Chapter 13: The First Day
Chapter 13
When Thunderlane woke, North was still asleep. His head lay on Thunderlane’s shoulder, the sound of his breathing soft in Thunderlane’s ear. He smiled, nuzzling into North’s dark blue mane. He closed his eyes, enjoying North’s warmth and closeness. Their fur brushed together gently, in a soothing way. He stayed that way for a while, reveling in the warmth blossoming in his chest like a miniature sun.
Then his clock beeped several times, signalling the change in hour with an impatient blare. He sighed, wishing he didn’t have to get up. But he needed to take Rumble to school, then help Rainbow Dash set up the day’s weather. Carefully, he disentangled himself from North’s embrace. North didn’t stir, probably exhausted from the previous day. After carefully tucking him back in, Thunderlane went to wake up Rumble. He opened the door to Rumble’s room, and walked in quietly.
“Time to wake up, buddy.” he said quietly, shaking Rumble’s shoulder. “You need to get ready for school.”
Rumble groaned, rolling over. “Five more minutes?” he asked, giving Thunderlane a pitiful look.
“Sorry, buddy.” Thunderlane pulled the covers off of Rumble. “Not today.”
Rumble sighed, stretching out his limbs. He rolled off the bed, yawning widely, before proceeding to the bathroom. Thunderlane helped him get ready, making a quick batch of oats for breakfast. While Rumble went to find his saddlebags, he scribbled down a note for North.
North,
Taking Rumble to school. Also going to help Rainbow Dash with today’s weather. I’ll be back by this afternoon.
Love,
Thunderlane
He pinned it to the refrigerator with a magnet, just as Rumble trotted back into the kitchen.
“Ready.” he said, putting his saddlebags on the ground. Thunderlane picked them up, and helped him put them on.
“There you go.” he said. “You’re sure you’ve got everything?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.” Thunderlane walked into the hallway, Rumble following behind him.
“What about North?” asked Rumble.
“I left him a note on the fridge.”
“Won’t he miss you?” Rumble persisted, as Thunderlane pushed open the front door. They stepped outside, and he shut the door behind them.
“He’ll be fine.” At least, that was what he hoped.
As they passed through town, Thunderlane spied Pinkie Pie and Twilight trotting together towards Carousel Boutique. There was nothing unusual about that, since they frequented Rarity's shop. As they crossed the stream, Thunderlane remembered how terrified he’d been when he’d seen North go under. He remembered plunging his hooves into the freezing water, and dragging North out, straining his wings as he carried him to the bank. Wrapping his wings around him in a desperate attempt to warm him up. Shivering, slightly, he tore his gaze away from the calmly flowing water.
When they’d reached the school, Thunderlane again waited until Miss Cheerilee took over the crowd of rowdy colts and fillies before leaving. He launched himself upward with one swift flap of his wings, taking to the air with practiced ease. He flew around Ponyville, destroying any extra clouds Cloudsdale had sent, and removing any rogues that may have floated in from the Everfree forest. Today was supposed to be sunny, so he was going to make sure it stayed that way.
He liked his job, especially because it gave him plenty of time to fly. He’d gone to the Wonderbolt Academy at the same time as Rainbow Dash, though his performance definitely hadn’t been as spectacular as hers. Taking out another cloud with a swift kick from his back hooves, he looked around for his next target. Spitfire had made him a lead pony, so that must’ve meant something, right? He spotted a cloud, drifting over the eastern part of Ponyville. He sped towards it, and blasted through it. The cloud broke apart, the smaller pieces losing coherence, and he moved on with the rest of the day’s work.
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When he’d finished, he flew back to his house. He opened the door, and walked in.
“North?” he called, looking around for his coltfriend. It felt strangely nice to be able to use that word. A sort of warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest.
“Yes?” asked North, whose voice came from the living room.
“Sorry I had to leave so early.” he said. “You alright?” He walked into the living room. North was curled up on the couch, staring at the picture of Thunderlane and his mother.
“I’m fine.” North sat up, redirecting his gaze onto Thunderlane. He smiled genially. “Just thinking. How was work?”
