A Rumble in the Distance

By candlelight, Rumble saw that his alarm clock read exactly eleven. There were no more raucous noises coming from Thunderlane’s room, so he decided that it was time. Closing his nephology book and setting it aside, he kicked his covers off and rolled out of bed.

He had waited until late at night to pack his things, in case Thunderlane came in to check on him. As quietly as he could, he flew to his Colt Guide shelf and began grabbing the things he would need. Most definitely his binoculars, notepad, pencil and sharpener, which went straight into his saddlebag. A pair of goggles would be necessary for later on in the evening. Just for tonight, he took his compass and map of the surrounding area, in case he somehow got lost. After some thought, he took a canteen and pocketknife, in case the worst-case scenario arose. Finally, he slipped a jacket inside as well; if all went according to plan, he would definitely need it.

He lingered over the straps of the bag, thinking of anything else he would need. Something to eat along the way? No, that might wake them up. I could try and play it off as just getting a midnight snack, but I’d rather not risk Thunderlane getting suspicious. I’ll just have to go without anything. Water for his canteen? I can just fill it up at the fountain, or at Ponyville Lake. Galoshes? It might rain, but I’m going to be flying anyway, so there’s really no point.

Eleven o’ two. He decided to get on with it and get out as quickly as possible. The straps buckled together with a SNAP!, and Rumble waited a moment to see if Thunderlane would check what it was. Nothing. Eleven o’ three. He slipped the bags onto his back and slid to his nightstand and blew out the candle, leaving him with only the moonlight to see. He tiptoed to the window and peered out. The sky only had a few clouds lazily drifting by; wherever the storm would appear that night, it wasn’t anywhere north of Ponyville.

“Okay,” he said softly as he slid the window open. “I can do this.” With a deep breath, he rested one hoof on the sill.

Immediately, he heard a door open down the hallway.

“What?” He hissed. “No no no, how did he hear that?”

Hoofsteps were approaching. He closed the window and drew the curtains. As he clambered back onto bed, he let the saddlebags drop to the floor, and then used an outstretched hoof to kick them underneath the bed. The hoofsteps were right in front of his door. His skin went cold as he threw the blanket over himself and slammed his eyes shut.

The door opened. He remained motionless as they slowly approached his bed. Wait, why is he approaching so slowly? If he had heard me, he would know I’m not actually sleeping! Unless… he doesn’t know I’m sleeping, and he’s just checking on me. Oh, please, just be checking on me!”

At that point, the hoofsteps were right next to his bed. Rumble breathed as normally as he could, hoping to Celestia that Thunderlane wouldn’t check his hammering heartbeat. First, the blanket was grabbed and pulled snugly over him via teeth. Then, a hoof loosened the mane that was caught under it. No hoof went to his chest, but a muzzle went right next to his ear.

“Goodnight, little guy,” he heard Thunderlane whisper in his ear. “I’m expecting great things from you soon."
"Goodnight, little guy," Lightning Dust whispered in his ear. “I’m expecting great things from you soon."
Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, he left. The door closed, and soon he was back in his room.

Rumble turned slowly towards the door, so as not to wake Thunderlane up again. He couldn’t help a sigh. “He left,” he said under his breath. Then a frown forced its way onto his face. “He’s still worried about me.” Then, he felt confusion welling inside him. “Should I really go out? I don’t want to make him mad… but I can’t let this just drift by when it could be a threat.” He looked outside, but didn’t see any odd and looming cloud masses. “I’ll need to check south, then.” The time was eleven o’five. “

He lay there a moment listening to the calm night. “Maybe I should just stay home, then?” He eased into his covers, their warmth relaxing him only slightly. “That would make Thunderlane happy, at least. And maybe the storm’s gone away?” He looked back outside; still nothing. “Yeah, the storm’s probably not going to come tonight. Yeah, that’s it.”

He turned to get more comfortable, and saw his saddlebags poking out from underneath the bedframe. “No.” He sat up. “No, I have to at least make sure that that’s what’s happening. For Ponyville. And for Thunderlane.”

