothing that makes me more happier than knowing that my own son had at least one friend who stood by him to the end." Luna says.

"Thanks. But it wasn't always sunshine and daisies back at the Rogue kingdom. Every day, I'd always train with Eternal Flames in combat and every time we trained, he'd dominate over me sometimes, and I'd dominate over him sometimes. Believe me, it was for a good cause because we had recent invasions when we were 8 until we were almost 18. The invaders ranged from measily Changelings, but that was only a one time thing. But there was non-stop invasions from dragons, and of course we had one fight with the evil tyrant, Tirek. We triumphed over them all, but it left some of the citizens homeless, and it left Eternal Flames emotionally scarred."

"Why would the dragons attack so much?" Luna asked.

"They wanted to destroy our kingdom and enslave us and use our powers to their advantage to expand their own kingdom. But finally they stopped attacking for some reason."

"It was because of Spike. He won this tournament and passed on the title of Dragon Emperor to the new Dragon Empress, Ember, who has now stopped these attacks." Luna explains.

"If I do see Spike again, I should thank him. He really saved our flanks." Shadow says with a smile.

"Your food." The waiter said, placing both plates on the table towards Luna and Shadow. They're meals were a daisy and daffodil sandwich for Luna and some hay fries for Shadow Force.

After 15 minutes of eating, Luna escorted Shadow back home with his friends at the apartment complex. Before she left, she gave Shadow one last hug and a peck on the cheek. Finally, Luna flew back to Canterlot and continued her job raising the moon. Shadow went inside the house exhausted and happy. He finally knew the truth about his mother and father. He might have lost his father, but he still had a mother who loves him to this day...and she's a beautiful princess at that. Shadow was now happier than ever.

Burning Love in the Sparkling Night

It was beautiful morning in the town of Ponyville and Twilight had arrived at the Quills and Sofas shop to pick up a few more quills since Spike accidentally lost some. As she was walking out of the shop with her quills, she notices the stallion with light yellow fur, orange mane, and magenta eyes, Heat Wave, Celestia's youngest son, who was sitting on a bench near the fountain. She sees him reading a book about Ponyville's history. From what Twilight could tell...Heat Wave was liking what he was learning about. Twilight couldn't help but walk over to him and sat next to him without him noticing him until she spoke.

"Catching up on some history, I see." Twilight says, making Heat Wave jump.

"YIPE!" Heat Wave shouted.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's alright. I know you didn't mean it."

"So Heat Wave, do you like reading books?"

"Uh...yeah I do."

"Really? I thought you were more of a fighter like your brothers."

"Well, actually, I'm against fighting. It just doesn't seem necessary to cause harm to others. Have you ever felt that way?"

"Well, of course, lots of times. But there always came a time when even words alone couldn't reach the villains even me and my friends once fought before, but it was for a good cause, especially when it meant saving all of Equestria." Twilight says with a smile. But her smile soon vanishes after she realizes one thing. "Wait...don't you have a job shift?"

"No, I haven't been able to find a decent job around Ponyville since I moved here. Do you know where I can find a job? I don't care what it is, I just need one badly." Heat Wave asks, putting down the book.

"Well...I could let you work at my castle, but I'd have to show you around a few times so you won't get lost." Twilight explains.

"Really?!" Heat Wave asks in excitement.

"Sure, anything to help a frie-" Twilight is then cut off by a surprise hug by Heat Wave. This makes her blush a bit, but then she happily hugs Heat Wave back.

"Thank you, Twilight. I promise to be a great big help to you." Heat Wave says, loosening his grip on his lavender friend.

"Anytime, Heat Wave. So when do you want to start working?"

"Well, as soon as possible."

"Alright, follow me. We've got lots of stuff to do and the sooner we get it all done, the better." Twilight says.

Heat Wave followed Twilight over to her castle shortly afterwards. When they arrived Twilight had ordered Heat Wave to organize some of the books in the library. Without even a seconds thought, he grabbed a ladder and started going through every bookshelf, checking if all the right books were shelved in their proper place. The work was difficult, but Heat Wave knew he'd try his very hardest for the pony who stole his heart, Twilight Sparkle. Ever since he and his friends moved into Ponyville, he took a liking to the Princess of Friendship, mostly because of her love for books and reading. There was something about bookworms like Twilight that Heat Wave thought was cute about her.

