Rarity had been studying them for days, they didn't interact much at first, with Thunder spending a lot of time with Twilight to learn control of her magic and helping the town to try to gain their trust and favor. But when they did spend time together Rarity was surprised to how at ease they seemed to be with each other, though Thunder was getting better at being more social she still had plenty of moments where she would struggle with ponies but with Rainbow that struggle seemed nonexistent. They could be reading, flying, or just simply hanging out and relaxing but they both seemed increasingly at ease in each others company Thunder improved with her flying bit by bit but still went out with Rainbow for training at every opportunity. Now many could just argue that they were friends and that Thunder wanted to become a strong flyer and Rarity could easily agree with that as well but even with that in mind she couldn't stop herself from watching, thinking and analyzing every time she saw them together.

Thunder, unaware her relationships were under a microscope, was spending the day with Red, she had punished Red's rash actions by giving her more chores and not allowing her to see her friends for the week, but now that the weekend was upon them she decided to lighten her iron hoof and took Red flying on her back. She thought that Red might enjoy the view of the world from the skies so moments before sunrise she woke the red filly, who followed sleepily and they took flight. Thunder flew in silence Red on her back holding onto her tightly so she wouldn't fall off until they found a thick fluffy cloud for Thunder to lay down on, not allowing Red off her back because of the fact that she wouldn't be able to walk on the cloud herself.

Red yawned sleepily, not used to being woken up so early in the morning burrowing deeper into Thunder's fur resting her head on Thunders neck to watch the sun rising in the sky watching the various shades of oranges, pinks, yellows, and reds coloring the sky. "Thunder..." she begins softly as the pair watched the sun quietly "tell me about Momma and Papa..." she rested her head down her ears prickling to listen as her eyes closed.

Thunder sighed deeply watching the sky as she spoke in a quiet measured tone "You'd liked them, they worked hard not only for us but for themselves and the entire town, they took me in when I was just a little foal and raised me like I was their own. Dad worked hard both on the farm and in the local silver mine while Momma, when she wasn't working the land on the farm as well, worked hard to make sure our home was as happy and warm as it possibly could be. They loved each other so much it was hard to see them apart, they had their fights, but at the end of the day they always acted like love struck foals" she chuckled, her eyes distant with the memories. "Things got a little harder when I got school aged, they had just began driving out the Pegasus and Unicorns so many ponies wanted me driven out as well, but Momma and Dad stood against them, pleading for me and trying to convince them that since I wasn't raised to fly I wouldn't be noticed by Charlie so I was allowed to stay though not many ponies were happy about that, older ponies began to ignore me while other fillies began to tease and pick on me but I don't think they really understood why I was so much of an outcast until later years" Thunder shifted uncomfortable with these memories.

"Dad was the first to go, lost in a cave-in at the mine, after that the mine was closed but our house continued to shake from his loss the next few weeks, Momma tried her best to keep us afloat but she missed him gravely so I began to help with the work on the farm it wasn't my favorite work but it seemed to help Momma, she smiled a little more anyways" a note of deep mourning entered her voice as she spoke. "Not long after we lost Dad you were born, Momma wasn't sure what to make of you at first she was so afraid to love again, I think it might have been because you looked so much like Dad that it frightened her" Thunder turned her head, finding Red watching her with rapt attention and continued her story. "But soon after we brought you home Momma got sick we didn't think much of it at first, just a little stomach bug she would say and off she would go to check the turnips but when she began to have fainting spells I begged her to see a doctor that's when we found out just how serious her 'stomach bug' really was" Thunder took a moment to gather herself wiping her eyes quickly with a hoof before continuing. "She didn't suffer long, but it was a painful time for us both regardless she tried her hardest to make sure we'd be well cared for and comfortable for a while after her passing. I had to drop out of school to make sure we didn't lose our farm but Mrs. Buttermilk helped me a whole lot, watching you while I worked and just helping me take care of you" Mrs. Buttermilk was an elderly golden yellow earth pony with brown eyes and a, now white, mane and tail who was a sort of grandmother every pony in town.

"They were good ponies and they wanted us to be the same, they loved us as much as any parent ever could love their children I just wish you could've met them and know them the way I did." She sighed "you have Mommas eyes and her sharp tongue, but your heart is all Dads, you're the perfect blend of both them but you have your own spin on that to make it all you and I think they'd be proud of that" Thunder finally fell silent the sunrise nearly over as she got to her feet, she began to fly gently to the ground so that she could walk home.

"You forgot someone" Red mumbled sleepily, startling Thunder who had thought Red was asleep on her back, "You are always there when I need some pony to talk to, you protect me, teach me and don't mind if I try to sneak into the sweets jar from time to time. You help me when I have nightmare, sing me to sleep sometimes, and you help me with my homework" Red yawned a little as Thunder unlocked the door.

