Better Than Best

by Signas

Ch. 1 - No Walls Can Hold This Down

Have you ever had to come back home to a bunch of friends and family with high expectations, and let them all down? You know those moments. It's the kind of thing fillies go through when they fail a test and have to tell their parents. Or when a job interview doesn't go so well, and a stallion has to tell his folks that they won't be having dinner that week. It's the sort of experience that makes you feel like tossing your cookies all the way home, and then it turns out to not be nearly as bad when you finally get there.

Well, I had one of those recently. Except, of course, for the fact that I haven't talked to my folks in years. And I only have, like, one friend. Two if you count Rainbow Dash. The point is, telling all... one of them about what happened at Wonderbolt Academy wasn't nearly as lame as it could have been. I mean, I still felt like crap, but that was mainly because of how it happened, not necessarily that it happened in the first place.

The flight back to Canterlot from the academy wasn't even long enough for any serious brooding, although that's mainly because my flight speed is off the buckin' charts. I think I dropped one of my suitcases on the way back when I crashed into some loser and knocked him out of the sky. Kind of a shame, really; that was a nice suitcase. That's one of the reasons I decided to live in Canterlot instead of some place like Cloudsdale. There aren't many other pegasi to get in my way; it's just a bunch of lame nerds and fancy skirts which, in some ways, are just as bad.

As for my friend... well, I wouldn't really call him a "friend" so much as "guy who gives me coffee every day". And with the funk I was in, I was gonna need a barrel of it.

I made my appearance at the train station, like I do any time I'm gone for a while. It's not like I ever ride trains, but I figure I should use the same landing as the other finely-crafted machines anyway. Like usual, nopony was there to greet me. Well, there was this one chick who was screaming at me for almost bulldozing her kid, but the little punk should have known better than to get in my way. It was around the part where she was threatening to call the guards that I started making my way to the one place I knew would be happy to see me: Donut Joe's.

A small part of me had hoped that maybe while I was at the academy changing my own life, Canterlot would put in a little effort to change as well. Taking that long walk to Joe's showed me that this was not the case. There were still the same old unicorns, same old nerds, same old giant hats and froo-froo dresses. I mean, how hard would it have been to maybe reduce the hat sizes, or something? I was relieved to finally open Joe's doors and get away from that crap; even after just one week away, I had to get used to it all over again.

"Well hey there, if it ain't the little Wonderbolt herself!" I was immediately greeted by a familiarly gruff voice. Like the rest of Canterlot, Pony Joe was the same as usual. Unlike the rest of Canterlot, I was perfectly okay with this.

"Hey, Joe," I replied, albeit less confidently than I had hoped. "I... wouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet."

Joe put down the coffee mug he was wiping and shot me a pretty concerned look. "Aw geez," he groaned, most likely having guessed how things went for me. "Pull up a seat, I'll warm up a pot for ya."

Pulling up a seat was not necessary; the shop was completely empty save for the two of us, and my usual stool sat unoccupied in front of the bar. It felt good to be back in that seat, surrounded by delicious donuts. I'm sure Joe felt better having me back too, since the quality of the building skyrockets just from my being there. "Toss me a glazed donut and a cream-filled one while your at it, Joe." This was important; I needed those donuts badly.

I got my donuts, and proceeded to tell Joe all about the horrible injustice that had been placed upon me. I told him about Rainbow Dash, and how we were tearing up the competition with our sick moves. About the mountains of praise Captain Spitfire showered upon me, and how she even made me the lead pony. About how utterly lame the other cadets were. And of course, about how in all of three minutes, I went from the top candidate to last week's garbage.

"...And the worst part of it all?" I had trouble wrapping my mind around this one; the sheer insanity of it threatened to tear the threads of my brilliant mind. "Rainbow Dash totally denied me a hoof bump. Nopony would pass up a chance to bump these hooves!"

As I gazed at my depressingly un-bumped hooves, Joe just stood there and nodded his head. "Sheesh, that's pretty rough Dusty. Sorry to hear it didn't go well."

"Rough isn't the half of it, Joe," I replied, munching a succulent mouthful of donut-y goodness. "I thought Dash and I were pals. How could she look at these hooves and say 'I'm not going to bump those'?"

"I, er, was more referring to getting kicked out of the academy."

"Huh? Oh, right, that." I couldn't really understand how Joe could be so unfazed by the real issue, but whatever. "I'm not too worried about that. I mean, yeah, it was pretty lame, but it wasn't even my fault. I'll just try again next year." Something about what I said didn't seem to click right with him, because he was giving me a really weird look. "What? You don't believe me?"

"Well, I mean..." Wait, did Joe seriously doubt me? Why would I lie to him? "Don't take this the wrong way but... it kinda sounds like you screwed up pretty bad at the end there."

Screwed up? What the hell was that supposed to mean? I don't 'screw up', I'm Lightning Dust! "You aren't talking about the tornado, are you? That wasn't even kinda my fault!"

"You said it was your idea, right?"

"Well yeah, who else would come up with such an awesome plan?"

"And you lost control of it, right?"

"Hey, I wasn't the only pony handling that thing!"

"And the tornado, which was your idea, nearly killed five ponies."

