Chapter 7 - In Which Introductions Are Made
Thunderbird happily flew through the air over Ponyville, a smile on his muzzle and his wings beating strongly. Woo-hoo! New job! he thought, triumphantly. The mayor seems to be happy, Dash is content, and best of all she's clearly annoyed at having to deal with me. Truth be told, this last part actually hurt a bit, but Thud was more than willing to put up with it. It'll save a lot of pain and discomfort to just keep a distance between myself and the Mane Six, he reminded himself as he spied Ditzy's home and angled into a shallow dive. Soon enough he landed at the front door, and then pushed it open. “Anyone home?” he called out, as he stepped into the entrance hallway and then closed the door behind him.
“Right here,” a familiar voice said, followed by Ditzy poking her head out from the kitchen. “How did the interview go?”
“Pretty good,” Thunderbird replied, with a grin. “I got the job.”
“Well, that's wonderful!” Ditzy said, with a broad smile, as she backed into the kitchen so Thunderbird could walk in. “When do you start?”
“Tomorrow night,” Thud replied, as he wandered over to the refrigerator. “Which gives me tonight to stay up and adjust my sleep schedule,” he added, as he reached and then opened the fridge. “So do we have anything with caffeine in it?”
Ditzy smiled and shook her head a bit at Thunderbird's familiarity. Nice to see him loosen up a bit, she thought. “I'm afraid not,” she replied. “Other than tea, that is.”
“Hmmm,” Thud hummed, as he looked through the fridge, and then closed it. “It might work,” he allowed, as he turned to face Ditzy fully. “Thing is, I don't suppose you happen to know the mix for iced tea?”
The gray pegasus rolled her eyes at that. “You Americans and your iced tea,” she muttered, good-naturedly.
“Hey, iced tea is awesome,” Thunderbird countered. “At least, if you do it the Southern way and put in the sugar when the tea's still hot. I went to a wedding in Ohio once, and the dang Yankees had cold, unsweetened tea as part of the refreshments. Can you believe that?” he asked, with a shake of his head.
“Imagine that,” Ditzy wryly replied, with a smirk, and then chuckled when Thunderbird razzed her. “As a matter of fact, I don't recall what mix is used to make a good iced tea.”
“Dang,” Thud replied, and then glowered off to the side. “I never learned myself, and I don't intend to spend a lot of money experimenting just yet.”
“You could always go into town, you know?” the mare asked, as she walked back to the table where she'd been reading a newspaper. “Most of Equestria is sufficiently American-esque that iced tea is a popular drink at most restaurants,” she offered as she resumed her seat.
“Hmm,” Thud mused, as he walked over to join Ditzy at the table, though he remained standing at its head. “Not a bad idea, but I don't wanna get a seat at a table just to get myself some tea. Especially since I'm going to need a bunch of it to stay up tonight.”
A moment of silence followed that, as Ditzy pondered her next words. “Well...” she began, drawing the word out. “I know you wanted to avoid the element bearers and all, but Sugarcube Corner tends to sell that sort of thing, and in large amounts, too. You could probably get a fairly decent deal on it, as well.”
Thunderbird frowned at that. “Is there no other place in town?” he asked. “Not even a supermarket?”
“They don't exist here,” Ditzy replied, as she looked down at her paper and tried to find her place. “Our world's not as industrialized, so we don't get food flown in from across the planet just to have fresh vegetables in the off season.”
“Dang,” Thud said, and then sighed. “Alright, I guess if I withstood Dash's little test today, I can stand approaching Pinkie Pie.”
“A test?” Ditzy asked in surprise, as she raised her head to look at the green pegasus again. “The mayor didn't just hire you?”
Thunderbird shook his head. “Naw, she wasn't too sure on the whole 'retail' thing, so she asked Dash to set up a test of sorts,” he explained. “I passed well enough for her to sign off on me taking the simple midnight overwatch job.”
“So, no sparks flew?” Ditzy asked, with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye.
Thunderbird blushed, even as he shot the mare a scathing look. “No, miss smarty pants,” he sardonically replied. “Believe it or not, some of us aren't interested in complications.”
“Uh-huh,” Ditzy replied, with an infuriating smile still on her muzzle. “So do you plan on staying up all night here?”
“Uhm, yeah?” Thunderbird replied, as he blinked in confusion. “Why, is that going to be a problem?”
“Only if you make a lot of noise,” Ditzy answered, as she returned her gaze to the newspaper. “You might want to get something to read from the library while you're out, too, so you don't fall asleep from boredom.”
Silence met the last sentence, and it stretched out for several long moments. Finally, it started to become awkward, and Ditzy looked up to see Thunderbird was staring at her with a frown on his muzzle. “You're doing this on purpose, ain't ya?” he asked.
Ditzy smiled at that, and then let her eyes split their focus. “Do what?” she asked, in a voice that made her sound less intelligent than she really was.
“You are evil,” Thud said, as he pointed a foreleg at the mare.
“Because I made a suggestion?” Ditzy asked, with a smile and still walleyed.
“You're evil because it makes perfect sense,” Thud countered, as he lowered the leg, but continued to give Ditzy a glare.
“Oh, come off it, Thud,” Ditzy retorted, as she made her eyes focus properly. “If you're going to be here a while as you build up money to move away, then you're going to come across every pony in the so-called 'Mane Six' at some point; they're just too important to Ponyville society,” she added, and then looked back to the paper. “Case in point, here's an article talking about how Rarity is once again donating excess profits to the orphanage in Canterlot, which is going to be symbolically handed off with one of those giant checks at town hall in a few days.”
“Really? You guys have those stupid checks, too?” Thunderbird asked, his anger now assuaged by his interest in things pony. He looked down at the newspaper and read a bit. “Huh... well, I guess I see what you mean,” he allowed, somewhat begrudgingly. “I suppose a trip to the library wouldn't be out of the question.”
“And it would let you have someplace else to get information from,” Ditzy added, and then huffed in mock exasperation. “Your voracious appetite for information has drained me of everything I know. Alas, I must now take up the mask of 'Derpy' for real, as my mind is empty,” she added, and then leaned back and placed a foreleg over her face.
“Drama queen,” Thud said, with a chuckle. “Alright, you've made your point,” he said, and then turned around and started to walk away.
Ditzy lowered her leg and looked at the stallion in confusion. “Going already?” she asked. “You just got back.”
Thud paused at the entrance to the kitchen, and then turned his head around to look back at the mare. “Yeah, but one thing I've always liked is to get unpleasant tasks out of the way as soon as possible,” he said, and then shrugged his wings. “Lets me stop worrying about them and concentrate on the fun stuff.”
“Hm, good idea,” Ditzy said, with a nod. “Take care, then.”
“Thanks, you too.”
* * * *
The flight into the heart of Ponyville was easy enough, as was finding Sugarcube Corner. Man, what a gaudy place, Thunderbird thought, as he glided down towards the front of the spectacularly-decorated business/abode. I know, it's all fantasy for the show, and here it's just what the ponies do, but I'm sorry, it's gaudy to the point of making me want to add some Battleship Gray to the outside just to offset it.
