I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Standing before the glimmering gold-plated door that was twice her size, Lightning Dust’s crippling doubts had very nearly gotten the better of her.
She was at her breaking point; her legs were trembling, her chest was aching, her heart was racing, and the heat of the sun above her was beating down on her so relentlessly that she felt like she was cramped inside a furnace.
She had been standing there, stiff as a board, for a solid three minutes, fruitlessly attempting to convince herself that she didn’t really have to do this. Her hooves felt as though they were stuck in the hazy cloud surface she was standing on, which was hovering hundreds of feet in the air.
In the reflective shimmer of the gold door, Lightning made out the blurry familiar image of herself, and came to wonder once more whether the other side of that door truly had what she needed.
Had it really come to this?
To her despair, Lightning knew she had finally run out of options. Astray in an unforgiving world with a seemingly cruel knack for karma, Lightning Dust had dragged herself up to the cloud-seated house she was currently standing in front of, for one reason and one reason alone.
She was in desperate need of help.
Rainbow Dash had just finished off an especially sweet red apple, tossing the core remnant in the garbage bin by her kitchen counter. She had already opened the windows seated above her sink, and made an effort to take in that soft summer air every time she trotted past. At that moment, her cloud-bound house was floating over a small lake below, where a flock of birds could be seen gathering. For a pegasus, especially one of Rainbow’s caliber, a beautiful day such as this was best spent in flight. Rainbow’s mind was already wandering, with thoughts of new tricks to pull off and places to visit.
Her daydreaming was cut short, however, when a sudden knock came pounding out from her front door. Rainbow stopped in her tracks en route to her bedroom, having just disappeared into her bathroom to freshen up for the day. She glanced across the living room at the door, her eyes narrowed with skepticism.
“Who could that be?” Rainbow muttered. It was awfully early for visitors, even for the pesky pegasus solicitors that never seemed to leave her alone.
Taking a quick look in the mirror to ensure she was decently presentable, Rainbow cautiously trotted over to the door, gripping the handle and swinging it open towards her.
The door opened sooner than expected, Lightning having hoped that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t even be home. She tensed up immediately, at the sudden reveal of Rainbow inside, whose eyes had widened in surprise.
“Lightning Dust?” Rainbow said, shocked to see her old rival standing there at her doorstep.
“Hi, Rainbow Dash,” Lightning said, sheepishly, deathly afraid of angering the pony she had come to with the intention of asking a sizable favor. Rainbow laughed in disbelief, having hoped that Lightning would never dare show her face around her again.
“What do you want? You’ve got some nerve! Coming here after everything you pulled!” Rainbow exclaimed, notes of disgust emanating from her harsh dismissal. Lightning squirmed, guilt pricking at her heart like a spool of barbed wire.
“It’s nice to see you too,” Lightning muttered, her eyes locked down at the ground, too nervous to even make eye contact. Rainbow noticed Lightning’s atypical demeanor, and instinctively backed down slightly. The more Rainbow got a look at the green pegasus, the more Rainbow began to become concerned. Lightning had scratches and bruises all over her, and a halfway-healed black eye. Her shoulders hung low, and she appeared to have completely lost the superlative sense of snakish pride that had definitively characterized her in the past. And most bizarrely, Lightning had yet to lob any mean-spirited insults Rainbow’s way.
“Uh...Are you alright?” Rainbow asked. Lightning eyes lifted from the ground, meeting with Rainbow’s confused glare.
“Is it ok if I come inside?” Lightning said, “I just want to talk to you. About something important.”
Rainbow couldn’t help but become intrigued, albeit hesitant, considering Lightning’s strange behavior and her questionable condition.
There was a pause, as Rainbow thought it over, though Lightning’s silent, wide-eyed hopeful expression softened Rainbow’s heart enough to at least give her a chance.
“Ok, sure. But this better not be a trick,” Rainbow cautioned.
“It’s not,” Lightning replied, without delay.
Rainbow slowly stepped out of the way to allow Lightning inside.
Lightning, immediately, was swamped by an unexpected wave of envy. Rainbow’s house was splendorous indeed, much to Lightning’s amazement. Rainbow possessed everything Lightning had ever wanted: a well-paying career, fame, popularity, wealth, a beautiful house. And there was she: a mere guest to that unattainable grandeur, an outsider brought in just to be reminded of how insignificant she was by comparison. She scoffed, as if to comfort herself, though she couldn’t do much but collapse into pity when faced with the spoils of her loathsome rival.
