Chapter 17
Lightning Spark jolted up from his slumber in a cold sweat. After taking several deep breaths, he threw the covers off and laid back down until he calmed down. Looking outside, he noticed the sunlight coming from outside showed it was still around early to mid-afternoon.
Why are these terrible visions returning?
He turned over in bed with the sheets piled behind him so his body could cool off quickly. Staring at the far wall blankly, his thoughts drifted toward dream that just occurred. Ever since Rainbow Dash kicked him from the squadron they would sporadically appear in his mind's eye. He was taken surprised when he went to sleep. The vision in his mind was so clear it was hard to tell if it was real or not.
He was flying alone without a jet over what seemed like an endless sea. The sky was dark with overcast and gave an ominous presence as he flew to his unknown destination. The cold northern wind chilled his face to the bone. After what seemed like hours of travel in his mind, he would always meet the same thing waiting for him at sea.
He guessed it must've been his mind forming what was happening up north as he saw a giant fortress resting on an iceberg twice its size. Equestrian and Gryphon jets could be seen doing their dance above it, some getting shot down as he approached. The battle wasn't going well as the massive amount of AA tore apart his allies jets with deadly efficiency, as if they were made of paper mache.
Below were several transport helicopter dropping off earth ponies and unicorns as they breached the fortress itself. They were having just as much luck as their pegasai counter-parts in the sky as they were pinned down at the front doors. Several chopper wrecks could be seen jutting out of the ground from being shot down.
To say the mission had turned FUBAR would've been a compliment.
He felt an intense longing to join the battle and have the surge of adrenaline go through his body. He knew Rainbow Dash ordered him to not join, but instinct told him otherwise. His friends were in danger and here he was in bed waiting for the battle to end.
I risked my life to protect Canterlot's citizens. Rainbow Dash may have proved my brash actions were frowned upon, but she shouldn't have kicked me out of the Squadron. Did she ever think what may happen to them if I wasn't there to help? What if Mist Dancer got shot down?
Shuddering at that last thought, he crawled out of bed and stretched. He decided it would be best to take a hot shower to remove the feeling of sweat on his coat. Maybe even clear his head on what is happening with his mind. He turned on the water and stood, with his face down, under the shower head while in deep thought.
Is it because of my fear to lose Mist Dancer again that my nightmares are returning? It Can't be. These dreams are different. They're too vivid to be normal and too calm to be considered a nightmare. So why are they appearing?
After taking several minutes to clean himself, he turned the water off and grabbed a towel. His thoughts continued while rubbing it through his mane.
Perhaps Luna may know something about this. She is the princess of the moon after all. Doesn't she, in a way, represent sleep and dreaming? Either way, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
While rummaging around the drawers in the bathroom, he decided to go along with his idea... as soon as he located the brush to tame his ruffled, damp mane.
"The Princesses will be with you shortly." A royal guard notified Lightning sharply.
Lightning furrowed his brow in confusion. He only asked to speak with Luna, why would Celestia join her? He brought this up with the guard, but was only talking to the shut door that closed behind him. Letting out a sigh, he patiently waited for the two Princesses to enter the throne room.
He decided to take this alone time to think over what to say. To him it was slightly unnerving to call upon the Princesses for something so trivial as dreaming.
"Hello, Princesses. I'm having bad dreams... No, that sounds like a foal with their parents. Might as well add: can I sleep with you and bring my stuffed teddy?" He joked. A soft pop sounded in front of the throne as Celestia and Luna appeared.
"Good afternoon, Lightning," Celestia and Luna greeted one at a time in front of the throne. Although Luna left his name out of her greeting. Lightning did a quick bow of respect then returned to his original position.
"What is it you request of us?" Luna spoke up once more.
"I was hoping to speak to you, Princess Luna. It has to do with my... condition."
"I thought you were cured from those visions. Are they returning?" Celestia quickly asked with a tinge of concern. While Lightning appreciated the sentiment, he silently wished to speak with Luna alone on the subject.
"Yes and no. I'm now having these strange dreams. Although they're not frightening like the ones I had in the past. They have a strange clarity that seems so real. Every dream I've had in my life had never been so clear, including the nightmares I've had before Mist... you know." Celestia nodded her head. Her smile disappearing quickly at the notion of losing somepony you love.
"Lightning, do you think those dreams were real?" Celestia asked.
They sure as hay felt and looked real.