“Easier than usual.” said Thunderlane, glancing over at the picture. “There weren’t that many clouds to take care of today.”
He sat down next to North, who was now regarding him with a serious expression. When Thunderlane tried to wrap a wing around him, North held up a hoof to stop him.
“Thunderlane.” he said, eyes locked onto Thunderlane’s. “Before we go any further… I need to know.”
“Know what?”
“What happened?” he asked, taking Thunderlane’s hoof up in his own, squeezing it slightly. “If your father is still alive… why isn’t he here?”
“I… I don’t want to talk about that.” Thunderlane avoided North’s eyes.
“Don’t you think it’s better if you tell me the truth now? Instead of me finding out on my own or jumping to the wrong conclusions?”
Thunderlane sighed. “You’re right.”
“So, will you tell me?”
Thunderlane nodded. “Yes. But make yourself comfortable. It’s a long story.”
__________________________________________
When I was little, about Rumble’s age, everything was fine. We were a happy family then. We lived in Cloudsdale. Mom had just had Rumble, and I was excited about having a new brother. When they came home from the hospital, he was so small. I loved him right from that moment, like a brother should. My dad was so proud. We were happy for a while, several years…
But then Mom started getting sick. She’d barely get over one thing, when she got hit by another. It went on for a long time, until… until she got really sick. The kind of sick that doesn’t get better.
___________________________________________
“Where’s mom?” asked Thunderlane, as his father walked in.
“She’s not coming home tonight.” his father snapped, stalking past him. Thunderlane jerked back, surprised. His father had never acted this way.
“When is she coming home?” he asked, trotting after his father.
“She’s not!” his father yelled. “She’s never coming back!”
Thunderlane drew away. His father never shouted like this.
“Why not?” he asked tentatively.
“She’s gone.” his father moaned, collapsing onto their couch. “Gone.”
“Where’s she gone?”
“She’s dead, colt!” his father roared, jumping down from the couch. He advanced on Thunderlane, his face contorted with rage “Dead!”
“D-Dead?” asked Thunderlane, who felt a terrible sensation in his chest. Like something was breaking.
“Can’t you hear me, colt?!” His father struck him across the head, knocking him to the floor. A piercing pain lanced through Thunderlane’s right ear. “D-E-A-D dead!”
Thunderlane whimpered, scrambling to his hooves and running upstairs. His father’s voice followed him up the stairs. He screaming at him for his stupidity, for the stupidity of the world, for the injustice of the universe. Thunderlane scrambled into his room, shutting the door behind him. He curled up on his bed, trying to hide from the pain in his heart and his head.
___________________________________________
I didn’t know at the time, but he was drunk. Dad still went to work, but he always came home drunk and angry. He took it out on me, always on me. I did everything I could to keep Rumble out of the way, so he never knew what was going on with Dad. I knew I had keep them away from each other.
When he found out about the games I’d play with Rumble, he was so angry. He yelled at me, telling me I was an idiot for giving Rumble something to believe in. He told me the world wasn’t fair. He beat me harder than usual that night. It took several weeks for all of the bruises to heal. When my friends asked about them, I told them I’d crashed into a cloud-house.
Finally, it was just too much. He got so unbearable, that I just had to leave. But I couldn’t abandon Rumble. I waited until I was old enough to get a job, then I took Rumble and left. I brought him here, to Ponyville. Caramel took us in, and he let us stay with him until I managed to get us our own house.
___________________________________________
After he’d finished his story, Thunderlane touched his right ear. He could barely hear out of it, and it still hurt sometimes, a lasting memory of his father’s abuse. He felt North’s hoof cover his, and looked up. North looked concerned, and there were a few tears in his eyes. Not the kind that fall, just the ones that stay there, making it hard to see.
“I can barely hear out of this ear.” he explained. “It still hurts once in a while.”
“But that’s not the worst of it, is it?” asked North.
“No.” Thunderlane slipped off the couch. He lifted his left wing, showing North a jagged scar underneath. “He threw a glass bottle at me.”
