Who's My Daddy?by Corona SilverflameChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4EpilogueChapter 1Cloud Hopper Dash was just your everday colt, he lived with his parents. Well, parent. Hopper lived with his mother, Rainbow Dash. She was a Wonderbolt, but she had to quit when she became pregnant with him. When he was born, his mother was slightly upset when she discovered her foal was a unicorn instead of a pegasus. She quickly adjusted though, and with Apple Jack's help, got a house on ground level so they could live together. Hopper had never met any of his mother's old friends. They had all moved away to do bigger and better things. Twilight Sparkle moved to Canterlot to fufill her destiny as a princess. Pinkie Pie became a professional entertainer, and now moves from place to place. Rarity was finally discovered and moved to Manehatten to pursue her dream of being a famous designer. Fluttershy now lived in the forest to help all animals with their problems. Apple Jack never left, but one fateful day during a lightning storm, she was apple bucking and a tree fell on her and killed her. Rainbow Dash was the last of the Elements of Harmony that hadn't left Ponyville. Once Hopper could go to school, she began talk to herself more and more often. It was something that worried him. Hopper was a great student, but he didn't have many friends. Just one, and his name was Twisted Peaks. Twisted had always been there for Hopper, but he had moved away for the summer. Hopper was really depressed, but he was happy to spend more time trying to use magic. He was definately not gifted with magic, and he always had trouble with even simple levitation. Currently, he was trying to levitate his food in his mouth. His mother peered at him across the table, hoping he got the message that he was making her irritated. "Cloud Hopper Dash! You know there is no magic at the dinner table!" the pegasus scolded, thwacking him on the side of his head. He shook his head in annoyance and dropped the piece of salad. "Sorry mom, it's just all the other unicorns at school make fun of me. I was hoping to improve over the summer." he apoligised, hanging his head. When he did so, he accidentally impaled a piece of lettuce in his horn. Rainbow Dash nearly went into a laughing fit, but managed to keep on a straight face. "What is it mom?" Hopper asked, looking her dead in the eye. He always knew when his mom was hiding something funny from him. She cracked up from such a serious look from her son, who didn't share much in common with her. "Look at your horn for a minute, see anything strange?" replied the cyan pegasus between giggles. Hopper gave a little huff, and began to go cross eyed to see his horn. On it, her barely noticed a little green thing on it. Out of pure irritation, he activated his magic and it flew off his glowing horn. It landed right on his mom's nose. She got it off her face, then gave him a mischevious look. "Oh no, not again. Please mom!" begged Hopper. This should not happen again, the first time was horrible. With a terrible grin, Rainbow Dash got some lettuce on her hooves. She stood on a chair, and took aim at her son. "Food fight!" she declared. To Hopper, it was like declaring war to a country that's already surrendered. She began pelting him with lettuce, dandelions, and other plants. His cries of fear soon melted into laughter as he began to practice his magic in a way he never thought he would. His horn glowed as he began to pick up the greens and started collecting them all. Once he had a large mountain of them, he dropped them on top of his mother. She cackled as he lay down on the kitchen floor, worn out from using so much magic successfully. "I surrender, please, no more food fight." he panted. Rainbow Dash untangled herself from the mess, then walked over and gave her son a pat on the head. "You did a good job. You're getting really good with the levitating. Now go to bed." she said to him as she walked towards her own bedroom. Hopper meekly got to his hooves and shuffled to his room, where he promptly flopped on the bed and worked his way into a deep sleep. Hopper found himself in the Canterlot Maze, where his mom had helped defeat Discord. He had never been there before, he had never been outside of Ponyville, but he knew it because of the stories his mom told him since he was a little filly. He began wandering around, not really knowing who or what he was looking for. Finally, he found him. Staring directly at him was a famous draconequus, and his name was Discord. He was floating on his favorite cloud, cotton candy with choclate milk rain. With sudden movement, he poffed two cups into existance under the could he was resting on. Once both cups were filled, he gave one to Hopper. "Welcome to my lair. Like it? I think I did a great job decorating." Discord greeted Hopper. The teenage unicorn looked at Eqestria's craziest villian, and wonder what he was doing in his dream. "It's great. What are you doing in my dream?" replied Hopper awkwardly. Discord gave him a look, and then teleported them both by a pool of water. "I'm here to tell you something. You're my son! Isn't that great?" announced Discord, not even bothering with suspense. Hopper leaped back, shocked neyond belief. "No way! My mom would never! Not with you!" he shouted pointlessly, backing away from the spirit of disharmony. "Now, now. We don't want to make such a fuss about it." said Discord in a jovial tone. When Hopper felt water at his hooves, he looked down and found himself looking into very reflective water. It showed him, but it wasn't him. A draconequus looked back at him, about the same size as he was. Knowing it was all a trick on his mind, he backed away from the water. He bumped into Discord, frightend beyind belief. He off galloping, hearing Discord's demented laughter echo off the maze walls. "Remember, family is forever." Chapter 2Hopper awoke from his awful nightmare, and trotted into his bathroom to soothe his parched throat. He quickly filled the sink and stuck his head in. It cooled his throat, but his mind was still troubled. Hopper emptied the sink, and looked at himself in the mirror. For a second, he saw the same thing he did in his dream. He shut his eyes, and then he opened them once more. He saw himself as he normally did: Horn, rainbow mane and tail, and a sky colored body. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He turned off his bathroom light and went back to bed, but he didn't sleep. Hopper couldn't sleep, not with that question burning in his mind. Who was his father? He had never really cared before, but now his dream had scared him and made him realize the fact that he needed to know. What he didn't know was that this was the reason why his mother began talking to herself. His mom had once told him that some secrets had to be kept hidden, but this was one he was going to unveil. His sanity depended on it most dearly. The next summer morning, Hopper woke up to find that his AC had broke and it was hotter than Celestia in his room. He rolled out of bed, landing in all four hooves, and exited his room. He searched the house for his mother, and found a note from her. Dear Cloud Hopper, I am going to Canterlot to buy another AC for your room. I will be gone all day, and make sure you keep the doors locked. Don't leave the house, just practice your magic at home today, Love, Mom He read the letter, not really angry or anything. He was going to stay home anyway, it's not like Twisted was there to keep him company. He went around the house first, making sure everything was locked properly. Then he went back to his room, still just as hot as it was before, and found his large rock. He pushed it out of his room, and out into the open living room floor. He stared at his self assigned challeng for a minute. He had chosen the 50 lbs. rock because he knew it was going to make him better with lighter things, and give him more control. He focused his emerald eyes on the boulder, and summoned his magic. His horn and rock began to glow as he attempted to lift the rock. He struggled on, and the rock was barely moved. Hopper ground his hooves in the soft carpeting, and put all he had into lifting that rock. Grunting, he finally got his magic to lift the rock a half inch above the floor. It then fell back to the floor with a dull thud. The glow faded from his horn and the large rock. He sat down, worn out from his effort, but proud of his accomplishment. Most of the unicorn stallions could easily lift 100 lbs, but Hopper didn't care. He had finally lifted that stupid rock! Next time, Hopper hoped to lift it an entire inch above the floor. Once he felt more rested, he continued to lift the rock to the same height, but holding it up for longer and longer amounts of time. The hard work helped him keep his mind off of his father, and the mystery surronding him. After holding the small boulder up for a minute, he finally gave it a rest. He rolled it back into it's hiding place in his room. While he was returning the rock to it's rightful place, he heard the click of the door unlocking. "Hopper, I'm home!" declared Rainbow Dash. She entered the living room, and saw that the carpet had a large part of it distorted, like a huge weight had been on it. "Hey mom, I was practicing with my rock." he explained, hoping she wouldn't get too angry. To his suprise, she wasn't angry at all. As he studied her face, he noticed that she didn't have an AC with her. "Mom, where's the AC?" Hopper asked curiously. "Oh, it's on it's way. It'll take a few days though, so you'll have to sleep in the living room." she replied, laughing nervously. Groaning, Hopper stuck his front hooves on either side of his head. It was things like this that gave him a headache more often than not. "Mom, why didn't you just take it with you?" he asked irritably. Rainbow Dash shook her head, and she looked at her son tiredly. "Do you think I can carry a 100 lbs. AC, and then try to install it single hoofed?" she replied. She trotted off to her room to take a nap before she made dinner. Hopper sighed, his mother was always one to make others wait. He just wished that she would become a little less lazy. He would always be left wondering how she even became a mother. After an hour, his mother had finally chilled out. She began cooking dinner. "Hopper, what do you want with your spinach?" she shouted from the kitchen. He didn't need to think, his stomach told him what he wanted. "Carrots!" he shouted back at her. Hopper loved carrots, almost as much as he loved apples. They only ate apples on AJ's birthday though, to celebrate the hard working earth pony. As his mother cooked dinner, he prepared the table for eating. As he finished setting the table, Rainbow Dash brought out dinner. "So, how did training go today?" questioned the cyan pegasus. Instead of answering with words, Hopper levitated the entire 40 lbs. table and food. Rainbow Dash gave him her evil eye, and he quickly placed the table down. They continued to eat their dinner in silence. Just as Hopper finished his meal, he began to walk to the kitchen. He heard his mom mutter something like: "Maybe tomorrow is too soon to tell them..." Hopper then stopped walking, and pressed his ear to the kitchen wall. He waited for a while, but heard nothing. So he continued on his way to the sink, and procceded to wash the dishes. Chapter 3Hopper was visiting Cadance in the crystal kingdom, but Cadance wasn't there. Dark crystals had surronded him in darkness, and he heard the voice of a stallion calling him. "Cloud Hopper, come here. Follow my voice, I can help you." called the voice, sweet as honey. Compelled and mesmerized, Hopper was entranced by the voice and followed it deeper into the darkness. Soon, he saw a brilliant red flame eminating only a few yard from where Hopper was. Illuminated in the background, was a roughly male figure. Hopper galloped towards it. When he was close enough, he saw the kingdom's old tyrant. There before him, stood King Sombra. He grinned at the colt, revealing his semi sharp teeth. "Welcome! I am here to reveal you as my heir. I am willing to teach you all my darkest secrets of dark magic, but you will have to pledge your alligence to your father." explained the dark unicorn. Hopper looked at him, and them looked back at himself. He was no longer a combination of blue and white, but black and red. "What have you done to me?" he cried fearfully. Sombra trotted over to his son's side, and put a hoof over his shoulder. "I've given you your true form. Don't you know? I am your real father, and Rainbow Dash isn't really your mother. An ancient force of darkness named Crimson Tide is. Follow me, I can give you powers beyond belief. I, no we, can make you stronger than Celestia herself!" replied King Sombra. Hopper looked over to his left side at the feeling of another hoof on his flank. "Hopper, don't you think it's time to be with us?" asked a brilliant red earth pony. Her eyes shone back at him, perfectly black. He looked at both of his self proclaimed parents, Crimson Tide and King Sombra. "Hopper, it's time to wake up to your true self." said King Sombra. Hopper then felt his mother shaking his shoulder. "Hopper, wake up." commanded Crimson Tide. "Hopper, wake up!" Hopper leapt out of bed, finding himself in the freezing cold living room. His mother was standing there, holding up her hooves in the universal 'calm down' sign. "What the hay is going on?" his mother demanded. He took a few calming breaths, and almost began telling Rainbow Dash about his dreams. Almost. "You're not my mother! King Sombra told me so! He's my father, and Crimson Tide is my mother!" he shouted before galloping out of the house into broad daylight. With tears running down his face, Hopper bought red and black dye. He gallopped all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest, and then dyed his fur exactly like in the dream. His mane was now completely black with only edged red, and his body now resembled the night of blood clouds. Even his horn was blood red. He quickly retrieved all his money from his ever present wallet, and counted out the exact ammount of bits to go to the crystal kingdom. He left everything else at the edge of the forest, and headed straight for the Ponyville train station. Lucky for him, the train was already there for him. His mother was nowhere in sight. He boarded the train and sat at the very back of the train, hoping nopony would notice or recognize him. "Nopony could recognize me in my true form, Midnight