The next Friday...
The train from Ponyville to Hayton, a mid-sized city with a population of around 200,000, located in Ohayo, a province in the midwestern plains of Equestria, barrelled through miles of Equestrian countryside, rarely passing by a town or a city, and instead passing through forests and through open fields. While some other ponies onboard the train were talking to one another or entertaining themselves with games or books, Storm, sitting next to High Wind, who was trying to fall asleep, stared out of his window in utter boredom, looking at the sun shining behind Canter Mountain and the surrounding peaks, enshrouding the mountainous valley in which Ponyville, Cloudsdale and Canterlot were located in shadow. It had been two hours since they have left Ponyville, meaning that they were around six hours from Hayton and maybe twelve hours from Detrot, and so far, they didn't appear to be close to any civilization whatsoever. Instead, the train passed several farms and cornfields, until eventually Clousdale, begun to appear as a rather peculiar-looking cloud in the sky, instead as a city. He was beginning to have second thoughts about this trip; although he was looking forward to seeing his grandma again, and he was wanting to spend some time with High Wind, whom he had grown estranged to, the train journey to Detrot seemed to have taken forever, and he was beginning to regret going.
"There are so many things I could be doing right now instead of sitting in this carriage..." he muttered under his breath, thinking of a date he was meant to go on with his sweetheart Blue on Saturday. They were meant to go see a new romance movie that had just come out to theaters yesterday (unfortunately, Storm had forgotten its name), however due to Storm going on the trip, it had to be postponed until Monday. He had never been further in Equestria than Canterlot, and so, naturally, was beginning to get slightly homesick. And passing by a sign that said "MINNEIGHAPOLIS - 345 miles", followed by "CHICHAYGO - 586 miles" and "HAYTON - 604 miles", did not help one bit. In fact, it made him feel even more homesick than before. Storm was wanting to break open a window and fly out, back home to Cloudsdale, which was still in clear sight, despite being over 80 miles away, but he knew that he'd get into trouble; big trouble, not only with the conductors, but with his dad, whom he had wanted to accompany on the trip.
Suddenly, a voice sounded through the train's PA.
Mares and gentlecolts, this is your train conductor speaking. I just wanted to say that we're around 400 miles from Hayton, and we are expected to arrive there by 9:30 PM. Thank you for paying attention and I hope you have an enjoyable experience on our Equestrian Rail train.
"Wha--" mumbled High Wind, being woken up by the announcement. "Are we there yet?"
"No, dad." replied Storm. "We'll be there in six hours."
"That's reassuring..." groaned High. "Hungry?"
"Not right now." replied Storm. "We've just had lunch half an hour ago at that cafe in Ponyville."
"Oh yeah..." replied High. "Alright, are they gonna be showing that in-flight movie?"
"In-flight movie?" scoffed Storm. "What the hay are you talking about, dad? We're on a train, not an airship or a plane!"
"Alright..." groaned High. "How about, 'onboard movie'? Is that better?"
"Yeah, better." sighed Storm. "And they aren't gonna be showing one, which pretty much sucks, since we're gonna be on board this wooden death trap for the next five-six hours."
"Hey, I paid 60 bits for two tickets to Detrot, on board this wooden death trap." growled High. "Don't like it? Complain to Equestrian Rail themselves! Believe me, I, like many ponies who have traveled on their trains, complained to them hundreds of times about the state of their trains, but what did they do to change anything? Nothing, so you better get used to it."
"Shut up, dad." Storm growled back.
"Make me, you ungrateful little bastard." High hissed. "Maybe you're three inches taller than me, but I'm still your dad, and maybe you don't like it, but that's who I'll be till the end. And I expect you to listen and treat me and your mom with respect, like any good kid would do. Understood?"
"Bullshit." Storm grinned menacingly.
"At least I'm a better dad than your deadbeat soldier dad was." growled High. "If he was as brave and as dashing as you think he was, he'd still probably be around today."
"Don't you dare call him a 'deadbeat'." growled Storm in reply. "If he was here today, he'd kick your flank to next year."
"Excuse me?" asked the attendant mare, pushing the food cart down the aisle, tapping High's wing gently. High raised his eyebrows and turned away from Storm to look at the mare. "Is there a problem, sir?"
"No ma'am." High grinned sheepishly. "We've just had a small argument, that's all."
"Alright." the mare smiled, satisfied, before pushing the cart further down the aisle to cater to the other passengers. "Go get some rest. Maybe you'll behave better when you wake up."
And with that, Storm closed his eyes and rested his head against the pillow behind him which was sewn into his seat, slowly dozing off to sleep.
"Storm, get up." said High, nudging him slightly. Storm groaned and moaned, and mumbled under his breath something unintelligible, before closing his eyes yet again. "Storm, get up." replied High, this time in a much firmer voice.
"Wha---whaa?" asked Storm, rubbing his eyes slightly. "Are we there yet?"
"We're in Hayton." replied High. Storm raised his eyebrows, before turning to look out of the window of the train, which was crossing an overpass, over one of the main roads in Hayton, a decently-sized city, which from Storm's point of view, seemed to be much smaller than Cloudsdale, but featured many tall buildings in its downtown core. "Get up."
"Alright..." groaned Storm, rubbing his eyes, and turning to see the train's passengers preparing for disembarking the train, some of them getting up out of their seats, while some were already standing beside the doors to the train, waiting for it to arrive at the Hayton station. Soon enough, the train pulled into the Hayton Station, a massive aircraft hangar-like building with dozens of trains lined up in it and ponies boarding or disembarking them.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Storm.
"We wait for the Detrot train." replied High, carrying his suitcase. "Hungry?"
"Kinda." replied Storm, taking out his saddlebag from underneath his seat, and putting it on. The train soon stopped at the platform, and a moment later, almost every door slid open, allowing ponies to disembark the train, including Storm and High.
Upon disembarking the train, Storm looked around the station in awe and wonder. Even the Canterlot station, as big as it was, couldn't hold a candle to this one. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies of different shapes and sizes gathered in that one building alone, and as he walked to the ticket booth, Storm couldn't help but continue investigating the massive building, like a foal investigating a candy store.
"Tickets please, sir." said the pony sitting in the ticket booth, watching High pass him their tickets.
"Here you go." replied High, passing him the two tickets.
"Alright, so you're going to Detrot, huh?" asked the pony.
"Yep, we are." replied Storm.
"I heard it's pretty rough up there." replied the stallion. "Low pay and high crime rates, especially around the suburbs."
"Eh, that's a load of bull." scoffed High. "My brother lives up there, and he's never had any problems like that."
"Whatever you say, dude, though if I were you, I wouldn't risk going there." replied the ticket pony, having finished processing the tickets in a machine that Storm had never before seen at neither the Ponyville and Canterlot stations, before handing the tickets back to them. "Here you go. Your train arrives in 25 minutes, and from here, it's around two-three hours."
"Alright, thanks." replied High. "So, where do you wanna go to eat?"
"I dunno." said Storm, looking around for a good restaurant. "Probably some fast-food place. We don't want to wait too long for our food. Is there any at the station?"
"How am I supposed to know?" sighed High Wind. "I've never been in Hayton before, but there must be at least one. This station is freakin' huge."
"I guess that's one thing we can agree on..." replied Storm, also looking around the station for a restaurant.
While High was busy ordering two hayburgers and some pop for both him and Storm at a fast-food place called Metro Buffet, Storm sat at a table close to the checkout. He unzipped his saddlebag, which sat on a chair next to him, and after searching through it, he took out his notepad and flipped it open, ripping out two pieces of paper from it. He then placed it back into the bag, and searched through it again, before taking out a pen. He then begun to write on the first piece of paper.