However, Lightning had understood walking in that she would have to endure some minor humiliation if she was to save herself from a terrible fate. Her pride would have to be put aside if she was to ever find redemption, and she knew it. If only it wasn’t easier said than done.
“Wow. You have a really beautiful home,” Lightning said, as a formality, though Rainbow naturally took it as insincere.
“Cut it out. You didn’t come here for a tour of my home. So why are you here?” Rainbow said.
Lightning was slightly taken aback by Rainbow’s impatience, having expected her to possibly be more forgiving. Though, Lightning supposed, Rainbow’s dismissiveness was not undeserved, considering the things she had done. Lightning took a deep breath, bracing herself to sacrifice what dignity she still had.
“OK, look, it’s just...Ever since I got kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy, it’s been hard. Hard to get my life back on track. Hard to get things right,” Lightning said, her voice soft and reserved, her head still slightly lowered.
As Lightning had anticipated, Rainbow seemed utterly unimpressed.
“What happened to your little daredevil troupe? The Washouts?” Rainbow asked, unsympathetic to Lightning’s mopeyness.
“The Washouts?” Lightning repeated, as if it was a distant memory, “We disbanded. Things didn’t work out between me and the others. They’re in Las Pegasus now, doing shows. Without me,” Lightning said, spitefully. Rainbow could guess by Lightning’s grieving tone that the breakup was Lightning’s idea.
“And it was getting a little dangerous, too. I guess,” Lightning added, hoping to try and appease Rainbow.
“You think? You almost got my friend killed!” Rainbow said, tempestuously. Lightning recoiled from the impact of Rainbow’s verbal attack, biting her lip out of shame for her past actions.
“I know, I know. That’s one of the reasons I came. Look, Rainbow, first I just wanted to apologize,” Lightning said, hoping Rainbow wouldn’t just throw her out the door without a second thought.
“Oh please. You’re not sorry,” Rainbow shot back, flatly. Lightning twitched, terrified of losing her last chance to better her life. Rainbow, however, had little room for pity for the pony who had been nothing but a nuisance in her life.
“I am! I am sorry! I made a mistake! A bunch of mistakes! And I’m paying for all that, and I don’t know how much longer I can go if I don’t just admit it and try to make things right again,” Lightning said desperately, her voice quivering.
Rainbow, despite her inclination to distrust her, found herself beginning to wonder whether Lightning really was looking to redeem herself.
“Keep going,” Rainbow said, cautiously, hoping to catch Lightning in a lie and prove she was only trying to exploit her for something. Lightning, meanwhile, had become consumed by her emotions, practically breaking down into a panic attack as she continued her admission of guilt.
“I was reckless, and-and stupid. I endangered your friends’ lives, and Scootaloo’s life, and your life. I was irresponsible. And I regret it,” Lightning said, wiping her eyes with her hoof before Rainbow could catch her crying. Despite how low Lightning had been feeling as of late, she still hated to appear weak, especially in front of her greatest rival.
“You can be sorry all you want. Spitfire’s still never going to let you back in the Wonderbolts,” Rainbow said, mercilessly, assuming that was what Lightning was after.
“I know! I know she doesn’t want me back, and neither do you, or any of the Wonderbolts. Just...I’m sorry! Ok? Can you please forgive me?” Lightning asked, biting her lip anxiously.
Rainbow had no idea what to make of it. There had to be some ulterior motive, but she couldn’t quite place it. Did Lightning truly deserve to be forgiven? Rainbow knew it wasn’t good for her to hold onto a grudge, especially against a pony who, all things considered, seemed to be genuinely sorry for her mistakes. Still, Rainbow couldn’t bring herself to do it, not yet, at least.
“I’ll think about it,” Rainbow said, and Lightning supposed it was better than a ‘no.’
“Ok...well, there’s another thing,” Lightning said, nervously.
Rainbow tilted her head, unsurprised. Here was that ulterior motive.
“I need your help, Rainbow,” Lightning said, still terrified of being flat-out denied.
“Help?” Rainbow said in disbelief, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Why would I ever help you? You probably just want to try and hurt my friends again, I won’t let you!” Rainbow said, taking an aggressive step towards Lightning, who submissively shrunk down in fear.
“I’ve ruined my life, Rainbow, ok?! I’ve got too many debts that I can’t pay off! Nopony will even hire me because of my record, my friends won’t even speak to me, neither will my family! I don’t have anypony, I don’t even have a home!” Lightning said, bursting into tears uncontrollably as she released the pain ruminating inside her.
