“It's Friday, it's Friday,” came the singsong voice as the back door opened. “It's Fridaaayyy.”
Ditzy Dew rolled her eyes and then gave Thunderbird a look. “You sound like a colt just out from school,” she observed. “Even Dinky isn't this excited when it's actually Friday.”
Thud just grinned back for a moment. “I know, I'm just being silly,” he said, cheerfully, and then stretched his wings a bit as he finished entering the house. “It may be Saturday morning, but it's my Friday; the end of the work week, and that means two days off and farting around.”
“Not so,” Ditzy countered, as Thud froze just before he reached the kitchen table. “Remember our agreement? Well, you've been here long enough to acclimate, so I'd like you to help by cleaning the bathrooms tomorrow.”
Thunderbird frowned at that, and then sighed. “Why is it always the bathrooms?” he muttered.
“Because it's a terrible job so it's the first to be foisted off,” Ditzy replied, as she smiled beatifically and turned around to resume working on her breakfast. “Don't worry, though, it's not like Dinky or I are real horses.”
“Thank God for that,” Thud added, as he sat down at the kitchen table and then sighed. “Alright, I'll do that tomorrow morning after you and Dinky head off to that picnic you were talking about.”
“I appreciate it,” Ditzy said, and then turned the stove off after she slipped the omelet she had made onto a plate. It's so nice having wings, she mused, as the aforementioned appendages folded back along her sides. I can actually talk and do things at the same time. Despite this musing, she bent down and grabbed her plate with her teeth. Feathers still aren't that strong.
Thunderbird watched her go through the various evolutions of cooking, and then her carrying of the plate over to join him at the table. “If I really am stuck here, I hope I get as good at that as you are,” he observed.
“I'm sure you will,” Ditzy replied, after she set her plate down and then turned to gather the rest of her meal and its ancillary items. A comfortable silence fell across the two ponies as Ditzy finished preparing her meal, and then sat down. “So, how has your week been?” she asked of the stallion.
“Decent enough,” Thunderbird replied, after only a moment of thought. “Work's been boring, but not so much that I want to tear my hair out. I've been hanging out with Vinyl Scratch, but I told you that before, didn't I?”
“You did,” Ditzy confirmed between bites. “It's quite nice of her to be so generous, but then she's always been an easygoing pony.”
“Hm,” Thud only hummed back, and then took a moment to think. “Well, she is definitely a good person. Certainly she's been nice enough to tell me about those rumors starting to run around town.”
“Ah, the ones where you're some sort of cannibal pony?” Ditzy merrily asked. “Or perhaps the one that says you're secretly Discord in disguise and working with Pinkie Pie to create a party so grand it causes Ponyville to turn inside out?”
Thunderbird stuck his tongue out at the gray pegasus. “Maybe you think it's funny, but you're not the one all the other ponies are giving a wide berth to,” he said, grumpily. “And how the heck does anyone come up with those kinds of weird ideas, anyway?”
“A little bit of information can go a long way,” Ditzy countered. A moment of silence passed as she took and chewed another bite of omelet before she spoke up again. “Speaking of which, has Twilight Sparkle hounded you like you feared?”
Thud shook his head in reply, even as he suddenly shifted to climb out of the seat. “No, thank God,” he said, and then made his way over to the refrigerator. “Although I've seen her staring at me once or twice when we cross paths after I get off my shift,” he added, as he opened the appliance with a wing and nosed his way inside. “Still, she's nice enough to let it drop for now.”
“Have you reconsidered just telling her what she wants to know?” Ditzy asked, with a rise in her voice to make sure she was heard. “I know you're concerned about how it would go, but by now ponies in town have seen you're not crazy so you wouldn't be thrown in the asylum.”
“That's not my only reason, as you well know,” Thunderbird countered, before he grabbed an item in his mouth and pulled it out and closed the fridge behind him. I hate using my mouth, he thought. But sometimes it's just so dang quick and easy.
“I know, but I think you're overblowing the whole meta-knowledge angle,” Ditzy replied, as Thud walked over with a bowl of salad wrapped in wax paper. “You really don't know all that much about other ponies and Equestria in general.”
“I know enough,” Thud countered, after he had placed his meal on the table. He waited until he could settle into his seat before he spoke up again. “Besides, there's also non-meta knowledge, as well. Given the mark on my flank, I rather suspect I know a bit more about the subject of warfare than most ponies. I'd even wager a guess that, as much as an amateur as I am compared to real soldiers and scholars back home, I could still completely redefine how nations here wage war.” Thud paused then, as he had unwrapped the salad with is forelegs as he spoke. Now that it was available, the stallion dipped his head down and took a fairly large bite and chewed it fully before he continued. “And that doesn't include stuff I don't know the specifics on, but just introducing the concepts of could radically affect how Equestria progresses.”
“And is that a bad thing?” Ditzy asked, after a sip of her coffee. “You could help things along while steering ponies away from pitfalls inherent in certain technologies and ideas. Even knowing about warfare wouldn't hurt too much; at the very least, you'd be able to tell every being in this world how generally a bad idea it is.”
Thunderbird harrumphed at that. “Why haven't you done that, then?” he asked. “You've been to other universes, or so you've said.”
“I have,” Ditzy agreed, and then paused for another bite. “But the plain fact is, I was a tourist there. I was around long enough to find out some things, but not enough to truly learn anything in-depth.”
“You could have brought back books,” Thud countered. “The similarities between Equish and English apply to the written word, as well.”
“Yes, but then ponies would ask me where I got the books from,” Ditzy explained. “Not to mention the fact that, as somepony who doesn't understand those concepts in depth, I would probably look like a fraud or charlatan. No,” she added, with a shake of her head. “Better to let Equestria find these things out for itself than for me to try and explain things, and then everypony goes off half-baked in the opposite direction of the truth because they thought me a liar.”
Thunderbird frowned as he pondered the mare's words. “Then what makes you think they'd listen to me?” he asked, curiously.
“Honestly, I don't really think most would,” she replied, and then gave a sheepish smile at the surprised stallion. “Not at first, anyway. But, since you grew up in a world with such advancements, you understand them in detail I don't think I ever could. At the very least you'd be so sure of such things that some ponies would have to listen to you if only to finally devise a way to prove you wrong.”
“And when they prove I'm right, things go boom,” Thud cynically observed.
Ditzy sighed. “I thought you were in a good mood?” she asked.
“I was, until this subject came up,” Thunderbird replied, albeit evenly as he hefted no blame upon the gray pony. “Look, Ditzy, I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I don't think spilling the beans will do me or Equestria any good in the long run.”
“And I think you're wrong,” the mare replied. She then shook her head as she continued. “I'll respect your wishes, but I would ask you to at least consider it.”
Thud remained silent for a moment, and then nodded. “I'll... think about it,” he begrudgingly agreed. “Although I sincerely doubt that anyone would take me seriously if I stood in the market and yelled 'I'm a human'.”
Ditzy smiled at that. “Maybe not,” she agreed. The conversation then lapsed into another silence as both ponies concentrated on their respective meals, though it did not last very long. “So, what are your plans for when you're not helping out around the house?”
“Honestly? I've got no real idea,” Thunderbird replied. “Flying, certainly; God, I love having wings,” he added, with a grin.
“They are rather fun,” Ditzy agreed, with a canary-eating expression of her own. “Have you been practicing those exercises I taught you?”
Thunderbird nodded, as he recalled the wing stretches and flapping maneuvers the mare had passed on. “Yup; I miss my hands more than anything, but I'll be damned if anything takes flying away from me as well!”
Ditzy giggled at that. “Spoken like a true pegasus,” she observed, with a smile. “So, want to join me for a few after we're done eating?” she asked. “I need to stretch a bit to keep from stiffening up over the weekend.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Thud agreed. “I did some flying on my shift, but stretching always helps.”
“Good,” Ditzy said, happily.
* * * *
A short time later found both pegasi outside, stretching and doing other warm-up exercises. Thud groaned a bit as he worked out a kink in one of his flight muscles, and he rubbed the spot on his chest where a scar was left from the manticore attack. I hope the muscle healed right, he wondered, as his memory of doctor Light Suture's report of his injuries rolled through his mind. Well, nothing to do but keep stretching it 'til it gets better. Or at least keep it from getting worse, if it's permanently damaged.
“Refreshing, isn't it?” Ditzy asked, once she finished folding her wings up.
“Eeyup,” Thud replied. When he noticed Ditzy giving him a look, he turned his head to her and frowned slightly. “Something wrong?”
“Well, for someone who wants to avoid meta, you're playing right into it,” Ditzy observed with a smirk.
Thunderbird blushed slightly at that. “Well... to be fair, I did kind of start using that phrase after hearing Big McIntosh use it on the show,” he admitted, sheepishly.
“Honestly?” Ditzy asked, and then giggled when Thud nodded. “Oh, that is adorable.”
“Hey,” Thud protested, with his blush growing. “I am not adorable.”
“You've said ponies are adorable, haven't you?” Ditzy asked, with a sly grin. “Well, you're a pony now, aren't you?”
Thud frowned at her, and then sniffed. “Evil pony,” he said, and spitted her with a stern look. Ditzy could only laugh at it, though, and Thunderbird sighed. “I'm not adorable,” he repeated.
Ditzy let her laughter die out, and she gave the stallion an odd look. “Sure, Thud,” she said, and then shook her head. “Anyway, that does kind of bring me to something I wanted to speak with you about, in a roundabout way.”
“Oh?” Thud asked, in mild surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Well, remember when I helped you learn the basics on flight?” Ditzy asked, and then waited for Thunderbird to nod. “Remember that I also talked to you about preening?”
The question made Thud freeze for a moment, and he blushed. “Uh...” he muttered.
Ditzy face-hoofed and sighed. “Thud, I told you, you need to do it once a week,” she stated, as she dropped the foreleg down and spitted the stallion with a look. “You don't look too bad at the moment, but it's going to start going downhill fairly fast. Not to mention having messy wings keeps you from flying as well as you should.”
“I know,” Thunderbird grumbled, even as he sat on his haunches and diverted his gaze to the side. “It's just... really weird,” he said, after a moment, and then turned his head to once again face Ditzy. “Also it's kind of hard to reach the feathers towards the base.”
“Hard, but not impossible,” Ditzy countered, and then sighed herself. “I suppose I should be happy you at least wash diligently and clean up after yourself, unlike some males I've known. But would it hurt to give a little bit more attention to your appearance?”
Thud frowned at her. “Is it really that important?” he asked, petulantly.
“Yes,” Ditzy replied, sternly. “Not to mention the whole 'fly well' aspect of it. You do like flying, don't you?”
“Of course I do,” Thunderbird replied, and then sighed. “Ditzy, the most common dream every human has is that of flying through the air. Not in an aircraft, mind you, but flying the way birds do. The only thing that could be better than getting a pair of these,” he added, and then glanced back at his wings, which he extended a bit, “would be to keep my hands and have wings.”
Ditzy chuckled a bit after Thud finished. “I believe I understand,” she said, and then took on a serious expression. “But if you mean that, then you really should be preening at least once a week,” she added, and then paused as an idea entered her head. “Of course, if you don't want to do it yourself, you could always go to the spa and let the twins work on it.”
Thud's eyes widened at that, and he shook his head. “No,” he stated, flatly. “No. No no no no no no no. No,” he added, and stomped a foreleg at the last word. “There are things I may be pushed to, methods to persuade me, changes made to my very body, but I will not go to a bloody spa!”
Ditzy folded her ears down and took a step back at the vehement statement. “Alright, calm down,” she said, soothingly. “Nopony's going to make you go to the spa, okay?”
The anger drained out of Thunderbird at that, and he sighed and lowered his head. “Yeah, I know... I'm sorry,” he added, after a moment, as he looked back up to Ditzy. “I shouldn't have snapped.”
“That's alright,” Ditzy Dew replied, with a small smile. “I understand. You're not the only stallion to find the spa to be girly, after all.”
Thud harrumphed. “Good,” he said, and then sighed. “Anyway, yeah... I guess I'd better do some preening soon.”
“That would be for the best,” Ditzy agreed, with a nod. “But before you do, there's another exercise I wanted to show you, since you're on the weather team now.”
The stallion perked up at this, and he raised an eyebrow at the gray mare. “What exercise is that?” he asked, curiosity overriding his lingering moodiness.