Dear Mom, Mist and Gust
How are you all? As I am writing this letter, me and Dad are at the train station in Hayton, waiting for our train to Detrot to arrive. I miss you guys already (even though we're still halfway between Canterlot and Detrot), and I hate to say it, but I kinda miss Gust too. Write me back, please.
Love,
Storm
Storm folded the letter up, and inserted it into an envelope he had bought at the Equestrian Mail booth just across from the restaurant, and closing it up, before writing down his home address on it.
12087 N. Cloud Way
North Cloudsdale
CLOUDSDALE, CE
After putting it in the mailbox right which stood just outside the restaurant, Storm begun to write a second letter, this time to his marefriend, Blue.
Dear Blue,
It's me, Storm. How are you doing? Sorry if this letter's a bit short, but I don't think I have the time to write a longer one. As I am writing this, I'm at the station in Hayton with my dad, waiting for our train to Detrot, which is expected to arrive pretty soon. I'm sorry we didn't get to go on our date, but I do hope that we get to see our movie after I come back on Sunday. You still up for it, babe?
If you wanna talk more, I'll send you the address to where we'll be staying for the weekend once we get there, which will be in about five or six hours. I miss you so much, babe.
Love,
Storm
Having written the final letter, he slid it into another envelope, before closing it and writing down her address on the front. Storm then took it to the mailbox, and after doing just that, he looked back to see High carrying some two large cups of pop, and two hayburgers. He then turned to see the a large steam train chug into the station, market DETROT at the front, and raced back into the restaurant, as quick as lightning.
"What's all the ruckus about, Storm?" asked High Wind.
"Dad, the train's here." replied Storm, panting slightly. "We better scram."
"It is?" gasped High, turning to look out of the window, noticing the train standing at the platform right across from the restaurant. "Shit."
The doors to the train's carriages all opened, and several passengers spilled out of each one. Storm and High looked on, along with a large group of others, watching the passengers disembark the train and waiting for their turn to board. Soon enough, they were allowed to go onboard, and they did so. Storm and High sat down on two vacant seats which were closest to the doors, and after a safety briefing, the doors closed and the train chugged off.
Storm watched out of the window as the train exited the station, passing between some skyscrapers and some apartment blocks, before entering a suburban area of town along an elevated track. Around five-ten minutes later, the train left Hayton, and entered a large and uninterrupted for several miles forested area.
"Wake me up when we get there, alright?" asked High Wind, trying to make himself as comfortable as he possibly could on the rather tight seats.
"Sure thing." said Storm. "Good night..."
However, High did not reply, and instead quickly dozed off, which caused Storm to sigh sadly, coming to the conclusion that maybe his dad doesn't want to resolve things between them. Why does Grandma have to live on the other side of the motherbucking country? he thought to himself, before turning to see High asleep. "I don't know. Maybe Detrot won't be as bad as I thought it'd be."
Five hours after leaving Hayton Station, the train seemed to be traversing the middle of nowhere, despite being in the midwest region of Equestria, a highly populated part of the country comprised of the provinces of Illineighis, Ohayo and Marechigan. Storm stared out of the window into the blackness before him as the train passed the occasional tree, farmhouse or hill. It was now turning 1 AM and most ponies onboard the train, his father included, were fast asleep, and Storm was having thoughts of doing so as well. There was no sign of civilization anywhere; Detrot was nowhere in sight, despite the last sign that the train had passed stating that it was 30 miles away, and that was at least over half an hour ago. Storm blinked several times to clear the crust out of his eyes, before yawning. As much as he wanted to fall asleep right now, he had to do what his dad asked of him; that is wake him up, and plus, he wanted to see Detrot. He heard Detrot was a big city, perhaps the size of Cloudsdale, or maybe even bigger, and so, naturally, he wanted to see it before his very eyes.
After passing through a forest and crossing a bridge, the train passed through a suburban area, composed of housing similar to what Stormfire had encountered in Cloudsdale, before passing through yet another wooded area and crossing another bridge. After the train crossed the bridge, is passed through an industrial area, with several factories and plants in clear view and fully operating. The train then crossed another bridge, from which the skyline of Detrot, built mostly along the Detrot Riverfront, could be visible. Storm looked on in absolute awe at the towering buildings and spires before him, which architecturally reminded him in a way of his adopted hometown of Cloudsdale.
"Dad, we're here..." said Storm, shaking the stallion slightly to wake him up.
"Huh?" mumbled High.
"We're here." said Storm, in a much firmer voice.
"Oh..." replied High, coming to his senses and looking out of the window at the expansive city before him. "What time is it?"
"Last time I checked it was 2:24 AM." replied Storm, looking up at the digital clock hanging from the ceiling of the train in the very front of the car. However, it was too far for Storm to make out, in addition to his vision not being clear enough for him to see anywhere past the doors. "I'm pretty sure it's just turned 3 AM."
"Damn..." chuckled High, wiping his forehead slightly. "How long have we been traveling for?"
"I'd say, ten hours." replied Storm, watching the train finish crossing the Detrot river and enter town, where it made a sharp turn between the maze of buildings that comprised Detrot. After the rather sharp turn, the train begun to slow down, and Storm got up out of his seat to see the other passengers, who included a mop-maned stallion carrying a guitar-shaped saddlebag, and a mare with a foal sleeping in her husband's hooves, getting up out of their seats one by one and lining up in front of the doors of the car.
The train pulled to a halt in a building that seemed to be much larger than the stations in Hayton and Canterlot combined. There were several trains lined up next to their given platforms, and there were ponies pouring in and out of them.
"Get your bags, bag, whatever..." said High, rubbing his eyes, before getting up out of his seat as well and pulling out his suitcase from underneath his seat.
"Alright." replied Storm, taking out his saddlebag from underneath his seat and putting it on his saddle.
The train's doors soon slid open, and Storm and High, along with virtually everypony on board, spilled out of the train's many carriages and into the station. After going through several security checks (which was something Storm had never expected to see at a train station before, let alone at one as big as the one in Detrot), the two threw their two tickets into a trash bin and walked up to the platform which was indicated to be the one for the Coltumbus train.
The train still had not arrived (it was meant to arrive in at least half an hour), and much to their chagrin, there were lots of ponies at that platform. Fortunately, despite the amount of ponies waiting for the train to Coltumbus, they could make out Fast Wheels, High's brother, and his marefriend, Sweet Shine, a singer, guitarist, and pianist. While his marefriend was talking to a friend who had come to say goodbye and watch them leave, Fast, a rather plump stallion who had gained considerable amount of weight since he had last been to Cloudsdale, was sitting on a guitar amplifier and was waiting for somepony (presumably the band's drummer) to arrive.
Just then...
"FAST!" grinned High.
"Brother!" shouted Fast, jumping off the amp upon noticing High and Storm, and throwing his hooves around High like a madpony. "I missed you so much."
"Uncle!" smiled Storm.
"Oh my gosh, Storm..." grinned Fast, also hugging him. "You've grown! The last time I saw you, you were---"
"Twelve, I know." replied Storm.
"What age are you now?" asked Fast.
"Seventeen." said Storm.
"That's awesome." replied Fast. "It's a shame I haven't been to see you guys for so long... How's Gust and Mist? Is Gust still involved in that band of his?"
"Oh yes." replied Storm. "They rehearse in an abandoned warehouse in the south side of town. I sometimes go to see them play."
"Wonderful." replied Fast, glancing to Storm's left to see High. "How's Equinox, High?"
"She's great." replied High. "Really good. I don't remember seeing you so talkative. Usually, instead of hanging out with us, you preferred to spend time in your carriage dealership..."
