Ch. 35 Fast as Lightning
Cars honked and people chattered as they went about their business through the busy city streets. Among these people was a very nonplused Sunset Shimmer as she made her way down the street. People gave the fuming teen a fair distance as she glared at her phone and looked around at the surrounding buildings. At the same time, her mind kept drifting to what happened at breakfast. Since she had already sent texts to Octavia, and Vinyl asking if they wanted to come with her to Equestria for New Years and she already asked Bonbon and Lyra, it only made sense to extend the curtesy to her girlfriend and Lightning. While she was going to need to ask her directly thanks to the girl's workout habits, Lightning was proving to be the easier girl to invite at the moment. When she brought the proposition up at breakfast, she was met by a reaction that made her groan in irritation.
***
"What?!" Sunset and Derpy squawked in unison.
Time Tuner nodded, arms crossed and eyes closed in his seat at the head of the table as he made his point.
"You heard me. If both of you plan to go to this festival, we're coming with you. End of story."
"Mom?" Derpy asked, more like begged as she turned towards Rose Luck.
Said woman gave her an evil grin from her seat as she said, "Well, this is as good a chance as any to meet my future in-laws."
Both girls turned bright red at that, then shook off their embarrassment as they tried to find a counter argument. An idea came to Sunset as she mulled over how the trip could possibly work. With an evil grin of her own she dropped a bombshell that she hoped would be strong enough to dissuade her foster family.
"If you go, you won't be as you guys are."
"What do you mean?" Turner asked, raising a brow.
"First off," Sunset continued, crossing her arms. "Both of you would be ponies. You'd be spending most of the trip trying to figure out how to use your bodies. Then their's a good chance you'll meet your pony counterparts considering where the portal opens up at."
"What's so bad about that?" Rose asked.
Derpy leveled a flat glare at her and said, "Mom, your counter part is dad's sister, mine's his wife, and Dinky's her daughter."
Both adults froze at that, taking slow, deliberate blinks as they tried to process that bit of cosmic comedy.
Rose was the first to snap out of it as she asked, "Is she a better actress then me?"
Derpy groaned as she face palmed while Sunset shrugged.
"We did't get to meet her. Just your counterparts."
"Regardless," Turner coughed. "My condition still stands. Unless we can all come, there will be no trip to Equestria."
"Besides," Rose chuckled. "I want to see what Dinky looks like as a pony."
Both girls gasped and clutched their chests as they remembered their encounter with the very same creature the woman mentioned. The idea of what could possibly happen if two forces of such pure cuteness were to ever meet in the same reality was just as beautiful as it was apocalyptic in design. An image of the two Unicorns meeting flashed in their minds and the sight was almost too much for them to handle.
"You wouldn't survive," Sunset shuddered. "Trust me on this."
Derpy nodded frantically.
"I think we can handle it," Turner smirked, fishing his phone out of his pocket.
His smile turned cocky as he turned it on and pointed the screen towards the two girls. Derpy blushed fiercely while Sunset's mind momentarily ceased to function for a few seconds as she stared at the small screen. Set as his wall paper was a much younger Derpy laying on her side with a little purple-gray baby snuggled against her chest in a fluffy pink bunny costume sucking her thumb.
"OH MY GOD DAD!" Derpy screamed, hiding her bright red face behind her hands as she cringed away from the screen. "WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT PICTURE?!"
"Can I have a copy?" Sunset asked, eyes glued to the screen.
"WHAT?!" Derpy demanded, rounding on her girlfriend.
Sunset glowered at Derpy and said, "You saw a whole album of my filly pictures. All I'm asking for is just one."
Derpy looked like she was going to argue, but settled for crossing her arms and sulking in her seat.
"Anyways," Turner, chuckled. "I think Rose and I have inoculated ourselves quite nicely to our own daughters cuteness in all forms. So unless you have another reason we shouldn't go with you, my conditions still stand."
Both parties stared each other down, neither willing to give an inch. When the stare-down reached the five minute mark, Rose let out an annoyed huff and pulled out the family trump card.
"Dinky!" she called, arms crossed as she stared at the ceiling. "Do you want to meet Sunset's mother?!"
A near villainous smile formed on Time Turner's face as the two teens realized just how thoroughly defeated they were. Especially when the engine of their demise could be heard running towards the stairs from above. As they braced themselves for what was to come, a single thought echoed through their heads as they glared at the two smugly smirking adults.
