The Slash of Thunder

by ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

discussions

Blazing Streak sat at a large table in one of the main halls of Princess Celestia's Palace. It was the most decorated and elaborate place she'd ever been in. The walls looked like they'd been polished five times over, not a speck of dust was seen. The floors, although made of wood, seemed to be a mirror, as everything in the room could be seen through it. The walls arched into a roof at the top, with supports that looked as if they were only half there to be practical. The table itself had fine grooves in the sides, creating swirling patterns that would make a furniture sales-pony cry. Red silk banners hung from the walls and ceiling with images of a dark blue Alicorn and a white Alicorn with a sun and a moon in between them printed on every single one.

However, it wasn't the room itself that Blazing Streak had her eyes fixed on. She had taken notice to some stain-glass windows opposite her. The one on the far left resembled her six friends, defeating Nightmare Moon with their elements. The second one from the left showed them defeating Discord, again, with their elements. The next one showed Shining Armor and Princess Cadence wiping away Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army with their love magic. The fourth, which Blazing had her eyes fixed on, showed a black Pegasus with shining white eyes, surrounded by a bright blue orb of fire while holding it's hooves downwards. It had more blue fire in the shape of fireballs that looked as if they were pelting down on a black Unicorn with purple eyes, who had a frightened expression.

She still remembered that moment all too well. She had felt terrible for three weeks after she had 'died' of exhaustion, she still missed her brother, despite what he did to her.

No, it wasn't him, it was Night Whisper.

She kept telling herself that, but something at the back of her mind kept telling her that he was conscious of what he was doing behind the dark outer shell. After all, after she had defeated Night Whisper, Dusk Shadow had still treated her with spite for the last moments of his life; he still hated her.

"Firefly?" She was pulled out of her train of thought by her wife quietly getting her attention.

"Hm?" She looked at Applejack, who sat to her right. The farm mare was looking at her with concern.

"Cheer up, Firefly. That was four years ago now." She nuzzled her neck comfortingly. Blazing put a wing on her back in appreciation. She closed her eyes for a moment, grieving for her lost brother. A tear threatened to break the surface, she struggled to keep it from displaying her sorrow.

"Are you alright, Blazing Streak?" To her left, Princess Celestia sat on a throne like chair, a fork full of some fancy named salad, much like the rest of them.

"Uh, I'm a-alright." She stuttered. She felt a little awkward speaking to the Princess over a dinner.

"Something is bothering you, it's alright, you can tell me." The Princess pressed. Blazing sighed.

"Just grieving for my brother, don't worry."

"What happened, dear?" Blazing Streak realized the Princess still didn't know that Night Whisper was actually Dusk Shadow. she rubbed the back of her head, awkwardly.

"Um... He was Night Whisper." She stated, bluntly. She looked down and sighed. Applejack put a hoof on hers.

"Oh. Well I am sorry for your loss, Blazing." There was a short silence in the room. The others; Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Thunder Slash, Princess Luna and Derpy, who sat around the circular table, all looked at Blazing with sympathy. Well, apart From Thunder, who shifted awkwardly.

The silence was getting awkward. Thankfully, Princess Luna broke the quiet.

"Ahem. We understand that your visit was important, Blazing. After we have finished with our meals, I'll show you your rooms. We shall discuss things at sunrise." Blazing Streak nodded, a thorn of worry impaling her heart. What was she going to say? Should she voice her worries? That would mean questioning her Princess' orders. After all, having the Princess give you control of her military was a great honor, and Blazing should have been flattered. But instead of honor, all she felt was panic and uncertainty.

"That meal was great, Princess. Thank you for inviting us all here." Twilight spoke up.

"Oh, it was simply divine!" Rarity agreed, using a napkin to wipe remnants of lettuce from her mouth with a content smile.

"That was the bestest salad meal I've ever had! But I don't normally eat salad! Normally chocolate or cake or chocolate cake or cakolate choc or sweets or all of the above! Sometimes I eve-" Pinkie Pie's rambling was stopped by Rainbow Dash, who put a hoof over her mouth with an amused and slightly confused expression.

