Lightning Dust awoke to light shining on her eyes. She opened them slowly, revealing a cyan pegasus with a colorful mane, recognizing her quickly.
“Rainbow Dash….? Is that you…?”
Rainbow turned the flashlight off in her mouth, tossing it into her saddlebag.
“Lightning Dust…I thought you turned into a show-pony. What’re you doing running from us?” She asked, her eyes producing an intimidating gaze upon Dust.
“I didn’t want this to happen, okay? I’m sorry about your friends and that tornado, but this was supposed to be different!” She pleaded with Dash, sprawling her wing over her face to avoid eye contact.
“Well, I’m glad you’re not ignoring what happened. Are you okay…like do you need anything? Misty Fly said you were...uhhm…hanging onto her when they got back to Headquarters.” She explained, a concerned look splayed on her face.
Lightning Dust looked up at Dash, a faint blush appearing on her face before looking down.
“Where am I…?” Dust asked, taking in her surroundings curiously.
“You’re in a holding cell inside Wonderbolt HQ, but you’re lucky. Soarin let you stay here instead of going straight into the cellblock, which is where the real monsters are.” Dash seemed to smile as she looked at Dust.
Lightning Dust looked up at her, a small smile forming on her own face as she gained some hope in her unsavory situation.
“Don’t worry, Misty Fly’s gonna visit you soon, so you won’t be lonely for long after I leave. You’re gonna be interviewed in a few hours, so make sure you’re ready.” Dash added, grinning while rolling her eyes when she mentioned Misty Fly.
Great…now she probably thinks I’m into mares…Bucking stupid, why did I even blush…? Lightning Dust thought to herself as Dash closed the door, locked it, and walked out of sight from the window.
She decided to explore her little room, standing up on her hooves and walking around. The room itself was small, except she wasn’t laying in the small bed that was on her right, she was lying on the floor. She thought nothing of it, walking over to peer out of the window of the metal door that secured her inside. She looked out towards a hallway, seeing other doors lining the walls. She looked behind her, seeing a sink-toilet and a small shelf holding nothing.
Lightning Dust spun around instantly, facing the door. Unexpected knocking and a little latch on the door opened, a tray was balanced on it, and she heard hoofsteps move away from the door. She hesitated before walking to the door and taking the tray from it.
The food looked, to a certain extent, edible. It mainly consisted of colored cubes, and Dust had no idea what she was looking at. She decided to start with the largest cube in the center of the tray, only to yack it up in the sink seconds later. Discouraged, she placed the tray onto the shelf and decided to lie down on her bed and rest, having been woken so suddenly. She slowly relaxed her body and shut her eyes, falling asleep after a few minutes.
The door opened and its loud clang startled Dust very badly, causing her to jolt right out of her bed and onto the floor. She groaned and looked up to see who opened the door.
“Morning,” Misty Fly calmly said to the pegasus on the floor in front of her.
Embarrassed by the fact that she’d fallen on the floor, she quickly got up and felt heat rise in her cheeks.
“How are you feeling? Have you eaten?” She asked, paying close attention to her facial expressions.
“I…the food wasn’t that great…” she finally mustered out, pointing a forehoof at the shelf. She tried to cover her face with her wing to avoid blushing further, but Misty Fly took notice.
“Are you sick? Do you have a fever?” She asked motherly, placing a forehoof onto Dust’s head.
Lightning Dust’s wings shot out in surprise from the contact, accidentally hitting away Misty’s hoof away from her head. She froze as she realized what was going on, her flustered face completely red.
“I…mmm…sorry…” Dust stammered, curling her wings and running to the bed, lying down to avoid Misty’s gaze. She’d really screwed up by swatting her hoof away, but she didn’t mean to. It was just an accident, yet she felt like she committed murder.
“Hey, it’s okay! I’m fine…really. Are you okay? Do you want me to stay here with you? Your interview is gonna be in an hour, but I can stay with you until I have to bring you to the interrogation room. Do you want something to eat?” She asked, concerned for Dust’s wellbeing.
Lightning Dust sighed, turning to face her once again.
“Thank you for helping me so much, I’m really grateful. I think I’m okay for right now.” She quickly said, unable to think about the words coming out of her mouth.
“Okay, if you say so. I’ll be back to take you to the questioning room in an hour, so be ready.” Misty Fly said, turning to walk towards the door. As she was halfway through the doorway, she heard hoofsteps approaching behind her.
“Wait! Can you stay with me…please?” Lightning Dust practically shouted out, staring down at the floor whilst playing with her hoof.
“Of course I can!” Misty Fly responded, smiling at her.
Lightning Dust rushed to her and hugged her with her hooves and wings, wrapping around her in sheer happiness.
“You must’ve missed me!” She laughed, hugging her back.
“Did I?!” She replied, faintly warming her cheeks.
Misty and Dust had a full hour together to wait until the interview began.
”At least I’m with someone I trust. I only have an hour to go before my life is completely ruined…” Dust thought to herself anxiously.