There are trees all around me, trees and darkness. I stood up, and looked at my wings, I feel a look of confusion on my face, they're healed? I stared at my wings in disbelief when something caught my eye, I looked straight ahead again and saw there was a strange light floating nearby. I walked towards it and it started moving away, I moved closer and it carried on flying away. Following the light for several minutes we reached a clearing which was lit fully with light from the moon. The light zoomed to the centre of the clearing and slowly sank into the ground "No! Wait!" I said running towards the spot in disappeared. Wondering what to do, I thought that I should head back to where I started in this forest, but looking around the clearing, all of the trees looked the same. I Started back towards where I thought we came from when a voice stopped me in my tracks. "L-Lightning?"
The voice sounded familiar and yet somehow different. I slowly turned around and my eyes widened in surprise. There standing where the light had sunk into the ground was my mother. She was standing stock still, her eyes were nothing but white orbs in their sockets. She looked pale, like she was ill. "Mom?" I asked "What are you doing here?" She didn't move or even acknowledge what I said.
"Lightning?" her voice was weak and wavering, "W-why did you k-kill me?" She asked
"What?" I exclaimed.
"Why d-did you k-kill me?"
"No, Mom" I said backing away slightly tears welling up in my eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Why, did, you, kill, me?" She demanded.
"No Mom I didn't mean to kill you! I just wanted to fly" I whimpered tears streaming down my face.
"You killed me!" My mother screamed.
No! I shouted back grabbing her and shaking her "I didn't kill you! It was the tree!"
"It was you!" she said her voice distorting and mouth opened. Suddenly her features began to run like a painting left out in the rain. The horror struck me as her flesh started falling off her bones until she was nothing but a skeleton which then started to disintegrate.
"Nooooooo!" I screamed as I woke with a start. Sitting up, struggling for breath, I was covered in a cold sweat. What kind of a dream was that? When I slept in the streets I didn't have nightmares like that. I was still in Twilight's bed, Looking out the window it was dusk, candles had been lit around the room. I rose out of the bed, afraid to go back to sleep, anyone would after a nightmare like that. Maybe a walk would clear my head, I left the room and started to wander around the castle. I met very few ponies. A guard or two who gave me a quiet nod the occasional servant and a very kooky and old pony in a pointed hat.
After a while I felt my stomach start to grumble in hunger. Looking around there doesn't seem to be any signs or directions to places. "Where the hay is the Dining hall?" I asked myself out loud.
"You're looking for the dining hall?" came a voice from behind me I turned to see a green pony wearing what seemed to be a cape with the celestial crest on. A servant. "Yeah, Would you mind taking me there?" The servant nodded, gestured to follow him with a hoof and walked off and I followed suit.
The castle was enormous, larger than I thought it was. I got completely lost on the path we took to get to the dining hall. The servant could see the confusion in my eyes, "We all get lost for the first few weeks, eventually we manage to remember the layout of this place. Ah here we are sir" commented the servant. "Thanks" I mentioned as I pushed through the door, the servant seemed surprised that I thanked him, but before I could ask he hurried off mentioning something about mopping up the corridors.
The dining hall was huge, an extremely long table ran through the middle, laden with candlesticks and cutlery. I walked along the table and chose a random spot near the end of the table furthest away from the door. As I sat down a servant came and placed a glass of water in front of me and a bowl of bread. I turned to say thank you to the servant but then realised how hungry I was and turned back to eat a piece of bread when I noticed a flowing mane and jumped a little in surprise. "What's the matter? Are you not pleased to see us?" asked Princess Luna.
"That's not it" I defended "I was just surprised to see you princess".
"We are wondering why you are here strange pony" Luna asked.
"I'm meeting Princess Celestia and Twilight here soon and I couldn't get to sleep so I came here early"
"Ah yes you are the one that 'Tia mentioned, 'Lightning? Are we right?'"
"Yes your highness" I replied
"Please, call me Luna"
"If you insist"
"Getting acquainted are we?" asked Princess Celestia Who had walked up behind me without me noticing. She came into view and sat next to Luna.
"Luna was just wondering why I was here early"
"Really, and why are you here early? If you don't mind me asking"
"Well I couldn't sleep and I needed a walk to clear my head so I decided to come here"
"If that is the case the-"
"Princess Celestia! Lightning is missing! Quick we must get all the guards searching the grounds!"
"Twilight my student calm down"
"How can I calm down?! He could be anywhere by now!"
"Twi-" I began but she interrupted me
"Not now Lightning! I have to find Lightning to make sure he's okay" She started to pace up and down behind my seat mumbling to herself.
"I'm going to assume he hasn't been here before so the only way he could leave the castle is via guards or servants but I've asked every single one to make sure that he doesn't leave, so he could be wandering around the castle comple-". She stopped mid-sentence slowly turned and locked eyes with me, I let a huge grin erupt on my face as if to say 'been here the whole time'. Twilight brought a hoof to her face and sighed, "I'm so sorry everyone" she apologised. Only Celestia managed to speak, "Now that everyone is here how about we start dinner then" she said, clapping her hooves. A large pair of doors behind the princesses opened and servants carrying trays and platters of food came out placing them on the table.