He tossed his covers off. As quickly as he could now, he grabbed his saddlebags and slung them onto his back. With a kick, he glided to the window, parted his curtains, and pushed it open. The same clouds were lazily drifting westward. Nothing else had changed. The air was still and warm, and there wasn’t a sound near him.

Eleven o’six, the clock read. He decided then that it was time. With a deep breath, he fluttered up a few feet and stood on the sill. It creaked, and for an instant he froze. Eleven o’seven, and there was nothing. It creaked a little more when he shoved his legs down and lightly kicked off. All that was left now was to close the window behind him. As he did, he gave his wings a firm flap, which sent the curtains flying and draping over the inside. Finally, he slid the window down.

“Okay,” he whispered. “I think I’m home free now. Now let’s get onto the roof and see where all of the clouds are.” He was about to begin ascending, but there were noises to his right. He froze. “That’s coming from Thunderlane’s room! Isn’t he asleep yet?”

His heart was pounding. He couldn’t leave it to chance, he had to make sure he would be safe. With the gentlest flaps he could muster, he eased himself away from his window and right next to Thunderlane’s. There was no mistaking it, he was still awake inside, and he was talking to somepony.

“I just don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

“Oh, come on, Thunder!” Rumble grimaced, hearing Lightning Dust still in his room. “He’s a grown colt, he can take care of himself. I mean,” she continued, her voice dropping to a more seductive tone. “You’ve been looking after him, haven’t you?”

“That’s true.” He heard Thunderlane move on the mattress. “I’ve been teaching him everything I know.”

Rumble couldn’t help but swell with pride outside.

“And he’s going to race tomorrow, right?” We need ponies like him.

“I mean, if he doesn’t want to—“

“Thunderlane.” Lightning’s voice became stern. “We can’t let him sit out. He’s a fast colt. He needs to race.”

Rumble scowled. “I don’t have to race if I don’t want to. Tell her, Thunderlane.”

“Do you think it would be good to force him to race?”

Rumble gasped. “How could you ask that?”

“Of course. It will only be beneficial for us.”

“I know.”

“Rumble sighed. “I can’t believe he’d actually say that.”

“Look, we’re both exhausted, and Rumble is fast asleep. Let’s talk about it in the morning, okay?”

“Yeah,” Thunderlane croaked. The blankets ruffled, and Rumble heard the bedside lamp switch off. From then on, all was still.

“Beneficial for us?” He huffed. “Who does she think she is? And why did Thunderlane agree?” He wiped a tear from his eye. “Isn’t this enough? Trying to keep Ponyville safe?” I'll show them. I'll show all of Ponyville!

Taking fewer precautions than before, he flew up past the eave and onto the roof. There were few lights on within all of Ponyville, and none near him, so he wasn’t worried about being caught. There were a usual amount of clouds out, some clouds near Twilight’s castle, some looming over Sweet Apple Acres, a cluster over Town Hall, and many more dotted above houses. There was no massive mass of clouds, though.

“What?” He whirled around once; nothing changed. “Where is it?” For the past few weeks, whenever he had come outside to observe, the cloud mass had been looming over some part of Ponyville. Now, it was nowhere in sight. “Did it move on to another city?”

He decided to wait a few minutes, to see if the storm would come rolling in from any other direction. All was quiet as he kept vigilance, using his binoculars to scout north, then east, then south, then west, and noting down the nothingness that was happening before doing it all over again. He was determined to catch any sign of the storm, for Ponyville and for Thunderlane. Even to show up Lightning Dust.

As he made yet another go around, the town clock chimed. He nearly jumped out of his fur at the ringing. Twelve rings. “It’s midnight already?” Another go-around revealed still no cloud anomalies. “What in the hay is going on?” Ignoring that he had just swore, he set his binoculars down and pulled out his jacket. It had grown slightly chilly. Bundled up, he lay down on the roof and pondered.

“Why is this happening? What could’ve happened to it? Why now, when I decide to actually get up close to it? Maybe… maybe it wised up to me, and fled? No, clouds can’t do that, and even if they could, a thunderstorm in that big a mass would be too much for me to handle. It wouldn’t be bothered by me.” He scratched his chin. “Maybe it actually moved on to another city? I should get up, then. I might be seen, but I’ve…” He took a breath. “I have to do more.”