That's so not fair.
***
"Using Dinky was just plain dirty," she grumbled as she glared at her phone's GPS. "I will have my revenge. Just you wait."
After half an hour of walking and fuming, she finally reached her destination. The Lightning Bolt was a fairly top tier gym, used by everyone from the most devoted athletes to casual jocks just wanting to stay in shape. The massive rectangular three story building cast a large shadow over the street like a giant blue wall, its name displayed just above its front door in blocky white light-up letters. Beyond the lightly tinted glass front doors, Sunset could see an oval pewter front desk manned by one of the bulkiest green men she had ever seen. He was dressed in a thin white tank top and a quick glance bellow the desk revealed a pair of navy sports pants and gray tennis shoes.
Sunset sighed as she pushed past the doors and made her way towards the desk.
I hope she isn't too busy right now.
"Excuse me," she said, drawing the bodybuilder's attention away from his phone towards her.
"Good afternoon ma'am," he beamed, tucking his device into his pocket. "What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you could help me find someone," Sunset smiled
The big man shrugged, then said, "Depends who you're looking for. A lot of people come in here and aside from a few regulars, we don't really keep track of who comes and goes."
"Is Lightning Dust on that list?" she asked.
The big man blinked at her, the put on a more professional expression on his face as he leaned towards her, all mirth gone from his voice as he said, "Depends. Who are you?"
Taken aback by the sudden shift in demeanor, Sunset took a step back and blinked in shock at the defensive man. He didn't do anything other then sit and wait for her answer, his frown and ice-blue eyes the only signs of hostility as he stayed behind his desk. The now nervous teen too a deep breath before reclaiming her lost ground, matching his stare with a determined one of her own.
"Sunset Shimmer."
"Prove it," he frowned.
Eyes still locked with the large man's, Sunset reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. As she slid her school ID out of her wallet and handed it to the man, she wondered just what kind of trouble her friend was in to warrant such a reaction. She waited with a sliver of nerves running down her spine as she watched him examine her ID. The man's cold demeanor instantly warmed as a relieved smile replaced his frown and gently placed her ID onto the desk in front of her.
He sighed as he leaned back and laughed before putting out a hand towards her.
"Sorry about that. Boss' kid has some scary folks that like to send people to pull strings. Name's Shot Putt."
Sunset smiled as she accepted the handshake, internally surprised how such a massive man could have such a delicate grip as she let go of his hand.
"No problem," she said, waving away Shot Putt's apology. "If what she told me about them is even half as bad as what I think it was, I'd have people on high alert too."
His smile turned sympathetic as he sighed, "She told you too?"
She nodded, a sharp grimace marring her face as she thought back to the day she talked with her friend in her car.
"How could anyone do something like that to their own daughter?"
"Who knows?" Shot Putt sighed as he rose from his seat. "All I care about is keeping the kid safe."
"Right," she nodded.
A small, yet warm smile graced the large man's face as he jerked his head to his left and started walking. A matching smile formed on Sunset's face as she followed Shot Putt into the gym's main area. As she stared at all of the people making use of the gym's various equipment, her mind kept drifting to what Lightning told her on that fateful day. It was hard for her to see such a strong willed girl look as beaten and worn as she did that day, especially now that she knew that she still had to deal with the ones that put her in that condition in the first place. The thought made her blood boil as she silently contemplated what would be the best way to reduce her friend's tormentors to ash.
"Calm yourself Sunset Shimmer," Acceptance whispered, her voice gentle as it echoed through her head. "Do not let your dragon blood consume you. It would seem your friend is in good hands at the moment."
I know, she thought, taking a deep breath as she followed Shot Putt further into the gym's main workout area. I know that she's okay right now. It still pisses me off, that someone could to that to someone.
A sigh echoed through the red and gold haired teens head as Acceptance took note of her host's plight.
"I understand, but now is not the time to rain fire from the sky. She is safe and is being kept safe by those closest to her."
Sunset nodded, a small smile gracing her lips as she followed her hulking guide.
"But should anything happen to Loyalty's bearer, I will provide any number of tips as to best roast the unfortunate soul that crosses your path."
Sunset froze for a moment, then forced herself to move a little faster to keep up with Shot Putt.
That's...a bit dark of you.
