Lightning and Stitch (#2)

by LightningStar626

Chapter 12: Star Family Secrets

Chapter 12: Star Family Secrets

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

~Both Lightning and Stitch screamed in unison. The figures of him and the rustlers gradually drew further and further away from Lightning's vision as she and the Rainbooms began slipping to their doom and into the darkness of green underneath them. There must be a way to escape death, but the quick falling clouded her mind. Something told her to give in and let their lives fade away. The Rainbooms screamed in their final lucid moments, and they recalled what brought them up to this point, getting ready. But, just when Lightning thought themselves to be heading to the track of the afterlife, she heard a wince followed by the feeling of her arm being grabbed. Curious, Lightning strained her eyes painfully to see who it was, and when the figure came to focus, she has recognised it to be none other than the girl they have been looking for since the very beginning.~

"KARLY?!"

~She was answered by a croaking gasp and in the next moment, Karly had hooked onto everyone else. The seven Rainbooms couldn't believe it either. There was a tingling of power. Next, after coming to grips that it was the Karly Crystal directly in front of them, all felt their surroundings change from one area of the forest to another. However, they were still falling. Karly had to act fast. Quickly harnessing her magic, she teleported them and herself to the safest place where they can drop. They kept on falling and falling until finally, all nine screamed as they hit the water of the lake of Camp Everfree.~

---

~With a light flashing over her head and the water waking her up gratefully, Lightning came to and swam to the surface. She noticed Karly floating beside her, still but awake. She couldn't swim, and Lightning knew this. So, as strong and healthy as she was, Lightning carried Karly through the water and out. It was hard work, but she pulled through. Each of the Rainbooms emerged from the lake too, dragging themselves out one by one.~

~Relaxing her grip on her load and letting her clamber to the ground, Lightning looked in horror at her bedraggled bestie. Karly's hair was matted, wet and torn, and a red mist filled her eyes. Dried blood covered the side of her forehead, too. She was clearly exhausted, breathing hard and feeling sick, but she needed to explain herself.~

"Light…Light…" the girl spluttered but was unable to speak.

~Lightning stretched out a hand to help her friend, but the trachled Karly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.~

Lightning checked her pulse. "She's passed out. She teleported all of us at the same time to safety, I- I guess her body just couldn't handle the huge amount of magic."

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "D-don't worry. I've experienced something like this before when I use my magic. She will wake up soon."

~Lightning half-carried, half-dragged Karly back to the campsite, along with some help from Applejack once Lightning spent all her strength. The effort was arduous. Before her knees crumpled from exhaustion however, Lightning brought out the smallest cold sheen of ice, and plastered it on the back of hers and Karly's heads. Sunset hauled her up again. Swiftly, the girls got Karly into an open tent and space to rest. Fluttershy arranged a bed by gathering all the pillows, while Rarity cleaned her by using the water dripping from the ice and soap to run over her filthy, splattered clothes. Sunset instructed Lightning to sit with her.~

~A moment later, there was a groan, and Karly was conscious again. Lightning stood before her in the shade and stared as Karly slipped upwards behind the pile of pillows and cranked up into a sitting position, the faint outline of a smile softly donned on her face.~

"Hey, Lightning," she finally said.

Lightning chuckled, as did the Rainbooms. "Karly," she said, almost whispering. She didn't wait a second longer and embraced her. Their eyes were closed. "I'm so happy to see you!- I feared the worst."

Lightning kept squeezing her, but then Karly felt her head being examined by Rarity for injuries. "Darling, you are hardly scratched up!" the young fashionista said.

"Yeah, Lightnin' said you were hit by a ton of bricks- ! Wh-what happened?" Applejack asked.

"I…I don't actually know." Karly answered.

"What? Then… How did you find your way back here?" Lightning asked, placing her hands on Karly's shoulders.

"Well, the last thing I remembered was taking a clout to the head… Then, I woke up in the forest without feeling anything. It was…it was weird. I didn't know where I was, it took me hours to navigate the way home… I was so frightened."

She was interrupted by Lightning pulling her into a hug. "Oh, Karly- That's...That's all my fault! If I hadn't raced out to the construction site…"

"Its okay, Lightning. I'm okay, you're okay. Just let bygones be bygones… Really, all I would like to know now is how I managed to survive without experiencing any…"

"You were taken in by Stitch." interrupted Fluttershy. "He…must've given you the berries we found."

"Berries?" Karly repeated. "What berries? And who's Stitch?"

Lightning was about to explain, but then realised that he and Spike were not here. It all came back quickly. "- oh my god, Stitch!"

Fluttershy gasped too. "Oh yes! He and Spike were…were taken."

