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My Little Pony: Elements of Friendship

f-22 "raptor" ace

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forest grove levitated a piece of cake using his magic and starting to eat it, at least it was one thing that he had mastered.


Kor

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Myrdinn went to the food and drink area to get himself a drink.  Then he went to have a bit of cake since he was starting to get a little hungry.  He usually tried to eat healthy, but some snack type food and cake and such was ok to eat from time to time.


The Great Valley Guardian

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Rainrunner giggled. She was happy to see that almost everypony was enjoying the party. She however also knew one pony that would be less than happy and she sighed. She could see where her brother was sitting and despite his still angered and apprehensive look seeing Haru with him made Rainrunner fell slightly better.
"I really do hope Haru can help him. I fell really, really guilty about how I hurt him." she said to herself.

Thunderclap felt Haru intertwine their tails but did nothing to stop him. The midnight blue pony was staring apprehensively at the cake in front of him as if it were going to reach out and bite him. He slowly poked it with his hoof and then slammed his hoof down onto the edge of the plate sending the cake hurling through the air and landing squarely on his own back. Thunderclap then stared at Haru with a small glare. 'He deserves to know.... he's my first real friend in... well EVER! But I've carried these scars and burdens by myself for most of my life... I'm sure he'd sympathize but I don't want sympathy... I just... I just want to be less of a jerk!' he thought to himself.

"Hey, Haru. Would  you like to hear a story?" Thunderclap asked in a monotone, almost horrified tone.

Twilight Sparkle smiled as she watched Spike return to the table with the snacks on them. "Always after the food." she muttered to herself. She then noticed Rainrunner and stepped over to Applejack."Can i get your help talking to Rainrunner... she seems a bit upset."


StarfallRaptor

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Haru nodded and scooted a little closer to Thunderclap.
"If it's about you, then sure.  If you want to tell it, that is..."
He said shyly, giving Thunderclap a reassuring smile.  Meanwhile, Applejack looked at Rainrunner and nodded.
"O' course I can, Twi.  Ah think she'd be glad fer your comp'ny, too."
She said, walking over towards Rainrunner...


The Great Valley Guardian

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Twilight stepped over next to Rainrunner and asked quietly, "Is everything alright? You look upset about something."

Rainrunner gave a wild squeal of fear and jumped straight up and hit her head on the ceiling before landing back on all four of her hooves. She turned to Twilight and Applejack with her mane standing on end as she asked, "Uhh... y-yes... I mean.. no... but..." she stopped speaking long enough to take a breath and spoke clearly. "Yes... something is wrong. I was unfair to my brother... and now... I just want to see him happy... but I suppose to know the truth, you'd have to know the whole story."

Thunderclap noticed Haru had scooted closer and it comforted the young stallion but also made him a little uncomfortable, but decided not to speak about it. He cleared his throat before weaving his tale. "First, take the worst storm in Equestria history and then multiply it by 100 and that is how it was on the day I was born."

Rainrunner back to tell her story as well. "My brother was born on the worst storm in our towns history... and just as he was born... the storm stopped. Now don't let those words fool you, when I say the storm stopped I don't mean stopped in the normal sense, I mean the lightning, the thunder, and even the rain and wind all just seemed to stop moving all at once as if cast under a spell... and now let me tell who got rid of the storm... my brother did! Only moments after he was born..."

"... only seconds after I was born... I cried for the first time, and the massive hurricane like cloud over our town disappeared like pure magic! It... was one of the best days of my life that I'll never remember." commented Thunderclap with a quiet sigh.


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Haru tilted his head a little.
"That you'll...never remember?  Did something bad happen or something?"
He asked, worry and sympathy apparent in his eyes...


Kor

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Spike piled his plate with food and got a cup of some drink.  He then started eating his food.  "Plenty of grub." He said.

Myrdinn saw how much food Spike had and though to himself that he wondered if he could eat that much.


The Great Valley Guardian

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Thunderclap stared at Haru for a moment before tersely smacking his friend over the head with his wing. "Please, I'm trying to tell my life's story, do try to keep up."  He then decided it would be best to clear up the confusion on Haru's face. "Think about it for a moment, I was only seconds old... I would NOT have remembered what I did the moment I woke and began crying." he stated with a touch of irritation in his voice. "now... where was I?" he asked himself out loud.

Rainrunner had paused in her story as well to figure out for a moment what came next.

