The Legend of Thunder
By SparkBrony
Proofread by Hazardus_Havard and Blue Moon
Derpy Hooves lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Though her eyelids felt heavy and her thoughts had started to turn sluggish, she just couldn't sleep. The last several hours had consisted of her trying to force her mismatched golden eyes shut as she twisted and turned, trying to get comfortable in her bed. The only thing she had accomplished was getting tangled up in her own tail. She had then attempted to use the pitter-patter of the rain outside to lull herself to sleep, but that hadn't worked either. The notion of a restful night seemed farther and farther away as the hours dragged on.
She tried to put her hoof on the reason. Maybe it was the abnormally empty sheets - Doctor Hooves wasn't lying next to her as usual. He had been held up at work and was going to be there late. She missed the feel of his soft fur against hers as he cuddled her to himself. Yes, that could be a prime suspect in her restlessness. Or maybe it was the rumbling thunder out there. That rain was coming down hard, and flashes of bright light followed by the crescendo of their abrupt bangs were becoming more and more common.
Or could it be the events of her day? She had delivered several letters the previous morning, only to be reprimanded for bringing the ponies the wrong mail. Well, except for Carrot Top. She was always a pleasant visitor when delivering the mail and even offered her carrot cupcakes each time she came by. The thought alone gave a brief smile to Derpy’s lips. Now, if only she could stop crashing head first into her carrot patch… and her roof… and into Carrot Top herself.
Today she had nearly flattened the poor pony, who hadn't been too happy about it. Derpy vividly remembered trudging home through the sprinkling rain after work, tail between her legs, the dark skies above reflecting her rotten mood. She had arrived soaking wet home to face a blur of grey as Dinky tackled her in an excited hug. A smile spread across Derpy's face again as she rolled onto her side in the bed. Seeing that little filly anytime always cheered her up.
Derpy continued to stare aimlessly around the bedroom. A window to her right depicted the inclement weather outside.
She glanced at the clock seated next to her lamp. It was just past midnight. Still feeling restless, Derpy swung out of bed and trotted to the window, brushing her cream-colored mane out of her eyes. She pulled back the curtain to observe the backyard. The treetops blew violently in the rushing wind, and the rain was coming down in sheets. A bright white light lit up the sky, followed several seconds later by a loud crack of thunder. Derpy jumped at the sound, and then quickly settled herself. I sure hope Dinky doesn't wake up. The poor filly had always been terrified of thunderstorms. Admittedly, Derpy wasn't the biggest fan of them either - in fact, she used to be quite scared of the abrupt bangs from the sky. But she had learned to accept them, as they were just a fact of life. Now she could pounce on a thundercloud without a care in the world. If only she could stop electrocuting herself in the process...
Derpy sighed as she flopped back down in her bed and pulled the covers over her hooves. How am I gonna teach her to be brave, the pegasus mused groggily. She started to drift off in thought, feeling her eyes grow heavy from her tired state. Maybe she was falling asleep after all. Thinking seemed a more and more sluggish process as minutes went by. She began to feel farther and farther away from the world. She could vaguely hear the storm still raging outside, but it seemed so far away and she was safe and cozy in her bed...
Suddenly, a blinding light flooded the room, although it was barely noticed by Derpy. It was promptly followed by a loud, piercing eruption that slammed into the mare's ears, jolting Derpy from her bed. It was as if Rainbow Dash had done a Sonic Rainboom through her backyard. You've gotta be kidding me...come on! As quickly as it had struck, the noise faded. But there was no way that it didn't wake-
"Mommy!" Several seconds later, Dinky burst through the door, tears flying from her eyes, more scared than she had been on her first Nightmare Night. She ran across the room and leapt into Derpy's arms, burying her face in the mare's shoulder.
"What is it, Muffin? Are you alright?" Derpy asked.
"Mommy! I was sleeping, and there was a... a... a bang! And it was really loud..." she trailed off into frightened sobs.
