Chapter 1: It Began With A Letter
With a loud yawn, Lightning slowly stirred in bed as she woke from her sleep. Cracking open an eye to glance outside, the angle of the sun through her window told her it was still pretty early in the morning. Knowing she wasn’t about to fall back asleep at this point she rolled over, careful to avoid her still-injured wing, and flopped out of bed onto her hooves. Briefly running a hoof through her disheveled mane to keep it out of her face, she made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen. Her grandmother, Misty Showers, was already over the stove, and the scent of oat pancakes wafted through the air.
“Morning Grandma.” She yawned.
The sky-blue pegasus turned, smiling gently as she adjusted a large pair of glasses on her muzzle. “Good morning Dusty, did you sleep well?”
With a nod, and another yawn, Dust grabbed plates and glasses to set up the table. The two had shared breakfast for as long as Lightning could remember, and to her it was one of the most pleasant ways to start any day. “It kinda sucks not being able to sleep on my side because of the wing, but I did alright.”
Her grandma turned to continue cooking on the stove, but tilted her head slightly back towards her granddaughter as she spoke. “You know, the mailmare will be stopping by Hack Saw’s today.”
Lightning fidgeted in her chair, her good wing ruffling anxiously. “I know, I know. But what if she was just being nice, when she said to write? Maybe she didn’t actually mean it. What would I even say? ‘Hey sorry I almost got us crushed to death’?” Resting her chin on her forelegs, she let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I guess I just don’t know how to.”
Bringing over a platter full of pancakes, Misty set them on the table, sitting opposite of her granddaughter. “She seemed like a very nice mare, and you said she sounded sincere.” Lightning didn’t answer, so she reached out and gently placed a hoof on her foreleg. “Dusty, dear, you know I worry about you. I just want to see my little fluffball find her happiness again.”
Blushing lightly at her foalhood nickname being brought out, Lightning rubbed the back of her neck with a free hoof. “I guess it’s hard to picture myself not screwing this up too, you know?”
With a chuckle, Misty leaned back in her chair. “Lightning, when I met your grandfather I was a waitress and had just spilled a plate of spaghetti onto his brand new suit during a business meeting. If that can be how we start, I’m sure you’re going to be just fine.”
Slowly taking a bite of pancake, Dust let out a quiet chuckle. “I guess what’s the worst that could happen.”
Tossing another wad of paper over her shoulder, she let out a heavy sigh and slumped. “This is the worst thing that could happen.”
She had started nearly a dozen different letters, and each of them now littered the ground around her. She had tried multiple ways of writing, sometimes using humor and other attempts keeping it serious and to the point. Every time she had rambled off, or written herself into a corner that felt pathetic and forced. Glancing out at the sky, she figured there were only a few minutes at this point before she missed the window. And without working wings, she’d be forced to either walk the distance or wait for another full week for the next mail delivery.
“Guess I just have to take whatever falls out of my muzzle at this point.” She mumbled, taking quill to paper one final time.
Hey Captain Spitfire,
I wasn’t sure if you were actually being serious about the whole “writing letters” thing, so I guess feel free to ignore this if you weren’t? This is all new to me… I guess I’ve been stressing over it for a while, cuz I wasn’t sure what to say or how to approach this.
But yeah, if you were serious, I guess this is the first letter then? I’m healing up pretty well, doc took a look yesterday, said I’m still on track to start flying again in a week. I’ll have to take it easy at first, but considering I’m still pretty underweight I shouldn’t be pushing it too much anyway.
Hope everything went fine in Canterlot. I heard the Pages are back where they belong, so no more crazy adventures going on. Hope that means it went well for you and the Princesses? And that no one else got hurt like we did.
I feel like I should write more, but I also don’t know what else to say? I’ll be out here for a while with my grandmother, I still have a lot of Thoughts going on, so I think I’m just rambling again now.
Anyway, yeah… uhm… it’d be cool to hear from you, if you were still interested in being friends. Does this sound needy? I feel like I sound needy. I’ve rewritten this letter like a million times but at this point if I don’t finish one I’ll miss the mailmare and it’ll have to wait a whole week. So uh, sorry if it feels weird. But you seemed pretty cool when we were chatting, and I think it’d be nice if we could keep doing that. Except in letters.
Best wishes. Good luck. Cool to be friends. Hope to hear from you soon.
-Lightning Dust
Reading it back over quickly, Lightning let out a heavy sigh and muttered to herself “Yeah, this sounds just as awful.” But like she had written, the mailmare would be grabbing the town’s mail any moment. Spitfire had enjoyed her raw, unfiltered self back in the cave, maybe writing like that would help them connect further? Shaking the thoughts from her head, she hopped up from her desk and headed back to the kitchen.
“Oh, you did it?” Her grandma asked from a large cushioned chair, a smile on her muzzle.
“I guess?” Dust responded, grabbing an envelope and stuffing it inside. “Honestly, it sounds pretty awkward when I read it…” she trailed off.
The older mare nodded a bit. “You always were uncomfortable around new ponies.” Lightning grimaced, remembering how her desire to overcome that discomfort had led to a personality that eventually got her booted from the Wonderbolts Academy. “A real friend will understand, just have a little faith in yourself Dusty.”
Putting the stamp and the Captain’s cutiemark on the back, she paused and looked down. “A real friend… she did say we were friends now, hugged me. I guess that should tell me what I need to know, huh?” A nod from her grandmother helped put her at ease, and she trotted towards the door. “Guess I won’t know until I try.”
Slipping outside, it only took her a few brief moments to quickly trot across the small village to her destination. Pinegrove didn’t have an official post office, an official anything really, so Hack Saw’s residence served as the de facto spot for most functions. In today’s case, it served as the gathering point for all the village’s outgoing mail until the weekly visit from the Equestrian Post Office. On rare occasion they would visit more frequently, but only if they had something marked ‘Priority’ to deliver: Pinegrove wasn’t exactly a hotbed of activity, after all.
As she approached the house, she saw the familiar blue vest denoting an employee of the EPO stepping out with a full bag of letters slung over her shoulder. “Hey!” She called out to get the mare’s attention. “One sec, I got another for ya.”
“Just in time, I was about to take off.” The pegasus replied, taking the letter from Lightning. Glancing at the back to make sure it was marked and stamped with postage, she slipped it in with the rest. “I’ll see you all next week then, take care!” And with that, she spread her wings and took off. Watching her fly off over the trees, Dust let out a heavy sigh.
“Guess I just wait now.”
Four days later
Lightning had spent most of the morning out behind her grandmother’s house, doing some of the old pre-flight stretches she had learned from her time at the Academy. She wasn’t supposed to fly just yet, she still had a few days left of healing, but she knew better than most that her wings and body needed to stay flexible regardless. As she was carefully finishing up with her injured wing, her ears perked up as Misty called from the doorway.
“Dusty! You got a letter! That nice mare wrote you back.”
Tilting her head, the mare turned to face her grandmother. “A letter? But we don’t get mail for another three days.”
