Thunderspite

When the sun got low enough on the horizon, Thunderspite joined Blitzwing in the harness, and together they began their descent. It didn’t take them long to find a suitable landing spot, a wide valley in the shadow of a mountain, crisscrossed with shallow streams and practically infested with wildflowers. They brought the balloon down, anchored it in place, and began setting up camp for the night. Thunderspite and Blitzwing set off to find firewood, while Dawn Glimmer wandered a short distance off to gather some berries and nuts to spruce up their dinner.

“Thunderspite?” Blitzwing asked, as he stooped to pick up another branch.

“Yes?”

“She likes you, Thunderspite. A lot.”

Thunderspite sighed. “I know.”

“I was talking to her today.”

“I know,” he said, and was surprised to find the tiniest bit of jealousy in his voice.

“You could do a lot worse than her, you know. She really is one of a kind.”

Thunderspite looked to the other side of the stream, where Dawn Glimmer was at this moment singing to herself as she plucked berries from a low bush, surrounded by wildflowers. Blitzwing stepped into his line of sight and met his eyes again. “If you let her get away, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Thunderspite regarded his friend carefully, then nodded. He was in no more of a mood to talk about his love life today than he had been yesterday, but he also valued Blitzwing’s friendship too much to dismiss him again. Blitzwing, assured that his message had been received, returned the nod and resumed gathering firewood.

* * *

That evening, Dawn Glimmer again managed to turn their meager dried rations into something not just palatable, but downright delicious. She supplemented their stew of dried vegetables in thin broth with nuts and berries she had found in the meadow. Before long, a thick, hearty soup was bubbling over the fire.

Dawn Glimmer tasted the brew with a spoon. “Mmm. Yup, I think that’ll do it. What do you think, Thunderspite?” Using her magic, she scooped up another spoonful and brought it to his lips.

Thunderspite opened his mouth to protest, but instead found a spoonful of soup on his tongue. He was annoyed at first, but his irritation was quickly drowned in savory and sweet elation. “Mmm!” he said.

“Good?” Dawn Glimmer asked. Thunderspite could only nod slowly. The nuts added a wonderful crunchy and creamy texture to the soup, and each of the little berries were little explosions of flavor on his tongue.

“Mmm,” he said again, closing his eyes and swaying slightly.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Dawn Glimmer said with a grin. “Fetch the bowls, will you?”

Thunderspite did as he was asked, and before long, the three of them were sitting around the fire, savoring each bite. At Dawn Glimmer’s encouragement, the two stallions each helped themselves to a second bowl after they had finished with the first. “You boys flew hard today. You need to keep up your energy.” The 'boys' did not protest.

When they had all had their fill, Dawn Glimmer turned to Thunderspite. “How is your assignment coming, Captain?”

Thunderspite sighed, resigning himself to more teasing. “Chapter twenty-five, ma’am.”

“Twenty-five!” Dawn Glimmer exclaimed. “I only asked you to read three! You must really be enjoying it!”

“I uh... no. I mean... I’m a fast reader.”

“I dunno, sir,” Blitzwing chimed in. “Twenty-five chapters in one day is an awful lot for somepony who’s not enjoying a book. Which one is it?”

“Quest for the Sapphire Stone,” Dawn Glimmer answered for him.

“Ooh, I love that one! Remember the part where Daring Do is on top of the pyramid, fighting the…”

"Hey, No spoilers!” Thunderspite blurted, before he realized his error. This elicited a long bout of laughter from the other two.

And so the evening wore on. The sun set behind the hills of the valley, and before long it was dark. Blitzwing and Dawn Glimmer were still recanting the adventures of Daring Do, having heated debates about various plot points, their laughter echoing back and forth all through the valley. Thunderspite, having completely given up trying to enforce military bearing on Blitzwing, actually enjoyed listening to the other two carry on.

When the fire had died down and they had all started to yawn, they finally decided to turn in for the night. After saying their goodnights, Thunderspite and Blitzwing each retired to their tents, and Dawn Glimmer to her stateroom in the gondola.

Only a few minutes later, Thunderspite heard snoring coming from the tent next to his. He had always envied Blitzwing’s ability to fall asleep quickly, no matter what the circumstances. Thunderspite had no such luck. Despite having not slept much the night before, he again found himself tossing and turning in his sleeping bag. After an hour of this, he gave up, headed out of his tent, and stoked up the fire’s dying embers to keep himself warm.

He sat staring into the flames for a while, until he sensed a presence behind him. Turning, he saw Dawn Glimmer, bundled up in a blanket, walking towards him. She sat on the log next to him, as far away as she could manage.

“Hey,” she said. “Can’t sleep?”

Thunderspite shook his head.

“Me neither. Mind keeping me company for a little while?”

Thunderspite regarded her. Her demeanor was different than it had been all day. Not teasing, completely sincere. The strange familiarity she showed towards him was still there, but when he looked in her eyes he saw nothing but kindness.

“Sure,” he said, poking at the fire with a stick. They watched in silence together for a moment.

“Some day, huh?” she offered.

“Yup.”

“Thunderspite, you don’t actually have to read Daring Do if you don’t want to. I just thought…”

“I’m enjoying it.”

“Oh, good. I’m glad.”

Another moment passed as they gazed into the fire.

“Thunderspite, can I ask you something?”

Thunderspite thought for a moment. “You may ask.” His tone implied that he would not be obligated to answer.

“What was her name?”

“Whose name?”

“The reason you hate me. What was her name?”

Sky Dancer’s memory rushed past him, like opening a door on a windy day. Her eyes, her mane, her scent...

Thunderspite’s annoyance was renewed. “I don’t know who you mean, ma'am. And I don’t hate you.”

“Oh. My mistake then.” She looked away, and after that they sat in silence for a long time.

Eventually, Dawn Glimmer yawned again. “Alright, I think I’m ready for sleep now. Don’t stay up too late.”

Thunderspite nodded and said goodnight. He stared at the flames a few moments longer, then headed back to his tent. This time, he fell immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.