For Twilight, it didn’t get much better than this. A good book, a hot drink and the pitter patter of rain outside. Lightning flashed, illuminating everything around her in a sea of white. She rested atop a comfy recliner on her balcony, protected from the wind and rain by use of a localized shield spell.

Another flash of lighting. The thunder that followed shook the treehouse. Twilight sipped her drink. Big downpour today, she mused to herself. It had been a busy day for Rainbow and her weather ponies, corralling and melding the clouds together, massing them to the point they enveloped all Ponyville, plus several miles around.

Applejack must be happy. The rain would certainly ease her workload tomorrow, using the time she’d spent watering her fields and gardens for something else.

On a whim, Twilight closed her book. She eased her way out the recliner and trotted over to the railing of her balcony, draping her hooves over it. Another flash of lightning lit up the town, however briefly. Her eyes were drawn to the town hall—Ponyville’s main fixture, to Twilight’s discerning eye. The town’s main roads all connected to it. They splintered off into smaller side streets, crosspaths and alleys, like arteries and blood vessels connected to a beating heart.

And there she could see Sugarcube Corner, its happy, vibrant colors muted by the sterile white flash of lightning. A single light shone from the windows, Pinkie’s room at the tower that poked out from the center of the shop.

Staying up late, Twilight thought wryly. Not that she’d be one to talk, indulging in more than her share of late nights. A bit lonely, they used to be, though not so much now with Owlowiscious to keep her company.

Her eyes swept over the town in between bouts of lightning. The normally lively town, now deserted, briefly bathed in harsh white light... it gave it an eerie sort of quality. Ah, and over there stood the shop of the flower sisters, its shutters closed, their precious merchandise hidden away from the harsh deluge outside. Rarity too, seemed to be enjoying a late night, if the lights from her boutique were an indication. Working on an order? Tinkering with a potential new design? She often lost track of time, when her passions consumed her. Twilight could be much the same.

And there stood Anonymous, soaked to bone and taking shelter under the eaves of a...

Twilight stood up straighter. She squinted, peering closely at the spot where she’d seen him. More lightning. Yep, there he stood, arms wrapped around himself. Twilight cocked her head. What was he doing out so late? Didn’t he read the weather report? Did humans make it a habit of going out in the rain? Probably not. He appeared somewhat uncomfortable.

She pondered this for a moment before deciding on a course of action. Her wings unfolded, ready to take flight.

Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t.

She folded them back in place. Rainbow (and to a lesser extent, Fluttershy) constantly reminded her she needed to stretch her wings, to strengthen her muscles and improve her coordination. It was one thing to do so on a clear, breezy day. Another thing entirely to do so in the middle of a rainstorm at night.

Nodding to herself she instead dispelled the shield that kept out the elements and enveloped herself inside a smaller protective bubble. With a flash of magic, she teleported in front of her target. He started a bit upon seeing her, but then relaxed.

“Anonymous?”

“Hey,” he said.

“What are you doing out here? It’s raining.”

“I noticed.”

Her lips twitched into the ghost of a smile. He regarded her strangely and Twilight felt her ears droop somewhat. She’d made a foal of herself yesterday, going off on him after his remark. Well, it’s nothing she couldn’t recover from. She decided to extend a peace offering and expanded the shield spell so that it covered a larger area.

“Why don’t you come in? You must be cold.”

He appraised the shield with a curious eye. “Are you sure?”

Twilight nodded, smiling encouragingly.

He rubbed the back of his neck, gazing out at the rain.

“Alright,” he muttered.

He reached out with a finger, pressing it against the bubble. It yielded easily, continuously rippling from around the digit. Deliberately, somewhat hesitantly, he stepped forth. The shield shimmered, flickering. Twilight quickly stabilized it.

“I know a spell, if you’d like. For your clothes.”

He considered this for a moment and nodded. Twilight’s horn glowed brighter. The space within the bubble quickly warmed up. Anonymous’ clothes fluttered as though whipped by a strong breeze, completely drying them in the span of a few seconds.

He gave Twilight an appreciative nod. “Thanks. Much better.”

She smiled graciously, returning the gesture. “No problem.” Her smile faded. Anonymous regarded her strangely.

Twilight cleared her throat and said, “So what were you doing out so late?”

“Jogging.”

