Faithby Unknown-BronyChapters"What is happening to me?"The Reason They Call Me Thunder RunnerLosing Hope"What is happening to me?"It was a sunny day in Ponyville. A certain white mare called Emerald Thunder was sitting on the solitary cloud hovering in the clear sky, watching the ponies beneath her. She looked down into the small town, seeing many ponies doing their daily chores. As she was watching them, she couldn't help but notice a pegasus with lavender coat, who was placing some posters all over the town. After sitting on the cloud for a while, with the gentle breeze flowing through her emerald mane, she stretched her wings and flew into the town, landing in Ponyville's market, prepared for her weekly shopping. She took her shopping list from her backpack, and after checking everything she needed to buy, she started by going to the nearest baker to buy the first thing on her list, bread. As the mare approached, she could smell the delightful aromas of freshly baked pastry. She looked through the different kinds of tasty pastry, until she found the bread she was looking for. As delicious and tasty as every single type of pastry looked, she had to focus on her job. “Two bits for one loaf," the baker told her, as he saw her interested interested in buying some. Emerald grabbed the amount of bits he requested, and gave them to the baker, placing the freshly baked bread in her backpack. After she left, she turned her head and thanked him. As the mare had her head turned, she didn't notice where she was going, and, as a result, bumped into another pony. It was the lavender coated colt she had seen a while ago. “I... I’m sorry... I wasn't paying attention”, the white pegasus apologized, grabbing the bread that fell on the ground. “No, excuse me,” the lavender pegasus replied, stretching his hoof out to assist her. She accepted his help, and got back onto her hooves. Trying to thank him, she realized that she couldn't say a single word. Both pegasi kept staring into each other’s eyes, lost. “Could you at least get out of the way?! In the name of Celestia, get a room!” an annoyed pony yelled, as he was trying to carry his wagon filled with vegetables to the market. The pegasi were startled, and moved out of the way. “Those daydreaming pegasi...”, the pony said once again, as he trotted by them with his wagon. “My ... My name is Emerald Thunder. Sorry that I bumped into you...” the white pegasus apologized once more, in a shy tone. “No need to be sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have been inattentive. My name is Thunder Runner. Pleased to meet you. Excuse my manners... but, I have to run. I have to put up all these posters around the town by tonight. Goodbye!” the pegasus told Emerald before he left in a hurry. Emerald sighed and watched as Thunder flew away. After she couldn’t see the pegasus anymore, she sighed once again in disappointment, and went through all the stalls to get everything she still had on her list. As she stretched her wings, preparing to leave, she heard someone calling her name from the other side of the market. As the mare stood there waiting to see who called her, Thunder came out of nowhere. “Emerald!” he managed to say, between heavy breaths. “I wanted to ask ... if you would like ... to come to the Wonderbolts’ show this afternoon with me ... as an apology for bumping into you earlier today. It’s not a date, I can assure you," he said, trying not to scare her. When Emerald realized that the pegasus was inviting her to a Wonderbolts show, she called with an excited voice: “A ticket for the Wonderbolt show? Yes-” But, after she thought about it, she exclaimed, a little worried: “...Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! I don’t think I can go there with you. You are a complete stranger to me. I don’t even know you!” A bit hurt, Thunder took a step backward and looked at Emerald. “First of all, I'm not denying that. Second, I was just trying to apologize for my behaviour." “Thank you, but I’m fine,” Emerald replied with a cold tone, as she trotted away. When she thought that she had finally gotten away from her 'bumper', Thunder flew in front of her, blocking her way. “Then, at least take this," he said, as he handed Emerald a VIP ticket for the upcoming Wonderbolts show. The mare looked at the ticket and then at Thunder’s serious face, revealing that he wasn't going to back down. Without a word, she took the ticket between her teeth and flew back to her home in Cloudsdale. When Emerald arrived back at her house, she stored the groceries in the fridge, and looked at the ticket. The show was at 4 PM this afternoon. She wasn’t sure if she would go or not. After a moment of thinking, she turned away and started to make lunch. After she finished cooking and eating her meal, she looked at the clock. It was exactly 4 PM. “It’s too late to go to the Wonderbolts show anyway...” Emerald thought. She took a look at the ticket once more. The mare closed her eyes and started to think about Thunder. She was thinking about how sad he looked when she rejected his offer to go to the show with him, just like that. The pegasus knew that Thunder had just tried to apologize, but she was still hesitant to go. The mare opened her eyes, took the ticket and ran out of her hut. She had to make it to the Wonderbolts show, no matter what. ***** As he saw the mare flying away, Thunder sighed in disappointment. "Well, it could've been worse," he told himself, as he flittered his wings to fly off to the Stadium, the Wonderbolt's place in Cloudsdale where their shows took place. Arriving there, he saw the rows where everypony would sit, except for some special seats closer to the action, reserved for the VIPs. The stadium was nothing he would've expected. Being as shocked as he was, he bumped into a guard. "Do you have a ticket?" the guard asked on a cold, serious tone. He didn't even move an inch when the lavender pegasus bumped into him. "Oh... uh... yes!" he exclaimed, a little bit dizzy from the strong bump. Taking Thunder's ticket, the grey pegasus moved away to let him take his place. "What has he been eating?" the lavender pegasus asked himself, a little sore from the impact with the massive guard. "Ladies and gentlecolts! We are honored by your presence at today's Wonderbolts show! In a few minutes, Spitfire's team will start their routine. If I were you, I'd buckle up! It's going to be a blast!" the host said. Using some magic, he amplified his voice so it could be heard from all around the stadium. "Well ... seems like Emerald won't show up after all ... maybe I said something bad, or I might've offended her," Thunder thought, as he looked at his watch. Suddenly, when Spitfire and her team took off, he saw something at the entrance of the stadium. ***** Emerald flew as fast as she could. After a while, she could see the big stadium in Cloudsdale. She tried to fly faster, hoping that she could still catch the show. The mare landed in front of the entrance of the stadium, breathing heavily. Running to a guard, she showed him the ticket given by Thunder. “Sorry ma’am. You are too late. The show already begun.” “But I need to get in, please!” “Do I need to repeat myself? You are too late. You have to come earlier next time.” “But-” the mare tried to say as the lavender pegasus stepped by the guard. “Don't worry, she's with me,” he said. Emerald glanced over the guard's shoulder to see Thunder walking up to the guard who was blocking the white mare’s way. "Excuse these guys... they are just taking their job too seriously." "I-" "Come on! The show is about to start!" he interrupted her as he took her to their seats in the VIP rows. Emerald remained silent until she saw Spitfire and her team. The mare’s eyes went big as she followed every single move of the Wonderbolts. Thunder released a sigh of relief. The pegasus was happy that the white mare had decided to come at last. Suddenly, he noticed how shiny Emerald’s mane and tail were. The lavender pony also noticed the mare’s deep, emerald colored eyes. She was... gorgeous. Shortly after, Thunder said: "Hey Emerald, did anypony tell you how-" "It started! I'm so excited!" the mare said, followed by a squeal. "I'm sorry, did you want to tell me something?" "No, no! Nothing at all just ... nothing," Thunder replied, before releasing a disappointed sigh. He then moved his attention to the thrilling show. As the Wonderbolts kept pulling off their stunts and tricks, Thunder couldn't help himself from taking a sneak peak at Emerald, and how her eyes were glowing as she watched her idols doing some of the most amazing stunts. "Wouldn't it be amazing to be up there?" Emerald suddenly asked. "What do you mean?" "Like... be up there. With the Wonderbolts." "Yes... it would be..." Thunder replied, a bit thoughtful. As the show kept going and the Wonderbolts closed in on the grand finalé, Emerald tried to take a sneak peak at Thunder, herself. She was grateful to him. Even though he was a complete stranger, he took her to such an important event just like that, without asking for anything in exchange. She felt something... but she couldn't really put her hoof on it. One time, as she wondered and looked at the lavender pegasus, their eyes met once again. They kept staring, and Thunder couldn't help but notice how deep and beautiful her eyes were. But they snapped out of it as the Wonderbolts took some height for their final stunt. The crowd exploded in cheers and amazement as Equestria's most talented flying team finished their show with the most amazing, ear-piercing stunt, leaving the ponies in the front rows mute for a while, until they came back to their senses and jumped in joy. Emerald did the same, and Thunder stood there by her side. She looked beautiful that happy. After the show, the sun was already setting. Emerald and Thunder stepped out of the arena, followed by lots and lots of other pegasi ponies. The eyes of the white mare were still glowing. The show was a blast for her. “Thanks for the ticket... And thanks for helping me out with the guards,” Emerald told Thunder. “It’s nothing, really. I’m just glad you decided to come.” “Alright then, and again, thank you. But I have to go now.” When Emerald opened her wings to take off, Thunder called: “Emerald, wait!” The white pegasus turned around and asked: “What is it?” The lavender pony looked at his hooves, a bit shy, and mumbled: “I wondered if we could... you know... meet again?” “Uh... sure,” Emerald replied in a surprised tone. “Great! I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow at midday, right here. See you tomorrow!” Thunder exclaimed and flew away. Emerald was staring at the lavender pegasus as he flew, a bit confused and unsure about what happened. She shook her head and flew back to her house. After she landed in front of the door of her house, she opened it and went inside. She went to bed immediately, even though she wasn’t tired. Many questions came into her mind. "Who is Thunder, really? Why did he have one VIP ticket left for the show? Can I trust him?" ‘It is pointless to think about such questions,’ the mare thought. And she was right. "All I can do now is to have faith in him," Emerald told herself and crawled under the bed’s blanket. “Have faith...” the mare mumbled once more. ***** As Thunder left, he couldn't believe what just happened. He closed his eyes dreamily and started to fly up and down, performing daring nosedives and loops with a content smile on his face. He continued his tricks until he snapped out of it, and came back to his senses. The pegasus blinked a few times, surprised about his offhanded stunts, and started to fly toward his house. While he was flying back to Ponyville, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her emerald green mane, her deep shiny eyes... Her snow white body... Emerald Thunder. The colt kept daydreaming about her, when all of a sudden, he accidentally bumped into a female pegasus who was coming back from the show. "I think the sky is big enough for all of us, right?" she asked Thunder, a little cocky. "I'm sorry for that... I... Was unobservant..." "Whatever,” the pegasus interrupted him. “Just look where you're flying, okay?” the pegasus