Weeks had gone by, and Rainbow didn't leave her house. She hadn't slept much at all. She was terrified that ponies would see her and say nasty things to her about what she did to Rain Storm. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to talk with her friends. She desperately needed to speak with Twilight Sparkle about what to do about this horrible guilt and shame she was suffering with.
As she ventured out to Twilight's library, all the ponies who recognized her, booed and hissed at her. They said all kinds of nasty things. She tried to make excuses and tell every pony that it was an accident, because she told herself that lie over and over in her mind, until it became the truth for her.
No pony would believe her. All the negative comments made her feel even more horrible inside, but she knew that she deserved it. She was a bad pony and now she was suffering with the consequences of her actions.
Rainbow Dash made it to the library. She didn't even knock, she bucked the door open and ran inside. There were tears streaming down her face. She was shocked to see all five of her best friends sitting around the table.
No pony said a word for a while. They just stared at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow came over and sat down. "Girls, I can't stand it anymore! Every pony hates me now because of what happened to Rain Storm, but I swear it was an accident! You girls believe me, right?"
None of the ponies said anything for a while.
Applejack eventually spoke up and said, "Girl, I can tell when a pony is lyin' and I know that you're full of hay! Why don't ya start speakin' the truth and we'll listen to ya."
Rainbow Dash gulped and said, "Ok fine! I did cheat, I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. I can't even show my face around town without being called a nasty name. The guilt and shame just plagues my mind on a constant basis and I can't stand it anymore! I'll do anything to make it stop! ANYTHING!"
"Anything?" Twilight asked.
"Yes," Rainbow replied. "Anything..."
Twilight Sparkle pushed over a newspaper article. Rainbow read the front page. The article said that Rain Storm was seriously injured and staying at a hospital nearby.
Twilight spoke up and said, "Rainbow, I think you owe a huge apology to Rain Storm for what happened and for how you have been treating him all along.
Rainbow gasped and said, "You want me to see him after what I did to him? Oh girls, I don't think I can do that. He'll probably hate me and..."
Twilight Sparkle put her hoof to Rainbow's mouth to hush her and said, "Rainbow, you promised that you'd do anything, and this is the best thing you can do for yourself, regardless of what his reaction may be. You owe him so much. He even saved your life and you didn't even thank him once for it. You have truly disappointed us all, Rainbow. I thought you learned your lesson about humility back when the five of us played part in being that super hero, Mare-Do-Well."
"But this is different," Rainbow said. "No pony has ever been able to compete against me in the skies. I'm just not used to losing races. Especially when it's something I'm best at. I have worked so hard to be the very best and to have my dreams shattered like that, just hurts me too much."
Twilight frowned and said, "Rainbow, all of us here are really sick of your attitude. You just need to suck it up and face the fact that somewhere in the world, there will always be some pony that's better than you. That's just how it is, Rainbow. You have serious pride and jealously issues. You need to go apologize to Rain Storm now!"
Rainbow sunk low to the floor and said, "But I just can't Twi...I can't"
Twilight Sparkle looked even more angry and said, "Then don't come here looking for sympathy. We don't want to hear it, Rainbow and none of us are going to talk to you until you decide to do the right thing. Now leave my library....NOW!"
Rainbow grumbled some words and left. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest and she couldn't bear to stand another day with all this suffering. Twilight was right. An apology to Rain Storm was the least she could do for him, as well as herself. After all, he did save her life and she never even thanked him for that. She made up her mind right then and decided to go to the hospital.
Once there, she asked the receptionist if she could visit Rain Storm.
The receptionist looked at the list and said, "He was discharged only a few hours ago."
Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof on the floor in anger. "Would you have any idea where he went?" Rainbow asked.
"The last I heard, he was seen walking down that path outside headed towards the woods," The receptionist said.
Rainbow nodded and left. She had no idea where she was going, she just followed the path through the woods.
The skies were getting dark with storm clouds now and the air smelled like it was going to rain soon.
She eventually came to a place where there was some kind of broken down gazebo and an old water mill. Rainbow Dash saw a figure sitting there watching the water mill. As she got closer, she could tell that it was Rain Storm. Before she got inside, Rainbow heard the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof. She tip-hoofed her way closer to him inside the gazebo. "Is that you, Rain Storm?" she asked.
Rain Storm didn't turn around. He sighed and said, "Yes. I'm here. Is that you, Rainbow?"
Rainbow Dash gulped and said, "Yeah, it's me. Listen, I know you must be really angry at me for what I did. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything and I wanted to thank you for saving my life."
Rain Storm didn't say anything, he simply sat there with his back to her.
Rainbow fumbled for words. "So, I guess I'll just be going now. I'm sorry to bother you."
As she was about to turn and leave, he called her name. "Rainbow."
Rainbow's eyes opened wide and she turned back to the stallion and said, "Yeah?"
He said her name again. "Rainbow. Come sit with me here."
Rainbow Dash gulped again and slowly made her way over to the stallion. She nervously sat down next to him. Neither of them said anything for a while. Rainbow Dash finally spoke up and said, "I see your wings are bandaged up pretty well. How long will it be until you will be able to fly again?"
Rain Storm looked down at the ground and wiped a few tears from his eyes. He looked at Rainbow and said, "I won't be flying anymore."
Rainbow Dash's jaw hung low. "What do you mean you won't be able to fly anymore?" she asked.
"When you had knocked me unconscious and I fell against the mountain, there was an avalanche and a bolder landed on my wings."
Rainbow Dash looked at his wings fearfully and said, "But you're still going to be ok, right? I mean you can't fly just for now, right?"
Rain Storm rocked back and forth a bit and said, "No. The Doctors said I won't be able to fly ever again. I'll also be suffering with chronic pain in my wings for the rest of my life."
