//------------------------------// // Get Some Sleep // Story: Before the Dawn // by Thunderblast //------------------------------// Many more weeks of harsh, intense battle training later, Thunderblast was gradually moved from bow and arrow training, to pistols and rifles, the last part of his target practice and weapons training. Though his aim on targets was more off than when he practiced with arrows, he was slowly improving on his work, and handling such a weapon which he wasn't used to. Of course, he had used smaller guns during the revolution, but nothing of this magnitude. When he wasn't training, he was assigned to the occasional perimeter patrol, which even he had to admit was a nice change. And although he still hated every second of being away from his normal life, he was slowly getting used to things, starting with the terrible winter weather in that region of Equestria. One cold evening, just over one week from Hearts Warming Eve, the grey pegasus made his rounds through the outskirts of the base. Snow mounds piled against the fence, rising up almost as tall as the stallion himself from the massive blizzards the area had received in the last week, which brought along with it bone-chilling cold and a heavy wind which only subtracted the temperature to at least twenty below zero, and only made Thunderblast hate being sent away even more, but also giving him more time to enjoy the cold weather gear him as well as others were given to keep them warm, which is surprisingly what they did. A strong, chilling breeze blew through the base, kicking up even more snow as it did. Thunder soon found himself lightly coated with the white frozen water, and it forced him to shake it off every other minute to avoid being suddenly buried. Soon, he arrived at the front gate, where he unexpectedly came across Sparkplug. "Sir," Thunderblast saluted the higher ranking pony. Spark saluted back, then dropped it. "Anything to report?" Thunder dropped his hoof, only to his shoulder where he wiped more snow off of his green jacket. "Other than being coated with this crap every two minutes, no sir." Even Spark had to get a little laugh at that, which he did. "Why don't you head over to the mess hall to get some chow, then hit the hay? You've already taken quite a beating from the weather today." "Sir?" "You've been up since five this morning, and it's almost eight now. Get some rest, soldier." Thunderblast eased himself, then nodded once. "Yes sir, thank you sir," then saluted once more, and was dismissed to the mess hall, but dropping off the weapon he had on him to his tent. He trotted up to the mess hall, walking inside and instantly feeling as if he were melting to the heat of the interior. He unfurled his wings, allowing them to hang slightly and completely thaw. As they did, he soon found they were soaked from how much snow actually melted into his feathers, although having clothes on, it didn't bother him. Thunder trotted to where the line to get food would usually be, only to find two other ponies he didn't know ahead of him with trays in their hooves. He peered around, seeing just how empty the chow hall was, which wasn't that surprising considering how cold it was. The line thankfully moved quickly, and after a minute, he was next up for a warm meal. Once the chef finished plating his food, Thunder didn't waste time to see what it was and sat at the nearest table. He picked up his fork, and somewhat greedily dug it into the side of diced buttered potatoes, and soon the greasy hayburger and a peeled, cooked carrot and finished rather quickly, but it left him full and regenerated. He stood up, then trotted back to the kitchen and placing the tray with the others that hadn't been cleaned yet, and soon to the front door where he knew would be the last place for the night that he would stay warm. Thunder stepped back outside into the whipping wind, his wings slamming shut as the skin-biting cold hit him once again. Without hesitation, he galloped towards the tent in which he was to sleep in. He reached the tent, quickly slipping inside and zipping up the hole made for easy entry. Small icicles hung from his muzzle, and he shivered badly. It was as if his cold weather gear did him no good, or he was too used to the heat of the chow hall. "You look like you just saw a ghost, Thunder," Skillshot said, sitting by a heater with his hooves held in front of him. "C-c-cold..." Thunder stuttered, his teeth beginning to chatter. The other pony occupying their tent, Flashpoint, simply chuckled. "I though you pegasi were used to this weather?" Skill slapped a hoof behind