Soldier of the Night

by Skyfire Storm

First published 7th of August, 2014

The life and love of a young Pegasus Royal Guard and his search for a sense of belonging and purpose.

As a high-ranking and valued member of the Lunar Guard of Equestria, Stormfire's day-to-day life generally revolves around protecting the ponies he holds close to his heart, as well as the Night Princess herself from any possible threats. But just how far will he go to carry out his guard duties? And why does he want to protect them in the first place?

This is his story to tell, just like everypony else has one of their own.

This is his life.

Rated T for frequent language and possibly graphic violence. This story will delve into Stormfire's life in-depth and will be pretty dark and dramatic at times, but I will try to give it comedic elements throughout and an overall optimistic tone. Constructive criticism is accepted; as always, feel free to give advice on how to make the story better. Rude and or hostile comments will be deleted.

Earlier chapters will be undergoing reediting at some point this year.

All OCs in this story (except the ones that belong to me) will be featured with the consent of their respective owners.

Now with its own Fan Wiki and TVTropes pages.

Set in the Pegiverse, from the Great Gryphon War (around twenty-five years ago) to the present day.

Edited with Grammarly. A story about life, love, and how our day-to-day experiences shape us into the kind of people we become.

1. Prologue

"Blazefire, please. Don't do this."

"No, Equinox Moon. I'll be back soon."

"Honey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. You know that, right?"

"Equinox, I don't want to go. But if I don't, I'll be risking the safety of Equestria and quite possibly, the rest of the world. I don't want them coming for you or our son. You know that, right?"

"I'm just worried about you, honey."

"It'll all be alright, honey. Don't worry about me. I will be back before you know it." Blazefire comforted her and gave her a reassuring smile, as he held the tearful mare in his hooves, knowing that this could very well be the last time they ever see each other but not willing to admit it. Where was Blazefire going to, you may ask. Well, Blazefire was a soldier, fighting in the Equestrian military during the Great Gryphon War. Blazefire and Equinox Moon lived together in the small town of Gryffsvale in the Gryphon Empire for just over six months now. The two were both born and raised in the Equestrian city of Cloudsdale, but after they both received scholarships to study weather at the University of Griffonia, the only university in the province and one of the most prestigious institutes of higher education in the world, they moved across the ocean to live in Europone, where they got married and settled down several years before the war had been declared. Blazefire, in an attempt to support the war effort and to play his part, had been adamant about enlisting in the army not long before the war had been declared; whereas Equinox Moon continued working on the town's weather team.

Although both nations were trading partners to some degree, relations between Equestria and the Griffon Empire were founded on shaky ground and had been cool for centuries, despite the large, and booming expat population of Equestrians in several Griffonian towns and cities. There had been talks of a possible war between Equestria and the Gryphon Empire for the past several years, ever since the Empire had admitted to abducting two Equestrian tourists and torturing them for information on the whereabouts of a secret Equestrian military base on the coast of the Gryphon Empire, as well as threatening several smaller nations bordering the country with invasions, most notably Itaily, which has threatened to respond with a full-scale bombing campaign of its own of some of the Empire's biggest and most strategically important cities if attacked. When the tourists explained that they had no idea where the base was located, Gryphon authorities 'disposed' of them and attempted to cover it all up. However, word quickly spread from the Gryphon Empire to Equestria and over the course of the next ten months, relations between Equestria and the Gryphon Empire slowly turned sour. Princess Celestia tried her best to keep things under control and reason with the Gryphons, but after a near-devastating attack on a military base near Canterlot carried out by Gryphon forces who were tasked with locating something of value to the Gryphon authorities on Equestrian soil, she was forced to choose the hard way out. Over the next few months, hundreds of Equestrian stallions were drafted into the military, despite many of them being completely unwilling to fight.

The city of Gryffsvale was the Empire's main hub for Equestrian expats and pony immigrants from all over Mareurope, owing to its status as a border town located very close to the border between Itaily and the Griffon state of Griffonia. The city, which was the second largest settlement in the state, lay two hundred and fifty miles to the west of the battlefields and six and a half miles to the east of the Itailian border near a large and highly secure military outpost at which Blaze was stationed, a former Griffon hospital which was taken over by Equestrian troops after its original occupants moved to a newer building closer to downtown. The city was surrounded by several hundred square miles of thick pine forest from the north, east and south, and connected to other places in the Empire by road and rail, as well as by a small airport on the outskirts of town, which having been replaced by the much larger international airport in Gryfino, a much larger metropolis of 730,000 around fifty miles to the northeast along the coast, was relegated to only serving select domestic destinations. Only a week prior, Blazefire was at said military base, when he was selected to take the place of a fallen stallion, no questions asked.

It took him a while to comprehend the reality of his situation, and perhaps even longer to explain to Equinox Moon that he was being deployed, but when he was told that he was only fighting for two months before he would be able to come back home and go back to Equestria with his young family, he immediately calmed down. However, what he didn't realize was that with every bullet fired, with every bomb dropped and with every troop lost, the war was becoming more fierce and terrible. The chances of him coming back home slimmed with every passing moment, but he had to go and fight for his country and for his family.

There was no other choice.

As they both waited for him to be escorted to the military base, where he would be briefed and would be able to spend one last night there in the barracks before deployment, the stallion began to be overtaken by fear, for not only his family but for his own safety. Blaze, once a Guard in Cloudsdale, was used to working under immense pressure, but the fact that he was mere hours away from being shipped off to fight was on a whole other level.

"But what about our son?" Equinox Moon asked, teardrops rolling down her face like surging rivers. Equinox Moon happened to be in the tenth month of her eleven-month long pregnancy and she only told Blazefire of it just after the war had been declared. Ever since he found out Equinox Moon was pregnant with a colt, Blazefire was ecstatic, but also terrified, knowing that he probably won't get to see his son for a long time, if at all.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll be back to see him grow up. You'll do a great job at raising him," he replied, a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he gazed down at her foal bump, before gently stroking it with his hoof. "You'll be a great mom."

"I sure hope so. I just wish we could be all together. I just want my son to know his father," Equinox Moon explained, still crying her eyes out.

"Hey," he said, smiling at her. "What did I tell you? I'll be back to see him grow up. I'm not sure how long it'll take, but I'll be back. And once I'm back, we'll move away from this hellhole of a town and we'll go back home to Equestria and live life in peace. Just you, me and our son."

"Honey..." Equinox Moon began, shifting his orange fringe with her hoof so as to see his wild, green eyes, the ones she fell in love with all those years ago. "Please stay safe. Please... I love you so much."

"I will, honey. Don't worry," Blazefire replied tenderly as he held her against his body, knowing that this might well be the last time they ever see each other again. Their tender moment was interrupted by three sudden, yet consecutive bangs on the door, which startled them both.

"THIS IS THE EQUESTRIAN MILITARY. OPEN UP." said the muffled voice behind the door. Blazefire did as he was asked and pulled open the door, revealing a large and muscular Earth pony stallion wearing a military uniform standing outside in the pouring rain. Despite it being January, the weather in this part of the Empire had the tendency to be influenced by winds from the southwest, which often brought rain and mild temperatures during the winter months.

"It's time for me to leave, honey," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Equinox Moon struggled to hold back her tears as she watched her husband leave, knowing that she could lose Blazefire at any time. "Once he's born..if they haven't sealed the border off by then you have to register him at the Equestrian embassy in Itaily as a citizen. There's no other way for him to be recognized as an Equestrian, although I have serious doubts it'll be...I was there a few days ago and there was nothing but gridlock. If it is, in fact, open and remains so after he's born, take him and run. Don't look back, show them your passports and go. At this point the war is virtually confined to the Empire, so you're much better off there than you are here. What a difference a few miles makes, huh?"

"Come on, lover boy. It's time to go," said the officer, with a snarky tone in his voice as he led Blazefire to the military carriage, into which he reluctantly set hoof. "You're in good hooves. Now come on, let's kick those Griffon flanks."

"Honey, please stay safe," she pleaded as she somewhat hesitantly followed him out, watching as the door to the carriage shut immediately after the officer walked in, and as he waved at her through the tinted window.

Eventually, Blazefire really had to go. The crying mare returned the gesture as the carriage pulled off down the street before it crossed the city limits just down the hill. At this point, the carriage was nowhere to be seen, and it took Equinox a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. The stallion she had hoped to raise a family with was gone now, possibly forever, and she needed to come to terms with it. "Goodbye Blaze..." she croaked in her tear-filled voice, before she broke down on the sidewalk, lamenting the loss of her husband.

---

Equinox Moon laid on her and Blazefire's bed, thinking about her life and what it was like until that fateful night when Blazefire left. Before he left, he mentioned to her that he would be back soon, yet it had been over a month since he left and there was no sign of the stallion anywhere. She had gotten so used to seeing him return home from the base every day at six, hoping to treat him to a dinner that she had made especially for the stallion, yet he wasn't there; that, however, wasn't the only thing she was worried about.

Equinox Moon's due date for the foal was today and just the mere thought of giving birth terrified her beyond belief. What if she couldn't make it to the hospital on time? Or what if after the foal was born, she couldn't be a good mother? Questions like those raced through her mind as she tried to regain her composure and calm down. She was now alone, with nopony to be with her, other than her yet-unborn son of course. She had no idea where Blazefire was or if anything happened to him, and almost teared up as the mere thought of losing him faded in and out of her mind. What if he was captured by the Gryphons? Or what if he was mercilessly slaughtered and butchered on those cursed fields, like so many other stallions were before him? As much as she possibly could, she tried to keep those horrible thoughts at bay and think of more positive things, like the coming birth of her son. Even though she was scared of the birth, she was also very eager and excited just thinking about it. In fact, she spent the last week or so preparing for it with the help of two of her friends; one an Earth pony mare named Buttermilk and one a Gryphon by the name of Ava. Buttermilk and Ava had been a great help in preparing for the birth, with Buttermilk preparing some clothes for the newborn foal and Ava and her husband Vortex designing and building a crib. Equinox Moon even started to come up with names to suit her son. Although there were many names that she liked, there was one name that stood out from the rest. In fact, it was the only name that she came up with, along with Blazefire. That name was Stormfire, and they both loved the very sound of the name. The "Storm" part of the name came from his mother's job. She was a weather pony; one of the only two ponies on a team made up entirely of Gryphons, while the "Fire" part of his name came from the ending of his father's name.

Equinox Moon smiled just thinking about her newborn son, as she tried to imagine what he would be like. She would finally be a mother, and she promised herself, and Blazefire that she'd be the best mother she can be. She stroked her foal bump and smiled to herself as she stared upwards at the ceiling before her thinking was interrupted by a knock on the front door. The heavy mare grumbled, her peaceful day being interrupted, and slowly set off downstairs to open the door. Turning the doorknob, she was surprised when she saw Ava holding something for her son.

"Hey, Equinox." the rather tall Griffon smiled down at the mare in her blend of Griffon and Equestrian accents which she had picked up from being around so many ponies, holding a toy box in her talons. "Just something for the foal. This belonged to my son, Zako, but he grew out of it. I'm sure your son will like it too."

"Thank you, Ava. Really, I appreciate your help," replied Equinox Moon, taking the toy box from her. "How's your family doing?"

"Anything for a friend, Equi," Ava replied, using the nickname she made up for Equinox Moon. "And they're doing great. Zako has just started pre-school."

"Really?" Equinox's eyes widened. "That's great. You must be so proud of him."

"I sure am," Ava beamed. "And the moment he comes back from school, I'm making him a special treat: hay fries. Also, isn't today your due date?"

"Yeah, I think so..."

"Vortex offered to take you to the hospital if your waters break."

"Ava, you, Vortex and Buttermilk have already done so much..." Equinox Moon explained. "Are you sure you'd want to help anymore?"

"Equinox, you're our friend... and friends help other friends," Ava replied.

"I know, Ava... I'm just scared," Equinox replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm now alone... My husband is... I don't know what happened to him. I don't have anypony now... and I don't know if I'll raise my son well, let alone if I'll be able to get him home."

"You will silly," replied a voice. Equinox and Ava turned to face its source. It was Buttermilk, Equinox's closest friend, and next door neighbor, leaning on the picket fence that surrounded the property. Whereas most of her Griffon neighbors believed the family was heading to the north of the state to escape the worst of the war, they were in fact preparing to leave for Equestria that night, crossing the border into Itaily and boarding a military plane bound for Troxas. A taxi carriage which would take them to downtown Gryffsvale - from where they would walk down to the Griffsvale riverfront and cross into Itaily - was parked outside her brick house and the impatient cabbie was busy groaning and complaining about the length of time it took for them to put their stuff in the trunk of the carriage. Cowbell, Buttermilk's husband was packing all their luggage into the carriage, while their son, Corn Cob was playing with his toys close to the home's porch.

"Buttermilk!" grinned Equinox Moon as she trotted up to the mare to give her a farewell hug. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Same here, Equi," replied Buttermilk, ruffling her mane with her hoof. "Aren't you gals coming to Equestria someday as well?"

"I would love to, Butter!" replied Ava. "See all the sights... Manehatten, Canterlot, Baltimare, Los Pegasus, Applewood... there's just too many of them to name."

"I personally, would love to go back home," replied Equinox Moon, feeling a slight cramp in her abdomen which she initially dismissed as her stomach growling. "But only with my family..."

"Honey-pie, I apologize if I'm being overly negative, but what if Blazefire... doesn't come back? Have you ever thought about that?" asked Buttermilk, watching as Equinox Moon frowned and burst into tears. Ava turned to face Buttermilk and gave her a stern look. Although Buttermilk was a great friend, she sometimes said the wrong things, which she didn't mean.

"Buttermilk, don't say that... please," replied Equinox Moon, crying her eyes out. "I'm so worried about him. Neither of you has any idea of just how stressed I am right now."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Buttermilk smiled, sitting down beside her. "It'll be alright. I know Blazefire and he is quite possibly, the best, most amazing soldier in this town. He will be back, honey. He won't just die on the battlefield."

"And especially not since he now has a young son."

"I guess you're right, girls..." Equinox Moon replied, still feeling a bit unsure. The Gryphon and the Earth pony mare hugged her tightly, before having to let go.

"Hm... I know what can cheer you up, Equi," began Ava. "Some lunch."

---

"Uhh... These are honestly the best hay fries outside of Equestria, Ava," said Equinox, stuffing her face with some delicious hay fries.

"I'm glad you like them, Equi. I made them myself," the female Griffon smiled as she bit into hers, watching as Equinox, Buttermilk, her husband, and Vortex, along with the cabbie scarfed down their hay fries. "I'm gonna have to go and pick up Zako from pre-school in a little while."

"Don't forget who gave you the recipe, honey," replied Vortex, a doctor, before hacking apart a large salmon fillet with his sharp beak, scattering flakes of pinkish meat across the table. Such an action would have no doubt earned him curious and unnerved stares from ponies had this been the mostly-vegetarian Equestria, but fish was a staple diet in the Empire for many of the resident Griffons.

"Thanks, guys..." replied Buttermilk's husband, Cowbell. Buttermilk, Cowbell and their son were also eating with them.

"Yep. They truly taste magical," replied Buttermilk. Suddenly, Equinox felt strange as she begun to feel some abdominal cramps which begun to grow more intense as time went on.

"Ava, mind if I use the toilet?" Equinox Moon asked, holding her belly as she stood up.

"No, no. I don't mind. Go ahead." Ava nodded, watching as the mare left the kitchen and stomped up the stairs. Upon arriving at the second floor of Ava's modest abode, Equinox Moon went towards the toilet, followed by Corn Cob, who was playing with a toy carriage. Along the way, the cramps began to get more and more intense, until eventually, they begun to get painful.

"Gahh..." Equinox Moon groaned in pain, holding her abdomen as she tried to walk to the bathroom.

"Hey, Aunt Equinox... You alright?" asked Corn Cob.

"Yeah, I'm fine sweetie. I just don't feel...so good," replied Equinox, her face turning a shade of green.

"You sure?" asked Corn Cob, who seemed visibly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go back to playing with your toys, alright? Auntie will be back soon," Equinox Moon explained and went into the toilet. Suddenly, upon closing the door, she screamed as a sharp pain filled her body, which confirmed that the foal was definitely due now. The scream was so loud, it was heard downstairs.

"What the hell was that?" asked Vortex, raising his eyebrows.

"Mommy! Mommy!" said Corn Cob, trotting down the stairs. "Auntie's screaming!"

"Oh, no... her foal must be due," Buttermilk said and trotted up the stairs, followed by Ava, Vortex, Cowbell and Corn Cob. Meanwhile, Equinox Moon crawled towards the stairs, now very fragile and weak.

"Honey, you alright?" asked Buttermilk.

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M ALRIGHT?!" Equinox Moon yelled, before collapsing in pain.

"Come on, let's get you to the hospital," Buttermilk replied. "Vortex, take her there! We'll catch up to you." Vortex picked up the weak mare with his claws and flew her out through a skylight. Ava followed them, while the rest of the ponies took a carriage to the hospital.

They landed at the hospital about five minutes later and ran into the towering building as fast as they could.

"LISTEN, MA'AM. I HAVE A PONY HERE WHO IS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH." shouted Vortex, who was holding Equinox in his claws. Equinox Moon groaned and writhed in pain. The receptionist mare stared at them continuously.

"What? DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M HER HUSBAND?!" yelled Vortex. The receptionist mare shook her head.

"Look! We're just friends, okay? Now please, get a doctor or something!" Ava shouted. The receptionist mare nodded and took out her phone, and rapidly dialed the doctor's number.

Moments later, the doctor came in. He was a large Earth pony stallion with a heart monitor as his cutie mark.

"Mrs. Equinox Moon? Come with me please," said the doctor. Ava and Vortex placed her in a wheelchair, and Vortex drove her towards the elevator. Equinox Moon screamed again in agony as she felt a fluid trickle between her hooves, which confirmed that her waters broke.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Equinox Moon. We're almost at the maternity ward. Now, take a deep breath and breathe." the doctor instructed. Equinox Moon frantically did as she was told. A moment later, they left the elevator on the maternity ward floor and rushed towards the ward where she would be giving birth. Before they set her down on her bed, they had a small meeting with one of the hospital's anesthesiologists, a Gryphon doctor who was known as Beakovitz, who opted to heavily sedate her.

The birth was long and hard, taking around five hours. As Equinox Moon was giving birth, her friends stood around her bed, while a confused and terrified Corn Cob watched from a waiting room behind the glass.

"HOW LONG, DOCTOR?!" screamed Equinox Moon, as she continually pushed.

"Not long now, Equinox. Now, breathe," the doctor said. She did as she was told, feeling an onslaught of more and more pain.

"I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE! PLEASE... HOW LONG?!" she screamed.

"NOT LONG NOW!" yelled the doctor. Just as Equinox Moon shut her eyes tightly and clenched the sides of the bed she laid on with her hooves in anticipation of even more pain, a tiny scream filled the ward. The doctor was holding a tiny, blue-green foal with a dark blue mane. Her eyes opened and blinked twice as the sensation of pain begun to disappear from her body and heart fluttered as the doctor passed her the foal.

"It's a boy, Mrs. Equinox Moon!" the doctor said, before placing the colt down on Equinox's bed and cutting its umbilical cord. Immediately, everypony gathered in the ward clapped their hooves, including Corn Cob. Equinox Moon held the tiny foal in her hooves and nuzzled him gently. Almost immediately, the colt seemed to calm down and snuggled against her body. She smiled at the newborn foal and sighed.

"He's beautiful..." she cooed at the small colt.

"I agree! He has his mother's coat!" said Buttermilk.

"And his father's mane," said Ava. Suddenly, Corn Cob ran into the ward to see what all the commotion was about. He was noticed by Equinox Moon.

"Are you alright, Auntie?" Corn Cob asked, leaning against the hospital bed.

"Yes, youngin. I'm alright..." she replied, smiling. "Would you like to see him before you leave?"

"Sure thing, Auntie!" he replied and jumped onto Cowbell's back, looking down at the foal.

"He looks cool!" Corn Cob said. Equinox Moon chuckled lightly.

"Thank you, Corn Cob, for telling everypony that I was giving birth. You handled the situation very well, and that was very brave of you," she said and smiled at the colt. "And thank you all for being by my side."

"Congratulations, ma'am," begun the doctor. "Do you mind if I ask where the father is?"

"Well, I uh, don't want to talk about it, doc," she replied, thinking about Blazefire. She was scared and worried for his safety, and for that of her newborn son.

"I understand," the doctor nodded understandingly. "Do you know what you're going to call him?"

"Well, I and my husband both brainstormed several names for him, but we both like the name Stormfire," Equinox Moon replied, snuggling the tiny foal.

"Stormfire, huh? I like it." replied the doctor, writing down his name and birth details on a notepad. Equinox Moon smiled, looking down at the tiny colt, who was snuggling against her and beginning to sleep. Equinox Moon sighed and smiled, before nuzzling the tiny foal and allowing him to sleep. She was now a mother.

---

After about a week undergoing extensive check-ups, Equinox Moon and little Stormfire were let out of the hospital, and since Buttermilk and her family had left for Equestria, she was taken home in a wheelchair by Vortex.

"So, how are you feeling?" asked Vortex.

"Pretty good, I must say," replied Equinox Moon, holding a sleeping Stormfire, who was wrapped up in a towel, in her hooves. "The doctor said we're fine and that I should be back to normal in about a week's time."

"So, what do you think?" Vortex asked.

"I'm just scared... You all said that I'll be a great mom, but I just don't know if I'm that good," replied Equinox Moon, feeling unsure of herself. "That, and I still want out of here. I want my son to have the best foalhood he could possibly have, away from here, from the bombings, from all this. I'm sorry, but we need to leave."

"Are you crazy? Of course, you'll be a great mom. Any kid would be lucky to have you as their mom," Vortex replied. "From what I know the border will be open nightly for the next several weeks, I'm not sure for how long exactly, but you could try crossing with Storm once you've regained the energy. I'll keep you updated on it as much as I'm able to, but from what I know the Itailian Border Guard is planning on closing it once they see that every pony living in Gryffsvale and the surrounding area has left."

"Thanks Vortex," replied Equinox Moon, glancing down at a sleeping Stormfire with a loving, tender, albeit uneasy smile on her face. "But then again, this isn't something I want to put Storm through, as much as I want us to go home. This would be a big step for us in getting back to Equestria, but it's one we might not be able to make."

"I understand."

"I just don't know whether to take that risk, especially with him being so little."

"Hmm..."

"I'm just so worried about this."

"Hey. I know this seems new for you, but you'll get used to it, and over time, you'll become a truly unique and great mom," explained Vortex. "Besides, I see potential in this kid. Who knows? He could be the next Einspone, or the next Starswirl the Bearded. You may be the mom of a future genius."

"Thanks, Vortex," she said and smiled at him. "Although, I'd prefer him to be himself and follow his dreams."

"I guess so." Vortex replied and smiled, just as they turned onto Equinox's street. "Look, we're almost home."

"Thanks, Vortex. You've been a great help," she said.

"I'm always happy to help a friend. Do you want me to walk you inside?" the Griffon asked.

"No, thank you. You've been a great help, but you should be getting back to work, Vortex," she replied.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yep. I'm alright," she said.

"Alright, Equinox. Good luck," he replied. Equinox Moon smiled cheerfully at him and got out of the wheelchair, carrying her foal into the house. Vortex smiled and folded up the wheelchair, before flying back to the hospital.

Equinox Moon turned the keys and opened the door to the house and walked inside. She went to put Stormfire into his crib, not noticing an envelope marked PRIVATE and URGENT lying on the floor.

After putting Stormfire in his crib and snuggling him, Equinox Moon went downstairs to cook some food, noticing the envelope this time. Curious, she walked towards it and picked it up. It was damaged and wrinkled from being forced under the door, but that didn't stop her from reading who it was from. The envelope was sent from the Equestrian military base at which Blazefire worked. Her heart literally skipped a beat. She knew that a letter from the Equestrian military usually didn't mean anything good, but her curiosity got the better of her and she opened the envelope and pulled out the letter stored inside it.

Little did she know that the letter would change her life forever after reading it.

March 1, 1988

Dear Mrs. Equinox Moon of Gryffsvale,
We apologize for the haste, but we regret to inform you that this morning at exactly 5:32 AM, one of our privates had discovered the mutilated body of a stallion which we promptly identified as your husband's. His cause of death is as of yet unknown, but our stallions believe that he was killed by gunfire or via improvised explosive device, as one had detonated not too far away from where we found his body. We are very sorry for your loss and his best friend, Private Lightspark, as well as other members of his squadron, have organized a private funeral, if you wish to attend.

An Equestrian flag will be given to you at the funeral.

Her heart stopped the moment she read that letter. Equinox Moon knew that he wasn't safe at war, but she wasn't expecting him to be killed. A tear rolled out of her eye before she finally broke down and collapsed onto the floor, crying her eyes out. She had lost the stallion she loved. The stallion she married. The stallion she was going to raise a family with. She had lost Blazefire, but she hadn't lost Stormfire. She wasn't going to lose Stormfire. She had no idea how, but they both had to get out of the Gryphon Empire. They had to somehow escape to Equestria, and she would do whatever it takes to get them home.

Author's Notes:

Oh, yeah! A new story. No, I haven't cancelled Blue's Adventures. In fact, I am continuing work on Chapter 2 as we speak and it should be done in a few days minimum.

The next chapter of this story will be done in a little while.

2. A Pony Among Griffons

Six years later...

"Stormfire!" called out a voice. "Breakfast is ready!"

"But mom..." groaned Stormfire, who was still in bed. "I don't wanna go to school..."

"Nonsense, son. You'll enjoy it!" said the voice. "Now come on downstairs, alright?"

"Sure thing..." he replied, and jumped out of bed, sending the bed sheets flying across the room. He then zoomed down the stairs, into the kitchen, where his mother was frying pancakes.

"Good morning, son." said Equinox, putting a pancake onto a plate and giving it to Stormfire. "Here you go."

"Thanks mom." said Stormfire, who went to sit down at the table. A few moments later, Equinox sat down beside him, eating her own pancake.

"So, are you ready for your first day at school today?" she asked. The colt nodded in reply, his mouth being stuffed with pieces of pancake. Equinox chuckled to herself. "That's great, sweetie. Wow. Look at you. You've grown up so much... I remember the day when you were born... you were so small, and now... you're starting your first day at school. I'm so proud of you, son." she explained, almost shedding a tear. "If only your dad could see you now..."

"I have a dad?" Stormfire asked, before swallowing a large slice of his pancake. Suddenly, Equinox Moon's heart stopped. She almost spat out the food that was in her mouth, but instead, she swallowed it up quickly and sighed.

"Mom?" Stormfire asked, visibly concerned. Equinox didn't reply to his answer and instead seemed to grow more and more depressed by the moment. Stormfire put down his silverware and trotted up to his mom, nuzzling her softly. This calmed Equinox Moon down, and she began to nuzzle his mane gently.

"So where's daddy, mommy?" Stormfire asked.

"Dad--Daddy-Daddy's away on a business trip, honey..." she lied to him, knowing the damage it would cause him if she told the truth. "He'll be back in... a few months or something." Deep down in her heart, she regretted lying to Stormfire about where his father is, but she was afraid of what his reaction would be if she told him the truth.

"Oh. Okay mommy," replied Stormfire before going back to the table to finish off his pancake. Equinox sighed as a tear rolled out her eye, but she quickly wiped it away and went to wash the dishes.

A few moments later, Stormfire was done with his pancake and was taken to the school by Equinox. He was highly nervous about his first day at school, and he decided to talk to his mom about it.

"Mom?" said the small Pegasus, nuzzling against her wing.

"Yeah sweetie?" she asked.

"Will I fit in at school?" he asked her. "I mean, we're Pegasuses... aren't we?"

"We're Pegasi, sweetie," Equinox corrected him. "And you will fit in. I'm sure of it."

"But do you think I'll do good?" he asked.

"Of course I do," she replied and smiled at him. "Me and Dad sure both think so. We're both so proud of you for reaching this stage in life, son."

"Thanks, mom," Storm replied, cuddling against her. Equinox smiled at him and nuzzled him. A few moments later, they reached the school. It was a stone-clad building with a wooden roof, similar to most of the houses in Gryffsvale. Storm hid behind his mother's wing just looking at the building and the students pouring into it. Most of the students were Gryphons. In fact, he couldn't see a single student which was a pony, which absolutely horrified the young colt.

"Mom--Mommy, why am I so different from all of them?" Storm asked. "Is it because I'm a pony?"

"Son, you're not different from them..." Equinox replied. "In fact, you may be a pony, but that isn't anything bad... in fact, being different is good. There is nothing wrong with diversity. We may all look different on the outside, but on the inside, we are all the same. Remember that, son. It's not what a pony looks like that makes him a great pony. It's his heart and how he uses it."

"Thanks, mom!" he replied. Equinox smiled at her young colt, and nuzzled him.

"You'll do great, son. I love you so much," she said.

"I love you too mommy." replied the colt, who nuzzled her back. "See you later!" he said, trotting towards the school entrance and turning back to wave at her.

"Bye son!" she said, waving back to him and smiling. I wish you could see this before your very eyes, Blazefire...

After Storm entered the school, Equinox Moon flew away from the building towards the weather factory, briefly catching sight of the Griffberg Bridge spanning the Griffonian-Itailian border in mid-flight before turning away from it.

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Stormfire walked through the school corridors looking around the different classrooms to see where his own one is. As he walked down the hallway of the large, and often quite intimidating building, he noticed several Gryphons passing him and eyeing him carefully. Some of them even stopped in their tracks to look at the lone Pegasus colt walking through the building. Storm looked around him to see what they were looking at and began to feel even more nervous than before. He even wanted to turn back and fly back outside into his mother's hooves, but he knew he couldn't. But, deep down inside, he was actually looking forward to his first day at school, despite being the only pony in a school made up of Gryphons. He took a deep breath and walked towards his classroom. The school bell still hadn't ringed yet, so he still had some time left to get to class. Eventually, Stormfire reached the classroom and looked through the door. There were no ponies sitting there, only Gryphons, which saddened Stormfire. He knew from what his mom told him that being different wasn't a bad thing, but he still didn't like being different. He didn't want to be the only pony in the class.

After some reluctance, Stormfire walked into the classroom and looked around to see the Gryphons turn to look at him. Not knowing what to do, Storm chuckled to himself awkwardly and went to sit down at a vacant seat. The Gryphons continued to stare at him, confused by why he's here, but turned away when they heard the teacher came in. She was a tall, middle-aged Griffon, wearing a pair of large glasses and was carrying a notepad in her claws.

"Hello, students. My name is Mrs. Talons. Today, we're going to introduce ourselves and have a little bit of fun getting to know each other before we start our actual lessons tomorrow. But first of all, I'd like to register you all," the teacher said. Storm began to feel awkward, being the only pony in a class full of Gryphons, but then he remembered what his mom said about being different. It didn't really matter what he looked like or if he was a Pegasus. What mattered was being kind.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a small light gray Pegasus filly with a dark blue mane trotted into the classroom, her parents standing outside the door. Stormfire raised his eyebrows as he looked at the filly trying to find a seat and a large smile begun to form on the colt's face. There he was, thinking that he was going to be the only Pegasus among Gryphons for the rest of his school years, but now, he was proven wrong.

"I'm sorry ma'am. We're a bit late..." her father said looking into the classroom.

"It's alright, Mr. Skyclean. In fact, you're right on time," replied Mrs. Talon, smiling warmly.

"You be good now, sweetie." said her father. The filly nodded in reply as she looked around the classroom to find a desk. Storm looked around also and noticed a vacant desk to his left, the Griffon who previously sat there having scooted over to the next desk. His grin widened as he looked to see the filly walk up to the vacant desk. He now wasn't alone.

The timid filly sat down beside him, seeming very shy and scared. He knew the feeling. It was his first day at school, and instead of feeling excited, he was terrified. While the teacher was taking the register, he turned to face her and smiled. She awkwardly returned the smile.

"Rainwynd?" asked the teacher. The filly immediately turned away from Stormfire, and reluctantly put her hoof up. The teacher smiled at her and ticked her name on the notepad.

"Stormfire?"

"I'm here, ma'am." the colt replied and turned back to face Rainwynd. He felt sorry for her and wanted to befriend her as soon as possible, but he was also worried. Very worried indeed. What if she didn't want to be his friend?

"Hey, uh. Do you talk?" Stormfire asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"Oh. Uh---Yes, I do talk..." the awkward filly replied. "I'm--I'm Rainwynd..."

"Oh," said Stormfire. "My name is Stormfire, but you can call me Storm. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I--it's just that... it's my first day here and I don't really feel comfortable," she replied.

"Hey, that's okay..." said Storm. "It's my first day here too, but once you get used to it, it's not going to be bad. Trust me."

"You sure?" she asked, her ears perking up a bit.

"Positive," replied Storm. "Hey, maybe we could be friends?"

"You'd want to be my friend?" Rain asked.

"Of course," replied Storm, smiling at her.

"Well, okay..." she said, and slowly but surely smiled. "Uh, do you want to play a game?"

"Sure." replied Storm. "What game?"

"Hm..." she thought to herself. "I can't really think of any game..."

"How about some hide n' seek?" suggested Storm.

"I don't know... I'm not good at hiding," replied Rain, feeling a bit unsure of herself.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. I'm horrible at hiding myself," said Storm. "So, you ready Rain?"

"Uh... I think so." she replied nervously. Storm gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright then, you want to be the seeker?" he asked.

"Uh, no. Sorry..." she replied.

"Hey, it's alright. I can be the seeker if you want," he said, putting his hoof on her shoulder. A smile began to form on her face. Before she came to the classroom, she was scared. What if she was never going to find a friend? What if everyone was going to bully her? Rain thought that she was never going to find a true friend, a friend with whom she can talk and spend the day, who she can trust with secrets, who she can joke with, and who she would feel safe around, but then she met Stormfire.

"Alright then. You're seeking!" she said and went off to find a hiding place. Storm smiled at her and went to count to ten. After finishing the countdown, Storm went to look for Rainwynd. She was far better at hiding than she said she was and it took Stormfire a while to find her. He was about to give up when he heard some giggling coming from underneath a table.

Storm peered under it and looked around, only to see Rainwynd hiding underneath a chair and laughing.

"Found you!" he said.

"Well, yeah. You did," she replied, struggling to contain her laughter. "After looking all over the classroom for me."

"Well, as you can see, I'm not good at seeking as well," Storm confessed, chuckling slightly.

"Nonsense. You're not that bad..." Rainwynd said and got out from under the chair. "Do you want to play a different game now?"

"Sure." Storm replied. "What do you want to play?"

"I don't know. Heh," she answered awkwardly.

"Hmm..." Storm replied. "How about we uh, go play with the Gryphons?" he suggested, pointing to a pair of Gryphons playing with some building blocks.

"Are you crazy?" she asked. "What if they're going to hate us?"

"They won't. Trust me. And just because they're Gryphons doesn't mean we can't trust them as well. My mom said that it's not how a pony looks like that makes him a good pony. It's his heart," he explained.

"I guess you're right... but still, I'm scared," she replied, hiding behind him. Storm sighed and turned to face her, before giving her a friendly and comforting smile. He was scared too, but he knew that it would get them nowhere if they cowered from the Gryphons. It would probably get them made fun of or something, and Storm didn't want that. Besides, they didn't look THAT scary.

"Hey, don't be scared," he said, smiling at her. "They won't bite. Come on."

"You sure?" she asked.

"Positive. Now let's go ask if we can play." Storm replied, feeling both excited and nervous at the same time. The colt and filly walked across the classroom, passing by Gryphons who were playing with alphabet blocks and dolls and other toys. Rainwynd was beginning to get more and more nervous every moment. As much as she trusted Stormfire, she still felt awkward walking by those Gryphons.

A moment later, they reached the Gryphons who were playing with the building blocks. Stormfire looked at them awkwardly and curiously. He was both incredibly nervous and very excited at the same time. This would be his first time talking to a real live Gryphon, well, not exactly the first time. There were those two Gryphons that hung out with his mom, but this would be the first time he would be talking to a Gryphon his age.

"Uh, I'm a bit nervous..." he whispered to Rain.

"Don't be!" she replied, putting her hoof on his shoulder. "Maybe they're going to be our friends. Who knows?"

"Hm... Maybe," he said, smiling at her. After some reluctance, Storm slowly walked up to one of the Gryphons and looked over his shoulder. The two Gryphons were building a tower of building blocks, which intrigued Storm. In fact, he wanted to help out, but he was scared. He was scared of asking the Gryphons, but then, he remembered what his mom told him before he went to school. Eventually, he forced himself to ask the Gryphons.

"Uhhhh...." Storm began. The two Gryphons immediately turned to face him, which made him even more nervous than he already was. "I'm not sure if you're going to eat me and my friend if we ask you, but do you mind if we build something with you?"

"We? Eat you? I'd never do that!" the Gryphon angrily replied. "You ponies think we're some psychotic mindless killing machines, but some of us have a heart too!" Storm wasn't sure what to say right now, but one thing was for sure. He didn't expect that kind of reply.

"We just wanted to ask if we can play with you guys." he sadly replied, heading back to his own desk, followed by Rainwynd. So far, he didn't really make any new Gryphon friends, which saddened Stormfire. All he wanted was to make friends with some of the Gryphons, but so far, it wasn't going that well.

"Hey! You can play with us!" said a voice. Storm and Rain stopped in their tracks and turned around.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Yeah. We won't bite, we promise!" one Gryphon replied and glared at the other Gryphon.

"But, they're ponies!" the other Gryphon replied.

"And so what if they're ponies? Just because they're not Gryphons doesn't mean that they can't be our friends..." the Gryphon replied.

"Whatever..." the other Gryphon said. "If they're gonna play with us, then leave me OUT of it... Alright?!"

"Okay, Lightning Wing. No need to get so angry," he replied. The Gryphon named Lightning Wing walked away and went to see if there are any other Gryphons to play with, while Stormfire and Rainwynd stood there in front of the Gryphon, not sure what to do.

"Hey. I won't bite. I promise." the Gryphon replied, with a friendly smile. "I'm Sharpbeak."

"Uh, I'm Stormfire." Storm replied awkwardly.

"And I'm---I'm... Rainwynd." Rain said, hiding behind Stormfire.

"Hey, relax..." Sharpbeak said. "Lightning Wing is well, he's not the friendliest Gryphon out there... but once you get to know him, he can be quite a nice guy..."

"You sure we can trust him?" asked Rainwynd.

"Yeah... kind of." replied Sharpbeak. "So, what do you two want to play?" he asked.

"Uh..." Storm begun. "Hm... I want to build something. How 'bout you, Rain?"

"I'm not sure..." she replied. "Uh. How about we play tag?"

"Okay." replied Sharpbeak, knocking down his brick tower. "Who's 'it'?"

"Uh. I'll be 'it'." said Storm.

"Alright then..." Sharpbeak replied and ran off, with Rainwynd following him. Storm chuckled to himself and ran after them. It took him a while to catch up with them, as Sharpbeak was a Gryphon and Rain knew where to hide.

Meanwhile, Sharpbeak was flying away from Stormfire as fast as he could, while Rain was watching them from the top of a cupboard (somehow not being noticed by the teacher or any of the other students), eating an apple that she took from her lunch box. She smiled as she watched Storm chased the Gryphon around the classroom. He seemed very fast and very agile, fast enough to catch Sharpbeak. She even started quietly chanting Storm's name as he ran around the classroom, trying to catch up to Sharpbeak.

"Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire, Stormfire..."

Then, at long last, Storm managed to catch the Gryphon.

"Gotcha!" Storm said as he caught Sharpbeak.

"Yeah... I'm a bit puffed out... What about you?" he asked, out of breath.

"Yeah, kinda..." Storm replied, heavily breathing.

"Hey, Rainwynd!" Sharpbeak called out, noticing the filly perched on top of the cupboard. "Want to play something else?"

"Okay..." she replied. "Lemme just get down to you guys."

"Okay." Storm replied. "Also, I don't really think you should be up there... It looks pretty unsafe."

"Relax, Storm. The teacher can't see me, so I'm not gonna get into trouble." she replied, grinning.

"Whatever you say, Rainy..." Storm replied, looking at her uncertainly. "Okay, just get down here, okay?"

"Okay, Storm." she replied and fluttered her wings, slowly taking off from the cupboard. Stormfire gazed at her in amazement. She was flying quite well for her age, while Stormfire had only a few flying lessons during the summer break before he joined the school. His mom promised him that he'd learn to fly after she found a suitable flying coach for him (her wing was struck by lightning while working to control a freak thunderstorm and was badly broken), but she could not find a good flying coach for Stormfire, at least not in Gryffsville.

Everyone in the clasroom turned to look at Rainwynd flying and gazed at her in amazement, including the teacher. Rainwynd was flying perfectly, far better than Stormfire thought. A few moments later, she swooped down and landed on the floor. Storm and Sharpbeak rushed towards her.

"Wow..." Sharpbeak begun. "That was awesome!"

"I agree..." Storm said, smiling.

Just then, the teacher came over, looking disappointed.

"Rainwynd?" she begun.

"Yes--yes ma'am?" she asked, feeling a bit intimidated.

"Please, don't go up there again." the teacher replied, with a hint of disappointment. "I don't want to see you or any of our other students get hurt."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I was just hiding from Storm. We were playing a game." she replied, embarrassed.

"It's alright, little one. I'm just making sure you're safe. Okay?" the teacher asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll not go up there again." replied Rainwynd.

"That's good! Now, I'll leave you three to play." said the teacher, her smile returning to her face.

"How do you fly so well, Rainy?" Storm asked.

"Well, my mom used to work on the weather team back in Equestria. She was the best weather mare around and she knew all the weather patterns and the winds and stuff." Rain replied. "And she and dad both taught me how to fly."

"I learnt how to fly from my dad, who is the boss of the Weather Factory." Sharpbeak said. "What about you, Storm?"

"Well... uh..." Storm begun, growing a bit nervous. "My mom managed to teach me how to fly... but just a bit. She had some sort of injury on her wing and I never properly learned how to fly." he explained sadly.

"What about your dad?" asked Rain.

"He's away for a business trip, I think." Storm replied. "He should be back soon."

"Speaking of Equestria..." Storm begun. "I want to go there when I grow up..."

"Me too..." she replied.

"Me three!" Sharpbeak replied as well. "I don't know about you, but I always wanted to live there!"

"I always wanted to live in Applewood and be a huge star..." Rain replied. "And have everypony all over the world know me."

"Who knows?" Storm begun. "I'm sure you'll become a big star when you're older. I believe in you, Rainy." he explained, putting his hoof on her shoulder.

"And I believe in you as well!" Sharpbeak said. "You're both great friends!"

"For a Gryphon, you're pretty cool!" Storm said.

"I agree!" Rain said.

"Thanks guys!" Sharp replied. "Do you want to play something?"

"I'm not sure." said Rain.

"Me neither, to be honest." Sharp replied.

"Hm... wanna build something?" asked Storm.

"No thanks." replied Rainwynd.

"Same here. I'm hungry!" replied Sharpbeak, his stomach grumbling. Storm and Rain chuckled. It was time for lunch.

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"So, Rainwynd." Storm begun, before biting into his cheese sandwich. "Who taught you how to fly again?"

"My mom and dad." she replied, before also eating her own sandwich.

"Uh, would they be able to teach me how to fly?" Storm asked.

"I think so. You'll need to ask them and ask your mom as well." she answered.

"Okay... I just want to fly as well as you. I mean, from what I've seen from you, you're pretty good." Storm explained.

"Thanks Stormy. Maybe my mom and dad will teach you." Rain replied, smiling.

"Hey guys." Sharpbeak begun. "We should have flying races once Storm learns how to fly."

"That's a good idea." replied Storm.

"Yep," Rainwynd said.

"Nope. It's not!" said a rather intimidating voice. Storm, Rain and Sharpbeak turned to face who it is. It was Lightning Wing.

"Hey Lightning." said Sharpbeak, feeling a bit intimidated by his friend.

"Hey, Sharpbeak..." replied Lightning Wing, glaring at Storm and Rain. "Want to play with us?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know, but I'm playing with Storm and Rain." Sharp replied, turning to face them. "How about you play with us?"

"Nope. You're better off playing with me and the others and not with them two ponies..." said Lightning Wing.

"Hey! They're not as bad as you think they are!" replied Sharpbeak, beginning to get irritated with his friend.

"They're not as bad?" asked Lightning Wing. "They're horrible!"

"And why are we horrible?" asked Stormfire, a glare forming on his face. Rainwynd hid behind him to avoid getting involved.

"Shut it!" barked Lightning Wing, now completely ticked off. "Wait... You're even worse than horrible! You're despicable!"

"Quit your whining, Gryphon..." Storm retaliated. "I didn't do anything to you and you're acting like I did!"

"You did a lot of things, pony." Lightning Wing replied. "And my dad knows exactly what your kind did!"

"You-your dad?" Storm asked, calming down almost immediately and slowly backing away.

"Yep. He's a sergeant in the Royal Gryphon Army!" Lightning Wing shouted. "And he could take you down, ANYONE of you down within seconds." Right now, Storm was feeling terrified and was actually trembling in fear. Lightning Wing's dad sounded like a very intimidating Gryphon, a very intimidating Gryphon indeed.

"Look---I'm sorry! Okay?! I'll not annoy you again!" Storm replied backing off even further. Rainwynd quickly hid underneath a nearby table to avoid being seen by Lightning Wing.

"You better not..." replied Lightning Wing threateningly.

"Or what?" butted in Sharpbeak.

"You stay out of this, Sharp!" shouted Lightning Wing, loud enough for Mrs. Talons to hear. "I thought I could trust you! I thought you were my friend! And you're hanging out with these... winged ponies?!"

"For your inconvenience, we're Pegasi!" yelled Storm.

"Quiet, you!" roared Lightning Wing.

"Boys, boys!" said Mrs. Talons. The arguing Pegasus and Gryphons turned to face her and immediately calmed themselves. "What is going on here?" she asked.

"No-nothing, ma'am!" Storm replied. "We're just playing a game..."

"You sure?" she asked. "It doesn't sound like a very friendly game."

"No ma'am." begun Lightning Wing. "He came over to me and my friends and knocked down my alp-alf-allpahb---"

"Alphabet." Stormfire corrected him.

"Thanks." replied Lightning Wing. "So, he came on over to me and knocked down my ALPHABET tower..."

"Did you, Stormfire?" asked Mrs. Talons, looking very cross.

"No ma'am. I did not! I swear! He came over to me and started pestering me for no reason." Stormfire explained. She turned to face Lightning Wing and glared at him.

"Is this true, Lightning Wing?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." he replied, before turning to glare at Storm.

"Both of you. Apologize, now." Mrs. Talons said sternly.

"Okay..." grumbled Lightning Wing. "Sorry..." he said reluctantly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too..." Stormfire replied, showing actual remorse.

"Thank you. Now, Storm. If he causes you any more trouble, please tell me, alright?" Mrs. Talons asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Storm replied, turning to face Lightning Wing and looking at him uncertainly.

"Good." she replied and smiled at him, before flying back to her desk.

"So..." Sharpbeak begun nervously. "Lightning Wing? Do you still want to play with us?"

"NO!" Lightning Wing replied. "I hate you, Sharpbeak. But most of all, I hate ponies! I hate them all! ESPECIALLY YOU! I will make your life a misery, Stormfire... Just you wait!" he roared at Stormfire, before flying off towards his friends.

"Oh, well..." Sharpbeak shrugged. "I'm sorry for him. He can be a bit... dramatic at times."

"Is i-it s-safe to come out?" asked Rainwynd, who was curled up underneath the table.

"Yes, it is. He's gone now." replied Storm. "You can come out, Rain." Rain did as he said and reluctantly came out from underneath the table to join Stormfire and Sharpbeak.

"What's his problem?" she asked.

"Well, he hates ponies from what I know..." Storm replied.

"I'm not sure what his problem is exactly... but I don't want him treating my friends like that." Sharpbeak replied.

"Was he your friend?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, back in Kindergarten, we were best buddies..." Sharpbeak replied. "I'm not sure what's gotten into him now."

"I don't know as well..." Rainwynd replied. "Let's just play a game or something."

"Okay!" Storm replied enthusiastically. "How about... hide n' seek?"

"Sure thing!" they both replied.

"You're seeking!" said Sharpbeak.

"Okay dokey." replied Storm and covered his eyes, before beginning to count up to ten. The Gryphon and the Pegasus filly went away from Stormfire, looking for a suitable hiding place. Sharpbeak found a hiding place underneath a table, while Rainwynd found a hiding place in between some books on a book shelf. Eventually, Stormfire finished counting and went to look for them.

It took a lot longer than he expected, but he found Sharpbeak hiding underneath the table, and after a long chase across the classroom, he finally caught the speedy Gryphon. But where was Rainwynd hiding? Was she even in the classroom? Was she next door? Storm didn't have the time to answer these questions. What he wanted to do was find Rainwynd. Eventually, after looking through almost every cupboard and every bookshelf in the class, Storm gave up. He could not find Rainwynd. She was a master at hide n' seek.

Just then, he heard some light giggling coming from behind him. He turned around almost immediately and saw Rainwynd peeking out from behind some books.

"Rainwynd..." Storm groaned.

"What?" she asked.

"How are you so good at everything?" Storm asked.

"I just am..." she replied, grinning, before pushing the books off the bookshelf and getting out of there. "So, who's seeking next?"

"I am!" replied Sharpbeak. Just then, the bell rang and the entire class lined up at the door. Unfortunately, it was time to go home. Storm couldn't wait to tell his mom about his first day at school, but he also did not want to leave his two friends behind. Then, an idea hit him.

"Hey guys..." Storm begun. "How about I ask my mom if you two can come on over, huh?"

"Sounds like a great idea!" Sharpbeak replied, lining up as well, followed by Stormfire and Rainwynd.

"I agree." Rainwynd replied. "Also, Storm?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Uh, thank you..." she replied, smiling at him.

"You're welcome." he said, returning the smile. "What for?"

"For being my first friend here, silly!" she replied, ruffling his mane slightly.

"My pleasure, Rainy." he replied.

"Okay, students!" Mrs. Talons begun. "I hope you've all had a swell first day here at Gryffsvale Elementary. Have you?" she asked. Suddenly, the entire class raised their talons (or hooves, in the case of Stormfire or Rainwynd). "That's great. See you all tomorrow!"

"Bye, Mrs. Talons!" the students replied and begun to pour out of the classroom.

After Stormfire waved goodbye to Sharpbeak and Rainwynd, he walked down the corridor and outside of the school building to meet his mom. Equinox was standing among the crowd of parents gathered outside the school and was waiting for Stormfire. Eventually she noticed him trotting towards her and smiled at him.

"Hey son!" she replied, nuzzling his mane. "How was your first day at school?"

"It was great, mom!" he replied. "I got to meet two new friends! One of them, she's a pony, while the other one is a Gryphon."

"Well, that's great, sweetie." she said. "You know that making a true friend is one of the greatest things that can happen to a young pony?"

"Is it?" Storm asked.

"Yep." Equinox replied, smiling. "Come on, let's head for home. I'm making your favorite today; hay fries and some salad..."

"Oh, goodie!" Storm replied, jumping around. "Thanks, mom."

"My pleasure, son." she replied, smiling warmly at him. As they walked towards the school gates, Storm looked to see Raindrop and Sharpbeak going to their respective parents and telling them about their first day at school. He waved at his two new friends, before going through the gate with his mom and heading for home.

My first day at school didn't go as bad as I thought it would, mainly because I met the best friends I could ever meet. Rainwynd and Sharpbeak. But despite having two new friends, I also had to put up with an enemy. An enemy that won't leave me alone for the years to come. An enemy that picked on me for a long, long time. That enemy was Lightning Wing.

Author's Notes:

Whew! Sorry folks. This chapter took a hell of a lot longer to write than I intended it to. Anyways, it's finally done and I hope you enjoyed it.

Chapter 3 will be a pretty easy chapter to write and will be pretty awesome as well. I can't tell you much about it, but I will reveal a bit of what it will be about. Okay. Here goes. Flying. Rainwynd. Sharpbeak. Lightning Wing. Okay then. Stay tuned, everypony. Chapter 3 should be done soon.

3. Rolling Storm

It was an average summer afternoon in Gryffsvale, and while it wasn't especially hot, the humidity got very unpleasant at times; the temperature on that day peaked at 96 degrees, which allowed the townsfolk to head out to the park or to visit the public pool. After finishing school for the week, Stormfire, Rainwynd, and Sharpbeak headed off to the park to play a game of tag, which was a favorite pastime of theirs and once it got too hot, they were planning on going to the ice cream stand.

"You're 'it', Storm!" shouted Rainwynd, tapping him on the shoulder lightly and running away towards some trees. Storm chuckled to himself and trotted after her, but not before being tapped on the back by something. Or someone, that is. He turned around to see what tapped him and noticed Sharpbeak standing in front of him, giggling uncontrollably.

"Come get me, Storm!" he shouted, before running towards some bushes. Storm chuckled to himself. He knew that Sharpbeak wasn't very fast and was easy to get, so he trotted after the Gryphon, who headed for the nearest tall tree in order to escape. Meanwhile, Rainwynd was up another tall tree and was watching Storm chase Sharp around the park.

"Go Storm, go! Go Storm, go!" she chanted repeatedly, doing so quietly in order to not be heard by Storm. Meanwhile, Storm chased Sharpbeak into a corner of the park, and while Sharpbeak could fly and easily get out of the park, the walls surrounding them were a bit too tall for him to fly over and escape.

"Nowhere to run now, Sharpie..." said Storm, slowly closing in on him. Sharp wanted to go around him but he knew he was too slow and that Storm would catch him in an instant. It seemed like the end was near for Sharp, who knew that he would be caught eventually by Storm.

"Dude... I'll give you all my hoofball magazines... all my toys, all my video games, no wait, not all my video games. Most of them are way too valuable. Just please, don't tag me!" Sharpbeak pleaded. Storm simply shook his head and continued to near him. Just then...

"HEY STORM!" shouted Sharpbeak, pointing to behind Storm. "What the hell is that?!" Storm immediately turned around to see what Sharpbeak was talking about, however he saw nothing, and when he turned around, Sharpbeak was gone. Storm turned around again to see where he could have went and his jaw dropped when he saw him flying towards some trees.

"Sharpbeak, get back here you cheat!" shouted Storm, knowing that in a game of tag, flying was out of the question. Sharpbeak simply turned around and stuck out his tongue at him, before taking a sharp left and going between the trees. Storm grumbled and ran up towards him, flapping his wings as fast as he could. Eventually, he managed to take off into the air and follow him.

"Come back here, you cheater!" shouted Storm, flying in between the same trees that Sharpbeak flew past. Sharpbeak turned around and grinned slyly at him, before landing on the same tree where Rainwynd was hiding. Storm chuckled to himself and aimed towards their tree. Suddenly, he lost control of himself and spiraled down towards a tree branch.

"AAAAHHH!" he shouted as he fell towards the branch.

"Stormfire!" shouted Rainwynd.

"I'll get him!" shouted Sharpbeak, taking off from the tree branch the two were perched on and flying towards Storm, who tried his hardest to regain control of his flight and miss the branch. But it was too late for that. Storm hit the branch and was knocked out cold.

"Ugh..." he groaned and opened his eyes. He looked around, confused about where he is, but then he noticed a picture of his mother and some stallion, which he presumed to be his father hanging on the wall.

"I'm back home..." he realized. "What the hell happened to me?"

Storm then got up and walked towards the door, but then he felt something trickle down his head. Am I bleeding or something? he asked himself, before trotting to the bathroom as fast as he could and looking in the mirror. He had a wet cloth on his forehead, with something red pouring out from behind it. He shivered slightly as he looked at it. I am bleeding... he thought to himself as he looked at the red fluid. But what exactly happened to make him bleed?

"Mooom!" he shouted.

"Can you come downstairs son?" his mom, who was cooking dinner downstairs, replied. Storm did as he was asked and trotted into the kitchen, where she was preparing hay fries and a tomato and lettuce salad. Rainwynd and Sharpbeak were sitting at the table.

"Hey guys." Storm said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey son. I'm so glad you're okay." replied Equinox, who nuzzled him.

"What happened to me, mom?" Storm asked, pointing at the makeshift bandage on his head.

"You fell onto a tree branch, Storm." said Sharpbeak.

"Yeah, you were knocked out cold..." explained Rainwynd.

"What the hay were you doing up a tree anyways?" asked his mom, now cross. "Don't you know it's dangerous to be up so high?"

"I was trying to catch Sharpbeak, who was flying away from me..." Storm replied, before turning and glaring at Sharpbeak. "Sorry, mom. Next time, I won't go up so high."

"Yeah, about that..." begun Sharp, looking guilty. "Sorry."

"It's okay..." replied Storm, giving him a comforting smile. "Next time, just don't fly... because I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" asked Rainwynd. "I've seen you fly before, Storm. You're amazing."

"No, I am not! Okay?!" Storm shouted at Rainwynd, who hid underneath the table. He sighed slightly. "Look, Rain..." he begun. "I never was good at flying... and I never will be."

"Oh, sweetie..." his mom said, hugging him. "You are good at flying. You just need to concentrate and try your best."

"Storm, maybe you're just not trying hard enough." said Sharpbeak.

"No, Sharpbeak. I tried my hardest... I've been trying my hardest for the past five years, and I've gotten nowhere." he explained, shedding a few tears and hugging his mother. Most Pegasi would learn to fly at age five or so and would become professional fliers at age six or seven, however there were some exceptions and Storm was one of them. He had flying lessons every summer break since his fifth birthday and so far, he hasn't really gotten anywhere. Some of the best flight teachers in Gryffsvale were hired to teach Storm how to fly, but they weren't much help. The only pony who could truly teach him how to fly was his dad, who was still away on his "business trip". This was the longest business trip Storm had ever heard of.

"Where's daddy, mommy?" asked Storm, crying into her coat. "Why isn't he here to teach me?" Equinox Moon sighed and shed a tear of her own. She finally realized that the "business trip" excuse wasn't going to work much longer and Storm was going to find out one day what really happened to Blaze. It was time to tell him the truth.

"I'll tell you where he is after we finish eating, okay?" she asked. Storm simply nodded in reply and continued to cry into her coat. She nuzzled him gently and sighed. Why did I keep the truth hidden from you so long, son? I'm a horrible mother.

An hour later, Storm and Equinox had finished eating their dinner and while Storm went upstairs to play in his room, Equinox washed all the dishes and cutlery. Storm was in his room reading a magazine about ice hockey, which happened to be one of Storm's personal favorite sports. Just then, somepony knocked on the door.

"Come in!" said Storm. Just then, Equinox opened the door and walked into the room.

"Hey son." she said, smiling. "What are you reading?"

"Ice Hockey Elite magazine." Storm explained. "I bought it yesterday at the store. It has the results of the latest game between Gryffsvale and Gryfino."

"Really? Who won?" Equinox asked.

"Gryfino 2-1." replied Storm. "It's a real shame, 'cause Gryffsvale has better players."

"I guess so. Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, a slight glare forming on her face, which was enough for Storm to notice.

"Did I do anything wrong, mom?" he asked, putting down the magazine.

"No no, you didn't." she replied, the glare being replaced by her usual, warm smile. She sat down on Storm's bed and sighed a sad sigh. "I want to tell you something, son."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"It's...it's about why your dad hasn't come home." She replied, her smile forming into a sad glare.

"Mom... what's wrong?" Storm asked, putting his hoof on her shoulder. She turned to face him and gave him a sad grin, before sighing again.

"He's dead, Stormfire." she explained, tears beginning to surge down her face. Storm's jaw dropped and his world came to a crashing halt. "He's been dead for the past ten years..."

Storm's heart literally skipped a beat after hearing his mom's statement. Back in third grade Storm realized that his dad has been away for way too long on his "business trips", but his mom had explained to him that he's a businesspony who travels the world, which calmed him down noticeably. But that was all a lie. He was no businesspony...

"So, you've been lying to me all this time?" Storm asked, his smile forming into a glare. "Why?!"

"Let me explain, please son." she replied, literally crying her eyes out. "Please..."

"All right..." grumbled Storm. Equinox sighed and wiped her eyes, before gulping.

"Okay..." Equinox begun. "I was in high school when I first met your father... He was unlike any stallion I have ever met. While most stallions disliked me for my looks and my "nerdy" nature..."

"You were a nerd in high school, mom?" Storm asked, trying to imagine his mom as a high school nerd.

"Yes, Storm..." she replied. "I was obsessed with becoming a meteorologist..."

"Isn't that some sort of weather scientist?" asked Storm.

"You are correct, son." she replied and smiled at him, before continuing. "So, you see, I wanted to become one so bad and while most mares and stallions my age had fun and partied a lot, I preferred to study, which led to me being highly unpopular."

"Wow..." Storm said.

"Yep." replied Equinox. "And while I was walking down the corridor to my next class one day, I wasn't looking where I was going and I accidentally bumped into your father, who was the stallion of my dreams. I mean, I've had one coltfriend before him, but he cheated on me with another mare... however, he apologized and we still keep in touch."

"So, that's who you've been writing to all this time?" Storm asked.

"Exactly. Anyways, your dad was unlike any stallion I had ever met before. He was kind, sweet, comforting, a real gentlepony, and he watched my back. After graduating from high school, I got a scholarship at the University of Baltimare, and it turned out that your dad got one as well." she reminisced, tears rolling out of her eyes. "Our relationship grew there and we spent every moment of the day together. Just after we graduated, he proposed to me... and then, before we moved here, we got married and I ended up pregnant with you." she explained, smiling, but then turned and sighed. "But our happiness didn't last very long."

"What happened?" asked Storm, now concerned.

"A war broke out between Equestria and the Gryphon Empire, and while it wasn't anything major, it meant we couldn't come back home until things were back to normal." she explained. "Now, Storm.... your dad was a soldier."

Storm's jaw dropped. Blaze wasn't a businesspony who traveled the world. He was a soldier, protecting Equestria and all that is good from a possible invasion by the Gryphon Empire. Why did his mom lie to him about who his dad really was?

"And he had to go fight..." she explained, shedding a few tears. "It wasn't his choice, he just had to. And believe me, was it hard. A month after he left, I had you and everything seemed idyllic, but then, a week later, I got a letter from the military saying that he got killed by enemy fire."

Storm's heart stopped after hearing that and his eyes immediately begun to fill up with water. He tried to process what his mom just said, but his emotions got the better of him before he could finish. His father was dead and his mom kept it a secret from him for almost ten years...

"Why did you keep it a secret from me?!" he cried almost uncontrollably, before collapsing onto the bed and drenching the sheets with his tears. "Why?"

"Because..." begun Equinox, also crying her eyes out. "I didn't want you going through the same pain as I did when I found out he got killed, especially at such a young age... I'm sorry, son... I'm so, so sorry." she explained, stroking him gently. This calmed Storm down noticeably and he slowly got up off the drenched bed and jumped into Equinox's hooves, crying softly into her body. She hugged him as well and sighed deeply, before also breaking down.

"Why did he get killed, mom?" asked Storm, still crying. "Why can't he be here today?"

"Things like that happen, I guess, son..." replied Equinox, hugging him tightly and crying softly "But remember. If he was here today, he'd be proud of you... just like I am."

"Why be proud of me? I can't even fly properly!" explained Storm, still crying into her coat. "I'm no Pegasus. I'm not special in any way..."

"You are special, son. Don't say that you're not... Please." Equinox said, stroking him gently. "You're kind, you're friendly, you're helpful, and most importantly, you're my son, and I love you no matter what happens, and if he was here today, your father would say so as well."

"Thanks mom..." Storm replied and smiled at her slightly.

"You're very welcome son..." Equinox said and nuzzled him gently. "I'm a horrible mother for keeping it a secret from you for so long..."

"No, you're not..." Storm begun. "Please, don't say that, mom... Please. You're the best mother I could ever ask for... and I love you."

"I love you too son..." she replied and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry for keeping it a secret from you and lying to you."

The next day...
Storm was walking down the pathway leading home from school, still shaken by his mom's revelation and by what really happened to his dad. He was still angry at her for not telling the truth to him, but he decided to loosen up and chill out. After all, it did happen ten years ago and it didn't really affect him, so why was he so angry about it anyway?

"Hey Storm." said a voice from behind him. Storm stopped in his tracks and turned to face Rainwynd and Sharpbeak.

"Hey guys." replied Storm, a bit awkwardly.

"How's your forehead doing?" asked Rainwynd. He tapped the makeshift bandage gently, feeling little to no pain.

"It's better today. I think it should be fully healed by the end of this week." explained Storm.

"That's good." said Rain. "It looked pretty bad just a few days ago... Hey. What's wrong, Storm?" she asked, noticing he's acting strange.

"Nothing, nothing." he replied, looking as confused as before.

"No, something's definitely up." said Rainwynd, now concerned. Storm sighed, knowing that he couldn't lie to his best friend. However, before he could explain to Rainwynd why he's been acting so awkwardly, Sharpbeak started to speak.

"Yo, guys." begun Sharp. "Wanna get some ice cream or something? My mom gave me some money so I guess we could get some if you guys want."

"Sure!" replied Rain.

"Yeah, I want some as well." said Storm, his awkward face turning into a grin.

"Alright then, let's go!" replied Sharpbeak, who ran towards the café, two blocks away. Storm and Rainwynd trotted after him.

Meanwhile...
After making lunch, Equinox didn't have much to do with her time, so whilst waiting for Storm to come home from school, she decided to listen to some music on the radio, which usually calmed her down. Within seconds, the old radio which she once bought at the nearby marketplace came to life and started playing music popular on the Griffon charts. She tapped her hoof to the rhythm of the music playing on the radio, however the music was interrupted by a sudden announcement from the country's national broadcaster.

"Breaking news! Our fair nation's capital city of Avion has been attacked by rebel forces of the Great Griffon Constitution, a terrorist organization looking to replace our monarchy in a coup de etat. There is destruction, chaos, blood everywhere...buildings are collapsing... the Griffonian Parliament has been hit by an airstrike! Damage here is..---damage is incomprehensible. I can hear gunfire everywhere... holy shit, get down!"

The voice of the Griffon news reporter on the radio was quickly replaced by the sounds of machine guns being fired, distant explosions and glass shattering, as well as of Griffons screaming and squawking as they were presumably either showered with debris or killed on the spot.

"Achtung!"

"Er geschlagen worden! Er blutet ziemlich schlecht! Jemand bekommen ihm einen doktor!"

"Die Gebäude kollabiert!"

And then static. Nothing but grainy, loud static.

Her heart stopped and her world came to a crashing halt as the sounds of chaos and destruction coming from the radio morphed into white noise. Her lungs expanded and contracted rapidly, pressing against her chest with every heavy breath she took, and waves of sweat washed down her face as she begun to comprehend just what was happening. One of the deadliest wars in recent history had just taken a nasty turn, turning into a full-scale civil war as a terrorist organization whom she had heard of before attacked the country's capital in the most brutal, most devastating of ways, killing large scores of Avion's 2.5 million strong population.

"Stormfire..." she gasped, shooting up out of her seat, knowing full well that if the Constitution takes control of Avion, therefore taking control of the entire Empire, they could kill her and her son off.

---

Meanwhile, Stormfire and his friends were drinking something cool at the local café.

"Oh my..." squealed Rainwynd. "These are some of the best smoothies I have ever tried!" she explained, slurping up a strawberry smoothie. "Thanks Sharp!"

"I agree..." Storm replied, drinking a chocolate milkshake. "These are amazing! You shouldn't have. Thank you."

"Aww, you guys..." Sharp grinned. "It's no biggie."

"So, what do you guys want to do after we finish?" Storm asked.

"Well, I don't know, really..." replied Rainwynd. "Wanna go to the park?"

"Sure!" the colt and the Gryphon replied in unison.

After finishing their drinks, the three friends headed off to the park, only to be stopped by a certain someone they knew from school.

"So, who do you think should have won Sunday's ice hockey game? Gryfino or Gryffsvale?" asked Storm.

"Gryffsvale, no question." replied Sharp. Just before Rainwynd was about to give her answer, she was interrupted.

"Nah, they suck." replied a voice that all three of them recognized too well. It was Lightning Wing, who came out of an alleyway between the cafe and a four story high office block, with two of his cronies. Storm and his friends gasped in shock, all knowing full well that Lightning Wing was supposed to be on a skiing trip in Scandineighvia. "And you do as well, ponies...."

"What's wrong with being a pony?" asked Rainwynd. "And what are you doing here anyways?"

"Everything." he replied. "You're the ones who started this war, you warmongering beasts."

"No, it was actually you Gryphons who started the war." Storm explained, anger boiling inside him.

"Prove it." challenged Lightning Wing. Storm was seriously fighting the urge to punch Lightning Wing in the face, but just before he could do so, Rainwynd came in to stop him.

"Stormy, I don't think he's worth it." Rainwynd said, putting her hoof on his shoulder.

"Rain's right, Storm." replied Sharpbeak, resting his claws on his other shoulder.

"Oh, who's that?" asked Lightning Wing, looking at Storm and Rain. "Your marefriend?" Storm and Rain turned to look at one another, a large blush forming on both of their faces. While they were pretty good friends with each other, neither one of them had any feelings for one another.

"Uh, no!" replied Storm. "She's just a friend."

"Come on, guys... let's go." said Sharpbeak.

"You know, Sharpbeak..." Lightning Wing begun. "I trusted you! You were my friend, and then you left me for those... beasts!"

"They're better friends than you'll ever be!" shouted Sharpbeak.

"Leave him alone, Lightning. Leave all of us alone." Storm warned, a glare forming on his face almost instantaneously. "Or you'll have me to deal with."

"Storm, let's go... now!" said Rainwynd.

"Oh, it's on pony!" Lightning replied, pushing Storm into the alleyway and without warning, throwing himself at him. His much older two goons, possibly around 13 or 14 years of age, also thew themselves at Storm, trying to attack the colt, but not before he managed to roll out from beneath the dogpile, bringing it down instantly, before trotting out of the alleyway towards Sharpbeak and Rainwynd. But before he could do so, however, he was brought down again. The two goons brought Storm down and begun to hammer him with punches. They were much bigger than Storm was, and by the time they were done, Storm found it hard to move his scratched and bruised body. He tried to roll towards a nearby trash can, but Lightning Wing stepped on his hoof with one of his talons.

"GAAH!" cried Storm as he watched the talon cut into his hoof, a squirt of blood erupting out of the incision followed by a sudden onset of extreme pain.

"You know, pony..." begun Lightning Wing, removing his blood-covered talon from within Storm's inch-long wound. "I've hated you and your marefriend..." He said, turning towards Rainwynd, who didn't know what to do to prevent their fight. "...for a while now."

"Yeah?!" Storm asked, tears forming in his eyes. "Why?!"

"Because you ponies are horrible creatures!" he shouted, delivering a devastating punch to Storm's face, almost knocking him out and leaving him with slight claw marks on his face.

"And you think you Gryphons are any better?" Storm asked. "What did I do to deserve this?!"

Lightning Wing didn't reply to his question and instead prepared to deliver another devastating blow to Storm, one which would have most definitely impaired his breathing, however just before he did so, he was stopped.

"What is the meaning of this, Lightning Wing?!" asked a loud, almost booming voice. Storm opened his eyes and looked to see where the voice was coming from. It was a large Gryphon male wearing a "GO GRYFFSVALE!" t-shirt, which he presumed to be Lightning Wing's father. Beside him was Storm's mom, who was looking at him and Lightning Wing in fear and a City Guard, who looked very angry. "I had to leave work early because of your little scuffle here."

Lightning Wing immediately got up off the ground and trotted up to his father, nuzzling his wing. Storm, although much weaker and more vulnerable, also got up off the ground and slowly walked up to Equinox, nuzzling her side. She wrapped her wing around him and sighed. Lightning Wing's father was less lenient and tried to push him away from him.

"This isn't what I expected from you, son." he scolded him. "This isn't how a true Gryphon behaves."

"But he started it!" he shouted at Stormfire, who was nuzzling Equinox's wing.

"I am sure he didn't lay a hoof on you." replied Lightning's dad. "I know what you're like, Lightning Wing."

"I didn't..." a tearful and cut up Stormfire replied. "You did."

Both parents and the City Guard looked at Lightning Wing with glares on their faces. Lightning Wing sighed and begun to tear up, when suddenly he heard a low rumbling sound in the air.

"What is that noise?" he asked, getting almost everyone's attention (except Storm's, who was still hugging his mom). The noise became more noticeable and ponies on the street begun to run away from where it was coming from. The City Guard walked up towards the entrance of the alleyway and looked at the source of the rumbling and noticed three airships flying overhead at low speeds, the words Great Griffon Constitution written in both Griffonian and native Gryphon painted on their sides and on their floors. No one gathered had any idea of what was going on, that is, except Equinox, who let out a gasp.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Stormfire asked, cowering beneath her wing.

"They're here..." Equinox whispered, not taking her eyes off the airships which hovered hundreds of feet above them. "We have to go. NOW!"

All traffic in downtown Gryffsvale came to a screeching halt, resulting in several accidents as Gryphons and ponies alike turned their eyes away from the road to look at the approaching airships. The airships begun to fly directly over the alleyway, allowing the Gryphons and ponies to get a clear view of them. Suddenly, a low whistling sound emanated from above, which grew louder and louder and caught everyone's attention. Projectile-shaped objects were released from each airship and seemingly grew larger as they approached ground level. This definitely did not mean good.

"Run everyone!" shouted the City Guard in a strong Gryphon accent, dragging Lightning Wing's two cronies by their scruffy necks, who Storm presumed were his sons.

"Storm, get on my back, now!" shouted Equinox. Storm climbed onto her back and she managed to trot out of the alleyway just before the objects landed on the town. Lightning Wing climbed onto his dad's back and he ran out of the alleyway, but one of the bombs landed on the arched walkway connecting the upper floor of the cafe with the second floor of the office building. The bomb ripped through it, and blew it up, along with parts of both buildings in a fiery explosion, sending Lightning Wing off his father's shoulders and showering him with debris.

"LIGHTNING WING!" he shouted as he rushed towards his son, who was trapped under layers of brick and rubble. The young, ash-covered Gryphon stuck out from underneath the rubble, barely able to reach his dad.

"Dad, help me..." he croaked, not being able to breathe properly through his compressed lungs and airways as he gazed upwards to see another airship circling overhead. "Please!"

"Don't worry, son. I'll get you out of there!" shouted the older Gryphon, trying to pull the debris off his son. Meanwhile, Storm and Equinox were continuing to trot down the road towards home, when another bomb landed, this time on a small apartment building, blowing it up and causing what remained of it, it's front facade, to land on a carriage, flattening it to the shape of a pancake. The road home was blocked and they had to go around. Another bomb landed on the opposite side of the street, blowing the office block standing there to smithereens and lifting a parked milk carriage into the air. Storm was utterly terrified. He had never witnessed so much destruction taking place and he could tell Equinox was feeling the same way. Suddenly, the two heard a cry for help and turned towards it. It was at the same alleyway where Storm had that altercation with Lightning Wing, or rather, what remained of it.

"HELP!" the cry sounded again and those who still remained on the street after the bombings rushed towards the source of the sound, including Equinox and Storm. The airships left towards a different part of town, which allowed them to go help whoever it was that needed help. It turned out that it was Lightning Wing who needed help. His dad already took much of the debris off his back and threw it aside, but there was still some corrugated metal and concrete lying on him.

"Dad, please!" shouted Lightning Wing, obviously in pain. "It hurts! I can feel blood trickling down my body!"

"It won't be long now my son." his dad replied, trying to pull off a heavy sheet of metal along with a few other Gryphons and stallions. However, the metal barely budged. His dad sighed, before turning to look at Equinox and Storm. "Can you help us please?" he asked, before noticing some of the airships approaching again. "Hurry!"

"You got it." replied Equinox, who grabbed the metal with her hooves and tried to pull it up. Storm looked at Lightning Wing lying under the rubble and groaned, and not just because he was in pain from what had happened in the alleyway. He was thinking whether to help Lightning Wing or not, especially since he practically cut him up a little while ago. There was a part of him saying 'Don't do it! He bullied you enough for the past few years. It'd be better if you left him behind and went for safety.' and there was another part of him saying 'Help him. He might have bullied you for the past few years, but maybe he's just as insecure as you are.'. Storm didn't know what to do at this point, however he couldn't watch anypony suffer, whether it's a Gryphon or a pony. Despite the injuries he suffered at the claws of Lightning Wing, he felt like he just had to help the poor Gryphon, whether he wanted to or not.

He immediately got off of Equinox's back and fluttered his small wings and begun to help push the sheet of metal upwards. With everyone's help, the sheet of metal was lifted up into the air. Lightning Wing turned to look at Storm helping push the sheet of metal upwards.

"Storm, why are you helping me?" he asked, covering his blood-covered abdomen with his talons. "I bullied you for practically the last four years."

"I can't watch you suffer, no matter how much you've bullied me." he simply replied, before fluttering his small wings and slowly pushing the sheet of metal even higher than it was before. He landed on the ground, obviously out of breath and tired. Gryphons and ponies managed to lift the metal up and placed it against what remained of the building. Next, they had to remove parts of a concrete wall that landed on Lightning. The wall weighed far more than the corrugated metal and could easily have broken Lightning's back. Storm groaned, obviously in more pain than he was before, but decided to try his luck and help remove it off Lightning's body. Before doing so he turned to look at the approaching airships, watching as two of them circled the Griphcom Tower, the city's tallest building at 25 stories located a mere five blocks towards the east. Much to their shock, its upper floors soon gave way, resulting in a fiery explosion enveloping much of the top half of the tower and sending debris onto the city streets.

It took a lot of effort on everyone's part to lift the crumbling wall off the Gryphon. Storm was trying particularly hard, picking up all the smaller fragments of concrete and throwing them into the rubble of the building and then helping the adults throw the destroyed wall into the pile of rubble behind Lightning Wing, who although extremely weak and cut-up, examined the damage with his father. After doing so, he walked up to Storm, who was dusting himself off from the dust and the cement.

"I guess I owe you an apology..." he begun, holding his blood-covered abdomen in pain. "You were right, Storm. I'm a horrible Gryphon. I'm a horrible, horrible Gryphon!" the young Gryphon shouted, almost breaking down in the process. Although reluctant at first, Storm put his hoof on his shoulder.

"You're not..." he comforted him and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry for everything, Storm." Lightning Wing said. "For bullying you, for attacking you with my friends... I guess we just didn't realize how horrible we Gryphons can be at times. And thank you for helping to get me out of that mess."

"Yeah, we're sorry too." his cronies replied. "We just didn't like ponies very much."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sorry as well..." Storm replied.

"For what?" they gasped.

"I almost didn't help you today..." Storm replied.

"You didn't?" asked Lightning Wing. What changed your mind?"

"I don't know." shrugged Storm. "I guess I felt sorry for you, plus I couldn't bear seeing you or anyone else suffer."

"Maybe we can be friends?" asked Lightning Wing. "If you'd want to, of course..."

"Sure!" replied Storm and smiled at them, before watching as Lightning Wing was taken into an ambulance carriage by his father. "Maybe we can be friends."

Equinox was watching the four ponies mingle and her expression turned from a glare to a smile. He had finally made peace with the bully who was ruining his life.

Lightning Wing was then taken to the hospital to check on his injuries with Storm and Equinox in the carriage who tried to comfort him, and this is where they learned his injuries were fairly serious. One of the doctors tasked with examining him, a hippogriff by the name of Talonovitz, revealed that had he been positioned differently, the weight of the rubble would have most definitely crushed poor Lightning Wing to death; not only had four bones been broken in his body, his wing was fractured and one of his back paws was pierced by a sharp piece of either metal or stone. Whilst Lightning Wing was operated on by a team of highly trained Griffon doctors and surgeons tasked with fixing such life-threatening injuries, his dad opted to take Storm and Equinox to their home on the outskirts of town by carriage, which they both respectfully refused.

As the airships began to depart the partially-razed city, now missing several highlights of its skyline, Equinox and Storm walked home through what remained of downtown.

"What you did back there Storm, was very brave and noble," explained Equinox to Storm, who was on her back, obviously very weak. "Especially to a Gryphon who bullied you relentlessly."

"I felt like I had to. I couldn't watch him suffer..." explained Storm. "Even though I don't really like him much, he was suffering too much. I had to help him, mom."

"Your dad would be so proud of you, sweetie..." she replied with pride in her voice. "Because I am."

Suddenly, both of them turned their eyes to the armada of airships in the sky, turning away from the downtown area and flying away into the afternoon sky.

"The ships left..." Storm replied. "I thought they were going to bomb us again."

"Well..." Equinox replied and looked at the destroyed street. There were fireponies and Gryphons alike putting out the fires caused by the bombings and there were Gryphons cleaning up the debris off the streets. "All I can say is this... maybe somepony was watching us from above?" Storm yawned and thought to himself. Well, this has been an eventful day... he concluded.

Just over twenty minutes later, the mother and son returned home, or rather to what remained of it. The once magnificent brick house was now a burned out shell. Only one room was standing, and that room belonged to Stormfire. The rest of the rooms were destroyed by the blast, including Equinox's, of which all that remained was a destroyed bed and a picture.

Equinox sighed sadly, before letting out a tidal wave of tears. Noticing this, Storm trotted up to his mom, and hugged her as tightly as he could. The distraught mare returned the hug and nuzzled her son gently. The house which she brought with Blazefire just after their wedding, the house in which she raised and nurtured her only son, and the house they called home was gone. It was no more...

After the hug was over, she asked him if he could get the picture, which lay beside the destroyed bed. Storm trotted past the bed and picked up the picture, and looked at it. It was the same picture Storm saw just after he regained consciousness after that little accident. The picture was of Equinox and Blaze, just after their wedding, and although the frame was partially destroyed and the glass protecting it was cracked, he still saw the picture. So this is what dad looked like... he thought to himself, looking at the light blue stallion with an orange mane. I think he looks kinda cool.

Storm brought the picture for his mom to study. After a moment of silence, his mom finally turned to him and spoke.

"Son?" she begun.

"Yeah?" Storm replied.

"You know what your dad always wanted?" she asked.

"What?" asked Storm.

"He wanted to move back to Equestria with me and you." Equinox explained, choking up somewhat. "And since we have nothing left here, I think it's high time we move back to where we belong."

Author's Notes:

So FINALLY, this chapter is done. I hope you like it, folks.

Lightning Wing, along with Rain and Sharpbeak will appear in the next chapter, so keep an eye out for that. It'll probably be done before the end of this week.

4. Moving to Equestria

A month later...
Dear Equinox,
I don't know if this letter will get through to you but I sure as hell hope it does. I've heard of what happened in the Gryphon Empire. Are you and Storm okay? If so, thank God, if I found out you two were dead, I wouldn't know what to do.

Enclosed in the envelope in which this letter came in are the two plane tickets to Cloudsdale that you asked me to send, one for you and one for Storm. This is your chance to move to Equestria, Equi, and once you come back you and Storm can both live with me if you want until you get back on your hooves.

I hope to see you both soon.

Yours sincerely,
High Wind

A slight smile adorned Equinox’s complexion just as she finished reading a letter she’d received earlier that day from her old friend and ex-coltfriend High Wind, her first “official” letter from him in years as far as the postal service was concerned. Following some ups and downs in their relationship they eventually amicably parted ways as Equinox went on to marry Blazefire prior to their big move; although she strived to keep in touch with him following her arrival in the Empire all those years prior contact became sparse and near enough ceased at one point in the wake of the armed conflict that erupted between the two nations. During those years any mail between the two nations went through a convoluted and decentralized network of carriers that effectively bypassed the Griffon federal government’s countless machinations by operating in both Itaily and Griffonia under the guise of legitimate businesses. After closing up business for the night delivery agents would use special permits issued to traders to cross the border into Itaily or in rare situations bribe border guards with Equestrian bits for entry, passing the mail onto a contact once across the river who would then transfer it into a new envelope but with the same address. There was no real catch to this—it was expats helping expats under the table and out of the goodness of their hearts—and in order to maintain any sort of communication with friends and family back home use of this system practically became second nature to Equinox; and she eagerly paid whatever fees there were required for the chance to talk to her family again about everything there was to talk about. It was risky business for everyone involved and but it was all worth it in the end.

No response was ever fully guaranteed in the end but she used the system often enough to know that it worked about ninety percent of the time at least. Regular mail correspondences only sprang back up in recent weeks as chilly diplomatic ties warmed and became more normalized between the two nations; the Empire accepted Equestria’s help in rebuilding its crippled infrastructure and economy in exchange for compensation paid to the Equestrian military for damaged assets and lives lost, which the government opted to pay in full. Although the Empire still retained a tight grip on its borders small groups of inhabitants were allowed to filter through exit points on occasion—Equinox even returned to her original plans of escaping the country by crossing into Itaily and seeking assistance at the Equestrian Consulate in Milano all those years ago, but those plans once again fell through for another time due to the sheer difficulty of getting into Gryffsvale, which was in the midst of getting rebuilt following the previous month’s attack on the stricken city that left so many lives lost. Following the bombing of Gryffsvale and with much of the town laying in ruins, Ava and Vortex took them in to live with them at their holiday home in the mountains while Equinox wrestled with what options she and Storm had at that moment.

All that seemed like a blip now, however, and a new Empire was now on its way...or at least that’s how the new Emperor liked to word things in news media on television and on the radio. As a whole the country was now in a bizarre limbo between the old and the new, not sure whether to move forward or stay in one spot; and whether or not the upcoming changes heralded by Longclaw would heal a fractured nation or divide it even further was anyone’s guess really.

There was hope now though, a faint glimmer of It that had virtually been all but existent in the span of the last decade or so, a hope for everyone that things would get better soon, and fast.

It was only a matter of time, and Equinox knew that now.

Equinox shook the envelope and spilled out its contents onto the kitchen table; two airplane tickets for Equestrian Air, which less than a month ago had resumed flights to the Empire but with ticket prices through the roof as a result of massive inflation that nobody could keep up with at all. She examined the tickets carefully in her grasp, which had her and Storm's personal and flight details printed on them in big block letters; High Wind was a lifesaver as far as she was concerned, and she felt like she would be forever in his debt now that they had their means of escape practically laid out before them. The more she thought about this, however, the more of a pipe dream it all seemed; she had absolutely no idea if this was feasible or not in any way, or what the outlook would be for her and Storm if they both took the plunge and went ahead with the move. It was all too much to think of at this point in time, and not only that but Equinox also felt like she was burdening Ava and her family with their presence.

There was really no other option but for them to leave; the burning question on Equinox’s mind, however, was how she could organize all this on her own.

Just then, the front door opened and Storm trotted into the house, his saddlebag swinging through the air as he darted into the kitchen to greet his mother. Storm still attended elementary school like usual, but at a dingy old warehouse in an industrial area of town that was converted to an impromptu schoolhouse to accommodate new arrivals from elementary schools in Gryffsvale, including his three friends Sharpbeak, Rainwynd and Lightning Wing.

"Hey mom!" he cheerfully yelled out as he dumped his saddlebag on an armchair in the kitchen corner.

"Hey son." Equinox responded by nuzzling him, putting the letter down on the table as Storm cast a glance over at the folded paper.

"Who's the letter from if you don't mind me asking?" Storm inspected the adjacent envelope curiously.

"An old friend of mine, his name is High Wind and he lives in Equestria,” explained Equinox, a slight tear rolling out of her eye but one that went unnoticed by Storm as her prayers and pleas for deliverance were seemingly answered by whatever higher power may be out there. "Storm, sweetie?"

"Yeah?" he asked intently.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure."

"We're finally moving back to Equestria, sweetie!" Equinox gleamed, issuing a smile like Storm had never seen on her before. "High sent me this letter because he got the tickets for our airship to Equestria."

"That's nice and all...," Storm muttered under his breath in uncertainty, his smile slowly fading away from his face. "But I’d rather stay here."

"Son, we really can't keep living here,” Equinox shoot her head in response as she knew exactly what Storm was dealing with at that moment in time. “Believe me, this is extremely stressful for me too...while I’d love to spend some more time over here myself we really can’t keep burdening Ava and Vorter like that; and not to mention that a home is an expensive thing, especially at this point in time.”

"And what if we can live with them?" Storm countered.

"We just can't," Equinox shook her head as her gaze fixed onto Storm. “It's their home, not ours."

"But if we move," Storm began. "What will happen to my friends?"

"I'm sorry, son..." she begun. "You'll just have to find new ones."

"Can I just keep in touch with them?" he asked.

"Sure." Equinox replied. "If you want, you can write to them on a daily basis."

"I don't know... This is all too sudden, mom." he replied. She sighed and nuzzled him gently.

"It's sudden for me as well, son..." she started. "But let's face it. We can't live at the holiday home forever."

Just then, Stormfire realized his mom was right. Vortex and Ava were being very kind to them by giving them shelter and Storm begun to feel like they were taking advantage of them. But he didn't want to leave his friends behind, especially Rainwynd, who he was closest to. Their friendship grew stronger and stronger everyday, eventually reaching a point where the other foals at school begun to think that they were coltfriend and marefriend. Both of them were good friends, but they weren't THAT close. For now, that is...

Ever since the bombing of Gryffsvale a month ago, Storm and Lightning Wing have become fairly good friends. Both frequently visited each other, and did "colt" stuff like playing video games, watching Saddle Arabia or Bitaly play against the Gryphon Empire in a friendly game of hoofball or playing pranks on unsuspecting strangers. Ovet time, Storm learned that even though he may seem mean and threatening on the outside, Lightning Wing is soft on the inside.

As Sharpbeak lived quite far from where Storm lived, the two only saw each other at "school" or bumped into each other at times when in town. Even though they didn't see one another as much as they used to before the bombing, they still were good friends with one another.

"I guess you're right, mom..." he replied, nuzzling her. "I just don't want to leave them behind..."

"I understand, son." she replied, stroking his mane. "I felt the same way when we moved to the Gryphon Empire. Before I moved here with your dad, I didn't want to move and leave behind my best friends... but then I realized that they stay with you forever if you hold them in your heart."

"Wow. That's pretty deep." Storm said. "I never thought of it like that."

"Yep." she replied. "So, as long as you think of them and keep them in your heart, they're never away."

"I never thought of it like that, mom..." Storm said and hugged her. "Thanks for the advice."

"No probs, son." she replied, returning the hug. "I'll always be there for you."

"Thank you, mom." Storm replied and smiled, but his smile shortly gave way to an unsure expression. "But how can I explain to my friends?"

The next day...
Storm and Rainwynd walked down the road towards their respective homes after a long day of school. Every once in a while, he turned to face her, trying to tell her about the move to Equestria, but he could never get the words out. As much as he wanted to explain to her where they were moving and why, he was worried about her reaction and that the fact that it could end up damaging their friendship, maybe forever. But, he decided to take a chance and at least try to explain it to her.

"So, Storm..." she begun. "Are you excited for the big game between Gryfino and Aerozon?"

"Uh, yeah..." he replied. "I'm really hoping for Aerozon to win. They have one of the best players on the entire league."

"Who is it?" asked Rainwynd.

"I can never pronounce his name properly..." admitted Storm. "It's a very Gryphon name. I think it's like Aviazil Talonjiy or something."

"Okay then." giggled Rainwynd. "That's a funny name, don't you think? I hope Aerozon win as well..."

"Hey, Rain?" asked Storm.

"Yeah?" she asked in reply.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but..." Storm begun. "I'm moving to Equestria..."

Just then, Rainwynd's smile faded away and turned into a confused expression.

"Woah." she begun. "You're leaving, just like that?"

"No..." replied Storm. "As soon as we found out our home was destroyed, mom's been trying her hardest for us to either get a home here or move back to Equestria."

"And?" she asked.

"We couldn't find a suitable home for us anywhere in the country..." Storm explained. "So, we have to move back home."

Rain's previously confused expression slowly changed into a glare, just as Storm expected.

"Well, it looks like you don't care about me or Sharp anymore, don't ya?!" she barked. "What kind of a friend are you?!"

"Are you kidding?!" Storm retaliated. "Of course I care about you both! We just can't stay here anymore..."

"Yeah, right!" sobbed Rainwynd. "You're only saying that because you want to hang out with that crook Lightning Wing."

"For your information, Lightning Wing is not a crook!" Storm shouted, so loud that Rainwynd jumped into the nearest bush and covered her ears with her hooves. "You're the one that's acting like a crook, you whiny little brat!"

"Excuse me?!" she barked from inside the bush. "How am I a crook?! Oh, and how am I a brat?!"

Did I really just say that? he asked himself. Oh buck... he cursed under his breath and mentally facehoofed himself.

"Just go away, Storm..." she shouted, sobbing.

"Look, Rain... I'm sorry, okay?!" he shouted after her, but at this point, it was too late.

"No, Storm. You're not." she simply replied, and trotted towards her home, sobbing. Storm sighed and turned towards his home, which was just across the road. A tear rolled out of his eye as Storm tried his hardest to process what in the hay just happened. He had lost the first friend he ever made, all because he explained to her that he was moving home. Did he explain it to her wrong? Did she misinterpret it? Storm had no idea. All he knew was that he lost the first and possibly the greatest friend he ever made.

He opened the door to the holiday home and walked into it, head hung low. He looked into the living room to see Equinox listening to the news on the radio and sighed. How was he going to explain what happened to his mom?

"Hey mom..." he said in a depressed voice, before trotting upstairs.

"Hey, son." she replied. "How was your day?"

After not getting a reply, she got off the armchair and went to see where Storm could have went.

"Son?" she asked, again not getting a reply. "Son, where are you?"

Just then, she heard some crying coming from upstairs, quiet, but still audible. Equinox trotted upstairs to check on her son, and her heart literally sunk when she saw him crying into his bed.

"Son..." she said, before coming up to him and sitting beside him on the bed.

"Hi mom..." was all he said in reply, still crying into the now-drenched bed sheets.

"Rough day, huh?" she asked, stroking his mane gently with her hoof.

"Yeah..." he replied. "You don't know the half of it..."

"What happened, son?" she asked.

"I lost my best friend today, all because of that stupid move..." he explained, hitting the mattress with his hoof in order to emphasize his point. The words he spoke struck her heart harder than an arrow from a crossbow. She had no idea the move was going to be such a hard thing for him to go through, but she knew the feeling herself...

"Stormy..." Equinox begun, also tearing up. "I'm sorry we have to move... but we have no choice."

"Yeah, right..." he replied.

"Do you think I'm lying or something, Storm?" she asked in a stern voice. "Look around you. This isn't your room, the room where I sleep isn't my room. This isn't our house, for crying out loud. The only reason why we're here and not living on the streets is because Vortex and Ava have been kind enough to let us live here until we get back on our hooves. Understand me?" Equinox didn't get a response, only more crying. She sighed and sat down beside him. Storm moved himself towards her and snuggled against her wing, which she opened and wrapped around him.

"Look, Storm, sweetie..." Equinox begun. "We just can't take Ava and Vortex's kindness for granted, okay? We need to find our own place in the world, and I know it's hard for you. It's hard for me as well, believe it or not."

"It is?" asked Storm, turning to face her, his face drenched in tears.

"In fact, it's very hard for me." she replied. "I haven't been in Equestria for over a decade now. I don't know what it's like nowadays and I really don't know anyone there..."

"What about the guy who you write to?" asked Storm.

"Ponies change. He may have changed since the last time I saw him in person..." Equinox replied. "For better or for worse... I don't really know."

"What was he like the last time you saw him?" asked Storm.

"He was a little gruff and tough at times on the outside, but inside he was as much of a gentlepony as your dad was." she explained to him. "I loved both of them to bits, but in the end, I chose your dad."

"Mom?" asked Storm.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"What was it like moving for you?" asked Storm.

"It was a bit hard... my friends all thought that I was betraying them and Equestria as a whole, and so did some of the more conservative, more traditionalist members of my family." Equinox explained. "In fact, the only pony who seemed supportive of my move to the Gryphon Empire was my mom or your grandma, who told me to follow my heart and not what ponies say. My friends and family all came to their senses eventually, and I'm sure Rainwynd will come to her senses as well."

"But, it wasn't Rainwynd's fault exactly..." Storm explained. "It was sorta my fault..."

"Yes?" asked Equinox. "What exactly happened between you two?"

"Well, we were coming back home from school and were talking about who should win the next Griffonian League ice hockey game..." begun Storm. "And then I tried to explain to her that I'm going to be moving to Equestria and then she said that I didn't care about her and Sharp and that I'm starting to hang out with Lightning Wing..."

"I see." she replied.

"I don't get it, mom." he begun. "Did I say something wrong to her or something?"

"No, son." his mother replied. "She probably misunderstood you, son."

"Maybe." Storm replied.

"You two like each other, don't you?" asked Equinox, a smile forming on her face. A small, barely noticeable blush formed on Storm's face, but he quickly hid it.

"Mom, we're just friends..." Storm replied. "That is... we were."

"Just talk to her, Storm." Equinox said. "Try explaining it to her again when you meet her at school tomorrow. Maybe she'll come to her senses... who knows?"

"What if she doesn't?" asked Storm.

"True friends always listen and understand, sweetie." Equinox explained.

---

Meanwhile, Rainwynd was having the exact same conversation with her parents.

"Mom?" asked Rainwynd.

"Yeah, sweetie?" her mother, a medium-sized Pegasus mare by the name of Gale, responded.

"I--I lost a friend today..." Rain explained, rather awkwardly.

"Is it that Stormfire kid?" asked her father, a rather tall and muscular Pegasus stallion by the name of Skyclean.

"The very same one." Rain replied.

"What happened between you two?" Gale asked.

"Well, him and his mom are moving to Equestria... and I guess I overreacted a bit and thought he was lying." Rainwynd explained. "And then I shouted at him and stuff... and now, I want him to be my friend again."

"Did you learn your lesson, Rain?" asked her father.

"Yes daddy..." she replied. "I'm sorry for overreacting."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to." explained her father. "You should apologize to Storm."

"What if he doesn't want to forgive me?" she asked.

"He definitely would..." replied her mother. "Just don't doubt yourself, sweetie and everything will be alright."

---

The next day, Storm walked down the road towards the warehouse which served as the school building until the one in Gryffsvale would be rebuilt. Although he seemed happy on the outside and eager to start a new day at school, inside he felt nervous, not just because he was going to school, but because of Rainwynd. He cringed as he thought of what happened between the two last night and hoped that he could get things sorted out between them soon.

Not watching where he was going, he bumped into Lightning Wing, who was arguing with Sharpbeak.

"I'm telling you, Sharpbeak---Oh, hey Storm." Lightning Wing said.

"Hey, Storm." said Sharpbeak.

"Hey guys." replied Storm. "What are you arguing about?"

"Who should win the next hockey game." he explained. "Who do you think?"

"Aerozon." replied Storm. "No question."

"Well, I think Gryfino should win." Sharpbeak explained. "Aerozon simply try too hard, and Gryfino isn't that bad of a team when you think about it. They're actually pretty good."

"Gryfino is the worst ice hockey team in the entire league!" shouted Lightning Wing. "I mean, why would you like a team that's lost five games in a row?"

"You mean four games, right?" answered Sharpbeak. "That game a month ago between Gryffsvale and Gryfino... that was a tie!"

"Whatever. They still suck." replied Lightning Wing.

"Guys, cam we please stop arguing?" asked Storm, slowly growing more and more nervous.

"Alright... I do admit, they aren't as good as they used to be in the past." replied Sharpbeak. "But they're still not that bad..."

"Dude, just stop talking about ice hockey for once!" shouted Storm, getting the attention of passers-by on the street. Even Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing raised their eyebrows at their friend's little outburst. "Look, sorry guys. I'm just a bit peeved."

"What happened?" asked Sharpbeak.

"Anything bad?" asked Lightning Wing.

"Well, you could say that..." replied Storm. "It's about Rainwynd."

Just then, Lightning Wing hid behind Sharpbeak...

"Don't you mention her name again!" he shouted. "She hates me..."

"She does?" asked Storm.

"Yep." he replied. "Whenever Sharp talks about me, she acts all strange and whenever she sees me she gives me a creepy glare..."

"It's like she hates him..." Sharpbeak replied, before turning to glare at Lightning Wing. "Though I can't say that I disagree with her."

"Dude, that was over a month ago! Chillax bro." said Lightning Wing.

"Damn it, you guys." cursed Storm. "I thought I was talking about Rain."

"You were but Lightning Ding here distracted you." Sharpbeak replied, giving Lightning Wing another glare.

"Ugh..." replied Lightning Wing, a glare forming on his face.

"Storm was talking about Rain, you doofus." Sharpbeak replied.

"GUYS!" Storm shouted.

"Yeah?" they both asked, turning their attention to Storm.

"Rainwynd isn't my friend anymore..." he replied. "We had a huge argument after school yesterday."

"What exactly happened?" asked Sharpbeak.

"I explained to her something..." Storm begun.

"What did you explain?" asked Lightning Wing.

"That I'm moving to Equestria in a little while..." Storm replied, somewhat reluctantly.

After hearing that, Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing's jaws both dropped.

"You're moving, just like that?" asked Lightning Wing.

Oh, no... here we go again. thought Storm to himself.

"Yes." he replied. "I'm sorry, but we can't stay here."

"We'll miss you, buddy..." explained Sharp, putting his wing on Storm's shoulder.

"Yeah... It's a shame you guys have to move." Lightning Wing said. "And maybe Rain just doesn't understand."

"It's sorta my fault as well." Storm confessed. "I insulted her a bit..."

"The logical thing would be to apologize." explained Sharpbeak.

"I guess so..." said Storm. "But what if she doesn't want to be my friend?"

"She's been your friend for the past five years, Storm. Why won't she want to be your friend?" asked Sharpbeak.

"Mainly because I insulted her..." replied Storm.

"Wow..." both of them replied.

"Yeah... wow." Storm said sarcastically.

"Just apologize to her, dude." explained Lightning Wing.

"You sure it'll work?" asked Storm.

"Positive." replied Sharpbeak.

Suddenly, the school bell rang, which meant that the three friends had to literally trot like the wind in order to make it to the school on time. The school day didn't go as smoothly for Storm as he expected it to go, mainly because he kept getting distracted by thoughts of Rainwynd during lessons. He then realized that it wasn't entirely Rainwynd's fault that they aren't friends anymore. It was more of his fault. He remembered the insults he hurled at her, how he called her a "whiny brat", or even better, a "crook". Storm sighed as he thought of her. Their friendship was seemingly damaged beyond repair.

---

"So, can anybody tell me when the Gryphon Empire was founded?" Storm's teacher asked and looked around the class for someone to answer. Eventually, she set her eyes on Storm, who was playing with a pencil. "Stormfire?"

At the mere mention of his name, Storm dropped the pencil onto the table and turned towards the teacher. Everyone, including Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing were looking at Storm and waiting for him to answer the teacher's question.

"Yes ma'am?" he asked.

"I asked you when the Gryphon Empire was founded." the teacher replied. Storm looked around and saw that several of his classmates were laughing at him, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

"Uh..." Storm begun hesitantly, trying to remember when the Gryphon Empire was founded. The class was currently learning about the history of the Gryphon Empire, from it's founding around a thousand years ago to it's breakup just after the Gryphon War, and while Storm enjoyed learning about history, it wasn't his strongest subject at school, especially since instead of concentrating on his lessons, he was busy thinking about Rain... "I don't know, ma'am."

Some more classmates begun to snicker at Storm, which made him want to trot out of the classroom as fast as he could, but he knew that if he did try to get out of the classroom before the bell for recess rang, then he'd most likely get into huge trouble with the teacher. Storm simply sighed and tried his hardest to ignore the constant snickering and name calling coming from his classmates.

"Were you listening, Storm?" asked the teacher.

"No ma'am." Storm replied. "I was too busy messing around."

"Alright, next time, I'm putting you in detention, alright?" asked the teacher.

"Yes ma'am." replied Storm, rather sadly.

"Good. Can anyone else tell me when the Gryphon Empire was founded?" the teacher asked, again looking around the class to find someone to answer. This time, she set her eyes on Rainwynd, who was sitting beside Sharpbeak and some other Gryphons.

"It was founded in the Gryphon year 740, by the four tribes of the Gryphon lands." replied Rainwynd. Storm smiled after hearing her answer, but his grin turned into a frown shortly after.

"Excellent, Rainwynd." the teacher replied and opened a small chest lying just beside her desk. A moment or two later, she took out a sticker with a star printed on it and the words "WELL DONE!" written in Gryphon surrounding it. She gave the sticker to Rainwynd, who peeled it off and stuck it on one of her schoolbooks.

Storm turned to look at her and sighed. He wanted to apologize to her so badly, but he couldn't. He was too scared to even come near her after their little argument yesterday. He sighed sadly and turned to look at his history book, before turning to look at Rainwynd again. He needed to sort things out between them, before he left for Equestria.

After lunch, while most other kids were playing tag or hide n' seek, Storm was sitting on one of the vacant benches dotted around the playground. He was busy thinking about how he could apologize and be her friend again. However, as much as he wanted to apologize to her, he was scared. What if she didn't accept his apology? What if she found herself another friend?

Just then, Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing came over to Storm and sat down beside him, Lightning Wing holding a hoofball in his talons.

"Hey Storm." Sharpbeak said, putting his wing on Storm's shoulder.

"What's the matter?" asked Lightning Wing, trying his hardest not to pierce the hoofball with his talons.

"Not much..." answered Storm. "I'm wanting to apologize to Rain without screwing up."

"You still haven't?" asked Sharpbeak.

"I was trying to do it at recess, but I was too nervous." Storm explained. "My dad would probably think I'm a coward."

"Is he STILL not back from his business trip?" asked Lightning Wing, still trying to keep the hoofball in place.

"Uhh... he's not on a business trip, dude." explained Sharpbeak.

"Then where is he?" asked Lightning Wing.

"Dead." replied Storm, a frown forming on his face. "He's been dead for the past ten-eleven years."

"He has?" Lightning Wing asked. "I'm sorry for your loss, dude."

"It's okay, I guess..." Storm explained. "Stuff like that happens..."

"What happened to him if you do mind me asking?" asked Sharp.

"He was killed in battle..." replied Storm, a tear dropping from his left eye. "And if he were here today, he'd say I'm a good-for-nothing coward..."

Just then, Lightning Wing and Sharpbeak pulled Stormfire into a short, but tight hug, something that he'd only expect his mom to do.

"You're not a coward, Storm." explained Lightning Wing.

"Exactly." replied Sharpbeak. "You're the bravest pony I've ever met."

"But..." Storm begun. "I can't apologize to Rain..."

"Storm, yes you can." replied Sharpbeak. "We'll come with you."

"No..." replied Storm, feeling slightly awkward.

"What would your dad say?" asked Lightning Wing, leaving the hug along with Sharpbeak.

Just then, Storm's frown slowly turned into a grin as he tried to think of things his dad would tell him to do. His dad was a military pony and he was taught to always laugh fear in the face, and if Storm was going to apologize to Rain, then he'd have to do just that.

"My dad..." Storm begun. "Would tell me to look fear in the face... and laugh at it. And if I'm going to apologize to Rainy, then I'd have to do just that."

"I think that's a good idea..." replied Sharpbeak. "Face your fears, Storm and go and apologize to her."

Storm nodded and walked across the playground, looking for Rainwynd. Eventually, he noticed her, perched on a tree branch. She was busy reading a magazine.

"Uh, Rain?" he begun, rather awkwardly.

Just then, she turned to look at him, with a look of regret on her face. She then flew off the branch she was perched on and landed in front of Storm, obviously sad and afraid.

"Hey, it's okay..." replied Storm, trying his best to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Rainy, for everything, especially for insulting you. I said the wrong things, and I accept my responsibility. Will you forgive me?"

Her sad frown slowly faded away from her face and was replaced by a grin.

"Yes, Stormy." she replied and ruffled his mane playfully. "And I'm sorry for saying that you'd rather hang out with Lightning Wing than me or Sharp. It's just that you were such a great friend over the past few years... I just wanted you to stay and be my BFF."

"BFF?" Storm asked, not knowing what it stands for.

"Best friend forever, silly." replied Rain, chuckling a bit.

"Oh, right..." Storm replied, also chuckling a bit. Just then, Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing (who was pretty reluctant about meeting Rainwynd.) walked up to them. "Apology accepted, Rain."

Rainwynd then noticed Sharpbeak and a very shy Lightning Wing approaching them.

"Hey Sharp..." she said, waving at him, before turning to look at Lightning Wing, who jumped behind Sharpbeak in fear. Rainwynd sighed and went to talk to Lightning Wing, who backed away towards a tree.

"Lightning Wing..." she begun. "Is it still about what happened a month ago?"

"Are you still mad at me for that?" he asked, frantically. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm really, really sorry!"

"Apology accepted." she replied and smiled at him. Lightning Wing sighed in relief and a smile of his own formed on his face.

"So, after school... do you guys want to go to the park to practice some flying?" asked Lightning Wing.

"Uh, I can't fly..." replied Storm.

"You what?!" asked Lightning Wing, his lower beak dropping to the ground in shock.

"You heard him, Lightning." explained Sharpbeak. "Storm's not the best at flying..."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he's a horrible pony." said Rainwynd. "In fact, he's one of the best ponies I know." she explained, putting her hoof on his shoulder.

"Did I say he's a horrible pony?" asked Lightning Wing, visibly confused.

"Uh, no. I'm just saying." explained Rainwynd. "He doesn't need to know how to fly in order to be a true Pegasus. It's his heart that makes him a true Pegasus. And Storm has a heart of gold." She replied, leaning slightly against him.

"Thanks Rain." Storm replied, turning to smile at her. "But I'm gonna need to learn how to fly soon enough, especially since I'm moving to a place where I'm gonna need to fly very well."

"Where exactly are you moving?" asked Sharpbeak.

"Cloudsdale." replied Storm. "I'm moving to Cloudsdale."

"What's Cloudsdale?" asked Lightning Wing.

"It's this huge cloud city in Equestria." replied Storm.

"Oh, Cloudsdale!" begun Rainwynd. "I've heard of that place. Supposedly only Pegasi live there."

"Really?" asked Storm. "Only Pegasi?"

"Yep. It's a city in the clouds, silly." she replied and giggled.

"Oh yeah." replied Storm, also smiling.

"So, what do you guys want to do after school?" asked Sharpbeak.

"Go to the park?" said Lightning Wing.

"Sure!" replied Rainwynd.

"Maybe." replied Storm. "I'm gonna need to check with my mom first."

That afternoon, Storm came home with a small, but still visible grin on his face. He had finally sorted things out between him and Rainwynd and felt pretty good about himself. However, he then realized that he wasn't going to stay Rainwynd's friend for long as he was moving back to Equestria soon.

Storm sighed and his grin faded away from his face. As much as he wanted to move back to Equestria and see Cloudsdale before his own eyes, he didn't want to leave Rainwynd and the rest of his friends behind. It hurt him deep inside to have to leave them, but he also knew he had no choice.

He stepped into the holiday home and dumped his backpack beside the front door.

"Mom! I'm home!" said Storm.

"Hey sweetie!" she shouted from the kitchen. "Care to join us for lunch?"

"Sure!" he replied and trotted into the kitchen, where his mom was sitting at the table, in front of Ava and Vortex. They were eating one of Storm's favorite fast foods, hay fries and Equinox got up and passed him a plate full of them.

"So, how was school today son?" asked Equinox.

Storm's smile returned to his face, as he remembered what happened between him and Rain.

"It was great!" replied Storm, stuffing his mouth with hay fries.

"Oh really?" asked Vortex.

"You've got to tell us all about it." said Ava.

So, Storm told everyone gathered around the table about what happened between him and Rainwynd.

"So, did you enjoy your hay fries?" asked Ava.

"Yep." replied Storm. "Thanks, ma'am."

"You're such a well mannered colt." Ava replied, smiling at him. "But I would prefer you calling me Ava."

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" asked Storm, knowing that in Gryphon society, it can be highly disrespectful calling adults by their names.

"Yeah. Go ahead." she replied.

"Okay, Ava." said Storm. "Thanks for the fries."

"No problem." she replied, grinning.

"Storm, do you have any homework, sweetie?" asked Equinox.

"Yep. I'll go do it now." he replied, trotting to get his backpack.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" said Vortex, still eating his hay fries. "I remember when he was a tiny foal, and now he's got himself a marefriend."

"Hey, I heard that!" shouted Storm, from his bedroom upstairs. "Rainwynd isn't my marefriend!"

"I'm just worried..." replied Equinox, her warm, friendly grin being replaced by an emotionless stare. "Worried that he won't fit in Cloudsdale... I mean, Storm can't fly yet!" she shouted, as quietly as she could so that Storm won't be able to hear.

"Hey, relax." said Vortex, trying his best to calm her down.

"I'm sure that High Wind will teach him how to fly." explained Ava.

"I highly doubt that, Ava..." she replied. "I highly doubt that..."

That Saturday...
It was the night of the big move to Equestria and while Equinox and Vortex were packing his belongings into a suitcase, Storm lay on the sofa downstairs. He was scared, not only of moving to a place that he had only heard of from his mom, but also of losing the first friends he's ever made. A tear rolled out of his eye as he thought of Sharpbeak, Lightning Wing and Rainwynd and all the times they've spent together. He didn't want to leave them behind in the Empire, but he knew that he'd find new friends in Cloudsdale.

"Storm, sweetie?" asked his mom from upstairs, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Can you take your suitcase to the carriage?"

"Sure thing, mom." he replied, getting off the couch and trotting upstairs.

Storm looked into his bedroom and his jaw dropped at the sight. Everything that belonged to him was either packed in boxes which were stacked up to the ceiling or in his suitcase. The room almost seemed alien to Storm, who usually left it in a huge mess.

"Woah..." he said, looking at the now-clean room.

"It looks different, doesn't it?" said a voice. Storm gasped and looked to see where the voice came from. It was Vortex, who was standing behind him.

"Vortex, did you tidy this up?" he asked.

"Yep." Vortex replied, holding a vacuum cleaner in one of his talons. "It took a lot of effort to tidy this room up, but it looks much better now, don't you think?"

"Yeah." replied Storm, looking pretty unsure.

"What's wrong, little guy?" asked Vortex. "Aren't you excited about moving to Equestria?"

"Yeah... sort of." he replied, rather awkwardly. "I'm just scared."

"Scared of what?" asked Vortex.

"Moving to Equestria." Storm explained. "I'm just worried I won't fit in or make any friends..."

"You will fit in, Stormfire." Vortex comforted him. "What kid won't want to be your friend?"

"I'm just scared..." he explained, almost shedding a tear.

"Don't be..." Vortex replied. "There'll always be somepony to be by your side, Storm."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Positive." Vortex said, winking at him. "Now, go help your mom with packing."

"Oh, right." Storm replied, remembering what he was sent up here to do in the first place. He slowly pulled the wheeled suitcase down the stairs, and out of the front door, where a large, yellow, pony-drawn carriage was waiting. From what Storm saw, the stallions pulling the carriage seemed very impatient. He placed the suitcase beside the carriage door and trotted back home.

"Mom?" shouted Storm.

"Just a moment, sweetie!" she shouted from upstairs. "I should be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"Alright!" replied Storm. "Should I get anything else?"

"You can help Vortex take the rest of the boxes from your room." she said.

"Alright, mom." Storm replied and went upstairs to his room, where Vortex was carrying several boxes in his talons, being extremely careful to not rip the cardboard with them.

"Hey, Vortex." Storm begun. "Is there anything left in the room for me to take?"

"Yeah, your ice hockey magazines." Vortex replied, holding onto the stack of boxes as tightly as he could. "They're lying on the bed."

"Alright then." replied Storm, trotting into his room and picking up the ice hockey magazines lying on the bed sheets, before trotting down the stairs and outside. He unzipped the suitcase, which was lying beside the carriage, while Ava was putting a box into the back of it and stuffed his magazines into the suitcase, before zipping it back up. I hope that's everything... thought Storm to himself.

Just then, he looked down the pathway to see Rainwynd, Lightning Wing and Sharpbeak walking down it.

"Hey guys!" Storm shouted, waving at them.

"Stormy!" shouted Rainwynd, trotting down the path towards Storm and jumping playfully around him.

"Hey Storm." said Sharpbeak.

"Hi." said Lightning Wing. "So, you're leaving in a little while?"

"Yeah..." replied Storm, his grin turning into a glum face. "I don't want to leave you guys behind, but I have to."

"We understand..." replied Rainwynd, putting her hoof on his shoulder, which comforted him noticeably.

"You do?" asked Storm, his ears perking up.

"Yep." replied Sharpbeak. "As much as we don't want you to leave, we know you have to, buddy..."

"Yeah..." said Lightning Wing. "How long do you have left before you go?"

"I'm thinking around fifteen-twenty minutes." Storm replied, turning around and checking to see if his mom was coming out of the house. "I'm gonna have to ask mom just to be sure."

"Alright." said the three friends in unison. Storm trotted into the house and up the stairs, before knocking on his mom's room. A moment later, the door opened, revealing his mom, who had her mane tied into a bun.

"Hey mom." he said.

"Hey son." she said, smiling down at him. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, about that." replied Storm. "Can I play with Rainwynd and the others before we leave?"

"I don't know, sweetie..." she said, before turning to look at a digital clock lying on the dresser. It was 7:30 PM and their carriage was scheduled to leave at eight, which meant that they still had half an hour to get ready.

"All right..." she said. "You can play with them for fifteen-twenty minutes. Our carriage has to leave for the airport in half an hour, alright?"

"Okay." replied Storm. "Thanks mom!"

"You're welcome, son." she replied, smiling brightly at him. "Remember, be back before eight. Okay?"

"Okay!" replied Storm, trotting downstairs and outside, where Rainwynd and the rest of his friends were waiting.

"So, what did your mom say?" asked Rain.

"She said that we can play for twenty minutes maximum. Then, we have to go." he explained, with a sad tone in his voice. "As much as I don't want to go, I have to..."

"It's okay, Storm..." replied Sharpbeak. "We'll try and write to you."

"We won't forget about you, Storm." explained Lightning Wing.

"Yeah..." said Rainwynd. "It's a shame you have to leave, but we know you have to."

"Guys..." replied Storm, almost shedding a tear knowing that he had to leave them. "Thank you for being my friends..." he explained, pulling all three of them into a short hug.

"No problem bro." replied Sharpbeak.

"Yeah, you're an awesome pony." said Lightning Wing. "Hanging out with you was great."

"And thank you Storm, for being the best friend we could ever ask for." explained Rainwynd, grinning widely.

"No problem, Rainy." Storm replied and smiled at her, before returning to his original expression. "Anyways, enough of this mush. Let's go to the park, we're wasting enough time."

"Alright." they replied in unison.

"What are we going to do at the park?" asked Sharpbeak.

"Hang around the playground?" asked Storm.

The three friends nodded in reply and followed Storm to the park, which lay two blocks away. A few minutes later, they reached the park (which was almost completely deserted) and begun to play their usual game of hide n' seek. This time, Storm was seeking, and while the rest of them went to hide, Storm counted to ten. After his little countdown, he went to look for his friends, but little did he know that he was being watched...

"He's coming, you guys." whispered Rainwynd, from the top of the jungle gym. While Storm was looking around the entire playground for them, they got off the jungle gym and slid down the slide, before walking quietly by Storm and jumping into some nearby bushes. They chuckled in between themselves as they watched their friend look for them.

"Come on, guys..." said Storm, close to giving up. "Where are you, for Pete's sake?"

"We should tell him..." said Lightning Wing, trying to get out of the bushes, before being pulled back by Sharpbeak.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Sharpbeak. "You want to give away our location?"

"No..." replied Lightning Wing.

"Exactly..." said Rainwynd. "Just keep quiet, both of you."

"Yes ma'am." they both replied, and saluted her like Gryphon soldiers.

"Who knows? Maybe he's listening into our conversation right now..." she whispered to them, before peeking out of the bushes to see where Storm was. What she didn't know was that Storm was looking down at them from the top of a tall tree...

Gotcha now... he thought to himself, as he looked down at the bush where his friends were hiding in. It was time to catch them all...

He slid down the tree and trotted up to the bush, before pulling it away to reveal Sharpbeak, Lightning Wing and Rainwynd curled up. He smirked to himself, knowing that one of them would be caught by him.

"HAH!" he shouted, grinning.

The two Gryphons and the filly groaned, knowing that they've been caught, and stepped out of the bushes.

"Darn it, Storm..." shouted Lightning Wing. "How did you find us?"

"I just did..." he replied smugly. "And it's now Lightning Wing's turn to seek; wait..."

"What is it?" asked Sharpbeak.

"Ugh... I don't have much time left, guys..." explained Storm, remembering that he was to be back home at eight. He looked around and noticed a large, digital clock hanging beside the gate to the park. The clock read 7:45 PM, which meant that they had fifteen minutes left before Storm had to leave for Equestria. Fifteen minutes to enjoy their friendship... How Storm didn't want to leave for Equestria, but he knew that it wasn't his choice, nor was it his mom's choice. They just couldn't stay in the Empire anymore. It was time for them to go back to where they came from.

"So, what can we do?" asked Lightning Wing.

"I have a great idea!" replied Rainwynd, with a huge grin on her face.

"What is it Rainy?" asked Storm, looking rather curious.

"You know how you're moving to Cloudsdale?" asked Rainwynd.

"Yeah?" asked Storm.

"Well, we'll show you how to fly!" replied Rainwynd, grinning widely.

