Ponyville was one of those towns where everyone knew each other. Many towns are like that: they have their citizens, and often times if it was a small community, everyone kind of gets to know one another whether it is through a mutual friend, or perhaps just running into someone on the streets. In short, Ponyville was definitely one of those towns.
It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for a newcomer to arrive though. Twilight Sparkle is a testament to that. However, after her arrival and acceptance into this tiny community of peaceful ponies, the flow of new faces seemed to dwindle. Every now and again you would find a passerby, but that was usually the extent of it.
Storm Cloud was not one of those ponies. He had recently moved away from Cloudsdale, aiming to make it far in life. He didn't know exactly what he wanted to do or where he was going to wind up, but he knew he didn't want to be stuck in Cloudsdale as another weather factory worker – he figured there were plenty of those. Just because he was a Pegasus didn't mean he had to live up to a stereotype.
He was looking for a change of scenery. Cloudsdale was nice, but he wanted to get out and, (both figuratively and literally), spread his wings. He heard about Ponyville from a friend in casual conversation and wanted to check it out. His parents were supportive, and told him to go and see what he could reap from the world. With his saddlebags packed and a few bits in his name, he left Cloudsdale to find his way in life.
Storm had been traveling for a while now. He enjoyed sleeping in for the last time at his parents' house that morning and left around noon, spent a day in flight almost non-stop, and reached the city limits of Ponyville. Seeing as how it was approaching the evening hours, he decided to take a break from his journey. He figured he would stop at the local bar for a casual drink. It was a nice place; it wasn't too big, but it definitely left room for anyone who didn't particularly like getting too touchy-feely. As he went to the bar, he looked around for anyone who was able to serve him. Luckily for him a stallion with a cutie mark of a beer mug came right up to him.
"Good evening sir, what's your poison?"
Storm looked up and jumped at the sudden vocalization, "I'll just take a rum and coke for now."
As the stallion smiled and nodded, Storm looked around aimlessly for a bit, trying to plan out his journey. He received his drink, and stirred the straw around in it slowly. As he took a sip, he was debating staying in Ponyville for a few days. The people seemed nice enough, and he took a look around the bar once more to further take in his surroundings. He then jumped a bit as he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time call his name.
"Storm, Storm! Is that you? Is that really you?!"
He turned around to see a certain excited female cyan pegasus looking at him with excited eyes. He'd recognize that prismatic mane anywhere and instantly felt both a mix of shock and joy.
"R-Rainbow Dash? Is it really you?!" He couldn't believe it – the mare he grew up with right in front of him. He looked her over; to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. A tri-colored lightning bolt cutie mark, that rainbow mane, and her one-of-a-kind magenta eyes. After all these years, she still looked amazing.
"Well, duh it's me! Oh wow, how are you?! It's been like, forever dude!" She set her drink down and closed in to give him a hug.
As he hugged back he continued, "I know! I think the last time I saw you was at graduation like, four years ago! What have you been doing ever since?" He knew all about the Elements of Harmony and such from reading the papers, news like that doesn't tend to stay confined to just one region of Equestria. He figured it would be a good springboard for conversation though.
"Oh, you know, just being my awesome self and saving the world from unimaginable horrors and such, the usual." She smiled her trademark smug grin and lightly dusted off her mane from her dripping ego. He couldn't help but chuckle, realizing she hasn't changed much.
"What about you?" She asked as she took a sip from her drink.
"Huh? What about me?"
"Yeah! You can't just go running off for like, four years and not expect me to ask what you've been doing." She picked up her beer and took another sip as she awaited her stunned friend's response.
He took a nervous sip from his own drink again and responded gingerly, "Well, I…you see, I…well, I haven't really done too much, to be terribly honest. I mean, I went to school and graduated with a degree, but that's about it so far. I still just have no idea what to do with my life. So, I figured I'd just kind of wonder around Equestria until something comes my way."
"Oh, I see." She took a second to collect her thoughts. "So, what are you doing in Ponyville? Just passing through, or are you looking to move here?"
"Well, I'm not too sure yet. Like I said, I don't really know what I'm looking for." Storm looked up at the clock on the wall, noting the time. "Though, it is getting kind of late, and I was going to crash at a hotel nearby or something. My buddy told me about this nice hotel near the town square, and I should probably get there before it gets too late."
Rainbow nodded her head, but then spoke up as an idea popped in her head, "You know, you could just crash at my place for the night."
Storm nearly choked on his drink as he heard her proposition. "Really? I mean, I don't want to impose or anything, and that's not what I was trying to get at. I mean, I have plenty of bits to pay fo-." He was cut off by Rainbow's hoof in his mouth.
"Nope, I won't take 'no' for an answer. You know how many times you saved my flank back in school from getting in trouble? Consider this as a small bit of thanks for all those times. C'mon, let's get out of here."
