Meanwhile, on the other side of the town, six ponies stood outside the Town Hall, a huge white structure standing alone atop a hill, overlooking the entire village. Contrary to what most thought, the real Town Hall was located on the outskirts of Ponyville, the one in the square merely serving as a meeting place for all social gatherings. But for business purposes and, for this case, private meetings, this was the place where it happened.
It wasn't an amazing structure. Although beautiful marble columns graced the outside of the large, white building, everything else was anything but. Nothing on the square structure, besides the pillars reminiscent of Equestria's ancient days, gave off an aura of high-class. Which was exactly how the Mayor liked it.
Out on the front steps, the ponies, with full bellies and satisfied faces, were saying their farewells.
"Once again, Mayor, thank you for having us over. The brunch was really amazing," Twilight said humbly while rubbing her stomach.
The Mayor of Ponyville replied happily, "Oh no, Twilight, thank you! With all the work from running the town, I've been feeling quite guilty of not getting to talk to the ponies that saved Equestria twice."
Rarity, with her pink scarf wrapped around her neck and designer sunglasses propped up on her forehead, responded, "Well, Mayor, it was quite an interesting meal, and remember to give my complements to the chef. The food was exquisite!"
"And the cake, the cake! Oh my gosh, the cake was so good! Never, ever, ever, never in my life have I had cake better than that, even from Mr. and Mrs. Cake themselves! And with "Cake" in their names, you'd think they'd make really good cake. I mean, don't get me wrong, their cake is really good, but this cake—ooooooooh myyyyy gooodnnesss. It was scrum-diddly-umptious!" a curly-maned pink pony shouted as she bounced around the steps, obviously hyper from a sugar rush.
Seemingly embarrassed, Rarity pursed her lips together and told the Mayor, "Please excuse her, Mayor. She tends to get a bit…jittery when she has too much cake. Or sugar for that matter." The Mayor's response was a giggle of amusement at the sight of Pinkie Pie bouncing around the Town Hall, seemingly defying the laws the physics as she floated in the air and galloped on the columns.
"An' Ah'm sorry Rainbow Dash couldn't make it. You can bet that the next time Ah see that lazy mule, she'll be in fer a butt whoopin'! Why, Ah bet she's still snuggled up cozy in that ol' bed o' hers," hardworking Applejack muttered, tipping her hat.
"Oh no, it was quite alright, Applejack. I'm sure Rainbow had some other important things to do," the Mayor said reassuringly, seemingly ignoring the fact that clouds still blocked out the sun's rays.
As the other ponies conversed, Fluttershy gazed up at the sky, her eyes trained on two tiny specks flying across the horizon. It looked like birds at first, but soon it became apparent that they were heading straight towards Town Hall.
Surprised, Fluttershy attempted to get her friends' attention, timidly muttering, "Um, girls? Girls? I, uh, I need to show you something. Girls, look, I, ummm…" Not surprisingly, the others paid no attention.
Finally, the shy pony tapped Twilight on her shoulder, who proceeded to whip around and ask, "Yes, what is it, Fluttershy?" To respond, Fluttershy shakily pointed at the two specks, which were increasingly getting bigger every second.
It was then that Twilight saw the flowing rainbow mane. Her eyes widened in fear, and she shouted urgently, "INCOMING! She's flying in fast, take cover!"
The group scattered across the steps yelling, making way for the incoming pair. The wind whistled as the two pegasi skimmed above the ground, ready to land. The steel-gray stallion touched down a split second before Dash, gracefully trotting along the ground until he came slowly to a stop.
Rainbow Dash, however, impacted hard on the floor, grunting and screaming as she tumbled along the marble steps before slamming hard onto one of the pillars. For a moment it seemed Dash was dazed, lying upside down motionless against the tall column. But soon she shook her head, gave a cocky laugh, and taunted while upside down, "Ha! Told ya I was the best! I always win!"
Her cousin raised her eyebrow and questioningly replied, "Oh really, Arco? I'm pretty sure I touched down way before you did."
The cyan pony scoffed as she rose up off the ground and argued, "Uh, yeah right. I totally beat you by a second!"
The stallion was prepared to give a rebuttal until he noticed the other ponies beginning to rise to their feet. He noticed their looks of annoyance, so instead he just gave a sigh of submission and answered, "Alrighty then, prima. I guess you win." After all, he knew better than to try and convince his cousin she lost.
"Yes! I beat you! I wasn't named the Best Young Flier for no reason, cous'," Dash said, a triumphant look spread across her face. But her glory didn't last long, because it was interrupted with a stern "Ahem" from Twilight Sparkle.
The lavender unicorn was blown into a patch of mud from the racing ponies' slipstream, and dirt and leaves caked her purple mane. The rainbow pegasus flashed a guilty smile before asking, "So, uhhh, how was the brunch?"
"Oh it was great, Dash. And how has your day been going?" Twilight snarled. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, and she was glaring at Dash accusingly.
