Love is In Bloom

Chapters

Good Morning
Good Afternoon
Good Night

Good Morning

Colton, Northern Equestria

“ThunderClap,” the young filly exclaimed. “Wait for me!”

The young colt glanced over his shoulder to see that his neighbor, a filly named QuickSiver, was trying her best to catch up with him. He repressed the urge to roll his eyes while continuing upon his way, albeit at a slower pace. Quicksilver was two years younger than he, making her nine years old to his eleven and she insisted on following him everywhere. At first he found it rather amusing but now it was just getting on his nerves. The other colts in his class were constantly teasing him about his yellow-maned shadow who followed his every move. It was common knowledge that Quicksilver had a huge crush on ThunderClap but he refused to acknowledge it for he was afraid that if he did, even in the slightest, it would only end up encouraging her.

“Where are you going?” Quicksilver panted as she trotted up beside him.

“To the store.” He mumbled. “Mama needs some fresh milk.”

“Oh!” She grinned. “What a coinc…coinc…” She frowned.

“Coincidence.” He offered.

“Yeah! That! What a coincidence. I need to go to the store too.”

He raised his brow in her direction. “Oh yeah? For what?”

“Eggs.” She responded without hesitation.

“What kind?”

“Brown.”

“How many?”

“Twelve.”

He smacked his hoof against his forehead. She had thought of everything. “Let me guess,” he asked, “You want to come with me?”

“Sure!” She beamed up at him.

“Fine,” he groaned. “But I’m not carrying them on the way home, and you are not allowed to come over. Mama doesn’t want any company.”

“That’s okay. I need to help my mom in the kitchen anyways.” She huffed while flicking her tail.

ThunderClap and Quicksilver lived in Colton, a small community where the livestock outnumbered the ponies two-to-one. It was a located in the center of a vast, thick evergreen forest and the primary export of the town, besides milk and eggs, was lumber. Almost every stallion that turned of age ended up working in the lumber yards, cutting down trees and preparing them for transport. It was a very dangerous job that resulting in dozens of injuries every year but thanks to the magic of the unicorns and the speed of the Pegasus, the ponies of Colton were able to prevent any serious tragedies.

The process was quick simple. The unicorns would use their magic to keep the trees steady as the Earth-Ponies used large, wiggly saw-blades to cut the trees down. Once they cut all the way through, the Pegasus ponies would then gently guide the tree down to the ground by teaming up and slowly lowering it to the soil. It was a much slower process than just cutting the trees and letting them fall wherever they wanted, but it was much safer this way.

Once the trees had been felled and stripped of their branches, outside contractors – very large and powerful Clydesdale Horses from their sister city Clydes Hill, would pull carts filled with evergreens to the mills where they would be chopped into lumber, boards, and other wood products such as tables, desks, and cabinets. It was hard, but honest, work that kept Colton thriving. Sure, none of the ponies would become millionaires, but they would never go hungry.

ThunderClap wanted nothing more in life than to become one of those brave Pegasus who help lower the trees. Not every Pegasus was guaranteed the job – only the strongest of the strong were chose and it was considered a great honor to make the cut.

However it wasn’t just the honor that ThunderClap wanted, but the ability to live up to his father’s name. His father, LightningStrike, had passed away almost three years ago from an accident out in the woods. From what ThunderClap’s mother had said, his father was helping in the felling of a massive evergreen when suddenly one of the unicorns passed out. The poor mare had been feeling sick all week but she had refused to call in to work. The result was that she ended up overexerting herself to the point where her body literally just turned itself off. LightingStrike and several other Pegasus were caught in the aftermath. Several Pegasus survived with bumps and bruises but LightningStrike suffered from more serious injuries. He succumbed to them days later.

His father had a memorial built in his honor; a brass plaque that rested upon the walls of town hall. It was during his father’s funeral that ThunderClap had decided in becoming a lumberjack pony. His father’s co-workers had spoke so highly of Lightingstrike that ThunderClap wanted nothing more than to being as good as, if not better than, his father.

Someday, Thunderclap thought to himself.

“Thinking about your dad?” Quicksilver asked; her tinny voice cutting through his thoughts like a knife.

“Huh?” He blinked while shaking his head. “What?”

“Every time you think about your dad, you get this funny look on your face.” She pursed her lips together while half-closing her eyes. “Like this.”

“Oh,” he frowned, embarrassed at having been caught day-dreaming. “Yeah, I was.”

“He was nice,” she said. “I always liked him.”

“He was,” ThunderClap agreed.

“Do you miss him?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes. Mama misses him more, though. I catch her looking at his picture all the time.”

Quicksilver frowned. “Oh…” she whispered. ThunderClap looked down at her and decided to change the subject. “So, uhm, what kind of cake are you and your mother baking?”

Her ears perked as a smile replaced her frown. “Vanilla with chocolate frosting! My favorite!”

ThunderClap smirked. “That sounds good.”

She flicked her tail back and forth. “If you carry my eggs back to my house, I’ll save you a piece!”

He glared down at her but then rolled his eyes while sighing. “Fine. Deal.”

“Yipee!” she began skipping all around him as they continued towards the store. He couldn’t help but to laugh at her antics. Yes, she annoyed the heck out of him, but it was all in good fun. Besides, she was a real sweet filly. Who could ever dislike a mare such as she?

That Night

Click…

ThunderClap shifted upon his bed.

Click…click…

He rolled onto his back while smacking his lips.

Click, click, click…

He opened his left eye as the sounds began to rouse him his slumber. Upon the sixth click, he realized that the sound was coming from his bedroom window. He rolled out of his bed to trot over to his window. He used his nose to push open the window to see who in the hay was causing such a racket. He looked outside to see Quicksilver standing outside. She had been throwing pebbles at his window and she looked as if she had seen a ghost.

“What are you doing?” He hissed down at her.

She looked over her shoulders, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Even in this poor lighting, he could see that she had been crying. “Can I come up there, please?”

“You’ll wake my mom!”

“I’ll be very quiet, I swear!” her voice was beginning to crack and he knew that if he didn’t react now, she’d start crying again. Muttering under his breath, ThunderClap whispered, “I’ll be down in a second!” He snuck out of his room and made sure that his mother’s bedroom door was shut tight. Once he confirmed that, he crept downstairs and opened the backdoor to let Quicksilver inside.

“What is wrong with you?” he whispered, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

“The cicadas are back,” she whimpered, tears dripped down the sides of her cheeks.

ThunderClap forgot all about his anger as he poked his head outside. Sure enough, the eerie screeching sound of the tiny beetle-like insects filled the entire forest. He closed the door and made such to lock the bolts. It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid of the bugs, the act of locking the door was more for Quicksilver’s sake than his own. She had this unimaginable fear of the sound the cicadas made, a fear that ThunderClap did not quite understand but he knew just how devastating it was to her. It was probably the only time he did not mind her being around.

