The quite calm of sleep was so peaceful. Even now, after 2 whole weeks, being able to sleep without some form of bad dream or nightmare still seemed strange to you.

Every night for those 2 weeks since Null's defeat, you would lay in bed feeling the safest you had ever felt. As you would lay waiting for sleep to come, you would think back to all the horrible things that had happened. To Luna. To Celestia. To your friends.

To you.

But then you would eventually begin thinking about how it ended. With your friend's help, you had won, and Equestria was safe. And then, with Rainbow Dash already snoring at your side, you would fall into a deep sleep that wouldn't be broken until the morning sun shone down on you.

You couldn't remember much about your life on Earth anymore, but you had a feeling that even during your time there, you had never felt this safe and protected. Come to think of it, you couldn't remember anything anymore.

It was like after Null's death, the only thing keeping you connected to your past life had been killed with it. The bridge had been burnt.
It didn't matter though.

Why would you want to go back there when you had everything you had ever wanted here?

"Storm!"

Strangely, through the deep darkness of sleep, you could hear your voice being called. It was barely audible, but still you could hear it clearly.

"Storm, if you don't wake up I'm gonna drag you there!"

Drag you there? Drag you where?

And then you remembered.

"We're gonna be late!" you cried, bolting up in bed.

You were meant to be at Sweet Apple Acres for the festival at 1 o' clock, but on the one day you had to get up somewhat early, you had overslept. It seemed like Rainbow Dash really was rubbing off on you.

"Yeah, and for once it's not me who overslept," Rainbow replied, hovering in the air with her hooves crossed.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still not used to actually getting sleep," you replied, rubbing the back of your head apologetically.

"Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine," she said, hitting your side reassuringly, "We're the two fastest flyers in Equestria! Like we're actually gonna be late."

There was some truth to that, seeing as how you were the only two ponies capable of creating a Sonic Rainboom, but your flight speed had no impact on how fast you got ready. Actually, you wouldn't have been surprised if it took you longer to get ready than to actually fly to the festival.

"I think you're forgetting about how long it takes me to shower," you explained.

"Well, you're gonna have to hurry it up this time," she replied, seeming impatient. It seemed like she really wanted to get going.

As much as you like starting your day by showering using a rain cloud that somehow produces hot water, you could always save it for later. You'd be saving time, and it wasn't like there was a rush to get it done.

"Actually, I'll have one later. Let's go," you said, a smile on your face as you hovered towards the window.

"Finally!" Rainbow exclaimed, happily, "I've been waiting to go for like, an hour!"

"Why didn't you just wake me up?" you asked, confused.

"That's what I was trying to do, duh!" she replied, playfully nudging you in mid-air, "But it seems like you're even better at sleeping at than me."

"Woah, you admitted that I'm better than you at something?" you mocked, a mischievous grin on your face, "You don't hear that every day."

"Pfft. You're not that much better." she added.

"There it is." you laughed, surprisingly earning a laugh out of her too. You were expecting her to redact her statement and proclaim herself the best sleeper, but, much like how she was rubbing off on you, you seemed to be rubbing off on her.

It seemed strange how only a few months ago you had no idea how to hover above the ground, let alone fly. Yet now here you were able to hold conversations with the fastest Pegasus in Equestria while flying at just under the speed of sound.

"Wanna make an entrance in style?" you suggested.

Immediately, Rainbow knew exactly what you meant.

"Heck yeah, let's do it."

Without another word, the two of you began to ascend rapidly, Sweet Apple Acres appearing in the distance. A few seconds later, you turned around in the air and began plummeting towards the ground in perfect synchronisation with Rainbow Dash. As you fell faster and faster, you felt the ever so familiar vapour cone forming, before inadvertently moving towards Rainbow and combining the cones.

Bang...

The Double Rainboom was heard across all of Ponyville. The beauty of a Sonic Rainboom combined with a Sonic Surge, one more time for the entire festival to see.

