Song of Thunder

by Zodiacspear

Chapter Five

It was a few days later when Thunderlane and Bon Bon walked towards the door of Lyra’s home. The two exchanged a quick, worried look. Ever since the night of the talent show, Lyra had boarded herself in her home and refused to come out.

“Do you think she’ll even hear us?” Thunderlane asked her as the approached the home.

“She’ll hear us. I know Lyra, she’ll be by the door or in her living room,” Bon Bon said as a morning breeze ruffled her mane. “She’s hidden long enough, we are going to talk to her rather she wants to or not.”

“Bon Bon.” She turned to regard him. “Lets not just barge in there. I want…” He took in a breath. “I want to try just talking,” he said as they climbed the steps for the door.

Bon Bon looked at Thunderlane as he nodded for her to knock on the door. She paused a moment to look him over. The dark bags under his eyes told her that the stallion hadn’t been sleeping well, but the pleading, worrying look he wore told her he was more concerned for the mare who hid behind this door than his own health.

The knock on the door sounded louder to her ears than she thought it would. “Lyra, it’s me, Bon Bon. Let me in.”

Silence answered her.

“Lyra, I know you’re in there. You’re probably leaning against the door right now.” A pleased smile crossed her face as she heard shuffling from the other side. “Will you please come out and talk to us? Thunderlane is here, he wants to talk with you.”

The door refused to answer.

“Lyra! If you don’t—” Bon Bon stopped as she felt Thunderlane’s hoof rest on her shoulder. He shook his head softly and spoke to the door.

“Lyra, please, I just want to talk about… that night. Please open the door.”

There was some shuffling from beyond the door, but it remained closed.

He lowered his head, taking in a few breaths before speaking again. “I swear by Celestia that I didn’t know anything about what happened. I know I promised they wouldn’t laugh at you but…” He grit his teeth. “Please believe me when I say I’m sorry. I… couldn’t have done anything different. Please don’t be mad at me.”

The sound of a choked sob came from the other side of the door, and Thunderlane’s eyes went wide.

“Lyra!” he called. He again tried to pull at the door, but it remained locked.

“Please go away!” The sound of a sob coming from the door again. “I don’t… I don’t want to see you again!”

Bon Bon grimaced and looked at Thunderlane, she could see the tears rimming his eyes before he blinked them away.

“Please don’t say that.,” he said softly, his ears laying back. “I only want to talk this out.”

“No! Just go away,” came the stubborn reply.

He lowered his head again, gritting his teeth in a futile effort to stop the tears from running down his face. “I… I don’t want it to end like this. Please, Lyra, give me another chance?”

“Please… Go…” The words were so softly spoken they barely heard them.

Bon Bon felt her hackles rise up and her eyes blazed at the door. “Lyra! You are being—”

Again she felt Thunderlane stop her, a soft shake of his head telling her he didn’t have it in him to go down that route.

She brushed off his hoof. “No! She is just being stubborn. She needs to hear this, and she needs to talk to you!”

He shook his head and turned away. He stopped for a moment, casting a grief-filled look back at the door, before continuing on— his gaze held straight ahead.

Bon Bon looked between him and Lyra’s door. She knew these two were making a mistake, why didn’t they see it? The answer was so obvious.

Yet, he kept on walking and the door didn’t open.

“By the Sisters,” she swore and chased after him. “Thunderlane, wait!”

She galloped until she pulled alongside him. “Why are you letting her go so easily? You love her, I can see that plain as day—anyone can. Why won’t you go back and try to work things out?”

He cast a sidelong look towards her. “I did try, Bon Bon. I tried to reason with her, but she’s not listening to me. I love her, I do, just…” He sighed in frustration, his tail flickering.

She grit her teeth in frustration. “Then tell her that! Tell her you love her, she needs to hear it. Haven’t you told her that before?”

Her eyes widened as he looked away, an ashamed look on his face. “Wait… You haven’t told her?”

His avoidance of her eyes was all the answer she needed. “You never told her!” Her voice practically ringing around them. “Thunderlane, don’t you know how important that is?”

He gulped. “I want to tell her, but she won’t listen to me now. She’ll think I’ll be lying to her.”

