//------------------------------// // Lightning Bolt // Story: Pegasus Densetsu // by Wyrm //------------------------------// Pegasus Densetsu MLP:FiM by Lauren Faust (Hasbro) Angel Densetsu by Norihiro Yagi Chapter 5: Lightning Bolt "What a hick town, Cloudsdale," a bone-white filly with red-dyed hair sneered as she stared out at the expanse of Cloudsdale from an overlooking embankment. "I could be in Canterlot or Manehatten, but no. My parents think that being in a dinky little town like this will 'build my character.'" She stomped her foot in frustration. "Nuts to that! I'll become a delinquent of the first class! Every pony will tremble upon hearing my name, and once my parents find out, we'll be out of here faster than you can say 'Sonic Rainboom!'" Yeah. That's her entire plan: become a bad pony to make parents worry and move to a better environment. Silly pony. The pony looked down and saw that a trio of colts were hidden amongst the tufts of clouds amongst the embankment. They were using them as cover to hide their smoking habit. "Hmmm... Might as well start trouble now," said the filly. With a loud *hawwwk*-ing noise, she spat a gooey lugie at them. It landed right on a colt we shall now label Punk #1. The punk looked up, and spied the bone-white filly above them on the embankment. With a jerk of his head, the three of them made their way up the embankment to confront the cheeky filly. "Hey, you. Yeah, you," said Punk #1 to the bone-white filly. "You're the one who hocked a lugie on me. What are you going to do about it?" The second punk, named now uncreatively Punk #2, snarked at the filly. "Look at that stupid red dye job! Looks like your brains are falling out. Then again, if you spit on us, your brains will be falling out soon." Punk #1 snorted. "Ain't seen you around here. New girl, huh?" "Hiding in the grass to smoke? Pathetic. Beyond pathetic. You might as well be a worm," snorted the red-haired, bone-white pegasus filly. "What trash you talkin'?" growled Punk #1. The bone-white filly turned to sneer at them. Her heavy make-up accentuated the glare she leveled at them. She had cosmetically altered her eyebrows so that only the innermost part of them were visible, making her brow seem perpetually knitted in anger. Heavy eyeliner emphasized the whites of her eyes, making them appear bigger. "Besides, smoking is bad for you. You should give it up," she chided the three as if to young foals, stepping forward without a hint of fear. The consistently-named Punk #3 stiffened. "You wanna fight?!" he growled. "There are three of us here, you b*yay*! You think you can win?!" roared Punk #1. He tried to put on a false bravado, but it seemed that this filly was glaring straight through it. The bone-white filly sneered. "One. Three. Thirteen. It don't matter to me. I'll take you all on at once, so quit shouting and come at me." She grinned with the hunger of a fight. Punk #1's nerves broke at that point, and he ran away in fear. The rest, also on edge, broke formation and ran, whimpering in fear. The bone-white filly blew out a contemptuous breath. "Pfft. Losers." She grinned in satisfaction of her first encounter with the local toughs. "Well, that first attempt went rather well. This red mane dye job and emo-punk makeup scared them off. Heh heh! Not that if they tried anything would I have been a pushover. Good thing daddy insisted on all those self-defense classes for his 'pwechious widdle girl.' Being a little scrapper is tough if you can't fight. "If this is all Cloudsdale has to offer, I'll be able to conquer the entire town, not just the school," she mused openly, "But first things first: the school. Won't take three days, I bet!" The filly stopped as a thought occurred to her. She stood there on the embankment, glancing around and blinking in loss of position. "Where was it again?" she asked to no one, apprehensive now that she realized she was lost. "I don't know where the school is! I gotta ask directions!" She glanced around, confusion in her eyes, until she spotted a mountain of a grey colt with a hoofball goal-post cutie mark, and a smaller, but still solidly built brown colt with a single dumbbell cutie mark. The bone-white filly called to them. "Hey! Hey, you over there!" The two paused, then slowly turned to face the uppity filly. "Yeah, you. You know where Cloudsdale Flight School is? Tell me." "What?" the brown-coated colt with the dumbbell mark said, glaring at the bone-white filly. They were, of course, Field Goal and Dumbbell, heads of the Cloudsdale varsity hoofball