Storm couldn't help but feel a little guilty at this sudden unexpected offer from the mare, so he paid for both their drinks and they took their leave walking down the road from the bar towards her cloud home. It was a nice clear night out, and Storm insisted on walking instead of flying for now to give his tired wings a break. Still feeling a bit uncomfortable, he thought of a sudden possible way to get out of this, "Hey, I really don't know about this. I mean, I really don't want to intrude. I don't even know if you're seeing anyone, and I don't want to invade on your life that way."
Rainbow Dash scoffed at this, "Seriously? You think I'd really invite you back to my place if I was seeing someone? Please. I didn't need anyone back in school, and I definitely don't need anyone now. Not many stallions can handle my degree of awesomeness!" Outwardly she beamed at this statement with pride, but inwardly she wasn't exactly feeling what her appearance was letting on.
"Honestly, that surprises me." Storm was shocked to hear this. "I figured you would've been the first one of my friends to get together with someone."
She was caught off-guard by his statement. "Oh really now? And why's that?" She was interested to see what kind of trap she could make him fall into, and raised her eyebrow in curiosity to see how bad she could make his situation.
"Well, I mean…you're nice and all, and kind of pretty, so I just figured…" he trailed off as he awkwardly tripped over himself desperately trying to come up with something more to say. He cursed under his breath for starting something he knew he should have just kept his mouth shut about. 'Dammit, Storm. Why do you have to be so awkward?' He was brought back from his thoughts as he heard Rainbow Dash respond to his dilemma,
"Huh, just kind of pretty, eh? Alright, I see how it is…" She pretends to be offended and looked down as if depressed, but in reality she was really getting a kick out of making him squirm.
"No! I didn't mean like that! I just, well, I…" He trailed off then sighed to himself, "Just forget it. I'll think of something smart to say one of these days."
Dash chuckled to herself as she saw his slightly downtrodden face and playfully bumped his shoulder with her side, "I'm only kidding. You haven't changed a bit. What about you, got any lucky ladies falling at your hooves?"
"Please, Rainbow. You know how awkward I am. I can barely say 'hi' without making a fool of myself. Maybe one of these days I'll meet someone who can look past all that."
She quickly interjected, "Aw, you're too hard on yourself, Storm. I personally think someone would be lucky to have you. I mean, you're not as lame as you think you are. I'd argue that you're at least half as awesome as me, or maybe even more! I think some days you are as awesome as me!"
He smiled at this friendly remark and continued walking with her. "Well, thanks for that, I appreciate it. So, what about you? What do you do for yourself? Surely being awesome alone can't put food on the table."
She laughed a little at that and replied, "I'm a weather pony. I just kind of fly around, making sure things get rained on that need it. And, when I'm not doing that, I'm practicing for the Wonderbolts."
He smirked at her enthusiasm as he fondly remembered all those times she used to go on about them back in school, always talking about how she would strive to make it amongst their ranks one day. "So, still obsessed about joining them?"
"Of course! I'm even in the reserves right now! I just need to be promoted to active duty then I'm home free. The waiting list is pretty long though, so I got a ways to go till I get my time to really shine. But it'll come, just you wait."
"Ah, okay." They enjoyed a comfortable silence as they approached the base of her cloud home together. Dash poked at his side with her wing to snap him out of the little trance he's fallen in.
"Alrighty, we're here! You think you can fly up after flying all day?"
"Yeah, I think I'll be alright." He strapped on his saddlebags a little tighter to prepare for the short flight up.
Once on the porch, Rainbow fiddled with her keys as she prepared to unlock the door. "Now, please excuse the mess, but I just got back from a week of training at the Wonderbolts Academy today, so I haven't had time to really unpack a whole lot."
"Oh, you're fine. I'm just thankful that you offered me a place to stay."
"Oh, it's no problem." She smiled after saying that, remembering how much of a gentlecolt he was. After fiddling with her lock a little more, she opened the door and led him inside her cloud castle in the sky.
Upon walking inside, Storm was taken aback by how elegant the cloud home was. It wasn't terribly big, but still big enough to provide a comfortable living space. The puffy clouds were a comfort to his sore hooves, and found that it wasn't nearly as much as a mess as Rainbow made it seem. Still in a bit of initial shock he spoke up, "Wow, this place is amazing! I mean, you really did well for yourself! I bet your dad is so proud of you."
Rainbow tossed her keys on the table next to the door and chuckled, "Yeah, he's really happy for me. Every now and then he comes to visit, and we always have a great time together."
He smiled and nodded as he walked into the house some more, as he continued the exploration his host's palace in the sky.
Rainbow walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. As she did this, she coyly watched her houseguest walk around while he continued to give himself a small tour of her living room as he put his bags down next to the couch.