“Why didn’t you just crawl into your parents’ bed?” he whispered while leading her to his kitchen.

“Daddy thinks that I am just over-reacting,” she sniffled. “He and mommy locks their bedroom door now so I can’t get in.”

ThunderClap sighed. “I’m sorry,” He used his teeth to pull open the ice-box. “Do you want some juice, or maybe some milk?”

“Juice,” she whimpered. He stole a glance over his shoulder to see that she was trembling from mane to hoof. Her eyes kept darting towards the windows as if she expected the cicadas to suddenly burst through and attack her. He didn’t blame her, those blasted bugs had a very creepy sound to them, but her fear came from something more primal for as long as he had known her, the very mention of cicadas drove her into a frenzy. He didn’t understand it, but he didn’t question it either.

“Here you go,” he offered her a cup of orange juice. She set it down besides her but did not bother taking a sip. Her eyes were glues to the window.

ThunderClap watched her for several seconds, noticing the smaller details that he hadn’t paid attention to before. Her cheeks were still moist from crying, her eyes red, her bottom lip trembling. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her, but how to do that exactly, he had no idea.

“C-can I sleep here tonight?” she whimpered, eyes still focused on he window.

He bit his lip. “What about your parents?”

“They won’t be up until past sunrise. I’ll go home before then.” She forced her gaze from the window and into his eyes. “Please?”

He sighed. “Okay…as long as you are home before they wake up.”

“Thanks,” she took a sip of her juice but didn’t bother finishing it. He set it up onto the kitchen counter and together the two fillies retreated up to ThunderClap’s bedroom. He closed the curtains to his window as to keep Quicksilver from staring out into the darkness then jumped into bed. She followed right after, sneaking under his blankets and curling up into a tight ball at his side. She reminded him of a frightened kitten, the way she covered her face with her blond tail, her tiny form trembling. Sighing in both frustration and worry, he snuggled up besides her, hoping that his presence would be enough to comfort her. She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder and eventually the trembling stopped. When he was certain that she had finally fallen asleep, he too closed his eyes and drifted into a deep slumber.

Quicksilver was a filly of her word. Sure enough, when the sun began to rise and the sound of the cicadas quieted down, she snuck out of ThunderClap’s room and crept back into her own house. So quiet as she that ThunderClap didn’t even notice that she was gone until he had woken up. He noticed that she was no longer in his room, put two and two together, and figured that everything had worked out in the end. He wondered, however, how long she would end up sneaking over since the cicadas were seasonal. He was unsure if he was bothered by the fact that she may be coming over every single night, or secretly pleased. As much as he hated to admit it, it was actually quite nice having her spend the night. He couldn’t quite explain how he felt, but just feeling her body nuzzled up close to his made him quite happy.

He shook the idea out of his head. She was practically a sister to him. Besides, what kind of colt would ever admit in wanting to have a slumber party with a mare? That’s just weird.

Still…

“ThunderClap, breakfast!” his mother called out from downstairs. His mind still swirling in uncertain and unwanted feelings, he dragged himself downstairs to breakfast.

The sleep-overs continued throughout the rest of the week. Quicksilver’s fear of the cicadas did not seem to diminish over time, in fact the louder they got, the worse she became. It was during the third night when ThunderClap noticed that she hadn’t spoken a single word to him during her visit. She just climbed up into his bed and hid under the covers. If it wasn’t for the fact that he could feel her bodyheat and see her tiny nose sticking out from under the blanket, he would never guess that she was spending the night. He frowned down at her during this night, tempted to wake her up and make her explain exactly why she was so afraid of the cicadas, but he decided against it at the last second. If spending the night next to him was all she needed to feel safe, it was a small sacrifice he’d give in order to see her happy.

Now this was another cause for concern. As the week went on, he began feeling oddly protective of the younger filly. He actually snapped at some of his friends when they had begun teasing her about following ThunderClap around all the time. It was so strange to no longer be annoyed by the filly but instead feeling some kind of unusual affection for her. He figured that this time together, just sleeping side-by-side was allowing them to become closer as friends, but as the nights went on, he found that his protective feelings were growing with each passing second.

Maybe it had something to do with how he looked at her. She wasn’t just the girl next door, he had always considered her more like a sister which was only natural considering that they had spent their entire lives living next door to one another, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew that that wasn’t it. There was something different in how he felt, an emotion he couldn’t quite understand and to be honest, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure he wanted to understand it.

He debated with the notion of telling her to stay home tomorrow evening but before he could come up with a conclusion, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, all the while snuggled up around the trembling little filly that slept against his side…

The next morning ThunderClap was awoken by his mother. She asked him to come downstairs but judging by the tone of her voice, this had nothing to do with his morning breakfast. When he entered the living room, still yawning from having been disturbed so early, he discovered that Quicksilver’s parents were standing in the center of the room. Quicksilver was standing just behind her father’s powerful legs, her little blue eyes peaking out from around his calf with a sheepish expression upon her face.

“ThunderClap,” his mother spoke up. “I want you to tell me the truth.” She turned around to look him in the eyes. “Has Quicksilver been sleeping in your room every night this week?”

ThunderClap considered fibbing his way out of the situation but judging by the look in his mother’s eyes, he knew that she already knew the truth. “Yes,” he whispered, swallowing nervously.

“We are not upset,” Quicksilver’s father explained. He was a tall, broad chested stallion whose muscles came from years of working in the forest. His mane was the color of molten steel, his brown eyes so dark that they might as well been black. He was a very intimidating pony indeed, one who made ThunderClap feel like a three-year-old in comparison. “We just want to know what’s been going on. I woke up early this morning to catch Quicksilver sneaking through her bedroom window.” He looked down to his daughter who shrank back in fear. “She and I had a long talk and now I want to hear your side of the story.”

“I-I don’t really know what to say,” ThunderClap answered honestly. “She was afraid of the sound the cicadas made and asked if she could spend the night.” He looked from her parents to his mother. He didn’t really understand what the big deal was outside the fact she had been sneaking out.

“That’s what she told me,” her father replied while nodding. He took a long, slow breath and exhaled through his nostrils. “Her mother and I have been talking all morning about how to handle this situation.”

“What situation?” ThunderClap asked.

“The situation between you and Quicksilver,” his mother replied.

“About her being afraid?” He cocked his head.

“About her spending the night.” She explained. “It’s just…” she bit her bottom lip. “Well, it’s just not appropriate for fillies and colts to be spending the night together in the same bed at your age.”

“Why not?” he blinked, shocked at what he was hearing.

She sighed. “I’ll explain at a different time, but I think we should listen to hear what her father has to say.”

“Listen,” Quicksilver’s dad said. “We’ve known about her phobia for a long time but we never knew it had escalated to the point it has become. We figured it was just a phase but now we know better. This is why we are moving to Clydes Hill.”

