With the Shadow of Lightning

by oneupthextraman

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lightning woke up in a bed, and very disorientated. Everything was blurry. He could hear some voices, but could not make out what they were saying. A yellow mass and a purple mass approached the groaning colt. The yellow one said something, and then the purple one. Lightning groaned again. The words started forming from the two masses.

The yellow one said, “He’s making improvements, but he still seems out of it.”

The purple one said, “Yeah, and he’s farting less too.” The yellow one seemed to agree. Lightning would have been embarrassed, but all he could manage was groaning again, and clutch his stomach. Trying to concentrate, even a little, he tried to activate a healing spell, but his horn then hurt too much to do that.

The purple one saw his horn activate a bit. “I think he’s at least somewhat awake, I saw his horn activate.” A white pony galloped over. Lightning’s vision started to sharpen. He recognized the purple mass as Twilight Sparkle, the yellow mass as Fluttershy, and Rarity, as the new mass. Rarity looked very concerned. Lightning groaned and tried to sit up.

Fluttershy pushed Lightning back down. “Oh no you don’t. You got a major stomach ache there. You’re going to have to rest up and re-gain your strength.” Lightning groaned again, and then promptly passed out.

An unknown amount of time later, Lightning woke back up. He thought to himself, “Dang, I keep on passing out lately. I need to work on that.” As everything came into focus, he could hear some pony crying. He looked around, and saw Sweetie Bell near the side of his bed, huddled in a small little mass. Lightning adjusted in the bed, and reached down to the little filly, and pets her head slightly. Sweetie Bell jumps at the contact. There was a little puddle of tears where her head was. All she could do was look up at Lightning, and sniffle. Lightning motioned for her to come closer. She slowly stepped closer, where Lightning then picked her up.

Lightning asked, “What’s wrong Sweetie Bell?”

She managed to get some words out between sniffling, and breathing, “I made you sick. The others said you are very sick. I am sorry.”

Lightning smiled. “Did you intend to make me sick?”

“No. I wanted to make you a sandwich.”

Lightning smiled. “Then you have no reason to cry. These things happen. The important part is to learn from them, and grow as a pony.”

Sweetie Bell slowed her sniffling. “So, you are not mad?”

Lighting got out a little laugh before his stomach made a weird sound. “Of course not my little pony. What you did had no malice to me. I have no reason to be mad.” Lighting smiled, and then Sweetie Bell smiled. “Why don’t you go draw something? I’ve heard you like drawing.”

Sweetie Bell’s smile widened. “OK!” She jumped off the bed, and ran out of the room.

There was a few second pause, and then Rarity came into the room. Lightning initially did not notice her, as he had his eyes closed. But as Rarity got closer, Lightning heard her hoof clops, and opened his eyes to see her standing very close to him. “What you did for Sweetie Bell there was very nice.”

Lighting scoffed at this. “It’s the truth. I hold no malice toward the filly. She tried to do something nice for me, and it did not work out the way she wished. I do not blame her for this. That would be foolish.”

Rarity smiled. “She was so worried. You were asleep for hours. I tried to make her go away, and draw, but she just sat down at your bed side here, and just cried. A few times I think she got some water, but beyond that, she kept on crying.”

Lightning frowned. “That poor little filly. I hope I made her happier.”

Rarity leaned in, and kissed Lighting on the cheek. This caused Lightning’s stomach to make a weird sound. “You are a wonderful colt.” She started walking away. “I’m surprised some mare hasn’t tried to snatch you up yet.” Rarity started walking to the door.

Lighting laughed a little. “Oh believe me, many have tried.” He laughed a little bit more.

Rarity was caught off guard by this comment. “Oh?”

Lightning laughed. “Auntie Celestia is always trying to hook me up with various ‘upper class’ ponies from canterlot. They are not fun.”

Rarity was not sure how to respond to this. She had always strove to be like the upper class in canterlot. “What don’t you like about them?”

“They don’t especially care about other ponies. They don’t have the heart, and generosity of Ponyville ponies, and ‘normal’ ponies. All they care about are their shoes, and such.” Lighting paused. “I am generalizing here, but it seems that way, at least the ones Celestia tries to set me up with.” Rarity smiled a little bit on the inside. “And there have been some weird ones too.”

Rarity walked back from the door. “Any you care to share?”

Lightning laughed, and started to tell a story.

Lightning was at a fancy Italian restaurant. He was wearing a plain tux that his aunt picked out for him. The unicorn across from him was dressed very well, wearing a dark red dress, with black eyeliner, and dark red lip stick. They had just been seated.

Lightning asked, “So, Diamond Bell, I’ve been told…”

Lighting was interrupted by his date. “Please call me by my spirit name; Blood Spilled.”

Lightning cleared his throat. “Ok…Blood Spilled.” Lightning felt odd saying that. “I’ve been told you are rather gifted at marking art. What kind of art do you make?”

Diamond seemed very uninterested in the cold sitting with her. “I make mostly sculptures, but sometimes I make paintings.”

Lightning enjoyed art himself. “I would love to see them some time.”

Diamond continued to not especially care. “Well, the museums of canterlot refuse my art. They say it’s too graphic or too violent.”

Lightning swallowed hard, and looked down at his menu. The waiter came over after a few moments, and asked if they were ready to order.

Lightning ordered spaghetti with mushroom sauce.

Diamond asked, “Do you serve anything with goat’s meat?”

The waiter was caught off guard by this question. “I am sorry miss, we do not.”

Diamond responded. “That’s ok. I shall just summon the dark lord of chaos, and have him grant me some meat.” Diamond then proceed to get up on the table, and chant, and start spraying some kind of liquid around the table.

Rarity laughed at the story. “Oh, you poor colt. She sounds like a crazy one.”

Lightning agreed. “Yeah, she was a slightly crazy one.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Slightly?”

Lightning laughed. “Yeah, she didn’t try to possess me, or some weird stuff like that.”

Rarity left the room, and the rest of the day passed without issue. Rarity would regularly check in on Lightning to see how he was doing. Most of the time he was sleeping, but sometimes she would pop in, and see him reading a book, or pretending to be asleep. Rarity had a way of telling is ponies were asleep because of taking care of Sweetie Bell for so long.

Later in the day, there was a knock at the door. Rarity was not expecting any visitors, but decided to see who was at her door. She only saw white. A second more forceful knock at the door came. Rarity decided to open the door. On the other side was a rather cross looking Princess Celestia. Rarity jumped back several feet at this realization.

Princess Celestia entered Rarity’s house, and asked, “Where is that buffoon Prince Lightning?”