Storm's heart stopped and his jaw dropped to the ground in shock. As much as he wanted to learn how to fly, he couldn't. No matter who taught him, no matter how many lessons he had before, he could never master the art of flying. He even had thoughts of giving up his dream of flying, but he knew that he couldn't give up on that dream, especially since he was moving to a place in which everybody flew. He had to learn how to fly soon... he just had to.

"Look Rainwynd, I know you want to help me, but still... I can't fly, and it's unlikely I ever will!" he shouted.

"No it's not." she replied, putting her hoof on his shoulder, which calmed him down noticeably. "Stop doubting yourself, Storm."

"Yeah, stop doubting yourself." said Sharpbeak. "It's not gonna get you anywhere."

"Yeah. What he said." said Lightning Wing. Storm sighed. What harm could some flight practice do? It's not like they can properly teach me how to fly or anything...

"Alright. You guys win." Storm explained. "It's time for some flight practice."

"Yay!" Sharpbeak, Lightning Wing and Rainwynd cheered and trotted towards a nearby field, which faced the setting sun. Storm trotted after them, and a few moments later, arrived. The field sloped downwards and extended towards some nearby trees, behind which was the railway station.

"Stand here, Stormy." said Rainwynd, standing beside a tree. Storm went up to the tree and stood there, facing the setting sun with a stance similar to that of an army pony. "Now, do what I'm doing." she explained, unfolding her wings and trotting down the field flapping them as fast as she could. She begun to pull off the ground shortly after and flew back to where Storm was standing. He could only watch in astonishment as she flew towards him, with grace and gentleness. A moment or two later, she landed in front of Storm, whose jaw was hanging open.

"You should see the look on your face, Stormy." she said, chuckling a bit. "Now, it's your turn."

Storm gulped and walked up to where she was standing, and unfolded his wings.

"Do you think I'll do good?" asked Storm, looking at the field nervously.

"Absolutely." she replied. "Now go!"

"Go Storm, go!" shouted Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing. Storm did as he was told and trotted down the field towards the trees, flapping his wings as fast as he could. To his surprise, he begun to pull off the ground slightly, but he fell back down again.

"Ugh..." he said, dusting himself off. "Oh, my gosh... RAIN, I FLEW!"

Just then, Rainwynd and Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing trotted down the field to meet Storm.

"See?" she asked. "I knew you could do it, buddy. Now, try again..."

"You got it!" replied Storm, trotting down the field again and flapping his wings harder. He pulled off the ground and stayed in the air for around ten seconds, managing to get a clear view of most of the park, before dropping back down to the ground. His friends ran up to him and patted him on the back, including Rainwynd, who seemed to be the most proud of them all.

"Well done, Storm!" she said, ruffling his mane. "You actually flew properly."

"We knew you could do it buddy." said Sharpbeak, putting his wing on Storm's back.

"I couldn't have done it without you guys." replied Storm. "Thank you."

"No problem, dude." said Lightning Wing.

"Hey, what's the time?" asked Storm.

"I'll check." replied Sharpbeak, flying off towards the digital clock beside the gate to the park. A few moments later, he landed back at the field where Storm and the others were. "It's 7:56. We better hurry..."

"Yeah. Let's go." replied Storm. "Come on, you guys."

Storm and the rest of his friends trotted out of the park and headed for the holiday home. They made it back home just in time for Storm to leave for Equestria. Everything was packed into the carriage and his mom was sitting in it, waiting for Storm to say goodbye one last time to his friends.

"Bye guys." waved Ava. "Send us a postcard from Equestria!"

"We'll miss you." said Vortex. "Bye guys."

"We will, don't worry!" replied Equinox from inside the carriage. "We'll miss you all too!"

"Say hello to Buttermilk for us!" said Ava.

"Will do!" replied Equinox. "Coming Storm?"

"Just a second!" he replied, before turning to face Rainwynd and his other friends. "Well... this is it, you guys." Storm said, shrugging sadly. "It's time to go to Equestria..."

"It's a shame you can't stay, Storm..." explained Rainwynd. "You were such a great friend."

"Yeah..." said Sharpbeak. "We're gonna miss you, buddy."

"What he said." chimed in Lightning Wing.

"But hey, we can always write to one another, right?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, I guess so..." replied Rainwynd. "But it won't be the same."

"I guess so..." said Storm. "But you know what my mom said?"

"What?" asked Sharpbeak.

"If you keep your friends in your heart, they're never truly away..." he replied, almost shedding a tear. "You were the best friends I could ever hope for."

"And you were the best friend WE could ever hope for." said Lightning Wing, hugging him, along with Sharpbeak.

"Thank you, Storm." said Rainwynd, joining in the hug. "For everything."

"My pleasure." replied Storm, giving them all a friendly, yet sad smile. "So long, guys." he said, opening the door to the carriage and sitting down beside his mom. The carriage then pulled away into the distance, leaving Sharpbeak, Lightning Wing and Rainwynd alone.

"Well..." begun Sharpbeak. "So, what do we do now?"

"I don't know..." replied Rainwynd, looking quite miserable. "It's a shame he had to leave..."

"Yeah." said Lightning Wing, also looking quite depressed. "He made me a better Gryphon."

"He was the first friend I ever made." replied Rainwynd.

"But he said he'll write to us..." chimed in Sharpbeak. "At least we'll still be able to keep in touch with Storm, right?"

"Yeah..." replied Lightning Wing. "But like Rainy here said, it's not the same."

"What other option do we have in keeping touch with Storm, huh?" asked Sharp. "Tell me, Lightning."

"There isn't any other option." replied Lightning Wing, a tear rolling out of his eye. "Let's just go home, you guys..."

"Yeah..." said Sharpbeak. "You coming, Rain?" he asked, looking to see Rainwynd stare into the distance. He had never seen her so depressed before, and so he decided to talk to her. "You alright?"

"Does it look like I'm alright, Sharp?" she asked, tears streaming down her face. "I just lost the first friend I ever made..."

"I know how you feel..." he replied, putting his wing on her back. "And Storm was lucky to have a friend like you."

"Thank you..." she replied, giving him a pleasant, yet obviously depressed smile. "I'm just going to miss him."

"Yeah." he replied, trying his best to comfort her. "But look on the bright side. You still have me and Lightning Wing."

"Yeah." Lightning Wing said. "Don't forget about us."

"I won't..." she replied. "But we can't forget about Storm."

"I guess so." Sharpbeak said. "Come on, let's all go home."

Meanwhile...
The carriage was already on the road between Gryfino and Featherburg, the city where Storm and Equinox had stayed. As the carriage got ever nearer to Gryfino Airport, Equinox couldn't help but notice that Storm was looking depressed.

"Son, are you okay?" she asked, putting down a book she was reading on the seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." he replied, with an emotionless tone in his voice.

"Is it about Sharpbeak and Rainwynd?" Equinox asked.

"Yeah..." Storm replied. "I don't want to leave them behind... they mean far too much to me. They were my best friends mom..."

"I understand, son." Equinox said. "I know how you feel... but like I said, if you keep them in your heart, they're never truly away."

"I guess so, mom..." he replied, shedding a few tears. "They've been the best friends I could ever ask for..."

"Hey, it'll be alright." Equinox said, wrapping her wing around him. "It'll all be alright, Stormy. Hush now." He moved closer to where Equinox was sitting and snuggled against her.

Around an hour later, the carriage had finally reached the airport, located on the very outskirts of the city in a suburban neighborhood. Upon checking in their baggage Equinox and Storm proceeded through airport security, before finally being allowed to board the aircraft as it sat in its designated spot on the tarmac while it was being fuelled up for the long journey ahead. Desperate to see the plane take off with his very eyes Storm was able to convince his mom to let him sit at the window, with Equinox sitting down in the middle seat between him and an elderly mare and reading the book she never got to finish on the carriage ride there.

"So, what's Cloudsdale like, mom?" Storm turned to look at her.

"You'll just have to wait and see, son," Equinox replied, beaming. "And trust me, you'll love it."

"Do you think I'll fit in at school and make any friends?" he'd raised a slight eyebrow. "I mean, I made several friends here... but I don't know if anypony would want to be my friend once we get there."

"Yep," Equinox smiled comfortingly. "Storm...who wouldn't want to be your friend?"

"I don't know," Storm responded in uncertainty just as a brief ping sounded through the plane cockpit that got everyone's attention. His ears perked up in attention as he briefly averted his gaze from the back of the seat in front of him towards his window, peering out of it at the tarmac and watching as the airport workers detached the fuel supply.

Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome aboard Equestrian Airlines Flight 242 to Cloudsdale International...this flight will take approximately 10 hours and 20 minutes in total, and the temperature on landing is expected to be a balmy 87...

Ten hours? Storm groaned at the thought of such a long flight as the captain's voice crackled and fizzled through the air.

...we hope you have a nice flight and join us again on another on another Equestrian Airlines flight.

Just as the captain closed off his welcome the cabin lights dimmed and plane jerked back from the gate, gently pulling away along the tarmac as the glare of the none-too-distant city lights began to seep in from behind the airport terminal. It took Storm slightly by surprise and he initially had no idea what was happening, but a comforting smile from his mother was all it took to reassure him that everything was going to be okay.

"Why'd the lights go out?" Storm asked as he wiped his eyes free of crust, continually staring out of his window into the dark. By that point his night vision had kicked in somewhat, aided by the intermittent flickering of a red light on the wing, and this enabled him to hazily make out the faint silhouettes of the trees that lined the airport grounds along the main runway, which was no doubt where they were bound for right now.

"I don't know for sure Storm," Equinox tiredly offered a slight shrug. "I think it's a safety thing if anything but I could be wrong."

"Mom, do you think the plane...could crash?" Storm responded with a slight gulp as all sorts of possibilities ran through his head, but Equinox only put her hoof around his shoulders and brought him in closer.

"Storm, it won't, and you don't have to worry about that," Equinox responded in the most comforting voice she could muster, feeling many of the same emotions as her son felt at that moment deep down inside, though for entirely different reasons—the faint prospect of the plane going down and them becoming a statistic in aviation history books was the least of her worries at that moment. With her son in tow, she was returning to a life she left behind over a decade ago for the allure of one abroad with the love of her life, a time when any war between Equestria and the Griffon Empire was basically unthinkable. "The chance of something like that happening is basically slim-to-none...you know, statistically air travel is the safest method of travel out there."

"Really?" he glanced up at her.

"Yeah," Equinox smiled as she ruffled through his mane, though that smile masked her innermost feelings of uncertainty and unease; beyond her acclimating back to her old life, how Storm would cope in his new surroundings so far from the only home he ever knew was another matter entirely, and one that scared her beyond belief. "...these ponies know what they're doing in saying the least. Rest up if you can, alright? We've got a long flight ahead of us, son."

This had to be done, however, and for both their sakes; and Equinox only knew that all too well.

No more than a few minutes later the aircraft had reached the main runway of the airport. Now beginning to drift in and out of consciousness Storm kept staring listlessly out of his window, catching a prolonged glimpse of the airport's control tower looming imposingly over the establishment like a darkened monolith. Following brief spurts of intermittent radio chatter reverberating over the aircraft's PA system as the pilots negotiated with air control, the plane kicked into full gear and barrelled down the runway at an increasing velocity; once again this caught Storm by surprise, but this time he decided to roll with it and enjoy the moment.

He wasn't going to let his fear of flying get in the way of experiencing his first flight, and so he continued staring out of the window but with newfound energy and zest within; this was exciting, to say the least, and at one point close to the runway's end the plane began to lift off of the ground. Beyond the perimeter of the airport was a relatively quaint and nice-seeming neighborhood comprised of pretty-looking houses that looked to be a far cry from the living conditions he'd encountered in Griffsvale; further ahead was the illuminated and sprawling skyline that marked one of the largest cities in a now rapidly developing nation, a web of interconnected roads jutting out from the waterfront in seemingly every direction there was and the towering skyscrapers and spires that defined it shimmering like jewels in the night.

The sight was astonishing in Storm's eyes, especially as more of the massive metropolis became visible in the clear of the night with the plane locked in a constant but gentle rise to cruising altitude.

"Beautiful, isn't it son?"

"Yep." he replied with his eyes widened, the expansive view being delightful to behold. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Why don't you get some sleep, son?" asked Equinox, the aisle illuminating on its own a split-second later. "This is going to be a long flight..."

"I can imagine," he replied as the tiredness set back in again, before issuing a yawn on cue. "Good night, mom."

"Night night," she said, kissing him goodnight and putting away her book.

Author's Notes:

Looks like this chapter broke 10,000 words. Whew... I hope my upcoming chapters don't get as long as this one got, and I hope you've enjoyed this one.

Stay tuned for Chapter 5, folks, which will be much easier and much quicker to write than this one.

5. New Beginnings

No more than eleven hours later the airplane had finally landed at the Cloudsdale International Skyport, and while Equinox was busy preparing herself and Storm for entering Equestria Storm continued slumbering away in dreamland, the constant traveling yesterday having really done a number on him.

It was a rather warm and sunny day in Cloudsdale, and the humidity made the inside of the cabin quite stuffy even with the air conditioning on. The airplane soon came to a complete stop next to the arrivals concourse and a loud ping echoed through the aircraft to signify that it was now safe to stand up, while also having the knock-on effect of causing Storm to awaken at last. When it came to sleep Storm was a strange case—he could sleep through just about anything if the occasion called for it but this sleep pattern was pretty susceptible to being interrupted. Groggily as the world came into view, he scanned his vicinity to see ponies and Griffons alike getting out of their seats and packing their bags, and his mom sitting beside him getting ready to disembark.

"We're here, son," Equinox beamed before glancing down at the paperwork she held in her hooves, scrutinizing it closely to ascertain that everything they needed to enter the country was indeed there.

As his mom scoured through their papers Storm impulsively turned to look out of the window at the tarmac ahead and looking past neighboring aircraft saw a large building made of cloud and water ice, which he presumed was the arrivals building; there was also a huge and imposing control tower, slightly similar to the one in Gryfino, far off in the distance. Storm looked at the cloud buildings in awe. He had never thought that he'd see architecture like that in his own lifetime, and it reminded him of the fancy, futuristic towers and domes that he often saw in old and cheesy science fiction movies.

"Storm, sweetie. It's time to go," said Equinox, snapping him out of his thoughts. He stood up and looked to see ponies and Gryphons alike getting off the plane.

"Alright mom," he replied and followed his mom down the aisle, before waving goodbye to the flight attendant mare and walking out of the airship. Storm looked around and smelt the fresh Cloudsdale air, which was nothing like the air back in the Griffon Empire, before following his mom through a revolving door, which led to a baggage carousel and two passport booths, one for domestic arrivals and one for international arrivals.

"Mom?" asked Storm, walking down the hallway which led to the passport booths. Both were marked "domestic" and "international" and had ponies, Gryphons and other species that Storm had never seen before, including eagles and dragons, lined up at each one. "What are the papers for, if you don't mind me asking?"

"They'll allow us entry into Equestria, son." replied Equinox. "Without these documents, we won't be allowed in."

"Alright..." he replied, growing slightly nervous as they approached a gray Pegasus stallion, sitting at the "international" arrivals booth, wearing aviator shades and a dark blue peaked hat, currently tending to a Gryphon couple and their children, who were on vacation in Cloudsdale. There were also two Pegasus stallions, standing beside the booth and wearing golden armor, marked "BORDER PATROL" on the front and back plates, who Storm presumed were Equestrian airport guards. One of the stallions held a spear in his left hoof, while the other one had a crossbow sticking out from underneath his armor. Storm gulped. He had never seen airport security like that, not even at Gryfino Airport, where the security was said to be the tighter than in any other airport in Aerovis. The Guard with the crossbow turned to look at Storm, who was staring at him nervously, and gave him a friendly smile, as if to say "Relax kid. We aren't going to hurt you.". Storm sighed in relief, but his nervousness persisted. He knew that the stallions were only protecting the airport and everypony in it, but he also knew that if he'd step out of line, he'd get in huge trouble with them, which he didn't want.

"Alright, next please." said the pony at the passport booth, dismissing two dragons who were visiting Cloudsdale, and motioning for Equinox and Storm to come to the booth. While Storm watched nervously, Equinox handed him their passports, which he read.

"Equinox Moon?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yep, that's me." she replied, giving him a friendly grin.

"Alright. Stormfire?" he asked, looking down at the colt. He waved at him awkwardly, before hiding behind Equinox.

He then proceeded to read the documents.

"So, it says here that you two are seeking to move back into the country, am I right?" he asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we are." replied Equinox.

"It also says here that you lived in Gryffsvale during your stay in the Gryphon Empire, and that you were a weather pony, ma'am." the stallion explained. Storm's hooves were shaking like a rattle as he listened to the passport stallion. What if they don't get into the country?

"One final question." the stallion asked. "Are you staying at somepony's home or do you have your own?"

"We'll be staying at my friend's house for the time being, sir." Equinox replied.

"Ah. Alright." the stallion said, giving her an approving smile. "Welcome back to Equestria, ma'am."

"Thank you, sir." she replied, returning the smile. Storm sighed in relief and followed Equinox through a metal detector, before entering a different hallway, which led to another revolving door. After going through the revolving door, Storm and Equinox found themselves inside a large building, with a magnificent dome made of water ice serving as the roof of the building. Storm looked around to see hundreds, if not, thousands of ponies, Gryphons, zebras (using magic to walk on the cloudy floor) and numerous other species, all waiting to get their baggage. Equinox and Storm walked up to the conveyor belt and waited for their luggage to come out (the boxes with more of their stuff were scheduled to arrive a week later). A moment later, Equinox's suitcases came out, followed by Storm's suitcase. They both took the suitcases off the conveyor belt and carried them to the main concourse, separated from the baggage claim building by a long bridge, at least three-four floors above ground.

Both of them took the moving walkway in the middle of the bridge in order to save them time. As they neared the main concourse of the airport, Storm turned to look outside at Cloudsdale. The city took his breath away. There were several tall buildings made out of either cloud or water ice around ten miles in the distance, surrounded by a seemingly infinite expanse of lower rise buildings, cloud forests, shopping malls and more cloud buildings. There was even a large arena, unlike anything Storm had ever seen before, towering intimidatingly over the surrounding city, and close to it stood a large building out of which clouds seemed to come out, similar to what he had seen at his mom's workplace on 'take your kid to work day'. Oh yes, Cloudsdale was something, alright.

Just then, Equinox noticed Storm staring out of the window, looking at the magnificent cloud city before them and smiled at him.

"So, what do you think, son?" she asked, looking at him staring at the city, with the delight of a small foal.

"It looks so freaking awesome..." he replied, still not turning his eyes away from the city.

"I agree." she said. "It's the best city in the entire country. Me and your dad grew up here..."

"It must have been great growing up here." he replied, finally turning his eyes away from the expansive metropolis towards the end of the moving walkway.

"It sure was, son." she replied.

A moment later, they reached the end of the moving walkway and stepped off it, before going into a glass elevator, which gave them a clear view of the terminal. The elevator arrived at it's destination, the lobby floor, and Equinox and Storm stepped out of it.

Just then, their eyes caught a sign saying "EQUINOX MOON/STORMFIRE", being held up by a rather tall, buff, light yellow stallion with a white-gray mane and a gust of wind as his cutie mark. This was a stallion whom Equinox recognized very well...

"Oh, my gosh." she gasped. "It's High..."

"Who?" asked Storm, looking rather confused.

"High Wind." replied Equinox. "He's waiting for us."

"Oh, him." said Storm, finally remembering who High Wind was.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go." she said, motioning for Storm to follow her. Just then, the stallion noticed them approaching and gave them a warm, welcoming smile. The stallion's foals were also present; his oldest foal was a light gray colt with a mane just like his father's, and a guitar for his cutie mark, while his youngest was a yellow-white filly with a blue mane and no cutie mark yet.

"EQUINOX!" shouted High, pushing past some ponies passing by and trotting towards her. Equinox noticed him trotting up to her and dropped her suitcase, a tearful smile forming on her face. Storm's jaw dropped as he watched the muscular stallion trot up to his mom and hug her tightly. Who the hay was this guy? Why the hay was he hugging his mom? Storm did not know, but he wasn't liking him one bit. The hug lasted for a minute or so.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're here..." he said, tears streaming down his face.

"I missed you so much, High..." she replied, also in tears. "I've been wanting to get home for the past ten years... I honestly can't believe I'm really here. Thank you so much..."

"My pleasure." he replied. "And thank you for keeping me company these past few years... ever since she left me, it's not been the same."

"Who left you?" asked Equinox.

"My wife...She passed on four years ago now." he explained, wiping his eyes with a cloth, and then wiping her eyes with it. "I'm sorry for not telling you before, but I just didn't feel like telling anypony back then..."

"I'm sorry for your loss, High..." she replied, genuinely feeling sorry for him. "I know how you feel."

"You helped me through a tough time for me, you helped all of us." he said, still tearful, before motioning for his two kids to come to them. Equinox motioned for Storm to come over to them. "And you must be Stormfire." High said, giving him a warm and friendly smile.

"Yes, I'm---Stormfire, sir." he replied rather nervously. High then let out a hearty chuckle.

"You don't need to call me "sir", Stormfire." High replied. "Just call me High."

"Are you alright with that?" he asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." High replied. "Oh, and meet my kids. This is my son, Gust Wind..." he explained, pointing to the Pegasus colt, who looked to be at least a year or two older than Storm.

"Sup?" asked Gust, outstretching his hoof.

"Eh, not much." replied Storm, shaking his hoof.

"And this is my daughter, Mist River." he replied, looking at the Pegasus filly who was around a year or two younger than Storm.

"Hi." he replied, smiling at her. "I'm Storm."

"The name's Mist." she replied, putting on a mafioso accent, before changing it into a British accent. "Lovely to meet you."

"Likewise." Storm replied.

Both parents chuckled to themselves at Mist's accents.

"Mist here likes imitating characters from movies that we've seen together." explained High Wind. "And Gust likes to rock out on his very own guitar, like the guitarist from his favorite band, Cloudsdale's Crazies. It's a ridiculous name if you ask me, but he likes it."

"So, anyways..." replied Gust. "Shouldn't we be heading home by now? I have guitar practice in an hour."

"Oh, alright." replied High Wind. "I forgot about that... come on, let's head home."

"Wait!" shouted Equinox. "Storm can't fly..."

"What?" asked Gust, his jaw dropping. "He's a Pegasus, for Pete's sake!"

"He can't...fly? asked Mist, bewildered.

"That's a shame." replied High Wind. "Luckily, I can teach him."

"You don't have to, High." said Storm. "Really..."

"Well, okay then." replied High, sighing. "Let's head home."

Twenty-five minutes later, they reached High's house, which was a modest suburban home, typical of North Cloudsdale.

He opened the door, carrying two of Equinox's suitcases (much to Storm's disgust) in one hoof and led everypony in.

"Welcome home." he said, putting down the suitcases beside an armchair. While Gust went to get his guitar and Mist went to get a snack from the kitchen, High and Equinox talked about their lives up to this point.

"So, how was the Gryphon Empire?" he asked.

"Well, it's nothing like Equestria, that's for sure." she replied, chuckling slightly as Storm watched with a cold glare from beside the door. Already he felt like High Wind was... taking his dad's spot. Nah, that's ridiculous... he thought to himself. Dad's been dead for the past eleven years... get over it, Storm.

"I've been working as a weather pony as well... just a year ago, I made the most important weather event in Cloudsdale's history; a double rainbow." he bragged. Storm groaned in disgust. What a braggart. No one can make a double rainbow.

"Really?" asked Equinox. "Wow..."

"What's the best weather you've ever created?" asked High Wind.

"A snowstorm." she said rather modestly. "I know it's nothing special or anything, but I can't do anything better."

"Hey, that's not bad." he replied, smiling warmly at her. "That's actually very impressive."

"Really?" asked Equinox, her smile widening.

"Yeah. I mean, almost nopony in the Cloudsdale weather center can make a snowstorm." he explained. "Hey, how about I get you a job there?"

"You'd do that?" asked Equinox.

"Why not?" replied High Wind, with a question of his own.

"Thank you..." Equinox replied. "You're like a guardian angel..."

"And you're like one as well..." he replied. "A beautiful, beautiful angel."

Just then, their eyes met and they chuckled rather awkwardly at their little moment, much to the disgust of Storm.

He fake coughed several times, getting the attention of Equinox and High.

"Mom?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, sweetie?" she asked.

"Where am I going to sleep tonight?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry. I was going to show you around the house and I got a bit carried away with talking to your mom." he said. Just then, Gust trotted down the stairs, carrying his guitar on his back. He turned to look at Equinox and High, before turning to look at Storm with a disapproving stare.

"Alright, dad." Gust begun. "I'm heading out for guitar practice. See you later..."

"Bye son." High replied, waving at him.

"Bye, blank flank loser." he said, looking at Storm with a glare, before opening the door and stepping out of the house. Storm had no idea why he called him a 'blank flank loser', so he decided to ask Equinox later on.

"Alright, you guys." said High. "It's time to tour the house. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Equinox and Storm followed High up the stairs, which led to a large hallway. The first room they checked out was Gust's room, which was rather large and was decorated with posters of famous rock stars from Cloudsdale and the surrounding area. There was also a fancy digital radio in the corner of the room and a small TV right next to it, its antenna towering ominously over the room and casting it's shadow on Gust's bed.

"This is Gust's room." explained High Wind, letting them take a look inside, before leading them towards the next room. The next room was fairly different from Gust's room. It had pink walls with posters of famous pop singers and a poster of the Bitalian crime film Mafia Nights. There were also toys and memorabilia from various other movies lined up on the dresser. Interesting collection... Storm thought to himself.

"This is Mist's room." explained High.

"I see Mist's a fan of gangster films." said Equinox, looking disapprovingly at the poster of Mafia Nights hanging on the wall.

"Yeah, she loves crime films. In fact, we both do." explained High Wind.

"Isn't she a bit too young to be watching crime films?" asked Equinox.

"They let us both in to see a re release of Mafia Nights two months ago, so I think she's fine." replied High Wind, before moving onto the next room. The final room wasn't as interesting as the previous rooms, but it was fairly large and spacious, with a large bed and a wardrobe in it.

"And this is my room." High said. "You two will sleep downstairs if that's alright until we prepare proper rooms for you, alright?"

"Okay." replied Equinox. "Are you happy, Storm?"

"Yeah, happy..." grumbled Storm, unhappy that he doesn't have a proper bed.

"Oh, are you hungry? I have tomato soup ready." explained High. The mention of tomato soup made Storm's stomach growl like a vicious dog. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast on the plane.

"Oh yes, please." said Equinox, before turning to look at Storm.

"Uh, okay." replied Storm.

"Alright, let's go to the kitchen." said High, leading them downstairs and into the kitchen.

Storm had to admit, while he didn't really like High that much and thought that he was an imposter trying to take his dad's place, his tomato soup tasted heavenly. He had never tried soup like that back in the Griffon Empire, where the soup was highly sour and acidic. In comparison, the soup in Cloudsdale was completely natural.

"So," begun High, trying to break the ice. "Liking your soup, Storm?" He only nodded in reply as his mouth was full of tomato soup. "That's great. What about you, Equi?" Equinox turned to look at him and gulped down the tomato soup in her mouth, before being able to speak.

"It tastes wonderful." she replied, smiling warmly. "Thank you, High."

"My pleasure." he replied. "You'd be surprised to know that the soup we make in this part of Equestria is made from 100% natural ingredients and nothing artificial at all."

"That's ridiculous." complained Storm. "How can something be completely natural?"

"Well Storm, it must be different back in the Empire, but here in Equestria, we only source the best ingredients from the best plantations around the country." High explained, before rinsing his bowl of soup under the faucet.

"Yeah? And how do you know?" asked Storm.

"Storm, High worked on a tomato plantation near his grandpa's ranch." Equinox explained, finishing off her soup.

"Yep. I spent two months working at my grandma and grandpa's ranch in the San Palomino Desert." he explained, putting on a thick southern accent at the end of his sentence.

"Maybe that's why you're so muscular..." said Equinox, attempting to flirt with High. A small blush begun to form on his face, and that blush begun to slowly become more visible to everypony in the room, including to Storm, who seemed most disgusted. A stallion whom he only met a few hours ago was attempting to flirt with his mother. If only Storm's dad was here, then he'd beat the living daylights out of High for trying to romance his mother.

"Yeah, you look even better than I do. No seriously... you do, Equi." he replied awkwardly, before his entire face turned red and he begun to shake. Suddenly, his wings unfolded rapidly to their full size and they froze in place. Both Storm and Mist spat out their soup in shock and Equinox, blushing furiously, turned away from High, in order not to look at the handsome stallion sitting beside her.

"Nothing to see here, kids... he he." High begun rather awkwardly, much to the disgust of Storm and Mist. "I just think your mom is rather... hot, Storm. Go play upstairs, both of you. Like I said, nothing to see here."

A few moments later...
After eating lunch and witnessing High's little 'wing malfunction', Storm and Mist went to play upstairs in her room. While Mist went to look for a game for them to play, Storm was busy thinking. Thinking about his mom and High and whether they were right for one another. While Storm did think his mom deserved to be happy and settle down with a stallion, he still couldn't trust High, no matter how friendly and helpful he seemed. What if he tried to take advantage of them? What if he kicked them out during the cold, merciless winters that north central Equestria is famous for? Or what if he tried to attack them? Questions like that raced through Storm's head as he tried to decide whether High can be trusted or not.

"Hey Storm." begun Mist, pulling out a board game. "I found a game we could play together."

"What is it?" asked Storm, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Chess!" she replied enthusiastically, opening the box containing the game and spilling out its contents. Storm groaned as he looked at the chessboard and the different pieces scattered around the floor. As much as he enjoyed playing board games, he could never learn how to play chess properly. "What's wrong?" asked Mist.

"Oh, nothing nothing..." Storm replied. "It's just that I've never played chess before."

"You can't?" asked Mist. "Why not?"

"I could never fully learn, Mist." explained Storm.

"Me and my dad could teach you, if you want." she replied.

"NO--I mean, no. You don't have to." said Storm.

"Okay..." she replied awkwardly, but shrugged the awkwardness off. "Hey Storm."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Why can't you fly properly?" she asked in reply.

"Because I just can't, okay?..." replied Storm. "And it's definitely too late for me to learn."

"You know what my dad says?" asked Mist.

I don't really care, but okay..."What?"

"You can't give up on your dreams." she explained. "Does flying mean anything to you, Storm?"

"Yes." he replied. "I've been wanting to fly for the past few years."

"Then why not fly?" she asked.

"Because I can't, okay?!" Storm replied, now agitated.

"Okay, no need to shout..." she said, as calmly as she could. "Chill, Storm."

"Okay..." Storm replied, calming down noticeably. "Sorry."

"It's okay." she beamed. "What do you think happened to my dad's wings today at lunch?"

"Oh, that..." Storm begun, chuckling sarcastically. "I don't know."

"I think he likes your mom..." Mist replied, smiling wryly.

"You think?" asked Storm, a glare forming on his face. "He likes my mom?!"

"Isn't it obvious dude?" she asked.

Storm gritted his teeth in anger and jumped off the bed, before giving Mist a deathly glare.

"Dude, chill..." she said, trying to calm Storm down. "Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"

Storm sighed and lowered his head in shame, before turning to face Mist.

"My mom, she had numerous coltfriends back in the Griffon Empire, who promised her that they'll help us get to Equestria." Storm answered, with a rather angry tone in his voice. "However, instead of helping us, they took advantage of mom and me. One of them even made my mom his 'pleasure pony', whatever that may mean."

Back in Aerovis, Equinox tried her hardest for her and Storm to move back to Equestria, keeping every Gryphon coin or note she earned in a box hidden very well inside their basement, however all that money was lost after their house was bombed.

Before Ava and Vortex helped them, they had to stay with several male Gryphons, two or three of them being Equinox's love interests. They promised them tickets to Equestria, but they lied. One night, they were kicked out of one of the Gryphon's houses after Equinox had some 'private time' with him, and another night, they were attacked by a Gryphon after Equinox refused to give him the money she earned that day at work.

"Pleasure pony?" asked Mist. "I've never heard that term before..."

"I don't know what it means either, but I think it is something bad..." replied Storm.

"So, lemme guess." Mist begun. "You're scared that my dad might turn out like one of your mom's previous coltfriends."

"Exactly." Storm replied.

"Well, he won't." said Mist. "I don't know, just try and get to know each other better. Who knows? Maybe you'll like my dad more?"

"How do you know he won't?" asked Storm.

"Well, you can trust my dad, no matter what happens." Mist explained proudly. "My dad is the best dad in the world."

Just then, they heard hoovesteps coming up the stairs.

"Hey, kids." begun the voice, belonging to High Wind. "We're going to go get Storm a place at North Cloudsdale Elementary School. We're waiting for you downstairs."

"Elementary school?" asked Storm, having never come across the term before.

"Yeah, in Equestria, you go to elementary school until you're 12. What age are you?" asked Mist.

"I'm turning eleven in six months." he replied. "What about you?"

"I'm eight and a half." she said. "And Gust is thirteen."

"So, what's Gust in?" asked Storm.

"Middle school." Mist replied. Storm nodded in reply and both of them made their way downstairs, where Equinox and High Wind were waiting for them.

"Hey kids." said High Wind. "You ready, Storm?"

"Yeah, I am." Storm replied rather nervously.

"Excellent!" replied Equinox. "Alright then, let's go."

They made their way to North Cloudsdale Elementary School, which was situated a few blocks away from High Wind's house. As they walked towards the school building, which had an Equestrian flag fluttering in the warm wind, Storm couldn't help but look at the building. It was a lot smaller than his school back in Gryffsvale, but it looked a whole lot nicer.

The group of Pegasi walked through the open gate and up the water ice stairs, before walking through the main door, and while Equinox and High Wind were being Interviewed by the principal of the school, Storm and Mist were sitting outside his office.

"So, Storm..." begun Mist. "Are you excited in being a Cloudsdale student?"

"Yes.. and no." he replied, rather awkwardly. "As much as I'm looking forward to starting a new school, I'm a bit worried about starting school. I'm worried if anyone will like me and if I'll do good."

"Don't worry." she said, putting her hoof on his shoulder. "I know you'll do great. I believe in you."

"Thanks Mist..." Storm smiled at her. "I only know you for a few hours and already you seem like the sister I never had."

"I do?" she asked. "Thank you, Storm. And you're like my second brother."

"I am?" asked Storm, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Well, of course, silly!" she said, smiling at him. "I always wanted a second brother."

"And I always wanted a sister." he said.

Just then, both High Wind and Equinox Moon came out of the principal's office, both wearing smiles on their faces, Storm knowing very well why they were so happy.

"Great news, sweetie." begun Equinox.

"They accepted you into the school." High continued, with pride in his voice. "You're starting tomorrow, Storm."

"I am?" Storm asked, his pupils shrinking.

"Well, yeah." Equinox replied. "I know it, son. You'll do great!"

"Well, maybe I will." concluded Storm. "I am a bit nervous though."

"Don't be!" replied High. "This was the elementary school I went to when I was your age. You'll love it."

"Uh-huh." Said Storm awkwardly. Can I take your word for it? Of course not.

The next morning.
"Good morning, everypony!" said a rather cheerful teacher by the name of Mrs. Horseshoe to her class, around twenty mostly bored fillies and colts. "I hope you all had a great weekend. Have you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Horseshoe!" said the class in unison.

"That's great!" she said, turning away from her students to face the chalkboard. "Have you all done your homework?"

"Yes, Mrs. Horseshoe!"

"That's great. We also have a new student today joining our class." she explained cheerfully, motioning to the door, behind which stood Storm, looking into the classroom with a look of fear on his face. What if they don't accept him? What if he makes no friends? Or what if he gets bullied? Questions like that raced through his mind as he tried to decide whether to go into the classroom. Eventually, a few moments later, he plucked up the courage to go into the classroom.

"Everypony, this is Stormfire." explained Mrs. Horseshoe, turning to face the young colt. All the colts and fillies in the room turned to face Storm, which made him extremely nervous. "Why don't you tell us about yourself, Stormfire?"

A moment or two later, the nervous colt managed to speak.

"Uh, hi..." he begun, shaking like a foal's rattle. "...I'm Stormfire and I just moved here from the Griffon Empire... and uh, uh.."

Some of the colts and fillies begun to whisper and snicker amongst themselves, which unnerved Storm even more. Was it something he said? He did not know, but he wasn't liking it one bit.

"Can I please sit down, ma'am?" asked Storm.

"Why certainly!" she beamed. "There's a vacant seat between Singer and Hurricane Force." she explained, pointing to a vacant desk at the back of the class beside which sat two colts; one of the colts was navy blue and had a red mane, while the other colt had a light blue mane and gray coat.

Storm walked between several desks, trying to get to his desk as fast as he could. However, before he could get to his desk, something very unpleasant happened...

"Hey guys." whispered a colt to his friends, pointing at Storm's flank. "He doesn't even have his mark!"

What mark? thought Storm, turning to look at the snickering colts, who were all looking at his flank. Oh... so that's what Gust meant by 'blank flank loser'. he concluded, before continuing towards his desk.

He sat down between the two colts and looked at the chalkboard where the teacher was writing down some multiplication, before turning to look at the two colts sitting on both sides of him. Maybe I'll make some friends here...

"Hi." beamed Singer. "You're Stormfire, right?"

"Yeah, hi..." Storm replied awkwardly.

"Hi loser," jeered Hurricane Force. "So, you're from the Gryphon lands, huh?"

"Yeah? What's wrong with that?" asked Storm, his nervousness returning to him.

"Oh, nothing nothing," replied Hurricane. "So, your mom's a Gryphon?"

"No, she's not!" said Storm, visibly offended.

"Yes she is, you half-Gryphon freak." he barked back. "Don't think we're all going to be your friends just because you stand out."

"Hurricane, leave him alone." replied Singer. "What did Storm do to you?"

"You stay out of this, Dinger." threatened Hurricane. "And look, he's a blank-flank..." he explained, pointing to his flank, where there should be a mark.

"Why is everyone talking about my flank?" groaned Storm. "Can I just go sit down please?"

"Because your cutie mark shows who you are... and if you don't have one then you're nopony." explained Hurricane. "Bucking loser."

The words Hurricane said hit Storm harder than a crossbow hitting him on the head. If he wanted to be considered 'somepony' he needed to get his mark, and he needed to get it quickly, or face endless torment by bullies like Hurricane. But how was he going to get his mark?

"Leave him alone, will you?" asked Singer, with a firm tone in his voice.

"How about... no?" replied Hurricane.

"Hurricane?" asked the teacher, who was obviously aware of what he was doing to Storm.

"Yes ma'am?"

"If you're going to continue your behavior, then I'll put you in detention for a week." she explained. "Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good."

"You're gonna be sorry you even came here, you blank-flank piece of crap." threatened Hurricane, turning to look at Storm.

"Okay..." replied Storm, feeling rather awkward. Well, so much for making friends...

Around forty-five minutes later, the bell for recess rang and every colt and filly in the class trotted outside, including Storm, Hurricane and Singer. Hurricane left the classroom first, giving a rather nervous Storm a death glare. After Hurricane left, Storm and Singer went to play outside.

"Hey, it'll be okay..." said Singer, trying his best to comfort Storm. "He's just a bully."

"Is what he said about me being a blank-flank true?" asked Storm.

"No! Why would it be, dude?" answered Singer. "There's nothing wrong with being a blank flank according to me."

"Really?" asked Storm, his smile returning to his face.

"Yeah!" beamed Singer. "I mean, look at my best friend Violet. She's your age and she doesn't have her cutie mark yet, but I still think that she's the greatest, most amazing filly I ever met."

"Cutie mark?" asked Storm, struggling to contain his laughter. "Is that what it's called? It sounds kinda girly if you ask me..."

"Well, yeah..." replied Singer. "It sure does..."

"So, what can I do to get my... cutie mark?" asked Storm, still trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Just do something you're good at." replied Singer, giving him a friendly smile. "I got my cutie mark because I'm good at singing." he explained, turning to look at his cutie mark; a microphone with the cord cut off.

"Yeah, but I don't know what I'm good at." sighed Storm.

"You'll find out someday, dude." said Singer, putting his hoof on Storm's shoulder.

"Maybe..." said Storm, his unsure expression turning into a grin.

"Can you fly?" asked Singer.

"Uh, not really..." replied Storm, rather reluctantly, not knowing the reaction he'd get from Singer.

"That's okay." said Singer. "There's this new flying club at lunch that's just started up. I could get you a place if you want."

"You'd do that?" asked Storm.

"Of course." he beamed. "You seem like a cool pony to hang out with. Maybe we could be friends?"

"That would be great." said Storm, smiling. "I'd love to be your friend."

"Me too. So, what do you say?" begun Singer. "Friends till the end?" he asked, extending out his hoof.

"Friends till the end." replied Storm, bumping his hoof. Maybe I have a chance at making friends here...

A few hours later...
The school day went by fairly quickly, much quicker than Storm had expected before. Despite being constantly pestered by Hurricane (who continuously tried to torment him by saying that he's a "blank-flank") and failing to get enrolled in the flying club, Storm remained cool and calm. Why? Because he had a friend to spend the day with, and that friend was Singer. After the final school bell rang and everypony left for home, Singer walked with Storm back home (as his mom was at work at the time) and so decided to start up a conversation.

"So, how was your first day?" asked Singer.

"It wasn't as bad as I expected it to go..." replied Storm, smiling awkwardly.

"It isn't as bad here as you may think." said Singer. "In fact, it's actually a great experience."

"You sure?" asked Storm.

"Yeah. Trust me, it can seem hard at first trying to fit in, but I know you'll do great, buddy." explained Singer.

"Thanks, dude." replied Storm. "How's Violet? I haven't seen her at school today."

"Oh, she's off sick with the feather flu..." explained Singer as they begun to near Storm's house (Singer's house was a few streets away). "She should be back at school by next week."

"That's good to hear." replied Storm. "Anyways, thanks for hanging out with me, Singer."

"No problem." he beamed. "See you tomorrow, Storm."

"Yeah, see you as well." said Storm, turning left and walking down a rather short pathway to his new, well, current home. A few moments later, he arrived in front of the house and opened the front door, before walking in.

"Hey mom, I'm home!" he said, dumping his bag beside the door, however, he got no answer from his mom, or from anypony else in the house. That's strange. It's 3 PM. She should be back by now... Storm thought to himself, growing more and more nervous with every passing second. He knew that Mist was away on a class field trip to Canterlot (which Storm had never heard of in his life) and that Gust came back home half an hour later (as he was in middle school), but where was his mom, and where was High Wind? Did he kidnap his mom? Did he do anything bad to her? Storm did not know, but he was soon about to find out.

"Mom?" asked Storm, walking ever deeper down the hallway, which led to a closed door, behind which could be heard... conversations and laughing? Curious, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door, before walking into the room. However, what he saw in that room shocked him beyond belief. His mom was sitting on the couch, resting against High's body, his wings wrapped around her own body. Both of them were enjoying some fresh apple cider, and were listening to the local smooth jazz radio station. Storm's shocked expression slowly faded into a disgusted glare. What the hay did High Wind think he was doing to his mom? Was he trying to seduce her? Was he trying to take advantage of her like the male Gryphons back in the Empire? And why was his mom... letting him do that?

"Well, it's a great thing you got into the weather team, honey..." he said, nuzzling her.

"Yeah, all thanks to you." she replied, resting her body against his.

Storm cleared his throat, hoping to get the attention of them both.

"Oh, hey son." said Equinox, moving slightly away from High.

"Hey mom." replied Storm, rather nervously.

"Hey sport!" begun High. "How was school?"

"It was great!" said Storm, turning to give him a quick glare, before turning back towards Equinox. "It was really interesting. I made a new friend and stuff."

"That's great, sweetie." replied Equinox, returning to nuzzle against High Wind. "Told you you'll make friends here."

"What do you want for lunch, Storm?" asked High, wrapping his wing around her. "We have hay pizza."

"Hay pizza sounds good, I guess..." he replied, with an emotionless tone in his voice, still unhappy about what they were doing together.

"Alright, then." replied High, getting up and heading off to the kitchen, leaving Storm and Equinox in the living room. "Pizza will be ready in half an hour."

While waiting for his pizza, Storm was in Mist's room, writing a letter to his friends back in the Griffon Empire. A tear dropped out of his eye onto the piece of paper he was writing on, as he thought about his old friends and what they were up to right now. It saddened him deeply, having to leave the first friends he's ever made back in the Empire, but he knew that there were new friends waiting for him in Cloudsdale, however, nothing could change how he felt about his old friends. Absolutely nothing. They were like brothers and sister to him, and it hurt him horribly having to leave them back there.

Hey guys,
How are you all doing? We landed in Cloudsdale yesterday, and I got a place at the local elementary school (basically Equestria's equivalent of a 'junior school'). Life is great here, well, sort of. You see, there's this guy who's growing increasingly attached to my mom. My mom knows him, but I don't trust him one bit. I'm scared he'll turn out like one of my mom's previous love interests. Remember these guys? Yeah... they weren't the most pleasant of Gryphons.

Anyways, how's your weekend been? Did you go anywhere? Did you do anything cool?

I look forward to hearing from you soon! It's a shame we can't see each other in person, though... yeah. I miss you all so much.

Storm

A few months later..
The months seemed to pass by in a flash and the warm, late summer air slowly became more and more colder as winter approached. Eventually, sometime in November, it started to snow, rather lightly at first, but as December begun, the city of Cloudsdale was often hit by huge blizzards, which moved down from a large mountain range to the north west of the city. While the winter weather created problems for the vast majority of adults from Cloudsdale and the surrounding area, the foals didn't seem to mind. In fact, they loved it. One of the foals who loved the winter weather was Stormfire, who had experienced a snowy winter before several times in the Griffon Empire, but never among other ponies. This was Storm's first Equestrian winter. While he wasn't at school, he often played with Singer in Ponyville Park (which had some really deep snow, especially during December), visited the local ice rink in downtown Cloudsdale or just played in the snow.

Eventually, it was time for a national holiday, one that Storm had never come across in Aerovis; Hearth's Warming Eve. He wasn't sure exactly what the point of the holiday was, but he learned from his mom and High Wind that it had something to do with the Founding of Equestria itself, several thousand years ago. However, it also had something to do with a certain "Santa Hooves", who according to Mist, would bring presents to all the good colts and fillies, and burning coal to the ones who misbehave. As today was Hearth's Warming Eve, High's relatives from places all over Equestria were visiting him, which meant the house had to be virtually spotless.

By evening, the Hearth's Warming Eve party was in full swing, with loud music playing downstairs and great food, prepared by Equinox, being served. Storm and Mist sat down with some of High Wind's cousins, watching Gust Wind jam on his guitar to a holiday tune.

"Whoo!" Gust shouted in delight, finishing playing along to the song.

"That was great work, Gust!" said Mist.

"That's a really hard song to play, and you nailed it." explained High Wind's brother, Fast Wheels, who worked as a carriage dealer and a part-time musician (he was the one who first taught Gust how to play the guitar) in Detrot. "Well done, nephew."

"Aww, Uncle Fast, it's no biggie,” Gust responded bashfully. "Thanks for teaching me this song."

"That was brilliant, kiddo!" said High Wind's sister, Blossom Wind, a fashion model who was visiting from Vanhoover. "You nailed it!"

"Yep, that was great!" said Storm. "I wouldn't be surprised if you start your own band in the future."

"Thanks, blank-flank," said Gust, shooting him a quick glare. “And you won’t be invited to practice, I’m not having you embarrass me in front of my friends like you always do.”

"Gust, don't talk to Storm like that!" shouted Equinox, from the kitchen.

"Sorry, ma'am." he answered modestly, before continuing to glare at Storm. "I'll deal with you later..."

"Okay." replied Storm, rather confused and slightly nervous about what Gust would do to him. Was it because he was a blank-flank? He did not know, but he wasn't liking this one bit.

Meanwhile, High Wind and Equinox were enjoying a glass of champagne at the table with several other relatives.

"So, what is the Empire like?" asked one rather fancily-dressed mare by the name of Glittery Dream, one of High’s cousins.

"Well, it's nothing like Equestria is, that's for sure..." Equinox replied, chuckling slightly. "It's different in almost every way."

"Just how different exactly?" asked one stallion.

"Well, I just said it's different in almost every way." replied Equinox awkwardly. “It’s not quite up to par with Equestria but it’s getting there, I guess.”

“What made you want to leave?”

“Why didn’t you stay here?”

"What were the Gryphons like?"

"Woah, let's not ask too many questions, ma familia." replied High Wind, holding Equinox's hoof underneath the table as he gave her a comforting smile. "I have an important announcement to make."

Everypony in the room, including Storm stopped what they were doing and turned to face High Wind, who looked incredibly nervous.

"Equinox?" begun High, a blush forming on his face. He then knelt down in front of Equinox and pulled out a small, velvet box and flipped it open, revealing a golden ring. "These past few months I've spent with you have been the best few months of my life. You're an amazing pony, and I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. So, will you marry me?"

Everyone sat facing him, speechless, especially Storm, who had a look of disgust grow on his face. So, he's going as far as trying to marry my mom? he thought to himself. He's probably trying to take advantage of us even more...

"Yes, High Wind..." replied Equinox, tears rolling out of her eyes. "I will!"

"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, honey." he said, kissing her passionately and putting the ring on her hoof. Storm grumbled angrily, and walked up to High Wind.

"Excuse me?" asked Storm. "What do you think you're doing to my mom?"

"Huh?" begun High Wind. "I proposed to her. What do you think I did?"

"Why?" asked Storm.

"Because I love her." replied High Wind.

"That's a lie, right?" said Storm, anger boiling inside of him.

"Why would it be a lie?" asked High Wind, perplexed.

"You're only saying that because you want to take advantage of us. That's what everypony does." explained Storm, trotting upstairs and locking himself in Mist's room. While everypony wondered what the hay just happened, High Wind and Equinox Moon followed him upstairs.

"Son, it's mom. What happened?" asked Equinox from behind the door to Mist's room.

"Look, Storm." begun High Wind. "I know you're stressed, and I'm sorry about that, but you have to chill out a bit."

"How am I supposed to chill out?!" shouted Storm from behind the door to the room. "Just leave me alone."

"Daddy, what happened to Storm?" asked Mist, who followed them upstairs.

"Okay." High Wind sighed, before making his way downstairs. "Come on, Mist. Let's go."

"Can I come in, son?" asked Equinox.

"Go ahead, mom."

"Alright." she replied, and gently pushed open the door and walked into the room, before noticing Storm sitting on Mist's bed. She closed the door and sat down on the bed beside Storm, who was crying into his hooves, before wrapping her wing around his body.

"I'm scared, mom..." he explained, leaning in against her body.

"Of what, son?" she asked.

"Of High..." he replied. "I'm worried he'll turn out like those Gryphons back in the Empire..."

"Well, he won't." explained Equinox. "High Wind is a gentlepony like no other."

"I'm just scared, mom." he said. "I don't know if I can trust him."

"Well, let me tell you something." she begun. "I can understand why you don't trust him, but acting like this isn't going to get you anywhere. If you two at least try and get to know each other a bit more, then you'll very likely get to like each other."

"You sure?" asked Storm.

"Yep." she replied, winking at him. "Come on, let's go downstairs."

Well, I felt rather stupid and foolish after my little outburst at the Hearth's Warming Eve dinner. I guess my mom does deserve to be with a stallion she can trust, but I was just scared that he'd turn out to be like the Gryphons who treated us so badly back in the Empire. However, I still don't know if I can trust him. I guess, only time will tell. Only time will tell.

Author's Notes:

Singer Case and Violet Petals belong to Auto-Buscus. (Violet is only mentioned in this chapter, but I am planning for her to make an appearance in a future chapter.)

Chapter 6 will be up very soon.

6. Like Stepfather, Like Son

Storm sat at his school desk, trying to finish off an unfinished piece of math work, and every once in a while turning to glance up at the clock hanging above the door. Math was Storm's worst enemy, other than broccoli, peas and right now, High Wind. After a not-so-merry Hearth's Warming Eve during which Storm snapped at High Wind, he concluded that he just couldn't apologize to him and start anew. After all, he still didn't trust him one bit, especially since he was going to become Storm's stepfather in a few months time. Storm cringed at the thought of High Wind becoming his stepfather, but he knew that he loved Equinox, and he didn't want to interfere with their relationship. But he still hated High, with a passion.

"Hey, blanky-flanky," said Hurricane from behind him, hitting him on the back of the head with a ruler and causing Storm to rip the ruler out of his hooves. "Ooh, Mr. No-Mark is angry."

Some of the other kids in the class snickered among themselves after hearing Hurricane's statement, causing Storm to shake in pure nervousness. It's been almost six months since Hurricane's bullying had begun, and so far, it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon.

"Just ignore him, Storm. He'll leave you alone." replied Singer, turning to glare at Hurricane.

"Who says I will?" asked Hurricane, jabbing Storm on the back of the head.

"Buck off!" shouted Storm, loud enough so that the teacher could hear him.

"Stormfire, language!" the teacher said, obviously very shocked and angry. Stormfire groaned and turned back to glare at Hurricane, who was chuckling along with some of his friends, before turning back to look at the teacher.

"Sorry, ma'am." he begun, before sighing and going back to his schoolwork. He had promised himself that he'd cut down the foul mouth and "street talk" he learned in the Empire, but so far it wasn't working very well, especially since Hurricane was forcing him to use the curse words he had learned.

"It's alright, Stormfire." replied the teacher in a soothing voice. "Next time, just please. Don't swear."

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright, now continue with your math work." said the teacher. "We still have half an hour to go before we all go home."

Half an hour? Storm asked himself, before turning around and looking to see Hurricane and his cronies give him a quick glare, before turning back to face his math sheet. Storm hated Monday afternoons, especially math class, which he usually had last. While he knew that math was his last lesson today, he absolutely hated it, especially since Hurricane was pestering him constantly. Mrs. Horseshoes left the classroom for a few minutes to talk to another teacher, which allowed the students to mess around.

"Hey, Storm." said Hurricane from behind him. "Look out of the window!"

"Wha---" he begun, turning to look out of the window, but he saw nothing behind it, except some cloud houses. Hurricane, you twat... he cursed under his breath, before getting hit on the back of the head with a ruler and pelted by an eraser, which flicked his ear as it impacted it. He turned around to see who it was, before being hit with it again, this time on the face.

"Oh, look. Stormfire is going to cry!" said Hurricane, before chuckling darkly with his friends. Storm held his muzzle in pain and struggled to hold back his tears, but the pain was too much for him to withstand. A moment or so later, he started to cry, much to the horror of Singer and his friend Violet, who were watching the entire situation unfold.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Violet, with a rather angry tone in her voice. "Why are you acting like this, Hurricane?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm just trying to rid our class of it's problem." he replied, turning to glare at her, before turning back towards Stormfire, who was still holding his muzzle. "Shut up, Violet."

"Hey, leave Violet alone! Oh, and Storm, don't listen to him." said Singer, trying his best to comfort him. "You're not a problem, okay?"

"Yes, I am..." replied Storm, trotting out of the classroom and locking himself in the janitor's closet, which was just opposite of the classroom.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Stormfire, please." pleaded the teacher, trying her hardest to unlock the janitor's door. The entire class were gathered around the door, including Singer and Violet, who seemed to be the most concerned. "Please, open the door, alright?"

"No. Not until he promises to leave me alone!"

"Who?" asked the teacher, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Hurricane." replied Storm, from behind the door. The teacher, and the other pupils turned to look at Hurricane and his friends, with glares on their faces. His heart literally stopped after hearing Storm call out his name. A glare formed on his face, but he decided to hide it so not to get in even more trouble with the teacher. "I didn't do anything, ma'am!"

"It's true, ma'am." said Singer. "He's the one that's been bullying Storm."

"What?" spat Hurricane. "Shut up, I've been trying to help him."

"Helping him how?" asked Violet. "By hitting him on the back of the head with a ruler? By hitting him repeatedly? By calling him names?"

"What do you care? You're not involved in this."

"Foals, break it up." said the teacher, with a rather stern tone in her voice. "Hurricane, a word."

While Hurricane went to get lectured (and possibly suspended) by the teacher, Singer and Violet went up to the door of the janitor's closet and tapped lightly on it.

"Who is it?" asked Storm, in a rather depressed tone.

"It's just us." said Violet. "You don't have to be scared anymore, Storm."

"Is he gone?"

"Yes, he is." replied Singer. "He's busy getting lectured by Mrs. Horseshoes."

"Is it safe to come out now?"

"Yes." said Violet. "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

"Positive?"

"100 per cent." beamed Singer. "Come on, dude."

A few moments later, the door to the janitor's closet slowly opened and Storm stepped out of the closet, rather reluctantly. He looked around the corridor, trying to see if Hurricane was still there, but he couldn't see anypony that looked like him in between the thirty-something ponies who were his classmates.

"I want to go home..." replied Storm, tearing up at the sight of his friends and trotting up to Singer and Violet to give them a hug. "I hate this place..."

"Hey, hey." said Singer, at first taken slightly aback by Stormfire's hug. "It's alright... He's gone now, Storm. You don't have to worry about anything."

"Is what he said about me true?" asked Storm, crying his eyes out. "Am I really a problem?"

"No, you're anything but a problem, Storm." replied Violet, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Violet." said Storm.

"Tell me, Storm. Why would you be a problem?" asked Singer.

"Because Hurricane says I am."

"Well, Hurricane is wrong." replied Singer, smiling warmly at him. "Never let anypony put you down, Storm. You're special in your own way."

"Thanks, Singer." said Storm, tears rolling out of his eyes. "You're the best friends anypony could ever ask for."

A few months later...
Around three months later, life for Stormfire returned to normal. While he was still relentlessly bullied by Hurricane and his friends, he had a friend to go to when he needed help. More like, two friends. Singer and Violet were two of the most incredible ponies he had ever met in his life. They looked out for him in school, they hung out with him during recess and lunch break and they played with him after school. In fact, they were starting to remind him more and more of Rainwynd, Sharpbeak and Lightning Wing, his friends back in the Empire.

It was a rather nice Saturday morning in April. After some recent heavy rains over Cloudsdale and the surrounding area, the weather finally cleared up and was expected to remain like that for the next week or so, which meant that the temperatures rose dramatically, and that meant that Equinox and High Wind had to work longer hours at the weather factory. Stormfire didn't really care too much about High Wind, but he didn't want his mom to come back late at night, sometimes even at 11 PM or 12 AM. At times, Equinox was so tired, that after she came into the house, she often fell onto the couch and went to sleep there, instead of going to sleep with High. He hated seeing his mom so tired, but he knew that her hard work would pay off and one day, she'd be able to work normal hours. While Equinox worked until late night at the weather factory, High Wind worked on the weather patrol, which covered a twenty mile radius, from Cloudsdale to Ponyville. While both High and Equinox were working, Storm often found himself hanging out with Mist, who was by far, the coolest sister he could ever ask for, but he could never get through and hang out with Gust Wind, now a fourteen-year old, who preferred to ignore him and play loud guitar solos in his room, with the volume turned up to full.

Storm was playing a game of hoofball with Mist outside in the backyard. Despite not being the best colt on the school's hoofball team, Stormfire still knew how to play, and liked the sport.

"Catch the ball, Storm!" she shouted, throwing a brown, oval-shaped ball towards him. Storm did not hesitate and jumped up into the air, catching the ball with his two hooves and landing back down on the cloud ground.

"Now it's your turn, Mist!" he shouted, dribbling the ball across the cloud, before throwing it to Mist. The ball flew through the air, before landing in front of Mist.

"Aww." she begun. "Want to try again?"

"Maybe." replied Storm, giving her a smirk. A moment or so later, High Wind and Equinox Moon landed before them.

"Hey kids." begun High. "Me and your mom, Storm, are going to work on the wedding preparations. We should be back in three-four hours maximum. Alright?"

"Alright." grumbled Storm, still unhappy about his mom getting married to High Wind. Although over the past few months he got to know High Wind more, he still didn't trust him very much.

"See you in a little while, kids." said Equinox, nuzzling both of them gently, before taking off with High Wind into the sky.

"Storm, what's wrong?" asked Mist, noticing his scowl. "Are you still upset about my dad getting married to your mom?"

"Yeah, sort of..." replied Storm, still scowling. "Sorry, Mist. I just still don't trust him very much..."

"It's okay, Storm." she said, putting her hoof on his shoulder. "My dad is an awesome dad. You don't have to be afraid of him."

"I know." he replied. "I'm just nervous."

"Don't be." she smiled. "It'll all be alright. You two will get along just fine."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"Alright, Mist." he replied. "Want to get something to drink? It's a bit hot."

"Yep." she said, smiling. "My dad has soda!"

"He does?" asked Storm, knowing that they were only allowed to have sugary snacks and drinks every once in a while.

"Yep." beamed Mist.

"Alright then." said Storm. "Let's go."

---

A few hours later, Equinox and High Wind came back from the wedding preparations, and the entire family ate their dinner, Equinox's famous tomato soup.

"So, how did it go?" asked Mist, trying to break the ice.

"It went really well!" replied Equinox. "It's a shame we couldn't take you all... Was Gust looking after you two properly?"

"Yeah." they both replied in unison, a hint of awkwardness in their voices. While they knew Gust was quite irresponsible at times, they didn't want to get him into trouble with Equinox or High (especially Storm, who didn't want to get beat up by him).

"That's good." replied High Wind. "He can be really lazy and irresponsible at times, but I'm glad he can look after his siblings properly. Hey Storm, how about we do some flying lessons tomorrow?"

"Uh, no, sorry." he stammered. He was hoping that High Wind wouldn't bring up flying again, but unfortunately, he did.

"Why not?" asked High Wind, a rather concerned tone in his voice. "Look, Storm. Flying is necessary here in Cloudsdale. It's much easier to get around and it's much easier to fit in with other Pegasi."

"So, I need to learn how to fly in order to be a good citizen?" asked Storm, anger boiling inside of him.

"I didn't mean that, little guy." he replied rather awkwardly. "What I meant is that life for somepony that can fly is much easier, and since you can't fly, maybe that's why you get bullied."

"Shut up." barked Storm, shocking everypony gathered at the table; Equinox, Mist and even High Wind. "Just shut up!"

"Don't tell me to shut up, small fry." said High Wind, rising up out of his seat and towering intimidatingly over Storm. "I'm your father. You do exactly as I say."

"Pfft." spat Storm. "You wish, you schmuck."

"Boys, boys!" said Equinox, visibly angry at their behavior. "Break it up, you two. This is not the way I expected you both to behave."

"Sorry, honey." replied High Wind, sitting back down along with Storm.

"You're 'sorry'?" asked Storm, cringing slightly. "That's a joke. A very bad, unfunny joke. You're not sorry. You don't even care about us!"

At this point, everypony gathered at the table turned to look at Storm, jaws dropped.

"Tell me how I don't care about you." replied High Wind with a smirk. "Enlighten me."

"If you really did care about me, then you'd know that I can't fly." he explained, a few tears rolling out of his eyes. "And you're only taking advantage of mom. I know you are."

"Bu---" begun High, trying to calm things down.

"Just leave me alone." said Storm, tears rolling out of his eyes as he walked upstairs to his room.

"High Wind, go talk to him, honey." said Equinox, motioning for him to go upstairs.

"Nope. Not a chance." replied High Wind, shaking his head. "I'm not talking to Storm."

"Fine." begun Equinox. "If you won't talk to Storm, then I will."

Meanwhile...
Storm trotted upstairs and locked himself in his room, which was a spare room that High Wind and Equinox furnished back in December. Right now, he didn't feel like talking to anybody, not even his own mother or Mist. He was too angry to talk, too angry at High Wind. Angry at how much of a jerk he really was. He had made it clear to High Wind on several occasions that he didn't know how to fly, but he still kept pestering him about it. He laid on the bed, crying into the drenched pillow. How he wanted to go back to the Griffon Empire, back to where he belonged, back to his old friends, back to his old life. He didn't want to be in Cloudsdale, especially with High Wind, who had managed to truly piss him off today, but Storm knew that he couldn't leave. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't.

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, snapping Storm out of his thoughts.

"Come in..."

Expecting High Wind to come in and give him a lecture on flying, Storm wrapped himself in his bed sheets and covered his ears with the pillow in order to block out High Wind. He didn't want to talk to him, not now, not ever.

"Son, what the hay was that all about?" asked Equinox in a rather stern voice, unlike her usual warm, friendly voice. Storm shot up and turned to look at Equinox, who was sitting at the foot of his bed, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, mom..." replied Storm.

"You better be!" she barked. "Tell me, why are you behaving like this? Why?"

"Mom, I---"

"Storm, just tell me, why are you acting like this?" said Equinox, with a bitter tone in her voice. "For the love of Celestia, why do you dislike him so much?"

"I don't..." replied Storm. "I don't trust him... that's all."

"You don't trust High?" asked Equinox, calming down slightly, but still retaining her glare. "Why not?"

"I'm worried... he'll turn out to be like one of your previous coltfriends." explained Storm, almost shedding a tear. Equinox's glare visibly softened and she trotted up to Storm, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"Oh, sweetheart..." she said, caressing his mane with her hoof. "You don't have to be scared of High Wind."

"I just can't help, but feel that he's going to do something bad to us, like those Gryphons did." said Storm, crying into her coat. "I'm just scared, mom...I'm scared."

"Son, it's alright..." said Equinox, still hugging him tightly. "High Wind won't do anything bad to me or you..."

"You sure?" asked Storm, turning to look out of the open door to see if High Wind was standing outside, before turning back to look at Equinox.

"Yes, I'm sure." replied Equinox. "You don't have to be scared."

"Promise?" asked Storm.

"I promise." replied a voice, which did not belong to Equinox. Both Storm and Equinox turned to look at the source of the voice, and to Storm's surprise, it was High Wind, who was standing beside the door.

"What are you doing here?" asked Storm in a regretful tone. "I thought I angered you enough today."

"You did, but I couldn't keep being angry at you forever." explained High Wind. "And listen, we don't have to do flying lessons if you don't want to. It's your choice, and only yours; I'd never force you to do something you don't want. It’s just that I thought this would make things easier for you."

"Look, I'm sorry for everything..." begun Storm, rather tearfully. "I was just scared."

"Of what?" asked High Wind.

"Of you." replied Storm, getting a puzzled look from High. "You see, back in the Griffon Empire, my mom had several coltfriends who all promised us tickets here, but instead, we got robbed and attacked violently... sometimes, we even got kicked out into the cold just because my mom didn't do something she was told to do. I was just worried you'd be like that too. I was worried that you'd take advantage of us."

"I'd never do anything that would hurt you or your mom, Storm." explained High Wind, slightly shaken by the colt's story. "I protect you the same way I protect my kids. You don't have to be afraid. I would never do anything that would get you in harm's way. I care too much about you both."

"You do?"

"Yes." replied High Wind. "Around four years back, my wife... died in a tragic event that will forever be ingrained in my mind...I don't want to tell you about it out of fear of traumatizing you, but let's just say we were both caught in some seriously bad weather."

Storm and Equinox looked at High Wind in shock, unsure what to say.

"We were out near Ponyville with a news crew reporting on two tornadoes which had formed on the outskirts of town..." High began explaining what had happened. "And just as we watched the storm tear through a patch of woodland from beneath a makeshift shelter, she was struck by a flying piece of wood...doctors said she was killed on the spot...my wife and the mother of my kids, whom I loved dearly was killed before my very eyes in the space of a few seconds."

"Wow..." begun Storm, crying even harder. "I'm sorry for your loss..."

"it's okay... shit happens, I guess," replied High Wind, who was close to breaking down. "I was never the same pony after what happened, and I stopped being the father I should've been all along to my kids...I just sat there and...drank, pretty much, but your mother, she...saved me."

Storm turned to look at Equinox in tearful confusion, before turning back to look at High Wind.

"She's been such a great help in helping us deal with her loss...helping me to cope better," High Wind's voice quivered, tears cascading out of his eyes. "She saved my life, and one of the reasons why I proposed to her was because I don't want to lose her, or lose you or my kids... that, and I wanted a second chance to be the stallion I always wanted to be for my family. You are all I have in this world and I can't lose you. You all mean so much to me..."

"I'm sorry it happened, High..." said Storm, tearfully looking at High Wind, before turning to look at Equinox. "And I'm sorry for being such a jerk..."

"Hey, hey..." said High Wind. "Look at me, Storm."

Rather reluctantly, Storm turned to look at High Wind.

"It's alright..." he said, outstretching his hooves. "You're forgiven, little guy, and I don't blame you for why you acted like that towards me. Let's just pretend this never happened, alright?"

"Okay..." replied Storm, still rather unsure about the whole situation. Just then, High Wind did something that Storm wouldn't have expected him to do, especially after the way he's treated him; he knelt down in front of Storm and hugged him. Storm, at first slightly taken aback by the hug, moved backward, but then hugged him as well. "I'm so, so sorry for treating you this way... I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey..." said High Wind. "Like I said, it's alright."

"You sure?" asked Storm, still crying.

"Yeah, I'm sure..." replied High, smiling down at him. "Let's just forget this ever happened, and move on. What do you say?"

"I say, alright then..." replied Storm, turning to look up at High Wind, who was smiling at him. "Clean slate, I guess..."

A week later...
"So, guys... How did you enjoy our last day before spring break?" asked Singer, who was walking down the street with Stormfire and Violet after a long day at school. It felt good to finally be out of school for two weeks, but Storm felt differently. While Storm had mended his relationship with High Wind a week before, he was still nervous, nervous about the wedding, which was scheduled to happen next week, and nervous about High Wind becoming his dad.

"I enjoyed school today..." replied Violet. "What about you, Storm?"

"Huh?" asked Storm, snapping out of his thoughts.

"I asked if you enjoyed your school day, Storm." explained Violet.

"Oh, yeah..." replied Storm. "To be honest, I'm gonna miss this place."

"Yeah, us too..." replied Singer.

"Really?" asked Storm. "I thought you guys hate school."

"Well, I don't mind it!" replied Singer.

"Me neither." chimed in Violet. "What about you Storm? Do you like school?"

"It's not as bad as it seemed before..." explained Storm. Just then, as they were about to turn down the street, they bumped into somepony, or a group of someponies. Who were those someponies? It was Hurricane Force and two of his cronies.

"Hey, get the buck outta our way---where the buck did you come from?" asked Hurricane, looking at the group.

"Hey, it's our blank-flank friend!" chimed in Hurricane's friend, obviously talking about Storm, who hid behind Singer. "And he's a colt-cuddler too!"

"What's a colt-cuddler?" asked Storm, shivering slightly.

"You don't know?" asked Hurricane, struggling to contain his laughter. "Damn, you're stupid."

"Guys, come on, leave him alone," pleaded Singer. "What did Storm ever do to you?"

"He came to Equestria, that's what!" replied Hurricane's other friend, an older colt by the looks of it.

By now, Storm was struggling to contain his tears. Although he was used to being bullied by Hurricane and his friends, it still hurt him like hell, both physically and mentally.

All he ever wanted was to fit in, in spite of his differences.

"Please, leave Storm alone." pleaded Violet. "We'll go get your grandma, Hurricane."

"...shut up Violet," barked Hurricane after an ensuing pause. "And go get her if you want! I couldn't care less! Why are you sticking up for your blank-flank friend anyways?"

"Because he's our friend, that's why," butted in Singer, grimacing at Hurricane. "And don't you dare speak that way about Violet or Storm again."

"Ooh, look out, we got a badass over here," said Hurricane, and he and his cronies began to laugh uncontrollably. "Both of you, get outta here and let me deal with this gringo here."

"No, leave us all alone!" said Storm, cowering behind Singer.

"Take him, boys," commanded Hurricane. "Let's kick this rat's flank back where he came from!"

Suddenly, without any warning, the three ponies charged at Storm, pushing past Singer and Violet, and tackling Storm, bringing him down to the ground. Singer and Violet watched on in horror as their best friend was beaten mercilessly by the bullies.

"Augghh... leave me alone!" shouted Storm, before being bucked in the face by Hurricane. "Please..." he hissed in pain, before being pinned down and bucked in the stomach by one of the goons.

"We won't!" shouted the first goon.

"Go home, you half-Gryphon freak!" shouted the next one. "Nopony wants you here!"

"You don't belong in Equestria, Stormfire!" shouted Hurricane, before finally delivering a devastating blow to Storm's abdomen. "You're such a weird freak!"

Storm groaned and writhed in pain, having never felt so much pain being inflicted upon him before. He looked around to see if Singer and Violet were still there, but they weren't. Had they abandoned him completely? Had they just left him to die? Storm's thoughts were interrupted by another devastating buck to the abdomen, which almost cut off his breathing.

Just then, Hurricane, who was preparing to deliver another devastating blow to Storm, was stopped by a tap on his shoulders. He and his cronies turned around to face a rather angry-looking stallion, one who Storm knew very well. It was High Wind, who was brought there by Singer and Violet.

"Huh?" asked Hurricane, his heart skipping a beat momentarily as the stallion's mere presence struck the fear of God down into him. "...who are you...?"

"I'm somepony you'll regret ever meeting if you don't leave Storm alone," replied High Wind, an unhinged fury brewing deep within him as the two older goons cowered in fear in the distance. "So leave him alone, now."

"What are you, his dad?" Hurricane trembled somewhat as he looked around his vicinity, briefly glancing back at Storm's anguished form and then to the left at his two goons. "...come on, man, we were just playing around."

High Wind was having none of it, however, and his boiling rage became more apparent. "Playing around by beating the shit out of an innocent colt for doing nothing? If that's what you kids these days see as fun then I fear for the direction this country is going in, honestly...I saw what you did to him, you little shit, you could've fucking killed him there!"

"...well, he deserved it," Hurricane cautiously stood his ground as High Wind's harsh, vitriolic words began to break down his defenses, his heart racing as he anxiously looked around his vicinity for some kind of moral support from his two cronies. "...he--"

"Tell me..." High Wind decided to take a slightly different approach all of a sudden, smirking slightly as he towered over the trembling colt and his friends. "Who are you and your friends more scared of? Me, or the Royal Guard?"

At the mere mention of the Royal Guard, the bullies calmed down and backed away in fear.

"Don't call the Guard please!" shouted one of the colts.

"Oh, I will," replied High Wind, looking at a nearby Pegasus Guard patrolling the street. "If you don't leave Storm alone."

"NO NO NO NO!" said the other colt in a rush of panic. "We'll leave the blank flank alone! We promise!"

"Promise?" asked High Wind.

"We promise!" replied all three bullies in unison.

"Alright then," said High Wind. "Now scram before I change my mind, you sorry little bastards. And don't bother showing yourselves anywhere near us again or I'll personally kick all your asses to next year."

"Alrightbye!" they said, before darting off towards their homes and leaving High Wind and a battered Storm alone.

"I thought they were going to kill me," said Storm, who despite being battered and bruised managed to trot up to High Wind and nuzzle him. High Wind glanced down at him with a reassuring smile.

"Who were those guys?" his frown returned as he inspected Storm closely. "Bullies?"

"Bullies," replied Storm, crying into High Wind's coat. "They've been bullying me ever since I joined the school."

"You know you could have told me or your mom about the bullying, right?" said High Wind, hugging Storm tightly all of a sudden just like his mom would hug him.

Something clicked within the colt at that moment, something that should've clicked a long while back.

As Storm stood there in an embrace with High Wind any last remaining defenses he had up against him began to break down completely, as he finally realized the futility of his misguided hatred towards him.

He was in the wrong there, and it finally dawned upon him. For all these months he was in the wrong.

High Wind was good and kind. He could be trusted.

"We could've done something about it together that way, brought it up with the principal or something like that, or maybe even spoke to their parents as well. That way this could all have ended a lot sooner, you know."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Storm croaked out in despair, looking up at High Wind with an expression of sincere regret as the weight of their relationship's rocky beginnings began to slide off of his shoulders. He now knew deep down in his heart that he could have trusted him all along. Why did it never occur to him sooner? "I was scared that it was just gonna get worse!"

"Storm, look," High Wind issued a sigh. "One of the best ways of getting rid of bullies is telling an adult you trust, it doesn't make you weak or anything like that if you do. In fact, it takes real strength to open up because then it shows that you're willing to do something about it, that you're willing to start somewhere."

"I'm...sorry for not telling you or mom."

"Hey, it's okay," High responded with a tender, warm smile. "Please, just...tell me if this ever happens again, or just someone else that you trust, if you don't want to speak to me about it, of course...I'll be cool with that just so long as somepony knows and they're willing to help."

"I...will," Storm gulped, pangs of hollowness radiating throughout his core in the wake of High's words. High Wind hadn't hurt him or his mother; if anything it was just the opposite.

He'd hurt him instead. His defenses that he'd built up over those past few months had ended up doing a lot more harm than good, his misguided distrust and fear for his mother's safety and wellbeing and that of his own widening the already chasmic rift between the two.

Even following countless interventions from the family that lack of trust had still remained, at least up until now.

Why did it take him so long to get used to this, to the way things were and were going to be?

High Wind cared about his mother, High Wind cared about him.

Why did that never occur to him before?

"And thanks for sticking up for me like that...dad."

Storm issued an uneasy smile as he uttered those words but his heart felt like it could soar into the stratosphere.

High Wind was now the closest thing he had, and as they both stood there face-to-face he finally accepted that he would always be there for him no matter what.

"No...problem," replied High, taken slightly positively aback by the colt's words as his eyes started to well with tears. "You're safe with me...son."

You're safe with me, those words rang out in Storm's mind.

"...let's head home. Come on, jump on my back and we'll fly there."

"Yeah, sure," Storm's smile widened as he jumped onto the stallion's back in spite of the pain from his beating.

"Hold on to my wings, alright?" asked High Wind, Storm gripping his wings on command with his hooves. "Mom's probably waiting for us with her famous manticore soup."

A few moments later, High Wind took off with Storm on his back into the afternoon sky, towards home now as father and son. While no amount of tears and despair would ever bring back Blazefire, there was now High and at that very moment in time Storm felt like he couldn't have asked for anything more.

He finally had a dad.

Author's Notes:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone. It took a while to write this, but I really think it was worth it.

FYI - Future chapters may take longer to write than planned as one of the RAM slots in my PC is damaged and that's screwing with the whole system. Anyways, I hope to have it fixed within a few days or so.

7. Storm, the Freshman

Two-and-a-half years later...
"Storm, sweetie! Wake up. It's time for school."

"Grr... mom, no!"

"No no's! It's Monday, and remember, you're starting high school today!"

"Ugh, fine..." Storm groaned and jumped out of bed, sending the bed sheets and duvet flying across his bedroom. He then walked over to the window, and pulled the blinds aside, revealing the sun shining over the city of Cloudsdale and various neighbors flying off to school or to work. He then turned to look at a small, digital alarm clock, showing the time, which was 7:46 AM.

"Shit." he facehoofed, knowing that he had just over half an hour to get to school. He sighed, before going to the bathroom to wash himself, and after doing that, he made his way downstairs for breakfast.

"Hey guys..." he groaned as he walked into the kitchen, where he was greeted by Equinox, a graying High Wind, a sixteen-year-old Gust and a twelve-year-old Mist.

"Hi, son!" beamed Equinox.

"Hey, sport," chimed in High Wind, looking up slightly from the newspaper he was reading, his eyes following Storm as he sauntered into the kitchen. "You ready for school or what?"

"Yeah, about that..." begun Storm, pausing in his tracks as he turned to look at his family sitting in front of him. "...sweet Celestia, am I scared."

"Blank-flank chicken," spat Gust, causing Storm and everypony else gathered to glare at him. "What!?"

"Anyways..." said Equinox, casting a wary glance at her eldest. "What's going on, son?"

"Also, your cereal is beside the refrigerator," said High, pointing to a bowl of Lucky Stars' chocolate cereal, Storm's favorite. Storm trotted over to the refrigerator and picked up the bowl of cereal, before trotting back to the table with it in his forehooves and sitting down at a spare seat between his siblings. After eating his cereal, Storm realized it was time for him to tell Equinox his worries.

"So, tell me..." begun Equinox, trying to break the ice. "Why are you so scared, son?"

"Well, it's because..." said Storm. "I don't know what High School is like, and I don't know if I'll do good or make any friends..."

"My guess is that you probably won't, you winged Earth pony," replied Gust Wind, glaring at Storm. "Who'd want to be your friend?"

"Gust, that's the last straw!" shouted Equinox in a stern voice, causing him to calm down and back away.

"Jeez, mom," he growled, throwing a decidedly furious glare at Storm. "I'll leave him alone."

"Anyways..." replied Equinox, her anger subsiding somewhat. "Son, you will do good, and you will make friends. I'm sure of it, and who wouldn't like somepony like you?"

Just then, Gust's hoof shot up, causing Equinox and High Wind to scowl at him yet again.

"Mom's right." said High Wind, shrugging off Gust's behavior but still maintaining close eye contact with Gust. "I believe in you, son. You'll do great. I know it!"

"Thanks, mom, dad," replied Storm, giving them a small smile after they'd raised his spirits before turning to face Gust with a scowl of his own.

"I believe in you too, big bro," said Mist, grinning at him.

"Thanks, Mist." he said, ruffling her mane, which made her giggle. "I guess I'm just a bit anxious about it all."

"Storm, you go in and show them what you're made of," Equinox gave him a reassuring smile, which lightened his mood somewhat. "Me and dad are rooting for you all the way, and so are Mist and Gust."

"Damn it, dad, I don't have time for this," groaned Gust, getting out of his seat and picking up his bag, before walking out of the kitchen; the door could be heard slamming from the foyer shortly thereafter.

"Thanks mom, dad..." replied Storm, tears forming in his eyes.

"No problem son," said Equinox, smiling at him as he moved his seat out of the way in order to gain access to the dishwasher. "But you better be heading off to school now...who knows, maybe Gust, if he decides to wisen up and act his age, will be waiting for you to show you around?"

"Yeah, I guess so." he replied, putting the now-empty bowl of cereal into the dishwasher behind where he sat.

"Bye guys," said Storm, putting on his saddlebag. "See you after school."

"Bye son!" both parents said in unison.

"Bye," Mist chimed in with a smile, one which was returned by Storm, who peered in from the foyer behind the doorway.

And with that, Storm left the house and set off for school.

After around ten minutes of winding through his hilly neighborhood overlooking the distant core of Cloudsdale Storm had finally arrived at the North Cloudsdale High School, pausing in his tracks and staring at the building in pure shock despite having seen it a few times before. At close inspection, it looked to be so much bigger than his elementary and middle schools put together, and Storm could only imagine how big it must be inside. Its ice-lined walls sparkled in the sunlight, and a small Equestrian flag fluttered in the morning breeze from a pole atop the school's dome-shaped roof; what really struck him about the school, however, wasn't its architecture but rather the sheer number of students it apparently hosted, all seemingly pouring into the main entrance of the building and all from perhaps vastly different walks of life. By contrast, neither his elementary school nor did his middle school have nearly that many students. By the looks of it, there were hundreds of them all making their way through the school gates and up towards the main entrance, as the school's catchment area included much of North Cloudsdale.

Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Although just as expected Gust wasn't there waiting for him, Storm turned around to see who it was, and to his surprise, it was Singer and Violet. Over the years, they've grown and changed, but personality-wise, they hadn't changed much, especially Singer, who was just as much of a goofball then as when Storm first met him.

"Singer, Violet?"

"Hey Storm," said Singer, ruffling the slightly taller stallion's mane with a vacant hoof.

"Hi!" said Violet with a smile.

"Hey, guys," replied Storm, his spirits being instantly raised by the arrival of his friends. "How was your summer?"

"It was great!" begun Singer excitedly, eager to tell Storm all about his summer break. "We don't really go much to the east coast, but this year we went to Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Baltimare, then we took the train down to Maretle Beach where we spent the last couple of days of the trip."

"Man, that must've been awesome," Storm smirked, sharing in Singer's excitement as he turned to look down at the smaller mare. "What about you, Violet? Did you go anywhere?"

"Unfortunately not, Storm," she replied sadly. "We were supposed to go to Bitaly this year, but my parents' work just got in the way of things."

"That's a shame." replied Storm. "I went to Clearview for a week with my mom to see my grandparents."

"What about your brother and sister?"

"Mist tagged along with us, whereas Gust stayed behind with my dad, who had to work for most of the time."

"I hate to break it to you guys, but the school bell's about to ring," explained Singer, glancing down at his watch for confirmation of the time. "Where do we go first?"

"The assembly hall," Storm replied as the trio headed off towards the school, merging with the crowd of ponies pouring in at the school gate. "That's where we'll get our class timetables, I'm pretty sure."

"Nah dude, we get them in registration," Singer corrected him as they walked through it. "Don't you remember when we all went for that open day just before summer break?"

"Oh yeah," Storm responded with a chuckle, making his way up the steps leading to the school's main entrance. "My memory's kinda patchy right now...but I guess that's what happens when your sleeping schedule's a piece of shit."

"Yeah, you really need to sort that out," Singer chuckled, following Storm through the revolving doors leading into the school building with Violet tagging behind. "My sleeping schedule's bad enough as it is, and I'd say it's beginning to take a toll on me."

"What's affecting it?"

"Boxing sessions at the community center every Saturday and Sunday night," Singer replied, shrugging slightly before letting out a loud yawn. "They sometimes last into the night, but most of the time they're over by ten. It'd usually take some time for us to get home since we normally go for drinks immediately afterward at Donut Joe's...then, it's all a matter of dropping a bunch of my dad's friends off around the city. Me, my dad and my brother would usually be home by around twelve, or even one as a result."

"Damn," Storm smirked. "That's actually not that bad considering the fact that I ended up pulling a ton of all-nighters just playing games and stuff like that during the summer."

"That's really bad for you, you know," Violet shook her head in playful disapproval as the trio walked down one of the school's many corridors, in a somewhat desperate yet as of right seemingly futile attempt to find the assembly hall. "I hope you both sort it out sooner or later - your school careers kinda depend on it, ya know..."

"I guess you're right," Storm smirked, nodding in approval just before they finally arrived at the assembly hall.

"Yeah, you're 100% correct, Vi," Singer chuckled, just as they made a right turn into the hall. "It's something we both need to work on, I'd say."

"Yeah," Storm smirked. "So, in all honesty, are you guys looking forward to what the ninth grade has in store for us?"

"I am," Violet smiled as they shuffled into the hall, merging with the audience.

"Same," Singer smirked. "I hope I can expand our little circle of friends somewhat as well."

"Same, but my main hope for this year is for me to get my grades up since I didn't really graduate middle school with the best grades," Storm admitted in slight guilt, recalling his graduation from middle school in somewhat vivid detail. Although he ended up getting mostly B's for his final grades, there were some very obvious disappointments, especially his final Phys ed grades for flight class. "It might have been because of my sleeping schedule, I don't know, but I just hope I can sort my grades out this time round. That's my main priority this year."

---

As was expected, the school was much bigger inside than it seemed to be outside.

After being welcomed to the school in assembly, and being handed out his timetable in his registration class - one which bore very little semblance to the timetable he had in middle school in terms of layout - Storm made his way through the crowds of mares and stallions towards his first class of the day. Storm wasn't paying attention as to where he was going (instead he was too busy looking at the various facilities and amenities the school had to offer, including a massive gym hall and a large swimming pool), when he bumped into somepony: a light-yellow mare with a green mane whom he had never seen before.

"Oops, I'm terribly sorry about that," he said, having momentarily lost his bearing as a result of the collision. Wow...she's surprisingly pretty.

"It's okay," she smiled. "I should probably watch where I'm going next time..."

"No, it's my fault...I should've probably moved out of the way. My name is Stormfire, but just call me Storm," he replied, helping her up. "What's yours?"

"Summer Blossom," she replied, smiling at him. What a pretty name... "By any chance, do you know where Mrs. Augment is?"

"I have her now," replied Storm, smiling back at her. "If you want, I could take you to the class."

"If that is no trouble with you," she replied.

"It's no trouble whatsoever, Summer," replied Storm.

"That's good," said Summer. Storm flashed her a quick smile, which she returned, before leading her down the now somewhat empty hallway to the school's music department. A minute or two later, they reached the music classroom, where Augment was teaching and sat down at their respective seats.

As the day progressed, Storm found it increasingly hard to concentrate on his lessons, and instead preferred to focus on Summer Blossom, who by sheer coincidence usually ended up in his class. Was he actually falling for her? Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. He didn't know, but he soon found that he liked to sit and talk to her about everything and anything that came to mind.

Eventually, the school day came to an end and everypony left for home, including Storm and Summer.

"Hey, thanks for helping me around the school," she smiled at him.

"Heh," replied Storm, shrugging his shoulders gently as they both tread down the stairs. "No problem."

Just then, a light green Pegasus mare with a blue mane, slightly smaller than Summer in height, trotted up to her.

"Hey sis!" she began. "How was your day? And who is this?"

"Hi Meadow," replied Summer. "It wasn't bad, oh, and this is my friend Storm."

"Nice to meet you," replied Storm, outstretching his hoof, which Meadow gladly shook.

"I have to go, Storm," replied Summer.

"Alright then. What do you say we meet here tomorrow before school, huh?" proposed Storm.

"Sounds like a plan," she beamed.

"Have a nice day," he said, seeing her off. "Bye."

A little while later, Storm returned home with a large smile on his face. He wasn't expecting his first day in high school to go so well, but most importantly, he wasn't expecting to meet the mare of his dreams. Just as he was about to enter the house, his smile faded away and was replaced by his serious face. What was he going to tell the family? What if they all laugh at him? A surge of nervousness overtook our hero as he walked into the house.

"Hey, son." beamed Equinox, watching TV in the living room.

"Hey mom," replied Storm, dropping his saddlebag beside the door. "Where's everypony?"

"Your dad's still at work, Mist's at her friends and Gust has band practice, so I guess it's just you and me for the time being," explained Equinox, getting up off the couch. "How was your day at school?"

"It was great!" replied Storm, rather nervously. "He he."

"It doesn't really sound like it was 'great' son," said Equinox, some concern evident in her voice. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." replied Storm, knowing that he couldn't lie to Equinox, especially about Summer. "Well, not really."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure how you'd react to this..."

"Go on."

"Well, here goes nothing," begun Storm. "There's this mare at my school who I just met today, and already I feel really weird around her."

"What do you mean by really "weird"?"

"Well, I feel all tingly and warm around her. It's a really nice feeling... and she looks pretty in my opinion," explained Storm, blushing slightly; a small, but still visible grin formed on Equinox's face in immediate response. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," she replied innocently, before sighing sadly a moment or so late. "I always knew this day would come, son. That one day, you'd find yourself that special mare and fall in love with her. You've grown up, Storm, and I couldn't be prouder of what you've achieved."

"I might be 14 and nearly as tall dad is," begun Storm. "But I still am and I'll always be your little colt forever."

"And I'll always be your mom, Storm," replied Equinox with a tearful smile on her face. "Come 'ere."

"Aww, mom." said Storm, hugging her tightly. "I love both you and dad."

"And we love all three of you, son, no matter what," replied Equinox, also hugging him.

"Listen, I'm a bit worried, mom," begun Storm, not letting go of his mother. "I don't know whether I should start dating her... I mean, what if we don't like each other, or what if we have completely different tastes and nothing in common?"

"I agree," said Equinox, nodding in response. "Remember son, it's never a good idea to start a relationship too early. It's always best to start off being a friend and take things slowly."

"So, what should I do?" asked Storm.

"Just talk to her," begun Equinox. "Start talking to her, hanging out with her, share your interests, problems, future plans or goals."

"I guess so, mom," replied Storm, giving her a satisfied smile. "Thanks for the advice."
The next day...
Storm walked down the path to the school (which was around ten blocks from his home), thinking about what his mom said last night about starting out as friends. He eventually managed to calm himself down as he neared the school building, but his nervousness returned to him the moment he noticed Summer and Meadow walking through the school gates.

"Hi Storm!" said Summer, noticing him.

"Hi there." he smiled. "How are you both?"

"Great! I'm so excited for school." replied Summer. "What about you?"

"Sorta." said Storm, rather nervously.

"What's wrong?" asked Meadow. "You sound rather nervous."

"Well, it's nothing." he lied.

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"That's good." replied Meadow, giving him a friendly smile. "I better be heading to class now, and so should you two."

"Alright." said Storm, returning the smile and watching her trot off towards the school.

"Storm, you sure everything's alright?" asked Summer.

"Well, sorta." he replied, somewhat hesitantly.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, you see..." he begun. "I'm worried."

"About what?"

"About this school..." he replied. "Everything's so different here and there are so many new faces... I'm just not sure if I'll fit in."

"I'm sure you will, Storm." begun Summer, giving him a reassuring smile. "You're the first pony here that was actually nice to me."

"Really?" asked Storm. "Wow."

"Yep." replied Summer. "And thank you for that."

"No problem." smiled Storm. "I'm always happy to help. Listen, before we go to class, I just wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"Wanna be friends?" asked Storm, backing away slightly.

"Of course." replied Summer. "I'd love to be your friend."

The two stood there for a few moments, looking at each other and unsure what to say. Storm seemed especially captivated by her, coming to the conclusion that she looked more beautiful than she looked when he first met her. Just then, the bell rang, startling them both.

"Damn it..." begun Storm. "What do you have first?"

"Biology." she replied. "You?"

"Oh my gosh, I have the same thing!" exclaimed Storm.

"Really? Wow." replied Summer.

"Yeah wow, alright, enough chit-chat." begun Storm. "We better get to class."

"Yeah, I'll meet you there!" she smirked. "Last one to class is a rotten hay fry."

"Oh, you're on!" said Storm, before trotting through the school entrance. Summer didn't waste her time and trotted after him. The two friends reached the biology classroom on the other side of the school building in the science department (with Summer managing to beat Storm, much to his dismay), and the two sat down at their desks, ready to start another long day at school.

---

Not long after, Storm and Summer started spending every day with each other, and they both begun to grow closer and closer. Storm himself felt like he was the happiest stallion in Equestria every time he was near her. After all, she was by far, the sweetest, most beautiful mare he had ever met in his life. He even begun to think about whether he should ask her out on a date, but then, remembered what his mom said about taking things slowly.

It was lunch-time and the school canteen was just as busy as it was on any other school day. While Singer and Violet were sitting at a table with a young mare named Rainbow Dash (who Storm was a huge fan of after witnessing her win a cloud race), Storm and Summer sat at the table just opposite of them. The two were discussing Summer's life and why she came to Cloudsdale in the first place.

"Well, me and my family moved here from Baltimare because my dad wanted to expand his business to Cloudsdale." she explained. "That, and he thought it'd be better for us to have more open space. After all, Baltimare is a pretty big city."

"No kidding." replied Storm. "I've been there once; it's more crowded than Cloudsdale and Canterlot put together."

"Yep." she begun. "But still, I liked Baltimare, and I had lots of friends there, and I don't see why dad decided to move us way out here."

"It's not that bad here in Cloudsdale." replied Storm. "You get used to it, believe me. There's so much to do here, and I'm pretty sure you'll make friends here too."

"Maybe..." she mused, before noticing something; Meadow sitting at a table just across from them, with a colt of her own. The colt was a light blue Pegasus, with a dark-blue mane and a sun surrounded by some clouds for a cutie mark. "Hey..."

"What?" asked Storm, turning to look at them.

"I didn't know Meadow had a coltfriend." she giggled. "And I don't think my parents know as well."

"Wow." replied Storm. "Hey, I know him..."

"You do?" asked Summer.

"Yep." he replied. "I'm not friends with him or anything, but he's in a few of my lessons. I think his name is Blue Skye or something."

"Cool." begun Summer.

"Hey, listen, can I ask you something?" asked Storm.

"Sure---" replied Summer, but before she managed to listen to his question, she was tapped on the shoulder. She turned around to see who it was, and to her surprise, it was a black-furred Pegasus with a white mane, one which she had never seen before in her life. Storm, however, had seen and heard of the Pegasus before. His name was Thunder Clap, and he was one of the worst bullies he had ever come across in his life. Although Storm was never directly bullied by Thunder Clap, he had heard a lot of stories from colts and fillies who were unlucky enough to meet him; how he would pull their wings hard enough to almost rip them clean out of their sockets, how he would beat the living crap out of them for talking back to him or for standing up to him, or how he, along with some of his friends, would steal lunch money from helpless colts and threaten them with violence if they did not give him it. However, what scared him the most about Thunder Clap was that he was actually here in the first place; just before he left middle school in June, he had heard a lot of things about how Thunder Clap was supposed to move away back to Ponyville or wherever he came from, and so it unsettled him knowing that Thunder Clap didn't leave during the summer.

"Hi there, I'm Thunder Clap..." he said, rather innocently.

"Uh, hi. I'm Summer Blossom..." Summer replied, with an awkward tone in her voice. "May I ask, what do you want?"

"Oh, nothing nothing. I only think you look just as hot as your sister there." he replied, pointing to Meadow.

"...How do you know I'm her sister?" asked Summer, backing away towards the table.

"I see you two walking home from school almost every day." he replied smugly. "And nothing would make me happier than to see you become my marefriend, you gorgeous mare..."

"Gee, that's really nice of you calling me that, but no thank you." said Summer.

"What?" asked Thunder Clap, anger beginning to boil inside of him.

"You heard me."

"Nopony ever says 'no' to Thunder Clap!" he replied furiously. "And for that, I'm gonna make you pay..."

"Pfft. Please, what are you gonna do?" she scoffed.

"Exactly what I do to all my other victims." replied Thunder Clap, smiling smugly. "Beat the crap out of you."

Just then, Summer's expression changed from one of laughter to that of shock and terror, and with that, she backed away towards the table again. Storm had enough. Nopony was going to threaten his friend and get away with it. It was time for him to stand up to Thunder Clap, once and for all.

"Oh no, you won't." he said, tapping Thunder Clap on the back.

"Huh?" he asked, turning to face Storm. "Who the buck are you?"

"Your worst nightmare." replied Storm. "Now leave her alone or I will personally destroy you."

"Try me, you little bastard." he said. "Just try."

"Okay..." replied Storm, who begun to throw punches at Thunder Clap, all which did not apparently work. Instead, Thunder Clap looked down at Storm, a vicious and menacing smile forming on his face. Storm gulped, before being punched in the face and pushed down to the ground. The entire cafeteria came to a halt as everypony turned to look at Storm being beaten up by Thunder Clap, especially Summer, who appeared to be both angry and terrified at the same time.

"Leave me... the buck alone!" shouted Storm, trying to push Thunder Clap off him, but the bully continued to beat the living daylight out of him.

"NO! SHE'S MY MARE, NOT YOURS!" shouted Thunder Clap, delivering a devastating punch to Storm's face, nearly knocking him out.

"I never said I was your mare!" shouted Summer, trying to push Thunder Clap off Storm, but the brute pushed her away towards the next table. Storm noticed this and while Thunder Clap sneered at a rather disoriented Summer, he punched him in the head, knocking him off Storm.

"Leave me and Summer alone... please!" said Storm, rather weakly.

"No, you colt-cuddler." replied Thunder Clap, throwing himself at Storm.

"How the buck am I a colt-cuddlAAAH!!" shouted Storm, being brought down yet again by Thunder Clap. This time, Thunder Clap begun to buck him repeatedly in the abdomen, nearly cutting off his breathing at one point. However, before he could do so, he was stopped by the principal.

"Take this---huh?" he asked, turning around to face the principal. "Mr. Principal, sir!"

"What is the meaning of this, Thunder Clap?" he asked, in a stern voice. "This is the second time a brawl like this in the cafeteria had happened this year."

"...second?" groaned Storm.

"Jeez, sorry..." he muttered under his breath.

"Get to my office now." he said. "I don't have time for your nonsense."

"Pfft." he spat, following the principal through the cafeteria towards his office. "Yes, sir."

"Youth these days..." the principal muttered. "Always getting into fights with their fellow classmates. Why, back in my day..."

"Back in your day, back in your day, yadda yadda, blah blah blah."

"That's it." begun the principal. "You're getting suspended for THREE weeks."

"Don't care."

"Do you not care about your education, Thunder Clap?"

"Nope."

"That's it." begun the principal. "If you don't care about your education, why even bother being here in the first place? In fact, I'm gonna expel you from the school."

"Whoop-de-doo. Big buckin' deal."

"And you all!" shouted the principal, turning back to face the students in the cafeteria. "Go back to whatever you were doing." And with that, the principal, followed by Thunder Clap, left the cafeteria, allowing the students to go back to whatever they were doing before the brawl broke out.

"Oh, my gosh Storm." begun Summer, trying to pull him up. "I'm sorry for that..."

"What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything." he replied, standing up straight and dusting himself off.

"Yeah, but it's my fault he attacked you." she explained in a sad voice.

"No, it's not." he comforted her. "Look, Summer. I couldn't watch him do that to you like that. I had to do something so that he left you alone. Look, I really care about you, and I don't want to see anypony treat you like that."

Without any warning, Summer gave Storm a peck on the cheek, catching him off-guard.

"Holy... shit..." he begun, looking around to see some of the students chuckling amongst each other, before turning to look at Summer, his blush growing redder every second.

"I guess you didn't expect that, huh?" she asked. "Well, anyways, thank you for sticking up for me."

"No problem..." he replied, smiling at her. "And it's not that I didn't expect it... I've just never been kissed before, in my life. Hey, Summer?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to ask you something."

"Go ahead, Storm."

"Would you... like to--to go, go out with me?"

"Go out with you, as in, like on a date?"

"Yeah, exactly..." he replied, expecting to be turned down.

"Are you kidding? Of course I would, Stormy." she replied, yet again catching him off-guard. "What do you want to go do?"

"I was thinking... seeing a film?" proposed Storm. "There's a few new movies just out in theaters right now... and I was wondering if you'd like to go see one at the weekend."

"Sure!" she replied, giving him another peck on the cheek.

---

A few hours later, Storm came back home from school, and although he was beaten badly by Thunder Clap, he was still overjoyed. What was he so happy about, you may ask. Well, on that very day, he got himself a marefriend and he asked her out on their first date. As he walked down the pathway towards home, he begun whistling a happy tune and bobbing his head to the sound. Not watching where he was going, he bumped into Hurricane, who was walking back from the neighborhood store.

"Hey, watch where the buck you're going---Well, well, well..." he sneered, looking at the state of Storm. "Look what the cat dragged in..."

"And a 'hello' to you too, Hurricane." said Storm, giving him a quick glare, before passing him by and continuing to walk down the road. Over the years they've known each other, Hurricane mellowed down quite a bit and eventually stopped harassing Storm and his friends, but still remained a rude and selfish jerk that almost nopony liked to hang around.

"What the hay happened to you?" asked Hurricane.

"What do you care?" asked Storm.

"Look who's being the asshole now, asshole." replied Hurricane. "So long, muchacho."

"Bye..." said Storm, turning to give him one last glare, before continuing his walk home. A moment or two later, he arrived at the cloud house and opened the door, before walking into it. "Hello?"

"Hey son." replied High Wind, walking down the stairs. "My gosh, what the hay happened to you?"

"It's a long story..." explained Storm. "Anyways, I have some great news!"

"We don't want to hear them, you stupid, flightless bird." said a voice from the living room, which obviously belonged to Gust.

"What is your problem, Gust?" groaned Storm. "Can't you just be nice to me for once?"

"No..."

"Gust Wind, leave your brother alone!"

"Mom, cut me some slack!" groaned Gust.

"Mind your manners, young stallion."

"Oh, boy..."

"Anyways, Storm sweetie, what's going on?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" asked Mist, also from the living room.

"You know how that pretty mare at school I talked to you about, mom?" he replied, rather awkwardly. "I asked her out on a date."

Just then, almost everypony's (except Gust's) jaws dropped and Storm mentally facehoofed himself.

"You only told mom about your secret crush?" asked High Wind. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want everypony making a fuss of it." replied Storm.

"I wouldn't make a fuss of it, son..." he replied, a warm smile forming on his face. "I'm just really proud that my son got himself a marefriend. What's her name?"

"Her name is Summer Blossom." replied Storm.

"I'm sure she's a very nice filly." said Equinox from the kitchen.

"Oh, yes." chuckled Storm. "She is, alright."

"Storm and whatever-her-name-is, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" said Mist.

"Mist... please." replied Storm, rolling his eyes.

"Wow, my brother has a marefriend..." replied Gust Wind. "Wait, should I even call a flightless chicken my brother?"

"Gust, that's the last straw! Go up to your room right now and don't come out till lunch is ready!"

"Jeez, fine." he replied, and walked out of the living room, not turning to look at Storm or High Wind as he walked up the stairs.

"Anyways..." replied Equinox, who walked out of the kitchen with a warm smile forming on her face. "When are you two going out, sweetie?"

"Saturday." replied Storm. "We're going to catch a movie at the theater."

"That's great, son." replied Equinox, some tears rolling out of her eyes. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom." he smiled. "Although I still don't know whether it'll work out between us."

"It'll definitely work out." replied High. "Just try your best, son. Alright?"

"Alright."

---

That Saturday night...
It was evening in Cloudsdale. While his family was watching TV downstairs, Storm was busy preparing himself for his first date with his marefriend, Summer Blossom. He combed his mane from it's usual, messy style to a more refined and nicer-looking style, and put on a t-shirt of the film they were going to see, A Mareami Heist, which was a new action movie that came out to theaters a few days ago. Despite being highly nervous about the date, he tried his hardest to stay calm about it. A little while later, after getting ready, he made his way downstairs, and looked into the living room to see his family gathered around the radio, and to get their attention, he tapped the door to the living room gently.

"Well, well, well." begun High. "Look at you."

"Hey dad." replied Storm.

"Wow, you've... you've grown so much, Storm." begun Equinox, getting up out of her chair and walking over to Stormfire. "I remember when you were crawling around our house in diapers like it was just yesterday... and look at you now. You're fourteen, you're in high school, and you're going on your first date with the mare of your dreams. Sweet Celestia, how time flies. You're growing up, sweetie. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom..." replied Storm, embracing her.

"No problem, sweetie." she said. "Now, I believe you have a date to go on."

"Yep. The movie starts in about an hour and the theater's downtown." replied Storm. "And I still have to pick up Summer..."

"Alright, then you better be heading off now, son." said High Wind. "Have a great date."

"Thanks, dad." replied Storm. "I better go now."

"Alright, son." begun Equinox. "Have fun, and be safe!"

"Okay, I will." replied Storm, opening the door and stepping out into the street. After saying goodbye to his family, Storm made his way through the slowly darkening city streets towards Summer's address, which she had written down on a piece of paper and given to Storm. A few minutes later, he arrived at Summer's house, which was one of the nicer homes in North Cloudsdale, quite similar to what Storm's house looked like. Quite reluctantly, he walked up the path to her house and tapped the door with his hoof, waiting patiently for somepony to open it.

A moment or two later, a white-blue mare with a purple mane, with a gust of icy wind as her cutie mark opened the door.

"Why hello there." she said. "Who may you be, young stallion?"

"Hello, ma'am." replied Storm, before bowing respectfully. "I'm here to pick up Summer."

"Are you her coltfriend?" asked the mare. "She never told me she has one. Summer!"

"Yes mom?"

"There's a colt waiting for you outside the front door!" she shouted. "Oh, pardon me. I never introduced myself. My name is Icy Breeze and I am Summer's mother."

"My name is Stormfire, but please, call me Storm, ma'am." explained Storm.

"You're such a well-mannered stallion." said Icy. "I have a feeling you'll be as great of a coltfriend to Summer as Blue is to my slightly younger daughter, Meadow. Do you wish to come in?"

"If that's alright with you."

"Why certainly." Icy explained, letting Stormfire into the house. A few moments later, Summer made her way downstairs. Storm's jaw dropped as he watched her walk down the stairs. She was wearing a long, red dress and had her mane done up in a bun. In Storm's eyes, she looked absolutely amazing.

"Mom, I told you a thousand times; it's just a date." groaned Summer. "I don't have to wear your old prom dress from Celestia-knows-when to the theaters... Oh, hey Stormy."

"Oh, hush now dear." Icy said. "You look wonderful."

"I agree." replied Storm, not taking his eyes off her. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Stormy." she said. "And I must say, you look rather handsome."

"Thank you." he replied. "So, shall we be off then? I don't want to miss the film."

"Yes, we shall." she replied, grabbing a hold of his hoof. "See you later, mom. We'll be back at 9 or 10."

"Alright, have fun you two!" she said as she watched them walk out of the house and walk towards the downtown area of the city. "And Storm, remember. Look after my little filly, alright?"

"Yes ma'am!" he replied.

"Okay, have fun!" she said, waving to them.

Around ten minutes later, they made it through to the movie theater, which lay a few miles east of the downtown area, still in North Cloudsdale; a somewhat small building made of water ice, with a large billboard on the roof which displayed the theater's name in big, bald lettering and several movie posters on the walls. After purchasing two tickets for "A Miami Heist", the two sat down in their seats and waited for the movie to begin.

---

After leaving the movie theater, Storm and Summer begun to discuss the movie.

"Well, I sorta enjoyed it..." begun Storm. "It wasn't deep or involving in any way whatsoever, but it worked as a mindless action flick, and I enjoy those greatly."

"You call that 'action'?" scoffed Summer. "Oh, please... And that carriage chase through the streets of Mareami? That was the most unrealistic thing I have ever seen in a movie. They at least could have used stuntponies and real carriages to shoot that scene, not unrealistic computer graphics."

"Yeah, I do admit... the CGI was pretty bad at times, but at least it was fairly entertaining, right?" asked Storm, wrapping his wing around Summer.

"Sorta." replied Summer, nuzzling against him. "At least I got to spend the evening with my coltfriend."

"Yep. And I got to spend it with you." he said, kissing her on the cheek as they walked back home from the theater. It took them fifteen minutes to get back to her house, however, just as they were about to turn into an alleyway and head down the street leading to Summer's house, they were stopped by somepony. Somepony who they both recognized very well...

"Summer Blossom, there you are." said the voice. "Where the buck where you? And who the buck is this? Stormfire? Oh, my gosh, please don't tell me you're going out with him now, are you?"

"Uh-um." Summer begun, shaking slightly in fear.

"Who is this?" asked Storm. "Show yourself!"

"You know who it is very well, you douche." said the voice, in a rather threatening manner. "Leave my mare alone or you're going to suffer."

"Where the buck are you?" shouted Storm. "Show yourself right now or I'm calling the Guard."

"Stormy, he's not worth it." pleaded Summer.

"You better know he's not worth it." said the voice, and it's source jumped into the light of a nearby lamppost. To Storm's surprise, the source of the voice was in fact, Hurricane.

"Hurricane?" asked Storm, backing away slightly.

"Yeah, that's me." he replied. "What are you doing with my mare?"

"Your mare?" asked Storm, anger beginning to boil inside of him. "Well, excuse me, but last time I checked, she was my marefriend."

"Nope, you blind idiot." replied Hurricane. "She's my mare."

"Guys, break it up, please..." begun Summer, letting go of Storm's hoof and backing away towards a cloud wall behind her.

"She's my marefriend." replied Storm, rather sternly. "Now back off and leave us alone."

"Summer, are you with this asswipe now?" begun Hurricane, looking at her in a threatening manner. "What does he have that I don't, huh? Tell me." Summer then teared up, looking at the bickering stallions in front of her, before sighing sadly and trotting up to Hurricane.

"I'm with you."

"...What?" asked Storm, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks.

"Look, Storm." begun Summer. "You're a nice guy and all, but you're just not the right guy for me. I love Hurricane."

"I'm not?" asked Storm, backing away slightly. "Why did you--why did you agree to go out with me then?"

"She didn't." replied Hurricane. "You took her from ME! YOU STOLE HER!"

"You're... crazy, dude." stuttered Storm. "Really... bucking crazy."

"Oh, yes." replied Hurricane, smirking slightly. "And I'm gonna get even crazier if you don't leave this alleyway in ten seconds."

"But Summer..."

"No buts!" shouted Hurricane, causing Summer to move back slightly in fear. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6..."

"Alright!" shouted Storm, close to crying, before trotting out of the alleyway towards the downtown area, leaving Hurricane and Summer alone.

"Hurricane, can you take me home?" asked Summer, cuddling against him and obviously happy that Storm was gone.

"Right away, babe." he replied, wrapping his wing around her and flying off with her into the night towards her home. Meanwhile, Storm made his way home, his heart broken into thousands upon thousands of tiny pieces. Around twenty minutes later, he returned home and collapsed onto the couch, before crying into the pillows.

"What did I do wrong?" said Storm, crying his eyes out into the now-drenched pillow. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Deserve what, sport?" asked High Wind, sitting down beside him. "Did the date go well?" Storm shook his head in reply, still crying into the pillow. "What happened?"

"She dumped me, dad..." he replied in a depressed voice.

"Oh..." replied High. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be... It's not your fault. I wasn't right for her anyways."

"Son, remember..." begun High. "There's plenty more fish in the sea. I'm sure you'll find a mare that you like and who likes you back and will stand by your side no matter what."

"That's bullcrap."

"Not necessarily." said High, caressing his mane with his hoof. "Maybe one day, you'll find the perfect one. I know I have found her."

"I don't know... Maybe I will, maybe I won't."

"I'm sure you will, son." explained High.

"I doubt that... I'm sure that if I ever get another marefriend, she'll take advantage of me and end up dumping me like Summer did."

"Mares can be surprising, son." begun High. "Maybe the perfect mare is just around the corner, just waiting for you to meet her."

Author's Notes:

Thunder Clap belongs to Auto-Buscus, one of my fanfic buddies on this site and on FanFiction.net, while the other characters (including Blue Skye and Meadow Breeze) are my OCs and have appeared in my previous fanfic, Blue Skye's Story.

Chapter 8 is coming soon.

8. Flying Follies

A year later...
It was a beautiful mid-June morning in Cloudsdale. Storm, and most of the other kids in the city were off on their summer break until mid-August, which gave them two months to do whatever they pleased. Right now, while the family was downstairs eating breakfast, Storm was slumbering in his bed.

Meanwhile downstairs, the family had finished eating their breakfast and were busy listening to the morning news and weather report on the radio. Just then, the doorbell sounded, startling everypony in the room.

"I'll get it..." groaned a now 17-year old Gust, who got off the couch, went up to the front door and opened it, revealing a tan Pegasus mailmare, who was slightly shorter, but somewhat more buff than Equinox was. The mare was shaking uncontrollably and was struggling to look away from Gust. "Yes?"

"Does a Mrs. Equinox Moon live here?" the mare asked.

"Mom!" shouted Gust, turning away from the mare. "You have mail!"

"Alright!"

"She'll be here in a sec," said Gust. "Stick around."

"Alright, sir," the mare replied, shaking slightly. "Sorry if I seem awkward; it's my first day on the job."

"That's understandable," nodded Gust. "I think you're doing good."

"Thank you sir," she replied, giving him a small smile, which he gladly returned.

Just then, Equinox arrived at the door and Gust left upstairs to wake up Storm.

"Here you go, ma'am," the mailmare smiled in response, passing her the letters.

"Thank you!" Equinox beamed, before noticing the mare shivering. "Are you cold or something, ma'am?"

"No, no," the mailmare replied, stuttering somewhat. "This is my first day on the job, so I'm just pretty nervous."

"Ah, I understand," said Equinox. "You know, I was like you when I first joined the Weather Team, but then, I realized that if I try my hardest, I'm going to succeed. And from what I can see, you're trying pretty hard."

"Thank you, ma'am." the mailmare smiled. Equinox always had a way with words. Whenever somepony needed her advice, no matter if it was a family member, a close friend or even a stranger, she was always happy to help.

"No problem." she smiled. "Have a good day at work."

"You have a good day as well, ma'am," the mailmare replied, a smile forming on her face. "Goodbye!" she said, waving to Equinox, who waved back, before going to the next house down the road. Equinox closed the door and went to the kitchen. She put down the envelopes on the kitchen table and begun to open them all up, one by one.

"Hey honey," said High, who was washing the dishes. "What did we get in the mail today?"

"Just a few bills and the kids' school grades," replied Equinox.

Just then, Mist and Storm came into the kitchen.

"Hey mom," said Mist, sitting down beside her. "Ooh, what's this?"

"Your school grades, sweetie," replied Equinox. "Hi, Storm."

"Hey mom," replied Storm, rubbing his eyes slightly, before outstretching his hooves. "That storm kept me awake all night... What's the weather supposed to be like today, dad?"

"Well, I am happy to say," begun High Wind, a smile forming on his face. "That we won't be getting any more storms for the next week or so."

"That's good to hear," Storm replied, also sitting down at the table beside Mist and Equinox. "Finally, I'll get a good night's sleep. Oh, and what's this?"

"Your school grades." replied Equinox. "We'll open them all up after you finish breakfast, alright?"

"Alright..." replied Storm, before making himself some chocolate cereal for breakfast.

After eating his breakfast, Storm made his way to the living room and sat down on the couch beside Equinox, Mist and Gust Wind.

"Alright, everypony here?" asked Equinox. "Alright, let's see your grades, kids. Okay then, first up, we have Storm's grade..."

"Why me?" asked Storm, a sheepish grin forming on his face. "Why not Gust or Mist?"

"Because you're the only colt in our family who still doesn't have his cutie mark." replied Gust. "I mean, look at Mist. She's two years younger than you are and she already has her mark."

Storm's grin slowly turned into a sad glare. He sighed sadly, before turning to look at Mist's cutie mark which she had just got a few weeks ago at a weather pony event; a sun covered by a thick layer of mist. Mist had just turned thirteen, and already she had her cutie mark, unlike Storm, who was fifteen and not even close to getting his.

"Shut up, Gust..." he growled under his breath. "Just shut up."

"Why don't you make me, blank-flank?" Gust sneered.

"Boys, boys!" said Equinox, staring at both of them with a stern look on her face. "Calm yourselves."

"Alright mom..." said Gust.

"Sorry." said Storm.

"Storm, just because you don't have your cutie mark yet doesn't mean anything bad..." explained Equinox.

"I appreciate your help, mom, but I just don't feel like this is normal..."

"You bet your flank it ain't normal!" shouted Gust.

"Gust, I've just about had it with your behavior!" yelled Equinox. "Quit pestering Storm, alright?!"

"Yes mommy."

"Good." said Equinox, calming down noticeably after her little outburst. "Anyways, look Storm... I could have told you before, but I didn't... I waited until I was sixteen for my cutie mark, and I got bullied relentlessly for most of my school days."

"Yeah, same..." groaned Storm, thinking about Hurricane and his friends, who usually bullied him relentlessly, especially Hurricane, who pestered him the most after what happened between him, Storm and Summer. "Nopony leaves me alone..."

"Hasn't your dad dealt with them before?" asked Equinox.

"Yes, but this time it's different..." replied Storm.

"I see..." she begun. "In fact, I'll talk to their mothers about it and they'll talk some sense into those delinquents."

"You sure that'll work?"

"Trust me; I'm your mom and I know what's best for my children." she replied, giving them all a friendly smile. "And if one of my children needs my help, I'll always be there for them."

"Thanks mom." replied Storm, hugging her tightly.

"No problem, son." she replied, hugging him back. "Me and dad will always be there for all of you, whenever you need us. Come 'ere, both of you." she said, outstretching her hooves so that Mist and Gust join in the hug. "There's room for all three of you."

"Alright then." smiled Mist, hugging Equinox.

"Okay." grinned Gust, also joining into the hug. After the hug was done, they all sat down on the sofa.

"So, anyways..." begun Equinox. "Storm, you shouldn't worry about not having a cutie mark. You're still the best son I could ever ask for; you're clever, you're talented, you're just a great kid..."

"What about me?" asked Gust.

"Oh..." replied Equinox, a small smile forming on her face. "How could I forget about you, Gust? Both of you are the best sons I could ever have asked for."

"Thanks mom." both of them replied in unison.

"And you Mist, are the best daughter I could ever ask for." smiled Equinox, before ruffling Mist's mane.

"Thank you, mom." replied Mist. "You're the best mom ever."

"Thank you, Mist..." begun Equinox, before continuing with her cutie mark talk. "And Storm, your cutie mark will come when the time is right, and when it does, I'm sure it'll be as unique as you are. So, don't be afraid to be a blank-flank. Like I said, your cutie mark will come when the time is right."

"I sure hope so, mom." Storm cracked an optimistic smile. "Anyways, let's see our grades."

"Right then." replied Equinox, opening the envelope containing Storm's grade and unfolding the grade paper. "Let's see... For Math, you got straight A's... wow. I'm really proud of you, son."

"Thanks mom." blushed Storm.

"I won't be surprised if your cutie mark ends up being math-related." explained Mist.

"You think so?" asked Storm.

"Maybe..." she mused.

"For English, straight A's..." continued Equinox. "For Physics you have B's. Again, not bad. For Chemistry, A's. For Biology, B's. History is straight A's, social studies is again, straight A's. For Phys Ed, mostly E's..."

"Oh boy..." Storm thought to himself, gulping.

"Let's read this..." begun Equinox, with a concerned look on her face.

Stormfire is not one of our best students when it comes to physical education. Although he tries hard, his flying skills are below average and he frequently ends up crashing into things, especially on our obstacle courses. However, with some considerable difficulty, and with the help of some friends, he had managed to get to the finish line several times before.

We understand that he is not from the country and that he doesn't understand the basics of flight very well, but we do want what's best for our students, and so we request that you enroll him in a flight training program over the summer break.

"So, I'm pretty bad, aren't I?" asked Storm.

"Yes..." replied Gust.

"Zip it, Gust." said Equinox in her sternest voice, causing him to cower behind the sofa. "No, Storm... Listen, I was going to teach you how to fly back in the Gryphon lands, but unfortunately, due to my wing injury, I couldn't... and I still can't. If I do teach you how to fly, the wing might come completely off. Don't blame yourself, blame me. I'm sorry I couldn't teach you how to fly."

