Vulnerable

by Nimbus92

Is there any blue berry frosting, or not? Cause I'm getting hungry

Rainbowshine paced back and forth, about as fast as her breathing was, all around the entertainment room, waiting, hoping to just hear something, anything from Rainbow Dash. It had been far too long since she left the house and the weather outside wasn't going to get any better any time soon. She kept checking the window every ten minutes looking for the sight of her daughter making her way to the door, but every time she checked, it was the same thing. She would see the wind just getting faster and more lethal by the minute. The least of her worries was having to cancel the Family Reunion she and Storm had been planning for the past two months. "Storm..." Rainbowshine looked to her husband for assurance. She was waiting for him to tell her that she had nothing to worry about and that everything was going to be alright, but he just as worried as she was. "You don't think anything happened to them, do you?" Rainbowshine asked, approaching her husband.

"I'd love to say that Rainbow is ok, but..." Rainbowshine caught on to Storm's absent concern for Nimbus "Something tells me that something's wrong. Like a sixth sense kind of feeling." Storm stood up strongly and asked "You feel it too, right?"

Rainbowshine nodded. She knew exactly what Storm was referring to. It was the sixth sense every good parent knew about. The sense that was only triggered when something terrible had happened to your child and it was too late to try and fix it.

Storm bow his forehead on the cold nearly frozen glass of the front window. "She shouldn't have gone out. We TOLD her not to go out. But what does she do? She-"

Rainbowshine shushed Storm rapidly as a slow pace of hooves clopped repeatedly across their kitchen floor. "Now's not the time, Storm." She said sternly "At least not while your mother is here!"

"My mother's older than Cloudsale itself." Storm said, keeping his forehead on the glass "She can't hear us all the way from the kitchen."

"I heard that!" An old dark blue mare mare in a wheel chair said, rolling into the entertainment room, armed with her cane in hoof. She swung it and struck Storm in the back thigh of his left hind leg.

Storm snapped to action and grasped the thigh firmly in his hooves. "What. The. Hell." Storm swore at his mother. He flinched as she rose her cane above his head.

"And you swear at your own mother? In front of your own family? Shame on you!" Storm's mother said. She struck him on the head with another swing of her cane, and then she struck his hooves when he clasped them over his mane. The rest of the Rainbow family (that were capable of making it through the storm) watched helplessly but cheered on the ragged-but-hot-blooded old mare who was viciously clobbering her own son with a simple lacquered stick.

Rainbowshine sighed sadly. "Stratus, please" She pleaded to her mother-in-law "Storm's under a lot of stress right now."

"He's about to be under six feet of dirt if he doesn't clean his act!" Stratus snapped back. Despite his mother's threat, Storm knew he was fortunate enough to be buried before his own mother. Stratus's brutal beating stopped when a knock at the door over volumed Storm's screaming curses.

Daisy Cloud, the youngest of all the Rainbow Family, skidded quickly towards the door. "I'll get it!" Her wings were too weak and cold at the moment, as a result of getting through the storm. Her hooves stayed in place at a quick pace right before she shot off. She jumped, aimed for the door knob, grabbed it and twisted it open, all in as little as two seconds. "She hoof pumped strongly as she hooted "Woohoo! Personal best!"

Stratus rolled her eys and spun around in her chair to face the door. Even though her legs were incapable of carrying her from point A to B, Stratus's wings were willed and strong enough to fly her and the newly added weight of her chair around, as if she were in her prime again. Stratus hovered herself a few inches off the ground, carelessly dragging the wheels of her chair. She was met by an armored black unicorn, once she reached the door. Stratus was about to happily greet the nice young guard, but the unicorn had no time for needless introductions.

"Are you the legal guardian of Rainbow Dash?" the guard asked firmly.

"I'm her grandmother." Stratus nodded, taking in the seriousness of the unicorns voice. Through all her many years of living, Stratus knew whenever a guard specifically asked for the legal guardian of a minor trouble wasn't too far behind, but that factor had already been considered by the whole family. "Is she ok?" Stratus asked "Is Rainbow Dash ok?"

The unicorn made no expression towards the question or the concerned mare, "You need to follow me. We need somepony to help confirm the body."

***

The aroma of blue berry frosted cup cakes delicately dipped in chocolate filled Nimbus's nostrils. He couldn't raise himself up to a sitting position without the assistance of his hooves, his core hurt too much. His abs felt tight, almost like he had spent a whole week at the gym dedicated to cardio, and he would have believed he did too, if he actually DID cardio more than once a month. Feeling the sides of his stomach, Nimbus could tell that he was getting incredibly soft on the sides. Not fat or flabby exactly, but every time he grabbed the sides of his stomach and let go it would jiggle like silicone for a good few seconds. Nimbus frowned at his physique and was about to tel himself to go on a diet, but the same aroma that woke him up passed through his nose once again.

Nimbus got to all four hooves and began sniffing around for the source. Finally looking around at where he was, Nimbus realized he was somewhere high up in the clouds, not Cloudsdale though. This place was too open, empty, and quiet to be anywhere near large civilization. Where am I? Nimbus thought.