"They happened when I was asleep. I doubt they're real since it's all in my mind."
"I would agree with you. However, what you described was something we discussed no more than five minutes ago." Celestia stared at Lightning for a moment like she was accusing him of eavesdropping. "Ponies in the past have experienced particularly vivid dreams that seemed close to reality. To put it simply: An out-of-body experience to another location somewhere in the near future. It is difficult to understand these visions as they can lead to good or evil acts from the pony who see's the vision. Please, tell me more about it."
So, it was real? That means my friends are about to get torn apart up there? He thought frantically until a loud cough broke him out of it.
"Please, Lightning. we only wish to help you," Celestia urged once again.
"Sorry," Lightning apologized on reflex. While he wanted to get into the nearest plane and go north, he didn't wish to ignore Celestia's request.
He started slowly as he recalled what happened. He told about how he was alone in the middle of a vast ocean without a jet. How it would take hours for him to finally find something other than water, and explain the fortress he saw. He didn't leave a detail out, even telling about how cold it was and the overcast weather. When he was done, Celestia had disappointment on her face, which made him uncomfortable since she always held a figurative mask over it.
"Now it's starting to make sense," Celestia muttered sadly. Lightning however managed to hear her.
"Princess, what are you-" Lightning stopped when Celestia held a hoof up.
"I was curious about that fierce gleam in your eyes," Celestia continued, her voice low in disappointment. "You plan on joining the battle, regardless of Rainbow Dash's orders. Don't you?"
"Y-yes your highness," Lightning lowered his head, daring to not make eye contact. He knew disregarding a superiors orders was frowned upon, even if it came from a friend.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow that. Rainbow Dash had a point in keeping you away from this battle. You may do something brash that may end your life. I cannot risk you doing something like that again." Lightning managed to glance up and saw her with a sad expression. "So as Princess of this kingdom, you are ordered to remain here until I say so. For your own safety."
"Princess, you can't be ser-"
"Is that understood, Lightning Spark?" Celestia's face and tone became stern. Enough to turn a royal guard's knee's into jello.
"She can't be serious! My friends are in bucking danger and she's keeping me away like I'm a foal being grounded by their parents. I don't care if I die. If I lost Mist Dancer, I'll never be the same again." He put on his own stern expression and glared at Celestia.
"No," Lightning responded simply. Celestia put a hoof on the side of her forehead in frustration.
"Lightning Spark, please see reason in what you're doing. Need I remind you that if you try to leave, I won't hesitate to have the royal guard stop you?" Seeing his fierce demeanor lessen, she pushed further. "Now, I can forget this conversation ever happened if you just go back to your room. How about it?" Celestia offered hopefully.
Lightning shook his head. "I'm sorry, Princess. For all you've done for Equestia, I was hoping you'd understand how important my friends mean to me. Goodbye." With that said, he bolted for the door leading toward the hangar. Immediately, the two guards near it advanced upon him. Waiting until they were a fair distance from the door, he easily soared over them and landed next to the doorway. The fact they were earth ponies made it that much easier.
He only had several minutes before the entire guard would be on him to stop his escape. As he ran down the hallway, the two guards near the hangar doorway spotted him.
"Halt! You will not pass so long as-" Two forehooves to the muzzle quickly shut up the pegasus guard and knocked him out. The golden helmets the guards wore thankfully weren't full-plate. The guard next to him charged at Lightning and toppled him over, planning to overtake him in a grapple. Lightning was able to tuck in his back hooves and push the guard off, sending him flying over his head. Jumping on his hooves, he quickly brought them down on the side of the guards helmet, knocking him out as well.
Lightning took this moment to catch a breath. Guards with their armor on weren't exactly the lightest things in Equestria. Opening the doorway ahead of him with a crack, he peeked through it.
"... And You four, watch the runway. I don't want this pegasus getting away from us!"
Several guards were in the room with what seemed to be their commander giving orders. They were far enough that they didn't see the door open, but close enough that he heard a beep come from the commander. Lightning recognized it as a radio, and he had pressed down the button to speak.
"Report, Hallway Three." To Lightning's horror, he heard the same voice repeat over the radio in the guards helmet behind him. The commander repeated it again, but seemed to give up after getting nothing but static.
"Dew, Shield, go check on the hallway leading to the throne room."
