To say that Equestria was shocked would be an understatement, the news of Princess Luna having a foal spread like wildfire and soon Thunder found herself torn between never wanting to leave her home and wishing she could just disappear. At first it had been innocent enough: ponies approaching her and giving her gifts but soon even that spiraled out of control. Thunder would wake up to a crowd on her lawn and that was only the beginning. Soon ponies began to condemn her calling her a spawn of evil barring her from entering certain buildings, and for a few of the braver ponies, throwing things at her as when she was spotted in town a few nobles, included the insufferable Prince Blueblood had even take residence in town attempting to rally enough supporters to get her thrown out-of-town. But even some of her friends began to act differently Rarity nearly fainted whenever she saw Thunder, pampering her with trips to the spa at nearly every opportunity and making her fancy clothes whenever she turned around. Twilight was supportive, Thunder found out she was made a princess only recently so she understood the most about her problems, but Thunder couldn't help but feel bitter whenever Twilight came around: she had been made a princess but every pony seemed to accept her without hesitation.

But the thing that tested Thunder the most had nothing to do with her at all, it was Red the young filly had been overjoyed when she found out that Thunder's birth mother was a princess but soon even she was feeling the effects of Thunder's lineage: fillies and adult ponies alike began to treat her differently all because she lived with Thunder and the dark blue mare had an influence on her life. Luna tried to help spending time with Thunder at night, telling her stories and teaching her more about the stars to try to ease her discomfort. Even Discord was trying his best to cheer her up in his own way, giving them a large pink cotton candy cloud that rained chocolate milk, but despite every ponies efforts Thunder sank back into her own shell and only left the house when she absolutely had to, or when Rainbow and Pinkie dragged her out, they were both determined to keep her social in their own ways Rainbow would take her out and practice their flying and she would show Thunder her stunts while Pinkie would bake her cupcakes and throw parties for her, but Thunder would rarely enjoy herself at them due to the sheer number of ponies there though she put on a brave face for her friends sake. Thunder heard Red get home from school as she just finished cleaning up the living room "Hey kiddo, how was school today?" she asked as she walked out to meet her.

"Terrible" Red complained tossing her cap onto a hook near the door "I don't know why ponies are so upset with you, you didn't do nothing to them" she frowned sadly "do you think they're going to be like this forever?" she looked up at Thunder curiosity mixing with her sadness.

Thunder sighed "Bullies don't need a reason to get upset" the mare draped a wing over her adopted sibling, pulling her into her side "anything that is different they want to change and I'm different I'm afraid, they only see me as a monster because of the things I can do" She looked down at the filly with a sad smile "I'm just sorry you had to get dragged into this" she sighed heavily.

Red's frown deepened "But you aren't a monster!" she argued "They shouldn't treat you like this without at least knowing you first, it isn't fair!"

Thunder rubbed her mane with a wing "Don't worry about it Red, it's just like in Hoovesdale, just focus on your school work and being a filly you're to young to have to worry about this stuff, what do you want for dinner?" Thunder walked into the kitchen to look through their food supplies for something to eat.

But Red couldn't get Thunder's words off her mind, how could anyone think her older sister was a monster? Thunder didn't even have the heart to kill spiders that wandered into their house, she always trapped them in jars and let them out in the backyard. She ate her dinner in silence and then asked her if she could out and play with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom at the clubhouse... she had a plan.

The four fillies approached the Everfree forest filled with excitement and fear in equal measure running through them "Are you sure this will work?" Scootaloo whispered to Red as they walked into the trees, Red had asked if they would help clear her sister of 'monster' status, by showing Ponyville what a real monster looked like.

"It has to Thunder can't sit at home all day that's all she did in Hoovesdale when she wasn't working and it wasn't good for her, so the sooner we clear her name the better" Red looked around as she lead them through the trees. She knew that lots of monsters lived in this forest they just had to find one convincing enough.

"Rainbow, really you don't have to come and make sure I'm not being a hermit" Thunder chuckled. She had been coming over to check on Thunder once every few weeks, not nearly as much as Rarity but Thunder thought that that was part of the reason that Rainbow visited very little given that usually Rarity would arrive with several outfits for Thunder to try on, sometimes with a Daring Do book under her wing sometime just with the intention of dragging her outside. She heard Rainbow close her balcony window and lock it behind her before she started to walk down the stairs with a scoff.

"I brought the next Daring Do though" Rainbow grinned at her waving the book teasingly near her face, as if trying to tempt her with it. "Can't let you miss out on 'Daring Do and The Ruby Bloodstone' it's awesome!" she waited eagerly for Thunders answer, already knowing what it would be.

Thunder made a show of sighing and shaking her head, but she was smiling "Alright, I suppose a few chapters wouldn't hurt leading Rainbow into her living room so they could settle down to read today was Rainbow's turn to read aloud, at first they had tried reading together in silence but since Rainbow had read them before she read faster than Thunder and always finished the pages first and was forced to wait until Thunder caught up. The pair barely noticed the time passing as they traveled with Daring through a thick jungle searching for the Bloodstone, an ancient artifact said to control volcanos.

