Child of the Ransom Victim

Thursday, June 16

The Present

“Congratulations, cadets,” Spitfire didn’t try to dam up the river of sarcasm, “you have somehow managed to finesse your way to the next stage of your reserves training program. I don’t know how all of you did it, but you somehow scored just high enough to pass to the next portion of training.” She looked down the long line of expressionless faces as the cadets tried to hang on to their cool. Some stood in defiance while the rest tried not to look directly into the eyes of their fiery instructor.

It was a cool late afternoon at the cadet base where the more experienced squadron of cadets just got their results back from the penultimate exam. They would’ve been cheering, but instead they nervously waited for their superior to finish her downgrading speech.

The training was hard work and it never helped whenever the officers sneered at the very sight of newbies, but this time, Spitfire was legitimately pissed. The cadets always told themselves that it would all be worth it when they would fly with the elite, over the crowds cheering their names.

Spitfire strutted straight up to a random mare in the line and leaned in so closely that their muzzles touched, forcing the mare to look at her own terrified face reflected in Spitfire’s bright orange eyes. “...And if it wasn’t for the rookie Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, I would have personally failed all of you last Saturday.” She backed off from the mare, but she still marched on down the line. “Do you know why?”

“Why?” Flitter demanded, though her voice lacked resentment.

Spitfire paused for a split second after hearing her voice, remembering what had happened. “Because Wonderbolts just don’t slip past the finish line, they rock the whole show. That’s what Rainbow Dash did.”

“Oh, come on!” a burly voice boomed from near the left end of the line. “Why do we have to fly under Rainbow Dash’s shadow? Just because she’s some legend doesn’t mean that we’re slackers.”

Her eyes narrowed as her ears twitched towards the source of the sound. She turned to face the offender. It was Thunderlane, once the best in his class. “And you. You used to be somepony,” she growled. “But for the past few weeks, you’ve been slacking big time.”

“But R-”

“-Forget about Rainbow Dash!” she barked back. “If you actually tried, you could beat her in your sleep. You have to put in the effort and the hours… and Thunderlane, I don’t see a lot of fire under your wings anymore.” Her anger gave way to disappointment.

“Spitfire, I-”

“-Can it, Thunderlane. You know it.” Looking him up and down as he bowed his head shamefully, she decided it wasn’t worth it. “Dismissed.” She walked straight back into the training complex while the other cadets either took off or milled around the cloud field, now feeling the weight of Sptifire’s disapproval.

Cloud Chaser managed to separate herself from her sister after a long and pointless conversation about stallions. Thunderlane noticed her emerge from the crowd of cadets and couldn’t help but to stare into her eyes. It’s not fair, we’ve been living together for a while now, but I still feel like I just met her.

He felt a hoof rest on the back of his neck as she looked up at him before looking down to the side. “Spitfire railed on you today. Are you okay?”

“Okay?” he said incredulously, almost insulted. He scoffed, “I think I can take a little shit from Spitfire. Besides, what she says it true; I haven’t been putting all of my cards into this lately.” Thunderlane looked away as well, fidgeting with his hooves.

“I know. It’s been tough for us.” Cloud Chaser turned Thunderlane’s head to face hers and through his dull yellow eyes, she saw worry’s talons scratching at his mind.

Then he remembered to tell her something.

“I’m going to pick up my tuxedo from the dry cleaners. I’ll look so good at the dance tomorrow,” Thunderlane boasted, perking up.

He lifted her chin and tactfully flexed his muscles, watching that nice dark red color spread across her cheeks and muzzle.

Her eyes darted up and down and a giggle escaped past her lips before she purred, “I almost forgot that I used to be scared of you.”

Her words slid down his throat like vinegar as he remembered the day she invited him over to her home. You still should be, he thought. “I know, I made you comfortable, right?”

“Yeah, I remember.” She turned away, avoiding his piercing yellow eyes.

“Really comfortable.” He leaned in a little closer.

“Thunderlane, please.”

He paused for a moment before sucking his teeth in and sighing.

“Fine. I’ll pick it up and I’ll meet you at home.” Thunderlane gave Cloud Chaser a quick peck on the cheek before spreading his wings and taking off to the dry cleaners.

A blast of cold air swirled around him as he spiraled through the clouds, chattering his teeth. His mind drifted off to the thought of Cloud Chaser giving him that fuzzy feeling in his chest.

