The door to the apartment swung open and Quakehoof was greeted by the dejected faces of his lover and child. Storm said nothing and carried Scootaloo to her bed, lying down beside her for a time. She said nothing, and he attempted to rise but her tiny hoof reached out to stop him, her eye cracking open just enough to see him. He lay back down and gathered her in his arms, holding her for an hour before she finally fell asleep, her mind letting go and allowing her body to rest. The room slowly darkened as the sun began to set, and while Storm couldn’t know for sure what her words had meant, he was thankful. Whatever had happened had given him a second chance, a chance to make things right with Scootaloo.

With care he pulled away, and she fortunately didn’t awaken as he made his way to the kitchen. His mother and father were talking in hushed tones at the table, and the drew silent as Storm approached.

“Mom, what... What happened in Canterlot, do you have any idea?”

“No, I don’t... I just woke up and found her like that, though if I had to guess... She probably heard Proud say something that wasn’t meant for her ears.” That would make sense. She said that everypony had lied, which meant she probably found out one of the many truths that were constantly hidden from her. There were too many to narrow it down, so Storm soon gave up speculation. “Still, she seems to trust you. Please Storm, do whatever you can for her.”

“As if you even have to ask?” he said with a rueful grin, sitting down at the table. “I know she’s hurting right now, but if it means I get a chance to have my sister again, then maybe it’s for the best.” Grace nodded and lay her head against Quakehoof’s shoulder, and he instantly wrapped his arm around her and held her. “I’m going to stay the night in her room. I don’t want her to be alone if she wakes up in the night. Mom, you should get some rest. You look pretty beat.” With that, he grabbed Lightning Wing’s training guide, a small lamp, and a glass of water before heading back to Scootaloo’s room.

The pale light was fortunately not enough to wake Scootaloo, and he set about making a training regime for Rainbow Dash. She was already pretty fast, but simple speed wasn’t enough for most of the tricks. He skipped passed the tricks section and moved to the training. Stretching, wing care... Weights and a harness? Further reading revealed that Lightning had custom designed weights made for his legs, their design meant to maximize muscle tone while minimizing the stress on other parts of the body. To counteract the usual strain on the wings he also had a special harness made. He suggested wearing the first set for a full month before advancing to the next set of heavier weights, up to a third and final set. While wearing weights while flying wasn’t unheard of, it was commonly held that it did more harm than good, straining the back and overtaxing the wings while making little difference to overall ability, though it seems Lightning disagreed. Storm made a mental note to have them designed when he made some money and moved on to agility training.

Lightning Wing was a professional and as such cut no corners, and Storm couldn’t help but stare in disbelief as he read the numbers on the page. Two hundred barrel rolls, one hundred miles of flight, and at least three hours of obstacle training a day? While Rainbow Dash had said she practiced six hours a day, he seriously doubted that she came anywhere close to a hundred miles of flight total distance. The few times he had seen her practice it looked like it had mostly been loops and corkscrews combined with impressive speed and precision. But as he continued down the list, it became apparent that those things were simply foal’s play comparatively speaking. She really had her work cut out for her if she was going to approach Lightning Wing’s level. He read a bit more before blowing out the light and crawling in beside Scootaloo, careful not to disturb her as he did so. She unconsciously drew close to him, and he lightly draped an arm around her shoulders before drifting off to sleep.

Scootaloo opened her eyes to see nothing but her brother’s black coat dominating her vision. Just a few days ago she would have given him a sound beating for being anywhere near her bedroom, but now he was the greatest sense of security she had, as he was the only pony to ever tell her the truth. She still wasn’t ready to talk to anypony yet, but she resolved to apologize to him by the end of the day. Until then, she would remain silent. Storm felt her stir and slowly came awake.

“Hey Scootaloo, are you feeling any better?” She shook her head once, watching Storm as he sat up. “Do you wanna talk about it?” Storm sighed as she shook her head no again, and gave her a tight squeeze. “When you’re ready to talk, I’m here, ok sis?” He took slight comfort as she nodded, and at length he released her and made his way to the kitchen where his mother was making breakfast for Quakehoof.

“How’s she doing, son?” Quakehoof asked, looking up as Storm entered.

“I think she’s getting better, but she still won’t speak. I think you should probably let her stay home from school today.”

