Hearth's Warming Tales

by KukriRyuTsukino

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Anthro, Main 6, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Comedy, Rarity, Fluttershy, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 12357

A brief glimpse of Hearth's Warming Day in Equestria.

A brief glimpse into the lives of anthro ponies in Equestria. Takes place shortly after the petrification of the Troublesome Trio.

Published 2021-01-24 12:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-01-24 12:50:00 UTC

Gifts and Greetings

With the changing of the seasons and the year slowly wrapping up like a present, a flurry of snow had graced the nearby lands, turning the town of Ponyville into a Winter Wonderland. A tree had been erected in the middle of town, decorated with lights and other shiny things to look nice and celebrate the holiday. Some of the people around kept themselves entertained by building snowpeople, having snowball fights, going caroling with friends, or just having a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream while watching the people go by. Mokuba was little exception to these, although there was something needed to be done. With all the money he saved up, he decided to go shopping for presents for his friends, having them all wrapped up nicely, tagged and color coded based on who he was giving them to. Carrying his gifts on a sled he led himself, he planned on placing them near the tree.

Stormy Vale exhaled softly in the chilled air. His crystalline ultramarine-aquamarine irises shimmered in the sunlight as he smiled faintly. Admittedly, he was quite unfamiliar with what he'd heard called 'holidays' as his home island had no such things. There were feasts, admittedly. "Funny how... before, I learned under Diana... and now... I'm this world's equivalent of my old mentor," he murmured under his breath. He wore a dark burgundy lacquered belt with golden copper 'links' overlaid over the dark burgundy metal. He also wore dark copper boots over his hooves and dark grayish black shorts that stopped just above mid-thigh. He wore a dark bronze vest edged with burgundy and gold with black shoulder pads upon it. His mane hung in messy waves over his shoulders and upper back.

Mokuba, himself, had been wearing some winter equipment. A white, silky scarf that was wrapped around his neck and near his mouth, and what was practically black snow pants but for ponies on his back half, covering his flank. In the front half, a dark blue winter jacket that kept his body warm, something that matched his fur coat. And, of course, some winter boots on each of his hooves. His mane was brushed neatly, off to his right side, although the top of it couldn’t be seen under the knit winter hat he wore on his head, a cute design of white and blue, which had a hole out for his horn. All of these bits of clothing to be prepared for the weather. He’d after making a turn by the tree, putting the sled underneath it. “There we go. They’ll be happy to see this, I’m sure.” He said rather proudly, yet quietly, taking the rope he had attached to him and the sled off.

Stormy's gaze slid around. He knew there were those who thought him a 'blank flank' since he rarely revealed his Destiny Mark, which he'd heard were more commonly known as 'Cutie Marks', unlike most ponies he'd seen who either tended to have an accessory in its form or it was seen into their clothing. He rolled his shoulders, noticing the grayish white Unicorn mare with a subtly coiled violet mane coiffure with deep navy blue eyes wearing a rich amethyst cloak with red and copper vines along the edge of the cloak. He caught glimpses of a warm lavender jacket which, he absently mused, contrasted and emphasized her mane and eyes. He had, of course, heard her name was Rarity Belle. His gaze drifted skyward before he crouched, pushing off lightly before, in a surge of arcane light that was a shimmering golden red, wings not unlike that of a Phoenix flared out before pushing downward, shoving him skyward. His head tilted upon seeing the dark navy blue jacket covering the cyan fur of the Pegasus mare sprawled out and snoring on the cloud. Her chromatic mane was streaked red, orange, yellow, green, deep blue, and purple. His eyebrow twitched as he shook his head before smirking slightly. His ears twitched before his head tilted upward from gazing at the snoozing mare, spotting the soft butter yellow fur, sugar pink mane in a dainty wavy curl, and warm cyan eyes beneath a deeper cerulean cyan knit hat edged with fur freely given by animals, though he could tell that there was, most likely, a down underlayer to Fluttershy's hat. She wore a light sea green, dark sea green edged jacket and warm dark blue pants he wagered were layered.

Mokuba’s attention turned skyward as the surge of energy and golden red light rocketed to the clouds above. There definitely wasn’t supposed to be any northern light shows until later in the evening, yet to see such a beauty spring up like a geyser of water, leaving an entrail in the air, gave him awe. Such tricks weren’t practiced often, save for some light shows during the Hearths Warming season and others. His jade colored eyes fixated above, he crouched first, then quickly galloped through the snow away from the tree, northward of town, hopping twice before conjuring wings of an amethyst light with his magic to soar toward the sky above. Such spells weren’t practiced commonly and took a lot of time to master, but for Mokuba, magic was second nature. In his ascent to one of the clouds above, he could easily make out ponies by their fur and mane color without having to get closer. One such pony was a bubblegum pink coated mare with a mane colored in a dark hot pink, in contrast to her fur. Her attire consisted of a Ruby red coat with white fur by the sleeves, and a hat to match with a pearl white pom. She carried a khaki bag, which appeared to be full with presents, or perhaps something else. Only a smile came to his face when seeing that.

Another duo also saw Pinkamena Diane Pie. "You know, Pinkie and Rainbow like pranking others so much... what if we did a little Hearth's Warming prank on them, eh?" Stormy murmured teasingly. He saw Fluttershy's eyes widen a bit as if she wasn't sure how they could. A small smirk crossed his face as he whispered in the Element of Kindness' ear. Her eyes widened before an impish grin crossed her face. "Oooh... and color-coding the sticks would make sure," she giggled. "Hmmm... now that's something I didn't think of. Though it just goes to show that your friends can rub off on you in the most interesting ways," he quipped.

He knew that Twilight and Rarity tended to hold a little party, usually around a dozen or so. He hummed, thinking. No doubt he and Mokuba would be there, and likely Coco Pommel as well as Lyra Heartstrings and Bonbon. A small smirk crossed his face as he'd planned on doing something that would likely very much surprise everypony at the party.

Pranks were the specialty of Pinkie and Rainbow, and hardly anypony was safe. Of course, Mokuba was hardly an exception to this. Sure, they were lighthearted pranks and weren’t much to harm, rather, cheer him up if he was ever down. With the light in his heart, there also existed a darkness, something he wanted to have some control over. It wasn’t as malicious as it was before, now only seeking to protect those dearest to him in times of danger. Just looking at the orchid colored Alicorn with a violet mane, a streak of hot pink running across the left side. This was a time before she grew to around Celestia’s height, and the mane six of the future were still under her guidance. He, himself, was not only a student of hers, but also of Starlight Glimmer, Rarity, among others. One could be surprised by the list of connections.

He turned and saw the mare with a coat like sunshine next to the stallion with a pale blue/purple coat with tribal markings covered by his clothing, talking, as if they were plotting. It was no doubt they’d be a part of that party.

Stormy dropped to the ground, a small plume of powdery snow kicking up from his landing. "You know, darling, sometimes you are just as much a show off as Rainbow, sometimes," he heard Rarity remark with a small smile.

He shrugged in reply as he smirked slightly. "We're all show offs in some form or fashion. After all, isn't advertising a form of showing off? Besides, academics could just be the equivalent of showing off one's mind. Though I have kept it a surprise... what I have in place for later. Though Vinyl and Octavia are the only ones who really know something about it in a bit more detail... even they'll be surprised if they drop by, though I did hear about Octavia assisting with the Hearth's Warming play. I'm not surprised that her talents expand to conducting as well... though I know why I have mine... and it's a long story," he sighed, rolling his shoulders before a sharp pop sounded before Rainbow tumbled, landing in his arms with a startled and surprised look as he heard Fluttershy's booted hooves touch the snow.