said before she left Thunder alone. “Sorry...” Thunder called. “Big-headed mare..." he told himself, as he saw her disappear into the cloud mantle. After he arrived at his house, he unlocked the door, and went directly to bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He felt something, but he couldn't really tell what. At the show, Emerald was so... beautiful. He thought about the marketplace, where he had bumped into her. And now, he was happy that he did that after all. He went to the window beside his bed and looked at the sky. The colt turned his head towards the horizon, where the orange sun was setting behind high mountains and fluffy clouds. He threw himself back at his bed and closed his eyes. “What is happening to me?” he whispered, as he couldn’t tame the storm of feelings inside him. He cringed as he heard the echo of a voice that seemed so far away from him, yet it was right inside his head. “Have faith...” an inner voice told Thunder. “Faith is all you need.” The Reason They Call Me Thunder RunnerAt the next morning, Emerald woke up, a bit sleepy. It was a wonderful day outside. Not a single cloud was floating above Cloudsdale, thanks to the pegasi. The mare jumped out of her bed and stretched her limbs. Sleepy as she was, she trotted happily towards the bathroom. As she got to her comb, she started brushing her mane while looking at herself in the mirror. She could see that she had a happy expression, but she didn’t know why. When the image of a certain lavender pegasus popped in her head, she shook her head furiously. Looking back in the mirror, she realized that she had ruined all of her work. Sighing, she started brushing her mane once again, not able to move her mind from Thunder. “Can I put my faith in him just yet? I barely met him yet... I honestly don’t know what to do,” she said as she stopped. Leaving the comb on the sink, she went in her room, and stared at the bright sky, the train of thoughts filling her head. “No... he will have to earn it. I can’t just put my trust in anypony... or can I...?” The question kept floating through her head, until she realized that the time to meet with Thunder was close, and she wasted the morning by doing... nothing. Closing the door behind her, Emerald took off to the stadium, where she was supposed to meet Thunder, and where she would find if she could trust Thunder Runner. ***** As the dawn of the morning raised from beyond the horizon, the sun glared through one pony’s house, making him grumble slightly from being woken up so early. Groggy, he rubbed his eyes, and went to the window. The sun shone above the land of Equestria, realms gradually illuminating it’s realms where the ponies carried out their everyday activities. The green maned pegasus went to the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. He could see a lavender coated pegasi, with bags under his eyes, with a messed up mane, yet with a bright smile. He couldn’t erase from his mind the image of Emerald, and how her beauty simply beamed upon him at yesterday’s show. He shook his head. It was too early, he gave on himself. After travelling across Equestria to fulfil his dream, to join the Wonderbolts, he couldn’t give up on it. Not just yet. It wasn’t worth shooting for a dream that would seem impossible. “A pony like her with one like me... she’s just too good.” But there he stopped. All his thoughts were directed towards her, when he was so close to fulfilling his childhood’s dream: the dream to become a Wonderbolt, to amaze everypony with his tricks, to travel around Equestria and see new places. Striking his mane backwards with his hoof and splashing some cold water on his face, he threw another look at the mirror, and saw the Thunder he knew. “Much better,” He told himself, as he ran out, closing the house’s door in a hurry. As Thunder flew towards the stadium, he could see a certain white mare waiting. Only then he realized, desperate, that as he kept daydreaming on his way there, he lost more time than he’d wanted. ”Now what... if I go now, she might get mad at me for being late. But why would she be mad? We barely know each other so, no strings attached. If I don’t go, she will probably think that I tricked her... so, on a hoof, I look like a featherhead, on the other hoof, I will be-” “You will be what?” Emerald interrupted him. Shocked, Thunder fell a few meters, and after a furious fight to regain control, he flew back to Emerald. “Since... when a-” “Since when I’m listening? Well, I thought I saw you coming by when you suddenly dropped the speed and I thought that something had happened. So, I flew closer and I saw you talking. I didn’t want to interrupt you, so I waited. But I didn’t see anypony so... I flew by. And nothing much actually.” “Oh, urmm... don’t worry, it was nothing important anyway,” Thunder said, moving his hooves maniacally, trying to hide his red face. Giggling, Emerald asked him: “So, you are quite a daydreamer, aren’t you?” “Heh, you could say that...” He said, receiving a slight nudge from Emerald. “I’m sorry...” “Hey, cheer up silly. You have nothing to be sorry for. The day isn’t over yet.” And as she tried to cheer him up, he couldn’t help himself not to see that glow that he saw before, at the Wonderbolts’ show. She had something special something... that gave him hope. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry for-” But he got interrupted by Emerald’s soft sigh. “Oops. I’ve done it again, didn’t I?” He asked, a bit embarrassed by himself. “You are quite something, you knew that? So, before you apologize again for Celestia-knows-what, where would you like to take me on this date?” “Did... Did she really say date? I only asked her to hang out and she calls it a date! Come on... Keep it together buddy! She’s just a funny, understanding, beautiful, amazing... What am I saying?! She’s nothing like the other mares I’ve seen until now. Well... I can’t die from trying,” He told himself, after hearing the magic word, “date”. “Well, urm. I had nothing really in mind.-” “Yes, I can see that silly,” She replied, cutting over Thunder’s words, giggling. “She’s really cute when she giggles like that,” Thunder thought, as he started laughing too. After both of them stopped, Thunder thought for a while and exclaimed: “I know! How about we just fly around and get to know each other better?” Surprised by his idea, the mare smiled at him, as she felt like he was on the right way. “Sure, so, tell me more about you Thunder.” As time passed, and the sun was lowering on the massive sky, the two pegasi flew on the sky, sharing each other’s past. They didn’t worry about anything, for they were caught in each other’s story. “Wow, quite a past you had Emerald. I’m sorry about your parents,” Thunder said, after Emerald finished her story. “I’m sorry about yours too. Well, mine were called heroes after the accident, but that doesn’t bring them back... I don’t want to talk about this right now...” Emerald said in a serious tone, turning her back on him, sighing softly. After a while of staying like that, she turned back to the lavender coated pegasus and asked him: “So, a Wonderbolt? You know that you need some skills to join them, right?” Emerald asked, raising her eyebrow. “Some skills? Heh, you haven’t seen anything yet!” “How about this, I’ll be your spectator, and I want you to amaze me. Let me see how good Thunder Runner is,” She told him, on a provoking tone. “Stay on your hooves, you’ll be stunned,” He told her, as he flew into the clouds, disappearing from her line of sight. “Finally! I get to prove my skills to somepony! Dad, I will make you proud,” Thunder said, looking in the horizon. As he closed his eyes to recap his routine, he folded his wings, free falling with his head forward by Emerald. As the mare screamed scared by the drop, Thunder twisted his body, unfolding his wings, revealing his true wingspan. Flapping his wings twice, he boosted himself through some clouds, making them dissolve into thin air. Keeping up his speed, he started flying between the clouds, creating lines across them. Confused, the emerald maned pegasus kept watching his performance, until she realized that Thunder was creating thin streaks of white clouds in the orange sky as the golden sun was still beaconing through the realms, for a short while. The show of lights was magnificent. As he kept up his first trick, he threw a quick look at Emerald’s amazed expression. That trick wasn’t in his routine, nor he had done it before. He only wanted to see her mane glow once again before he would begin his real routine. Finishing with the clouds, Thunder brought up the Wonderbolts’ routine, making slight changes here and there, adding a more dramatic turn for every trick, for every twist and turn, every loop, every boost, and every dive. Finishing up the Wonderbolts’ routine, he gathered some dark remaining storm clouds, and surrounding them with his speed, he made it one big storm cloud, hovering over the clear sky. Thunder took a few breaths, preparing himself for the final trick. A trick that he learned from his father... with a cost. He knew that he was putting everything on the line, but he had to. Emerald could see him flying in the depths of the sky, getting at a massive altitude. Without knowing, she was worried about what was about to happen. remembering what Thunder told her, of his father’s death. How he died during a training practice with Thunder, stroke by a lightning. As Thunder felt his wings getting numb, he knew that he was at the right height. Looking down, he felt goose bumps, as the image of his father was still hunting him. Folding his wings, he closed his eyes and started free falling once again, with his head in front. There was no turning back, no matter what the outcome was, this was the ending of the story, or the beginning of a new life. Picking up speed, around the lavender coated pegasus the sound barrier was forming. With every meter he had fallen, the speed would increase, the barrier holding tight against him. Getting close to the ground, Emerald was actually prepared to jump after him, but she realized that no matter how great speed she would get, she had no chance to catch him in time. The only thing she could do, was to hope. As Thunder couldn’t feel the hooves anymore, still keeping his eyes closed, he could feel the air cutting through his coat. At the right moment, Thunder opened his eyes, and with an incredible effort, he started flapping his wings as hard as he could to boost himself. Getting near the ground, his father’s words came into his head: “At the right moment, not too late, not too early, turn around and see the bright sky shining upon Equestria.” At the right time, right before hitting the ground, Thunder turned with his back against the ground, letting his wings spread out. As Rainbow Dash did once, the barrier shot him back towards the sky, and with his last ounce of strength, he started boosting himself with his wings. Going directly through the storm cloud, a lightning bolt came out exactly after he did, looking like a lightning trail behind the shooting pegasus. Reaching the very heights of the sky, Thunder spread out his wings once again, the sun setting sky behind him, and the thunder stopping right under him. He was happy. He had finally pulled off the trick. “Have you seen that... father?” He asked out loud, as he started falling, his wings not being able to hold him any longer fluttering by his side. Everything was foggy, he couldn’t feel his body at all. The last thing he saw was Emerald, jumping off the cloud to save him while crying his name hysterically, before he closed his eyes and lost consciousness, remembering only fading parts of what happened. ***** Emerald watched as the lavender pegasus started to fall, losing consciousness. With one powerful jump, she set off the cloud, shutting her wings tight around her body. Gaining more and more speed, she tried to catch Thunder, who was falling toward the lake. Even though she was at her limit, Emerald didn’t manage to reach Thunder in time, as he fell into the water. Emerald didn't hesitate to follow Thunder into the ice cold water. Closing her eyes, Emerald dashed into the lake. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Thunder, sinking into the depths of the lake. After she reached the lavender stallion, she pulled him on her back and swum to the surface. After the mare reached the surface, she took a few deep breaths, before swimming to the shore. The mare crawled out of the water, breathing heavily. Emerald laid Thunder next to her as gently as she could. Suddenly the white pegasus noticed that Thunder wasn’t breathing. Not sure what she was supposed to do, Emerald started to panic. Then, the white mare remembered what she learned in the first-aid lessons at Flight School. Emerald put her hooves on Thunder’s chest and thrusted 15 times. “Okay Emerald, now don’t freak out... You don’t want him to die, do you?” Emerald proceeded to breath into Thunder’s mouth two times, before putting her hooves on his chest and thrusting 15 times again. Suddenly, the lavender pegasus started to cough. Emerald jumped a little, before calling his name a few times. But she didn’t get an answer. The mare noticed that the moon was already rising, and a storm was coming. Giving herself a short time to make up her mind, she placed Thunder on her back again, running towards the nearest hospital that she knew about. It started to rain. Galloping as fast as she could, the mare could feel Thunder’s warm breath from time to time. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she ran towards the Ponyville hospital. She was getting worried more and more about his health. Emerald stormed into the hospital, calling for help. A doctor and two nurses came immediately and took Thunder off Emerald’s back. “Take the white mare to a sick room and let her rest.”, the doctor told one of the nurses. But Emerald took a step back and said: “No! I will go with him.” The nurse put a hoof on Emerald’s back, but the mare wiped it off. “I will go with him, like it or not.” The doctor looked at Emerald, sighed, and said: “Fine, you can come with us...“ The white pegasus nodded and followed the doctor and Thunder into a sick room, closing the door behind them. ***** “Good afternoon sir.” “Ugh... where am I?” Thunder asked, as he could see a nurse by his side, and himself in a hospital bed. “What happened?” “You should thank this missy over here,” She said, pointing to Emerald that was in a corner, sleeping on a chair. “If it wasn’t for her, you would’ve drowned. You should be happy that you fell into a lake, otherwise, from what she told me, from the impact with the ground you would’ve been dead on the spot. You are a lucky pony to have had her,” the nurse told him, happy to see him in a good state. “She stood up all night long watching you, and taking care of you.” “Yes... I bet I’m the luckiest pony to have had her,” Thunder whispered, smiling. Ignoring the pain on his back, the pain cutting through his wings, with a little bit of help from the nurse, he put Emerald on his back, and after the nurse gave him her address, he slowly went out of the hospital after signing the externalizations papers, and using her keys, he placed her on her bed and looked at her for a while... his saviour. Giving her a kiss on her forehead he wrapped her up in a blanket.“I’m very lucky indeed,” He told himself, as he looked once again over the sleeping mare. As Emerald felt his gentle kiss on her forehead, she opened her eyes and whispered: “Thunder... Don’t go...” As Thunder Runner turned back to Emerald, the mare crawled out of her bed, giving him a tight hug, sobbing. “Emerald...”, Thunder sighed, putting his arms around her. “It’s okay now.”, the stallion whispered, trying to calm Emerald down. The two of them stood there like this for a very long while. After Thunder let go of Emerald, the white mare was still sobbing. Thunder looked through one of Emerald’s windows, noticing that the sun was starting to set again. “Emerald, I think I should go now...” “B... But...”, she babbled quietly,”Can’t you stay here for the night...?” Thunder smiled and said: “I’m sorry Emerald. I can’t.” “Pretty please?”, the mare asked, while refusing to let him go. As Thunder looked back into the mare’s deep eyes, something told him that he had to stay but... if he would stay it would mean giving up on his dream over something unreachable, like her. “I’m sorry but it would be better for me to leave. But... I hope that one day we’ll get together again, Emerald,” Thunder told her as he gave her a warm smile, pushing her away from him gently, before heading to the door. Before closing the door and disappearing into the night, he smiled back once again at Emerald, trying to ensure her that they would meet again. As the lavender coated pegasus left, the mare went to the window, watching him fly away. Emerald couldn’t believe that he had left her. She turned around and started to sob quietly. If something would happen to him on the way back to his home, nopony would be there to save him. Suddenly, Emerald shook her head. What was she thinking? He will be fine. “I should really stop worrying.”, the mare told herself before heading back to her bed. She looked out of the window once more before closing her eyes and slowly falling asleep. ***** As Thunder flew back to his house, he couldn’t help himself not to look once again back to Emerald’s house wondering why he left. All his flight back, he couldn’t move his mind from the mare that almost begged him to stay. “What’s wrong with me? A pony like her would never look at somepony like me. She’s just... too good.” He told himself, sighing softly. Getting in his house, he threw one last look at the sky, wishing deep inside himself that they would meet again. Losing HopeEmerald opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was the beginning of a terrible headache. She has barely slept for three hours. Still tired, she crawled out of her bed and went to the bathroom. When she looked into the mirror that was hanging above a sink, she saw a complete stranger. A face of her she’s never seen before.The shine of her mane was all gone as it was only a big mess now. Dark bags were hanging under her eyes and her breath was worse than the one of a timberwolf. “Why do I let myself get down because of him?...”, Emerald asked herself. Ever since Thunder left her, the white mare hadn’t set foot out of her house. “Four days.”, Emerald mumbled to herself. For four days she had stayed in her hut located in Cloudsdale. Emerald sighed. It was time to move on. The pegasus turned the water on, washed her face, brushed her hair, packed her backpack and flew out of her home. Emerald had to go to the marketplace. After she arrived in Ponyville, she trotted to the stall with pastry she had visited five days ago. Inside the shop, Emerald was greeted by the dull face of the salespony. She felt his attentive look following every step as she looked through the freshly baked wares. The vendor seemed to have noticed that Emerald wasn’t alright. When the white mare brought a loaf of bread to the counter, intending to buy it, the salespony put it in a bag and took her bits. “Have a nice day.”, he said to Emerald. “I wish it could be one...”, she replied with a husky and sad voice while leaving the shop. Shortly after, Emerald visited a small shop with fresh vegetables and fruits, where she bought several apples, carrots and also some hay. After she paid, she walked out of the store and started to store the the food in her bag. Suddenly, from the corner of her left eye, Emerald saw a lavender coat through the crowd. A wave of excitement shot through her. Dropping her groceries, the mare ran, pushing everypony aside from her way, shouting Thunder’s name. While she was taking off, flapping her wings to gain attitude, she looked around hectically, her eyes scouting through the entire crowd for Thunder. But after ten minutes of flying above the market in circles, her wings started to ache, getting exhausted. The mare was struck. Her stamina problem. It’s something Emerald had to live with since she was born. The pegasus couldn’t fly for more than a handful of minutes without her wings failing on her, or her fainting from exhaustion. The cause for this problem were the muscles in her wings. They are much more weaker than the muscles of a normal, healthy mare. The white pegasus managed to strengthen her stamina with special workout methods and daily training. But now, after four days without training, she couldn’t fly for too long. The headache grew stronger. Emerald growled in disappointment and spoke to herself: “That’s what I get from sitting around in my house...” The mare sighed before landing on a cloud. She looked up to the depths of the sky and mumbled: “Why him?...” She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered the moment he left her house. “Oh, how I wish he’d have...” But Emerald shook her head, trying to focus on what was going on with her life. Could she just leave everything for a pegasus who might not share the same feelings as she does? Then it hit her. She had nothing to leave. She started to run as fast as she could to the hospital, trying to hold her faith together. The exhaustion was making it's presence in Emerald's muscles as she was pushing herself over her own limits, but it wouldn't matter as her will was giving her strength. After many minutes which seemed to never end, the mare reached the doors of a great white building. The hospital of Ponyville. The white pegasus stepped inside the facility, breathing heavily. Suddenly, an employee noticed Emerald. "Hello ma'am, how may I help you?" a unicorn nurse asked Emerald very polite. "Hey, I remember you! You came a couple of days ago with a ... lavender coated pegasus if I recall correctly." "Yes, and I wanted to check some papers. Could you tell me what address Thunder Runner's house has? He is the lavender coated pegasus that has been here four days ago." "Of course, ma'am!", the nurse replied before she started searching through many drawers. After mere seconds, the unicorn pulled out Thunder’s document. “There we have it. Thunder Runner.”, the nurse exclaimed. She took a pen and paper and started to scribble the house address of Thunder on it. “Thank you, have a pleasant day.”, Emerald said to the nurse before taking the note and tilting her head, trotting out of the hospital. The pegasus looked at the little piece of paper. “Ponyville, Haystreet number 16.”, she whispered to herself. Emerald knew that place. It was right next to a nice café she likes to visit from time to time. The mare smiled and started walking to Thunder’s house. Maybe it wasn’t too late! Maybe she could still find him at home! When she finally reached the place where Thunder lived, Emerald started to look at every house carefully, hoping to find number 16 somewhere. Then, the mare had finally found it. It was a cozy one-family dwelling, not too big but not too small either. The mare stepped in front of the main door and knocked on it a few times causing the door to open with a slight creaking noise. The door, surprisingly, was unlocked. Emerald felt a chill rolling down her spine. Gulping, she entered the house. “Hello?”, the mare called. There was no answer. The pegasus turned around and thought about leaving, but her curiosity took the better of her. Emerald looked around. She saw three rooms and a staircase leading to the second floor of the house. The pegasus stepped toward a room that seemed to be Thunder’s work room. It was rather messy. A few scrolls and letters were laying on the ground. It seemed like Thunder has been working on something. In front of the mare, there was a wooden table right under a window facing Cloudsdale. To Emeralds right were three big shelves, full of books and letters, and even a trophy. The mare stepped closer and examined the trophy. “Best young flyer competition winner” Emerald blinked in surprise. Thunder sure looked like a good flyer, but she wouldn’t have guessed that he had won the young flyer competition. As the mare turned her head towards the desk, she noticed a pile of rather old newspapers. The white pegasus padded closer to the papers and carefully picked one up. “New Captain of the Wonderbolt team elected!” was the headline. Emerald picked up another newspaper. “The best