Lightning and Stitch (#2)

by LightningStar626

Chapter 13: The Eye of the Storm

Chapter 13: The Eye of the Storm

~Everyone knew what they had to do. Lightning Star, Karly Crystal, Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, allowed the pulses of energy to flow through their hearts. Their friendship blossomed and felt stronger than the last time they used it altogether. With their powers combined, they exploded into a vast, pure white, glowing energy. Their ears, tails and wings tingled in the light as the transformation from human to pony took place while being surrounded by the storm. Their ears elongated, reverting back to their pony state once more. Their hairs lengthened, forming a ponytail each in a sparkling flash, and, as their feet left the ground, the nine of them nodded to one another.~

"Hang tight, girls!" Lightning said.

~Suddenly, all nine were boosted into the sky by a pulse of fire and ice. Lightning could still feel the raccoon inside of her, despite now being a pony. She proceeded to take off. The Rainbooms and Karly all took a deep breath before running and flying through the storm too, hovering beneath Lightning, where they locked hands and grabbed onto her. They were off.~

~As they soared above the sky, they watched the earth from down below, passing all the memories and people they endured during this journey. Farmer Bonsai's cottage, Camp Everfree, Gloriosa and Timber, The Lair of the Timberwolves, Woodorw the Wise, his abode, and the river. The clouds swirled in the sky and lightning cracked onto the trees, sparks and flames underneath, before firing themselves back up. Lightning dove underneath them all, while keeping track of the rest as they wove about in the wind, riding over or around it. The fearsome cry of a dog from behind brought everyone to a stop and they spun around. The cliff downwards was sobbing, and the trees were shaking. Lightning didn't bother to hide her thoughts. There- was where he was.~

---

~In the stormy, shadowy forest, Stitch and Spike were being presented to Whitey by the rustlers and the timberwolves. The dogs shrank back against their captor's fur as Whitey advanced on them. He gave a booming laugh.~

"Ah, foolish ones! That ambush worked better than I planned, for it is only you two that I desire." he gloated.

"No! Please! Let us go! Please don't kill us and feed us to your wolves!" Spike screamed.

"And how will you prevent me from doing that?" Whitey taunted.

"S'alright, Spike," whispered Stitch. "We can 'andle this."

"The only thing you can do now is to release yourself into death's warm embrace, and let my wolves have the satisfaction they deserve."

~Whitey laughed, but the moment he tried to take Stitch away from the rustler holding him, the Shiba brought his snout down and sank his teeth into his hand. The whisperer howled and dropped to his knees, giving Stitch an opportunity to break himself and Spike free, by pushing, biting and shoving. By the time Whitey looked up, nursing his wounded hand, his prisoners were free and running away. He cursed loudly. Quickly, Stitch and Spike emerged from the forest and ran into a narrow crack between two rocks. The men and the wolves caught up with them and tried to reach in and grab them, but they found that they could not do so easily without getting bitten themselves. They tried pushing against the rocks to move them, but nothing worked.~

"Well done!" Spike cried.

~Stitch looked rather pleased with himself and chuckled as the timberwolf whisperer raged and fumed before them. It was some time before Whitey's fury subsided, and then a cunning gleam came into his eyes. He sat down crossed legged and gazed at them between the crack of the rocks.~

"Well, well, now you are in a fine pickle," he said. "I cannot reach you, but you cannot escape. Between us, we have made you a neat prison, have we not? All my timberwolves and I need to do is to wait until hunger and thirst combine to break your wills. So, when you are ready, surrender yourselves in front of me, and we'll consider the matter at an end."

~The dogs turned to one another in dismay. Actually, they were very hungry and especially thirsty. They couldn't reach the rain water either. Just thinking about it and hearing it patter made things worse. Whitey knew this and, with a smirk on his face, he took a long swig from a flask that he carried in his belt.~

~Suddenly, the rustlers turned their heads to one side and the wolves' ears perked up. They heard something. The sounds of something coming from afar. Whitey regarded the dogs with a mocking stare, thinking that more wolves are coming to join the party. Stitch and Spike said nothing. To remain trapped here would be disastrous, but having to deal with more wolves would be worse.~

Just then, there was a familiar voice that echoed from the trees. A howl. "AAAWHOOOOOO!"