"Those chumps shouldn't have been flying there anyway! Didn't they read the signs?"

"I dunno about you, but from this angle... it kinda sounds like you screwed up."

I honestly thought Joe was smarter than that. He should have known better than to cross that line. Were it any other pony, I would have been up in their face. But because I know how blunt Joe can be, I settled for slamming my hooves angrily on the bar. "Okay, so one little mistake that was barely my fault happened to some losers who were acting stupid! What about the praise, huh? What about me being an awesome flier, does none of that matter suddenly?"

"Okay, okay, no need to yell kiddo." After taking a deep breath, I managed to calm myself down a bit. But seriously, this guy just didn't get it. "Look, I'm not tryin' to make ya angry. It's just that... I feel like that ain't the only reason ya got the boot."

"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm not good enough?"

"I'm sayin' that, supposing ya do plan on shootin' for that spot in the Wonderbolts again, you should figure out exactly what it is that tripped ya up in the first place."

I wanted to yell again, but something about what Joe said made a little bit of sense. I had received nothing but praise during most of my time at the academy, which wasn't surprising in the slightest. At the end, everything changed. It couldn't have been the tornado alone, since Spitfire thought it was a great idea. No, it had to have been something I couldn't possibly have seen. Which is odd, since I have near-perfect vision.

Just when I thought I was starting to make progress, Joe decided to derail my train of thought. "Didn't Spitty say anything to ya? Like, maybe some things to work on?"

"All she said was that the Wonderbolts 'don't need irresponsible show boaters' and that I should 'come back when I learn the meaning of teamwork'." Thinking about those words again, they made even less sense than when I originally heard them. "Not particularly helpful, if you ask me. She praised me and Dash for our awesome teamwork, so how could she suddenly think I didn't have any? Clearly she didn't know what she was talking about."

"Well, how about the irresponsible part?" At this point, I was starting to wonder if even Joe knew what he was talking about.

"Uh, Joe, did you forget who you're talking to?" This was a legitimate question; ponies seem to give me the weirdest criticisms sometimes. "My name may as well be Lightning 'Responsible' Dust!"

"Whatever you say. By the way, the coffee's done." It was about time, nothing goes with donuts and reminiscing like a steamy cup of caffeine. He placed the lovely liquid energy on the bar, where my hooves were eagerly waiting. "Hey, you should probably let it cool fi-"

Psh, 'cool'? I was cool enough for that coffee. I didn't even let Joe finish before it started pouring down my throat. Like, directly into my throat, passed the tongue and everything. Yeah, I've got some pretty intense throat control, but that shouldn't be a surprise.

I regret nothing.

"HOLY MOTHER OF DISCORD!" The empty mug rolled unceremoniously onto the bar as I attempted to air my smoldering mouth. "Oh sweet Celestia... oh gawd, that burns so good!"

"Ya need some ice water, Lightning 'Responsible' Dust?"

"N-no... no, you keep your ice water. Oh Celestia, that feels amazing..." I attempted to get my labored panting under control. "But that horrible pain gave me an idea... one that could solve this Wonderbolts issue."

Joe must not have heard what I said, because he gave me the ice water anyway. "Er, well, great! Fire away, kiddo."

"Alright, so think about walls for a moment."

"Walls?"

"Yeah." I could only pray that Joe would be able to understand my flawless logic. "Now, what purpose does a wall serve?"

"Well, my walls hold donuts and keep the cold out."

"Uh, okay, but the main point is that they keep you from reaching what's on the other side." Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't quite getting it. Figures. "Well, in a way, a 'wall' was keeping me from reaching that mug of coffee. A 'wall' called 'time'."

Joe just kept staring, so I continued my explanation. "In a similar sense, a 'wall' is keeping me from achieving my well-deserved dream as a member of the Wonderbolts. In this case, the 'wall' is more vague than time. This wall... is perfection, and whatever is keeping me from reaching it."

"Ya mean, being irresponsible?"

"For Celestia's sake, Joe, pay attention!" I have no idea why he was so hung up on the 'responsibility' thing, when I already explained why that couldn't be it. "Alright, so when you want to get passed a wall, what do you do?"

He tapped his chin a few times, which I guess meant he really had to think hard about the answer. Kind of sad, really. "I don't think you can just walk around time, or build a door on it."

"No, Joe! You smash that punk into rubble! Don't let no wall tell you where you can or can't be!"

"You can't smash time either."

"Just... just shut up for a minute." I stared Joe dead in the eyes as I prepared to lay down the most intense explanation he'd ever hear. "The best way to break through a wall is to find the one tiny spot where it's weakest. Once you've pinpointed the location, you prepare the necessary tools... and strike."

"So what yer sayin' is that waiting was the 'weak spot' in time, and patience was the 'tool'."

"Er... yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying." Actually, I had thought of something else, but Joe's idea made a lot more sense. I wasn't about to tell him that, of course. "And in the case of the academy, I just need to find exactly what aspect I'm missing in order to be perfect. Once I do, I can get the right 'tools' to fix it, and tear that sucker down."

"Ya know, the more you explain this... the more I think I've heard this somewhere before. Maybe in a book or something?"

