Old Friends

Rainbow Dash flew back towards Ponyville. Her round of training at the Wonderbolt academy had just finished, and she raced to get back home.

Her cloud home was a welcome sight, and she walked leisurely through the front door. Plopping her bags on the floor, she made a beeline for the shower. The shower's warm water was a welcome pleasure. The water beat on her back and her chest. She felt herself slipping in ecstasy as the steam filled the room and her muscles relaxed. Once she was done with getting settled back in she grabbed a bag of bits, her keys, and she flew out her window to the local bar for a dose of beer that was long overdue.

Storm Cloud flew in the sky at a snail's pace. He had recently moved away from Cloudsdale, looking for something. Anything. He knew he didn’t want to be stuck in Cloudsdale as another weather factory worker – he figured there were plenty of those. Just because he was a pegasus didn’t mean he had to live up to a stereotype.

He was mainly looking for a change of scenery. Cloudsdale was his hometown, but he wanted to get out and spread his wings. He had heard about Ponyville from a friend in casual conversation, and wanted to check it out for himself. It sounded like a decent enough place to try and get established, even if only temporarily. With his saddlebags were packed with a few pieces of paper, a quill with some ink, and a hoof-full of bits to his name, he left Cloudsdale to find his way in life; wherever that may be.

He had been traveling for a while. He enjoyed sleeping in for the last time at his house that morning and left around noon, spent the day in flight almost non-stop, and finally reached the city limits of Ponyville around the twilight hours of the next day. Everyone had Hearth's Warming decorations out, and the lights all dangled from the houses and shops dotting the town. He decided to take a break from his journey. Flying above the town, he saw a bright neon sign with a pony holding a beer mug; that must have been the bar. He slowed his flight down, and landed in front of the doors. Once he went inside, he was greeted with warmth, and a calmness rushed over him like a flowing breeze. It wasn’t very big, but it definitely left room for anyone who didn’t particularly like getting too close. It had that old-time homey feel to it. As he went up to order his drink, he looked around for anyone who was able to serve him. Luckily for him, a stallion with a cutie mark of a martini glass came right up to him.

“Good evening sir, what’s your poison?”

Storm smiled and ordered, "Peach Schnapps please.”

The stallion bartender smiled back, and Storm continued to look around aimlessly for a bit. He tried to plan out his journey as he sunk in his seat and felt his eyes grow heavy and his wings grow sore. He wasn't exactly a record-holding flyer, though he could hold his own. He really wished he had exercised his wings more lately. But, practicing flying would have to wait. He was too busy trying his best to plan out whatever idea of a journey he had in mind, only to get as far as arriving to Ponyville. Storm just wasn't able to get past that particular point in his planning for some odd reason. After he received his drink, he downed the shot. He looked down at the little glass, and debated the idea of staying in Ponyville for a few days. The ponies here seemed nice enough. He took a look around the bar once more to further take in his surroundings, he jumped as he heard a voice he hadn’t heard in a long time call his name from behind him.

“Storm, Storm! Is that you? Is that really you?!”

He turned around to see an female cyan pegasus look at him with wide eyes and a smile that could put Pinkie Pie's to shame. He recognized that prismatic mane anywhere and dropped the shot glass on the bar counter, fumbling to pick it up and set it down as he nearly fell out of his seat.

“R-Rainbow Dash? Is it really you?!” The mare he grew up with right in front of him literally popped out of no where. He looked her over to make sure that his eyes weren’t deceiving him; a tricolor lightning bolt cutie mark, that rainbow mane, and her one-of-a-kind magenta eyes - not to mention, that beaming, gorgeous smile of hers. After a few years, she still looked amazing.

“Well, duh it’s me! Oh wow, how are you?! It feels like it's been forever!” She sat her drink down next to his and closed in to give him a hug. She felt her nerves going crazy, with numerous chills shooting up and down her spine as her stomach fluttered. She took a step back to look at him. He looked decent: a white stallion with a dark brown mane and tail, with a cutie mark of a treble and bass clef. His blue eyes looked back at hers, just as wide and scanning her up and down. She felt her stomach go a little more knotty when he did that, and took a drink of her beer to calm it down.

He hugged back and continued, “I know! I think the last time I saw you was at graduation like, four years ago! What have you been doing since then?” He knew all about the Elements of Harmony and such from reading the papers; news like that doesn’t tend to stay confined to just one region of Equestria. He figured it would be a good springboard for conversation, though.

“Oh, you know, just being my awesome self and saving the world from unimaginable horrors and such, the usual.” She smiled her trademark smug grin and lightly dusted off her mane. He couldn’t help but chuckle; she hadn't changed a bit.

