Chapter 10:

Rainbow Dash and Thunder Light walked in silence back to the Carrousel Boutique; Thunder Light because of the look on Rainbow Dash that told him he'd better not talk to Rainbow Dash at the moment, and Rainbow Dash because she didn't want to talk to Thunder Light at the moment, still thinking back to how Thunder Light had ignored her when he was talking with Applejack. Rainbow Dash still felt very bitter about what happened back at the Sweet Apple Acres, though she wasn't one to let her emotions take the better of her. Rainbow Dash just continued to fly towards the Carrousel Boutique, not glancing at Thunder Light like the times she might have, but would never admit to, given looks at Thunder Light. "Um, Rainbow Dash?" asked Thunder Light tentatively, trying to break the silence between the two of them and make amends between the two of them after the time he had spent accidently ignoring her for Applejack. "I'm, um-"

Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof, stopping him from finishing trying to apologies to her and she said, "Forget it; just…forget it…" as she continued to fly, leaving Thunder Light a few paces behind her, feeling bad for ignoring her; he really had to make it up to her somehow. With a soft sigh, Thunder Light followed the flying Rainbow Dash back to Rarity's place, not wanting to annoy the mare Pegasus any more than he already had. The two arrived at the front entrance of the Carrousel Boutique, but there wasn't something right; all the lights were out and there didn't seem to be anypony in the building. "I'd thought she'd be here; she'd never close up shop early if she could help it…" thought Rainbow Dash aloud as Thunder light looked at one of the windows at the top of the building, trying to keep an eye out in case Rarity was in fact in and would come to one of the windows.

"You're right; she normally would be still at her work at this sort of time," said Rainbow Dash in response, trying not to sound harsh at this point towards Thunder Light. Thunder Light glanced at Rainbow Dash with one eye, glad internally that she wasn't talking to him like he had just insulted her; which it might have done, since he'd blatantly ignored her when he'd been talking with Applejack. Rainbow Dash slowly trotted towards the door, and looked through one of the windows next to the door; she thought that she knew what was actually going on; they HAD visited Pinkie Pie during one of their visits around Ponyville, and the party crazy Earth pony HAD said she'd throw a party for the newcomer, and Pinkie Pie always wants to find an excuse to throw a party for anything….So, she was pretty sure what was really going on, and that Rarity wasn't out of the building at all….

"Hmm…c'mon; we'd better just make she that Rarity's not in, and not in fact pulling your leg…" said Rainbow Dash, looking back over her shoulder to look at Thunder Light. Thunder Light her a look that she knew all too well; it was a look she'd use a lot of the time, and it was the 'really?' look. "Rarity, from what I remembered, isn't the type that is one to pull somepony else's leg. Unless she's changed in the time that I last saw here," said Thunder Light, lifting his hoof up to his chin and rubbing his chin slightly, giving the impression that he was thinking over something from long ago. Rainbow Dash rolled an eye back at the stallion, and even though he had ignored her during her last introduction to her friend, she just couldn't help but allow a smile to form by itself on her muzzle; Thunder Light just had that personality that she'd like and made her smile, no matter what had happened previously.

"Well, ponies can change," said Rainbow Dash with a slight smirk, and slowly pushed open the front door and gestured with a hoof for Thunder Light to go in first. Thunder Light, a little weary since he thought that Rainbow Dash was going to do something, slowly trotted forward, stopping just outside the door and looked over at Rainbow Dash; the cyan Pegasus simply did the same gesture with the hoof, telling him to go in. After a few seconds, Thunder Light did as he was wordlessly asked and walked into the Boutique, opening the door fully as he walked into the darkened main room; it was pitch black, thanks to the windows being blocked by the curtains, making it harder for Thunder Light to see what was inside the building.

