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                Forced To Bring The Thunder                
                   -by Wolke Eisensturm-                   
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                 Lemme Lay This Out for Ya                 
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Lemme Lay This Out for Ya
"Mail call! Mail call!" In a flurry of grey feathers, the mailpony rushes out of sight, leaving the mailbox she just visited spinning around on its post. The door flings open and letters fly from the mailbox's mouth onto the ground.
A moment later, the door to the owner of the mailbox's house opens. The pony looks around and sees the letters on the ground. He steps outside and stretches his dark grey feathered wings. The Pegasus walks over to his mailbox, pausing in front of it to see his reflection. His bluish-silvery mane is roughed up from a night of tossing and turning in his bed, but his dark grey coat seems reletivly smooth. His bright yellow eyes are beaming, and so is the lightning cloud on his flanks. He runs a hoof though his mane and picks up his letters.
"Oh, oh!!! Thunderlane!" The dark grey Pegasus looks up to see the mailpony. She's rushing to fly back to the ground, her mailbag flapping at her side. She slows down for a landing, but realizes she's still going to fast. The mailpony plows into the ground, creating a large plume of dust.
Thunderlane shields his eyes from the dust. Once it clears he looks down at the mailpony. "...Hello Ditzy."
Ditzy Doo, or more commonly known as Derpy Hooves, is the local mailbringer. Her name origonates from her 'featherbrained' manner of acting and... "Hi!" Ditzy says in a loud voice. Thunderlane forces a smile as she stands up to look at him. Her coat is a very, very pale shade of purple, and her mane and tail a bright yellow. Three bubbles, oddly enough, mark her flank for her cutie mark. Her eyes, like Thunderlane's, are a bright yellow as well, but hers...As Ditzy tilts her head to speak again, one of her eyes crosses. "I forgot this one!" She plunges her head into her mailbag and returns with a small eggshell white letter in her mouth. She gives it to Thunderlane and flutters her wings. "Sorry about that. This one was marked ergent. I'll be off then!" Ditzy flies off without another word.
Thunderlane stares up at the sky for a moment, then regathers his letters. "Alright, lets see here." He walks back to his door and checks the first letter. "...Hm..." Thunderlane stops right inside of his doorway and places the first letter on a low table. "Junkmail." He checks the second one. "...Junkmail...Oh hey, my subscribtion to 'Featherweight Fliers'. Cool." Thunderlane then turns his attention to the smaller envelope. "...Ergent huh?" He rips the envelope open and pulls out a piece of paper. He fumbles with it a bit before getting a grip.
"Ah, okay...what have we got here? 'Thunderlane, It has come to my attention that you have been steadily raises among the ranks in Wonderbolt training. Upon seeing your progress, I ask you to see me as son as possible. Spitfire.'" Thunderlane smiles as he tosses the letter with the others. "Captain Spitfire wants to see me? Wow...I better not keep her waiting." Thunderlane quickly re-opens his door and takes off into the sky, not bothering to close his door.
...
"Kinda windy out today." Thunderlane looks around the wide sky as he tries to keep his wings stright. Another gust of wind blows him to the side, but he quickly recovers. "Geez." Thunderlane looks down, gauging his altitude, but gets lost in the sight of the land below him. It is a beautiful thing to see; the shallow hlls, the green feilds, the treetops, the town of Ponyville.
"Hiya!"
"Ohmagah!" Thunderlane fumbles and falls a few feet, but rights himself. He looks around for the source of the voice that startled him. "Oh...Hey Cloudchaser."
The pale persian blue Pegasus smiles at him. Her spiky cerulean and white mane is pulled tight behind her from the wind, but she doesn't seem to be having much trouble handling herself. "Hey Thunderlane. What'cha doing?"
He smiles back. "Well, Captain Spitfire wants to see me, so...yeah, I'm headed to the Acadamy." He looks forward and passes a wall of clouds. Thunderlane points forward. "Well, speak of the devil, there's the Academy now." The Academy if the only speck of green in the blue sky, seeing as how it's located on a large mountain top with barracks and other cloud buildings surrounding it. The obstacle course is the first thing Thunderlane and Cloudchaser pass, so they follow it to the landing strip.
