"So, what in the buck are you planning, Storm?" asked Gust, slamming the door to Storm's room behind him, before going to sit down on his bed. He faced Storm, who sat on his desk chair right in front of him, contemplating the idea he had ever since they left Chord's home. The idea Storm had in mind was to bring each individual band member to the community center, and force them to talk things out. However, he felt rather unsure about it all. However, what unnerved him most was the possibility of their 'group intervention' not working out, creating an even bigger fracture between each band member, and destroying Gust's newfound trust in Storm. He glanced up at Gust, a nervous look on his face, one that he was hoping would go unnoticed by Gust, allowing him at least a few seconds to continue thinking. However, much to his chagrin, Gust noticed his awkwardness.
"Well?" Gust raised an eyebrow. "What's your idea?"
"Well..." Storm stuttered, an awkward smile forming on his face, and his ears pinning back as he wondered whether Gust would like his idea or not. "I was thinking...Well, I'm not entirely sure if you'll like the idea or not---"
"Go ahead." Gust remarked. "I'm listening."
"Okay..." Storm sighed. "Here goes. How about, instead of going to them, how about we bring them to us?"
"What do you mean?" Gust raised an eyebrow. However, instead of telling him directly, Storm got up from where he was sitting and walked up to Gust, whispering the idea into his ear. As Gust listened to Storm's idea, his ears pricked up in intrigue and an anticipatory smile formed on his face.
"So, what do you think?" Storm moved away from Gust's ear.
"It sounds crazy, but it might just work." Gust grinned.
"Wanna try it out tomorrow?" asked Storm.
"Sure." grinned Gust. "You know...you aren't as bad as I thought you were..."
"Thanks." Storm beamed, taking Gust's unusually kind words to heart. "You're decent yourself."
This was something that Gust did not expect Storm to say. Having bullied his younger brother for years, and only apologizing to him earlier that day, Gust still had his doubts about whether or not Storm wanted, or should I say, deserved to be his friend. However, from personal experience, Gust slowly begun to realize Storm may not be such a pain in the flank after all. In fact, for some reason which at that very moment in time was still completely unknown to him, Storm was the only pony who was willing to help Gust get his life back together. This was an act that Gust totally did not expect from anypony, let alone Storm, and boy was he grateful for it.
"Thanks." smiled Gust, getting up from under his bed. "You start planning, alright? I'll see you tomorrow."
"Sure thing." grinned Storm. "Hoofbump?"
"Of course." Gust pulled back his left hoof, before releasing it, striking Storm's extended right hoof. "Night, bro."
"Good night." smiled Gust, opening the door and leaving Storm alone in the room, somewhat surprised, in fact, awestruck by Gust's seemingly-sudden change of demeanor and personality. On the one hoof, Storm was happy that his brother had a change of heart towards him, but on the other, he wondered how long he'd maintain this change of heart. However, being slightly tired, he decided to stop thinking too much, and in order to get some sleep as soon as possible, he got on with the planning right away.
The next morning...
"Okay..." begun Storm, motioning his hoof for Gust to sit down on his bed. He closed the door behind him, and jumped onto the bed, allowing Storm to tell him his plan of action. "So, I spent two or three hours last night trying to figure out exactly how to put our plan into action."
"Yeah?" asked Gust.
"And I decided that in order to get them to the community center, we'd send them letters, saying that we need them to come over there. I could deliver them after school if you want." explained Storm, watching Gust's previous convinced grin disappear off his face. "What?"
"You're kidding, right?" scoffed Gust. "Letters? They'll know it's me!"
"Oh." Storm sighed. Suddenly, his train of thought departed its station, as he begun to think of more ideas. Soon enough, one particular idea hit him, one that Gust was sure to like. "Gust?"
"What?" asked the stallion, opening the door to his room and walking out of it.
"How about you just talk it through like real stallions would?" asked Storm, getting up off his computer seat and walking up to where Gust was standing, before putting his hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "You know, invite them over to the bar and talk it through over a drink or two?"
"What?" Gust asked, standing up and looking down at Storm with a shocked look on his face.
"You heard me, Gust." Storm replied.
"I tried talking it through before, Storm." Gust sighed, putting his hooves on his head. "Don't you remember?"
"Yeah..." Storm lowered his head, letting out a sigh as well. "Sorry man."
"Eh, it's fine..." Gust groaned. "You know what?"
"Yeah?"
"Fine, I give in. Since we both can't think of anything, I'll just go with your idea. You bring them to the community center after school, and I talk things out with them." Gust growled. "Alright?"
"Sure." Storm shrugged. "You write the letters, I'll deliver 'em."
"But what kind of letters?"
"I don't know." shrugged Storm. "How about we trick them with a fake identity?"
"Nah, that'd be too far-fetched."
"I can't really think of anything else at the moment, Gust." Storm sighed, before continuing his brainstorming. "Hmm..."
"Hmm...alright. You know, on second thought, the pen name thing may not be such a bad idea." Gust mused. "Yeah, on second thought, let's do the letters."
"Okay." Storm nodded, looking back at Gust as he made his way towards the door, picking up his saddlebag as he did so. "I'll deliver them to their homes after school, while you work on them. Okay?"
"Sure." smiled Gust.
"Alright." grinned Storm. "I better go. Mist's waiting for me."
"Alright, see you." replied Gust. "I better get on with writing the letters."
"Okay." smiled Storm. "You do that."
"So, did you write the letters?" asked Storm, having just returned from school and summoned Gust to his room. He sat down next to him on his bed, observing Gust pull out four envelopes from his saddlebag, all addressed to each of the band members.
"Yep." smiled Gust, passing the stack of envelopes to Storm, allowing him to study them. "I even invented a pen name."
"What is it?" asked Storm, unzipping his saddlebag and inserting the envelopes into it.
"Dniw Tsug." Gust replied. "Now is your turn to deliver the letters. You have three hours before mom and dad come back. And don't worry; two of them live within walking distance. You should start off with Chord's house, seeing how you already probably know where that is."
"Alright." Storm grinned. "Hold on...where did you get that pen name from?"
"It's my name backwards, Storm." Gust rolled his eyes playfully. "Now get going!"
"Alright." smiled Storm. "See you later bro."
"Bye." Gust gave him a hoofbump before watching the stallion trot down the stairs, his saddlebag fluttering in the air as he did so. He trotted out the door and took off five hundred feet into the air, before looking around his street and across the sea of apartment buildings, family homes and small office buildings that was North Cloudsdale. While hovering in the air, Storm took off his saddlebag, unzipping it and accessing it's contents. He pulled out the first letter he had in sight, and read the address on the envelope.
