//------------------------------// // Chapter: 4 - Grounded... // Story: Dust in the Wind // by dj_neon_lights //------------------------------// Dust in the Wind By Michael A. Chapter: 4 - Grounded... Rainbow Dash sat, practically motionless, at one of the many tables in Sugercube Corner. Here eye fixated on the photo that lay in front of her. One of her legs dangled Iimply off the side table, slowly rocking back and forth, as if blown in some invisible breeze. Although her body remained practically inactive, her mind was for from. In her head, Rainbow replayed the race over and over again. And no matter how many times she went over it, she still couldn't accept the fact that she'd lost. Though her ego was hurt for being beaten (in a flying competition) what hurt more was the price of losing: being grounded. Rainbow had been so sure that she was going to beat Lighting, that the consaquences of her losing had never even crossed her mind. The idea of living, without being able to use her wings, was practically too much to bear! Rainbow shook her head, trying to break free from the mental tyrant her mind was putting her threw. She picked up her wings, which had been limp by her sides, and starred at her feathers. She russled them, watching as they fluffed up, and then fell. Some went into place, and some remained out of line. Instinctively, Rainbow went to begin preening them, straitening those which were out of line, but stopped, and brought her head away, and rested it back onto the table. There was no use in preening them now. Twilight, and most of the rest of Rainbow's friends, whatched the district Pegasus from a table located across the room. Wanting to give her space, and time to recover, the group had decided to wait until Rainbow seemed ready to talk. Pinkie was the only one that wasn't sat at the table. She had wanted to comfort rainbow the moment she's lost, but was held back by twilight and rarity, who had insisted that Rainbow needed to be alone. Reluctantly, Pinkie had retreated to kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, saying something about making "I'm-really-sorry-that-you-lost" cupcakes for rainbow. But, in truth, she had gone because she couldn't stand seeing one of her friends upset, and my being able to do anything about it. Twilight let out an audible sigh, and stood up. Applejack, Flutershy, and Rarity's eyes were instantly upon her, and Twilight immediately answered the unasked question. "I'm gonna go and talk to her," Twilight spoke. "I figure we've given her enough time to herself." "Ah agree," said applejack, who was about get up and join twilight. "No," Twilight said, the words coming out more of a command then she had intended. Applejack froze instantly, tilting her head at Twilight, confusion riddling her features. "Ah though y'all said it was time for okay fer us to confert her, now?" Twlilight shook her head. "I meant for me to comfort her. I know you all want to help her as much as I do, but I don't thing it's a good idea to all hound her at once. I figure, it's better if we each go one at a time." Applejack nodded in response, sitting back into her chair, and resting her head on a good. Rarity merely nodded her head in approval, while Fluttershy shrank down in her chair and nodded as well, her expression held the most sadness of the group. Turning on her hooves, twilight trotted over to rainbow's table, and sat at one of the chairs. Rainbow lifted her head, looked at twilight's sympathetic smile, and then rested her head back on the table. Twilight took a deep breath, raised the words she wanted to say in her head, then spoke. "Rainbow... I know that this must be hard for you, so I wanted you to know that me and the girls are here for you." Rainbow gave twilight a light smile, before returning to her previous frown. "I know, Twilight..." Dash mumbled. Twilight bit her lip, not knowing what to say next. She had thought of this large speech about several methods of dealing with loss, compiled from some of the psychology books she'd read in the past. But looking into Rainbow's broken eyes, the speech seemed like it'd be a lot less effective then she's anticipated. Figuring she couldn't make the situation worse, Twilight decided to just be blunt. "I know that the deal was that the loser of the race had to be grounded... But do you really have to follow it? I mean, it's not like Lightning's gonna follow you 24/7 and enforce this?" Rainbow scoffed, and sat up. Her face switching from that on sadness, to anger. "Twilight, do you really think I'm that sense that I wouldn't have thought of that on my own?" Rainbow Dash asked, getting into Twilight face. Twilight, in turn, shrank down her chair and clapped her hooves together nervously under Rainbow's stair. "Well...no." Rainbow cut her off before she could finish. "If that was an option, I would do it. Hell, I'd do anything to get out of what I have to do now!" Rainbow threw her hooves up into the air for emphasis. "But I can't, you know why?" Twilight shook her head. "It's because I'm a Pegasus. And as a Pegasus, being grounded isn't a thing we take lightly. Twilight, this is super serious. Like, I could go to court if I don't go along with this. I can't just back out and say 'ha, just kidding, I don't think that I want to do this anymore'." Rainbow used as much sarcasm she could to emphasize her point. "I could be shunned, jailed, exiled! Unless I...unless I..." Rainbow's voice caught, not being able to get the word out. She tried, but she couldn't. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she desperately tried to get the word out. But she fell silent as somepony else answered it for her. "Get clipped," Flutershy finished from besides Twilight, who jumped in surprise, not expecting Fluttershy to join the conversation. Fluttershy shrank a little, frightened a little by twilight's reaction, but managed to still stand, somewhat, tall. Rainbow lowered her head into the table again, closing here eyes tight, trying to hold back the tears. Flutershy slowly trotted next to rainbow and gently wrapped a wing around her. She then turned to twilight. "What Rainbow means is that, when a Pegasus has to be grounded...they have to have her wings clipped," Fluttershy said, visibly shuttering at the mention of the word. Twilight balked, not knowing what to say. She had never heard about this Pegasus "tradition" before, but she did know what clipping a Pegasus wings would do. "On my god..." "Yeah, now you understand..." Dash muttered, trying her best to return to her normal, brash composure... it wasn't working. Miles away, Lightning Dust zipped threw the air, her joy filled smile seeming to fuel her as she flew carelessly threw the air. She soared back and forth, doing any and every trick she had in her aerial arsenal. Even as her mind raced with glee and adrenaline, Lightning's destination was clear in her mind: her house. But Lightning didn't care how long it took her to get there; she wanted to relish in her victory as long as she could. She had done it. After a prolonged flight home, Lightning Dust touched down at the entrance to her home with enough force to leave a small crater. She practically bounced threw the door, rushed threw the house, and then finally stopped when she reached her bed. Gently as she could, Lightning picked up the picture that lay besides her bed, and pressed it tightly against her chest. "I did it! I did it!" she screamed, jumping up and down. The picture lowered from Lightning's chest as she loosened her grip, and she gazed upon it with tear filled eyes. "You proud of me...?"