Before the Dawn

by Thunderblast

A Day in the City

Two more months later, the weather in Equestria was noticeably improving, and less snow was falling. As the days went on, the temperature was warming, despite still being late February. It was still fresh on Thunderblast's mind from when he dreamt about his step-parents' fateful encounter with mother nature.

One semi-warm afternoon, he stood on duty at the front gate of the base, keeping watch below the tower, where another pony stood. He was slowly getting used to the change, and felt as if things would remain how they are. As he stood on patrol, he was soon approached by one of his tent mates.

"Oh perfect...he's the last pony I need right now." He said mentally, then turned his head and pretended not to have seen him.

The light grey earth pony stallion swept a hoof up, removing his green cap briefly and scratching through his shallow mane, before putting it back on. "Thunderblast?"

Thunder turned and faced the pony. "Yes?"

"The lieutenant wishes to have a word with you, me and Skillshot. Its important."

For once, Flashpoint wasn't trying to hit the poor pegasus up, even after having the nightmare some time ago. "Did he say anything else?"

Flash shook his head. "Nope, but he does wish to see us anytime. I would suggest we get over there."

Thunderblast nodded. "But, what about my post?"

"He's assigning somepony else to it for today."

"For today?" Thunder tilted his head, confused.

"I don't know the details, but we should probably go. Come on, he's waiting for us."

Thunder nodded again, and trotted alongside the earth pony down one of the dirt paths and towards the base's mane building, where Sparkplug had his office. Along the way, neither of the ponies spoke to each other, and Flashpoint didn't attempt to pull any stunts against the fellow pegasus, which not only surprised Thunder, but relieved him.

Following a short trot to the main building, the two entered and made their way down one of the hallways and towards where they were to meet the lieutenant. Flashpoint stopped outside a door, and knocked twice.

"Come in."

Flash reached a hoof and twisted the door's knob, pushing it open and stepping inside with Thunder. Both stood beside each other, saluting the other pony at his desk, who stood up and saluted back. To their side, Skillshot was seated in a chair in front of the desk.

"Have a seat you two," he spoke in a slightly stern voice, sitting back down on his chair and staring at them. Even though they were used to it, the lieutenant's more serious side still brought fear into their hearts.

Both Flash and Thunder sat themselves on the two remaining chairs, staring back towards the other pony across the desk.

"Now, do you know why you are all here?"

"No sir," they said at once.

"I thought so," Spark shuffled through a small pile of paper on the desk. "I can't say you three are my best stallions, but you all have done great in your training and stations," he smiled a little. "But neither of you have taken any time off?"

The three looked between each other, then back to the lieutenant, and shook their heads.

"Well, all of you, especially you Thunderblast. I want you all to take the day off tomorrow, spend the day in Manehattan. I am not usually one to give ponies days off, but neither of you have had any time to your selves. Take the train into town, trust me, you've all earned it."

The three ponies' eyes opened wide with surprise.

"You mean it sir? This isn't some poor April Fools joke, is it?" Skill asked.

Sparkplug raised an eyebrow, staring directly at the brown earth pony. "It's not even March yet, Private."

"I know! But this could still be some crazy joke. Do you mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it. Please, take the day off. You've earned it."

---

"I can't believe it! A whole day, in the city of Manehattan?! He's amazing!"

"Calm yourself, Skill, it's just a day off. It's not like we won the lottery or anything. He's just giving us time to be free for once," Flash said, sitting on his bed and running a hoof file on one of his hooves.

"Hey, don't kill his enthusiasm. He's right, a day away from duty is nice. Besides, it's been a little while since I've been to the city."

"Really, when was the last time you were here?"

"A few years ago. I helped with escorting Princess Celestia to a meeting with some corporate owners in the city. Once in a lifetime opportunity, considering I'm not a part of her personal guard. Although, I did fly her chariot to Ponyville the day her sister came back. I'll say, that day sucked."

"Speak for yourself, the extra sleep was nice," Flash smirked, then sighed happily. "I don't know about you guys, but for some reason, I've wanted to be a part of Princess Luna's military. The night is just so nice."

"Then why did you join this?" Thunder raised an eyebrow.

