Chapter 1: Return of Thunder
Chapter 1: Return of Thunder
Thunder lay in a pool of his own blood. The battle had not gone how he had hoped, and now he lay bleeding slowly to death. He had a huge gash on his side, cutting him almost completely in half. He grew weaker by the moment; he was so weak, he could no longer move. All he could do was remember that fateful day…
1 month earlier
Thunder stood there shaking; in his hands he held his entire fate. Could this be his chance? Has fate smiled upon the unicorn?
He had just received a letter from Canterlot; on one side was the Royal Seal of Equestria. It was addressed to him; Thunder wasn’t sure what to think
He just stood there shaking. Finally Lightning walked in and spotted Thunder frozen in place.
“Yo T. what’s up bro? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I-I-I received a letter today…It’s from Canterlot.”
“What?!” Lightning jumped over the couch and hurried to his brother. “What does it say?”
“I-I don’t know, I haven’t read it yet.”
“Well go on! Read man!”
Slowly Thunder opened to letter and began reading.
Dear Thunder Bolt,
We have been observing you for quite some time…
Thunder stopped
“What’s wrong bro?”
“N-n-nothing. Sorry.” Thunder went back to reading.
We have been observing you for quite some time now and have decided you have the skills and talents to be hand-picked out of thousands of potential candidates to be the potential student of Princess Luna. We wish you to arrive at Canterlot as soon as is possible. Upon your arrival you will be subject to a test of the Princesses’ choosing, so be prepared for anything. Enclosed is a train ticket to Canterlot. Congratulations and good luck.
-Princess Luna and advisors
Thunder Bolt looked up
“T.?”
“Hehe….dude…I did it…I’m going to be Princess Luna’s student!”
“Congrats man!” Lightning patted his brother on the back, “so when ya leaving T.?”
“Immediately! B-b-b-but there’s so much I need to get! What do I pack for? I-I-I need to be prepared.” Thunder began frantically running around.
“T.! Calm down bro, just get packed, and then leave, ok? You got this man!”
“Y-yeah…Hey Lightning,”
“Yeah T.?”
“This is it, I’ve done it.” Thunder had a wide grin on his face; he was going to meet the Princess of the night, Princess Luna.
The next day, Thunder had gone to the train station to leave for Canterlot. He had several bags full of his books, magic scrolls, and magic artifacts he had collected over the years. Thunder was full of excitement.
Thunder kept staring at his ticket. He had never seen a ticket like this; it was extravagant, slightly larger and had more intricate designs on it. Thunder wasn’t sure why it looked so different; he didn’t know what to think about it. It soon hit him; what if this was just some sort of trick? What if it was a prank, and when he arrived Luna would just stare at him and tell him to get lost? Thunder was horrified and began wondering if he should even go.
Thunder was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed the train arrive.
“All aboard!” shouted the conductor.
Thunder slowly looked up, “C’mon kid, hurry onto the train.”
Thunder quickly picked up his many bags and dragged them onto the train. He quickly found a seat and sat down. Soon the conductor walked over to collect his ticket.
“Ticket please, young man.” Thunder handed him his strange ticket. When he did the conductor gave him a strange look. “Young man, what are you doing?”
“W-w-what do you mean?”
“You’re supposed to be in your own car son, what are you doing up here with everyone else?”
“I-I-I am?”
“Yes. Haven’t you ever had a deluxe ticket kid?”
“No sir.”
“Well then, that explains why you’re here. Look, just walk down that way and you’ll reach your personal car. I’ll send someone to bring your bags.” Thunder simply nodded and, after the conductor punched his ticket, went off to his car.
Thunder was speechless; he had never been in a deluxe train car before. A large bed was on one side and a small refrigerator and mini bar sat opposite. Thunder just flopped onto the bed and curled up; it was so soft and comfy. Thunder could not remember the last time he slept in a bed this comfortable. Before Thunder knew it, he had fallen asleep on his bed.
