//------------------------------// // 185. The Lightning Learning Experience - Part 2 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// Rainbow growled as she spotted her rival playing frisbee with Hotshot. The sight of the mare that had almost gotten her friends killed filled her with rage, and with her already in a bad mood from the discussion about her mother, Rainbow was about ready to blow, and unlike with Thunderlane, she now had the perfect outlet. As the rainbow mare stalked forward, Thunderlane took a look at Lightning Dust. She seemed happy playing with the young colt, which did make him curious about their relationship. But what drew his attention was her eyes. While there was a friendly smile and a laugh in her throat, her eyes spoke a different story. When he had known her at the Wonderbolts academy, there had been a fire in her eyes that didn’t look like anything could extinguish it. They spoke of her drive to push forward, her delight at getting another step closer to her dreams and the burning passion that showed all the hard work and effort she had taken to get there, and how much more she would keep fighting until she reached her dream. Now though when he looked at her eyes, all that passion and drive was gone. There was a slight happiness and love displayed towards the colt she played with, but otherwise they just spoke of hopelessness and emptiness. She just looked broken and beaten, like all her dreams had been destroyed and she had no hope of ever reaching them. With a pang of pity filling him, Thunderlane realized that perhaps that was the case. She had done horrible things at the academy and it was her drive and lack of empathy for her fellow cadets that had brought her own downfall. But that course had gotten her thrown out of the academy, and with it, any real hope of becoming a Wonderbolt. A frown crossed Thunderlane’s muzzle at the thought of it. He still didn’t hold very pleasant thoughts for the mare. She had been responsible for nearly killing his friends and demeaning him repeatedly over their time together at the academy. But now, he just didn’t have it in him to hate her, not now, with that pain in her eyes and her future in jeopardy. Unfortunately, it seemed Rainbow didn’t feel the same way. “Hey Lightning Douche, get over here!” Her angry shout immediately caught Lightning’s attention. A brief glimmer of agitation crossed her expression, before the pain in her eyes wiped it away and just left a weary resignation that made Thunderlane frown harder. He saw Scootaloo and Rumble look at Rainbow in confusion at her sudden aggressiveness towards the mare, as they only knew a little of what had happened at the academy. Hotshot however was very annoyed that his game of frisbee had been interrupted, and that Rainbow was yelling at Lightning Dust. “Hey, you can’t yell at my big sister like that, you jerk!” His declaration did bring surprise to everypony who’d heard it. Lightning Dust was Hotshot’s sister. This did explain to Scootaloo and Rumble why Hotshot and had seemed to have it out for them since his arrival at Ponyville. If he was Lightning’s sister, he likely didn’t hold many positive feelings for Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow stared at the colt for a moment, before her glare returned and she growled at him. “After all the stunts your sister pulled, I’ll yell at her and call her whatever name I want, kid!” Hotshot just glared back and started advancing towards the older mare, fully intending to throw some punches. “Oh yeah! Well get ready for a deck in the schnoz, you stupid…” He was cut off when he felt a hoof on his shoulder and he looked up to see that Lightning had approached him and was looking down with her ‘responsible big sister’ look. “Hey, Hotshot it’s fine. How about out you grab the frisbee and go long and once I’m done here we’ll keep on playing, okay?” The young colt did not look happy about that, but he could tell his sister wasn’t going to let him deal with the big jerk himself. He gave Rainbow one last scathing glare before grabbing his frisbee and taking wing to get some distance for his next throw. Lightning watched him go before turning back to Rainbow, who had turned her gaze from the young colt and back to her. “Look, Rainbow, I’m just trying to have a nice day with my little brother, so can we not do this right now? I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like and I really don’t want to upset him by getting into a fight.” Thunderlane was surprised by Lightning’s lack of anger over the situation as well as her calm and even tone that showed she wasn’t looking