Riff Solo
1038 Canter Street
North Cloudsdale
Having initially hoped that the first house he'd visit was Chord's, Storm sighed when he read the address. Canter Street was noted to be the main street in a rather...rough area of town, well known for an apparent high crime rate, a reputation that was only enforced by several high-profile cases of gang violence and countless robberies which had occurred over the past few weeks. It wasn't always like that though; Storm remembered three years ago when he and his stepdad used to go shopping there on weekends. The street was once a hub for major businesses and prospered economically, but due to the financial mismanagement of the new mayor and his government, the neighborhood fell into decline and suffered dramatically. Large, well-established businesses soon moved out, and families eventually settled elsewhere in the city, allowing the area to become a breeding ground for gangs and a haven for crime in general. Stifling a gulp, Storm took off towards the house, which was a ten-block flight to the northeast from his house, and as he flew towards the street he noticed that the rather tidy and pretty homes in his area of town seemed to make way for smaller, older, and more ugly architecture. As he neared the street, he began to prepare himself for landing. Storm gulped as he looked down at the sidewalks he was flying over, noticing some ponies give him a disgruntled and slightly threatening glare. Cloudsdale wasn't the 'perfect' Equestrian city that the media and virtually everypony in the country made it out to be, although it's crime rate was well below the national average; it was rather a city of extreme, or should I say polar opposites, in a way like Detrot and Manehattan. In general, the city was very safe, with most crimes being confined to the inner city and to some outer suburbs, and Canter Street, despite the pleasant and affluent-sounding name that evoked images of the city of Canterlot, was a prominent example. Storm hoped that as a Royal Guard, he could at least change some aspects of inner-city life in Cloudsdale for the better.
Upon landing on the street, Storm trotted down the sidewalk, not looking for anything aside from number 1038. He trotted as far as his hooves could carry him, trying not to attract any attention from passers-by, who mostly stared at him with bemused and obviously unfriendly looks on their faces. Soon enough, Storm's burst of speed wore off pretty quickly, and he was reduced to walking, which allowed him to investigate and take in his surroundings. To say the street looked horrible was the understatement of the millennium. Storm knew that some parts of Cloudsdale were worse off than others, but he didn't realize just how bad some areas were. Compared to what he was used to seeing on a day to day basis, this was absolute squalor, to say the least. There were buildings that had their front doors kicked in (probably what remained after a failed robbery) there was broken glass scattered across the sidewalk at one point, which Storm managed to avoid, and there was graffiti of gang signs and words and poorly-written phrases such as "NORTH CLOUDSDALE IZ OURS 4 LYFE".
"Why don't you watch where you're going, motherbucker?" yelled out a stallion, pushing past Storm. "You're as blind as a bat pony, y'know?"
"Sorry man." groaned Storm.
"Whatever." the stallion replied, not looking back at Storm, and almost pretending as if nothing happened.
"Hey, do you know where number 1038 is?" asked Storm.
"Yeah, I live there." replied the stallion, seemingly suspicious of Storm. "Why?"
"You're Riff?" asked Storm, noticing his defensiveness and caution as he eyed Storm carefully.
"Yeah, who the hay are you?" asked Riff.
"I'm a mailpony." Storm fibbed.
"You don't look like much of a mailpony to me." Riff gave him a suspicious look, before flying over to him. "Well, you got a letter for me or something?"
"Yep." smiled Storm, taking out the letter from his saddlebag and handing it over to him. "It's from a Dniw Tsug guy."
"Who?" Riff raised an eyebrow.
"Dniw Tsug."
"I swear to Celestia I don't recognize anypony with that name." replied Riff. "Maybe it's from a different country or something...I don't know. Well, anyway. Even though I have no bucking clue who that guy is, I'll still read it."
"Alright." replied Storm.
"Thanks dude." replied Riff, before trotting away from Storm, leaving the stallion alone. He dropped his saddlebag onto the sidewalk, and unzipped it yet again, before going through it's contents. The next letter he took out was addressed as 42940 Baltimare Avenue and was directed to a certain stallion by the name of Pickup Strap. Storm knew that Baltimare Avenue was pretty close to home, and not wanting to stay in Cloudsdale's version of Detrot any longer, he outstretched his wings to their full size and took off. "That's one down, four to go."
Over the course of the next hour or so, Storm had managed to deliver the letters to two out of the three bandmates, and his trek had taken him all over Cloudsdale, from the rough inner city to some affluent suburbs on the outskirts of town. While in flight, he glanced down at his watch, which displayed the time as being 5:42 PM, meaning that he had little over an hour to get the last letter delivered before his mom and stepdad come back home.
The final address that Storm was going to visit was close to the airport, at 5932 Pegasopolis Boulevard, a ten mile-long flight across town that Storm could easily manage in twenty-five minutes, Storm took off into the air from the last address he was at, flying through the twists and turns of the labyrinth of homes, supermarkets, office blocks and apartments, his eyes set on an airship descending down towards the main runway of the airport in the distance. However, just before he reached the electrified fence that marked the boundary between the airport and the rest of the city, he turned right, flying several blocks down a long road made up of rows of houses, before taking a sharp right turn at an intersection, and flying down the next street, which was in fact Pegasopolis Boulevard, named so because of the fact that Pegasopolis was the old name for Cloudsdale. Upon reaching number 5932, which was a house that looked pretty similar to his own, he landed on the sidewalk which was paved in front of the building, and walked up to the door. After some hesitance, Storm rung the doorbell, and around a minute or two later, the door opened, revealing a rather tall, and stocky Pegasus stallion wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.
"What?" he asked, looking down at Storm, who was three inches shorter than the stallion.
"Are you Crash Cymbal?" asked Storm, glancing up at him.
"Yeah?"
"Well, I have a letter for you." replied Storm. "It's pretty urgent."
"A letter?" Crash raised an eyebrow. "From who?"
"Dniw Tsug." replied Storm.
"Who?" asked Crash, growing more and more confused by the second.
"Dniw Tsug."
"Wait, I recognize you from somewhere..." begun Crash, fixing his eyes on Storm.
Shit. Storm muttered to himself. "You must've mistaken me for somepony else."
"No, no. I'm not stupid. You're Gust Wind's little brother, aren't you?" asked Crash.
"Uh...Uh..." Storm stuttered, his cover being blown. "Yeah?"
"Well..." Crash sneered. "It seems Gust's too much of a wuss to come over himself, so that's why he sent you... And I'm guessing this letter is from him, right?"
"Yes." replied Storm, handing over the envelope to Crash, who tore it open and took out the letter. Storm watched in interest as Crash read the letter, an angry scowl forming on his face as he did.
"Take it back. Gust's insane."
"You don't understand..." replied Storm, trying to reason with Crash. "He wants to get the band back together."
"So what? So he can manipulate us like he always did? So he can bully us if we didn't do anything that was right in his eyes----"
"Crash, Gust isn't like that...let me explain---"
"That's Mr. Crash to you!"