"Aww, Muffin, it's okay. Mommy's here, you're safe," Derpy said as she gently stroked the filly's mane and kissed her on the forehead. The poor filly continued to shake with fright and cry into her mother's arm for several more minutes, while the pegasus tried to calm her down. "It was just a nasty surprise, that's all."
"But it was so... s-so... scary!" Tears continued to trail down Dinky's face as she shivered in her mother's arms. She hiccupped several times as she tried to regain control of her crying.
"I know, it is scary. But you just have to be brave. It's not gonna hurt you." She smiled gently at the filly, holding her out at arm's length so she could look at her.
"But..." Dinky's lip quivered.
"But what?"
Dinky wiped the excess tears from her eyes before looking up at her mom with a fearful expression. "Silver Spoon told me that those bangs are a big monster stomping around to come eat me!"
Derpy chuckled, pulling the filly close to her again. "Don't listen to Silver Spoon; she's just trying to scare you. It's only thunder, you know that!"
"I...I know," Dinky sniffled, snuggling back against her mother. "I'm sorry mommy."
"You don't have to be sorry," Derpy whispered, gently stroking her filly's mane again. "It's okay, mommy's here."
Light abruptly flooded the room as another crack of thunder struck. Dinky let out a yelp and jumped under the covers, pulling them over her head. Derpy could hear soft sobs coming from her hiding place.
"It's okay, Muffin! I'm here, and that thunder's not gonna hurt you!" Derpy lifted up the covers under which the filly was hiding. She pulled a frightened Dinky into her arms. "It's okay."
It took several minutes for the filly to calm down. Finally, she took a shaky breath and stopped crying. Derpy desperately hoped that another thunderclap wouldn't come along and scare Dinky back into hiding again. How am I ever gonna teach her not to be scared? She's frightened out of her mind! Derpy looked lovingly down at the little filly, trying to figure out how to comfort her. Suddenly, she had an idea.
"Dinky, do you know what thunder is?"
"Um... scary?" Dinky pulled away a small distance so she could look up at her mother.
Derpy laughed softly. "No, I mean how it happens, where those bangs come from."
"No..." Dinky looked down at the bed as she traced her hoof along the sheets.
Derpy propped her pillow up against the headboard and leaned back on it, getting a little more comfortable. Dinky sidled up beside her, mimicking her pose. The older mare gently put an arm around the filly and looked her in the eye. "Do you want to know the story of the pegasus who makes the thunder?"
"A pegasus makes it?" Dinky seemed very intrigued. "But... how?"
"I'll tell you. But let me start at the beginning." Derpy smiled. "Are you comfortable? It's a long story."
"Umm..." Dinky looked uncertain. "Mommy?"
"Yes, Muffin?"
"Can you... go get Mr. Wubeyes? From my room..." Dinky gazed hopefully at her mother. "He wants to hear the story too."
"Does he?" Derpy smiled as she remembered the stuffed toy bunny that was Dinky's favorite. She had purchased him as a gift to the filly for her birthday a few years ago. He was defective and his eyes were messed up, but that made Dinky love him even more because he resembled the mismatched eyes of her beloved mom.
Derpy shifted herself out of the bed. "Well, we can't have him missing out, can we? I'll run and get him." She trotted across the room, slipped through the door, walked down the hall, and entered Dinky's bedroom. Mr. Wubeyes and most of the filly's sheets were strewn on the floor from when Dinky had been jolted awake by the thunder. Derpy straightened the blankets, positioning them correctly back on the bed, and retrieved the bunny from the carpet. The mare then hurried back to the master bedroom, where Dinky was anxiously waiting for her stuffed friend.
Derpy lay back on the bed, positioning herself back on the pillow next to Dinky, and handed her daughter the toy. The filly happily cuddled the bunny to her cheek. "Thanks mommy!" She set Mr. Wubeyes on the pillow next to her and looked back at Derpy. "Okay, now I'm ready!"