"No, mom. It's okay..." said Storm, putting his hoof around her. "It's not your fault... Accidents happen."

"Yeah, well, if it wasn't for this "accident", you'd be flying by now." she replied coldly. "I'm a horrible mother."

"What? No. You're the best mother ever." replied Gust. "And your wing injury doesn't change that."

"I agree." said Storm. "Don't put yourself down like this."

"Yeah." begun Mist. "You're amazing, mom."

"Thanks kids..." she replied. "You're all incredible kids."

After a few minutes of crying, Equinox calmed down noticeably.

"So, what could I do to learn how to fly, mom?" asked Storm.

"Hm..." she begun, trying to think of a good flight teacher for Storm. "Ah. I know who'd be able to help you."

"You do?" asked Storm, his ears perking up.

"Yep." smiled Equinox. "My two friends from the Weather Factory; Solar Blast and Star Night. They started doing this flight school thing a few months ago, but unfortunately, almost nopony wants to get enrolled, so I think it'd be a good idea that we enroll you."

"You think it's a good idea?" asked Storm. "I mean, I'm pretty bad."

"You're not, you just need to control yourself during flight." replied Equinox. "Personally, I think you're great, sweetie."

"Thanks mom."

"No problem." she smiled. "And I think it'd be a great idea for you to get involved."

Three months ago

"Alright, you no-good winged earth ponies..." begun a rather intimidating voice, which belonged to the high school's flying coach, a buff, light-brown stallion who looked like he just stepped off the set of an action film. The young stallions and mares present immediately stopped messing around and turned to face the coach, all of them standing as still as military ponies. "Is everypony here? This is going to be fun..."

The colts and fillies nodded in reply, all equally intimidated by the coach's gruff and no-nonsense demeanor. "That's good." he replied. "Very good."

"Sorry I'm late!" shouted Storm, trotting out of the school building to where the class was. The colts and fillies gathered (including Hurricane, Summer and their friends) all chuckled among themselves, while the coach facehoofed himself.

"Get over here, you smartass." said the coach. "There'll be no latecomers to my lessons, ya understand?"

"Yes sir..."

"What's that? I didn't hear you, Stormfire."

"YES SIR!"

"Good. Alright then, for being late to class today, you're starting our first flying race."

"Flying race?"

"Yes, you wimp!" said the coach, with a rather angry tone in his voice. "You're going first in our flying race."

Storm gulped before looking around to see most of the students in the class laughing at him (excluding Singer and Violet, who just watched from behind the coach). What was this talk about a flying race anyways? He wasn't told the last time he had phys ed that they were doing a flying race, and it unnerved him just looking at the obstacle course which they were going to be flying through. He couldn't even fly properly, for Celestia's sake! The obstacle course itself was massive. It stretched from the cloud field where they were standing on to the hoofball field on the other side of the school campus and it amazed him that something as big as that could be afforded by the Cloudsdale school district.
"So, ya gonna keep looking at the course or are you going to start?" asked the coach. Storm immediately turned around and looked at the class, who were all chuckling at Storm.

"Yes, I'm gonna start." replied Storm. "Sorry sir."

"Get over there." barked the coach. "I want to see how good you are at flying."

"Yes sir..." replied Storm, rather nervously, before trotting up to the obstacle course and getting a better look at it. "This is a bit... big, don't you think? He he."

"What's the matter, Stormy?" asked Hurricane in a mocking voice. "Too chicken to fly?"

The vast majority of the class chuckled at Hurricane's statement, while Storm gave him a disapproving glare. This was now personal. Nopony was going to mock him anymore. He needed to do this race.

"Alright then." said Storm. "I'm gonna do this."

"Okay then." replied the coach. "Class, get into your starting positions."

The class did as the coach told them to, all of them lining up in rows of three. Storm was lined up at the very start, with two Pegasus colts and one filly behind him, the filly's name being Rainbow Dash.

Storm looked over the edge of the obstacle course and begun to shake like a foal's rattle. There was a fifty-foot long gap in the clouds, which extended to the very bottom of the cloud bank on which Cloudsdale was built on. Beyond that gap were several pillars made of water ice, and after that, there were several large boxing gloves seemingly coming out of nowhere. And that wasn't all! There were also large balls floating above the clouds, which he presumed they had to fly between. Storm gulped as he looked at the obstacle course. As much as he was afraid of doing the practice race, he still knew he had to win it.

"Alright, you wimps!" shouted the coach, getting the attention of almost all of the kids. "This will be your first practice race this year, and you will get one practice race each month until summer break. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Alright." said the coach. "You will fly over this gap, between the Moving Pillars of Terror, through the Gauntlet of Terror, and the Floating Rubber Balls of Terror. Yes, there will be a lot of terror in this course, and don't worry, it'll only get more and more terrifying. Anyways, on your marks..."

"Get set."

"Go!"

Without any hesitation, the colts and fillies took off through the obstacle course. Storm flew over the gap, somewhat poorly compared to the other colts and fillies, but was still in first place. He turned around to see around fifteen other colts and fillies flying directly behind him, before turning back to face the obstacle course. The class all flew between the first three pillars, with Storm still in the lead much to his surprise. Just then, while Storm wasn't looking, somepony managed to catch up to him, and that somepony was Hurricane.

"Hey Storm!" he shouted.
"Huh?" asked Storm, turning to face him. Just then, Hurricane slammed into Storm, knocking him off-course and sending him spinning out of control into one of the ice pillars.

"Sayonara!" shouted Hurricane, now in first place. Storm groaned and slowly got up from where he landed, before turning to look at the swarm of Pegasus ponies flying between the next few pillars, towards the next stage of the practice race. He then turned back to face the coach, who was motioning for him to join the rest of them in a frantic manner. Storm groaned and dusted himself off, before taking off in a jerky manner and joining the rest of them. After struggling to get through the group of Pegasi, he managed to get into second place, right behind Hurricane.

"Hey Hurricane!" shouted Storm from behind him.

"Huh?" asked Hurricane, before turning around to notice Storm flying right behind him. "Oh, hay no!" Hurricane, without any warning, flew right into Storm, knocking him off-course again and causing him to crash-land onto a cloud.

"Gah..." groaned Storm, trying to pull himself up and get off the cloud. Once again, he ended up in the last place, and watched the other foals fly through the rest of the course. He groaned and pulled himself up before turning to look at the coach, who watched him with disapproving eyes. "Well, I guess third time's the charm..." said Storm, before beginning to flap his wings and trotting down the cloud. Although he managed to get himself off the cloud and fly between the ice pillars, he was still far from the rest of the group, who were at least a few hundred feet away from him. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in between the pillars and into Storm, knocking him yet again off-course, but he continued to fly. He flew back into the obstacle course and grinned, thinking that he was in the lead, but crashed into a large rubber ball. He bounced off the ball and landed on the cloud between the Balls of Terror and the end of the Gauntlet, disorientated, but before he could continue on with the course, the others had already passed him. A few moments later, the coach landed in front of him and groaned.

"Yes... sir?" asked Storm.

"Look. I know that you find flight hard, and I understand that." he begun. "But if you want to be good at phys ed, then I'd suggest you stop messing around and learn something useful for once."

"I understand, sir." replied Storm.

"Go and sit down at the bench." the coach said, pointing at the bench, which was way back at the start of the obstacle course. "Oh, wait. You can't fly... How are you supposed to get to the bench, huh?"

"Mr Coach, sir." begun a rather brash female voice, which belonged to a voice that they both recognized; Rainbow Dash. "Don't you think that Storm is already tired enough?"

"Miss Rainbow Dash..." replied the coach, sighing. "I appreciate your concern---"

"Can I take him to the bench?" she asked.

"Go ahead." replied the coach, before turning to look at Storm. "Get up, alright?"

"Yes sir..." replied Storm, slowly getting off the cloud and dusting himself off.

"Alright, I'm going to go to the others..." the coach said. "When you're done, I expect you to be back, Miss Rainbow Dash, or that'll be twenty-five press-ups."

"Yeah, yeah." she groaned. "I'll be back before you know it coachy."

"Don't you dare call me that..." the coach growled. "Or that'll be fifty press-ups. Alright, get going!"

"Okay." she said, wrapping her wing around Storm and taking off with him back to the start of the obstacle course. After they landed, she led him to the bench and sat down beside him. "You alright?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"I asked if you were alright." she replied. "I'm Rainbow Dash. You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My name is Stormfire, but you can call me Storm..." he replied.

"So, you can't fly very well, huh?" she asked. Storm only nodded in reply.

"Can you teach me how?" asked Storm.

"Sorry, dude." she replied. "I don't take teaching requests."

"You're like my idol." he said.

"I am?" she gasped.

"Yep." he replied. "I've been a huge fan of yours ever since I saw you win a race back in Elementary School."

"Really?" she grinned. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I was too scared, I guess..." he replied, scratching his mane. "Tell me, was I bad?"

"Well, you were not that good..." she said. Storm sighed sadly. "But that doesn't mean you are bad. Listen, in my opinion, every Pegasus pony can fly. They just need to try their best, and that's what I'm asking of you, alright? Just try your best. Try your best and it'll all go great."

"You sure?" he asked, his grin returning to his face.

"Absolutely." she replied.

The present day...
A week after the school grades arrived and Storm found out his phys ed results, Storm and Equinox left home for the flight training program where he was to be enrolled in. The 'flight training school', if one could call it that, was located at a rather spacious abode in a suburb on the west side of town, perched on a cloud cliff several hundred feet high overlooking the small commuter town of Cloudview. The house also had a decidedly massive back yard which was adjacent to one of the airport's several runways, the boundary between the airport and the rest of the city being clearly marked by a looming, electrified fence with barbed wire running atop it.

Storm and Equinox walked up to the front door of the house, and while Equinox rang the doorbell, Storm nervously paced up and down the path to the house, trying to gather his thoughts and regain his bearings as a feeling of foreboding anxiety grabbed hold of him and refused to let him go. What if he fails the flying lessons from day one? As much as Storm was afraid of the flying lessons, he was determined to learn how to fly. After all, he didn't want to be considered some 'winged earth pony' who somehow made his way up into Cloudsdale.

A moment or so later, the door opened, revealing a tall, blue-purple mare with a white-yellow mane, who Storm presumed was Star Nights. "Hey Equinox!" she waved. "What brings you here today?"

"Hey Star." she said, briefly turning towards Storm to give him an encouraging smile. "This is my second oldest son, Stormfire."

Storm, somewhat hesitantly, walked up to the mare and shook her hoof. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Nice to meet you too, Stormfire." she explained, smiling at him, before moving slightly to the right, to reveal a smaller mare (who looked to be of Storm's age, or perhaps less) of the same color, the only difference being her mane, which was blue-purple. Her cutie mark was of a blue crescent moon. "This is my daughter, Blue Night."

"Nice to meet you." he said rather nervously, outstretching his hoof which she shook. "I'm Stormfire, but I guess you can call me Storm."

"Hi, my name's Blue Night." she replied, giving him a friendly smile. "Are you from around these parts? I've never seen you at my school before."

"No, I'm from the north side of town." he replied.

"Ah, that's cool." she smiled. "That's where the Cloudsdale Arena is, right?"

"Yep." he replied. "Do you go there?"

"Yep, every once in a while." Blue replied.

"What do you go watch?" Storm asked.

"I usually go to see the Wonderbolts live, however if the arena hosts concerts, then I sometimes go with my friends." she explained. "What about you, Storm?"

"I go to watch the Wonderbolts." smiled Storm.

"I'm thinking you two will be the best of friends..." replied Star. "Come on in and have a seat."

A moment or two later, Equinox and Stormfire (who could not stop looking at Blue Night) went to the living room and sat down at the table. While Equinox and Star were talking what they did lately, Storm kept staring at Blue. To him she looked absolutely gorgeous, however, he didn't keep that thought in his head for long after remembering what Summer did to him. After Summer dumped him, Storm stopped trusting mares and fillies (except his mom and Mist), fearing that if he ever fell in love with a mare, she'd treat him the same way Summer did. However, something about this mare was different from all the rest of the mares he had ever talked to. She seemed nice and friendly (unlike Summer), and pretty talkative. And boy was she pretty. In fact, in Storm's eyes, no mare was prettier than Blue was, not even Summer. However, he tried to keep the thoughts of him talking to her, becoming her friend and eventually asking her out at bay, that is, for now.

"So, you want to enroll Storm in our flight training program?" asked Star.

"Yes, I do." replied Equinox. "I figured he needs the exercise and the skill."

"Storm." Star begun, snapping Storm out of his daydreams.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked.

"No need to call me ma'am." Star smiled. "Just call me Star, alright?"

"Yeah, okay." he replied.

"So, you want to learn to fly, huh?" she asked. "Well, you've come to the right place. Here, we'll teach you how to fly like a pro, and since your mom is a close friend of mine, your lessons will be free of charge."

"Really?" he asked. "That's cool."

"Yep. If you come here every weekend from now up until August, we'll get you flying like a professional flyer by the end of the summer break." replied Star. "So, do you want to join?"

"Oh, yes I do." he grinned. "I'd love nothing more than to learn how to fly."

"Great. You start on Saturday."

Author's Notes:

And that's Chapter 8 done, everypony. Chapter 9 will be up soon.

9. Weathering the Storm

That Saturday morning...
After eating breakfast and saying 'goodbye' to his family for a couple of hours, Storm left home and made his way to the west side of Cloudsdale, where his flying lessons were going to be held. His nervousness grew as he neared Star Nights' and Solar Blast's home; as much as he wanted to learn how to fly and try to fit in with his peers, he was worried whether he was going to do good or not, but Storm knew he had to learn to fly in order to make it in Cloudsdale and fit in society. He just had to. Another thing he was hoping to do was to befriend Blue and try to impress her with his flight skills. He had developed quite a crush on her ever since he first met her, but he was nervous about whether she was going to like him or not.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the house, and after a few minutes of nervously pacing up and down the pathway leading to their front door, he finally plucked up the courage to knock on it. To his surprise, it was neither Star Night nor Solar Blast - it was Blue instead.

"Hi..." she begun. "Storm, is it?"

"Hey there." he said. "I'm here for the flight lessons. Uhm, are your parents home?"

"Yep." she grinned. "They're just in the kitchen. MOM, DAD!"

"Yeah sweetie?"

"Stormfire's at the door!" she shouted.

"Come on in!"

Storm did as he was asked to and stepped inside the house. It seemed much bigger than it was the last time he went, but maybe that was because Equinox wasn't with him this time.

"Hi Storm!" begun Star. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, ma'am." he replied.

"Are you ready for some flight lessons?" asked Solar Blast.

"I sure am!" he grinned.

"Wonderful!" smiled Star, before walking out of the back door into the backyard. "We're waiting for you outside, alright?"

"Sure thing." replied Storm. Just then, Blue came over to him.

"So, you can't really fly, huh?" asked Blue.

"Yeah..." groaned Storm. "I think I got the hang of the basics, but I just find it hard."

"Don't worry." she smiled at him. "I think you'll do great."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely." she grinned. "I was like you at one point."

"You were?" he asked, his smile dropping into a frown.

"Yep. I didn't learn to fly until I was nine or ten, and you should be around six or seven in this part of the country if you want to learn how to fly." she explained.

"Wow..." replied Storm.

"Yeah." she groaned. "And even today I still can't properly fly."

"Really?" asked Storm, genuinely feeling sorry for Blue. "Why don't you ask your parents to teach you?"

"I don't know..." she sighed. "I guess I'm just too scared. I don't know what they're going to think of me after I tell them."

"Just tell them..." he said, nudging her slightly. "I'm sure they won't think anything bad about you."

"You sure?" she asked, ears perking up slightly. Storm only nodded in reply and smiled. "Hmm... maybe I'll ask them. I mean, they are my parents after all, and they are the best flight coaches in all of Cloudsdale County..."

Just then, Storm found himself looking at Blue. She seemed to be even prettier than when he first met her, but Storm knew that he still couldn't trust mares or fillies, not after what happened between him and Summer a year back, plus, he had no idea if she liked him or not. However, there was something about Blue that was different. Maybe it was because she was friendly and talkative besides being rather pretty, or maybe it was because she had similar problems to Storm.

"Hey Storm, are you coming or what?" called out a voice from the backyard, obviously belonging to Star Night, which snapped Storm out of his trance.

"Yes ma'am!" he replied, walking out of the back door. "You coming, Blue?"

"Alright." she grinned, following Storm into the backyard.

Storm stepped out of the house and his jaw dropped at the sight. Behind a picket fence surrounding the backyard, was a large strip of land that Storm could have sworn was an old and disused runway; it was around the length of North Cloudsdale Park, which was one of the largest parks in the entire city, and at least half its breadth, just perfect for large aircraft such as planes or airships. It stretched at least several hundred feet from the fence to another, much taller and electrified fence, which marked the border between the airport and the rest of the city. If this was where he would be doing his flight lessons, he was in heaven.

"It sure is massive, huh?" asked a voice, which belonged to Blue.

"Yep." he replied. "Is that a runway or something?"

"Well, yeah." begun Solar Blast. "This house was actually built at the very end of Cloudsdale International's original runway, after it closed down."

"Wow..." gasped Storm. "So, what you're saying is that we are standing on what remains of a runway?"

"Yep." he grinned. "That's why we don't want to have our flight lessons anywhere else."

"Anyways, are you ready?" asked Star, who stood behind the picket fence, wearing a red cap with the words GO CLOUDSDALE written on the front, and a pair of aviator shades.

"Yes, ma'am." he replied, walking through the gate and standing beside her.

"Great!" she grinned. "Alright then. When I give you the signal, I want you to trot down the field, and just before you reach the electric fence at the other end, I want you to start flapping your wings as hard as you possibly can, alright?"

"Okay, ma'am." he said, putting on his game face. He looked around to see Star, Solar and Blue standing to his left, Blue giving him an encouraging smile. He returned the smile, before turning back to face the airport before him.

"Get ready..." begun Star.

"Get set..."

"Go!"

Without any warning, Storm trotted down the field as fast as he possibly could. Eventually, he begun to near the electric fence which bordered the airport and begun to flap his wings slowly at first, but grew faster and faster. A moment or two later, he pulled off the ground and hovered in midair. He looked around to see Star, Solar and Blue trot towards him and grinned at them, but before he knew it, he fell back down to the ground and landed on his back hooves.

"Ouch..." he groaned, trying his hardest to stand up on all fours.

"Oh my gosh Storm, are you alright?" said Star, trotting over to him, followed by Blue and Solar, who was carrying a first-aid kit in his hooves.

"I think so... ma'am..." he hissed, before turning back to look at his sprained hoof and yelling out in pain. "AUGGHHH! It hurts...!"

"Is it broken?!" asked Blue, rather frantically.

"I don't think it is... I think it's just sprained." explained Storm, tears rolling down his face.

"You can't always be too sure, Storm..." explained Star, before taking the first-aid kit from Solar and opening it. She scrolled through the box's contents, looking for a bandage, before finding one and unwrapping it. "You're lucky I have first aid training. Where does your hoof hurt?"

"It's my back left one." he hissed in pain, pointing to his back left hoof, which was badly bruised and swollen. Star gave him a compassionate smile and wrapped the bandage around his injured hoof.

"You're alright now." she explained. "Come on, we'll take you home."

"Thanks ma'am." he smiled, before being pulled up by Solar and Star and taken back to the house.

---

Storm sat on the couch, drinking some ice-cold soda and watching the news on TV. He groaned, not just because he was in pain, but because he failed his first flight lesson. He could only imagine what his family, especially Equinox, his own mother, would say about his failure. While he was wallowing in self-pity, Blue came over to him and sat down beside him.

"Hey..." she smiled. "Is it better?"

"Well, sorta..." he replied. "It still hurts..."

"I think you did pretty well." she said. "Especially for your first attempt."

"Really?" he gasped. "Thanks, although I think I did horribly."

"No problem." she smiled, before frowning slightly. "You did better than I'll ever do, that's for sure..."

"Hey." he said. "Don't put yourself down. I'm sure you're a great flyer, Blue."

"Thanks, Storm..." she replied, her smile returning to her face.

"Can I ask you something?" he begun.

"Sure." she replied.

"Wanna--wanna be friends?" he stuttered.

"Absolutely." she smiled.

"You--You do?" he asked.

"Yep." she replied. "In fact, you're one of the only ponies that's been nice to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah..." she sighed. "It's not something I like to talk about though."

"I'm sorry..." he said, rather reluctantly, yet instinctively putting his wing around her. She was slightly taken aback by this, but she didn't seem to complain and decided to just go with it. "That must be horrible.”

"It's okay." she replied, smiling at him. "Listen, about your flight skills... look, Storm, everypony makes mistakes, but it's best to choose to learn from them. And what are you going to do once your hoof heals?"

"Fly better?" he asked.

"Not 'fly better'." she explained. "Fly faster, and stronger. Concentrate. And I hope you get better soon."

"Thanks Blue." he smiled. "Wanna hang out during the week?"

"Sure."

A week later...
A week after his first failure of a flight lesson, Stormfire's hoof had fully healed and he was able to walk properly without the need for other ponies helping him. Right now, he was on his way for his second flight lesson and he couldn't be more excited. Why was he so excited, you might ask. Well, it wasn't just because he was going to learn to fly, but because he would be able to see his new friend Blue again.

Around twenty minutes later, he reached the house and walked up to the front door, before knocking on it. Just like last time, Blue opened the door.

"Hey Storm." she smiled. "I see your hoof has healed."

"Hey Blue." he replied. "It did heal, although it still does sorta hurt at times..."

"You think you'll be alright to do today's flight lesson?" she asked.

"Yep." he said. "Are your parents home?"

"No, not right now." she shook her head. "They had to go to fill in for a couple of ponies at work, but they'll be back in a few hours."

"What happened?"

"From what I know, something's happened there resulting in two injured stallions."

"Oh yeah..." he mused. "My mom told me about that... there's been some kind of meltdown and they're struggling to keep it under control."

"They fixed it yesterday." Blue replied. "They're replacing the faulty equipment today."

"Right."

"Do you wanna come in?" she asked, pushing the door open further. "Like I said, they're supposed to be back in a couple of hours, but in the meantime, we could hang out if you'd want that."

"If that's alright with you." replied Storm.

"It's perfectly fine." she smiled. "Come on in."

Storm did as he was told and followed Blue inside the house.

"You wanna grab something to eat from the kitchen?" she proposed. "I'm sure my parents won't mind."

"Nah, I had breakfast about half an hour ago." he explained.

"Fine." she said. "Wanna watch something on TV?"

"Sure." he replied. "What about you?"

"No, sorry..." she sighed. "I have to practice for an important music exam."

"You do?" Storm gasped. "What instrument do you play?"

"Piano and guitar." she explained. "Though I'm pretty bad... want me to show you?"

"I'm sure you're not..." Storm replied. "Why do you say that you're bad?"

"You haven't heard me play yet..." she sighed, before walking up the stairs. "So, you really want to see me play?"

"Yep." he replied.

"Alright..." she sighed. "Follow me, please."

Storm did as Blue asked him to and followed her upstairs to her room. Her room was rather big and spacious and its walls were decorated with posters of famous athletes from around the Cloudsdale area, including the Wonderbolts, as well as those of famous pop stars and bands. There was a computer desk standing in the corner of the room home to a laptop directly opposite her bed and there was a state-of-the-art electronic keyboard just across from it. Another instrument which caught Storm's attention was a six string ocean blue electric guitar standing next to a small amplifier. While Storm was checking out the room, Blue went to sit in front of the keyboard. She turned it on and changed the setting to 'grand piano'.

She sighed, before clearing her throat, which got Storm's attention.

"Where can I sit?" he asked.

"Just sit on the bed..." she smiled. "Should I start now?"

"Yep." he grinned.

Blue took a deep breath in, before playing a quick piano solo to get herself warmed up, which immediately captivated Storm; he had no idea she was so good. She then paused for a quick moment, before playing the song, one which he recognized as being played often on a local classic rock station. Storm watched and listened in awe.

"Sorry." she said, ending her playing abruptly. "I forgot the rest of the music.."

"Wow..." said Storm, in awe. "That was pretty--I mean, that was good. Great, even. How long have you been playing for?"

"I played piano since I turned five, and I taught myself guitar at age 13."

"Wow. Are you self-taught or something on the keys?"

"Well, yes and no," Blue chuckled in response. "I actually picked up a lot of the basics by ear, which led to my mom - a violinist who actually used to play in the Canterlot Philharmonic - to arrange piano lessons for me...what basically happened was we bought an old piano at a yard sale, and I, being the inquisitive little filly I was, started playing about on it; eventually, after a month or two, I managed to be able to pick out basic chords and be able to play songs I heard on the radio by ear, after only listening to them once or twice."

"That's amazing," Storm smiled, in some awe. "So, you've got perfect pitch?"

"I guess you could say that," Blue replied, running her right hoof down the keyboard and promptly playing an improvised piece. "I actually had no idea that I was capable of playing by ear, but looking back now I guess that's what led my mom to provide piano lessons for me in the first place."

"That's really awesome," Storm smirked. "You're really talented."

"Thanks Storm," Blue smiled in response, before changing key and playing something completely different, a very complex piece by the sound of it. "I mean...my dream is to play full-time, or at least teach ponies how to play."

"So, you'd like to be a music teacher?"

"Perhaps, or at least a concert pianist...or maybe a singer even...my voice hasn't really been up to scratch lately since I'm actually recovering from strep throat at the moment, but I could sing for you if you'd like."

"It's fine, you really don't have to. Maybe some other time, once you've fully recovered that is," Storm replied. "I'm sure your voice is just as beautiful as your piano playing."

"Thanks, Storm." she smiled at him, a reddish blush forming on her face before sighing and cutting off her improvisational jam. "It means a lot to me when ponies say that."

"Are you alright?" he asked in some concern. She sighed and shook her head, indicating a 'no'. "What's wrong?" he asked, moving to sit beside her.

"Storm, it's just..." she begun, sniffling slightly. "It's just... I sometimes feel as though I'm not good enough. I feel talentless, I feel like everypony else is just better than me, which they of course are. I can't even fly properly, for crying out loud...this is the only thing I know how to do well. I'm worthless..."

"Hey, don't call yourself that." he begun, wrapping his wing around her. "I don't think anything like that about you."

"You don't?" she asked, teardrops rolling out of her eyes.

"Nope." he replied. "In fact, I think quite the opposite of you. I think you're very talented, in fact, I won't be surprised if you become a musician or something like that. And most importantly, I think you're a great friend, and whoever doesn't think that about you is crazy. But, you need to learn to stop doubting yourself and believe in yourself, because I know you are capable of great things, Blue. Everypony is, pretty much. You need to believe in yourself, because I believe in you."

Blue's sad glare slowly begun to disappear from her face and was replaced by her smile, which Storm thought was the cutest smile ever. However, instead of saying anything, she hugged him as tightly as she could.

"You're the greatest friend I ever made..." she said, tears rolling out her eyes as she hugged him.

"That's what I'm here for, Blue..." he smiled, hugging her back.

A couple of hours later...
Solar Blast and Star Nights returned from work, which meant only one thing; it was time for Storm's second flight lesson, and he sure hoped not to fail this one. He stood facing the abandoned and disused runway at the back of Blue's home and prepared himself both physically and mentally for his flight lesson. It was a rather hot and sunny day, a bit too hot in Storm's opinion, but he wasn't going to let the heat get the better of him. Just then, Star, followed by Blue came over to him.

"So, Storm..." begun Star, carrying a pair of hoofguards. "You ready for today's lesson?"

"Yep." he grinned, before noticing the hoofguards in her hooves. "Hoofguards?"

"Yep." she replied. "Your mom asked me to give you them, so you don't injure yourself like last time. I'm not paying your hospital bill if anything serious happens to you."

"Yeah..." he groaned, putting on the hoofguards. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"Well, I figured I was going to show you how to take-off properly..." she explained.

"Isn't that what we done last week?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, but let's do it today." she replied. "If you do good on today's lesson, we'll move onto something else, alright?"

"Sure." he replied.

"Oh, and Storm?" begun Blue.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Do you remember what I told you last week?" she asked.

"Uh... no?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Fly fast and hard, but concentrate... alright?" she explained. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Alright..." he grinned. "I'll try my best."

"Okay." Star smiled. "You ready?"

"Yes ma'am." he replied.

"So, Storm..." begun Star. "In order to take-off properly, first of all, you must prepare yourself."

She then moved to stand to Storm's right and outstretched her wings. Storm turned to look at her and back at Blue, who was giving him a friendly and encouraging smile, which he returned. He then outstretched his own wings.

"Alright then, I want you to trot down the runway and at the right moment, start flapping your wings." she instructed him, before trotting down the runway and beginning to flap her wings. She then took off into the air and landed back down on the runway in front of Storm and Blue. "Now, it's your turn, Storm." she smiled.

He smiled back, before trotting down the runway. As he trotted down it, he turned back to see Blue and Star cheering for him and grinned at them, before starting to flap his wings. He pulled off at least ten or fifteen feet off the ground and hovered around in midair. "UH, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LAND?" he shouted from above. Star then took off into the air and hovered beside him.

"Alright then." she begun. "To land, you simply slow down your flapping speed, but not stop. You should feel yourself lowering down towards the ground."

"Okay." Storm replied, before looking at Star demonstrating a landing.

"Now you try!" she shouted from below.

Storm slowed down his flapping speed noticeably and felt himself lower down onto the ground. A few seconds later, he landed back down on the ground, right in front of Blue.

"This was... easier than I thought." he said.

"You did great!" replied Blue.

"I agree." said Star. "Usually takes at least an hour of practice to learn these flight skills. You're a fast learner, Storm."

"Storm, can I talk to you in private?" asked Blue.

"Sure!" he replied, before turning to look at Star. "Are we done for today, ma'am?"

"Yes, yes we are." she smiled. "Your next lesson is next weekend, but feel free to drop by anytime."

"Thank you, ma'am." replied Storm, before walking back into the house with Blue. They sat down on the couch and Storm turned off the TV, which Solar forgot to turn off and was now displaying static. "So, what's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to say..." she begun. "Thank you for being my friend...this past week I've spent getting to know you was great."

"No problem, Blue." he smiled.

"I'm just wondering... am I worthy enough to be your friend, or would you like something more?" she asked, with a sad look in her eyes.

"Are you kidding?" he asked. "Of course you're worthy enough. In fact, you're more than good enough to be my friend. Okay, Blue. What's going on?"

"Well..." she begun. "I never had any real friends before."

"You didn't?" he asked. "Who won't want to be your friend?"

"I don't know..." she sighed sadly. "All I know is, nopony, except my parents and my older brother wanted to be my friend."

"You have an older brother?" asked Storm. "Where is he, if I may ask?"

"He's away..." she begun, almost breaking down. "He's a sailor in the Navy, and the last time he wrote to us, he was stationed at a base just south of Seaddle. I miss him so much..."

"Wow..." replied Storm. "I'm sorry you don't get to see him very often, but I think he's probably thinking about you right now, wherever he may be."

"Thanks Storm..." she said, although she didn't stop sobbing. Storm sighed and wrapped his wing around her body, which seemed to calm her down noticeably.

"There there now." he said, smiling at her. "Tell me, why do you think that nopony would want to be your friend?"

"Well..." she begun. "I had this one friend in elementary school called Lightning Spark... she was the best friend I could ever ask for... we did pretty much everything together and we were virtually inseparable until the seventh grade. I was quite possibly the only filly in middle school that still was a blank flank, and boy was I bullied for it. One day, while me and Lightning Spark were eating our lunch and talking, some rich and snobby fillies came over to our table and begun pestering us, especially me... and when I asked Lightning Spark if we could move to a different table, she joined in with the bullies and begun calling me names like 'no-mark' or 'Mrs. Markless'." she sighed sadly, before continuing. "I lost my best friend on that day, and my social abilities, just closing myself up in my little shell. I became the butt of many jokes, especially by the fillies who I went to class with. The bullying only stopped when I got my cutie mark..."

"Speaking of your cutie mark..." begun Storm. "What did you do to get it?"

"Well, it's a long story." she mused. "All I remember is that it was a dark and stormy night and a lightning bolt struck a utility pole close to our house, knocking out the power to the entire neighborhood. And while my parents were trying to fix the mess, I flew (rather poorly) out into the night and I cleared up most of the storm clouds that were over our area."

"I didn't know you could cloud-bust." replied Storm.

"Well, I did what I could, but it still wasn't perfect..." she sighed bitterly, her eyes dripping with water. "But even after I earned my mark, ponies still refused to be my friend... wanna know why? Because I can't fly properly. And so, over time, I begun to lose my self-confidence and stopped believing in myself, figuring that I'd never be good enough to be anypony's friend."

"Well, some ponies are just stupid..." replied Storm. "Whoever doesn't want to be your friend is stupid and crazy. You're an amazing pony and an amazing friend... In fact, you're quite possibly, my best friend. And you'll always be worthy of being my friend."

"Thank you, Storm..." she said, turning to smile at him. "I don't think I've ever met anypony like you."

The next weekend...
Storm walked down the path leading to Star, Solar and Blue's home, ready for another flight lesson, however he was most looking forward to seeing Blue again. As he neared their home, he noticed something that made his blood boil with anger; there was a group of teenage Pegasi standing in front of their home, all apparently gathered around Blue. They were pestering her and calling her rude names.

"I don't know what you want from me..." she said, trying her hardest to back away from the bullies.

"We don't want anything from you..." sneered a young mare named Rose. "Flightless piece of trash."

"Then I don't understand..." she quivered. "Why are you all here?"

"Simple." explained a tall, yet bulky colt nicknamed "Juggernaut", apparently due to his size and body build. "Give us your bucking cash and we'll let you go."

"No, I'm not giving anypony anything." she explained. "It's my money; I earned it."

"You earned it, huh?" sneered Rose. "Well, think of this as a trade... give us the money and we'll let you go."

"I said 'no'!" she said, glaring at all of them. "How long does it take to get that through your thick, bony skulls?"

"Strong words..." smirked the colt. "Rose, what should we do?"

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

The bullies all turned to face Storm, with vicious glares on their faces.

"Well, well, well..." begun one one bully. "Lookie here, a lost bird..." he then turned to look at Storm's flank. "And look. He doesn't even have his cutie mark..."

The bullies started laughing at Storm, who simply glared, while Blue slowly backed away towards a fence. This was now beginning to get personal. Nopony was going to treat him and his best friend like that and get away with it.

"Leave her alone," said Storm. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She exists..." scoffed Rose. "That's what."

"You know what?" begun Storm. "I know exactly why you're all here. You're here because you can't handle the fact that she is better than you in every single way imaginable."

"How did he guess?" asked one of the bullies, whispering in Rose's ear. "Is he psychic?"

"What is wrong with you?” she rolled her eyes.

"Blue may not be able to fly properly like you, but she sure as hay is an amazing mare." explained Storm. "She knows how to play piano, she knows how to cloud-bust, but most importantly, she is a wonderful pony."

"Please..." scoffed the tall colt. "What are you going to do to us? Give us a pep talk?"

"No, but I will call the Royal Guard if you don't leave us alone." explained Storm. At the mere mention of the Royal Guard, the bullies begun to back away. In fact, after they noticed some armored Pegasi walking down the path, they trotted off into the distance, leaving Storm and Blue alone.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I am now..." she replied, smiling at him. "Thanks for helping me, Storm."

"No problem." he smiled. "Who were they? Bullies?"

"Yeah..." she sighed. "I'm used to them by now..."

"Nopony should have to go through such bullying. Have you told your parents?" he asked.

"Yeah..." she replied. "They explained everything to the parents, but they didn't do anything."

"Well, they do seem to be scared of law enforcement, that's for sure." explained Storm.

"They've had numerous run-ins with Royal Guards before..." she explained. "Storm, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"I don't know how to tell you this, but, I have a crush on you..." she explained. Storm's jaw dropped. "I had it ever since I first met you."

"You do?" asked Storm, bewildered.

"Yep." she replied. "You're just such an amazing pony, I don't even know how to put it into words..."

"Thanks..." he smiled. "I--I have a crush on you too..."

"You do?" she gasped.

"Absolutely." he grinned. "I was captivated by you ever since I first saw you, although I was too scared to admit my feelings for you."

"Same..." she sighed. "I thought you were going to reject me, like everypony else..."

"Blue?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

However, instead of saying anything, Storm kissed her on the cheek, which caused them both to blush and chuckle slightly.

"Thank you for being there for me, Storm." she said, nuzzling against his chest.

"No problem, Blue." he smiled, wrapping his wing around her. "Come on, let's get you home."

Author's Notes:

Alright! After over three weeks of waiting, Chapter 9 is up! Chapter 10 will be out shortly.

10. The Best Night Ever

---in other news today, all you amateur astronomers out there are in luck, as tomorrow night, weather permitting, you will very likely witness the first meteor shower of the summer---

"Alright, Storm..." begun Star, who was standing at the very start of the runway, a small transistor radio sitting right behind her on the cloud surface, tuned to the local pop station. Storm and Blue stood right next to her, Storm trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever it was he was doing. It was an unbearably hot, humid morning in Cloudsdale and the temperatures rose to around 100 degrees in that part of the city alone, and Storm was quite understandably unaccustomed to the heat. "It's pretty obvious today is a pretty hot day, and so, after you're done with your flight lesson, we'll go get some drinks, alright? And try not to fly too high, at least not for now. The sun can really damage your wings at very high altitudes."

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, cringing slightly at the thought of the sun damaging his wings.

"Alright then," replied Star, looking at a small, puffy cloud floating around a hundred feet above the runway. "Today's lesson may seem hard at first, but trust me; it's one of the easiest things you can do in flight. Today, you will attempt to land and stay on a cloud for longer than five seconds."

Storm gulped and begun shaking slightly. He still didn't consider himself to be a good flyer in any way, and yet, he had to learn how to land on a cloud. What if the cloud were to give way beneath his hooves? What if it wasn't solid, like the cloud layer on which Cloudsdale was built? Or what if the intense heat would cause it to evaporate? Questions like that raced through his mind, but luckily his fears were quelled by Blue, who nuzzled him gently and caressed his side.

"There there now, Storm..." she said. "It'll be alright. You'll do great."

"Thanks, Blue..." he smiled, calming down noticeably. "Thanks for believing in me."

"No problem," she grinned, kissing him on the cheek. "Like I said, you'll do great."

The two then turned to watch Star take off into the air and land on the cloud, before flying back down to the runway.

"That was great, ma'am," explained Storm.

"Thank you, Storm," replied Star. "Now, it's your turn. You remember how to properly take off?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied, walking up to the runway and standing beside Star. This was it; there was no backing out now. He needed to know how to land on that cloud if he wanted to progress through his flight lessons. And so, Storm prepared himself for takeoff, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he eyed the cloud on which he was supposed to land.

"Ready?" begun Star.

"Ready." he replied, putting on his game face.

"Set?"

"Set."

"Go!"

"Go Storm, go!" whispered Blue. "Go Storm, go!"

Storm trotted down the runway as fast as lightning, his eyes set on the small, white cloud on which he was supposed to land. Despite the heat, which made Cloudsdale seem more like the San Palomino Desert rather than north central Equestria, he still was determined enough to land on the cloud. Eventually, the time was right for him to unfold and begin to flap his wings. He did so and took off into the air, far higher than he had ever attempted to fly before. It was much colder up here than it was down on the ground, and even though the sun's rays battered him mercilessly, he found it much easier to fly up in the sky. Storm gasped as he looked around; he could see much of the airport and the skyscrapers of downtown Cloudsdale, along with several suburbs and some commuter towns surrounding the cloud metropolis. He could also make out a tiny castle sticking out of a large mountain in the distance, at least sixty-seventy miles from West Cloudsdale, which he presumed to be the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot. He was hoping to go there someday, but right now, he was stuck in Cloudsdale. Storm had to admit, the view was absolutely stunning. But then, he realized he was not up here to marvel at the view, but he was here to land (or at least attempt to land) on a cloud, which hovered at least fifty feet or so behind him.

He groaned and flew back towards the cloud, at the highest speed he could possibly fly at. He closed his eyes as he neared the cloud, still afraid of whether he was going to land on it or fall through it. Just then, his hooves touched the cloud, which was just as solid as the cloud Cloudsdale was built on. He sighed in relief, before looking down below at Star, Blue, and another pony that had just arrived and waving at them. He then fluttered his wings again and flew off the cloud and landed on the ground, where he was greeted by Blue.

"See?" she grinned. "I knew you could do it!"

"Yep, all thanks to you." he smiled, before turning to face Star. "So, how did I do, ma'am?"

"You did very well, Storm." smiled Star. "In fact, you did much better than I had expected you to do. Most flight students fail this the first time round."

"Really?" he gasped, before turning to look at Solar Blast. "Hi, Mr. Solar, sir."

"Yep." Solar grinned. "So, how are your wings?"

"Tired..." replied Storm, trying to move his wings, which had turned slightly red at the joints between them and the rest of his body due to the heat. "Ahh..." he hissed. "And a bit painful."

"You want something to drink, Storm?" asked Star. "Some soda should cool you right down."

"Yes please, ma'am." he grinned.

"Alright." she smiled, before going into the kitchen to fetch the soda, followed by Solar, who went to work on a business report, leaving Storm and Blue alone in the backyard.

"Uh, Blue?" begun Storm, in a rather awkward voice. "I don't know whether you'll accept, and I won't blame you if you don't..."

"Yeah?" she asked, her ears perking up.

"Would you... go somewhere with me?"

"You mean, like a date?"

"Yeah, well, yeah..." he replied, expecting to be rejected.

"I'd love to." she grinned, catching him completely off-guard.

"Where would you want to go?" he asked.

"Hm..." begun Blue. "I honestly don't know."

"I have an idea..." he grinned. "How about the local pizza restaurant? They serve these great Manehattan-style pizzas from 4 to 8 PM."

"Alright then," she replied, nuzzling against him. "I love pizza."

"Also, we could maybe take a stroll through the park on the way back..." he proposed. "What do you say at 6:30 PM tomorrow, huh?"

"6:30 PM tomorrow it is," she replied. "Thank you, Storm."

"No problem, Blue," he smiled.

---

The next evening...
While High Wind and Mist were in town shopping and Gust was practicing for a band audition, Storm and Equinox stayed behind at home. Storm was upstairs, busy preparing himself, both physically and mentally, for his first date with Blue Night. He was certain that this date would go much better than his date with Summer went, but he couldn't be too sure. He also wasn't very sure whether his relationship with Blue would last. Just then, Equinox came into his room, carrying a pressed shirt.

"So, are you ready for your date, sweetie?" she asked, giving him the shirt, which he put on and buttoned up.

"I don't know, mom..." he groaned. "I mean, I really like her and stuff... but I don't really know if she likes me. I've been having some bad thoughts about this date."

"Oh cheer up, son," she said, hugging him tightly. "I've seen you two together before; if you ask me, you two are a match made in heaven."

"You really think so, mom?" he asked.

"Yep." she grinned. "I hope the date goes well for you, son."

"Thanks, mom." he replied, hugging her tightly.

"No problem, son," she said, returning the hug. They stood there hugging for a minute or so, before Storm turned to look at his alarm clock sitting on his nightstand. The time was 6:01 PM, which meant he had less than half an hour to get to Blue's house and pick her up. "Looks like you better be heading off to Blue's house."

"Yeah..." he replied, trotting downstairs and out of the front door. "See you, mom."

"Bye son." she waved at him. "Have a great date, and stay safe."

After saying 'goodbye' to his mother and slamming the door behind him, Storm took off into the air and flew downhill through the city towards the southwest, dodging and flying between buildings of varying heights and sizes. His wings still hurt somewhat after yesterday, but to say that he felt a sense of freedom in flight would be an understatement.

In fact, he felt freer than he ever did on the ground.

That, and the Cloudsdale skyline looked absolutely stunning, with the towering Cloud Bank Plaza, the city's tallest building at 87 stories, being a major highlight amidst the slightly smaller buildings which surrounded it. On the way to Blue's house, he decided that there was still time to do something else; buy her some flowers at a local flower shop which his mom used to frequent.

---

Storm landed just across the street from the flower shop, which was located seven blocks from Blue's house. He stretched his wings, which were still painful at the joints, but not as much as before. The flower shop was called 'ROSE'S FLOWERS', and had the words 'CLOSING INDEFINITELY IN TWO WEEKS' hastily scribbled beneath the name; there were numerous posters lining the storefront also, advertising a “clearance sale” and discounts of up to eighty percent on all stock. Storm sighed sadly knowing how much his mom liked to visit the store, although he had no idea what could possibly have possessed his mother to fly halfway across town just to get flowers, before coming back to his senses and remembering that he had extremely limited time, so he trotted across the street and into the store.

Storm gasped, noticing who sat behind the counter; Summer Blossom. He glared in her direction, before turning away from her. "I had no idea you worked here."

"Hi Storm," she said, waving at him. Storm, however, didn't reply and instead walked off to look for some flowers for Blue. She sighed, before saying something. "Still angry about me dumping you, huh?"

However, Storm didn't reply and continued looking for flowers.

"Look Storm," she began. "I'm sorry for what happened that night, honest."

"That's easy for you to say," he halfheartedly smirked in response, happening upon the rose section of the store. Would Blue like this? he asked himself.

"Storm, I swear to God I'm sorry," Summer sighed, glancing down at her cash register in shame before unlocking the tray and sliding a five-bit bill into the cash compartment. "I don't know how I can make it up to you in any way, but just please trust me on this. Me and Hurricane...well, it's complicated."

"I've long moved on from that night, Summer," Storm replied, picking up some roses with his hoof. "I'm still somewhat pissed that you chose him over me, but that's in the past now."

"Storm...," her eyes glistened with tears as he approached the counter. "Yes, I did end up cheating on you that night...and I've learned my lesson since then. I was just young and dumb back then, all I really cared about was having fun and living life to the fullest...I didn't want to commit to anypony back then, but I'm not that same pony anymore."

"Are you guys still dating?" Storm asked out of curiosity, setting the roses down on the counter that separated them; Summer then taped the lower stems of the flowers together and wrapped them in plastic, before passing the finished bouquet in his direction.

"We are," Summer nodded in response. "As I said, I'm not the same pony that I was in freshman year. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I've always liked Hurricane...and still do...even while I was dating you."

"Well then, why'd you go out with me at all that night?" Storm quivered, his ears pinning down. "I mean, I was under the impression that you genuinely liked me. If you’d have told me that you wanted to be friends instead I’d have been fine with that."

"Like I said before, I was just reckless and immature back then," Summer responded with a sigh, her heart shattering as the memories of that night and what she did to admittedly one of the nicest ponies she knew returned to her with a vengeance. "Let's be fair here, I didn't know the meaning of the word 'commitment' back then...but I've matured a lot over the last year or so. Please Storm, just give me a chance. I'm sorry for what happened that night between us, I just hope that we can make amends and be friends."

"Bullshit," Storm groaned, removing his wallet from his jacket pocket and setting it down on the counter next to the bouquet. "You and Hurricane both hate me, I know it. What makes you think that I'll believe you all of a sudden?"

"Storm, I'm sorry for picking on you in flight class, okay? I'm not that kind of pony, I swear," Summer replied, seemingly on the verge of breaking down — at least from Storm's point of view. "I was only doing it to stand out and that's about it. I've never held any grudges against you or anything...In fact, all I wanted since that night then was to set things straight."

"I'd imagine it worked in that case," Storm quipped, knowing how unpopular he was amongst the students at his high school, before glancing down at his watch. "I'd just like to pay for my flowers now."

"You...don't have to forgive me if you don't want to, I can live with that," Summer sighed, glancing down at the price list she had for individual flowers before inputting some values into the cash register. The price of the whole bouquet appeared on the display after a few moments. "Just know that for everything I did I'm sorry."

"Whatever you say, Summer," Storm sighed, feeling horrible himself all of a sudden for denying her apologies. “Whatever you say.”

“Storm,” Summer quivered. “You know...you’re the only customer we’ve had thus far today.”

“I am?” he raised an eyebrow, turning to look out of the storefront at the new flower store across the street. “It’s that place, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Summer nodded in fervent disapproval. “We’ve lost most of our client base to that goddamn store over these past few months, that...and our rent has skyrocketed. If nothing changes in the coming weeks we’re going to have to set up shop somewhere else.”

"I'm sorry...," he lowered his head. "I really wish there was something I could do to help."

"It doesn’t matter," she sighed. "What matters is that we're still running... but I don't exactly know how long we'll be running for. As for me...well, I’ve applied to a bunch of different places around town, including a SaveMart in my neighborhood, but I’ve yet to receive any sort of response.”

"Wow," replied Storm. "I just hope everything goes well for you, Summer."

"Thanks, Storm. That'll be $6.50," she replied, opening the cash tray. "Lemme guess, these are for your marefriend?"

"Yeah,” he replied, passing her a ten-bit bill.

"I hope she treats you better than I ever did," she sighed, sliding it into the cash compartment and taking out his change. "Have a nice day."

"You too, Summer," he replied, making his way towards the exit with the bouquet.

“Hey, you forgot your change.”

“Keep it,” Storm smiled. “It’s the least I can do to help out.”

“Are you sure?” a sudden smile pursed Summer’s lips. "I mean..."

“Positive,” he smirked in response, opening the door and stepping out of the shop.

---

Sometime later, Storm landed in front of Blue's house, which towered ominously before him. Rather reluctantly, he rang the doorbell and begun to pace up and down the pathway leading to the front door, nervous about whether this date was going to work out or not. A moment or two later, Solar Blast opened the door.

"Yeah?" he asked, before turning to look at Storm. "Hi Stormfire. Can I help you?"

"Yes sir..." he stuttered. "I'm, uh, here to pick up Blue."

"Pick up?" Solar raised his eyebrows, before a glare formed on his face. "Pick up?!You're here to pick up my little filly?! Who the hay do you think you are, huh?! Just because you get flight lessons here every weekend doesn't mean you're good enough for her, you little shit!"

"Sorry, sir..." replied Storm, slowly backing away from the door.

"Dad, leave Storm alone!" shouted a voice from inside the house, which belonged to Blue. "Look, me and him are just going to go to the pizza restaurant. That's pretty much it! I can assure you that he is a gentlepony like no other and he won't cause me any harm."

"Sorry, honey-pie." he grinned awkwardly.

"It's okay." she shouted. "Storm can come inside if he wants. I'll be one moment!"

"Get inside, now." growled Solar Blast, motioning for Storm to go into the house. Without any hesitation, Storm walked into the house and stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting for Blue to come down. A moment later, she walked down the stairs, and Storm gasped. She looked absolutely beautiful, in fact, she looked more beautiful than she looked before. She was wearing a long, cyan-colored dress and her mane was tied up into a bun.

"You should see the look on your face, Stormy..." she chuckled, nuzzling him. "How are you?"

"I'm alright..." he replied, not taking his eyes off the beauty before him. "You look stunning."

"Thank you, Storm." she said. "And I must admit, you do look handsome in that shirt."

"Thanks Blue." he grinned, before outstretching his hoof. "So, shall we be off then? We don't want to be late or anything, right?"

"Right." she replied, taking his hoof. Storm turned to look into the living room, where Solar was looking back at him with disapproving eyes that gave him the chills. Blue noticed this and nuzzled against Storm, which made him feel better. "Don't worry about my dad. He may seem intimidating on the outside, but he's a big softy on the inside. You just need to get to know him better."

"Right." he replied. "Bye, Mr. Solar, sir..."

"Remember, if you do anything to my little filly, ANYTHING that harms her, ANYTHING that puts her in ANY danger and ANYTHING that she doesn't like or want you to do... I will personally kill you." Solar growled, sending chills down both Storm's and Blue's spines. "You hear?"

"Yes sir..." Storm quivered.

"Good." replied Solar, before turning to look at a clock hanging on the wall in the living room. "She must be back home by nine o'clock."

"Yes sir..." replied Storm, shivering slightly. "I'll look after her. You have my word..."

"Good." he said coldly. "Have a nice evening, baby."

"Thanks daddy..." replied Blue, still rather shaken by what Solar said to Storm. "See you later..."

Twenty minutes later...
By this time, Storm and Blue had reached the pizza restaurant, Cloud Pizza Co., which was on the ground floor of an apartment building in the downtown part of the city, between a music store and a computer repair shop. They sat down at a table close to the window, and waited for a waiter to come over and take their orders.

"So, uh..." begun Storm, picking up the menu. "What pizza are you having, Blue?"

"Hmm..." she begun. "Haywai'ian?"

"Haywai'ian it is." Storm grinned. "I love Haywai'ian. What about you?"

"Yep." Blue replied. "Haywai'ian is so juicy. Ever been to Haywaii, Storm?"

"Nope." he said. "I've really been hoping to go though. I heard it's absolutely amazing there, especially at this time of year. What about you, Blue?"

"Yep." she replied. "We were flying from the Gryphon lands one summer and there was a cyclone over the Poncific, which meant we had to land in Haywaii and stay there until the storm had passed."

"Fun fact: I'm from the Gryphon lands." he grinned.

"You are?" Blue gasped. "I never would have guessed."

"Yep. My mom and dad used to live there..." he explained. "And I still have friends over there too."

"You know, I'm not from around here myself." Blue explained. "I'm actually from a coastal Mareami suburb."

"Really?" Storm gasped.

"Yep." Blue smiled. "We moved here when both my parents were transferred by the weather factory over there. I'd love to go back myself one day, but if there's one thing I'd really love to do is to go to Prance or Germaneigh. I haven't been beyond Equestria's borders for a couple of years now, and I'd love to go to Europone one day."

"Who knows, maybe you will one day," said Storm, putting his hoof on her hoof. "Did anypony ever tell you how pretty you are?"

"Not really..." she replied, blushing slightly. "Thanks, Storm."

"Whoever doesn't think that you're pretty is crazy." explained Storm. "I don't think I've ever met a mare like you, Blue. You're not just pretty; you're sweet, you're kind, you're patient..."

"Aw..." she blushed fiercely. "I can only say the same thing about you, Storm. Thank you."

"You're welcome." he smiled.

Just then, the waiter, a small, tan Pegasus pony with a black mane and mustache, came over to their table, carrying a notepad.

"What can I get you?" he asked.

"Uh, a large Haywai'ian-style pizza." explained Storm.

"What kind of crust?" the waiter asked, writing the order down on his notepad.

"Blue?"

"Uh, thin crust please." she replied.

"Thin crust it is..." the waiter replied, writing down the type of crust on his notepad, before closing it. "It'll be ready in twenty minutes." And with that, he left their table for the kitchen.

"Blue?" asked Storm.

"Yeah?"

"I got you something," he replied, unfolding his wing to reveal the bouquet of roses hidden beneath it, somehow not damaged by the wing. "I don't know if you like roses or not..."

"Storm, I love roses..." she smiled. "But you shouldn't have."

"No, no." he replied, placing the roses in a jug of water, which stood in the middle of the table. "It's from me to you."

"Storm..." she begun. "Why are you doing this?"

"I just want to be a good coltfriend..." he replied. "And I really don't want to lose you like I lost my last marefriend."

"You already are, silly." she said, smiling warmly at him. "I don't think I ever met a stallion like you, Storm."

"Well, I don't think I ever met a mare like you, Blue." he chuckled. "Blue?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I love---" he begun, but they were interrupted by the waiter, carrying a large and freshly-baked Haywai'ian pizza in his hooves.

"Here you go." the waiter said, placing the pizza between them. "That'll be 10 bits."

...you... Storm thought to himself, before giving the waiter some coins. The waiter smiled, before going back into the kitchen and leaving Storm and Blue alone.

---

After eating pizza, Storm and Blue left the pizza place and headed back towards her home. However, Storm had proposed to take a different path than they took on the way to the pizza place. They both left the downtown part and made their way through some of the suburbs, before entering a large, hilly park, just a couple of blocks away from Blue's house.

"I just wanted to say 'thank you', Storm." begun Blue. "For everything. For the dinner date, for the roses, and most importantly, for being my coltfriend."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for." he said, nuzzling her mane. "You can always count on me."

"And you can always count on me as well." she giggled as they walked up a rather tall hill. "Storm?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"My music exam is next week..." she explained. "Do you want to come see me play?"

"Absolutely." he smiled. "Your playing is incredible."

"Thank you, Storm." she returned the smile, before nuzzling him gently. "Maybe I can teach you how to play the piano."

"Me?" he chuckled. "Oh, no no no no. I'm horrible."

"I think we can change that." she smiled slyly. "Do you play an instrument?"

"No..." he replied. "Would the drum kit in music class count?"

"Well, do you want to learn?" she asked.

"Maybe." he replied. "Like I said, I'm not that good at any instrument..."

"Remember what you told me?" she replied. "About believing in myself?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, the same thing applies to you." she said. "If you want to learn how to play an instrument, there should be nothing stopping you, Stormy, because I believe in you."

"Thanks, babe." he smiled at her.

A moment or two later, they both made it up the hill, which overlooked downtown Cloudsdale.

"Wow..." gasped Storm, looking at the metropolis before them, which illuminated the evening sky with some much-needed light.

"It's quite a sight, isn't it?" Blue chuckled, leaning slightly against him.

"Yep." he smiled. "Our city is the best city in Equestria."

"It sure is..." she replied.

"Blue?" asked Storm.

"Yeah?"

"I love---"

Just then, a white streak of light zoomed thousands of feet above them, followed by more streaks of light crossing the skies at high speeds. Storm and Blue both looked above in amazement as the evening sky became filled with these streaks of light, which all rushed towards a distant mountain range. They had just witnessed a meteor shower.

"This is beautiful..." she gasped, tears rolling out of her eyes.

"I agree." said Storm, nuzzling her gently. "Blue?"

"Yeah, Stormy?"

"I love you." he said, expecting to be rejected. However, she turned to give him a tearful, yet happy smile.

"I love you too, Stormy." she said, and before they both knew it, they found themselves facing each other and leaning in for a kiss. A second later, they kissed and time for Storm seemed to slow down dramatically. They were lost in their own little world and kissed deeply and lovingly for a minute or so. "We need to do this again sometime." said Blue.

"What do you say next week?" asked Storm. "After your music exam? I have a little surprise for you."

"I'd love that." she smiled. "Thank you, Storm. For everything."

"My pleasure." he returned the smile, before turning to look at his watch, which showed that the time was 8:45 PM, which meant that they had less than fifteen minutes to get back to Blue's house. "Your dad's going to kill me... we better go."

"Alright." she smiled.

"How about... we fly there?" he proposed, outstretching his wings. Even though his wings were still sort of sunburned, he felt little to no pain in them.

"I don't know, Stormy..." replied Blue. "I'm horrible at flying."

"No you're not, Blue." he said. "You need to believe in yourself."

"You think I'm going to fly well?" she asked.

"Absolutely." he said. "Hold my hoof."

"Alright..." replied Blue. They both ran down the path which lead down the hill and through the park, and after Storm begun to flap his wings, Blue begun to flap hers as well. A moment or two later, they took off into the air and found themselves flying over West Cloudsdale.

"Storm, this is incredible..." she replied, taking in the view. "Thank you for everything."

"You're absolutely welcome." he smiled, before turning to look at a row of homes below them. "We're home, babe."

---

"Ugh, where is she?" said Solar, pacing back and forth through the living room.

"Relax, honey." said Star, who was reading a magazine on the couch. "Blue'll be here any second now."

"She should be here by nine. It's 8:58." replied Solar. "If she's here any later than nine, I'll find that Stormfire kid and I will bucking throttle him."

"Easy now." glared Star. "Storm's perfect for Blue, Solar."

"Bullshit." he growled. "He's not suitable for her. He never was and he never will be."

"Don't you see, Solar?" asked Star, putting down her magazine and standing beside her husband. "They're happy together, and if they're happy together, that's the way they should stay."

"But what if he'll do something to Blue?" fretted Solar.

"Don't fret, So---" replied Star, before being cut off by the sound of the door opening. A minute or two later, Blue and Storm stepped into the house. "Hey sweetie. How was your date?"

"It was incredible, mom." she replied, nuzzling against Storm.

"Uh-uh." begun Solar, coming over to Blue and Storm, and physically moving them to opposite sides of the corridor. "There will be no nuzzling or any other stuff like that. Anyways, did you get to see the meteor shower, baby?"

"Yeah." she replied, rather awkwardly. "It was cool..."

Solar then turned to look at Blue, with a glare on his face.

"You better have been looking after Blue properly..." he growled, much to the shock of Blue and Star.

"Dad, he's been looking after me ever since I first met him!" shouted Blue. "Why are you so overprotective of me all of a sudden?"

"Sweetie, please. I'll handle him myself." Solar reprimanded her, before yet again, turning to glare at Storm. "You better treat her with respect everyday you see her, alright?"

"Yes sir." he replied, backing away towards the stairs.

"Good." replied Solar, with a satisfied grin on his face. "Go home, Storm."

"Yes sir." replied Storm, and headed out of the front door. "Bye Mrs. Star, ma'am."

"Good night!" she smiled.

"Good night, Blue." he said, waving to her.

"Storm, wait!" she said, trotting out after him. "I don't know what's gotten into my dad lately, but he's nothing to be scared of. Like I said, he may seem mean and threatening on the outside, but inside, he's the sweetest, kindest pony you'll ever meet. All you need to do is just get to know him better."

"Alright..." he sighed. "I'll try and get to know him better, babe."

"Alright then." she smiled. "Good night, Storm. See you soon."

"Bye Blue." he replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Good night." he said, before flying away home back to North Cloudsdale.

Author's Notes:

Alright! Chapter 10 is finally done! I hope y'all enjoyed reading it.

I am also pleased to let you know that we are at the halfway point of the story, I believe (unless I get some more ideas for future chapters) and that Chapter 11 is coming soon! Stay tuned folks.

11. A Day With Blue Night

A week later...
It was a rather cool, yet still sunny Saturday morning in Cloudsdale. Over the past week or so it had cooled down dramatically in the city, in order to make way for thunderstorms, which were supposed to happen sometime this weekend.

Storm flew through the city as fast as lightning, in order to make it to Blue's house on time. Right now, he was running late, after almost getting lost in a somewhat unpleasant part of town. Her music exam was at 11 AM in Ponyville, a small town of around 35,000 about twenty-thirty miles to the south-east of Cloudsdale; right now, it was just turning 10 o'clock, so Storm had to literally fly like the wind in order to make it there on time. Around ten minutes later, he landed in front of her house and trotted up the pathway leading up to her front door, before knocking on it frantically.

A moment or two passed, and the door opened, revealing Blue standing there (as by this time, Star and Solar were at work), shaking nervously. Storm immediately calmed down and a loving smile formed on his face, which she returned, although her shaking persisted.

"Hey babe." he said, nuzzling her.

"Hey, Stormy..." she replied, shaking with fear.

"You alright?" he asked.

"No..." she sighed. "Not really..."

"Is it about the exam?"

"Well, it's more of an audition..." she explained. "I'm auditioning for a band..."

"You are?" Storm grinned. "What band?"

"The Cloud Flyers..."

"Come again?"

"The Cloud Flyers," Blue replied. "It's a band that's led by a schoolmate of mine, and they're apparently looking for a keyboard player, and uh, I kinda thought that maybe it'd be a good idea for me to audition."

"I think so too," he replied. "Tell me, what band won't want to hire you? You're by far, one of the best, if not, the best keyboardist I have ever come across, Blue."

"Really?" she grinned. "Thanks, Storm. That means a lot to me..."

"No problem, babe," he replied. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah..." she sighed. "Pretty much..."

"Hey," he said, stroking her mane. "It'll be alright. You'll do well."

"You think?" she asked. "I mean... what if they won't like me or my playing?"

"They will." Storm replied. "I'm sure of it."

"But---" she began before being cut off by Storm almost immediately.

"Shh," he replied, putting his hoof to her lips. "You'll do great. I believe in you..."

"Thanks, Storm..." she replied, her smile returning to her face.

"No problem," he grinned. "Come on, you don't want to be late now, wouldn't you?"

"Not really," she shook her head, before walking out of the house and locking the door behind her. She then went to stand beside Storm, who was waiting for her beside the gate. Storm then wrapped his wing around her body and took off with her into the air, before flying off towards Ponyville.

The flight to Ponyville took around 25 minutes, but for Storm, it felt like 25 hours. He had never flown beyond Cloudsdale's city limits on his own, and so it was an entirely new experience for him. While Storm tried his hardest to regain his breath upon landing, Blue looked around and investigated the small and quiet town, which looked like something out of a postcard. It was far different from Cloudsdale and was much calmer and prettier.

"Wow..." she gasped, looking at a little market in the town square. "Ponyville..."

"It's quite a pretty place..." said a voice, which caused Blue to jump back in shock. The voice came from a young, auburn Pegasus with a brown mane and a barbell cutie mark. "I've never seen you around here before, miss. Are you new here? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Musclebuild, as you can see..." he explained, flexing his muscles and causing some unicorn mares walking beside them to glance at the stallion and giggle amongst themselves.

"Oh." she said, looking at him. "Nice to meet you. I'm Blue Night, and I'm just visiting from Cloudsdale."

"Cloudsdale, huh?" he asked. "Never been there, but I heard it's a big city."

"You have no idea." said Storm, landing right next to Blue and Musclebuild. "You haven't lived 'till you've been up there."

"Do you know this guy?" asked Musclebuild.

"Yep." she grinned. "Musclebuild, meet my coltfriend, Stormfire."

"How do you do?" asked Storm, outstretching his hoof.

"Uh..." begun Musclebuild, before reluctantly shaking his hoof. "...Do you guys want me to show you around?"

"Sorry, but we don't have the time." replied Storm. "We're here for a band audition."

"Really?" he asked, trying to mask his lack of interest. "Do you guys want me to walk you there?"

"No..." said Storm. "I'm sure we'll find our way ther--"

"Actually." said Blue. "Yes, please... Do you know where 3694 Hoofingburg Avenue is?"

"The Music Box?" grinned Musclebuild. "I go there every Friday."

"Excellent!" Blue grinned.

---

A couple of minutes later, the trio arrived at The Music Box, a box-shaped building along the railroad going through Ponyville that was lit up with neon lights, which for some reason were flashing despite it being almost midday.

Storm, Blue and Musclebuild walked into the building and past the reception, which was empty as the receptionist had gone out to lunch, before going into a large hall. While Musclebuild was busy explaining why he visited The Music Box once every week (apparently his band, The Flexible Stallions, had a gig there every Friday), Storm looked on in disgust. Was Musclebuild trying to become Blue's coltfriend? He did not know, but it sure did seem like that.

"Blue Night?" asked a mare, wearing sunglasses and having a long, black mane with a streak of purple running through it. Evening Snow, her name was, and apparently, she was a classmate of Blue's at West Cloudsdale High.

"Uh, yes?" she asked, trying her hardest to remain cool and calm.

"I'm the lead singer of The Cloud Flyers," she explained. "You are here to audition for our band, am I correct?"

"Yes..." she grinned awkwardly.

"Alright, what instruments do you play?" she asked.

"Keys and guitar," she replied. "Although I'd say I'm much better at keys."

"Right, that's all I needed to know," the mare replied in a droning, emotionless voice. "Alright, Highpitch should bring you your sheet music for you to play. You'll play a couple of our hit songs, which will take you at least half an hour. Then, we'll decide if you're right for our band."

"Alright." replied Blue, shaking nervously as she watched the band's lead guitarist, Highpitch walk over to her with some freshly-printed sheet music in his hooves. "Wish me luck..." she said nervously, turning to look at Storm and Musclebuild.

"You'll do great." grinned Storm.

"I know she will." replied Musclebuild, turning to give Storm a deathly glare. "And you better not ruin my fun..."

"What fun?" asked Storm, chills traveling down his spine at a hundred miles an hour.

"She's going to be my marefriend, not yours..." he growled.

"Hey, no she's not!" said Storm. "Who the hay do you think you are, punk?"

"The most handsomest stallion in Ponyville..." he grinned. "And every mare falls for me, including your Blue."

"I wonder why..." Storm growled, trying his hardest to remain calm.

---

Around half an hour later, Blue came out from backstage and the two stallions both greeted her. However, she had a sad glare on her face, which caused the stallions to calm down.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Musclebuild.

"Blue, are you alright?" asked Storm, causing Musclebuild to glare at him.

"No..." she sighed. "I didn't pass..."

"That's a shame..." he replied. "I'm sorry, Blue."

"Yeah." said Musclebuild, still scowling at Storm.

"It's okay, I guess..." she sighed. "They said they were looking for a more... technical keyboardist..."

"What?" gasped Storm. "You're the most technical keyboardist I know!"

"Yeah... I'm sure you are..." replied Musclebuild.

"Thanks guys..." she replied. "But let's face it; if I was good, then I'd have passed."

"Blue, look..." Storm replied. "It doesn't matter if you fail something; you can always try again."

"I guess so..." she said, unconvinced by what Storm had just said.

"Anyways, I know what will cheer you right up." said Musclebuild, causing Storm to glare at him. "Every mare loves shopping."

"No, we should really be getting back to Cloudsdale---" Storm said.

"Alright then." Blue replied. "Shopping it is."

After Blue's audition did not go as well as she had hoped it would, Musclebuild (and a rather jealous Storm) decided to take her on a shopping trip through Ponyville. While Musclebuild showed her all the different shops he thought were frequented by mares, including several fashion outlets, Storm stayed far behind, looking at them in jealousy and in anger, however, this soon turned into a bitter glare. They seemed to be enjoying each other's company, especially Blue, who seemed to be the most content. Storm sighed deeply, feeling rejected by his own marefriend, who seemed to be enjoying the company of another stallion. However, there was something strange about Musclebuild. He was a bit too, well, nice to them, almost suspiciously nice, and Storm knew that he couldn't be trusted in any way.

"We should head off to this great little store called Carousel Boutique." said Musclebuild.

"Maybe." she replied. "Why are you doing this, Muscle? I mean, we just met."

"Well, for one reason; you seem pretty likeable, and really pretty." he replied.

"Uhh... thanks." she said, smiling.

"Hey Blue, Muildbuild or whatever your name was again!" he said, trotting up behind them. "Wait up!"

"It's Musclebuild, you idiot." he growled under his breath, so that Blue didn't hear.

"Whatever." replied Storm. "Blue?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Do you wanna go somewhere else, like, for example, a cafeteria or a restaurant?" proposed Storm, yet again receiving a glare from Musclebuild.

"Sorry Stormy..." she said. "Not right now."

"Alright." he sighed, receiving an obnoxious smirk from Musclebuild. "Later on?"

"Sure." she grinned, causing Musclebuild's jaws to drop in shock. "What about you Muscle?"

"I'll think about it..." he growled, staring directly at Storm, before turning away from him and leading them through the crowd of ponies to a white, carousel-shaped building, which caused Storm's and Blue's jaws to drop. "Here's the last stop on our little 'fashion tour of Ponyville'; Carousel Boutique."

"Wow..." replied Blue. "What a pretty little building."

"Yep." said Storm. "Not as pretty as you are though."

"Oh stop it..." she giggled, blushing, which caused Musclebuild to glare aggressively at Storm.

"Anyways..." replied Musclebuild, taking his eyes off Storm and opening the door to the Boutique with a key he had in his pocket. "Welcome!"

"You work here?" asked Blue, her jaws dropping. He then flipped the lightswitch beside the door, revealing the store to be entirely devoid of any stock. "I mean, it's practically empty!"

"Yeah, why did you lead us here if there's nothing on sale---" asked Storm, before enduring a rather painful buck in the abdomen by Musclebuild, which effectively proved his suspicions about him to be true, and was knocked down to the floor by him. Musclebuild smirked, before pushing a terrified Blue onto a couch lying beside the stairs to the upper floor.

"What the hay is wrong with you?" she asked, getting up from the couch and glaring at Musclebuild, before looking at Storm, who was writhing in pain on the floor beneath his hooves. Storm turned to look at her and gasped, before turning back to look at Musclebuild and giving him a deathly glare. This was now personal. Nopony was going to abuse Blue Night, nopony. Storm needed to do something about it.

"Oh, nothing..." he grinned slyly. "The thing is... you're too hot of a mare to go out with this piece of shit." Muscle explained, referring to Storm, who was trying his hardest to get up off the floor. However, as he tried to get up, Musclebuild bucked him in the face, causing him to cry out in pain. "You'll be mine, Blue Night and nopony's gonna take you from me."

"You're psychotic!" she shouted.

"Be quiet or I'll rip your wings off you." he threatened, causing her to back away towards the wall.

"You... monster..." said a rather weak Storm, bruised and quite bloody.

"What did you call me?" Musclebuild raised his eyebrows.

"You... heard me, you stupid buck." replied Storm, getting up off the floor, dusting himself off and gritting his teeth. "Now leave Blue alone... and let us go, you hear?..."

"In your dreams... Blue is mine." grinned Musclebuild, before with seemingly no effort, throwing him across the Boutique. Terrified and confused, Storm tried his hardest to regain control of himself during his short flight across the Boutique, before crashing into the cash register, knocking it down onto the floor and shattering it into bits of wood, plastic and metal. He groaned, spitting out some keys from the cash register and getting up off what remained of it, before being pounced on by Musclebuild.

"WHAT--THE BUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" cried out Storm, trying to both endure Musclebuild's punches and retaliate with his own.

"YOU ARE!" replied Musclebuild, punching him in the wings repeatedly, eventually causing one of them to crack. Storm screamed out in pain, which caused Musclebuild to grin. Blue watched the two stallions fight in horror, before trotting out of the Boutique as fast as she possibly could. "SHE'S MY MARE, NOT YOURS!"

"WHO THE BUCK SAID--SHE WAS YOUR MARE?!" Storm yelled, punching him in the face multiple times, and in turn being punched in the abdomen twice. "SHE'S NOPONY'S MARE BUT HER OWN."

"BUCK YOU! I WON'T STOP BEATING YOU UNTIL YOU LEAVE HER TO ME!" he simply replied, before turning around to check if anypony was there other than them. Storm saw this as his chance to get out and escape, so he quickly jabbed him in the side, knocking him down off his body and onto the ground. "GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A STALLION, YOU WUSSY!" yelled Musclebuild, somewhat bruised and bloody, looking at a critically-wounded Storm trotting out of the Carousel Boutique. However, just as he was about to leave the Boutique and trot after Storm, two armored unicorn stallions trotted into the Boutique, crossbows out, which were pointing straight at Musclebuild.

"Freeze!" they both said in unison, locking the weapons.

"This is the Ponyville unit of the Equestrian Royal Guard! Drop any weapons you may have on you on the ground and put your hooves above your head!" the much taller unicorn shouted. Musclebuild groaned and done as the stallions asked him to. "You are under arrest for trespassing, abduction and assault. Make any sudden movements and these arrows go through your hooves."

"Yes... officer..." he gulped, calming down completely and standing patiently and waiting for the second, much smaller guard to put hoofcuffs around his hooves. "I just wanted to be the cool colt and get a marefriend... I never meant for this to turn out this way."

Meanwhile, a shaken Blue and an injured Storm (who was lying on a stretcher, with bandages wrapped around wounded parts of his body) were watching the entire situation unfold.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine..." she said. "Thanks for asking, Stormy... what about you?"

"I'm fine too, I guess." he said. "The doctor said I should be healed up in a couple of days, but the wing should only heal up a couple of days before I come back to school..."

"I'm sorry for what happened, Stormy..." she replied, stroking him gently.

"It's not your fault..." he replied, resting his hoof on her.

"But it is!" she protested. "If I haven't trusted him so much, then you'd be alright... Also, I'm sorry if it seemed as though I was more interested in him than in you..."

"It's alright, babe." he replied. "No need to apologize. He fooled both of us..."

"He fooled you too?" she asked, looking at Musclebuild being dragged into a carriage, belonging to the Ponyville Royal Guard.

"Yep." replied Storm. "And I'm sorry too... If I had been looking out for you properly, then this probably won't have happened. I'm a horrible coltfriend... and your dad's probably gonna murder me now..."

---

"Mr. Stormfire, sir?" asked a voice, belonging to a nurse, who woke Storm up from his long nap. He rubbed his eyes and his vision, slowly, but surely, became clearer. A moment later, after his vision had fully cleared up, Storm realized he was still in his hospital ward, still recovering from his fight with Musclebuild, which felt as though it happened a couple of days ago, despite only happening six hours back.

"Yes?" he groaned, stretching his bandaged hooves, which hurt him, but not as much as before.

"There's somepony here to see you." the nurse replied, opening the door to let Blue and her family into the room.

"Stormy!" she grinned, trotting up to him and nuzzling him. "I'm so glad you're okay..."

"Hey babe." he replied. "Hi, Mrs. Star and Mr. Solar..."

"I'm so happy you're okay..." said Star. "And thank you for keeping our daughter safe...you two are just wonderful together, you know that?"

"Aww..." they both blushed.

"I must say..." begun Solar. "I underestimated you, Stormfire. When I first met you, I thought you weren't anything special, and I never considered you right for my daughter... but now I've been proven wrong. You are perfect for her... there isn't any doubt about it."

"Thank you sir..." he replied, getting a pleasant grin from Blue.

"Now, I believe you should get your rest." replied Solar. "We'll leave you be for now, okay Storm?"

"Yes sir."

"No need to call me sir." he replied. "Just call me Solar."

"Alright... Solar."

"Blue, do you have anything to say to Storm?" asked Star.

"Yes..." she sighed, coming over to him. "Stormy, thank you for keeping me safe... and I'm sorry for bringing all that upon you. I hope you'll be able to forgive me."

"Hey, it's no problem." he smiled. "I'm always glad to help, Blue."

"But, you're injured..."

"Injured or not, that doesn't change anything." he replied, gently wrapping his wing around her body. "I still love you like crazy, babe."

"And I love you too, Stormy..." replied Blue, nuzzling against him. "Please, stay by my side..."

Author's Notes:

And that concludes Chapter 11, folks. Stay tuned for Chapter 12, which will be out very soon!

12. The Big Return

Several weeks later, the summer break came to an abrupt end and soon enough, it was time to return to school.

Storm sighed deeply as he walked up to the school building. The school grounds were still empty, except for a few students, as it was just after half past seven, which meant classes didn't start for about an hour or so. Rather reluctantly, Storm walked through the gates of the school and looked around. It had been over two months since he had last been here, and the school hadn't changed one bit. His nervousness only grew as he watched more students approach the building, but he couldn't make out his two friends, Singer and Violet. Maybe they'd both transferred schools... he thought to himself, fearing the worst. Another thing that deeply saddened Storm was that as the summer break was over, he could not see his lovely marefriend, Blue Night, as often as he wanted to.

Just then...

"Guess who?" said a voice from behind Storm, tapping his wing. Storm jumped into the air in shock, before landing back on the ground and turning around to see who it was. To his surprise, it was Singer and Violet, who were both laughing their heads off. "You should see... your face, Storm..."

"Hey guys." said Storm, a grin forming on his face.

"Hey Storm. How was your summer?" asked Violet.

"It's been amazing..." grinned Storm.

"What did you do?" asked Singer. "Did you go anywhere?"

"Well, no..." replied Storm. "But I did learn how to fly..." he explained, flapping his wings and taking off into the air to prove his point.

"Wow." grinned Violet. "That's amazing."

"Yep." replied Storm. "Anyways, did you guys go anywhere?"

"I went to Manehattan," replied Singer. "It's such an amazing place."

"What about you, Vi?" asked Storm.

"Well, I went to Mareami this year..." she said. "It's so warm and sunny there..."

"I can imagine." chuckled Storm.

"Hey Storm!"

"Huh?" Storm raised his eyebrows, before they all turned to face where the voice was coming from. To Storm's surprise, Blue was standing in front of the school gates. "Am I dreaming or something?"

"Who's that?" asked Singer.

"My marefriend." he replied, trotting back towards the school gates. "Blue..." he said, before nuzzling her.

"Surprised?" she asked.

"Very." grinned Storm. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I got transferred from West Cloudsdale High..." she explained. "My parents thought that I won't get bullied here and I'll have a better chance of success."

"Well, it's a good thing you're here, babe." replied Storm, before kissing her on the cheek. He then opened the gate to the school, letting her into the school grounds.

"Yeah..." she grinned.

"Oh, and meet my friends." he said, moving slightly to reveal Violet and Singer. "Blue, this is Violet and Singer."

"How'd you do?" asked Singer, outstretching his hoof.

"I'm very well, thank you." she replied, shaking it.

"Hello there." smiled Violet. "I'm Violet."

"Hi, I'm Blue." she replied.

"Anyways..." said Storm. "Do you guys wanna go in?"

"Sure!" they all replied in unison.

"Hey Storm."

"Huh?" he asked, turning around to face who it was. To his surprise, it was Summer and Hurricane. "Hi Summer."

"Hey." she grinned. "How was your summer?"

"It's been good." he replied. "Hi, Hurricane..."

"Hi." he simply said, before trotting off and leaving them all alone. "Well, that didn't go very well..."

"Yeah..." she sighed. "I have no idea why he just left..."

"Yeah. At least he isn't trying to punch me in the back of the head or something..." Storm groaned. "Anyways, Summer... you wanna come with us? We're all going up to the cafeteria."

"Sure." she grinned. As they walked into the school, Storm begun to notice an uneasy look on Blue's face.

"Hey babe?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just nervous, I guess, Stormy..." she replied. Storm wrapped his wing around her and smiled.

"It's alright..." he smiled. "I was nervous when I first came here too, but with the help of some friends, I got over it pretty quickly..."

"Really?" she asked. "Maybe I'll find some friends here..."

"Hey..." begun Singer. "Maybe we can be your friends."

"Yeah..." suggested Violet. "That is, if you want us to."

"I'd love that." she beamed. "Thanks Singer, Violet... and thank you, Storm."

"No problem, babe." he smiled. "I'll always be there for you."

---

The school day went by fairly quickly, much quicker than Storm and his friends, especially Blue, thought it would go. For once, Storm felt respected by most of the school's students, and even Hurricane, who used to bully him at every turn, tried to for once, be nice to him. However, what made Storm really happy was seeing his marefriend Blue for once fit in. She had made quite a few friends on that day, both within Storm's clique and outside of it, and she never felt happier.

A couple of hours had passed and it was time for the last period of the day, which was Storm's least favorite lesson of all; gym. While the other mares and stallions were heading to their respective classes, Storm stood next to his locker, shaking slightly. Just thinking about phys ed made Storm cringe. Although he had managed to learn to properly fly over the summer, he remained nervous about whether he was going to make it through the obstacle course or whether he was going to crash at every turn just like last time. However, he calmed down the moment he saw Blue approaching him. "Hey." he smiled a faint smile.

"Hi Stormy." she replied. "So, you ready for gym?"

"Yeah..." he put on a fake smile. "I am."

"You sure?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no, not really..." he groaned. "I'm kinda nervous about whether it'll go good."

"Don't be." she gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure it'll go good. Just believe in yourself and it'll go great."

"You sure?" Storm asked. "I mean... I still don't think I'm that good."

"You are, Stormy..." Blue nuzzled him. "Just try your best."

---

"Alright, y'all." begun the flight coach, facing the class, who were all lined up in a row and standing very still. "I want you all to fly through this obstacle course, especially you, Storm..."

Storm gulped, and looked at the obstacle course before him. It seemed even bigger than it was before the summer. "Yes sir..."

"Okay then." the coach said, motioning for him to go stand at the starting line. Storm gulped, before rather reluctantly walking up to it. "You'll start us off... I want to see if your mother had taken our advice and actually enrolled you at a flight school over the summer break..."

"Yes sir." he replied, turning back to look at Blue, who was giving him an encouraging smile, before turning to look at the obstacle course looming before him. This was it. There was no backing out now. Storm had to do this. He had to fly through the obstacle course without crashing. He just had to.

"Scared?" he asked.

"Me?" replied Storm, trying to put on a brave face. "Aw, no sir. I am... not..." he stuttered, looking over the edge of the cloud.

"Well, you should be..." he grinned, before turning back to look at the class. "Alright, you flightless birds! I am going to make mares and stallions out of you all! You will all fly through this obstacle course, between the Moving Pillars of Terror, through the Gauntlet of Terror and... I'm pretty sure you all remember the rest. Anyways, all of you... line up in rows of three!"

The class did as they were told, and two more students lined up next to Storm; Rainbow Dash and Hurricane Force. Storm gulped and his stomach churned as he looked over the cloud and at the obstacle course. He was having second thoughts about flying through the obstacle course, but he knew he had to.

"So, you ready for this?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, kinda..." shrugged Storm.

"You'll do great." she grinned. "I know it!"

"Thanks, Rainbow." Storm smiled, although that didn't calm him down one bit.

"What she said." replied Hurricane. "I think that if you try hard, you'll do great."

"Thanks, but why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?" asked Storm.

"Well..." begun Hurricane. "Look, the reason why I treated you like shit... was that... Nah, I'll tell you sometime else."

"Alright..." Storm sighed.

"And listen, about the way I've been treating you..." said Hurricane. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay..." replied Storm, smiling slightly.

"Do you maybe want to be friends?" asked Hurricane.

"Sure." grinned Storm. "We can be friends if you want."

"Alright, you all ready?!" shouted the coach.

"Yes sir!"

"Alright..." he said. "Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

"GO!"

Without any warning, the students took off and flew through the obstacle course, with Storm, Rainbow Dash and Hurricane staying in the lead. Storm turned around, and saw over a dozen other students, all fighting to get to first place, before turning back and noticing that Rainbow Dash and Hurricane had overtaken him and were at least a hundred feet in front of him. He groaned and flew back towards them, but not before he was overtaken by some others. Eventually, despite trying his hardest, Storm found himself at the very back, and while the other students were already at the Gauntlet, he was still at the moving pillars. But he wasn't alone, as Blue was there as well. She was trying her hardest to fly straight, but she just kept falling onto the cloud layer beneath her.

"You alright?" he asked, landing on the cloud layer and helping her up.

"Hi Stormy." she beamed. "I'm fine... I'm just trying to fly between these pillars... You know, our school had a similar obstacle course, but it was much more... unsafe."

"What do you mean 'unsafe'?" asked Storm.

"Well..." she begun. "All sorts of things. For example, we had some boxing gloves that were meant to come out and hit you if you didn't fly fast enough, but these broke during a really bad storm a couple of weeks ago and now, they keep hitting everyone, regardless of how fast you fly."

"Wow..." chuckled Storm. "Interesting stuff."

"Yeah..." she grinned. "Also, we had pillars too, but these weren't exactly made to withstand the elements and collapsed during the same storm. Our gauntlet was the only thing that remained standing, but the school district shut the entire course down, fearing that what remained may collapse onto something or somepony."

"Wow..." said Storm. "Don't worry. This obstacle course is safe."

"No no, it's not that." Blue replied. "It's... it's---I still haven't told my parents about my flight skills, or lack of."

"Blue, you gotta tell them." explained Storm. "These are your parents after all."

"What am I gonna tell them, Storm?" she asked. "'Mom, dad, I can't fly. Will you two teach me?' No! I'm too nervous to even try!"

"Blue, look..." replied Storm. "They're your parents. You need to tell them sooner or later..."

"But what if---" she asked, but was silenced by Storm.

"It'll be alright." replied Storm. "I'm sure they'd be more than happy to teach you."

"Alright..." she groaned nervously.

"Hey..." he begun, outstretching his hoof. "How about... I show you the basics of flight?"

"You'd do that?" she asked. "I mean, I'm pretty bad."

"No, no." he replied. "You're good. Stop doubting yourself, babe. Just try your best and you'll go far."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright..." she replied, grabbing hold of his hoof. Storm gave her a reassuring smile and trotted down the cloud layer with her. Just before they reached the edge of the cloud layer, they took off into the air, Blue still holding onto Storm's hoof.

"Okay." he said, as they neared the first couple of pillars. "I want you to flutter your wings."

"Got it." she replied, fluttering them.

"Good." said Storm. "Now, I want you to let go of my hoof, alright?"

"What? Are you crazy?!" she asked.

"Blue, you gotta trust me on this..." he explained. "And if you fall, I'll catch you. I promise."

"Alright..." she sighed, letting go of Storm's hoof and shutting her eyes. However, to her amazement, she was actually flying properly. "Oh my gosh..."

"See?" grinned Storm. "I told you."

"This is amazing..." she said, flying after Storm, who guided her through the first couple of pillars. "Thank you, Stormy."

"No problem, babe." he said, winking at her. Eventually, the two managed to make it through all of the pillars, and reached the second stage of the obstacle course; the Gauntlet of Terror, however, Storm and Blue both managed to make it through the gauntlet without any problems. The next and penultimate stage was the Rubber Balls of Terror, which were much more difficult to fly through as they were packed so closely together, however, they managed to make it through that as well.

Eventually, they managed to catch up to the rest of the students, who were all trying (and failing) to get through the final stage, which was added in during the summer break; the Boxing Gloves of Terror. "Oh, crap..." groaned Storm. "This is gonna be a tough one..."

"Luckily, I know how to get through these." grinned Blue.

"You do?" asked Storm.

"Yep." she replied. "Remember what I told you about our school's obstacle course?"

"Yep." he replied.

"We need to build up our speed if we want to make it through to the finish line." she said. "This was one of the first flight lessons I had with my parents, you know that?"

"Really?" asked Storm.

"Yep." replied Blue. "Anyways, let's do this."

"Alright..." he grinned. "Let's do this. Grab hold of my hoof, alright? I don't want you to get hit."

"Okay." she shrugged, before grabbing hold of Storm's outstretched hoof. He gave her a reassuring wink before they both flew off towards the finish line, at the fastest speeds they could go at. Storm narrowly dodged the boxing gloves, which seemed to come out of nowhere.

Eventually, they reached the finish line, both of them out of breath and panting heavily. Just then, the coach landed in front of them, with a proud grin on his face.

"Well, Stormfire and whatever your name is..." he begun.

"Blue Night, sir." she replied.

"I underestimated you both." he replied. "Well done for finishing the obstacle course, however, next time, no holding hooves. I consider that cheating." he said, his smile disappearing from his face. Storm and Blue blushed slightly and stepped away from each other. The coach soon left to turn off the boxing gloves, leaving them both alone.

"That was amazing, Stormy..." she grinned, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks babe." he grinned. "You didn't do bad yourself."

"Thanks Storm." she replied.

"Dude, that was awesome!" said Rainbow Dash, landing next to him. "How did you get through?"

"Yeah, how?" asked Hurricane, who had several bruises on his body.

"With a little help from Blue here." he grinned.

"Aww." she blushed. "Thank you, Stormy."

---

Eventually, the bell rang, which meant it was time to go home. While Storm and Blue were walking together and talking about how their day went, Storm's wing was tapped by someone. He turned around and he paused, noticing that it was the principal.

"Afternoon, Mr. Principal sir." he said, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"Hello Stormfire, Blue Night." the principal said. "I just wanted a quick word with you, Storm, if that's alright with you."

"Am I in trouble, sir?" asked Storm, shaking slightly.

"No, no..." he replied. "It's actually about your flying skills. Miss Blue?"

"Yes sir?" asked Blue.

"You head off home now, alright?" he asked. "Storm will join you in a couple of minutes."

"Alright." she shrugged. "See you, Stormy."

"Bye." he grinned a goofy grin, before snapping out of it, and realizing that he was standing next to the principal. "You wanted to speak with me, sir?"

"Ah, yes." replied the principal. "Your flying skills are impressive. The coach told me all about your efforts today, and I must say, your flying skills are some of the best I've seen so far."

"Thank you sir." replied Storm.

"However..." explained the principal. "You should really think about doing something to make your flying better. I'm thinking that you should get a part-time job."

"A part-time job?" Storm raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, Storm." replied the Principal. "There are many places around the city that can offer students with above-average flight skills employment. You should visit the Weather Factory over at Alderneigh Boulevard and see if they have any vacant jobs."

"Yes sir..." replied Storm, nervousness growing inside of him.

---

"Good night, kids." said Equinox, turning off the lights on the top floor of the house. It was now around 10 PM, and Storm was having trouble sleeping, as he was too busy thinking, thinking about what the principal said to him after school.

"Night mom." replied Gust Wind and Mist in unison.

"Mom?"

"Yeah, Storm?" she asked, opening the door to his room and walking inside.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked, lying underneath the bed sheets.

"Sure." she smiled. "You can tell me anything."

"Well, today, I talked with the principal, and he says he's really impressed with my flight skills..." replied Storm. "And he even suggested that I get a part-time job."

"Woah, really?" she asked. Storm only nodded in reply. "Well, I personally think you should, son."

"He said I should look for vacant jobs in the Weather Factory," replied Storm, growing more and more nervous. "I honestly don't know if I should... I don't consider myself mature enough for a part-time job."

"Oh, nonsense," she said. "You are mature enough."

"Yeah?" he scoffed. "How?"

"Well... by being there for your marefriend; by looking after Mist when she's sick or when me and dad are at work, by standing up for ponies you care for... That's maturity, Storm," explained Equinox. "And I must say, I am darn proud of you for doing so well."

"Thanks, mom..." he smiled, as she stroked his mane.

"No problem son." she said, before sighing.

"What's wrong?" asked Storm

"Nothing, nothing..." Equinox sighed. "It's just that...you've grown up, my son... I just wish that... me and dad could be there for you always..."

"Mom..." said Storm. "You'll always be my mother... and I'll always love you."

"And I'll always love you, my son," she said, some tears rolling out of her eyes before she kissed him goodnight on the forehead. "Sleep well. You have a long day at school tomorrow."

---

After school and eating dinner back home, Storm made his way to the east side of town towards the Weather Factory, where he was hoping to get his first job. As much as he was excited about getting a new job (and maybe finding out his special talent), he was nervous, and by nervous, I mean very nervous.

Eventually, he reached the Weather Factory, a rather towering building made of water ice, and after peering in and looking around through the glass door, he walked into the building's lobby.

"Hi there." said the receptionist, noticing Storm walking up to her desk. "How may I help?"

"Uh..." begun Storm, shaking slightly. "I'm here to apply for a part-time job."

"Alright, sir," she said, taking out a notepad. "Name?"

"Stormfire." replied Storm.

"Age and date of birth?" she asked.

"I'm sixteen, and I was born on February 21." he replied.

"And lastly, do you know anypony who works here, like a relative or a friend?" she asked.

"Both my parents." he replied.

"Alright then," she replied, before picking up her phone and dialing somepony, presumably Storm's supervisor. "Lightning?"

Yeah?

"There's a pony here to see you in the lobby." she said.

Alright, I'll be down in a sec.

"Okay," she replied, putting down the phone on the desk. "Alright, sir. Lightning Fast, your new supervisor, will be down to see you in a couple of minutes. You may sit down if you wish."

"Alright. Thank you, ma'am," he replied, sitting down on a nearby chair. A couple of minutes had passed, and the door to the elevator in front of Storm slid open, revealing a yellow Pegasus with a purple mane and a streak of white lightning as his cutie mark.

"Stormfire?" asked Lightning Fast, walking towards him.

"That's me." replied Storm, standing up and facing him.

"My name is Lightning Fast, and I'll be your supervisor around here," he said, before turning and leading Storm through a hallway, which led to an office. "Follow me, please."

A moment later, they arrived at Lightning Fast's office.

"Sit down, please. Anywhere you wish," said Lightning, sitting down behind his desk. Storm shrugged and sat down on a couch, beside a water cooler. "I understand that you are looking for a part-time job. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir." he replied.

"I heard a lot of good things about your flying caliber, and that you're one of the better flight students at the North Cloudsdale High School," he explained, a smirk adorning his face. "And I also heard about your attention span, and your concentration skills, which are all good enough for this job. I would gladly recommend starting off on the cloud-busting team. You would work on weekends from nine AM til three PM, and if you perform good, we'll move you to a higher-ranking position."

"Yes, sir."

"Since you're 16 you won't be getting the benefits, let's say, your parents are getting, for example," Lightning explained. "Your parents work here, right? Equinox Moon and High Wind?"

"Yep."

"Luckily for you, since you're classed as a young worker, your wages will be tax-exempt until you turn 18. Do you know how taxation works?"

"Somewhat..." Storm nodded in response. "A small part of my income will be taxed, won't it?"

"Yeah, exactly. Are you on your parents' health insurance plan? I'd imagine you are at your age."

"Yeah, I am."

"Have you ever had any serious...accidents?"

"Aside from a few scrapes back when I was a kid, not really."

"Any involving your wings?"

"I can't really recall," Storm responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"Pay starts at minimum wage, roughly 8 bits an hour, and if you do well enough, we'll raise it to $9.50 an hour. Sound fair?"

"Yep."

"So, you think you'll be able to handle the stress and the hard work of being a weather pony?" asked Lightning, fixing a slight grin on his face.

"Yes, sir." gulped Storm.

"Excellent." he smiled. "You start Saturday. 9 AM, no tardiness. No excuses."

13. Tornado Warning

Saturday morning...
After arriving a couple of minutes before time and being shown around the Weather Factory, Storm was ready to start his new job on the cloud-busting team. He looked over the platform on which he was standing on and through a truly massive glass door, which he presumed would open to allow the cloud-busting team to fly out of the building. It was a rather cloudy day, with rain showers or thunderstorms forecast to hit Cloudsdale later on in the day. In other words, it was perfect weather for some cloud-busting. Just then, his supervisor, Lightning Fast came over to a large podium, which stood between Storm and another pony, and tapped the microphone, before clearing his throat.

"Alright, folks." he begun, looking to see some weather ponies gather around him. "As most of you will know, our first thunderstorm in two weeks will happen today, and as you will all know, thunderstorms cannot happen if the sky is already cloudy, plus, we still want ponies to enjoy what's left of summer. So, I would like you all to clear up the sky over Cloudsdale and the towns which surround our beautiful city. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" they all replied in unison, including Storm.

"Good." he replied. "In a few minutes, I will open this door and you will all fly out and clear up every cloud over the entire area. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright." he said. "In the meantime, I would like you all to prepare yourselves. This will most likely take you all at least a couple of hours, so I would like you all to get ready. You'll be tired as hay by the time you get back. Also, we have a new recruit today on the cloud-busting team. His name is Stormfire and I want you all to make him feel welcome."

"Yes sir." they all replied, watching Lightning Fast walk off the podium and into his office. Storm gulped, peering over the platform on which he was standing on, before looking around and noticing the other weather ponies around him preparing themselves. He looked outside again, noticing the sky becoming grayer and grayer every second, and he started to shiver in fright, thinking that the thunderstorm had hit Cloudsdale earlier than he expected. However, he then remembered what Lightning had said about thunderstorms not being able to form if it is already cloudy, and sighed in relief, coming to the conclusion that there was little-to-no chance of being struck by lightning, at least right now.

Just then, the massive glass door opened, and an air horn sounded, echoing through the weather factory. Storm gulped as he watched the other weather ponies prepare for takeoff, before remembering that he was here to prove himself and impress his supervisor.

"Alright." Lightning spoke through the loudspeakers. "You all ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright." he grinned, sounding the air horn again. "Off you go!"

Suddenly, practically every Pegasus in this part of the Weather Factory flew out of the open door and up into the sky, including Storm, who stayed far behind the rest and watched them clean up the sky, completely awestruck.

"Hey, recruit!" shouted a voice from a cloud above Storm. "A little help up here?!"

"Oops, sorry!" he said, flying up towards the cloud. The stallion which stood on it was Lightning Fast's assistant, a rather small, yet buff middle-aged Pegasus named Tornado. He had a yellow-brown coat and a very light yellow mane, which was slowly becoming grayer and grayer with each passing month. "Yes... sir?"

"Get to work." he growled. "Now."

"Alright..." replied Storm, who flew high into the sky, before suddenly pausing in mid-air. "Question. How do you cloud bust?"

"You simply fly through the cloud." replied Tornado. "Now, off you go!"

"Yes sir..." Storm gulped, before flying towards a patch of cloud, around a mile from where he was, that was untouched by the Pegasi. He stopped, and touched the cloud, which disappeared after Storm touched it. His eyes widened in shock, before a grin formed on his face, and suddenly, he shot through the cloud and begun to virtually erase it off the sky. Minutes passed, and most of the cloud over East Cloudsdale had disappeared, leaving a nice blue sky in its wake. Storm grinned and prepared to turn back and fly back to the others, when somepony tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and to Storm's shock, it was Tornado.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he asked, with an angry tone in his voice.

"Clearing up the sky...?" Storm asked rather awkwardly.

"Cloud-busting is a team effort, you dunce!" shouted the stallion, watching Storm's previously proud grin disappear completely off his face and being replaced by a rock-hard glare. "You're sitting this one out!"

"You could have told me this earlier!" he shouted.

"Silence!" replied Tornado in a booming voice. "Get back to the factory, now!"

"Sheesh." groaned Storm, before flying back to the factory.

Storm sat at a lunch table in the factory cafeteria and stared out of the window. Thanks to the hard work of the cloud-busting team, the sky was becoming more and more blue every second. Storm sighed deeply, finally realizing his mistake. Cloud-busting is a team effort, and Storm was not being part of a team, nor was he trying to be. While he waited for his supervisor to come and lecture him on teamwork (or possibly suspend or fire him), he begun to notice a cyan Pegasus with a dark blue mane approach his table.

"You know..." begun the Pegasus, coming over to him. "Lunch break isn’t until an hour."

"Who the hell are you?" asked Storm, turning to look at him with a scornful glare.

"My name's Blue Skye." the Pegasus replied, sitting right next to Storm.

"Nice, nice," Storm snarked. “Kind of suits you well.”

"Yeah, well. I just wanted to ask, what are you doing here? Aren't you on the cloud-busting team?" he asked.

"Isn't everypony here?" scoffed Storm.

"Uh, I'm not." Blue replied. "I used to be but they moved me to the cloud-manufacturing team."

"I just wanted to ask you, why are you sitting beside me?" asked Storm. "I don't even know you."

"I've seen you before." replied Blue.

"You have?" gasped Storm. "Where?"

"You go to my school." he replied. "We’re in a couple of classes together."

"I don't remember seeing you or anypony who looks remotely similar to you in ANY of my classes." replied Storm.

"You go to my physical education class." he groaned. "And to my physics class. And lemme guess... you're Stormfire, right?"

"Yeah..." replied Storm. "Wait, now I remember you…you’re going out with Summer Skies’ twin sister, right?”

“How’d you guess?”

“I used to go out with Summer for a while…then she dumped me, so there’s that.”

“Oh,” Blue responded. “Well, anyways. I'm just wanting to ask why you're sitting here."

"Does it concern you in any way?" countered Storm.

"No..." sighed Blue. "But I'm just curious."

"Ugh, fine. If it gets you off my back..." sighed Storm. "Your supervisor's assistant removed me from today's cloud-busting schedule."

"Tornado can be like that sometimes." he replied. "But once you get to know him, he can be quite a nice guy."

"You wanna know why?" asked Storm. "Because I wasn't working in a team. Last time I checked, in this society, it's every stallion for himself when it comes to work."

"True, but that doesn't mean that you can't work as a team." he replied. "In fact, in many jobs, you simply have to."

"I guess so." sighed Storm. "What's your supervisor gonna do? Fire me?"

"My dad wouldn't do that unless you do something really wrong." explained Blue. "He would most likely give you a short lecture on how to act as a weather pony."

"Lightning Fast is your dad?" asked Storm.

"Yep." Blue grinned proudly.

"Are you and your dad the only ponies in your family who work here?" asked Storm. "Both my parents work here."

"Nope. Me and my dad aren't the only members of our family who work as weather ponies. Both my parents work here as well. They aren't the first members of my family who work here, and most likely they aren't the last." Blue replied. "Weather is something that runs in the family, at least for six generations."

"Wow..." gasped Storm. "Don't you maybe think it's time for a change?"

"What?" Blue Skye gasped, looking at Storm with an expression of shock. "Absolutely not."

"Suit yourself." Storm shrugged.

Just then, the door to the cafeteria opened and Lightning Fast stepped into the room, Storm knowing very well why he was there.

"Hi dad." said Blue.

"Hey son." replied Lightning. "Aren't you meant to be at work?"

"I've done my job for the day." he replied. "They let me go back home earlier."

"That's good." replied Lightning. "You head on home now, alright?"

"Yeah. Bye." said Blue Skye, before leaving the cafeteria.

"See you, son." he replied, before turning to face Storm, wearing a scowl on his face. "Why are you not outside doing your job?"

"He... sent me back here." replied Storm.

"I'm not stupid, Stormfire." growled Lightning Fast. "What did you do wrong?"

"Lack of teamwork." sighed Storm.

"I see." he replied, still retaining his scowl. "You know, a job in weather is something that requires you to interact with different ponies. Teamwork increases productivity, and productivity is something that's unfortunately been slipping here over the past couple of years. Teamwork is key to your success as a weather pony, Stormfire. This is NOT a one-stallion job, nor will it ever be. Understand?'

"I understand, sir." replied Storm.

"That's a good thing." said Lightning Fast. "Anyways, since you're new here, I'm going to give you a warning. I see you on your own one more time, and I'll personally see to it that you're cleaning restrooms. Alright?"

"Yes sir." sighed Storm. "I'll work with the others."

"Good." he smiled. "Now, I want you to get back to the others."

"Fine..." he sighed, before making his way down to the platforms, where, unfortunately, Tornado was waiting for him.

"There you are..." he smirked, watching Storm walk up to his platform. "I expect much better from you this time. You understand?"

"Yes sir." Storm said in an emotionless voice.

"Alright." he replied. "Now remember. If I catch you doing something you're not meant to be doing, I will personally see to it that you're off this team and outta here. I don't give a crap about what Lightning Fast thinks of you, you understand? I am his superior, which also means I am your superior, and you must do exactly as I say."

"Yes sir." Storm replied, preparing himself for whatever he was going to do next.

"Don't 'yes sir' me!" replied Tornado. "It's 'yes, Mr. Tornado, sir!'."

"Yes, Mr. Tornado, sir." grumbled Storm.

"More enthusiasm please."

"Yes, Mr. Tornado, sir!"

"Alright." he grinned proudly, before walking up the podium and clearing his throat into the microphone. "Alright, you lazy bums! You see what's going on outside?!"

Storm looked through the glass door, which was now closed, and gasped. It was raining heavily outside, and the sky was much, much darker than usual. A sudden flash of lightning shone into the weather factory and a rumble of thunder echoed through the building, causing most of the weather ponies to shiver in fear, except Storm, who was both mentally and physically preparing himself for whatever he was going to be doing.

"Yes sir." the weather ponies replied in unison.

"Alright." smirked Tornado, before turning to look at a mare on the team. "Misty?"

"Yes sir?"

"Tell me what the weather is like outside."

"Stormy, sir."

"Excellent." said Tornado, turning away from her to face a stallion. "Storm Blaze?"

"Sir?"

"Tell me the most important thing about flying through a thunderstorm."

"Fly slowly, and close to the ground."

"Great." smiled Tornado. "I would like you all, including you, Stormfire..." he fixed his eyes on Storm, who backed away slightly in fear. Some of the mares and stallions on the team chuckled to themselves, which made him even more uncomfortable than he already was. "...to make it so that there is not even an inch of blue sky left."

Storm turned to look out of the glass door again, and noticed a patch of blue sky in the distance, which was untouched by the stormy clouds, before turning back to look at the other weather ponies, who were all preparing themselves for what they were going to be doing; making the entire sky gray. He gulped, not knowing exactly how he was going to do it, before raising his hoof.

"Yes?" asked Tornado.

"Uh... sir?" asked Storm. "How exactly are we going to make the entire sky gray?"

"Bucking newbie..." muttered Tornado under his breath, turning away from Storm, before turning back to face him. "Uh, I was hoping somepony will show you."

"Who?"

"Storm Blaze?" asked Tornado, turning to look at the stallion.

"Yes sir?"

"Can you teach the recruit how to darken the sky?"

"I'll sure try, sir." said the stallion, in a slightly southern accent. Storm gulped yet again, watching the glass door in front of him slide open. Within seconds, it grew noticeably colder in the factory and rain blew in from outside, which pleased Tornado; he liked to watch his team attempt to withstand the elements.

"Oh, and tell me what he's been doin'. Alright?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright!" shouted Tornado through the microphone. "You all better be bucking ready! I want you to cover any last inch of blue sky over Cloudsdale up with thick gray cloud. This thunderstorm will not be a success if there are still patches of blue sky visible, and we really need the rain." He then pulled out an air horn and pressed the button, causing the sound to echo through the factory building and in everypony's ears, including Storm's. "Get going!"

Suddenly, all the weather ponies on the team flew out of the factory, including Storm, who trailed behind them all. He had never flown during a thunderstorm before, but he could tell that the other weather ponies have. In fact, it seemed as though they were built to withstand such conditions. Rain lashed at him from every corner of the sky and he was beginning to want to turn back, however he then remembered that if he flew slowly and close to the ground, he had a chance of making it through the thunderstorm safely. He then nosedived towards the ground, before pulling up just a couple of feet before he reached the ground and following the others towards the patch of blue sky, which was over the Cloudsdale Arena, a place he used to frequent as a colt. The rain seemed to calm down the closer the weather ponies got to the arena, which for Storm, was a good thing.

"So, you ready?" asked Storm Blaze, who was flying ten-twenty feet before him.

"Yeah..." replied Storm. "Sorta."

"Relax, dude." he said. "This is actually one of the easiest things you can do as a weather pony."

"Really?"

"Yep." he replied. "All you have to do is just drag the cloud with your hooves."

"It's that easy?" Storm chuckled to himself.

"Yep." he replied, before turning away from Storm to look at the weather ponies before him, who flew up into the air and begun to fill in the hole in the clouds. "Just do what I'm doing, alright?!"

"Okay." replied Storm, watching him fly up into the air to join the others. Storm Blaze then begun to drag the cloud with his hoof and begun to cover what remained of the sky with it.

"Why don't you try it?" asked Storm Blaze.

"Well, okay..." he replied, flying up into the air and dragging the rest of the cloud over. "Wow... this is easy."

"Well, no shit." chuckled Storm Blaze.

Maybe I still have a chance at this... Storm thought to himself, his confidence slowly beginning to grow. A grin formed on his face, and he dragged every remaining inch of cloud over the blue sky, and helped the others fill in the gap in the clouds. In fact, with Storm's help, it had taken the weather ponies far less time to fill in the sky than usual. He did not expect himself to be so good.

Eventually, the sky over the Cloudsdale Arena was fully covered with thick, gray cloud, and a rumble of thunder sounded overhead. A moment or two later, lightning flashed several times over the city skyline several miles in the distance, before it begun to rain over the Arena. The group of weather ponies cheered, having done a good job with darkening the sky.

"That was great!" said Storm Blaze. "The boss is gonna be really proud. Especially of you, Storm. You did exceptionally well, and to think that you're a beginner."

"Really?" Storm gasped.

"Yeah, really!" he grinned.

"Thanks dude."

"No problem." replied Storm Blaze. "We should all be heading back now. This storm's gonna get really ugly."

---

The Local Weather Administration in Cloudsdale has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for all of Cloudsdale County. As of right now, the storm is moving eastwards towards Ponyville County at around ten miles per hour, and while it isn't tornadic, it is very dangerous and energetic, with heavy rains, damaging winds, lightning and possible hail reported on the outskirts of town and at the airport. If you are outside anywhere in the Cloudsdale area, I would suggest getting inside and waiting for the storm to pass. Thank you for listening and please stay tuned for further details.

Lightning Fast switched off the radio in his office, and sipped on some hot chocolate. He looked outside through his window and noticed that the storm had really kicked off. Rain battered the window relentlessly, and lightning flashed outside, illuminating the inside of the factory.

"Where the buck are they all?" he murmured to himself, wondering where the cloud-busting team was.

Just then, the glass door to the factory opened and the weather ponies flew in, drenched in rainwater, especially Storm, who trailed behind the rest of the group.

"That... was bucking awesome!" grinned Storm, shaking the rainwater off his body like a wet dog.

"I agree." replied Storm Blaze. "It's one of the best things about being a weather pony; you get to fly anywhere you want."

"That was good, y'all." said Tornado, walking up to the microphone on the podium. "I must say, we're doing better than I expected us to. Storm Blaze?"

"Yes sir?"

"Has Stormfire been working with the team?"

"Yes sir. He sure has. In fact, he's been doing the most."

"He helped us fill in the gap in the cloud." said one weather pony.

"And he did it in record time too!" said another.

"Alright..." replied Tornado. "Hm... If Stormfire is so good... how about we move him to a higher rank?"

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Storm, nervousness growing inside of him. "I mean, I just joined."

"I mean, move you to the cloud-manufacturing department... just to see how well you're doing." he smirked.

"How--how do you make clouds though...?" asked Storm, shivering slightly.

"You'll learn eventually." he smirked. "Be here next Saturday, 9 AM sharp. I'll personally show you that being a weather pony is not just about flying through clouds and clearing up the sky. You have a hay of a lot to learn, recruit."

Author's Notes:

So, here's chapter 13, everypony. Sorry for the long wait; I had an insanely busy week, but now that it's the weekend, I hope to write up chapter 14 and also finish up a one-shot story I started back in January. Stay tuned for more.

(This chapter was going to be much longer originally and was going to explain his second day on the job, but I figured it would have been too much for one chapter. The next chapter, which I hope to have out tomorrow, will focus on his first day in the cloud-manufacturing department)

14. Cloudmaker

The next Saturday...
"Storm, you'll do great." said Blue, as they both walked through the city towards the Weather Factory. It was around 8:35 AM, which gave Storm twenty-five minutes to get to work on time. "I know you will."

"Thanks for believing in me babe, but I seriously don't think I'm that good." replied Storm, looking rather unsure. It had been one whole week since he joined the Cloudsdale weather team, and much to his surprise and shock, he was moved to a higher rank, on his first day no less.

"Aw, don't put yourself down like that, Stormy." she said, nuzzling his side. "You are good. I mean, if you weren't good then they wouldn't have moved you up a rank on your first day."

"Good point." he chuckled.

"Yeah, just believe in yourself." she replied. "Believe in yourself and it'll all go good."

"You sure?"

"Positive." Blue smiled. "Just try your best, Stormy, because I believe in you."

"Alright." he gave her an understanding smile. A couple of minutes later, they had arrived at the Weather Factory, and after getting a goodbye kiss from Blue, Storm walked up the stairs to the Factory building. He then walked through the revolving door and entered the building's lobby, which seemed much bigger than it was the week before. But Storm knew he eventually had to get used to the building's massive size. He looked around the lobby, and walked up to the reception desk, where the same receptionist mare from last week was sitting.

"Morning." she smiled, putting down her quill. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Tornado here today?" asked Storm.

"He sure is!" she smiled. "You must be the new guy on the cloud-manufacturing team, right?"

"Yep." he replied.

"Alright then." the receptionist said, picking up her phone and dialing Tornado's work number. "Sir, there's somepony here to see you."

Is it the new guy?

"Yep. That's him."

About time. Alright, I'll be down to get him in a few minutes.

"Alright." she smiled, hanging up the call and putting the phone down on her desk. "He'll be here in a couple of minutes. Why don't you take a seat?"

"Alright." Storm shrugged, going to sit down on a couch, right next to a water cooler.

A couple of minutes later, the doors to the elevator right next to the receptionist's desk slid open and Tornado stepped out of it. Storm gulped, watching his boss walk towards him, looking at him with threatening eyes.

"Well well well." he sneered. "I didn't expect to see you here today. In fact, I expected you to chicken out and go cry to your momma like a mare would, but instead, you showed up, and just in time too."

"Morning...sir." Storm stuttered.

"STAND UP STRAIGHT!" he shouted.

"Yes sir." replied Storm, standing up straight.

"Very good. You seem to know how to respond to basic instructions." Tornado smirked. "Now, tell me... Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"That's 'Ready for what, Mr. Tornado, sir?' to you!"

"Ready for what, Mr. Tornado, sir?" asked Storm.

"For your first day as a cloud-maker, that's what." he smirked darkly. "Follow me."

Tornado then pushed open a door and motioned for Storm to follow him down a long corridor, which led to Lightning Fast's main office. However, just before they reached the door to his office, they turned right and walked down another long corridor, which led to a large, metal door. The door had a small lock on it, a type of which Storm had never seen before, which had a digital display that said "SWIPE CARD". Above the lock was a large, white warning sign, with a red border around it that read "CLOUD MANUFACTURING CHAMBER. CONTAMINATION WARNING. NO UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS." in big bold lettering. Storm gulped as he read what it said on the sign.

Tornado then pulled out a small keycard with his details printed on it in bold lettering, and swiped it in the lock. A moment later, a whirring noise sounded from above and the metal door begun to open. Another moment later, and the large, slow-moving door opened, allowing Storm and Tornado to go inside.

"Welcome to the cloud-manufacturing facility." he said, motioning for Storm to look into the department. Storm gasped as he peered through the open door; the cloud-manufacturing department was huge. In fact, Storm was sure it could be considered a building in its own right, as it was seperated from the main building of the Weather Factory by a series of corridors. He looked around in delight, and noticed several large machines standing there, including a large tube that extended out of the building itself, which looked to be slightly similar to his grandma's old gramophone horn, only except it was much, much bigger. The tube was connected to several pipes, which all in turn connected to a large tank that was being operated by two or three weather ponies. There were also several other machines which worked together to make the clouds form Storm watched on as the factory produced the very first clouds of the day, his jaws having dropped to the floor. "This, in my humble opinion, is the real weather factory."

"It looks awesome." he said, not taking his eyes off the machinery.

"It sure is." replied Tornado, looking on proudly. "Anyways...I would like to introduce you to somepony special. Somepony who you'll have to listen to and respect at all times. Am I clear, recruit?!"

"Yes, sir." gulped Storm, unsure about who the 'special somepony' that Tornado mentioned is.

"Follow me." grinned Tornado, leading him down a set of stairs, which seemed to go on forever, despite being only five stories high. They then walked through the facility, up to a large podium which stood next to a large water tank. On the podium stood a blue-white mare, wearing a hard hat. She had a white and slowly graying mane and Storm presumed she was the supervisor for this department, and she was talking to another mare who had just arrived. He could also just about make out her cutie mark, a single snow cloud with two snowflakes of an identical shape falling out of it. "Hey Snowy." Tornado smiled. She then turned around, and gave him a friendly smile, before turning back to tell the mare something. The other mare soon left, leaving them alone.

"Hey sweetheart." she smiled as well, walking off the podium and towards Tornado and Storm. The mare appeared to be close to Tornado's age, and was around two or three inches taller than him. "Is this our new recruit?"

"Yep." he chuckled heartily, causing Storm to feel somewhat awkward. "Why don't you introduce yourself, Storm?"

"Hi, ma'am." begun Storm. "My name is Stormfire."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Snowfyre. My name is Snow Cloud, but please, feel free to call me Snow. I am the supervisor for this department." she smiled, shaking his hoof. "Welcome to the cloud-manufacturing department. I'm sure you're familiar with the basics of cloud-manufacturing."

"Uh, I'm not really..." he grinned, rather awkwardly. Did she just mispronounce my name?

"What?" she raised an eyebrow. "The paperwork states you're one of the most experienced weather ponies from the Vanhoover team. So, you're telling me-"

"Sweetie, that transfer from Vanhoover is called Snowfyre." Tornado corrected her. "This kid is called Stormfire, and I'll guarantee you. He's the best weather pony we've ever seen, that is, when it comes to cloud-busting. However, when it comes to making clouds, he still has a hay of a lot of work to do."

"Oh, right. Stormfire..." she realized her mistake. "I seriously need to get my hearing checked out...Well, anyways. Welcome to the cloud-making department. Before the bell rings, which will be in about ten-fifteen minutes, I would like to show you around the building."

"Alright." he replied, but before he could walk off with Snow Cloud, he was stopped by Tornado, who leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Hey Storm. Just remember..." begun Tornado, whispering into his ear. "You fail this, and I am kicking you off the weather team. Right off. If you're really as good as they said you were last week, then try to make a cloud. Just try..."

After being shown around the building, Storm was ready to start his first day as a cloud-maker. However, despite wanting to prove himself to Tornado, he was scared. Scared of what tasks Tornado had in store for him and whether he was going to impress him or not, but perhaps, the thing that frightened Storm most was failure. He was afraid of failing this, and afraid of what his family was going to think of him, especially his father, who Storm had to admit, had been putting a lot of pressure on him lately when it came to work. This often meant that after High Wind came back from work (he and Equinox only worked on weekdays), he often gave Storm long and somewhat boring lectures and pep talks on the 'art' of making clouds, that is, what High Wind remembered about making clouds (as he was now on the cloud-busting team). But Storm knew that these lectures, as boring and pointless as they may have seemed, would help him in succeeding as a cloud-making weather pony.

Suddenly, the annoying and ear-piercing sound of an air horn echoed through the building. Storm snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see the weather ponies gather around Snow Cloud's podium, including one of his 'acquaintances' from last week; Blue Skye. Storm stepped away from the cloud tank he was leaning on and walked up to Snow Cloud's podium and watched her come on stage.

"Good morning." she spoke into the microphone in a rather friendly voice, far friendlier than Tornado's. "I hope you're all wide awake and ready for action, as today we are expected to produce no less than seventy-five and no more than eighty-five clouds. Are you all ready?"

"Yes ma'am." the weather ponies, including Storm, replied in unison.

"That's good." she smiled. "Also, we have a new weather pony joining us here today. His name is Stormfire and he just got moved up a rank from the cloud-busting team. Why don't you come up to the front to introduce yourself, Storm?"

"Alright." he shrugged, already being used to large crowds. After making his way through the twenty-thirty weather ponies who worked in this department, he walked up the couple of steps to the podium, where Snow Cloud was standing at. She moved over to the side, allowing him to stand in front of the microphone. Storm looked over the sea of weather ponies, before clearing his throat.