Wonderbolt show in history!” read the headline of this one. The mare took a closer look. “Unbelieveable! The first Wonderbolt show after the election of the new captain was sold out in less than 10 hours!” Emerald looked through some more papers that stated how great the Wonderbolts leader is. Suddenly, she found a ripped newspaper. The mare looked for the second half of the paper and was lucky enough to find it. “Leader of the Wonderbolts died in a tragic accident!” “At one of the training sessions, the great captain tried to pull off a trick he had never done before. He was struck by the lightning part of his new trick and died immediately! All of Equestria is in deep sorrow as the Wonderbolts just lost their best captain in history." Emerald didn’t understand. Why did Thunder keep all these newspapers? What did it mean? The mare looked at the desk. She saw two letters. Both of them had the signature of Spitfire on them. She couldn’t help herself not to question why would he have two letters from one of the best fliers in Equestria. Ripping both of them, she saw that one of them contained two invitations for him and for a guest to the next Wonderbolt show, with a dedication from the actual Wonderbolts leader: “See you there hotshot. We will see if you are fit to join our academy and go on your father’s steps.” Emerald was shocked. She couldn’t believe her eyes. But she still had to see what the other letter contained. In it, there was an invitation to the Wonderbolts Academy! Her limbs went numb. Did that mean that she was going to lose him? But she realized that Thunder has his own dream. Placing the letters back where they belonged, she threw one more quick look at all of Thunder’s accomplishments. Her heart was racing. She was asking herself more than ever who Thunder actually was. As she went to the door, she realized that somepony was in her way, staying right at the door. It was Thunder. Emerald’s heart stopped. Her eyes stared directly trough the lavender pegasus. “Since when...” “-What are you doing here?” He asked her on a serious tone. This wasn’t the Thunder she remembered. This one was more serious, leaving no place for no emotions. “I only wanted to come and see you...” Emerald replied not being able to look him in the eyes. “I’m asking again... what are you doing here?!” He asked this time louder, in anger. Closing the door behind him, he went at the desk and looked all over the newspapers and the letters. “I... I didn’t mean anything bad Thunder... I-” But as she tried to put her hoof on Thunder’s shoulder he pushed her aside. “Go,” He demanded her. “But I...” “GO!” He yelled at her, not even looking at her. With tears in her eyes, Emerald went for the door, and after opening it, she turned around, looking at Thunder’s backside. “I’m glad to see you, too.” The mare ran out of his house. The door was slammed shut. Thunder was once again... alone... ***** Thunder’s breathing was heavy with furiosity. He stared at his wooden desk, his teeth clenched. Then he realized what he had done. As the pegasus looked out of his window, he saw Emerald flying into the sky. “No! Emerald! I didn’t mean it!”, Thunder shouted, hoping the white mare would hear his words, with no hope left in his soul at that moment. Tear after tear started falling on the newspapers on the desk. The only sound in the house was the clogged sob of the lavender pegasus. “Why am I doing this... Why?!” He yelled at the ceiling as if somepony up there in the sky would listen to him and watch over him. Thunder hit the desk once as hard as he could with his hooves. Now even newspapers were scattered around the room. Many images and articles about his father’s accomplishments were lying down on the floor. And one specific photo fell from a cracked foto frame on his desk, his only photo with his father, when he was just a colt, and his father just got his Wonderbolt captain suit. Grabbing it, he collapsed in the middle of his room, crying. The next morning, the sun shone through his window, revealing torn apart newspapers, his chair lying down in a corner, and a sleepless pegasus holding the only photo he had left with him and his father. Getting up from his bed, he looked through the glass at the calm and the beauty of that morning. But not everything was in order. A train of moral qualms suddenly hit him. He wasn’t sure what happened or why... the only thing he knew was that he was all alone. Leaving the mess as it was, he went to the bathroom to see himself. Who was he? Who was that Thunder who pushed away the only important somepony that was left for him? He wasn’t sure who he was anymore. As he went back to his work room, he saw the two tickets still on the table. He knew he had a chance, but he was nervous. Grabbing some bits from a drawer and the two tickets, he rushed out locking the door behind him in a hurry. He had to make up for what he’s done. And even if she won’t accept to go further, he will at least know that he did his best to apologize for the huge mistake he had done, to the mare that has a special place in his life. Shaking his head furiously he casted out the train of remorses that hit him. He had to do something special for Emerald. Flying as fast as he could, he went straight to the Ponyville’s market to buy the most beautiful roses he could find. As he arrived at the stall with lots and lots of roses, a bouquet of ruby red roses immediately caught his attention. Thunder bought the roses straightaway and put a small apology letter he had written just before he left his house. The lavender coated pegasus set off into the sky, flying to the place where Emerald lived. Before he knew it he was standing in front of Emerald’s house with roses, a letter and the two tickets. He knocked on the door, but nopony answered. “Did she leave?", he asked himself cursing his behaviour from the other day. “Did she even fly back to her house since yesterday?...” With retention, he knocked on the door once again, hoping that Emerald would answer, but once again there was only silence, the dim sound of his knock echoing through her house. Disappointed, he left the gifts for Emerald on her doorstep and left, not even looking back. What he didn’t know was that the mare was in her room, still crying, and didn’t answer on purpose. ***** Emerald froze when she heard somepony knocking at her door. The mare knew. It was Thunder. But if she would open now, what was she supposed to do after everything? After what happened yesterday... could that even be him? Emerald wouldn’t be surprised if Thunder would never want to see her ever again after what she did. The mare had went into Thunder’s house, without his permission. And then she even searched through his memories with his father that had passed away... There was no excuse. She had to make up for it, one way or another. Emerald jumped out of her bed, wiping away her tears, and ran for the door. But as she got up to catch him he already left and was nowhere in sight... and she saw something in front of her door. She squealed in delight. It was the most gorgeous bouquet of roses she ever saw, and from what she thought, very expensive too. As she grabbed it to place it in a flower pot in her room, a letter fell right open on the floor. Slightly confused, she picked up the letter and read out what was written on it: “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I never meant to hurt you, but... please understand that my father was the pegasus I looked up to my entire life, and since his death... I've been looking for a new purpose in life. I wish I could make up for all this. Please accept this humble offer. And even if yoy decide to get me out from your life, I understand. I hope I will be seeing you soon. -Thunder Runner” “Seeing me where?”, Emerald asked out loud after she turned the paper around to see if she can find an address or anything that would tell her where or when Thunder was awaiting her. The mare looked inside the wrapping paper where the roses have been stored. Emerald couldn’t believe what she saw. Another ticket for the VIP seats at the Wonderbolt show that would take place at Canterlot the very next day! Emerald swallowed. The mare knew she had to make up for what she had done, but she had never been to Canterlot before. She has heard a lot about the majestic big city at the edge of a giant mountain, but she never had the time to get there. She heard that everypony in Canterlot wears fancy dresses and suits. If Emerald will go there, she needed a dress. And she knew where to get one. The Carousel Boutique. Gathering all the bits she had left, she flew straight away to the best mare fit to make her a dress fancy enough for a Canterlotean event. Upon arriving, she knocked on the door nervously. She's never done such thing before. What was she supposed to say? Did she have enough money? But she was shocked at the moment when a white unicorn dragged her in. "Bonjour! And welcome to my humble Carousel Boutique! How may I help you?" Rarity said with such enthusiasm, that she got Emerald even more nervous. "I... I'd like a dress for an event in Can-" She could barely say, on a lower tone, before she got cut out by the fashionist. "Canterlot? Darling! Such an event deserves a truly fancy dress! Don’t worry, my dear, I will make something absolutely stunning for you!" “Maybe I should mention that I’m visiting the Wonderbolt-”, Emerald mumbled, bashfully. “The Wonderbolt race at Canterlot?!” Rarities eyes went big. “Y-yes... And I’m a V.I.P guest-” “A V.I.P even?!” Rarity was close to fainting. “May I ask whose dress I am designing?” “I... My name is Emerald Thunder. I’m not a prominent pony. I just got the ticket from a pegasus called Thunder Runner, who-” “Who's that?” Rarity interrupted her, again. Emerald started to get annoyed. As soon as the fashionist noticed that, she cleared her throat and said: “I’m sorry I let my excitement take the better of me. We will get to your dress now, Miss Emerald Thunder, shall we?” Before realizing, the white pegasus found herself on a pedestal, while Rarity started taking measurements of every body part and comparing different colored fabrics to fit together. After Rarity chose a fine material that went very well with Emerald’s body color, she hasted to a wooden cupboard with a heavy chest on it. With the help of her magic, Rarity opened the chest and took something out. “Darling, these will look absolutely fabulous on you!”, the unicorn exclaimed before trotting towards Emerald. Hours have passed, and Emerald was finally given the final dress. Putting it on, she came out on the podium with Rarity as her audience. Emerald stepped into the lovelight, wearing a wonderful dress. It was a light blue, one-strap gown jeweled with violet opals which shimmered in a bright blue whenever light would shine upon them. "Darling... you look marvelous!" The white coated unicorn said, a big grin on her face, proud of her own work. “But...”, Rarity said, stepping towards her, “You have to wear this, too.”, she ordered her before clipping a flower-shaped hair clip made of opals in her mane, right under the ear. Emerald gasped. The hair clip seemed to be very valuable. As Emerald tried to get her purse to pay her, Rarity stopped her, holding her hoof. "Deary, you don't need to pay me. If you are going to an event in Canterlot, you must wear a dress that steals every stallion's eyes!”, Rarity exclaimed. “Or the eyes of a specific stallion.”, she ended, with a chuckle. Emerald’s eyes went big. “How did you-?”, the pegasus asked, just to have her word cut off by Rarity once again, who put her hoof on Emerald’s shoulder and smiled. “Just be sure to enjoy your time in Canterlot. And when you come back, you will tell me everything about it!” “I... I will, miss Rarity.” “Please, darling. Call me Rarity.” Emerald nodded, before carefully taking off the dress and the hair clip. The mare headed to the door, opening it and looking back for a last time. “Thank you, Rarity.” The white coated pegasus was given a bag with the beautifully designed dress, carefully folded in. As Rarity wished her good luck once again, the mare couldn’t hold herself from squeeing in delight. As the sun set, Emerald flew back to her house, with the thought of tomorrow in her head.
