//------------------------------// // Three // Story: Blue and Black Wings // by MDNGHTRDHTLN //------------------------------// It’s raining again. Does it ever stop? Thunderlane was cold. At least he wasn’t wet. His umbrella had done a fine job of shielding him from the rain. Rainbow Dash, true to her word, sold her cloud house and, in turn, her cloud-based possessions. Scootaloo readily accepted the new changes; whether it was due to her struggle actually getting to the house, or her desire to follow Rainbow Dash everywhere, Thunderlane would never know. He supposed himself that it was a mixture of the two options that had been appealing to the young filly. Whatever the reason was, he was glad to have her there. She had begun to grow on him recently. Her optimistic attitude was infectious, as was her youthful enthusiasm. Thunderlane thought he heard a small cough, but he dismissed it as distant thunder. He continued his walk. He was walking in the rain for a good reason. He had gone to buy school supplies for his younger brother, Rumble. Rumble had been losing his school supplies more and more often as of late. Thunderlane expected that a bully was extorting them, but he wasn’t sure. Thunderlane was a chronic supply-misplacer himself as a child. He had constantly relied on Rainbow Dash to bail him out. Of course, she had bailed him out on more important things than school supplies more often than not. Then again, so had that older girl. ”Hey, Thunderlane, how’s your girlfriend?” the older ponies had sneered. The older ponies were in a higher grade, two grades higher, to be exact, and nopony in Thunderlane’s grade dared mess with them. Most of the older ponies were jerks, but one had come to his aid, as Rainbow did. Her name, Thunderlane had heard, was Daring Do, and she was great at exploring things. It was her special talent. “Hey, c’mon, guys, leave the kid alone,” Daring had said on the same day. “He can have whoever he wants as his friends.” “Oh, so, you’re gonna bail him out, Daring?” a light-purple pony had sneered. “I am.” “Well, too bad! I ain’t stopping anything.” “Nice grammar, knucklehead.” “Excuse me?” “I said nice grammar, knucklehead!” “You wanna say somethin’ else that’ll get you hit?” “Listen, I really don’t want to fight you.” “You don’t?” Daring smirked. “On second thought, I actually do.” In a blur of tan and grey, she connected her hoof with the purple pony’s face. Blood splashed from the wound, and he held his muzzle in pain. “My muzzle! You broke my muzzle!” Daring flew up to him. She grabbed him by the skin of his neck and pushed him against a locker. “Now, you listen here, pal,” she started. “If you ever - EVER - hurt me or these kids again, I swear to Celestia, I’ll break a lot more than your pathetic muzzle. Got me?” His eyes went to the ground. She shook him again. “I said, got me?” He nodded quickly. While all eyes were on the purple pony and Daring, the purple pony’s eyes met Thunderlane’s. You’re dead meat, they said. Daring let the purple pony go. He ran away as fast as he could. “My dad’ll hear about this! He’ll hear, alright!” “Oh, your dad! I’m so scared!” Daring returned, sarcasm making the purple pony’s wound sting that much more. The purple pony turned his head, grunted, and galloped away. Daring turned her attention to Thunderlane, who had watched the scene before him unfold in terror and awe. “Hey, kiddo,” she said, softening her voice. She kneeled down so she could be at his height. “You okay?” He nodded quickly. “My name’s Daring. Daring Do. What about you, kid?” “I’m...I’m Thunderlane…” “Hey, Thunderlane. Listen, are you okay? He won’t hurt you again. I promise.” He nodded again. He was terrified of her, even if she had saved him. She put a bloodied hoof on his shoulder. When she realized she was staining the kid’s coat, she pulled her hand back, wiped the blood on her side, and placed her hand on his shoulder again. “Thunderlane, it’ll be okay. You don’t need to be afraid of me. Okay?” He nodded again. “Hey, you!” a familiar, raspy voice called. “Get your hooves off him!” Rainbow Dash flew at a breakneck speed towards Daring and Thunderlane. “Hey, kid, I don’t wanna hurt you guys. You got me mixed up with the purpley guy,” Daring said. “How do I know you’re not one of his friends?” Daring turned her body to Rainbow Dash, showing the bloodstain on her side. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t beat up my friends.” “Hm…” Rainbow put a hoof on her chin. “I guess not...who are you?” “Daring Do.” “Daring Do, huh?” “Yep.” Fluttershy ran down the hallway, faster than Thunderlane had ever seen her run before. “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow, is he…” Fluttershy stopped as she saw Daring Do. She halted her running, sliding on the floor for a bit until coming to a complete stop on the floor. She hid her face behind her mane. “Um…” “Fluttershy, this is Daring Do! Don’t worry, she’s a friend.” “Oh...um...hi. I’m...I’m Fluttershy.” “Hi. I’m Daring Do, but I guess you kinda knew that already, huh?” “Um…” Cloud Kicker turned a corner, her hooves screeching against the floor of the hall when she slid around the corner. “Hey, Thunde…” She noticed Daring standing in the hall, still kneeling over Thunderlane. Rainbow took notice of Cloud’s worried expression. “Don’t worry, Cloud. That’s Daring Do. She’s a friend.” “Oh. Um...alright, cool. How’s Thunderlane?” “I’m fine,” he said. “Just a little shaken up.” Just a little shaken up. Thunderlane heard the small cough again. This time, he could have sworn he also heard a sniffle. And it came, he thought, from a small, narrow, dark alley. “Hello?” he called. “Is anypony there?” He took a tentative step towards the alley. Bottles rattled, trash cans fell over, and boxes broke as a small, indistinguishable figure tried to scurry away. The figure ultimately got its hoof stuck under a trash can. It pulled and pulled, but nothing happened to help it break free from its prison. “Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Thunderlane assured. As he approached the figure, he saw it was a small child, probably a colt. “Come here, buddy.” Thunderlane lifted the trash can from on top of the colt’s hooves. “Now, why don’t we go somewhere warm?” “O-o-okay,” the colt said, stepping under the protection of the umbrella. He was wearing a red bandana on his two-tone brown mane. His coat was white, with splotches of brown all over, one on his eye. Thunderlane thought he recognized the colt from somewhere. Was he in Rumble’s class? “What’s your name?” Thunderlane asked the small colt. “I’m P-P-P-Pipsqueak,” he said. That’s where Thunderlane knew him from. “Hi, Pipsqueak. I’m Thunderlane.” “Wait, You’re Rumble’s brother, right?” “Yes, I am.” “Wow! Are you as cool as he says you are?” “As cool as he says I am?” “Yeah! He says that you’re the best brother anypony could ask for, ever!” “Really?” “Yeah! He says you’re caring, smart, kind, loyal, generous, honest, fast, funny, brave, and cool!” “He...he says that about me?” “Yeah! I wish I had a brother like you.” “You do?” “Yeah! Well...I guess I wish I had a brother.” “You don’t have any siblings?” “I do. But they’re back home in Trottingham with my parents.” “Your parents are in Trottingham?” “Yeah.” “How’d you get here?” “Well...I don’t usually like to talk about it…” “Oh. Okay.” “...but, I’ll tell you. So, when I was born, my parents didn’t want me. They said they had too many kids already. So, they dumped me in a river.” “That’s terrible!” “I know. So, anyways, I eventually end up here, in Ponyville. I grew up here. Pinkie kinda took me under her wing. She’s like a big sister to me!” “She is pretty nice, isn’t she?” “Yeah. But she can’t do it all.” “What do you mean?” “Well, she couldn’t find me a home. So, I found my alley.” “Your alley? That’s where you’ve been living?” “Yeah. For a few years.” “A few years?” “Yes.” Thunderlane took a breath. “Pipsqueak...why don’t you come live with me, Rumble, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash for a while?” “What? Really?” “Yeah. We have food, an extra room, and company.” “Well, I...okay. Okay! I have a home!” “Yes, you do, buddy. Welcome to the family.”