Rainbow Dash woke up, sleep still in her eyes and her body one with the bed. The sun had a distinctive talent of, while being far away, aim perfectly through the curtains of any bedroom. She cursed this unfortunate fact of life. Slowly she got up, and staggered her way to the living room.

Storm was still sleeping, but somehow he managed to knock the blanket off him in the middle of the night. She walked over to put it back on him, but noticed him whimpering in his sleep. She rubbed her tired eyes and looked closer. Was he...crying? She knew she sprung the whole, "Come stay at my place" thing on him kinda suddenly, but she didn't think he'd get all sappy about it.

She walked carefully away from him and into the kitchen to get some coffee. As she was pouring it into her mug, she saw Storm slowly get up. She saw him head for the kitchen, but flew over and stopped him briefly and put her hoof on his shoulder. “Storm, are you okay? You look like you had a rough night.”

He looked at her like he had just. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“No offense, but you don’t look fine. You sure you’re okay? You wanna talk about somethin'? I mean, I'm not all that good at the whole advice thing, but I can listen if you want.”

“I promise I’m okay.”

She threw her hooves in the air, “Okay, as long as you’re sure.” She gave him her coffee. “Here have some; you need it.”

He gave a nod, and walked to the table. She watched him scratch his head as he lazily took a sip of the morning brew. She kept her eye on him as she poured another cup, walking gingerly over to sit down next to him.

After a breakfast of toast and some fruit, the two pegasi decided to get out for a little bit and hit the town. Storm was still new to Ponyville, and Dash thought that since she was the only friend he currently had living there, she would be the one to break him in. While they flew alongside each other, she decided to play a little game of catch-up.

“So, I remember you mentioned that you went to school for a few years. What did you study?”

Storm looked at her quizzically before remembering that he told her about what he did the previous night, “Oh, yeah. I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology.”

She raised her eyebrows, “Wow, that's...actually pretty neat. But, that doesn’t really surprise me. You’ve always been the one to go to about problems."

He smiled back, “Well, thanks. I just like being there for others if I can. I always got a sense of fulfillment from that. That being said, I’m not totally sure if sitting in an office somewhere listening to ponies complain to me about their lives all the time is exactly what I had in mind when it comes to a career choice."

She saw him starting to slow down. “How are your wings holding up from yesterday? Are they still sore?”

“Yeah, just a little bit tender. I’m guessing it’s because I haven’t worked them that hard in quite a while.”

“Well, if you want, we could take a quick break on a cloud for a few minutes and let you stretch them out for a bit?”

He looked back at his wings, as he felt them start to cramp a little. “Sure, sounds good to me.”

She scouted for a comfortable cloud. She found one after a few seconds of looking: a stray cumulus was floating idly by as they approached the outskirts of Ponyville’s airspace. She landed on the cloud to test its fluffiness, and nodded in approval at the texture. She motioned for him to join her as he landed next to her. He started to preen his tender wings soon after his touchdown.

She looked at him, almost studiously as he preened his wings. Every time he'd pull a feather out, he'd flinch but then smooth over that area and look for more feathers to pluck. She grew tired of the silence, and finally decided to break it. “Man, nothing like a good cloud to just chill on, huh Storm?”

He nodded as he preened away, “Yeah, one of the benefits of being a pegasus. I don’t know how Earth ponies and Unicorns do it.”

She huffed, “Yeah, me neither. I could never get used to being on the ground like that all the time. Though, alicorns seem to have a pretty good thing going on."

"Tft, yeah they do. When I was a kid I always wanted to be one. Best of three worlds, right?" They both let some chuckles escape. He looked back at her for a second, wanting to try to come up with a topic this time. “So, what’s it like being a bearer of an Element of Harmony? Like, what exactly is it that you do? I read about the stuff you guys pulled off, and it’s amazing. Do you have any other duties?”

She looked at him strangely, but then understood what he meant. She shrugged, “Eh, not really. I didn’t even know about the elements until Twilight came to town. Normally I’m just myself, and go about my business. If the elements need to be used, Twilight calls on us. Otherwise we just hang out and do girl stuff.” She shuddered when she said the last two words, earning her a snicker from Storm.

She stared into the distance of the sky for a while. One of her life-long friends was in her house, crying his eyes out last night. His words may have said he was fine, but she wasn't buying it. She knew Storm, at least she thought she did. And, though she wasn't good at advice or stuff like that, she knew it would bother her later if she didn’t at least make a true, genuine attempt to help him. She wasn’t about to let him get away with it that easily.

The conversation reached a standstill. Rainbow saw her chance to take the risk she was waiting for. She looked over at Storm, breathed in deep, and exhaled. He finishing up tending to his wings. She looked back in front of her and closed her eyes. She spoke barely above that of a trembling whisper, “Hey… you remember the last time we saw each other?”