for trouble. Whatever had happened to her since leaving the academy, she definitely didn’t seem as aggressive. Or perhaps it was just for the benefit of her younger brother, who was now watching the confrontation at a distance. Either way, he didn’t feel right about this. Rainbow however didn’t seem to care. As Lightning finished speaking, she narrowed her eyes and steeled herself. It didn’t matter that she was with her brother. This mare had almost gotten her friends killed and had treated Rainbow badly during her time at the academy. She had this coming. “No way, Lightning! If you didn’t want a fight then you shouldn’t have put my friends in danger! You don’t get to play the responsible calm one here, not after your actions!” Rainbow stomped right up to Lightning and stared right into her eyes. Lightning gave a sigh. However instead of riling herself up to fight back like Rainbow expected, the other mare just seemed to deflate, as though just hoping to get this whole thing over with quickly. The sight just made Rainbow even angrier. “You know, I’ve been really hoping to run into you one of these days. After the academy, you left before I could find you. Then again, after how badly you screwed up and all the disgrace you brought to the academy, I’m not surprised you scurried off with your tail between your legs as fast as you possibly could.” Rainbow’s words just seemed to bring even more sadness to Lightning’s eyes and her ears and tail just dropped and went limp. Scootaloo and Rumble seemed shocked and upset by Rainbow’s words, while Thunderlane however grit his teeth and came to a decision. “You know Lightning when we first met I thought you were awesome. You were as fast as me and you had just as much drive and passion to be the best. I thought we would be awesome partners. Friends even! Even when you got picked as the lead pony of our squad, I still thought we’d be an awesome team. Instead you turned into a thoughtless jerk, who didn’t care about anypony but herself~ You got my wing injured and you did nothing but insult Thunderlane and the other cadets. You even screwed with exercises just to prove how much better than everypony you were. The worst was when you goaded me into helping you make that tornado! My friends were almost killed because of that stunt you pressured me into! They could’ve died and it would have happened because of you and you goading me. Then when I confronted you over it, you didn’t even care! They didn’t mean anything as long as you were the best! You proved to me that you are nothing but a pathetic. Glory-seeking! WHORSE! I can’t believe I ever admired you or ever thought you belonged at the academy!” Lightning just closed her eyes, slight hints of tears starting to appear but she held them back. There was no fight in her at all. She felt nothing but pain over what had happened at the academy and Rainbow’s words just cut into her like a blade. Scootaloo had tears in her eyes hearing her mentor actually talk to somepony like that. She didn’t really know much about what had happened at the academy, but even if what she was saying about Lightning was true, why would Rainbow, her big sister, ever talk to somepony like that? A focused determined expression crossed Thunderlane's face at Rainbow’ words as he prepared to march over to Rainbow. But he felt a hoof hold him back, right as Rainbow crossed the line. “Spitfire was right to have you kicked out of the academy! You didn’t deserve to be there and you never will! You’re nothing but a bully, a thug and a loser! YOU DON”T DESERVE TO BE A WONDERBOLT!” “THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!!!” Rainbow flinched and turned to see her father. Rainbolt stormed over to his daughter to haul her away from Lightning, who looked as though Rainbow had just stabbed her. The tears she had held back were dribbling down her face and her eyes were wide, showing just sad and broken they were. Before Rainbolt could say anything, apologize for Rainbow’s words or offer her any comfort, the mare just stood up and trotted off, her head held low and her tail dragging behind her. Hotshot in the distance looked shocked and worried, quickly galloping after his big sister as she left the park, throwing a dark glare at Rainbow as he did so. Rainbow just gave a huff and turned to Rainbolt, along with Thunderlane, looking annoyed that Rainbolt had dragged her away from the verbal beat down that Lightning had coming, only to be shocked at seeing how angry they were. “Rainbow Iris Dash! I cannot believe what I just saw,” Rainbolt scolded, making Rainbow’s ears splay back as she felt the familiar