Contrary to popular belief, it definitely was not always sunny in Fillydelphia. Such was the case of the next afternoon. Gray clouds covered the skies of the blossoming industrial city. It was a city where ponies let the weather take its natural course, and today it seemed as though it wasn't about to hold back.
However, a bit of wind and a chance of rain wasn't enough to stop the Wonderbolt trainees from practicing their routines. A group of four new flyers graced the skies, attempting the death-defying stunts under the supervision of Soarin. They had spent most of the morning working out with practically no rest. After all, the Wonderbolts ran on a strict schedule.
Finally, the veteran called out to the rookies soaring high above, "Alright guys, time for a breather!" Relieved for some rest, the panting pegasi touched down gingerly next to their mentor. Soarin motioned for one, a stallion with a lightning-bolt shaped tail, to come and talk.
The stallion was breathing heavily, attempting to take in a deep, relaxing breath. As he stood there, Soarin said, "Not bad out there, Sparky. But not the best either, you looked kinda shaky out there." The veteran then gave a chuckle and joked, "It's almost like you're flying blind or something. Anyway, get in shape, and I'll be back in ten." Then, without so much as a nod, the seasoned veteran trotted away, leaving the new group to rest by themselves.
Lightning wasn't exactly sure what to do at that moment. Soarin just gave him a bit of a wake-up call, he supposed. Flying blind, huh?, he thought shaking his head. Sounds just about right. His thoughts were interrupted by the hyper voice of another one of his fellow recruits. He was a stallion about the same age as him, with a chaotic red mane that stuck out in every direction possible. As if to match his crazy hair-do, the stallion was chattering away happily as though breathing was unnecessary.
"Not bad, mates. Not bad at all!" the other rookie exclaimed, taking off his flight goggles. Once Soarin was out of range, Lightning proceeded to do the same, revealing a blackened eye underneath. Most of the pain was gone now, leaving only a swollen eyelid and impaired vision.
Upon seeing this, the red maned stallion whistled in wonder. Interested, he said, "Wow, that's a wicked shiner you got there, mate! Where'd you get it, Mr…umm,"
"Flash. You can just call me Flash," Lightning responded quietly. He was a bit hesitant to show the others his injury. The last thing he needed was for the Wonderbolts to think he got into a fight. Well, I guess technically I did. But it wasn't really a fight, was it? Not wanting to dwell on it, Lightning turned back to the other rookie, who had a playful smile on his face.
The other stallion gave a friendly wink and continued, "Right then, Mr. Flash. My name's Slips by the way, in case you'd like to know. Short for Slipstream… but anyway, so where'd you get that black eye, huh?"
"Oh this?" Lightning said, unsure of what to say. But then he shrugged and said, "It's nothing really. Just, ah, flew through a hail storm. Yeah."
Slips glared at him for a moment, and Lightning thought that he had seen through his ruse. But then the hyper stallion gave a huge grin and patted Lightning on the back, saying, "Oh, been there, done that mate! That's quite the nasty bit right there if I do say so myself. Hard to believe something so small can be so painful! Almost broke my nose once, y'know! Was the size of a baseball, that bugger!"
"Yeah. Hey, you don't mind…not telling Soarin about this, do you?" Lightning inquired.
"Oh, c'mon mate! Do I look like the kind of guy who can't keep a secret?"
Lightning gave a nervous laugh. That statement definitely did not instill confidence in the steel stallion. But before he could object, the red head put his arms around Lightning's shoulders as though they had been best friends for life and said to the others, "A'ighty then, mates. Whaddaya say we dash on down to the food court and grab a bite before Soarin gets back!"
The other two rookies agreed happily while Lightning stood awkwardly in the hold of his new "friend". It wasn't Slips who was making him feel uneasy though. After all, he seemed like a nice pony despite the hyper attitude.
But what bugged Lightning was the fact that just hearing the word dash sent another pang of guilt through his chest. Another aching memory rushing back into his mind. And truthfully, he wasn't exactly sure if that meant he cared for his cousin or that he was on borderline obsession.
Borderline obsession, huh? Just thinking about it made Lightning shiver.
xxx
Meanwhile, in the small village of Ponyville, another rainy day was brewing. Up in the sky, pegasi worked hard to fill the skies with gray storm clouds, hoping to provide water for the parched earth below. The weather patrol had once again missed a storm day, so the pegasi planned to make up for it with a "doozy" as Pinkie Pie called it.