Storm stopped preening. His eyes shot open, and turned to look at her. The feather dropped from his mouth, floating gently away in the breeze. Of course he remembered. He’ll always remember. It’s not something he could easily forget, no matter how much he tried.

The graduating students of Cloudsdale High School prepared to walk into the gymnasium for the final time. Graduation was set at six p.m., though everyone was starting to arrive a few minutes early to take their seats and get situated for the upcoming ceremony. Fluttershy and Gilda were talking among themselves as they awaited the arrival of their two other friends.

“I sure hope that Storm and Dashie get here soon. Being in crowds is so…unsettling.”

Gilda took a sharp breath in and put her claw over her chest as if offended, “Oh, what, and I’m just chopped liver?”

Fluttershy's eyes grew wide, “Oh my! I'm Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. I just wonder what’s taking them so long.”

Gilda waved her off, “Geez, I'm just kiddin' ya. And yeah, seems like those two have been spending a lot of time together recently.”

As if on cue, Storm and Rainbow Dash came rushing in, hastily throwing on their caps and gowns to get ready for the soon-to-start ceremony. Dash was the first one to speak up, “Sorry we kept you guys waiting; we had a bit of a problem to fix.”

Gilda let her impatience talk for her, “Yeah? Well, seems like that’s a common occurrence these days with you two.”

Dash narrowed her eyes, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

To Rainbow’s surprise, Gilda put her talon around her neck and led her away from Storm for the time being while he talked with Fluttershy. “Listen, Dash, are you sure there’s nothing going on?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean, exactly?”

“What I mean is that Fluttershy and I have been talking, and we notice you guys are spending way more time together than you used to. I mean, we get it. We just wish that you would spill it already. You don’t need to keep secrets from us.”

“Get what? You’re not making any sense. What are you trying at?” As she tried to think, Rainbow froze as she pieced the puzzle together, “Y-you think that Storm and I are-”

Gilda interrupted, “What’s the big deal? So you guys are going out, it was only a matter of time really. We both know that you care about him a lot, there’s no shame in that. In fact, if that’s what’s been going on, then we’re really happy for you! We just wish you’d be honest with us about it.”

Rainbow blushed furiously at the accusation. She knew that she and Storm were considerably close, but that was for completely different reasons. It was no secret that she had been going through a tough time lately, but her and Storm? Together? She laughed as she thought about that. “Look, we’re not together. He was just helping me out, alright?”

“Helping you out with what? You can talk to us too, ya know. We’ve been worried about you, Dash. We’re your friends just as much as he is.” Gilda wasn’t really one to offer comfort, but confrontations were somewhat of a specialty to her.

Rainbow sighed, “Look, let’s just get through graduation, okay? Forget about this for right now, we’ll talk more about it later. I just want to enjoy the rest of the night and get through this.” Rainbow put on her best fake smile as she hugged her friend for re-assurance, and tried to get past this whole conversation.

Gilda received the hug hesitantly, but gave a wry grin. “Alright Dash, but you’re still not off the hook yet.”

Eventually the ceremony started. Speeches were given, memories were shared, and the graduating class of Cloudsdale High was finally dismissed for the last time. Three out of the four friends were hanging around congratulating each other as they discussed their plans for later that evening.

Fluttershy strained to have her voice heard above the crowd, “I’m going to fly to my cousin’s house. We’re going to watch movies all night and have a slumber party. What are you doing, Gilda?

“I’m heading back to Griffonstone to see my extended family – we’re doing a pig roast! I can’t wait to get my claws on those juicy succulent pork chops! And the bacon! So much bacon…” Her saliva trail hit the ground, as Fluttershy and Rainbow took a step back in disgust. Fluttershy started to whimper at the thought of innocent little pigs being killed and eaten.Rainbow knew the tell-tale signs of a Fluttershy meltdown, and put a wing around her timid friend as she shot Gilda a glare.

Gilda sheepishly responded, “Oh, forgot about that…sorry.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes as Storm approached her from behind and gave her a huge hug. “Guys! We finally did it! We’re done! Can you believe it?!”

A little taken aback from the sudden gesture, Rainbow turned around to give him a proper hug in return, “I know! I’m sooo gonna party tonight! You wanna come along?”

A smile grew on his face, “Haha, count me in! I can’t wait to see what kind of stuff we’re going to get into!”

As he said that last bit, Dash, though smiling, felt her mind drift back to what Gilda confronted her about before the ceremony. She tried not to show it, but he caught onto her expression quickly deflating, “Is something wrong, Rainbow?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing! Nothing’s wrong. We’re gonna have such a great time!” She tried to play it off cool, but he kept at it.

“Rainbow, can we talk for a few by ourselves for a few minutes?”

She froze for a second, but still managed to find words. “Sure...what’s up?”