With a smile, she flourished the letter in question. “Seems your friend sent it with a priority marker, so they made a special trip out. I’ll leave it on your desk for when you’re ready.” She disappeared back inside, leaving the younger mare alone with her thoughts.
Spitfire and mailed it priority? Sure, as the Wonderbolt Captain she probably had a lot of leeway to do that sort of thing. But was she really that interested in keeping in touch she’d go through the extra trouble? A small grin crossed her muzzle at the thought, and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Hopefully she won’t get in trouble doing that for personal mail.” Heading back inside, she paused for a moment to hug her grandma. “Thanks for pushing me into this, Gran.”
Patting her granddaughter’s back, the older mare smiled. “Anything to see you happy, Dusty.” With that, Lightning headed down the hall to her room.
Sitting down at her desk, she stared down at her own cutiemark inked onto the envelope, with Spitfire’s sitting in the upper corner with the gold-colored “Priority” sticker next to it. Taking a deep breath in both excitement and worry, she slid the envelope open, took out the letter, and began to read.
Hey Dust,
I was absolutely serious! I don’t feel like that cave situation is the sort of thing you go through with somepony and then just walk away. Probably the most awkward weird different way I’ve ever made a friend, but you seemed like a cool mare to get to know. Not many ponies are willing to open up about that sort of stuff, it takes a lot of courage, and I admire that.
It’s great to hear you’re healing up, I was hoping there weren’t any complications with the wing. After I got back to Canterlot and got everything sorted, I ended up grounded for a few days myself by the medic to finish recovering on my end, but by the time you get this I’ll probably be back in the air. Hopefully you won’t be too far behind on that, though I know wing injuries can really hold you back for a while.
The whole Pages situation is taken care of, wasn’t exactly the ideal ending I’d hoped for but at least they’re gone and no longer a problem. Or I guess no longer MY problem, which is sort of the same thing in my opinion. Everything’s back to normal now, which is a pretty big relief for us Wonderbolts; we don’t mind the adventures, but at the end of the day we prefer to show off our flying skills, you know?
Not to be presumptuous or anything, but we still have your file here from your physical at the Academy, and I got a pretty good look at you in the cave, so would you be alright if I passed it along to the nutritionist we have on staff? I’m sure he could work up a pretty good plan to get you back to a healthy weight. Offer’s there if you want it, I won’t force the issue, just thought I’d give you the option.
You have any plans once your wing heals up? Kinda curious what you get up to in your free time. I don’t get a lot of that around here as the Captain, but honestly I don’t mind too much. Like I said, the Wonderbolts are kind of like family, so it’s all worth it. And I enjoy the work and the shows and the flying.
Hope to hear from you soon!
-Spitfire
Sliding open a drawer on her desk, Lightning felt herself wiggle in excitement as she brought out paper and a quill. Cracking open the top on an ink vial, she dipped the quill in and began to write.
Hey Spitfire,
It’s good to hear from you again! I hope you won’t get in trouble for sending personal stuff on ‘Priority’, but I have to admit it makes me feel good to know you’re that interested with keeping in touch.
I’ve been doing extra stretches lately to make sure when the wing is good to go I can get back in the air pretty quickly. I’ll probably still be a little lopsided for a couple days after, while it gets back to 100%, but that won’t be a huge deal. Pretty used to flying under conditions that aren’t exactly “ideal”, after all.
Oh, uhm, I don’t want to put you out or anything, but if it’s not much trouble that’d be really neat. I know some of the basics of maintaining a healthy weight, but I have no experience coming back from the state I’m in. So yeah, if that offer is on the table I’d appreciate it a lot.
As you can probably guess there isn’t a lot to do around Pinegrove if you aren’t working with the loggers, so I’ve been trying to take it easy and get myself back together. You probably remember the cave well enough I don’t have to go back over it all… I have been stretching every day, getting some cardio in. And my grandma is making sure I have more than enough food, she’s been really great with all this. The mental stuff is probably going to take a while though...
Once I’m healed, I was thinking of hopping the train over to Ponyville. I heard they were looking for a few new weather ponies. I don’t know a lot about that stuff, but I’d be willing to learn. It’ll let me get some bits under my belt while I figure things out and finish getting back to actually healthy. I think I’m actually pretty close to your body type? Or was, I guess is the better word. I don’t get muscular, but I get a really nice toned look and feel like you do. I really like the way I used to look, not to sound weird about it, so I’d love to get back to form.
Ponyville is also along the train route to Canterlot, so if we ever end up with free time it’d be an easy visit. I know the ‘Bolts are traveling out west soon for a hoofull of shows, but maybe by the time you get back ponies won’t be able to see my ribs anymore!
Sorry, I use dark humor sometimes to help, lemme know if it’s a bit much.
I don’t know if the ‘Bolts mail gets forwarded when you’re out, so let me know if I should hold off on sending notes or something while you’re away. I’d hate to leave you with a pile to come back to.
Your friend,
Lightning Dust
Setting the personal letter to the side for the moment, Lightning pulled out another fresh sheet of paper. Taking a deep breath, and turning her mind professional, she touched quill to paper once more.
To: Ponyville Weather Department
My name is Lightning Dust. I saw in the paper recently that you were filling open positions on your weather team, and I wish to apply for a spot.
I do not have weather experience directly, however I have nearly six years of stunt-flying experience, which includes training at the Wonderbolts Academy. As such, I have had a good amount of training in creating and adhering to strict safety standards, including the handling of stunt-level Thunderclouds for theatrics. Flying at such a level means I am no stranger to a strict schedule, am able to follow directions directly and to the letter, and have the endurance for handling longer weather patterns.
I live at the nearby village of Pinegrove, and would commute as often as necessary to perform my duties. I understand that, as a farming town, there will be times that an “all hooves on” is necessary, and in such case would also be willing to rent a room when needed.
If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-Lightning Dust
“Ugh.” Lightning grimaced, pushing it away as well. She disliked having to sound so professional, but also figured it wouldn’t hurt her chances. While she would have preferred to join up with stunt fliers again, her flying wouldn't be at that level for several months at least. Besides, if nothing else it’d give her a couple bits to help contribute to her grandmother, as well as help her get physically back into shape. She hummed for a moment, thinking back to her time at the Academy. Rainbow had said she’d been a part of the weather team, maybe she could use her as a reference? With a shake of her head, she dismissed the idea: she didn’t feel comfortable using somepony as a reference without asking first.
Plus the whole “balloon” incident with Dash’s friends.
Sealing both into separate envelopes and making sure to address each one correctly, Lightning placed them under her good wing. Mail wasn't picked up for three more days, and by the time she got a response back the following week she’d be able to fly again, so she wasn’t worried about meeting any criteria they might have. She was patient, she could wait, and the extra time to get back in the air would definitley be welcome with her wing.
Five Days Later
She had been shocked to get a reply almost immediately from the weather office of Ponyville, but that quickly changed to dread as she saw it was addressed from Rainbow Dash herself. Had Dash seen her name and just immediately turned her down? Tearing it open, she had been met with only five words on the paper:
Dust,
Come interview Sunday.