Below them sat a gloomy pegasus, who stared up at the flying ponies in envy. Dash was silent, observing the clouds beginning to clump together. It was only a day since the incident at Bronco's Bluff, but the pegasus decided she was well enough to go outside and supervise. Well, she was supposed to be supervising, but all she wanted was to be up there with her winged brethren. Unfortunately, the broken wing put a dent in her plans, and so all she could do was watch in dismay.
A voice called out from behind her, saying gleefully, "Glad to see you're up and about, Rainbow Dash! How're you feeling?"
Rainbow whipped around to see a smiling Twilight Sparkle climbing up the slope. Giving a half-hearted grin, she replied, "Hey, Twilight. I guess I'm alright. I'm walking at least, so that's a good thing."
Satisfied, the purple mare asked, "How's your wing?"
The rainbow pegasus gave a frustrated groan, turning her face up at the gray sky in disbelief. She said unhappily, "Ugh, Fluttershy says I'm gonna be grounded for five weeks. Five weeks Twilight! Man, how am I gonna survive without flying?"
"Oh, I'm sure you're just being melodramatic, Rainbow," Twilight scolded her injured friend. "Five weeks will fly by just like that. Oops, no pun intended!"
Dash had to smile at Twilight's attempt to cheer her up. And yet the pegasus just couldn't look at her friend the same way again. Wasn't Twilight the very same pony who said she had to be more like Lightning, opening up a wound that never really closed in the first place? Wasn't it at Twilight's house where she had abruptly stormed out in a fit? But here Twilight was, acting like her old, kind self as though nothing happened. Dash was confused, and she didn't like that one bit.
The pegasus hadn't realized how sad she looked, her face matching the gloomy, gray clouds gathering above. Twilight saw this and she said, "Listen Dash. I know it's very difficult for you to be grounded. And not being able to say goodbye to your cousin must be hard for you as well." Well, you've got half of it right, Dash said in her mind.
"But you have to realize that breaking your wing on that cliff was much better than the alternative. I mean…if something were to happen to you, I don't know what I—we would do. So be glad you're still alive, Rainbow Dash." Then she whispered faintly so Dash wouldn't hear, "I know I am."
Her unicorn friend's words dug deep into Dash's heart. She couldn't help but feel touched that her friends cared so much. But then she remembered how they acted yesterday, of how they had blown her off so callously. Dash could've sworn they didn't care for her. But now, ever seeing Twilight's small display of affection, she wasn't so sure.
Dash was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize Twilight had snuck off back to town. So the rainbow-maned pegasus just sat on the hill alone, contemplating her dark, conflicted thoughts.
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Lightning was in the locker room, stashing away his flight suit for yet another rainy day. He had a towel draped on his back like a saddle, feeling refreshed from the soothing warm shower he had taken. It was a nice change from the cold, humid environment of Fillydephia. He had been with the Wonderbolts for three days now, and for the whole time it had been raining non-stop.
The stallion paused for a moment to observe a mirror. Lightning's eye had begun to get better; however a small purple outline still circled his eye socket. Oh well, at least it's not as noticeable, he thought. Lucky too, since yesterday he had a photo-shoot for the Wonderbolts article. It definitely would not be good publicity if his black eye was plastered all over the cover of an international magazine.
Satisfied with his inspection, the pegasus went back to his little compartment. As the stallion placed his uniform carefully inside his locker, he caught a glimpse at a piece of cloth hanging on a hook inside. It was the bandana Rarity had given him, the one with the glimmering jewels that matched his tail. Lightning couldn't help but stare sadly at the measly piece of cloth, then back to the ragged old bandana tied around his neck. The gift was nothing but a bitter reminder now, a testament to the fateful visit that had only taken place three days ago.
On the other side of the locker was a sheet of paper. It was the monthly schedule for the Wonderbolts' shows. Two dates caught Lightning's eye. The first was a small little appearance at the end of the month. It was the only one during that week, but even so, the day sent a chill through Lightning's spine.
November 30/Mareacaibo-Veneighzuela
7:00-8:00
Veneighzuela: his home town. The very place he had run away from. Guess I know when I'm calling in sick, Lightning thought, averting his gaze to the rest of the calendar.