Thunder sat by the river on top of a large rock underneath the bright moon. This was his favorite spot and time for reading. He was reading a book on the magic history of Equestria. For such a powerful and advanced nation, they had poor historical records. Most of Equestria’s history had been lost. Even the book he was reading, which was the 47 chapter, 476 page long volume 4 in a set of 4 volumes, didn’t have much. Thunder just shrugged it off and decided he’d write his own history.
“I’ll need my own chronicler to follow me around! Lest my history be forgotten like much of Equestria’s.” Thunder just figured a lack of history was the result of an ancient nation that has stood several thousand years. He was determined not to let his story be lost, however.
Thunder continued to read his book; he had read the entire set 7 times, and this volume was his favorite of all. It talked about Luna and her abilities with magic. From what Thunder read, Princess Luna was the superior of the two sisters in terms of magical abilities. Along with Luna, the book talked of Nightmare Moon and her attempt to overthrow Celestia. Thunder didn’t like knowing his beloved princess was capable of such evil, but could understand why she did what she did and enjoyed learning about her past. He felt it helped him fully understand Luna more and made him appreciate her even more.
Thunder slowly put his book down and stared up at the great moon in the sky. He had dreamed of travelling to that moon, exploring the bright stars Luna had brought. Every time he looked at the night sky, he pretended Luna had brought it just for him; he pretended he was here favorite subject.
“Oh Luna…I love you so much. I understand why you did those terrible things; I know it wasn’t truly you. And for the record, I would be more than happy to help you if you ever needed a general to lead the Lunar Republic’s forces against Celestia.” Thunder laughed to himself. He knew Celestia wasn’t evil, and Luna would never turn against her again if she returned, but he enjoyed playing this scenario with his friends at school. He’d always pick Grand Field Marshal of all Lunar Armed Forces and would fight against the “tyrannical Solar Empire” in the name of the “good and righteous Lunar Republic.” He always won as well.
He laughed again. Thunder loved history and magic; however, he was never a very good student. He never put forth much effort into his schoolwork, preferring to use his magic while the teacher taught.
Thunder yawned slightly, “Oh man…It’s getting late. Guess I need to head home now.” He gathered his belongings and hopped off his perch on top the rock. “Goodnight Luna, sweet dreams.”
Thunder began to leisurely stroll back to his house; he was in no hurry to reach home. He wanted to enjoy the crisp air of the night, so he remained slow.
Finally he could see his house from the forest; however, something was very wrong. Thunder’s house was on fire. He immediately began galloping towards his home, going as fast as he could. He breathed heavily, trying to get more air to gallop faster. He was still far away, but he could feel the heat
Finally, after what felt like ages, Thunder reached his small home, but before he could do anything, it began collapsing into the fire. Thunder watched helplessly, collapsing on the ground. Tears formed in his eyes. What was happening? Why was his home burning? Where was his mother?
As he asked these questions, he witnessed a horrifying scene; his mother’s body being held by a tall, monstrous, shadow-like creature. Thunder couldn’t tell what that thing was, but it had his mother and he blamed it for his home burning.
Thunder continued to stare at this thing. It was tall, slender, and it stood on two legs, not four. It had long fingers which it had wrapped tightly around Thunder’s mother. As he sat there, helpless, the monster slowly turned. Now Thunder could see its face and what he saw, would haunt him forever. The thing had two small slits for eyes, glowing bright red and a mouthful of pearly white teeth aligned in a perfect row. The monster’s mouth slowly curled up in a wide smile…
Thunder bolted up from his sleep. He was covered in sweat and gasping for breath. Thunder hadn’t dreamed of that day in years. He thought he had left that memory behind years ago. He could tell something was wrong, but he wasn’t sure what.
Thunder looked around; it was dark and he could barely see. He shuffled around in search of the light and finally found it, flicking it on. He noticed his bags were lying next to him. They must’ve brought them while he slept. He then looked outside; it was night, but no stars were out, just blackness.