Heat Wave was already halfway done with his assignment as he was organizing the bookshelves. Twilight checked on Heat Wave to see if he was doing alright. Twilight checked the bookshelves one by one and noticed that they were all organized perfectly. Twilight was surprised at how well Heat Wave was doing on the first day. Heat Wave noticed Twilight as he was climbing down the ladder.

"Hiya, Twilight. Looking for a book?" he asks.

"No, I just came to see how you're doing, and from the looks of things, I'd say you're doing pretty good. But how did you know which shelves some of the books belonged in anyways?" she asks.

"Well, at first it was just instincts, but when I looked at the titles and the authors of each book, I started to figure it all out. I'm almost done with organizing the books."

"Well I'm glad to hear that." Twilight says with a smile, making Heat Wave blush. If there was anything that could make him go out of focus, it was the beautifully cute smile on Twilight. Twlight noticed him blushing and got a bit closer wondering why. "Wait, why are you blushing all of a sudden, Heat Wave?" she asks.

"I...uh..." Heat Wave says, trying to find the words to speak. But he was blushing more and more as he stared into Twilight's beautiful sparkling lavender eyes. It wasn't long until Twilight finally caught up to why Heat Wave was blushing.

"Wait...do you like me?" Twilight asks. This makes Heat Wave's entire face turn crimson. Apparently, Heat Wave's secret had been exposed and there was no way to hide it anymore.

" *sigh* yes...I kind of had a thing for you ever since I moved here with the guys. The way you care about your friends and the ponies around you, coupled with the fact that you're a...cute bookworm...there was just no way to NOT like you...I know I'm probably not your type but please try to understand that I do like you." Heat Wave explains, looking down waiting for the rejection. His face is then lifted up by Twilight's hoof as he sees her with a tear in her eye and a smile across her face.

"I've never known anypony who had these feelings towards me. I'm glad you told me, Heat Wave...because to tell you the truth...I actually sort of like you a little bit as well." Twilight says, blushing slightly. She then pulls in Heat Wave for a great big hug. This made Heat Wave happy as he gave her a hug back. After about a minute of their hugfest, they brake apart, and Twilight let Heat Wave resumed his work organizing the books on the shelves.

The job lasted a whole hour and a half until Twilight led Heat Wave to the room where the Map of Equestria was. Twilight asked Heat Wave to wash up the windows, which Heat Wave agreed to do. He then sprinted towards the windows at blazing speed and jumped at the exact height of the windows. Twilight then headed back to the library only to return with a few books (Which was either 15 or 20.) Heat Wave was working at a breakneck pace scrubbing every nook and cranny on each window making them all sparkly clean. The job lasted a good hour and 20 minutes to complete.

Seeing as how it was the first day, Twilight decided let Heat Wave go home early. She lead him outside until she stopped him near the front door and turned him around.

"What is it, Twilight? Did I forget something?" Heat Wave asks.

"Yeah...there's still one thing left I need you to do before you leave." Twilight says

"Okay then, what did you nee-" Heat Wave is then cut off by Twilight who presses her lips against his. It lasts for a good whole minute until she finally pulls back from the kiss.

"That's what you forgot. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, and thanks again." Twilight says, before she turns around and closes the door.

Heat Wave was still standing motionless after he felt Twilight's lips against his own. Finally, he snaps out of it and decides to head back home knowing that his brother is probably worried about him.

He finally reached the house and opened the door to see his brother, Eternal Flames and Tidal Wave playing a game of chess, Hurricane Blitz was in the kitchen cooking up a full coarse meal for the guys, Shadow Force and Ground Dasher were sleeping on the couch, and finally Spark Wave was busy counting his own life savings before putting it in the safe and sealing it up.

"Heat Wave, where have you been?" Eternal asks before turning back to the chess board. "Checkmate."

"Oh blast it all. Looks like you win this time." Tidal Wave says, shaking Eternal's hoof.