Thunderlane shook his head. I shouldn’t be living with her. But he didn’t even fully believe that. She and her sister need me. The indecisiveness made him feel sick.

Eventually, he made it to the dry cleaners. The mare working the counter snarled, “pick a number” before she ambled back into the back room to manage the clothes. Thunderlane plucked a number from the tape wheel with his mouth and moved to the back of the line before he heard a familiar voice.

“Thunderlane,” a haughty voice bellowed; it was just as powerful as Thunderlane’s, but it sounded warmer.

“Hey.” He walked over to a large tan stallion with an orangish crew-cut mane. “How’s my favorite cop doing?”

“Oh, same old, same old. D’you want to stop by for coffee and doughnuts after this?”

“No, I hate doughnuts anyway.” He paused. “So tell me, have you made any arrests lately?”

“No… actually, none this year so far, thank Celestia. There have been whispers of foul-play in the south-side downtown, but that makes sense; the weather is warming up ‘round here.” Thunderlane looked at him confused. “Crimes increase with temperature,” he said mechanically. “It seems bizarre, but it always happens that way.”

“Well, I was just at-”

“-Sir!” The mare at the front desk ran interrupted the two, Thunderlane whipping around to face her. She had a hysterical look on her face, her mane frazzled and her eyes wide.

“What is it?” Thunderlane looked around to make sure he wasn’t missing something obvious. The place looked completely normal.

“Your tuxedo, it’s completely destroyed. I only opened up the bag and I saw that it was completely ripped apart.” She held it up for him to see all the rips. Long cuts dug into the fabric, shredding it beyond repair.

“What happened? Who did it?” Thunderlane spat, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Maybe it’s an accident. I don’t know why somepony would rip up a tuxedo for no reason,” the cop said nonchalantly as he looked down at the floor.

“I come back to the dry cleaners to find that it’s destroyed?” Thunderlane snarled back, turning towards him. “I was going to look the best for the Cloudsdale Gala tomorrow.” The mare simply shrugged, but the officer growled at Thunderlane.

“You were going to look the best? You know it’s for your date. What's the point in trying to impress her when you're already hooked? You’re not just doing this for your own image, are you?” The stallion shook his head as he tried to figure out why he felt what Thunderlane said was so offensive

“No… it’s just that… I guess you’re right, Bucko.” Thunderlane looked back at the cut up clothes and decided not to do anything about it, it was out of his control after all. “Well,” he sighed, “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

“Same. I’ve gotta go myself, the police are holding an important meeting later today.” Bucko waved Thunderlane goodbye before turning back in line.

Ugh, how do they mess an order up that badly? I come to the dry cleaners and find my tuxedo destroyed. It still looked nice, but that thing was decimated. He tried to forget about it and eventually he was able to let it go as he saw his house come into view. It wasn’t as big as the one he used to have in Ponyville, but it looked much nicer and he didn’t really need the space to begin with.

He knocked on the door and Cloud Chaser beamed down at him, but her look shifted when she saw he didn’t have his tuxedo with him.

“Where’s the tuxedo?”

“It’s a long story.” He thought about what Bucko had said. “No, not really. Basically, the dry cleaners said it was somehow destroyed. You should’ve seen it, it was completely ripped apart and everything. Nopony has any idea what happened.” He walked inside, took off his cadet uniform, and hung it on a coat rack standing by the wall to his right. The house opened up to his left, revealing a dining table, a kitchen, and a living space all in one giant room.

“What are you gonna do?” Cloud Chaser closed the door behind him.

“I’ll think of something.” He looked back at the door. “My cadet uniform might look nice.”

“Except you never wash that filthy thing.” She scrunched up her muzzle.

“It doesn’t matter.” He walked into the living room and sat down on his recliner. “Besides, the important thing is that you look good on me.”

“Thunderlane.”

“What?” Thunderlane poured himself a glass of hard apple cider and took a long swig before setting the glass down on a chair stand. “Isn’t it true? I can wear a ripped up, dirty old t-shirt and still look the best at the gala with you next to me.”

“Thunderlane.”

“What?” He looked worried this time, he could feel the fear emanating from her presence.

“I’m going to visit my sister at the orphanage.” She bowed her head but she still kept her eyes on him as she tried to think of what to say next.

