"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"
"Huh?" Storm blinked repeatedly, the world around him slowly fading into view as his eyesight cleared. He glanced at the alarm clock right next to his bed, the time being 6:28 in the morning much to his absolute chagrin. Storm was by no means the early bird in the family—that title belonged to High Wind, who got up at around 4 AM in order to go to work, and most of the time, Storm was not even close to earning it, preferring to stay up for much of the night and watch television or play computer games instead of getting a proper, good night's sleep. He knew, however, that if he were to join the Guard after graduating high school, he would have to sort out his sleeping schedule, and putting it off constantly wasn't going to do him any favors. However, before he could at least try to comprehend why he was woken up so 'early', he was slammed in the head by something rather soft, yet very sudden and unexpected; one of his pillows from the small and dumpy couch he had in his room. "What the hell?! Mist?"
"Surprise, bro!" she smiled, sitting at the end of his bed and holding a massive pillow in her hooves. Mist was still sixteen, but personality-wise, she remained as boisterous and as cocky as she was when she first met Storm, now over seven years ago. "Up and at 'em!"
"Mist, it's Saturday morning," Storm groaned, his hooves dropping in tired frustration. "Can you let me have at least an hour of sleep, please?"
"Storm," she rolled her eyes at him before slamming him once more in the face with the pillow, which caused Storm, nearly at his boiling point, to blow a fuse in his brain.
"What is it?" he gnat his teeth, trying not to lash out at his younger sister, who despite being one of his closest friends had the tendency to annoy him.
"It's your graduation, bro," she uttered quietly as she quickly took note of Storm's anger, allowing the words she had just let slip out of her mouth to sink in.
His pupils shrank as the realization that this was his graduation day dawned upon him; June 24 was the day when he was officially done with high school, a day that he had been both waiting for and dreading for quite some time. This was a day Storm had prepared himself for since he turned eighteen all the way back in February, the day when Storm made the leap from his teenage years into the big, bad world of adulthood, and boy was he scared of it. On the one hand, the excitement and thrill of adult life intrigued him, including the prospect of being a Royal Guard, for which he had spent over a year preparing, owning his home and all that jazz, but he knew that if his career in the Guard were to fail, his whole life would come tumbling down. That was a possibility, albeit a rare one, luckily for Storm; he knew he had what it takes to join the Guard, but the idea of that happening scared him. Another thing that scared Storm was whether his dad would be happy with his career choice and accept Storm's decision or not; although High had mellowed down over the years when it came to the Guard, Storm preferred to keep his mouth shut whenever he was around him regarding joining the Guard. On the one hand, if Storm's cutie mark involved protecting ponies, then High should have no say in whether he joins the Guard or not, but on the other, High still wanted Storm to become a weather pony, putting more and more pressure on him to succeed in the months leading up to his graduation, resulting in one promotion to junior storm maker, and on Tornado to move him to the cloud-busting team, which he declined despite usually agreeing with everything High had to say. It was safe to say that Storm faced a sort of dilemma, whether to join the Guard and potentially risk High losing any trust in Storm, or whether to stay on against his own will, and against what destiny had set out for him, in order to please his father.
"I never would have guessed," he chuckled awkwardly, his body shivering slightly in utter nervousness as he got up out of bed, wondering whether he would officially leave school on a positive note or not.
"What's wrong?" Mist's ears perked up as she moved up towards Storm, who sat on his bed staring at the floor.
"It's nothing, sis." Storm tried to mask his inner thoughts and feelings, but he knew that this never works when Mist is around.
"You sure?" she raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't entirely seem like 'it's nothing', Storm. Come on, man. I'm your sister. You can always trust me with your problems."
"I know I can..." Storm gave her a smile, albeit a depressed one. "I'm just worried."
"About what?" Mist asked, noticing his apparent sadness.
"Well...about life..." Storm let out a quick sigh, as Mist wrapped her hoof around his shoulders. "I'm scared of what the future will hold for me..."
"Why?"
"I'm just scared of failing as a Guard..." Storm explained. "And disappointing mom in the process."
"Don't worry, you won't." Mist gave him a reassuring smile.
"How can you be sure?"