~At that very moment there was a deep rumble and the ground shook beneath their feet. Whitey stopped in his tracks an the two dogs shrank back wondering what was going on. The next instant, a blistering white rainbow light dazzled their eyes, blinding out everything. Some timberwolves screeched in terror. They turned to their heels, and fled for their lives. But the treacherous Whitey was not about to thwarted. Just when Stitch and Spike was within his grasp. Someone was behind that terrifying, blazing light that had burst into his forest. Whoever this was must possess a power far greater than his own. Whitey gazed about him, and then he spied nine dark shapes in the branches of the oak trees.~

"Well, well! Look who survived." Whitey smirked. "And this, I take it, is Karly? Must've taken quite the time to get her to come here. Is she afraid?"

"No, she is not," Lightning said quietly. "And you don't seem to be either. Even though you should be."

Whitey shrugged, making no difference. "Of course I am not afraid. I will not be killed by your power. My wolves will not be driven from their home either."

"Honestly, that's the least you deserve, ya violent varmint. You, and ya big goons!" retorted Applejack.

The lead rustlers gave an icy smile. "Well, lemme tell ya something then. Only one team will make it out alive, but as long as we have the dogs, we hold all the cards, and we intend to play for a looong time."

"If you want to see your dogs alive, for more than one moment, I suggest you pipe down and fight for them."

"Exactly," said Whitey, stepping back a few paces. His voice became full of menace. "You won't get far with them dead!" His hand flashed for a fresh bolt for his crossbow.

"NO!"

~In the same instant, Lightning leapt down and kicked Whitey and the two timberwolves closest to Stitch and Spike hard to the ground. Dropping down on her elbows next, she barely dodged a wolf that came assailing at her. Then, the rest of the wolf army came crashing in upon her. Into battle they went! It wasn't anything like the Rainbooms've ever fought before. 'We need to be careful', Sunset thought.~

~Assailing on the first two wolves that came at them, Karly threw herself in between them and Lightning. She taunted at them, a plan hidden behind her back. As expected, they leaped forward to attack her, that's exactly what she wanted them to do. She dodged gracefully, then grabbed them at the scruffs of their necks. Then, before they could gruff and struggle and overpower her with their strength, she transported both them and herself above the cold depths of the rising water of the river below, midair. Karly let them fall, then returned back without a hinge. She watched as two figments made a splash in the distance. Two down.~

~Karly was impressed that she was hiding her fear extremely well. She guessed in that moment there was nothing to fear. Suddenly, there was a burst of confetti and one wolf's branch limb came flying over her head. Karly whirled. Pinkie Pie was using her magic against the wolves, as well as a secret little explosive she got her hands on at the beginning. Lightning's eyes lifted. Pinkie had snagged the foaming pink paint bomb from the lab, and was using it against the enemy. With her combination of her own magic, together, they made an even bigger explosion and impact. The rain seemed to be doing nothing either to melt it off. It was like Pinkie's signature weapon. Who would have know?~

~Fluttershy was cowering and shielding herself from the storm. So many terrifying things were happening at once, she just couldn't handle it. She couldn't fight timberwolves, she couldn't even tame them! It would've helped if they needed a thorn to be pricked out from their bodies or something, the problem is, they were COVERED in thorns! Twilight and Sunset arrived by her side to encourage her but nothing seemed to fit her actions. That was, until Spike barked. He yelped as he missed a claw that reached under his and Stitch's hiding spot and tried to scratch him. Stitch bit at the claw after another attempt of a grab, but being trapped in the small area with nowhere to go, it was rather fruitless.~

~That was the answer for Fluttershy though, and something inside her snapped. Her eyes downed towards a rock with a round curve that looked like a fist with sharp knuckles. Lifting it with both hands, she was in no availability to show what she was going to do. Bringing it high over her head, with all her might, Fluttershy brought the rock down on top of the timberwolf's head in one fell swoop and struck them hard. The wolf was out cold in a flash, and Stitch and Spike crawled out and over his body, happy to see them. Sunset and Twilight took them in their arms each and fled without an amazing word to say.~

~Meanwhile, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity squared off against the rustlers. A fist impacted one of them in the stomach, but they held strong to punch back. Strength was almost matched with theirs altogether, but Applejack knew their tactics and knew not to fall once again. Making themselves the ultimate fighting trio, Rainbow distracted, Applejack attacked, Rarity defended. They were back at it and forward again over sixteen times before panting escaped everyone's lips. Becoming tired was not an option though. The head rustler started shouting.~

"You girls just don't know when to quit, do ya?" he began. "Why couldn't you just mind your own business!?"