“Well, what’re you so nervous about? I don’t have anything else going on tonight, I can go. Let me shower and put on some decent clothes and we’ll be on our way.” He jumped out of his recliner and rushed around the house. He cocked his head at her and boomed sweetly, “Y’know you sound really nervous about the visit. I know it’s in a sinister part of town, but that’s why you have me.” He stood up on his hind legs and threw a few kicks to demonstrate.

She smiled, but it evaporated like boiling water. “The thing is. She-”

“-She what?”

“Flitter says that-”

“-Says what?”

“Thunderlane. Will you let me talk?” She shot him a withering glance, her hot piercing pink eyes gagged his mouth shut tighter than any kind of rope could.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“You can’t come.” Thunderlane wanted to protest, but he stopped himself when he saw the look on her face. When Cloud Chaser saw Thunderlane’s inquisitive eyes, she looked down and sighed. “Please don’t take this the wrong way. Flitter says she doesn’t want you to come, she’s still afraid of you.”

Thunderlane heaved an annoyed sigh. “I…”

“Don’t think too much about-”

“-She’s afraid because she doesn’t know me. I love you… that’s why you’re not afraid of me. If-”

“-That’s not true!” She snapped. The corners of her mouth deepened and she grit her teeth as she tried to wrestle with the thought of the past. “Thunderlane, baby, we have to live with this guilt for the rest of our lives,” she tried to think of the right words, “but we’ll be fine as long as we accept the truth. Don’t lie to yourself, Thunderlane. Don’t lie to me.” She stared him down, but when she looked into his decrepit heart beating inside of him, she couldn’t help but to soften up to him. “I know… look… it… if…”

“Cloud Chaser. We can’t look back, life’s a race. If Flitter doesn’t want me to go, then I won’t go. My first priority ‘round here is to protect you and your sister… even from myself. You go on with your bad self now.” Thunderlane waved her goodbye but he didn’t care to look if she actually left. She didn’t. “I need a shower anyway.”

As Thunderlane left for the bathroom, Cloud Chaser looked at him with a newfound respect; she didn’t realize he was aware that he was a danger to her and her sister. That’s why I love him, that stallion.

Thunderlane dried himself after the shower, walked into his room, flopped down on the bed, and stared up at a poster of the Wonderbolts. Spitfire, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, and all the others were flying in full formation. Spitfire said I’ve been slacking. He sat up. She’s right. I can’t focus on my training.

The door to his room swung open revealing Cloud Chaser. She closed the door behind her and walked over to Thunderlane’s head by the side of his bed.

“What are you doing in here?”

“What’s wrong with being in your room? The guest room is always so cold.” Thunderlane stared at her some more. “I just thought that since we sort of live together now, we should share the same room.”

“We really shouldn’t be doing that.” He trailed off.

“Why not?” She paused. “I know it’s because you take care of me and it wouldn’t be fair to me… I get it.” She didn’t. Cloud Chaser knew that Thunderlane separated themselves to protect her, but that only made the addiction stronger.

“Yeah… I thought you left anyway.”

“Oh, I didn’t want to leave just yet.” She murmured in an unusually low voice.

“Why not?”

“I was just thinking about what you said earlier. You said you would protect me, right?” She prowled around the side of the bed.

“By Celestia, I would.” He got up in excitement, rose up on his back hooves, and kicked the air, just like before. “Any stallion out there who tries to hurt you,” he made a hook with his right hoof, “they’d wish they’d never been born.” He strutted over to Cloud Chaser. “I’ll protect you on all sides.”

Thunderlane yanked her up on her hind legs, making her face even with his, and pinned her to the wall, his forelegs planted on the wall on either side of her. He looked down at her and when she stared into Thunderlane’s yellow eyes and felt his hot breath, she couldn’t swallow the strange sound she made deep in her throat.

“I…” she gasped for air, but the heat in the room infected her lungs, “I want to feel your protection.”

Thunderlane stood dumbfounded for a moment or two before leaning in for a long kiss. Cloud Chaser snuck a hoof behind his neck before feeling a strange sort of weightless as Thunderlane picked her up, carried her, and threw her down on the bed.

He looked back at his door for a split second before climbing on top of her. “Be gentle,” she managed to squeak before her voice was silenced by his lips again.

