Left In The Dust

by Sapphire Rose 12

Chapter 2: Everfree Forest

Lightning Dust flew scanning her eyes around the area she was flying in. She had heard from rumors and gossip about the Wonderbolts that Rainbow Dash lived in Ponyville. Lightning Dust didn't know for sure if it was true because she heard untrue rumors about the team all the time. She used the rumor as her only hope for finding Rainbow Dash. If she wasn't in Ponyville, Lightning Dust didn't know where else to go. She knew Rainbow Dash didn't live in Cloudsdale because Lightning Dust never saw her around.

As Lightning Dust flew, her thoughts became distracting. Lightning Dust's mind was suddenly crowded with worry and anxiety about the future she would have. She knew she would never become a Wonderbolt. She had ruined her chances at following that dream. The academy only seemed like a distant dream to her now. Sometimes, she had to struggle to remember exactly what she did there. Even though most of her memories of the academy had become obscured and hazy, she still remembered the faces of Spitfire and Rainbow Dash as clear as day. She didn't know if she could ever get past the guilt that she bared.

Since her thoughts became distracting, she crashed into a nearby house and went tumbling to the ground. The fall had enough impact to fling her miles away.

The landing was rough. She yelped in pain as she fell down dozens of tree branches and rolled to the ground with a groan. Lightning Dust slowly sat up and rubbed her head which now ached considerably. Lightning Dust's eyes traced the area to figure out where she could be.

Lightning Dust took in the eerie surroundings. There were many tall trees which reminded her of trees you would see near a marsh. The trees huddled together as if they wanted to protect each other from what the forest had in store. Long vines hung from the trees and other vines snaked around the branches. Lightning Dust heard the bubbling of something that sounded like a swamp. Mysterious plants she had never seen grew at awkward angles and looked as if they were shriveling up and dying. Strange noises echoed in the air and gave the area an ominous feeling. The echo made the sounds give off a ghostly feel. There was a light touch of humidity in the air that made the forest even more uncomfortable than it already felt.

"Everfree Forest," Lightning Dust suddenly realized. She had heard stories about the Everfree Forest and she never dared to go inside, but now it seemed as if she was stuck.

Lightning Dust tried to flap her wings, but pain shot through her right wing and made her fall in agony. She winced as she looked at what had happened. Her right wing was bent at a strange angle and she could tell it had been sprained. It was covered in cuts and bruises from the impact. Her other wing was covered in cuts and bruises as well, but merely twisted.

"Now, I have to go on hoof through this place," Lightning Dust grumbled.

As she trotted nervously along, she tried not to look at the creepy things all around her. It was difficult to shut it all out. Lightning Dust's heart pounded. Every time she heard a strange sound, Lightning Dust shrieked and tried to laugh it off. She couldn't believe how scared she was. It made her upset that she wasn't as brave as she wanted to be at the moment.

Lightning Dust passed by a hut that reminded her of a ghost story that she heard once, so she galloped past it as fast as her hooves allowed. Vines slapped her face every time she tried to walk through a long path of them. Once in a while, she would see something scamper away in the bushes or eyes glowing at her inside every cave she passed.

As soon as Lightning Dust heard a growl from one of the caves, Lightning Dust took care to avoid every cave in the forest. She would even take the longer route.

Just as sure as Lightning Dust was positive that she knew how to avoid the terrors of Everfree Forest, she was surrounded by strange billowing plants that rose up around her. Lightning Dust screamed and tried to rush away, but she was surrounded from all areas that could provide a possible escape. The plants seemed closed and bulged like bulbs, but they opened with strange hissing sounds releasing foggy green mist.

The mist filled Lightning Dust's lungs and her lungs burned. The fire in her chest burned and she coughed violently. Another spurt of mist from the plants filled her lungs with even more of the mysterious fog and the painful sensation in her chest worsened. Her eyes watered trying to see through the fog. Tears began to spill down her face and they burned her cheeks.

Lightning Dust dropped to the ground and her vision got hazy. She realized the mist she was being shrouded in was poisonous and she wasn't going to make it out alive unless she did something fast.

Forcing her injured wings to work, she blasted out of the area with all the speed she could. She hadn't used that amount of speed since the academy.

Putting the strain on her injured wings made her slam into the ground with even more painful impact. A trickle of blood came from Lightning Dust's face as she looked up.

Lightning Dust felt more physical pain than she had ever endured before. The stinging and aching felt like constant whining and she silently begged for it to cease. Tears began to run down her face and it mixed with the blood running down from it. Her lungs were still slowly adjusting to breathing in fresh air. The burning sensation she had felt merely minutes ago had turned into an uncomfortable tingle.

More than anything now, Lightning Dust wanted to leave. Regret filled her mind as she realized that she could've avoided this easily. She realized she had done this all for a dumb reason. She didn't even need to see Rainbow Dash ever again. Why should she? She no longer wanted to find Ponyville. It no longer mattered to her. She lied there until she got the strength to get up and cautiously gallop home.