“A little trick pegasi use to help clear clouds without actually dispersing them with bucking,” Ditzy replied. “Sometimes we need the cloud cover, but not in a certain spot or areas, so it's easier to just move the clouds. But doing it by hoof over a large area would be time-consuming, so we focus our flight magic a bit and put off a bit of a draft and pitch our wings so that we can hover while sending a small air stream out to move the clouds away.”
Thunderbird listened attentively, and then smiled once Ditzy finished her explanation. “Oh, I saw that in the show,” he said, eagerly. “I was wondering how y'all did that.”
“Well, let me show you,” Ditzy replied, and then turned and took a few steps to put a small bit of distance between herself and Thunderbird. The stallion looked on with interest as Ditzy spread her wings and then started to flap until she was hovering only a few feet above the ground. Then, she abruptly shifted the pitch on her wings, and Thud watched with fascination as the grass in front of her began to sway with a moderate breeze.
“Amazing,” Thud said, as Ditzy landed and then turned to face him as she folded up her wings. “But, how do you focus the magic, then?”
“It's simple,” Ditzy replied, the small but sincere smile still upon her muzzle. “Remember how I taught you to pull at the core of magic within you and push it to your wings?”
“Yeah,” Thud said, as he stood up on all fours. “It was kinda zen.”
Ditzy chuckled slightly at that. “Yes, well. In any case, you just need to give it a little bit of an extra push off the bottom of your wings, instead of along them. That's why you need to cant them the way I did, so that you can still maintain a proper amount of lift while still allowing for some of your magic to push the breeze along.”
“I see,” Thud said, as he reviewed Ditzy's wing position in his mind. “So you maintain a proper thrust vector even as some energy is siphoned off into an alternate vector in order to generate wind?”
The mare blinked at the question, but soon nodded once she had a moment to parse it out. “Yes, something like that,” she replied. “Now, before you try this while flying and hovering, I'd first like you to practice while grounded, so as to avoid an accident.”
“A reasonable precaution,” Thud said, by way of agreement. Then he turned and faced off towards the trees of the nearby woods and unfolded his wings. “Like this?” he asked, as he positioned his wings while he looked over at Ditzy Dew.
“Close,” she replied, and then walked over and sat on her haunches next to the stallion so she could bring her forelegs up to his wings. “Let me just adjust this for you,” she said, and then gently pushed Thud's left wing around until it was properly aligned. “Alright, now let's see you do that with your other wing.”
Thunderbird nodded, and then positioned his other wing as instructed. “Good,” Ditzy observed, with a smile. “Now,” she added, as she stood up and turned to walk away a few paces before she turned back to face Thud again. “Take a moment to adjust your magic, and then start flapping.”
The stallion didn't reply to that, but instead closed his eyes so he could concentrate more easily. This is so weird, he thought, not for the first time, as he mentally reached for the wellspring of magical energy that Ditzy had taught him to recognize through a method akin to meditation. Most pegasi apparently learn to do this instinctually from a young age, he remembered. I had to learn about it the hard way; fortunately for me—but unfortunately for others—some pegasi have issues with it and have to learn it through meditation.
Thud shook his head as he pushed such thoughts from his mind. Focus, dammit, he told himself, and then pulled at the magic his new body had. It felt odd to him, like a pool of cool water on a summer's day that sat within his chest, and as he concentrated the feeling welled up and spread instantly to his wings. It's amazing how quickly this becomes like breathing, Thunderbird briefly mused, as he started the magic on its well-charted path to pulling air along his wings. Something you're never aware of and works automatically, unless you want to do something with it; like now, for instance.
With that thought, Thud managed to push some of his flight magic along a new path so that it forced some of the air along his wings to push downward instead of back. His practice in tweaking his turns made it surprisingly easy to do, and soon he flapped his wings and generated a strong breeze that pushed out ahead of him.
“Whoa,” Ditzy said from beside him, and Thunderbird opened his eyes to see the mare giving the field in front of the stallion a wide-eyed look. Confused, he glanced forward and saw that, unlike with Ditzy's example, his breeze pushed along farther and caused the branches in the trees ahead to appreciably sway. “I knew you had some strong throughput from before, but this is ridiculous.”
Thud frowned as he ceased flapping and folded his wings up. “It doesn't seem like much to me,” he said, evenly. “I mean, ponies like you push along storm fronts and bust clouds and even cause whirlwinds or tornadoes.”
“Yes, but those are all team efforts,” Ditzy replied, as she looked back to Thud with an impressed expression. “We work in tandem to generate that kind of weather. You, on the other hoof, might be able to do some of the lesser jobs all by yourself.”
A blush spread over the stallion's face, and he shook his head. “I'm just doing what you told me to do.”
“Yes, and doing it well,” Ditzy returned. “Now, let me see you try that again, but this time put some real force into it; I want to see just how well you can do.”
“Alright,” Thud replied, and then faces the trees again. This time he kept his eyes open as he pulled the magic along, and he grinned as it seemed to flow along the new path more easily now. I wonder if it's because I learned something new, or if the magic itself is somehow being taught, like a muscle? He pondered on this briefly, and then gave a mental shrug as he felt the energy build along his wings. Focus on what to do, he reminded himself, and then concentrated on his limbs and the growing feeling of power in them. I should probably start—
“Thud, what are you doing?” Ditzy asked from beside him. The confused tone in her voice disturbed the stallion's concentration, and he broke out of his inner focus to look over and see a concerned expression upon the mare's face.
“What?” Thunderbird asked, confused himself.
“You're supposed to start flapping, not build up magic in your wings,” Ditzy replied.
Thud frowned. “How do you know I'm doing that?” he asked.
“Because I can bloody well see it!” Ditzy exclaimed, as she took a step back and then raised a foreleg to point to the other pegasus' wings.
Surprised at her reaction, Thunderbird turned his head around and looked back at his spread wings, only to drop his jaw open as he saw the air around them rippling. “Uh,” he uttered, unsure. “Are they supposed to do that?”
“No!” Ditzy hastily answered.
Oh shit, Thud thought, even as he snapped his head around to see a worried look on Ditzy's face. A surge of panic flowed through him at seeing the mare's reaction, and Thunderbird felt his mind start to race faster, too fast for coherent thoughts. Instinct urged him to stop the magic buildup in his wings, and the primal base of his consciousness screamed to get rid of the energy already in the limbs. The first was accomplished quickly with only a slight exertion of will, but the energy pent up in his extremities wasn't so easily dismissed, and Thud's brain had to slow down enough to let him think. Gotta get rid of it, how? Dump it. Energy dump. Heat dump. Eject! As disconnected and jumbled his internal monologue was, it nevertheless gave him an idea, and Thunderbird quickly flexed his wings back so he could give them a hard flap. Even as his wings snapped forward, his mind pushed at the energy in them and forced it out, instead of using it to shove air along the surface as he normally did.
The result was not what either pegasus expected, as a pulse of rippling air blasted forth from the flexing limbs. It moved like a wave through the space between the ponies and the wood ahead, and pulled behind it a train of debris from the ground sucked up by the sudden wind before it hit the trees. Branches snapped back, and a few broke even as others were stripped of leaves before the wind spent itself and the air calmed down from the force just unleashed.
Both Ditzy and Thud simply looked on with dumfounded stares for a few long moments. Soon enough, however, they both regained their wits and then turned their heads to one another. “What in the name of Tartarus was that?” asked the mare.
“Hell if I know,” Thunderbird replied, perplexed. He was so surprised that he left his wings out and open as he spoke. “I just kinda panicked when you freaked out and shoved all the magic out of my wings,” he explained, yet only received a look of confusion in return. “What? Can't pegasi do that?”
“We bloody well can't,” Ditzy retorted. “At least, I've never heard of any non-unicorn being able to push their magic out of their bodies before.”
Thud frowned as he processed this information. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Has anyone tried before?”
Ditzy Dew rolled her eyes. “Yes, Thud. Nopony in the entire history of the pegasi have ever tried to do something like this before,” she sarcastically replied.
A blush crossed over Thunderbird's face as his ears folded back, and he sheepishly folded his wings. “I guess that does sound kind of arrogant,” he allowed. “But still, every other pegasus has their wings and magic from birth. I haven't, so maybe I ain't limiting myself with 'common knowledge'?” he asked, curiously.
Ditzy frowned herself, but soon had to sigh. “I have no idea,” she said, moodily. “All I know is that we're generally warned about too much magic in the wings; it can numb the nerves if you're not careful and don't practice exposing them to the higher charge.”
“Like through flight training?” Thunderbird asked, and then paused as Ditzy nodded. “Hm,” he briefly hummed, while he pondered. “Well, I'm not sure what to say, then. I did it, we both saw that.”
“Yes,” Ditzy replied, and let her voice trail off as she descended into contemplative silence.
Thunderbird joined her, and they stood like that for a few, pensive moments. “Well,” he said, and turned his head to Ditzy as she looked to him. “Why don't you try it?”
“Me?” Ditzy asked, with a hard blink of surprise.
“Yeah,” Thud replied, with a nod. “I mean, if it really is something that other pegasi can't do, then we can test that right now.”
She blinked at that, and then shuffled her hooves. “I'm... not sure if I should,” she said, cautiously. “Like I said, it could numb my wings, maybe do permanent damage.”
“I doubt it will from a test or two,” Thud countered. “I mean, if simply increasing the amount of magic in your wings would do that, then flight training wouldn't work, now would it?”
Ditzy pondered on that, and then nodded. “I suppose,” she said, and then sighed. “Alright, I guess I can give it a go. What did you do, exactly?”
“Build it all up in the wings, and then as you flap forward, think about pushing the magic out,” Thunderbird explained. “Not using it, not for flight, just... eject it, straight ahead. Shove it out, like you're pushing Dinky out the door to school.” He added the last part with a grin, having witnessed a few mornings where the little unicorn had been reluctant to leave.
The mare huffed and rolled her eyes at that, but a faint smirk briefly crossed her muzzle and let Thud know his jest wasn't entirely unappreciated. “Alright, smart guy,” she said, and then turned her body to face the trees. Ditzy then slowly extended her wings and built up her magic in them for a few moments. Then, with a snap and a thought, she pushed the magic out. As before, a powerful wind blasted through the air and impacted the treeline, snapping branches and tearing up leaves as it went.
Silence fell over the pair of pegasi as they looked on the results. “I don't believe it,” Ditzy said, in a mild state of shock as she folded her wings up. “How the hay did we not figure this out sooner?”
“Hell if I know,” Thunderbird repeated his earlier statement. Another silence fell over the ponies, but soon enough an idea entered his head, and that caused a wide grin to spread across his muzzle. “I'm gonna try something,” he said, as he unfolded his wings again.
Wary, Ditzy looked over at him with a frown. “Try what?” she asked.
“You'll see,” Thud replied, and then concentrated. Okay, remember, 'force, balance, push...'
* * * *
“So do you think this'll get us our cutie marks?” Applebloom asked, as she and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all walked towards the Hooves' house.
“Well, maybe one of us,” Scootaloo said, with a wing-shrug. “I mean, how many ponies can have cutie marks in 'stealth party invitation'?”
“And even if we don't, it's a nice thing to do,” Sweetie Belle concluded, with a nod.
“I guess,” Scootaloo replied, with a light grumble. “At least there will be a Pinkie Pie party at the end of it. Those are always worth the trouble.”
“Yup,” Applebloom added, as the group approached their destination. “But remember, it's supposed ta be a surprise fer Thunderbird, so don't go blabbin' 'bout it.”
“I do not blab,” Scootaloo heatedly retorted, as she turned her head to spit Applebloom with a glare.
The two might have carried on, but a sudden shout interrupted their budding argument. “Fus ro dah!” sounded a familiar voice, followed by the noise of a rushing wind and the thunderous crack of wood, finally followed by a heavy thump the fillies felt right through their hooves.
Startled, the three ponies looked to each other, and then silently made the unanimous decision to find out just what had happened. They bolted off as one and ran around the house towards the source of the shout, only to come to a sudden stop when they saw Ditzy Dew and Thunderbird standing in the field behind the house, facing towards a tree that had been snapped in half. The latter wore a manic grin as he folded his wings, while the former simply looked at the tree in mild shock. “Ha ha!” Thunderbird laughed. “A mighty thu'um!”
A silence fell over the scene, and at this Thud finally showed some chagrin as he blushed a bit. Ditzy, meanwhile, had brought up a foreleg to cover her face with a fetlock. “Why...” she began, her voice barely audible to the fillies. “Why is it whenever your people learn something new, the first thing you do is turn it into a weapon?”
“Because weapons are awesome,” Thunderbird replied, smugly. “Also we live in a death world where everything either wants to eat us or eat our food out from under us, so we've learned that you need to annihilate threats with extreme prejudice.”