"Loyalty is my sister," Acceptance said coldly, an image of her hooded doppelgänger crossing her arms appearing in her head. "I will do anything I can to protect her."
Fair enough, she thought with a small shrug. Let's just hope it won't ever come to that.
"Indeed," Acceptance intoned. "I am certain your mate would not wish to speak to you in prison."
Sunset's face burned bright at that.
"Now your blood is boiling in a different direction," the element said with an audible smirk. "Going through withdrawal?"
"Shut up," she grumbled just low enough that Shot Putt couldn't hear her.
Acceptance simply giggled as her presence faded to the back of Sunset's mind.
Sunset fumed as she walked, her face red with embarrassment and anger in equal measure.
I hope Twilight has to put up with this kind of crap with Magic!
At the same time, she wondered if Derpy made any progress in their plans to escape her parents when they went to Equestria tomorrow.
***
Set in the farthest section of The Lightning Bolt was the area reserved for olympic participants or olympic hopefuls that wanted to train in relative privacy. Granted, payment was required to get such a luxury, but those that would want to take advantage of this aspect of the gym's services could more than cover the hourly fee. In addition to higher quality equipment and an indoor olympic swimming pool, a full indoor track dominated a good third of the room's space. On said track stood Lightning Dust, dressed in a plain white tank-top and sports shorts. Her arms hung loosely at her sides as she stood there, eyes closed as she focused on her breathing.
I am wind. Unstoppable. Always moving.
She repeated that thought, her eyes slowly opening as she stared out onto the track. Several hurdles divided the track at five foot intervals all the way through, bringing a determined smile to her lips as she crouched down into a runner's stance. She mentally counted down from ten as she stared at the first hurdle, her heart pounding with excitement as she braced herself for what was bound to happen next. The second she reached zero she shot forward like a bolt of lightning, her mind barely concentrating on the hurdle as her trained reflexes helped her leap clean over it with the grace of a dancer. She didn't need to think about it as she did the same to the next hurdle or the one after it. All she needed to do was focus on her breathing and accept her mantra as her reflexes helped her make her way past all of the gate-shaped obstacles in her way. She slowed when the hurdles were replaced by two rows of tires, only to speed back up again a moment later with a wide smile growing on her face.
Looks like Grandpa decided to mix things up a bit. Awesome!
She stumbled a bit at first, but after a couple more tire rows she managed to adapt to the sudden shift in difficulty. After the tire rows came poles held in place by cement blocks in the middle of the track. The teen moved between the poles in a constant zigzag pattern as she made her way back to where she started. As she continued her training, she was completely oblivious to the fiery-haired teen watching her from the track's bench.
Sunset didn't know what to think as she watched her friend run. While the obstacles weren't anything too demanding, the ease Lightning displayed as she practically flew through them was a spectacle in and of itself. Except for the tires, Sunset was sure the girl could do the whole track blindfolded if she wanted to. A feat that wouldn't've set her back by more than a few seconds at best.
An elderly male voice behind her made her jump.
"She's really something, ain't she?"
Sunset turned towards the voice and was greeted by a cerulean man in his late sixties, his two-toned gray hair short coming off in wilting waves, smile lines under his proud amber eyes as he watched Lightning run. He wore a white T-shirt, dark-blue sports pants, and gray sneakers. Sunset eyed the man suspiciously, then nodded as she shifted her attention back towards Lightning.
"Sunset Shimmer, right?" he chuckled, as he took point at her left.
Again she nodded, not sure what to make of the man at this point.
He smiled, then said, "Nice to finally meet you. Name's Wind Rider."
"Nice to meet you," she nodded with a polite smile.
Wind chuckled at her for a bit before giving Lightning his full attention again.
"You seem to be in a better place now, from what she's told me."
Sunset frowned at that as she asked, "Lightning talks to you about me?"
He nodded, eyes still locked onto the running girl.
"My Grand Daughter tells me a lot of things."
Sunset blinked at that for a moment, then sighed as her tension faded out of her.
"So you're Grandpa. It's nice to finally meet you too," she smiled.
Wind chuckled at that and said, "A girl that been through as much as you and her have every right to be cautious around strangers. It makes me happy to see such a sharp person in my little Dusty's corner. Thanks for keeping an eye on her when I can't by the way."
