//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: From Nothing To Something // by Rated Ponystar //------------------------------// Despite the amount of customers that the coffee shop had, Lightning Dust still felt like she was all alone with the one pony she never thought to see again. It wasn’t that she hated or feared Rainbow Dash. It just brought up bad memories of a time when she was at her lowest. Wonderbolt Academy was suppose to be the day her life changed for the better, but she screwed it up and it became the worst. Rainbow Dash must have been feeling just as uneasy, sitting there and shifting on her chair. Neither of their hot coffee’s had been touched, and Lightning Dust was addicted to the stuff normally. “So... I haven’t seen you since... well...” Rainbow Dash started, rubbing the back of her neck. “Since I was suspended?” Lightning Dust finished, with a sigh. She took her coffee and had a long drink before placing it down on the table. “Relax, Dash. I got over that years ago. Becoming a Wonderbolt is an old dream that I put behind. Now all I care about is raising my filly, and making sure her dreams come true.” She raised her cup in salute and smirked. “Important member of Princess Twilight's court, Captain of the Wonderbolts, AND married to your co-captain? Color me impressed. I just didn't know you and Soarin had a colt.” “Well, you must have worked out alright as well, huh?” said Dash, taking her own cup. “Everything must have worked out in the end.” Lightning Dust gave a bitter smile. “Yeah, but it wasn’t easily. I had to fight for everything to get where I am. Some days I still can’t believe all the good fortune that happened to me after...” she closed her eyes and gave another heavy sigh. “But you don’t need to hear about my past.” Dash frowned and placed her hoof on Dust’s shoulder. “Maybe I do.” Dust looked at that hoof for a long time before nodded. “Alright... it all started after I got suspended...” *** It hardly ever rained in Cloudsdale. Living in a city of clouds, the pegasi rarely let their own heads get wet since their duty was to make sure the rest of Equestria got rain. There was no need for it since there was nothing to grow and they could get water from the clouds easily. Yet, a rainy day was just what Lightning Dust felt like she was in right now. Only twenty-four hours ago was she a member of Wonderbolt Academy, training for her dream of becoming one of the Wonderbolts. She had passed with ace results in every test and course. She had proven she was the best of the best. And she had been suspended for full year for her actions that almost lead to the deaths of five ponies. Five ponies who happened to be the famous Elements of Harmony, saviors of the world. One of them was Princess Celestia’s personal student who she had treated like a daughter. And Lightning Dust, foolishly, played it off like it was no big deal. Looking back now, Lightning had to wonder what in the seven layers of tartarus was she thinking. He blase attitude about her fellow cadets and elements had earned her the wrath of Spitfire full on. She tried to say that because they were alive nothing was wrong, but the fact that she had even not considered what might have happened if it did was apparently wrong. She also wasn’t very popular apparently. None of her cadets except Rainbow Dash liked her because she was, apparently, bossy, arrogant, showed off, bragged a lot, and thought herself better than everypony. Was it wrong that she was? None of the other fliers but her and Rainbow Dash had the training and focus to be Wonderbolts. The rest were nothing. Apparently, the other trainers had the same idea as the cadets. Lightning Dust wasn’t worried at first, thinking that Spitfire would be on her side since she was her favorite. Well, so she thought. Rainbow Dash quitting had “opened her eyes” said Spitfire she said she was removing Lightning Dust from leader status to wingpony status until she learned to be a team player. There was an argument, started by Lightning Dust, and soon that punishment grew to suspension. The moment she heard that word, all confidence and rage in Lightning Dust faded from he and was replaced with something else: fear. She could not be suspended. She would be a failure and she didn’t want to go home as one. Because they would be there and she was sure they already knew about it. They always knew what she was doing or what had happened. No matter how much she tried to hide it or no matter how much of a secret it was, they always found out. And they always yelled at her when she made a mistake. Lightning Dust had begged on her knees for a second chance but Spitfire told her she had a second chance and blew it. Now she had to suffer for it. It didn’t matter, her dream was over. Even if she wasn’t outright expelled, being suspended from Wonderbolt Academy was just as good as an explanation. She would never rise higher than the reserve ranks and that was if she was lucky. All that was left was to head home and face the music. As she stood at the doors of her house, she could feel her knees quivering in fear at the thought of what her father and mother would say once she stepped inside. A part of her wanted to just leave and come back another day, but that would only make things worse. She was already going to be called a failure, it would be worse if they added cowardliness to it as well. It must have been twenty minutes before Lightning Dust opened the door and entered the one place she hated more than anywhere else in the world. Her home. “Lightning Dust! Get in here now!” shouted the voice of her father, no sooner had she stepped one hoof in the house. Lightning Dust winced before letting the rest of her inside and closed the door. Tail and ears drooping, Lightning gulped and slowly walked forward to her fate. If Rainbow Dash or any of the others at the Academy saw me now they would wonder where my bravado had gone. After what seemed like a century, Lightning Dust made it to the living room which was decked with awards the family had won over the years. Both her parents were retired racers who had tried for the Wonderbolts, but didn’t make the cut. Naturally, they pushed their dreams upon their children despite already wanting to be Wonderbolts. Her trophies were the lowest in number, but each one made Lightning Dust a bit proud of her achievements.  