“Bloody humans,” Ditzy growled.
“An apt description,” Thunderbird allowed, with a nod. He then looked around to keep the pause in the conversation from becoming awkward, and soon laid eyes upon the trio of fillies. “Oh, fudruckers,” he muttered.
“What?” Ditzy asked, and then craned her head to see what Thud was staring at. “Oh, hello girls,” she called to the fillies, and cursed internally as she and Thunderbird both turned their bodies fully around to face the newcomers. Of course I had to use the 'H-word'. “Are you looking for Dinky?”
“Uh, yeah,” Applebloom said, as the trio of fillies walked forward, confused looks upon their faces. “We were hopin' ta talk ta her.”
“But then we heard somepony shouting and something snapping and did you really do that?” Scootaloo interjected, and then jabbed a hoof towards the broken tree.
“Uh,” Thunderbird temporized. He shared a quick glance with Ditzy, but her features showed she was as clueless on how to proceed as he was. “Yes?” he said, bemusedly.
“Cool,” both Scootaloo and Applebloom said, though Sweetie Belle just looked on with a mien of confusion. “How'd ya do it?” the Apple pony asked.
“And what was that shout about?” Scootaloo added.
Thud paused for a moment to think, and then grinned widely as another idea entered his head. “Well, that's kind of a secret,” he said, in a teasing tone.
“Aww, c'mon, tell us,” Scootaloo pleaded. Her wings buzzed slightly in agitation as she spoke. “Please?”
“Yeah, please?” Applebloom joined in, and even pouted a bit for good measure.
“Oh, all right,” Thunderbird said, in a voice that an experienced person would recognize as the sort of tone an adult takes on when they're about to tell a tall tale to children. He could see Ditzy frowning out of the corner of his eye, but he simply grinned and pressed on as he sat on his haunches and leaned his head down a bit to bring it closer to the Crusaders. “See, I used an ancient technique called a 'thu'um', where I tap into the old magic of the world and focus it by shouting.”
“Really?” This came from Sweetie Belle, who shook off her odd introspection and moved up to join her friends, who by now were eagerly sitting in front of Thunderbird. “I've never heard of magic shouting before.”
“I should think not,” Thud said, with an air of mock severity. “For it is an ancient technique from the distant continent known as Tamriel. There a people known as the Nords learn and use this rare magic—which they call the Voice—to fight dragons and monsters.”
“They fight dragons?” Scootaloo asked, with wide eyes.
Thunderbird could only smile at the filly. “Fight them, and win,” he said, with a light hoof stomp to emphasize. “And I'm not talking about Equestrian dragons, either. Don't get me wrong, they're all big and terribly strong, but Tamrielic dragons are stronger, because they use the thu'um magic as well.”
“But how did they learn it?” Sweetie Belle asked, as she tilted her head.
“Dragons in Tamriel are born with full knowledge of the Voice; it's in their blood,” Thud explained. “But mere mortals can learn it after years of study. And beyond that, there is one kind of mortal who can learn shouts almost instantly, and whom dragons fear above all else.”
“Who's that?” Applebloom asked, as she leaned forward, clearly engaged.
Thunderbird could only smile as he saw that he had the trio in the palm of his hand—frog of the hoof, he corrected himself. “A legendary figure the dragons themselves call 'Dovahkiin', but we know them as Dragonborn.”
“Dragonborn?” the three fillies chorused.
“Yes. A mortal born with the soul of a dragon, sent by the gods to right wrongs and defend us from the ravages of the dragons, as promised in song,” Thud explained, and then paused to take in a deep breath. Then he sang:
Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin!
Naal ok zin los vahriin!
Wah dein, vokul, mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan,
fod nust hon zindro zaan!
Dovahkiin, fah hin, kogaan mu draal!
The ponies around him winced at his singing, and Thunderbird blushed a bit as he finished. “Sorry, I know I shouldn't sing with my crappy voice, but I couldn't help myself.”
“Ah know th' feelin',” Applebloom offered, sincerely. “But what do them fancy words mean?”
“Ah, that's the language of the dragons of Tamriel,” Thud replied. “There's a whole song detailing the Dragonborn in their language. Sadly, I can only remember the chorus off the top of my head, but I think I might have the song stored in my MP3 player.”
“Your what?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Thunderbird blinked as he realized he had slipped. “Uh, it's what I call the little box I own that holds music inside of it,” he explained. “It's rather complicated.”
“Alright, girls,” Ditzy Dew finally intervened. She walked up as she spoke and made sure to stop where she could impose herself in the others' lines of sight. “That's enough of mister Thunderbird's silly stories. If you want to find Dinky she ought to be waking up about now.”
“Silly stories?” Applebloom asked, and then turned her head back to Thunderbird. “Ya mean ya made it up?”
“Sorta,” Thud admitted, with a sheepish grin. “Someone else made up the story back where I come from. I just told it a bit different, that's all.”
“Aww,” Scootaloo mournfully interjected. “I thought it was awesome that a place like that existed.”
“Well Scootaloo, it kinda does,” Thud replied, and then tapped the side of his head with a hoof as the other ponies looked to him. “Up here. It may not be real, but the stories are fun and have a certain reality of their own.” More than you could ever believe, he thought, as he remembered his current predicament. “Even if there's no place like Tamriel in this world, it's still real in your mind and the minds of everyone else who hears and loves those stories.”
The orange filly took on a pensive expression at that and seemed to ponder on Thunderbird's words for a moment. She was brought from ruminating, however, when Applebloom cleared her throat. “Well, it may have been silly, but it was fun, too,” the Apple stated. Then she gave Thud an annoyed look. “Though it was kinda mean ta play a trick on little fillies.”
Thunderbird chuckled a bit. “I wouldn't have let you gone off without telling you the truth,” he replied, with a small shake of his head. “I just wanted to pull your tail for a bit. No hard feelings?”
Applebloom thought for a moment, and then smiled. “No hard feelin's,” she said, and her two friends followed her example and offered smiling nods in agreement. “'Sides, it's a neat story. Can ya tell us more sometime?”
The stallion laughed a bit at that. “Sure, Applebloom.” Thunderbird replied, with a friendly smile. “I'd be happy to tell y'all some of the stories from the Elder Scrolls universe sometime.”
“The what?” Scootaloo, confused.
“That's the name of the story series I was talking about,” Thud explained. “I'll explain more about it later,” he added, and then smirked. “Besides, don't you have a friend to go see now?”
“Yup!” Sweetie Belle said, eagerly. “Come on, girls, let's go grab Dinky!” she said to her friends, and then glanced back at Thud before she started to walk away. “Thanks for the story, mister Thunderbird!”
“Any time, girls,” Thunderbird replied, as the trio of fillies trotted off, with Scootaloo and Applebloom echoing Sweetie Belle's sentiment. He watched them go, and then sighed in relief as they entered the back of the house. “Well, that could have gone worse,” Thud observed, as he turned his head around to look at Ditzy Dew.
“Indeed,” Ditzy replied, with a sigh. She then gave Thunderbird an appraising look. “You deflected them nicely, though. Good call with the thing about shouting magic, it was just crazy enough to work.”
“Well, it helped that it's an actual series of video games back home,” Thud explained. “Including that Skyrim game I mentioned the other day.”
“Ah,” Ditzy said, as a wave of understanding washed over her features. “Well, at least it saved us both from our gaffes. And I admit you even had me interested a bit there with that story.”
“They are a fun bunch of stories,” Thud observed. “But that's for another time, I think.”
“True,” Ditzy agreed. “Right now, I think it would be best if we go ahead and break here and think about what's happened,” she continued, pensively. “Your ability to find new abuses of pegasus magic is rather disturbing.”
Thunderbird raised an eyebrow at Ditzy. “Abuses? Seriously?” he asked, deadpan.
Ditzy just sighed again and shook her head. “Perhaps I exaggerate. But you have to admit, this is rather unexpected.”
“Yeah,” Thud agreed, and then frowned as he looked over towards the tree he felled. “Unless you want to bring meta into it.”
“Let's not,” Ditzy replied, in a tired tone. “We can't affect it, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Thunderbird answered. A brief silence fell over the pair, but was soon broken up when the stallion grunted. “So, what now?”
“Now?” Ditzy asked, with a raised eyebrow. “Now, we go about our lives while we think about what this discovery means,” she replied, and then lightly smirked. “Which means, of course, you need to preen.”
Thunderbird sighed at that. “Yeah, fine,” he said, tiredly. “I also need a shower, too,” he added, with a sniff towards the place where his arm met the torso.
“Ugh, males are males no matter which species they are,” Ditzy wryly observed. “Anyway, you should shower first; the water might mess your preening up. Plus, you probably won't get the taste of your own filth in your mouth while you're working.”
A shudder ran through the stallion. “Thanks for the tip,” he said, and then stood up. “I guess I'll go do that now, then.”
“Indeed, and I need to check in and make sure the fillies aren't setting fire to the house,” Ditzy replied, and then turned to lead the way.
* * * *
A short time later, Thud walked out of the upstairs bathroom, sighing happily. Nothing like getting clean to really make you feel better, he silently mused, as he headed down the hall and to his room. A shake of his head dislodged a few droplets still hanging onto his mane, and the stallion felt his mood darken a bit. I'm going to need a haircut soon. I've already let it this mane grow longer than the hair on my old head simply because that's how ponies do it, but I won't stand for it getting longer than it has to be to avoid questions or odd looks.
He put such thoughts from his mind as he closed the door behind him, and then looked around the bedroom out of habit. The sparsely furnished room held little in the way of character, save for Thud's few possessions and the books he'd borrowed from the town library. Gotta return those today, he mused. It was nice that Spike gave me an extension a couple of days ago so I could finish reading them, but now that I'm done they really need to get back to where they belong.
Of course, his train of thought continued, even as he sat down in the middle of the room and slowly extended a wing. That means I'll have to deal with Twilight Sparkle, most likely, Thunderbird realized, even as he moved both head and wing so he could start working on his feathers as Ditzy had taught him when he began his flying lessons. I was lucky she was out when I went the last time, but I can't count on that every time.
Thud wanted to sigh at the prospect, but decided that doing that while his muzzle was deep in feathers was not the best of ideas. Instead he simply focused his attention fully on preening, and soon enough forgot about most of his worries as the subtly pleasing nature of self-grooming took over. I always did like this sort of thing, he mused, as he tugged at a loose feather and felt it pull out all too easily. Man, that's a weird feeling. Not sure if I'll get used to that. Probably will, it feels so good when stuff like that gets pulled out. Like clipping a toenail or scratching off some dead skin that refuses to leave the proper way. Probably a survival evolution, getting small amount of pleasure or satisfaction from grooming each other and ourselves. Still nice, though.
On his thoughts went, as Thunderbird mused on simple things to let his mind wander so he could focus on his necessary task. Ten minutes passed in a similar vein until the stallion finished, and then spread his wings out and smiled. Yeah, they do look a lot nicer now. Ditzy's right, I need to do this at least once a week from now on. A glance to the floor revealed the small pile of various feathers that had been yanked from their old positions; twelve in all. An auspicious number, Thud mused, as he partially remembered old myths. Five and seven are supposed to be lucky, if I recall correctly. Is twelve also lucky, or does it mean something else?
He only pondered on this for a moment before he shrugged, and then stood back on all fours and went to pick up the discarded feathers in his mouth. Ditzy never did say what to do with them, Thunderbird mused, with a frown. His first time preening had been under Ditzy Dew's tutelage, but no feathers had needed to be pulled then. The show never mentioned it, but fan stories range the gamut from “pegasus feathers are intimate and personal” to “meh, just toss 'em in a pillow if you don't want to throw 'em away.” A few moments of thought eventually led Thunderbird to simply place them on top of his dresser until he could ask Ditzy what pegasi actually thought about such things. I might want to keep one or two as a memento, anyway, he mused, as he headed for the door and opened it so he could leave.
“Ditzy?” Thud called out, as he walked down the hall and headed towards the stairs leading to the ground floor. “Got a question for ya,” he added. Silence was his only answer, though, and Thunderbird frowned as he moved downstairs. He checked every room on the ground and discovered that the house was empty, though once in the kitchen he found a note lying on the table. Curious, he walked over and sat down to read the hoof-written missive.