“What about you?” She asked as she picked up her beer and took another sip.

“Huh? What about me?” He ordered a beer, a slight crack intruded his voice.

“Yeah! You can’t just go running off for like, four years and not expect me to ask what you’ve been doing or where you've been. It feels like after graduation, you just disappeared off the face of the world.” She picked up her beer again and took another sip.

He took a small sip from his own drink and cleared his throat, “Well, I…you see, I haven’t really done too much, to be terribly honest. I mean, I went to school and graduated with a degree, but that’s about it so far. I still just haven't figured out what I really want to do with my life. I enjoyed college, but...a 9-to-five job just...isn't for me. So, I figured I would just kind of wonder around Equestria for a while until something comes my way. I know it really doesn't sound like much of a noble plan, but I guess it's better than doing nothing."

“Ohh... Well, almost any plan's better than no plan, right?" She tapped her hoof on the bar in a steady rhythm, looking around the room for a distraction. “So...what are you doing here in Ponyville? Just passing through, or are you looking to move here?”

“Well, I’m not too sure yet. Like I said, I don’t really know what I’m looking for.” Storm looked up at the clock on the wall, sighing when he saw the hands on the clock. “Though, it is getting kind of late, and I should probably get going. I was planning on crashing at this hotel nearby. One of my buddies from school told me about it being near the town square, and I should probably get there before it gets too late.”

Rainbow nodded slowly, but then her ears perked up and a grin plastered on her face, “You know, you could just crash at my place for the night!”

Storm nearly choked on his drink when he heard her proposition. “Really? I mean, I don’t want to impose or anything, and that’s not what I was trying to get at. I mean, I have plenty of bits to pay fo -” He was cut off by Rainbow’s hoof in his mouth.

“Nope, I won’t take no for an answer. You know how many times you saved my flank back in school from getting in trouble? Consider this as a small bit of retribution. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

Storm smiled weakly at this unexpected generosity from her; so he paid for both their drinks, and they then took their leave.

They headed down the road from the bar towards her cloud home was. It was a clear night out, and snow blanketed the landscape. Storm asked if they could on walk instead of fly for now to give his tired wings a break. Though their hooves were getting numb, they both managed to walk slowly. Storm shifted around a bit as he walked and turned to Rainbow, “Hey, I really don’t know about this. I mean, I really don’t want to intrude. I don’t even know if you’re seeing anyone, and I don’t want to invade on your life that way.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed, “Seriously? You think I’d really invite you back to my place if I was seeing someone? Please. I didn’t need anyone back in school, and I definitely don’t need anyone now. Not many stallions can handle my degree of awesomeness.”

Storm rolled his eyes, to which he got a punch in the shoulder. They both laughed, and he spoke up, “Honestly, that surprises me. I figured you would’ve been the first one our of the group to get together with someone.”

She squinted at him, and dropped her tone quite a bit, “Oh really now? And why’s that?”

He bowed his head a little, looking sheepishly back to her, “Well, I mean…you’re nice and all, and kind of pretty, so I just figured…” he trailed off as he tripped over himself, desperately scanning his mind to come up with something more to say. ‘Dammit, Storm. Why do you have to be so awkward?’

She looked at him, a small smile forming on her face. She cocked an eyebrow, “Huh, just kind of pretty, eh? Alright, I see how it is…” She looked away and allowed her words to trail off, but not before giving a look back to see him squirm.

“No! I didn’t mean like that! I just, well, I…” He stopped talking and took a deep breath. He let it all out and sighed, “Just forget it. I’ll think of something smart to say one of these days.”

Dash chuckled as she saw his slightly downtrodden face and playfully bumped his shoulder with her side, “Hey, I’m only kidding. You haven’t changed a bit. What about you, got any lucky ladies falling at your hooves?”

It was his turn to scoff, “Please, Rainbow. You know how awkward I am. I can barely say ‘hi’ without making a fool of myself. Maybe one of these days I’ll meet someone who can look past all that.”

She quickly interjected, “Aw, c'mon now. You’re being too hard on yourself, Storm. I personally think someone would be lucky to have you. I mean, you’re not as lame as you think you are. I’d argue that you’re at least half as awesome as me, or maybe even more! Heck, I'd even venture to say that some days you are as awesome as me!” She looked around quickly and pulled him in close, "But don't tell anyone I said that, I got a rep to protect, you know."

He laughed a little at her antics and continued his walk with her. “Well, thanks for that, I appreciate it. So, what about you? What do you do for yourself? Surely being awesome alone can’t put food on the table.”

She sighed and looked back at him, “I’m a weather pony. I just kind of fly around, making sure things get rained on that need it. And, when I’m not doing that, I’m practicing with the Wonderbolts.”

