The Quickverse Chronicles

by Quick Fix

Where it Hurts Most (Lightning Dust)

Sky Wing HQ, Cloudsdale
September 6th, Year 21 under the Four Princesses

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Why did she suddenly feel so nervous?

This was validation of the moment she'd been working toward her whole life. The moment she would become known to all Equestria as an elite flyer, a Captain in the Equestria Defence Force and truly content with where she was, all at the relatively decent age of thirty-five...So why did she still feel nervous about it? Maybe it was all the talking she was about to do.

Why should it be though? All she had to do was be honest to the reporter, and to herself. Putting it like that though, that was just making it worse.

Lightning Dust sighed quietly as she stared down at her front hooves, slowly rubbing them against each other. There was little else she could do to distract herself from her swirling thoughts. The chair she was sat on was one of those basic wooden things and the rest of the room wasn't much better. Just a table, another two chairs and light blue walls, the one behind her sporting the EDF emblem. One of those dull interview rooms she hadn't been in since her entrance application. There wasn't even room to hover properly. Flight always helped take her mind off things.

In the sky she didn't need to think about the path it had taken to get her there, or the marks it had left on her. The stiffness in her hind legs meant little in the air. The guilt of her past actions briefly forgotten in the rush of wind and adrenaline. This was the polar opposite: Nowhere to go, having to not only face her lingering demons, but admit to them openly.

Part of her had always tried to shun her past and look forward, never wanting to dwell. It had left her with a drive that made her and her team the go-to choice if they needed to get somewhere immediately, but at the same time it made talking about herself difficult in any capacity. Maybe that was why she had agreed to this interview.

Before she could get lost in her thoughts, the sound of the door opening shook Lightning back to reality. She instinctively snapped to attention in her chair, relaxing slightly as she realised it was only the press ponies she'd been waiting for. The first one to come in was a well built pegasus stallion, white coated with a graying mane and film strip cutie mark, a haggard yet optimistic look in his sky blue eyes. The latter an earth mare with a gray coat, short cut light purple mane and camera cutie mark. A small part of Lightning was surprised at how mundane seeing the latter was these days. Earth ponies and unicorns visiting Cloudsdale was an increasingly common sight thanks to the spreading knowledge of cloudwalking spells.

"Captain Dust," The pegasus said as he stepped forward, offering a wing in greeting. "Eff Stop, Cloudsdale Briefing."

"Snappy Shot, Equestria Today." The mare added as she sat down at one of the free chairs.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Lightning Dust replied as she spread her wing and tapped it against Eff's, hoping the sudden tension in her chest wasn't coming across in her voice. "And, just Lightning is fine."

"Of course." Snappy looked over to Lightning as she approached and offered a hoofbump. The fact she looked momentarily surprised before returning it was not lost on the pegasus and suddenly, her chest felt even tighter.

"So, how do you want to go about this?" Eff asked as he settled into the chair next to Snappy, taking a notepad and pencil out from under his right wing and passing them to her. "Obviously we want to get a good story, but we've both seen that you're not comfortable in front of the press."

"Yeah...I'm not." Lightning took a deep breath, trying to ease her mounting anxiety. This wasn't like the Wonderbolts Academy, where she had been able to throw up enough bravado to manage until she could start flying. She was older, more aware of her flaws, and yet unable to forget the advice her mother had drilled into her as a filly...

"If you're good enough with your actions, you won't need to back them up with words. With my help, you'll always be good enough."

Nowadays she could see just how badly that advice had affected her.

"Let's just focus on what we're here for. No tangents please." She added as she sat herself back down, focusing on the ponies in front of her. Her gaze might have been a little intense, but it was the focus she needed to keep herself from getting up and leaving already.

"No problem. Something tells me we wouldn't need any." Eff replied as he pulled a sheet of paper out from under his left wing and looked it over. Presumably the questions that would be coming at her soon enough.

For a few moments the silence hung between the three of them, broken only by the faint sounds of Snappy Shot getting her pencil into her mouth and preparing to write. Lightning knew they were expecting her to say something but her mouth had gone unusually dry and she had no idea where to start. She couldn't bullshit her way through this even if she wanted to. She just kept staring forward, waiting to see what questions they had for her and which memories she would be dealing with to give them the answers.

"...Right," Eff eventually said as he shifted in his seat and glanced down at the question sheet. "So, Lightning Dust. First commander of squadron sixteen and newest Captain of the Sky Wing. How do you feel about such an achievement?"

"It's, strange to think about," Lightning admitted, ears twitching slightly as they picked up the scratch of pencil on paper. "Ever since I was a filly, I'd wanted to be an ace flyer. To be a Wonderbolt like everypony else, yet to be ace of aces even among them. Becoming a squadron leader almost feels like a sidestep, but one where I've done better than I would have otherwise."

