Chapter 9
It had been two days since Twilight had been to Fluttershy’s home to assist with the care of that poor pony she found in the woods. Today, Twilight was sitting off the side of a path in the shade to take a short break from walking. She had been running errands all day off of her tediously scheduled check list, and the final errand was to return to Fluttershy’s home for the checkup on Thunder she had promised. It was too close of a call when Twilight had initially treated him with the antidote from that book, so she had to help make sure he’d make a full recovery.
Twilight took the time that her short scheduled break gave her to look up at the sky and watch the clouds. Strangely enough, it was very hot today even with how cloudy it was, and it wasn’t too humid either. There was something a bit stranger though, Twilight noticed, which was that she thought the pegasi forecast stated there would be clear skies today.
“Twilight, are we going now? I didn’t come to just sit in the shade.” Came a voice from beside Twilight, disturbing her thoughts.
“Huh? Oh. Sorry about the Spike. Yea it’s about time to get moving again. Hop on and let’s go.” Standing up from beside the tree where they were resting and grabbing Twilight’s bag, he jumped up over her back and placed the bag carefully on her shoulders.
“About time.” Spike mumbled.
“Oh quiet you. I’ve been running around all day, and what have you been up to Spike?” Twilight asked in a somewhat snide manner.
“Taking care of the library like always.”
“Oh really? It looked more like you were keeping you’re bed warm to me.” She said with a chuckle.
“Hey, what can I say? I’m just really good at taking care of libraries. Not like I can help getting tired.” Spike said in a rather comical fashion, causing Twilight to burst out into a small fit of chuckling.
“Right, right. I know you are Spike. Anyways, I’m just going to remind you to be careful when we get to Fluttershy’s cottage. Outside of what Fluttershy has seen, there really isn’t much we know about that pony she found in the forest.”
“Oh come on Twilight. I really doubt one sick pegasus pony could hurt me.”
“Noo, not that you silly dragon. I’m not talking about what he might do, I mean what you might do. Like I said, we don’t know much about him, and he’s been practically alone for several years. The last thing we need is for you to startle or upset him. Too much stress could have an adverse effect on his healing process.”
“Ooh. Alright. Well don’t worry then. What could I possibly do?”
“I have a few ideas.” Twilight said quietly with yet another chuckle. Having finished their conversation, the two remained quiet for the rest of the time as Twilight focused on walking.
Meanwhile, at the cottage, Fluttershy was tending to all the small animals outside while she waited for Twilight to arrive. She fed the birds, the bunnies, the squirrels, and all the other various animals. She talked to them as well and made sure that they were all happy in general. It was such a joy to Fluttershy to take care of all the animals, but with so many it was tough work. Most days she would find herself losing track of time as she ran back and forth, trying not to neglect any of them. There were even some times when she thought it would be nice to have somepony to help her every now and then.
Fluttershy had just finished feeding Angel and was sitting down below a tree to rest. She looked up at the sun through a large break in the clouds, which seemed to have been shining down on her cottage for quite a while now. It didn’t really concern her at all though as she enjoyed the sunlight. What was of a sudden concern though, was the time, as she had just realized how late it was and that she had almost forgotten to fetch food for Thunder before Twilight arrived. She rushed inside and ran about putting a small meal together for Thunder which was the same as usual. It was a small salad of different greens and fruits, which she always made for herself anyways, so it was quick and simple to prepare for him. Once finished putting the meal together, she took it quietly upstairs, careful not to disturb him.
“Thunder?” She called out quietly, which she in turn received no response to. ‘He must be sleeping.’ She thought. Carefully, she snuck around the bed and placed the meal on desk next to Thunder, then snuck away and back down the stairs to wait for Twilight.
Thunder awoke in bed then, only a moment later, the sun shining down on his face through the window. Slowly he opened his eyes and sat up slightly in the bed to take a look around the room. ‘Did I hear something?’ He thought to himself just before picking up a scent, causing him to turn his head, his eyes meeting the food Fluttershy had left for him. ‘I guess I did.’ He reached over and picked the small meal up in his hooves then proceeded to eat, taking note to thank Fluttershy later. It made Thunder feel rather uncomfortable to have so much to be thankful for. Everything had turned so rotten for him up until this point, and as he stared down into the now empty bowl, his mind wandered around about various things. He wondered how Zecora was doing, if Barnabee was happy at Fluttershy’s cottage, he thought about Cloudsdale and Granny Whisp. So many things had fallen away from him that were no more than memories now, but there was one thought that kept seeming to come back, and that was why Fluttershy was trying so hard to help him. They barely new each other after all those years in school, and the only memories he really had of her were of her being frightened of him.