Mokuba spread his conjured wings and glided down, landing lightly in the snow, seeing Rainbow land in Stormy’s arms, smirking just a bit. “Talk about a rude awakening,” the unicorn snickered as the wings disappeared from his sides. “I, myself, have a lot of talents and a lot of jobs to do for the festival. I kinda have to, learning under what seems to be every pony, dragon, and so on. Not to mention my own story as to how I have this strong, raw magic power.”

The cyan pegasus got off of Stormy’s arms, rolling her eyes at Mokuba’s joke. “Very funny, kid.” She deadpanned, still looking at the both of them. “You’ll have to tell your stories later, maybe when we’re all gathered around. Or after we help Pinkie give out presents to every pony she’s made or bought them for.”

The indigo coated colt nodded. “Yeah... but speaking of gifts, the many rolls of wrapping paper I’ve had to buy is nothing to feel thankful for... why’s it gotta be so expensive this time of year?”

Stormy shrugged. "It's most likely because some business ponies tend to notice that fact and they try to take advantage of it," he commented wryly. "Though I tend to go with more... unique gifts," he commented with a small smirk. "Though we should have seen Faust blowing her up coming, ugh," he sighed, shaking his head. He had learned that ponies worshipped a deity, presumably a reality bound deity, by the name of Faust.

“Sadly.” Mokuba replied. It was rather unfortunate as to what happened. But, it couldn’t be changed. There were a few deities and demons alike they worshipped or feared, and all of them have their shortcomings. “Though, besides that, I’m pretty excited to see what you got, Stormy. I think you’ll all be excited to see what I’ve got you.”

“Whoopsie!” The pink pony giggled as she approached them. “Looks like my aim was just off a little! Maybe I shoulda used my party cannon instead...”

Mokuba blinked. “Pinkie, nothing's wrong with your aim and wanting to give presents,” He tells her before looking at the box that was snagged by Stormy Vale before looking back at her, “but I don’t think anypony wants to get a box launched in their face from a cannon... pies and confetti are a different story.”

“It’s a small box, and besides, the last time I tried delivering presents, I got stuck in a chimney.” She admitted with a slight chuckle thinking back on it. “I had to wait for about twenty minutes before anypony found me! My coat went from red to black, though...”

Stormy Vale smirked. "I'm pretty certain that nopony would mistake you for Krampus, Pinkie. For one, you're too cute to be a miserly old devil," he quipped. He saw her eyes widen as he'd noticed very, very few ponies seemed to understand her subtle references. "Though if one thinks logically... the outfits some metahumans tend to wear can be so impractical... though you look at those Power Ponies stereotypes... they're not quite right," he commented with a small shrug before he noticed their looks of confusion. "When I reveal my story... you'll see what I mean," he said firmly. He blinked as a snowman came sliding past before it slid to a stop. His eyebrow rose slightly before he shook his head slightly. "Agni," he invoked before the snowman exploded, a fine mist spraying outward before a soft splat sounded as a wet scarf landed on the pale lavender coat of a grayish white furred mare with light green eyes. She was somewhat sprawled over a gamboge furred mare with a deep red, almost scarlet, mane. An orange furred pegasus mare was sitting on top of both, wearing a dark navy jacket and soaked blue jeans and boots. He rolled his eyes. "But before that, we have three mischievous young mares that need to warm up before they get sick," he deadpanned.

“Scoot and her friends back to their Hearths Warming snowpony antics. Yep... shoulda saw that one coming ten miles away.” Rainbow nods, flying over to the side of the Orange pegasus mare, getting a wing around her. If one blinked, they would have missed Pinkie dashing off and making quick cups of hot cocoa and bowls of soup for the trio. Given it’s from Pinkie, it’s best not to be questioned by anypony.

Mokuba looked at the three and could only sigh a little. “Takes me back a year or so...” He murmured, remembering how he met the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, something he was going to tell later on while ponies were sharing their stories.

Stormy cocked an eyebrow, noticing slight hints of electricity flickering around Pinkie. 'Huh? Intriguing... so that explains her... speed. Though she seems more versatile with her talents than Barry is,' he considered. His gaze shifted to Rarity as she ushered them into the Boutique, which happened to be nearest. He took a deep breath, as he really didn't need wings to fly, but the feel of flight with wings... was quite interesting. He took a deep breath as he felt his hooves rise slightly off the ground, no surge of magic nor wings visible. For just an instant, his irises flickered a hot crimson as he could feel that part of him surfacing. He suspected it was a part of Kara she hadn't mentioned, yet strangely, it never seemed to do more than observe, almost as if gauging for weaknesses or threats. He wondered if Diana had ever told Kal that one of the Exobytes that had merged with him was one that had held genetic material from his cousin.

'Kinda funny, how I instinctively think of Superman as Kal, wouldn't you agree, Kara?' he thought. He felt the presence recoil as if surprised. 'Come on, it would make sense if I can summon Etrigan the way Jason Blood can, then it's possible, even likely, that more than just genetic material from the Exobytes could carry over. Though admittedly it is comforting to have someone familiar,' he considered. He noticed her presence seemed thoughtful, as if considering his thoughts. He had a sneaking suspicion if he looked in on her, she'd probably be blushing.

It had been just over three years since he'd met the Elements, a little over four months before the incident with a certain magic lusting centaur.

Even Mokuba was slightly surprised by this speed showcased by her, and it was as if the soup and cocoa were already prepared ahead of time. He didn’t make any sudden movements, but just kind of stood there for a moment. ‘Every day seems to be a surprise with your friends.’ Something spoke to him inside of him.

’What more would you expect from them, Yami? I’m a little more surprised with Vale. It seems he bears similar powers to our own... only without you tagging along and nagging.’ Mokuba quipped in his head.

’Buck you.’ The voice known as Yami retorts, taking offense to what he said. Yami was a darker manifestation of Mokuba, born of his fears. His anguish. His pain. In a way, it was no different from the darker side of the Umbrium, or others like the Satsui no Hado, even the Orochi power hailed by the likes of Iori or Rugal.

Stormy exhaled softly as he felt, for just an instant, the darker side of Mokuba. His head tilted slightly, watching the other, younger stallion from the corner of his eye before he felt Etrigan stir in his mind, a hellish reddish orange ring glowing at the edges of his irises. "Curious how this world is steeped in magic, yet the hidden agonies within her denizens can be tragic. Little more than a louse was Faust, yet in some ways his cunning could be, even in downfall, stunning," the demon continued. 'True, though few short of those with an extreme healing factor could survive a two inch thick thorny spear through the heart, of which Faust, connection to Trigon or not, lacked. Fortunately, Zatanna, John and the others won't have to deal with him... as depowered as Adam was... he likely didn't survive that blast either, considering he was the closest to the source,' he remarked thoughtfully. "As we know, however, power like Adam's is rarely gone forever. We must be on guard, in case it latched to another with similar lively regard," Etrigan deadpanned. He knew what that was, as Teth Adam, or as the world had known him, 'Black Adam', as it was rumored the moniker came from his costume and hands being stained black with the blood of those he saw as foes.

"Trust me, kid... any sort of power has a downside... whether mental or physical. Any Gift like ours can be corrupted... whether by forces intent on destruction or by our own darker desires... fear, hatred, anger... the mark of those whom claim to be 'heroes' isn't just helping those in need, but knowing that asking for help doesn't mean that they are weak," he said quietly.