sting of disappointing her father. “I don’t care what bone you had to pick with that mare, but after what I just saw? Hmph! Well, you can be sure your mother would be every bit as disappointed in you as I am right now!” That hurt. Rainbow had just unloaded her pent-up anger and frustration from having been reminded of her mother, but it had been a long time since her own father had used Firefly’s memory to scold her. “You don’t know what that creep Lightning Dust has done, Dad!” Rainbow tried to defend herself when Thunderlane stepped in. “Dash, I was at the academy same as you and I felt no better about Lightning Dust than you did, but what you just did was completely out of line! You had no right to put her down like that, especially when she was just trying to have a fun afternoon with her little brother!” “Thunder’s right, baby girl…” Rainbolt spoke, using his favorite endearment but without the love. “If we see that Lightning Dust pony again after this, you had better apologize to her for what you said!” Rainbow could only seethe and look down, unable to meet her father’s eyes. So she turned her gaze to the rest of the group, hoping to have some support in the matter. However all she saw was a confused and worried look from Rumble, and a teary eyed and saddened glance from Scootaloo. Seeing everypony against her, she just gave another huff and mumbled her consent to apologize. Lightning didn’t deserve it, but Rainbow didn’t want to have her friends and family angry with her. After giving her word to apologize, the group continued there trot towards the restaurant on the other side of the park, this time in a tense silence. What none of them noticed was the gaze of a shadowed figure, and the curious expression on her face. Beau’s Burgers was a popular fast food-joint and diner in Cloudsdale, and had been around for over twenty years. The inside was a simple diner with both regular tables and booths, all with comfortable seats, the tables topped with salt n’ pepper shakers, glass bottles of ketchup, and a metal holder for paper napkins. Behind the counter and cash register, worked Beau, an overweight pegasus with a maple brown coat, coffee-black mane, and a cutie-mark of a spatula behind a plate with a burger and fries. He wore a deli hat and white apron that was covered with stains from grease and condiments yet he wore a happy expression as his customers watched him work his burger-flipping magic! “...and voila!” he caught his latest culinary art as the oatburger made a quadruple-flip in mid-air before it landed on the bun Beau carried with a plate on his wing, then quickly added the cheese, lettuce, and tomato, and a side of hay-fries, before setting the top bun to the side, and a piece of parsley on top to give it a touch of eloquence. “Order up, Pepper!” “Thanks, Beau,” chuckled a white mare with a red mane named Pepper Mint, Beau’s cashier and waitress, as she accepted the plate from her boss, and headed over to the recipient of the order when she saw five new customers walk in. “Oh, how y’all doing? Just gimme a moment, I’ll be right with ya!” Rainbolt smiled as he led his companions up to the counter and saw Beau preparing a new dish. “Yo Beau! Working hard or hardly working?” Beau looked over his shoulder and smiled, “Rainbolt! And is that Rainbow Dash and ol’ Thunder I see?” “Hey Beau, it’s been a while!” Thunderlane smiled and waved at the middle-aged stallion. Rainbow, despite her mood, was able to smile and say, “Still running this greasy spoon, I see!” “Twenty-two years in the business and no plans for retirement!” Beau declared proudly. “Take a seat wherever ya like, I’ll be right with ya!” Rainbolt led his daughter and her friends to his favorite booth table when Pepper Mint passe by, asking, “Y’all wanna round of colt cola?” “YEAH!” Rumble and Scootaloo both cheered as they sat down. But Rainbow was quick to notice Scootaloo sat with her father rather than beside her, as she usually would, and she couldn’t help feeling a little hurt. But recalling how she’d acted towards Lightning, Can’t say that I blame her… Dust is a creep, but I guess I still acted real uncool. So she sat with Thunderlane and Rumble on the other side of the table, and noticed Rainbolt smile and get up as Beau came over. “Hey ol’ buddy!” The two stallions hugged in an oafish way before Rainbolt sat back down, and Beau whipped out a notepad and pencil. “So my friends, what can I getcha?” “Usual for me,” Rainbolt requested. “Um, don’t we need menus first?” Rumble asked. “No need for menus this time, kiddo,” Beau waved off Rumble’s concern, “this is a special treat - You