This story crosses over into the story of Bubble Pop: http://askbubblepop.tumblr.com/
The author often refers to herself as Rue and her mod blog is here: http://bubblepopmod.tumblr.com/
I closed my eyes. I was soaring higher and higher, closer and closer to the sun and soon Luna’s beautiful moon. The clouds stretched out in front of me in an endless expanse of sky. I would soon reach Cloudsdale and my friends that lived there.
Of course I first needed to avoid all the dragons and other various dangers up here in the air with me. I careened quickly as one of them shot by. The dragon looked scary, but it actually waved and smiled as it went by. I waved back with my hoof, grinning at him. A phoenix flew by next, barely missing me as well. It shot forward, faster and faster. So it wanted a race huh? I was one of the fastest fliers in Equestria! It wasn’t going to beat me! I ducked my head down and- I heard something.
I shook my head, my imagination retracting and I looked up at the balloons helping me flying in the air. They and the ropes holding them seemed fine. So what was that- I looked down. Oh no! The rope holding me down had somehow fractured. I strained to close my wings before-another snap.
I screamed as I traveled into the air for real. I flapped and flapped but my tiny wings weren’t getting any traction. I shot up, the weather balloons carrying me like my weight didn’t even matter. My moms had warned me about using those balloons, why didn’t I listen? Fast and faster I went, my little wings doing nothing. “Help!” I screamed, but no one came.
I sailed over the Apple farm. There were clouds all around me. I buzzed my wings over and over, trying to get to any of them, but I wasn't making any traction. I would have liked this under any other circumstance, shooting through the air, but I had no control, and neither did anyone else. I was speeding towards the Everfree… the Everfree? I’d already had bad experiences in there, I didn’t want to go back.
I flapped my wings furiously and even moved my legs, trying to swim in the air, if that was possible. But I continued to sail on. CRASH! I looked up. The balloons were entering a small cloud that looked to be filled with ice. A snow cloud? Crap! I squirmed hard but- CRASH! Another one burst. I slowly started to fall into the forest. I bit my lip, looking over the forest. I was going to land very deep in it. I made sure to face myself towards the Apple farm. The second I landed I was going to make a dash for it. I started moving my legs in anticipation of meeting the earth again. I would have to run and run fast.
As I descended, I looked down. Something moved. Oh come on! A timber wolf! C’mon, this had to be a dream… that was it, I was having a nightmare, any minute I would wake up. Any minute… C’mon! The wolf sat there under me as I descended into the trees slowly approaching his waiting jaws. “HELP!” I shouted again. Tears streaming from my eyes I looked ahead, in my mind, saying goodbye to my friends and family, I knew it, this was it. I was too young to die. Water filled my eyes as I looked ahead. "Help... please someone help!"
A light seemed to open in front of me. Was it Celestia coming to guide me to my next life? Was this going to hurt? Would I be able to apologize to my moms as a ghost? I sighed, holding my head in my hooves as- a filly shot out of the light.
My eyes refocused seeing a yellow pegasus filly fly past me, carrying a small blue earth pony colt. The filly set down the colt and glared at the timber wolf. The wolf turned to her and growled. Electric bolts shot out of the filly and tore through the body of the wolf, sending splinters everywhere. The wolf’s body was scattered and… yea it was dead.
Two more bolts shot out from the yellow filly, bursting the remaining balloons carrying me. I was about to panic as she shot up into the air and grabbed me. She brought me to the ground beside the blue colt.
“You okay Bubble?” asked the colt.
“Wha… how… who are you two, how do you know who I am… what are you doing here… what?” I examined both foals. The filly was a pegasus with a yellow coat and a blue mane. Her mane was rather messy in the front but the back looked like a series of three neat triangles. Her face was also a mismatch, the right half covered in freckles, while the other side as clear. She had a huge grin on her face, eyes wide open. Her companion had a baby blue coat and a dark blue mane, which actually just looked like a normal colt mane, a short a messy crew cut kind. He had a small yellow highlight, but other than that, he wasn’t as much of a visual oddity as the filly. The colt seemed much more calm, just smiling at me.