“What?” ThunderClap exclaimed. “But why?”

“Two reason, actually.” Quicksilver’s mother clarified. “The first being that Clydes Hill is fair enough away from the forest that Quicksilver will not be disturbed by the sound of the cicadas.”

“Secondly,” her father continued. “There are some doctors who live in the city who may be able to help us understand Quicksilver’s phobia.” He turned around to nuzzle his daughter’s cheek. “We feel awful in knowing that we were just exasperating the problem instead of solving it. With these doctors we may be able to figure out what is causing this fear and, hopefully, finally put a stop to it.”

“This is not a punishment,” he continued. “In fact, we are very happy to hear that you had helped her out so. We’d be more than happy to send a carriage to Colton during the summer so you can come and visit whenever you want. I’ll still be working here so Quicksilver will be able to visit you as well.”

“Oh,” ThunderClap felt as if his heart had suddenly been crushed in a vice – yet another emotion he couldn’t understand. He felt almost as sad as the day his father died but this was a different kind of sadness. It felt like loneliness, one he had never felt before. “I guess…”

“It will be okay,” he consoled. “I promise.” He looked to his wife. “We’ll leave you two alone to say your goodbyes but Quicksilver,” he glanced down to his daughter. “I want you home in half an hour to help us pack our things. Understood?”

“Yes daddy,” she mewled.

Her parents returned to their home. “I’ll start breakfast,” ThunderClap’s mother said. The moment she left the room, Quicksilver pounced ThunderClap’s chest and buried her face against him. “Promise me you’ll visit!”

“Of course I will.” He responded, hugging her back.

“You had better,” she sniffed. She clung to him for a minute longer before letting go. “I had better just get home…” she whimpered. ThunderClap watched as she slunked towards the front door. He wanted to say something, anything to make her look back over to him but no words came out. Instead he just stood there in shocked silence as she walked out of his house one last time…

Good Afternoon

Quicksilver’s father was true to his word: ThunderClap was indeed invited to visit the younger filly as many times as he wanted. At first he was taken aback by the larger city of Clydes Hill, having never really ventured outside of his own little town before. It was breathtaking to say the least. Whereas his town was built upon wood and straw, Clydes Hill was built with bricks and cement. They had real paved roads that were bustling with non-stop activity. It wasn’t nearly as large a city as New Pegasus, but it was still the largest city ThunderClap had ever seen.

The first thing Quicksilver and her father did was show ThunderClap everything the city had to offer; from the bowling alleys to the theater, to the five-story library, to the numerous shops that sold everything from saddle bags to shiny new horseshoes. It was far too much for ThunderClap to take in during his first visit and from what Quicksilver said, it would take him several dozen visits just to see everything. It was amazing!

After sightseeing, the two fillies would spend their free time lounging about in Quicksilver’s new home. It was a small apartment that had been built above a pizza parlor. This meant that every time ThunderClap came over, he would leave smelling like cheese and peppers; not that he particularly minded. He thought it smelled great!

During the winter months Quicksilver would travel with her father back to Colton. He allowed her to spend the nights over at ThunderClap’s house provided that she sleeps in a separate bedroom. Luckily ThunderClap’s house had a guest room that, while smaller than any of the other rooms, was just the right size for a pint-sized filly like Quicksilver. They would hang out and play in the snow, making snow-ponies or having snowball fights between one another and their school pals. At night ThunderClap’s mother would make them hot soup and for dessert, a steaming cup of cocoa complete with marshmallows.

Life was good…

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and their friendship was no different. As the weeks turned to months and the months into years, ThunderClap and Quicksilver slowly began to spend less and less time together. Quicksilver became very busy with school work and extracurricular activities while ThunderClap began to take spend time with the other lumberjack ponies. He began to take odd jobs from time to time, anything to help him attain his goal of following his legendary father’s hoofsteps. He made quick friends with several lumberjack ponies, from the unicorns who made sure that the trees stayed as still as magically possible as they were being cut down, to the Pegasus who used their strength to guide the trees down to the earth. He was very liked by the others and soon they were treating him as if he had been working alongside them for years.

The leader of the pack was a gruff, mustached pony named Timberwood. He was a no-nonsense pony with a dry sense of humor and very old-world, traditional values. He was famous around the lumberyard for having a weakness towards strong, independent thinking mares; blonds and red-heads being his favorites. An intimidating pony indeed but under that rough exterior was a kind, caring stallion with a heart of gold. He just refused to let anypony know that.

Timberwood had also taken it upon himself to show ThunderClap the ropes. He explained in greater detail just how exactly the operations went. Originally ThunderClap had imagined that the ponies just did what they were told but it went a lot further than that. Before being an official member of the team, each Pegasus had to train a total of one hundred hours with a team leader. They had to coordinate their moves, moving in perfect sync with one another. “The smallest mistake can lead to disaster,” Maple Leaf – the Pegasus training ThunderClap - explained. “These are just not your co-workers, but your brothers, your sisters. You will have to move as one pony. Failure to do so can get not only you killed, but those around you killed as well.”

“I know,” ThunderClap, now twenty-two years old, replied. “I lost my father in a tree felling accident.” He shrugged his shoulders. “A unicorn messed up and it cost him his life.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Maple Leaf said while wincing.

“Don’t be.” ThunderClap waved his hoof in the air. “It was a long time ago, I’m over it.” He grinned. “That doesn’t mean, however, that I am about to let his memory go to waste. I want to be as good a lumberjack as he had been.”

Maple Leaf clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s what I like to hear!” she said. “Now remember, if you want to impress Timberwood, you’ll need to showcase some pretty tight moves. You cannot afford a single slip up. Things have been getting a little screwy lately so he is only accepting the strongest of fliers. Understood?”

“I do!” ThunderClap nodded. He blinked. “Wait, what do you mean, screwy?”

Maple Leaf frowned. “Forget it.”

“No tell me,”

“I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

ThunderClap groaned. “But you did; now you need to tell me!”

The purple-haired mare sighed. “Fine!” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the other lumberjacks weren’t in earshot. “You didn’t hear this from me, but we’ve been having a lot more accidents than usual. Like, at least triple our usual numbers.”

ThunderClap’s ears flicked backwards. “What kind of accidents?”

“Ropes snapping, ponies getting lost in the woods, others are hearing strange noises which cause distractions. I mean, luckily no pony has gotten seriously hurt but it’s getting to be a serious problem.”

“Huh,” ThunderClap crinkled his nose. “Weird.” He considered what Maple Leaf had said for several seconds before shaking the thoughts out of his head. “Well, no matter. I promise that I’ll be the best student you have ever had. I’ll be on you like bark on a tree…” He blinked then blushed while stammering, “I-I mean, I’ll be right behind you every flap of the wing?”