"That's true" Thunder mused "I suppose you have a point little one" She headed up the stairs entering Red's room as she stepped around toys, books, and other general filly mess to pull the blinds down making the bright room dark once more. "Perhaps I have a bit of them too, and helped pass them to you" Thunder pulled Red's covers back carefully, pushing away a few smaller toys off the bed. "Maybe they would've been proud of us both" she gently folded her wings down and in a move mastered though years of practice moved Red from her back into her hooves and into the bed, pulling the blanket back over her and tucking her in. "G'night little fireball" she added softly starting to leave the room.

"You're a good Momma to me too..." Red mumbled sleepily "G'night Thunder..." she added as Thunder slowly shut the door behind her, her throat tightening as she heard Red's words and it took her a few moments to regain the ability to move.

Not feeling nearly as tired as Red and knowing there was work to do around the house Thunder decided to go out and work in the yard for a while until she had to send her to the Applefarm while Thunder went to visit her mother and father in Canterlot for the weekend so she went to work clipping the grass and pulling weeds, she was just finishing up an hour and a half later while debating about going into the market and seeing about some plants to make a small garden when a light blue Pegasus with a dark blue mane and tail and green eyes walked up to her looking a little lost.

"Hello, my name is Soarin, have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere we were supposed to hang out today and I don't know where she would be" The stallion looked very flustered about the whole thing and went a great deal at putting Thunder more at ease.

"Nice to meet you Soarin" she made a motion to shake his hoof, but then realizing she was dirty, decided to settle for a wave "Well her cloud house usually floats around town, but if she isn't there she's probably napping on a cloud near Whitetail Woods" Thunder walked over to the spigot that normally would connect with a hose and turned it on to wash her hooves off quickly. "Come on I'll help you out" she added "So how'd you meet Rainbow?" Thunder asked curiously, going inside a moment to write Red a note and then coming back out to fly low with Soarin listening as he told her a bit about himself and how he got to know Rainbow.

Rarity had been on her way to see Thunder, she had a few interesting outfits she wanted her to try out when she saw her flying overhead with Soarin, wondering what the pair were doing together she began to follow and after a bit of spying guessed they were looking for Rainbow Dash. She chewed her lip in thought she didn't know why but the thought of Soarin spending time alone with Rainbow suddenly unsettled her she knew Soarin was a good stallion and with all the murmurs that he was with Spitfire she shouldn't feel as nervous as she did but the very idea of them made her teeth want to grind, clearly she was getting to involved in the romantic fantasies she was creating. Rarity watched for a few moments, unable to hear what was being said and then turned to return to her boutique, forgetting the plans she had for the outfits she was carrying in exchange for finding out just what Soarin was planning with Rainbow Dash.

"I would stay, I really would, but I have to drop Red off to Applejack's then I have to go to Canterlot to see my parents, Mom thinks that I might have an easier time if I befriend some of the other important ponies of the kingdom, but thanks for offering guys" Thunder waved farewell to the pair before turning and starting home once again. Returning to find her note untouched she tossed it away into the trash and walked upstairs to wake up Red. As usual the filly was resist begging for five more minutes when she shook her but a quick reminder that she'd be able to see the CMC while Thunder was in Canterlot got her moving quick enough.

Thunder had only ridden on a train one other time in her life, and never before on her own like this but as her new 'title' spread through the kingdom she found herself with her own private sitting area on the train and offered several refreshments. She gently turned them down merely opening a book on magic that Twilight had lent her hoping to brush up on things before she had to try and woo a bunch of upperclass ponies. But her early rising and yard work seemed to catch up to her because no sooner then she began to read she was shaken awake by a sharply dressed train pony being informed that they had arrived in Canterlot.

She was quickly greeted by her mothers batpony guard, who bowed low onto their front legs and ushered her into a carriage to take her to the castle "So uh...how long have you been working for my mother?" she asked the pony next to her in an attempt to filled what seemed to her to be a stifling silence.

"We are demons from Tartarus who are bound to her service as will our child and our children's children be and one day, if she wills it, we will be yours as well as you are hers" The tall bat pony sitting beside her, his hoof on his weapon in case of trouble, answered in a quiet monotone.

"Really? You don't look like demons to me and how do you bind demons to your service?" Thunder studied the batpony curiously her confusion growing at his words, other than the dark blue bat wings he could easily pass as a normal pony, he was black with a short sharp flowing dark purple mane and tail. His eyes were a soft yellow color though one of them was pale with sightlessness and his pelt was crisscrossing with scars, the tell-tale signs of his long service.

"We were given these appearances so as not to scare other ponies, we had been summoned by an evil pony known as Sombra to help him take over a crystal kingdom, but when he was defeated and without a master bound to us we began to spread our dark influence through the world, so she used her magic to bind us to her instead and we've served her without question ever since" the batpony gave Thunder a slight smile "we are given much more than we had in Tartarus and we are able to live happy lives, I think that is a fair enough trade for eternal servitude" he stood as the carriage came to a halt and helped Thunder down to walk through the castle gates.