“So you’re familiar with those kinds of things, huh?” Mokuba had a feeling that Vale was able to feel Yami’s presence within him. Although, in turn, he was able to feel the other powers within his elder counterpart.

“Yami might be of the darker forces, yet even they can have good intentions. He exists within me to help protect me and others, and to keep dark’s full power at bay.”

Afterwards, he closed his eyes for a second, thinking about asking for help. “I reached out for help before, and it took a long time before another hoof reached back. For that, I’m indebted to Twilight Sparkle.”

Stormy exhaled softly. "More familiar than I would like to be, rest assured. And I'm hoping that a certain cybernetic bastard doesn't find a way here. I.... encountered others... that... well... let's just say after he 'acquired all potential knowledge' he... leaves," he said cautiously. What he didn't say was what he'd found out really happened to those worlds after Brainiac had 'acquired all the known knowledge'. That was something he could have gone without ever knowing. Though he'd made sure to leave detailed video logs of what he'd recalled just in case something, ironically, like this... occurred. "No doubt Oracle already found them," he sighed before noticing that the other ponies were waiting for them.

“I get that, and hopefully his appearance won’t come to pass. But, I think we shouldn’t worry too much about it right now. Hearth's Warming is a time to celebrate with your friends and family, and I don’t think we should keep them waiting any longer.” He replied, looking over to the other ponies and trotting toward them. While he was a bit younger than Vale, he was still a mature stallion, although he didn’t know the difference in age between him and his friend.

Stormy smirked as he shrugged. "Wonder if Twi ever mentioned that Celestia had another student alongside her..." he commented nonchalantly. He knew his voice held an impish prankster's edge to it. 'Though I'm kinda sorry I missed their first Gala... heh... that must have been funny. Though if, as I suspect, that the mare Celestia mentioned whom inspired the name... was one of Trixie's ancestors... she'd probably blush more than Fluttershy when Rainbow pulls her more risque pranks,' he mused.

“You talking about Trixie? I think she’s brought it up once before.” Mokuba rolled his shoulders just a bit. He, himself, knew that, mainly because she was a guidance counselor at the School of Friendship, a place he was currently enrolled to not only control his own magic, but to help understand friendship and start trusting others. The students were also invited to the recent Gala, which, also included him, in an attempt to help with the socialization and friendship training. He had a good time, but needless to say, he could do without some nobles being there.

Stormy smirked slightly. "Trixie wasn't the other student, but I know who it is," he commented with a chuckle as they slipped into the Boutique. He exhaled as he shivered slightly. "Hoo, it ain't until you get out of the cold until you realize how cold it really is. Hey, AJ, ever thought of doing apple cider slushies?" he commented wryly. He chuckled as Applejack flopped down on a nearby couch.

"Can't say Ah have, sugarcube," she replied.

“Sounds like it’d be really tasty! I could help with that!” Pinkie sat by a nearby table, sipping on a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream, leaving a small blot of white on her nose and upper lip. The idea was definitely possible, all she needed was the ingredients to make them, and a machine to keep it cold.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but maybe when it’s warmer outside...” Scootaloo warmed up rather well. Yet what sane pony would want something cold in the middle of the winter? One would think they’d like to keep warm.

Stormy hummed in thought, sipping on the canteen that usually hung from his hip, unaware it made his lips look almost as if he wore purple lipstick although it was actually blackberry-blueberry cordial with the equivalent of a shot of moonshine in it for the warming sensation. "Could do it like margaritas are done... grind ice into the mixture... though admittedly there would be a chance of watering down the cider," he commented, thinking aloud, absentmindedly though he wasn't sure if ponies knew about margaritas or not.

He hummed in thought.

“Watered down cider doesn’t taste well at all. You might as well just mix alcohol straight from the bottle.” Dash enjoyed some drinks every now and then, but of course, it was when she didn’t have to go somewhere afterwards. Flying under the influence is dangerous, and, in most cases, illegal. When she didn’t have much of a choice, she usually drowned out her problems with some of Cloudsdale’s finest.

Stormy tilted his head in thought. Dashie's comment aligned with his thought. He blinked as a thought occurred to him before a slow grin crossed his face. "You haven't seen it, have you, Dashie?" he said with a smirk reserved for a prank. A few months after the incident with Tirek, he'd purchased three bushels of three Sweet Apple Acres apples as well as a half bushel of sweet yams.

However, what he'd done with them, nobody knew. "By the way, I suspect you'll like what I got ye, Rarity," he commented with a small smirk.

The pegasus raised her brow in confusion. It was clear she had little idea what he meant. “Seen what? I’m guessing it’s a present of yours?” She asked in a curious and confused tone. Little did she know it was a prank that might have taken all year to prepare, with no spoilers or hints whatsoever. Vale had a way of keeping secrets for long periods of time, much to his credit.

The violet-maned seamstress smiled at his comment. “Considering it’s coming from you, darling, I’ll take your word for it.” Rarity replied. She was just about finished making another scarf, knit well and with love, and boxing them with some other clothing.

Of course, due to age and some other circumstances, Mokuba didn’t really know what alcohol or margaritas were, just having this cute, yet confused look on his face.

Stormy chuckled. "Something like that. Suffice to say, it turned out surprisingly well, and it would most certainly warm somepony up on a chilly night and thankfully without some of the bite I've noticed in some of the bars," he commented as he held up a hand, an arcane circle flaring up before rising and fading to reveal a good dozen gifts in different shades of wrapping paper. He snapped his fingers before he pulled free from his vest caramel apples, drizzled with white chocolate. The sticks were even color coded to the group.

What he didn't reveal was that Pinkie's and Rainbow's, whilst seeming slightly larger, actually had the apples within wrapped in a fifth of an inch thick layer of onion.

“Aw, sweet! Caramel apples! Thanks, Stormy!” Rainbow Dash was quick to get hers, the one with a cyan blue stick. Within her hands/hooves, she’d close her eyes and take a bite around the side, chewing it before snapping open her cerise eyes and stopping the chewing, quickly going to a garbage can to spit what she had chewed up into the trash. “What the—?! What kind of apples did you—“

Mokuba approached, and looked at the apple before the scent of cut onions. He turned back and only saw that the apple on the pink stick matched the size of Dash’s.

“... You wrapped hers and Pinkies in a small coat of onion, only as a prank.” He realized, with Pinkie only giggling just a bit. “You got me there!” She adds.

Stormy smirked a bit. It was usually very difficult to really manage to prank those two. Mainly because Pinkie had a tendency to come up with theories that, whilst sometimes odd upon hearing them, upon looking back somepony might suspect her to be clairvoyant. "Remember a couple of years ago, not long before the School of Friendship started, that I had an extended trip to Saddle Arabia? It wasn't for vacation reasons, unfortunately, if that's what you're thinking, Rarity, Rainbow," he commented. He knew Twilight would likely make the connection between the 'magical sandstorms' around that time in that area and his trip.

The kicker, however... was that the sandstorms, in truth, hadn't been magical at all. However, with Celestia retired, it wasn't like asking her would be that easy.

“So you got that idea while over there, since you were stuck in the sandstorm you wrote about, mainly because you needed something to do?” Pinkie shot out the theory as if she were a gun in the hands of a marksman firing on the word ‘Draw.’

“That was before we met, wasn’t it? What were you doing in Saddle Arabia?” The colt asked.

“I’ll bet it was because you were learning how to keep dumb secrets like this from under our noses!” Rainbow can’t believe she was taken for a fool. Played like a damn fiddle. It was a surprise, however, that there wasn’t anypony here that could have taught him that before.