Flash's head, causing him to jump and yelp. "Shut it Flash, you're really acting like a foal." "Ow! What the heck was that for?" Flash glared and rubbed the back of his head. "You're treating him like he put a gun to your head and insulted your mother." "HE DID!" Skillshot slowly facehoofed himself, and shook his head. "Flash, let's be realistic here. Did this actually happen?" "Well ... no." "Exactly, so quit picking on him. You hate it here as much as he does." "Hate it here? Ha! I love it here, I love everything about this place!" "Sure you do. Hey, Thunder. Come here, get warm." Thunderblast slowly removed his beanie, setting it down on his bed and shivering still, then walked over to the two, sitting beside the brown earth pony and holding his hooves out to the space heater. "W-w-where d-did you t-two get this?" Thunder shivered still. "The base captain brought everypony space heaters. I guess somepony got sent to the city last night for frostbite," Skill replied. "F-frostbite?" Thunder rubbed his hooves together over the heater to warm them. "Mmhmm, and we're having the same temperatures tonight, which is why we have space heaters." "Thank Celestia..." "Ab-bout time..." Thunder mumbled. "Oh, come on, Thunder. It hasn't been that bad! This is the worst it's been all winter." "It hasn't been that bad? Skill, I've been limited to three hours of sleep every night since the weather changed, I feel like I'm starting to go insane!" Thunder replied angrily, glaring directly at the two ponies beside him. "Whoa, calm yourself, Thunder. Listen, if you plan on staying, this is something you have to get used to." "For once, I agree," Flashpoint said. "Lack of sleep is just a part of being a soldier." "Does it look like I want to stay here?!" Thunder shouted. "Well I don't know, neither of us can ever tell with you." By now, Thunderblast's blood was boiling with fury, and he punched at the air once to avoid breaking the space heater, then he bed-hopped to his own. "Ugh, whatever! I'm going to sleep..." "Night, Thunder!" Flash rolled his eyes, then leaned closer to Skillshot and spoke in his ear. "Is he always like this?" "How would I know?" Thunder grumbled, not bothering to take off his jacket or gloves in case the space heater wouldn't be enough to keep their tent warm. Spark was right, he had been up over fourteen hours and he was exhausted. Minutes after tucking himself in, he dozed off into a deep sleep, something he never wanted to take for granted again. The ear piercing blare of sirens wailing, followed by the loud whistle of the wind filled the air, trees which creaked and cracked under the stress of the weather, were the only things to be heard. Glass shattered, and soon the loud roar of what sounded like the morning freight train rumbling through town. Then, everything went silent again. Thunderblast slowly woke, the sunlight beating down on his exhausted eyes, as if it were telling him to wake up. He slowly sat up, yawning momentarily and rubbing a hoof at his eye, and glancing over to the window, which he had left cracked open to allow a soft breeze through his room. He stood up out of bed, his hooves making faint clops as they landed on the wooden floor, and even more as he made his way to the window. The pony recoiled his head and took a step back as the beaming light of the sun came across his eyes, which burned and ached. He quickly adjusted to the brightness, and once again moved closer to the window, smiling to himself as he looked out across the tended fields, and the wavy ocean of tall trees on hills. Very few clouds dotted the sky, proving it was already a perfect day to go along with the cooling breeze which ruffled the pony's feathers a bit. Thunder took a deep inhale, taking in the sweet scent of apples coming from outside, which carried along from the trees, all the way into his room. Following a few long moments of soaking in the golden sunlight, he turned tail and trotted to the door of his bedroom, taking the knob and turning it before trotting out into the hall. Three of the rooms' doors, four now including his own, were already open, filling the hallway with even more natural light, a sign everypony else was mostly awake except for one. He came to the top of the stairs leading downwards, gently stepping down on them with quiet creaks as he did. At the second to last step, he hopped down with another clop of his hooves. "Hello, anypony down here?" He looked around, walking through the living room and into the kitchen. It didn't seem like anyone was home, which surprised him. Even at eight or so in the morning, whatever time