Rainbow was caught off guard by the last remark, beginning to rationalize Lightning’s unkempt exterior and erratic state of mind.
“You...You’re homeless?” Rainbow asked, sullenly.
“Right now, yeah,” Lightning said, quietly, as if she didn’t want everypony to know, despite there only being one other pony around, “That’s why, I was wondering if maybe, I don’t know...You could let me stay with you?” Lightning asked, aware of the impact she imagined it would have.
Rainbow’s response was an unhindered fit of laughter, unsure whether Lightning was joking or being serious, and unsure which one was more of a riot. Lightning scowled while Rainbow carried on, her desperate situation being reduced to a joke.
“Just long enough that I can get back on my hooves! Please Rainbow, please help me!” Lightning cried, practically begging.
“You’re trying to tell me that you don’t have any friends at all to help you out? That you had to come to me?” Rainbow asked, trying to hold back her laughter.
Lightning tried her best not to cry, though it was becoming difficult. Rainbow didn’t take long to realize how hurt Lightning was, and quickly dialed back her aggressiveness.
“What do you expect me to say, Rainbow? No, I haven’t got any friends. Happy?” Lightning said, turning her head away in embarrassment and spite.
“Ok, hey, I’m sorry. That was mean,” Rainbow said, apologetically.
“I thought...I don’t know. I know we were always trying to beat each other, and I know you hate me for what I did...But I kinda considered you a friend, sort of. I respected you,” Lightning said, expecting a subsequent similar admission of secret admiration from Rainbow.
She wouldn’t be getting it, unfortunately.
“Lightning, we are not friends. And we’ll never be friends. Your life sucks right now? Tough! It’s only because of the choices that you made! You’re only here because you finally drove yourself into a corner, am I right? Because you’re too stubborn to pick up on any wake-up calls! You’ve only ever cared about yourself!” Rainbow said, practically yelling. In truth, Rainbow was angry with Lightning, but more so because of the ruined potential for a terrific friendship between them. Rainbow mourned the day Lightning went too far at the Wonderbolts Academy, the day she lost her wingpony. Rainbow thought of Lightning Dust as little more than a boorish narcissist with a pension for recklessness, relatively incapable of humility of selflessness.
“I know, and I was wrong! I want to change, I really do! I want to get my life back on track! But I need your help, Rainbow, I’ll do anything!...Please?” Lightning said, earnestly. It had taken hitting rock bottom for her to come to the understanding that she needed to fix her attitude. To her hope, Rainbow would be the means to facilitate that self-improvement.
Rainbow sighed, still struggling to believe Lightning was truly sorry. For all Rainbow knew, every word of the Washouts’ disbandment and Lightning’s homelessness was all a lie. Though it had to have been the kinder option to give Lightning the benefit of the doubt and help her, the monumental nature of the request, in addition to the personal conflicts felt towards Lightning, drastically weakened its favorability. Not to mention, Rainbow felt an admittedly selfish sense of delight at seeing Lightning succumb to misfortune.
“No! I hate you! Now get out of my house! I never want to see you again!” Rainbow yelled, recalling the pain Lightning had already put her through.
Lightning’s face flickered with shock, as tears continued to envelop the corners of her eyes. She nodded sheepishly, forcing herself to accept Rainbow’s decision.
“It was worth a try…” Lightning muttered to herself, dragging her hooves as she turned to head back towards the front door.
But, as Lightning made her way, with her head hung low and her hopes depleted, Rainbow gradually became overcome by guilt. If Lightning was truly lying, surely she would have put up more of a fight. It seemed Lightning had finally given up, and, despite Rainbow’s distrust of her, it angered her to see a pony of such talent and potential fall down a terrible path.
“Wait...” Rainbow said, causing Lightning to come to a stop after a few seconds’ delay, “Lightning…”
Lightning spun around with wide eyes, hopeful that Rainbow had perhaps changed her mind.
“I’m sorry...You can stay here,” Rainbow said.
“I can? Really?!” Lightning asked with starry eyes. She was practically bouncing up and down in excitement.
“Yes. But on two conditions,” Rainbow said, flatly.
“Ok!” Lightning chirped, eagerly flying through the air towards Rainbow.
“First...If you’re gonna live here, you’re not just going to lounge on my couch and eat my food all day. I’m going to have you cleaning everything, all day, until I get home. I’ll pay you a very small amount for that, enough until you’re ready to get a proper job,” Rainbow said, creating her terms of rent as she went.
“So...Like your maid?” Lightning asked, feeling slightly degraded.