Twilight blinked before facepalming herself. "I can't believe I forgot about that!! We were both tutored by Celestia, though I do remember her mentioning she had somepony looking into those sandstorms, though," she exclaimed as Stormy nodded to Mokuba's inquiry. "Actually, Rainbow, that secret... is connected to my own past. Which is wilder than anything you could imagine," he commented nonchalantly before he exhaled softly. "Now doubt if Diana saw me now... she'd be laughing her Amazonian ass off, Zatanna too," he sighed with a shake of his head.

It was safe to say that he was the only pony taught not by one, but two Princesses. Although, admittedly, he got more lessons from John and Zatanna than Diana.

“Is that right?” Rainbow tilted her head, a bit surprised on the matter. She’d admit, Stormy had more knowledge of who she was talking about than any of them. “Never woulda thought you were connected to Amazons, though... didn’t see that.”

Mokuba only nodded in some understanding. “I guess that could explain some of your magical power. Wouldn’t heritage also play a role in how one could grasp things, like magic?” He asked. While waiting on the response, he took a bite out of his caramel apple.

"Partially... but it all goes back to how I ended up here... and a sociopathic cybernetic murderous AI with an obsession with knowledge. I was born on another world... we knew it as Earth. There were those with heroic desires like myself... and there were those like Tirek and Sombra. Worst among them, in my own opinion... was two.... Brainiac and Lex Luthor. Brainiac has clashed numerous times with the superheroes of Earth... and, from what we can guess, harvested genetic material from said heroes over time, presumably to find counteracting plans to defeat them. He stored them in machines known as Exobytes... and I was injected with four different Exobytes from four different metahumans, hence why I thought there were metahumans here, if you'll recall," he commented nonchalantly with a small shrug. He crossed his legs in a Lotus position, hovering in midair. "Simply put... my mentor, at least in the physical and, some might call, the 'mundane' arts... was Princess Diana of Themiscyra... or as the world dubbed her... Wonder Woman," he commented. He saw Twilight's eyes widen at the admission, as in his studies under Celestia, it turned out that Themiscyra was thought of as a myth, though so had Seaquestria at some point.

Mokuba’s eyes widened as well, especially of the name of the world.

“Earth...?” A voice spoke. Using a bit of magic to make himself visible, a dark pony emerged from the horn of the colt, although it was translucent, something like a ghost. In contrast to Mokuba, he stood taller and had a coat of silver, bearing a mahogany red mane, irises of an amber color, and a horn that was slightly curved.

“... Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. Although, by the sounds of it... yours was a lot different than the one I knew.”

Stormy's eyebrow rose slightly. "Different? Hmmm... I've heard stranger. Especially when one of the Exobytes I was infused with belonged to something similar to you... or more precisely someone," he deadpanned. "Though it was only recently, and I'm assuming it's because of where the genetic material came from... that I've noticed little nudges... almost like someone looking over your shoulder. I know both of the metahumans that were neither human nor pony as one I've met numerous times... the other... I can summon. The last two I've worked with, though Zatanna herself admitted my magic was closer to that of Rachel's than her own although that's probably where I get the talent for talking backwards from as the arcane can take numerous forms," he commented with a shrug.

“I see. Never had anyone like that back where I’m from, though I can’t say I remember much of home...” Yami admitted, although seemingly have drawn the attention of the others around the showcase of the boutique, to the point Mokuba stepped in.

“What you see here is just a manifestation of the darkness within me. He appropriately calls himself Yami, ‘Darkness’ in Neighponese. Not really original, but he came up with it.” He explained. “The little ‘magical flares’ I had sometime after I arrived? After certain situations? That was him before I manifested him, as a way to anchor both sides.”

Stormy hummed in thought. "Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to project Etrigan... but then, that's for the best. Though I did find out that whatever landed me here acted much like a Boom Tube or Zeta Beam.... essentially teleporting me from Earth... to here, though whatever it was turned out to be a one way ticket... unless... wait... Etrigan seemed surprised when I was able to initially summon him, which means he's still linked to Jason Blood... whom is on Earth. Though I do know that wanker, Felix Faust,, one of the biggest sources of power for a certain demon... got put down permanently," he sighed, shaking his head slightly as he wasn't sure how Poison Ivy had shown up.

He hadn't forgotten how Celestia had told him that he'd arrived with pretty ugly injuries as he'd not only been unconscious, but severely burned and lacerated in numerous places. The armored bodysuit he'd had had been partially fused to his body, and considering that would've taken extreme heat on par with near miss with a O level star such as the one Earth knew as Sirius A, that denoted a small potential hint as to the direction he'd ended up.

It was a surprise he wasn’t dead when he first showed up. Yet, it didn’t take too long for him to adapt to what was practically going to be his new/permanent home. Although, from what it sounded like, he still had some connections back home, and with a certain demon being put down, he got the last laugh.

“It’s more him projecting himself rather than me projecting him, if I’m being honest.” He explained, looking at Yami before looking back at Stormy. “But, despite him being a pain in the flank sometimes, he’s rather helpful.” Yami only rolled his eyes at the comment, yet he knew it held truth. Much like the truth there lies an inner darkness within every one in existence, and not just the ponies. Sombra, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and even the darker sides of Pinkie and Fluttershy were all examples of this. Despite how freaky they might be, he’s definitely seen and felt worse.

Stormy tilted his head, humming. "Heh, the same could be said of Etrigan. Though I had made sure to infuse my armor with enough defensive enchantments that Grail herself was impressed... and damn if she most certainly wasn't one hell of a challenge," he commented with a shiver. That had been one of the most difficult fights of his life and that was coming from a guy whom, before his powers were pushed higher by the Exobytes, would regularly tangle with the gangs of Roman Sionis and Harvey Dent.

"Who's Roman and Harvey?" he heard Pinkie chirp, making him blink in mild surprise.

"Are you sure you aren't telepathic, Pinkie?" he deadpanned to which Pinkie only giggled.

“At any given rate with Pinkie, even that wouldn’t— shouldn’t— surprise us.” Rainbow just shrugged. They knew the golden rule, and that was not to question Pinkie unless she was in a more sensible manner.

Pinkie only looked innocent over the matter, although bearing a somewhat smug look on her face. But then, she noticed something outside. A gathering of ponies in the town. “Oh! Looks like something's starting!”

Stormy exhaled softly. "Roman and Harvey... are criminals, specifically Gotham villains. Their aliases are 'Black Mask' and 'Two-Face', though I'll say nothing more about them... unless they were to find their way here," he said quietly. He cocked his head upon noticing the gathering. "Either somepony is thinking of a very big snowball fight... or a gift exchange," he commented nonchalantly.

“Gift exchange, that’s right!” Mokuba exclaimed as Yami vanished back into his horn. “Can’t be late giving out my own presents to every pony! Don’t be late, I’ll be out there!” And with that, he was out the door in a flash.

Stormy chuckled as he rolled his shoulders. His fingers brushed over the gemstone foci on his forehead that acted identically to a horn. He knew there were some who thought him a freak for the fact that Celestia had, pun intended, taken him under her wing upon noticing his gifts with Magic. He loped out into the snow, tilting his head, watching for curious onlookers.

Sure, there were those curious about the gemstone, whether it allowed him to switch between the pony form and the human form, like some other ponies, even Mokuba. But, such questions could be answered some other time. For now though, it was time for a little gift exchange. Just by the little sled he pulled, the colt was getting ready to hand out things to others.

