Two Tickets, Two Tales
Chapter 7- Two Tickets, Two Tales
Rumble awoke to the sudden bright flash of his bedside lamp being flicked on. Groaning and shielding his eyes that had been made sensitive by sleep, he looked to find Thunderlane smiling down at him. It was his typical, ‘good morning bro’ smile, a subtle one that wordlessly conveyed all the kindness and love he felt for the little colt. Even with the light provided, the room was still dark as there was even a noticeable absence of sunlight coming in from outside, the morning sky being a melancholy grey instead of its usual vibrancy of blue and orange. The patter of rain against the window was calm and soothing. It would have been perfect weather to sleep through on the weekend.
Rumble wasn’t exactly certain in the relative darkness, but he thought that Thunderlane’s face appeared to be a bit disproportionate. His nose looked bruised and his left cheek looked swollen. But before he could contemplate this further in his still-dreamy state, Thunderlane spoke up.
“Hey there sport, did you sleep well?” Thunderlane asked, his voice was ragged, as if he had spent the entire night screaming and yelling through some terrible nightmare.
“Uh-huh, like a foal crashing from a sugar high.” Rumble yawned as he extended his hooves towards the ceiling, stretching them until he heard the joints let out little pops and cracks. After smacking his dry lips and rubbing his eyes to clear the crust that was stuck to his lids, he looked back up at his older brother and smiled. He was still in the fog between sleep and consciousness that one so often gets upon having just woken up.
Thunderlane snickered, “Well I’m glad to hear that, and I hope you feel well-rested. The last thing I would want is for you to go through the day like a zombie. Save that for when your older and stuck doing some dead-end job that you can’t stand.” Thunderlane tousled Rumble’s mane and, as usual, Rumble pulled back and tried to swat his brother’s hooves back like a swarm of gnats.
“Stop it!” Rumble said, stifling laughter. “And what makes you think I’ll end up at a dead-end job? I’m gonna have an awesome job that’s fun and makes me rich!” Rumble then looked down at his flank, seeing the plain grey fur, without a course or destiny to speak of. “Once I figure out what my cutie mark will me.”
“I know you will. I’m just trying to make a point.” Thunderlane said.
“Is that all you wanted to know? If I slept well? Because if so that seems pointless...and actually kind of creepy.” Rumble gave a small, playful smile.
Thunderlane let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “Nope. There’s more. Actually, I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? What kind of surprise?” Rumble asked, his sleepiness now all but replaced with a great perkiness. Suddenly a bit of skepticism washed over him. “Wait, is it a good surprise or a bad surprise?”
He hoped that whatever surprise his brother had for him would be a good one, rather than ‘yeah, I’ve got a pile of dirty clothes for you to clean after school’ or ‘sure, I hope you like some sun and the roof, because you’re gonna spend the afternoon cleaning the gutters!’– he hated when Thunderlane pulled a fast one on him. It made him feel leery towards his otherwise trustworthy and respectable brother. But it was natural for brothers, even those that were the best of friends, to occasionally mess with each other in playful ways.
Thunderlane nodded. “Now, you know how my friend Soarin’ is a Wonderbolt, right?”
“Duh. He’s the one that signed my Wonderbolts t-shirt with his face on it!”
“Hehe, yep that’s him.”
“And that’s why you made his character super fast in my bedtime story, right? Soarin’ the Flash! Faster than fast! Brasher than dash!”
“Faster than fast and brasher than dash?” Thunderlane asked, eyebrow raised inquisitively.
“I just thought that up now.” Rumble said, grinning. “The last bit relates to that mare Rainbow Dash, the one you talk about?”
“Oh yeah, haha.” Thunderlane said with a blush, rubbing the back of his neck. “But, uh, could you keep the fact that I use my friends as models in my bedtime stories between us? It’s not exactly a thing a macho colt should be doing, even in private.”
Rumble nodded, taking a little pleasure from noticing his brother’s obvious insecurity. He might have been silly at home, but out in the real world, with all the mares watching, Thunderlane always preferred to be seen as the typical, mature, manly stallion. He was always on the scout for a potential date, so his public image was important. It was what made his transformation into the fun-loving pony at home such a shift in character. Rumble knew that if others discovered that Thunderlane had inserted doppelgangers of his friends into a foal’s bedtime story for Rumble, that image would be ruined.
Upon confirmation that the story content would remain between the brother, a flash of relief passed over Thunderlane’s face and he cleared his throat to continue speaking.
“Well, one of the many perks he has as a Wonderbolt is that he gets first dibs on tickets to pass out to friends and family and whatnot for shows and...well...” Slowly, with the look and smile of a pony ready to show off something that would be met with magnificent excitement, Thunderlane pulled out two tickets and waved them in front of Rumble’s face. The colt’s eyes grew wide at the sight, his heart fluttering quickly as if it were Hearth’s Warming Eve morning and he just then remembered that he had presents waiting for him downstairs.
Rumble let out a sample of his excitement in the form of a small gasp. “Are those tickets for the Wonderbolts show this afternoon?”
Thunderlane smirked slyly. “Why don’t you see for yourself.”