With that, he gathered up his things in his saddlebag, including his jacket, and slung it onto his back. Thunderlane may’ve been awake now with all of the moving, but he didn’t care at that point. It had to be done. With powerful flaps of his wings, he hopped off of the roof and began flying straight up.

There were no clouds high enough to get a good view of the surrounding lands. “I don’t need it,” he told himself. “I can deal with this just fine.” He jostled his bags to be sure they were closed, and continued flying straight up.

Five minutes into his unimpeded flying, he was high enough to see the horizon behind the northern mountains, the plains west of Sweet Apple Acres, past the diamond mines at the south of town, and partway into the seemingly never-ending sea of trees of the Everfree to the east. There were more clouds out than he had seen on the roof, and yet there was no gigantic cloud mass. He groaned, took a few breaths to get oxygen into him, and continued upwards

He fell into a trance. He flew until his wings began to ache, and the saddlebags began feeling particularly heavy. His breathing was shallower, and each breath came in short gasps. Thankfully, there was a stray altocumulus wisp, looking just opaque enough to be able to lie down on. He veered off a bit, making his stomach lurch. He nearly plowed straight through it, had he not shifted himself in a final burst from his wings.

The cloud was ice-cold, and solid enough for him to plop down on in exhaustion. It was, however, too thin to support him and his saddlebag. In a rush, he bundled up the cloud next to him and threw the bags onto it. They sank in a bit, but didn’t fall.

He was panting for breath. His sweat glistened in the moonlight, and frost began to form. He took the time to appreciate the coolness of the crystals on his body. His breathing only improved slightly; he was simply too high up to achieve anything normal for a colt his age, even for pegasi in general.

Once his body cooled down, he took a look around. There were no clouds of a higher altitude around. The town down below was a peaceful as ever, without a cloud below in sight. No birds flew nearby, nor did any straying pegasi. He was completely alone and in peace.

Eventually, the cold began getting to him, so he rose and shook the frost off of him. Gently, so as not to disturb the fine cloud below him, he slipped his jacket onto himself and pulled out his binoculars. Wiping the condensation from the lenses, he peered through them and began scoping. “It couldn’t have *gasp* gone farther than this.”

To the north, the hills and mountains continued indefinitely, with splotches of clouds darting all around it. The giant cloud mass wasn’t there. The south yielded as much, going from the mines to Ghastly Gorge, and a faint view of the desert that led to Appleloosa. The cloud mass wasn’t anywhere there, either. Past Sweet Apple Acres was the White Tail Wood, and further along there was the mountains that held Las Pegasus. Clouds galore could be found there, but still not the mass he was looking for. Finally, he looked to the mysterious Everfree Forest. Froggy Bottom Bog steamed unendingly within the mass of trees, and there was no hint of an end as far as he could see. Still no clouds. There wasn’t even a single cloud surrounding Canterlot Mountain or its majestic city.
They watched her rest. "She must still be recovering."
“What the hay?” He screamed in frustration, not caring if anypony could hear him. “It couldn’t have just *gasp* disappeared overnight!” A single chime from the town clock further agitated him. “It’s gotta be somewhere!”
"Yes. Last night's ordeal took a lot out of her. It is best we not push her."
He whirled around some more, thinking of checking within Ghastly Gorge, at Appleloosa, around Canterlot and beyond, if need be. His head began to pound, and he realized, in a revelation that made his body chill, that he was becoming lightheaded. “I need to *gasp* get to lower ground.”
"She'll grown into her new power. Then we can make our move."
With an aching foreleg, he pulled the saddlebag towards him and hoisted it over himself. Immediately, the cloud began giving way under him. “Oh crap.” Before he could shrug it off and think of a better plan, the cloud broke. The next moment, he found himself plummeting to the earth.
"Finally. But we've gathered everything. Let us take our leave." With that, they took off, only seeing an owl plummeting to the earth.
The air howled in his ears as he sped downwards faster and faster. Nopony saw him, and nopony would come to rescue him. His first instinct was to scream, but it was short and hoarse. I don’t have enough oxygen! He thought about screaming again, but another thought occurred to him: somepony would hear him, and he would be found out by Thunderlane and Lightning Dust. Did he really want to go back home without anything to show for it? Was this worth risking his life for?