"I just know, Storm. You're my brother, and you're one of the strongest and bravest ponies I have ever met. In other words, you're perfect Guard material." Mist winked at him, before hugging him tightly, letting out a tear or two as she done so. "I just don't want to lose the best brother I could ever ask for—well, adopted best brother..."
"Don't worry, Mist. I'll always be there." Storm smiled lovingly at her, also saddened by the reality of leaving the nest that could come immediately after graduation, leaving behind loved ones in the process and moving on with life as a result. "Maybe I'll be far from home, but you can always count on me."
"I hope so." Mist gulped, still continuing embracing one of the closest ponies to her; her older stepbrother.
"But what will dad think?" asked Storm, letting go of Mist.
"Of what?"
"Of me joining the Guard..."
"If that's what your cutie mark says then there should be nothing stopping you from joining." Mist explained. "Everypony is destined for something in their life, whether they like it or not...and that's just the way life works. In my opinion, Dad should realize that there is no way to change that. There is no way to change, or even alter a pony's cutie mark slightly, and even if there was, would you?"
"No." Storm let out a sigh. "I feel that protecting ponies is what I do best."
"And if that's what you do best, then that's what your life goal should be. That's your calling, Storm." Mist gave him a reassuring smile. "Now go get yourself ready, alright?"
"On it." Storm winked at her, before leaving the room in order to go take a long, hot shower, the warm water calming him even marginally and taking his mind off what life had in store for him. After taking a shower, Storm made his way downstairs to the kitchen in order to eat some breakfast, where he was greeted by his proud parents who were dressed all fancy for the occasion; Equinox, who was wearing a long, flowery dress and her usual pair of thick-rimmed glasses, which she wore on a day-to-day basis, and a slightly-greying High Wind, who wore his rather expensive Itailian business suit, which he usually wore to boardroom meetings at the weather factory.
"Hey guys." Storm waved at them as he walked into the kitchen, noticing a large, black robe hanging from one of the cupboards in the back of the kitchen. "What's the occasion?"
"My son has grown up, that's what the occasion is." Equinox smiled a smile of pride, before getting up and embracing her son tightly. "Congratulations, Storm. You're now an adult."
"I knew this day would come." grinned High, getting up out of his chair and walking up to the cupboard from which the black robe hung, taking it off the knob from which it hung and walked up to Storm with it in his hooves. "Here, this was mine."
"Really?" asked Storm, taking the robe from High Wind's grasp and putting it on. "Thanks dad. I thought they hand these out in school though."
"Not necessarily." High shook his head. "Go on, put in on."
"Sure." Storm shrugged, putting on the black robe that graduates wore. "So, how do I look?"
"Wonderful, son." Equinox smiled, looking up at her son, a stallion almost a head taller than she was. "I just can't believe today's the day you finally graduate..."
"Me neither, to be honest." Storm sighed. "It's all gone by so fast..."
"You have no idea." Equinox chuckled, as she wiped her eyes with her hoof. "I just wish you could still be my little colt..."
"Mom, I'm still your little colt." Storm grinned, although with a slight tinge of sadness deep inside. "And that's who I'll always be."
"You've grown up, Storm." High grinned, before a frown appeared on his face. "Congratulations..."
"You don't seem too happy."
"Why?" asked High, some tears falling out of his eyes. "Well... I've raised you as my son for almost eight years now. It just hurts to see you go."
"Aww, dad." Storm groaned playfully, before sitting down at the table, where a bowl of cereal awaited him, along with a stack of envelopes sent by relatives from all over Equestria. "I'm not leaving you guys, just yet."
"Why don't you open them after you eat breakfast, son?" Equinox proposed.
"Alright." Storm begun eating his cereal, after which he begun to stare impassively at the envelopes next to his now-empty bowl of cereal. "Are they for me?" Storm raised an eyebrow, looking at the large pile of unopened envelopes before him.
"Yep." smiled High, both him and Equinox watching as Storm opened each envelope one-by-one, and reading the letters stored inside them.
"I had no idea we had this many relatives..." Storm let out a chuckle, having just finished reading the letters he had received, all being from well-wishers.
"Well, many of these are from family friends as well." Equinox explained, before pulling out a letter from the kitchen counter behind her. "There's even a letter from your uncle, aunt and grandma."