-Dash
And so, late Saturday night, she had taken the very short flight to a junction station out west and hopped on the train to Ponyville. Normally she would have just flown out early in the morning directly to the town itself, but that was off the table for another week or so while she got her previously injured wing back into shape. Even so, with practically no stops between the junction and Ponyville, the trip had been a relatively quick one.
Dust arrived a little after sunrise, and found a good portion of the town was already up and about for their day. Even though the ponies didn’t recognize her, that didn’t stop them from wishing her a ‘good morning’ or just giving her a pleasant smile and a nod for a greeting. Even being used to it from the folk of Pinegrove, it still caught Lightning off guard to find such sincere friendliness and familiarity in another town. She certainly wasn’t going to complain about friendly ponies being around, especially when all she was expecting was disaster.
One pony who did recognize her was one of Rainbow’s friends, a pink ball of vibrating energy that rivaled the sun itself.
“HI LIGHTNING DUST!” Pinkie yelled from behind her, causing the poor pegasus to jump in surprise. “Oh! Did you wanna have a jumping contest? That was a pretty good one you had there!”
Trying to still her racing heart, Lightning turned to face the pony. “Hi, uh…” she rubbed the back of her neck as she paused in thought, “sorry, I don’t remember actually learning your name.”
Pfft. “Oh that’s okay silly, you can learn it now! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I am the premiere professional party pony of Ponyville!” How was her grin that big? On any pony else it would be very disconcerting. “So, whatcha doing here Dusty? Oh! Did you come to crash more balloons? I could help with that, as long as there aren’t ponies on board! Popping balloons can be just as fun as inflating them!”
With a heavy sigh, Lightning looked down and pawed at the ground. “Look, Pinkie, I am really sorry about that. I swear I-I’m not like that anymore.”
“Hmm, okay I believe you!” Dust looked up with confusion at the casual acceptance, hoping for a more detailed response, but all she was met with was Pinkie bouncing in place, humming happily. “So where are you headed? Need directions?”
She hesitated for a moment, but decided she may as well be upfront about it. “I saw the town needed weather ponies, and… well, I could use a job, so I was hoping I’d be a good fit.”
“Oh, you’re looking for the weather office! Let me show you.” Pinkie stuck a hoof straight down the road. “Okay, so take your first left,” her foreleg bent left “then you take your next right” without straightening out, the leg now also bent back to the right “and it’ll be right after the mail office on the left!” the foreleg bent left once more, the sight of the misshapen leg making Lightning queasy. After a moment it straightened out, and Pinkie smiled broadly. “Rainbow should already be there planning the showers for this week!”
Dust nodded, running her hoof through her mane. “Thanks, I’m sure I can find it from here.” Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she hadn’t actually eaten today. Still, the interview was too important to let herself get distracted from, she’d just find something later. Before she could take a step, a small box of donuts was suddenly in her hooves. “Where did…”
“Oh I have donut boxes hidden all over town!” Pinkie interrupted her. “You know, for donut emergencies! Good luck with the interview! Oh, maybe if you get in we can throw you a ‘welcome to the weather team’ party!” And with that, she hopped off down the road, humming a nameless tune to herself. Turning to the nearest pony on her left, a sunburn-orange pegasus, Dust opened her mouth in a silent question of what had just occurred.
“That’s just Pinkie Pie.” The mare said with a chuckle. “Don’t question it, you’ll get used to it.”
Lightning nodded slowly. “Guess that’s fair.” Taking one of the donuts out to munch, she set off down the road as the party pony had directed her. Not wanting to walk into the weather office with a mouthful of donut, she decided to slow her gait and take in the town around her. She had to admit, Ponyville had a really cozy feel to it. While it was certainly bigger than Pinegrove, she still felt the same sense of closeness and personability from the ponies around her. It was comforting to know that there were still other towns that kept the sense of community outside of her hometown.
It took her several minutes to wind her way down the dirt roads to the weather office, but thankfully as she drew closer it was hard to miss; mainly on account of the giant wooden sun and cloud that sat above the door. While it was only one story tall, the perimeter was actually quite large, the size of a few of the nearby houses slapped together. Wrapping her good wing around the box of donuts to hold them, she took a deep breath to steady herself before stepping inside.
The inside of the room she stepped into was surprisingly small for what was the main entrance to the facility, taking up only a tiny fraction of the building’s actual size. To her left sat what looked like a meeting room, a large and highly detailed map of Ponyville and the surrounding area set against the wall, markers with various names and symbols scrawled across the surface. Straight back from her was a pair of wooden doors, one of which was sitting ajar and looked like it led to a small office. The other was merely labeled ‘Warehouse’. Her ears perked up as a stallion to her right spoke up.
“Welcome to the Ponyville Weather Center, can I help…” Sitting near the entrance was a large wooden desk covered with paperwork and office supplies, behind it was the stallion that had spoken up. He was a pegasus with a very dark grey coat, a light cyan mane with white streaks that looked almost like a mohawk. Lightning recognized him from the Academy, but she had never actually learned his name. It was clear that he recognized her though, by the way his question had trailed off and the now-glare he was giving her. “What are you doing here, Lightning Dust?”
Great, that’s just great, I am so totally screwed. She had half a mind to just turn around and leave right then and there, call the entire attempt off. Shaking her head to try and clear out those worries, Dust decided to remain professional in the moment; there’d be time for an anxiety attack later. “I was asked by Miss Dash to come in for an interview about an open position on the weather team.”
She heard a chuckle float out of the office. “Miss Dash huh? Didn’t know you could sound so formal. Send her back, Thunderlane! She’s expected.” Staring her down a moment longer, Thunderlane jerked his head in the direction of the office, muttering something under his breath. Not wanting to cause a scene, Lightning merely trotted over to the open door without a word. She knocked on it twice, before slipping inside.
Rainbow Dash sat behind a wooden desk, a quill in her muzzle as she glanced over and signed multiple forms. Filing cabinets surrounded the room labeled as ‘weather data’ with a year and a season, some of them dating back to nearly a decade ago. A pair of chairs faced the desk itself, and the weather mare gestured to one of them with a foreleg. Taking the hint, Lightning shut the door behind her and sat down, waiting as calmly as she could while Rainbow finished signing the work in front of her.
Setting down the quill, Dash reached over and pulled out a file, flipping it open. “So, you’re looking to fill one of our missing weather pony slots. Doesn’t look like you have any experience with actual weather manipulation, but that’s what training is for. That being said, some of your work with stunt displays will carry over and make the process easier.” She flipped a page. “Your current residence is still in Pinegrove, are you planning to commute every day? That’s quite the flight.”
“No ma’am, at least not every day. I would fly out for my first shift of the week, and rent a room until the final shift, when I would fly back home.” Dust squirmed slightly. “I would be available for all seasons, and be willing to pull any extra time required during the peak seasons for farm irrigation and Winter Wrap Up.”