Thunder got up and poured himself a drink from the bar; he needed something desperately to calm his nerves. He was still shaking from the dream. Why now was he remembering it? Was something about to happen? Was that event related to this somehow? Questions raced through his mind as he gulped down the glass of Applejack Daniels. He poured himself another drink and grabbed a book out of his bag. He still had a few days before Canterlot, so he decided to relax until then.
A few days later the train arrived at Canterlot, Thunder stared out the window as the high towers of the magical city approached. Soon he’d finally get his chance of becoming Luna’s student. Excitement filled Thunder to the brim. He quickly cleaned up his possessions and positioned himself to bolt out the door and go to the castle.
Finally the train came to a screeching halt. Steam bellowed out of the massive machine as it stopped. Thunder quickly ran out of the train, carrying his many bags, and ran towards the castle. This was it; so long as he didn’t screw it up. He ran pass many ponies, avoiding them as best he could, until…
“Oof!” Thunder came crashing to the ground, sending his books all over the street.
“Omigosh! I am so sorry! Are you ok?” a white earth pony with a pink mane stood over Thunder. She had come out of a shop and ran right into the already off balance Thunder.
“Y-y-yeah..I’m fine.” Thunder said, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to run into you.”
“What do you mean? I ran into you silly.” The pony giggled at Thunder and helped him up, “My name’s Strawberry Swirl, see?” the earth pony shook her flank in Thunder’s face, showing off her Strawberry cutie mark.
Thunder began to blush harder, “Y-y-y-yes yes, v-v-very nice” He said, looking away.
“Aw, what’s the matter? Never seen a mare’s flank before?” She said, shaking her plot more.
“N-n-no…It’s just…I-I-I-I’m kind of in a hurry. I need to go to the castle immediately.”
“Really now? Well don’t let me keep you.” Strawberry quickly picked up Thunder’s belonging and handed them to him, “Good luck with…whatever it is you’re doing. Cya sexy.” She said winking. She then giggled and walked off.
“What a strange mare…” Thunder said as he watched her walk away; his face was now completely red, but he just shook it off and continued to the castle.
Thunder approached the Royal Guards standing in front of the large doors that led to the inner castle. They stopped him before he could enter, however.
“Halt! No one is allowed inside the castle. The princesses are busy with important business.” Said the first guard
“B-b-but I have a letter from the Princess!” Thunder pulled out the letter and handed it to the Guard.
“Well…I guess you’re the one she picked. Lucky you, eh?” the guard handed Thunder the letter and they moved out of the way. Thunder proceeded to enter the castle.
He continued to walk down the long hallway; occasionally looking up to stare at the large stain-glass windows that depicted important events. Thunder continued to stroll towards the Princess’ inner halls. He slowed as he reached the second set of large doors, stopping just before them. He began to shake, his knees buckled and he struggled to stay standing. He couldn’t sum up the courage to push open the door. So he just stood there.
He stood there for several minutes, before the sound of hooves on the other side shook him out of his trance like state. He shook even more; the hooves were getting closer and closer. He stared at the doors and then they swung open. On the other side was a dark blue alicorn with a mane that resembled the night sky and appeared to wave even with no wind. Thunder recognized her immediately; it was Luna.
“And who, pray tell, are you?” She said, staring down the utterly terrified Thunder.
“I-I-I-I-I…” He stuttered. He began choking on his own words. He couldn’t bring himself to speak, so he just stood there.
“Yes?” She said quizzically
“I-I’m…T-T-Thunder Bolt…”
“AH! Thunder Bolt, I have been expecting you. How was your train ride? Enjoyable I hope.”
“T-t-thank you. I-I-It was fine.”
“Good. Come young student, I wish to show you to my sister.”
The Princess quickly trotted off towards Celestia; Thunder slowly followed behind. He was still shaking. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen; he was still unsure as to if this was real or some sort of joke.
“Celestia, my sister, he has arrived!” Luna had much excitement in her voice; it seemed uncharacteristic for a princess.