Not having to be told a second time, Rumble snatched the tickets and gazed down at them, his eyes like sponges absorbing the sight before him. Running the tip of his hoof over its smooth, laminated surface, he could feel his grin spread across his face. He had always been a huge fan of the Wonderbolts, both for their profound flying abilities that he dreamed of one day of matching and their dedication. Thunderlane always talked about little time Soarin’ had to hang out with them because of his practices and performances, which was a shame because out of all of Thunderlane’s friends, Rumble liked being around Soarin’ the most. But even through his disappointment he couldn’t help but respect the blue pegasus. Deep down hoped that one day, he too could find something he was equally as passionate about, where long nights and less time with friends was a small price to pay for doing what he loved.
Perhaps he too would accomplish that by joining the Wonderbolts.
And even though Thunderlane and had been close friends with Soarin’, one of the most famous Wonderbolts, Rumble himself had only attended two shows, restrained both by location of the event as well as his and Thunderlane’s availability. Rumble had a decent amount of free time on weekends, but Thunderlane’s schedule was always unpredictable. Some Saturdays and Sundays he would be free, during which both he and Rumble would go to the park or just hang out at home like a couple of couch potatoes. Other times the weekends were less forgiving, and Thunderlane found himself working weather duty from nine to five only to come home exhausted.
Plus money had always been scarce for the family, even now with both Typhoon and Thunderlane bringing home two different salaries, and Wonderbolt tickets were not cheap.
Still, this lack of attendance didn’t deter Rumble from showing his adoration for the team. He had a plethora of merchandise, ranging from colored t-shirts to pennant flags to mini-figurines of Wonderbolt members: Spitfire, Soarin’, Misty Fly, Fleetfoot, and more. He even had a replica of an authentic Wonderbolts uniform that Thunderlane had given him for his last birthday. So it was perfectly understandable that Rumble, sitting in bed with a pair of tickets in his hooves to see the very ponies he worshipped perform live, felt exceptionally giddy, borderline ecstatic.
Wanting to express his gratitude for the gift, Rumble threw his hooves around Thunderlane’s neck in a tight hug, squeezing with all of his might and only stopping when the feeling of Thunderlane pounding his back and the sound of him gasping for breath alerted him to the fact that he was strangling him. Once out of his brother’s death-grip, Thunderlane took a deep breath and rubbed his throat.
“Chill dude,” he laughed, his voice extremely rough and grating now. “I’m happy you like them, but try to show your affection in a way that doesn’t crush the life out of me. Listen, I’ll meet you at the schoolhouse around two–”
“Wait? You’re actually picking me up today? Like, coming up to the school to get me?” Rumble asked, his tiny wings buzzed slightly. Thunderlane almost never met his younger brother after school. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, rather he either had to work late or simply preferred to greet Rumble in one of his ridiculous monster or knight costumes. So now with this news that he would actually get to see his brother upon exiting the classroom, Rumble’s excitement piqued and he could hardly contain the pure rush of joy he felt course throughout his veins, from his head to his tail and everywhere in-between.
Today would be a good day.
After trudging his way through the heavy downpour and deep puddles and thunder cracking up above, Rumble finally reached the schoolhouse. There were no sounds of students playing, only some hushed conversations among friends walking towards the school and the sound of rushing water pouring out from the building’s gutter and into the grass. The clock above the door showed he had four minutes before the final bell would sound. But even with the weather being dreary and miserable, he was in too peppy a mood to care. He was humming to himself and as he trotted there was a slight spring in his step– not enough to be considered girly, but enough to convey his joy to the world around him.
All he had to do was survive one school day and he would be on his way to the Wonderbolts show. Bonus, the weather was scheduled to improve before then as the pegasi had planned to clear the skies in time for the Wonderbolts so the spectators wouldn’t be drenched. There was added incentive since most of the pegasi would be in attendance, and as much as they enjoyed the weather, they still preferred sunny skies to torrential downpours.
Rumble’s dark blue, almost purple, poncho was soaked, rain-water running down it and dripping onto the floor at his hooves. He trotted over to the coat-rack in the front, right corner of the classroom. He quickly shed it like a snake ridding itself of its tight, outer skin, and breathed a sigh of relief once free of its frigidness. The warm, heated air of the schoolhouse felt welcome against his body.
More students started to spill inside as Rumble finally found an available peg on the coat-hanger. Whenever it rained, finding space on the hanger was a challenge and only the earliest arrivals would be able to get the lower, easier to reach, pegs. Others would have to wait for Cheerilee to come in and hang theirs up on the top pegs. Getting help from Cheerilee was very degrading and deserving of scorn, at least to most of Rumble’s classmates. He never felt that way– perhaps because he was usually the one that needed her assistance.
But today he was lucky. Tossing the hood over one of the last low-reach pegs, Rumble started to make his way over towards his desk when he heard a familiar, nasally voice.
“Hey Tumble!”
Rumble froze. Oh, great.
He turned around to see exactly who he thought. Orange Berry, his mane greasy and gross, swaggered over with two of his cronies in tow. He was smiling with a smugness that revealed both his poor character and his equally repugnant yellowing teeth. Some days his breath would be laced with the scent of garlic and onions. Others it would carry the odor of a compost heap.