"Whatever," Storm spat in response, this interaction getting on his nerves. “My brother may be an asshole but he’s at least trying to be better.”
"And tell me, you believe him when he says he’s changed?" asked Crash. “This isn’t the first time.”
"It depends, but usually he's pretty trustworthy."
"Well, don't." Crash replied. "Don't believe a word he says. He's probably deceived you already without you knowing it."
"So I'm guessing that's a no...?" asked Storm.
"I'm not returning to his stupid band." Crash huffed. "And I feel sorry for my friends that have. Go home kid, and tell your brother that he can go royally fuck himself. Screw Gust."
"Alright." Storm sighed, watching Crash go back inside, slamming the door behind him as he did so. Storm outstretched his wings, flapping them as rapidly as he could, before he took off into the air, leaving Crash's house far behind him. As he flew back towards North Cloudsdale, he couldn't help but feel pretty bad about himself. His encounter with the band's drummer, Crash didn't go to plan, and Storm was anticipating the worst was yet to come. "Gust isn't gonna be too pleased..." Storm sighed.
"So, how'd it go?" asked Gust, opening the door for an uncertain-looking Storm, who dumped his saddlebag in its usual spot next to the coat hanger. However, instead of replying to Gust, Storm trotted upstairs without saying a word and leaving a bemused Gust standing at the foot of the stairway. "Storm?"
No reply came.
"Geez..." Gust sighed, trotting upstairs after the stallion. "Storm?"
"Yeah?" the answer came from Storm's bedroom.
"I asked how it went," Gust replied, opening the door to the room and peering into it, seeing Storm sitting down on his bed.
"It didn't go too bad..." replied Storm. "I think they fell for it...except one."
"What do you mean?" Gust opened the door further, allowing him to step inside the bedroom. He walked up to where Storm was sitting on his bed and sat down next to the stallion.
"Aside from one, it went smoothly."
"What?" Gust scoffed. "What do you mean?"
"Crash blew my cover, he knew it was me," Storm sighed. "And I think you can guess how it went from there."
"That son of a mule," growled Gust, before turning to look back at Storm. "But what did he say?"
"He said he isn't coming back to the band and that you can go fuck yourself."
"Eh...fuck him," Gust groaned. "You play drums, don't you?"
"I'm not a good drummer by any means but I can play basic rhythms and drum patterns," Storm explained. "I probably won't be able to play with you guys. Besides, I've already asked my marefriend if she'd go with me, and she said yes."
"Shit."
"How about you guys just have a drum machine playing in the background, or just play along to like a backing track or something?" proposed Storm.
"The Lightning Bolts never play along to backing tracks." Gust shook his head. "Never. We wanna sound as legit as possible."
"So, who's gonna play drums?"
"I don't know."
The next day...
After Storm finished school for the day, he and Gust made their way to the community center, a small, one-storey high building two blocks away from his and Mist's high school. Along the way, Storm couldn't help but notice Gust seem a bit nervous, and in order to make the walk there a little bit less awkward than it already was, he decided to start up a conversation with him.
"So, how do you think this will go?" asked Storm.
"I hope to Celestia it'll go good," replied Gust. "And I hope that Crash wasn't being serious otherwise I'm a dead stallion. It's too late to back out of this now, isn't it?"
"Yep."
"Crap..." Gust groaned. "This thing is way too big..."
"Gust, don't worry," Storm tried his hardest to reassure him in spite of his own uncertainty and lack of foresight; he had envisioned this going so much better. "It'll go great."
"I hope so," Gust sighed as they walked through the gate to the community center, which had been left open by the last ponies that used it, a possible indication that Gust's ex-bandmates were inside.
"Dude, if I wasn't already going with Blue, I'd gladly play the drums for you guys," Storm explained. "I'm sorry man."
"Alright," Gust replied apathetically, walking up to the main entrance to the building. The two walked through the open door and past the reception desk, which was vacant as the receptionist went for her lunch break, and into the main hall of the community center, and much to Gust's utter chagrin, his old friends stood against the wall, grinning menacingly as they watched him and Storm enter.
"Hello boys," Gust stuttered, slowly backing away towards the door. Before he could run out in fear, however, Storm closed the door, placing a janitor's mop beneath the lock. "Storm, what the hay?"
"You agreed to it, bro," replied Storm.
"Agreed to what?" asked Chord.
"Dniw Tsug my flank. I knew there was something suspicious about that name," replied Riff, rolling the sleeves up on his leather jacket as he approached Gust, followed by Chord the keyboardist and Pickup the bassist, while Storm watched from the side.
"You think we're stupid enough to buy the idea of 'free apple cider courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres'?" asked Chord. "I know you love apple cider, but me, Pickup, and Riff all could sense something suspicious in that letter."
"I couldn't think of anything else...I love apple cider." Gust stuttered, backing up against the door and watching them approach him.
"You won't be able to think at all when my hoof strikes your sorry little skull." Pickup growled menacingly.
"Tell us why you wanted us to come over here." began Chord.
"He wanted you to rejoin the band." Storm replied.
"Zip it, microbe," growled Riff, being somewhat taller than Storm was. "Well?"
"It was him!" Gust pointed his hoof at Storm. "He's the reason why we're all here!"
"Don't blame your brother on everything, Gust," replied Chord.
"Come on, guys." Gust scoffed. "If you believe him, I feel sorry for you."
"At least he doesn't lie about everything like you do." spat Riff.
"He's the one that organized this," replied Gust. "He's the one that brought you guys here, not me. Wait--wait, let me continue---shit."
"What?" Storm gasped, watching Riff, Pickup and Chord approach him. "Gust, you're the one that wrote the letters! I was only trying to help! Come on, guys. You're gonna beat me up? I didn't do shit!"
"I'm sorry, Storm." Gust let out a sigh as he watched the disgruntled bandmates approach Storm.
"Gust, you asshole!" Storm yelled out, his heart beating at a hundred miles an hour.
"Look, I'm sorry! Dude, you're two inches taller than I am! Go face them yourself!" Gust yelled, pulling out the mop from underneath the locking mechanism, eventually opening the door. To his surprise, the receptionist, having returned from her lunch break, was sitting at the desk. "Shit."
"Hey, kid." she begun, getting up from her seat and approaching Gust. "What are you doing here? The hall isn't open."
"I work here on weekends, ma'am." Gust fibbed.
"It's Tuesday." the receptionist rolled her eyes, and folded her hooves. "Plus, I don't recall ever seeing you here."
"I just joined." Gust persisted.
"Either you leave or I'm calling the guard on you for trespassing." the mare warned him. "Well?"
"I can assure you, ma'am. That won't be necessary," Gust replied. "I can explain."