"I was over at Twilight's house, she gave me a job helping her out around the castle." Heat Wave says,

"Ah, I see. Good for you, bro." Eternal says. "Keep up the good work and maybe you might end up living on your own...or maybe live with a special somepony in the future."

"Well...I dunno about that..." Heat Wave says, looking down all shy.

"Hey, no need to be so modest or embarrassed. You're shaping up to be a fine young full grown stallion." Eternal says, patting his brother on the back gently.

"I guess...but I should tell you tha-"

"Alright guys, the food's done. Come and get it" Hurricane shouts from the kitchen, cutting off Heat Wave's words. Pretty soon, Ground Dasher's ears fly upwards to the sound of the word "food" and leaps off the couch.

"ALRIGHT!!!" Ground Dasher shouts.

"Easy there, big guy." Spark Wave says.

"What were you saying, Heat Wave?" Eternal asks.

"Um...how about I just tell you AFTER we get done eating." Heat Wave asks.

"Alright then." Eternal responds.

As usual, Ground Dasher had wolfed down most of the food, but luckily, the others were able to eat their fill. Shortly after the guys had finished eating and Hurricane washed the dishes, there was a knock on the front door.

"Who could that be?" Shadow Force asked.

"I don't know, I'll go check." Eternal said walking towards the door. He opens the door and sees the one and only lavender alicorn known as Princess Twilight Sparkle. "Well, it's nice to see you again, Twilight. Come on in."

"Thanks, Eternal. But I only came here to see if I could talk to Heat Wave. Is he around?" Twilight asks.

"Yeah, he's over there, at the table. We just finished dinner." Eternal says. He then turns to Heat Wave. "Hey bro, come over here, Twilight wants to talk to you." This made Heat Wave confused. But he decided to go and see what she wanted. Twilight then asked if she and Heat Wave could talk for a minute alone. Eternal then realizes what's up and walks upstairs towards his room. Heat Wave then walked outside and closed the door so that the other guys wouldn't eavesdrop on them.

"Did you need something Twilight?" Heat Wave asked.

"Actually...I was wondering...if you wouldn't mind coming with me to the bridge. There's something I need to tell you that's been bothering me for quite a while now." Twilight replies.

Heat Wave agrees and follows Twilight to the bridge. Upon arriving, the walked towards the middle of the bridge where they're standing directly above the river.

"So what exactly was it you wanted to tell me?" Heat Wave asks. Twilight proceeds to lean against the rails of the bridge.

"Remember how you said you had a thing for me?" Twilight asks.

"Yeah, I remember. Why do you ask?" Heat Wave asks.

"Well you see...you're one of the kindest stallions I've ever met...well next to your brother...but the way you showed your sincere feelings towards me got me thinking." Twilight explains. "Maybe I should consider being in a...relationship. I was too nervous to start at first in the past and too busy with learning the values of friendship. But mostly I was too nervous to start because I wasn't sure if any stallions out there would like me "that way." But with you...I think I'm ready to take my next big step and come out and say this." Twilight then turns to Heat Wave, who also leaned against the rails of the bridge, looking directly at her. "Heat Wave?"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Will you be my very special somepony?" Twilight asks, blushing.

Without saying a word, Heat Wave leaned in and pressed his lips against Twilight, holding her close. Hey eyes flew wide open, but slowly close as she lost herself to her brand new coltfriend. The kiss went on for 30 seconds until Heat Wave pulled away. The two lovestruck ponies looked into each others eyes, smiling at each other.

"I would be honored, Twilight Sparkle." Heat Wave says. Twilight's eyes begin to tear up and she pulls him in for another kiss. It lasts for a good 2 minutes this time until finally they slowly broke free again.

"Thank you so much, Heat Wave. For making me feel like so loved and appreciated." Twilight says.

"Anything for you, Twilight, my love" Heat Wave replies. 'From now on...I'll hold you dear to me. I know we've only just gotten together, but I'm already looking forward to the day when we might actually get married. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you happy...that's a promise, my dear Twilight Sparkle.' Heat Wave says in his thoughts as he kept her close to him in a warm and everlasting hug.