Today it smelled like the latter and Rumble scrunched his nose in displeasure and he let out a small gag that nopony seemed to notice. At least that was his hope; he would hate to find out the ramification to having Orange see him gag at the rancid smell of his breath.
“What do you guys want?” Rumble asked.
“Do any Tumbling today, Tumble? Your little chicken-bone wings failing to keep you afloat?” Orange sneered, absentmindedly hoof-bumping one of his cronies without even looking. He had no respect.
“You do know I can fly, right? Calling me Tumble doesn’t make sense anymore. If you’re going to mock me, at least don’t make stuff up.”
Orange snickered. “Sorry, but once a tumbler, always a tumbler. Even if the stars align and you somehow manage to get onto the Wonderbolts that name will always stick, Tumble” Orange Berry laughed, as did his cronies once his laughter gave them permission. “Not that it will happen, only the best pegasi in the world get into that group. They don’t have time to scrape the bottom of the barrel for you.”
“Haha, very funny.”
Orange smirked and continued his verbal assault. “Yep, the truth can be funny. You still fly worse than most foals.”
“I do not!” Rumble shouted back.
“Do so. At least they don’t crash into everything like that stupid cross-eyed mail pony. You, however, are an even worse flyer than her. I know it, and you know it. All you have to do is admit it.”
Rumble found his words caught in his throat, but then he saw a familiar blur of orange enter through the door. Looking behind Orange Berry, he saw Scootaloo standing, talking with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. All three wore raincoats, seemingly oblivious to the confrontation occurring beside them near the coat-rack between the newest member of their club and the class’ designated jerk.
He had two options. He could either walk away, as he normally did, or he could try his hoof at standing firm and proud. As he looked over at Scootaloo, he began to think. What would Rumble the Valiant do if he was being confronted in front of Scoots the Archer?
He imagined the prideful version of himself, sword in hoof and snide smile on his face. The image of the knight nodded encouragingly, and Rumble decided not to leave and let Orange gain a symbolic victory over his pride. Swallowing, but feeling inner strength that was normally absent, Rumble channeled his inner bravery and knight, he took a step forward, chest puffed out like a powerful bird, and stared Orange down like the maggot he was.
“No, I won’t, because you’re wrong! I am a good flier! Heck, I was able to participate in the tornado formation for the Cloudsdale reservoir, wasn’t I?”
“Yeah right, I still don’t believe that one bit.” Orange laughed, pulling Rumble’s poncho from the rack and tossing his own raincoat in its place. “Personally, I think you painted some random colt grey and paid him to pretend to be you.”
Scootaloo’s violet eyes met Rumble’s, and Rumble felt another surge of pride well up from deep within, like a fire of determination. Turning back to Orange, he opened his mouth and let spill his retort in a harsh, bitter way.
“How would you know? You weren’t there. Heck, you aren’t even a pegasus, so you can’t even fly you grounded, wingless buffoon!” Rumble snapped before looking around at those watching the argument, including a few unicorns and earth ponies. Worried that he offended them, he quickly added. “No offence to other non-pegasi.”
Orange Berry stared at Rumble as if he had grown a third head. Though he did not outwardly show it, Rumble felt great shock by the vitriol in his own words. Never in his life has he retorted so harshly at his tormentor. It was usually custom for him to let the words roll of his back and go to his seat in the back corner.
But now he was livid, breathing heavy and taking the occasional glance over at Scootaloo, who was now smirking in silent approval of his performance. He thought he could see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom smiling as well, but he didn’t notice. He only took a direct look at the orange pegasus.
“Why you little half-pint son of a...” Orange Berry raised his hoof to smack Rumble when a yellow hoof grabbed his own. Before he could react, Apple Bloom pulled his foreleg to the floor with such a force that he grunted in pain, and pushed the colt back and away from Rumble.
“Why don’t ya back off?”
“Or do you wanna fight? I’ll take you down like a lumberjack takes down trees!” Scootaloo snarled, her little wings beating with fervor, getting her airborne for a moment. This sight made Rumble’s heart beat like Scootaloo’s hummingbird-like wings. Clearly, she had learned much from hanging around with Rainbow Dash.
Orange Berry rubbed his leg and opened his mouth as if to shoot back with a retort, but then stopped. It was as if the words were so precariously perched on his tongue, yet he could not utter them. For a brief second his lips quivered in a feeble attempt to wrangle them back up before it closed. Scowling, he turned to Rumble and his mouth curled up into a smirk. “Saved by a bunch of fillies, how fitting. Sad thing is you’re more girly than they are.”
Laughing, Orange Berry pushed by, his ‘minions’ following him lockstep. The sight reminded Rumble of the baby ducklings Fluttershy was helping to cross the road the morning before, and how they must mindlessly follow their mother’s lead. The image of the bullies quacking in unison almost made him crack a smile, but his serious stare was firm and set, only broken when he felt the reassuring hoof of Scootaloo on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked, looking at him.
