Lightning Dust lie in her room staring around at the blank walls and cleared out cases of awards. Her wings still stung and there were still various aches and bruises across her body, most notably her wings.
She had told Grandpa Wing Rider about what had happened and he had said, "You shouldn't have gone out to see that Rainbow Dash anyway."
So, Lightning Dust had tended to her injuries on her own. She wrapped her sprain wing with gauze to help it heal and she had washed her cuts and iced her bruises. Even though it helped the pain greatly, she still wished she had someone who would help her when she got hurt.
Lightning Dust still cooked, but not nearly as much as she had before. She gave up buckball entirely. Her injuries stopped her from playing it and even when they slowly began to heal, she was still too afraid to get hurt like that again.
When her injuries healed, she still didn't bother to do much. Most of her days were now spent in her bedroom or on the sofa. Wind Rider never bothered to check on Lightning Dust.
Lightning Dust never even went on her midnight flies anymore. She just didn't like it anymore. Flying only reminded her of the injuries she got and how all of her bravery had left her side when she went through the forest. Lightning Dust just stayed in her room and thought for most of her time. She just began to feel worse and worse. The wounds on her body might have healed completely, but the wounds in her heart just hurt more and more.
One day, a knock interrupted Lighning Dust's gloomy thoughts. "Come in," Lightning Dust invited after a moment of hesitation.
Wind Rider slowly opened the door. "Lightning Dust, the Wonderbolts are performing in Cloudsdale this weekend. Wanna go?"
Lightning Dust shook her head without hesitation. She thought she was better off being away from the Wonderbolts as much as possible.
Wind Rider shrugged without surprise. "Suit yourself," he told her. Wind Rider left.
Lightning Dust looked at the spot where he had left. Lightning Dust sighed and quickly looked away. Wind Rider was never there for her. She didn't want anything he had to offer.
The day of the performance had arrived. Lightning Dust was planning on not going. She had set up the sofa with snacks and fully intended on staying home that day.
Yet, here she was sitting in the Wonderbolts arena blocking out the deafening cheer of the crowd and squinting in the glaring sun.
Wind Rider had made her go. He claimed that she was missing out on too much flying and that she would get worse if she didn't watch some flying tricks for a change. Lightning Dust had tried to protest, but Wind Rider didn't let her have a choice.
Lightning Dust had intentionally bought her seat away from Wind Rider. The last thing Lightning Dust needed was for Wind Rider to tell her that she needed to be more like the Wonderbolts or stop moping and start practicing.
"Fillies and gentlecolts!" exclaimed the announcer. "Welcome to the annual Cloudsdale Wonderbolts performance!"
The crowd went wild and Lightning Dust couldn't hear anything but the deafening shrieks of the ponies in the stands.
"Today, the Wonderbolts have practiced a new trick for their routine," the announcer said. "It will be the finale performed by every member of the Wonderbolts!"
The crowd 'oohed' and 'ahhed' in anticipation. Lightning Dust even looked surprised. What trick required every member of the Wonderbolts to do?
As the Wonderbolts stood readily, Lightning Dust looked to her side to see a stallion about her age squeezing past ponies in the stands. He looked as if he had arrived late and was struggling to find his spot. "Excuse me. Pardon me. Sorry. Let me just get... around ya there. Thanks. Excuse me. Sorry!"
The stallion tripped and fell over and bumped into Lightning Dust. The two went tumbling to the ground. Lightning Dust and the stallion yelped. They landed and the new stallion had landed on top of Lightning Dust's back.
"Well... this is awkward," the stallion said.
Lightning Dust chuckled. "N-no, it's okay."
The stallion sat down next to Lightning Dust with an eager look towards the sky. Then, he looked at Lightning Dust. "Ooh, I like this one! Look! Look!"
As the Wonderbolts soared off into the sky sending the crowd roaring, his sights seemed set on a pony with a light blue coat and a wild bright white mane.
Lightning Dust had seen her before, but she had never studied her enough to know her name. "Who's that?" she asked.
"That's Fleetfoot!" the stallion replied in wonder. "She's my favorite! All those turns and tricks! That speed and agility! She's a legend!"