She giggled. “I think I get what you are saying.” She glanced over her shoulder towards the rest of her crew. “I think I had better get back to work before they start getting ideas in their heads about us.” She turned around, paused, and then glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe you and I can meet up at Ruby’s Pub and grab a drink.” She flicked the end of her tail against ThunderClap’s throat which caused him to blush a second time. “How’s that sound?”

He cleared his throat. “Sounds fantastic! How’s eight?”

“It’s a date,” she replied with a smile and a wink.

Eight o’clock couldn’t come fast enough and when it finally did arrive, ThunderClap wished it hadn’t. He was standing in front of Pub Pony, a small juice and cider bar owned and operated by a blazing red-haired mare named Ruby. She was quick-witted with a sassy, smart mouth that could put even the toughest of lumberjacks to shame. She also sold the best spiced cider and chilled grape-juice in town so it was to no pony’s surprise that her tavern became a quick hotspot once the sun set.

Maple Leaf arrived right on time though ThunderClap didn’t recognize her at first. During the day her mane was a mess; full of twigs, dust, and leaves from working in the lumber fields. She also wore over-alls to keep the sharp branches from cutting into her flesh. Tonight, however, she was wearing a flowing dress, her mane was in an up-do, and she was wearing makeup. ThunderClap suddenly felt as if his mouth was full of cotton balls as he tried to keep from staring at her as she approached.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” she said with a smile.

“N-No Ma’am,” he stammered, then winced. Had he really called her Ma’am?

She didn’t seem to notice the slip-up, or if she had, she didn’t care. “Good.” With a fiendish grin, she twirled in front of him. “How do I look?”

“Uhm,” he swallowed. “Amazing, actually.”

She beamed. “That’s exactly what I was going for.” She looked at the doors leading into the tavern. “Ready for some fun?”

“After you!” He exclaimed while opening the tavern doors.

It turned out that no matter what she was wearing; whether it be make-up or a dress, Maple Leaf was still the same mare whom he trained with on a daily basis. “So I told Timberwood that if he didn’t like how I was flying he could just spout a pair and show me how it’s done!” She took a sip of her chilled grape juice then licked her lips. “How’s your cider?”

ThunderClap glanced down to his mug. The cider wasn’t the sweet kind his mother would serve him when he was a filly. This was made of stronger stuff and it had a slight kick to it. He wasn’t sure that he could finish the whole thing. “Not bad,” he admitted sheepishly. “Just not used to it.”

“It’s an acquired taste.” She cocked her head. “If you hadn’t drunk it before, why did you order it?”

He shrugged while glancing towards the other ponies in the pub. They were all lumberjack ponies, a mixture of Pegasus, unicorns, and earth ponies. They were a rowdy bunch, laughing and guffawing over whatever.

And they were all drinking from large frothy mugs full of spiced cider.

Maple Leaf caught his glance. “You know, you don’t need to act like them to become one of them. Not all of us are a bunch of smart-mouthed troublemakers you know.”

“Yeah,” he bit his lower lip. “I know, it’s just that…”

“You want to fit in.”

“I do,” He sighed. “I have big horseshoes to fill.”

“So you keep saying.” She took another sip of her juice. “But having a dirty mouth and being as loud as a manticore isn’t going to make you any better of a flyer.” She tapped her hoof against his chest. “It’s what’s in here that counts, not what comes out of here,” she tapped her hoof against his lips, conjuring a blush upon his cheeks as she did so.

“She’s right, son.” A familiar voice said from just behind ThunderClap’s shoulder. He looked behind himself to see the towering form of Timberwood. “A lumberjack is based on how well he or she performs, not on how much cider they can drink in a single evening.” He nodded to the two ponies. “Maple Leaf. I see you have dolled yourself up quite nicely though I must say that I figured I would be long dead before I caught you wearing a dress.”

She grinned. “You have ThunderClap to thank for that. We’re on a date.”

“Are you now?”

“I guess you could call it that,” she smirked while winking over to ThunderClap. “We’re also discussing the upcoming Flight Exam.”

Timberwood waved his hoof towards the table and ThunderClap was quick to scoot closer to Maple Leaf so that he future boss could have a place to sit. “I won’t be long, I promise.” Timberwood said as he made himself comfortable. “Look, Thunder, I knew your father back when he was just starting out and if you are even a percentage as good as he was, you’ll do fine.”

ThunderClap sat up a bit straighter in his chair. “You really think so, sir?”

“I do. All you need to remember is this; remain focused on those around you and do not let anything, and I mean anything, distract you.” He patted ThunderClap on the shoulder with his hoof. “You remember that, and you’ll pass with flying colors.”

“I really appreciate the vote of confidence sir.”

“Good.” Timberwood bowed his head. “I have taken up enough of your time. Please, excuse me and carry on with your date.” He stood up from the table and vanished back into the crowd of other ponies.

“See?” Maple Leaf said while poking ThunderClap with her hoof. “You’ll do fine.”

ThunderClap shrugged with a smile. “I hope so…”

The rest of the evening went rather well. They spent another two hours at the pub before taking a quiet walk through Colton’s main dirt road. The summer evening was quite warm yet not so much so that it was uncomfortable. ThunderClap couldn’t help but noticing, however, that the evening was unusually silent. He kept getting distracted as he stared into the dark, shadowy forests that surrounded Colton as memories of Quicksilver quickly dashed throughout his mind and even though Maple Leaf was great company, he couldn’t help but wishing for Quicksilver to be at his side right now so she could enjoy the stillness of this evening.

“Well this is my place,” Maple Leaf said as they walked up to a single-story house. “I had a fantastic time, really I did.” She nuzzled her cheek against ThunderClap’s and for that briefest of moments, all thoughts of Quicksilver vanished from his mind. “We should do this again sometime.”

He nodded vigorously. “Sure! I’d love too.”

“See you in the clearing tomorrow?”

“Same time, same place,” he agreed.

“Well,” She stole a quick glance up and down his body as the teensiest of smirks crossed her features. “Sleep well.”

He flushed. “You too.” He waited until he heard the door lock before returning to the street towards his mother’s house. As he walked, his mind wandered back and forth between Quicksilver with her silky soft blond mane and sapphire blue eyes to Maple Leaf’s purple rough-and-tough attitude and tomboyish good looks. It was a rather confusing feeling, sure, but a pleasant one.

He unlocked the front door to his mother’s house and tip-toed his way up the stairs to his bedroom. As his mother got up there in years, he went from son to care-taker. Oh, she was still in excellent health but that didn’t mean she didn’t need some help from time to time. Besides, it gave him a roof over his head and three square meals a day. How could any pony refuse such an offer!