team cum gang of thugs. "What's with you? That's no way to ask a question. You know who we are?" The bone-white filly sneered. They were punk-looking fellows. "I don't. Just came today. Can't bluff an ignorant newcomer, eh?" she chuckled. The bone-white filly launched straight to a trash-talking boasting, "But everyone in this town is going to know and dread my face soon enough, along with the name — Cloudsdale Flight School's Red Mad Dog, Lightning Bolt!" The two colts stared at her for a long moment, not looking the least bit impressed. Eventually, the bigger of the two, Field Goal, spoke up. "A transfer student? Never been to Cloudsdale?" "Heh," chuckled Lightning Bolt, "First time I've ever been in such a backwater town." "Poor sucker, coming here," Field Goal and Dumbbell said in perfect unison. "Huh?" blurted Lightning Bolt. She was expecting contempt, or skepticism, or even anger at a sudden rival, but not outright pity. "First year, eh? Well, it'd be the same if you were an upper-year, too," said Field Goal, walking calmly away. "Good luck, kid. Seriously," Dumbbell said casually, following. "Buh?! Hey! Wait a darn minute!" Lightning Bolt called back, a little steamed at their casual dismissal and equally casual pity. They continued walking, as if she hadn't said a word. Lightning Bolt gritted her teeth in anger. If I'm going to be a feared and respected delinquent (thus get daddy to leave here for the big city), I can't take that kind of guff! "I said wait, you big clumsy oaf!!" roared Lightning Bolt, dashing up to buck the large colt in the rump. "Don't ignore me like that, you bastard! Just because you're an upper-year doesn't mean cow pies to me!" Dumbbell sighed as he and Field Goal glanced back at this uppity filly. The filly smirked, chuckling. "You mad, aincha! If ya wanna do somethin' 'bout it, then bring it, b*yay*! I got the skills to back me up! Wanna see?" What followed could only be called a curb-stomp. Field Goal unloaded a straight hoof-thrust into the filly's temple, sending her reeling. "Y-You bastard..." she growled, before taking Field Goal's other hoof in the jaw. "Y-You..." This time a buck to the flank. This was followed by more hoof-punches as Lightning Bolt got up again and again for more punishment. "You buck— ... GUH! ... ARGHH!!" And all just after we learned the bone-white filly's name, too. At the end of a few minutes, Lightning Bolt was left a crumpled heap on the ground. "B'duh! Holy crimson nuggets! That guy's crazy tough! I guess he's the strongest pony in town. No wonder he put on such mighty airs," she said with a fired-up smile, rising unsteadily to her feet and wiping away the blood. "Powerful ponies are always drawn to each other. It's destiny. The time will come when I'll settle the score with him. But first, I need to conquer my grade level. And some band-aids." —/— Plasters in place, Lightning Bolt managed to find her way to Cloudsdale Flight School. She spied the sign directing her to the east building, being a first year. As she stood amongst the flow of first and second year students, Lightning Bolt snorted. "This school is LAAAAME! A lame school that takes its lame town's lame name!" she declared, feeling absolutely no need to consult a thesaurus. Directing her attention to the students, she snorted in contempt again at what she saw. "The students are also lame! Buncha straight arrowed goodie four shoes! The delinquency quotient of these students is shockingly low. Surely there's a couple here, right?" she groused. "Who are you?" came a surprising voice, "I haven't seen you around before." Lightning Bolt turned to face a large filly whose coat was a shade softer white than her own coat and poofy and wild blonde mane and tail, flanked by a pink filly with a blue mane and a red-coated filly with a black mane on either side, both a bit smaller than her. However, they were all undoubtedly second-years. "Did you just blow in here without realizing where you were or something?" asked the snow white filly. Lightning Bolt grit her teeth. Who is this filly? She acts pretty big for her size — actually, she's pretty big anyway. Big enough to be a third-year, though she can only be a second-year at most, here around the east campus. And she has a confident air to her. Hmm... she contemplated. The snow white filly cracked a slight smile. "Forgive me. I'm Surprise, the Empress of this school," Surprise calmly introduced herself. "And these are my fellow Queens, Firefly and Firecracker." The two henchponies nodded in turn. Surprise scrutinized Lightning