• Published 24th Jan 2021
  • 753 Views, 9 Comments

Life's Storm - Snow Quill



Life is hard, messy, and one hell of a storm. No one knows this better than Lightning Dust.

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We'll Always Be Together

“Stay sharp everyone, we are looking at cat two winds with a chance of going into three. Your orders are to disperse the winds to the North and South, understood?”

“Yes ma’am!”

I nod and look over my team. While they aren’t Wonder- the top fliers, all of them are used to weather and agile where it counted. “Then let's go kick some tornado flank!”

Their cheers lift my spirits. This would be the first time I tackled dispersing a potential tornado, but they didn’t make me captain for nothing! I’m Lightning Dust after all, there’s nothing I can’t handle.

I take to the air, “Let’s move out!”

~~

Screams echo around me and I try to orient myself within the swirling vortex. We had gotten here too late to redirect the wind and got too close to avoid the formed tornado. I grit my teeth and dive what I think is downwards.

If I can just get outside the vortex or find the bottom, I can try, no, I will change its direction. I can’t allow this to reach her.

I can’t fail this time.

I scream into the winds and burst out of the tornado, my wings flapping harder and faster than they ever have. I turn sharply and keep going down.

Someone is tossed out just below me and I narrowly avoid crashing into them. I hear their scream fade somewhere to my right, but I don’t look to check. Any pegasus on a weather team should be able to orient themselves after getting tossed around in some high force winds.

I reached the bottom and, after a quick check of the sky to make sure I was moving it in the right direction, began to push it to the North. I can vaguely hear more bodies being expelled, but still I keep pushing.

It feels like I am moving in slow motion, like I am trying to fly in a dream, but I grit my teeth and keep pushing.

I am going to stop this tornado.

I am going to save everyone.

I am not going to fail.

“lightning.”

I scream and push harder.

“Lightning.”

Why isn’t anyone else helping me?

“Lightning!”

That’s fine, I don’t need anyone else, I can do this, I

“LIGHTNING!”

got this!

There’s a strange feeling of weightlessness and I realize I have my eyes closed. How long have they been closed? How long have I been pushing?

Why can’t I feel my wings?

My ears pop and I gasp as my eyes fly open. The tornado is gone, and in its place is a rapidly approaching cliff face.

I try to scream, but my throat is raw. I feel something impact my side and then...I am falling. Once again, time moves in slow motion and I am able to feel everything.

My mouth dry and throat on fire.

My eyes like I squeezed lemons into them.

My body, battered and bruised and sore.

My...wing…?

I try to flap, but there’s no response.

My eyes are open but I can’t see anything. Why can’t I see anything? What’s going on with my wings? Why can’t I flap? Am I dying? Am I already dead?

I crash on...something and feel my mind start to shut down. “F-F-Fiddle…”

~~

“Beep...Beep...Beep…”

“-lucky to survive-”

“-be okay?”

“-low chance-”

“-wake up-”

“-had to remove-”

“Lightning please-“

“Please wake up.”

~~

I groan and fight through the fogginess clouding my mind. Are my eyes open or closed? They...everything... feels so heavy.

I groan again. Was that, did someone just move? Was that a door? I feel like I am underwater. Did I drown or something?

No, I was doing something else.

What was I doing?

There’s something on my head, bandages?

No, something warm...It’s moving to my hoof.

“-ning? Lightning can-”

Wait, I know that voice.

I lick my lips. “F-Fidd…”

There’s a happy gasp, and with it, my ears pop and once again, my world comes back into full focus.

I am in a hospital bed. The beeps are from whatever machines they have hooked up to me. I still can’t see, but there is light peeking through the bandages covering my face. I try to squeeze Fiddle’s hoof, but my body still feels weighed down.

“I have to tell the doctor you are awake, oh where’s that button?”

I hear her move around, her hoof brushing against me as she searches for what I’m guessing is a call light. She seems to find it and sits back, “Alright, he should be here soon.”

The air is tense and I can only imagine the words she has for me.

The thing is… I know I deserve them.

I should have turned my team around as soon as I saw the tornado had formed. I should have flown back to town and called for backup. I should have done a lot of things, precautions and procedures that were drilled into my head.

But I didn’t.

The door opens and I feel Fiddle squeeze my hoof before moving to the side. “Hello there, I am Dr. Bones. Can you tell me your name?”

My mouth is still dry, but I manage to croak out. “Lightning...D-Dust.”

“Good. Do you know where you are?”

“H-hospital?”

“Correct. Lastly, who rules Equestira?”

I frown slightly. Thinking of the Princess’s almost makes me think of…

“Well?”

I sigh. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“Very good. Thank you Lightning. For that, you’ve earned a reward. Here, drink slowly.”

I feel something bump against my lips and I close my mouth around the straw, slowly taking in the blessedly cool water. Not too cold, but not lukewarm either; it was perfect for quenching my thirst. I release the straw after I am satisfied and feel it move away. “Now, how are you feeling?”

“Heavy.”

He chuckles, “Yes, that makes sense. How about your head? Does it hurt when I touch it here?”

I can barely feel his hooves. “No.”

“How about here?”

“Nope.”

“Wonderful! That means I can remove the bandages. Fiddlesticks, turn the lights down will you?”

The pressure around my head I didn’t realize I was feeling began to lighten and I sigh in relief. As the bandages fall away I open my eyes. The room is dark and blurry, but then my limited sight is taken up by a blue and yellow blob.

I watch as her hoof comes closer and she tenderly caresses my cheek. “Oh Lightning…”

I try to smile but wince as a dull, aching pain makes itself known. “Is it really that bad?”

Fiddly starts to come into focus and I see tears in her eyes. “Well, it’s...it’s not great hun.”

She looks to the side and steps back as a green coated, white maned stallion comes into view. He wasn’t smiling.

“Lightning Dust, you sustained many injuries, it is only because you were brought here so quickly that you had a chance of survival.”

My lips twitch, but it's too painful to smile, “Yeah but, I’m alive aren’t I? How much rehab are we looking at doc? 6 months? A year?”

He sighs and flips through papers on a clipboard. “Well let’s see. You have a concussion, severe bruising around your eyes, your nose and lower left leg was broken, you bruised several ribs, and you have hairline fractures in your front legs. At best, you are looking at 6-8 months before you can walk or run normally.”

“Okay...Not great but I can live with it. How long until I can fly?”

He glances away from me. My eyes narrow and I try to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. “D-doc? How,” I clear my throat, “How long until I can fly.”

He sighs again and reluctantly meets my eyes. “Lightning Dust, I, I am sorry but…”

“But what? It’s a simple question! How. Long. Until. I. Fly.”

I hate how high my voice is, how pathetic it sounds, but I don’t care. I just need him to answer the damn question.

“We had to amputate one of your wings.”

No.

“-muscles were completely shredded-“

No, no no no no no this can’t be happening.

“-was barely hanging on.”

Why?

“-no saving it-“

Why me?!

“-look into prosthetics-“

I’m Lightning Dust! The Greatest Flier in Equestria!

“-not as efficient, but can still fly-”

I can’t lose a wing!

“-look into payment plans-”

I can’t...I need to be able to fly...It’s all I have…

“-ust? Lightning Dust?”

I snap back to the present. “Please tell me I’m dreaming. Or, or in a coma or something, anything! This can’t be real, this, this isn’t real…”

The doctor looks away again and made room for Fiddly to hug me. I close my eyes and sob into her shoulder.

She held me as tight as she could without hurting me and pet my mane. “It’s alright, I’m here hun, we are gonna get through this. I’m not gonna leave ya, not ever, that’s a promise.”