And So?

by Rokas

Chapter 4 - Missed It By That Much

Thud.

Well, that's become a prophetic nickname, Thunderbird darkly mused, as he lay on the ground, his head, neck, chest, and forelegs pressed into the dirt with the rest of his body balanced in the air. He stayed like this for a few moments as he caught his breath and thought about his most recent failure. I think I wasn't moving fast enough for the turn and side-slipped. Gotta work on that.

The lessons had started in earnest the next day after accepting Ditzy's offer, and the green stallion had worked hard to learn the differences between ponies and humans, and most importantly to him, flying. Fortunately, there seemed little differences between his society and the one he found himself in now, which meant that most of the lesson time in the past three days had been focused on getting him used to flying. Or rather, used to not crashing, Thunderbird mentally added as he finally started to shift his body around so he could regain his footing. Or would I call that hoofing? He bemusedly asked himself as he folded up his wings.

“That wasn't too bad a spill,” Ditzy Dew said, as she landed next to the bruised stallion. “You just took the turn too hard.”

“And slipped because of a lack of sufficient momentum,” Thunderbird agreed, with a nod. “Yeah, I figured that's what it was. I kinda felt it as I started on the turn, but I was afraid to flap my wings.”

Ditzy shook her head at that. “You shouldn't be. I did explain how pegasus magic keeps air flowing past the wings even during flaps, right?”

Thunderbird blushed and nodded. “Yes, you did, and I do remember it. But...” He trailed off and then sighed as he glanced around the meadow northwest of town that the two used work on his flying. It was somewhat remote and unused, and so they were unlikely to draw unwanted attention.

“But what?” Ditzy asked, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.

“I still feel like it would be a problem,” Thunderbird finally said, and then looked back at the other pony. “I just have this inkling that I shouldn't rely on the magic so much, and more on the physical nature of my wings.”

“That sounds like your old sense talking,” the gray pegasus evenly commented. “You are more worried about maintaining your wings out for lift than you are in using them to accelerate or maneuver. You're going to have to get past that and realize you need to use your wings for propulsion as opposed to relying on an engine.”

Thunderbird raised an eye at Ditzy. “I do understand that,” he said, patiently, and then sat on his haunches. “But you can't deny I'm built a bit differently than you or other pegasi. Something just tells me that I shouldn't rely too much on that trick.”

“It's not a trick, it's a technique,” Ditzy countered, and then shook her head. “If you don't use your terminology better, then ponies will wonder how you ever got off the ground.”

“Heck, I still wonder how I got off the ground,” Thunderbird said with a grunt. “I'm still a bit freaked out on how easy movement is for me. Humans spend the first five or six years of their life learning the basics, and here I am in a new body already running around and even flying on the first day.” He shook his head at this. “If it wasn't for how unusual I am, I'd be worried I took over some poor pony's body.”

A moment of silence passed between them before Ditzy sighed. “Well, you obviously need to listen a bit more to my instruction than your instincts at times if you want to fly like other pegasi do,” she said, in a charitable tone. “Certainly you'll at least need to be proficient if you want to apply for that weatherpony job that's been open.”

Thunderbird only grunted at that. Jobs in Ponyville were scarce at the moment, as he'd found to his dismay. There were a few, of course, but he lacked the skill or experience for most of them. Two years of college, an Associate's degree, and twelve years of solid retail work don't mean crap to a village economy, the stallion morosely thought. Of course it didn't mean crap back home, either. At least here any pegasus who can fly decently can get a job on the weather team if there's an opening. Of course, “flying decently” is the problem here.

“Thud, are you alright?” Ditzy asked, waving a hoof in front of the stallion's face.

“Oh, sorry,” Thunderbird said, blinking his introspection away before giving the mare a smile. “Just woolgathering.”

“You do that a lot,” Ditzy observed, and then grinned. “Are you sure you're a Dash fan?”

Thunderbird razzed the other pegasus, who laughed. “Okay, I won't go there again,” Ditzy said, and then glanced upward towards the sun. “It's about time I head for work, anyway,” she said, spreading her wings. “You should practice a bit more before you go looking for work today.”

“Yes ma'am,” Thunderbird replied, automatically, but with no less sincerity. “I'll take another hour or two, I think, and then trot into town.”

“Good,” Ditzy said as she started flapping her wings and lifted into the air. “And leave that hat behind this time. Until you get it fixed it's just going to make you look ragged.”

Thunderbird rolled his eyes before he looked up at the gray mare and gave her a wan smile. “Yes, mom,” he said, his voice sarcastically saccharine.

Ditzy rolled her eyes back, though her expression was far more effective as both eyes rolled in the opposite direction from one another before settling on her usual walleyed look. “Just for that you're doing the dishes tonight,” she said, with mock severity.

“Spoilsport,” Thunderbird replied, and then razzed the mail mare again. The razz soon faded into a genuine smile, however, and he raised a hoof to wave at the other pegasus as she turned to fly off. “Goodbye Ditzy! Have a nice day at work!”

“Thanks! And good luck to you, too!” Ditzy called back, before she turned and accelerated as she headed for the center of town.

Thunderbird watched her go for a bit before he took in a deep breath and then slowly got back to his hooves again. Alright, I'm going to try that turn again, this time flapping, he thought. Then he grinned as he spread his wings out again. And just for kicks, I'm going to do it my way, as well, until I get it right.