"Alright," Derpy began, trying to get comfortable herself in the bed. "Well, long ago, before Celestia was even born-"
"Whoa!" exclaimed Dinky, interrupting her mother already. "Before Celestia? Isn't that like, a bajillion years ago?"
Derpy smiled, not caring that Dinky had stopped her story so soon. "Maybe not a bajillion, but it was a long time ago. Actually, it was just after the three tribes of ponies banded together and founded Equestria. Of course you already know that story though, you saw the play in Canterlot last year."
"Yeah! I know all about that!" Dinky exclaimed, expressing her love of the story now. "We had a test on it last week in school, remember? You helped me study!"
"Yeah, I remember," the grey pegasus replied. She decided she should probably get back to her storytelling. "Anyway, not long after the unification of the tribes, a small cobalt pegasus was born into a poor family."
"Was he the pegasus you were talking about?" Dinky cut in, eagerly searching for the details.
"Yes. The family named him Thunder. He was an only colt - he had no brothers or sisters. This was largely due to the fact that his parents were very poor cloud-bearers."
"Cloud- whoers?" Dinky asked, fiddling with Mr. Wubeyes in her hooves.
Derpy smiled. "Cloud-bearers. We don't have them anymore, but pegasi used to consist of three levels of workers who brought forth the weather. The first were the Gatherers, who searched far and wide for as many clouds as they could find. This job was generally given to the fastest pegasi in the kingdom, who could quickly bring their load back to their superiors. Here's where the next group comes in. After the Gatherers' delivery, the Releasers kicked, punched, and busted the clouds until the rain, snow, sleet, or whatever weather was needed poured out of them. Releasers were the strongest of pegasi, because only they could smash sufficient amounts of precipitation out.
"But what about the cloud-bearers?" Dinky exclaimed. "What did they do?"
"I'm getting to that, hold your muffins," Derpy chuckled. "Cloud-bearers were made up of the rest of the pegasi - the ones who weren't fast, or strong. They carried the empty clouds back to the Rainbow River, where they disposed of their load in its depths. You see, you didn't need much of a special talent to do this, unlike the other two jobs. So many of the pegasi who were cloud-bearers were disputed against and underpaid."
"I don't get it," Dinky frowned. "What is 'underpaid'?"
Derpy realized her story may be getting a little complex for the little filly to understand. "Well, you see... it'd be like if my boss didn't like me, so he didn't give me enough money and he yelled at me all the time, even though I worked as hard as I could." Which was true, to an extent.
"Ohhhh... so the other pegasi were super-meanies to the cloud-bearers?"
Derpy laughed, brushing her cream mane out of her golden eyes. It wasn't even morning and she already had bedhead. "Yeah, I guess you could say it like that."
Suddenly, a crack of thunder split the quiet calmness they were sitting in, causing Dinky to jump and Mr. Wubeyes to fly out of her lap. The filly yanked the covers over her hooves and buried her face in Derpy's fur.
"Aw, muffin, it's okay! It's alright, I'm here." Derpy stroked her daughter's mane for a minute as the filly shuddered against her. Judging by the fact that her fur wasn't getting wet, her daughter wasn't crying. She gently brushed a wing over Dinky's body, still stroking her mane with her hoof. Several moments later, when Derpy's calming words finally got to the filly, the mare then attempted to set her back on the pillow she had been using. "Everything's okay, just ignore the thunder and listen to the story!" The pegasus leaned over, retrieved Mr. Wubeyes from his landing place on the floor, and passed him back to Dinky. The filly gently cuddled him, wiping a few lone tears from her eyes. Derpy could see she was obviously still scared, but she was trying to be brave, and the pegasus was proud of her for that.
"Now," Derpy said, smiling down at Dinky after they were both situated. "Where were we?"
"Umm... Uh... you just explained about... the cloud-bearers!" An excited look came across Dinky's face as she remembered, replacing the old expression of fear. "So, did they kick the super-meanie-pegasi's flanks?"