“Who has arrived Luna?”
“My potential student!” Luna pointed at Thunder who was still shaking. Thunder quickly dropped his bags and bowed before Celestia
“I-i-it’s an honor to meet you your highness.”
“Please child, no need to be so formal.” Celestia laughed
“Y-Yes Princess Celestia.” Thunder stood up, he was still nervous.
“Sister, you do remember Thunder Bolt, don’t you?”
“Of course, you and your brother did that show here awhile back, right?”
‘Y-yes ma’am.”
“How is your brother Thunder? That was a nasty accident.” Luna had remembered the horrible accident, but that wasn’t all she remembered.
“H-He’s fine ma’am.”
“Sister, I wish to speak to Thunder Bolt alone, excuse us.” Luna turned and headed out for the balcony. Thunder followed closely.
The two went onto the balcony; it was beginning to get dark, it made Thunder relax.
“Thunder, do you remember at your show, how you gave me that star?”
Thunder was shocked; the princess remembered that?! “O-of course Princess.”
“That was quite an impressive feat. Not many unicorns can pluck a star from my sky… Do you know why I summoned you here?”
“T-T-The letter said…I had been picked to be your potential student.”
“Indeed Thunder, do you know why I picked you?
“N-no…”
“I picked you because you’re one of the most talented unicorns I’ve ever seen. I’ve been watching you Thunder, ever since I heard of your skills. I have studied your history and your performance record. Your skill and intelligence is astounding. I believe you would be the perfect student.”
Thunder was speechless; so it was true, Luna did want him to be her student. He was filled with joy at the news that Luna wanted him to be her personal student.
“However, if you wish to be my student, you’ll have to pass a test.”
“W-what kind of test?” he asked sheepishly.
“It’s a simple one, not like the one Celestia made her student do, all I wish you to do is find my lost Moon Amulet. I lost it when I was banished to the moon and I wish it to be returned. It is a very important artifact of Old Equestria.”
“That’s it? Just return the amulet to you and I’ll be your student?”
“Yes Thunder, it should be a simple quest. Do you think you can do it?”
“Y-yes ma’am, sounds easy enough.”
“Good. Here’s a map to the last known location of the amulet.” She handed him a very detailed map as well as a list of details about the moon amulet. “You should leave tomorrow morning, we’ll have someone show you to your room and bring your bags up. Enjoy your stay tonight Thunder.” And with that, Luna returned to Celestia and a young servant showed Thunder to a room in a tall tower.
Thunder flopped onto his bed as soon as the servant left. This bed was far more comfortable than the train’s bed. Thunder just lied there, staring at the roof. A million thoughts raced through his head. How easy would this test be? How long would it take? What would happen if he failed? His thoughts remained as he continued to stare before finally drifting off to sleep. Arisen
Chapter 2: The Journey Begins
Chapter 2: The Journey Begins
The slender creature curled its mouth into a toothy grin and began laughing in a deep, almost inaudible tone. Its blood red eyes felt like it was staring directly at Thunder’s soul. A cold chill overwhelmed his body, despite the raging fire so close to him.
This thing’s stare kept him frozen in place, unable to move, or even scream, as it slowly sauntered closer to him. He just watched as the creature moved closer and closer. With it came a darkness that seemed to engulf him, blocking out the bright starry night. It extended its arms and pointed its slender fingers, reaching out to touch Thunder…
Thunder shot up, his body drenched in sweat, as he woke up from his dream. It had been years since he had remembered that night so vividly. He had thought he had moved past it, gotten over what had happened. He sat in bed as dread filled his body; he began to worry something wrong was going to happen.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, causing Thunder to jump. “C-come in…” he called out. A delicately dressed servant pushed the door open and walked in.
“Excuse me sir, your train will be leaving in the next hour.” She says in a quiet, delicate voice.
“O-oh…th-thank you.” He smiled and slid out of bed and began gathering his belongings.