Thunder looked away from the bowl then and sat it back down on the desk. He had done enough deep thinking for now. As he began to settle back down into the bed, he heard knocking come from downstairs.
“Coming!” He heard Fluttershy shout in her usual soft pitch. It sure had been a long time since Thunder had been anywhere other than that cave. He’d forgotten how every sound would leave Fluttershy’s lips so softly. Then came the sound of the door opening downstairs, followed by talking. Strange, it seemed to Thunder, as it sounded like there was another voice down there, which he had never heard before.
“Hey Fluttershy, good afternoon.” Twilight greeted in a cheerful manner as the door opened.
“Oh Twilight, I’m glad you made it. Uhm-here, come inside.” Fluttershy spoke as she stepped off to the side, letting Twilight inside. “I just got done taking food up to him, so he may not have.-" As Twilight passed, Fluttershy noticed the small dragon Spike walking behind her. “Spike? I didn’t think he was coming too.”
“I,uh, ran out of chores.” Spike answered.
“Yea, there wasn’t much to do around the library today, so I offered to bring him along incase he could help me out with any of my errands.”
“Ah, alright then. Well, just be careful going upstairs Spike. You don’t-”
“Yeah yeah, I know.” Spike said rather quickly, cutting Fluttershy off. “Twilight explained it all to me before we got here.” He started following Twilight towards the stairs but then abruptly stopped and looked back at Fluttershy. “Although, seriously what’s up with this guy? I know you don’t know everything about him but I haven’t heard a thing about him. Is this some kind of secret? Like is he some kind of secret-agent spy or something? ‘Cuz you two have both been pretty hush about him. Actually other than me, you two haven’t let anypony know he’s here.”
“Spike, that’s enough questions.” Twilight said, looking back at him with a somewhat stern look.
“Oh. Uhh, sorry.” Spike said sheepishly, quickly following Twilight up the stairs. Twilight started to laugh a bit in response to this.
“It’s fine Spike, just settle down. You’re going to meet him in a second here anyways.” As the two headed up the stairs Fluttershy followed close behind.
“Well, thanks for coming Twilight. I know how busy you usually are.” Fluttershy spoke up as she made her way upstairs.
“Don’t mention it Fluttershy. I’m always available to help out a good friend.” Now they were all just reaching the top of the stairs as Twilight said this, and Thunder not sure what to do just laid back and closed his eyes. The three of them walked around the bed to Thunder’s side, where Spike placed down Twilight’s bag so she could get into it.
“Well it looks like he ate.” Twilight mentioned, noticing the empty bowl. “Could you wake him up?” She asked as she lifted a few things out of her bag and sorted them onto the desk beside her. Fluttershy nodded and went to the opposite side of the bed to give them space, then reached over and gently placed her hoof on Thunder’s shoulder.
“Uhm, Thunder? Twilight is here with, uhm, medicine.” Thunder opened his eyes then and looked over at her, and then to Twilight without moving his head.
“Oh good you’re awake. Could you sit up a little more please?” Twilight asked as she started mixing a few things together into a small bowl she had brought. He did what she asked and then turned his head towards her, observing what she was doing, then quickly took note of the small dragon looking up at him.
“A baby dragon? Haven’t seen one of them before.” Thunder said flatly.
“He’s my assistant.” Twilight said, still focusing on her medicine.
“Really? I thought dragons didn’t like ponies.”
“Oh? You think that?” Twilight asked.
“Well, wild ones. Although I know all dragons love gemstones.” Thunder looked down at the small purple dragon, examining him. “Do you give him lava baths?”
“What?” Twilight asked, actually looking over at him this time.
“Yea, lava baths. I learned a while ago that it’s actually healthy for young dragons. It helps strengthen their scales. Didn’t you know?”
“Well, yea. But it’s a pretty long walk to the nearest lava pit. Where did you learn about dragons anyways? I don’t think the Cloudsdale schools have any extensive lessons on them.”
“I learned it when I was young, from, my-” Thunder trailed off then and went quiet, looking down at himself beneath the sheet covering him. Twilight looked over at him and motioned as if she was about to speak, but then stopped and looked over at Fluttershy, sharing a small concerned look with her.