"Thank you uh...." Thunder bit her lip, not sure what her companion's name was.

"Night Wave" the bat pony responded bowing once again his one seeing eye studying the ground but his smile remained.

"Night Wave" Thunder grinned turning around and walking up to the castle door pushing inside, despite the large size of the door it was surprisingly easy to open. She walked through the main hall, her hoof steps echoing slightly in the mostly empty room a few ponies who knew why she was there bowed their heads and one even cleared his throat politely when she nearly took a wrong turn as she tried to find the main throne room. She blushed nodding her thanks and found the right door knocking and waiting for a voice of approval before she stepped inside.

"Lovely sunrise this morning Princess...er...Aunt...uh..." she paused for a moment but then cleared her throat quickly "Celestia, me and Red took some time this morning to see it for ourselves before I left" She smiled awkwardly, she still wasn't comfortable yet with referring to Princess Celestia as her aunt, but Celestia seemed to understand and didn't seem to mind what she was called, merely smiling and nodding toward a door on her right which led deeper into the castle and into Luna's quarters.

"Thank you, I'm glad you both enjoyed it, but your mother wanted to see you before we meet with another, in her room" Celestia winked playfully "You should head up there before she worries herself sick" she chuckles watching Thunder as she turned where she was directed and left through the door before continuing her court.

Luna smiled when she heard the knock on her door, knowing who it was she cheerfully walked over to open the door so Thunder could walk inside. "I hope you don't mind the escort, I just didn't want you to get lost, oh would you look at your mane" Luna began to fuss with her trotting over to grab a brush and begin to comb though Thunder's mane.

"Mom" she whined as Luna began to brush her mane with a gentle hoof "It's fine" Luna didn't seem to hear her whining tone however and continued to groom her until her mane was soft and organized, before moving to her tail. Despite her protest however Thunder didn't make an attempt to get away, secretly she kind of enjoyed being fussed over almost as much as Luna enjoyed fussing over her. After her adoptive parents passed she was forced to grow into a parental role for Red, and other than Mrs. Buttermilk she didn't have anyone to 'mother' her, she just didn't realize how much she craved mothering until her birth mother came along.

Finally Luna seemed satisfied with her grooming and set the brush aside "Now, we have a few ponies to met today but they should be easy to convince" she smiled "and when we aren't meeting with them you and I can do whatever you like, your father will be visiting tomorrow, something about trying to make some cheesy vines, I didn't understand it myself but you know your father" Luna rolled her eyes a little but chose to keep whatever comments she had to herself. Luna and Discord had been trying their best to get along, for Thunder's sake, but they were far from a couple whenever they were together it usually an awkward occasion even with Thunder around to serve as a buffer, chances are Luna would find something to do while Thunder spent time with Discord.

"-And then she comes running out of the Everfree forest being chased by a cockatric, a cockatric of all things" Thunder snorts a little "I understand what she was trying to do but I still can't believe she did it, she knows how dangerous that forest is" Thunder shook her head in disbelief "I'm just happy she didn't get hurt" she added as she and Luna entered the dining room to eat breakfast before going to their first meeting. She usually wrote to her mother to keep her up to date on her daily activities but she held off on this story because she was visiting her anyway.

"I'm glad to hear she didn't get hurt either, I know how much she means to you" Luna knew the pair were close and was pretty fond of the red filly herself. The pair sat down, their plates already set and served, and began to eat talking idly between swallows.

Their first meeting was outside with an important white unicorn named Fancy Pants he had a well-groomed light navy blue mane and tail with light blue hooves and a small blue mustache and three light yellow crowns with dark purple diamonds as his cutie mark. He had blue eyes and was known as the most important pony in Canterlot and usually was dress in a black tux with a dark blue undershirt and purple tie with a monocle. Luna hoped that if Thunder could win over that unicorn more ponies would come to her side given the pull he had in several social circles.