"This IS our business!" Applejack said, she raised her voice over the storm. "As a matter o' fact, it's MY business to make sure you rustlers never harm anyone ever again!"

"What you're doing isn't hunting, it's murder! And you know that…, don't you?" Rarity glowered beneath her brows slowly.

"So what?" a rustler quired, shrugging. "All we're doing is keeping Whitey and his pack happy."

The lead rustler nodded. "Why else do you think we steal Bonsai's cattle? And then, this year, wanted to storm your precious Camp Everfree?"

~Applejack stopped short to jaw-drop. It all made sense now. Working under Whitey, the rustlers were satisfying his thrist and feeding his wolves the farmer's livestock. That's what they were planning to do for the camp earlier too. Enraged, Applejack threw herself at the leading rustler and brought both of them crashing into the wet mud, soaking themselves. The rain pattered heavily upon them. Rainbow and Rarity had to help fast, but being surrounded by the other rustlers, what could they do? Their eyes directed to a nearby oak tree. With bark as thick as steel, an idea popped in Rainbow's head, and she whispered it as loudly as she could through Rarity's hair, into her ear. She grinned smugly. WIth one single swing and hand movement, the edge of her diamond made the perfect blade and she cut through the tree trunk like butter. With one hop, the incision was enough to make it fall. Rainbow bolted for Applejack and tackled her out of harm's way. As for the rustlers, they dove out of the other way to save themselves. But, just as the tree struck the earth and made the ground shake, they lost their balance and flipping up and over down the steep rocky hill into the water below. Soon enough, they were drifting off like the timberwolves.~

The girls cheered in victory. "Thank ya, girls." Applejack said.

~But it was too soon to celebrate. Lightning flashed from behind them and, when it was black, a great force impacted the three girls, knocking them into Fluttershy, Twilight, Sunset, Stitch and Spike as they stopped, being blinded by the flash. Lightning and Karly came at the worst time too, as they collided with the Rainbooms to the ground when they came rolling. Their geodes flung from their necks, and their transformations petered out, returning their ears and tails to normal. Lightning got up first and reunited with Karly, followed by everyone else. The wind was turning too strong. So strong, in fact, that everyone had to scream in order to be heard. She did a quick head count to see if all were present, but one of them was short. She realised who it was immediately.~

"WAIT! WHERE'S STITCH?" Lightning cried. "SUNSET, HE WAS WITH YOU!"

~The girls looked down beneath Sunset's ankles for the Shiba Inu, but he was gone! Then, the sky flashed above them, followed by a very loud scream coming from Stitch. Everyone whirled in the direction and, with terror-struck all over their faces, they saw him through the hard rain. Whitey, sprinting to the very edge of a cliff, was clutching onto the dog, trying to squeeze the life out of him. Stitch felt his body being compressed and he gritted his teeth together to null the pain and cry out. Once he made it to the edge, Whitey rubbed his stubby hand against him with anticipation.~

"AHA! NOW I'VE GOT YOU," he gloated.

~Whitey took a few steps back. Then, he raised his axe over his head and with a cry of rage, he charged with all his might at Stitch, intent on splitting him right down in the middle. Sunset lunged forward, picking up a watery, flaming branch, and stood before the Shiba and the whisperer. She swung with all her might and knocked Whitey right off his feet. He released Stitch by the grasp of his neck, and Sunset caught him in her arms, dousing the branch to the ground. Before they could collect their wits, however, Whitey began to slide head first down the cliff. He used his leg to grasp onto Sunset's leg for support, but all he succeeded in doing was dragging her down with him too. She screamed in surprise. Lightning, Karly, the six Rainbooms and Spike then watched, horrified, as they saw Sunset, Stitch and Whitey slither towards the edge of the precipce, then fall off.~

"AHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed.

"SUNSET! STITCH! NOOO!" cried Lightning.

~Sunset tried to dig her feet in, only it was no help at all. The ravine fell at an unswerving sweep. Unbidden, a strange cry came to her lips, and she felt a hot shiver rush through her. Then, they saw that they were about to land on a little jumbled ledge sticking out from the cliff wall. So, with agonising slowness, Sunset and Stitch slid towards it, and came to an uncertain standstill, landing on their feet, and lying helplessly splayed out on the edge. The girls and Spike looked down over the cliff's lip frantically. They needed to reach them, but had to do it safely. Panic began to well up in Lightning's heart as she turned back in search of her geode.~

"HOLD ON, YOU TWO!"