As the town’s features grew in detail, he decided not to scream. The least he could do was show Thunderlane that he could at least fly in situations like these. I’ve been teaching him everything I know, Thunderlane’s words echoed in his mind. Even if he was alone, he couldn’t let him down.

What do I do, he thought with a calm-yet-oxygen-deprived mind. First, I have to right myself. He proceeded to tuck his wings and legs into himself, and tilt his body around. Once he was facing straight down, he untucked his legs and pointed them vertically straight.

Now to open my wings. At first, they didn’t want to pry themselves open. It was only through sheer force that they burst open, and the wind immediately made them bend upwards. He grunted in pain, and yet they held.

Now I need to pull myself up. Gently, as steadily as he could, he tilted his wings back. Now the roofs of the houses were quickly approaching. By degrees, his body tilted underside-down. Now that he had enough oxygen in his brain, his fear completely subsided; he knew, from doing dives like these, that he had more than enough time to pull up.

Now he needed to go to a place where he wouldn’t be spotted. There was no place in town where he could land this quickly without causing some sort of noise. Maybe I can try the mines, he thought briefly, but thought better of it when he imagined slamming into rocks and gemstones sticking out of the ground. Maybe Sugar Cube Corner’s cupcake? He imagined himself plowing right through it and crashing into Town Hall. He would’ve found it funny if he weren’t speeding towards Ponyville.

I could try Sweet Apple Acres. He looked upside-down at the mass of trees in the opposite direction. It’s the best chance I got. His eyes watered, and he knew that reaching for his goggles at that time would’ve caused him to crash. So he tucked his forelegs in and prepared to perform one of the most basic of aerobatics maneuvers: a half-Cuban 8.

Throwing his body back, he began arching upwards in a circle. It took him away from Ponyville, and he was high enough that any noise he made wouldn’t be distinctly heard by those below. He continued his upwards arc until he was completely upside-down and heading in the opposite direction, towards Sweet Apple Acres. The arc continued until he was tilted towards the ground. Finally, he twirled until he was upright, and heading towards the apple-tree canopy.

“There,” he said with a dry mouth. “Now I’ll have time to slow down.”

The wind continued howling in his ear as he sped over the acres, the treetops rustling from the trail he left. Remembering what Thunderlane had taught him, he tilted his wings to catch the speeding air. Now they really began to ache. And yet he began to slow down.

“Okay,” he told himself. “I can do this. I can do this.” Eventually, he was able to land onto one of the trees, completely halting his momentum. His wings immediately went limp, and he couldn’t help but pant.

“That *huff* was *huff* close!” One jelly-limp hoof after the other climbed down the tree. “I need *huff* water.”

Getting it from Sweet Apple Acres was out of the question; their dog would surely come after him if he went even to the family well. With an aching jaw and dry mouth, he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out his compass. “I guess I’ll head east, then.”

Before setting off, he grabbed three apples that had fallen from his landing, and stuffed them into his backpack. Then, with an aching body, he set off towards Ponyville proper.

The trudge to the creek had been silent. It was now late enough that there was only one light on in all of Ponyville—no doubt the light of Vinyl Scratch, the residential night owl, and her place was at the northwest part of town, so there was nothing to worry about from the southern part. Once he had reached the water, he shoved his head in and quaffed until he nearly vomited. Then he had let his entire body fall in, and took a moment to let the cold water soothe his muscles.

What do I do now? he thought as he was submerged. I didn’t see any sign of the cloud mass when I was up there. Something tells me that I won’t find it now. What if it’s really gone?

Should I just go back home? I could get some sleep. As he thought that, he yawned under the water. I haven’t been getting a lot of it lately. I definitely need it. He felt his body relaxing in the cold waters.