Upon opening his bedroom door, ThunderClap immediately knew that something was wrong. The tempature in the room was like ice despite the fact that the air outside was quite comfortable. He looked around his room, squinting against the darkness for any signs of the chill’s source. All he could see was the fact that the window besides his bed was wide open. Frowning, he took a step forward only to hear the sound of crunching glass beneath his hoof.

Looking down he saw with dismay that he had stepped on a frame with he and Quicksilver’s photo inside. He carefully swept the broken glass off the floor and picked up the photograph. It had been taken almost three years ago when he was nineteen and Quicksilver seventeen. She was leaning her shoulder up against his, a goofy smile upon her face. He looked as if he had swallowed a lemon; lips pursed and eyes crossed. It was a cute, albeit silly photo but on he cherished for it was the last time the two of them had spent any time together.

He set the photo on his nightstand; bit down upon the pull rope attached to his windows and closed them. To his surprise, the room remained chilly. Too tired to give it any more thought, he climbed into bed, burying his entire body underneath the blankets and fell asleep.

“You know,” his mother grumbled over breakfast. “Just because you help me out around the house, doesn’t mean you can make such a racket when I am trying to sleep.”

He blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“I heard you tromping in your bedroom last night. These walls are solid but not enough to mute every sound that comes from your room.”

“But mother,” he argued. “I was out all night. I didn’t get home until late.” Then he remembered the open window and the knocked over frame. Suddenly everything made sense. “Oh! What you must have heard is my window opening and the sound of my picture frame falling off my dresser.”

“What now?”

“I must have forgotten to lock the window last night. When I got home it was open and that photo of Quicksilver and me had been knocked off the dresser. That’s probably what you heard.”

“Maybe,” she frowned but didn’t bring the subject up again. “Is your big exam tomorrow?”

“It is.” He replied. “I really wish you could come see me.”

“You know I would if I could, but there is just no way that I can make it through those woods in the shape I’m in.”

He smiled and wrapped one leg around her shoulder in a hug. “It’s okay, trust me. I’ll do my best to make you and dad proud.”

She kissed his cheek. “You’ve already have.” Her bright eyes sparkled with pride. “Now go out there and pass that test!”

“Alright you foals!” Timberwood shouted. “This is the time to prove yourself as stallions instead of fillies. You will each be assigned to a teacher and you’ll have to follow their every move as they go about their routine. Deviate from the path in any way and you’ll have to take the test next month. No excuses.”

His steely gaze moved down the line of Pegasus that had shown up. Besides ThunderClap, four other Pegasus were awaiting their exam. Timberwood called each Pegasus by name and teamed them up with a professional member of his crew. As expected, ThunderClap got paired up with Maple Leaf.

Things went flawlessly at first. ThunderClap mirrored her every dip, every turn, every barrel roll as if he was an extension of her body. Together they soared through the trees, twirled through the clouds, and dove towards the ground only to pull up at the last second. Everything was going according to plan…

And then she showed up.

It was as if Princess Celestia had caused a ray of sunlight to beam through the trees to encompass the sheer beauty that was his friend Quicksilver. She steeped out from between two large evergreens and the moment ThunderClap heard her cheering his name, he looked over his shoulder to where she was standing…

“Thunder!” Timderwood shouted but it was too late. That split-second in which he had taken his eyes off Maple Leaf was all he needed to lose track of where he was going. He crashed chest-first into the trunk of a might evergreen. He felt his ribs crack on impact. The Pegasus below all groaned as if they shared his pain. Timberwood’s crew darted up into the sky to catch ThunderClap before he hit the earth.

The last thing he saw before blacking out were the beautiful sapphire eyes of his childhood friend as she stared down at him in worry…

Good Night

ThunderClap woke up hours later inside of Colton’s medical clinic. It was a small three bedroom cottage that had been converted into a clinic by the local doctor, a mare named Bright Eyes. She was standing beside his bed when his eyes finally came back into focus. “Ah, you’re awake,” she said in a sing-song sweet voice. “How do you feel?”

It took a moment for ThunderClap’s body to register that he was once again conscience and when it did it felt like his whole body was on fire. “Like some pony took a sledge hammer to my chest,” he groaned.

“As expected.” She said. “You are very lucky to have only broken three ribs. If a branch had been in your way, at the speed you were going, you could have easily been impaled.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “You’ve got to be more careful!”

“He had better be,” a familiar voice growled. “If he is ever to be expected to join my crew, I cannot have him spacing out every time a pretty little filly walks by.”

“Hey Timberwood,” ThunderClap groaned. “Sorry about that.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough.” The elder lumberjack pony grumbled as he approached the bed. “You could have been killed, or worse, gotten others killed because of your carelessness.”

“I know,” he sighed. Right now his pride was hurting a whole lot more than his cracked ribs. “It’s just that I thought I heard Quicksilver cheering me on and it caught me by surprise.”

Timberwood rolled his eyes. “That’s because she was cheering you on.”

ThunderClap sat up, winced, and then lay back down. “I didn’t just imagine it? She was really there?”

“Yes.” Timberwood said. “And she’s waiting her turn in the lobby. She seems mighty worried that you may have gotten yourself damaged permanently.”

ThunderClap frowned. “You weren’t too hard on her, were you sir?”

“Not as hard as I am going to be on you.” He lowered his voice to a whispering growl. “Look, I like you kid, I really do, but if I ever see you pull a stunt like that again while working for me, you’re little butt will be fired so fast it’ll make your head spin. Do you understand me?”

ThunderClap swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Now the Bright Eyes has explained that you’ll be back soaring the skies in about a month or so, which is convenient since that is when you’ll be allowed to reapply. However I don’t want to see hide nor hair of you around my lumberyard for at least two months. You need to get your act together and your head out of the clouds before you even think about trying out again. Alright?”

ThunderClap nodded solemnly.

“Good. You get some rest. I’ll let Quicksilver know that she can visit you.” He walked out of the small room leaving ThunderClap alone with Bright Eyes.

“He really must like you,” Bright Eyes commented as she nosed through his paperwork.

“We’ve always been good,” ThunderClap replied, “But what makes you think he likes me?”

“Not once since I’ve known him has he ever allowed a single Pegasus reapply for his crew.” She glanced up from her papers. “Oh, he says that they can reapply in a month but the truth is, once you fail the first time, you fail for life. That’s why his crew is considered the best.”

ThunderClap whistled. “I didn’t know that…”

“Don’t take it for granted,” Bright Eyes advised. “He won’t be so lenient the second time around. You had better pull off some pretty impressive moves the next time you apply.”

ThunderClap smiled. “I will. Just you wait and see.”

There was a knock at the door. As Quicksilver stepped into the room, ThunderClap swore that his heart skipped a beat. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her blond mane was now past her shoulders, slick and silky smooth. Her blue eyes were as bright as sapphires and even though she wore a mask of worry, her face was angelic.

“ThunderClap,” she whimpered while approaching his bed. “I am so sorry!”