Stormy exhaled, levitating a small pile of gifts, though he didn't touch the ones for their little group, leaving them in the Boutique for a bit later. He knew Rarity would love the silver and orichalcum sewing kit, although technically, it was a gift from the Princess of Saddle Arabia, he rarely employed such things, so he intended to gift it to someone who would.

Most of his gifts, however, were handmade, much like AJ would do.

Pinkie unloaded her sack of gifts, yet saving some specifically color coded ones for her friends and family, handing out gifts to the crowd, as did Rarity and a handful of other ponies. Since it was an exchange (least to those who could afford gifts), they were given a present in return, and as it lightly snowed down, lights lit up the town. It was truly a magical experience.

Stormy exhaled softly as he handed gifts out. He recalled that the guards and builders had been rather confused but interested in the unusual design he'd chosen for his home slightly north of Ponyville. Of course, he had not revealed where he'd gotten the design from. He let the gifts slide through a magical wormhole into his home, deciding to accept the gifts, yet not find out what the wrapped ones were... yet. He smirked as he passed both AJ and Rainbow their gifts... which were actually the same thing: Star Valley Pears mixed with Sweet Apple Acres Apples into a smoky brandy and sweetened with honey, aged eight months in oak barrels. In truth, however, the barrels actually aged the brandy faster due to enchantments upon the bands of the barrels, so it was closer in flavor to a five year aged brandy.

(AJ's and Rainbow's gift)

Star Valley Pear Orchard was an orchard on the edge of the Crystal Empire and was quite a pleasant place. Stormy chuckled as Scootaloo's eyes widened at a knit cap that had Rainbow's colors as well as the Destiny Marks of all the Wonderbolts upon it, even Rainbow's as she'd only recently joined them.

Rainbow looked at what she had gotten, opening the cap before she smiled. “Well, I’ll be... Star Valley Orchard Pears and Sweet Apple Acres Apples mixed together for a drink. Thanks, Stormy.” The cyan pony replied, placing the cap back on the bottle.

Mokuba would eventually pass the two gifts of his own. For Applejack, it was a new hat that would fit her perfectly and still allow for a braid. Not only that, it also helped to stop the sun from beating down on her face when she was doing work. As for Rainbow Dash, he had made a personalized Wonderbolts outfit with streaks of rainbows and such on them, even bearing her Cutie Mark on the chest. This would allow for easy movements and staying warm while in the air.

Stormy chuckled. "I actually had your main gift dropped off at Sweet Apple Acres, AJ.... damn thing took four Earth Ponies plus half a dozen lightening charms to get it moved... but I'm certain you'll find it very useful," he admitted wryly.

"What would have needed that?" Twilight commented, curious.

"Remember that huge stump that Zecora found in early summer? I kinda got it out... and turned it into a bathtub," Stormy admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. What he didn't say was that he'd had to employ both Kaìmon and Seìmon of the Hachimon to move the bloody thing.

“That’s a good way to make use of the environment.” Rarity didn’t seem surprised that a big tree stump was turned into a bath tub. It appeared he had rather good carving skills, too. “If you weren’t Celestia’s student, you would’ve made a great wood carver or artist.” She quipped.

“Speaking of arts, this ones for you, Stormy.” Mokuba approached with a gift for the pony/human with the tribal tattoos: an easel which came with paint, brushes, pencils and the like for his rather creative side.

Stormy chuckled softly. "Actually... about that. I actually did something... it was on an island a couple days north of a rather large city on Earth... Metropolis... the home city of Kal El of Krypton... or as the public knew him, 'Superman'," he commented wryly, passing Rarity a wrapped gift.

"Though I did have some help with making the tub... Etrigan pitched in, which kinda surprised me, though he seems more... shall we say relaxed here... well... as relaxed as a demon can be. It's just a very good thing that Jason Blood is still linked to him," he sighed.

“That makes sense.” Rarity took the gift and opened it, seeing the kit he received from the Princess of Saddle Arabia, her eyes growing in awe as she looked at them. “Stormy, darling, these are beautiful! Where did you get these?” She asked.

Stormy shrugged. "They were sitting around gathering dust... which isn't right for tools such as those, so... why keep them when I know little about needlework or similar when I know somepony who's a bucking genius at it?" he commented nonchalantly with a shrug. "Though I think you'll notice that there's also something in the boutique for ye," he commented. He passed Pinkie a gift, as well as Twilight. The former had a recipe she'd been pestering him for quite some time as to how he did it, whilst the latter had something far older... as to the untrained eye, it seemed to be written in Ancient Neighponese... but in truth it detailed old, nearly forgotten illusion techniques, some which could be used on the rare criminals or troublemakers, and some that had more mundane uses, such as dreamless sleep. "Come to think of it... want me to reveal what was really causing those sandstorms a couple years back? And it's gonna blow your mind.... because it really wasn't an it so much as a he waking up from a close to fifteen thousand year slumber... and the sandstorms... were his snoring," he sighed, shaking his head. "And holy Tartarus... his morning breath... whew," he commented with a shiver at the memory.

“Sounds about right.” Rarity gave him a nod, still smiling over her gift as she handed him one in return, which was a tea set he’d been looking at for quite some time. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to make great use of these.”

Pinkie looked at the recipe and grew wide eyed with excitement. This had been the recipe she’d told him about for quite some time, and she was happy to get it. In exchange, she got him some baked goods as well as her a recipe book when he wanted to try his hand in making things.

Stormy's eyebrows rose in surprise upon seeing the tea set.

A small smirk crossed his face as he focused, sending the recipe book, tea set, and baked goods to his kitchen for later. "Very impressive. From Prance, I'm guessing? Though admittedly, on Earth, that look was closer to Eastern Chinese... and extremely expensive high end stuff too," he commented thoughtfully. His head tilted upward a bit, scanning the overcast sky which was clearing steadily to reveal a beautiful sunset.

“Yeah, let’s just say I had some sitting around without much to use them for, other than using them for old tea parties back when I was a filly.” She admitted that they went back a few years and were still somehow in great shape, even if they were in the hooves of somepony rather young,

"Just goes to show you were cultured at a very young age," Stormy teased. "If anything, you're proof that nobility can be born in humility. The Canterlot 'nobility' may claim they're so 'noble by birth' but as far as I'm concerned, the ponies in this town make them look like paupers. Because if you think about it, which is better, nobility in riches... or nobility in spirit?" he commented with a grin. He was rather surprised as most of the mares, including Starlight and Trixie, blushed.

“Oh, that’s too kind of you...” Rarity couldn’t help but blush and smile, chuckling just a bit as she heard the compliment, rubbing the back of her head with her hand.

Stormy chuckled. "You know what they say... quantity is never a replacement for quality... but what is it when you have a large quantity of quality?" he teased. He suspected Rarity hadn't noticed the easel sitting not far from the tree in the Boutique, wrapped in pale, creamy white with warm purple ribbons.

The lot of them chuckled at his tease. It sounded about right. Although, Rarity only noticed the easel in which Mokuba gave him, not the one within the Boutique. But, who could say they say it when they were out enjoying themselves?

Rainbow eventually passed up a gift of her own to Stormy: a nicely aged bottle of whiskey. Although, part of her wished she’d played the old prank and do a pie to the face using trap mechanisms.

What Stormy hadn't said about the creature earlier was that the ancient creature... a Bijū, had merged with him, strengthening his body. And since then, he'd gained three other 'occupants'. His fingers brushed his abdomen, where four of the nine markings were colored tan, deep blue, pale Carribean blue, and a rich reddish orange. His eyebrows rose slightly as what appeared to be a rock shifted, a reddish pink eye staring at them.