"Grandma Hail Storm?" Storm asked, taking the letter from Equinox's grasp. He had not heard from his grandma ever since she had another operation at least two months ago, this time involving her heart, which had almost failed on more than one occasion, despite being reassured by family members that she was perfectly fine after surgery and had recovered from it pretty well for an elderly mare. Over the past few years, Storm and his grandma had developed a fairly strong bond, despite her slowly dwindling mental and physical health. During school breaks, Storm frequently volunteered to make the nine hundred-mile trip from Cloudsdale to Detrot in order to cater for the elderly mare while Fast Wind and his wife were still touring bars and other venues around Marechigan and Ohayo, which also afforded him the rare opportunity to visit his friend Rainwynd, who having not given up on her ambitions at all, worked in the very supermarket that they had met in and was continuing planning for her career in films.
"Yep." High smiled, watching Storm open the envelope and pull out the letter stored inside it.
3891 Celestial Avenue
Whitetail Heights
DETROT, MARECHIGAN
Equestria
Dear Nephew,
I heard you're graduating! Congratulations, you're finally old enough to leave the nest. Speaking of 'nests', I'd like to mention that we've moved home to one of the outer suburbs, and we now live five blocks away from the airport. Our apartment wasn't bad per se—we've just had some nasty encounters with some of the local gangs... They harassed numerous other neighbors before us, but we seemed to be a favorite target for them, and I'm not quite sure why. I called the police on them numerous times, but that didn't seem to change anything; in fact, it just made things worse. One night while we were asleep, they kicked down our door and vandalized the apartment, so we were pretty much forced to move ASAP. Grandma's told me all about your ambitious plans of joining the Guard upon graduation, and all I can tell you is that I hope it goes well for you, and me and Sweet both hope that one day you can change the world and fix all the wrongs of society. I see potential in you, nephew, yet only you can realize that potential, and nopony else other than you.
In more positive news, Sweet gave birth to a beautiful filly, whom we called Melody. She's by far, the best thing that happened to us since the day we got hitched, and boy are we grateful. She is the apple of our eye, and I hope that we can raise her safely in our new home, and allow her to grow up in a loving, caring environment. How's your marefriend? Is she well?
Well, last but not least, before I take this envelope to the post office, I'd like you to know that your graduation present is in the envelope too. 500 bits, which should be enough for you to get a good start in adulthood. 500 bits can buy you many things, but just remember to save it up! ;-)
Love,
Your Uncle, Aunt, Grandma and baby Cousin
Having finished reading the letter, he pulled out the 500-bit bill from the envelope, to which a small, black and white photograph of Fast Wheels, Sweet, who held their foal in her crib and his grandma was clipped on with a paper clip. Hail Storm had grown much weaker and frailer than Storm remembered her, even though he had last seen her two months ago just before she had her operation. It saddened Storm seeing his grandma in such a state, but he knew and accepted the reality that unfortunately she won't be around forever, as will he and other ponies he knew and loved.
This was the sad truth of life; ponies are born, grow up, get married, have a family, grow old and soon enough, they wither away, and Storm knew that this was the fate that unfortunately awaited him in the future. However, instead of focusing on such a depressing thought, he decided to continue going through his presents.
"So, what do you think son?" asked Equinox.
"It's great." smiled Storm, unclipping the photograph from the 500 bit bill. "It'd be nice if they could be here though."
"Don't worry." High reassured him. "They've been going through some tough times lately. If they weren't, I'm sure as hay they'd be here."
"I've heard... their apartment was ransacked." Storm gulped.
"Horrible, right?"
"Yep."
"Well, it's a good thing they're alright." High replied. "Maybe me and Fast are complete opposites, but we're still the best of friends, and most importantly we're brothers. I just couldn't bear to see anything happen to my only brother."
This talk of brotherhood brought a new thought to Storm's mind; his close bond with Gust, which since his prom a few weeks back, reached its peak. The Lightning Bolts had disbanded a few days after the prom, citing personal differences and family matters as the cause, though they remained close, and surely enough Gust had started work at the music store owned by Destiny's dad. Though they still had their arguments like any two brothers did, they usually resolved them like civilized ponies, and they treated one another with the utmost respect. While Gust was there to provide Storm with 'manly advice', Storm visited him and Destiny at their apartment almost on a daily basis after school, and usually helped around, though he managed to get more important duties such as showing customers around the music store every now and again. Sometimes, he also had the opportunity to perform a drum solo on one of the drum kits at the back of the store, having taught himself the instrument through listening to High Wind’s dusty old jazz records and by taking music theory classes in ninth and tenth grade. Storm hoped to see Gust somewhere in the audience at the graduation ceremony, but he knew that only time would tell whether or not they’d accepted his invitation.