A curious glint appeared in her eyes. “Jogging?” She stretched out the word, testing it.

“Cantering, I guess would be the equivalent.”

Twilight brightened up. “Oh! I do it too, sometimes, usually with Fluttershy. You know, out in Whitetail Woods? She likes to go in the morning—that's when the wild critters are most active. We invited Rainbow Dash a few times, but she got bored and flew off somewhere.”

“Let me guess, the pace was too slow for her?”

Twilight grinned. “She tried to make the whole outing into a workout.”

“Sounds like her.”

A particularly loud, rattling thunderclap startled them both.

“Goodness,” Twilight mumbled, looking out into the rain. “You really shouldn’t be out in this weather. Didn’t you see the weather report?”

“I must have missed it.”

“Oh. Well...” she hesitated. Ponyville wasn’t exactly a large town. That said, Lyra’s house was a bit of a trot away. “Why don’t you come in for a while, just until the rain stops?” She gestured to the library with a wing.

“You don’t mind? It’s pretty late.”

“I’m a late sleeper.”

He glanced over at the library. It was too dark for Twilight to get a proper read on him.

“Alright. Thanks.”

She led the way. The ground level of her house was pitch dark, but a simple spell on her part bathed the area in a soft, dim glow. She didn’t worry about waking up Spike. The little dragon could sleep through almost anything. She gave him leave to make himself at home and then trotted to the little kitchen, firing up the stove and warming up a small pot of water. A properly applied touch of magic and the contents boiled almost instantly.

“I hope you like cocoa,” she said, trotting into the room, two mugs held aloft by her magical grasp.

Anonymous sat by the rectangular coffee table, atop one of the floor cushions. He took the mug with a grateful nod, wrapping both hands around it. He appeared somewhat chilly still. Twilight cast a subtle localized enchantment that gradually warmed the living area.

“Thanks,” he muttered and absentmindedly sipped his drink. His features perked up and he regarded the beverage with newfound interest. He took another sip. “This is amazing.”

Twilight smiled, following suit. She sat across from him. “It’s the good stuff. Imported straight from Tenochtitlan.”

“Tenochtitlan... aren’t they that weird reclusive enclave?”

“Formerly reclusive. They’ve turned over a new leaf ever since that awful Ahuizotl was deposed. Well,” she said thoughtfully. “It’d be more accurate to say they’re in the process of turning over a new leaf. Officially, their territory is closed off to outsiders and there’s virtually no trade with them to speak of, but our peace talks with them are making good headway.” She held up the mug for emphasis. “They even gifted the crown enough cocoa beans to sink a ship.” She took another sip, savoring the rich, complex taste. “It’s fascinating. Did you know they use cocoa beans for currency? Their land is rich with gold and they are masters at bending and shaping it... yet it’s completely absent from their monetary system. They mainly use it for ceremonial and ornamental purposes and often they shape it into the figure of their idols, or busts depicting members of the royal lineage. They also weave it in conjunction with some of the most exquisite featherwork you’ve ever see and...” She caught herself and cleared her throat.

“S-sorry. Didn’t mean to ramble.”

“It’s alright.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “It’s interesting stuff.”

Twilight nodded, sipping more of the delicious drink. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were you out so late? I mean, cante—er, jogging’s not too uncommon among ponies, but it’s normally a daytime activity. Is doing it at night a human proclivity or...”

He shook his head. “Daytime’s the usual for us too, I just find it convenient. It helps me think.”

Something crashed into the tree’s exterior, rattling everything around it. It came from the balcony area. Twilight and Anonymous looked on, the former frowning; an exasperated sigh left her lips as a vaguely equine shape opened one of the windows and fluttered inside, dripping copious amounts of rainwater along the way.

Rainbow Dash touched down not too far from Twilight, her eyes covered by the damp tresses of her mane. She adopted a hunched, dog-like stance. Twilight’s eyes widened imperceptibly, and she barely managed to conjure up a shield before Rainbow shook herself vigorously, drenching the area around her.

She sighed in relief and removed the still damp hair from her eyes.

“Oh. Hey, Twi. You’re up late.”

“I could say the same,” Twilight said sharply. “Thanks for that, by the way,” she said, gesturing to the soaked area.

“Hey, it’s a tree. Water’s good for it, probably.”

“You’re missing the point,” Twilight sighed and cast another spell that immediately dried up all the water. “Why are you even here? Don’t you know what time it is?”

