ThunderClap woke up hours later inside of Colton’s medical clinic. It was a small three bedroom cottage that had been converted into a clinic by the local doctor, a mare named Bright Eyes. She was standing beside his bed when his eyes finally came back into focus. “Ah, you’re awake,” she said in a sing-song sweet voice. “How do you feel?”
It took a moment for ThunderClap’s body to register that he was once again conscience and when it did it felt like his whole body was on fire. “Like some pony took a sledge hammer to my chest,” he groaned.
“As expected.” She said. “You are very lucky to have only broken three ribs. If a branch had been in your way, at the speed you were going, you could have easily been impaled.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “You’ve got to be more careful!”
“He had better be,” a familiar voice growled. “If he is ever to be expected to join my crew, I cannot have him spacing out every time a pretty little filly walks by.”
“Hey Timberwood,” ThunderClap groaned. “Sorry about that.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough.” The elder lumberjack pony grumbled as he approached the bed. “You could have been killed, or worse, gotten others killed because of your carelessness.”
“I know,” he sighed. Right now his pride was hurting a whole lot more than his cracked ribs. “It’s just that I thought I heard Quicksilver cheering me on and it caught me by surprise.”
Timberwood rolled his eyes. “That’s because she was cheering you on.”
ThunderClap sat up, winced, and then lay back down. “I didn’t just imagine it? She was really there?”
“Yes.” Timberwood said. “And she’s waiting her turn in the lobby. She seems mighty worried that you may have gotten yourself damaged permanently.”
ThunderClap frowned. “You weren’t too hard on her, were you sir?”
“Not as hard as I am going to be on you.” He lowered his voice to a whispering growl. “Look, I like you kid, I really do, but if I ever see you pull a stunt like that again while working for me, you’re little butt will be fired so fast it’ll make your head spin. Do you understand me?”
ThunderClap swallowed. “Yes, sir.”
“Now the Bright Eyes has explained that you’ll be back soaring the skies in about a month or so, which is convenient since that is when you’ll be allowed to reapply. However I don’t want to see hide nor hair of you around my lumberyard for at least two months. You need to get your act together and your head out of the clouds before you even think about trying out again. Alright?”
ThunderClap nodded solemnly.
“Good. You get some rest. I’ll let Quicksilver know that she can visit you.” He walked out of the small room leaving ThunderClap alone with Bright Eyes.
“He really must like you,” Bright Eyes commented as she nosed through his paperwork.
“We’ve always been good,” ThunderClap replied, “But what makes you think he likes me?”
“Not once since I’ve known him has he ever allowed a single Pegasus reapply for his crew.” She glanced up from her papers. “Oh, he says that they can reapply in a month but the truth is, once you fail the first time, you fail for life. That’s why his crew is considered the best.”
ThunderClap whistled. “I didn’t know that…”
“Don’t take it for granted,” Bright Eyes advised. “He won’t be so lenient the second time around. You had better pull off some pretty impressive moves the next time you apply.”
ThunderClap smiled. “I will. Just you wait and see.”
There was a knock at the door. As Quicksilver stepped into the room, ThunderClap swore that his heart skipped a beat. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her blond mane was now past her shoulders, slick and silky smooth. Her blue eyes were as bright as sapphires and even though she wore a mask of worry, her face was angelic.
“ThunderClap,” she whimpered while approaching his bed. “I am so sorry!”
“Heh,” he shrugged, trying his hardest to mask the pain. “It’s not your fault. I should have been paying attention.”
“Still,” She leaned down to nuzzle her cheek to his. His heart practically leapt from his chest and into his throat. “I feel terrible.”
“Ah, uhm,” He swallowed. “Apology accepted?”
She nodded firmly. “Good!” A smile graced her lips. “So besides getting hurt, how are you? It’s been far too long.”
“I’m well. I’ve been helping out at Timerwood’s lumberyard, doing odd jobs to keep myself busy. Other than that, I’ve just been staying at home taking care of mother. She’s still pretty tough but she needs my help from time to time.”