Bolt for a moment, and shook her head with contempt. "Is that a dye job, or did you just stick your head in cranberry juice, girl? It's pathetic, makes you look like some sort of second-rate punk." Lightning Bolt blinked at the information. Empress?! Ah, that explains some things! She's the head of the school — the strong call the strong! she thought with a smile. She stepped back, planting her feet in a fighting stance. "Say what you want about the hair, but you might want to see the true power of this redhead, first," she said, in a clear confrontational tone, "I must warn you, I've studied many forms of martial arts, not just brawling." This was an exaggeration — it was only some self-defense training. "I've never lost a fight in the old country!" True, as she never got into a fight to lose before. All of her battle experience was in sparring. She thrust her hoof in a hooking action at Surprise's stoic face. "TAKE MY KILLER RIGHT HOOK!" she screamed. In response, Surprise calmly held up her own in a gesture to please stop that nonsense. "Hold on there, girl. Don't be hasty." Lightning Bolt froze, surprised by Surprise's clear and calm refusal. Seeing her stop, Surprise explained, "I see that you've already been in a recent scrap. I make it a point not to harm normal ponies and the injured." She turned to leave, calling back as her henchponies followed, "If you want a fight, come back when you're all better. I will gladly be your opponent then." Lightning Bolt watched them walk away, then smiled in satisfaction. "Heh. She's definitely the big cheese of this school. A formidable pony. I look forward to our inevitable clash." Lightning Bolt felt slightly giddy at the prospect. "First the chief of the town, now the head thug of the school. Those are some big ponies for such a lame town. They didn't even blink at my appearance." Meanwhile, Surprise had a pale look that was almost invisible on her snow-white face. "What a weirdo," she said in a quiet, condescending tone. Her two companions looked at her like she'd grown a second head. Actually, growing a second head might not elicit as much surprise as the snow-white filly was getting at the moment, as familiar as the two were with their empress. "I know how hypocritical and hippopotamus that sounds, but she is, 'specially with that wacky dye job. Something about her is just... off. Best not mess with her." Again, her two companions stared at her. "What?" Firecracker and Firefly remained silent, but they shared a common thought, You're the last pony we would want to hear that from. We now return to Lightning Bolt, already in progress. "Well, I lost to the strongest of colts... not feeling too swell," mused the bone-white filly. "Need to blow off some steam... by beating the nutmeg out of somepony, of course." Lightning Bolt spotted a cerulean-coated filly with a rainbow-colored mane done up in a spiky do walk towards her. The cloud's with that do? It's crazier than mine! It took a few moments, but realization struck her. She smiled a cruel, blood thirsty smile. Oh, I get it! This is the one the boss filly was talking trash about: a pony trying to intimidate with a weird do, with no skill at all. Looks like a pushover, too! Too bad, chump! You're my stress relief! Lightning Bolt stepped out in front of Rainbow Dash, declaring, "Look at that ridiculous mane! Have you no shame?" "Look who's talking," Rainbow Dash said offhandedly, passing her by without even pausing to regard her. Lightning Bolt could not have been more brushed off if Rainbow Dash had used an actual brush. "Buh? What?" Lightning Bolt sputtered. What was with this filly? Didn't she recognize a threat when she heard one? "Hey, wait! Wait, dang it!" the starker of the two ponies bellowed, stepping out in front of Dash to block her path. "If you want to keep walking down this path, you'll have to defeat me, first!" she roared in challenge. Rainbow Dash raised a curious eyebrow. "Who do you think you are, an enemy character in a fighting mane-ga?" she asked, almost mockingly, but mostly with genuine confusion. What is with this filly? Did she escape from an insane asylum or something? "What's a 'mane-ga'?" asked Lightning Bolt, but then shook off the unusual word choice. "Wait! Shut up! Thugs like you with stupid hair are nothing but eyesores! Have you looked at yourself in a mirror?!" bellowed Lightning Bolt, the volume of her shouts growing with her frustration. Again, an eyebrow went up. "What about you? You look like you opened a walnut with your face. Want me to guide you to