Incredible colours of black and gold weaved across the sky, merging with the prismatic colour pallet of a rainbow as it went.

You glanced at Rainbow as you soared towards the ground, who gave you a proud smile. How far you had came, and it was all thanks to her.
Mostly, anyway.

As you finally neared the farm, you could hear Princess Celestia rounding out her introductory speech on the stage that Big Mac had built, however the crowd seemed more focused on the colour stained sky than on the speech.

"Without further ado, let the Festival of Dreams begin!" Celestia announced, before stepping down from the stage.

Princess Luna, who was also stood on the stage, saw you and Rainbow arriving and gave you both a warm smile, before following her sister towards the farm house. Honestly, you were surprised that she wasn't delivering the speech, considering how knowledgeable she is of dreams.

"Rainbow! Storm!" a familiar voice called as you set one hoof down on the ground. Much like you were expecting, your friends were quick to find you. Or, at least, Spike was.

"Spike, where's everyone else?" Rainbow asked, looking around the now bustling farm. She would never be able to spot her friends with the amount of ponies that were wondering around, not to mention the number of stalls that blocked her view of the otherwise clear orchard.

"They're over there," the baby dragon explained, pointing in the direction of the opposite orchard, "They've been looking for you for a while."

You couldn't help but feel a little guilty. You weren't late, but you had still somehow missed the opening ceremony.

Spike proceeded to run off in the direction that he had pointed, causing you and Rainbow to follow him. After a short walk through the bustling crowds, you eventually found your friends.

"Hey, guys! They're here!" an overly enthusiastic Pinkie exclaimed.

"We weren't late, right?" you asked. As far as you knew, you had arrived on time, but it was worth double checking. Rainbow's clock could have always been wrong.

"No, don't worry," Rarity replied, easing your worries, "The princess just thought that she'd perform the opening ceremony a little early considering how busy the festival already was."

You looked around once again, taking in all that was around you. She wasn't kidding. You had never seen anywhere so busy, not even in Canterlot. This festival must've really been a big deal. It wasn't really a surprise though. The whole of Equestria was probably worried about Luna's disappearance, so it made sense that so many ponies would be here to celebrate her return.

"Don't worry, ya'll. You didn't miss much," Applejack added.

"Hey, Applejack," you began, still looking at the countless numbers of stalls and booths that had been set up around the farm, "You helped prepare all of this, right?"

"Ah sure did! We all wanted this to be a festival worth remembering, so we put our all into it!" she explained, proudly. It really did seem like her entire family went all out.

"I think you've done a great job, Applejack," Fluttershy added, seeming just as blown away as you were.

"Well shucks, Fluttershy, ah didn't even do that much," she responded, but you had a feeling that she was lying about that part.

You glanced up to the sky briefly, only to see Rainbow hovering a few feet in the air, most likely trying to see over the large crowds that had amassed. After taking in the sights, she began to lower back down, "So what do you all wanna do first? I saw somepony selling apple cider, so I kinda wanna check that out. Then again, I did also see a few game stalls."

"Well, how about we start with one of the games," Twilight suggested, laughing briefly at Rainbow's enthusiasm.

"Oh, how about the pie eating contest?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, excitedly. Immediately, you remembered that Rainbow didn't actually like pie.

Glancing to Rainbow once again, you could see her face scrunch up.

"How about something simpler?" Twilight suggested, pointing a hoof towards a different stall. You could see several buckets filled with water, and in each bucket was a trio of apples bobbing gently on the surface.
Instantly, you knew what the game was.

"I've never, um..." you attempted to explain, "I've never really used my mouth to pick up things. Magically magnetic hooves, remember?"

"Well, it'll be good practice for you then!" Rainbow said, before speeding off towards one of the water filled barrels.

You quickly glanced towards Twilight, who gave you a smile in response. It was like her own way of saying 'you'll be fine' without actually saying anything. After all the time you had been here for, you still relied on your unexplainable ability to hold things with your hoofs, instead of using your mouth like every pony else had to do.
Of course, you had used your mouth occasionally, but it wasn't enough for it to feel natural just yet.

