//------------------------------// // Lightning Dust // Story: Swooping Pegasus // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// “We have nothing to talk about.” Lightning said dismissively, pushing past Rainbow. “I’m going to speak to my parents, I didn’t come here to speak to you.” “It took me a while to find you Lightning, I didn’t come all this way to go home empty hooved.” Rainbow replied, placing herself in front of Lightning and placing a hoof on her chest. “Hear me out, please.” “Get your hoof off me.” Lightning said, her voice not wavering, but her eyes darting down to look distastefully at the offending limb. “Lightning, just let me talk. We can sort this out like…” Rainbow began, only to find herself suddenly on the floor, blood pouring from her nose as Lightning brought her own hoof forward. “Either leave me alone, or go crazy again and try and kill me, but I don’t want to talk to you.” Lightning snapped, looking down at Rainbow. “So if you’re going to get mad, get it over with, because we’re done.” With that, Lightning walked past Rainbow, reaching a cliff edge and sitting down, staring out across the ravine. Her eyes fell upon a small house in the distance, a small column of smoke rising from the single chimney. “I suppose I deserved that.” Rainbow chuckled slightly, getting back to her hooves and massaging her muzzle. She could already feel her anger rising, but she forced it back down, not allowing the war mask to surface again. Slowly, Rainbow approached Lightning, wary for any more attempts to hit her. A single punch was one thing, and no more than she deserved, but any more and she didn’t feel confident about supressing her mask. Lightning didn’t move however, and Rainbow decided it was safe enough for her to lie down next to Lightning, the two Pegasi staring out as they dangled their hooves off the edge of the cliff. Rainbow didn’t know how long they sat like that, not talking, just looking, but it had to have been hours, before Rainbow finally broke the silence. “About Canterlot. I’m sorry.” She said softly, not looking across. She wouldn’t push it further, not until Lightning decided to speak. The sentence hung in the air between them, creating an even more awful silence than before as Lightning bristled, her body tensing up. “I know you are.” Lightning said eventually. The normal response would have been ‘it’s ok’, but it wasn’t, and Rainbow knew it. No matter how much Lightning may have been at fault, Rainbow should have known better. She was older, and she knew what she could do, but instead of just leaving straight away, she had decided to show off. “I didn’t want this Rainbow.” Lightning continued, finally looking over at the prismatic mare. “We were friends at one point, weren’t we?” “The best.” Rainbow agreed. “And then I cocked it up.” Lightning smiled weakly. “And look where it’s got us. Me kicked out of the Wonderbolts, and I heard you got a pretty hefty fine. I’m still trying to figure out which one of us is at fault more here.” “I am.” Rainbow replied. “I could have just flown away after Spitfire had spoken to me, hell, I could have left as soon as I saw you, but part of me wanted to show you up, to force you to respect me, by force if necessary.” “True, but I was jealous, I got ponies together to attack you for nothing more than my own gain. Not exactly a victimless crime.” “I’ve had worse. The only lasting damage is because I did a Rainboom, that’s my fault, not yours.” “You keep saying you’ve had worse, and your face,” Lightning said, laying a hoof on Rainbows face and tracing it along the line of one of the many scars, “what happened? Properly, what’s the full story?” “I went to war.” Rainbow breathed softly. “My face, my body, my looks, all casualties of the fights I was in.” “Can you…can you show me?” Lightning asked. “You want to see the rest of me?” Rainbow nodded. “I owe you that. You can see, then you can decide if you want to know more.” Standing up, Rainbow walked over to her Jetbike, placing her helmet on the bike, before beginning to remove the armour. First came the back leg guards, which she removed with a slight hiss of air. Next came her front legs, followed by her wing guards and the backpack. Finally, she reached up and pressed her hoof to the gem on the chest piece. With a slight hum, the front of the chest plate pushed outwards slightly, showing a clear fault line around it, which she then grasped at and