He actually managed. He didn't pass out immediately. Still, most of the Thunderclap's memories about his way to whatever dwelling he'd found, were fragmented at best. Pegasus could recall fillies, helping him to walk. Thunder also remembered lots of sharp branches and that he fainted only after seeing the light ahead.
Now pegasus needed to understand where he woke up. Again.
He was lying on a narrow bed covered with a prickly green coverlet. The scents of herbs and medicines hovered around, the air itself was saturated with them. Bed was standing near the wall of a round room with nopony else visible on the first sight. Along the walls were drawers full of books, old notebooks and bundles of dried plants. Dried herbs and mushrooms hung from the ceiling. Masks and outlandish amulets hung on the walls, and on the highest shelves were slender rows of vials of colorful liquids. There were no stairs visible from his place and only one round door. The interior was completed by a massive cauldron standing in the center of the room. Was it a witch hut?
Looking around for the second time Thunderclap spotted the possible owner of a place. From behind the half opened door slim striped flank and back legs were visible. A zebra?
He'd never actually meet zebra, let alone having a chance too look at one... from such an interesting angle. Most likely she also was the one who treated his wounds. Stories about zebras shamans and lonely sorceresses living in the forest immediately popped into pegasus' head. Some of them had rather grem ending and others... Heh.
Zebra was talking with someone standing outside of the hut. Yet again, Thunderclap couldn't hear the conversation. Up to a certain moment.
"His life is out of danger, Rarity, dear, if he had enough strength to stare at my rear." Having said that, zebra turned his head to him. For a second pegasus thought that striped mare would be offended by that kind of attention, but to his pleasant surprise she look into his eyes with a smirk.
Thunder replied with his own grin. He wasn't really staring, though. More like contemplating different ways of intercultural communication. Wait, did she just said 'Rarity'?
Zebra moved aside and let the ponies, she was talking with, enter. The room immediately became cramped and pegasus' wings stood upright with a loud 'whoosh'. Thunder heard that element bearers were 'pretty'.. This rumors were truly an understatement. Still only five of them were present - thunderclap wasn't able to find royal alicorn silhouette.
Thunderclap swallowed, forcing his wings into a decent position. Magnificent unicorn mare, who was first to enter decided to pretend that she didn't notice. Only a quick glitter in her eyes and slightly crooked eyebrow were betraying her. Pegasus didn't have a chance to study the reaction of other element bearers to his sudden 'blunder' as he felt a skin-piercing glare on himself. A chill went up his back.
"Had a nice rest, bastard?!" Rainbow-maned pegasus almost growled, her words laced with menace. Magenta eyes were filled with liquid flame. She looked like she was barely containing herself.
"Rainbow Dash! We've discussed this already!"
"There's nothing to discuss!" Rainbow cut off and faced Thunder again. "Consider yourself lucky! If you weren't lying I..."
"Dash! For the love of Celestia!"
Athletic pegasus give Applejack a death glare, but didn't continue the argument. She snorted and turned her back to all other preset ponies, walking heavily to the door of the hut. Thunderclap heard her muttering something under her breath. Rainbow Dash slammed the door and shot to the sky.
She was followed by the gazes of her friends.
Frown twisted guard's muzzle as mixed thoughts filled his mind. On the one hoof, as a stallion he found thought of upsetting and angering bearers of the Elements of Harmony upsetting. Not because of them being true heroes Equestria, but because they were good ponies and, as he already admitted, beautiful mares. On the another... Thunderclap became angry himself. Or, a least, very irritated.
Yes, he'd began to understand that Everfree is not an ordinary forest. Maybe, just maybe, he was the only pony in Equestria who wasn't aware of its dangers. Thunder could easily tolerate it. But he didn't want to tolerate the accusations.
Were the girls safe? They were. Strange and probably dangerous shadow creature? Taken care of. He'd gladly look how this stunt-flyer would cope in his place with a barely healed hole hole in the chest!
All these thoughts were reflected on his muzzle, so remaining mares decided to calm him down. Thunderclap hoped so, at least.
"Dash kinda blames ya for... being irresponsible." Expression of Applejack's muzzle showed that she wasn't pleased by her statement or her choice of words. "She thinks that you had to convince our sisters not to go to Everfree or something like that. And she only told us about it about a hundred times."
"I most certainly not have a desire to be crude or offending, but I am highly doubted that she would do so herself," said Rarity frowning.
"Same here. Ah shall say that at first we shared her mood."
This remark made him tense up again, which did not go unnoticed. But element bearers weren't going to lash out at him with accusations
"Don't worry, darling. In the story that girls told us, you presented as a hero, no less. So we thought that it'll be better to ask first." Rarity giggled, though her tone remained serious.
Pegasus guard nodded, relaxing a little. And suddenly found himself trapped in a warm, but crushing hug of pink pony. His gaze was covered by a pink mane and his sense of smell was overwhelmed by the smell of chocolate cookies. It could all be very pleasant if it wasn't so sudden and so... too much.
"Don't worry about Dashie! She'll cool of, you'll get to know each other and all be goodie-goodie!" Pinkie Pie released him and jumped to the side, smiling so bright that it could make a pony blind. "Thanks!"
'For... what?"
"You liked my new shampoo!" Pink pony said. "Shocolate cookie taste."
Pegasus nodded mechanically. Then he jerked when realization hit his brain. He didn't say that out loud. But nopony could read minds, right?
"How... do you know?" Thunder decide to ask that directly
"Know what?" Pinkie tilted her head with genuine bewilderment in her eyes.
"That I will... get along with Rainbow Dash." Pegasus wanted to ask different question, but that rarely working part of his brain that sometimes came up with good ideas advised him not to do it.