"Well, I'm happy to say that I'm a changed stallion." replied Fast. "I hope to spend some more time with ma familia, especially since me and Sweet have got engaged a month back."
"Woah, that's great, uncle Fast." said Storm.
"Yep." grinned Fast, with a hint of pride in his voice. "And that's not all. Sweet's P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T."
"She is?" gasped High.
"Oh, my gosh." replied Storm. "I'm so happy for you two. Do you know if it'll be a colt or a filly?"
"No, not yet, unfortunately." sighed Fast. "Personally, I'm hoping it's a colt, although I'll still be happy if it's a filly. Anyways, are you looking forward to seeing Grandma?"
"We are." replied Storm. "Aren't we, dad?"
"Oh, yes." stuttered High, rather awkwardly. "We are."
"That's great." smiled Fast, before turning away from High to face his marefriend, who had just finished talking to her friend. "Sweet?"
"Yeah?" asked Sweet, walking up to them. "High, is that you?"
"It sure is." he smiled.
"I haven't seen you in so long." she smiled back. "And this must be Storm..."
"Yeah, hi." blushed Storm. "So, you guys performing in Coltumbus, huh?"
"Yep." replied Sweet. "Two gigs, two days, one city. It's looking to be one hay of a weekend."
"I can imagine." chuckled Storm in reply. "You guys sound like an awesome band. It's a shame I can't come to see you guys perform live."
"Maybe we'll consider taking you to our next major gig, which is in a few months." replied Fast. "Do you have a marefriend?"
"Yep." blushed Storm in reply.
"Then take her as well. She'll enjoy it." smirked Fast. "We're performing in a Canterlot bar in September."
"Awesome." replied Storm.
"Anyways..." begun High. "The keys, please, and the address."
"Oh, of course." Fast realized, trotting up to his guitar case and unzipping a pocket where he keeps his guitar picks and tuner, before taking out a folded piece of paper and a silver key, and trotting up to High with it. "Have a good weekend, brother. And listen, if mom's talking some weird nonsense, just tell her and she usually stops and goes back to normal---It's a thing that comes with age. She's been like that for the past few months."
"Got it." replied High. "Storm, you ready?"
"Yep." smiled Storm. "Have a safe trip, you guys, and enjoy your gig."
"We will." chuckled Sweet.
"It's all under control, nephew." replied Fast, watching them make their way towards the exit of the train station. "See you guys on Sunday."
"Bye." smiled Sweet.
"Bye." Storm waved to them, getting two waves back in reply.
After getting the address and the keys from Fast Wheels and his marefriend, and making their way across Detrot's rather busy streets (which proved Storm's suspicions correct; Detrot was an absolutely massive city, and it seemed to be far bigger than Cloudsdale), the two arrived at a towering apartment complex, seemingly over 20 storeys high, which overlooked the city's harbor.
"So, this is where grandma lives, huh?" asked Storm.
"Yep. Now keep your mouth shut." replied High, leading Storm into the apartment block, through the front door, which was apparently unlocked. Storm followed him into the unlit lobby of the building, and into an elevator. High then pressed the button for the eighteenth floor, and Storm watched as the doors to the elevator closed.
What felt like a couple of seconds, but in reality was actually around a minute that had passed, the elevator stopped at the eighteenth floor. The doors slid open, allowing Storm and High to exit it. They walked to the door which said 2894 and High turned the key in the lock, pushing the door open. The two stepped into the apartment, which was a seemingly comfortable apartment with two bedrooms.
"Who is this?" asked an old and frail-sounding voice. "Is it you, Fast? Did your train not make it?"
"No mom." smiled High. "It's only me."
"Who?"
"Mom, it's me, High Wind." replied High.
"Oh, my gosh." said the voice, which came from the living room of the apartment. Storm and High stepped into the living room, and saw the source of the voice; an elderly mare with a curly white mane and a pair of glasses on her eyes, who was watching a late-night show on TV. "Son, I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, mom." replied High, trotting up to her and nuzzling her gently.
"Who's your friend?" asked the mare.
"I'm not his friend, grandma Hail Storm. I'm his son." replied Storm.
"Stormfire, is that you?" asked the mare.
"Yes, grandma, it's me." Storm sighed a happy sigh.
"You've grown!" gasped the mare. "The last time I've seen you was when you were around ten or eleven."
"I was actually twelve, but close enough." replied Storm.
"Are you two hungry?" asked the mare, getting up out of her seat on the couch. "I'm sure you must be; Canterlot is a long way away..."
"Cloudsdale." High corrected her. "And no, mom. I don't think we are."
"Right." replied the mare. "Do you want to watch something?"
"Oh, no." chuckled Storm. "It's way past my bedtime..."
"Ooh, I forgot to tell you, but Storm reminded me..." she said. "High, you'll sleep on my bed."
"Wait, where the hay will you sleep?" he asked.
"Whenever Fast and his mare are out at night, I sleep in their bed, seeing how almost every time, they don't come back til 9 or 10 in the morning." explained the mare.
"And they don't find out?" asked High.
"Nope." smirked the mare. "The next morning, it's like I was never there."
"I like you already, grandma." smirked Storm. "You're a sneaky mare."
"I have my ways." she winked. "Anyways, Storm... You'll sleep on the couch."
"Alright." he replied.
"Anypony want a hot bath or a shower?" asked Storm's grandma.
"No, thanks." both Storm and High replied in unison.
"Alright." she smiled. "Good night, you two."
"Night, mom." replied High.
"Night, grandma." said Storm, jumping onto the couch and laying on it. "Night, dad..."
She smiled a frail smile, before she flipped the lightswitch off, and led High Wind out of the room.
"Your son is cut out to be somepony more than a weather pony, High." she explained, peering into the living room through the partially-open door to see Storm trying his hardest to fall asleep.
"What makes you say that?" asked High.
"Come on, look at him." she smiled. "He's a gentlepony like no other. It's very rare to find such a polite teenager these days. Personally, I think he should be a doctor, just like your own dad was."
"No, mom." replied High. "He'll be a weather pony when he's older."
"You sure?" asked High's mom. "It'd make your dad happy to see him take on his profession..."
"That is, if he was still here..." sighed High, remembering the times he spent with his dad. "I miss him, mom."
"I miss him too, sweetheart." replied his mom, giving the much taller stallion a quick embrace, which he lovingly returned. "But things like that happen, I guess..."
"I know, I know..." groaned High, before peering into the living room himself to see Storm having finally fallen asleep. Maybe I've been a bit too harsh on him lately... he sighed.
"Good night, son." smiled High's mom. "Sleep well."
"Good night." High returned the smile, and walked up to the room where he would be staying. He put his suitcase at the foot of his bed, and climbed onto it. However, just before he closed his eyes, he noticed something on his nightstand, a slightly dusty picture frame, with a picture in it.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at the rather grainy picture, which showed a much younger High, probably around 20 or 21 years of age, standing right next to a slightly smaller stallion, Fast Wheels, who back then, was a much more muscular and much fitter stallion than he was nowadays. It took him a little while to remember, but the picture was taken at Fast's graduation in North Cloudsdale High in the year 1985, three years before he left for Detrot. However, what made High even more tearful was seeing his father in the picture, a light-orange Pegasus stallion with a slightly-greying long, brown mane, standing next to his his wife, a much shorter Pegasus mare, who back then was around fifty-five and had her then-brown mane done up in a bun.
"Goodnight, dad." High smiled a sad smile, holding the picture in his hooves as tears begun to roll out of his eyes. The painful memory of watching his dad die a long and painful death in hospital after a carriage accident in Canterlot returned to him after several years, even though he tried his hardest to forget about what had happened and move on. He sighed sadly, and put the picture back down on the nightstand, before turning off the lamp and going to sleep.