Suddenly, all of the lights inside the building were thrown on and several ponies, Earth, Unicorn and a few Pegasi came out from behind several hiding places, including the desks in the room, the smaller ponies hiding behind the pony manikins, which was hard, since the manikins were supported a few inches above the floor, but they somehow managed to pull it off; and the rest of the ponies came out from various other hiding places. They all shouted out 'Surprise!' as a banner came down from the roof of the lower floor, with the words 'Welcome to Ponyville, Thunder!' painted onto the banner in red paint. Thunder Light, taken aback by all of this and the suddenness of it all, took a step back in shock, a surprised look plain as day on his muzzle. "Wow…T…This is very unexpected," said Thunder Light, the surprise even evident in his voice as he tried to find it after the shock. Rainbow Dash, having walked in after him, was laughing softly as she walked up so she was at his side, and said, "Don't worry; Pinkie does this for every pony that's new to Ponyville; think of it…think of it as your initiation as a pony of Ponyville; even if it is for just a short time."

Thunder Light looked over at Rainbow Dash, his face still showing the shock he was still trying to comprehend, before he noticed Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy amongst the ponies that had jumped out of the various hiding places, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle both having smiles on their faces; Twilight Sparkle more so than Rarity, most likely because of how close Rainbow Dash was standing to Thunder light, but she didn't want to ruin it for the moment; she'd most likely bring it back up again after most of the ponies had left after the party. Fluttershy, meanwhile, had a shym kind smile on her muzzle, her body language showing her nervousness and shyness; her head was low to the ground, her pink mane hanging over one of her eyes and one of her front hoofs twisting against the floor lightly.

"Welcome to your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party, Thunder Light!" came a sudden voice from the other side of Thunder Light to what Rainbow Dash was at, and suddenly Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere in front of Thunder Light, startling the stallion and he took a step back; but the door was already closed and he had backed into the door. He looked back at Pinkie Pie with her impossibly wide eyes, and he glanced a look over at Rainbow Dash, who was trying, but not successfully, suppressing a snigger, and he mouthed, 'How does she keep doing that?' Rainbow Dash finally burst out in a snigger-like laugh just as the music began to start; the music was coming out of several boom boxes at one of the sides of the building, provided by DJ PON-3, otherwise known as Vinyl Scratch, and another pony that Rainbow Dash had seen around Vinyl Scratch during a few of her performances; he was a Unicorn with a light blue coat, a few shades lighter than Rainbow Dash's own coat, with a spiky black mane that was similar to Thunder Light's, though the Unicorn's was all black. He had a black shirt on, with a white shirt underneath the black shirt with a white tie tied loosely around his neck and under the unbuttoned collar; the pair of black shades that he had on resting on the bridge of his muzzle, and his cutie mark consisting of three small stars; this was MC W1SH, or otherwise known as Neon Lights.

"'Right, party ponies; let's get this party started!" said Neon Lights loudly, a dark blue aura surrounding his horn as well as a record, that was lifted from behind the desk he and Vinyl Scratch had set up during the time Thunder Light had been shown around Ponyville by Rainbow Dash. The needle hit the record and music began to power out of the boom boxes, and several of the ponies began to move to what had been wordlessly been designated as the dance floor for the time the part was going on. Thunder Light smiled at the several ponies that seemed to be enjoying the party, even though it had only just started; they seemed to be so used to this happening whenever a new pony would come to Ponyville, that they'd just worked it into their daily lives.

"So, not a bad place to stay for a bit, eh?" asked Rainbow Dash, having to speak up over the loud music pouring out of the speakers as MC W1SH and DJ PON-3 cranked up the volume. Thunder Light, barely able to hear over the music, managed to hear what Rainbow Dash was trying to say to him and nodded, loudly saying, "Not a bad place at all." He then glanced over to the area that had been christened the dance floor for the evening, and probably well into the night, before he shook his head, and said what Rainbow Dash thought he said, "Maybe later…" as he began towards the tables that had masses of food on them, Rainbow Dash following beside him' partly because she was getting hungry and there was some pretty good looking food on that table; and that a few of her friends were by the table. Rainbow Dash then noticed that Applejack wasn't there; she was probably still on her way to the Carrousel Boutique, since enough time hadn't past between the time they'd left the barn to the time…they'd…uhh….