Sparks Fly for a Dashing New Love Life

It seemed different than every other day at Carousel Boutique. Spike and Spark Wave had been helping out Rarity for quite some time and Spark Wave had already knew that Spike and Rarity had started dating. Spark was very happy knowing that Tidal Wave had helped sort out the problems the new couple went through.

"How have things been going so far with you and Rarity?" Spark asks Spike.

"They've been better than ever. I owe it all to you guys for helping me finally get together with my dream mare." Spike says in happiness shaking Spark's hoof.

"It was only Tidal Wave who helped you out. But thanks anyway." Spark says.

"Oh boys, do you think you could fetch me some sapphires and aquamarine silk cloths?" Rarity asks all lady-like.

"Sure thing, my precious jewel." Spike says.

"Alright, coming up." Spark replies.

The work had gone a lot more smoothly with Spike deciding to help out more around the boutique. With the extra stallion and dragon power, the orders were being carried out faster than ever. Finally, around 2 in the afternoon, Spark Wave's shift had ended and he decided to head towards the little lake where he usually sees Rainbow Dash trying to soak up the suns rays. But this time, she wasn't at the pool. Spark Wave then remembered that she had a busy weather schedule today and wouldn't be back until later around 5 PM. Thinking nothing of it, Spark Wave decided to step into the lake. Once he was deep in the lake enough, he let his body float to the surface. He always enjoyed the feeling of letting the water cleansing his body and soul after a hard days work. Because of the water covering his ears, he could only hear the sounds of the watery waves underneath. He gazed up at the sky, admiring the beautiful afternoon sky.

For about 15 minutes of just laying in the water all relaxed, he decides he's going to head on home. He swims over to the edge of the lake and shakes out the water in his ears and proceeds to shake the water off the rest of his body.

"HEY! Watch where you're splashing!" said a female voice.

There was no question on who's voice that was. Spark Wave turned around to see the one and only Rainbow Dash, flying above the river a little bit soaked.

"I thought you had a weather schedule. Are you on brake or something?" Spark asks

"Nah, I had to bring a few clouds over here since it's suppose to rain over here." Rainbow explains.

"I see, well then, I'll just be out of your way, Dashie." Spark Wave says, before he walks away. But Rainbow Dash quickly gets in front of him blocking his path

"Hey whoa there, Sparkster. Where do you think you're going?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Home, why? You're obviously working so I can't bother you." Spark Wave said.

"Okay, but why did you call me "Dashie?" Only Pinkie Pie can call me that." She asks, inching herself closer to Spark with a mischievious grin on her face. "Or did you take a liking to me because of my awesomeness?"

'She doesn't exactly beat around the bush, that's for sure.' Spark thought. "Who's to say?" he says, trying to keep a straight face. He attempts to walk home but Rainbow Dash stops him yet again by grabbing onto his hoof. Immediately, this caused Spark to blush.

"A-HA! I knew it. You DO have a crush on me!" Rainbow Dash says getting into Spark's face.

"i see you don't know when to stop teasing others." Spark says turning his head away in shame.

"Hey, come on. I was just kidding. To tell you the truth, you're pretty cool, even though you look different." Rainbow says.

In all of Spark Wave's life, nopony, other than his friends saw him for who he was on the inside: A strong and wise stallion. Other ponies saw him as a weird and scary stallion because he always looked upset and unhappy. But now, to hear that Rainbow Dash thinks he's "cool" in her book, it made him feel more appreciative about his friends and himself.

"You know Rainbow, you and your friends are actually the first mares to look past my appearence. Thanks." Spark Wave says, smiling towards Rainbow Dash.

"Ah, don't mention it. That's what friends are for." She replies, patting him on the back. "Hey, how about after I'm done, we can hang out at the gazebo at around, oh, I don't know, 5:30 P.M, what do ya say?" She asks.

"Alright then, I don't got any other plans today so I'll be there." Spark said. Soon, to his surprise, Rainbow Dash flew her hooves around Spark and hugged him, making him blush again.

"Sweet, see ya then, Sparkster." She says, before flying back up to the sky where she had a few clouds in place.