The next morning...
"Storm, get your flank outta bed!" yelled High Wind, causing Storm to shoot out of his sleeping position and land back on the ground in absolute shock.
"Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?" Storm yelled out groggily, raising and dropping his hooves onto the cushion out of frustration and tiredness. "Asshole, first you bring me out here at three in the morning and then you wake me up at seven?"
"High, leave him be." Hail Storm responded as she rested her hoof on his shoulder. "Can't you see? The poor kid is tired."
"Back when I was his---" began High.
“You were exactly like that,” she admonished him sternly. "Storm, if you're still tired, we can let you sleep."
"Don’t worry about it," he responded in a sleepy voice, stretching his hooves to yawn before springing up to his hooves and staring his father down for a brief second. “I'm fine, grandma."
"You are?" she asked. "That's swell. Listen, there's no breakfast cereal... can you go to the EQMart on 58th Street to get the cereal? 58th Street is a two-block walk from here along the harbor."
"Sure thing." shrugged Storm, before offering High Wind little more than a deathly glare. "We doing anything today, dad?"
"No." High merely growled in response. "Your grandma's hoof is injured, remember?”
"Son, it's not that injured."
"Mom, please." High reprimanded her. "I'll handle him myself without your intervention, thank you."
"High, he's your son." pleaded Hail Storm. "Spend some time with the poor boy!"
"Mom, please calm down..." groaned High.
"Alright..." she sighed. "Storm, go get the milk and cereal, alright?"
"Sure." he smiled, before glancing up to give High a deathly glare, one that was lovingly returned by him. He waved at his grandma, before trotting out of the apartment, and slamming the door behind him, leaving High and Hail Storm alone.
"High, what happened between you two?" asked Hail Storm. "The last time I saw you two together, you were so close to one another. Storm came to you with every one of his problems, and you were always there for him... what changed?"
“Just teens being teens,” High Wind responded coolly. “It’s just a phase ma, once he grows up he’ll look back at the way he’s been acting and sorely regret it.”
"Son, just please..." pleaded the elderly mare. "What changed between you two?"
"Well..." he began, letting down his defenses in an instant as soon as he realized that he couldn’t keep any secrets from the mare for long. "It's sorta my fault..."
"Care to explain?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, if it gets you off my back." he growled. "Well, you know how I keep telling you that I want him to join the Weather Team in Cloudsdale?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, Storm doesn't." replied High. "He wants to join the Royal Guard."
"He does?" asked Hail Storm. "Well, that's swell."
"Not too long ago, he went on a field trip to Canterlot with his history class, and when he came back..." begun High. "All Tartarus broke loose between us two."
"Why?"
"Apparently, he saw a mare being harassed by some thugs in an alleyway, and he stepped in to take the beating for her." replied High.
"You should be proud of him for doing something like that." frowned Hail Storm.
"I know I should..." sighed High. "But I wasn't... In fact, I was anything but proud of him. In fact, after we discussed it, we didn't talk for the next five days. Storm stayed as far away from me as possible, and when I tried to talk to him, it wasn't like a father-and-son conversation. Each time we talked to one another, we seemed more like acquaintances than father and son. It was just so hard to talk to him, and not because he didn't want to talk or listen, but I think it's because he lost his trust in me... I just want him to succeed in life, to have a stable job with a good income, so that one day he'd be able to provide for his family, and for himself...I don't want to see him wasting his life as a crime-fighting vigilante, like in those comic books I used to read as a kid..."
"Son, maybe you should let Storm decide what he wants to be in life, instead of you bossing him about everywhere." said Hail Storm. "He's your son."
"And he's a damn good one too." smiled High Wind. "But no, I want him to follow in my hoof-steps, and that's what he will do."
After leaving the apartment block and making his way to the small EQMart convenience store two blocks away, at the intersection of 58th and Harbor Avenue, passing by several pedestrians wearing T-shirts which either said 'GO CLOUDSDALE' or 'DETROT VS EVERYPONY', Storm went inside to look for the milk and cereal. Having searched at least half the store for the chocolate cereal that he used to love when he was younger, he found it, which was conveniently placed on an aisle right in front of the refrigerators in which the milk and other dairy goods were stored.
Just as he was beginning to make his way to the checkout counter, he bumped into a shopping cart.
"Oops." said Storm, picking up the cereal and the milk, which thankfully, had not spilled across the floor upon impact. He got up to see who the pony was, and to his utter shock, it was somepony that he recognized from a long time back.
"Rainwynd?" gasped Storm, looking at the light-gray mare before him, who seemed to be around five inches shorter than he was. Her long darker mane fluttered in the breeze generated by the air conditioning above them, part of which covered her right eye.
"Stormfire?" she gasped in reply, blinking thrice to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
"Oh my...gosh." stuttered Storm, backing away slightly and shifting off to the side as an elderly mare passed them by with her shopping cart in tow. "You've---you've changed...! I haven't seen you in such a long time."
"So have you, Storm..." Rainwynd chuckled, still completely baffled by this serendipitous encounter. "How's life been treating you? Good?"
"It sure has." he smiled, shrugging off the cosmic-seeming coincidence himself. "When did you move over here?"
"A few years back,” she explained. "My father got this big opportunity to work in the carriage industry, so...we moved up here. Do you guys live here too?"
"Nope." chuckled Storm as he took a long, hard look at his oldest friend; with this encounter the memories of his foalhood in the Griffon Empire came flooding back, whether he wanted them to or not. "In fact, I live nowhere near Detrot."
"Where do you live then?" asked Rain.
"Cloudsdale." replied Storm.
"That's such a long way away." she chuckled. "What are you doing all the way down here?"
"Just visiting some relatives, you know." Storm once more only offered a casual shrug. "Someone had a really bad accident over a week ago and me and my dad came to keep an eye on them for a couple days.“
"I thought your dad was...you know."
"Well, my step-dad." Storm corrected himself. “But you know what I mean.”
"So, you're only here for the weekend, huh?" Rain asked.
"Yeah, I'm leaving on Sunday." replied Storm. "It's a shame, really...Detrot seems nice.”
"Eh, not really." chuckled Rain. "You’d know if you lived here.”
“I’ll take your word for it over Slim Shoedy’s in that case,” Storm quipped with a hearty chuckle of his own, being a big fan of the Detrot-based rapper.
“Oh god,” Rain tittered under her breath. “In all honesty I'm just glad I’m almost done with school."
"You are?"
"Yep." replied Rain. "Been planning this for a good few years now but once I graduate next summer I’m leaving for Applewood.”
"Oh yeah." Storm smiled. "You want to become a big star, don't you?"
"Yeah." she smiled back in reply. "I'm wanting to star in a film. Don't know what film or when, but I'm really determined to do so."
"I hope it all works out well for you, Rainy." replied Storm, using his nickname for Rain that he made up way back in elementary school, back in the Griffon Empire.
"Hey." she gasped, now seemingly offended. "Only my coltfriend is allowed to call me that...speaking of which, he's right there." she then pointed at a rather massive, muscular stallion walking through the entrance of the supermarket.
"Hey babe." he smiled, before turning to look at Storm. "Who's this?"
"Uh, this is an old friend of mine." she explained. "Stormfire, meet Behemoth. Behemoth, Stormfire."
"How do you do?" asked Storm, outstretching his hoof.
"I'm doing really well." replied Behemoth, shaking Storm's hoof. "You new around these parts?"
"Sorta." Storm shrugged. "I'm kinda visiting for the weekend..."