"You're probably just imagining things," I replied. "I'm a lot of things, but a plagiarist isn't one of them."

"Well, that's an interesting way to think about yer problems." Joe lifted my empty mug with magic and began to wipe it clean. "But you've already made it clear that ya don't really understand what it is that yer missing."

That was the biggest obstacle I'd face. This wasn't like finding flaws in other ponies; until recently, I was pretty sure I didn't actually have any flaws. I still don't, but somepony else seemed to think otherwise. Fortunately, I wasn't completely in the dark. First, I'd need to think about the cadets who did get to stay at the academy. They certainly didn't have the skills that I did, except for maybe...

Of course.

"Rainbow Dash!" I slapped a hoof to my face; how could I have been so dumb? "She's almost on my level of coolness and flying ability! She helped me make that tornado! And she didn't get kicked out! Which means..." I could feel the wide grin spreading across my face, as the solution made itself visible for me to see. "I just need to figure out what she has that I don't have."

"Responsibi-"

"Joe, I swear to the sun I'm going to buck you if you say that word again." As much as I'd like to continue chewing him out, I couldn't afford to waste any time. I hopped down from my stool and made my way to the door... and immediately realized what my next obstacle would be. "Crap, she's still at the academy."

"You could always try talking to her friends about her," Joe called to me, giving me a glimmer of hope. "Ya know, the ones you almost killed."

"I don't suppose you'd know where to find them." What Joe said next nearly blew me away in it's unlikeliness.

"As a matter of fact, I do!" The stupid grin on his face made me want to hit him, but I was still too stunned. "I met 'em a couple years ago at the Gala. Real nice girls."

"You've gotta be kidding..." I hate humbling myself before other ponies, but I needed that information. "Joe, if you know where they are, throw me a bone! Even a general direction will work!"

---

Ponyville. For some reason, I wasn't even surprised that the braindead chumps who thought flying into a training airspace would live in the middle of buttbuck nowhere. I really had no desire to grace that redneck quarantine with my presence, but if it meant achieving my dream, I'd do just about anything.

Dignity would have to step aside. That wall wasn't going to tear itself down.

Author's Note:

Eagerly awaiting a Lightning Dust tag.

Thanks for reading, hope you continue reading if you like it.

Comments

[ultra8]

Sounds interesting I'll give it a read.

[zsewqthewolf]

good saert.

[L4]

forever this

[Richforce]

Good luck Dust, be sure to send me a letter after Pincess Luna banishes you and throws you into a dungeon in the place she banishes you to. That's what's going to happen if you don't give up on this wonderbolt thing and just spend the rest of your life making friends like a NORMAL PONY!

[Arakos]

This... this right here is glorious.

Lightning Dust is new best pony.

[FeignedSincerity]

Redneck quarantine is probably the best description for Ponyville I've ever heard.

[carlos_pony]

Instafaved.
Keep up the good work.

[Larger Seagull]

Dear Author,
Could you please at some point have Lightning Dust learn that the "brain-dead ponies" saved Equestria twice, with one helping save Equestria a third time as well as the Crystal Empire being Celestia's best student, and being related to both the Equestrian Royal Family and the Crystal Imperial Family.
Her facial expression would be priceless

In all seriousness though, you seem to be giving yourself a lot of work with Lightning Dust. If you can successfully pull off making her into a better pony in a realistic manner, you'll have my full respect.

I'll be tracking this

[nodamnbrakes]

oh my god i hope you continue this

[Telaros]

" I didn't even let Joe finish before it started pouring down my throat. Like, directly into my throat, passed the tongue and everything. Yeah, I've got some pretty intense throat control, but that shouldn't be a surprise." -Best line ever in fanfiction. And it ain't even a clop.

Sorry, that made me giggle as I read it. DAYUM she took that whole mug of burning lava into her throat... girl is so EXTREME 25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1eub3w0QN1qz56kjo1_500.jpg

This seems like a big exaggeration of her callous behavior, but I'm liking where this is going! MOAR GOOD SIR! MOAR!

Holy crap there still isn't a Lightning Dust tag? WE NEED ONE BAD! D:

[Signas]

1863924

In a way, poking fun at her wild behavior in the episode is one of the main points of this story. I mean, there are lessons to be learned of course, but she didn't really strike me as the type to suddenly seek redemption and feel bad as opposed to just being beyond awesome.

Anyway, second chapter is coming along, so it will probably be up in the next few days. Sorry for the wait, but I don't have a whole lot of time to write nowadays. Thanks for all the interest in the story, though.

[Telaros]

1866007 All well and good, and honestly, I like her brash and callous shortsightedness and self indulgent behavior.
First Lightning Dust fic I can really get into! The train bit and her having to park at a train station just because all the other amazing pieces of machinery do as well was a cute quirk imho. Even if she nearly plowed a young colt (seriously, did he NOT see the Lightning Dust Cutie Mark landing pad?? GAH IDIOT!).

Good to hear a new one is coming along nicely I want no spoils as to how in the world this is going to turn into a shipping story. I'll be taking this story RAW with EXTRA RE-CAFFINATED x10 COFFEE!

Extra hot please.