it was, someone was usually downstairs doing something. When he trotted into the kitchen, he was disturbed by the heavy growl of his stomach. He trotted to one of the cabinets, pulling out a white bowl with a blue stripe around and just below the bowl's rim, then into another where he grabbed a box of cereal oats, pouring some into the bowl and placing the box back in it's cabinet, then to the refrigerator where he poured milk into the cereal, and then finally a spoon to eat with. Thunder seated himself at the table in the kitchen, then began slowly eating the bowl of cereal, spoonful by spoonful. It tasted somewhat bland, but it seemed to be the only cereal that wasn't sugary or full of other things that most would consider unhealthy, and the only brand trusted by his step-parents. As he ate, the front door swung open with a consistent creak, before shutting. Thunder's ears perked to the sounds of hoofsteps, which gradually came closer to the kitchen, before he could finally see who it was. "Mornin', Thunder!" Said an orange earth pony filly with long, blond ponytail hair and tail, and grass-green eyes, who smiled at the grey pegasus. "Good morning, Applejack!" Thunder smiled, relieved that somepony was in fact home. The filly trotted past, heading into another room beyond the kitchen. Thunder continued to eat, and soon drank the remaining milk from the bowl and wiping a milk mustache from his muzzle, before turning the bowl into the sink for later washing. As he did, the orange filly trotted back out into the kitchen, carrying a small empty wooden basket on her back. "What are you up to, 'lil sis?" "Just gettin' the fields ready is all! Ma and pa are already out with Big Macintosh. Supposedly there's a storm comin' later on, so we're gettin' buckets out to clean up any loose branches." "A storm huh? I guess I'd better help too. Any other baskets in the closet?" "Sorry, Thunder, not anymore. But, we could use the extra help gettin' the branches down." "Sure thing," Thunderblast smiled. "Let's head out." The two trotted outside into the warm summer air. That morning, it was somewhat humid and damp, but still breezy. It was no surprise that a storm would be coming, feeling how the weather was. It send a cold chill up Thunder's spine, but he did his best to ignore it, although his gut was telling him they were in for extreme weather. The two ponies trotted through the seemingly endless rows of apple trees, on their way to help the others out with their work. The entire area was mostly shaded due to the thickness of the trees and their leaves which rustled in the breeze. Some leaves were already falling, which had even Applejack somewhat worried about what might happen if the leaves were just now floating to the ground from the weak breeze. Soon, they came across a red earth pony colt with tan trimmed hooves on all fours, and a long orange mane. He stood a few inches taller than Thunder, and almost a foot taller than Applejack. "Morning Big Mac!" Thunderblast said as they walked up. The colt looked up, smiling at the two of them as they stopped just before him. "Mornin'!" He said, pressing a hoof down into a half full basket. The branches he already had stored cracked and crunched under the pressure of his hoof, allowing for more room for even more branches to pick up. "Where's ma and pa?" Applejack asked, beginning to pick up some sticks that were already lying on the ground. "They're over towards the northern parts of the orchard," Big Macintosh replied. "Pickin' up their own sticks 'n stuff." "Need any help?" "Nnnope, ah got these trees here already. Jus' need ta work on the side by the house." "We can handle that, Big Mac. Right Applejack?" "Of course!" Applejack replied. "Well, if ya say so. I'ma finish up here and then go to check on ma and pa. When yer done, shall we go to the tree house?" "Sure thing, big brother!" Applejack smiled. "See ya there!" Big Macintosh nodded and smiled, then resumed picking up small twigs and branches. "Come, brother," Applejack said to Thunder, turning around and heading back in the direction of the barn house. The duo came across a folded ladder sitting against one of the trees for later use, and Thunderblast opened it to climb up and pull down the weaker branches that couldn't survive heavy winds, while Applejack stood below, picking up whatever twigs were already down and ones that didn't make it into the bucket, followed by putting pressure on them to make more room. As time passed, it was almost afternoon, and finally they had finished their work. "That should do it..." Applejack said, setting the last twigs down