"Whoa there, slow down! I'll get to that eventually," Derpy chuckled. "Seriously, you'd be zooming through this story faster than a speeding Wonderbolt if you were the one telling it!" She playfully ruffled the filly's mane, and got a squeal of protest and laugh from Dinky in return. Well, she seems like she's all but forgotten about that scare she just got, Derpy mused, smiling at her daughter as she tried in vain to fix her mane. The mare leaned back on her pillow, continuing the story. "Well, anyway, as I said before, Thunder's family was very poor. So, to make enough money to support the all of them, Thunder volunteered to work alongside his parents as a cloud-bearer as soon as he was fifteen. His mother and father were apprehensive about the idea at first, but it wasn't long before Thunder convinced them that the extra income was absolutely necessary. Plus, he really had nothing to do - he had no friends to play with, no school to go to. To say the least, his life was pretty dreary, and it wasn't just because the pegasi made it rain half the time."
"So he had to work too?" Dinky seemed very surprised. "I thought only older ponies worked!"
"Most of the time." Derpy nodded. "But this was not the Equestria we know today. Sometimes the colts or fillies had to work for the upkeep of their families. An official school system had not been set up yet, so some young ponies didn't have anything to do all day."
"No school? That sounds fun! Just like summer, only... longer!" Dinky cheered.
Derpy laughed. "It might sound fun, but for those ponies, it was actually quite boring. Well, anyway, back to Thunder. As he had vowed, on his fifteenth birthday, he officially registered as a cloud-bearer. His first work day would be the next day. His parents showed him the ropes when he began. It didn't take long for him to catch on; it was an easy job, and like I said before, you didn't need much talent for it."
"Was it fun?" Dinky questioned.
"Actually, no. Unlike his expectations, Thunder hated the job. Not because it was hard, but because it was boring; cloud-bearers did the same old things every single day, and their work wasn't appreciated by anypony. Thunder grew to despise his whole life - his job stunk, his family was poor, and he had no muffins!" Derpy blinked as she realized what she'd said. "Erm, sorry. But he really didn't!"
"So how'd he get through it?" Dinky's eyes were wide with anticipation.
"Well, one day, a mare his age joined the cloud-bearers. This was nothing special; ponies joined the section every day and Thunder hardly noticed. But this mare was different. Her name was Lightning."
The confused look returned to Dinky's face. "Lightning? Like outside?" She stared out the window for a moment, then looked back at Derpy. "But... why is that special?"
"It wasn't her name that was special," the Pegasus explained. "You see, Thunder was a very creative pony. Even though he didn't have many resources, he was always designing new ideas to help ponykind. He wanted desperately to present his inventions to the likes of Commander Hurricane, but a simple cloud-bearer wasn't even allowed to send messages to the higher officers. Up until he met Lightning, Thunder had nopony to share his ideas with. But the thing was, Lightning thought the same way he did. She was a creative pony too, and Thunder realized that as soon as he met her."
Suddenly, an abrupt flash of light filled the room and Derpy realized all too late what it meant. A mighty thunderclap quickly followed, shaking the very foundation of the house. The Pegasus mare turned, ready to intercept Dinky as she leapt into her arms - but the filly merely winced in her place and pulled the covers over her hooves. She didn't seem half as scared as she had been a few minutes ago - maybe Derpy's story was helping after all!
"H-how did he meet her?" Dinky questioned, her shaky voice slightly muffled by the sheets half-covering her mouth.
"Well," continued Derpy, pulling her daughter to herself to comfort her. The filly snuggled against her fur, clutching Mr. Wubeyes tightly in her hooves. "When he first met her, she was being faced down by two colts who were making fun of her and calling her names. Thunder approached them and demanded that they leave her alone, but the bullies just laughed. So Thunder put himself between them and Lightning, and told them if they wanted the mare, they'd have to go through him first. The bullies backed off after that, and as you would expect, Thunder and Lightning became good friends, even more so when they realized they were both creative ponies.
"Was Lightning his... marefriend?" Dinky's face twisted in a look of disgust and she stuck out her tongue.