"Uh, good morning." he begun. "My name is Stormfire, and I just got moved up from the cloud-busting team. And yeah."

Woo!

Go Storm!

Storm then gave the microphone back to Snow Cloud and stepped off the podium, before going to stand right in front of it.

"I would like you all to make Storm feel as welcome as possible." she said, glancing at Storm who stood just in front of the podium. "Anyways, we are running low on reserve water supplies, so I would like the Tornado Team to fly over to Lake Maresco, which is a 35-mile long flight to the southwest. However, it is within the boundaries of Ponyville County and it is rather easy to notice from above, so I don't see any reason why any of you shouldn't be able to reach it. We're expecting around 1,100 gallons of fresh water by 2:45 PM. This department's been in enough trouble over the past few weeks due to some lazy employees and some poorly made clouds. The last thing we need is for the boss to find out we didn't make the necessary amount of clouds, so get to it."

"Yes ma'am."

Tornado team? Storm thought to himself as he watched the team prepare for take-off.

"Alright." she said, taking out a remote control from underneath her hard hat and pressing a button on it. Suddenly, a loud and repetitive beeping noise sounded, and a large hatch right next to the main cloud tank slowly opened. Storm looked outside, not realizing that he was in the way of the tornado team.

"Ready."

"Set."

"Go!"

Storm turned around, and before he knew it, he was trampled over by the tornado team, all trotting out of the factory at the same time. After they all left, he groaned and got up, before dusting himself off and watching the hatch close. He then turned around to notice Tornado standing there, literally laughing his head off.

"What's so funny?" he groaned.

"Nothing, nothing, recruit." he chuckled. "You're already off to a fine start. Now, get over here." Tornado's laugh disappeared at the end of his sentence and was replaced with a deathly glare.

"Okay." Storm replied, flying over to where he was standing. "So...what are we going to be doing?"

"Well, I was hoping you could show me how to make a cloud." replied Tornado. "That is, if you can. Go ahead. I'm going to get me some coffee, and once I come back, which will be in at least five or ten minutes, I expect your cloud to be done."

"But sir, how big does it have to be?" asked Storm, shivering slightly in fright.

"Doesn't matter, recruit." he replied. "Just make a cloud...ON THE BUCKIN' DOUBLE!"

"Okayokay." replied Storm frantically, watching Tornado fly off towards the cafeteria, which was on the other side of the building, and give him one last deathly glare, before trotting off to the one of the first cloud-making machines he saw; the cloud tank. This was one of three cloud tanks in the entire buildings, and was much smaller than the other two, which stretched up to the ceiling in height, but to Storm, it still was pretty massive. It was around three or four times his size, and had at least three or four gallons of water in it, which wasn't a lot, considering that Snow Cloud had asked for over a thousand gallons of water by midday. Upon arriving at the console which operated the tank, Storm inspected it closely. There were several buttons and levers, but what stood out from the rest was a red button, at the bottom right corner of the console, which said "ACTIVATE NOW" in bold lettering.

"Here goes nothing." said Storm, taking a mental leap of faith. Once he pressed that button, there was no going back. There was no giving up and getting a new job. He gulped, and hesitantly pressed the big red button. Within seconds, the tank whirred to life and the water in it poured into a pipe going through the center of it. After that, it surged into a much larger tank, which stood right next to it. Storm backed away, and watched the tank operate.

Suddenly, the whirring of the tank stopped and a robotic voice sounded through the speaker on the control console.

User input needed.

User input needed.

User input needed.

"Well done, recruit." said a voice from behind him. Storm gasped and turned around, to see Tornado standing before him, smiling fiendishly. "I see you learned how to press a button. A bucking button! And where the buck is the cloud you promised me? Huh?"

"Sir, I didn't make one!" spat Storm.

"Bullshit! You promised me a cloud, you lazy bum! Where is it?" he growled, almost psychotically. "Do I have to whup you where the sun don't shine, recruit?! Tell me! Where the buck is the cloud?"

"I-I...I..I--"

"Don't give me that crap!" Tornado roared, loud enough for at least half the ponies in the building to hear. "You weather ponies, especially you teenage ones need discipline! Discipline! And I'm going to discipline you the military way."

"Military way?"

"Oh yes." he smirked. "I used to be a soldier, serving in the Griffon War, and I know exactly what they did to soldiers who didn't do what they were told to do by their superiors. Don't believe me?"

"Uh--uh-uh..." stuttered Storm.

"Tornado, don't do this to Stormfire." said a female voice, which belonged to Snow Cloud.

"But honey, I---"

"You what? You were going to use your old tricks you learned in the military to 'discipline'-or should I say scare him into working, weren't you?"

"No, no. I was just...forget it. I'm sorry, honey. And sorry, Storm..." he replied, turning to give Storm a quick glare, which signified that he wasn't really sorry.

"Alright." she smiled at him. "Now that's out of the way, you get back to your lessons. And Storm?" she whispered into his ear.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"If my husband is being extreme...tell me, alright?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good." she smiled, flying off to check on the other weather ponies. "Now, enjoy your cloud-making lesson, Storm."

"So, sir..." begun Storm, turning to look at Tornado, who was glaring at him almost evilly. "What are we going to do now?"

"I'll show you how to make a proper cloud, recruit." he growled. "And after I do, I want you to make the exact same one. If you fail it, I'll kick
your flank to next year."

"O-okay." replied Storm, watching Tornado press some buttons on the console which operated the cloud tank. Suddenly, the same whirring sound from earlier resumed and Storm watched as the water begun to fill up the much larger tank. Seconds later, Tornado pulled down a lever, and Storm watched as the water in the larger cloud tank begun to evaporate, and the water vapor formed into a small, white object, which looked nothing like a cloud.

"This is a cloud ball." said Tornado. "This will be the base for our cloud."

"Got it." replied Storm.

"Good." he said, before pressing a button which opened the cloud tank. Storm watched as the cloud ball floated out of it towards him, his jaws having dropped to the floor. It then stopped, a couple of feet before Storm, and Tornado took off into the air, before flying around it at high speeds for a couple of seconds. He then stopped, and hovered away, revealing a small, fluffy cloud. "You think you can make something like this, recruit?"

"No." Storm sighed sadly.

"That's what I thought." he grinned proudly. "Well, let me show you how." he then flew back to the console. "Get over here, now."

Storm did as he was told and walked up to the console which operated the cloud tank.

"First of all, let me show you how to operate the tank." he explained. "You obviously know how to start the first part of the process, but you don't know what to do next. After you press the big red button, you pull down this lever right here..." he said, moving slightly to the left to reveal a large lever.

"Okay..." said Storm, seeming rather unsure.

"And once you do that, I want you to press the green button, which says 'EVAPORATE'." said Tornado. "It's in the top left corner."

"Alright." replied Storm.

"Memorize where everything is on the console." said Tornado. "'Cause when you need help with operating this, I'm not gonna be there. I don't usually help recruits, but you're a special case."

"Oh." sighed Storm. "Fine. I'll try and memorize it all."

"Good." replied Tornado. "Now, do what I just told you to do."

"Okay." said Storm, and pressed the red button, causing what remained of the water in the first tank to flow down the pipe. He then pulled down the lever and watched the water fill up the second tank.

"Now press the green button." said Tornado, pointing towards the green button. Storm did as Tornado told him and pressed the button, and watched the water heat up inside the tank and evaporate. A moment later, the steam cleared away, to reveal a small ball made of cloud dust hovering inside it. "Alright, that was good. Now, press the blue button underneath the green button."

Storm pressed the blue button, opening the lid of the larger cloud tank, and watched the cloud ball hover out of the tank and over to where Tornado's cloud originally was (by now, it had condensed completely and fell to the ground as rain).

"Now, I want you to take off into the air, and fly around the cloud ball as fast as you can. Also keep a steady speed. You don't want to go too fast or the cloud will NOT form. When you're done, it should look like my one did." Tornado explained. "You think you're up for it, or are you too chicken?"

"I'm up for it, boss." replied Storm, putting on his game face, and preparing himself for flight. He outstretched his wings, and flew over to where the cloud ball was, and flew around it rapidly. As he flew, he often turned to look at the cloud ball, slowly being shaped. I'm doing better at this than I thought. he thought to himself, turning to glance at the cloud ball yet again, which seemed to take the shape of a small cloud. However, Storm begun to fly faster and faster, which went against what Tornado had told him, however, he had mostly forgotten about Tornado's instructions and was instead focused on making the cloud as big as possible.

"No, stop!" shouted Tornado, watching Storm fly faster and faster around the cloud ball, which expanded and shrunk in different directions. "Please! You're gonna---"

Suddenly, the cloud exploded, launching Storm back to the platform on which Tornado was standing. Storm groaned, and got up, his body being covered with bits of cloud, before dusting himself off. He looked around to see the bits of cloud covering the walls of the building and some other weather ponies looking at him in conclusion, then glanced up at Tornado, who seemed to be on the verge of exploding in anger, and backed away in fear.

"Make...it..." said Tornado, his face slowly turning red in anger. Storm gulped and stuttered some inaudible words in fright, before backing up against the wall. "EXPLODE!"

"Sorry sir!" shouted Storm. "It was an accident! I swear!"

"Accident schmaccident! Shut the buck up you son of a mule!" yelled Tornado. "You're lucky I'm not attempting to throw you off the platform right now for what you just done! I'll bucking smash you and whup your fat, sleazy flank so hard, you'll not be able to sit down on it for a week! Now, fifty press-ups! No buts! ON THE DOUBLE! AND ONCE YOU'RE DONE, CLEAN THIS SHIT UP! NEXT TIME YOU SCREW UP LIKE THIS, I AM FIRING YOU! YOU HEAR?! FIRING YOU! F. I. R. I. N. G. YOU! Is that clear?!"

"Yes sir." sighed Storm. "I'm sorry..."

Stormfire did as he was told, and begun doing press-ups as fast as he possibly could. He had never seen Tornado so angry before, and finally realized it was his fault he was like that. What Tornado had told him before about not flying too fast finally returned to him. He sighed sadly, feeling regret for what he had done wrong, and continued doing his push ups. While Storm was doing press ups, Tornado sighed at him, also feeling somewhat remorseful after his little outburst, before turning to look at the other weather ponies, who were all wondering what the commotion was all about.

"You all." he spoke in a calm voice. "Get back to whatever you were doing. Nothing to see here."

---

"48...

49...

50..." said Storm, finally finishing his press-ups. He got up and stretched his muscles, before turning to look off the platform. The building itself was mostly empty, with the exception of a couple of janitors, who were all busy cleaning up the machines and preparing them for use on the afternoon shift. Storm then turned to look up at a large clock, which hanged on the wall between two pipes which connected to the hatch. The time was now 2:30 PM, and the late afternoon shift was going to begin in ten or fifteen minutes, starting with the Tornado coming back with over a thousand gallons of water. It saddened Storm knowing that he wasn't going to get to see the team in action, but he also knew that if he impressed his supervisor enough, then he might get promoted to the team. And impressing his supervisor was something he was struggling with at the moment. He wiped some sweat off his forehead and looked to see Tornado standing before him.

"Well well well..." he sneered. "You understand what you done wrong?"

"Yes, sir." replied Storm. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" asked Tornado.

"For screwing up the cloud." replied Storm. "I forgot about what you told me about flying at a steady speed..."

"Oh you forgot, did you?" asked Tornado. "We have standards to maintain here, you know?! If we didn't have these standards, we'd be long gone!"

"What do you mean...sir?"

"We were the top producing weather factory in Equestria for three years in a row, before we were overtaken by the damn factory in Vanhoover. And then by Manehattan! And then by Los Pegasus! You wanna know why?! Because of ponies like you! Because of ponies like you who screw everything up, we have lost twenty employees in the last four or five years. Twenty of our best weather ponies were replaced with schmucks like you and Blue Skye. The city government even threatened to shut us down once and move operations back to our original factory in the Whitetail Woods, because apparently, we weren't performing well as a business! Do you have any idea how much jobs that would send down the shitter?"

"Yes..." replied Storm. "Sir, I'll do better next weekend. I promise."

"You better." growled Tornado. "Otherwise you're off this team and stuck cleaning restrooms."

"Yes sir..."

"Go home Storm. I want to see you here next weekend."

"Yes sir."

---

A couple of hours later...
"Tornado, why are you treating Stormfire like that?" asked Snow Cloud, who was in bed along with Tornado.

"Snow, please..."

"No, Tornado. Just tell me. What did he do wrong?"

"Nothing nothing..."

"So, he messed up something. Big deal." she said, turning to face him. "If he messed up something, then he can fix it. That's no reason for you to treat him like garbage."

"I know honey, I know..." he sighed. "I guess I still haven't grown used to society after the war. I'm still a lieutenant at heart, used to leading my platoon across the fields of the Griffon lands and keeping them safe...and that's what I'll probably remain for the rest of my life. That war still hasn't gotten out of my system, and it doesn't look like it ever will."

"I know, Tornado..." she nuzzled him gently. "But times have changed. The war's been over for almost seven years... and it's best to adapt and 'get with the times' as our eldest, Water Spout would say."

"I guess so, honey." he smiled at her, stroking her mane gently, before putting on a more serious and somewhat sadder expression, which did not go unnoticed by Snow. "But I can't forget what happened...what I saw take place...the ponies I've lost along the way... As much as I want to, I can't."

15. When Skies Are Stormy

The next weekend...
After arriving at the weather factory at least ten minutes before time, Storm sat down at his usual spot in the lobby of the factory, right next to the water cooler. Before Storm left home, his father had told him that Tornado was going to arrive later than planned today, due to some 'maintenance works' at his home in south Cloudsdale. However, Storm was actually happy that Tornado was going to arrive later; things between them haven't got off to a good start, with Tornado practically bullying him and disciplining him like they do in the Equestrian military, which Storm absolutely hated. But then again, maybe Tornado's discipline, no matter how tough it is, was going to pay off in the end. Maybe Tornado was actually trying to help Storm to be a better weather pony. Storm's train of thought however suddenly derailed, and Storm glanced up at the clock which hanged above the reception desk, and noticed the time, which was just nearing 8:55 AM, before crumpling up the plastic cup he had just finished drinking from and throwing it into a trash can which stood right next to the reception desk. Where the hay is he? Storm asked himself, looking around to see if Tornado was coming.

"Am I late... Am I buckin' late." said a rather frantic-sounding voice. Storm turned around and watched Tornado trot through the revolving doors, and into the lobby, panting heavily. Tornado wiped the sweat off his forehead, then turned to face Storm, a glare forming on his face. "YOU! GET UP ON THE DOUBLE!"

"Yes sir..." said Storm, standing up out of his seat.

"I see you came here...like a real stallion would." he sneered, before turning to face the receptionist. "June, sign me in, alright?"

"Yes sir." replied the receptionist, taking out a clipboard and writing down his name on it.

"Alright..." begun Tornado, turning away from the receptionist, and turning back to face Storm. "You ready?"

"For...what?" gulped Storm.

"I want you..." he smiled, his eyes fixed on Storm. "To make a proper cloud, alright? One that won't self-destruct like last weeks, am I clear?"

"Yes sir." Storm sighed. "I'll try my best, but I won't guarantee it'll go great."

"You what..." Tornado begun to growl threateningly.

"I said that I'll try my best, but I won't guarantee it'll go as planned..." gulped Storm, backing away towards the couch.

"IT WILL GO AS PLANNED!" shouted Tornado, in a voice loud enough to scare the living daylights out of anypony in the lobby, including the receptionist, June, who sat furthest away from where he was standing. Perhaps the thing that Storm hated most about Tornado was his attitude, having already endured Tornado's raging once before. Before he arrived at the factory, he had hoped that he'd finally get on Tornado's good side, but these hopes seemed to have gone down the drain. "YOU HEAR?! No guarantees! None of that bullcrap! You will do it, Stormfire! You will, and that's a promise!"

"yes... sir..."

"Let's go, now!" he yelled almost psychotically, making Storm cringe even more. They both walked down the corridors leading to the cloud-manufacturing facility, Tornado leading the way while Storm followed close behind. After Tornado swiped the keycard through the lock in the door, it slid open, allowing them to enter the facility. Storm gasped as they entered; the facility seemed much bigger than it was last week, and it had already started operations. He was also expecting to see the Tornado Team in action today, but he knew that his shift would be over just before the team came back to the factory. While Storm looked over the railing, watching the facility in action, Tornado watched him from the stairs which led to ground level, a less-than-pleased expression on his face. "HEY!"

Storm jumped up in shock, snapping out of his daydreams. He turned around and saw Tornado looking at him from the stairs.

"Sorry, sir..." he smiled awkwardly. "I was just checking out the view..."

"Just get the buck over here..." growled Tornado. "NOW!"

Storm did as he was asked, and trotted up to the stairs, before following Tornado down them to ground level. The bell suddenly rang, and Storm left Tornado's side, and along with the other weather ponies, walked up to the podium, on which Snow Cloud was standing on.

"Good morning, everypony." she said in her usual, friendly voice, which oddly enough reminded Storm of one of his elementary school teachers back in the Griffon Empire.

"Morning, ma'am." they all spoke in unison, including Storm, who quickly turned back to see Tornado standing there, giving him a threatening glare. He cringed, and turned around to look at Snow Cloud, trying for once, to take his mind off impressing Tornado.

"Before we start the morning shift, I would like to make you all aware that the 1100 gallons of water we collected from Lake Maresco had been depleted..." Snow's friendly smile disappeared off her face, and was instead replaced by a stern glare. "Who made 175 clouds instead of the expected 75?"

The weather ponies, including Storm, begun to chuckle to themselves, which caused Snow's glare to somewhat soften, although it still remained on her face.

Suddenly, a stallion's hoof shot up. The others, including Storm and Tornado, immediately turned to face the stallion, who much to Storm's surprise, was Blue Skye.

"Blue Skye?" asked Snow. "I didn't expect that from you... You're one of our best weather ponies."

"I'm sorry, ma'am." he sighed in reply. "I came in late last week, and somepony told me that it was 175 we had to produce."

"Well, that's understandable." replied Snow. "Next time, if you're unsure, you should go and ask me. The same goes for all of you. If you need help with something, ask me or Tornado."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Anyways, get to your stations, and prepare yourselves. Today is going to be a long day, for all of you. The boss wants to see a big improvement in your performance. Is that understood?" she instructed the ponies. "Tornado Team, I expect you all to collect 2200 gallons of water this time, twice as much as last week."

"Yes ma'am!" the ponies on the Tornado Team replied in unison. Snow smiled at nopony in particular, before taking out a remote control and pressing the red button on it.

"Alright, stand back everypony." spoke the leader of the Tornado Team through his headset, a light gray stallion with a white mane. The other weather ponies all backed away, including Storm, who hovered in the air watching the Tornado Team prepare for takeoff.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

"GO!"

Storm watched in delight as the Tornado Team trotted outside, as fast as they possibly could. They then took off into the air, the hatch closing behind them as they did. Storm's delighted smile however disappeared, after realizing that he may not get to see the Tornado Team coming back. After the Tornado Team flew away, the remaining weather ponies then turned to face Snow, including Storm.

"Alright." she begun. "I want the rest of you to make as many clouds as you possibly can with the water we've got left, alright?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Okay." she smiled. "Get to work, everypony."

"Yes ma'am."

The weather ponies then left the podium and walked away to their stations, except Storm, who stayed behind and looked around confusedly. What exactly was he supposed to do? Where was he supposed to go? And most importantly, where was Tornado?

"Storm, get your lazy flank over here, on the double!" he shouted from behind him. Storm immediately turned around, to face Tornado standing at least twenty feet before him, motioning for Storm to follow him. He then led Storm through the facility, occasionally turning to glance at Storm, who was busy checking out all the different machines. Despite having seen them before, Storm had never seen them at close-up. Tornado managed to crack a slight smile as he watched his 'student' check out all the different machines that he was going to work with in the future. Maybe Snow's right... Maybe I am being a bit too harsh on the kid... However, his smile did not last particularly long, as he came to the conclusion that to ensure that Storm performs as well as he could, he needed to be strict and harsh to him. Before they both knew it, they had reached Storm's station, which was the station they had worked on the previous week.

"Alright, sir." begun Storm, putting on his game face and standing as straight as he possibly could. "What are we doing today?"

"I already told you. Make a cloud, that won't explode everywhere like last week's."

"Oh." replied Storm. "My bad."

"Get on with it, recruit." growled Tornado. "What are you going to do first?"

"Press the 'on' button on the console." replied Storm, glancing over at the console which operated the cloud tank.

"Good." said Tornado, watching Storm fly over to the console and pressing the red 'on' button. The tank whirred to life and begun to fill up with water, and a few seconds later, that water soon poured through a pipe going through the tank, and into a much larger tank which stood beside it. "And remember, you screw this up, you're outta here. And that is a promise, Stormfire. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Storm gulped, before turning back to watch the water fill up the second cloud tank. He then pressed a green button which said EVAPORATE underneath it, and watched the water evaporate into steam, before that steam faded away to reveal a small ball made of cloud dust. Storm pressed yet another button, which opened the lid of the cloud tank and allowed the cloud ball to hover out of it.

"Don't buck this up." growled Tornado. "UNDERSTOOD RECRUIT?!"

"Yes sir." replied Storm, trotting up to him, before turning to face the cloud ball which hovered before him.

"Good." Tornado grinned menacingly. "Do it, Storm. Make me proud."

"Yes sir."

Suddenly, Storm begun to trot towards the cloud ball, which hovered between the two cloud tanks. Just before he reached the edge of the platform on which they were standing on, he outstretched his wings and took off into the air, before beginning to fly around the cloud ball, increasing speed the longer he flew around it. Back on the platform, Tornado watched Storm try his hardest to shape the cloud ball into a proper cloud, seemingly becoming more and more nervous.

However, just before the cloud could be fully shaped, Storm stopped his flying and flew back to where Tornado was standing. He turned to glance at the cloud, which formed back into a cloud ball.

"Sorry, sir." replied Storm, wiping some sweat off his forehead with his hoof. "I can't do this. I don't want to screw up the cloud."

"Sure you can. You damn well can." chuckled Tornado. "And you wanna know why?" At that point his smile turned into a cold, angry glare, which made Storm cower in fear. "Because I bucking said so! Now get out there, and make me proud!"

"Yes sir..." Storm gulped, feeling a surge of nervousness roar through his body.

"GET GOING! THAT IS AN ORDER!"

"Yes sir..." replied Storm, trotting off towards the edge of the platform, his eyes fixed on the cloud. Moments before he reached the end of the platform, he begun to flap his wings and took off into the air. Just before he reached the cloud, he stopped and turned to look at Tornado, starting to shake uncontrollably.

"I haven't got all day, recruit!" he yelled.

Storm gulped, before rather hesitantly beginning to fly around the cloud. As he flew around the cloud quicker and quicker, Storm turned to glance a couple of times at the forming cloud, which seemed to expand and contract in all directions. He then turned to look at Tornado, who was motioning for him to slow down, and did so, but kept on flying. Eventually the cloud begun to resemble something that looked like a normal cumulus cloud. Storm eventually stopped his flying, and wiped the sweat off his forehead, before turning to look at the puffy white cloud before him. He then turned to look at Tornado, who walked over to him.

"Wow..." he said. "I must say... I've underestimated you, recruit."

My name's Storm... said Storm to himself, before landing in front of him. "Thank you sir..."

"It wasn't perfect though. Your timing could be better..." replied Tornado. "And the cloud is quite uneven..."

"Oh. Sorry." replied Storm, turning to face the cloud, which begun to fade away.

"You have a lot to learn, recruit." said Tornado. "You have a hay of a lot to learn. Meet me here after lunch, and I'll show you something a lot harder than making a simple cloud."

---

"I'm so gonna screw this up... i'm so gonna screw up." said Storm to himself, picking at some vegetables with a fork. His body was shaking uncontrollably, almost as if somepony gave him an electric shock. He turned to glance at the table two tables to his left and saw Tornado sitting with Snow Cloud and some other high ranking factory workers, before turning to face the clock, which hung above the cafeteria. The time was 12:35 PM, which meant that Storm had 25 minutes to finish his lunch. 25 minutes to prepare himself for whatever he was doing next with Tornado. Although Tornado had praised him for making a somewhat proper cloud (which was something Storm never expected him to do), he also said that he will be doing harder things than making ordinary clouds after lunch. His optimism begun to disappear the more he thought about it, and was replaced with a sense of fear and nervousness. Although in a way he was looking forward to whatever it was he was going to be doing, he was also scared of failure.

Just then, he felt his wing being tapped. Storm immediately turned around and noticed Blue Skye standing behind him.

"Hi." he begun. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks." Blue replied, sitting next to him.

"So..." begun Storm. "Did you really make 175 clouds yesterday instead of 75?"

"Yeah, it's not something I'm proud of." he chuckled awkwardly. "I usually don't make that much clouds... but even us high-ranking ponies screw up."

"You're high-ranking?" asked Storm, his ears perking up.

"Yep." smiled Blue.

"How long have you been working here?"

"I've been working here full-time since I turned 17." replied Blue. "Although, it hasn't been going very well for me lately... The boss is putting on a lot more pressure on us lately than he usually does. Anyways, you seem pretty nervous. What's up?"

"What's it to you?"

"Sheesh, dude. Just tell me what's going on, alright?"

"I'm worried, okay?" replied Storm. "About impressing Tornado..."

"Ah. Tornado used...to be a sergeant in the Equestrian military." replied Blue. "He may seem rough and tough outside, but once you get to know him better, he's a really nice guy."

"He used to be a sergeant?" asked Storm, recoiling back in shock. "I mean, he did mention that he used to be in the military... but seriously, I didn't think he'd be so high-ranking."

"You'd be surprised to know he fought in the Griffon War around fifteen years back... but he doesn't like talking about it, dude. It gives him too many bad memories..." replied Blue. "And it's best we don't talk about it either... especially when he's sitting so close to us."

"I guess..." sighed Storm.

"Just..." begun Blue. "...try your best. You'll find that Tornado isn't that bad."

---

"Alright, recruit." begun Tornado, smirking slightly as he watched Storm walk up to where he was standing. He seemed fairly nervous, but he decided not to let his nervousness get the better of him, especially since Tornado was standing right in front of him. "You ready?"

"Yes sir." replied Storm. "Just a question. What are we going to be doing now?"

"Well..." he begun, smirking slightly, before pulling out a picture from the saddlebag he was wearing on his side, which looked to be recently printed. "I was hoping to show you how to make this."

Storm's jaws dropped and he looked at the picture in utter shock. The image was of a dark, towering cloud, building up over the mountains to the north of the city. However, what caught Storm's eye was a flash of light in the distance, which was obviously a lightning bolt. "This was taken last week..." he smirked. "Remember that storm?"

"How could I forget?" sighed Storm, remembering the day when he heard over the news that a river near Ponyville had overflowed due to the heavy rain, and that train service to Canterlot and to northern towns and cities had been disrupted due to a tree which fell on the railroad.

"This was a cloud that went out of our control and built up over the mountains to the north of the city." explained Tornado. "It was supposed to be a localized thunderstorm, that was supposed to grow and develop over Ponyville County, but things... don't always work out too well."

"Alright..." said Storm. "So, you expect me to make that?"

"No, but I do want you to make a storm..." replied Tornado. "Nothing too serious, just a normal single-celled thunderstorm. That is, if you're up for it."

"Of course I am, sir." replied Storm.

"Good. That's what I love to hear from weather ponies, especially from newbies like you." he explained. "Follow me, please."

Tornado led Storm across the weather factory and up to the hatch from where the Tornado Team flew out of the factory, and pressed several buttons on the keypad next to the hatch.

"Stand back. That's an order."

"Yes sir." replied Storm, stepping back and watching the hatch open, revealing a beautiful blue sky, with a large cluster of white cloud in the distance, around five miles from their current location.

"You ready?" asked Tornado. "Or are you too much of a sissy?"

"I am ready, sir..." replied Storm, the feeling of nervousness returning to him.

"Good." he smirked, outstretching his wings. "Very good."

Maybe I'll get on his good side... sighed Storm, also outstretching his wings. "Let's do this..."

"Alright then, sissy." Tornado grinned, much to the chagrin of Storm. "You fail this and I will absolutely pulverize you."

"Yes sir..." replied Storm, gulping. Tornado turned away from him, still wearing his trademark grin, before beginning to flap his wings. Storm did the same, and watched Tornado take off into the air, before he took off into the air as well. They both then flew out of the factory, towards the cluster of clouds in the distance.

Around fifteen minutes later, the two Pegasi arrived at the clouds, and while Tornado inspected them to see if they are good enough to be turned into a thunderstorm, Storm simply hovered in mid-air. He looked on at Tornado, a sad glare forming on his face. Storm had tried his hardest to impress Tornado, and so far, it wasn't going anywhere; Tornado still treated him poorly. He even begun to have thoughts of quitting the Weather Team and maybe getting another job, but Storm then remembered what Blue Skye told him; to try his best.

"Alright, recruit." begun Tornado, flying back to where Storm was standing. "These clouds are just perfect for a thunderstorm."

"Uh-huh..." Storm nodded awkwardly.

"So..." Tornado sneered. "You ready?"

"Yes sir..."

"Good." he replied. "Let's do this."

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Is it true that you used to be a Sergeant in the Equestrian military?"

"How do you know about that...?" an angry glare formed on his face, which caused Storm to cringe.

"Uh...Blue Skye...told me." stuttered Storm, shaking slightly. "I was just curious!"

"Blue Skye told you, huh?" Tornado sneered, before suddenly getting into Storm's face. Storm recoiled back in shock. "BULLSHIT! HE TOLD YOU ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH DURING THAT WAR, RECRUIT. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I HAVE LOST BACK THEN..." his glare suddenly turned into a sad frown, one that didn't go unnoticed by Storm. "My brother..."

"What about him?" asked Storm.

"I was there when he died..." sighed Tornado, some tears beginning to roll out of his eyes. "We...were in our tent, when suddenly, we heard an explosion. So, I stepped outside to see what it was, and then I realized that our boot camp was being bombed. While everypony else either ran for cover or tried to fight back, I tried to get my brother... but before I could do so..."

"A bomb landed right beside a gas tank right next to it, blowing it to shreds..." explained Tornado, crying slightly. "The last thing I remember... was seeing his body, or at least his severed limbs flying through the air amidst some debris... then, something hit me hard on the head, and I was knocked out almost instantly. I was in a coma for three days at the Grifescy Military Hospital, a building that had been abandoned by its original occupants before the war and had been used by the Equestrian army ever since... and after I woke up... a doctor came into the room... and told me... he was dead. When I finally regained my strength, he took me to the morgue on the top floor of the hospital... and I got to see the body bag he was in... We had a funeral three days later. He was only eighteen, Stormfire. Only eighteen..."

"Gee, sir..." said Storm, putting his hoof on his shoulder. Tornado turned to face him, a less-than-pleased expression on his face. "I'm sorry for your loss..."

"Eh, bullshit," he replied, wiping his eyes free of tears. "I betrayed him... I betrayed my mother... I told her I'd keep him safe at all costs... And so, after my service in the military was over... I left the Guard in Canterlot, not wanting to get involved in any wars or any situation where I witnessed death... and I joined the weather team over here."

"I'm sorry for what happened, sir," replied Storm. "I really am."

"It wasn't your fault, recruit."

"I know, but still...you could say that I've been through the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"My father," sighed Storm. "...was in that war too."

"Wasn't every stallion in Equestria in that war?" scoffed Tornado.

"I don't think so," replied Storm.

"What was his name?"

"Blazefire."

"Blazefire, Blazefire, Blazefire..." Tornado muttered under his breath, trying to recount the names of some of the stallions he served alongside. "Never heard of him."

"He was killed in action a week after I was born," replied Storm, sighing sadly. "I never met him, yet he still holds a special place in my heart."

"That's nice," replied Tornado, seeing he was almost in the same boat as his 'student'. "I'm sorry for your loss as well... But we have extremely limited time here."

"You never told me about any time limit."

"Well, you've got one now," sneered Tornado, turning to look at the watch on his hoof. "Right now, it's 2:20. Your shift ends at 2:45, am I right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. I think we can make the storm in the twenty-five minutes we've got left." Tornado replied. "You still up for it?"

"Yes sir," sighed Storm.

"Good," he replied, fluttering his wings. "Follow my lead."

"Yes sir," replied Storm. Tornado then took off, flying as fast as lightning towards the cluster of clouds a couple of hundred feet before them. Storm then flew off towards Tornado, observing with mild curiosity as the bank of clouds began clumping together as he flew around them. It was hard flying after Tornado due to his speed, but Storm pushed on nonetheless, not letting his exhaustion show. With them both now flying around the cloud in a circular orbit Storm turned to glance at the developing storm several times, noticing it becoming grayer and grayer until it eventually blocked out the sun and cast a dark, expansive shadow over the farmland below.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning cracked across the dark gray cloud, followed by a crack of thunder. Storm gasped in shock and stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the massive thunderhead right next to him. It stretched at least a couple of miles into the air, a feat he had never thought would be possible for him to accomplish.

"It's almost done, recruit," he replied after pausing in his tracks also. "We need to fly around it just a little bit more."

"Yeah," Storm yelled. "But don't you think it's a bit too dangerous to fly right now?"

"Yes... but to be a true weather pony, you have to look danger and fear in the face... and laugh at it," explained Tornado. "Do you consider yourself a true weather pony, Stormfire?"

"I honestly don't know."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he replied, before continuing his flying and Storm having no choice but to follow along. Storm flew after Tornado, and around the cloud, at least three times, when Tornado suddenly stopped. He turned to look at the cloud, and noticed a flash of lightning shine through the base of the cloud. The wind began to pick up rapidly and almost pushed Tornado back. "It's done now, recruit. We can go back to the factory."

"Alright, sir," replied Storm. " I think that'd be a good idea. That wind is beginning to pick up."

"I know," replied Tornado, however just before he could start fluttering his wings, the wind began to push him back towards the massive thundercloud right behind him. "Damn it."

"Sir... we should go," replied Storm, his heart beginning to beat at a hundred miles an hour.

"I know, recruit. It's just hard to get---" begun Tornado, being cut off abruptly when suddenly, the wind pushed him into the cloud. "Oh, fuck!"

"TORNADO!" shouted Storm, watching as the stallion disappeared from sight. Some lightning flashed through the cloud, followed by a rumble of thunder. He looked around frantically, not seeing Tornado anywhere, before flying through the cloud.

This was such a bad idea... Storm thought to himself, as he flew through the turbulent cloud. Rain lashed at him from all corners of the darkened sky, and lightning flashed in the distance, punctuated by loud cracks of thunder, louder than anything Storm had ever heard before. His heart beat at high speeds as he looked around in fear, trying his hardest to see if Tornado was anywhere. He had never flown through a thunderhead before and wondered whether Pegasi could actually fly through one without being struck by lightning. Suddenly, a dark shape caught Storm's left eye, which appeared to be falling down. He investigated it closely, just barely making out the shape of a Pegasus pony. "Tornado..." he said to himself, turning slightly to the left, before flying after the stallion, who seemed to fall down to the ground.

He flew out of the base of the cloud, amidst the torrential rain, towards Tornado, who fell towards the ground at high speeds. Storm increased his flying speed, trying to get to Tornado as quickly as he possibly could. Eventually, Tornado noticed him.

"WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" he yelled.

"TRYING TO SAVE YOU, DAMMIT!" shouted Storm.

"I CAN SAVE MYSELF!" replied Tornado. "YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A BUCKING CUTIE MARK!"

"But I can help you..." Storm growled, turning his head to glance at his markless flank, before turning back to look at Tornado. Although Tornado's words hurt, he knew that saving him was the right thing to do, even though he himself didn't want to be saved.

"Screw you!" shouted Tornado. "Screw the entire factory!"

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning erupted seemingly out of nowhere, striking Tornado in the wing. Storm's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as he watched the lightning hit his instructor's right wing, before fading away. "AAHHHH! SHIT!"

"Tornado! NO!" Storm yelled.

After flying for several minutes through the violent rain, dodging several lightning bolts in the process, Storm managed to reach Tornado, his right wing looking more like charcoal. He looked down to see that they were falling towards a forest, which was at least a mile below them.

"Sir, grab my hoof!" Storm yelled.

"NEVER!" shouted Tornado, trying to push Storm away from him. He flapped both his wings, but the pain in the right one was too much for him to withstand. "AHH!"

"Please!" said Storm. "I don't want you dying. I need you. We all need you!"

"You what?" Tornado raised his eyebrows.

"You heard me, sir..." replied Storm. "I know how much you dislike me, but still... I can't let you suffer. And I'm sure your mother, brother and wife wouldn't want you to do so either. Please, sir. Grab my hoof."

Tornado sighed in defeat, before outstretching his hoof. Storm grabbed it, and pulled Tornado through the rain, before flying away from underneath the base of the cloud. The two landed in a clearing in the forest, right next to some train tracks.

"Why did you save me?" Tornado asked, trying to move his right wing. He screamed loudly, being in obvious agony.

"Let's just say that I didn't want anything to happen to you, sir." replied Storm. "And we need to get you to a hospital."

"Good idea..." said Tornado, hissing slightly in pain, before turning to look at the thunderhead they had both made. It was slowly beginning to dissipate, and the sun shone through the visible shaft of rain which poured out from the cloud. "Listen... recruit... I'm sorry if I treated you like crap."

"It's cool." smiled Storm. "And to be honest... I kinda deserved it. I need to work harder and better if I want to be a true weather pony."

"But you already are." replied Tornado. "What I saw from you today---you're something special, alright. In fact, you're by far, the best student I've had the pleasure of teaching. If it seemed like I don't like you as a student, you're wrong. The only reason why I treated you like that was that you perform as best as you possibly can. I see potential in you, recruit."

"Thank you, sir." smiled Storm.

"And thank you for saving me." he replied, as they walked along the railroad leading into Ponyville.

"No problem." replied Storm. "Like I said, I couldn't let you suffer. I can't let anypony suffer; it's not in my nature to."

---

"Mom, I'm home." replied Storm, walking into the house.

"Hey son!" shouted Equinox from the kitchen. Storm walked into the kitchen and noticed Mist and Gust sitting down at the table, his mother preparing lunch and his father being away at a weather pony conference.

"Hey Storm." said Mist, who was eating some hay fries.

"Hey sis." replied Storm, ruffling her mane playfully which caused her to giggle. "Hey Gust..."

"Hey blank-flank loser." Gust sneered. "How was work today? Did you fail whatever it was that he had in store for you?"

"Gust, leave your brother alone." growled Equinox, before passing Storm a plate full of hay fries.

"No, I didn't, Gust." replied Storm.

"You didn't?" he spat out his hay fries in shock. "You always fail everything!"

"Shut up, Gust." replied Storm.

"In fact, Storm did just the opposite." Equinox smiled at Storm. "I heard about what happened today at work, and I must say, I'm really proud of you, son. That was a really brave thing to do, especially to a stallion who was really harsh to you."

"Thanks, mom." he smiled bashfully, sitting down next to Mist at the table.

"Anyways, how is Tornado?" asked Equinox.

"Well, he's doing fine." replied Storm. "Just before I came back home, I got to visit him at the hospital in Ponyville. They said that he'll be fine."

"What did Storm do today?" asked Mist.

"Well, why doesn't Storm explain?" replied Equinox. And so, Storm explained to the entire family how he made peace with the instructor who bullied him and made his life a living Tartarus.

Author's Notes:

Hey folks. I hope you all liked the chapter, and I am extremely sorry for the long wait. First of all, I was busy over these past two-three weeks since i uploaded the last chapter, which meant I rarely got the time to write. Secondly, I had a lot of things to do at school, and thirdly, I've been having problems with coming up with ideas for this chapter. However, I am happy to say I may get around two chapters done over Sunday and Monday.

Also, now that I've watched the film, I can definitely see some similarities in personality between Tornado and the character of Fletcher in 'Whiplash'.

16. Canterlot Field Trip

One year later...
"Steady now, Storm." begun Blue Skye, watching Storm along with some other weather ponies flying around a cloud ball, which slowly formed into a small, white cloud. Storm was now seventeen and had been working in the weather factory full-time for the past six months, and while Tornado, and some other high-ranking weather ponies were impressed with his cloud-making skills, including his dad, who lately begun to put more and more pressure on him to succeed, Storm himself had been growing tired of being a weather pony. He begun to slowly grow tired of the constant routine that he had to get used to as a weather pony, which included making a cloud every five minutes, and flying in and out of the weather factory and eventually came to the conclusion that a job in weather was more or less a part-time thing. However, he did not want to leave the factory, not just yet, especially since High Wind, his dad, was still working there. Over the one year that he had been working in the factory, High Wind was arguably the pony who pushed Storm the most to succeed, and he didn't want to disappoint him. However, the more Storm thought about it, the more he wanted to get a different job.

"And that's it, Storm." replied Blue Skye, turning to look at his watch. Storm stopped his flying and wiped the tidal wave of sweat off his forehead, before turning to look at the cloud he had just made.

"So, how'd I do?" he asked, looking at the senior weather ponies, who were all clapping their hooves.

"You did really well." replied Blue Skye. "In fact, you did it in record time. Fifteen seconds, three milliseconds."

"Really?" Storm's ears perked up.

"Yep." Blue Skye smiled, writing down his time on a notepad. "Tornado's gonna be pleased. Lightning, release the cloud."

"Alright." the pony named Lightning replied, pulling down a lever which opened a hatch in the ceiling. The cloud hovered higher and higher, before going through the hatch and disappearing out of sight. Lightning then pushed the lever back up, closing the hatch.

"Anyways, go get yourself cleaned up and go home, Storm. Your shift is up. Come back here after lunch tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright..." replied Storm, hovering away from the cloud and flying into the shower room.

---

While Storm wiped his soaking wet mane with a towel, he was approached by Tornado.

"Storm, once you're done cleaning yourself up, can you please come to my office?" Tornado asked. Storm turned to glance at the much shorter, yet more buff stallion right next to him and nodded. "There's something I need to talk to you about. Something important."

"Yes sir." he replied, watching Tornado nod his head understandingly, before turning away and heading off for his office. Over the eight months Storm had worked at the factory, he and Tornado had grown to like each other. Tornado was still harsh, but Storm knew that if he met or even exceeded his expectations, Tornado would offer a pay rise.

Storm put his towel on top of a nearby clothes dryer, and shook any remaining water off his body like a wet dog. He turned around to look at the weather ponies preparing for the afternoon shift, before turning to look at the large, digital clock, the large seven-segment display on it showing the time, 2:53 PM, in red lettering. He jumped back in shock, not having realized what the time was, before picking up his saddlebag and trotting off towards Tornado's office.

---

"Come on in." said Tornado, listening to the repeating knock on the ice-white door to his office from his large and spacious desk. The door to the office slowly swung open, and Storm stepped inside, a rather awkward look on his face. During his time in the factory, Stormfire had never had to visit Tornado's office before, so naturally he was pretty worried. "Ah, Storm. I was expecting to see you here."

"Yes sir?" he stuttered, watching a smile creep on Tornado's face.

"I've wanted to talk to you about your progress as a weather pony." he replied. "I've seen what you are capable of on your own, and I must say, I'm impressed, and so are the high-ranking staff. Even though you've only been here full-time for what, six months...?"

"Yeah, six months." replied Storm.

"I must say, you're a quick learner." said Tornado.

"It runs in the family." smiled Storm. "Both my mom and my stepdad are weather ponies, and from what they've told me, they're one of the high ranking ponies on the cloud-busting team."

"So I've heard..." he thought to himself. "Equinox Moon and High Wind?"

"Yep." replied Storm, trying his hardest to loosen up and get rid of his awkwardness and obvious fear of being in Tornado's office. "Anyways... what was it that you wanted to talk about with me, sir?"

"Well... I was thinking about giving you a promotion." replied Tornado.

"To what, sir?" Storm's ears perked up.

"Part-time cloud checker." replied Tornado. "It's all in the name. All you basically have to do is check the clouds for any bits which seem a bit... well, off... it's pretty easy, plus you'll get good money for it, around...hmm, $12 hourly."

Sounds interesting... sighed Storm. And there he thought that being a weather pony wasn't boring enough. But hey, at least the money was good. "I understand, sir."

"You'll start Saturday." Tornado replied. "Right now, go enjoy what's left of Sunday. See you next weekend, Storm."

---

"Mom, I'm... home..." replied Storm, opening the door to the house and panting heavily. He was out of breath after flying as fast as he possibly could from the Weather Factory, and looked down at his new watch, which for some reason, had not slipped off his hoof during his fifteen minute-long flight across town. Sighing in relief, Storm noticed that the time was just turning 3:30 PM. He sighed in relief, as this was the time he was supposed to be back home at, and wiped the beads of sweat off him. However, despite being relieved that he managed to make it back home on time, especially after a long and hard day at work and after a meeting at Tornado's office, Storm was nervous. Nervous about explaining to his family just what that meeting was all about. While he was eager to know their reactions, especially his father's, he was also nervous about explaining it all to them.

"Hey son!" she shouted from the kitchen. Storm wiped the sweat off his forehead and slammed the door shut, however not loud enough for Equinox to hear. He dumped his saddlebag next to the couch in the living room, and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey mom, dad..." he groaned, leaning against the wall.

"Hey sport." grinned High, who was sitting at the table and eating a hay salad. "How was work?"

"You know... the usual." replied Storm, not wanting to tell his family about the fact that he got promoted, not just yet. "Tiring, but also rewarding."

"That's what I love to hear." said High Wind.

"What's for lunch, mom?" asked Storm.

"Your favorite, son." she smiled, passing him a plate of hay fries, with hay salad on the side. Storm's eyes widened in delight, and he put down the plate at the table.

"Hey big brother!" said Mist, who was sitting down at the table, also eating some hay fries. Storm smiled at her, and ruffled her mane playfully.

"So, how was work today, Storm?" asked Equinox.

"Tiring, as you can see..." he chuckled, wiping some more sweat off his forehead.

"I can imagine, son." she smiled. "It's just as tiring working on the cloud-busting team, maybe even more, but then again, it's absolutely worth it."

"Your mom's right, Storm." replied High. "Are you using the tricks I've taught you at work?"

"Yes dad." Storm rolled his eyes. "Can I just make a quick announcement?"

"Go right ahead, Storm." replied Equinox, sitting down beside them with a plate of hay fries of her own. Storm cleared his throat before beginning.

"Well, I don't know how to explain this to you all..." started Storm, feeling a slight tinge of nervousness. "But, apparently Tornado and the other high-ranking members of staff are really impressed with my work as a cloud-maker, and he...promoted me."

"Wow, congratulations son." smiled Equinox, hugging him. "I'm so proud of you."

"So am I, kiddo." replied High, looking on proudly.

"Me too." smiled Mist. "What did you get promoted to?"

"Well... cloud checker." replied Storm. He looked around the kitchen, and while Equinox and Mist were smiling, he could see that his dad's smile was slowly disappearing off his face.

"Wow, that's great, Storm." smiled Equinox.

"Yeah, that's really good..." replied High, suddenly standing up out of his chair. "Can I go get some fresh air, 'Quin?"

"Sure thing, honey." she nuzzled him, before watching him walk out of the back door and slamming it shut.

"What's gotten into dad?" asked Storm, rather perplexed.

"I don't know, sweetie." replied Equinox. "Wanna go check?"

"Sure thing." Storm replied. "Where's Gust?"

"He's upstairs." replied Equinox. "Also, I got a letter from your school today, and I think you'll like it."

"What's it about?" he asked, standing up from his seat.

"You'll find out later, alright?" smiled Equinox.

"Sure thing." smiled Storm.

"Can I find out too?" asked Mist.

"Yep, sweetie." replied Equinox. "You can go check on dad, Storm. Alright?"

"Alright." he smiled, walking out the back door of the kitchen and closing it shut.

---

High Wind leaned against the back wall of the house, his eyes set on the mountain range on the horizon. To Storm he seemed fairly sad; almost depressed in a way, but when he noticed Storm approach him he decided to hide his true emotions.

"Hey dad." replied Storm, looking at the stallion, who was just over an inch and a half taller than him. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing." replied High, still staring at the horizon. "I just had a long day at work."

"But you and mom only work weekdays..." Storm corrected him.

"Oh, yeah..." he chuckled awkwardly.

"No seriously, dad." begun Storm. "What's going on?"

"It's... basically---well---how can I explain this to you?" High sighed. "I don't want you being a cloud checker. I want you to be the best of the best. I want to one day see you leading the entire cloud-busting team, and be able to say 'that's my son'. I was hoping he'd promote you to something more...action-packed, like senior cloud maker or junior storm maker, or even move you to the rainbow department, which is a pretty cool place. I see potential in you, son, but that promotion Tornado gave you is an awful waste of young talent."

"You think?" he asked, his ears drooping.

"Yep." replied High. "Because you're already doing great... but then again...it's not really my decision on who gets to go where. Tornado is the supervisor for the cloud-making department, and he makes the rules. Go back home and finish your lunch, alright? I'll be back inside in a minute or two."

"Alright." Storm shrugged, leaving High alone.

---

Equinox Moon/High Wind
12087 N. Cloud Way
Alderneigh Heights
North Cloudsdale
CLOUDSDALE, CE

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Dear Mrs. Equinox Moon,
Your son, Stormfire, has expressed interest in the history department's annual field trip to Canterlot. However, Storm will need your consent if he wishes to go. The trip is scheduled for Friday, April 29, and will include:
- visiting the Castle of Princess Celestia
- a walk around the Royal Gardens
- a shopping trip down Eclipse Boulevard (maximum spending money is $25 since reports of pickpocketing have apparently been on the rise, but this is completely optional)
- a visit to one of the many gift shops in Downtown (again completely optional)
- a possible hike up to the summit of Canter Mountain (weather dependent, although it is expected to be sunny on the day of the trip)

The trip will cost approximately $60 per pony, and our group will return to Cloudsdale by 4:30 PM. Here is a more detailed layout of the price:-
- Student train ticket to Canterlot (Ponyville-Canterlot)- $30;
- Student return ticket to Ponyville (Canterlot-Ponyville) - $30;
- Entry ticket to Celestia's castle - free, but donations of up to $10 are always welcome by the castle curator;
- Eclipse Boulevard Shopping Trip - $25 (completely optional);
- Gift shop spending money - $5 maximum (completely optional)

An important reminder for all students going on the trip that lunches should be brought from home since the cost of the trip does not cover food. That being said, however, we are perfectly fine with students buying drinks or snacks from vending machines, or as street food.

If you give your consent for Storm to go on this trip, please tick the box below and hand this letter back to the school by April 26.

Yours sincerely,
Dust Bowl, History Teacher at North Cloudsdale High School

"They finally sent us the confirmation letter..." replied Storm, staring down at the letter. "I thought it was never going to come."

"They had a problem with one of the printers, but everything is back to normal now." explained Equinox.

"So, Storm..." begun Mist. "Do you want to go?"

"Do I?" he asked. "I'd love to."

"You always wanted to go to Canterlot, son." smiled Equinox. "Now's your chance. Should I tick the box?"

"Definitely," replied Storm. Equinox picked up her pen, which was lying on the counter right next to the one she was leaning on, and ticked the box.

"It's a shame I can't come with Storm." sighed Mist. By this time, she was a freshmare at the same high school that Storm went to. "I'd love to go to Canterlot."

"Relax, Mist." he smiled, ruffling her mane playfully. "You can come with me when you're a bit older. Alright?"

"Sure." she smiled.

"Alright Storm..." begun Equinox, folding the letter back up. "Go get yourself cleaned up, alright? And go bring Gust downstairs."

And with that, Storm left the kitchen and made his way upstairs to the bathroom.

That Friday...
The train from Ponyville to Canterlot rattled through the forests and cornfields of north-central Equestria. It was a warm and sunny day, just like the weather forecast said it'd be, and while the other students were talking and messing around in the back of the car, Storm sat at a vacant seat in the very front, looking out of the window as he listened to a loud metal track on his music player whilst sipping on a can of pop. He was bored and beginning to regret going on this trip, especially since the train journey was meant to last for over an hour. He looked further out of the window and managed to just make out the cloud on which Cloudsdale was built on in the distance, before that too faded away into the morning sky, leaving only forests, farms, and large expansive cornfields. It was safe to say that the train was currently in the middle of nowhere, at least it seemed like that to Storm, who had never been further than Ponyville on his own.

Suddenly, Storm's right wing was tapped. Removing his headphones, he placed the pop on a tray table in front of him before turning around to see who it was. To his surprise, he noticed it was his marefriend, Blue.

"Hey, Stormy..." she smiled. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Of course, babe." Storm smiled, moving slightly closer to the window, allowing her ample space to sit down next to him. "So, you excited?"

"Yep." Blue replied. "In fact... I'm more excited than I've ever been, mainly because I'm going to Canterlot with my coltfriend... We'll spend the entire day together... just you and me." Storm wrapped his wing around her body, allowing her to lean against him. She smiled dreamily, enjoying the both the warmth of her coltfriend's embrace and the cool air conditioning above them.

"I can't wait." he smiled at her, nuzzling her gently. "I haven't seen you all week at school, hon... did anything happen?"

"No, I just had the feather flu," replied Blue, continuing leaning against Storm. "It went away after a day or two, though, but my parents still kept me inside just to be safe."

"Well, it's a good thing you're here, Blue." Storm smiled at her. "I can't think of anypony whom I'd rather go with on this trip than you."

"Aww..." she cooed. "Thanks, honey. I wouldn't go with anypony else than you, Storm. How's the family?"

"They're doing good... especially Mist." he chuckled, thinking about his little sister.

"How's she fitting into the eighth grade?" asked Blue.

"She's always so cheerful when she comes back home, so I can assume that it's going great for her." Storm replied. "Only my dad... he seems a bit off lately."

"How so?" Blue raised her eyebrows.

"Well, it's like this." begun Storm. "Have I told you that I got promoted at work?"

"You did?" a smile formed on Blue's face, which Storm noticed.

"Yep." replied Storm.

"Well, that's great, Stormy." she gave him a quick peck on the lips, which he enjoyed. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, babe." he smiled. "Well, as it turns out my dad isn't too happy that I got promoted to cloud checker... he wants me to get promoted to something bigger. Something more... action-packed."

"Storm, maybe your dad just wants you to succeed as a weather pony," Blue explained. "You're pretty much following in his hoovesteps... hoovesteps he's been laying down for how many years?..."

"The past twenty-six years..." explained Storm, recalling when High told him all about how he got his first job in weather just after graduating high school.

"And nothing would make him prouder than to see you achieve what he's achieved." replied Blue.

"I don't know, babe," replied Storm. "I'm beginning to see this job as more of a part-time job than something I'd do full-time. In fact, I'm kind of getting bored of it..."

"Really?" she frowned before she begun to think. "Hmm... Maybe I should take up a job at the factory also. What do you think, Stormy?"

"I think you should." he smiled. "But what about your music?"

"I'm having second thoughts about becoming a full-time musician," Blue replied. "I don't consider myself good, and I'll probably stick to playing the piano at home or something."

"Suit yourself, but you're really good," replied Storm, however, just before Blue could reply, the train entered a tunnel, rapidly cutting off any light in the train. The train began to grow slower and slower the further it went through the tunnel. A couple of minutes later, the darkness in the tunnel slowly faded into the light, and eventually, the train exited the tunnel. Storm and Blue turned to look out of the window and noticed that the train was going up a rather steep slope, and it took them a few moments to realize that they had in fact gone up a mountain. They both looked off the edge of the cliff the train was going up in delight at Equestria before them; the view seemed to stretch for at least a hundred miles... maybe more if the horizon was obscured by cloud, however that didn't stop them from seeing fine details such as towns, rivers, and plots of farmland, and they could even catch a glimpse of Cloudsdale, which looked to be around fifty-sixty miles away.

"It's quite a sight, isn't it?" Storm nuzzled Blue, who in turn, lay against him.

"Yep. It's beautiful..." she said, before turning to face the front. "From what I can tell, we're almost there, Storm."

At least five or ten minutes later, the train began to pass some pine trees, and soon enough, evidence of pony civilization begun to appear next to the railroad, including a billboard advertising a family holiday in Los Pegasus for 300 bits and a tall water tower right next to it. Suddenly, the train entered another tunnel, this one being much shorter than the one going up the mountain, before exiting it a minute later. Storm managed to catch a glimpse of outside before the view became obscured by trees.

"I think we're here." grinned Blue.

Suddenly, the train began to slow down rapidly, passing by more trees, and one or two homes, and the screeching noise the wheels made, which was worse than nails scratching against a chalkboard, sounded through the cabin. Storm, Blue, the other students and the teachers accompanying them covered their ears, but even that didn't do much to stop the horrible noise. Storm turned to look out of the window and noticed long rows of tall, white houses, all neatly lined up on the cliff, and facing the vast expanse of Equestria several thousand feet below. At closer inspection, these houses were a lot fancier and costlier than the homes in Cloudsdale or any of the surrounding towns and villages. In between these houses were some apartment buildings, some high-rises, some low-rises, and in the distant background stood a couple of office blocks, probably thirty or forty stories high. Storm looked on in wonder at the sprawling city before him, and soon enough, the screeching sound made by the wheels of the train begun to grow quieter and quieter as the train slowed down.

"Are we in---" begun Storm.

"Canterlot?" Blue finished for him. "Yes, we are. And this view isn't even the best part. You just have to see it for yourself to believe it, Storm."

"We're here, people," begun Dust Bowl, a beige-colored stallion with a brown mane, before standing out of his seat. "When we stop, I want you to line up in an orderly fashion. We'll be stopping in around ten minutes."

Storm and Blue looked out of the window, watching as the train entered the outskirts of city, passing through a large medieval-style gate, and past several tourist-oriented shops, including a gift shop, before coming to a halt at a purple-white building, which had a dark-purple roof, and arched windows which sparkled due in the sunlight. Moments later, the train's doors slid open and ponies began to pour out of all the cars onto the platform, including the students and their teachers.

"Welcome to Canterlot." Dust Bowl smiled at the group of students.

---

The first place that the group of students had visited was the Palace of Princess Celestia, located a short walk away from the train station, which looked absolutely amazing. In fact, this was the place Storm was most looking forward to visiting, even though tourists weren't allowed access inside at this time (as apparently, Celestia was having talks with the Griffon military's commander). It looked just as incredible outside as it did in pictures that Storm's friend Violet showed him before, and it towered over the city like some sort of huge citadel, dwarfing even the city's tallest office buildings. Despite not being able to get into the castle, Storm managed to snap a photo of the castle on his disposable camera and would have it developed over the weekend. After visiting the Palace, the tour guide took the group of students on a tour of the Royal Gardens, which were being patrolled by armored stallions. While Storm had seen Royal Guards in action before, he had never seen so many of them patrolling such a small area before, but this was pretty understandable, as these were Palace grounds, and even the smallest breach of security could pose a major threat to not only the Princess but to the entire country. While Dust Bowl was explaining to the group how the palace and Canterlot came to be, Storm watched the Guards train, scrutinizing them closely. It fascinated Storm seeing the Royal Guards in action, and he began to have thoughts about joining them after graduating from high school, but then, he realized that with his dad wanting him to become the leader of the cloud-busting team, it was going to be hard, next to impossible to take up another career.

After touring the Royal Gardens, it was time to take a walk down what Storm had heard was the largest shopping street in Equestria; Eclipse Boulevard. It was like an entire city crammed into one street, quite in the vein of Broadneigh in Manehattan, but without the massive theater marquees which populated literally every second or third building. The street was only a mile in length but was filled with shops from not only Equestria, but from all over the world. There were ponies of all different shapes and sizes and from every part of Equestria, along with some tourists from different parts of the world walking down this street, and Storm almost felt lost walking down it. Eventually, the time began to near 3:00 PM, and some dark clouds begun to gather over the horizon, meaning that the proposed hike up Canter Mountain was pretty much pointless. After the shopping trip on Eclipse Avenue, the last thing to do was to go to the gift store. While Storm and Blue walked together, behind the rest of their class in order to have some 'together time', to the gift shop, the sky began to get cloudier by the minute. Eventually, a rumble of thunder echoed through the air, followed by a sudden downpour of some torrential rain.

"Okay folks." begun Dust Bowl, looking at the group of students before him, who had all cover their manes with their saddlebags. "The hike up Canter Mountain is out of the question, so we might as well be heading back to the station."

"Aww, perfect," growled Storm. "I hate the rain... even though I'm a weather pony."

"It's not that bad, Stormy," replied Blue, nuzzling him. "It'll go away in a couple hours."

"I know, I know..." he turned to smile at her. Suddenly, Storm heard something that sounded like metal clanking. The sound came from an alleyway they were walking past.

"What is it, Stormy?" asked Blue, looking around. Storm heard the sound yet again, followed by glass shattering, and his ears perked up.

"Stay here, alright?" he asked. "I'll go check it out."

"Alright," she replied, watching Storm walk into the alley. The further Storm walked down the alley, the louder the sounds became. Eventually, they were replaced by female screaming. He gasped, and turned right, and noticed something that both terrified him and angered him; a mare, surrounded by a duo of thugs. From what Storm could tell, they were harassing her, and while he didn't want to get involved, a there was a part of him that was telling him to stop them.

"Lady, give us your money and we'll let you go." the taller thug said, while his smaller accomplice pointed a smashed glass bottle at the mare. From what Storm could tell, the mare was a tourist visiting Canterlot. "It's pretty simple."

"I won't give you anything," she said, shaking her head in fear. "Leave me alone or I'll call the Guard."

"Is that so?" the smaller thug sneered, before he dropped the glass bottle, smashing it on the ground. With seemingly no effort whatsoever, he ripped off the mare's saddlebag and opened it, much to her absolute shock, before throwing out contents he did not think were needed. Eventually, he got to her purse and emptied it out of any bits as well as loose credit and debit cards. His eyes widened in surprise at the sheer amount of bits which had poured out of it. "Sweet Celestia... We're rich!"

"Quiet, you scum! You'll give away our location! I don't want to have to escape prison again," replied the larger thug, punching the smaller one lightly. "Any more money?"

"No..." the mare replied.

Storm had enough of watching the mare suffer, so he decided to step in.

"HEY!" he shouted. Both the thugs and the mare turned to look at him.

"You lost, little guy?" replied the smaller thug.

"I'm taller than you are, shithead." Storm smirked. "Leave the mare alone or you're gonna have to go through me."

"Any takers, brother of mine?" asked the smaller thug.

"Of course..." the taller thug grinned.

"Run, ma'am. Get outta here!" shouted Storm, looking at the mare. She nodded and trotted away from where they were, leaving Storm to take on the thugs himself.

"You're gonna suffer, bro." the taller thug said.

"Says who---AAAH!"

Suddenly, the two thugs dropped the cash they were holding onto the ground and threw themselves at Storm, bringing him down to the ground almost instantly. They rolled through the alleyway, the mare watching them in utter shock, and the thugs threw punches at Storm, who tried his hardest to retaliate with his own. However, both parties did not realize that they were beginning to draw a crowd, which converged at both ends of the alleyway. While the smaller thug turned to look at the crowd of ponies gathering around them, Storm punched him in the face, knocking the thug off him. He yelped in pain, before watching Storm trot up to a trash can and hide behind it.

"Coward." the thug sneered. "Brother, you take him."

The much taller thug nodded in compliance, before trotting up to where Storm was hiding. Storm watched as the thug approached him menacingly, before taking the lid off the trash can and slamming it in his face. He groaned in pain, before being punched to the ground by Storm.

"Don't treat..." Storm said. "Innocent citizens like that!"

"GET OFF HIM!" shouted a voice. Storm turned to see who it was before he was pounced on by the smaller thug. He kicked the thug off his body, before punching him several times and knocking him into a pile of food waste. The taller thug's eyes widened in shock as he looked at his brother, who was too shocked to move. "What the buck...are you looking at? Take him!"

"Alright." the thug grinned, throwing himself at Storm and punching him repeatedly in the face. However, Storm bucked the taller thug repeatedly in the abdomen, weakening him enough for Storm to roll from beneath him. Storm got up and looked at the stallion writhing in pain, before looking to see the crowd in front of him.

"That's...what you get for treating an innocent mare like that." Storm wiped his somewhat cut-up forehead free of blood, before turning to see two Royal Guards approaching him, their crossbows out and aiming straight at Storm.

"DON'T MOVE!" the stallion said, pointing his crossbow straight at Storm. Storm immediately raised his hooves. "You are under arrest!"

"What for, officer?" Storm gulped, hooves still raised above his head.

"For viciously assaulting these ponies!" the other officer replied, looking at the two weak thugs lying on the ground, before putting a pair of hoofcuffs on Storm's hooves.

"Sir, he didn't do anything bad!" said an onlooking pony.

"It was these two!" said another, pointing at the two weak thugs. "They attacked this mare."

"Ma'am, is that right?" the Royal Guard asked.

"Yes." the mare replied, picking up her bag and putting her money into it, which was scattered across the ground. "This young stallion saved me. Don't arrest him. Let him go please."

"It's them you want to arrest!"

"Yeah!"

"You..." said the other guardspony, coming over to the weak thug, who was lying on the ground. "Get up and dust yourself off. You as well..." he turned to look at his brother, who was struggling to get out from underneath the pile of trash. "You're both coming with us."

"So, I must say..." begun the first guardspony, looking at Storm directly in the eyes. "You did the job of a guardspony back there."

"I did?" Storm raised his eyebrows.

"Yep." the guard stallion replied, before taking the hoofcuffs off Storm's hooves. "Royal Guards are meant to protect innocent civilians from any form of harm. By the way, sorry I put these cuffs on... maybe you'd like to join us one day?"

"Maybe..." Storm mused. "I'm not from Canterlot, though."

"Here you go. If you're interested, feel free to drop by at any time." the guard said, passing Storm a piece of paper. Storm unfolded it and read what it said on it. It took him only a moment to realize that the paper was, in fact, a poster, meant to advertise the Guard. It read:

THE EQUESTRIAN ROYAL GUARD!
RECRUITING NOW AT YOUR NEAREST GUARD OUTPOST. PROTECT THE PRINCESS AND THE LAND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH AND HONOR.

Hiring now from ages 17 onwards (as of current regulations in effect from Jan. 1, 2004). Part-time positions available.

"So, you interested?" asked the stallion.

"Maybe." Storm smiled. However, inside he wasn't so sure, especially since his dad was probably going to have a say about it.

"Storm, what happened?!" asked Blue in a rather frantic-sounding voice.

"Nothing, nothing. I had to do something to help this mare..." he replied, wiping his forehead with his hoof, which had begun to bleed again. "Blue?"

"Yeah?" she asked, unzipping her saddlebag and taking out a piece of cloth from it, before putting it on his forehead.

"I've been thinking..." he begun. "and I've decided that once I graduate from school...I'm going to join the Royal Guard."

"You are?" she gasped.

"Yep." replied Storm.

"Well, that's great!" she smiled. "I'm really happy for you, Stormy. But...why?"

"Because I feel like I need to protect innocent ponies from harm, Blue." begun Storm. "I don't want them to suffer."

The crowd began to cheer in delight, and Blue caught something on Storm's flank.

"Storm..." she smiled.

"Yeah?"

"There's something on your flank, and I think you'll like it."

"What is it?"

"A gray shield, with a lightning bolt going through it."

"Sweet Celestia..." Storm gasped, turning his head to look at his flank. "My cutie mark..."

Author's Notes:

Aww yeah! Storm finally got his cutie mark. Originally, I was going to have him get it while he was still living in the Griffon Empire, but I figured he'd get more character development if he gets it later.

Stay tuned for Chapter 17, which will be out as soon as possible.

17. Like Father, Unlike Son

Having walked Blue home, Storm trotted across Cloudsdale as fast as he possibly could. He was hurting and aching, from both his injuries in Canterlot and from the forty-five-minute-long flight from Ponyville. In fact, by the time they had landed at Blue's house, Storm had grown so tired and weak, Blue and Star (Solar still being away at work) offered for him to stay at their house until his injuries healed and he regained his strength. Storm respectfully declined, knowing that he had to be back home as soon as possible. And yet, the longer he thought about coming back home, the more he became unnerved. He knew that his parents would probably make a huge fuss about his injuries, especially his dad, who'd probably ground him for a couple of weeks minimum. Storm had never really been grounded for long periods of time (the longest he was grounded for was for a week, and that was for a fight he had with Hurricane), but he knew that his dad wouldn't be so kind to him if he found out what happened in Canterlot. While Equinox was far more lenient and understanding when her kids did something wrong, High Wind was a lot stricter.

Another thing Storm was worried about was his family finding out that he earned his cutie mark. He was still in complete shock to see that it had finally appeared after several years of waiting, but he knew that he probably deserved it for sticking up for that mare back in Canterlot. However, what unnerved Storm even more, was thinking how High Wind would react to the new mark. Over the past year that Storm had been working at the factory, his father had been putting more and more pressure on him to succeed, and while he became popular with his superiors, including Tornado, he wasn't enjoying the job. However, whenever his dad asked him about how was work, Storm usually masked his inner dislike for the job by saying it was great.

After arriving at his street and walking by the homes of some neighbors, who eyed him suspiciously, he had finally arrived at his house. Rather hesitantly, he tapped the door gently three times, and a couple of moments later, Equinox opened the door.

"Come in---oh my gosh." she gasped, looking at the slightly blood-covered stallion before her. "Storm, what happened?"

"Uh...it's nothing, mom." Storm replied.

"It's nothing?" she asked. "You look like you fell down the side of Canter Mountain! Where the hay were you, son?"

"In Canterlot..." he replied.

"I know you were...I just want to know what you were doing in Canterlot." Equinox stuttered.

"Mom, like I said; it's no big deal."

"Storm, don't give me that." she said, sternly. "Did you get involved in a fight? Do I have to call somepony's mom and dad?"

"No, mom..." he sighed.

"Well?!"

"You're right...I did get into a fight..."

"With who?" asked Equinox. "That Hurricane kid?"

"No, mom... Hurricane's cool." replied Storm.

"You two friends now?"

"I don't know if we are, but he's a lot nicer to me nowadays than he was in the past." explained Storm.

"I see." Equinox replied, still retaining her stern glare. "Alright Storm. Tell me what happened. I won't get angry or anything if you do."

And so, Storm proceeded to tell Equinox about how he rescued a tourist mare from a pair of street thugs. As he told her the entire story, his mother's glare seemed to be replaced with an understanding, yet still worrisome smile.

"Oh Storm..." sighed Equinox, pulling Storm into a tight hug. "I'm just so glad you're back home...and what you done in Canterlot, was a pretty brave and noble, yet dangerous thing to do."

"Mom, I couldn't let an innocent pony suffer." explained Storm. "She needed my help..."

"I know, son, but still. If you didn't come back home safely I don't know what I'd do...In fact, you know who you're beginning to remind me of?" asked Equinox.

"Who?"

"Your birth father." begun Equinox. "Before we left for the Griffon Empire almost twenty years ago, your father was a Royal Guard, whose day-to-day job was protecting innocent ponies..."

"He was?" asked Storm.

"Yep." sighed Equinox. "But he always wanted more...he always wanted to do something bigger and better...and that's why before we left for the Empire, he joined the military."

"So he wasn't drafted?" Storm raised his eyebrows.

"Nope." replied Equinox. "It was his choice... although, not a very good one... Anyways, Storm... even though what you did was very noble... I'm going to have to ground you."

"For how long?" asked Storm.

"Maybe a week..." replied Equinox. "I don't want you getting involved in violence, even though it may help somepony else. Remember son, violence is never the answer, even though it may have been for a good cause. You could've just easily called the Guard, instead of getting involved in a fight."

"I guess..." sighed Storm. "Sorry mom..."

"It's alright, son..." she sighed as well. "Just...don't get involved in things like that again. I'll ground you for a week, alright?"

"Okay..." Storm's ears drooped slightly. He followed Equinox into the house and flipped the light switch, illuminating the hallway leading up to the stairs.

"Anyways, I have hay pizza in the oven." she smiled. "Go get yourself washed up, and I'll get you a bandage. It'll be ready in twenty minutes."

"Okay." He replied, walking up the stairs. However, just before Equinox went to the kitchen, she managed to catch a glimpse of Storm's cutie mark.

"Storm, can you come down here for a second?" she asked. Storm turned to face her and walked back down the stairs.

"What is it mom?" Storm asked.

"You finally got it..." Equinox smiled. Storm smiled rather awkwardly, backing away towards the stairs.

"You like it? I mean---" he stuttered, an embarrassed blush forming on his face.

"It's beautiful, son." she replied. "I'm so proud of you... How did you get it?"

"Well..." he begun. "I think I got it after I stuck up for that mare..."

"You did?" Equinox raised her eyebrows. "Sweet Celestia..."

"What is it?" asked Storm.

"Nothing, nothing..." replied Equinox. "You're just like your father, son..."

"What do you mean?" Storm raised his eyebrows.

"I think you're cut out to be a great Royal Guard, son. If protecting ponies is what you really want to do, then I think there should be nothing stopping you." she replied, smiling warmly at him. However, her smile soon faded away in to a solemn and emotionless expression. "Just don't tell your dad... who knows how he'll react."

---

A couple hours later...
"Quin, kids! I'm home!"

Storm shot up from his bed in shock, and looked around his darkened room. It was 11 PM and he was desperately trying, and failing to fall asleep. After a twelve-hour long shift, High Wind had finally come back home, and Storm was both excited and absolutely terrified at the same time. He was way too busy thinking about how his dad would react to what happened today, and within seconds, he came to the conclusion that he was about to find out, mentally preparing himself for their meeting.

"Storm, you asleep?" asked High Wind, from behind the door.

"No..." Storm shivered in fright.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

Storm immediately jumped back into bed. "Sure."

Suddenly, the door opened slightly, and High stepped into the room, flicking the light switch on. "Hey sport." he smiled.

"Hey dad." replied Storm. "How was work?"

"Oh, you know... the usual." explained High, before noticing the bandage on Storm's forehead. "How was Cant---What the hay happened to you?"

"I had a little accident." Storm fibbed.

"What kind of accident?" asked High, sitting down at Storm's desk chair.

"Uh, uh..." Storm said, trying to think of a reasonable explanation. However, High noticed his awkwardness, and the worried expression on his face was quickly replaced with a sneer.

"Storm, did you get into a fight?" he asked.

"Sort of..." he sighed, realizing that he cannot fool his stepfather, whose sneer was in turn replaced with a glare, which seemed to growmore furious with each passing second.

"What happened?" he asked. "Was it that Hurricane kid?"

Why does everypony think that?

"No, dad..." sighed Storm. "The truth is that I got into a fight to help a mare."

"Help a mare?" High Wind raised his eyebrow.

"Yep."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well, there was this mare...and she was being harassed by a pair of thugs...so I stepped in and fought them," replied Storm. "Dad, I couldn't let her suffer..."

"And you think that by fighting fire with fire you're going to achieve anything?" asked High, narrowing his eyes onto Storm.

"No, but dad... she needed my help." he replied.

"You know what, it's always 'help' this, 'help' that... No matter where it is or what the circumstances are... you can't just stick to yourself, can you?" growled High. "You can't do anything right."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Storm growled as well, his blood beginning to boil in anger.

"What I mean is that you spend way too much time focusing on other ponies, instead of focusing on succeeding as a weather pony."

"Dad, maybe being a weather pony was only a part-time thing..." Storm angrily replied. "And I couldn't just leave her there! I needed to do something! Why are you...so blind?"

"You calling me blind?" he asked.

"What I meant is---"

"You calling me blind?" High asked again, this time in a much firmer voice.

"Dad!"

"Don't give me that 'dad' bullshit!" he shouted. "I'm not bucking blind! I want you to succeed as a weather pony, son! I want to see you do something great with your life, instead of being some crime-fighting vigilante!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to be a weather pony!" Storm rebutted. "For me, it's just flying around and through clouds! There's nothing special about it."

"You're too young to see the benefits a career in weather would bring, not only to you but to the rest of Equestria," huffed High. "Are you seriously telling me that earning $25 an hour working as part of a team isn't good enough for you? Are you seriously meaning to tell me that you don't want the associated benefits of being a weather pony; that you don't want good health coverage, for example? No quick promotions, no tax breaks, no nothing like that?"

"Dad, don't be an asshole," growled Storm. "Maybe being a 'crime-fighting vigilante' as you call it, is my destiny!"

He then kicked away his duvet, revealing his cutie mark adorning his flank. High's jaws dropped, and he got up from the desk chair and backed away towards Storm's wardrobe, stuttering slightly.

"You earned your cutie mark..." he stuttered, his eyes still fixed on Storm's cutie mark. "And it's not related to weather..."

"Of course it's not..."

"You traitor..." growled High. "How could you? You were meant to become a weather pony! I trained you for months under my wing to be the best of the best, and this is what I get in return?! What the buck, man?"

"I already told you, dad!" Storm growled as well. "I hate being a weather pony! And I hate you deciding everything for me! I'm seventeen, dammit! Don't you think I have a right to decide my own life for myself?! In fact, I hate you!"

"I hate you too," growled High with a furious nod. "In fact, I don't even know whether I should consider you my son!"

"That's easy for you to say," scoffed Storm. "You aren't even my dad, for Celestia's sake! You're just some guy who my mom liked and married."

"You're right...but I am trying to do what's best for you." growled High, relenting slightly as the harsh words Storm spoke began to break down his defenses.

"By what?" asked Storm. "By deciding my life for me?"

"I don't have time for this..." growled High, walking out from Storm's room. "You're grounded for three weeks. No TV, no going to Singer's house, nothing like that. End of."

---

The next day...
"So, what happened between you and your dad?" asked Blue, her head resting against Storm's body. They were sitting at a bench in the park in North Cloudsdale, Storm having managed to sneak out of the house (as both High and Equinox were away at a weather pony conference, and Gust and Mist were at a friend's house). Storm seemed pretty shaken and nervous about that argument he had with his dad the night before, and so to ease the stress, Blue decided to start up a conversation with him.

"It's a long story, Blue." sighed Storm. "I'm not sure you'd want to hear it."

"It's okay, Stormy." she nuzzled him. "I won't mind."

"You sure?"

"Of course."

"Okay..." sighed Storm yet again, unfolding his wing and wrapping it around Blue's body. "My dad is apparently angry because I don't want to be a weather pony after I leave school. That, and about what happened in Canterlot yesterday."

"So, he isn't proud that you've got your cutie mark?" asked Blue.

"Mom is, but he isn't." replied Storm. "And to be honest, I really don't care whether he's proud or not. I don't care about him at all!"

"Storm, stop." Blue said, putting her hoof to his mouth. "Think about what you've just said. He's your dad."

"I know..." Storm sighed. "But still...he's angered me enough. I'm not doing what he wants me to do with my life."

"I know..." Blue smiled. "But wouldn't it be better for both him and you to mend fences and somehow resolve this together?"

"I don't know..." replied Storm, looking rather unsure. "I don't want him to get even angrier..."

"Maybe you two just need to get to know each other better." proposed Blue. "What would you say?"

"Maybe..." he smiled. "It won't hurt to try..."

"That's the spirit." Blue grinned.

"But what could me and dad do to try and get to know each other better?" asked Storm.

"Hmm..." begun Blue. "Just try spending some time with each other. Go on a camping trip to the Whitetail Woods, visit Manehattan or Fillydelphia, go hiking... maybe you'll find out that you two aren't so different."

Author's Notes:

And will Storm take Blue's advice and try to work things out with his dad, or will the father and son relationship deteriorate even more? Find out in chapter 18, which I hope to have out soon :3

PS: at just over 2700 words, this is the shortest chapter in the entire story.

18. A Guard For A Day (Part I)

"What the hay do you mean you wish to get a better job, Storm?" asked Tornado, having just summoned Storm to his office. Storm sat at a large armchair in front of his desk, shivering slightly as he watched Tornado narrow his eyes onto him. It was a rare occasion he ended up in Tornado's office, but it was never for anything bad. This time, Storm was summoned for a pay raise; Tornado would pay him 5% more of what he payed him before as cloud checker, however, Storm decided to bring up either getting a new job or being moved to another department, just to get it out of his system. After his 'argument' with High Wind, it seemed like a good idea to ask to get moved to the Tornado Team, a.k.a. where High preferred him to work. Storm considered himself a competent enough flyer to join the Tornado Team, but deep down inside he didn't want to join. However, he was only doing this to impress his dad. And boy did it seem like a good idea at first, especially considering how much their usually positive father-son relationship deteriorated lately.

Ever since Storm became a cloud checker, Tornado begun to grow less and less harsh on him. It was almost as if Tornado was only harsh on the weather ponies who were actually working on the weather itself, and not the ponies whose responsibility was to check the weather for any signs of error. Storm's job involved checking out the clouds themselves for any signs of imperfection, and while that wasn't anything as exciting as charging raindrops with electricity or magic to produce thunder and lightning or pumping air into a cloud to produce wind, it did have good pay.

"Sir, I've been thinking about this for a while now..." said Storm, still shivering slightly. "I'm bored of weather pony work. I'm wanting to do something interesting in life."

"And don't you think being a weather pony is interesting?" asked Tornado, his eyes still being fixed on Storm.

"I do, but still..." fibbed Storm. "This wasn't something I was planning to do full-time, plus my cutie mark isn't...compatible with being a cloud checker."

"You have a cutie mark?" scoffed Tornado. "You have a cutie mark?!"

"Of course." deadpanned Storm. "I got it a week back."

"Let's see it." Tornado smirked. And so, Storm showed Tornado his shield-shaped cutie mark. Tornado's expression turned into a shocked one.

"How did you get it?" he asked.

"By protecting somepony." replied Storm.

"I see." said Tornado. "Well... I don't know what to say, Stormfire, aside from the fact that you're a lazy bum. But I still like you as one of my workers. Usually, an employee of mines who demands to be fired---"

"I'm not asking to be fired!" rebutted Storm. "I'm asking for you to consider moving me to the Tornado Team!"

"Silence!" growled Tornado. "Anyways...usually, an employee of mines who demands to be fired is fired on the spot...but you're an entirely different story...I'm going to suspend you for a week."

"Sir, you misunderst---What?" Storm's ears drooped.

"You heard me." smirked Tornado. "Until you learn to appreciate the value of hard work, don't come back til next Saturday. That's what you get for laziness, Stormfire. But you're still getting your pay raise. Next Saturday, instead of paying you 50 bits like I usually do, I'll pay you $52.50. Now, get outta my sight."

"Yes sir." Storm darted out of his office. After clocking out and leaving the factory, Storm walked across the streets of Cloudsdale towards home. He sighed in regret after what he had just told Tornado. He was now suspended for a week, and he needed to find something to do with his spare time. But most importantly, he needed to somehow tell his parents, especially his father, who'd probably be a lot more angry at him than after what happened after his trip to Canterlot.

He walked down the road leading to the north part of Cloudsdale, before turning left on a crossroad which led to his street. However, he didn't want to come home, not just yet, considering that High Wind was back and would probably question him to death about how his day at work went. Storm didn't want to bring up getting suspended from work, in case High'd get more angry. So, he took off into the air, and looked around North Cloudsdale, and something caught his eye; there was a building surrounded by Equestrian flags in the distance, a couple of blocks away from where he was currently at. Upon closer inspection, the building was in fact the new headquarters of the Royal Guard in Cloudsdale, which was built at least a couple months back after the roof of the old headquarters on the south side of town caved in after a large storm, and the building had to be demolished.

Without thinking twice, Storm flew over the homes and buildings of North Cloudsdale, not turning back, and landed in front of the building, which seemed even bigger from the ground than it seemed from the air. He looked around to see several guards walking back and forth in front of the building, before smiling respectfully at them and walking up to the front door of the building. The automatic door slid open and Storm stepped into the building, his mane being blown about by the air conditioning.

At the desk sat a Pegasus stallion, who was eating an apple and drinking some coffee out of a cup.

"How may I help you?" he asked, putting down what remained of the apple onto the desk.

"Well, can I enlist as a Guard?" asked Storm.

"Sorry, man. We can't recruit here; the nearest recruitment center is in Downtown, at the intersection of 38th Avenue and Cloudly Avenue, but that's undergoing renovations...so..." explained the stallion. "If you wanna recruit, you're gonna have to go to Canterlot."

"I see..." Storm sighed.

"But..." said the stallion. "What age are you?"

"Seventeen." replied Storm.

"I see." said the stallion, writing down Storm's details on a notepad. "Well, you're of the right age...so, how about we give you a taste of being a Royal Guard? We can show you where we patrol and what we do on a daily basis, and you can also learn some physical combat with other guards. So, when you graduate school, you'll be able to enlist. I'd imagine you're still in school, right?"

"I am." replied Storm.

"I'll have to call up the captain." explained the stallion. "Can you wait a couple of minutes?"

"Sure." replied Storm, going to sit next to a water cooler, and watching the stallion pick up the phone on his desk and dial the work number of the captain. A couple of minutes later, the door in front of where Storm was sitting opened, and a large behemoth of a stallion came towards Storm. He was wearing gold-plated armor, and his mane was covered by a massive golden helmet.

"Stormfire, am I right?" the massive Pegasus stallion sneered.

"Yes sir." Storm gulped.

"I hear you're interested in joining the Guard." the stallion grinned. "Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Firestarter, and I am the Captain of the Cloudsdale unit of the Royal Guard. Before we go any further with this, what's your age?"

"17, sir." replied Storm.

"Alright." Firestarter replied. "You want a taste of the Guard, huh?"

"Yes sir."

"Well then. Did your parents give you consent?" asked the Guard Captain.

"Yes sir..." Storm fibbed, knowing that only his mom really approved of him joining the Guard.

"Very well then." he replied. "Meet me here tomorrow morning, and I'll give you a taste of what it's like to be a Guard."

---

"Storm, where the hay were you?" asked Equinox, looking at her son, who was sitting on the couch, with disapproving eyes. Storm sighed in defeat, knowing that he couldn't lie to his own mother, before telling her the truth about where he was. "It's 4:32 PM. You were meant to be back an hour ago!"

"Mom..." begun Storm. "I was suspended."

"What?" she raised her eyebrows.

"I was suspended for a week..." groaned Storm. "So, I went to look for some other employment I may take up after graduating from school."

"Oh, Storm..." sighed Equinox. "I already told you that I'm perfectly fine with you joining the guard after you graduate, but I don't want you coming back home late. I was worried sick!"

"I'm sorry, mom." he sighed. "I won't do it again."

"Good..." replied Equinox. "What did the captain tell you?"

"He said I can come over tomorrow." begun Storm. "And they'll take me on patrols and show me what they do on a day-to-day basis."

"Storm..." sighed Equinox. "Just...don't tell your dad, alright? You know how he gets when you bring up something he doesn't like... I don't want the same thing that happened last week between you two happening again."

---

The next day...
After eating breakfast and saying goodbye to his family (including to his dad, whom Storm told that he is going to Blue's house), Storm made his way down to the headquarters of the Royal Guard near downtown Cloudsdale. He walked into the three-storey high building, and sat down where he sat yesterday, right in front of the reception desk, awaiting the Guard Captain to come.

A moment or two later, the door next to the reception desk opened up, and the captain stepped out. "Welcome. I'm glad you came." he smiled.

"It's a pleasure being here.." Storm stuttered.

"Alright." replied Firestarter. "So, you want to see first-hand what being a Royal Guard is like, eh? Well, you've come to the right place, but before we take you on a patrol, I'd like to give you a tour of the building. Follow me, please."

"Yes sir." replied Storm, getting up out of his seat and following the Guard captain through the open door. They walked down a long corridor, which led to a row of three elevators. However, just before they reached the three elevators, they turned right and walked down another long corridor, passing some off-duty guards, before turning left at an open door and walking into a large hall.

"Welcome to the briefing room, where Guards are briefed before they start work." explained Firestarter. Storm looked around the large hall; there were rows of chairs all facing a large screen. At the very back of the hall, stood a large table with a movie-sized projector on it. "This is where as a Royal Guard, you'll be briefed each morning, or as a Lunar Guard, if you choose to become one."

"A Lunar Guard?"

"Yep." replied Firestarter. "The Cloudsdale Lunar Guard is considered by many to be the best Lunar Guard unit in Equestria, myself included."

"Wait, why do you have a night unit of the Royal Guard?" asked Storm.

"Let me put it this way." begun Firestarter. "The Royal Guard is divided into two seperate entities; the Solar Guard, which patrols solely during daytime, and the Lunar Guard, which only patrols at night. Having two distinct divisions of the Guard allows us to get more done, and Lunar Guards are highly valued for their ninja-like stealth and speed. Why, you want to join?"

Maybe... "Not really." replied Storm. "I mean, I haven't even graduated yet."

"Yeah, I know." replied Firestarter. "Anyways, moving on..."

And so, Firestarter continued with his tour of the Royal Guard station; the next location they visited was the gym, which from Storm's point of view appeared bigger than his school's. He peered into the gym through a glass window, to see several treadmills, and two stallions lifting weights. However, what caught Storm's eye (and also intimidated him slightly) were two off-duty Royal Guards in the very back of the gym hall, wearing body armor and seemingly beating the ever-loving crud out of each other. However, there was no bloodshed, nor did the Guards seem to be hurting. In fact, they seemed to be enjoying it.

"You'll get involved in that later." grinned Firestarter.

"Sir?" Storm shuddered.

"Every future Guard needs to know how to defend himself in a fight." explained FIrestarter. "Don't worry, it's just sparring; nothing too serious. For the sparring exercise, we've paired you up with a young recruit from Canterlot, and by young I mean...The kid's fifteen."

"How did a fifteen year old manage to enlist?" asked Storm. "Isn't that a bit too young?"

"Well, from what I heard, he enlisted in May of last year, before current regulations came into effect." replied the captain. "Previous regulations allowed ponies as young as thirteen to join, but only work in part-time positions. From what I know, he joined as a coffee server, although I'm not entirely sure why he got recruited so early. The captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard, I'm not sure what his name is, had to either fire him and send him to live in an orphanage or had to place him in a special training program for younger Guards. And I think you know what he chose to do. All I can tell you is that rules and regulations in the Guard are more unpredictable than a sandstorm in the San Palomino..."

"Damn..."

"Yep. In fact, why don't you let him explain to you? The recruit is scheduled to arrive in two or three hours."

"When did you join?" asked Storm.

"I was seventeen, just like you." explained Firestarter. "After a particularly rough senior year, I dropped out and joined the Guard."

"Wow." was all Storm could say.

"And I've been proudly serving this country for the past twenty-three years." he explained, with a hint of pride in his voice. "Anyways, we should move on."

"Good idea."

---

After finishing the tour of the Guard station, which included visiting a massive swimming pool meant for trainee Guards and the barracks, Firestarter led Storm back to the briefing room, in which Royal Guards were beginning to gather. Storm looked around to see some of the guards turning to look at him, with rather questionable looks on their faces, before turning to see Firestarter, who motioned for Storm to sit beside the projector at the back.

"Alright, everypony." said Firestarter, walking up to the podium in front of the Guards. "Please, take a seat and allow me to explain what we're going to be doing today. But first of all, I'd like you all to sing the National Anthem."

And so, the Guards, who were still not wearing their armor, stood up out of their chairs and sung the National Anthem of Equestria, with Storm joining in near the very end. Even though he lived in Equestria since he was ten, Storm did not know the National Anthem off by heart, but knew one or two verses, unlike the Guards, who knew it all. After the Anthem had been sung, the Guards sat back down in their chairs and allowed Firestarter to continue. He had no idea why the guards were singing it, but he decided to keep it to himself.

"Alright." he begun. "Today, I want you to be split up into two groups. There's twenty-four of you here as of yet, so I want two groups of twelve."

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, each group will patrol a given section of town." explained Firestarter. "Valor?"

"Yes sir?" asked the pony named Valor, a tall, brown Pegasus stallion with a black mane.

"Your group will patrol the east side of our precinct; basically half of downtown." explained Firestarter.

"Yes sir!"

"Darkflame?" asked Firestarter.

"Yes sir?"

"I want your group to patrol the west side of downtown." said Firestarter. "Your patrol area will be from Cloudside Shopping Mall at the very western edge of the city to Cloud Bank Plaza. Also, I don't believe I've introduced somepony; Guards, this is Stormfire, and he'll be joining Valor's patrol group for today."

The Guards all turned to face Storm, an awkward grin forming on his reddened face. "Sir?" asked Valor.

"Yes?"

"Why is he here, if I may ask?"

"Stormfire seeks to join the guard after he graduates school. I figured it'd be a good idea to show him what we do here." explained Firestarter.

"Alright." replied Valor, turning to give Storm a friendly grin.

"Okay, Guards." said Firestarter. "Your shifts end at 1400 hours. Please go to the locker rooms and get yourselves ready. Once your shifts end, feel free to grab some lunch. After that, you'll be replaced with groups 3-4, who in turn, will be replaced by the Lunar Guard. The Privates are requested to attend a sparring session with the trainees between 1400 and 1500 hours, and that includes Storm."

"Yes sir!" the guards replied, including Storm.

"Alright, get goin'!" yelled Firestarter, motioning for the guards to walk out of the door. Storm followed after the guards, managing to catch up to Valor.

"So, you must be Storm." he smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Valor, and I am a Sergeant. So, you planning on joining full-time?"

"I'm wanting to." replied Storm. "What kind of stuff do you do here?"

"Well..." begun Valor. "We protect ponies from harm, and we serve our community."

"But how?"

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" asked Valor. "To find out how we operate."

"I guess..." replied Storm.

"Alright, boys." begun Valor. "Once you put on your armor, I want you all to move out in single-file lines."

"Yes sir!"

"Storm, you stick with me, alright?"

"Yes, sir." he replied, saluting Valor.

"I'll show you what it's like to be a Solar Guard." he grinned.

Author's Notes:

Stay tuned for Part 2, everyone. I hope for it to be out soon enough.

19. A Guard For A Day (Part II)

"So, Storm..." begun Valor, standing beside him, and watching ponies walk down Mid Clouds Avenue, one of the busiest streets in Cloudsdale, somewhat like Eclipse Boulevard in Canterlot, but with much less tourists. Storm always wondered why Cloudsdale, despite being over twice as large, never got as many tourists as Canterlot did. There was so many things to do in Cloudsdale, maybe more than in Canterlot, and the view, which stretched for a hundred miles on a clear day, was incredible. Was it because of Cloudsdale being so high up? Was it because the princess resided in Canterlot? Or was it because Canterlot was the capital city of Equestria? Storm did not know, but the question somewhat puzzled him. He looked up and down the street, to see street vendors setting up hay dog stands and several Pegasi (some of whom Storm recognized from school) visiting the new tech store a couple of blocks up the street, but that was about it. It saddened him slightly, knowing that his hometown was never going to be as popular of a tourist destination as Canterlot, which was only sixty-seventy miles to the north; Storm was immensely proud of living in Cloudsdale, despite hailing from the Griffon Empire. Whenever there was a hoofball game on, he and Singer would sometimes visit the Arena in North Cloudsdale to root for the home team, which over the past few months had got to the top of the Equestrian Hoofball League, literally kicking the flanks of some of the best teams in the country in the process. And there also was the affordable cost of living in Cloudsdale, compared to most other surrounding places, paired with the safety of the local area. That safety was the reason why Storm was here.

"You want to know what it's like being a guard, huh?" asked Valor.

"Yep." Storm smiled.

"Well, it can get pretty boring at times...but when it isn't, sweet Celestia, it's the best job ever." explained Valor. "Do you have anypony in the family who is a Solar or Lunar Guard?"

"No sir." replied Storm, not wanting to tell Valor about his birth father who Storm found out only a week ago served in the Royal Guard.

"I see." said Valor. "Well, what do you know about being a Guard?"

"Well, uh..." begun Storm, stuttering slightly. "I know that you work to protect the ponies of Equestria from harm."

"Uh-huh."

"And I know that you are divided into two...divisions, the Solar Guard, which operates during daytime and the Lunar Guard, which works at night." explained Storm.

"You're correct." smiled Valor. "Anything else?"

"Nope." replied Storm.

"Well, I must say, you know just as much as the average mare or stallion." explained Valor. "It goes much deeper than just protecting ponies from harm, for me at least. The Royal Guard can be involved in almost every aspect of Equestrian life, and we have an unbreakable bond with the communities we serve; for example, the Guard here in Cloudsdale has existed for the past 124 years, after a merger of four Guard Forces: The North Cloudsdale, West Cloudsdale, East Cloudsdale and South Cloudsdale Guards. We exist to protect and to serve, to help put ponies back on the right path and to prevent crime and suffering of innocent ponies. Most major cities, such as our own, have a Royal Guard unit; smaller cities whereas such as Coltlumbus, for example, have a police department; and towns and villages have a sheriff's office that deals with law enforcement. Ponyville, for example, which is right down the railroad, has the Ponyville County Sheriff's Office, which provides law enforcement services for that county as a whole; but it also has a Guard unit."

"Wow..." smiled Storm. "That was pretty deep."

"Yep." replied Valor. "Being a Guard is my life."

"I can understand why..." grinned Storm. "You guys are awesome."

"We sure are." Valor grinned back. "So, tell me. Do you know how we protect?"

"No."

"Through our stealth." he begun. "I mean, the Lunar Guard are in a class of their own when it comes to stealth, but we Solar Guards don't have it as bad as ponies say we do. When we see a potential criminal, we attempt to get as close to them as quietly as possible, without him or her noticing, and once we get close enough, we attempt to question them. If the questioning doesn't work, or the suspect turns violent, that's when we pounce. If we believe our suspect could be armed, we have the right to use force. If he or she isn't armed, we simply put hoofcuffs on them and drag them off to be interrogated."

"How does interrogation work?" asked Storm, looking around the street to see if there were any suspicious-looking ponies walking down it.

"Well, we basically question our suspect. If it's for small crimes, then interrogation usually does not last long." explained Valor. "If it's for major crimes, or if the suspect does not want to confess, we place our suspect in a jail cell for the night. And if he still doesn't wish to confess, the matter is directed to the Equestrian Court of Law. I don't want to go over the judicial system of this country in too much detail, but hopefully it gives you a rough idea of how we work here."

"Interesting." noted Storm, before turning to look around the street again. This time, something caught his eye; a young Pegasus stallion, who seemed to be of Storm's size, was running through the crowd on the opposite side of the street, barging into several pedestrians in the process and holding something in his hooves. "Valor?"

"Now, I want to explain how the precinct system works."

"Valor." said Storm, now in a slightly firmer voice.

"For policing purposes, Cloudsdale is divided into five regions, or as we prefer to call them in the Guard, 'precincts'; North Cloudsdale, East Cloudsdale, South Cloudsdale, West Cloudsdale and Downtown. Right now, we are in Downtown---"

"Valor!" shouted Storm.

"Yeah?"

"I think I see somepony who looks rather suspicious." explained Storm, pointing at the stallion, who turned left on the intersection onto Hoofing Street, barging into more ponies in the process.

"You sit back and watch how the big boys do it...Follow me." replied Valor, fluttering his wings, before taking off into the air. Storm did as he was asked to and took off into the air, after Valor.

---

"Not so fast." shouted Valor, having just landed right in front of the stallion whom they were chasing. He outstretched his crossbow, pointing it directly at the stallion, who dropped the thing he was carrying in his hooves, onto the sidewalk in fright. Storm stood behind Valor, watching the stallion flinch and jump backwards in fright upon noticing Valor's outstretched crossbow. He had seen the Guard in action before several times, but never up close, that is, until now. It unnerved him ever so slightly seeing a Royal Guard in action up close, but he felt compelled to watch Valor question the suspect. And if Storm was ever supposed to be a Guard, he needed to know how they operated. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I have to get home..." stuttered the stallion.

"I'll let you go home after you explain to me why you're in such a hurry, and why you have pushed past several pedestrians." said Valor. "And what's that thing lying on the sidewalk?"

"Dude, please! I'm sorry!" shouted the stallion. "I had to do it! I'm broke, and wanted to give my marefriend a birthday present! I'm so sorry! Please, have it back, and tell the jewelry store clerk that I'm sorry, and I'll not come anywhere near her store again!" The stallion, tears rolling out of his eyes, nudged the small, velvet box, which still had the price tag on towards Valor. Storm could make out that the contents of the box, which he presumed was a wedding ring, costed at least 1250 bits, which would make for one hay of a robbery. "I'm so sorry."

"Sir." begun Storm, watching Valor hoofcuff the stallion. "I think he's not screwing with us. I think he really is sorry."

"Pull yourself together, alright? I just wanted to know what happened." begun Valor, picking up the box. "I'm not gonna shoot you or arrest you, or do anything like that. You seem pretty innocent to me, and if you explain everything to me properly, I'll let you go home without any hassle. Just please, tell me what happened."

"Well, my marefriend, she's sick with some sort of disease, that the doctors say is incurable..." explained the stallion, some tears rolling out of his eyes. Storm watched on in pity as the stallion explained himself to Valor. He had never expected to feel sorry for a criminal, but decided not to let it show. "She means the world to me, Mr. Officer, sir. I don't want to lose her, and the prognosis for her isn't great...but I want us to remain together for as long as it's medically possible for her...I want to propose to her, dude... but I don't have any money for a wedding ring, let alone for a wedding party. So, I done the wrong thing..."

"What is your name?" asked Valor.

"Windstorm." replied the stallion.

"Have you ever had a job, Windstorm?" asked Valor.

"One..." replied Windstorm. "However, it wasn't particularly well-paid. I couldn't even afford to pay the rent for our apartment, so I resorted to stealing."

"What is your special talent?" asked Valor. "Can I see your cutie mark?"

"Of course, sir." replied Windstorm, turning around slightly to reveal his cutie mark, a gust of wind pushing a tree to the side to show how strong it is. "I consider myself to be good with wind, sir..."

"Well, how about instead of stealing, you apply for a job at the Weather Factory?" proposed Valor. "They're always looking for wind makers, plus you can easily pay your rent with your own money, with money left for clothing and food...and you'll be able to pay your marefriend's medical bills too. How about you also repay the ponies whom you have stolen from?"

"You could start off by giving the engagement ring you stole from that jewelry store back?" suggested Storm.

"That'd be a good idea." smiled Windstorm, wiping the tears out of his eyes with his hoof. "I'll be right back."

"We'll be waiting for you." replied Valor, giving him the velvet box, and watching him trot up the street.

"Well, sir." Begun Storm. "I must say that was quite the pep talk you gave him. Would I have to do the same thing when I join?"

"Thanks, Storm." replied Valor. "This is one of the things you have to do as a Royal Guard, bring struggling ponies back on track."

---

"I gave it back." replied Windstorm, having just come back from the jewelry shop.

"Good." Valor put his hoof on his shoulder. "Where do you live, if I may ask?"

"An apartment building, about three quarters of a mile to the west of here." explained Windstorm. "It'll be fairly easy to notice; it's surrounded by electric fence, it's right next to a fast food place I frequent and it looks like a haunted house."

---

After a couple of minutes of flying, the trio had reached the apartment building Windstorm and his marefriend lived in. Storm gasped as he looked at the towering behemoth before him; the building had several smashed or cracked windows, the metal walls were rusted and green-tinted, the signs on the electric fence were vandalized with obscene terms and gestures, and the front door was kicked in.

Windstorm smiled slightly, although with a feeling of awkwardness as he walked up to the derelict building, which Storm agreed looked more like a haunted house, than an apartment building. Storm didn't want to admit, but he felt sorry for Windstorm, and not just because of his wife. He lived in one of the nicer homes in Cloudsdale, and despite knowing that some parts of town were poorer than others, he had no idea just how poor they were, that is, until now. And Storm could only imagine what the conditions were like inside for the building's occupants.

"Well, so long." said Windstorm, pushing the door open and walking into the building. For a door that bad been so vandalized, it opened surprisingly well. "And thank you for your help. I've taken your encouraging words into consideration, and I've decided that I'll get a job at the factory."

"Good on you." smiled Valor. "And I hope things will get better for you and your marefriend."

"Me too." smiled Storm. "So long." Windstorm smiled back at them, before walking into the building and shutting the door behind him.

"Alright, Storm." begun Valor. "Time to get back to our patrol. My shift ends in..." he then glanced down at his watch. "1 hour. And a lot can happen in one hour."

---

"Hey, stop right there!" shouted Valor, trotting after a criminal, who had just robbed an ATM right beside the largest bank in Cloudsdale. Storm followed close behind him, having to push past several pedestrians to catch up to Valor. The Pegasus pony whom they were chasing turned to give them a quick smirk, before taking off into the air and flying in between some apartment buildings.

Valor groaned, and took off into the air, following the criminal's every move. Storm flew far behind Valor, watching him slowly, but surely catch up to the thief.

"I gotcha." grinned Valor, grabbing the stallion by the shoulder, effectively stopping him from flying anywhere. Valor then grabbed his hooves, dragging them behind the stallion's back and holding them there.

"Hey!" he yelled, looking at Valor with a look of fear on his face. The bits he was holding in his hooves rained back down towards the ground, most of them landing on the rooftop of an apartment block.

"You're under arrest..." growled Valor, turning to see Storm approach them. He took out his hoofcuffs and unlocked them, putting them around the criminal's hooves, before quickly locking them. "...for stealing money from an ATM belonging to the Equestrian National Bank. Storm?"

"Yeah?" asked Storm, having just arrived at the scene. Valor tossed him his radio. "What's this for?"

"Report back to dispatch we caught our first criminal." grinned Valor.

"Sure thing." replied Storm, pressing the on button. A sudden hiss of static sounded through the speaker on the portable radio, before a female voice spoke through it.

Valor, what's your status?

"Uhhh..." Storm begun, on a loop like a broken record on a record player. He had no idea how to use a Guard radio, but he decided to play it cool and stay as calm as possible. "Dispatch, uh....this is Stormfire..."

Excuse me? Who is this?

"Uhhhhhhhhh..."

Well?

"Uuuuuhhhhh..."

Who is this? Is this one of Valor's bratty kids again?

"Gimme that." growled Valor, motioning for Storm to give him back his radio with his one hoof, while holding onto the criminal's hoofcuffs with the other. Storm complied, tossing him back the radio. "Dispatch, this is Valor. Do you copy?"

Yes, I do. Did you catch him?

"We did." he smirked.

Alright. Firestarter expects you to be back in fifteen-twenty minutes.

"Roger that." replied Valor, tossing the radio back to Storm. "Turn that off, alright?"

"Yes sir." complied Storm, flipping the switch and turning the radio off.

"If you ever decide to join up full-time, remind me to teach you how to properly use a Guard radio." growled Valor.

"Roger that." replied Storm.

"We've got fifteen minutes left..." explained Valor, trying to hold onto the hoofcuffed criminal. "So, what did you think of your day as a Royal Guard?"

"It was certainly eventful, to say the least." replied Storm. "I learnt a lot of things about how to be a Guard."

"Good." smirked Valor. "You know, I like you already."

"You do?" Storm raised his eyebrows.

"Yep. You're a lot more interesting than the other ponies who try out being a Guard." explained Valor. "So, will you join up?"

"Definitely." smiled Storm.

"Alright." grinned Valor. "Let's bring this bastard back in."

"I heard that!" growled the criminal Valor had caught.

---

After Valor and Storm returned to the Royal Guard station and Valor had interrogated and jailed the criminal, the two had to prepare for the sparring sesson. The several hours that had passed since Storm left felt like mere minutes. Being a Guard was awfully time-consuming, but with all the things he and Valor had done, time seemed to pass by much quicker than it actually was. While Storm was eating his lunch that his mom had prepared just before he left, Valor was busy monitoring the criminal he had just jailed. He looked at the group of Royal Guards before him, who were all either chatting or drinking bottled water (or splashing each other with it), and could make out a Pegasus stallion, who easily stood out from the group. He was grey-furred and was wearing a set of golden armor, but unlike the other Guards', his armor had the letters CRG (Capital Royal Guard) engraved on the sides. The stallion's helmet was off, allowing Storm to get a better look at him. He had a jet-black mane and a lightning bolt appearing to break the sound barrier as his cutie mark.

"This is the guy who you'll be sparring with." grinned Firestarter, having just come over to Storm's lunch table.

"Him?" Storm could barely hold back both his laughter. "Is that the kid from Canterlot?"

"Yep." replied Firestarter. "Don't laugh. You never know; he might just surprise you."

"What do you mean?" asked Storm.

"Before he left Canterlot, Iron Armor phoned me..." begun Firestarter. "And told me all about him. He considers the guy one of the best recruits in Canterlot, and wants to sign him up for the Royal Guard match thingy."

"Royal Guard match thingy?" asked Storm.

"I don't know... it doesn't apply to any Guard department in Equestria other than the Canterlot one. And why would it?" scoffed Firestarter. "Canterlot seems to be the only Equestrian city that actually matters these days. Anyways...the next one is in ten months time."

"Ever been to see one?"

"No." replied Firestarter. "And to be frank, I don't want to. Has Valor been looking after you?"

"Yep."

"Alright." smiled Firestarter. "Better get ready. How about, you go introduce yourself to your opponent?"

"It won't hurt to try..." shrugged Storm.

"That's the spirit." Firestarter patted him on the back. "Like I said, he may surprise you."

"He's just a kid." sighed Storm, walking up to the stallion. At close range, he looked to be several inches shorter, but more buff than Storm, which caused Storm to have second thoughts about the sparring match. "Uh...hi."

"Hey!" smiled the stallion. "You're the guy who I'm gonna be sparring with, right?"

"Yep." replied Storm. "When does it start? Do you know?"

"I think, fifteen minutes." said the stallion. "I'm Thunderblast."

"Stormfire." replied Storm, outstretching his hoof, and shaking Thunder's. "So, you're from Canterlot, huh? You don't sound very...Canterlot-ish."

"Yep." replied Thunder. "I live in Canterlot, although I was born and lived in Ponyville for some time, my dad was a Guard...it's a long story, and I'm not sure it's one you'd want to listen to..."

"Oh, alright." said Storm, not wanting to pry in on his personal business. "Ever been to Cloudsdale?"

"I've only been once or twice before, and that was to see my marefriend." he replied. "Usually, we hang around Ponyville together. And I must admit, your city's nice."

"Oh, yes." replied Storm. "It's an awesome place, and I'm proud of being a Cloudsdale native. You should come up sometime."

"Maybe..." mused Thunderblast.

"You're fifteen, right?" asked Storm.

"Yep." smiled Thunder. "I know, I'm kinda young."

"How did you join, if I may ask?" asked Storm.

"Long story, but it's one I'd be happy to share with you." smiled Thunder. "That is, if we have enough time."

"I'm sure we do." replied Storm, turning to look at the clock hanging on the wall. "Ten minutes."

"Alright..." begun Thunder. "I think this was last May... I left home to attempt to enlist in the Guard. But, they changed regulations and I couldn't enlist until I was seventeen, but I did manage to join up as a coffee server. What age are you, if I may ask?"

"Seventeen."

"Okay." said Thunder. "and while I was walking back through one of the suburbs to the hotel I was staying in, I caught this stallion standing really close to the edge of the cliff Canterlot was built on. I think he was taking pictures or something, I don't know. What I do know is that ground they were standing on, cracked and gave way. I think there was an underground tremor or something...I'm not sure. All I can tell you is that the ground caved in and they fell towards the ground."

"Damn." gasped Storm.

"Yep." replied Thunder. "And I fell after them, somehow managing to catch the Guard stallion... but I was still too high to catch the other guy. Then, something extraordinary happened, something that caused me to earn my cutie mark. I was falling so fast, that I broke the sound barrier, causing a sonic rainboom."

"Sweet Celestia..." Storm scoffed. "You're serious, right?"

"Yep." smirked Thunderblast. "And if you don't believe me, ask the other guards in Canterlot. In fact, don't just ask them, ask the civilians there, who will probably still remember what happened like it was yesterday."

"Okay okay." said Storm. "Sorry for butting in. Please continue."

"Well, I broke the sound barrier, and the resulting sonic rainboom propelled me further downwards, allowing me to catch the tourist pony safely, and bring him back up to Canterlot." explained Thunder. "Another thing. By performing the sonic rainboom, I learned how to fly. It's as if the rainboom unlocked my flight skills, because before that event happened, I had no idea how to fly."

"Wow."

"And by saving these ponies, I proved my worth as a Royal Guard to both the Guard Captain and the Princess herself." replied Thunder. "Although, I'm still two years from being able to properly join as a Private."

"Wow..." replied Storm, being somewhat stunned by Thunder's story. "Sounds like one hay of an adventure you had... Anyways, the match's about to start. We should get ready."

"Good idea." replied Thunder. "Mind if I call you Storm?"

"Sure." smiled Storm. "Mind if I call you Thunder?"

"Of course." Thunder grinned. "Say, wanna be friends?"

"Definitely." replied Storm. "You seem like an awesome guy."

"Same to you." Thunder smiled.

---

"ALRIGHT, GUARDS...OR SHOULD I CALL YOU COWARDS? HOW ABOUT WUSSES?" shouted the drill instructor for the Cloudsdale Guard, a rather tall, and muscular pony, with fiery red eyes. "FACE YOUR OPPONENTS AND DON'T YOU BUCKING DARE CHICKEN OUT OF THIS."

"Yes sir!" the guards shouted in reply, standing in two long lines and facing the ponies opposite. Storm, wearing several layers of body armor like the other guards, faced his opponent, Thunderblast, who was also wearing body armor. Storm's heart beat at incomprehensible speeds as he tried to figure out what to do. He had never been involved in a sparring match before, and this wasn't fighting; this was a controlled exercise, meant to test the agility and the reaction times of both the trainee Guards and the veterans. However, Storm knew that things could go wrong and out of hoof pretty quickly.

"I WANT TO SEE NO BLOODSHED, ONLY PUNCHING!" yelled the drill instructor. "UNDERSTOOD? ALL YOU'RE GOING TO DO TODAY IS PUNCH AND KICK YOUR OPPONENT. THIS IS TO SEE HOW AGILE YOU ALL ARE AND HOW GOOD YOUR REACTION TIMES ARE."

"YES SIR!"

"Don't worry, dude." whispered Thunderblast to Storm. "I've been through this before, only not on such a massive scale. If you know what you're doing, you'll get through it easily. And don't worry, you won't end up lying wrapped in bandages on a stretcher, being carried off to the nearest hospital. It's not as dramatic as some of the high-ranking Guards make it out to be. In fact, with all that armor and padding we've got on us at the moment, it probably doesn't even hurt one tiny bit."

"You sure?"

"Yep." replied Thunder. "Have you ever been involved in a fight?"

"Once or twice." replied Storm.

"Well, basically think of this as a fight, but with boxing gloves instead of hooves, without any bloodshed, and with minimal pain." explained Thunderblast. "In fact, once you get used to sparring and you do it several times in a row, you get the hang of it and it actually becomes pretty fun."

"That's reassuring." replied Storm. "Anyways, you ready, Thunder?"

"Yep." Thunder gave him a reassuring smirk. "What about you, Storm?"

"Same." he sighed, rather nervously.

"Don't worry." smiled Thunder. "Like I said, it'll be alright."

"Ready?" asked the drill sergeant.

"Yes sir!" the guards, of which there was 50 or 60, replied in unison, including Storm and Thunderblast.

"Alright..." he smirked. "You have five minutes. And remember...you only punch the armor, nothing else. THREE."

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

"SPAR! FIVE MINUTES! ON THE DOUBLE!"

Storm looked around to see the other guards literally punch the crud out of one another, however, they weren't hurting, or at least, did not seem to be hurting. In fact, they all seemed to be enjoying it.

"You ready?" grinned Thunder.

"Sure." replied Storm, shrugging slightly.

"Go ahead." motioned Thunder. "Throw a punch at me."

"You serious?"

"Yep."

Storm did as he was asked, and punched Thunder in the chest. He smirked fiendishly, before glancing up to see Thunder grinning at him.

"The armor absorbs the impact of the punch and converts the energy released from the impact into very, very weak magic." explained Thunder. "And by weak, I mean only detectable through specialist instruments."

"How do you know that?" asked Storm.

"Isn't that what armor is supposed to do?" scoffed Thunder.

"No, not that." replied Storm. "The bit about magic conversion."

"Oh, that... well, we're taught that the first time we wear our armor." explained Thunder. "Anyways..." he glanced down Storm's line, seeing the drill sergeant inspect them one by one. "Punch me in the armor, and I punch you back, alright?"

"Sure." replied Storm, proceeding to punch Thunder, who in response, punched him back. Storm had to admit that that the body armor was indeed something, alright. He felt little to no pain when being hit by Thunderblast; in fact, Thunder's hardest punch only felt like being whacked in the back of the head by a pillow. He felt very little pain over the course of the sparring session, and at times, managed to quickly dodge Thunder's punches. Storm also had to admit, that while he didn't enjoy getting into fights, sparring with Thunder was a hay of a lot of fun. In fact, besides from finding it fun, his reaction times have changed for the better over the course of the sparring match. While at first, Storm found it slightly hard to keep track of what's going on, soon enough, he eventually got the hang of sparring.

"You're doing great." shouted Thunder, narrowly dodging one of Storm's punches. "I think we're almost done."

"Alright." replied Storm, before taking a hit in the chest. "Ooooh..." he then began to fake-cough incessantly.

"You alright, dude?" asked Thunder, coming over to him.

"I'm fine..." he replied, holding his chest, seemingly in pain, before out of nowhere, punching Thunder in the helmet. "Tee hee."

"Aww, not fair. You tricked me..." he groaned playfully, before continuing sparring Storm. Storm had to admit, Thunder surprised him. He didn't think that Thunder would be as good as Firestarter said he'd be, but he was proven otherwise. In fact, he was much better than Firestarter said he'd be.

The sparring continued for the next two minutes, before the drill instructor blew the whistle to signify that it was over. Storm wiped the beads of sweat off his face, before glancing up to see the other guards lined up, facing the drill sergeant.

"Alright." begun the drill sergeant. "Y'all know what that exercise was for? It was to test your agility and reaction times, both very crucial elements of being a good Guard. The faster your reaction times, the more chance you have of coming home at the end of your day in one piece. Your shifts are over. Go back home. Canterlot Guard?"

"Yes sir?" asked Thunder.

"I want you to go back home. You and your friend have done swell. Clock out and fly to Ponyville. There, you'll take the next train to Canterlot, which is scheduled to arrive in fifty minutes." explained the drill sergeant. "So, I'd suggest you hurry."

"Yes sir."

"DISMISSED!" shouted the drill sergeant, and within mere moments, the Guards all poured out of the hall, including Storm and Thunder.

---

"Well, dude." begun Storm, taking off his body armor, and looking at Thunder, who had already taken his off. "I sound like a total wussy, but I'm gonna miss you."

"Same." replied Thunder. "It's been nice meeting you, Storm. Wanna hang out sometime?"

"Sure." smiled Storm, throwing his helmet onto the pile of body armor and padding lying on the floor. "That is...if I'm ever in Canterlot."

"Or in Ponyville." shrugged Thunder. "I might live in Canterlot, but Ponyville is and always will be home."

"Alright." smiled Storm. "Anyways, it's been nice meeting you too, dude."

"Likewise." replied Thunder. "And I think you're gonna be a great guard, that is, if you ever choose to join. Would you?"

"Of course." grinned Storm. "After today, definitely. I learned how the guard works...I learned to spar. I witnessed first-hand a senior guard in action... It's been amazing."

"Ha ha. You're gonna love it, dude." said Thunder. "I see potential in you."

"Well, thanks." chuckled Storm. "Anyways, I gotta go."

"Same." replied Thunder. "Before you go, want a brohoof?"

"Sure." grinned Storm, outstretching his hoof and allowing Thunder's hoof to make contact with it for a split second, before he pulled it away. "Alright, man. See you sometime."

"Yeah, see you too." replied Thunder.

---

"Dad, I swear. I was at Blue's house!" protested Storm, having just arrived at home to find his dad putting in a new door lock. He looked at him, with a less-than-pleased face, which was fairly typical over the past few weeks, ever since their argument. He and Storm had barely talked to each other, despite acknowledging each other's presence whenever the family got together. While High didn't seem too bothered about not talking to his step-son, it honestly angered Storm. However, when High got angry at Storm, boy did he get angry. It was almost as if High hated Storm, only because he chose to take a different path in life than he intended him to.

"Bullshit." he groaned. "Solar was here with his wife an hour ago. We were discussing arrangements for something important that is scheduled to happen at the weather factory in a few days' time, and when I asked him about you, he said you weren't there. Where the buck were you?"

"Uh..." Storm stuttered.

"Well?" High narrowed his eyes onto him.

"I--I..." Storm continued stuttering, watching High's curious face form into a growl. "I went and had a taste of being a Royal Guard."

"You what?!" shouted High.

"Dad, I told you already! I am not continuing on with weather!" growled Storm. "In fact, he suspended me from the team!"

"WHAT?" roared High.

"You heard me! Tornado suspended me for asking for a promotion!" yelled Storm.

"You asked for a promotion?" High suddenly begun chuckling, almost psychotically. "Sweet Celestia, you asked for a promotion?"

"Isn't that what you wanted me to do all this time?!" shouted Storm.

"Shut up!" replied High. "And you are continuing on with weather! After your suspension ends, you're getting back in there and showing Tornado what you're made of!"

"No, dad." growled Storm. "I am not coming back there."

"You are." High growled back. "I want you to succeed! I want you to have a good job, with a good pay, so you can one day, support your family, that is, if you choose to have one with that marefriend of yours!"

"Dad, I am not destined to be a weather pony!" yelled Storm. "It may be what you're telling me to do with my life, but my cutie mark is telling me not to."

