Chapter 13: A New Face
Lightning felt the cold wind rush against his face. He opened his eyes and saw he was spiraling towards the ground. He tried to flap his wings, to pull up from his daring dive, but to no avail. He was falling too fast to pull out of the dive. He flapped his wings harder and harder until he felt the sharp pain course through them. His wings dropped lifelessly to his sides as he hurdled to the ground. Closer and closer, he shut his eyes as the horror of the truth hurdled towards him. Finally, he felt it, the blackness engulfing him as he crashes to the ground…
Lightning’s eyes opened wide, his body was covered in sweat as he awoke. Lightning found himself in a ditch covered in dirt. He had remembered how he climbed into the ditch to escape the chilling night and get a little sleep. He managed to fall asleep, but immediately he was struck by a terrible nightmare.
Lightning climbed out of the ditch and continued walking. Not long after he restarted his journey did he spot in the distance, a small village, not much larger than Ponyville. He trotted slowly towards the village, until he spotted a pony coming in his direction. Lightning continued walking, and, as the pony got closer, he noticed it was a young, rather cute unicorn mare. This mare was about the same age as Thunder, and she had a bright pink coat and a flaming red mane. She appeared to be going to a patch of flowers outside the village. Once he got closer, he noticed she was picking flowers; this piqued Lightning’s curiosity, so he wandered over to find out what she was doing.
“Hello there, may I ask what you’re doing?” Lightning peered over the mare’s shoulder and watched her carefully pick each individual flower in delicate, gentle motions.
“Hello…I’m gathering flowers for my mother.” The young mare didn’t look up, only continued her delicate gathering of the flowers. Lightning observed her closer, her mane was long and neatly groomed, her coat was wall brushed with a bit of a glossy tint to it, and she smelt faintly of tulips.
“Ah, sounds interesting…My name’s Lightning by the way.”
The mare turned her head slightly and looked at him; she had large, light blue eyes. They had a certain look of innocence, but underneath was a look of mischievousness. “My name is Flower Petal…um…if you don’t mind, I really must get back to my mother’s.” She stood up and a pink aura surrounded her basket of flowers as it levitated next to her.
“Oh, sure thing.” He was losing her! It appeared to him as if his skill with mares was dwindling. He had to do something to fix the situation before she got away. “Hey, mind if I walk with you? I’m a traveler passing through and never been to this village before.” Nice save…
“I suppose so.” With her approval, Lightning quickly walked next to her, taking great care to keep a safe distance and to walk behind her so as to not appear creepy or threatening.
The two walked in silence for the majority of the walk into town. They weren’t especially far from the village, but it felt like ages. The silence grew thicker and Lightning began to get uncomfortable. “So, what does your mother need with the flowers?”
“She makes things like medicine and dyes out of them. She’s a herbalist.”
“Does she make things like magical potions too?”
“If a customer requests one, but usually she sticks to other things.”
Lightning looked at the ground and said quietly to himself, “Interesting, I bet my brother would be interested in paying her a visit…” His mind began to wander to thoughts of Thunder and all the adventures they had together.
“Hmm? Did you say something?” Her soft, gentle voice broke Lighnting out of his thoughts.
“Huh? Oh no no, I didn’t say anything.”
The two continued to walk in silence until Flower Petal slowed to a stop. “Here we are, my home.”
“Well alright then. Guess I’ll be going then. Thanks…you know, for giving me some company.” Lightning turned and began trotting off, but stopped when he heard her call him.
“Wait, you can’t just leave, it’d be rude to not invite you in for a drink or something, after all, you are a visitor to our village.”
“Well that’s silly. What if I was a creepy murderer or something?”
“Well I don’t like it, but my mother would be upset if I didn’t offer to let you in.”
“I see…” Lightning just stood there with a look of deep thought on his face. What an odd place. He wasn’t used to ponies so willingly opening their homes to him. Ponies in Las Pegasus were significantly less polite.
“You just gonna stand there or are you gonna come inside?” The pink mare stood in the doorway tapping her hoof impatiently.
“Oh yeah, sorry gal pal. “ Lightning trotted along behind her and Flower Petal went inside.
“Mom, I’m back!” Flower Petal trotted deeper inside her home while Lightning stayed behind to observe his surroundings.
