//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifteen: Wounds // Story: A Compass for a Lost Dreamer // by reflective vagrant //------------------------------// "Back off you bullies!" Lyra heard her roommate scream from directly above her. She couldn't see anything as she lay there curled up with her eyes closed, but she had still felt Lightning Dust's hooves graze her coat on all sides when she landed. She could also feel feathers brushing up against her gently. Like a tiny candle in the darkness, the sensation of her protector's touch was barely there, yet it burned into her mind with the power of Celestia's sun. "Well look at this!" her attacker retorted. "We got ourselves a regular Daring Do here. Still, that was an impressive stunt. Boys?" "Darn shame, a pure blood with that kind of speed. Oh well." "Ya, pure blood or not, nopony gets in the way of the South Wings." "So be it. Hope you enjoy living like an earth pony little miss hero, 'cause those wings are going bye-bye. Change formation boys." Lyra heard her attackers take to the air. For several minutes she felt the weakening gusts of Lightning Dust's wings as she danced around her in rhythm with her attackers' movements. As the fight above her raged on, Lyra soon felt something warm starting to drip on her. Princess Luna was doing her best at the bobbing for apples game when she felt one of her children's blessings call out to her in pain. Though it was meant to alert her to malevolent forces while dream-walking, it also worked in the waking world if the pony in trouble was in relativity close proximity to her. It was faint but there. It must have been just within range. In the dream world she did not need to worry about distance and could be by their side in an instant, but in the waking world distance was time. She needed to hurry. Forfeiting the apple she just about had, she lifted her head from the basin and launched into the air. Letting the call of her blessing guide her, she paid little attention to the land below as she soared through the air at her personal top speed. Her loyal guards took note and came to her side within seconds. No words needed spoken. They knew what drove her and how to aid. Once she knew a precise enough direction by the growing strength of her blessing's call, she ordered her guards ahead with a single gesture. The fight grew quiet for a brief moment and Lightning Dust finally stopped moving, for the most part. She seemed a little wobbly when she came to rest overtop Lyra. Lyra heard one of the attackers spit something out. "You put up a good fight I'll give you that, but it's time to finish thi-what the?" Lyra heard the sound of something else coming and landing near her on virtually every side. "Touch a single hair more on our child and thou shalt be skinned alive!" "Run!" one of the attackers called as multiple sets of hooves turned around in haste. "Thou shalt be dealt with later!" A faint humming of a spell could be heard then Lyra ceased to hear the movement of her attackers. She heard something approach on the ground with haste. "Stay awake Lightning Dust! Stay with me!" Lightning Dust's hooves brushed against Lyra limply as she was levitated up. Finally daring to open her eyes, Lyra saw Princess Luna levitating her protector with a spell that had an unusually potent aura with multiple shades. Luna quickly turned away and Lyra began to panic when she saw her protector being taken away from her. The rest of that night was a blur to Lyra as she followed the floating form of her protector to the hospital as if her life depended on it. A nurse's aide had to restrain her from following Lightning Dust into the operating room. Hours later, Lightning Dust came out of operation and was set in a critical care bed. Lyra ignored even BonBon's pull and curled up as close to her protector's bed as the hospital staff would allow then became unresponsive. Several days later. "Sledge you're a genius!" Silver Tongue said to the pegasus laying on the jail bed. "Finding a loophole in the curse! You'll fit right in the gang when you get back." "Ya, I guess." Sledge rubbed the area surrounding his left eye in thought. "It's a shame you guys won't be coming back with me." "Well getting caught breaking parole has its price," Silver Tongue responded sadly for a moment before smirking. "But knowing that Lightning Dust mare is gonna pay after all sure will help the time go by." "Still, it's kinda funny," Blackjack thought out loud, pondering on the bench. "You don't think she could be..." "What!?" Silver Tongue responded skeptically. "No way. Not possible. Uh-Uh. Nope." Lightning Dust was sitting in her hospital bed after being moved from intensive care. Lyra had come out of her daze the day before and reluctantly went home with BonBon. The way her former roommate acted when she left still made her laugh a day later. "But I don't