Waiting Out the Storm

Thunder rumbled and cracked in the gray skies above Ponyville, lightening striking the ground. Applejack was awoken by the echoing boom of yet another clop of thunder, making her sit straight up on the couch and look around for anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes eventually fell onto the sleeping form of Rainbow Dash, whose chest rose slowly and delicately as she slept.

Applejack felt both a sense of belonging, but also protectiveness over Rainbow Dash, a feeling that came in stronger as she watched the cyan blue Pegasus sleep soundly. She could hear the rain pounding against the tree outside, the water throwing the leaves and branches about, and she began to wonder how anypony, herself included, could sleep peacefully in the noise that surrounded them.

Sighing rather loudly, she slipped off of the couch and headed for the kitchen, feeling her throat starting to get dry. She failed to notice that a cyan blue Pegasus has awoken when she had heard the clopping of hooves heading away from her. Raising her head, she looked around in the dark, hoping to see who it was that had awoken her. When her eyes landed on the couch they went wide slightly, but then she was drawn to the direction of the clopping hooves and saw that the orange pony was heading towards the kitchen.

Rainbow Dash looked at the ceiling, wondering what she was going to say to the orange pony in the morning. Though her head and body screamed her to not tell her, to keep it a secret, her heart told her that it was going to be fine, that there was nothing to fear about telling the one that she loved just how she felt. With a heavy sigh that seemed to take some weight off of her shoulders, she rose from the floor and began to walk towards the bathroom.

Applejack could not help but stare at the glass of water that was before her while she thought about her feelings for Rainbow Dash. Is it normal for one mare to love another? Surely it is not unheard of by anypony, especially Princess Celestia.

Another clop of thunder boomed throughout the entire household, unnoticed of by anypony aside from Applejack. She cowered slightly as her train of thought was derailed, making her look around the darkened kitchen with worry. She began to worry that the windows might shatter, that the branches or wind would tear apart the home, but those thoughts were pushed aside when she heard the soft clopping of a hooves walking down the hall towards the living room.

Fearing the worst, Applejack gulped down her water before she made her way towards the hall, waiting for the right moment to strike. Just as she was about to emerge from the kitchen, she could no longer hear the hooves clopping. She began to think of Rainbow Dash, and how she felt a sense of protectiveness. Letting her feelings for Rainbow Dash take over, she braced her muzzle in a snarl and whipped around the corner and jumped on a cyan blue Pegasus.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash rolled a few feet back into the hall before they came to a complete halt against a wall, where neither one knew what had happened. Rainbow Dash was the first to open her eyes, seeing Applejack above her in the dark, their lips pressed together. Not wanting to waste the moment, she closed her eyes and started to press harder against the orange pony, hoping and praying to Celestia that she would do the same.

Applejack could feel something warm pressing against her lips, but what it was she could not tell. Slowly opening her eyes, she found that she was lying atop Rainbow Dash, their lips pushed together while Rainbow Dash tried pushing against her. Without even having to say it, she knew that Rainbow Dash had feelings for her, if the kiss alone did not scream them. A blush started to form on her cheeks as she closed her eyes and slipped her hat off of her head, starting to press back against Rainbow Dash with her whole heart.

---

Rain pattered against the window just above Twilight's bed, running down the glass and leaving streaks that would need to be wiped away when the storm had passed tomorrow afternoon as planned. Twilight awoke with her head resting against Spike's chest, listening to the wonderful beat of his heart as she allowed a smile to come across her face. She wrapped her wings tighter around him while she snuggled closer to him, not wanting to either wake him nor leave him.

She slowly began to rub her head against his chest, giggling when she felt him begin to stir, groaning slightly as his eyes opened to see the first mare that he wanted to. A faint smile was on his lips as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss, which she accepted without question. Slowly, their kiss began to grow more passionate, with no intentions of breaking apart.

With great reluctance, they pulled apart due to the begging of food by their stomachs, which they knew was going to keep interrupting their special moment until they were given what they want. With a grin, Spike slid his arms underneath of Twilight's back and picked her up as he rose from the bed, carrying her down to the kitchen with her head pressed against his neck and her eyes looking up at him.

Both Twilight and Spike were at a loss for words when they got to the bottom of the stairs. Lying against one of the walls was Rainbow Dash, her back pressed firmly against it while before her lie Applejack, her body covered by the Pegasai's wings. Their heads were crossed with their cheeks touching, both sleeping soundly and peacefully with smiles upon their lips.

Spike favored them with a warm and comforting smile while Twilight simple giggled as Spike carried her past the sleeping mares and into the kitchen, where he made sure she was seated at the table before he walked over to the stove and looked back at the lavender alicorn, "What would you like for breakfast my fair maiden."