A few hours later Thunderbird trotted into town as he had promised, a few more bruises on his body and a smile on his muzzle. Hah, I knew I could do it, he thought, remembering the change in the routine he'd made. Felt a bit easier, too. I think Ditzy's doing her best – pun not intended – but I think I'm right, and these differences mean that everything she teaches me won't be one hundred percent accurate for me.

Still, enough of it is that you should keep paying attention, the stallion told himself. He nodded at the thought and let his smile slip back a notch. Stay focused and in control, man. Remember the plan: get a job, get comfortable with living around ponies, then get the frack out of here.

The reminder was enough to return his attention back to the world outside of him, and Thunderbird saw that he was again the center of focus for several ponies in town. Is it because I'm new, or because I'm just so big? He knew his unusual frame was a fair size larger than most ponies, though he'd seen enough males in town to know he still wasn't quite the tallest or beefiest by a long shot. So no chance of being made an Irken leader. Rats. The dark green pegasus suppressed a chuckle at the joke, and instead focused on his walk through the streets as he headed for the jobs board that sat outside of town hall. There anypony seeking to hire temporary or permanent workers often posted bills advertising the job, and there Thunderbird had gone each day since accepting Ditzy Dew's offer, hoping for a position he could apply for. And not just 'cuz it's a condition, the stallion reminded himself. Because it's right to work for a living. It's right to earn your own money and help others with it when you can.

This motivation kept a spring in his step as he moved through town, and he let his mind idle as he engaged in one of his new favorite pastimes; pony watching. It still warms my heart to see these cute little freaks, he thought, with a grin as he entered the town square. I hope I never get tired of it.

Thunderbird pushed such thoughts aside then, as he approached the jobs board. Two other ponies were there already, though one was leaving just as he arrived, and the other quietly kept to himself, which suited the introverted green pegasus just fine. He sat down patiently on his haunches and then took his time to read over the various postings. Sadly, he saw nothing new, though a bright spot was that the weatherpony want ad hadn't been taken down, either. Just stay up a bit longer, he thought, smirking at the ad. Part of him wanted to rebel at his desire to acquire the job, knowing it could bring him into regular contact with one pony he wanted to avoid. The fact that the job was a third shift position, however, kept him eager for it. I didn't know they had graveyard for that kind of work, he mused, falling into a daydreaming state. Though I guess it makes sense, as even weather here probably doesn't stop just because night has fallen. Air masses move, clouds drift, frogs get sucked up by tornadoes, that sort of thing.

“'Scuse me,” a twangy voice said from behind him, briefly startling the green pegasus. He turned his head around to see that the other stallion who'd been looking at the board had moved off, and had been replaced with an orange mare wearing a hat, who nodded to him as she moved up to the board. Once there she turned her head to the left and then reached into one of the saddlebags she wore before she pulled out a sheet of paper and then pressed it to the board.

Oh Shinto, Thunderbird thought as he beheld the obvious. He just stared in shock for a moment as Applejack held her ad up with her left hoof while the other reached back into the right side saddlebag. She pulled out a small nail fit for joining wood stuck to her hoof, and then carefully maneuvered it until she had it pressed against the board, whereupon she tapped it a few solid times until it held the ad up without trouble. Satisfied, the orange mare nodded once to herself and then turned around to leave. Or at least she started to, but froze when she saw the green pegasus staring at her. “Uh, somethin' Ah can do for ya?” She asked, giving him a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, uh,” Thunderbird muttered, as his mind was startled back into thought. Quickly he glanced to the ad and then back to Applejack, and then took in a small breath. I'm going to regret this, but I need a job, he told himself, and then nodded to the mare. “Looking for help?” He asked, hoping she didn't notice the effort he made at restraining himself from just reaching over and hugging her.

“Uh, yeah,” Applejack replied, somewhat unsure. She gave the stallion a once over and then frowned. “It's farm work, though. Ah don't think a pegasus, even a big ol' one like you, could do it,” she said.

Thunderbird felt his pride bristle a bit at that, and he drew himself a bit straighter where he sat. “Miss, I may not be an earth pony, but I still have four hooves and the muscles to use them,” he said, barely able to refrain from using Applejack's name before she introduced herself. “Granted I'm probably not gonna be up to par with an actual earther, but I can at least pull my own weight.” He saw the mare give him a confused look, and then turned his head down a bit. “Uhm, that is, if you don't get any earth ponies applying. I'm sure one of them would work out better for you.”

Applejack continued to give this strange stallion a perplexed look for a few moments before she finally shook herself slightly. “Well, we need a helpin' hoof 'round the farm soon as possible, an' a good part o' th' day's gone already, so Ah guess it won't hurt to give ya a try,” she said after a moment. “It's conditional, though. If'n ya can't pull the weight or an earth pony who knows what she's doin' comes along Ahm gonna have ta turn ya out, y'understand?”

“Yes ma'am, that's perfectly reasonable,” the stallion said, and then held out his hoof. “Name's Thunderbird, but you can call me 'Thud.'”

“M'name's Applejack,” the orange mare returned, reaching up to shake the proffered hoof. “Ah hope you're ready fer some work, Thud, 'cuz the Apple family don't pull no kicks when we farm.”

“I'll do my best, miss Applejack,” Thunderbird replied as they broke the shake. Then he stood and shook his head towards the mare in a gesture. “After you, then.”

* * * *

This is a mistake, the voice in Thunderbird's head said as he trotted after Applejack towards her family's farm.

Maybe so, but as noted previously, I need the freakin' work, you moron.