To pass the time, Spark Wave headed over to a waterfall and sat directly underneath it. Even though Ponyville seemed like a peaceful place, he had a bad feeling in his gut that danger could attack any minute. As the pressure of the waterfall kept slamming onto him, he slowly lost himself as he began to meditate and concentrate is powers. In his meditative state, he was standing in a dark void until he caught the image of a strange being who looked almost like him, but he was an alicorn and his mane was silver colored and more spikey, but his fur was a darker yellow color that matched the color of his own mane. He attempted to confront this strange alicorn.

"Who are you?" Spark asked.

"I am Lightning Strike." he replies back. "I am the first rogue who earned the powers of the lightning phoenix god. To what business do you have with me?" Lightning asked

"I felt your presence and your immense power, how is it even possible?" Spark asked.

"Because out of all your ancestors, you were chosen to wield my spirit after I became a spiritual deity." Lightning explains. "For you see, my comrads, Silver Ventus, Sheer Cold, Meteor Shower, Dreaded Shadows, and our leader, Pyro Judgement all became deitys and their spirits reside within your friends. Should you need to borrow our powers in the future in case of the dangers that may arise, we shall be ready and waiting when the time is right. For now, I bid you adeu." Lightning Strike then vanished from a sudden lightining bolt and Spark Wave immediately opened his eyes, feeling the pressure of the waterfall slamming onto his body. Spark Wave saw the sun almost setting and immediately sprinted back to Ponyville.

It was 5:15 P.M and Spark Wave had already arrived at the gazebo. Seeing as how he was early, he decided to rest up for a bit. The sounds of the birds chirping and the wind breezing had soothed him so much to the point where he drifted off into a deep sleep. He dreamt that he was in Canterlot dressed up in a black tux and in front of him was his bride, Rainbow Dash. Princess Celestia was helping with Spark and Rainbow say their vows. As they said their vows, he could hear Shining Armor bawling. Spark then leaned to close to kiss Rainbow Dash only to hear a voice call out to him.

"Hey, wake up, Sparkster!" Rainbow said, shaking Spark Wave back and forth. Soon Spark Wave opened his eyes to see the rainbow maned pegasus hovering over him.

"Hiya Rainbow Dash. I guess I knocked out." Spark says, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, you were out like a light." Rainbow chuckled. "If I heard right, you muttered to yourself "I do." Spark Wave immediately blushed after she said that which made her chuckle again. "Were you dreaming about getting married or something?"

"I guess." Spark replied.

"Come on, tell me. Who were you marrying in the dreamland?" Rainbow says. "I won't tell anypony if you tell me."

"Y-you sure?"

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Rainbow replies.

"Alright then." Spark says. "I dreamt that I was getting married...to you." After hearing this, Rainbow Dash started to blush a bit. "I guess I somehow developed feelings towards you and I couldn't ignore them."

"Well how do you feel now that you confessed?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm both relieved and a bit sad."

"Why's that?"

"I have a feeling that I'd get rejected and it's something that I feel might be too much for me to-" Spark Wave is then cut-off by Rainbow who pulls him in for a passionate kiss on the lips. Spark Wave was caught by surprise by her actions, but he returned her kiss with his own, slowly closing his eyes.

"How can I reject a stallion who's both honest and kinda cool?" Rainbow says after breaking the kiss. "I don't have any problems with having you as my coltfriend."

"You mean?"

"Yeah, that's right, I don't mind having you as a coltfriend." Hearing this made Spark Wave sigh in relief.

"I'm happy you feel that way, Rainbow Dash." Spark Wave replied.

After they both confessed their feelings, they decided to hang out and relax by the gazebo. They talked about their past events and the adventures they had. Rainbow was a bit envious when she heard the Spark Wave and his pals had a lot of battles with the dragons when he was still growing. Spark Wave felt envious about how Rainbow Dash once took down her share of foes and the fact that she got to train at the Wonderbolts Academy. Eventually they started talking about their futures and how they might spend it. They were both aware that it was too soon for them to be married so at first they decided to go slow and steady as an official couple.

Spark Wave and Rainbow Dash now had a love for each other that could never be broken. Rainbow Dash had a coltfriend who cares a lot about her and their friend, and Spark Wave had a marefriend who was definetely "20% cooler" than any mare in the world.