Thud,
I listened to Dinky and her friends and found out they have a bit too crazy of an idea for cutie marks today. I've talked them out of it, but I'm going to chaperone them for a while to make sure they don't try it anyway. You have free reign of the house, but I would suggest that you go out today. And I don't mean straight to Vinyl Scratch's store. She's a good pony and well worth knowing, but you really should try making more friends. Yes, I know how trite that sounds given what the Show where you're from is about, but they did get it right in that ponies do value friendship greatly, and only having a few kind of makes you look odd. You did say you want to blend in, after all.
-Ditzy Dew
P.S. Returning those library books would be a good start. Twilight won't bite your head off.
Thunderbird sighed as he finished reading. Ugh, I have so much more sympathy for Twilight Sparkle in episode one, now, he wryly thought. Some amusement crept into his mind, and the stallion shook his head. I was just thinking about her earlier, picked out twelve feathers, and now this? Alright, I can take a hint, God. With that Thud stood up and headed back towards the stairs.
* * * *
The air was clear and refreshing as Thunderbird winged his way towards Ponyville's public library. I miss computers, video games, the internet, and above all my hands, the stallion mused, and then closed his eyes briefly as he slipped into a glide. But flying is one heck of a fine consolation.
He opened his eyes at that thought so he could plan his descent. Gotta remember to account for the mass I'm carrying, Thud reminded himself, and then glanced back to the saddlebags on his back. Still looks secure, so long as I don't do a barrel roll, he silently joked, and then returned his attention forward. Ponyville was laid out before him, and towards the center of town he could make out the more prominent landmarks, including the library inside a living tree. You know, I gotta find out someday how they do that. The brief thought rolled through his head and then was banished as the more serious consideration of flight path planning took forefront. Several other pegasi in the air, though most are distant. Some birds in the air, but either through experience or native intelligence they're staying low and out of the way. Looks clear straight to the library. With that he adjusted his wings and then dove and turned at the same time so he could descend in a spiral. A muted thud announced his landing, and Thunderbird smiled as he looked up to see he had arrived right where he had aimed: directly in front of his destination.
Yup, I'm awesome, Thunderbird mused, as he straightened up from the half crouch he'd landed in to absorb the energy of his impact. His sense of accomplishment dimmed, however, as he remembered who likely awaited him inside. Well, no sense putting it off, he thought, and then took in a deep, calming breath. Alright, remember back to when you took Dash's little test; the ponies are not going to eat you alive, there's no instant “run out of town” switch on them, save for the obvious really bad crap that you won't do anyway. So just stay calm and carry on.
With that Thud steeled his resolve and walked up to the door. Unlike with the show the real library had a sign on the door listing its hours, and after a moment to confirm that the place should indeed be open, he reached up and pressed down on the handle and pushed open the entrance. The inside gave him pause, however, as it was dark and quiet. “Uh,” Thud muttered, suddenly unsure. “Hello?”
A wave of light and sound washed over him as the interior lamps flicked on and a significant crowd of ponies shouted “Surprise!” A certain pink pony led them in the cheerful surprise greeting, and had practically popped up in Thunderbird's face.
Thud reacted as could be expected: he yelped in fear and scuttled backwards several steps. Immediately after this, though, he reared back on his hind legs and quickly brought up his forelegs, the left in what his untrained subconscious hoped was a guard position, while the right cocked back to unleash a punch. It was about then that his conscious mind caught up and finally took stock, and he paused to see that a not-insignificant collection of Ponyville's residents were inside, all giving him looks of amusement and a bit of surprise. Pinkie Pie herself offered a sheepish smile as she trotted out of the library's front door to meet the pegasus, but she soon regained her normal verve. “It's your 'Welcome-to-Ponyville Party!'” she announced, happily.
Thud could only stand there for a moment as his breath, accelerated from the adrenaline rush, started to slow down. “...Really?” he asked, bewildered.
“Yup!” Pinkie answered, in typical manic fashion.
Another moment of thought was required, but Thud soon realized he had overreacted, and a blush spread on his face as he dropped back to all fours. “You coulda warned me,” he muttered.
“But then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?” Pinkie countered. She then walked over to Thunderbird's side, wrapped one of her forelegs around his shoulders, and then started to move forward while she gently pulled the stallion along. “Come on, I invited as much of Ponyville as can fit in the library.”
The blush on Thud's face deepened. “I thought we agreed on a smaller party?” he asked, grumpily.
“Weelll, I thought about it,” Pinkie began, and then lowered her voice. “And then I thought about it some more. Then a little more. Then I felt sleepy, so I ate a cupcake and that reminded me about the party planning and so I thought about it even more—”
“Pinkie,” Thunderbird deadpanned.
“—I realized that since you don't like being the center of attention, a bigger party might actually be better,” the pink party planner postulated. “See, if there were only a few ponies, you'd easily be the center of attention since there would be less partygoers and you're so new everypony would be curious. But if there's a lot, then they can focus on each other and the food more instead of you, so you actually will be more anonymous in a crowd.”
Thud paused at that, conveniently just outside of the library's door. He turned his head to regard Pinkie, who had withdrawn her leg from him and now sat on her haunches with a concerned look on her face. “I... didn't really think of that. Thank you, Pinkie,” Thunderbird said, and then ducked his head down as he felt his embarrassment grow even more. “I'm sorry I tried to tell you how to do your job.”
“Hey, it's okay,” Pinkie said, and then leaned forward to wrap Thunderbird in a hug, to the stallion's mild surprise. “You're far from home and that's making you grumpy. I understand,” she said, and then released him.
“Well, that and I'm naturally an asshole,” Thunderbird admitted, with a sheepish smile. “So, thanks for putting up with me.”
“Of course, what are friends for?” Pinkie asked, a warm smile on her muzzle. She then placed a hoof on his shoulders and began to lead him into the library once again. “Now come on, everypony's waiting!”
Thunderbird could only grimace at that. Well, let's face the executioners...
* * * *
She had promised not to treat him like an experiment or a wild animal. But the analytical mind of Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but observe and document—at least in her head—Thunderbird's reactions.
Expected fight or flight response at first. Instead of maintaining flight mode, though, shifted into a defensive stance of some sort; possible sign of increased aggression or training, perhaps both. Apparently entire initial reaction was on instinct, now that Pinkie's talking to him he's calm and relaxing, so however powerful the instinct is in him conscious thought can override it. Oh, I wish I could just sit down and ask all sorts of questions and get answers. Twilight shook her head at that thought. No, no, I promised. Pinkie promised, even. I am not going to harass Thunderbird.
Her ruminations ended just as Pinkie finished bringing in the startled stallion. “Everypony, meet Thunderbird!” she announced, with a wave to the green pegasus. Thunderbird smiled and waved a hoof sheepishly at the partygoers while Pinkie continued to speak. “He's a nice guy from really far away and he's still trying to get the hang of things around Ponyville, so let's give him a friendly welcome, okay?”
The crowd seemed to agree, and they all waved or offered polite and sincere greetings. Thunderbird cleared his throat and spoke up after the wave of salutations. “Thank you,” he said, although his voice sounded strained, as if he were reluctant to speak. “My name's Thunderbird, but y'all can call me 'Thud'. I really appreciate being offered an open h–hoof by Ponyville,” he added, and Twilight could only file his odd hesitation at 'hoof' away in her growing mental picture. “Just a little forewarning, I'm still a bit tired from work and I'm on third shift, so I might not be all here this morning. So please don't take that as misbehavior on my part.”
“I don't think anypony is going to blame you for doing the hard work that nopony else around here wanted to do,” Pinkie Pie stated, and Twilight had to marvel a bit at how the pink equine was able to frame the stallion's arrival as a benefit to the town. And it's an accurate implication, given how long that weather job was open but nopony wanted to touch it because it was third-shift, the unicorn mused. She had to shake her head slightly then, as Pinkie continued speaking. “...So just enjoy yourselves and have a great party!”
A strong cheer came from the assembled ponies at that, and most of them turned to each other and started to form the little cliques that every social gathering seemed to engender. Twilight was already in her own; her closest friends, minus Pinkie Pie, were all standing around her near one of the snack tables, and she was reminded of this fact when a voice intruded on her ruminating. “A bit high-strung, isn't he?” Rarity asked.
A snort came from Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, he is,” she agreed. “You should have seen him the other day at AJ's, first he was all loopy, then he just snapped at me.”
“From what Ah heard,” Applejack interjected. “Ya dang near collided with 'im an' he gave ya an earful 'cuz of that.”
Rainbow harrumphed. “Well, we wouldn't have come so close to it if he hadn't turned more sharply than I thought he could.”
“You mean to say that it was his fault for being as maneuverable as you, Dash?” Rarity asked, with a jesting tone.
“He isn't as maneuverable as I am,” Dash heatedly protested. “He just... surprised me, that's all.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash's relatively subdued reaction. Hm, she's typically more animated when somepony picks at her skill, the unicorn mused.
Any further thoughts were pushed aside, though, as Pinkie Pie lead Thunderbird over to her friends. “And these are my bestest friends in the whole world!” Pinkie said to the stallion, as they reached the group. “But I think you kinda already met most of them.”
“Something like that,” Thud said, and then offered a smile to the waiting mares and one small dragon. “Hello, ladies. And mister Spike there, of course,” he added, with a nod to the aforementioned dragon, who seemed to stand a little taller at being remembered. “How are y'all doing?”
“Jus' fine and dandy,” Applejack replied, for the group it seemed, as none of the others were willing to speak up. This piqued Rarity's curiosity, but she suppressed any speculation as Applejack continued to speak. “It's nice ta see ya again, Thud.”
“Likewise, miss Applejack,” Thud replied. He then turned and looked to the other mares in turn. “Same to you miss Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy,” he added, and then nodded to Rarity. “We ain't met yet, but I would presume you to be miss Rarity Belle?”
“Indeed I am, mister Thunderbird,” Rarity replied, with a beatific smile. “I presume you've heard of me?”
“A few ponies in town have mentioned you, aye,” Thud smoothly lied. “I've been meaning to drop by your shop, actually, and see if you could repair my hat. It was damaged in the manticore incident.”
Rarity did not even bat an eye at the mention, and Thunderbird's opinion of her rose a notch. “Well, I'm not particularly busy at the moment, so I would be glad to take on a patch job,” she replied, friendlily. “It's not made of any special fabric, is it?”
“Well, it's a cotton-polyester blend,” Thud replied. “I know you usually work on high fashion, so I hope you won't be offended to work with that?”
A blink and a perplexed look was the initial response of the fashionista. “I'm sorry, dear, but I don't know what that 'poly-whatsit' is,” she replied, confusedly. “Could you explain?”
Now it was Thunderbird's turn to blink in confusion. “Polyester,” he said, equally confused, and thus he didn't think too clearly. “It's an artificial fabric.”
“Artificial?” This came from Twilight Sparkle, whose curiosity was inflamed once more. “You mean it doesn't come from a natural source like a plant or animal?”
“That's what artificial means, doesn't it?” Thud replied, as he cast his now concerned gaze to the lavender pony.
“Well, yes, but I've never heard of anypony making an artificial fabric,” Rarity interjected, with a placating tone. “However, there are a number of fabric types I've come across that are proprietary secrets, so perhaps it's not beyond the realm of possibility. Maybe if you described it to me I might recognize it?”
Thunderbird turned his head to the side and thought for a moment. I shouldn't say anything, he told himself. But I'm knee deep already, and if I refuse to say more it'll be more suspicious. He took in a slow breath, and then nodded as he returned his gaze to Rarity. “Well, it's basically a form of plastic,” he began. “I'm not sure exactly how it's manufactured, but I think it's made from petroleum, or some other hydrocarbon. Typically it's a very sturdy and strong fabric, but it's also rough and somewhat uncomfortable by itself, so most clothing manufacturers typically blend it with a natural fabric like cotton or wool to give the resulting mix a softer and more comfortable feel.”
A round of confused looks met the stallion, and he worried a bit as Rarity frowned. “I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean, good sir,” she said, and then looked over to the other unicorn in the group. “Twilight, could you explain?”
“I'm... not sure I can,” the addressed pony replied, a look of confusion on her face. “I know what plastic is, and I do know that alchemists make it from petroleum. But I've never heard of it being made into fabric, and I don't know what a hydrocarbon is.” Twilight then looked over to Thunderbird, and tried to restrain the growing eagerness to learn so she wouldn't jump in his face. “Could you define the term?”
Thud blinked at that. Dammit, I stepped in it this time, he thought. He felt trapped, and uncomfortably shifted on his hooves. “Well, a hydrocarbon is any number of chemical compounds comprising mainly of chains of hydrogen and carbon, with different lengths and patterns,” he explained. “They're generally used to make polymers like polyester because they contain a lot of carbon to build the long-chain repeating pattern molecules.”