"Sanbi no baka," a purring voice sighed as he shook his head, noticing the heterochromic emerald and golden eye of the two tailed feline whose dark blue and black streaked fur was visibly steaming.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that you and Isobu came out to be part of the festivities, Matatabi," he sighed. He saw both Fluttershy and Twilight staring at Matatabi, one with burgeoning excitement, the other with curiosity. "The source of those sandstorms... was their sibling... Shukaku... but I doubt there's a way to deal with his... breath. For a time, Shukaku was stuck with a crazy ass priest... obsessed with bloodshed. Turns out the idiot was a Jashinist... until Shukaku was able to purge the insane priest... after which he took a very, very long nap," he sighed. "And don't ask about Jashinism... it's now a dead and gone religion... and that is most certainly for the best," he deadpanned at Twilight's raised eyebrows.

“Whats that? What’s Jashinism?” The colt asked rather curiously, raising an eyebrow to the term. He didn’t exactly have knowledge on religion. The landscape is his forte, since he’s traveled far and wide, trying to find the truth about himself, using the stars to guide him. As a baby, he enjoyed looking at them, and even often followed shooting stars, too. Thus, his real name: Comet Chaser, although often referred to as Shooting Star, and even Mystic Moonstone, for another reason only he and a few others knew. He hid that for a reason, much like how he tried hiding Yami.

Stormy shook his head. True, his birth name, Arashi, did translate as 'storm' in Neighponese. "It's not a good religion and almost every one of its 'priests' are insane killers. That's all I'll say on the subject," he said flatly. "Besides, we don't need that sort of shit at Hearth's Warming, though from what I know of the story, it seems to meld aspects of Thanksgiving and Christmas on Earth," he commented.

“Yeah, I guess that can wait for another day.” He replied as he was handed a gift, a journal in which he could write his daily things in. He had carried one around before, yet for the day, he left it behind.

Stormy chuckled as he focused, noticing the stage as he shifted his weight, his magical aura instinctively flaring out into a soul-self, unaware he seemed to turn into a burning reddish copper falcon before he landed lightly upon the stage a few dozen yards away. "Though the next gift I have in mind," he started, "isn't so much for a particular pony... as everypony. After all... if there's one thing that Earth was known for other than metahumans... was our equivalent of Heartsongs, though I'll be the first to say I'm not on the level of, say, Countess Coloratura or Sapphire Shores as I don't show off my more subtle talents," he commented.

He blinked as a thought crossed his mind, recalling Zatanna's comments about his magic and Rachel Roth's being similar. 'What if she was hinting at something?' he thought as he focused, a whirl of golden red fog fading into something he was certain drew the eye.

“Can’t wait to see it. I, too, have a gift to share with every pony, but I’ll let you take it from here.” Mokuba got the idea, as he had also been planning something sometime afterwards. There was a lot planned tonight, and this would only be the start of it all.

Stormy smirked as he looped the strap over one shoulder. "Hell, if you know how to play, I know a good duet," he commented with a chuckle. "Though the one I have in mind is a bit more fun," he commented with a small shrug as his fingers slid over the strings.

A low yawn that sounded like grinding rocks followed by a sleepy voice. "He also plays the violin," Isobu muttered dryly, drawing an interested look from Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, and, surprisingly, Rarity Belle.

“Well, it’s uh... it’s more on a personal level.” He explained, although the idea of a duet crossed his mind for a friend of his. Somepony he wanted to ask out.

Stormy chuckled at Mokuba's bashful comment. "You'd be surprised how personal music can be... and more importantly, how people can inspire music. In fact... I just recalled a second song... very different from the first," he commented thoughtfully. He intended to reveal the story that inspired the song before the song.

“What is it?” Mokuba asked, knowing there’s usually a story for everything.

Stormy smirked at Mokuba's interest. "You'll see.... though I'm sure everypony knows what it's like when there are those who see you as just a pretty face or a set of hard working hands. You gotta keep in mind that even when the world sees you as nothing or nobody... there's always somepony who sees you as The World to them," he commented with a smirk as his fingers began strumming. He saw eyes widen as the song built up before his voice joined it.

"To the teller down at the bank,
You're just another checkin' account,
To the plumber that came today,
You're just another house.

At the airport ticket counter,
You're just another fare.
At the beauty shop at the mall,
Well, you're just another head of hair.

Well that's alright, that's ok,
If you don't feel important, honey,
All I've got to say is, to the world
You may be just another girl...
But to me,
baby, you are the world.

To the waiter at the restaurant,
You're just another tip.
To the guy at the ice cream shop,
You're just another dip.

When you can't get reservations,
'Cause you don't have the clout,
Or you didn't get an invitation,
'Cause somebody left you out...

That's alright, that's ok,
when you don't feel important... honey, all l've got to say is
to the world,
You may be just another girl
But to me,
baby, you are the world.

You think you're one of millions,
But you're one in a million to me...
When you wonder if you matter, baby...
Look into my eyes,
and tell me, can't you see?
You're everything to me...." he belted out, stretching the last word before sliding into the solo.

"That's alright, that's ok," he continued, "when you don't feel important honey...
All I've gotta say is, to the world...
You may be just another girl,
But to me...
Baby, you are the world...." he finished.

A crowd of cheers would soon erupt for him, and somepony whistling somewhere in the background. Even Pinkie shed a tear in its beauty. After that, they went into some sort of intermission as a speech was given to everyone before they’d move onto the next thing.

"You were asking about the story behind the second song, Mokuba? It was written for two kids... William and Veronica. One, at a mere three months of age, had a stroke... that is, a bleed in the brain. William survived... but the doctors treating him said certain things would be nigh impossible for him. The other... fought a form of leukemia... which is but one of numerous types of cancer... specifically a cancer of the blood," Stormy said quietly, standing just offstage and half out of sight of the gathered ponies.

“Dang... Nature is just unforgiving to a lot of people, isn’t it?” He looked down for a moment before looking back up and shaking his head. “It’s amazing how people can inspire so much.”

Stormy ruffled Mokuba's mane. "See, that's the thing about humanity and ponies alike. For those who would take advantage of others' Kidness, Generosity, Loyalty, or Friendship, there are just as many if not more that use either the stories of others' pain to inspire others to be better or use their own pain to do the same. For example, my mentor Diana, after one of those 'superheroes' had taken in a young orphan... she had asked him 'what gave him the right to train an orphan as he had, to end up like him?' was her words. And though she hadn't said so to his face, his answer truly humbled her," he said softly. "What was his answer, sugarcube?" AJ said curiously.

Stormy's eyes slid from pony to pony amongst the Mane Six. "So he doesn't," he said in a slightly gruff deadpan. He saw Rainbow shiver at the tone before Stormy smirked. "You see... the 'superhero' in question has a particular moniker.... though it wouldn't surprise me if he was trying to find a way here to make sure I'm okay... after all... he may be the 'World's Greatest Detective'... but if you break through that hard, stubborn shell of his... he could rival Rainbow for Loyalty... because those whom he truly holds dear, he'd find ways to protect them," he sighed wistfully. "And though Bruce hides it well... deep in his hearts-of-hearts... he craves family," he said softly. If Stormy was honest, he wanted to see Fluttershy's reaction to her gift as he passed her the small box.