Bon Bon wanted to rip her mane out—or his. “How can you be so dense!” She threw a helpless look to the sky. “Stallions, I swear…”

A scowl spread across his muzzle and he looked to the sky. “I need to get to work,” he said flatly.

“No! You need—”

With a flap of his wings he took off to the sky, ignoring the calls she shouted at him. She watched the pegasus soar through the sky, and growled softly in frustration. Time to get to the bottom of this and get it fixed. She was not about to let her friend lose a stallion who so obviously cared for her.

Bon Bon pulled at her mane with growl of frustration, falling to her haunches. “Why are they being so stupid?”

She sat there for a moment, glaring ahead at nothing in particular. Bon Bon knew that if the two did not make up soon—if not today—their relationship might not survive this. She knew that both of them cared for each other deeply—even if Thunderlane was too thick headed to realize he needed to actually say it!

She looked to the sky where Thunderlane had flown off too. While she couldn’t do anything about him, there was someone that she could talk to. And she was going to listen to her rather she wanted to or not!

Anypony who saw the charging Bon Bon quickly scrambled out of the her way in fear of being bowled over.

When she got back to Lyra’s home, there was nothing gentle about the knock on the door.

“Lyra! Open this door right now!”

“No! Go away, I don’t want to see anyone!” came Lyra’s stubborn reply.

A fresh scowl crossed her face. “If you don’t open this door right now, I’m going to kick your door down and drag you out here!”

“You wouldn’t da—” That was as far as Lyra got before Bon Bon whirled and bucked. The door rattled on its frame and a horrified scream erupted from the other side.

“Bon Bon! Are you crazy!”

“Come out or I’ll kick it again!”

“Why can’t you just—”

Bon Bon kicked the door again, the wood threatening to buckle with the next one. A small part of her realized that she might have to pay to have the door fixed, but that meant nothing to her at the moment.

“S-Stop! I-I’m coming out,” came Lyra’s plea.

With a huff, Bon Bon let her irritation out. As irritated as she was, she knew that shouting in Lyra’s face wasn’t going to solve anything. That didn’t mean that the unicorn was not about to get the talking to of her life.

When she heard the lock give and the knob turn, Bon Bon was prepared to meet her friends angry words with words of her own, but that all melted away when she looked at her friend.

Instead of the irritated or outright angry expression, Lyra instead looked like she had been crying for days. Her eyes were a bright red and bags hung darkly under them, while her mane was tussled and unkept. The expression in her eyes though is what melted Bon Bon’s ire away.

She saw shame in those yellow irises. “L-Lyra?”

The unicorn looked away, unable to look her in the eyes. “What do you want, Bon Bon?”

She stood straighter. “We’re worried about you, Lyra. You’ve hidden yourself away ever since the talent show, and you hurt Thunderlane.” She winced as that remark slipped past her and the unicorn looked away. “Sorry.”

Lyra nodded her head mutely.

Bon Bon rubbed at the back of her head for a moment. “Can I come in? So we can talk?”

Lyra stood there for a moment before stepping out of the way. The earth pony trotted inside and saw that just about every light in the home was off and it was so unusually quiet. Normally before, Lyra’s house was so warm and inviting. Now, it seemed like grief had set over the home like a thick cloak.

She turned back to her friend as she heard the door close and Lyra look at her. “Do you want some tea?”

Bon Bon nodded slowly. “Set the pot, but come back in here. We have a lot of talking to do.”

Again there was the muted nod before Lyra stepped into her kitchen. She only had to wait a few minutes before Lyra returned and settled on her couch. “Is he… is he mad at me?”

A sigh escaped through her nose before Bon Bon sat next to her friend. “No. No he’s not. He’s just so worried about you that he can barely stand. And your avoiding him is not helping in the slightest.”

Lyra instantly lowered her eyes, and Bon Bon saw the shame in them again. “I can’t see him, Bon Bon. Ever again.”

A spike of irritation rose, but Bon Bon swallowed it back. “Lyra, what is with you? You love him, don’t you?”

She again nodded.

“And you know he loves you.” Her ears and eyes leveled. “Even if he hasn’t actually said it yet.”

Lyra swallowed and nodded once more.

“Then why don’t you want to see him?” She rested a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “You know what happened at the talent show wasn’t his fault. Accidents happen, you know they do. So why are you mad at him?”