That had come easier than she'd thought. It was something to ease her in, let her build some momentum for the harder questions. It was working though. Her breathing had eased up slightly and she could feel her gaze relaxing.

"I hope you don't mind me bringing it up but, I'm guessing that's what led into you applying for the old Wonderbolts Academy?"

Somehow she'd known this question was coming. That just eased her nerves further though. If easing into the questions made it easier, pointing out how flawed she used to be was a cakewalk.

"It's fine. I'm well aware that that was a black spot in my past," She leaned back in her chair and stretched her hindlegs out, everything coming flooding back with only a little reminiscing. "The first thing is, on top of my natural drive to be the best, this was back when the heroes of the 'bolts were some of their less respected figures today. The likes of Wind Rider and Typhoon."

"Ah. The best at all costs mentality." Snappy commented around her pencil, somehow managing to keep her note taking eligible.

"Yeah, and I really took that to heart," Lightning chuckled to herself and sat forward again, leaning toward the reporters. "Consider this an exclusive detail but, I was so eager to get started that I falsified my application for the academy. I was only fifteen when they took me on."

The shock she saw in their eyes the moment her words registered felt very familiar. It was the same look she'd given herself when she'd finally taken a long look in the mirror. Silently telling herself just how far she had fallen. The similar reaction was another small bit of comfort though. It felt even easier to keep going when she had an idea of where it was this discussion was going.

"Yeah, a mix of an early growth spurt and some serious bluffing got me in," She continued. "I've always wondered if they genuinely bought it, or caught on but thought my skills too good to pass up. This was right around the time Captain Spitfire began reforming the Wonderbolts style after all."

This was getting easier with every word, every moment she got closer to letting it all out. She'd never felt like she could just talk about it, not even to her squadmates. This time though she could admit her faults, not just without beating herself up over it, but to ponies who were genuinely interested. She had learned a basic grasp of how to read a pony over the years and behind the media focus, Eff Stop and Snappy Shot were both intrigued by her story.

The sense of relief over how well it was going came so suddenly that it took a moment for her to realise Eff was talking again.

"-about twenty years ago, so there's no point chastising you for it now," He was saying. "So, the academy. Admittedly it's not difficult to learn about what happened with a little research but, how did it feel to you?"

This was it, last chance to back out of opening up everything. She couldn't have even if she wanted to.

"I'll be honest, I loved it initially," Lightning said, settling down again and looking up as she recounted the memories. "All my classmates that year; Bulk Biceps, Meadow Flower, Sunshower Raindrops, Starry Eyes, Cloud Chaser, Thunderlane, and Rainbow Dash of course. I could tell all of them had Wonderbolt potential if they gave it their all. And there I was, pitting myself against pegasi several years my superiors, both in physical and practical advantage. I wanted to show them all how it was done and hopefully find some really strong fliers to keep testing myself against."

"For the benefit of readers who aren't well versed in Wonderbolts history, how did that end up?" Snappy asked, pausing in her writing to listen with interest.

"In brief..." Lightning Dust looked away sheepishly before steeling herself. "Despite some initial praise for my drive, I repeatedly pushed myself and my classmates beyond safe limits, almost killed the Elements of Harmony with an unauthorised tornado and if it hadn't been for Spitfire's intervention, my recklessness and arrogance would have driven Dash away from the academy too. Needless to say, I was dishonourably discharged within a week."

"That's very rough. But we can see you're a better pony than that these days, you wouldn't be a Captain otherwise," Eff commented, glancing down at his notes. "Presumably that spurred you on to be even better than the potential you showed."

"No. It basically ruined my life."

Lightning already knew it was the way she'd admitted it, as if she'd merely fessed up to making it rain yesterday, that was the main reason they looked so shocked. She didn't mind though, she'd already been through the pain and fear.

"I'd put my whole life into my flying. My total disgrace made sure I would struggle to get in anywhere else and the market for a mare who didn't put any effort into other skills is surprisingly low," She continued, looking down wistfully. "I was only living with my mom at the time and, well, she had put me through training that rivalled that of the academy to make sure I'd be ready...I felt I couldn't go back and tell her what I'd done. Not when she placed more of a value on actions. I don't know if it was stubborn pride, fear, resentment or what but..."

"I-I'm sorry but, what about your father?" Snappy interjected, the look on her face hinting that this was new to her. Lightning couldn't blame her. Cases of ponies leaving home under the age of sixteen were rare enough, for one to actually be documented like this was a real scoop for the two reporters.

"He, travelled a lot. Something inside me managed to convince me though. Wherever he was, it was somewhere that this wouldn't be known yet. Somewhere where I could make a new start and the only one who'd be ashamed was me. So I did what I did best; I flew without thinking. Moving from town to town, managing to get by as I kept looking, trying to make sure no-one that knew me could track me down. In hindsight, it was incredibly stupid of me and only made things worse."