Blood." he thought to himself. He decided it was best to try and stay awake on the five hour train ride, so he wouldn't be accidentally sent back to Ponyville. As soon as the crystal kingdom was in sight, he powered up his horn to pull the emergency break beside another unicorn. The train screeched to a stop, and Hopper made a quick escape from the back train exit. He didn't even bother to look back at the poor unicorn he'd gotten into trouble, he just pushed onward towards the dark crystal cave in the far distance. The crystal cave was only another mile away, just a little further and Hopper could be reunited with his true father! His heart was racing from excitement as well as exaustion. As he reached the cave entrance, Hopper saw the red light once more. It made him push on through his exaustion. The crimson ball lead him deeper and deeper into the cave. Soon, it stopped, hovering just above him. Noticing this, Hopper copied the light's movements. "Sit down, my son. I know you have traveled far. For that I am proud." said King Sombra as he appeared out of the darkness. Hopper greatfully obeyed his father, and found the ground was cold and hard. He dared not complain, because he wanted to how his father that he had strength and self control. "Yes, father. As you wish." he replied. His darker coat let him blend into the cave's background, like a predator waiting to strike. Sombra circled his son, taking note of his new appearance. "I see that you have found your true form, Midnight Blood." noted the dark unicorn, his tone showing acceptance to his son's new name. "Yes father, I am ready to become your heir. Nothing will be able to defeat us." vowed the young stallion. With a grin, Sombra powered up his horn, and a red light enveloped Hopper and his father's horn. Hopper felt himself changing, becoming more powerful, and it was the best feeling ever. With a loud crash, King Sombra lost his focus, and the magic stopped flowing. "Don't you dare lay another hoof on my son!" shouted Rainbow Dash, flying in and tackling the evil unicorn. Behind her, Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted out. King Sombra fought back. Hard. He pinned Rainbow Dash down with his magic, while putting his dark magic into Hopper. Hopper felt the most powerful than he ever had before, and he bucked Twilight in her chest. She flew backwards before hitting a wall. "My son, your dark powers are complete! Fight these stupid mares with me, and rejoice!" Sombra told his son. He stepped on a cyan pegasus's right wing, effectively breaking it. Princess Twilight picked herself up, and powered up her horn, aiming at the occupied King Sombra. Hopper saw this, and powered up his own horn. Negative energy surronded it, and he began a magic battle with the princess of magic. Another beam of light appeared, bright like the sun, and it attacked Hopper as well. Power like that could only come from Princess Celestia. "Father, I need you assistance!" he shouted. "All you needed to do was ask." replied the unicorn as he combined his magic with his son's. "Hopper, don't forget your dear mother." called Crimson Tide. She infused her ghostly essence with their magic. The princesses were slowly becoming weaker, and they all knew it. Just when they were almost defeated, two more beams of light joined in. One was pink, while the other was purple. All the princesses had arrived, and were fighting the dark family. The magic struggle lasted for what seemed to be hours, but in the end, Midnight Blood and his parents were defeated. King Sombra and Crimson Tide couldn't escape. The princesses captured them, and took in the unconcious Cloud Hopper. Princess Celestia looked at his coat and mane. She used her magic to change it back to the blue and white it was before. "Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?" asked Twilight worriedly, picking up her friend with magic carefully. A small groan let Twilight know that she was alive, and the group quickly began their journey back to Canterlot. Chapter 4"Midnight Blood, you are hereby accused with treason to Equestria. How do you plead?" asked Celestia, frowning in disappointment. Hopper looked up to the princess of sun hatefully. It was his loyalty to his father that lead him through this path, and he wasn't going to stop now. "I plead gui.." "Wait! Celestia, let me show him something before his trial! He is a confused colt." begged Rainbow Dash, flying through the doors of the royal courtroom. Looking upon the unicorn's mother, she nodded, knowing it was time he knew. "Come with me, and I'll show you the truth." the cyan pegasus told him. Irritated, he followed Rainbow Dash, flanked by royal guards. In the royal waiting room, sat Princess Twilight Sparkle and her brother, Shining Armour. "Are you sure about this Rainbow? Do you think they're ready?" queried the princess of magic. The pegasus nodded, and stood facing her son and Shining. "Well, Hopper... Sombra isn't your father. On the night of Twilight's coronation, everypony was really drunk. Me and Shining went into a private chamber, and well... Nine months later, I had a handsome foal that looked like his father." explained the reluctant mother, pausing every few words to keep her calm. "What!?" shouted Hopper and Shining. They turn to face each other, orbiting around one another to find similarities. Hopper shook his head, this just couldn't be true. Shining Armour loved Princess Cadance, and he wouldn't dream of having a foal with anypony else. Would he? Granted that anything was possible with a little alchol, but Shining was a responsible drinker. "Shining, I know it's hard to believe, but I used a spell to make sure. Cloud Hopper Dash is your son." Twilight explained, hoping her brother didn't go into shock. Shining shook his head nervously. "What would Cadance think?" he muttered, clearly unsettled at the thought of his wife knowing he's had a foal with another mare. They let him pace around for a while, but they all stopped when they heard a loud boom as doors flew open. The doors revealed Celestia, followed by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Hopper looked his step mother in the eyes, as she had obviously been listening in on their conversation. "Well, this case has been settled. Cloud Hopper, you are pronounced not guilty!" rejoiced Celestia. The princess of sun recieved many odd looks, being that she had confetti in her mane and a icing moustache. "Shining, may I have a word with you?" asked Cadance as she trotted over to Shining. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his ear with her magic and dragged him off into her chambers. The other ponies waited patiently as they heard shouting, screaming, and then the sound of a shattering vase. Princess Celestia had made herself more presentable while everypony was waiting for the fight to end. The door creaked open as Cadance reappeared, and she closed the door behind her. "Cloud Hopper Dash..." she called smoothly. Gulping, Hopper walked up to the princess of love. He was scared what she was going to do, and was shocked when he was embraced by pink hooves. "Welcome to the family!" cheered Cadance. Struggling for air, he removed himself from the crushing bear hug. "Thanks, I guess. You arn't mad?" asked Hopper as he rubbed his mane. Rainbow Dash walked up besides him. "Of course not! Cadance was only angry that Shining Armour went to the after party without her!" she giggled, as the princess embraced her as well. After lots of hugging and laughing, Shining Armour finally exited his wife's chambers. He edged his way over to the nearest exit, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash. "Hey! You're not leaving without having a little fun with our son!" she commanded, pointing her hoof in the direction of spoken unicorn colt. Not even replying, he walked up behind his son. Deep in concentration, Hopper was trying to use his telekinesis to lift a statue of a swan. Firing up his horn as well, Shining assited his son, their combined magic turning a distinct shade of royal blue. The young unicorn was exhilerated, and he did a little dance. In a burst of inspiration, Hopper galloped to the gardens. He was followed by Shining Armour, who was the first pony to notice something. Cloud Hopper lacked a cutie mark. How something so important could be missed nopony knows, but Shining Armour was blinded by a flash of light. When he got his sight back, his son's flank was no longer blank. To his pride, his flank was adorned with three clouds, all connected by a rainbow. It looked as if his mother had bounced at full speed on those clouds. Finally, looking at his surrondings, Shining found himself staring into the sky, with his own son bouncing around on the clouds! "Mom, look at me!" he shouted as she exited the castle, her mouth agape. "My son.... My son can walk on clouds!" she exclaimed in shock. Rainbow Dash swelled up with pride upon seeing her son's cutie mark. She leaped into the sky, racing her son around the sky. Laughing, leaping, and creating rainbows, the two were having a blast. "Mom, I think I found my special talent." Hopper said happily. Rainbow Dash agreed, and looked down to check on Shining. He looked okay, and he was motioning for them to land. "Race ya to the ground!" shouted Rainbow as she shot for the ground. Hopper laughed as he jumped into empty air, a cloud appearing under his hooves each time he did. It took him a few seconds longer than his mother, but he made it down back to his father. "Hopper, that was great! I called you and your mother down to eat some dinner before you guys go home." he told his son, feeling oddly proud of his colt that he just met. "Maybe, just maybe, I can get used to him being my son..." The End! Epilogue"Cloud Hopper Dash, it's time to wake up!" Rainbow Dash scolded. It had been well over a year since her son had recieved his cutie mark. Shining Armour and Rainbow Dash had agreed on the fact that they would switch their son every month. This was his month, and Rainbow Dash had a lot planned. She was going to meet up with her old friend, Derpy, to eat some muffins and share stories. Hopper was excited as well, his dad said that he had a present for him when he arrived at Canterlot. He energetically leapt of his bed, combed his rainbow mane with magic, and grabbed his saddlebags. Shining had them custom made woth his cutie mark, and his coat pattern. It was the best gift ever in the eyes of his son. He never went anywhere without it. His mother didn't even bother to make breakfast, he always ate at Celestia's table in the mornings. The element of loyalty gave her son a quick kiss on the muzzle, and hen he walked out the front door of their cloud home. After discovering he could walk on clouds, he asked his mother if they could move back into their old home. It didn't take long to move back in, they only needed a few things. He leapt from cloud to cloud, leaving a shining rainbow in his wake. Once Hopper reached Ponyville's train station, he walked directly into the train. The conductor, Runaway Train, already knew that he was going to Canterlot. Hopper didn't need a ticket because of his father's promience in Equestria, as a prince and their lead guard. It only took a few more minutes until the train was full and was on it's way to Canterlot. Hopper looked out the window as they passed the Everfree Forest. It sent shivers down his spine. He saw the yellow eyes of timberwolves flash by, but they soon disappeared as they entered Canterlot's force field. Given to them by the esteemed unicorn prince, Shining Armour. Hopper exited the train, eyes already scanning for his father. He was nowhere to be seen. Instead, all he found was a befuddled Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. She looked very lost, so Hopper decided to go help out his stepmother. "Hey, Princess Cadance! Are you lost?" he asked casually. Turning her head to face him, her face relaxed. "Oh, Hopper. I'd been looking for you. Hard to miss a rainbow mane and the sky for a coat." she giggled. The princess of love could be strange sometimes. She motioned for him to come closer, and as he did, she said the most cryptic thing. "Your talents will be put to use this month." Hopper looked at her confusedly. She didn't bother with explaining, instead she took to the sky. Many ponies that had not noticed her, bowed and kneeled. Hopper, taking this as a challenge, leapt up onto a nearby cloud. Other ponies gasped at this sight, but Hopper continued to ignore them. "You want a race, I'll give you one!" he shouted playfully. She laughed openly as she sped away, her stepson hot on her tail. They raced all the way to Celestia's castle, where she stood regally. "Hello my little ponies. Time for breakfast, let's go eat." she said, leadin the way to the huge dining room. It was probably bigger than Hopper's cloud mansion. Layed out on a long table, was dasies, dandelions, and spinach pancakes. All served with pine syrup, extracted carefully from the Everfree Forest. Without hesitation, they all sat down and began to eat. Hopper still wondered where his father was. He had to tell him something. That something was that he was going to try and join the Wonderbolts. He would be the first nonpegasus to join, if he made it. He wanted Shining to judge his cool new tricks. The door creaked open, revealing a grinning Shining Armour. Hopper galloped towards his dad and gave him a loving hug. "Hey Cloudy, how's it going?" Shining asked his son. Only his father could call him Cloudy, and only his father could make it seem manly. Relased from the embrace, Hopper shook his tail his excitedly. "Come on, I'll show you how it's going!" he replied as he galloped out towards the royal gardens, breakfast forgotten. Shining Armour laughed as he walked, trying not to keep his son waiting. Once he had reached the royal gardens, his son was already on the clouds, hopping about. Hopper went to work as his father approached, his horn alight with magic as he moved clouds, creating a crazy obstacle course. Waiting for an invisible signal, he stood ready to begin racing. Magically, a checkered flag dropped in front of him, courtesy of the white stallion below. That set off the younger stallion, as he lept through cloud rings, raced up loop-de-loops, and completed many tricks. Shining Armour applauded proudly as Hopper landed. "So, are you ready for your surprise?" he asked. Cloud Hopper nodded excitedly. His "surprise" walked out from the shadows, where she was perfectly hidden. His eyes went wide as his gift was reveal. "Welcome to the Wonderbolts kid." The End