in the basket. "Let's get these to the barn and lock 'em up." "Alrighty," Thunder replied, picking up one of the baskets on his back and beginning to walk towards the barn with Applejack, who had a basket on her back as well. After stacking the baskets in the barn, both Thunderblast and Applejack made their way back to the orchard, in the direction of a tree house that Stetson and Big Macintosh built themselves. It was a ways in, and took at least five minutes to reach at a slow pace. Eventually, they came to the zig-zagging stairs that led to the balcony and door. Inside, Big Macintosh was already there, waiting for them by coloring on a piece of paper with colored pencils. "We're here!" Applejack giggled, jumping onto Big Mac's back and forcing his face into the wooden floor. He let out a muffled 'oof' as she tackled him, and he chuckled. "Silly little sister," then rolled onto his back and started tickling Applejack. Applejack burst out into a laughing fit, squirming around and attempting to escape. "Nooo, not the tickles!" Thunderblast also laughed, and trotted up to join in, only to be turned on and tickled as well. "Nnnnooooo!" He laughed. Soon, the three stopped tickling each other and fell onto their backs, calming themselves of laughs. "So, what ta do?" Big Mac looked between them, smiling big. Meanwhile, across the orchard, Brown Stetson and Golden Apple had also finished taking down loose branches and were on their way back to the house, both somewhat concerned. "I really hope the weather won't be as bad as we think," the light tan mare said, trotting alongside Stetson "As do I, sweetie," Brown replied, removing the blue bandana around his neck and wiping at his forehead with it. Minutes later, the two trotted into the barn house. Sitting in her rocking chair next to a radio, sat a light green, wrinkly earth pony mare with bunched-up light grey hair. She was staring at the light brown device with some concern, then turning to Stetson and Golden. "What's the news saying?" Golden asked. "Ssshhh!" The mare raised her hoof, using the other to turn the volume dial higher as Stetson and Golden came closer. "Numerous reports are flooding in of a possible tornado touchdown in Whitetail Woods, some damage is confirmed but it is unsure if it is actually from a tornado," the stallion on the radio said in a serious tone. "That's north of here," Stetson breathed a sigh of relief. "This part of the storm is moving eastward, but the southern tail is expected to go throoooough..." The radio pony stopped as he shuffled through reports. "The Ponyville area. It is not tornadic at this time, although it is still very dangerous and is very energetic with tons of lightning, rain, wind, and possibly hail as well. If you are in the Ponyville vicinity, I would suggest getting inside." "Granny Smith, have the kids come in yet?" "Ah haven't seen 'em at all today. Are they still out?" Stetson and Golden gasped. "I hope not!" "Do they know about the weather?" "Of course, we told Big Mac and Applejack, and I'm sure Thunder knows too!" Golden said, a tone of worry evident in her voice. "Stetson, we have to go get them. The wind is already picking up." Stetson quickly ran to the door and opening it. "Let's go, honey," he said, running outside, Golden following close behind. "I spy...something orange!" Thunderblast said. "Ooh! Is it me?" Big Macintosh smiled big. "You're red, silly." "My mane is orange!" "Still no, silly." "Is it...Applejack?" "Getting closer." "... What is it?" "It's your drawing on the wall!" Thunder fell onto his back, laughing. Big Macintosh turned and looked to the wall, blushing in embarrassment when he stared directly at a drawing he made. "Oh, heh, of course," he scratched the back of his head, then turned to Applejack. "Hey, little sis. What's wrong?" Applejack sat by the window, staring out with a concerned look on her face. The sky was no longer blue, and was instead grey with clouds covering every inch of it, and the wind had picked up and was blowing leaves across the orchard. "Ah think the storm is coming, you two." "Already?" Thunder sat up, his smile dropping into a frown and walking to the window and staring out with the others. "You're right, I think it is coming." "Think we should head back?" Big Macintosh turned to Thunder and Applejack. "Might be a good idea, but we might get caught in it too," Thunder replied. "It probably isn't bright to stay here either, big brothers," Applejack slowly hugged their hooves. "Applejack, Big Macintosh, Thunderblast?!" Shouted a voice from outside. "Ma!" Big Macintosh's ears perked, and he ran to