"Make it quick," she sighed.
"Well..." begun Gust, trying to think of a coherent explanation for his presence. "Can you please mediate for us?"
"What?"
"I'm having some problems with my friends." Gust smiled awkwardly.
"Uh...what kinds of problems?"
"Well... follow me."
"Alright." the mare shrugged, following Gust into the hall, where much to his shock and to her disgust, the bandmates crowded around Storm, who despite being the same size as two of them and slightly shorter than Riff, would prove no match in a fight due to his lankiness.
Not that Storm wanted to start a fight of course, but things were surely leading up to one breaking out in the hall.
"Come on, Storm. Punch like a stallion!" yelled Riff, throwing a light, yet painful jab at the stallion's shoulder.
"No, guys. I don't want to start a fight." Storm replied, hissing in pain and recoiling back as a result of the punch impacting his shoulder.
"Storm, we wanna be your friends!" grinned Chord, although in an obviously contradictory and taunting manner.
"Well, I don't," replied Storm. "Come on, guys. You don't wanna mess with me. I, uh...know karate and uh, taekwondo."
"Can you prove it?" asked Pickup, preparing to punch Storm in the stomach. However, just before he could do so, he was stopped by Gust, who hovered between them. "What?"
"Leave him alone," replied Gust. "Or you're gonna have to go through me."
"Will somepony please tell me what the hell is going on?" asked the receptionist.
"Allow me to explain," replied Gust. Storm opened his eyes, having prepared himself for the impact of the punch. "Storm here brought our band back together, guys. He brought you here because he knew full well that this band is what means most to me. He brought us all here because he understands me. He knows my problems, and he wants to help fix them. He brought us here because Storm is an amazing, amazing brother, who was the only pony who was there for me when everything came tumbling down. And today, he has a mission for us. Storm wants us to play at his prom, and I think that we have a real chance of success if we do play his prom. So, what would you guys say?"
"Uh, I'm in, I guess," replied Chord.
"Welcome back, bro." Gust gave him a hoofbump. "What about you, Riff?"
"...I'm willing to give you another shot, but just this once."
"Sounds good to me." grinned Gust. "Pickup?"
"I'm in just this once, only if you promise that it won't screw up like last time," Pickup growled.
"I promise."
"Alright." shrugged Pickup.
"Well, folks." grinned Gust. "We better work out what we're going to play... We better start practicing..."
"Take it easy, bro," said Storm. "You forgot about one important detail."
"Who's gonna play drums?" they asked in unison.
"I will!" a female voice sounded from the distance. Gust glanced over to see where the voice was coming from, and to his surprise, it was from a mare he recognized very well, yet never had the guts to talk to. His heart virtually stopped for a second and time seemed to slow down for the stallion as he stared at the beautiful mare before him. The mare was Chord's slightly younger twin sister, Destiny, a light gray Pegasus mare with a creamy-colored mane. She was a musician in her own right, whose instrument of choice was the drum kit, despite being able to play several others. He had never heard her play in person, but from what Chord had told him, she was a pretty decent drummer. Chord, noticing that Gust was staring at his sister with a wide-eyed expression, gently nudged him, although with a slight grimace on his face.
"What?" Gust asked.
"Don't get any ideas," Chord warned him.
"Hi Gust...you may not know who I am, but that's okay," smiled Destiny, walking up to them. "My name is Destiny, and I'm Chord's sister. He's told me all about you before, and I've been to see you guys play. I think you guys rock...And I've always wanted to kind of...you know, join your group."
"That's cool, I guess." Gust played along. "Welcome to the band. What instrument do you play?"
"I play a few, but I think I'm best at playing drums."
"Ooh, nice." smiled Gust. "We've kind of been needing a drummer lately."
"Well, here you go." she grinned.
"Show us what you can do, Destiny." Storm said, before turning to face the receptionist. "Is there a drum kit here, ma'am?"
"Yep. We have one left over by a band which played a wedding reception here not too long ago." she smiled, pulling away a curtain to reveal a massive drum kit. Destiny walked up behind it, and sat down on the seat, stepping on the bass pedal. Within seconds, she had begun to play a pretty decent drum solo, with Gust appearing especially captivated by her drumming.
"She's not bad, isn't she?" Storm nudged him playfully.
"Nope." grinned Gust. "Thanks, bro. I don't know how I'd have got this far without you."
"I'm glad I could help." Storm winked.
A few moments later, she finished her drumming and looked from the kit to see the stallions clapping, including Gust, whose clapping seemed to be the loudest of all. She let out a grin and a blush, before getting off the seat and walking up to where they were standing. "So, what did you think, Gust?"
"I think you're great," Gust smiled at the slightly shorter mare. "What can I say?"
"Aww, really?" she asked. "I think you're an awesome guitarist."
That one moment, their eyes locked and both of them smiled at one another, however, when they realized that they were drawing a crowd, they turned away from one another, blushing fiercely.
"I hate to break up your little moment, but we've got less than four days of practice." began Riff. "Either we practice ASAP or we buck it up big time."
"I agree with Riff," Chord interjected. "Plus I told you to stop hitting on my sister."
"Sorry." Gust shrugged.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Destiny.
"Let's practice." smiled Pickup.
"You said it." grinned Gust. "Ma'am, can we use the hall?"
"I don't see why not." the receptionist shrugged. "Just this once, alright?"
"Alright." Gust smiled. "Let's go get our instruments, guys. And we need to work out what songs to play to as well. Chord, you come up with the music, alright?"
"Sure." he smiled.
"Alright, let's do it." grinned Pickup.
"Destiny, you wanna come with?" asked Gust.
"Sure." she smiled.
"Come on, Storm." grinned Gust, turning to look at his brother who watched the scene unfold before his eyes. To say Storm was happy was an understatement; he had made peace with the stallion who bullied him for years, and what struck him especially was that he had also found the brother he was looking for in Gust.
"You said it." Storm grinned back, following the bandmates as they made their way out of the hall. "Let's go prepare."
That Friday...
"Oh, buck... this is gonna fail...this is gonna fail so badly."
"What's wrong, Gust? Nervous?"
"Yeah..."
"I know, dude." Storm let out a sigh as he put his hoof on Gust's shoulder. "I'm nervous too..."
"About what?" asked Gust, turning to look at a worried-looking Storm, who wore a white shirt and a black bow tie. "Damn..."
"What?" Storm's cheeks flushed bright red, not sure whether to take his brother's snarky-seeming comment as an insult or as a compliment. "Do I really look that bad?"
"No, no." Gust chuckled. "You know, you're actually wearing the same stuff that I wore to prom. It fits you better than it ever fit me, that's for sure."
"Well, thanks," Storm grinned.
"Anyways, what are you so nervous about?" asked Gust, watching Storm let out a short sigh. "Huh?"