"How so?" Eff asked quietly, his notes pushed to one side as he listened. It was more subtle, but his voice was hinting that he was struggling to maintain his professionalism.

"After about three years, I finally managed to find dad in Whinnyapolis," Lightning afforded herself a small smile at the memory of this part. "Of course, by then he knew all about what had happened back in Cloudsdale. He didn't care though. Naturally he was relieved just to see me fit and well. Then once we'd talked, cleared the air about my actions, he took one look and told me that I wasn't the same pony that had been thrown out of he academy. And I realised he was right. Being around hard working, dependable, better ponies than I had rubbed off on me. I wasn't a pony that wanted to be better than everypony else, I just...Wanted to do something right now."

"Did you?" Snappy had ceased her writing and had leaned in, her expression somewhere between concerned and accusatory. Lightning didn't need to ask what she was specifying about.

"Not entirely..." The teal mare admitted, letting the shame creep into her face. "I still couldn't bring myself to face my mom after all that time. I'm pretty sure Dad had let her know I was there, but convinced her to wait until the right time to see me. I was finally getting my life back together at that point. A permanent place to live and decent work. In an earth pony city, my speed was invaluable as a courier between the skyscraper offices and the workers out near the waterfalls. I may have been settled, but I wouldn't say I was happy."

"I see," Eff leaned back in his chair and studied Lightning for a few moments. Unlike Snappy, his expression was still one of curiosity, interesting in seeing where her story went before making any judgements. "It sounds like you would have been content to stay where you were. How did you go from that to joining the military?"

Suddenly the memories were coming back. The heat, the pain, the anger...Lightning stared down at her hooves, her vision swimming slightly as her gaze drifted to her hind legs. As if daring herself to believe one of them would move normally this time. But no, they still moved somewhat stiffly, like they would for the rest of her life. This was real, what had happened was real. Much as it was paining her, she knew she had to keep going.

"May twenty-second, year four," She finally said as she looked back up at the reporters. "I was in one of the skyscraper offices to pick up some documents for my next run, when we heard shouting that a fire had broken out. Never did find out what caused it. I remember thinking to myself 'I'm possibly the only pegasus in the building, they can't take the windows out of here'. So I ran toward it, calling that I'd try and keep it contained while everypony evacuated. I have no idea what was in the room where it started, but by the time I was approaching the door all the smoke was coming from, it just suddenly blew up in my face and I was out before I even knew what hit me."

"Sweet Celestia..." Eff said quietly, not even trying to hide the surprise at this point. Lightning watched their reactions for several moments, knowing that whatever they were feeling about this, it was nothing compared to how she felt about what came next.

"When I came to, everything was on fire. I was half buried in debris, choking from smoke, and I could feel my wings and hindlegs were messed up. I was still trying to drag myself out when the floor gave way, dropping me into another fire ravaged area. When the dust cleared, I realised that chance had dropped me in front of one of the ponies called in to assist with rescue efforts. A light blue mare in a Wonderbolts reserve outfit...Yeap, Rainbow Dash was going to be my saviour. Yet...I don't know if it was the pain I was in, an underlying resentment for the academy, or just plain old jealousy that she was so close my old dream but...Suddenly, in the heat of the moment, I saw her as responsible for everything that had led me to that moment."

She paused for a long moment, the only sound coming from any of them the frantic scratching as Snappy Shot's pencil as she wrote it all down. Lightning sighed quietly to herself as she realised it was still easier to tell than she'd thought it'd be. Maybe because she saw that moment for what it was nowadays.

"So, in a life full of reckless split second decisions, I made the stupidest one of all," She continued. "When Rainbow tried to help me, I pushed her away. My stupid, egotistical self didn't want her rubbing her success in, even though it would have cost me everything. She kept trying though, getting the rubble that was keeping me pinned away even though she could barely hold it. She also said something to me that managed to break through my vendetta."

"What was it?" Eff asked, sounding less and less like his questions were for his story at this point. Lightning sat back again and allowed herself to smile slightly.

"'Lightning, let's make one thing clear. What happened, happened. We kind of have more important things to focus on right now, like saving your flank'. When she said that, straining to get me out, it finally clicked in some small part of me. She genuinely didn't hold everything that had happened at the academy against me. It didn't matter that she was a Wonderbolt and I wasn't. She'd moved on and done something with herself. I'd let the past dictate my actions and that was where I'd ended up. Now she was trying to save my life and I was fighting it out of some misguided pride."

"That...That must have been tough to deal with." Snappy commented, briefly pausing in her writing to look at Lightning with a sympathetic glance.