Another silence met this small speech, and soon every pony—and one dragon—in the immediate area had turned to look at Twilight Sparkle. What they saw on her face, though, would run a cold chill down their backs, as she wore a look of utter bafflement. “I... don't understand,” she said, a bit of surprise in her voice. “You used a lot of words I've never heard of before.”
“You...” Thunderbird began, but trailed off for a moment as his mind pulled out a disturbing thought. “You do have atomic theory here, don't you?” he asked.
Twilight frowned, and then shook her head. “No, I've never heard of that. Could you explain it?”
Time seemed to stand still for Thunderbird as he mentally reeled at the question. “No,” he said, finally, and then brought up a hoof to jab it in Twilight's direction. “No, I refuse to believe that you don't have atomic theory,” he said, and then lowered his hoof back to the floor. “You have plastic, you have controlled electricity. You even call it electricity; why else would you do that if you didn't know what electrons are?”
The lavender unicorn could only take a step back at the sudden vehemence in Thud's voice. “We... we call it that because the first pony to figure out how to tame lightning was called Electron Volt,” Twilight cautiously explained, as Thud's expression slowly changed into one of incredulity. “Apparently his mother wanted to call him something different, so she picked a nonsense name for him. At least, that's what history says.”
A twitch started on Thunderbird's face, and he could only stare in abject horror at Twilight Sparkle. “You... don't know what electrons are?” he asked, and received a head shake. “Nor protons, neutrons, or isotopes?”
“No, I'm afraid not,” Twilight replied. “I... don't suppose you could define them?”
“And while you're at it, what do those thing have to do with fabric?” Rainbow Dash asked, as confused as everypony else in the group, save Thud.
“Because, Dash, atomic theory is essential to a proper understanding of chemistry,” Thunderbird explained, slowly, as he looked to the cyan mare. “You can't figure out how to finagle chemical elements into a molecule worth having if you don't know how atoms are built in the first place. And if you don't have that understanding, then you can't make advanced chemicals.” A thought crossed his mind then, and Thud looked to Twilight Sparkle again. “Which begs the question: how the flip do you guys make plastic without understanding what it is?”
Twilight bristled a bit at the mildly condescending tone that Thunderbird made his query in. “Typically the alchemists who work in that field use a mix of reagents and magical fields to produce artificial materials like plastic,” she replied, somewhat smugly as she was finally talking about something she did understand.
“Magic,” Thud said, and then shook his head. “Of course it's magic,” he added, and then sighed. He gave a weary glance over the mares around him, who looked back with a mix of confusion and, in the case of Twilight and Rainbow, some irritation. Thunderbird fought back another sigh, and then looked to Rarity. “Anyway, miss Belle,” he began, before the silence could grow awkward. “I'm sorry for getting carried away with the conversation. We were talking about a repair job, and I would like to know if you would rather I go elsewhere?”
Rarity blinked at the sudden shift of topic. “Well, let's not be too hasty, here,” she said, her voice holding a friendly and unhurried tone. “I did mention there's a few fabrics out there that are secrets known only to their creators. One of them might be this polyester you speak of, so by all means come by my shop on Monday and I'll see what I can do.”
Thunderbird smiled at that, tiredly but sincerely. “Thank you, miss Belle, I appreciate that,” he said.
“Oh please, call me Rarity,” the white unicorn replied, as she raised a foreleg to press a hoof against her chest. “Miss Belle is my mother.”
“Well, okay then, miss Rarity,” Thud said, with a smirk.
Rarity echoed the smirk. “An amusing fellow, I see,” she observed.
Thud shrugged his wings. “I do try,” he replied.
“Do you ever,” Spike chimed in, for the first time. The ponies all looked to him, and he could only smirk himself as he looked back on his memories. “You should've listened to this guy the other day when he half convinced me Pinkie Pie was some sort of super-powered alien. He really had me going for a while.”
Both males shared a chuckle at that, and soon Pinkie joined in. “That's silly, I'm not an alien!” the party mare spoke up, in a jovial tone. “I don't have any antennas on my head!”
“Antennae, huh?” Thud mischievously spoke, as he brought up a hoof to rub against his chin. “So does that mean unicorns are aliens?”
A brief round of silence met that question, though it was soon filled with giggles from Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Spike. Rarity and Twilight Sparkle blushed slightly, while Fluttershy remained the silent wallflower half-hidden behind Dash, as she had been during the entire conversation. Even she had a slight smile, though, at the silliness of the joke, though it was Pinkie who spoke up. “You're a silly pony, Thud,” she said, and then prodded the stallion with a hoof.
“Well, as my friend back home said, I am a sad, strange, bizarre little... pony,” Thud replied, hesitating only a bit where he almost said “man”.
“That's a mean thing to say,” Rarity observed.
“Yeah, but he didn't really mean it,” Thud replied. “Except in the nicest way.”
“You can say something like that in a nice way?” Rainbow Dash asked, skeptically.
Thud smiled at her. “Of course. For instance, I could say about you that you're the nicest, c–coolest jerk I've ever met.”
A blush spread over Rainbow's cheeks, but she was preempted from any retort as chuckles sounded from most of her friends; only Fluttershy remained silent. After a moment of this, Dash managed to smile a bit. “Okay, I guess I can be a bit over the top,” she admitted.
“Somethin' like that,” Applejack said, with a smug grin. “But we like ya anyway.”
“Oh, ha ha,” Rainbow replied, and then razzed her friend. “You just wait, Applejack, there's a prank with your name on it.”
“Bring it on, ya overgrown feather duster,” Applejack snarkily replied, as she gave a sly look at the pegasus. “Ah ain't no pushover.”
“We'll see about that, cowpony,” Dash retorted, with a smirk.
“Hey!” Pinkie interjected, as she bounded forward to join her friends. “If you two are going to have a prank war I totally want in on that!”
“Now, that wouldn't be fair, sugarcube,” Applejack lightly protested, in a manner that told those around her she was being more playful than confrontational. “You two are th' best prankers in Ponyville, Ah'd never stand a chance.”
“True! Hmm,” Pinkie said, and then stuck out her tongue as she thought about the situation. Then she brightened up as an idea hit her. “I know! We'll make it a three-way prank war!”
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash blanched at that. “Uh, no thanks,” Dash replied. “I remember the last time we had a three-way prank war,” she added, and then shivered. “I can still feel the itching powder in my feathers.”
Pinkie frowned and pouted slightly. “Aww,” she said, and then brightened once again. “Okay! Anyway, I better take Thud around and introduce him to some of the other ponies otherwise it wouldn't be his welcoming party because half the reason is getting everypony a chance to see the new guy so c'mon Thud.” The chain-fire blast of words rolled over the ponies, and while they were trying to decipher the words Pinkie quickly wrapped a foreleg over Thunderbird's shoulders and dragged him off.
Silence was all that came from those left behind, but it was fortunately brief. “Well, that was a most interesting introduction,” Rarity observed. “Quite an unusual fellow that Thunderbird is.”
“Yes,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up, to end her silence. The odd, contemplative nature of her voice brought the attention of those around her to look at the unicorn's face. A look of uncertainty was there as Twilight looked down to her assistant. “Spike, would you do me a favor and bring me a quill and some paper?”
“Uh, okay,” Spike replied. “Why?”
“Because I need to make notes,” Twilight answered, and then cast her gaze of to where Pinkie Pie was introducing Thunderbird to the three ponies known in town as the “flower trio”.
“Uh, Twilight?” Fluttershy finally spoke up. Although her voice was quiet, her friends nevertheless jumped as they had forgotten she was even there. “I thought you agreed you wouldn't study Thunderbird like an experiment?”
Twilight blushed slightly. “I did,” she admitted, with a nod. “But that was before the conversation we just had.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Because, Dash, what Thunderbird was talking about seems to be an entirely new way of looking at matter and the physical world, one we have yet to uncover ourselves,” Twilight explained, patiently, as Spike moved off to gather the requested supplies. “I'm not sure if he's lying or not, but if what he revealed is actually true, it could mean an immense advancement to Equestrian science,” she concluded.
Applejack frowned at her friend as the unicorn still seemed bothered. “You okay, Twi?” Applejack asked, curious. “Ya don't seem too thrilled at th' chance ta learn somethin' new.”
Twilight blinked at that, and then looked over to her farmer friend. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment before the unicorn broke and turned away. “I'm also concerned, now,” she admitted.
“Concerned?” Applejack asked. “'Bout what?”
“Well,” Twilight temporized, and then grimaced. “It's not a complete theory, but I think that Thunderbird might actually be from a previously unknown group of ponies outside of Equestria.”
The farmer took a moment to digest the words, and then shrugged. “So?” she asked.
“So, that's not all,” Twilight replied, and then briefly glanced back at the buttercream pegasus in their group. “Fluttershy got a look at his teeth the other day, and she said that they're omnivore teeth.”
“Omniwhatsit?” Rainbow Dash interjected, confusedly.
“She means he can eat meat as well as plants,” Applejack explained. The other mares all gave her a surprised look, and she huffed. “Ah raise animals, girls; Ah gotta know what some o' them fancy science words mean so Ah don't feed 'em the wrong stuff.”
“Oh, right,” Twilight said, somewhat embarrassed. “Anyway, my point is that when you add it all together, Thunderbird is potentially from an unknown tribe or civilization of meat-eating ponies who might have more advanced science than we do, and he's shown himself to be more aggressive than Equestrian ponies, almost predatory. Now he's here and has borrowed books about Equestria to learn about it.” She paused at this, and then glanced over towards the stallion in question again. “That combination just... makes me concerned.”
“So you think he's a spy?” Rainbow Dash asked, unsure. Yet even as she spoke, a tiny voice in her head cheered in vindication. I knew it! He's a total freak!
“I don't know,” Twilight replied, and then sighed. “That's the problem; I just don't have any information. For all I know, he could just be a nice pony like Pinkie says. But I need to find out if that's the truth, or if there's something I—something we need to be worried about.”
Another brief moment of silence passed between them, though once again it was Rarity to broke the pause. “Well, I've heard some ghastly rumors about him, but Thunderbird does seem like a nice pony,” she said. “I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of it, Twilight, but my gut tells me not to worry.”
“Same here,” Applejack added in. “Th' feller seems nice enough, and Ah don't think no spy would find anythin' interestin' 'bout shovelin' pig crap 'round th' farm.”
Rarity winced at that. “Applejack, dear, could you please try not to be so vulgar?” she asked.
“Well, that's what he did fer me th' other day,” Applejack countered. “How else am Ah supposed ta tell ya 'bout it?”
The fashionista rolled her eyes, but it was Rainbow Dash who spoke next. “I don't know,” she said, warily, with a brief glance across the room to the subject of the conversation. “He's been a weirdo since I saw him at Sweet Apple Acres. How can you two just be cool with him being some kind of weird predator pony?”
“Probably the same way you were friends with Gilda?” a tiny voice asked, and all present turned their heads to regard Fluttershy. The shy pegasus shirked back a bit as a frown crossed Dash's face. “I'm s–sorry for bringing her up again, but she was a griffon, and you had no problem with her,” Fluttershy finished, and then shied behind Twilight again.
Dash felt stung by her words, though, and she sighed. “Yeah, you're right,” she admitted, and then sat down on her haunches with a frown. “But he just always acts so weird, it's really bugging me.”
“Which he only does when you're around,” Applejack interjected, and then smirked at her friend. “Ah told ya, soon as ya came 'round the farm he flipped out like he's sweet on ya.”
“Don't start that again,” Rainbow retorted, as she turned her head to give the orange mare a harsh look. “I don't need any more of your nonsense bouncing around in my head.”
“It's not nonsense at all, Dash,” Rarity chimed in, which got her inquisitive looks from all of her friends in the group. “The colt's clearly smitten with you. While you and Applejack had that back and forth about a prank war he was looking at you and smiling the goofy sort of grin stallions get when they're not thinking clearly. And when he made that joke about you being a so-called 'jerk', he almost said 'cutest' instead of 'coolest'.”
Rainbow Dash could only open and close her jaw wordlessly for a few moments as she reeled at the unicorn's words. Finally, she seemed to regain her wits, and she issued a strained chuckle. “Okay, you two got me,” she said, resignedly, and then looked to Applejack. “That's a good prank, getting Rarity in on this.”
Applejack frowned, as did Rarity. “Dash, Ah ain't said word one 'bout Thud ta Rarity,” the former stated.
