A Storm is Coming, Frank Says...

Arpeggio kissed Shala back, very much enjoying the feeling. His ears flicked at Spring's comment, though.

'Oh, dear. She shouldn't have said that...' Arpeggio released the kiss and embrace, waiting for what was sure to happen next.

Thunderclap shrugged, "Eh, maybe she is, but I don't think Arpeggio would stoop that low. He is a nice guy, I refuse to believe e would become like that." He said. No matter what happened, Arpeggio was still his best friend, and he still had faith in him.

He watched as they began to kiss each other. "Now look who are all over each other." He quietly mumbled. Thunderclap looked away to focus on Spring. "I'm so sorry about this." He said.

"Oh?" Shala perked up and pulled away. She couldn't help but overhear Spring. Now she HAD to get to know these ponies.

"I think the other table is talking about us. Lets make it easier and join them." She said to Arpe. With a bit of magic, she shoved her seat up next to Spring.

"Hey there sweetie blue. Don't think money will work on me. You're not my type so much. Might cost you extra if you're really determined." She leaned toward Spring, flask in hoof.

"I pray you're right..." Spring Shower sighed in respond to Thunderclap.

Spring raised an eyebrow and leaded her head away from Shala, as she barged in further. She shook her head at Shala in general disapproval. She usually wanted to be friendly with everypony, but theres a point when every pony gets annoying.

She got up from her seat with a huff and looked to Thunderclap, "hey Thunder, lets just get out of her," she said, glancing back at Shala, "I've suddenly lost my appetite..." she frowned.

Arpeggio went over as well, beside Shala and with Thunderclap on his right. "Well, now that's just a little rude, don't you think, Shala? Talking about us behind our backs like that, then not wanting to say it to our faces?"

Thunderclap also stood up. He fixed his eyes on Spring. "Ya, let's get out of here." He said, then motioned off to the distance. He turned to leave, when his eyes met with Arpeggio's. Thunder wanted to say something, but all he could muster was to shake his head in disappointment and disapproval. He then turned around and walked away, beckoning Spring Shower to follow him.

Shala chuckled to herself a bit. "Lost your appetite? I guess your barn door doesn't swing that way. And i don't suppose your going to just walk away without paying. I would hate to be questioned about what two ponies could have ordered their food and ran off."

She leaned on one hoof, smiling smugly at Spring. Oh I haven't had some silly fun like this in a while.

"it was rude," Spring said irritated to Arpeggio, "almost as rude as interrupting somepony elses lunch by blatantly bothering them with some floozy."

Spring got to her hooves and rolled her eyes at Shala, "Oh, you don't have to worry," she said annoyed, "unlike some, I have morals." she nipped at the unicorn while skimming the patio. Upon seeing a waitress she flew over to her and gave her the bits for their barely half eaten lunch.

Spring flew back over to Thunder, looking up at him, "lets go," she said putting a smile back on her face, "lets go hang out with someone, you know, who actually treats you as well as you treat them, like a friend" she said, intentionally lacing it with venom.

Arpeggio scowled at Spring's comment. "Oh, that's rich." He stood up, stretching a bit before the two started leaving. He then raised his voice enough so all the ponies there could hear. "You're just a perfect pair, aint'cha. The whorse and the lying backstabber. I'm only paying him back for his action, Puledro.

Arpeggio continued frowning, a firm grip held on his bottle of scrumpy.

Thunderclap stopped in his tracks. He turned around, all feeling replaced by pure rage. He walked right up to Arpeggio and went face to face with him. "Now you listen hear." He said, angry but calmly. "I'm not going to cause a scene, but I'm going to put you in your place. I betrayed no one. I have never gone back on my word. Besides, the Arpeggio I made my oath to was a kind, sweet, gentle pony. You are greedy, rude, and selfish. You are now showing me your true colours, and I see who you really are. If you truly loved me as you say you do, then you would let me be happy. But you are greedy, filled with avarice. You only want me for yourself, for what you can get out of it. I'm glad I never introduced you to my parents, they would never accept a pony like you. I can now leave you, and not break my oath. You are not the same. I see that the reason you brought me in is so that you could have me. Greedy, mean, and crude ponies like you are what is wrong with this country. You are beneath me and I will no longer busy myself with worry about you. After what you have shown me, you are no longer worth my worry." With that, Thunderclap turned around and stormed off.