"Not in the moment. Soon as I'd crawled free, Rainbow had me out and back on the ground in seconds. It bloody hurt, but it was better than being inside. I managed to thank her before I was carted off to hospital...I'm not sure if she understood under the circumstances but, I meant it. When I learned she'd been promoted to the main Wonderbolts squadron shortly after, I just felt glad one of us had made it. It just confirmed something I'd been realising though. I still had the same determination to succeed as I'd had for years, I'd just been channelling it horribly wrong."

Lightning allowed herself a small smile. That was the hard part done. Even though she'd felt ready to pass out from nerves before and somewhat during the interview, she had come through by facing it head on and refusing to give in. Just like always. Eff Stop and Snappy Shot were staring at her in stunned surprise, the latter momentarily paused in her writing. There was a look in their eyes that she couldn't quite place, like the realisation of what they were hearing was just sinking in and they couldn't figure out what to make of it.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Eff eventually said, voice slightly hushed. "How did you feel when that realisation about yourself sunk in?"

"It wasn't pleasant," Lightning admitted. "It was my second night in hospital, the first being rather out of it during initial treatment and having my parents there during the day. Both of them, all of us clearing the air for the first time in years. So I was exhausted, emotional, and realising I'd royally screwed up the last few years. I ended up crying onto a nurse's shoulder for at least an hour while I let out years of frustration at myself. To be honest, the fact she kept supporting me the whole time, without judging, is the only reason I don't consider it the lowest moment of my life."

"I, almost can't imagine you like that," Snappy said after a few moments, getting a knowing chuckle out of Lightning. "So, where did you go from there?"

"I had to stay in hospital for a while, doctors making sure I didn't suffer any long term effects from my injuries. Mom and dad stuck with me for all those weeks, letting us be a family for the first time in I don't know how long. I stayed in Whinnyapolis for months after, doing some light work while in and out for follow-up treatments and therapy. A year later, when I was finally starting to come toward the end of the whole thing, the Equestria Defence Force was officially founded. That night, I told my parents I knew what I was going to do as soon as I was fit. I enlisted during the summer and, well, the rest is history."

Her smile grew a little more as she thought about how she had answered the first question. A sidestep to something better than she would have achieved before. Many of those sidesteps had seemed disastrous, but they had helped her break free from the pony she had struggled as before.

"I must have done something right while within the EDF too. Rainbow Dash may have ended up flying with the elites, but I ultimately ended up getting a whole squadron with my name on it. All my experiences made picking our motto easy too. 'Where's lightning gonna strike? Where it hurts most!'. Because it hurt a lot to make it to this point."

"Wow, I....Wow," Eff commented, still staring at Lightning. After a few moments he regained his composure and looked back down at his notes. "Well, I think we have just one last question. With how rough it sounded in the past, is your relationship with your parents doing better?"

"Much," Lightning smiled more as she realised she had somehow managed to get through this without making too much of an ass of herself. "Dad's moved back to Cloudsdale for his retirement so my parents are together and happy again. Now I'm the one who's constantly travelling due to my deployments. I've learned though, and I keep in contact with them. So I have a stable home life, a solid job and a lot of friends by my side. Now, I'm settled AND happy."

With that final answer, she slumped back into her chair slightly and let out a quiet sigh of relief. When she'd agreed to the interview, she hadn't been able to convince herself that she would be able to get through this in any meaningful or dignified way. That worry had stayed with her until roughly half an hour ago. She hadn't had to answer any overly terrible questions and she felt a lot better about her background to boot. Lightning simply remained in place for several moments, listening to the rapid scratch of Snappy Shot's pencil as she took down her final notes.

"Well, I'll admit I don't think either of us expected where this was going." Eff Stop admitted as he gathered his papers back up and tucked them under a wing.

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how refreshing it is to get a story like that," Snappy added as she finished writing and passed her things over to Eff. "Sorry for when it's inevitably butchered in editing."

"Eh, no problem. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell it." Lightning replied as she got up and stretched her hindlegs, flexing her wings a few times to hide the twitchiness.

"Still, thank you for the opportunity, Lightning. Hopefully ponies will like it as much as we have."

Lightning nodded as they got up, feeling in something of a daze as she gave a parting wingshake and hoofbump. The two reporters made their way out of the room talking to each other, leaving her staring up at the cloud ceiling. Once again, she had faced the dark spectre of her background and overcome it the right way. For the first time in far too long, she felt good about herself on the inside. After a few moments more she let out a long exhale before getting up and leaving the room with a smile on her face.

Drill practice was coming up after all, and she couldn't wait to get back in the sky.

Author's Note:

I know I said that I was done with the Quickverse Chronicles (and the Quickverse as a whole), but I still think about potential ideas and might-have-beens. I got a surge of inspiration when it came to LD last month and it led to this. So you know, never say never. I'll admit I felt out of practice writing, but hopefully what's left of my edge is enough for you to enjoy it!