"Yeah Twi', I was just, ummm," she began, avoiding Twilight's gaze. Then the pegasus grabbed her cousin's bandana, pulled him to her side, and said, "I was just hangin' out with my cousin, yeah. And I thought…I thought you guys would like to meet him, yeah! How about you introduce yourself, cousin?"
After straightening his red bandana, he grinned smoothly and announced, "Good morning, my name's Lighting Flash. And you're Twilight Sparkle, I presume?"
"Yes I am, thanks. And I am pleased to meet you. Any friend of Dash is a friend of ours," the unicorn replied, but not before giving Rainbow a look that said, You're not off the hook yet.
Lighting left Dash to be lectured by her bookworm friend and proceeded to help the Mayor to her hooves, apologizing for knocking her over. The elder adjusted her spectacles, but before the Mayor could say "Thank you", Pinkie bounced into view.
"Ooooohh, you're Rainbow's cousin? Wow, that's so cool! Hey, why's your tail all lightning-y, huh? I mean I know your name's 'Lightning' and all but I just think it looks really cool," Pinkie interrupted. Then suddenly, her voice lowered and she asked in a serious tone, "Do you know what we do to new ponies around here?"
Lighting shook his head slowly. Then, Pinkie's eyes began to widen and a huge grin exploded across her face as he answered, "We throw a PARTY, silly! Yeah, we should throw a surprise party just for you! Oh, but you need to forget what I just said, otherwise it won't be a surprise—."
Before she could keep chattering, Applejack clamped her hoof over her mouth and acknowledged Lighting Flash with a nod of her head. "Now calm down, sugar cube. Let's try not to scare 'im off now! Howdy, ah'm Applejack, pleased t'meetcha!" Lighting couldn't help but laugh at Pinkie, who was still rambling on even though a hoof was blocking her mouth.
Rarity, ignoring the hushed argument between Dash and Twilight and Pinkie Pie's ramblings, strode up to the stallion and gave a polite bow. Then she said, "It is my pleasure to meet you, Mr. Flash. My name is Rarity, sole proprietor of the Carousel Boutique."
Lighting returned her bow and answered back kindly, "And it is my pleasure to meet you, Madam Rarity. Oh, and please feel free to call me Lightning."
Believing he had greeted everypony, he began to turn back to Dash before noticing a yellow figure hanging a little bit away from the group. Her pink mane hung over her eyes as she stared passively at the ground. Smiling, Lightning proceeded over to her.
"Hey, you're one of Dash's amigas, er, friends, right? My name's Lightning Flash. And you?" he inquired quietly. Fluttershy mumbled something while timidly pawing at the ground, only looking at the stallion through the corner of her eye.
From the steps, Dash called out, "Hey, sorry Lightning. She's not exactly the most social pony out there."
Her cousin answered, "Oh no, Dash. It's fine. I understood her perfectly." Then he turned his attention back to the shy mare and said gently, "You're name's Fluttershy, right?" The timid pegasus replied with a small nod.
"Yeah, I remember you. You went to flight school with Arco and I!" Lightning remarked kindly. Another small nod.
Then Lightning gave his trademark smile and said, "Well then, Miss Fluttershy, it was very nice meeting you." With a small bow, he rejoined the group, and Fluttershy couldn't help but give a small smile as she followed suit.
Back at the group, Twilight was finishing up her scolding of Rainbow Dash. "And I hope you haven't forgotten about tomorrow's engagements."
"Yeah, yeah, of course not. I've gotta help you guys out with whatever you guys need, then I can practice my moves with Flash," the pegasus replied.
Flash, who was just rejoining the group, asked, "Moves for what?"
Dash snorted and answered excitedly, "The Wonderbolts, of course! C'mon cousin, they're only, like, our childhood idols and all-time heroes!"
The Mayor pricked up her ears at the sound of this statement and inquired, "The Wonderbolts, you say? Why, I believe I have them booked for an appearance right here at Town Hall. Tomorrow night, to be exact."
The elderly pony barely had time to brace herself before Dash zoomed up to her, almost knocking her over once again. The pegasus's mouth was agape, squealing, "The Wonderbolts are going to be here tomorrow night? Omigosh, I'm gonna be able to show them my newest tricks. This is so awesome!" Dash flapped her wings excitedly, ready to take off to practice.
But before she could do so, Dash felt a large tug on her tail, holding her back. Not surprisingly, it was Applejack, who had her teeth clenched around the cyan pegasus's rainbow colored tail. "Now hold on there, Dash." With a mighty heave, she pulled Rainbow Dash to the ground and said, "You ain't meetin' any Wonderbolts unless you finish helping us out tomorrow, understand?"
"Yeah sure whatever," Dash responded, annoyed.
"Don't worry guys. I'll make sure she gets up bright and early to help you guys out," Lighting told them, ruffling Dash's mane much to her dismay. In response, she stuck out her tongue at her cousin, who mimicked her.
"I'm sure you will, Lightning Flash. And once again, it was nice to meet you," the purple unicorn said with a small nod. The other ponies then proceeded to say their goodbyes to Ponyville's latest guest.