North pushed himself off the couch, sitting down next to Thunderlane. He touched Thunderlane’s side, his touch light, looking up at him.
“Does it hurt?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” Thunderlane shivered, remembering the day it had happened. It had been really hard to explain it away when his friends had asked him about it.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Mm-hmm.” Thunderlane sat, looking over his shoulder at the picture. “I miss her.”
North wrapped his arm around him, and nuzzled his cheek. “I understand.”
Thunderlane put his wing around North. “You would.”
North stared into space, his ears laid back. “There are so many friends I’ll never see again.”
“If the Doctor brought you here, why can’t he take you back?”
“Because he’d be crossing back over my personal timeline, as well as his own. We’d be trapped there forever.” He kissed Thunderlane on the cheek. “And I don’t want that.”
He leaned into Thunderlane’s shoulder, letting him embrace him. North rubbed his head against Thunderlane’s neck, making the warm spot in his chest glow brighter. He pressed his muzzle into North’s mane, breathing in deeply. They remained thus, until Thunderlane loosened his grip.
“Time to pick Rumble up from school.” he said. “You coming with?”
“Of course.”
Thunderlane stood, then took North’s hoof and pulled him upright. Their chests brushed together for a moment, before they turned and walked to the door. North opened the door for Thunderlane, who smiled, and thanked him. They walked slowly, enjoying the fresh spring air. Rainbow Dash flew past overhead at high speed, rainbow trail following behind. Thunderlane looked over at North, whose eyes followed her across the sky.
“I wish I could fly.” he said sadly.
“I know.” said Thunderlane.
“What were you going to do?” asked North, now turning his attention to the path in front of them. “You said there was something you could try.”
“There is. But it’s not something I think you want me to do in public.”
North raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”
“I’ll try later, when we get home. Alright?”
“Sounds good.”
They crossed the bridge quickly, neither of them having any desire to stick around the place. When they reached the bright red schoolhouse, the students weren’t out yet, so they sat down on the grass outside the door to wait. North leaned over the flowerbeds, prodding around with a hoof.
“What’re you doing?” asked Thunderlane curiously, looking over North’s shoulder.
“Come here, you.” muttered North, who now had both hooves in the plants. “Gotcha!”
“Got what?”
North turned, lifting a hoof. Perched on it was a very grumpy looking bluebird. It’s wings weren’t that big yet, so it must have been a chick.
“What are you doing out of your nest?” asked North.
The bird twittered back, flapping its wings a few times.
“Well, you should’ve known better. And don’t look at me like that.”
“What are you doing?” asked Thunderlane.
“I’m talking to a bird.” said North. “Is that unusual?”
“A bit.”
“Hmm.” North returned his attention to the bird. “Where’s your nest?”
The bird twittered and chirped, and North looked over at a nearby tree.
“That one?”
He must have received an affirmative, because he stood and put the bird on his back. He walked over to the tree, and looked up the trunk. He sighed, and looked back at the bird.
“I can’t reach that high.”
The bird chirped questioningly.
“I can’t fly. My wings can’t move.”
The bird twittered.
“That’s nice of you. I just wish I could help you.”
The bird chirped, and both it and North looked over at Thunderlane.
“Thunderlane? Could you please return this bird to its nest?”
“Sure.”
Thunderlane walked over, and let the bird hop onto his back, its scratchy little talons gripping him slightly. He lifted his wings and took off, flying carefully upwards until he reached the nest. He landed on one of the stronger branches, and the bird hopped back into its nest. It turned and chirped at him.
“She says thank you.” said North.
“You’re welcome.” said Thunderlane, flying back down to the ground. As he touched down on the grass, the school bell rang, and the door opened, releasing a flood of colts and fillies. Rumble was among the last to exit. He looked around, and spotting them, ran over. “Hey, buddy. How was school?”
“Great!” said Rumble excitedly, hugging his brother. “I did really well on my math test!”
“Really?”