Looking to take this away from the crowd, he pulled her in close, “Here, let’s go outside to get some air.”

He led her away from the group as Gilda leaned over to Fluttershy, “See? What did I say? I knew it.” Fluttershy simply nodded her head, looking on at Rainbow and Storm as they eventually were lost in the sea of ponies around them.

She asked Gilda with concern in her voice, “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Gilda shrugged. “I dunno. You know who definitely won’t be okay though?”

Fluttershy looked at her friend, her eyes wide once again, “Who?”

The Griffon smirked, “That little piggy back home once I get my talons on those juicy chops.” She licked her beak and batted her eyes as she fantasized about her future meal.

Fluttershy deadpanned. “Why are we friends again?”

Away from the commotion in the gym, Storm and Rainbow walked quickly outside.

Rainbow tried to reason with him, “Woah, Storm. Take it easy, what’s the rush? You’re kind of acting a little loopy all of the sudden. Was your cap on too tight or something? You do know that you could have ordered a bigger size, right?”

Storm stopped her by the columns at the main entrance and cut to the chase. “Rainbow, what’s going on? You were acting really weird back there. Is this about what happened earlier today?”

Rainbow got quiet as her mind played back the day’s events. Her dad was drinking and shouting again. Shouting at Rainbow for reminding him too much of her mother, shouting because he drank the last of his whisky, and even went so far as to hit her. Rainbow flew out of her bedroom window like she did so many times before to Storm’s house, to tell him about what was going on. She once again told him about her broken home, and cried in his tender embrace for a solid hour and a half, and gripped him tighter with each sob. She apologized for being such a burden to him as well as a clingy friend. No matter how many times she would say that, he always told her that she was nothing of the sort, and that he was always happy to try and help her in any way he could. She smiled through her tears and held him like a teddy bear. It was like this ever since the beginning of their freshman year together and four years later, now graduating seniors, nothing seemed to change.

“No, it has nothing to do with that. Or…maybe it does. Ugh, I’m not sure, okay?!” She didn’t mean to snap like that, but first Gilda got on her case, and now Storm? This was getting ridiculous.

He put a hoof on her shoulder, putting the other beneath her chin and making her look him in the eye. “Rainbow, you know you can trust me with anything. I’d like to think that you would know that by now after all we’ve been through in the past few years.”

She sighed, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Storm; it’s not that at all. Some days, I feel like you’re the only one I can trust. It’s not even that big of a deal! Gilda was just trying to rustle my feathers earlier by talking about us. She kept on going on about us being a couple, and I tried to tell her that nothing was up! That’s all that happened, I swear. But for some reason, I feel bad about it.”

He really didn’t know how to answer her. In all the years he’d known Rainbow Dash, he never really thought too much about them dating. Sure he thought she was really pretty and had an attitude to match, but he always figured she’d date someone more athletic, or fun to be around, or just better in general. He was just Storm - no one special.

He looked at her, and spoke with caution, “Well, why do you feel bad about it?”

“I – I don’t really know. I mean, you’ve always been there for me, and you know me better than anyone else does. I guess the more I think about it, I feel like it would make some sense, but I feel bad because I’m pushing it away...or something like that. I don’t know, okay?!” She just had enough. She looked back at him, taking short breaths as she thought more about it all, “You’re the smart one out of us; you should be able to figure this out for me!”

He laughed in a vain attempt to lighten the mood a little, but she wasn't laughing. She looked up at him with a look that pierced right through his soul; the weight of everything pushing hard on her shoulders. She had to figure this out, one way or another. For some reason, this suddenly became the most important matter in the world for her. She needed to try and see if this was really something, or if it was just a matter of circumstance. This called for some drastic measures. Looking away from Storm, she spoke in a hushed tone, “I want to try something.”

His ears perked up, “Um…okay, what is it?”

She sighed deeply and then spoke in an uneasy voice, “Well, I don’t know if this is all just me being weird, if there’s anything to it, or what…but you got to trust me on this, okay?”

He shifted nervously, “O-okay. Rainbow, not going to lie, you’re scaring me a little here.”

“Shhhhh.” She pressed her hoof softly to his mouth. She spoke again, but this time she was much quieter as an innocent tone graced her words, “I need you to just please trust me, okay?” She looked into his soft blue-grey eyes with her magenta ones, tears starting to appear and gloss over her eyes.

He sighed, looking back at her. “Okay, Dashie. I trust you.”

Her stomach fluttered when he called her that. A warm, tingling sensation spread from her head all the way down to her tail. The only ones to ever call her that before were her parents and Fluttershy. But it sounded different coming from him.

She gently took his face in her hooves, and gazed into his eyes as she whispered, “Close your eyes.”