Deciding that you'd give it a try, you followed them over to the barrels. Conveniently, there happened to be just enough barrels for each of you. You positioned yourself behind the barrel between Rainbow and Fluttershy. The cyan Pegasus to your right looked incredibly determined to win, while the yellow Pegasus on your left looked just as nervous as you.

"Hey, Fluttershy," you said, catching her attention, "You'll do great."

She gave you a warm smile, before looking back down at her barrel, noticeably less nervous than she was just a few seconds ago. You, on the other hand, felt exactly the same.

"Storm, are you nervous?" Rainbow asked. She didn't seem to be mocking you, more so she seemed genuinely confused as to why you would be nervous about apple bobbing.

"Huh?" you replied, "No, I'm just not really used to holding things with my mouth. That, and I don't think I've ever been underwater."

"Don't worry," she said comfortingly, before quickly returning to her competitive demeanour, "Even if it's new to you, I'm sure you'll still get second place."

You opened your mouth to respond, but were interrupted by the ringing of a bell. The game had begun, and already Applejack and Rainbow Dash were busy attempting to fish their apples out of the barrels.

Figuring that you couldn't just stand there looking like an idiot, you dunked your head into the barrel and attempted to bite one of the apples.
Much like you expected, you failed.

After making several attempts, you eventually had to resurface for air. The first thing that you saw upon raising your head was an excited Spike, standing on a pile of empty boxes. Part of you wished he was tall enough to join in, but another part of you was thankful that there wasn't another competitor.

On both of your sides, you saw that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had already fetched one apple out of the water, and Twilight was in the process of getting her first apple too. Even Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie seemed like they were making progress.
Rarity on the other hand, was delicately trying to get a hold of an apple without dipping her mane in the water.

You had to get at least one. At this rate, each of your friends was going to finish before you had even retrieved a single apple. This was a challenge, to say the least.

A challenge that you were determined to overcome.

Suddenly, you noticed that your wings had started to glow yellow. Slightly panicked, you looked around hoping that you hadn't attracted any attention. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed as you began to supress the magical glow.
No magic. Not today.

Deciding to try again, you dunked your head into the water, and after a few attempts, you finally got a grip on an apple. Trying desperately to not accidentally let go, you lifted your head and placed the apple on the table at your side.

One down, two to go.

Looking around, Rainbow and Applejack were now on their final apple. Everypony other than Rarity was in the same position as you: one apple retrieved and two remaining.

Lowering your head once again, you attempted to grab a second apple. Several attempts passed before you almost managed to grab one, but the sound of a bell ringing cut you off.

The game had ended, and you had managed to get one apple out of the three. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, had gotten all three, along with Applejack.

Overall, Rainbow had won, getting three apples in the fastest time. This was followed by Applejack and then Pinkie, who had somehow gotten all three apples despite you only ever seeing her get one.
You couldn't help but feel disappointed in yourself. Surely you could've gotten at least two.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, Storm!" Twilight said, happily, "Honestly, I'm impressed you got one considering this isn't really what you're used. What do humans usually use? Hands?"

Upon the mention of humans, you immediately felt yourself wash over with a wave of confusion, and then nostalgia as you briefly remembered Earth, before forgetting all over again, "Hands? O-Oh, yeah. Hands. That's what we used."

Before your thoughts could be scrambled by your failing memories, Rainbow flew over, presumably to rub in her victory.

"Twilight's right! You didn't get second place, but you still did pretty good!" she exclaimed, lifting your spirits once again, "I'm just worried that Rarity got none."

Rarity scoffed at the Pegasus' mocking tone, "I couldn't allow my mane to get ruined just for some game!"

Each of you laughed, thinking back to how delicately she was attempting to pick up the apples. When placed side by side with everypony else, the results were hilarious.