“Yeah!” Rumble reached into his saddlebags, and pulled out sheet of paper. Written on the top, in bright red, was: ‘A+’.
“Good job!” Thunderlane ruffled his little brother’s dark mane playfully. “Keep it up!”
Rumble put the paper back into his saddlebags, then looked up at North, who’d been watching the ongoing conversation with a small smile.
“Hi.” said North, after Rumble had been staring at him for a full minute.
“Can I hug you?” asked Rumble, still staring at him.
“Um…” North looked confused. “Sure?”
Rumble wrapped his arms around North, who still looked utterly baffled. Then he put an arm around Rumble.
“Thanks?” said North, when Rumble had let go.
Rumble beamed. “You’re welcome!”
“Come on buddy.” said Thunderlane. “Let’s get you home.”
“Okay.”
Rumble and North took up positions on either side of Thunderlane, both following him down the dirt path. North looked lost in thought, but he still managed to duck a grinning Pinkie Pie, who leap-frogged over his head, and continued beyond them in the direction of the schoolhouse.
“Wonder what she’s up to.” said Thunderlane, watching her knock on the school’s door. It was answered by Cheerilee, who waved her in, then closed the door behind her.
“Whatever it is,” said North absentmindedly, “I have absolutely no doubt we’ll find out one way or another.”
“Yeah.” Thunderlane laid a wing over North, who snapped out of his dazed state.
“You don’t mind, do you?” asked Thunderlane. “If it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t do it in public.”
“It’s fine.” said North, who snuggled closer to him. “It just surprised me.”
When they’d made it across the bridge, and were passing through town, Twilight caught up to them.
“Hey guys.” she said, falling into step next to them. “Where you headed?”
“Right now?” said Thunderlane “Home.”
“Do you have anything planned for later?”
“Not especially. Why?”
Before she could answer, the CMC ran up.
“Hey, Rumble!” said Scootaloo. “Can you come hang out?”
“Can I?” asked Rumble, looking up at Thunderlane and North.
“How much homework do you have?” asked Thunderlane.
“Not much.”
“We could work on it together.” suggested Applebloom. “That way, we’ll all be done sooner.”
“Like a study group.” said Twilight.
“Yeah.”
“Can I go?” asked Rumble, looking back at his brother.
“Sure.” said Thunderlane. “Just make sure you do your homework, okay?”
“Okay!” Rumble and the CMC ran off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.
“So, are you guys free later?” asked Twilight.
“I don’t see why not.” said North. “You didn’t have anything planned, did you ‘Lane?”
“No.” said Thunderlane. “It looks like we’re free.”
“Great!” said Twilight. “Could you guys come to Sugarcube Corner in an hour?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks!” she said, heading away from them. “See you later.”
“Bye.” said North, watching her go. He looked over at Thunderlane. “So, what should we do while we wait?”
“Want to take a walk, now that it’s not freezing outside?”
North grinned. “I’d love to.”
They took a nice walk through the park. In the absence of snow, it was more about enjoying each other’s company then trying to plow through knee-high drifts. Thunderlane took full advantage of this, taking North to the small pond that lay within the borders of the park.
“This is beautiful.” said North happily, stepping up to the edge. A flotilla of ducks - or a raft of ducks, if you want to get all technical - swam past, quacking merrily. Lily pads adorned the edges of the pond, white flowers just beginning to blossom. Several bushes near the edge were covered in sweet smelling flowers. “Do you come here often?”
“Not as often as I’d like.” said Thunderlane.
Two of the aforementioned ducks changed course, heading towards them. They stepped onto the bank, shaking their webbed feet to rid them of water. One of them looked up at North, and quacked.
“I wouldn’t know.” said North. “I don’t really have much expertise on that subject.”
Quack quack.
“Well, I could go ask her, if you’d like.”
Quack.
“You’re welcome.”
“What was that about?” asked Thunderlane, as North rejoined him.
“Their looking for a place to build their nest, and they were asking my advice.”
“So that’s what you were talking about.”
“Yeah. But they suggested I go talk to Fluttershy. You don’t mind if we drop by her place, do you?”