“Timberwood?” Quicksilver blinked her blue eyes. “Oh, the pony who called me into your room, is that him?”
ThunderClap raised a brow. “You know it is. He and your father have been friends for, like, ever.”
Quicksilver’s cheeks flushed the cutest shade of pink. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen him, and, well, my mind has been a bit preoccupied.”
“Preoccupied? With what?”
She shrugged her slender shoulders. “You, to be honest.”
ThunderClap felt his pulse quicken. “Me?”
“Of course. I mean, I had no idea how badly injured you were until a few minutes ago. Now that I know that you are okay, I can breathe a little easier.”
He felt his shoulders slump. “Oh.”
She shot him a playful little smirk. “That doesn’t mean, however, that I hadn’t missed you.” She scrapped her hoof against the hardwood floor. “I didn’t mean to lose touch with you. You know how things can get…”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “I guess I am as much to blame as you are.”
“But,” she glanced up to meet his eyes. “Since I’m in town, why don’t we start where we left off?”
“What do you mean?”
She bit her bottom lip and whispered shyly, “How about a date?”
His jaw practically struck his chest. “A-Are you serious?”
She shrugged.
“Y-Yeah!” He tried his best from leaping out of bed in joy. “Sure! Uhm,” he glanced to Bright Eyes who had been pretending to ignore the conversation by focusing on the papers in front of her, though she had been on the same page for the past ten minutes. “When will I be well enough to get out of here?”
“You will be allowed to leave in about two weeks.” She said without looking up from the papers. “Sooner if you rest up and stop straining your body,” She peaked up to meet ThunderClap’s eyes. “And stop straining your heart.” She winked.
He looked back to Quicksilver. “Week and a half from now?”
She grinned. “It’s a date.”
ThunderClap felt as if he was on top of the world. He wanted nothing more than to soar up into the sky and scream into the heavens just how good he felt. He had a date with Quicksilver! How could this day get any better?
It didn’t. Soon after Quicksilver left, Maple Leaf came to visit. All of the jubilation he had been feeling vaporized quicker than an ice cube on the sun. “I brought you some tomato soup,” she mumbled from around the container’s handle. “I hope you like it!” She set it down upon his bed stand while looking to him expectedly. He gnawed upon his bottom lip as the frusterating worm of guilt began to eat away at his heart. “Uhm, Maple,” he stared at his front hooves. “You know…Quicksilver…”
She smirked. “You really don’t need to say anything,” she explained. “I saw how you look at her.”
He blinked. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh come on. The entire town knows how you two feel about each other. It’s not like its any secret of anything.” She shrugged, her smile slowly fading from her lips. “Though a girl can hope, can’t she?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. We had a good time on our date and if it is not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be. I’m a tough girl. I can handle myself.”
“I really appreciate it,” he replied while sighing. “Thank you. Are we still friends?”
“I wouldn’t have made you the soup if we weren’t.” She smiled though he swore he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “You had better eat all that up unless you want me feeling insulted.”
He grinned. “Yes Ma’am!”
Quicksilver visited the clinic almost every day. They used this time together to catch up. ThunderClap told her all about his work with Timberwood and the other lumberjack ponies as well as how his mother was faring. He mentioned how he had to drop out of school when he was fourteen to help take care of her and how his teacher took time out of her day to stop by his home to tutor him.
Quicksilver on the other hoof kept her stories to a minimum. She explained that although Clydes Hill was a fascinating city, there was nothing much worth talking about. Apparently things didn’t really change as rapidly there as they did here in Colton. She only mentioned her parents briefly and when she did, she spoke only of her mother. Nothing too specific really; just how she was still healthy and working to keep their home clean. When ThunderClap brought up her father, she grew quiet. It wasn’t until the sixth visit that she broke down and explained.
“He wasn’t as nice as a pony as everyone thought. He was quite temperamental and he would take his temper out on mother and myself.” She shrugged slowly, not meeting ThunderClap’s eyes.