“Sir, the Princess wanted me to tell you that you should pack accordingly and you may leave any belongings you need here in the palace. They will be taken care of in your absence.”
“Y-yes thank you. I will take that in mind.” She nods and smiles as she walks back out the door, closing it slowly.
Lightning looked at his abundance of luggage and began to go through it, picking out only the necessary items. He picked out a few books and some precautionary clothing; he decided to pack lightly for his trip.
Once he had finished gathering his belongings and rushed out of his room and downstairs to the main hall of the palace. There he ran into Princess Luna, who had been waiting for him to arrive. “Ah Thunder, I trust you slept well.”
“Um…I-it was fine…” he weakly smiled.
“Hmm…well I wish there was more time to chat, but your train will be leaving soon, and I wish to discuss a few things about this test with you.” Lightning nodded and listened closely as the Princess began speaking. “This amulet that I seek, it holds great importance to me. It is a powerful magical artifact that I have owned for as long as I can remember. You must take great care to not damage it, or endanger yourself or others. Improper handling could prove to be very dangerous.” The Princess spoke in a very serious tone, Thunder could tell it was very important and he made a detailed mental note of everything she said. “Do you understand Thunder?”
“O-of course ma’am.” Thunder nodded.
“Good. Well you best be off if you wish to catch your train.” Thunder nodded again and said his goodbyes as he left. His body brimmed with excitement as he rushed down the streets. The dream from last night had completely abandoned his mind, replaced by a mix of excitement and happiness.
Thunder was so excited he was completely oblivious to his surroundings…until he crashed into another pony.
“Ohmigosh! I am so sorry!” said a rather familiar voice. Thunder looked up and saw the same white and pink mare from the other day. “Oh hey you, nice to see you again…um…you know, I never got your name yesterday.”
“Um…h-hello…it’s Thunder…Thunder Bolt.” He said sheepishly.
“Well nice to meet you Thunder; so what made you run into me again? Was I just too irresistible for you?” She giggled and winked. Thunder blushed hard and shook his head.
“I-I’m sorry, I was just in a hurry and didn’t see you.”
“Uh hu, sure. Whatever you say cutie.” She giggled again. Thunder noticed she was very cute when she did that.
“L-look…I’m sorry, b-but I have to go. I have a train to catch.”
“Oh where are you going?” she asked in a rather overly curious fashion.
“J-just…” Thunder had just realized, he hasn’t even looked at the notes or map Princess Luna had given him. He didn’t know where he was going. “I-I’m going to a village to begin my test for Princess Luna.”
“Oh really now? Sounds exciting!”
“Y-yes yes…if you’ll e-excuse me, I must go.” He turned to leave, but the mare stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Wait! Would it be okay if I joined you?”
“wh-what?!” he almost shouted.
“Please? It’s so drab and boring here. Nothing happens, I just sit around my home and do nothing all day.”
“N-no! Y-you can’t come!”
“Aw c’mon! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please? I really wanna goooo.” She made a cute pouty face as she begged to be brought along. “My parents will be okay with it, c’mon take me with you.”
“Mmm…” he thought for a few moments. “f-fine! If it’s okay with your parents…m-meet me at the train station within the hour. If you’re not there, I’m leaving without you!” he said forcefully.
Strawberry Swirl bounced happily and cheered. “Yay! Thank you thank you thank you! I promise you won’t regret taking me along.” She kissed Thunder’s cheek and ran off down the street. Thunder blushed hard and regained his composure, before continuing to the train station.
Thunder stood waiting for several almost an hour. His train was about to leave and he intended to be on it, with or without Strawberry Swirl. He tapped his hoof impatiently; if she lollygagged anymore, she wouldn’t make it.
“All aboard!” the conductor called out. Thunder took one last impatient look around before he moved to get on the train.
“Wait! I’m coming! Don’t leave yet!” Thunder stopped just before climbing on the train, he knew who it was. He slowly turned around, and there she was, Strawberry Swirl.