“We’re big fans,” said the yellow filly above me. “We follow you on tumblr.”
“Wait… you what?” I asked back. “That silly program I use… stuff keeps happening with that…" I quickly remembered many things happening. A long time ago I got a computer and started using this program on it called "tumblr". When I first started using tumblr, it seems like just a message system, but over time, it seemed like the program started casting spells on me. Like me being changed into a colt, or me becoming a bat pony. All kinds of magic kept coming out of that program. It was more or less fun to find out what would happen next, even though I didn't understand HOW it was happening. Exactly why my moms let me keep using it I wasn't sure, but I mostly had fun "Now foals are shooting out of it?”
The filly’s head moved back a little in a small amount of surprise. “Um- well- I don’t think so. You see I can travel anywhere through many different universes that I want through a series of portals in my dad’s cave… but if you think about it... it seems like every world I go to has a tumblr page... all the worlds are linked by tumblr... I think… I guess we really did come here out of tumblr then… huh… wish I understood more about the program.”
“Portals? Cave?” I asked.
“Um… I come from another world… it’s really hard to explain. I saw you in trouble on your tumblr blog and I came through your portal to save you. You can thank me now.” she smiled at me. "I'm a hero, I am awesome."
I looked at the remains of the timber wolf. “Yea, thankyou, of course. Um... How did you do that to the wolf?”
“I command lightning. That happens to be my name too, but that’s unrelated.”
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Lightning Strike, and the colt is Dusk, my bestest friend and little brother.” I looked over at the currently rather quiet colt. He just nodded at me.
“You have a brother too? Hm, neat,” I said. I was a little confused, but enough time with tumblr had taught me to roll with things a little.
“Oh yea… I wish we could have seen more of your visit with him, but the comics about that were only so many.” Lightning shrugged. I blinked, not sure I was comprehending her words entirely. Comics? I had always wondered how my followers saw me on tumblr but, through comics? Was that how? “So you’re from tumblr… how does that work?”
“I have no idea,” Lightning answered. I blinked a few times, hoping there was more than that. “At least I’m honest.”
“Yea well… thanks for saving me, but now, can you help me out of here?” I asked. I looked up at the surrounding trees, a sense of just how screwed I was setting in.
“I um… yea but… I’m not sure how to do that part,” Lightning replied.
“Just fly me out,” I said. “You can carry another pony.”
“And leave my brother, are you crazy?” she shot back. I looked at the colt again. “What if I can’t find him again?” Well, I didn’t want to endanger Dusk, I just met him, but that was no reason to want him hurt. He smiled at me. The smile seemed nice, he was probably a nice colt, I didn’t want bad things to happen to him.
“Can you carry us both?” I asked.
“I can lift you both, but carrying two ponies at once is really hard. I tried to carry him and Scootaloo at the same time once… we somehow ended up in a tree… three times… the same tree… you see the tree branches fell and then I turned around and- you get the picture, it was really embarrassing- it didn’t go well.”
“Well… can you just go get someone?” I asked. There was a nagging question in my mind about how exactly Lightning knew Scootaloo, but I decided there were other priorities right now.
“How am I gonna remember where you guys are? It’s a big forest,” I sighed and closed my eyes. There had to be a way out of this for the three of us. I wasn’t sure how Lightning and her brother got here exactly, but assuming they couldn’t just use another portal to get us out… safe assumption right?... what else could we do? I imagined myself flying over the forest.
How could I fly out of here and remember where I had been? What if I had the ability to command lightning… I imagined blasting a crater into the forest, to make sure I remembered where I and my friends had been. The forest around me caught fire, my friends started screaming and I could do nothing about it-okay bad idea. Restart. I was flying up in the air and using my lightning. What if I only set the trees on fire on their tops? I flew off and-came back to find my friends had to run way because… yea because the trees were on fire. Restart. I shot lightning into the air, trying to get the attention of other ponies. That could work. Other ponies watched my display from town… and they shrugged off my display because they had no idea what it meant or that it was even me, because no one knew this version of me.