Feeling a bit playful she said, "Hmm, I would really like some more of what was going on upstairs."

He blushed as he walked back over to the table and leaned in so that his lips were right beside her ear. "That my lady, can be arranged." A sense of pride washed over him upon hearing her giggle in response to his words, which was silenced by a quick, yet passionate, kiss before he went back over to the stove. "Would the lady possibly care for some honey dipped dandelions or daffodils?"

Another sweet and beautiful sounding giggle escaped her lips before she said, "Well, I think that maybe some honey dipped dandelions sounds like a plan, as long as you don't mind sharing." Her eyes started to go slightly wide almost like a dog's did, while her lower lip began to wiggle.

Spike took no notice as he went over to the pantry and grabbed the honey and dandelions before mixing them together, all the while he chuckled. "Really Twilight, we are together now. I have no problems with sharing food with you, like maybe something really special." His last words left her slightly confused, making her begin to wonder what it was that he was talking about.

In no time at all Spike had a plate of twelve delectable and delicious honey glazed dandelions placed before his love. He brought a chair up next to her and placed an arm around her while they both shared the meal, growing full by the time that they got to the last one. Feeling a bit silly, Spike grabbed the last one and held it out for Twilight, who bit on one end while he bit on the other. They looked deep into each others eyes, seeing a full growth of love that paled in comparison to any other, their love was true and pure, and in a single instant, they knew that they were going to be together forever.

After having finished their meal, Spike and Twilight sat in silence, his hand resting over her hoof with a smile on both of their faces. Neither one noticed the smell from the plate that was on the other side of the table with fourteen more honey glazed dandelions. Nor were they even remotely aware when a groan echoed in the kitchen, originating from the hall.

Together, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked into the kitchen, smelling the honey more than anything else. Neither one was surprised to see Spike and Twilight sitting together, staring deep into each others eyes, nor were they shocked to see the plate of food that had been left for them. To their surprise however, two chairs were placed right next to each other before the food, allowing the new couple to sit together.

The table was relatively silent, aside from a giggle here and there, during the meal that the couple shared. At the end of said meal Applejack took the plate over to the sink before returning to her rightful place beside her best friend and now marefriend Rainbow Dash. Without even realizing it, the two found themselves idly inching closer and closer to one another until the point that they were kissing, a light, yet passionate kiss.

---

Voices rang forth into the night, never ceasing their echoing chatter. In his heart he knew that his time had come, but he was not going to give up, not when the other part of his heart told him there was hope. Taking a deep breath, he felt his courage rise up and take hold of him.

In a booming voice he shouted, 'Your reign of order and chaos has come to an end dragon. You cannot have her, you know nothing about her, and she does not love you.'

Thunderous laughter was heard, making his whole frame shudder. A deep and commanding voice echoed all around, 'What makes you think that I care whether she loves me or not? She is going to be mine before the night is over, you have lost.' The thunderous laughter resumed, much louder than before.

He chuckled, 'No, I have won. I have always won, because you forgot the most important thing about love. A shame that you remember nothing of your teachings from your precious master Twilight Sparkle, it's a pity that you had to kill her.'

The voice came back now, but this time it was softer and sounded much younger, 'I-I killed Twi...

Spike screamed out as he shot up from where he lie sleeping next to Twilight, a blanket over them both with an open book on the table beside the couch. With a start, Twilight shot up beside him, screaming as well before looking around and seeing Spike curled up into a ball next to her, tears streaming down his face as he constantly glanced at her in fear. Not knowing what was going through his mind, she asked in a calm and caring voice, "What is the matter Spike?"

By now both Rainbow Dash and Applejack were looking at the curled dragon, wondering what in the hay was going on with him. Spike seemed not to hear a word that Twilight had said, the dream still fresh in his mind, feeling so real to him. Slowly, he began to wonder if what his dream was telling him was the future that he was blazing, a future that he did not want to come true. The thought of Twilight dying, and by his claws no less, was something that he never wanted to think about. His thoughts were finally broken when he felt a pair of hooves push against him, knocking him onto the floor.

As he looked up, he was slightly shocked to see all of his friends and love gathered around him, looking down at him as though they were looking at a Hydra. He could see that Twilight looked at him with not only worry, but love as well. She just wanted to know what was wrong, and what she could do, if anything, to make him feel better.

He could not bring himself to look at her after the dream, that he had just had, for fear of it resurfacing. Yet, despite this fact, he was able to manage a wry smile as he stood up and hugged her, crying into her neck as he placed a small kiss here and there. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked towards each other before turning back to reading one of Rainbow Dash's 'Daring Do' books, leaving the two alone.