“Indeed.” Quakehoof agreed as Flying Grace joined them, and they began the meal in silence. Storm filled a second plate and filled a glass with apple juice, running them back to Scootaloo’s room before returning to his meal.

“Mom, how long are you going to be here?”

“Well, today will be my last full day, unfortunately. Proud Skies is counting the day of my arrival and trip to and from Canterlot, so that’s two days already,” she replied, her voice tinged with regret. “I will be leaving tomorrow morning, but let’s try to have some fun together today as a family, shall we?” Storm was excited by the prospect but at the same time didn’t want to leave Scootaloo by herself. “Do not worry, Scootaloo shall come too. Even if she doesn’t want to be around me, I still want to spend as much time with my children as I can.” They finished breakfast and cleaned up the dishes while Storm went to grab Scootaloo, who had thankfully finished her meal, and together they walked out into the fresh morning air.

“Oh my goodness, whatever happened to your mane?” They hadn’t walked far when a white unicorn mare rushed over and began thoroughly examining Storm’s mane and wings. He recognized her from the brief amount of time at the party, but he couldn’t quite recall her name.

“Excuse me, but who are you again?”

“Horrified! Just look at these charred ends, they look simply dreadful. And these wings! Did you light yourself ablaze? I will not stand for this! Come, you are getting groomed. No friend of Rainbow Dash is going to walk the streets of Ponyville in such an undignified state!” She ceased her rant as she noticed the elegant Flying Grace, her physique reminding her very much of Fleur de Lis though with a stunning set of wings. “Oh aren’t you just the most fabulous thing! I simply must design a dress for you! You too, Scootaloo, it’s about time I made you into a lady. Quakehoof? Hmmm, it will be a challenge but I shall design something dashing for you as well. Come, everypony, to the spa!” She began to trot away to notice that none of them had budged. “I said... everypony to the spa.”

“Come, Storm. The spa awaits,” Grace said with a giggle, relishing the idea of a relaxing bath.

“Wait, mom, you can’t be serious!” Storm responded in disbelief.

“Oh I assure you son, she’s serious. Come on, don’t keep the ladies waiting,” Quakehoof chuckled, nudging him forward. With a groan he resigned himself to his fate and trudged after them. His heart grew light as he heard the tiniest giggle escape from Scootaloo who had watched the scene in silence, and was immediately thankful for the mare’s intrusion. He still couldn’t remember her name though.

“Excuse me, Miss Horrified?” Rarity whirled, eyes glinting dangerously.
“I... beg... your... pardon..?” Storm recoiled as she marched up to him, staring him down. “My name is Rarity, and I would thank you never to call me that again, are we clear? I don’t care whose friend you are, I am a lady, and will be addressed as such.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Rarity!” he quickly replied, hoping it would be enough.

“Much better.” To his relief she immediately broke into a smile an cantered off ahead, the group again resuming their journey. First Pinkie and now Rarity? Was everypony in this town subject to sudden mood swings? He looked over in time to see Twilight go from seemingly calm to literally ablaze in the space of about three seconds, thus cementing the answer as a very clear “yes.” He laughed a little as she was soon buried under a sudden pile of snow, Cerulean standing by and awaiting his punishment expectantly. Storm looked away and tried not to think about what he was likely about to experience, promising himself to never have children.

Twilight could not believe the prices the owner of that stall had been trying to charge her for those cherries just because she said they would make the perfect topping for her Limburger caramel omelet. And to add insult to injury, Cerulean had the nerve to bury her in public? Oh, he was in it deep when they made it home, he’d see. A sudden voice disturbed her devious intentions as she turned to see Zecora walking over.

"Here’s the plant you requested when last we spoke, a basket full of poison joke. There's been strange weather in Everfree, the likes of which I've never seen." Twilight’s planned punishment was overwritten as she dumped half of the basket of blue flowers on Cerulean’s head, for which he cast a confused eye at her.

“Thanks Zecora, perfect timing. The remainder should be plenty for my research.” She began humming to herself as she continued towards the library, Cerulean following after and still having no idea how being coated in flowers could possibly count as a punishment. He shrugged and followed after her, happy that he had been let off so easy.

“An antidote I must brew, for he is surely soon to spew,” she muttered as they departed. She finished her shopping and returned to her hut, thankful that she had all the ingredients on hand for the curing bath. Twilight immediately began fixing herself a most delectable Limburger caramel omelet topped with wasabi and cherries, when she suddenly found it ripped from her grasp, Cerulean demolishing the meal in record time and heaving a satisfied sigh as he savored the lingering flavor.