He put such thoughts from his head as he landed with a hard 'thud' of his hooves slamming into the ground. Such a prophetic nickname, Thunderbird mused, even as he smiled. I beat the Fates to that one! He chuckled at that, and then proceeded to walk up to the front door and push it open to the sound of a small bell. Self-deprecation for the win.
“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” the voice of a plump, blue mare said, and Thunderbird couldn't help but smile a bit wider as he recognized Cup Cake. “How may we help you today?”
“Well,” Thunderbird began, as he walked up to the counter and looked down at the shorter pony. “I was told y'all sell some iced tea here, and I was hoping you sold the mix for it,” he said, and then let his smile turn into a sheepish grin. “I kinda need to stay up late tonight, and I figure the caffeine in it would help.”
“Oh! Well certainly, that's not a problem,” Cup Cake replied, with another smile. “You must be that new pegasus the mayor just hired.”
Thunderbird's smile vanished as he blinked. “Wow, that's some fast work by the grapevine,” he said, as his smile returned.
Cup Cake chuckled. “Well, small towns are like that, dearie,” she said, and then turned to head for the back room. “I'll go check our stock and see what I can get ya.”
“Thank you, missus Cake,” Thunderbird replied.
The elder pony paused at that, and then turned her head around. “I don't think I gave you my name yet,” she said, confused. “Did we meet before?”
Thunderbird blinked, and then felt an eye twitch. “Uh, no, missus Cake,” he said, with an uneasy smile as he silent railed against himself. “I was just told your name by a friend of mine who visits here.”
“Ah,” Cup Cake replied, her confusion replaced with her usual pleasant demeanor. “Like I said, I'll be right back,” she added, and then turned he head around so she could see where she was going.
Thud waited until she was gone, and then sighed. I am a gorram idiot! Stupid stupid stupid STUPID! he thought, with a frown as he sat down on his haunches to wait. I've gotta be more careful, the last thing I need is for someone to wonder how I know their name before I've even met them!
“Hey, you look sad,” a voice said beside him. “You know what would cheer you up?”
Thunderbird grunted at that, and then turned to see a pink face giving him the widest smile he'd ever seen. His eyes widened as he met her gaze, and then to his surprise the mare's own eyes widened as well. “It's you!” they both said, at the same instant, albeit in different tones; Thunderbird's a lower, almost growl-like utterance, while the pink mare's was more of an excited squeak.
A moment of confusion passed over them both as they realized they'd echoed each other. “Wait, what do you mean, it's me?” Thunderbird finally asked.
“Ohmygoshit'soneofyou!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, the words mashing together even as she surged forward and then wrapped the stunned pegasus in a powerful hug. “I've always wanted to meet one of you and now you're here and also a pony I don't know how but I'm so happy I could explode twice!” she added, her words barely discernible for all the speed she released them with.
“Pinkie,” Thud whispered, all thoughts of avoiding the use of his meta knowledge gone as he felt the mare's steel-like forelegs crush the air from his lungs. “Can't breathe.”
“Oh!” Pinkie gasped, and then released the stallion, who collapsed to the floor and heaved in great lungfuls of air. “I'm so so so sorry I was just so excited that I finally get to meet one of you and I'm so glad and happy you all aren't just figments in my head like momma Pie always said even though Granny kept telling me I wasn't cuckoo for cocoa puffs.”
“Pinkamina Diana Pie,” Thunderbird spouted, as he lay on the floor, and gave the mare an irritated look. “For the love of God, just gimme a minute to collect myself,” he said, and then took a deep breath. “Please.”
“Ooohhh,” Pinkie said, and then smiled. “Sure thing!” she added, as she sat down on her haunches and then patiently waited.
Thunderbird grunted at that, and then began to regain his previous sitting position, this time facing the pink party pony. “Okay...” he said, and then frowned at Pinkie Pie as she continued to just smile her unsettling grin at him. “Do you know what I am?” he asked, unsure.
“Yup!” Pinkie replied, with a rattling shake of her head. “You're a pony! Well, a pegasus and a stallion at that or did you mean what you were before because I don't quite see who's on the other side I just know you're all there and watching and most of you are really nice and funny and a few are kinda weird and a tiny few are really scary but I know they can't hurt me because they're not here!” she said, in her insanely rapid-fire voice. Then she paused, blinked, and some of the poofiness went out of her mane and tail. “You... aren't one of the bad ones, are you?”
“What—no!” Thud said, instantly, his stern countenance swiftly exchanged for a sympathetic, concerned one. “No no no, Pinkie, I'm not one of the really bad ones,” he added, and then reached out with a foreleg and placed it on the pink pony's shoulder. “I promise.”
“Pinkie promise?” she asked, warily.
Thunderbird frowned. “Do I really gotta?” he asked, his voice a bit whiny. Pinkie Pie just nodded her head haughtily, and he sighed. “Alright, alright,” he said. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” he said, and made the motions as he spoke, albeit he was careful to avoid poking his eye with a hoof at the end.
Pinkie's mane and tail returned to full poof, and her smile returned. “Yay!” she said, and then once again leaped forward to wrap the pegasus in a hug, although she restrained herself this time. “Now you can tell me all about yourself and what you're doing here and how you watch us even though I never see anything!”
“Uh,” Thunderbird muttered, as he felt a bit uncomfortable with a female he didn't personally know wrapping him in a hug. “If you never see the audience, then how do you know we're watching you?”
“Pinkie sense!” she replied, as she released the stallion and then went to bouncing up and down on all four hooves in front of him. “You guys always start to watch when something exciting happens but not all the time so when you are I can feel this weird tingle along my back but not like the kind where I'm having a lucky day it's a different kind of tingle sort of how there's different flower smells but they all smell like flowers.”
“I see; that actually makes sense,” Thunderbird said, with a nod. “How do you know about there being many of us, and how we're different from one another?”
Pinkie stopped hopping at that, and she looked thoughtful as she pressed a hoof to her chin. “Hmmm,” she hummed, and then thought for a moment. Then she smile broadly again. “I don't know!” she proclaimed and then started to bounce again. “I just do!”
Thunderbird sighed yet again, though a smile rested on his face almost constantly now. “Pinkie Pie, you are positively insane,” he said, with a shake of his head.
“Really?” Pinkie asked, with a grin. “That would explain a lot.”
A laugh escaped the stallion's muzzle, and Pinkie joined him in it. “You certainly live up to your element,” he observed.
“I wouldn't have it any other way!” the mare replied. “So, tell me how did you get here and what's it like where you're from and all that other stuff.”
“Er, not right now,” Thud said, as his smile finally slipped off. He looked sheepish as he rubbed a hoof along the back of his neck. “It's a long story, there's a lot to tell. And frankly,” he added, and then glanced to the door leading to the back room. “I kinda don't want any pony to learn about it,” he said, and then looked back at Pinkie. “I would really appreciate it if you kept this a secret.”
“Aww,” Pinkie replied, as her own expression fell. “But my friends never believe me when I tell them about how we're being watched and I was hoping you'd tell them so they stop thinking I'm crazy.”
