Cloud Cover

(Unknown POV)

A young stallion was laying down in a comfortable bed, sleeping heavily. In fact, this light blue coated, purple maned and tailed stallion had been sleeping like this for the past three days. The two Princesses had brought the stallion in unconscious, saying he had fainted and needed medical attention. Sitting beside his bed side in the hospital was a mare with a bright yellow coat and a mane as red as a freshly picked apple. Her cutie mark was the image of a flowering sapling. She was leaning over him, stroking her hoof through his mane when his eyelids started fluttering. Then the lids lifted up revealing silver eyes looking up at the mare, directly into her soft green eyes. At first, the stallion didn't know what was going on. In fact, he didn't know much. His brain then processed the unfamiliar sight of the mare and he bolted upright.

"Who are you? Where are we? And more importantly, who am I?" The stallion asked furiously with a hint of fright.

"You don't remember? Chroma. It's me, Apple Blossom." Apple Blossom said, unable to believe that he could have forgotten.

"I don't remember you 'Apple Blossom'." Chroma said, adding air quotes around her name. "How do I know you're even telling me the truth?" He asked incredulously.

"You don't. I can't prove it." Apple Blossom said, tears forming in her eyes, coming to the terms that Chroma had forgotten everything.

"Ah. He's awake now. You're lucky the Princesses brought you here immediately, otherwise, you would be in much worse condition." A stallion who appeared to be a doctor said while walking in the door to his room.

"Lucky! How is this lucky? He can't remember anything at all! And how could this have gotten worse?" Apple Blossom shouted while crying.

"It could have gotten worse if he didn't wake up. His memories will come back to him eventually. Until then, it is going to be a bit of a struggle for him, not knowing what to do, who he knows. The diagnostics show that he has retained some memories, especially those pertaining to his family, ability, and cutie mark. Come here for a second and let me tell you something." The doctor said, motioning with his hooves for Apple Blossom to follow him. Once they were out into the hallway, he started to speak to her. "It is clear you have feelings for Chroma. I knew Chroma since he was a foal, he has a strong will, he'll remember. I want you to watch over him while he's recovering. Please make sure he stays out of trouble. Could you do that for me?" The doctor asked Apple Blossom.

"I could do that." Apple Blossom said, agreeing to the terms the doctor set. Then the two walked back into the room that Chroma was in.

"Well Chroma, and yes it is your name, it appears you can leave. I'll have Apple Blossom here escort you out of here and back to your home." The doctor said, officially releasing Chroma from the care of the hospital. Apple Blossom led Chroma out of the hospital and down the street to where a new building in Ponyville stood. The sign outside the building and the materials resting inside suggested that this was an art studio. Something inside Chroma's mind clicked. His art studio he thought to himself.

"I'm starting to remember things." Chroma said calmly, hiding the fright he was truly feeling. He was scared of remembering. What if I did something horrible. I don't think I want to remember things like that. I couldn't handle remembering that I had done something horrible.

"What kind of things?" Apple Blossom asked. But before he had a chance to respond, a white and yellow blur sped towards him and picked him up, heading higher and higher.

(POV SHIFT: CHROMA)

"I heard about what happened to you. Apple Blossom told me all about what happened yesterday in a letter. You had me worried you big idiot." The white coated and yellow maned pegasus said to Chroma. Then there was another click inside Chroma's head. My friends. Thunder Dash. Apple Blossom. Jewel. I remember them Chroma thought to himself. Then Thunder Dash flew back onto the ground and set Chroma back down. Then a second pegasus flew up beside Thunder Dash. The pegasus had a jet-black mane and tail that seemed to have a bit of volume to it in the center, but seemed to become more narrow near the edge. His buckskin colored coat contrasted with the color in an interesting way, not making him ugly, just making him more interesting. The two factors about this stallion that grabbed the most attention for Chroma, however, were his steel-grey eyes and his cutie mark. His cutie mark was what appeared to be a winged shield with a thunderbolt running down the center of said shield.

"Who is this guy Thunder?" Chroma asked curiously, wondering who this mysterious stallion was.

"Allow me to introduce mahself." The stallion said with a country accent similar to the Apple family's. "The name is Skybreaker Steele, but Ah prefer to be called Jet. If yah don't mind." Jet said enthusiastically. "Yah must be Chroma. Ah saw that painting yah made for him. Ah asked him about it and he just went on and on about how yah were his best friend and all. It is some spectacular work, if Ah must say so mahself. We shared an apartment together before the tryouts." Jet continued on.

"Speaking of tryouts, how did you do?" Chroma asked both Thunder and Jet.