Derpy laughed at the filly's ridiculous expression. "No, no! They were just good friends. Well, for now anyway, but I don't want to skip ahead too far."
"Okay, but... how did he make the thunder?"
"I'm getting there, don't worry!" Derpy cleared her throat. "After meeting Lightning, Thunder's life finally brightened up. She was like..." She paused, searching for a good simile. "A fresh muffin in an empty cupboard! He finally had somepony to share his ideas with, somepony who understood them as much as he did. Every few days he and Lightning would meet and discuss new premises for the future of Equestria. Together, they formed the greatest plan they had ever made - the idea of a Weather Team!"
"Whoa!" Dinky cried, amazed. "They thought up the Weather Team?"
"They sure did. Instead of the dreary, unfair tiers of work in the current system, ponies worked together as one from a central place to bring the weather to Equestria. Thunder and Lightning polished and perfected this idea. They were determined to show it to Commander Hurricane herself, and it had to be flawless. But before they could fully complete the blueprint, on one fateful day... Thunder was moved to the Releasers."
"What?!" Dinky burst out, pulling back from her mother so she could throw her hooves in the air in protest. "Why? I don't understand!"
"You see, Thunder had developed very strong back legs during his time in the cloud-bearers. The policy on place was that ponies could be moved from one sector to another if the commander pegasi saw fit. So the poor colt was transferred away from his family and only friend."
"But- but he could still see them at home, right?" Dinky questioned.
"Well, actually, no," Derpy explained. "Associations between the cloud-bearers and the other two groups often led to skirmishes between the two, so the commanders did their best to keep them apart - even if they were splitting a family, or doing more harm than good. It was a harsh rule, but it was forced into place to keep anypony - usually the most-picked-on cloud bearers - from getting hurt."
"Thunder felt terrible in his first few days as a Releaser. Not only was he separated from his parents and Lightning, but nopony in his section seemed to like him. They knew had been a cloud bearer before, and used this as an insult against him. The other Releasers were all bigger and more experienced than him too, always chastising his mistakes during training. Thunder quickly lost his creative confidence and became a very sad, lonely colt. Well, until one night."
More rumbling suddenly sounded from outside, but it was quieter and softer this time, as if it was a cart of hay rolling down a lonely, broken sidewalk. Dinky didn't even flinch at the sound. The rain outdoors had also begun to subside ever so slowly; it was no longer coming down in sheets. All in all, the storm sounded like it was beginning to move on, and Derpy was definitely glad about that.
"What do you mean, until one night?" Dinky asked her mother.
"You see, one fateful night, there was a very large storm. It was the monthly date on which the pegasi would conduct an enormous downpour in order to keep the Earth Ponies' crops healthy. Huge amounts of rain poured out of the sky, and the moon was obscured by the sea of gray clouds. Thunder had been up all night, watching the raindrops hit the window, thinking about how much he missed home and how terrible his current job as a Releaser was. Even if he had tried, he wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. Too many thoughts and notions were running through his head. So finally, he got up and decided to take a walk outside."
"In the pouring rain? Why would he want to do that?"
"Thunder didn't mind the rain," Derpy explained. "He kicked it out of clouds for a living and often had to work in it, after all."
"Anyway, while the colt was trudging around outside, he thought of Lightning, of his mom and dad. He thought of the divisions between the tiers of the pegasi workforce. He thought of what it would be like if he never saw his family again. Finally, he grew so consumed with rage he began kick away at the dark clouds around him. Just to hit something, to let all his anger and sadness come pouring out. Each hit was more powerful than the last. Puffy gray blurs bucked by the pegasus colt bounced off the Releaser's compound, other clouds, and the storage facility. One even ricocheted back and hit Thunder right in the face, spraying water and half-formed precipitation all over him. Not that he wasn't one soggy muffin to begin with." Both Derpy and Dinky giggled at the pegasus's ridiculous metaphor.
