//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Deja Vu 
// by GunsNRoses365 
//------------------------------//

It was another cold yet beautiful winter night in the small town of Ponyville. Almost all of the townsfolk have settled down for the night. Many parents were seen in the windows putting their children to bed. Some cradled their newborns in their hooves and some kissed the forehead on their young colts and fillies as they drifted off to sleep.

However roaming the quiet candlelit streets is Lightning Twister who was on his way home. He had been helping his Auntie Rarity after she asked him to be a model for one of her new stallion tuxedo fashion lines. As much as Lightning hated getting dressed up he loved his Aunt and was willing to help her when she needed it. Lightning looked all around the abandoned streets and was a little bit amazed of how deathly silent they could become at certain times. He shivered a little bit as a snap of cold wind blew against him. He began to pick up his pace so he could hurry home to his wife.

When he was halfway home, Lightning stopped for a second to rest. However before he started walking again, he heard something crash. With his curiosity getting the best of him, he turned and went toward the source of the noise. In front of him was a small ally and on the ground was a knocked over garbage can. Lightning knew the garbage can was the source of the noise and that meant someone or something was in the ally.

"Hello!? Is there anypony in here!?" Lightning called out only to be greeted by silence.

Lightning was about to call again until he heard a loud sneeze followed by soft crying. There was somepony in the ally. Lightning began to walk into the ally as he followed the quiet crying. He eventually found the source of the crying behind a dumpster. However when Lightning was completely shocked at what he found behind the dumpster. 

Staring at him with tears in they're eyes, was a terrified young colt and filly. The colt looked to be about eight years old and had dark blue green eyes and a dark gold coat as well as a golden brown mane and tail. The filly, who looked no older than four, had sky blue eyes and a pearl white coat along with a black mane and tail. Her mane was tied into a ponytail with a small bow around the end and it hung to the side much like Lightning's Auntie Applejack's did.

Lightning stared at the two children in shock as his mind began racing through his memories to an all too familiar situation. These kids were just like Lightning when he was found by Fluttershy twenty two years ago. He was just like they were now, alone and scared. Lightning couldn't help but remember all of the memories of that faithful night. Snapping back to reality Lightning inched a little bit closer to the children who inched a little bit further from him.

"Are you two alright?" He asked the children who said nothing in response.

The colt stood in front of the crying filly in a very protective position as he scowled at Lightning with tears in his eyes. 

"Hey, hey, It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." Lightning said softly as he gave the two children a sad smile.

Lightning bent down a little to the kids level reached a hoof out to try and comfort them. However the colt quickly swung his hoof and smacked Lightning across the face as hard as he could. Lightning stood back up and rubbed his stinging cheek and let out out a fierce snort as he glared at the colt.

"Why did you hit me!?" he snapped.

Lightning quickly regretted the harshness in his tone as the filly began to cry even harder and the colts brave composure crumbled into nothing as looked at Lightning with tear filled terrified eyes. Seeing how he caused this problem made Lightning feel incredibly guilty he didn't mean to scare the already terrified children that he was trying to help.

Lightning bent back down to their level and gave them gentlest of smiles.

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you two," he said "I was only trying to help you. I promise that I won't hurt you."

The scared colt snarled at Lightning as the filly buried her head into the side of the colts neck and continued to cry. Lightning was about to try and reach out for them once more until he heard their stomachs growl very loudly. Lightning was a bit surprised at how loud the growl was, and it made him wonder long it's been since the children have eaten anything. The children looked like they haven't eaten in days and that made Lightning concerned. However he quickly remembered something that would definitely help. Opening up one of the pockets on the saddlebag he had on his back, Lightning took a large juicy red apple that Applebloom had given him when he visited her today. 

The colt stopped snarling and the filly brought her head of the colts neck and they both stared at the apple with watering mouths. Lightning chuckled a little bit and broke the apple in half before placing one half in front of the colt and the other half in front of the filly.

"Here you two go, eat up, those are the best apples in Ponyville."

The children just stared at the apple and then looked at Lightning, wondering if he was going to take it away from them if they got closer. Sensing the distrust, Lightning stepped a few feet away from the apple halves and laid down. The colt and filly then took one cautious step towards the apple, but kept they're eyes glued on Lightning as he softly smiled and continued to remain motionless. The children continued to slowly move closer and closer towards the apple. Once they were in front of it they looked at Lightning one last time and he continued to remain as still as a statue.