Is there anything else I haven’t tried? I could check up on Featherweight, and see if he’s spotted anything tonight. There’s also DJ Pon-3’s place, but I doubt she’s seen anything. Zecora’s also awake right now, given that she has a fire going—

Wait a minute… His eyes sprang open, and he frantically kicked himself out of the water and onto the land. Shaking himself off until the water was completely gone, he yanked his map out of his saddlebag and opened it up. He also took out an apple, as he was feeling hungry from the work he had been doing. As he munched away, he took his pencil and marked about where he saw the fire: at the very edge of the map. Then he moved his hoof to where Zecora’s home was marked.

He gasped. “That wasn’t Zecora. Somepony’s out there in the Everfree!” He looked at the black outline of the forest. “Maybe they’re trapped, they’re in danger, and they need help. What should I do?

“Do I go and get somepony to help? Do I—do I reveal myself?” He began pacing. “I didn’t find out anything about the clouds, and I don’t think I will anymore. Should I risk it?”

There was no smoke visible from the treetops. “That’s even odder. Maybe I was imagining things.” He yawned again. “Darnit, I’m so tired! Maybe I should just go back home.”

He heard the distance chiming of the clock, twice. “I don’t have to wake up until a few hours from now… I should at least check again, to see if something’s up.”

The plan had been decided upon. With that, he pulled out his goggles and strapped them onto his face. He packed the rest of his things, discarded the apple core in a bush, and hitched his bags to his back. He thought about where to look out, before settling firmly on the Carousel Boutique, one of the more eastern buildings in Canterlot. “I can rest on the roof and see from there. I know I won’t disturb Rarity if I use it. I could use Twilight’s castle, but I don’t know if there’s a spell on it from snoopers, or if she’s up studying.” He shuddered. “She also has that creepy owl with her. Right, Rarity’s it is.”

Before he left, he filled up his canteen with water, just in case something outlandish happened again. With a galloping start, he took off towards the boutique. He didn’t think anypony would still be awake at this time, not even Pon-3, but he kept checking the windows regardless. No lights were on anywhere at all, not even in either Pon-3 or Twilight’s homes. There were no clouds blocking his path, or ponies watching him from the windows. His wings ached slightly, and his hooves limply went along for the flight, and yet his heart was filled with determination.

Within minutes, he reached the large top of Carousel Boutique. As he had expected, the lights were off and all was still. Every other building around was dark as well. He lightly set himself on top and unloaded his bags. Nothing stirred around him. He was good to go.

There was no time to waste, not when dealing with the unknown in the Everfree Forest. He jumped and flew straight up until he caught sight of a flickering light in the middle of the Everfree. “There it is, I wasn’t imagining things!” He smiled. “This is my chance to do some good tonight!”

His aches didn’t register anymore; his lungs swelled with excitement, his wings twitching with anticipation. He dove for his saddlebags and slung them on. “Let’s do this!”

He dove off ENE, heading straight for the fire. He felt amazing, like the whole night now had a purpose. Now I don’t have to go to Thunderlane with nothing to show for it! Take that, Lightning Dust! He flew onwards with smug satisfaction, his eyes closed as he imagined returning home with a good deed under him.

That was, until the forest growled. He locked up for an instant, his body sinking down to brush against the treetops. He only just avoided sinking entirely into the forest’s dark clutches, after another growl jolted him back to animation. He flew up far away from the canopy.

“Way to go, you idiot,” he scolded. “I can’t drop my attention at all.”

The rest of the flight was filled with unnatural noises and constant rustling from within. His heart pounded above all of it, and his eyes kept switching from watching the fire and looking for monsters. As he approached, he noticed a fog coming from within the trees. The sight chilled him.

As he neared the trees, and another growl emitted from the forest, he had a stray thought. What if whoever’s in there has already been eaten? His heart stopped. “And I’m flying into the remains of a camp, where I-I—“ His heart thumped within him.

“I can’t turn back.” He now loomed over the fire, the crackling twigs fresh and covered with some sort of glass contraption. “Not as long as somepony might be in there.”

He didn’t know why he didn’t go in sooner, but for a moment he lingered above, looking for any sign of pony life. A roar in the distance, and he realized just how far he was from home. A rattling from a few yards south, and he realized just how small he was. A hiss from below, and the fire nearly giving out, and he realized just how vulnerable he was out here, all alone, in the most dangerous forest in Equestria…

Twigs were thrown into the glass container, and something moved them about.