Shala couldn't help but snicker and laugh at the two, like there was some real big joke going on that they did not know about. "Hehe. Someone's mad. Pulling out the morals card now. Arpe, i think we upset them." She elbowed at Arpeggio.

"Does this mean we don't get to be friends anymore? That's too bad. Little Miss wings here looks like she could put up one fun race."

Spring Shower stared in surprise-- she had never seen Thunder burst out like this. She stayed silent until he began to storm off.

She looked to Shala after she spoke, "You don't upset anyone," she said irritably, "you were a minor annoyance that was comparable to a fly during a meal," she told her.

"And you," she said, turning to Arpeggio, "You just don't realize how ridiculously stupid you are," she lectured Arpe, "You had a great friendship and you threw it away because you wanted to hook up with a guy who was already in a relationship. just-- STUPID." she said shaking her head as she flew after Thunder.

Arpeggio frowned, then flew quickly, landing in front of the two.

"Oh, hold the buck up. Allow me to issue a rebuttal, because it's clear that some things need to be said." The pegasus seemed quite angry. "First of all. You." He pointed to Spring. "I'm sure it's clear that I don't like you. You are ignorant. You, Little Miss Perfect, went and swept him right off his hooves; I mean, for buck's sake, if you were willing to kiss after your first date... how shameless. I didn't even know you two were" He made his voice sarcastically cutesy. "Special Someponies until that first time the three of us met. That night after your first date, I confessed my feelings to him. This bucker lied right to my face. Said he liked us both, didn't want to make either of us sad. Hah! What manure. That kiss you gave him shattered my heart. When he said he chose you, the pieces crumbled to dust."

Arpeggio seemed to get even angrier. "And YOU!" He turned to Thunderclap. "Don't make me laugh. Greedy? Rude? Selfish? I am none of those things by nature. YOU made me that way, you lying scumbag! I took you in out of kindness towards another pony; I didn't even fall for you until later! It's become increasingly clear to me that you have a seriously skewed perception of how the world is. Love is every bit as selfish an emotion as Lust is. What is wrong with this country is not ponies like me. It is ponies like both of you; liars, ignoramuses, and unrealistic idealists; that is what is wrong with this country."

Arpeggio shook his head slightly. "You probably have no idea how badly what you did affected me." He sighed, then spit at both of their forehooves, at the ground in front of them. "And Spring, I'm surprised you didn't jump at Shala's challenge; guess you're afraid of getting trounced. Ah well. I would've enjoyed seeing that." He walked back towards Shala, scrumpy bottle in his grip; he swatted both their faces with his tail as he did so.

Thunderclap shook his head. "Then I'm afraid I couldn't have been with you in the first place. Love is not selfish. Love is selfless. It is as pure and good as an emotion can get. Love is willing to do anything for the pony you love. If you view love as selfish, our relationship would have tanked. It is not true love, if it is not selfless."

Thunder looked at Arpeggio, not with anger, but this time with grief. "I did what I did to protect you, to make you happy. And I did make a mistake. I'm no god, I'm only a pony, I make mistakes. And I am sincerely sorry. If you do love me as you said, then the least you could do is forgive me. But I see you don't want that. Your actions depict nothing but hate towards me. But I am truly deeply sorry."

Thunder began to walk away again, but stopped. "But I guess I'm wasting my time. You are beyond reasoning with. I will go. It may be best if we never speak again." Thunder walked up to Arpeggio and dropped some bits in front of him, "This is my payment for looking after me. It may not be much, but it is what I have. Thank you for being my friend, if only for a short time." Thunder then turned around and walked off. He was mumbling something under his breath, "For hope burns bright."

Excitement always carried that element of fear, Intel thought as he strode through the streets of Ponyville, and excessive joy that layer of confusion. So caught up was he in his thoughts that he only vaguely took notice of the shouting that was slowly becoming more prominent in his senses. Far more important were the documents in his pocket. Far more important was the hope in his heart. Far more important was fact that he could finally go-

"Oof!"

Okay, it wasn't so much striding down the streets as it was bounding happily like the Element of Laughter on a sugar high down the streets. For the laws of momentum were still observed in the collision, Intel bounced off the greater blue pegasus and fell over. This did not faze the Canterlot noble one bit, as he bounded back onto his feet.