“It’s alright.” said Thunderlane. “Do you actually know where her house is?”
“No. I guess I’ll have to ask around.”
“You don’t need to go anywhere. I know where she lives.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. She lives on the edge of town, near the clocktower.” North stared at him blankly. “And… you don’t know where that is either.”
“No.”
“Come on.” said Thunderlane. “Let’s go.”
___________________________________________
Fluttershy’s cottage was a nice place. It was overgrown with plants, and the roof was dotted with birdhouses of different shapes, sizes, and colors. The surrounding trees were also covered in birdhouses and nests. They crossed a small bridge, beneath which flowed a small, clear creek. A few patches of cattails dotted the edge, and there was a little wooden fence leading from the side of the bridge up to the house. The door of the house was half-open (the top half, that is).
“I hope she’s home.” said North, who knocked a few times.
From inside, Fluttershy’s quiet voice could be heard. “I’m coming!”
“She’s home.”
“Hello North, Thunderlane.” said Fluttershy, walking up to the door.
“Hi Fluttershy.” said North. “How are you?”
“I-I’m fine.” she said, eyes flickering between the two stallions. “Um… c-can I help you?”
“Yes, actually. There’s a pair of ducks at the pond. They’re looking for a place to build a nest, and they were hoping I could give them some suggestions for a good location. I don’t really know that much about that sort of thing, so they suggested I come ask you. Any ideas?”
“Well, there are plenty of nice spots near the pond. They could find a nice patch of reeds, or-” She stopped, looking surprised. “How did you know what they wanted?” she asked.
“They told me.” said North. “And I’m beginning to get the impression that’s not exactly common.”
“Not really.” said Thunderlane.
“Oh, North!” said Fluttershy excitedly. “Have you talked to any other animals?”
“There was a bluebird over by the schoolhouse.” he said. “It fell out of its nest.”
“Oh! Is it alright?” she asked, switching from excitement to concern.
“It didn’t look hurt, and Thunderlane put it back in its nest.”
“Could you come inside for a minute?” she asked. “I-If that’s not to much trouble, that is.”
“I think we’ve got a moment.” said North.
Thunderlane nodded. “We don’t need to be at Sugarcube Corner for another half hour.”
Fluttershy opened the bottom half of the door, letting them step inside. The inside of the little house was even more devoted to the care of animals than the outside, the walls and ceiling were lined with little staircases, leading to little mouse holes, and birdhouses hung on the walls. The wooden floor was painted a pleasant shade of green, with a single, light red rug in the middle of the room.
There was a cacophony of sounds, as several mice, a dozen birds, and an extremely grumpy looking bunny rabbit all flocked to Fluttershy.
“Yes, I love you all too.” she said. “This nice stallion is North.”
“Hi.” said North. “Um… Fluttershy? What exactly do you want me to do?”
The rabbit hopped over to him, glaring up at him. It squeaked at him in a way that could only be described as angry.
“Excuse me?” said North.
Squeak.
North raised an eyebrow. “That’s not very nice.”
Squeakity Squeaker Squeak.
“Is that so?”
Squeak. Squaker squeak.
“Yeah…”
Squeak. Squeakity squeaker squeaky squeaken squaker squeak.
“What’s he saying?” said Fluttershy excitedly.
“I’d prefer not to say.” said North. “Can I talk to a less… violent animal?”
“Angel’s not violent, he’s adorable and fluffy.”
“If you say so.”
“Well, you could talk to Mr. Mouse.” she said, putting a hoof on the floor. A mouse climbed onto it, and she lifted him up to about shoulder-level. It squeaked at him, and North grinned.
“Pleasure to meet you too.” he said, lifting a hoof. Delicately, he shook the mouse’s tiny paw. It squeaked at him, and he nodded.
“Yeah.”
Squeak.
“Well, I’d love too, but I’m a bit big.”
Squeak.
“I would if I could.”
“You can understand him?” asked Fluttershy, whose eyes were sparkling excitedly.
“Yes.”