"Who cares what it has to say?" scoffed High. "It's just a tattoo on a pony's flank."

"It signifies their special talent, you douche." growled Storm.

While Storm and High were arguing, a mailmare walked up to the mailbox in front of their house. She opened the lid of it and put the some leaflets and one lone envelope into it, before closing it back up and blowing a whistle. "You've got mail, Mr. High Wind."

"Alright." he smiled at the mare, watching her walk off, before quickly turning around and giving Storm a quick deathly glare. "I'll go get it now. You stay here and I'll deal with you later."

A moment or so later, High came back with the single envelope that the mailmare left in the mailbox.

"Was this the only thing in the mailbox?" asked Storm, trying to start up a conversation with High.

"Stay quiet." replied High. "I wanna read this."

"Who is it from?" asked Storm.

"Your uncle." replied High, tearing open the envelope and removing the letter. "Now shut the buck up."

Dear High Wind,
It's your brother, Fast. How have you been? I haven't talked to you in ages.

Listen, me and my marefriend's band...well, we have two gigs in Coltumbus over the next weekend (a three-hour train journey from Detrot, with a stop in Hayton), and we need somepony to look after mom over that time period. She had a rather nasty fall yesterday, and she's still in hospital, but her condition is improving and she'll be out on Friday. It's just for the weekend, alright? You can bring the kids as well. Sorry if I'm putting pressure on you, but I heard you have the entire weekend off.

Listen, if you do choose to look after mom, come on over to Detrot and she'll be waiting for you in our apartment.

Your brother and best friend,
Fast Wheels

After looking at the letter, High Wind glanced up with a look of worry on his face, one that didn't go unnoticed by Storm. "Dad, what's wrong?" he asked. However, High did not reply and instead paced up and down the front yard worriedly.

Soon enough, he spoke. "It's your grandma..."

"What about her?"

"I need to go to Detrot over the next weekend."

"Why?"

"I just do, okay?!"

"Calm down." replied Storm. "Can I come with?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"Because--"

"Because what? You're still pissed off at me for choosing a different career?"

"Ugh..." groaned High. "Fine, if it gets you off my back. I'll let you come."

Maybe we can get to bond while we're there... Storm mused, watching High walk past him and into the house.

Author's Notes:

Stay tuned for the next chapter, folks. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Thunderblast is an OC that belongs to one of my closest friends, Thunderblast. If you want to read about Thunder and the adventures he's been on, I'd recommend you read his story, Under the Moonlight, and it's sequel, Before the Dawn.

20. Weekend in Detrot

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.

Author's Notes:

Alright, everypony. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for it being so long. You can probably tell that the next chapter will have some very cute elements. Please, stay tuned.

21. A Night To Remember (Part I)

A year later...
"So, Blue," begun Storm, holding her hoof as they walked through West Cloudsdale Community Park, on their way home from the movie theater. Walking through that park at the end of each date they went on was something of a tradition for them, since it was the only time when they could truly talk to one another in peace, reflect on the day that had passed and enjoy each other's company. Ever since they had first met at Storm's first flight lesson, they had grown very close, from acquaintances to friends, and eventually from friends to coltfriend and marefriend, and were both savoring every moment they spent with one another. "Enjoyed our date?"

"Storm,” she turned to smile at him. "You know I did."

"I guess," he looked down at her, being over a head taller than she was, and smiled back. "Guess me asking is just force of habit, really. I just want to be good for you, that's all."

"You already are, silly," Blue ruffled his mane playfully, his heart fluttering.

"I guess," he shrugged. "Blue listen, I have to tell you something."

"Go ahead,” she smiled. "What is it?"

"Well, you...know how prom's just coming up?" Storm began, his face flushing a bright red from a strange combination of anxiety and infatuation. "Would you like to go with me?"

"Storm," Blue gave him a tender smile, which caused his heart to literally melt. "I'd love to, you don't have to ask."

"You would?" asked Storm, a wide grin forming on his face. "I mean, I didn't think you were gonna..."

"Why?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Well, for starters, I'm horrible at dancing, and secondly, I don't go to stuff like this very often," he chuckled. "I just figured it'd be a good way to cap off our high school experience before graduation...that, and I do want to spend a night with you, babe."

"As do I, Stormy," she smiled, before sighing and turning away from the path before them which led to her street. "As do I."

"What's wrong?" asked Storm, noticing her stare into the distance.

"It's just all coming so fast," she sighed. "We're so close to being done with school...I'm just worried about how it'll all work out with college and whatnot."

Storm walked up to her and nuzzled her, causing a quick smile to flash across her face, "You're not being very optimistic, you know."

"How am I supposed to be optimistic, Storm?" she frowned, leaning against him as she stared off into the distance. "I'm just so scared of what's in store for us..."

"I'm kinda scared too..." admitted Storm, wrapping his wing around her. "But remember; wherever we go in life, whatever happens to us both, I'll always be there for you."

She turned at him and her frown quickly faded into a smile, however, instead of saying anything she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Storm..."

"And I love you too, babe." he smiled down at her. "It'll all go great...I promise...Beautiful night tonight, isn't it?"

"Yep." Blue grinned, looking up to see the moon rising over the apartment buildings and homes of northern Cloudsdale as they both walked down the path leading up to her street. "Thanks for taking me out on this date, Stormy."

"Anything for you, Blue." he nuzzled her, as they walked down a hill which led to the northern boundary of the park, a metal gate which was left open by the last ponies who’d used it. They walked through that gate and turned left to walk down Blue's street, which was almost deserted, with the exception of pones returning from work and going to late-night parties. It was almost entirely calm and quiet; just the way they both liked it. Around five minutes later, they had both arrived at Blue's home. "So, I guess it's settled. I'll pick you up the next Friday after dinner."

"Alright." she smiled, looking back at him before turning to walk down the walkway which led up to her front door. "You wanna come in?"

"No thanks." he shook his head. "I have to get back home, babe."

"Alright." Blue gave him a smile, before she stopped in her tracks. "I almost forgot something...Good night, Stormy." she then flew up to him to give him a passionate kiss on the lips. "See you at school."

"Yeah, see you." he grinned coquettishly. "Bye, Blue."

"Bye Stormy." she smiled at him, before flying up to the front door, which was unlocked. She walked into the house, but before she closed the door, she turned to look outside to see Storm wave at her and take off into the air, before sighing happily. The stallion she’d loved for years had just invited her to without a doubt their most important date thus far, and almost instantly she began mentally preparing herself for it.

"Hey, sweetie." smiled Solar Blast, walking downstairs. "How was your date?"

"Perfect, dad." Blue grinned, seemingly in a daydream. "Just perfect..."

---

After arriving home around fifteen minutes later, Storm trotted inside, slamming the door behind him and wiping the sweat off his forehead. He hated the long flight across town, especially if it was within a time limit, but he did it anyway as he wanted to see Blue. However, instead of doing the logical thing and going to bed, Storm went upstairs to take a quick shower, after which he came downstairs to watch some late-night TV and grab something to drink. However, as he walked through the house towards the kitchen, he began to hear the sounds of multiple ponies arguing. Curious about what was going on, he approached the kitchen and peered into it from the living room, to see several stallions scowling at Gust of all ponies.

"Gust, what the hell are we gonna do?!" shouted one of the stallions, a guitarist by the name of Riff. "This last gig was rough for us, and we can't just keep doing this and hoping for the best! We're mainly a cover band, for crying out loud, we can't compete with anyone anymore unless we take a stab at writing original material."

"Yeah, explain," said the bass guitarist, named Pickup, intently watching Gust cover his face with his hooves. "All we do is play the same shit over and over again, and although I don't get paid to care I really feel that my potential as a bass guitarist is being wasted. This band isn't a job for me, I don't get a single dime for this...we've only gotten paid once before, and you and Chord wound up taking every last bit!"

"Guys, guys, calm down," growled Gust, cracking open a bottle of beer and scarfing down some of it. "I got this…it’s fine. Look, I guess that it's true that our band hasn't been doing well lately...but who knows? Maybe that'll all change this Saturday. You guys are blowing this WAY out of proportion."

"Bullshit," scoffed Pickup. "Case in point, our last gig at the community center on Saturday night. Only three tickets sold, three ponies present, and two of them left halfway through the set. Same with the gig the week before that. I don't know what the hell happened to this band, it really felt like we were once the next big thing on the Cloudsdale rock scene not even two years ago...we were on C-ROCK for crying out loud, when we won the Battle of the Bands at school. Remember that interview? But now...we're has-beens! We're washed up dawg, and it's about time you wake up and realize that."

"I've had a song I wanted to do with you for ages," Riff began. "I composed it, wrote the lyrics for it and everything a couple of months back...I even recorded the rhythm guitar part on my tape recorder because what I had for it sounded cool. I was so excited, thinking that this could be the song that breaks us onto the music scene...I wanted you to be the first pony that heard it, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get through to you at all. I hate how you don't want to take any risks, how eager you are to play it safe, but most of all I hate how all my hard work went to shit in the blink of an eye."

"I know..." groaned Gust. "Riff, man, I'm so sorry...maybe this time, it'll all be different. Just give me a chance! I'll make The Lightning Bolts big again, just you wait!"

"No Gust," replied the band's drummer, a rather tall, lanky and bespectacled stallion with a red mane, by the name of Crash Cymbal. "We can't keep going on like this any longer, and you can't reasonably expect us to do so. We're canceling this coming gig on Saturday, I've already contacted the venue."

"What?!" Gust went agape, his entire world coming to a sudden halt. "You can't just do that! I created this band! I'm the lead guitarist, I set up all the gigs! All you assholes do is play the stuff that *I* pick!"

"Okay, fine. Just remember that I am the band's co-founder, and we both agreed to organize gigs together," growled the drummer. "And you know what? I quit.”

"I quit as well."

"I quit too."

"Me as well."

"Ah, to hell with you all," growled Gust. "Get the hell outta my house. All of you, scram."

"Later, loser." muttered the bass guitarist under his breath, walking out from the kitchen and not noticing Storm leaning against the door frame.

"See you." growled the drummer, followed by the rhythm guitarist of the band, who in turn, was followed by the synth player. After the bandmates left the house, Storm peered into the kitchen yet again, to see Gust leaning against the kitchen counter and hanging his head in shame. Storm had to admit that despite him and his brother not getting on very well most of the time he did feel sorry for Gust there and then.

"Where did I go wrong with this band?" groaned Gust, Storm slinking through the kitchen.

"Hey," said Storm, walking past the island counter; Gust, however, did not reply or acknowledge Storm's presence whatsoever, and instead continued staring at the floor. "What happened there?"

"What's it to you?" growled Gust, glancing up at Storm all of a sudden with a heartbroken and dejected look on his face. "Leave me alone. Grab whatever you want and get the hell outta here.”

"Gust, I'm your brother,” Storm growled back, opening the refrigerator door and reaching in for a bottle of apple cider from a multipack High bought. "Just wanna know what’s been happening."

"No, you're not," sneered Gust. "You're not even remotely related to me."

"Okay, step-brother then,” Storm corrected himself. Harsh. "But still, dude. Please, tell me what happened..."

"Storm, go away," growled Gust, moving slightly away from Storm, who had sat down next to him.

"Not unless you tell me what happened." Storm persisted.

"What is it to you anyway?" asked Gust. “Not like we ever got along.”

"I'm just...curious," stammered Storm. "That's all."

"Fine." Gust groaned. "If it gets you off my back... Alright...so, my friends decided to stage an intervention...and it looks as though our days as a band may be numbered."

"Why?" Storm raised an eyebrow.

"I guess I'm just not a very good frontman," Gust shrugged his shoulders, a slight tear rolling out of his eye. "I don't manage things very well and nobody comes to see us anymore, so I guess that means we're pretty much done as a band. I flunked Algebra 2, no wonder I can’t manage our money."

“Uhh…that’s not what Algebra 2 is.”

“Shut up.”

"Well, that sucks,” sighed Storm, before putting his hoof on Gust's shoulder. Gust glanced over to see Storm standing next to him, and moved to the left. "I'm sorry."

"Stay away," Gust warned, causing Storm to back away, before continuing. "Now that we've broken up I just don't know what'll happen to me now. This band was the reason I had marefriends in senior year, dude. It was my only hope at finally moving out from mom and dad's and finding my own place in the world. I have no discernible skill set besides playing music, so I thought that I might try to make it work somehow...but I guess what my main problem was is knowing what I wanted from the band. I don't know how to write good music, all I can do is play it, and I'm really not as talented as other ponies say I am in that respect. In short, I'm a fuck-up."

"I'm sorry..." sighed Storm. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Well, there isn't anything you can do," Gust stared at him with deep and angry eyes. "Just go, Storm. Go upstairs and leave me be."

"But..." Storm stuttered, before being interrupted by Gust.

"Just go, alright?!" he raised his voice.

"Gust, stop---" Storm pleaded, before once again, being interrupted.

"GO!" Gust shouted at the top of his lungs, having finally reached his breaking point.

"Alright, fine...." Storm huffed, before leaving Gust alone inside the kitchen. It saddened Storm seeing his brother so depressed, but Storm knew that he probably won't be able to change anything, and it seemed best if he didn't try to do so. "Good night, Gust." he turned to look at Gust, who continued to sit on the counter and stare down at the floor, not turning to even see Storm leave. After Storm left the kitchen, Gust turned to look through the open door into the living room, to see nopony present. He sighed sadly, feeling somewhat remorseful after rejecting his younger step-brother and kicking out his band members out of the house, but he eventually decided that it was for the best. Trying not to let his emotions show, Gust downed the rest of his beer, drowning his sorrows in the cool, frothy beverage.

After finishing the bottle and throwing it into the trash, Gust made his way upstairs. He’d felt absolutely awful about what he had done that night; he had no job, no source of income, his friends and bandmates had all virtually abandoned him on that one fateful night, and his step-brother—the only pony who seemed to show some concern for him that night—probably didn't want to be anywhere near him anymore, not that they ever liked hanging out with one another anyway. As he walked to his room, which was right next to Storm's, he peered into it through the partially-open door, to see Storm fast asleep already, the bottle that he took out the fridge standing on his nightstand, partially-drank and sparkling away.

"Good night, Storm... Sleep well," he smirked, closing the door to his room as quietly as possible so as not to wake Storm. He sighed, and walked into his own room, slamming the door behind him shut before throwing himself onto the bed.

---

The next day...
"I just don't know what to do, Blue." groaned Storm, sitting beside her as they ate their lunch in the school cafeteria. "My brother...I've never seen him like this before...I just want to help get his band back together and get him back on track. I don't know what to do."

"That's really sweet of you doing so,” Blue put her hoof on his hoof, and he turned to smile at her. "And he'll definitely appreciate the effort."

"Yeah, but what can I do?" asked Storm.

"Hmm," begun Blue. "I have an idea. I don't know if it'll work, but it's definitely worth a try."

---

"You're joking?"

"No, I am not. Storm, I'm being serious."

"Blue, I’d imagine the school already hired a band."

"Maybe they have, maybe they haven't. You won't know unless you ask."

"Gust will kill me if he finds out."

"No, he won't,” Blue groaned, fed up with Storm’s apprehension. "Storm, he's your step-brother, and maybe it may not seem like it, but he loves you."

"I don't know, babe," Storm sighed. "I'm kinda worried about this whole thing."

"Don't be," she smiled, nuzzling him. "It'll all go great, don't worry."

Having eaten both their lunches, Storm and Blue still had twenty minutes to kill before their homeroom period that day, so they made their way to the principal's office in order to try to get Gust's band a gig at the prom.

It unnerved Storm slightly, to be standing in front of the door to the principal's office. He’d rarely been inside, unless it was for something like a fight that had broken out and Storm was a witness, or for more positive things such as getting a certificate or an award, and he was worried especially about whether the principal would like the idea of hiring Gust's band. He turned to look at Blue, grateful that she was there to support him if things didn't go to plan, before knocking on the door gently. A moment later, the reply came.

"Come in." the principal spoke from behind the door, in his usual monotonous voice. Storm did as he was told to and rather hesitantly went into the office, Blue waiting for him outside.

"Ah, Stormfire," smiled the principal, a middle-aged stallion who looked to be in his early fifties, receding hairline and all. "What seems to be troubling you?"

"Afternoon, Mr. principal..." said Storm.

"Sit down, sit down." he smiled, motioning for Storm to sit in the rotating chair in front of the principal's desk.

"Alright, so, I just wanted to ask a question." begun Storm.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering if the school had hired a prom band for the upcoming prom," explained Storm.

"Well, actually, we have hired a band." replied the principal.

"What?" Storm's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks.

"You heard me." explained the principal. "We were gonna do a DJ originally but we changed our minds at the last minute and hired a band instead. Why? Do you know a band? Are you part of a band? Because you never really struck me as the musical type, Stormfire."

"Well, that's true. I'm not musical in any way, although my brother..." begun Storm. "He's the lead guitarist of a band called The Lightning Bolts...and I was going to ask if the school would be able to hire them for the prom night."

"What kind of music do they play?" asked the principal, beginning to write down some of the band's details on a notepad.

"They’re mainly a cover band, sir." replied Storm, watching intently as the principal scribbled down some notes on a notepad. “They’re known for covering music from the past two decades, but mainly from the 80s and 90s."

"I see." replied the principal, somewhat intrigued. "Does Gust still live with you or does he live somewhere else now?"

"He lives with us, sir," said Storm.

"Alright." said the principal. "Well...if anything changes and the band we have hired cannot play, we'll consider hiring your brother's band. That doesn't necessarily mean we will, but if things don't go to plan, we'll hire your brother's band."

"Alright..." Storm shrugged, getting up from his seat and trotting out of the office. "Thank you, Mr. Principal, sir."

"No problem, Stormfire." smiled the principal. "I'll pass this on to the prom committee, see what they can do."

"So, how'd it go?" asked Blue, watching Storm leave the office.

"Well...it didn't go as well as I hoped it would..." replied Storm. "They've already hired a band, but then again, things could change."

"Well...let's just hope for the best, alright?" she put her hoof on his shoulder.

"I guess." smiled Storm, although a part of him was pretty nervous about this entire situation. If Gust knew what I was trying to do, he'd probably kill me.

---

That Friday...
The week for Storm had passed without any hitch but for Gust it was just the opposite. He'd gone out of his way to job-hunt across town, but no interview went to plan. To make matters worse Gust was forced to bear the brunt of High Wind especially, who continued pestering him non-stop about applying at the weather factory. Originally supportive of his eldest son's career choice as a musician, High had grown much less supportive and more critical over the years, trying, and failing, to convince Gust to join the weather team on multiple occasions.

In all honesty, it felt like a great idea now that he’d actually considered it.

Gust had also tried to make peace with his now ex-bandmates, but to no avail; all of the letters he sent them came back to him, marked as ‘return to sender’. It was safe to say that his dreams of the Lightning Bolts becoming the next big thing on the Cloudsdale rock scene were crushed.

While Gust sat down on his bed, jamming on his electric guitar, Storm tapped on the door to his room. "Hey."

"Hey," scowled Gust. "I'm busy right now..."

"With what?" Storm raised his eyebrows.

"Goddamn it, Storm," groaned Gust. "Can't you leave me be for once? Jeez, you’re so irritating."

"I can, I just wanted to know if you found a new job yet." Storm said. "Can I come in?"

"Go ahead." Gust sighed. "And no, I haven't. I tried to apply for a job as a waiter at one of the restaurants at the airport, and I went for an interview at the construction site at...58th and Vine, is it? Apparently, they're building an apartment building or something there, I don't know, but what I do know is that they aren't hiring anyone."

"That sucks." sighed Storm.

"What do you care?" groaned Gust. "You actually have a job! I'm nothing more than a failed guitarist who still lives with his parents because he can't afford his own place!"

"Dude, I'm worried about you," explained Storm. "I just want to help as any good brother would."

"Why would you be worried about me?" Gust deadpanned. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You're not, stop saying that you are," Storm responded, but not before being interrupted by the doorbell suddenly ringing.

"I'll get it." he sighed, getting up from Gust's bed and trotting downstairs to the front door, his parents still being away at work and Mist being at a friend's house. He opened the door to see a mailmare standing before the door, holding what appeared to be a brown envelope in her hooves. "Hey there." Storm beamed.

"Hi." smiled the mare, a grey mare with a light yellow mane. "Name's Derpy and I'm your new mailmare."

"I'm Stormfire." smiled Storm, but frowning somewhat as he glanced at their mailbox. Surely she couldn’t have missed it...right? "Uhh...you know there’s a mailbox there, right?”

“Yeah, but this one’s urgent.”

“Who's the letter for?"

"Does a Gust Wind live here?" asked the mare. "There's a letter for him, and it looks to be pretty urgent."

"Why, yes he does." smiled Storm, knowing where the letter came from. The mare passed him the letter, and Storm read the sender's address on the front side of the envelope just to be sure of who it’d came from.

NORTH CLOUDSDALE HIGH SCHOOL
4958 Cloudly Street
North Cloudsdale
Cloudsdale

"Alright." smiled Storm. "Thanks."

"No problem." smiled the mare, before taking off into the air...and crashing into their mailbox.

"Ooh..." Storm cringed. "You alright, ma'am?"

"I am." she smiled. "I'm just a bit...derpy."

"Alright." replied Storm. "Just stay safe, alright?"

"I will!" smiled the mare, taking off into the air again. Storm rolled his eyebrows and walked back into the house, slamming the door behind him before walking upstairs. "Gust!"

"What?"

"There's a letter here for you."

"Gimme it."

"Sure." Storm shrugged, continuing walking up the stairs before entering Gust's room. He ripped the letter out of Storm's hooves and tore open the envelope without reading who the letter was from.

Storm gulped out of pure nervousness as he watched Gust read the letter.

Dear Mr. Gust Wind,
Your younger brother, Stormfire, had recommended that the school hire your rock band, the Lightning Bolts, for the annual prom as a sort of 'backup' band, in the event of the band that we had hired previously not being able to make it. The previous band that we had hired for this function is unable to come as their leader has to go to a family event, so we are humbly requesting your band to perform.

"So, what do you think?" Storm grinned awkwardly.

"What the hay, dude?" Gust growled. "Who the buck let you sign me up for this shit?"

"Dude, I can explain. Please."

"Storm, tell me now," growled Gust, approaching Storm as he backed away towards the door. "Who told you to sign me up for this?!"

"I did!" Storm yelled. "I wanted your band to get back together!"

"Screw you, man!" growled Gust. "Why the buck would you want that, huh? I told you so many times before that we're done as a band, okay?! Want proof we're done?" He pulled out a drawer from his dresser and tossed it onto the bed, spilling out its contents, which included five letters. "Read these."

Storm nodded and opened each envelope that Gust passed him, one by one. The replies that came in each envelope both shocked and saddened Storm. "Wow..." sighed Storm. "Just...wow."

"See?" growled Gust. "I am not getting involved in your prom!"

"Gust, we've got less than a week." pleaded Storm. "Come on, dude. I like the music you guys make as a band...you're really talented, Gust, and I honestly couldn't see anyone else doing it.'"

"Storm, I told you a million times that the Lightning Bolts don't exist!" yelled Gust. "I am not doing your prom! We aren't even a band anymore!"

"But if your band still was a thing, would you do the prom?" asked Storm.

"No." deadpanned Gust.

"Why?"

"Because I don't like you," replied Gust. "Never have, never will."

"Stop with your 'I don't like you' bullcrap and listen to me. Do you want your band to be big again?" asked Storm. "Maybe all you need is an audience, and the prom would be perfect for you guys. I'm sure there are lots of ponies out there that are willing to hear you guys play."

"Yeah, like ponies are going to like our band..." grimaced Gust. "Do me a favor and leave me alone, will you?"

"You won't know unless you try." said Storm. "Come on, Gust. I believe in you."

"You're a stubborn little asshole, aren't you?" Gust's frown formed into a smirk.

"So, is that a yes?"

"Maybe." replied Gust. "That is, if I can get this band back on its hooves again..."

"I can help you get the band back together." begun Storm. "That is, if you want me to help."

"Alright." sighed Gust. "Maybe I could use your help."

Author's Notes:

So, that's chapter 21 folks. I'm extremely sorry for the long wait; there are tons of reasons why this chapter took so long to write, all of which will be explained in an upcoming blog post.

PS: I seriously need to include Mist in more chapters, don't I? Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against her; it's just hard for me to work on a chapter that features several characters interacting at one point in time. I'm sorry if some of the characters (Mist included) do seem undeveloped, and I will change that in future chapters. Also, the Derpy cameo in this chapter was just filler, intended to make the chapter at least slightly longer and more interesting. She probably won't have a major appearance in the story, I'm sorry to say.

22. A Night To Remember (Part II)

"So, how exactly do you plan to get my band back together?"

"Well, to be real honest with you, I don't exactly know."

"Well, excuse me, but you're the one that came up with the idea of getting the band back together."

"Well, excuse me, but you're the one that split it apart in the first place, you asshole." Storm stared daggers right at Gust, who sat on his bed and drunk his fifth bottle of apple cider that day, a frequent habit of his which only got worse after the Lightning Bolts parted ways. In a way, Storm did kinda feel sorry for his elder brother and wanted to help him get his life back on track, but he knew it'd be next to impossible, especially since him and Gust weren't exactly 'friendly' with each other. While Storm tried to be a civilized pony and treat his brother with at least some respect, most of the time Gust either ignored him or treated him the exact opposite of the way Storm wanted to be treated, hurling insults and very often petty threats at him. "If it wasn't for you taking out your rage on them and kicking them out of the house, then things would've been different."

"Damn you, Storm..." Gust growled under his breath. "I had to..."

"Why?" Storm raised an eyebrow.

"Well..." begun Gust, his glare turning into a slight frown as he begun to realize that Storm was in fact, right. "Uh..."

"Come on, Gust." sighed Storm. "Just tell me why you guys split up."

"Why?"

"I'm trying to help you. That's all." Storm said.

"Why would you want to help me?" groaned Gust. "We aren't exactly friends."

"Maybe we aren't friends, but whether you like it or not, we're brothers and that's exactly who we'll be 'til the end." Storm explained, watching Gust scarf down the rest of his apple cider. "Ever since my mom and your dad got married, that's who we are. And brothers should stick together, no matter what."

"And sister too!" jumped in Mist, now 16 years old and around Blue's height.

"And sister too--Woah!" Storm repeated her, but gasped as soon as he noticed Mist standing in the room.

"Where did you come from?" asked Gust, having also been startled by her...unexpected presence in his room.

"I was listening in to you guys talking." she said, walking up to his bed and sitting down next to Gust.

"How did you---" Gust begun, before being interrupted by Mist.

"I have ears, you know..." Mist rolled her eyes. "So, Storm. What's your plan on getting Gust's band together?"

"I really don't know." confessed Storm.

"That's a lot of help, isn't it Storm?" sneered Gust, tossing his now empty bottle of apple cider into the bin. "You said you were gonna get my band back together."

"Yeah, maybe I would come up with an idea if you weren't acting like such a douchebag." Storm growled at Gust.

"What did you call me?" asked Gust, a furious glare forming on his face.

"You heard me." Storm smiled wryly. "I'm pushing you to your limit, big guy."

"Guys." begun Mist, however, Storm and Gust ignored her.

"You call me that one more time and I swear..."

"Douchebag."

"Storm, buc---"

"Douchebag, douchebag, douche-douche douchebag."

"Guys." Mist said, this time in a much firmer voice, but neither Storm nor Gust seemed to listen. Rather unexpectedly, the two rose up from their seats.

"Bring it on, Gustavo." Storm grinned. "I know you have anger issues, but this is ridiculous. I really didn't think it'd come to this."

"You're asking for it, Shitfire...I've been waiting for this all day." Gust grinned back, before delivering a devastating blow to Storm's face, to both his and Mist's absolute shock. While Gust had very often used very vague threats of violence against him, Storm had never expected Gust to actually punch him in the face. He recoiled back in shock and in extreme pain, crashing into Gust's TV stand and almost knocking down his brand-new TV set in the process, before trying, and failing, to push Gust away from him. Gust, being slightly taller and more buff than his slightly scrawny brother, tackled the stallion with ease, bringing him down to the floor and slamming his face right into the floorboards, splitting open his forehead upon impact, and causing a small crack in the wood, which thankfully, was too small for them to notice it, not that neither Gust or Storm would really care. His vision blacked out for a few seconds upon crashing into the floor, but soon enough, he opened his eyes. Although his vision was still blurry and not very clear, he could make out Gust approaching him, but before Storm could slide away from him, Gust pounced on Storm like some kind of wild, ferocious animal throwing itself at its prey and begun beating relentlessly on him.

"BUCK YOU!" growled a slightly-bloodied Storm, managing to gather all his strength and punch Gust, a slightly heavier stallion off him. "Sit down." Gust grinned, and picked up Storm, before tossing him into his chair, his body ripping the actual seat right off the legs upon impact. Storm groaned in pain, moving the now-broken seat off his body and looking up to see Gust approach him, preparing to punch the life out of him. However, before he could do so, Mist stepped in between them, both visibly shocked and angered.

"GUYS!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, watching Gust back away slightly and turning to see a bruised and bloodied Storm get up off the floor. "What the hay has gotten into you both?"

"He started it." said both Storm and Gust in unison, pointing their hooves at each other.

"I don't care about who started it." she groaned. "Make up. Now."

"No." said Storm, folding his hooves and turning away from Gust in disgust.

"No chance." replied Gust. "He's an asswipe."

"Hey, at least I'm trying to make something of myself instead of just sitting there and getting high with my friends...oh wait, forgot that you don't have any."

"Shut up Storm, you have no clue what you're talking about."

"Guys, shut up!" Mist yelled all of a sudden. "Fair enough then, I won't mediate between you two but violence isn't going to solve anything here. I was just wondering whether Storm has formulated any plan for getting your band together."

"No, Mist." Storm wiped the sweat and blood off his slightly cut forehead. "I can't think of anything. And Gust isn't making things better by using me as his punching bag."

"Screw you." Gust spat, also turning away from Storm to face the wall.

"Gust, I have to agree with Storm here." Mist frowned at him. "You aren't making things any better by acting like this. I mean, come on. Just because you both can't come to a mutual understanding between one another doesn't mean you should get involved in fights. Here, if Storm can't come up with an idea, how about I try to come up with something?"

"Go ahead." shrugged Storm, somewhat apathetically.

"Alright..." begun Mist, trying to brainstorm a plan. "Hmm... how about you personally go and apologize to them?"

"You're joking, right?" scoffed Gust. "I can't, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't."

"I agree with Mist." replied Storm, standing next to her. "And considering the circumstances, I don't think that'd be such a bad idea."

"Shut up, Storm." spat Gust. "They'd freaking kill me before I could even open my mouth."

"No they won't." replied Mist. "Come on, big bro. I believe in you."

"Okay, fine." sighed Gust in defeat. "But before we do anything, we better get this room tidy before mom and dad come back."

---

Several hours later, the sun begun to set over Cloudsdale, illuminating the city's streets with its last rays of light for the day. Having just finished helping Gust and Mist tidy up the debris in Gust's room after the brawl he had with Storm (which included fixing the chair and patching up Storm's cut forehead with a bandage), Storm made his way downstairs to meet their parents, who were on their way home from work. Usually, High and Equinox worked normal hours, but today, they had to fill in for two weather ponies who had manage to survive a rather...violent accident at work involving a cloud container that had blown up due to extremely high pressure, which resulted in them both being taken to hospital. While Mist and Gust were doing a last-minute check of Gust's room just in case there was any shrapnel or anything like that lying on the floor, Storm sat on the couch in the living room, watching a talk show on TV. Right now, after that fight they had, he didn't feel like helping Gust with virtually anything, especially with getting his band back together, even though he clearly promised him that he'd do so. At first, he hoped that such a fight would never take place and that he'd manage to talk things out properly with Gust and maybe come to a mutual understanding with his older brother, but that unfortunately, was not the case. The 'talk' he had with Gust ended in part of his room being damaged and Storm being injured in several places; his hooves, which themselves were thankfully only scratched, hurt horribly and his cut forehead, despite being covered by a bandage, stung worse than a bee would ever be capable of stinging, but actually, Storm felt most injured in his heart. He knew full well that Gust had a strong dislike for him, but he didn't expect his brother, who had never before raised a single hoof on Storm despite frequently threatening him with fights, to beat the hay out of him. However, what scared him most was the fear of his parents finding out about what Gust had done; although he was wanting to expose Gust to them, he was afraid of more violence.

He sat there for probably over two or three hours staring at the television set before him, occasionally switching channels with a face as blank and emotionless as some sort of lifeless robot, though he had to admit that the news station had, for once, gained his interest, with reports of a violent naval battle out at sea flooding in, one that he had been aware of for almost a month. According to various news outlets, a Griffon naval fleet had apparently been hijacked out at sea, before making its way across the ocean over the course of a week or so. Approaching Equestria unannounced and armed with heavy artillery, the gunboats had been promptly identified by the Coast Guard as posing a threat, resulting in a fierce naval battle taking place between the Equestrian Navy and the hijackers, one which was still ongoing to this day.

Suddenly, his train of thoughts derailed as the door opened and Equinox Moon stepped into the house, and he promptly switched off the television.

"Hey kids." smiled Equinox, stepping into the house, followed by High Wind.

"Hey mom." said Storm, followed by the same thing being said from upstairs by Gust and Mist, who had just finished cleaning Gust's room.

"How was your day?" asked High, just after wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Sorry we're back so late; we had to fill in for a couple of ponies---"

"High, I told them this morning." sighed Equinox, walking into the living room and nuzzling Storm, somehow not noticing the bandage on his forehead.

"Oh, you did?" he raised an eyebrow, before outstretching his hooves and yawning. "Darn, am I tired... Anyways, where are your siblings?"

"Yeah, they're upstairs." sighed Storm, moving his fringe with his hoof in order to hide the bandage on his forehead. While High went upstairs to check on Gust and Mist, Equinox, managing to see behind Storm's somewhat thick, navy-blue mane, noticed the bandage wrapped around his forehead.

"What's this?" she raised an eyebrow before approaching him. Storm gulped, his cover blown. "Storm, what happened?"

"Mom, it's...a headband," he fibbed, but he knew that it was too late; his mother already knew he was injured.

"Cut the horseshit, Storm," she rolled her eyes as a concerned frown formed on her face. "What happened? Tell me, was it Gust?"

"Yes...It was Gust." Storm sighed.

"GUST!" Equinox yelled suddenly. "Get your ass down here and explain yourself!"

I'm coming, mom! he shouted nonchalantly from upstairs.

Soon enough, Gust stepped into the room, a glare forming on his face upon noticing Storm's bandage being in clear view. Storm gulped as he watched Gust approach him and Equinox, before sitting down on the couch right next to Storm.

"Okay, so what the hell happened to Storm, Gust?" asked Equinox, looking at them both.

"Beats me," he shrugged, offering Storm but an indignant smirk.

"Don't give me that bull," Equinox folded her hooves and looked down at her son with an angry glare on her face. "Why is his forehead split open?"

"Mom, like I said... I have no idea," Gust shrugged. "Maybe he just... flew into something? You know kids these days...always getting themselves hurt."

"Gust, you're acting like an apathetic brat!" Equinox shouted as Storm looked on. "It's like...you never care about anypony other than yourself! I mean, look at Storm! He's injured because of you and you don't seem to care! And this isn't really the first time you've treated Storm like he was nothing. You always treat him like crap!"

"If he didn't stop bothering me about the bucking band then maybe he would've gotten out in one piece!" Gust yelled at both Storm and Equinox.

"Ah, so it was you all along, huh?" Equinox smirked wryly, before frowning angrily at her eldest. "Why for the love of Celestia would you do this to your brother, huh? He was trying to help you, and this is how you repay him?!"

"Mom, Storm is a douchebag!"

"You know who's the douchebag?" asked Equinox. "You sure as hay are acting like one, Gust Wind. Well? Why did you beat Storm up?"

Gust was about to answer her but paused after she finished her sentence, allowing the words that Equinox had just spoken to sink in. His furious glare disappeared from his face and was quickly suppressed by a sad, regretful frown as he came back to his senses and tried to process out the situation.

"Well?!" asked Equinox, her glare still remaining on her face as she stared at Gust. She glanced to the side, to notice Storm overlooking the entire situation, before gesturing for Storm to get out of the living room. Storm, of course, complied, leaving both Gust and Equinox alone.

"I'm sorry, mom." Gust sighed as he looked up at Equinox, who stood right in front of him. "I'm just so messed up...I have no idea what was going through my mind when I beat up Storm. I guess it's probably---...ever since my band broke up...ever since I broke it up...I've wanted to punch the nearest pony in the face. You know why? I'm depressed as buck, man. My band was my life; it was my ticket through high school. It's what earned me my friends, it's the reason I had a marefriend in the ninth grade. But look at me now; I have no friends, no marefriend to be with, no form of income whatsoever...you probably all hate me, and the very idea of not being able to buy and move into my own house is enough to make me burst into tears, but I prefer to not let my emotions out, and instead take them out on somepony I dislike, that pony being Storm. I have anger issues, you see?"

"And you really think that by bullying Storm, you're going to change anything?" asked Equinox, before she herself let out a sigh. "Look, Gust. I get you, okay? I get it, you made a mistake, but this isn't the way of coping with it. It's best to talk with somepony you trust about these things; and sometimes, it's best to just let out your emotions and try managing them that way instead of taking out your anger on others. And Gust, for the love of Luna, why would we hate you?"

"Because I'm a failure." he growled resentfully, causing Storm's heart to skip a beat in shock. While Storm and Gust didn't like one another very much, Storm certainly never considered Gust a 'failure'. "I suck at everything; all I seem to be good at is disappointing you."

"Why would you even say something like that?" Equinox gasped, before putting her hoof on Gust's shoulder as Storm looked on from the hallway. "Gust, you're not a failure! You're an incredible pony with a lot of talent and skill, but most importantly, you're my son. You and Storm both are, and I'll always love you both."

"No mom, I'm a failure." Gust persisted, his eyes getting more and more tearful.

"Gust, please---"

"No mom." he glared at her, tears rolling out of his eyes as he tried his hardest to remain in control of his emotions, which were visibly taking over him. "I'm a failure."

"Gust, you're not a failure. Please, don't call yourself that..." Equinox pleaded.

"I'm a terrible pony..." Gust sighed, before finally breaking down, collapsing face-first into the couch and crying into the fabric. Equinox looked on in sadness as she watched her eldest cry, before she herself nuzzled Gust tenderly. "I'm such a horrible pony..."

"Sshh..." Equinox smiled tenderly at him as she nuzzled the crying stallion. "It'll all be okay. You realized that you done wrong, and I know you're sorry about it. I forgive you, son...I'm here, Gust, and I'll always be here for you."

---

"So, Gust." begun High, sitting right next to him. "You alright now?"

"Yeah..." the stallion replied in a dry, harsh voice, a voice created through almost ten minutes of crying. His face seemed paler than usual and his mane was draped with layers of sweat. "I'm sorry. I know you're probably not going to forgive me---"

"It's all water under the bridge, son." Equinox smiled her usual motherly smile, before she motioned for Storm, who stood in the hallway leading to the stairs, to come through into the living room. "I could understand you were going through a hard time, but taking out that pent-up anger on others is never a good thing to do; I believe that there's somepony you need to apologize to. I'll be in the kitchen, while you Gust, apologize to Storm."

"And I'll be watching you to make sure you'll apologize, young stallion." High maintained a stoic, yet alert expression as he looked at Gust from his favorite spot on the couch.

Dad! Can you come upstairs and help me? asked Mist from her room upstairs.

"Sure thing, sweetie!" High got off the couch, suddenly turning away from Gust. "I'll be back here in ten minutes."

"Fine..." Gust sighed.

After Equinox went to the kitchen and High went upstairs to cater for Mist, Storm gulped out of pure nervousness as he walked into the living room, towards the couch on which Gust and High sat on, wondering whether Gust would apologize to him or not. "What?"

"Hey." Gust said, facing him. "Mom and dad want me to apologize."

"Yeah, as if your apologies mean anything, Gust." Storm scoffed, before standing against the wall folding his hooves.

"Storm, look." replied Gust. "I'm not screwing with you, man. I really am sorry."

"Bullshit." Storm groaned, trying to ignore both Gust's attempts at apologizing and the constant stinging of the cut on his forehead. "You're only just saying that so mom and dad get off your back."

"No, Storm. I am not." Gust waved his hooves in frustration, before slamming them into the couch. "After we eat dinner, I'm gonna need to use your help."

"No, Gust. I'm not serving as your scapegoat." Storm muttered under his breath.

"Dude, I'm not going to get you into trouble. I just need your help."

"No, I am not letting you use me for your own, selfish needs."

"Storm, I'm serious, dude."

"You sure I can trust you?"

"Positive. Please?"

"Fine."

---

"So, you sure if this is going to work?"

"Of course it will. If Mist says it will, then it most definitely will."

"Yeah. Left, alright?"

"Sure." replied Storm, before turning left at an intersecting street, Hoofberry Avenue, Gust tailing him close behind. Tall and fancy-looking homes were lined up along both sides of the street, which stretched continuously for an entire mile, before abruptly stopping at a dead end, which was surrounded by three houses. One of these houses belonged to one of Gust's former bandmates, Chord the keyboardist, and was where Storm and Gust were heading to right now. They were both hoping to visit Chord first, mainly because Chord was one of the more lenient members of the band, who would usually be the first pony to forgive Gust or any other member of the band if they screwed up. However Gust, unbeknownst to Storm, was terrified of meeting Chord, fearing harsh rejection from the stallion whom he once considered a close friend. "Wanna just fly?"

"No. I'm not in the mood to fly." Gust gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Suit yourself." Storm shrugged, continuing walking alongside the street. "You seem nervous."

"Well, no shit." Gust growled, like a wild animal. "This entire thing is pissing me off beyond belief."

"I can understand you're nervous, dude." Storm nodded understandingly. "...but I think you should calm down. It'll do you good, bro...think happy thoughts and shit."

"Yeah, good idea." Gust nodded, before glancing up to see the sun setting behind the tall towers and skyscrapers of downtown, which within seconds, became illuminated with yellow-white lights. "Let's just go. Mom and dad want us to be back at 9:30."

After twenty-five minutes of walking, the two had reached Chord's house, a nice-looking abode in a cul-de-sac with stone draped on the front side and a white picket fence surrounding the entire property. While Storm waited outside behind the fence, Gust walked up to the front door of the house, before gently tapping it. His heartbeat at incomprehensible speeds out of pure nervousness as he waited for an answer, wondering whether he'd be positively received by the home's sole occupant.

No, I don't want your cookies! Go away.

"Chord, it's me," said Gust, peering through the window next to the door to see a stallion, wearing a bathrobe approaching it. "Can you open up, please?"

Oh, it's you, Chord spoke seethingly from behind the door. What do you want?

"I wanna talk," spoke Gust, as Storm watched on in nervousness. "...please?"

Get off my property.

"Come on, man." Gust complained. "I have a great idea for the band."

Oh, Gust. You and your 'great' ideas...

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Gust, his frown turning into a glare within seconds.

Your last 'great' idea got this band split up, you dipshit.

"Dude, you're the one that left," Gust sighed in sadness.

Yeah, cause you made us leave.

"He kind of has a point there." Storm smiled awkwardly.

"Shut up Storm." Gust shrugged, not bothering to turn around. "Dude, I'm sorry about what happened. I was in a bad place that night...please?"

No, get off my property.

"I won't, unless we talk this out. Please." Gust pleaded.

Fine. the voice from behind the door issued a sigh, with the stallion opening the door shortly thereafter. Chord was a short, yet bulky white stallion, with a neon-green mane and a cutie mark of a synthesizer crossing another one. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Well...I have this great idea," replied Gust, scratching his head with his hoof in nervousness. "In fact, Storm. You tell 'im."

"Well..." Storm landed on the path in front of his door, right next to Gust. "My high school prom is in about a week's time, and I'd be great if you guys came to play."

"Sorry, little guy," Chord smiled awkwardly. "I'm done with the band. I'm not falling for anymore of Gust's manipulative bullshit. I play piano on weekends at a local hotel now, I'm past playing in a band."

"You don't understand!" Storm spat. "Gust's changed."

"No, I don't think he has. Gust's a sleaze, always has been and always will be," Chord shook his head. "I put up with his crap for years now, it's time to put this behind me and I'd suggest *you* think twice about placing every ounce of your trust in him. Now, unless you wanna get your asses reported for trespassing on private property, I'd suggest you both get outta here."

"Wait," Storm said. "Please. Just one gig, please?"

"No," Chord groaned in utter frustration, before slamming the door in Storm and Gust's faces. Get off my porch or I'll call the cops on you if you don't!

"Fine," Gust sighed, before walking off the property and sitting down on the path, leaning against the fence. He then began chuckling uncontrollably, almost maniacally in fact, before that laughter gave way to tears.

"We can always try the other guys..." proposed Storm. "What would you say?"

"No," Gust replied, wiping his eyes free of tears. "It's way too late now...what were you thinking?!"

"It's never too late," replied Storm, pulling up Gust by the hoof. "I have a plan."

"About time." Gust groaned, before blowing his nose with his hoof. "What are you gonna do, Storm?"

"You'll find out once we get home." Storm gave a wry smirk.

Author's Notes:

So, that's chapter 22 done everypony. Originally, I was going to make it far longer and include the actual prom, but I feared that it'd go way over 10,000 words by the time it was done. That, and I really wanted to get this chapter up ASAP. So, yeah. The next chapter, which I hope to have done sometime during the weekend at the latest, will feature preparations for the prom and the big night itself. I hope you guys understand.

Stay tuned for chapter 23.

23. One Last Time

---

"So, what in the buck are you planning, Storm?" asked Gust, slamming the door to Storm's room behind him, before going to sit down on his bed. He faced Storm, who sat on his desk chair right in front of him, contemplating the idea he had ever since they left Chord's home. The idea Storm had in mind was to bring each individual band member to the community center, and force them to talk things out. However, he felt rather unsure about it all. However, what unnerved him most was the possibility of their 'group intervention' not working out, creating an even bigger fracture between each band member, and destroying Gust's newfound trust in Storm. He glanced up at Gust, a nervous look on his face, one that he was hoping would go unnoticed by Gust, allowing him at least a few seconds to continue thinking. However, much to his chagrin, Gust noticed his awkwardness.

"Well?" Gust raised an eyebrow. "What's your idea?"

"Well..." Storm stuttered, an awkward smile forming on his face, and his ears pinning back as he wondered whether Gust would like his idea or not. "I was thinking...Well, I'm not entirely sure if you'll like the idea or not---"

"Go ahead." Gust remarked. "I'm listening."

"Okay..." Storm sighed. "Here goes. How about, instead of going to them, how about we bring them to us?"

"What do you mean?" Gust raised an eyebrow. However, instead of telling him directly, Storm got up from where he was sitting and walked up to Gust, whispering the idea into his ear. As Gust listened to Storm's idea, his ears pricked up in intrigue and an anticipatory smile formed on his face.

"So, what do you think?" Storm moved away from Gust's ear.

"It sounds crazy, but it might just work." Gust grinned.

"Wanna try it out tomorrow?" asked Storm.

"Sure." grinned Gust. "You know...you aren't as bad as I thought you were..."

"Thanks." Storm beamed, taking Gust's unusually kind words to heart. "You're decent yourself."

This was something that Gust did not expect Storm to say. Having bullied his younger brother for years, and only apologizing to him earlier that day, Gust still had his doubts about whether or not Storm wanted, or should I say, deserved to be his friend. However, from personal experience, Gust slowly begun to realize Storm may not be such a pain in the flank after all. In fact, for some reason which at that very moment in time was still completely unknown to him, Storm was the only pony who was willing to help Gust get his life back together. This was an act that Gust totally did not expect from anypony, let alone Storm, and boy was he grateful for it.

"Thanks." smiled Gust, getting up from under his bed. "You start planning, alright? I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing." grinned Storm. "Hoofbump?"

"Of course." Gust pulled back his left hoof, before releasing it, striking Storm's extended right hoof. "Night, bro."

"Good night." smiled Gust, opening the door and leaving Storm alone in the room, somewhat surprised, in fact, awestruck by Gust's seemingly-sudden change of demeanor and personality. On the one hoof, Storm was happy that his brother had a change of heart towards him, but on the other, he wondered how long he'd maintain this change of heart. However, being slightly tired, he decided to stop thinking too much, and in order to get some sleep as soon as possible, he got on with the planning right away.

The next morning...
"Okay..." begun Storm, motioning his hoof for Gust to sit down on his bed. He closed the door behind him, and jumped onto the bed, allowing Storm to tell him his plan of action. "So, I spent two or three hours last night trying to figure out exactly how to put our plan into action."

"Yeah?" asked Gust.

"And I decided that in order to get them to the community center, we'd send them letters, saying that we need them to come over there. I could deliver them after school if you want." explained Storm, watching Gust's previous convinced grin disappear off his face. "What?"

"You're kidding, right?" scoffed Gust. "Letters? They'll know it's me!"

"Oh." Storm sighed. Suddenly, his train of thought departed its station, as he begun to think of more ideas. Soon enough, one particular idea hit him, one that Gust was sure to like. "Gust?"

"What?" asked the stallion, opening the door to his room and walking out of it.

"How about you just talk it through like real stallions would?" asked Storm, getting up off his computer seat and walking up to where Gust was standing, before putting his hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "You know, invite them over to the bar and talk it through over a drink or two?"

"What?" Gust asked, standing up and looking down at Storm with a shocked look on his face.

"You heard me, Gust." Storm replied.

"I tried talking it through before, Storm." Gust sighed, putting his hooves on his head. "Don't you remember?"

"Yeah..." Storm lowered his head, letting out a sigh as well. "Sorry man."

"Eh, it's fine..." Gust groaned. "You know what?"

"Yeah?"

"Fine, I give in. Since we both can't think of anything, I'll just go with your idea. You bring them to the community center after school, and I talk things out with them." Gust growled. "Alright?"

"Sure." Storm shrugged. "You write the letters, I'll deliver 'em."

"But what kind of letters?"

"I don't know." shrugged Storm. "How about we trick them with a fake identity?"

"Nah, that'd be too far-fetched."

"I can't really think of anything else at the moment, Gust." Storm sighed, before continuing his brainstorming. "Hmm..."

"Hmm...alright. You know, on second thought, the pen name thing may not be such a bad idea." Gust mused. "Yeah, on second thought, let's do the letters."

"Okay." Storm nodded, looking back at Gust as he made his way towards the door, picking up his saddlebag as he did so. "I'll deliver them to their homes after school, while you work on them. Okay?"

"Sure." smiled Gust.

"Alright." grinned Storm. "I better go. Mist's waiting for me."

"Alright, see you." replied Gust. "I better get on with writing the letters."

"Okay." smiled Storm. "You do that."

---

"So, did you write the letters?" asked Storm, having just returned from school and summoned Gust to his room. He sat down next to him on his bed, observing Gust pull out four envelopes from his saddlebag, all addressed to each of the band members.

"Yep." smiled Gust, passing the stack of envelopes to Storm, allowing him to study them. "I even invented a pen name."

"What is it?" asked Storm, unzipping his saddlebag and inserting the envelopes into it.

"Dniw Tsug." Gust replied. "Now is your turn to deliver the letters. You have three hours before mom and dad come back. And don't worry; two of them live within walking distance. You should start off with Chord's house, seeing how you already probably know where that is."

"Alright." Storm grinned. "Hold on...where did you get that pen name from?"

"It's my name backwards, Storm." Gust rolled his eyes playfully. "Now get going!"

"Alright." smiled Storm. "See you later bro."

"Bye." Gust gave him a hoofbump before watching the stallion trot down the stairs, his saddlebag fluttering in the air as he did so. He trotted out the door and took off five hundred feet into the air, before looking around his street and across the sea of apartment buildings, family homes and small office buildings that was North Cloudsdale. While hovering in the air, Storm took off his saddlebag, unzipping it and accessing it's contents. He pulled out the first letter he had in sight, and read the address on the envelope.

Riff Solo
1038 Canter Street
North Cloudsdale

Having initially hoped that the first house he'd visit was Chord's, Storm sighed when he read the address. Canter Street was noted to be the main street in a rather...rough area of town, well known for an apparent high crime rate, a reputation that was only enforced by several high-profile cases of gang violence and countless robberies which had occurred over the past few weeks. It wasn't always like that though; Storm remembered three years ago when he and his stepdad used to go shopping there on weekends. The street was once a hub for major businesses and prospered economically, but due to the financial mismanagement of the new mayor and his government, the neighborhood fell into decline and suffered dramatically. Large, well-established businesses soon moved out, and families eventually settled elsewhere in the city, allowing the area to become a breeding ground for gangs and a haven for crime in general. Stifling a gulp, Storm took off towards the house, which was a ten-block flight to the northeast from his house, and as he flew towards the street he noticed that the rather tidy and pretty homes in his area of town seemed to make way for smaller, older, and more ugly architecture. As he neared the street, he began to prepare himself for landing. Storm gulped as he looked down at the sidewalks he was flying over, noticing some ponies give him a disgruntled and slightly threatening glare. Cloudsdale wasn't the 'perfect' Equestrian city that the media and virtually everypony in the country made it out to be, although it's crime rate was well below the national average; it was rather a city of extreme, or should I say polar opposites, in a way like Detrot and Manehattan. In general, the city was very safe, with most crimes being confined to the inner city and to some outer suburbs, and Canter Street, despite the pleasant and affluent-sounding name that evoked images of the city of Canterlot, was a prominent example. Storm hoped that as a Royal Guard, he could at least change some aspects of inner-city life in Cloudsdale for the better.

Upon landing on the street, Storm trotted down the sidewalk, not looking for anything aside from number 1038. He trotted as far as his hooves could carry him, trying not to attract any attention from passers-by, who mostly stared at him with bemused and obviously unfriendly looks on their faces. Soon enough, Storm's burst of speed wore off pretty quickly, and he was reduced to walking, which allowed him to investigate and take in his surroundings. To say the street looked horrible was the understatement of the millennium. Storm knew that some parts of Cloudsdale were worse off than others, but he didn't realize just how bad some areas were. Compared to what he was used to seeing on a day to day basis, this was absolute squalor, to say the least. There were buildings that had their front doors kicked in (probably what remained after a failed robbery) there was broken glass scattered across the sidewalk at one point, which Storm managed to avoid, and there was graffiti of gang signs and words and poorly-written phrases such as "NORTH CLOUDSDALE IZ OURS 4 LYFE".

"Why don't you watch where you're going, motherbucker?" yelled out a stallion, pushing past Storm. "You're as blind as a bat pony, y'know?"

"Sorry man." groaned Storm.

"Whatever." the stallion replied, not looking back at Storm, and almost pretending as if nothing happened.

"Hey, do you know where number 1038 is?" asked Storm.

"Yeah, I live there." replied the stallion, seemingly suspicious of Storm. "Why?"

"You're Riff?" asked Storm, noticing his defensiveness and caution as he eyed Storm carefully.

"Yeah, who the hay are you?" asked Riff.

"I'm a mailpony." Storm fibbed.

"You don't look like much of a mailpony to me." Riff gave him a suspicious look, before flying over to him. "Well, you got a letter for me or something?"

"Yep." smiled Storm, taking out the letter from his saddlebag and handing it over to him. "It's from a Dniw Tsug guy."

"Who?" Riff raised an eyebrow.

"Dniw Tsug."

"I swear to Celestia I don't recognize anypony with that name." replied Riff. "Maybe it's from a different country or something...I don't know. Well, anyway. Even though I have no bucking clue who that guy is, I'll still read it."

"Alright." replied Storm.

"Thanks dude." replied Riff, before trotting away from Storm, leaving the stallion alone. He dropped his saddlebag onto the sidewalk, and unzipped it yet again, before going through it's contents. The next letter he took out was addressed as 42940 Baltimare Avenue and was directed to a certain stallion by the name of Pickup Strap. Storm knew that Baltimare Avenue was pretty close to home, and not wanting to stay in Cloudsdale's version of Detrot any longer, he outstretched his wings to their full size and took off. "That's one down, four to go."

---

Over the course of the next hour or so, Storm had managed to deliver the letters to two out of the three bandmates, and his trek had taken him all over Cloudsdale, from the rough inner city to some affluent suburbs on the outskirts of town. While in flight, he glanced down at his watch, which displayed the time as being 5:42 PM, meaning that he had little over an hour to get the last letter delivered before his mom and stepdad come back home.

The final address that Storm was going to visit was close to the airport, at 5932 Pegasopolis Boulevard, a ten mile-long flight across town that Storm could easily manage in twenty-five minutes, Storm took off into the air from the last address he was at, flying through the twists and turns of the labyrinth of homes, supermarkets, office blocks and apartments, his eyes set on an airship descending down towards the main runway of the airport in the distance. However, just before he reached the electrified fence that marked the boundary between the airport and the rest of the city, he turned right, flying several blocks down a long road made up of rows of houses, before taking a sharp right turn at an intersection, and flying down the next street, which was in fact Pegasopolis Boulevard, named so because of the fact that Pegasopolis was the old name for Cloudsdale. Upon reaching number 5932, which was a house that looked pretty similar to his own, he landed on the sidewalk which was paved in front of the building, and walked up to the door. After some hesitance, Storm rung the doorbell, and around a minute or two later, the door opened, revealing a rather tall, and stocky Pegasus stallion wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.

"What?" he asked, looking down at Storm, who was three inches shorter than the stallion.

"Are you Crash Cymbal?" asked Storm, glancing up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I have a letter for you." replied Storm. "It's pretty urgent."

"A letter?" Crash raised an eyebrow. "From who?"

"Dniw Tsug." replied Storm.

"Who?" asked Crash, growing more and more confused by the second.

"Dniw Tsug."

"Wait, I recognize you from somewhere..." begun Crash, fixing his eyes on Storm.

Shit. Storm muttered to himself. "You must've mistaken me for somepony else."

"No, no. I'm not stupid. You're Gust Wind's little brother, aren't you?" asked Crash.

"Uh...Uh..." Storm stuttered, his cover being blown. "Yeah?"

"Well..." Crash sneered. "It seems Gust's too much of a wuss to come over himself, so that's why he sent you... And I'm guessing this letter is from him, right?"

"Yes." replied Storm, handing over the envelope to Crash, who tore it open and took out the letter. Storm watched in interest as Crash read the letter, an angry scowl forming on his face as he did.

"Take it back. Gust's insane."

"You don't understand..." replied Storm, trying to reason with Crash. "He wants to get the band back together."

"So what? So he can manipulate us like he always did? So he can bully us if we didn't do anything that was right in his eyes----"

"Crash, Gust isn't like that...let me explain---"

"That's Mr. Crash to you!"

"Whatever," Storm spat in response, this interaction getting on his nerves. “My brother may be an asshole but he’s at least trying to be better.”

"And tell me, you believe him when he says he’s changed?" asked Crash. “This isn’t the first time.”

"It depends, but usually he's pretty trustworthy."

"Well, don't." Crash replied. "Don't believe a word he says. He's probably deceived you already without you knowing it."

"So I'm guessing that's a no...?" asked Storm.

"I'm not returning to his stupid band." Crash huffed. "And I feel sorry for my friends that have. Go home kid, and tell your brother that he can go royally fuck himself. Screw Gust."

"Alright." Storm sighed, watching Crash go back inside, slamming the door behind him as he did so. Storm outstretched his wings, flapping them as rapidly as he could, before he took off into the air, leaving Crash's house far behind him. As he flew back towards North Cloudsdale, he couldn't help but feel pretty bad about himself. His encounter with the band's drummer, Crash didn't go to plan, and Storm was anticipating the worst was yet to come. "Gust isn't gonna be too pleased..." Storm sighed.

---

"So, how'd it go?" asked Gust, opening the door for an uncertain-looking Storm, who dumped his saddlebag in its usual spot next to the coat hanger. However, instead of replying to Gust, Storm trotted upstairs without saying a word and leaving a bemused Gust standing at the foot of the stairway. "Storm?"

No reply came.

"Geez..." Gust sighed, trotting upstairs after the stallion. "Storm?"

"Yeah?" the answer came from Storm's bedroom.

"I asked how it went," Gust replied, opening the door to the room and peering into it, seeing Storm sitting down on his bed.

"It didn't go too bad..." replied Storm. "I think they fell for it...except one."

"What do you mean?" Gust opened the door further, allowing him to step inside the bedroom. He walked up to where Storm was sitting on his bed and sat down next to the stallion.

"Aside from one, it went smoothly."

"What?" Gust scoffed. "What do you mean?"

"Crash blew my cover, he knew it was me," Storm sighed. "And I think you can guess how it went from there."

"That son of a mule," growled Gust, before turning to look back at Storm. "But what did he say?"

"He said he isn't coming back to the band and that you can go fuck yourself."

"Eh...fuck him," Gust groaned. "You play drums, don't you?"

"I'm not a good drummer by any means but I can play basic rhythms and drum patterns," Storm explained. "I probably won't be able to play with you guys. Besides, I've already asked my marefriend if she'd go with me, and she said yes."

"Shit."

"How about you guys just have a drum machine playing in the background, or just play along to like a backing track or something?" proposed Storm.

"The Lightning Bolts never play along to backing tracks." Gust shook his head. "Never. We wanna sound as legit as possible."

"So, who's gonna play drums?"

"I don't know."

---

The next day...
After Storm finished school for the day, he and Gust made their way to the community center, a small, one-storey high building two blocks away from his and Mist's high school. Along the way, Storm couldn't help but notice Gust seem a bit nervous, and in order to make the walk there a little bit less awkward than it already was, he decided to start up a conversation with him.

"So, how do you think this will go?" asked Storm.

"I hope to Celestia it'll go good," replied Gust. "And I hope that Crash wasn't being serious otherwise I'm a dead stallion. It's too late to back out of this now, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"Crap..." Gust groaned. "This thing is way too big..."

"Gust, don't worry," Storm tried his hardest to reassure him in spite of his own uncertainty and lack of foresight; he had envisioned this going so much better. "It'll go great."

"I hope so," Gust sighed as they walked through the gate to the community center, which had been left open by the last ponies that used it, a possible indication that Gust's ex-bandmates were inside.

"Dude, if I wasn't already going with Blue, I'd gladly play the drums for you guys," Storm explained. "I'm sorry man."

"Alright," Gust replied apathetically, walking up to the main entrance to the building. The two walked through the open door and past the reception desk, which was vacant as the receptionist went for her lunch break, and into the main hall of the community center, and much to Gust's utter chagrin, his old friends stood against the wall, grinning menacingly as they watched him and Storm enter.

"Hello boys," Gust stuttered, slowly backing away towards the door. Before he could run out in fear, however, Storm closed the door, placing a janitor's mop beneath the lock. "Storm, what the hay?"

"You agreed to it, bro," replied Storm.

"Agreed to what?" asked Chord.

"Dniw Tsug my flank. I knew there was something suspicious about that name," replied Riff, rolling the sleeves up on his leather jacket as he approached Gust, followed by Chord the keyboardist and Pickup the bassist, while Storm watched from the side.

"You think we're stupid enough to buy the idea of 'free apple cider courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres'?" asked Chord. "I know you love apple cider, but me, Pickup, and Riff all could sense something suspicious in that letter."

"I couldn't think of anything else...I love apple cider." Gust stuttered, backing up against the door and watching them approach him.

"You won't be able to think at all when my hoof strikes your sorry little skull." Pickup growled menacingly.

"Tell us why you wanted us to come over here." began Chord.

"He wanted you to rejoin the band." Storm replied.

"Zip it, microbe," growled Riff, being somewhat taller than Storm was. "Well?"

"It was him!" Gust pointed his hoof at Storm. "He's the reason why we're all here!"

"Don't blame your brother on everything, Gust," replied Chord.

"Come on, guys." Gust scoffed. "If you believe him, I feel sorry for you."

"At least he doesn't lie about everything like you do." spat Riff.

"He's the one that organized this," replied Gust. "He's the one that brought you guys here, not me. Wait--wait, let me continue---shit."

"What?" Storm gasped, watching Riff, Pickup and Chord approach him. "Gust, you're the one that wrote the letters! I was only trying to help! Come on, guys. You're gonna beat me up? I didn't do shit!"

"I'm sorry, Storm." Gust let out a sigh as he watched the disgruntled bandmates approach Storm.

"Gust, you asshole!" Storm yelled out, his heart beating at a hundred miles an hour.

"Look, I'm sorry! Dude, you're two inches taller than I am! Go face them yourself!" Gust yelled, pulling out the mop from underneath the locking mechanism, eventually opening the door. To his surprise, the receptionist, having returned from her lunch break, was sitting at the desk. "Shit."

"Hey, kid." she begun, getting up from her seat and approaching Gust. "What are you doing here? The hall isn't open."

"I work here on weekends, ma'am." Gust fibbed.

"It's Tuesday." the receptionist rolled her eyes, and folded her hooves. "Plus, I don't recall ever seeing you here."

"I just joined." Gust persisted.

"Either you leave or I'm calling the guard on you for trespassing." the mare warned him. "Well?"

"I can assure you, ma'am. That won't be necessary," Gust replied. "I can explain."

"Make it quick," she sighed.

"Well..." begun Gust, trying to think of a coherent explanation for his presence. "Can you please mediate for us?"

"What?"

"I'm having some problems with my friends." Gust smiled awkwardly.

"Uh...what kinds of problems?"

"Well... follow me."

"Alright." the mare shrugged, following Gust into the hall, where much to his shock and to her disgust, the bandmates crowded around Storm, who despite being the same size as two of them and slightly shorter than Riff, would prove no match in a fight due to his lankiness.

Not that Storm wanted to start a fight of course, but things were surely leading up to one breaking out in the hall.

"Come on, Storm. Punch like a stallion!" yelled Riff, throwing a light, yet painful jab at the stallion's shoulder.

"No, guys. I don't want to start a fight." Storm replied, hissing in pain and recoiling back as a result of the punch impacting his shoulder.

"Storm, we wanna be your friends!" grinned Chord, although in an obviously contradictory and taunting manner.

"Well, I don't," replied Storm. "Come on, guys. You don't wanna mess with me. I, uh...know karate and uh, taekwondo."

"Can you prove it?" asked Pickup, preparing to punch Storm in the stomach. However, just before he could do so, he was stopped by Gust, who hovered between them. "What?"

"Leave him alone," replied Gust. "Or you're gonna have to go through me."

"Will somepony please tell me what the hell is going on?" asked the receptionist.

"Allow me to explain," replied Gust. Storm opened his eyes, having prepared himself for the impact of the punch. "Storm here brought our band back together, guys. He brought you here because he knew full well that this band is what means most to me. He brought us all here because he understands me. He knows my problems, and he wants to help fix them. He brought us here because Storm is an amazing, amazing brother, who was the only pony who was there for me when everything came tumbling down. And today, he has a mission for us. Storm wants us to play at his prom, and I think that we have a real chance of success if we do play his prom. So, what would you guys say?"

"Uh, I'm in, I guess," replied Chord.

"Welcome back, bro." Gust gave him a hoofbump. "What about you, Riff?"

"...I'm willing to give you another shot, but just this once."

"Sounds good to me." grinned Gust. "Pickup?"

"I'm in just this once, only if you promise that it won't screw up like last time," Pickup growled.

"I promise."

"Alright." shrugged Pickup.

"Well, folks." grinned Gust. "We better work out what we're going to play... We better start practicing..."

"Take it easy, bro," said Storm. "You forgot about one important detail."

"Who's gonna play drums?" they asked in unison.

"I will!" a female voice sounded from the distance. Gust glanced over to see where the voice was coming from, and to his surprise, it was from a mare he recognized very well, yet never had the guts to talk to. His heart virtually stopped for a second and time seemed to slow down for the stallion as he stared at the beautiful mare before him. The mare was Chord's slightly younger twin sister, Destiny, a light gray Pegasus mare with a creamy-colored mane. She was a musician in her own right, whose instrument of choice was the drum kit, despite being able to play several others. He had never heard her play in person, but from what Chord had told him, she was a pretty decent drummer. Chord, noticing that Gust was staring at his sister with a wide-eyed expression, gently nudged him, although with a slight grimace on his face.

"What?" Gust asked.

"Don't get any ideas," Chord warned him.

"Hi Gust...you may not know who I am, but that's okay," smiled Destiny, walking up to them. "My name is Destiny, and I'm Chord's sister. He's told me all about you before, and I've been to see you guys play. I think you guys rock...And I've always wanted to kind of...you know, join your group."

"That's cool, I guess." Gust played along. "Welcome to the band. What instrument do you play?"

"I play a few, but I think I'm best at playing drums."

"Ooh, nice." smiled Gust. "We've kind of been needing a drummer lately."

"Well, here you go." she grinned.

"Show us what you can do, Destiny." Storm said, before turning to face the receptionist. "Is there a drum kit here, ma'am?"

"Yep. We have one left over by a band which played a wedding reception here not too long ago." she smiled, pulling away a curtain to reveal a massive drum kit. Destiny walked up behind it, and sat down on the seat, stepping on the bass pedal. Within seconds, she had begun to play a pretty decent drum solo, with Gust appearing especially captivated by her drumming.

"She's not bad, isn't she?" Storm nudged him playfully.

"Nope." grinned Gust. "Thanks, bro. I don't know how I'd have got this far without you."

"I'm glad I could help." Storm winked.

A few moments later, she finished her drumming and looked from the kit to see the stallions clapping, including Gust, whose clapping seemed to be the loudest of all. She let out a grin and a blush, before getting off the seat and walking up to where they were standing. "So, what did you think, Gust?"

"I think you're great," Gust smiled at the slightly shorter mare. "What can I say?"

"Aww, really?" she asked. "I think you're an awesome guitarist."

That one moment, their eyes locked and both of them smiled at one another, however, when they realized that they were drawing a crowd, they turned away from one another, blushing fiercely.

"I hate to break up your little moment, but we've got less than four days of practice." began Riff. "Either we practice ASAP or we buck it up big time."

"I agree with Riff," Chord interjected. "Plus I told you to stop hitting on my sister."

"Sorry." Gust shrugged.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Destiny.

"Let's practice." smiled Pickup.

"You said it." grinned Gust. "Ma'am, can we use the hall?"

"I don't see why not." the receptionist shrugged. "Just this once, alright?"

"Alright." Gust smiled. "Let's go get our instruments, guys. And we need to work out what songs to play to as well. Chord, you come up with the music, alright?"

"Sure." he smiled.

"Alright, let's do it." grinned Pickup.

"Destiny, you wanna come with?" asked Gust.

"Sure." she smiled.

"Come on, Storm." grinned Gust, turning to look at his brother who watched the scene unfold before his eyes. To say Storm was happy was an understatement; he had made peace with the stallion who bullied him for years, and what struck him especially was that he had also found the brother he was looking for in Gust.

"You said it." Storm grinned back, following the bandmates as they made their way out of the hall. "Let's go prepare."

---

That Friday...
"Oh, buck... this is gonna fail...this is gonna fail so badly."

"What's wrong, Gust? Nervous?"

"Yeah..."

"I know, dude." Storm let out a sigh as he put his hoof on Gust's shoulder. "I'm nervous too..."

"About what?" asked Gust, turning to look at a worried-looking Storm, who wore a white shirt and a black bow tie. "Damn..."

"What?" Storm's cheeks flushed bright red, not sure whether to take his brother's snarky-seeming comment as an insult or as a compliment. "Do I really look that bad?"

"No, no." Gust chuckled. "You know, you're actually wearing the same stuff that I wore to prom. It fits you better than it ever fit me, that's for sure."

"Well, thanks," Storm grinned.

"Anyways, what are you so nervous about?" asked Gust, watching Storm let out a short sigh. "Huh?"

"Well. I'm just anxious about how it'll all go...I mean, this is my first time going," Storm slowly, but surely opened up to Gust, who sat there with an understanding look on his face. "I mean, I went to homecoming before of course, but that wasn’t nearly as formal. Can you at least give me some advice?"

"Sure." Gust smiled understandingly. "With what?"

"Well, how do I act? What do I do?" asked Storm.

"Well, you just dance, I guess." Gust shrugged. "That's all I can say, just dance."

"I know, but how? Also, what if Blue isn't enjoying herself?"

"Are you kidding?" Gust scoffed. "Blue is crazy for you, dude. Of course she'll enjoy it. If she's enjoyed your past dates, then she sure as hell will enjoy this one."

"I guess so," Storm gave a small, relieved smile, which quickly disappeared into a frown. "I'm just really self-conscious."

"Storm, you should trust your instincts. Just go with the flow," Gust persuaded him. "You're six weeks from graduating, so cut loose. Stop worrying about finals and shit like that because in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter...I just hope that I'll be able to make a good impression tonight."

"You will," smiled Storm, putting his hoof on Gust's shoulder, which seemed to calm the unnerved stallion down. Over the past few days, Gust had grown into an amazing friend for Storm, and whenever Storm needed help, he was always happy to give him some advice. It was just like what his mom had always said to him as a colt; treat other ponies with respect and they'll treat you with that same courtesy. "Just trust your instincts."

"Hey, that's the same thing I told you," Gust moaned playfully. "Guess it applies to me as well."

"Yeah, it does," Storm nudged him gently, before getting off his bed, and putting on his suit jacket, or rather Gust's old suit jacket, which was faded from both frequent use and from being in the wardrobe for almost two years. "I wanna see what you guys are made of, and I'm sure everypony else wants to as well."

"And so you will, little brother," grinned Gust. "We'll rock that prom so hard the ceiling will come falling down."

"Alright, whatever you say," Storm chuckled. "Well, gotta go pick up Blue. See you there."

"You said it." grinned Gust, watching Storm leave the room and walk downstairs. "Enjoy."

"Thanks. You too." Storm grinned back. "Good luck."

"See you." Gust smiled, as a newfound feeling of pride and thankfulness overwhelmed him. He had just found the brother he never knew he had, and from that moment on, Gust was determined to change for the better, and be the best brother he could be for Storm.

---

After making his way down into the foyer of the house Storm walked into the living room, where High and Equinox, along with Mist were watching a movie on TV. His swagger and self-assurance shining through, he tapped on the door gently but to no immediate response; they were all glued to the television set, and whatever movie was playing at the moment had evidently sucked them all in with a tasty combination of excitement and intrigue.

"What...the hell just happened? What did they do to him?" Equinox hazily inquired in the wake of an on-screen shootout, snapping awake almost instantly in response to the barrage of gunfire that poured itself into her ears.

"Beats me," High shrugged mock-apathetically as he remained fixated on the action playing out on the small screen. "Why don't you call up and ask?"

"Very funny," she chided him playfully as she rested her head on his body, continuing to watch the movie. "Mist, you say you've seen this movie before?"

"Yeah, went to the theaters a couple of months back," Mist responded, her eyes glued to the TV screen as theirs were. "It's good but it isn't for everybody, let's just say."

Storm made a few steps into the living room and cleared his throat, finally getting their collective attention.

"And you guys always tell me that I spend way too much time in front of the TV," he declared half-heartedly, his parents responding to his presence almost immediately as Equinox turned down the volume. "I know we're a nuclear family and all but I think we're a bit far from being a 50s sitcom, I don't know about you all."

"My, my," Equinox ignored Storm's quip and instead smiled proudly as she saw her second-eldest son standing in the doorway. "Aren't you looking handsome today, Storm."

"Thanks, mom," smiled Storm, blushing faintly in response to his mother's complement.

"Here, let me fix your bow tie," High, noticing that his bow tie was improperly done, got up off the couch and walked up to him, pulling both ends of the tie which tightened the knot. "There we go."

"Thanks, Dad," Storm beamed at him. Despite their relationship still being fairly imperfect, Storm and High had tried to mend their bond on both sides, with High having organized a camping trip to the Everfree for the both of them and Gust, scheduled for next Saturday.

"No problem." he smiled back before peering into the foyer of the house, just as Storm took a momentary glance at the action movie playing on the television. "Gust, get your ass downstairs!"

Coming, dad!

"Well, all I have to say, son, is that you should enjoy yourself," Equinox smiled as she turned to gaze lovingly at her husband, who responded with much the same complexion. "I remember my senior prom like it was yesterday—it was a hell of a night, to put it mildly."

"It sure was," High grinned as he gently pecked his wife's cheek.

"Thanks, you guys," Storm gave her and High a tight hug before taking a momentary glance at the watch on his hoof. "I'm sure it'll be awesome, and now if you excuse me I gotta get going."

"Alright, just wait for Gust, okay?" Equinox replied.

Dad, he can just get going! I'll meet him at the school.

"You sure?" High raised his voice once more as he glanced over at the staircase.

Yeah, I still have to tune my guitar!

"Alright," he shrugged in response, putting his wing around his wife's shoulder. "Go, Storm. Go and have fun."

"Thanks." Storm smiled.

"And tell me all about it when you get back, alright?" asked Mist. "I wanna know all the deets, like, all of 'em."

"Sure thing, sis," Storm ruffled her mane, before turning towards the door. "Bye, you guys."

"See you, Storm. Enjoy!"

"Okay." Storm opened the door, stepping out onto the open porch. He closed the door behind him and took off into the beautiful late-afternoon sky, which despite being May, which was noted for being a rainy month in and around Cloudsdale, was perfectly clear. The sun had begun to set behind the skyscrapers of downtown, causing them to cast an expansive shadow across the city, which extended for at least two miles towards the northeast. He sighed in relief before taking off towards Blue's home on the other side of town, flying through the winding, hilly streets of North Cloudsdale, before flying into the more typical, grid-like street system of the inner neighborhoods of the city. It felt good to be out of his family's hair, at least for a couple of hours, and during those few hours, Storm hoped to have a first-hand taste of adulthood, which was approaching him much faster than he expected. He was less than two months away from graduating from school, and he wasn't sure what to think of it at all.

It was all coming so fast, but he didn't want to ponder over it too much, at least not tonight.

All he wanted to do was to be with his mare, if only for a couple of hours.

No more than ten minutes later he landed in front of Blue's house in the city's west side, and with time running short immediately set off for the front door. Hoping to quickly get any pleasantries out of the way and head off with his mare he quickly buttoned up his suit and fixed the corsage in his lapel, before pressing the doorbell. A moment or so had passed, and the door opened, revealing Star Night standing there, Solar no doubt being passed out on the living room couch after a long day at work much like his own parents were.

"Hey Storm!" she smiled pleasantly as she beheld the stallion standing on her porch. "You're looking good today."

"Thank you, ma'am." he smiled coyly, hoping not to draw too much attention to himself.

"No need to call me ma'am," Star smirked. "'Star' is perfectly fine. Come on, you've been dating my daughter for years and we're still going by formalities? I don't know about you but I call overkill on that."

She had a very good point there, and Storm acknowledged that almost immediately as he blushed in mild embarrassment.

"As I said, it's perfectly fine to call me Star," she chuckled warmly. "Wow, I remember the day you joined my flight class like it was yesterday, and now you're eighteen, you're going out with my daughter and you're on the verge of leaving school. Doesn't time fly by so quickly?"

"It sure does, ma'a--I mean Star."

"Would you like to come in?" asked Star. "Blue's still having the finishing touches put on her look, so you can wait in the living room. Her aunt's visiting us this week, and she's a stylist too, so let's just say that you're in for a surprise. Just try not to wake Solar; he's been through a pretty rough day at work today."

"Oh," Storm smiled in response, shuffling up onto the doorstep and entering the house. "And yeah, my mom and dad were both half-dead when I came downstairs so I kinda know what to expect."

"Here's hoping that you two can both relax and 'cut loose' tonight," Star said, opening the door wider as Storm stepped into the dimly-lit entrance hall. "Blue, honey?"

Yeah, mom? she called from upstairs.

"Storm's here, he's waiting for you downstairs!"

She squealed with glee and Storm's heart fluttered as he envisaged Blue and himself having the time of their lives that night. Although both were shy and introverted they were pretty outgoing in the right company, so it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'll be a few minutes, alright?

"Sure!" Star responded as Storm went to sit down in the living room, minutes passing by as Blue's visiting aunt Ruby from Mareami—who also doubled as her personal stylist for the night—finished off her look for the prom.

Star suddenly called over from the hallway, and Storm got up from his seat on the sofa and tip-toed out of the living room past a still-sleeping Solar.

Star glanced to the left, and Storm mirroring her eye movement, turned to look up the stairs. His jaws dropped in shock when he saw Blue walking down the stairs in a beautiful red silk dress, her long, curly mane in a bun. In Storm's eyes, she was absolutely gorgeous, not just beautiful, and Storm simply could not take his eyes off of her as could Star herself.

"So...how do I look?" Blue smiled, her heart racing in anticipation.

"You look...breathtaking," Storm grinned wide-eyed, butterflies soaring in the pit of his stomach as he watched a dim blush form on her face.

"Aww, thank you Stormy." she smiled at him. "I can only say the same thing about you."

She then turned to look upstairs momentarily, "thanks, Aunt Ruby!"

"Don't mention it honey!"

"Your aunt's done a great job," Storm smiled warmly as he wrapped his wing around her. "So, shall we be off then?"

"Wait...," begun Star, picking up a camera from a tabletop behind her and positioning it in front of her, focusing it on Storm and Blue, who nuzzled against him. "Before you two leave, smile."

They did so, and Star pressed the button on the camera, developing the photo of them in an instant. The printed photo then came out on photographic paper out of a slot in the front of the device, and Star showed them both the developed image. "I'm going to go to the photographers' on Hearth Avenue tomorrow and get this developed. You two look so cute together I could almost squeal, you're both like a fairytale prince and princess."

"Thanks, mom...I can't think of anypony else I'd rather go with than Storm," Blue smiled, hugging the mare tightly.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Have a great night out!" she smiled at them both, watching them turn towards the door. Storm turned to give Blue, who seemed pretty nervous about the entire thing a reassuring smile, before wrapping his wing around the mare once more and opening the door for her like the gentlecolt he was.

They walked down the path leading up to the sidewalk, before Storm outstretched his right wing, his left wing being blocked by Blue's body, and took off into the air. It was uncomfortable flying with one wing, but Storm decided not to let it show, and instead focused on getting them to their destination.

"So, you excited?" asked Storm.

"Yeah...I'm excited, and a bit nervous," she gave an awkward grin. "Hey, how about I fly on my own, huh? You must be exhausted flying with only one wing."

"Nah, I'm fine. I do this kind of stuff every day in the weather factory," Storm smiled at her. "And don't worry, babe. It'll go great, I promise you. Tonight, we'll have a night to remember, just you and me."

"I hope so." she sighed, still feeling a bit skeptical about the entire 'prom' thing. "You know, this is the first time I'm going to something like this...ever been to a party like this before?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "Homecoming was big if you can remember, but I'm sure it just can't hold a candle to prom."

"You know, it's scary to think we're less than two months away from leaving school..." she sighed. "College is something I’m pretty anxious about starting, but I’ll push through it as best as I can."

“Tell me about it,” Storm sighed also, eyes fixed on the none-too-distant distant school, which he could faintly single out from the plaintive and unassuming suburbia up ahead. “My dad’s still pretty adamant about me continuing weather work, and I’m not all that sure if I’ll be able to find a career as a Guard once I graduate.”

“I’m sure it’ll go great for you, honey,” Blue smiled, turning towards him. “I mean, you’ve got more than what it takes if you ask me...”

“I think so,” Storm smiled, albeit with a hint of uncertainty evident in his voice. “You’d make a great music teacher, Blue. Is that what you're going for?”

“Thank you Stormy,” Blue grinned in response, but that grin gave way to a confused and uncertain expression shortly after. “And yep, although I'm still not too sure about it. What if it's just not the right line of work for me? What if I don’t do as well at college as I hope?”

“Well, if it’s something you’re passionate about I say go for it,” Storm nuzzled her, though having concerns of his own about his chosen line of work. “I really think you’ve got this, babe.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” he winked at her. “They won’t know what they’re in for when you start in September, I'll tell you that much. I think you’re incredibly talented with music as a whole.

I mean, for starters you’ve got perfect pitch, you play a couple of instruments already, you sing like an angel...you’ve got all the tools for the job, pretty much. I also don’t know anypony else in our class doing AP Music...or anypony else who’d ended up getting a scholarship for the same school for that matter. Look, you ace that final exam, get the credit for it and go in and show them what you’re made of...I believe in you, honey. You’re more than capable of doing this, and I’ll root for you at every step of the way.”

"You always know how to make me feel better, Stormy..." she leaned against him, enjoying the warmth of his wing's embrace as they closed in on the high school, which at the moment appeared to be no more than a few blocks away. "Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for." he winked at her just as they landed in front of the school building. Storm glanced down to look at his watch, displaying the time as 6:30 PM, giving them half an hour before the prom was to start. They walked through the campus gates, which had been left open by the last ponies who used it and through the main entrance into the school. Guided by banners, colorful flags and balloons floating in the halls, they made their way into the rather crowded main hall, greeting several friends and acquaintances once inside who complimented the young couple.

That half-hour they had before the dance started also gave Storm plenty of time to find Gust and talk to him about his plan for the prom. "Blue?"

"Yeah?" she asked, sipping from a glass of lemon punch.

"Can you wait for me here please? I gotta go talk to Gust."

"Sure," Blue smiled, watching him trot out of the main hall of the school, past some fellow students and their dates and through the door to the dramatic arts department which led backstage, where he found the Lightning Bolts rehearsing.

"Ah, Storm," Gust, noticing his younger brother, smiled. "Welcome to our little lair. What's up?"

"Not much." Storm replied. "You excited?"

"Yep," grinned Gust. "Aren't we, band?"

"Yep." the other band members replied in unison.

"So, what's your plan?" asked Storm, sitting down next to Gust.

"It's a secret." Gust winked at him. "You're gonna find out when it all starts... but one thing worries me."

"And that is?"

"What if they don't like our playing?" Gust contemplated the possibility of the students at the prom not enjoying the music.

"They will, Gust." Destiny came over to them, before nuzzling Gust.

"Are you guys official now?" Storm grinned slyly, watching the blush on their faces redden.

"We sure are," Destiny replied, giving Gust a peck on the cheek.

"Wow, that's awesome." grinned Storm. "I'm so happy for you, bro."

"Thanks..." Gust grinned at both of them. "I'm glad somepony thinks that... She is by far the sweetest pony I have ever met."

"Yeah." Storm smiled proudly at his brother, who after his bitter breakup with his previous marefriend vowed to never get another one, and yet, here he was with perhaps the most amazing mare he had ever met. “I better get back to Blue. Good luck."

"Thanks." Gust and Destiny replied in unison, ignoring Chord's obvious glare, and watching Storm walk out from backstage.

He walked out of the drama department and back into the main hall, where amidst the crowd of students, Blue was waiting for him patiently. "Are they ready, Storm?"

"I think they are," he replied. "I'm a bit worried about Gust though... he seems to be convinced that this gig is going to fail."

"Don't worry, it won't." she nuzzled him. "Remember how for one of our dates we went to see them play? Everypony was having so much fun..."

"Yeah..." he smiled at her. "Maybe today's gig will be like that as well, huh?"

"Definitely." Blue smiled, before suddenly, a bell rang out of nowhere. The students, Storm and Blue included gathered around the podium on the stage, and watched as the principal walked up the steps to it, before tapping the microphone gently.

"Testing, testing..." he spoke into the microphone while tapping it in order to test the sound quality, gesturing to an A/V student at the mixing console in a side room before clearing his throat. "Good evening everypony, and an especially good evening to our senior student body tonight. As most of you know, you are virtually six and a half weeks away from graduation, and while I know this can be a pretty trying time for a lot of you, with finals coming up and whatnot, tonight I’d like you all to forget about all that, just for tonight, and cut loose and enjoy being young and having fun. Welcome to prom night, folks, and tonight, for your entertainment, we'd like to present The Lightning Bolts!"

Suddenly, a loud blast beat sounded as the curtains were drawn back, revealing the entire band; Gust on lead guitar, Riff on rhythm guitar, Pickup on bass, Chord on keyboards and Destiny on drums. The principal walked off-stage to sit next to one of the teachers, while Gust, being ever the showman, or should I say stallion, jumped to the front of the stage, relentlessly picking at the guitar strings with a small plectrum. The intro soon came to an end as indicated by Destiny's frantic rolls down the toms slowing down; Gust played the last note on his guitar, punctuated by clapping coming from the crowd, before standing up to face the crowd of students, including Storm and Blue who were both somewhere at the front.

"Who's ready to rock?!" yelled Gust into the microphone, only to be met with the blank stares of the prom-goers gathered at the center of the gymnasium. "I mean...hey guys. We don't exactly play the most danceable musi---"

"Gimme that," replied Chord, yanking the microphone straight out of Gust's hooves. "Alright, folks. Sorry for our lead guitarist here, he's a metalhead who's not used to playing anything aside from loud rock concerts, but tonight we hope to play a variety of tunes for you guys, some you may know, some you may not but may have heard before. Alright, guys. Our first song is a rather slow dance for all the couples out there."

"What the hell, man?" Gust raised an eyebrow as the students in the audience clapped. "Slow dance? Our band?"

"Just go with it, Gust. Remember this isn't a rock concert, you buffoon."

"Goddamn it, fine," replied Gust, embittered somewhat. "Hit it, Destiny!"

The song commenced with a six-beat run on the toms before slow, bluesy guitar playing kicked in, punctuated by a jazz-infused bassline and flourishes on the piano at the onset of every measure; although Riff was no doubt the more talented guitarist of the two Gust was playing his heart out at that moment. As the song kicked into full gear, the students and their dates commenced their first dance of the evening. Even Storm and Blue got in on the action too, although a bit later than everypony else due to both Storm and Blue becoming momentarily lost in the music.

"May I have this dance?" he grinned coquettishly, outstretching his hoof for Blue to grab.

"Of course," she smiled demurely, grabbing hold of his hoof with hers and placing the other one on his shoulder, allowing Storm to latch onto her waistline in turn.

"I'm not great at this so you're gonna have to forgive me if I get something wrong." he sighed, taking a large gulp as he watched the other couples slow-dance around them to the rather-beautiful music.

"You're doing fine," Blue smiled. "Just watch what they're doing, alright?"

"Sure," he smiled back at her. "So, listen... Blue, about your college, just remember what I said before...and believe in yourself. That makes all the difference if you ask me."

“I know,” she smiled. “I’ve never met anypony like you before, Storm.”

“Mhm,” Storm's heart fluttered.

“You’re just so amazing,” Blue nuzzled him. “You brought me out of my shell and stayed by my side no matter what, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.”

“Are you kidding?” Storm brought her closer to him. “I’d do anything to make you smile, anything that I can.”

“I’d do the same,” Blue nuzzled him intensely. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Storm glanced down at her, smiling. “And whatever happens I will always be there for you.”

“Mhm...how’s work been going for you, by the way?”

“It’s been pretty good as of late, actually,” Storm smiled in satisfaction.

"How so?" her ears perked up in intrigue as they reached the mid-point of the song, with Riff performing the song's guitar solo.

"Well, I'm close to my next promotion apparently," he explained. "Tornado's considering moving me up to junior storm maker just like my dad wanted...although I have a feeling that he’s not all that interested in me getting that position anymore...oh well. The idea of getting a promotion is awesome, but having to stay in the weather factory for the next few months? I'm dying to get out there and join the guard full-time."

"Stormy, how about you consider giving weather work a chance?" Blue proposed. "Maybe it isn't as bad as you think it is."

"It isn't bad, per se, but I've just never really had the knack for weather," Storm confessed. "It's just not who I am. I belong in the Guard, Blue."

"I know, but," she replied. "I meant at least until you graduate."

"Oh, well, until I graduate, I'm still pretty much gonna do whatever the hell my dad wants me to do," replied Storm, knowing full well that his dad was not supportive of his life choices. But if destiny intended for Storm to become a Guard, who is his dad to judge?

"Are you both still not on good terms with one another?" asked Blue.

"Well, it's better than it used to be, that's for sure,” explained Storm. "He's still very fussy when it comes to my life choices, although he doesn't show it as much anymore."

"He'll come to his senses eventually, honey," Blue leaned against him as they continued to dance. "Don't worry. One day, he'll realize that he has such an incredible, wonderful pony as his son and fully support him in his life, like any father should."

"I hope so." Storm gulped just as the song came to an end and the couples clapped their hooves at the band.

"Alright, fillies and gentlecolts," Chord spoke into the microphone to the cheering crowd. "Better get that groove on because it's time for a fast-paced dance!"

Another drum intro was played, before it was replaced by fast-paced funk music, played on synth, guitar, bass and drums. Storm looked around as the crowd of ponies begun to dance around them and overwhelmed with confusion, he began to sweat. He didn't know how to dance very well, and watching the couples dance to the music made him feel slightly nauseous. Thankfully Blue was there to help him perform the right moves.

"I didn't know Gust can play this fast...," Storm explained as he pulled Blue in and spun her around in time with the music. Although Storm initially struggled to keep up he was able to get into the groove faster than he'd expected, and when an extended drum break commenced wowed the gathered crowd with some improvised break-dancing. Although initially confused about all the clapping Storm decided to go with it nonetheless, and ended this impromptu performance with a spin on the tip of his left wing. "How was that?"

"I thought you said you weren't a good dancer," Blue grinned slyly as she playfully ruffled his mane.

"I am not," Storm blushed, a bashful smile on his face.

"That was amazing." she smiled at him.

"Really?" Storm's face grew as red as a tomato as the others resumed their fast-paced dancing.

"Yep." Blue grinned. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"

"I watched a couple of old hip hop movies once set in Manehattan during the seventies where they showed the exact same dance, and I guess I kind of imitated it," Storm explained, latching back onto Blue as the fast-paced drumming was replaced by a guitar solo. Blue smiled as she stared longingly into his eyes, laying her hooves on his shoulder while Storm put his hooves around her waist. Soon enough, the song came to an end after a lengthy keyboard solo, punctuated by the clapping of hooves, before the next song begun, a slow jazz number that was accompanied by two of the students from North Cloudsdale High's music department; one of them on the piano, the other on saxophone.

"Okay folks, let's take it real slow this time." Chord spoke into the microphone, turning to give a slightly irritated Gust a sly grin, before rushing back to the array of synthesizers that he was playing.

"Do you know how to dance to jazz?" asked Storm, watching the other couples begin to dance.

"I think it's pretty much the same thing as slow-dancing," replied Blue, stepping back and forth as she clutched Storm's shoulders. Storm wrapped his hooves around her waist, repeating the step-back, step-forward motion of her hooves. Storm spun them around before dipping Blue, her mane touching the floor as a result. "You're really good, Stormy."

"I'm glad you think that, babe." he grinned at her, before pulling her back up. The nervousness he had during the previous dances had virtually gone away, and he no longer found himself embarrassed of his apparent lack of dance skills; he just went with the flow, went with the music. "I'm glad you came with me, honestly."

"Same, Stormy..." she replied, dreamy-eyed as she looked at the handsome stallion before her. "What a great way to end our four years at school, isn't it?"

"Yep." he smiled, nuzzling her gently. "Just you, me and the music in the background. Nothing could be better."

From the stage, Gust watched Storm with a hint of pride and a teardrop building up in his left eye. He was right from the very start; the students loved the music, and from what Gust could tell, they loved the Lightning Bolts, and that was all Gust wanted right now. A few hours later, the prom winded down, and after the prom king and queen had been chosen, whom to everypony's surprise was Singer Case and Violet Petals, the couples left for their respective homes, including Storm and Blue.

"This was easily the best night of my life." Blue kissed Storm on the cheek. "Thank you, Stormy..."

"You're welcome." smiled Storm. "I'd do anything to make you happy, babe."

"You know, I'm so proud of you." she smiled.

"Why?" Storm raised an eyebrow as they walked out of the hall through one of the emergency exits.

"Because you mended your bond with your brother," Blue replied. "The bond between two siblings is one that is so strong it can't be comprehended. I just wish my brother was here..."

"Don't worry." Storm kissed her on the cheek, before wrapping his wing around his body like before and taking off into the air with her. "Wherever he is, he's probably thinking of you right now."

"I sure hope so... it's been so long since his deployment," Blue sighed. "I'm just wondering whether he's doing alright."

"Definitely. I've never met him in person, but he sounds like a hell of a guy," Storm smiled. "And I'm sure that one day, you both will see one another again."

"Storm?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Blue kissed him on the cheek, rather deeply and passionately as they flew across Cloudsdale, which had turned into a vast sea of white-orange lights from their individual perspectives.

"I love you too, and no matter where I am, I will always be there for you, whenever you need me." Storm smiled at her, before she inched slightly closer to him, eventually nuzzling against him as they flew into the night.

---

Meanwhile, back at the school, Gust and the rest of the band were putting away their instruments. While the others were tidying up after the gig, Gust sat on the edge of the stage, deep in thought. Although he was happy that the gig went well, Gust was puzzled by something, something that has been bugging him for the past week or so, ever since he and Storm had made peace. However, his train of thought was quickly interrupted by Destiny, who sat down right next to him.

"Hey." he smiled at her, wrapping his hoof around her as she budged up towards him.

"Hey," she replied, nuzzling against him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Storm..." sighed Gust. "He's such an amazing pony...you know, he's the pony that really organized all this. I just...feel like shit."

"Why?" asked Destiny.

"For as long as I've known him, most of the time I've treated him horribly. Bullied him, pulled rude pranks on him, used him as a scapegoat...you name it." Gust confessed. "Only now I think I've changed my attitude, but I feel so guilty of all that I've done to him..."

"How about you just make it up to him?" Destiny suggested.

"How?"

"Just be there for him." she nuzzled him. "Show him what a good brother you can be. Show him what a good pony you can be. Show him that you can be somepony he can depend on."

"I'll try." Gust gave her a wry grin, before she nuzzled against him. "I'll try..."

Author's Notes:

So, after four weeks of progress, I am happy to announce that Chapter 23 is done!

24. Graduation

"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?"

Author's Notes:

And so begins a new chapter in Storm's life, which took a whole new and different direction than I originally planned it to! Don't worry; Storm will still become a Guard. I won't tell you when as that would spoil the story, but he will become one, and he will become one pretty soon. I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and a huge thanks to all the wonderful people who liked, reviewed and favorited this story so far, in addition to helping me write it, including Thunderblast, SageBrony07 and HolyCross.

I'm also happy to say that I have regained my motivation to write this story, and now that I am on a two week-long break from school, the next two chapters are very likely to be released earlier than planned.

25. Departure

Author's Notes:

Reworked October 2022

“Fuck him,” Storm let out a small, dejected mutter as he finished packing his clothes into a small suitcase, mentally preparing himself to go to Vanhoover against his own will. High had managed to pull the last straw today, and Storm believed that while he was still here it would be for the best if they stayed as far away from one another as possible. A tear rolled out of his left eye, and although Storm tried to ignore it and suppress his emotions, soon more followed suit, and eventually he broke down as everything he felt that day came through to the surface.

The zipper on his suitcase becoming stuck, he fought the resistance it offered in a moment of tearful frustration, before collapsing onto the case in a tidal wave of emotion. He felt betrayed, betrayed by his own stepfather no less, a pony he knew and trusted for the past eight years, and after what happened today he did not want to even know the stallion.

His ears perked up to the sound of the front door downstairs screeching open. Still crying into the suitcase, Storm could overhear the sound of furious hoofsteps marching towards the base of the stairs, no doubt his parents having just returned from the graduation ceremony. These were soon replaced by the sound of an argument, making him feel even more horrible.

“High, you asshole, go speak to him! He’s upstairs!”

“I am not talking to him again!”

“He’s your SON! You did this, put your ego aside and talk this through with him!”

“Goddamn it, Equinox, fine!”

The hoofsteps resumed a seeming split-second later, and got louder and louder as their source lumbered up the stairs. Storm glanced over to the right, eyes red and bloodshot from all the crying, and took note of High skimming and scanning the hallway as the steps creaked under his weight. Extending his hoof outward, he slammed the door shut the moment he made eye contact with his stepfather and quickly heaved himself up off the case, headrush ensuing for a brief moment as he took in the sight of his bedroom for what felt like the last time. He felt sickened to the bone by the day’s events, and knowing that High Wind would enter his bedroom shortly he made his way to the window in his room and drew back the curtains. Opening the window, he quickly climbed out onto the porch roof and took off from there onto the roof of the house.

This was his zone, so to speak, when things weren’t looking up for him. The view the property offered of Cloudsdale’s downtown was truly spectacular, no doubt a big selling point for High when he bought it all those years ago, and that view was so much better from the roof, laying out in the open and being embraced by the chilly evening air.

For Storm there was nothing better. It was such a simple experience, just lying down here and watching the stars at night, or the Mare on the Moon for that matter, but to him it truly meant a lot. He could go out there anytime he pleased if he wanted some time to himself, and nobody would fault him for it.

He was a Pegasus, after all. He was made for flying.

Landing on the roof adjacent to the chimney, Storm laid down on the tiles and made himself as comfortable as he could on them, resting his head on his hooves and sighing in despair.

His life dream of becoming a royal guard crushed, at least for the time being, Storm gazed at the sprawling city before him from his vantage point, feeling as if he was truly dead inside.

This was one of the last times he’d be here, in his adopted hometown, at least for quite some time. How long it was going to be for, Storm had no idea, but he wanted to savor the moment while he could, while he was still able to.

“Storm, where are you?” High’s voice called out from his room below, but Storm chose to ignore it. “Look, I’m sorry, but it's way too late to back out of this now. You're up there, aren't you?”

“What do you want?” Storm groaned out, watching as High flew out of the room and landed right next to him a moment later. “I heard everything, by the way. So much for a sincere apology.”

“Hey sport,” High offered a light yet uneasy smile, a seeming attempt at lightening the mood.

“Oh, so first you tell me how much you hate me and how little I mean to you and now you’re calling me ‘sport’?” Storm quickly turned away from him in utter disdain, hooves resting atop the shingles. “You know what? Piss off, I don’t want to speak to you at all.”

“Storm, look,” High sighed in audible despair, somewhat insulted by Storm's response. “I'm sorry I didn't get your permission for this, but it's way too late to back out of this now.”

“Dad, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to be a weather pony?” Storm groaned tersely, cradling his head in frustration as if nursing a migraine. “How long does it take for it to go through your thick skull? Oh, and you're sorry? You're fucking sorry? After the things you said to me today I don’t think ‘sorry’ is enough.”

“Well, what do you want me to do?”

“Just leave me alone, alright? I’m sick and tired of this.”

“Storm, I just...I really am sorry.”

“Why would you be? You're right. I’m a bad kid, I need discipline,” Storm sighed dejectedly. “I mean, what does it matter if I graduated on the honor roll? Apparently I ‘failed’ a single class in your eyes so I guess it means jack shit.”

“No, Storm, you’re not,” High replied, audibly frustrated also as none of his words appeared to be getting through to Storm. It was like speaking to a wall, but was he really that surprised? "What I said today wasn’t right. It was nowhere near right, especially not to someone like you, but you gotta realize that it's much too late for me to pull you out of this. All the necessary paperwork has been signed, everything's been done. I've already found you a place to live.”

“I’m not ready to go,” Storm turned back towards him, seemingly staring into his very soul with red, tear-stained eyes. “Have you thought about the fact that I might not be ready to leave Cloudsdale yet? I don't know shit about how to lead an adult life, and yet you expect me to go out into the world on my own and live in an unfamiliar city I know next to nothing about hundreds of miles away from home? What about my marefriend? What about my family?”

“I guess you’ll just find a new marefriend in Vanhoover. As for us, you can just write home, or call…at least for the time being,” High explained, tripping over his words and drawing Storm’s immediate ire. “I’ll try and figure something out.”

“No High, I'm not giving up on Blue just because you want me to,” Storm growled at him. “She means the world to me, and I would never leave her alone like this.”

“Well, shit…,” High sighed in frustration, mentally slapping himself for making such a blunt and tone-deaf statement. "Why don't you write to her?"

“It won't be the same as actually seeing her,” Storm sighed, turning away from High and towards the distant skyline. “She's the most amazing mare I have ever met, High.”

“Dad would be good.”

“No, High right now is perfect,” Storm suddenly stared daggers right at High, who flinched backward in response. “I haven't forgiven you, and after what happened today I probably won't for a long time.”

“Storm, you can't keep being angry at me forever,” he sighed in defeat, before also shifting his gaze to the wild, red sunset in the distance, illuminating the horizon in an ambient reddish glow as the city skyline before them lit up in a seeming instant. “If I could turn back time…and think twice about going through with this, then I’d do that a million times over. Then again, this isn’t a permanent arrangement, you’ll just be interning over there”

“I realize that,” Storm shrugged his shoulders without turning to look at his estranged stepfather, and instead continued to stare off into the distance, his outward calm masking an inner torment. “I'm gonna tell her tomorrow about everything.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” High smirked somewhat, without noticing Storm turning towards him once more. “I mean—”

“You really don't seem that regretful, you know?” Storm sneered all of a sudden, having noticed the small smile creeping onto his face. “You seem pretty pleased with yourself, High Wind...you know, I might have been born over there but I'm as much of an Equestrian as you are.”

“I know, I know, I said something incredibly stupid.”

“How dare you call me and my mother 'refugees'?!” Storm roared out all of a sudden, catching High completely unaware. “My father—my actual father!—served in the Army, and died fighting for this country. I never even met him! And what did you do back then aside from flying through clouds all day, High? You aren’t even half the stallion he was!”

“You’re right, I’m not,” High exhaled remorsefully, tears forming in his eyes also as he brought Storm into a tight vice of an embrace, even as he tried to push him away.

“How fucking dare you?” Storm spat in absolute contempt and disdain, locking eyes with High and tearfully staring him down once more. “I didn’t ask to be born there! You’re the one who brought us here, if it wasn’t for you then we would’ve been screwed from the get-go! Is this me repaying you for that?!”

“Storm...I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” he scoffed as he abruptly broke the embrace, his anger being replaced by a restless, overbearing sorrow that swallowed him whole. Breaking eye contact, he turned back to face the city and sat down on the roof, High Wind sitting down next to him immediately. “None of it makes any difference at this point.”

“I'm being honest!” High yelled, futilely attempting to salvage the father-son bond that once was between them. “I'm sorry for insulting you, for transferring you without your knowledge. Please just give me another chance, I’ll make it up to you…somehow.”

“Just go away,” Storm got up off the roof, letting out a pained sigh as he did so. He was in too much pain to even try and listen to his stepfather, and although he got over much of his initial anger towards the stallion in the minutes before he wasn't ready to forgive him. He didn't know if he would ever be ready to forgive High, and instead outstretched his wings and flew back into his room, slamming the window shut behind him.

Forlorn and remorseful, High remained on the roof and overlooked the street, engrossed deep in solitary thought. His methods of keeping Storm in the family business had proven futile, and there was nothing he could do now except to wait until the Vanhoover contract expired.

He wanted to turn back time, but there was no way. No magic in the world could ever undo his rash decisions, nothing could change the past.

Now it was his turn to ruminate on the roof. Seconds turned to minutes; minutes slowly turned to hours. The night crept in ever so gently, and the longer he sat there the more he began to lose any hope of ever rekindling the father and son bond that used to be.

---

“What do you mean you're leaving, Stormy?” Blue inquired as she cuddled up against the taller stallion’s side, sitting alongside him on a bench in a park near her home. She watched in pity and slight confusion as he stared off into the distance, an expression on his face indicating both sadness but also some degree of acceptance of his situation.

Earlier that day, after tying up loose ends for the time being at the Cloudsdale factory and saying goodbye to Tornado, Storm had come to terms with his departure, just hoping and praying that he wouldn’t be there for long. He slowly said his goodbyes to his family as well, savoring every remaining moment he had with them and promising to remain in contact in whatever way he could. Gust and Mist both promised to visit him, as did his mother, but High remained unsurprisingly distant.

It was now time to relay this information to Blue, and while Storm knew exactly how she would respond he still didn’t want to do this to her.

“I'm sorry, Blue. I have to,” Storm sighed as he turned towards her. “I wish this never happened but I can’t pull out now. I might find it difficult to contact you while I’m there but I promise that I’ll try and work something out–”

“I'm coming with you,” she replied, her voice sorrowful yet filled with determination as she locked eyes with the stallion she loved.

“What? Blue, what about weather work here? What about your degree?” Storm asked her, his heart literally shattering.

“I could ask to get transferred with you?” she suggested, although it was evident in Storm’s eyes at least that she knew the answer to her own question. No. “And as for college...I’m not sure.”

“No, you can't,” Storm sighed, inching slightly closer to her. "I wish you could but at the moment that’s impossible. It takes weeks to arrange something like this, and we’re both at different ranks as well. I'm a junior storm maker, and you…you're still on the cloud-busting team.”

“Yeah, I know,” Blue let out a solemn sigh, resting her head on her hooves as Storm wrapped his wing around her body. She tilted her head into his side and lay there against him, watching listlessly as the sky clouded before them. “I just don't want to see you leave, we grew up together… it’s just kind of a weird feeling to see you go.”

“Don’t worry,” Storm gave her a reassuring smile, masking his sadness and incredible sense of doubt. “Whatever happens, I'll always be there for you. We can write letters to one another, we can visit each other, and one day, I will come back…as soon as I’m back I’m leaving this life for good and doing what I’m meant to be doing.”

“I hope so,” she glanced up at him. “I hope so. Either way we’ll figure this out, I know we will.”

“I mean, you have a life of your own here,” Storm sighed, once more confronted with the reality of leaving home and the mare he adored so soon. “You've got a job here, you’re about to go into college...you've got friends, family...I can't keep you away from all that.”

“Storm, you are my life.”

“And you are mine,” he gently stroked her mane with his hoof, coming to grips with the fact that they would soon part ways for the foreseeable future. “I will be back, I promise. No matter what it takes, I'll be back...and when I return, we'll always be together. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Storm,” Blue closed her eyes as they welled up with tears, the memories of the times they spent together playing back in her mind in successive order. “Hey.”

“Yeah?” he turned towards her, his overbearing sadness easing as their eyes locked, her beautiful emerald-green gaze rippling with tears.

“I don't know how you'd react to this, but–”

“Go on.”

“I...want to start a family with you,” she smiled, cheeks reddening slightly as she let those very words out of her mouth. “Like, once you come back..and we're both a bit older..of course.”

“Oh, y-you do?”

“Yeah,” Blue nuzzled him, her eyes watering up once more. “I've thought about it for a while now, and I know it's a bit sudden...I mean, we've only just graduated from school, and I don't know if you feel the same way–”

“Funny you should say that,” Storm suddenly interjected, a sudden warmth radiating through his body even as a cool, evening breeze whipped past them. “Because I feel exactly the same way.”

“You do?” her pupils shrank.

“Yeah,” Storm smiled down at her. “We’ll give it some time but I'd love to start a family with you one day, and...Blue?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you maybe like to..marry me someday?”

“Yes,” after a few moments Blue nodded with a smile on her face, her tearful eyes glimmering beneath the light of a nearby street lamp which had just turned on. “I'd love that, very much.”

“Yeah, me too,” Storm nuzzled her tenderly, bringing her in as close as possible into a tight embrace with the clock slowly ticking away to his departure. “I just wish I didn't have to go.”

---

“Good evening, mares and gentlecolts, and welcome aboard Equestrian Airlines Flight 722 to Vanhoover,” announced the voice of the captain over the loudspeaker as ponies shuffled along the aisle in an attempt to find and squeeze into their designated seats. Stormfire included. His allocated seat was in a row in the rear of the aircraft, next to an elderly mare and her husband, but getting there was so far a nightmare.

It was a surprisingly busy flight, all things considered. He was caught off-guard by the number of ponies shuttling between Cloudsdale and Vanhoover, the plane seemingly filled to the brim with travelers of all sorts, be it businessponies, families, or quite literally anybody else. Whatever the reason for it was, this looked to be a bustling air route, and Storm was just glad that the suitcase he brought with him was now nestled safely in the cargo hold below the deck, lest he ran over a couple of hooves with it. It wasn’t like it’d fit on board anyway, especially not with the atrocious lack of hoof room available, but at least he had his possessions there with him to keep him sane on the other side.

“Tonight’s flight will take approximately three hours and thirty-five minutes, during which you will get to see the spectacularly mountainous landscapes of Western Equestria, a mountain pony’s paradise. Upon landing, the weather will be a pleasant 63 degrees…”

After squeezing into his window seat Storm stared out of the window at the expansive airfield before him in a stoic, emotionless fashion, with another beautiful sunset shrouding the distant downtown in orange. Despite a slight tinge of optimism in his heart and soul, Storm felt lonely and depressed. This was his first taster session of what adulthood was truly like, but he never expected it to happen like this. To him, it felt as if he was forcefully evicted, evicted from the home he grew up in by his own stepfather.

No matter his threats and protests, it didn’t seem like anything could be done. Tonight was the night he left everypony behind, everypony he knew and loved; especially the mare he held the closest to his heart—Blue. Just half an hour before, he bid her farewell and they shared a final kiss in the park before he left for the airport, his belongings in tow.

Clothes, toothbrushes, laptop, and phone. Several framed photos. Everything he cared enough about to take with him to his new life on the other side of the country, a new chapter he had no idea how to approach but was now facing head-on with no backing out.

He did not know how long he had to go for, but what was obvious was that this was no holiday.

Whether Storm liked it or not he was going there to work, and to work hard. This was not the direction he was hoping to take with his life but at the moment it didn’t matter. He was starting everything from a clean slate.

He’d known for years that leaving home was inevitable, he just didn't expect that it would be so soon; and out of all ponies, he didn't expect his own stepfather, High Wind, to be the harbinger of bad luck. The more he thought about him the more his despair began to morph into tangible anger, a rage he couldn’t be bothered suppressing and one that was increasingly obvious to the strangers sitting next to him.

He hated High for what he did just there, he absolutely hated the father that he once loved, and at that moment he never wanted to see him again. If he had to spend the rest of his life in Vanhoover just to stay away from him, then so be it.

At that moment the engines of the aircraft, including the tail engine, whirred to life, and the lights inside dimmed, snapping him out of his furious stupor and instead alerting him to his fellow passengers.

“Are you alright, son?” the elderly mare sat next to him inquired with some concern, fixing the thick-rimmed glasses on her muzzle with her hoof as she squinted her eyes at Storm.

“I'm fine,” Storm responded, trying desperately to conceal his emotions as the airplane slowly pulled off from its gate, beginning to make its way toward the runway.

“You scared of flying, boy?” her husband cocked an eyebrow, looking at Storm with a stoic countenance.

“No, I love flying,” Storm explained. “I do it every single day in the weather factory.”

“I don't mean that kind of flying.”

“No, it isn’t that,” Storm sighed as his stomach churned somewhat, the aircraft picking up speed while taxiing towards the runway. He wasn’t a fan of this kind of flying, but it wasn’t the first thing on his mind at the moment. “And I'm sorry, but it's not something I wanna talk about.”

“We get it,” the mare cooed maternally. “If it's something personal we won't pry.”

“It's fine,” Storm shrugged in apathy, looking out the window as the terminal slowly receded into the distance, the airport’s logotype pulsating a bright red atop the terminal roof, welcoming new arrivals as they came from what seemed like all the corners of the world. “Sorry if I'm being awkward, I haven’t been on a plane in so long; that, and I'm going through a really tough time at the moment.”

“It's alright, son,” the stallion offered a reassuring smile, raising Storm’s spirits for a brief gasp of a second before misery set in once more. “We’re here if you want to talk.”

“Is Vanhoover a nice place?”

“It sure is,” the mare smiled as she fixed her glasses. “We’re from there in fact.”

“What are you doing over here?”

“Just visiting family,” replied the stallion. “Our kids live out in these parts, just thought we’d drop by, see the grandkids as well…and yourself?”

“Oh, I'm actually moving there,” Storm explained, just as the aircraft suddenly jolted to a halt on the taxiway. Once again that nauseous sensation set in but subsided moments later. “I got transferred there a few days back.”

“That's great,” the mare continued to grin. “You'll really enjoy it. It may not be as big as Cloudsdale but it has just as much to offer.”

I just hope I'll fit in there, Storm thought to himself, turning away from them once more to stare out the window. The captain of the aircraft then spoke through the plane’s PA system, his voice crackling over the airwaves.

“Mares and gentlecolts, this is your captain speaking. On behalf of our flight crew I would like to welcome you all aboard this Equestrian Airlines flight to Vanhoover International Airport. Before we take off, I’d like you all to fold your tray-tables in their upright position to avoid any potential injuries during takeoff, and keep them that way until we are in mid-air. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at Vanhoover International in three hours and thirty-five minutes, weather dependent of course but it is expected to be lovely upon landing. As we begin our takeoff, I would like to go through the safety features and protocols of the aircraft...”

As the captain spoke the aircraft's three engines whirred to life again and the plane suddenly lurched forward, Storm watching as a flight attendant demonstrated the aircraft’s safety features should anything go wrong. Once again he turned to look out the window, watching the sunset as the aircraft continued its journey to its designated runway.

“...thank you for choosing to fly with Equestrian Airlines.”

The aircraft came to another halt at the start of the runway, but before Storm was able to catch his breath the engines kicked into overdrive, with brief sputters of radio static signifying that the plane was good to go. It surged forward and raced down the runway like a silver bullet, reaching speeds faster than any Pegasus could ever hope to attain, Storm included.

Forced into the back of his seat Storm quickly whipped around and watched as the plane pulled up over a suburban neighborhood, a neighborhood he passed through frequently on his many trips to visit Blue these past couple of years. He was unable to make her house out amid all the sprawl, but what he saw instead he’d only seen a couple of times in his life.

The illuminated, grid-like streets of the city he called home, the fifth-largest in Equestria, spread out over several banks of clouds that stretched uninterrupted for miles and miles. Myriad lights shone like jewels in the darkness of the twilight, buildings soared over bustling streets, and the city teemed with life like a vast organism, even this late into the night.

The cloud deck atop which the city sat began to fall away into the distance, and a thick and dark forest started to take its place, interrupted only by the lights of the westbound railroad or the occasional town or village.

For as long as he could, though, Storm continued to marvel at the view, but as the ambient glow of the city lights finally vanished reality hit him like a brick. He turned away from the window and exhaled a sorrowful sigh. Thoughts of home filled his mind, vivid memories of the most amazing ponies he’d ever met, the friends he grew up with and graduated alongside just a few days prior.

His lovely marefriend Blue.

Being brought up here was truly the best experience he could have ever hoped for, but sooner or later everypony must grow up and leave the nest.

26. A Fresh Start

Three long hours had passed since the plane departed Cloudsdale and Storm didn't manage to get even a moment of sleep throughout the duration of the flight, despite the lights aboard the plane having been switched off for much of the time, which back home would allow him to fall asleep without a hitch. His eyes bloodshot and full of crust from the lack of sleep, Storm stared out of the window at the seemingly infinite abyss before him, too tired to do anything else. The moon was masked by sheets of thick cloud, yet it's ghostly white glow was still visible through the smoke-like cloud; the ground below, however, was not, which effectively barred Storm from seeing any fine details such as railroads, buildings, illuminated streets or any other signs of civilization. The elderly couple next to him was fast asleep, somehow not being awoken by the announcements of the captain or the brief correspondence between the two pilots and the air traffic control tower far below that could be heard at times over the aircraft's PA, which much to his chagrin prevented him from moving anywhere out of his seat, whether it was to go to the bathroom or to stretch his hooves. Opening the small bottle of water he had bought for two bits from the snack cart, he squirted a drop of it on his hooves and rubbed his eyes with it, hoping to get wash out the crust from underneath his eyelids. For a couple of seconds, it worked, and he was able to blink a couple of times without wanting to fall asleep through doing so. However, the water on his eyes soon dried up, and the crust begun to form again, thus confirming the obvious; he was tired, and that even a few hours of sleep are inevitable in the end. Letting out a sigh, Storm closed the curtain draped over his side window and shut his eyes, in the hopes that he might as well get some rest in the time he had left before the plane landed, but a gut feeling told him that there wasn't much time left at all before that happened, his suspicions being confirmed by the sudden, rapid flickering of the light above him and the radio interference sounding from the PA before the voice of the plane's captain was heard.

"Mares and gentlecolts, this is your captain speaking and I would like to welcome you all to Vanhoover, which you can see right now from outside your windows. The local time right now is 10:34 PM and the temperature is a reasonable 62 degrees. Before we land I would like to ask you all to fold your tray tables in their upright positions and fasten your seatbelts until we touch down and the captain turns off the 'seat belts' sign, which will signify that we have arrived at the gate..."

Turning his head towards the window, Storm pulled back the curtain that covered it, revealing that the plane was descending through the layer of cloud that had previously enshrouded the entire sky, and within seconds, more and more lights started to appear, some of which seemingly linked up to form intricate networks of railroads and of pathways and roads, which became more visible as the plane descended further towards the ground. During the next few minutes as the plane seemingly sunk through the atmosphere, more and more details could be visible on the ground, including massive shopping malls and large sprawls of tract housing sitting next to rows of towering apartment buildings home to hundreds of ponies, which loomed over smaller buildings and brightly-lit roads and highways below, some of which extending to over ten stories in height. These, along with what appeared to be stores and bars seemed to make up most of the architecture that Storm had witnessed, but he had to admit; startlingly enough, it did remind him somewhat of home, especially the northernmost suburbs of Cloudsdale, home to some of the city's tallest residential buildings which were home to some of Storm's old classmates, that is if they still lived there. As the plane tilted to the side slightly while it flew over the city's outermost suburbs, which were made up mostly of housing complexes and stores, more of Vanhoover was slowly revealed, including the downtown core of the city, a plethora of offices and skyscrapers, which despite being probably around ten miles away from where the plane flew now, were fully visible and were all taller than any other buildings which surrounded them. The city shone like glitter and illuminated the night which surrounded it, its extensive streets stretching for miles in seemingly every direction there was, but before Storm could continue marvelling at the view and take in more of his surroundings, the view was obscured by thick trees which flashed by the plane as it passed them, and soon enough, the plane touched down on the runway of the airport, letting out a loud, ear-piercing screech as it did so due to the sudden friction between the tires and the hard, rock-like surface of the runway. The aircraft buckled and jolted sharply as it made contact with the ground, before barrelling down the runway faster than that roller-coaster ride Storm went on with Mist a couple of years back.