"Thunder promptly turned around and bucked it as hard as he could, putting all his strength and his sorrows into a single kick. The cloud emitted a flash of light and sailed into the distance, until Thunder couldn't see it anymore. Several seconds later, there was a loud, rumbling bang and Thunder realized that the cloud had hit the Rainbow River. Thunder flapped over to an adjacent cloud and did the same to it. Again, the cloud flashed as his back legs connected with it, and not long after, a rumble from the gray blur hitting the river sounded."
"The gears in Thunder's creative mind were spinning faster than a certain wub-eyed Pegasus's eyes after crashing." Derpy chuckled at her own analogy. "Ideas from former plans made with Lightning, inventions from blueprints back home - it all began to come together into one. The colt bucked several more clouds, testing the theory he already knew the answer to. Each time, the clouds hit the river with a resounding bang, and each time, Thunder's smile grew wider and his heart pounded faster with excitement. Could it work? Could one little colt's plan to abolish the separation between the tiers of pegasi society really work?"
"Wait-" Dinky interrupted. "So kicking clouds into the Rainbow River is how Thunder makes the... thunder? And the lightning? For real?"
"Yep, for real!" Derpy chided. "But hold your muffins, I'm not finished with the story yet!" Derpy let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. Oh sure, now she was falling asleep. The mare ruffled the sheets, getting more comfortable. "The very next morning, Thunder woke up bright and early, despite having been up nearly all night. At practice he seemed unusually cheery and excited, but nopony else could put their hoof on why. Thunder hadn't told a soul about last night's discovery, so the other pegasi were completely oblivious to the colt's new plans."
"After the lunch break following practice during the faction's free time, Thunder snuck out of the Releaser's compound. He had to find Lightning. This was bigger than any of the plans he had ever come up with. It meant more for everypony. But getting caught in another faction's compound could mean great punishment - Thunder would have to remain undetected by everypony except Lightning.
"He managed to sneak all the way across the Cloud-bearers' compound to Lightning's cottage, ducking behind enormous cloud pillars, creeping in alleyways between cottages, and dashing across expanses of open roads when nopony was looking. Not many ponies were out and about this time of day, as many of them were busy at work carrying clouds to the Rainbow River. Still, Thunder wanted to remain completely hidden; members of all factions were ordered to report trespassers immediately if sighted. The colt also avoided flying above the town, for fear he would be much too obvious up there. Eerie shadows provided welcome cover on the ground for most of his journey.”
"Once he arrived at his friend's cottage, he slipped through the front door, shut it loudly behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he’d made it! He was honestly amazed with himself; he had little hope when he first ventured out that he’d actually succeed. Yet here he was, at a safehouse in dangerous territory. But with little time to revel in this small victory, he proceeded out of the foyer at the front of the cottage and found himself in Lightning's small but cozy living room. The colt had been to her house countless times before, so he knew the layout of her home pretty well. At this time of day, he suspected his friend would be in the kitchen, making breakfast."
"As Thunder rounded the corner and exited the living room, he saw that his suspicions were correct. Lightning was humming quietly to herself as she threw together a morning meal. Like the previous room which Thunder had entered seconds ago, the kitchen was tiny. Lightning was scrubbing some dishes over the sink so she could eat off of them for her already prepared meal. Here goes, Thunder thought. He slowly stepped into the room occupied by his friend, squeezing between the kitchen table haphazardly shoved against one wall and the long counter opposite it.”
“At that moment, Lightning looked up and when she recognized Thunder, she dropped the dish she had been cleaning, and it clattered into the sink. Her eyes widened and she gasped in astonishment, staring at him in disbelief. Just when the colt felt it was beginning to get a little awkward she flew across the room and nearly tackled him in a tight hug. Thunder patted her on the back, as happy to see her as she was to see him. I've missed you so much, Thunder," Lightning whispered after a few moments, pulling back. "But why are you here? How did you get out of the Releaser's compound?" The filly's expression suddenly changed from elated shock to confusion."
