//------------------------------// // True Intentions Revealed // Story: Apart From The Pegasi // by KillerChainsaw //------------------------------// "What do you mean Dash?" Twilight asked as she couldn't quite believe what her marefriend had just told them, Applejack and Spike having the same reaction as they just stayed quiet for a few moments, seeming like they were both trying to make sense of what they had just heard from the cyan pegasus, while Dash looked back to Twilight and nodded to her with a serious expression, clearly showing her that she had just told them all nothing but the truth. "It was her Twilight, Lightning trashed both our home and Pinkie Pie's," Dash stated as she caused the Princess to look stunned, as she had a feeling that Lightning Dust had something to do with what had happened to the library and Sugarcube Corner after the turquoise mare had accused Dash for being involved with the bakery getting trashed, but not thinking and kind of hoping that she could have actually been responsible for both of those tragedies. Twilight bitting her bottom lip as she thought of Lightning, feeling all sorts of emotions starting to rush through her body now, anger, confusion, betrayal, disappointment, sadness, they were all racing through her veins and causing her to grit her teeth together tightly, shaking her head as her mind began to become clouded with all kinds of questions and thoughts, slowly closing her eyes and hanging her head. Sighing deeply, while Dash looked to her with a concerned expression, understanding what she must be feeling right now, as she had been feeling the exact same feelings a little eariler. "Wait a minute Dash...just...just what are you talking about?" Spike asked as both him and Applejack were still clearly very confused by what the pegasus had just told them, causing Dash to look back to them now, as she was wearing a serious expression again. "Lightning, she...she's not the trusthworty pony that we all thought she was," Dash simply said, causing Spike to just look more confused in reponse, seeming like he was still trying to work out what Dash was trying to tell them at this moment, while Applejack looked like she had recovered a little and now caught the cyan mare's attention. "Dash I don't think we're understanding what you're trying to tell us all, start from the beginning, okay," the farm pony said as she talked in a calm voice, telling Dash to slow down a bit and tell them all this right from the start so that they would have a better idea of just what she was talking about right now. Dash just taking a deep breath and pausing for a moment, clearing her mind a little as she nodded her head and soon looked back to the other three with another serious expression, making it clear to them all that she was being nothing but truthful when she was telling them about everything now. "Well a couple of days ago Twilight, Spike and I had all gone out into the town together, which was when we talked to you and Pinkie about throwing that 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for Lightning..." Dash paused as she started to explain everything, looking to Applejack and Spike to see if they were following so far, while they both just nodded in response and encouraged Dash to continue on. "Anyway we came back in the late afternoon to find that the library had been absolutely trashed, chairs and tables broken and thrown around, food and milk from the fridge having been splattered all over the walls and floor, and all the books had been flung onto the floor and had pages torn out of them. It was a complete mess, but nothing was taken so it didn't seem like it was a robbery or anything like that," Dash stated, sighing deeply as she thought about when her, Spike and Twilight had returned to their home, only to find that it had been practically wreacked while they had been gone, and felt anger building up inside of her as she thought of Lightning and all that she had done again. "Wait Dash...you don't mean...Lightning Dust was the one that did all that?" Spike asked as he widened his eyes in response to what Dash was telling them at the moment, not quite believing what he was hearing, as Dash just nodded back to him, causing the young dragon to hang his head, thinking about Lightning and trying to make all this make sense in his mind, while the cyan mare just continued on. "Then there was what happened at Sugarcube corner, the morning after the party Pinkie Pie's home was ruined just like the library had been, only the damage was much worse with smashed windows and holes having been kicked into the wall, plus it took much longer to fix everything up again. And as it turns out Lightning was behind that as well," Dash explained as she caused Applejack to look utterly shocked with what the cyan mare was telling them, this having been the first time that she had heard about any of this and being even more surprised to hear that Lightning Dust, who she thought to be a very kind and polite pony, was actuaclly the one being responsible for it all. "Dash...why didn't Twilight, you or Pinkie tell anypony about that fact that your homes had been trashed, why would y'all keep something like that a secret from us?" the farm pony asked, also seeming to not quite believe what Dash was saying at the moment, being beyond shocked to hear that something so terrible had happened to four of her close friends, and she didn't even know anything about it until now. Dash looking like she was going to answer, before Twilight spoke up and answered for her, causing Applejack to turn her attention onto the Princess now, "Because...we