the nurse's office?" "None of your business!" screeched the bone-white filly with the bruised and battered face. Horse hockey! She's winning the battle of words here! I guess poser punks have the quickest tongues! "A-Anyway! Of all the ways to dye a pony's hair, rainbow colors have gotta be the dumbest, you show-off, phony punk with a smart mouth!" Rainbow Dash stood still for a moment, pondering. Then a smile of realization graced her mouth. "Ohhhh! I get it! You want to fight!" the cerulean filly said in understanding, laughing in embarrassment at her own thick-headedness. "Sorry, I didn't notice. I'm kinda new to this punk thing myself — before I fell in with the current leader, the worst I'd ever done was a banned aerial stunt. Again, sorry for the bother." The sincere apology over, Rainbow Dash stared at her evenly. "So, shall we? Is here fine, or would you rather go to a different spot?" she asked. The bone-white filly stared at the cerulean one, confused, before letting out a snort of contempt. "At least you're honest about your lack of skill in fighting; if only it could be as good as your skill in speaking! Come on, right now. I warn you, though, I've learned many kinds of—" *SOCK!* "Argh!" grunted Lightning Bolt as she staggered back from Rainbow Dash's fast and powerful right cross. She didn't even wait for me to finish boasting! Steeling herself, the bone-white filly charged her, growling in anger, "Why you—" *POW!* "Urgh... Do-yahhh!!" Well, I think you can guess what happens next. "GAH!! ... GUH!! ... GEH! ... UGH!" —/— Lightning Bolt was —for the second time— laid out on the ground, beaten silly. She slowly and painfully staggered to her hooves. "I... Impossible!" she murmured in disbelief, "I was beaten up by the girl the Empress dissed! She wasn't afraid of my terrible face one bit. What the cloud is going on with this school?!" She took a moment to spit out a mixture of phlegm and blood from her mouth. "It's like I walked into the Everfree forest, where even the smallest fry can be incredibly hazardous to a pony's health!" The bone-white filly contemplated the thought of being the bottom of the local food chain, but soundly rejected it. "No, that can't be! I've just been having bad luck today. Yeah, that's the ticket..." She stood erect and faced the school gates. "Next... the next pony," she panted. "I'm gonna use my true power on The next pony to walk through those gates! I don't care who it is, I'll beat the ever-living snot outta him, or her." She waited for quite a while, because the grounds were suddenly abandoned. Furthermore, there was an ill and chilly wind blowing through the clouded architecture. "Dang, just when I decide to kick the next pony's flank, nopony shows up. It's like this place has it in for me." (Cough.) "Students should still be arriving..." She shivered as the cold wind cut through her coat. "...and it's kinda nippy all of a sudden. What's going on?" She did not wait long after that when a figure resolved itself from the suddenly misty surroundings, like the very clouds themselves were shuddering in fear in what approached. Lightning Bolt didn't take the hint, and smiled at the approaching figure. "Finally, a sucker! And fortunately for me, it's just one pony! One unlucky pony! That's the price for making me wait! Prepare to..." Her words were brought up short, as the naturally beady and ringed eyes, absent eyebrows, and permanent leer of Fluttershy emerged from the fog. Lightning Bolt's pupils shrunk to points. "Wh-What the cloud! What a terrifying face! Is she even a pony?!" she squealed. Meanwhile, jarred out of her thoughtful revere by the other's sudden exclamation but catching none of its content, Fluttershy seemed to see Lightning Bolt for the first time. And that first time was not a pleasant one for her. It was a filly, bone-white as if in medical shock, and her mane seemingly soaked in her own blood, adding to the hamburgered face she had already, and she could not help but to let out a scream in fright. "KIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" Oh my goodness! She's bleeding! Her head is all bloody! Lightning Bolt gasped at the sudden shriek, jumping back. "Y... you wanna fight?!" she stuttered, crouching down in a shaky fighting stance, "I know several kinds of—" Fluttershy reared up, kicking her back legs in a frenzy, as she rushed Lightning Bolt with forelegs raised above her head. As she charged, she shrieked, "KIEEEEEEAKAYYYY!!!!! WAHAPAYAAIEEEE!!!" 