"So," Cloudchaser asks, "what does the Captain want to see you about?" She looks forward and begins to slow for a landing. Thunderlane decreases speed as well. "I mean," Coudchaser begins, "don't you think it's a bit weird for her to call you in on our schedualed break?"
They both touch down and begin running along the landing strip. They slow to a stop and Thunderlane looks around the premises. "Yesterday was the first day of break. We've still got another three weeks. And besides, she said it was something about my records." Thunderlane shrugs. "And besides, she is the captain."
Cloudchaser rubs the back of her neck. "I guess so." She looks at Thunderlane, who returns her momentary stare. Her cheeks light up red adn she looks to the ground. "So...I was wondering...Maybe when you're done here...we could...hang out?"
"Sure." Cloudchaser's face lights up as soon as he says that. Thunderlance looks over at the main hall. "I'll be right back." He takes off towards the wide cloud building. Thunderlane flutters inside and looks arond the branching halls. They seem so different when their empty. Regardless, Thunderlane trots down the main hall.
A few turns here and there later and Thunderlane finds himself at Spitfire's office. He looks himself over to see if he's presentable, smoothes out his mane, and knocks. "Yes?" Thunderlane gathers a deep breath and opens the door.
He pokes his head in. "You wanted to see me Sir-Ma'am-uh...You wanted to see me Captain?"
Sitting behind a white-tooped desk is the yellow Pegasus Spitfire. Her orange spiky mane is a bit messy, and even with it being a schedualed vacation, she is still dressed in her commanding uniform; a blue formal coat with a white undershirt and a black tie. A stone statue of a Wonderbolt in flight sits on the corner of her desk, a lamp on the other courner, and a manuel in the center. Spitfire waves Thunderlane in. "Come in."
Thunderlane enters and quietly closes the door behind him. he moves to the front of Spitfire's desk and sits down, saluting. "Lead Pony Thunderlane reporting."
"At ease." Spitfire's command takes a bit of discomfort from Thunderlane's mind. She reaches under her desk and brings out a file. "Thunderlane, I take it you received my letter?"
"Yes Captain."
"Then you know why you are here." Spitfire open his file and drags out a document. "In the past few weeks, you have shown admirable progress. You have gone from last place to second, right behind Rainbow Dash." Spitfire leans forward over her desk. "Very good. You just might make it to the Wonderbolts."
Thunderlane smiles. "Wow, thank you Captain. But...is that all you called me for?"
"No." Spitfire removes herslef from her chair and walks over to a far off filing cabinet. She open the bottom drawer and flicks through the files. After a bit Spitfire gives up and shuts the drawer. "Well, I did have something I wanted you to look at, but forget it. Thunderlane, I called you here because I got a resignation notice from your wingpony, Raindrops." Spitfire walks over to Thunderlane and sits down on the carpet with him. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
He shakes his head. "No Captain, she didn't tell me anything. I didn't even know...I thought she was doing really well."
"She was." Spitfire returns behind her desk and claps her hooves together. "She was in place five, but she was showing good signs. And then yesterday, out of the blue, she waltzes into my office as I was preparing to leave and hands me her resignation. I don't know where she is now."
Thunderlane swallows in worry. "She's not...missing, is she?"
Spitfire looks over her hooves at him. "No, no, not at all. She's around, I just don't know where exactly." Spitfire leans back. "So you don't know anything?"
"Sorry Captain, I don't."
Spitfire closes her eyes. "...Alright. I'll figure something out about you not having a wingpony. Dismissed."
...
"So what did she say?" Cloudchaser asks in a quick voice.
Thunderlane looks at her hooves, then back at his own. "Well, she said that I'm doing really well in training."
"That's great!"
"But...Raindrops dropped out." Thunderlane looks up at his friend. "...No pun intended."
Cloudchaser's smile falls to a small frown. "She...quit?"
"Yeah," Thunderlane replies. "And Captain Spitfire has no idea why. I don't either." Thunderlane looks back at the main hall. "...I kinda feel like I let her down."