Thunderlane pulled back and looked into her wide eyes. “You have the cutest shade of red on your face.”

“Shut up and keep going,” she barked. Thunderlane didn’t object and the two passionately kissed each other, both feeding each other that same fiery drug.

Just when Thunderlane’s senses wandered to the burning sensation of her whole body, he jerked up. “I… I can’t do this.” He stood up and shook his head.

Cloud Chaser, who was still embarrassingly sprawled on Thunderlane’s bed, pulled her mane back and whined, “Thunderlane.”

“I’m sorry, Cloud Chaser. It doesn’t feel right.” He turned away in shame.

“Thunderlane.”

“I shouldn’t have to drag you through this. It’ll never feel right.”

“Thunderlane.”

“I can’t simply love anymore. Whenever I feel passion, I’m forced to feel obsession-”

“-Thunder-”

“-And compulsion, and fear, and,” he sighed, “never ending guilt. I can protect you all I want, but even though I try so hard, I can-”

“-Thunderlane. Don’t you say it.” Her eyes widened in the natural tonic mixture of fear and sorrow.

“I can’t love you.”

Cloud Chaser hung her head, but before she could say anything, the gonging sound of the doorbell broke the deathly silence. He looked like he was going to say something, but he simply turned away and opened the door to the main room.

Thunderlane then opened the front door, revealing his friend Bucko the cop. He laughed nervously, “You caught me at a bad time I’m afraid.” Though, when Thunderlane took another look at Bucko, he saw that he wasn’t jumping for joy either.

Bucko grumbled, devoid of any of his usual mirth, “I’m not coming here just to hang out with you, I and the other police are working on a difficult investigation and I’m afraid that you somehow got caught up in the middle of it.” Thunderlane looked to his right for a split second, but Bucko immediately sensed his unease. “It’s about Cloud Chaser, the mare you, how should I put it nicely, adopted back in the first part of March.”

“Bucko, I don’t know-”

“-Don’t worry, Thunderlane. You’re not in trouble. Besides, you wouldn’t stoop to a savage’s level… and even then, you’ve got the stuff to know that you should turn yourself in.” Bucko playfully punched him in the chest as he lightened up. “I’m sorry for what I said back there at the dry cleaners… sometimes words just don’t sit well for some reason. You’re a good friend, Thunderlane. All I need is from you is your permission to talk to Cloud Chaser.”

He sighed in relief, managing to throw some of the weight off his shoulders. “Okay.” He shivered as he ran back into his room. When he opened the door, he was kicked in the gut by the image of Cloud Chaser sobbing into her front hooves as she sat on the edge of his bed. She managed to lift her head to face Thunderlane who was still standing in the doorframe. In that very moment, Thunderlane rushed over and gave her a giant bear hug, unable to think of anything authentic to say.

“I… I know you said you didn’t want to drag me through… through…”

“I know.”

“But I don’t care if I get hurt in the process.” A shiver crawled down her spine. She continued in a strange and desperate screaming voice, “I want you to love me… I know you can’t… I can’t, but please, I feel so cold-”

“-You have to be strong.” He added, “like me.”

“I know.”

“No, I don’t think you know what I mean. Bucko is at the front door.”

“So?” She asked sulkily.

“He’s asking about an investigation, Cloud Chaser. It’s about-”

“-I know what it’s about, okay,” she boomed before standing up and trotting out of Thunderlane’s room, Thunderlane following her close behind. She took a deep breath before saying to Bucko, “what do you want to ask me?”

Bucko responded in an unusually official tone of voice, “Cloud Chaser, I hope you know already that your father Shiverwind disappeared quite a few weeks ago and that since he hasn’t appeared back into the public eye, the police may, if we must, pronounce him dead. If none of the investigators we sent out a while ago to the various ends of Equestria come back with a definitive location as to his whereabouts within two days, then we can only assume that he is dead. I am here to initiate a criminal investigation before that deadline. Okay?”

Cloud Chaser looked at Bucko and then at Thunderlane and then back at Bucko with a strange look. Whatever the look was, it wasn’t surprise. “Go on…”

“You and your sister were the closest ponies to Shiverwind, if anypony knows what happened to him, you would know. Was he killed or did he just disappear?”