“And anypony with a good eye can see that he's nervous around you, like he's afraid to make a mistake,” Rarity added. “That may be why he always seems so 'weird', as you put it.”
Dash was silent for a moment, but soon shook her head. “You two are crazy,” she huffed, and then stood up. “I'm going outside to get some air,” she added, and then promptly walked away, towards the door.
Her friends watched her leave, each unsure of what to do. Once she departed through the main entrance, though, Twilight turned to Applejack and Rarity. “You two are sure about this?” she asked, carefully.
“As sure as we could be without bein' able ta read minds,” Applejack replied, to which Rarity added a nod. “All I know is Thud acts weird 'round Dash, like he's tryin' not ta crush somethin' underhoof.” She paused, and then shook her head and smirked. “Ya shoulda seen 'em when Rainbow landed at th' farm. Poor feller looked 'bout ready ta have kittens.”
“Hmm,” Twilight mused, as she tapped her chin with a hoof. “That's odd. If he hadn't met Dash before, yet had that reaction, that would imply he had some sort of prior knowledge of her.”
“Dash told me Thud said he was at Cloudsdale durin' that young fliers' competition,” Applejack explained, as she recalled the conversation she'd had with Dash after the latter's near-collision. “Said he'd seen her there.”
Twilight took on a pensive expression as she thought over Applejack's explanation. “That doesn't make sense,” she said. “He may not have been forthcoming about exactly where he's from, but he didn't refute my theory of his extra-Equestrian origin, either. I'm almost positive he's from outside the known lands, but if that's so and his arrival was recent, then how would he know who Dash was and how she won a flying competition he wasn't here for?”
“Well, far be it from me to question your logic, darling,” Rarity interceded. “But perhaps your theory is wrong and he isn't from outside Equestria? Or at least, maybe he's been here for a while?”
“No, I don't think so,” Twilight replied, with a shake of her head. “Just now he was ignorant of the state of science here, he's used odd pronouns around everypony he talks to, and he borrowed books that have basic information on Equestria that most foals should know after attending school. No,” she repeated, and then frowned as she looked into space and thought. “When you add that to the other facts, I'm pretty sure he's not from anywhere we would know of. And if he had been here for a while, he would have learned these facts before arriving in Ponyville.”
A short silence met her statement, and Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all shared concerned looks with each other. “Okay,” Applejack began. “Let's say yer right. What're ya gonna do 'bout it?”
She almost wished she hadn't asked the question, as Twilight simply took on a perplexed expression once again. “I honestly don't know,” the unicorn admitted, with a small shake of her head. “As I said, I'm concerned, but as I was reminded,” she added, and then paused to glance back to Fluttershy and offered the pegasus a brief but warm smile. “Thunderbird is a pony and deserves to be treated fairly; I shouldn't go acting like he's an experiment, after all.”
“Ah'm glad ta hear it,” Applejack replied, with a nod and a satisfied look. “The feller seems right nice an' upstandin'. It'd be a shame if'n ponies treat 'im poorly jus' 'cuz he ain't from 'round here.”
“Well,” Rarity interjected, in a placating tone. “I'm glad that's all settled. The question remains, though, of whether you're right or not, Twilight, and what does that mean for us and Equestria?”
“Those are very good questions, Rarity,” Twilight Sparkle admitted, and then sighed. “At the very least, I can start researching any references Thunderbird makes in case there's been previous contact that's gone largely forgotten. So the more I hear about what he says and does, the better my search will go.”
“Why Twilight, are you asking us to spy on mister Thunderbird?” Rarity asked, with mock scandal.
Twilight fought to keep from rolling her eyes, and instead just shook her head. “Nothing like that, Rarity. Just... keep your ears open and if you hear or see anything about our town's latest resident, let me know.” She then looked to Applejack and Fluttershy. “And that goes for you two as well. Please?”
“Well, Ah guess it ain't sneaky so long as we ain't goin' out of our way ta keep an' eye on 'im,” Applejack mused, and then nodded. “Yeah, Ah'll let ya know if'n Ah hear anythin'.”
“I... guess I can pass along anything I might hear,” Fluttershy gently chimed in.
“Good,” Twilight said, and then smiled with visible relief. “Thank you, girls. This is a load off of my mind, knowing that I'm not entirely crazy.”
“No, just a little crazy,” a voice cut in, and the mares startled slightly before they turned their heads to see Spike standing practically next to his adoptive sister, holding the items she had requested he fetch. Spike gave them all a wry look and tapped a foot while he shook his head. “Forgot about me again, Twilight?” he asked, with a sigh.
“Aheh,” Twilight replied, with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Spike. How long were you standing there?”
Spike's attitude picked up at her apology, as he did not like to hold a grudge. “Just long enough to hear you talking about Thud,” he replied, as Twilight lit up her horn and deftly picked the writing materials out of his hands. “If you want to hear stuff about him, I talked to him the other day. He said some interesting things, too.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked, even as she began her notes.
* * * *
“Thank you so much for saving my bacon,” Thunderbird said to Pinkie, sotto voce, as the two walked away from the remainder of the Mane Six.
“Saved your what?” Pinkie asked, nonchalant.
“Uh, nevermind, you don't want to know,” Thunderbird replied, and then shook his head. “Thanks for pulling me out of there. And nice job defusing AJ and Dash.”
“You're welcome, and thanks!” Pinkie replied, with a grin. “I've had lots of practice with them. Anyway, let's introduce you to some ponies so they don't get all suspicious and go 'why isn't that new guy talking to us? Does he have something to hide?' and stuff like that,” she added, pitching her voice differently as she gave her examples.
“Heh, alright,” Thud said, and then took in a calming breath. This can't be any worse than dealing with the Mane Six, he told himself. You can handle it.
“Hello, Pinkie!” a voice intruded upon his thoughts, and Thud blinked his eyes a few times to get his focus back on the ponies around him. Three new mares were standing in front of Pinkie and himself, and Thunderbird recognized them even as the khaki pony with the red mane continued to speak. “And hello to you too, Thunderbird!”
“Hiya, Rose!” Pinkie replied. “And Daisy and Lily, too!” she added, as she acknowledged the other two ponies with a happy nod. “Enjoying the party so far?”
“Absolutely, Pinkie,” Daisy spoke up, a pleasant smile on her muzzle. “Everypony in Ponyville loves your parties.”
“And it's always nice to meet a new pony!” Lily chimed in, and then gave Thunderbird a coy look. “Especially one so good looking.”
The comment froze his mind in its tracks, and the stallion could only stand still as all thought vanished and a blush crept over his face. “Huh?” he muttered, in his confusion.
“I know, right?” Daisy spoke up again, as the three mares moved to stand in an arc in front of the pegasus. “Usually it's just mares moving in lately. It's certainly a nice change of scenery for a new stallion to waltz in.”
Oh dear God, they're hitting on me! Thunderbird realized, in utter horror. No one has ever said I was attractive before, let alone hit on me! This has never happened to me before I don't know what to do I don't know how to handle this what do I do what do I do oh GOD WHY IS ROSE GRINNING?
“Quiet type, huh?” Rose asked, a slight purr in her voice. “You know what they say about quiet types?”
“They turn out to be serial killers?” Thunderbird blurted out, desperate to change the topic.
Fortunately, the diversion worked, and the three mares in front of him all blanched a bit in shock. “Uh, what?” Daisy asked, confused.
“That's enough fun for now, girls,” Pinkie interjected, all smiles as always. “I've got a bunch of ponies to introduce to Thud so we'd better go or else we'll never get done and then we'll be stuck here in the welcoming party forever until all the stars burn out and it gets so dark we can't see so seeya!” Once again the staccato burst of words distracted their targets as Pinkie guided Thunderbird away from the small clique.
Thunderbird himself could only blink a few times as his mind struggled to catch up. “What the Hell just happened?” he asked, in a daze.
“Just the girls being themselves,” Pinkie replied, ever cheerful. “Oh, hello Lyra!”
“Lyra?” Thunderbird asked, as his mind suddenly re-engaged at the familiar name. His eyes resumed focus in time to find he'd been placed in front of another pair of mares, both rather familiar.
“That's my name, don't wear it out!” Lyra friendlily said, and then gestured to the cream-colored earth pony beside her. “And this is my friend and housemate, Bonbon.”
“Hello,” the mentioned mare said, with a pleasant smile. “I hope the flower girls didn't scar you too bad?”
Thunderbird took a moment to think and let his mind finish spooling up. “Well, it's not the first time I've felt like prey,” he replied. “Usually it's at the other end of a modem, though.”
The two gave him an odd look at the reference. “You're going to fit in real well around here,” Bonbon wryly observed, a smirk on her muzzle as she glanced to the minty mare at her side. “Crazy ponies are everywhere.”
“I am not crazy,” Lyra countered, with a huff. “Just because I think old myths have a basis in reality does not make me crazy.”
“Old myths?” Thud asked, before his brain could process. Oh, right, he thought just a second too late.
Lyra's expression brightened, and she looked to the stallion with an eager expression. “Yeah. Have you ever heard of humans?”
Despite himself, Thunderbird couldn't help but smile. “As a matter of fact I have,” he replied. “I'm a bit fond of them myself.”
The unicorn seemed ready to burst at that, but it was a sad sigh from the side that came next. “Great, another one,” Bonbon sardonically observed.
“Hush, you,” Lyra retorted to her friend, and then turned to regard Thunderbird with a smile. “It's nice to finally meet another pony who likes the old human myths. Most ponies around here don't even know the old stories, let alone want to talk about them.”
Thud smirked a bit. “Well, I just like stories with the human element in it,” he said, snarkily.
Lyra loosed a brief laugh. “Funny,” she said, with a smile. “So which story is your favorite?”
“Uh,” Thunderbird temporized, as he suddenly realized that he had no idea what stories the Equestrians actually had. That book with the chapter on humans only talked about us in general, he remembered. He decided to play it safe. “I dunno, I kinda like 'em all,” he said.
Lyra's eyes widened. “Me too!” she proclaimed. “All of them are just so fascinating, from stories that focus on single characters like Odysseus to ones that follow a bunch of different characters, like the various King Arthur iterations.”
Thunderbird blinked as he was hit with surprising information. “You've... heard of those stories?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Lyra beamed. “They were really hard to find, since most books about humans all just talk about how they liked to fight and that they rode on the backs of horses. But if you dig around in some back-alley bookstores in places like Canterlot's Old Town—”
“Lyra,” Bonbon interrupted, with a roll of her eyes. “If you two are going to geek out over those silly old stories, then I'm going to go mingle.”
“Sounds good to me,” Lyra replied, slightly peevish.
“Yup! C'mon Bonbon,” Pinkie Pie interjected, and then hopped off. “Let's go mingle-jingle!”
Bonbon rolled her eyes at the party mare's expression, but she smiled nonetheless. “Alright,” she said to Pinkie as the latter moved away, and then looked over to Thud. “Nice meeting you, Thunderbird,” she said, and then glanced to Lyra. “Try not to talk his ears off,” she added, and then walked away.
Lyra rolled her eyes as well, and then sighed. “Bonbon's a great friend, but she can be annoying sometimes,” she said, as she watched the two earth ponies walk away.
“I've known people like that,” Thunderbird said, and then offered a smile. “You want to strangle 'em sometimes just to knock some sense into 'em.”
“Exactly!” Lyra said, as she turned her head back to Thunderbird with a smile. “So anyway, like I was saying, if you dig around in some bookshops you'll find really old books that tell the specific stories about humans.”
“Interesting,” Thud replied. “So you've read the Odyssey, then?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Lyra replied, with a nod. “It took some getting used to, with the weird cadence to the words, but it was a good read after that.”
“Yeah, the wording can take some getting used to,” Thunderbird agreed. “But that's the problem with translating texts from one language into another. Doubly so when you're translating text from thousands of years in the past to modern language.”
“Another language?” Lyra asked, with a frown. “I've never heard of that story being in any other language.”
Thunderbird blinked in surprise. “Well,” he slowly said, as he struggled to figure out what to say next. You know what? To Hell with it, he thought, and then sighed. If anyone can be told the really crazy stuff, it's probably Lyra... So long as her personality is really as we've speculated, that is.
“What was that for?” the unicorn in question asked, as she noted Thunderbird's sigh.
The pegasus shook his head a bit. “Sorry, just thinking,” he replied. “But yes, the Odyssey and its predecessor, the Iliad, were both originally written in Ancient Greek, and have been translated several times over the millennia. Not to mention they're both epic poems in the ancient tradition, so combine all of that and it gets a bit hard to read.” He paused for a moment to think, and then shrugged his wings. “I know it took me a while to adapt when I read the Iliad, but once I got used to it the story got easy to read and was pretty gripping.”
