May 30, 2006
Blue stood facing the mirror in his room and started to tie a bow tie around his shirt collar. Despite initially not wanting to go to the prom, he promised Meadow that he'd take her. Tonight was the night, and there was no backing out now, especially since Blue was almost done with school and was about to enter into the harsh world of adulthood. He looked into the mirror and grinned. As a colt, Blue hated wearing fancy clothes and looking handsome in general; they were stuffy and uncomfortable to wear. He also hated the attention he got for wearing them; during weddings and other occasions when the entire family got together, older relatives, especially his aunts and some obnoxious older cousins, frequently commented on how handsome and mature he looked. But now, he was eighteen years old and was a fairly mature and confident young stallion and had no trouble in wearing fancy clothes. Blue hoped to end his school years well, but was unsure of what he'd do after he graduated. He was a weather pony full-time for the past five months and already the work was beginning to bore him. Despite his dissatisfaction with his job, he still had his eyes set on proving himself to his parents. He groaned as he tied the two ends of the bow tie. It turned out looking quite bad. He untied the two ends of the bow tie and tried to do several knots with it, but it just ended up looking worse. Blue growled and pulled the bow tie off his shirt.
"Mom!" Blue shouted. Summer then walked upstairs and noticed him standing in the doorway, quite angry.
"My, my. You look more handsome than ever, Blue." Summer said.
"Thanks, mom..." Blue replied and his glare softened. "I hate bow ties." Summer chuckled and came into the room.
"And I hate when you're angry like that." she replied. "Here, let me help." she said and she tied the bow tie properly around his neck. Within a minute, it was properly tied. Blue looked down at it and smiled.
"Thanks mom." Blue said and grinned at her. Summer smiled and hugged him.
"You've grown up, Blue." Summer said. "All I can say is that I'm proud of you for getting this far in life, and no matter what happens in the future, me and dad still love you and will always be there for you."
"Thanks mom... I couldn't have asked for better parents than you both." Blue said and a tear rolled out of his eye. "I love you both so much." They stood there hugging each other for a minute or two, before Blue looked at the clock hanging on his wall. It read at 6:25 PM, which meant Blue had to literally skedaddle in order to pick up Meadow and get to the prom on time as the prom started at half past.
"Look at the time... And I thought it was only 5 PM or something." Blue said.
"Time sure does fly by fast, doesn't it?" Summer said and smiled. "You best be off son, if you want to make it to the prom on time."
"Yeah, mom. See you later." Blue replied and nuzzled her. "Thank you for being there for me for every step of the way."
"My pleasure, son." Summer said and smiled. "And remember, stay safe and have fun!"
"Alright mom. See you later, okay?" Blue said and put on his tuxedo jacket.
"See you, son. Have fun." Summer said.
"Yeah, bye guys!" Blue said and walked out of the house, towards Meadow's house, which was three blocks away. As Blue walked towards her house, he turned to look at the sun beginning to set on the horizon. He sighed and trotted faster, in order to make it to Meadow's house on time. Eventually, he reached her house and knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing Grasslands and Icy Breeze.
"Hello there." Blue said.
"Hi Blue. You're looking handsome today." Icy Breeze said.
"Meadow's upstairs, putting on some makeup. She should be down in a little moment." Grasslands said. "Come in if you wish." Blue did so and stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Meadow to come downstairs. Meadow was a fairly timid mare and didn't like showing off, but she garnered up the courage to walk downstairs. The second Blue saw his love, his jaw dropped. She was wearing a long, cream-colored dress and had her mane tied up into a ponytail. Blue smiled at her. She looked amazing, no, incredibly beautiful, in fact, for Blue, there were no words for him to describe her beauty.
"So, how do I look?" Meadow asked nervously.
"You look... incredible..." Blue replied.
"Why thank you, Blue. I must say, you do look quite handsome as well in that tuxedo." she said and smiled at him.
"Thanks, Meads." Blue replied. "So, are you ready to go to the prom?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure... I'm just nervous." Meadow said.