The plane soon begun to grind to a halt as quickly as it had picked up speed, much to the relief of half the ponies on board, including Storm who felt as though he could puke. If this was what he had to go through every time a plane he was in was to land, then going back home aboard one was out of the question. But yet, who was he to talk about 'going home' so early? He only had got here, and already he was considering leaving. And if he was to leave Vanhoover, where would he go? Storm knew that after what happened between him and High Wind on Friday, he probably wasn't particularly 'welcome' back home. Right now, for the time being, Vanhoover was his new home, even though he didn't exactly know where it was. However before he could continue his train of thought, the plane came to a complete stop in front of a building that had the word 'ARRIVALS' written on it in bold, green lettering. A moment or two later, and a loud 'ping' sounded through the aircraft, which was suppressed by the sound of seatbelts being unbuckled and ponies beginning to get up out of their rows, including the elderly mare and stallion who sat next to Storm throughout the duration of the flight, who were apparently helped by a much younger family member sitting in the row behind them.

"Thank Celestia." he muttered, rubbing his eyes as he pulled out his suitcase from underneath the seat in front of him. Placing it in an upright position and pulling out the handle from the top, he dragged it out on one wheel from in between the seats, and once most of the ponies walking down the aisle had passed, Storm walked out of the plane through the back left door which was closest to where he was sitting.

"Enjoy your stay in Vanhoover, sir!" the flight attendant greeted him with an almost artificially-friendly smile as Storm walked past her, returning the smile as he exited the aircraft and walked down the metallic staircase. Having walked down the metal steps which led to the ground, his suitcase in tow, Storm followed the other ponies through the revolving door and into the arrivals concourse, knowing that his new life in Vanhoover was now a step closer.

After going through seemingly-endless security checks, Storm followed the crowd through the brightly-lit concourse of the airport, passing several duty-free stores, fast food restaurants, restrooms and clothing stores spread out over three stories, which made the concourse appear dizzyingly like a massive shopping mall, until they reached a bank of elevators, next to which stood two escalators. Not wanting to squeeze into the crowded elevator which closed immediately after the last of its fifteen-twenty occupants got in, he, along with many other ponies, stepped onto the escalator, which overlooked the massive arrivals terminal in a spectacular fashion. Storm's eyes widened in delight as he stared over the rubber railing of the escalator, looking at the hundreds of ponies strolling across the concourse, their suitcases in tow as they made their way to wherever it was they were heading, whether it was to meet old friends and family, pick up a call at the payphone next to the elevators, use the vending machines or even go for a bathroom break. Normally he hated large crowds, but he had never seen this much ponies before, not even at that rock concert he had went to back in Cloudsdale. Not to mention that by looking at the sheer number of ponies walking across the concourse, Storm could get a rough idea of just how big the airport was. After disembarking the escalator, Storm bought himself a can of pop at a nearby vending machine with some spare change from aboard the plane. Upon clicking it open and having a sip, Storm walked towards the taxi bay behind the exit, passing through large groups of ponies with relative ease and trailing out of the terminal. Inhaling the decidedly fresh, yet nippy Vanhoover air upon stepping out of the revolving door, Storm took a good look around his surroundings. The road before him seemed to curve into the shape of the airport terminal, before it disappeared into the distant industrial area of town, behind which the snow-capped peak of Mount Saddle, the region's tallest mountain at 12,650 feet, loomed over in a panoramic fashion. Taxis and buses stood in line at designated bays in front of the massive airport terminal, with ponies either disembarking them or coming aboard. Storm turned his head to the left, finding himself staring at the city towards the horizon which could be visible despite the thick firs in the distance obscuring much of the view. Although Storm knew Vanhoover, just like Canterlot, was at least half the size of Cloudsdale, he had to admit the sheer amount of skyscrapers that could be visible in downtown, combined with the expansive area of the city as seen from above did make it seem as though it was just the opposite. Unzipping his saddlebag, Storm took a brief mental note of where his phone was, initially expecting Blue to call him at any given moment but then remembering that she had a late shift at work tonight and was probably fast asleep by now. He couldn't blame her to be fair - if he was at home right now, he'd be fast asleep himself.

Or was she?

All of a sudden, he'd heard the buzz of his phone vibrating deep within his saddlebag, unzipping it further and rummaging through to get to it.

Surely enough, it was her calling.

"Hey Stormy, how was your flight?" Her voice was muffled, shaky even, but carried a sense of tenderness and warmth regardless, not only that but also a sense of longing.

"Hey honey," Storm smiled, zipping the bag back up with a free hoof before slinging it over his wing. "I've just landed...I'm just waiting for my ride."

"That's wonderful, honey. Is anypony coming to pick you up?"

"I don't think so," Storm shook his head as he glanced to his side, a bus approaching from the distance. "I'd imagine I have to find my own way home."

"Ah, did your dad give you any...addresses or anything?" She then paused to yawn. "Sorry, I've just got off from work."

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Storm chuckled in response, the bus passing him by and the pony pulling it not even turning to look at the crowd waiting at the bus stop. "Guessing your shift was pretty busy tonight, huh?"

"It was, we had a pretty cloudy night tonight here in Cloudsdale. I'm just glad it's over now and I can finally get some sleep...I miss you so much, Stormy."

"I miss you too," a frown adorned Storm's face all of a sudden as he pondered over the conversation they'd had in the park not long before his departure. "I wish I could have stayed, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise you, babe."

"I know, I just wish that I could have come with you."

"I know you do, honey," Storm sighed, sensing the despair in her voice, that longing for him that she had. "I'm sorry for this, believe me. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Stormy...what happened, happened...and the best we can do now is move on from it...I just want you back."

"Yeah, I guess," his ears pinned down, as a tear formed in his eye. He loved everything about her; her nature, her wisdom, her lust for life. Everything. "And I do too. I promise you that I'll be back, Blue. I love you so much."

"I love you more than anything, honey. Please stay safe out there, okay?"

"I will," Storm sighed, sorrow gnawing at his core and punching his gut. Why did I leave you? "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright. Good night, honey. Sleep tight...Remember, I love you so much...and I'll be rooting for you all the way."

"Thanks, babe," he cracked a small, tearful smirk, sorrow in his voice. "I love you...sleep tight."

The moment he hung up, Storm was near enough overwhelmed by an inner sense of regret at the turn of events of the past couple of days. Why did I leave you, Blue? he sighed, sliding his phone back where it came from. I didn't have to listen to High...and yet, I did.

Sifting through the bag, he finally took out a letter of some of the important addresses High Wind had laid down for Storm to visit in order to settle in Vanhoover without any hassle. The first one was, of course, the address to his new apartment, with some instructions that High had set out for Storm to follow in order to get to the apartment.

Your new address is:
12362 Hoofshire Avenue
Hoofboro
VANHOOVER
Equish Coltumbia
Take the number 40 bus carriage and disembark at Timberwolf Avenue, a major shopping street a couple of miles east of the apartment block. If you are feeling tired, then board the number 86 bus at the intersection of Timberwolf Ave. and the Coast Highway, which will stop right next to the building. With only two bedrooms, it's not much, but maybe you'll like it. I don't know.

Suddenly, a loud horn sounded, which caused Storm to drop the letter out of shock. Glancing to the side to see a large, green-colored carriage approaching, being pulled by a rather buff and muscular-looking stallion, Storm could realize right away that this was the bus he was meant to take. Picking up the letter and backing away towards the glass-paned bus stop behind him, Storm quickly put down his suitcase and unzipped it in order to take out his wallet, but before he could take out his money, the bus pulled up to the bus stop, and the doors leading aboard the vehicle slid open, allowing its passengers to spill out and new ones to board.

"Where to?" asked the stallion who pulled the carriage, glancing at Storm as he pulled out a five bit bill from his wallet and zipped it back up.

"Uh, Timberwolf Avenue." replied Storm.

"That'll be two bits fifty." said the bus driver as Storm turned to look at a black box that had the words 'EXACT CHANGE PLEASE' written on it in permanent marker.

"Shit." cussed Storm. "Unfortunately, I spent the last remaining coins I had on pop."

"Tough. Either you pay me or you aren't coming on, simple." groaned the bus driver, waving his hoof towards him. "Well?"

"Grr." Storm grimaced. "Would a five-bit bill do?"

"Certainly." smirked the bus driver, rotating his head to the side to see Storm fold the bill and insert it into the slot on top of the box. "Welcome to Vanhoover, kid."

---

Storm let out a gasp upon setting hoof in his new apartment, a two-bedroom abode on the penultimate floor of a fifteen-story high building close to the downtown core of Vanhoover, which seemed to be a lot more spacious than the small description High Wind gave Storm on the address sheet made it out to be. Placing his bag and suitcase in the first empty room he saw and slamming the door behind him, Storm begun to explore his new home. Despite being tired out of his mind from the seemingly endless traveling he had done today, Storm still hoped to check out the place. What he had seen of the apartment so far had been furnished prior to Storm's arrival in Vanhoover with the most basic commodities, such as a small TV, an old couch which stood beneath the windowsill in the living room, or a small refrigerator and a microwave oven in place of an actual oven in the kitchen, all of which would make do for now until Storm got on his hooves and begun earning even the most basic form of income. Having gained the keys to the apartment from High prior to takeoff from Cloudsdale, he placed them on the windowsill in the living room, before staring out of the window at the expansive skyline of Vanhoover, which stretched for at least three-four miles until it reached a large cliffside, overlooking the Western Ocean, the moonlight glimmering across its seemingly still surface. His eyes widened as he gazed at the truly massive city before him, which despite being nowhere near as big as Cloudsdale was, seemed to be absolutely huge in its own right. The skyline of the city before him, which was alit in yellow-white light, looked stunning, with the fifty story-high DiamondCorp Tower being the main highlight amidst the slightly smaller skyscrapers which surrounded it, it's pyramid-shaped roof emitting a pinkish-purple hue and lighting up the night which enshrouded the city like a massive beacon. Letting out a yawn as he turned away from the window, Storm gazed down at his digital watch, which having not been adjusted to the time zone that Storm was located in right now, still showed the time as it was in Cloudsdale, 2:46 AM. Pressing a button repeatedly on the watch's side, Storm managed to change the time zone from Central Equestrian to Western, letting out another yawn as he done so. After around half an hour of traveling across the city to his new home from the airport, making use of Vanhoover's extensive public transportation network to do so, Storm was incredibly sleepy, and rightfully so. The long flight to Vanhoover which he tried to get through by falling asleep to no avail, combined with the jet lag which had gotten to him due to traversing across multiple time-zones, had taken its toll on Storm, but he was happy to be finally here. But he knew that this was no holiday; tomorrow was when his job interview, which was required for the exchange procedure to be complete, would take place, and he was both looking forward to it in a way, and dreading it at the same time.

Having lazily pulled the suitcase from the next room into the living room, Storm unzipped it upon reaching the couch, taking out a pillow and a large quilt from it, before placing them both on the couch which stood behind him. Hoping not to worry too much about his impending job interview, he also managed to dig out a framed photo of somepony who meant something very special to him, his marefriend Blue. The picture he held in his hooves was taken on her eighteenth birthday, and showed Storm and Blue enjoying a date at the local Itailian restaurant in her part of Cloudsdale, his hoof resting on her shoulders and her head leaning against his chest, while a much smaller picture on the bottom right hand corner of the frame showed a closeup of Blue's face, her deep lavender eyes sparkling in the moonlight which reflected off them. Just looking at the two pictures brought a tearful smile to his face as the memories of all the times they spent together rushed back to him in an instant. He hoped to return to Blue sooner or later, but he knew that he had to make a name for himself in the city's weather factory first before he would be able to do anything else; that is what he was here for.

"Good night, Blue." Storm kissed the framed picture, before placing it next to the couch on the windowsill and looking out one last time at the illuminated skyline outside, at least a mile or two away from the apartment building before he went to sleep. "I miss you so much... I'm sorry you couldn't come with me." Letting out a pained groan, Storm closed his eyes and tried to dry his tearful eyes with some sleep. Tomorrow's job interview was right around the corner, and Storm figured some sleep would do him good. By the way, what was the worst that could happen tomorrow?

---

"So, Stormfire..." smiled the mare at the desk, sitting right in front of him, before she glanced at the TV-like computer monitor to her side which displayed Storm's basic information, along with his performance report that was sent to Vanhoover from Cloudsdale. The weather factory was a massive warehouse on the outskirts of town that apparently belonged to a now-defunct rail company that sold the factory to the weather team several years prior, before it went bust. It was a ten-fifteen mile long flight across town that Storm managed in half an hour. As she read the information which appeared on the computer screen, Storm fiddled with his hooves nervously, watching as the minutes on the giant clock which hung on the wall next to the desk ticked away, and failing to make eye contact with the mare. This was the moment he had both been waiting for patiently and dreading at the same time, ever since arriving at Vanhoover last night. Though he still felt tired from the lack of sleep he had experienced that night, he was awake enough to respond to some basic questions that the mare gave him, but he didn't exactly feel like doing so. The nervousness slowly overwhelmed him although he decided not to let it show; either he got the job or he was sent back to Cloudsdale, where he'd most likely get a walloping by High. However, a gut feeling told him that the chances of that happening were pretty slim, considering the fact that Storm was a hard-working member of the factory in Cloudsdale, where virtually all the higher ranks respected him, but the thought of that happening remained engraved in his mind. One thing was for sure, however; he hated job interviews and this one it seemed, was no exception. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Perfectly fine, ma'am," Storm fibbed, trying to ease his nerves, and so far, it worked.

"That's good to hear." she smiled understandingly, not managing to see behind Storm's wall of fake emotions. "I must admit, I am impressed with your progress reports from Cloudsdale. From what I've been reading, you seem like a very able, very skilled young stallion, and the higher ranks, Tornado especially seemed to value you highly as a member of the team."

"Thank you." Storm gave a faint smile as his body relaxed slightly, yet despite this, he still continued to shiver.

"Although unfortunately, it's not enough for you to join," the mare replied. "We're looking for more, even from interns such as yourself."

"What do you mean?" he grimaced, his heartbeat increasing as he tried to figure out what she meant by 'more'.

"The transfer internship program lasts for a year at most, and during your stay here in Vanhoover, you’ll get the best possible experience of being a junior storm maker. In return for offering you this, however, we want to know that you’re indeed capable of what we have in store for you," the mare explained. "Put simply, we'd like to test you first before we take you on. Hopefully, you're physically and mentally prepared for what we have in store for you here at Vanhoover."

"What do you mean by 'test'?" Storm tensed up slightly, shivering as he looked at the mare in front of him.

"We have extremely high standards to maintain here in Vanhoover," she explained. "After all, we are the top producing factory in the entire country. I'm surprised the guy who exchanged you, High Wind, I think his name was, didn't tell you beforehand. How long are you interning for?"

"Yeah, that's him." Storm replied. "I...don't know."

"Hold on, let me see," Clear replied, turning her attention to Storm's file on the computer. "You're interning here for a year."

A year?!

"While most other factories across the country do on-the-job training, we do things a little differently. New weather ponies, interns and transfers included, are expected to take part in a three-week-long training course. The test is a mixture of both physical activity and mathematical problem solving, very much like something that you do in the army, but on a much smaller scale," the mare read from her computer screen as the information, written in green, digital text scrolled down the display. "Week one is physical training while week two is weather training...---"

"What about week three?"

"Week three is exclusive, shall I say, to Pegasi and Pegasi only," Clear replied, narrowing her gaze onto Storm. "What your third week of training is going to entail is flight. Basically, what we're going to do then is just test your flight skills, your speed, your precision, et cetera, et cetera. You'll still get paid like normal weather ponies do but at a much lower rate. If you pass, you get the job; if you fail, it's back home to Cloudsdale for you."

"So, you're saying that I have to pass a test in order to become a junior storm maker here?" asked Storm.

"Precisely," smiled the mare. "Can you come back here tomorrow morning for your test?"

"Definitely, ma'am."

"Please, call me Clear Skies, and welcome to the team, Stormfire."

27. Settling In

"You passed!"

"What?!"

"You heard me, Stormfire. You passed your entrance exam, and with full marks no less."

To say that Storm was shocked would be an understatement. He had revised for eight hours straight the night before, kept awake by the whirring of a cheap coffee machine he had purchased as it prepared another cup for him, whilst he gathered and compiled all he could remember from what he had leaned in Cloudsdale while working there and learning under High Wind's wing. His eyes, bloodshot from the lack of sleep seemed to crack into eggshell like pieces even during the actual exam, and oftentimes, he was reprimanded for resting his head on the desk by his invigilator, a mare whose name he couldn't quite catch, but judging from her accent, was not from Equestria. He was the only pony present in the examination room which reminded him of his old geography classroom, aside from Clear, who supervised the exam and marked his paper, and from the foreign mare who constantly monitored his every move like a hawk during those fateful two hours for any signs of cheating, which greatly reduced his stress as he had virtually no competition whatsoever from anypony, but oh boy, were some of the questions frustratingly tough. One question, in particular, made the two hours Storm spent in that room a living Tartarus, one which forced Storm to rethink and rewrite the answer to it at least four times, but despite the questions involving variables that he had not covered in much detail back in Cloudsdale, considering the fact that he had only joined the higher ranks as a junior storm maker, his frustration and drive to succeed pushed him to try his best, along with the added fear of angering High Wind at home even more, but the more questions he done, the more frustrated he became. At one point, as the questions slowly became trickier and begun put more pressure on him, Storm was expecting the worst possible result, despite having spent the entire night before revising and had to be personally reassured by Clear herself that it would go well.

"Really?"

"Yep." Clear gave him an encouraging smile from her desk, as she slipped his paper into a folder, which she then closed. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty strange." Storm admitted, wiping his forehead with his hoof as he glanced down at his now empty desk, still amazed at the fact that he passed the entrance exam. "I honestly did not expect to pass this at all."

"Congratulations, Stormfire." smiled the other mare, walking up to the front of the room. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, ma'am." smiled Storm. "So, what do I need to do now?"

"Can you come in tomorrow to start your training course?" asked Clear, watching as he stood up out of his chair, before picking up his saddlebag from beneath the desk. "We are required to assess your physical performance before we let you start your three-week training."

"Sure thing." nodded Storm, sliding through the maze of desks towards the door across the room from where he originally sat, the stress which overpowered him not very long ago having completely dissipated by then.

"Though, are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"

"Of course." Storm smiled back at her. "I did a lot of physical stuff back in Cloudsdale."

"No, I'm not kidding, Storm." Clear shook her head. "The training course will decide whether you will stay here or go back to Cloudsdale. For many ponies it is also much harder than the exam itself, and I'm just wondering whether you'll find it stressful or not. Your performance report mentioned that you like working under pressure, but some ponies, who are now fairly successful in this career found the training course a living Tartarus to put it nicely."

"I'm sure it can't be that bad..." Storm shook his head. "Like I mentioned earlier, I did some pretty physical stuff back in Cloudsdale, like cloud-busting."

"Well, if I were you..." begun the invigilator mare who stood next to Clear's desk in a thick Mareopean accent, possibly Griffon or Germaneian but Storm couldn't make out exactly what it was. "I'd start getting yourself ready. We have a gym here, along with a swimming pool just down the hallway."

"Really?" asked Storm.

"Yep." smiled Clear. "And you can go there anytime when you're on your break."

"Sweet." Storm grinned at her, before reaching the door.

"Storm?"

"Huh?"

"What's this?"

"My cutie mark?" he raised an eyebrow as he turned towards Clear, who seemed to have her eyes set on Storm's cutie mark, which adorned both his flanks. "What about it?"

"Nothing, nothing." she shook her head, still continuing to inspect it. "Well, it's just that I don't think it has anything to do with weather. Can you tell me how you got it?"

And so, Storm proceeded to tell her the story of how one day, while on a school trip to Canterlot he protected a tourist in Canterlot from two thugs who had attempted to rob her, her eyes widening in delight as he earnestly told her about what had transpired on that day for Storm to earn his cutie mark. However, her delight was cut short when Storm finished telling him about his experience, and was instead replaced by confusion and concern, a look that was shared by her and the invigilator who stood next to her.

"So, shouldn't you be working in the Guard or in the military?" asked Clear. "I mean, judging by the story you've just told us, you clearly have what it takes to enlist there."

"Oh..." Storm frowned, his gaze shifting to the floor in embarrassment. "I'm sorry ma'am, but it's not something I like to talk about."

"Well...If it's something personal, then I won't pry." Clear nodded understandingly. "You best be going, alright?"

"Sure." Storm nodded, walking out of the classroom and letting out a sigh of relief as he closed the door behind him.

"Poor kid..." sighed Clear as she gazed down at Storm's papers one last time before she filed them away into a paper folder marked 'Stormfire, Cloudsdale'. "Why is he working in weather if his cutie mark tells him otherwise?"

"I don't know..." shrugged the invigilator in her thick accent. "Maybe it runs in ze family?"

"Possibly." Clear mused. "Though I still do feel sorry for him in a way. You think I should write to the guy who exchanged him, and ask him whether it was a good idea to do so? High Wind, I believe was his name."

"I'd zay we should give him a chanze." replied the invigilator as she stared downwards at an unsure-looking Clear. "After all, he did pass ze test. If he doesn't prove himzelf we zend him back?"

"That's a good idea, Hoofender." nodded Clear. "We should have somepony monitoring him during his training and reporting back to us on his progress."

"Who'd be up for ze job?" the invigilator scratched her head.

"How about...my daughter?" proposed Clear. "After all, she does work as a lifeguard at the pool."

"You think that'd be a good idea? Ze way I see it, Lillian's too inexperienced. After all, she has only been working here for three weeks."

"Maybe she and Storm can get along... Both of them are new around here, and both are of similar ages, so at least they'll have something in common."

"I don't know about zis."

"It's worth a shot..." replied Clear as she grasped the large, brick-sized phone to her right, before typing in the first few digits of a phone number on the keypad. "Maybe Lilli will find it easier to settle in with the help of a new friend?"

---

Before heading back home, Storm decided to stop by the weather factory's cafeteria in order to quench the feeling of hunger and thirst he had developed during the exam, and in turn, silence his growling digestive tract. Having bought himself a slice of pizza and a can of soda to drink for two bits fifty, which he considered to be an absolute bargain, he sat down at the far end of the cafeteria, hoping to avoid the curious glances of some of the other weather ponies who were having their own lunches and discussing their jobs. As he sat down and bit into the rather gum-like slice of cheese and tomato pizza, he couldn't help but feel a bit strange, perhaps due to the fact that he had passed the entrance exam despite fearing so much, and certainly expecting that he'd fail it. For Storm it felt as though the few years of experience he had as a weather pony, during the course of which he had risen through the ranks of the weather pony hierarchy to become a junior storm maker, had finally come to good use, and he felt a strange mixture of pride and regret overpower him from that moment on. Though he had finally passed the exam, thus being eligible for the training course that he was expected to do over the next three weeks, starting tomorrow at 9 AM, his stomach begun to churn at the thought of this being his career. Deep down at the bottom of his heart, Storm knew full well that this was not the right job for him, though the countless attempts at persuading High Wind to let him decide his own life had ended in failure, with High Wind hell-bent on seeing Storm become the leader of the Tornado Team itself back home in Cloudsdale. He knew that his cutie mark was not compatible with this career, but as long as his stepfather still practically controlled him, arguing with him wouldn't come to any good.

As Storm still contemplated his life up to that point, along with what Clear had discussed with him immediately after his exam, his eyes begun to notice a white mare with a blond mane and twilight blue eyes begun to approach his vacant table, carrying a tray full of lunch in both her hooves.

"Uh, mind if I sit here?" she asked.

"No, not at all." Storm shook his head as he budged up slightly to the right.

"You must be the new dude, right?" asked the mare, before she scarfed down some hay fries.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Storm replied. "How do you know?"

"My mom, Clear, told me all about you over the phone." the mare explained, not noticing Storm's nervousness as he observed the other ponies in the cafeteria, many of them who were staring at him. "I'm Lillian, but just call me Lilli."

"Stormfire." Storm outstretched his hoof and shook the mare's hoof. "So... what do you do around here?"

"Oh, I'm the lifeguard at the pool." replied Lilli. "Though it isn't really a proper job. It's just to give me something to do in my spare time while I'm waiting for university to start."

"Sweet." Storm grinned. "Where are you hoping to study?"

"I'm hoping to study Weather Theory at the University of Cloudsdale. If that doesn't work out, I'm considering opening up a flower store somewhere around here. Flowers have kinda been my thing since I was a filly, though they always came second place to weather."

"That's awesome." Storm smiled. "I'm actually from Cloudsdale myself."

"Really?" Lilli asked. "What are you doing in Vanhoover if I may ask?"

"I got transferred here." Storm explained. "Back in Cloudsdale I was a Junior Storm Maker, I’ll be interning here for a while."

"Sweet." Lilli smiled at him as she finished eating her hay fries. "I'm really hoping to graduate with a Master's degree in weather theory... it'd make my mom so happy."

"Whatever it is you're looking to do once you graduate, I hope it goes well for you."

"Aww, thanks." Lilli cooed.

"Uh, listen, it's been nice talking to you and all, but I gotta go back to my apartment." Storm explained, before he clicked open his can of soda. "Wanna meet up here again tomorrow?"

"Will you be here?" she asked, watching as he stood up out of his seat, his soda held firmly in the grasp of his hoof.

"Of course I will." Storm smiled. "I'm starting my training tomorrow, so uh... I kinda have to be here."

"Sweet." she grinned. "Do you know where it's taking place?"

"Not really..." Storm shook his head, before sipping on his soda. "But I guess I'll find out tomorrow."

"Alright, sounds good." Lilli grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow then, I guess."

"Sure." Storm smiled, before walking away from the mare, who waved at him. Returning the gesture, he trotted out of the cafeteria and past other weather ponies who were enjoying their lunch break, before stepping out of the factory into the surprisingly cool Vanhoover air. The weather forecast for the next few days called for temperatures to soar in the mid-nineties, but despite it being early afternoon and easily the hottest part of the day it still felt rather cool due to the mountains which partially flanked the city from the south, east and north. Embracing the northerly wind as he walked up to the edge of the cliff on which the factory was perched on, he could see the entire city in all its glory from the edge, plus one or two suburban towns to the north and south. The skyline of the city appeared to be far more extensive than what he could see from the windows of his fourteenth story apartment on the outskirts of downtown, and seemed to stretch for at least two more miles. However, most of it was a silhouette, with fine details such as windows or patterns on the walls of buildings being obscured by smog, a fairly common occurrence in the western cities. And yet, despite much of the view being obscured by the smoke-like clouds, a testament to Vanhoover's mostly industrial economy, the view was still wonderful and extensive, despite not being close to what can be seen from Cloudsdale on a nice day like today. He felt like flying home, despite knowing full well that he was still new here and didn't know the city as well as he knew Cloudsdale, but he still decided to take his chances. Though he realized that it'd be easier to get home via train, nothing could amount to the freedom he experienced while flying. The wind beating on his face, his mane, which was long enough to cover his eyes fully fluttering freely in the wind as well as the prospect of being able to fly wherever he wanted were all things he adored about flight, and in weather like this, flying was an experience that was unmatched by any other physical activity.

Outstretching his wings, Storm took off from the edge of the cliff, and over the vast expanse of private, middle-class housing that made up the suburb of Silverwood, which marked the eastern boundary of Vanhoover. To a certain extent, it felt strange flying over an unfamiliar city, such as Vanhoover, but Storm was determined to get used to it and make it his morning commute upon starting work at the weather factory. However, as he approached downtown Vanhoover, he begun to consider what life in Cloudsdale has been like since he left. In a way, he felt shameful, and not for the fact that he left; he left somepony behind, and that somepony was his marefriend. The idea of being so far away from Blue saddened Storm deeply, but what made him happier was the fact that he could return to Cloudsdale during the Hearth's Warming Eve break. Their final moment spent together in the park in North Cloudsdale was a somber and rather bitter-sweet one, with him promising that he'll be back as soon as he possibly could and them both sharing one last kiss in the park. Tears begun to form in Storm's eyes as he remembered that Blue had wanted to come with him and work alongside him, and he came to a sudden halt, kept in mid-air only by the flapping of his wings, recalling the painful memory of him declining her offer. Letting out a regretful sigh as he investigated the city from his vantage point, he considered what it would have been like if Blue had come with him to Vanhoover for a brief moment, before he came to the realization that it was probably for the best that she stayed. She had her own life to be getting on with, with a job at the Cloudsdale weather factory to provide her with an income, a career as a teacher waiting for her and two loving parents to support her and encourage her. Unfortunately, Storm had none of that, except for his mom back in Cloudsdale, who probably missed him like crazy. As of right now, he was living out of High Wind's pocket and his apartment was completely funded by High Wind, though what raised his hopes of being fully independent was the idea of getting paid while training, albeit at a much lower rate than what full time weather ponies were paid.

Upon landing in front of the apartment building he had reluctantly come to call 'home', he entered the lobby of the building, and upon greeting the receptionist, he made his way to the bank of three elevators which served the building, and waited around a minute for one to arrive.

"Finally..." he wiped his forehead free of sweat as he stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourteenth floor, on which he lived. The doors soon slid close, and the elevator jolted upwards, taking just less than a minute to reach its chosen destination. Upon arriving at the floor, Storm dropped his saddlebag onto the ground and reached in for his keys, and opened the door to his apartment. He slammed the door behind him, and made his way to the living room, in which the first thing he noticed was books scattered across the coffee table and the coffee maker on the floor. Tossing himself onto the couch, he let out a tired sigh before taking a short nap, which he felt was well-deserved after passing the entrance exam. That 'small' nap however lasted five hours, by which time it begun to get ever so slightly darker as the sun was no longer at its highest point in the sky. Having flown to a local pizza place, Storm bought himself a cheese and tomato pizza for four bits, and while eating it slice by slice, he also decided to focus on something he had started the night before immediately after revising for the exam.

Dear Blue,
I'm really sorry for not being able to send you a letter sooner, as I haven't had the time to do so, but now that I'm beginning training here, I hope to find more time for writing. As of me writing this letter, I had passed the entry exam, with full marks no less, and I will be undergoing extensive training for the next three weeks starting from tomorrow, before I can call myself a Vanhoover weather pony, but to be honest with you, I don't quite know what to make of this. I'm not meant to be a weather pony, but this is only an internship, and I’ll be back as soon as it's over. Honestly, I can't wait to see you again. I miss you so much.

Love
Storm

Author's Notes:

So, after ten-eleven weeks, I'm back with Chapter 26. Hope you all enjoyed.

28. Entering Vanhoover (Part I)

The next day...
After eating breakfast and taking that letter he wrote to Blue the night before to the local post office on Fifth Street, Storm took off towards the weather factory on the edge of town, flying at speeds he didn't think he could achieve. Soaring above rows upon rows of gridlocked carriages on the streets below and between the fifteen-twenty story high buildings which made up the majority of downtown Vanhoover's grid-like streets, Storm's heart beat at a dangerously high rate as he tried his hardest to make it to the factory in the twenty minutes he had left until he was to start his three week-long training course. He had no clue as to what it involved, having never been through anything remotely similar back in Cloudsdale, but he tried to keep his cool about it. After all, while not nearly as well-built as his older brother Gust, Storm did consider himself to be a rather fit and healthy stallion in his own right, not to mention quite strong as well, so during the flight there, he tried to convince himself that he'd be able to pass it without any issue and hopefully start working at the factory soon enough. As he slowly but surely approached the factory, Storm came to the conclusion that the sooner he'd be able to complete his training, the sooner he'd become a fully-fledged weather pony in the most prestigious weather factory in Equestria, and the sooner that occurred, the sooner he would be able to get back to Cloudsdale to see Blue, even if it was only for a brief winter break. But yet, somehow that didn't help, and neither did Clear's rather ominous warning about the training from yesterday; instead of feeling better about it, his anxiety only grew as he had no idea what to expect from it at all. Having made it to the factory on the outskirts of town in the nick of time just before operations commenced for the day, Storm trotted from the edge of the cliff on which he landed into the weather factory a couple of hundred feet ahead of him, making it through crowds of weather mares and stallions who were about to start their shifts. Trotting through the revolving door which served as the entrance of the factory, he sat down in the vacant waiting lounge, his heart rate soaring as he glanced down at his watch.

"8:56 AM..." Storm mumbled as he shifted his gaze from the watch wrapped around his hoof, towards the television at the other end of the waiting lounge which was broadcasting the morning news report, as he desperately tried to take his mind off the upcoming course. For a moment, he managed to do so, that is, until she came in.

"Stormfire?" It was the same mare from yesterday, who sat with him at the table in the cafeteria. "Oh, there you are."

"Oh, hey...Lilli?" Storm got up out of his seat. "What are you doing here? Aren't you meant to be at the swimming pool or something?"

"I have a day off today." Lilli shrugged as she looked at the stallion sitting down before her. "My mom asked if I could go get you while she's discussing the training course with your... examiner."

"Cool." Storm said, his nervousness growing within him as he got up off the chair he sat on and followed her out of the waiting lounge and down a long corridor, walking through several departments involved in the production of weather, including the cloud manufacturing department and the department involved in planning the path and duration of thunderstorms.

"You seem nervous, what's wrong?" asked Lilli, noticing Storm shivering slightly right next to her.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine." Storm lied.

"You sure?"

"Well... not really." Storm confessed. "I just don't know whether this training will go as good as I hope it'll go. I mean, hey, your mom did say that it is pretty hard."

"I'm sure your results don't have to be perfect, Storm," Lilli explained. "Just try your best and I'm sure it'll go to plan."

"You certain?"

"Well, yeah," Lilli replied as they passed the door to the swimming pool, in which two or three weather ponies were training under the watchful eye of another lifeguard. "I had to go through something similar before I could become a lifeguard. They had someone supervise me while I swim and dive, and another guy would grade me based on my abilities."

"Really?" Storm raised an eyebrow.

"Did you have to go through something similar in Cloudsdale?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Nope, any training we received there was provided on the job." he explained.

"Oh, well here we don't do that," explained Lilli. "Here, my mom and her coworkers only choose the best of the best."

"Your mom's the manager here, right?"

"Nope, she's actually in charge of enrolling and training potential weather ponies." Lilli smiled before they entered the brightly-lit gym, a room comprised of several treadmills and a few exercise bikes right opposite of them, along with some heavy weights stacked in the far right corner and a large blue mat in the middle of the room. "Here he is, mom."

"Huh?" Storm glanced left to see Clear standing in the corner, with two stallions who were both discussing in the background.

"Morning, Stormfire." smiled Clear as she watched them approach her. "You proved yourself to us during the exam yesterday, so I'd like to welcome you to your training course, where we will assess your physical and psychological health and thus see if you're fit for the job. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, ma'am." Storm shuddered in uncertainty. "What happens if I fail it?"

"Well..." Clear let out a sigh. "It's rare that somepony fails in this course, but when they do it's usually because we've graded them below 75% or if they have cheated."

"I understand completely, ma'am." Storm's heart rate picked up once again, followed by a chill traveling down his spinal column as he tried to envision himself returning home to Cloudsdale, and being shunned instead of being greeted and welcomed home by his family members, especially High Wind. "Sure...I guess."

"Hi, Stormfire." said one of the two ponies, a silver-colored Pegasus stallion with a navy mane. "My name is Arctic Ice, and I am a flight coach here at the Vanhoover Weather Factory. So, before we start off, tell me some things about you; what your age is, where you come from, how long you worked in weather, etc."

"Well, I just graduated high school literally only a few days back, so I am 18. I am from Cloudsdale, and I worked part-time at the weather factory there since I was 16, I believe."

"Okay," replied Arctic Ice, taking down some notes about Storm on his clipboard. "Any of your friends or family members working at the factory in Cloudsdale?"

"My mom, my dad and my marefriend."

"Alright. Anyone else?"

"No sir."

"Well, you do realize that once we begin there isn't any backing out, right?"

"I do." Storm nodded.

"Okay. Can I check your height and weight, please?" he asked, motioning for Storm to step on a scale, which displayed his weight as being 165 pounds, which was about average for a Pegasus pony of his size. After stepping off the scales, he was measured by Arctic Blast's assistant as being around 4'5, which made him pretty tall compared to other Pegasus stallions he knew.

"Alright, your height is exactly 4'5, while your weight is 165.41 pounds," explained Arctic. "You're taller than most other Pegasi I know, you know that?"

"Yep, that's what everypony tells me." Storm replied.

"So, what we're going to do here is start off by just seeing how well you fly." explained the cardiologist.

"Sounds easy enough." Storm shrugged.

"Follow me, please." Arctic grinned, before leading them out of the gym through the open emergency exit into the large park which dramatically overlooked the city's airport around three, maybe four miles in the distance, surrounded by large tracts of middle-class housing which in a way was similar to what Cloudsdale's suburbs were like, namely the one he lived in, North Cloudsdale, despite the different styles of architecture. It was a beautiful day in Vanhoover; one which wasn't particularly warm, but was good enough for flying or for any other physical activity, the clouds which covered most of the sky only an hour ago having faded away to reveal a wonderfully mid-blue July sky, and the morning smog, which was also known to shroud the city's suburbs during mid-summer was nowhere to be seen. On top of that, the temperature, which increased deeper into the city, seemed to be somewhere in the mid-seventies in this part of town, perhaps 76 or 77.

"This is where our weather Pegasi have their flight skills assessed, Stormfire." explained Clear, watching as he stared off into the distance.

"The view from up here is amazing, isn't it?" Lilli smiled at him.

"It sure is." Storm grinned at her. "And it's colder than in the city here, too."

"I agree," Clear replied. "Perfect weather for flying, eh?"

"Definitely." Storm nodded.

"Are you ready?" Lilli asked, also being embraced by the colder air.

"Yeah, I sure am." Storm smiled. "I love flying."

"Well then," Arctic came over to them. "What you'll be doing right now is flying around the perimeter of the park in the given time. Sounds easy, right? Well, not entirely. We have a few obstacles set up along the way, which will make this part of the examination slightly more challenging."

"Oh."

"And to ensure you aren't cheating, we need another Pegasus pony to fly with you. Unfortunately, I can't do that, but I'll be watching you from here," he explained, before turning towards Lilli. "Would you like to volunteer, ma'am?"

"Yeah, definitely." she smiled, before turning to look at Clear, who gave her an approving smile and nod.

"Alright Storm, are you ready?"

Storm responded with a nod, before outstretching his wings to their full size. After having his wingspan measured by Arctic's assistant, he was ready to start, with Lilli standing right behind him and observing his every move, her angel-white wings also being outstretched.

"Okay Storm, you have ten minutes to fly around the perimeter of the park," explained Arctic, before taking out a stopwatch from the pocket of his jacket and setting it up. "Lilli here will monitor your flying and tell me if you are cheating, and if we find out you were, then you're out of here."

"Don't worry." Storm gulped. "I won't cheat."

"Good." smiled Arctic. "The purpose of this test is to see how good your reaction times are, as well as to get an idea of how well you fly."

"I've done an obstacle course before in gym class." Storm remarked as a gust of wind blew through his mane.

"Perfect, then you'll have no problem with this at all."

---

"'You'll have no problem with this at all', my flank." Storm muttered under his breath as he flew around the admittedly large park, which from the air seemed to cover at least two square miles, stretching down the slope of the hill on which several sections of the weather factory, including the gym, and the cloud-manufacturing chamber were built. He had just flown through the first obstacle that was laid out for him with Lilli following his every move like a hawk, the obstacle in question being a hollow pipe-like structure made of meticulously-sculpted water ice which twisted round in a zigzag pattern. He had flown through obstacle courses before, but so far, this was on a whole new level, with Storm narrowly avoiding any collisions with the wall of the highly convoluted tube all while maintaining a constant airspeed, and as he headed towards the next obstacle at least a few hundred feet up ahead, he could only imagine what challenge it could pose for him. All the while, Lilli was observing his every move like a living surveillance camera, and following him to his next obstacle, the outline of which they could both make out as being similar to the loop of a roller coaster, reminding Storm of that one time when he went with High Wind and Gust to the county fair in Ponyville, where ponies of all ages from several different parts of the province came to check out and ride the roller coaster, as well as other rides. As she watched him fly between two birch trees which blocked him access to the loop, which was at least two hundred and fifty feet tall, before zooming up it without thinking twice, she had to admit, his flight skills were rather impressive, especially considering the fact that he didn't learn the art of flying until fairly recently. That, and his wings did seem fairly muscular... Wait, what?! her heart almost skipped a beat and her cheeks lit up a rose red as she flew after the stallion in front of her. She wasn't in love with him, she couldn't be. After all, she had only just met the stallion, and for her, 'love at first sight' was something that only belonged in fairy tales or bad romance movies. Flabbergasted and too embarrassed of herself to continue, she began to have thoughts of turning back and just leaving Storm be, but she had to monitor him for any signs of cheating, for example, flying out of the loop. Storm didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd cheat his way out of everything, but she came to the conclusion that it was probably as a precautionary measure she had to do so. Plus, he did seem like a fairly likable stallion who despite being the new guy on the team, was good with the higher ranks, namely her mother, who constantly asked him about himself and where he came from, and as they completed the loop, with Storm flying several feet in front of her, she came to the conclusion that leaving him on his own would be mean.

"That was impressive." she smiled at the stallion in front of her, hoping inside that he'd turn back at least for a second and flash a smile of his own.

"Thanks." he replied. "I honestly didn't think I had it in me, especially after that tube thing."

"That's difficult, I know." she replied. "Even the weather ponies who work here hate it. Sometimes we call it the garden hose, because when we were planning this obstacle course, one of the designs that came in looked like a tied-up hosepipe."

"Really?" Storm gasped.

"Yep." she nodded. "But it turned out that the designer had accidentally eaten an ounce of poison joke before starting work, and as a result, his design was rejected."

"What the hay?" Storm almost burst out laughing. "You can't be serious, right?"

"It's true." Lilli chuckled herself. "He said he brought it at the grocery store thinking it was lettuce... The effects of poison joke only wear off after about a day and can include hallucinations. You think touching it without wearing any protection is bad, wait till you ingest the stuff."

"I wouldn't want to try." Storm shuddered at the thought of himself experiencing the classical symptoms of poison joke-itis or whatever it was called, before glancing down towards the railroad to see the late morning freight train pull into the airport station at least half a mile in the distance.

"Me neither to be honest." she let out a hearty chuckle, before glancing to the left and noticing the next obstacle in the course, an array of small thunderheads, all of which were brightly illuminated by lightning bolts which surged through each cloud. "You ready?"

"Me? I'm always ready." Storm responded smugly, although a part of him wasn't sure how to proceed. Having flown through several storms in the past while working at Cloudsdale without getting struck by lightning, Storm knew the basics of flying in adverse weather conditions, but something about these clouds was unlike any thunderstorm he flew through before. Was it the massive bursts of lightning which surged from one cloud to another in the space of a second? Was it the fact that these clouds were so small, or was it that they may be magical projections only designed to put a pony off flying through them? Storm did not know the answer, having never participated in a training course like this before, and yet, despite this, his fear soon gave way, and he wanted to give it a go.

"Ever done something like this before back in Cloudsdale?" asked Lilli, catching up to Storm who hovered in mid-air, kept from falling the two hundred feet to ground level by the constant fluttering of his wings.

"Nope." Storm shook his head. "But I still want to give this a shot."

"Then go for it." Lilli gave him an encouraging, and decidedly cute smile. "Avoid the lightning bolts, because contrary to what most new weather ponies believe, these aren't projections or anything like that, they're real bolts. I'll be right behind you in every step of the way."

"Thanks." Storm returned the smile, before his brain switched into full gear. "How am I gonna do this? And more importantly, how long do we have left?"

"Four or five minutes, I'd say," Lilli replied. "Here, let me give you a tip. A lightning bolt forms every two seconds and jumps between two clouds. For example, you may have a bolt erupting out of the cloud on the right and surging into the cloud on the left. Two seconds later, another bolt would erupt from the left cloud and surge into the cloud on the right."

"Who told you all this?"

"My dad, he was the flight coach at the local high school, before he enlisted in the Royal Guard," Lilli explained. "What does your dad do?"

"My dad, well, he's involved in the transfer of weather ponies between Cloudsdale and other weather factories."

"So, he's the one that sent you here?"

"Yeah, you could say that, even though I didn't consent to him sending me here."

'Why did he do that, if I may ask?"

'I don't know..." Storm let out a sigh. "I guess I was just too much of a pain in the flank for him to handle."

"Don't say that." Lilli rested her hoof on his shoulder which immediately seemed to raise his spirits. "I'm sure he regrets his decision and misses you."

"I won't be so sure, but it's a nice thought." Storm sighed. "Thanks for raising my hopes up of getting back home, Lilli... but I'm not sure I'll be welcome there."

"You really miss it, do you?" Lilli sighed as they both stared eastwards past the group of miniature thunder clouds towards the mountain range in the distance.

"Yeah..." replied Storm. "I met so many great ponies there."

"Well, if you want, I can help you get settled in Vanhoover." Lilli proposed. "On top of that, I can help you meet a lot of good ponies here."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass." Storm replied. "I don't want to keep you from anything."

"It's no trouble at all." Lilli smiled. "I mean, we are friends, aren't we?"

"You think?"

"Of course." she smiled. "If you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Now let's finish off this obstacle course together."

"Won't that be cheating?"

"Not if I fly alongside you. It's not like I'm gonna be guiding you through the course; if anything, I might just give you a small helping hoof if you need it."

"Well, alright." Storm smiled at the mare. "You ready?"

"Yep. Remember what I told you about the lightning bolts?"

"They aren't random; they just jump between two clouds every two seconds."

"Bingo. Now, come on!" Lilli smiled, before she took the lead, Storm charging through the air after her as both of them begun to fly through the storm, narrowly dodging the lightning bolts as they surged from one cloud to the next. He had to admit that while dodging lightning bolts was never his strong suit, sometimes ending up with second-degree burns on his body as a result of flying through lightning storms before, this was a piece of cake, contrary to what he believed before trying it out himself. It was like what his mother had always said when he was a colt; "If you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.", and so far, her words seemed to be ringing true. After flying out of the storm clouds, they passed the two final obstacles, including a set of pillars between which they had to fly, and a small lake of water in which they had to dip their hoof and keep it in for as long as possible without losing control of their flying.

"That was amazing." Storm smiled as they came into land in front of Clear and the cardiologist tasked with measuring Storm's time. "Well done."

"Thanks." she returned the smile before Clear walked up to them two.

"Great work, Storm." Clear smiled.

"Thanks, ma'am." Storm replied. "I honestly didn't think I'd be able to do this course."

"Well, you just did." Clear shrugged. "Arctic, can you tell us Storm's time?"

"8 minutes, 23.3 seconds," Arctic replied. "By no means is this our best time, but you did well. Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir." Storm grinned, before turning towards his new friend. "And thanks for giving me some much-needed motivation, Lilli."

"Aw, it's no problem at all." Lilli shrugged. "You flew so well, Storm..."

"Thanks." Storm smiled at the mare, who blushed in response. "You did really well too. Arctic?"

"Yeah?" Arctic gazed up from the clipboard on which he had written Storm's results from both the aerial obstacle course and the heart rate test.

"What am I doing now?" Storm asked.

"Well, I'd suggest you go home, Stormfire," replied Arctic. "You did great today. Be back here tomorrow for the next part of your training, alright?"

"Alright."

And with that having been said, Storm headed back into the gym, wondering how the next three weeks would work out for him.

---

29. Entering Vanhoover (Part II)

Two weeks later...
The days since Storm had started his training course had passed mostly without a hitch, and before he knew it, it was the Wednesday of his second week at the weather factory, after which Clear would make the life-altering decision regarding whether he would be able to join or not. With each passing day, his training slowly became more and more physically strenuous, but considering that physical activity was something Storm enjoyed, especially if it involved flying, it didn't put too much pressure on him, despite Clear's warnings stating otherwise. So far, contrary to what Clear had stated before he begun, he had found the training process a somewhat enjoyable experience, one which was at times challenging, yet at the same time fun, especially the team-building exercises he had to take part in with some other trainees, which enabled him to meet some friendly ponies he would potentially work with if they each passed the course and managed to get accepted into the factory. Over the past several days, he had also become good friends with Lilli, Clear's daughter, who often hung out with him during lunch breaks or whenever he wasn't busy, as well as introducing the stallion to numerous weather ponies she called her friends. In addition to this, Storm was paid whilst taking part in the training course, albeit at a much lower rate than more established and accomplished weather ponies who had worked there longer were paid, receiving 250 bits at the end of each week compared to the 500-600, maybe 700 plus others got. The amount he was paid each week wasn't very much, but it was still something, enabling Storm to buy groceries at the supermarket two blocks away from his apartment, as well as allowing him to start raising money for the long flight or train journey back to Cloudsdale. The idea of being able to see his family after several months of exchanging letters with them was certainly a strange one for Storm, especially considering that he would also see his stepfather, a pony to whom he has grown estranged over the past couple of weeks...

"No, Storm." he held his head in his hooves, before shifting his gaze upwards to look out of the window of his kitchen at the street fourteen stories below. "He's out of your life... at least for now, just don't think about him. If it wasn't for High Wind, you'd be training to join the Guard right now. He's the one who ruined your life...you just can't simply forgive him after all he had done to you. You can't... You aren't meant to be here."

And yet, the more Storm pondered over the possibility of seeing his family again, especially his stepdad, the more he felt as though he may have been too harsh on the stallion. After all, whilst the two may have had a rocky and oftentimes volatile relationship as of late, and at present were over two thousand miles away from each other on opposite sides of the country, they were still family, and for Storm, his family was one of the most important things in his life. Despite his many shortcomings and his seldom stable relationship with his stepson, the fact that he was the pony who brought Storm and his mother to Equestria was enough to make Storm hate High Wind less, although it was safe to admit that he would probably never truly forgive High after he transferred him to a different weather factory in a whole other part of the country.

But then again, what's not to say that High Wind will have changed over the next couple of months? After all, his mom, in all her wisdom once told him that 'time heals all wounds', and maybe this would be the case with himself and High after he returns home. Storm at least hoped so, but deep down inside he feared for the worst.

"Ugh." Storm groaned, as his train of thought switched tracks from his planned visit to Cloudsdale to his presently-ongoing training. Having completed a large majority of his physical training, most of which was easy enough and involved refining his flight skills as well as testing his physical strength, Storm was allowed by Clear, who figured the experience would come in handy for him , to take part in the factory's weather patrol team, which as of right now was at its busiest, for good reason. As the remnants of a rather intense hurricane moved northwards across the Western Ocean, Vanhoover often found itself bearing the brunt of some severe thunderstorms throughout the course of the second week of Storm's training, which brought high winds, lightning and torrential rain to the city and the suburban towns and villages which surrounded it, sometimes resulting in local manholes overflowing with sewage and sections of street being flooded with ankle deep water as a result, as well as trees being knocked onto power lines by the high winds. On more than one occasion, a tornado watch was actually issued for several parts of town by the city's Local Weather Administration as a wall cloud was spotted by trained storm chasers in a forest fifteen miles south east of downtown Vanhoover, but luckily, the tornado it spawned was not strong enough to cause any real damage and dissipated within mere minutes of forming, only uprooting a small section of the large expanse of woodland which surrounded parts of the city. During the weekend, Storm was able to fly with the team of weather ponies tasked with monitoring the path and the duration of these thunderstorms, which was something he could only have dreamt of doing, even back in Cloudsdale, despite here being under the constant observation of several higher ranking weather ponies whilst flying, all who would report back to Clear on Storm's performance. Starting from today, however, he would be tasked with doing something he did for a while back in Cloudsdale, before being moved to the cloud manufacturing department shortly after joining; cloud busting. The weather patrol in Vanhoover covered three counties which surrounded the main city-county that was Vanhoover, as well as the city itself, and was involved in everything to do with thunderstorms, regardless of whether or not they were created naturally or by weather ponies, and while flying with these ponies, he was able to amass a great wealth of new information which would come in handy as a junior storm maker. As he walked onto the balcony of his apartment, being greeted by the fresh, warm air upon stepping out onto the small concrete platform suspended over a hundred feet above ground level, with nothing but a thick, wingtip-high pane of glass keeping him from falling off the edge onto the street below, he observed the bustling city before him, the visible few of it's many intersections and streets filled to the brim with buses, taxis and carriages. He glanced upwards from the small strip mall right in front of the apartment complex, home to a small movie theater, a video store and a Nipponese restaurant which he begun to frequent immediately after arriving in Vanhoover, past several buildings, some of which were several stories taller than his own apartment complex, fixing his gaze onto a large bank of cumulonimbus clouds building up at least twenty miles away, signalling the arrival of today's thunderstorm.

Walking back into the apartment, Storm turned on the old television set in the living room and attempted to tune in to the local news station, KVHV 3, just to be sure of the weather forecast despite having been told of it at work.

"...as you all may know, over the past few days, we have been bearing the brunt of this huge system of supercell thunderstorms which are all pouring into Vanhoover bay from the Western Ocean, all of which are remnants of a Category 3 hurricane out there at sea." explained the weather mare on the television screen, a kiwi green unicorn mare with an auburn mane wearing a pink dress, who stood in front of a computer generated map of Equish Coltumbia projected onto the wall behind her, subdivided into what seemed to be around twenty-twenty five counties, all of which had their county seats labeled on the map. She then begun gesturing towards around five weather systems, displayed on the map according to the amount of rainfall carried in each part of the storm. "As Equestrian naming conventions do not allow for the naming of a hurricane until it impacts land with sufficient energy and force, our hurricane out there at sea was never named and dissipated within about a week of forming, although preliminary observations suggested it may impact the Haywaiian Islands."

"Thunderstorms will be moderate to severe in nature and precipitation is anticipated to be very heavy, leading to possible localized flooding, but according to some of the top members of the Vanhoover weather team tasked with monitoring these storms, they pose little to no risk of tornadoes. In spite of this continuous succession of thunderstorms, carried up here by the West Equestrian Current, temperatures will remain high and the weather will clear up over the weekend as a large swath of high pressure from further inland moves here. Right now, temperatures in Vanhoover are a warm 82 degrees, but as today's storm passes over, expect them to plummet to around 60."

"That's a relief." Storm remarked as he continued watching the news report on TV, despite knowing he didn't have much time left before he started work. "It must be warmer here than it is in Cloudsdale right now."

"Rainfall will be moderate to severe but won't last very long, possibly around twenty-thirty minutes, whilst wind speeds are expected to hit 50 miles an hour, speeds which are high enough to knock a flying Pegasus off course."

"Should be fun..." Storm groaned before he flipped the remote, allowing the television set to turn off and cool down. He stood up off the couch he sat on, and gazed around the living room, which was considerably darker than it was five minutes earlier when he turned on the weather. He turned towards the open balcony door through which a gust of wind entered the apartment, before turning to look out of the window. The sky was now enshrouded in dark gray cloud, which was borderline black closer to the horizon. Although patches of blue sky could be visible to his east and west, the brewing, towering behemoth of a thundercloud easily stole the show.

"Time to go to work." Storm's stomach churned violently as a rumble of thunder echoed through the air, bouncing off the many surrounding buildings before making its way into Storm's ears.

By the looks and sounds of it, today's storm had arrived.

---

"Stormfire, keep up!" yelled the muffled voice of the weather patrol captain, who having been educated in weather from an early age was tasked by Clear with keeping Storm and two other trainees safe, as well as leading the main cloud-busting group through the thunderstorm as one member of the team surveyed the storm, something Storm was unfamiliar with as he had never did it back in Cloudsdale. Leading the group through the storm which raged in the skies above Vanhoover, the captain of the patrol team, a stallion by the name of Microburst, was obviously a pony who knew his stuff, being the leader of a team of highly trained weather ponies whose main duties were cleaning skies by busting through clouds, which was something Storm used to do for a while back in Cloudsdale before quickly being relegated to the cloud manufacturing department of the factory. As Storm, wearing an orange helmet with a plastic visor over his eyes and a built-in microphone used to communicate with the others attempted to follow the group, raindrops lashed at him from virtually every direction there was, carried in part by strong gusts of fifty miles an hour, and lightning crackled across the dark gray sky, striking the spires and lightning rods on the roofs of Vanhoover's tallest landmarks as forks whilst punctuated by loud bangs of thunder which rang in Storm's ears. Finding it hard to stay on course without raindrops being blown onto his face seemingly every second or the constant crashing of thunder claps echoing in his ears, Storm realized that this storm, out of all the ones he had flown through was easily one of the worst, a possible super-cell thunderstorm minus the tornado-forming wall cloud which often developed naturally in these storms. A mixture of rainwater and sweat trickled down his face as he charged through the air hundreds of feet above Vanhoover's busy financial district, glancing down several times at the streets beneath him, which were jammed with ponies pulling carriages as they desperately tried to get home. His body overflowing with adrenaline which surged through his veins, he felt like flying faster in order to catch up with the rest of the group, but deep inside he knew that the faster he was to fly, the more of a chance he'll have of getting struck by lightning, which had happened several times in the past, especially whilst he was still learning how to fly. Knowing the risks of flying in severe weather, especially the idea of being knocked out of control by the high winds and spiraling towards a building as a result, as well as receiving second and or third degree burns on his wings from lightning strikes, which was something he had experienced a couple times before after being struck by lightning, he decided to maintain a constant speed of just below 50 miles an hour, which was what he considered his speed limit. "You don't want to be caught out in this weather! The faster we destroy the storm cloud, the quicker we get back!"

"I'm right behind you..." Storm wheezed into the microphone he had built into his helmet as his burst of speed begun to wear off, his heart beating wildly within his chest, before a large bolt of lightning suddenly erupted before him, striking the Vanhoover bay beneath him and lighting up the murky water in that area, before it quickly vanished and was replaced by the roaring of thunder. "WOAH!"

"What did I tell you, recruit?! Keep the buck up, and take a good look around you! If you do, you might just get home in one piece."

"That was terrifying." Storm panted as his heart beat slowed down. "Honestly."

"Is this your first time flying in a storm?" asked Microburst, slowing down for Storm.

"Nope." Storm shook his head as he caught up with the stallion. "It's just that I don't remember flying through something this...violent before."

"Well, I can tell you is that storms in Equish Coltumbia are known to be pretty rough, yet at the same time rarer than in other parts of the country, such as the midwest, which is where I'd assume you're from judging by your accent." responded Microburst, before a lightning bolt lit up the sky behind them, seemingly on cue. "Our thunderstorms are generally more severe than the summer thunderstorms you experience in the midwestern and central provinces of Equestria, but we don't get nearly as many tornadoes forming as you guys usually do. Just to know what we're dealing with exactly, we survey our storms first before we bust them. Everything is measured, from maximum windspeed and cloud rotation, to precipitation and air temperature differences before and during the storm, and based on these measurements, we classify our storm as being either Class A, or single-cell, Class B, or multi-cell, or C, aka super-cell. From what I can tell, this is most definitely either a strong single-cell or a very weak super-cell. Familiar with these terms, recruit?"

"Mostly." Storm admitted.

"Well then. Fortunately, our storms, like most thundershowers, generally last around half an hour before either moving away or dying out. That is, unless the thunderstorm is a supercell, in which case, they can last for hours and cover a 20 mile radius, hence why we need to clean this bastard up before it causes flooding or any wind damage. What did you do here before? 'Cuz I don't think I've met you before."

"Well, for the first couple of days, Clear merely monitored my physical state by subjecting me to all kinds of tests, most of were pretty easy. From the weekend onwards, however, she decided to move me to the main weather team, where Polaris taught me how to identify potential tornado-forming storms and distinguish them from the rest." explained Storm. "And right now, it looks like I'm here."

"Makes sense, alright." smirked Microburst. "You know, Polaris was in the Air Force, before he was honorably discharged, and Clear...well, she's been here as far as I can recall."

"He was in the Air Force?"

"Yep." grinned Microburst. "He served two tours in the Griffon Empire during the war."

"Impressive." Storm smiled. "I find the military very fascinating."

"You know, Clear gave me a copy of your records from... Cloudsdale? I must say, based on what they told us about your flight skills, I'm actually surprised you aren't in the Air Force yourself."

"Really?" gasped Storm. "You think?"

"Yeah." replied Microburst. "But then again, here at Vanhoover we're always looking for future weather ponies."

"That's nice." Storm joked. "Well, what's the plan?"

"Well, right now we're gonna have to get through this cloud before we start anything." chuckled Microburst. "Then, after I brief your teammates, I'm either going to have somepony monitor you or I'm gonna do it myself. I'm really interested in seeing what you can do, Stormfire. Have you done this before in...Cloudsdale?"

"Kinda, at least for a while." Storm shrugged. "Although I was moved to a different department pretty quickly, so I'm not as experienced as I should be."

"I think we're almost out of the storm, boss!" shouted a weather pony from just up ahead of them as the gray sky begun to grow lighter and lighter towards the distance. The rain seemed to ease up a bit, and the wind seemed to grow calmer as well as the skies lightened into a shade of blue.

"Once we exit the storm cell, I'd like you all to stop flying." ordered Microburst through his microphone. "Then you will all be briefed."

Upon flying out of the thunderstorm, the clouds quickly broke and Storm and the other weather ponies were immediately greeted by a beautiful blue sky, as well as a seemingly-instant rise in temperature, which wasn't much at all but it was still noticeable. The howling winds also virtually ceased in an instant, and at a safe enough distance from the cloud, Storm gazed back in mid-flight at the towering cumulonimbus, the top of which appeared to spread out into the shape of an anvil as it touched the boundary of the lower atmosphere. The weather ponies, kept in mid-air by the constant flapping of their wings came to a halt and gathered around Microburst in a semi-circle formation, awaiting his orders.

"Alright." begun Microburst, looking at the group of weather ponies in front of and around him, including Storm, who hovered to his left. "So, now that we've surveyed the storm, I'd like to see our results."

"Here you go, boss."

"Ah, well then..." he begun, as he gazed down at the tiny, hoofheld device he had just been handed by the weather pony tasked with surveying the storm. "it turns out that today's storm is in fact merely a strong, Class A-rated single-cell thunderstorm, in the early stages of dissipating. According to these readings, no rotation was observed within the cloud amongst other things, but precipitation levels were high, therefore we should get rid of this cloud ASAP before it causes any flooding, which is unlikely might I add but still possible. No need for us to issue any weather warnings like some of you may have done earlier during the week, as this storm is dissipating as I mentioned earlier. All you gotta do is just simply clean this storm up, which would take you about an hour and a half, depending on how fast you fly, and by the time you're done, it'll probably be around three. Please remember that this is a team effort, so I'd like you all to work together whilst busting the storm, not like what happened last time, where some asshole refused to do his job because somepony else took his part of the cloud. Remember, we may be strong as individuals, but we're even stronger as a team. If somepony takes your part of the cloud, just find another, untouched area and clean there. How far have we traveled, Atlas?"

"Roughly about 12 miles off the coast of Vanhoover, heading towards the southwest."

"Perfect." grinned Microburst. "Okay then, before we start, I'd just like to introduce you to a new member of the weather team. His name is Stormfire and I'd like all of you to make him feel as welcome as possible."

"Hi Stormfire!"

"Nice to meet you!"

"Hi guys." Storm smiled at the other weather ponies, the vast majority of which were mares who ogled him constantly and giggled amongst themselves as they became especially fixated on his large, muscular wings.

"Anyways." Microburst suddenly butted in. "Time to clean this sucker up. All of you, get into formation. Storm, you stick with me; I want to see what you can do."

"You got it, sir." Storm nodded, though with a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he wondered how this was going to play out.

Without a moment to spare, the weather ponies quickly got into formation, with Storm staying close to Microburst, who oversaw the operation, and with his blessings, the group quickly made a beeline towards the storm cloud, which towered just less than a mile in front of them as it slowly moved eastwards towards the coast. Not thinking twice, Storm followed the group himself, beads of sweat trickling down his face as he flew into the storm cloud, which cast its shadow on the ocean below. Immediately after entering the storm, the blue sky quickly morphed into a shade of dark gray, and they were greeted by thunder and lightning, as well as by violent torrents of rain lashing at them from seemingly every direction there was, carried by increasingly strong gusts of wind. Storm found it hard to concentrate as the raindrops slammed against his visor and could tell that the others felt the same way, watching as the weather ponies who flew next to him pushed through small sections of the cloud, which faded away into the surrounding air upon impact, whilst also attempting to withstand the elements.

"Storm, don't just fly there!" yelled Microburst from his left, having just caught up with him. "Do something useful!"

"Like what?"

"Fly through the bucking cloud!"

"Okay!"

"If you don't know what to do, just observe what your teammates are doing."

"Sure." Storm nodded, before turning to face his right, watching as a mare pushed apart a section of cloud with her hooves, which also faded away into her surroundings. "Looks easy enough!"

"Well then, try it!"

"Okay!" Storm suddenly flew upwards. His hooves outstretched, he pushed through a large section of cloud and spread it apart, causing small sections of it to disappear. "Told you it was easy!"

"Well then, help the others!" replied Microburst from at least twenty feet below. "We want this cloud erased from existence by three!"

"What's the time right now?"

"1:58! Like I said, you better hurry the buck up!"

"Okay!" responded Storm, before suddenly banking towards the right and up into another part of the cloud, one which surprisingly enough was completely vacant, allowing him to clean as much of the sky as he possibly could. With a cunning smirk on his face, he flew right through the masses of condensed water vapor, which vanished almost instantly upon impact, and within five minutes, a large patch of blue sky could be visible. Letting out a surprised gasp upon noticing just how much of the surrounding cloud had dissipated, he flew through more of it, adrenaline flowing through his veins and arteries like surging floodwaters as what he learned during the few cloud busting sessions he partook in, as well as what High Wind had taught him before returned to him. What felt like a few minutes later, the remaining clouds in that section of sky broke, enabling sunlight to seep in from outside. "So," begun Storm, grinning proudly at his doing. "What do you think?"

"Impressive." smiled Microburst. "How long ago did you last take part in cloud busting exercises?"

"I don't know." Storm shrugged, facing downwards at the choppy, yet decidedly calmer ocean water below. "Probably a good few years ago, and even then I didn't really do much. I guess it just came naturally for me."

"Makes sense alright." Microburst wiped the sweat off his forehead with his hoof, before pulling it out from beneath his visor. "You're still good though, I can tell you that."

"Thanks." Storm smiled. "I honestly didn't think I had it in me. What should I do now?"

"Just continue with what you were doing." replied Microburst. "I'll be keeping an eye on your progress, alright?"

"Sure."

That having been said, Storm quickly returned to cloud-busting. Being under the constant watch of Microburst, he helped some of his fellow team members with cloud-busting, and his efforts quickly gained their recognition and approval, though in spite of this, Storm, being ever the perfectionist, still felt he could do even slightly better. Yet, the faster he flew, the more exhausted he became, and soon enough, he found himself struggling to get the job done, however, he persisted, and by 2:50 PM, much of the storm had virtually vanished from existence. By 2:55, the remaining section of cumulus cloud left over from the main storm was also no more, enabling the weather ponies to return to the factory.

"Good work, everypony." Microburst smiled at his team, all of whom panted heavily after flying at what appeared to be the speed of a bullet ripping through the air, Storm included, as they hovered above the ocean, gazing at the sparse assembly of clouds in the distance, the massive, ten mile-wide cumulonimbus cloud being virtually nonexistent. "Especially you Storm."

"You think?" Storm turned to face him.

"Definitely. How long ago did you last take part in a cloud-busting exercise again?"

"Probably a few years ago." Storm replied. "I can't really say for sure, but what I can say is that I didn't really do much."

"Well then, maybe with Clear's permission, I can have you take part in some more cloud-busting exercises." Microburst proposed. "What would you say?"

"Sounds fun enough."

---

About half an hour after fully erasing the thunderstorm from existence, the team of weather ponies returned to the weather factory, which overlooked the city dramatically, just in time for their lunch break. Upon landing, the team took a long, good look at the mostly clear sky over Vanhoover, the sunlight reflecting off distant glass buildings in the core of the city twelve miles away, and congratulated each other on their efforts, including Storm, who felt he did a pretty good job himself in spite of the fact that he had not taken part in such an exercise for a few years.

After drying off, the team, as well as the recruits who were interning on it entered the cafeteria, which was emptier than Storm had originally anticipated it to be.

Having bought himself just a cheese sandwich as well as a can of pop from the canteen, instead of sitting next to his teammates, Storm sat next to some other recruits, most of whom were transfers themselves from other parts of the country.

"Hey Storm." smiled one of the recruits, a Unicorn stallion from San Prancisco by the name of Golden Gait, who was on Storm's team for the team-building exercises.

"Hey guys." Storm returned the smile as he placed his tray onto the table. "Holy shit, that was amazing."

"I know, right?" grinned Flashblade, a Pegasus stallion from Albuquerquhay, New Marexico who specialized in cloud-busting himself. "I'd do that again a million times over."

"Same." replied another Pegasus stallion by the name of Red Blizzard, a transfer from Coltlumbus who apart from specializing in winter weather was also on Storm's team during the exercises. "I can't wait for us to do those simulations again."

"What simulations?" asked Storm as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Didn't Clear tell you?"

"Some of us have already done them before." Golden replied, before taking a bite into his sandwich. "Basically, what happens is you are subjected to various extreme weather scenarios, including blizzards, heavy rainstorms and hurricane-force winds, weather conditions which get worse with every simulation. The reason why we take part in those tests is for them to monitor how accustomed our bodies are to different types of severe weather, how well we react to changes in our surroundings."

"Ooh." Storm smirked, his interest piqued. "Tell me more."

"Sorry man, but you'll just have to find out for yourself." Red Blizzard replied. "Believe me, they're most definitely worth every second of your time."

"When do they take place?" asked Storm.

"From what I've heard, there's a couple taking place tomorrow through to Friday." Flashblade replied, before biting into his pizza slice. "Then again, Clear should've told you in advance."

"Is she the one that's organizing them?"

"Yep." replied Golden Gait. "Maybe she's just busy lately."

"Yeah, probably." replied Storm, clicking open his can of pop. "That may explain why I haven't seen much of her lately."

"Any plans for today, dude?" asked Flashblade.

"Not really." Storm shrugged. "Probably gonna fly back home after eating lunch."

"Ah."

"Hey guys." Red begun, pointing towards a pair of mares walking between the tables. "Look who it is."

"Huh?" Storm asked, turning back to see who it was, before one of the mares noticed him and waved in his direction. "Lilli? What about her?"

"I think she has the hots for you, dog." Golden Gait replied.

"How can you be so sure, Gold?"

"Isn't it obvious from the way she looks at you?" Red Blizzard asked, watching as Storm gazed in her direction.

"Huh?" Storm asked, fixating his gaze onto Lilli, who smiled a friendly smile, which he returned as she sat down at her table. "Oh."

"I think you guys really suit each other." smirked Red Blizzard.

"That's ridiculous." Storm scoffed, turning away from her. "I already have a marefriend back home in Cloudsdale."

"Really?" Gold asked. "What's her name?"

"Blue Night."

"Really pretty name." Flashblade commented.

"Yeah, she sounds like a blast."

"Yeah." replied Storm. "She's amazing, honestly. I really wish she could have come with me, but that wasn't, and still isn't possible."

"All I can tell you is that you should give Lilli a chance." replied Flashblade. "I knew a dude who used to date her, and they were inseparable. Lilli is like, the nicest mare in Vanhoover, man."

"I appreciate your concern, but honestly, I can't give up on Blue." Storm sighed.

"Who says you have to give up on her?" asked Red Blizzard. "You can keep this relationship a secret."

"I don't know, honestly. It just doesn't feel right, me cheating on her. Y'know."

"Take your time, dude." Golden replied. "It doesn't have to be instant. You can still take the time to get to know her."

"The company would do you well." Blizzard proposed. "I mean, you are on your own, am I right?"

"Yeah..." Storm replied. "I still don't know what to say though. I really miss Blue, you guys."

Author's Notes:

So, after what feels like an eternity, I'm back with a brand new chapter. Yay!

30. A Night With Lilli

"So, basically what you're saying is that you prefer the company of some out-of-town mare to that of Lilli's?"

"In short, yes. We've dated for several years, and I love her and miss her dearly."

"Aw, boo hoo. Come on, so what if you have a marefriend already? It's not like she'll find out."

"Shut up, Blizzard." Storm threw him a deathly stare as he begun to consider moving tables, although knowing that the two recruits, Flashblade having left home about ten minutes before, he sat next to would probably follow him there for the sole purpose of simply pestering him further, he decided not to take that risk and instead waited for the finishing bell to ring, enabling him to finally leave and head home. "I like Lilli, as a friend, but don't for once think that I find her hot. Come on, can't me and her maintain a simple friendship without it automatically becoming something sexual? I told all of you so many times that I won't make a move on her, and yet it still doesn't appear to have gotten through your skulls."

"Sheesh dude, you don't have to date her if you don't want to," Golden Gait groaned in frustration before taking a bite out of his sandwich, having attempted several times to convince Storm to go on a date with Lilli, all to no avail. "What we're trying to say is that Lilli is a much, much better pick than that mare of yours."

"Oh please," Storm scoffed, before taking a sip of his soda whilst continuously eyeing the clock at the wall above the doors to the cafeteria carefully, watching as the larger hand slowly neared the number '12'. "Tell me, man. What does she have that Blue doesn't?"

"The looks." Blizzard begun, smirking slightly as he watched Storm's face wrinkle and eyes squint as his blood begun to boil. "Lilli's so hot, the laws of thermodynamics can't explain her. Show me a picture of Blue, and maybe I'll end up changing my mind, though mind you, it's pretty unlikely I will."

"The personality." Golden Gait added, having finally finished the sandwich he bought at the canteen. "Sorry, but your Blue seems a bit bland and shallow in comparison. Lilli's just a really fun, down-to-earth mare."

"Blue's actually quite the opposite of what you say she is." Storm gnat his teeth as his anger begun to overtake him. "She can do things you assholes can only dream of."

"Like what?" Blizzard asked. "Go ahead, enlighten me."

"Well, she's easily one of the top fliers in Cloudsdale." Storm begun. "Earned her cutie mark during a nighttime cloud-busting session carried out during a thunderstorm, at a pretty young age no less. She's also a very talented musician, skilled on several instruments, but most importantly, she's a wonderful, incredible pony who I am pleased to have as a marefriend."

"Your description is a pretty sappy one to say the least. But what else can I say?"

"Come on, man. Those are just a few of the reasons as to why I love her so much." replied Storm. "If you don't like me going out with her, tough. Just buck off and leave us both alone."

"Oh." a smirk flashed across Golden Gait's face as he allowed the words Storm had just uttered to seep in. "Did you really just tell us to buck off?"

"Tough words, Shitfire." Blizzard replied with a sneer. "Especially coming from you."

Truth be told, at that point in time it seemed nearly impossible for Storm to get through to the other recruits, who were becoming more persistent with each passing minute, about why he loved Blue, and as he watched the minutes tick away on the overhanging clock as the hour slowly passed, he came across the sudden realization that maybe these ponies weren't great friends after all, especially considering the fact that he had to swear at them to get them off his back. His heartbeat raised as his eyes skimmed the table the group sat at, observing the stallions sitting across from, and slightly to his right, as threatening and angry glares formed on their faces.

"Yeah, I think I did." replied Storm, before taking a gulp. "You guys got a problem?"

"Hey man, I thought we were friends..." Blizzard replied with a mock pout on his face, before squirting some soda at him from within his bottle.

"I thought we were as well, that is up until you started calling my marefriend out for supposedly being less pretty than the mares you know." Storm spat as he wiped his mane. "Come on, you guys. The least you could do as friends is accept the fact that I won't cheat on my marefriend, no matter how much peer pressure gets put on me."

"Well then, you're a coward, and you're as blind and as narrow minded as a bat pony." Blizzard scoffed, before stomaching the last remaining gulp of his soda, after which he tossed the bottle into the nearby trash can. "It's called polygamy. Educate yourself."

"No thanks, I'd rather not." Storm sighed, as he stood up out of his seat, not wanting to take this conversation further than it had already went and instead wanting to get home as quickly as he possibly could. "I do happen to know what polygamy is. I don't need to educate myself."

"Come on, Stormfire. Be a stud!" Golden replied. "Just like we are! You can have every mare in the world at your hooftips! Don't be such an uptight little shit like you already are and just enjoy life. You only live it once, so make the most of it!"

"Hey Blizzard." Storm narrowed his eyes onto the stallion, preferring to ignore Golden's decidedly stupid comment. "What's more cowardly in your eyes? Preferring to stick with one mare instead of hanging out with five each night, knowing that by doing so you'd end up ruining your relationship with that one mare, or dating three or four mares at the same time whilst knowingly and willfully cheating on the mare you truly love, as well as not being able to bring yourself to tell her about your other lovers whenever you come back home? If you've picked my first option, you're way too immature to understand relationships, and therefore, too immature to commit to one, because the way i see it, that's not what a relationship is about."

"Eh... really, who gives a shit?" Blizzard asked.

"Tell you what, Stormfire." Golden begun. "You go out on a date with somepony that's way out of your comfort zone, just one date, and me and Blizzard here will leave you alone. We'll stop picking on your previous little marefriend and leave you, her 'protector' alone."

"Is that a deal?"

"You have our words," Golden replied, putting a hoof on his heart. "Ain't that right, Blizzard?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Blizzard shrugged in response, as he raised his hoof into the air. "We have a deal. We promise to leave you alone if you go out on just one date with Lilli."

"Alright then." Storm groaned. "You talked me into it. When should I do it?"

"Anytime you want," Golden replied. "Though do it before Sunday."

"Yeah, you have until Sunday," Blizzard replied.

Uttering inaudible and incomprehensible words of disgust and frustration, Storm stomped out of the weather factory towards the edge of the cliff on which it sat on, as his mind went over what the other recruits had been constantly pestering him about, having droned over about how 'uptight' Storm was and how he should date more mares for at least twenty minutes. Letting out a sigh, he shifted his gaze towards the watch he had strapped around his hoof just to know exactly how long that conversation took, and just as he had initially suspected, the conversation had lasted for at least half an hour, maybe slightly longer than that, for the time on the watch showed as 4:15 PM. Having hoped to leave at least fifteen minutes earlier, Storm let out a frustrated sigh as he gazed at the skyline of Vanhoover in the distance, like always enshrouded in smog, but also in a very thin veil of light from the sun as it slowly set behind the towering skyscrapers towards the distant horizon and as it reflected off particles in Vanhoover's humid air, which still felt surprisingly warm in spite of the city having experienced a thunderstorm of truly massive proportions just around an hour earlier. His eyes scanned the city like a living surveillance camera, which appeared more dense towards it's populated and bustling core of towering skyscrapers, shopping malls, and other amenities, all of which he hoped to make use of in due time as he slowly assimilated to life in Vanhoover.

Yet with ponies like Blizzard and Golden Gait, albeit to a much lesser extent, the process of assimilating to life here was going to be a difficult one. Though he saw them as friends at first considering that they were all recruits waiting to join, it seemed to him that just earlier today, they had shown their true colors, proving to Storm that they were nothing but womanizing jerks, who, being too narrow-minded to realize that Storm already had a marefriend of his own were instead constantly bothering him about getting a new marefriend during his time in Vanhoover, even going as far as to say that if he did get one, Blue would never find out. Declining their proposition, at first as respectfully as possible trying at all costs to remain civil and polite, Storm was instead met with the notion that he was an 'uptight little shit', according to Golden Gait. Storm, was in fact, anything but uptight; he was noted to be among the small circle of friends he had at Cloudsdale as being quite a fun, talkative guy who liked to let loose, but was also quick to anger, especially when somepony he loved or cared about was being harassed or badmouthed by other ponies, especially ponies like these. Though they weren't harassing her directly, a surge of anger still overwhelmed Storm as he was forced to listen to their narrow-minded complaints about Blue, as well as the arguments they threw at him about why she wasn't a good marefriend in their eyes. Had they been outside, he would have most likely been pushed to his absolute limit, something that couldn't had happened to him within the confines of the cafeteria as it more than likely would have ended with him getting kicked out of the factory and sent home if a brawl between them did in fact, break out.

His anger and resentment towards the stallions still sitting in the cafeteria slowly subsided after a while, followed by an overbearing sadness and longing to be back home, a feeling that he had very rarely, if ever experienced before in his life. But maybe, as he came to the realization that he was over two thousand miles away from his childhood home, as well as the few friends he made during his high school years had they not moved themselves in the time he had been away for, especially his marefriend, he realized the feeling was a pretty valid one.

"Oh, Blue..." he sighed as he stared down the edge of the cliff, which was at least a couple hundred feet high towards a patch of woodland bypassed by a busy road, as of yet remaining untouched by the constantly developing city which spread outward from it's core at the coast. "I miss you so much."

"Hey."

"Huh?" his head shot up and he turned to his side. "What are you doing here, Lilli?"

"Well, I just saw you standing over here and decided to ask you about why you were here." she shrugged. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Storm lied, before gazing towards the city in the distance. "Really."

"You don't seem very fine to me..."

"Just had a long day at work."

Shoot, another lie.

"Come on, Storm." she pleaded. "You can tell me. After all, we are friends."

"Well..." he paused before letting out a sigh. After drawing in a quick breath, he continued. "I just miss home, y'know."

"I see.." Lilli nodded sympathetically, before resting her hoof on his shoulder. "Who do you have back there?"

"My mom, my sister, my brother, my dad... my marefriend."

"Well..." she replied. "I'm certain they all miss you and would love to see you again."

"How can you be so sure?" Storm inquired.

"I don't know." Lilli replied. "Maybe it's just that familial love... The love of a mother, that of a father, the longing of siblings for another member of their kin to return. It's pretty beautiful if you think about it."

"That's nice and all, but I think I told you already about my dad."

"Stop it." she shook her head in mock frustration. "He misses you too. Don't deny it."

"Yeah, well, if he really did, he'd have sent me a letter, he'd have attempted to reach me." Storm explained, knowing that out of the few weekly letters he had received so far from his family, as well as from Blue, none of them listed High Wind as a sender.

"You mean, he hasn't tried communicating with you since you've arrived?"

"Nope."

"Oh." her ears pined down. "Well then, I'm sure he still misses you."

"I highly doubt that." Storm sighed, before outstretching his wings like a bird of prey. "Though I'm enjoying my time here, I just don't feel very much at home. Maybe it'll take some time, but I'll more than likely get used to it."

"Storm..." Lilli paused for a moment, before getting a hold of herself. "I think I know what could cheer you up."

"Yeah?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Me and my two friends are going out to catch a movie at the theater." she begun. "Another mare, Moonlight, was also supposed to come, but unfortunately she ended up falling ill with the feather flu."

"Ugh, that sucks."

"Yeah..." Lilli let out a sigh. "And so we have a spare ticket available and I was just wondering whether or not you want to come."

"I don't know..."

"Come on, it'll be fun! It's one of the highest grossing movies of the summer!"

"Uh, what movie is it?" Storm inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure it's called 'Midnight Love'." Lilli explained. "It's one of those rom coms that have been really, really popular at the box office lately."

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of that." Storm replied. "Its that romance film starring Flashing Lights and Bright Star, right?"

"Yep."

"Yeah." Storm grinned. "Finally got something right. Though I didn't really get a chance to see it."

"I heard it's a really good movie though. So, what would you say?"

"Alright then." Storm nodded.

"Excellent!" she smiled. "It starts at 8:30 PM."

"Where abouts do I meet you and your friends?" he inquired, as a small breeze picked up his bangs.

"We can meet you at the train station here at about 8-ish." Lilli explained. "There's a movie theater here in Silverwood. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good." Storm nodded. "I'm sure I'll enjoy it."

"Do you have a phone?"

"Yeah, hold on, it's in my saddlebag." Storm responded by taking off his saddlebag and placing it onto the ground, before opening it and unzipping it. "Yeah, here it is."

"What's your phone number?" she asked as she stared at the small, rectangular device in Storm's hooves. "How about I just give you mine?"

"Sure." Storm smiled, before she told him her number and he typed it into his cell phone.

The train from Downtown Vanhoover barreled down the railroad towards the western outskirts and suburbs of town, bound for the city of Lakeside, located fifty miles to the east in the mountainous valley which flanked the city and the other coastal communities in the province. Sitting in one of the front cars, which was surprisingly more or less vacant, Storm stared out of the window he sat beside, watching as the train passed through several suburban areas, comprised mostly of housing and various small yet thriving businesses, interspersed with areas of patchy woodland as it traveled down an elevated track.

His phone suddenly rang. Pulling it out from within his saddlebag, he looked down upon the device for a second before answering it.

Hey Storm.

"Hey Lilli." he smiled. "I'm just on my way right now. Just passed Filliburne Station."

Excellent! Sounds like you'll be in Silverwood by around eight.

"Yep." he nodded, before turning to look out of the window at the sun beginning to creep down towards the distant horizon. "Are you there?"

The three of us are, yes.

"Sweet." he replied. "I'll be there in a moment. Alright then, I'll see you all in a bit."

Bye. See you in a bit.

"Yeah," he smiled, as he hung up and the logo of Storm's cell phone provider appeared on the small screen in place of the call menu. "See you later."

Sliding the phone back into the saddlebag, Storm attempted to make himself as comfortable as possible during the ten minutes he still had aboard the train before it reached Silverwood on the western fringe of the city. He turned to gaze out of the window, thinking about nothing in particular as countless homes as well as other types of buildings zoomed by, before the train passed over a fairly busy road, the Coltumbian Highway, a section of the much larger Western Highway from Vanhoover to Los Pegasus about 1,500, maybe 2,000 miles south spanning the length of the province. The train then entered another area of thick woodland, before all went dark for a few seconds as it passed through a tunnel, before shooting past more buildings, inching ever closer to Silverwood with each passing second as it traveled down the line at at least 70 miles an hour.

The train pulled into Silverwood just before six, and Storm stepped out of the car he sat in onto the platform, where Lilli and her two friends, both Pegasus mares waited next to the vending machines in front of the door to one of the restrooms.

"Storm!" Lilli grinned as she noticed him trudging along the platform. "Nice to see you could make it."

"Yeah, hey," Storm nodded with a smile. "Who are your friends?"

Lilli proceeded to introduce him to the two mares, one a lavender Pegasus an inch or so shorter than he himself was by the name of Star, the other being a tan mare with an Auburn mane by the name of Lightbeam.

"So, how did you both meet up?" asked Star, as they walked down the stairwell to street level.

"Well..." Lilli began. "It's a long story, but I'm sure we'll be able to save it for when we get back."

"Whereabouts are you from anyways, Storm?" inquired Lightbeam, a curious look having formed on her face.

"Cloudsdale." Storm replied.

"That's so awesome." Star smiled. "Did you know Lilli is going to study there?"

"Yeah." Lightbeam replied. "What was it like living in a city made entirely out of cloud?"

"I really enjoyed it." Storm replied. "Though I'm sure Vanhoover has just as much to offer."

"What exactly made you leave?"

"Uh..." Storm replied. "Well, I'm sorry but this isn't exactly a question I'm comfortable with answering right now. Sorry, Star."

"It's fine." Star smiled understandingly. "I guess it must be something pretty personal, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Storm nodded, desperately trying to switch the topic of the conversation to something more upbeat. "Anyways, what are your favorite genres of film? I personally really love me some science fiction. What about you guys?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, type of film."

"Well," begun Star. "I'm a fan of romance."

"I like anything with a little kick in it, y'know? As in, horror, action, science fiction...," Lightbeam replied. "I used to be part of the film club in high school, so I'm kind of a huge nerd when it comes to these things."

"What about you, Lilli?" Storm asked.

"I like this genre perhaps the most. I don't exactly know what it is about it that I like so much though," Lilli replied, before leaning in to whisper in Storm's ear. "Also, sorry if you're being overwhelmed with questions right now. My friends can get quite...loud."

"It's fine." Storm replied. "Truth be told, I legitimately don't mind it. Kinda been needing the company lately."

"That's what you're here for, isn't it?" Lilli asked, nudging him playfully. "So, how have you been enjoying Vanhoover so far?"

"So far, it's been great." Storm replied. "Surprisingly better than I've initially expected it to be."

"Met any interesting ponies?" asked Star, before they turned left and crossed the road at the crosswalk.

"A few." Storm noted, taking into account the names of the recruits he used to hang out with, though not bothering to mention their names, for obvious reason. "Though they aren't ponies I'd hang out with on a daily basis."

"So, what music do you listen to?" inquired Lightbeam, as a theater marquee appeared in the distant street.

"Well, I'm a huge fan of metal music." Storm replied with a smirk. "Always been into it, I'd have gone mad if I didn't bring my tapes with me."

"Ooh." smiled Lilli. "That's what my younger brother listens to. He enjoys stuff like Maretallica."

"I generally prefer more artsy metal, like prog metal or power metal, to thrash." Storm replied as they arrived at the ticket booth beneath the marquee, his reply getting hold of Lilli's attention and interest. "I just love doing air guitar to bands like Dragonwing, dunno if you’ve heard of them, plus it just makes me feel awesome after listening. What kind of music do you all listen to?"

"Hold on." Lilli replied as she set her saddlebag down on the ground in front of the ticket booth, before pulling out four tickets from within it and passing them to the mare who sat at the counter.

"So, that's four tickets for Midnight Love?" inquired the earth pony mare sat at the counter.

"Yeah." smiled Lilli, watching as the mare took account of everypony standing in front or her, especially Storm who stood out mostly due to his height.

"Alright then." the mare at the box office smiled a satisfied smile. "Enjoy your movie, you four. It's screen 4."

Having entered the theater, the four ponies made their way through the lobby towards screen 4, and while Star and Lightbeam were busy discussing something of importance to them and giggling amongst themselves, Lilli saw this as a chance to talk to Storm.

"So," she began, glancing up at the slightly taller stallion to her right. "You say you're a fan of progressive rock?"

"Yeah." Storm smiled down at her. "I'm a massive music nerd, what more can I say? My older brother works at a music store and introduced me to some of the genre's finest."

"Oh, nothing nothing." Lilli returned the smile. "I'm a fan of it too, especially the band Dream Theater, which is perhaps my favorite metal band period."

"Oh my gosh, I love Dream Theater. Mike Portneigh is a monster on drums, and have you heard the Pertruchay guitar solo on Octavarium?"

"It's amazing, I know." Lilli chuckled. "What about the song Metropolis Part I, the one with that wonderful solo section?"

"That's a really great track. Lots of time signature changes, but nothing in my opinion compares to the track The Dance of Eternity. From what I know, somepony managed to count 126 time signature changes in that one song alone."

"Woah."

"Yeah," Storm laughed wryly. "That song is so difficult to master, it almost made me quit playing drums at one point. I had to play the entire thing on drums for a music exam I had not long ago at school, and the nuances and intricacies of that rhythm literally fried my brain. I'm pretty sure I needed counseling after I performed that..."

"You played the drums?" Lilli gasped. "That is amazing."

"Hay yeah." Storm smirked, as they approached the food counter, at which a stallion was tending to a married couple. "I'm not great at them though. Much prefer the bass guitar, though I'm not great at that either."

"Still, that is pretty impressive if you ask me." Lilli grinned. He's not just handsome... he's also a musician too.

"You never struck me as a metalhead, Lilli." Storm let out a chuckle.

"Yeah, I love metal." Lilli replied. "I have tons of metal cassettes and CDs at home, but that doesn't mean I don't listen to anything else. I'm also a fan of punk rock, as well as lighter types of rock such as pop rock or alt rock. In fact, the alt/indie band Saturday Night, is one of my favorite music groups of all time."

By then, the married couple, as well as Lilli's two other friends, had been served with popcorn and drinks.

"So, what are you two getting?" asked the stallion, his pupils shifting from the two friends standing in front of the counter to the soda machine next to where he stood.

Pulling out her debit card from within her purse, Lilli was the first to get served.

"I'd like a regular soda and regular popcorn to go with it." She replied, watching as the stallion got to work with preparing her snacks. "Storm?"

"I'll just have a regular soda." Storm replied, receiving a nod from the stallion, who begun to fill an empty cup with soda from the machine.

"Are you sure?" Lilli raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, positive." Storm replied. "I had pizza before I left, so I'm not that hungry."

"Alright then."

He then proceeded to sift through his saddlebag, looking for his wallet, but instead, Lilli offered to pay for everypony's snacks.

"I'll probably never get used to that." Storm muttered with a smirk on his face, being more accustomed to paying for both himself and any company. "What was that for?"

"Just a friend helping a friend." Lilli then proceeded to pick up her drink and her popcorn, which she was able to hold despite it being hard to do so. "So, you guys ready?"

"Yep!"

"Yeah!"

"Uh, I guess." Storm nodded as they stepped into the auditorium, just as it turned 20 past 9. "You didn't have to do that, Lilli." he walked up to her.

"Why not?"

"It was nice of you, but I could've paid for it myself."

"Storm, please." replied Lilli. "It's perfectly fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." she smiled at him as they walked through the open door into the darkness of the auditorium, in which several commercials, which would be followed by movie trailers and teasers later on, were projected onto the screen.

"Sorry, I'm just used to paying for both myself as well as anypony that's with me." Storm admitted.

"Hey, it's fine." she gave him another understanding, yet somewhat suggestive smile. "We are friends, aren't we?"

---

The film ended about two hours later, and the group of ponies left the theater, beginning to discuss the film as they headed off for their respective homes.

Although lacking many of the modern amenities that local multiplex theaters had this particular theater, The Silverwood, was a seemingly-integral piece of the puzzle that was Silverwood, being a local meeting place for the town's youth and a focal point for film enthusiasts around the area also. The theater — although having opened sometime in the fifties — was specially designed in an art-deco style so as to evoke images of a simpler time for the former boomtown's populace, a time when a good picture show could whisk one away from the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life if only for an hour-and-a-half or two. Lilli had also mentioned that another reason the theater was designed the way it was was for the town to reflect the nearby metropolis of Vanhoover—known across the west coast for its art-deco buildings—with which Silverwood had amalgamated in those years.

As they walked down the noticeably darker street, the sun having set behind the illuminated skyscrapers of downtown Vanhoover, the group of ponies decided to discuss the film they had just seen, with Storm deeming it mediocre, a feeling which was shared by Lilli, while the two other mares who had accompanied them to the movie considering it the best movie ever made.

"Well," Storm began, having remained silent for much of the walk from the theater in order to allow the mares to share their surprisingly vocal opinions on the film. "That... wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly great either. It was just...meh."

"And I thought I was the only one who thought that." Lilli chuckled slightly. "Seriously, while I don't think it's the worst thing ever, they ruined a perfectly good book. Everything was so sappy and corny... There was no substance or depth in the plot, the characters, especially the two leads, were paper-thin and undeveloped, basically it's your---."

"Your typical romantic comedy film." Storm let out a giggle, taking note of Lilli's surprisingly adept knowledge of film as he finished her sentence for her. "I'm guessing you were a part of film club yourself at some point."

"Exactly! The book this was based on, if you've heard of it, was edgy, was hip. This, meanwhile, was so watered down and so sappy...ugh," Lilli explained, a seeming look of disgust on her face. "And yeah, I was."

"Yeah, the book was pretty controversial for its time, or I've heard. When did it come out?"

"Sometime in the nineties, I don't know exactly when though." Lilli replied, as they approached the train station. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is that while it isn't the worst movie I've ever seen, it's pretty low down on my list."

"Same. Regardless, I really enjoyed the past couple of hours we spent together." Storm smiled as they walked up the stairs to the elevated platform.

"Likewise." Lilli replied, following him upstairs. "Do you have your return ticket?"

"Yep. It's in my saddlebag." Storm replied. "It was also nice meeting your friends too."

"They're bit of a hoof-full, I know." Lilli chuckled to herself as they both arrived at the platform, from which the weather factory could be visible on top of the cliff, a cloud billowing out from the towering chimney right on top of the main building. "Hey, thanks for coming by the way. I really appreciated it, I just wish I could repay you in some way."

"No problem." Storm smiled, as he removed his train ticket from within his saddlebag next to one of the benches. "And you don't have to. I really enjoyed myself."

"Storm, before you go." Lilli suddenly flashed a sultry and seductive smile, as she approached him. "I'd just like to try something."

"Lilli?" he asked, a fierce blush growing on his face as she walked towards him. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing...just something I wanted to do for a while, ever sine I first met you. how about this for repayment?" Lilli replied, before reaching out to kiss him on the cheeks, his cheeks both reddening. "I've said this before, but I'll just say it again; thanks for coming along with us."

"Yeah, no problem." Storm blushed, his world coming to a complete halt as he tried to process exactly just what had happened. Blushing fiercely and profusely as though his cheeks were on fire, he backed away slightly, his pupils narrowing down to the size of pinpricks as he realized just what had transpired between them; she had kissed him. "He he he."

"You alright?" Lilli raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Storm stuttered.

"That's good." Lilli smiled, before noticing the locomotive of a steam train, pulling several cars behind it, chugging into the station behind where Storm stood. "There's your train."

"Yeah--I-I think that's it." Storm replied, the blush having long faded from his face. "Thanks for, uh, letting me come."

"Thanks for being able to make it." Lilli shrugged as the train ground to a halt. "Wanna do this again sometime?"

"Uh, sure." Storm replied. "You have my number, so you know who to call. In fact, you wanna catch a movie again?"

"Yeah, sure." she smiled, watching as ponies climbed on board the train. "I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll talk then."

"Yeah." Storm replied, his blush returning to his face as he gazed longingly into her deep, magenta eyes. "See you." What the hay have I just done?

"Bye."

If Blue somehow finds out what happened today, I'm screwed.

Author's Notes:

So, after countless weeks of work, I'm back with chapter 30 :3 FYI, I'm pretty sure this is the exact halfway point of the story, which is kinda cool. This chapter was also inspired by moviemaster5810's brilliant story 'Worlds Apart', which you can find and read on this site.

The songs 'Octavarium', 'Metropolis Pt. 1' and 'The Dance of Eternity', which are mentioned in passing and discussed by Storm and Lilli are property of the band Dream Theater, a wonderful prog metal group well known and beloved by music fans all over the world for their technical skill and the complexity of their music. Maretallica, as you all may know, is a pretty obvious parody of Metallica, while Dragonwing is a somewhat more subtle parody of the power metal band Dragonforce, best known for their 2005 hit 'Through the Fire and Flames'.

A huge, huge thanks to my good friend Thunderblast for proofreading this chapter. You are literally the epitome of awesomeness, dude. Thanks so much.

31. Entering Vanhoover (Part III)

That night...

"Oh shit, I messed up big time." slamming the door behind him, Storm muttered under his breath as he walked into the living room of his apartment, before throwing himself onto the couch and landing face-first on a set of pillows. "I am so screwed. Like, what the hay was going through my mind when I asked her that? What the hay will Blue say if she finds out? Oh man, why did I even accept her invitation?" Turning towards the coffee table he laid next to, Storm brushed away his messy hair with the only available hoof he had, before picking up the framed picture of Blue he had placed there with that same hoof. "Well, at least those idiots at the dinner table won't bother us anymore, huh? Oh, shit. Who am I even kidding?" he let out a sigh as his mind slowly went over the events of the day that had just passed, starting from the moment the other recruits sitting at that table begun to pester him about getting a new marefriend, and ending at the moment during which Lilli kissed Storm at the train station completely out of the blue. Up until that point in their friendship, he had seen her as merely just that, a friend, and frankly speaking, that was what he initially hoped they would remain, only going to catch that movie with her simply because one of her other friends was too sick to make it there herself; had that not been the case, Storm would have more than likely ended up simply flying back to his apartment for another evening of writing letters to loved ones, eating pizza and watching movies airing on TV. In spite of this, his night out was certainly interesting, with him having met two fun mares who were talkative, yet great company as well as having gotten to know Lilli a bit more, whom it turned out shared some of his interests, mainly that in progressive metal music. However, the more he thought about it, he came to the conclusion it was also safe to say that Lilli might just as well also had...other reasons to bring Storm along to catch the film, not just because she noticed he felt somewhat depressed. A thought, a suspicion of her having a crush on him crossed his mind at one point, but he quickly ended up dismissing it as just that; a silly little crush. Nothing more, and nothing less, especially considering the fact that he already had a marefriend of his own whom he wasn't going to give up on.

"But how can I explain the fact that she kissed me? I mean, she didn't just give me a quick peck on the cheek, she reached in and kissed me. Like, gave me a freaking Prench kiss. And surprisingly enough, I enjoyed it... maybe she reminded me of Blue in some way? I don't know...ugh..."

The more he thought about what had happened, he quickly found that the same strange feeling from earlier lingered constantly within him, and while he initially tried to dismiss said feeling and simply get to sleep, he knew that he needed to somehow address it and do something about it. At first, he dismissed it as nothing more than just his gut working overtime to process all that extra pizza he had eaten upon returning home, but he soon realized it was something else entirely, as the more he thought of that moment they both shared at the train station, just before his train into town arrived, the more obvious and noticeable the feeling became. It felt like butterflies soaring in the confines of Storm's stomach, their wings flapping more violently and excitedly the more he thought about her and that little kiss she gave him. He gasped, his heart virtually stopping and his cheeks flaring up in a dull red as he did so. He couldn't have been. The idea of that happening was ridiculous in his eyes, considering that he was already taken; to him, it just didn't make any sense, but yet, the more he pondered over what had happened that day, the more he asked himself a certain question.

"Am I in love with Lilli? No, no, no. I can't be; I have Blue and she's all I've ever wanted. Well.. I guess I'll just have to tell her about Blue before she decides to take this even further. But when should I do so?"

In order to take his mind off things, he decided he'd start writing a letter to Blue.

Dear Blue
Training's been taking a huge toll on me lately, and it looks as though it's only going to get worse in the few days I've got left til the end of the week. but it's nice to finally cut loose and relax after a long day at work...

---

"Alright everypony, please take a seat. I'd like to give you all a warm welcome to your first weather simulator, a necessary requirement to fulfill during a weather pony's training." Clear begun, looking at a small group of ten-fifteen recruits, Storm included in said group, standing just in front of the closed doors leading into the training pool, above which a thick glass platform hung, probably magically reinforced, just like Guard armor and riot shields, as well as bulletproof vests worn in the military. Suspended about ten feet above the surface of the pool via tethers which connected it to the ceiling, the platform, encased in walls of reinforced glass housed a large fan on its left side, probably twice the wingspan of an average stallion in diameter, which based on Storm's present observations as well as what common sense told him was designed for one thing, and one thing only; generating wind. "Now, I know some of you will no doubt have participated in some exercises involving cloud busting and the like, for example, during that thunderstorm we had yesterday, but basically what we are hoping to do here is test your reactions to the weather conditions we are about to simulate, as well as study the general effect these severe weather scenarios have on your bodies. In short, we just want to find out how accustomed your bodies are to these weather conditions. This particular sim is a wind-based one and will simulate a rough and choppy sea, and if you make it past 100 miles per hour, we'll move onto reaction times."

"Just in case something were to happen to you..." begun a bespectacled stallion, walking out from behind the spectator stands, probably the weather factory's manager who performed a role similar to the role Tornado fulfilled back in Cloudsdale's weather factory. "...which I must add is a possibility, albeit a rare one, especially in this day and age, we have our best lifeguards on standby, ready to go in after you if something were to go wrong, so you're in good hooves."

"Well, what could go wrong?" Storm muttered under his breath, scanning the poolside as well as the ponies gathered just to get a rough idea of who the lifeguards were exactly before his mind went over different scenarios and possibilities as to what exactly could go wrong, most of them being quickly dismissed as improbable and ridiculous. Yet as Marephy's Law states, what can go wrong, will eventually do so.

Snapping out of his daydreams, his heart dropped to the ground upon noticing that one of the lifeguards was Lilli, who noticing him standing in that crowd of mares and stallions, gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned after a quick moment. "I just need to find the right place and opportunity to tell her..."

"You talking to yourself?' asked a shorter stallion, probably around 3' 7 or 8 in height, standing directly in front of him, watching as the first pony in the group walked up a set of steps leading up to the surface of the platform, walking past the giant fan before strapping himself into a harness, which itself was attached to the ceiling by a rope.

"Are you talking to me?" Storm raised an eyebrow, before his heart sunk to the floor. "Oh no, it's you."

"Yeah." replied the stallion, a stallion whom Storm had the displeasure of knowing, despite only having met him two weeks back; Red Blizzard. "You got a problem with that, Shitfire?"

"Well, you got me there." Storm replied in a wry chuckle. "Sorry, it's just a little habit of mine."

"I'd suggest you stop." the stallion shifted his gaze at him. "You have no idea how annoying listening to your murmuring is."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Storm smirked sarcastically in response. "What are even you doing here? I thought you were done with simulations."

"If I was done with them, I wouldn't be here." Red Blizzard shrugged. "So tell me, have you asked Lilli out on a date yet?"

"Piss off."

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you, asswipe," Blizzard growled. "I asked if you've invited Lilli out for a date yet."

"What's it to you?"

"Everything."

"If you care about her so much, then why don't YOU date her yourself?"

Gritting his teeth, Red Blizzard quickly attempted to come up with a valid response to Storm's question, but upon realizing that he couldn't he snaked backward across the floor tiles, muttering a single 'damn you' as he did so. "I told you that I'd leave you alone if you went out with Lilli for just one date."

"Actually, I did." Storm smirked. "More like, she did."

"What the hay are you talking about?"

"She invited me to catch a film with her." replied Storm.

"Wait, that doesn't count!"

"Aww, boo hoo." Storm made a mock pout face, trying to remain unfazed by his responses. "It's still a date, asshole."

"Yeah, but you were the one that was supposed to invite her!"

"Does it really matter who invited who?" Storm asked, beginning to get agitated. "It's still. A. Date! Why the buck are you so persistent?"

"Maybe I'm persistent, but you're a coward," Red replied. "You're just too scared to get out of your comfort zone, fearing you'll get rejected by your marefriend if you do. Coward, coward, coward...coward, coward, coward."

"Maybe I don't want to, have you ever thought about that?"

"And this is why ponies don't like you," Red growled. "You are so bucking boring!"

"And you're one shitty excuse for a workplace bully." Storm retaliated with a comeback of his own. "I am not dating Lilli, at all."

"Well then, I won't stop picking on you and Blue Night," Red smirked. "Either you go out with her by Sunday or I'll continue messing with you."

---

"Okay, Silver Lining. Are you ready?" asked Clear, gazing up at the Pegasus stallion whilst holding some sort of device in her hooves.

"Yes, ma'am!" he replied through a headset he was given in order to communicate with the outside world.

"Alright then," replied Clear through the microphone she had, before pressing a button on the device, which looked to be controlling the fan in some way. "Five miles an hour."

The fan whirred to life, although it generally remained pretty quiet at least for now, and the stallion's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as a slight gust of wind generated by the spinning turbine blades embraced him, lifting his mane up into the air and blowing it about.

"Don't be scared." Clear noticed him shuddering slightly as he stepped backward along the platform above her. "Nothing bad will happen. We just want to see how high a wind speed your body is accustomed to. The hard part will come later."

"Uh-huh."

"Fifteen."

"Twenty."

"Thirty."

"Fifty."

"Sixty-five."

"Seventy."

"Seventy-five."

"Eighty."

The maximum wind speed Silver Lining managed to withstand was eighty-five miles an hour, and at the end of the simulation he was struggling with walking without stumbling for a short while, yet the weather ponies were incredibly helpful with getting him offside in order to watch the others participate. Though he wasn't injured in any way during the simulation, the general effect that much wind had on Silver Lining was a real eye-opener for Storm, who considered sixty miles an hour to be the highest wind speed he was ever subjected to. Eighty-five miles an hour, a wind speed equivalent to that of a weak hurricane rated at Category 1, was within the boundaries of what a Pegasus pony could withstand, and Storm did find it pretty amazing that Pegasus ponies could survive that, having heard stories of Pegasi getting knocked out at seventy and having to be stabilized at hospital. For him, it just proved one thing and that thing was that Pegasi like him were adapted to and very likely had evolved to withstand harsh weather conditions over countless millennia, wind included, offered in various regions of Equestria, enabling them to colonize large areas of the country previously thought to be inhospitable, such as the San Palomino in the far south or the Hayvian Mountains spanning the entire western seaboard of Equestria.

Around six more ponies followed suit after Silver Lining, including Windward, all of whom managed to withstand similar wind speeds, the highest recorded being 90. Soon enough, it was Storm's turn to go onto the platform.

"Remember what I told you." Red murmured into Storm's ear as the latter walked by him. "Ask Lilli out. You the man, Storm. You the man."

"Don't worry man, you'll do great." Lilli gently nudged him forward, watching as he looked back at the remaining ponies. "Scared, huh?"

"Just a bit."

"Don't be; nothing's going to happen," Lilli replied, passing him the headset. "I've been in there once or twice before and I absolutely loved it. I'm sure you will as well."

"Thanks." Storm grinned back at her, before glancing down at his watch, which displayed the time as 3:30 PM.

Letting out a gulp upon taking the headset from Lilli, he climbed the few steps up onto the platform, which covered much of the surface area of the training pool beneath it, before strapping himself into the harness.

"so, Stormfire." begun Clear from below. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, ma'am." Storm quickly followed his statement with an uncertain and unsure gulp, wondering whether or not everything was going to go to plan.

"Okay! Five miles per hour. How's that?"

As the fan whirred to life yet again, a small chill made its way down Storm's spinal column, causing him to shiver slightly as a light gust of wind embraced him. "Yeah, I'd say that's good. Just a question."

"Yeah?"

"How much wind can this harness withstand?"

"From what I can remember, it was designed to withstand a maximum wind speed of 120 miles an hour." she said from below, before pressing another button on the remote control."Ten miles an hour."

The gusts generated by the fan picked up ever so slightly in speed, and Storm's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as he glanced upwards, noticing the rope to which the harness was attached to rattle and shudder slightly, swinging slightly forward towards the rear wall of the pool hall. Yet, just by taking a look at the rope and feeling its hard, rough, bumpy texture with his left hoof, he knew that nothing would probably happen. Yet the rope was very tense as well, and he could only imagine what could potentially happen if it had snapped at some point. Shifting his gaze slightly towards the right, he was slightly relieved from his worries when he noticed Lilli looking up at him through the glass with her reassuring smile. Something about her smile comforted him, yet he didn't know exactly what it was about it that was so comforting in nature.

"Twenty."

"Thirty."

"forty."

"Fifty."

"Sixty."

"Seventy-five."

"Looks like I just broke my speed limit..." Storm noted, embracing the increasingly heavy gusts of wind, surprised that he managed to reach hurricane force.

"Eighty. How are you doing in there?"

"So...far... so... good!" Storm yelled into the microphone, wondering how high of a wind speed he was going to withstand, feeling as though he was hit by a wall of wind.

"Ninety."

"One hundred miles an hour. Congratulations, Storm. You reached the fastest wind speed out of the ponies we've had so far!"

"That's...REASSURING!" he yelled out yet again, his voice being near enough drowned out by the violent gusts of wind, much of his fur, as well as his mane standing on end as a result of the high winds.

"Tell me when you want to stop!"

"Now!" Storm shouted before he closed his eyes and clenched his jaws shut, trying his hardest to withstand the intense wind. His cheeks reminded him of ripples of ocean water as the wind impacted them and beat them relentlessly and his long mane fluttered about in the air. "PLEASE!"

"Okay, hold on! Just a moment!"

Suddenly, there came a moment where he felt much lighter than before, one where he felt his movement wasn't restricted by the tense rope hooked to his harness. Storm's eyes quickly shot open and his pupils shrunk, noticing the rope which held him in place laying in a coil on the surface of the platform.

"No..." Storm felt his stomach churn as he was being pushed backward across the platform, before turning to gaze out of the glass pane to his right. "No, no! Help! HELP!"

"Clear, turn it off!"

"I don't know how!"

"Somepony find the power supply! Shut this bucking thing down!"

All of a sudden, he slammed into the rear wall of the enclosure, to which he became pinned by the relentlessly high winds. Feeling a crack in the glass behind him, which grew with each passing second, Storm let out a gulp, before clenching his eyes shut. He had never been this terrified before in his life, but he tried his hardest to comfort himself by telling himself that the glass was probably made up of many layers of the material sandwiched together. Yet despite this, the glass continued to crack, soon shattering into a million pieces in spite of supposedly being reinforced magically. Letting out a sharp scream, he plummeted into the deep end of the training pool below him.

"STORM!" Lilli shouted, her heart rate picking up to a dangerously high level just as he impacted the surface of the water with a loud splash. Without a second to spare, she jumped into the pool after him, watching as his body sunk to the bottom.

---

He tried to grab for air and make it back up to the surface of the pool, but he just couldn't stay afloat. The force of the impact alone quickly forced him down into the depths of the pool, and surrounded by small shards of glass which either bounced off of him or cut into his skin, as evidenced by a slight, yet stinging pain radiating through areas of his body, he tried to make do with what little oxygen he had left in his lungs. Gazing upwards at the receding surface of the pool as torrents of water begun to rush into his ears, he felt his eardrums pop as the water pressure quickly became higher than what he was used to. The chlorinated pool water which surrounded him at all sides took on a murky hue as he arrived at the bottom of the pool, the quiet whirring of the fan above him still being audible despite most of it being drowned out by the water which surrounded him for around thirty feet. He had never learned how to swim before, having never had the need to do so, in spite of the fact that swimming lessons were offered by North Cloudsdale High's physical education department, and yet, now that he lay in the depths of the abyss, he mentally regretted not taking those lessons when he had the opportunity to do so. Enshrouded by water and pinned against the bottom of the pool, Storm silently said his prayers as he prepared himself to meet his maker. Despite never being religious, at that point, knowing that this would inevitably happen to him sooner or later, he came to an almost soothing, ethereal state of peace, something that reminded him heavily of being cradled by his own mother, but he knew that right now, at this point in time, the circumstances were completely different. Throughout the eighteen years he had lived on this planet, he had never felt more at peace than he felt at that very point in time. He had never felt a more soothing silence than the one that surrounded him right now, as he approached what he was certain was his death.

If this is how I die---I can't die. I just can't. It's too early for me. he thought to himself, his oxygen reserves within his lungs dwindling as water rushed in through his nostrils. What little light he saw in his eyes quickly dimmed as his vision became blurrier and less clear with each passing moment, and the life began to fade away from Storm. As his life begun to flash before his eyes, he could make out the approaching shape of a swimming pony in the distance, before his thoughts returned to a time when life was simpler for him. He began to recall the moment he played his first hoofball game at the elementary school he went to in Griffsvale, which ended on a broken hoof and a two-week-long hospital stay. Chuckling slightly at that moment, his mind quickly fast forwarded to the moment he and his mom moved to Equestria across the pond on the first available flight back after the war ended, the moment he met and befriended Mist, perhaps the most wonderful stepsister he could ever have hoped for, the moment he met new friends upon starting school in Cloudsdale, how he came to terms with his mother's wedding to High Wind, the moment he started high school, and the moment he met and fell head over hooves for Blue during his first flight lesson amongst other memories that appeared in successive order, before the last of his oxygen was used up and his lungs expanded in his chest with the water inside them.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

---

Swimming through the murky, dark-blue water as fast as she possibly could, Lilli caught a glimpse of Storm's seemingly lifeless body lying at the bottom of the pool, his coat noticeably paler than it was before. Pupils shrinking in her eyes, she approached the stallion's body and gently picked it up, tossing it over her shoulder as it appeared to be much lighter than it was on the surface. A spurt of blood emanated from a small tear in his skin as she begun to make her way back up to the surface of the pool, carrying Storm on her back and trying her very hardest not to let him slip off and back into the water. The light levels increased as they neared the surface of the water, Lilli letting go of Storm's body and pushing it up out of the water and onto the poolside before she herself got out as well. Taking a good look around and inhaling as much oxygen as she possibly could in order to replenish what had already been used up, she felt her lungs expand and contract within her ribcage with every heavy breath she took. "Somepony... call for emergency services!" she yelled at nopony in particular, the other recruits having been removed from the hall before she knelt down in front of him and placed her ear next to his mouth in order to check for any breathing.

"Oh my gosh." Clear quickly rushed over to them. "No..."

"Mom...mom!" Lilli cried out, shifting her gaze up at the mare standing next to her. "Call for an ambulance, please. Please!"

"Alright, alright," Clear replied, before she pulled out her cell phone from within her jacket, having gone outside to switch off the fan's power supply. "Hello? Hello? Yes, I'd like to summon an ambulance. I have a pony here who has...."

"Storm..." tears rolled out of her eyes as she turned towards the lifeless stallion lying in front of her. "Come on, we've only just met. Come on, don't die on me."

The stallion remained in his supine position next to the swimming pool, his breathing having completely ceased.

"No, no, no!" Lilli yelled out before she gently pressed down on his chest with her hooves, a spurt of water splashing out from his mouth.

Clear suddenly rushed over to the stallion. "Oh, no..."

"Mom, did you call?" she turned to look at the mare kneeling down next to her, whilst continuing doing chest compressions on the stallion.

"Yep." replied the mare. "They're going to be here in about ten minutes. Have you checked for breathing?"

"Yeah." Lilli sniffled before pressing down on his chest further and quicker, more water rushing out of his mouth. "I don't know whether or not he has a pulse, but I'm not counting on it."

"How long has he been down there?"

"Probably around ten minutes." Lilli croaked, before continuing pressing down on his chest, this time slightly quicker than before, watching as more and more water rushed out of Storm's throat and out of his mouth, spilling out onto the floor.

"I'll check his pulse every ten seconds," Clear replied. "You be sure to continue chest compressions."

"Alright," Lilli replied with a tearful and uncertain nod, her magenta eyes appearing to ripple as they welled up with tears before she resumed compressing his chest. "Does he have a pulse?"

"No." Clear shook her head, having felt for a pulse at the boundary between his neck and his chest. Lilli groaned in frustration, before pressing down more and more rapidly on his chest, more and more water spilling out from within his mouth.

"Any pulse?"

"Nope."

"How about now?"

"Still no."

"No... we can't give up! He can't be gone!"

"He's probably lost quite a bit of blood too." Clear sighed, taking note of the cuts Storm had all over his body, before feeling for a pulse again. "Look at the cuts he has."

"Yeah, but..." Lilli pressed down on his chest slightly further as tears rolled out of her eyes. "We just gotta keep trying."

Suddenly, just as Lilli pressed down even further on his chest, a small cough was heard. She paused, before reeling slightly backward as she noticed his chest rising and falling, the previously limp and pale body of her friend beginning to twitch and jolt.

"Storm?" she asked, trotting up to him as his eyes opened and he began to splutter and cough violently before she hugged him tightly. "Oh, Storm... Oh gosh..."

"Oh, my gosh he's breathing."

"What..." he paused to take a deep breath in, before spluttering out more water he had within him as his vision cleared up. "...happened to me? Where am I?"

"You're okay..." Clear replied. "I thought you were dead...We both did."

"Was I...in the pool?" Storm blinked twice, before suddenly flinching backward from a sharp pain which radiated throughout his body. "Agh..."

"We need to get you to a doctor," Lilli replied. "Stay down, alright? Don't move an inch. You're bleeding pretty badly, the glass must've went in pretty deep. Plus, we don't know how much water is inside you at the moment."

"What exactly happened?" Storm asked, his heartbeat increasing, before coughing violently yet again. "Please... tell me."

"I'll tell you later on, alright?" replied Lilli, noticing the paramedics arriving on the scene through the open emergency exit. "I'm sorry, but this is neither the time nor the place for me to do so."

"Lilli, please..."

"I'm sorry, Storm. I'll tell you later. Keep still, alright? You lost quite a bit of blood."

"Clear? Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well, I don't want you to freak out or anything," Clear replied. "So, I'll tell you when we get to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Storm muttered, noticing that some ponies dressed in white and carrying a stretcher were approaching them.

"Storm..." sighed Lilli as she knelt beside him. "What happened is that you almost drowned."

"I drowned?" he raised an eyebrow, before turning to his left to see glass floating on the surface of the water. Shifting his glance upwards, he noticed the shattered remains of the rear wall of the weather simulator, and his heart sunk into the back of his own body. "What?"

"You heard right," replied Clear. "The rope holding you in place snapped and you were pushed through the rear wall of the enclosure... and you fell into the pool. Truth be told, I never realized just how deep this bucking thing is until now."

"So, what happened up there was my fault?"

"No, it wasn't," replied Clear. "Please, don't say it was your fault because it wasn't. What happened there was just a matter of happenstance. This particular simulator has been known to freak out at times to put it lightly, and we thought we've had it fixed."

"But who exactly pulled me out of the water? Who revived me?" Storm inquired.

"I did." Lili smiled.

"You what?"

"You heard me." she smiled. "Mom also helped out."

"They're gonna patch you up at the hospital and just monitor your vital signs for a while before before they let you go," Clear responded. "Words cannot describe how sorry I am for what had happened, and as a result, I will give you a week of medical leave, as well as personally pay for your medical care. You'll return to work in a week's time, and we'll find something else for you to do instead of weather simulations... I am truly sorry for what happened, Storm."