Lyra just stared at the pegasus for a moment, befuddlement upon her face. Thunderbird frowned as the silence became awkward, and he slowly drew in a calming breath. “What?” he asked.
“There's a prequel to the Odyssey?” the unicorn asked, her voice betraying a trace of awe. “And you've read it?”
“Er, yes,” Thud replied, uneasily. Great, how often am I going to screw up today? Maybe I should just go ho—back to Ditzy's.
“What's it about?” Lyra pressed on, oblivious to the stallion's failing mood. She also pressed forward, as well, and pushed her head into Thunderbird's personal space as she looked up at him with wide eyes. “Please, tell me!”
“Uh,” Thud temporized again, as he took a step back from the fervent unicorn. “Well, it's a retelling of the ninth year of the Trojan War, and things start to go bad for the Greeks when the hero Achilles withdraws from battle after king Agamemnon takes one of the women Achilles claimed as spoils for his own...”
* * * *
Ditzy Dew watched with amusement as Thunderbird began to speak at length to Lyra. Although the gray pegasus was too far away to hear what was being said, the ponies involved made her confident it involved a certain race of bipedal simians. Lyra looks rather enthralled, so I suspect Thud has finally started to loosen up a bit, she mused, as she sipped from a punch cup in her right hoof. I'm glad; he really needs to calm down. It's not like he has industrial blueprints memorized or anything.
As invested in her internal musing as she was, Ditzy didn't notice when a particular pegasus reentered the building a few minutes later and, with a brief pause, made a beeline for the gray mare. The colorful mane and tail did, however, alert Ditzy to the other pony as she approached, and so she was not startled as Rainbow Dash walked up. “Hello, Rainbow,” Ditzy said, as she turned around to face her friend.
“Hey, Ditzy,” Dash replied, somewhat subdued. “You got a minute to talk?”
“Well, the girls are busy with the party games,” Ditzy answered, with a glance over to where said games had been set up for the children and the children at heart. Four fillies in particular were busy with the tail pin game, and so Ditzy returned her attention back to the weather mare. “So I certainly have some time. Is something bothering you?” she asked, with a note of concern. “I saw you leave a few minutes ago and you looked upset.”
Dash winced a bit at that. “Yeah, something's bothering me,” she admitted, and then glanced over to Thunderbird. “And he's standing over there.”
Ditzy raised an eyebrow as Rainbow turned back to her. “Do you have a problem with Thud?” she asked, neutrally.
“Maybe,” Dash replied, sourly. “What's confusing me right now, though, is how you can let a guy like that live in your house?” she asked, bemusedly.
A frown crossed Ditzy's muzzle. “Rainbow Dash,” she began, carefully. “Please don't tell me you've been listening to those silly rumors?”
“Turns out they're not silly,” Dash countered, and then glanced to the knot of her friends across the room. “Fluttershy says his teeth are for eating meat, and Twilight says he's acting suspicious. You're not dumb, Ditzy,” Rainbow continued, “you gotta know these things by now, don't you?” she pressed, and only paused for Ditzy Dew to give a wordless nod as her answer. “So how can you stand having him in the house? Especially with little Dinky there, too?”
Silence fell over the two, but only for a moment as Ditzy shook her head. “Rainbow Dash,” she began, slowly, with a clear effort to maintain her composure. “Are you suggesting that I would be so foalish as to endanger my daughter by letting a dangerous pony stay at my house?”
For her part, Rainbow Dash realized she had stepped over a line, and she took an actual physical step back. “Uh, well, maybe not, uh, dangerous,” she temporized. “Just... you know, he's so...”
“Strange?” Ditzy asked, with her head canted. She didn't wait for Dash to answer, however. “He wouldn't be the first pony in Ponyville to be considered strange and unusual, now would he?”
“Well, no,” Dash allowed. “But he like, killed a manticore by himself. Doesn't that make you wonder about how d—uh, how much trouble he could be?”
“You don't need to remind me of what he did,” Ditzy replied. “I was the one who found him, remember? I had a very clear view of his work, and while I cannot say I would do the same as he, I certainly cannot fault him for his actions. As for how much trouble he could be...” At this, she let her voice trail off as she went back over the nervous hours before Thunderbird arrived at her home the first time. “I admit I had my worries in the beginning,” Ditzy allowed, but then focused a stern look at Rainbow Dash. “But I've gotten to know him since then. Yes, he has the capacity for violence of a nature that most ponies would balk at, but I know he wouldn't be violent for no good reason. If anything, I take comfort in the fact that Dinky and I are now probably safer because Thud is living with us.”
“Safer?” Rainbow asked, with a tiny squeak in her voice. “How do you figure that?”
“Because of two reasons,” Ditzy began. “First, because he can kill a manticore, I know he can handle any sort of burglar or rogue diamond dog or whatever might bother us. Secondly, because as I've said I've gotten to know him, and I've found out he cares about things like right and wrong, and more importantly I've found out what he thinks is right are the same things ponies like you and I think are right.” The blonde mare paused momentarily for emphasis, and then shook her head. “Thunderbird is a good pony, Dash. I don't know what exactly has you so put off about him, but frankly I think you'd like him if you actually went and spoke to him instead of acting like he's going to bite your head off.”
Another moment of silence passed between the two pegasi, longer than the last. Rainbow Dash blushed as she let Ditzy Dew's words sink into her brain, and she idly brought up one foreleg to rub against the other. She glanced over to where Thunderbird was still speaking with Lyra, and watched for a moment as the stallion sat on his haunches and then started to add gestures to his story. “I dunno,” she finally said, with a sigh. “He just rubs me the wrong way.”
Ditzy frowned in consternation. “Dash, are you still upset with him over that near-collision you two had?”
Rainbow's head jerked back to the other mare at that. “Huh? He told you about that?” she asked, with a measure of irritation entering her tone.
“Yes,” Ditzy replied. “He explained it to me because he was worried you'd be upset over it and wouldn't approve him for the job he was applying for. Once I explained how professional you are, he promptly relaxed and forgot about it.”
Dash harrumphed. “Did he tell you he snapped at me?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Ditzy replied, and then pressed on when she saw her friend pause in uncertainty. “He wasn't proud of it; seems he has a bit of a temper problem,” the blonde pegasus added, with a wing-shrug. “He told me as such when he moved in, and admitted that it can take some time for him to calm down. However, while I've seen him get angry, I have never seen Thud get carried away, and when he knows Dinky's around he even refrains from using foul language.” She paused and tossed her head in dismissive gesture that sent her mane into a brief flutter. “It's not exactly an endearing trait, but it's not the worst flaw I've seen in a pony. Not too different from boisterous arrogance, I'd say,” Ditzy added, with a wry look at Dash.
To her credit, Rainbow Dash blushed and glanced away. “Yeah, I guess nopony's perfect,” she admitted.
“Indeed,” Ditzy said, and then took a sip of her punch. “But the wonderful thing about being ponies is we don't have to be perfect to be friends,” she observed, and then gave Dash a small grin. “You of all ponies should be thankful for that.”
“Oh, come on, I'm not that bad,” Dash retorted, although her heart wasn't quite in it.
“No, you're not,” Ditzy agreed. “And neither is Thud, once you get to know him.”
“Maybe,” Rainbow allowed, and then sighed. “I guess... I guess I was just letting that one snap bug me more than I should have.”
“To be fair, he did sound like he was being a bit of a jerk,” Ditzy said, and then shrugged her wings again. “But to be equally fair, Thud has had a rough time lately; his arrival in Equestria wasn't exactly the best one could have,” she explained. Not to mention the whole reality-hopping and shape-changing bit.
Dash thought about that, and then glanced over to Thud again, and watched as his arms made odd gestures while he spoke to Lyra. “Uh, what's he doing?” she asked, in confusion.
Ditzy glanced over, and then chuckled slightly at the scene. “I think I have an idea, but let's go listen in, shall we?” she asked, as she looked back to Rainbow. “This will be a good chance for you to try and start over with Thunderbird.”
Another frown washed over Dash's face. “I don't know...” she said, unsure.
“Oh, come on,” Ditzy insisted. She walked back and then extended a wing to wrap it over Dash's withers. “Just join me and listen,” she added, as she began to move and pushed the other mare forward.
Rainbow grunted as she moved forward at Ditzy's urging. “Alright, fine,” she grumbled. “I guess I can give him a shot.”
* * * *
“...And so Achilles returned Hector's body to king Priam. The Iliad ends right about there, at the beginning of the tenth year of the Trojan War,” Thunderbird finished, and then took in a deep breath. “I may have forgotten a few things here and there, so if you ever find a copy I'd suggest reading it for yourself.”
“You bet your flank I will!” Lyra earnestly replied. “Wow, a whole story focusing solely on the war itself, I never thought I'd see one,” she added, with a small shake of her head. “It's strange, you know? Most of the old human tales are usually about politics or fighting monsters, but so many reference the massive wars they were said to wage between their kingdoms that it's hard to picture humans without conflict. Yet I've never found a story that has explained more than a small portion of a war.”
Thunderbird frowned as a small silence fell over he and Lyra; both ponies mulled over the conversation so far. “That is kind of odd,” Thud finally said.
“I know, right?” Lyra replied, with a huff. “I can't even find out how they fought, whether they were like pegasi or unicorns or earth ponies from back before Equestria's founding.”
“Ah, well,” Thud said, and then paused as he thought for a moment. Should I? I mean, I said I don't want to talk about it, but... this is Lyra here, and she's definitely as interested in humans as the fans speculated... “Where I'm from, we have a lot more human stories,” he eventually continued, after finally deciding to relent just a bit. “Especially war stories. I could tell you a thing or two about the basic technology and tactics.”
“Really?” Lyra asked, her expression switching to eager excitement again. “Could you tell me more about the Greeks, then? I found an old, old history book from pre-Founding times that actually mentioned the Pegasi tribe used 'Greek-style' armor and weapons. It's not very well known, but if it's true then it could be a link between history and myth, perhaps even establishing humans as an undiscovered race!”
“You know, that kind of makes sense,” Thunderbird allowed, even as his mind raced. She knows a lot about us, and we have myths of Pegasus and unicorns and the like... I wonder...?
“I know, right?” Lyra repeated her earlier exultation. Her eager words interrupted Thunderbird's train of thought and so he put off his musings for later as the unicorn continued. “So many things make more sense if you accept that humans may have had a profound influence on our own cultural development.”
“Like chairs and doorknobs?” Thud asked.
“Exactly!” Lyra beamed. “They're not perfectly shaped for equine use, and even minotaurs have problems with them, yet we use those designs anyway. Clearly that's an influence from another species that would find them well formed.”
“Well, that makes sense to me,” Thunderbird affirmed, with a nod.
For he part, Lyra grinned like a madman. “I'm so glad you moved here,” she said, as her eyes grew a little misty. “You don't know how frustrating it is to be so fascinated over something and nopony else could care less about it.”
Thud thought for a moment and then smirked. “I actually understand that pretty well,” he said. How many people even know about Battletech? Or care about the design history of capital ships pre- and post-Washington Naval Treaty?
Lyra blinked a bit, and then blushed. “Oh, of course,” she said, a bit sheepishly. “You probably get the same looks when you talk about humans, too. Am I right?”
“Uh, something like that,” Thunderbird replied, with a grin. “I'm actually referring to the fact that I like researching war stuff. But yeah, I get what you mean.”
“Ah, so you know more about human warfare than just the stories about it?” Lyra asked, with mild surprise.
“Definitely,” Thud answered, with a nod. “Like the Greeks you want to hear about, for instance. They would typically fight in large square formations called a 'phalanx', which worked best with the 'hoplite', their heavily armored soldiers of the upper classes.”
“Really?” the unicorn asked, with a raised eyebrow. “The upper classes would fight?”
“Yeah, that was back about—I mean,” Thunderbird caught himself, and then thought quickly. “It was supposedly when there weren't a lot of humans around, and the upper classes were the only ones who could afford the expensive armor of a hoplite.”
“Ah,” Lyra said, with a nod. “So I guess that armor was pretty extensive, then?”
“Oh yeah,” Thud replied, with a grin. “Bronze and iron, the lot of it, from helmet to breastplate to greaves and boots and a huge round shield that formed part of the phalanx's superior protective strength. Almost every inch of the human body covered in plate metal, then that shield, and add to that the spears that were their main weapons and the bronze swords for slashing should the spears get broken, and that crap was expensive and heavy.”