"Storm, I have a present for you as well, well, both me and your dad." Equinox smiled, before pulling out a large rectangular box from beneath the table, Storm somewhat surprised he didn't notice it before. "What is this, you may ask? Well, it's something you've been wanting to get for a while, but I figured it'd be best for you to wait til today."
"Okay." Storm shrugged, watching as Equinox placed the box on to the table.
"Go on, open it up!" Equinox smiled, shuffling back.
"Sure." smiled Storm as he shrugged his shoulders, opening the box and revealing it to be a brand new laptop, encased in protective styrofoam, the exact same one that Storm had wanted for a few months but was, unfortunately, unable to buy. "Oh, my gosh."
"Like it?" Equinox smiled, watching her son stare at the closed rectangular device.
"Of course I do; It's the same one I've been wanting to get since April." grinned Storm. "This will serve me pretty well when I move home myself. Thanks so much mom, thanks dad."
"Glad you like it, sport." High grinned. "But don't thank me, thank your mom."
“Oh, stop it,” Equinox playfully shushed her husband, a bashful blush forming on her face. “We also got a case for it and everything. Wanna take it to your room for now and we can open it up once the ceremony’s over?"
"Of course."
"Also, Storm?" begun High.
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favor, will you?"
"What is it, dad?"
"Try and get a good final grade in weather studies, alright?" asked High.
"I can't promise you anything, but I'll try." Storm replied. "Dad, can we please stop talking about weather for once? That's literally all you talk about."
"Alright. High sighed. "Sure. Go take your laptop upstairs and charge it up, okay?"
"Of course." Storm replied, taking the box upstairs to his room, leaving High and Equinox alone in the kitchen.
"High, what's wrong?" she noticed his nervousness.
"Well---" High begun, lowering his head down in apparent shame. "I just don't---want to see him leave, that's all..."
“Honey, he’ll still be here with us,” Equinox sighed, wrapping her wing around her husband. “But you have to remember that Storm is an adult now...he can’t be with us forever.”
Kicking open the door to his room, Storm placed the laptop box onto his computer desk next to the white, chunky, office-style PC he had on it, deciding that he'll play around with it after returning home from the graduation ceremony, which would begin at 12 PM. Storm wasn’t much of a computer nerd but through tinkering with his father’s PC every now and then and by attending computer clubs at school amassed some knowledge of how they work and function, and began finding enjoyment in using them, in spite of the dialup internet connection at home being rather sub-par at best.
After taking it there, Storm trotted downstairs, however before he could do so, Storm was greeted by Mist, who presumably was going upstairs herself and had her own present in her hooves.
"Here, bro." she smiled, giving him another small box, which he also opened. Inside the box was a small framed picture of Storm, Mist and Gust enjoying themselves at a Lightning Bolts gig, the date on it — October 21, 2005 — displayed in the bottom-right corner of the image in bold orange numerals. "It isn't anything special...it's just some memories. Y'know..."
"Memories are special." Storm smiled at her, before embracing Mist in a tight, yet tender hug. "Thank you for being there for me, Mist... you're by far, the greatest friend I have ever made, not to mention sister."
"Thanks." she looked up at the slightly taller stallion before her, tears rolling out of her eyes. "I just wish you could be there all the time..."
"I'll try, sis." Storm reassured her, as they continued hugging. "I'll always be there for you. Remember what I told you this morning?"
"Yep." she smiled at him.
"And you don't have to worry; I'm not leaving home just yet." Storm replied, ruffling her mane.