He smirked at her as he remembered all those times she used to rave about them back in school, always talking about how she would strive to make it among their ranks one day. He looked back at her, “So, you finally joined huh? I remember whenever you, me, Fluttershy and Gilda would hang out, that's all you wanted to talk about."

She looked back in return, “Of course! Well, technically, I'm only in the reserves right now. I just need to be promoted to active duty then I’m home free. The waiting list is pretty long though, so I got quite a ways to go till I get my time to really shine. But it’ll come, just you wait.”

His eyes found their way in front of him again, “I'm sure you will. Oh, I almost forgot; speaking of Fluttershy and Gilda, how are they? It's been forever and a day since I've seen or talked to them, too."

"Oh, they're doing fine. Fluttershy's pretty much the animal expert around these parts. She has a tiny cottage near the Everfree Forest."

"Really?! That's nuts. Out of everyone I know, she's the last one I'd imagine to live near that place." He may have never ventured into the forest, but the legends of the dangers that place has to offer still ring out in his mind.

She laughed, "Yeah, she's full of surprises anymore. She's really come out of her shell a lot since school."

"That's great for her! What about Gilda?"

Rainbow sighed and spoke in a hushed tone, "Well, we had a falling out for a while, because she was really disrespectful to some of my friends when she came to visit me one time. But we patched things up recently whenever I made a trip to Griffonstone."

"Well, that's good. At least you got things all sorted out, it sounds."

They both smiled to themselves as they continued down the road, taking in the sights of nighttime as they strolled down memory lane together.

A silence fell upon them after more conversation as they approached the base of her cloud home together. Dash poked at his side with her wing to snap him out of the little trance he'd fallen in.

“Alrighty, we’re here! You think you can fly up after flying all day?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll be alright.” He strapped on his saddlebags a little tighter to prepare for the short flight up.

Once on the porch, Rainbow fiddled with her keys as she prepared to unlock the door. He soon joined her. She looked back at him, remembering something. She looked up sheepishly, “Heh, uh...excuse the mess by the way, I just got back from a week of training at the Wonderbolts Academy today, so I really haven’t had time to unpack a whole lot.”

“Oh, you’re fine. I’m just thankful that you offered me a place to stay.”

“Psh, no biggie. Really.” After fiddling with her lock a little more, she opened the door and led him inside her cloud castle in the sky.

Upon walking inside, Storm's jaw dropped to the floor. Her home had archways and a high ceiling; it wasn’t a terribly spacious floor plan, but still large enough to provide a comfortable living space. The puffy cloud floor was a welcoming comfort to his sore hooves, and instantly felt a wave of heat wash over his cold body. He also found that it wasn’t nearly as messy as Rainbow made it seem. There was an overnight bag lying in the middle of the living room with various clothing items strung about, as well as a few crumbs on the kitchen counter, but that was pretty much it. “Wow, this place is amazing! I mean, you really did well for yourself. I bet your dad is really proud of you.”

Rainbow tossed her keys on the table next to the door and winced, “Yeah, he’s pretty happy for me. Every now and then he comes to visit, and we always have a great time together.” Her eyes darted about the room as she started to clean up the house, quickly gathering all the clothes off the floor and frantically stuffing them in her bag.

"That reminds me, I forgot to ask earlier; how is your dad?"

She twinged a little more and felt a pressure in her chest, and felt sweat trickling down her forehead. "He's...he's okay for now. You want some water or something? I have tons of that!"

He looked at her and his ears drooped a little. However, he dismissed it for now and declined her offer as he walked into the house some more, and continued the exploration his host’s palace in the sky. Dash walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass. As she did this, she sighed to herself while she eyed her guest. He eventually put his bags down next to the couch.

Rainbow Dash had her friends among the citizens of Ponyville like Fluttershy, Applejack and the rest; but she had very few male friends. In fact, she couldn't think of any off the top of her head besides Storm. One big reason was due to the fact that most of them only wanted to be her friend for one night, then leave her on the wayside. She was too smart and awesome to be taken advantage of like that. However, growing up with Storm proved to be quite a different experience.

She remembered back to when she first met him, how he offered to play with her at elementary school. He would always go over her house, or her over to his. They'd get in trouble together, laugh together, and fly around pretending to be apart of the Wonderbolts. Eventually, they met Fluttershy and Gilda when they got to high school. Fluttershy was always quiet, but still tagged along in all their teenage antics. Gilda was there too, but always seemed to keep a certain distance. Going through high school, she would still go over to Storm's house and spend time with him, doing homework and having him help her study for tests, because that was for eggheads; and Storm was definitely a major egghead when he wanted to be.