"Yeah, me too... but when we get there, let's cut loose and have fun." Blue said. "But why would you be nervous? I mean, this is a time to have fun and relax."
"Yeah, about that..." Meadow said. "Let's talk outside about this, alright?"
"Sure thing." Blue said.
"Have fun you two!" Icy Breeze said.
"And remember, Blue. Look after my little girl, alright?" Grasslands said.
"Thanks mom, dad. See you both later." Meadow said and waved at them.
"Alright... Mr. Grasslands." Blue said nervously and walked out of the house.
"Daddy, you know well that Blue is a real gentlecolt." Meadow admonished him.
"Sorry, little flower. I just want you to be safe and happy." Grasslands said.
"It's alright, dad." Meadow said and nuzzled him. "See you later." After walking out of the house, the two ponies walked towards their high school, which was a few blocks down the road. The walk there gave them an opportunity to talk.
"So, Meadow. Why are you so nervous? Is it about the prom or is it something else?" Blue asked.
"It's not about the prom, Blue. It's about after we graduate school." Meadow explained.
"What about it?" Blue asked.
"I'm just in shock right now... it's all coming so fast, Blue." she explained. "I'm just nervous about how it'll all work out once we graduate."
"I know what you're feeling, Meads. I'm beginning to want to get another job; I don't think being a weather pony is exactly what it's cracked up to be."
"What do you want to be, Bluey?" Meadow asked.
"Hm... Other than a weather pony, I had numerous aspirations for when I grow up... I wanted to be a famous rock star, I wanted to be a builder, but most of all, I wanted to be a Royal Guard. The only reason why I became a weather pony is because I wanted to impress my mom and dad." Blue explained. "I never asked you this, but what do you wanna be, Meads?" he asked.
"When I was a filly, I wanted to be a vet, a princess and a famous singer when I was a bit older." Meadow explained. "After I leave school, I'm planning to get a job as a travel writer, but I don't really know yet." she explained and sighed. "I'm just nervous about what the future has in store for us."
"Hey." Blue said. "Don't be nervous, Meads. You'll be a great travel writer, I'm sure of it."
"Thanks Blue." She said and nuzzled him. "I'm just worried if things will work out or not."
"I'm sure they will, Meads and even if they don't, I'm always here for you." Blue said and kissed her on the cheek. "I've never told you this, but Meadow?"
"Yes Blue?" Meadow replied.
"I l-love you." Blue replied awkwardly. Meadow grinned.
"I love you too, Bluey. Thanks for being there for me." Meadow said. Blue smiled and wrapped his wing around her. He then looked at his watch. The time read 6:43 PM, which meant the two lovebirds were late to the prom by 13 minutes.
"Ah, crud. We're late..." Blue groaned.
"By how much?" Meadow asked.
"13 minutes. They're probably just starting right now..." Blue explained. The young lovers arrived at the school building.
"Race you inside... whoever loses this is a rotten hay fry." Meadow said and grinned.
"Oh you're so on." Blue replied and grinned back.
"Let's go then." Meadow said and trotted off towards the entrance of the school. Blue didn't waste his time and trotted after her. After the two lovebirds raced each other (with Meadow narrowly winning, much to Blue's dismay), the two ponies entered the gym and looked to see about twenty mares and stallions dancing.
"Meads, I have a confession to make..." Blue said.
"What is it Bluey?" she asked.
"I can't dance." Blue said and chuckled lightly.
"Neither can I, Bluey... but remember what you said before. Let's have fun and cut loose." Meadow said and gave him a reassuring wink.
"Let's do so then, Meads." Blue said and outstretched his hoof. "Will you dance with me?" he asked.
"Yes, Bluey." Meadow replied and held his hoof. Blue smiled at her and led her onto the dance floor, where the couples gathered were dancing to a slow ballad. He chuckled awkwardly as he walked with his true love to the dance floor. Blue didn't like dancing and wasn't very good at it, but in order not to embarrass himself and his marefriend, he just went with the flow.