Cloudchaser goes to his side and gently pats his shoulder. "Hey, you didn't do anything wrong." She looks around the mountaintop as another gust of wind blows over the landing strip. She shakes her head and her mane whips Thunderlane across his cheek. "Sorry," Cloudchaser says quickly. "Come on. Let's go down to Sugarcube Corner. Maybe a sweet or two will cheer you up. My treat."
Thunderlane looks at her and forces a small smile. "...Thanks..."
She smiles back and they both take off into the wind. Cloudchaser leads with Thunderlane right behind her. "Wicked wind today, huh Thunder?"
"Yeah," he replies. "Something's happening up north, I'm sure of it." A large wall of current hits them both, sending Thunderlane into a semi-spiral and Cloudchaser into a full fledged twirl. They both correct themselves and Thunderlane snorts. "Geez, this is too strong."
"I know!" Cloudchaser points down toward the earth with a foreleg. "Hey, Ponyville's a few miles away. I say we head in for a landing and walk the rest of the way. Sound good?"
"Sounds great."Thunderlane wavers as another gust hits him from behind and sends him in front of Cloudchaser. "I'm having a hard time slowing down!"
"Thunderlane, we need to go down!" Cloudchaser's wings are clearly straining to keep stable. "This wind is too intense!"
"I know!" Thunderlane says, repeating Cloudchaser's previous statement. "I'm going down!" He turns slightly and starts heading towards the ground, Cloudchaser right behind him. "How ya doing!?" he yells back to her.
"Okay!" She yells back. Cloudchaser begins to widen her wingspan as the ground some into clear view, and so do the rooftops of Ponyville. "Thunderlane! Pull up!"
"I can't!" He shouts back. "If I do, my wings will give out! I'm not strong enou-Ohmagah" His left wing slams into his side and Thunderlane begins to spiral towards Ponyville. He hears the shouts of Cloudchaser over the whipping wind. Thunderlane opens his eyes as wide as he can when he sees he is ona direct crash-course with a roof. He closes his eyes. "...This is gonna suck."
...*CRASH!*...  *crumble*  *crackle*... ...... ..........*pwack***
The sounds of the groaning strain of wood, fluttering straw, and tick-tack of plaster falling fill the air, along with the shattering of thick glass and water drops. Dust flies, items fall, and the sound dies down...for a moment.
"...WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!?" Two hooves throw beams of wood, shingles, and wall from a pile. The hooves dig until they find Thunderlane. They pull him from the wreckage and then throw him back onto the pile. "Hey! What is your malfunction? Wake up!!!" The hooves slap him across the face, which make Thunderlane open his eyes.
"Wha...Am I dead yet?"
"You will be when I'm done with you!" Thunderlane looks over the pony who pulled him off the floor. She is a Unicorn, that he notices first. Her mane is the palest blue he's ever seen, while her coat is a brilliant azure. Her light violet eyes are burning with rage. "Look at what you've done to my roof!"
Thunderlane does, and lets his mouth hang open. A large hole, a pony-sized sillouette, is torn in the wooden ceiling. Pieces of straw and insolation hang from the ragged edges. He looks at the floor, seeing many knick-knacks, veils, and other trinkets scattered, as well as two support beams that he had cracked in half, bits of wall and some shingles. Thunderlane looks at the blue Unicorn. "Oh my...I'm soooo sorry. The wind, it was way to strong for me. I couldn't fly-"
"Oh, you couldn't fly! Well that's just great! And you had, just had to come crashing through the roof of my shop!? Unbelievable!"
"Thunderlane! Thunderlane! Are you okay!?" The voice makes both the Unicorn and Thunderlane look up at the hole in the ceiling. A moment later Cloudchaser flies in, careful of th small fit, and lands in front of them. "Thunderlane! Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
"Hey!" the Unicorn yells. "Your coltfriend just smashed half of my merchandise, plus a good part of my roof!"
Cloudchaser's jaw nearly hits the floor. "C-coltfriend?"