“Sure. Is that gonna be a problem?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No! Uh, no issue! I’ll be your maid!” Lightning said, forcing herself to smile while her heart burned with humiliation.
Rainbow could see how irritated Lightning was becoming, and began to realize the potential in bossing around her rival all day.
“Good. Now, second...You have to give me a real apology. About what you did wrong, how you’ve been a bad pony, and how you need to learn your lesson. Can you do that?” Rainbow asked.
Lightning sighed, wishing she didn’t have to go through this.
“Seriously?” Lightning said, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
“You’ve got twenty seconds to say it before I change my mind and kick you out,” Rainbow threatened.
“Why? Why do I have to say all that?” Lightning said, bitter over being forced to bend to Rainbow’s will.
“Because I said so, dummy,” Rainbow said, giggling at Lightning’s bright red face, “Fifteen seconds.”
Lightning kept her mouth shut, unsure whether it was worth giving up her pride completely to get a second chance at her life. While Lightning was hesitating, Rainbow had reached into a nearby drawer and retrieved her video camera, turning a few dials and presson a few buttons to activate its recording feature. A bright red light came on, right as Rainbow aimed the lens of the camera directly at Lightning’s horrified face.
“Ten seconds,” Rainbow said, grinning as Lightning’s eyes stared into the camera lens in terror.
“Rainbow, a camera? That’s not fair, come on!” Lightning pleaded, desperately.
“Seven.”
“Please?”
“Five.”
“I’ll do anything else!”
“Three.”
Lightning, panicked, struggling to submit and bring herself to do as Rainbow desired.
“One!” Rainbow yelled.
“Ok, ok! Rainbow Dash, you’re better than me! You’re faster, and you’ll always be faster, and I’ll always be worse,” Lightning managed to say, though the words caused her immense pain, “I don’t have any friends, because I drive everypony away, b-because I’m a bad pony,” Lightning said, coughing over her words, her tear-ridden cheeks apple red with embarrassment.
“Good,” Rainbow said, approvingly.
“Everypony hates me, and everypony loves you. And I always hated how you would think you’re better than me! But...you’re right, I’m just jealous of you. I try to pretend I'm strong, and that I don't care, and that I'm the fastest and the smartest...but I'm none of those things. I need to learn my lesson, and...be a good pony from now on,” Lightning said with a quivering voice, all the while Rainbow was holding off from laughing.
“Wow, I can’t believe you actually did it,” Rainbow said, after turning off the camera, “Maybe you really have changed...You really do want to be a better pony, right?”
“...Yes,” Lightning said, sighing in defeat.
“Alright. Then I can help you. I can’t help you if you don’t admit you have a problem,” Rainbow said.
Lightning didn’t reply, though reluctantly had to agree with the sentiment. She only hoped Rainbow wouldn’t be as cruel towards her in the future.
“This is gold right here. Wait until everypony at the Wonderbolts sees this,” Rainbow said, glancing from the camera to Lightning to wait for a reaction.
“W-What?! Rainbow, please don’t show that to anypony! I’ll never be able to show my face again!” Lightning cried.
“Oh, don’t worry...They won’t see it, for now...But if you start acting out, they might. So are you going to act out?” Rainbow said.
“N-No," Lightning replied, realizing Rainbow had now resorted to blackmail.
“You’re going to behave?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes...I’ll behave,” Lightning said, gritting her teeth in anger.
“Good. I do want to help you, and I think this can work, but you have to work with me,” Rainbow said.
“Yeah. Ok. I will. Thanks for doing this, Rainbow...It means a lot,” Lightning said, trying to focus on the positive.
Rainbow smiled, recognizing the potential Lighting still held to one day be a good friend. Now, they both had a chance to work together.
With her saffron eyes cast down towards the floor, Lightning Dust was trying her best to ignore the red hot humiliation boiling up inside her.
Following their new arrangement, Rainbow Dash, who was still in a rush to get outside and enjoy a beautiful summer's day, had retreated back to her kitchen to finish her breakfast. She had been so distracted with her morning chores, that she had forgotten to even touch the main meal she had prepared for herself.
In the meantime, Rainbow figured she could give Lightning something to do to make herself useful, relegating her to being a living napkin holder.
“I said don’t move,” Rainbow reminded, after catching Lightning adjusting her back leg slightly. Lightning rolled her eyes but made no protest, avoiding making any errors that would jeopardize their agreed-upon deal. She stood perfectly still, a white cloth napkin draped over her hoof. Lightning thought back on her time employed as a waitress at a local Cloudsdale pub, and wondered if she would ever be able to hold a steady job again. She knew she could only tolerate being the servant to her greatest rival for a limited amount of time, after all.
