Left In The Dust

by Sapphire Rose 12

Chapter 4: Cloudsdale Diner

Lightning Dust let her eyes scan the interior of Cloudsdale Diner. It was a beautiful place. The walls were soft clouds that brightened up the otherwise dim lights. The floor was a bright blue that reminded Lightning Dust of a late sunny morning. The tables were rectangular and the seats were cushioned. Lightning Dust noticed how the seats even felt like clouds. Waiters and waitresses walked up and down asking the customers for their orders.

Lightning Dust looked across the table at Sky Twister. He was relaxed and let his posture fall into a slouching position. His wings were nicely folded behind his back. His dark blue coat looked like a pitch black night under the dim lights. His sky blue eyes had a particular glow with the lights as if the lights brought them out. Lightning Dust giggled. Without squinting, his eyes were the only thing she could see clearly.

"May I take your order?" a cheerful voice inquired.

They shifted their focus towards a pegasus stallion with a waiter's apron and a notepad and quill. He smiled at them patiently. "My name is Updraft and I'll be your server today."

Updraft pulled a few silverware sets out of his apron pocket and set them in front of the two on the table. He held his quill to his notepad with a cheerful smile. "May I start you off with some drinks?"

Sky Twister and Lightning Dust exchanged a look.

"Uh... yeah," Sky Twister said. "I'll just have water."

Lightning Dust nodded in agreement. "Me too."

Updraft grinned at the two and wrote it down on the notepad. "Alright! I'll be back with your drinks and be ready to take your order!"

As Updraft rushed away hurriedly for the drinks, Lightning Dust stole a glance at Sky Twister. Sky Twister smiled at her and shifted his balance in his seat.

"So, Lightning Dust," Sky Twister said. "What made you discover your love for flying?"

Lightning Dust's mind went blank. She had never flown for so long. She wasn't sure if she remembered what made her so eager about flying. So, she made something up. "I like the... height," she said.

"What is it you like about the height?" asked a confused Sky Twister.

"When you're above the whole world, it kinda looks... awesome, ya know?" Lightning Dust replied. "You can forget about the worries and see the world below you. It makes you feel... bigger than everything!"

When Lightning Dust had finished speaking, she had found she had a grin on her face. What she said to Sky Twister had been sincere. She did like to fly above everything and feel as if she were the biggest thing in the world.

Sky Twister smiled. "Awesome! I never thought about it like that. Thank you. You're... my first friend, so it's kind of nice to get somepony else's perspective."

Lightning Dust grinned. "Thank you. You know, it's kinda nice to have you around too."

Sky Twister smiled and arched an eyebrow playfully. "Kinda nice?"

Lightning Dust laughed and rolled her eyes. "Okay. Really nice. Thanks."

Sky Twister smiled and winked at her. "Of course."

Updraft returned holding two glasses of water in his hoof. He set them down on the table along with two clear straws. "Here you go!"

"Thank you," Lightning Dust and Sky Twister told him close enough to unison.

"Of course," Updraft said. "Are you ready to order?"

"I'll have my usual," Sky Twister said. "A medium hay burger with horseshoe fries and a side of mashed potatoes."

Lightning Dust groaned as she remembered that they were supposed to be ordering food. Food had almost slipped her mind as she was enjoying this time talking to Sky Twister. "I'll... just have what he's having, please."

Updraft jotted down the order on his notepad and nodded with a smile. "Alright! Thank you so much for ordering! Be right back!" He rushed off to deliver the order to the chefs.

"Boring, much?" Sky Twister teased playfully.

Lightning Dust shrugged. "Hey, I haven't been here before," she said. "I might as well test the hay burgers here to make sure they're good."

"This restaurant has a five star rating!" Sky Twister exclaimed. "Have you never been to Cloudsdale Diner before?"

Lightning Dust shook her head. Wind Rider preferred to buy pre-made food from the Cloudsdale Grocer and serve it to Lightning Dust without hard work. Wind Rider used the fortune he earned in fame for himself and never thought about Lightning Dust at all.

"Then, I can't believe that you lived in Cloudsdale your whole life," Sky Twister teased sticking out his tongue.

Lightning Dust wanted to nudge him hard in the side, but he was protected by the table between them. "You're lucky," Lightning Dust told him.

"Yeah, I am," Sky Twister said. "Otherwise, I'd be tapped in the arm by a girl."

Lightning Dust knew he was just teasing her, so she grinned. It still bothered her and she didn't want to take it from him. So, she went over and slugged Sky Twister in the arm.

"Ow!" Sky Twister exclaimed rubbing his arm.

"How's that for a girl?" Lightning Dust asked with a prideful flick of her tail. She returned to her seat with a flow of pride rushing through her.

"Pretty good," Sky Twister said. "You can improve, though."

Lightning Dust stuck out her tongue. "Whatever. You're just jealous."

Sky Twister rolled his eyes and gave in. He sighed with a smile and fell silent. Lightning Dust felt even more pride rush through her when she knew she had won.

Updraft came with big plates of food and set it down in front of them. Sky Twister eyed his food with a greedy hunger and Lightning Dust playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"Enjoy your food!" Updraft encouraged as he hurried away.

"We will!" Lightning Dust assured.

Sky Twister ate his food like a timberwolf and Lightning Dust was tempted to do the same. She had been hungry for a long time and hadn't known that. Lightning Dust ate her food and savored the delicious taste of the hay burger in her mouth. The food was delicious and satisfied her hunger that had been unknowingly gnawing at her stomach since morning.

Sky Twister wiped his mouth with the napkin that was wrapped around his silverware. "So," he said. "How about hanging out at the Wonderbolts academy next week?"

Lightning Dust dropped her hay burger in surprise and restrained herself from gaping. As she swallowed her food and wiped her face with a napkin, she looked at Sky Twister with shock. "Uh... no... thanks?"

Sky Twister looked a little saddened and his ears flattened a bit. "Oh, that's alright. I understand."

Sky Twister's look made guilt tie Lightning Dust's stomach in tight knots. Lightning Dust sighed and said, "Never mind. I'd love to."

Sky Twister's eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Great! I'll see you there!"

Lightning Dust sighed. She was returning to one of the places she had hoped to never see again.

Author's Note:

Here's an update on the story finally! I am also working on a chapter for "Friends Forever" which is almost finished, so hang in there!

Comments

[Sapphire Rose 12]

8532179
Okay, thank you so much for your feedback! Have a good night!

[New Fossil Studios]

8532249
You too.

[New Fossil Studios]

8546815
You're welcome! It really comes down to your skills as an author.

[Zivis01]

Will you update this, cause it's hard to find a good lightning dust story.

[Sapphire Rose 12]

8859482
Sorry for not updating in such a long time. It's just I still have a MASSIVE writer's block on this. But I'm glad you like this project!

[Zivis01]

Oh good luck then.