Thunderspite

The next night Thunderspite and Blitzwing set the balloon down on a wide, grassy plain within walking distance of a river. After dinner, the three ponies lay on their backs on the soft grass, looking up at the stars. The faint blue glow of the cloud wraith city, their objective, could now be seen quite distinctly against the pitch-black night sky. It seemed to glare down at them like an evil eye, serving as an ever-present reminder that their little road trip was not just a holiday with friends.

The three ponies did their best to ignore it and enjoy the stars, but again and again they found their gaze drifting to the faint blue circle to the north. It was Blitzwing who finally addressed the elephant in the room.

“What do you suppose they want?” he asked.

The other two were silent for a moment. Thunderspite spoke next. “For all we know, they’re just sightseeing. They’ll probably fly straight over Canterlot, take some pictures, and be on their way.”

The other two chuckled. In the darkness beside him, Dawn Glimmer snuggled close against him.

“Even if worse came to worse, Canterlot shouldn’t have any trouble defending itself. Star Strider’s bubble shield is almost impenetrable.”

“Mm-hmm.” Blitzwing nodded in agreement. Thunderspite’s statement was not untrue, but it did nothing to ease the more immediate fears in the group’s collective mind: their own safety. No one was more concerned than Thunderspite, who could hardly bear the thought of putting Dawn Glimmer in danger. Thunderspite had half a mind to turn back to Canterlot now, and let Princess Celestia punish him as she saw fit. Or perhaps better still, take the balloon and strike out on their own to parts unknown, and start a new life far away from both Princess Celestia and the cloud wraiths.

To a Royal Guard, such a thing was unthinkable. To even say it out loud would get you thrown in the dungeon, but such was the turmoil going through Thunderspite’s mind.

Telepathically sensing his distress, Dawn Glimmer reached over and kissed him just above the ear. “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she whispered to him. Thunderspite winced, forgetting that Dawn Glimmer’s talent meant that she could read his emotions like a book, seeing straight through his mock confidence to the kernel of terror underneath.

Thunderspite had never been especially afraid of anything, including death. But everything had changed now that he had found Dawn Glimmer. For the first time he found himself genuinely, legitimately afraid.

The three of them somberly said their goodnights and went to bed shortly after, the glowing blue eye above them having sucked all the joviality out of them. Blitzwing went to his tent as Thunderspite joined Dawn Glimmer in her stateroom. Lying in bed with her, her head tucked under his chin and their arms wrapped around each other, Thunderspite was at once overcome with the joy of having found her, and the fear of losing her. Thunderspite was not given to strong bouts of emotion, but the last few days had been full of first experiences for him.

A silent tear rolled down his cheek. “Dawn, I... ”

“I know, Thunderspite. I’m scared too.”

“But I... ”

“Shh. I know that, too.” She squeezed him firmly, and as she did so, Thunderspite felt the moisture from her own tears on his chest.

***

The day after next, Blitzwing roused the other two by knocking on the door of the stateroom at the appointed time. It was still dark out, and Thunderspite couldn’t even see a hint of dawn through the gondola’s window.

“It’s that time, I guess,” Thunderspite said.

He couldn’t really see her, but felt her nod against his chest.

They held each other for a long time, clinging tightly each other, but also to the moment.

“We should start getting ready,” Thunderspite said. Dawn Glimmer only hugged him tighter in response.

“Hey,” Thunderspite said, lifting her chin to meet her eyes. There was a sadness in her eyes. Thunderspite smiled at her. “Everything will be okay.”

Dawn smiled back at him, and with one final squeeze, they both got out of bed and began getting ready. The two of them joined Blitzwing outside, who was already busy breaking camp.

The previous day had passed much like all the ones before, but the knowledge that they were approaching their journey's end hung over the three ponies like a damp blanket, smothering any attempts at joviality. Even Blitzwing's antics were not enough to lighten the mood. When not in the harness, Thunderspite cuddled Dawn Glimmer on the couch and pretended to read, though in fact he rarely took her eyes off her.

Now, it was still pitch dark outside as they worked to stow their gear. The ominous sense of foreboding that had settled over the three ponies was even thicker than the day before, and the inky darkness of the pre-dusk morning wasn’t helping. Even leaving at first light, the journey to the cloud city would take all day, and if they stayed on schedule they would only just arrive by nightfall.

They quickly stowed their gear and ate some of their packed rations, their schedule not allowing time for one of Dawn’s fancy breakfasts. Their meal was terse and hurried. They made a few jokes about the poor quality of the food, but it didn't help. After breakfast, they packed away the last of their equipment and set off, with both Thunderspite and Blitzwing in the reigns, towing the balloon directly upwards. There would be few breaks on this leg of the journey, as both of the pegasi were needed to keep the balloon on schedule. With the balloon’s ballast set to maximum lift, it would at least be easy flying for the first part of the day.