"Good afternoon, folks, and I would like to give you all a warm welcome. Today is a special day for our senior class, who are all gathered behind me, in the sense that they are about to graduate from high school and enter the big, bad world of adulthood." chuckled the Principal of the high school, standing in a very tacky suit on an enlarged podium which faced everypony gathered in the hall, including Storm's family, who sat in one of the first few rows of chairs. High, Equinox, Gust, his marefriend Destiny and Mist were all there in the second row of the audience, watching the principal give his opening speech and the graduates behind him, segregated into rows according to height. Storm, standing at four foot five, was one of the tallest students and stood in the back row, while Blue sat on a bench in the first row. He was shaking with nervousness, wondering how the graduation ceremony will turn out, but something already told Storm that it would turn out great. He was generally a straight-A student after all, and was one of the several graduating students that were on the honor roll, but the thought of the ceremony somehow going awry lingered on in his mind. However, what seemed to unnerve Storm the most was the notion that he was virtually standing on the threshold of adulthood. On the one hand, he was happy to be done with high school, but on the other, he knew that upon graduation an onslaught of new responsibilities would await him, ones that he probably wasn't expecting, nor had the time to prepare himself for. However, as the principal continued his speech, Storm managed to soothe his fears of adulthood slightly by telling himself that these responsibilities were all 'part of the fun' of being an adult; these fears soon returned in spite of this upon noticing the sheer vastness of the crowd before him, in which his family could be seen. Storm was never good with large crowds, but he decided that in order to prevent any awkwardness, he'd just go with the flow.
The ceremony kicked off with the twenty or so students in the first rows receiving their diplomas and certificates, including Blue, another honor roll student, who had the widest grin on her face after receiving her diploma. Although she was always modest about it, she was always a straight-A student who did well in tests and finals, and Storm watched her with pride as she walked down the steps off the stage, knowing that her hard work had no doubt paid off by the looks of it. Soon enough, it was time for the middle row to receive their diplomas, before at least twenty minutes later, it was time for the last row, Storm included.
Eventually it was time for Hurricane, who stood next to Storm, to receive his diploma, followed by Storm, who despite being nervous tried to remain as cool and calm as he possibly could.
"Stormfire." The principal spoke into the microphone, holding out his diploma and allowing Storm to walk up to the front of the stage, where he was greeted by a sudden onset of clapping, which initially overwhelmed him. "Here you go, well done.”
"Thank you, sir." Storm shook his hoof, before accepting his diploma from the principal and making his way off the stage trailing Hurricane, who gave him a hoof-five. As he walked down the steps to where his fellow graduates sat, he let out a relieved sigh, before sitting down next to Hurricane. Finally plucking up the courage to take a look at his diploma, his eyes widened in shock as he beheld it at last, the end result of four years of hard, hard work. Although known for oftentimes slacking off with schoolwork and having screwed up somewhat at the end of the first semester with his weather exam, he tended to put maximum effort into the courses he took, so much so that during busy times of the year he'd spend hours at the school library just revising over his coursework, bumping any outstanding grades back up to where they should have been all along. With his grades and honors Storm knew that this was something that could possibly get him into one of the country's top universities, places like Pranceton University near Manehattan—although unlike Blue he personally had no intention of doing so, citing both an unwillingness to take out student loans and an already-chosen and rather rewarding career path that did not require university qualifications.
He was just happy to have school finally out of the way.
Now came enlistment in the Guard, whether High Wind liked it or not.
Truth be told, the ceremony itself was nowhere near as bad as he thought it'd be, and now, as it reached its end, he knew he had just become an adult. Once all the graduating students had received their diplomas to the sound of triumphant and rapturous applause, the ceremony came to a close with a group photo being taken by the school’s yearbook photographer.
The graduating class of 2006.
Afterwards, the students and their parents, including some of Storm's now ex-classmates begun to pour out of the hall, but some still remained in the hall in order to talk to teachers who had also attended the event about their son or daughter's progress in more depth, including Storm's own mom and dad, who seemed to be concerned with Storm's progress in weather studies, a course that had only been introduced to the school district at the start of the school year in early September, but one which all physically-able Pegasi in the school had to take, regardless of age.
"Congratulations, Blue." Storm grinned proudly, hugging his marefriend tightly upon stepping outside. "I can't believe how good that went..."
"Me neither..." she embraced him. "College, here I come!"
“Yeah,” Storm grinned a toothy grin, his heart soaring as he partook in her happiness. “You made it.”
“We both did,” Blue kissed him passionately. “I’m so proud of how far we’ve come.”
"Guess all of that hard work finally paid off, huh?"
"Yeah," Blue smiled, her eyes beady with tears. "I'm so happy that we finally have this stage of our lives out of the way.”