Rumble sighed with relief when he saw the familiar form of a pony stoking the kindling. It was a pegasus stallion, tall and lean, with dark blue fur and a black disheveled mane. Everything else was too dark to see from where he was.

He decided, then, to call out. “Hello!”

The stallion looked up as if nothing out of the ordinary was around him. His eyes shone in the firelight, and Rumble saw that they were aqua, keen and judging. His expression was not of shock or even surprise. Rather, it was of irritation.

“What do you want?”

Rumble started. “Um,” he began with a shaky voice. “A-are you lost?”

The stallion tilted his head. “What?”

“Are you lost?”

The stallion’s face changed into a fearful expression. “Who are you?”

Rumble began lowering himself. “I’m Rumble, from Ponyville. Are you lost?”

As he lowered himself into the canopy, being able to clearly see the tops of the trees from the light, he saw the stallion begin to fidget. “Uh, well, yes, I mean no, you see, I’m here because… I’m lost!” The stallion stared at him with eyes full of panic. “Where’s the nearest town?”

“Calm down, mister.” Rumble placed a hoof on the stallion’s withers. “The nearest town is Ponyville, about a half-hour from here. I can take you there, and then you’ll be safe.” At that moment, he felt a swell of pride for his Colt Guide training.

The stallion thought for a moment, and then looked back at him with apprehension. “We can’t. We can’t go tonight.”

“What? Why not?”

The light seemed to intensify as the stallion leaned in closer. “Trust me, little guy. My buddies and I went off the beaten path to find adventure, and set up camp here. The six of us sang songs and played around, thinking we were all safe and sound! Then they all went off some time ago, and a gigantic… thing got to them!”

Rumble’s insides went cold. “What was it?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a raspy breath. “But we’re at least safe here. You’d better spend the night here. Then, once the sun rises, and the monsters are asleep, then we can get to Ponyville safe and sound, I’ll be on my merry way, and you can go back to whatever it was you were doing.”

At the mention of sunrise, Rumble grimaced. “We can’t wait until then! I’ll get in trouble for being out this late!”

“Look, kid,” the stallion said desperately. “I’ll explain everything to your parents in the morning. We just can’t risk going out now, okay?”

“But—“

“Please?”

Rumble looked around, and for the first time noticed the campsite. A single tent with a sleeping bag inside, and a clipboard next to the fireplace. The glass was covered in water droplets, perhaps from the surrounding moisture. Apart from the darkness, there was also an impenetrable fog in the forest. He couldn’t see five feet into it. “Hey, mister—“

“Dew Decimal.”

“Dew,” he continued, pointing into the foggy unknown. “What’s in there?”

“It keeps the monsters away.”

Rumble looked at him, confused. “How do you know?”

“I’ve seen it,” the stallion said with a smile. “Trust me.”

Rumble couldn’t tell what he had gotten himself into, but after everything that had happened, going back to Ponyville this late at night sounded like a disastrous plan. If Dew Decimal said staying here would be safe, he trusted him. “Okay. And then I’ll take you to Ponyville tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dew pointed to the tent. “You look exhausted. I can’t sleep now, I’ve got to tend to this.” He pointed to the clipboard.

Rumble’s curiosity was piqued. “What’s—“ He yawned. “—On it?”

“It’s the fire, you idiot!” Dew glared at him, and Rumble wilted. “I… Look, I’m sorry. It’s been a stressful night, okay?”

Rumble immediately decided to forgive him. The sleep-deprived appearance reminded him of his brother, working all the time and not having enough time to sleep. “Okay. I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Alright!” Dew ushered him into the tent. “Now get some sleep. I’ll keep lookout.”

“Okay,” he said quietly. The night’s events caught up to him like a battering ram, and he soon found himself falling backwards onto the not-quite-soft pillow. His eyes drifted shut as he heard Dew drag his saddlebags in the tent with him. Something didn’t feel quite right as the night played out in his head, but he couldn’t be bothered to think about that for now. His world was going black. He would have time to think about it tomorrow. Only one thought went through his mind.

At least I did one good thing today.