'Are you okaaay?! What happened to you?!' Lightning Bolt's brain threw down its arms and waved the little white flag of surrender. The bone-white filly's eyes rolled up, and she slumped to the ground, fainting dead away. "H... hang in there! Someone help!" screamed Fluttershy in concern and fear. Lightning Bolt Battle Report: 0 Wins, 3 Losses. —/— "Hey, Surprise. Didja hear about Lightning Bolt?" "Who?" Firecracker turned to look at Surprise. "She's the bone-white filly who dyed her mane red. Anyway, I heard she picked a fight with Fluttershy and got the tar beaten out of her so bad, she got sent to the nurse's office." Surprise burst out laughing. "WAHAHAHA! Serves her right! That's what you get for fighting the most powerful pony at Cloudsdale your first day!" The three shared a hearty laugh, but it soon became awkward. "I remember when that used to be me," Surprise said, suddenly depressed at her lost status. "Sorry," Firecracker said in condolence. Their walk to school continued, only to find that the bone-white filly was waiting for them at the school gates, her face bandaged from the previous fights, and wearing a scowl that could kill cockatrices. She leaned casually against the stone pillar. "Nuts. That bone-white, red-maned first year again!" Surprise clucked. "She still gives me the willies. Ignore her, okay?" That is what they tried, but Lightning Bolt would not let them. "Hey, chief." Surprise swallowed. "What?" she asked, managing to keep the nervousness from her voice. The bone-white filly spoke again. "There's no need to ignore me just because I got plastered by your cronies. Then again, I suppose it's no wonder you can't even meet me in the eye, given that I was worked over by your lessers. I understand completely." Surprise, Firefly, and Firecracker looked left, then right, trying to find the pony Lighting Bolt was talking about. A nagging feeling occurred to Surprise, that Lighting Bolt was —in fact— talking to her. "Me?" she asked, pointing a hoof at herself. Why is she behaving so modestly? Why does she have such a laid-back attitude? thought Lightning Bolt with confusion before continuing, "You know, this town really surprised me. I got thwomped by the first hulking piece of meat I met, got wasted by that rainbow-maned filly you dissed, and then... there was some demonic looking yellow-coated filly who let out this horrific scream and ran right at me — freakiest gait I've ever seen! Who is that sucker?" Firefly shouted, "The cloud are you talking about?!" Firecracker added, "That demon-looking filly is the Gua—" *GONG!* "OW! Son of a b*yay*!" Surprise silenced the both of them by putting her forehooves on their heads and slamming them together. "What's the big idea, Surprise! That hurt!" Firefly shouted, but Surprise ignored her. Instead, she whispered to the both of them as she stepped past them. "Follow my lead, you two." Her lead. The two knew what that meant: she was about to play a prank! Surprise stepped up to the red-maned filly and growled down at her, "She is the number two of Cloudsdale Flight School. The right-hoof filly of Surprise, the fabled Guardian of Cloudsdale." Firefly and Firecracker experienced total jaw suspension failure at that declaration. We're so dead! Lightning Bolt stared up in awe of Surprise for a moment, before it became a smirk of satisfaction. "Heh. You're certainly full of surprises, Surprise. If you can really order that demon filly around, then you are indeed the Empress you claim." She pawed the dirt in challenge. "And that makes me wish to cross hooves with you more than ever. I know I'm going to lose, but I can't help but want to see how good I actually am." Surprise didn't get much past 'I know I'm going to lose,' because the alarm klaxons started blaring loudly in her mind's ear. She... she knows she's gonna lose? Doesn't she care how hurt she's gonna get? The snow-white filly shook off the feeling. She must be misunderstanding Lightning Bolt. Right? "Um, er... You foal!" she suddenly exclaimed, "How can you even think of fighting me, when you cannot even best my good fillies?!" "B-But your promise—" "That was before you proved yourself so weak by getting the snot beat out of you by my underlings!" Surprise countered Lightning Bolt's protest. "You tipped your hand, filly. Too bad, too sad." That last point brought Lightning Bolt short. She paused to think, then came to her conclusion. "Yeah, that makes sense. Fighting me would be a waste of your time. I couldn't even beat the weakest of you," she murmured, more to herself than to anypony else. "Okay, I just have to work up through your