""I've figured out how to change everything!" Thunder exclaimed. "I know how to bring all the factions together!" A normal pony would've scoffed at these words coming from a colt like him, but not Lightning. Instead, an interested look dawned across her face - a look of excitement and wonder. "How...?""
"Ooh! Ooh! Mommy!" Dinky suddenly interrupted. "Is he gonna do that thing that he did before? Like, with the cloud bucking and stuff? Is that what he means?"
"Yes, very good, Dinky!" Derpy smiled, relieved that the filly wasn't growing bored with the story before she even finished it. "Anyway, Thunder explained his plan to her. He told her of his late-night discovery from the previous night, and relayed what they could do with the factions now that they had this plan."
""We have to go to Commander Hurricane with this!” Lightning insisted. "This is more important than anything we've ever created before! We can change the divisions, the enmity - everything! We have to go now!""
""Yes, but there's one problem with that," Thunder said. “I came up with a whole system for this idea – I call it a Weather Team! In it, all the factions are united as one workforce with different jobs; not divided into different factions forced to be kept separate. But I left the blueprints for the entire thing back at my dorm in the Releasers' compound. We can't go to the Commander without those; she’ll pass us off as crazy, fantasizing foals!"
Lightning brushed her mane out of her face. "We'll just have to go back and get it then."
"Are you crazy? You'll get caught! We'll both get caught!"
Lightning grinned. "Exactly."
Thunder raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I... I don't understand..."
"Think about it! If we don't get caught trespassing and taken to Commander Hurricane, how else are we gonna get your idea to somepony who matters?"
The colt furrowed his brow and frowned, deep in thought. "You're right." He looked up at his friend, a determined look in his eyes. "It's... it's the only way."
Lightning placed a hoof on her best friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, okay?" she said softly. "We'll be all right."
"Wait! They're really gonna do that?" Dinky suddenly burst out, interrupting Derpy's vivid vision in her head of the scene in the story. "Whoa! They're super brave!"
"Tell me about it," Derpy agreed. "So, anyway, when the pair had organized an exact plan, they exited Lightning's house and began to maneuver through the twists and turns of the alleyways in the Cloud-bearer's sector. They were careful not to let anypony, not even civilians, see them. They were planning on waiting until they picked up Thunder's blueprints to make themselves known. But... their plan ended up getting foiled anyway, before they even got to the Releaser's compound. You see, they were rounding a corner in an alley when they happened to bump into Commander Hurricane herself.
The filly's jaw dropped and she scrambled for words. "But... but... how?"
Derpy launched into an explanation. "Well, it seemed somepony - one of Thunder's coworker Releasers - had seen him leave the compound, and reported it to the authorities. The Commander and several of her guards had already been looking for Thunder to try to catch him. The two friends were immediately taken to the Cloud Palace under the authority of the Commander herself.”
“But they showed her their super-awesome idea, right?” Dinky questioned earnestly.
“You’re right. Thunder and Lightning managed to persuade Hurricane to at least listen to their idea. Since Thunder didn’t have the blueprints with him, he explained the whole thing to her in words, making double and triple sure as he went along that he didn’t leave out any details. He went through the name to the new jobs pegasi could take on, and how it would be helpful to not only their species but the unicorns and earth ponies too; not to mention the most important perk of all, the fact that there would be no more separation, no more rivalry between factions, no more splitting of families and friends. When the colt had finished, the resulting impact was even better than the two could have hoped. The Commander was absolutely amazed by their proposal. She was even more amazed that these two young pegasi had invented it. She told them she’d take their invention into serious consideration, and speak to her advisors about it.”
Dinky let out a loud, long yawn and stretched in the bed next to Derpy. She slumped deeper into her pillow, cuddling Mr. Wubeyes lovingly to her cheek. Derpy stroked the filly’s mane gently as her eyes began to slip shut. Realizing all of a sudden that she was falling asleep, Dinky shook herself awake and sat up a little more.
“Getting tired, Muffin?” Her mom asked.