So deep they were into the story it took them a moment to realize that night had fallen and some pony was knocking on Thunder's front door. Rainbow marked their place in the book as Thunder got up, looking curious at the urgent knocking. Neither mare expected to see both Rarity and Applejack on her doorstep, but that's just what they found when Thunder opened the door.

"Have you seen the girls?" Applejack asked Rarity had begun to speak but, noticing what they had interrupted, raised a curious eyebrow allowing Applejack to take control of the situation.

"No, Red told me she and the girls were going to the tree house to play" Thunder blinked in surprise suddenly realizing the time "Why when was the last time you saw them?" She questioned already sliding out the door and heading down her walk her dark fur hard to spot in the dark, but the others were quick to join her side before they lost sight of her completely.

"I was told that Applebloom and the others were coming here" Applejack explained, Rarity nodding agreement to Applejack's words to verify she had been told the same thing.

The girls didn't have to look long however when the fillies came tearing out of the Everfree forest some sort of dragon chicken hybrid on their heels. "What is that thing?" Thunder looked confused.

"Rainbow Dash, go get Fluttershy, she's dealt with this beast before, and we might need her again" Rarity ordered, the cyan mare saluting and flying away as quickly as she could without breaking anything. "Princess, you should go find a safe place to wait this all out, you're far to important to risk being turned to stone" Rarity added turning her eyes now to Thunder.

"Rarity first of all, that's my sister that thing is chasing too so I don't plan hiding in either case second of all don't call me Princess I've told you I'm not a princess" Thunder squirmed a little uncomfortable with the title that Rarity insisted upon using at every opportunity.

"But you are the daughter of a princess so wouldn't that make you one too?" Rarity cleverly responded, Thunder had started to open her mouth to object but snapped it shut after a few seconds of silence, not really sure of the answer to that question herself. Their attention was quickly taken from their conversation when the fillies scream, apparently the beast had began to turn Scootaloo to stone using its glowing red gaze.

Without thinking Thunder turned to Applejack and Rarity yelling out orders in quick clipped tones "Applejack, I need you to get something to tie around its head to try to stop it from staring at any ponies until Fluttershy gets here. Rarity, make sure no pony gets to close to it, we don't need ponies becoming lawn decorations" Thunder picked up a stone, tossing it at, what she now realized was a cockatrice, as she hurried forward managing to break its gaze from Scootaloo. "Hey ugly, over here!" Thunder yelled throwing another rock but trying to keep her eyes on the ground making sure the filles were running away from the beast but also away from the forest.

Thunder chewed her lip "Girls, get back...find a place to hide NOW!" her tone was firm, not angry but full of parental scolding, and even as the word echoed through the mostly silent town she could hear the four fillies running away as she had ordered. She wasn't even aware the several ponies began to leave their homes curious at the noise and shouting, but Rarity managed to keep the newcomers up to speed and they kept their distance while Thunder ran the creature in circle praying for some pony to return and help her. Finally she heard Applejack begin to wrestle the beast from behind, waiting until Applejack gave her the go ahead to finally look up again. Applejack had tied a small sack onto its head the thick fabric of the sack managing to uphold against the beast's furious pecking, at least until Fluttershy and Rainbow returned.

Thunder breathed a sigh of relief turning to speak to Red, ignoring the ponies that were either trying to get a look at her or whispering in dark tones as they stared at her. "Red, was this all your doing?" she glared at her sister who nodded mutely her ears pinned back against her head "Why did you do this, you could have been killed, and what's worse you put your friends in danger" She continued to scold but her body finally relaxed from its tense iron like posture.

"I...I just wanted to show everyone you weren't so bad, I thought maybe if they saw what a real monster was like they wouldn't hate you anymore" Red replied hoarsely her throat thick with emotion and her eyes burning with unshed tears.

Thunder sighed sitting down "Red, listen to me, I know you only did this with the best of intentions and I know you don't want this place to turn out like Hoovesdale had been but you can't just go looking for the quickest solution to your problems all the time sometimes that will just make more problems. You have to think about those around you, what if I had lost you tonight what would I have done without you?" She smiled a little before her face melted back into her serious expression "I'm not saying that they way their behaving is the right thing, or that just ignoring it is the right thing either but diving headfirst into danger isn't going to prove them wrong, you just have act as if what they say doesn't bother you and work to prove them wrong" She nodded casually to Fluttershy and Rainbow as they landed to deal with the cockatric, but her focus had turned from Red to the ponies watching her and with a determined jut of her chin she stepped toward them, a few ponies backed away in fear but she stopped until she was at the edge of the group.