"Long story short, my father went and enlisted me. I'll be honest, I don't think he cares what I like, he forces me into crap I'm not interested in. For example, this. I told him I wanted to enlist in the Lunar Navy, but he scolded me after, and then went to enlist me for this stupid branch."

"That's...harsh. Parents who do that shouldn't be parents at all," Thunder sighed. "At least I was fine with joining the Royal Guard. I've always wanted to be like my father, and now that he's been gone for most of my life, I don't know what to feel. I always looked up to him, and I wonder ... does he even look down to me?"

Skill stared at Thunderblast with a worried look on his face. "I'm sure he does," he smiled. "The Royal Guard is a very honorable job. I am sure he is more than proud, especially if he was one of Celestia's most respected guards."

"Yes, but, that doesn't mean he should be proud of me," Thunder looked down a little.

"Hey, I'm sure he is," Flashpoint said, then hesitantly rested a hoof on the pegasus' shoulder.

Thunder glanced over to the light grey pony, surprised that he showed compassion. "Are you...touching me?"

Flash quickly pulled his hoof away and blushed faintly. "I'm sorry..."

"No, don't be," Thunder smiled to Flash, and playfully punched his shoulder. "Hey, listen up you two, we have a long day tomorrow. Let's get some shut eye."

---

The following morning, the sun rose over the eastern horizon, lighting the sky slowly in beautiful, bright colors. A quaint breeze blew over Fort Fetlock, making the air crisp but refreshing. It was slightly past the time when the base usually comes to life, when Thunderblast, Flashpoint, and Skillshot rose from their beds. Each sat up, Skill rubbing at his eye and yawning, while Flashpoint stretched his arms and rubbed a hoof on his chest. Off to the side, Thunder climbed out of bed and stretched his wings, letting them quietly crack as they bent and lengthened, before finally folding them to his sides. Out of the three of them, he was the most energetic.

"Morning guys," he smiled to them. "Ready to hit the town?"

"Yeah," Flash yawned. "Yeah, just give me a second." He massaged his eyelids tiredly, then ran a hoof through his mane.

Thunder rolled his eyes and trotted out of the tent, the dog tags clinking softly on his chest as they bounced around. He immediately made his way to the showering rooms, where he took a quick but warm shower to freshen himself up, before heading to the mess hall. Skill and Flash surprisingly were already there, and were eating ahead of time.

Following breakfast, Skillshot and Flashpoint made their way to the shower rooms, while Thunder returned to their tent to put on his jacket and wait. The weather was forecasted to be nice that day, but it was still a cool start, and a jacket was necessary. While he waited, Thunder did his best to think up of what places he wished to visit, but never had the opportunity to. Minutes later, he finally decided that he would simply go along with where he wandered around. After all, they had the entire day to explore Manehattan.

Soon, the sounds of two different sets of hooves approached the tent and motivated him to stand up. Then, Skillshot peeked his head in and smiled.

"You ready to go? Our train arrives in ten."

"You bet I am," Thunder smiled, then followed Skill outside, where he was with Flashpoint.

"Wow, a whole day in Manehattan. This is going to be fun," Flashpoint grinned excitedly, looking between the both of them.

"You bet. What are you two going to do when we get there?" Skill asked.

"Mmm, probably sightsee," Thunder replied.

"I ... honestly don't know. Anything I guess!" Flash let out an energetic and ecstatic squeak.

"What about you, Skill?" Thunder turned to the brown-coated stallion.

"I don't know either, whatever comes into sight," he smiled to them.

The trio were allowed through the front gate, and down the long, almost straight dirt path to the small train platform built especially for easier transport to the base. There were two other paths that split off and seemed to head in different directions, presumably out into the dense forest surrounding the area.

Following a short walk, they trotted up to the platform, where they seated themselves on benches and waited for their train to Manehattan to arrive. By that time in the morning, the temperature was already much warmer and more comfortable to relax in, although Thunder insisted to himself to keep his jacket on. Minutes later, a light rumble shook the platform, and soon the approaching chuffs of a steam locomotive and the gradual creeping sound of the wheels screeching as it slowed. It soon came into view, and crept into the station at a snail's pace, then jolting to a stop, followed by the doors sliding open with a faint hiss. Nopony disembarked, which wasn't much of a surprise to either of them, and they went ahead and boarded moments after. Inside one of the cars only sat two other ponies, one seemingly a business worker, the other a teenage mare with a saddlebag to her side, a student most likely.

