//------------------------------// // Arrival // Story: The Ultimate Element // by Akamaru01 //------------------------------// The Ultimate Element By: Akamaru01 What would you do, if you had incredible power? Chapter 1 Arrival Twilight woke with a start, a loud crash emanating from afar. She moved quickly out the door, just in time to hear another horrible noise. Her eyes followed the trail of smoke in the sky, and she galloped for the ending point. Her natural curiosity was setting in, and her mind set up several possible options of what had occurred. She saw that she was not the only pony who was curious, the dawning sun allowing her to see that almost everypony was coming out of their homes, and headed in the same direction as her. Twilight reached a large crater just outside of town, her jaw hung open in shock. She was vaguely aware of others trotting around to see as well. Fluttershy flew quickly past the unicorn, eager to help. Twilight slid down next to her, looking over the stallion that lay unconscious on the ground. As Fluttershy checked his pulse, Twilight saw that his deep blue coat was riddled with black burns and scratches all over his body. His yellow mane and tail were heaps of messy hair, and his cutie mark was covered in dirt and burns, but the unicorn could still see the yellow bolt of cascading lightning on his flank. “How is he doing, Fluttershy?” “He has a weak pulse, but I’m not sure how his injuries are.” The smoke dissipated, and Nurse Redheart gently moved Fluttershy away to give the fallen pegasus a formal inspection. Twilight watched as the earth pony carefully checked on the mysterious stallion. Redheart turned him slowly to his other side, releasing a loud gasp of horror. His right wing had bent in several places, the feathers threatening to fall out. “Oh my goodness! Somepony get Nurse Tenderheart! Quickly!” The second nurse pony arrived soon after with a stretcher, and they took the pegasus back to hospital, telling the other ponies to wait a while for an update. ---                  Rainbow Dash paced around the air of the library, obviously irritated. “Ugh! This waiting is torture!”         “Come now, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “That stallion took quite the hard fall, and I would be surprised if he woke up today at all.”         “But it’s been three hours, and we haven’t heard anything.” She pressed her face against the window, looking out on Ponyville from the top of the library.                  “Why don’t ya’ll come over and sit a spell. It won’t do you no good just floaten around as such.” Applejack pointed a hoof to the ground, and the pegasus sat down. “Now then, what do ya’ll suppose happened to him anyways? It looked like he was struck down by lightnin.”         Rainbow Dash looked offended by the comment, replying, “That’s impossible. I made sure there were no storm clouds above Ponyville today.”         “Are yah sure yah got ‘em all?”          “Yes, Applejack, I’m sure there weren’t any stray storm clouds anywhere!” Rainbow Dash shouted.         “All I’m saying is ya’ll coulda made a mistake and missed a cloud or two,” the orange earth pony remarked.         “I don’t make mistakes!” the rainbow pegasus said.         “Oh please. Everypony makes mistakes Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chimed in.         “Ugh! Is everypony against me!” the pegasus screamed.         “Oh, I believe you Dashie!” said Pinkie Pie..         “Thank you Pinkie Pie. You see, somepony here with some sense!”         “I don’t think he was struck by lightning at all. I think he was ponynapped by alien ponies, who preformed terrible experiments on him, and when they were done, they shot him back to Equestria with a big space cannon!” The others stared at the pink earth pony silently, confused by the random outburst.         “Pinkie, I know about space and what’s out there, and I can say with confidence that there is only a one in a million chance that alien ponies even exist.”         “Are you suuuure, Twilight?” Pinkie stared into the eyes of the lavender unicorn, waiting for a response.         “Yes, Pinkie, I’m sure,” she replied calmly. “Yes, anyways, maybe we should go and see how he is doing,” Rarity chimed. “After all, it doesn’t seem like he knows anyone here in Ponyville.”         “Good idea Rarity. Come on girls, lets go.” Twilight stood up and pointed at the door. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”         “That reminds me!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed suddenly, startling the others. “When he wakes up, I need to throw him a ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville’ party, and probably a ‘Get-Well’ party too.”         “You think ya’ll can wait until after he wakes up to start thinking bout parties?” the farm pony said.         “Okie dokie lokie then!” the pink pony agreed as she bounced out the door. ---         When the six ponies arrived at the hospital, a nurse pony was just walking outside for fresh air. “Hello Nurse Redheart,” Twilight greeted the medical pony. “How is he?” The nurse knew exactly who the young mare was talking about, he was the only thing most ponies were talking about that day.         The white earth pony sighed, saying, “We believe that he should be fine. Whatever struck him down badly burned his coat and skin, and the crash caused several lacerations and bruising. These can heal quickly and won’t cause permanent damage, however this is not the worst of his injuries.” Her eyes looked toward the ground for a moment, then back up at the mares. “Then, what is the worst?” Rainbow Dash asked.         She let out another sigh, continuing, “When he landed, he fell straight onto his right wing. The bones inside have several fractures, and as of right now, we don’t know if he’ll ever fly again. We have no choice but to wait and see how it heals.” Although nopony there personally knew the stallion, the news  made them sad for him.         “Man, I’d hate it if I could never fly again. That would be terrible.” The blue pegasus felt some sympathy for the stallion, imagining life without her most beloved of treasures. “How is he now?”         “Unconscious. However, we believe he should wake up in about an hour. I will have a messenger spread the word when he does. Until then, everypony will have to wait.” ---         After more then an hour of waiting, the mares could hear a voice calling outside. “He’s awake! He’s awake!” shouted Ditzy Doo, her wings moving quickly to get her around town and spread the message. Many ponies decided not to bother going to greet the stallion, but nine ponies had left immediately to see him. Twilight and her friends, as well as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who learned of the pegasus’ status from the older mares. Upon arrival to where the blue pegasus was resting, it was clear that he had already been told the bad news. A cabinet that was near the bed was knocked down, and remnants of a broken vase lay scattered across the floor. The stallion was calm now, laying in the bed with a pained expression on his face. Nurse Tenderheart stood on the opposite side of the bed.         “Is everything OK in here?” Twilight asked.         “Oh yes. Everything is fine,” the blue earth pony answered. “ He just went into a rage because, well, you know.”         “Sorry about that nurse.” The stallion had a slightly deep, and kind voice, and spoke softly. “I shouldn’t have acted that way. It was rude of me.”         “Oh, no need to apologize. I’m sure anypony would act that way.”         “Maybe. So who are you ponies anyway?” the pegasus asked looking at his new guests. “You look kinda familiar, but I’m not sure why.” The ponies began to introduce themselves, and after meeting each one, the stallion realized who they were. “I remember now, you six are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony!” he  said with a shock. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”         Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest proudly, while the others, especially Fluttershy in particular, blushed for a mere moment. Twilight spoke out first. “Why thank you, um...”         “Oh sorry. I forgot to introduce myself,” the blue pegasus realized. “My name is Lightning.”         “Well it’s mighty good to meet ya’ll Lightning,” said Applejack.         “So how did you end up in Ponyville?” asked Rainbow.         “Well, I was flying near the clouds, when a stray storm cloud came out of nowhere and struck me. Next thing I know, I’m sitting in a hospital bed, barely able to move.”         “So where ya’ll from?” Applejack asked.         “From a pegasus town practically on the other side of Equestria called Olympus. It floats just above the tallest mountain in the country.”         “Wait a minute, ‘the other side of Equestria’? What are you doing way over here then?” Rainbow Dash had a look of confusion on her face, as Lightning almost seemed to sweat a little before giving his answer.         “Oh you know, just traveling. Left home a few years ago to see the country. Been flying solo ever since.” His face slipped into a look of loneliness, but only for a moment, and the others took no notice of the involuntary action. Applejack thought she could detect a hint of a lie in his story, but decided to think on it later.         “So how long do you reckon ya’ll be staying?” the farm pony asked.         “As soon I get discharged from the hospital and told how to care for my wing, I’m gonna keep on going. Even if I can’t fly anymore, I can still walk.” He spoke without hesitation, and he clearly already though this through.         “You’re leaving all ready?” Rainbow asked.         “Yeah. I need to keep going.” The young stallion looked as though he wished to stay longer, but something was preventing him.         “Oh.” Applebloom and her friends remained silent until now, looking for a chance to speak. “Can’t you stay longer? Ponyville is a really great place.”         “Yeah!” Pinkie shouted. “And you haven't been to any of my parties yet. I was gonna throw a ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-We-Hope-You-Get-Better’ party for you. It was gonna be great!” She bounced a little before getting the stink eye from Nurse Tenderheart to stop.         “I don’t know. I really have to keep mov-...” At that time the three little fillies all made the saddest, cutest faces they possibly could. “I, um...” The blue and yellow pegasus couldn’t resist much longer. “Oh, all right. I’ll stay till my wing is healed. How does that sound?”         “YAY!” the fillies shouted in unison. “That reminds me,” the yellow earth pony said. “What is your cutie mark?” she asked with excitement.         “Oh. Well, um, I’m, ah, a good electrician. I’m great at fixing electrical things.” The statement sounded made up, but the ponies had no choice but to believe him. Applejack decided to keep an eye on the mysterious stallion just in case.         “Alright,” said Nurse Tenderheart, “Visiting hours are over, and Lightning needs his rest.” At that, the ponies left and decided to head home. ---         Lightning had waited with semi-patience, his burns and cuts gradually disappearing, however his wing remained useless. Visitors came to talk with him several times, but he kept mostly to himself, almost as if afraid to make friends. About a week after his admittance, he was discharged with a wing cast, and Rainbow Dash met with him in order to give a tour of Ponyville.         