“Well, never mind. Here, take this.” She hovered the bowl over in front of Thunder, who grabbed and drank from it in a somewhat absent motion, like his mind was somewhere else.
“Uhm, Twilight?” Fluttershy spoke, Twilight looking at her in response. “I was, just wondering. Why does this poison need multiple treatments? Usually poisons have a cure that works in one dose.”
“Well the poison which I detected when I examined him I’ve actually read about before. Unlike most, it’s a bit persistent and usually, if you don’t treat it for at least a week some of it can linger and then become active again and spread.”
“Oh.”
A minute or so after giving medicine to Thunder, Twilight changed the bandages on his eye and then began packing things back into her bag. Spike in the meantime was sitting on the end of the bed watching Thunder, who was only staring down at the sheets.
“Uh..Thunder?” Spike called over to him , rather out of the blue. Thunder still looked down at the sheets for a second or two before responding, in which he looked up at Spike with a flat expression. The other two ponies in the room looked over at Spike, but not saying anything. Spike only stared back at Thunder now, as if he hadn’t thought of something to say at this point. A few quiet moments passed and then unexpectedly, Thunder laughed. Though, it sounded more like a short, deep titter.
“You know I never got your name.”
“It’s Spike.” Thunder smiled to this and nodded.
“It fits. Well Spike, if you ever come visit me, I know where to find a lot of gemstones.” Spike stood up on the bed then, smiling.
“Woah really?! I-”
“Spike.” Twilight interrupted. “You should probably let him rest now.”
“Oh. Yeah sorry.”
“It’s fine, just go ahead and go downstairs with Fluttershy, I’m just going to make sure I’ve got everything here.” Spike did as she said and left the room with Fluttershy, leaving Twilight the last one to exit the room. She made sure to have things sorted the right way in her bag then lifted it up over her shoulders. As she walked towards the stairs, she stopped and turned towards Thunder, who was watching her leave. “Uh, before I go Thunder, could I ask you something?” He nodded. “I’m just curious to know. How exactly did you get poisoned? When Fluttershy found you, and, well when I first got here actually, you had a shard of glass in your eye. That doesn’t make it out to look like an accident.” Thunder looked at her for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. He stopped then and lowered his head, shaking it slowly. “Oh, ok, you don’t have to answer. I was only curious.” Twilight then turned away and walked downstairs, leaving Thunder alone with his thoughts.
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It wasn’t until today that Thunder began to feel the way he did. This incessant nagging at the back of his mind. After how everything had turned out for him so far, none of this made sense. He couldn’t understand why Fluttershy tried to help him so much. When he was living in the forest, he had come to just accept her help as some convenient thing that kept him moving. Then that happened, and now it didn’t make sense why anypony would show him this sort of kindness, especially one that he terrified at such a young age. This feeling kept building up inside him throughout the day, and finally, when it was dark and Fluttershy had gone to sleep, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Struggling to lift himself up and roll out of the bed, he placed himself gently onto the floor, soldering through the pain that began to pound inside his head. He cringed for a moment but bared it, and he began to move softly across the floor of the room, making his way to the stairs and slowly descending. It took him a while, careful not to stumble on each and every step, but he finally made it to the bottom, finding himself in Fluttershy’s living room. He looked over and saw her, sleeping so silently on her small blue couch, not making a sound. Seeing her there made him come to a realization, rising a blush from him, but only making him feel worse. Thunder thought to himself that if he had known from the beginning that he was sleeping in her bed, he might not have made it this long. Breaking his gaze away from her, he carefully found his way to the front door and very slowly opened it. Once there was just enough space, he slipped through and pushed the door shut, leaving it just a hair open so he wouldn’t make any unneeded sound.
When Thunder had made his way out, he was unaware of the small eyes watching him from the corner of the room. This was Fluttershy’s personal pet Angel, a small, white rabbit. After Thunder left, the small rabbit quickly ran to Fluttershy and jumped on top of her, bouncing up and down to wake her up.
“Mhhh-huh? Angel? What is it?” Fluttershy asked a bit muddled, as she yawned. Angel grabbed her hoof and tugged on it, then bounded over to the stairs and pointed up them. “What? Thunder? Is something wrong with him?” At this point she pulled herself up onto her hooves and managed her best to hurry up the stairs in her dazed state. She quickly got to the top and through the moonlight beaming in the windows, her eyes were met with an empty bed. Fluttershy gasped in shock and ran back downstairs, quickly finding the front door open and charging out.