"A legend, huh?" Lightning Dust said.
They both giggled and smiled at each other.
"I'm Sky Twister," the stallion said. "What's your name?"
"Lightning Dust."
"That is an awesome name," Sky Twister said.
"Thank you," replied a surprised Lightning Dust.
Their attention was yanked back up to the skies as they saw a bright flash turn the sky yellow for a split second. They were both in awe by the amazing performance.
"That was a Lightning Twist!" Lightning Dust exclaimed, eyes shining. "It's harnessing enough speed and power to make your flying trail light up in a burst of lightning as you do a loop! It was one of my favorite tricks! I used to love to fly!"
"Hey, you're pretty good at this stuff," Sky Twister complimented. "Why aren't you in the academy?"
Hearing the word 'academy' made Lightning Dust's heart sink. "Uh... I don't really want to talk about it," she said quickly.
Sky Twister felt the urge to pry for information, but resisted it. He didn't want to cause tension with her especially since he was beginning to befriend her. He sighed and changed the subject. "Let's just watch the show! The tricks are amazing, aren't they?"
A faint smile stretched across Lightning Dust's lips. She nodded sincerely. The tricks still amazed her, even though she tried to stay away from them as much as possible.
As they watched the performance, they laughed together at jokes they cracked or rooted for Fleetfoot together. Every time Sky Twister cheered, Lightning Dust burst into genuine laughter. It felt nice to feel happy after a long while.
The performance came to an end too quickly by Lightning Dust's perspective. Even though Lightning Dust had no chance of being a Wonderbolt now, spending this time with a new stallion who had cheered her up from her sadness had made the time fly by.
"I love the Wonderbolts and I know I'm a great flyer," Sky Twister told her as they walked out of the arena. "I just don't imagine myself ever being one."
Lightning Dust looked up where the Wonderbolts had been. "I did once."
Sky Twister's eyes widened. "Really? Why aren't you anymore?"
Lightning Dust looked into his eyes and decided she might be able to trust him. Sky Twister didn't look like the type to disrespect another pony's privacy. She took a deep breath and sighed.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone," Lightning Dust said.
"I promise," Sky Twister said. He had said it with a sincere voice that calmed Lightning Dust's worries.
"I worked hard ever since I was a filly and got into the Wonderbolts academy," Lightning Dust reminisced. "When I finally did, I decided to make a tornado to bust the clouds. My grandfather had always told me to aim to be the best. I figured since he was already an expert Wonderbolt, I could trust him. I was wrong. Spitfire booted me from the academy and told me being the best never comes at the expense of others. I wish I had known before. I didn't know I was doing any harm. So much was taken from me!" Tears began to run down Lightning Dust's face and Sky Twister watched her in surprise.
"I had a friend in the academy. It was actually Rainbow Dash. She was the first friend I was able to make in my entire life. But when the tornado I made I almost caused the end of her friends back home, I'd never seen any anger like hers. She was so enraged with me. It broke my heart on the inside, but I felt that on the outside I had to pretend I didn't care to keep my reputation with the other cadets. However, Rainbow still went on to follow her dreams and become a reserve. Soon, she was promoted to the wonder you see flying in the sky now. My life continued to plummet towards rock bottom. My parents have been dead for a long time now and my grandfather has been kicked off the Wonderbolts now as well. All hope is lost for me. I hope your life continues to go in the direction you want, Sky Twister."
Lightning Dust began to walk away, but Sky Twister stopped her. "Wait!"
"Yeah?"
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Sky Twister said. "Honestly, I've been looking for friends too. Do you want to be friends? So we can both make a new start?"
Lightning Dust was surprised at first, but she smiled a bit. "Yeah, that would be great."
"Great!" Sky Twister exclaimed. "Don't worry. I'm going to help you get your hopes and dreams back! You'll see! Can we meet at the Cloudsdale Diner tomorrow?"
"Sure," Lightning Dust replied. "I think I'd love that as much as you."
"Awesome! So, I'll see you there!" Sky Twister flew off with a friendly smile and wave.
Lightning Dust watched him go with a smile. It's nice to have a new friend now at least, Lightning Dust thought.