Thunderbird winced, and then lowered his head. “I'm sorry, Pinkie,” he said. “I just... I really don't think it's a good idea,” he added, and then looked back up at the other pony with a sad visage. “Trust me, I'll explain why when we get a chance to talk about this. But please, for now, just keep it under your hat?”
“But, I'm not wearing a hat,” Pinkie replied, with a confused look.
Thud chuckled a bit at that. “It's an expression, Pinkie,” he explained, with a small smile on his muzzle.
“Oh,” Pinkie replied, with a grin. “Okay, uh,” she said, and then frowned again. “Heeeyy! You never told me your name, mister!” she added, and then poked the stallion with a foreleg.
The pegasus chuckled at that. “Just call me Thunderbird,” he said. “Or 'Thud' for short.”
Pinkie giggled at that. “Oooh, that's funny! Okay, 'Thud'!” she said, and then bounced some more. “We can talk about all that stuff later. But if you've been watching, then you know what I gotta do for you.”
The smile faded from Thunderbird's face. “Please don't,” he said. “I'm not really comfortable with large groups of people.”
“B–but,” Pinkie stuttered, as she took on a stricken look. “I always throw a party for every new pony in town.” She pouted, and her eyes widened and turned misty. “I've never not had a party.”
“Hnng,” Thunderbird grunted, as he took one look at Pinkie's expression and winced. “Okay, okay!” he exclaimed, and then sighed and closed his eyes. “You may throw me a party.”
“Really?” Pinkie gasped, and then waited for Thunderbird to silently nod his head. “Yay!”
“But,” the pegasus added, as he opened his eyes. “A small one, please,” he pleaded. “I really, really feel uncomfortable being the center of attention for a large group of people,” he explained, in a pained tone of voice. “It really freaks me out.”
Pinkie blinked as a sudden look of understanding passed over her features. “Ooohhh, you're like Fluttershy, then,” she observed.
“Yes, somewhat,” Thud replied, with a nod. “I don't mind small groups, but any more than eight or so really starts to make me feel uncomfortable if they're all paying attention to me, even if it's only briefly.”
“Oaky-dokey Loki!” the pink pony proclaimed, with her usual smile. “A small welcome-to-Ponyville-mister-strange-pony-who-watches-us-all-party!”
Thunderbird sighed again, and then raised a foreleg to cover his eyes with a fetlock. “What did I say about keeping that secret?” he asked.
“Oh, I never said I'd tell everypony the real name of the party,” Pinkie replied, and then winked as Thunderbird looked at her again. “But that's what it's going to be called in my head.”
“Heh, fair enough,” Thud said, and then managed another smile. “But it'll have to wait a bit; I just got hired for the overnight weather shift, so I can't go partying when I'm at work.”
“Ah, okay,” Pinkie said, and then paused to think. “I'll have to plan this carefully then,” she said, and then jiggled in place, somehow. “This'll be fun! I haven't had a good party challenge in over a month!”
“Well, so long as you're happy,” Thunderbird proffered. “Now, where is missus Cake?” he asked, and then glanced towards the back room again. “I need that tea mix so I can go hit the library for some reading tonight.”
“Really?” Pinkie asked, her tone perplexed. “What are you going to do tonight?”
Thunderbird blinked, and then grinned madly as the perfect opportunity came up. “The same thing we do every night, Pinkie,” he said. “Try to take over the world!” He paused at the end of this, and then started to laugh.
Pinkie Pie caught on after a moment, and then giggled along with the stallion. “That's silly,” she declared.
“Eeeyup,” Thud replied, in his best Big Macintosh impersonation.
Pinkie giggled again, but shook her head. “Nah,” she said. “You don't sound anything like Big Mac.”
“How'd you know who I was trying to impersonate, then?” Thunderbird asked, with a raised eyebrow.
“Nopony around here says that except him, and maybe Applejack,” Pinkie replied. “And you were pitching your voice too low to be Applejack.”
“Heh, true,” Thud said. “Good ear, Pinkie,” he added.
“She can be good at that when she wants to,” Cup Cake interjected, as she returned to the main room with a fairly large sack on her back. “I'm sorry I took so long, dearie. We haven't had much demand for iced tea lately and when I checked our ready use container, the leaves hardly had any scent at all,” she explained, as she moved to the counter and then tilted her back so that the bag slipped onto the countertop. “So I went to check our storeroom, and this sack's all nice and sealed so it should be good. Just tell me how much you need mister, ah...”
“Thunderbird,” Pinkie Pie offered, just a split second before the stallion himself could speak.
“Ah, yes, mister—wait,” Cup Cake interrupted herself. “Aren't you that pony that killed a manticore?”
Thunderbird sighed, and then closed his eyes. “Yes, I did,” he tiredly said, and then opened his eyes again to give the blue mare a steady look. “To be fair, it was trying to eat me.”
“Oh, oh yes,” Cup Cake hastily said, and then smiled, although it was somewhat strained. “Of course, mister Thunderbird. Nopony blames you for protecting yourself.”
“I'm glad,” Thud dryly replied, and then offered a wan smile of his own. “Now, I'm probably going to need enough to make, oh...” he added, and then looked off into space as his mind worked. “Probably about five—no, make that six pitchers,” he said, and then returned a neutral gaze to the elder pony. “About a gallon each.”
“Ah, one second then,” Cup Cake replied, and then ducked down to gather some things from below the counter. Performing her job seemed to ease her nerves, and soon the mare was quite calm and friendly again as she measured out an appropriate amount of tea mix and then packaged it in a sealable plastic container. “That'll be five bits, then,” she proclaimed, once she was finished.
“Alright,” Thunderbird said, and then proceeded to reach into his saddlebags, withdraw his coin purse, and then counted out the price on the countertop. “There ya go,” he said, as he nudged the five coins over with a hoof. Then he added one more. “And a bit extra for the trouble.”
“Oh, no, it was no trouble at all,” Cup Cake protested.
“Still, I appreciate good customer service,” Thud replied, and then grinned. “Lord knows I've been on the other side of the counter long enough to recognize it when I see it.”
Cup Cake blinked at the reference, but she maintained her pleasant smile. “Well, I do appreciate it myself,” she said, and then rang up the sale on the old-fashioned register and passed all six coins into the till. “Thank you very much for your business and generosity,” she added, as she hoofed over the container and the receipt. “Please come back again soon!”
“I just might,” Thunderbird said, with a nod, and then placed his coin purse and tea into his saddlebags. “Take care,” he added, and then turned and trotted out of the store, pausing only to push the door open. He stepped outside and then stopped to take in a long, deep breath. Okay, one pony down, he thought.
“Hey!” a familiar voice said behind him, and Thud closed his eyes in annoyance.
Shouldn't have opened my big metaphorical mouth, he thought, with a grunt, and then turned to see that Pinkie Pie had followed him out. “Yes?” he asked, cautiously.
“Can I come with you?” Pinkie asked. “I know you don't wanna talk about stuff much but I'm just so curious and eager and I wanna know a little bit now also I kinda want to see my friend Twilight again and she's the librarian but you probably already know who she is because I know you guys have watched us when I'm around her sometimes so you probably know all about my friends but I kinda wanna ask about that to,” she spouted off, her mouth running like a machine gun. Then she gave another wide smile. “So, can I come?”