“Heh,” he shrugged, trying his hardest to mask the pain. “It’s not your fault. I should have been paying attention.”

“Still,” She leaned down to nuzzle her cheek to his. His heart practically leapt from his chest and into his throat. “I feel terrible.”

“Ah, uhm,” He swallowed. “Apology accepted?”

She nodded firmly. “Good!” A smile graced her lips. “So besides getting hurt, how are you? It’s been far too long.”

“I’m well. I’ve been helping out at Timerwood’s lumberyard, doing odd jobs to keep myself busy. Other than that, I’ve just been staying at home taking care of mother. She’s still pretty tough but she needs my help from time to time.”

“Timberwood?” Quicksilver blinked her blue eyes. “Oh, the pony who called me into your room, is that him?”

ThunderClap raised a brow. “You know it is. He and your father have been friends for, like, ever.”

Quicksilver’s cheeks flushed the cutest shade of pink. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen him, and, well, my mind has been a bit preoccupied.”

“Preoccupied? With what?”

She shrugged her slender shoulders. “You, to be honest.”

ThunderClap felt his pulse quicken. “Me?”

“Of course. I mean, I had no idea how badly injured you were until a few minutes ago. Now that I know that you are okay, I can breathe a little easier.”

He felt his shoulders slump. “Oh.”

She shot him a playful little smirk. “That doesn’t mean, however, that I hadn’t missed you.” She scrapped her hoof against the hardwood floor. “I didn’t mean to lose touch with you. You know how things can get…”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I guess I am as much to blame as you are.”

“But,” she glanced up to meet his eyes. “Since I’m in town, why don’t we start where we left off?”

“What do you mean?”

She bit her bottom lip and whispered shyly, “How about a date?”

His jaw practically struck his chest. “A-Are you serious?”

She shrugged.

“Y-Yeah!” He tried his best from leaping out of bed in joy. “Sure! Uhm,” he glanced to Bright Eyes who had been pretending to ignore the conversation by focusing on the papers in front of her, though she had been on the same page for the past ten minutes. “When will I be well enough to get out of here?”

“You will be allowed to leave in about two weeks.” She said without looking up from the papers. “Sooner if you rest up and stop straining your body,” She peaked up to meet ThunderClap’s eyes. “And stop straining your heart.” She winked.

He looked back to Quicksilver. “Week and a half from now?”

She grinned. “It’s a date.”

ThunderClap felt as if he was on top of the world. He wanted nothing more than to soar up into the sky and scream into the heavens just how good he felt. He had a date with Quicksilver! How could this day get any better?

It didn’t. Soon after Quicksilver left, Maple Leaf came to visit. All of the jubilation he had been feeling vaporized quicker than an ice cube on the sun. “I brought you some tomato soup,” she mumbled from around the container’s handle. “I hope you like it!” She set it down upon his bed stand while looking to him expectedly. He gnawed upon his bottom lip as the frusterating worm of guilt began to eat away at his heart. “Uhm, Maple,” he stared at his front hooves. “You know…Quicksilver…”

She smirked. “You really don’t need to say anything,” she explained. “I saw how you look at her.”

He blinked. “What?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh come on. The entire town knows how you two feel about each other. It’s not like its any secret of anything.” She shrugged, her smile slowly fading from her lips. “Though a girl can hope, can’t she?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. We had a good time on our date and if it is not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be. I’m a tough girl. I can handle myself.”

“I really appreciate it,” he replied while sighing. “Thank you. Are we still friends?”

“I wouldn’t have made you the soup if we weren’t.” She smiled though he swore he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “You had better eat all that up unless you want me feeling insulted.”

He grinned. “Yes Ma’am!”

Quicksilver visited the clinic almost every day. They used this time together to catch up. ThunderClap told her all about his work with Timberwood and the other lumberjack ponies as well as how his mother was faring. He mentioned how he had to drop out of school when he was fourteen to help take care of her and how his teacher took time out of her day to stop by his home to tutor him.

Quicksilver on the other hoof kept her stories to a minimum. She explained that although Clydes Hill was a fascinating city, there was nothing much worth talking about. Apparently things didn’t really change as rapidly there as they did here in Colton. She only mentioned her parents briefly and when she did, she spoke only of her mother. Nothing too specific really; just how she was still healthy and working to keep their home clean. When ThunderClap brought up her father, she grew quiet. It wasn’t until the sixth visit that she broke down and explained.

“He wasn’t as nice as a pony as everyone thought. He was quite temperamental and he would take his temper out on mother and myself.” She shrugged slowly, not meeting ThunderClap’s eyes.

“Really?” he gasped. “But he seemed so nice when we were hanging out. I mean, when you had to leave because of your phobia, he seemed so understanding.”

“Oh that,” she frowned. “Yeah, well he didn’t want anypony thinking that he raised a coward. I was supposed to keep my phobia a secret and when you found out, he was so ashamed he wanted to move the entire family. He was humiliated.”

“Are you seriously telling me that just because you were afraid of the sound cicadas make, he was embarrassed?”

“He’s a terrible pony,” she whimpered. “Do you remember why I was afraid of the cicadas?”

“You never told me,” he reminded her. “And I never asked.”

“Well,” she paused. “It’s because they were so loud,” she shifted from where she stood. “They drowned out the sounds I would make when he…would…pay me a visit.”

ThunderClap’s blood turned to ice water. “Are you saying what I think you are saying?”

“Why do you think mother made sure that father took us out in public any time you came over? She didn’t want him tempted.”

ThunderClap frowned at this. He could distinctly remember several times when Quicksilver and he would hang out in Quicksilver’s home with her father nearby. Not once did ThunderClap recall the older pony acting unusual. Was there something he was missing? Some memory that he couldn’t conjure up?

He decided to stop thinking so hard about it. The only thing that mattered was how Quicksilver was feeling. The confession made him feel suddenly very protective of his dear friend and he wanted nothing more than to steal her away from Clydes Hill so that she would never have to see her father ever again.

“So,” he whispered while changing the subject. “How long are you in town anyways?”

“Until the end of the month,” she answered, seemingly relieved that he dropped the subject. “And then I don’t know where I’ll go. I am not returning to Clydes Hill. Now that I am old enough to be on my own, I want nothing to do with that city. I was thinking of heading east, maybe to PonyVille or Manehattan.”

“You could always stay here,” he suggested. “I doubt my mom would mind you taking the guest room.”

She smiled. “That’s sweet, but I really don’t want to be around when the cicadas return.”

He frowned. “You know, the forest has been rather quiet lately. They should be out in full force tonight but you might as well be living in a sound-proof bubble considering how quiet the night’s have been.”

“Still,” she squirmed. “I don’t want to risk it. They bring back too many bad memories.”