"We both made it. We were the fastest fliers there. I mean, other than mom. Nopony is faster than her. She gave me a hard time just because I'm her son." Thunder said triumphantly, both him and Jet beaming with pride at their accomplishment. Then Jet's face seemed as if he had just thought of something, as if something Thunder said triggered something inside of him.

"Wait a minute. Yah never said yer mom was the Rainbow Dash. Ah mean, how could yah not brag about it?" Jet asked inquisitively.

"I never talked that much about her because you never asked. Besides, one day, I'm going to be the fastest flier in Equestria." Thunder said braggingly.

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Jet said, challenging Thunder Dash. Chroma knew this was either going to end very well or very badly. Just then, Thunder flew up into the air.

"I WILL!" Thunder shouted, climbing higher and higher until he was no more than a dot in the sky.

"If I know Thunder, he's going to push himself to do something nopony has ever done before." Apple Blossom said to Jet and Chroma.

"Like what?" Jet said nervously, not wanting Thunder to hurt himself.

"Probably a 1-up of the old fashion sonic rainboom, well in his case, the sonic thunderhead. He's going to attempt a double-rainboom style technique.

"BEHOLD THE AWESOME SPECTACULARNESS THAT IS THUNDER DASH. I AM GOING TO PULL A DOUBLE THUNDERHEAD." Thunder yelled, sounding like a faint echo to the ponies standing below. His shouted had gained the attention of several ponies nearby, even his father, who looked on with pride in his son. Thunder then climbed even higher, higher than many of the clouds currently in the sky. He then began flying in circles, picking up speed for what he was trying to accomplish. The only way they knew he was even flying was the trail of dark clouds behind Thunder Dash.

(POV SHIFT: THUNDER DASH)

Thunder was flying around in circles getting faster and faster until he had reached max horizontal speed. He then curved downward, immediately feeling the tug of the sound barrier trying to push him back. He steepened his descent even further, feeling the sound barrier crack underneath him. He knew he had broken through the sound barrier without turning around, the gasps from the crowd proved that he had accomplished part one of the trick. The next part was the hardest. It involved slowing down slightly, so as to fall behind the sound barrier and then pushing forward from a standstill while falling. He managed the first part of the tricky part with ease. He then pushed and flapped his wings with all they had. He could feel the push of the sound barrier trying to overcome him

(POV SHIFT: Chroma)

Chroma had seen Thunder already break the sound barrier for the first part of the technique, now Thunder was attempting to break the barrier again. Chroma could see Thunder struggle slightly until...

*BOOM*

He managed to do it again as the second ring of thunderheads was chasing right behind the first. It was a spectacular sight to behold. It was a trick that not even Rainbow Dash had managed to accomplish.

But then it all ended as Thunder crashed into the ground while trying to slow himself down. He had managed to slow himself down to a speed that he didn't kill himself on impact, so Chroma wasn't as worried as he normally would be. Jewel was one of the many ponies that had gathered around to watch Thunder perform the double thunderhead, as Thunder Dash liked to call it. She immediately rushed towards where he had crashed, accompanied by Soarin', who wanted to check on his son.

"Is he alright? Ah didn't mean fer it to get this bad. It's all mah fault." Jet said in his accent as he got closer to Thunder Dash. He was mere feet away from Thunder when he said something loud enough for all to hear.

"Proved it!" He said with the last bit of his energy before passing out.

(Later that afternoon)

Chroma, Jewel, Apple Blossom, Jet, Soarin', and the recently arrived Rainbow Dash all sat around the hospital bed that contained Thunder Dash.

"This proves he inherited his pride and need to prove himself from you." Soarin' said to Rainbow Dash.

"I guess you are right. I mean, he was able to pull off a double rainboom without killing himself, that is a feat within itself. It reminds me of when he first pulled off a sonic rainboom. The look on your face was priceless." Rainbow Dash said to Soarin'.

"Jewel. Is it really necessary to..." Apple Blossom started to say.

"Of course it's necessary. He must have someone close to him at all times, and I plan on it being me. I...I...love...him." She finally said.

"Well it's good to hear that. 'Cause I love you too." A recently woken Thunder Dash said weakly. This did it for Jewel as she leaned in and gave Thunder a passionate kiss on the lips. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before they separated. "No matter how many times you do that, it still makes me feel warm inside." He said, unaware of his parents being in the same room.

"Eh-hem." Rainbow Dash coughed out, getting Thunder's attention. He blushed with embarrassment when he realized that both his mother and father witnessed him kissing Jewel. Then everyone, including Jewel, began laughing at the look on Thunder's face.

"Guys, it isn't funny." Thunder said.

"Ah'm sorry about what happened. Ah didn't know yah would try to do that." Jet said, apologizing for egging Thunder into doing that maneuver.