“Oh! This is so wonderful!” she squealed. “There are so many animals I can’t understand. I understand beaver, and a few bird languages, and a couple others. But not rabbit, or mouse, or squirrel, or-”
“That’s great.” said North, cutting off what would’ve no doubt been an extensive list. “But, I need to go help those ducks now.”
“Oh, right.” she said, flushing pink. “But… could you come back tomorrow? There are so many animals I’d love to talk to. I-If it’s no trouble.”
“I’ll try to do that.” said North. “So, what should I tell them?”
“Well, there’s the reeds, and overhangs on the bank. There’s also usually a spot under an overhanging tree, by the roots.”
“Thanks Fluttershy.” said North. “I’ll go tell them.”
“You’re welcome.” They left her house, and began walking back to the pond.
“How much longer?” asked North.
“Twenty minutes, about.” said Thunderlane, looking up at the sun. “We should be fine.”
They made it back to the pond with plenty of time to spare. North helped the ducks find a nice spot, situated in a patch of reeds (not that it was the only choice, that was just their personal preference). The two stallions took a seat on a gently sloping hill, looking across the park. They were alone, no ponies, ducks, or violent bunnies in sight.
“This really is a nice spot.” said Thunderlane. “We should come here once in a while, just enjoy the quiet.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” North nudged his hoof against Thunderlane’s, who took it in his own. “I’m glad I got some time alone with you. It’s not that I don’t like being around other ponies… I just enjoyed having some time to spend with my special somepony.”
“It…” Thunderlane tried to contain his blush. He wasn’t sure how to propose his idea. He didn't know how North would take it, and he didn’t want to drive him away. “Well, it doesn’t just have to be right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Would you like to… do something tonight?”
“Something… like what?”
“A… er… special… something.”
“You want to…?”
Thunderlane nodded.
“With… me?”
“That’s… kinda the point.” He looked away from North, feeling embarrassed. “You don’t have to, if you’re not ready for that, or you just don’t want to. It won’t bother me at all.”
North was silent for a moment. “I think my answer is… yes.”
Thunderlane looked back at North. “You… do?”
“Yes.”
Thunderlane grinned. “That’s great! But do we need anything? I mean, I’ve never done this before, so I might need to get a few things. That might look weird though! What if someone sees us getting those things? They’ll just assume we’re-” North covered his mouth with a hoof, cutting him off.
“It’ll be fine.” he said. “We might need a few things, but who cares what anypony else thinks?”
“But what if-?”
“Then they’ll be wrong, won’t they?” Thunderlane nodded.
“Before we worry about that sort of thing, we need to go see what Twilight needs at Sugarcube Corner.”
“Right.”
“Come on.” North stood, helping Thunderlane up. He pecked him lightly on the lips, smiling. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me feel so much happier.”
___________________________________________
When they arrived at Sugarcube Corner, the interior lights were all off. North pushed at the door, which swung open without any resistance.
“Huh.” said North. “Weird.”
They stepped inside, looking around. Then there was a blast of sound as the lights blazed to life. They were surrounded by a large group of ponies, Pinkie Pie in the forefront of the crowd.
“SURPRISE!!!”
North yelped, clutching at his ears. He slumped down against the floor, hooves holding his ears down against his skull. His teeth were clenched in a grimace of pain.
“You okay Northie?” asked Pinkie. North stood shakily, and Thunderlane could’ve sworn he saw his left eye twitch slightly.
“I-I’m fine.” he said unconvincingly. “Um… what’s the surprise party for?”
“Well, duh!” she said happily. “You found yourself a new special somepony, right?”
“Yes.” North looked over at Thunderlane, who felt the corner of his mouth lift in a half-smile. “Yes, I did.”
“Well then, come on everypony!” she shouted to the whole room. “Let’s par-TAY!”
As the multitude of ponies began to par-TAY, North looked a bit uncomfortable. Rainbow Dash walked by, wearing her usual self-important grin.
Thunderlane put a hoof on North’s shoulder. “You okay?”