“I understand.” He sighed. “Well,” he considered his options very carefully. “Would you mind if I joined you?”

She took a step back. “What do you mean?”

“When you leave; may I come with you?”

“But what about your mother? What about Timberwood?”

He thought it over. “My mother has friends who will be more than happy to check up on her, and as for Timberwood, well,” he met her gaze. “There are just some things more important than leveling trees.”

She practically pounced him but stopped herself at the last second least she crush his already hurting ribs. “I would love it!” She nuzzled her cheek to his before looking deep into his eyes. “You seriously care about me that much that would you give up everything just to be with me?”

He smiled shyly. “I guess I would…”

The weeks flew by and soon ThunderClap was well enough to leave the clinic. He had a lot of things he had to do before meeting up with Quicksilver for their very first date. The first thing he wanted to do was have a long talk with his mother, to get both her blessing and her feelings on his decision on leaving with Quicksilver. He didn’t divulge her secret with her father but he hinted heavily that something bad had happened which is why she had to be leaving as soon as possible. His mother seemed saddened by this news but understood. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way of her son growing up.

Timberwood, on the other hoof, was not so understanding. “Are you kidding me?” he had snarled. “After all the strings I had to pull to allow you to reapply, you pull this little stunt?”

“I really don’t mean to seem like I don’t appreciate this, sir, but…”

“No buts,” Timberwood growled. “You have been training you entire life for this opportunity and you are just going to throw it all away because your fillyhood crush asked you too? You aren’t being rational.”

ThunderClap frowned. “No, I’m not but she is something more than a fillyhood crush. She means all of Equestria to me.”

“You haven’t seen each other in years!” Timberwood countered. “How can a couple of weeks make up for all of that?”

“It just has,” ThunderClap snapped back. “Look, sir, I really appreciate everything you and Maple Leaf have done for me but I really think that she is the one for me. I lost her once before when we grew apart and I won’t lose her a second time.” He sighed. “I mean, if she leaves now who knows how long it’ll be until we are together again.”

Timberwood shook his head. “I can respect heart’s desire but I still believe you are rushing into something that you are not ready for.” He glanced up through the trees to see where exactly the sun was positioned in the sky. “I have a load of timber that I need imported into Clydes Hill. I won’t be back until morning and I hope you take that time to consider what exactly you are about to do.”

ThunderClap ran his tongue over his front teeth. “Yes sir.” He agreed quietly.

“Good.” Timberwood sighed. “I know that you and she have a date tonight. I want you to enjoy yourself but please, son, don’t let your feelings for her override your brain. You’ve put yourself through a lot to get to where you are today and I don’t want you looking back and thinking that it was all for naught.”

“I appreciate it, sir. I really do.”

Timberwood patted ThunderClap upon the shoulder before returning to his duties.

That evening ThunderClap met up with Quicksilver just outside of Ruby’s Pub. She strolled up to him with her mane flowing down around her face, a few strands covering her right eye. Her shining blue eyes seemed to reflect the moonlight giving them an ethereal glow. He thought that she was by fair the most beautiful mare he had ever seen in his life.

“So this is it,” she giggled. “Our first big date.”

“I know, I’ve been thinking about it all day.” He opened the swinging doors to the tavern for her. She stepped into the dimly lit room and he followed. “To say that I have been excited would be an understatement.”

She grinned. “You’re so cute.” She flicked her tail against his cheek. Broken wings or not, he felt as if he was literally floating off the ground. He followed close behind her as they approached the bar. Ruby was in the middle of talking to some of the local lumberjacks when she caught their eye. With a smile, she excused herself from the group to approach her new customers. “Hey ThunderClap,” She blinked. “Quicksilver? Is that you?”

Quicksilver offered a shaky smile. “Yes it is! How have you been…er…”

Ruby smirked. “Oh come now, it hasn’t been that long.”

“Oh, I know,” Quicksilver chuckled. “It’s just that, well, you know,” she stole a glance to ThunderClap. “It’s our first big date so my mind is kinda screwy.”

Ruby laughed. “That’s fine! What would you two like?”

“What’s good?” Quicksilver asked ThunderClap.

“The chilled grape juice is to die for,” he answered.

“Oh then by all means, two glasses of that!” she exclaimed, eyes glinting in curiosity and excitement.

Ruby poured them both a glass. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks!” ThunderClap responded. He bit down upon his glass’s handle and led Quicksilver to a more quiet section of the tavern. “I hope you like it,” he said to Quicksilver as he took a sip from his own glass.

“Oh, I am sure that I will,” she responded while taking her own sip. “Mmm,” she purred. “Not bad.” But she did not take a second drink. In fact, she pushed the glass towards the center of the table. ThunderClap didn’t seem to notice.

“So did you talk to your mother and boss?”

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Mother understood. In fact, she thinks it is a wonderful idea. Told me that it was about time that I leave the nest and explore the world outside of Colton. I guess she has a point.”

“And Timberwolf?”

He blinked. “Timberwood?”

She grinned. “Yes, I know, but come on. He acts like a wolf more than a pony.”

He thought about it and then laughed. “Yeah, I can see your point.” He took another sip of juice. “Anyways, he wasn’t too thrilled but I think once he calms down, he’ll come to realize that this really is the right thing for me to do. Besides, there are a lot more talented Pegasus in town who can handle tree felling better than I ever could.”

She shook her head. “I still cannot believe you are willing to leave everything behind just for me. Why is that?”

Just before ThunderClap could answer, there came a slurred, slightly mumbled voice of Maple Leaf. “Ah, so here they are, together at last.” She said while stumbling over to their table.

“Maple Leaf?” ThunderClap exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing!” she grumbled. “Why nothing at all except for the fact that I had been brushed aside just because some younger pony decided to show her face after so long.” She snorted in Quicksilver’s direction. ThunderClap felt his temper rise. “I think you’ve been drinking too much of Ruby’s spiced cider,” he growled.

“Nonsense!” She swayed from where she stood. “I’ve only hard thirteen five…” she raised her left hoof and stared at it for several seconds as if counting. “Thirteen seven, actually.”

“Whatever,” he snapped. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened, but it was just one date. I had fun, but my mind is made up.” He stood up and took a step away from the table. “I thought you’d be able to be happy for me, but I guess I was wrong. Quicksilver, would you care to join me for a walk?”

Quicksilver looked from Maple Leaf to ThunderClap. With a smug smile upon her beautiful face, she walked up to ThunderClap’s side, resting her jaw against the back of his neck as she glared into Maple Leaf’s eyes. “I would love too,” she purred while kissing ThunderClap’s shoulder.

He raised an eyebrow at Maple Leaf before leading Quicksilver outside. “How’s a stroll through the woods sound?” Maple Leaf heard Quicksilver ask as the two stepped outside.”

“Like a wonderful idea,” he responded.