didn't want to cause trouble for the town at all, and since the library hadn't been damaged all that much, we thought there was not much point in starting drama and causing ponies around here to be on edge about things. So we kept quiet about what happened to the library. But when Pinkie Pie's home got trashed worse than the library did, we did consider going to Princess Celestia and the Royal Guard about it, but...Lightning Dust stopped us from doing so, telling me that she saw Dash going into Sugarcube Corner that morning, and saying that she was worried that Dash might get into trouble for having something to do with what had happened," Twilight explained, as all the others looked to her, Spike and Applejack still having questioning expressions on their faces it seemed, while Rainbow Dash simply just nodded, before she picked up where her marefriend had left off. "However that was just a lie to safe her own skin, telling Twilight that I had something to do with what had happened so we wouldn't go to Princess Celestia and the Royal Guard about it all, when really she and a bunch of other pegasi from Cloudsdale were the ones that were behind wrecking Pinkie's home, and I had nothing to do with it at all," Dash stated, as she rolled her eyes when she thought about how Lightning tried to blame her for something she had no involvement with. Twilight looking back to the pegasus with a slightly questioning expression now, while Spike and Applejack still seemed to be quite puzzled by all this. " 'A bunch of other pegasi from Cloudsdale'? What do you mean Dash?" the Princess questioned as she felt afraid to hear what Dash's reply might be as the pegasus just sighed and looked back to Twilight with another serious expression. "Twi...you know those other pegasi from Cloudsdale that Lightning introduced me to?" Dash asked as Twilight just nodded in reply, as she seemed interested to hear more, while the pegasus went on to explain, "Well it turns out that they had been in on all this as well, instead of wanting to make a change and try to get the two towns to get along like Lightning told us they did, they were lying about everything as well, and were actually in on Lightning's plans, being the ones that helped her to trash Pinkie Pie's home," she explained, causing Twilight to her grit her teeth again and feel mainly just anger building up inside her now, as she thought about Lightning and all that she had done to them. 'I...I never should have trusted Lightning Dust, I knew finding a pegasi like her who wanted the same things we did was too good to be true...maybe I should have listened to Dash more when she first warned me about what some of the pegasi are like up in Cloudsdale, maybe then I wouldn't have trusted Lightning so easily, and believed her when she said that she and some other pegasi wanted to help us out in what Dash and I had planned for the future. Now I see that I...I shouldn't have believed a single word that she ever said,' Twilight thought as she sighed heavily and hung her head low again, feeling so foolish as she had let herself believe Lightning was trustworthy, when it was very clear to her now that the turquoise pegasus had tricked them all into thinking just that. Applejack catching all of the others attention as she spoke up again, "Hold on Dash...how do you know Lightning Dust did all this," she asked seeming to be still confused by all that they had been told, and also clearly wanted to hear more about it so that maybe things would eventually start to make sense to her. "Because she told me," Dash simply answered causing Applejack to just tilt her head to the side, obviously still puzzled, and wanting Dash to elaborate more, which the pegasus soon did in response, "When we were all done helping Pinkie Pie clean up the bakery and came back to the library, Twilight told me what Lightning had told her, and from learning that Lightning had lied to Twilight it made me feel like something just wasn't right with her, I thought about her and the way she always acts, and how it has always seemed to me that she's too cheerful, too polite, and way too good be true. I started to put all the pieces together and see that she may not be who we thought she was, but...I had so many questions at the time, and didn't know what to believe. So I left and went to Cloudsdale to meet up with Lightning, and see if I could get some answers from her," she explained, while the other three listened intently, Twilight already knowing about all this of course, but still seeming interested to hear it as she thought it would most probably lead to an explanation of what had happened to her marefriend while she was up in Cloudsdale, and how she had ended up coming back home in the beaten and bruised state that she had. "And that's exactly what she gave me. Of course she did still act all oblivious at first and pretended like she didn't really know what I was talking about, and I couldn't tell if she was actually being sincere or not. But when I confronted her about why she lied to Twilight and what she got from blaming me for something I had nothing to do with, I started to notice a change in her, and that's only because she wanted me to see that change. Her cheerful smile disappeared and an annoying smirk replaced it, before she confirmed all my suspicions I had ever had about her and what her true intentions just might be. And from there she told me everything the fact that she had been lying all this time and playing us all for fools, how she and the other pegasi she had introduced me to not too long ago were the ones responsible for trashing the library