Mokuba didn’t reply much, but only really gave an understanding nod. In a way, it sounded like he was no different from that guy. Sure, his parents were still alive, unlike Bruce, but he made the decision to live out here under the charge of another, since they been living near the Crystal Empire, and he had been receiving a great education. This would all be told when the time came later that night.

Stormy exhaled softly. "If I'm honest, I connected most with Kara and Barry, and not because I gained quite a few of Kara's 'gifts' through the Exobytes... it was more... personality-wise," he sighed as he shrugged nonchalantly.

Well, only Stormy could answer that one. Rainbow wasn’t really surprised there was someone about as loyal as she was. The world was a vast place, after all. Fluttershy opened her present to see the comb Stormy had gotten her, matching with some equipment for mane treatment, and even some things to help with the animals back home.

Stormy hummed. "If by 'like you' you mean hyper, optimistic, and to some, utterly crazy? Yes... and yes," he commented nonchalantly, seeing Pinkie's mouth open, amused as he saw her surprised reaction to her unspoken question. "And the reason we haven't heard from Sunset for a while... well, she's been busy," he commented with a small smirk, seeing Twilight's eyebrows rising at his mention of Sunset.

“Busy with...?” Rarity asked, giving voice to the confusion of the others. It was rather strange that she didn’t come around for the holidays, but then again, there were a few others that didn’t come... yet.

"There are some entities that tend to try to take advantage of Christmas, though it could be possible that Sunset's busy," Stormy commented before an odd trilling tone caught his attention before his eyes narrowed. He slid a finger to a rounded dimple upon a forearm bracer before tapping it suddenly. Sunset's ghostly head and shoulders seemed to materialize out of the metal before she spoke. "You told me to keep an eye out for oddities... does this count?" she spoke before the image shifted to a scarlet blur trailing golden lightning encircling a large ape. "Barry..." Stormy said with mild surprise as the blur was snagged before it resolved into a lightly armored male before he was slammed twice into the ground before the gorilla roared, "and Gorilla Grood," he deadpanned grimly.

“Somehow I knew you were gonna lead into that, but for that to happen... yikes, definitely not how I expected her to celebrate Hearth’s Warming, or any holiday, for that matter,” Mokuba commented, shaking his head. He was rather thankful he didn’t end up on anybody else’s planet... at least, at the moment, or in this timeline. “Seeing how your friends there, though, hopefully it’s under control. For now,” Sure, most of the time, the heroes won, but there were a few good exceptions to the rule.

Stormy sighed softly. "To quote Bruce: 'Crime doesn't take a holiday' and whilst I'm tempted to go assist," he deadpanned as a beam of green light hit Grodd in the face, then rapidly pelted him with bolts that had the hyper-intelligent ape staggering before an echoing boom sounded as a blur shot past Grood, who staggered before dropping to the ground as Sunset panned to land on a green and black armored Caucasian male with brown hair. "Yikes... that wasn't quite supersonic... more likely transonic, but Grood's gonna feel that when he wakes up. I know... I've felt Barry's punches when he revs up... I was able to tank up to about Mach 1.7... Mach 2 knocked me on my ass. Woke up from that one feeling like I'd done a pub crawl in Dublin with John... only made that mistake once," he sighed. "Huh... that's Hal.... one of Earth's four Green Lanterns... well... four that I know of. John, Simon, and Hal are decent... Guy... is much like Blueblood," he sighed, shaking his head. "Should have known Felix couldn't keep your ass down," a deep, husky male voice deadpanned before it shifted back to Sunset, who looked startled as an African American man was staring into the holographic image. "John... he came pretty damn close. And I mean close enough to end my career close," Stormy deadpanned, his tone flat before the connection was cut. "If he doesn't try to find a way here, he's gonna try to get a team if not to 'rescue me' then to check on me. Ugh... damn... it's gonna be a pain in the ass to explain that I both don't want to leave..." he started before cutting himself off.

“Don’t worry, we’ll have you if it happens. When it happens.” Rainbow spoke up after he cut himself off. Despite being on the receiving end of his prank, he was still a friend, one she wasn’t going to leave out to dry if things turned ugly. She was practically speaking on the group’s behalf on this one, and they all agreed.

“Yeah! I mean after everything we’ve been through together, why wouldn’t we?” Pinkie added on with a joyful tone.

“And for what you’ve done for me, I can’t exactly let a debt go unpaid.” Mokuba says.

Stormy exhaled softly. "The name you know me by is 'Stormy Vale' though that is the name I chose upon finding it was unlikely that I would leave here. My birth name... was Arashi Tsukino," he said quietly. "And I know well what it's like to have a gift you can't quite control. I can't say how many times I struggled to control my powers... not only magical, but physically... as Kara and Kal... let's just say that, unfettered... they could rival Alicorns," he said with a shiver. And he hadn't revealed what he'd else found: that Zatanna's subtle hint.... hadn't been a hint at all.

Twilight's eyes widened at that revelation. "You said that some of those 'Exobytes' were 'non-human' but you didn't say what they were, exactly," she commented. "No, I didn't. I can say that it turns out that one of them... enhanced abilities I already had," he commented. He didn't say the one in question happened to be his half sister through his father.

“It enhanced your physical capabilities, even way stronger than what they already were...?” Mokuba asked. Sheesh, talk about strong. If his two allies were as strong as he said they were, and he had some slithers of such power enhanced? So few could rival against it.

"In Kara's case, most of the enhancements were mostly physical, with her Exobyte... yes... but one of the others... was not a physical boost... but more... of the other kind. Pretty sure that one was the reason I gained the link with Etrigan... I had felt his particular brand of magic before... not long before I ended up here, in fact... so Rachel's powers... boosted not only the link with his pwer... but my... natural powers," he said, his eyes widening slightly. "And being I assisted Katrina.... with fighting off Father... though neither Rachel nor I let Katrina know," he said quietly. It was why he made certain to meditate often.

"Father? Wait... I caught a glimpse of someone in dark purple, that was Rachel, wasn't it?" Pinkie said suddenly.

Arashi smirked. "Aye... Rachel Roth... Raven... my half-sister... and our father," he sighed.

"Has something to do with how you ended up here, doesn't it?" Twilight said softly.

“That would explain a lot. I did feel some demonic energy on you the first time we met. Still do.” He admitted. No matter what worlds they might hail from, the scent of demons, full or half, remained the same. But there were those who had worse... Trigon was one that took the cake easily when it came to that.

“As crazy as that might sound, I believe it.” Rainbow nods. Hearing these things from Arashi made some sort of sense to her, surprisingly.

Arashi smirked slightly. "Imagine how crazy it sounded to me that someone could break the sound barrier without being Kryptonian nor in a jet, hmmm?" he deadpanned casually. "Though if Pinkie really is a Speedster... it would explain how she can 'pop in' and show up in the most random of places... I mean... you ain't seen freaky until someone phases partially through a floor or wall and starts talking to you," he commented with a shiver. He blinked as Pinkie giggled at that. It had the distinct 'I know something you don't know' sound to it, oddly.

“Guilty as charged.” Pinkie only teased. Whatever it was, she definitely wouldn’t be telling them. It’d give away her secrets.

“In any case...” Mokuba sounded as if he was about to switch topics. “I think we should be getting back before whatever’s next on the agenda for tonight. Don’t want anypony missing us since we’ve been gone for too long.”