"Well. I'm just anxious about how it'll all go...I mean, this is my first time going," Storm slowly, but surely opened up to Gust, who sat there with an understanding look on his face. "I mean, I went to homecoming before of course, but that wasn’t nearly as formal. Can you at least give me some advice?"
"Sure." Gust smiled understandingly. "With what?"
"Well, how do I act? What do I do?" asked Storm.
"Well, you just dance, I guess." Gust shrugged. "That's all I can say, just dance."
"I know, but how? Also, what if Blue isn't enjoying herself?"
"Are you kidding?" Gust scoffed. "Blue is crazy for you, dude. Of course she'll enjoy it. If she's enjoyed your past dates, then she sure as hell will enjoy this one."
"I guess so," Storm gave a small, relieved smile, which quickly disappeared into a frown. "I'm just really self-conscious."
"Storm, you should trust your instincts. Just go with the flow," Gust persuaded him. "You're six weeks from graduating, so cut loose. Stop worrying about finals and shit like that because in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter...I just hope that I'll be able to make a good impression tonight."
"You will," smiled Storm, putting his hoof on Gust's shoulder, which seemed to calm the unnerved stallion down. Over the past few days, Gust had grown into an amazing friend for Storm, and whenever Storm needed help, he was always happy to give him some advice. It was just like what his mom had always said to him as a colt; treat other ponies with respect and they'll treat you with that same courtesy. "Just trust your instincts."
"Hey, that's the same thing I told you," Gust moaned playfully. "Guess it applies to me as well."
"Yeah, it does," Storm nudged him gently, before getting off his bed, and putting on his suit jacket, or rather Gust's old suit jacket, which was faded from both frequent use and from being in the wardrobe for almost two years. "I wanna see what you guys are made of, and I'm sure everypony else wants to as well."
"And so you will, little brother," grinned Gust. "We'll rock that prom so hard the ceiling will come falling down."
"Alright, whatever you say," Storm chuckled. "Well, gotta go pick up Blue. See you there."
"You said it." grinned Gust, watching Storm leave the room and walk downstairs. "Enjoy."
"Thanks. You too." Storm grinned back. "Good luck."
"See you." Gust smiled, as a newfound feeling of pride and thankfulness overwhelmed him. He had just found the brother he never knew he had, and from that moment on, Gust was determined to change for the better, and be the best brother he could be for Storm.
After making his way down into the foyer of the house Storm walked into the living room, where High and Equinox, along with Mist were watching a movie on TV. His swagger and self-assurance shining through, he tapped on the door gently but to no immediate response; they were all glued to the television set, and whatever movie was playing at the moment had evidently sucked them all in with a tasty combination of excitement and intrigue.
"What...the hell just happened? What did they do to him?" Equinox hazily inquired in the wake of an on-screen shootout, snapping awake almost instantly in response to the barrage of gunfire that poured itself into her ears.
"Beats me," High shrugged mock-apathetically as he remained fixated on the action playing out on the small screen. "Why don't you call up and ask?"
"Very funny," she chided him playfully as she rested her head on his body, continuing to watch the movie. "Mist, you say you've seen this movie before?"
"Yeah, went to the theaters a couple of months back," Mist responded, her eyes glued to the TV screen as theirs were. "It's good but it isn't for everybody, let's just say."
Storm made a few steps into the living room and cleared his throat, finally getting their collective attention.
"And you guys always tell me that I spend way too much time in front of the TV," he declared half-heartedly, his parents responding to his presence almost immediately as Equinox turned down the volume. "I know we're a nuclear family and all but I think we're a bit far from being a 50s sitcom, I don't know about you all."
"My, my," Equinox ignored Storm's quip and instead smiled proudly as she saw her second-eldest son standing in the doorway. "Aren't you looking handsome today, Storm."
"Thanks, mom," smiled Storm, blushing faintly in response to his mother's complement.
"Here, let me fix your bow tie," High, noticing that his bow tie was improperly done, got up off the couch and walked up to him, pulling both ends of the tie which tightened the knot. "There we go."
"Thanks, Dad," Storm beamed at him. Despite their relationship still being fairly imperfect, Storm and High had tried to mend their bond on both sides, with High having organized a camping trip to the Everfree for the both of them and Gust, scheduled for next Saturday.
"No problem." he smiled back before peering into the foyer of the house, just as Storm took a momentary glance at the action movie playing on the television. "Gust, get your ass downstairs!"
Coming, dad!
"Well, all I have to say, son, is that you should enjoy yourself," Equinox smiled as she turned to gaze lovingly at her husband, who responded with much the same complexion. "I remember my senior prom like it was yesterday—it was a hell of a night, to put it mildly."
"It sure was," High grinned as he gently pecked his wife's cheek.
"Thanks, you guys," Storm gave her and High a tight hug before taking a momentary glance at the watch on his hoof. "I'm sure it'll be awesome, and now if you excuse me I gotta get going."
"Alright, just wait for Gust, okay?" Equinox replied.
Dad, he can just get going! I'll meet him at the school.
"You sure?" High raised his voice once more as he glanced over at the staircase.
Yeah, I still have to tune my guitar!
"Alright," he shrugged in response, putting his wing around his wife's shoulder. "Go, Storm. Go and have fun."
"Thanks." Storm smiled.
"And tell me all about it when you get back, alright?" asked Mist. "I wanna know all the deets, like, all of 'em."
"Sure thing, sis," Storm ruffled her mane, before turning towards the door. "Bye, you guys."
"See you, Storm. Enjoy!"
"Okay." Storm opened the door, stepping out onto the open porch. He closed the door behind him and took off into the beautiful late-afternoon sky, which despite being May, which was noted for being a rainy month in and around Cloudsdale, was perfectly clear. The sun had begun to set behind the skyscrapers of downtown, causing them to cast an expansive shadow across the city, which extended for at least two miles towards the northeast. He sighed in relief before taking off towards Blue's home on the other side of town, flying through the winding, hilly streets of North Cloudsdale, before flying into the more typical, grid-like street system of the inner neighborhoods of the city. It felt good to be out of his family's hair, at least for a couple of hours, and during those few hours, Storm hoped to have a first-hand taste of adulthood, which was approaching him much faster than he expected. He was less than two months away from graduating from school, and he wasn't sure what to think of it at all.
It was all coming so fast, but he didn't want to ponder over it too much, at least not tonight.
All he wanted to do was to be with his mare, if only for a couple of hours.
No more than ten minutes later he landed in front of Blue's house in the city's west side, and with time running short immediately set off for the front door. Hoping to quickly get any pleasantries out of the way and head off with his mare he quickly buttoned up his suit and fixed the corsage in his lapel, before pressing the doorbell. A moment or so had passed, and the door opened, revealing Star Night standing there, Solar no doubt being passed out on the living room couch after a long day at work much like his own parents were.