The voice didn't answer him, and so Thunderbird put his misgivings from his mind as trod along the dirt road as it meandered west of Ponyville. The terrain became somewhat hilly as they went, and Thunderbird gave a silent prayer of thanks that his constitution seemed to be handling it so far. Last thing I want to do is let down AJ, he thought, and then smiled. She is Second Best Pony, after all.

Applejack glanced back at that moment. “Somethin' funny?” She asked, friendlily.

“Oh, yeah,” Thunderbird replied, shrugging with his wings. “Just remembering a joke.”

“Care ta share?” Applejack asked.

“Ah, you had to be there,” the green stallion replied, shaking his head a bit. “Sorry, I'm just not good at that sort of thing.” Also I don't think you'd understand the Best Pony thing, much less where it comes from.

The mare shrugged as she walked; no mean feat for a quadruped. “Well, okay then,” she said, and then turned her head back around to face the front as the road started traveling up the side of a low ridge. “We're almost there, so don't be draggin' your hooves.”

Didn't cross my mind, Thunderbird thought, but he decided against any spoken reply. Instead he just focused on keeping up with the farmer, and thus was a bit surprised when he saw her come to a stop at the top of the ridge. Then he crested the rise as well and stopped at her side. “Whoa,” he said.

“Welcome ta Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack said, her voice tinged with well-earned pride. As the name implied, acres upon acres of farmland stretched out across hills and dales, the vast majority of it devoted to apple trees. A fairly large patch, though, was devoted to corn, and beyond that Thunderbird could see a recently tilled field of rich brown dirt.

The green pegasus wished he could whistle at the view, but he had never learned how in his life, and so just nodded appreciatively. “That is a mighty nice farm, miss Applejack,” he said, warmly. “I reckon I ain't seen a prettier spot of land outside of Flor- the Flower Peninsula.” I have really got to work on that.

If the farmer noticed the slip up, she didn't seem to care. Instead, she turned to flash a smile at Thunderbird. “It's the family's pride and joy, that's fer sure,” she said, and then started off on the road again, leaving Thunderbird to play catch-up.

“So what will I be doing for you?” Thunderbird asked, feeling curious now that the farm was close.

“Well, mah brother, Big Macintosh, kinda needed a day off,” Applejack began. “He's been workin' hard lately, and he finally realized all work and no play drives a pony ta an early grave. So you'll be doin' some of his work 'round the farm. Spreadin', uh, fertilizer over the potato fields, mainly.”

“I see,” Thunderbird said, and then mentally sighed. “Fertilizer,” huh? He thought. Ah well, a job's a job, and at least spreading dung around is still better than retail.

* * * *

Several hours and a few dozen barrels of 'fertilizer' later, Thunderbird found that his assessment had been correct: definitely better than retail, he thought with a smirk as he set down the rake he'd been holding in his mouth, making sure it was clear of any filth. He'd gotten used to the stench after an hour, and the sight of the brown fields now covered with the rich, if revolting, muck made him feel like he'd actually accomplished something worthwhile. It was a feeling he'd seldom felt working for large chain stores, and he paused by the empty barrel cart as he relished the sensation.

“Well, ya did a right nice job there,” Applejack said as she trotted up next to the stallion, wary of the expended barrels sitting on the ground nearby. “'Course, ya took a couple of hours longer than mah brother would have, and an hour longer than most earth ponies woulda taken.”

Thunderbird felt his ego deflate a bit at that, and he turned his head slightly to give the mare a sidelong glance. “Miss Applejack, if you take issue with my performance, I would have preferred being notified of it earlier so I could've worked to correct it.”

“Whoa, Nelly, don't get your tail in a twist,” Applejack said, holding up her right forehoof towards the stallion. “Ya did good work. Ahm just tryin' ta keep your head th' right size, if'n ya get my meaning.”

Thunderbird turned himself a bit to fully face the other pony and then gave her a wan smile. “I see. Well, I can't blame you for helping me out on that,” he said, with a chuckle. “I try to keep myself from getting a big ego, but it's nice to get a h-helping hoof with it every now and then.” Dangit, almost said 'hand' there.

Applejack smiled back. “Well, Ah can appreciate a pony who has his head on straight,” she said with a nod. Then she turned and looked out over the rest of the farm. “Still, takin' as long as ya did means Ah got most of the other work ya were supposed ta do done already, so this'll probably be all fer today.”

“Oh,” Thunderbird said, feeling himself deflate even more. “I'm sorry miss Applejack, I didn't mean to have you take all my workload.”

“Ah ponyfeathers,” Applejack said, and waved a hoof towards the stallion. “Ya took one of th' worst jobs on th' farm and didn't complain a bit 'bout it. An' the fact that nopony else has showed up since Ah posted th' ad means ya saved me from doin' the work mahself, and Ah got more done 'cuz of it.” She nodded towards the pegasus at that, and then glanced up at the sky. “Anyways, it's gettin' late, and like Ah said there ain't any more big things that we need help with today, so if ya go ahead and load th' barrels in th' cart and stick all th' equipment away next to th' pig house, Ah'll be givin' ya your pay and ya can be off.”

“Sounds good,” Thunderbird said with a nod. Then a thought struck him, and he blushed a bit. “Uh, is there somewhere I could clean myself up after I put the stuff away?” He asked, lifting a soiled hoof slightly.

Applejack chuckled at that. “I thought ya'd never ask,” she said merrily, and then pointed towards the farmhouse with a hoof. “There's a tub out back behind th' house for this sorta thing. Ah'll go fill it up while you're putting th' equipment away.”

