Rainbow Dash woke up groggy. The sun had a distinctive talent of, while being millions of light years away, aiming perfectly through the curtains of any bedroom. She cursed this unfortunate fact of life. Slowly she got up, and staggered her way to the living room where she found Storm sitting up on the couch, writing in his journal. Her brain wasn't fully awake yet, but she noticed something off about Storm that morning. His eyes were red and puffy, like they were exhausted from crying. She wondered if he was okay. She knew that she sprung the whole invitation back to her house on him out of the blue, but she didn't think that he would get all emotional about that. Then, an idea as to why he was emotional hit her right in the face, and it finally made some sort of weird sense. She dismissed it for now, though. He just woke up, and looked to be in no mood to discuss something that heavy right off the bat.
She walked into the kitchen to get some coffee and saw Storm get up. She stopped him briefly though, hovering towards him as her curiosity got the better of her, "Storm, are you okay? You look like you had a rough night."
He was a little confused at first, but then knew what she meant. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
She was skeptical. "No offense, but you don't look fine. You sure you're okay? You look like you've been crying."
He really didn't want her to ask any more questions. His nightmares were his business and his business only – at least, that's how he saw it. "Look, I promise I'm okay."
She threw her hooves up in defense, "Okay, as long as you're sure." She gave him her coffee. "Here have some; you need it."
He gave a nod in the air as a means of thanks, and walked to the table. She watched him scratch his head as he lazily took a sip of the morning brew. She knew something was up, and she would eventually get to the bottom of it.
After a breakfast of toast and some fruit, the two pegasi decided to get out for a little bit and hit the town. Storm was still new to Ponyville, and Dash thought that, since she was the only friend he currently had living there, she would be the one to break him in. While they flew alongside each other, she decided to play a little game of catch-up with her life-long friend.
"So, I remember you mentioned that you went to school for a few years. What did you study?"
Storm looked at her quizzically before remembering that he told her about what he did the previous night, "Oh, yeah. I earned a bachelor's degree in psychology."
Impressed, she looked at him with a smile, "That doesn't really surprise me. You've always been the one to go to about anything."
He felt good from hearing that, and smiled back, "Well, thanks. I just like being there for others if I can. I always got a sense of fulfillment from that. That being said, I'm not totally sure if sitting in an office somewhere listening to ponies complain to me about their lives all the time is exactly what I had in mind when it comes to a career choice. Doesn't seem like something I want to profit off of as far as money goes – I look for the sentimental value more than how much I can earn from it."
She briefly though back to all the times he helped her out while they were growing up. "Well, that's a pretty sappy answer for now, but I guess I'll take it." She grinned to signify that she was kidding, and was glad when he offered his own grin back to her.
"Yeah, well, what did you expect from me?"
"Nothing short of that I suppose." She felt good that he was loosening up a little, and decided she would continue to make small talk before trying to figure out what was eating at him. "How are your wings holding up from yesterday? Are they still sore?"
"Yeah, just a little bit tender. I'm guessing it's because I haven't worked them that hard in quite a while."
"Well, if you want, we could take a quick break on a cloud for a few minutes and let you stretch them out for a bit?"
He looked back at his wings, as he felt them start to cramp a little. "Sure, sounds good to me."
She scouted for a comfortable cloud. She found one after a few seconds of looking: a stray cumulous was floating idly by as they approached the outskirts of Ponyville's airspace. She gingerly landed on the cloud to test its fluffiness, and nodded in approval at the texture. She motioned for him to join her as he landed next to her. He started to preen his tender wings soon after his touchdown.
She figured this could be a good time for some more small talk, trying to delay the inevitable question she had for as long as she could. "Man, nothing like a good cloud to just chill on, huh Storm?" She winced a little to herself at how stupid the question seemed.
He nodded as he preened away, "Yeah, one of the benefits of being a pegasus. I don't know how Earth ponies and Unicorns do it."
She huffed, "Yeah, me neither. I could never get used to being on the ground like that all the time."