"Hey Storm!" she smiled pleasantly as she beheld the stallion standing on her porch. "You're looking good today."
"Thank you, ma'am." he smiled coyly, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself.
"No need to call me ma'am," Star smirked. "'Star' is perfectly fine. Come on, you've been dating my daughter for years and we're still going by formalities? I don't know about you but I call overkill on that."
She had a very good point there, and Storm acknowledged that almost immediately as he blushed in mild embarrassment.
"As I said, it's perfectly fine to call me Star," she chuckled warmly. "Wow, I remember the day you joined my flight class like it was yesterday, and now you're eighteen, you're going out with my daughter and you're on the verge of leaving school. Doesn't time fly by so quickly?"
"It sure does, ma'a--I mean Star."
"Would you like to come in?" asked Star. "Blue's still having the finishing touches put on her look, so you can wait in the living room. Her aunt's visiting us this week, and she's a stylist too, so let's just say that you're in for a surprise. Just try not to wake Solar; he's been through a pretty rough day at work today."
"Oh," Storm smiled in response, shuffling up onto the doorstep and entering the house. "And yeah, my mom and dad were both half-dead when I came downstairs so I kinda know what to expect."
"Here's hoping that you two can both relax and 'cut loose' tonight," Star said, opening the door wider as Storm stepped into the dimly-lit entrance hall. "Blue, honey?"
Yeah, mom? she called from upstairs.
"Storm's here, he's waiting for you downstairs!"
She squealed with glee and Storm's heart fluttered as he envisaged Blue and himself having the time of their lives that night. Although both were shy and introverted they were pretty outgoing in the right company, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'll be a few minutes, alright?
"Sure!" Star responded as Storm went to sit down in the living room, minutes passing by as Blue's visiting aunt Ruby from Mareami—who also doubled as her personal stylist for the night—finished off her look for the prom.
Star suddenly called over from the hallway, and Storm got up from his seat on the sofa and tip-toed out of the living room past a still-sleeping Solar.
Star glanced to the left, and Storm mirroring her eye movement, turned to look up the stairs. His jaws dropped in shock when he saw Blue walking down the stairs in a beautiful red silk dress, her long, curly mane in a bun. In Storm's eyes, she was absolutely gorgeous, not just beautiful, and Storm simply could not take his eyes off of her as could Star herself.
"So...how do I look?" Blue smiled, her heart racing in anticipation.
"You look...breathtaking," Storm grinned wide-eyed, butterflies soaring in the pit of his stomach as he watched a dim blush form on her face.
"Aww, thank you Stormy." she smiled at him. "I can only say the same thing about you."
She then turned to look upstairs momentarily, "thanks, Aunt Ruby!"
"Don't mention it honey!"
"Your aunt's done a great job," Storm smiled warmly as he wrapped his wing around her. "So, shall we be off then?"
"Wait...," begun Star, picking up a camera from a tabletop behind her and positioning it in front of her, focusing it on Storm and Blue, who nuzzled against him. "Before you two leave, smile."
They did so, and Star pressed the button on the camera, developing the photo of them in an instant. The printed photo then came out on photographic paper out of a slot in the front of the device, and Star showed them both the developed image. "I'm going to go to the photographers' on Hearth Avenue tomorrow and get this developed. You two look so cute together I could almost squeal, you're both like a fairytale prince and princess."
"Thanks, mom...I can't think of anypony else I'd rather go with than Storm," Blue smiled, hugging the mare tightly.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Have a great night out!" she smiled at them both, watching them turn towards the door. Storm turned to give Blue, who seemed pretty nervous about the entire thing a reassuring smile, before wrapping his wing around the mare once more and opening the door for her like the gentlecolt he was.
They walked down the path leading up to the sidewalk, before Storm outstretched his right wing, his left wing being blocked by Blue's body, and took off into the air. It was uncomfortable flying with one wing, but Storm decided not to let it show, and instead focused on getting them to their destination.
"So, you excited?" asked Storm.
"Yeah...I'm excited, and a bit nervous," she gave an awkward grin. "Hey, how about I fly on my own, huh? You must be exhausted flying with only one wing."
"Nah, I'm fine. I do this kind of stuff every day in the weather factory," Storm smiled at her. "And don't worry, babe. It'll go great, I promise you. Tonight, we'll have a night to remember, just you and me."
"I hope so." she sighed, still feeling a bit skeptical about the entire 'prom' thing. "You know, this is the first time I'm going to something like this...ever been to a party like this before?"
"Not really," he shrugged. "Homecoming was big if you can remember, but I'm sure it just can't hold a candle to prom."
"You know, it's scary to think we're less than two months away from leaving school..." she sighed. "College is something I’m pretty anxious about starting, but I’ll push through it as best as I can."
“Tell me about it,” Storm sighed also, eyes fixed on the none-too-distant distant school, which he could faintly single out from the plaintive and unassuming suburbia up ahead. “My dad’s still pretty adamant about me continuing weather work, and I’m not all that sure if I’ll be able to find a career as a Guard once I graduate.”
“I’m sure it’ll go great for you, honey,” Blue smiled, turning towards him. “I mean, you’ve got more than what it takes if you ask me...”
“I think so,” Storm smiled, albeit with a hint of uncertainty evident in his voice. “You’d make a great music teacher, Blue. Is that what you're going for?”
“Thank you Stormy,” Blue grinned in response, but that grin gave way to a confused and uncertain expression shortly after. “And yep, although I'm still not too sure about it. What if it's just not the right line of work for me? What if I don’t do as well at college as I hope?”
“Well, if it’s something you’re passionate about I say go for it,” Storm nuzzled her, though having concerns of his own about his chosen line of work. “I really think you’ve got this, babe.”
“You think so?”
“I know so,” he winked at her. “They won’t know what they’re in for when you start in September, I'll tell you that much. I think you’re incredibly talented with music as a whole.
I mean, for starters you’ve got perfect pitch, you play a couple of instruments already, you sing like an angel...you’ve got all the tools for the job, pretty much. I also don’t know anypony else in our class doing AP Music...or anypony else who’d ended up getting a scholarship for the same school for that matter. Look, you ace that final exam, get the credit for it and go in and show them what you’re made of...I believe in you, honey. You’re more than capable of doing this, and I’ll root for you at every step of the way.”
"You always know how to make me feel better, Stormy..." she leaned against him, enjoying the warmth of his wing's embrace as they closed in on the high school, which at the moment appeared to be no more than a few blocks away. "Thank you."