“I am now.” North’s head shooked slightly. “It was just… loud.” He laughed softly. “It’s kind of funny.”
“What is?”
“You can’t hear very well out of one ear, and I feel like I’m having knives shoved down my ears if there’s any kind of loud noise. It’s like microphone feedback.
Thunderlane grinned. “I’d say ironic, but I don’t think that’s the right word.”
“What’s ironic?” asked Pinkie. “Irony is so much fun!”
“Never mind.” said North. “What is there to drink?”
“PUNCH!” shouted Pinkie, whipping two glasses out from behind her back. North flinched, but he still managed to take one of the glasses. Thunderlane took the other, looking down at the purple liquid it contained. “Enjoy!”
Pinkie bounced off into the crowd, giving a high-hoof to several ponies as she passed. Thunderlane took an experimental sip of the punch, knowing that Pinkie never used the same recipe every time. It wasn’t dangerous, so he drained the glass. North did as well, before setting his glass down on a nearby table.
“Hi.” said Twilight, walking up to them. “Thanks for coming.”
“Sure.” said North. “I definitely didn’t expect this.”
“Of course not!” shouted Pinkie from somewhere in the crowd. “It’s a surprise party, silly!”
“Where’d you guys go after we met?” asked Twilight.
Thunderlane told her about their afternoon, minus the more… personal bits. Twilight was fascinated by North’s apparent ability to speak with animals.
“I thought only Fluttershy could talk to them.” she said. “And even then, it took her a while to learn to communicate with them.”
“I don’t know how I do it.” said North. “I just… do it.”
“Hmm…”
They mingled for a while, talking to friends and getting to know strangers. That was often a point of Pinkie’s parties after all; get to know someone new. Thunderlane noticed that North still seemed a bit sound sensitive, but he was handling it well.
“You can be a bit more bold.” commented Thunderlane, during a lull between conversations.
“What do you mean?” asked North.
“I don’t expect you to be submissive to me. That’s not how I want this to work. Okay?”
“Bold, huh?” North grinned. “Be right back.”
He wandered off into the crowd. Thunderlane watched him go, eyebrow cocked. What’s he up to?
“Hey Pokey.” he said, as the powder-blue unicorn walked up. “How’s it going?”
“Great.” said Pokey. “Found yourself a coltfriend, then?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t know you swung that way.”
“I didn’t know either.”
Pokey smile turned into a mischievous smirk. “You two done anything… special yet?”
Thunderlane felt his cheeks burn. “None of your business.”
Pokey rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m gonna ask Pinkie to dance.”
“I’m sure she’d love to.”
“Okay.” Pokey took a steadying breath. “Here I go.”
He walked back into the crowd. After he’d gone, Thunderlane felt a tap on his shoulder. He didn’t have time to see who it was, before he was pretty much swept off of his hooves. He was spun around, and found himself leaning back, looking up at North. He was grinning deviously, and Thunderlane felt his a fluttering sensation in his stomach.
“Hi there.” said North.
“Hi.” said Thunderlane. “What’re you doing?”
“What’s it look like?” North jerked him a few inches lower to the ground. “I’m being bold.”
Thunderlane laughed nervously. “What did you have in mind?”
“Care to dance?”
Thunderlane struggled to find an answer, but the sudden transformation of North from a quiet and reclusive to daring and confident had rendered him speechless. So he just nodded. North pulled him upright, wrapping a hoof around his waist. Thunderlane held back a yelp as North brought pulled him closer.
“Pinkie?” North called. “Do whatever it is you do at this point!”
“On it!” she called.
She started up the music, and they started dancing. North led Thunderlane across the floor, who kept having to use his wings to maintain his balance. He didn’t dance that often, so he was a good bit less than graceful. North didn’t seem to mind though, and didn’t laugh at him when he stumbled.
“You’re really light on your hooves.” said Thunderlane, tripping over his one of his own hooves.
“Thanks.” said North, as he caught Thunderlane.