“What the hay? Cerulean, that was mine! And you don’t even like Limburger, you told me it smelled vile!” Twilight exclaimed, not sure whether to be angry or have a good cry.

“I dunno what I was thinking, ‘cause that was delicious! Maybe you’ve been right all along. Let’s try that smoothie you were gonna make!” Twilight stared wordlessly as he crammed every vegetable, condiment and seasoning he could find into the blender, salivating profusely and bouncing on his hind hooves in eager anticipation. The concoction soon turned a horrendous blue-brown, and even in her pregnancy she could tell that there was no way that mess was fit for consumption. Cerulean chugged it down, not stopping to breath and slamming the container down with a massive gasp. “That... was... divine!”

There was quite a bit that had missed his mouth and dribbled onto his face and chest, and as he eagerly began licking it off Twilight noticed the telltale blue bumps coating his tongue. It was then that Twilight knew she had crossed the line between hormonal and downright cruel, his tongue being protected but his stomach still very much the same. She immediately made for town, hoping against hope that Zecora hadn’t left yet. She stopped a short way from her house as a familiar voice called to her from the sky.

“Twilight! Hey Twilight, you got a second?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed in front of her.

“Rainbow Dash? Oh perfect timing, I need you to find Zecora and ask her to make some of her remedy for poison joke.”

“Poison joke? How the hay did you get into that?” Twilight scuffed the dirt with a hoof, her guilty expression telling Rainbow it wasn’t Twilight that had been on the receiving end.

“I may have slightly lost my temper and gotten a teensy bit of it on Cerulean...”

“Cerulean, on poison joke? Oh, I’ve got to see this!” she laughed as rushed to the library, her hoof just landing on the door when she heard somepony on the other side violently expelling the contents of their stomach. Rainbow Dash regarded Twilight with shock and confusion, her expectations of the result clashing with the disturbing groans coming from within.

“What exactly did it do to him?”

“He seems to be under the misconception that anything and everything that exists as food tastes good in a smoothie. His stomach, however, didn’t undergo the same transformation as his sense of taste,” she explained, miserably staring at the ground. “I hadn’t expected this kind of reaction, and I thought it was funny for a moment, seeing him have cravings like mine. But I can’t imagine ever eating what he did just now... That’s why I need you to get the cure from Zecora.” Rainbow Dash shuddered as a loud moan sounded forth, followed shortly after by what little remained of his meal.

“Twilight, you’re really cruel to him, you know that?”

“I don’t mean to be, I just...” Ah geez, here come the tears.

“All right, take it easy. I’ll get the cure, but do me a favor while I’m grabbing it,” she said quickly, placing a comforting hoof around her shoulders. “Have Spike write Princess Celestia a letter asking her to come speak with Storm Blitz. He said he couldn’t work any pegasus jobs but wouldn’t explain why. But there’s no way he’d refuse the princess if she asks, and I can’t find anypony who needs help around town. It’d be a big help if Celestia could intervene.” Twilight nodded and Rainbow Dash took off towards Everfree. Spike emerged right after Rainbow Dash had left, his face pale and looking quite queazy.

“Twilight, you probably don’t wanna go in there right now.”

As reluctant as Storm was to admit it, the spa had been a great experience. He managed to avoid the mud bath, but the sauna and spa worked wonders on the tension in his wings and shoulders. The two stylists had restored his mane and wings to pristine condition, thereby keeping the fashion sensitive Rarity from freaking out any further. The trip to Carousel Boutique, on the other hoof, was anything but fun. Storm hated being dressed up for any occasion, and the fancy suit that Rarity had crafted for him just screamed “elitist” in his mind. The flowing dress she made for his mother was perfect, Quakehoof managed to look like a true gentlecolt and Scootaloo was downright adorable, her dress matching her magenta hair but yet not being so feminine as to be out of character. But the best part was seeing Scootaloo smile through it all, and Storm tossed her onto his back as they began their trip home.

“I must say, Storm, you look quite fetching. Perhaps you’ll even catch the eye of that mare you talk about so much?” Storm met his mother’s knowing smile with the darkest scowl he could muster, for which Scootaloo bopped him on the head.