When she noticed the lull in Rainrunners story, Twilight turned to Applejack and spoke in a whisper, "Hey AJ, could you get the others... I think this is a story everypony is going to want to hear."


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Haru winced a little but then chuckled.
"I know, Thunder.  I know.  I was just teasing."
He said playfully...
Applejack nodded, walking over to gather everyone around Rainrunner and Thunderclap.


Kor

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Myrdinn went over with the others, levitating his food and drink.   Spike came over, carrying his food and drink also.

"What's up?" Spike asked.


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Forest grove paused from eating his piece of cake to listen to thunderclaps story.


The Great Valley Guardian

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Thunderclap cleared his throat as he continued his story. "And here is where my cutie mark comes into the picture. I was out flying high in the sky, when a sudden almost unseen super wind knocked me out of the sky. I landed hard against a nearby mountain and it knocked me out for a while." he paused and took a moment to breathe. "Then, when I awoke, I realized two things... I was wet, and the sky was pitch black. I  couldn't see a thing! But the blast of thunder and show of lightning fixed that really quickly. I could see where I was every time the lightning strck the mountain around me. I was scared... for the first time in my life I wasn't sure if I would live..."

"And for the first time I wasn't sure if my little brother would be okay. I was worried for him... I always have been I'm his sister." commented Rainrunner as she retold her side of the story. "At first our parents said a search party should be sent out to find Thunderclap, but it wouldn't matter for at that very moment..."

Thunderclap gave a grim smile as he spoke, "At that very moment I'd made up my mind to get down this mountain at any cost! I spread my wings and took off from where I stood, the speed, the rush I felt... it was incredible... I was speeding past bolt of lightning so close I was sure they singed my mane... but as I looked up for one single moment, I realized a lightning strike was going to hit, and that's just what it did." the stallion's eyes however took on an almost gleeful gaze as he spoke of what happened next. "As the bolt struck me it didn't hurt... it just felt invigorating! And in that moment without truly realizing it, I'd preformed Equestria's very first Flash Jump!"

"As I stood right outside out home... I noticed something bright in the mountains and it was almost blinding from even that distance." Rainrunner giggled as she continued. "My little brother... had done the impossible. He'd pulled off the very first Flash Jump!"


StarfallRaptor

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Haru smiled, looking at Thunderclap with amazement.
"Wow...that's...you're...that's so amazing..."
He stammered, blushing...


The Great Valley Guardian

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Thunderclap gave a cool grin as he continued explaining. "And in a single moment, I went from the top of a mountain to standing literally in front of my sister and our home with one of the brightest smiles I could ever have. It was one of the bet days of my life, and that's when I felt my cutie mark appear." It was then however that his voice turned emotionless, and if it had been possible, he would've begun to breath ice for how cold his heart felt. "Then... came... her betrayal!" he commented quietly.

Just before Rainrunner could continue, she felt her heart skip a beat and she suddenly realized what part of the story was coming next... and she was afraid, not for telling the others what she'd done, but why she'd done it to begin with. As she began to explain, her voice cracked several times but she gave a sad, regretful frown as she began.
"Well... w-when I saw my little brother preform the Flash Jump, at first I was amazed... and proud of him. But then... he got his cutie mark. Normally that wouldn't be such a big deal, but you see... he got his before I got mine." She shut her eyes tightly as she continued. "It made me so jealous to see him everyday with his cutie mark, and me still being a blank flank... so..."


"And that day that will forever scar me." Thunderclap stopped for a moment as he thought back on that day and inside his anger and resentment built to new levels that even he didn't know he was capable of as he stood up and shouted aloud, "SHE BETRAYED ME!" He stomped his hoof into the floor and the sound of thunder rumbled through the barn. "YOU TRIED TO BURN MY CUTIE MARK OFF! YOU SELFISH FILLY!" shouted Thunderclap as he faced his sister.

Twilight was shocked to see so much anger in Thunderclap's eyes but after hearing exactly what had happened she knew the anger was justified, but still to be this angry for so long, it made her upset to think about. She looked around to the others present and quietly asked "Uhh... should we do something? I would rather not have a fight started because of a story."


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Haru winced a little, hopping to his feet and moving between the two, but lingering close to Thunderclap.
"She...that's...I mean...that's not...okay, but...she's...I mean...she's sorry...and what's past is past...S-so...please stop fighting, okay...?"
He said softly, looking between the two...