pulled, removing the final pieces of her armour and placing them by her jetbike, making sure they wouldn’t fall anywhere or damage anything, before turning back to Lightning. By this time, the other Pegasus had gotten up from the cliff edge, walking over and standing just behind Rainbow. Taking a deep breath in, Rainbow reached over to her right wing, slowly prising the bionic from its mooring and drawing a gasp from Lightning, before repeating the action with her rear leg, placing both on the saddle of her Jetbike, steadying herself so she didn’t fall over, before lowering herself to lie on the ground. “Well, this is it. This is…me.” Rainbow said, looking up at Lightning, before gesturing for her to sit down. “I would stand up, but three legs makes that hard.” She chuckled. “I had no idea.” Lightning said softly, reaching her hoof forward, but waiting for a nod from Rainbow before running her hoof along another knot of scar tissue. “This all happened in two years?” “Well I certainly didn’t have these before I went did I?” Rainbow joked. “How can you be so calm about this? You lost a leg, hell you lost a wing. I didn’t think you of all Pegasi would take it this well.” “I didn’t, but after talking about it with my friends, I’m coming to terms with it more.” Rainbow replied. “Sometimes talking is more therapeutic than anything else.” “Do you want to talk about it then?” Lightning asked softly. “I’ll tell you everything I’ve told the others.” Rainbow replied. “After that, I want to talk about us, as friends.” Taking a deep breath in, Rainbow began to recount her story once more. “It all started just after that contest, where I did the Double Rainboom…” *** “Anira knocked me out and took me back to the ship.” Rainbow finished. “That’s all I’ve told the others, so that’s all I’ll tell you at the moment.” “I made you do another Rainboom.” Lightning moaned softly. “I’ve probably screwed with your mind loads. If I had known…” “But you didn’t.” Rainbow cut her off. “But if I had…” She started again. “You didn’t know, and you couldn’t have known.” Rainbow said firmly. “But I should of, and I’m sorry for that, being in the Wonderbolts, it must have been awesome.” “It was.” Lightning said, smiling happily as she remembered her time in the prestigious group. “You have no idea how amazing it was to be counted amongst the best fliers in Equestria, to have proof that you are a cut above the rest. Even if I’m not in the team anymore, they’ll never be able to take that away from me.” “I can imagine.” Rainbow chuckled softly. “You know they offered me a place, strictly civilian, but still.” “Lucky, I get into a fight and get kicked out, but not you. Spitfire must love you.” Lightning said, her voice taking on a hard quality. “Hey, I didn’t ask for it. I nearly turned it down but still.” Rainbow defended. “Listen, I’ll talk to Spitfire, maybe see about getting you in a civilian role like me. How does that sound?” “I don’t know.” Lightning shook her head. “I don’t even know what I’m going to do now. I thought coming out here would clear my head, but I’ve got nothing.” “That’s your home isn’t it?” Rainbow asked, pointing at the house across the valley. “It’s where I grew up.” Lightning nodded. “I haven’t been back here in, ooh, got to be closing on six years. I travelled around a bit, then managed to get a job in Los Pegasus weather management, before going to the academy. I wonder what my parents will say now that I’ve flunked two jobs.” “Why don’t we go ask them?” Rainbow asked. “What, now? The pair of us?” “Yeah, let’s go.” Rainbow nodded. “Hand me my leg would you?” “You have no idea how odd that sounds.” Lightning laughed, but gently passed the bionic limb to Rainbow. Slotting it back into place, Rainbow moved it around in the socket a bit, making sure everything was attached properly, before standing up and reaching over to her wing, slotting it back into place. “Doesn’t that feel really weird?” Lightning asked, watching as Rainbow slotted the limb back into place, but leaving her armour off for the time being. “Yes, but it doesn’t hurt that much.” Rainbow replied, slipping her hoof guards on. “It hurts?” “Yeah well, that’s what happens when you take something off that’s attached to your nerve endings. At some point you’ve got to put it back in a reattach the nerves.” “I guess that makes some sense, although I’m not going to pretend I understand how the tech works.” “Who needs to know