“Really?” he gasped. “But he seemed so nice when we were hanging out. I mean, when you had to leave because of your phobia, he seemed so understanding.”
“Oh that,” she frowned. “Yeah, well he didn’t want anypony thinking that he raised a coward. I was supposed to keep my phobia a secret and when you found out, he was so ashamed he wanted to move the entire family. He was humiliated.”
“Are you seriously telling me that just because you were afraid of the sound cicadas make, he was embarrassed?”
“He’s a terrible pony,” she whimpered. “Do you remember why I was afraid of the cicadas?”
“You never told me,” he reminded her. “And I never asked.”
“Well,” she paused. “It’s because they were so loud,” she shifted from where she stood. “They drowned out the sounds I would make when he…would…pay me a visit.”
ThunderClap’s blood turned to ice water. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”
“Why do you think mother made sure that father took us out in public any time you came over? She didn’t want him tempted.”
ThunderClap frowned at this. He could distinctly remember several times when Quicksilver and he would hang out in Quicksilver’s home with her father nearby. Not once did ThunderClap recall the older pony acting unusual. Was there something he was missing? Some memory that he couldn’t conjure up?
He decided to stop thinking so hard about it. The only thing that mattered was how Quicksilver was feeling. The confession made him feel suddenly very protective of his dear friend and he wanted nothing more than to steal her away from Clydes Hill so that she would never have to see her father ever again.
“So,” he whispered while changing the subject. “How long are you in town anyways?”
“Until the end of the month,” she answered, seemingly relieved that he dropped the subject. “And then I don’t know where I’ll go. I am not returning to Clydes Hill. Now that I am old enough to be on my own, I want nothing to do with that city. I was thinking of heading east, maybe to PonyVille or Manehattan.”
“You could always stay here,” he suggested. “I doubt my mom would mind you taking the guest room.”
She smiled. “That’s sweet, but I really don’t want to be around when the cicadas return.”
He frowned. “You know, the forest has been rather quiet lately. They should be out in full force tonight but you might as well be living in a sound-proof bubble considering how quiet the night’s have been.”
“Still,” she squirmed. “I don’t want to risk it. They bring back too many bad memories.”
“I understand.” He sighed. “Well,” he considered his options very carefully. “Would you mind if I joined you?”
She took a step back. “What do you mean?”
“When you leave; may I come with you?”
“But what about your mother? What about Timberwood?”
He thought it over. “My mother has friends who will be more than happy to check up on her, and as for Timberwood, well,” he met her gaze. “There are just some things more important than leveling trees.”
She practically pounced him but stopped herself at the last second least she crush his already hurting ribs. “I would love it!” She nuzzled her cheek to his before looking deep into his eyes. “You seriously care about me that much that would you give up everything just to be with me?”
He smiled shyly. “I guess I would…”
The weeks flew by and soon ThunderClap was well enough to leave the clinic. He had a lot of things he had to do before meeting up with Quicksilver for their very first date. The first thing he wanted to do was have a long talk with his mother, to get both her blessing and her feelings on his decision on leaving with Quicksilver. He didn’t divulge her secret with her father but he hinted heavily that something bad had happened which is why she had to be leaving as soon as possible. His mother seemed saddened by this news but understood. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way of her son growing up.
Timberwood, on the other hoof, was not so understanding. “Are you kidding me?” he had snarled. “After all the strings I had to pull to allow you to reapply, you pull this little stunt?”
“I really don’t mean to seem like I don’t appreciate this, sir, but…”
“No buts,” Timberwood growled. “You have been training you entire life for this opportunity and you are just going to throw it all away because your fillyhood crush asked you too? You aren’t being rational.”
ThunderClap frowned. “No, I’m not but she is something more than a fillyhood crush. She means all of Equestria to me.”
“You haven’t seen each other in years!” Timberwood countered. “How can a couple of weeks make up for all of that?”