He nodded, “Yeah, thanks. That jerk really gets on my nerves. I’m sorry you guys had to get involved.”
“You don’t have to apologize. It isn’t your fault that jerk picks on you.” Sweetie Belle said, walking to Rumble’s other side.
“And we totally empathize with you on that. Bullies can be real pains in the flank. We know.” Scootaloo said, trotting over to the coat rack and placing her raincoat, and Rumble’s, which she picked up from the ground, onto hooks. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hung their coats up as well.
As Scootaloo turned back to Rumble, smiling that sweet smile that made his heart transform into taffy, he was about to ask for an explanation but, as if to unintentionally prove Scootaloo’s claim to be valid, the two arrogant fillies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, trotted over.
“Speaking of which...” Scootaloo trailed off as the snooty fillies trotted over, like they owned the place.
“Like, how’s it going blank flanks?” Diamond Tiara sneered as Silver Spoon laughed. Her eyes were suddenly fixed on Rumble and she stopped, staring at him with the utmost smugness it made Rumble want to curl up timidly like an abused puppy. But then he remembered Scootaloo was there, so he stood his ground. “I see you recruited poor Rumble to your little band of losers.” She leaned towards Rumble so he got a full whiff of her perfume which, admittedly, was far more pleasing to the nostrils than the kinds of scents Orange would carry with him. “Word of advice, you don’t want to hang around these three. You already uncool enough without their help bringing you down.”
The fillies laughed and Rumble scowled. He opened his mouth to retort when Scootaloo stepped in front of him and got right up into Diamond Tiara’s face so that their noses were almost touching. Rumble could hardly see any space between them. Scootaloo looked like a violent, rabid wolf ready to pounce on some weak prey.
For a moment Rumble pictured her with a sheath of arrows flung over her shoulder, much like Scoots the Archer, and he blushed.
“Excuse me? What did you call him?”
These words made both snarky fillies stopped their obnoxious laughing. Silver Spoon stared in disbelief while Diamond Tiara just smiled as if she thought the entire situation was too delicious.
“Um, duh, I called him uncool. What are you a loser and deaf?”
Diamond Tiara had just started to laugh again when Scootaloo snapped.
“Well he hasn’t done anything to you, so don’t drag him into this, Prissy Pants!” Without warning, Scootaloo shoved Diamond Tiara back slightly.
All laughter ceased, followed by some gasps and then complete silence. So much silence, in fact, that if somepony decided to drop the tiniest pin or coin onto the ground it would have clanked with the force of a boulder. Scootaloo was staring down the two jerk fillies, steam coming out of her nose like an angry bull, her wings once again flared out and buzzing every now and then. Rumble could feel the blush he had the day before coming back, but he didn’t try to hide it. He was too grateful and happy to see Scootaloo defend him that he couldn’t look away. It was awesome enough watching her stand up to Orange Berry for his sake, but this was just the gravy on the potatoes.
“What, do you like him or something?” Diamond Tiara sneered.
“No! I mean...yes. B-but not like that!” Scootaloo calmed her nerves down when it seemed she had gotten over the apparent embarrassment caused by what Diamond Tiara had just said. “We’re just friends. And friends stand up for friends when they’re being bullied.”
“Haha!” Diamond Tiara laughed. Silver Spoon smiled but didn’t join in, she remained the silent observer. “Oh Scootaloo, this isn’t just standing up for a ‘friend’. This is defending the honor somepony you have feelings for! Don’t deny it, I can see it in your eyes.”
“Yeah,” Silver Spoon parroted like the typical follower she was.
“Scoots and Rumble sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Diamond Tiara said in a sing-sing voice before she and Silver Spoon broke out into a fit of laughter.
“Cut it out,” Scootaloo said, her voice wavering like she was about to cry. Rumble knew he had to do something and before either Apple Bloom of Sweetie Belle, both of whom looked livid, could do anything, he had stepped beside Scootaloo, shooting a scowl with equal vitriol at Diamond Tiara.
“Yeah, you spoiled brats.” Unconsciously, he placed a hoof onto Scootaloo’s shoulder, an act that only caused Diamond Tiara, and now Silver Spoon, to start cracking up even more. They might as well have been in a comedy club during primetime. Some other ponies in the class even started to join in as well, snickering and laughing in lockstep– such is typical of school-aged bystanders, never wanting to get their hooves dirty and content to silently stand on the sidelines and watch, or worse, pipe in with their own taunting.
Rumble blushed and retracted his hoof, as he knew that he had just made matters worse for himself as well as Scootaloo.
“Aw! Look at the lovely couple fighting for their honor. It’s so cute.” Diamond Tiara mocked before she and Silver Spook started to cackle. “What’s the matter? Is it because both of you have messed up families. Is that why you’re so close, like, trying to find comfort in each other that you aren’t alone in your loserdom?”
Rumble was confused at this assertion, wondering why she would say his family was screwed up when before he had the chance to Scootaloo lunged herself at Diamond Tiara and brought her to the ground. There was a massive, unanimous gasp followed by a hush all across the room as Scootaloo sat on Diamond Tiara. The pink filly looked up in fright at the scowling face of Scootaloo. She was scowling and breathing heavy, and her violet eyes glistened with tears. She leaned over Diamond Tiara like a spectre, their faces were inches apart. In Rumble’s eyes, she was no longer a school-aged filly. She was a ferocious fighter.