"Thank you, ma'am." Storm replied, before turning to face Lilli and Ward. "And thank you... I'm just wondering as to how I could ever repay you both for what you did."

"Well, you don't have to," Lilli replied. "I just did what had to be done...I did, what I felt any friend would've done. I didn't think twice, I just followed my instincts."

"Same here," Clear replied. "Being the supervisor, I take full responsibility for what happened back there."

"Wait a moment." Storm murmured, before trying his hardest to stand up on all fours, but the pain was overbearing.

"Storm, i told you to stay down," Lilli replied. "Just don't move a muscle. You don't want it to hurt."

"Yeah..." replied Storm, hissing in pain. "Lilli?"

"Yeah?"

"Was there any other reason as to why you brought me along for that movie yesterday? Any other reason as to why you rescued me?"

"Well, Storm..." Lilli sighed, placing her hoof on his chest, before a unicorn paramedic picked him up via a magical aura so not to hurt him in any way, placing him onto a nearby stretcher, which was then picked up by two Pegasi. "I'll tell you this on the ambulance."

"No, you can tell me now."

"I really care about you... I just don't want to see you hurt in any way," replied Lilli, walking alongside the stretcher.

"You do?" Storm asked.

"Yeah." she gave him a tender smile, just as they walked out of the emergency exit. "I really like you, and by like, I mean... you're just... uh. How can I explain it? I have a crush on you, and I've had it since I first met you."

"You do?"

"Yep," Lilli replied. "You must think of me as being pretty foolish, huh?"

"No, of course not." Storm shook his head, wanting to tell her about Blue right away. "I just...never mind. You remind me very much of a mare I knew and loved in Cloudsdale."

"What was her name?"

"Blue Night." Storm replied.

"That's a nice name." Lilli smiled. "She was really lucky to have somepony like you."

"Yeah..." he let out a sigh, just as the stretcher he laid on was placed in the back of an ambulance, Lilli and Clear both climbing on board to join him and the doctors just before the doors were slammed shut. "...thanks."

"My pleasure." Lilli picked up one of his hooves and held it in hers. "Does it hurt?"

"Yeah..." Storm replied as he gnat his teeth. I guess now would be a good time to tell her... "Listen... I gotta tell you something."

"Yeah?" she recoiled back into her upright position, letting go of the bloodied hoof she gripped. "What is it, Storm?"

But then again, she did save my life...for that alone, I'll be forever in her debt.

"Well..." Storm sighed. After what happened, I can't just throw her away... especially since she did pour her heart out to me as well. "I guess all I wanted to say was thank you, yet again... I really appreciate it."

"Hey..." Lilli gave him a reassuring smile, before turning to look out of the window, watching as the weather factory receded into the distance. "I did what I had to do... so it's cool. All that matters right now is that you're alright."

"Well..." Storm noted. "I wish I could repay you in some way."

"Like I said, you don't have to do anything," Lilli replied, before reaching in to give him a kiss on the cheek, a blush forming on his face just as she pulled away.

"Lilli?"

"Yeah?"

"When this is all over and done with and I'm out of the hospital, would you like to..." his voice suddenly trailed off. "...out somewhere with me?"

"...you mean, like on a date?" Lilli suddenly raised an eyebrow, her face turning a dull red.

"Yeah." Storm nodded.

"I'd love to." Lilli grinned.

"Well then, once I'm out, wanna go catch another movie?"

"Of course."

"Well then, I guess that's settled."

What in the hay did I just do?

Author's Notes:

A huge thanks to Thunderblast for pre-reading this.

32. Vigilance

A week later...
Having finished a routine medical checkup at the local health center which took up most of the day, Stormfire made his way through the rather compact yet bustling suburb of Silverwood towards the train station located at the intersection of Easton Street and Greenwich Avenue, the busy main road bisecting much of the district. Walking down the sidewalk through a literal traffic jam of ponies many of whom were returning home from work, Storm was forced to pay attention to curious glances taking note of areas of continually-healing tissue left over from last week's incident at the pool. Having undergone two surgeries earlier on in the week to remove the shards of glass lodged deep within his coat and to patch up any open wounds, in spite of the awkwardness of the situation all Storm could do was simply ignore them and move on, his eyes set on the elevated train station a half mile towards the north down the street. However, his anxiety levels spiked the moment he noticed a trio of unicorn guardsponies standing in front of the donut shop across the street, two of whom gave him curious yet clearly disapproving and suspicious glances, probably assuming he had gotten himself into some kind of trouble or into a brawl. Silverwood was in some respects a smaller version of inner-city Cloudsdale. A place of many contrasts, Silverwood was noted all over Vanhoover for both its surprisingly high crime rate and for the impressive, panoramic views it offered of the distant city core.

His pupils shifting towards the watch on his hoof, Storm picked up the pace slightly upon noticing the present time, 6:16 PM, which left him 10 minutes before his train into downtown was to arrive. As he attempted to make his way through the crowds of ponies along the street, most of whom were going in the opposite direction to the one he was headed in, Storm felt a droplet of water land on his muzzle. As it trickled down his muzzle before dripping off onto the concrete sidewalk, a chill traveled down his spine upon hearing a low rumble of thunder echo through the air, before more rain began to fall. His head tilting slightly downwards as a large swath of dark gray cloud moved in front of the sun, he noticed the previously dry, crisp sidewalk become progressively wetter with even the smallest raindrop impacting it. Letting out a gulp as the air became filled with the sound of sharp, stinging torrents of rain as well as that of countless hooves trudging down sidewalks, his gaze shifted upwards to notice a towering cloud having enveloped much of the sky, the previously azure horizon in the distance having become almost black in the space of what seemed to be less than ten minutes.

"Ah, shit..." Storm muttered under his breath as ponies who walked past him opened their umbrellas, his mind flashing back to the moment he was told by Lilli and Clear at the hospital about a planned thunderstorm set for today. "Forgot about the thunderstorm they planned for this week."

Another loud, heavy rumble of thunder rang in his ears as Storm arrived at the train station at least two or three minutes later, his coat dripping with rainwater, and letting out a tired grunt and sigh, he marched up the flight of metal stairs leading up to the main platform, shivering slightly as he felt embraced by a gust of noticeably cooler wind coming from the north, which seemed to instantly plunge the temperatures in the area by at least a few degrees from a previously comfortable 82. Walking up to the ticket counter followed by two or three equally-drenched ponies, Storm paid for a one-way ticket to the central station in Downtown, and not wanting to stand out in the cold, the platform being sheltered from the rain itself by a sloping glass roof protruding from the main building, he decided to make his way to the cafe, where he would buy himself something to eat and drink for the short trip home.

Having purchased himself a cup of warm coffee with some spare change he had in his wallet, the mere feel of the warm, paper cup in his hoof instantly soothing him, he made his way across the platform to one of the vacant benches located just next to the railroad. As he bit into the sandwich, he felt his wing being tapped from his left, but initially chose to pay no attention to it, but after two more successive taps, the urge to respond became greater.

"Huh?" he asked, quickly rotating his head to the left and reeling slightly in the opposite direction along the cold, metal bench. "Lilli, what are you doing here?"

"Hey." she smiled. "How did your checkup go?"

"Good." Storm beamed, allowing Lilli to sit down next to him before drawing her mane back from in front of her left eye. "I thought you had a day off today, Lilli."

"I did, yeah," Lilli smirked in response. "I thought I told you before?"

"Oh yeah, so you did." Storm let out a hearty chuckle. "Sorry, my brain is literally fried right now. The doctors were literally bombarding me with questions."

"Took a while, didn't it?" she nudged him playfully.

"What, the checkup?"

"Yeah."

"Probably a few hours or so." replied Storm with uncertainty in his voice. "Your mom's paying my medical bill, isn't she?"

"Yep, it came in the mail this morning," Lilli replied. "She says she's lucky her insurer covered most of it, but the remaining amount will take at least up until Hearth's Warming Eve to pay off."

"I hope she knows what she's doing, Lilli." Storm explained, unease growing within his voice. "I don't want to be a burden on her finances or anything."

"Oh, stop it." she playfully nudged him in seeming mock frustration, although Storm could notice the worry in her voice. "Mom said herself that she's happy to help, so..."

"Well, alright. Hey, are you still up for our date on Saturday?" Storm inquired as he stared down at the slightly shorter mare sitting next to him.

"Yeah, probably." she beamed. "Where is it again?"

"Gio's Itailian, at 43rd and Seaview." replied Storm. "It's that pizza place close to the beach you've been really wanting to go to."

"Thanks for reminding me." she chuckled. "I love Gio's, especially the pizza and the risotto."

"I love Itailian in general." Storm grinned.

"I'm sure my mom won't mind us going, but I'll have to ask my dad just to be certain. He's like, super overprotective."

"Your dad?"

"Yeah." Lilli nodded. "Mom's going to a weather pony conference in Seaddle tomorrow. I was sure she'd have told you before."

"Oh, yeah... she told me something about that alright." Storm muttered under his breath. "So that's why I haven't seen her much this week."

"Yeah, pretty much... would you like to meet my dad?" Lilli asked, before quickly turning her head to notice a train pull into the station in the distance. "I think that one might be yours."

"Yeah, that's the one," replied Storm, before noticing the mostly-empty flatbeds being pulled behind the locomotive. "Shit...no it's not... what the hay is taking my one so long?"

"So, is that a yes?"

"Maybe... I'm actually surprised I haven't met your dad before."

"My dad, well, he's a Lunar Guard."

"He is?" Storm raised an eyebrow, just as the train passed them.

"Yep." Lilli grinned proudly. "Though what sucks is that he rarely has time off."

"Yeah, that sucks..." Storm muttered, watching as the train raced away into the distance before a sudden announcement sounded over the PA.

Mares and gentlecolts, we regret to inform you that due to a fallen tree on the railroad, the train service to Vanhoover Central Station has been delayed until further notice...

...we apologize for any inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue.

"Well, that's just perfect." Storm growled, just as lightning struck the spire of a distant skyscraper, illuminating the dark-gray sky for the briefest of moments before thunder rumbled through the air and burrowed itself into Storm's ears. "Bucking great."

"Sorry..." Lilli sighed, resting her hoof on his shoulder.

"It's fine, honestly." Storm shrugged. "Guess I'm stuck here for now..."

"Hey, do you want to spend the evening at my house until the storm passes?" Lilli proposed.

"Wait, you think that's a good idea?" asked Storm, just as the sky lit up around them for a moment, followed by a sudden burst of thunder.

"Of course." she nudged his chest gently with her hoof. "I mean, I don't want you waiting out here for your ride home, at least not in this weather."

"Alright then." Storm happily shrugged his shoulders, before turning to look to his right, noticing the rain picking up slightly in intensity, the individual drops battering against the sloping glass panes over the platform with their full force. "I'm not going back out into that though."

"Wanna just wait until it eases off before we head off?" she asked, her mane fluttering in the gusts of wind, before a sudden flash of light shone into the train station, dissipating within moments before quickly being replaced by the deafening sound of a thunderclap.

"How long is this storm going to last for, do you know?"

"Mom said it might last a few hours at most."

"Well, shit."

"Plus, it is fairly chilly out here, don't you think?" she inched slightly closer to him as they both stared out towards the distant northern suburbs of the city, mostly shrouded in a veil of cloud and rain. At first, Stormfire was slightly taken aback by this, still having his reservations and second thoughts about continuing their relationship further, not feeling particularly right about having two marefriends, but the warmth her body provided for him was enough to make him reconsider, at least for now. Unfolding his left wing, he wrapped it around her body and shifted slightly towards her himself, allowing her to nuzzle against his chest.

"Definitely." Storm looked down at her with a tender smile, but that smile., in fact, masked his true feelings of confusion and hesitance in continuing their relationship. "Alright then, you've talked me into it. Come on."

Cloudsdale, meanwhile...
As a slight, yet decidedly nippy breeze whistled through the single, partly open window in her bedroom, Blue sat at her desk overlooking the letter she had received from Storm earlier that day, her desk lamp keeping the room illuminated at a comfortable enough light level for this time of night. She didn't usually stay up this late, but the fact that tomorrow was her day off at work was enough to put her off sleeping, at least for now. Her eyes, shrouded in a light coating of crust, scanned each and every word written on that sheet of paper like some sort of living camera, and her heart fluttered with joy knowing that every single one of those words was sincere and true. This was her second time reading through the letter, yet deep down inside she knew the joyous feeling instilled by reading Storm's words was only temporary. The very fact that Storm was still wanting to keep in touch with Blue raised her spirits, yet this, unfortunately did very little to soothe the feeling of overbearing loneliness and that yearning for him to be back home which lingered deep within her heart, a feeling which plagued Blue ever since he moved to Vanhoover. No matter the amount of letters sent between the two, they were still two thousand miles apart from one another on opposite sides of the country and at present, it seemed as though that was what it was going to be like for the time being. Blue knew full well that Storm did not resign himself to this fate and instead had other plans for his future, plans which she wholeheartedly supported along with most of his family, yet she did not wish to argue with his stepfather, the stallion who sent him away in the first place and instead chose to quietly accept what had happened.

"Oh, Storm..." Blue sighed in sadness before she turned down the music playing on her stereo and picked up a framed photograph of her coltfriend off the desk, a lonely tear dropping onto his face. "I just wish I could see you again."

Over the past few days, she had begun thinking long and hard about the discussion she had with Mist about saving up enough money to eventually buy a train or a plane ticket to Vanhoover and back, yet speaking financially, these past few weeks have been unbearably stressful for her. Instead of going towards her planned trip to Vanhoover, the vast majority of the funds she had raised so far through her now-full-time job at the weather factory went towards a wing checkup she was advised to undergo at the local hospital, on account of her displaying mild symptoms of the feather flu at work. After being checked out and prescribed medications, Blue had been left with a massive dent in her finances, and at one point her parents, and even Storm's mom, who had heard of her plans through Star, offered to at least provide some funding for the trip, though Blue ended up respectfully declining. Looking back now, though, she regretted not accepting their help.

"Blue, can I come in? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure, come on in." Blue let out a loud yawn, stretching her hooves as far as they could go before bringing them back in and standing up out of her desk chair. After a rather sudden, yet thankfully quick and mild sensation of headrush, she grabbed a single armrest with her right hoof and gently nudged the chair across the floor towards her windowsill. The door behind her, as if on cue, then promptly unlocked and swung ajar with a loud squeak, one that she was sure could have woken up at least half the household if it had lasted longer. "Ssh." she let out a sudden whisper, her heart skipping a beat as she noticed her elder brother standing in the doorway, who upon closer inspection was wearing his Navy uniform, immediately catching her attention.

"Sorry, Blue... forgot to oil those hinges."

"It's fine," she let out a quiet yawn. "I have a day off tomorrow, so I can do it for you if you want."

"I mean, I'd easily do it if...I wasn't busy."

"With what?"

"Blue?"

"Lone?"

"There's not much time to explain, little sister." he rushed towards where she stood, stopping just as their eyes met and locked. "I didn't think you'd still be awake by now."

"I've been reading." Blue smiled in response, gazing up at the elder stallion, her letter having caught the corner of his eye, although her cautiousness and nerve persisted. "Just got that letter from Storm today."

"How's he been doing?" asked Lone. "Settling into Vanhoover okay?"

"Yeah, definitely." faking a smile this time, she quickly glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. "I'd tell you more, but I'm really tired right now...what is it you wanted to talk about, big bro? And why are you wearing your uniform?"

"There's something pretty serious going on out at sea."

"What is it?" Blue asked, her heart rate picking up by the second as she stared blankly at the taller stallion. "Lone, tell me. Please. Is it that Griffon fleet?"

"You wouldn't understand---you wouldn't."

"I'll try my best to."

"I don't want to traumatize you especially..."

"Lone, please, what the hay is going on!?" Blue, confused and terrified, raised her voice at the stallion, though not enough to wake anypony up, scrutinizing him closely. "Come on, just tell me...please, you can trust me."

At that point, she noticed the stallion was struggling to hold back his tears, his body shaking and jerking violently before he finally got a hold of himself and tensed up.

"You know how I once told you I'll never leave your side, no matter what happens?"

"Y...yeah?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Well...it looks as though I'll have to break that promise... Blue...?" Lone replied, eyes glassing up as tears began to roll out of them. "You know what's going out at sea right now? With that Griffon fleet?"

"Uh huh..."

"Apparently this fiasco has gotten worse now."

"What happened?" Blue inquired, her lungs beginning to contract and expand within the confines of her ribcage. "How so?"

"The Navy vessels out there are struggling to hold them off, with many sailors either missing or reported as being KIA..." Lone explained, fear and uncertainty evident in his voice. "They want more ponies to go out there and provide backup. At this point the Navy is pretty certain these ships pose a threat, and though it'll take them two weeks to reach Equestrian shores, they aren't taking any chances with 'em."

"But...we signed a peace treaty with them several years ago," Blue replied, her face growing pale and her eyes going dead as her heart kicked into overdrive out of pure, unadulterated fear. "They wouldn't just do that..."

"I don't think they would myself, but they can be fairly unpredictable..." Lone replied, just as a loud series of knocks sounded on the door downstairs, startling both of them. "They're here for me...oh, sweet Celestia...they're here for me."

"---open up, please!"

"But, why you?" Blue asked, her eyes watering. "Aren't you meant to be on leave, big bro?"

"Blue?"

"Y--ye...yeah?"

"I'm being deployed..." Lone explained, eyes welling up with tears as he held his sister in his hooves, gently stroking her mane with his right hoof. "I'm being sent to a small, sparsely populated island out on the coast, I think it's called Gander Cove or something...from there I'll get deployed within about a week. We'll make our way out via the northern Equestrian waterways first...and that'll be me out at sea three or four days later."

"---they might not be home."

"No, they didn't..."

"They did..."

"They couldn't have..."

"The reason why I went to the airport earlier on today was for them to check up on me, prepare me for tonight..." Lone replied. "Blue, this is serious, and by serious, I mean---if I don't come back..."

"You only just came home...don't say that!" Blue embraced him tightly, her eyes overflowing with tears which trickled down her face. "You will be back...you will be. Please..."

"Open up, Lonestar. We know you're in there. Time is of the essence right now."

"Wake mom and dad up," replied Lone, abruptly letting go of the shorter mare. "Tell them I'm being deployed."

"I can't..." Blue wailed. "It's all too much for me...all too sudden."

"It's sudden for me as well," Lone sighed. "But it's my job...now go wake them up."

"Okay..."

33. The Scars Tell Everything

As the storm bore down on the unsuspecting suburb of Silverwood with its full force, Storm and Lilli raced across town through vast crowds of ponies scurrying to get home. Loud, unrelenting roars of thunder sounded periodically through the air as the two trotted through the streets, an unwise, yet frankly necessary decision on their part in their quest to get to her home and in turn, avoid the worst of the storm. Reeling at the shards of rain lashing against previously injured parts of his body, a drenched Storm glanced at his companion with a slight glare as if questioning her very plans at that point, though she simply turned to look at him with a reassuring smile on her face. It took a lot of persuasion on Lilli's part to get Storm off the sheltered steps leading up to the train station and onto the street passing beneath it, though at this point he was clearly regretting leaving.

If one thing was certain, it was that Storm was not a huge fan of severe weather, although at this point he wasn't willing to admit it openly. Though he enjoyed the occasional flight through a thunderstorm and was deeply fascinated by them when he was younger, the sheer amount of injuries he'd received from lightning strikes, or the near-constant rain being blown in his face by gale-force winds was enough to make him despise severe weather in general at times. Stormfire, as a weather pony was more suited to settled weather conditions, something which had been clearly mentioned in the documents sent from the Cloudsdale weather factory. Thankfully, the trot to Lilli's home did not last long, and upon turning left at an intersection, they had reached a residential area of Silverwood seemingly comprised of sprawls of tract housing overlooking the distant city core of Vanhoover.

"We're here..." Lilli panted with a smile on her face, wheezing and exhaling as the rain seemingly eased off after what seemed like an hour of endless hell. The sky around them, however did not seem to lighten up one bit.

"So, where abouts...do you live?" Storm also wheezed, a dull pain radiating in his side from all the running.

"A couple of blocks down the street..." Lilli replied, watching as Storm glanced up at the sign mounted on a metal pole across the street, reading as Coltlumbus Avenue.

"The rain's easing off..." Storm replied. "We should walk instead...what would you say?"

"Doubt it's gonna stay like this for long," Lilli responded, inching closer towards Storm. "Mom said this storm might last a few hours at most."

"Yeah, you said that before."

"Yeah," Lilli leaned closer in to Storm, who wrapped his wing around her body. "I'll have to introduce you to my younger brother... and to my dad, of course. I doubt my mom's gonna be here though."

"Why?"

"She's going to Seaddle, remember?"

"Oh," Storm let out a chuckle.

"My dad's cooking is awful though, I'll admit," Lilli herself let out a hearty chuckle. "I'll just make you aware of that since he's making dinner tonight."

"How so?" Storm asked, a sudden burst of thunder burrowing its way towards his eardrums, a sure sign the worst of the storm was still to come.

"You don't wanna know..." Lilli chuckled. "I'll just say this: one time, he tried making some kind of home-cooked spicy manticore steak and burned it so bad one of our neighbors actually reported it to the fire department. They thought it was a gas leak and ended up sealing off half the block."

"Sheesh," Storm chuckled in response. "Must've been pretty bad."

"You have no idea."

By the time they'd reached Lilli's home, a seemingly large and roomy abode located near the edge of the cliff on which much of the town was built, the torrential, lashing rain that made their race to her home an absolute nightmare had resumed. Thankfully, they managed to escape the worst of it by promptly taking shelter on Lilli's porch as it began to come down again.

Ringing the doorbell, Storm and Lilli stood in front of the door for what seemed to be several minutes, just as a strike of lightning illuminated the darkened porch at least for the briefest of moments. Then, the response came, but not from whom Storm expected. The door swung open, and standing in the doorway was a bespectacled Pegasus colt of fourteen or fifteen, an entire head shorter than Storm was.

"Hey Lils," the colt replied with a grin, before turning to look at her companion. "Who're you?"

"This, Jet Stream, is my coltfriend," Lilli grinned back, nuzzling against Stormfire who blushed in response. "Stormfire, this is my younger brother Jet Stream."

"Nice to meet you," Storm smiled, outstretching his hoof, which was promptly shaken by the younger colt. "Nice house you've got there, Lilli."

"Thanks," she smiled back. "It used to belong to my great grandma...if it's something that interests you, feel free to speak to my dad about it."

"Will do," Storm smirked. "So, Jet...mind if I call you that?"

"Of course not," Jet Stream shook his head. "So, you're Lilli's coltfriend, huh?"

"He sure is," Lilli nuzzled against Storm.

"I guess I am," Storm shrugged with a smile, taking a quick sideways glance at Lilli. "Can we...uh, come in?"

"Of course, of course!" Jet backed away into the foyer of the house, allowing ample space for them to get in. Upon entering the house, Storm was met with a pleasant surprise in the form of a near-instant rise in temperature. "Dad, Lilli's back!"

"Tell her to come in!"

"She also brought somepony with her!"

"Who is it?"

"You'll see!" Jet shifted up onto the first step of the staircase to their left. "Dad, is the power back?"

"No, I called up the utility company earlier on about it...they said they're being overwhelmed by calls right now but they'll have it restored by dusk at the latest, once the storm's moved on! I'll see if I can get the emergency generator fired up in the meantime, alright?"

"Did you guys get a power cut?" Storm inquired, glancing questioningly at Jet, who looked over them from his vantage point on the stairs.

"Yep," the teenage colt nodded. "Wasn't just us though. The whole street went dark about an hour ago and it's been like that ever since."

"Wow," Storm replied, just as a flash of lightning lit up the house for the briefest moment. "I had no idea this storm would be so rough."

"Same, to be honest," Lilli replied, nuzzling against him. "Hope it won't last as long as the Weather Administration said it would."

"How long did they say it'd last?"

"Three hours at most."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah, I guess we've been kinda needing the rain lately," Lilli smiled. "The storms we had throughout last week just didn't cut it."

"Ah."

Suddenly, the lights switched on throughout the house, and a low humming and churning sound coming from outside started burrowing its way into Storm's ears, just before the front door opened. "Hey, Lilli...whew..."

"Daddy!" Lilli threw her hooves around the stallion, despite last seeing him only a couple hours before. The stallion, slightly taken aback, returned the embrace and playfully ruffled her drenched mane before turning to look at Storm standing next to her. "Oh, this is my coltfriend, whom I've told you about...Stormfire. Storm, this is my dad."

"Hi, sir..." Storm outstretched a hoof, which was promptly shaken by the shorter stallion.

"You know, I didn't really imagine you as being this tall," the stallion chuckled, glancing up at Storm.

"Yeah, everyone tells me that," replied Storm with a chuckle of his own as thunder cracked outside. "Lilli's told me a lot about you, sir."

"Good things or bad?"

"All good, all good," Storm smiled.

"I was joking, you do realize that?"

"Yeah, I know," Storm replied, just as the stallion walked past him.

"Come, you'd be pleased to know that I am NOT making dinner tonight," the stallion smirked, his snarky comment being aimed at Lilli. "You like pizza, Storm?"

"Of course I do."

'I ended up buying two pepperoni pizzas at the nearby SaveMart earlier on, literally minutes before the storm started, dunno if you like those," the stallion responded.

"Yeah, those are really nice."

"Great." the stallion turned towards them just as they all entered the living room. "Also, my name's Windward."

---

--right now, we're getting large amounts of heavy rainfall over much of the tri-County area and while that in itself is unlikely to cause any serious problems aside from some localized flash flooding, I'd advise all who are watching this report to take extra care when outside. Severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued as far south as Delta and Red Rock, both over fifty miles away, and watches are in place for northern Maple Ridge County until 9 PM. Further south towards the Cascadia line, whereas, the weather will remain mostly clear throughout the night, with temperatures plunging to the low-50s or upper-40s even in some places. Tornadoes are highly unlikely to form though windspeeds of up to 30 miles an hour on hilltops and other exposed areas are anticipated by the Local Weather Administration here in Vancouver...If you're a Pegasus, flying is generally not advisable at this moment and comes with a whole set of risks---

"So, Stormfire," Windward began, picking up his pizza slice with a hoof as he looked at the stallion sitting across from where he sat, eyes glued to the gas-plasma TV on their mantelpiece as the weather forecast played on the local EBS affiliate. The burning logs in the fireplace roared and crackled, providing a wonderful and much-needed warmth to the home as the sky outside the window began to grow slightly darker than it had before. "Where abouts are you from exactly?"

"Cloudsdale, sir," Storm responded, picking up an uneaten slice of pizza off the chopping board in the middle of the table, its warm, meaty aroma making its way into Storm's nose. "Guess you could tell by my accent, huh?"

"Exactly," Ward nodded, before pausing for a moment to eat his pizza. "You know, I might have been born here, but I actually lived in Horseshoe Falls as a kid before returning up here with my mom back in the late 70's. That's near Cloudsdale, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's what, like 30 miles away?"

"Visited before?"

"Nope, though I've heard it's nice," Storm replied. "When was the last time you've gone to visit?"

"Eh, probably a good few years now," Ward responded, before downing his pizza with a full glass of pop afterward. "Went with Lilli and her brothers by train...it took us a good twelve hours to get there since we didn't take the express train, but I believe it was all worth it in the end."

"I heard it's nice," Storm replied, Lilli leaning in against him constantly. "Though I've never really had a chance to go."

"Yeah, the place definitely has a very medieval-ish charm to it, kinda like Ponyville or Canterville...and the falls themselves look stunning," Ward explained. "So, how's he been treating you baby girl?"

"Dad, please..." Lilli playfully rolled her eyes at her father and wrapped her wing around Stormfire, a tingly, yet rather nice sensation he had gotten used to throughout the past week or so, ever since they first began dating. "He's been amazing."

"I'll have you know I would never do anything to hurt Lilli, sir," Storm admitted, his heart rate increasing slightly.

"I know you won't, and please..." replied the stallion, his mouth filled with pizza, before taking a quick pause to swallow. "...call me Ward."

"You work as a Lunar Guard, don't you?" Storm inquired, before receiving a nod from Lilli.

"Sure do," Windward smirked as he looked at Storm. "Why?"

"No, it's nothing," Storm admitted. "Lilli told me you were one, plus I know one or two ponies who are probably still in the process of becoming guards, and I've always just wanted to know what it was like."

"Well, what can I say?" begun Windward. "It's a hard job, but it's also rewarding. I'm sure some of your friends in the guard would have told you just how difficult it can often be."

"How so?" Storm raised an eyebrow, catching a large, gaping scar on Ward's chest.

"Well, it does require a lot of physical and mental sacrifices to be made, that's for sure, but in the end, I personally believe it's all worth it," Windward replied. "I mean, what else can I say apart from that?"

"Dad's also been involved in the military," Lilli responded. "If you're into that sorta stuff."

"He has?"

"Sure had," Wind replied, before eating another slice of pizza. "I've even served a tour of the Griffon Empire around ten years back as part of the Marine Corps—that is before I got honorably discharged."

"Woah, that's really cool, sir," Storm replied.

"Yeah, it was alright," replied Windward, before pausing to take a quick sigh as he caught sight of Storm looking at his gash. "At first, that is."

"How so?"

"Well... I'm sorry, but I just can't tell you everything. It's a bit too much to even think about at this point," Ward responded.

"Oh," Storm's ears pinned down. "I'm sorry if anything happened."

"No, no, it's fine," Ward shook his head. "I've mostly gotten over my experiences by now...but there are just some things that I'll probably never get out of my system."

"Still, I'm sure your family's proud of you," Storm attempted to lighten the rather somber mood. "I mean, you did fight for our country after all."

"Yeah," he cracked a small smile. "That, in my opinion, makes it all worthwhile. Do you have any family members who were in the military?"

"My dad fought during the Griffon War in the Army," Storm replied, before his smirk faded away. "But he was killed in action before I was born...I've never even met him myself."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Windward sighed.

"Eh, it's fine," Storm replied. "It's all in the past, but truth be told, I really would love to have known him, even gotten a chance."

"I'm sure he would have been proud of you if he saw you today," Lilli wrapped her wing around his body, enabling a warm, tingly feeling to radiate inside him.

"You think so?" Storm turned towards her.

"I know so," she winked seductively at him. "Besides, why wouldn't he be? I mean, you're smart, you're funny, you're really talented...you're a great weather pony as well."

"Thanks, Lils," Storm smiled at her.

"Speaking of weather," Ward cleared his throat. "How's training been going for you? Good?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's alright so far." Storm replied, not wanting to go into detail especially about what happened in the simulator last week, but something told him Ward already knew of what happened.

"By the way, I heard about what happened last week," Ward replied. "That must've been terrifying, huh?"

"You bet," Storm let out a gulp. "I felt as though I was close to drowning there...but Lilli here saved me, and for that, I am forever in her debt."

"Aww..." she cooed.

"You'd be surprised to know that Lilli here is going to Cloudsdale in September," Ward smiled at both of them. "She's going to start studying Weather Theory at the University of Cloudsdale."

"I told him about that," Lilli blushed.

"Still, I couldn't be prouder of my baby girl at this point," Ward smiled. "I never had the chance to study at university, even though I graduated as an honor roll student at school...it just makes me happy seeing my own daughter fulfill her dreams, you know?"

"I'm really happy for her as well," Storm smiled at Lilli. "I hope she achieves whatever she wants to achieve."

"I do so as well," replied Ward. "And I know she will. Want me to get you some more pop?"

"Nope, I'm full up." Storm smiled in response.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

---due to the inclement weather, many flights to and from Vanhoover have been delayed; Bayview Municipal Airport has been closed outright whereas, with high winds creating conditions that have been difficult to deal with to say the least----

"Very well," responded Ward, turning to look at the TV with a half-empty glass of pop in his hoof, before changing the channel—this time, to a news outlet. "I have to go and get ready for work soon. Are you sure you don't want anything?"

"I'll pass."

---thank you, Ocean Breeze...we now go live to our correspondent in Manehattan, who has the latest news surrounding the naval standoff currently taking place out on the Antlertic Ocean.

"Dad, aren't you supposed to be getting ready for work?" Lilli frowned as the stallion found himself glued to the TV, watching as a dark brown-maned mare in a tan suit read out the news from an off-screen teleprompter.

"I'm just watching the news," he replied, not turning away from the screen above the mantelpiece.

---so far, the situation out on the Antlertic isn't getting any better, with countless sailors reported missing and several of the Navy's dispatched ships being heavily damaged. We have reason to believe that this is linked to the paramilitary force currently seeking to overthrow the government of the state of Griffonia, the Griffon Empire's largest and most important political subdivision. The Griffon federal government in Avion, currently pursuing its policy of militaristic isolationism, has denied any involvement in what has been going on for the past few days, as has Ajeristan, Minostan and several other nations who aren't exactly on friendly terms with us---

"Dad?" Lilli frowned, watching as the stallion standing in front of the television appeared to freeze in place, the glass he held in his hooves having shattered across the floor. "Dad? Dad?!"

"Oh gosh, not this again," Jet suddenly rushed in out of nowhere, probably having heard the shattering glass. "Dad!"

"Sir?" Storm asked, his heart skipping a beat as he rushed up to the stallion along with both Clear and Lilli. To Storm, the stallion appeared to be frozen in place and time, but a closer inspection revealed he was shivering and shuddering, tears rolling out of his eyes as his shuddering progressively became more intense and violent.

"Dad, it's okay," Jet rested his hoof on his shoulder as he attempted to calm him down. "Get a hold of yourself, please."

"Can't...I can't..." he murmured under his breath.

"Dad, please."

"No, no... no please!" he yelled, crouching down on his hind hooves, before covering his head with his forehooves. "I can't go back! I CAN'T! It's all too much! It's all too much! Don't take me back! Please..."

"Sir, it's fine. Please calm down," Storm said in a firm voice, crouching down next to Windward along with Lilli and Jet as he watched the stallion break down.

"It isn't! Those assholes will send me back!" the stallion turned towards Storm, shooting him a fierce, yet tearful glare, before slamming his hooves onto the carpet beneath him. "I can't go back!"

"They won't send you back," Lilli replied, tense yet somehow calm. "They can't do such a thing."

"How can you be so sure?! HOW?!" asked Ward, overflowing with anger and confusion. "What if they take this war to the streets?? What if I get sent to the front lines again? I'll never see either of you again!"

"Sir, nothing will happen to you, I know so," Storm replied, trying to remain calm himself. "This isn't war—if anything, it's just a bunch of morons trying to start a fight with us—and I doubt they're gonna start calling retired Guards into the military anytime soon."

"But you don't know that, do you?" Ward inquired, tearful and bitter after his sudden and intense outburst.

"Excuse me?"

"This is the Equestrian Military we're talking about here." replied Ward. "They'll do as they please."

---

"I'm sorry if my dad scared you."

"It's fine, honestly."

"But I can tell you weren't expecting that..."

"That? Nope," Storm responded as he sat at the foot of her bed, watching as she stared into the distance, probably at or somewhere close to her band posters hung up on the wall. "I'm sorry for asking...but is this common? I mean, I don't really know anypony who has panic attacks like that."

"The PTSD episodes?" Lilli replied with a question of her own, turning to briefly face him. "Somewhat... usually he's not like this, but he sometimes... has these really vivid, and recurring nightmares... of things he saw on the battlefield... other times he's fine up until a certain point where he just snaps... like what you saw earlier."

"Damn."

"Yeah..." Lilli sighed. "Though we do try to steer him away from potential triggers..."

"How's that been working out?" Storm inquired.

"As you saw earlier, not very well..." Lilli nuzzled Storm's chest. "Stormy, I'm just scared... scared he's right...that they'll send him back again. I don't want to end up losing my father. What's going on in the Antlerctic right now could be leading towards another war between Equestria and the Griffon lands."

"Who says they will?" Storm asked, wrapping his wing around her body in an attempt to console her. "Lilli, let's be honest, your dad's not the fittest stallion out there for military service. I'm sure the military doesn't deploy vets with PTSD... I mean, that just wouldn't be fair."

"But he's a Guard," she sniffled.

"But the Guard does know of his PTSD, right?"

"I think they do," Lilli continued nuzzling his chest as tears rolled out of her eyes. "I mean, I'm sure it was a Guard psychologist that diagnosed him with it."

"Well then, they would have without a doubt told his superiors about it," replied Storm. "And they would definitely have worked something out for him."

"I guess so," Lilli glanced up at him with an unconvinced frown, her eyes welling up with tears. "I don't want to lose my father, Storm... and I also don't want to lose you."

"Excuse me?" he frowned.

"Storm, you are technically eligible for the draft, and my guess is that if something were to happen between Equestria and the Empire right now, it'd only be a matter of time before you were conscripted yourself," Lilli replied, before embracing him tightly.

"But... I'm training to become a weather pony."

"That doesn't matter. I don't know what I'd do if I were to lose you. I'm just scared, Stormy."

"Lilli, I'm scared too..." Storm embraced her tightly as the thought of him being drafted returned to him. "But...let's hope for the best, alright? Right now, it doesn't involve us and I doubt it will."

Author's Notes:

So after god knows how long, I've finally brought this story back from the dead.

34. Portrait of a Lunar Guard (Part I)

Author's Notes:

Reworked October 2023

As the storm began to dissipate over the course of the next half-hour or so, the rain beating relentlessly against the windows of the home started easing, and although the occasional flashes of lightning were still visible along the distant horizon, the dark clouds that previously covered much of the horizon broke partially towards the west, revealing a wild, wispy evening sky up ahead. With the sudden return of electricity to Coltlumbus Avenue, the emergency generator powering the house throughout the duration of the storm was quickly shut off by Windward, plunging the house into darkness for a few seconds before the lights turned back on again.

As he swept up large shards of glass off the floor left over from Ward's panic attack earlier on, Storm's mind went back to that very moment and analyzed it constantly, and though he tried not to think too much about what had happened, he felt as though it would linger on in his mind for a long while yet. It was both a strange and frankly unnerving event for Storm to witness, although once he found out about the stallion's post-traumatic stress from Lilli he could in a way understand where he was coming from. War can be a tough experience to deal with and although Storm was no psychologist, it was pretty evident that he was being haunted by whatever it was he'd witnessed on the battlefields of Griffonia. Yet he would not dare to ask about it; he simply couldn't, as doing so would be both unfair and perhaps even cruel. Ward had clearly been through a lot and pressing him for information like that could risk more serious panic attacks and the complete breakdown of any trust Lilli had in him, to begin with.

Having emptied the dustpan containing the glass into a recycling bin outside the house, embraced all the while by a bitingly cool, northerly wind, Storm quickly made his way back inside through the living room, where he was met by Lilli, standing next to the doorway leading into the kitchen.

“It's cold outside, isn't it?” she shivered playfully as she watched him approach, following her statement with a 'brr' noise as the rear door slammed behind him.

“You bet,” Storm smirked. “You alright now?”

“I guess,” her ears drooped just as Storm began approaching her. “I'm still kind of worried about this whole thing.”

“Lilli, as I said before, I highly doubt he'll get deployed,” Storm issued a sigh, placing the dustpan on the floor behind the door frame, next to what he assumed was a kitchen cabinet. “I mean, he isn't the fittest stallion out there for military service, let's be honest.”

“Yeah, just thinking about it just unnerves me.”

“Then don't think about it,” Storm ruffled her mane playfully, grasping her shoulders. “Come on, Lils. The Marine Corps wouldn't just deploy a guardspony with post-traumatic stress, especially if they've been made aware of what it is he suffers from in the first place. I mean, I don't know much about the military myself, but it just wouldn't be fair if they did.”

“I hope you're right, Stormy,” Lilli replied uneasily, not entirely convinced by Storm's words as she nuzzled him gently. “I don't want to go through the pain of seeing him go again if anything happens.”

“Don't worry, nothing will happen,” Storm smiled comfortingly at her. “Whatever is going on out there doesn't concern us and I doubt it will. Our navy is superior to the Griffon navy in almost every sense of the word, while they’re still out there in wooden boats.”

“I guess you're right,” Lilli finally flashed a quick smile as she glanced up at him. “Maybe I'm putting too much thought into it.”

“Definitely,” Storm smirked as he ruffled her mane. “It'll all be alright.”

“By the way, my mom just called,” Lilli responded, taking a quick glance outside at the distant, setting sun just as the sound of clanking metal made its way into both their ears. “She says she landed in Seaddle safely and is at her hotel right now.”

“Good,” Storm smiled. “Nice to know she had a safe flight. I guess that's your dad ready for work, huh?”

“Probably,” Lilli replied, just as the clunking sound coming from the foyer of the house paused for a brief minute. As Storm listened in, however, he could pick up a quiet conversation taking place, presumably over Ward's cell phone. Raising both eyebrows as he listened in, his heart quickly skipped a beat as he took note of its subject — Ward’s earlier panic attack.

“It's perfectly fine, honestly...I just got carried away. I'm fine now...honest.”

“Of course I am, Clear! Come on, this wasn't the first time something like this has happened and it sure as hell won't be the last. You know I have my issues, right?”

“No, I'm not gonna ask them for some time off. Nothing ever happens in my patrol area anyways, so I doubt I'll have any more panic attacks tonight.”

“Yeah, yeah, everything's fine...Yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?”

“I love you too, and yeah, I'll tell Lilli and Jet before I go you said good night. Night, honey.”
-
“Lilli, Jet! Storm, you come over here as well!”

Storm and Lilli did what was asked of them and made their way to the foyer of the house, where Storm was quickly greeted with the sight of an armored Ward, the words 'VANHOOVER ROYAL GUARD' and his guard number engraved into the sides of the chest plate. Ward, despite the calm image he'd projected during the conversation he had with his wife over the phone only a minute or so earlier, was still shuddering and shaking like a leaf, which concerned both Storm and Lilli, as well as Jet, who was overlooking the situation from his usual vantage point on the stairs.

“What is it, dad?” Lilli asked concernedly.

“You feeling alright now?” Jet inquired.

“Probably,” Ward replied uneasily, something which was picked up by Storm. “Listen, I just wanted to let you guys know I'll be heading off to work in the next ten minutes.”

“I think you should take the night off, dad,” Lilli frowned. “Especially after that panic attack… I don't know, I'm just worried about you and I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you.”

“Yeah, I'm worried myself,” Ward sighed, raising a hoof to his head. “This PTSD seems to be getting worse with each panic attack I have.”

“Wait, hold on,” Storm interjected, left hoof shooting up into the air. “Don't you get medication to control your symptoms or something?”

“I do, and the pills I take do work, but sometimes, panic attacks and… just general bouts of fear can happen out of nowhere, I guess,” Ward replied solemnly as he gazed down at the floor. “Sorry if I scared you all earlier, especially you Storm. It was never in my intention to do so, but Lilli and Jet both understand what goes on.” His statement was quickly followed by two nods coming from both Jet and Lilli.

“It wasn't scary, it was just unnerving,” Storm admitted. “I don't think I've ever witnessed a panic attack like that.”

“You haven't seen anything yet,” Ward grimaced as he recalled a worse panic attack he once had. “This wasn't even the worst one I've had...Listen, Storm...I need some help.”

“Yes?”

“Well, see... I usually patrol a four-by-four block area here in Silverwood within the industrial area close to the airport, right?” Ward asked. “Sometimes I get a partner assigned, but most of the time I'm on my own, which is what I prefer in most cases.”

“Yeah?”

“Tonight, I'll most likely need someone to accompany me,” Ward narrowed his eyes onto Storm. “All my Guard friends are on call right now, and I know you're not a Guard yourself, but just in case I have another panic attack I'll need somepony to keep an eye on me...and I was thinking maybe you'd like to come.”

“I don't know about this, sir,” Storm admitted in uncertainty as he turned to look at both Jet and Lilli, briefly imagining Ward breaking down again though this time in the middle of a patrol.

“If you're into this sort of stuff, I could show you what I do as a Guard,” Ward proposed. “I could show you some of the equipment I use as well; plus, I could give you a ride home in the morning if you'd want.”

“Storm,” began Lilli, wrapping her wing around his body. “We'll be fine, I promise. Plus, the area my dad patrols in isn't usually dangerous even in the slightest.”

“You sure?” Storm glanced down at her with an uncertain smile.

“Yeah,” Lilli smiled softly, nuzzling against his wing for a brief moment.

“So, what do you say?” Ward asked, gazing intently at him.

“I don't know honestly,” Storm replied with slight unease in his voice. “I wouldn't know what to do in case of a panic attack.”

“Just try your best to calm me down, alright? Say something to reassure me, do something to make me feel less afraid.”

“Storm,” Lilli began. “If my dad does have a panic attack, just sit him down for a breather... get him to relax.”

“I don't know if I'd be able to…”

“Sure you will!”

“So, are you with me?” Ward inquired. “Please, Storm. I really need the help. I'd do anything to repay you, whatever you might need. Money, transport, whatever.”

“Alright,” Storm relented finally, smirking slightly at the shorter stallion standing in front of him. “I'll go with you, for your sake.”

“Thank you,” Ward glanced up at him, a slight smile forming on his face.
-

---

As night quickly fell and the skies above Vanhoover darkened, Storm and Ward made their way through the seemingly-empty suburb of Silverwood in the direction of the city's airport. Hurtling down rain-washed streets with Ward hauling his Guard carriage behind him, the journey across town to the industrial area was a largely quiet one, though Storm could clearly tell something was bothering the poor stallion. Just looking at the stallion from behind the carriage's windshield was enough to make Storm wonder what was going through his mind at that point, although a gut feeling told him Ward was hesitant about going on his shift in the wake of the panic attack he had earlier.

The trip to the industrial park did not last too long, and Storm could tell this part of Silverwood was at the very fringe of the city, judging from the large, expansive swaths of coniferous pine forest to his left, behind which were the rolling foothills of the San Helena Mountains which flanked the city and the largely rural counties to its immediate east. These were to an extent also visible and were seemingly peppered with trees by the looks of it. To his right, however, were large warehouses and gray factories, their towering chimneys having faded and weathered away over time despite clearly being painted a scheme of red and white, creating an obvious contrast to the natural wonders seen to the left of the carriage.

After a sudden right turn taking them deeper into the industrial park, the carriage began to slow down.

“We're here.”

“Already?” Storm asked, his train of thought suddenly derailing as the carriage came to a sudden stop, its left wheel running aground against the curb. Getting up off his seat, he quickly opened the door he sat nearest to and jumped out of the carriage onto the cold, wet, cobblestone street beneath, before taking a quick look around. By the looks of it, this was a rather poorly lit area of town, the numerous shoddily maintained lampposts running alongside both sides of the street flickering and dimming periodically, probably as a result of little funding by the city government. The two ponies were surrounded by three-four-story office blocks and warehouses on both sides of the street, the headquarters of various transportation companies and other such corporate entities. “So, this is the industrial area you patrol in, huh?”

“Yep,” Ward replied with a quick nod. “My patrol hours are from 10 till 6, and during this time we'll cover a 16-block area of this part of town.”

“Eight hours, huh?”

“You think you're up for it?” Ward asked, his auburn mane billowing in the breeze.

“Definitely,” Storm chuckled. “I'm perfectly capable of pulling an all-nighter, so let's do this.”

“Don't get too excited,” Ward chuckled in response, although Storm still noticed the unease in his voice. “It's rare that anything serious happens around here, even after dark. Also, I'm sorry if I scared you earlier.”

“No, it's fine, honestly.”

“But I could tell you weren't expecting that,” Ward replied, guard armor glimmering in the moonlight as they both walked down the vacant street leading deeper into Silverwood's industrious fringe. “I have my problems, you see?”

“I understand,” Storm nodded as they made their way past a vacant carriage and beneath a sign advertising the services of a delivery service operating in and around the Vanhoover area. “Lilli's told me.”

“Yeah,” Ward nodded solemnly. “I've seen way too much to bear.”

“I'm sorry,” Storm rested his hoof on the stallion's shoulder. “But you did fight for our country... it must be a real honor to have been able to do so.”

“I guess,” Ward replied seemingly indifferently, before taking a quick glance at the weapons in his belt as they turned left at an intersection. “You know how I said things rarely go wrong around here?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, what I said is true,” Ward gulped. “But when things do happen around here, they are pretty serious.”

“How so?” asked Storm, a chill rushing down his spine as a gust of wind embraced both of them.

“Let's just say that...a ton of Guards tend to get involved,” Ward replied, coming to a halt at the corner of a recently-built office building. Leaving his carriage behind him, he set down his saddlebag next to the curb and unzipped it. “Hungry? I've got bagels, some sandwiches, and coffee inside the flask.”

“No thanks,” Storm shook his head in response. “I think I can last for now.”

“Suit yourself,” the guardspony shrugged in response, a cool, yet gentle breeze blowing through both their manes and sending shivers down their spines as Storm took a good look around the street, trying to check for any disturbances while keeping in mind that such events were unlikely.

“So...Ward?”

“Yeah?” the stallion turned to look at Storm.

“What rank are you, exactly?”

“Sergeant.”

“Ah. What is it that happens around here anyway?” Storm raised an eyebrow.

“You'll know when you see it if anything does happen tonight,” Ward replied, the westerly breeze picking up slightly before. “I don't want to reveal too much right now, but as I've said before, what happens around here can get serious, so serious in fact that we've actually had the feds over several times before. I'm dead serious, man.”

“Damn,” Storm chuckled nervously. “Sounds serious.”

“Yeah,” Ward smirked. “Didn't want to scare you or anything, but that's what sometimes happens around here after dark.”

“I mean, I've never really been on a guard patrol, so I don't really know what to expect,” Storm replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Eh,” Ward began, also inspecting the various different buildings in front of them for any disturbances, before taking a quick glance around the street. “Most of the time it isn't as fun as some guards say it is, but when something does happen it can be.”

“What makes the feds get involved anyways?” Storm inquired, his curiosity slowly getting the better of him.

After a long, drawn-out sigh, Ward finally issued a response to Storm's question despite knowing full well what his reaction would be. “To make a long story short, bat ponies. That's all I can say.”

“What?” Storm scoffed, just as expected by Ward. “Bat ponies?”

“Yeah, you heard right,” Ward smirked, watching as Storm gave him a long, questioning look. “Bat ponies, or to be politically correct, Thestrals. They arrive here in vast numbers, despite knowing the risks, though most tend to lay low around this part of town.”

“But weren't they wiped out?”

“Large numbers were wiped out during the war we've had with them, yes, but they've apparently made a comeback,” Ward responded. “Right now, based on what the bats I've questioned told me, I know they live in colonies scattered across the country from here, through Maneitoba, Saddleskatchewan, et cetera, et cetera, all the way to Trotonto.”

“But how do they blend in with the other ponies? And how does nopony find out about their existence?”

“Very poorly, I'll say,” Ward explained. “Most of the time, they use reverse-engineered magic potions originally derived from vampire bat venom to turn them into Equestrian equivalents of their true selves. They also assume Equestrian names, though what most of them will not realize is that these potions are temporary, that they'll only work for a set amount of time. After that, they'll turn back into bat ponies and will need to find a way to replenish their supplies fast, before someone finds out about who they really are. And to answer your other question, it's pretty much inevitable somepony will find out sooner or later. There's just too many of them around, here in Coltumbia at least, for them to lay low effectively.”

“Wow,” Storm exclaimed, blinking thrice in disbelief. “This is unreal.”

“Yeah, a lot of ponies refuse to believe me when I tell them,” Ward chuckled. “But the bat ponies are still here Storm, hiding away in the shadows.”

“Have you had any close encounters with one?”

“Once or twice,” Ward cringed slightly. “And believe me, they weren't pleasant. In fact, that's exactly why I hate patrolling here, you never know who you're gonna run into.”

“I thought you said it wasn't dangerous over here.”

“To a large extent, it isn't, and most of the time these bats go unnoticed,” replied Ward, following his statement with a sigh. “But many of them choose to come out of hiding and make their presence known, which is where we come in.”

35. Portrait of a Lunar Guard (Part II)

The next two hours passed without any disturbances taking place in Ward's patrol area, and as they walked down each street with Ward pulling his carriage all the way, Storm's mind lingered over what he'd been told earlier on by the Guardspony he was accompanying; a race of ponies, previously thought to have been systematically wiped out by the Equestrian Army during a major war several thousand years ago, had apparently persevered and lived on in the far north of Equestria to this day, with many of them apparently migrating to large population centers in the northernmost provinces of the country. What he'd been told by Ward that night seemingly contradicted the few history lessons Storm had about bat pony civilization, and although he quite reasonably still had his doubts about it all, a part of him wanted to believe Ward's ramblings, no matter how inane they seemed.

As the digital clock on Storm's cell phone reached midnight, they came to a short stop in front of what was very likely an old warehouse, and sat down along the wall to eat something, their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings back and forth in order to ensure they weren't being watched themselves while stuffing their faces and filling up their stomachs with the foodstuffs Ward brought with them from home. Yet, the closer they both looked, the more obvious it became that nothing was there, that nothing was watching them from the bushes just across the street. It seemed as though tonight was just going to be like any other, ordinary shift for Ward and his companion; quiet, dark and drawn-out, with nothing of interest happening on their watch, and to be fair, that was just the way he preferred it.

"Tired yet?" Ward asked, sipping on his coffee whilst gazing at Storm, who sat right at his side, staring off into the distance.

"A bit," Storm yawned, rubbing his crust-covered eyes with his hooves as he continued staring at the bushes just in front of the empty railroad, beyond which were the now not-so-distant lights of the city's airport. "What are your patrol hours again?"

"10-6."

"Goddamn it." Storm muttered under his breath, hoping Ward won't pick up his utterance.

"I know how you feel. Believe me, I hated my shifts when I first started out myself, but soon enough I'd grown used to them."

"How do you not get bored?"

"Well..." Ward began. "Truth be told, I do get bored, in fact, boredom is an inevitability for most guards... Most of the time we just sit or walk around waiting for something interesting to happen, but when something does happen, like a robbery, for example, you really do get an adrenaline rush from it."

"How do you not get tired yourself if I may ask, especially if your patrol lasts the whole night?"

"I do get tired, duh..." the guardspony responded with a chuckle, before pausing to yawn for a brief moment, as if on cue. "It just doesn't show as much, I guess."

"Since you're a Lunar Guard, I'd assume you sleep for much of the day, right?"

"Yeah, sort of." Ward began. "I actually take regular naps throughout the day, waking up only to eat and... to do my business, as well as just spend time with my family when the occasion calls for it. It's a strange daily routine I have, I'll admit, but it all adds up, in the end, I guess."

"I agree." Storm nodded. "But I guess it's something you're used to, huh?"

"Yep," Ward responded with a nod himself, turning away from the younger stallion and staring off into the distance with him, just as the moon rose over Silverwood from behind an area of broken cloud cover, casting its light down on the darkened streets of the industrial district and sheathing them in a gentle, yet eerie blue glow. "Hey, Storm."

"What?"

"Did you like your lettuce and tomato sandwich?" Ward inquired.

"Yep." Storm nodded.

"Good to know someone appreciates my...culinary skills," Ward smirked in response, his wry, self-deprecating comment warranting a slight smirk from his companion as he recalled what Lilli told him about Ward's cooking. "Want something to drink?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

"Aside from some coffee," Ward responded, passing him his flask over. "Pretty much nothing else."

"Oh well." Storm shrugged, opening the flask and taking a quick sip from it. "...Don't mind a drink of coffee every once in a while. So, you think anything might happen in the time we've got left?"

"We've still got just less than six hours to go." Ward took out his phone to check on the time, before being handed over the near empty flask. "Though as I've said before it's unlikely something will happen."

"Alright," Storm nodded in response. "But what about the bat ponies you told me about?"

"Well," Ward began with a sigh. "It's complicated. We know there's at least a few hiding around here, but we need a warrant to legally search any premises we believe could house bat ponies."

"Oh..." Storm's ears drooped down. "I get it."

"Right now, we don't have a warrant at all," Ward explained. "And as a result, we're only able to patrol the area...we aren't actually able to go into any of those office blocks."

"There are a couple of factories here that look to be deserted," Storm noted, recalling him passing by a seemingly derelict factory on the way into the industrial park. "You think there might be some bats in there?"

"Most of the factories here are, in fact, deserted," Ward responded. "Vanhoover's slowly shifting to a more service-based economy and as a result, more and more manufacturers are moving their plants elsewhere."

"Yeah, I know," Storm nodded in response. "So are most cities in fact, or so I've heard."

"Yeah..." Ward replied. "I doubt these factories have bat ponies hiding in them anyways, we've searched through all of them several times over a period of years and the premises are under 24/7 surveillance."

"You certain?"

"Yeah, they used to, though."

"How so?"

"That factory," Ward glanced to his right at a distant processing plant, noticing its towering, yet slowly crumbling smokestack in the distance, partially visible through the glow of the moon. "Was the site of a botched raid I was involved in along with a large group of other guards way back in '99. The fact that it'd been deserted for the past twenty years made it an ideal hangout and breeding ground for local gangs and drug dealers, but when we got there, we didn't find the ponies we were looking for...instead, what we did find was a large group of bat ponies, the first bat ponies I witnessed face-to-face. They'd apparently ran out of vampire bat potions and since most of them could not speak a word of English, it was hard to get any answers out of them. The ones that did speak English weren't much use either and instead hid behind their much stronger friends."

"What happened next?"

"We cornered the whole group and tried questioning them. We thought it'd be easy since the other bat ponies we've all questioned before did speak English. But with this group it was near enough impossible, so we were eventually forced to call up the Equestrian Border Patrol to take care of them." replied Ward, cringing slightly. "But before we managed to report these bats to Border Patrol, we were near-enough deafened by an ear-piercingly loud screech that made our coats stand up. I'm not kidding, I actually felt a blast of sound hitting my body and burrowing its way into my ears, though luckily I managed to hide behind something and cover my ears before it could do any lasting damage. To the extent of my limited knowledge of bat pony behavior, this is some sort of collective defense mechanism intended to disorientate their enemy, and as we cowered in fear, they shot up out through a skylight above, sending shards of glass raining down on us."

"Damn." Storm gulped, his heart skipping a beat.

"Yeah..." Ward nodded. "What happened that night...actually made my PTSD worse, and since we were all veterans of the Griffon War, they guard put us on a week-long, paid medical leave. The feds then obtained permits to search through all of the buildings here during non-business hours, and over the next few weeks, they ended up getting deporting all of all the bats in this part of town. And since then, bat pony activity here, at least, has become highly uncommon and irregular."

"Wow." Storm cringed.

"These were the first bat ponies I've ever approached." Ward shuddered.

"Damn."

"Believe me, Storm." Ward began. "You wouldn't want to mess with any of those ponies...I for one, hope that I won't have to get involved in something like that again."

"Same." Storm replied with a gulp before the sound of radio interference startled them both.

"Unit 582, do you copy? I repeat, do you copy?"

"Roger that, dispatch," Ward responded, promptly removing his radio from his belt and holding it up to his mouth. "Receiving you loud and clear."

"Good, good. We could use some of your help right now."

"Huh?" Storm gazed up, eyes focused on Ward and the small device he held in his hoof as his heart almost skipped a beat.

"Sure, just tell me what's going on," Ward replied, tensing up as he waited for a response from dispatch.

"Well...we're needing a few more guards up at a warehouse near where you are. There's something big goin' on in there."

"Oh?"

"The Equestrian Drug and Substance Authority has reason to believe that there are smuggled potions hidden in that warehouse. We need you to help flank the team while they go in and search."

"Damn." Ward gulped.

"Alright. And don't worry about your patrol area, we've sent one of the rookie guards to do your shift instead, alright?"

"Copy that, dispatch," Ward replied before he switched off the radio and put it back in his belt. Pausing for a quick sigh, he then stood up and dusted himself off, taking a long, hard look at Storm. "Storm?"

"Yeah?"

"I shouldn't have brought you along." Ward sighed as he glanced up at the overhead moon shining down on the dark, desolate street. "I should've realized it was too dangerous."

"...excuse me?"

"It's too dangerous for you here either way, no matter how calm it seems," Ward replied scornfully, turning back for a brief moment to cast a glance at the taller stallion before raising his head back towards the moon above.

"Wait." Storm paused him. "I thought you said I need to watch out for you."

"That's what I said, yes. But you're better off just going home."

"What?" Storm almost did a double take, pupils shrinking and eyes widening as he inched away slightly from the guardspony. "I thought you needed someone to calm you down if you end up having a panic attack, man. If it's too dangerous then why'd ya do it?"

"Hold on---"

"No, just tell me." Storm interjected, though with an angry tone in his voice. "Why did you drag me out here for half the night if it's too dangerous?"

"Storm, hold on---"

"Why the hay did you drag me out here?" Storm asked, suddenly raising his voice. "I thought I was supposed to help you, I thought you said you needed the reassurance, that you needed someone to watch out for you."

"Storm, listen to me for a moment," Ward replied with a bitter tone in his voice, resting a hoof on Storm's shoulder in an attempt to calm down the riled-up stallion. "Please."

"...what?"

"You head home, alright?" Ward asked, promptly letting go of Storm's shoulder before pulling out a standard, semi-automatic pistol issued to all Guards from the holster clipped to his chest plate and cocking it, Storm gulping as he watched the guardspony prepare his weapon. "This...what's going on in there is serious and I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"Just tell me...what is it that's going on?" asked Storm, eyes still glued to the gun in Ward's hoof.

"Right now, there's a large group of drug enforcement agents about to carry out a raid on a nearby warehouse." Ward sighed, putting the gun back in his belt. "Who knows what kind of ponies there'll be in there. Plus, I doubt they'd let you come with me."

"Ward, I promised you I'd accompany you tonight." Storm responded with an angry, resentful tone of voice, though one which was markedly calmer and collected than before, breaking eye contact from the firearm in his belt.

"I know you did," Ward replied, glancing down at the sidewalk beneath them in apparent shame. "But this is something I need to do myself...I'm sorry I dragged you all the way out here, but I thought I'd be on my own tonight."

"Ward, I'm not leaving you here." Storm replied firmly, before giving way to a long, extended sigh. "Come on man, I realize full well this is serious, but you're probably gonna need me in there with you. That, and I doubt I'll make it home anyways."

"No, I can't risk anything..."

"No, Ward." Storm shook his head, having heard enough. "If your PTSD is really as bad as you say it is, then you do need me to be there with you. I'm here, and I'm not leaving your side until your shift ends. I've seen enough back at home to convince me you need the help, and if anything does happen to you, I'll do what I promised you I'd do."

"Alright..." Ward shifted his gaze away from the sidewalk up at Storm, responding with a slight smile. "I don't know if they'd let me take you in though."

"I can just...masquerade as a trainee Guard, tell them I'm accompanying you on your patrol." Storm replied with a shrug, watching as Ward stared off into the distance. "What do you say?"

"I don't know about this," replied Ward with an uncertain look on his face. "I mean, that---they'd...they'd easily find out...especially since you are neither armed nor armored."

"Do trainee guards receive armor?"

"Depends very much on the circumstances," Ward responded. "Most guards usually receive their armor only when they graduate training...but trainee guards must wear some kind of protection when off-base and accompanying more experienced guards on patrols."

"Ah." Storm nodded in response. "Sorry if I was pressing you to take me. I felt obliged to help, especially after what I'd seen happen to you."

"It's fine, sorry I'm not able to," Ward replied. "Had this never happened, had I never been called out of my patrol...I'd probably let you come with me."

"I understand." Storm replied, ears pining down before an idea struck him. "Wait a minute..."

"Yeah?"

"I haven't told you this before, but..." Storm began, pausing to take a sigh as he turned to look back at Ward. "...back in Cloudsdale, I was wanting to join the Guard myself at one point. When I applied to enlist, I was rejected, probably because I was still in school back then... but instead, what happened was they offered to give me a taster session of Royal Guard life. This entailed a patrol around the city and a sparring session at the end of the day. It used to be my dream to enlist, but now...things have changed. It's not something I wish to talk about."

"Ah. I'm sorry."

"Do you have anything like that here?"

"Hmm..." Ward thought to himself. "Yes, yes we do...we're allowed to give 'ridealongs' as they're called, to potential Guards here...it used to be only the Solar Guard that was allowed to do that, but now the rules have changed."

"How so?"

"Well, though we are allowed to do ride alongs here in the Lunar Guard," Ward replied. "The rules here are much tighter. I'm obliged to keep you by my side at all times during one."

"That won't be a problem." Storm responded. "I'm only here to sit you out and calm you down if you have a panic attack."

"And you---you must do exactly as I say, alright?"

"Yep." Storm nodded in response.

"Just," Ward paused to sigh. "If something happens...hide or duck or just...run out of the building. I'm warning you...I don't want to be discharged because of this."

"Don't worry, I'll follow your instructions. You can count on that."

"Thanks for the help, Storm." Ward smiled. "You're a really great guy, you know that?"

"Thanks, man."

---

The trip to the warehouse took longer than anticipated despite Ward trotting there at full speed with his carriage in tow. All the while, Storm flew overhead at least a hundred or so feet in the air, watching as Ward navigated through the literal maze of streets and buildings like a hawk stalking its prey, whilst also trying to calculate his next move. The warehouse described over the radio could not have been more than ten blocks away at most, as Storm could see blue and red lights reflecting off surrounding buildings at least a quarter, maybe half-mile in the distance, ironically doing a much better job at keeping the streets lit than the poorly-maintained lampposts running alongside them. Even in mid-flight, however, Storm could feel tiredness slowly creeping up on him and embracing him whole, and within seeming minutes the thin layer of crust on his eyes that had formed at least an hour before had become more pronounced, though Storm tried his best to ignore it, hoping and praying the coffee he'd had earlier would keep him up for at least a few more hours. What was going on in there was serious and Storm needed to keep as alert as possible, although initially, he had no clue just how serious the situation was. As they both closed in on the site, however, Storm's heart must have skipped a beat or two as the size and scope of the situation dawned upon him, enabling him to finally realize what he'd gotten himself into; despite still being a good few blocks away, Storm could make out numerous Guard carriages lined up next to the building in what was probably a taxi rank, flanked by two much larger and presumably armored carriages. He assumed they both belonged to the EDSA, although he could barely make out the writing on the sides and the numerous silhouettes of ponies standing around the carriages were too blurry to fully comprehend, even at closer inspection.

Making a sudden swoop downwards, Storm dived into the industrial maze and landed on the roof of Ward's constantly-moving carriage, just before the guardspony pulling it made a left turn at a crossroads at what was probably 30-35 miles an hour. Another right turn soon followed, and as they entered a new street, the flashing blue-red lights in the distance became brighter and brighter, punctuated by sirens.

"So, you ready for this?" Ward inquired, briefly turning towards his companion before pausing for a quick yawn.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Storm responded with unease in his voice, following his reply with a yawn of his own. "I've never seen a drug bust in person, let alone taken part in one."

"I don't remember the last time I've been involved in a drug bust myself," Ward replied, eyes focused on the warehouse up ahead, which was just coming into view, lit by both the rapidly flashing red and blue lights of squad carriages as well as by numerous street lamps. "But I have taken part in standard Guard raids on criminal hangouts before."

"Yeah..." Storm responded in constant uncertainty, just as he jumped off the roof of the carriage onto the ground. "What do you think it's gonna be like?"

"Well, I know for sure it'll be dangerous for both of us," Ward responded, slowing down enough for Storm to catch up to him. "But if you stick to the rules I'd set out for you, I think you'll have a high chance of coming back home in one piece. You and me both, in fact."

"Alright," Storm replied with slight fear in his voice just before they made a sudden turn right onto Haywood Road, the location of the warehouse they were called up to. "Damn..."

The section of street leading up to the warehouse itself was entirely cordoned off, with several patrol carriages lined in front of the concrete barrier both intended to seal off the warehouse from any unwanted intruders and to prevent any suspects from getting far. Parking his carriage along the sidewalk next to a two-story office building, Ward promptly trotted up to the police roadblock with Storm trailing not far behind, where two Lunar Guards wearing bulletproof armor were discussing arrangements for the raid. As they approached the two Guards, Ward waved a hoof at Storm, motioning for him quickly to get behind him.

"Halt!" one of the Guards turned towards both Ward and Storm, his purple helmet gleaming under the light of a nearby streetlamp. "You Unit 582?"

"Yes, sir." Ward nodded, Storm backing out from behind him and shifting to his left.

"Who's this, might I ask?" the Guardspony, at close inspection a Pegasus himself, inquired as he cast a questioning and suspicious gaze at Storm.

"I'm a..." Storm began, trying to quickly come up with a reasonable explanation for his presence. "...I'm---"

"He's with me," Ward responded for Storm, turning to wink at the stallion briefly before turning back towards the two Guards. "He's wanting to enlist in the Lunar Guard himself in the future, so I thought it'd be a good idea for me to take him out on my patrol."

"So, he's with you, huh?" the Guard asked, his suspicious gaze seemingly dissipating.

"Yes sir," Storm nodded in response, shuddering slightly as he watched the other Guard pull out a radio from his belt.

"Just hold on a second," the stallion replied, throwing a brief sideways glance at his partner. "we're just letting them know you've arrived...Windward, is it?"

"Yeah, that's me," Ward replied.

"Why isn't he wearing any armor?" the other Guardspony, presumably an Earth pony or a unicorn asked, lowering his radio. "Every Guardspony needs to be wearing some protection off-base unless they're undercover. Both of you should know that."

"He's not a recruit..." the Pegasus Guardspony responded, receiving a nod from his partner. "He's just here for a taster session."

"Alright." the second Guardspony nodded in response, before turning back towards Storm and Ward as he put away his radio. "This is a rather dangerous job for try-outs, as we call your type."

"I realize that fully sir," Ward shook his head, eyes locking with that of the other Guardspony. "But then again, please note that Storm is only here to see us in action - he's not actually gonna get involved in anything."

"Uh-huh." the Guard shook his head, apparently unconvinced. "Listen, Windward...he's your problem. If something happens to him, you're the one that's responsible, alright?"

"Yes, I know." Ward nodded. "I'll take full responsibility if anything happens."

"Alright, come on in." the Guardspony smirked, motioning for both Storm and Ward to fly over the concrete barrier, which they did. Landing around a dozen or so feet behind the barrier, the apparent size and scale of the operation taking place became clear to both of them almost instantaneously, with at least ten, maybe twenty other Guards visible along Storm's line of sight. By the looks of it, these Guards were either preparing their weapons or discussing how the raid would play out with their friends.

"Storm," Ward began, turning towards his companion. "You ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Relax man," Ward replied soothingly, although with a slight tinge of anxiety evident in his voice, something which was picked up Storm almost immediately as both of them noticed a trio of agents standing near a stack of crates. "If you stick to my rules, nothing will happen to you."

"You certain?"

"Yeah."

---

The sound of thick, metal chains rattling and clanking as they fell to the ground echoed through the air as a Guardspony cut through them with a large and heavy bolt cutter. As the buff earth pony Guard relentlessly cut his way towards the padlock through the web of chain links, Storm, clad in a heavy-duty bulletproof vest, watched from a safe and comfortable distance behind a large wooden crate with Ward and a few other Guards, all of whom had their hooves on the trigger in fervent anticipation of an inevitable counterattack or ambush. All the while, Storm's heart raced within his chest and butterflies fluttered within the confines of his stomach as he wondered what would await the team of Guards inside the warehouse, as well as the drug enforcement agents they were tasked with protecting, although he doubted it'd be anything good. Speaking of which, whilst waiting for the doors leading into the warehouse to open, Storm finally caught a better glimpse of the agents involved in the raid. The ones he saw sitting behind crates adjacent to the door were to some extent also armed, yet most of them were not wearing Guard-style armor; instead, the agents were clad in a bulletproof vest similar to what Storm wore, wearing a blue shirt beneath their kevlar-laced armor, which was clearly marked EDSA at the back in large yellow-gold lettering which shone beneath the orange lamps overhead. This strange combination of agents and Guards unnerved Storm even more than he already was, and made it certain that whatever was going on here was serious without a doubt.

"Almost there... Almost there...and...there!"

A deep metallic clank punctuated by brief rattling sounded as the massive padlock landed on the coil of chains, followed by a near-silent, yet persistent creak, which built up to a crescendo as the aged, wooden doors swung outward across the asphalt, screeching across the surface much like aircraft tires impacting the runway upon landing. Storm's heart near enough skipped a beat at that point, a surge of adrenaline racing through his body as he came to the conclusion there was no backing out now, especially seeing as he was only really here to help Ward out in case he was to have a panic attack in the line of duty, something he deemed very likely in these circumstances especially. The immense responsibility of looking after a PTSD-stricken war veteran for even a few hours rested on his shoulders, and though Storm was hesitant about it all, part of him wanted to heed that call. After all, Ward needed his help, and no matter how reluctant he felt at that point about going into the warehouse, he needed to somehow assist the stallion he promised to help out.

"You ready, Storm?" Ward asked, watching as Storm peered over the crate into the darkness behind the distant doors.

"I guess so," Storm responded with an uncertain nod, glancing down at his 'partner' with unease evident in his eyes. "I've never been involved in anything like this before."

"I'll say," Ward admitted with a slight sense of foreboding in his voice. "It's creeping me the buck out."

"It is?" Storm's heart rate picked up.

"Believe me," Ward nodded, the very sound of his voice at that point sending shivers down Storm's spinal column. "I can only hope that this raid is a false alarm, that they find nothing."

"Ward, I'm here for you," Storm sighed, resting a hoof on the stallion's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Alright? You've got nothing to worry about. If anything happens to you, I'll be there."

"I know, I know." Ward nodded frantically. "It's just...I'm scared. I don't want this to end up exactly like that raid I told you about."

"I doubt that...that will happen." Storm replied, unease growing as he recalled what Ward had told him before about the feds carrying out sweeps of the industrial park over periods of time. "Yeah, my guess is that it won't. I mean, you did tell me that they got rid of all of the bat ponies living here."

"They did, yes," Ward nodded, clenching his teeth slightly as a shiver traveled down his spine. "But there's no way to prove there isn't any in there."

"I guess you're right, but I wouldn't exactly count on it." Storm responded, taking a quick glance at the looming warehouse to his left. "Let's just...hope for the best."

"I guess."

"Alright boys, let's move in!"

After that statement, the atmosphere grew tense and foreboding, yet remained mostly quiet as the Guards present cocked and filled their weapons with ammunition, all of them knowing equally well that there is no turning back now, especially Storm, whose heart skipped another beat and jumped into overdrive as all of the possibilities of what could happen ran through his mind. His gaze shifted between the wide-open door leading into the warehouse and Ward sitting in front of him, crouched behind a wooden crate right next to his. The poor stallion's eyes were filled with uncertainty and unease, yet much to his companion's surprise, with some determination evident in his voice he managed to croak out, "Let's do this."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Ward responded with an uneasy smirk. "Remember what I told you before."

"I'll stick with you no matter what, Ward." Storm nodded in response, before taking a sudden, unnerved glance towards his left into the bleak, cold void behind the open doors leading into the warehouse. The very look of the place was enough to scare him, not just the prospect that something might happen to him or the stallion when inside, and he was certain his body language displayed his fear perfectly. Crawling out from behind their hiding spots, the ten or so Guards present at the scene slowly poured into the warehouse, their weapons fully locked and loaded and ready to use against any potential ambushers. As Storm and Ward walked through the doors of the warehouse with the main group of guards, which was joined by the smaller group of drug enforcement agents shortly afterward, Storm took a long, hard look at the interior of the building lit through the combined efforts of numerous hoof-held flashlights, flares and flashlight attachments on pistols and rifles, in an attempt to spot anything that might seem even the least bit suspicious or out of the ordinary.

While the agents monitored the plethora of crates stored within the warehouse using various different pieces of sensory equipment, the Guards scoured the warehouse, making their way deeper and deeper into the surprisingly large and vast building with nothing but flashlights to guide their ways. So far, the place had seemed empty enough, but Storm could note that some of the Guards were feeling uneasy about all of this, especially Ward, whose pace seemed to slow down as he looked around the building and up towards the I-shaped beam running down the middle of the ceiling, providing support for both slopes of the roof, which judging from the still pools of water of varying sizes on the cold, concrete floor, was leaking from various different places; the stallion's momentary determination and seeming optimism had disappeared and Ward seemingly reverted back to his former uncertain, uneasy self. Storm himself knew the feeling, and as such could completely resonate with him, though the growing silence as they made their way deeper and deeper into the building wasn't helping whatsoever. The silence was omnipresent, and even the slightest creaking of hooves or a light trudge across a puddle was enough to send shivers up Storm's spine, though he decided not to show it.

Though despite the initial concerns of a few of the Guards, they did not find anything or anypony suspicious, which relieved some anxiety within the group.

"Well, it looks as though the coast is clear." one of the Guards, a tall, lanky unicorn smirked as he took a long, hard look around, wiping his mane free of sweat with a vacant hoof.

"Truth be told, I expected an ambush in here." a tall, red pegasus Guard chuckled heartily, eliciting chuckles from the rest of the Guards present, including Storm, who momentarily seemed to calm down. Even Ward, who was for most of the time quite uptight, seemed to lighten up upon realizing that they were for the most part, safe.

"Same," Ward smirked in response, having completely loosened up.

"See, I told you it'll all be alright," Storm turned towards Ward, relieved himself. "That's what you told me yourself."

"Yeah, I guess I got a bit carried away," Ward replied with a smirk, before taking another look around. "Have our friends from the EDSA found anything yet?"

"I don't know, personally I doubt they have. The place seems more or less empty by the looks of it."

"So why'd they call us out here?"

"Exactly."

"I don't know," Storm shrugged his wings. "False alarm, maybe?"

"Maybe, although I'm not entirely counting on it." the purple unicorn responded. "It's best we just stick around here for a little while, see if anything happens."

"I guess so," a gray Earth pony Guard with a silver mane nodded. "But then again, what if he's right? What if this is indeed a false alarm? What if we've been called out here for nothing?"

"Well then---" A sudden chirp-like noise sounded directly above them, being loud enough to catch their collective attention, though initially, they dismissed it, with some Guards claiming it was the beam itself that was making that noise.

It only took a few more noises for the group of Guards to actually react.

At the fourth or fifth noise, the whole group glanced up at the overhead I-beam supporting the roof structure, focusing their flashlights on it to catch the source of the continuous chirruping. Both Storm and Ward especially scrutinized the beam closely, trying to catch anything out of the ordinary on it, though Ward had a feeling he knew exactly what was causing the noise.

And just like that, they did.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes in the shadows out of the collective light of the flashlights watched them from the top of the beam. As the light of the moon peering out from behind the clouds seeped in through the glass and cascaded down on the form, it's true shape was revealed slowly and its outline became more visible.

Ward, observing the form from his vantage point at ground level was shocked especially, as were the other Guards and Storm. Pulling his gun out of his holster like the rest did, Ward fixed his gaze onto the distant shape, the silhouette of which resembling that of a pony's. It soon dawned upon him exactly what the source of the noise was.

"Holy shit," Ward's pupils shrunk and he shivered in fear, the memories of that fateful night back in '99 flashing back through his mind.

"What is it?" Storm asked Ward, his eyes not letting off the pony sitting on the beam before he remembered exactly what Ward was talking about earlier. "Oh, no."

"Told you they'd be back, Storm." Ward turned towards him, his body shivering slightly as he responded with an unnerving shrug.

"You know what that thing is?" the purple unicorn turned towards them both, raising an eyebrow as he lowered his gun.

"I sure do." Ward nodded in response, his heart skipping a beat. "Gentlecolts, that's a bat pony up there... and by the looks, and sounds of it, it's clearly not happy to see us."

To be continued...

36. Portrait of a Lunar Guard (Part III)

An overbearing, uncomfortable and frankly unsettling silence loomed in the air as the group of Guards stood there as motionless as they all possibly could, staring at the i-beam overhead in obvious uncertainty and unease. Fixing their collective gaze towards the exact spot on the beam where they caught their first glimpses of what Ward was so vehemently afraid of spotting in the first place, an intense feeling of dread surged through their veins and down their spines as their eyes suddenly locked with those of the intruder watching them from above. That fiery, nightmarish pair of glowing yellow eyes watching them closely from the darkness remained there in the shadows just out of the light of the flashlights focusing in that direction, seemingly observing even the slightest move each individual Guard made from its vantage point overlooking much of the warehouse. At that point, the amount of moonlight seeping in through the skylight began to incrementally lessen, which caused the partially visible silhouette of the bat pony to fade back into the shadows so that the only thing which remained visible was the eerie, ethereal glow of the pony's slit-like pupils. To say that Storm was frightened would be an understatement; his heart rate having long jumped into overdrive, Storm's lungs expanded and contracted within his ribcage with each heavy, yet rapid breath he took as his gaze seemingly became glued to the bat pony perched there, watching them constantly, its gaze seemingly staring into their very souls. Though he tried to break eye contact and turn away, he ultimately couldn't. He was frozen in fear, as were a few of the other Guards, including Ward, who as seen from the corner of his eye exhibited a similar response to Storm.

As his immense fear persisted, within the confines of Storm's mind raced a million questions all to do with the bizarre intruder watching them and all of them having countless possible answers as to who this strange pony may be. Storm already had some ideas based on what he'd heard from Ward, his intuition telling him that this pony probably made its nest in the warehouse and was disturbed by the presence of law enforcement in its 'home' of sorts. However, in the end, he couldn't be entirely sure and ultimately, this did nothing to ease his fear. Gaze focused onto the beam, Storm remained on the edge, as did a few other Guards present, some of whom tried to ease their fears and attempt some form of communication with the stranger watching them from above.

"Who...are you?" one determined Guard shone a flashlight in the bat pony's direction, trying his hardest to get a glimpse of the pony watching them, but the pony would not respond, which unsettled the poor stallion greatly. "Who are you?!" he tried again, this time raising his voice by several decibels while flailing his flashlight wildly in that very direction.

No response.

His attempt at communication with the bat pony being ultimately futile, the Guard turned towards Ward, confirming his failure with a gentle shrug of his shoulders, a failure which seemed inevitable from the start. Storm's heart dropped to the ground as his hopes of successfully making contact with the intruder seemed to slim with each attempt at communication.

A moment of silence later, and one Guard spoke up.

"We're not here to hurt you," the Guard focused his flashlight onto the beam. "We're just looking for any...drug dealers. Can you help us? Please, whoever you are, show yourself."

Again, no response.

"Please, tell us," another Guard inquired, raising his gaze at the beam overhead. "Who are you? Show yourself or we will be forced to shoot."

Still, there wasn't any semblance of a response, which was something that made Storm and Ward's collective fears increase.

"Ward?" the purple Guard asked, gaining both the attention of Storm and Ward.

"Y...yeah?" the stallion replied, body tensing up slightly as he turned towards the Guard.

"This isn't working," the Guard sighed in defeat, dropping his hooves to the ground in frustration before pulling his gun out of his holster. "You seem to be the expert around here on whatever it is we're facing. Tell us what to do."

"Oh no. Believe me, I'm not." Ward chuckled in response, albeit in a self-deprecating manner in an attempt to desperately loosen up, eyes locked to the gun as the Guard raised it towards the beam above. "I'm not even close to being one."

"But you have had experiences with...bat ponies before, right?" another Guard asked.

"I have...and to this day I still remember."

"Well then, think of something, damn it!" the purple unicorn raised and dropped his front hooves in frustration and anger.

"Call Border Patrol," Ward narrowed his eyes onto the rather indignant Guard, his body tensing up further with every word he spoke, something which was picked up by Storm standing mere feet away. Something told Storm that the purple unicorn was a rookie Guard, far less experienced at his job than Ward was. "Tell them we've got bogies here. That's the best you can do right now."

"Wait, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Border Patrol? let's not jump to conclusions. How can you be so sure these are in fact bat ponies, Ward?" the purple unicorn's eyes locked with his, the tension within the group increasing as his voice elevated. "This is a pretty crime-ridden area of town; for all we know, these ponies could merely be hoodlums making their hideout here, in which case we would need to strike fast and strike hard. The fact that the feds are right outside says as much to me.”

"You really think hoodlums have glowing yellow eyes?" Ward scoffed. "You really think that, Dusk?"

"No, I don't," the purple unicorn, his name being Dusk, shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't automatically jump to conclusions and assume the unlikely."

"Exactly." another Guard nodded, his helmet gleaming in the light of the flashlights.

"Yeah. What makes you think that your hunch is correct?" a Guard inquired. "We haven't had reports of bat ponies in weeks."

"Wait," a light-green Pegasus Guard interjected. "Maybe Ward's right."

"How do you figure, Spark?" Dusk turned towards the short, plump stallion to his left, the group raising his eyebrows at him.

"Well," he began, trying to come up with a reasonable answer. "I used to live in this part of town as a kid, right? My dad was a Lunar Guard himself, and not a day went by without him hearing over the radio about some bat pony infestation in Silverwood Industrial. Most of them were false alarms, and the Guard eventually caught on, but they kept occurring on a regular basis throughout my teenage years in the 80s which piqued my interest. Eventually when I joined up just before the Griffon War started the reports calmed down for a while."

"And?"

"One night in '96, I don't remember exactly when it was, but we were out on a patrol, right?" Spark asked, taking a look around just to make sure nopony was watching or listening in. "And basically, we went into a warehouse in this exact same part of town, not unlike this one, after we received reports of bats in the vicinity."

"What happened then?" Ward inquired, his curiosity getting the better of him as his fears of the pony overlooking them subsided slightly.

"So, we went in, right?" Spark shivered slightly, taking another look around as a slight chill traveled down his spine. "And when we were inside, after some looking around we eventually found the bats we were looking for. It took us a good few hours to wrestle them into the squad cars, seeing as there were so many of them present, but in the end, we caught the bastards."

"Doubt you'd have caught them, Spark." Ward shook his head, despite being initially intrigued by the story, before cringing slightly. "When we tried to interrogate them ourselves, they escaped."

"Well, these guys didn't seem to resist," Spark responded. "It was almost as if they anticipated it; as if they knew eventual capture and deportation were inevitable."

"So what happened then?" a Guard inquired, somewhat gripped by Spark's story.

"Well, ever since that happened, reports of bat pony activity have been increasing over the years." Spark nodded and stifled a gulp, glancing at the group briefly before turning to look at the i-beam above where the glowing eyes still remained, watching them closely, closer than ever before in fact. "And...guys, I don't think this is either the time or the place to be discussing this. Let's just say, I had my close encounter with a bat as well."

"That's nonsense," Dusk deadpanned. "We're here to scour for dangerous criminals and not make-believe creatures from foals' fairy tales."

"You don't believe me?" Spark frowned.

"Nope," Dusk smirked. "That's a good use of taxpayer money, isn't it? Chasing some imaginary beings around Vanhoover instead of investigating actual, more serious crimes. No wonder this department has received so much flak lately."

"Ward, may I remind you that some of the supposed sightings we've investigated here in Vanhoover turned out to be nothing than false alarms?" one Pegasus Guard present asked, turning to briefly give Dusk a deathly glare. "I mean, I believe both of you guys had your encounters, but honestly, I'm gonna have to agree with Dusk here, as much as I'd hate to."

"I'm fully aware of that," Ward locked eyes with the pony, just as Storm took a quick glance around and up at the pair of eyes---wait, two pairs of eyes. "But something seems fishy in here."

"W...Ward?" Storm gulped, looking around.

"You guys can't be serious right now," Dusk smirked in response. "You really think we're being watched by bat ponies?"

"Easy Dusk," Spark glared at the continuously indignant stallion. "We have more experience as Guards than you'll ever have."

"You're all crazy," Dusk's face scrunched into a glare. "Bat ponies don't exist."

"Ward...?" Storm tapped the stallion's shoulders, eyes switching between the beam overhead and the bickering group in front of him.

"He's only saying that because he's from Wiscoltsin," Spark smirked in the background. "He's never seen a bat in his whole life!"

"Shut up! So what if I'm from Wiscoltsin?" Dusk glared profusely at the stallion next to him, his midwestern accent evident in the tone of his voice. Definitely Wiscoltsin, if not then Minneighsota.

"Ward..." Storm asked, nervousness brewing within as he gazed uncomfortably at the arguing Guards.

"Hey guys, shut up," Ward growled, ignoring Storm's shoulder taps. "In all seriousness, it's kinda clear we're being watched by something at least. I can feel it in my bones."

"How can you be so sure, Ward?" Dusk turned towards him, scrutinizing the stallion closely.

"Isn't it bucking obvious enough?!" Ward raised his voice to a point where Storm had to cover his ears, having had it up to here with Dusk. "Why the hay are you even on this case if you don't want to listen to anypony else but yourself?"

"I'm never listening to you," the hotheaded Guard calmed down momentarily. "You're the craziest of the bunch!"

"How you got past training back in Marewaukee, I guess I'll never know for sure." Spark groaned, his smirk dissipating. Something told Storm that Spark had to deal with Dusk for a while; he assumed they were perhaps from the same precinct. "You're so egotistical and narrow-minded! Keep this going and I'll speak to the captain to have you reassigned to desk duty."

"Ward!" Storm threw a punch at Ward's shoulder, a gentle one at that in an attempt to get his attention.

"What!?" he yelled out of the blue, reeling backward from the punch, Storm's heart skipping a beat at the sudden reaction.

"There's more of them now," Storm turned and looked up at the i-beam overhead, where there were two pairs of eyes watching them now.

"Alright," Ward sighed, pulling out his gun from his holster. "All of you, get your weapons out and stay down. That goes for you too, Storm. We cannot make any noise."

"Roger that."

"Wait."

"What now, Dusk?" Ward angrily shot him a glare.

"You're taking this way too far!" the purple stallion yelled, pulling out his handgun and cocking it. So much for not making a noise.

"What are you doing?" a concerned Guard inquired as he glanced up at Dusk, pupils shrinking as it suddenly dawned upon him exactly what he was planning to do.

"Proving to you that these are not bat ponies!" Dusk growled, before pulling the trigger of the gun, firing a round towards the i-beam as the loud bang spread across the warehouse.

"What the buck do you think you're doing?!" Spark growled under his breath, just as Dusk fired another round. Then another one. Then another one.

A minute or so later, their long-awaited, and dreaded response arrived, but in the form of a low hissing sound that made Storm's heart near enough stop. He looked around, a surge of cold overwhelming him in an instant to a point where his breath could be visible in the light of the flashlights, before quickly glancing upwards at the beam; what he, along with the other Guards saw shocked them beyond belief.

"What did you do?" Ward glared furiously at Dusk, who seemed to back down in fear.

"My job," Dusk stuttered, dropping his gun to the ground in fear.

"What the buck did you do?!"

"I'm sorry---"

There were more pairs of eyes looking down at them now, perhaps ten or fifteen from every corner of their collective field of view, and as the hissing sound built to a crescendo, the Guards soon realized that whatever it was making the noise, bat ponies or not, was angry. Very angry, in fact; perhaps it was awoken by the commotion coming from below. Storm did not know for sure, but at that very moment, for the first time as an adult he felt vulnerable, as did the Guards present. As far as he was concerned, many of them had not dealt with anything remotely like this before; this was on a whole other level for many of them.

"Who is this?" Spark inquired, raising his weapon towards the beam. "Show yourself!"

No response.

"Guards, on my word, open fire," Ward growled, just as the air became filled with the sound of guns cocking.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" Ward turned back towards the front of the warehouse. Much to his surprise and relief, and that of the rest of the Guards, the noise finally piped down and a stallion stood in front of the pillar up ahead, his fluorescent yellow eyes lighting up the darkness; one Guard focused his flashlight in his direction, his form becoming more evident. The stallion looked like a very dark gray Pegasus, but his wings were unlike anything most of them have ever seen before.

"Please," the stallion began in surprisingly fluent English, something which started the Guards present, Ward especially. "We...Our supply of...potions ran out."

"So, you are...bat ponies?" Dusk inquired, raising an eyebrow as he stepped backwards in shock.

"We are, yes." the stallion responded, his crescent shaped eyes contracting as tears ran out of his eyes. "We aren't here to cause any trouble, we just want a better life."

"Call Border Patrol," Ward turned towards Storm, who seemed to be touched by the bat pony's revelation. "Tell them we've found bogies."

"Why?" Storm frowned, watching as Ward took out his phone from his saddlebag. "He seems to be innocent to me, by the looks of it at least."

"Don't you understand, Storm?" Ward raised his gaze towards Storm, a deep, yet somewhat frightened glare forming on his face as he tried to maintain his composure, as he tried his hardest not to break down. "Bat ponies are illegals; they aren't recognized by the government whatsoever as being a legitimate minority group."

"You never told me that."

"But wasn't it obvious enough from what I told you?" he threw his phone over to the stallion, before switching his gaze to the bat pony standing before them, a stallion who didn't seem to back down whatsoever despite knowing who he was dealing with. "No matter what they say to you, you simply cannot trust them. I learned that the hard way. Call Border Patrol, now."

"On it." Storm switched his gaze from the pony standing before them to the cell phone in his hooves, uncertain of it all. Despite being somewhat convinced the bat ponies present were here only for a better life, what Ward had told him unsettled him slightly.

"Please, we're not here to cause any trouble." the pony crouched down on his hind hooves, gazing up at them with tears in his eyes. "We just want a better life."

"Why is there so many of you?" Ward inquired, lowering his gun as he turned away from Storm to his right and up at the beam. The moonlight seeped in from outside again, revealing some of the bat pony silhouettes watching the group. "Is this your family?"

"Well--"

"How many of you is there?" Spark mustered the courage to walk up to the pony, scrutinizing him closely.

"Ten of us; seven adults and three foals," he replied, briefly turning to glance at Storm. "You're not...No."

"I'm sorry, but we're legally required to." Ward shook his head in false shame.

"Border Patrol is on the line, Ward." Storm threw him the phone, turning to look at the bat pony before the group, scrutinizing him closely despite being at a considerable distance from the stallion, in a way amazed that he was seeing a bat for the first time.

"Hello? Yes, this is the Vanhoover Royal Guard. We've intercepted a group of ten bats in one of the warehouses in Silverwood; seven adults and three children....address? Oh yes, the address is..."

"You can't do this to us," the pony suddenly became agitated, something which was immediately picked up by virtually everypony present, including Storm, whose heart near enough skipped a beat or two. "We've only just arrived today!"

"Keep quiet," Spark admonished him, even turning to glance at the gun he had in his holster in an attempt to keep the bat under control, though this surprisingly did very little to calm him down.

"We flew over two hundred miles to get here, through some pretty poor weather, might I add!" the bat pony yelled, raising and swinging his hooves to the ground in anger. "And you expect us to go back? To go back to that forsaken colony where we'd be brutalized relentlessly?! Is that what you want, huh?!"

"I'm sorry, but this is an issue of national security," Spark shook his head, trying to ignore the bat pony's brewing anger before he reached his limit and pulled out his gun. "Also, I told you to keep bucking quiet, didn't I? Do you bucking want me to quiet you myself? Do you?"

"Make me." the bat pony flinched slightly at the sight of the gun, but retained his composure, something which unsettled Spark even more.

"It was never in our intention to harm you in any way from the very beginning, but you're pushing your luck." Spark growled under his breath, cocking his gun but soon drawing it back.

"Your best bet would be not to mess with us," Ward locked eyes with the bat pony, having finished calling border patrol, before pulling out his radio. "We've called up Border Patrol, they'll be here within the next hour. Our main priority right now is to keep you guys contained."

"You didn't!" the pony yelled out, his voice breaking up as he flailed his hooves at Spark, who backed away. "You bastards! How could you?!"

"Dispatch, this is Unit..." Ward spoke into the radio he held in his hooves, watching the bat pony from the corner of his eye. "...send out reinforcement units to secure the perimeter around Lot 37..."

"We flew all this way for nothing!"

"I bucking told you to keep quiet!" Spark yelled, aiming his gun at him just as two other Guards approached the agitated bat pony. "Restrain him, boys."

"Don't you dare approach us," the dusk-gray pony replied, gritting his teeth and shielding his body with his bat-like wings.

"We have to keep you guys in here," Spark groaned in frustration, Ward becoming more anxious as he was forced to watch his comrade attempt to negotiate with the unruly bat pony. "Truth be told, I have better things to do with my time than chase after illegal bat ponies, but don't you understand that we have to keep you contained here? If we didn't, you'd cause a mass panic and all ten of us would most likely be fired from the Royal Guard for not reporting you guys. Do you understand?"

"I do, but---"

"Believe me, as much as I don't want to," Spark sighed, drawing his gun backward as the angry bat calmed down momentarily. "We simply have to deport you and your...brood. See, the folks up here, most of them at least, believe you've all been wiped out during that war we had with your kind. Most of the ponies around here believe your kind to be the stuff of legends; we don't want to stir up panic if anypony aside from a select few individuals finds out you're real."

"We flew all this way for nothing...two hundred miles. And now we have to go back."

"Yes, yes, you do." Spark sighed, motioning for the two Guards to restrain him.

However, just as the two Guards apprehended him by grabbing and holding his hooves in place, the bat pony broke loose and flew back to his friends, to the sound of a cacophonous screech coming from the group of bat ponies, which alerted the Guards behind Spark, Ward especially, who grew confused and dazed, shifting away and crouching down behind a pillar. Storm's heart sank as he recalled what Ward had told him earlier about their supposed 'collective defense mechanism'. If this was, in fact, it, there was nothing really to do now aside from running for cover and staying there until it died down.

"No, no, no..." Ward sighed, his heart racing into overdrive. "Not this again."

"Ward?" Storm raised an eyebrow, heart skipping a beat as he watched the stallion inch backwards from the rest of the group.

"Ward, get back here!" Spark yelled towards the stallion, Storm slinking away towards him knowing exactly what's going on; another panic attack, just as Ward had anticipated. "Hold your fire! Hold your bucking fire!"

"Ward..." Storm knelt down in front of the stallion, who wailed uncontrollably as he sat crouched behind the pillar. All the while, the now-deafening noise increased in volume, causing Storm to cover his ears. "Ward, it'll all he fine. I promise!"

Yet this did nothing to calm him down; instead, he became more riled up by the moment.

"Ward, look at me! Cover your bucking ears!" Storm yelled, panes of glass bursting around them as the noise continued to grow louder and louder, to a point where Storm's ears began to hurt; he was finding it increasingly difficult to stand in place without covering his ears, as were the other Guards present, who briefly managed to open fire before becoming overwhelmed by the noise. Their screams soon joined the cacophony but became drowned out by the increasing volume of the screech.

"COVER YOUR EARS!" Storm clenched his eyes shut.

The stallion finally did as he was told to and covered his ears, but the damage had already been done beforehand. Even with his ears completely covered by his hooves, both himself and Storm could hear ringing inside them, Storm to a much lesser extent. Forcing his eyes open, he focused onto the horde of bat ponies in the distance, trying to calculate their next move as the screech grew louder and louder.

As the glass windows of the warehouse blew outward from the noise, the group suddenly shot up through the skylight above, a rather unexpected move which made Storm's heart, already racing within his chest as adrenaline surged through it, skip a beat or two. He recoiled backward immediately, and almost instinctively, he ducked for cover, shielding his ears as best as he could with his hooves pressing down on them and praying for some kind of miracle to occur.

The noise, as horrible and overbearing as it was, thankfully died down.

It was all over now.

In the silence that ensued afterward, Storm pulled his hooves from his ears, as did a few of the other Guards present, and crawled through the shattered glass and debris scattered across the floor towards over to Ward, who shivered in fear and confusion. The debris didn't matter to him, nor did the intense, migraine-like headache which ensued afterwards; what mattered was whether or not the pony he swore to protect was okay.

"Ward," Storm raised a hoof to his face, nudging the pony gently. "It's all over now."

Ward, however, remained frozen in fear.

"Please, you're alright." Storm shook him gently, the stallion turning into a blubbering mess as he turned towards him slightly. Much to Storm's surprise, the stallion suddenly threw himself at him and embraced him in a lung-crushing hug as he burst into tears. "Ward!"

"I can't hear...you...very well," Ward spoke, his voice breaking up as he continued hugging Storm tightly, having snapped back to his former self. "My ears hurt like shit."

"Is anypony here a medic?" Storm turned to look at the dazed Guards to his left, all of whom shook their heads. "Any unicorns know healing spells?"

"Nope." the collective response came.

"Anypony hurt?" inquired Spark, who seemed to be less affected by the blast than the others. Two or three hooves shot up in response, one of which was Dusk's.

"How badly?" Spark inspected the group closely, noticing some Guards nursing slight scratches on their bodies from the falling glass, and some holding their heads in pain.

"Ward?" Storm inquired, letting go of the stallion abruptly as he investigated any injuries he might have sustained in the blast. Aside from some scrapes on his coat, nothing.

"Yeah, Storm?"

"You'll be fine, I promise."

37. Final Week

"You'll be there tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah Storm, definitely."

"I'm still a bit uncertain about this..."

"Don't be, as I've said before time and time again, it'll all be fine."

"Alright Lilli, then I'll see you tomorrow at the factory I guess."

"Night, Stormy. I love you."

"I...love you too, sleep well," Storm responded, a fierce blush forming on his face as he let those very words escape his mouth. He hung up almost immediately afterward, tossing the small flip phone he owned onto his couch before opening the balcony door, a wall of cooler air hitting him in an instant as the door swung ajar, enabling him to step onto the small, concrete platform outside. It was a beautifully clear and crisp Sunday evening in Vanhoover, a gentle, yet steady breeze billowing and whipping through Storm's coat and mane as he leaned over the edge of his balcony balustrade, eyes set on the golden-orange glow of the sunset in the distance behind the illuminated silhouettes of the many skyscrapers of downtown. Forehooves resting on the metal railing as he observed the sprawling city from his vantage point fifteen stories up overlooking the strip mall right across the street from his apartment building, his gaze panned down towards the busy city streets closer to home; the city streets, and especially Hoofshire Avenue right below which was one of the main thoroughfares leading through Vanhoover, were gridlocked with ponies returning home from work, the horns and screeching wheels of carriages still being audible in spite of Storm being a hundred feet or so above ground level. The temperature in downtown Vanhoover that day was somewhat cooler than it was earlier in the week, with highs only reaching the mid-70s. Storm wasn't exactly sure how warm it was today, but the highest it could have gone up to on that particular day was roughly around there, if not, then 79-80 degrees; right now, however, it was probably in the early sixties, which was more than ideal for him.

"Why am I here? Of all places I could have ended up in, why did I end up here, in Vanhoover?" he asked himself, staring over the edge of the balcony balustrade at the traffic below. The wind had picked up ever so slightly at that very moment but died back down almost instantaneously, and Storm became momentarily embraced by the somewhat colder air. Too engrossed in his thoughts, however, he chose to pay the windchill no mind and instead continued contemplating his life up to that very moment, which kept surprising him with the sheer number of twists and turns it had taken so far. In the eighteen years of his life, he had traveled halfway around the world, from his old, war-torn home in the Griffon Empire to a much better, albeit more mundane life in suburban Cloudsdale; a transition which was somewhat daunting at first for Storm, before he finally accepted his new, unfamiliar surroundings as his new home. From thereon it didn't take too long for Storm to assimilate into Cloudsdale life; in fact, he felt that had he not left, he'd leave the nest, settle down with his marefriend and start work as a Guard, a dream which was shared by Blue herself.

Life, however, always had a way of surprising, or so it seemed.

Their dream never came to fruition.

Instead, he'd ended up moving to Vanhoover after being transferred against his will to another weather factory by the pony he was still ashamed to call his stepfather, and tomorrow was the day he returned to work at that very weather factory in order to start his final week of training; a day he was both dreading and looking forward to at the same time after spending over a week at home recovering from that little 'accident' he'd ended up having at the training pool. Tonight, he hoped to gather his thoughts and mentally prepare himself for what tomorrow had in store, but something told him that it wouldn't be too daunting - it was a flight course after all, probably involving things he'd dealt with before.

If anything, he felt that the sooner he would be done with this course, the better for him. He was getting sick of it, and sick of it fast, especially after what had happened at the pool, which not only resulted in a two-day-long hospital stay and week-long leave but also a four, maybe five-figure medical bill which was left for Lilli's mom, of all ponies, to deal with. The bill, thankfully, was partially covered by Clear's health insurance policy, but he still felt somewhat responsible for it, even though it wasn't his entirely his fault in the first place that this had occurred to him.

As Clear herself so eloquently put it, it was all a matter of circumstance.

But if they knew there was something wrong with it and that it often tends to 'freak out', shouldn't they have done something about it before letting ponies use the simulator? Maybe there was a defect in the harness that just wasn't picked up on, or something to do with the fan? Storm did not know, but after what happened he began having thoughts of quitting and just moving back home to Cloudsdale, back where he came from; back where he belonged, no matter what High Wind had to say about his return. Even though he knew that High wouldn't take too kindly to him returning home after only a month of being away, he knew that practically everypony else he had in his life would be waiting for him - or at least he hoped they would. His mom, Gust, Mist, but most importantly, Blue, whom he longed desperately to see, perhaps even more so than ever before. He needed to go back, he needed to be with Blue. He needed to enlist in the Guard, and by now it should have been perfectly obvious to Clear that he doesn't belong in weather.

The more he thought of Blue, however, the more his heart ached. It seemed that now was the moment that his sheer neglect of Blue had finally dawned upon him, and this manifested itself as a feeling which he could not have fully put into words; a hollow, empty, dull feeling which seemed to border on depression, and Storm felt it deep within his heart and the pits of his stomach as a churning, nervous sensation, that longing to be back with her. As much as he liked Lilli, as much as he was grateful for her company and not to mention the fact that she saved him from certain death via drowning, it just didn't feel right for him to date her. It stopped feeling right a long time ago, but only now did Storm finally became conscious of his actions, after he said what he said before hanging up. Maybe this was why she didn't respond to his last letter, either that or there was something wrong at the post office, but Storm wasn't necessarily counting on the latter option. Usually, it took two, maybe three days for Storm's letters to reach Cloudsdale, and it took just one or two for the response to arrive in his apartment building's mailroom since Blue usually paid for hers to be sent by airmail. It's been almost a whole week since he sent her his last letter. In that time he'd have gotten not one, but two responses.

Maybe she just moved on with her own life in the time he's been away; maybe she found herself a new coltfriend a bit closer to home but wasn't willing to admit it to Storm.

In all honesty, Storm couldn't blame her if that were indeed the case. If that was indeed what had happened, to Storm it became all the more clear that what goes around comes around; he felt that he simply did not deserve Blue, especially after knowingly and willingly cheating on her with another mare, and that she would be happier with some other stallion.

He even told Lilli after she saved him that he 'used to know and love' Blue, and perhaps that very statement coming back to haunt him hurt most of all.

"Oh Storm," he chuckled mockingly and self-deprecatingly, the exact words he told the jocks in the cafeteria springing back to mind with a decidedly ironic edge. "You hypocrite, how could you tell them that and then go with it yourself? How could you? What were you thinking?

You could have just as easily stayed in Cloudsdale; you could have just as easily ignored what High Wind had to say, and moved in with Gust for example. You're eighteen, man; you're not a kid anymore, you're an adult. You're not in full-time education any longer now. High Wind doesn't, and cannot control you anymore. If you'd stayed, that way you'd still get to keep in contact with Blue, you'd still get to see her in person, you'd still get to follow your dreams and enlist in the Guard...but you just went along with it and moved out all the way here... You traitor."

A single tear dripped out of his eye and trickled around and off the cylindrical railing, followed by another one and yet another one, but before Storm could break down into tears he regained hold of himself and managed to calm down.

"Grow up," Storm responded, wiping away the tears from his eyes and moving away from the railing, eyes set on the open door leading back into his apartment. "This is a somewhat public place...somepony could hear you mumbling to yourself and blubbering away from either above or below...just grow up and stop wallowing in self-pity."

Despite this, the longing to be at home with Blue remained lodged deep within his heart, even after he came back inside, stabbing at it like some sort of knife.

He needed sleep.

It would do him well, especially considering that tomorrow was the start of his final week of training.

Even though it was only 8, he felt like doing nothing else.

---

The next morning, Storm got out of bed at around six, catching the early morning train bound for Lakeside roughly an hour or so later at the nearby train station, located slightly deeper into town than he already was; during the twenty-minute journey across the city to Silverwood, he tried his hardest to mentally convince himself he would pass the final week of the course without any hassle, possibly with full marks. Flight was a skill he saw himself as being good at and moreover, was something that he enjoyed highly; this passion for flight that he had, combined with his high attention span, was something he expected would ensure that he would end up passing with full marks, if not then high.

Something else, however, which also drove him to succeed was the fact that he knew he had ponies cheering him on; both here in Vanhoover and back in Cloudsdale, where his family would be more than delighted - especially High Wind - if he passes, and although he couldn't help but ponder over the exact circumstances of their relationship and ultimately remained unsure about continuing it, he knew Lilli and her mom would also be cheering him on regardless. And to be fair, he was grateful for their support so far. Even though he still had his doubts about continuing their relationship any further, he felt grateful for their kind words of inspiration, Lilli's especially. Although conscientiously Storm may not have been exactly comfortable with dating her at that point, he instead saw her as more of a good friend than his lover, and that is what he hoped they'd remain once, if ever he leaves Vanhoover. In the end, however, he couldn't be sure what to expect, and although he tried telling himself that it will all be alright and that he'd manage it, a large part of him had his doubts, which increased with every passing minute as the train slowly neared the station, entering the hilly outskirts of the city shortly thereafter.

Another part of him also questioned the possible reasoning behind a flight course for Pegasus weather ponies who were in all due respect perfectly capable of flight, himself included in that category. Most of the Pegasi he flew with, even the trainees, seemed to be somewhat experienced and competent fliers; in fact, many of them were more so than he was, but as the fringes of the city came into view through the window he sat next to, along with the weather factory itself perched on the distant cliffside he figured it'd be best to keep it to himself.

He didn't know for sure, but maybe what awaited him there would surprise him.

At around half past seven, the train pulled into Silverwood and the few ponies that were on board spilled out of the cars, Storm included, who disembarked the train with a deep inhale of the warm air outside which helped soothe his anxiety somewhat, even as he caught a brief glimpse of the distant weather factory behind the station building.

"Well...looks as though I'm here at last," Storm muttered under his own breath, as two or three other ponies still present at the platform boarded the train. From thereon it'd be a quick flight to the weather factory, roughly three-quarters of a mile or so away perched on the hillside fringing Vanhoover's outermost suburbs, and once he arrived and walked through those doors there'd be no turning back, that is unless he were to fail somehow.

His nervousness only began getting the better of him with each passing minute, however, and in fact reached its peak once he noticed Lilli, of all ponies, make her way up the stairs and past the ticket booths, her eyes soon locking with his and an anticipatory smile forming on her face.

"Hey," she grinned, making her way across the platform before stopping right in front of Storm.

"Hey...," Storm smiled in response, trying to figure out a way to mask his anxiety somehow as a million different things raced through his mind, including how he was going to tell her of his feelings towards their relationship.

"So, uh," Lilli began, her mane billowing in the warm, summer breeze. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Storm gulped, smile fading off of his face as he figured there'd be no way for him to effectively hide his feelings from her. "You think I'll do well?"

"Yeah, definitely," Lilli smiled in response, ruffling his mane playfully with her left hoof before nuzzling him rather intensely, something which initially perplexed him; in this case, however, he decided not to let it show and just went with the flow. "You'll do great, I just know it."

"You think?"

"I know so," Lilli smirked, backing slightly away from him. "Most ponies who'd gone through this have passed with full marks. Come on, we should head off. The sooner we get to the briefing, the better."

"What time does it start exactly?" Storm inquired just as he briefly glanced down at his watch. 7:38 AM.

"8."

"They changed the times, didn't they?"

"Yep," Lilli nodded in response, picking up his nervousness. “Mom herself thought it would start at 9, but it looks as though they’ve changed it slightly, sorry Storm...but at least you're here now, right? That's all that matters.”

"Ah," Storm nodded, stomach churning slightly out of unadulterated nervousness just as Lilli led him towards the metal stairwell leading down to street level. "Thanks, Lils. I just hope that I don’t screw this whole thing up...that nothing happens to me this time round, like it did before."

"I highly doubt anything will happen this time round," Lilli turned back to face him, just before she went through one of the turnstile gates leading into the stairwell; Storm’s turn to go through it came immediately afterward. "Storm, what happened at the pool...just happened, I guess. It was completely unforeseen by anyone, plus, from what I know you won’t be using the simulators this week; it’ll just be flight races and stuff unless my mom and whoever’s doing the actual course decide otherwise."

"What do you mean 'whoever's doing the actual course'?" Storm inquired. "Isn't there, like, a flight coach or something that does it?"

"Yeah, but she apparently fell ill with the feather flu,"

"Ah, that sucks," Storm frowned somewhat. "Who's replacing her?"

"That...I don't know for sure," Lilli replied, shrugging her shoulders gently with a smile on her face as she led him downstairs. "But mom apparently knows this really cool guy who knows this stuff off by heart...apparently teaching flight theory is something of a second job for him, and so the weather factory arranged for him to substitute for her."

"I see," Storm nodded, cantering down the two flights of stairs leading to ground level after her. "I guess I'm just expecting something totally unexpected to pop up, something I’m wholly unprepared for."

"What can you be so 'unprepared' for, Storm? I mean, you're a pretty great flier from what I've seen of you; you clearly have the stamina, the strength…," Lilli turned to give him a reassuring smile, one which seemed to wash away every worry that he had at that very moment in time. "You know, that being said, however...if there's anything you're 'unprepared' for right now, it's passing this. You just don't seem to have the confidence in passing."

"Well, if that weren't obvious enough," Storm deadpanned, anticipating the worst deep down inside just as they arrived at street level, stepping out from the shadow cast by the station building above them.

"Very funny," Lilli gave him a playfully stern glare, just as they walked past one of the support beams holding the station in place and onto the sidewalk running alongside the main road bisecting much of the compact little town. "What I guess I'm trying to say is that you're lacking the confidence you need. You have everything else you need to pass; you just don't have the confidence. You aren't sure of yourself and whether this will work out for you or not...Storm...me and mom both know you're perfectly capable of this, but you need to believe in yourself. That's the most important thing."

"Touché," Storm sighed, lowering his gaze down at the sidewalk beneath him. "I guess I should stop wallowing in self-pity like this and just get on with it."

"Hey," Lilli stopped in her tracks, turning back towards Storm immediately afterward; a sultry smile flashed across her face as he arrived at her side, which initially perplexed him somewhat before his confused expression gave way to a deep red blush just as she pulled in to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "How’s this for a ‘confidence booster’?"

"Thanks," Storm grinned, recoiling back slightly from the kiss in slight surprise.

"You're very welcome," Lilli smiled in response as she nuzzled against him tightly. "I'm here for you if you need me, and I'll be rooting for you all the way. Just...push yourself through it, and most importantly, believe in yourself. You'll do great, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks, Lils," Storm smiled in newfound satisfaction, wrapping his wing around her as they set off, the weather factory now in clear view looming on the edge of the cliff overlooking Silverwood. Although he wasn’t entirely willing to commit to another relationship as of yet, the fact that Lilli was there for him for every step of the way - on this leg of the journey, in particular - was enough to make him reconsider at least temporarily. Right now, in Blue's absence, she was his rock; she gave him a shoulder to cry on and provided a necessary warmth in the depths of his heart, which filled the void he'd created for himself when he left Blue in Cloudsdale, albeit only partially.

All the while, however, he didn't stop thinking about Blue. He simply couldn't stop thinking of her, even though at this point in time they were on opposite sides of the country and he was dating another mare. Even though she was two thousand miles away, she remained deep within his heart, and the memories they shared together lodged in his mind.

One thing was sure for him, however, and that was the fact that he'd never felt this conflicted before in his life.

---

Immediately after arriving at the weather factory, Storm and Lilli both made their way into the factory briefing room, located in a part of the main building only Lilli had been in. The couple split upon entering the room, and Lilli sent Storm off with a gentle peck on the cheek, watching him merge with the twenty-something strong crowd lined up against the back wall of the room before leaving for the training pool. Storm, embraced by anxiety as were the other trainees but seemingly to a much lesser degree, fidgeted with his forehooves as his mind ran through the various different possibilities of what could happen to him over the course of this week; not even Lilli's kiss, as soothing as it was, could do anything to stop the sheer nervousness slowly overtaking him whole, anxiety which only grew with each passing minute as they all awaited Clear's arrival at the podium roughly ten feet ahead from where they currently stood. To say these past few weeks have been 'difficult' for him would be the understatement of the century, but Storm was just glad to have two-thirds of the course out of the way already. Only five more days remained before Clear would make her decision on whether Storm would get to stay or not; and in those five days that were left of the course, he hoped to push himself far beyond the confines of his flight capabilities, as good as they already were, and convince Clear that he is good enough for this job, even though he very much didn't want to.

He was doing this not for himself, but his stepfather.

Although he had some idea of just how serious this whole thing was, Storm remained unaware - perhaps blissfully unaware of in fact - of just how much everything would hang in the balance for him that week; his whole existence here in Vanhoover, and perhaps more so his relationship with High Wind, as poor and distant as it was, were all at stake. If he were to fail in some way or another, everything would come crashing down on him in an instant - a prospect that seemed more than unlikely for him only a month or so ago when he still lived in Cloudsdale, but right now loomed overhead like some sort of dark thundercloud just waiting to break open with rain.

It's funny how life works out sometimes.

He needed to pass this, for both High Wind's sake and his own peace of mind. That way, maybe, just maybe, he'd manage to restore his ailing relationship with his overbearing stepfather.

That way, maybe he would also be able to come back to Cloudsdale and be with Blue.

The mere thought of such a reunion with Blue was enough to trigger the sensation of butterflies within his stomach, but he couldn't keep pondering over such a thought, for at long last the double doors leading into the room opened and Clear arrived at the podium in front of the group, followed immediately by a stallion whom Storm had never seen before, which piqued his interest.

"Alright...alright everypony, simmer down," Clear began her address to the chattering group of mostly Pegasus weather ponies, the projection screen rolling down behind her with a mechanical whirring noise, one that was relatively quiet but still audible; all the while Storm's eyes remained fixed onto the buff, gray-blue stallion standing alongside Clear, even as the slideshow showcasing a rough idea of what the week might involve began playing in the background. The stallion, wearing a camo-colored jacket with its sleeves rolled up, seemed to show no emotion at all, and at no point did he even turn to look at the crowd of weather ponies gathered before him, never acknowledging their presence whatsoever—or so it seemed. "Before we start this briefing off, I have a few things I'd like to talk to you all about, but first off I'd like to welcome you all to Week 3 of your training course, during which you will all be assessed on your overall flight performance. It would seem to me that the overall effort you put into the course has paid off, and moreover, I didn't expect so many of you all to get through to this stage of your training.

Nonetheless, as you all may know we have extremely high standards to maintain here in Vanhoover, especially when it comes to the physical condition of our weather ponies. Maintaining the physiques of our Pegasi is of paramount importance, and while I know for a fact that you all can fly - and from what I've seen, you all fly pretty well - we need to make sure that what you're all able to withstand the pressure of being one of us, which is why we've brought in the big guns. Folks, I'd like to introduce you to Sgt. Arrow, whom we managed to borrow from the nearby Air Force base."

"Good morning," the stallion began, turning towards the group at long last, all of whom piped down in an instant so as to let the stallion speak. Slicking back his graying mane with a hoof, the stallion cleared his throat and looked up at the group, speaking in a husky, gravelly voice, one that not only unsettled Storm somewhat, but also managed to draw the weather trainees' collective attention towards him. "My name is Arrow, as you may have heard already, but throughout this week you will refer to me as Master Sergeant Arrow and Master Sergeant Arrow only. Understood? Good, now I understand that you are all going through flight training right now...sounds like fun, I guess."

"Sergeant Arrow here has served three tours of the Griffon Empire in his prime, and is in my humble opinion, the foremost authority on all things flight...I read your book so many times, sir; your story is really quite something," Clear interjected excitedly, eliciting a blank, bemused stare from the much taller sergeant, to which she responded with a somewhat awkward shrug. Cheeks beaming bright red, she backed away slightly and gently raised both hooves, motioning for Arrow to look towards the group of weather ponies standing in front of them rather than at her. "It's...a real honor to have you here, sir. I'll just leave you to get on with it, then...heh."

He has a book out? Storm's heart skipped a beat, before sighing in some relief. If this guy really knows as much about flight as Clear says he does, then maybe whatever's in store for me will be a walk in the park.

"Right," Arrow continued looking towards Clear, who stepped off the podium and backed into the crowd somewhat, before clearing his throat and continuing. "Now that...that's out of the way...you'll be split into two groups once this briefing is over. I have a whole program of training exercises prepared for you all to undertake, one which varies hugely in terms of difficulty. You'll start off with some basic flight exercises, just for me to see what you're capable of...before moving onto harder ones...much harder ones, in fact...This will all build up to one final flight race on Friday afternoon covering a distance of 32 miles, from the south side of town to its northern tip and back again."

That's actually not that bad, Storm thought to himself, having flown the 25-mile distance between Cloudsdale and Ponyville - and back again - many times, building up something of a tolerance to flying long distances over the years; but knowing the Vanhoover weather factory, he anticipated the race would more than likely at least some kind of hovering obstacle.

"If you pass this," the stallion began, pausing briefly to cough before looking back up again at the crowd before him. "Good for you, you get to join the weather factory here as a fully-fledged weather pony---if you don't, well, I'm sorry to say but you'll be sent back to whatever weather factory you originally came from, no questions asked. I hope you're all prepared for what we have in store for you, and might I add most of it isn't nearly as simple as it looks on paper, I can assure you that. So, are you all ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good, good," Arrow smirked, as the starting bell for the main shift rang. "Welcome to Week #3. I expect to see you all waiting outside for me in ten minutes exactly, on the double."

