//------------------------------// // Cry Thunder // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// Trixie slunk back to the participants’ seats. Her lips quivered when she got out of the corridors beneath the seats and looked up. Suri placed her attention elsewhere and Coco and Wallflower turned in the other direction. Starlight stared at the ring. With trembling hooves, Trixie made her way up to Starlight’s row. She dared to get close to Starlight since she was near the end of the row and there was an empty seat by her. Trixie gulped. “I… I’m sorry.” Starlight still stared forward. “It was a bad matchup. I saw what Twilight could do in the entrance exams and heard about that incident during the first day of class, so she gave off the impression of a powerhouse. I should have focused more on her written scores than a fluke like during the practical. Still, now the rest of us won’t be caught off guard.” “D-does that mean…” Starlight unfolded the chair for Trixie. “A loss is still a loss, but we’ll get back at 1-A.” Trixie wanted to smile for a brief moment before she saw Starlight’s furrowed brow. “Lightning is going to have to cool off if she wants to win this next match.” ~~~ Dash could feel the air pressure shift before she turned the corner. She took a breath and braced herself. Shadowbolt waited on the other side, his body rigid like hers. They glared at each other. “Out of my way,” Dash muttered. “You disgrace me, Rainbow Dash,” Shadowbolt spat. “That’s the point.” Dash broke eye contact and marched forward. “You would’ve won that race if you had used magic the entire time.” Dash could feel Shadowbolt’s gaze on her. She could feel him focusing on her back. She could feel him probing her wings and muscles. “Grow up. You’ll let one filly dictate the rest of your life? You’ll ruin all the work you’ve done for a petty grudge?” Dash clenched her jaw. Her heart thudded in her chest. Yet, she kept her eyes straight and continued walking. “I know you understand what a waste it is,” Shadowbolt growled. “That’s why I’m going to push  until you realize how foolish this tantrum is. You’re already showing cracks. You’re a flyer and your body knows that!” Dash picked up her pace. Her wings twitched and the muscles in her legs zinged with tension. “Scootaloo would be embarrassed to see you in this state.” Dash stopped but did not turn around. “Is that all you have to say? You can’t use Scootaloo like a tool, not anymore. When the papers come out tomorrow, she’s going to see that I did this for her, without what you taught me. So, throw whatever you have at me, I’ll defeat it with strength and strength alone.” “Keep telling yourself that.” With a flick of his wings, Shadowbolt shifted the air pressure back to normal. As he did, he could feel the way it clustered around Dash. “In the real world, you don’t have the luxury of restricting yourself. You’ll reach your limit soon enough.” Dash resumed her march, teeth gritted and blood vessels framing her eyes. ~~~ “Twilight!” All her friends cheered when Twilight returned to the participants’ seats. Spike rushed up and gave her a hug. Pinkie held out a frosting-coated cupcake for her. “Victory treat?” “Better to save that for after the final match.” Despite her droopy eyelids, Twilight managed to crack a grin. She then slumped into an empty seat. “For now, gotta rest up. Fighting and recovering took a bit out of me.” “Hmm, guess we’ll have to be careful not to get too banged up,” said Applejack. “Oooh!” Pinkie turned to Maud. “We’ll definitely have to watch out for that!” Maud blinked. “Yes.” “Well, while Twilight rests up, let’s hope we get another victory for our class in this match,” said Rarity. Everyone, save for Fluttershy, Spike, and Twilight, cheered. ~~~ Lightning Dust swooped out of her entrance to the arena and landed in the ring. Dash stomped out of hers and met Lightning in the center. Seeing Dash’s tight lips and her eyes hidden behind her mane, Lightning remarked, “Well, guess you had a little talk, too. Forget about the race, this is what will really matter.” Dash did not reply. “Time for the second match!” Vinyl declared. “It’s ace versus ace this time. Both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust got near matching scores on the practical entrance exam. Since this is a pegasus match, we’d also like to note that flying into the crowds or going too high will count as a ring