"You know, it's really kind of strange thinking about how fast it's all gone by..."
"It's incredible how fast time goes by, isn't it?" Blue smiled at the stallion before her, before she lowered her head down, letting out a sad sigh as she did so.
"What's wrong?" Storm asked, nuzzling her.
"I just...wish he could be here, you know?" Blue replied, Storm knowing full well who she meant by 'he'.
"Cheer up, Blue." Storm smiled tenderly at her, stroking her chin with his hoof. "I know he's probably thinking about you right now...wherever he may be."
"That's the thing... He's been in deployment for the past couple of months," Blue sighed, leaning against Storm's chest. "And he hasn't come back ever since, not even for a day or two. What if he just doesn't want to? What if he's just so caught up in training or what if--"
"No, Blue." Storm held the tearful mare in his hooves, who leaned against his chest, crying into his fur. "He will be back. I'm sure of it."
"How?"
"Remember what you told me at prom night?" asked Storm, moving back her mane from her face with his hooves. "About the bond between two siblings being something unbreakable, something extraordinary? Well, your brother would go to the ends of the earth to find you, to be there with you whenever you might need him."
"I hope so..." she sighed, still nuzzling against Storm. "I hope so...it's just unnerving to think about, y'know..."
Suddenly...
"Is there a Miss Blue Night here?" asked a voice.
"Huh?" Blue raised an eyebrow, wiping her tears and turning away from Storm, only to notice a rather tall, yet lanky light-blue stallion wearing a camo-colored flight suit and a helmet on his head which covered much of his navy blue mane. The stallion was visibly shuddering and shaking, probably as a result of sheer nervousness overtaking him, which caught the eyes of most, if not all of the ponies gathered in the hall. "Yeah, that's me."
"Congratulations." the helmeted stallion smiled at her.
"Thanks, but who are you?"
"You don't recognize the voice?"
"No...wait. Are you...Oh my gosh." Blue gasped, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. "Lonestar?"
The stallion took off his helmet and dropped it onto the ground, before swishing his messy navy blue mane about in the air, which settled back into its original style immediately after. Blue's heart stopped and her pupils widened as she looked at the stallion before him, and within seconds, her eyes begun to well up with water as she stared at the stallion before her in shock. Without any warning, she trotted up to him, her hooves outstretched, and in turn, the stallion stopped in his tracks and outstretched his front hooves, embracing Blue as tightly as he possibly could, to the sound of a collective 'aww' uttered by the ponies gathered.
"I missed you so much..." Lone nuzzled her tenderly. "You've grown..."
"You have no idea how much I missed you, it's a good thing you're okay, big bro." Blue cuddled against the slightly taller stallion. "I was worried you'd never come home."
"As long as you're home waiting for me, I'll always come back, sooner or later." smiled Lone. "Congratulations, once again."
"Oh my gosh, son." Star and Solar, who were both dressed for the occasion accordingly walked up to them.
"Thank Celestia you're okay..." Star smiled, tears rolling out of her eyes as she embraced the stallion in a crushing hug.
"We were worried sick!" Solar hugged him as well. "We're so glad to have you back."
"Dad, mom..." Lone grinned lovingly at both his parents, tears rolling out of his eyes before his gaze shifted towards Storm who stood in front of him. "And you must be Stormfire."
"Hi." Storm waved a forehoof, locking eyes with the slightly shorter stallion in front of him. "Your sister's told me a lot about you."
"Likewise." replied Lone. "You did well in looking after her."
"Thank you."
"No problem." Lone grinned. "It's a real honor to meet you."
"Likewise." Storm responded, offering a salute and glancing down at his rank insignia. "Thank you for your service...Lonestar."
Lone chuckled all of a sudden. "I was just doing my duty."
"Storm, do you want to come with us to grab something to eat?" Star asked. "We're just headed off to Gino's, at 38th and Wind. It’s that new pizza place that’s just opened up."
"I'm fine, ma'am, honestly. I ate before I left, plus I don't want to get in the way of anything, so..."
"You sure?" Solar asked.
"Positive."
"Well then," Star replied with a smile. "We'll see you later, Storm."
"Storm?" Blue asked, turning back towards him just before the family walked out.
"What is it?" Storm asked.