Pinkie Pie, still hyper from the excess amount of cake, quickly added, "Yeah, it was fun to see you, Dash's cousin. Oh, and I want your party to be the day after tomorrow, so don't forget it. No, wait, I mean you should forget it. No, how 'bout you forget about the party but remember to be at the library that night. Yeah, that'll work. And you still need to tell me why your tail is lightning-y and stuff."
Dash waited impatiently, looking down at an imaginary watch and tapping her hooves before saying, "C'mon Lightning. We've still got a few more hours of flying time before the sun goes down, let's go!"
Fluttershy, who had mustered up the courage to talk to Lightning, went up to say goodbye. "Bye Lightning. It was, um, very nice to meet you. And um…bye. Again," she timidly remarked, her cheeks blushing underneath her flowing bangs.
"It was nice to meet you too, Fluttershy. Catch you 'round," Lighting replied coolly. Then he called out to his cousin, "Alright, Arco, vamos!"
"Finally," she shouted, rolling her eyes. "Ready for me to smoke you in another race?"
Giving one final look at the new friends standing at the base of the Town Hall, the steel-gray stallion lovingly remarked, "Whatever you say, prima. Whatever you say." Then, without warning, the two pegasi lifted into the air, their wings spread into the open sky, and raced back in the direction they had come before.
xXxXx
Night had fallen in Ponyville, and the crescent moon hung overhead, washing the village with its gentle moonlight. The dazzling stars dotted the darkened sky, their twinkling splendor much like the jewels stitched on Rarity's many majestic dresses. Atop a grassy cliff overlooking the landscape, two tired pegasi sat on their haunches, gazing at the sky.
Lighting and Rainbow were resting from a long day of spectacular aerial tricks and maneuvers. They had spent the rest of the daylight flying together; something the two pegasi hadn't done in long time. Now, they sat in rest, their wings sore from the exercise.
"Wow, that was one hell of a work-out," Dash began, regaining her breath. "We haven't done anything like that together in a long time."
"Number one, watch your language," the stallion replied jokingly, pointing a hoof at his cousin. Then a happy look spread across his face as he said, "Second, yeah it's been a while. Not since our little tandem flying incident three years ago."
The cyan pony gave her cousin a little playful nudge as she replied, "Jeez, Lighting. I told you never to speak of that ever again!" The two family members shared a long laugh before continuing to gaze at the stars.
Dash's head rested on Lighting's broad shoulders, and she said quietly, "I swear Lighting, you're probably the only one in our family that doesn't drive me completely insane."
"Aww, come on, Arco, that's not true," Lighting answered. "Sure some our family members can be a bit, er…loco en la cabeza, but that doesn't mean we're perfect either."
Then the stallion stood up, spread his wings, and posed in an exaggerated manner, continuing, "We're loud, brash, and born to go fast. That's just the way we are! It runs in the familia." Dash stifled a giggle as her cousin continued his extravagant poses.
When Lighting settled down once again, Dash placed her head back on the stallion's shoulders and replied softly, "Yeah, but I guess…I guess you're the only one that I feel I can talk to. About anything, you know?"
"Well that's what family is for, isn't it cousin?"
The rainbow-maned pegasus smiled at this comment, thinking to herself, And that's why you're the best cousin in the world. Her mind began to drift over to the Wonderbolts' visit tomorrow. What would she do? How would they like her? She knew she needed to practice for tomorrow, and yet she also knew she couldn't let her friends down. She was the Element of Loyalty after all.
Although she really didn't want to ask for help, Dash knew that she would have to if she was going to see her life-long heroes. For once in her life, she was going to show humility. If only i knew the meaning of the word.
But, before she could change her mind, Dash blurted, "Hey Lightning, I was thinking... that it was be totally cool if you could come and help me and my friends out tomorrow."
The stallion raised his eyebrows and said meekly, "I don't know, Arco. I don't want to be like a third wheel or anything."
"Please, Lighting? I would mean so much to me if you could come and help," Rainbow pleaded.
Staring into his cousin's needy eyes, Lightning gave a small sigh of submission before answering kindly, "Well Dash, if that's what you really want, then that's want I'm going to do."
Upon hearing this, the normally cool mare squeezed her cousin in tight embrace, saying, "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, cousin! You don't know how much this means to me."
Lightning Flash patted his cousin's soft rainbow colored mane, giving her his gentle smile while saying, "I'd do anything for you, prima. You know that."
After this, Dash stood back to stare into her cousin's warm hazel eyes. Although the moonlight made them glimmer like a fiery blaze, she knew that behind them lay a heart of gold. Her cousin truly hadn't changed one bit since they last met, he was still the loving, caring sibling Dash never had. Sure his electric appearance was intimidating, but underneath that sleek exterior was a pony who could never hate anypony, even if he tried. And no one knew that better that Rainbow Dash.
The two ponies lay down in the soft grass underneath the starry sky. Lighting's wings spread across his cousin's chest like a blanket, introducing warmth into the cyan pegasus's tired body. Without thinking, Rainbow Dash whispered, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Lightning."
Staring back the crescent moon, the gray stallion replied solemnly, "And I hope we'll never have to find out."
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