He let out some chuckles and agreed. He wanted to try to come up with a topic, giving the mare a chance to take a break from being the first one to talk. "So, what's it like being a bearer of an Element of Harmony? Like, what exactly is it that you do? I read about the stuff you guys pulled off, and it's amazing. Do you have any other duties?"
She was caught off guard at the question, but welcomed it nonetheless as it gave her more time to mentally prepare herself for what was sure to come. She shrugged, "Eh, not really. I didn't even know about the elements until Twilight came to town. Normally I'm just myself, and go about my business. If the elements need to be used, Twilight calls on us. I was always told I was a loyal friend, but I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal." She was enjoying herself. It was nice to just enjoy time with a friend she hadn't heard from in a while.
Despite all the talking, the question she thought of earlier that morning still burned deeply in her conscious and she was starting to feel rather nervous about asking it. She felt a tugging feeling inside her chest, as if warning her not to tread into that territory. Maybe it could wait till later? Or was she just overthinking it? No, she needed to stop this. She needed to just go ahead and do it, even if it did mean possibly facing a very uncomfortable situation. One of her life-long friends was in her house, crying his eyes out last night. His words may have said he was fine, but his eyes betrayed him more than he thought. She knew something was bothering him, and would bother her if she didn't at least make a true, genuine attempt to help him. She wasn't about to let him get away with it that easily. There was no doubt in her now: it needed to be done.
The conversation reached a standstill. Rainbow saw her chance to take the risk she was waiting for. She looked over at Storm, breathed in deep, and exhaled. He was still tending to his wings. She looked back in front of her and closed her eyes. She spoke barely above that of a trembling whisper, "Hey… you remember the last time we saw each other?"
Storm stopped preening. His eyes shot open, scared to death of that one, simple question. Of course he remembered. He'll always remember. It's not something he could easily forget, no matter how much he tried.
The graduating students of Cloudsdale High School prepared to walk into the gymnasium for the final time. Graduation was set at six p.m., though everyone was starting to arrive a few minutes early to take their seats and get situated for the upcoming ceremony. Fluttershy and Gilda were talking amongst themselves as they awaited the arrival of their two other friends.
"I sure hope that Storm and Dashie get here soon. Being in crowds of ponies is so…unsettling."
Gilda took mock offense to this, "Oh, what, and I'm just chopped liver?"
Fluttershy rolled her eyes a little at that, "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just wonder what's taking them so long."
Gilda agreed. "Yeah, seems like those two have been spending a lot of time together recently."
As if on cue, Storm and Rainbow Dash came rushing in, hastily throwing on their caps and gowns to get ready for the soon-to-start ceremony. Dash was the first one to speak up, "Sorry we kept you guys waiting; we had a bit of a problem to fix."
Gilda let her impatience talk for her, "Yeah? Well, seems like that's a common occurrence these days with you two."
Dash narrowed her eyes in annoyance and retaliated, "What's that supposed to mean?"
To Rainbow's surprise, Gilda put her talon around her neck and led her away from Storm for the time being while he talked with Fluttershy. "Listen, Dash, are you sure there's nothing going on?"
Rainbow raised a brow in confusion, "What do you mean, exactly?"
"What I mean is that Fluttershy and I have been talking, and we notice you guys are spending way more time together than you used to. I mean, we get it. We just wish that you would spill it already. You don't need to keep secrets from us."
"Get what? You're not making any sense. What are you trying at?" As she tried to think, Rainbow froze as she pieced the puzzle together, "Y-you think that Storm and I are-"
Gilda interrupted, "What's the big deal? So you guys are going out, it was only a matter of time really. We both know that you care about him a lot, there's no shame in that. In fact, if that's what's been going on, then we're really happy for you! We just wish you'd be honest with us about it."
Rainbow blushed furiously at the accusation. She knew that she and Storm were considerably close, but she also knew for a fact that they weren't an item. Although she knew the truth, she felt a strange calm while considering the thought of dating him. Did she maybe have feelings for him and just didn't know it? Was Gilda right? Did he maybe have any feelings for her? Annoyed by the persistent questions in her mind, she chose to put an end to the conversation for the time being. "Look, we're not together. He was just helping me out, alright?"