Then came the divorce. After her father broke the news to her, she would sneak out and pull pranks on others. While most of these pranks were fairly harmless, vandalism and destruction of public property was still a crime. Whenever she would get in trouble, Storm would sit for hours listening to her rave on and on about how much everypony sucked, and how she would try and get her revenge. And whenever her father started drinking, she would disappear more often, and Storm would be the one looking for her. She looked back at the water she was holding, stuck staring at the clear liquid as she stopped blinking for a full minute.

She was cut from her thoughts, however, when she heard his voice. “Is the couch okay?”

She blinked, but her eyes stung. "Ack!" She rubbed her eyes furiously. "What? What's okay?"

He chuckled and asked again, “I asked if the couch was okay. You know, for me to sleep on?”

“Oh, oh yeah! That’s fine! I mean, let me get some blankets and stuff for you.”

She took her momentary leave, and looked back at him while he unpacked a small book and sat on the edge of the couch. She hurried to her bedroom and got a blanket and a pillow. She quickly returned and saw him scribbling a few words down on some paper. “Whatcha got there?”

He scribbled and talked. “Oh, this? It’s my journal. I’m just kind of writing down stuff that happens to me along the way, just to have something to look back on; self-reflection and all that jazz.”

“Huh, that’s pretty interesting. Maybe I should start one. After all, my life’s full of awesome adventures! After some of the stuff I've been through with the gang, Daring Do might have some competition.” She took a moment to sit on that thought, a smile beaming from ear to ear as he laughed in the background.

“Yeah, I think you’d need a few journals to document all that.”

"You kidding me? Not even the biggest library in all of Equestria could hold all the books my awesomeness would fill up!"

"You just keep telling yourself that."

She blew a raspberry at him. "Just you wait. I'll even sign your copy." She finished up the last touches on the couch. “Alright, I think you’re all set. If you need anything, my room’s the last door on the left at the end of the hall; bathroom’s the first door on the right.”

He finished writing the last bit of his thoughts down in his journal, closed it up, and put it back in the bag. “Thanks again, Rainbow. I really appreciate all of this.”

She smiled and looked down at the floor, “Like I said, it’s no problem at all. I’m just glad I ran into you!" She looked back up at him. "I hope you’re not planning on leaving so soon, we have tons we have to do together!”

It still hadn't occurred to him what he would do when he got to Ponyville. The last time he thought about that was at the bar, and he didn’t even get to finish thinking about it completely. “Well, I have to admit I really didn’t know where I was going whenever I got up tomorrow, so I’m all for spending some much needed catch-up time together. What is there to do around here? My friends said this place gets crazy sometimes."

Her ears perked up, “Oh, I know Ponyville looks small, but trust me, it grows on ya. There’s the bake shop, and the Apple Farm, and a whole bunch of other stuff! There’s even a princess who lives here now! You’ll love it! I’ll introduce you to all my friends, and I’m telling you: by the end of the week, you’ll never want to leave."

“I'll never wanna leave, huh? Is that a fact, now?”

“Yep. Wanna know how I know?”

He let out a breath and smiled, “Okay I’ll bite. How do you know?”

She offered her own smile back and leaned in as if to tell a secret, “Because whenever I came here from Cloudsdale, the same thing happened to me.”

He gave a few chuckles, with her doing the same in return. However, after he let out a yawn and stretched his limbs in fatigue, he decided it was time to call it a night. “We’ll see what happens. But I think if we’re going do all that, I should try and get some sleep for now.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you. Sounds like you had a long day.” Her ears drooped slightly, but let out a yawn of her own. Suddenly a warm bed and fluffy pillows didn't seem like such a bad thing.

Her thoughts of sleep were snatched from her as her eyes suddenly widened and she drew in a quick breath as he pulled her in for a nice tight hug. “You truly are awesome, Rainbow Dash. I’m so glad I ran into you tonight.”

Her eyes darted back and fort at the sudden display of affection. Still, she returned the hug and held him tightly against her. Flashes of memories with her and Storm together in the same kind of hug from years past flooded through her mind. With a small lump in her throat and a growing blush on her face she softly spoke, “Yeah…no problem…”

They said their goodnights, and she hovered slowly to her room as she took another quick glance back at the stallion getting situated on her couch. With that, she went to her room and found her way under her covers, and fell asleep with a smile on her face. She was soon lost to her dreams, as sleep took hold of her.

Author's Note

I'll try to update soon. I really enjoyed writing this, and I'll go back and make edits as needed. I'm open to suggestions and such as to what kind of adventures they could go on, This is a fun sort of story for me, and it's largely experimental because of my new character I created. I can't wait to see what I can do with it. Anyways, happy reading and God bless as always~