The Unicorn pushes her to the door, which is open due to the sudden air pressure of the crash. "You wait outside. I need to talk to you coltfriend."
"But he's not-" The door slams before Cloudchaser can finish.
The Unicorn spins around and stalks over to Thunderlane. She pulls his face close to her own. "Do you have...any idea how much damage you just caused?"
Thunderlane looks around again. "Um-"
"I could castrate you! I make ammends with all the ponies I've done wrong against, buy a new house and a shop, make a decent living...And then you! Bust! In! Here! And! Ruin! EVERYHING!!!"
She reels back her hoof to smack him again, but Thunderlane shields himself first. "Wait! You are a Unicorn, can't you just fix everything Miss?"
"Of course I can!" The Unicorn shakes Thunderlane and pulls him out of the wreckage. Her horn glows and the cieling begins to put itself back together, as do the knick-knacks and shelves. Thunderlane looks around, seeing that the reconstuction is happening, but extremely slowly. "It just such a pain," the Unicorn says, not quite yelling, but still in an outside voice. "This will take weeks to fully repair itself."
Thunderlane rubs the back of his neck. "I'm...very sorry Miss."
The blue Unicorn looks at him with a scowl. "...It's not 'Miss', it's Trixie." Thunderlane notes that Trixie is not a pony he wants angry. Trixie returns to her counter, which looks like a combonation of a bar and a marketplace. The shelves behind the counter are full of bottles and vials of colored liquid, while the surrounding shelves are covered in snowglobes, scrolls, quills, stuffed toys, and various other items. Trixie sits down and points in front of the counter. "Sit."
Thunderlane does. He looks around th store again.
"Look me in the eyes when I'm speaking." Trixie's tone snaps Thunderlane attention to a small pinprick, focused on her. Trixie puts up a foreleg and rests her chin on it. "...So...Can I ask...what the hell just happened?" Thunderlane opens his mouth, but Trixie bangs on the counter, silencing him. "You destroyed half of my store, that what just happened! You see that!?" She points up at the hole in the ceiling, which looks like candlewax as the hole slowly closes. "That spell takes a lot out of me. Now until the spell is complete, I can't do professional bussiness!"
"What?" Thunderlane asks.
Trixie slides her face between her hoof and her ankle. "Private bussiness requires privacy to be private, right? And with a giant pony-shaped hole in my roof, I can't get that."
Thunderlane looks past Trixie at the shelves behind her. "...What do you do here?"
Twixie goes back to resting her chin on her hoof. "...I sell all the unnessesary needs that ponies love." She waves her other hoof. "Souvenirs, trinkets, potions, spells, the works."
The door to the shop opens again and Cloudchaser pokes her head through the slim opening. "Hey, are you two okay in here? I'm hearing a lot of yelling."
Trixie slams her hoof down on the counter again. "Out!" The door closes, and Trixie returns her chin to her hoof. "...You seem to be pretty popular with the mares."
Thunderlane looks at his feet. "...Not really." He looks back up at her. "I kinda wish I was a bit better with them, but mares...don't see a lot in a stallion like me."
Trixie raises an eyebrow. "...Most stallions only want one thing."
Thunderlane shakes his head at her. "Well, not me. That is something I don't take much interest in. I just want someone to talk to...and Cloudchaser is pretty good at that. She's an awesome friend."
Trixie's eyes light up for a moment. "...Is that so?" She straightens up and lean forward. "But wouldn't it be great to have a few more female friends to...talk with?" She leans back in her chair. "...Maybe I can help you out." A sly grin crawls across her face.
"But after I just crashed through your roof?" Thunderlane looks back at the hole and a shingle falls from the edge. Trixie catches it with her magic and places it on a nearby shelf. Thundelane looks back at the storeclerk. "Why?"
Trixie playfully rolls her eyes. "Well...I know how you feel. So...I guess you have my sympathy." She closes her eyes. "...So, do you want the spell?"
"Spell?"
"Yes, spell." Trixie opens one eye, her left. "I'll cast a appeal spell on you. You'll seem more approachable and soon you'll have more friends than you can count."
