Reminder: Author's Note at the Bottom
It was a terrible day for her. Because of her recklessness, her idea with the tornado, and the fact that she put Rainbow Dash's friends in harm's way, Lightning Dust got herself kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy. Her dreams to become a Wonderbolt are shattered. What's worse is that all of Cloudsdale heard about the disastrous event. To hide her face from her own home, Lightning Dust fled to Ponyville and decided to stay there. Luckily, nopony knew about the event that occured. She approached a bar and entered it. The place was calm and quiet, giving her time to come up with an apology. But only if she could. There is no way she'll be able to show her face to Cloudsdale again.
"Can I get you something?" Berry Punch asked.
"Whatever is commonly served" she answered. The dark purple mare nodded and filled a mug with alcoholic cider. She placed the mug in front of Lightning Dust but the Pegasus didn't drink it.
"Is something wrong?" Berry Punch asked.
"No" the light green mare answered. As Berry Punch left her alone to aide the next patron, Lightning Dust cried softly. Oh how she wished she didn't pull that stupid stunt.
Elsewhere
For a former assassin, I feel great about this place. Wearing a black shirt, brown pants, as well as dark running shoes, I made my way over to Fluttershy's house. Since Rarity is working with an important client in Canterlot along with the other five (Spike is among them), I can't have my red leather jacket fixed right now. The reason Fluttershy didn't go is because she had to take care of Toby. Plus it was also Inexcuseable for him to miss school.
The gentle breeze flew past my short, brown, wavy hair as I made my way over to Fluttershy's cottage. I knocked on the door and waited for it to be answered. The door opened and I saw Angel standing by the doorway, looking up at me.
"Hey Angel, is Fluttershy home?" I asked. Between you and me, I may be 21, with the skills of an assassin (which I don't use until a situation calls for it), but this rabbit scares me for some reason. The rabbit made some gestures and pointed to the kitchen.
"Oh so she's helping Toby with his homework?" I asked. The rabbit nodded.
"So I shall come back again some other time?" I asked once more. Again, Angel nodded.
"Understandable. After all, homework is important." The rabbit nodded with agreement. I bid goodbye to the rabbit and left the cottage as the door closed behind me.
Near the entrance to Ponyville, I bumped into a pony whom I never encountered during my time here. He has a black coat, red eyes, and bat-like wings. He has a necklace with a cross attached to it around his neck, and his mane and tail is a color pattern of green and black. "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there" he said.
"No problem" I responded. "The name's Cale. Cale McManus."
"Night Streak" the Pegasus returned the greeting. He raised his right forehoof up and I shook it. "Are you new to Ponyville?" He asked.
"No, not really" I answered. "Why?"
"I've never seen a human in Ponyville before and I've been living here almost my whole life."
"Really? You've never met Toby, Fluttershy's adoptive son?" I asked, shocked. "Toby is the most popular human in Ponyville. Not knowing Toby is insulting, crazy, and just not right. Come on we're meting him" I said. Turning back to where I came from, Night Streak followed me back to Fluttershy's cottage.
"Say, what's with the cross?" I asked Night Streak during our walk.
"Oh this? Long story short, I could do magic." I'm assuming the necklace he wears is a private matter so I decided to stop there. Unless of course he's willing to tell me. Other than that, I'm not sticking my nose into his business.
As we made our way back to the cottage, we bumped into another human and a wolf. The human wore a sky blue sweater, the sleeves were long and charcoal grey, he also wore dark blue jeans, and walking shoes. His wolf companion has a red colored coat, has black tribal markings on his underbelly, and the bottom half of his tail, and from his neck to around his eyes were black.
"You know..." I began. "I've been living in Equestria for quite some time now and not once have I seen you two."
"Really?" The human asked. "That's funny, because Riley and I have seen you" he said almost menacingly.
"Since when?" I asked. Instead of giving me a straight answer, the human pointed to the entrance to the Everfree Forest. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Recently we saw you approach Fluttershy's cottage. What was your purpose going there?"
"Look, this doesn't have to get ugly" Night Streak whispered into my ear.
"Hey I'm just..." Before I could continue, the human whipped out his katana that he had sheathed on his back and aimed it at me.
"Are you going after Toby?!" He shouted. Quick as a flash, I pulled out a desert eagle handgun and cocked it.