out! We’ll have refs up high to mark the boundaries, so I’m hoping to see some wicked aerial maneuvers!” “Rainbow Dash is a much more physical fighter from what I’ve seen, but she hasn’t had a chance to have her flying skills tested in my class yet,” said Tantabus. “I’m curious to see how she’ll fare against a pegasus with a similar disposition.” Just as Rockhoof raised his shovel, Lightning chuckled, “To be honest, I’ve wanted to see which of us was better since the practical.” Rockhoof clanged his shovel. Lightning smirked. “I already know it’s me since I don’t hold b—” Dash nailed her in the head with a hoof. The punch was strong enough to make Lightning bounce off the ring. Tumbling through the air, she flared out her wings and came to a stop. Dash charged her, revealing her clenched teeth and bloodshot eyes. “What were you going to say?!” Dash snarled. Lightning yelped and bolted skyward. The wind her accent kicked up delayed Dash from tackling her. Dash shot her head up and gave chase. Lighting flew at top speed, only daring to look back to get an idea of where Dash was. Every time she did, Dash was closer. “What looked to be a brawl has quickly turned into a chase!” said Vinyl. Lightning blasted by the announcer’s booth just then. Dash followed.  The force of their flight knocked Vinyl back while Tantabus remained firmly in place. Scrambling back up, Vinyl continued, “High wind warning, folks! We’ve got safety measures to make sure nothing too dangerous gets to you, but these pegasi are going all out!” Above the crowd, Lightning arced over to the clouds drifting over the colosseum. She skimmed over them and pulled them up just as Dash crashed into her, shielding her from the brunt of the attack. Dash drove a hoof towards Lightning’s head, but Lightning shifted the clouds around to block the blow. Dash reared back her other hoof and punched straight through, but Lightning was gone. Popping up behind Dash, Lighting yelled, “You got me at first, but now I—” Dash whipped around and delivered a roundhouse kick to Lightning’s side. She went tumbling across the clouds, dissipating tufts of them. Instead of flying, Dash stomped over to her. “Amateur. Foals could pull that off.” Lightning paled and plunged a wing into the clouds. She swung it back up and sent a wave hurtling toward Dash. It crackled, and a few small bolts of electricity arced across the wave. Dash dug in her hooves and spread out her wings. When the wave got close, she spun and vertically slashed the wave. Electricity zipped across her body, but she charged until she bisected the wave. The top half dissipated into the air and the lower half collapsed back into the rest of the cloud. Dash turned to face Lightning but felt the air shift as she did. Lightning was gone by the time Dash’s sights fell on where she had been. She let out a snort. Lightning tunneled deep into the clouds, swerving right and left before she dared to stop and catch her breath. “Damn! ‘Refuses to use weather magic,’ my flank! Even without that, she’s still a monster!” A blue hoof tore through the cloud in front of Lightning. She flew back while Dash punched through the cloud with her other hoof and ripped it open so she could get through. Before Lightning could retreat, Dash bore through the cloud, clasped Lightning’s left foreleg, and pulled. “You make too much of a mess to hide.” Lightning yelped when Dash drove her leg further in the wrong direction. The pain gave way to panic when Lightning realized Dash had tugged her out of the cloud and was driving her down towards the ground. The two turned into a spiraling blur of yellow and blue. “Stop! Stop!” Lightning cried. “We’re going too fast!” “Not if I have a cushion.” Lightning’s face went white. The pair approached the ground at a blinding speed. Remembering all that Shadowbolt had promised her and how Dash had managed to score just a few points more than her in the practical, Lightning gritted her teeth and condensed the bit of cloud she had managed to grab before Dash had pulled her out of it. The cloud darkened in her hoof. The hairs on her legs stood up. With all her might, she tore her leg through the air pressure pushing down on her and Dash and slammed the cloud into Dash’s side. Bolts erupted out of it and surrounded Dash. She spasmed and released Lightning just a few feet above the ring. Both smacked onto the ground. Lightning managed to get up first with a