But instead of continuing to dance, as Thunderlane had expected, he found himself drawn into a kiss. As North fitted his lips over Thunderlane’s bottom lip, warmth flooded into his cheeks and ears. He was faintly aware of several ponies wolf-whistling, but that wasn’t important to him right now. When North pulled away, Thunderlane had a lopsided grin on his face.
“How was that?” asked North quietly.
“Great.” said Thunderlane breathily.
North pulled him upright. “Thanks.”
“You enjoyed that a lot, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” North kissed him on the nose. “I did.”
When the party was over, they thanked Pinkie and Twilight. Then they started off for home, accompanied by Rumble, who’d rejoined them half an hour before. This time, North needed no incentive to walk next to Thunderlane, and clearly felt more comfortable now.
When they got home, Thunderlane checked Rumble’s homework, then he and North managed to pin Rumble down without any severe injuries. By the time the got him bathed, both of them were dripping. As they dried off, North looked like he was lost in thought. When Thunderlane made to follow Rumble to his room, North stopped him.
“Can I put him to bed tonight?” he asked.
“Go ahead.” said Thunderlane, letting him by. He waited a moment, then snuck quietly over to listen at the partially cracked door.
“Hey Rumble.” he heard North say. “It’s time to turn the lights out.”
“But I’m not tired!” said Rumble.
“Fine.” said North. “Fine. What’re you reading?"
Thunderlane was going to go inside, but he decided to see what North was up to. He heard movement in the room, then the rustling of paper.
“Interesting.”
“I’m not tired.” said Rumble stubbornly.
“Alright.” North was quiet for a moment, then he started singing.
Stay awake, don't rest your head
Don't lie down upon your bed
While the moon drifts in the skies
Stay awake, don't close your eyes
Thunderlane heard Rumble yawn. He grinned. Reverse Psychology.
Though the world is fast asleep
Though your pillow's soft and deep
You're not sleepy as you seem
Stay awake, don't nod and dream
Stay awake, don't nod and dream
Thunderlane heard North stand up, then the covers being moved. A second later, the light clicked off. North came out, and closed the door quietly behind him. He had a small smile on his face.
“Is he…?” asked Thunderlane, following North to the top of the stairs.
“Yes.” said North. “Now what?”
“Um… do you still want to… you know…” Thunderlane’s heart fluttered.
“Yes.” His heart jumped into his throat.
“D-Do we need anything?”
North thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Not really.”
___________________________________________
Thunderlane felt North’s arms tighten around him. He nuzzled into the soft chest his head now laid on, tickling his nose as he breathed in deeply, taking in North’s warm scent. When he’d held North the previous night, he hadn’t realized exactly how soft his coat was. But now, with his body was pressed close up against North, and his wings stretched out behind him, he felt softer than anything he remembered touching. North was licking his cheek gently, soothing his deep blush. Both of them were covered in sweat, but neither of them cared at the moment.
“Did I hurt you?” asked North, brushing Thunderlane’s neck with his lips.
“I’m alright.” said Thunderlane, burying his nose into North’s fur. “That was… amazing.”
They were both quiet for a long while, enjoying the simple pleasure of being in each other’s arms. Then North sighed.
“We need to shower now, don’t we?”
“Probably a good idea.”
“And change the sheets.”
“Definitely a good idea.”
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Good chapter! Interesting how North can talk to animals. Very cute and sweet that he and Thunderlane took that next step.
It's up to you if you want to release that content, so I'll leave it to others to vote. I'm okay either way.
Just wow.... just wow
Liked when North turned dominant. Also, did thunderlane bottom in the censored part?
mmmmmm yum
3912714 Read the last section again. I left your answer there.
3839763 Nice sonic.
3913047 thanks! I knead to know, Did my request pull through?
3914559 What do you mean?
3916123 to see your book on how to survive the internet?
4060827 I don't understand. Also, please use appropriate language.
4061571 North is a player at this point. He's gotten with Caramel, Shining Armor, and now Thunderlane
4064276 I see.
The most perfect thing would be Kicking angel so hard he flew to canterlot and knocked out "prince" blueblood
WHAT!!! NO CLOP !!!