"What is happening to me?"It was a sunny day in Ponyville. A certain white mare called Emerald Thunder was sitting on the solitary cloud hovering in the clear sky, watching the ponies beneath her. She looked down into the small town, seeing many ponies doing their daily chores. As she was watching them, she couldn't help but notice a pegasus with lavender coat, who was placing some posters all over the town. After sitting on the cloud for a while, with the gentle breeze flowing through her emerald mane, she stretched her wings and flew into the town, landing in Ponyville's market, prepared for her weekly shopping. She took her shopping list from her backpack, and after checking everything she needed to buy, she started by going to the nearest baker to buy the first thing on her list, bread. As the mare approached, she could smell the delightful aromas of freshly baked pastry. She looked through the different kinds of tasty pastry, until she found the bread she was looking for. As delicious and tasty as every single type of pastry looked, she had to focus on her job. “Two bits for one loaf," the baker told her, as he saw her interested interested in buying some. Emerald grabbed the amount of bits he requested, and gave them to the baker, placing the freshly baked bread in her backpack. After she left, she turned her head and thanked him. As the mare had her head turned, she didn't notice where she was going, and, as a result, bumped into another pony. It was the lavender coated colt she had seen a while ago. “I... I’m sorry... I wasn't paying attention”, the white pegasus apologized, grabbing the bread that fell on the ground. “No, excuse me,” the lavender pegasus replied, stretching his hoof out to assist her. She accepted his help, and got back onto her hooves. Trying to thank him, she realized that she couldn't say a single word. Both pegasi kept staring into each other’s eyes, lost. “Could you at least get out of the way?! In the name of Celestia, get a room!” an annoyed pony yelled, as he was trying to carry his wagon filled with vegetables to the market. The pegasi were startled, and moved out of the way. “Those daydreaming pegasi...”, the pony said once again, as he trotted by them with his wagon. “My ... My name is Emerald Thunder. Sorry that I bumped into you...” the white pegasus apologized once more, in a shy tone. “No need to be sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have been inattentive. My name is Thunder Runner. Pleased to meet you. Excuse my manners... but, I have to run. I have to put up all these posters around the town by tonight. Goodbye!” the pegasus told Emerald before he left in a hurry. Emerald sighed and watched as Thunder flew away. After she couldn’t see the pegasus anymore, she sighed once again in disappointment, and went through all the stalls to get everything she still had on her list. As she stretched her wings, preparing to leave, she heard someone calling her name from the other side of the market. As the mare stood there waiting to see who called her, Thunder came out of nowhere. “Emerald!” he managed to say, between heavy breaths. “I wanted to ask ... if you would like ... to come to the Wonderbolts’ show this afternoon with me ... as an apology for bumping into you earlier today. It’s not a date, I can assure you," he said, trying not to scare her. When Emerald realized that the pegasus was inviting her to a Wonderbolts show, she called with an excited voice: “A ticket for the Wonderbolt show? Yes-” But, after she thought about it, she exclaimed, a little worried: “...Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! I don’t think I can go there with you. You are a complete stranger to me. I don’t even know you!” A bit hurt, Thunder took a step backward and looked at Emerald. “First of all, I'm not denying that. Second, I was just trying to apologize for my behaviour." “Thank you, but I’m fine,” Emerald replied with a cold tone, as she trotted away. When she thought that she had finally gotten away from her 'bumper', Thunder flew in front of her, blocking her way. “Then, at least take this," he said, as he handed Emerald a VIP ticket for the upcoming Wonderbolts show. The mare looked at the ticket and then at Thunder’s serious face, revealing that he wasn't going to back down. Without a word, she took the ticket between her teeth and flew back to her home in Cloudsdale. When Emerald arrived back at her house, she stored the groceries in the fridge, and looked at the ticket. The show was at 4 PM this afternoon. She wasn’t sure if she would go or not. After a moment of thinking, she turned away and started to make lunch. After she finished cooking and eating her meal, she looked at the clock. It was exactly 4 PM. “It’s too late to go to the Wonderbolts show anyway...” Emerald thought. She took a look at the ticket once more. The mare closed her eyes and started to think about Thunder. She was thinking about how sad he looked when she rejected his offer to go to the show with him, just like that. The pegasus knew that Thunder had just tried to apologize, but she was still hesitant to go. The mare opened her eyes, took the ticket and ran out of her hut. She had to make it to the Wonderbolts show, no matter what. ***** As he saw the mare flying away, Thunder sighed in disappointment. "Well, it could've been worse," he told himself, as he flittered his wings to fly off to the Stadium, the Wonderbolt's place in Cloudsdale where their shows took place. Arriving there, he saw the rows where everypony would sit, except for some special seats closer to the action, reserved for the VIPs. The stadium was nothing he would've expected. Being as shocked as he was, he bumped into a guard. "Do you have a ticket?" the guard asked on a cold, serious tone. He didn't even move an inch when the lavender pegasus bumped into him. "Oh... uh... yes!" he exclaimed, a little bit dizzy from the strong bump. Taking Thunder's ticket, the grey pegasus moved away to let him take his place. "What has he been eating?" the lavender pegasus asked himself, a little sore from the impact with the massive guard. "Ladies and gentlecolts! We are honored by your presence at today's Wonderbolts show! In a few minutes, Spitfire's team will start their routine. If I were you, I'd buckle up! It's going to be a blast!" the host said. Using some magic, he amplified his voice so it could be heard from all around the stadium. "Well ... seems like Emerald won't show up after all ... maybe I said something bad, or I might've offended her," Thunder thought, as he looked at his watch. Suddenly, when Spitfire and her team took off, he saw something at the entrance of the stadium. ***** Emerald flew as fast as she could. After a while, she could see the big stadium in Cloudsdale. She tried to fly faster, hoping that she could still catch the show. The mare landed in front of the entrance of the stadium, breathing heavily. Running to a guard, she showed him the ticket given by Thunder. “Sorry ma’am. You are too late. The show already begun.” “But I need to get in, please!” “Do I need to repeat myself? You are too late. You have to come earlier next time.” “But-” the mare tried to say as the lavender pegasus stepped by the guard. “Don't worry, she's with me,” he said. Emerald glanced over the guard's shoulder to see Thunder walking up to the guard who was blocking the white mare’s way. "Excuse these guys... they are just taking their job too seriously." "I-" "Come on! The show is about to start!" he interrupted her as he took her to their seats in the VIP rows. Emerald remained silent until she saw Spitfire and her team. The mare’s eyes went big as she followed every single move of the Wonderbolts. Thunder released a sigh of relief. The pegasus was happy that the white mare had decided to come at last. Suddenly, he noticed how shiny Emerald’s mane and tail were. The lavender pony also noticed the mare’s deep, emerald colored eyes. She was... gorgeous. Shortly after, Thunder said: "Hey Emerald, did anypony tell you how-" "It started! I'm so excited!" the mare said, followed by a squeal. "I'm sorry, did you want to tell me something?" "No, no! Nothing at all just ... nothing," Thunder replied, before releasing a disappointed sigh. He then moved his attention to the thrilling show. As the Wonderbolts kept pulling off their stunts and tricks, Thunder couldn't help himself from taking a sneak peak at Emerald, and how her eyes were glowing as she watched her idols doing some of the most amazing stunts. "Wouldn't it be amazing to be up there?" Emerald suddenly asked. "What do you mean?" "Like... be up there. With the Wonderbolts." "Yes... it would be..." Thunder replied, a bit thoughtful. As the show kept going and the Wonderbolts closed in on the grand finalé, Emerald tried to take a sneak peak at Thunder, herself. She was grateful to him. Even though he was a complete stranger, he took her to such an important event just like that, without asking for anything in exchange. She felt something... but she couldn't really put her hoof on it. One time, as she wondered and looked at the lavender pegasus, their eyes met once again. They kept staring, and Thunder couldn't help but notice how deep and beautiful her eyes were. But they snapped out of it as the Wonderbolts took some height for their final stunt. The crowd exploded in cheers and amazement as Equestria's most talented flying team finished their show with the most amazing, ear-piercing stunt, leaving the ponies in the front rows mute for a while, until they came back to their senses and jumped in joy. Emerald did the same, and Thunder stood there by her side. She looked beautiful that happy. After the show, the sun was already setting. Emerald and Thunder stepped out of the arena, followed by lots and lots of other pegasi ponies. The eyes of the white mare were still glowing. The show was a blast for her. “Thanks for the ticket... And thanks for helping me out with the guards,” Emerald told Thunder. “It’s nothing, really. I’m just glad you decided to come.” “Alright then, and again, thank you. But I have to go now.” When Emerald opened her wings to take off, Thunder called: “Emerald, wait!” The white pegasus turned around and asked: “What is it?” The lavender pony looked at his hooves, a bit shy, and mumbled: “I wondered if we could... you know... meet again?” “Uh... sure,” Emerald replied in a surprised tone. “Great! I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow at midday, right here. See you tomorrow!” Thunder exclaimed and flew away. Emerald was staring at the lavender pegasus as he flew, a bit confused and unsure about what happened. She shook her head and flew back to her house. After she landed in front of the door of her house, she opened it and went inside. She went to bed immediately, even though she wasn’t tired. Many questions came into her mind. "Who is Thunder, really? Why did he have one VIP ticket left for the show? Can I trust him?" ‘It is pointless to think about such questions,’ the mare thought. And she was right. "All I can do now is to have faith in him," Emerald told herself and crawled under the bed’s blanket. “Have faith...” the mare mumbled once more. ***** As Thunder left, he couldn't believe what just happened. He closed his eyes dreamily and started to fly up and down, performing daring nosedives and loops with a content smile on his face. He continued his tricks until he snapped out of it, and came back to his senses. The pegasus blinked a few times, surprised about his offhanded stunts, and started to fly toward his house. While he was flying back to Ponyville, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her emerald green mane, her deep shiny eyes... Her snow white body... Emerald Thunder. The colt kept daydreaming about her, when all of a sudden, he accidentally bumped into a female pegasus who was coming back from the show. "I think the sky is big enough for all of us, right?" she asked Thunder, a little cocky. "I'm sorry for that... I... Was unobservant..." "Whatever,” the pegasus interrupted him. “Just look where you're flying, okay?” the pegasus said before she left Thunder alone. “Sorry...” Thunder called. “Big-headed mare..." he told himself, as he saw her disappear into the cloud mantle. After he arrived at his house, he unlocked the door, and went directly to bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He felt something, but he couldn't really tell what. At the show, Emerald was so... beautiful. He thought about the marketplace, where he had bumped into her. And now, he was happy that he did that after all. He went to the window beside his bed and looked at the sky. The colt turned his head towards the horizon, where the orange sun was setting behind high mountains and fluffy clouds. He threw himself back at his bed and closed his eyes. “What is happening to me?” he whispered, as he couldn’t tame the storm of feelings inside him. He cringed as he heard the echo of a voice that seemed so far away from him, yet it was right inside his head. “Have faith...” an inner voice told Thunder. “Faith is all you need.”