“Don’t you dare talk about my family you rich, pink snob!” she growled. Now Diamond Tiara was squirming in fright and, as awesome as the sight was to Rumble, he knew that he had to take care of things before they got out of hoof. He trotted over to her and touched her on the back.
“Scootaloo, calm down.” Scootaloo turned towards Rumble. Her teeth were bared liked a rabid dog, her eyes were glassy and showing a volatile mix of fear, anger and sorrow. Rumble was taken aback slightly. “Scoots...” He paused and swallowed, his throat dry as a feeling of panic overwhelmed him.
Before he had the chance to keep calming her down, the final bell sounded. Nopony moved to their seats or spoke or did anything but stare awestruck at the scared-looking Diamond Tiara being pinned by the enraged filly. A few seconds passed and Cheerilee finally trotted inside with Featherweight and an umbrella that had been turned inside-out. She was wearing a neon orange raincoat that nearly blinded Rumble.
“Good morning class. Sorry it took me so long out there, I was helping Featherweight chase down his umbrella in the rain. It’s like a hurricane outside.” she then saw Scootaloo pinning Diamond Tiara to the floor, and the utter shock and terror in everypony’s face. She looked at the two fillies that were at the heart of the conflict. “What’s going on in here?”
Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to speak when suddenly Scootaloo sprinted out of the school house.
“Scootaloo?” Cheerilee asked, but it was too late. The pegasus was already gone, running out into the pouring rain to her scooter, which she hopped on and sped off. She vanished into the storm, the sound of her scooter’s engine still audible over the pelting rain.
What happened next was based solely on instinct, and some other feeling Rumble couldn’t quite put his hoof on, or was too embarassed to. He ran over to the coat-rack, grabbed his slicker as well as Scootaloo’s, and ran after her. He ignored the concerned beckoning of Cheerilee as well as the snide, insufferable voice of Diamond Tiara calling after him like a child whose most ridiculous claim was proven correct.
“See! I was right. They are in love.”
Geez-louise, shut up already! Rumble thought without breaking stride. The rain bounced off the plastic material of his raincoat like tiny beads as he ran into the blind haze looking for Scootaloo. As he ran the hood of his raincoat flew back and his mane started to get wet, but it didn’t stop him.
He didn’t get far– only to the end of the sidewalk outside of the schoolhouse– when he saw a shadowy figure up ahead through the sheets of rain.
Pulling his hood back over his head and spitting out some rainwater that had gotten into his mouth, he trotted up to the distraught Scootaloo. She had stopped her scooter and was now standing in place with one hoof on the ground and one on the device, as if she were contemplating whether she should hop off and return to the school or keep driving to Celestia knows where. The rain streamed down her body like little veins, and most noise was drowned out by the sound of rain pelting the ground. But even then, Rumble could make out the filly’s quiet sobs.
“Scootaloo?” He asked.
The filly slowly turned her head around, sniffling. Getting a good look at her face, it was also clear that she was shivering in addition to crying.
“R-rumble? What...what are you doing? Why did you follow me out here?”
Rumble took another step closer, ignoring the wet feeling on his hoof as it went into a small puddle. “Because you ran out of the classroom like you were being chased by a swarm of bees, and you’re crying. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Scootaloo continued to stare, almost in disbelief. Had it really come to such a shock to her that he ran after her? “I’m fine. I just...I just lost control of myself back there. You don’t have to be concerned about it, really.”
There was a brief pause. Rumble wasn’t certain of what to say. He was only a colt, for crying out loud. He didn’t even understand what the term ‘bucking’ meant when appli
“I sorta understand how you feel. I mean, Diamond Tiara was pushing you past your limits, especially when she mocked your family.”
“She does that a lot,” Scootaloo muttered. “Picks on my like I’m worthless.”
“That’s kinda like Orange Berry does with me.”
Scootaloo sniffled and wiped her nose again on the back of her hoof. “I guess we’re more similar than I thought.”
“I guess so. Not that that’s a problem. I think it’s cool.”
Before Scootaloo could respond, their focus was broken by the sound of Cheerilee calling out to them from the doorway of the school.
“Rumble! Scootaloo! Wait a minute! Don’t run off!”
Rumble turned around to see her trotting over to them through the thick curtains of rain that continued to pour down, umbrella over her head. He then turned back to Scootaloo, who was shivering as the cold drops of rain continued to soak her fur. He held her raincoat out to her. It was blue, and had a Wonderbolts logo on it, which Rumble stared at. He made a mental note to ask her about it later and looked up at the teeth-chattering filly.
“Also, here. I thought you might want this for the rain.”
She stared at it for a moment before she slowly took it from his hooves and examined it as if looking for holes or stains. Her tears seemed to stop, and her sad expression was replaced with a warm, thankful smile as she glanced up at Rumble with a set of comforted eyes. Without uttering a word, her message was clear, and she pulled the coat on just as Cheerilee reached them.
