//------------------------------// // Chapter XLIV: Home Front // Story: As I'm Falling to Pieces // by Pinkamena Diane Pie //------------------------------// Chapter XLIV: Home Front “What do you mean?!” Lightning asked as Luna rushed him down the stairs. “How did she help you? Why do you need to take me back suddenly?” He tripped the last couple steps and fell on his face. A blue aura surrounded him and pulled him to his hooves. He shook his head slightly, the trip doing nothing to help his memory. “You really don’t know do you?” she asked, looking him in the eyes. “OK....how to explain this.” She paced for a few seconds, then turned back to him. “Have you heard the tale of the two Alicorn sisters?” “I have.” Lightning said, looking Luna up and down. “But they aren’t true. Just old Mares tales. Foals stories.” he said definitely. Luna just stared at him. She couldn’t believe this. “They are real.” she said, looking down at him. “They are real because I am one of the sisters.” she said, wings flaring out. Lightning back up slightly, fearing her. He tried to think back, past the wall. He struggled and strained to find the connection. Suddenly, a memory broke through, and he realized his situation. He looked up at Luna with new eyes. He sank down into a deep bow. How could he have not remembered this? “Princess. It is amazing to see you.” he said, avoiding her eyes. Luna smiled. “Rise, Lightning Storm, we are not done.” she said, the smile fading. Lightning stood up, still avoiding her gaze. “Tell me, do you know anything about the Elements of Harmony.” Lightning thought back, but just shook his head. Luna sighed. “This is going to be difficult. Well, before all of this, back when Equestria was whole, I ruled with my sister. But I grew jealous. I tried to overthrow her, to rule by myself.” She was no longer focusing on him. Instead, her aquamarine eyes were looking back into the past. “I turned into a creature of pure hate and darkness.” “Nightmare Moon.” they both said. Luna blinked, brought back to reality by surprise. “Yes. I tried to take the throne. And for my insolence, I was banished to the moon for a thousand years.” She looked out the nearest window. Suspended on the sky was the bright white orb, bigger and brighter than ever. Lightning now realized why it had been so large a night ago. He was moving into Luna’s territory. “One thousand years will make anypony bitter, and resentful. I hatched a plan to take my revenge. But when I returned, one thousand years later, I was stopped by six ponies. Six friends.” She tore her gaze from the moon to look at him. “Do you remember now?” she asked, like her life depended on it. Lightning strained his memory, finally bringing up a faded thought. “Six friends used the Elements of Harmony to break you free of the curse.” he said, looking up at her. New emotions flooded his form. Should be be afraid of her, or grateful that she “saved” him. “And you ruled at your sister's side until the bombs fell.” Luna nodded. “And do you remember who the friends are?” she asked, as if waiting for something. Lightning tried to think, but could remember no name. But then Luna has said that Applejack saved... “Are you saying Applejack and her friends are the Elements?!” he said, memories and thoughts clicking into place. “That can’t be possible. She would have said something, i would have noticed!” he paused, another thought entering. “I married a hero of Equestria!” His mind, which had just glued itself together some, was blown apart. Luna just nodded at him. He tried to come to tears with this new information. “That is why I must return you.” Luna said, starting to walk down the main hall. “She helped to saved me, and I have been trying to return the favor ever since.” She stopped next to the throne, turning back to look at him. “How did you not know. I would have thought she would have told you, being the Element of Honesty.” Lightning chuckled. “There is a lot I don’t know.” He walked up to stand next to the princess. “But we do not have to leave now. I told her I was going to be gone for a week or two, and it has only been two days. If you really want to return me, it can wait until tomorrow.” Luna nodded. “I understand. All your belongings, including your vehicle, will be returned to you. On one condition.” she replied, her expression dead serious. “What is that?” Lightning asked, wary now. This was the catch, was he going to be able to accept it? “You take me with you, so I can say thank you.” ***** It had only been three days since Lightning had gone, but Applejack was already worried. She tried to get her mind off of him by helping out with Rarity, who was taking major steps toward full recovery. She also tried to get permission to start a farm, but it was denied. Mostly she just walked around the Bunker, trying to stop thinking about him. She told herself that he would be fine. That nothing would happen to him. But she kept having a small voice in the back of her head speak up and tell her that he could be dead right now. Rarity was another problem on her own. She seemed to be getting better. But with “better” came depression. She would spend hours locked in her room, or spend nights sitting on the surface, looking at the stars. She stopped talking to the others, except Twilight, who she was almost forced to talk to. She was losing weight, and seemed to not be able to sleep. Every time, when asked if she wanted medication, she would just shrug it off, saying “I don’t need that. I am perfectly fine.” Applejack was almost tempted to give it to her herself. One