I gritted my teeth, imagining one scenario after another. C’mon, something had to work in reality… if only we could all just walk out of here… hey wait…
I flew overhead slowly, keeping the farm in view. My friends could see me from below and were able to walk straight out. And hey, if there was any danger I would be able to see it and zap it! So simple!
I opened my eyes. “I’ve got it!” I shouted. Both foals looked at me. “Lightning, can you fly overhead and just lead us to the Apple Farm from the sky? You should be able to see it from up there,” I pointed at the sky.
Lightning shrugged and nodded. “Sure.” Up she flew.
As she left, a thought struck me. I was in the everfree forest and I had just sent the only protection I had several hundred feet away with only a little assurance that she might be able to save me before one of the many monsters in the forest tried to gobble me up... I shook my head. I positive thinking Bubble, positive thinking... hmmmm...
(***)
There was a pretty long walk ahead. For a few minutes I didn’t know what to say to Dusk, but after a while, his silence was getting aggravating, making the whole, being lost in a dangerous forest worse. I couldn't keep having the dangers of the forest being the only thing on my mind. I tried to start small talk. “So Dusk, what’s your family like?”
Dusk was quietly walking beside me. He blinked a few times looking over at me. “Hmm… oh, you’re talking to me... Bublbepop is talkign to me... COOL! Um… Okay. My daddy is a big dragon, that’s my sister up there and… that’s it.”
“What about your mom?” I asked.
Dusk stuck out his tongue and pointed at his throat making a choking out. “I hate her. Moms are dumb.”
“HEY!” I shouted. “I love my moms! I bet your mom loves you, how dare you say that.” Dusk walked quietly beside me as I talked, his eyes looking like they were swimming, looking for an escape. Good! He needed to feel bad about what he said. “Think of all the things your mom does for you all the time. I’ll bet she’s worried sick about you right now,” Dusk gritted his teeth. “Why when I get home I’m gonna give both my mom’s a big hug. Mom’s are nice and gentle and-“
“SHUT UP!” Dusk finally shouted. I stopped, looking at Dusk. “Just… just- just… shut up…” Dusk kept walking beside me. “Don’t talk about mommies with me. Just don’t.”
“But you should hear me, they’re great.” Dusk started to cry. “Oh… I’m " Something was wrong. Maybe I could help? "Sure she loves you still, did you two have a fight or-“
“Ya know, when someone tells you to shut up, especially someone super nice like my brother, it usually means you should just stop,” Lightning was now in front of us. “By the way, Dusk doesn’t shout unless you’re being mean to him. You need to know something.” Lightning stood up straight and started walking towards me. She was actually a little bigger than me and the way she stood emphasized that point. I started backing away as she came towards me, her shadow starting to come over me. “No one is mean to my brother,” she leaned down and we practically touched eyes, “Got it?”
I remembered what this filly did to the timber wolf not long ago. I gulped. “Um… yea… I-I wasn’t trying to be mean honest. I was just telling him not to hate mom’s… ya know… mom’s are nice… ya know?”
Lightning sighed, walking over to her brother. She put her wing over him. I trotted around them, not sure what was happening. I looked at their faces. Dusk was holding back tears and Lightning was hugging him to herself, biting her lip. “I… I’m sorry. You’re mom is gone isn’t she? My mom’s told me that sometimes moms go away. They don’t want to, but sometimes-“
“Shut up…” Dusk said very quietly.
“Look you shouldn’t hate her because she went away you two, I’m sure she didn’t want to-“
“THEY THREW US AWAY!” Lightning shouted. I stopped talking. “We were adopted together, but we don’t have the same mother. We were both found in dumpsters when we were babies. We’ve been told we’re both lucky we’re alive. SHUT UP ABOUT STUPID MOTHERS! I HATE MOTHERS! WHO THE HELL THROWS AWAY A BABY!? I HATE MOTHERS!”