Thunderbird raised an eyebrow at the mare. “I can do that myself, miss Applejack. I don't want to hold you up any more than I already have.”

“Now don't you start that again,” the earth pony replied, her brows furrowed slightly and a slight chastising tone in her voice. “Us Apples pride ourselves on takin' care of visitors and hired work alike. 'Sides,” she added, and then gave the pegasus a smirk. “Yer all filthy, an' Ah don't want that gettin' spread around none where it ain't gotta go.”

The green stallion chuckled at that. “Alright, fair enough,” he said, and then started to stretch. “I'll go ahead and put this stuff away and then head over to clean up.”

“Now yer talkin' sense,” Applejack said with a nod. “When yer done with yer cleanin' ya can come 'round the front of the house and Ah'll have yer pay waitin'.”

“Well okay then,” Thunderbird said with a smile. Applejack smiled back and then turned to trot off towards the farmhouse, leaving the green pegasus to turn and look over the assorted collection of barrels and the cart they'd been resting in when he had arrived earlier. I'm glad all I had to do was pull the dang thing out, Thunderbird thought as he started working on his plan to organize and load the barrels. This stuff was heavy and repulsive enough just spreading it on the ground. I can't imagine having to load it into the barrels and getting the dang things onto the cart in the first place.

With that shudder-inducing thought, he set to work, first wrestling the barrels over to the cart and then lifting them up and putting them in in an organized pattern that conserved as much space as possible. Once he was done Thunderbird made sure to put the rake in and then went to the harness and then shimmied into it. A few minutes of pulling placed the cart in the spot it had been waiting at when the stallion had first seen it, and he quickly disengaged himself and then turned to trot off towards the house. There he found the tub was waiting and full of water, just as Applejack had promised, sitting alongside a stretch of wooden wall that lacked windows on the ground floor.

Well, praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, cleanliness and privacy in one, Thunderbird thought as he walked up to the tub and then reached for a bar of soap that the orange earth pony had left for him to use. The water he dipped it in was cold, but he ignored the temperature as best he could while he worked to clean the filth from his hooves, legs, and any parts of his body that had been unfortunately splattered. Disgusting, he thought with another shudder. Now that the work was done his distaste returned in strength, and he furiously scrubbed every portion of his body that had come even remotely close to the fertilizer, as well as the soiled parts themselves. Fingers would be real handy about now, the stallion thought, and then chuckled briefly. Heh, handy. But seriously, the soap barely stays attached to the hoof, and I know these ponies wouldn't something like that in their mouths. Especially after scrubbing pig crap with it. Hmm, I wonder if soap-on-a-rope has been invented here yet? Might have to do that if it ain't, it could earn some bits.

Thunderbird mulled on this as he finished washing up, but soon put such entrepreneurial thoughts aside. He set the soap down on on the grass and then went to the side of the tub facing the house and set himself so that he faced towards the back wall. Once in position, he lifted up a back leg and then pressed it against the tub and then slowly pushed it up until it tipped over and dumped the tainted water onto the grassy ground. There, no fuss, no muss, the pegasus thought as he picked up the soap bar and placed it on top of the overturned tub. Then he rubbed the hoof that had touched it on the dry grass to get any bits of it off. I hope they'll let that bar sit in the sun for a day or so before they use it again, let the UV kill the thrice-damned bacteria on it.

With that thought the stallion turned and trotted off, following the sides of the farmhouse as he made his way around towards the front. As he passed the back door he could smell food being cooked, and his mouth watered at the various apple-scented confections being made. I have to admit, these ponies do good enough things with their food to make their vegetarian diet edible and even appealing, Thunderbird mused. But still, if it weren't for the fact that all the animals here have some sort of personality, I'd probably have killed one of them by now for the meat. Well, one more, at least, he added, remembering the manticore. I wonder if manticores taste good? Bah, who am I kidding? I don't know how to butcher animals properly and I doubt ponies would have a book about that.

Such ideas dropped from Thunderbird's mind as he rounded the last corner of the house and headed for the steps leading up to the front porch. Applejack waited just outside of the front door, and she waved the pegasus up to join her. “Ah see ya clean up purty good,” she observed friendlily.

“It's one of my few good qualities,” Thunderbird replied with a smirk.

Applejack chuckled at that. “Well, that an' hard work Ah'd say,” she said, and then turned to face a table upon which sat a small bag. “Speakin' of which, here's yer pay,” she added, and then waved to the bag with a hoof. “Twenty-five bits fer five hours of work.”

Thunderbird raised an eyebrow at that, but then quickly forced it down before the hat-wearing pony could turn back around. Yeah, that's not much compared to minimum wage back home, but you have no idea how their bits are valued; that might actually be a generous amount. With that musing, the stallion smiled and nodded to the mare. “I thank you, miss Applejack,” he said, and then moved over to grasp the bag in his mouth.

“Not even gonna count it?” The earth pony asked, a curious look on her face.

“Nah,” Thunderbird replied, speaking around the bag in his mouth. “Eff'ry'un knows you're 'onest. Can't shee ya cheatin' any 'ony.”

“Well, glad ta know nopony's forgotten 'bout that,” Applejack said, and then raised up a hoof and offer it towards the stallion. “I gotta admit, Thud, y'all surprised me. I didn't think a pegasus could do decent farm work,” she said as Thunderbird shook her hoof. “Where do ya live, anyway? If I got more work I might give ya a head's up 'fore I post an ad.”