He turned to look at the ponies dancing and turned to look at Meadow. He gently nudged her and smiled.
"Let's dance..." Blue said and put his hoof around Meadow's waist. She smiled and put her hooves on Blue's shoulders and before they knew it, the two ponies were dancing.
"And I thought you said you can't dance." Meadow said.
"I don't know Meads. It looks like I can... and you don't dance so bad either." Blue replied and grinned. Meadow chuckled. Suddenly, the song paused. Blue and Meadow turned to face the stage, along with the rest of the couples gathered. A teacher walked up to the microphone and cleared his throat.
"Alright, fillies and gentlecolts. Better get that groove on because it's time for a fast-paced dance." The teacher said.
"Oh no..." Blue said.
A band walked up onto the stage and picked up their instruments. They begun to play a fast-paced disco song. Blue looked around the room nervously. The other couples were hopping about with each other on the dance floor, to the beat of the music. Just then, Blue felt his wing being tapped. It was Meadow, who had her hoof outstretched.
"Meads? You know how to dance to this?" Blue asked.
"Believe it or not, yes. It's the only song I can dance to. This song was played at my cousin's wedding and we had to do the same dance." Meadow explained.
"Well that's good to know." Blue replied. "Mind showing me how?" he asked. Meadow smiled and nodded.
"Okay, Blue. You put your left hoof around my waist and I put my right hoof on your shoulder. And then, you just go with the flow. It's as simple as that." she explained and smiled.
"Alright..." Blue said and done as she told him to. They then joined the other dancers.
"See? You're doing great." Meadow complimented him.
"Thanks Meads." Blue said and spun her around. She smiled and chuckled.
"Woah!" Meadow said. "From what I can see, you're good."
"And you're even better." Blue complimented his marefriend. The two lovers continued dancing the night away, occasionally stopping to see if they were doing good or not.
The next song was another slow ballad, one which Blue found on the local jazz station while surfing through the available radio stations.
"Hey, I know this song." Blue said.
"You do?" Meadow asked.
"Yep. It came on on Cloudsdale's local jazz station one day." Blue explained.
"You listen to jazz?" Meadow asked, chuckling.
"Not really. I'm more of a rock music fan. I never was a fan of jazz, but this song actually sounded good." Blue explained.
"Same here." Meadow replied.
"Alright fillies and gentlecolts. Let's slow it down this time..." two more ponies got up on stage. One of them picked up a saxophone, while the second one went to a piano. Within seconds, the ensemble on stage begun to play the ballad.
"Bluey, you know how to dance to this?" Meadow asked.
"Kind of..." Blue replied awkwardly and put his hooves around Meadow's waist.
"Meadow, you put your hooves on my shoulders." Blue said. Meadow simply smiled and did so. The two ponies danced their way into the dance floor and leaned in close.
"Blue?" Meadow asked.
"Yes Meads?" Blue replied.
"Thank you for being my coltfriend." Meadow said. There was a sax solo in the middle of the song, and while that took place, Blue and Meadow begun to dance a tad bit faster.
"No, Meadow. Thank YOU for being there for me..." Blue said. "I never imagined I'd meet somepony like you."
"If you need me, I'm right here Bluey." Meadow said and smiled at him. Blue smiled back and spun her around. He then dipped her and pulled her in close. Both of them didn't think of anything else or anypony else for that matter, but only themselves. They were lost in their own little world. As the song begun to end, both of them leaned in close for a kiss and done so. Nothing could come between them at this moment. This was easily one of the best days of their lives.
A few hours later and the prom begun to end. Before the couples gathered left for home, the principal read out the prom king and queen. Blue and Meadow stood waiting anxiously, as with the rest of the ponies gathered, to see if they were prom king and queen. Blue was visibly nervous.
"Hey Blue... even if we don't win, it'll still be alright." Meadow reassured him.
"I hope we do, Meads." Blue replied.