Stormy shrugged nonchalantly as he smirked slightly. "We all have secrets, some hidden in plain sight... some hidden deep inside, whether mental or physical," he commented thoughtfully as he levitated off the stage floor. 'Though I do know that I'm not from Sunset's Earth, as I'd most certainly recall hearing about those events... as that nonsense with Anon-a-miss was far too memorable. Good thing I logically pointed it out and averted the worst possible outcome,' he mused.

He knew what he meant by that. The colt would just give a nod to Stormy. “Yeah.” He simply replied before a pony whispered in his ear, giving a nod to her, then bidding his friends farewell for now and heading off to do whatever he needed to do for the festival, as the others did as well.

Stormy exhaled softly as he noticed Vinyl Scratch had already gotten her setup onstage while Octavia Melody was watching him even as she turned her cello. He noticed Rarity's intrigued look as Fluttershy tilted her head. "Guess it's time," he sighed. He had two major songs with the violin, though the second... many had heard it, but few truly knew who precisely played it as he went by a moniker... Wataru Kiva to be specific.

Wataru Kiva wasn’t something (or someone) the colt was familiar with, but he knew something was going to happen soon, especially with a performance by Stormy and Octavia. He had gone off because he was asked to share a story with some of the crowd after the performance was finished, just watching in the background.

Stormy knew that the ponies knew of the name of Wataru Kiva though nobody recognized the name nor did they know the story behind it, unlike him. He had known Wataru on Earth. He nodded slightly to Vinyl and Octavia as he summoned his violin. He knew playing the song Wataru had written for his mother would give away his alternate identity, so he'd chosen one he'd played one for Vinyl once after Octavia had seen him one day with his violin.

Oddly enough, Mokuba was familiar with that song. Well, Yami was, at least. It had felt like a lifetime ago since he heard something like it, and was amused and impressed by the fact Stormy could play it so well.

“... Dearly Beloved.” The shadow of Mokuba thought to himself.

Stormy exhaled softly before his ears twitched at the soft, slightly mechanical flapping before he glanced over his shoulder. A slight smirk crossed his face upon seeing a face he recognized, though he doubted the bat recognized him, as its golden tipped dark copper fur and red eyes were staring at him. "I think Kurenai would recognize not only this... but more than just this," he commented quietly. He saw the beast's eyes widen slightly at the name as he tilted the Bloody Rose. His eyes drifted half-lidded before he started playing a tune that, unnoticed by most of the ponies, caused a thestral pony at the edge of the crowd to stiffen in surprise at the all too familiar tune.

The colt only looked and heard with the change of music, unaware of the presence of a certain bat or thestral within the crowd. But just being able to read the face, though, his friends could tell he was doing it for someone... but a select few knew who it was. The eyes of the thestral grew small for a moment as its body stiffened to the tune... of all times, it had to be now?

It only took but a moment for Mokuba to even realize it, but one of the ponies standing by were acting strange... entranced, even.

Stormy smirked slightly as he sensed the shock, nervousness, and uncertainty as his irises deepened from their warm ultramarine-amethyst color to a rich lavender fading into amethyst around his pupils. "Ah, there you are...." he whispered as he plucked the last few notes as he seemed to drop into the floor of the stage into a pool of bubbling crimson light. He just heard a startled 'Nani?' from Kivat as he resurfaced a few feet from Wataru Kurenai, noticing with mild interest that he was a Thestral. This head tilted slightly, noticing in his dark burgundy coat slightly darker and colored marks... his Fangire markings that became more bold upon employing his powers as Kamen Rider Kiva. "I knew you'd notice if someone played that song, Kurenai. I also know its source... though where I came from... the concept of Kamen Riders... was a bit different, as I myself was one who chose to embody those principles," he said softly. "I don't know if you have the Bloody Rose here, but if you don't... you can have this one," he said softly with a faint smile, offering his Bloody Rose to Kurenai. "I'll admit that I can play the violin, though I personally favor the guitar more," he admitted sheepishly, seeing Wataru turn, his coppery chocolate irises landing on him.

“Arashi-San...” Wataru said quietly enough for only Arashi/Stormy to hear it. He only gave a nod and smiled just a bit as he was given the Bloody Rose as a present. That was rather nice of him. It should also come to no surprise that he was familiar with Arashi, since the latter knew who he was. Needless to say, he was thankful for his gift.

Stormy chuckled. "I'll admit that I haven't heard of any disappearances, though that's probably a good thing if the Fangires are under control or at the very least, discreet. Though... I do hope someone doesn't attempt a Sabbat... no doubt here, that would be classified as Forbidden Magic, though I wouldn't put it past some nobles in Canterlot to attempt such a thing. If they did... I'd stand against them," he commented quietly. He noticed Wataru's look of mild surprise, as Arashi, upon awakening on this planet... had found something next to him... a case. Of course, the rings weren't as flagrantly obvious as in the 'Kamen Rider Wizard' series as the only difference between the base Style Rings and their Dragon Style Rings were small crystalline Dragon wings outlining the gemstones.

His head tilted slightly. "Of course... it could be possible that Phantoms could pop up in another country and build up their numbers before revealing themselves," he considered quietly as he turned away from Wataru. "And tell Kivat to work on suppressing his energy. If he's gonna seek out rogue Fangires, some could sense his energy," he commented nonchalantly. He blinked as he spotted a snowball about the size of a beach ball slowing in its tumble down a nearby slope before he suppressed a snicker as both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were stuck in the side of the snowball, though he noticed, he supposed due to the weather, that Silver Spoon was wearing light lavender edged goggles rather than her glasses.

A snicker escapes the colt's mouth as that happened, seeing the two pass by in the snowball. “Looks like that worked just as planned.” He says quietly. Those two, despite him taking some interest in Diamond Tiara, he wanted to do that for a pretty long time, and it took a bunch of effort to do so, but thanks to studying pranks from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, plus the helping hands/hooves of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he managed to pull it off without being there.

Diamond Tiara opened her mouth, likely to snap at somepony to help her, only for a convenient apple to muffle whatever she was about to say. Arashi blew softly, the snowball rolling partially back up the hill before it rolled back down again, Diamond looking a bit green by that point... as the apple, unbeknownst to anypony, had been injected with extremely sour juice. He had noticed as they got older, Silver Spoon had gradually grown more pleasant to be around, especially if Diamond wasn't around. "Heh... who knew that citric acid mixed with lemon juice made it so much more sour?" he commented idly.

"I did, I did!!" he heard Pinkie chirp... from right behind him. From her unrepentant grin, she knew she'd startled him before she hugged him. He knew she knew that he saw her as a really amusing, slightly chaotic sister.

"What is it about you ponies that your bodies are so bloody warm? Can't be the fur, as if I recall clearly, most ponies have coats on average around an inch to an inch and a half thick. Could be that your bodies simply run hotter than the human body... which generally runs around 98° Farenheit... though mine runs at closer to 103° Farenheit... which for most humans would be a high fever... 108° or higher... though... would be dangerous if not fatal," he commented thoughtfully, unintentionally mimicking a certain purple Alicorn's nervous tic of rambling, though not too many ponies knew much about humans.

“Can’t say. Biology isn’t an expertise of mine. You’re probably better off asking Starlight, Trixie, Twilight - those who have a thing for magic and science.” He replied. “That is, if you can stand getting an earful for about two hours.” Another snicker came from his mouth as he only looked at Twilight for a moment as the Alicorn pouted playfully.

“Speaking of... it's about that time, isn’t it? That story I told you about earlier today... since we’re in the mood for listening, I might as well start where it began for me: just ringing in the new year.” The colt cleared his throat and pulled up a chair from... somewhere.

Don't question the wall breaks.

Author's Note