Author's Note

This chapter went a place I did not expect, but that's a good thing. I liked it.

I hope you guys like it too!

Thundersitting

Much as she wanted to begin an investigation on her own terms, Spitfire decided not to do anything yet. She would not do anything until she was sure Thunderlane was in control of himself again. And judging by the way he was scribbling on papers, he was not present at the moment. She would wait it out until he was himself again. However, she did not know how this had come to happen, or what exactly she could do to get him back, so she needed to act fast. She went over the loudspeaker to ask Soarin to lead their practice. She would stay with him until he was back. She had made a promise that he could use this office for whenever he lost control of himself, but she had assumed, perhaps foolishly, that his older self would still be in there when it happened. But she saw the truth now. He was not himself. He acted very young, like a colt, or even a foal. And she couldn’t just leave him alone. She wouldn’t do it to a foal, and she certainly wouldn’t do it to a teammate.

This then left Spitfire with a bit of a challenge. She knew about foals. She knew enough on how to take care of them from occasionally watching some distant cousins on her mother’s side. The tough part for her was boxing up her captain and drill sergeant sides of herself. It was much easier to do with actual foals. The size, the diapers, everything about that was easier than this. Because even though he was currently a foal on the inside, he still looked like her teammate.

But this wasn’t her teammate, she told herself. Not right now, at least. She struggled internally with herself for at least a good five minutes. Enough time to give Thunderlane time to finish his drawing. He held it up for her to see.

“Look! That’s me flying with you!” He said proudly. Spitfire eyed it. It was crudely done, a mass of scribbles that were only discernible because of the colors in the suits they wore, and their Manes. But one look in his proud and hopeful face, and she softened. No way she could crush his dreams. She may be a lot of things, but she was not cruel. Definitely not cruel enough to crush the fragile ego of a foal who looked so pleased with himself. She sat down beside him.

“That’s a really good picture.” She complimented. She saw his eyes sparkle, and he let out a small squeal.

“Really?!”

She found herself smiling, and nodded. “You got all the colors just right. It’s awesome!”

He gave her a sunny grin. “Tanks!”

She nodded again. “What other things do you like to do?” She asked. She figured she might as well learn what she could about this part of him now, because when he got back to his senses he would likely be too embarrassed and shut her out to say anything later.

“Like flying, and my toys, and paci, and doing stuff with Mommy!” He said.

And there was that word again. Her interest was piqued now. “What do you do with your Mommy?”

“We pway. And she helps me fly better and gives me hugs and feeds me.”

“Really now?” She asked.

He nodded happily. “Yeah! Last time she gave me moo moo.”

Spitfire didn’t know how exactly she knew that he was talking about milk, but she did. “That was nice of her.”

He nodded. “She nice. She the best Mommy ever.” He grinned. Spitfire saw a chance and took it.

“Does Mommy have another name?” She asked.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “M-“ He started to say something, but there was fog, suddenly clouding his mind. More specifically, clouding her name. “I dunno.”

Spitfire nodded in understanding, but she was suspicious. He had been about to say something. She knew it. Whoever was doing this to him, they were smart enough to make sure he couldn’t reveal them. Or her in this case, she supposed.

Thunderlane, however, was oblivious to her suspicions, and started chewing on his hoof. It took her a minute, but Spitfire noticed this and tried to pull it out.

“Hey now, that’s not good for you.” She said. “That’s what pacifier’s are for.” The last part popped out of her mouth before she realized what she had said. He looked at her and frowned, pulling his leg from her grip.

“Paci at home.” He said, and he looked mournful. She didn’t want to admit it, but the look really got to her.

She made a decision on impulse, one that she would later thank herself for. “How about I take you home?” She asked. He nodded. “Can you fly there with me?”

His wings buzzed. “Yeah!”

She smiled, and nodded. She left a note for Soarin to find, likely within the next hour as he knew he was to report to her when he was running practice. Then, she took Thunderlane home.

She followed him when they got there, through the home and into his room. There were some toys on the floor, but other than a blue blanket on the bed, nothing really seemed amiss there. Thunderlane started to smack his lips, which she took to mean he needed something in his mouth before he started to chew or suck his hoof.

“Where’s your pacifier?” She asked.

He pointed to the bed. “Under there.”

She nodded, and went to get it, when she spied a diaper bag. She pulled it out.

“Is it in here?” She asked, looking inside.

“In where?” He asked, tilting his head to one side in confusion.

She blinked. “In here. In this bag.”

“Wha bag?”

“You don’t see it?”

His eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh, oh! Are we playing pretend? I wanna play, I wanna play!” He cheered.

Spitfire was still processing what she had just seen, but her mouth still moved. “Let me find your pacifier first.”

It took some doing, but after moving the bed, she found the soother. She handed it to him and he stuck it in, suckling quietly. But his eyelids were getting heavy fast. He yawned.

“Tired?” She asked. He nodded. That flight home was longer than any one he ever took with his Mommy! “Maybe you should take a nap.” She suggested. She needed time to figure this out.

He nodded, and climbed into bed. He snuggled his blankie and shut his eyes.

“Ni ni.” He cooed.

“Night.” Said Spitfire, as she exited the bedroom and moved to the living room.

Why could he not see the bag she held? It confused her to no end. She sat on the couch and tried to list off everything she knew. Somepony was making him act this way. They made sure he didn’t know her name. And he couldn’t see the bag even when it was right in front of him. She racked her brain for what seemed like hours, trying to find a solution that fit. Then, out of the blue, an idea hit her.

It was all beginning to fit together.