“Oh thank heavens. There you two are!” The mare was panting from running out, her own raincoat glowing like a traffic cone. “Scootaloo what’s wrong? What made you run out of the school like that?”
“Everything’s fine Miss Cheerilee, sorry about that.” Scootaloo said, wiping her nose on the back of her hoof.
Cheerilee tilted her head, clearly confused about the filly’s sudden change in attitude. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive,” Scootaloo looked at Rumble and smiled.
The two friends re-entered back into the classroom, not even bothering to take off thier rain coats, and sat down near the front, where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were sitting. The two other fillies turned towards Scootaloo and Rumble as they sat down. Both fillies had looks of concern on their faces.
“What happened out there?” Sweetie Belle asked
“Yeah, is everythin’ alright? Ya really seemed upset.” Apple Bloom said with a friendly worry to her tone. Rumble had to admire the concern she and Sweetie Belle both expressed for their melancholy friend. They really did care about her well being.
“Everything’s cool, I just sort of overreacted, that’s all.” Scootaloo then turned towards Rumble and smiled. “Thanks Rumble for running after me. It means a lot.”
“Don’t mention it, I’m just happy you’re feeling better.” Rumble nodded and turned his attention to the front of the room as Cheerilee began teaching.
“Now class, sorry for the hold up. But we are back in business! So please open your geometry textbooks to page thirty and let’s get started.” She walked back over to the blackboard and started the lesson.
Rumble took one, last fleeting glance over at Scootaloo, who opened her textbook and flipped to page thirty and then froze. Suddenly, she looked up at Rumble who, flustered, turned away and faced the board, biting his lip and sweating a little. He even started to look at his open text in an attempt to throw her for a loop. He felt her hoof knocking into his side and he turned to see Scootaloo smiling knowingly at him. Still blushing, Rumble couldn’t hold back and returned the gesture before he turned back around looked up at Cheerilee, who was already in the middle of going through a simple multiplication equation.
Outside the clouds had cleared and the rain had stopped. The sun made its first appearance of the morning.
Thunderlane had just finished cleaning out the cereal bowls and spoons from their breakfast of cereal and milk. Once again, Rumble had been victorious in the race to finish the sugary milk in his bowl, mostly due to Thunderlane’s deliberate pacing so that he could win. He couldn’t find it in his heart to beat Rumble. He wanted to see him happy, not defeated.
He also thought about the Wonderbolts show. Soarin’ had given him and Caramel tickets prior to entering the bar where they had the confrontation, and Thunderlane was starting to worry that Soarin’ would no longer want him there. Not to mention the fact that Caramel was probably going to be there. It was going to be fun running into him, and possibly Applejack as well.
While his fear of seeing Caramel dealt more with the knowledge that he was a jerk to him, his fear of Applejack was based on her reputation as a no-nonsense mare that would buck you into next week if you messed with any of her friends. He could only let out a small shudder as he imagined what Applejack would do to somepony that had bullied her coltfriend. The words ‘buck’ and ‘manhood’ came to mind.
After drying the bowls and placing them back into their respective cupboards and drawers, Thunderlane turned off the sink, dried his hooves and made his way out into the living room to deal with Typhoon. The older stallion was sitting up on the couch, his mane a tangled mess and his eyes expressionless and dazed. It was clear he had just woken up, and by the somewhat distraught look on his face, somewhat remembered the events of the night before.
Slowly Thunderlane trotted over, careful not to make too much noise for fear that he’d make his notice. A deep exhale could be heard coming from the older stallion. As Thunderlane got closer, he could see that Typhoon was looking at an old family photograph which was taken when Rumble was a young foal and Thunderlane was still in school. The photo showed Typhoon and his ex-wife, Shady Cloud, smiling at the camera. What struck Thunderlane so much was how calm and at-peace his father appeared to be in the still frame. A brief moment in the past forever captured. His smile was genuine and his eyes still shone with the brightness that had long since been erased by heavy binge drinking and sorrow.
“Is Rumble at school, Thunder?” Typhoon asked without looking at Thunderlane. “Is he out of the house?”
“Yes,” was the son’s response. “He left a little while ago.”
Typhoon nodded slowly. “Good.”
“You should be getting ready for work, you know. It’s getting late.”
“What time is it?”
“Quarter past eight.”
Typhoon rolled his neck in a circle, cracking it slightly. He then pressed his hooves into his eyes and let out a groan. “Ugh, I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.”
“So do I.” Thunderlane rubbed his swollen nose where Typhoon had clobbered him the night before. It still twinged a bit and he had to bite his lower lip to hide a grunt of pain. He slowly trotted closer to his father so he was right beside him, the stench of sweat and alcohol growing. He looked at his father, knowing deep down that this was the pony responsible for giving him a beating the previous night, as well as many nights past. But for some reason he could not find it within him to muster up the same anger he felt when he was getting pummelled on the floor.
Typhoon looked up at Thunderlane. His glassy eyes like cloud-filled marbles were now full of pain when they had been filled with pure rage the night before. He no longer had the look of a pony ready to go on a rampage. He looked exhausted and full of a deeply rooted regret, as he had nearly every morning since his wife had left him, and her sons, behind.