“Oh, om 'aying with-” He began, but Applejack interrupted interrupted him with a sigh.

“Y'all can put the bag down, yanno,” the orange mare said.

“Oh,” Thunderbird said with a blush, and then set the bag down on the railing surrounding the porch. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I'm actually just passing through, sorta. For the moment I'm staying with a friend of mine, Ditzy Dew.”

“Ahhh, so yer that feller that th' town's been talkin' 'bout,” Applejack said, a look of understanding washing over her features.

“What?” Thunderbird asked, confused. “What do you mean, talking about me?”

Applejack shrugged at the question. “Jus' that Ditzy and my friend Fluttershy brought ya in ta the clinic after findin' ya all tore up an' next to a dead manticore. Then ya go straight ta stayin' with Ditzy and well, that sets ponies a talkin', yanno? Wonderin' who ya are and such.”

“Ah,” the pegasus said, and then sighed. “Well, that's understandable.” He fell silent for a moment as he thought, and then shook himself gently. “Anyway, I should be going. I'll be looking for other work while I'm in Ponyville, so I hope you won't count on me being available?”

Applejack slowly nodded in reply. “That ain't a problem. Can't expect ya ta hang around doin' nothin' just on th' off chance of us needin' some help here,” she said. “It was good ta meet ya, Thud. Y'all take care now-”

“Hey Applejack!” A voice shouted from the sky beyond the porch roof, interrupting the orange mare. It was quickly followed by the noise of hooves hitting the ground, and Thunderbird felt his stomach implode as he recognized the voice coming from behind him. “Pinkie sent me to- Hey, who's this guy?”

Applejack gave the stallion a confused look as she saw him tense up. She put it out of her mind, however, and instead walked forward and around Thunderbird's side to get a clear look at her friend. “Rainbow, ya have th' tact of a quar-ay eel, ya know that?” She asked as she leaned against one of the posts framing the top of the stairs, crossing her right legs in front of the ones on her left.

“This from a pony who regularly puts Rarity into fits?” Rainbow counted as she folded her wings in and then walked over to the base of the porch steps. “Besides, I'm not the pony who's just standing there with his back to me, so why don't you get on his case, huh?”

The earth pony blinked a bit in surprise at that, and she glanced over to the side to see that Thunderbird was essentially frozen in place, save for his wings, which fidgeted. “Uh, you okay there, sugarcube?” Applejack asked, standing up from her leaning.

“Yes, fine!” Thunderbird said, and he slowly turned around to face the earth pony, a fake smile plastered on his muzzle. “I'm just a bit tired, that's all,” he said. As he did, however, he caught sight of the other pegasus, and despite his best efforts the stallion felt his head twist on his neck so he could drink in the view. As it had been painfully obvious to him by now, a cyan coated, rainbow-maned pegasus stood on the ground only a few feet away, giving him a look that mixed both suspicion and confusion, and the sight made him freeze up from a variety of emotions. Oh God, why dost thou torment me?

A brief moment of silence passed before Applejack cleared her throat. “Anyway, Rainbow Dash, this is Thunderbird. He helped out 'round here while Big Mac took a day off,” she said, while she gestured towards the stallion with her head. “Thunderbird, this here's-”

“Rainbow Dash,” the cyan pegasus interrupted, her tone confident as she unfolded her wings and then flew up to hover at the same level as the porch. She proffered a hoof towards the stallion as she continued to speak. “Weather pony and best flier in all of Equestria.”

The green pegasus just stood there as he struggled to contain two very conflicting runs of thought in his mind. On one hand, Rainbow Dash is less than five feet from me and I want to hug her until her head pops off like a bad PEZ dispenser. On the other hand, I desperately want to avoid embarrassing myself and her and so I just want to run away from here as fast as I can, screaming like a little girl along the way. The competing desires locked up his mind long enough for both of the mares near him to start to wonder. “Hey, am I not good enough to shake hooves with?” Dash demanded in a huff.

That snapped Thunderbird out of his reverie, and his eyes widened in panic at the mere thought of offending the cyan pony. “No! I mean yes! I mean-!” He stopped himself as he felt his thoughts start to disintegrate, and then raised up his left forehoof before he abruptly slammed it into the porch, startling both of the other ponies that were present. The old habit did the trick, though, as it acted like a reset switch and brought his speech center back into working order. “I-I'm sorry, miss Dash, I d-n-didn't mean to insult you,” he ground out, despite the stuttering that always cropped up in his speech when he became nervous. He then brought up his right hoof and quickly and brusquely shook the flying pegasus' offered limb. “It's b-been nice to meet you. I g-gotta get going n-now, time's wasting, burning both candles by the ends of the stick, you know,” he said, mixing up his metaphors terribly and knowing it, which only added to his embarrassment. “S-see y'all later,” Thunderbird said, and then abruptly walked down the steps of the porch, contorting his body to keep any prospect of touching Dash remote, and then trotted a few feet away. Scarcely had he finished when he unfurled his wings and then flapped hard, launching himself into the air without any thought save get out of here now.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash watched him go, and both mares wore near identical expressions of surprise at seeing the green pegasus' wingspan. “Well, that was a mite strange,” the orange earth pony observed as Thunderbird's form receded into the sky.

“Boy, you sure know how to pick help, don't you AJ?” Rainbow chuckled. “Caramel loses stuff all the time, and now you have a crazy pegasus who can't talk right.”

“He was talkin' jus' fine 'fore you got here,” Applejack mused, a frown on her features. “Right up 'til ya...” She let her voice drift off then as a new idea entered her head. “You ever met him 'fore, Dash?”