how?” Rainbow laughed. “Eggheads can do that, I’ll just break it for them, I mean ‘stress test’ it.” “You bringing your Jetbike? Or getting your armour back on?” Lightning inquired, looking at the machine dubiously. Rainbow thought for a second, before shaking her head. “Nah, no point. It’s got a security feature that would stump greater minds than even Twilight, and nopony’s up here anyway. I think it will be safe here. As for my armour, I then wouldn’t be able to say that this was fair.” With a grin, Rainbow flared her wings and got down into a low crouching position. Nodding happily, Lightning moved beside her, adopting a similar stance. “What do you say to five times round the mountain and finishing at my house?” Lightning asked. “Oh you are so going down.” Rainbow shot back. “Three…two…one…GO!” Lightning shouted, before launching herself off of the cliff, flapping her wings hard as she powered off into the distance. Grinning, Rainbow leap after her, quickly coming up behind the mare, before slingshoting herself out of her slipstream and streaking past a bemused Lightning Dust. Letting out an indignant cry, Lightning began to push herself harder, drawing level with Rainbow as the two banked around the mountain, Rainbows wing tip almost brushing the snowy peak as they rose. Both of them were good enough fliers to handle altitude, and were intelligent enough to realise that going around the top of the mountain was a shorter route than anywhere else, so this had quickly become a contest of who could stay active at this height for longer. Lightning held up well, managing to get three and a half full circles before finally dipping, dropping about ten meters as she continued to flap her wings, trying to make up for having to go the longer way around, but Rainbow was not about to make it easy for her. Rainbow finished her final turn of the mountain, reaching the very top of its surface, before landing for a split second and kicking herself downwards. Holding her wings in close to her body, Rainbow allowed gravity to propel her downwards, slashing through the air and reaching the half-way point just as Lightning finished her final turn and dived after her. Still flapping her own wings, Lightning smiled as a small Mach cone began to form around her, before the explosion of light that heralded her Rainboom erupted outwards and propelled her downwards. Rainbow roared as she neared the ground, refusing to flap her wings even once as the tell-tale signs of a Mach cone began to form around her. She couldn’t risk setting off her Rainboom, even if it meant losing the race. Lightning neared Rainbow as Rainbow neared the ground, finally flaring her wings to slow herself down as Lightning did the same thing, the pair colliding in mid-air and ending up in a pile of limbs as they rolled to a stop just in front of the door. “I can’t feel my leg!” Rainbow roared. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Let me get help.” Lightning said frantically, getting to her hooves and running to and fro as she tried to decide what the best course of action would be, before suddenly skidding to a halt. Slowly, her head turned and she fixed Rainbow with an icy gaze. “Hey, I can never feel it.” Rainbow said innocently, before bursting out in laughter. “You…I…I’ll…” Lightning tried, before scowling and placing a hoof on Rainbows chest. “That. Wasn’t. Funny.” “Speak for yourself.” Rainbow snorted as the door to the house was flung open, an Elderly Pegasus standing in the door frame. “Alright, get out of here the both of you.” He snapped. “Don’t you know better than…Lightning?” He trailed off as his eyes met those of the turquoise mare. “Hi dad.” She smiled, moving past Rainbow as she walked up to the Pegasus. “I haven’t heard from you for years, and then you show up with a mare in tow and fighting on my doorstep? I always knew this was going to happen.” He shook his head, before shouting back inside the house. “Honey! I was right, that fifty bits you owe me!” “Right about what?” Came a female voice from inside. “Come to the door and find out.” Lightning’s dad called back, before turning to face Rainbow and Lightning once more. “Sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met. Thunder Strike.” He said, extending a hoof. “Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow replied, bumping the hoof gently. “What are you shouting about?” The female asked, walking up next to Thunder