"Cool." smiled the stallion. "Just a tip. Try and stay away from some parts of the city, especially after dark. You can get hurt quite badly. Like I said, this isn't a warning; think of it as more of a piece of advice. Detrot can get super dangerous at night, especially when there's a hoofball game on."
"There's a hoofball game on?" asked Storm.
"Yep." replied Behemoth. "Detrot and Cloudsdale are both playing against each other."
"Damn." Storm gasped, having heard about the game a few months back. "How could I forget?"
"Personally, I hope Detrot gets their act together and wins this." Behemoth explained. "They've been on the losing streak for the past month or so and fell to number 20 on the league table."
"That sucks." Storm nodded understandingly.
"Yeah..." replied Behemoth. "Remember what I told you? Try and stay away from the suburbs, especially tonight."
"Alright." gulped Storm, walking up to the checkout and placing the cereal and milk on the conveyor belt. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."
"Alright." grinned Behemoth. "Rainy, we have to go. I'll be waiting for you outside, alright?"
"Okay." she replied, placing her items on the conveyor belt behind Storm's, and watching Behemoth trot out of the supermarket.
"He seems quite nice for a guy his size." said Storm.
"Don't worry." she smiled. "He may seem big and intimidating on the outside, but he's actually one of the sweetest ponies you'll ever meet in your life. He's only violent towards ponies that are violent towards him and the ponies he cares for, so you don't have to worry."
"Alright." smiled Storm, before allowing the cashier to scan his items.
"Hey, maybe we should meet up again sometime, huh?" she proposed. "Maybe later today, since you're leaving tomorrow?"
"Sure." smiled Storm. "That'll be great. Whereabouts do you live?"
"In an apartment block." replied Rainwynd, turning to look out of the automatic doors that slid open at the towering apartment building, looming almost thirty stories high over the side of a brick building that reminded Storm of a typical Central Equestrian city. "You can see it pretty clearly from here."
"Oh my gosh..." gasped Storm. "That's where I'm staying."
"What a coincidence." she smiled.
"I know." replied Storm. "Crazy, right?"
"Yep."
"Alright, sir. That'll be 4.50 bits." said the cashier.
"Sure thing." replied Storm, but before he could take out the money from the shopping bag he was carrying, Rain had handed him a whole 5 bit bill.
"Keep the change." she smiled.
"Will do." the cashier nodded.
"What was that for?" asked Storm, putting the milk and cereal into his shopping bag.
"I just wanted to be a good friend." she smiled innocently. "So, today at what, six? 6:30?"
"6:30 it is." smiled Storm. "What floor do you live on?"
"Floor 24." Rain replied. "My apartment's number 2985."
"Alright." replied Storm. "it's been nice seeing you again, Rain."
"Likewise." she smiled, giving him a small peck on the cheek. "See you later."
"What was that for?" he asked, a blush forming on his face.
Storm came back to the apartment around twenty minutes, both out of breath from trotting across two city blocks and still blushing fiercely from that small kiss that Rainwynd gave him on the cheek, for absolutely no reason whatsoever. And that blush didn't go unnoticed by Storm's grandma, who was the only pony other than him who was home.
"Hey grandma." he smiled. "Where's dad?"
"Taking a shower." she replied.
I'm right here, ma! shouted High from the living room.
"And what happened to you?" she asked, noticing his blush. "Did you meet a cute mare or something?"
"No...?" Storm frowned, but his blush still remained there. "I may have seen somepony cute, but still."
"Alright." she smiled. "Don't be ashamed if you like somepony. Every colt and filly reaches that one age when the hormones kick in, and they want to find out more about the birds and the---"
"Grandma, I know how puberty works." Storm deadpanned. "And besides, I already have a marefriend, and she's back in Cloudsdale."
"You do?" she asked. "Oh, well, anyways, your dad's in the living room if you wish to talk to him."
"Alright." Storm smiled, walking into the living room to notice High sitting on the couch and watching a commercial break on TV. "Hey dad..."
"Hi." he replied, not taking his eyes off the TV screen. "You wanna know something?"
"Sure."
"Grandma wants me and you to go somewhere today." replied High. "The Detrot Museum of Weather."
"Dad, don't you dare bring up the weather factory." growled Storm. "You know how much I don't want to---"
"Storm, quiet." High growled back. "We're going there, alright? Just you and me."
"Dad, please. I have no interest in weather."
"Oh, don't give me that bull." groaned High. "You'll love it."
"You like hoofball, huh?" asked Storm.
"Yes, I do." he replied.
"I like hoofball too." smiled Storm.
"No, you don't." smirked High. "Who's the highest-scoring player of this year?"
"Strikeout?"
"Correct." smirked High.
"Yes, I am." replied Storm. "There's a game on today at the Detrot International Stadium."
"Who's playing?" High raised an eyebrow.
"Detrot vs. Cloudsdale." Storm smirked.
"You're joking?"
"No, I am not." grinned Storm, knowing that Detrot and Cloudsdale's teams were at the top of the Equestrian Hoofball League. "You wanna go see the game?"
"Of course." replied High. "When does it start?"
"12 PM." replied Storm.
"Alright..."
Maybe we have a chance at bonding... Storm thought to himself.
"I'm afraid the tickets are all sold out, Storm." said Hail Storm.
"Shit." growled Storm. "Never mind, we can watch it on TV, can't we?"
"We sure can." grinned High, before checking his watch. "It's 11:40 AM."
"Alright, the game starts in twenty minutes." said Storm.
"You know, I used to play quarterback in High School." explained High.
"Seriously?" asked Storm.
"Yep." replied High. "I was actually one of the top hoofballers in the entire county for a while, and was close to signing a contract to play for the Cloudsdale Cavaliers."
"That's awesome." said Storm.
"Yep, go get yourself washed up, alright?" asked High. "The game should start by the time you get back."
And so, Storm went to the bathroom to take a shower, leaving High and his mom alone.
"See, you're both doing well already." she smiled.
Good afternoon, everypony, and good morning to those who are watching via cable in western Equestria. begun the host on TV, standing in front of a display of various photos of the teams that are going to be playing. And welcome to the hoofball match to end all matches. Who's playing today, you may ask? Well, the Cloudsdale Cavaliers, the unbeatable champions of Equestrian hoofball, are playing against the Detrot Hoofers, who are on the second place in the League Table. These bitter rivals have last engaged in an all-out feud twenty-one years ago, and for many years, proud hoofball fans from as far away as the Griffon Empire and Draconia have been calling for another game. And now, the time has come to begin the hoofball match to end all hoofball matches, and I hope that you enjoy seeing your favorite hoofballers play against each other.
"Go Cloudsdale!" shouted High and Storm in unison, watching the display behind the presenter show a montage of various hoofballers. The display soon cut off to display the Cloudsdale team, dressed in heavy body armor and their white-blue jerseys, walking into the Detrot stadium, punctuated by the loud claps of spectators watching the team enter.
And so, the Cloudsdale team have entered the stadium...I have never heard such a loud crowd before, in all my years of presenting hoofball games... spoke the announcer.
"That's because the Cloudmakers are too awesome to play against Detrot." smirked Storm.
"You got that right." High grinned in return. "They're gonna kick the Detrot flanks so hard, they won't be able to play another game for a year."
"I sure hope so." grinned Storm.
Moments later, the Detrot team entered the stadium, also punctuated with the loud sounds of ponies clapping, and booing at the same time, the booing ponies being staunch Cloudsdale fans.
And here are... the Detrot Hoofers. Another thing I had never before heard in a hoofball match was this many boos. I had never come across spectators who hated on the home team. However, maybe that'll all change as this match progresses.
"That's 'cause Detrot sucks, not as a city, but as a hoofball team." grinned Storm.