“Did your research, good job.” Flipping another page, Dash frowned slightly. “Says here you’re still on restrictive duty, how bad?”
Lightning rubbed a hoof along the back of her neck. “Well, ma’am, with the way mail is delivered in and out of Pinegrove, I had actually expected to be nearly recovered before I had even heard back from the weather office. Rest assured, I’ll be given full clearance in about a week and a half, and I’m willing to do any groundwork I can to learn until then.”
Shutting the file, Rainbow flicked it off to the side. “Okay Dust, off the record, what’s actually going on here? This seems… kiiiiinda out of left field.”
Deflating slightly, she leaned back in the chair. “I… caused an accident. With the Washouts I mean.”
Rainbow nodded. “I read about that. Nasty stuff, but even fillies know that stunt flying is risky, even on the best of days. Getting the boot seems kinda crazy.” Dust raised an eyebrow, head tilting slightly in an unasked question. Dash shrugged, answering “I kept tabs on you. Even with the attitude and ego, you were one hell of a flier, and I wanted to see how far you’d go. The Ponyville weather office waaaaaasn't really where I saw us meeting again, though.”
Looking down at the floor, Dust nodded. “So you know what happened then. After the accident, things went downhill for me physically and eventually I got kicked out, washed out of the freaking Washouts. Things have been pretty tough since then, but I've been living with my grandma to help sort things out. I did make a new friend a few weeks ago, she’s been helping get my head back on straight, and I thought a good step would be to get back in the skies and actually work, give me something to focus on while I sort my life back out.”
Rainbow nodded, resting her forelegs on the table. “Princess Celestia had a big debrief with everypony over the Pages situation, so I did hear about what happened with you and Spitfire out in Pinegrove. She didn’t give a lot of specifics, but I know Discord messed you both up pretty bad. Spitfire also spoke quite highly of you and the way you handled yourself, it’s actually part of why I gave you the interview in the first place. Not that was her goal, just... she's a good judge of character.” She looked Lightning in the eyes, her face flat and serious. “I’m also all for giving ponies a chance, to show they've changed. But most importantly, I also have to protect my weather team. So, Lightning Dust, can I trust your word that you won’t be reckless with my town? You’ll follow directions, obey any and all safety regulations, and be an asset to the team and our town? No showboating, no risky stunts, you play it safe and by the book.”
Dust threw up a salute. “Ma’am, yes ma’am. I’ll do whatever I can to prove I’m not that same mare anymore.”
“Well, then you’re hired.” Rainbow opened up a drawer, digging around inside for a minute before pulling out a small stack of paperwork and setting it in front of the mare. “While you’re still finishing healing, we’ll get you familiar with the warehouse out back, as well as train you in the fundamentals of weather and cloudhandling.” She flicked some of the pages over, gesturing with a hoof. “We’ll set you up with a schedule to train, I’ll pair you up with Cloud Kicker; she can be a whole bag of sass, but she’s also one of the best weather ponies I’ve ever worked with. Questions?”
Nod. “Yeah, renting a room while I’m here during the week, where would you suggest?”
Humming for a moment, Rainbow tilted her head in thought. “I’ll talk to Twilight, see if we can set you up with a guest room at the Castle of Friendship.”
“O-oh no, t-there’s no need to go that far.” Lightning stuttered.
Dash let out a laugh, waving a hoof. “Dust, that castle has like a bajillion rooms in it, I’m sure it won’t be an issue if you borrow one three or four nights a week. Besides, it’d be hard to rent a room before you got paid, right?” The other mare nodded slowly. With a soft sigh, Rainbow leaned a bit further forward. “Look, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but judging by Spitfire’s account and how you currently look, no offense, it’s been a lot. I can forgive you for the accident at the Academy, just prove to me you aren’t the same pony that only looked out for herself.”
“I can do that, Rainbow. Thank you.”
Squinting slightly, Dash tilted her head as she looked under Lightning's wing. “Is… that donuts?”
“Oh, this?” Lightning pulled the box out. “Yeah, your friend Pinkie just shoved this into my hooves. Something about storing them around for ‘donut emergencies’ or something?”
“Bahaha! Oh yeah, that’s claaaaassic Pinkie Pie! You’ll get used to her after a while. Now c’mon, let me show you the storage warehouse.”
Hey Spitfire,
I got the job! I was worried that after everything, Rainbow would hold a grudge, but she was actually pretty chill about it. She has her reservations, and… I can’t really blame her. After the Academy, after the Washouts near-incident with Scootaloo, after the accident I caused, I’d be shocked if she WASN’T worried. I heard you spoke pretty nicely about me when you reported to Princess Celestia, that really means a lot to me. Thank you, really.
I’ll be bouncing between Ponyville and Pinegrove for a while, spending around half of the week at each. You can probably just send letters to Ponyville itself, since the mail there is so much more frequent than Pinegrove.
When you get back from the shows out west, maybe we could find time to hang out again? I’m sure we can find a time that lines up or something. I mean, if you want to, you don’t have to, if you wanna hang out that’d be super cool. If not that’s cool too, letters are neat also! Just like, if you wanted to and the time worked out and stuff…. Sorry I’m rambling again.
Oh, I’m going to include a picture in here, Rainbow insisted: while showing me the warehouse where they store the cloud shipments and equipment, she pranked me with a rain cloud and soaked me. One of the other pegasi, Blossomforth I think her name was, snapped the pic; you can even see Rainbow on the cloud laughing her flank off.
I… I think this is going to be really good for me. I hope it’s really good for me, I haven’t had a lot of ‘wins’ lately, you know?
Good luck with the shows! I can’t wait to hear from you soon.
Your Friend,
-Lightning Dust.
Chapter 2: The Captain's Home
The thunderous downpour of rain echoed across Ponyville, the sound of a rainstorm kicked off by the weather team just a few minutes earlier. It was the first heavy rainfall of the season, and as such needed to be completely on point. Thankfully for Ponyville, the talented weather team had known exactly what they were doing to get it going. The rain fell evenly across the town itself and the farmlands around, bringing with it a release from the heat of the day.
Landing in front of the weather office, Lightning quickly slipped inside the building, giving her whole body a shake to get the excess rainwater off of her coat. Before letting the door shut, she glanced up at the sky one final time, letting her gaze wander critically over the layout of the cloud cover as well as the speed of the rain coming down. Satisfied that they were both up to the specs the team had been given, she gave a nod and let the door swing closed, finally able to get out of the rain and start drying off.
It had been a full month since she had started working on the weather team, and she had taken to it like... well, like a pegasus takes to their wings. Much of her first few weeks had been spent learning the basics of the facility storage system as well as the weather patterns that they would be using. Rainbow had provided her a plethora of training and learning materials, and she had made sure to pour over them in detail. She didn't have a lot going on other than her job and the weekly trips between Ponyville and Pinegrove, so Dust had ended up memorizing practically every study resource she had been given, especially the information on the town's weather patterns and, in some cases like the farms, highly specific needs.