My eyes were wide, mouth stuck open. “What?” I asked. “No… mom’s don’t throw you away…”
“Ours did.”
“That can’t be…”
“Can we just get out of here?” Lightning asked. I puased, searching for something to say. I didn't even know what to think. I just nodded. Dusk started walking next to me again as Lightning flew overhead again.
As we walked… my mind was kinda stuck. Moms… momies are good… they don’t throw you away. A mom would love you too much to do that… they had to be wrong… they’re mom’s made a mistake maybe… maybe they didn’t know these two would turn out to be nice… no, that wouldn’t be a good reason to throw away babies. Babies aren’t mean… how could someone throw away a baby?
I looked at Dusk walking next to me. His tears had dried up, his smile was back. He quietly smiled at me, suddenly looking concerned when he saw my frown. He pushed up next to me, smiling at me bigger. I smiled back, not sure how this was making me feel, but I wanted him to be happy.
I had to introduce these two to my mommies. Two real mommies… whatever they had-they-they must not have been real mom’s. Not sure why anyone would call someone who threw away a baby a mom, but that’s not a mom. These two needed to know that. They were nice. I had to show them. Mommies are nice.
Dusk moved away a little. “Hey,” I started. “About your mom” Dusk looked at me nervously. “No, I’m not gonna be mean. Look, you can meet mine… I’ve got two, you can have one…” I gritted my teeth… could I really? How could they not have a mommy? But I couldn’t give up one of mine, I loved my moms.
“I don’t think you can do that,” said Dusk. “I don’t want a mom. I have my daddy.”
“But daddy’s are never there…” I said. “I’ve never seen my dad… dad’s just aren’t there.”
“They're not always around, but they love you and they watch over you,” he said back. “Mine watches me.”
“Oh yea? Where is he?” I asked.
Dusk grinned nervously. “We didn’t tell him where we were going… I wish Lightning could just get us home.”
Part of me wanted to rub this in his face, his father wasn’t so great, dad’s aren’t that great really, or I’m pretty sure they’re not… mine’s never shown up. Still, he wasn’t being mean, so I wasn’t going to be either. Still… “How can she get you home… and why won’t it work?”
“Lightning can make portals with her electric powers, but the Everfree makes her powers not work very well.”
We walked for a few more minutes. I was starting to wonder about all the dangers supposedly in the forest. I had thought something would attack us every second, but nothing was coming. Was the danger of the Everfree made up?
I looked around. Actually the woods were kinda pretty. The wild trees, the phoenix’s flying overhead, the way the leaves reflected the light… wait… “LIGHTNING!” Dusk shouted. Two phoenix’s shot after my new yellow friend. Two bolts flew out from her at both of them, blasting one, but missing the other as it blazed towards her, biting her wing. The two fought in the air, Lightning’s powers tearing the phoenix apart to no surprise, but even in winning Lightning fell down. Dusk and I both ran to her, the filly landing on her bit wing. “LIGHTNING!” Dusk shouted again.
Lightning got up, tears streaming out of her eyes, hissing and trying very hard to keep from screaming. Lightning strained to open her wings again, pushing her brother away. As her right wing stretched- she screamed. I quickly tore into my saddle bags. “Stop trying to fly!” I shouted.
“We won’t get out of here if I don’t…” Lightning said. I heard her, but I was trying not to think of that. She was hurt, I hurt a wing once too, it was NOT fun. My mom Sweet Night made me pack bandages after I got hurt, saying I needed to be able to help myself if something bad happened again. Lightning tried to move her wing again and I grabbed her around the waist, holding it fast.
“Stop!” I shouted at her. “I need to wrap it. You can’t flying like this and that’s that.”