“It just has,” ThunderClap snapped back. “Look, sir, I really appreciate everything you and Maple Leaf have done for me but I really think that she is the one for me. I lost her once before when we grew apart and I won’t lose her a second time.” He sighed. “I mean, if she leaves now who knows how long it’ll be until we are together again.”
Timberwood shook his head. “I can respect heart’s desire but I still believe you are rushing into something that you are not ready for.” He glanced up through the trees to see where exactly the sun was positioned in the sky. “I have a load of timber that I need imported into Clydes Hill. I won’t be back until morning and I hope you take that time to consider what exactly you are about to do.”
ThunderClap ran his tongue over his front teeth. “Yes sir.” He agreed quietly.
“Good.” Timberwood sighed. “I know that you and she have a date tonight. I want you to enjoy yourself but please, son, don’t let your feelings for her override your brain. You’ve put yourself through a lot to get to where you are today and I don’t want you looking back and thinking that it was all for naught.”
“I appreciate it, sir. I really do.”
Timberwood patted ThunderClap upon the shoulder before returning to his duties.
That evening ThunderClap met up with Quicksilver just outside of Ruby’s Pub. She strolled up to him with her mane flowing down around her face, a few strands covering her right eye. Her shining blue eyes seemed to reflect the moonlight giving them an ethereal glow. He thought that she was by fair the most beautiful mare he had ever seen in his life.
“So this is it,” she giggled. “Our first big date.”
“I know, I’ve been thinking about it all day.” He opened the swinging doors to the tavern for her. She stepped into the dimly lit room and he followed. “To say that I have been excited would be an understatement.”
She grinned. “You’re so cute.” She flicked her tail against his cheek. Broken wings or not, he felt as if he was literally floating off the ground. He followed close behind her as they approached the bar. Ruby was in the middle of talking to some of the local lumberjacks when she caught their eye. With a smile, she excused herself from the group to approach her new customers. “Hey ThunderClap,” She blinked. “Quicksilver? Is that you?”
Quicksilver offered a shaky smile. “Yes it is! How have you been…er…”
Ruby smirked. “Oh come now, it hasn’t been that long.”
“Oh, I know,” Quicksilver chuckled. “It’s just that, well, you know,” she stole a glance to ThunderClap. “It’s our first big date so my mind is kinda screwy.”
Ruby laughed. “That’s fine! What would you two like?”
“What’s good?” Quicksilver asked ThunderClap.
“The chilled grape juice is to die for,” he answered.
“Oh then by all means, two glasses of that!” she exclaimed, eyes glinting in curiosity and excitement.
Ruby poured them both a glass. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks!” ThunderClap responded. He bit down upon his glass’s handle and led Quicksilver to a more quiet section of the tavern. “I hope you like it,” he said to Quicksilver as he took a sip from his own glass.
“Oh, I am sure that I will,” she responded while taking her own sip. “Mmm,” she purred. “Not bad.” But she did not take a second drink. In fact, she pushed the glass towards the center of the table. ThunderClap didn’t seem to notice.
“So did you talk to your mother and boss?”
“Yeah,” he sighed. “Mother understood. In fact, she thinks it is a wonderful idea. Told me that it was about time that I leave the nest and explore the world outside of Colton. I guess she has a point.”
“And Timberwolf?”
He blinked. “Timberwood?”
She grinned. “Yes, I know, but come on. He acts like a wolf more than a pony.”
He thought about it and then laughed. “Yeah, I can see your point.” He took another sip of juice. “Anyways, he wasn’t too thrilled but I think once he calms down, he’ll come to realize that this really is the right thing for me to do. Besides, there are a lot more talented Pegasus in town who can handle tree felling better than I ever could.”
She shook her head. “I still cannot believe you are willing to leave everything behind just for me. Why is that?”
Just before ThunderClap could answer, there came a slurred, slightly mumbled voice of Maple Leaf. “Ah, so here they are, together at last.” She said while stumbling over to their table.
“Maple Leaf?” ThunderClap exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing!” she grumbled. “Why nothing at all except for the fact that I had been brushed aside just because some younger pony decided to show her face after so long.” She snorted in Quicksilver’s direction. ThunderClap felt his temper rise. “I think you’ve been drinking too much of Ruby’s spiced cider,” he growled.