He took one step forward and felt absolutely nothing beneath his hooves. He looked and scurried to grab on to something close by, once he noticed he had been standing on nothing at all. He scurried for a good minute before he registered that he wasn't in any danger of falling. In hindsight though, Nimbus slapped himself for not remembering to just flap his wings next time. Nimbus took another look at the ground below him. the sky laid beneath his hooves, he was literally waling on thin air, and he couldn't see much else past that. It was to foggy and he was too far up to make out what was down below.

Taking another step forward Nimbus heard a call for his name "Nimbus" The calling possessed a very beautiful tone, a harp type kind of sound to it. It called again "Nimbus" whoever this pony,or creature, was Nimbus wanted to find them. The voice lured him in father and father away from his previous spot, but he couldn't find it anywhere.

Each call seemed it was coming from a different direction. Was there more than one? Nimbus couldn't tell. Finally fed up with looking Nimbus asked kindly"Where are you?!"

She called him again. "Nimbus?" Except this time her voiced seemed to take more of a boyish tone.

Not taking note of the immediate difference in the voice, Nimbus asked sweetly "Yes, babe?"

There was an immediate silence before the voice came back and yelled "Did you just call me babe, guano breath?"

*** Nimbus's eyes rolled side to side, up and down, and all around before setting themselves in back in a normal stare. Rainbow Dash leaned her head in and pulled his eye lid open to check te dilation of his pupils. "Yeah, they definitely gave you something." Rainbow Dash said, turning her head now to the night stand beside Nimbus's hospital bed. "Oh yeah." She added casually and unamused "they gave you something REALLY heavy." She let go of Nimbus's eye lid, allowing it to slap his eyeball and make him shed a single tear.

Blinking furiously, Nimbus was able to get rid of the white light that was blinding him. The light started to disappear at an extremely slow pace, but at least now Nimbus could make out objects in front of him, or at least the Rainbow Dash standing on his bed....with her muddy ass hooves! Nimbus immediately snapped into action. He lifted his left foreleg to protest at her, until a sharp pain stabbed him mercilessly in the shoulder. The pain was aggravating. Nimbus could have sworn somepony had taken a double edge knife to his shoulder and twisted it between their hooves like a spin top.

"Yeah, you probably DON'T want to do that." Rainbow Dash informed. Judging from her tone, Nimbus could tell that she didn't seem to distraught about him being shot, or if she was, she was doing a real good job of hiding it. Possibly one of her many good traits, depending on how one looks at it.

Now that Nimbus could see better, he noticed the bandaged mildly bloodied wrapping across Rainbow Dash's forehead. He opened his mouth to talk, but as soon as his tongue started to move, his entire throat lit up in a burning fiery sensation faster than the night stand lamp could come on. They must have given him something in his throat as well.

"Probably should have warned you about that too." Rainbow Dash added, watching Nimbus cough and grab at his throat. "You somehow got a hold of some silicone when the nurse left you alone for about ten minutes. You swallowed a good amount, for some odd reason, before she came back. They got most of it out, buuuut apparently not all of it."

Oh great, I'm suffering from Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Why they even put me in a room with something so dangerous when I'm on drugs? Nimbus thought to himself as he wondered what else Rainbow Dash was leaving out. Was he an expecting mother now too? Wouldn't surprise him. What did surprise him was how casual Rainbow Dash was acting about this whole situation. Did she not care, or was there something else even wore going on?

Rainbow Dash smiled crookedly and bopped Nimbus in his nose. "You know what, Nimbus?"

Nimbus asked What? by responding with a lifted eyebrow.

Rainbow Dash turned over on her back, her eyes still set on Nimbus, with her dirty hooves up in the air, and kicked playfully. "Your a funny looking mother lover."

Well, that answers my question Nimbus thought She's on drugs too, and some really good drugs He wondered if they were planning on prescribing a few to her. Just one or two of those babies should make a good weekend or Saturday night.

Rainbow Dash got back up and put a mud crusted hoof on Nimbus's chest. The force behind it was soft, but the mud clumps and loose dirt made the touch unbearable. Bit sized balls of the mud stuck and clanged to Nimbus's coat deeper than a blood sucking tick, which Nimbus wasn't a complete stranger too either. Shouldn't they have cleaned her before letting her in Nimbus thought. He looked down at her hoof and back up at her face numerous times, his expression asking her What are you doing?

Rainbow Dash laughed, her saliva and spit from her open mouth rained on Nimbus's face and torso. "Oh, Nimbus, stop being such a Nelly Willy!"

Nelly Willy? Really?!

"Hey! What to see something cool?" Rainbow Dash asked in a neck hair curling whisper.

NO! Nimbus crossed his hooves and pouted his lip out at her, after pushing her and her nasty foul smelling hoof off of him. Rainbow Dash's hoof dragged across his chest and left a long turd colored skid mark across his chest. Nimbus looked down and wailed his forelegs furiously at Rainbow Dash, translating to Now look what you did! Thanks to the stench of Rainbow Dash's hoof mark, he wondered where the blue berry aroma he smelt earlier had came from.