~Sunset held Stitch tight as they waited for their rescue. However, they could not stop for a breather. Suddenly, Whitey appeared and advanced on the fiery girl and blue dog. His eyes were crazy, and he was bleeding in all different places. His hand reached for his fearsome axe once again. Sunset dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a violent swing. Then, she did it again, then again. But there wasn't much room to dodge. They were only metres away from dropping again. When they looked down, they couldn't see the bottom, just grey fog glazing. Stitch leapt up and bit Whitey on his arm again. His eyes widened as the axe clattered out of his hand, and fell backwards off of the cliff's ground. The three then wrestled each other down beneath with surprised strength coming from the dog, who was baring his teeth.~

Whitey screamed. "IF I DIE, WE SHALL DIE TOGETHER!!"

~Sunset headbutted forward at Whitey's face and nailed him on the nose. Then, she swept her legs out, bringing Whitey up and off her body. Stitch ducked as the whisperer's legs came spiralling at him, and he whirled back to Sunset's side as he dropped. As the fiery girl leapt to her feet, she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her shoulders. Screaming and thinking it was Whitey again, she elbowed backwards with all her might, but it was only Lightning, coming to rescue them. Her raccoon ears flailed in the air as she began whisking them away. Stitch clambered into Sunset, and both smiled in relief as they began traversing their way up to safety.~

~However, Whitey was not about to make it easy for them. Suddenly, he leapt out and cracked his arms before wrapping around Sunset's frame as she was being lifted off the ground's ledge. He held her tightly while Lightning's grip began to slip. All three of them were too heavy for her. Sunset struggled and kicked her legs, but Whitey had a surprisingly strong grasp. Stitch appeared from out of Sunset's arms, and pounced on Whitey's face to let go. That was when it happened. When Stitch bored down on Whitey's face, he was hit three times on the back by him before being delivered a swing that threw him off. Lightning's eyes froze in terror. Stitch did not land on the ledge. He missed it by a metre and was now falling to his doom. Lightning and Sunset screamed in unison as Whitey shireked.~

"WHAT'S YOUR PLAN, NOW?!"

Sunset made her choice. "Lightning… Go. Save Stitch."

"WHAT?!" screamed Lightning.

"Go! I'm serious! I'll hold Whitey off. You just make sure you both make it out alive!"

"But, Sunset- !"

"There's no sense in us both being put down. This is the best way… And…and no matter whatever happens, TRUST ME. Now- GO! Save him."

~There was no time to protest. So, like a towering wave crashing down on him, Lightning released her hold on Sunset, flew down and whisked the Shiba upwards to safety in the nick of time. They landed on the upwards cliff with the girls, sprawling. Sunset watched with relief.~

~The cliff crumbled. Everything seemed to fall into slow-motion. Sunset had lost her breath, and fell into the whiteness of her mind, as she flashed back on her memories. That was, until she was grabbed by the face and punched, followed up by a hard kick across her stomach by Whitey. Despite falling to their demises, the whisperer still fought for all he was worth. Sunset tried desperately to hold him back. Bateful eyes glared hatred and malice as Whitey- for all that he was- prepared to hack her to death. His great shadow blotted out from under Sunset, as she strained against him before bracing for impact.~

~Then, all at once, something began to shimmer to her left, and she heard a whistle renting in the air that grew ever so loudly. She looked up. To her amazement, when she was able to look, there- in the wind and storm- came Lightning, winging towards her as fast as she could go, to all her might; her speed was simply breathtaking. Whitey followed her gaze, and released her out of shock to what he was seeing. He caught Lightning's deathly stare upon him, and for once, he was afraid. With one final resort, Sunset lifted up her leg and kicked Whitey's stomach, sending him back.~

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Whitey screamed.

~He had no time to react back. Summoning all her strength and speed, the mighty shapeshifting raccoon girl seized Sunset in her arms, and with a swoop, halted her from falling. The two hovered in place and watched in terror as Whitey spend his force worthlessly. Soon, he disappeared beneath the white fog, into the black void, vanishing forever.~

Sunset looked up to Lightning's face gumptiously. "See? I told you to trust me!"

~Both were panting vigorously in relief, but Lightning still managed a grin. Moments later, the two streaked back in to a land back on the top. Lightning put Sunset down. As she planted her feet firmly on the ground, the girls did not waste a minute. The moment they reunited, they hugged Sunset and rubbed her with affection for all they were worth.~

"SUNSET!"