Love Cloud, one of Blue and Meadow's teachers handed the principal the results, which were unexpected, very unexpected indeed.
"Violet Petals is our prom queen!" the principal said into the microphone. While the other ponies, including Meadow clapped, Blue's jaws dropped. He and Meadow were one of the more popular kids in the school, so why did Violet, who was one of the least popular kids, get the title of prom queen? How could she become so popular all of a sudden? Questions like that went through Blue's mind as he tried to process the current situation.
"And the prom king is..." the principal spoke before reading the results. "Singer Case!" he called into the microphone. Blue's surprised face turned into a glare. How could this have happened? How could two of some of the least popular kids in the school win those titles? Blue almost got a headache just thinking about it. Although he was a friend to Singer and Violet, he was incredibly jealous of them. His glare was enough for Meadow to notice.
"Bluey? What's wrong?" Meadow asked. His glare visibly softened.
"Uh, nothing Meads. I'm alright." Blue lied.
"You sure?" she asked. Blue sighed.
"No, Meadow. No I'm not. We'll talk about this outside, okay?" Blue said. Meadow simply nodded, knowing something's not right. A little moment later and the principal exited the stage, and a big red stallion spoke into the microphone. Blue knew him from gym class, but never actually talked to him before.
"So, how about it, everypony?" the stallion spoke into the microphone. "I bet you all are wondering how this happened..."
Well, of course we are... Blue said under his breath, with the same glare forming on his face.
"This year we decided to pick somepony who doesn't get a lot of attention here in Cloudsdale High. Someponies who had it rough these past few years here." the red stallion explained. "It's not out of sympathy; don't take it like that. It's out of respect, especially after the way you two were dancing tonight. Despite all the drama you had to put up with, we all decided to make it worth it."
Blue had enough.
"We all?" he called out from the crowd. "What do you mean by 'we all'? Do you mean you and your little friends? I didn't vote for them two. And neither did many other ponies." Blue explained and pointed to Singer and Violet, who were quite shocked at the sudden turn of events. Meadow sighed and motioned for him to stop. "Why did you vote for them instead of some more popular kids, like me and Meadow or Soarin' and Rainbow Dash? Huh? Just because you felt sorry for them? That's no reason to vote for them!" Blue shouted. Even Soarin' and Rainbow Dash turned to look at Blue. "Look, you could've chosen somepony else other than them... somepony who really does deserve the title of prom king and queen." Blue explained and walked out of the gym, Meadow following close behind. She turned to face the crowd and the ponies on the stage and awkwardly smiled.
"I'm sorry for Blue's behavior today. He's just a bit... stressed recently, but he'll get over it." Meadow explained. "Please, continue." She said and trotted out of the gym and joined Blue. Meadow wasn't happy with his behavior, and he could tell by the scowl on her face.
"Meadow, I---" he said, but was cut off by her.
"Blue... save it." Meadow started. "I don't know what's gotten into you today. You're not usually like that!"
"Meadow, look... I messed up." Blue said. This did nothing to stop her scowl.
"You bet you did! I was hoping that by going to this prom we could leave school on a positive note. And it went well, until YOU ruined their fun!" she yelled at him, but calmed herself down.
"For your inconvenience, they didn't deserve those titles anyway." Blue said and glared at her.
"And you think we did?" Meadow said and laughed. "Wow..."
"Yes! I think we did deserve it more than they did." Blue replied.
"And why would we deserve those titles more than they did? Tell me, Blue." Meadow asked.
"Because...---" Blue thought to himself.
"Because what?" Meadow asked. "Because Blue had a little temper tantrum?" she said. "
"Meadow, look. I was hoping to win those titles for both of us, so we can leave school on a positive note." Blue explained.
"By doing what? By screaming and taking out your anger on them?" Meadow asked. "No, Blue. You said it was supposed to be about having fun and cutting loose. And so what if Singer and Violet did win? This prom was supposed to be about having fun and enjoying ourselves, it wasn't meant to be a contest Blue." she explained. Blue's glare softened and was replaced with a sad frown.