Rainbow Dash, taking no offense to the shove, didn't need to look at Nimbus's reaction to tell what he was saying. She and Nimbus had developed such a good relationship that they could literally read each others minds from across a room just by small expressions to one another. She tilted her head and gave him a slight smile You're the one who pushed me, smart one

Nimbus turned his head to the side and keep his left eye in a death glare at her You're the one on drugs and high in the clouds without any wings

"You're the one who crapped yourself" Rainbow Dash laughed out out loud with a girly squeal.

Nimbus snapped his head back and his eyes widened in question ...what?

"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you about that."

No surprise there Nimbus rolled his eyes and flashed Rainbow Dash a strenuous expression that lacked humor, happiness, and joy.

Rainbow Dash sat down at the bottom of Nimbus's extended hind legs underneath the blankets he was under. "When you got shot, the bullet actually didn't really do too much damage to you." Nimbus waited for Rainbow Dash to continue as he adjusted himself to a more comfortable sitting position. "You were only going slightly less faster than the bullet. So, when it made impact it barely penetrated your coat."

Nimbus's eyes opened even wider than before, his pupils were now almost the size of a dot. I almost went as fast as a bullet? Despite the fact that Rainbow Dash was faster than the speed of sound, Nimbus felt like he was the fastest pony to have ever lived! Even though he could only move at the speed of a bullet for about a few inches. Nimbus threw his hooves victoriously and cheered internally I'm Nimbus, and I am the fastest pony ever! He stabbed his hoof multiple times at Rainbow Dash's nose, laughing silent, which she translated to Screw you, Rainbow Dash!

Rainbow Dash ignored his victorious banter and nodded "Yeah, but you fainted from sudden fear and exhaustion. It put so much stress on your body that you pooped everywhere, making the perpetrator run away."

That was when Nimbus looked down at Rainbow Dash's hooves and the strangely colored skid mark on his chest in a quivering trauma of fear. That's all m-me?

Rainbow Dash nodded quickly and dashed away out of Nimbus's room before Nimbus could reach his hooves up fast enough to her throat.

***

"That's more than I weigh!" Daisy Cloud squeaked as she watched Nurses wash off the fecal matter off Rainbow Dash's hooves.

"That's not even half of it." Rainbow Dash admitted, sharing a laugh with the little filly.

"You seem to be taking it fairly lightly." Stratus exclaimed. Wind fighter, Rainbow Dash's uncle, brother to Storm, nudged Stratus with his elbow and showed her the prescription bottle they had given to Rainbow Dash. The contents of the bottle contained tiny little round pills that had a candy apple red coating to it. Excitedly, Stratus popped the cap off and sprinkled two pills from the bottle and took them dryly down her throat. She felt the effects almost immediately and slouched even lower in her wheel chair. "Oh, now I see why. I haven't had these since I was in flight school."

Ignoring his mothers babble, Storm went to the nurse and asked her "Do you know anything about the body we were supposed to identify?"

The nurse nodded "I do, but that won't be necessary now. We found out who the other patient was fairly quickly once Doctor Tomahawk entered the medical bay. Doctor Tomahawk immediately identified Nimbus once he saw him. We would have asked your daughter, but she was talking too fast and incomprehensible for us to understand her. So, we found a way t calm her down. Sorry for worrying you, sir."

Storm rolled his eyes and went back to his family, muttering under his breath "Thank you so much for the dramatic suspense!"

"He really took the term 'scared the crap out of me' to a whole new level, huh?" Rainbow Dash told in uncontrollable laughter to Daisy Cloud.

"Who's 'He'?" Daisy and Stratus both asked simultaneously. Daisy asking in a curious tone, Stratus asking in a almost dreamy interested tone.

"Why, Nimbus, of course!" Rainbow Dash said, shaking the remaining water off f her hooves once the nurses finished towel drying her.

"Back up. Nimbus?" Wind fighter asked. His was fairly damaged as a result of combat as a royal guard, but he was still pretty audible to understand.

Rainbow Dash nodded "Yep. the bestest friend ever!"

"Probably the drugs talking." Rainbowshine informed her brother in law.

"They're not really friends?" Wind Fighter asked, confused as to who this Nimbus character was and as to why he crapped all over his nieces hooves.

"No, they are. Really good friends actually, but it's that kind of friendship where they don't say nice things to each other." Rainbowshine said, repeating the phrase back to herself. she pondered if Fighter was going to be able to understand the strange logic behind the relationship of Rainbow Dash and Nimbus.

Apparently, he did, as Fighter went "Ah" and added "So they're dating."

Rainbow Dash would have originally blushed red with frustration. Other ponies believing she and Nimbus were dating was ecoming more of a common trend then she'd have liked. Just because they were older now and were seen together more times than they were apart automatically meant they were filly and colt friend? She was about to to quickly deny her uncle's false accusation, but her own father, Storm, beat her to the punch at a much louder volume than anypony could have seen coming."NO!" Storm roared. His voice blasted like a cannon, killing the whole room into silence wit his volume. If Wind Fighter hadn't recognized his own brother's voice, he would have dived for cover fire. Poor Daisy Cloud had gotten so scared from the booming yell that she ended up hanging upside down from the ceiling light with absolutely no explanation how she got there. Storm coughed awkwardly and repeated, quietly this time "No. They are not dating."