"You sir, are absolutely correct." High grinned back, holding a bottle of apple cider in his hoof.
And so, the hour-long game started off, with the first touchdown being scored by Cloudsdale in the opening ten minutes of the game. The Detrot team, envious of Cloudsdale's seemingly permanent stroke of luck, tried their best at scoring a touchdown on the away side of the field, but that just ended up in one of the Detrot hoofballers accidentally tackling a Cloudsdale player. Thankfully, the Cloudsdale hoofballer wasn't in any way injured, but the Detrot hoofballer was sent out to the bench until half-time. By then, Detrot was actually tied with Cloudsdale in terms of points.
And this is a rather...unprecedented moment in the history of Equestrian hoofball... begun the announcer. Detrot had actually...tied with it's rival team, the undeniable masters of Equestrian hoofball, Cloudsdale Cavaliers. Maybe they do have a chance at winning the match after all...
"Shit." growled High. "If they do, I'm gonna throw this TV out of the apartment."
"You'd have to pay Uncle Fast back." replied Storm.
"I don't give a damn." growled High. "If Cloudsdale doesn't win, I won't be happy."
"Dad, you know they're the best team in Equestria. Plus, they have Strikeout on board." smiled Storm. "And never has Cloudsdale lost a game with him playing. Remember that 'miracle throw' of his?"
"I sure do." smiled High. "Didn't he like throw the ball around the entire opposite team, without them noticing?"
"Yep. It curved in mid-air around the entire field without the opposite team seeing and landed behind the goalpost." replied Storm. "And no unicorn magic or special-effects trickery was used."
"Yep." replied High. "He's the key to Cloudsdale's success, although I don't think that 'no unicorn magic' was used."
"That's what all my friends at school say he used." explained Storm. "He is the only unicorn on the team, but to use magic is illegal in hoofball."
"How else do we explain how the ball curved and moved as fast as a meteorite?"
"Maybe...he's just strong enough to throw it with that speed and agility." proposed Storm. "An average hoofball is a pretty heavy object."
"Hm...maybe." replied High. "Although that still doesn't explain how the ball curved it's trajectory in mid-air."
"Alright, maybe some unicorn magic was used, but not too much... after all, not even the cameras that were broadcasting that game registered a beam of light coming from his horn."
"The world may never know..." mused High Wind.
And soon enough, the game was almost done, with almost no injuries, which was quite unusual for a hoofball game, especially between two of the biggest rivals in Equestrian sport.
Welcome back, everypony to the last fifteen minutes of what is already being billed as the biggest game in the history of Equestrian hoofball. Already, Equestrian Television has welcomed an influx of over 100,000 new viewers, most of them from around the Canterlot-Cloudsdale area, an absolute record for a single hoofball game.
Strikeout has scored the most touchdowns of the entire game; around four, giving Cloudsdale, who are at eight points, a steady lead over rivals Detrot, who right now, are at 3 points. However, a lot can happen in fifteen minutes, including Cloudsdale being beaten by their sworn rivals. As the clock ticks down to the end of the match, the one question on everypony's mind still remains unanswered; who will win the match? Well, so far, it looks to be Cloudsdale who are destined to win...
"Cloudsdale, Cloudsdale, Cloudsdale!" shouted Storm and High.
...but Detrot could easily usurp Cloudsdale from their throne in the fifteen minutes they've got left.
"Hah!" shouted High. "That's the dumbest bullshit I've ever heard!"
"Yeah." chortled Storm. "Detrot can't win. I'm pretty sure Cloudsdale has already made history!"
The camera then cut from an overhead view of the stadium to back inside it, where the game was in full swing, and the hatred between the two teams was already being felt in the air as both teams tried their hardest to win the game.
And so, while the clock slowly ticks down to zero, Cloudsdale and Detrot try their hardest to win. Let me tell you, the last fifteen minutes of the match are usually when the game gets pretty rough...I won't be surprised if we see some injuri---.WOAH!"
The camera then cut to a Cloudsdale player brutally tackling down a Detrot hoofballer who was holding the hoofball in his hooves, and pinning him down onto the turf, sending the ball flying into the audience. It zoomed in on him rapidly, causing the image to appear out of focus for a second. The tackle got so brutal that the referee had to be called onto the field to pull the Cloudsdale hoofballer off the Detrot one, and a medical crew had to be called to escort the slightly-scratched, but still fine Detrot hoofballer back into the stadium.
And now, a commercial break.
"That was the best part of the entire game!" groaned High, holding his now-empty apple cider bottle in his hoof.
"It got a bit too violent for daytime TV, dad." Storm sighed. "Anyways, you enjoy the game?"
"Yeah, definitely." smiled High. "We all know who's gonna win."
"Yep." grinned Storm. "Dad?"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Can I go to town for a few hours? I'll be back after four or five." replied Storm.
"Okay." smiled High, turning off the TV. "Stay safe, son. Remember, be back before five, and I'll tell you who won the game."
"Alright." Storm smiled, before trotting out of the apartment and up the stairwell leading up to the top floor of the building. He felt good, not only to be out of the apartment after almost an hour of being cooped up inside, but having seemingly bonded with his dad over something that they both enjoyed watching; hoofball.
Storm soon arrived on the twenty-first floor of the apartment building and located apartment no. 2985, which was on the west side of the building. After some hesitation, he pressed the doorbell, and a while later, the door was opened.
"May I help you?" asked the stallion, not recognizing Storm in any way despite having knew him years prior as a foal; Storm, on the other hand, still remembered his name, Skyclean.
"Uh, hi." Storm responded blankly. "I'm here to pick up Rainwynd."
"What are you, her coltfriend?" asked the stallion.
"No..." Storm blushed fiercely. "I'm just a friend."
"Rainy!"
"Yes dad?" she shouted from the next room.
"There's somepony here to see you." he smiled, walking back into the living room as the floorboards creaked and shuddered beneath his weight. "Come on in."
"Sure thing." replied Storm, walking into the apartment, which seemed to be of the same size as his grandma's apartment.
"Oh, Storm." said Rainwynd, noticing him. "You're here a bit early. We settled on 6:30, remember?"
"Yep." he replied. "Looks like I’m here a little early, is that okay?"
"Daddy, will it be okay?" she asked.
"Of course, honey." the older stallion smiled. "You keep my little filly safe, alright?"
"Will do." replied Storm.
"Alright." said the stallion. "You be back before sundown, alright?"
"Yes dad." replied Rain.
"Okay, bye sir." said Storm, leading her out of the apartment and into the elevator, which had stopped at that floor. He pressed the lobby button and watched as the doors closed, before turning to face Rain. "So, Rain... what do you wanna do?"
"I don't know." she shrugged modestly. "And I can't think of anywhere..."
"How about we get some grub?" Storm proposed, still baffled that he was seeing the very first friend he ever made before his very eyes. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"Sure." she smiled. "We can discuss over lunch."
"So, Rain." begun Storm, before eating a plateful of hay fries. They were at a local diner, which stood right next to the railroad, out of the downtown area of Detrot, it's skyscrapers still being in clear view. "How's school been for you, huh?"
"It's went great, Storm." she smiled. "I've learned a whole lot of new things that they wouldn't have taught me in the Griffon Empire, including how to play guitar."
"You know how to play guitar?" gasped Storm.
"Yep." she grinned. "I can play every song you give me perfectly, by ear no less."
"Sounds awesome."
"Do you play an instrument, Storm?" she asked.
"Nope. I've tried to play drums before, but I'm not good." he confessed, watching her scarf down a hayburger.
"Remember, practice makes perfect." Rain smiled. "Besides, what good is learning how to play something if you're just gonna put it down the next day, saying you're not good enough to play?"