“How should I know?” She gestured out the window with a hoof. “I’ve been out there trying to get a handle on this clusterbuck... hey, you gonna drink that?”

Before Twilight could answer, she found her mug swiped by a blue wing. Rainbow brought it to her lips and gulped the contents down.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Twilight muttered. “Go on, drink up.”

“Whoo! That hit the spot. Thanks, Twi. Real good stuff you got there.” The brazen pegasus promptly made a beeline for the kitchen, disappearing somewhere off the threshold, not even registering the human’s presence.

Twilight sighed and gave the nonplussed Anonymous a vaguely apologetic look.

“Rainbow,” she called out, opting for a more diplomatic approach. “Why are you here?”

“Gotta refuel,” Rainbow answered thickly, as if speaking with a mouth full. “The storm’s getting way out of control. I got every weather pony out there working overtime. We need to get a handle on that big mother before it gets out of hoof!”

“What?” Twilight sprang up, alarmed. “Out of control? Rainbow! What in the world is going on?”

Rainbow emerged from the kitchen. In her wing she held an apple, a banana, and in the other a hoofful of Spike’s homemade cowcolt cookies.

“Somepony, and I’m not naming any names—Stormfeather—went and grabbed some freakazoid cloud from over the Everfree.” She promptly took a savage bite of the banana and ate it, peel and all. “It’s messed up a bunch of our normal clouds. They’re getting wilder, harder to control and it just keeps spreading.” She tore into the rest of the banana and destroyed the apple in one massive bite. “Anyway, I should probably get back to it. Cloudsdale’s gonna want a report once we get... oh, hey big guy. Didn't see you here.”

For the first time she registered the human’s presence and gave him a cursory wave of her wing. “Say,” she said slowly, looking from Anonymous to Twilight. “What are you doing here so late?”

“Rainbow, focus!” Twilight said, exasperated. “What’s the plan?”

“The plan is I go out there and kick some cloud flank.” She shoved a cookie in her mouth. “Don’t worry your little egghead about it. We just gotta bust them faster than they can multiply. Pretty simple stuff. But you know...”

“What?”

“There’s a lotta open skies to cover, so it’s probably gonna take a while. So just relax and get...” Rainbow’s eyes flickered to Anonymous, and her lips curled to a conspiratorial smirk. “Comfortable.”

“R-Rainbow Dash!” Twilight sputtered. “We’re not... that’s not what I was...”

“Hey, it’s not my business,” she said with a rakish grin. “You do you.” Her wings fluttered and she took to the air. “Have a good night, Twi. You too, big guy.” She flashed him a wink and leaned into his ear, whispering aloud. “Just watch yourself. You know what they say about the nerdy ones.”

Twilight felt herself die inside as a grinning Rainbow turned to her.

“They’re freaks in the sack.”

Cackling at her joke and patting the human in the back, Rainbow promptly flew out the door. A surge of gale force winds whipped the library’s interior, sending in a surge of water and other detritus before Twilight’s magic slammed the door shut. Another flash of magic and the ruined entryway returned to its normal state.

Twilight stood rooted to the spot. Her eye twitched. Strands of her mane sprang back like tightened curls. “Oh, that Rainbow,” she said with false cheer. Her chest heaved with a strained laugh. She craned her neck to Anonymous. “She’s such a jokester.”

“Sure.”

It took every single ounce of willpower for Twilight to not wilt then and there. Her eyes searched desperately for... something, eventually landing on the mug Anonymous held in a slackened grip.

“So,” Her voice cracked as she held up her (formerly Rainbow’s) discarded mug. “How about a refill?”

Author's Note

Here's a fun tidbit. Part of the reason Anon took up nighttime jogging (bonus points if you recognized the callback to the first chapter) was due to the fact his bedroom is directly below Lyra and Bon Bon's. That and the walls were thin. I'm sure you can make a guess.

The more serious turn the last chapter took kinda derailed some things and I'll have to overhaul some upcoming parts to adjust for it. Anon was supposed to fill Twilight in on that jogging tidbit, but given the circumstances it just wouldn't fit. Still, the last chapter taking the turn it did felt right and very natural so I'm not too worried. Also it considerably sped up a particular scene I've just been itching to write. You'll see at the end of the following chapter.