Thunderlane looks back at the door, where he knows Cloudchaser is waiting. He turns back to Trixie. "...How much does it cost?"
"Oh, no charge for a fellow hardgoer." Trixie nods. "So?"
Thunderlane bites the end of his hoof, thinking. "...Okay."
"Exellent!" Trixie jumps over the counter and lands right beside Thunderlane. She leans forward and taps her horn against his forehead one, twice, three times, each time her horn glowing a different color. She then taps him on the cheeks, then the nose, then puts a hoof on his shoulder. "Hold still." Trixie lowers her head and connects her horn with Thunderlane's chest. Her horn sparks as she begins to draw a pattern into his fur. "...Just a bit...more...There." Trixie pulls her horn away from his chest and Thunderlane looks down. At the bottom of his neck is complicated looking symbol that is just slightly darker than his fur.
"...What is that."
"One more thing." Trixie puts her hoof under his chin and brings Thunderlane's head up. She lenas forward and pushes her mouth against his in a quick kiss. Thunderlane pulls away and Trixie smiles with a slight crease in her brow. "There. The spell is complete."
Thunderlane wipes his mouth with the inside of his leg. "Why did you kiss me!?"
Trixie returns to her seat behind the counter. "It's an appeal spell. And I kissed you so that you would seem more appealing to mares." She leans forward and waves a hoof at him. "The spell will take full effect at midnight, and then...Mares galore. All the talking you can handle."
Thunderlane smiles slightly. "....Thank you Trixie. Really, thank you." He steps towards the door, but falls flat on his face. Thunderlane waits for a moment, then repositions his legs and pushes. He barely get his face off the floor. "What...the...hell?"
Trixie snickers. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. That spell has a side-effect. You have to try five times as hard to do anything. That includes climbing, jumping, walking, even standing. Basically..." Trixie whissles a note, "you give up strength for attractiveness."
"Damn...should have read the fine print." Thunderlane tries to get up again, but fails. "...Cloudchaser! I need some help!"
The door opens right as he says that. She sees him down on the ground and rushes to his side. "Thunderlane, what happened?"
"Oh...I'm just a bit tired from the fall." Thunderlane mentally slaps himself. "...Care to, uh...help me up?" Cloudchaser slides under Thunderlane's left side and pushes him up to his feet. His legs lock and wobble slightly, but he stands. He looks abck at Trixie. "Thanks again."
"It's no trouble," Trixie replies. Cloudchaser eases Thunderlane to the door, which clicks shut behind them. Trixie looks up at the hole in her ceiling. "...Yes...no trouble at all...for me, anyways."
"Thunderlane, I think we might want to skip the cupcake trip." Cloudchaser keeps her side pressed up against Thunderlane's, her wing over his back and his in turn for stability.
"Yeah, I think you're right," he replies. He carefully takes another step. "...I've never felt so weak before."
"You've probably never crashed through a roof before."
Thunderlane shakes his head. "Yeah...first time for everything." He looks forward and sees his house a few yards away and off to the side, the door still wide open. He takes his wing off Cludchaser's back and folds it to his side. "I think I can make it from here."
Cloudchaser doesn't move. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," he answers. "...It's the start of vacation, I'm going to be sore in the morning, and I can barely walk right now. But...I did say barely. I'm just gonna push through it." Thunderlane takes another step forward. His leg locks. Thunderlane takes another, then another. "See?"
Cloudchaser's face contorts with worry, but she lets it soften. "...Well, alright. You just...call me if you need something, alright?"
Thunderlaner smiles. "Sure thing." Cloudchaser seems reluctant to leave, but nods and takes off into the sky again. The winds push her back to the ground a few yards away and she walks out of sight.
Seeing Cloudchaser fly... Thunderlane spreads his wings and flaps them a few times. His feet leave the ground, but it take a bit more effort than before to keep afloat. Thunderlane smiles anyhow. "...At least I can fly normally." He hovers toward his house. "Trixie, heh, you may have taken my legs, but not my wings." Thunderlane slips inside and shuts his door.