Putting the knowledge into practice had been a bit more difficult, as they couldn't just set up an entire weather pattern simply to practice on. Lightning's own attempts to practice back at home had been a bit of a mixed bag: unlike Ponyville, the weather in Pinegrove was entirely on the whims of nature itself, and thus much harder to be controlled. Even so, she had managed to get some hooves-on experience with basic cloud types, their consistencies, and how to handle them effectively, which had only made her training period that much easier to get through.
Looking to the team's meeting room on the left, she saw her trainer waiting inside, a pegasus named Cloud Kicker. True to Rainbow's word, the pale grey-blue pegasus had been a bit of a goofball and a sass since day one, but other than Dash she was probably the most knowledgeable pony of the entire weather team. Lightning had admittedly been a bit wary of her at first, partly because she was worried that she might accidentally cross a line before she was familiar enough with the rest of the team to be cracking jokes or pulling pranks. That fear had swiftly been put to rest at the end of her first week when the pair of them had stuffed the leftover fog clouds inside of Rainbow's office. The weather captain had merely chuckled and rolled her eyes as the two had snickered quietly from the side room.
Stepping inside the meeting room, Lighting threw a salute to the other mare. "Rain is self-sustained, cloud cover is consistent, and rainfall speed is within parameters."
Cloud kicked back from the desk slightly, her chair rolling a few inches. "Perfect! Let's update the map and the work chart, and we should be good to go for the day." Grabbing a marker in one wing and an eraser in the other, Kicker hopped up and began to edit the necessary details. "So, this is it then huh? No longer my little fledgling trainee, you're a full-blown weather pony!" With a fake sniffle, she pouted at her trainee. "My little mare is all grown up and making her own weather patterns."
Dust chuckled as she leaned against the table. "Like I could get rid of you that easily." She teased back. "Besides, storm season starts in a couple weeks and I'll still need your help to get certified for handling thunderheads, and hopefully as a lightning wrangler."
"Never a moment to rest, hmm?" Cloud chuckled, tossing the marker aside. "Yeah, if you're interested, we can definitely get you trained up for that stuff. It takes a might longer than what we've done so far, there's a lot of safety rules around it all for obvious reasons. Not only is the handling and manipulation a lot of work, storage of cumulonimbus' is much more complicated as well" She sat back down at the table, pulling the paperwork closer. "You've been picking it all up incredibly quickly though, almost as fast as Rainbow Dash did when she and I first started here. You could go pretty far in weather, if you wanted to."
Before Lightning could respond, there was a knock on the door. "Oh hi Lightning Dust! Hi Cloud Kicker!" Even as she turned around, the bubbly voice told her exactly who it was: Derpy Hooves, Ponyville's resident mail mare. When she first arrived, Dust had been surprised that a single mare handled the mail delivery for the entire town and the surrounding farms. But after watching the mare work, she had been thoroughly impressed with her stamina and the sheer strength it took to carry that amount of mail around on her own. With the frequent letters with Spitfire causing their paths to constantly cross, she and Derpy had become friends quite quickly.
"Heya Derpy," Lightning greeted, "how's the mail going today?"
"It's going great, I'm just about done!" She replied happily, digging into her mailbag. Lightning idly wondered if they were made waterproof or had an enchantment on them to keep them dry, she'd have to try and find a pair like that for saddlebags at some point. "In fact, this was my last stop before going to pick up Dinky from school." Pulling out a letter, she hoofed it over. "And here you go! Have a great day you two!" With a quick wave, the grey mare turned and trotted her way out of the weather center.
"Another letter from Spitfire, eh?" Lightning jumped slightly, not realizing that Cloud had moved to stand beside her. "Gotta say, you have good taste in mares." She teased, waggling her eyebrows. "She's certainly got the looks, right?" She let out a soft oof as Dust gently elbowed her in the side
"Because Celestia forbid two ponies are just friends, Cloud." She said with a roll of her eyes, receiving a gentle nudge of her own in retaliation. The two chuckled as they elbowed each other back and forth several times, before Cloud Kicker finally conceded the battle.
"Well in any case I'm going to head out, enjoy your afternoon and your letter, Dust. I'll see ya next week!" The two shared a hoofbump, before Cloud slipped out into the rain. Flopping down in the nearest chair, Lightning opened up the letter and slipped it out of the envelope.
Hey Dust,
Glad you're almost done with weather training! I never learned much beyond basic cloud manipulation myself, plus whatever misc. stuff we pick up through our stunt work with the Bolts. Super cool that you'll be an official weather pony now, congrats!
We just got back from the west coast, so it's been a pretty dry couple of days going over the show routine, the stuff that worked, stuff that didn't, blah blah blah. It's super useful, don't get me wrong, but sitting down in meetings looking over news articles and conducting interviews is just... I don't like being still for this long. Makes my wings itch.
Oh hey, I know it's a little last minute, but the opening ceremony for the flight museum we were supposed to attend got moved back a few weeks. I think one of the donors for the place pushed their bits back to get some kind of tax incentive out of it. Friggin' stupid if you ask me, but I guess that's for other ponies to worry about.
The point is, me and the Bolts have a free weekend now, and I think it'd be cool if you could come hang out. I wouldn't plan anything tonight, but you'd be free to stay at the guest room I have at my place. I figure then we can hang out during the day tomorrow, maybe grab lunch and hit the Canterlot Gardens or something? Weather here should be pretty nice for that. And then a few of us were going to crash the VIP section at the "Trot Step", we're a bit overdue for a visit there. Dunno if bars or social drinking are your thing, but you'd totally be free to tag along with that. And then I think on Sunday you'll have to grab the train back to Ponyville so you can get back for your weather job?
If not I totally understand, it's last minute. I'll drop my address at the bottom, just tell the stallions at the door your name and they'll let you through, in case you can. Otherwise I look forward to your next letter!
Your friend,
Spitfire.
Slipping the note into her saddlebag excitedly, Lightning poked her head around the door, calling out to the office in the back. "Hey, Rainbow, how late does the train run to Canterlot?"
The train shook gently as it traversed the countryside, working its way towards the city of Canterlot. Luckily for Lightning, it turned out that trains ran practically all day from Ponyville to the capital city, since the town was right along the main rail line. Since she only carried her saddlebags between Pinegrove and Ponyville, she hadn't had to worry about packing or storing anything, and had flown straight from the weather center to the train station. One day she'd be willing to fly the distance between the two cities, but that was still a little out of her range for the time being.
Bouncing on the seat in anticipation, she couldn't quite tell if she was nervous, excited, or perhaps both? It was the first time they were physically meeting since their incident in the cave, after all. Spitfire had enjoyed their correspondence, but what if meeting physically didn't go as well? What if she was super awkward, or said something stupid, or just wasn't as interesting as Spitfire thought? Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Lightning pushed the thoughts away. No, it's going to be fine. You're going to have a good time hanging out with your friend, and nothing will go wrong.