Rainbow Dash shut her eyes tightly. Two tear drops streamed down her face. She didn't say anything.
Rain Storm eventually spoke up and said, "Rainbow, I want you to know that I tried to throw the last two games for you. I desperately wanted you to win so that I could perhaps talk to you again. I want you to know, that even though I went through excruciating pain at the hospital, none of that suffering hurt me more than when you rejected me each time I tried to talk to you.
Rainbow's crying turned into sobbing.
Rain Storm continued, "My passions are gone now. I'll never be able to race again. I was also supposed to become the next greatest Wonderbolt as well, but that dream can't be fulfilled now. However, I still have one wish and passion left in my heart."
Rainbow finally spoke up, "Wh-wh-what other passion could you possibly have?"
Rain Storm looked at the medals he was holding in his hoof, then looked into Rainbow's eyes and said, "You."
Rainbow was taken aback by what he said and asked, "What do you mean me?"
Rain Storm began to cry and said, "Ever since I first met you at flight school, I really liked you, Rainbow. I fell in love with you when we took our first flight together. I was in love at first flight. I desperately wanted to talk to you and tell you how I felt about you, but you were always brushing me off and too concerned about winning. I tried to get your friends to tell you how I felt about you, but you wouldn't listen to them. Rainbow Dash, I just want you to know that I forgive you. I loved you back then and I still love you now."
Rainbow Dash leapt backwards in horror and said, "No! You can't love me! Not after what I did to you! I'm a monster! I don't deserve to be with some pony who I treated so poorly and I ruined your career. I'm a horrible pony. Don't even talk to me. I'm not worth your time!"
Rainbow Dash sped off into the woods sobbing.
Rain Storm wiped the tears from his eyes and got up. He went looking for her. It wasn't hard to find her, since it was raining, which left hoof prints in the ground for him to follow.
Rain Storm found Rainbow Dash shivering and sobbing under a tree. He put his hoof on her shoulder and got down low to the ground.
"What do you want from me? Leave me alone! I'm not worth it," Rainbow cried out.
Rain Storm took his hoof and gently put it under her chin. He aligned her head with his and wiped the tears from her eyes. He leaned in closer to her and whispered. "Shhh. Rainbow. It's ok. Don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry. I want you to know that I said what I meant, and I meant what I said. I still love you and want to be with you."
Rainbow Dash sniffled and asked, "But why me? You could have any special mare in the world. Why would you choose some pony like me? It just doesn’t make any sense. I'm such a jealous and angry pony."
"Because I love you for who you are, and I know that deep under all that jealousy and anger there lies the real Rainbow Dash. A sweet and loving pony who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside."
Rainbow perked up slightly and said, "Really? You think I'm pretty? No pony has ever called me pretty before"
"Of course I think you're pretty, Rainbow. You're beautiful! I haven't seen a pony as gorgeous as you before. Don't you know why I came to Ponyville in the first place?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head no.
"It wasn't to earn more gold medals across all of Equestria or to gain more fans. I traveled all the way from Las Pegasus to Ponyville just to tell you how I feel about you. In fact, I started taking up athletics early in flight school just to try to impress you and win your heart," the stallion said.
Rainbow's heart melted in her chest. She sunk back down to the ground when she looked at his wings and said, "But, I'm just not able to forgive myself after what I did to you."
Rain Storm hushed her and said, "You don't have to worry about that, Rainbow. I want you to be able to forgive yourself and get rid of any guilt you may be carrying."
Rainbow somehow managed to let go of her emotions and forgave herself. She smiled and embraced Rain Storm with a grateful hug. "Thank you for being so kind to me, Rain Storm. I owe you everything," she said.
Rain Storm chuckled and said, "How about you give me the one thing that I desire most in life?"
Rainbow's eyes grew wide in anticipation.
He put his medals that he was holding in his hoof around Rainbow's neck and said, "I want you to have these. I intended for you to have them in the first place, now how about you be my some pony special?"
Rainbow Dash embraced him again and said, "Yes! I would love to be your some pony special! Thank you so much for asking me." Rainbow Dash let go of him and stared lovingly into his eyes. She stuttered to find words. "M-m-may I kiss you?" she asked.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," the stallion replied.
They closed their eyes and kissed passionately as the rain drops fell from the sky onto their faces. When they broke free, Rainbow shivered a bit and said, "I'm freezing."
Rain Storm told her to come in closer to him and she did. He held her in his hooves and slowly spread his wings around her to keep her warm. His wings were shaking with pain, but that pain seemed to be nonexistent in his mind, because he was holding Rainbow and that's all that mattered to him. Rain Storm spoke up and said, "Hey Rainbow?"
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Thanks for giving me my first kiss. I saved it all these years, hoping that you would be the first mare that I'd give it to."
Rainbow felt her stomach do flip-flops and said, "Thank you for saving it for me. Did you enjoy it?" Rain Storm smiled and said, "After all the trophies, medals, and places I got to see, nothing was more magical than your kiss, Rainbow. I always used to joke around and say that I'd give my own wings just to be with you one day. Little did I know that it would become a reality, and you know what? It was all worth it, and I couldn't be happier than I am right now with you. Your kiss alone felt better than being able to fly as high or as fast in the sky."
Rainbow Dash blushed and said, "Then how about you let me keep you flying for a little bit longer?"
Rain Storm smiled and she kissed him again. She wrapped her front leg around his neck and slowly felt his chest with her other hoof. It was cold because of the rain, but the two of them kept warm, sharing the heat between their bodies. They stayed in the woods together until the sun went down.
Rainbow got up and took her some pony special by the hoof. "Come on," she said. "I've got to introduce you to my friends."
The stallion got up and followed Rainbow through the woods and back into town.