But there was one other who had more love than her. One whose trophies were always polished and placed in public. The stories of each one had been told so many times to strangers that Lightning Dust knew them all by heart. And why wouldn’t she? They were her sister’s after all. Her parents were sitting in their red comfy chairs by the fireside, glaring at Lightning as if she was appearing before a judge at court. She tried to avoid their hateful glares by focusing on the huge portrait of her sister who she shared the same coat color like their mother, but Vorpal Gust had their mother’s long red mane as opposed to blond. “Sit,” ordered her father, tapping his hooves together slowly. Lightning Dust nodded and obey. “I... I’m home.” “You were expelled,” said her father, cutting to the chase. “I... was only suspended. I-I-I can still go back-k!” said Lightning Dust, shivering. “Suspended. Expelled. It doesn't matter, you were kicked out!” shouted her father before he got up and started pacing around. “All that effort training you, all the connections we had, all that effort and you wasted it by getting yourself expelled! You are a failure to this family! You always were!” He was now going red in the face, his light blue fur replaced with red. For a second, it looked like him and her calm, cold staring mother were related. “You were never fully committed to anything you did! We never disciplined you enough! Or maybe you were a lost cause! I don’t know, but you’ve disgraced not just us, but your sister’s name as well!” “I’m... I’m sorry...” whispered Lightning Dust, doing her best to prevent herself from crying. It would only be worse if they saw her shedding any tears. “Sorry doesn’t make you successful in life! It makes you weak! You were always weak! You’re sister was stronger and if she was still alive she would have been a Wonderbolt by now, or at least have made you a decent flier,” replied her father as he continued to mutter to himself, his mane getting more out of place with each second. Lightning Dust glanced at her mother. She was still sitting there, staring and silent. Finally, her father sighed and said, “Go to your room. Stay there until your mother and I have decided what we're gonna do with you. Now.” Lightning didn’t say anything else. She just nodded and left. *** Lightning didn’t bother to sleep. She just sat there on her sheetless bed, in the dark, waiting for her parents to decide what they were going to do with her. Everything she owned had been thrown out, leaving a plain white room for her to stare at for hours. By the time the sun had fallen and the moon rose, Lightning Dust wished she had her sister with her now to comfort her. Vorpal may have been the favorite, but she never once stopped being a loving big sister. Vorpal would always be there for Lightning, taking care of her when their parents were too busy focused on her. In some ways, Lightning Dust wondered if her parents even wanted her at all. They always had focused on her big sister. They gave her best presents, education, love, and adoration. She was Princess Celestia in their eyes and she worked hard to make them proud. Lightning Dust could barely count the number of times Vorpal Gust had ever failed in anything. Everypony loved her, including Lightning Dust. And everypony cried for her when she died, especially Lightning Dust. She hadn’t lost just a sister, she lost her only friend in the world.   Her parents spent a fully year mourning before they pushed everything on Lightning Dust. They wanted her to be like their lost daughter. They wanted their golden mare back. But no matter what  I do it’s never enough! thought Lightning Dust, bitterly, rubbing her eyes. I’m not you, sis. No matter how hard I try, I’m never gonna be like you. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Her mother had calmly entered the room, but still held the piercing glare that still made Lightning Dust’s spine tingle. In some ways, her mother was worse than her father because of her cold attitude. Lightning Dust could remember the days that her mother used to smile, but now all she had was an emotionless mask with a set of eyes that only gave a single look. Rage. Rage the world for taking her prized daughter away and leaving her with a daughter that was nothing like her. “You’re father and I have decided what to do with you,” spoke her mother in a monotone. “Tomorrow morning, you will take your clothes and head out.” “Where are you sending me?” asked Lightning Dust. “We’re not sending you anywhere,” answered her mother. “You are leaving, and you are never coming back.” Lightning Dust was sure her heart had stopped the moment she heard her mother finish. “L-leave?! Y-you're kicking me out?!” She slowly got off her bed and made her way towards her mother while shaking so bad she could barely stand. “B-but you can’t do this! I’m your daughter! You can’t just kick me out!” “You’re not my daughter. I only had one, not a failure like you,” spat out her mother, snarling. “You’ve proven time and time again that all you do is fail us. Every chance you get to make something out of yourself, you waste away because you are weak!” “I-I can go back! Train twice as hard! Triple times even!” shouted Lightning Dust, falling to her haunches. Lip pouting and ears flatter than ever, she fell to the floor, like she was a worm begging not to be eaten. “Don’t do this to me, please! I have no where else to go!” “What you do once you leave is none of our concern. You will be dead to us, and we don’t want to see you here again.” With that said, her mother turned away, ready to leave. Lightning Dust grit her teeth before standing up and screaming, without thinking, “I loved her too!” This made her mother stop as Lightning Dust continued, “You think you and Dad were the only ones to suffer her death?! I lost a sister! And no matter what you wish, she can’t come back and its time you two accepted that! I’m not Vorpal Gust, and I never will be! Why can’t you love me like the daughter you have instead of the one you lost!” A smack across the face was her mother’s reaction as she growled at Lightning Dust. “How dare you! You are nothing like her! The only thing I can’t accept is that my daughter died and a useless pony like you is alive! She should be here instead of you! I wish you died instead of my baby!” “News flash, Mother! I am your daughter too!!” shouted Lightning Dust before she marched out of the room and headed for the stairs. “Where are you going?!” shouted her mother. “I’m leaving now! What’s the point of waiting around when it’s clear you don’t love me anymore! Or maybe you never did and I was fooling myself into thinking you cared!” shouted Lightning Dust as she flew to the door. “Well, fine! Go! Go and be somepony else’s burden! You’re dead to us, you hear me! Dead!” shouted her mother on the top of the stairs. Eyes misting, Lightning Dust turned around and said the words that, deep down, she wanted to say for a long time. “I hate you! I hate you both! And if Vorpal was here too she would agree in saying you are the worst parents ever!” “GET OUT! Lightning Dust did just that. She slammed the door shut and flew straight forward. When she was long from her former home, she finally cried. And cried all night alone.