I reached out and pulled a couple of daisy sandwiches, some tomatoes and potato salad. I ate very little mainly because I was in the presence of royalty but also from months of eating very little my appetite wasn't exactly the best. Glancing around everyone else's plates I saw that I was the only one eating.
"So Lightning", started Celestia "Would you mind telling us everything? It would help us a lot to get you back home." My heart twinged a little bit when she mentioned home.
"Well where do I start? When I was born I was hit by lightning, hence the name 'Lightning'. My father was a carpenter owner of 'The Wooden wings' in Hoofington, My mother was a herbalist, she would use plants and herbs to make remedies for ponies with all sorts of ailments. Our family has one rule: no flying, my father and his father never flew, they never saw the point in flying so they banned it. I haven't discovered my special talent yet which is why I don’t have a Cutie Mark. And several months ago, not exactly sure when, I broke the family rules and started to learn to fly, then is when I met your friend Rainbow. When I left to go home it was stormy and Rainbow got panicky about me flying alone so she escorted me home and when I got home…" I choked, tears were started to run down my face. Twilight placed a hoof on my shoulder and said reassuringly "you don't have to finish if you don't want to"
"No, I want to" I replied "When I got home the tree which I was born under had crashed through my house, killing my parents" all three of my audience gasped, and looked at me more intently. "Rainbow was also there so she knows that they died she told me that it was okay and then, and then, I shouted at her saying that she thought it was okay, that my parents dying was okay, I screamed at her, shouting at her that she had no idea what it was like. I shouted at one of the only people that could have helped me that night. Then I took off and came to Canterlot to beg for money and after several months I decided to go to the statue garden. In the statue garden I felt the pain, and guilt that I killed my parents and I ripped the feathers out of my wings since they were the cause of my parent's death. That was when Twilight found me."
My audience sat there stunned for a couple of minutes, I just looked back down and continued eating. "What do you make of this Twilight?" Asked Celestia.
"Hmm" replied Twilight bringing a hoof to her chin. "That's quite startling about you being struck by lightning, all ponies are born with some magic within them, but within each, the magic behaves differently, with earth ponies it manifests into brute strength and willpower. With Pegasi it manifests into their wings and giving them the ability to walk on clouds and within unicorns it stays stored for them to use via their horns. That magic that was within you must have saved you from the lightning!" she explained, her smile melted away as I looked at her. " Oh yeah, I'm really sorry about your parents".
"Thanks, that's kinda why I left your room early, I had a nightmare about my mom" I noticed Luna cringe a little bit as I mentioned nightmare. I explained to them what happened in the nightmare. "I can sense the overwhelming guilt and sadness in your heart " said Celestia, calmly yet softly. "But I must tell you, that it isn't and never will be your fault. It was nothing more than a freak accident, there was nothing you could have done"
"Hmm" I chuckled, "that's what my dad said"
"He was a smart pony, I wish I could have thanked him for his work." Said Celestia Lowering her head slightly.
"You knew my dad?" I asked.
"Of course, in the thousand years ruling Equestria I have relied of your family's carpentry skills for personal requests, most recently, the archway at Cadences' and Shining Armour's wedding."
"Wow dad never mentioned anything about you using the family workshop for your personal Carpentry requests!"
I sat back amazed by the fact, but one thing still nagged in the back of my mind. "But wait, now that I have no money, no family, no friends, and nowhere to live, what am I going to do?" I moped, putting my head in my forelegs.
"Hey don't be so hard on yourself, you can always stay with me" Twilight offered "and I'm pretty sure that Applejack and Big Mac could use some help on the farm, it being near Zap Apple season".
"And I wouldn't be so sure about having no friends Lightning" interjected Princess Celestia. "Twilight wouldn't just let anyone recuperate in her quarters. You must have made a rel impression on the few hours of contact with Twilight and her friends for her to help you like that. Blinking in surprise I glanced at Twilight who was blushing in a magnificent shade of red.
"Oh, how is everyone?" I asked to try and ease the awkwardness.
"Oh, er Fluttershy somehow has become a bit more forward and assertive. She's now doing talks at Ponyville Elementary about assertiveness. Rarity has taken to designing clothes for the lower class pony, Pinkie Pie is still Pinkie Pie, and Applejack has been learning to pay more attention to detail and care when it comes to stuff off the farm. Rainbow has changed the most though". She added, her brow furrowing, trying to remember "Since she came back from Hoofington she hasn't been herself, she's been quiet, even quieter than Fluttershy. She would take long trips away, saying it's a flying convention and when she returns she goes straight home and we don't see her for days."
I bow my head, knowing the exact reason why she changed.
"But do you see what I mean?" Celestia asked "You have changed these ponies lives for the better all within the space of a few hours, I would say they were your friends, and they would do anything to help you get back on your feet."
I started to smile, maybe it wasn't so bad after all, maybe these six can help me, and I'll help them anyway I can!