“Me?” Dash asked, turning away from watching the sky to face her friend. “Never saw him before in my life,” she added as she floated forward and then landed on the porch where Thunderbird had been standing. “Why?”

“'Cuz he got all tense when he heard yer voice an' that's when he started actin' all strange,” Applejack replied. “Seems he knows who you are, even if ya don't know him.”

Rainbow gave that a moment of thought, and then briefly closed her eyes and then shrugged. “Eh, I've had lots of fans,” she said, before opening her eyes. “Remember back when you guys had to dress up as Mare-Do-Well?”

“As if Ah could forget,” Applejack said with a huff. “But Thud weren't actin' like a fan.”

“Who?” Dash asked, a confused look on her face.

“Thud. It's his nickname,” Applejack explained. “Anyway, Ah seen what yer fans're like, and he weren't no fan,” she said, and then grinned. “'Twas more like an admirer.”

“A what?” Rainbow Dash asked, her voice rising in surprise. After a moment, though, her face turned from shock to smiling, and the cyan pony laughed a bit. “Okay, funny joke, AJ. Come on, what's really that guy's problem?”

Applejack didn't reply right away, and instead just moved a bit so she could lean against the porch railing and cross her legs again while keeping her friend in front of her. “Th' only problem Ah can see, Rainbow, is that Thud went from bein' nice, if a bit testy, ta freakin' out the instant y'all landed,” the orange earth pony said, and then reached up with a free foreleg to tip her hat to the side a bit. “Ah can only see 'im doin' that if'n he's either got a feud with ya, or if'n he's sweet on ya. An' that didn't look like no bit of anger ta me.”

Silence fell across the two friends for a moment as the pegasus absorbed Applejack's words. Then a blush furiously spread across Rainbow Dash's face and she shook her head. “Naw, you're pulling my tail,” she said, uncomfortably. Then she lowered her head a bit and then looked at the floor. “I'm not girly enough for colts to see me that way.”

The orange earth pony had to mentally restrain herself from walking over and smacking her friend with a hoof. Instead she just sighed aloud and then shook her head. “Believe it or not, Rainbow, there's some stallions out there who like a tomcolt,” Applejack said, and then gave a pointed look to the pegasus as the latter pony brought her gaze back up. “An' just 'cuz ya don't look like th' fillies in those fru-fru fashion magazines Rarity has don't mean yer ugly.”

“Easy for you to say,” Dash grumbled. “You've got Soaren eating out of your hoof every time he visits.”

Now it was Applejack's turn to blush. “Ah think y'all're a bit confused,” the earth pony said, as she shifted to stand fully upright on all four hooves again. “Soaren just really likes th' pies we make here.”

“Yeah, right,” Rainbow Dash sarcastically replied. “That's why he makes the trip here every weekend when the Wonderbolts aren't touring. Sure, AJ, sure,” the cyan pegasus said, smirking at having turned the tables on her friend.

Applejack frowned and gave Dash an irritated look, though it soon disintegrated into a sheepish one as she glanced to the side. “Well, he does talk ta me a bunch when he comes by,” she allowed. “An' Ah can't say he ain't pleasant as punch an' easy on the eyes.”

“See, now that's what a guy who likes you acts like,” Dash said, and then shook her head. “He doesn't act all strange and afraid.”

“Mebbie so,” Applejack allowed, and then faced her friend with a shrug. “Still, somethin' about ya made 'im go googly,” she added, and then glanced around. “Can't see any- oh, shoot.”

“What?” Dash asked, her curiosity piqued. “Something wrong?”

“Yeah, ya might say that,” Applejack replied, and then raised a hoof to point towards a conspicuous bag sitting on the porch railing. “Ya spooked Thunderbird so bad he dun left his pay here.”

Rainbow gave the earth pony a brief, poisonous look. “I didn't do anything, he's the one who flipped out,” she muttered.

“Well it was still 'cuz of you that he left it here,” Applejack pressed on. “So it would be good of ya ta bring it to 'im. Right?”

“I didn't do anything wrong,” Dash protested. “All I did was come here to give you a message from Pinkie Pie, not play delivery mare for some brain dead stallion.”

Applejack facehoofed and sighed at that. “Rainbow, y'all can be so selfish sometimes,” the earth pony grumbled out. Before the pegasus could reply, though, Applejack walked forward and then took the bag in her teeth. “Ahm gonna 'ave ta take 'is ta Ditzy's now,” the orange mare said, somewhat more clearly than Thunderbird as she had more experience. “Tell me Pinkie's message later.” And with that Applejack turned and walked down the steps to the ground below before aiming for the road back to Ponyville.

“Wait, Ditzy? As in Ditzy Dew?” Rainbow asked, her curiosity suddenly piqued, and she jumped off the porch to fly through the air until she was keeping pace with the ground-bound pony. “You mean that guy is the one that killed that manticore? The one the town's been talking about?”

“Yup,” Applejack replied, around the bag in her mouth. “Seemed kinda shy 'bout it.”

“Why'd you hire him?” The pegasus asked, her face contorted in confusion. “He killed a giant predator with a rock. Weren't you worried about him going nuts?”

“Didn't know who he was at 'irst,” Applejack replied. “Didn't 'ind out 'til a 'ew minutes ago. 'E acted all nice an' proper like a gentlestallion all day.”