"Any time, my faithful student." Celestia looked toward Rarity, smiling. "Our chefs are the best you can get in Canterlot, and they are very adept at cooking exquisite meals." She complemented. A tall, cream stallion with brown eyes and mane wearing a white apron and hat on blushed at the Alicorn's praise as he took the empty plates and cutlery from each of them and retreated back into the Palace kitchen.

"It's almost time to set the sun, I recommend you visit the Palace spa for the evening to help you relax. Everything there will be free for the honored guests. Now, I must get back to my duties, I wish you all a good night, and I will see you in the morning." Princess Celestia got up from her seat, towering over the rest of them, dipped her head to her little ponies and walked towards a set of double wooden doors. Once she disappeared through the decorative barriers, Princess Luna also stood.

"I'll show you the way to the spa, I will accompany you there." She stated with a smile. Blazing Streak shakily got to her hooves, followed by the rest of them, who harbored excited expressions. They followed the Princess of the Night through some more doors and through a long corridor.

.--...--...---...--...--.

Hot water bubbled up against Blazing Streak's wings and chest, relaxing her tensed muscles and massaging her body. Beside her, Applejack was in bliss as she leaned her head on Blazing's shoulder, letting out gentle moans of contention.

"Mmmh... This is heaven." She mumbled. Blazing smiled, she had to agree. It was like the water was pulling her troubles away from her every minute she stayed there. She had managed to temporarily take her mind off the pressure of the prophecy that Thunder Slash had brought to her.

Subconsciously, she started working her hoof on her wife's upper back, releasing the tension that the water couldn't reach.

"Ooh.. That's great, Firefly, keep doin' that." Applejack mumbled. It sounded more like a purr than comprehensible words.

The whole room was filled with ripples of the reflections from the hot tub, steam blurred their vision and made it harder to breathe in a sort of relaxing way. Looking around, she saw that Fluttershy seemed to have fallen asleep. Her head rested on the back of the tub above the water which was padded with some sort of water proof cushion material. Even in her sleep, she had a warm smile stretching across her face.

Princess Luna, to the left of the massive tub sat with a book, reading it intently. Blazing Streak looked closer at the cover;

'Warrior cats: The Darkest Hour.'

Blazing Streak had heard of that before; it was one of Equestria's best selling book series. She'd been meaning to read it for some time, but never got round to it. Maybe after this was all over, if it's ever over, that is.

"Princess Luna?" She got the attention of the alicorn.

"What is it?"

"Are those books good? I've been wanting to read them." Blazing intrigued.

"Yes, they are fantastic. We shall let you borrow them when you need them" Luna cast her a friendly smile.

"Really? Thanks, Princess!"

"Don't worry about it."

The rest of her friends also sat in the hot tube with similar expressions as the water bubbled around them. Blazing noticed that there was an absence of Pinkie Pie. The party pony was nowhere to be seen. Blazing shrugged it off; she was probably distracted by something.

Minutes later a pink blur launched into the tub, spraying hot water everywhere.

"Eep!" Fluttershy shot awake at the sudden splash.

"Oh my gosh guys! You need to check out the cantine! The cupcakes are amaaziing!" everypony stared with bewildered and frightened expressions. Pinkie, oblivious to the fact that Princess Luna was reading, looked back with confusion. She looked behind her, towards the furious Princess of the Night. The book that had once been in Luna's magical grip was now soaked through, Blazing could see liquid ink running down the inside.

Oh dear..

"Get your enthusiasm OUT OF HERE!" Pinkie Pie shrank back in fright. A blue aura sparked from Princess Celestia's horn. Moments later Pinkie Pie vanished with a blue flash.

"....Uh.... Sorry about the book, your highness." Was all Blazing managed to say. The Princess closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

"Um.. What did you do with the pony?" Thunder Slash asked. Luna, recovering and sitting back down in the tub sighed in frustration.

"I only teleported her out of here." She grunted. "I was just getting to the finale! Now look at it! Ruined!" She lifted the soggy remains of the book.