As they trotted along, Lightning was unimpressed how most buildings had the same style, but he didn’t particularly care. Most of the town held little interest for him. The small size of Ponyville didn’t allow for anything too amazing, at least as far as he could see. However, the apple farm was one of the largest he had ever seen, and the library was definitely unique. In between stops, Rainbow Dash told the stallion about Cloudsdale, the pegasus city just outside of Ponyville, and Lightning decided he might take a look sometime. That is, if he could fly again.         After they had been all over town, she led him back near the center of town, stopping in front of a place called Sugarcube Corner. “Why didn’t we stop here earlier?” he asked, perplexed. They passed the building before, yet Rainbow made no mention of it.         “Oh, no reason,” she replied with a stifled laugh.  She pushed open the door with a hoof, and Lightning was blasted by a shock wave of pony voices calling, “Surprise!”         “What in Equestria?” he wondered aloud. There were ponies all stuffed inside the sweet shop, which explained why they met very few on the tour. A startingly pink earth pony bounced up to him, saying with an almost impossible speed, “Hey, Lightning. This is your ‘Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-we-hope-you-get-better-soon’ party. Isn’t it exciting? I always throw a party for new ponies, because it helps them to make friends, because if I don’t know them then that means there’s a good chance you don’t really know anypony here. Although, I could be wrong, but it doesn’t matter because it’s a party!” The stallion had trouble keeping up, and responded saying, “Wait, can you repeat that last part?” “Don’t worry about it Lightning,” Rainbow Dash said, holding back a laugh. “She’s always like this. Hang out with her a few hours and you get used to it.” “Seriously?” he asked, wondering how somepony could get used to Pinkie Pie so easily. “I was just as surprised when I first came to Ponyville.” Twilight interuppted, suddenly appearing next to the pegasi. “Just giver some time. Nothing will make sense, but everything will be fun.” “I’ll keep that in mind.” He separated from the mares and went to join the festivities. Ponies all around were either talking or dancing to the music. He didn’t want to join in that, dancing never was his forte. Ponies came to congratulate him on his recovery, and wished him luck with his wing. It wasn’t hard for him to realize that most ponies were only there for a Pinkie Party, and not because of him. He didn’t mind, though, he contented to knowing somepony did care enough to throw a party in the first place.         Although never voiced, he loved flying more then anything. As much as Rainbow Dash did, if his idea of her contained no errors. He would constantly test his flying abilities against any obstacles he passed on his journey. He even liked to test his speed against known times and distances made by the Wonderbolts, the fastest pegasi in Equestria. He even had his own little flying secret, though he usually didn’t use it. After all, it was sort of an unfair advantage. Losing his flight had devastated him, but he remained hopeful. --- When the party had ended, the only ones who remained were Lightning, and the six mares who greeted him in the hospital. “That was some party. Never been to one quite like that,” the sky blue pegasus remarked. “Well, ya better get used to it. She always has plans for another party,” smiled the yellow earth pony. “And she always invites the whole town.” “I’m not sure I can take too many of those so close together.” “Hey, Twi was the same way when she first came to town. ‘Cept, she didn’t really join in the party.” “Well I was worried about Nightmare Moon,” the unicorn said defensively. “Oh Twilight, it’s alright. We know you had other problems to look out for,” the party pony chimed. “So, Lightning, do you know where you’ll be staying while in town?” Rarity asked. “I have no idea. Normally I’d make a small shelter out of clouds at night, but I can’t gather clouds if I can’t fly,” he responded with a hint of sadness. “I’ve got an idea,” Rainbow dash said. “I could go gather some clouds for you and bring them down near the ground. Then you could make a temporary shelter.” The multicolored pegasus looked pleased with herself. However, Twilight provided the knowledge that countered the idea. “Rainbow Dash, if you brought a cloud too close to the ground, it would get to hot and turn to water after a few hours.” The unicorn’s explanation seemed obvious, and the rainbow pegasus suddenly silenced herself. “Thanks for the offer though,” Lightning chuckled. “So what are ya gonna do? Ponyville ain’t got no fancy hotels or nothin,” Applejack noted. “M- Maybe he can stay with one of us for a while. He’s got to where else to go,” Fluttershy stuttered. “Oh, I couldn’t ask any of you to let me stay for a while. I barely know any of you.” “Don’t worry about it Lightning. Hey, maybe you can stay at Sweet Apple Acres,” Twilight suggested. “It’s big enough to hold the entire Apple family. Is that OK Applejack?” The hard working pony, still a tad suspicious of the new stallion responded, “Really? My place? Oh, uh, I don’t think Lightning would take everypony gettin up early to work to kindly. He needs a, uh, a quiet place to rest.” “Well if that’s the only problem, I could help with a few things. My wing may be useless but that doesn’t mean I am. I’d hate to stay with any of you without actually doing anything in return.” He looked straight in the eyes of the orange earth pony, and she realized he told the truth. This time. “Well, if it’s only for a little bit, then I guess it wouldn’t be so bad,” said the yellow pony when she finally caved. “Thanks Applejack! I promise I won’t be a hindrance to you, and I’ll be up bright and early to help on the farm.” The cyan pegasus was happy to have a place to stay, but inside he knew he shouldn’t get too comfortable. Once that was settled, everypony went on to their homes to rest. This had been a long day, but then again, this had been only just the beginning. End Chapter One