Thunderlane pitied his father. He knew that he was suffering inside, and deep down he wanted to help him. Thunderlane wasn’t an idiot, he hadn’t forgotten the violent behavior the old stallion had exhibited the night before. But this morning, as in most mornings, when the alcohol wore off, he found that he could no longer hate him. It was as if Celestia’s sun had cured both of them of all ill will from the previous night. Perhaps it was a psychological mechanism developed from living with a drunken, abusive father, but in Thunderlane’s mind he had two radically different fathers.
The vile drunk that came home reeking of liquor at night and was ready to pick a fight with his son. Then there was the depressed, pitiful stallion he woke up as in the morning, dishevelled mane and all. His movements were tedious and gave him the appearance of a pony aged fifty years overnight. He was pitiful again, and Thunderlane knew he needed to let the night’s bygones be bygones, as he had every morning for the past year.
Typhoon turned his attention back to the photograph, gently placing his hoof onto the image of his wife, Mabel Blitz. A tear slowly ran down his cheek as he continued to stare at the framed image, forever a reminder of the life he had lost.
Unable to feel anything but pity now, Thunderlane cautiously reached out and placed a hoof onto Typhoon’s shoulder. He sighed and leaned forward so that his muzzle pressed against the photograph. Inhaling deeply, he slowly released the air before letting his eyes flutter open.
“Her scent...I-I used to pick it up just by looking at her face. I can’t anymore.” He took another inhale and held it a moment before exhaling in a manner so that Thunderlane wasn’t sure how much of it was natural and how much was a sigh brought on by depression. “It’s gone. It’s all gone. I can’t remember it.”
And then, as he had done so often before while Rumble was at school, and it was just him and Thunderlane, Typhoon’s broke down ever so slightly and he quietly sobbed, tears rolling down his face and landing on the photograph.
Thunderlane stood in place the entire time, like a statue dutifully guarding a valuable crown from theft. He felt nothing but a cold sympathy for his father at that moment, though his brain cursed and screamed at him for showing an inkling of remorse to such a cruel pony. It was a classic installment in the ongoing war between emotion and logic, and as it had so often before, no matter how valiantly the brain and logic fought, in the end emotion trumpeted victory.
For as much of a realist as Thunderlane claimed to be, deep down he was just like any other son whose father had gone through a change for the worst. He was filled with a great hope that one day, most likely a sunny day with an air filled by the sweet scent of blossoming flowers– perhaps in spring or early summer– his father would pick himself up, dust himself off, and return to being the wonderful, kind, supportive stallion Thunderlane had grown up with. The stallion he had been when happily married to his wife, before the alcoholism and rage and nights filled with hatred and pain. So Thunderlane stood beside Typhoon as the old stallion cried until his eyes had been dried of tears and it was past time he should have been at work.
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2713443
Sorry I didn't respond to this earlier.
The reality-bending part of the story is more of Rumble trying to act like 'Rumble the Valiant' in certain scenarios (like standing up for himself more, etc.) while Thunderlane gets inspiration for the stories he reads from events that happened either to himself or Rumble during the day. Hope that suffices.
Sometimes I like Diamond Tiara and sometimes I want the CMC to punch her. This is one of the latter times.
It would be cool if Rumble took the Daredevil approach and accepted his nickname of 'Tumble'. Also, yeah Scootaloo made his "heart" throb
gifninja.com/animatedgifs/83412/if-you-know-what-i-mean.gif
Interesting.
Makes the villain much more believable.
2806852
You and me both, my friend.
2807243
So much for 'foalhood innocence', I suppose
2807363
That's what I was aiming for, so I'm happy you found it so. After all, the best villains have more than one dimension- they feel real and/or you can sympathize with them to a degree.
Well I know you were going for the sympathetic Villain, but I can't see him as a Villain anymore. I see a very very sad and depressed crying out for help and attention but finding none. So he resorts to alcohol to numb the pain and sadness, and give him a moment to forget about the depressing life he is leading. The abuse comes naturally when you have given up on life and become mad drunk, it's sad, but it no longer angers me. Now I'm just like Thunderlane hoping he finds that help and attention he needs to pick himself up and move on with his life going back to a stallion similar, granted not exactly the same, because he never well be, to the one he was before the depression. Heck if I could I would help him in a heartbeat. I know how it feels to be down and depressed and I fought my way out of it. Now I try to help others fight there way out as well.
Damn... this just keeps getting better and better. You have shown me a side of Thunderlane that I never would have thought possible, considered how most of the fandom portrays him.
Excellent work so far, and I look forward to reading further as the story is updated.
2809642 I can't even see Typhoon as a sympathetic villain. There's nothing natural about losing yourself in alcohol to forget your troubles, and there's definatly nothing natural about harming your own offspring. Typhoon is sick, that's a given, but that doesn't excuse his physical and emotional abuses. He needs help, but he doesn't deserve sympathy. Typhoon made the choice to drown his soul in booze, and every mistake he made comes from that choice. It would take take a lifetime to redeem himself of that.