"So now what do ya'll wanna do? We prepared a heck of a lot, so we might not even have time for it all." Applejack asked, looking towards a few stalls that were slightly less populated.

"Pie eating contest!" Pinkie exclaimed, throwing her hoofs into the air enthusiastically.

Twilight let out a laugh, and surprisingly Rainbow didn't object this time around, "Ugh. Fine."

Minutes passed, and eventually so did hours. It was surprising how fast time could fly when you were having fun. Before long, the sun had begun to set over the farm, and it was almost time for the main event.

"Applejack, what do you have planned for this big event?" Twilight asked, curiously glancing towards the stage in front of the farm house. The stage was lined with what looked like several cannons, each filled with some form of gunpowder.
You honestly didn't even know that Equestria had gunpowder, let alone enough to load several cannons.

"Ah dunno, to tell ya'll the truth," Applejack admitted, seeming just as curious as Twilight, "Princess Luna was the one who planned this."

You glanced at the cannons, and all of them were positioned towards the sky, each facing a direction so that any projectiles fired would eventually collide. Following the predetermined axis, you could conclude that each projectile being fired, if maintaining enough speed, would hit each other with such force that-

"It'd be my pleasure to tell you all about the event," a familiar voice said from behind you.

Each of you turned around quickly, only to be met by Princess Luna herself. As far as you could remember, this was the first time you had met her in such a carefree environment.

"Princess, are you sure you should sneak up on ponies like that?" Rainbow asked, seeming to be flapping her wings a little faster than usual.

"Did I startle you?" Luna asked, an amused grin on her face. Rainbow Dash let out an insulted 'pfft' before turning away, followed by the Princess' laughter.

"So, Princess, what exactly do you intend to do with those cannons?" Rarity asked, intrigued.

"They're party cannons, obviously!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping into the air the excitement, "They're supposed to fire confetti and other party stuff all around the farm!"

"Not exactly," Luna replied, turning to face you, "It's a special ceremony that we have never performed before, because we needed a pony that could wield determination magic."

You could see where this was coming.

"So my sister and I would like Storm to come up on stage and help us perform the event," the Princess added with a smile. You already knew what your answer was.

"Yes, of course I will!" you replied, without even asking what you'd need to do.

"Storm, you're like the Princess' guest of honour! That's awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed, flying next to you enthusiastically. If you were allowed to bring a second pony up with you, you'd definitely choose her.

"So what exactly do I need to do?" you finally asked. There wouldn't be much point in going up there if you didn't even know what you were doing.

"Those cannons are a form of firework, and they're going to have dream dust added to them," Princess Luna explained, "The only way for the dream dust to have an effect on the firework, is for Storm to light the fuse with his magic."

"What if the fireworks scare all of the animals?" Fluttershy asked, concerned.

"Don't worry," Luna added, "These fireworks are silent. You'll see."

Seeing that a crowd had begun gathering around the stage, Luna said a temporary goodbye and began to make her way over. It wouldn't be long until you followed her.
So much for no magic, right?

"Don't worry Storm, you've got this." Spike said, reassuringly.

You gave each of your friends a smile. You always had stage fright, but all you had to do was use your magic, something you had done many times before, "At least I don't have to give a speech, right?"

All of you laughed, before the sound of laughter was drowned out by Celestia's voice.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," the Princess announced, catching the entire farm's attention. The stage seemed to glow under the illumination of the moonlight, "It has been an honour having you all here today, but now it's time for the final act."

"Our kingdom was under threat from an evil entity. This entity threatened to remove Equestria from reality, and take the elements for himself. Thankfully, due to the help of one pony and their friends, the entity failed. These ponies kept hold of their dreams, and those dreams pulled them through. One pony in particular may not have always been used to Equestria. He may not have known how to fly, or how to defend himself, but like his friends, he kept hold of his dreams. Now, I'd like that pony to come up and begin the ceremony of dreams."