“But we have to get out-“
“How far are we anyway?” I asked, wrapping her wing against her will. I had no doubt she was stronger than me, but her hurt wing couldn’t fight me.
“I guess we could just walk… maybe a few minutes…”
“Then we’ll just walk,” I said, trying to be patient. I was scared too, but… well I had to fix her wing, I just had too. I tied off the bandages with my mouth. “Now c’mon you two. Let’s get out of here-“
“Guys… maybe we should run…” Dusk backed past us. I looked up to see the trees behind us swaying. I heard growling. “I remember something about Timber wolves, they sometimes get really... well bi-“
“JUST RUN!” Lightning shouted. I had no problem with that command. “That way!” Lightning pointed straight ahead. Dusk and I took off.
After a few seconds of running, I realized Lightning wasn’t with us. I stopped. “Where’s your sister?” I shouted to Dusk. Dusk looked back, coming to a stop himself.
“Lightning?” He asked. I quickly started running back, Dusk following.
I came back to where Lightning was and my eyes widened. A massive timber wolf was bearing down on my new friend. Two huge bolts tore off from Lightning, but they only skittered along the surface of the wooden creature’s skin. Lightning backed away, but she was holding her ground way better than I would have. The wolf had stopped, but it was slowly approaching her, looking to size her up. “Lightning run!” I shouted to her.
“I have to protect my brother!” she shouted. “Get him out of here.”
“I won’t leave without you!” Dusk shouted behind me. Four new bolts flew out from Lighting, ripping across the face of the gigantic beast. They cause small fires, but they seemed to only make the creature angry.
“I...” Lightning looked back and forth between the wolf and her brother, backing up again. "I... please Dusk, just get out of here."
"NO!" Dusk shouted.
I thought fast as I could. How could I save them... if I had lightning powers- “Shoot its eyes!” I shouted. Lightning obeyed, the wolf backing away when it’s pupils were hit. I ran over to her and put my face in hers. “Now let’s run!”
The three of us took off together.
Faster and faster we all ran, the light outside of the trees getting closer and closer, a growling behind getting closer as well.
The three of us tore out of the threes. I looked back watching as the massive blind wolf crashed through the trees into the light. It howled into the night. I now took in the wolf. It must have been a full twenty feet tall, bigger than a house. We couldn't out run it all day... what could we do. If Lightning couldn't hurt it- wait when did it become night…
I looked up. Something HUGE and green was standing over me. As I watched, my friends crashed into me. The head of… something shot over me and my friends as we stopped and toppled over each other.
The mouth of a massive dragon closed around the giant timber wolf and it carried the wolf into the sky.
As I watched the dragon threw it’s head forward and catapulted it’s opponent into the air and shot a fire ball at it, blasting it. “Daddy!” Lightning shouted.
Several ponies started running towards us from the Apple farm, one of my moms, Morning Dew, among them. She grabbed me and hugged me tightly. “Stop doing this to me!” she yelled. “Please Bubble… are you okay, please don’t be hurt.” I just hugged her back.
“I’m fine mom.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yea.”
The dragon crashed back down to the earth, many of the ponies scattering. The green reptile’s tail went around my two friends, hiding them from view. The dragon growled low and his eyes surveyed the area around. “Those two foals… let them go you beast-“ my mother shouted. She spun around, putting me behind her and glaring up at the dragon.
“That’s their dad mom,” I yelled. She looked about to run to my friends, but she stopped. The dragon lifted his tail and offered his hand to Lightning and Dusk. They climbed into it.
“Really?” mom asked. She took a step back. She cocked her head at the sight of my friends both being able sit in their father's hand together. They were so small to him.
“I guess…” The dragon shot back into the sky with his foals. “Mom… is that what a dad is like?” The dragon kept flying away. “Do… do they know what a real mom is like?” My mom was just silent, watching them go with me.
If they didn't know, I hoped they would find out. As for me... I wasn't sure... what did I want as far as a dad anyway?