"Don't make me use this" I warned.
"This isn't the first time I've been threatened with a weapon" the human said to me seriously.
"This isn't the first time I had a blade pointed at me" I retaliated.
"Cale, put the weapon away, I don't want things to get ugly" Night Streak said to me.
"The pony's right. We don't want to start a fight in a friend-filled area now, do we?" The human asked.
"No, we don't" I answered. "I'll tell you what. On the count of three, we put our weapons away and start this whole introduction again. What do you say?"
"Sounds good to me" he answered.
"Do you promise?" I asked.
"I promise."
"And what about the wolf over there? Will he calm down?"
"That, I do not know."
"A risky move" I said. I took a breath. "Ok... 1" I counted.
"2" the human said as I switched the safety of the gun back on.
"3" we said at the same time. The same time I tucked my gun away, the human sheathed his katana. "I'm Nikolai" the human said. "And the wolf here is Riley, my companion" he said.
"I'm Cale, and this is Night Streak." Suddenly, the wolf tackled me to the ground, growling ferociously.
"Hey! You said you won't start a fight!" Night Streak shouted.
"Oh, threatening me in any shape or form puts him in a foul mood" Nikolai pointed out.
"It's better if you warn me beforehand!" I shouted over Riley's growls and barks.
In Ponyville
Lightning Dust remained in the bar and she still hasn't touched her drink. She looked at her reflection glistening on the beverage. With a sigh, she drank the whole thing in one gulp. "I just want to forget everything that happened" she said quietly to herself. Just then, the doors to the bar opened and Night Streak entered, laughing. The sound of the doors opening, surprised her.
"Yeah, ha-ha laugh it up Pony That Looks Like a Royal Guard of Princess Luna" I said, faking a laugh as I followed him. I had a black eye on my right eye and scratch marks on my shirt. Riley kept his eyes focused on me and growled almost nonstop.
"Wow" Nikolai said, holding a laugh. "I think Riley doesn't like you." He let out his laughter.
"You think?" I asked. I placed a few bits on the table. "One glass of cider and one glass of ice, please" I said.
"What do you need a glass of ice for?" Nikolai asked. Lightning Dust moved to a corner to keep herself away from us. When the glasses arrived, I picked up the glass with the cider and drank it. While I was guzzling my drink down, I picked up the glass with the ice and pressed it against my head. "After I get my head checked, want to pick up Toby?" I asked once I was done with my cider.
"Sure" Night Streak said. I turned to Nikolai who was giving me a cold look.
"What?" I asked as I put the glasses down.
"If something happens to Toby, I will kill you and bury your body in the Everfree Forest" he warned.
I laughed nervously for a second. "Ok" I said, while keeping my nervous tone. Lightning Dust took this moment to sneak out of the bar.
"Hey! That mare didn't pay!" Berry Punch shouted.
"Oh, gotta run!" I shouted as I pushed my way past Nikolai. I then ran after the light green Pegasus and out the bar. Nikolai approached Berry Punch.
"I'll pay for her, how much does she owe you?" He asked as Riley and Night Streak ran out of the bar.
Outside, Lightning Dust ran down the streets of Ponyville, trying to avoid me, Night Streak, and Riley. I dove for her, but she evaded me and I ended up on lying on my front.
"Come on Cale, get a move on!" Night Streak shouted as he trampled me. I was about to get up, but Riley trampled me back to the ground. I quickly got to my feet and ran after them. Due to being trampled, I staggered to the right and collapsed, feeling dazed. Just seconds after I collapsed, Nikolai ran past my body, joining the chase.
Lightning Dust took flight and flew as fast as her wings could let her out of Ponyville, leaving a streak of lightning behind. Night Streak landed on the ground and panted as if he ran out of breath. "I can't keep up with her" he panted. "I can't..." He turned around and saw that he's been talking to no one other than himself. "What the--?" He asked. Not too far behind was Riley, tired and exhausted. Lying next to him was Nikolai.
"You know, we could've ordered a drink instead of chasing her" Nikolai panted. "Riley and I hadn't got anything to eat nor drink in awhile."
"Where's Cale?" Night Streak asked.
"Um.." Nikolai looked around. "I thought he was with you."
"He was until..." a voice cut him off.
"Until I got trampled" I said as I made my way over to my 'friends' slightly hunched over.