Bon Bon’s ears flickered as Lyra uttered something to soft to be heard.

“What did you say?”

Lyra looked back up at her, moisture ringing her eyes. “I said I’m not mad at him.”

It took Bon Bon’s mind a moment to process what she heard, blinking in surprise. “What? You’re not mad at him? Then why don’t you talk to him? Don’t you know how much he’s upset because he thinks you’re mad at him?”

Lyra choked back a sob. “That’s… that’s why I can’t ever see him again. Not after what I’ve done.” Her gaze shot back up. “After what I’ve said!”

Bon Bon felt her eye twitch, but again she restrained the urge to whack her friend upside the head. “What do you mean? All it takes is for you to say sorry to fix the problem. Why can’t you just say you’re sorry?”

“But I can’t!” Lyra buried her face into her hooves. “Not after yelling at him like that in front of the whole town. Not after blaming him for something that wasn’t his fault. I can’t bear to look at him after what I’ve said. He hates me, I know he does!”

“Lyra, that—”

“I felt so ashamed!” Lyra cut her off, tears running down her face. “I was just so upset and embarrassed that I lashed out at him when it wasn’t even his fault. How can he forgive me after doing something like that? He-He...”

As her friend once more started crying, Bon Bon wasn’t sure what she wanted to do more: strangle her or comfort her—she was clearly deserving of at least one of them.

She opted for the later when she pulled the unicorn into a hug. Lyra only put of a brief resistance before wrapping her forelegs around her barrel.

“Lyra, I love you like a sister and all, so I’m going to tell you something. You are being st—thick headed. You’re telling me the only reason you’ve locked yourself up and refused to see anyone was because you were feeling guilty?”

She felt her friend stiffen up at that. “N-No, not… entirely.”

Bon Bon rolled her eyes, her ears flattening again. “You’re a horrible liar.”

Lyra sat back and looked at her friend. “But what I did was wrong though. Why would he want to talk to me again?”

Bon Bon facehooved. “You’ve read way too many romance novels, Lyra. That’s not how things actually work. The hero doesn’t go on some quest to redeem himself for the heroine, they talk things out.” She pointed hoof at her. “That’s all you have to do. Find him, apologize, and talk things out. That is it.”

“But… what do I say? I’ll just embarrass myself again.” She lowered her gaze. “I don’t think I could look him in the eyes after all that.”

Bon Bon growled softly. “Lyra, if you put yourself down again, I am going to bop you.”

Lyra gave her a worried look and leaned away. “You wouldn’t.”

“Just like I wasn’t going to kick down your door?”

Bon Bon couldn’t help a small chuckle as Lyra gave a nervous gulp.

“Now listen, Lyra, I’m telling you you have a good thing with Thunderlane. Caramel gives me the same looks that Thunderlane gives you, that’s how I know he is head over hooves for you.” She wrapped a foreleg around her friend’s withers and spoke softer. “Please don’t let this opportunity pass you by. You will end up regretting it if you do.”

Lyra sniffed and looked at her. “But… what do I say?”

“You say what’s in your heart and mean it. Don’t try to over think it, it won’t work out no matter how you plan it. Just find him and speak to him, and speak truthfully. I promise you, it will work out.”

Lyra nodded quietly, though the kettle was making its shrill whistle, it was left unheeded as she focused on her friend's words.

“Lyra, what did I say?” Bon Bon asked her with some annoyance.

She looked back at her with a faintly worried look. “But I wasn’t putting myself down.”

Bon Bon’s facehoof seemed to echo loudly in the house. “No, what did I say about thinking too much? Just go and find him already. You have to be the one to make things right. So why are you still sitting on the couch and not out trying to find him?”

Lyra rubbed at the back of her head. “W-Well… I—”

“Go, Lyra!”

The unicorn jumped, stumbling quickly towards the door. She stepped outside, hesitant at first, but each step she took was more confident than the last, and soon she was outright galloping.

Bon Bon watched her from the doorway and a warm smile slowly spread across her face. “Thatta girl.”

-0-

He made sure that the cloud was in it’s place before moving on to the next. The combining the weekly rainstorm with the winds that tugged at his mane, Thunderlane knew his small hometown of Ponyville was going to have a decent storm this time. Hopefully the earth pony and unicorn volunteers had cleared the old and dead branches from the trees before they were supposed to start the rain.