Two hours prior:

Timberwood had just finished up helping the Clydesdales unload their carts and was relieved that he had the rest of the evening to himself. While he preferred the quiet of Colton that did not mean that he couldn’t enjoy the big city. He would start his night with a dinner at his favorite diner before visiting some of the sights, then ending the evening with a warm bath back at his motel room. It was one of the few times in his life he allowed himself to fully relax and enjoy himself as, once the carts have been unloaded, he had no other responsibilities that demanded his attention.

He was sitting at his usual table at the diner (he would purposely wait for it to empty if other ponies had arrived before him) and was pondering if he should have an hay sandwich with pickles and hashbrowns or an onion and lettuce salad with a large side of scrambled eggs. He was just about to make up his mind when somepony approached the table to clap a hoof against Timberwood’s back.

“Timber!” the deep voice cried out. “It’s been too long! How have you been?”

Timber turned around to see that his old fillyhood friend PlatinumHoof had entered the diner. He was the father of Quicksilver and one of Timberwood’s closest friends. “Platinum!” Timberwood smiled. “You old foal. How have you been?”

“I cannot complain. I have a new job downtown that involves paperwork and a desk,” he rolled his eyes. “I have to sign so many forms; I swear that I get splinters in my lip from holding onto the pencils for so long. What about you, you old goat, what have you been up too?”

“Ah, not much,” Timberwood grunted. “You know how it is in Colton. Nothing ever changes.”

“True.” PlatinumHoof agreed. “How’s the crew? Wasn’t tryouts a couple of weeks ago?”

“Yeah. We didn’t have a single Pegasus pass this year.” He rolled his eyes then poked PlatinumHoof in the chest. “You can thank your daughter for that one.”

“My daughter?” PlatinumHoof asked. “What does Quicksilver have to do with your ponies not passing?”

“Because of her, ThunderClap got distracted and failed his test.” He rolled his eyes again. “And now she has gotten him thinking about running away with her to Ponyville. Can you believe that?”

“Not really,” PlatinumHoof frowned.

“I cannot believe you’d let your daughter run away like that.”

“I wouldn’t.” He countered. “And I didn’t. Quicksilver is just outside,” He pointed through the diner window. She caught her father’s glance and with a smile, trotted into the diner. “Timberwood!” She hugged the older colt with her left leg. “It’s been far too long. How are…” she backed away when she saw the expression upon his face. “Timberwood? What’s wrong?”

“I got to get back to Colton.” He exclaimed. Without another word, he darted out of the diner and into the street. He found a carriage that would take him back to Colton and he paid the puller extra if he’d get Timberwood there in record time. “By Celestia’s name, ThunderClap, please be okay.”

It took an hour and forty minutes for Timberwood to return to Colton. He paid the carriage puller and ran as quickly as he possibly could towards ThunderClaps’ house. He pounded his hooves against the door until finally ThunderClap’s mother answered.

“Where’s Thunder?” Timberwood panted.

“He’s out with Quicksilver.” His mother replied. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Do you know where they went?”

“I heard him mention Ruby’s Pub. Timber, what’s going on? Why are you out of breath?”

“I’ll explain later,” he said before racing back into town towards Ruby’s Pub.

“Thunder?” Ruby asked. “Yeah, you just missed him. He left with Quicksilver like twenty minutes ago.” Ruby shook her head with a sigh. “Maple Leaf and he got into a little spat. The fellas over there have been trying to cheer her up but she won’t have it. Poor dear is really upset over the idea of being forgotten so easily.” She frowned. “I never would have expected Thunder to act like that.”

“He doesn’t.” Timberwood said. “Which way did they go?”

“Towards the woods.” Ruby replied while pointing out the door. “If you hurry, you can probably still catch them.”

“This is such a beautiful night,” Quicksilver purred while nuzzling her cheek along ThunderClap’s muscular neck. “The kind of night I was dreaming of when I was small.”

“It’s only so beautiful because you’re here.” ThunderClap responded. He then shot her a sheepish smile. “Too cheesy?”

She giggled. “Not at all. It was rather sweet.” They came to a clearing where the moon’s light peered through the trees. She trotted out to the center of the clearing then turned her head to look ThunderClap in the eyes. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered in a sultry voice. “You know, I thought about you ever night since I left. Just before I would fall asleep, I’d think of nothing but you.”

“I was the same way,” he whispered, cheeks flushing bright red. “No matter what was going wrong in my life, all I had to do was think about your smile and I would cheer up.”

She took a few steps closer to him. He could smell her sweet scene as she ran her cheek over his. “It’s been far too long since we’ve had some time to ourselves.” She nosed him under his chin then stepped closer as if to kiss him. She pulled away at the very last second. ThunderClap felt his pulse hammering in his ears. His body felt as if it were on fire as he felt his heart literally swell with love and desire.

“Do you love me?” she whispered into his ear. Her breath tickled his flesh as she did so.

“I do,” he gasped, eyes half closing. “With all my heart…”

She stepped closer. “With all your soul?”

“Every ounce of my being…” he leaned closer. “I am yours…”

A smile crossed her lips. “That’s all I wanted to hear…”

“Thunder!” Timberwood’s voice echoed throughout the woods. “ThunderClap! Where are you?” He had spent almost his entire life working in these woods. He could navigate through it as easily as night as he could during the day. He bolted through the trees, bounding over the bushes and dodging outcroppings of roots and ducking low branches. “Thunder! Answer me, son!”

He entered a clearing. “Thun…” he froze in place at what lay before him. He had never seen a creature like it in all his life. Standing a full shoulder and head taller than he, it had skin as black as ink and hair as blue as turquoise. Her legs were full of holes, her blazing venomous eyes glowing, her white fangs glinting in the moon light. The moment Timberwood stepped into the clearing, their eyes met. He felt as if his heart was in his throat as his blood turned to ice. Every instinct told him to run as far away from this creature but his feet wouldn’t budge.

For several seconds they stared into each others eyes and then, as quietly as the night itself, she extended a pair of insect-like wings and leapt up high into the night’s sky. He stared at her silhouette as it flew through the sky until it finally vanished from view…

And with the monster gone, the cicadas resumed their song…

They never did find the body. The ponies of Colton just assumed that ThunderClap and Quicksilver had eloped. His mother was heartbroken that he had not said goodbye before leaving while Maple Leaf felt as if it was all her fault for how quickly ThunderClap vanished. Only Timberwood knew the truth...

He told nopony about what he saw. They wouldn’t believe him even if he did. All he could do is keep an eye out in the woods and, during the summers, listen for any moment when the cicadas ceased their songs. If they ever grew silent, he would be on the look out for any pony that suddenly started acting unusual…

Whatever that creature was, Timberwood would be watching out for it and if, when it came back, he would be ready…

And hopefully prevent it from taking another pony from the small lumber town of Colton…