Sunset froze for a few seconds, then sighed as she said, "I'm the one who should be thanking her. She stuck her neck out for me when no one else could when I was at my absolute worst. She could've just hid in the background like all the rest and stayed safe, but instead she jumped straight to the front lines to keep me safe. I really owe her big time."
Wind laughed.
"That's my little Dusty. Always putting herself into the thick of things. One of the good things she took after my son and I."
A hand on her shoulder made Sunset turn her head towards Wind's smiling face.
"That," he added. "And finding a unit to watch her back in the trenches."
With that, he let his hand fall to his side and walked towards the field, whistle pulled out of his pocket and brought to his lips. As a sharp whistle briefly filled the air, a small sigh slipped past Sunset's lips as she let Wind's words settle in her mind. A small smile grew on her lips as she made her way towards the track as her friend stood panting in front of her chuckling Grandfather with the cockiest grin she'd ever seen.
***
"Another trip to Equestria?" Lighting asked, bottle of water gripped loosely as she sat on a bench in the middle of the gym's empty locker room. "Should be fine," she shrugged. "The gym's gonna be closed tomorrow for New Years anyway."
"Good," Sunset sighed, leaning against a wall of lockers opposite of Lightning. "It's been years since I celebrated the Twilight Festival and I really wanted to share it with all of you."
"Especially with Derpy, right?" Lighting asked with a sly smirk.
"R-Right," Sunset blushed, staring at the ground and crossing her arms.
Lighting laughed at that before taking a swig from her water bottle.
"Don't you think it's a little late to be blushing about that stuff. I mean, if you can't even handle talking about being with Derpy what's gonna happen when the two of you start sleeping together?"
"W-Well," Sunset muttered, face turning even redder as she let her words hang in the air.
Lightning raised a brow in the face of Sunset's awkward silence, then gave her a knowing smile as she pulled herself to her feet and placed a hand on the blushing girl's shoulder.
"Why you lucky pony," the sporty girl smiled. "You don't really pace yourself, do ya?"
"I-It's a long story," she stammered, ears turning just as red as parts of her hair.
"Alright," Lighting chuckled, hands up in a placating manner as she backed away. "But seriously, good for both of you. Maybe your mom can get you two married tomorrow before Derpy's dad short circuits."
Sunset sighed and grumbled some choice words bitterly under her breath as she plopped herself onto the same bench Lightning vacated. Lightning frowned at her friend's sudden shift in temperament and took a seat next to her.
"Okay, what's up? Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Sunset sighed. "It's just that, Derpy's folks want to come to Equestria with us."
"Oh," she cringed. "Yeah, that would make things a little awkward."
Sunset nodded with a grimace aimed at the floor.
"Any idea what brought this on?" Lighting asked.
"Well," Sunset sighed. "I may have let it slip that their's a spell that lets mares get other mares pregnant."
Silence filled the locker room for a few seconds as Lighting tried to process what she was told. Dozens of ideas how such a spell could function ran through her head, some of which a direct result of her friend Lyra's choice of anime preferences. A great tug-o-war was being waged in her head as to whether or not she wanted to know if any of her guesses were correct. Luckily, Sunset managed to break that line of thought fairly quickly.
"No," she said flatly. "I'm not going to tell you how it works because I don't know how to cast it. And even if I did, I wouldn't because I'm way too young to be a mother at the moment."
Lightning was going to argue, but decided against it when Sunset leveled a hard glare at her.
"Alright," she sighed. "And I guess that explains why her folks are putting up some walls here. You guys have a plan?"
"Not yet," Sunset grumbled. "Derpy's working on it, but the fact that they dragged Dinky into it makes things a little more complicated."
"Ouch," Lightning cringed. "That's totally cheating!"
"Tell me about it," Sunset frowned.
Lightning gave her friend a sympathetic smile, a smile that slowly grew sharp as she reached into her gym bag. Sunset raised a brow as the sporty girl pulled her phone out and started fiddling with it.
"Uh, Lightning?" Sunset blinked. "What are you doing?"
"Helping you guys out," she smirked, scanning through her contacts before brining the device to her ear. "Hey Derpster, Lightning here. I heard you're in a bit of a tight spot. I think I have few ideas."
As she watched her friend and girlfriend plot against her foster family , her mind wandered back to the day they sat in her car.
"I want you to know that no matter what happens, even if the whole school turns into a lynch mob, I've got your back."
"Thanks Lightning," the fiery teen chuckled.