want to go home BonBon," Lightning Dust repeated to herself out of boredom. "They sure are a real pair of nut cases." A tingle in her throat cut her laugh short with a minor coughing fit. "Miss Dust?" Doctor Pulse called to her as he opened the door. "It's almost time. How are you feeling?" Lightning Dust moved her bandaged wings forward and wrapped them in a gentle hug. "Nervous, and the throat's still itchy from the tube." "Looks like I owe you a drink after all then." He pulled out a juice carton from his coat and put the straw in for her. "I'll get another at lunch." He gave her the drink. As she let go of her wings to guzzle the drink down, the doctor continued. "There are a few ponies waiting for you. Did you want to see them before or after the examination?" She finished the drink with a small gasp. "Who?" "Applejack, Wayside and his boy." Lightning Dust looked at her empty carton for a moment. She looked back at her wings then turned her attention to the bin on the far side of the room. She threw the carton. It bounced against the wall above the bin and almost missed the bin itself. "During." "What?" "During if you don't mind." Lightning Dust looked back at the doctor. "I'm no good at explaining stuff like this. It's best if they hear it the same time I do." The doctor looked at her funny. "I can do that I suppose. It's just, I thought you would want some privacy." She looked back at her bandaged wings again. "Wayside needs to know what's going on with me. So does Applejack and to be honest..." She looked down for a moment. With turmoil coming to the surface she looked back at the doctor. "Don't tell anypony, but I just know I'm gonna need to hug that little twerp." An air taxi chariot landed at the outskirts of Ponyville. "Bulgh... I hate flying," the dark coated unicorn muttered to herself as she got off. "Here." She pulled out a few currency gems worth a fair amount of bits each, from her saddle bag. She gave them to the two pegasi that were pulling the taxi. "That should cover the meter for a few hours. If I'm not back here by the time those are up, I'll take the train back." The unicorn looked out on the rural town in front of her with anger. "Sledge, you had better not be lying to me or you're in-" Her horn pulsed with energy. "-big trouble." Lightning Dust was sitting on the examination table. The doctor slowly and carefully unwrapped the bandages from her wings. Applejack and Wayside watched in silence, but Keen Wit was failing horribly at trying to put on a brave face. "Take it easy twerp. I'm not dead," Lightning Dust called out to him. Her brave face had only moderately more success than his. He trotted up to the stepping stool then jumped up, and up again onto the table. "It's what Wonderbolts do." A little bravery showed through his eyes as he carefully leaned up next to her. "That's why you did it, right?" "..." She said nothing verbally. Instead she answered him with a hoof around his shoulder, a short but warm smile and a slow nod. "Ms. Dust, I know you're comforting the boy but please, I need you to hold still," the doctor reprimanded her in frustration. "Sorry doc." Wayside saw Lightning Dust's courage waver subtly and spoke up, "I want you to know kid. It doesn't matter how long it takes for you to recover. If the doc thinks you can get back in the air again, your job will be waiting for you when you do. I already got the mayor's approval for that." "And no matter if'n you do or don't," Applejack said in turn, "You're welcome at the farm for as long as ya need, full time or part." Lightning Dust took a slow and deep breath in order to hold back the tears without messing up the doctor. "Thank you, both of you." The doctor finished taking off the last of the bandages and looked carefully at the wings. There wasn't much to them as almost all of the feathers were gone. The meat of the wing was about all that was left and it didn't look too pretty either. The doctor went about examining the wings with an enchanted magnifying glass on a mechanical arm, occasionally adjusting his tool. "So how are they doc?" Lightning Dust asked as the doctor continued to examine them quietly. "..." "Doc?" "Just give me another moment," he said in an unreadable tone. A moment later he put away the magnifying glass. "So do you want the good news or the bad news first?" "Just give it to me doc." The doctor lost his poker face and came around the table to face her directly. "Good news is that the early treatment and Zecora's salve managed to help your follicles heal better than expected. Your feathers will grow back and you'll be able to fly again when they do." Lightning Dust smiled weakly, though not in relief. "And the bad news?" The doctor shook his head softly for a moment, then drew a deep breath. "The bad news is the follicles are still somewhat damaged from the feathers being ripped out so violently. Your