He did what she said. As soon as he did, he felt warm lips press tightly against his. His tense body relaxed as she wrapped her forelegs around him, while he did the same to her. They succumbed to a tight embrace, one that snuffed out the world like a candle's flame in the wind. Their A single tear rolled gently down Rainbow’s cheek.

Their slice of Heaven was interrupted though whenever the couple heard a voice, “Dash, Storm, there you are! We’ve been looking all over for you and -” Gilda stopped right in her tracks as she caught them in the act. Time froze.

Storm’s eyes shot wide open as he looked hastily to his left, meeting eye-to-eye with a speechless Griffon. Fluttershy was trailing not too far behind as she caught up with her half-lion, half-eagle friend. As soon as she saw what Gilda saw, however, she too froze in her tracks; and the four friends were caught in the most compromising position they had been presented with yet.

Storm stammered, “I-it’s not what it looks like, I just came to talk to her, and I -” Storm quickly released Rainbow from his embrace, much to her disappointment. “- I wasn’t trying anything funny, I swear!” He felt his chest tighten up and sweat trickling down his neck. He knew that Gilda and Fluttershy were aware about Rainbow’s situation at home, and he didn’t want them thinking that he was trying to take advantage of Rainbow in her fragile condition.

“Storm, no one said you were! We were just coming out to see what was going on, that’s all!” Fluttershy tried to calm him down with her words, but to no avail. He backed away from the group as he felt his body start to quiver.

“I… I need to go.” He looked back at Rainbow dash and he backed up even further. “I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”

He flew the fastest he’d ever flown that night.

“Storm, wait! Come back! I’m the one who’s sorry, it’s my fault! PLEASE!” Rainbow shouted and begged through a cracking voice, but it was no use. He was long gone, and she was left to the comfort of her friends as they tried their best to help her in any way they can. As they listened to her shaky explanation of the events that occurred, she steadily broke down more and more. Nothing could comfort her now. She looked up one last time at the sky, but all she saw were blurry stars glowing in the dark of night.

Rainbow walked over to where Storm was sitting on the cloud, and noticed how silent he had fallen. She looked, and saw tears make trails down his face. Though there were tears, he had no expression on his face.

She draped her wing around him, and made him look her in the eye, “Storm, I don’t know if this will ever make it better, but for what it’s worth, I’m so, very sorry. I never should have done that to you. I never meant to put you on the spot like that. I was so confused, and angry, and miserable. It wasn’t fair to you, and I won’t ever pull another stunt like that again. Please…can you ever forgive me?”

Storm just kept his gaze fixed on hers, and sighed, “I would forgive you, if you did anything wrong – but you didn’t. As you said, you were confused, and you just wanted answers. I can’t fault you for that.” He pulled her into his own embrace and continued, “I’m only sorry I ran off like a dammed coward. You really needed me, and I just flew away without even giving you a a chance to talk it out or anything. I’ve let that shame eat at me for four long years, because I just can’t stand the fact that I left you hanging like that. I’m the one who’s sorry, Rainbow. Can you ever forgive me for that?”

Rainbow felt her voice grow hoarse and a lump bulge in her throat. “I forgave you the second you did it.”

The dam broke, fresh tears flowing freely like a flood on his face. Seeing him in his condition, she soon followed suit. As the two friends cried into each other’s tight embrace for a few good minutes, Rainbow Dash spoke up as the tears steadily came to a halt.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to put all of this behind us. I still have tons to show you, and I want this to be a fun day. Can we please do that?” She looked at him with a gentle smile.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and looked back with a smile of his own. "That sounds perfect."

She wiped away a few tear stains. “Well, in that case, let’s get to town! I have all my friends you need to meet and I know you’re gonna love ‘em!”

As he smiled in anticipation, an idea struck him. “Hey, Rainbow, want to race?”

She lost her words at the out-of-the-blue request. She figured he wouldn’t be up to it with his wings being sore; then again, she wasn’t one to turn down a friendly challenge. She offered her famous grin, “I thought you’d never ask. I’ll even give you a ten second head start! But don’t worry, I promise you’ll still lose.”

He chuckled and shot back, “Oh, it is so on!” With that, he took off futilely for the victory he pretended he would have. He knew he’d lose, but he also knew how much fun it would be.

As Rainbow looked on at the stallion charging off towards Ponyville, she felt a warm, tingly sensation. Only this time, she welcomed it instead of questioning it. Getting into position and spreading her wings, she smiled to herself: “Yeah, it’s on.”

Author's Note

Well, here it is, the second chapter. I appreciate the criticism I've received, you guys are great. As I said before, can't give you a guarantee on when I'll upload the chapters, but I'll do it as they come to me. I'm aiming to have the third one up within the week, but I make no promises.

Big thanks and shout out to my friend Shellie for helping me come up with a name for the chapter, as well as editing. Also, a shout out and thanks to my friend UnlicensedBrony for helping me edit some as well.

As always, enjoy!