ranks, one by one. First is that rainbow-maned filly, right? And who's after that?" "Uh. That would be the number two." "What? Already?!" Lightning Bolt shouted in surprise, "Don't tell me that's all the ponies you have!" Surprise blew air through her pursed lips, making a razzing sound. "Pfft. Don't let our small numbers fool you. I'll have you know, with only the five of us, we clobbered the entirety of the varsity hoofball team — and that's just a front for a gang controlled by Field Goal!" Lightning Bolt's eyes widened in respect and awe. So the hoofball team here was actually a gang of thugs under an assumed cover. And Surprise's gang had beaten them. "Wow!" she said breathily. Dang, that's awesome! I denfinitely want to be a part of this gang! "Well, at least your conditions are easy to understand. Short story, if I beat them, I can fight you, right?" "You got it." Surprise stepped away to continue on her way, then paused in a sudden thought. "Oh, and another thing." Surprise was suddenly several hands taller than Lightning Bolt, glaring down at her with fire in her eyes. "No harassing or harming the normal students unless and until you depose me! This is the absolute law of the Empress Surprise! You will remember it!" she roared in warning. "Um... okay... normal students... off limits." The effect dissipated as Surprise smiled at her warmly. "As long as you understand. This is my duty as the Guardian of Cloudsdale. Forgive me for shouting." She turned around to leave. "In any case, good luck." After the three had put some distance between themselves and Lightning Bolt, murmured to their leader, "Surprise, are you sure you should have said all that? If Fluttershy hears any of that, she'll turn you into glue!" Surprise didn't look the least bit worried. "I just couldn't resist this prank, and what's done is done." Sticking out her tongue impishly, she continued, "Besides, it's not like she'll be able to beat Fluttershy, even if by some crazy fluke she manages to take down Rainbow Dash." "How is this a prank? All that will happen is that she'll get hurt! Not to mention the rendering of your flesh and bones." Surprise grinned greatly. "Cuz she's a stubborn stubby-toughy pants! She's like one of those punchy clowns: ya knock 'er down, she jumps right back up for more punishment. She'll throw herself at Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy, get beaten down, and keep coming back for more," she snickered, "If she's not smart enough to quit while she's behind, then there's nothing we can do." Firecracker frowned. "You're still sore about losing your position of dominance to Fluttershy, aren't you?" she asked in a sort of non-questioning way. Surprise twitched as a metaphorical arrow slammed right into the proverbial bullseye. "That was not the sound of you hitting right on target," she denied loudly. She is, thought Firecracker, her question difinitively answered. Firefly broke in. "And the warning against harming students?" "She's a thug. Unless she has that rule holding her back, she might try to pick fights with other students." —/— Lightning Bolt mused on Surprise's grave words for a few minutes. Surprise sure did cut an imposing figure when she wanted. "Boy, that was a shocker! I thought she was a real laid back pony, but she was pretty darn serious about protecting her students. That's a strong guardian spirit," she said in respecting awe of her last encounter with the Empress of Cloudsdale. "As I thought, she is a big pony. Knew it the moment I laid eyes on her. "So, first up is that rainbow-maned punk. Yesterday, I was wounded, and she enraged me with her wily taunting. But now I know her tricks and am in fighting form." Lightning Bolt shivered involuntarily as the cold wind blew over her, cutting through her fur. "Woo! It got cold all of a sudden," she remarked. She refocused herself on the path, and choked at the sight. "urk!" Like a ghost, Fluttershy emerged from the cloud bank, stepping calmly toward the bone-white filly. Celestia's bald spot! I knew it! Surprise's numero dos! Her face is scary as ever, too! I could almost faint again. Lightning Bolt mentally brushed those kind of thoughts away. A-anyways, first things first: namely the rainbow-chick. You're for later, #2! Fluttershy stopped suddenly, freezing in the middle of the path, glaring at her. Inside, the yellow filly's thoughts churned. H-her hair is all red! No! It can't be! thought Fluttershy with growing alarm. Again, she reared up and rushed at Lightning Bolt, screaming like a banshee: "KIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" WAHHHH! What the— Lightning Bolt almost lost it right then and there. She's coming after me again! I already took her to the nurse's yesterday! So why is her head bleeding again?! We have to stop the bleeding! thought Fluttershy in a panic. She's so pale! You need blood, you poor pony, or you'll faint again!! Holy grit nuggets! The exact same thing is happening again! This pony's totally cracker jacks! thought Lightning Bolt as Fluttershy approached. I have no choice! I have to go out of order! As Fluttershy was almost upon her, Lightning Bolt ducked down and pitched Fluttershy over her body, slamming the yellow filly onto her back. "Ha! Check out that body toss! It delivers a strong blow to the back and knocks the wind out of the opp... huh?" Fluttershy was up again, hardly fazed by the supposed stun-inducing toss. The horror-faced filly thrust a hoof at the bone-white filly's face, a thrust she barely dodged. "W... What the...?! She's invincible!" she gasped in fright, the full reason why Fluttershy was so feared seeming to dawn on her. Meanwhile, similar confusion was rippling through Fluttershy's mind. Why does she resist so much?! Does she hate the hospital?! she thought, desperate to apply pressure to the wounds on the bone-white filly's head and staunch the bleeding. As more attempts to render first aid followed —which looked to Lightning Bolt like serious attempts to knock her brains out for real— Fluttershy indulged in some internal musing, I guess everyone does... hate the hospital, that is. But if we don't do something, you'll bleed out and die! Why is she using all these thrusts aimed at my face?! Is she aiming for my eyes?! You crazy pile of feathering nuts! Lightning Bolt thought. Seeing the danger in this, she jumped far back, putting some distance between she and the crazy yellow filly. Fluttershy just stared at her intensely, focused on her eyes. This is WHACK! I'm scared... She's so ferocious... borderline insane! "What's going on?" "It's a fight!" "Hey, it's Fluttershy!" Don't know... how much time... she has... must take her to... the nurse's office... Settle down, Bolt. Be calm and watch her movements. You were disoriented at first, but she's moving directly. There's no trick here... read her timing, and bring in a counter. "KIEEEE!!!!" Lightning Bolt saw her chance. Weaving around Fluttershy's thrust, she responded with her own. A loud crack echoed through the courtyard for everyone to hear. Fluttershy staggered back. Yes! Got one in! No, you must not struggle! You'll die of blood loss! I can do this! One big rush! This time, Lightning Bolt laid into Fluttershy. Blow upon blow rained down on the yellow filly, each one making a satisfying cracking sound as they impacted her head. All of her force went into those hoof thrusts, trying to force Fluttershy back, hurt her, and knock her down. "Woah! Fluttershy's getting creamed! What's going on?" "Is that other filly that tough?" More and more blows came in, one after another, each one striking. The sound of hoof hitting face was heard by the gathered students, witnessing a sight to behold — Fluttershy taking a flurry of punches. But after a while, the gathered ponies started to notice something odd. "Hey... She's not going down..." Lightning Bolt was also beginning to realize this, as she was getting a bit winded from her punches, her forelegs beginning to get sore, but realizing that Fluttershy didn't look all that hurt. She tried her best strike, the strongest of her blows, but to no avail. Fluttershy only staggered back, off balance, then lifted her head as if nothing had happened, seeming to sneer at him while she glared at her with intense eyes. Lightning Bolt felt a chill down her spine. What the hay!! She's not going down! I could have knocked out a manticore with some of those punches, and she's coming back for more! She was getting desperate now! She threw all her weight into one last punch, actually managing to drive Fluttershy back a couple of feet, but to no avail. Fluttershy just remained on her hooves, and lifted her head, glaring and leering at Lightning Bolt. Again, Lightning Bolt's brain started waving the little white flag of surrender. She screamed, "AIYEEEEEEEEEE!!!" The clouds of a pegasus settlement should not form a fog. If they do, it means that something has gone wrong with the process that keeps the cloud's cohesion. A foggy cloud is a cloud that's rapidly eroding. Civil engineers are called at that point to keep the cloud safe for pegasi to use, reinforcing