"That's what I'm here for." he winked at her just as they landed in front of the school building. Storm glanced down to look at his watch, displaying the time as 6:30 PM, giving them half an hour before the prom was to start. They walked through the campus gates, which had been left open by the last ponies who used it and through the main entrance into the school. Guided by banners, colorful flags and balloons floating in the halls, they made their way into the rather crowded main hall, greeting several friends and acquaintances once inside who complimented the young couple.
That half-hour they had before the dance started also gave Storm plenty of time to find Gust and talk to him about his plan for the prom. "Blue?"
"Yeah?" she asked, sipping from a glass of lemon punch.
"Can you wait for me here please? I gotta go talk to Gust."
"Sure," Blue smiled, watching him trot out of the main hall of the school, past some fellow students and their dates and through the door to the dramatic arts department which led backstage, where he found the Lightning Bolts rehearsing.
"Ah, Storm," Gust, noticing his younger brother, smiled. "Welcome to our little lair. What's up?"
"Not much." Storm replied. "You excited?"
"Yep," grinned Gust. "Aren't we, band?"
"Yep." the other band members replied in unison.
"So, what's your plan?" asked Storm, sitting down next to Gust.
"It's a secret." Gust winked at him. "You're gonna find out when it all starts... but one thing worries me."
"And that is?"
"What if they don't like our playing?" Gust contemplated the possibility of the students at the prom not enjoying the music.
"They will, Gust." Destiny came over to them, before nuzzling Gust.
"Are you guys official now?" Storm grinned slyly, watching the blush on their faces redden.
"We sure are," Destiny replied, giving Gust a peck on the cheek.
"Wow, that's awesome." grinned Storm. "I'm so happy for you, bro."
"Thanks..." Gust grinned at both of them. "I'm glad somepony thinks that... She is by far the sweetest pony I have ever met."
"Yeah." Storm smiled proudly at his brother, who after his bitter breakup with his previous marefriend vowed to never get another one, and yet, here he was with perhaps the most amazing mare he had ever met. “I better get back to Blue. Good luck."
"Thanks." Gust and Destiny replied in unison, ignoring Chord's obvious glare, and watching Storm walk out from backstage.
He walked out of the drama department and back into the main hall, where amidst the crowd of students, Blue was waiting for him patiently. "Are they ready, Storm?"
"I think they are," he replied. "I'm a bit worried about Gust though... he seems to be convinced that this gig is going to fail."
"Don't worry, it won't." she nuzzled him. "Remember how for one of our dates we went to see them play? Everypony was having so much fun..."
"Yeah..." he smiled at her. "Maybe today's gig will be like that as well, huh?"
"Definitely." Blue smiled, before suddenly, a bell rang out of nowhere. The students, Storm and Blue included gathered around the podium on the stage, and watched as the principal walked up the steps to it, before tapping the microphone gently.
"Testing, testing..." he spoke into the microphone while tapping it in order to test the sound quality, gesturing to an A/V student at the mixing console in a side room before clearing his throat. "Good evening everypony, and an especially good evening to our senior student body tonight. As most of you know, you are virtually six and a half weeks away from graduation, and while I know this can be a pretty trying time for a lot of you, with finals coming up and whatnot, tonight I’d like you all to forget about all that, just for tonight, and cut loose and enjoy being young and having fun. Welcome to prom night, folks, and tonight, for your entertainment, we'd like to present The Lightning Bolts!"
Suddenly, a loud blast beat sounded as the curtains were drawn back, revealing the entire band; Gust on lead guitar, Riff on rhythm guitar, Pickup on bass, Chord on keyboards and Destiny on drums. The principal walked off-stage to sit next to one of the teachers, while Gust, being ever the showman, or should I say stallion, jumped to the front of the stage, relentlessly picking at the guitar strings with a small plectrum. The intro soon came to an end as indicated by Destiny's frantic rolls down the toms slowing down; Gust played the last note on his guitar, punctuated by clapping coming from the crowd, before standing up to face the crowd of students, including Storm and Blue who were both somewhere at the front.
"Who's ready to rock?!" yelled Gust into the microphone, only to be met with the blank stares of the prom-goers gathered at the center of the gymnasium. "I mean...hey guys. We don't exactly play the most danceable musi---"
"Gimme that," replied Chord, yanking the microphone straight out of Gust's hooves. "Alright, folks. Sorry for our lead guitarist here, he's a metalhead who's not used to playing anything aside from loud rock concerts, but tonight we hope to play a variety of tunes for you guys, some you may know, some you may not but may have heard before. Alright, guys. Our first song is a rather slow dance for all the couples out there."
"What the hell, man?" Gust raised an eyebrow as the students in the audience clapped. "Slow dance? Our band?"
"Just go with it, Gust. Remember this isn't a rock concert, you buffoon."
"Goddamn it, fine," replied Gust, embittered somewhat. "Hit it, Destiny!"
The song commenced with a six-beat run on the toms before slow, bluesy guitar playing kicked in, punctuated by a jazz-infused bassline and flourishes on the piano at the onset of every measure; although Riff was no doubt the more talented guitarist of the two Gust was playing his heart out at that moment. As the song kicked into full gear, the students and their dates commenced their first dance of the evening. Even Storm and Blue got in on the action too, although a bit later than everypony else due to both Storm and Blue becoming momentarily lost in the music.
"May I have this dance?" he grinned coquettishly, outstretching his hoof for Blue to grab.
"Of course," she smiled demurely, grabbing hold of his hoof with hers and placing the other one on his shoulder, allowing Storm to latch onto her waistline in turn.
"I'm not great at this so you're gonna have to forgive me if I get something wrong." he sighed, taking a large gulp as he watched the other couples slow-dance around them to the rather-beautiful music.
"You're doing fine," Blue smiled. "Just watch what they're doing, alright?"
"Sure," he smiled back at her. "So, listen... Blue, about your college, just remember what I said before...and believe in yourself. That makes all the difference if you ask me."
“I know,” she smiled. “I’ve never met anypony like you before, Storm.”
“Mhm,” Storm's heart fluttered.
“You’re just so amazing,” Blue nuzzled him. “You brought me out of my shell and stayed by my side no matter what, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.”
“Are you kidding?” Storm brought her closer to him. “I’d do anything to make you smile, anything that I can.”
“I’d do the same,” Blue nuzzled him intensely. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Storm glanced down at her, smiling. “And whatever happens I will always be there for you.”
“Mhm...how’s work been going for you, by the way?”
“It’s been pretty good as of late, actually,” Storm smiled in satisfaction.
"How so?" her ears perked up in intrigue as they reached the mid-point of the song, with Riff performing the song's guitar solo.
"Well, I'm close to my next promotion apparently," he explained. "Tornado's considering moving me up to junior storm maker just like my dad wanted...although I have a feeling that he’s not all that interested in me getting that position anymore...oh well. The idea of getting a promotion is awesome, but having to stay in the weather factory for the next few months? I'm dying to get out there and join the guard full-time."