Don't worry, your highness, I'll get ya another one." Rainbow Dash reassured, grinning at the Princess of the Night, who smiled gratefully back at her.

"No need, Rainbow Dash, I have money, you know." Luna smiled.

There was something about the way they talked to each other that made something in Blazing's mind suspicious. It was almost like a boss in a work place talking to an employee. Rainbow caught her narrowed gaze, she looked down and shifted uncomfortably. This only increased Blazing's curiosity. She was interrupted by a quiet yawn from her wife.

"Tired?" She asked the farm pony.

"Ah think A'hm ready ta hit the hay. Ya comin', Firefly?" She asked.

"Yeah, right behind you." They climbed out of the hot tub. Blazing Streak started to glow, evaporating the water from both of their pelts, leaving them dry in a couple of minutes.

"Heh, convenient." Applejack commented. She turned around and looked at Blazing, half lidded and with a smile that made Blazing Streak feel a shiver through her spine. She blushed as the farm pony pressed her lips on her muzzle for a split second before turning back round and walking out the room with a sway in her hips.

*pomf*

Oh for Celestia's sake.

Apparently, the other ponies in the room had witnessed the embarrassing display. Rainbow Dash burst out laughing while Fluttershy blushed and shrunk back, muttering 'oh my...'. Princess Luna just smirked, while Thunder Slash looked at her with an irritated frown.

"Uh..." She didn't say anything, she just turned and left awkwardly. Applejack looked over her shoulder with a playful smirk.

"Why do you have to be so damn sexy, AJ?" Applejack chuckled, blushed, and brushed up against her wife as they headed for their bedroom for the night. Something wasn't sitting right in Blazing's mind, however. She couldn't help but feel that Rainbow was hiding something from all of them, and she had a feeling it involved Princess Luna.

She thought back to when they had been training the day before, Rainbow Dash had managed to nail the move first try, without any flaws. It was like she'd been trained somewhere before. She decided to confront the multicoloured Pegasus tomorrow.

The two reached a large spiral staircase at the end of a narrow hallway and started to head up it, as shown by Princess Luna earlier that day. After a while of climbing stairs, which would have worn out any average pony, they reached another corridor. They walked for a little while longer before seeing a door on their left with a sign that read; 'Blazing Streak and Applejack." They headed inside.

A large double bed with its own silk roof sat in the middle of the room, accompanied by two sets of drawers at either side. A large wardrobe made of polished spruce wood and gold for the doorknobs and hinges. The floor was made of soft, blue carpet that felt as if it was made from a fur coat. There was a wooden stool with a velvet cushion, lined with gold in front of a desk with a large mirror, also bordered with gold. Even though Blazing had already seen it, it still blew her away.

Applejack led the way towards the bed. She took off her stetson and untied the bands in her mane and tail, leaving her silky mane to freely flow just past her shoulders as she laid down on the king sized bed on her side, facing Blazing. It was rare that Blazing Streak saw her like this, and when she did, it was a stunning sight.

Before she realized she was staring, wide eyed and mouth agape, her wife chuckled and blushed.

"Ya gonna stay like that all night or are ya gonna get over here n' kiss me?"

Wings slowly extending once more, she complied gladly. She swiftly flew onto the bed, crawled over to her wife and pressed her lips on Applejack's. The farm pony moaned and laughed a bit into the kiss. The passion steadily grew. Blazing pushed harder into the kiss and so did Applejack. Before Blazing knew it Applejack had her pinned. She didn't mind. She prodded her wife's lips with her tongue, and was allowed entry. The wrestling match between them changed to a tongue wrestling match as they struggled for dominance over each other. The familiar apple-cinnamon taste swirled in her mouth as they danced. Blazing smiled and rolled them over so she was on top. Doing so separated them from the kiss. She looked down at her wife with love before going in to kiss her again. She felt Applejack's hooves finding their way to her outstretched wings and started to massage the base of them. She gasped as the sensation hit her.

"Ya like that, sugarcube?" Applejack whispered, smirking.

"nh.." Blazing struggled to make a proper reply.