Thunderbird blinked, and then grinned a bit. “I don't know, can you?”
“Huh?” Pinkie asked, and then tilted her head in confusion. “That's what I'm asking.”
“Yes, but can you?” Thud asked, again, with a smirk. “You certainly may, but whether you can or not is something only you can answer.”
Pinkie Pie blinked at that. Then a look of realization passed over her face, and she razzed the green pegasus. “You're gonna be good friends with Twilight,” she said, with a mix of teasing and sulking in her tone. “She's all picky about grammar, too.”
“Good grammar is a foundation of good culture,” Thunderbird stated. “A language one uses helps define and shape one's culture, just as the culture defines and shapes the language. Someone who has little or no discipline over their own language thus has very little control over their own culture, including their beliefs and morals,” he added, and then nodded. “When your understanding of language is poor, then you are easy for others to manipulate and control.”
Once again the pink pony could only give Thunderbird a befuddled stare. “Really?” she asked, confused.
“Verily,” Thud replied, and then stood. “Anyway, all grammar aside, I won't mind if you tag along,” he said, and then blushed a bit. “Frankly, I'd kinda like to be shown a good way to go on foot since I may not be able to fly all the time.”
“Oaky dokey Loki!” Pinkie replied, all sense of confusion gone and replaced with her typical energy. “C'mon, I'll show you!” she said, and then started to bounce down the street.
Thud managed to chuckle a bit as he noticed how the show captured her idiomatic bounce rather well. He then trotted off after her, and soon maintained a pace just off to her right.
“So, where are you from?” Pinkie asked, as they moved through town. “What's it like?”
Thud glanced around at that, but soon relaxed when he saw that, while there were several other ponies on the street with them, they were all a good distance away. And miraculously, Pinkie is modulating her tone so it won't project, the stallion mused, and then took in a breath. “I'm from a place called Florida, one of fifty states in the United States of America,” he said. “It's mostly flat and swampy, and warm most of the year, so it's usually very humid.”
“Ooh, neat,” Pinkie said. “What's a 'state'?”
Thunderbird shook his head. “That gets into politics and history and it's a bit involved. Let's just say it's a nice place, and I really love the nature there,” he said. “It's also on a different world from this one.”
“Wha—?” Pinkie blurted, as she abruptly stopped in mid-air, hung there for a half-second, and then lightly fell to the ground. “You mean you're not from Equis?” she asked, as the pegasus stopped to face her.
“Is that what you call it?” Thunderbird asked, nonchalant over Pinkie's loose association with physics. He waited until she nodded, and then smirked a bit. “Some of us thought you called it that; it's a good name for a world with ponies on it,” he said, and then resumed his walk. Pinkie followed suit, and abandoned her bounce for a conventional trot. “We call our world 'Terra'.”
“So you're, like, from space?” Pinkie asked, her voice squeaking a bit in excitement.
“Aheh, no,” Thud replied, and then shook his head as the look on Pinkie's face fell slightly. “From what I understand, it's another reality altogether.”
“Oooooohhh!” the pink mare said, as her eyes grew wide. “Sort of like that one Daring Do book, Daring Do and the Planet of the Apes?” she asked.
Thunderbird slammed his hooves down and nearly fell over as he came to an abrupt stop. “Wait, did you just say 'Planet of the Apes'?” he asked, as he faced his companion.
“Yup!” Pinkie replied, with a grin. “See the book is about Daring Do and she finds a temple that's actually a portal to another reality and she goes to this one place where humans are real and not myths and stuff and they're all 'whoa weird pony' and she's like 'augh apes' and then a lot of things explode in increasingly ridiculous ways.”
“'Humans'?” Thud asked, as his mind seemed to grind to a halt. “But Ditzy told me that humans are unknown in Equestria.”
“Huh?” Pinkie asked, with a frown. “Humans are myths, yanno? Stuff from olden pony tales where they rode on pony ancestors called horses and fought monsters and each other.”
Thunderbird just sat in silence as he pondered this new information. Then, he laughed. “Really, now?” he asked, with a grin. “So we're the myths here? Imagine that.”
Pinkie Pie gasped at that. “Oymygosh! You're a real human?” she asked, with a shocked look on her face.
Thud looked around at that, paranoid that someone might come up and hear them talking, but fortune seemed to be smiling on the two ponies, as no other denizen of Ponyville was nearby. “Well, I was,” he finally said, as he turned to sheepishly smile at the pink pony. He held up a hoof at that, and then slowly let the grin slip off his muzzle. “Kinda not anymore. Went to bed in my home all normal like, then I woke up as a pegasus in the Everfree Forest.”
This time it was Pinkie who stood for a moment to think things over. “Wow,” she finally said. “That's ka-ray-zee,” she added, slightly stretching each syllable of the word.
“Tell me about it,” Thunderbird muttered, with a roll of his eyes. “Ditzy Dew's been helping me out by giving me a place to stay for now. And with a job I can earn some money, save up, and then move away from here.”
“Why would you move away?” Pinkie asked, confused. “Don't you like Ponyville?”
Thunderbird sighed. “It's not that,” he said, and then once again turned to resume their walk, with the pink mare following. “I really can't talk about it. I'll just say it has to do how we watch you ponies, and leave it at that.”
Pinkie frowned at him. “That makes no sense,” she protested. “Also, it's teasing. You're teasing me with forbidden knowledge or something like that snake charmer did in Daring Do and The Quixotic Caliphate.”
Thud hesitated briefly, but soon regained his wits. “Actually, that's not a bad analogy,” he muttered. “Just know that I've got some forbidden knowledge of my own, and it's probably best that I not hang around Ponyville for too long.”
The two fell into silence for a few moments as Pinkie contemplated the stallion's words. Eventually, she looked over at him again. “So, do humans eat meat like in the stories?”
“Yup,” Thunderbird replied, and then turned to smile at her. Unlike his usual smile—where he showed no teeth, as his human face wasn't really shaped right for it to be or look natural—he made sure to expose his canines, and even bent his lower lip under one of them to emphasize its point. “Animals are tasty.”
Pinkie gave him an unreadable look for a few moments. “Do you eat ponies?” she asked, warily.
“Nope,” Thud replied, with a shake of his head. “While back home horses and ponies aren't people—they don't talk or think abstract thoughts—they're considered special companions to humans, and we tend to value them too much to eat them,” he explained. Except for some of the more undeveloped cultures, he mentally added, as he decided now wasn't the time to explain the vast panoply of different groups spread across Terra. “And since humans are the only people where I come from, I consider eating a being who can talk and reason to be cannibalism, so I won't be eating ponies here, either.”
“That's good,” Pinkie said, with some audible relief. “So what's meat taste like, anyway?”
“Like meat,” Thunderbird replied, with a shrug of his wings. “I can't really describe it any other way. It's a completely unique taste and texture compared to plants, and every animal species has its own flavor to it.”