Up and up and up they flew. It grew light quickly, and the cloud city could be seen easily directly overhead, if only faintly in the morning sun. By mid-day, Thunderspite was sure that they had already flown higher than any pegasus had ever before. As the air grew thinner, the two Pegasi were having a harder and harder time keeping the pace. Dawn Glimmer called them each inside in turn, and cast a spell around them to help them breathe, and after that the going was much easier. They also each donned cold weather gear and goggles to protect them from freezing, high-altitude air.

They both took a brief rest around mid-afternoon, anchoring the balloon to a cirrocumulus cloud, the highest naturally occurring type of cloud, and their last chance for a rest before they reached the cloud city. Inside the gondola, Dawn Glimmer had made some tasty sandwiches with the last of their blackberries. Though the two ponies were each at the peak of physical fitness, the marathon flying session was taking its toll on each of them. Before they returned to the reigns, Dawn Glimmer rubbed their backs and chests with a balm to soothe their aching flight muscles.

They set off again, towing the balloon directly upwards. The air continued to grow colder, and although they could breathe much better now thanks to Dawn Glimmer’s spell, the temperature at this altitude was far below freezing, and despite their extreme exertion, they were beginning to feel the air’s chill even through their cold weather gear.

Up and up they went. As afternoon gave way to evening, both Thunderspite and Blitzwing were nearing the limits of their endurance, but they were at last nearing their destination. They steered the balloon to the edge of the cloud, and with one final push, passed above the cloud’s leading edge. As they did so, they very distinctly passed through what Thunderspite took to be some sort of magical barrier, because the temperature was no longer freezing, but was instead felt a somewhat chilly autumn evening.

Thunderspite and Blitzwing looked at each other a moment, stunned. Just below them, the cloud stretched out, glowing blue and featureless, as far as they could see.

“Let’s set down,” Thunderspite said, and the two ponies gently towed the balloon down to the cloud and staked it down.

Dawn Glimmer opened the door and peered out at the vast, featureless cloudscape. “No one here to meet us,” she said.

“Not yet, anyway,” At Thunderspite's direction, he and Blitzwing took off their cold weather gear and donned their dress tunics while Dawn Glimmer got started on a spell that would allow her to walk on the cloud safely. Just as the two guards were buttoning their last button, there was a bright flash of magic from the gondola as Dawn Glimmer completed her spell. The two pegasi stood on either side, holding her arms while she gingerly probed the cloud with one hoof. She shifted her weight, and it held firm, and the two pegasi gradually let go.

“Well that seemed to work well enough,” she said, bouncing on the cloud slightly. “Interesting texture, don’t you think?”

“Yes." Thunderspite prodded the cloud with his hoof.. It seemed almost alive underneath their hooves, hardening in response to their steps, but soft and yielding when touched gently.

“Look,” said Blitzwing. He had picked up a tuft of cloud with his hoof, and as he released it, it ran like water down and around his hoof, to rejoin the cloud below.

Thunderspite was the first to notice the figures approaching in the distance. “We’ve got company,” he said. The other two looked, and they could just make out a trio of shapes, at first only lumps on the horizon set against the glowing cloud below and the dark sky above. They were approaching quickly... in fact, very quickly.

“Places, boys. We want to make a good first impression," Dawn Glimmer said.

Thunderspite and Blitzwing took their positions and stood at attention, behind and to either side of Dawn Glimmer. Before long, the figures were close enough that Thunderspite could make out their forms.

The cloud wraiths were like nothing Thunderspite had ever seen before. They walked on four hooves like ponies, but the similarities ended there. Their bodies were translucent and glowed of their own inner light, brighter and whiter than the blue-white cloud on which they walked. Their skeletons could be plainly seen through their translucid bodies, and their eyes were merely points of white set in the dark cavity of the socket. They had two horns apiece, which curled downwards like a ram's, framing their faces like a halo. They each had not two, but four insectoid wings, much like a dragonfly's. Truth be told, Thunderspite that they were absolutely hideous.

They approached, and stopped several paces away from Dawn Glimmer. If she was as unsettled by the wraith's appearance as Thunderspite as, she did a good job of not letting on.

“Greetings.” Dawn Glimmer made an elegant curtsy. “My name is Dawn Glimmer. I bring tidings of peace and friendship on behalf of Princess Celestia and all Equestria.”

The cloud wraith in the center stepped forward, smiling. “Greetings, Dawn Glimmer. We have been expecting your arrival. Our king is very anxious to meet you. My associates here will see that your airship is stowed safely. If you will all come with me, please.”

With that, the other two wraiths stepped forward and began unstaking their balloon, while the one who had spoke turned sideways and waited for them to follow. Dawn Glimmer hesitated only a moment, then followed their guide. Thunderspite and Blitzwing exchanged a nervous glance, then followed as well, marching in step behind Dawn Glimmer.