and looking through the door, before smiling broadly. “Lightning, and have you been dear.” She beamed, before her eyes settled on Rainbow and her face fell slightly. “And with a mare? Damn it.” She hoofed a small bag of bits across to Thunder. “Wait, you but a bet on if I would come home with a mare or not?” Lightning asked indignantly. “Now dear, there’s nothing wrong with it.” Lightning’s mum smiled. “You know we’ll support you.” “I’m not gay!” Lightning spluttered, looking between her parents and Rainbow. “Rainbow isn’t either!” “Jury’s still out on that.” Rainbow corrected. “I could like stallions as well as mares. But not us, we’re not.” “Are you sure?” Thunder pressed. “Yes dad! I’m sure I’m not gay!” Lightning shouted, her cheeks looking as if they were about to burst into flames. “I’ll have the bits back please.” Lightning’s mum smirked, taking the bag back, before looking at Rainbow. “Misty Gust.” “Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow replied with a nod. “Well don’t stand out there getting cold, come in the pair of you. I’ll brew some tea for the four of us. Lightning, show your friend into the living room please.” Misty asked, before turning and walking back in the direction of what Rainbow assumed was the kitchen, Thunder following behind his wife. “Still can’t believe it.” Lightning muttered as she walked into the house, Rainbow following her and making sure to shut the door, before joining Lightning in a spacious living room. “Can you believe that?” Lightning asked incredulously, sitting down on one of the sofas and gesturing for Rainbow to do the same. “They don’t see me for two years and the first thing they think is that I’m gay.” “You say that like it’s a bad thing. At least they were supportive. My dad almost had a heart attack when I told him.” Rainbow reasoned. “Yeah I guess, but it still sucks you know?” She relented, just as Misty and Thunder walked back into the room, a tray bearing a teapot and four cups balanced on Thunder’s back, and allowing Rainbow to get a better look at the pair. Thunder was quite large by Pegasus standards, nearly being as large as Big Mac in sheer size, although he had a lot less muscle mass than the farm pony. His jet black fur was offset by the orange striped mane that was cropped closely to his head, matching that of his daughter perfectly. On his flank rested the symbol of a Lightning bolt over a shield. Misty on the other hoof was not massive, but looked as if she had plenty of muscle mass of her own beneath her turquoise fur. Her long flowing mane was a dirty blonde colour, but was preened almost to the extent of Rarity’s, but still didn’t do anything to obscure the horn that poked out from her head. Rainbow would have like to see her cutie mark, but it was obscured by the jacket that Misty wore. “Thank you dear.” Misty said, levitating the tray off Thunders back as the Pegasus sat down next to Lightning, Misty taking a seat next to Rainbow. “Now, do you still take it how I remember?” She asked, looking at Lightning. “Black, two sugars.” Lightning nodded as a cup was levitated across to her. “Ms Dash?” Misty turned to Rainbow. “Please, just Dash, or Rainbow, I don’t mind. The same as Lightning please.” Nodding, Misty passed a cup to Rainbow, before pouring the two final cups and taking one for herself, passing the other to her husband. “So Lightning, what brings you this far into the mountains?” Thunder asked. “You still working with weather rather than taking a real job?” “Both of my parents were members of the Royal guard.” Lightning sighed, looking at Rainbow. “They never thought that it was a good career choice.” “The Guard is the only way to go.” Thunder pointed out. “What about the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow asked, sipping her tea. “Don’t tell me you’re another one of those Pegasus’ who fantasises over getting into that team.” Thunder groaned. “Lightning is obsessed with them. I told you, they only recruit from the air force.” “Shows how much you know.” Lightning sniffed. “As a matter of fact, they do recruit from outside, about two years ago specifically.” “You mean you got in?” Misty asked excitedly, looking between Rainbow and Lightning with a smile. “Are you both in the team? Is that where you met?” “You could say that.” Lightning nodded. “My daughter’s in the Wonderbolts.” Thunder smiled, leaning back. “Never thought you’d do it Lightning.” “Was.” Lightning