new feathers won't be quite as strong as your old ones. This means your overall wing power will suffer somewhat." He pointed to the joints at the far end of a wing. "There will also be some scar tissue around the metacarpus of both wings. It shouldn't be any problem for normal day to day things but..." The doctor looked at the guests in the room then back at his patient in silence. Lightning Dust knew what he meant and practically smothered Keen Wit in a hug. She closed her eyes in pain and rested her chin against the back of his head, just past his hat. She spoke up in a weak and crackled voice, "But it's gonna be a problem for acrobatics, isn't it?" "...Well, it's definitely going to make it harder." * * * "Not to sound cold, but now that I have the results I need to go," Wayside said to Lightning Dust. "I have to get Keen Wit back to school, inform the mayor about the results and help Candy Jar get your extended leave of absence papers started. See you at lunch Lightning Dust." With this, Wayside and Keen Wit left the hospital. "You sure you don't mind taking me in like this? It will be a couple weeks before the doctors let me help with the heavier farm chores," Lightning Dust asked Applejack as they headed to the front counter from the doctor's office. "We all know BonBon has to stick to her rules for a good reason and ya ain't gonna be earnin’ any rent money like that." Applejack pointed to what was left of Lightning Dust's wings. Lightning Dust looked down and lowered her ears. "I'll still try to help out where I can." Applejack cocked her head and gave the pegasus an unsure smile. "I won't stop a pony from trying to keep her dignity, but don't forget that your main chore for now is getting healed up right." Her head turned straight again in thought. "That reminds me." Applejack moved around the nurse's counter as a nurse met her halfway with her saddle bag. She pulled out a quilted saddle blanket. "Granny Smith made this with a few donations from the school foals. Should keep ponies from staring so much and help with the chill." "What chi-" Lightning Dust asked just as the lobby doors open, bringing a cool autumn breeze with it. Lightning Dust instinctively clamped her wings to her sides tightly as it bit at the exposed flesh of her wings. "That chill," Applejack said as she gently placed the blanket over Lightning Dust's back and wings. It was just large enough to cover them comfortably without dragging on the ground or being too heavy. Lightning Dust signed the discharge paper work. After her copy of the paperwork was safely tucked away in Applejack's saddlebag, Lightning Dust placed a hoof on the blanket. She looked at the patches it was made from. "From the school foals..." Lightning Dust said with worry. "Don't tell me they..." She stared at Applejack. "Think of you like a big sister now that you're one of Luna's children too?" Applejack finished as they started out the door. "Some of 'em." "...Apple Bloom?" "Hehe, no," Applejack answered with a smirk. "Good," Lightning Dust said in bitter relief. "At least I won't be living with any of th-" Lightning Dust was cut off as she found herself face to face with Rainbow Dash. Her rival looked down and away in frustration. This was unusual because Rainbow Dash was almost always hovering. Yet there she was, standing in her way. Lightning Dust tried to move aside, only to find her rival moving in front of her again. "I won't stop you from flying anymore," she grumbled. "Huh?" "I won't stop you from flying anymore," she grumbled again. Applejack gave another smirk with a raised eyebrow to match. "Come on Dash. I know you can say it right." Rainbow Dash looked up from the ground to give Applejack a sour glare. She then returned her gaze back to Lightning Dust with renewed fire in her belly. "I still think you're a no good boss's pet, but after what you did for Lyra..." She looked away again with a huff. "I won't stop you from flying anymore." She eyeballed her rival from the corner of her eyes and opened her wings to take off. "And I still don't like you." With a strong gust she was gone. Lightning Dust stood in thought for a moment then turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash fading in the distance and gave a weak smile. "The feeling's mutual. See you at work in a few months." "Actually you'll see her at lunch." Lightning Dust looked at Applejack oddly. "She's invited too?" "It's Serra's Kitchen. She invites who she wants to invite," Applejack said, as she started walking past her. She stopped again to look back at Lightning Dust. "Just be glad I've got Pinkie occupied with me-" She winked. "-and behave yourself." Keen Wit got dropped off at the edge of the school yard by his dad just moments after the lunch bell rang to start the lunch period. "Take care of yourself Keen Wit. I have to get going." "I know dad, I know. You need to