Chapter 1Cloud Hopper Dash was just your everday colt, he lived with his parents. Well, parent. Hopper lived with his mother, Rainbow Dash. She was a Wonderbolt, but she had to quit when she became pregnant with him. When he was born, his mother was slightly upset when she discovered her foal was a unicorn instead of a pegasus. She quickly adjusted though, and with Apple Jack's help, got a house on ground level so they could live together. Hopper had never met any of his mother's old friends. They had all moved away to do bigger and better things. Twilight Sparkle moved to Canterlot to fufill her destiny as a princess. Pinkie Pie became a professional entertainer, and now moves from place to place. Rarity was finally discovered and moved to Manehatten to pursue her dream of being a famous designer. Fluttershy now lived in the forest to help all animals with their problems. Apple Jack never left, but one fateful day during a lightning storm, she was apple bucking and a tree fell on her and killed her. Rainbow Dash was the last of the Elements of Harmony that hadn't left Ponyville. Once Hopper could go to school, she began talk to herself more and more often. It was something that worried him. Hopper was a great student, but he didn't have many friends. Just one, and his name was Twisted Peaks. Twisted had always been there for Hopper, but he had moved away for the summer. Hopper was really depressed, but he was happy to spend more time trying to use magic. He was definately not gifted with magic, and he always had trouble with even simple levitation. Currently, he was trying to levitate his food in his mouth. His mother peered at him across the table, hoping he got the message that he was making her irritated. "Cloud Hopper Dash! You know there is no magic at the dinner table!" the pegasus scolded, thwacking him on the side of his head. He shook his head in annoyance and dropped the piece of salad. "Sorry mom, it's just all the other unicorns at school make fun of me. I was hoping to improve over the summer." he apoligised, hanging his head. When he did so, he accidentally impaled a piece of lettuce in his horn. Rainbow Dash nearly went into a laughing fit, but managed to keep on a straight face. "What is it mom?" Hopper asked, looking her dead in the eye. He always knew when his mom was hiding something funny from him. She cracked up from such a serious look from her son, who didn't share much in common with her. "Look at your horn for a minute, see anything strange?" replied the cyan pegasus between giggles. Hopper gave a little huff, and began to go cross eyed to see his horn. On it, her barely noticed a little green thing on it. Out of pure irritation, he activated his magic and it flew off his glowing horn. It landed right on his mom's nose. She got it off her face, then gave him a mischevious look. "Oh no, not again. Please mom!" begged Hopper. This should not happen again, the first time was horrible. With a terrible grin, Rainbow Dash got some lettuce on her hooves. She stood on a chair, and took aim at her son. "Food fight!" she declared. To Hopper, it was like declaring war to a country that's already surrendered. She began pelting him with lettuce, dandelions, and other plants. His cries of fear soon melted into laughter as he began to practice his magic in a way he never thought he would. His horn glowed as he began to pick up the greens and started collecting them all. Once he had a large mountain of them, he dropped them on top of his mother. She cackled as he lay down on the kitchen floor, worn out from using so much magic successfully. "I surrender, please, no more food fight." he panted. Rainbow Dash untangled herself from the mess, then walked over and gave her son a pat on the head. "You did a good job. You're getting really good with the levitating. Now go to bed." she said to him as she walked towards her own bedroom. Hopper meekly got to his hooves and shuffled to his room, where he promptly flopped on the bed and worked his way into a deep sleep. Hopper found himself in the Canterlot Maze, where his mom had helped defeat Discord. He had never been there before, he had never been outside of Ponyville, but he knew it because of the stories his mom told him since he was a little filly. He began wandering around, not really knowing who or what he was looking for. Finally, he found him. Staring directly at him was a famous draconequus, and his name was Discord. He was floating on his favorite cloud, cotton candy with choclate milk rain. With sudden movement, he poffed two cups into existance under the could he was resting on. Once both cups were filled, he gave one to Hopper. "Welcome to my lair. Like it? I think I did a great job decorating." Discord greeted Hopper. The teenage unicorn looked at Eqestria's craziest villian, and wonder what he was doing in his dream. "It's great. What are you doing in my dream?" replied Hopper awkwardly. Discord gave him a look, and then teleported them both by a pool of water. "I'm here to tell you something. You're my son! Isn't that great?" announced Discord, not even bothering with suspense. Hopper leaped back, shocked neyond belief. "No way! My mom would never! Not with you!" he shouted pointlessly, backing away from the spirit of disharmony. "Now, now. We don't want to make such a fuss about it." said Discord in a jovial tone. When Hopper felt water at his hooves, he looked down and found himself looking into very reflective water. It showed him, but it wasn't him. A draconequus looked back at him, about the same size as he was. Knowing it was all a trick on his mind, he backed away from the water. He bumped into Discord, frightend beyind belief. He off galloping, hearing Discord's demented laughter echo off the maze walls. "Remember, family is forever."
Chapter 2Hopper awoke from his awful nightmare, and trotted into his bathroom to soothe his parched throat. He quickly filled the sink and stuck his head in. It cooled his throat, but his mind was still troubled. Hopper emptied the sink, and looked at himself in the mirror. For a second, he saw the same thing he did in his dream. He shut his eyes, and then he opened them once more. He saw himself as he normally did: Horn, rainbow mane and tail, and a sky colored body. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He turned off his bathroom light and went back to bed, but he didn't sleep. Hopper couldn't sleep, not with that question burning in his mind. Who was his father? He had never really cared before, but now his dream had scared him and made him realize the fact that he needed to know. What he didn't know was that this was the reason why his mother began talking to herself. His mom had once told him that some secrets had to be kept hidden, but this was one he was going to unveil. His sanity depended on it most dearly. The next summer morning, Hopper woke up to find that his AC had broke and it was hotter than Celestia in his room. He rolled out of bed, landing in all four hooves, and exited his room. He searched the house for his mother, and found a note from her. Dear Cloud Hopper, I am going to Canterlot to buy another AC for your room. I will be gone all day, and make sure you keep the doors locked. Don't leave the house, just practice your magic at home today, Love, Mom He read the letter, not really angry or anything. He was going to stay home anyway, it's not like Twisted was there to keep him company. He went around the house first, making sure everything was locked properly. Then he went back to his room, still just as hot as it was before, and found his large rock. He pushed it out of his room, and out into the open living room floor. He stared at his self assigned challeng for a minute. He had chosen the 50 lbs. rock because he knew it was going to make him better with lighter things, and give him more control. He focused his emerald eyes on the boulder, and summoned his magic. His horn and rock began to glow as he attempted to lift the rock. He struggled on, and the rock was barely moved. Hopper ground his hooves in the soft carpeting, and put all he had into lifting that rock. Grunting, he finally got his magic to lift the rock a half inch above the floor. It then fell back to the floor with a dull thud. The glow faded from his horn and the large rock. He sat down, worn out from his effort, but proud of his accomplishment. Most of the unicorn stallions could easily lift 100 lbs, but Hopper didn't care. He had finally lifted that stupid rock! Next time, Hopper hoped to lift it an entire inch above the floor. Once he felt more rested, he continued to lift the rock to the same height, but holding it up for longer and longer amounts of time. The hard work helped him keep his mind off of his father, and the mystery surronding him. After holding the small boulder up for a minute, he finally gave it a rest. He rolled it back into it's hiding place in his room. While he was returning the rock to it's rightful place, he heard the click of the door unlocking. "Hopper, I'm home!" declared Rainbow Dash. She entered the living room, and saw that the carpet had a large part of it distorted, like a huge weight had been on it. "Hey mom, I was practicing with my rock." he explained, hoping she wouldn't get too angry. To his suprise, she wasn't angry at all. As he studied her face, he noticed that she didn't have an AC with her. "Mom, where's the AC?" Hopper asked curiously. "Oh, it's on it's way. It'll take a few days though, so you'll have to sleep in the living room." she replied, laughing nervously. Groaning, Hopper stuck his front hooves on either side of his head. It was things like this that gave him a headache more often than not. "Mom, why didn't you just take it with you?" he asked irritably. Rainbow Dash shook her head, and she looked at her son tiredly. "Do you think I can carry a 100 lbs. AC, and then try to install it single hoofed?" she replied. She trotted off to her room to take a nap before she made dinner. Hopper sighed, his mother was always one to make others wait. He just wished that she would become a little less lazy. He would always be left wondering how she even became a mother. After an hour, his mother had finally chilled out. She began cooking dinner. "Hopper, what do you want with your spinach?" she shouted from the kitchen. He didn't need to think, his stomach told him what he wanted. "Carrots!" he shouted back at her. Hopper loved carrots, almost as much as he loved apples. They only ate apples on AJ's birthday though, to celebrate the hard working earth pony. As his mother cooked dinner, he prepared the table for eating. As he finished setting the table, Rainbow Dash brought out dinner. "So, how did training go today?" questioned the cyan pegasus. Instead of answering with words, Hopper levitated the entire 40 lbs. table and food. Rainbow Dash gave him her evil eye, and he quickly placed the table down. They continued to eat their dinner in silence. Just as Hopper finished his meal, he began to walk to the kitchen. He heard his mom mutter something like: "Maybe tomorrow is too soon to tell them..." Hopper then stopped walking, and pressed his ear to the kitchen wall. He waited for a while, but heard nothing. So he continued on his way to the sink, and procceded to wash the dishes.
Chapter 3Hopper was visiting Cadance in the crystal kingdom, but Cadance wasn't there. Dark crystals had surronded him in darkness, and he heard the voice of a stallion calling him. "Cloud Hopper, come here. Follow my voice, I can help you." called the voice, sweet as honey. Compelled and mesmerized, Hopper was entranced by the voice and followed it deeper into the darkness. Soon, he saw a brilliant red flame eminating only a few yard from where Hopper was. Illuminated in the background, was a roughly male figure. Hopper galloped towards it. When he was close enough, he saw the kingdom's old tyrant. There before him, stood King Sombra. He grinned at the colt, revealing his semi sharp teeth. "Welcome! I am here to reveal you as my heir. I am willing to teach you all my darkest secrets of dark magic, but you will have to pledge your alligence to your father." explained the dark unicorn. Hopper looked at him, and them looked back at himself. He was no longer a combination of blue and white, but black and red. "What have you done to me?" he cried fearfully. Sombra trotted over to his son's side, and put a hoof over his shoulder. "I've given you your true form. Don't you know? I am your real father, and Rainbow Dash isn't really your mother. An ancient force of darkness named Crimson Tide is. Follow me, I can give you powers beyond belief. I, no we, can make you stronger than Celestia herself!" replied King Sombra. Hopper looked over to his left side at the feeling of another hoof on his flank. "Hopper, don't you think it's time to be with us?" asked a brilliant red earth pony. Her eyes shone back at him, perfectly black. He looked at both of his self proclaimed parents, Crimson Tide and King Sombra. "Hopper, it's time to wake up to your true self." said King Sombra. Hopper then felt his mother shaking his shoulder. "Hopper, wake up." commanded Crimson Tide. "Hopper, wake up!" Hopper leapt out of bed, finding himself in the freezing cold living room. His mother was standing there, holding up her hooves in the universal 'calm down' sign. "What the hay is going on?" his mother demanded. He took a few calming breaths, and almost began telling Rainbow Dash about his dreams. Almost. "You're not my mother! King Sombra told me so! He's my father, and Crimson Tide is my mother!" he shouted before galloping out of the house into broad daylight. With tears running down his face, Hopper bought red and black dye. He gallopped all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest, and then dyed his fur exactly like in the dream. His mane was now completely black with only edged red, and his body now resembled the night of blood clouds. Even his horn was blood red. He quickly retrieved all his money from his ever present wallet, and counted out the exact ammount of bits to go to the crystal kingdom. He left everything else at the edge of the forest, and headed straight for the Ponyville train station. Lucky for him, the train was already there for him. His mother was nowhere in sight. He boarded the train and sat at the very back of the train, hoping nopony would notice or recognize him. "Nopony could recognize me in my true form, Midnight Blood." he thought to himself. He