"True that." Storm said, before sipping some pop. "Why did you kiss me, back in the supermarket?"
"Well..." she blushed slightly. "To be honest, I've always sort of liked you...ever since we first met in elementary school back in the Griffon Empire...every time you came over to our house, my heart just started to flutter with joy."
"Very poetic." Storm chuckled.
"I know." Rain smiled slightly. "And I wanted to kiss you before you left for Equestria, Storm."
"You did?" he raised his eyebrows.
"Yep..." she smiled. "Only I never managed to, that is until today...and now, I want to do it all over again."
"Ookay." Storm shrugged, watching her pucker up her lips and approach him. She then kissed him on the lips, doing so rather passionately, Storm's eyebrows shrinking to the size of pinpricks as she done so. He backed away in absolute shock, almost falling off his chair in the process.
"What, have you never been kissed before?" she asked.
"Rain?" sighed Storm. "There's something I have to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I have a marefriend back home." replied Storm.
"So?" Rain asked. "She's not here to see us."
"Still, I prefer to stay with one mare, instead of cheating on her with some other mare." explained Storm.
"Storm, come on." she coaxed him. "She's nowhere near Detrot, and plus, I've waited for the past couple of years to see you again...and now that you're here, I don't want to waste a single moment without you..."
"No, Rain." groaned Storm. "Like I told you already, I have a marefriend back home."
"So, you don't like me anymore?" she raised her eyebrows.
"No, no." replied Storm. "It's not that."
"Well, what is it?" she asked.
"I told you, I don't want to have two marefriends at any one time, plus, long-distance relationships almost never work." explained Storm. "We live a quarter of the way across the entire country from one another. How are we meant to stay in touch? How are we meant to communicate? How are we meant to go on dates? Through letters?"
"You're right." she sighed.
"Rain, don't get upset, please." begun Storm. "I'm sorry, but that's just the way things are...if I wasn't in love with another mare, and if I didn't live as far from you as I do, things would probably be different. I seriously don't want two marefriends; I'm happy with just one."
"Alright." she sighed. "I still really like you though..."
"I like you too." Storm smiled at her. "And by like you, I mean I really, really like you, but my heart belongs to somepony else. However, that doesn't change how much I like you as a friend. I mean, you were the first friend I ever made..."
"Really?"
"Yep." Storm smiled. "Come on, let's go back home."
"You go back." Rain smiled. "Alright?"
"Why aren't you coming?" asked Storm.
"I'm waiting for Behemoth." she explained. "We're going to catch a film at the theater."
"Oh, cool." smiled Storm. "Enjoy."
"Thanks." she grinned. "You too. Enjoy your last day in Detrot."
"Bye." Storm waved at her, walking out of the diner.
Twenty-five minutes later, Storm returned to the apartment, where for some reason, Grandma Hail Storm was the only pony that was waiting for him.
"Hey grandma." replied Storm, noticing her.
"Hi, sweetie." she smiled. "Your dad's away in town right now."
"What is he doing?" asked Storm.
"He went shopping in a mall a couple of miles out of town. He should be back in an hour or so." replied Hail Storm. "Hungry?"
"No, not really." Storm shrugged. He was kinda ticked off that High Wind never told him that he was going shopping, but he was sort of used to it, considering just how much their usually-positive father and son relationship has spiralled downwards. He sighed, before walking into the living room and flipping the TV on.
After turning it on and tuning into the channel where the hoofball game was on to see the game results, he heard an ear-piercingly loud scream. He jumped off the couch and trotted out of the living room, before looking around the corridor. He saw nothing, and came to the conclusion that it either came from the other apartment block, around a block or something away, or it was all in his head.
Just then, he walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, and what he saw absolutely horrified him. He saw his grandma, lying on the floor, screaming in anguish and writhing across the kitchen floor.
"Grandma, what the hay happened?" he asked, helping her up and helping her to walk.
"I slipped, and landed on my hip---AHHHH!" she screamed, like Storm had never heard her scream before. "What's with my accidents lately?"
"I don't know, but what I do know, is that it could get worse if we don't get you to hospital on time." replied Storm. "So, let's go, pronto." Grandma Hail Storm only nodded in reply, being in too much pain to talk. Storm gave her a reassuring smile, before wrapping his wing around her and trotting out of the apartment as fast as lightning, slamming the door behind him.
Storm trotted up to the elevator, holding his grandma under his wing, who was in deep pain, and repeatedly mashed the button. Soon enough, the elevator arrived and the doors slid open, allowing Storm and his grandma to enter. He then pressed the "L" button, for lobby, before pressing the "close doors" button as fast as possible, watching the doors close before his very eyes.
"Grandma, it's gonna be okay." Storm reassured her, watching the tearful mare cower in the corner of the elevator. "You're already doing great. Just don't put too much pressure on that hip."
"Storm, you know I'm---I'm an old mare." she stuttered under her breath. "I'm 75... I don't know if I can go through any more of this pain..."
"Grandma, no. Don't give up." Storm pleaded. "Just tell me, where is the nearest hospital?"
"At the intersection of 57th and Hoof." replied his grandma. "It's a twelve-block long walk there..."
"I can fly, you know." he smiled.
"I don't want to fly, sweetie." replied Grandma Hail Storm. "Especially with this hip."
"Grandma, we'll get there quicker." replied Storm, helping her up. "Please..."
"I'd rather take a taxi carriage." she explained, still in deep pain and tears. "Or the bus."
"No, grandma." replied Storm. "The quicker we get there, the more of a chance you'll have..."
"Alright..." she nodded in reply, watching the elevator doors slide open at the lobby floor, the receptionist apparently being out for a lunch break, which allowed them to get out of the building without any hassle. Storm wrapped his wing around her again, and they both trotted out of the apartment building, and before Grandma Hail Storm knew it, they were already in mid-air, and flying towards the hospital.
Soon enough, they had both arrived at a hospital, or to be more exact, the hospital; the Detrot Medical Center was the largest hospital in that part of Equestria alone, serving not just the city, but almost every single community to the north of the city in Marechigan. They trotted through the entrance and into the hospital lobby, where Storm set his grandma down on a chair. She appeared to be ever-so-slightly weaker than she was before, and Storm knew it could get much worse if she didn't receive urgent medical attention, especially considering that she was in her mid-seventies. He trotted up to the reception desk and tapped the desk rapidly with his hoof, eventually catching the receptionist's attention.
"Ma'am." said Storm, sweat dripping off his face as he looked at the female receptionist at the desk. "I need a doctor, and fast. I have a mare who damaged her hip... I don't know if it's dislocated, broken or whatever, but what I can tell you is that she's over seventy."
"What's her name?" asked the mare.
"Hail Storm." replied Storm, watching the mare type the name into her computer. "Please, hurry."
"It's not my fault this program is so slow..." the mare rolled her eyes. "Ah, there it is. Born Cloudsdale, Central Equestria, October 17, 1930. Her son had applied for Senior Health Insurance eleven years ago. She's got dementia and she fell off a chair a week ago, which resulted in her hoof being dislocated. What's the problem now?"
"She slipped on the kitchen floor and landed on her hip." replied Storm. "Please, just get me a doctor."
"Alright, sir. You wait a minute while I call up the doctor." said the mare, picking up a phone and dialing the doctor. "Sir?"
Yeah?
"I have an elderly mare by the name of Hail Storm here to see you. It's urgent."
It's always urgent when she's around...fine, I'll be up to the reception in a few moments.
"Alright, sir." the mare put down the phone. "He'll be here to see you in a little moment. For now, please sit down."
"Okay, thank you." replied Storm, before trotting up to the seat where his grandma was sitting at. She seemed to be in intense agony, and looked to be worse now than she was before. Storm took her hooves and held them tightly.