get the paperwork started," he said dishearteningly. "I mean it Keen Wit. I don't like seeing you like this. Try to cheer up." With a nudge on his son's cheek, Wayside finally left. Twist called out as she ran up to him from her classroom. "So how is she?" He looked towards his friend without quite making eye contact. "She's never going to be one hundred percent again, but she'll still be able to fly just fine when she heals." "That's... Well it's not great but it's still good right? She can still...?" Twist looked at him with worry. "I guess so." He walked past her to go get the lunch Miss Frizz Lane had waiting for him. "It doesn't really matter anymore." "You're not still going on about that are you?" Twist walked up beside him with a look of annoyance. "I told you already, I'm sure there's plenty of Wonderbolts that are..." She stumbled over the term she'd come to dislike for a moment. "...half breeds. They wouldn't care about that." "Really!? Name one Twist!" Keen Wit shouted at her in anger, getting the attention of several of the school foals at the outside lunch tables that were otherwise out of earshot. He lowered his voice again, but his frustration didn't waver. "I looked at the library for records on every Wonderbolt's family I could find. Every last one of them was pure." His fury started to burn out as he fell into the despair that he had been holding off. "Name one Twist." Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to shake. "Name one." She came back up to his side as he slumped his head down. She placed a hoof on his shoulder in support with little effect. "Name one and I'll believe you." The dark coated unicorn had been walking around Ponyville, looking for the pony that Sledge had said was in this town. Her eyes, though weary and tired, showed the primal fire that drove her ever onwards to her goal. After about an hour of searching, her eyes fell on her target about half a block away from her. She marched with a demon's speed towards Lightning Dust. "Are you sure it can't wait till we get to the Serra's place?" Applejack asked Lightning Dust. "I just need to leave a message for her. She kinda likes me to call her as privately as possible." "Alright... Here ya go." Applejack put a bit in the payphone for Lightning Dust. "I'll pay you back when I get the chance." Lightning Dust started dialing the number for Spitfire's office and didn’t have to wait long for somepony to pick up. "Hello? Paperclip? It's me, Lightning Dust. Could you tell you know who I need to talk to her in the morning? Some new things happened. I thought she should know about it as soon as possible." "Ahem," somepony from behind cleared her throat firmly as she approached. "Ya, I am calling more often aren't I?" "Ahe-he-hem!" the pony behind her called again, gently placing a hoof on her to imply she needed her attention. Shrugging the pony off with a bump, Lightning Dust retorted without looking back, "I'll be off in a second!" "Uh, Lightning Dust?" Applejack tried to hint at her. Lightning Dust ignored both of them and returned to talking on the phone, "You know, I might just have enough courage soon to finally call home and talk to-" Lightning Dust felt the phone being telekinetically grabbed by the pony behind her and saw it placed back on the hook. Upon seeing the color of the levitation field holding the phone, she was gripped with fear. Her blood ran so cold it threatened to turn to ice. Rainbow Dash was taking a rest on one of the low hanging clouds just above town square. 'Do I really want to go to lunch? I could just head home for lunch. If I go then they might think I'm wanting to be friends next.' She faked a gag. "Fat chance on that." "Moooooooooooooooooooom!" When she heard her rival scream in terror, she instinctively flipped around on the cloud and looked down to see what was going on. "Mom?" Rainbow Dash said aloud. She couldn't hear what was going on, but she could still see. She watched her rival struggle from a distance with her mom for a few moments then finally run off in a panic in the direction of the inn. An evil grin spread across the face of the pegasus watching the scene. "Oh, I'm definitely going now." "-oom!" Lightning Dust screamed as her mother pounced. Chocolate Dust pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive! You're-alive!" she sobbed ecstatically. "Mom?" Lightning Dust looked at her mother in shock. "You're not angry?" "How could I be!?" Chocolate Dust nuzzled her daughter's cheek so hard it started to hurt. "Praise Celestia!" She sniffled. "Praise Luna! My baby's aliiiiive!" she whined. "Mom!? You don't even praise Luna." With a snort she responded, "I know!" Applejack stood there, watching them in a mildly confused silence. A few seconds pass as Lightning Dust looked around frantically for help. Finding none, her face hardened. "I'm not coming home mom!" "OK," Chocolate