and rebuilding the cloud bank. Today, however, they were pressed with other matters, and as a result, some places in the cloud were weak, like the place where Fluttershy was currently standing. The cloud bank gave way, and Fluttershy's left side dropped through the hole opening under her. Fluttershy had only time to look surprised when her trunk jammed inside the hole, stopping her from falling to her demise, but also snapping her head solidly against the firm cloudy ground, putting her out like a light. Buzzing amongst the gathered ponies was quiet and subdued, not believing what they had seen. Lightning Bolt was also not quite believing what she was seeing, but after a while, it sunk into her. She had won. She slowly began chuckling, then burst out into a full blown laughter. "I did it! I beat the #2! You see that?! That's the power of Lightning Bolt!" She addressed the unconscious pony, "True, you're tough... tough as nails. I can see why you're number two, but the difference between us is clear! I was born to be a true martial artist!" Her smiled slipped a bit, becoming a respectful regard for a fellow fighter. "Forgive me, Number Two. This is the fate of a thug." "Um... she's out, you know. Can't hear you," a student braved. Lightning Bolt blushed a bit, laughing it off. "Ah, a fighting pony can afford a bit of melodrama, right?! Anyway, time for the showdown with the Empress!" She trotted off, laughing all the way. Meanwhile, the crowd was abuzz with discussion. "S-She lost..." "Fluttershy... lost." "I can't believe the immortal Fluttershy lost!" "Yeah, holy crud-nuggets..." A pause. "...Something doesn't seem right, though..." A few minutes later, Charlie Horse happened upon the concussed Fluttershy, nestled in the hole her body made when it fell through. No one had dared touch her since her breaking through. "Fluttershy? Oh dear, you fell through an eroded cloud!" observed the PE teacher. Gathering his stricken student from the ground and draping her over his back, he took her to the nurse's office. —/— Firecracker chewed thoughtfully on her candy cigarette for a bit, wondering something to herself. Finally, she let it be known what was on her mind. "So why are we skipping? You know we're not bad students, right? Just a bit o' trouble," she pointed out. "Oh, tosh!" Surprise said with a chuckle, sucking on her candy cig. "I'm too happy thinking about the twisted morass I just sent that red-maned kid into! Then I'll prepare a special after-curbstomp prank for her." She rubbed her hooves together, giggling madly. Firecracker rolled her eyes. "Sad, isn't it?" she said in a sardonic droll, "Losing your spot as the dominant pony has driven you to this." "Oh, hush. We were always all about the pranks, and some of them were pretty mean. You remember the first prank we attempted on Fluttershy, right?" pointed out Surprise, tapping out her candy cig. The tip of it crumbled like ash, causing Firefly and Firecracker to blink, their eyes shuttling between Surprise's candy(?) cig and the ash pile, confusion plain on their faces. "Huh? Did that candy cig just... is that a candy cig...?" sputtered Firefly. "Ah, Lightning Bolt!" Surprise said suddenly, jumping onto all fours. "What's up? Did you beat the rainbow-maned filly yet?" Lightning Bolt exuded confidence out of her pores. "I was looking around because I figured you don't go to any classes. Looks like I was right," she said dangerously. Surprise smiled. "Hmmm? You sure have a lot of free time. Go to class, girl." "You promised. You promised that we'd have a tumble to see who's this school's real number one." Surprise did not look amused at Lightning Bolt's declaration. "What?" she said evenly. She scowled severely. "Don't you understand? You have to beat my number two if you want to fight me." "I know that. That's why I'm here," Lightning Bolt boasted. "I've already beaten your number two, and now you're going to take me on, as promised!" Surprise's candy cigarette dropped from her mouth, which had dropped open with surprise and not a little fear. Other than that, the snow-white filly might as well be made out of stone. Firecracker leveled a flat look at Surprise. "What now, genius?" she asked quietly. END CHAPTER 5. I decided that the thug index of Fluttershy's group wasn't quite high enough to begin the parents arc, so I introduced Lightning Bolt to the group. I hope this works. Oh, and Surprise's large size is not just because she's a Kuroda expy. I'll reveal the reason for her large size in the parent's arc, which is the very next one.