After he put the most recent cloud in place, a soft sigh escaped him and he paused to rub at his dry eyes.

“Ahh, can’t focus…” he muttered to himself and looked around as the rest of the weather team was hard at work putting together the storm. “What I wouldn’t give for a nap right now.”

A slow breath later and he looked in the direction of the home of a certain unicorn. ‘Actually, I know what I would rather want right now.’

That, however, was going to have to wait. As much as he wanted to rush over to Lyra’s house, he had his responsibilities as a weather pony that he had to do first. Personal feelings would have to come later, no matter how badly he wanted them at that moment.

“Hey, Thunderlane,” he heard a voice greet him. He turned to see Blossomforth push another cloud next to where he had just placed his. “How’re you doing?”

He gave a tired sigh and rubbed at his face, not even trying to hide his turmoil. “I could be better.”

She gave him an understanding look. “Lyra?”

He nodded and went to gather another cloud, Blossomforth trailing after him. As they gathered the cloud, he shared another look with her. “Have you talked with Lyra any?”

A faint frown crossed her face but it was quickly gone. “No, I haven’t tried yet. I know how she gets when she’s like that. She can be a bit pigheaded sometimes.”

So caught up in his thinking, he missed the vehemence in her tone. “You’ve known her for a long time. How long does she usually stay mad?”

Blossomforth snorted quietly. “With Lyra, you never know. She’s always been a wallflower. She’s been so socially awkward for as long as I can remember, I’m surprised she ever worked up the courage to get on stage like she did.”

A sigh escaped him as he remembered that night. A night that had started out so well, yet ended so horribly.

The night he first felt heartache.

“I wish… I could have done something,” he quietly uttered.

Her ears flickered and she turned a look at him. She bit at her lower lip a moment before speaking. “Thunderlane, you can’t blame yourself for Lyra’s clumsiness. That’s just how she is. Don’t let her make you upset.”

His ears laid back as they set another cloud in its place. “I promised her nopony would laugh at her, and I meant it. I feel like I’ve broken my promise to her, but it wasn’t my fault.” He sighed for the upteempth time that day before looking at her. “Didn’t you hear her play? It was beautiful. I honestly thought they all would have loved her playing as much as I did.” His eyes half-lidded as he recalled that night. “She was beautiful.”

“But it wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t be upset because of her.” She kicked a cloud back in place as it started to drift. “You’re too nice of a guy for that.”

The faintest of smiles played across his face. “Thanks, Blossomforth.”

She smiled widely. “Anytime for you, Thunderlane.”

He sighed again as his gaze drifted back across the town. “Still… I just don’t like the idea that our relationship is going to end like this. I don’t want it to end at all.” He looked up to the sky above him, his gaze distant. “Maybe after work I’ll go try to talk to her again.”

“She won’t want to talk to you,” Blossomforth said, quickly. “She won’t talk to anyone when she’s sulking.”

He looked away, a saddened expression in his eyes. “Maybe…”

When she gulped loud enough for him to hear, he turned to regard her. “Is something wrong?”

A faint blush crossed her face, but she mustered up the courage to look him in the eyes. “This might seem a little soon, but…” She ran a shaking hoof through her mane. “Would you want to get some dinner after work? Just you and me? Maybe a good dinner out can help you forget about Lyra.”

While he did smile at the offer, he shook his head. “Thank you, Blossomforth. As much as I’d like to, I really want to patch things up with Lyra.”

She blinked, an expression of hurt crossing her face. “But… why not?”

“I just…” He looked away. “I just can’t.”

She ground her teeth before speaking. “I really don’t see what you see in her, Thunderlane. I really don’t.”

He tilted his head at her, his brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“I just don’t see it. What is it about Lyra that you like so much? She’s so clumsy and awkward, she can’t be any fun to go on dates with. Just what do you see in her?”

His head snapped back in surprise. “Wait, why are you saying that? I thought Lyra was your friend?”

Blossomforth scowled. “She was my friend, until she stole the stallion I was trying to date for the past few months.”