The colt and filly then looked at each and they each picked up their respective halves of the apple. They each took a small bite and the bites started to become larger and larger as they greedily ate the delicious fruit. The filly eventually finished her half before the colt did. However she was still incredibly hungry as she looked at the colt eating the other half of the apple. The colt was about to bite down before he looked at the filly beside him. What happened next left Lightning in shock. 

The colt, instead of continuing to eat the apple half, held out what was left to the filly. He gently nudged it towards her a little bit with his nose. The filly looked a bit resilient to take the fruit but the colt smiled and continued to hold it out insistently. The filly eventually took the rest of the apple half and ate it as the colt smiled at her as she smiled gratefully in return. 

Lightning smiled as he had not expected the colt to be so generous. It was generosity that would make his Auntie Rarity proud. 

The filly eventually finished and wrapped her little hooves around the colt as the colt placed gentle wing around her small form. The two eventually broke the hug and looked backed at Lightning who stood back up.

"Do you both trust me a little better now?" he asked the children.

The two offered a small nod in response as Lightning slowly stepped towards them so he didn't frighten them.

Looking at the colt, he gave him a soft smile and said, "That's was a really nice thing you did, giving the rest of your half of the apple to her. Tell me, is she your little sister?"

The colt simply nodded as Lightning smiled at both of them.

Looking at both of the children Lightning should have known by the way the colt was acting earlier by trying to protect the young filly from him and giving her the apple meant that she was his little sister. He continued to smile at them before beginning to become a little bit worried. If they were brother and sister, then why are they outside in this kind of weather alone?

"Where are your parents, They have to be worried sick about you two." Lightning said to the both of them.

That one little statement quickly caused a problem as the filly began to cry once more and the colt closed his eyes shut as tears began so poor down his cheeks as he tried not to cry but he failed and broke down as well. Lightning was completely shocked at how the two young ponies were acting from hearing the one simple statement. The way they were acting was all too familiar too Lightning. He acted this way when Fluttershy first asked the same question to him when she found him. Something was not right, but Lightning decided not to ask these two anymore questions about their parents. 

A breeze of cold wind blew across Lightning and the children making all of them shiver. The colt wrapped both of his wings around his little sister to try and keep her warm. Lightning looked at the two and out of the corner of his eye saw something behind them. He saw a cardboard box with a thin blanket and a small stuffed teddy bear inside. Lightning looked at the box and look at the children sadly. They must have been sleeping in the box this entire time meaning that they were homeless. Lightning felt horrible that these two innocent children that should have a real home were in this bad of a situation.

Looking at the shivering colt and the still shivering filly, Lightning went around them and went over to the cardboard box He grabbed the blanket and the teddy bear before heading back over to the crying children. He then very gently wrapped the blanket around the two. It wasn't very warm but it was still better than nothing and letting them freeze. The children were a little bit surprised as Lightning stood back in front of them with the teddy bear on his back. The filly looked at the stuffed animal and Lightning held it out to her. 

"Is this yours, little one?" He asked while giving her the softest of smiles.

The filly nodded her and took the bear from from Lightning. She cuddled the bear as close to her as possible as her brother wrapped the blanket back around her and him. Lightning smiled at the scene and then heard a chime from the Ponyville clock tower. Looking at the children, Lightning knew after everything he's done for them and how young they were, he couldn't just leave them out here alone to freeze. Knowing what he should do, he walked up to the children they looked at him with a small hint of fear in they're eyes as Lightning smiled before speaking.

"It's alright little ones, Why don't you both come with me. You can sleep at my house tonight, I'm sure my wife won't mind if you stayed with us for the night, When we get home I'll give you each a nice hot meal. I know that apple wasn't much and you both must be starving. How does that sound?"

The colt and filly stared at Lightning in shock for a moment. He was offering them a place to sleep other than a cardboard box. They could eat a good meal and sleep in a real bed. They looked at Lightning and they could tell by the glimmer in his gentle eyes that he wasn't lying to them. The children eventually nodded their heads and Lightning crouched down next to the children.

"Alright then, Climb onto my back and let's head home." he said gently.

The colt climbed onto Lightning back before helping his sister up onto his back next. He laid a wing over her as she laid down next to him.

"Alright you two, hold on." Lightning said as he took off.

The children wrapped their little hooves gently around Lightning's neck as he began to fly towards his house. Lightning's mind was going in several different directions as he realized that everything that had happened to night happened to him. However he didn't let his mind focus on the past. He then began to hope that he and Scootaloo could think of someway to help these children.