said simply. “Was?” Thunder asked in confusion. “There was, an incident.” Lightning said slowly, picking her words carefully. “Rainbow and I were friends back at the academy, but we fell out. Then during the final try-out, she disappeared and I got chosen for the team. Then she came back, and…I may have acted poorly.” “Oh Lightning.” Misty groaned. “What did you do?” “It was my fault.” Rainbow spoke up. “I goaded her into it, and we had a fight, I was at fault, but she got kicked out. I’m not on the team, so I didn’t.” “You got my daughter kicked out of the Wonderbolts?” Thunder said, his voice low as he stood up. “Dad, please…” Lightning began. “Quiet dear, I’ll deal with this.” Thunder replied, silencing her, before turning back to Rainbow. “What do you do anyway if you’re not in the Guard? No pony has that many scars without a story behind them.” “Let’s say I’m a soldier of misfortune.” Rainbow said, standing up and walking towards the door. “If you would like me to leave, I won’t burden you anymore.” “No!” Lightning shouted, springing up from her seat and rushing in front of Thunder. “She’s not the one at fault dad, I attacked her. She only reacted to what I did.” “Don’t try to defend her dear.” Thunder said softly. “It’s true.” Lightning shot back. “Plus I don’t think you should threaten Rainbow.” “She hurt you, and I am your father.” Thunder pointed out. “I think my time in the Guard has left me with enough skills to threaten one Pegasus.” “You wouldn’t be the biggest thing I’ve had to deal with, but I can see I’m the source of conflict here.” Rainbow said evenly, before nodding to Misty. “Thank you for the tea Mrs Gust. Sorry for the intrusion. Lightning, I’ll be by my Jetbike when you’re done. I’d like to speak with you after you are done here.” With that, Rainbow walked out of the house, spreading her wings and swooping back towards her Jetbike. Landing, she grabbed hold of her hoof guards, slipping them on, before proceeding to don the rest of her armour. Finally armoured up, Rainbow swung her hooves over the bike, leaning back in the saddle and closing her eyes. *** “Rainbow. Wake up.” Lightning said, shoving Rainbow lightly as she approached the snoring mare. Instantly, Rainbow was alert, diving off of the Jetbike and landing on top of Lightning, her hoof raised ready to strike. Slowly, Rainbow let go of Lightning, allowing the stunned mare to stand back up. “Remind you never to wake you up again.” Lightning said pointedly. “Yeah, sorry about that.” Rainbow said sheepishly, removing her helmet and rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. “How did the chat with your dad go?” “He’s pretty mad, but with me now, not you.” She sighed. “I don’t think he’s pleased that I quit my old job either, said I was chasing a dream.” "But it’s smoothed out now?” Rainbow checked. “Yeah, I think he’s just gone back to being disappointed that I’m not in the guard again.” Lightning smirked. “So what are you planning on doing now?” “I don’t know. Go back to Los Pegasus ad try to get my spot on the weather team. I’ve fifty bits from my parents to spend on bed and board until I can get back on my hooves again.” “Fifty bits won’t get you very far in Los Pegasus.” Rainbow pointed out. “No, but it was the bet they had, so I’ve got the money now.” Lightning smirked. “Do me a favour, come back to Ponyville with me.” Rainbow offered. “Why?” “Because I feel like I need some way to make things up to you, and I can’t do that out here in the mountains now can I?” “It’s getting late out.” Lightning pointed out. “Wouldn’t it be better for me to stay here and come in the morning?” “Nah, you can stay at my house.” Rainbow smiled, before getting back on the Jetbike. “Now, you coming?” “I guess.” She nodded, flaring her wings. “Oh no, get on here. You want speed, I can show you speed.” Rainbow grinned. Shrugging, Lightning clambered on behind Rainbow, wrapping a hoof around the prismatic mare’s chest as Rainbow leant forward to place her hooves on the controls. “You have your flight goggles?” Rainbow asked, looking back at Lightning. “One sec.” Lightning said, rummaging in her saddlebag, before pulling out the thick goggles and sliding them over her head and grabbing hold of Rainbow once more. “Ready.” “No you’re not.” Rainbow chuckled, fixing her own helmet back into place. Slamming the throttle forward, Rainbow shot forward, Lightning screaming as they sped off into the distance.