The house was rather small, but it was fitting for Flower Petal. It was cozy, with various knick knacks lining the walls, as well as herbs and plants in glass display cases, and potions of all colors in all shaped bottles on shelves. The house was filled with a strong aroma of various plants and some things Lightning couldn’t put his hoof on.
“Hey, are you coming or what?” Flower Petal stuck her head out from around the corner and stared at Lightning.
“Oh yeah, I’m coming I’m coming.” Lightning trotted along right behind Flower Petal. He followed her around the corner and continued down the short hallway. Before too long he reached a door and pushed it open. He walked into the room and there stood his mother…
…Or rather a mare who looked incredible similar to his mother. It was jarring. The shock of seeing her caused Lightning to freeze in his tracks. She was tall and thin, she had a pearly white coat and a golden mane, just like his mother’s.
“Oh hello there, you must be our guest. My name’s Violet Petal, and this is my daughter Flower Petal.” She walked over and Lightning choked on his words. He tried to get out a coherent sentence, but all that came out was primitive grunts and whines. “Are you alright?”
“O-oh…yes, I’m fine. Sorry I was just…Nevermind. My name’s Lightning Bolt. Nice to meet you Mrs. Petal.”
Ms. Petal giggled, “Please, Ms. Petal is just fine. There isn’t a Mr. Petal.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“No need Lightning, it’s quite alright. It’s been a long time.” Ms. Petal gave Lightning the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. The resemblance to his mother continued to pop up. “So, you look famished Lightning, how about I whip something up?”
“No no, it’s quite alright. There’s no need to go through the trouble. I’m really not hungry.” What a lie, Lightning hadn’t eaten in days and he had shriveled up. He was starving.
“Please, I insist. You look half starved. You’re all skin and bone.” Before Lightning could say more, Ms. Petal went into the kitchen and began cooking. She called out to Flower, “Flower dear, please show our guest to the living room.”
“Yes mother.” She replied. “Come on Lightning.”
Lightning followed Flower to the living room and took a seat when directed by her. The living room had an organic look to it. Simple wood and floral decorations dominated the room.
“So, you and your mother live alone then?”
“Yes, I never knew my father, he ran off when I was young.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about him, he’s long gone and I have no attachment to him.”
“Oh, well okay then…” A rather awkward silence blanketed the room as Lightning grew quiet.
Before things got any worse, Ms. Petal popped her head out from the kitchen. “Come along you two, the food is ready.” The two stood and quickly went to the dining room. They sat across from each other and Ms. Petal set the plates in front of them before taking a seat herself. Lightning dug in, the food was good, and it was nice to have a tasty meal after so long of not eating.
Lightning tore into the food. He ate like a savage, with no inclination for modesty. Before he could realize what he was doing, he heard the muffled giggles of a young pony. He stopped and looked up. He saw the soft, sweet face of the middle aged mare he hardly knew smiling at him, watching him eat, and the bubbly face of a young mare giggling at his expense. He felt rather relieved, they didn’t seem to be judging him, or asking him questions about his accident. This comforted him; they were just accepting his existence. Lightning finished eating, albeit much slower and more dignified.
Lightning finished eating, and, after begrudgingly accepting more food and other supplies, left Ms. Petal and Flower’s house. As much as it made him relaxed and feel comforted, he knew he still had to find where he belonged. Lightning needed a place to call home, and, as much as he regretted it, this village wasn’t it.
The trip away from the village was slow and begrudging. Lightning wanted to stay with Flower Petal and her mother and engorge himself on Ms. Petal’s delicious food and court her daughter, but best to continue going until the right place is found after a…
“Oh no!” Lightning tumbled and fell into a ditch. He rolled and flipped all the way down until he finally came to a stop. Before he could move, however, a large rock slipped and pinned him to the ground. “Damn it! I can’t believe I got myself into this…Too deep in thought I guess.” He struggled against the large rock, but to no avail. The rock was far too heavy for him. “Man, I could’ve moved this a year ago, have I really gotten that flabby?”
At least Lightning had his food supplies. He was sure someone would come along eventually and rescue him…After a few hours Lightning had finished off the last of his supplies and no one had come by yet.
“Well, I certainly am in dire straits right now…” Off in the distance, Lightning heard a soft voice singing a rather beautiful song. He couldn’t make out the words yet, but it was pretty nonetheless.