Lightning could feel her stomach tightening at the glorious sight of Rainbow’s platter of food: bright red tomatoes, a sugary pastry, and sunny-side-up eggs, just the way Lightning had liked them as a filly.
Rainbow hadn’t noticed Lightning’s envious glare locked onto her food until nearly all of it was gone.
“Are you alright?” Rainbow asked, concerned over how inexplicably anxious Lightning appeared to be.
“Yeah, no, I’m fine...Just, that looks really good,” Lightning mumbled, hopeful that Rainbow would take a hint and show her some mercy. She hadn’t had a decent meal in months in fact, her diet having instead primarily consisted of half-eaten sandwiches that she had scavenged out of alleyway dumpsters.
“Oh, you’re hungry,” Rainbow realized, immediately stopping what she was doing to reach into the nearby plastic container of pastries for a treat.
“Pinkie Pie made these herself, they’re really good,” Rainbow said, offering the pastry to Lightning.
Lightning was delighted at Rainbow’s hospitality, snatching the pastry and wolfing it down. Rainbow was a bit taken aback by how desperate Lightning was.
“Thank you,” Lightning said, having forgotten to show her gratitude during her ravenous attack.
Rainbow finished up her own meal and left the plate out on the kitchen table, before rising to meet Lightning’s unhinged eyes.
“Lightning, you’ve got sugar on your cheek,” Rainbow said, waiting for an embarrassed Lightning to wipe it off.
“Sorry,” Lightning muttered.
“Ok, listen. This is important. I have to leave, I have a lot to do today. And I’ll also be buying some stuff for you,” Rainbow explained.
“For me?” Lightning repeated, hesitant towards what that meant.
“Relax. It’s a surprise. But while I’m gone, you’re gonna be starting on your new responsibilities,” Rainbow said, as she began leading Lightning into the living room.
“Today you have to get familiar with everything. Cleaning supplies are in the bathroom cabinet, that kitchen cabinet over there, and in that closet,” Rainbow said. Lightning nodded silently, ready to complete her tasks as efficiently as possible.
“Make sure all the dishes are cleaned, by the way. Top priority.”
“Got it.”
“Then get to as much as you can. Dusting, waxing, polishing, all that,” Rainbow said, beginning to realize how much help Lightning could actually offer around the house. She had considered getting a maid in the past, as she would much rather nap the day away than clean her mansion from morning to evening everyday. But the cost of employing one never seemed to be worth it. Lightning’s new employment, therefore, was a perfect solution.
That’s not to say that Rainbow had only agreed to let Lightning stay to get work out of her. She did see the potential for a good friend in Lightning, though it would first require a major attitude adjustment.
“When I get back, we’ll do your first lesson,” Rainbow said, reaching for her satchel of belongings to take with her.
“Lesson? What am I, in primary school?” Lightning scoffed.
“You want to be a better pony? Then you’ve got to work with me, ok?” Rainbow asked.
“Ok, Ok,” Lightning replied.
“Now today is also a test. I’m trusting you to stay here alone all day, and do what you’re supposed to do. If I find you’ve flown out of here and robbed me…” Rainbow said, her eyes narrowing as she contemplated the lengths of vengeance she would extract upon a frazzled Lightning.
“I wouldn’t!” Lightning shot back, defensively.
Rainbow eyed her, hoping that she wasn’t making a mistake trusting Lightning.
“Good, because I’ve got security cameras everywhere. Also you can’t take any breaks. But if you do well today I’ll let you have a rest every now and then. Oh, and there’s food in the pantry if you’re still hungry. But don’t eat more than you think you should. And I want you to shower first, you’re covered in bruises and dirt,” Rainbow said, wounding Lightning’s pride, “Use the shower on this floor. If you ever use my upstairs bathroom for anything, I swear, I’ll-”
“Ok! I get it,” Lightning interjected, slightly intimidated by Rainbow’s occasional aggressiveness.
“And try to make yourself look nice, take some care of yourself. You’re a mess,” Rainbow said, bluntly. Instinctively, Lightning was close to flying into a fit of retaliatory anger, but managed to contain herself. She took a deep breath, trying to control her insecurities.
“You’re not going to be, like, mean to me all the time, are you? Like rub it in my face?” Lightning asked.
“Not all the time. Only if you make me mad. So don’t make me mad,” Rainbow warned.
“The least you could do is let me have some dignity,” Lightning said.