"Stormy, how about you consider giving weather work a chance?" Blue proposed. "Maybe it isn't as bad as you think it is."
"It isn't bad, per se, but I've just never really had the knack for weather," Storm confessed. "It's just not who I am. I belong in the Guard, Blue."
"I know, but," she replied. "I meant at least until you graduate."
"Oh, well, until I graduate, I'm still pretty much gonna do whatever the hell my dad wants me to do," replied Storm, knowing full well that his dad was not supportive of his life choices. But if destiny intended for Storm to become a Guard, who is his dad to judge?
"Are you both still not on good terms with one another?" asked Blue.
"Well, it's better than it used to be, that's for sure,” explained Storm. "He's still very fussy when it comes to my life choices, although he doesn't show it as much anymore."
"He'll come to his senses eventually, honey," Blue leaned against him as they continued to dance. "Don't worry. One day, he'll realize that he has such an incredible, wonderful pony as his son and fully support him in his life, like any father should."
"I hope so." Storm gulped just as the song came to an end and the couples clapped their hooves at the band.
"Alright, fillies and gentlecolts," Chord spoke into the microphone to the cheering crowd. "Better get that groove on because it's time for a fast-paced dance!"
Another drum intro was played, before it was replaced by fast-paced funk music, played on synth, guitar, bass and drums. Storm looked around as the crowd of ponies begun to dance around them and overwhelmed with confusion, he began to sweat. He didn't know how to dance very well, and watching the couples dance to the music made him feel slightly nauseous. Thankfully Blue was there to help him perform the right moves.
"I didn't know Gust can play this fast...," Storm explained as he pulled Blue in and spun her around in time with the music. Although Storm initially struggled to keep up he was able to get into the groove faster than he'd expected, and when an extended drum break commenced wowed the gathered crowd with some improvised break-dancing. Although initially confused about all the clapping Storm decided to go with it nonetheless, and ended this impromptu performance with a spin on the tip of his left wing. "How was that?"
"I thought you said you weren't a good dancer," Blue grinned slyly as she playfully ruffled his mane.
"I am not," Storm blushed, a bashful smile on his face.
"That was amazing." she smiled at him.
"Really?" Storm's face grew as red as a tomato as the others resumed their fast-paced dancing.
"Yep." Blue grinned. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"
"I watched a couple of old hip hop movies once set in Manehattan during the seventies where they showed the exact same dance, and I guess I kind of imitated it," Storm explained, latching back onto Blue as the fast-paced drumming was replaced by a guitar solo. Blue smiled as she stared longingly into his eyes, laying her hooves on his shoulder while Storm put his hooves around her waist. Soon enough, the song came to an end after a lengthy keyboard solo, punctuated by the clapping of hooves, before the next song begun, a slow jazz number that was accompanied by two of the students from North Cloudsdale High's music department; one of them on the piano, the other on saxophone.
"Okay folks, let's take it real slow this time." Chord spoke into the microphone, turning to give a slightly irritated Gust a sly grin, before rushing back to the array of synthesizers that he was playing.
"Do you know how to dance to jazz?" asked Storm, watching the other couples begin to dance.
"I think it's pretty much the same thing as slow-dancing," replied Blue, stepping back and forth as she clutched Storm's shoulders. Storm wrapped his hooves around her waist, repeating the step-back, step-forward motion of her hooves. Storm spun them around before dipping Blue, her mane touching the floor as a result. "You're really good, Stormy."
"I'm glad you think that, babe." he grinned at her, before pulling her back up. The nervousness he had during the previous dances had virtually gone away, and he no longer found himself embarrassed of his apparent lack of dance skills; he just went with the flow, went with the music. "I'm glad you came with me, honestly."
"Same, Stormy..." she replied, dreamy-eyed as she looked at the handsome stallion before her. "What a great way to end our four years at school, isn't it?"
"Yep." he smiled, nuzzling her gently. "Just you, me and the music in the background. Nothing could be better."
From the stage, Gust watched Storm with a hint of pride and a teardrop building up in his left eye. He was right from the very start; the students loved the music, and from what Gust could tell, they loved the Lightning Bolts, and that was all Gust wanted right now. A few hours later, the prom winded down, and after the prom king and queen had been chosen, whom to everypony's surprise was Singer Case and Violet Petals, the couples left for their respective homes, including Storm and Blue.
"This was easily the best night of my life." Blue kissed Storm on the cheek. "Thank you, Stormy..."
"You're welcome." smiled Storm. "I'd do anything to make you happy, babe."
"You know, I'm so proud of you." she smiled.
"Why?" Storm raised an eyebrow as they walked out of the hall through one of the emergency exits.
"Because you mended your bond with your brother," Blue replied. "The bond between two siblings is one that is so strong it can't be comprehended. I just wish my brother was here..."
"Don't worry." Storm kissed her on the cheek, before wrapping his wing around his body like before and taking off into the air with her. "Wherever he is, he's probably thinking of you right now."
"I sure hope so... it's been so long since his deployment," Blue sighed. "I'm just wondering whether he's doing alright."
"Definitely. I've never met him in person, but he sounds like a hell of a guy," Storm smiled. "And I'm sure that one day, you both will see one another again."
"Storm?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you." Blue kissed him on the cheek, rather deeply and passionately as they flew across Cloudsdale, which had turned into a vast sea of white-orange lights from their individual perspectives.
"I love you too, and no matter where I am, I will always be there for you, whenever you need me." Storm smiled at her, before she inched slightly closer to him, eventually nuzzling against him as they flew into the night.
Meanwhile, back at the school, Gust and the rest of the band were putting away their instruments. While the others were tidying up after the gig, Gust sat on the edge of the stage, deep in thought. Although he was happy that the gig went well, Gust was puzzled by something, something that has been bugging him for the past week or so, ever since he and Storm had made peace. However, his train of thought was quickly interrupted by Destiny, who sat down right next to him.
"Hey." he smiled at her, wrapping his hoof around her as she budged up towards him.
"Hey," she replied, nuzzling against him. "What are you thinking about?"
"Storm..." sighed Gust. "He's such an amazing pony...you know, he's the pony that really organized all this. I just...feel like shit."
"Why?" asked Destiny.
"For as long as I've known him, most of the time I've treated him horribly. Bullied him, pulled rude pranks on him, used him as a scapegoat...you name it." Gust confessed. "Only now I think I've changed my attitude, but I feel so guilty of all that I've done to him..."
"How about you just make it up to him?" Destiny suggested.
"How?"
"Just be there for him." she nuzzled him. "Show him what a good brother you can be. Show him what a good pony you can be. Show him that you can be somepony he can depend on."
"I'll try." Gust gave her a wry grin, before she nuzzled against him. "I'll try..."