Suddenly, Lightning spotted Flower Petal. So she was the one singing… “Hey, Flower, could you help me, please?”
Flower Petal walked up to the ditch and looked down, “Huh? Oh, hello Lightning…how’d this happen?”
“I…wasn’t paying attention and slipped down here…it’s kind of embarrassing honestly. Thank goodness you came by when you did.”
Flower Petal giggled and hopped down into the ditch. With the help of Lightning she easily removed the rock. “Lightning, your leg looks pretty bad; you should probably return home with me and get that patched up.”
“It’s not that bad, I’ve had way worse.” Lightning joked, waving his less than wings.
“Yeah…look I’m taking you back to my home and you’re gonna get patched up.”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice…”
The two made their way to Flower Petal’s home. Ms. Petal simply smiled lovingly when Lightning told her what had happened and began to heal his wound. Once she was done she explained she used a special medicine that would speed the healing process, but it would still be a few weeks before he’d be fully recovered. This meant Lightning was staying with them longer than he’d anticipated.
Over the next few weeks, Lightning and Flower Petal had gotten to know each other quite well. Flower Petal was delegated the job of taking care of Lightning. During her chores the two had gotten quite close. Lightning had learned a lot about her, and she learned a lot about him. They had become quite good friends.
“Lightning, I brought you some soup.” Flower Petal walked into the room and handed Lightning a bowl of soup.
“Hey, thanks Flower.” Lightning accepted it and began devouring the warm soup.
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel okay, lots better than before.” Lightning finished off the soup and sat the bowl down. “So when will I be fully healed?”
“Mother said you should be more or less all better now, but it’s best if you rest a little longer just to make sure.”
“That’s good. I hate being bedridden.”
“I know Lightning, I know. So what are your plans for today, besides sitting around like a lazy bum?”
“Well other than that, I have no real plans, again.”
Flower Petal giggled, “Lightning, you’re so pathetic, it’s too cute.”
“Aw shucks, you’re making me blush gal pal.” Lightning laughed with Flower Petal. “Say Flower, guess what.”
“What?”
“I may be crippled, but ya know who isn’t?”
“Um…Who?”
“The tickle monster!” Lightning grabbed Flower Petal and furiously tickled her. She struggled and laughed out loud, but Lightning’s grip was stronger than she could handle. The two fought for supremacy, Lightning’s tickles overwhelming Flower Petal, however she managed to roll off the couch and dragged Lightning with her.
Before either knew what happened, Flower was underneath Lightning, their faces mere centimeters apart. Flower Petal could feel Lightning’s deep breaths on her chest; it excited her. Her mouth hung slightly open in anticipation, of what she wasn’t entirely sure. Her thoughts grew cloudy and her breathing deeper.
Lightning stared down at the young mare. He had never noticed until now just how incredibly beautiful she was. Her red mane lay sprawled out and her scent of tulips filled his nose. It was intoxicating. The overwhelming feeling of lust he had experienced so many times before filled his body. He wanted her…
Flower Petal slowly took hold of his hoof in her and gently pulled him closer, Lightning didn’t resist. The two threw caution to the wind and embraced in a passionate kiss. As the kiss went on, the world simply melted away and time disappeared.
Lightning’s eyes snapped open and he quickly pulled away. Flower’s breathing was shallow and she looked confused. “What’s wrong Lightning, why’d you pull away?”
“I’m…I’m sorry Flower…I really like you, and I really want to continue, but I just can’t…” Lightning got up and looked away. He felt rather ashamed of himself.
“But…why Lightning…?” Flower slowly placed her hoof on Lightning’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, but there’s…there’s someone else.”
“Oh…I see…” Flower turned away, tears began to well up in her eyes.
“Listen…We’re not dating or anything…it’s just…I really care for her, I love her. Even if me and her aren’t together, it still feels wrong to do this…I’m really sorry.”
“No…I understand…thank you for being honest Lightning.” Flower wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to face Lightning, “Lightning, you need to confront this mare and be honest with her too! You need to tell her your feelings.”
“Yeah…yeah you’re right. Thanks Flower, you’re really a great girl.” Lightning gave her a loving hug. “I’m gonna leave Flower, Thanks for taking me in. I promise to repay you one day.” Lightning took off out the door and galloped away towards the forest.
Flower Petal chased after him and yelled, “Yeah, You better! You better…”