The train shuddered as the brakes began to kick in, slowing it down as they entered the mountain tunnel leading to the station. A few moments later, they came to a standstill as they reached the platform proper. The stress and worry of the visit had prevented her from finding a way to sit comfortably, so she took a moment to stretch out her back and legs while the other creatures began to disembark. She shook her entire body, as if she could simply shake the stress and worry away from her, and made for the nearest set of doors. Stepping out into the station, she looked around to take it all in.
The look of the station caught her by surprise, having never been to Canterlot before. Built into the side of the mountain, it was a colossal, bright marble structure. The ceiling was far above them, stained glass and murals adorning the entire surface wherever she looked. A large spiral staircase led to the roof far above, a landing point for dirigibles and sky carriages that carried creatures from towns and lands far away. With an impressed whistle the mare tried to keep moving, not wanting to block the constant milling ponies all around her. Several murals of the Princesses had been painted along the walls, a bit abstract but still quite recognizable as to which each one was a tribute to. How much they had cost, or how long they had taken, Lightning could only guess. Weaving her way between ponies, benches, and storefronts, she managed to make her way out the doors without incident.
It was a beautiful day in Canterlot, a warm wind blowing gently across the town under the perfectly clear skies above. Stepping off to the side to clear the path, Lightning paused to enjoy the sun for a few moments, letting the rays soak into her coat and warm her nicely. Many ponies joked that pegasi were basically just large cats, and while Lightning never really saw the comparison, she couldn't deny there was something satisfying about just standing, or laying, in the sun's warmth. Especially if she could curl up on a cloud and nap.
As she exited down the steps and into the city proper, Lightning realized she was going to need directions from somepony to get where she was heading. She had never been to Canterlot after all, and the town was quite massive, especially compared to the likes of Ponyville and Pinegrove. Looking down the staircase and around the street, she spotted one of the cities, likely many, mail couriers and quickly crossed the street to reach them.
She approached the dark brown pegasus, waving slightly to get his attention. "Hey, I'm really sorry to be a bother while you're working, but by any chance could you tell me which way it is to the Diamond Plaza?"
Straightening his uniform, the stallion nodded. "Oh, the Diamond Plaza? Yeah it's about a ten minute walk from here, just head down that road," he gestured to her right, "take a left when you get to Canterlot Way, it'll be down there a bit on your right. Big building, name on the front, fancy, impossible to miss. But they won't let anypony in without clearance from one of their tenants, so you better have an invite."
"That won't be a problem. Thank you sir!" With a thanks and a friendly wave she turned and headed off, opting to stay on the ground for the time being. The placement of streets and their signs were geared towards the higher population level of unicorns and earth ponies in not just the town but Equestria as a whole, thus they were placed closer to the ground. This meant anyone on wings who wasn't already comfortably familiar with the city could easily miss a sign and get turned around and lost. She trotted quickly down the street the mail pony had indicated to her, weaving her way through the slower moving groups. While she was still working on building back up her stamina and flight ability, agility was something she thankfully hadn't lost her touch with since leaving the Washouts.
Turning down the road onto Canterlot Way, her steps became slower and quite a bit more uncertain. The buildings along this road were much fancier than the street she had just been on, the amount of bits and clout evident even from the outside of the structures. Shop windows held clothes and jewelry far beyond what Lightning could possibly ever afford, and restaurants had very well-dressed ponies outside to greet their patrons, and likely to turn others away. The looks she received, while not hostile, were at least ones of confusion as to why this pegasus who clearly wasn't upper class was wandering down their street. Dust merely lowered her head, trying to avoid meeting their gaze and picked up the pace again to get out as soon as she could.
It only took her another minute to find the building she was looking for, and she froze in her steps as she looked up at it. While it wasn't as big as many other famous Canterlot buildings, the eight stories still stood out among the mostly smaller buildings that surrounded it. The words Diamond Plaza were emblazoned on the front, and while Lightning doubted the name was spelled with actual diamonds, it certainly looked the part with the pale color and the sheen across the lettering. Standing outside the bright gold-colored doors to her left was a large earth pony stallion, quite a bit taller than Lightning and much buffer. On the other side stood a griffon, just as large as the stallion but the talons and beak made him look far more intimidating.
Taking a deep breath and trying not to visibly shake, she approached the door to the building. As she drew near, the stallion stepped to his left to partially block the front door.
"Sorry miss, but we're only permitted to let residents and their approved guests into the building. I'm sure you understand."
"O-Oh yeah I know that." Dust stuttered, shifting her stance slightly with apprehension. "I do have an invite, her name is Spitfire? I'm Lightning Dust, I think she's expecting me."
Glancing down at a notepad for a long moment, the stallion finally gave a nod and stepped back to the side. "Yup, she gave us your name earlier today actually, said to hopefully expect you dropping by." Opening the door for her, he bowed slightly. "My companion and I would like to welcome you to the Diamond Plaza, Miss Dust. The elevator is straight back against the wall, and the attendant will take you where you need to go. Miss Spitfire is.... floor seven, room three. And we hope you enjoy your time here."
With a sigh of relief, Lightning passed between the two imposing creatures. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." Slipping inside as the stallion continued to hold the door for her, she paused mid-stride and let out a soft whistle as she looked over the interior of the complex.
The main hall she had entered was incredibly vast, the ceiling vaulted up several stories above her head. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like it ran the entire eight stories from floor to roof. Statues of the Princesses lined the halls, the space between them filled up with artwork created by highly popular and sought after artists, names that even Lightning was able to recognize. The vaulted ceiling had some abstract mural on it, likely another famous painter that Dust recognized by name only. This was hooves-down probably the most upscale building other than the Princess' castles she had ever looked at, let alone been inside of. Despite the clear amount of bits spent on every square inch, it somehow managed to not quite cross the line into gaudy or tasteless; these tenants had money, and the building was an outward display of exactly how much income the residents living there had access to.
I don't belong here. The doubts began to echo through her head, louder and more insistent by the moment, and she nearly took a step back towards the door. This is too much, this is too nice, I don't deserve to be inside here, I'm not good enough for this, this is so far above me. She felt her breathing quicken, her body shaking harder, and for a moment she even entertained the thought of running out the door, going back to Ponyville and pretending she hadn't gotten the letter in time.
Fighting hard against the instinct, she instead took a long, deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she did her best to calm down and regain her composer. Spitfire had asked her here, clearly she was at least wanted. Giving herself a shake from mane to tail to try and release the spiral of thoughts, she stepped forward and began to cross the soft, lush lavender carpet leading to the elevators. A pair of elevators sat at the end of the walkway, and she slipped inside the open doors of the left one
The inside of the lift, while much simpler compared to the outside entry hall, still felt like it went with the upper class theme of the complex. The carpet inside was ruby red, and equally as soft as the floor she had just left. The walls were covered in cushions of a similar color, the only gap in them to serve for the hoofrail to hold onto. Just inside the door on the left, there sat an older unicorn stallion, operating the mana crystal that served to power the lift up and down. He smiled at her kindly, tipping his red bellhop hat to her and bowing slightly.
"Good afternoon ma'am, so kind of you to visit our fine living complex. What floor can I take you to?"