"You're right, Meadow... and who am I kidding? I did overreact back there..." Blue confessed. "I just thought that if we did win, it'd make you happy."
"I am already happy, Blue when you're next to me." Meadow replied. An awkward smile formed on Blue's face.
"Meads? I'm sorry for all I said... I'm just like Storm Blaze; I hate losing." Blue explained. "Will you forgive me?" he asked.
"Why won't I?" Meadow replied and nodded. "Apology accepted." she said and gave him a peck on the cheek. Blue smiled. "Although... You still have Singer and Violet to apologize to." Meadow explained.
"Yeah, they were the worst affected by my temper tantrum... Singer probably hates me by now and Violet? She never really did talk to me that much so she's probably never gonna want anything to do with me..." Blue said.
"Don't say that, Blue. You can always make amends with them. I mean, just because you took out your anger on them doesn't mean that Singer hates you, and you and Violet can start again and become best of friends." Meadow said and nuzzled him.
"Maybe..." Blue said and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled. "Come on, Meads. I'll take you home." Blue said and wrapped his wing around her. A little moment later, the two lovers arrived at Meadow's house. There were no lights on, but the door wasn't locked, which meant that Meadow's parents were asleep.
"So, how did you enjoy it Meadow?" Blue asked.
"It was... A beautiful experience... especially since I got to share it with my coltfriend." Meadow explained and sighed. "Just graduation day left and we're all grown up now... I'm just wondering where life will lead us now." Meadow said.
"Where ever life will take us, we'll go together." Blue said. "My lovely, lovely Meadow. Thank you for being my marefriend for these past four years." he said.
"No, Blue. Thank you..." Meadow said and kissed him on the cheek. "For everything."
"My pleasure, Meads." Blue said. "See you later." He said and smiled at her. She returned the smile and entered the house, while Blue walked off towards his home. Blue entered the house and everypony, except Lightning Fast was asleep. Lightning Fast was finishing up a business report on his computer, when he noticed Blue walk into the house.
"Hey son." he said and went over to Blue. "How did you enjoy it?"
"It was better than I expected it to be dad." Blue replied. "We both enjoyed dancing tonight..." he explained.
"I thought you said you can't dance, Blue..." Lightning said and chuckled.
"I thought so too. Turns out I'm better than I thought I was, and so was Meadow." Blue replied. "Dad?" he asked.
"Yeah, son?" Lightning replied.
"You know how you and mom went to the prom together?" Blue asked. "Well, did you guys win prom king and queen?"
"No. Unfortunately we didn't. I remember that my best friend won it. At first I was jealous, but then I realized that the prom wasn't about winning the two titles. It was about enjoying yourself." Lightning explained. "What, did you two win prom king and queen?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, no..." Blue said. "It was one of my friends who won it... and I was pretty jealous of him and his marefriend, but then Meadow reminded me it wasn't all about winning. I still feel pretty bad for taking out my anger on them." Blue explained.
"Hey Blue. I know you feel bad... and what are you going to do to make it up to them?" Lightning asked.
"Try and apologize?" Blue said.
"Not 'try'. Just apologize to them. Alright? And remember... sometimes you don't always get what you want in life, son." Lightning explained.
"I need to learn..." Blue explained.
"You don't son. I'm sure you know already. But next time, just enjoy yourself and if you don't win anything, too bad. You can always try again." Lightning explained.
"Thanks for the advice, dad. Good night." Blue said and hugged him. Lightning hugged him back.
"You've grown up, my son. I'm so proud of you." Lightning said. "You'll be the best weather pony they've ever had. I just know it."
"Thanks dad..." Blue replied. He felt nervous, because he knew he'd have to mention his dissatisfaction with his job to Lightning Fast someday, but he had no idea what reaction to expect. Right now, Blue wasn't going to mention it and instead, he said a final good night to Lightning and went up to his room.