"Helping you out with what? You can talk to us too, ya know. We've been worried about you, Dash. We're your friends just as much as he is." Gilda wasn't really one to offer comfort, but confrontations were somewhat of a specialty to her.
Rainbow sighed, "Look, let's just get through graduation, okay? Forget about this for right now, we'll talk more about it later. I just want to enjoy the rest of the night and get through this." Rainbow put on her best fake smile as she hugged her friend in re-assurance, and tried to get past this temporary speed bump.
Gilda received the hug hesitantly, but still wasn't buying the act. "Alright Dash, but you're still not off the hook yet."
Eventually the ceremony started. Speeches were given, memories were shared, and the graduating class of Cloudsdale High was finally dismissed for the last time. Three out of the four friends were hanging around congratulating each other as they discussed their plans for later that evening.
Fluttershy strained to have her voice heard above the crowd, "I'm going to fly to my cousin's house, we're going to watch movies all night and have a slumber party. What are you doing, Gilda?
"I'm heading back to Griffonstone to see my extended family – we're doing a pig roast! I can't wait to get my claws on those juicy succulent pork chops! And the bacon! So much bacon…"
Fluttershy gasped loudly at this, and Rainbow put a comforting wing around her timid friend as she shot Gilda a glare.
Gilda sheepishly responded, "Oh, forgot about that…sorry."
Rainbow rolled her eyes as Storm approached her from behind and gave her a huge hug. "Guys! We finally did it! We're done! Can you believe it?!"
A little taken aback from the sudden gesture, Rainbow turned around to give him a proper hug in return, "I know! I'm so gonna party tonight! You wanna come along?"
He brightened up even more, "Haha, count me in! I can't wait to see what kind of stuff we're going get into!"
As he said that last bit, Dash, though smiling, felt her mind drift back to what Gilda confronted her about before the ceremony. She tried not to let her emotions show too much, but must have let something slip as he caught onto her expression quickly deflating, "Is something wrong, Rainbow?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing! Nothing's wrong. We're gonna have such a great time!" She tried to play it off cool, but he wasn't so easily convinced. Something was wrong.
"Rainbow, can we talk for a few by ourselves for a few minutes?"
A little stunned by the request, she complied. "Sure, what's up?"
Looking to take this away from the crowd, he had an idea. "Here, let's go outside to get some air."
He led her away from the group as Gilda leaned over to Fluttershy, "See? What did I say? I knew it." Fluttershy simply nodded her head, straining to see what was going on between the two of them as they walked out of sight into the sea of ponies around them.
She asked Gilda with concern, "Do you think they'll be okay?"
Gilda shrugged. "I dunno. You know who definitely won't be okay though?"
Concerned, Fluttershy responded, "Who?"
The Griffon smirked, "That little piggy back home once I get my talons on those juicy chops." She licked her beak in satisfaction as she fantasized about her future meal.
Fluttershy deadpanned. "Why are we friends again?"
Away from the commotion in the gym, two pegasi walked quickly outside.
Rainbow tried to act cool once more, "Woah, Storm. Take it easy, what's the rush? You're kind of acting a little loopy all of the sudden. Was your cap on too tight or something? You do know that you could have ordered a bigger size, right?"
Storm knew something was up though, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Rainbow, what's going on? You were acting really weird back there. Is this about what happened earlier today?"
Rainbow got quiet as she remembered the day's events. It had been a rough morning for her. Her dad was drinking again and shouting again. Shouting at Rainbow for reminding him too much of her mother, shouting because he drank the last of his whisky, and shouting because he was a burning soul who just couldn't let go of the past. Rainbow flew out of her bedroom window like she did so many times before to Storm's house, to tell him about what was going on. She once again told him about her broken home, and cried in his tender embrace for a solid hour and a half as she let her newest dose of exhausted pain out all over him, as she tightened her hold on him. She would apologize for being such a burden to him as well as a clingy friend. No matter how many times she would say that, he always re-assured her that she was nothing of the sort, and that he was always happy to try and help her in any way he could. She was glad to have Storm there for her. It was like this ever since the beginning of their freshman year together and four years later, now graduating seniors, it was all just as painful to her as the day it happened.