November 24/Appleloosa
November 22/Manehattan…blah…blah…
November 12…Ponyville
Well that can't be right, Lightning thought in disbelief. He looked to today's date. November 8. They just had a show there three days ago! Don't they have anything better to do? It was much too soon for the stallion to go back there. Especially with the lingering memory of a certain cyan pegasus still on his mind. Maybe I can get two sick days this month, Lighting thought sadly.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the locker room door swing open, banging hard on the wall. Startled, Lightning shut his locker door and turned to the incoming pegasus. It was Slips. The red maned pony had a huge, perpetual grin plastered on his face and a towel wrapped around his head.
"Man, Soarin's been working us to the bone, mate. Looks like somepony's rammed a 'roo up his flank, if ya know what I mean!" Slips said jokingly.
As much as Slips seemed like a nice guy, Lightning really wasn't in the mood for conversation. Quietly, he responded, "Uhh, no, actually. I, um, don't."
His companion just smacked him on the back (making his wing even sorer) and replied with his fast-paced speech, "Oh, well no worries mate, just an old saying we Aussies say back home. Came from Sydneigh by the way, just in case you hadn't noticed. Have you heard of the place?"
"Well, actually, I've been there for a bit. For some….work," the steel-colored stallion replied awkwardly.
Before Lightning could politely excuse himself from the locker room, Slips continued, "Ah, well it's a beautiful place, eh mate? Nice, warm, there ain't nothin' like home sweet home!"
"Yeah, of course. Hey, listen, I kinda need to-,"
"So anyways mate, have you been hearing about what's stirring up at Cloudsdale?"
Lightning gave a sigh of annoyance, realizing that he wasn't getting out of this one. So he reluctantly replied, "No, what?"
"Well you see there's this meeting going on between the mayor and the flight officials who run the joint. Apparently, they're thinking of nullifying the results of last year's Young Flier Competition! Apparently they found out the winner never actually graduated from flight school! Can't have that now, can we?" Slips said quickly.
Lightning's ears perked up at the mention of the esteemed competition. "Really? Who won?" Flash inquired, even though he already had a feeling in the pit of his gut…
The red maned pegasus answered, "Why none other than the infamous Rainbow Dash herself! You know the story right?" The news truthfully didn't surprise the steel-colored stallion. But although his face didn't show it, Lightning could sense the uneasy feeling in his stomach grow at the sound of his cousin's name. All of a sudden it seemed as though the fluorescent lights became blindingly bright, and the sound of rain outside became increasingly louder.
Nervously scratching the back of his neck, Lightning lied, "Ahh…not really, no."
It seemed as though Slips was hoping to tell a story, because a mischievous look gleamed in his eyes. Stashing his towel in his locker, the companion began, "Really, mate? Used to be what everypony talked about. Heck, people are still speaking of it right now. You see, Dash was one of the best fliers in Cloudsdale, their star athlete. She pulled off these stupendous tricks that people didn't even know existed! But, although her skills were amazing, her personality was anything but. It almost seemed like she always had to prove that she was better than everyone else. But, nopony cared; after all, she was their star athlete."
Part of Lightning wanted to just burst out and defend his cousin. But then he remembered the argument they had in the hospital. The look of pure hatred on his "beloved" cousin's face. And so he held his tongue as Slips continued his tale.
"Then one day, she just dropped out. Disappeared off the face of the earth. Imagine how everypony felt when they found out their superstar just decided to leave for no apparent reason. People didn't know what to do when that happened truthfully. Everypony felt betrayed, and rightfully so, mate. And then, all of a sudden, she pops out of nowhere and steals one of the biggest competitions for rising stars!" Lightning could have stopped Slips from speaking right then and there, but for some reason he felt compelled to let him continue. Perhaps the electric stallion enjoyed hearing others' stories about the infamous Rainbow Dash. Maybe it was just justification for the runaway pegasus. Whatever the case, he let Slips recount his story.
"Don't ask me how they didn't know who she was at first. I mean, she has a bucking rainbow mane! It's not like she even tried to hide her identity. She even performed her Sonic Rainboom, how could they not recognize who she was? The things ponies think these days, not even remembering the bitch that ruined an entire town's reputation."