"My name is Thunder Mist, I'm sure you all know by now that I'm the daughter of Luna and Discord, because of my parent's pasts I am capable of using dark magic and chaotic powers. My parents did terrible things, like refusing to lower the moon and turning the entire world upside with their hijinks but despite their actions they have reformed and gained most of your trust and understanding" she held up a wing when Rainbow Dash and Applejack moved to flank her. "But what have Idone? Yes I attacked Blueblood once, but that was before I even knew I had these abilities, or even who my birth parents were. I was raised in a town where Unicorns and Pegasus aren't welcome merely because they were born with wings or a horn, when I first came here I thought it was a welcome change from Hoovesdale and many of you agreed that the way they run things was wrong, but there's no difference between there and here in my eyes because I'm being treated like an outcast for something I have no choice about, But I've been working on learning to control my powers with Princess Twilight" Thunder stepped a little closer, now no pony moved, looking at her thoughtfully. "Give me a chance, get to know me and you might even find that I'm no different than you" she finished taking a deep breath to calm her nerves now that she had finally gotten the words out.

"Don't be fools!" Blueblood pushed his way through the crowd until he could glare at Thunder "this creature is just trying to trick you! It can't be trusted look at what its sister brought to us? It's just trying to lull us into a false sense of security before it strikes and ends us! We need to drive it out now while we still our senses!" the white unicorn swung his head around his short golden mane barely moving as he studied the crowd waiting for more ponies to join his side.

"You want to kick her out Blueblood, you'll have to go through me first" Rainbow said stepping in front of Thunder as if to shield her, her eyes fiery with determination and making Thunder blush.

"Don't think I'll just stand by either" Applejack snorted quickly joining Rainbow glaring at Blueblood, making Thunder even more flustered.

Soon other ponies began to join Thunder's ranks, including Derpy, Neon Light, Lyra and Bon Bon. Rarity, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders joining Rainbow and Applejack in the front lines presenting a unified front while Fluttershy took a spot close to Thunder to try to soothe her thin nerves and soon with their words of assurance, and a pointed reminder that Thunder was another element bearer, more and more ponies began to leave Blueblood until he was alone on his side of the invisible line that separated them.

Blueblood looked around in disbelief as he realized he was completely alone before he glared "Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you" he growled before turning with a regal sniff and began to return to his temporary quarters his nose in the air.

"Well..." Thunder cleared her throat awkwardly "that was....interesting" she nodded to those who had chosen her side and gave them a wobbly smile "Thank you, for giving me a chance I might make a few mistakes but as long as you all are supportive I'm sure I can prove to be a valuable pony for the town" her smile grew a little more solid as they gave her well wishes and apologizes in equal measure and even a few pats on the back before they to began to head inside.

"You guys really helped me out back there, I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't stepped in" they had truly looked like there were ready to burn her at the stake or something, at least they trusted Twilight and the other element bearers enough to let Thunder stay for a while longer. "Do you need help getting the cockatric back into the forest Fluttershy?" She asked, having for the moment forgotten the odd creature until it ran into a small stack of buckets making them clatter to the ground loudly.

But the yellow Pegasus shook her head "No I can handle him, he just needs another talking to" then releasing the beast from the sack on its head began to lead it back to the Everfree Forest. Applejack also wishing them a good night and taking Applebloom and Scootaloo with her, softly telling them off for their behavior because they knew how dangerous the forest and the cockatrice was to begin with promising to visit Thunder in the morning.

"So...I guess we won't be reading together all that much now huh?" Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with an almost timid smile making Rarity, who seemed to be forgotten at the moment, raise her eyebrow again curiously.

"Nah, you can come over whenever you want, I was really getting into that book" she laughed then let out a large yawn blushing in embarrassment "sorry..." she mumbled softly her eyes flicking to Rarity again, who waved away her concerns with a dainty flick of her hoof. "I suppose I should go home now..." Thunder shuffled her hooves a little "Uh... well... Goodnight" she said looking between the three remaining ponies before flicking her tail to Red and leading her sister back home eager to get some sleep, though her time with the cockatric had been short it had put her through the emotional wringer and she felt like she could sleep for a thousand years.

Rainbow watched the pair for a moment before, realizing she was now alone with Rarity and her sister, turned away from Thunder and Red wishing the remaining ponies a good night before flying into the air and heading in the direction of her cloud house, also eager to get some sleep.

Rarity began to lead Sweetie Belle home, her mind so distracted she wasn't even thinking about punishing Sweetie for what she had done, she couldn't help but be curious about Rainbow and Thunder's bond, they seemed rather close at first she merely thought they were friends but could there be something else there as well buried under the surface like gemstones... she couldn't help but wonder, determined to try to find some answers after she got her beauty sleep.

Author's Note

sorry for the wait on the update folks, but Star-Crossed wouldn't leave me alone and then I needed a little time to unwind and get my mind back onto this :D what is Rarity going to be doing? Will Blueblood really give up so easily? Well I can't wait to update next so you can get the answer :)