The Reason They Call Me Thunder RunnerAt the next morning, Emerald woke up, a bit sleepy. It was a wonderful day outside. Not a single cloud was floating above Cloudsdale, thanks to the pegasi. The mare jumped out of her bed and stretched her limbs. Sleepy as she was, she trotted happily towards the bathroom. As she got to her comb, she started brushing her mane while looking at herself in the mirror. She could see that she had a happy expression, but she didn’t know why. When the image of a certain lavender pegasus popped in her head, she shook her head furiously. Looking back in the mirror, she realized that she had ruined all of her work. Sighing, she started brushing her mane once again, not able to move her mind from Thunder. “Can I put my faith in him just yet? I barely met him yet... I honestly don’t know what to do,” she said as she stopped. Leaving the comb on the sink, she went in her room, and stared at the bright sky, the train of thoughts filling her head. “No... he will have to earn it. I can’t just put my trust in anypony... or can I...?” The question kept floating through her head, until she realized that the time to meet with Thunder was close, and she wasted the morning by doing... nothing. Closing the door behind her, Emerald took off to the stadium, where she was supposed to meet Thunder, and where she would find if she could trust Thunder Runner. ***** As the dawn of the morning raised from beyond the horizon, the sun glared through one pony’s house, making him grumble slightly from being woken up so early. Groggy, he rubbed his eyes, and went to the window. The sun shone above the land of Equestria, realms gradually illuminating it’s realms where the ponies carried out their everyday activities. The green maned pegasus went to the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. He could see a lavender coated pegasi, with bags under his eyes, with a messed up mane, yet with a bright smile. He couldn’t erase from his mind the image of Emerald, and how her beauty simply beamed upon him at yesterday’s show. He shook his head. It was too early, he gave on himself. After travelling across Equestria to fulfil his dream, to join the Wonderbolts, he couldn’t give up on it. Not just yet. It wasn’t worth shooting for a dream that would seem impossible. “A pony like her with one like me... she’s just too good.” But there he stopped. All his thoughts were directed towards her, when he was so close to fulfilling his childhood’s dream: the dream to become a Wonderbolt, to amaze everypony with his tricks, to travel around Equestria and see new places. Striking his mane backwards with his hoof and splashing some cold water on his face, he threw another look at the mirror, and saw the Thunder he knew. “Much better,” He told himself, as he ran out, closing the house’s door in a hurry. As Thunder flew towards the stadium, he could see a certain white mare waiting. Only then he realized, desperate, that as he kept daydreaming on his way there, he lost more time than he’d wanted. ”Now what... if I go now, she might get mad at me for being late. But why would she be mad? We barely know each other so, no strings attached. If I don’t go, she will probably think that I tricked her... so, on a hoof, I look like a featherhead, on the other hoof, I will be-” “You will be what?” Emerald interrupted him. Shocked, Thunder fell a few meters, and after a furious fight to regain control, he flew back to Emerald. “Since... when a-” “Since when I’m listening? Well, I thought I saw you coming by when you suddenly dropped the speed and I thought that something had happened. So, I flew closer and I saw you talking. I didn’t want to interrupt you, so I waited. But I didn’t see anypony so... I flew by. And nothing much actually.” “Oh, urmm... don’t worry, it was nothing important anyway,” Thunder said, moving his hooves maniacally, trying to hide his red face. Giggling, Emerald asked him: “So, you are quite a daydreamer, aren’t you?” “Heh, you could say that...” He said, receiving a slight nudge from Emerald. “I’m sorry...” “Hey, cheer up silly. You have nothing to be sorry for. The day isn’t over yet.” And as she tried to cheer him up, he couldn’t help himself not to see that glow that he saw before, at the Wonderbolts’ show. She had something special something... that gave him hope. “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry for-” But he got interrupted by Emerald’s soft sigh. “Oops. I’ve done it again, didn’t I?” He asked, a bit embarrassed by himself. “You are quite something, you knew that? So, before you apologize again for Celestia-knows-what, where would you like to take me on this date?” “Did... Did she really say date? I only asked her to hang out and she calls it a date! Come on... Keep it together buddy! She’s just a funny, understanding, beautiful, amazing... What am I saying?! She’s nothing like the other mares I’ve seen until now. Well... I can’t die from trying,” He told himself, after hearing the magic word, “date”. “Well, urm. I had nothing really in mind.-” “Yes, I can see that silly,” She replied, cutting over Thunder’s words, giggling. “She’s really cute when she giggles like that,” Thunder thought, as he started laughing too. After both of them stopped, Thunder thought for a while and exclaimed: “I know! How about we just fly around and get to know each other better?” Surprised by his idea, the mare smiled at him, as she felt like he was on the right way. “Sure, so, tell me more about you Thunder.” As time passed, and the sun was lowering on the massive sky, the two pegasi flew on the sky, sharing each other’s past. They didn’t worry about anything, for they were caught in each other’s story. “Wow, quite a past you had Emerald. I’m sorry about your parents,” Thunder said, after Emerald finished her story. “I’m sorry about yours too. Well, mine were called heroes after the accident, but that doesn’t bring them back... I don’t want to talk about this right now...” Emerald said in a serious tone, turning her back on him, sighing softly. After a while of staying like that, she turned back to the lavender coated pegasus and asked him: “So, a Wonderbolt? You know that you need some skills to join them, right?” Emerald asked, raising her eyebrow. “Some skills? Heh, you haven’t seen anything yet!” “How about this, I’ll be your spectator, and I want you to amaze me. Let me see how good Thunder Runner is,” She told him, on a provoking tone. “Stay on your hooves, you’ll be stunned,” He told her, as he flew into the clouds, disappearing from her line of sight. “Finally! I get to prove my skills to somepony! Dad, I will make you proud,” Thunder said, looking in the horizon. As he closed his eyes to recap his routine, he folded his wings, free falling with his head forward by Emerald. As the mare screamed scared by the drop, Thunder twisted his body, unfolding his wings, revealing his true wingspan. Flapping his wings twice, he boosted himself through some clouds, making them dissolve into thin air. Keeping up his speed, he started flying between the clouds, creating lines across them. Confused, the emerald maned pegasus kept watching his performance, until she realized that Thunder was creating thin streaks of white clouds in the orange sky as the golden sun was still beaconing through the realms, for a short while. The show of lights was magnificent. As he kept up his first trick, he threw a quick look at Emerald’s amazed expression. That trick wasn’t in his routine, nor he had done it before. He only wanted to see her mane glow once again before he would begin his real routine. Finishing with the clouds, Thunder brought up the Wonderbolts’ routine, making slight changes here and there, adding a more dramatic turn for every trick, for every twist and turn, every loop, every boost, and every dive. Finishing up the Wonderbolts’ routine, he gathered some dark remaining storm clouds, and surrounding them with his speed, he made it one big storm cloud, hovering over the clear sky. Thunder took a few breaths, preparing himself for the final trick. A trick that he learned from his father... with a cost. He knew that he was putting everything on the line, but he had to. Emerald could see him flying in the depths of the sky, getting at a massive altitude. Without knowing, she was worried about what was about to happen. remembering what Thunder told her, of his father’s death. How he died during a training practice with Thunder, stroke by a lightning. As Thunder felt his wings getting numb, he knew that he was at the right height. Looking down, he felt goose bumps, as the image of his father was still hunting him. Folding his wings, he closed his eyes and started free falling once again, with his head in front. There was no turning back, no matter what the outcome was, this was the ending of the story, or the beginning of a new life. Picking up speed, around the lavender coated pegasus the sound barrier was forming. With every meter he had fallen, the speed would increase, the barrier holding tight against him. Getting close to the ground, Emerald was actually prepared to jump after him, but she realized that no matter how great speed she would get, she had no chance to catch him in time. The only thing she could do, was to hope. As Thunder couldn’t feel the hooves anymore, still keeping his eyes closed, he could feel the air cutting through his coat. At the right moment, Thunder opened his eyes, and with an incredible effort, he started flapping his wings as hard as he could to boost himself. Getting near the ground, his father’s words came into his head: “At the right moment, not too late, not too early, turn around and see the bright sky shining upon Equestria.” At the right time, right before hitting the ground, Thunder turned with his back against the ground, letting his wings spread out. As Rainbow Dash did once, the barrier shot him back towards the sky, and with his last ounce of strength, he started boosting himself with his wings. Going directly through the storm cloud, a lightning bolt came out exactly after he did, looking like a lightning trail behind the shooting pegasus. Reaching the very heights of the sky, Thunder spread out his wings once again, the sun setting sky behind him, and the thunder stopping right under him. He was happy. He had finally pulled off the trick. “Have you seen that... father?” He asked out loud, as he started falling, his wings not being able to hold him any longer fluttering by his side. Everything was foggy, he couldn’t feel his body at all. The last thing he saw was Emerald, jumping off the cloud to save him while crying his name hysterically, before he closed his eyes and lost consciousness, remembering only fading parts of what happened. ***** Emerald watched as the lavender pegasus started to fall, losing consciousness. With one powerful jump, she set off the cloud, shutting her wings tight around her body. Gaining more and more speed, she tried to catch Thunder, who was falling toward the lake. Even though she was at her limit, Emerald didn’t manage to reach Thunder in time, as he fell into the water. Emerald didn't hesitate to follow Thunder into the ice cold water. Closing her eyes, Emerald dashed into the lake. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Thunder, sinking into the depths of the lake. After she reached the lavender stallion, she pulled him on her back and swum to the surface. After the mare reached the surface, she took a few deep breaths, before swimming to the shore. The mare crawled out of the water, breathing heavily. Emerald laid Thunder next to her as gently as she could. Suddenly the white pegasus noticed that Thunder wasn’t breathing. Not sure what she was supposed to do, Emerald started to panic. Then, the white mare remembered what she learned in the first-aid lessons at Flight School. Emerald put her hooves on Thunder’s chest and thrusted 15 times. “Okay Emerald, now don’t freak out... You don’t want him to die, do you?” Emerald proceeded to breath into Thunder’s mouth two times, before putting her hooves on his chest and thrusting 15 times again. Suddenly, the lavender pegasus started to cough. Emerald jumped a little, before calling his name a few times. But she didn’t get an answer. The mare noticed that the moon was already rising, and a storm was coming. Giving herself a short time to make up her mind, she placed Thunder on her back again, running towards the nearest hospital that she knew about. It started to rain. Galloping as fast as she could, the mare could feel Thunder’s warm breath from time to time. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she ran towards the Ponyville hospital. She was getting worried more and more about his health. Emerald stormed into the hospital, calling for help. A doctor and two nurses came immediately and took Thunder off Emerald’s back. “Take the white mare to a sick room and let her rest.”, the doctor told one of the nurses. But Emerald took a step back and said: “No! I will go with him.” The nurse put a hoof on Emerald’s back, but the mare wiped it off. “I will go with him, like it or not.” The doctor looked at Emerald, sighed, and said: “Fine, you can come with us...“ The white pegasus nodded and followed the doctor and Thunder into a sick room, closing the door behind them. ***** “Good afternoon sir.” “Ugh... where am I?” Thunder asked, as he could see a nurse by his side, and himself in a hospital bed. “What happened?” “You should thank this missy over here,” She said, pointing to Emerald that was in a corner, sleeping on a chair. “If it wasn’t for her, you would’ve drowned. You should be happy that you fell into a lake, otherwise, from what she told me, from the impact with the ground you would’ve been dead on the spot. You are a lucky pony to have had her,” the nurse told him, happy to see him in a good state. “She stood up all night long watching you, and taking care of you.” “Yes... I bet I’m the luckiest pony to have had her,” Thunder whispered, smiling. Ignoring the pain on his back, the pain cutting through his wings, with a little bit of help from the nurse, he put Emerald on his back, and after the nurse gave him her address, he slowly went out of the hospital after signing the externalizations papers, and using her keys, he placed her on her bed and looked at her for a while... his saviour. Giving her a kiss on her forehead he wrapped her up in a blanket.“I’m very lucky indeed,” He told himself, as he looked once again over the sleeping mare. As Emerald felt his gentle kiss on her forehead, she opened her eyes and whispered: “Thunder... Don’t go...” As Thunder Runner turned back to Emerald, the mare crawled out of her bed, giving him a tight hug, sobbing. “Emerald...”, Thunder sighed, putting his arms around her. “It’s okay now.”, the stallion whispered, trying to calm Emerald down. The two of them stood there like this for a very long while. After Thunder let go of Emerald, the white mare was still sobbing. Thunder looked through one of Emerald’s windows, noticing that the sun was starting to set again. “Emerald, I think I should go now...” “B... But...”, she babbled quietly,”Can’t you stay here for the night...?” Thunder smiled and said: “I’m sorry Emerald. I can’t.” “Pretty please?”, the mare asked, while refusing to let him go. As Thunder looked back into the mare’s deep eyes, something told him that he had to stay but... if he would stay it would mean giving up on his dream over something unreachable, like her. “I’m sorry but it would be better for me to leave. But... I hope that one day we’ll get together again, Emerald,” Thunder told her as he gave her a warm smile, pushing her away from him gently, before heading to the door. Before closing the door and disappearing into the night, he smiled back once again at Emerald, trying to ensure her that they would meet again. As the lavender coated pegasus left, the mare went to the window, watching him fly away. Emerald couldn’t believe that he had left her. She turned around and started to sob quietly. If something would happen to him on the way back to his home, nopony would be there to save him. Suddenly, Emerald shook her head. What was she thinking? He will be fine. “I should really stop worrying.”, the mare told herself before heading back to her bed. She looked out of the window once more before closing her eyes and slowly falling asleep. ***** As Thunder flew back to his house, he couldn’t help himself not to look once again back to Emerald’s house wondering why he left. All his flight back, he couldn’t move his mind from the mare that almost begged him to stay. “What’s wrong with me? A pony like her would never look at somepony like me. She’s just... too good.” He told himself, sighing softly. Getting in his house, he threw one last look at the sky, wishing deep inside himself that they would meet again.
Losing HopeEmerald opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was the beginning of a terrible headache. She has barely slept for three hours. Still tired, she crawled out of her bed and went to the bathroom. When she looked into the mirror that was hanging above a sink, she saw a complete stranger. A face of her she’s never seen before.The shine of her mane was all gone as it was only a big mess now. Dark bags were hanging under her eyes and her breath was worse than the one of a timberwolf. “Why do I let myself get down because of him?...”, Emerald asked herself. Ever since Thunder left her, the white mare hadn’t set foot out of her house. “Four days.”, Emerald mumbled to herself. For four days she had stayed in her hut located in Cloudsdale. Emerald sighed. It was time to move on. The pegasus turned the water on, washed her face, brushed her hair, packed her backpack and flew out of her home. Emerald had to go to the marketplace. After she arrived in Ponyville, she trotted to the stall with pastry she had visited five days ago. Inside the shop, Emerald was greeted by the dull face of the salespony. She felt his attentive look following every step as she looked through the freshly baked wares. The vendor seemed to have noticed that Emerald wasn’t alright. When the white mare brought a loaf of bread to the counter, intending to buy it, the salespony put it in a bag and took her bits. “Have a nice day.”, he said to Emerald. “I wish it could be one...”, she replied with a husky and sad voice while leaving the shop. Shortly after, Emerald visited a small shop with fresh vegetables and fruits, where she bought several apples, carrots and also some hay. After she paid, she walked out of the store and started to store the the food in her bag. Suddenly, from the corner of her left eye, Emerald saw a lavender coat through the crowd. A wave of excitement shot through her. Dropping her groceries, the mare ran, pushing everypony aside from her way, shouting Thunder’s name. While she was taking off, flapping her wings to gain attitude, she looked around hectically, her eyes scouting through the entire crowd for Thunder. But after ten minutes of flying above the market in circles, her wings started to ache, getting exhausted. The mare was struck. Her stamina problem. It’s something Emerald had to live with since she was born. The pegasus couldn’t fly for more than a handful of minutes without her wings failing on her, or her fainting from exhaustion. The cause for this problem were the muscles in her wings. They are much more weaker than the muscles of a normal, healthy mare. The white pegasus managed to strengthen her stamina with special workout methods and daily training. But now, after four days without training, she couldn’t fly for too long. The headache grew stronger. Emerald growled in disappointment and spoke to herself: “That’s what I get from sitting around in my house...” The mare sighed before landing on a cloud. She looked up to the depths of the sky and mumbled: “Why him?...” She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered the moment he left her house. “Oh, how I wish he’d have...” But Emerald shook her head, trying to focus on what was going on with her life. Could she just leave everything for a pegasus who might not share the same feelings as she does? Then it hit her. She had nothing to leave. She started to run as fast as she could to the hospital, trying to hold her faith together. The exhaustion was making it's presence in Emerald's muscles as she was pushing herself over her own limits, but it wouldn't matter as her will was giving her strength. After many minutes which seemed to never end, the mare reached the doors of a great white building. The hospital of Ponyville. The white pegasus stepped inside the facility, breathing heavily. Suddenly, an employee noticed Emerald. "Hello ma'am, how may I help you?" a unicorn nurse asked Emerald very polite. "Hey, I remember you! You came a couple of days ago with a ... lavender coated pegasus if I recall correctly." "Yes, and I wanted to check some papers. Could you tell me what address Thunder Runner's house has? He is the lavender coated pegasus that has been here four days ago." "Of course, ma'am!", the nurse replied before she started searching through many drawers. After mere seconds, the unicorn pulled out Thunder’s document. “There we have it. Thunder Runner.”, the nurse exclaimed. She took a pen and paper and started to scribble the house address of Thunder on it. “Thank you, have a pleasant day.”, Emerald said to the nurse before taking the note and tilting her head, trotting out of the hospital. The pegasus looked at the little piece of paper. “Ponyville, Haystreet number 16.”, she whispered to herself. Emerald knew that place. It was right next to a nice café she likes to visit from time to time. The mare smiled and started walking to Thunder’s house. Maybe it wasn’t too late! Maybe she could still find him at home! When she finally reached the place where Thunder lived, Emerald started to look at every house carefully, hoping to find number 16 somewhere. Then, the mare had finally found it. It was a cozy one-family dwelling, not too big but not too small either. The mare stepped in front of the main door and knocked on it a few times causing the door to open with a slight creaking noise. The door, surprisingly, was unlocked. Emerald felt a chill rolling down her spine. Gulping, she entered the house. “Hello?”, the mare called. There was no answer. The pegasus turned around and thought about leaving, but her curiosity took the better of her. Emerald looked around. She saw three rooms and a staircase leading to the second floor of the house. The pegasus stepped toward a room that seemed to be Thunder’s work room. It was rather messy. A few scrolls and letters were laying on the ground. It seemed like Thunder has been working on something. In front of the mare, there was a wooden table right under a window facing Cloudsdale. To Emeralds right were three big shelves, full of books and letters, and even a trophy. The mare stepped closer and examined the trophy. “Best young flyer competition winner” Emerald blinked in surprise. Thunder sure looked like a good flyer, but she wouldn’t have guessed that he had won the young flyer competition. As the mare turned her head towards the desk, she noticed a pile of rather old newspapers. The white pegasus padded closer to the papers and carefully picked one up. “New Captain of the Wonderbolt team elected!” was the headline. Emerald picked up another newspaper. “The best Wonderbolt show in history!” read the headline of this