“I will, if I think you deserve it,” Rainbow said, teasingly. Lightning scowled in response.
“Ok, I have to go. Get to work, and be good,” Rainbow said, making her way towards her front door.
“I will,” Lightning replied, softly waving as Rainbow gave her one last look of skepticism, before swinging the door open and taking flight into the sky, slamming the door closed behind her.
Lightning shuddered at the impact of the slammed door, still coming to grips with her new reality. On the bright side, she had a home again, and the chance to finally rise back to the top. But, at the same time, her resilience was still weakened, and a part of her doubted that Rainbow, or anypony for that matter, would truly ever accept her again.
Despite Lightning’s insistence that she would never dare try to rob Rainbow Dash, the thought had naturally crossed her mind several times. Sleek furniture, priceless luxury items, coveted awards, all mocking Lightning’s destitute status in unison. A voice in her head egged her on to go through with it, to avenge her lost dignity and to stick it back to her sworn enemy, Rainbow Dash. However, she couldn’t bring herself to even try; should she betray Rainbow, she would have lost her last avenue towards redemption. Despite the embarrassment, she knew she had to comply for the time being.
She made her way to the bathroom near the kitchen, first to relieve herself and then to prepare to take a shower.
It had been weeks since she had last bathed, upon being banned from using the communal showers at the Ponyville public pool.
The water came down like a purifying downpour of hot relief. It was a fantastic feeling, one that she was never sure she would get to feel again.
When she was clean, she wrapped herself in a towel and took to properly fixing her mane. She hadn’t been so self-conscious about her appearance until Rainbow had the nerve to crudely point out all of her shortcomings. Taking a look in the mirror of the bathroom, Lightning’s eyes widened, surprised to see herself clean of the filthy appearance she had gotten so used to.
Stepping out of the bathroom door, she already felt like a new pony. Despite her hesitance towards Rainbow’s treatment, Lightning now felt as though she owed Rainbow for that soul-cleansing shower experience. Without delay, Lightning got to work.
First she attacked the dishes, scrubbing each plate, bowl, and glass by hoof with a sponge, soap, and water. Surprisingly, she found herself in a calming, steady rhythm. Setting herself to a simple task, and focusing only on doing a job well done, made her feel an unexpected sense of validation.
Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
When she had finished scrubbing down the last plate, Lightning’s anxiety quickly returned, and she felt once again lost in a pit of uncertainty.
Until, she remembered the other tasks Rainbow had instructed her to complete.
Eager to prove her worth and make some good use of herself, Lightning carried onto her other cleaning responsibilities, mopping, sweeping, scrubbing, and dusting her way through the house. She remembered not to waste anytime standing idle, and every now and then she would nervously glance up at the security cameras keeping watch over the house.
Lightning found herself in an exhilarated spree bent on working for perfectionist results. She took extra care when making Rainbow's bed and vacuuming the carpets in her room, and had to triple her efforts when scrubbing the bathroom floors and toilets.
By that afternoon, Lightning had worked so quickly she was practically done with the entire house, and now had very little left to do. To her embarrassment, she even felt a sense of pride in her work; not a thing was out of place, and practically everything was spotless and shining.
Interrupting her admiration of her own work, Lightning spun around to face the front door right as it opened, in stepping Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash, you’re back,” Lightning said, softly, subconsciously hoping that Rainbow would show some appreciation for her day’s work.
Rainbow’s jaw had dropped to the floor at the sight of her home interior, transfigured into a prim, polished, perfectly organized sanctuary.
“I’m good, thanks...You did amazing, Lightning! I’m proud of you,” Rainbow said, supposing Lightning would do well to receive some positive reinforcement, especially since it was deserved.
“So, uh, what’d you do all day?” Lightning asked, hoping to strengthen the potential for a true friendship between them.
“Saw some friends, went to a park...And I went shopping too. For you.” Rainbow said, dropping one of her shopping bags to the floor with a flare for drama. Lightning eyed the hot pink shopping bag with confusion.
“Um...Ok?” Lightning replied, unsure what Rainbow was getting at.
“Ok...first I got you this!” Rainbow said, reaching into the bag to retrieve a thick black leather collar. Lightning’s face fell with disgust.
“Uh, Rainbow, what is-” Lightning began, raising a concerned hoof.
“It’s a collar. For you. Well, it’s actually for dogs, but I thought it would work well enough to keep you from running off,” Rainbow said, “I already set up an electric fence around the cloud.”
“I already told you I wasn’t going to run off!” Lightning retorted, resenting having to be treated like an animal.