'Ah, I'm bored now; too complicated to waste good brain power on. Besides, I'd rather waste that brain power on something more important; leave that to Twi or one of the others…' thought Rainbow Dash, finally reaching the tables with the food and her friends; while Thunder Light glanced over the food, deciding what to pick and the other ponies, Earth, Unicorn and Pegasi alike, came over to greet him, introduce themselves and welcoming him to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash trotted over to her friends. "'Sup guys?" asked Rainbow Dash casually, picking up one of the pink-iced cupcakes as she passed the table and towards the girls; not because she'd like the colour, hay no; she wasn't the girly type. She just picked it up because it was the first thing she saw and she knew that the cupcakes at the Cakes' place tasted awesome!

"Not much, Dash; just sorting the library out. You know, the usual stuff," said Twilight Sparkle, wiping away a bit of pink icing from the corner of her mouth as she spoke. Rainbow Dash smirked at the newest princess of Equestria, before taking a bit out of the cupcake she had picked up; the sweet taste the sugar in the icing sending her taste buds into overdrive. "So, how've you been, showing Thunder Light around Ponyville?" asked Rarity, trying to keep her tone civil, though Rainbow Dash could hear the slightest tone of bitterness in Rarity's tone as she spoke. After finishing off the cupcake in her mouth and hoof, Rainbow Dash chuckled sheepishly as she said, "Yeah…didn't think Light would tell you about that…Look, I was just trying to make it up to Thunder Light after I crashed into him; I thought that showin' him 'round was the best thing to make it up to him. We didn't talk much; and before you ask, no, I didn't try and get any information out of him before you go and question me."

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy looked between the two glaring mares, thinking it would be better for them to not say anything at the moment, at least not when the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife and use it to grease the cake tins…sounds like something Pinkie Pie would try to do. Rarity, after taking a few moments to check Rainbow Dash's eyes to see if she was being truthful; once she was sure that Rainbow Dash wasn't lying, Rarity straightened up and said, "That's good then; but remember what I said, as few things are better left unsaid…" Rainbow Dash rolled an eye, saluting Rarity jokily and says, "Yes, Ma'am; won't happen, Ma'am." Rarity smiled slightly at her friend, while Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy smirked discretely and shyly in Fluttershy's case; they always liked Rainbow Dash's sense of humour, especially when she was teasing one of their friend.

Meanwhile, as the four of the Mare 6 chatted with each other, Thunder Light had walked away from the food table after taking a few pieces of food from various places and of various healthiness, each bit of food more unhealthy than the last piece, and towards the opposite side of the Boutique/temporary party space for the evening. He looked around at the various ponies, each at various places in the room; some getting food, some dancing by either themselves or with a friend or two, and others just chatting with their friends about various stuff. Thunder Light smiled softly at the various pony faces; he was sure that he was going to like staying here for as long as he was allowed to. He was-

"Um, excuse me sir?" came a feminine voice from behind Thunder Light; after recovering from the initial shock, Thunder Light quickly turned around and faced the source of the voice; it was a Unicorn mare, who appeared to be about a year/year and a half younger than him, who had a yellow coat covering her body, with a mane and tail that was orange with red highlights going through both the tail and mane, giving the impression of flames coming from the back of the neck and the top of the head of the mare. Her eyes were a light orange colour, adding to the impression of the fire theme of the Unicorn; with her eyes shifting from side to side nervously, as were her hoofs, shifting from side to side. She glanced up at Thunder Light when he had turned around to face her, and she quickly looked away, a nervous aura surrounding her as Thunder Light looked at her.

"Yeah, Miss?" asked Thunder Light politely, smiling at the mare as looked at her. The mare smiled nervously back at the stallion, and she said, "U-Um…you're Mister Thunder Light, right? As in, the Thunder Light?" Thunder Light, having a slight feeling to where the mare was going, said, "Um…yes, I am…Why do you ask?" The mare, smiling with a slight hint of pride, said, "Well…My name's Fire Spark, and, um….firstly, I'd like to welcome you to Ponyville; and secondly, I was wondering…could you….sign something for me? As 'Shadow Walker'?" Thunder Light sighed heavily, and rubbed the back of his mane slowly, as he said, "Look, Miss Spark….I'm sorry, but I've stopped all that and left it behind. Those days are over…" Fire Spark, looking disheartened and disappointed, lowered her head and said, "O-Oh…OK then…I was just wondering…since I've been a fan of you back when you used to be one of them….got a picture and all…" as she slowly pulled a small picture from her side and holding it up in front of Thunder Light using her Unicorn magic, a yellow aura surrounding both her horn and the picture.