"What happened to you? Is your back ok?" Nikolai asked.
"What this? No I just came back from Japan" I said sarcastically. "The emperor told me to send you his greetings by the way. Now get on over here and help me get to the hospital. I feel like I don't have a back anymore."
Fluttershy's Cottage
Fluttershy has just helped Toby finish writing his essay about earning a cutie mark and what it means when one is obtained. Even though humans cannot obtain them, he wrote everything he knew about them based on his knowledge from living in Equestria (and with the help of Silver Spoon at times). Out of everypony in Ponyville, there's only a few that knows about his crush on the mare. Me, Fluttershy, and Princess Twilight. For the others, we don't talk about it.
"Thank you mom" Toby said. The young lad was as small as a filly. He has brown hair, wears glasses, wears a red sweater, blue pants, and sneakers.
"You're welcome honey" Fluttershy said. Just then, there was a knock on the door. I'll go get it" Fluttershy said. She walked over to the door and opened it. When she did, she gasped.
"Hi Fluttershy" Lightning Dust said. "Sorry about...." Her voice trailed off as pity took over her.
"Mommy? Who is there?" Toby asked from the kitchen. Being the element of Kindness, Fluttershy escorted the mare into her cottage and had her sit on the sofa. Fluttershy knew what she was talking about.
"It's ok. We're fine now" Fluttershy said as she hugged Lightning Dust for comfort.
"What about Rainbow Dash and the others?" Lightning Dust asked.
"They're running errands in Canterlot. Only I'm one of Rainbow Dash's friends remaining here in Ponyville" she said. "Although..."
"Although what?" Lightning Dust asked nervously.
"There's someone I want you to meet. Well... A few friends of Rainbow Dash's actually. One is in the kitchen right now. Toby? Can you come here please?" The child entered the living room.
"Yes momma?" He asked.
"This is..." Fluttershy trailed off.
"Lightning Dust" the mare responded. Toby noticed tears running down Lightning Dust's face.
"I'm Toby" the small boy said. He approached Lightning Dust and turned to his mother. "Momma? Why's she crying?"
"A lot happened" she answered. She didn't dare think to talk about the incident with the tornado to her son. It'll scar him for life. "Let's not talk about it" she said.
"Ok." He said. He then wrapped his arms around Lightning Dust to comfort her.
"Sweet isn't he?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes" Lightning Dust said as she returned the hug. "He's very sweet."
Ponyville Hospital
I was sitting on a bed in a groggy state. "You're lucky you didn't break your back" the doctor helping me said. He had a brown colored coat, his mane was black and so was his tail. His eyes were blue and his cutie mark is a syringe against a Red Cross.
"Thanks Doc" I said.
"Please. Call me Haywick" he said.
"Haywick" I corrected myself. Nurse Redheart poked her head into the room.
"Haywick?" She asked. "Mr. McManus's friends are here and they want to see him" she said.
"Ok, send them in" Haywick said. Riley, Nikolai and Night Streak entered the room. I noticed Nikolai jingled a few bits in his hand. "I was about to get something from a vending machine but..." He trailed off. I gave him an unamused look.
"Go on. I want to hear this tale" I said.
"Forget it" he said as he tucked the bits away.
"Whatever you say." Just then, Toby and Fluttershy entered the room. "Hey, there's Toby!" I said, hopping off the bed. I bent down so I leveled myself with the youngster. I gave him a high five.
"So that's Toby?" Night Streak asked.
"Yep, this is the human that everypony likes to hang out with. Anypony who has a problem with him has to deal with Fluttershy, me..." Nikolai cleared his throat to get my attention.
"And those two over there." Night Streak bent down so he was leveled with Toby.
"Hi Toby, I'm Night Streak."
"Hello" the child greeted as he stretched out his hand in which Night Streak shook.
"How did you know we were here?" I asked Fluttershy.
"I know you Cale" she said. "Every time you chase a culprit, you end up here."
"Culprit?" Night Streak asked. Just then, Lightning Dust stepped into the room looking a little glum.
"Hi" she said meekly. "Sorry about earlier" she apologized.
"No problem" I said. "I sometimes land on my front when I try to catch somepony running away."
"First time it being a mare?" Nikolai asked, trying not to laugh.
"Ok you, hush" I said, turning to him. I turned back to Lightning Dust. "Why did you run away from us?" I asked.