"My apologies good sir, the fault was mine as I should have looked where I was going!" The beaming grin he gave would have faltered if he had noticed the expression on the bumpee's face, but Intel was too inflated with the helium of happiness to take note of a pony feeling down.

Then he saw Shala.

The fact that they had last parted on less than ideal terms completely and utterly failed to register on his elated mind as he waved wildly to his friend-slash-somepony. "Hey there! Shala! Just the pony I wanted to meet. Well, I didn't really plan on seeing you, but the fact that I have fits perfectly with what I want to do! Probably if I had thought more on what I want to specifically do, meeting you would have been more defined, but yes! Hey! Hello! Who's your friend?" His question was punctuated with a grin that made up for in enthusiasm what it lacked in subtlety at the pegasus with her.

Shala followed up to the arguing ponies, smirking as they bickered. Arpeggio's intensity even had her wincing for a moment, but she was having too much a good time just watching these ponies break down into savages.

The sight of Intel threw her for a loop. Suddenly the whole situation changed for her. Her smirk became a wide eyed and forced smile. She hardly heard most of his initial words. Too many thoughts raced through her head.

Has he been watching? How much does he know? Did he see us kiss? She looked to Arpe, hoping he didn't say anything stupid.

"Oh...Uh, hi Intel! Surprise to see you. This is Arpeggio. We...were just enjoying some drinks." She shuffled on her hooves constantly. This situation could get messy fast.

Spring was a bit surprised by the arrival another pony who apparently knew the drunk unicorn that was with Arpeggio.

She shook her head and flew up to Arpeggio, a hair over him as he was usually a hair taller than her. She got right up in his face absolutely fuming, "Now you listen here you little psychopath! You have NO right to even talk to Thunder at this point!" she yelled at him, "You pressure him to love you when he had already gone on multiple dates with someone else, I dont care if you knew or not that we kissed and started dating after our SECOND date, he probably didn't tell you because you put him in such an AWKWARD spot that he was so bewildered what to do with you," she continued.

"And yeah, you nutcase, as far as I've ever seen, you are rude, selfish, and a just plain horrible pony!" she growled at him, "even after Thunder struggled to figure out how to let you down easy that he didn't see you in the same way you apparently obsessed about him. You lost out on multiple good friendships because you were so determined to force him to love you--"

"And you BET you're rude! regardless of whether or not you were upset by him not being a fencebucker like yourself, you had no right to run around town complaining about our relationship and making up crap!" she fumed right in his face, "And then you show up here with some drunk floosy making out with her and getting all over one another just to try to make us jealous? you're nuts! And of course I wasnt going to race her! she's as nutty as you are to get involved with this nonsense with you! As a drunk unicorn is hardly one to race with someone who played JV Air Hockey in Flight School." She ranted.

"You need to just do everyone a favor and just go fly off a cliff!" she screamed

Arpeggio listened to her rant... then after about fifteen seconds of contemplation over what she had said, he pulled back, stood up on his hindlegs, and decked Spring hard in the mouth with all his strength, which was not exactly a small amount. He glared at her as he went back down on all fours.

"Stars above, do you two EVER get tired of hearing yourselves talk? You need to get off your buckin' pedestals. You act like you're just perfect little saints when you're really not. Thunder, do you have any idea what a pretentious twit you're being? You haven't stopped talking down to me since this whole ordeal started! And, oh!" He turned back towards Spring. "Mr. Perfect over there's attempt to 'protect me, to make me happy' is the reason this whole mess started. If he hadn't lied to me, I would've gracefully stepped back. As it is, though? The little part of me that still loved you is dead, Thunderclap. It died a while back, when I saw you two Special Someponies getting all sappy and kissy. Whether I once loved you or not is no longer an issue. Now I just want to see you two squirm."

He scoffed. "I hope you two enjoy the living Hell you've brought upon yourselves." He walked over towards Shala a little ways, then said to her, "Shala, who's this guy?" He kept an eye over at Thunder and Spring, keeping a firm grip on his scrumpy bottle.

