Thunder at Dusk

by Sterling Sketch

Chapter 2

"Twilight?" Lightning tasted the name on his tongue, exercising its every syllable. "Twilight... Sparkle?" He now sported a dumbfounded look, one that couldn't possibly be shirked off as simple disorientation.

"Yes, and what's your name?" Twilight saw the awkwardness coming and attempted to change the subject.

"Lightning. Lightning Flair." He gulped down his nervousness tightly.

Twilight chuckled at his response, reading it to be some sort of joke pertaining to his arrival. After a moment, she stopped, this time wearing his dumbfounded face. "Seriously?"

"Yup." He laughed as well, turning his attention to the charred portions of his coat; more importantly, he turned his focus to something other than the regal pony attending to him. "The strangest part of all is that this isn't the first time I've been stricken by lightning."

Twilight was now rummaging around, looking for household medical supplies. "What?!" She pulled her head out from a cabinet, and looked his way. "And by the way, the correct word would be, 'struck'."

"What?" Lightning turned his head, confused.

Twilight returned to the second floor carrying bandages and various ointments. "'I've been struck by lightning,' is the correct way to say it." Twilight smiled coyly at him as she began to dress his wounds.

This marked the third time he'd made a fool of himself in front of a princess. In his mind, he could hear Dash laughing at him when he told her the events of today. He found solace in the fact that she probably didn't associate with the Princess. Twilight most likely had a lot of duties to deal with on a daily basis, what with her being so new in-- "Ahh!"

"Sorry," Twilight said, continuing to press a medicated bandage on a cut. "I probably should've warned you before doing that, huh?" Her pleading eyes begged forgiveness when nothing harmful was intentionally done.

"It's fine, really." Lightning looked away as his face reddened. "I should be thanking you for treating me when you probably have guards or someone else to take care of me." With a hoof, he scratched his mane, thinking of how he should thank her properly.

Without rising from his bed, he extended his previously occupied hoof and bowed toward her, claiming in a formal tone, "Thank you, your Highness!" A brighter blush boiled beneath the furry flesh of his cheeks.

"Please, call me Twilight." She said, sweetly smiling again. "I can't say I'm so fond of the royalty, so I prefer to just be Twilight." She finished wrapping a bandage around his right foreleg. "And, if you don't mind, could you tell me how this," she said, motioning to his eyes, "happened?"

"With pleasure." Twilight shot him a wary eyebrow raise. "I mean... sure?" Twilight and Lightning shared a giggle as he began.

"Well, when I was young, I found myself outside on a cool summer night...."

"Guys! Guys! Guys!" Pinkie Pie hopped around Sugarcube Corner as the muffins finished baking. "We get to meet some of Dashie's family today! Aren't you all excited?!" Pinkie's usual joviality echoed through the building, assuming the usual crevices it warped around. "Whoever it is, they're gonna act like Dashie, and it'll be like we have two Dashies! Then, we'll all be best Dashies forever!" Pinkie seemed to speed up her bouncing as her enthusiasm skyrocketed.

"I hate ta be the one ta tell ya this, Pink'e Pie, but...." Applejack's voice trailed off as she met eyes with Rarity.

"Whad'ya say, Applejack?" Pinkie halted her bounce and drew all focus to her, awaiting a response. Her innocent, ever-young smile stood in perfect attention.

"Nevermind, sugarcube." AJ smiled and winked at Pinkie, who then resumed her bounce. Immediately as she took flight, the timer yelled for her. As Pinkie attended to the sweets, Rarity made sure all the necessary items for a proper picnic were in tip-top shape.

"Hmm hmm hmm, blanket, tea, saucers, check! Only where did I place my sunglasses?" She began to shift things around in her basket, making all sorts of strange cacophonous clatters and clangs.

"Maybe Spike's usin' 'em outside?" Applejack shrugged. "He is lookin' fer Rainbow, so he'd most likely be-,"

Just then, Pinkie bounced past them both, armed to the eyes in ultraviolet protection and fashion. Applejack laughed as they exited the sweet shop.

"...So after I woke up, they told me that my right eye was golden!" Lightning finished his story, noticing that Twilight had finished tending to his wounds, and now sat captivated on the edge of her bed.

"But," she said, looking around, as if searching for her words. "But how did it change the color? Maybe a reaction between the pigment and a certain frequency of shock...?" She began to ramble to herself, muttering numbers and words under her breath. Lightning took the chance to gather his surroundings.