“Huh,” Pinkie muttered, and then fell silent. It was in this unusual quiet that the pair finished their journey to the library; they arrived after a few minutes and now stood at the front door.
Thunderbird glanced over to Pinkie Pie, and then raised an eyebrow when she just stared forward in thought. “You okay?” he asked. “You're not usually the pensive type.”
“I'm fine,” Pinkie replied, as she turned her head to give the stallion a smile. “I'm just wondering what that's like to eat stuff like that and it's kinda creeping me out so I figured I'd think about making a pie instead but then I was wondering whether a cake might be better or ever cupcakes but as soon as I thought of cupcakes something in my head said 'not right now' and in the end I was thinking pancakes might be good but then it's not breakfast time anymore and I thought it might be fun to have breakfast for dinner sometime.”
Thud chuckled at that. “Well, okay then,” he said, turned back to the library door, and then raised a hoof. He hesitated, and then glanced to the pink mare at his side. “By the way, you can totally have breakfast for dinner on occasion,” he said, and then knocked on the door even as Pinkie let you a happy squeak at his declaration.
“Come in, we're open!” a voice said from beyond the door, and Thunderbird suppressed a shudder as he recognized the source. Why oh why couldn't that be coming from Tara Strong instead of a purple unicorn? he wondered, even as he reached down to the doorknob and then twisted it open with the mild telekinetic power that all ponies had in their hooves. At least Tara Strong is damn sexy.
The door revealed a library that looked every bit as the one from the show, yet as with much of his experience being there, Thunderbird easily saw far more detail and texture than the flash animation could ever hold. Books, of course, lined almost every space that could conceivably hold them, a round table with a unicorn bust on it sat in the midst of the common area, and across the room a pair of doors lead to other parts of the combination tree/house. A set of stairs ran up the inside wall to the second floor balcony, where more bookshelves waited, as well as another three doors.
And coming out from one of those doors was a purple unicorn whom Thunderbird quickly recognized. She laid her eyes on the visitors, and quickly focused on the one she recognized. “Pinkie!” she warmly said, as she trotted down the stairs and then moved over to the two newcomers. “Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“I'm just showing my new friend Thud here where to find the library and also planning his welcome party so I figured I'd go ahead and invite you while I'm here,” the party mare explained.
Thunderbird did a double-take at that. “Whoa whoa, hold up there,” he said to the pink mare, even as he held out a foreleg and pressed the side of it against Pinkie's chest. “I'm sure miss Sparkle has lots of better things to do than to go to a welcome party for someone she doesn't know.”
“Well duh, she doesn't know you!” Pinkie replied, with her characteristic grin. “The whole point of a welcome party is to meet everypony and they get to meet you so you all can know each other!”
The stallion sighed at that, and then closed his eyes and moved the hoof that had been pressed to Pinkie's chest up to cover his face with the fetlock. “Just don't, Pinkie. For the love of God, just please don't.”
“But,” Pinkie replied, in a tone that told Thunderbird all he needed to know about her emotional state. “I thought you said I could throw you a party? How can I throw one if I can't invite my friends?”
Dear God, my eyes are shut and I can still see her pout, Thud thought, and then dropped the foreleg and looked at the sad mare. “Okay, fine,” he said, with a slow shake of his head. “Go ahead and invite whoever you want.”
The pout disappeared instantly. “Really?” Pinkie asked, happily.
“Yes,” Thud replied. “Just please, no more pouting. I can't bear to see a pony so unhappy.”
“Yippie!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, as she jumped straight up and wiggled her legs while airborne, before she came down to a heavy thump of a landing on all four hooves. “This is gonna be so totally fun, you'll see!”
“We certainly will,” Thunderbird agreed, in a half-mutter.
“Well!” Twilight Sparkle interjected, a slight titter of nervousness in her voice as the two visitors turned to face her. “I'm glad that's settled, then. Was there anything else I could help you or your friend with?”
“Actually, I was looking for some books to keep my attention tonight,” Thunderbird replied, before Pinkie could speak. Small miracle, that; thanks God, he thought, and then pressed on. “I've gotta stay up to switch my sleep schedule so I can work the night shift on a new job I just got.”
“Oh?” Twilight uttered, as she tilted her head a bit in surprised thought. “And you came here? You don't think books are boring?”
Thunderbird laughed. “Boring? Heck no, books are awesome,” he said, with a grin.
“Well, I'm glad somepony else thinks so,” Twilight smugly said. “So few come in to ever check something out that I wonder if Ponyville has a literacy problem.”
“Silly Twilight,” Pinkie said, as she walked over and patted the unicorn's head, which caused the latter to step back and shoot an annoyed look at the pink mare. “Ponyville loves books! Just that most ponies have already read the stuff in the library that they're interested in before you moved to town.”
“I suppose,” Twilight begrudgingly allowed, and then turned to direct a more pleasant mien towards Thunderbird. “So, what sort of books were you looking for?”
The stallion thought for a moment before he replied. “History, for one,” he said. “Politics, maybe an action novel, science-fiction if you have a good one.”
Sparkle's eyes had widened a bit in mild surprise at the requests Thunderbird made, though she took on a confused expression as he mentioned the last genre. “I'm sorry, science what?” she asked.
Thunderbird found himself freezing in abject horror for the second time that day. “Science-fiction,” he stated. “Or maybe you have it listed as 'speculative-fiction'?”
Twilight frowned at that. “I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you're talking about. All fiction is speculative, isn't it?”
This is truly a forsaken land, Thunderbird thought, with not a little melodrama. No Metal and now no Sci-fi? Uncouth! Outwardly, he just shut his eyes and then sighed for the umpteenth time in only a few hours. “So there is no genre of fiction that takes ideas from both science and sociopolitical theory and meshes them with current and developing cultural and technological trends to explore the... pony condition?” he asked, having barely caught himself from slipping, and then opened his eyes again.
The purple unicorn blinked at that, and seemed to lean back a bit as the ideas entered her mind. “Er, no,” she said, her tone surprisingly mortified. “But it sounds like there definitely should be.”
“On that we agree,” Thud replied. “I suppose if you've got no sci-fi then a good adventure novel should suffice. Oh, and an atlas,” he added, as the idea entered his mind.
Twilight looked over the pegasus stallion for a long moment. “Sure,” she finally said, and then turned towards the books and lit her horn. “Let's take a look at a few books, then.”
“And I'll be going,” Pinkie Pie interjected, and garnered a glance from the other two ponies. “I've got lots of other stuff to do today and a party to plan but since Thud is going to be working all night I've got to plan it well so I'm off! See ya Twilight, Thud.” With that, she turned and promptly bounced her way out of the library, only pausing to close the door behind her.
It was Twilight Sparkle who sighed this time. “She's a dear friend, but sometimes I just want to run screaming when I see her,” she said, softly.
Thunderbird laughed again. “I know exactly what you mean,” he replied, with a smile. “Now, 'bout them books?”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Twilight replied, and then turned back to her task and relit her horn. Several books were encapsulated in her aura and were quickly removed from the shelves and then deposited upon the central table. “I'm afraid the only atlas we have is a reference book, so I can't lend it out, but you're welcome to stay a while if you want to look over it.”