and Sugarcube Corner. And before I knew it I was surrounded by those other pegasi who were clearly in on all her plans as well," Dash causing Applejack and Spike to understand a little now just what she was talking about, as they no longer seemed so confused anymore, and just looked disappointed to find out that Lightning Dust had been lying to them all this time, as they couldn't quite grasp that they had been so badly betrayed by a pony that they thought they could trust, and one they looked forward to getting to know more, only to find out now that act had all just been a ruse that they had all fallen for. Dash speaking up again as it seemed like she had a little more to say to them all, and catching all of the other threes' attention again,"And also she told me how she planned to gain mine and Twilight's trust, so that she could try and break us up to get either me to leave Twi or Twi to leave me, both ways getting me onto her side. But since Twilight told me what Lightning had lied to her about, things didn't work out that way. And so instead she just asked me to choose my home meaning I could go back to living in Cloudsdale and never have to leave again, or choose to stay in Ponyville with Twilight, never to return to my hometown ever again...and of course I picked Twilight, after all I knew that I would miss her a lot more than my cloud home, even if that did mean I could never see it again. Although if Lightning's plan had worked and Twilight had ended up leaving me...I really doubt I would have choosen the same thing knowing that Twilight wouldn't want me in her life anymore," the pegasus sighed as she looked to Twilight, and caused the Princess to widen her lavender eyes, seeing her marefriend looking to her with a saddened expression, and quickly shaking her head, as she moved closer to Dash and looked to her with a serious expression in response. "Dash I would never want you out of my life, I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it, and I would definitely never leave you, no matter what," she stated as she leaned down to her marefriend and nuzzled her neck while Dash just nodded in response and nuzzled her back. "I know Twi," Dash replied as she smiled and cuddled up to Twilight, before she soon pulled away and continued to speak to them all, "But that's exactly what Lightning wanted, she wanted me to choose to stay in Ponyville with you Twilight. Although...I doubt it really mattered which option I chose really, she probably would have done the same thing to me anyway," she shrugged her shoulders as she looked over her wounded body and being a little glad that she no longer felt as much pain as before, but also did feel worried since her wings didn't ache or throb anymore, instead they just felt numb to her now. Twilight and the others seeing Dash gesturing to her beaten and bruised body, and clearly now getting the message that Lightning was the one that had done this to her, "So Lightning Dust really did do all of this to you?" Twilight asked, feeling like she didn't need to hear Dash's answer, already knowing that she was right. Dash just nodding in reply before she bit her bottom lip. "She said she was doing it so that I wouldn't be able to take action right away now that I knew the whole truth, and also saying that since I wouldn't be returning to Cloudsdale, I wouldn't need my wings anymore. And so before I could really do anything the other pegasi held me down and I was beaten by all of them and Lightning over and over again, my wings getting the worse of it, and it's possible that they actually...might have broken them, after all I can't move them at all," Dash sighed as she knew there would be no point in trying to move her wings, as they felt so limp right now. Twilight, Spike and Applejack all widening their eyes as they looked concerned for the pegasus and wondered if she was really going to be okay or not at this point. "I did try to scream out and alert other pegasi in the city, but we were in quite an isolated part of Cloudsdale, and Lightning soon knocked me out before I could make too much noise. The last thing I remember seeing were her hooves coming down to land on my head as she was still wearing that annoying smirk while looking to me. And then I woke up on the outskirts of Ponyville and it was dark all around me, figuring Lightning and the others had dropped me there once they were done with beating me up, and from there I decided I had to come and tell Twilight about all this, but it seems...I wasn't able to make it here without Applejack's help, I guess," Dash now chuckled slightly, nervously smiling to Twilight as she caused the Princess to just lean down and nuzzle her again, while Applejack and Spike felt worried for Dash and now knew they couldn't trust Lightning Dust anymore, not after she had something this terrible to the cyan mare. "Dash...I'm sorry," Twilight seemed like she was going to say more, but just bit her bottom lip as she felt gulity that she had let this happen to her dear marefriend, 'I knew I should have followed her, maybe if I had...this wouldn't have happened to her,' she thought as she rested her head on Dash's shoulder and could feel tears welling up in her eyes now. "Hey it's not your fault Twi, and besides..." Dash paused as she used one aching hoof to push Twilight away from her a little and caused the Princess to look back to her with a slightly questioning expression, while Dash just went on, "I'm not the one we should be focusing on right now. Lightning told me that trashing the library and Pinkie's home was just the beginning, and who knows what else she has