"Brother" Wind Fighter chuckled "You said that like you're almost threatened by this Nimbus fellow."

"He is." Rainbowshine said bravely, not afraid to give her husband a nod when he shot her with a maddening glare that could have sent an Ursa Minor crying back home to its mother.

"I am NOT threatened by that bed mane styled energetic fast talking punk Nimbus" Storm stomped his hoof firmly to the ground. Shaking a few empty syringes that laid openly out on the medical tray.

Everypony in the room, even the nurses, looked at Storm with disapproving and unconvinced glances and said "Yes, you are."

"What are you scared of, honey?" Rainbowshine asked Storm when she put her head comfortably on is chest.

"He doesn't know when to die." Storm said firmly and dryly.

"STORM!" Stratus yelled angrily.

"No, seriously, this kid doesn't die. He got left to fend for himself by his parents as a foal, attacked by goblins as a colt, had the top of a house fall on him, I think set on fire on hearts and hooves day..." Storm and the rest of his family looked towards Rainbow Dash for confirmation.

Rainbow Dash backed up away from her family's glares and turned her nose up and away from them. "I don't need to explain myself for what happened. He got what he deserved that day." The drugs were starting to wear off now that Rainbow Dash was progressively coming back to her normal self.

The Rainbow family all nodded in acceptance of Rainbow Dance's answer and Storm continued from where he left off "And now he's been shot. What's next? A meteor falls on him?"

"This is all the same guy?" Stratus asked, bringing her cane (she only used as tool to strike ponies with ) to her chin. "Where is he now?"

"I can take you all to see him" Rainbow Dash said happily, taking poor little daisy cloud down from the ceiling. After setting the delicate filly back on the safe ground, Rainbow turned to heard dad "Once I get done talking with dad though." Rainbow voice had gone from a happy cheer t cold slithering tone. Storm swore he could have heard a hiss come from Rainbow Dash. He tried to ponder why she had suddenly become so angry. He was going to repeat everything he had just previously said back inside his head, but Rainbow Dash's raised and vexed voice made him flinch, knocking his train of thought completely off the rails. "Outside. NOW! Dad." Rainbow Dash said sternly, pointing outside her hospital room and holding the door open for him.

Once outside and far enough from the rest of the family, Rainbow Dash began to scream at her father "What the HELL is your problem?"

Completely caught off guard, and completely cross with her attitude, Storm snapped at her "Just who do you thin you're talking to, Missy?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out. DAD!" Rainbow Dash bursted out. The way she pronounced the word "dad" made Storm think that she didn't know if he was her real father or not. It kind of hurt him to see her questioning who he was so strongly. "You really need to think less poorly of Nimbus."

Again with this guy! Storm was getting really fed up with how everypony was telling him how to treat the young bastard. "Again?! It's always something with this guy. Nimbus this. Nimbus that. It never ends with him. Why is it so important for me to give this guy my approval?"

"I don't need your approval and neither does he. I just want-WE just want you to see his intentions for what they really are, rather than what you just believe." Rainbow Dash corrected herself.

"I've been in his hooves many a plenty of times. He's a guy! You're a mare. I know exactly what his intentions are." Storm fumed.

"Really?! That's what you believe? That's all you see? Nimbus hasn't even-" Rainbow Dash stopped herself. She would have lied if she said that Nimbus hadn't tried to make a move on her before, not that it would have bothered her to lie to her father, but she needed to be straight with him. Rephrasing herself, Rainbow Dash said "You think that's what was on Nimbus's mind when we were eight?"

It had been that long? The reality of the fact that Nimbus had been around for that long actually kind of surprised Storm. It even opened his eyes to see that the mare standing in front of him wasn't his little girl anymore, as much as he wanted to deny it. She was on her way to be a full grown mare and really soon she'd be moving out.

"Dad!" Rainbow Dash blasted. Again Storm had lost himself deep in thought and forgot to answer her question. "Are you even listening to me?" She asked, waving a furious hoof in front of his face.

"You were about to say that Nimbus hasn't tried anything with you, but you stopped yourself." Oh shit. Rainbow Dash saw what question was coming up next from ten hundred miles away. Storm looked around to make sure Rainbowshine and the rest of the family weren't hanging out in the halls somewhere. "You two haven't...well, you know. You two still do have that small cloud club house, right?"

In the club house?! Really? Just what the hell did her dad think they did on a day to day basis. Then again, Rainbow Dash could see why her dad would be so skeptical about Nimbus, seeing it from his perspective, but the whole "club house" thing was completely uncalled for. "No!" Rainbow Dash denied truthfully "Nimbus and I haven't even..." Rainbow Dash choice her next words carefully, wanting to avoid the birds and the bees talk in the middle of a hospital hall with her father, especially after she had just cleaned off Nimbus's bodily waste off of her. "We have even...tried anything."