Hearing the stallion refer to his cousin with such vulgarity brought Lightning back to reality. Although Dash's harsh tone still rang in Flash's mind, she was still his family. And Slips's harsh tone seemed much clearer at that moment anyway. So the electric pegasus quietly but forcefully replied, "Hey. Don't talk about her like that.
But the Aussie pegasus threw his hooves in the air and asserted, "Why not, mate? It was her fault Cloudsdale went from one of the top flight schools to absolutely mediocre. I didn't want transfer to another school that was just as bad as the one I left!"
"When she dropped out, ponies were devastated. Soon, others began to lose confidence and drop-out as well. Without a star pegasus to glue everything together, Cloudsdale practically imploded in less than a year." Every word that was spewed out of the Aussie pony's lips only made Lightning resent him even more. The steel pegasus had subconsciously began to grit his teeth, trying to send a clear message to the hyperactive stallion. Shut up.
But Slips took absolutely no heed of Lightning's body language and said, "The closest thing we ever had to a star was her cousin, mate. Can't remember his name…but I do remember he was a foreign exchange student like myself. But the poor colt had some problems as well. He was delusional, kept defending his mule of a cousin even though she left him to rot in the dust of a city she destroyed. Tried a bit too hard, that idiot. Soon, he couldn't handle the pressure either and he left too. Probably for his crappy home country or some crazy shit like that."
Maybe the stallion could have taken Slips's insults to Dash. But hearing the red-maned pony's brash, stinging comments about him stirred up Lightning's anger. But it wasn't because of the insults themselves. Instead, it was the fact that they were all true, every single bit, and Lightning couldn't take another reminder of his past. Trying to stop his companion from saying anymore, Lightning said angrily, "Listen up, amigo. You'd best be shutting your mouth before I shut it for you!"
"Ho ho, whoa there, mate? Do I sense a bit of protection in your voice? What's wrong, she your girlfriend or something?" Slipstream taunted.
"Let me tell you something, Flash. Your friend is an arrogant, cocky piece of shit. It took Cloudsdale years to get even close to the way they were when Dash was there. Then, after all those years, she had the guts to stroll back into the very town she betrayed to show her moves! I mean, where's the class, mate? What a cocky jackass!"
"And if you're going to defend her, then you're a piece of shit just like her."
Just like that, something within Lightning snapped. He thought back to his colt-hood and the hateful glares of the ponies at Veneighzuela. Of how in their eyes, anypony who defended "Rainbow Crash" was just as bad as her. He heard those words every day over and over, until finally the young colt couldn't face it anymore. Lightning thought he had escaped it all, sacrificing his home to do it. But apparently those words had come back to haunt him after all these years. The ignorance, the ruthlessness, the wrath; they were all still there, manifested in this Aussie pegasus that thinks he knows everything. Needless to say, Lightning didn't like it one bit.
He wasn't about to let some Aussie pegasus make fun of him, or Rainbow Dash for that matter. Without thinking, the stallion let his hoof connect with the fast-talking pegasus's snout. Lightning put everything he had into the punch; letting years of anger and frustration explode in a rush of anger. The impact knocked the victim down onto the ground, clutching his nose in pain. A small trickle of blood dripped down onto the linoleum floor.
"¡Callate la pinche boca, you bucking pendejo!" Lightning yelled, pointing to the pegasus sprawled before him.
The Aussie slowly got back up, clutching his broken nose. Even though stars still dotted his vision and the world spun around and around, the red-maned pony said, "You're dead, mate! Spitfire's not gonna be happy!" With that, Slips slipped out of the door, groaning in pain.
Lightning stood alone in the cold locker room, letting his heart settle. Outside, the rain kept coming, attacking the windows mercilessly with their sharp patter. He watched one of the dim lights flicker on and off. Realizing what he had done, Lightning went back to his locker and slowly creaked it open.
The stallion stared sadly at the bandana plainly hanging on the clothes hook inside. Yes, it was the final object representing that fateful day. But after everything that has happened, Lightning wasn't sure if those memories were worth anything anymore.
Finally, he whispered, "Looks like I screwed up, Arco. I tried to protect you…again. Guess old habits die hard." The dejected stallion swiped the bandana off the rack, throwing the shimmering gift in the garbage. Then he took the schedule and tore the sheet of paper in two, placing it with the piece of cloth in the trash can.