After a five minute wait, the doors shut tightly, and the train pulled out of the station. Thunderblast and Skillshot watched as the platform, and the dirt path leading to Fort Fetlock disappeared behind them, and more and more trees passed by.

No more than an hour later, the train made another turn, and was seemingly riding along the coastline as it approached the bridge leading into the city. They passed numerous beach houses from a distance, and soon more and more houses before finally entering the northern edge of Manehattan, which was made up of different brick brownstones, shops, and other beach-style homes.

The train soon began to ramp up the northern part of the bridge, then leveled out as it began to cross the river into downtown. Staring out their windows, Skillshot and Flashpoint watched in pure awe as the expansive skyline approached them.

"Manehattan..." Flash said in a trance of awe.

Minutes after crossing the bridge into the city, the train finally pulled into the Manehattan train station, which was built so its platforms were inside the building itself, and each track split off onto five other platforms other than the one they were on, and went out the other side of the building where they conformed back into just two tracks heading south. The entire building itself was four stories high, despite being only two actual floors; the main floor, and the bridge crossing the tracks to make traveling between platforms easier.

The trio disembarked with the rest of the ponies in their car, plus a few others on the train and were each greeted by the conductor, before trotting up a set of stairs onto the walking bridge. As they did, a racing freight train flew underneath them, kicking up a large breeze as it did, before finally rushing out the other side.

"I had no idea they allowed freight trains to use these tracks?" Thunder watched in some surprise, brushing a hoof through his mane to shape it back to normal.

"Of course they do, these are about the only tracks in Manehattan. How else would they get to the ports?" Flash replied.

"Huh, true."

The three then made their way into the main hall of the station, which was just about as big as the platforms itself, but was instead complete with tall squared and arched glass panes on the front face of the building, complete with the tan brick that made up the entire building itself. Above the hall hung quite possibly the largest chandelier they had ever seen, surrounded by massive skylights and steel beams holding up the weight of the roof.

Down below, on one side sat a row of numerous restaurants and tables for eating, and on the other side, a massive gift shop jam-packed with Manehattan mementos ranging from 'I <3 Manehattan' hats, to mini-models of Trotterdam tower and the Statue of Harmony, coffee mugs, key pins, postcards, snow globes, and a small section of different cheap toys. Towards the center of the hall, sat a small information kiosk for tourists where maps of the city were given out, and other things to help with navigating the metropolis.

"Well, guess we're here. What should we do first?" Thunderblast turned and looked at Flashpoint and Skillshot.

"I don't know. I don't exactly know what there is to do here. You said you wanted to sightsee, correct?" Skill replied.

"Well, yeah, but is that what you guys want to do? I don't want this to be unfair."

"We could always split up, then meet somewhere at a certain time," Flash motioned his hoof.

"Split up?"

"Yeah, so we could all do what we want to do, so it isn't unfair!"

"I don't know, I'm a little uncomfortable with that," Skill said.

"Oh, come ooon! You and me could do what we want, and Thunder can do what he wants."

"I'm not so sure about that, Flash. But, if its what you want, I'm fine with it," Thunder sighed softly.

"Great! So, where and when should we meet up?"

"Back here at around seven?" Skill suggested.

"Perfect. But, well...I don't know. I guess I'll ... see you guys then?"

"Sure thing!" Flash smiled. "See you at seven," he said, trotting off with Skillshot.

Thunderblast sighed and lowered his head. "Guess I'm alone again," he said to himself before trotting to the front entrance of the station, and soon out onto the street. It was busy with many ponies of all races, as well as taxi carriages driven by pony galloping by. It was surely much busier than Canterlot, especially on its most tourist-swarmed days, except these ponies lived and worked here. Outside, the temperature hadn't risen much, and the sky was a loud cloudier than earlier with very little blue sky still to be seen.

Looking down both ways of the street, he thought of where he should go. After all, it had been a while since he visited Manehattan, and even then it was short. Out of instinct, he went left and down the street. As he did, it felt off to him that he was wearing his uniform jacket, which attracted the attention of some ponies in the crowd, and even managed to give him glares of suspicion. It was then, that he hoped it would warm up a lot faster.