Dash didn't say anything to that, and the pair of ponies fell silent as they continued on their way. Finally, after a few moments the cyan pegasus sighed painfully. “Alright, I guess I could take that pay to him,” she said, her voice low.

Applejack stopped at that and then lowered her head to set the coin purse on the ground. “Was that th' great an' powerful Rainbow Dash admittin' she was wrong?” The orange earth pony asked with a smirk.

Rainbow blushed profusely at the jibe. “Look, I was just put out by you talking nonsense, that's all,” she protested. “I don't want you to go wasting your time going to town since I'm going there anyway, and this way I can give that stallion a talking to.”

“Oh?” Applejack asked, her smirk never having left her face. “Ah take it ya like 'em dangerous, then?”

“Shut up, that's not it at all,” Dash replied, her voice heated. “I just want to let him know I'll be keeping an eye on him so he'd better not try anything funny!”

Applejack chuckled at that. “Oh, Ah'll bet you'll be keepin' an eye on him, Dash,” she said, smarmy. “Especially certain parts of him, am Ah right? Ah bet them wings of his really got yer attention, now didn't they?”

Rainbow Dash growled at that, or as much as a pony could growl anyway, and she quickly descended to the ground and then snatched the coin purse in her mouth. “This, isn', o'er,” she vaguely threatened, before she turned and then blasted off into the sky, furiously flapping her wings.

Applejack chuckled as she watched the pegasus go, and then turned around to head back to the farmhouse. Well, ain't that interestin', the earth pony mused.

* * * *

Thunderbird took in several deep breaths as he glided towards Ponyville, the descending sun at his back. Okay, open mouth, insert foot. Well, hoof in this case, he thought with a blush as he gave an occasional wing flap to maintain his altitude. Smooth moves back there, Exlax.

Oh shut up, he snapped with himself. You know darn well that it's for the best. The less she thinks of you the less likely she'll want to even look at you. This is what you wanted, to avoid interaction with the Mane Six, especially Dash. Well now you've got a bad first impression to keep her from being curious, so all you have to do is just shut your damn mouth and keep to yourself until you can make enough money to afford food and lodging for when you move on.

The argument was laid out in his mind with such precision that the mortification at behaving like a dunce in front of Rainbow Dash started to melt away. Yeah, it's better this way, Thunderbird told himself as he reached the outskirts of town and then banked to start losing altitude. Just play it nice and cool, and you won't have any problems.

He winced as that thought went through is mind, and Thunderbird shook his head a bit. Okay, no tempting God with thoughts like that, dumbass. Just stay focused on your goal, and try not to hit anything when you land. That last thought was especially pertinent in his mind as the pegasus continued to drop through the air in a shallow dive. Already he was only a hundred feet above the town's tallest buildings and his speed had increased as a result of the drop. Kinetic potential becomes kinetic energy, released as one descends, Thunderbird remembered, though he kept the ruminating brief as he concentrated on looking for a good place to set down. He didn't have any particular destination in mind, he just felt the need to be away from the Apple farm and so had headed into Ponyville proper to spend some time alone while surrounded by crowds. Some nice anonymity would be welcome now, the green stallion thought as he spied a park and then banked to aim for it. Just walk around, maybe look at some shops and figure out how much the pay I got is worth.

Thunderbird's legs and body froze up at that thought, though he overcame the involuntary gesture quickly as it caused a sudden drop in altitude. You've got to be kidding me; I forgot my pay back at the farm?! He mentally railed against himself at that, and despite his social instincts, started pumping his wings and angling up to regain altitude. I know Applejack is honest as heck so it's safe and all, but anyone who doesn't take care of their money gets screwed in the end, the pegasus mentally grumbled to himself as he once again rose into the air. I guess I just better head back and hope Rainbow's already left.

A few moments of flapping produced the desired altitude, and Thunderbird banked to the left, repeating the turn that had given him trouble earlier in the day. This time, however, he concentrated on the innate pegasus magic as Ditzy had instructed him to do, and instead of making it work to keep air moving over his wings – and thus generating lift – he instead forced air across his entire body towards the back. It wasn't enough to accelerate him greatly, but it was enough to keep power in the turn despite his wings being fully extended. Thunderbird felt a bit of pride at that as the maneuver mixed good speed with the agility that fully deployed feathers gave a winged creature, and it let him reverse his course in half the time a pegasus at his speed normally would have been able to do.

Thus it was a surprise to the cyan pegasus tailing him when he finished his turn coming directly for her. It was equally a surprise for Thunderbird as well, and both pegasi had a second to stare in shocked disbelief before they reacted. Rainbow Dash, having spent most of her life in the air, immediately turned upward and pumped her wings rapidly, while Thunderbird, used to the ground, folded his wings in and let gravity pull him downward. The two airborne ponies passed within a foot of each other, their slipstreams whooshing in their ears as they avoided the collision.

Once he realized the danger was past, Thunderbird snapped his wings open again and then looked down to gauge his height. Oh crap, he thought, realizing he'd fallen a bit without any lift and his angle of attack was far too low; he was heading to the ground at a speed he didn't care for, and so pulled his wings up to trim his flight. It took a few tense moments, but eventually he leveled out just above the rooftops in this section of town and then slowed his flight until he could transition into a hover.

“Wow, that was actually pretty cool,” Rainbow Dash said as she flew down to join the stallion, who turned in mid-air to face her. “It was almost like a Wonderbolt move.”

Thunderbird gave her a hard look. “Yeah, thanks,” he sarcastically sniped, the adrenalin having keyed him up too much to be nervous. “I'm glad you enjoy almost ramming into another person, but I'll keep to avoiding that whenever possible.”