Thunder Light looked at the picture for a second, the images of old memories filling his icy blue eyes, before he closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. "But…I guess it was a long shot…" continued Fire Spark, moving the image from in front of Thunder Light and back into the satchel at her side. She turned and said, "Well…at least I got to meet you, Mr 'Shadow Walker', and welcome to Ponyville," as she smiled weakly at Thunder Light. Fire Spark then turned around and began to walk away. Thunder Light looked around; all of the ponies seemed to have something to do, and they didn't seem to be watching him…surely one couldn't hurt… "Wait," said Thunder Light, taking a step forward after Fire Spark as the mare turned around and looked at Thunder Light hopefully. Thunder Light looked around, and spotted a rouge quill sitting on one of the desks that Rarity hadn't put away; he trotted over to the desk and picked the quill up in his teeth, the feather end between his teeth as he walked back over to Fire Spark.

"Where do I sign?" asked Thunder Light, having been so used to signing autographs that he was able to speak with quills or pens in his mouth which was easily understandable. Fire Spark beamed and smiled happily, taking the picture out of her satchel again and putting it on the same desk where Thunder Light got the quill; Thunder Light walked over to the desk behind Fire Spark and next to her. He took the quill out of his mouth and held the quill in his front right hoof. "To Fire Spark, always follow your dreams and never give up. Signed, Shadow Walker," said Thunder Light aloud as he wrote down what he said, finishing with a final squiggle under the Walker, like he always used to back in the day….Thunder Light shook his head slightly, trying not to focus back on the memories and focus on what was happening in the present.

He smiled at the beaming Fire Spark and put the quill back on the desk as Fire Spark used her Unicorn magic to levitate the signed picture back into the satchel, a slight fan girl squeal passing her muzzle as she said, "Thank you, Mr Thunder Light." Thunder Light smiled slightly, before he smile dropped as he said, "Look; I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anypony about this…I'd rather not have old memories dug back up, if you know what I mean…" Fire Spark nodded, crossing a hoof over her chest where her heart was, before saying, "Cross my heart, hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye," finishing with putting a hoof over her closed right eye. Thunder Light tilted his head slightly, confused for a second, before shaking his head and smiling at Fire Spark.

"Thanks, Mrs Spark," said Thunder Light, smiling at the mare as Fire Spark smiled back, flashing a grin at Thunder Light he had seen countless mares had given him, back in the day. Thunder Light smirked slightly at the memories, before turning around, and gained a surprise that nearly scared him out of his coat; Rainbow Dash had broken off from her group of friends and had spotted Thunder Light signing what Fire Spark had asked him to sign, and she had come up behind Thunder Light to find what the stallion was doing. Rainbow Dash glared at the now nervous looking Thunder Light and she said, "…Well? You gunna tell me what that was all about or not?"

Thunder Light swallowed nervously, his eyes flashing around the room; the windows, the other ponies, the desks, and basically anywhere that wasn't Rainbow Dash's face or her rosy red, glaring eyes. "U-Um….nothing? W-Well, she just wanted directions to where the Sugarcube Corner was; I was just telling her where to go as best I could, and I was using that quill to draw a path for the mare. That's all," said Thunder Light, trying to keep his voice calm and level, though it was hard while he was looking into those rosy red, fierce, yet curiously beautiful eyes….

"Hmm….I don't believe you, but I don't want to embarrass you in front of everypony, especially during your welcoming party," said Rainbow Dash, backing off of Thunder Light with a slight shrug, and Thunder Light let out a silent sigh of relief; that was, until he heard Rainbow Dash add, "But don't think I won't bring this back up again, when it's just us." Thunder Light glanced nervously at Rainbow Dash, who smiled dangerously at Thunder Light, before saying, "Well, c'mon; it's your party, and you've barely done anything yet! C'mon!" as she gestured for Thunder Light to mingle with the other ponies.

Yeah...looking forward to finally revealing what the secret is with Thunder Light.

As always, please R&R

Nf991