smirk on her face despite being out of breath. A thin trail of black clouds ran from her leg over to Dash. Sparks danced around Dash’s body. She twitched, with bolts shooting off her every couple of seconds. “Pretty… scary there, but nopony can get out of my shock net! It’s like being constantly hit by a lightning bolt! It’s ov—” Dash slammed a hoof into the ground. Another followed immediately after. Lightning inched back when Dash got onto all four hooves despite the electricity still coursing through and around her. “This isn’t lightning.” “Stay down!” Lightning raised her leg and pumped more electricity into her shock net. More bolts spilled off Dash. Parts of her coat smoked. The attack caused her mane to flow upwards, revealing a glare that chilled Lightning to her core. Dash took a step forward. “This isn’t lightning.” “Stop!” Lightning yelled. Dash advanced. Lighting poured more power into the net. Her own leg started to smoke. Dash did not stop. Lighting stepped back but felt the edge of the ring. She glanced away just long enough for Dash to crouch down and unfurl her wings. “This…” Dash growled. She tore off the ground with enough force that those in the front rows felt the wind push them back. Dash raised her right leg and channeled all the electricity coursing through her into it. “Is yours, so it doesn’t count!” “Damn!” Rockhoof raised his shovel, but Dash was already upon Lighting. She threw out her hoof. A massive discharge went off and blasted straight towards the crowd. It crashed into a barrier that lit up around the discharge in a hexagonal pattern that spread out and then contracted as the attack died down. A silence fell over the colosseum. Dash’s blackened hoof, with smoke rising off it, stuck out right next to Lightning’s head. Lightning’s shaking eyes managed to tear away from Dash’s penetrating glare to look at the leg that could have sent a bolt of lightning straight through her head. Then, her eyes rolled up and she fell out of the ring. “Lightning?” Dash looked down at her opponent. “You don’t even know the meaning of the word.”   Dash glided out of the ring, making sure to avoid landing on her injured leg. Those sitting next to Shadowbolt smelled ozone and inched away from him. He scowled down at the ring. ~~~ “Darn,” somepony snorted. She blended in among the crowd. Like the rest of the ponies gathered at the Appleloosa saloon, her attention was on a large crystal screen that displayed Dash making her way out of the ring. She had her own scrying crystal back at her hideout but that could be traced. This would be so much easier if I had snared Rainbow Dash. Turning away from the screen, she got up and stepped outside. Slipping into an alley, she lit up her horn. At this distance, she did not need any tools to spy on a large red earth pony. This had better not take away too much time, a deep voice rang in her head. It will not, master. Equality grinned. By the end of the day, the seal will be broken, and my plan will be in motion. ~~~ “Wow, um, talk about a speedy match,” said Vinyl. “Winner: Rainbow Dash.” “Geez,” Hondo muttered. He glanced at Windy and Bow. Their pointers faced the ground. “Your kid, uh, sure is something.” “Yeah…” Bow watched Dash, homing in on her wings and back. Windy leaned close to him and whispered, “Should we say something?” “It would only make Dash angrier,” Bow whispered back. “We’ll just have to hope somepony can keep her from going too far.” Velvet shook. “Twilight is facing that?” A bit of sweat gathered on Night Light’s brow. “She’ll be fine.” When Velvet turned toward Night, her eyes sharpened. “Did you see Twilight’s horn?” “Honey,” Night sighed, “We promised we’d support her. Being a hero means getting a few scratches here and there.” “But…” Night laid a leg across her back and pulled her close. He could feel her trembling. “Trust Twilight. She’ll figure something out.” Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie, like much of the audience, were stunned into silence. Fluttershy turned away but the others could hear her sniffling. Twilight watched Dash limp away to get healed. Dash did not wear a victorious grin. Her eyes did not flare with determination. Her wings slumped at her sides. Some staff rushed past her to get Lightning on a stretcher, but she just kept lurching forward. Twilight frowned and thought what a victory against Dash would mean or if she could even secure one.