“For the last time, mother, she and I aren’t like that. Besides, she’s a rainbow pegasus. Chances are she’s got more than enough stallions to choose from.”

“My dear child, that sounded like disappointment to me,” Grace said with a giggle, her amusement only growing as she watched the color rise in his cheeks as he trudged on.

“Indeed.” Unable to tolerate anymore jibes and hoping that they weren’t actually true, Storm broke into a run, Scootaloo clinging to his neck so as to not be bucked off. As she felt the wind rush passed she slowly spread her wings, the sensation of the wind blowing through her wings feeling completely different than the short, quick strokes she used to propel herself when using the scooter. By the time Storm stopped running, his parents were no longer in sight.

“...Storm?” Scootaloo’s voice commanded his full attention as he gently let her down and stooped to make eye contact.

“What is it, sis?” She hesitated, frustrated with herself for not being strong enough to stem the tears.

“You were right about Proud Skies. I heard him talking and he... he called me a...” Storm immediately scooped her up, holding her close as her tiny body quaked with each unsuccessfully restrained sob. If he ever found a way to ruin Proud, he vowed that moment he would. No, not if, but when. He didn’t know how, but if there was a way to bring down Proud’s world around him as he had done countless times to him and now to Scootaloo, then there would be no greater victory. But now was not the time for such thoughts, and Scootaloo opened her eyes to find herself airborne, the world below growing distant with each mighty flap of her brother’s wings.

“Scootaloo, I’m sorry for leaving without explaining anything to you. I know it must have hurt,” Storm said as he leveled out and slowed to an easy glide. “I want you to know that leaving you in Cloudspire hurt more than all the anger from everypony there, more than all the guilt and shame.” Scootaloo stared at her brother has his words melted away the last of her inhibitions and unfounded assumptions. “I think you’ve waited long enough... It’s time to make good on my promise. Get ready for your first flying lesson!”

Storm flipped around so Scootaloo was on top, and he removed his arms and grabbed her hooves to steady her as the wind threatened to sweep her away.

“Storm, I don’t know if I can...” she started, looking down at the ground below. As often as she had dreamed of flight, she couldn’t shake the fear of falling.

“Scootaloo, don’t be afraid to fall. I will catch you every time, I promise. Now, close your eyes, and spread your wings.” She nodded and obeyed, feeling the wind catch them and sending a pulse of fear down her spine. “All right, now slowly start to flap them. Don’t be afraid, I’ve got you sis.” She immediately began beating them furiously as she did when riding her scooter. “Easy, Scootaloo, slow it down. Deeper, slower strokes. Not too much slower, let the wind fill your wings.” Scootaloo obeyed, slowly her rapid wingstrokes to a steady rhythm. “Scootaloo, open your eyes. You’re flying, sis!” Her eyes snapped open to see that at some point Storm had released her hooves and she was carrying herself. She was flying.

Rainbow Dash was glad to have left the library. The whole structure smelled and Cerulean was in no better shape than when she had left and even after Cerulean was cured of the effects of the poison joke the churning in his stomach yet remained, the “smoothie” having wreaked havoc on his system. She looked up as a shadow passed overhead just in time to see Scootaloo fly her first few feet before dropping down, Storm catching her deftly and encouraging her to keep trying. A warmth flooded her being as she beheld the joy in Storm’s features, his heartfelt laughter resonating deeply within herself. She continued to watch as the pair weaved around the sky until Storm noticed her gazing up at them. He let Scootaloo make a few more attempts before grabbing her and landing a short distance away.

“Rainbow Dash, did you see me? I was flying!” she yelled, throwing herself around Rainbow Dash’s neck and giggling uncontrollably.

“Oh great, like I needed more competition for the Wonderbolt’s tryouts. Thank Celestia you’re too young or I’d be in real trouble,” she teased, hugging her lightly. Scootaloo dropped down and backed away a little as Storm approached and threw his arms around Rainbow Dash, holding her tightly.

“Rainbow Dash, thank you. I don’t think I would have be able to patch things up without your encouragement, and it means a lot to me... More than you know.” Rainbow Dash slowly brought her hooves up and returned the embrace, blushing softly as the first spark of desire was kindled within. She closed her eyes and savored every second she was held, his body heat giving her a strange sense of comfort. Her revelry soon turned to embarrassment as Scootaloo’s confused voice ended the moment.

“Rainbow Dash, why are your wings like that?”