Dust responded softly, still holding onto her tightly. Lightning Dust pried her mother off of her. Chocolate Dust gave little resistance and let go. Still looking into her mother's overly ecstatic face, Lightning Dust deepened her scowl. "I said I'm not coming home!" Chocolate Dust gave her daughter an even wider smile, tears of joy flowing freely. "OK," she responded again just as softly. Lightning Dust failed to even register her mother's response. She turned away and ran as fast as she could without the blanket falling off. "My baby's alive..." Chocolate Dust called again through the sobs as she calmly watched her daughter run from her. Back in the jail cell. "She has to be adopted, or from her dad's old marriage or something. No half breed could hope to be that strong," Silver Tongue stated plainly. "The moment her 'mommy' lays eyes on her, she'll be dragged home." He cackled briefly. "Knowing that old crone that runs the noodle joint, she might even put her in shackles." He smirked as he flew up to the top bunk to lay down and relax. "Looks like the curse is working. We're doing good deeds already." A sinister smile grew across his face. "Reuniting a long lost daughter with her mother." "The joint doesn't just serve noodles you know," Sledge piped in from the bottom bunk. "Have you ever ordered anything else there? Side orders don't count." "...No." Serra was getting the finishing touches for lunch done when she heard Lightning Dust come in early. "Serra? Serra!?" Lightning Dust called out for her from the reception area. "In the kitchen sweetie," Serra called back. She could hear the worry in Lightning Dust's voice. "You're early. What's the trouble?" Lightning Dust barreled into the kitchen then hopped back and forth between her hooves as if she were on hot coals. "My mom's in town!" she exclaimed in panic. "Hide me!" Serra looked at her blankly for a long moment. "You still haven't called her?" "I, um... Just hide me!" Lightning Dust said frantically. She went to the counter and opened a few cupboards to find one with enough space to hide in. "I'll do no such thing," Serra stated firmly as she closed the cupboard door that Lightning Dust was currently trying to open. "Why bother hiding? She's already seen you," Rainbow Dash asked as she came in the back door. She pulled up a chair, leaned back in it with a smug look on her face and put her back hooves on the table. "I couldn't see what you were talking about, but judging by how you ran you're in some pretty hot water. This is gonna be good." Serra gave Rainbow Dash a mean look. "If you fall you're standing to eat," she warned her flatly then looked back at Lightning Dust. "But Rainbow Dash has a point. There's no hiding now. You need to talk to her." She took her front hoof and pulled Lightning Dust face gently to attention. She smiled supportively to the worried pegasus. "Would you like me to make some of my special tea to go with lunch?" Lightning Dust looked around frantically, much to Rainbow Dash's amusement. Finding no other options, she hung her head in defeat while still looking at Serra. "I'd rather hide..." she whined, ears laid back. "I'll put the kettle on." * * * Not long after, Chocolate Dust found her way to the inn with Applejack's directions, entering along side Wayside. Serra had the tea ready and Lightning Dust was at the table, waiting for them awkwardly. Rainbow Dash was still leaning back in her chair, watching her rival sweat under the pressure. Every so often she had to stifle a small laugh. After the awkward introduction and invite to lunch, Chocolate Dust sat down at the table accepted the mug of tea offered. "I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstance," Wayside said to Chocolate Dust, "But please believe me when I say it is an honor to meet the pony that raised such a hard worker." Lightning Dust looked away from them in irritation and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, bemused. Chocolate Dust said a simple, "Thank you," to Wayside then looked back at her daughter. "There's so much I want to know. How have you been doing? What's happened?" she asked earnestly. "I see you've found a replacement for your old baby blanket." Lightning Dust gripped the edge of the saddle blanket with her hoof. "Mom!" she exclaimed in embarrassment. Rainbow Dash put her fore-ankle to her mouth to stifle a not so little laugh. "And made a friend." Chocolate Dust added. To this, Rainbow Dash stopped her laugh cold and took her turn to look away. "Mom," Lightning Dust stated firmly. She then looked at Wayside and Serra again for a way out. All she found was silent support. She shook her head in frustration and looked back to her mother. "If you promise not to get mad until the end, I'll tell you what's happened since I got ki-" She stopped in mid-sentence and looked down at her mug of tea. Grabbing it, she