Thunderclap stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly turned around and stared at Arpeggio, with nothing but fire and rage in his eyes. He did not give Shala anytime to answer Arpi's question. He was quickly off his hooves and flying full speed towards the brown pegasus. Thunder rammed into Arpeggio with full force, knocking both of them to the ground. Thunderclap ended up on top, pinning his friend to the ground with his bulk. Thunder started to swing his hooves wildly at Arpeggio's face. "I...have had....enough of....you!!" He exclaimed. "I will paint the ground red with your blood, my friend. Yes, that is what we were, friends nothing could tear apart. We were almost brothers. Seemed like the only thing that's could tear us apart was you." Thunder then gave Arpeggio a swift kick in the ribs.

"Hey. HEY!"

The euphoria from before had now gone after witnessing the violence. The seemingly pointless, pointless violence.

"The tartarus is wrong with you! Both of you! Acting like griffons or dragons or something!"

Shaking his head angrily, he strode over to the struck female pegasus. "Are you okay? Do you need to go the hospital. We-" He glanced at Shala hopefully. "-can help you there if you wish. After Shala gets the two foals off each other, anyway. Shala, can you do that please? In the least violent way possible, if you can, though I know that testosterone fueled stallions are really a packful in these circumstances."

From the dialogue, he figured the situation was some sort of lover's spat. But honestly, he didn't really care about the particular causes at the time. That was something to be dealt with when everypony had calmed down and gotten over the emotions that clouded judgement.

Shala was very surprised by the sudden violence. It as so emotional and intense. She couldn't help but smirk a little. It entertained her to no end to see these two feed off each other.

Her smirk quickly faded when Intel was calling her to break it up. A quick glance between the two larger violent stallions and back to Intel said enough on how she felt.

"Uhh....I got an axe?" She said aloud, half asking Intel and half suggesting it as a threat if the two didn't stop.

Maybe this will make Intel forget about what Spring said...

Spring Shower stood in surprise for a moment bringing a hoof up to the side of her face. She then shook it off and flew quickly over and pulled Thunderclap off of Arpeggio, "Thunder! get off him!" she said to him, "he isn't worth it..." she growled while pushing thunder back, glancing over to Arpeggio.

"Lets get out of here," she said to him, "if he wants to agonize himself over us and ruin his life, thats his own problem," she said as she used her hind legs to kick dirt at Arpeggio before taking to the air holding on to Thunderclaps hoof, trying to persuade him to come with her.

As Arpeggio was whaled on by the royal blue pegasus, Thunder most likely did not notice the smaller cracks that sounded as the brown pegasus was pummeled.

However, when Arpeggio was kicked in the ribs as Thunder was pulled off of him, a sickeningly loud 'CRACK' echoed through the area. Arpeggio's eyes shot wide open and an agonized scream left his mouth. The pegasus' jaw didn't look right, his cheek seemed indented, and his snout was quite a few degrees to the right of where it should have been. Arpeggio began coughing violently, blood flying from his mouth and splattering onto Thunderclap's forehooves, more dripping from his nose and mouth and landing on his chest, mixing with the dirt Spring had kicked onto him.

Gasping a few times, he attempted to sit up, tears of pain streaming from his eyes. "G-Get... hhhh... over.... hhhh... yourselves... hhhh... h-hypocrites...." He collapsed onto the ground again, wheezing and sounding like he was being choked. Arpeggio felt nothing but pain before he blacked out, still breathing with quite a bit of difficulty. A dark spot began pooling beneath his chest area's skin.

Thunder tried wiping the blood off of his hooves. He was still breathing heavily, though his anger had settled some. He took one look back. He was horrified by what he saw. "Sweet Celestia and Luna above, what have I done?" He said, his jaw gaping. Tears began to well up in his eyes. "How could I have done this?" He said. He broke Spring's grip and ran over to his friend. He heaved Arpeggio onto his back, careful not to put pressure on his chest. "We gotta get him to the hospital." He said. He looked incredibly worried. "Please, some pony has to direct me to the hospital. I need to help him." The tears began to fall, Thunder truly crying. "Please, I don't care what he said or what he did. He still is my best friend. I need to help him."

"I'm going to be so glad when I finally leave this place."

"He's far too big for anypony except you to carry him," Intel said sharply to the pegasus, "As for the hospital...I've been to that place often enough." He shook his head."This is why brutal violence never works, unless you want a giant mess at the end of everything. Shala, help me get Tweedledum onto Tweedledumber, please, then give me an explanation on what has happened, and how you got entwined in this mess."

Horn glowing, he slowly started levitating the bleeding pony onto his attacker. A strange set of circumstance, really.