Kor

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"WOw, amazing story." Spike said between eating.  "And your sister does sound pretty evil.  Even more then those jerks Trixie or Gilda folks."

"Amazing story indeed." Myrdinn said, not sure what else to say at the moment.


The Great Valley Guardian

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Thunderclap stepped forward with a glow in his eyes that hadn't been there a moment ago as he spoke aloud, "This story IS. NOT. OVER!" It was then, that he felt his body begin lifted off the floor and not by his own wings. He immediately glared at Twilight as if hoping to set her mane on fire and shouted "PUT ME DOWN!!!"

The sound of his voice... ti sounded so hateful and dark that it literally startled Twilight enough to lose her focus and drop her levitation spell over Thunderclap. She then following a page from Fluttershy's book, took several steps back seeming to shrink into the floor. "I... I'm sorry." she said at a whisper.

Rainrunner cringed at her brothers voice as she began to shake and asked, "S-should I... c-continue the story?"

Thunderclap stood over his sister glaring at her so menacingly that her terror was palpable... and he loved it! He then said in his most sinister voice possible. "Continue!"

Rainrunner gave a silent sob as she began to talk again. "A-after... after I tried to... hurt my little brother, I came to realize how badly I'd acted... especially since two days after that... I got my own cutie mark... f-for saving my friends who were trapped in a river during a storm. But... as I came to understand my mistake, it was already too late. My little brother, who I suddenly felt guilty for putting him through so much, had left to... to get away from me..." And with that rainrunner burst into tears and covered her face with a hoof to keep herself from looking into Thunderclaps eyes.


Kor

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Spike crossed his arms.  "Ha, you don't scare me." He said.


StarfallRaptor

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Haru stepped forward, between the two siblings, looking between them.
"Thunderclap, please calm down!  She said she's sorry, and as much as I know that that can't make up for what she tried to do, you have to at least give her a chance!  I know what it feels like to have a sibling betray you, but...just give her a chance...please..."
He said softly, but firmly...


The Great Valley Guardian

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Thunderclap raised his right front hoof ready and perfectly willing to step over, and more disturbingly step on Haru to get what he wanted. But just as he was preparing to drop his hoof down on his only friend, something in his mind snapped and as it did, every emotion he'd ever felt played across his face in a flash as his eyes zoned out as he suddenly found himself having a conversation in his mind... with himself!

In his mind Thunderclap could see himself but there were two other creatures with him, and despite not having seen either of them before, Thunderclap knew these two before him were parts of who he was. One was a black Cockatrice and the other smaller creature was pure white Manticore. The pony looked upon the two with confusion as he stepped forward and asked, "Who are  you two and what am I doing here?!"

The black Cockatrice spoke first, it's voice dark and filled with malice and contempt. YOU FOAL! WE ARE THE PARTS OF YOU THAT GIVE YOU THE EMOTIONS NEEDED TO SURVIVE! AND NOW YOU HAVE A CHIOCE TO MAKE!

Thunderclap was confused but looked to the white Manticore for answers which he promptly received. However when the Manticore spoke it had a soft, lullaby like voice that despite its softness still echoed as loudly. "Your choice is this Thunderclap... to either forgive your sister for her transactions or to stay on your path of vengeance. The choice is always yours, but know that both choices may very well bring the end of not only you, but your friends, your sister, your parents and possibly all of Equestria. But again... your life, your choice."

Thunderclap thought about what had been said and almost immediately was thrust back into his own body and he suddenly felt his emotional barrier he'd built over the many years alone suddenly shatter and in an instant felt every emotion he'd ever bottled up come flooding through his body. The pegasus slowly lowered his hoof to the ground as he felt his eyes beginning to water as he stared at the ponies around him.

Thunderclap for the first time realized that with absolute clarity, that all these ponies around him cared, even his sister had come all the way out here to apologize and that meant she cared a great deal and that she wanted to help him. As he locked eyes with Haru, he openly began to sob seeing the compassion and friendship in the colts eyes. Without thinking Thunderclap reached forward and embraced Haru in a tight hug.

Twilight for her part was undoubtedly relieved as she could see the change in Thunderclaps eyes as well as his posture. She then found her voice as she asked, "Well everypony, with that intriguing story sorted out, I say we get back to the party!"