~With words tumbling from their lips, the Rainbooms told Karly all that had happened to them since she and Lightning had that accident. She listened with both patience and confusion, dropping back a few memories of her own and confirmed them to be true, like meeting Farmer Bonsai and Woodrow the Wise. Whitey, on the other hand, he had not. It had all been a lie to lure them into a trap, Lightning thought. Now, they gotta make him pay.~

Rainbow cut to the chase. "We gotta get Spike and Stitch back!" she declared.

"But… We're talking about fighting timberwolves! Are you sure we can handle that?" asked Rarity.

"We got magic," Rainbow replied. "And since we've got Karly back, we'll find them in no time! Come on!"

~The Rainbooms agreed in silence, and they all headed back towards the area to where the pathway led. However, Karly didn't move. Not because she was too weak to move, or frozen in place while trying to process all that's been spilt on her, but the thought of Stitch, and saving him, when he was responsible for her injuries, didn't set her in a right state of mind.~

Lightning noticed. "Karly?"

"Lightning… I don't understand, why would we want to help him?" Karly asked.

"Why would we…? He's our friend!"

"Friend?"

"A…loyal friend, yeah…" Lightning glossed over the facts in her mind while looking down at the floor. She continued. "He helped us find you, and knew the dangers to alert us. He saved us, supported us, and… he even saved you, too! I thought in the past that he was responsible for your and my accident, but he's not. This experience led me to learn that. He's now like one of my own, like a friend, like a pet, like a…"

"Like family?"

"YES! Now, he and Spike are in trouble, and who knows how long we have left! How long they have left…"

Karly frowned upon Lightning's deep emotions and could see what the connection was immediately. "... Is this because like your sister, you don't want to lose anymore family members, and you blame yourself for not being better? I keep telling you, Lightning, it's not your fault, I, out of everyone, can see that. You were never near towards the murder and neither their death could have been foretold. But, I understand."

~Karly smiled but the air rendered into silence. Lightning's jaw dropped slightly as her mouth quivered. Suddenly, she felt as if some blunt object struck her in the heart, and she winced in pain. Like a brick punching glass, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The Rainbooms blinked by what Karly said. Turning to Lightning, they now wanted more information… and answers.~

"What?" Karly said. That was when she realised that the Rainbooms STILL didn't know. "Oh…"

"I…I…"

~There was no saying in the rest of Lightning's sentence because she was wavering so hard out of shock. The tone in her voice changed to sadness. WHY would Karly bring THAT up? Why here? Why now? She couldn't be seen with anyone right now. Shutting her eyes to hold back the grizzling, she jostled past the girls and made a beeline out of the tent and towards the mountain again.~

Karly called out. "Oh no- LIGHTNING!"

"Lightning, wait!" Sunset yelled, and made to go after her.

~Lightning ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She wanted to get away from everyone that she knew. Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Sunset…even Karly. In fact, all she wanted to do was to escape the forest, return back home, curl up in her room and cry herself to sleep. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw the girls chasing her. As they ran, the Rainbooms began to raise their voices, enough to hear over the wind and upcoming rain. Sunset started.~

"Is…Is that what this was all about, Lightning?"

Twilight added. "You lost your sister?!"

"How did that happen?!" Rainbow yelled. But she got no answer.

"Lightning! Stop!"

~Rarity drew her arm back then forth, bringing out a gleaming crystallised shield in front of Lightning to block her path. It was no match for her, though, as the spy girl persisted, swiftly tossing the large piece of precious stone to the ground and leaping over it like it was nothing, without saying a word.~

Applejack continued to run. "Lightnin', we get it, if that's the case!"

"Please, you must understand, we never judge! Never this!" Fluttershy called over.

"Please, why didn't you just tell us?!" Pinkie yelled.

~Lightning didn't answer to any of them. She clutched her head, with her hands over her ears, wishing to hear no more. The voice inside her mind began to grow and tears began to flow, despite Lightning trying to hold them in. It was hurting her chest.~

Applejack started up again. "You said you had a big family, but was that really the truth?"

"Did you lose anyone else?!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Why don't you tell us?" Pinkie Pie added.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

~Lightning ripped her geode from her neck and threw it at the girls in a fit of sad rage to scare them off. Sunset caught it just before it hit Fluttershy's face and as she took it to herself, running her thumb over the blue crystallised patterns, they continued to shout questions. Lightning's anger increased overtime.~

Sunset babbled impatiently. "Wh-what about the rest of your family?!"

"No!"

"What about your father?" asked Twilight.

"NO!"

"What about your mother?" asked Rarity.

"NOOO!"

"Whyyy?!" Pinkie screamed.

At last, Lightning couldn't take it anymore. "STOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP!"