“Don’t raise your voice at me,” Rainbow warned, sternly.
“...Sorry,” Lightning said, dialing her hostile defensiveness back.
“Ok, now let me just…” Rainbow said, as she approached a helpless Lightning Dust. Ignoring Lightning’s fearful trembling, Rainbow snapped the leather collar around her neck. Rainbow backed away to get a good look, and immediately came to not regret her decision.
“Oh. My. Celestia. You look adorable!” Rainbow exclaimed, withholding herself from laughing aloud at a red-faced Lightning’s expense.
“I hate this,” Lightning spat, gritting her teeth in frustration.
“That kind of attitude is gonna get you a punishment. Is that what you want?” Rainbow asked, narrowing her eyes.
“No! I just...Rainbow, come on! This is humiliating!” Lightning said.
“It’s for your own good,” Rainbow insisted, finding some humor in Lightning’s predicament. Her eyes fell back towards the shopping bag, and quickly Lightning realized there was something else in store for her. And it probably wasn’t going to be good.
“There’s one other thing...I got the idea when you called yourself my maid yesterday,” Rainbow said, digging her hoof back into the hot pink shopping bag.
“Oh no,” Lightning said, drawing a dreadful conclusion.
In one sweeping motion, Rainbow lifted up from the bag a large white cardboard box, lifting the top half to reveal the item inside.
“You can’t be serious,” Lightning said, dryly, her eyes stuck on the box’s contents.
Inside the box was a black dress with frilly white lace edges, puffy shoulders and a silky smooth texture. Lightning’s heart sank at the sight, her dignity shriveling into forgotten particles.
“Go put this on,” Rainbow ordered, ignoring how upset Lightning had become.
“Ok, Rainbow, this is too far! You can’t do this to me!” Lightning said, desperately trying to spare herself from having to wear such a degrading outfit.
“Just suck it up and put it on. You’re living under my roof, remember? My rules,” Rainbow said, sternly.
Lightning sputtered some more, but found herself quickly collapsing into defeat. Begrudgingly, she snatched the box and stomped away towards the bathroom near the kitchen, all while Rainbow smirked in anticipation.
Lightning returned from the bathroom after a few minutes, awkwardly scooting her way into sight. Rainbow, once again, struggled to hold back her laughter. Lightning had crammed herself into the tight-fitting dress, stuck beneath the soft thin fabric. The skirt was solid black with a white lacy trim, and the waist section was more akin to a corset, hidden beneath a silky white apron. But what Lightning truly hated the most, were the frilly white shoulder pads. And worse, the dress severely limited her flexibility and movement, to her frustration.
Before Lightning could prepare herself, she realized Rainbow Dash already had her camera in her hoof, and was snapping away as many pictures as she could.
“Hey!” Lightning yelled, horrified. She jumped out of sight back into the bathroom, though the damage had already been dealt.
“Oh yeah. These will do well. Now listen up, Lightning. I’m not going to show these photos to anypony. I really won’t. Unless you try to run off, or you screw up really really badly. OK?” Rainbow asked, waiting for the sobbing Lightning to return from around the corridor.
“You can’t show them to anypony! You’d ruin my life!” Lighting sputtered, though she had to acknowledge that her life couldn’t get much worse.
“Maybe you deserve it, don’t you?” Rainbow teased.
“No! No no no no, please Rainbow, please don’t!” Lightning cried, jumping out from behind the corner, practically falling at Rainbow’s hooves.
“Calm down, you big baby. I’m only going to do that if you do something really bad. But that won’t happen, because you’re gonna be good, right?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes! Yes, I’ll be good!” Lightning said, too terrified of the photographs being released to do anything other than what Rainbow wanted of her.
“Come on, don’t lie. You look pretty cute in that,” Rainbow said, trying her best to calm Lightning down.
Lightning wiped her eyes and sniffled a few times, before glancing in a nearby full-body mirror hung in the living room, though she didn’t see the appeal in the slightest.
“If you say so,” Lightning muttered, resuming her glum disposition.
“You’re only allowed to take that off to shower and sleep by the way,” Rainbow explained.
Lightning pried at the tight-fitting collar around her neck and fidgeted with the silky ruffles in the back of her dress, uncomfortable and perpetually embarrassed out of her wits.
“OK, it’s time for a quick lesson,” Rainbow said, taking Lightning by the hoof and leading her over to the living room couch.
Lightning followed Rainbow’s motion to sit down, careful not to crumple her dress.