Rainbow Dash had her friends among the citizens of Ponyville like Fluttershy, Applejack and the rest, but she had very few male friends. She honestly didn't really like having them too much, seeing as how most of them only wanted to be her friend for one night then leave her on the wayside. She was too smart to be taken advantage of like that. However, growing up with Storm really was a truly different experience.
He was always there for her, and always was the first one among her friends in Cloudsdale to offer a helping hoof whenever she needed it. Whenever she had bully problems he would be the first one she would complain to and often seek comfort from. She really clung to him even more when her parents got divorced. After her father broke the news to her, she found herself getting in trouble and rebelling with her friends in school by sneaking out and pulling pranks on others as a way of lashing out her frustrations. While most of these pranks were relatively harmless, vandalism was a crime. Whenever she would get in trouble, Storm would try to find a way to help her cover up her tracks to make any punishment she received a little more bearable. Sometimes, he would even find a way to cover for her completely so she didn't get punished at all. He was special to her, even if he didn't always see it. He was modest that way – never trying to take more than he was given, and trying to be thankful for what he had. Though, that seemed to be a bit of a downfall while being a respectable quality. Sometimes, she wished that he wouldn't be afraid to try just a little harder so that she could truly express what she really felt about him. Making the first move really wasn't her thing, but she was certain she'd be glad to respond if he ever made one.
Hearing his voice, she snapped out of her own world of thought as he walked over and asked, "Is the couch okay?"
"Huh? What?"
He chuckled lightly and asked again, "I asked if the couch was okay. You know, for me to sleep on?"
"Oh, oh yeah! That's fine! I mean, let me get some blankets and stuff for you."
As she took her leave, she looked back at him while he unpacked a small book and sat on the edge of the couch. Smirking to herself, she hurried to her bedroom to get a blanket and a pillow. She quickly returned and saw him scribbling a few words down and asked, "Whatcha got there?"
Unprepared for the question, he answered, "Oh, this? It's my journal. I'm just kind of writing down stuff that happens to me along the way, just to have something to look back on; self-reflection and all that jazz."
"I never thought about that, that's pretty cool. Maybe I should start one, my life's full of awesomeness!" She said as she made up the couch, earning her a few laughs out of him.
"Yeah, I think you'd need a few journals to document all that."
With a growing smirk, she narrowed her eyes and retorted, "Was that a compliment?"
He smirked back, and asked, "I don't know, was it?"
She shook her head and kept smiling to herself as she finished up the last touches on the couch. "Alright, I think you're all set. If you need anything, my room's the last door on the left at the end of the hall; bathroom's the first door on the right."
He finished writing the last bit of his thoughts down in his journal, closed it up and put it back in the bag. "Thanks again, Rainbow. I really appreciate all of this."
"Like I said, it's no problem at all. I'm just glad I ran into you! I hope you're not planning on leaving so soon, we have tons we have to do together!"
It never really occurred to him what he would do when he got to Ponyville. The last time he thought about that was at the bar, and he didn't even get to finish thinking about it. So with that in mind he thought out loud, "Well, I have to admit, I really didn't know where I was going whenever I got up tomorrow, so I'm all for spending some much needed catch-up time together. What is there to do around here?"
"Oh, I know Ponyville looks small, but trust me, it grows on ya. There's the bake shop, and the Apple Farm, and a whole bunch of other stuff! There's even a princess who lives here now! You'll love it! I'll introduce you to all my friends, and I'm telling you: by the end of the week, you'll never want to leave."
"Is that a fact?"
"Yep. Wanna know how I know?"
He sighed and smiled, "Okay I'll bite. How do you know?"
She offered her own smile back, "Because whenever I came here from Cloudsdale, the same thing happened to me."
He laughed at her enthusiasm once again, and decided to end things for the night to get some well-earned rest. "We'll see what happens. But I think if we're going do all that, I should try and get some sleep now."
"Yeah, I don't blame you. Sounds like you had a long day." She was a little bummed to see that he wanted to go to bed now because of all the talking she still had left in her. But she understood.
She was interrupted from her thoughts though whenever he pulled her in for a nice tight hug which she gladly, though unexpectedly received. "You truly are awesome, Rainbow Dash. I'm so blessed to have someone like you as a friend."
Taken aback by the sudden display of affection, she held him just a little tighter than she thought she was, as sudden flashes of memories of her and Storm together in the same kind of hug raced through her mind's eye. With a small lump in her throat and a growing blush on her face she softly spoke, "Yeah…same goes for you…"
They said their goodnights, and she hovered slowly to her room as she took another quick look back at the stallion getting situated on her couch. She smiled warmly and mused to herself, "No, Storm, I'm the one who's blessed." With that, she went to her room and found her way under her warm covers, and fell asleep with a content smile on her face. She soon was lost to her dreams, eagerly awaiting the morning to come.