one. The mare took a closer look. “Unbelieveable! The first Wonderbolt show after the election of the new captain was sold out in less than 10 hours!” Emerald looked through some more papers that stated how great the Wonderbolts leader is. Suddenly, she found a ripped newspaper. The mare looked for the second half of the paper and was lucky enough to find it. “Leader of the Wonderbolts died in a tragic accident!” “At one of the training sessions, the great captain tried to pull off a trick he had never done before. He was struck by the lightning part of his new trick and died immediately! All of Equestria is in deep sorrow as the Wonderbolts just lost their best captain in history." Emerald didn’t understand. Why did Thunder keep all these newspapers? What did it mean? The mare looked at the desk. She saw two letters. Both of them had the signature of Spitfire on them. She couldn’t help herself not to question why would he have two letters from one of the best fliers in Equestria. Ripping both of them, she saw that one of them contained two invitations for him and for a guest to the next Wonderbolt show, with a dedication from the actual Wonderbolts leader: “See you there hotshot. We will see if you are fit to join our academy and go on your father’s steps.” Emerald was shocked. She couldn’t believe her eyes. But she still had to see what the other letter contained. In it, there was an invitation to the Wonderbolts Academy! Her limbs went numb. Did that mean that she was going to lose him? But she realized that Thunder has his own dream. Placing the letters back where they belonged, she threw one more quick look at all of Thunder’s accomplishments. Her heart was racing. She was asking herself more than ever who Thunder actually was. As she went to the door, she realized that somepony was in her way, staying right at the door. It was Thunder. Emerald’s heart stopped. Her eyes stared directly trough the lavender pegasus. “Since when...” “-What are you doing here?” He asked her on a serious tone. This wasn’t the Thunder she remembered. This one was more serious, leaving no place for no emotions. “I only wanted to come and see you...” Emerald replied not being able to look him in the eyes. “I’m asking again... what are you doing here?!” He asked this time louder, in anger. Closing the door behind him, he went at the desk and looked all over the newspapers and the letters. “I... I didn’t mean anything bad Thunder... I-” But as she tried to put her hoof on Thunder’s shoulder he pushed her aside. “Go,” He demanded her. “But I...” “GO!” He yelled at her, not even looking at her. With tears in her eyes, Emerald went for the door, and after opening it, she turned around, looking at Thunder’s backside. “I’m glad to see you, too.” The mare ran out of his house. The door was slammed shut. Thunder was once again... alone... ***** Thunder’s breathing was heavy with furiosity. He stared at his wooden desk, his teeth clenched. Then he realized what he had done. As the pegasus looked out of his window, he saw Emerald flying into the sky. “No! Emerald! I didn’t mean it!”, Thunder shouted, hoping the white mare would hear his words, with no hope left in his soul at that moment. Tear after tear started falling on the newspapers on the desk. The only sound in the house was the clogged sob of the lavender pegasus. “Why am I doing this... Why?!” He yelled at the ceiling as if somepony up there in the sky would listen to him and watch over him. Thunder hit the desk once as hard as he could with his hooves. Now even newspapers were scattered around the room. Many images and articles about his father’s accomplishments were lying down on the floor. And one specific photo fell from a cracked foto frame on his desk, his only photo with his father, when he was just a colt, and his father just got his Wonderbolt captain suit. Grabbing it, he collapsed in the middle of his room, crying. The next morning, the sun shone through his window, revealing torn apart newspapers, his chair lying down in a corner, and a sleepless pegasus holding the only photo he had left with him and his father. Getting up from his bed, he looked through the glass at the calm and the beauty of that morning. But not everything was in order. A train of moral qualms suddenly hit him. He wasn’t sure what happened or why... the only thing he knew was that he was all alone. Leaving the mess as it was, he went to the bathroom to see himself. Who was he? Who was that Thunder who pushed away the only important somepony that was left for him? He wasn’t sure who he was anymore. As he went back to his work room, he saw the two tickets still on the table. He knew he had a chance, but he was nervous. Grabbing some bits from a drawer and the two tickets, he rushed out locking the door behind him in a hurry. He had to make up for what he’s done. And even if she won’t accept to go further, he will at least know that he did his best to apologize for the huge mistake he had done, to the mare that has a special place in his life. Shaking his head furiously he casted out the train of remorses that hit him. He had to do something special for Emerald. Flying as fast as he could, he went straight to the Ponyville’s market to buy the most beautiful roses he could find. As he arrived at the stall with lots and lots of roses, a bouquet of ruby red roses immediately caught his attention. Thunder bought the roses straightaway and put a small apology letter he had written just before he left his house. The lavender coated pegasus set off into the sky, flying to the place where Emerald lived. Before he knew it he was standing in front of Emerald’s house with roses, a letter and the two tickets. He knocked on the door, but nopony answered. “Did she leave?", he asked himself cursing his behaviour from the other day. “Did she even fly back to her house since yesterday?...” With retention, he knocked on the door once again, hoping that Emerald would answer, but once again there was only silence, the dim sound of his knock echoing through her house. Disappointed, he left the gifts for Emerald on her doorstep and left, not even looking back. What he didn’t know was that the mare was in her room, still crying, and didn’t answer on purpose. ***** Emerald froze when she heard somepony knocking at her door. The mare knew. It was Thunder. But if she would open now, what was she supposed to do after everything? After what happened yesterday... could that even be him? Emerald wouldn’t be surprised if Thunder would never want to see her ever again after what she did. The mare had went into Thunder’s house, without his permission. And then she even searched through his memories with his father that had passed away... There was no excuse. She had to make up for it, one way or another. Emerald jumped out of her bed, wiping away her tears, and ran for the door. But as she got up to catch him he already left and was nowhere in sight... and she saw something in front of her door. She squealed in delight. It was the most gorgeous bouquet of roses she ever saw, and from what she thought, very expensive too. As she grabbed it to place it in a flower pot in her room, a letter fell right open on the floor. Slightly confused, she picked up the letter and read out what was written on it: “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I never meant to hurt you, but... please understand that my father was the pegasus I looked up to my entire life, and since his death... I've been looking for a new purpose in life. I wish I could make up for all this. Please accept this humble offer. And even if yoy decide to get me out from your life, I understand. I hope I will be seeing you soon. -Thunder Runner” “Seeing me where?”, Emerald asked out loud after she turned the paper around to see if she can find an address or anything that would tell her where or when Thunder was awaiting her. The mare looked inside the wrapping paper where the roses have been stored. Emerald couldn’t believe what she saw. Another ticket for the VIP seats at the Wonderbolt show that would take place at Canterlot the very next day! Emerald swallowed. The mare knew she had to make up for what she had done, but she had never been to Canterlot before. She has heard a lot about the majestic big city at the edge of a giant mountain, but she never had the time to get there. She heard that everypony in Canterlot wears fancy dresses and suits. If Emerald will go there, she needed a dress. And she knew where to get one. The Carousel Boutique. Gathering all the bits she had left, she flew straight away to the best mare fit to make her a dress fancy enough for a Canterlotean event. Upon arriving, she knocked on the door nervously. She's never done such thing before. What was she supposed to say? Did she have enough money? But she was shocked at the moment when a white unicorn dragged her in. "Bonjour! And welcome to my humble Carousel Boutique! How may I help you?" Rarity said with such enthusiasm, that she got Emerald even more nervous. "I... I'd like a dress for an event in Can-" She could barely say, on a lower tone, before she got cut out by the fashionist. "Canterlot? Darling! Such an event deserves a truly fancy dress! Don’t worry, my dear, I will make something absolutely stunning for you!" “Maybe I should mention that I’m visiting the Wonderbolt-”, Emerald mumbled, bashfully. “The Wonderbolt race at Canterlot?!” Rarities eyes went big. “Y-yes... And I’m a V.I.P guest-” “A V.I.P even?!” Rarity was close to fainting. “May I ask whose dress I am designing?” “I... My name is Emerald Thunder. I’m not a prominent pony. I just got the ticket from a pegasus called Thunder Runner, who-” “Who's that?” Rarity interrupted her, again. Emerald started to get annoyed. As soon as the fashionist noticed that, she cleared her throat and said: “I’m sorry I let my excitement take the better of me. We will get to your dress now, Miss Emerald Thunder, shall we?” Before realizing, the white pegasus found herself on a pedestal, while Rarity started taking measurements of every body part and comparing different colored fabrics to fit together. After Rarity chose a fine material that went very well with Emerald’s body color, she hasted to a wooden cupboard with a heavy chest on it. With the help of her magic, Rarity opened the chest and took something out. “Darling, these will look absolutely fabulous on you!”, the unicorn exclaimed before trotting towards Emerald. Hours have passed, and Emerald was finally given the final dress. Putting it on, she came out on the podium with Rarity as her audience. Emerald stepped into the lovelight, wearing a wonderful dress. It was a light blue, one-strap gown jeweled with violet opals which shimmered in a bright blue whenever light would shine upon them. "Darling... you look marvelous!" The white coated unicorn said, a big grin on her face, proud of her own work. “But...”, Rarity said, stepping towards her, “You have to wear this, too.”, she ordered her before clipping a flower-shaped hair clip made of opals in her mane, right under the ear. Emerald gasped. The hair clip seemed to be very valuable. As Emerald tried to get her purse to pay her, Rarity stopped her, holding her hoof. "Deary, you don't need to pay me. If you are going to an event in Canterlot, you must wear a dress that steals every stallion's eyes!”, Rarity exclaimed. “Or the eyes of a specific stallion.”, she ended, with a chuckle. Emerald’s eyes went big. “How did you-?”, the pegasus asked, just to have her word cut off by Rarity once again, who put her hoof on Emerald’s shoulder and smiled. “Just be sure to enjoy your time in Canterlot. And when you come back, you will tell me everything about it!” “I... I will, miss Rarity.” “Please, darling. Call me Rarity.” Emerald nodded, before carefully taking off the dress and the hair clip. The mare headed to the door, opening it and looking back for a last time. “Thank you, Rarity.” The white coated pegasus was given a bag with the beautifully designed dress, carefully folded in. As Rarity wished her good luck once again, the mare couldn’t hold herself from squeeing in delight. As the sun set, Emerald flew back to her house, with the thought of tomorrow in her head.