decided it was best to try and stay awake on the five hour train ride, so he wouldn't be accidentally sent back to Ponyville. As soon as the crystal kingdom was in sight, he powered up his horn to pull the emergency break beside another unicorn. The train screeched to a stop, and Hopper made a quick escape from the back train exit. He didn't even bother to look back at the poor unicorn he'd gotten into trouble, he just pushed onward towards the dark crystal cave in the far distance. The crystal cave was only another mile away, just a little further and Hopper could be reunited with his true father! His heart was racing from excitement as well as exaustion. As he reached the cave entrance, Hopper saw the red light once more. It made him push on through his exaustion. The crimson ball lead him deeper and deeper into the cave. Soon, it stopped, hovering just above him. Noticing this, Hopper copied the light's movements. "Sit down, my son. I know you have traveled far. For that I am proud." said King Sombra as he appeared out of the darkness. Hopper greatfully obeyed his father, and found the ground was cold and hard. He dared not complain, because he wanted to how his father that he had strength and self control. "Yes, father. As you wish." he replied. His darker coat let him blend into the cave's background, like a predator waiting to strike. Sombra circled his son, taking note of his new appearance. "I see that you have found your true form, Midnight Blood." noted the dark unicorn, his tone showing acceptance to his son's new name. "Yes father, I am ready to become your heir. Nothing will be able to defeat us." vowed the young stallion. With a grin, Sombra powered up his horn, and a red light enveloped Hopper and his father's horn. Hopper felt himself changing, becoming more powerful, and it was the best feeling ever. With a loud crash, King Sombra lost his focus, and the magic stopped flowing. "Don't you dare lay another hoof on my son!" shouted Rainbow Dash, flying in and tackling the evil unicorn. Behind her, Princess Twilight Sparkle trotted out. King Sombra fought back. Hard. He pinned Rainbow Dash down with his magic, while putting his dark magic into Hopper. Hopper felt the most powerful than he ever had before, and he bucked Twilight in her chest. She flew backwards before hitting a wall. "My son, your dark powers are complete! Fight these stupid mares with me, and rejoice!" Sombra told his son. He stepped on a cyan pegasus's right wing, effectively breaking it. Princess Twilight picked herself up, and powered up her horn, aiming at the occupied King Sombra. Hopper saw this, and powered up his own horn. Negative energy surronded it, and he began a magic battle with the princess of magic. Another beam of light appeared, bright like the sun, and it attacked Hopper as well. Power like that could only come from Princess Celestia. "Father, I need you assistance!" he shouted. "All you needed to do was ask." replied the unicorn as he combined his magic with his son's. "Hopper, don't forget your dear mother." called Crimson Tide. She infused her ghostly essence with their magic. The princesses were slowly becoming weaker, and they all knew it. Just when they were almost defeated, two more beams of light joined in. One was pink, while the other was purple. All the princesses had arrived, and were fighting the dark family. The magic struggle lasted for what seemed to be hours, but in the end, Midnight Blood and his parents were defeated. King Sombra and Crimson Tide couldn't escape. The princesses captured them, and took in the unconcious Cloud Hopper. Princess Celestia looked at his coat and mane. She used her magic to change it back to the blue and white it was before. "Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?" asked Twilight worriedly, picking up her friend with magic carefully. A small groan let Twilight know that she was alive, and the group quickly began their journey back to Canterlot.
Chapter 4"Midnight Blood, you are hereby accused with treason to Equestria. How do you plead?" asked Celestia, frowning in disappointment. Hopper looked up to the princess of sun hatefully. It was his loyalty to his father that lead him through this path, and he wasn't going to stop now. "I plead gui.." "Wait! Celestia, let me show him something before his trial! He is a confused colt." begged Rainbow Dash, flying through the doors of the royal courtroom. Looking upon the unicorn's mother, she nodded, knowing it was time he knew. "Come with me, and I'll show you the truth." the cyan pegasus told him. Irritated, he followed Rainbow Dash, flanked by royal guards. In the royal waiting room, sat Princess Twilight Sparkle and her brother, Shining Armour. "Are you sure about this Rainbow? Do you think they're ready?" queried the princess of magic. The pegasus nodded, and stood facing her son and Shining. "Well, Hopper... Sombra isn't your father. On the night of Twilight's coronation, everypony was really drunk. Me and Shining went into a private chamber, and well... Nine months later, I had a handsome foal that looked like his father." explained the reluctant mother, pausing every few words to keep her calm. "What!?" shouted Hopper and Shining. They turn to face each other, orbiting around one another to find similarities. Hopper shook his head, this just couldn't be true. Shining Armour loved Princess Cadance, and he wouldn't dream of having a foal with anypony else. Would he? Granted that anything was possible with a little alchol, but Shining was a responsible drinker. "Shining, I know it's hard to believe, but I used a spell to make sure. Cloud Hopper Dash is your son." Twilight explained, hoping her brother didn't go into shock. Shining shook his head nervously. "What would Cadance think?" he muttered, clearly unsettled at the thought of his wife knowing he's had a foal with another mare. They let him pace around for a while, but they all stopped when they heard a loud boom as doors flew open. The doors revealed Celestia, followed by Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Hopper looked his step mother in the eyes, as she had obviously been listening in on their conversation. "Well, this case has been settled. Cloud Hopper, you are pronounced not guilty!" rejoiced Celestia. The princess of sun recieved many odd looks, being that she had confetti in her mane and a icing moustache. "Shining, may I have a word with you?" asked Cadance as she trotted over to Shining. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his ear with her magic and dragged him off into her chambers. The other ponies waited patiently as they heard shouting, screaming, and then the sound of a shattering vase. Princess Celestia had made herself more presentable while everypony was waiting for the fight to end. The door creaked open as Cadance reappeared, and she closed the door behind her. "Cloud Hopper Dash..." she called smoothly. Gulping, Hopper walked up to the princess of love. He was scared what she was going to do, and was shocked when he was embraced by pink hooves. "Welcome to the family!" cheered Cadance. Struggling for air, he removed himself from the crushing bear hug. "Thanks, I guess. You arn't mad?" asked Hopper as he rubbed his mane. Rainbow Dash walked up besides him. "Of course not! Cadance was only angry that Shining Armour went to the after party without her!" she giggled, as the princess embraced her as well. After lots of hugging and laughing, Shining Armour finally exited his wife's chambers. He edged his way over to the nearest exit, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash. "Hey! You're not leaving without having a little fun with our son!" she commanded, pointing her hoof in the direction of spoken unicorn colt. Not even replying, he walked up behind his son. Deep in concentration, Hopper was trying to use his telekinesis to lift a statue of a swan. Firing up his horn as well, Shining assited his son, their combined magic turning a distinct shade of royal blue. The young unicorn was exhilerated, and he did a little dance. In a burst of inspiration, Hopper galloped to the gardens. He was followed by Shining Armour, who was the first pony to notice something. Cloud Hopper lacked a cutie mark. How something so important could be missed nopony knows, but Shining Armour was blinded by a flash of light. When he got his sight back, his son's flank was no longer blank. To his pride, his flank was adorned with three clouds, all connected by a rainbow. It looked as if his mother had bounced at full speed on those clouds. Finally, looking at his surrondings, Shining found himself staring into the sky, with his own son bouncing around on the clouds! "Mom, look at me!" he shouted as she exited the castle, her mouth agape. "My son.... My son can walk on clouds!" she exclaimed in shock. Rainbow Dash swelled up with pride upon seeing her son's cutie mark. She leaped into the sky, racing her son around the sky. Laughing, leaping, and creating rainbows, the two were having a blast. "Mom, I think I found my special talent." Hopper said happily. Rainbow Dash agreed, and looked down to check on Shining. He looked okay, and he was motioning for them to land. "Race ya to the ground!" shouted Rainbow as she shot for the ground. Hopper laughed as he jumped into empty air, a cloud appearing under his hooves each time he did. It took him a few seconds longer than his mother, but he made it down back to his father. "Hopper, that was great! I called you and your mother down to eat some dinner before you guys go home." he told his son, feeling oddly proud of his colt that he just met. "Maybe, just maybe, I can get used to him being my son..." The End!
Epilogue"Cloud Hopper Dash, it's time to wake up!" Rainbow Dash scolded. It had been well over a year since her son had recieved his cutie mark. Shining Armour and Rainbow Dash had agreed on the fact that they would switch their son every month. This was his month, and Rainbow Dash had a lot planned. She was going to meet up with her old friend, Derpy, to eat some muffins and share stories. Hopper was excited as well, his dad said that he had a present for him when he arrived at Canterlot. He energetically leapt of his bed, combed his rainbow mane with magic, and grabbed his saddlebags. Shining had them custom made woth his cutie mark, and his coat pattern. It was the best gift ever in the eyes of his son. He never went anywhere without it. His mother didn't even bother to make breakfast, he always ate at Celestia's table in the mornings. The element of loyalty gave her son a quick kiss on the muzzle, and hen he walked out the front door of their cloud home. After discovering he could walk on clouds, he asked his mother if they could move back into their old home. It didn't take long to move back in, they only needed a few things. He leapt from cloud to cloud, leaving a shining rainbow in his wake. Once Hopper reached Ponyville's train station, he walked directly into the train. The conductor, Runaway Train, already knew that he was going to Canterlot. Hopper didn't need a ticket because of his father's promience in Equestria, as a prince and their lead guard. It only took a few more minutes until the train was full and was on it's way to Canterlot. Hopper looked out the window as they passed the Everfree Forest. It sent shivers down his spine. He saw the yellow eyes of timberwolves flash by, but they soon disappeared as they entered Canterlot's force field. Given to them by the esteemed unicorn prince, Shining Armour. Hopper exited the train, eyes already scanning for his father. He was nowhere to be seen. Instead, all he found was a befuddled Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. She looked very lost, so Hopper decided to go help out his stepmother. "Hey, Princess Cadance! Are you lost?" he asked casually. Turning her head to face him, her face relaxed. "Oh, Hopper. I'd been looking for you. Hard to miss a rainbow mane and the sky for a coat." she giggled. The princess of love could be strange sometimes. She motioned for him to come closer, and as he did, she said the most cryptic thing. "Your talents will be put to use this month." Hopper looked at her confusedly. She didn't bother with explaining, instead she took to the sky. Many ponies that had not noticed her, bowed and kneeled. Hopper, taking this as a challenge, leapt up onto a nearby cloud. Other ponies gasped at this sight, but Hopper continued to ignore them. "You want a race, I'll give you one!" he shouted playfully. She laughed openly as she sped away, her stepson hot on her tail. They raced all the way to Celestia's castle, where she stood regally. "Hello my little ponies. Time for breakfast, let's go eat." she said, leadin the way to the huge dining room. It was probably bigger than Hopper's cloud mansion. Layed out on a long table, was dasies, dandelions, and spinach pancakes. All served with pine syrup, extracted carefully from the Everfree Forest. Without hesitation, they all sat down and began to eat. Hopper still wondered where his father was. He had to tell him something. That something was that he was going to try and join the Wonderbolts. He would be the first nonpegasus to join, if he made it. He wanted Shining to judge his cool new tricks. The door creaked open, revealing a grinning Shining Armour. Hopper galloped towards his dad and gave him a loving hug. "Hey Cloudy, how's it going?" Shining asked his son. Only his father could call him Cloudy, and only his father could make it seem manly. Relased from the embrace, Hopper shook his tail his excitedly. "Come on, I'll show you how it's going!" he replied as he galloped out towards the royal gardens, breakfast forgotten. Shining Armour laughed as he walked, trying not to keep his son waiting. Once he had reached the royal gardens, his son was already on the clouds, hopping about. Hopper went to work as his father approached, his horn alight with magic as he moved clouds, creating a crazy obstacle course. Waiting for an invisible signal, he stood ready to begin racing. Magically, a checkered flag dropped in front of him, courtesy of the white stallion below. That set off the younger stallion, as he lept through cloud rings, raced up loop-de-loops, and completed many tricks. Shining Armour applauded proudly as Hopper landed. "So, are you ready for your surprise?" he asked. Cloud Hopper nodded excitedly. His "surprise" walked out from the shadows, where she was perfectly hidden. His eyes went wide as his gift was reveal. "Welcome to the Wonderbolts kid." The End