Lightning fidgeted slightly. I really don't want to stand here and order him around... "Oh, uhm, I'm here to visit Spitfire. I think they said she was on floor seven?"
A smile and another kindly nod. "Indeed she is, she'll be the door marked '3' on the left." He gave the mana crystal in the corner a gentle poke, and with a gentle shudder the magic began to lift them upward. She stood there in silence, shifting from side to side, unsure if she was supposed to strike up a conversation with the stallion or remain quiet. He seemed to catch her gaze, and with a chuckle waved her off.
"Don't worry miss, many of the patrons don't usually chat to me, so I'm quite used to a quiet ride. I don't take it personally."
When the lift finally came to a gentle halt, the stallion reached across and pulled the gate open for her. "Floor seven, enjoy your evening." With a nod of thanks, Lightning stepped through the open gate and set off down the hallway. Like the ground floor, the carpeting here was a beautiful lavender, soft swirls of soft rose-gold splashed across them like waves. The light fixtures she passed were pristine and spotless, and Dust was quite sure they were made out of actual gold. Towards the end she finally spotted the door labeled "3" along the left side. With a nervous, shaky breath, she reached out and knocked gently on the door. After waiting for a moment without receiving an answer, she knocked again with a bit more intensity.
A crashing sound and a very choice string of expletives floated out the door, followed by a familiar voice calling out "Just a second!"After what sounded like a chair hitting the ground, and a scampering of hooves, the door flew open to reveal Spitfire, panting softly as she leaned against the doorframe.
"H-hey Lightning! I'm really glad you could make it out here. I wasn't sure to expect you or not and I had meetings all morning so I sped back here to grab a shower and then I was trying to clean up and then I had to run out to stock the fridge and then I was trying to clean some more..." Her voice trailed off as she brushed a few strands of mane out of her face, a broad but embarrassed smile on her muzzle. "It's good to see you, Dust."
Lightning's stance loosened considerably now that she and the captain were face-to-face, the fear and uncertainty suddenly a very distant memory. "Yeah, turns out trains run pretty late out of Ponyville, so it was pretty easy to snag a ride when work was done." Stepping forward the two embraced tightly for a long moment. She's really warm.
Stepping back and out of the way, the Wonderbolt gestured with a foreleg. "Come on in! Feel free to find a seat and grab it, Luna knows there's enough spots to perch on." Slipping inside, she heard the door click shut behind her and lock.
The living room was a massive open space, chairs and couches and beanbags scattered all over the carpeted flooring. A huge section of wall was taken up by a projector screen, the projector itself hanging from the ceiling towards the back of the room. The entire far wall was covered with curtains, which Lightning assumed meant the length was one massive window, or maybe a series of smaller windows? Either way, it undoubtedly would give a breathtaking view of Canterlot when they were open.
"Lotta seats." Lightning commented. "Get a lot of company?"
Stepping up beside her, Spitfire gave a nod. "As the captain, and the one with the biggest living space, I tend to host any of the smaller hangouts and 'Bolt parties. I don't really mind, they're usually a good time, and even better I don't actually have to travel anywhere after the party is over." The pair stood in silence for a moment. "Feel free to grab a seat, the chairs don't bite." She joked.
"Actually, if it's okay with you, could I snag a shower? I grabbed a quick one after weather duty, but I was worried about catching the train so I only did a real quick once-over."
"Sure, that's no problem. Here, lemme show ya." Lightning followed her a short way down the hall, before Spitfire gestured to a door on their left. "This is the guest bathroom here, it's fully stocked with towels and everything else you need. Shower handle you just turn clockwise to get the water going, further it goes the hotter it is."
The smaller pegasus nodded, giving the captain a grateful smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"Oh!" Spitfire exclaimed. "Before you slip in, you good with pizza for dinner? There's plenty of other stuff I could get us too, if you have a craving. My diet gets to be a little more lax coming home from a show tour, so I tend to splurge a little bit."
Dust rubbed the back of her neck, glancing away. "Whatever is easiest for you, I don't want to be a bother about it. Pizza does sound pretty good, if it's not too much trouble."
With a chuckle, Spitfire gave her a small shoulder pat. "Don't worry, it's no trouble at all. The building keeps a number of staff on hand for running simple errands, perks of living somewhere this expensive. I'll just toss one of them a couple of bits to go get the food for us. Feel free to take your time, holler if you need anything." With that she turned and headed back into the main room, humming a tune quietly to herself. Letting her gaze linger for a moment on the retreating mare, Lightning turned and slipped inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Turning the handle as instructed, the shower sprang to life with a torrent of water cascading down. She fiddled with the handle for a minute to find the perfect temperature, before stepping in under the waterfall. She let out a soft groan of approval as the hot water sprayed against her coat, warming her up as she simply closed her eyes and enjoyed it. She had taken a brief shower after her weather duties, but she had been so eager to catch the train she had only done enough to not look like a disaster. And while she didn't want to spend too much of her evening in here, she wasn't about to completely forego a full, cleansing shower.
Dust closed her eyes as she sat down on the floor to enjoy the moment, the only sound she could hear that of the falling water. Showers were always peaceful, and for most of her life the only moments of quiet and being away from others that she had ever been able to experience. More recently with things having calmed down, and being able to spend time in her quiet hometown, Lightning had found she rather enjoyed a slower-paced, less stressful life. Not always of course, she would forever have a streak of daredevil and competition, but it no longer consumed her as once it had. That, however, led to the question of "what now?" with her life.
Lightning shook her head to clear the thoughts away, not wanting to get lost in them while Spitfire was waiting on her. Reaching out with a hoof she grabbed the container of shampoo, taking a soft whiff: lavender, perfect. Squeezing a healthy amount onto her shoulders and barrel, she set the container aside and began to rub and lather it all across herself from neck to flank until she was completely covered in a light layer of suds. It wasn't that she really needed to get rid of muck or grime or anything, her previous shower had pretty much done that; this was more about making sure she smelled nice for the rest of the evening.
Having coated the majority of her form, she let it sit for just a few short moments before getting back onto her hooves and stepping forward so the water crashed against her back and wings. Eager to spend time with Spitfire she sped through the rest of the washing process, spending just the bare amount of time she needed to make sure every bit of the shampoo and lather were washed off of her body. Reaching up to turn the shower off, she gave her form a vigorous shake to dislodge the extra water before reaching out to grab a towel hanging from a hook. It didn't take long as she kept her coat rather short to be more aerodynamic, which had the added benefit of also being quite easy to dry and maintain. Hanging the towel up on one of the wall hooks, she slipped out of the bathroom and back into the main room.
"Good shower?" Her host asked.
Lightning nodded, rolling her neck slightly. "The water pressure is amazing, Luna I gotta get me one of those back home somehow."
Spitfire smiled, leaning against the counter between the living room and kitchen. "Great to hear. Pizza is on its way, shouldn't be much longer. Can I get you something to drink?" She turned around going deeper into the kitchen, and Dust heard what was likely the door to the refrigerator opening. The captain called out from around the corner "I've got water, lemonade, tea, coffee, juice, think I have a few cans of soda in here too."