"No, it has nothing to do with that. Or…maybe it does. Ugh, I'm not sure, okay?!" She didn't mean to snap like that, but first Gilda got on her case, and now Storm? This was getting ridiculous. But why did she feel so conflicted? She knew she didn't look at Storm that way. She cared about him, of course. But there wasn't anything more to it.
Right?
He tried to comfort her, "Rainbow, you know you can trust me with anything. I'd like to think that you would know that by now after all we've been through in the past few years."
She sighed, "It's not that I don't trust you, Storm; it's not that at all. Some days, I feel like you're the only one I can trust. It's not even that big of a deal! Gilda was just trying to rustle my feathers earlier by talking about us. She kept on going on about us being a couple, and I tried to tell her that nothing was up! That's all that happened, I swear. But for some reason, I feel bad about it."
He really didn't know how to answer. In all the years he'd known Rainbow Dash, he never really thought too much about them dating. Sure he thought she was really pretty and had an attitude to match, but he always figured she'd date someone more athletic, or fun to be around, or just better in general. He was just Storm; no one special.
"Well, why do you feel bad about it?" He couldn't help but give in to his curiosity.
"I – I don't really know. I mean, you've always been there for me, and you know me better than anyone else does. I guess the more I think about it, I feel like it would make some sense, but I feel bad because I'm pushing it away. Or something like that. I don't know, okay?!" She just had enough. She looked back at him in angry desperation, "You're the smart one out of us; you should be able to figure this out for me!"
He laughed in a vain attempt to lighten the mood a little, but she far from laughing. She looked up at him with stressful eyes; the weight of everything pushing hard on her shoulders. She had to figure this out, one way or another. Suddenly this became the most important matter at hand for her. She needed to try and see if this was really something, or if it was just a matter of circumstance. This called for major action on her part, as well as his. She sighed deeply and then spoke with an uneasy quietness, looking away from Storm. "I want to try something."
His ears perked up, "Um…okay, what is it?" He was thoroughly confused now. What could she want to try?
She went on in an uneasy voice, "Well, I don't know if this is all just me being weird, if there's anything to it, or what…but you got to trust me on this, okay?"
He shifted nervously, "O-okay. Rainbow, not going to lie, you're scaring me a little here."
"Shhhhh." She pressed her hoof softly to his mouth. She spoke in a soft, innocent tone, "I need you to just please trust me, okay?" She gazed into his soft blue-grey eyes with her magenta ones, tears starting to appear and gloss over her eyes as she silently begged for his cooperation.
When he realized the serious attitude she adapted, he took one on himself, "Okay, Dashie. I trust you."
Her stomach fluttered when he called her that. A warm, tingling sensation spread from her head all the way down to her tail. The only ones to ever call her that before were her parents and Fluttershy, but there was something special in the way he said it that made her heart fly faster than she ever could.
She gently took his face in her hooves, gazed into his eyes and whispered, "Close your eyes."
He obeyed the innocent request. As soon as he did, he felt warm lips press tightly against his. His tense body relaxed as she wrapped her forelegs around him, while he did the same to her. They succumbed to a tight embrace, one that snuffed out all of the fiery questions in Rainbow Dash's mind. Their hearts sang out in ecstasy, and a single tear rolled gently down Rainbow's cheek.
Their slice of Heaven was interrupted though whenever the couple heard a voice, "Dash, Storm, there you are! We've been looking all over for you and -" Gilda stopped right in her tracks as she caught them in the act. Time froze.
