Skybound Romance

by Prixy05

A Visit to Bow's

In the day that followed that short, but eventful, visit from Bow Hothoof, Windy Whistles found herself oddly distracted. She forgot to get the daily morning shake, earning Dawncrack’s ire. She found the rest of the classes in school difficult to pay attention to. When she went home, she almost forgot about her promise to Bow.

Before he had left the previous day, Windy asked if they could meet again the next day at his place. Bow, of course, agreed, giving her his home address and a time, likely so he could actually be prepared for her visit unlike her.

As she flew over to Bow’s home on the other side of Cloudsdale, Windy’s young teenage mind was a flurry of thoughts. The fact that she had given her address and relegated her private, personal memories to who was practically a stranger never crossed her mind, no, Windy felt a close connection to Bow, something as personal as her private spot back home.

In eloquent terms, Windy found herself fancying the colt. Though this, she would not admit herself.

Arriving at Bow’s home address, Windy found herself in the worker’s district of Cloudsdale, the area of the city where the workers of the weather factory resided due to the district’s close proximity to the factory itself. In fact, the district was practically underneath it, with the shadow of the building looming across the area, making the normally innocuous factory look almost imposing.

Nevertheless, Windy approached the little one-story building with no hesitation, eager to visit her friend and discover his own life. Before she could even knock, the door opened, Bow sticking out his muzzle.

“Hey Windy!” Bow exclaimed enthusiastically, “I'm so glad you made it!" He greeted Windy with a wide smile, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "Please come in!"

He spread his wings in a beckon, stepping aside to let Windy enter. She looked around curiously. Bow’s home looked very similar to her own home, with one clear difference, it was clean. In fact, the place was nearly spotless.

“Oh yeah,” Bow said after he cleared his throat, “I cleaned this place just before you came over, I um- I clean this place a lot.”

“Not like there’s ever much to clean!” A new voice came out. Windy looked over to see another pegasus in the living room. He was blue and had a rainbow mane much like Bow’s.

“And that’s Rainbow Blaze,” Bow explained with a sigh, “He’s my little brother.”

“Little brother’s a bit of a stretch,” chuckled Rainbow Blaze, “I’m only one moon younger than you!”
“I see he also has a rainbow mane,” Windy commented, “Is that thing that runs in your family?”

“Oh sure, my mom has a rainbow mane as well, it's a family trait or something like that… though my mom also says it came around when my great grandfather Hoofheld drank an entire gallon of liquid rainbow from Rainbow Falls.”

Windy laughed before she paused, “By the way, where are your parents?”

“They both work at the weather factory, they build storm clouds I think. Usually they work late, so me and Rainbow are usually home alone on weekdays,” he stopped, noticing he was looking at the ground. Casting a quick glance at Windy, he spread a wing to the kitchen area, “Enough about that, do you want something to eat.”

Following Bow, Windy looked over his shoulder to see that the kitchen table had been filled with an assortment of hastily prepared foods. Bow gave an embarrassed laugh when he noticed Windy’s expression, “I don’t really know what you like so I just kind of made whatever I could with what we had on hoof.”

“Luckily for you,” Windy retorted, “I do happen to like some of the foods you prepared.”

Bow grinned, relieved that Windy wasn't put off by his impromptu culinary skills. They both settled down at the kitchen table, their wings folded neatly by their sides. Windy took a bite of a particular daffodil sandwich, savoring the flavors that Bow had managed to unexpectedly combine in such a short time.

As they ate, the conversation flowed effortlessly between them. They compared their school lives, discussed their favorite classes, shared amusing anecdotes about their teachers, and even delved into their dreams for the future.

“I’m sure it’s no surprise or anything,” Bow said as he took a bite out of a pear, “But I’ve wanted to be a Wonderbolt since I was a foal.”

Windy laughed, “Who doesn’t?”

Bow swallowed, “That’s why I train and do sports, for Wonderbolt stuff. I have an exercise routine that I do here every day. It’s even why I,” he hesitated, looking a smidge embarrassed, “Why I’m part of the tennis team at school.”