Celestia looked to you, a smile on her face, and you felt momentarily frozen. The only thing that eventually got you to move was Twilight giving you a nudge forward. Now, it was either you fly over yourself or she carries you over using magic.

Staring straight at the stage, you ignored the gigantic crown of ponies that had amassed throughout the farm, and eventually landed besides Celestia.

Looking up for one brief moment, you saw what you could only assume to be every pony in Equestria looking directly at you, expectantly. You felt yourself begin to freeze up again, but then you saw Rainbow Dash. You saw all of your friends staring at you, encouragingly.
You didn't feel nervous anymore.

You felt proud.

Celestia took a few steps to the side, and you took a deep breath. Through your closed eyes, you focused on your wings one more time. Your wings unfolded from your sides, a distinct yellow aura surrounding them, glowing bright in the night. You heard the crown gasp, and you felt your nervousness return, only to be washes away by pride once again.

With one single outburst of magic, five bright yellow beams of magic made contact with the cannon fuses. Immediately, the cannons fired, sending a sparkling, golden ray of magic spiralling into the sky.
It was almost as beautiful as the Double Rainboom. Almost.

As the golden ribbons reached a point in the sky where they would usually come falling back down, instead the golden strands began weaving throughout the air, almost as if in a dance with each other. They weaved in and out between clouds, overlapping with each other as if they had their own sentience. It was truly a sight to behold.

They really didn't have things like this on... What were you thinking about again?

As you stared up at the stunning array of yellow lights, you had completely forgotten where you were.

"Storm!" Rainbow called, barely audible over the crowd. She was tapping you on the shoulder repetitively, trying to get your attention. Finally snapping you out of your trance, you made eye contact with her, "C'mon!"

"What? Where?" you asked, confused.

"Somewhere that's less busy than here," she replied, grabbing your hoof. You weren't going to protest, but if you wanted to you wouldn't have been able to, as she was already dragging you into the air away from the stage.

"Are your friends okay with you disappearing?" you asked, concerned that Twilight and the others wouldn't be to happy about the two of you vanishing like this.

"Yeah, I already asked them." she answered, dragging you further away from Sweet Apple Acres.

You continued allowing her to drag you along in silence as the sound of the crowd slowly grew quieter and quieter. At least Princess Luna wasn't lying about the fireworks being silent.

Eventually, Rainbow began to descend, finally landing on a small hill next to a forest. A small stream flowed gently along the edge of the treeline, marking the divide between meadow and forest. The only sounds that filled the nights silence were the sounds of water flowing, bugs chirping and your own breathing.

Rainbow released her grip on you, on sat down on the small hill. Following her, you took a seat on the grass next to her, facing Sweet Apple Acres. Even from here, you could still see the endless crowds of ponies moving between the countless stalls and stands. The golden ribbons still soared gently through the sky above the farm, casting a faint golden glow down on the farm land.

"It's really beautiful, huh?" Rainbow said, looking at the golden display of colours hovering in the sky with a sparkle in her eye, "I mean, it's not as cool as the Double Rainboom, but still..."

It's almost like she can read my mind, you thought.

"You did that, you know?" she added, pointing a hoof towards the sky, "Never forget how awesome you are, because you are the only pony in Equestria that can do that. Heh, not even I can do that, and I'm pretty awesome."

"I never thought I'd hear you talk this way about anypony," you replied, "And hey, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be a flightless Pegasus right now."

Without giving a response, she gave you a smile before resting her head on your shoulder. You could feel her multicoloured mane brushing against you. Sat here with Rainbow Dash looking out across the festival...

This was the best moment of your life.

You never thought there'd be a situation where you could say that with such confidence, but if there ever was going to be one, then this was it.

"You do like it in Equestria right? You've... Never thought about going home?" Rainbow asked, lifting her head to look into your eyes. She was most likely trying to hide it, but you could see in her eyes that the thought of you returning back to where you came from terrified her.