day, Rainbow Dash called her up to the surface. She had sounded excited over the W.I.C., so Applejack hurried as fast as she could. She grabbed a pass, which would allow her to enter and exit the Bunker as she felt like, then went outside. To her surprise, and joy, the sun was completely obscured by clouds. But not dark green, infected cloud. White and grey clouds filled with water. She walked farther out, a grin slowly spreading to her cheeks. She looked up and saw Rainbow floating in the sky, a smug look on her face. She flew down and landed next to Applejack, her brass wing almost hitting her head. “Thought you might want to see this.” she said, still looking smug. She raised her wrist to her lips, bringing up her W.I.C. “Let it rain, my friends.” With the sharp crack of thunder, and a blinding flash of lightning, rain began to pour out of the clouds. Applejack’s smile grew wider, walking through the falling water. She spun around, feeling the water flow down her mane and face, letting it soak into her tail. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the tensions and pain of the last couple months falling away, dripping off her with the water. She opened her eyes and turned back to Rainbow, who was watching her, grinning. Her mane was plastered to the side of her head, and her tail hung limply behind her. “I thought so.” she said, walking up to stand next to Applejack. “The first normal rain in ten years. We are making progress.” She raised the communicator again. “Good work team.” Applejack looked down at Rainbow’s wing. “Is it good for that to be out in the rain?” she asked, worried for her friends flight. Rainbow just snorted. “Never underestimate Cora.” she said, extending her wing. “It never gets wet. She put some sort of spell on it, see?” She turned slightly so that Applejack could get a better look. It seemed that the wing was enclosed in a bubble of air, with the rain just curving around the wing. Even though she was soaked, the wing was completely dry. Applejack nodded, then looked out at the rain again. The world seemed less frightening now. But something caught her eye. In the distance, something large was moving towards the Bunker, fast. She pointed at it, and Rainbow turned, her eyes widening. “What do you think it is?” she asked, fearing another attack. “I can’t tell.” Applejack responded, walking forward slightly. As it moved out of the gloom, she realized what it was. She turned back to Dash, her smile reappearing. “It’s Lightning!” she said, jumping in place. “He came back!” She turned and watched the Buggy come towards the Bunker. But something felt strange. There seemed to be some power that she couldn’t place coming from the car. Whenever she looked at it, she felt small, inferior. But she shook off the feeling, wanting to see Lightning again. Finally, he pulled up next to her, smiling the same smile as when he left three days ago. He jumped out of the Buggy, running over and grabbing her around the waist. Then he pulled her into a kiss, setting her back on her hooves as he did. But something was wrong. This was not his typical, careful self. She could feel his longing, as if he thought he would never see her again. She pulled away from him, uneasy now. She looked at his face, and she saw anticipation and love reflected, along with her own image, in his eyes. “What happened?” she asked, slightly worried now. “Why are you home early?” Lightning stepped away from her, taking a deep breath. He had only been out in the rain for a few seconds, but he was already dripping. He was wearing a dark blue outfit with a crescent moon on it. Applejack remembered the moon, but she couldn’t place it. “Well...I had a meeting with an...old friend.” he said, eyes flashing back and forth between the Buggy and Applejack. “Took up most of my time, and I thought you would like to meet her.” “Well, who was it?” she asked, walking towards him. As she said that, the passenger door opened, and she heard somepony step onto the wet dirt. dark blue legs appeared on the other side of the car. The steps came closer, then she walked into view. The rain creating a shell of dry air around her, ground drying instantly as she walked over it, Luna appeared, regal and proud. She walked over to Lightning, smiling at Applejack and Rainbow that whole time. Her mane waved and turned even more in the storm’s grap, but she always regained her royal composure. She looked up and smiled at the sky, the rain falling on the air bubble around her. She extended it slightly until they were all inside. A muffled sound, like rain hitting wood, was all they could hear for a few seconds. Applejack’s eyes were the size of plates, she looked back and forth between lightning and Luna, then sank into a deep bow. A few seconds later, so did Rainbow, a slight squeal escaping her as her mane hit the dirt. “Princess.” Applejack said, not looking at her. Luna walked over and placed her hoof on Applejack shoulder, making her look up. “Hello Applejack, Rainbow.” she said, eyes softening as she looked at them. “It has been a long time. I just wanted to stop by, see you and the others once again.” she said, touching Rainbow on the shoulder as well. She looked up at the princess, mane hanging in front of one of her rose colored eyes. She looked nervous, almost afraid. “I also wanted to say something that I was never able to say before this.” Luna said, pulling them to their hooves. “What would that be?” Rainbow asked, swallowing slightly. Luna took a deep breath, then looked down and smiled. “I just wanted to say, thank you.”