Well, they haven't had sex. Storm wiped a heavy weight of relief off his forehead before rephrasing himself Actually, they haven't had sex with each other The thought of Rainbow Dash carrying around Nimbus's offspring shuddered Storm's mind in more ways than one.

"I guess we both had the wrong idea about each other, huh?" Rainbow Dash admitted, seeing now that her dad was only concerned about her safety and had no really bad intentions about Nimbus, or at least not personally. "But, do you think you could give him a chance, at least once?" Rainbow Dash pleaded.

Storm groaned "But why? All I ever see or hear about him is how he gets you two into trouble."

"Really?!" Rainbow Dash said, taking note that she was going to have to learn to extend her own vocabulary to find another word for the term "really". "I thought we just talked about that?"

"No, we talked about how he doesn't want to have sex with you." Storm corrected her.

Rainbow Dash made a very light disagreeing expression and a "meh" noise that read "Well...that's not entirely true." Rainbow Dash said "Let's just say that we both agreed his intentions aren't as shady as you think they are."

Storm shrugged. He knew Nimbus was probably (if not already) going to have some sort of sexual desire with Rainbow Dash. He actually would have been more concerned and questioned Nimbus's intentions even deeper if he didn't. "Ok, but every time I hear something about him he's getting into trouble."

"Like when?" Rainbow Dash asked so quickly it almost sounded like a snap.

Storm had already expected this question and was more than happy to answer it, using the mental list he had prepared. "The goblin attack, the house on fire, him getting shot, him catching on fire-"

"I'll cut you off right there" Rainbow Dash interrupted "Do you see the connection with all those things, except for the one when he caught on fire?"

"He went to the hospital?" Storm put bluntly. He was actually surprised with how empty the hallways were, especially during visiting hours and how loud he and Rainbow Dash were going back and forth at each other with nopony making a noise complaint.

Though not exactly false, Rainbow Dash face hoofed and shook her head, "No. He was saving somepony each time, usually me." Rainbow Dash removed her hoof from her and asked her dad in a less threatening but still firm tone "Or were you only looking at all the things he did wrong again?"

"What?" Storm blurted out, he knew she and Nimbus got into some fairly small trouble most times than often, it was no secret, but now that he was hearing that Rainbow Dash was in more danger than what he originally thought scared him now more than ever. "You were in life threatening danger?"

"REALLY?!" There she went again, using that word for the thousandth time. "You never heard about any of that? I'm pretty sure mom talks about it like twenty times each month. Nimbus has saved me more than once and has never thrown it in my face or ever asked anything back in return." That's when it hit Rainbow Dash and Storm at the same time. Even from the very beginning, Nimbus had been nothing but a friend to her. It took Storm eight years to see it, but he was just too busy trying to protect Rainbow Dash with his fatherly love to allow himself to see she already had somepony else to watch her when he wasn't there.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, was taking what she just said to a whole other perspective. She knew Nimbus was loyal to the relationship they shared just as much as she was, but that wasn't always the case. At least, not from the very beginning.

"I guess owe a talk with Nimbus" Storm said "And an apology"

"Yeah" Rainbow Dash said quietly, grabbing her foreleg like a snake had just bitten her. " I owe him one too."

***
Nimbus sat up straight and against the pillow neatly placed behind his spine. With all the nurses help, he could get used to this hospitality. He smiled as the nurse threw the towel she used to clean his chest off with in the trash. Nimbus winked and asked her "Pretty cut, huh?" He throat was now fully clear of the silicone, but the magic they used to unlodge it from his throat left a strange empty after taste in his mouth.

"Excuse me?' The nurse asked, not catching his wink or what he was trying to say to her.

Nimbus brought a hoof to his chest and pounded it proudly in the same manner a warrior would pound his shield to an enemy "My chest" Nimbus explained "It's pretty cut, right?" The nurse only stared at him, unimpressed with his unoriginal pursuit at flirting. "Yeah, i been doing a lot of chest at the gym lately." Nimbus lied "I think I'm up to like, Oh I don't know, eight plates now." He shrugged casually, giving the impression that being able to push eight plates was nothing.

The nurse responded "Uh,huh, how much were you pushing when you pooped yourself?" The nurses comment sank Nimbus's morale and confidence down to the very pit of his stomach. She smiled and gave a love tap to his cheek "Take care of yourself, Hun."

Waiting until the nurse opened the door to walk out, Storm trotted into Nimbus's hospital room. Nimbus's heart began to pump blood faster through his body like somepony had replaced it with a Hemi motor. Being stuck in a hospital bed while he was hooked up to three different sets of wires (all of which Nimbus had no idea what purpose they all individually served) with Storm as his only guest wasn't exactly Nimbus's idea of a good situation. Then again, being in any room with Storm alone made Nimbus want to tuck his tail between his legs.