~Back she held her head like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky. The instinct left everyone scared and their legs shook, stopping at the sound of her shrill voice. Karly and the Rainbooms all stood in breathing silence. They noticed that they were at the semi-top of the cliff once again. And there, in the moment, they realised the time had come, and Lightning knew it too. She had no choice now. She had nowhere to go. Altogether, the nine girls approached up the jagged cliff. With Lightning at the front, she felt a mixture of tensity and fear as she leaned over.~

"Fine, girls… You want to know the truth? Well…"

~The night sky swivelled into fades of black, purple and orange, as the stars began to align into shapes of people and began to form a story.~

Lightning narrated. "The truth is- that twelve years ago- I did have a family. There was me, my mother, my father, and my older sister. We were- like the puzzle pieces to a giant heart that will never be dismantled…"

---

~The scene in the sky changed and the Rainbooms and Karly saw that a girl child had been born. Clutching her as she cried was a fair mother, rocking her back and forth in her arms, and a strong father by her side. Also next to them, was a small, curious young girl. She smiled when she saw her baby sister.~

"We were…inseparable. Or so I thought…"

~As a few years went by, the stars showed the scene of Lightning and her sister playing together while the parents watched happily. But everyone could see, the happy scene would not last long.~

"It was the day after my fourth birthday…a dark day to be alive to witness this…"

~The scene swirled once more, and they could see the older sister and Lightning fleeing for their lives, with their hands clenched tightly together. Fear and dread filled their faces, and the pathway seemed never-ending. Until, at last, it brought them to a warehouse that Lightning recognised it as the final room. Still, the sisters fled, twisting and turning among the crates and always glancing behind them. The eldest was looking for an escape route that wasn't the door. At last, she came within an air vent in the wall, enough to squeeze in. She ushered Lightning in first, but yet as she made to enter, four strangely hooded figures emerged from the shadows. A knife flashed in one's hand.~

"My sister and I were taken away from our parents by some men with cold hearts. They wanted us for abuse and power. My sister and I tried to escape. We made it to a warehouse nearby. But…as I entered a vent to get away, my sister was caught…"

~The Rainbooms gasped as they watched the knife's blade plunge and tore into the back and out of the chest of the sister. She cried out and fell down, still alive, but in pain. The figure then stabbed again, this time, aiming for the head. The sister dropped dead in her tracks after red spilt everywhere.~

Lightning witnessed the murder with trauma and fear flashing in her eyes. She froze in terror, paralysed at the sight before the blade of the knife stuck through the vent covers and pierced her on the cheek. It slid across from the side to the nose, causing hot blood to pour down, blending in with her tears, and irritating her face. Young Lightning cried and stumbled back into the ducts, feeling her cheek. Finally, she crawled away, escaping.~

"I then watched from the vent as one of the four men from the gang stab my sister to death. I only escaped with nothing but this scar on my face. My parents then found me hours later walking alone in the rain, traumatised by the events, and picked me up. There, I explained what happened. And…and..."

~In the final vision, the father and mother appeared, standing before each other, fighting and heart-broken, with Lightning hiding behind her father, a bandage plastered where the cut on her cheek was. The young spy heard their arguments with the mother being more distraught about her eldest daughter than anyone. Suddenly, she collapsed, and the father froze in terror. He dropped to his knees and took his wife in his arms, but it was too late. She faded away until there was nothing more than a grave and flower petals before him and Lightning. They hugged quietly as a heart above them shattered into pieces.~

"Hurt that her eldest daughter was gone, my mother eschewed herself away in shame and depression. I didn't see her for over four months. Then, in that final month, I heard a gunshot. My broken-hearted mother died shortly after that… Having put herself down, instead of living the rest of her life knowing that her eight-year-old child…was murdered."

---

~The scene of stars faded until they could only see the sky and stars returned to normal. Bizarre emotions filled the Rainbooms' hearts. At last, they knew the truth. Lightning's sister and mother died brutally. They thought of the cruel, unbeknownst men- the murderers- the men that killed the sister, and wondered where they were now. Had they been caught? Was justice served? Then, the heinous act of her mother's death angered them. How she died of a broken heart for her first daughter, yet left her second and husband alone still in the world to grieve more. They didn't understand any of this.~

Lightning fell to her knees trembling and her eyes swelled up with tears. "I swore from that day on that I would avenge them." she said. "I wanted to find the men responsible for my sister's murder, and exact revenge for what they did! But I…never have…F-FOUND…"

~Lightning's sentence was overcome with whimpering and sobbing. Then, her pipes broke down and the dams of water in her eyes broke into waterfalls. Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie stood up and all threw their arms around the girl as she continued to cry. Silently consoling her to let it all out, Lightning let herself succumb to the love and heartwarming embrace of her three new closest friends- which eventually turned to six- since Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack joined in too, also trying hard to not cry. This went on for about a few minutes until Lightning's tears soaked the Mane 6's shirts heavily.~

"I'm really sorry, Lightning," Sunset said gravely, "I had no idea… I just assumed you had terrible family issues, and a bad relationship with them."