Dash was taken aback by the change in the stallion from the last time she'd seen him. It didn't last long, however, as her pride made her go on the offensive. “Hey, I'm not the one making crazy turns without checking behind himself first,” she countered. “If you'd tried that in Cloudsdale there'd be a fifty pony pileup right now.”

“Except I wouldn't try that in Cloudsdale because there I'd expect to have pegasi flying all around me,” Thunderbird snapped back. “As opposed to here where I'd have thought that you of all ponies would know not to tailgate!”

The cyan pegasus stared at the green one for a moment, before she started to speak. “Who the hay do you think you are, anyway?” She asked, as she furrowed her brows in anger. “I don't care where you are, bad flight discipline is stupid no matter what!”

Thunderbird blushed at this, and he felt his anger leech away. “Yeah, well,” he muttered, and frowned a bit as he raised a hoof up to rub his neck. “I didn't think there'd be anyone behind me,” he weakly said, and then gave the cyan pegasus a rueful look. “I'm sorry,” he grated out.

“Well...” Dash said, surprised at the sudden deescalation. “I guess I shouldn't have been following so closely without warning,” she said, her voice lowering a bit as she realized her complicity. “I'm sorry too, okay?”

“Okay,” Thunderbird said, and then smiled sheepishly. “I never thought I'd see you back down so readily.”

Rainbow Dash let a confused look wash over her face at that. “Uhm, yeah. I'm not always as stubborn as some ponies make me out to be,” she said. “Though I guess I do get carried away sometimes,” she added with a blush, though it was quick and her confused look returned. “But have we met before? You seem to know me.”

“Oh, uh,” Thunderbird stumbled out, mentally kicking himself for letting his knowledge of certain ponies slip out again. “I, uh, saw you in the Young Fliers' Competition last year,” he said, coming up with the story on the spot. “I was in the audience.” Technically true! He thought. “That sonic rainboom you did was just wicked sick,” he said, smiling and infusing some not-unreal fan glee into his voice.

“Oh, yeah,” Dash said, her blush returning briefly. Soon enough, however, it was replaced by a well practiced look of confidence, and she closed her eyes so she could brush her mane with a forehoof. “I'm just that awesome, yanno?”

Despite himself, Thunderbird chuckled. Must refrain from fan squee, he told himself, and then cleared his throat. “Well, I should be going,” he said, feeling his nervousness return as the adrenalin wore off while his fanboyism rose. “Sorry again for the mishap,” he added, and then turned to head back west.

“Hey, wait a second,” Dash said, causing the stallion to halt in mid-motion. “I was following you 'cuz- Oh, shoot,” she interrupted herself as she realized she'd dropped the bag. “Just wait here a moment, okay? I'll be right back.” She waited a moment for Thunderbird to nod confusedly before she turned and then raced off, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. It was by this trail that the green stallion watched her zip all around the portion of Ponyville the two had nearly collided over, and a few moments later he saw this trail approach him at high speed. Thunderbird couldn't help but flinch a bit as the rainbow maned pegasus came to a crash stop in front of him, though he was proud of the fact that he at least didn't try to get out of the way.

Dash noticed it as well, and her opinion of the stallion rose by one small iota. “'Ere, ya 'orgot ish,” she said around the bag in her mouth. Thunderbird blinked a bit in surprise as he recognized the small pouch Applejack had put his pay in, and he quickly reached out both of his forehooves and held them together. Dash set the bag down on the cupped hooves and then nodded to him. “AJ asked me to bring it to you, so, uh, there ya go,” she said. Then she remembered the other reason she had wanted to catch up, and the multi-hue maned pegasus set her eyes in a hard look. “And also, I know you're the guy who killed that manticore. So don't get any ideas about causing trouble in town, alright? I've got my eye on you.”

Thunderbird blinked at the sudden change of topics. “Why would I cause trouble?” He asked, quite without thinking.

“Er, I dunno,” Rainbow said, caught off guard by the question. “It's just, ponies don't usually kill animals, even the vicious ones. I just want to make sure you're not a psycho or something.”

The dark green pegasus rolled his eyes at that, his mind still a bit too jumbled up to think things through. “Oh please. Just because someone is capable of using lethal force doesn't mean they're psychotic,” he said, his voice laced with disdain. “And to be fair, that thing was trying to eat me, which I take special offense at.

“So unless a pony is going to try and kill me, I shan't be causing any problems of that nature,” Thunderbird added. After a moment of thought, he went on in a more conciliatory tone. “But for whatever reason you did it, thank you very much for bringing this to me,” he said, hefting the coin purse still in his cupped hooves. “You have a nice day, miss Dash,” he said and then nodded to the cyan pegasus before he turned and flew off, headed for Ditzy's house.

Rainbow watched him go off with a frown on her face. Something about him seems off, she thought. Not wrong or bad just... off. She shrugged at the thought and then put it out of her mind. “Now, what was I doing before all of this?” She asked herself, putting a forehoof under her chin in thought. “I went to AJ's, because Pinkie-” She paused in her rumination as she remembered the cause that had brought her out to Sweet Apple Acres. “Oh haystacks and hail bait, Pinkie's message!” With that, the multi-hued pegasus turned and did an impression of a comet as she arced through the sky back to the Apple farm.

Comments

[FormNalvoid]

You should never go around ponies, man you might explode...

[Beyond the Horizon]

2898760

Twice!?