Storm read the startled look on Nimbus's face all to easily. He had seen it many times before, from the very time Nimbus use to be three times smaller and just a colt. Storm kept the door open in hopes to that Nimbus would see it as a sign of conviviality and gaiety. Alas, the gesture only extended the timid expression Nimbus was displaying.

Right when Storm was about to giving him some comforting words, Nimbus broke out into a stuttering stammer "I-I know! I-I-I screwed up. I d-don't mean to put your daughter under constant..."

Storm held up a silencing hoof up to Nimbus from across from the room, destroying every sense of fear he may have instilled in Nimbus. Storm's eyes were flooded with sorriness and begging for forgiveness. Nimbus had never seen Storm seem so...SINCERE to him before. He must have obviously had a change of heart about something, something that must have been slaying him from the inside for Storm project it so openly. "I just had a really long and...eye opening chat with Rainbow" Nimbus figured Storm must have been referring to Rainbow Dash instead of his own wife. "She told me everything."

Nimbus was getting tired of Storm avoiding certain words and beating around the bush. "L-look, Storm." Nimbus started politely, adjusting himself to a more comfortable position in his bed. Storm looked at him with a questioning stare. "If there's something you're trying to say just go ahead and say it." Nimbus tucked his head in between his shoulders "You don't have to act all...tough around me." Nimbus could feel his whole body shivering under the covers like he had just stepped outside into the snow with no winter clothes. He reckoned this must have been how Fluttershy felt almost everyday. "You've proven that you could kick my ass any day in more times than one."

Storm did believe that he could dominate Nimbus in a hoof hoof fight back a few years, back in the day, but that was when Nimbus was a lot smaller. Even if the statement wasn't true anymore, Storm knew Nimbus was just trying to give him the confidence he needed. Clearing his throat, Storm admitted "You're not a bad kid, Nimbus. Actually, scratch that. You're not even a kid anymore, you're a man!"

Storms declaration hit Nimbus's heart with an arrow. Nimbus let a tear roll down his cheek. It was the most polite thing he had ever heard Storm say to anyone, save his wife, Rainbowshine. "W-what's with the sudden change of heart?"

"Because it takes a real man to take a bullet for my daughter, and I'd be wrong to think any less of you."

Nimbus felt like he had just been given a gift he had always wanted but was too nervous to ask for. "I don't know what to say. I guess-"

Storm walked over slowly towards Nimbus's bed, careful not to touch any wires. He leaned over and hugged Nimbus. The hug was tight, strong, and protective. It was the type of hug a father only ever gave to his child. "I'm sorry." Storm said. His eyes were closed and turned away from Nimbus. Nimbus didn't react to the hug or the response until a few seconds later. This was all so sudden and unexpected, he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Nimbus hugged Storm back with the one free foreleg he had left from Storm's embrace. "Sorry for what?"

Still hugging Nimbus tightly, Storm admitted "For not giving you a chance to be part of our family. I want you to show up at our family reunion." Nimbus took a second arrow to the heart. "You have always been part of this family." Then another, this was sturck the water works and forced him to rest his head on Storm's shoulders. "And I want you to take your seat next to me when we get back."

Nimbus was too heart-struck to make a response back. He wanted to call Storm "Dad" before he let him go, but he was too busy trying not to strangle himself with his own tears.

Storm set Nimbus back easily and said "I'd love to stay and chat more, but-"

"Nimbus" It was Rainbow Dash. she stepped into the room. He walk seemed like she dragging a steel chain behind her. She looked like a blend of hurt, sadness, anger, and happy all twisted up into a storm that was about to destroy the city. "We need to talk..."

Shit. Nimbus thought. He knew that phrase all to well. it was a phrase that meant Rainbow Dash must have figured out something he didn't want her to know about it, and now they were going to "talk" about it. Nimbus was so terrified he didn't even notice that Storm had walked out of the room. He must have done it discreetly so he and Rainbow Dash could have time to themselves.

Nimbus was actually kind of missing Storm now, they had just barely gotten to start to get close now. Nimbus began a few words but Rainbow Dash talked over him. "Nimbus, you and I...we go pretty far back." Eight years technically wasn't that long ago according to some other standards, but considering they were barely sixteen, eight years meant they knew each other for half their lives and there was hardly a few day where they weren't together, even with the fact that Nimbus was working now. Nimbus didn't like the suspense Rainbow Dash was trying to create, but he allowed her to keep talking freely. " I need to tell you something you're probably not going to like, but you need it hear it anyways."

Was her family all the same in these type of situations, build up so much suspense that it nearly crushes you, then they drop the full weight of what they're trying to say right at the very end? "Do you remember when we went to the Ever free forest?" Rainbow Dash asked. Her voice sounded sad and her eyes were beginning to go faint, like she was remembering a bad memory she had tried so hard to forget.

Nimbus nodded, remembering the very day he got his cutie mark.

