“Come on Thunderlane” barked the familiar rasping voice “Pick up the pace, dammit!”
He had heard her picking up the other pegasi too, but it had started to seem that his name was more on her lips than anypony else’s, and not in a good way.
Following the practice session there had been a debrief in which Rainbow had ripped into everypony, her eyes not dwelling on any one individual for long, but once she had dismissed them all, she made her way over to Thunderlane and once nopony else could see, motioned for him to walk with her.
“Hey big fella” she began, her tone quiet and friendly “How are you doin’?”
“Not so good by the sounds of it” he replied apologetically.
“Hey, it’s a tough routine. You know I value your input; do you think I should trim it back a bit, you know, to make it a bit easier?”
“Well that all depends. Am I falling behind, or is everypony else finding it difficult too? I mean, I’m kind of so focused on trying to give my best I’m not really watching anypony else.”
“Look, we’ve known each other a long time and I know you value honesty. We’ve got a really strong team and I don’t want to drop anypony, but that doesn’t mean I won’t if I have to. The passes are too close to have somepony not keeping up – you know what I mean? I couldn’t risk a collision, so I would have to drop anypony who doesn’t perform.”
She looked straight into Thunderlane’s eyes and then said “Including you.”
“Are you saying I’m becoming a danger to the team?” he asked, doing his best to keep the obvious sadness out of his voice.
“If you get a bit of spare time, why not go get yourself checked out is all I’m sayin’.”
With this, she gave him a friendly nuzzle, draped a wing over him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“You’re still pretty darned amazing in my book” she comforted, but now he knew he was on borrowed time.
As soon as the morning practice session was finished, he set off for the hospital with a sense of trepidation to see if they could schedule him in for a check-up and to his surprise said that they could see him immediately, so without any opportunity to think about changing his mind, he was in. He had barely time to give his details to the receptionist before being whisked through to meet a number of white coated unicorns brandishing clipboards.
Firstly, he was asked to provide a series of samples which were taken away by humourless individuals to be poked and prodded, then he was connected by wires to a machine with flashing lights and gauges that went “beep” periodically. After a number of physical tests, he was invited to lay on a sterile plastic work table that fed him into a highly technical looking tunnel with more flashing lights and was told to lay still, so he did as he was told.
“What was it that the medical community needed with all these flashing lights?” he wondered as he emerged from the machine once more “I wonder if they’ve even got clipboards with flashing lights on just for fun?”
Once he got up, he suddenly found that the mad rush to examine bits of him in every minute detail had passed and now all he had to do was wait for the results. He sat in the waiting room and noticed that the other patients waiting all seemed to be so much older or more obviously sick than he was, and felt a fraud for being there, taking doctors’ time when others clearly needed it more than he did.
He picked up a copy of the Canterlot Chronicle and sat back to catch up on events while the medical types decided to two decimal places how close to 100% fit he was.
After an hour, a serious looking unicorn wearing a badge that said “Dr Stable” approached him flanked by a beautiful looking pink maned assistant wearing the name badge “Nurse Redheart”.
“Mr Thunderlane, is it?” he enquired, peering over his glasses. The dark grey pegasus nodded.
“Ah, good. Come with me then please.”
Thunderlane gave the attractive nurse a winning smile and caught one from her in return, although he sensed that under other conditions her smile could have been a lot more genuine. He started to feel apprehensive.
Once inside an office where they had some privacy, Dr Stable sat behind a desk and tapped at the keyboard while the nurse sat close to her patient.
“Mr Thunderlane, I am so pleased you were able to come in and see us today; it has given us time to do something about it for you.”
The grey stallion looked stunned, so the doctor continued, flashing up an image on the screen.
“You see this picture – it shows your chest. And these …” he said pointing “Are your lungs. Notice please this area of shading here …”
He felt the nurse move closer to him.
“This particular feature is something that is giving us cause for concern.”
He felt the earth start to tilt underneath him and dreaded the next few words that were sure to come.
“Tell me, have you had problems exercising and maintaining stamina of late?”
“Yes” he heard himself say, although it was out before he could stop himself.
“I see. Not surprising really. I’m sorry to tell you that you have a condition that needs to be treated quickly before it can become inoperable. We can either open you up to see how bad it is and possibly remove the affected lung if it hasn’t spread to both sides, or treat you with chemicals that will make your mane and tail fall out.”
He knew what that meant, but was grateful not to hear the word.
Although the doctor gave detailed explanations about the different courses of treatment, Thunderlane didn’t hear any of it and just felt nurse Redheart’s presence by his side.
“This means my flying days are over, doesn’t it?” he said, cutting across some detailed procedural explanation that he wouldn’t have understood even at the best of times.
“No. If we can treat it, then there’s no reason why you can’t continue to fly, but not for long or for very far.”
“But I fly with the Wonderbolts.”
“Ah. You’re that Thunderlane. I’m sorry, but whatever happens now, you will never be able to fly competitively again.”
Nurse Redheart moved in closer and supported him as his world fell away.
“… So in conclusion, come back in a week’s time and tell us which treatment you want to take and we will admit you accordingly” the last words of Dr Stable’s consultation rang in his head.
He was stunned. He had recognised that it had got increasingly difficult to get into shape, but had no idea how serious things had become. Why him? What had he ever done to deserve this?
He felt dazed and found himself absent-mindedly walking up a familiar path once more, but this time not to drop off or pick up his brother.