His brow furrowed in confusion. “But who are you trying to date? I th—”

“You, Thunderlane!” she yelled, glaring intently at him. “I’ve been trying to get your attention for months now, but you never once ever paid any attention to me. All those times I tried asking you to hang out with me, or have lunch with me, I was trying to get you to notice! But you always had this Tartarus-may-care attitude that I thought I was going to have to do something drastic for you to notice me!”

He sputtered at her emotional outburst. “B-But, you… I—”

“But then Lyra came along, played one little song for you, and you fall head over fetlocks for her? I don’t get it! What did I do wrong? Am I not attractive to you at all? Was I not straightforward enough? I just don’t get you, at all, Thunderlane.”

Thunderlane pulled at his mane, what in the world was he supposed to say to that? Her outburst soon drew the attention of the other weather pegasi, who watched the two cautiously.

“Blossomforth, I…” He growled softly, struggling to find something to say. “I’ve always liked you as a friend, you’re one of my best friends on the weather team, I just… didn’t know you thought about me like that.”

She huffed, crossing her forelegs. “You mean you couldn’t tell I was trying to get your attention? That I should have tried flirting harder?”

A blush crept across his face. “I… guess?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Yet, you still love Lyra?”

He looked away again for a quiet moment before nodding. “I do.”

She growled and threw up her forelegs. “Why?!”

He whirled on her, his own gaze narrowing. “Because she makes me feel good! Being around Lyra made me feel happy. I felt that I could take on the world with her beside me. When ever I made her smile, I felt… great. I’ve seen who Lyra really is, and you know what? I loved what I saw. I saw a mare with a huge heart and a different look on the world that I hadn’t seen before. Yes she is clumsy, and sometimes awkward, but that is something about her I love. Why can’t you understand that?!”

She blinked in turn to his own outburst. “But—”

Turned his gaze away from her. “Now do you understand why I love her? And why I don’t want to let her go?”

Her scowl returned and she also looked away. “I thought that seeing Lyra get kicked across the stage would—”

He blinked and looked back at her. “Wait? Kicked? I thought Lyra just slipped off the stool.”

Her eyes widened. “I meant slipped. I didn’t mean kicked.”

His eyes narrowed at her, urgency coming into his tone. “Blossomforth, do you know what happened to Lyra? Did someone deliberately do something to her?”

She gulped and shook her head. “N-No. I wouldn’t know anything.”

“Blossomforth—” His gaze hardening.”—tell me the truth. Do you know what happened to Lyra? Do you know who was responsible?”

“No! Why would I know?” He could see the sweat glistening off her forehead. “It’s not like she got hurt or anything.”

“No, just embarrassed in front of the whole town!”

“It wasn’t what I planned to do!”

His jaw dropped in shock, disbelieving of what he had just heard. “I-It was you.” His mouth twisted, a mixture of shock and anger rising in his eyes. “You’re the one who embarrassed Lyra? Why Blossomforth? Why would you do that to her?!”

“Because she was stealing you away from me!” she yelled right in his face, and he could see the pain and anger in her eyes. “I’ve worked so hard, so hard to get you to notice me, but instead, you went after her! I couldn’t let it happen. I care for you too much to lose you to somepony like Lyra!”

Thunderlane and the rest of the weather team all stared at her, some in shock, but mostly in outrage. As badly as he wanted to yell at her, to tell her how much of a horrible pony she was for sabotaging her own best friend out of a fit of jealousy, he just couldn’t find it in him to be angry at her. Instead he felt something else, and it caused a sickening feeling to form in his gut.

“How could you, Blossomforth? She was your friend, how could you betray her like that?” He spat. “You were so afraid of losing me to her? What kind of an excuse is that?” Blossomforth flinched back, guilt flashing in her eyes, but Thunderlane was far too angry to notice. “Well, if getting me was your goal, then you can forget about it. I can’t even stand to look at you anymore.”

He turned away, ignoring the stricken look that crossed Blossomforth’s face, and shot Rainbow Dash a look. “I’m taking off early, boss. I have someone I need to talk to.”

Rainbow gave him a nod, as she glared at Blossomforth. “Do you what you have to, Thunderlane.”

“Thunderlane, wait!”

He turned back to give Blossomforth a look of utter disgust, but looking at the hurt in her eyes and the quivering of her lip, he felt his ire slipping some.

