//------------------------------// // Chapter XXX: Upon the Celestial Shores. // Story: Lightning Bolt of Rome // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// ‘Ow.’ was the only word on all three of the ponies’ minds. Piece by piece, their senses started to come back to them, feeling the cold rain falling on their coats and armor. There was also the distant sound of thunder along with the ebb and flow of water. Lightning Bolt was the first to open his eyes. He saw that they were on a long beach close to the sea. The sky was gray, but the light that penetrated through suggested that it was morning. He also spotted the twisted web of wires lying not too far from them, most of it has melted. His lazy eyes followed the wires to the golden eagle staff that he barely remembered holding onto. “Wha… where..?” The pegasus sat up and felt sand shift under his armor. “Nurse Red Heart? Spear Head?” He didn’t have to look very far to see their unconscious bodies nearby. He dragged himself over to the two ponies, shaking the unicorn. “Drill Sergeant? You alright?” “Ugh,” Spear Head moaned. “Ow.” “Are you hurt?” “Sir… I don’t know, sir.” The Solar Captain went over to the nurse and tried to wake her up as well. “Nurse Red Heart? Are you okay? Her face scrunched up as she spat out some sand. “Yuck! ...what?” “I’ll take that as a yes.” “Wasn’t there some kind of battle going on?” the earth pony mare questioned. “That’s the last thing I remember.” “I don’t really know, myself,” Lightning confessed. “I just woke up.” “Well, at least we’re out of danger.” The unicorn slowly rose to his hooves. “Do you think we’re back to our own world now, or someplace else?” “I really hope we’re home.” Red Heart got up, helping the pegasus to his hooves. “Agreed.” Lightning looked around at the abandoned beach. “Let’s go find a road or something and find out where we are.” The other two ponies agreed. Their group started to head up towards the tall wild grass, pushing their way through until they came to a clearing. Not several hundred yards away stood alone cottage with lights seeping through the window. As they walked towards the house, each wondered if the being that answered the door would be a pony, a human, or something else entirely. The mare was the first to knock on the door. There was the sound of movement before, to their relief, a filly opened the door. “Oh thank Celestia,” Red Heart sighed in relief. “Hello there, little one. Are your parent’s home?” The filly blinked. “We were hoping that somepony might let us in to get out of the rain. Would you let us in?” The filly tilted her head. “Désolée madame, mais je n'ai pas compris.” Spear Head looked over to his superior. “Prench. Well, at least we have a good idea where we are now.” He stepped in front of the nurse, looking down at the filly. “Excuse-nous, est-ce que tes parents sont à la maison? Nous espérons nous mettre à l'abri de la pluie.” The filly shook her head. “Pas en ce moment monsieur. Ma mère est chez mon grand-père et mon père est parti chercher des œufs chez un voisin.” Both earth pony and pegasus looked at the crimson unicorn in surprise. Bolt was the first to break the silence. “I didn’t know you spoke Prench.” “I learned it from somepony I was dating some time ago.” “Do you know what she said then?” the mare asked. “She said that neither of her parents is home. Her mother is away and her father is trying to get some eggs from a neighbor. "Est-ce que vous êtes perdus?” the filly asked. “Oui, nous le sommes Et nous avons très froid,” Spear told her. “S'il-te-plait, pourrais-tu nous laisser venir chez toi nous abriter jusqu'à ce que ton père revienne?” The gray filly put her hoof to her chin. “Je pense que je peux,” she said as she stepped out of the doorway. “On dirait que vous avez été là toute la nuit.” _*_ In a matter of days, the trio traveled from the northern coast of Prance to its capital to send a message to Princess Celestia of their return. The Sun Princess soon sent an airship over to pick the three of them up. That is where Lightning Bolt, Spear Head, and Red Heart had currently found themselves. All three were sitting in the spacious observation deck, eating lunch as they flew back to Canterlot. The tall marble-like mare listened to the three’s stories of their trips while eyeing the broken-off piece of the eagle staff on the table. “Rome, you say?” Celestia asked. “I don’t think I’ve even heard of it.” “The only thing I could compare it to was Cloudsdale,” Lightning said. “Their architecture was similar in design, but made of white marble and much larger in scale. They also had a large sense of pride.” “Their sports were particularly bloody,” Spear Head piped in before taking a bite of his hayburger, “especially their fights.” Celestia nodded and turned to the nurse. “And you said that you were in this world for four years?” “Yes, your Majesty,” Red Heart nodded. “Although, I wasn’t in the Roman Empire. I was with a traveling tribe where I used my medical practice to help heal them. To be honest, they weren’t exactly any better than the Romans, and were pretty violent.” “I see. So, now that you’re back, do you have any plans?” The nurse shifted in her seat. “I was hoping that I could return to medical school, but since I haven’t been paying for my apartment’s rent, I’m probably going to be homeless.” “For what you’ve been through, perhaps I could pull a few strings.” Celestia sipped her lemonade. “I could have you transferred to Canterlot or Manehattan’s schools so that you can further your education, and I’ll make sure that wherever you want to go, your residence shall be rent-free until you get your doctorate degree.” Red Heart’s jaw dropped. “W-why… Princess, I don’t know what to say...” Celestia smiled. “A simple thank you would do just nicely.” She nodded. “Thank you, your Highness. At the moment, though, I just want to rest for a bit and enjoy Equestria for a couple of days.” “I second that,” Spear Head agreed. “Besides, I’ve been missing my dates. I hope Orange isn’t convinced that I’m dead or anything.” Celestia turned to her Captain of the Guard. “And you?” “Just two things,” he said. “I want my family and my bed.” “Understandable,” the white alicorn said before turning her attention back to her soup. _*_ It was late in the evening by the time Lightning Bolt had set his hooves down in Canterlot. Looking around, he almost didn’t recognize it since he was away in a city of marble for so long. It was less crowded, much cleaner, and even more elaborate. There were equines -- not beasts of burden -- roaming the streets. In a way, it almost felt like a dream as he tried to recall that particular place of the city. He’d nearly forgotten his neighborhood as he flew down to the place he called home. But like a lost memory, he spotted something familiar: a blue door with a crescent-shaped window. He landed and knocked on the door. “Give me a sec,” a voice behind the door called out. There were a few clicks from the door before it opened to a Thestral mare with a yellow bandana tied on her head. “Can I…?” she trailed off when she saw who was on the front porch. Lightning gave a soft, tired smile. “Hey, Midnight. Sorry, I’m late.” “L… Lightning?” His wife suddenly flew forward and embraced him, her bat wings enveloping him. “I can’t believe it! You’re home! You’re actually home!” The pegasus nuzzled her. “I missed you too. How’ve you been?” “I’ve been busy, but we’re doing fine.” Midnight wiped a few joyful tears from her eyes. “Our daughter was worried sick about you, and so was I.” “Where is she anyway?” “Sleeping.” His wife took a step back. “By the way, what’s with the weird armor?” Lightning kissed her for a moment. “It’s quite the story, but I’ll tell you later. I’m tired and could really use my bed.” “Come inside then.” She stepped beside the door. “I guess we both have quite a story to tell, don’t we?” “Quite.” And with that, Lightning Bolt stepped inside of his home.