Just then, the door to the bedroom swung open. They froze as they looked at the figure of a more than surprised Princess Celestia standing at the doorway.

"...Umm...." The couple blushed furiously and climbed off of each other. Blazing Streak looked down, ashamed to have been caught by the Princess.

The Princess... Why did it have to be the Princess?!

"..I, uh..." She started. In the corner of her eye, she saw the white Alicorn smirk and giggle softly.

"Well, I just came up to offer you some tea, but it looks like you're pre-occupied right now." She turned and closed the door behind her. The room was left in silence, two mares still blushing at the fact that they'd been caught. By the Princess, no less.

"Oh no..."

"What is it, Firefly?"

"The discussion's going to be really awkward tomorrow." Blazing realized.

.--...--...---...--...--.

Blazing Streak, accompanied by her wife, opened the doors to the dining hall. It was only them, as the rest of her friends had decided to go and look around Canterlot, all except her Applejack, who had insisted on staying with her.

Princess Celestia and Luna sat at the large table that they had eaten on the previous day. The sight reminded her of what had happened last night. She cringed.

"Don't worry 'bout it, sugarcube, Ah doubt she really cares about what happened." She leaned in towards Blazing's ear. "Jus' pretend nuthin' happened and it should go fine."

"Good morning, Blazing, Applejack. Have fun last night?" She smirked.

"Well there goes that idea." Blazing Streak muttered.

"I'm only teasing you." She chuckled. Her face turned serious and she motioned for the two to sit.

"I trust you know why I called you over here?" Blazing nodded, her worries flooding back to her, swamping her mind.

"Um, Princess? I gotta ask, why can't Shining Armor lead the army? I don't think I'm able to lead three thousand ponies into a battle that could potentially be the end of Equestria... Surely Thunder Slash or Twilight would be better?" Celestia sat in her throne, thinking for a moment.

"Blazing Streak. Do you really think I would have chosen you if unless I was one hundred percent sure that you were the pony right for the task? I can't leave the fate of the world in Thunder Slash's hooves, she's missing something you have." Blazing looked up, puzzled.

"She doesn't think before she acts. Princess Luna has walked her dreams, seen the way she thinks and behaves. She wouldn't think twice about keeping the soldiers alive. Shining Armor is busy in the Crystal Empire, so he cannot lead it this time."

"So, is there really no other pony that can do it?" Blazing asked, all hope of getting out of the huge task thrown out of her mind.

"I'm afraid not, Blazing. You must take your role as the flame that will light our way to victory. I will not deny it, a lot of our men will die, but keep in mind, it will not be your fault. These things happen in wars." Celestia admitted.

"You will not be alone in this. There are allies in the shadows that will help you in the final battle." Princess Luna put in.

"What do you mean? Allies in the shadows?" Blazing asked, baffled. The Princess of the Night didn't answer.

"Blazing, this fight is closing in, it has grown closer, the evil under the mountain is rising, we can feel it. Soon, I am going to order a complete evacuation of Canterlot, the only ponies here will include you and our army. Later, I will bring you along with me and introduce you to your fighting force. They know what is happening, and they are honored to have you at their command." Despite her inevitable responsibility, pride swelled in her chest.

"Princess Celestia? May Ah accompany Firefly while she prepares? Ah don't want to leave her." Blazing nuzzled Applejack's cheek and looked hopefully at Princess Celestia.

To her disappointment, The white Alicorn shook her head.

"This is something Blazing must do alo-" The Princess was cut off by the door swinging open, revealing Rainbow Dash.

"Princess, the assassins agreed to help-" The Pegasus froze when she saw Blazing Streak and Applejacks' shocked gazes focused on her.

Rainbow Dash is an assassin?!

Author's Note:

A little nod to Erin Hunter's awesome book series; 'Warrior Cats' in there somewhere.

I recommend you check it out, It's not as childish as it sounds, and anyway, we're the ones reading fiction about ponies, so what the hay.

Aaaanyway -

As per usual, check Atomicbrony45's stories, they're awesome:
http://www.fimfiction.net/user/atomicbrony45