“Now Lightning, I’m glad you came to me, but I need to make sure you really know why what you did was wrong,” Rainbow said, taking a seat on her armchair, facing opposite to Lightning.
Lightning hesitated to answer, still embarrassed to have to admit her alleged fault.
“It was wrong because I...because ponies could’ve gotten hurt?” Lightning said, unsure that was the answer Rainbow wanted from her.
“That’s part of it. But the big thing is that you were putting yourself before everypony else. I don’t think you wanted to put ponies in danger,” Rainbow said.
“I didn’t!” Lightning said, defensively.
“Right. But because you were focusing so much on showing off and trying to make an impression, you put ponies’ lives at risk. You see what I’m getting at? All this is because of your attitude,” Rainbow said, “And I know what it’s like. To want to be the best, to want to brag and prove to everypony how great you are. But you can't let that pride get the better of you, otherwise you could end up hurting yourself or other ponies.”
Lightning said nothing, struggling to admit to herself that she may have a narcissism problem.
“Lightning…” Rainbow began, expecting some sort of reflection or confession.
“What am I supposed to say? Sure, I guess I can get carried away sometimes. I never meant to do any of that stuff to any of your friends, I just...I forgot about that, I was only thinking about what I could do. I just wanted to impress everypony,” Lightning said, hoping her answer was sufficient and they could end this awkward conversation. Her face was bright red, and, for some bizarre reason, she could feel her head grow heavy and some water circulating in the corners of her eyes.
“OK...Heading in the right direction. Lightning, if you want ponies to be your friend, then you have to be willing to put them before yourself sometimes,” Rainbow said, right before noticing the tear sliding down Lightning’s cheek.
“Why are you crying?” Rainbow asked, confused, as Lightning gradually lost her control over her emotions.
“You hate me. Everypony hates me! They’re never gonna even give me a chance, and I’ll be stuck here forever! And you’re gonna show those photos to everypony, and they’ll laugh at me!..I shouldn’t have even bothered coming here. My life is over…” Lightning whimpered, burying her face in her hooves, embarrassed to be caught crying in front of Rainbow.
“Oh for Celestia’s sake,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes, unimpressed with Lightning’s self-pity, “Lightning. I’m taking care of you now, OK? I want to help you. Don’t you want to change for the better?” Rainbow asked.
“...Yes,” Lightning mumbled into her hooves.
“I really do think you can turn yourself around,” Rainbow said, consolingly.
Lightning, however, was beginning to panic, as her fears of endless misery overwhelmed her in every capacity.
“You’re always gonna hate me, aren’t you!? I-I shouldn’t have come here, let me go! I’m no good!” Lightning burst from the couch, taking flight and heading straight towards the front door.
Rainbow was caught off guard, springing up from her chair after realizing what Lightning was trying to do. Lightning was faster than Rainbow remembered, as she was already out the door by the time she could turn around.
“Lightning!” Rainbow called out, spreading her wings and soaring towards the open door.
As soon as she made it outside, Rainbow had to force herself not to laugh, at the sight of Lightning Dust in a smoking heap near the edge of the cloud.
Rainbow giggled as she flew up to where Lightning was lying.
“Electric fence, remember?”
Lightning groaned in agony, her neck slightly blackened from mild electrical burns. Some ash residue had dusted over her dress, to Rainbow’s annoyance.
“You’re gonna have to clean that dress. It’s brand new.” Rainbow said, flatly, grabbing Lightning and dragging her back towards the door.
After making it back through the front door and closing it, Rainbow dumped an exhausted Lightning Dust back on the couch. She sighed in disappointment, realizing she had her work cut out for her.
“I know this is hard, Lightning. I know you’ve probably been through a lot already. But I really want to help you get through this. So do you want my help or not?” Rainbow asked.
“...I do. I’m sorry, I’m just...There’s something wrong with me, Rainbow Dash. Maybe I deserve to be unhappy,” Lightning said, miserably.
“There’s nothing wrong with you that we can’t fix, Lightning. Do you trust me?” Rainbow asked.
“I want to, but…” Lightning replied, trailing off.
“I’m going to help you, I promise,” Rainbow said, firmly, taking Lightning by the hoof.
“Thanks, Rainbow Dash...Thanks for giving me a chance,” Lightning said, smiling softly as she wiped the remaining tears and ash from her face.
Rainbow smiled back, appreciating Lightning’s effort.
“Show me that you deserve it,” Rainbow said.
Lightning’s smile grew, as she took a deep breath, wondering whether she would really ever find the peace she was so desperately in search of.