"I just wanted to say thanks, for everything...these past few years I've spent by your side have been nothing but amazing." Blue walked up to him, nuzzling his side gently. "I love you."
"I love you too, Blue." he embraced her tightly. "And I'll always be there for you, no matter what."
"Likewise."
"Blue, you coming?" Lone turned towards them.
"I am..." Blue turned to give him a quick grin before she broke the embrace all of a sudden. "I gotta go, Stormy."
"Alright." Storm smiled at her. "I'll catch you later, alright?"
"See you later."
"Bye."
Watching the family reunion unfold before him brought a tear to Storm's eye. He had never seen Blue so happy before, and the moment they left, he walked away to where his own family was standing.
"Hey guys." Storm waved his hoof at his family, who all approached him as they made their way out through the emergency exit.
"Storm, I'm so proud of you." Equinox hugged the taller stallion tightly upon stepping outside, her motherly voice breaking up in tears as she did so. "Your grades are exceptional. You really have a bright future ahead of you, son."
"Congrats bro." smiled Mist, giving him a 'hoof five'. “I’m so happy for you.”
"Well done, Storm." grinned Gust, giving his younger brother a hoofbump, before wrapping his hoof around Destiny's body. "We both knew you could do it."
"Thanks, guys." Storm smiled tearfully, before noticing a slightly-enraged High Wind standing behind Equinox. "You don't seem too happy, dad."
"I would be happy..." High growled. "If you didn't bomb your weather studies course."
"Excuse me?" Storm raised an eyebrow, watching Blue leave with her parents and her older brother in the distance, before turning to look at High as they crossed onto the opposite side of the road. His dad had always fussed about that one grade, which had hovered between B and C for much of the school year; part of Storm could understand why, but yet it always felt as though he took it too far. "Dad, it was just a B-, it wasn't a big deal.”
"No big deal?" High gasped. "You failed your weather course!"
"What the hell are you on about? Dad, I still got the credit for it...a B is still a pass! Don't get upset, alright? Take a chill pill."
"Still, you disappoint me." High groaned. "I thought you took it in order to be a better weather pony."
"High, leave Storm alone." Equinox admonished him. "B is still a good grade son, don't listen to your dad."
"I'd be happier if he got an A." groaned High, raising and dropping his hooves to the ground in frustration. "Come on Storm, why couldn't you try even the least bit harder?"
"Dad cut me some slack, I swear to God," Storm groaned in reply. "Weather was never my strong suit, plus, this wasn’t an elective.”
"Why not?"
"How am I supposed to know? I'm not the one that introduced this course into the school district in the first place. For all we know the factory must’ve paid for it to be implemented.”
"And you consider yourself a good weather pony?" High Wind cocked an eyebrow.
"How many times do I have to tell you that I am not planning to continue weather work?" Storm gritted his teeth as they suddenly paused along the sidewalk. "Look, dad. There's something called 'destiny', and that is what decides our lives, not your bullshit."
"I don't have time for this---I'm shipping you out."
"Storm...!" Equinox gasped in shock, before turning to look at her angry husband, who was inches away from allowing all hell to break loose. "High, what's gotten into you? You're... exchanging Storm for that guy from Vanhoover? Exchanging your own son? You're actually going through with that?"
"Equi, I'll handle him." High reprimanded her, before turning back to face Storm. "I'm shipping you out, you got that? Look, Storm. I'm sorry, but that's the way life works."
"What?" Storm asked, his world coming to a sudden halt as he tried to process what High had just told him. A furious glare appeared on his face as the words he had just heard from his own father burned into his mind, and a slight tear dripped out of both his eyes as he tried to comprehend High's sudden revelation. "Where?!"
"I've exchanged you for a guy from the Weather Factory in Vanhoover. You’ll be interning there," replied High. "You're leaving the day after tomorrow."
"How could you?!" Storm got up in High's face, causing the latter to recoil back in shock. "You asshole, you didn't even get my permission! I thought I could trust you!"
"You can, you can..." High stuttered.
"No, I fucking can't!" Storm yelled, completely aghast and at a loss for words. "I—-How did you arrange this? How did you get my signature?... Mom, are you in on this too?”
"Of course not," Equinox stuttered, backing away along the sidewalk, a deathly glare forming on her face as she turned towards her husband. “High, what gave you that idea? Storm didn’t want this at all!”