“Wow,” Lyra murmured. “That does sound similar to old Pegasi armament. Pre-unification, they wore armor heavier than even the earth ponies had, but after Equestria was founded they switched to the lighter sets and let the earthers carry the heavy equipment.” She paused then, and blinked. “But I guess you already knew that, knowing military stuff like you do.”
“Uh, yeah,” Thud lied, and his eyes flicked back and forth a bit before they settled on Lyra again. “But anyway, the Greek hoplite would fight in a phalanx formation, which was, if I recall correctly, a square eight men across and eight deep. That way they could overlap their shields and become near impregnable from arrows and spears.”
“Huh, how could they strike at the enemy, then?” Lyra asked, bemused.
“Well, they would carry their shields like this,” he said, and then shifted so he could hold his left arm in front of him. “And they'd have their spears like this,” he added, and then held his right arm out and flexed his fetlock as if he were trying to hold something. “And what they'd do is they'd keep the shields up until they were in range, then as one they'd shift,” he moved his left arm to the side, “and strike,” he thrust his right hoof forward, as if he were holding a spear. “Then as soon as the strike was over they'd go back to shielding.” At this, Thud shifted back into the original arm position he'd had.
Lyra, for her part, just watched in joyful awe. “Wow, so they'd only expose themselves for an attack and then go back to being fully protected?” she asked, and then grinned when Thud nodded in reply. “That's brilliant.”
Thunderbird shrugged. “Well, if there was one thing the Greeks did well, it was war. Well, that and philosophy and building the intellectual basis for Western Civilization.”
“Western Civilization?” Lyra echoed, with a curious look on her face.
Thud froze as he realized he had slipped again, but before he could speak a new voice chimed in. “What's that?” it asked, and he turned to see that Ditzy Dew and Rainbow Dash had walked up while he was talking to Lyra. Dash wore a frown of confusion, and it had been her who had spoken up. “Are you talking about the dragonlands?”
“Uh, I don't think so,” Thud temporized, as he tried to think his way out. Dammit, I need to keep my big mouth shut! He glanced at Ditzy, who only gave him a shrug of her wings, and then slowly took in a deep breath. “It's just what we call our culture, back home.”
Dash and Lyra both gave him puzzled looks, while Ditzy took a moment to slightly shake her head. Soon enough, though, Lyra spoke up. “Wait,” she said, as a light dawned on her face. “If you're saying that the Greeks are the basis of your culture, and you exist, then that means there's a real civilization that's had contact with humans!”
Thud's ears folded back as he realized the depth of his mistake. Fuck me with a gun rammer, he thought, even as Lyra bounded forward and wrapped him in a hug.
“Finally, vindication!” she crowed, and then drew back from the embrace just enough so she could look into Thunderbird's face with starry eyes. “You have to tell me everything about your home! What's your culture like? Do you have a military tradition like the old pegasi? Who's the ruler? Do you have any human artifacts? Any first-hoof accounts?”
“Lyra,” a familiar voice chimed in, and everyone in the immediate scene turned their heads to see that Bombon had returned, and she sounded tired as she continued. “You're causing a scene.”
The unicorn looked around at this, and Thunderbird did the same, only to see that much of the party indeed had paused to look in their direction. Both of the ponies at the center of the disturbance blushed, and Lyra stood up on all fours and backed away from Thud. “Eh-heh, sorry,” she said to Thud, and then looked over the party. “Sorry for getting carried away, everypony!” she called.
The partygoers seemed pleased with that, and the shindig soon returned to normal as the various ponies went back to whatever was keeping them entertained before. Lyra smiled at this, but soon yelped as Bonbon chomped on her tail and started to drag the unicorn away. “Booooon!”
“You need to calm down,” Bonbon retorted, surprisingly articulate despite the fact she had quite a bit of tail hair in her mouth. She said nothing more as she continued to drag Lyra away, and then out the front door of the library, while the unicorn simply whined and looked forlornly at Thunderbird until they were out of sight.
“Okay,” Thunderbird said, although he did not address anyone directly. “That is the second weirdest thing that's happened today.”
“Only the second?” Rainbow Dash asked, skeptical.
Thud startled slightly as the question reminded him that others were nearby. He turned his head to regard the sky-blue pegasus, and then blushed. “Well, the flower girls were looking at me like I was a slab of meat; that's a lot weirder to me.”
The incredulous look Dash gave him was joined by bemusement, and this puzzled Thud a bit until he glanced to Ditzy and saw her face-hoof. He barely had time to recognize his slip before Rainbow spoke again. “A slab of what now?”
At this, even Thunderbird face-hoofed. You know what? Fuck it. I can't keep my mouth shut, so fuck it. “Meat, Rainbow,” he began, mostly deadpan but with a tinge of irritation, as he lowered his hoof back to the floor. “The tasty, semi-yielding flesh of a warm-blooded animal, preferably. Basically, I'm saying the flower trio were sizing me up as if I were something to be bought and consumed like food rather than a person.”
For their parts, Dizty and Dash simply looked shocked, albeit for different reasons. Ditzy recovered first, and shot Thud a questioning glance, but the stallion ignored it as Rainbow let a frown cross her muzzle. “So, you do eat meat?” she asked, cautiously.
“I used to,” Thunderbird replied, equally cautious. “Equestria doesn't exactly have a plethora of delicatessens, and even if they did I'm not exactly keen on eating things that talk.”
Again, there was a look of bemusement and surprise on the mares' faces. “So... you're kinda like the griffons?” Rainbow asked. “You just eat dumb animals from outside Equestria?”
Thud blinked. Hard. “Wait... there are dumb animals outside of Equestria?” he asked, in a shock of his own.
“Uh, yeah,” Rainbow Dash replied. She felt a bit uneasy as Thunderbird gave her a hard, probing look. “I mean, otherwise griffons would be pretty heartless eating meat, wouldn't they?”
“Indeed,” Thud replied, and then looked to Ditzy. “And you didn't tell me this?”
“Well, pardon me for not being omniscient,” she replied, in a huff, as she ruffled her wings a bit. “I don't have any griffon friends, and they're not that common in this part of Equestria.”
A light seemed to go on in Dash's head, and her expression shifted into one of cautious curiosity. “Uh, shouldn't you know that already?” she asked of Thunderbird. “I mean, aren't you from outside of Equestria?”
Another round of panic flowed through Thud, albeit briefly. I am entirely out of fucks to give today, he mused. “Yes and no,” he answered.
“What does that mean?” Dash asked, as Ditzy simply stood there and let her eyes widen.
“I'd rather not say,” Thunderbird replied. “It's kind of personal.”
“Yeah? What if I don't agree with that?” Dash countered, as she took a step forward.
Thunderbird narrowed his eyes at the mare as his temper started to rise. “I would ask just what the Hell gives you that right?” he retorted.
“The fact that you're in Ponyville now, and this is my home,” Rainbow Dash answered, as her ears splayed back and she took another step forward and dangerously close to Thunderbird's personal space. “And I have no idea what kind of pony you are. For all I know you could be evil!” she added, while her wings spread open a bit in a display.
“Oh, yeah, like judging a person based just because he's different works out real well,” Thud sarcastically countered, even as his own wings spread open on instinct to counter Dash's. “How'd that work out with Zecora, anyway?”
Rainbow flinched at the question, and she took a step back. “That's different,” she weakly protested, although her heart wasn't in it.
“No, it's not,” Thunderbird replied. “Are you really going to make that same mistake? Honestly, Rainbow Dash, you're better than that,” he added, even as he finally realized his wing status, and then willfully shut them. The look of disappointment he gave Dash made the mare want to shiver at the familiarity of it, and her wings practically wilted back to her sides. “I know you are,” he added, emphatically.
A blush filled Rainbow's face, and she glanced away from the stallion to stare at the floor. Why the hay is he telling me that? she briefly mused. But... he's right. Even after Ditzy asked me to give him a chance, I just went and acted like a jerk. Her face was burning as she took in a deep breath and then sat on her haunches. “You're right,” she said, quietly. “I wasn't thinking, and I shouldn't have judged you before I got to know you.” Then, with her face still red, she turned her head and looked Thunderbird in the eye. “I'm sorry.”
It was now Thunderbird's turn to blush, as the unexpected apology took him off-guard. This is Rainbow Dash, why is she apologizing so readily? he asked himself, even as he mirrored Dash by glancing down to the floor, upon which he took a seat. I was too harsh with her; it's not her fault, and I am a creepy person. “I'm sorry, too,” he finally said, as he looked back into Dash's gaze. “I shouldn't've gotten so mad, when all you're doing is being rightfully concerned about some strange guy appearing in town. Lord knows if some odd person came into my neighborhood and starting being weird, I'd give him the stink-eye for a bit.” Thud looked down again, and then sighed. “You're right to be concerned. I'm not here to do anything bad, but you don't know that.” I'm a bad person; I hurt her.
His apology threw Rainbow Dash for a loop as well, and she found herself speechless. He's not mad? He understands? She hadn't expected him to admit to anything, yet as she looked at Thud she realized that he had put himself in her horseshoes. I don't think anypony ever tries to see things like I do. At least, not right away. Her blush had begun to lift from her apology, but now returned as she studied the stallion's crestfallen face. But why does he look so sad?
It was then that a third voice interjected from the side. “Now kiss,” came the playful tone.
Both Dash and Thud glanced to the owner of said voice, their faces somehow even more flushed than before, and saw a mutual friend. “Vinyl!” both of them half-whined, at the same time.
Vinyl Scratch just laughed at the two pegasi. “Oh geeze, you two should see the looks on your faces!” she said, while she pointed a hoof at the stricken ponies. “Ah, but seriously, when are you two going to get a room?”
Both Rainbow Dash and Thunderbird grimaced at the unicorn's teasing question, and then winced as they saw that most of the other ponies at the party had once again turned their attention their way, and most were smiling or laughing at the scene. At least one gave a whistle, and at this Thunderbird's nerves broke. “Excuse me,” he muttered to no one in particular, as he stood and then quickly walked to the door leading out of the library.
Rainbow Dash couldn't even look at Thud directly as he left, and she only watched him out of the corner of her eyes as he walked off. Once the door closed behind him, she turned her head and spitted the Cheshire-grinning unicorn with a harsh glare. “You are a serious pain in the flank, you know that?” she seethed at her friend.
Vinyl only chuckled again. “Oh c'mon, Dash, you two are so tense around one another that it's painfully obvious what you're thinking,” she replied, and then glanced to Ditzy Dew, who had simply stood and looked on in mute astonishment at the scene as it played before her. “Am I right, Ditzy?”
This caused the gray mare to shake herself out of her funk, and despite the situation, she managed a faint smile. Sorry, Thud, but this is for your own good. “Something like that, Scratch,” she allowed. “I can't say much about Dash, but I do know Thud's had a bit of a crush on her since he got here.”
“What?” Rainbow squeaked. AJ was right?!
“Oh yes,” Ditzy confirmed, with a nod and a grin. “Seems he heard about the great Rainbow Dash before he even got here, and when he saw you it just clicked.” I'm stretching things a bit here, Ditzy realized. But it's more-or-less the truth, and it's still Thud's choice whether to fully reveal everything or not.
Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was wondering if her face would permanently change color. It was the only coherent thought in her mind at the moment, and she barely had the presence to shake her head in disbelief. “You... he... augh!” she groaned, and then stood up. “I need air. Again,” she stated, and then promptly stomped out.
Ditzy Dew and Vinyl Scratch watched her go before they turned to each other. “It's really freaky how alike they are while still being so different,” the unicorn observed. “It's like he popped out of a mirror or something.”
“Indeed,” Ditzy wryly observed. “Male instead of female, quiet and reserved instead of boisterous, introvert instead of extrovert, thoughtful and contemplative instead of brash and impulsive, slow but steady instead of fast and somewhat unpredictable; all opposites.”
“But they share the same hot temper, get flustered easily, and love to fly, amongst other things,” Vinyl added in. When Ditzy gave her a look, the unicorn shrugged. “We talk about stuff when he hangs out. Lots of armchair philosophy; he's got a weird view on things.”
Ditzy chuckled a bit. “Yes, that's Thud alright,” she agreed, with a nod. “So, how long do you think it will take them to finally see what we see?”
“Depends, are we gonna help out?” Vinyl asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Does Celestia raise the sun?” Ditzy asked back, with a smirk. It was an expression Vinyl could only mirror.