the door and onto the small balcony, staring down at the ground where the light tan mare was now standing and staring back up. "Kids, you have to come with us, the storm is almost here!" "It's coming?!" Big Mac shouted over the sound of the wind. "Yes, it's coming!" A light green earth pony stallion galloped up beside the mare, Stetson. Big Mac quickly turned back inside. "AJ, Thunder, ma and pa say we have ta go!" "But, big brother!" Applejack whimpered. "AJ, we have to!" Thunder picked her up on his back and ran to the door, following Big Macintosh outside onto the stairs. "Come on, kids!" Golden shouted as the wind picked up even more, motioning her hoof for them to hurry. Moments later, the three were on the ground and all ran up to their parents. When they did, everypony started galloping back towards the barn house as thunder roared behind them. "Ugh, where are they?" Granny Smith walked in circles in the living room, turning occasionally and peering out the window as rain began to pour onto the ground. The door swung open, and she quickly turned to it, watching as Stetson, Golden, Big Macintosh, and Thunderblast with Applejack on his back trot inside, all soaked from the rain. "Glad you all made it," Granny Smith smiled. "Guess ah'd better get some blankets for y'all, teehee." "It's rainin' cats and dogs out there, Granny Smith," Applejack shook herself off like a dog after hopping off of Thunder's back. "Ah can see that," the old light green mare said as she walked to a small closet in the living room, pulling out some blankets and setting them neatly on the couch. The five soon got comfortable after drying themselves off, relaxing on the couch as the rain beat onto the windows like liquid rocks. Stetson sat on one end, reading the Sunday paper and smiling as Golden snuggled against his side, pulling her hat over her face, while Thunderblast, Big Mac, and Applejack sipped hot chocolate under some blankets, with Granny Smith rocking in her rocking chair watching the rain. Suddenly, the radio let out three beeps, followed by one long high pitched noise, and then what sounded like a creepy voice programmed by the radio station. The alert caused everypony in the room to freeze and turn to the radio. "The Local Weather Administration in Ponyville, has issued a Tornado Watch for much of the Ponyville area. As of one fifteen PM, numerous funnel clouds were reported northwest of the town, as well as a rotating wall cloud moving east-southeast towards town. Tune in to your local station for more information." Following the voice, came three more electronic beeps, before the radio went silent. "Tornado watch?" Stetson stared at the radio with concern. "Granny Smith, turn it to the Ponyville station." Granny Smith nodded, then turned another dial, changing the station to the same station as earlier, which was reporting the storm to the north of town. "Y-yes, of course. Uh, okay, we've got a spotter outside of town, we will go to him in just a minute. So far, he's reporting heavy winds and a wall cloud just west of town, towards Sweet Apple Acres. Its, its heading towards town. No tornado yet, but...I...wait a minute," the radio pony stopped. "Okay...okay. Attention all viewers, I have just received word of a confirmed tornado touchdown near Sweet Apple Acres, and it is moving towards town. For those of you in the area, get to safety immediately and stay there until the all clear can be given!" Golden Apple gasped, slowly looking between everypony in the room, then to Stetson. "Honey..." "Alright, we're going to the shelter," Stetson grew a serious look on his face and stood up, setting the newspaper down. "Everyone, come on!" Golden stood up and walked over to Granny Smith, helping her out of her rocking chair and towards the door, while Stetson motioned for Applejack to run upstairs and grab Apple Bloom, the newborn foal. "Pa, are we going to die?" Big Macintosh asked, his hooves beginning to tremble as he stood beside Stetson. "No, son, of course not. We're going to get to the shelter, it's just outside. Applejack!" He shouted upstairs. Applejack slowly and carefully made her way downstairs, holding a wrapped up yellow foal in her hooves. "Ah'm here." "Let's go," Stetson said, rushing out the front door and leading everypony to the shelter, which was a wooden door leading to a stairway to a basement made for that purpose. Outside, the rain had completely stopped, leaving just heavy winds and thunder. Thunderblast, Big Mac and Applejack ran up to the door, attempting to open it. "It won't budge!" Thunderblast said, yanking on the handle as hard as he