Twilight could not help but let a few tears come to her eyes as she stood up slightly and put her forelegs around his back, pulling him close. She could feel her fur starting to moisten from the amount of tears that he was releasing, making her begin to worry about him a lot. In a slightly calmer and softer voice than before, almost like Fluttershy's, she asked, "Spike, please tell me what is wrong? I don't want to see you sad like this."

She felt Spike pull away slightly before he pressed his lips against her own, throwing in all the passion and love that he could bring forth. He felt she was taken aback by his actions, but in his mind he did not want to tell her his dream, but in his heart he knew that she had to know. When he did not feel her melting into the kiss he broke it apart so that he could look at her in the eyes. "T-Twilight. I-I uh, had a sort of vision into the future."

He watched as she seemed to notice nothing other than him, for he was her whole world, forever more into the undying infinite life. "Twilight, I know that this was only a nightmare, but I feel in my heart that it is the future. In my dream, I had k-k-k-killed you and t-t-t-taken control over all of Equestria. I don't want that to ever happen. I don't ever want to be parted from you Twilight."

A faint smile seemed to spread across her lips as tears came to her eyes. "I will never leave you Spike, and you must understand, your future is not written for you. No matter what your mind tells you, only you have the power to shape your own destiny. Always remember, the future is not set in stone, things can always change for better or for worse. Through it all though, I want to be there by your side, not as your guide, but as your love."

He now looked away from her eyes, finding that he would shame her if he continued to look into them. "I am a dragon though, it is in my nature to grow bigger than you, to become a monster who is fueled by greed."

She used a hoof to lift his head so that she could look him straight in the eyes, where she could see a conflicting see of sorrow and guilt for something that he had not even done. "I don't care about that Spike. You are not like other dragons, you may look like one on the outside, but on the inside you are a pony. Nothing can ever take that away from you, not even how big you get." She nuzzled her head against his, letting him know that everything was going to be alright, that there was nothing to fear deep within himself. "Besides, you are not supposed to get much bigger than what you are now, unless of course your greedy side decides to take over."

Her tears had now ceased, but the care and love that they held were burning stronger than ever before, and without a flicker of doubt, he knew that what she said was the absolute truth. His heart began to flutter while his stomach did cartwheels, all in the knowledge that who he had chosen to love now, was the one pony that he was always destined to be with. No matter what the world threw at him, he knew that as long as she was always there to lend him her strength and love, that he could overcome anything. "Twilight, you have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that."

A single heart beating was all that either could hear as they began to slowly lean in closer to one another, their eyes slowly closing as their lips came closer and closer together. Before either one knew it, they were back on the couch with the blanket over them, Twilight lying on her back with her wings wrapped tightly around him while her forelegs pulled him closer. Together they shared the most passionate moment of their lives, and with that single moment they knew that there were plenty more to come.

Rainbow Dash was sitting on her flank with Applejack beside her. Applejack had her hoof placed on top of Rainbow Dash's while they both read the open book before them, leaning against one another and sharing a kiss every now and again. Applejack could feel that what they were doing was not of the norm, but at the moment she was really not concerned. Deep in her heart she knew that she was going to have to tell her family, but now was not that time.

Rainbow Dash was uncaring what every other pony thought about them, she was in love and as long as she was with the pony that she loved then that was all that mattered. Sure many of the other ponies would view them as an unlikely matched pair, but so they did with most of the lovers who got together.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Rainbow Dash closed the book and lied on her back, looking up at the ceiling. Her view was blocked by Applejack, who had crawled over her and was lying atop her, looking down into her sparkling eyes. "So, what did ya have in mind for us to do when the storm lets up tomorrow?"

A sly grin slipped across Rainbow Dash's lips as she said, "Well, now that you mention it. I was uh, kind of thinking that we could go swimming in that lake in the South Orchard, you know, that way we could be alone."

She giggled as he replied with, "That sounds like it would be fun sugar cube, just fun. I could do with some alone time with ya." Not another word was said as they slowly leaned in towards one another, quickly locking lips and beginning to roll around on the ground while never breaking their embrace.

---

For the remainder of the day Twilight, with the help of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, took down the books and began to rearrange them. While the three were busy with the books, Spike had on his usual smile as he danced around the library, dusting off the shelves before the books were placed.

Their work was done just before the sun had start to set on the distant horizon, this being known by the dimming of light in the sky. Soon, the candles in the library were lit and light was shining all throughout.

A sweet aroma could be smelt throughout the home as it wafted in from the kitchen where Spike was busy cooking a meal for the three mares. Twilight was sitting on the floor reading a book about some new spells while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were lying beside one another on the couch, cuddling peacefully and silently.

The rain had now lowered itself to a very light drizzle, but the wind was starting to grow more and more fierce by the minute. The sound of creaking branches and shaking leaves grew steadily louder as the wind picked up, but despite all of this, the occupants inside of the library seemed not to be phased in the slightest.