“Yeah, a little tiny bit.”Dinky rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned again. “Okay, maybe a lotta bit.” They both laughed.
“Alright, I’ll start wrapping this up.” Derpy smiled. “Not long after this confrontation, Commander Hurricane fully implemented Thunder and Lightning’s idea. The pegasi formed one united workforce in charge of the weather, and it was an enormous success. During large storms, hundreds of pegasi would kick empty rainclouds out of the way and down into the Rainbow River, creating flashes of light and cracks of sound; but of course Thunder was the best at that out of all of them. Other pegasi regulated the rain, sanctioned the sleet, or distilled the sunshine, or one of many other jobs. They all worked together to bring the right weather at the right times.”
“And,” Derpy continued, lowering her voice, “some say that to this day, Thunder still roams the sky with his partner Lightning, creating the thundercracks and lightning strikes you see and hear during any storm. But that’s just some ponies’ belief. It’s up to you to decide if it’s true.”
As if on cue, a distant crack of thunder rumbled outside, but it sounded like it could be as far away as Canterlot. Dinky didn’t even flinch upon hearing it. She simply peered out the rain-splattered window, and whispered softly, “Goodbye, Thunder. Hear from you next time it rains!”
Derpy smiled sweetly at her daughter. “Alright, muffin. Time to go back to bed, okay? Story’s over and you need some sleep.” She was about to scoop the little filly up in her arms and carefully carry her back to her own room when Dinky interrupted.
“Mommy, can I sleep in here tonight?”
Derpy gave a surprised smile. “Sure, I don’t see why not.” She drew the covers over her daughter and patted her mane. “Sleep tight, little muffin.”
Dinky cuddled Mr. Wubeyes against her cheek. “Thanks for the story mommy…” *YAWN* “…Thunder is… really cool…” Her eyelids slowly drooped shut and her head rested limply on her pillow, a heartwarming smile still present on her face.
Satisfied that the filly was asleep, Derpy leaned back on her pillow and grinned to herself, proud that she could completely make up a story on the spot that would make her daughter unafraid of her biggest phobia. The story wasn’t really a well-known legend at all – although it was definitely good enough to write down and pass along to her friends, she mused. They had always told her she had a great imagination, and it had sure been at work for the past hour. The mare was still congratulating herself silently when she dozed off next to her little filly.
~~~~~~
About an hour after Derpy finally fell asleep, she awoke to the sound of the front door quietly opening and then closing. Moments later, her husband entered the room, rubbing the tiredness out of his exhausted eyes. He grinned when he saw her and embraced her, burying his cheek in her cream-colored mane. “Hey, muffin.”
“Why hello, fellow muffin,” Derpy replied. They both laughed.
Dr. Whooves pulled back and set his business saddlebags down on a nearby table. “Sorry I’m home so late. That huge thunderstorm kept all the town transport at a halt.” He collapsed into the bed on the other side of Dinky and brushed his mane out of his eyes. “It was ludicrous, that thing.” He suddenly lowered his voice when he noticed the sleeping filly. “Wow, is Dinky still asleep? I would’ve thought that she’d still be clinging to your leg when I got home!”
“Well, she did wake up and come in here, but I made up a little… story about how thunder works.” Derpy explained. “ It was really great too! - it had action and adventure and romance and creativity – all that good stuff!” She waved her hooves around wildly to exemplify her point.
Dr. Whooves laughed. “Wow! Sounds like your imagination at work again. If you’ve still got it in mind, I’d love to hear it!”
“Oh, you bet,” The mare grinned. “Anyway, so it starts out like this: long ago, before Celestia was even born, just after the three tribes of ponies had united…”
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed the story. Huge thanks to my proofreader, Hazardus_Havard, for being just a generally awesome proofreader, and my last-minute editor, Blue Moon. Thanks again guys! :D Also, I'd like to apologize for the immense wait, the main reason was my incredible LAZINESS. :P
Peace and ponies,
~SB