I'm also pissed off at Thunderlane. He doesn't deserve that abuse by any means, but as the eldest child and stallion of the house, it's his responsibility to remove threats to his brother, and Typhoon is just one big threat. He should have already gotten his father help before it went that far, but he has allowed cowardice and indecision cloud his judgement. He doesn't deserve what is being done to him, but he has the power to stop it, and he needs to protect his brother before Typhoon inevitably tires of Thunderlane and goes for Rumble.
2815438
Depression is a very powerful emotion. It can make you do a lot of things you won't normally do, and destroy your life in many many ways. I'm not saying it's ok in anyway to get mad drunk and beat your kids, but he is so depressed that he's not in his right mind. That's why I can't see him as a villain. Depression can destroy your life and everyone else's lives around you, he needs help desperately.
Please can you get to the part where they like each other? Or maybe you could write that Typhoon passes out and then Thunderlane has to go to hospital with him and so he says that Rumble has to miss the show! But then Rumble begs and begs to go, so Thunderlane lets him go but makes Rumble take a friend so rumble takes Scoots, (of course) and then at the end of the show scoots kisses him on the cheek or something!
pwease...
THANK YOU FOR ALL THIS AWESOME WORK! KEEP IT UP!
2815503 I just can't feel sorry for him. Depression is powerful, but a person (pony) still has the choice of how to deal with it. Typhoon choose alcohol, and it's ruined him and nearly his children. I feel some sympathy, and I know he needs help, but those feelings are overridden by my disgust.
When's the next chap?! I love this story. Though I'm still sad about the Soarfire shipping, the rest of the story makes me happy because of rumbleloo!
Take you're time though!
2954389
2491336 and I are friends and we tend to go off on crap like that. He found our profile pictures and I put them up.
Hehe...
2954420
[youtube=xhNneU5shTs]
2956678
Yes it will lol. I have to get back to this story I've been neglecting it.
Thankfully this is my last week of work so I'll have more time the last few weeks I have before I go back to school in late August.
The ending is good, relatively speaking. It's not quite Jekyll and Hyde, but it's close, and that's quite interesting. There's one important detail you should underline here. Typhoon is not a victim, he is a bad father who hits his son and drinks too much. There is no denying that, no escaping that, it is a truth. He turned to the bottle, he lost control, he hurt his family. Thunderlane is doing his job when it comes to raising Rumble, and at the bottom of his alcohol-addled mind, he has to know that.
Depression messes you up, yes, but it does not change the consequences of your actions. I know. I've dealt with it. I went through a really tough time in my life, and it hurt my studies. For that time, I was a "bad student". Other factors influenced that outcome, but the consequence for my lack of motivation was not mitigated because of those factors. In the end, I had to deal with that burden and move on. I had to make the choice to overcome.
This chapter took Typhoon from a "evil father", straight out of something Dickens might pen, and made him a "bad father". This is a great opportunity for honest character development! Does Typhoon decide to follow Discord's example, and choose to overcome the struggles he faces with the help of others? Or, does he reject help in favor of the immediate release he finds at the bottom of the bottle?
Either way, this will shape up into something interesting, and I can't wait to read more! Your writing chops have really improved in this story, and you did a really good job rounding out Typhoon here. I don't feel sorry for him, but I see potential.
Also, that scene with Rumble running after Scoots, carrying her slicker. Oh, bravo, sir. I'm not a "feels" person, so I'll just tell you what you did right. You built emotional tension and suspense with the two bullying scenes, showed a clear parallel with how Rumble responded to bullying in earlier chapters, and had Apple Bloom use the earth-pony superpower. Tail-whuppins', served up hot an' fresh as you likes 'em!
Then, you put in a bonding experience. One that actually matters. Rumble doesn't just go booking after Scoots because he cares about her. That's nice, but useless. He grabs her slicker and runs out into the rain. His thought process isn't "Oh, I'm going to go comfort her, am I not amazing and chivalrous?" It's "She's out there, cold, alone, and hurt. She needs this, and I need to find her. I need to help her."
That's great. That's not "male protects female, male strong, female weak, ugh!" It's friendship. Pure and simple, but magical all the same. With the added bonus that, since they are a boy and a girl, there's a bit of romantic tension atop.
So, that's what you did right. And it was a pleasure to read, good sir. Keep on truckin'!
Great chapter, just wow. I wish for his father to become better and for his wife to have karma sling'd back at her at some point.
Awsome story
did you stop writing this story permanently or are you just busy
Im starting to notice that every incomplete story in my favs never get updated........ Did all the good authors on this site meet up and agree to stop writing whatever master piece that just so happened to land in my favorites list? Cus if thats the case get of your lazy ass and start writeing!! Seriously you know how annoying it is to have about 9 incomplete masterpieces on par with GONE and percy Jackson just sitting thier, check boxes filled, mocking me? Im going crazy here!
this is a great story, I hope you will continue it one one day soon
holy crap, this story though... I can only hope that it will be updated someday...
Are you going to update anytime soon?.... I don't want to seem pushy but I just love this story