Spike released a sigh of satisfaction before he went into the living room to invite everypony into the kitchen for their dinner, which was special indeed. It looked as though a feast had been spread for them, despite their being so few of them.

One plate held on it a stack of sandwiches with lettuce, tomato, and fresh thin apple chips, another plate held on it a wide assortment of apple slices with various toppings, peanut butter, frosting, and caramel. Another plate held on it various sweets, apple pie, apple fritters, and of course, some apple cupcakes. A bowl that sat between the plates was filled with a mixture of hay fries and crunchy apple chips. Another bowl, just outside of the plates, was filled with a wide assortment of fruits, cherries, apples, grapes, strawberries, and even oranges. Yet there was still another, final bowl, filled to the brim with his famous dandelion and rose glazed pasta with a honey sauce to match.

Spike just giggled to himself as he watched the mares gaze over the food, lost on where they wanted to start. Before any of them could even move Spike strode to stand before them and said, "This big meal was not easy to make, but that does not mean that you can't enjoy. I just wanted to celebrate this day, because this is the day that we all found our true feelings for the ones that we love." He eyed Twilight with a quick glance before he stepped aside and yelled, "Well don't just stare at it, dig in!"

No other words were needed as all three of the mares grabbed an empty plate from a stack that was put out by the sink. Almost immediately all three had a full plate and was sitting at the table, each one sitting with their marefriend or dragonfriend. Applejack and Rainbow Dash did not even hesitate to dig in, loving every bite of food that they took, loving even more the closeness they had been able to achieve throughout the day.

Twilight had yet to take even a single bite of her food, waiting for Spike to grab what he wanted before taking a seat next to her. The two shared a quick kiss before they dove into their meal, not stopping until there was nothing left aside from a clean plate.

As the dinner progressed, conversation and laughter became common. Mostly the couples would talk amongst themselves, but every now and again they would speak to one another about small little things, like how the food tasted or what their favorite food at the table was.

Spike was the last to finish his meal, seeing as how he had sat down and grabbed food after they had. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were leaning against one another while they basked in the afterglow of a large and wonderful meal, all the while smiling at one another and making jokes. Twilight opted to help Spike with the dishes when he had finished, thanking her as he picked up what he could carry while she brought the rest with her magic.

---

Twilight sat on the floor across from Spike, both had a stern look on their face, almost as if they were trying to challenge one another like Rainbow Dash often did. Neither one moved nor even blinked as their breathing slowly grew to a soft and almost faint pace, where Spike began to feel something stirring inside of him.

At the the sound of a clop of thunder, the two bolted from where the were and made a mad dash towards one another, never slowing as they grew closer together. When they were almost within arms reach of one another, they both jumped into the air, Twilight spreading her wings while Spike extended out his arms. In mid air she caught him and managed to keep them both in the air, though it was no surprise with her new mastery of flying. She could fly, but for only very short amounts at a time.

Both shared a laugh before Twilight set them on the ground. Together they watched as Rainbow Dash rearranged the pillow and blanket on the couch so that they were slightly reasonable. With that, she slowly slid underneath of the blanket and made herself comfortable. When Applejack walked by, the Pegasus raised a wing to offer her up a space, which she gladly accepted without a word. When they were finally settled, they pressed their heads together and allowed sleep to quickly take them.

Twilight sighed softly as she took in the sight, knowing full well that they were not going to be able to do this for a while after tonight. With another sigh, she walked with Spike back up to their room, where she was treated to an unexpected surprise. A single light was on the bed, shining down from the windowsill, where a lone candle stood flickering every now and again. On the bed where the light was stood a small stack of books, each one looked brand new in her eyes.

When she looked towards him he smiled and said, "Well, when I was cleaning I saw a few dirty books that looked like they needed a good dusting. When I cleaned them up, I found that one was a book that was entitled, 'My Diary'. Now knowing what it was, I collected two others with the same name and decided that I would surprise you with them."

Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she made her way over to the bed, where she used her magic to move the books over to a desk that was across from the bed. Slowly, she climbed into the bed and made herself comfortable before once again using her magic, this time to blow out the candle. Even though darkness had swallowed the room, Spike had no trouble finding the bed, feeling around as he did so.

Very carefully, he climbed into the bed. Not a word was said as he slipped underneath of the covers beside Twilight, putting an arm around her chest. Without any kind of warning, he felt her roll over so that she was lying atop him, looking at him in the darkness. Only three words left her mouth, all within a whisper, "I love you." Before he could have a chance to respond he felt her lips against his own, effectively silencing any other thoughts that he had as the passion of the kiss washed over him.