Lightning backed away from the doorway. He only had a minute or less before they barged into the room. He looked around the hallway for a way out, but nothing showed except the two double-doorways. He could fly back to the throne room, but he doubted Celestia would let him get away again. As to how he managed to get away from Celestia and Luna the first place, when they could've used magic, eluded him.
Pacing in front of the guards in frustration, his eye caught a silver glint under one of the unconscious guards. Pushing the guard's weight off the object, a smile formed on his lips as an idea formed in his mind.
Dew sprinkle kicked the door in several moments after hearing gun shots coming from the hallway ahead of them. She immediately spotted the two guards on the ground and rushed to make sure they were still alive. Shield Shine had his own firearm readied in his mouth, warily looking around the hallway while his partner check on their life signs.
"Are they alright?" Shield asked, his voice muffled a bit from the pistol in his grip. He kept his gaze searching the room in case somepony wanted to catch them by surprise.
"Yes, they're fine." Dew noticed one of the guards had the side of his helmet dented to the point of being uncomfortable to wear. "Is our culprit in the hallway?"
"No," shield said with a sigh. He walked further in the hallway and heard his hoof crunch on something. Looking down, he found colored glass shards everywhere. Looking at the windows on either side of him, he spotted the one on his right had a large hole in it. "But I know where he might be."
"This is Cloud Two, requesting to land for refuel." Cirrus swirl stated as he flew around Canterlot to line up his plane to the runway.
"Canterlot control tower. Runway is clear. We have trucks ready and waiting for you."
"Many thanks. Coming in to land." Cirrus landed his jet and watched a large vehicle with warning signs plastered all over it warning the contents were unstable. He didn't need to do anything on his side so he just relaxed in the cockpit and waited for the process to be over.
After about a minute, a steady beep in his cockpit told him his tanks were full. He watched the ponies who filled his jet start to part away and he gave them a thankful salute. Just when he did, he saw the canopy of his jet suddenly open.
"What the hay-"
"Sorry about this," a yellow with black mane pony said quickly. Before Cirrus could say another word, he was promptly unbuckled from the jet and thrown out of it. Unfortunately, he couldn't spread his wings due to the wingdings and hit the tarmac head-first.
"I'll do my best to return your jet to you!" The strange pony yelled out as he shut the canopy and started to turn onto the runway.
You better... Was the last thing Cirrus thought as he fell unconscious from hitting the tarmac.
"Shut down your jet this instant! You are under arrest for-"
"I got a lot else to worry about besides my arrest, Control," Lightning retorted. His jet had just lined up and he quickly increased the thrust of his jet. He was sure his escape was perfect. Until he saw the line of guards right outside the hangar.
"Oh, buck!" It didn't take him long to know what they were holding in their mouths. Lightning quickly ducked his head down as severals bullets turned the canopy into swiss cheese. To make things worse, the jet was going fast enough for take off, but his stick was bent forward from having to take cover. His jet was starting to bounce across the runway like a pony playing hop scotch.
Quickly fixing the problem by pulling his stick back, his jet took to the air, leaving the royal guards and Celestia with one less jet to guard Canterlot. Sighing in heavy relief, he looked at the condition of his jet.
Several warning lights were telling him he was running low on fuel, which he could only guess his fuel tank had several new holes in them. He thanked whatever powers that be they didn't explode from stray sparks.
He still had full control of the jet. However, it felt odd using his hooves to steer instead of using wingdings.
A small part of him was grateful he wouldn't need to fly the jet into battle. Only as far as the quickly diminishing fuel tank would take him. Then he would ditch it into the ocean.
"And leave me flying without a jet. Just like my dream..." Lightning realized.
Pointed his jet north and turning on the autopilot, he started the long flight. Ready for whatever awaited him to the north.
Celestia eyed the line of guards in front of the hangar as their commander chewed them out for letting a single pegasus get away. She let her gaze wander toward Luna who was busy looking at the sky.
"Thank you for giving him a vision of what will be happening up north, Luna," Celestia whispered to her sister. Luna looked back at her sister with a small smile on her face.
"It was not a problem for us, dear sister. It was you who told him what it was and played 'overprotective' ruler to make him rebel. He has quite the spirit when it comes to being with his friends," Luna commented mostly to herself.
"I can only hope they will all return safely," Celestia said sadly. Luna leaned on her sister to comfort her. Celestia nuzzled her little sisters mane and followed her gaze back up to the north sky.
"We as well, Celly... We as well."