“Nonsense!” She swayed from where she stood. “I’ve only hard thirteen five…” she raised her left hoof and stared at it for several seconds as if counting. “Thirteen seven, actually.”
“Whatever,” he snapped. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened, but it was just one date. I had fun, but my mind is made up.” He stood up and took a step away from the table. “I thought you’d be able to be happy for me, but I guess I was wrong. Quicksilver, would you care to join me for a walk?”
Quicksilver looked from Maple Leaf to ThunderClap. With a smug smile upon her beautiful face, she walked up to ThunderClap’s side, resting her jaw against the back of his neck as she glared into Maple Leaf’s eyes. “I would love too,” she purred while kissing ThunderClap’s shoulder.
He raised an eyebrow at Maple Leaf before leading Quicksilver outside. “How’s a stroll through the woods sound?” Maple Leaf heard Quicksilver ask as the two stepped outside.”
“Like a wonderful idea,” he responded.
Two hours prior:
Timberwood had just finished up helping the Clydesdales unload their carts and was relieved that he had the rest of the evening to himself. While he preferred the quiet of Colton that did not mean that he couldn’t enjoy the big city. He would start his night with a dinner at his favorite diner before visiting some of the sights, then ending the evening with a warm bath back at his motel room. It was one of the few times in his life he allowed himself to fully relax and enjoy himself as, once the carts have been unloaded, he had no other responsibilities that demanded his attention.
He was sitting at his usual table at the diner (he would purposely wait for it to empty if other ponies had arrived before him) and was pondering if he should have an hay sandwich with pickles and hashbrowns or an onion and lettuce salad with a large side of scrambled eggs. He was just about to make up his mind when somepony approached the table to clap a hoof against Timberwood’s back.
“Timber!” the deep voice cried out. “It’s been too long! How have you been?”
Timber turned around to see that his old fillyhood friend PlatinumHoof had entered the diner. He was the father of Quicksilver and one of Timberwood’s closest friends. “Platinum!” Timberwood smiled. “You old foal. How have you been?”
“I cannot complain. I have a new job downtown that involves paperwork and a desk,” he rolled his eyes. “I have to sign so many forms; I swear that I get splinters in my lip from holding onto the pencils for so long. What about you, you old goat, what have you been up too?”
“Ah, not much,” Timberwood grunted. “You know how it is in Colton. Nothing ever changes.”
“True.” PlatinumHoof agreed. “How’s the crew? Wasn’t tryouts a couple of weeks ago?”
“Yeah. We didn’t have a single Pegasus pass this year.” He rolled his eyes then poked PlatinumHoof in the chest. “You can thank your daughter for that one.”
“My daughter?” PlatinumHoof asked. “What does Quicksilver have to do with your ponies not passing?”
“Because of her, ThunderClap got distracted and failed his test.” He rolled his eyes again. “And now she has gotten him thinking about running away with her to Ponyville. Can you believe that?”
“Not really,” PlatinumHoof frowned.
“I cannot believe you’d let your daughter run away like that.”
“I wouldn’t.” He countered. “And I didn’t. Quicksilver is just outside,” He pointed through the diner window. She caught her father’s glance and with a smile, trotted into the diner. “Timberwood!” She hugged the older colt with her left leg. “It’s been far too long. How are…” she backed away when she saw the expression upon his face. “Timberwood? What’s wrong?”
“I got to get back to Colton.” He exclaimed. Without another word, he darted out of the diner and into the street. He found a carriage that would take him back to Colton and he paid the puller extra if he’d get Timberwood there in record time. “By Celestia’s name, ThunderClap, please be okay.”
It took an hour and forty minutes for Timberwood to return to Colton. He paid the carriage puller and ran as quickly as he possibly could towards ThunderClaps’ house. He pounded his hooves against the door until finally ThunderClap’s mother answered.