Lightning turned towards her and nodded with a vulpine smile as she continued her conversation with Derpy.
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I mean, if the girl's parents want to chaperone her trip to another dimension, that's rather their prerogative, yes? Unless my memory fails me, (and I'm not discounting that at all) Derpy has yet to reach her majority.
Okay... I can kinda get why some kids might be embarrassed by their parents. But good lord do some of them take it to extremes. I'll be looking forward to seeing what scheme the kids come up with, as well as whether or not the adults fall for it. Also, I could just imagine the look of disgust Derpy's parents must have had when they heard of their parallel selves.
Time Turner, in particular, must've come close to vomiting.
Well at least Sunset can enjoy the two of them being proven wrong when they witness Dinky in pony form. Granted she will be in the blast radius but at least she knows what is coming.
9980245
She has to be at least aware of the portal. Despite it not being how she got there it’s been established to exist in her dealings with Sunset and Twilight. Also while she is not responsible for the actions of her family she should know her sisters well enough to make a guess as to what might happen if they start looking.
The next trip to Equestria is gonna be very interesting & chaotic with the parents coming alone. Let's hope whatever Lightning has plan will work out
9980258
My apologies. What I meant was that she didn't know where the portal is or what it looks like from her end. As for her family, Maud only lashed out at only one of them and has since left them alone. It doesn't make her actions right, but a lot less severe than you are implying.
9980534
Fair enough, though I’d think she would at least have tried to press Tattle for information concerning the gate or maybe a way to contact her sisters. Also I have to question her ability to evade Equestrian Pie with as much skill as she does.
9980721
He wouldn't know where it is either. Before Pinkie, Tattle's only bridge to the material world was his mother and how often does she explore Twilight's castle? As for her evasion skills, Equestrian Pinkie doesn't know how Gaps work and her Pinkie Sense can't detect them beyond knowing when Terran Pinkie steps out of one into town.
9980799
So Equestrian Pie is doing terrible things to physics by some other means?
OoOo, I can't wait to see the trip!
9981355
Yep. She is the unholy love child of Discord and Cthulu. Didn't you know?
9981592
Discord is a terrible father then, what with the brainwashing.
9981961
Meh, I still think she was faking.
9981990
Possibly but he still tried to do it.
9982012
I didn't disagree with you. (Shrug)
9985253
Eh, I actually decided to just muscle through it. I'm still reading.
Normally I like to wait until a story is completed before I start to read it. However seeing as this story is 150k+ words and still not completed, I guess starting it now wouldn't cause too much trouble. It will take me a while to catch up anyways lmao...
(I'm also reading it now because I read the sequel "Seven Saviors", and I loved it)
9988483
I think you mean Prequel.
9998172
Indeed. I typed in Prequel incorrectly on my phone and autocorrect changed it to Sequel. (This is why I prefer using my PC)
9999362
Auto correct, the bane of most people's lives.
9999362
Ah understood.
For whatever reason, I had to remove and re-add this to my Tracking to get it to appear. So I've missed out on this chapter for an entire month!
But not that I've caught up: Oh yeah, that's totally cheating. It'd be even worse if it was the threat of double Squeaky Belle. I don't think the world is ready for that level of adorabetus.
10009297
I had the same problem with tracking it
10009297
Same happened to me, thanks for the thought to remove and re-add, that worked for me too.
No, she's a Bad Wolf and her brother is a time pony
cast is correct past term
10358993
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CYDgezeQas
10358993
What is that referense from?
11069524
Dr. Who
So,it's foreseeable that in future Friendship Games,Rainbooms will miss Human Twilight due to the lack of Sunset & Elements.For reasons unknown…I still don't think the new Elements Bearers can fully replace Rainbooms…
10358993
Oof. I didn't even see it til now. That's funny! But then Who's... oh no. No no no no! She is Not River Song!!
9985032
Oh Grow Up! We've actually had this happen irl! And it was played off as a Joke then as well! Hell even the Judge LAUGHED when he found out the guy died EATING OUT HIS WIFE!! He died of and I am quoting this Directly "Asphyxiation from a great weight on his face". He is the reason the Meme "Glory Glory what a hell of a way to die" exists! Grow up, stop whining and join the rest of male society as we find the Solar Goddess that killed her Elder dragon Husband to be fucking hilarious cause Yes It Is!