"It's for your own good." High stuttered, ignoring his wife's cold, hard stare before a glare formed on his face also. “Jeez Storm, it’s just an internship! Why are you acting like a total scumbag?"
"I'm a scumbag?" Storm gasped in shock. "Look who's talking."
"Excuse me?" High scoffed. "Shut up, you little shit. I'm your father and you do exactly as I say!"
"Maybe I'm not ready to leave Cloudsdale yet. Have you ever thought of that?" asked Storm, some tears rolling out of his eyes.
"Storm, you're more than welcome to come crash at our place if you want," Gust suggested, drawing High Wind's immediate ire. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to...nobody is forcing you out. Dad...he has a life here. You can't just do that!"
"Mr. Wind," Destiny began, turning towards High in a futile attempt to mediate between the riled-up stallion and his equally angry and confused stepson. "He's your son...why would you do such a thing?"
"Destiny, Gust, please," High silenced the pair, showing no remorse whatsoever. "I manage all transfers to the factory; I make the final decision on who stays and who goes."
"Dad, have you lost your fucking mind?" Storm asked, drying his eyes with a hoof and trying to regain his bearings. "Have you never thought for once that maybe I like it here? Have you ever considered that I have a life here? That I have a job, a marefriend?"
"I have, but I think you're more than capable enough of looking after yourself!" High yelled, not realizing that they were drawing a crowd of bystanders. "You are, after all, one of the best, most capable weather ponies on the team, and if Tornado doesn't want to promote you, then that's where I step in."
"I'm only a junior storm maker. Dad, you didn't care when Gust found work at Destiny's dad's music store!" Storm yelled, albeit with a markedly lower tone than earlier. "Why do you want me to be a weather pony so badly?"
"Because you're much better at weather than he is! Goddamn it, Storm, when will you learn that this is what you're meant for?" High yelled. "You disgrace me, you piece of shit. You know that?"
"High!" Equinox gasped upon hearing what her husband just said along with several other ponies. "He's your son!"
"I disgrace you?" Storm spat. "You're the one that's practically governing my life. And you know, I hate that! I bucking hate that! I hate it when I don't have control over my own destiny. You don't think I feel disgraced in a way when you pretty much control every aspect of my life?"
"I---I..." High backed away, beginning to realize the error of his ways, before his anger, having got the better of him, kicked back in. "Storm, you're going to Vanhoover. End of."
"I'm not going anywhere." Storm contradicted.
"Says who?"
"I do." Storm spat, the argument taking an incredible emotional toll on him. "It's my life and I'm the one that gets to decide what happens in it. You can threaten me all you want, but you'll never be able to control me. If I had to run away from home just so I can get away from you I'd gladly do it...and you'd never be able to find me again."
"You dare question me?" High asked, his blood beginning to boil in frustration and anger; a small, yet slight sensation of hurt radiated through his body also following Storm's statement. "Storm, you're going to Vanhoover, no questions asked. End of. Let's talk about this at home."
"I'm not talking with you at all." Storm turned away from him in disgust. “How dare you? How fucking dare you?”
"Fine, you know what? Fine." High himself turned away, much to the horror of Equinox, Mist and Gust. "If you don't want to talk, then sure. I'm gonna ignore you as well. You aren't even my son. You're just some little scumbag refugee from the Eastern Kingdoms who came here because his mother got lucky."
"Easy, 'his mother' is your wife, and you're the one that sent us the tickets. She didn't 'get lucky', you ignoramus." Storm sneered, deeply offended at the suggestion of him and his mother being refugees, before outstretching his wings to their full size and trotting down the street. "I thought I could trust you, I thought that I loved you enough to call you my father, but it seems that I was wrong. Screw you, 'dad', or should I even call you that...?" was the last thing he said, tossing away his graduation cap before taking off into the air and away towards home, followed by Mist and Gust.
"Hold on, where are you going?" asked High, looking at Gust.
"After my brother." came the reply, before Gust trotted out as well. "Dad, how could you?"
"High, how could you?" Equinox cried, looking at the emotionless stallion before her, apparently proud of himself for what he had done. "He's our son... when the buck will you realize that you can't control his future?"
"He needs to know his place." High let out a sigh. "Stupid teenage brat. When will he see that this is his life?"