want it, I got it!” “OK! I’d like a hayburger with cheese, a side of hay fries, and a big chocolate shake!” Scootaloo ordered with a smile. Rumble ordered the same, while Thunderlane and Rainbow ordered oatburgers instead. “Coming right up!” Beau stated once he jotted their orders down before he gave them a smug look. “And watch the master…!” He zipped away to the grill, surprisingly fast for a pony of his heftiness, and they watched in awe as Beau worked his fast-food magic! In no time at all, he and Pepper Mint brought their orders to their table, saying, “Order up!” They looked with hungry smiles at the delectable eats before them as Beau ran them off, “Hayburgers with cheese and sides of fries along with a couple shakes for the foals, oatburgers and hay-fries for Rainbow and Thunder, and an oatburger with cheese and bacon for Rainbolt!” “Along with a round of colt cola,” Pepper Mint placed a round tray holding the drinks in the middle. “Enjoy!” Beau wished when they heard a ringing as more customers walked in, and he and Pepper got back to work. At this point however, Rainbow and Thunderlane looked a little curiously at the burger Rainbolt was about to sink his teeth into. “Dad? You… eat meat?” Rainbow had met a few meat-eating ponies before, not including her (former) friend Gilda. It didn’t really disturb her to see her father was eating meat, but it was still a surprise. “Oh! Heh-heh, sorry,” Rainbolt stopped mid-bite and chuckled sheepishly. “Y’see, a while back, a new pegasus came to work at the weather factory. A Lunar Pegasus, to be exact.” “A Lunar pegasus?” Rumble echoed curiously. “Oh! Aren’t those the pegasi with bat-like wings who serve Princess Luna?” Scootaloo brought up with a smile. “A lot of them do, yeah,” Rainbolt nodded. “Most of the Lunar Ponies live on the Shetland Isles over in the Glistening Eastern Sea, but shortly after Princess Luna’s return, some of them came to live in Equestria. But most of them work as her personal guard, because… Well, they eat the same stuff as we usual ponies do, but… they’re also meat-eaters.” “Lemme guess,” Thunderlane spoke up, “they’re not all that well-accepted by the ponies of Equestria because of that.” “That’s right,” Rainbolt replied. “It’s real hard these days for lunar ponies to find work in Equestria, work besides being a part of Princess Luna’s guard. They eat meat because it’s a part of their natures, but a lot of ponies are just too… stubborn to see it that way. “So anyway, my new lunar pegasus friend, Shade Chaser, he had trouble trying to make friends with the other workers, so I invited him here to Beau’s. You should’ve seen the look on his face when Beau served him up an oatburger with bacon! But Shade was still so self-conscious of eating meat in a public restaurant, that I ordered one too, so he wouldn’t be the only one. It was a little weird at first, and my gut was grumbly before it got used to it. But before long, I found myself enjoying it! So, Shade and I started eating here at Beau’s together once a week, and it helped him get more confident and socialize more. Now, he’s got a pegasus girlfriend and they’re as mushy as can be!” “Aw! That’s so cool of you to help him out, Bolt!” Scootaloo gave Rainbolt such an admiring smile, it make Rainbow both proud of her father and a little more ashamed of her own behavior from earlier, having listened to her father’s story. But then Scootaloo looked at Rainbow, and she knew what her surrogate little sister/biggest fan was curious about before she asked. “But Rainbow Dash…? I heard some of what you said. But, the way you acted towards Hotshot’s big sister, well… I can’t believe I’m saying this to you, of all ponies - It just wasn’t cool!” Rainbow looked down at her food, as the foals and Thunderlane looked at her while Rainbolt excused himself from the conversation to take a bite out of his burger. “Ya see, Scoots,” Rainbow sighed, “remember how me and Thunderlane left a while back to attend the Wonderbolts Academy? We met Lightning Dust there. At first, she was cool, and she showed herself to be an awesome flyer and an ambitious one, that she kinda showed me up in front of Spitfire. “When our class was divided into squads, Lightning Dust was chosen as lead-pony of our squad, her, me, and Thunderlane!” “How come?” Rumble asked. “I asked Spitfire why, and she said that Lightning Dust pushed herself harder than I did,” Rainbow answered. “So I went along with it, but as the week wore on, Lightning Dust showed some disregard to our class and was more concerned about coming out on top.” “During one of our training sessions,” Thunderlane