~They all laughed and cried with whoops of joy. Sunset let herself be encased by the embrace of her friends, before she opened her eyes and through an opening, saw Lightning, hands on her knees, panting her heart out from the thrill of experience they endured. She noticed Sunset staring at her and, as they locked into each other's listless eyes, they marvelled at how great everything was, and how they felt towards each other. It was fantastic.~

"What a rescue, huh?" Lightning said.

"And what a close call it was!" Pinkie Pie gasped. She was about to dance a jig, but Sunset stopped her.

Then, with the girls letting her go, Sunset approached Lightning with an earnest stare, then wrapped her arms around her into a tight hug. "Thanks for saving me, Lightning. You were just in time."

"I was in Princess Celestia's time. Is…that how it goes?" she laughed.

"Not really," laughed Sunset.

~The others crowded around them and embraced all together again warmly. They didn't move for a long time. Lightning looked up one by one towards Karly's face, then to Sunset's, then Rarity's, Twilight's, Applejack's, Rainbow's, Pinkie's, Fluttershy's, then finally, Spike's, and Stitch's.~

---

~Meanwhile, Whitey's world had fallen apart. He survived the fall, but was deeply wounded and had broken his leg upon landing. As he pulled himself to his feet and began dragging his leg about, a howl filled the air, and the spectre of several timberwolves appeared before him. Their faces were impassive but their growling was full of menace.~

"My friends…" Whitey said.

"You have failed us, Whitey,"

"We treated you as worthy, but you have proved unworthy of our trust."

"Because of your failure to provide, the pack is defeated, and the cause is lost."

"You gave us up, and for that there can be no forgiveness and no mercy."

As the voice left his brain, Whitey stood open-mouthed. He tried to protest. "But, but, but…"

~It was no good. The spectres vanished, leaving Whitey all alone to face his upcoming punishment. His stunned silence was broken by a bad smell. Green steam began to seep around the misty abyss. Moments later, he heard a scraping noise. Before Whitey could react, a great claw of sharp flint swiped at the back. Red splattered. With a scream and gasp of dismay, Whitey leapt clumsily and fled for his life. He got into the mist and stumbled his way around the rocky walls. There, he saw his timberwolves looking for him; their claws flashed and murder were in their eyes. At that precise second, the air was rent by a blood curdling scream.~

---

~The shriek was heard from a mile away, and was picked immediately by the tremendous waves of Lightning's raccoon ears. The senses of the Rainbooms' ears picked up half a second later. They looked over the edge with grievance, and witnessed the wolves scattering away, signifying Whitey's painful, gruelling demise.~

"Oh my dear... We've killed him!" cried Fluttershy, utterly horrified.

"No, we didn't." said Lightning coldly. "He was killed by his own wolves, and a deadly sin. Most villain deaths will go like that."

~The Rainbooms turned down again, horrified. Never before had they seen an antagonist of theirs die. It felt…strange, but somewhat intensely satisfying. Suppose it was better him than them, Rainbow thought. It was survival of the fittest. They tried their best to ignore it and move on- After all, they can't turn back the clock now. As they turned towards each other again, Twilight noticed Sunset panting and shaking up, almost looking like there was a lot of lightness in her head. She reached her hand out to her.~

"Sunset, are you okay?"

"I…I really thought… I was… a goner just then…" she panted.

"But you were amazing back there." Rainbow panted.

"Yeah…but…"

~Sunset's sentence cut short as it was overcome with her quivering lips. She wrapped her arms around Lightning again, and softly felt the tips of the shapeshifter's raccoon tail tickling, stroking, and rubbing her back. Sunset tried to hide the tears of immense fear welling up inside her eyes, failing.~

"I…I was so scared!" she exploded, rubbing her face in Lightning's chest.

Lightning patted her back. "There, there…it's okay, it's over now." she whispered.

"And I say good riddance," Spike whispered with a scowl.

Stitch stirred at his side. "Agreed," he then turned to Lightning, who was on his other side. "Hey, boss," he woofed quietly.

~Lightning giggled. Stitch sprang for her arms and she caught him at once. His doggy paws tucked neatly onto her chest and he nuzzled for all he was into her face. Karly, too, gave her greeting to Stitch and ruffled his head, he seemed to like her and her fragrance a lot, and everyone crowded for one more group hug.~