The three stood still for a long time, listening to the sound of Cloud Chaser’s cogs and gears spinning at full speed as she thought of what had happened. “I… I remember it was the first time Thunderlane was at my house. We were in… my bedroom…” she was too saddened to feel any embarrassment.

“I get it, keep going.” Bucko tried to keep his demeanor intact.

“Well, anyway, when Thunderlane here was ready to leave, we both discovered that Shiverwind was nowhere to be found. At the time, I thought he just left to run an errand or something, but the longer he was gone, the more and more I realized that he wasn’t ever going to come back. I know only as much as you do; it’s surreal, having somepony you know and live with on a daily basis suddenly disappear with no good physical explanation…” she faded away.

“That’s fine, duly noted.” He growled, “The police have been working on this case for forever at this point and nopony seems to know what happened to poor old Shiverwind.”

A vein of anger pulsed on Cloud Chaser’s forehead. Poor old Shiverwind, yeah right.

“Well, you’ve definitely got ponies on your side Miss. Chaser. The Letter Law Litigation Firm has been chomping at the bit to throw the pony behind all this into the big house… that is, if we can even find the perpetrator. I hear the firm recently hired a really sneaky lawyer with a temper to boot; you’ll definitely win with him on your side. Anyways, I wish all of you the best of luck.” Bucko casually swung his baton a few times before flying away. Thunderlane noticed it was getting dark out.

Thunderlane waited before Bucko was completely out of earshot before saying, “That was… a decent story.”

“Hmm.”

“Cloud Chaser, you don’t have to do anything; this is all on me.”

She exploded in anger. “No! I helped you. You keep forgetting about that part, don’t you? I’ve already chosen to do something about this, and Thunderlane, I’ve already fantasized about the million different ways I could die.” She exhaled, breathing like a choking animal. She shut the front door and trotted over to their bedrooms in the back of the house. “I’m living that nightmare, Thunderlane. We have to live with Shiverwind’s ghost and I can’t live like that.”

“Don’t you worry, Cloud Chaser; if anything more happens to you, I’ll take the responsibility. That’s what strong stallions do.” He spread his wings in determination.

“No Thunderlane, each time you say that you’ll protect me, you only ignore the past. The only way I can move forward in life is if I love you… because I can’t go back there.” Cloud Chaser glided over to Thunderlane’s side. “If you were really a strong stallion, you would love me back to help me recover. That’s what flying teams do, they help each other out.” She pulled Thunderlane’s face towards hers. “I don’t know how stallions feel so much passion when they see beautiful mares, but if you feel anything, please give it to me. I feel so empty without your love.”

“I said I can’t love you. I wish I could love you… but-”

“-How can you be unable to love somepony. You either do or you don’t. Do you ever feel that fire in your blood whenever you see me anymore?”

“Yes, I do. But how does that help you forget?”

She turned around in what Thunderlane thought was anger. She managed to choke back the tears. “I’m a filthy, desperate mare.” She lifted her head, stared vertically out the window, and growled low, “and Shiverwind made me that way.”

Thunderlane filled in the blanks. “Then I came in.”

She didn’t move. “Yes. And I saw my window of opportunity, my ticket to get out of my past, my tour guide. I immediately rushed to him, jumped on him, laid on him, thanked him a million times, I felt your fire and it felt great, and-”

“-I can’t keep making you happy. It’s physically impossible. It’s an addiction.” He paused hoping that Cloud Chaser would turn around. She didn’t. “That’s why I’ll protect you. I’ll make this all right again so that at the end of the day, we can love each other and not feel empty anymore. We’ll fly like the best dual acrobatics team in all of Cloudsdale. Okay?”

She still didn’t move and she didn’t quite seal the leak in her eyes either. “Okay.”

“Weren’t you going to see your sister at the orphanage? I think you need to meet her, you haven’t seen each other in ages.”

“Yeah, I will.” She turned around and slowly ambled to the front door.

Then, Thunderlane had an epiphany.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“I think I should see an old friend of mine. Remember Breezefly? He might help us get through this nightmare.”

“He wouldn’t help us.” But as soon as she said that, a horrified look spread across her face, and in that moment, she wanted so fiercely to tell him not to go. She didn’t do anything. “I’ll be safe, don’t you worry.” Cloud Chaser slammed the door behind her before she said goodbye. Thunderlane milled around his house for a little while longer, thinking about the past and what Breezefly would say.