looked back at her mother with lowered ears. "Since I ran away." "Alright," Chocolate Dust responded, once again speaking earnestly. "I Promise I won't get mad." Lightning Dust looked at the mug again then to Serra, who gave her a smile and a nod in reassurance. Lightning Dust swallowed the lump in her throat. "It all started when I found a technicality in my discharge papers..." * * * "..." "Aren't you going to tell me it's impossible?" "Go on..." * * * "Oh my! Are you al-" "Mom, my back's fine." * * * "Thank you for taking care of my baby. If you can tally up the bill I'd be happy to repay you," Chocolate Dust stated in a very businesslike fashion. Lightning Dust squirmed in her seat at this. "That won't be necessary," Serra responded with a coy smile. She gestured with her head to her husband. "That bill is between me and him. Let's just say he won't be getting any cider this year." * * * "Minotaurs and zebras?" "Mom, I'm not lying! It really happened!" "I know that. You were never good at lying. I'm just a little surprised. Go on." * * * Chocolate Dust's voice crackled. "Your aunt came by and didn't tell me where you were at?" "Mom! You promised not to get mad." "You're right." Chocolate Dust took a deep breath and did her best to calm herself. "But I'm going to have some 'choice words' with your Aunt Spitfire later." Rainbow Dash’s chair tipped back and crashed to the ground. Serra coughed out the tea she was choking on. "Aunt Spitfire!?" Serra exclaimed. Rainbow Dash had a face of worry as she climbed back up to the table. "Aunt Spitfire!?" "I knew it," Wayside muttered softly to himself. Lightning Dust's head landed firmly on the table with a thump. "And she calls me the loud mouth." She raised her head from the table only to hit it against the table again. Rainbow Dash ground this new revelation through her brain for a moment as her eyes darted around with no particular focus. After it sank in, she looked at Lightning Dust and approached from around the table. "Is it too late to take back some of that mean stuff I said?" Lightning Dust rolled her head to the side to look at her rival, revealing a bruised forehead. "Oh, don't let that stop you from hating me..." she growled irately. * * * "There's something you're not telling me Lightning Dust. I can see it in your eyes." "..." Lightning Dust fidgeted in her chair. "Lightning Dust." Chocolate Dust looked at her expectantly. "I promised I wouldn't get mad. Just tell me." "...I almost killed some ponies back in th-" "Your aunt told me about the accident right after it happened. You're hiding something else." Lightning Dust fidgeted for a second longer before becoming still. Her face lost all emotion. "I said I'm not coming home and I meant it." She removed the saddle blanket from her de-feathered wings, exposing them to her mother. "I'm still going to try. I have to try." Chocolate Dust's voice went dementedly cold. "Who did this!?" Lightning Dust's emotionless demeanor held fast. "Some punks from that stupid gang back home came to town and tried to pick on somepony with a weak horn." Chocolate Dust's horn pulsed with energy as her daughter said this. "I... I played the hero and got hurt." "Was one of them an oversized pegasus?" Chocolate Dust's pupils were dilated and out of focus. This unexpected bit of news shook Lightning Dust out of her emotionless demeanor. "Mom!? How did you know?" "..." She said nothing for a moment as she seemed to be restraining herself. "Breathe," she told herself out loud in an attempt to calm down. After a moment of breathing, her focus returned. "If Sledge knows what's best for him, he will never show his face anywhere near me again." Chocolate Dust finished her current mug of tea and breathed again. She levitated her empty mug to Serra, who happily refilled it. "So, now that I'm up to speed-" She took another sip. "How can I help?" "Help?" Lightning Dust asked in an uncomfortable confusion. "Yes help. I can see you've left the nest for good, but I still want to help." Wayside raised an eyebrow. "You're being awfully understanding about this." Chocolate Dust looked down and away, the tiredness suddenly returning to her eyes. "I... I've had a lot of time to think about it." "Well she has a place to stay, but she won't be working for a few weeks while her wings heal." "I see. Maybe I can send an allowan-" Lightning Dust jumped out of her chair and slammed her front hooves on the table. She exclaimed in a crazed anger, "Just go back home to your restaurant! I don't want any help from-" She jabbed a hoof directly in her mother's direction. "-You!" Before Serra could intervene, Lightning Dust saw her stand and saved her the trouble. She backed off, quickly grabbed the saddle blanket and stormed out the back door. As the back door swung back on its spring and slammed shut, Chocolate Dust hung her head. "She really does hate me."