"Because you'll have plenty of time." Came the most casual reply.
"And if I just, I don't know, jump on the first train to Manehattan?"
"But you won't. My ears were crunchy, left hooves were giggly and tail was up-right twitchy. That means that you will stay in Ponyvie for a while" Pinkie declared happily and then froze with a muzzle of somepony who'd just remembered something important. "I need to prepare 'Special-Thunderclap-Welcome-to-Ponyvile Party'!"
With this shout Pinkie Pie jumped through the door. If her friends were surprised they didn't show it. Applejack turned to zebra, who wasn't involved in conversation. She was filling a small bag with phials.
"Thanks for the help again, Zecora. Can we take him with us?"
"Right potion can prevent even result the most tragic, they are only weaker than alicorn magic." After a small pause zebra continued, handing the bag to pegasus. "Caution I will recommend, or your healing will know no end."
Thunderclap got up. Slowly, listening carefully to any protest his own body might have, he got up. Pegasus stretched his back, crunching all the bones at once and looked at the mares standing next to him. He pulled on the most carefree grin he was capable of.
"Lead the way, ladies."
Group of ponies was walking through the forest. Fluttershy was leading the way, followed by thunderclap who was flanked by Rarity and Applejack. They quickly questioned him about the events of that day. Thunder, on his side, learned that later in the evening bearers also began to worry about their sisters.
By the time of his encounter with the strange creature, the six were just beginning to comb the forest. By pure luck, they came across crusaders who were in a hurry to get help after delivering the wounded guard to Zecora's hut. Mares took their sisters home and persuaded Princess Twilight to stay in the castle to study the trophies - shards and hoofblade, which fillies took along. Well, and send a letter to the older princesses in case of anything.
At least she wasn't preparing an order to send Thunder to the Frozen North. Although he had a friend who served there...
"It was Rainbow who sounded the alarm, when Scootaloo didn't come to her performance." Applejack smiled sadly, shaking her head. "While I was grumbling that my sister disappearing again, she flew around half the city, convinced the mayor to turn off the tour early and almost kicked us into the forest. Heh." Farmpony shacked her head again "Who'd thought..."
"Yes, darling. To my shame I must admit that she was much more vigilant than us tonight. I suppose I am so used to their adventures, that sometimes I'm not paying enough attention to my little sister." Rarity appeared visibly saddened. "In moments like this, I feel that I am terrible sister.
"Yeah. I'm pretty much used to it too. They can easily miss lunch and show off only to the dinner, all tired and messy."
"I thought they would have gone into the woods anyway." Pegasus shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes, most likely it would have happened." Rarity lowered her head, her voice faded almost to whisper. "I am horrified at the thought of what could have happened then." But then she straightened up again and looked at Thunderclap with a gentle smile. "In the end, every such a capable defender turned out to be with the girls."
He hastened to turn away, fighting the sudden rush of redness on his cheeks. Another couple of such irresistible smiles and he will go alone to conquer the dragon's lands in the name of this lady. Or what are knights supposed to do?
Thunderclap wanted to ask something to change the subject, but all thoughts flew out of his head when branches cracked nearby. He didn't even have time to be scared, as a bear fell out of the bushes. He stared at the company with an uncomprehending look. A low growl came from its mouth.
"And what do you think you're doing? It's night outside and you should be sleeping and not wandering around pestering ponies." said a sweet but stern unfamiliar voice. Unfamiliar, indeed for Thunder hadn't ever heard Fluttershy speak.
Paralyzed, but not by fear, but by shock, pegasus could not intervene. He watched in disbelief how Fluttershy, who didn't even uttered a single word during the night, trotted to the bear with her head high. The predator, however wasn't going to attack. He snorted and flopped heavily on his stomach. Growling was replaced by a disgruntled, even offended, grunting.
"Oh..." Fluttershy exhaled, her eyes filling with concern. She rushed to the lying bear and began to whisper something into his ear, while scratching his ear, which caused the bear to murmur in pleasure. After a minute or so of such treatment, sleepy bear got up and gone back to where he came from.
Yellow pegasus turned to the rest of group with a wide smile. "Don't mind mister Brown, please. He tend to suffer from insomnia from time to time, and... " The mare lost all her words when her gaze found Thunder. She blushed heavily and hide behind her beautiful mane with a squeak.
Two other mares already had calmed themselves, but Thunderclap keep staring at yellow pegasus in disbelief. This mare had just tamed a bear, four or five times of her size! And now... now she was hiding from him?! Blue pegasus shook his head, as if it could help him to wrap it around what he'd just witnessed. Rarity and Applejack laughed at his reaction.
Soon enough town became visible through the clearings between the trees as ponies went through forest edge. Thunderclap could even see Castle of friendship. Last rays of the setting sun played on the edges of thousands of crystals from which the castle was made.
They parted they ways. Fluttershy whispered something resembling "see you tomorrow" and flew away, moving along the line of trees. Rarity also said goodbye and headed towards the town. She also noted that Thunder was expected tomorrow at the castle. Pegasus himself went with Applejack who led him towards the Sweet Apple Arcs.
"Ya said to Apple Bloom you came here with Red." Earthpony said after a minute or two of walking and continued after an affirmative nod from pegasus. "You're not lying, I know that. But!"
"But what?" the thought slipped through Thunder's head that the carriers of the elements had conspired and decided to bring him to a heart attack. The prospect of going to the Frozen North suddenly became very tempting.
"He never came to the farm and no one from the family saw him."
Thunderclap sighed. Why couldn't anything be simple?