Behind Fluttershy’s cottage, Thunder found Barnabee resting in a big ball up against the back wall. He staggered over and tapped the bear on his shoulder to wake him. The bear grumbled a bit and looked up, his eyes adjusting for a moment before he jumped on his feet to attention once he recognized Thunder.
“Hey Barnabee, come on, we’re going.” Thunder said to the bear before turning away and walking towards the forest. The bear stood there for a moment, his head tilted in confusion, and a small whining sound coming up his throat. Thunder looked back at him. “Oh come on, don’t give me that. We need to go alright? I can’t...I can’t stay here.” He looked away and down at his hooves. “I don’t deserve this.” Thunder began walking away again, his head lowered. Barnabee stood up and started to follow, but his attention was suddenly drawn away. His ears lifted and he looked behind him to find Fluttershy behind them.
“Thunder..” She said. Thunder lifted his head and looked back, a faint trace of surprise crossing his face. Fluttershy stood there before him, the light of the moon glowing around the traces of her form. “You don’t have to go.” She said, her head half turned down. He turned to face her, letting out a small snort of frustration.
“Why?”
“Wha-” Fluttershy tried to respond, now looking at him.
“Why should I stay!? I don’t. I don’t understand you Fluttershy! You’re trying so hard to help me and being so kind, but when I really wanted to meet you, you were like everypony else!” His eye clenched shut, tears beginning to bead up. “When I lived in Cloudsdale, I only had one real friend, and she was taken away! And I heard them...they blamed me, and out of ALL of you, the only one who wasn’t scared of me has to hate me now.” Thunder fell to his haunches, his head lowered and tears rolling down his cheek. “You weren’t any different, so why should I stay.” Fluttershy stood and stared at him, her eyes open wide and her mouth slightly agape. All this time she never really thought about how pent up Thunder had to be inside, after being alone for so long. Nonetheless, she gave him his answer.
“I...I wasn’t scared.” Suddenly the sound of Thunder’s sorrow ceased, and Fluttershy could see his head lift visibly. “I was. When you first arrived there, but...then I began to see you around Cloudsdale more. I remember all the times when I was walking by, and I saw you all alone on that ledge. How lonely you looked, it made me feel sad for you. Then, I saw how you spoke to the birds. It must have been the first time I saw that, that I saw how gentle you really were on the inside.” She looked down now, and Thunder looked up at her.
“B-but...you still avoided me..” He spoke after a moment through a drying throat, his eyes wide in disbelief, the prospect of empathy for him being a new concept.
“N-no! I didn’t avoid you really...The truth is, I hoped I could be your friend, but, I was, shy.” She continued to stare at the ground, complete silence enveloping everything around her, until finally she looked up, and saw Thunder standing directly in front of her, staring intensely into her eyes. Stock still in shock, she dared not make a sound, until Thunder finally moved. When he did, it was the last thing Fluttershy expected. He threw his forelegs around her neck and held her tight, tears beginning to flow from his eyes. Except for a faint sobbing, all was still quiet, and all Fluttershy could do was stand there for him.
“Thank you.” She heard him say before feeling his weight lifted from her as he stood back up and smiled at her. “Alright.” He spoke with a sniffle. “I won’t go.” Fluttershy sighed with a bit of relief and smiled back at him.
“Oh I’m so glad. Okay now let’s get you back in-” Suddenly Thunder’s eyes began to slip shut and a groan left his throat as he fell forward towards the ground. Fluttershy just barely managed to grab him and tried to lift him over her shoulders. “Thunder? Are you okay? Oh no, I need to get you back into bed quickly.”
The yellow mare dragged her new friend back towards the house as best she could, the shadows of the night veiling the both of them. A small breeze picked up, shaking the leaves of a nearby tree, but almost no sound escaped. It was too stressful of a night to notice, but not a single sound could be heard, creating an almost sinister silence. The source of which, none would ever expect.
“Now he’s right where we need him.”
“We must make sure he stays there too.”
“Yes yes. We will do this, and tell the master. Ohhhh, she will be most pleased!” These shadows that watched as the two ponies re-entered the house vanished then, and along with them, so did the silence.
End Act