He wasn't going to need it anymore.
xxx
Three days later, and rain still hasn't fallen in Ponyville. Apparently the storm day was postponed so gardeners and farms like Sweet Apple Acres could pick their last few crops before the wind blows them all away. That was the excuse anyway; Rainbow Dash knew they were just covering up for massively screwing things up. And that was just fine by her. After all, they did mess up under her watch.
Two days ago, the pegasi were getting ready to move a giant mass of clouds to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was supposed to be making sure nothing went wrong, but certain things were still on her mind. Sometimes family matters can weigh down upon a pony, and such was the truth for Rainbow Dash.
She thought she had been recovering well, both her wing and her conscience. But when she saw those storm clouds, she couldn't help but think about Lightning.
It was only for a few seconds, but in an occupation dealing with volatile weather, a few seconds was more than enough for everything to go wrong. Dash was too distracted to see a few rookies of the Weather Patrol rough-housing near the enormous clump of clouds. One "accidental" push later, and the Everfree forest found itself drenched in rainwater while Ponyville remained totally dry. There was not even enough water for a drizzle once the infertile forest had been soaked.
Because of that incident, the pegasi were now supposed to scour the land for any clouds they could find. Unfortunately for Dash, that meant going out of Ponyville, a task she definitely wasn't in the condition for. Once again, all she could do was watch as her team went off to the outer reaches of Equestria without her. The injured mare couldn't help but resent those pegasi, only because they could fly while she had to stay on the ground. It has only been three days and already she was missing the feeling of flight. "Yeah, that thing you said about five weeks flying by quickly Twilight? It's not happening," Dash muttered to no one in particular.
Seeing as though she couldn't do anything else, Rainbow decided to pay a visit to Applejack's farm. Maybe I can help her out, thought Dash. Quite ironic considering that, just a few days ago, Dash was content with her cousin doing all the work at Apple Acres. But now she wanted to help, mostly for the attention rather than the duty. Mostly, she just wanted to make sure that her friends still noticed her.
Dash found herself nearing the farm. She stared at the apple trees which were already plucked dry. Not a very good sign, but the pegasus continued onward. She walked up to the door and gave it a gentle knock. At first there was no answer so Dash gave another rap on the door, this time with a bit more force. Still no answer.
Disappointed, the rainbow mare turned to go find someone else to talk to before a small object caught her eye. Laying on Applejack's porch was a small magazine, which must have been recently delivered by Ditzy Doo. Seeing as though she had nothing else to do, Dash decided to pick it up and examine it.
Written across the top in bright yellow letters were the words Wonderbolts Weekly. Underneath it in red print was the subtitle Meet the Rookies. On the cover stood four pegasi clad in Wonderbolt flight suits. Their hoods and goggles were pulled down, revealing their faces. One, a stallion, looked completely insane with his frazzled red mane and gigantic grin. The two on the right, both mares, looked…meh. Not much stood out on them. I guess they look nice, Dash thought.
But what really took her attention was the figure standing at the far right side of the cover. He was partially obscured by the red maned stallion, but no amount of editing could hide the shimmering tail of lightning. It was her cousin, giving the same modest grin he always gave.
But that grin only made Dash sick. That's supposed to be my spot, not yours!, Dash thought spitefully. In a fit of wrath, she screamed at the grinning stallion on the cover, "Why can't you just stay out of my life!" Then the pegasus tore the magazine in two, hurling the halves across the porch.
"Ahem."
Dash turned to see Applejack staring at her in discontent. The pegasus didn't see her friend come up to her while she was raging, and now the honest pony looked at her with a cautious eye.
"Well, sugarcube, yer the one on mah porch, not the other way around! Ah think it's time you got some rest," Applejack said, going up to the injured pegasus. "And next time you get angry RD, please don't rip up mah mail."
The pegasus was quite embarrassed, and with a nod she trotted off towards her home without speaking. As she galloped away, Applejack pondered out loud, "Now what's gotten into that pony's head?"
If she wanted an answer, she was going to have to look elsewhere, because Rainbow wasn't sure herself. In fact, the only thing that was definite in Ponyville was the dark rainstorm brewing in the horizon.
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