“Please, Thunderlane, don’t,” she said in a wisp of a voice. “Please don’t do this to me.”

“You should have thought of that before you decided to betray your friend.” He looked away. Knowing that he was the source of Blossomforth’s distress hurt him on another level, but he roughly pushed the feeling aside, reminding himself of what she had done. “I don’t want to talk to you. Not now, and not for a very long time.”

“Y-You can’t mean that,” he heard her say. He gritted his teeth at the crack in her voice. “Please, don’t turn away from me, Thunderlane. Please.”

“I’ve got to find Lyra, and apologize.” He shot a final glare at her. “You might want to consider doing the same.”

He didn’t wait for her to respond, flapping his wings to speed away so fast that Blossomforth only had time to lift a hoof his way before he was gone. She watched him go, soaring for Lyra’s house as quickly as his wings could carry him. The tears began to run down her face, and she felt the scathing glares of the rest of the weather team boring figurative holes into her. She turned to face them, but all they did was turn their noses up at her.

“Come on, guys, we have a storm to finish,” Rainbow said.

As the rest of the team dispersed, Rainbow gave her a final look before shaking her head and gathering the next cloud.

A sob escaped Blossomforth, and soon many more followed as the feeling of loss and guilt finally crashed down on her like a stone. Not one of the remaining weather ponies so much as spared her a look or a drop of pity as she covered her face to cry.

-0-

The first peal of thunder sounded from overhead, echoing loudly across the village, but it didn’t matter to Lyra. Pinning her ears back, she ran through the streets of Ponyville as its other citizens were quickly ducking into their homes as the storm was about to start. Her gaze was glued to the grumbling skies above, hoping to catch sight of the stallion she had to find.

She couldn’t believe how stupid she had been, well… she could, but it made so much sense at the time. Being mad and upset over what had happened was just how she reacted—lashing out like a little filly because someone called her a nasty name. It was foalish to have acted like she had, but it took Bon Bon’s intervention to finally help her see it—even if it was under threat of a bopping.

The wind had started to pick up and she felt it tugging at her mane and tail, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. She had to find him.

“Thunderlane!” Her shout was drowned out as the lightning flashed and the thunder quickly followed. She looked to the sky again, and blinked as the rain began. Wiping at her face, she called out again.

“Thunderlane! Where are you?” She looked around, biting at her lip. “Where can he be?” She ran on some more, her hooves clopping on the increasingly wet streets, calling his name out over the wind that began to howl.

‘Why can’t I find him? He should be out here with the storm. Thunderlane, where are you?’

A flash of light caused her squeal in fright and the resulting clash of thunder caused her to bring her forelegs over her head. When she looked back up at the sky, her eyes went wide, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. The clouds above were black and angry, and she watched as they began to roll and turn overhead.

‘This is bad. This is bad! I’ve got to get inside before I get hurt!’

Scrambling back to her hooves, she turned and fled back down the road for home. The wind picked up and loose branches and leaves slapped at her face as she ran. She squinted against the gale and used her magic to keep the debris from hitting her further, but she felt she wasn’t getting far. As much as she wanted to find Thunderlane, she knew that getting herself hurt wasn’t going to do either of them any good.

Her vision flashed and she fell to the ground with a scream as a bolt of lightning struck a tree along the road. Little lights danced around her eyes as she shook her head to clear the dizziness. The sound of snapping wood made her look up to see a large branch of the struck tree falling towards her.

Panic welled up inside her and she found her legs wouldn’t move to her desperate call.

“No, NO!” She threw her forelegs up in a vain attempt to save herself.

She grunted as something hit her in the side and she felt herself flying away. It was funny, she thought, she was for sure that being hit with a tree limb would have hurt a lot worse. The branch felt, fuzzy and warm—not like the rough bark she expected. How hard did it hit her for her to still feel like she was flying?

She slowly opened an eye to find herself flying along the street towards her home, being carried in the arms of a frantically flapping pegasus stallion.

“Thunderlane!” she cried, wrapping her forelegs around him tightly and burying her face into his neck.

“You’re crazy, Lyra, you know that!” He pumped his wings harder, fighting against the gale as her home came within view.

Her eyes widened as she saw that he meant to ram the door. “Thunderlane, no! The door swings outward!”