Unlike most of his class, Fancy Pants seemed genuinely interested in getting to know Thunder asking her questions about her past, her upbringing and her family both birth and adoptive. So, under Luna's watchful eye Thunder began to speak telling him everything about what had happened from her perspective from meeting the main six and fighting Charlie to moving to Ponyville and finding about her true parentage. She didn't attempt to hide the quiver in her voice as she told her story, Fancy Pants was a pony who took pride in the kingdom and her stories of discrimination gave him plenty to think about both for Thunder and everyone else who still lived in Hoovesdale. "Even when I was young I wasn't allowed to enter school unless I wore wing weights and I was only allowed to get my food after everyone else had left the cafeteria. I got my own table to eat and no one came near me, well at least in school anyway. I was often called names and beat up by other ponies in town it made my Momma mad but her and Dad did what they could to put an end to it, after they passed things got a bit harder but with Red to take care and my dropping out school things were too complex to focus on the things ponies would whisper as I walked down the streets" She quickly wiped her eyes, not noticing the flare of rage in Luna's eyes as she told her story. "I tried to keep my chin up and worked hard to keep Red unaware of the issues I had been having but of course eventually she noticed the bruises but she didn't quite understand it, not completely, I think that's part of the reason she did what she did in the Everfree forest last week she knew that I suffered and she didn't want to see it happen again." Thunder took a deep breath the tears returning despite her best efforts " They hate me because I exist, I'm different and I shouldn't be, I shouldn't have the happiness I do possess all because I'm not the same as every pony else. I'm a nothing and I'll only ever be a nothing because that's the way they made me feel" Her voice trembled a little and even clearing her throat couldn't rid it of the lump that was lodged there "But I don't want to be a nothing anymore..." she choked out wiping her eyes again stubbornly trying to get rid of the years old tears still flowing through them "G-Give me a moment" she quickly excused herself turning toward the hedge maze to try to calm herself down. despite her brave front she didn't realize just how raw the wounds still were.

Thunder didn't even turn when her mother trotted up behind her, gently pulling her into an embrace and wrapping her protectively up in her wings "It's alright to cry" Luna mumbled hugging her close, feeling her foal tremble in her wings, she tightened her grip and gently stroked her mane "I'm here now, let it out, it's okay..." under her mother's gentle probing and her caring words Thunders resistance crumbled, with a quiet whine she gripped her mother tightly and began to weep in earnest all those years of bottling up her sadness it was a relief to finally have a good old fashion cry. She sat there for a few long minutes, holding onto her mother like an life line as she felt at least a small piece of her burden falling from her shoulders. Thunder pulled away at last wiping her eyes again "Uh, thanks Mom" she smiled awkwardly "I hope I didn't ruin anything" she chewed her lip.

But Luna shook her head "I think that your true emotions will help convince him" she glanced back over to where Fancy Pants was waiting for them and smiled slightly "Do you want to go back now?" she looked back at Thunder in concern.

"No, I think I need some time to collect myself before I try to talk about it some more, give Fancy Pants my best" Thunder turned heading into the maze knowing that if she got lost she could just fly out. She wasn't sure how long she had been walked but she was so wrapped in her own thoughts it took her a moment to realize someone was calling out for help.

"Hello?" She yelled back heading toward the voice in confusion, it sounded like Celestia...but how did she get into the center of her maze without some pony noticing her disappearance? Thunder began to quickly trot toward the voice in concern, it truly sounded like whoever it was, Celestia or not, was scared. But when she got to where the voice seemed to be coming from, it was empty. "Hello? Celestia? It's me Thunder" She called looking around curious, her head jerking back toward what appeared to be a large stone basin almost big enough to bathe four ponies in at once. She slowly, cautiously walked toward the basin climbing up the steps that surrounded it to look in the water that filled it. But it couldn't be water could it?, it had some sort of silver gleam to it, or was that just the sun and water reflecting off the grey stone that created the basin? She wasn't sure but she didn't have long to think it over because she suddenly heard some pony laughing from inside the silvery water and Celestia's face appeared. "Celestia? What are you-?" her question was cut short when the Celestia reached forward, pulling her down into the basin.

She struggled hard to get free from the grip of her aunt needing air, but it was only after hit the bottom, her head scrapping against the side of it painfully, that she was finally released and free to swim back toward the surface of the water. This basin is a lot deeper than it looks she thought dizzily as she kicked toward the water finally breaking the surface taking a deep breath, only to cough it back out once again when she inhaled mostly smoke. Blinking water from her eyes she realized that the maze seemed to have vanished, the castle was in ruins and everything else that would give her the slightest clue that she was in Canterlot seemed to be destroyed as well even the plants seemed to have died off long ago, everything was dull brown and grey. Slowly, her body tired from her frantic swimming, she climbed out of the basin walking down it suddenly cracked steps and hurrying toward where the castle had been standing. "Mom!" She shouted worriedly coughing again as she got a mouthful of soot. She reached the castle in record time looking at the crumbled walls and broken glass panels wondering what could've possibly happened to Canterlot. She unfolded her wings taking to the sky as she called out for her mother, hoping for an answer but finding nothing but barren wasteland surrounding her, suddenly she heard a sharp crackle of magic from somewhere inside the ruins of the castle seconds before it hit her in the chest her body twitched once... twice, before she fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a bone cracking thud. She groaned her eyes going in and out of focus at the blurry shape that had taken her down "M-Mom..." she croaked out as her vision went black sending her deep into the warm world of dreams.

Author's Note

another update yay! I've been very eager to write this chapter for so long you don't even know XD I hope you enjoyed it and I can't wait to update again