"Well" Rainbow Dash kept rubbing the foreleg she had her hoof on ever since she entered the room. It was an itch that wasn't going to go away until she admitted to something she really didn't want to say. There was also an invisible fire on Rainbow Dash's back that caused her to sweat continuously, despite how cold the room was. Rainbow Dash's eye were switching from looking to the ground and Nimbus periodically. The scene was very unsettling and uncomfortable for Nimbus. Rainbow Dash was obviously about to drop some heavy shit on Nimbus. Which was only a bit ironic. Since Nimbus dropped some of his own literal shit on her. "That...we..." Rainbow Dash breathed in, letting her lungs fill up with air, and breathed out slowly through her nostrils, the same way she did right before a race. "We were never supposed to find that place I told you about, because it never existed. I was planning on leaving you there in the Ever free Forest as a cruel prank." Rainbow Dash admitted painfully.

She had kept the secret locked up inside of her for so long. She just never wanted to admit to it because she was scared of the storm that was sure to follow, and she knew that the storm would only grow bigger as time went on, which scared her even more. As time went on by, she just never could build up the courage or find a way to bring it up in conversation. So, as a result, she just completely forgot it happened.

"That's it?" Nimbus asked, showing little reaction to Rainbow Dash's confession.

The itch finally left Rainbow Dash's leg, the fire on her back was extinguished, and her eyes set deadly cross hairs on Nimbus's forehead. "THAT'S IT? THAT'S IT?!" Rainbow Dash jumped up onto Nimbus's bed and put her knee deep into his stomach and her nose inches away from his nose. She made it completely clear that she lacked respect for other ponies personal space when she was mad. Nimbus, though, knew this song and dance all too well, and was just relieved her hooves were clean this time. "What do you mean 'That's it'? I've been keeping this locked up for years and that's all you have to say?!" Rainbow Dash's voice had gone from as soft as Fluttershy to as cruel as Nightmare Moon's eternal night. Nimbus had pissed her off again. No surprise.

"Rainbow Dash, I have something you're really not going to hear." Nimbus answered, making Rainbow Dash back up a few inches and sit down on the bed, away from Nimbus's hind hooves. Her ears were twitching with interest. "Look, I kind of knew you never really wanted to be my friend in the beginning...I mean you were and still are the fastest pony in school." Nimbus said excitedly, putting a cocky smile on Rainbow Dash's face. "So, when you said you wanted to race me, I was honored by the fact that Rainbow Dash, the most popular and only pony to have performed the sonic rainboom, wanted to hang out with an colt like me."

"Nimbus, it wasn't anything like THAT." Rainbow Dash interrupted. "I wanted to hang out with you a little bit before I thought of the prank,"

"Oh yeah?" Nimbus said sternly "Then where did I use to sit before you and I started talking?"

Rainbow Dash felt the walls closing in around her and her lie, but she decided to turn the tables and play a dirty hand of her own. "Nopony can remember anything like that. If that's the case where did I sit?"

"Second row from the right, Third seat from the front, Mr. Compton's flight history class." Nimbus answered strongly. His hooves were crossed and he wore a an modest smile, waiting for Rainbow Dash's answer.

"That's really creepy, Nimbus." Rainbow Dash pointed out, her thoughts of Nimbus stalking her back when they were kids only growing more intense. "but before we get anymore off topic" Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and tugged at some of the fur around the collar of her blue coat. "I did notice you a little bit before I thought of the prank. I remember you sitting behind me in the row to my right."

Nimbus was actually surprised to hear that she remembered the classroom so well. He wanted to make a smart remark, but a much stronger side of him told him to shut up and listen.

Rainbow Dash continued to speak, taking notice how intrigued Nimbus was "I also remember, whenever I would look behind me, your test would be out in the corner of your desk with all your answers clearly marked for me to see, and you would ALWAYS" Rainbow Dash exaggerated some extra on the last word "be looking the opposite direction of me." Rainbow Dash lidted an eyebrow and leaned in closer towards Nimbus. Nimbus got the sense that she was trying to look inside his mind to see what exactly he was hiding from her, despite the fact she knew good and well what he was hiding. "What exactly were you looking at all the time?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Nimbus could feel the small dark room, that Rainbow Dash was putting him in, close in around him closer and closer. The air around him was thinning and his breathing was starting to increase its pace. He knew lying to Rainbow Dash was an impossible task for him to accomplish. She could and would always see right through them like an open window, but Nimbus couldn't help but to hide the truth. "I really didn't like history class, so I would always be looking at the clock behind me to see what time it was."

"Nimbus" Rainbow Dash backed up again and gave him an unhappy frown "there was no clock back there. The only clock in that class was in the front of the room." Rainbow Dash saw Nimbus shaking underneath the blankets after being caught red hoofed in his crime. "I need you to be absolutely honest with me..." Rainbow Dash allowed Nimbus a few to build some courage back up before asking "Is the reason you do so much for me because-"

"Ok!" Nimbus shouted. Rainbow Dash reacted with a small jump in her chest. The shout wasn't exactly an angry one more than it was more of the kind of shout somepony would use to confess something when they know there's no getting out of the corner they were trapped in. "Alright, you already know this, so don't act surprised, but, yeah, I'm in love with you." Nimbus closed his eyes but still remained to look in Rainbow Dash's direction. "For longer than I can care to admit, I've been in love with you, and every year it only gets worse and worse. Every year I've been waiting for you to give me a sign or to just love me the same way back, but you never do."