“Where’s Thunder?” Timberwood panted.
“He’s out with Quicksilver.” His mother replied. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Do you know where they went?”
“I heard him mention Ruby’s Pub. Timber, what’s going on? Why are you out of breath?”
“I’ll explain later,” he said before racing back into town towards Ruby’s Pub.
“Thunder?” Ruby asked. “Yeah, you just missed him. He left with Quicksilver like twenty minutes ago.” Ruby shook her head with a sigh. “Maple Leaf and he got into a little spat. The fellas over there have been trying to cheer her up but she won’t have it. Poor dear is really upset over the idea of being forgotten so easily.” She frowned. “I never would have expected Thunder to act like that.”
“He doesn’t.” Timberwood said. “Which way did they go?”
“Towards the woods.” Ruby replied while pointing out the door. “If you hurry, you can probably still catch them.”
“This is such a beautiful night,” Quicksilver purred while nuzzling her cheek along ThunderClap’s muscular neck. “The kind of night I was dreaming of when I was small.”
“It’s only so beautiful because you’re here.” ThunderClap responded. He then shot her a sheepish smile. “Too cheesy?”
She giggled. “Not at all. It was rather sweet.” They came to a clearing where the moon’s light peered through the trees. She trotted out to the center of the clearing then turned her head to look ThunderClap in the eyes. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in a sultry voice. “You know, I thought about you ever night since I left. Just before I would fall asleep, I’d think of nothing but you.”
“I was the same way,” he whispered, cheeks flushing bright red. “No matter what was going wrong in my life, all I had to do was think about your smile and I would cheer up.”
She took a few steps closer to him. He could smell her sweet scene as she ran her cheek over his. “It’s been far too long since we’ve had some time to ourselves.” She nosed him under his chin then stepped closer as if to kiss him. She pulled away at the very last second. ThunderClap felt his pulse hammering in his ears. His body felt as if it were on fire as he felt his heart literally swell with love and desire.
“Do you love me?” she whispered into his ear. Her breath tickled his flesh as she did so.
“I do,” he gasped, eyes half closing. “With all my heart…”
She stepped closer. “With all your soul?”
“Every ounce of my being…” he leaned closer. “I am yours…”
A smile crossed her lips. “That’s all I wanted to hear…”
“Thunder!” Timberwood’s voice echoed throughout the woods. “ThunderClap! Where are you?” He had spent almost his entire life working in these woods. He could navigate through it as easily as night as he could during the day. He bolted through the trees, bounding over the bushes and dodging outcroppings of roots and ducking low branches. “Thunder! Answer me, son!”
He entered a clearing. “Thun…” he froze in place at what lay before him. He had never seen a creature like it in all his life. Standing a full shoulder and head taller than he, it had skin as black as ink and hair as blue as turquoise. Her legs were full of holes, her blazing venomous eyes glowing, her white fangs glinting in the moon light. The moment Timberwood stepped into the clearing, their eyes met. He felt as if his heart was in his throat as his blood turned to ice. Every instinct told him to run as far away from this creature but his feet wouldn’t budge.
For several seconds they stared into each others eyes and then, as quietly as the night itself, she extended a pair of insect-like wings and leapt up high into the night’s sky. He stared at her silhouette as it flew through the sky until it finally vanished from view…
And with the monster gone, the cicadas resumed their song…
They never did find the body. The ponies of Colton just assumed that ThunderClap and Quicksilver had eloped. His mother was heartbroken that he had not said goodbye before leaving while Maple Leaf felt as if it was all her fault for how quickly ThunderClap vanished. Only Timberwood knew the truth...
He told nopony about what he saw. They wouldn’t believe him even if he did. All he could do is keep an eye out in the woods and, during the summers, listen for any moment when the cicadas ceased their songs. If they ever grew silent, he would be on the look out for any pony that suddenly started acting unusual…
Whatever that creature was, Timberwood would be watching out for it and if, when it came back, he would be ready…
And hopefully prevent it from taking another pony from the small lumber town of Colton…