The cloud on which they walked seemed to have some kind of magic that caused them to walk much faster than normal. Soon, much sooner than Thunderspite would have expected, the wide expanse of empty cloud gave way to what seemed to be farmland, with strange, blue-glowing crops rising above the cloud-ground. Then they the farms gave way to tall, wide, featureless buildings that lined the streets for what seemed like miles.

“Barracks,” whispered Blitzwing.

Thunderspite had been having the same thought, and nodded in agreement. He had seen his share of barracks in his day, and these buildings around them certainly bore a resemblance. They all seemed deserted at the moment.

Eventually, a gigantic stadium-looking structure loomed up before them, and their guide seemed to be leading them straight to it. There was a dull roar emanating from it that made Thunderspite think that it was occupied.

Sure enough, their guide them straight to the building, through two ranks of wraith guards, adorned with headdresses not unlike their own, armed with halberds and bows. A few of them smirked at the ponies as they passed, but otherwise did not react.

The trio followed their guide through a tunnel, and on the other side they emerged into a huge open space. The floor of the stadium looked very much like Princess Celestia’s court in Canterlot, except instead of stained glass on either side, where the floor of the court ended, the stadium seating began. Every seat in the stadium seemed filled with cloud wraiths just like their guide and as the three entered, the crowd roared. The sound seemed not to be emanating from their throats, but from the buzzing of their insect-like wings.

At the end of the court, sitting on an oversized and ornate throne, there sat a wraith whom Thunderspite took to be the king. He sat slouched in his throne, holding a large white staff with a green gem embedded near the top. He was a head again taller than all of the other wraiths, and wore an eyepatch over one eye.

The din of the spectators came to a crescendo as they approached the throne. The guide they had been following disappeared amongst the crowd that waited on either side of the court. Dawn Glimmer stopped at the throne’s steps and bowed, and Thunderspite and Blitzwing followed suit.

The king rapped his staff on the floor three times, the noise echoing all through the stadium, and the crowd silenced. “Greetings, my pony friends!” The king's voice boomed all through the stadium, amplified by some unseen magic. “My name is King Talionis, and I bid you welcome to my humble city.” A sound like laughter bubbled up from the crowd. “We have watched your coming all the way from your fair capitol of Canterlot. Tell me, what brings three ponies so far and so high, to my humble city in the sky?”

Dawn Glimmer stepped forward. If she was unsettled by any of this, she wasn’t letting on. “Noble King Talionis, my name is Dawn Glimmer. On behalf of her majesty, Princess Celestia, I bid you welcome to the land of Equestria. It is our hope that your arrival in our land may be the dawning of a new era of cooperation and friendship between our peoples.”

There was a long pause, then King Talionis began to chuckle, and the assembled wraiths in the stadium chuckled with him. The chuckle became a laugh, a menacing, booming crow that echoed all through the stadium.

“Your land?” asked the king. “And what claim do you have over the land you ponies now currently occupy?”

Dawn Glimmer was taken aback by the question. “Equestria has been home to ponies since-“

“A thousand years, yes yes. But allow me to educate you, pony,” King Talionis spat the word. “Long before your pony princess came to power, it was my people who lived in the land you now call Equestria. When the blizzards came, we took to the sky. But make no mistake.” Here he reclined in his throne and put his hooves together. “That land belonged to us then, and it belongs to us now. And we have come to reclaim what is rightfully ours. But first, there is the matter of a few... interlopers who have made their home where they are not welcome.”

Thunderspite didn’t like where this was going at all. Glancing sidelong at Blitzwing, he quickly and discreetly began relaying hoof signals.

Dawn Glimmer was shocked, but quickly continued. “Noble King Talionis, I can certainly appreciate your position. Would it be possible to discuss—“

“You and your kind have grown fat off the riches of our land, while my people have had nothing to eat but starlight for over a thousand years.” King Talionis interrupted her, as if she had not spoken at all. “We are here to collect what is ours, and the ponies will pay. Starting with you!”

And with that, a green bolt of magic shot from the gem atop the king’s staff. In an instant, Thunderspite was at Dawn Glimmer’s side, pulling her out of the way. Blitzwing, who had also moved in to protect her, was struck by the bolt instead. There was a sizzling sound, and right before their eyes, Blitzwing evaporated into a puff of glowing green smoke.

Dawn Glimmer screamed. Thunderspite was already moving, scooping her up in his arms and flying up and away, headed out of the stadium palace. He had only made it a few meters off the ground when there was another sizzling sound, very close. Thunderspite was confused for an instant as he wondered if he had been hit. Instead, he looked down at Dawn Glimmer, cradled in his arms, and their eyes met for just an instant before she too vanished in a puff of green smoke, and Thunderspite found himself holding only empty air.

“No!” he screamed, but it was too late. An instant later, he felt himself struck on the back of the head by something, not magic this time, and the world went dark.