"When I saw you guys enter the bar, having a good time, with the laughing and all, it made me feel a little jealous because I don't have any friends."
"Oh come on" Night Streak said. "If you're looking for friends, we'll be glad to be yours. Should've asked us. We would've said 'yes'."
"You would be my friends?" She asked, eyes widening a little.
"Of course" Night Streak assured. "We all like making new friends here in Ponyville."
"So you wouldn't mind if I did something reckless in the past?" She asked nervously.
"Please" Night Streak said. "I'm sure we all did something reckless in our past at one point." A chill ran up my spine. Oh God, I hope they don't find out. "But hey, it's all in the past, I'm pretty sure we've all changed, am I right?" night Streak asked.
"Yeah" Nikolai and I said at the same time in the same monotoned voice. It's like listening to a guy lecturing someone something they already learned back in kindergarten. "So what do you say guys? Can we be her friends?" One by one, we all got into a group hug around Lightning Dust. Even Haywick and Fluttershy joined the hug. Just then, an idea popped into my head.
"Hey watch this" I said as we broke the hug. "Haywick, run it" I said. The doctor looked at me confused. I forgot, I just met him today. But I am familiar with the room, so I decided to run a test.
"Hey Toby, let's run it." As I picked up a marker and wrote something on the whiteboard, Toby put one hand over his eye. "Look how smart this guy is."
"Ok Toby, go" I said, as I stepped aside. I wrote:
Cat, dog, A, B, C, 1, 2, 3.
"Cat, dog, A, B, C, 1, 2, 3" Toby said with a smile.
"The kid gets an 'A'!" I shouted with joy as everyone in the room applauded. "The kid gets an 'A'!" I laughed triumphantly. "Now if you'll excuse me" I said as I put the marker down and erased the board. "I'm celebrating by going bowling."
"Are you going to get ice cream after?" Toby asked.
"Sure am" I grinned.
"Hey, you're not going without me" Night Streak said.
"Leave me or Riley behind, and I'll..." I didn't want him to threaten me again so I cut him off.
"Yes, yes, you can come too" I said nervously. "Matter if fact, everypony can come. You too Doc."
"I mean, my shift ends in about a minute so... Sure why not."
"It's settled" I said as I made my way out of the room, whistling a tune. Lightning Dust turned to the others.
"Is he always like this?" She asked.
"You have no idea" Fluttershy answered with a smile.
Time Goes By
Believe it or not, the winner of the bowling tournament I held was Nikolai. Since Toby wasn't strong enough to carry a bowling ball, Lightning Dust offered to help him. Can't believe I got beaten at my own game by my new friends. From bowling, we went to a park and played soccer with some fillies. From there, we went to Sugar Cube Corner where Pinkie Pie had set up a Welcome to Ponyville and We Forgive You Party for Lightning Dust. Of course we all knew better not to question Pinkie Pie. I was tempted to question her about how she knew this, but knowing her, I'm not going to get a straight answer. I approached Lightning Dust and tapped her on the shoulder.
"How do you like it here?" I asked.
"It's great but..." She saw Rainbow Dash in the corner avoiding eye contact with her.
"She'll come around, I'm sure" I assured her.
"Thank you for doing this" she said.
"What, the party? No, no this is all Pinkie Pie's idea."
"No. For letting me hang out with you and the others plus giving me new friends."
'All in one day' I thought to myself. With each spot we went to, Lightning Dust began to make more friends. Ponyville is a big place so it's 100% likely that Lightning Dust will make more friends while she's here. "Hey Cale, Lightning Dust!" Haywick called.
"I'm watching to see how many servings of cider it'll take for Nikolai to get drunk."
"Are you down to watch this?" I asked.
"I'm down" Lightning Dust responded with a smile. The two of us joined our new group of friends to see if Nikolai could get drunk over a number of ciders. He in fact got drunk after 4-5 mugs. The party went on for hours and with each hour passing by, the happiness level of Lightning Dust grew more and more. Little did she know, her adventure in Ponyville has just begun. With her new friends, ponies looking forward to be her friend as well, nothing can go wrong... Right?
Well there's only one mare who's holding a grudge on her. And she's standing in the corner. A cyan coated, rainbow maned Pegasus. Someone or somepony should be keeping an eye on her. Who knows what she's planning?