“Fair enough,” Thunderbird replied, as he followed Twilight over to the table. “Thank you for your help, miss Sparkle.”
“It's no problem, mister...?” she asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Here we go, the pegasus mused. “Thunderbird,” he stated. “Though you may call me 'Thud' for short if you'd like.”
“Thunderbird,” Twilight repeated, with a raised eyebrow. “That's an unusual name.”
“Got it from a song,” Thud said, with a grin. And I'm not even lying!
Twilight rolled her eyes at that. “Ha ha,” she said, somewhat sarcastically. “Still, it's interesting that you're named after the great birds that travel the world, barely stopping once a decade for rest.”
Well, ain't that an interesting little tidbit? Thunderbird thought to himself. “My parents liked 'em, what can I say?” he asked, with a shrug. Then he turned to the books and eyed over the titles. “Let's see, Canterlot Politics for the Uninitiated, A Brief History of Equestria, Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone, and The Royal Geographic Society Atlas,” he said, and then turned to nod at the unicorn. “Very good selections, miss Sparkle,” he added, with a grin. “Just the kind of thing I'm looking for.”
Twilight beamed a bit at that. “Well, I do try to be a good librarian,” she said, with some pride in her tone. “In any case you're obviously new to town, otherwise Pinkie wouldn't be giving you a welcoming party, so I'll go write up a new entry in the log book,” she added, and then turned to trot over to a small desk set against the wall.
“That's how you keep track of check-outs?” Thunderbird asked, genuinely curious.
“Yes,” Twilight replied, as her horn lit again and she picked up a quill and flipped open a fairly large book with her magic. “Libraries in larger cities use cards and the like, but Ponyville is small and quiet enough that this works well,” she explained, and then started scribbling in the book. “So, where are you staying for now? Or do you have a house already?”
“No house,” Thunderbird replied, as he used a hoof to open the library's atlas. God willing, I won't need one before I move. “I'm staying with my friend, Ditzy Dew,” he explained, while his eyes looked over the table of contents.
“Oh?” Twilight asked, as she looked up from the book and over to the stallion. “So you're the one that, uh...”
“Oh for the love of pi and all its blessed irrationality,” Thunderbird groaned, as he turned his head to give the unicorn a look. “Why is every pony in this town making such a big deal about that?”
“Er,” Twilight muttered, as she fidgeted where she stood. “It's just odd, you know? You defeated an apex predator, something ponies seldom do even in groups, let alone by themselves.”
Thud briefly sighed. “Yeah, well, admittedly I was lucky,” he said, and then turned his head back to the atlas. “Had a few breaks go my way. That sort of thing.”
“I see,” Twilight said, distantly. Thud ignored her tone and instead hoofed over a few pages to look at the map he wanted to see; “Central Equestria and the Duchy of Canterlot”, good, he thought, as he started to absorb the information.
Behind him, meanwhile, he heard the scritches of quill on paper start up again, though it was short-lived. “Alright, I'm done with that,” Twilight said, the odd tone gone from her voice. “Go ahead and take the books when you're ready to leave,” she continued, as Thunderbird turned his head towards her and gave the unicorn an even look. “Just bring them back a week from now, or sooner. If nopony is waiting on them, you could re-check them out at that time.”
“Thank you, miss Sparkle,” Thunderbird said. “I hope you won't mind me sticking around a bit to look over the atlas?”
“Not at all,” Twilight replied, with a polite smile. “Let me know if you need any additional help.”
“I will, thank you,” Thud replied, and then turned back to the book.
* * * *
Now this is a nice way to spend some time, Thunderbird thought, as he nudged over to the next page of the atlas with a hoof. He was lying down on his belly now, simply looking over the various maps of Equestria and the world beyond. It's a lot bigger and more varied than we gave it credit for, he mused, as he read over the vague maps of the Dragonlands. Pity the dragons apparently don't like sharing information, he thought, as he switched between the atlas and A Brief History of Equestria once in a while, using information from both to form a more coherent picture of the pony world. Maybe when the ponies develop satellites they can finally get some accurate depictions of the dragons' territory.
With this idea, he turned a few pages over and went back to studying the northern Equestrian cities, and more importantly, their positioning. These were the first cities built after the move from the frozen north, Thunderbird thought. Seems like the Hearth's Warming story was indeed an abbreviated version; the history book indicates old fortresses, and the cities are all at strategic choke points in various valleys and along rivers. Fascinating.
A sudden idea entered his head, and the stallion chuckled. That's why reading this feels so familiar! he thought, as he flipped through a few pages in the history book. The Three Tribes of ponies fighting each other is like the Three Kingdoms era of China!
“Are you laughing at a history book?” a voice asked. Thunderbird startled a bit, and then looked up to see a familiar purple reptiloid standing a few feet away, holding some books in his arms. “I mean, how can anything in that be funny?”
Thud grinned, both in recognition of the dragon, and at the fact that he was amused at having figured something out. He then cleared his throat. “Just had an interesting thought,” he explained. “I noticed some similarities between the history of Equestria and another place I know about.”
“Oh,” the youth replied, and then awkwardly turned back to a shelf and resumed his previous work of restoring books to their proper locations.
Thunderbird suppressed another chuckle at that. He's probably worried I'm going to launch into a lecture, the stallion mused, and then returned his attention back to the two books in front of him. Fortunately for him, I'm no more interested in talking about China than he is for hearing about it, so I'll just let him be.
Spike seemed grateful for the renewed silence, and his movements became natural again. This lasted for a few minutes, though when the books were put up, the little dragon walked over and then spoke up again. “So, uh,” he began, and then waited for the stallion to give him his attention. “Why are you looking at both books at once?”
Thunderbird smiled again. “Because I've always found that history seems more alive to me when I have a map to show me the places the author is talking about,” he said, and then pointed to the atlas with a foreleg. “Especially since a world atlas like this lets you know exactly where the events took place relative to your home. Knowing where and how I could get to these places suddenly makes them real, and not just some words in a book.”
“Huh,” Spike said, his expression and voice revealing the thought he found himself in. “I never thought of it that way before.”
“I don't think many people do,” Thunderbird agreed. “To them history is boring, but I think that's because a lot of authors don't take the time to really engage the readers' imaginations. Maps help a lot, but so do pictures, either artwork depicting past scenes or photos of artifacts maintained or recovered from the past.” He paused at that, and then sighed. “Of course, the way authors write is important, too. As well as the reader needs to be willing to learn, and not just think 'history is boring' or 'it's for nerds', or other crap like that,” Thud added, with a shake of his head. “Lots of people are just willing to go through life ignorant of what came before, and thus have no idea how to shape the future.”
The youthful dragon just stared at Thunderbird after the latter finished speaking, and the silence stretched for an awkward moment. Eventually, though, Spike spoke: “You're related to Twilight, aren't you?” he asked.
Thunderbird laughed at that. “Not hardly,” he stated, friendlily. “I've never been this far away from home in my life,” he stated.
“Really?” Spike asked. “Where are you from?”