He swore and flapped his wings in reverse , straining to keep from slamming into the solid oak door. The sudden stop caused him to lose his grip on her and the two tumbled through the mud slicked streets. She was quickly on her hooves and reached for his.

“Come on!” The door opened to her magical call, and pulled him inside. As soon as they were in, she slammed the door shut behind them as the storm continued to pound away.

The two stood in the foyer, their breathing labored as they waited for the adrenaline rush to ease; as water and mud dripped from their coats to the floor. As one, they turned to look each other in the eye. Seeing the worry for her in his eyes she just wanted blurt out her apology.

“I’m sorry!” they said in unison.

They both stood there, staring at each other in shock.

“You go first,” they said together once again.

When they facehooved at the same time, it sent the two of them into a burst of helpless laughter.

Thunderlane managed to get his laughter under control first, and the warmth of his expression faded to one of seriousness. “Lyra, I’m sorry. I—”

She put a hoof over his mouth and she gave him a soft look. “No, let me go first.” Lowering her gaze, she took in a deep breath and let out slowly. She bit at her lip—a soft whimper escaping her.

He reached for her. “Lyra—”

“Thunderlane, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry for yelling at you! It wasn’t your fault and I yelled at you like a spoiled little filly. I—” she forced back a sob, “—didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so ashamed.” She lowered her gaze to her hooves.

He wrapped a foreleg around her and pulled her closer. “Lyra, you were upset and I don’t blame you for lashing out. I was upset too.”

She sniffed and pulled back to look at him in the face, knowing that her tears had matted the fur under her eyes. “Were you upset at me?”

He shook his head slowly. “No, I was only worried for you. I was upset that everypony had laughed at you, when it wasn’t your fault.”

She quickly wiped at her nose and stepped back. “But it was my fault. I tripped and made a fool of myself. Like I always do.”

Her eyes widened as she saw his gaze harden. “No, it wasn’t you at all.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“It was Blossomforth! She was under the stage and kicked you from below!”

She felt her blood go cold. It had felt like something had hit her from below, now that she thought about it. “But… would Blossomforth do that? No, she’s my friend, she wouldn’t do something like that to me.”

His expression softened some, and she thought she saw shame in his features. “She told me, Lyra. She admitted everything in front of me, and the entire weather team too.”

Hearing him say that, she knew he wasn’t lying. She looked to her hooves, unable to process what she was hearing. “But why? Why did she do that to me?”

He looked away for a moment. “She was jealous.”

Her gaze snapped back up to him. “Jealous?”

“Of you,” he said, turning back to her. “She was jealous of us dating.”

“But… what about the stallion she was trying to date? What happened to him?”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “That was me. She said she had been trying to date me.”

Lyra sucked in a breath and her eyes widened. “You? But-that-it-I—” She shook her head to clear away the shock and to reboot her brain. “Huh?”

He nodded slowly. “She said she had been trying to get my attention for a while, but…” He shook his head as well. “I just didn’t see it. I didn’t know she felt like that at all.”

“All those things I said to her…” Lyra lowered her gaze.” Oh, Blossomforth, I didn’t know.”

He looked back at her. “Lyra…” His words trailed away and he looked to his hooves again.

She saw the worry in his face and she touched him on the shoulder. “Talk to me, Thunderlane. Don’t look away.”

When he looked back, she saw the tears rimming his eyes. “Lyra, I don’t want to lose you. When you ran from me that night at the talent show, it hurt so much. Seeing you run away from me, crying… it hurt. When you refused to talk with me afterwards, I was sure you hated me. And that… hurt more than anything else I’ve known.”

She brought up a hoof to her mouth, to try to stop the sob that wanted to escape her.

“I-I don’t want you to hate me, Lyra. I-I…” He gulped before taking in a breath. “I love you.”

Those three words rang in her mind like a great bell in a chapel. Hearing them from his mouth, knowing that he meant each one of them, set her heart to hammering and her stomach aflutter. He loved her.

So caught up in her feelings, she didn’t hear the rest of his dialogue. It was only when he had stopped did she see him peering at her, his expression both concerned and worried.

“Lyra?”