could. "Let me try!" Big Mac said. Thunder stepped to the side, allowing the red colt to attempt to open the door, which he couldn't. "Pa, it won't open!" Stetson galloped over, also trying to pull the door open. He managed to pull it up, but just barely enough for them to fit inside. He motioned a hoof, waiting for the others to enter. As they did, a loud roar could be heard, and he slowly turned around. A towering black swirling mass of wind and dirt was swerving in the distance, and was coming closer to the orchard. It was ripping up trees, tossing them in all directions. Being the last one to go down, Thunder watched in pure horror as the tornado slid down one of the hills, coming closer still. "Thunder, get down there!" Stetson shouted angrily, shoving Thunderblast down into the shelter with the others, before turning to Golden who was galloping back to them. "Honey, the chickens!" Golden moved to run back towards the chicken coop across the orchard. "No, forget the chickens, we have to get underground!" Stetson grabbed her hoof, tugging her back. "We have to save the chickens, they won't survive!" "Neither will we if we don't get down there!" Stetson shouted over the roar of the nearing tornado. Before they could run down the stairs, the door was slammed down over the shelter, out of the stallion's hoof. His eyes opened wide, and he grabbed the handle again, struggling with all of his might to open it. This time, the pressure was too great, and he ended up pulling the handle off completely, with the door remaining shut. "Ma, pa!" Applejack screamed and ran for the door to help, only to be grabbed by Big Macintosh. Off to the side, Thunderblast gasped, then ran up the stairs to the door and slowly pushed it open. "Hnnngh!" Thunder grunted, holding the door just barely open with his strength. "Mom, dad, get down here!" He reached a hoof. Golden Apple took Thunder's hoof and slowly pulled herself down, briefly stopping and looking back as the suction of the twister started to pull Stetson up. He shouted, flailing his hooves and trying to grip onto something. She screamed, grabbing Stetson's hoof and holding it tightly as the tornado started to pull her up as well. "Mom, dad! Don't let go!" Thunder shouted, struggling to pull them into the shelter. Stetson gripped Golden's hoof tightly, staring her in the eyes with fear in his own. "Honey, don't let go!" Golden shouted loudly, the tornado was now by the barn house. Glass shattered, and started to spin around the vortex and towards the three, just barely avoiding injuring somepony. Stetson looked back, staring up at the tornado as it closed it's distance between them, then back to the light tan mare he loved. He slowly closed his eyes, and started to let go. "No, NOO!" Golden tried to grip his hoof tighter, but soon lost hold completely. Moments later, Stetson disappeared into the tornado. Tears flew from her eyes into the strong winds, and she screamed. "STETSON!" Thunder didn't know what had happened, and was still struggling to pull Golden down into the shelter. The tornado struck a storage barn near the house, sending wooden splints flying around. Debris zipped by the two at high speeds, before a large plank smacked into Golden's hoof, sending it flying out of Thunder's. "N-NOO, MOM!" Thunder's eyes opened wide, tears building as he watched Golden also disappear, screaming as she did. "THUNDER!" Big Macintosh yelled, yanking on Thunder's tail and pulling him down, then sliding the lock into place which held the door down. Thunderblast fell to the floor, sobbing loudly and screaming. "MOM, DAD!" Both Applejack and Granny Smith's eyes opened wide, Stetson and Golden were nowhere to be seen in the shelter. "M-ma...? Pa?" Tears formed in Applejack's eyes. "Th...they're gone...!" Thunderblast sobbed into his hooves. "I-I'm so sorry! I'm s-so sorry!" "I-I'm sorry!" Thunderblast whimpered, batting his hooves lightly in his sleep and shedding tears onto his pillow. "Thunder, wake up!" "I-I'm so sorry!" "WAKE UP!" Thunder's eyes shot open, and he sat up with shrunk irises, panting heavily and his heart beating quickly. He glanced around, slowing his breathing when he realized he was now awake. "Thunder, what's wrong?" Skillshot stared worriedly down at the pegasus. Thunder looked up to the brown earth pony, then put a hoof to his head. "N-nothing...just a bad dream..." "Just a bad dream? You've been whimpering for the past thirty minutes..." Flashpoint said, also staring down. "Are you sure you're alright?" Thunderblast slowly looked down at his bed, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."