Grabbing a seat on the nearest couch, Lightning let herself sink comfortably into the cushions. "Oh, uhm, juice is fine, thanks. Apple juice if you have it, but I'm not super picky." She wiggled slightly to adjust the pillow behind her, resting her head back. "Man, I feel like I could sink my entire body into this couch and not even care, it's just so comfy."
Spitfire chuckled as she made her way out of the kitchen, setting a large cup of apple juice on the side table near Lightning's hoof. "Yeah, these things are great. Too soft for me to sleep on, I'm used to the beds the Wonderbolts provide, but it's great for company and just relaxing on." Setting her own drink on the coffee table on the opposite side of the couch, she trotted away once more. "Should be here in a second, I'll be right back."
Glancing around the room, she noticed the walls were covered with posters of various well-known musicals that had performed in Canterlot over the past two decades. Band posters also dotted the wall, far less in number, mainly rock and metal bands, though she noticed one or two from the yearly Canterlot Symphonic concerts. How many of these were visited by choice versus ones the Wonderbolts had been expected to show up for, she had no way of knowing. Every single one had signatures decorating them, most likely those of the main actors, band members, and lead chairs. One section had what looked like personal photographs, but they were a bit too far away to make out exactly who was on them or where they were from.
"Hey pizza's here!" Breaking out of her visual exploration of the room, she turned to see Spitfire trot back into the room with a pair of very large pizza boxes on her back. "Feel free to have as much as you want, I ordered heavy since I wasn't sure how hungry you were." She set the boxes on the coffee table in front of them.
"Thanks, I really appreciate the meal."
"Like I was just going to let my friend go hungry." Spitfire joked. Each mare grabbed a slice, and dug in with gusto. Swallowing, she leaned over and grabbed a remote from the side table. "Mind if I turn something on? I'm not trying to be rude or shut you out, it's mostly background noise. For me it feels a little weird sitting in silence and eating."
Dust nodded. "Yeah I don't mind, go on ahead." The projector whirring and coming to life, the pair of mares settled back against the couch to enjoy their meal together. As the movie started, Spitfire turned the volume down slightly to make sure the pair could still converse over it with ease when they wanted to.
"So," Spitfire said around a mouthful of pizza, "did all your weather stuff today go well?"
Lightning nodded. "Yeah, we had the first major rain of the season to set up, and it went off without a hitch, so it should be a good start to the farming season. Last day of training for me too, at least for now, so I'll actually have my own workload to take care of every day. And then when it gets into the actual storm season, I'll be going through the safety training to handle thunderheads and lightning and then I'll be fully certified as a wrangler."
"That sounds pretty cool stuff, well done!" Spitfire congratulated. "Are you thinking of doing this stuff long term? Or were you going to try and go back to stunt flying when you got back into shape and trained up?"
Lightning squirmed a bit, looking at the ground. Mumbling quietly, she answered "I... I don't know if I can be comfortable again with stunt flying, after... well, you know. I don't think I'll ever trust myself again like that." She fell silent for a moment, her hoof idly pawing at the couch. "But the weather stuff, it's actually kind of fun, more than I would have thought it would be. I enjoy hashing out the details, setting up the systems, setting it all together in a chain, being on my wings all day without it being so exhausting." She paused, rubbing the back of her neck gently. "It's definitely not what I imagined I'd be doing at this point in my life, but honestly it's a pretty nice gig, and I wouldn't mind sticking around to see where it goes."
Glancing over, Spitfire gave her a warm smile. "Sounds like it's something you really enjoy."
Giving it a moment of thought, the teal pegasus nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah I think I do actually." Falling into a comfortable silence, they continued to watch the movie and slowly make their way through the large amount of pizza. Spitfire was grateful she was able to indulge after her marathon of performances, it was definitely more enjoyable than the usual strict diet she would follow.
"You know," Lightning interrupted her thoughts, "you never really realize how much of the movie is just shots of them running across the countryside your first few times through the film."
"Oh yeah." Spitfire agreed. "Don't get me wrong, they chose a beautiful part of Neighgra Falls and the Crystal Mountains to show off for their world, absolutely breathtaking. It just... aren't there other film tricks for showing off how far they're traveling than just wide sweeping shots of them running across open fields and mountains over and over?"
"Yup." Lightning leaned over to poke Spitfire with a chuckle. "Hey, hey Spitfire, did you know in the second film when he kicks the helmet..."
Rolling her eyes, she playfully swatted at Dust's hoof. "Yes, he's yelling so loudly because he actually breaks his hoof on the metal, we all know." Spitfire let out a chuckle of her own, shoving Lightning back to her half of the couch, the pair falling back into comfortable silence.
Several hours later, as the film drew to a close, Spitfire stood up and stretched with a soft grunt. "I think it's about bedtime for me, you're free to stay up though if you'd like."
Yawn. "Nah, I'm good to crash, especially if you have a full day planned tomorrow. Weather duty we tend to wake up a bit early, so I'm a bit tired as it is." Getting up on her hooves, she followed the Wonderbolt out of the room.
"I mean, I have general plans yeah," Spitfire said over her shoulder, "but it's not going to be time or energy intensive, it's meant to be a nice relaxing time for two friends just hanging out. I was thinking we could sleep in a little bit, head out to this nice quiet diner that we could get brunch at. From there we could wander the Canterlot Gardens until dinner, they're massive I doubt we'll see most of them in one day. After dinner the Bolts were planning to hit a club for a few hours, sort of... not sure 'expected' is the right word, but it's the only one I can think of that works."
"Yeah, that all sounds great. I don't go to clubs or anything often, but I don't mind having a drink or two socially." If she was being honest with herself, Dust wasn't quite sure if the club would be something she enjoyed; from what she knew, it would be a lot of noise and a lot of ponies. Maybe being with Spitfire in a more-secluded section would help though?
Opening a door on their right, Spitfire gestured inside. "This is the guestroom, I think I got everything in there you'll need? Pillows, blankets, sleep mask if that's your thing. If you need anything else, just knock on my door and ask." With a quiet snicker, she shot Dust a playful wink. "I'll try and make sure I'm not in any compromising positions when you walk in."
Lightning tilted her head, taking a moment to parse out exactly what she meant. When it finally clicked, her eyes widened and her cheeks burned red. With a laugh, Spitfire gently bumped Dust's shoulder with a hoof. "Easy to fluster, good to know! Love being able to tease my friends. Have a good night, Lightning, I'll see you in the morning."
As the captain turned and made her way into the room, Dust couldn't help but let her eyes follow after her until the door shut and broke her out of her thoughts and embarrassment. Turning to the guestroom with a grumble, she made her way inside. "Easy to fluster, well two of us can play that game... I think." She mumbled, shutting the door behind her as she flopped onto the bed, wiggling under the covers. Sure, she'd never tried to do that sort of thing intentionally before, but if that's what good friends did, she would absolutely give it her best shot.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.