“Hey Lyra” called Bon Bon “Your coltfriend’s here!”
“What?” she called back “Thunderlane?”
“Uh huh, hon.”
“Oh, come on now” teased her wife “I’ve caught him turning your head too.”
“That’s as maybe. He can turn my head, but only you could turn it back again.”
The two of them came together for a quick nuzzle and then Lyra went to answer the door.
“Hi Ladies. Can we talk?”
The tone of his request lacked the usual charm and levity they had both come to expect from him, and immediately captured their attention.
“What’s happened?” asked Bon Bon.
“Is Rumble OK?” asked Lyra, wide eyed.
“No, he’s fine. It’s me. Can we all sit down together?”
They showed him to a table and all took seats around it, an air of foreboding hanging heavily over proceedings. He took a moment to compose himself and then looked them both in the eyes “I consider you to be my closest friends, and aside from Rumble, the nearest ponies I have to next of kin.”
Lyra put a forehoof to her mouth “Oh Celestia - what’s happened?”
He put his hoof up to request silence; he was hurting and wanted to get through what he had to say.
“I have to go tell Rainbow Dash that I have flown my last display with the Wonderbolts.”
The unflappable Bon Bon now brought her hoof up to cover her mouth in expectation of what was to come.
“I have just come from the hospital where they told me that something has developed in my chest and I may have to have a lung removed. That’s provided that it hasn’t spread to both sides, but if it has my problems just got a bit worse.”
The mares were silent, tears already forming in Lyra’s golden eyes.
“See, if things go bad when they have a look inside me, then there’ll be nopony to look after Rumble. I don’t know how to ask, so I’ll be blunt: would you let me make you his guardians in my will?”
Lyra burst into tears and reached over the table to him while Bon Bon got up and moved round to sit next to him, giving him a loving hug as tears started running down her muzzle too.
“I’m sorry Ladies. We can pretend I didn’t ask if you would rather.”
“Don’t be silly, Thunderlane” said Bon Bon reassuringly. She looked straight at Lyra who sensed instinctively that her input was required and both gave each other a silent nod.
“We would be happy to step in and help out” said Bon Bon “Why, we’re almost family after all.”
Thunderlane cried tears of relief and happiness that his friends had not let him down in his time of need and his little brother would be looked after, whatever happened. Now he had only to worry about himself, and that thing growing in his chest.
When it was time to leave for afternoon practice, Lyra and Bon Bon walked Thunderlane down their path together and each gave him a hug and a kiss before he left to tell Rainbow Dash and Spitfire the news.
Now with an understanding of what was wrong with him, he could feel the extra exertion required and for the first-time linked the symptoms to the condition, cursing the disease with every wingbeat.
He arrived as normal for the session, but instead of getting changed took Rainbow Dash to one side.
“Hey Dashie, got a minute please?” he asked.
“Yeah big fella, what’s up?”
“I need to talk with you in Spitfire’s office if that’s OK?”
Rainbow Dash felt her heart leap at her former lover’s tone and knew that whatever he wanted to say was serious, but covered her own emotions so that the team did not become distracted, delegating responsibility to Soarin to get the training started.
They walked in uncharacteristic silence along the corridor to Spitfire’s office and knocked.
“Yeah, come in” came a voice they both knew well.
Rainbow entered first wearing a look on her face that made Spitfire stop in her tracks, followed shortly by Thunderlane. Instead of the usual impatience she typically displayed when interrupted, something told her to keep quiet while Thunderlane prepared himself for what he had to say, and then it all spilled out; his love of the Wonderbolts, the increasing difficulty to maintain fitness, the diagnosis and the request to stand down from display flying – his love.
Rainbow Dash knew what protocol allowed and what it didn’t allow, but the news hit her hard too and she went straight over to give him a hug and hold him close as she tried desperately to hold back her own tears for her former lover’s fate. Spitfire was taken aback by the news and chose to overlook the breach in accepted behaviour knowing about the two flyers’ former connection.
She didn’t accept his resignation however, but granted a leave of absence to see how things turned out and also gave assurance that she would ensure that he had a role to play in the continued success of the Wonderbolts whatever the outcome.
Rainbow nodded her thanks, but found she couldn’t speak, and silently followed Thunderlane out. She didn’t know whether she needed him or he needed her, but knew that they needed each other this evening; Soarin could run the whole session without her just for once.
“Want to hit a bar or go back to my place?” she offered.
“I don’t fancy a bar tonight if that’s OK.”
“Sure thing. My place; just like old times, huh?”
They took off together, more sedately than usual now Rainbow understood Thunderlane’s condition and flew up to her Cloudominium where they had shared so many moments in days gone by. He knew where the key was, but out of respect waited to be let in; it was just as he last remembered on that fateful evening two years ago when they had decided to go their own ways, and the memories hit him like a tsunami.
“Fancy a cider?” she asked.
“You buyin’?” he responded with his stock response as she filled two mugs.
“Nope, it’s on the tab; you can settle up later!” she replied automatically, suddenly questioning if there would be a ‘later’ any more.
A strong feeling of what they once shared, and the feeling that they may never have it again gripped her. She looked deep into his eyes, put both forelegs gently around his shoulders and kissed him surprisingly delicately, closing her eyes so that the world couldn’t see, then let her legs drop as one of her forehooves found one of his and she led him into her bedroom.