As Thunderblast turned down another street, on one of the less busier parts of Manehattan, he felt a drop of water fall onto his cheek. He stopped and raised a hoof, wiping the drop off and staring at his hoof. "I'm not crying, am I?" He mentally said, then slowly looked up. A low, thunderous roar filled the air, followed by the increasing sprinkle of rain, which slowly turned into a light shower. Thunder grumbled to himself. "Perfect."

He continued down the street, lowering his head and staring forward angrily as the shower gradually transformed into a downpour, soaking his mane down over one of his eyes and drenching his coat and feathers. He was too focused on walking to even realize where he was going, and by then, he was far from the busier parts of the city and was on the western side of the island, which was mostly made up of high rises and apartments, with a few shops mixed in between. The stallion soon came across a small light blue shop, with bright, colorful large stickers plastered on the windows stating 50% Off All Cat & Dog Supplies!

"A pet store..." Thunder mumbled to himself, looking in through the window as he walked by. Suddenly, something caught his attention which perked him up. He stared in through the window, wiping at it to remove some of the fog on it and peeking inside the shop.

On a small table to the side of the store, sat a white and black striped animal which he did not recognize. It was larger than a dog, and definitely much larger than a cat, and was extremely fluffy. Off to the side of the table, stood presumably the store manager, who was attempting to feed the animal, who simply swatted violently at his hoof. The stallion had large cuts on both of his hooves, and numerous bandages, even one on his cheek. Intrigued, Thunder shook his mane out of his eye and entered the store through the glass door at the front, a small bell ringing as he stepped inside.

The stallion feeding the animal turned his head, staring directly at Thunderblast. From what he could tell, the pony seemed to be mixed between anger and pure pain, with a touch of desperately wanting to break down and cry from stress.

"C-can I help you, s-sir?" The pony said, his body lightly trembling.

"Hi, yes. Er," Thunder walked up to him. "I was passing by, and you happened to catch my eye. What...is this animal?" Thunder turned to the fluffy creature, who was now licking his paw.

"White Bengal tiger. I-I know what you're thinking, I'm crazy f-for taking one into my shop. But, I-I couldn't l-let the poor thing freeze!"

Thunder nodded. "I wouldn't have left it outside either. Its a ... White Bengal tiger you say?"

"That he is," the store manager sighed in frustration. "I'm not usually like this to my animals, but I have been wanting to get rid of him for months! He is just ... so expensive to take care of. He's pickier than a rich unicorn in Canterlot when it comes to food! I can't afford to keep him and keep my store going," he sighed again. "Do you know anypony who could take him?!" He turned to Thunder with some tears in his eyes.

Thunder stopped for a few moments and thought, then looked the pony square in the eyes. "I could take him."

"R-really?" The manager's ears perked. "But wait, if I can't take care of him, neither can you! You don't know what he can do!"

Thunder moved his eyes to the tiger cub, then reached into the small bowl the manager held in a hoof and lifted out a few small diced pieces of raw manticore meat, and eased his hoof closer to the cub. The tiger cub watched as Thunder moved his hoof closer, then stared at it as it stopped just in front of him. He leaned his head closer, sniffing Thunder's hoof and the meat, before calmly taking it in his mouth and eating it. The store manager simply watched in awe.

"H-how did you do that?!"

"I ... don't know..."

"A-are you sure you want him? He m-may just be playing an act."

"Of course. How much is he?"

"O-oh no, I insist, just take him. He's free."

"No no, I insist. How much?"

"Free. Just take him. I will get a carrier."

"Oh, its fine. I will take him. Besides," Thunder looked down and smiled a little. The cub had hopped down from the table, and was rubbing against his hoof like a house cat. "I think he likes me."

"B-but, he can't be out in public! Please, let me get a carrier," the manager begged, then trotted into a side room to grab a carrier. As he trotted back out into the shop, he looked around for Thunder and the cub. He trotted up to the cashier's counter, setting the pet carrier down and finding a nice sized bag of bits. After a quick count, he was surprised to see Thunder had left two hundred and fifty bits while he went to grab the carrier. The manager sighed. "You'll need a carrier..."

Author's Note:

Well, it now seems like Thunder has a pet tiger. Crazy, right? What will happen next?