"Truthfully, I don't even remember anything before Equestria. Like, at all," you said, causing her eyes to light up, "Equestria is my home now. All that time I've spent with you and your friends have been the best times of my life."

Rainbow suddenly bolted off the ground excitedly, hovering only a few inches in front of you, "Pfft! You thought that was awesome? We're just getting started!"

You weren't quite sure what to say. The only thing you could currently see was Rainbow Dash hovering directly in front of you, contrasting the golden glow of the sky.
Before you could change your mind, you moved your own face closer to hers.

As your lips touched, her wings ceased to function, and she fell back down to the ground.

A few moments later, the kiss had ended and the two of you parted, the Pegasus sat at your side once again. Her head returned to your side as you looked out across the farm land.

"I love you, Rainbow," you said.

"I love you too, Storm," she replied, nuzzling her head against you.

The two of you remained sat on the hill for what felt like five minutes, when in reality it had probably been much longer. Almost all of your thoughts were of the cyan pony beside you, the few thoughts that weren't consisting of the beautiful view.

Finally, your thoughts were interrupted by a purple unicorn approaching the base of the hill, along with four other ponies and a small dragon who you had came to know so well. She gave you a wave, a smile on her face.

This was your life now...

And you wouldn't have had it any other way.

Author's Note

I present to you... the final chapter.

Fittingly, this is the longest chapter in the story. It only made sense for that to happen considering every chapter tends to average around 2,500 words. I'm usually not good with endings so I hope it turned out okay. It's also been exactly a year since this story was published. I didn't plan to post the final chapter on the exact same date as the first, but I suppose it's a pretty cool coincidence.
Also, a special thanks to 'THERDSTORYWHISPERER' and 'SethFilms' for commenting on almost every chapter I posted. It's been a huge source of motivation and without it I probably wouldn't have finished the story. If you don't want to be mentioned here tell me and I'll remove you :)

Now I need to talk about literally everything in these author's notes because I don't want to make another chapter after this specifically for them. I considered doing that, but I didn't want to make the story seem a chapter longer than it really is.

The Story

So truthfully, most of this story was improvised. This was originally just a story for me to 'test the waters' before I wrote my first actual story, but I decided to continue it and see where it went. Pretty much every chapter was improvised and unplanned up until around about Chapter 30. Around then, I had a rough idea about the plot and had a short break to piece the story together a little more.
That being said though, I lost motivation to continue this story several times. Some of it was due to real life events, but some of it was because of that improvisation. Because I never had a plan to begin with, I never really had a desire to finish what I eventually did plan out. That's also the main reason this took a year to finish. If it wasn't for that, I think this would've been finished much sooner.

Sequel

Eventually I plan for there to be a sequel to this story. I know that sounds weird considering I was just talking about having no motivation, but I've already planned some of it. There are already a few things in this story hinting towards it. Some are more obvious than you'd think.
I doubt a sequel will be coming for a while though, as there are other stories I'm looking forward to writing. Speaking of which...

Future Stories

I have a story that I'm going to be writing soon that I'm much more passionate about than this one. I've had it planned for probably 10 months now, but I wanted to finish this story before I moved on to anything else. It is a crossover, so I'm sorry if you're not a fan of those kinds of things, but hopefully if you're reading this you enjoyed what I did with this story.

About Me

I think I'm much better overall than I was when I started writing this. I think I've learnt a lot about writing through this journey, which I'm sure anyone would be able to see if you went back and read the first few chapters. Seriously, I can't even read them myself they're that bad.
I originally joined the site because of the lockdown that was happening at the time, and simply had nothing else to do. Typically, I have an incredibly short attention span. I usually can't stay playing a game or watching a series for over a week before getting bored, so the fact that I'm still here after a year tells me that I've found something special to me, and I intend to do good things with it.

Other than that, I think that's all I have to say. I hope you're all well, and if you wanna stick around for that crossover story, then I'll be seeing you soon. If not, then it's been a pleasure writing for you :)

Bye