“Tennis team?” Windy raised an eyebrow, “I didn’t know the school had a tennis team.”

Bow leaned back in his chair, he wasn’t part of the Canterlot High flying team, where all the most achieved and popular fliers of the school congregated, so it was no surprise Windy was unfamiliar with him, and probably how she hadn’t noticed him earlier.

“That’s no shock. I mean you hang out with- I mean you date Dawncrack, the popular stallion in school! You’re probably around the cool colts all the time!”

Windy shook her head, “Not really, I may be around Dawncrack, but he doesn’t really like sharing the spotlight.”

Bow blinked with a sudden vacant expression, “I’ve never dated anypony before… How did you two even start up your whole thing?”

Windy put down her sandwich as she began to recall, “It was a few months ago, we met at the Sweet Treat Malt Shop, you know that place? He was hanging out with all the other jock fliers and then he came over, said I was cute and… Well, I couldn’t say no to the most popular pony in school!”

As the words drifted out of her mouth, Windy could feel a tension building in her stomach. Her feelings about Dawncrack were at odds with her feelings with Bow. She was currently in a relationship with Dawncrack, but she felt the need to continue developing her friendship with Bow, and maybe into something more…

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” said Bow, interrupting Windy’s train of thought, “Anyways, why don’t we head to my room? I have something that I think you’ll like.”

“Sure,” Windy nodded.

She followed Bow down a hall and into his bedroom, during which she couldn't help notice that her own home had an eerily similar layout to that of Bow’s. Of course, decor-wise, Bow’s bedroom was the exact opposite.

Rather than a bunk bed and an extreme mess, Bow’s room was orderly, with a single, rather small bed, exercise equipment, and a bookshelf full of books. Walking up to the bookshelf, Windy examined their spines realizing that Bow had acquired quite a collection of a specific series.

“Are these the Wonderbolt Yearbooks?”

Bow looked proud, “Yep! Complete collection of every show, member, stat, and fact about the Wonderbolts! I have every one from the past fifty moons! But this,” he took down a specific book, “This one is the jewel of the collection.” Carefully, Bow removed the protective covering to the yearbook before he revealed it to Windy.

Her eyes widened with amazement, “This is the ‘21 edition of the yearbook! There’s only like two hundred of these in existence!”

“That’s not all,” Bow assured with a smirk, “Look inside the cover.”

Windy did so accordingly, and gasped even louder, “It’s autographed? By Admiral Fairy Flight?!”

“Yep.”

Windy, who was nearly hyperventilating, stopped to catch a breath. “Wow Bow, this stuff is amazing! How’d you get your hooves on these?”

Bow shrugged with his wings, “Various ways, mainly my family goes way back with the Wonderbolts. No members, but close enough that I can have connections.”

Windy glanced over, “Can- can I read it?”

He nodded, “Of course! Just try not to damage them, these are worth like a thousand bits each.”

Windy couldn’t help but giddily laugh to herself as she hooved through the first yearbook. Wonderbolt yearbooks were rare, collector’s items even, and Bow had a large collection of them!

“Anyways, since I know you’re a Wonderbolts fan, I thought I’d show you these. I know it isn’t as ‘deep’ or ‘personal’ as your memory den, but this stuff still means a lot to me.”

Windy paused her reading, “Well if this stuff means a lot to you, then it means a lot to me… even though they already do.”

Bow felt his cheeks flush with red, “Yeah, I mean, I mean a lot to you?”

Windy grinned, patting Bow’s leg with a hoof, “Don’t be dumb! Of course you do!”

“Me too.” Bow said as he sat down next to Windy.

And then, much like the previous evening. The two pegasi spent a while together. They looked over the books, making sure not to crease the pages, talking about their shared love for the Wonderbolts, exchanging facts, and gawking together at specific pictures in the books. It was much more casual than the previous evening, more of two friends hanging out together than a personal memory moment, but neither of them minded. They were having a good time together, and for this duo of young ponies, that was all that mattered.