To be continued...

38. Flight School - Revisited

The first flight exercise of that week was to take place roughly three miles outside the city limits, on a tall, rolling green hill overlooking much of the coastal metropolis and the none-too-distant bay further west beyond the downtown core. It was a beautiful, yet breezy morning in Vanhoover, temperatures in and around the city slowly rising to their midday peaks as cumulus clouds began piling up along the distant western horizon far beyond the city core, even though thunderstorms were not anticipated until Saturday. In other words, it was more than ideal weather for flight training; and for Storm, a chance to prove to his superiors just how valuable of an asset to the factory he is. Although he had become somewhat more anxious since the briefing, on the way up the hill Storm tried to desperately convince himself that this is something he is very much capable of, whatever it was that awaited him and the other trainees. His whole existence at Vanhoover was at stake, however little he was aware of it at that point. This was the week that would make, or break, his career as a weather pony - to succeed he needed to give it all it takes.

A winding path flanked on both sides by thick pine forest led the trainees out of suburbia and through the hilly, densely forested fringes of Vanhoover, the distant city center fading in and out of view intermittently from behind the trees as the group worked their way up the sloping hill, passing tourists taking scenic photographs of the city; a mare accompanied by her husband pushing her foal up the hill in a stroller; a lone jogger trotting by listening to music blaring through his headset; and a few other ponies just going about with their day-to-day lives. Although the group was largely guided to the summit by a couple of wooden signs planted along the length of the path, the walk up was long and tedious; and for Storm, felt far longer than it probably was in reality, despite not being much of a distance to begin with. One part of him really wanted to fly the remaining mile or two, whereas another part of him felt like just staying put and walking the rest of the way; he wasn't really looking to get right into the swing of things just yet, and instead wanted to clear his mind of any doubts and concerns he may or may not have had at that very moment in time prior to beginning this stage of his training - he felt walking there instead of flying would help him do just that. There was also that other issue of Arrow himself, followed by Clear and a few other high-ranking weather ponies, trailing behind the team of trainees, probably watching their every move like a hawk stalking its prey from above; Storm could only imagine the amount of trouble he'd get into if he stepped out of line in any way, and so he opted to play it safe instead, just for good measure's sake.

Eventually, the team arrived at the summit of the hill in what appeared to be a roughly rectangular clearing in the woodland along where the path cut through, perhaps deliberately done as such, sloping downhill and spanning at least a couple of hundred feet in length and roughly 20-25 feet in width, making for a decent impromptu runway to be used by the trainees later on. Dispersing upon arrival and positioning themselves in a line along the path, the team of trainees stood at attention, frozen in slight fear perhaps but also in fervent anticipation of what was to come, feelings which only amplified as their supervisors arrived at the scene. Standing at the far left of the line between two slightly smaller stallions positioned at either side of him, Storm - being the tallest stallion in the group - observed with some unease and uncertainty Arrow make his way down the line, his eyes skimming and scanning everypony in an attempt to weed out those whom he perceived to be the weaklings in the group in a physical sense, including Storm.

"Alright, folks, welcome to the start of your flight training," Arrow suddenly paused roughly halfway along the group, backing up slightly and taking a good look at the group of ten or so ponies he'd taken under his wing for this flight lesson, with Clear and a few other high-ranking weather ponies whom Storm had never really seen before coming up to his side not long after. Much to his relief, however, Lilli was also present alongside Clear, giving him that trademark reassuring smile of hers which seemed to wash away any worries he might have had at that very moment in time. "I hope you're all mentally and physically prepared for what I have in store for you this week...because this week will be your last chance to prove yourselves to the weather factory. Now...I know that you were all probably expecting somepony else to be teaching you, but she's unfortunately not at work at this very moment in time...To my knowledge, she fell ill with the feather flu over the weekend, is that correct? Yeah? Well then, I guess you're all stuck with me, at least for the time being."

"Alright folks," Clear suddenly chimed in, watching as the trainees stood at attention and inspecting them closely - especially Storm, whom she eyed with some concern evident in her gaze. "This part of the course, as you all may know by now, will allow us to make our final decision as a factory on who to take on board, if anypony at all; and as you can all probably imagine, this next week will get very competitive. If you get through this, you stay here and get to work as part of the Vanhoover weather team; if you don't, however...well, I'm sorry to say but we'll have to send you back to wherever it was you all came from. This isn't fun and games, remember that - Sergeant Arrow will report back to us about the progress you’re making, and he has quite a bit of leeway to pull you out of the course altogether if he feels you’re not putting in the effort."

"That's reassuring," Storm deadpanned, murmuring something incomprehensible under his breath as his anxiety levels momentarily spiked and the prospect of failing the course altogether began to loom in his mind like some sort of dark, persistent thundercloud following his every move. Then again, what was the worst that could possibly happen? It was just a flight training course after all. It couldn't have been anything more than that, so what was he so worried about?

"But anyway, I know for a fact that you’re all more than capable of passing this with good, if not full, grades," Clear stated, a gentle breeze whipping through her mane as she observed the group before her, a smile forming on her face. “Remember, a minimum pass of 75% is required for you to pass this course, but most ponies I've seen doing this course have managed to cross that threshold with ease. You all did a wonderful job throughout these past few weeks...and I’m impressed with all of you. Your resilience and the overall effort you put into this course have actually been quite surprising to all of us here at the weather factory, not just the higher-ranking staff; therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if a large majority of you make it through this final stage of the course, not just a select few. Remember folks, this week...will decide whether or not you get to stay on and work here, and if I were you I'd suggest you pay close attention to what Sergeant Arrow here has to say. I wish you all the best of luck, and I will see you all on Friday in the briefing room to announce your results."

"Right," Arrow began, lips curling into a somewhat fiendish smirk as his eyes briefly skimmed across the line of trainees positioned in front of him, the weather ponies beginning to murmur amongst themselves as Clear and the other high-ranking weather ponies left, Lilli turning only briefly to give Storm an encouraging smile, which he returned. "As you all may have heard, I have every right to kick your sorry flanks off this course if I believe you're not performing to my expectations...and believe me, my expectations are pretty high, much higher in fact than a lot of the staff here, so take that as a warning. No matter what Clear says, to me you're all pretty much expendable - I wouldn't give two shits if you all were sent home at once; the less work I have to do here, the better. I'm no drill sergeant, and I'm only doing this as a favor for a...friend."

Clear's his friend? Storm thought to himself, a million different possibilities and questions rushing through his mind at once based on their contrasting natures and personalities. Seems like a...strange friendship to me.

"Sir?" a hoof suddenly shot up from the line, catching Arrow's attention almost immediately.

"Yes?" Arrow furrowed his brow at the weather pony who raised his hoof, a light-green colored stallion who didn't have much of a build by the looks of it. "Name?"

"Fielder," the green Pegasus responded, continually standing at attention, and perhaps even shivering somewhat in presumed anticipation of unintentionally angering Arrow even slightly. "Aren't you an air-pony by any chance? If so, doesn't that mean that you can be a drill instructor as well?"

"Yes, I am," Arrow chuckled in response, tone lowering markedly and becoming somewhat more conversational. "I served three tours of the Griffon Empire as part of the Air Force, but my military service doesn't necessarily mean that I'm automatically qualified to be a drill sergeant--"

"But don't you feel like one now?"

"Perhaps," Arrow smirked, gaze encompassing the whole group. "My main purpose here is to keep you all in line - no pun intended - and make sure you all perform to the best of your individual abilities...so yeah, I guess I kinda am a drill sergeant in a way, even though I have no experience as such."

"Have you ever trained anypony?" asked a pink mare with a cherry-colored mane, standing to Storm's left.

"Name?"

"Sun Breeze, sir."

"Well, yes, I have," Arrow replied. "Although not as part of the Air Force. I used to be a flight coach at a local high school here in Vanhoover before I enlisted, in fact, hence why I see myself as a rather..knowledgeable authority on all things flight, as Clear puts it."

"When did you join up?" Storm piped up all of a sudden, his curiosity about Arrow having gotten the better of him. "And what was it that initially made you want to enlist?"

"Name?"

"Stormfire, sir."

"I don't know, it's hard to say for sure," Arrow shrugged his shoulders, briefly glancing down at his watch before looking back up at the group. "I enlisted back in the eighties, and I guess what made me want to enlist was the fact that my flight skills were some of the best in the entire county - I've been flying since I was six or seven, and I've won many flight races and competitions in my prime. That, and just the fact that I was young then, I was looking for adventure. I originally intended to be a wingman, flying alongside aircraft and making sure they land properly, but once I learned about the war, I rushed to enlist in a more action-packed position, so to speak. That war isn't something I like to talk about though. I've been through a lot, to say the least, so it's probably best we don't continue this conversation..or at least save it for some other time. Right, does anypony have any other questions?"

No response came, not even from Storm and some of the other, more enthusiastic members of the group.

"Perfect," Arrow grinned, turning his gaze towards the distant horizon briefly before pulling a stopwatch out of his flight suit. "How many of you is there? Ten? Alright, before we start this course off I would like you all to show me what you are capable of doing. I want to know how fast you can all fly from the top of this hill to the end of our makeshift runway here, and back again. Rest assured, I won't grade you on this or anything like that - I just want to know how fast you all can fly. So, who'd like to go first?"

A lone hoof shot up from the crowd, the collective gaze of the group quickly focusing on a mint green-colored stallion of average build standing almost half a foot shorter than Storm.

"Name?"

"Buck, sir," the stallion stood at attention, before slowly treading towards the sloping hillside on cue, his eyes set on the distant horizon.

"Alright, Buck," Arrow arrived at his side shortly thereafter, curling his hoof around the stopwatch he held in his grasp. "Like I said, all you'll be doing is just flying from up here to the end of the runway and back again, only at the same angle as the slope. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir," Buck responded - a cool gust billowing through his mane briefly - with an accent somewhat similar to Storm's Midwestern tinge. Another transfer, perhaps from somewhere close to home, Storm mused as he watched the stallion arrive at the edge of the summit, staring down the hillside whilst unfolding his wings and outstretching them to their full size. I'd have to ask him where he's from whenever I get the chance. "Just out of curiosity, how long is this runway?"

"1,673 feet, last I checked," Arrow responded, glancing down at his stopwatch for a brief moment.

"Did you...measure it out yourself?"

"You really think I would do that?" Arrow grimaced somewhat, presumably unable to tell whether or not Buck was joking. "No, I was told its length before."

"Ah."

"So, you ready?"

"Yes sir," Buck nodded, grinning slightly in affirmation as he looked at the distant city and began flapping his wings.

"On your marks."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

What initially began as a light trot soon turned into a full-on run as Buck made his way down the runway, pulling off the ground and gliding down the runway around a quarter of the way down, at which point he still remained visible to much of the group albeit not for very long. He soon disappeared from Storm's field of view, the dense collections of coniferous pines which fringed the runway cutting off his view of Buck almost instantaneously.

About twenty seconds or so later, however, Buck re-emerged in Storm's peripheral vision, grinding to a momentary halt in mid-air perhaps fifty-sixty feet above the group before nose-diving downward; he soon landed on all four hooves amidst a trio of mares who swarmed him, visibly puffed out, but also somewhat pleased with himself and eager to impress.

"Twenty-six point five seconds," Arrow smirked, turning towards the rest of the group. "Not bad, but I've seen better times before. Who's next?"

I've been itching to fly all morning, so why not? Storm contemplated raising his hoof, considering himself a good enough flyer in his own right and having enough experience as a flyer to potentially beat Buck's time.

"Do I have to pick at random?" Arrow inquired with some concern, Storm's hoof shooting upwards at the last second and thereby catching his attention. "Name?"

"Stormfire."

"Alright Storm, show us what you're capable of," Arrow smirked, watching as Storm left his place in the line and approached the start of the slope. Arriving at the edge of the summit, however, perhaps the very first thing Storm did was mentally slap himself. While observing Buck he had made the mistake of miscalculating the size of the gradient of the slope; as it turned out, the slope was much steeper than he initially thought it would be, although as far as he could tell that was largely the result of uneven terrain, with numerous rock formations and sudden dips peppering the runway left and right.

"What's the matter?" Arrow inquired, watching as Storm stared over the edge in some concern.

"How high do you want me to fly?" Storm asked, turning towards him. "I mean, this is something I'm capable of doing for definite, but...do you want me to fly past any obstacles or anything?"

"No, just fly above it all," Arrow replied. "I don't care how high you fly, but just try and maintain a constant altitude above the runway, alright?"

"Yeah, I kinda made that assumption that it was going to be smooth and flat," chuckling to himself, Storm stared down the hillside, the foot of the hill being marked by a by-passing road; in the distance, partially obscured by some trees lining the base of the hill, he could also see the west wing of the weather factory, much of the complex itself being obscured by an old train repair shop in the foreground - a remnant of a time when Vanhoover was partially bypassed by a railroad. "It looked a lot like that from Factory grounds."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry," Arrow nodded just as Storm unfolded his wings, feathers ruffling in the gentle breeze. "This is only practice, remember. Even if your times are awful we can work on them later on during the week."

"Alright, thank you," Storm nodded in response, preparing himself for the flight in both a physical and mental sense despite knowing full well he was more than capable of it.

"Just out of curiosity," Arrow suddenly began, derailing Storm's train of thought. "Before we start, how old were you when you first started flying?"

"15 or 16," Storm admitted, stifling a slight, yet awkward chuckle following his response. "It's not something that I'm proud of, believe me."

"Yeah, a lot more ponies start late than you might think, so you're not really alone on that," Arrow replied. "I've worked with ponies who started flying at a similar age to you, and within weeks they picked it up."

"Yeah, I didn't think it was very common," Storm smirked, briefly harkening back - in the time that he had - to his earliest foalhood spent in the Griffon Empire, where wages weren't very high and his mom had to work long hours just to make ends meet. "I actually tried earlier but my mom couldn't pay for any flight teachers or anything like that. We weren't very well-off when I was younger, to say the least."

"Ah," Arrow nodded in understanding. "At least you can fly now, right?"

"Yeah, definitely," Storm nodded in response, most of his confusion having cleared up.

"So, are you ready?"

"Yeah, yeah," Storm smirked, turning forwards. “On your count.”

“You ready?”

“Yeah, let's do this.”

“Alright,” Arrow responded, furrowing his brow in slight concern as Storm unfolded his wings. “On your mark.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

Breaking into a trot down the hill in an attempt to build up momentum, Storm quickly pulled up and took off, gaining altitude above a large rock formation and clocking out at about 50 feet. It felt good to be in the air again, needless to say; although he resumed flying regularly not too long ago, it was always a wonderful, refreshing experience for him, an experience which afforded him ample time to think to himself and ponder over the events of the day. Above all, however, Storm finally felt free from the confines of his group and the line he stood in, at least temporarily; and like a small foal, he was eager to make the best first impression on his flight teacher that he possibly could, a stallion who seemed friendly enough despite his rather vague and broad threats and ramblings directed towards the group as a whole earlier on. Although his hooves ached somewhat from all the walking earlier, his wings were both fit as a fiddle and felt like brand new in spite of Storm not having used them very much - if at all - during the time of his recovery from that accident he had a couple of weeks back. At this point, all of his stitches had been removed, and he felt no pain whatsoever despite quite clearly still having visible scars, scars which much to his relief went completely unnoticed by the group as a whole. Although based on his experiences so far he wasn't exactly enjoying his time in Vanhoover, if there was one thing he was thankful for during his stay it was the medical care he'd received. Even though it came at a cost that Clear constantly refused to disclose to him, the attention and care he ended up getting from the doctors at the Vanhoover Regional Medical Center rivaled the care he'd received in Cloudsdale hospitals. As he pondered over the cost of his medical care and the fact that Clear - a complete stranger as far as he was concerned - took it upon herself to pay it off, Storm felt even more guilty than he felt the previous night - even though what happened to him wasn't entirely his fault. He also had no idea as to whether or not his family knew about what happened.

Maintaining a constant altitude above the runway was the main priority for Storm as he approached the end of it, grinding to a near halt mere feet before reaching an impasse comprised of towering conifers, some of the tallest trees in the entire country by the looks of it. Curving left in mid-air, Storm made a sharp aerial U-turn above a rock formation, before shooting back up towards the summit, racing up the slope at dozens of miles an hour.

Did he make Buck's time? Did he beat it? Storm had no idea, and despite knowing that this wasn't a race - and in turn not caring very much as a result - he was still curious, and eager to show off.

Landing in front of the group, Storm, ruffling his wings against the breeze, walked up to Arrow, his eyes set on the stopwatch he held in his hooves. "So, how'd I do?"

"Twenty-three-point-seven seconds," Arrow smirked, looking up at the stallion who turned towards the group. "Congrats, Storm."

---

As it eventually turned out during the practice runs, Storm wasn't the fastest pony in the group although he came close to earning that title; third place at just less than 24 seconds wasn't bad, but he felt he could have done much better had he been more..awake that morning. In retrospect, some coffee prior to training would probably have done the job, but Lilli had insisted on getting him to the briefing as soon as possible, effectively keeping him away from his beloved coffee machine at the cafeteria at least until lunch break.

After testing each and every trainee on their flight times, Arrow began the first flight lesson of the week with a lengthy lecture discussing the ‘art’ of flight in vivid, almost poetic detail, as well as various concepts and terminology relating to this subject in some way or another, followed by a thankfully briefer explanation on how Pegasi came to have evolved this skill separate from the other pony species - not counting bat ponies, of course. To Storm, he really seemed to know his stuff, especially since a lot of the concepts that he kept bringing up were ones which weren't really covered in gym class or in flight school for that matter - at least not in much detail; at first glance, many of them also seemed to be completely unrelated to flight as a whole, and required elaboration on Arrow's part to clear up any confusion the class may have had. Thankfully, some more basic concepts relating to flight, many of which were not out of anybody's comfort zone, were also revisited alongside them; and Arrow, much to everypony's relief, reassured the group that only basic theoretical knowledge of flight was necessary for passing the course as a whole, knowledge which they all had already - unless they were genuinely interested in the mechanics driving flight, or how the presence of magic influenced this inherent ability of Pegasi.

Then what was the point in an hour-long lecture about flight mechanics? Storm thought to himself as Arrow continued on with his lecture, effectively pummelling him with information he wasn't sure whether or not to retain; and yet, although he was growing bored and impatient, he still listened in. At least he reminded me of drag and lift from sixth-grade physics class - that actually has a lot to do with flight.

"'Flight 101', my ass," Storm muttered under his breath, eliciting chuckles from the two ponies who stood at either side of him, Arrow, much to his relief, being too far away to pick up on his snarky comment. "Most of this is stuff I understand only vaguely, and I don't see how learning about ballistics or projectile motion is supposed to help me pass this course."

"Careful man, he might hear," the butter-colored stallion standing to his right warned him, albeit with a playful edge in his voice. "You don't want him to kick you off the team with only one week to go, do you?"

"Good point," Storm mustered a chuckle, despite Arrow being well out of earshot at that point to hear their discussion. "But then again, I get the sense that you don't really seem to be enjoying yourself either."

"I'm not," the stallion smirked in response, his name apparently being Sand Scraper. "I mean, where's the activity he promised us during the briefing? The basic flight exercises? Did he completely give up on that?"

"Beats me, honestly," Storm shrugged. "But I'd assume it'll come following the lecture, whenever he's over and done with that."

"Whatever," Sand Scraper scoffed, a stallion who seemed slightly younger than Storm by the looks of it. "He just keeps droning on and on about the most random things, honestly. I swear to the gods, if I had a choice I would have enlisted in the military instead of joining up here...at least there the drill sergeants actually do something."

"So you're from around here?"

"Hay yeah," Sand Scraper nodded with a smirk on his face. "My parents pushed me through this, and I had no say whatsoever...Oh well, gotta make daddy proud, right?"

"Funnily enough, I know exactly how you feel," Storm chuckled, Sand Scraper's confession having gotten him thinking about his own family, especially about his father. "Never in my life have I dreamt of working here, but let's just say that life has a way of surprising."

"I'm guessing you're one of the transfers, right?" Sand Scraper smirked, casting a sideways glance at Storm.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Storm admitted with a wry chuckle. "I had very different plans in mind for my life, truth be told, but my asshole of a father purposely screwed them up and got me transferred here without my consent. Man, what an amazing graduation present, honestly."

"...how?"

"He's the transfer manager at the Cloudsdale weather factory," Storm replied, gritting his teeth in anger and resentment towards the pony he once called 'dad'. "I had no say in anything that got me transferred here, I only found out about it on the day of my graduation. He didn't even give me a copy of the paperwork or anything like that; aw hell, I bet he even forged my signature or made up a fake one in my name. Then again, I guess since he's the transfer manager he must have felt he had every right to do that."

"My dad isn't like that, but I guess he's like one of those movie dads," Scraper replied, Arrow still talking in the distance. "Y'know, like the ones that are super nice but expect a shit-ton from you?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean," Storm's smile faded away shortly thereafter, a deep glare forming on his face as his hooves clenched. "My dad expects a shit-ton from me also, but he isn't usually super-nice about it. He doesn't even write to me. Not once have I gotten a response from him in the time I've been here, and believe me, I sent a ton of letters to his address."

"Man, wow," Scraper chuckled. "That's pretty bad."

"Truth be told, I couldn't care less about him at this point," Storm scoffed, a deep sorrow briefly overtaking his heart as he momentarily pondered over whether or not he was being too harsh on his stepfather. "He's the worst pony I've ever met without any reasonable doubt, and I'm happy I don't live with him anymore. I don't want to see him again."

"Don't you feel you're being..a bit too harsh with him?"

"I thought so too at first, but it finally dawned upon me that he's a prick and there's nothing you can do about the fact," Storm sighed, rejected by the pony he once knew and loved enough to call his own father. "I tried being nice about it, I tried convincing myself that this will all blow over eventually, that one day I'll get to come home and sort things out with my family, but it seems as though I'm stuck here for the time being."

"How do you stay in touch with them, might I ask?"

"Letters," Storm turned towards him. "Those are still popular, right?"

"Don't you have internet access or anything at home?"

"No, he didn't set anything up as far as I understand," Storm sighed. "You know, I'm actually surprised he hasn't canceled my phone contract yet. He keeps saying he's struggling with phone bills, but at the same time he earns a lot as transfer manager. I mean, they live in a really nice home on the outskirts of town, its got a wraparound porch and four bedrooms; plus, he's also paying the rent for my apartment - again I'm not sure for how long - so I call bullshit on the fact that he can't pay for my phone."

"Can you not just try calling home?"

"No, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't," Storm shook his head indignantly, before lowering his head down in shame. "He tells me calling Cloudsdale from here is really expensive; besides, I wouldn't be surprised if he changed every phone number around the house by now; I mean, I know I'm a pain in the ass but I only just graduated."

But I still could've called Blue...why didn't I? Is calling from Vanhoover really as expensive as he says it is? I promised her I'd keep in touch, and writing to her isn't really cutting it. I long to hear the sound of her voice again somehow, but at the same time the prospect of her having long moved on is an unnerving one to say the least.

"Hey guys," the stallion to Storm's left, whose name he couldn't quite catch as of yet, suddenly piped up, Storm briefly noticing Arrow turn back and make his way towards them. "I hate to burst your little bubble here, but he's turning back - we should probably get back in line before he notices."

"Good idea," Storm went back into position - his deep rage directed at his stepfather simmering down almost instantaneously - just briefly catching Arrow's line of sight as he backed into the line; Scraper, meanwhile, remained in full view, wanting to appear as a 'rebel' of sorts in front of Arrow.

"Scraper!" Arrow suddenly yelled from a few places down the line. "Get your flank back into position!"

"You heard him, Bananaman," the stallion standing at Storm's left quipped, eliciting chuckles from Storm. "Get back into the line."

"Oh my gosh, 'Bananaman'?" Storm's chuckles turned into a full-on laugh as he momentarily forgot that Arrow was only a few places away. "What kind of insult is that? I mean, I know that he's yellow, but...oh crap, that's hella racist, or is it more..coat-ist? I don't even---"

"Shut up, Storm," Scraper suddenly shot Storm a deathly glare, not really seeming offended in the slightest, however.

"SCRAPER!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

"No sir, you don't have to repeat yourself, sir!"

"Don't give me that bull," Arrow closed in on him, throwing a gentle jab at him with a hoof though not enough to hurt him. "50 press-ups on the double!"

"Yes sir, 50 press-ups coming right up, sir!" Scraper smirked, getting down on his hooves. "Served hot and fresh, only for our number-one customer."

"Ha ha ha, you think you're so funny, eh?" Arrow stared at him with a decidedly furious expression, his patience wearing thin as he towered over the defiant stallion. "Bet you were voted 'class clown' on your yearbook, you're that funny. You know that?"

"Thanks for the compliment, but---"

"Make that 100."

"You're kidding?"

"Want 200?"

"No, sir."

"Well then, I'd suggest you shut the buck up," Arrow smirked in some satisfaction as he watched the defeated stallion trying, and failing to carry out his punishment, Storm staring at him wide-eyed as was everypony else. "Take this as a warning from me, you worthless sacks of shit. Anybody makes a shitty joke, talks back to me, or just does anything to piss me off, will bear the brunt of my anger - and I won't hold back whatsoever! You all hear me?! I will not hold back! You all mean jack shit to me. Is that understood? Hmm? You all disgust me, I'll leave it at that. You know what they do in the Air Force with ponies like him?"

No response.

"They made them clean bathroom stalls with toothbrushes, that's what they did," Arrow smirked darkly. "I know, because, unfortunately, I was one such pony, back when I was first starting out--"

"The Air Force? More like the Chair Force!"

"I bet he spent most of his time there fumbling about with his little joystick...get it? Joystick?"

Aside from some brief chuckles scattered across the group, a tense, overbearing silence ensued for a few moments, during which Arrow tried to locate the source of the decidedly bad joke. A strange, uncomfortable, awkward mixture of nerve and laughter overwhelmed Storm at that moment as Arrow glared briefly in his direction before turning his focus over to the other side, a near-enough lethal expression on his face pulled seemingly from the pits of Tartarus; something told him that Arrow found the source of the joke.

"You, out of the line," Arrow suddenly broke the overarching silence that prevailed up until that very moment in time, motioning with a raised hoof for a slightly smaller, more scrawny-looking stallion a few places to the right of Fielder along the line to step out towards him, a stallion who seemed somewhat dazed and confused to say the least, presumably having spent much of the time since they arrived talking to his friend.

"Huh?"

"Out of the line."

"But...I didn't do anything!"

"You heard me, out of the fucking line!" Arrow suddenly raised his voice by several decibels, unsettling even Storm, whose heart must've skipped at least a beat or two at that moment. The visibly-unnerved stallion tittered somewhat as he stepped out of the line, treading across the grass and not taking his eyes off of Arrow, who seemingly stared into his very soul with a deep, fierce glare. "What are you looking at me funny for, huh? Colt-cuddler."

"Nothing, nothing, sir," the green stallion backed away from Arrow along the grass and curved onto the path, seemingly completely impervious to his deepening glare on the outside; as he stepped onto the asphalt, he'd narrowly avoided a collision between himself and a stallion speaking on his cell phone.

"Get back here, you buffoon," Arrow ordered, motioning for the stallion to stand beside him instead. "There will be no clowning around here, understood? You have NO IDEA what I have been through as an airpony, you putrid sack of crap, so don't make jokes about it."

"Yes...sir...,"

"What was that?" Arrow's ears perked up as he fully turned towards the stallion.

"Yes, sir!"

"LOUDER!" Arrow roared, Storm's heart lurching forward in his chest all of a sudden.

"YES, SIR!"

“Hmm…Do you have any family members who have served in the military?”

“My dad used to be a sailor in the Navy...he was on a submarine a few years ago, you know, in the Griffon lands?”

“Ah yes,” Arrow smirked at the stallion. “You know what they say. You take one-hundred-and-fifty sailors, put ‘em all below deck and you get seventy-five couples.”

“Hey!”

"50 press-ups," Arrow smirked, smacking his lips in satisfaction just as he turned towards the stallion's friend still standing in line. "Same thing goes for your friend as well."

"But I came up with the joke--"

"Doesn't bucking matter, you imbecile," Arrow shot back, watching, satisfied, as the stallion trotted towards his friend. "100 press-ups, both of you...as for the rest of you, just to make you aware tomorrow's lesson will be integrated with the other class...so this class will end up being twice as big as it is now. I told you what will happen if you screw around..now, back to the lesson."

This was going to be a long week.

39. Summer’s End

At long last the group went on to start the first activity of the week after what felt like an hour or two of lecturing by Arrow, and not to mention the subsequent disturbances incited by a few rather unruly members of the class who were for the most part completely unwilling to cooperate with anypony let alone the instructor. A flight race covering the entire length of the runway - in which three ponies selected completely on a whim by Arrow would participate - was the first, and perhaps only activity the group would partake in that day, the minutes slowly ticking away towards the end of the session. In retrospect, the lecture probably did last for an hour, if not, then longer, for at that point, the sun was already nearing its highest point of the day. By the looks of it, it must have been around eleven at that point, maybe twelve even—or at least that’s what it seemed to Storm. As time went by cloud cover over Vanhoover also increased somewhat, although to nowhere near a point where rain was likely. The westerly wind atop the summit also picked up, whistling through the trees atop the summit in tandem with the shifting clouds, clocking in at perhaps thirty miles an hour and not dying down for a while, and thus making the flight race difficult to proceed with as planned.

And yet, it did eventually.

After some delay caused by the weather, Arrow made his first picks for the flight race. Much to his surprise, despite not attaining the fastest time during the practice runs, Storm was chosen to race alongside Buck and some other stallion he couldn’t quite catch the name of. He didn’t know how, but perhaps through sheer will and determination, and with some luck he’d overcome the wind despite initially struggling against it as he trailed them down the slope. Despite initially being in second place, Buck appeared to have gotten highly distracted at one point by something, at least from Storm’s point of view, allowing the stallion to catch up to him and thus leave him in the dust; it was harder catching up to the other flyer though, also a transfer by the looks of it, but at the very least he’d gotten to second place - by no means was that bad, at least not in Storm’s eyes, but it did leave ample room for improvement. Once the final three ponies in the group had raced each other, the individual times of each group member for the flight race were compared; Storm ended up coming in fourth place, whereas Sand Scraper, his newfound friend of sorts, came eighth out of the eleven ponies who’d raced that morning. Exhausted out of their minds following the race and craving something to eat at the factory cafeteria, the group made their way back down the hilly path leading back into town, Arrow tailing them and still watching the entire class like a hawk despite not a word being uttered by anypony along the way. As he worked his way down, all Storm could think about was how underwhelming and frankly strange their first flight lesson was; although this was only the first day he felt that much more could have been done had there been no distractions along the way. That, and he was also somewhat frustrated with Arrow himself and his rather questionable methods of teaching - which seemed to consist mainly of long, drawn-out lectures regarding every single mechanic driving flight punctuated by fierce, hellish rage directed at members of the class who were acting up.

Instead of actually getting anything done aside from a flight race Storm was forced to bear witness to his classmates acting up and doing everything in their power to irritate the instructor as much as they possibly could, whether it'd be through making decidedly bad, and perhaps even somewhat tasteless quips about him and his military background or through rebelling against his instructions altogether. That didn’t excuse Arrow’s response to it though, which for the most part seemed somewhat fitting of the context considering his high-ranking position of authority in the Air Force, but at the same time was a bit too harsh in his opinion. Had this been anypony else they’d probably have reacted in a similar manner, but Arrow seemed to take things a tad bit too far in all honesty, breaking into a fit of unadulterated rage at even the slightest blunder by the looks of it. Although by the looks of it Storm was still on his good side, he had no idea how long he’d remain there, or if he’d last through the whole week.

At the very least the jocks who had been pestering him throughout his time at Vanhoover had either completed the course by then or dropped out of it and gone back to their original factories; he assumed that the latter option would probably be more likely since he hadn’t seen them at all that morning when making his way to the briefing room—but he couldn’t know for sure in the end. Part of him still also questioned the logic behind such a course, especially the fact that transfers from other weather factories around the country - who were highly skilled and experienced without any reasonable doubt - were expected to take part in it. He could completely understand if it was for the factory to see whether or not the transfers they’d accepted were fit for the job, but at the same time, to be eligible for the transfer lottery at the Cloudsdale factory at least weather ponies had to be consistently performing at their best.

Wouldn’t the progress reports from Cloudsdale have sufficed? Storm pondered over the course as they arrived at the foot of the hill, entering a middle-class housing subdivision located on the very fringe of Silverwood shortly thereafter, the brick façade of weather factory’s south wing coming into clear view of the group as they made their collective way towards it. Why is any of this necessary? I already know how to fly; that, after what happened those few weeks ago...

The whole thing confused Storm to say the least, although he wasn’t exactly willing to show it especially seeing as he’d gotten so far through the course at that point. Neither Clear nor High Wind had explained the course in much, if any, detail to him beforehand, but somehow he’d soldiered through it with only flight week left to go. Although he wasn’t enjoying the course at all at that point and was growing somewhat desperate for it to come to an end, at the very least he was being paid by the factory to participate in it; as far as he was concerned there was no sign-on bonus for transfers, but the 250 bits that hit his bank account every week wasn’t bad money, at least not for somepony who’d just left high school and was trying to make it out in the world on their own. It was probably better money than what he earned first starting out in Cloudsdale, that much was certain.

“Alright folks,” motioning for them to stop at an intersection after leaving the initial cul-de-sac, Arrow walked to the front of the group, each member standing at attention and awaiting his instructions. “For your first flight lesson that wasn’t half bad, but I expect much better times from each and every one of you tomorrow, especially from the ponies I had to speak to earlier on. Remember what I said about the classes being integrated tomorrow? Good...”

“You know,” Sand Scraper walked up to where Storm stood, leaning into his ear. “I’m surprised he isn’t yelling his ass off at us right now.”

“He can’t,” Storm cast him a sidewards glance, scooting over to the right slightly and allowing him to enter his space. “There’s probably noise laws preventing him from doing so, especially seeing as this is a pretty swanky area of town by the looks of it.”

“I guess,” Scraper shrugged his shoulders somewhat, the two being out of Arrow’s earshot. “He’s so full of himself by the looks of it.”

“Yeah, he definitely comes off as such, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Scraper nodded in response. “Like, he seemed like a pretty cool guy at first but then he just started lecturing us about random shit; oh, and just the way he demands everypony’s utmost respect while not giving any back.”

“It’d probably be exactly the same in the military, dude,” Storm replied. “I mean, tell me you wouldn’t react in a similar way if you were in his position.”

“I know, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that he’s overstepped a ton of boundaries by the looks of it,” Scraper mused, also arousing Storm’s suspicion - at least for a moment. “I know he’s not employed by the factory, but he should at the very least behave as though he is. How did you think that went by the way?”

“Exhausting,” Storm chuckled somewhat, following his statement with a yawn, as if on cue. “But then again I haven’t really been sleeping well lately so I guess that might be what’s causing it.”

“Yeah, same,” Scraper nodded in response. “I just hope I can do better the next time, you know?”

“Yeah, I mean this is only the first flight lesson of the week,” Storm replied, somewhat startled by the group moving on once Arrow had finished talking in the background and almost being tailgated by a mare. “You’re bound to improve, dude.”

“I hope so,” Scraper nodded, a decidedly nihilistic edge to his response, indicative of intense doubt. “My dad would kill me if he found out I came eighth..oh man, I don’t know about you but I’m starving, dude.”

“Yeah, me also,” Storm grimaced somewhat, stomach rumbling for a few brief seconds as the two stallions followed the others in the group down the street, much of the weather factory coming into full view shortly afterwards. “Do you know if we’re doing anything after lunch?”

“I doubt it,” Scraper shrugged. “From what I could tell it was only just this one session we were doing today, and then we can just go home.”

“That’s reassuring,” Storm smirked somewhat, the group arriving at the final block along the street before reaching the weather factory.

“You got anything going on later?”

“No, not really,” Storm shrugged his shoulders. “What about you, man?”

“Probably gonna go home, down to Bayview,” Scraper replied, smirking somewhat. “You should honestly drop by sometime if you’ve never been before. It’s a couple of miles south of town right down the coast with a big, beautiful beach and some of the coolest views around. I used to surf when I was a kid, me and my brother both did actually, and I’d say that I got pretty good at it...and then...I gave up on it, pure and simple.”

“Why man, what happened?” Storm raised his eyebrows somewhat.

“One day I went out a bit too far to say the least,” Scraper chuckled in response to Storm’s statement as they crossed the street onto Factory grounds. “I ended up getting dared by one of my friends from school to go as far out as possible from what I can remember; I think I went out almost a mile or something, I’m not sure. Then all of a sudden this huge wave comes out of nowhere, I panic, and just fly back to shore, not returning to the beach for a few weeks out of fear; it must’ve been a month before I came back as a matter of fact, right after we had one of the worst storms in our town’s history.”

“Damn.”

“Keep in mind I was only about eleven or twelve at that time,” he mused, following the group into the factory gym where it dispersed, Arrow having left them by the looks of it after dismissing the class. “I know this story sounds silly, but I honestly thought I was going to drown back there. Thank god I have a pair of these, right?” He then glanced back at his right wing, smirk glistening across his face.

“Yeah, I didn’t say anything,” Storm shook his head, Scraper chuckling nonchalantly following his statement as they both walked through an open door and made their way towards the locker room, trailing behind the rest of the group. “I’ve had actually something similar happen to me before, but it’s not something I really like talking about...since it kinda happened here.”

“What...do you mean?” Scraper cocked an eyebrow.

“I...almost drowned at the training pool a couple of weeks back.”

“That...was you?” his eyes widened all of a sudden.

“Yeah,” he shrugged his shoulders, narrowly avoiding a collision with an oncoming weather pony. “You’ve heard of what happened?”

“Damn,” Scraper sighed. “A lot of ponies have, to put it short. It was on the six-o’clock news and everything.”

“I’d imagine it was...”

“I mean,” he began, arousing Storm’s suspicion somewhat as they passed through more crowds of ponies making their way towards the cafeteria for lunch. “They didn’t reveal your identity to the press, but they said they’ve got ‘everything under control’.”

“Sure they do,” Storm scoffed, eyeing the stallion closely. “That sounds really sketchy in fact, like, the way you’ve worded it especially.”

“You know, speaking of ‘sketchy’, they still haven’t fixed that thing, nor have they gotten rid of it entirely,” Scraper explained, shrugging his shoulders. “Just thought you should know.”

“They haven’t?” Storm raised a suspicious eyebrow, heart leaping into overdrive.

“Nope,” he shook his head, to Storm’s utmost surprise. “I’ve been on them last week.”

“Really?” Storm maintained his facial expression. “What was it like?”

“It didn’t look as though much had changed to be honest,” Scraper shrugged. “The simulator you were on was closed off for about a week for ‘inspection purposes’, but all they really did was put in a new pane of glass and that’s about it.”

“Sheesh.”

“Dude, you should talk to Clear about this when you have the time, but come to think of it now I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re going to have to redo the weather simulators.”

“Hell no, I’m not going back on that thing,” Storm stared daggers at Scraper, the stallion flinching somewhat in response as they finally reached their lockers. “I almost died there a couple of weeks back, and they expect me to do them again? What the hell?”

“I don’t know dude, it’s a possibility you’ll have to redo them next week or this week even,” Scraper sighed, keying in the code for his locker as did Storm. “I honestly don’t know...just..just ask Clear about it when you have the time, she’ll know exactly.”

“They know what happened though,” Storm sighed, trying to maintain a hold of his emotions before they slipped out of hand. “It would be really cruel of them to force me through that again. How do you know about this?”

“I think I ended up overhearing something this morning, I’m not sure. Like, just before the briefing Clear was talking about an accident that happened here a couple of weeks back with one of the high-ranking suits that work here; I legitimately had no idea it was you.”

“And I’m guessing they were discussing what you said?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Scraper nodded. “Clear wasn’t too happy with it herself by the looks of it, but I think she had no other choice but to comply.”

“This isn’t right,” Storm shook his head in anger as he dumped his saddlebag in the now-open locker, removing his sandwich bag from it before slamming the door to it shut. “Man, I thought the course was bad enough already, and now they want me to redo the simulators?”

“Dude...I’m sorry,” Scraper replied, also throwing his saddlebag into his locker. “As much as I hate to say this you’re probably lucky they even gave you the time off.”

“I’ll talk to Clear about this,” Storm replied, breaking into a fast stride down the corridor. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I don’t know…,” Scraper, holding his sandwich bag in his hooves, followed Storm’s tracks down the corridor towards the factory mess hall, Storm frantically looking around the hallway for Clear’s office as his anger festered deep within. “We should find her as soon as possible, dude.”

“I’ll find her myself,” Storm grimaced, feelings of resentment and confusion brewing within him. “I just hope she’s still at work.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, you just go eat and I’ll go talk to her,” Storm turned towards him in mid-stride, reaching a fork splitting the hall into two. “I need answers from her about this. Do you know if she’s in, dude?”

“She should be,” Scraper replied, although Storm could tell by his expression that he was uncertain. “If I were you I’d take a look in the transfer office. That’s where she usually is. I mean, she was in this morning, and besides, from what I know she usually has her lunch there.”

“Alright,” Storm nodded satisfiedly as the two arrived at the t-shaped junction, Storm turning towards the right and Scraper towards the left. “I’ll see you tomorrow, dude.”

“Sure, see ya.”

---

“Come on in!”

This must have been the third time he’d been to Clear’s office in the space of an hour or so, his initial search for her throughout the factory being ultimately fruitless in spite of what Scraper had told him earlier. In all honesty, Storm was just glad to have finally found her office occupied, much of his anger from earlier having completely subsided with time; yet, he still felt somewhat hollow and empty inside, especially after Scraper’s sudden revelation, yearning to have the questions on his mind answered by her as if she was some sort of oracle. Anxiety embracing him whole as he pulled the handle down, Storm nudged the door ajar and tread into the office, glancing up at Clear with an unnerved, yet anticipatory expression on his face, one that she picked up almost immediately and responded to with some concern. He didn’t go there as often as he perhaps should, but today was a different occasion than usual—much more different in fact.

Little did he know just how how much it might end up changing everything.

He needed to be there today, pure and simple.

“Hi Storm, is something wrong?” Clear asked, closing the lid to her laptop and shifting it along her desk to her immediate right, tracking the stallion in her gaze as he made his way into the office. As he made his way in towards her desk, his gaze skimmed across the photographs she had on her office wall. “I didn’t expect to see you here today. What can I help you with?”

“Can I have a quick word?” Storm approached her desk, the mare motioning for him to sit down in front of her; almost immediately the anger he’d thought had largely dissipated earlier on had returned to him, slowly bubbling up deep within as his mind pondered over what Scraper had told him earlier.

“Of course, of course,” Clear smiled, motioning for him to sit down in front of her desk. “What is it that’s been bothering you?”

“Just out of interest,” Storm paused to clear his throat. “Do you know if I’ll have to...redo any parts of the course?”

A long, awkward silence ensued shortly thereafter, Clear’s smile turning into a concerned frown and arousing Storm’s suspicions.

“...what?”

“I asked if I’ll have to redo any parts of the course that I’ve...missed,” Storm replied, his suspicions elevating as he furrowed his brow at the mare, who stared at him with a mostly blank expression on her face. I genuinely hope he’s bullshitting me at this point. “You know, the weather simulators? Would I have to redo them at any point during this week?”

“How was training with Arrow…?” she asked, attempting to derail the conversation before it had even fully started.

“It’s going alright,” Storm nodded, not wanting to tell her about Arrow’s temper—although part of him could tell that she was aware of it. Was this one of the reasons why she hired him? “That’s...not why I’m here though.”

“Storm…?”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Storm, listen, about that...accident,” Clear suddenly interjected, taking on a decidedly more serious, yet also nervous, tone than before. “I have something to tell you, and I'm not too sure that you'll like it.”

“What is it,...Clear?”

“Storm, I'm..,” she began, sighing somewhat, Storm raising a slight eyebrow at her initial response. “I know I promised you this before, but I'm really sorry for not being able to sort anything out with the factory about trying to accommodate the course to your needs. Any injuries that take place during training are usually dealt with swiftly and seriously, but these days it's hard to get anything across to upper management to say the least. I tried to negotiate shortening the course for you in some way or another, or even having you skip it altogether, but the upper management were pretty adamant that you finish the whole thing like everypony else does once you recover—either that or drop out of it altogether.”

“Really?” Storm inquired, raising his brow somewhat in sheer disbelief. “I'm guessing this is why a lot of the trainees I've never seen before.”

“Precisely,” Clear sighed, head resting in her hooves. “It's just the way things are managed around here, unfortunately. The trainees you're working with for the remainder of this week are our final batch for this year; the ones you worked alongside before your accident have all either started full-time work here or have dropped out of the course by now.”

“Beats me why I'm not able to skip the course altogether,” Storm shrugged his shoulders in response, eyes shifting towards the clock on her wall. “I'd understand if it was budgetary issues the factory's facing, but you must be doing really well right now if you’re able to provide a training course like this.”

“They tell me they need to see how well you're performing as a weather pony before they take you on, which is why they're forcing you through everything,” Clear responded, a glare forming on her face. "I'll be honest with you Storm, your injuries don't matter to them whatsoever, although they've faded away by now, as long as they can still milk some sort of profit out of your service."

"Really?" Storm's pupils shrunk to pinpricks at that statement, anger boiling deep within. "Who pays you?"

"That doesn’t matter,” Clear shook her head in a swift response and in obvious disapproval. “What matters is that the factory is refusing to take responsibility for an on-site injury, which, in the best way of putting it, was the end result of years and years of neglect. We had a change in CEO not too long ago, and this one seems to be a lot more concerned with cutting corners than anything else.”

“Is that all, or is there more to this?”

“You know, when I told you that I’d personally pay for your medical care…,” Clear began, pausing for a sigh. “Well, I actually tried getting you on the trainee health insurance plan we have here, like, just before you arrived, but I soon realized that you weren't on any list, as were a lot of other potential weather ponies...put simply, you weren’t eligible for it, which is why I took it upon myself to pay your hospital bill, since 250 bits a week probably won’t cut it.”

“How big was it?”

“You really want to know?”

“Go ahead.”

“Initially it was roughly 60,000 bits, but there was some sort of computer error at the hospital’s billing department,” Clear explained. “We got a redacted version of it in the mail a week or so later. And the price tag on that one? 8,000 bits.”

"I honestly don't know what to say," Storm glared in her direction, completely stunned and bewildered and feeling somewhat hollow inside in the wake of Clear's sudden revelation. "I didn't even know there was an insurance plan I could sign up for."

"I'm so sorry, believe me," Clear lowered her head down in shame. "None of this is right, to say the least, but this is how things work around here. I was willing to go to the extremes to get your bill paid, believe me.”

“Clear, what else are you not telling me?” Storm raised both eyebrows, the hollow feeling within him omnipresent.

“That’s all I have to say.”

“How was I not eligible for it?”

“They don’t take transfers anymore, Storm,” Clear shook her head matter-of-factly, a succinct response on her part. “Pure and simple.”

“How?” Storm raised his voice by several decibels all of a sudden, growing more consumed by his confusion with each passing second. “They don’t take transfers anymore? The hell did I do to make me ineligible for it?”

“Storm, be honest with me,” Clear began, calming down slightly and maintaining a stoic composure, even in the face of Storm’s brewing rage—rage which she fully understood. “Why are you here?”

“Excuse me?” Storm frowned, pricking up his ears.

“I’ve been asking myself this question ever since I first caught a glimpse of your cutie mark. Why did you come here, to Vanhoover?” she inquired, watching intently as he glanced down at the mark emblazoned on his flank. “Did you sign up for the lottery at Cloudsdale? What happened?”

“You really want to know?”

“Simply put, I have to know if we’re going to do anything about this. What you’re going through isn’t right.”

“I didn’t,” Storm shook his head and sighed, his anger intensifying. “I was sent here. I didn’t sign up for anything.”

“Who sent you again, was it High Wind?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Clear inquired, a tinge of concern evident in her voice. “Did he give you a reason?”

“Nope.”

“This might be a strange question to ask, but…is High Wind anypony to you?”

“He’s my stepfather,” Storm grit his teeth, holding his breath. “Or at least was. This isn’t something I wish to talk about though.” Especially not with you, a complete stranger who has no need to know of my family life.

“Oo-kay,” Clear began, somewhat taken aback by Storm’s response. A moment of solemn yet tense silence ensued then before she finally continued. “I’ll leave this entirely up to you, but please, just tell me...do you want to stay on this course and finish it? Or do you want me to cancel your transfer contract and send you back to Cloudsdale?”

I knew there was a transfer contract I needed to sign...why didn’t I ask to see it before I left? I guess I was just so caught up with what was going on at the time I didn’t even consider asking for it...but if I did, would he have let me see it?

“Wait-”

“Storm, I can’t let you get screwed over like this,” Clear fixed his gaze on him, her voice firm but also concerned—motherly even. “If you’re wanting to continue this course, you need to understand the consequences of your choice...that, and get yourself a good lawyer also. You’re gonna need one.”

“A lawyer?”

“Storm, what happened--this-this is extremely serious,” Clear shook her head. “You need to understand what you’re going to get yourself into. The sheer mismanagement of this factory has resulted in what could have been an on-site death but fortunately resulted only in serious injury. The weather simulators—these had a lifetime of eight years and were meant to be replaced earlier this year, but they put that on hold due to ‘budgetary issues’ and we were ascertained that they work perfectly fine even after countless uses..since you’re the primary victim of this, you’re liable for compensation, as this is included in your transfer contract. You can take this factory to court and sue the hell out of us...and I will wholeheartedly support you throughout all this if you choose to take this path.”

“I’m lost for words,” Storm blinked thrice, the hollowness within him combined with the immense, widening scope of the situation gnawing at his very soul. “How many secrets can one weather factory be keeping away from its workers?”

“As am I,” Clear sighed. “And you’d be surprised, honestly—this isn’t the first time we’ve landed in hot water like this. I’m honestly so sorry this happened.”

“This wasn’t your fault,” Storm glanced at her, sympathy in his eyes as he looked on at the sad mare—although his curiosity was piqued by her cryptic revelation. Had something like this happened here before? When? “You helped me through a lot, and I couldn’t be more grateful for what you did.”

“I did what I could,” Clear replied, a surprising lack of emotion evident in the tone of her voice. “You need to make a choice, Storm...I’ll give you as much time as you need for it, but the choice you’ll make will be final—there will be no going back from it, you understand?”

“This..is all incredibly overwhelming.”

“I understand that, believe me,” Clear sighed, resting her head in her hooves. “But something needs to be done about this...and what happens from this point on lies very much in your hooves.”

“Clear, I…”

“If you want to file a lawsuit against the factory and the company that manages us, now would be a good time to start proceedings,” Clear responded, staring him straight in the eyes. “I’ll do everything in my power to help you through this process, I can assure you. I can get you the names of the ponies that deal with the insurance companies, the details of a couple lawyer friends of mine, help you with a lot of your legal fees, et cetera, et cetera.”

“Don’t overcomplicate this for me, please,” Storm groaned, frustration with the situation at hand overwhelming him. “I’m already struggling to grasp this—I’m not even sure if I want to go through with a lawsuit.”

“Storm, know that what happened wasn't your fault...you deserve some sort of compensation for that accident, and the fact that they've been..exploiting you, forcing you to go through everything again…I can't let you be treated like this all in the name of bussiness.”

“...how much...am I liable to get?”

“I'm not sure, but I’d assume it’s somewhere in the thousands of bits,” she replied, flipping open her netbook and logging on. “20,000 bits in compensation, maybe? 35,000? I'm not too sure. I just need to run through your file really quick, bear with me a moment. Storm…?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you..like me to cancel your contract here?”

This was it, the moment Storm had been waiting for deep down inside—and dreading also.

A potential ticket back to Cloudsdale.

“I mean,” she heaved a sigh, hooves resting on her desk as she momentarily stood up out of her chair, Storm listening closely to every single word she had to say. “I’ll be honest with you, there are so many better things you could be doing right now instead of being forced to do this course.” She then cracked a small smile, an attempt at lightening up the mood.

“This is the...final week though.”

“I know,” Clear sighed, sitting back down at her computer. “But still…something needs to be done about your situation—I can’t let you get exploited like this."

"You sure?"

"Of course," she nodded. "I've got your contract up on screen by the way. Based on the rank you transferred at you're liable for $26,000, which is really about as much as we can offer anypony. I’ll give you time to think this over, alright? I’ll get in touch with High Wind about your situation in the next few days, and whenever you’re ready, I’d like you to come straight to my office...and then we’ll talk our plan of action through.”

“Alright.” Storm muttered under his breath. ”What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

Author's Notes:

Storm’s stay in Vanhoover is nearing its end.

Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but here it is.

40. Affairs

Storm couldn’t sleep at all that night, as much as he tried to.

No matter what he did he couldn’t get himself to fall asleep at all, and the arrival of a nighttime thunderstorm did not help whatsoever.

The pattering of raindrops on his window punctuated by periodic rumbles of thunder sounded through his high-rise abode, at least a hundred feet above the still-bustling streets of Vanhoover, which even this late into the night remained as busy as ever and teemed with life. Resting his hooves on the windowsill behind his couch, Storm—eyes glazed in crust—stared out of the window at the city sprawled out before him, tendrils of suburbs and residential areas encroaching in all directions almost as far as the eye could see. At street level, neon lights from the strip mall just a crosswalk away from his apartment building gleamed in a technicolor fashion and illuminated the rainy night as ponies who’d been caught outside in the storm trotted through forming puddles in a desperate trek to find some form of shelter. The taller office buildings at either side of the mall were also lit up, and the skyline in the distance shone like the beacon of a lighthouse guiding a stray ship through a dense sheath of fog. With a prescient chill in the air and fall now on the horizon also, the seemingly-endless rains and the overcast, foggy days—a dour, yet lasting and also somewhat endearing image of the Prancific Northwest as a whole—were approaching rapidly.

And when it rains in Vanhoover, it pours.

Lightning whipped its way across the pitch-black sky followed by a rather loud rumble of thunder as Storm heaved a sigh, his mind deeply engrossed in solitary thought even as he stared out at the city streets below, puddles glistening under the light of nearby street lamps and technicolor neon shop signage. While watching the city live and breathe into the night, Storm pondered over the events of that day, his conversation with Clear especially, and the implications of it to no end. If he decided to go through with filing a lawsuit against the weather factory, his whole world would change dramatically. For better or for worse, he hadn’t a clue, but what was certain was that he would have himself a whole new set of enemies to contend with. This was beyond a shadow of any reasonable doubt.

But he wanted justice for himself, and now, come to think of it, justice for whoever else it was that caused the factory to ‘land in hot water’, as Clear put it.

Was any of this worth it, however? Would it prove too much for one pony to go against a huge, multi-million-bit corporation with the money and the power to quell any legal action before it even began and an army of defense attorneys to protect it at every turn?

Storm didn’t know, and part of him wanted it to stay that way.

But he needed to do something. He just had to.

In all honesty, it was strange just how lonely Vanhoover seemed in spite of boasting such a large population, a cruel irony in a sense. Although dating Lilli and now acquainted with so many ponies at the factory, he felt more alone than he’d ever felt before, having nopony aside from her, and perhaps her mother also, to talk to and confide in. It was depressing, more than depressing in fact, just how out of place Storm felt amongst the stock of largely Vanhoover-bred weather pony hopefuls he’d trained alongside over the past couple of weeks, standing out from the rest of the crowd in more ways than one. The fact that he was denied health insurance coverage by the factory or compensation for the injuries he had sustained during his training period was enough to push him over the edge just thinking about it; and although he wasn’t personally responsible for paying off the resulting hospital bill, just pondering over its now-disclosed value was enough to make him queasy, to say the least.

He didn’t want to be here. His stay in Vanhoover, as short as it was still, had overwhelmed him in the most awful sense of the word; everything that had happened to him up until that point felt like nothing more than some form of cruel and unusual punishment, like a curse of some sort that loomed over him wherever he went and made his life miserable beyond belief. The longing to be back home was ineffable.

“I need to get out of here,” Storm muttered under his breath, his very thoughts having metamorphosed into words as his hooves slid across the windowsill. “I can’t take this fucking place anymore...the ponies, everything about it. I just have to leave.”

Needless to say, it felt good letting that out, the overwhelming weight of the whole situation he’d found himself in subsiding, albeit slightly. This city had tempted and tested his very soul, and near enough broken him both physically and mentally - to leave would be to put that all aside and move on with his life, be what and where he was meant to be all along.

Be with Blue.

Then again, he had no idea how to make this possible. Even if Clear were to cancel his contract, it could very much take weeks to leave and Storm would very quickly find himself tight on whatever money he had left. Although his apartment remained relatively unfurnished ever since he moved in and the process of physically moving out of it wouldn’t take very long as such, the paperwork he’d potentially have to fill in and sign just to put the place back up for rent would be a lot to bear to say the least.

Would High Wind also have to give his written consent also?

Would any of this be worth it in the end?

Storm had virtually no clue, but he was willing to do it if it meant returning to his former life, if it meant returning to Blue.

He’d swore to himself that he would never neglect her again after this.

Never again.

At that point, he’d subconsciously made the decision to go straight to Clear’s office, either before or after training tomorrow, and tell her everything. She was right. It was high time for a change, and Storm was lucky to have somepony like her on his side if anything were to escalate to the point of legal action being taken. The prospect of leaving all this behind would be daunting without a doubt, and he had no way of foreseeing Lilli’s response especially, but something told him it would be a less-than-favorable one at that.

At that very moment, again the conflicting feelings had returned to torment him, to test his heart and soul. He loved Blue more than anything, and she meant the world to him. He’d made the mistake of his life by cheating on her with another mare, and at this point in time he was unsure of what he could do to fix it, if he could do anything now.

“Oh Blue,” Storm sighed as he turned his attention towards the coffee table on which his cellphone rested next to an unused stack of printer paper he’d purchased from a nearby office supplies store, lightning flashing in from outside punctuated by a burst of thunder that came in an instant. “I’m so sorry...for everything.”

Although overwhelmed by guilt from neglecting to remain in contact with her, for some strange reason he could not force himself to pick up the phone or even write a simple letter to her. Maybe it was the simple fear of her picking up the phone and finding out about everything that’s been going on as of late, especially about his as-of-yet-ongoing relationship with Lilli, which he couldn’t bring himself to tell about whatsoever. He had no idea.

He had no idea how to resolve this now, but he needed to. Somehow.

“Blue, I wish I could be with you right now,” Storm spoke softly in the still of the night, desperately wanting to convince himself to at the very least write her a message, and hoping deep down inside that his words would reach her somehow across the vast plane of their nighttime existence and reverberate back to him. Storm was never religious or spiritual in any sense of the word, and thus the metaphysical definition of ‘love’ wasn’t something that he’d necessarily subscribed to; but now, as he pondered over it, the love he’d felt for Blue was about as pure and unending as can be, stemming from someplace deep within that he wasn’t capable of explaining. Cheating on her, he felt, was by far the worst thing he could have done in terms of their relationship, and someday he’d need to face the music, perhaps more sooner than later. “I’m in a dark place in my life at the moment, cold, alone...in a sense frightened...I have nopony to turn to whatsoever, and I feel as though I’d dug this hole for myself.”

“Why did I cut myself off from you?”

Curling into a fetal position on the couch, Storm extended a hoof across the gap between it and the coffee table towards his cellphone, heart skipping a beat as he finally felt its cold, rock-hard plastic texture nestled firmly in his grasp. With a gentle tap of a single key, the small screen, as well as the triangular-shaped keypad, flickered to life and softly illuminated the immediate vicinity of the living room, a small, white beacon of hope for Storm at that point in time in rekindling his relationship with Blue. He broke his promise to maintain contact with her, but at that point in time he swore to himself that he’d do his best to at least try and reestablish it for the duration of his stay in Vanhoover and hopefully reconnect.

Two successive taps of the keypad and he’d unlocked the phone; his eyes were, however, encrusted to a point where he could barely see the logo of his cell phone provider in the white glare of the screen, let alone any discernible text, and so it took him a minute or so to adjust. Through rapid blinking and eye movements, Storm managed to clear his vision at least somewhat, enough at least to read the on-screen text without the glare blinding him.

Was this the right thing to do? Storm felt more than a little confused by his actions at that moment in time, a combined sense of hesitation and anxiety creeping over him as he scoured his phone for his contacts list. It was two in the morning here in Vanhoover, which meant it had just turned four in Cloudsdale, and Storm had no idea if Blue was working any early morning shifts at the weather factory back home now that she was not restricted by school hours anymore. The last time they’d talked Blue had told him that she had a variable shift schedule at work, and so, if that still applied, Storm had no idea exactly what sort of hours she was doing at the factory. If he called her at the wrong time it would be taken the wrong way without a doubt, but he was willing to do something, for both his sake and the sake of their relationship.

He’d scrolled through his contacts until he finally found it. That familiar ten-digit number of hers standing out from the rest, a number he’d failed to call on so many different occasions.

Not anymore.

But before he could do so, he changed his mind at the last second.

“This...this isn’t right,” Storm suddenly blurted out, dropping the phone back onto the edge of the coffee table. “I can’t...what the hell am I doing?”

He felt tormented now. His breath was heavy and his heart raced at hundreds of miles an hour, or so it seemed, as he pondered over the consequences of this call, what could very well be a small miracle linking two disconnected lovers separated by sheer distance.

He couldn’t do it.

As well-intentioned as he was, Storm felt that this would just make things worse.

Blue would never take him back, or so he thought. Not after what he did. Not once she finds out.

But it was more than worth a shot. No amount of letters could reproduce the sound of Blue’s voice, a sound that he sorely missed - a sound that he yearned to hear again.

He just had to try once more.

Hoof hovering over the keypad, Storm tapped the dial key gently after selecting her number again. There was no going back now—unless he were to hang up immediately, that is.

His heart leapt into overdrive, beating frantically within his chest as he tried to predict her response. As he listened to the dial tone he had his doubts that it would be anything positive. Deep down inside, in fact, he’d hoped that he wouldn’t get through to her in the end, that her phone was on silent or switched off, that its battery was drained.

The dial tone suddenly cut off after a couple of seconds, and in the ensuing silence a faint murmur of a voice could be heard on the other end.

He’d committed the very mistake he was hoping to avoid; the very mistake he dreaded.

He woke her up.

He’d woken her up.

“...Hello?”

“Blue? Hey...it’s...me,” Storm’s ears flattened as his world came crashing to a halt, heart racing in the confines of his ribcage as he desperately tried to foresee her response, whatever that may be.

“Stormy...is that you?” It was her voice. Tired, croaky, but it was her voice. The voice of an angel. Storm’s heart sank, overwhelmed by sudden emotion, and his eyes glistened with welling tears as he listened in.

“Blue?” he quivered, trembling somewhat as he raised a slight eyebrow. “I know this is a strange time to call…and I’m so sorry for waking you up like this.”

“Storm…” She suddenly paused, a faint quiver in her voice audible across the line. Was she crying? “I haven’t heard anything from you in so long...no letter, nothing.”

He’d stopped sending her letters a few weeks ago. In the chaos and confusion of these past few weeks, he didn’t answer any of her calls, let alone call her himself. And now he felt worse than death about it.

“Oh Blue, I know...and I’m so sorry for this,” Storm exhaled, letting out a sigh as he began to anticipate the worst, also debating on whether or not he should tell her about the things that had been going on at the factory as of late.

He couldn’t. It wasn’t time yet.

How would she respond if he did?

“Blue, I’ve...I’ve..,” he stuttered, stumbling over his words. “I’ve just been so caught up with things lately…It’s been...very busy, very hectic over here, and I just didn’t really have the time to just stop and focus on the things that really matter to me. Blue, I’m so, so sorry. We were supposed to keep in touch while I was gone and I completely blew any opportunity I had to get back to you...Blue, I promise you that this will never happen again - from now on I will never leave you hanging.”

“Stormy, it’s all right,” she replied, very matter-of-factly at that. “I’m not angry at you or anything. I understand completely…I was just worried.”

“You...aren’t?” he blinked twice, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not honey, I was just worried sick,” Blue responded, the tone of her voice frail, yet firm. “If anything I’m just angry at this whole situation...We’re so far away from each other right now, I just don’t know what I’d do if anything were to happen to you. Storm?”

“Yeah?”

“I miss you so much, honey,” Blue sighed, achingly. “I’m missing a part of myself without you by my side. I keep thinking about you all the time, and just long for you to come home...I haven’t slept well in days because I was so worried about you, especially as of late.”

“I do too,” Storm replied sorrowfully, a hint of regret and self-loathing evident in his voice as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled outside. It was all his fault, now that he’d thought about it—he was an adult now, and High Wind couldn’t tell him what to do anymore. Why did he have to follow through? He could have just as easily stood his ground. Why didn’t he? “I do too, Blue…this place is so much different from home, and not in a good way.”

“How so?” she inquired. Her voice was faint now, warbly even.

The storm must’ve been interfering with his cell signal in some way or another by the looks and sounds of it.

“Well…, it just doesn’t feel like ‘home’ per se,” Storm replied, his heart shattering as he pondered over the events that he bore witness to and partook in in Vanhoover. His accident, his effective betrayal by the weather factory. His relationship with Lilli. “Not without you, at least...Blue, I want to come home…”

“I know, honey,” she sighed. “I want you home too…lately things have been difficult for me to say the least, and I’m so sorry for not keeping in touch with you myself.”

“Blue, it’s okay,” Storm replied. “You still called me though...and I’m the one that hasn’t answered any of them.”

“Stormy…,” her voice trembled. “My brother...he’s in deployment again.”

“He...is?” Storm’s heart skipped a beat all of a sudden, before it hit him like a freight train. The naval standoff out at sea was still ongoing, and the death toll on both sides rose day by day; although there was no evidence to imply the Griffon Empire was involved in this, Storm began to have his doubts and question the overall consensus—and so did Lilli and Ward. Some of Equestria’s finest young stallions were sent out to sea, and whether or not they made it back home was another matter entirely. “Blue, I’m sorry about your brother...but he’ll be back home in no time, I just know it.”

“I hope so too, Stormy,” Blue quivered somewhat. “He’s been gone for so long now...and this is his last deployment.”

He’d only really known Blue’s brother from their high school graduation, but deep down inside Storm hoped and silently prayed for him to make a safe return home from his deployment, for Blue’s sake especially. Lone had given several years of his life to protect and serve his country, and this dedication and drive to serve was an aspect of his character that he’d greatly admired—envied even. He could only hope that once he made port he’d be able to fully reintegrate into society and settle down, becoming a pillar of the community thanks to the skills and experience he’d picked up as a sailor.

He could only hope.

“Blue…,” Storm sighed, his already-brittle heart breaking for her. “He will be back. I promise you that he will be back, okay?”

“I hope he’ll be back Stormy, sooner than later.”

“Blue...what’s it like back home?” Storm quivered after an ensuing pause, cocking an eyebrow. “Has...anything changed since I’ve left?”

“Storm…” her voice was clearer now, but grew charged with more emotion by the minute. “A lot of things have changed...and I’m not sure how you’ll respond to this.”

“What...do you mean?” Storm raised an eyebrow, pupils shrinking somewhat.

“Your dad called me up to his office two days ago, and...” Blue began, a pause on the line ensuing for a few moments shortly thereafter. “Storm...your parents...might be getting a divorce in the coming weeks…”

“...Really?” Storm’s heart near enough stopped momentarily, his world grinding to an effective halt as he tried to process the sudden reveal.

“Storm...your mom’s moved back to her parents’ old home on Saturday,” Blue replied, quite clearly in tears herself judging from her voice. “She has custody of Mist...both her and your dad will be going to marriage counseling in an attempt to resolve this somehow, but neither of them are counting on anything working out. Gust, on the other hand, isn’t talking to your dad at all…”

“Oh my god,” Storm rested his head in his hooves, standing up off the couch immediately. He felt disoriented, more than confused; his heart, on the other hand, was shattered into a million pieces. His family, the ponies he loved and held so close to his heart, had all but collapsed by the looks of it. “No…NO!”

“I’m so sorry, Storm,” Blue replied, her tear-soaked voice reaching through and embracing him whole. “I’m so, so sorry...I had no idea it would lead to this.”

“Don’t be...Blue,” at that moment, he’d regained hold of a single thread of his emotions, but not enough to stop the flood of tears from escaping his eyes. “It’s...all my fault...how could I? How could I leave? How could I fucking listen to him like that?! HOW?!”

“It’s not your fault, honey,” Blue replied, again very matter-of-factly, trying her darndest to comfort him as best as she could. She knew exactly how he felt, in a sense. Her family life was relatively stable in contrast to Storm’s, but her brother had been in deployment for a good while now, adding to her worries also. “Please don’t say that. You couldn’t have known for sure what was going to happen…”

“Well, if it wasn’t for me blindly following everything he had to say then I’d still be there with you!” Storm suddenly raised his voice, his blood boiling in pure, unadulterated fury. “TO HELL WITH HIM!”

“Storm…,” her voice was as calm as ever, even in the face of Storm’s tearful rage. “He’s your father.”

“I know…,” Storm paused to catch his breath, heart racing frantically as his emotions held him firmly in their grasp. “I know, Blue, but...what he did...what this all led to...I despise him beyond belief! He’s nothing more than a filthy fucking pig who leeches off of and takes advantage of my mother! He’s the reason why I am here and not with you!”

“Storm…”

“Blue...,” Storm’s heart rate went down all of a sudden, but his anger and confusion persisted. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do now...how am I gonna cope with this?”

“As best as you can, Stormy...as best as you can, and I promise you that I will be there for you at every step of the way,” her voice was soothing, yet tear-soaked and tired, and resonated with Storm. She was his rock, and Storm knew that she’d be there for him at every turn. “Storm...I know we’re so far apart still but I just want you to know that you can talk to me about anything and everything, okay? I know one day this will all be resolved in some way or another, it’s only a matter of time.”

“I know I can…,” Storm sniffed, smiling, his spirits being raised at least somewhat, and all that pent-up anger fading away in an instant. “And you always give the best advice, you know that?”

“Heh, I try my best.”

“And that’s one thing I love about you,” Storm blushed, his cheeks lighting up all of a sudden at the very thought of her - but his frown soon returned. “I just don’t know how I’m going to pick up the pieces from this when I return home...how I’m gonna get myself back on track.”

“Stormy, do you remember before you left...how we talked about our plans for the future?”

“I..do,” he smirked, albeit tearfully.

“Whatever happens, whatever problems we face, we face them together,” Blue replied, his spirits being raised in what seemed to be an instant. “I will always be there for you, honey, whatever happens.”

“Me too, Blue,” Storm smiled, his heart fluttering and all of his fears and doubts being washed away. “I’ll be back home as soon as I possibly can be, and once I return I will always be by your side, no matter what.”

“Stormy?”

“Y...yeah?”

“It’ll all get better, I promise.”

---

The morning train Storm boarded shuttled across town en route to its final destination, sparse sunlight seeping into each individual car through dirty, greasy windows as the high rises of downtown faded away and became silhouettes in the morning smog. It was a warm, yet cloudy morning, albeit not quite as warm as the past couple of days had been, with temperatures probably in the early to mid sixties at best and the faint smell of petrichor permeating the air following the night’s downpour. Of course it would get warmer later on into the day, but in all honesty this was exactly the way that Storm liked it. Resting his head in the gap between the edge of his seat and the window, Storm stared out of it into the distance, blinking several times to get as much crust off his tired eyes as he could and trying desperately not to fall asleep in the time he had left before his train reached the outskirts of town.

His middle school habit of pulling all-nighters had returned to him with a vengeance, or so it seemed. He’d stayed up late that night engrossed in thought, much later than the time he usually fell asleep at. The thunderstorm that kept him awake for much of the night rumbled on into the wee hours until the first signs of daybreak, and Storm only managed to get about an hour’s worth of shuteye afterwards before his alarm clock snatched him out of dreamland at around six.

At the same time, in spite of his lack of sleep, he was finally able to regain contact with Blue.

It was only a matter of time now before he was back home.

It was only a matter of time now before he would be able to see her again.

Arriving in Silverwood at around nine, Stormfire flew the rest of the way to the weather factory, his top priority in the time that he had left being to talk with Clear about his plans for the foreseeable future.

In all honesty it felt more than a tad bit surreal walking down those hallways after having come to such a monumental, life-altering decision the night before. Storm felt decidedly awkward and uncomfortable as he passed some of his peers in his attempt to get to the management section of the building, but his mind was made up at last. Whenever it would be possible for him, he’d get his affairs in order, whatever ones he might have had in Vanhoover, cancel his contract and leave for Cloudsdale.

He just couldn’t stay here any longer.

“Hi, Clear? It’s me, Storm. Can I come in to talk?” he’d asked as he arrived at her office, knocking thrice on the door to make sure she was in fact there.

A moment later came the response.

”Come on in.” Her tone of voice was somewhat different than it was yesterday, lower in fact, which piqued his curiosity. Opening the door with a raised eyebrow and a trembling hoof, Storm erred on the side of caution as he stepped into the office, and his heart skipped a beat when he noticed two suited Pegasi standing next to Clear’s desk, the mare carrying a metal briefcase.

“Am I...interrupting something?” Storm inquired, heart leaping into overdrive as he slinked across the room.

Training with Arrow would have to wait, or so it seemed.

“No, no, of course not,” one of the suited Pegasi, a mid-green stallion with a brown mane, replied. “You’re right on time, in fact.”

“I don’t...understand,” Storm quivered, his gaze shifting between the suits and Clear sitting at her desk.

“Allow me to introduce myself, Stormfire,” the stallion answered in a rather cold and calculating emotionless tone - yet curtly extending a hoof out towards Storm. “My name is Mint Dime, and I’m the head of pony resources here at the Vanhoover Weather Factory, which means that I am Clear’s superior here and she has to report back to me about everything. Is that clear?” He then motioned towards the pastel-colored mare standing alongside him, “...and this is Fern,” and briefly towards a third pony standing in the corner, a tall, buff stallion dressed in dapper black, a security guard of some sort by the looks of it.

“Alright,” Storm replied in uncertainty as the mare standing alongside him, a secretary by the looks of it, motioned for him to sit down in front of the desk. “Well, what’s the problem?”

“Well, before we get into anything here I’d like to sincerely apologize on behalf of the factory for what has been going on here over these past few weeks,” Mint replied, that same stone-cold glare still glued to his face by the looks of it. hmm...Crocodile tears, Storm thought to himself, scoffing under his breath at the seeming insincerity of the higher ranks. “No employee of ours should ever feel unsafe or under-appreciated working for our company, and we will do anything in our power to set things straight.”

“Clear told us about what your plans are,” the mare suddenly piped up, a faint quiver in her voice. “As you’re the victim of a freak accident that took place during a training exercise you have every right to file a lawsuit against this company for any fault you see us at. We have no right to talk you out of doing so, but we thought you should know there are other options too besides going so far as to take us to court.”

“What...are you proposing?” Storm furrowed his brow at the mare in slight suspicion.

“I would like to make a deal with you, Stormfire,” Mint proposed, the mare handing him the briefcase. “We haven’t discussed this with Clear yet, but we can offer you the compensation you’re entitled to. The money would be on your account by the end of the week.”

Compensation.

The very word alone was enough to make Storm quake in fervent anticipation. Finally he’d get what he wanted, what he deserved even, from the factory. Finally he’d be able to leave this place, this brief chapter of his life for good and start his new life in Cloudsdale.

“Would you like to know how much we’re offering you right now?” the mare replied, briefly glancing down at the briefcase she held in her hooves, her lips curling into a small smirk as she took note of Storm’s grin. “Yeah?”

“One thousand bits,” stated Mint, shrugging somewhat apathetically as those very words left his mouth and burrowed into Storm’s ears. “Is that enough for you? Tell me, I’m sure it’s more than enough for an esteemed individual such as yourself.”

“Are you serious, Fern?”

“Excuse me?” the mare turned to look at Clear, furrowing her brow. “Clear, you know I can’t—”

“On Storm’s behalf, I object to such a small amount of money,” Clear suddenly raised her voice. “Storm is worth more than that. Much more, in fact.”

What the hell are you implying by that, Clear?

“We’ve run the numbers,” Fern replied with a shrug, yet seeming much more sincere than what Storm assumed to be her superior also. “This is the most we can offer him at this moment in time.”

“This must be some sort of mistake!” Clear groaned in protest, slamming her hoof down on her desk in frustration. “Have you double checked?”

“Triple, even. This is as much as we can pay him at this point in time,” Fern sighed. “I’m sorry, Stormfire...I really am, but it’s really not up to me to decide.”

“He near enough drowned here! What part of that is so hard for you to understand? A thousand bits doesn’t even begin to cover the cost of his hospital stay!”

“Come on Clear, you must be aware of the stock market troubles this company has been having over these past few months,” Mint suddenly interjected between the two mares, although obviously standing against Clear. “As much as we would love to help, we simply can’t. We can’t afford to hand out money like this, no matter the situation.”

“Well, that’s funny, because I’m not even faintly aware of any dips in our stock value,” Clear scoffed, turning to helplessly look at an increasingly-agitated Storm sitting in his chair. “Being in the position that I am in I’d very likely be one of the first ponies to feel the effects of a dip in stock market value. Now, on a serious note Mint, I am the transfer manager around here. If anything happens to Storm here it’s on me, do you understand? It’s all on me. The same thing goes for any of my other transfers currently undergoing training. If anything were to happen to anyone of them I would face the consequences of that.”

“Storm, this is as much as we can offer you right now. A thousand bits is still a lot of money, don’t you think?”

“We can bring it up to $1,500 if you want.”

“Two thousand?”

“Three thousand.” Fern suggested.

“We can’t,” Mint paused the mare before she went too far. “Two thousand’s as far as we’ll go. What do you think, Stormfire?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Storm suddenly stood up out of his chair, briefly glancing at the security guard still present in the room. “Is this what you call compensation, or are you just throwing money at me in an attempt to try save your own asses? What happened here back then is all on you, and you can’t deny that.”

“Well, like we said we apologize,” Mint replied, indignantly maintaining his composure in the face of Storm’s rage. “Come on Storm, you must understand we don’t have money to burn. You must realize that money is something that’s finite, right? Besides, you’re not really a fully-fledged weather pony yet, so…”

“Well, let me tell you something Mr. Mint,” Storm suddenly approached him, ignoring the security guard standing in the corner. “I am a skilled and able weather pony where I’m from. I worked my ass off part-time after school for YEARS and suffered countless work-related injuries, some serious ones at that, just so I can get to where I am now. I was a model employee, a prized employee in fact, with a great track record of always clocking in on time and being extremely precise with what I did. If you want proof of my experience as a weather pony just check my progress reports; hopefully they should all amount to something in your eyes.”

“Show me them please,” Mint scoffed as he turned towards Clear, who opened a filing cabinet beneath her desk and began sifting through the folders. “You really think you can just waltz right up to my face like this and threaten me?”

“Threaten you?” Storm spat. “I don’t even know who you are. How does saying that the compensation you’re wanting to give me is awful equate to a threat?”

“You know, I could just as easily have you arrested for bribery...fraud even,” Mint’s lips curled into a fiendish smirk all of a sudden, taking Storm’s stance into account. “You have no right to demand any sort of money from this company, and if you keep this act going I will see to it myself that you’re ejected from here as soon as possible. I mean, you’re of age, so I’m sure 10 to 25 years behind bars won’t be much of a big deal for you, would it? It’d sure as hell knock some sense into you.”

“How dare you even suggest something like that to me? I’m not demanding anything from you, I just want to be treated with some sort of respect!”

“You know what? You’re a fool, Stormfire.”

“How am I a ‘fool’?” Storm dropped his hooves to the ground in frustration. “You caused this! Your mismanagement of the factory is what led to my injury! I deserve something in return!”

“Storm, stop,” Clear silently pleaded as Mint cast her an angry glare. “Please.”

“You think we’re just going to give you thousands of bits out of nowhere?” Mint frowned, making brief eye contact with the security guard behind him, who turned towards Storm in response. “You’re still doing your training! You’re as dumb and stupid as the rest of them are, you know that? What makes you think that you’ve contributed anything around here? You don’t deserve anything, let alone a thousand.”

“Read my goddamn transfer contract and you’ll see how much you owe me.”

“I’ve read it before,” Mint growled. “I know exactly how much we owe you.”

“Well then, why won’t you give me what I’m entitled to?”

“I’ve already made it very clear as to why, and I won’t budge whatsoever.”

“Well, in that case I’ll go through with the lawsuit,” Storm’s lips curled into a smirk, briefly glancing sideways at a helpless Clear. “I won’t rest until I get what I deserve.”

“Good luck with that, Stormfire,” Mint sneered in response. “I’m sure it’ll turn out swimmingly. How much can you afford to sue us for, huh?”

“All I want is the money I’m entitled to, you jackass - nothing else,” Stormfire snarled. “And if you’re not going to give me it, I’ll force you to. I’ll do whatever it takes, you hear me? I’ll do whatever I can do to get what I deserve from this.”

“Clear, get a load of this guy,” Mint burst into a sudden fit of laughter, even in the face of Storm’s brewing rage. “Are you hearing him right now? He thinks he can take on the whole company singlehandedly...I mean, look at him!”

Clear, however, didn’t even budge, let alone smirk.

“Good luck Stormfire,” Mint smirked as he turned towards the door. “You don’t know just what you’re getting yourself into!”

After some more mocking laughter on his part, Mint left the room without saying another word, Fern trailing behind him and apologizing for his behavior before shutting the door behind her.

“Clear...I’m sorry,” Storm began, but Clear shushed him, her glare deepening. Heart racing in confusion, he decided to continue after a beat. “I...came on too strong, I know.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Clear’s voice cracked in anger, although Storm could tell that the vast majority of that anger was directed towards the Factory establishment and not towards him. “Storm, what the hell were you thinking? You really think he’s going to do anything this way?”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Storm sighed in regret, having definitely gone a bit too far in terms of his behavior. “Clear, I swear, he’s the one who started this. I tried to remain civil! He’s the one that threatened to have me arrested over virtually nothing!”

“Do you understand, Stormfire? Sooner or later, this could cost me my job, my livelihood!” Clear raised her voice all of a sudden, slamming her hoof down on her desk in anger yet unheard by Storm. “He’s my superior, he can do whatever he likes! He can fire me on a whim if I do something even remotely questionable in his eyes! I know you want your money, but this isn’t the way, alright?”

“I get it, okay?” Storm groaned, the weight of the situation at hand piling onto him. He had no idea how to resolve this now. “I’m a screw-up, I know...I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Storm…,” Clear lowered her voice all of a sudden, the sympathy she felt for the stallion being overwhelming. “I’m sorry for lashing out like that, okay? I’m just upset...by all this. This isn’t easy for me to deal with by no stretch of the imagination, and I’m anxious about it not working out at all in the end.”

“Clear,” Storm’s heart sank as he turned towards her. This was impacting her as negatively as it was impacting him, and from that moment on he felt an overbearing guilt gnawing at his core as he briefly pondered over his direct or indirect influence on Clear’s mental health. “Is there...any other way besides going to court? For both our sakes.”

After a long and decidedly-awkward pause, Clear piped up. “Storm,” Clear sighed, looking around. “...We’re going to file the lawsuit against them, okay? And we’re gonna win it.”

“You sure that this is really such a good idea?” Storm furrowed his brow, his heart skipping a beat. “Can we not complain to somepony further up the factory hierarchy about this before we take it...that far?”

“What makes you think anyone would listen, Storm?” Clear asked, a seeming shell of her former self in Storm’s eyes. “You saw how that turned out. The only way to win this is to force them to cooperate. There is no other way for us to succeed in this besides going to court with this.”

“I guess you’re right, in a sense,” Storm shrugged nervously, now seeing the scope of the situation with his own eyes. “I’m still not all that sure about this. Clear, is he always like this?”

“Who?”

“Mint,” Storm blurted out, trying to lighten the mood and clearing his throat afterward. “Not to be brash, but between you and me, he seems like such an asshole.”

“He is,” Clear chuckled all of a sudden, her mood improving at least slightly. “In all honesty, he’s a real pain in the flank...not to mention stubborn as a mule. It takes a real miracle for him to relent.”

“How do you put up with him, if I may?”

“Well, he’s my superior, as he so eloquently put it himself,” Clear scoffed in response. “I kinda have to.”

“Makes sense,” Storm chuckled, satisfied with the response he’d ended up getting from her. “Clear, I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday, and I know you might have been as well.”

“Hm?” she raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d...like to quit,” Storm smiled after a beat. “Pure and simple. I’d like to have my contract canceled and be flown back home to Cloudsdale as soon as it would be possible for me to do so. The physical experience was valuable and will help me out in the future beyond the shadow of a doubt, but in the end I don’t belong here, or in this line of work at all for that matter. I can’t keep doing something that goes against who I am and what my goal in life is.”

“Storm...are you sure?” Clear asked all of a sudden. “I mean…”

“I...I am,” Storm inhaled deeply. “This isn’t right for me...and it needs to change as soon as it’s possible. For my sake and for...everyone else’s too.”

“What about your compensation? Do you still want to pursue that?”

“I do, but I don’t want the stress,” Storm replied succinctly, getting his point across to Clear as best as he could. “You said the only real way for us to get it is by suing them. How would that work? Would I have to appear in court?”

“I don’t know about that, Stormfire,” Clear shrugged. “I’d imagine you would have to, or else the prosecutor will dismiss the case.”

“Clear, is there really no other way?” Storm raised an eyebrow, panicking internally. “Please...tell me.”

“Storm…”

“Clear, I swear to god,” Storm near enough yelled out at that point, frustration and anxiety raging deep within. “Mint’s right...is it really that feasible for me to do this?”

“Storm…,” Clear sighed. “Tell you what. I’ll discuss this with some other higher ranks and we’ll see how far this can go before the factory relents...if that doesn’t work this will be our Plan B, okay? Please, you’ve got to trust me on this, alright?”

“Alright, thank you,” Storm heaved a sigh of relief, his heart rate coming down. “Please Clear, just make sure this finds its way to whoever deals with this sort of stuff. I don’t want to go to court with this, at least not just yet.”

“Okay, I’ll try my best.”

“Thank you.”

“In all honesty, Stormfire,” Clear smirked all of a sudden, satisfiedly. “It’s been a real pleasure having you around. Truth be told you’re probably my favorite transfer thus far, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have you here with us, even if only for a little while.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Storm’s lips curled into a smirk, the weight of his stay having been lifted off his shoulders all of a sudden. “It’s been a rough ride but I got through it - at least most of it - thanks to you. Thank you Clear—for everything. I don’t know how I would have coped by myself, especially with so much money to pay off.”

“Storm, I did what I had to do, okay?” Clear replied. “Besides, you’re practically family to us, you know that? I’ll have to tell Lilli that you’ll be going back to Cloudsdale, but seeing as she’ll be going there herself in a little while yet I’m sure she’ll be okay with it.”

“How do you think she’ll respond?”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll be accepting of it,” Clear responded with a smile. “We’re all gonna miss you Storm, but I’m sure we’ll see each other again sooner than later.”

“Definitely,” Storm nodded.

“I’ll have to write to High Wind, alright?” she said, much to Storm’s chagrin. “This has absolutely nothing to do in particular with you being transferred here, but I just want him to know what it all led to and that you’re coming home as soon as possible whether he likes it or not. Unfortunately I can’t really do that right now, or today for that matter, but I’ll email him about this first thing tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay...thank you.”

“In the meantime, I will start by canceling your contract and removing your file from our databases,” Clear smiled, turning towards her computer and logging on. “You’ll be off our systems by Monday next week, alright?”

“Alright.”

“And don’t worry about the money, alright? I’ll try and have that arranged for you by the end of the week,” Clear explained, scouring her computer for Storm’s file. “Hopefully you’ll get a nice surprise when you take a look at your bank account on Saturday, Storm.”

“Definitely,” Storm nodded in response. “What if it doesn’t work though?”

“Then we’ll have no other choice than to go with plan B.”

“Clear,” Storm began, a sad smirk creeping onto his face. “Thank you, for everything.”

“It’s been a pleasure, Storm.”

41. Changing of Seasons

A swift, yet satisfying breeze billowed through the fields demarcating the outer fringes of Vanhoover, the smog and soot which sheathed the distant city core dispersing at least somewhat and facilitating a view which almost called to mind postcard images of Los Pegasus. The day was markedly more cloudy than usual but a seemingly-boundless warmth had set in nonetheless, presumably some of the last gasps of a steamy, muggy summer before a cold, rain-washed fall typical of the area. For how far north Vanhoover was relative to the locations of a lot of other major Equestrian cities it honestly did surprise Storm how much of the city’s climate called to mind the climate back home; true, it didn’t get nearly as warm as it could get in Cloudsdale, but there were a few parallels here and there with regards to the humidity and the daily weather patterns drifting in and out. The northbound ocean currents bypassing the city several dozen miles offshore had a hand in influencing the climate here, but so did the presence of mountainous terrain flanking the city in three directions; it was oceanic but less so than its location would imply.

Two days had passed since Storm began the flight training course, and just as promised by Arrow when he started the two flight classes had been promptly integrated into one; however, whether or not this arrangement would turn out successful in the end was all a matter of time and of circumstance. Although Arrow’s stated rationale for this was to both ease and facilitate better communication between himself and his students, while a much larger pool of trainees enabled more things to be done it was also much harder to keep under control. With the class being as diverse as it was there came a multitude of differing thoughts and opinions, whether in regards to the training program itself or Arrow’s methods of teaching; and hand-in-hand with that came the possibility of certain members of the group disrupting the prescribed lessons.

Arrow, however, didn’t seem fazed by such a prospect in the slightest, and nothing of the sort had happened, at least not yet.

In fact, if Monday’s events were anything to go by, Storm knew that he was fearsome when angered, perhaps overly so even. The two stallions who’d incited his rage the previous day had been reduced to timid shells of their former selves through quite the talking-down by the disgruntled instructor. Although part of him felt a slight tinge of sympathy for the duo, it was ultimately overshadowed by the part of him which saw them as nothing more than a pair of buffoons who merely sought to create a ruckus and ridiculed them as such. With both classes being aware of Arrow’s near-encyclopedic knowledge of flight by the looks of it—in addition to potential ramifications of unruly behavior—everypony remained at attention and awaited his order. Although some resentment did prevail amongst the group nopony dared voice it, not even Storm. He didn’t show it out of fear of receiving the same treatment the others got, but at this point all Storm wanted was to get what he wanted from the factory and leave this place for good, no matter what the outcome of flight week was. He didn’t care about whether he’d pass or fail on Friday, all he wanted was to go back home.

Although admittedly irreligious, as he flew through the air he silently murmured a prayer for deliverance, not out of a sudden spark of faith but rather out of increasing desperation to leave, that Clear would be able to work something out with him in regards to that. This has gone on for long enough. The pain, the stress. That longing to be back home.

He just had to make it through the week as best as he could.

How long now, Clear? he asked himself as he flew over the quaint, pristine suburbia of Vanhoover, tailing another trainee about a hundred feet ahead of him in fourth place.

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

How long now?

The day’s task was to complete three simple races around the periphery of Silverwood, Arrow having at long last decided to step things up a notch with regards to their training and rightfully so after mainly focusing on the theoretical aspect of flight for the past couple of days. The torrent of information that Arrow threw at them was fascinating without a doubt and a lot of it was things that Storm himself had no idea of before, but there was just too much of it to fully process and digest especially in such a short space of time. At last, they were able to move past that and now came possibly the only remotely fun part of training.

As dissatisfied as he was with the training regimen overall, Storm had to admit — and it definitely struck him as a surprise to have come to this conclusion — that he was actually enjoying himself, grinning madly as he crept ever forward and closed the distance between himself and the trainee currently in third.

The sudden refocus on flight definitely came as a relief to many, Storm included, and Sand Scraper— perhaps the only pony there that he could confide in—was missing out. Where he was, Storm had no idea, but he hoped that they could see one another again before Friday’s big race. He knew full well that passing the course and getting on the team wasn’t exactly a priority for Scraper, but nonetheless, he’d have to show up again at some point.

It wasn’t like him not to come.

“Alrighty, final lap,” Storm muttered under his breath as he entered the stallion’s slipstream directly above factory grounds and awaited an opportunity to overtake him. “Steady now.”

Surely enough, the stallion did momentarily decelerate for reasons that were unclear to Storm, but what did it matter? He was now in third place, and although the stallion attempted to rectify his error and regain his spot, by the time he regained his bearings Storm was already several hundred feet ahead and had the second spot in his sights already. Winning wasn’t something he particularly cared about but at the very least he was having fun, the most fun he was having in recent memory. Although he had only three years of flight experience under his belt unlike most of the other trainees, flight was second nature to him as much as it was to the others. He was a Pegasus after all.

Now, all that was left to do was keep his position for the duration of the race. This particular race was the last of the three, and although Storm didn’t do particularly well in the previous two he hoped to fix that this time around, in the time he had left. He’d greatly underestimated the speeds of some of his opponents, resulting in him attaining a measly seventh place the first time and tenth the second, but so far so good this time.

He’d learned his lesson and started taking into account every angle they could come at, every single possible position his rivals could be in, occasionally turning his head back to see if he could catch anypony closing in on him in the corner of his eye.

And unfortunately whoever was in second place also applied that very same strategy by the looks of it, pulling off in a sudden burst of speed as Storm closed in on him and disappearing from view through a low-hanging cloud.

“Oh, no way,” Storm smirked, briefly glancing back to see a speck approach him from behind before giving it his all in terms of speed as he approached the cloud, a tiny, puffy-white cumulus that inconspicuously blended itself into the surrounding sky, probably not much larger than he was in fact. “Don’t give me that.”

He pierced through the white veil, surging towards his opponent with whatever speed he had built up over downtown Silverwood, the hazelnut Pegasus’ outline fading into view roughly a half-mile ahead over the old train yard next to the industrial area of town. How fast could an average Pegasus normally fly? It wasn’t a question that Storm asked himself very often, but now, as he pondered over it, the realization that he was flying at easily over a hundred miles an hour struck him like a wall.

Seconds passed and the gap between Storm and his opponent began to close and narrow, first incrementally and then exponentially, even as Storm’s energy levels dwindled. At a distance of probably around two hundred feet between them Storm entered his opponent’s slipstream, his heart racing at speeds faster than he was flying at as he tried to recover from this sudden burst.

Would he have the energy to overtake him before he noticed? Storm had no idea, but as they approached the outskirts of the airport, where the flight path would curve back towards the north, he figured it would have been more than worth a shot. Glancing back at both his blind spots in case somepony was approaching them both, Storm pulled out from behind him, veering slightly to the right while the stallion looked to the left and setting off with whatever remaining speed he could muster up from within.

And just like that, as the opponent took note of his blunder, Storm was in second place.

And he was able to maintain that spot until they returned to the “home hill”, as he liked to call it. Although he couldn’t even begin catch up with whoever was in first place, at the very least he made it as far as second.

And he was more than content with it.

“Hey Clear, how was that?” Storm, sweat-drenched, grinned as he approached Clear, who continued observing the rest of the group slowly coming into land even without the use of her binoculars. “You know, I don’t mean to brag but I think I did pretty well overall.”

“I was watching you there, you really showed ‘em,” Clear responded with a smirk, momentarily glancing down at her binoculars and clipboard. “You didn’t win but second place is great nonetheless, it more than warrants a pass in my book.”

“Yeah, I’ll try my hardest on Friday,” he replied with a smirk, panting heavily as sweat ran down his forehead. “I think I’ve got the hang of it. At least now we’re focusing on the actual flying element of the course and not the theory, it should all go by pretty quickly.”

“Storm, can I have a word with you once Arrow dismisses you?” Clear raised an eyebrow all of a sudden as something came or returned to mind, taking note of the last couple of trainees arriving at the start-finish line. “I’ll be waiting here, and it’s something that you might like to hear about.”

“Of course,” Storm smiled, quaking somewhat inside as all sorts of different possibilities shuttled through his mind. What could it have been? Was it something important? “I’ll be no longer than a couple of minutes tops.”

“That’s fine, I’m in no rush,” Clear smiled, watching as Storm turned towards the now-almost-complete group. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“What is it about?” he furrowed a brow as a breeze billowed through his mane.

“You’ll see, now go,” she smirked, flailing her hoof mock-authoritatively in the group’s general direction and motioning for him to join the others. “Go!”

“Alright, will do,” Storm playfully saluted her, drawing in a deep breath as he set off to join the rest of the group.

“Alright folks,” Arrow began just as Storm arrived, observing the combined class with some degree of evident pride in both his class and his methods of teaching, questionable as they may have seemed. “That was great, not too shabby for your first proper races on my watch. Now that I’ve seen what you’re all capable of and being as we’re slowly running out of practice time here, I figured we’d step things up a notch starting from tomorrow. No more theory, folks, no more me explaining potentially-useless things, we will be practicing for our big race on Friday non-stop as best as we can. Tomorrow, we go onto obstacle courses!”

Obstacle courses? Storm raised an eyebrow as the others started discussing amongst themselves. Shouldn't be too bad.

“Alright, LISTEN UP!” Arrow barked all of a sudden, interrupting the commotion which ensued before proceeding after a beat, though with a markedly-lower tone of voice than before. “Before I dismiss you, pop quiz time. Low flight altitude is crucial when it comes to flying through severe weather, as crosswinds can easily knock you out of your flight path and send you into a potentially-dangerous spin, but there are several other hazards you need to take note of when flying through severe weather. Who can tell me of any other potential hazards one should take into consideration when flying through, say, a thunderstorm?”

“Turbulence,” one mare responded.

“Very good,” Arrow smirked in response. “It’s kind of a no-brainer that we want our flights to be as smooth as possible; try and avoid flying through thunderstorms or any other severe weather unless you really must. If it is imperative that you do fly through a storm always stick to a sensible altitude and fly slowly. Next please.”

“Rain.”

“Good - rainfall can not only impede visibility but also distract from the prescribed flight path, in some cases dramatically increasing the likelihood of a loss of control. Next.”

“Lightning.”

“Good,” Arrow smirked. “Lightning is known to cause horribly-agonizing injury or even outright death in some cases, but I’m sure that you already knew that.”

“Visibility?” Storm piped up all of a sudden. Arrow did not specify the type of severe weather being flown through, and many different atmospheric conditions fell under that umbrella term; visibility varied across the board as such. Some of the recruits snickered underneath their breaths in response, but Storm paid them no particular heed.

It was bound to be correct.

“Very good,” Arrow nodded in response, much to the surprise of a few of the other recruits. “I’m surprised none of you have come up with that answer yet. Visibility is a very important factor to take into consideration when flying, especially when passing through areas of the sky that are obscured in any way or another, be it by clouds, smoke, whatever. What does your field of view cover? What can you see? What can you not? Can you see anything at all? This is all stuff you need to take into account lest you fly into a utility pole, or a tree, or god forbid somepony’s home.”

And then it hit them.

“Alright folks, hope you enjoy the rest of your day,” Arrow replied. “You’re all dismissed. See you all tomorrow.”

Looking around amid the hubbub as the class dispersed, Storm tried to spot Sand Scraper in the shuffling crowd before coming to his senses and remembering that he wasn’t there; turning away from the others he set off back towards Clear, who was still there but talking on the phone to one of the other higher-ups.

“I’m back,” he declared, just as she hung up and slid the phone into her saddlebag, taking off the binoculars she had brought with her for observational purposes. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well Storm, I have great news for you,” Clear proclaimed all of a sudden, Storm’s ears perking up in intrigue as she slid them into her saddlebag also. “Remember how I said yesterday that I’d try to get in touch with High Wind? Well, seeing as I had a free moment after you’ve left I was able to email him about your situation.”

“Y--yeah?” he raised an eyebrow, heart skipping a beat. “Don’t tell me he got back to you.”

“He did,” Clear nodded with a faint simper across her face.

“W--what did he say?” Storm blinked thrice, trying to comprehend what had just transpired.

“Well, it’s pretty long-winded,” Clear explained, taking his stance into account. “But in essence, he tells me he’s ‘concerned’ about what happened and that he’s looking at options of getting you home as soon as possible.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we’re doing what we can on our side too,” Clear smiled in response. “I’ll do whatever is in my power to make this transition as smooth for you as possible, including making your compensation readily available to you as soon as possible. Hopefully, you’ll be back home within the next two weeks or so...who knows, maybe you’ll hitch a ride with Lilli once she flies off for weather school?”

“That won't be very long now, will it?” Storm gulped at that prospect, though not audibly. “When does her first semester start?”

“September the 4th, she’ll be flying off on the 27th,” Clear explained. “So, what are your thoughts overall?”

“Wha--what, on this?” Storm raised an eyebrow. “Just,...in general?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know.”

42. Changing of Seasons (Part II)

“Mr. Wind, someone’s here to see you,” the voice of High Wind’s secretary called out over the intercom, snapping the dazed stallion out of his nerve-induced stupor as he slumped back into his office chair from a late afternoon daydream. His heart lurched and surged back and forth and undulated within his chest like a sickening sea, but within moments he was at attention, ready to welcome whoever it was that had come upstairs to management and tend to whatever needs they might have.

“W-who is it?” he inquired with a gentle stutter, his stance trembling slightly as he recoiled back into the comfort of his chair.

“Your wife,” the mare responded over the PA.

He drew in a steady breath and then exhaled. “...call her in.”

It was an esteemed and enviable position High Wind held at the weather factory, that of transfer manager, and it was one that he had strived towards for years in his quest to make it up the rungs of the company ladder, ever since he began working there after graduating high school all those years ago. He was content enough where he was at the moment, and it came with all the perks and benefits he’d come to experience throughout his years and years of service to the company but with a heftier pay package than what he was used to and more bargaining power in the boardroom. On good days at the office, High Wind likened it to a game of chess even though he had no idea how to play the game at all—the only thing he knew it involved was that it involved strategy and strategic he was—or at least tried to be—when making decisions regarding his staff and the ponies he brought over from far and wide. High Wind was the face of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory for new arrivals, and took immense pride in everypony he welcomed from other factories all across Equestria; it was also his job to provide on-the-job training for new recruits in order to get them up to scratch with Cloudsdale standards.

Sometimes, he’d also send ponies away for varying reasons, in most cases benign. He hadn’t a clue about the exact number but a rough estimate for the number of cases in which a transfer decision was made out of the employee’s own volition was eight out of ten.

Eight out of ten cases involved an employee making that decision for themselves, perhaps lured away out of Cloudsdale to more desirable and maybe even more productive locations across the country by the promise of higher wages or improved working hours, not that Cloudsdale was doing too bad in either department but it was their choice and maybe even their loss.

At the end of the day, it was up to them whether or not they wanted to go, and High Wind was happy to oblige either way, as long as they were satisfied with the choice they had made.

Two out of ten cases, however, were involuntary, but High knew fully that in most situations they were not the result of an employee being fired or anything similar, being sent back to face the music at their home factory. Most such transfers were temporary measures put into place to alleviate staff shortages at cooperating factories across the country, ones that would normally come to an end after a period of two-three, maybe four months.

Stormfire, however, was different.

In High Wind’s eyes he was an outlier and in the eyes of management at large, and the mere thought of what happened at the graduation ceremony all those weeks prior haunted him at every turn.

That was in late June. It was now August, going into September.

Could it really have been so long ago already?

High only offered a dejected smirk as the room darkened from the shelf cloud rolling over the city outside, listening in to his wife’s anxious hoof-steps marching towards his office from the elevator lobby and priming himself to face the music once more for the umpteenth time these past few weeks.

He had good intentions in mind for his stepson, he still stood by that opinion, but the more the thought occurred to him the more he began to realize that his way of going about them wasn’t right.

It was too late to do anything now. Much too late.

It started to rain moments later, an initially gentle, soft downpour that with each passing moment grew more and more intense. The gentle pitter-patter gave way to torrents of rain, surging ceaselessly outside the office windows like a waterfall.

This was a naturally-occurring thunderstorm that hours ago had developed from a low pressure area moving down from the mountains north of the city, nothing that the factory had specifically planned for that day.

High had fond memories of being out cloud-busting in his youth, facing storms such as this one head-on and in person with fellow weather ponies, many of whom were now his colleagues in management. He knew that there was a certain balance to maintain with the natural world in regards to controlling the weather—Pegasi couldn’t control everything in all cases—but he also knew that sometimes nature didn’t play so nice, which is where the team would come in.

If the storm were to continue for too long or stop in its tracks and become stationary the cloud-busting team would be deployed, some of the most physically capable mares and stallions that he knew.

A team he was once part of when he was first starting out all those years ago, his first and most beloved position in the factory.

Those days were now gone. Thunder rumbled, once more snapping him out of his daydreams. The wind picked up and started rattling his windows, shards of rain lashing against the glass.

The skies had finally opened, but somehow he couldn’t find it in himself to care even the slightest bit.

The door then opened and there she was, locking eyes with him for the first time in several weeks.

“Equinox,” High uttered her name in the still of the moment, seeing her form standing in the doorway. “...what a nice surprise, what can I do for you?”

“Hey,” she responded in a cool, neutral tone but with an underlayer of concern. Concern for their marriage, concern for their family. Concern for him. “Just came up to check on you, wanted to see how you’re doing right now before I head home for the day.”

“I’m fine,” High blurted out a moment later as he tried to put up a similarly-neutral facade. “Doing better than I was yesterday, that’s for sure…”

“Are you sure?” Equinox raised a slight eyebrow. “You weren’t at marriage counseling yesterday and I wasn’t able to get through to you.”

“I’m fine, honestly.”

“That’s good,” Equinox offered a hint of an uneasy smile in response, High Wind taking note of it immediately and instinctively offering her a smirk of his own, before she wiped it off her face as soon as she saw. “Yeah...that’s good.”

“...how’s Mist?” High’s ears perked up after an awkward pause. “How’s she been doing? She hasn’t spoken to me in a while so I was just wondering, if you can get her to reach out to me one of these days I’d be really glad.”

“She’s been alright,” Equinox responded cordially, her voice however marred with a deep-seated anguish. “Coping with all this as best as a 16-year-old filly can, I guess. She misses you...she misses us…and I miss ‘us’ too but we both know that it just isn’t possible at the moment…and yeah, I’ll get her to call.”

“Equinox,” High began, issuing a sigh. “I...don’t know what to say.”

“I know,” she responded in an almost lifeless and near-monotone tone, a single tear beading in the corner of her eye. “...does Storm know?”

“I spoke to Blue a few days ago about this,” he responded stoically. “She’s...shocked but she told me that she’ll pass it onto him, so I guess it’s on her now.”

“You know...back when I said that he can’t stay with us forever this wasn’t what I meant,” she chuckled sardonically, High Wind’s heart and stomach both sinking into a pit of emptiness as the rain continued to beat down mercilessly on the complex outside. “Storm made it very clear to you on many occasions that this isn’t for him...”

“I know, he has.”

“...but you still went through with a transfer for him, a transfer that neither of us knows how long will take.”

“Yes, I did,” High responded in an emotionless tone. “...Equi, I just wanted what was best for our son.”

“Was this really the best way of going about it, do you think?” Equinox inquired tersely, her voice rising slightly as the pain she concealed only became more apparent to him. He only shook his head in response, indicating a ‘no.’ “I mean, I myself am not the best mother in the world, I don’t claim to be, but I try my damndest for these kids because I love them all to death and I will support them all no matter what it is they choose to do...you, on the other hand, you just keep pushing them all into...this because of what?”

“Because this job is safe and secure, and because I know that if they choose to have families of their own they can then support them on a weather pony salary,” High responded firmly but vacantly as the overbearing sorrow deep within him continued to grow. “And you know that yourself Equi, it’s what we built our family and our life upon, you and me. We’re both living proof that this is the right way of going about things here in this country, we’ve never had any financial issues or anything like that because of this job, we’re living a comfortable middle-class suburban existence like the one we dreamed of when we were kids...aw hell, we can even afford to get...divorced if that really is where this whole thing is heading.”

“...and you think I want that?” she seethed bitterly. “Do you?”

“No,” High responded, mentally slapping himself for his decidedly uncalled-for bluntness. “Of course not...and I don’t want this myself.”

“This...just hurts so much,” Equinox responded, her eyes welling with tears as her face turned pale. “This whole thing, you know...we both know that it wasn’t just what happened at the graduation but that really pushed us over the edge.”

“...I know,” High Wind responded with only a nod as he took note of the tears forming in her eyes. “If...I could go back in time and prevent this from ever happening I’d do it a million times over, just do whatever it takes to stop him from going, shred all the paperwork, cancel it all...not even have it signed in the first place.”

“I...just want my son back,” Equinox stared daggers at him gloomily, her voice strained. “That’s all. I want him home.”

“I want him back too,” High stared down at his desk in shame. The emptiness he felt inside his core was nothing but pure, unadulterated shame. Immediately he cast his mind back to earlier during the week, to the point where he received contact from his Vanhoover counterpart Clear Skies about an incident of some sort involving Stormfire and he felt sickened even more.

He was at fault for it.

No matter what happened he knew that he was entirely at fault for having sent him there in the first place, and Equinox so far remained blissfully unaware.

Nobody else knew but him, and the time was fast approaching to open that can of worms.

Better quicker than later.

“I really...messed up badly,” High Wind stammered as his heart began to race. “I…I’ll figure out a way of getting him back...somehow.” Equinox only nodded tearfully.

“Was there more to it than just fueling your pride and your ego?” she inquired after an awkward silence, posing a question that High didn’t want brought up.

His pupils shrunk as he looked down upon his desk in shame and guilt, abruptly breaking eye contact with her and instead scanning the paperwork that was scattered across it.

Pending transfers. Inbound, outbound. About eight new ponies were due to join from Clearview in the coming week, six from Minneighapolis.

Three from Alderneigh as far as he knew. One from Seaddle, another from Hoofston.

For the first time in this position he felt overwhelmed.

His performance had slumped and he felt completely overwhelmed by everything that was facing him down.

Everything suddenly towered over him and he felt as if he could scream, everything he was once able to keep on top of was now weighing him down.

“No, of course not.”

“You’re not a good liar High…I’ve been married to you for eight years now and I know you better than most ponies,” Equinox approached the desk all of a sudden and High reestablished eye contact with her, his heart skipping a beat in shock as she stared at him with burning fury in her eyes. “What are you keeping from me exactly?”

“…nothing,” he blurted. “I’m not keeping any secrets from you, you know I’m not that kind of husband.”

“Oh really now?” Equinox scoffed angrily. He only let out a dejected, defeated sigh in response. “Like you didn’t keep the transfer involving my son a secret from me?”

“…I had to meet my transfer quota for the month, Equinox,” High suddenly uttered out loud after a pause, his shame-ridden expression not letting up at all. “I was three ponies short initially but I got the period extended over by a couple of weeks and I was able to send two of them over to Dodge City…but there was one slot left to fill over in Vanhoover, and I picked Storm for it because I thought it would do him good.”

She stared daggers at him, closed her eyes momentarily and nodded. “I see…so, you sent him away because you thought you’d be able to get a promotion if you did.”

“I was aiming for one, yes, in addition to just wanting him to follow in my tracks,” High responded stoically. “No excuses, Equi. I really screwed up a lot of things.”

“Yes, you did,” Equinox responded, trying to maintain a hold over her emotions before they overwhelmed her. “What you did is unethical and quite honestly probably illegal, do you even understand that?! You forged his signature! You didn’t even get his consent or anything like that! Nothing!”

All of a sudden High felt a suffocating weight in his chest, one that only grew more and more apparent as he pondered over the weight of what he did.

A chill rushed down his spine. He wanted this to be just a bad dream from which he could wake up but he knew that it wasn’t.

He could not.

This was a waking nightmare that he’d been experiencing for days and weeks, and there was no end in sight for it. His performance at work had noticeably slumped, his family had all but fallen apart—the family whom he only wanted to be happy.

High’s mind harkened back to the conversation he had with Tornado weeks prior after what happened and the realization that he was on his last legs at the factory promptly set in with a vengeance. A career he’d been building for years was on the verge of collapsing right before his own eyes and at this point he knew it was only a matter of time.

“I know I didn’t,” High responded, lowering his head in shame and humiliation. “And I don’t know how I can fix this…it’s too late to do anything.”

“I just don’t understand…what were you even thinking?”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” High stated as calmly as he possibly could while taking in her tearful anger. “All I know is that he’s not alone over there…and he won’t be. Vanhoover is a big city and I figured since I already have family over there he could settle in quickly. The apartment he stays in at the moment is my sister’s but she gave me the keys to it before she left for Mareurope so he can stay over there rent-free. Only thing he’ll be paying for out of pocket while he’s there is utilities.”

“…how long until she returns?”

“I don’t know, it might be a year or so,” High shrugged. “Who knows? I know her modeling contract in Itaily runs out in a few months but she’s got something booked over in Trottingham as well and then in Avion.”

“Avion?” Equinox gasped. “All the way over there?”

“Yeah,” High nodded. “She’s got gigs lined up in the Griffon lands…you kind of inspired her to visit.”

“I…haven’t seen her in so long,” Equinox sighed, her anger subsiding somewhat as an empty sensation of her own began to take hold. “I wonder how she’s doing now.”

“Last we spoke they were both doing fine,” High coolly remarked as the atmosphere in the office wound down. “Her and her guy, forgot what his name was.”

“How about her kids?” Equinox raised a slight eyebrow. “They settling in okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I think they are,” High heaved a slight smile as he briefly thought about his twin nephews and what they might be up to in their new home in Itaily. “Azure and Sky, they’re both little shits but they’re the kind of nephews you’d kill to have.”

“Feels like they’re completely in sync with each other sometimes,” Equinox mused. “It’s been even longer since we’ve seen them.”

“Yeah, exactly,” High nodded. “They must be like nine or ten by now, and Vanhoover’s…quite a distance.”

“So, Blossom…”

“Blossom’s perfectly fine with him staying there so you don’t have to worry,” he began, inhaling sharply. “And believe me Equi, there’s no chance in hell I’d let him just stay there and fend for himself. I’ve said some horrible things to him and done things that will haunt me till my dying day but Storm is still my son as well and I love him just like you do…I just didn’t show it very well. My dad was exactly the same…and I guess I just took after him.”

“…then why couldn’t you just listen to him?”

“I don’t know,” High sighed, again glancing down at the papers on his desk before locking eyes with his wife again just as lightning crackled outside, that same pair of eyes he fell in love with all those years ago but were now open windows into an anguished soul. “But it’s a mistake that I’m not willing to make again, and that’s a promise. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Storm back, I swear…do you trust me?”

“…I trust you,” Equinox uttered after a beat. “But I can’t say that I’m ready to forgive you…not just yet.”

“I understand,” High nodded dejectedly but fully knowing that he made at least some progress just there. She trusted him again, and he knew that he must deliver on that trust. “At least you trust me again.”

The question remained, however: how?

As she turned away from him towards the door, High called out her name. “Equi?”

“Yes?” her ears perked up as she turned back towards him.

“Before you go…I just wanted to say that I've been having a lot of health issues recently,” High began. “Doctor put it down to work-related stress and advised me to take some time off, or at the very least just take it slow, but I honestly don't know what's been going on with me as of late. I eat more, sleep way less than I should, and I'm just...always on edge…I just don’t know.”

“Go ask for time off in that case,” Equinox insisted, more of her concern for him showing through. “They’ll give it to you, they have to.”

“I don’t think they will, I’m on thin ice with them already because of what happened but it’s not something that anyone’s gonna say out loud,” High explained. “No one wants to lose a transfer manager but that will happen with the way things have been going for me.”

“They have to,” she urged him. “For as long as you still work here. And they’ll pay you for it as well. High…you can’t live like this.”

“I know I can’t but this stress is overwhelming…,” High groaned. “I just can’t help but feel that this is karma for what I did to our family…for what I did to Storm.”

“It isn’t, you have every right not to feel okay,” Equinox responded. “Storm doesn’t hate you if that’s what you think, or at least I hope he doesn’t; and as for us I know we both have our issues but I’m still your wife and I know that the workload you have is just insane…tell me, how many hours have you done this week?”

“36 so far,” he replied matter-of-factly. 12 hours on Monday, another 12 hours on Tuesday, 12 hours on Wednesday. It was now Thursday. “I’ll hit 60 this week.”

“And how much did you do last week?”

“78 hours,” High yawned, exhaustion evident in the tone of his voice. “…and the previous week I did about 80.”

“What are you doing to yourself?” she asked, shocked and exasperated. “You’re going to kill yourself, High. Why are you working so much?”

“Because I need to keep this job, Equi. This is my lifeline and I can’t let them fire me,” High answered firmly as he tried to mask the tiredness evident in his cadence. “I need to be here but I know that I can’t live like this, I’m just too ashamed to speak to anyone about it.”

“No, you’re a ticking time bomb,” Equinox responded, her concern turning to worry. It was only a matter of time before he’d explode and she knew she had to act fast—at that moment their marital issues were a mere blip and there were much bigger things at stake. “You need to speak up and take time off, I know we’re in two different departments but I’ll easily cover you if I can get the clearance for it. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that you’ll be okay.”

“No, you don’t have to,” High shut her down. “I’m not letting you throw your life away for me…not after what I put you and the rest of our family through.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Equinox suddenly marched up to his desk, slamming her hooves down on it and staring him down sternly. He was her husband and he needed to listen, and she was going to make him listen one way or the other. “You will fucking DIE if you keep going on like this, what are you not getting?!”

“Equi, keep it down please…,” High responded, his heart racing.

“No, I won’t ‘keep it down’,” she maintained her stance, her tone of voice markedly lower now but an almost murderous expression of tough love adorning her face. “Don’t you dare tell me to keep it down when it’s your life that’s at stake.”

“What if I want to do this to myself?” High countered despite knowing full well that he was on the losing side of this argument, throwing in a brisk “huh?” at the end for good measure.

“Here’s the thing though,” Equinox smirked in response, shutting him down again just like he expected. “You don’t, and I know that you don’t. You go in there right now and tell Tornado you have health issues and that you’ll need to go on leave. He has to give you it, tell him that you’ve got it covered. I’ll go now and speak to my superiors about getting moved to your department. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Well…”

“DOES IT?”

“Yes,” High heaved another breath, raising and dropping his hooves in frustrated defeat as Equinox pulled back from the desk. “…I’ll go and ask for time off.”

“Perfect,” Equinox stepped back and turned towards the door, a gentle smile now shining across her face that left High dumbfounded. He knew she was right though—as resilient as he was he understood that he himself was rapidly nearing his breaking point, edging towards a steep precipice in his life. “Please promise me that you’ll get help.”

She wouldn’t let him get there though, the mare he still loved deeply but had hurt profoundly in recent months, and he was eternally grateful for her concern.

“I will. Thanks for doing this, Equi,” High sighed in response, a slight smile forming on his face as well. “It’ll only be a week or two, it won’t take up any more of your time than that, and once I’m back I’ll try and figure out a way of getting Storm back.”

“I don’t care for how long it is,” Equinox answered, now calm and collected but that undercurrent of concern was still there. “You just need to step back…that’s all.”

“I know I do,” High began, seeing as her hoof reached for the door handle. “and I’m sorry for what I put you all through…if it even means anything at this point.”

Equinox only nodded in response as she opened the door, her smile disappearing.

“I’ll speak to you later,” she said after a beat. “Need to head off.”

“…alright,” High nodded himself, his ears pinned down as he shut his open laptop lid, watching as she stepped through the door and looked at him one last time before it closed behind her.

Her hoofsteps began to fade away as she made for the elevator lobby, and High became engrossed in thought in his chamber of self-reflection now that he was finally free to do so.

The office began to lighten somewhat as the storm outside began to pass over, hazy shafts of sunlight seeping through breaks in the cloud and rain beginning to ease off even as thunder rumbled on into the distance. It wasn’t over yet but the room lit up in an instant even as the rain continued to pour.

Cloudsdale must’ve gotten caught in the storm’s periphery since it passed so soon, its core located presumably miles away over the countryside.

For the first time in weeks High felt happy, or rather a strange mix of happiness and despair that he couldn’t quite compute. There was a lot to take care of, a lot of issues to deal with, but the conversation he had with Equinox just there felt invigorating for some reason despite their less-than-perfect relationship as of late.

While he knew full well that there were still a lot of things to work through with her he knew he at least was able to make some progress in returning to what once was.

She still clearly loved him as well even after all they went through, and more importantly she was right. He needed to be able to step back and take some time to himself, and that was exactly what he was planning on doing.

It had gone on for long enough, the self-isolation, him constantly running away from his problems instead of facing them head-on. He’d sequestered himself at work to escape what had become of his life in recent months, but it came at a profound cost to his health and wellbeing.

His office had become his second home but there was also a gaping hole in the house he had once shared with his wife and children.

He most definitely was a ticking time bomb and there was no denying that at all.

He’d dug a hole for himself in his life but he knew that he couldn’t keep on digging any deeper.

Sooner or later, the world above would just pass him by.

So why was it so hard to stop?

High had no answer to that question but set about getting to work, just like he promised, getting up out of his seat behind his desk and making his way towards the door. He’d go see Tornado about being put on leave, and once he was in a better state both physically and mentally he’d return to the usual proceedings.

It all loomed before him but all that mattered was taking things slowly. Taking small steps forward, he knew he still had a chance to set things right.

At this point he had nothing to lose.

Author's Notes:

Haven't gone back to this story in over two years but here you all go. I know this chapter isn’t at all what anyone was expecting but I wanted to focus on High Wind for a change as I felt it would be interesting.