“You… you love me?” she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

A slow, hopeful smile crossed his face. “I do love you, Lyra. I’m sorry I never said it sooner. You’re the most amazing mare I’ve ever met, and when I’m with you… I feel like I can challenge the world. As long as you’re with me, I know I can wake up everyday with a smile on my face.”

There was no stopping the sob. Despite her best efforts, it escaped her fitfully and she threw her forelegs around him. “Thunderlane, I’m s-so sorry!” She buried her muzzle into his shoulder and let all the pent up emotions flow out of her through her tears. “You, I love you too. I-I thought you hated me for what I did. I was—” a hiccup escaped her— “so scared to talk to you again because I-I thought you would never want to talk to me again.”

He rested on his haunches and wrapped her up in a hug as well, holding her tightly as she cried it out on his shoulder. As she cried, he nuzzled at her mane and spoke softly. “It won’t happen again, I promise it.”

A sniff, another hiccup escaped her as she pulled back to peer at him through the tresses of her mane. “Y-You promise?”

He brushed aside those tresses to look into her eyes, and she saw the warmth, the love in his amber eyes. “I swear by it. Never again.”

She didn’t wait for it, she pulled him close and kissed him fully. Caught off guard, he hesitated, but only for second before returning that kiss passionately. The two held onto each other tightly as the storm raged on outside, completely forgotten.

Author's Note:

D'awwwww...

One more chapter to go!

Comments

[Yoshifan30]

“I felt so ashamed!” Lyra cut her off, tears running down her face. “I was just so upset and embarrassed that I lashed out at him when it wasn’t even his fault. How can he forgive me after doing something like that? He-He...”

I don't think he would think like that way he just felt that seeing you hurt really hurt him as well

[Yoshifan30]

“Hey, Thunderlane,” he heard a voice greet him. He turned to see Blossomforth push another cloud next to where he had just placed his. “How’re you doing?”

Speaking of the devil 😡

[Yoshifan30]

She smiled widely. “Anytime for you, Thunderlane.”

Now you're just being so desperate

[Yoshifan30]

She ground her teeth before speaking. “I really don’t see what you see in her, Thunderlane. I really don’t.”

And she started to show her true color and not in a good way

[Yoshifan30]

“But then Lyra came along, played one little song for you, and you fall head over fetlocks for her? I don’t get it! What did I do wrong? Am I not attractive to you at all? Was I not straightforward enough? I just don’t get you, at all, Thunderlane.”

Well first start blossom she's not crazy like you are and desperate and what you did was downright awful

[Yoshifan30]

“Because she was stealing you away from me!” she yelled right in his face, and he could see the pain and anger in her eyes. “I’ve worked so hard, so hard to get you to notice me, but instead, you went after her! I couldn’t let it happen. I care for you too much to lose you to somepony like Lyra!”

Well now you lost him and mostly everybody would not like you was it worth it blossom

[Yoshifan30]

A sob escaped Blossomforth, and soon many more followed as the feeling of loss and guilt finally crashed down on her like a stone. Not one of the remaining weather ponies so much as spared her a look or a drop of pity as she covered her face to cry.

And now you have nothing blossom once again was it worth it in the end? 🙁

[Yoshifan30]

Well I got to say it was something and really worked out pretty well at least to some so Thunder Lane and bon bon try to talk with Lyra but she refused to talk with anybody and after trying so much Thunder Lane just left thinking that he completely lost her but then bon bon tried to talk with Lyra once again and giving a reason why did she acted that way to thunder Lane the only reason why for that Outburst was she was embarrassed and she took her anger against him knowing to the fact that it wasn't really his fault then Bonbon told her she needs to go out there and tell him that before he lose him meanwhile Thunder Lane could not think straight until Blossom came along tried to get him to notice her but he couldn't because he was too busy thinking about Lyra and she was trying to lose patient with him and even what's so great about her and he told her how wonderful she is which that made her so angry that she basically admitted the truth about what happened last night and finding out what she did was very upsetting Thunder Lane could not stand her no more and the other Pegasus were not too happy hearing that as well and she lost her Crush her reputation and now her friends meanwhile Lyra tried to find him but she couldn't because of the storm was getting worse and the tree was about to fall on her but luckily Thunder Lane saved her and they raised inside the house from the storm after that both of them apologize to each other and even admitting how much they love each other how much happy they are together which I think that's pretty adorable