"Grandma, it'll be alright." he said. "The doctor will see you in a moment."
"You sure?" she raised an eyebrow, tears rolling out of her eyes as she did so.
"Yep." he gave her a reassuring smile, which she unfortunately, did not return. "Grandma, please. Calm down. It'll be alright, I promise."
"Sir?" asked the doctor, having just arrived with an entire medical team carrying a stretcher at Storm's location. Storm immediately stood up at attention, and facing the doctor, who was several inches smaller than he was. He had a slightly-greying brown mane and a large beard, and a bandaged hoof as his cutie mark.
"Yes?" asked Storm. "Grandma, it's the doctor."
"Would you mind explaining what happened to the mare?"
"My grandma?"
"Yep." replied the doctor.
"I have no idea. She slipped on the floor and landed on her hip. That's virtually all I can tell you right now." said Storm, watching the medics put Storm's grandma into a stretcher.
"I see." replied the doctor, writing down her details on a clipboard. "Come with me please."
"Alright..." Storm shrugged, although his nervousness persisted as he followed the doctor, who led him and the medics into an elevator, which took them up to the eighth floor of the hospital, where life-threatening injuries were treated. "Do you think she'll be alright, doc?"
"Definitely." replied the doctor. "For her age, she's a strong mare. And she's doing great right now."
"I hope so." Storm groaned, watching the doors of the elevator open at the eighth floor. The medics carried Storm's grandma into an empty ward, where they laid her as gently as possible in a vacant bed, plugging her into an IV pump and a heart monitor, which displayed her heartbeat as rapid. "Grandma, please." begun Storm. "Calm down. It'll all be alright."
"They're gonna give you a quick X-ray." replied Storm, watching the doctors haul over an X-ray generator. "Have you ever had one taken?"
"I have." she replied.
"It's quick and it's painless, alright?" replied Storm, watching her nod in reply.
The X-ray of her hip was taken around a minute later, and around ten minutes later, the doctors got a printed image of her hip.
"I'm afraid her hip is badly broken in two places." said the doctor, showing Storm and a tearful Hail Storm the generated picture. "It could've ended up a whole lot worse though. I'm sure your grandma's very proud of you, young stallion."
"What are you guys going to do?" asked Storm.
"Well, we have two options." begun the doctor. "The first one is to replace her hip with a prosthetic one bound directly to the remaining bone via magic. This technology has only recently been getting utilized in Equestria, and so, it's the more costlier option. The second, cheaper option is to surgically remove and replace the entire part of the hip with a traditional, metal implant."
"Grandma, what do you think?" asked Storm.
"Anything goes." came the reply.
"Grandma, you have to choose something." groaned Storm.
"I don't know how many bits I've got on my health insurance, so..." she begun. "I'm going to go for the surgical option."
"We can perform the surgery today, if you wish." replied the doctor. "The operation usually takes a couple of hours, and most of the time, it goes without any complications. You'll be back to your everyday self in a few weeks, ma'am."
"Alright." replied Hail Storm. "Storm?"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Thank you." she smiled. "Without you, we probably won't be talking right now..."
"Grandma, I had to get you to the hospital as soon as possible." sighed Storm. "I hope this operation goes well for you."
"I hope so too, sweetie." she replied. "You're cut out to be a doctor yourself."
"Grandma, I don't want to be a doctor..." replied Storm. "I want to be a Royal Guard, but I'd do anything I can to help you."
"Sir?" asked the nurse.
"Call me Stormfire." replied Storm. "And yeah?"
"You'll be able to visit your grandma tomorrow, alright?"
"Yes ma'am." sighed Storm.
"Where the hay is your grandma, Storm?" asked High, having just returned from the mall. "Tell me... Did she get confused and get lost somewhere out there?" he pointed out of the window towards the city's skyline, which seemed to extend forever.
"Dad..." Storm sighed. "She broke her hip..."
"What?" High's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks.
"She's having surgery as we speak..." sighed Storm.
"How did she---" begun High, but he was paused by Storm.
"I don't know, okay?!" yelled Storm.
"Don't yell at me, young stallion." growled High. "Tell me what the hay went wrong."
"Dad, I just told you! I have no idea what happened!" shouted Storm. "I just came out from the living room and she just screamed! I was so confused--She said she broke her hip, so I took her to hospital and---...dad...don't hate me...please...."
However, High did not reply, and instead stared out of the window at the harbor before him.
"Thank you." he said after a while.
"For what?" asked Storm.
"For getting her to the hospital on time." replied High, still staring out of the window. "Without you being here with me right now...I don't know what I would have done. It seems I was wrong about not taking you with me. You're quite something, you know, Stormfire?"
The next morning...
After packing their bags, Storm and High made their way to the hospital to say goodbye to Grandma Hail Storm, who had just had hip replacement surgery.
"Hey boys." smiled Hail Storm, her entire back right hoof being in a cast which stretched all the way up to her hip.
"Hi grandma." smiled Storm. "How did surgery go?"
"It went well." replied Hail Storm. "They had me on anesthetics for the entire operation, and when I woke up, I felt really queasy. Thank Celestia I feel better now. And thank you for getting me to the hospital on time...I'm gonna have to use one of those fancy magic-powered wheelchairs now to get around."
"Grandma, like I said, I just had to get you here as soon as possible." sighed Storm.
"I know, sweetie." smiled Hail. "High?"
"Yeah, mom?" asked High.
"Your boy's quite something, alright." she winked. "I'm proud of having him as a grandson...and you should be proud of him being your son. Your own dad would be so proud of him too..."
Later that day...
"So, Stormy..." begun Blue, just returning from a screening of the romance movie at the Clousdale Multiplex Movie Theater (the old theater was demolished a few months back to make way for a much more modern building). She was walking through the same park with him that they walked through on their first date. The night was a beautiful one indeed, and despite being on a time limit (even though Solar Blast had grown to trust Storm over the years and accept him as Blue's coltfriend, he still wanted Blue to come back at the right time), they preferred to walk, in order to take in the beauty of the night. "How was Detrot?"
"It was certainly...eventful, to say the least." begun Storm.
"How so?" she asked.
"For once, I got to bond with my dad, over hoofball...I don't think we mended relations completely, but we definitely bonded." replied Storm. "Second, I met an old friend... and thirdly, I saw my grandma, who had surgery yesterday."
"She did?" gasped Blue. "Is she alright?"
"She is now." smiled Storm.
"And I'm so happy for you that you got to bond with your dad..." she nuzzled against him. "Even though you didn't mend fences completely, it was still worth a try...and I didn't know you were into hoofball."
"It's an interest I developed back in middle school, but only now has it grown." explained Storm. "Getting together with my dad...and going on this trip...was certainly interesting. But I sure missed you, babe."
"I missed you too, Stormy..." smiled Blue, nuzzling against him. "And as a next step, I think you should try to bond with your dad a bit more often. Maybe you two share more common interests, other than hoofball."
"Maybe... I'm just a bit...worried." sighed Storm.
"About what?" asked Blue.
"Life." came the reply. "I mean, it scares me to think that we have just over a year of school left... I'm just worried about what'll happen next."
"It scares me too, Stormy." Blue sighed. "But remember, as long as we're both together, whatever is in store for me and you... it'll go great."
"I know." he nuzzled her gently. "Your optimism and positive outlook on life are just some of the things I love about you...Nothing will ever change how much I love you, Blue."
"I love you too, Stormy." she nuzzled him back. "Please...don't leave my side."
"I'll never leave your side, babe." smiled Storm, giving her a kiss on the cheek as they walked off into the night.