Storm's eyes shot wide open as he looked hastily to his left, meeting eye-to-eye with a speechless Griffon. Fluttershy was trailing not too far behind as she caught up with her half-lion, half-eagle friend. As soon as she saw what Gilda saw, however, she too froze in her tracks; and the four friends were caught in the most compromising position they had been presented with yet.
Storm stammered, "I-it's not what it looks like, I just came to talk to her, and I -" Storm quickly released Rainbow from his embrace, much to her disappointment. "- I wasn't trying anything funny, I swear!" He was starting to panic. He felt his chest tighten up with growing anxiety. He knew that Gilda and Fluttershy were aware about Rainbow's situation at home, and didn't want them thinking that he was trying to take advantage of Rainbow in her fragile condition.
"Storm, no one said you were! We were just coming out to see what was going on, that's all!" Fluttershy felt bad for him, and tried to calm him down with her words, but to no avail. He backed away from the group with fear in his eyes.
"I… I need to go." He looked back at Rainbow dash; back at her pleading, longing expression. He backed up even further. With guilt growing more rapidly by the second, he looked at Rainbow with woe, "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"
He flew the fastest he'd ever flown that night.
"Storm, wait! Come back! I'm the one who's sorry, it's my fault! PLEASE!" Rainbow shouted through a cracking voice, but it was no use. He was long gone, and she was left to the comfort of her friends as they tried their best to help her in any way they can. As they listened to her shaky explanation of the events that occurred, she steadily broke down. Nothing could comfort her now. She looked up one last time at the sky, but all she saw were misty stars glowing in the dark of night.
Rainbow walked over to where Storm was sitting on the cloud, and noticed how silent he had fallen. She looked, and saw tears form trails down his face with how he had been lost in memories. His face was stoic though, he was clearly trying not to lose it in front of her.
She draped her wing around him, and made him look her in the eye, "Storm, I don't know if this will ever make it better, but for what it's worth, I'm so, so sorry. I never should have done that to you. I never meant to put you on the spot like that. I was so confused, and angry, and miserable. It wasn't fair to you, and I won't ever pull another stunt like that again. Please…can you ever forgive me?"
Storm just kept his gaze fixed on hers, and sighed, "I would forgive you, if you did anything wrong – but you didn't. As you said, you were confused, and you just wanted answers. I can't fault you for that." He pulled her into his own embrace and continued, "I'm only sorry I ran off like a dammed coward. You really needed me, and I just flew away without even giving you a a chance to talk it out or anything. I've let that shame eat me up for four long years, because I just can't stand the fact that I left you hanging like that. I'm the one who's sorry, Rainbow. Can you ever forgive me for that?"
Rainbow felt tears prick her eyes and responded, "I forgave you the second you did it."
When she said that, his teary dam broke, and fresh tears flowed freely; like a flood down his face. Seeing him in his condition, she soon followed suit. As the two friends cried into each other's tight embrace for a few good minutes, Rainbow Dash spoke up as the tears steadily calmed.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm willing to put all of this behind us. I still have tons to show you, and I want this to be a fun day. Can we please do that?" She looked at him with a hopeful smile.
Feeling relieved, he smiled a warm, comfortable smile back at his life-long friend, "I'd love that."
She beamed with pride, wiping away a few tear stains. "Well, in that case, let's get to town! I have all my friends you need to meet and I know you're gonna love 'em!"
As he smiled in anticipation, an idea struck him. "Hey, Rainbow, want to race?"
She was surprised by the out-of-the-blue request. She figured he wouldn't be up to it with his wings being sore; then again, she wasn't one to turn down a friendly challenge. She offered her famous grin, "I thought you'd never ask. I'll even give you a ten second head start! But don't worry, I promise you'll still lose."
He chuckled and shot back, "Oh, it is so on!" With that, he took off futilely for the victory he pretended he would have. He knew he'd lose, but he also knew how much fun it would be.
As Rainbow looked on at the stallion charging off towards Ponyville, she felt that warm, tingly sensation from that fateful night return. Only this time, she welcomed it instead of questioning it. Getting into position and spreading her wings, she smiled to herself: "Yeah, it's on."