He was in the home of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the only pony to ever become an alicorn. Her magic was rumored to rival that of Celestia's own magic, and she had gone to the labor of serving a self-centered pegasus. He laid in her bed, resting at his own leisure, inconveniencing her from her normal routine. Lightning couldn't help but marvel at her visually. She was so humble and beautiful and smart and.... The familiar burn rose once again to his face, spreading across the bridge of his nose. He cared not; he wanted to flatter her.

After a moment of heavy contemplation, Twilight rose her head again. "I guess, if you don't mind, I could do some research to-," Twilight met eyes with the bright-faced stallion. "Are you okay?" She neared him, feeling his cheeks. "Is the charge not all gone?"

His face only reddened more with every touch. "I- I'm fine, really!" Nevermind, I can flatter her another day. Abort, Lightning. Abort!

"You're getting pretty warm, Lightning." Twilight Sparkle just said my name.

"I know, it's because...," he searched for a reason desperately. "The blankets!" He lifted them off of his hind legs, shaking them free toward the bedpost. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me!"

"Are you sure? I can try another spell, if you want."

"Don't trouble yourself with it, please."

"It's no trouble."

"I'm okay, trust me." Lightning felt his heart churning as the silence followed his final remark. "You've really helped me enough as it is." He raised a hoof and took her own in his grasp. He pressured through an eyelocked gaze, signifying his resolve to not take any more handouts from the princess.

"Okay," she said, backing away to a comfortable, yet attentive distance. "But if you need anything else, please tell me now." The clock on the wall read three-thirty. "I have a date with my friends, and I cannot be late."

"You've already done more than enough," Lightning spoke with a sigh as his face cooled and his heart settled back down. He felt as if he had just run a race faster than he had ever flown before. The adrenaline was all the same, the cold sweats were identical, and his skin seemed to crackle with joy. Only, he hadn't tired himself out. He was not under a spell of weakness, but one of a greater caliber.

"I can escort you to the hospital where they'll take much better care of you." Twilight used her magic to gather a small jug that clinked with jewels, along with a plate of sandwiches and some other utensils.

"Don't worry about it. I know someplace where I can take it easy. I have a friend in town that can help me out." Lightning balanced himself on his legs, taking to his hooves for the first time in what seemed like forever. He pulled her blankets back over her bed, and met her downstairs at the front door.

"Well, it's been nice meeting you, Lightning." She smiled again at the irony of it all. "Will you be in town for a while?"

"Yeah, I'm staying with some family." He opened the door for her, attempting to be chivalrous.

"Who is it? Maybe I know them?" Twilight stepped through the threshold of her door to the outside. "Thank you," she said passing by him.

"Her name is-,"

"Flair-Bear?!" Rainbow Dash, along with the rest of her friends, stood jaw-dropped a little ways off. "What're you doing at Twilight's house?"

Author's Note:

This chapter was extremely fun to write. I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed by Lightning's deep admiration of Twilight. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I did writing it, and I look forward to your feedback!
NOTE: Negative feedback is just as welcome as positive. I need all the help I can get, y'know?
Thanks for reading! ^u^

Comments

[Yoru-the-Rogue]

Well, for starters, let me say that I adore Rainbow Dash giving Lightning the nickname "Flair-Bear." I don't always see her as being quite so prone to giving cutesy nicknames out to her friends like Pinkie Pie, but for some reason it's very easy to read that in her voice and picture her saying it.
The chapter does feel a little fast-paced, but personally, I don't mind it. Sometimes shorter chapters are just more fun for a story, and in the long run, it can help with the overall pacing.
I am also enjoying the interaction between Lightning and Twilight. Sounds like Lightning is getting swept off his feet pretty quickly! (And Twilight probably doesn't realize that, as per the norm. )
You have also done an excellent job with writing the rest of the girls here in this chapter! *applauds* It's very easy to picture them all in my mind, and I'm loving where this is going so far, especially with the way you end your chapters! The endings aren't entirely cliffhangers so much as they are dramatic (I'm not sure what else to call them aside from that,) but I like that, personally. Again, loved this, and I'm looking forward to more from you!

[Sterling Sketch]

3502879 I'm glad you enjoyed it! ^^
I'm also glad that Twilight's denseness was conveyed to you. I was struggling for a while regarding conciseness in that section where Lightning is fangirling hard, and Twilight has no clue. :D Thank you for assuring me that the message was recieved! :D
As for the chapter sizes, I prefer the shorter ones because each one has a different flow to it. I find that with shorter chapters, you have easier changes of beat, and it makes for a fairly decent story. :D
As for the endings, they may or may not eventually transform into full-blown cliffhangers. Just saying~
Thanks for reading the second installment, and I'm glad you are awaiting the third!