Thunder let out a sigh and stood there, one hoof on the train, one on the platform. He watched as Strawberry Swirl came closer and closer. She barreled towards him, huffing and puffing, and carrying two medium sized saddle bags.
Finally she arrived, almost collapsing when she came to a stop. She took a minute to catch her breath. “L-let’s….g-go…” Thunder nods and gets on the train, followed by Strawberry Swirl.
They walked down the aisles and found an empty room. They moved in and set their bags away and sat down. Strawberry was still breathing heavily and sweating.
“A-are you okay? You look like you ran a marathon.”
She nodded “Y-yeah…I’m…f-fine…” she laid back in her seat and closed her eyes. As the train slowly pulled away, Thunder decided it’d be best if he did the same, they had a long journey ahead of them, and he needed to be refreshed and ready…
“Strawberry!!!” Thunder’s eyes shot open. He heard the sound of hooves getting closer and closer. Thunder looked out the window and saw a massive stallion galloping towards the train. “Strawberry where are you?!” the stallion shouted out again.
Strawberry Swirl peaked out the window and sank in her seat. “Oh no…” she covered her face with her hooves.
“Strawberry Swirl…who is that?” a terrified chill ran down his spine as the stallion reach Thunder’s window, banging on it and shouting.
“Th-that’s my dad...”
“Y-your dad?!?! I thought he w-was okay with th-this!” Thunder began having a panic attack.
“You little bastard! Give me back my daughter!” the stallion shouted. Thunder ducked down and began praying that the train sped up.
“Dad! Go away! This is important to me!” she shouted back at her dad. “Oh gosh this is so embarrassing. I’m so sorry Thunder. My dad wouldn’t let me go so I had to sneak out.”
“Y-you…you s-snuck…out?! Oh no…oh no. S-sweet Luna…th-this is the w-worst thing…” Thunder began having a panic attack. He began to worry the authorities would come after him and arrest him for kidnapping or something.
“Strawberry! You get out of this train this instant!”
“No! I’m going and you can’t stop me!” she stuck her tongue out. Her father kept running until he fell off the platform and the train sped off. Thunder watched, terrified, as her father became a tiny blur in the distance.
“Wh-what in the name…o-of all that i-is holy, was that?!” Thunder said in a near shout.
“I’m sorry…I just really wanted to go with you, and my dad wouldn’t let me.” She looked down with a depressed look on her face. “I’ll…get off at the next stop…you’ll never have to see me again…” she looked like she was about to cry.
“Hey..um…i-it’s okay…you don’t have to leave…y-you can stay with me.” Thunder was immediately squished under Strawberry.
“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” she kissed him all over and hugged him tightly.
“I-it’s fine, really…p-please stop.” Thunder’s face turned completely red and he tried to wiggle away from her.
“Aw but I like kissing you.” She pouted as she climbed off him and sat back down.
“Th-thanks, but it’s not appropriate. I-I mean, I barely kn-know you…”
Strawberry just rolled her eyes and said, “so where we going?”
“Old Canterlot,” Thunder replied, “it used to be the capital until the civil war between the Princesses, now it’s just a ghost town.”
“What happened to it?”
“According to historians, the war had made it uninhabitable. Buildings were destroyed, the waters ran red with blood, and the very life force of the land was ripped from it, twisting and mutating anything that stayed…”
“Wait…so we’re going to a place that is practically Tartarus?”
“W-well…it should be safe. Princess Luna wouldn’t be sending one pony there if it wasn’t…”
“Uh hu, suuuure…” Strawberry Swirl rolled her eyes and got comfy, grabbing a blanket from one of the racks and wrapping up in it.
“Um…we sh-should probably get some rest…” Thunder said. He looked at her and saw she was already asleep, and was lying on his shoulder. He blushed harder and tried to push her off, but she clung to him and refused to let go. He just sighed and leaned against the window and watched as the landscape quickly passed by.