Thunderlane somberly nudged the front door open and flew silently towards the other end of town while the chilly night air of late spring gnawed its way into his bones. I don’t know if I can remember his house after all this. A few weeks feel like a few years. He flew over downtown Cloudsdale where the stadium home of the Wonderbolts towered over all the other buildings, except for maybe the Rainbow Factory, where any pegasus could find work keeping Equestria’s waterworks running.

As the dense buildings of the city thinned out, he kept his eyes trained on the familiar streets before he finally found the house he thought belonged to Breezefly. He touched down quietly, almost silently, before walking up to the big double doors. To Thunderlane, they looked foreboding… not like they had been before Shiverwind’s disappearance.

He knocked.

“Who could it be at this hour?” Breezefly was right, it was very dark now.

Thunderlane chose his words carefully. “A not-so-old friend.”

No response came, though Thunderlane was absolutely sure that Breezefly had heard him; he imagined Breezefly in his house right on the other side of the door thinking about what he should say and what mask he should put on. Finally, the door opened revealing Breezefly with an expertly crafted deadpan look. “Come in, Thunderlane.”

“Thank you. You have no idea what we’ve been going through, Breezefly.”

“I can imagine.” But his face didn’t share the same sympathy that his words did.

“Look Breezefly, my fillyfriend feels terrible after what happened.”

“I believe that,” he said curtly.

“...And I feel terrible because I can’t seem to love her like I should… and I feel terrible after what happened to her father.”

“Why don’t you say anything, anything, straightforward? I know, I know it’s because of my career and my personality, but…” he sighed. Breezefly noticed how much stronger Thunderlane got over the last few weeks; physically, at least. He always made fun of how weak Breezefly was, but it didn’t really matter. Now, however, Breezefly was deathly aware of the difference. “What do you want?”

“Can you help us out?”

Breezefly got up in a huff, paced slowly around his living room and around his desk, carefully picked up a pair of scissors, and placed it inside one of the desk drawers. He sat down and looked at what seemed like important documents of some sort.

“Breezefly?” Thunderlane urged.

Breezefly continued reading before jotting down some notes and placing a bunch of papers into a raggedy black suitcase bearing his engraved name on a gold leaf placard. He adjusted his shamrock green tie and wrote down some more notes on a sheet entitled Black-White.

“Breezefly!” Thunderlane had enough.

“I already told you how you can help yourself out.” He maintained his even voice as he combed back his feathery sky blue mane.

“But Breezefly, that… what you said before doesn’t help Cloud Chaser.”

“You don’t like my solution. I understand. You don’t want to be separated… but that’s the best thing for you two to do at this point.”

“What’ll Cloud Chaser do without my protection?”

“Thunderlane, I appreciate your good intentions, but mares can defend themselves… this isn’t the Paleopony Period anymore.”

He chewed on that statement before he eventually swallowed it. “Okay… but I also mean emotionally.” Thunderlane turned away as he blushed a little.

“What’s the best way to get rid of an addiction?”

“Well, you have to…” he trailed off, realizing what Breezefly was really saying.

“You know it’s the right thing to do.” Thunderlane knew exactly what Breezefly was referring to.

“I can’t-”

“-Then get out of my house! I don’t ever want to see you again, especially now that I know you’re killing your fillyfriend from the inside out… as well. Get out.”

“Can’t you-”

“-No, I won’t help you. Not unless you help yourself.” Thunderlane slammed his hooves down on his desk, stood up on his hind legs, and raised his right hoof over him before seeing Breezefly shrinking back into his rolling chair; his green-blue eyes were mixed with fear and resistance. “Don’t do it, Thunderlane; not... again.” His words sapped all the energy and all the anger out of Thunderlane. He got off his desk and trotted back to the front door.

Thunderlane turned back to face Breezefly for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

“Get out.”

Thunderlane didn’t say anything else as he opened the door to the outside. He flew away from Breezefly’s house in defeat, not bothering to look back at his friend’s glare as he slammed the door shut.

Now it was completely dark outside and Thunderlane had only the lights of houses on the cloud ground to help guide him. The lights grew brighter and closer together as he flew over the city. It was eerie how little sound came from the south side during the night, it’s usually packed with ponies during the day.