“A long, long ways away,” Thud replied. Not sure if 'Flower Peninsula' will work so well anymore, he thought, as he remembered how relatively close it was, comparatively speaking. No telling how homogenous the culture is in Equestria, so I'd best stick to vague references lest someone figure out my lie. “Frankly, I'd like to keep it at that. No offense,” he added, with a sheepish look.
“Heh, okay,” Spike replied, as he held both hands up. “It's no scale of my nose,” he added. “I'm just glad that you're a lot more sensible than some of the ponies around here.”
Another chuckle escaped the green stallion at that. “I hear that,” he said. “Them silly, silly ponies, am I right?”
“You betcha,” the dragon said, with a chuckle of his own. “You seem like a cool guy,” he added, and then held out a fist. “I'm Spike.”
“Thunderbird,” the stallion replied, as he reached out to hoof bump the proffered limb. “But you can call me 'Thud', since it's shorter and I run into things.”
“'Thud', huh? That's kinda cool, actually,” Spike said, as he scratched his chin with a clawed hand. “A nickname like that gets you noticed...” his voice trailed away as he seemed deep in thought. Then his eyes seemed to light up, and a grin spread across his face. “I gotta get me one!”
“For what?” Thunderbird asked, though he already guessed. Poor Spike, always chasing after Rarity.
“Oh, uh, nothing important,” the dragon replied, with a blush that spread across his scales, which incidentally confirmed Thunderbird's supposition. “Just, it's one of those things a guy's gotta have, right?”
“I guess,” Thud replied, with a shrug and a knowing grin. “Anyway, thanks for not freaking out about me,” he added.
“Oh, the manticore thing?” Spike asked, and then waved a hand. “I think everypony's overreacting. You should have seen them when a large pack of bunnies 'stampeded' through once.” The young dragon made air quotes with his claws as he spoke. “They acted like it was a tornado that got loose or something.”
“I can imagine,” Thunderbird said, his face a picture of amusement. “Although I'm not sure if a group of bunnies is called a 'pack'. Aren't they called a 'hutch' or something?”
Spike shrugged. “Heck if I know,” he replied. “And I'm not looking it up, either; Twilight makes me do enough work as it is,” he grumbled, and then turned to look over the library. “I still have to sort out the rest of our returns from last week.”
“Sounds like a pain,” Thud offered. “Doesn't she help out?”
“Well, yeah,” Spike allowed, as he rubbed a hand over his forearm. “But half the time she's busy with an experiment, or studying, or running off and saving Equestria from certain doom.”
“That last one is a valid excuse, at least,” Thunderbird observed, with a chuckle.
“Heh, yeah,” Spike agreed, with a nod. “Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible and Twilight helps me out as much as I help her. Just sometimes I wish she'd realize that using her magic is a lot quicker and easier than me doing this by myself.”
“I can see that,” Thunderbird agreed. A thought entered his head at that, however, and he raised an eyebrow as he pieced something together that made him grin a bit. “Or maybe that's part of it?”
“Part of what?” Spike asked, confused.
Thunderbird continued to grin, though he toned it down a bit as he spoke. “From what I understand, you're a very young dragon, right?” he asked, though he knew the answer already. When Spike inevitably nodded, the pegasus continued. “Well, young is young, no matter where you go. You're still very much a child by most accounting, and one thing children always need is a better understanding of the world, how it works, and how to persevere in the face of challenges, while still remaining appropriately humble.” Thunderbird paused for breath, and then shrugged his wings for emphasis. “I'm willing to bet that Twilight is making you do stuff like this so that when you get older, you'll remember what it's like having to do menial, boring work, so that when you go out into the world and start interacting with other people, you'll remember what it's like to be on the bottom rung of things so you'll be more polite and treat them better than if you were a spoiled little brat.”
Silence fell over the pair then, as Spike contemplated the stallion's words, and Thunderbird merely waited to see what the little dragon would say. Eventually, the youth spoke: “You know, you might be right,” he said, with a sheepish grin. “I remember growing up in the castle—er, I mean, in Canterlot,” he quickly amended. “And a lot of the noble colts and fillies always acted like big jerks for no good reason. You think it's because they didn't have work to do?” he asked.
“Probably, amongst other things,” Thunderbird replied, even as he suppressed a smirk. Oh Spike, I already know Celestia raised you, he thought, but refrained from speaking about it. “But a big part of people treating each other terribly is a lack of sympathy and empathy, and when you have to do some boring, backbreaking, thankless work, then you learn to really empathize with others who may have it as bad or worse than you, because you at least have a glimmering of what it's like to deal with that category of tribulation.”
Spike blinked at that, and then gave the stallion a wary look. “Are you sure you're not related to Twilight?” he asked, again.
“Truthfully, I think it's pretty much impossible,” Thunderbird replied. Unless she has hairless semi-aquatic apes in her family tree, he mused. This sparked another idea in his head, and a recent memory as well. “Oh, that reminds me, do you guys have any books on old mythology? Specifically, humans?”
The dragon hesitated for a moment, as the non-sequitur threw him for a loop. “Oh, I get it,” he said, as he seemed to come to a conclusion. “You're actually related to Pinkie Pie, aren't you?”
Thunderbird chuckled briefly at that. “No, but that's a good guess,” he said, and then leaned his head towards Spike, and then waved the dragon to come closer with a foreleg. Although uncertain, Spike complied and as soon as he got within two feet, Thunderbird smiled. “I've actually got a copy of Pinkie Pie in my brain,” he explained, softly.
“Wh–what?” Spike asked, clearly taken aback by the confounding words.
“See, Pinkie isn't a real pony,” Thunderbird went on. “She's actually an eldritch being that was born in the time before time. Her body was hewn from the living bones of the First World as it was torn asunder in the creation of our present universe, and she was there when the void took shape and gave birth to the myriad stars and planets that we now see in the night sky.
“Lonely, she wandered the heavens, but saw only silence and dead rocks. Then when life arose on this planet and others, she rejoiced for now she had some other beings to engage herself with. So she used her immense powers to take pony form, and then moved to live with mortals. Thus she has lived for untold years, always moving, never staying too long in one place, lest we notice that she does not age and never dies.
“I admire her, you know,” Thunderbird added, with a nod. “She could be lording her power over us, or using it to rule an empire and force ponies to worship her as a goddess. Yet all she really wants is to make others happy, to share laughter as is her purview. For she is Laughter Incarnate, amongst other names; the Wallbreaker, the Opener of Ways and Means, the Pink One, the Muse of Muses, Oracle, such are her myriad titles, and she deserves all of them, for she inspires as much as she disturbs with her bending of the fabric of reality and piercing of time's veil.”
Thunderbird finished, and then looked to Spike, whose face showed disbelief. Yet there was an undercurrent of fear, as well, and the pegasus realized his words had a special effect on a being who had witnessed Pinkie Pie's antics up close. “She... but...” Spike sputtered, and then shook his head. “But how does that mean there's a copy of her in your head?”