Rainbow Dash wasn't likely how cold the room had gotten with the built up tension, it was really uncomfortable and she just wanted it to stop getting colder. " Then if that's the case" Rainbow Dash rubbed and fidgeted with the area behind her ear nervously " why do you still stick around, and how come you've never admitted this before?"

Nimbus answered the question back really slowly with his tucked against his mane. "Because I don't care, I don't care if you and I are never together the way I want us to be. I'd rather live with that then to lose my best friend over some stupid crush." Even though his eyes were still closed, he could tell that Rainbow Dash was displaying wide range of heartening emotions.

"I don't feel the same way about you, Nimbus" Rainbow Dash recoiled a bit from her own words, realizing they came out a lot harsher being said out loud than they did in her head. Not wanting to make an uncomfortable situation into an awkward one, Rainbow Dash shook it off and proceeded to finish what she had to say as she out her hoof underneath Nimbus's chin. She hoped he wouldn't take the gesture from the wrong perspective. "But you should know, you really do have a special place in my heart and you always will."

Nimbus's eyes finally opened back up barely, too scared to get his hopes up if the Rainbow Dash in front of him was just a figment of his imagination and this whole situation was just another dream, like the blue berry frosted cupcakes he had smelt earlier. "You really mean that?" He asked rhetorically

Rainbow Dash pulled him in for a tight hug, unknowingly pinching one of the lesser important wires that were attached to Nimbus. "Of course, I do." She held on to Nimbus for a few seconds as he rested his chin on her shoulders. "Can we just forget we never had this conversation and just be friends, like we always are?"

"Yeah, sure." Nimbus answered sadly. Even though he just told her that he was ok with them being friends, Nimbus felt like he outside back in the rain all alone, allowing the rain to run down his face so nopony could see the tears he was trying to hide but couldn't hold in anymore.

Rainbow Dash and Nimbus both jumped as a series of knocks came from the door leading to the room. After seeing Daisy Cloud's tiny head appear from the viewing window inside the door, Rainbow Dash remembered the rest of her family were all waiting patiently outside to meet the renown Nimbus she had talked about so much. "Nimbus!" she shouted enthusiastically finally releasing the hug and holding Nimbus by his shoulders. "I forgot to tell you. My whole family wanted to meet you."

Nimbus no longer felt like a stray left outside when he saw the tiny filly bouncing up and down who was trying to get a peek inside, and also when he saw the glowing smile on Rainbow Dash's face, but he was kind of nervous being introduced to the entirety of Rainbow Dash's family so unexpectedly. "Y-you mean your WHOLE family?" He asked, not liking the idea of seeing a bunch of ponies who were all about their first impression of him while he was in a hospital bed.

"Yeah, well, at least the ones who could make it through the storm. the rest of them will be making it tomorrow for sure." Rainbow Dash informed Nimbus right before opening the door to let her family in the room all at once.

Nimbus's eyes widened as he the series of so many varieties of the rainbow enter inside his room. There were too many colors moving around and talking in such a small area he couldn't tell which colors belonged to which pony. Hell, the only combination of colors he could recognize were the ones that belonged to Rainbow Dash. If a small hospital room of half of the Rainbow Family looked like somepony had thrown an assortment of paint around the room, he couldn't imagine what a whole house full of the entire Rainbow Family was going to be like. They all gathered around, welcoming and introducing themselves just as colorfully as their manes resembled. Nimbus felt right at home when they told how happy they all were to have finally meet him. He grew incredibly happy when the little filly Daisy Cloud offered him the blue berry frosted cupcakes he had been craving so long.

Comments

[SPACENUGETZ44765]

I was reading this chapter when all of a sudden...

BLAM. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Seems vaguely familiar...

[Nimbus92]

4266507
Haha yeah. I wonder where I got the idea for that word.

[SPACENUGETZ44765]

4270572

Alas, Tis a true mystery...

[Wonderstruck]

Dude...dude...you need to run a spell check before you submit these chapters xD
I kinda skimmed it for now and I'm fairly certain I saw a ecoming instead of becoming :P
And know what to capitalize and what not to :P Family Anniversary doesn't need to be capitalized :P (what is a family anniversary anyways? xD how do you even celebrate a single event that a family decides to celebrate every year? xD do you mean reunion?)
Meanwhile, Daisy cloud does :P coz it's a name :P
Anyways...I liked it :) duh. I always like your ideas :P

[Nimbus92]

4326884
well, thank you, Twilight Sparkle. I was going to send it to you for grammar errors, but I was too tired and lazt, pretty sure you were asleep at the time, and I REALLY didn't feel like taking an extra hour to work on errors once you were done. So,yeah...this is probably your face right now >>>

[Wonderstruck]

4331177 lol I ain't mad :P
And you don't need me to run a spell check :P
Specially with that twilight stuck on your head.
As if she didn't check your spells.
Twilight, I am disappoint.