"It's alright. I forgive you." Thunder said.

"It's good to see you up Thunder, but not in the hospital. That is the fifth time this past month alone. You are lucky that you don't have any broken bones. You are free to go. Just try not to fall to the earth at near terminal velocity." The doctor said while walking in and looking over Thunder.

"Thanks doc. I'll try not to get in an accident again." Thunder said, rushing out of bed and out the door. Chroma and Jet followed close behind Thunder along with Apple Blossom and Jewel. Thunder was heading in the direction of the park, but soon he turned in the direction of the art studio.

"Jet, do you have any family here you can stay with?" Chroma asked kindly. Jet shook his head.

"Nah. Mah dad left mah mom when we were young, mah mom is living out in Fillydelphia, Ah have no clue where Caramelcake is, and Clay is out in Canterlot." Jet replied, listing off his family members one by one.

"You can stay on the couch in my art studio for now. Sound good?" Chroma asked Jet.

"That's might kind of yah." Jet replied, nodding while saying it. The five arrived at Chroma's two-story art studio and walked inside. The front of the lobby was divided in half by the counter. In the front at the windows were three empty stands in the windows. There was a door behind the counter that led into a room with blank canvases along the base of three out of the four walls. There was a couch lying against the wall without any canvases against it. In the next room over was a small bed and a flight of stairs leading up. Chroma walked upstairs to the glass-walled room that he had designed so he could more easily capture images. In the middle of the room was an empty stand for when he set up a blank canvas. Chroma walked back downstairs to where the other four ponies were waiting for him.

"This place is ahmazing Chroma. Ah am grateful that yah are allowin' mah to stay here." Jet said gratefully.

"It's nothing really. Anything to help a friend." Chroma said.

"Me and Apple Blossom are going to go Chroma. See you tomorrow." Jewel said, having Apple Blossom follow closely behind.

(POV SHIFT: Jewel)

"You like him don't you?" Jewel said to Apple Blossom. Apple Blossom blushed a bit before answering.

"Is it that obvious?" Apple Blossom asked.

(POV SHIFT: Chroma)

"It's obvious you like her. Why don't you do something?" Thunder asked Chroma.

"I don't know if she likes me. I mean, how embarrassing would it be if I got rejected." Chroma said.

"That didn't stop you from pushing me and Jewel together." Thunder protested.

"It was a lucky guess!" Chroma exclaimed. He was blushing badly now.

"I'm going to leave you to think about that Chroma. See ya tomorrow. I have a feeling it is going to be interesting tomorrow." Thunder Dash chuckled before he left. Chroma walked into his room and grabbed a blanket and pillow for Jet to use. Chroma handed off the spare blanket and pillow to Jet, who promptly set them on the couch and dozed off. He sure fell asleep fast. Chroma thought to himself. He climbed into his bed and started to think back on what Thunder was saying. He might be right. I mean, what if she really does like me like that. I mean, I really hope she does. I'm normally able to sense other pony's emotions, but I can't sense Apple Blossom's emotions though. Could she really feel that way about me? Even if she did feel that way, she deserves somepony better than me. I mean, who wants a pathetic unicorn. A weakling who's only talent is bucking painting. There are many other stallions with better talents than me. Take Jet for example, he would be a much better colt-friend for Apple Blossom. I mean, he is nearly as fast as Thunder, and he is going to be a Wonderbolt. How am I supposed to compare. Chroma kept thinking along those lines as he started drifting off to sleep.

(POV SHIFT: Apple Blossom)

Apple Blossom was laying down in her bed, thinking about the intense discussion she and Jewel had about Chroma. I don't know if he would accept me. What if he doesn't like ponies like me. NO! I can't think like that. I have to have some confidence in myself. I may not be prim and proper, but I can still be the best I can be. If he can't accept me as I am, then he doesn't deserve me. Apple Blossom thought confidently. She started to drift off to sleep, welcoming the peace that sleep provided.

(POV SHIFT: Chroma)

Chroma was having a nightmare that night, evident from his tossing and turning.

The room was filled with ponies. There were two ponies standing up on a stage, one was clearly Vinyl Scratch, DJ Pon-3, operating the turntables holding the DJ's records. Apparently the two were up on stage finishing up a song. Chroma turned his head slightly and saw Apple Blossom resting her head on his shoulder. She turned her head and kissed his cheek. Then the music ended and something dark swooped in front of Chroma. Then he could feel the strange sensation that came when under the influence of a teleportation spell. Then everything turned black.

That was when Chroma woke up panting and sweating. He was unsettled by what happened in the dream. He put the whole thing thing off to imagination. There is no possible way that she would do that. Chroma thought before trying to go to sleep once again.