“Because as I said, one of her titles is 'Muse of Muses',” Thunderbird patiently explained. “She is a source of inspiration, of creativity. From her flows all the great works of m—ponies,” he stuttered a bit, nearly having said “man.” “From the most heartwarming tales to the worst horror stories, all are sparked by her influence. And a few unfortunate creators are blessed—or, some would say cursed—with a piece of her personality, a copy she places into their minds to spur them towards greater and greater heights.” Thunderbird paused at that, and then proceeded to give the dragon a wide-eyed stare. “And I am so infected.”
Silence fell over the pair again, heavy with unspoken words. “Y–you're pulling my tail, right?” Spike finally asked, his voice as quiet as his eyes were wide.
Thud smiled at that. “I am pulling your tail,” he admitted, and then started to laugh.
His mirth only intensified when Spike's expression turned from fearful to shock and anger, and the baby dragon stamped a leg on the ground. “That wasn't funny!” he declared.
“Yes it was,” Thunderbird countered, and then promptly rolled onto his side, away from the dragon, as his raucous laughing temporarily made him lose control of his body. He stayed like this for a solid five minutes, until finally he began to sputter. “Help,” he ground out between laughs. “I can't breathe!” he added, and then started to gulp air.
“Oh my gosh,” Spike said, suddenly concerned despite the joke played at his expense. He walked over to stand next to the shaking stallion. “Can I help?”
“Just... gimme... a moment,” Thud managed to get out between gulps of air and the occasional chuckle. His amusement slowly faded as he focused his will upon it and forced it down, until the curiously strong emotion finally submitted and he could breathe easily again. “Sorry,” he said to Spike, as he shifted once more to lie properly on his stomach. “Very rarely something will make me laugh so hard it kind of reinforces itself, and I get stuck like that,” he said, and then let loose a brief, strained chuckle. Once again he forced his amusement down, and then shook his head. “I'm okay, though, just needed to get it out of my system.”
“Are you sure?” Spike asked, still concerned. “I could go get nurse Redheart from the hospital or something.”
Thunderbird waved a foreleg in the air. “Nah, I'm fine,” he said, as his breathing returned to normal. “Like I said, I've done this before.”
“Well, alight then,” Spike said, and then smirked. “I guess that's fate's way of getting you back for the joke.”
“Maybe,” Thunderbird allowed, with a sheepish grin. “Anyway, what were we talking ab—? Oh, right,” he interrupted himself, as the memory popped up. “Do you have any books on human mythology?”
“Uh,” Spike temporized, as he was once again taken off guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. “Sort of. We have four mythology books that mention humans, and three of them are pretty much exclusive to humans, but this one mare is constantly checking those out.”
Thunderbird blinked at that, and he chuckled again, despite his intentions. “She wouldn't be minty green and a unicorn, would she?” he asked.
“Yeah, how'd you know?” Spike replied, perplexed.
“I'm a bit interested in humans as well,” Thunderbird explained. Mainly because I am one, he mused. Or was, anyway. Still am, where it counts. “Not many are, so we tend to hear about each other.”
“Ah,” Spike said, knowingly. “Twilight is like that with Starswirl the Bearded, and she knows about a bunch of other ponies who study his stuff,” he expounded. “So, yeah, those books are out, but we still have a general mythology book that has a few human stories in it if you want.”
“That sounds good,” Thud said, with a nod. “Would you grab it for me?”
“Sure thing,” Spike said, and then turned to skitter off towards a shelf in the distance.
I probably should get going once I have that, Thunderbird told himself. He stood and closed the books he had been perusing, and then put the ones he was able to take home into his saddlebags, which he'd removed from his back and placed on the floor near the table some time ago. He was forced to use his teeth for them, as his hooves' gripping ability didn't work well against the weight of such tomes, and Thud grimaced a bit at the action. I don't think I'll ever get used to this, he mused.
“Here ya go,” Spike said, as he came back carrying a book in his hands. He set it on the table in front of Thunderbird so the latter could get a good look at it. “Common Myths of Equis; it's got a chapter on the old human stories.”
“Thanks, Spike,” Thunderbird said. “Do I need to go and write this in Twilight's log book or something?”
“Nah, I got that,” Spike replied, with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It's part of my job, anyway, so you can get going if you need to.”
“Ah, thank you again,” Thunderbird said, and then moved the book to his saddlebags as well. “You're a groovy little dragon, you know that?”
Spike pretended to buff his claws on his chest, and then held them out for an idle examination. “Yeah, well, it comes from being the most awesome dragon in Ponyville,” he said.
“That's not hard when you're the only one,” Thunderbird replied, and then smirked when he he saw the wry look of being caught out wash over Spike's face. “Anyway, I gotta get going,” he said, and then turned and walked towards the door. “Thanks again, and be sure to tell miss Sparkle that she has my thanks as well.”
“I will,” Spike said, as he followed the stallion. They both paused at the entrance as Thud opened it and then stepped outside, which let Spike grasp the door with his hand. “I hope you visit again; you're a lot better company than you look,” he added, with a smirk, and then closed the door as Thunderbird chuckled at the barb.
Ahh, I guess that wasn't so bad, Thunderbird allowed, as he turned around and breathed deep of the clean air. He blanched a bit when he realized the sun was near the horizon, and then blushed in embarrassment. Wow, that took longer than I thought it would, he realized. Better get back to Ditzy's.
With that thought, he trotted into the street, checked around to make sure he wasn't about to slap a pony, and then spread his wings and took to the air with a few, strong beats. Once he was above the level of most houses, Thunderbird transitioned into forward flight and then turned to head for the house he shared with his friend and benefactor. I will never, ever get tired of flying, he mused, as he soared over the rooftops. I always knew it'd be fun, but imagining it is nothing compared to the fun of actually doing it.
He frowned as his mind pulled out an unintentional double entendre, and then shook his head. None of that, now, he chastised himself, and then returned his attention to flying. Even as he did, however, a familiar feeling started to work its way up the back of his head. I feel inspired, Thunderbird mused. I need to do something creative, like write a story... But what about? The last stuff I wrote back home was pony-related fanfic, and here it would just be boring. Or a little creepy, since it would be about six real people who actually exist here and would probably be offended if I wrote a story 'bout them.
Thud then remembered the lack of science-fiction, and soon new ideas roared through his head. A grin spread on his muzzle, and he increased the speed of his wing flaps. I wonder if Ditzy has any paper and a pen?
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You know, I like how honest you are about it.
Wait... You're the author of "Falling stars". TAKE MY UPVOTE!!! TAKE ALL OF THEM!!!
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No sense in beating around the bush. It's mainly just stress relief indulging in the whole "I wanna go see the ponies" thing. I don't pretend that makes it a good story.
2031901
Shouldn't upvote something just 'cuz I'm the same author, you should upvote something if you genuinely like it.
I love the phrase he uses in the beginning, "Sweet mother of pi in all of its blessed irrationality" Love it. Awesome story. Please sir, may I have some more?
There is so much wish fulfillment in this story...
2899376
On the other hand, it's well written wish fullfilment. Ya don't come across stuff like that often.
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Pouty Rarity is pouty.
2982756
More like Ducky Rarity is Ducky.
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