planned for this town, she said that she and the other pegasi were going to make the ponies of Ponyville feel just as targeted as they felt when they were down here for the first time. And although I don't know exactly what she meant by that, or what she is planning to do from here, I do know that it can't be anything good, and it is something that we need to take action against as soon as possible," she stated with a serious expression, causing the other three to look to each other before they all seemed much more concerned with how badly injured she was at the moment, rather than what Lightning could be planning right now. Twilight exchanging an unsure look to Applejack, as she knew that they couldn't really take action right at this moment, since it was already so late, and right now the Princess was clearly more considered with her marefriend's wounded condition and seemed like she wanted to focus on making surre she was okay first . Applejack seeing Twilight's intentions as she just nodded back to the Princess as they all looked back to Dash again a moment later, "Dash...I think it's better if we deal with what we are going to about Lightning Dust tomorrow, rather then right now" Twilight stated as she sighed slightly, causing Dash to widen her eyes and look taken aback as she shook her head in response. "But Twilight we can't just sit back and let Lightning get away- Dash started to protest clearly wanting to get Ligthning back and make sure she would pay for all that she's done, Twilight knowing this but quickly cutting the pegasus off as she shook her head, and raised her voice a little to Dash. "I don't intend for to get away with everything that she has done, but look at yourself Dash..." Twilight paused as she looked to the cyan mare with a worried expression, causing Dash to widen her eyes again as she herself looked over her wounded body and clenched her teeth together tightly, seeming like she was going to protest again, but refraning from doing so as she looked back to her marefriend again. "I know you want to get Lightning Dust back for all that she's done Dash, and I want the same, but...right now you are more important to me," Twilight stated as she looked to Dash with a serious expression, slight tears still filling her eyes, causing Dash to go quiet for a moment, clearly seeing that the Princess didn't want to focus on whatever Lightning might be planning, and instead was much more worried about her right now. "Twilight's right Rainbow, we can figure out just what to do about Lightning Dust tomorrow, but making sure you're okay is what really matters now, after all you said it yourself, she might have actually broken your wings, so don't you think you need to get them seen to?" Applejack asked, agreeing with Twilight that Dash's health was more important right now, and also trying to convince the cyan pegasus that she needed to think about herself at the moment, rather than Lightning Dust. "Yeah shouldn't we get checked you out at the hospital, after all this could be something really serious?" Spike questioned chiming in, as he also seemed worried for Dash and the condition she was in right now, however Dash quickly shaking her head in response again. "No, I'm not going to the hospital, who knows what kind of twisted plan Lightning could be putting into action right now, we have to stop her..." Dash stood up but paused as she winced, her legs throbbing and begging her to not move them, as she ached all over, pain still coursing through her veins, as she was still unable to feel much when it came to her wings, and truth being told she was a little worried for herself at the moment as well. Looking to the others as they all looked back to her with concerned expressions, seeing the cyan mare struggling to even stay standing it seemed. Twilight resting her hoof on Dash's shoulder as she looked to her with a ressuring expression, "Dash we are going to stop her, but right now you need to think of yourself, and if you're not going to go to the hospital then at least stay here and rest instead, because I am not going to let you worsen your condition at all, you're even struggling to stay standing still at the moment, and I don't want to see you in this much pain...so please...just stop and put yourself first, then let us deal with Lightning Dust once we know you're going to be okay, alright?" Twilight raised her voice again, causing Dash to widen her eyes as she could see the tears overflowing the Princess's eyes, as she tried to fight them off, bitting her bottom lip while a couple of tears had escaped and streamed down her cheeks. Dash struggling to speak for a moment, still clearly thinking about what Lightning could be doing right now, but also knowing that Twilight was right, in the sense that her health could be in real danger at this moment, espeically if she chose to push herself and cause her condition to worsen. Slowly lying down on the floor again as she sighed heavily and hung her head a little, looking back to Twilight a moment later as she just nodded her head to the Princess in defeat, "I guess I can't be much help to anypony while I'm in this state huh?" the cyan mare simply said as a small smile formed on her lips and she caused Twilight and the others all to breath a sigh of relief, seeing that Dash was thankfully seemily going to take their adivce now. "Dash..." Twilight just whispered out her marefriend's name as she rested her forehead aganist Dash's and nuzzled her, causing the pegasus to just smile as she nuzzled her back, clearly seeing how glad the Princess was that she had agreed to stay at the library for