"Oh no… It was the complete opposite of that. My mother and sister loved me with all their hearts. But now…I…I don't even remember their names." Lightning confessed, much to the Mane 7's shock. They could tell they meant alot to her.

"You poor thing," Fluttershy sobbed, hugging her tighter. Pinkie Pie was crying her eyes out too.

"I just wish you told us sooner." Sunset then sighed.

"I didn't want you to worry…it's not your problem. It's mine only and mine alone. I did nothing to prevent my sister's death, and just sat there and watched it happen! So, I have to make it right!"

"Lightning, you were only four years old at the time, what could you have done at that moment? Please, don't blame yourself for what happened, it's not your fault." said Karly, wiping away her own tears. "I…I'm sorry I brought it up."

"From what I just heard, I agree with Karly." Twilight said. "You couldn't have prevented such a terrible crime at that age, nor could have predicted it to happen."

Lightning heaved a sigh. "I don't know… They died, that's all that needs to be known."

"Wh-What about you dad?" Fluttershy asked. "He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Yes. Don't worry. He's as fit and healthy as he can be, you may even meet him very soon," Lightning sniffed. "But still. This doesn't change the fact that my mother and sister are gone, and that the men responsible are still at large. I promised myself I would find them, but it's been years, and I haven't found even a single clue or evidence. Not who they are, or even their names. It's been eating up inside me, and I can't stop it. I just…don't want to fail my family's name as a poor agent, nor my sister, or my mother."

The Mane 7 and Karly silenced the atmosphere. The world around them seemed to be glistening via the stars. Then, Sunset Shimmer stood up bravely. "Well. In that case, it's going to be a goal."

"A goal?"

She nodded. "We're all in this together now, Lightning. You already know so much about us, now it's our turn to know so much about you. And so far, as I can see, you're a brave, compassionate girl. What happened in the past made you stronger; it made you the girl we see before us today. Remember?"

"It's not too late to uphold that promise you made all those years ago. You still have ya whole life ahead of you, an' the people you have around you love you, and can help you with that. Believe me, 'cause I know how it feels to lose a parent..." Applejack said.

"As we are absolutely horrified to hear everything that's happened to you- you must have hope, darling. Those insufficient ruffians- those heartless brutes that killed your sister- a child- will not get away with this!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Hmm-hmm! And we will do whatever it takes in our power to help you find him! Even if it takes us ten years- or twenty years! Since we're now working together an' all, we must cherish it, and restore this heartbreaking moment!" Pinkie Pie chirped, wiping her tears.

"We are your friends now, Lightning. Your family. Spike and Stitch too. At first, you didn't want anything to do with Stitch, and you blamed him for what happened to you, and Karly. Now, you know that it wasn't his fault, and he was only trying to help. He's your pet now. You love him, and he loves you." Twilight said compassionately.

"Yeah! You two are perfect for each other, what can be more awesome than that? I know losing your family like that is hard, but you must stay strong. And now, since you've soaked my jacket with your crying, you owe me!" Rainbow Dash smirked, nudging Lightning softly.

"I always knew you would become attached to Stitch- but, I never expected this to come as well. Lightning, we believe in you, and sympathise with your pain. We'll do whatever it takes to help, because… We're here for you." Fluttershy finished. "And…"

"We trust you." The seven said altogether sweetly.

~Lightning didn't reply. She was just in awe of all the kind words the Rainbooms had to say about her, and…it felt as if they were pushing off all the negativity that were weighing her down off of her shoulders. She had never felt as much love as ever from anyone until now. Eventually, her sad tears turned to happy ones, and they washed away her sorrows. She looked up at the sky, and saw nine figures of friends all in a group hug, silent and meaningful, made of the stars.~

She didn't know how to express anything. "Wow… R-Rainbooms, I…"

Sunset put her finger against the spy girl's lips. "Here, wipe those tears away."

~She lifted a large, lace-edged handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed Lightning's eyes dry. Then, without warning, she pulled the spy girl up into her own big, loving, supportive hug. Lightning felt even more gracious. Squeezing her face into the dip of Sunset's shoulder, she let her pent up sadness explode again and flow into her embrace. Finally, Sunset let go, but still kept an arm around Lightning's neck.~

"So, what do you say? Friends?" she held up the face of Lightning's geode.

Lightning stared for a long period of time, then, she felt her chest puff with courage. "Friends." she said proudly, and snatched her geode back.

"That's our girl."

~They chuckled ever so softly. As all nine gathered in for a group hug, they looked up to see constellations of Stitch and Spike in the sky. They turned to confidence.~

"Sooo, Stitch and Spike?" Karly asked.

"Stitch and Spike." Lightning and the Rainbooms chorused.