Once the lights thinned out again, Thunderlane spotted his house. The lights are off, Cloud Chaser must not be home yet. I thought she would’ve been here by now... unless she’s staying at the orphanage. Thunderlane touched down right outside his door, noticing how much smaller and welcoming his door was then Breezefly’s was. He reached for his key inside his saddlebag, pulled it out, and turned the lock only to feel that it was already unlocked. I must’ve forgotten to lock the door.

He pushed the door open and closed it behind him, but when the reverberating sound of the shutting door died down, he heard a bizarre, shrill sound, like a noise a monster would make. It sounded like it was coming from his bedroom and right before he opened the door, he realized that the sound was a crying sound like he’s never heard before. Cloud Chaser. The sound was more intense than anything he had ever heard or even imagined. Thunderlane heard intense crying before, but this was different… it was unnatural.

His hoof rested on the cold doorknob for a moment or so before he slowly turned and opened the door. Sure enough, Cloud Chaser was right there lying on his bed, wrapped up in a blanket, and sobbing with her face in a pillow. Thunderlane sat on the bed next to her. “Cloud Chaser,” he imagined Breezefly telling him to forget about her the first time he met her, “I’m sorry. It’s because of my weakness that I can’t love you. I can still-”

“-I… it’s not…” she trailed off.

“Not what?”

“Y… you are the strongest st… stallion I know.” She rolled over, the fur on her face matted with tears. “But since you always say you will protect me,” he leaned in closer, “don’t take this the wrong way.

This is why I love her, he thought. She’s crying and she still makes sure I don’t get upset.

“I… I…” She exhaled a moaning cry. “I can’t say it.”

“Be strong… like me.”

She nodded and looked straight into Thunderlane’s eyes, worried that he might leave. Despite what happened, she saw the soul of a good and decent stallion, and the thought gave her the determination to say, “I... Thunderlane I was... on the way home from the orphanage... in the south side of the city... I was... raped.” The last word echoed around the bedroom before choking from the oppressive silence. She made sure not to mention what she said to the rapist. Cloud Chaser knew he couldn’t say anything more and so she added, “I know you... always so desperately want to protect me. But…” she couldn’t say anything more either.

I come home only to find that my fillyfriend was raped?

The two of them looked around the room, at the interesting ceiling and floor, and anywhere except each other for the longest time. Then Thunderlane thought of something.

“Will I be a father?”

“I don’t know.”

“If you have a child… what will his or her coat color be?” He asked hoping that Cloud Chaser knew what he meant. Cloud Chaser seemed to understand his implication and she remembered the fuzzy image of that stallion.

“He’ll have a bright orange coat.”

“What about his mane?”

“His mane’ll look grey and yellow like lightning. I bet he’ll grow up to have a clean shaven moustache and a goatee. And he’ll have your yellowish eyes.” She sat up. “What happens if I actually turn out to be pregnant?” She had to state the obvious, “You won’t leave me, will you?”

“I’m a strong stallion, Cloud Chaser; that’s not what strong stallions do.”

“He felt strong and he left as soon as he came. He didn’t hurt me that bad, but everything feels sore below my stomach… and in my heart.”

“I don’t mean that kind of strong.” He tried to sigh, but he only inhaled more air like a rat trapped in the hold of a snake. “I’m sorry I couldn’t pro-”

“-It wasn’t your fault. It was never your fault. Are you going to be okay?” she asked.

He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re the one asking me that? I knew I chose to be with the right mare.” She smiled a little, and when she stared at him some more, her smile widened until it lit up the entire room. “I… I can love you. Cloud Chaser…”

“What?”

“I love you.” He gave her a quick kiss before he walked out of his bedroom. He trotted to the center of his house and stood tall as he took a few deep breaths. I might be a father.

He stood there for a full minute before he jolted into action, flipping over the rickety dining room table, smashing lamps, pictures, and glassware, bucking the drywall and some kitchen chairs, and slamming his hooves down into the floor.

“I haven’t changed. I’ll… I’ll…” he shook, addressing Cloud Chaser’s not present rapist, “You raped my fillyfriend, I’ll throw you in prison. You won’t make me stoop down to your level like I did before”

And then Thunderlane realized something.

I’ll clean my name if I turn him over.

The glorious feeling of having a chance for redemption flowed through his veins as he stood there in the darkness that shrouded their house, and their lives.