now and let herself recover a little, before deciding what they should do about Lightning. "Don't you worry Dash, we'll be sure to make that conniving pony be sorry for all that she's done, including lying to all of us, and hurting you like this," Applejack stated with a determined smile to Dash now, as the cyan mare just looked back to her and nodded with a returned smile, seeing that the farm pony wanted to get back at Lightning as well for all the pain she had caused, as did Spike, while he nodded his head in agreement, also looking to Dash with a determined expression now. All of them talking for a little bit longer before they soon decided to call it a night, after all it had gotten pretty late by now, and Dash had already fallen alseep on the library floor, clearly showing the others just how exhausted she was. Spike keeping a watch over the resting pegasus while Twilight stood in the doorway, saying 'Goodbye' to Applejack at the moment. "Thank you for helping Dash to get back here, I doubt she would have been able to make it if you hadn't come along, Applejack," Twilight stated as she smiled to the farm pony, feeling greatful that Applejack had helped Dash, after all otherwise she might not have seen her or known what happened to her until much later. Applejack just shaking her head as she gave a returned smile to the Princess. "It's was no problem really, after all if I hadn't brought her back here than I wouldn't have gotten to learn the truth about Lightning, and what she just might be planning for Ponyville," the farm pony simply said, it being clear that she wasn't going to let Lightning get away with all that she had done now that she knew the truth about her, as Twilight just nodded back to her in response. "You'll be careful on your way home right? And keep a watchful eye out?" the Princess asked, as she truthfully did feel a little nervous about what Lightning's plans could be, and didn't want any one else dear to her getting hurt like Dash had, however feeling more reassured as Applejack nodded back to her with a confident smile in return. "Will do Twilight, but don't you go worrying about me now, just focus on taking care of Rainbow Dash alright?" she replied, causing Twilight to just nod back to her in response, glancing back to her sleeping marefriend and still feeling concerned for how serious her injuries just might be, hoping that they weren't as bad as they all looked, and Dash would be able to recover from this easily enough, without much trouble. Twilight waving goodbye to Applejack as she soon turned and started to make her way back to the farm, waving back to the Princess, before leaving her to just watch her walk out of sight, then sighing deeply as she closed the door and came walking back over to Dash and Spike now. Looking over the pegasus's wounded legs and wings, and feeling kind of thankful that Dash was still alive, after all it could have been worse, and at this moment she was just so glad to see Dash's chest rising and falling with every soft breath that she took, while she slept soundly on the library's wodden floor, her beaten legs back to resting on the cushions that Applejack had put down for her before. "Do you think she'll be okay, Spike?" Twilight asked with a worried expression, as Spike looked back to her causing the young dragon to look concerned, seeming like he didn't know how to reply for a few moments, before he soon just nodded his head and gave the Princess a reassuring smile in return. "You know how she is Twilight, she's strong, plus she's too stubborn to let something like this slow her down for too long," Spike stated causing Twilight to widen her eyes a little, as she looked back to Spike's caring smile, and soon smiled back to him and nodding her head in response. "Yeah...you're right Spike," she replied as she looked back to Dash again, and knew that the pegasus wouldn't let herself get down from this, however still feeling worried for her, while Spike's smile faded, as he sighed deeply and clenched his fists a little, catching the Princess's attetion again a moment later. "To be honest...I still can't quite believe that Lightning Dust would hurt Rainbow Dash like this after everything that's happened, I mean she even helped us to clean up both the library and Pinkie Pie's home when they had been trashed. So to find out now that she had just been lying through her teeth the whole time it's just..." Spike paused as he let another heavy sigh leave his lips, hanging his head as he would never have thought that Lightning would do something like this, but now he knew that Lightning was never who he thought she was. Twilight gaving Spike an understanding expression and rested a hoof on his shoulder, catching his attention as he looked back to her in return. "I know Spike, what Lightning has done is just horrible, but we will be sure to not let her get away with all this and we will punish her for all the pain she has caused," Twilight stated with a serious expression to Spike, as he soon just nodded back to her in reply, giving the Princess a determined expression in response, while she looked back to her sleeping marefriend again and leaned down to kiss her forehead lightly. 'I promise Dash, I'll make her regret ever hurting you like this,' she thought to herself, as she soon lay down beside Dash and cuddled up close to her, nuzzling her lovingly while still thinking of Lightning Dust, and wondering just what they were going to do about her once Dash had recovered and they could all really focus on stopping that manipulative pegasus's plans from progressing any further than they already had.