interjected, “Lightning Dust led our squad like she was the only pony on it, and Rainbow Dash got her wing hurt because of it! I was concerned but Dash insisted it was nothing.” “Then, on our fourth day of training,” Rainbow went on, “during a cloud-busting competition… Lightning Dust pressured me into helping her make a tornado to get ahead of our classmates. Thunderlane was smart and chose not to help, and I wish I’d done the same… because when we made the tornado, our friends, Twilight, AJ, Midnight, Big Mac, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Bluebood were arriving to visit in a hot-air balloon. They got caught and if it weren’t for Thunderlane’s quick-thinking, they might have been seriously hurt. Or worse…” “Once everypony was safely on the ground,” Thunderlane continued, “Lightning Dust showed up, bragging of how the tornado cleared the skies, she mocked me for not helping, and tried to hoof-bump Rainbow.” “I knocked her hoof away and called her out for her reckless and selfish behavior,” Rainbow said bitterly. “And she wasn’t sorry at all for how her actions endangered others! Then she rubbed it in our faces of how she got chosen to be lead-pony of our squad, so me and Thunder went to see Spitfire. We gave her a piece of our minds… and then we quit.” “WHAT?!” “No way!” “Yes way,” Thunderlane nodded, “but before we could leave, Spitfire caught up with us, and admitted she was wrong and that we were right about how doing one’s best shouldn’t come at the expense of our fellow ponies. She then called up Lightning Dust, ripped off her lead-pony badge, and had her escorted off the academy grounds.” “You mean… she got kicked out?” Scootaloo asked. “Mm-hmm, and Spitfire then gave me and Thunder our own lead-pony badges, and we chose to stay in the academy and complete the course,” Rainbow finished. “Until today, I haven’t given Lightning Dust another thought.” Then her father cut in with a very loud BELCH before saying, "Well, considering the way she was at the park, Dashie, it seems Lightning Dust herself is in a bad place.” “I kinda noticed that too,” Thunderlane agreed. “I mean, I still recall the passion and ambitious fire she had in her eyes back at the academy, but today? I didn’t see any of that! Just… a hopeless pony, who was smiling for the sake of her little brother!” “That sort of thing can happen when you’ve had your dreams crushed, Thunder,” Rainbolt noted before addressing his daughter. “Dash, sometimes it takes losing your dreams to take a good look at yourself and wonder ‘How did it come to this? What did I do wrong?’ I’m not saying Lightning’s actions were in any way acceptable, but it seems to me she’s at a place in her life where she doesn’t know what to do with it.” “So?” Rainbow asked in a decisively foalish way. “So… Perhaps all she needs is a second chance,” Rainbolt suggested with a fatherly smile, “and isn’t it better have friends instead of enemies? From what it sounded like, you and Lightning formed a connection during your time at the academy! Even if that connection soured, it sounded to me there was a spark that could have become a real friendship. But even if you’re not ready to give her another chance, isn’t it better to bury the hatchet and let go of past between the two of you?” “I’ll admit, Dash,” Thunderlane spoke up, “I’m not really sure if I could call Lightning Dust a friend, but I have to agree with your dad.” “Hotshot may be a bully,” Scootaloo looked to Rumble who nodded in agreement, “but it was obvious he loves and cares about his big sister the same way me and Scoots love and care about Thunder and you! Somepony with a little brother like that can’t be all bad!” Rainbow felt her animosity towards Lightning Dust deflate with each valid point her friends and family around her made. She had to admit it however, that her dad was right! When they’d met, there was a connection - Lightning Dust had almost been the mirror-image of herself, in attitude as well as her skills, that Rainbow couldn’t help but get along with her. At least at first. Plus, now that she’d eaten and had time to cool off, she realized just how uncool she’d acted, not just towards Lightning, but in front of her friends and family. And recollecting the look on Lightning’s face after Rainbow had unloaded on her, it made Rainbow remember how much Billy, Hoops, and Score had acted so nasty towards her and Fluttershy back when they were foals, and how similar Rainbow had mirrored those actions. “...Guys, I-” But right at that moment, every pegasus, not just in the restaurant but perhaps in all of Cloudsdale felt something both strange and familiar!