She was wondering why all the love that she longed for eluded her. She was wondering why people were rude and cruel to her.
She had no idea why.
Lightning Dust sat by herself at the bar of a Cloudsdale Club. It was on a cloud, but Lightning definitely didn't feel high. She had just been kicked out of the Wonderbolt Academy, by her closest friend no less. She wondered with regret why Rainbow Dash didn't get penalized as well. She too was competitive and took a lot of risks. Lightning Dust took it to the next level, but that's what she had been taught to do. Why didn't it work for her at the academy?
She sat at the bar drinking apple cider, sipping the hot and spicy liquid that foamed at the top so pleasantly. It tasted delicious, and the tipsy effect was helping her numb the pain of rejection. What was she to do now? Being a Wonderbolt had been her dream, and she'd worked towards it all her life.
Spitfire had lied. When Lightning Dust had spoken to her as a filly, the older mare had told her to push herself and never give up. What had Lightning done wrong?
Lightning drank back the last of her cider and sighed. The bartender turned to her, smiling politely.
"Can I get another?" Lightning asked. The bartender nodded, and refilled her mug with hot cider. Lightning watched it steam for a few seconds, then took a little sip. She thought back on that day she had met Spitfire after a Wonderbolts show.
***
Little Lightning Dust stood waiting with her Dad to meet Spitfire, her hero. Lightning loved everything about Spitfire, and had researched her and her life extensively. Lightning Dust knew every trick that the Wonderbolts performed, and had begged her Dad to buy her backstage passes to meet this Wonderbolt.
The ponies in front of her cleared, and soon Lightning was face-to-face with the yellow mare. Her bright orange mane and her amber eyes shone extremely bright in the sunlight. She really did live up to her fiery name.
"Hi Spitfire!" Lightning exclaimed, beginning to jump up and down in excitement. The mare before her smiled and bent down to look at Lightning on her level.
"Well hello there! What's your name, kid?"
"I'm Lightning Dust, and I'm going to be a Wonderbolt someday!" Lightning was absolutely sure of herself, and her little wings flapped widely, lifting her off the ground slightly.
"Ha, oh yeah?" Spitfire asked, smiling at Lightning.
"Yeah! I'll be the greatest, right up there with you!"
"That's really cute, kid. Just remember to push yourself to your limits, and never give up. You seem to be the kind who can do whatever you put your mind to, just like me."
"I am!" Lightning assured her.
"Excuse me, Miss Spitfire, could you please sign my daughter's Wonderbolts lunchbox? It would mean a lot to her," Lightning's Dad asked, holding out the little tin box with a picture of Spitfire and Soarin together, flying in the sky.
"Of course," Spitfire said, pulling a marker from her pocket. She quickly signed the lunchbox, and Lightning stomped on the cloud ground happily.
"You just see, Spitfire, I'm going to be a real Wonderbolt!" Lightning shouted.
"Well, you just haven't earned it yet, baby. Keep working on it, okay?" Spitfire tussled Lightning's golden mane affectionately. The little filly smiled and nodded, then was led away by her Dad.
"I'm going to earn it, Dad! I'm going to be the greatest flyer in all of Equestria!" Lightning declared. From that day on, she really worked towards it.
***
Lightning hadn't been accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy her first time around. She had applied vigorously, but because of her poor academic record she wasn't accepted. Even though she was one of Cloudsdale's best young flyers (she had even won the competition!), she didn't have enough time or patience for school.
Lightning spent most of her days training, and thinking about flying when she wasn't. She had so much trouble paying attention, the clouds outside the school windows always seemed far more appealing. She wasn't popular in school, she was just another slacker in the back of the room.
Lightning came home from school one day, a few weeks after she'd sent in her application, and found a Wonderbolts letter in the mailbox. She quickly grabbed the envelope and ran home to her Dad, who had always supported her endeavors.
"Dad! I got a letter from the Wonderbolts!"
Her father, who was sitting at the kitchen table, turned to his daughter happily, a wide smile on his face.
"Well, go on then! Open it!"
With a swift movement, Lightning tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter.
"Dear Lightning Dust," she declared, "Thank you for your interest in the Wonderbolts and the affiliated Wonderbolt Academy. We appreciate your application but unfortunately we...oh."
Lightning Dust read the rest of the letter silently. She hadn't been accepted, all because she hadn't been doing very well in school.
"No," she whispered, and tears began to pour from her eyes.
"Oh Lightning," her Dad sighed, standing and giving his daughter a big hug. Lightning buried her head in his shoulder and cried. All she had wanted from life was to be famous, and it didn't matter how long she tried for. It had all gone wrong.
"You just haven't earned it yet, baby," her father said, gently patting her on the back.
***
Lightning was the Team Captain of her school's Flying Track Team, always the fastest and most accurate. Still, she wasn't popular among her team mates and there were several reasons why.
Lightning was an extremely competitive pony , and always wanted to be the best. The other girls on her team believed in teamwork, and Lightning wasn't sure what the big deal was. She was the fastest, and she didn't want anypony to hold her back.
Their teacher had an extreme fondness for Lightning, and always praised her extensively. The other fillies on the team wanted to be praised as well, and found themselves to be not far off from Lightning on skill level. One other filly in particular, Breeze Catcher, found herself to be just as good as Lightning Dust.
Breeze Catcher had a few issues with Lightning Dust. For one thing, Lightning was loud and overly-confident, which Breeze found absolutely annoying. Breeze herself was relatively quiet, and modest. Even when she didn't feel like it, she usually tried to not act poorly. Lightning wasn't a very good student, a bit of a slacker in her own right, and Breeze was a Straight A student. She was also a year older than Lightning, and before she showed up Breeze was Team Captain of Flying Track.
One very hot autumn day, Lightning Dust and Breeze Catcher were assigned to fly a race against one another. Lightning Dust was convinced that she had the race in the back, and began stretching her wings intently.
"Looks like it's the race of the tortoise against the hare!" Lightning Dust said, smiling eagerly at Breeze.
"The tortoise won that race, you stupid bitch," Breeze Catcher growled to herself, getting into ready-position. As the teacher blew the whistle, both pegasi rocketed forward. Lightning kept ahead of Breeze for about a minute, but began to fall behind because she wasn't very skilled with pacing herself. She flapped as hard as possible, but Breeze Catcher was showing a lot of hidden strength. Lightning caught up to Breeze as time went on, which irritated her competitor.
As they passed a tree that was close to the school track, Breeze lightly brushed up against it, sending a branch flying backward. It slapped Lightning, setting her off course, and Breeze quickly won the challenge.
"Hey!" Lightning shouted, stomping her foot after she'd reached the finish line. She was panting, and sweaty, but she wasn't tired enough to let her frustration go.
"Is there a problem?" Breeze asked, drinking from her water bottle.
"You cheated!" Lightning protested.
"Wow, Lightning, get over yourself. Who do you think you are? I won the race fair and square, get over it."
Rehearsal had ended, so Lightning Dust ran into the school locker room. She trotted over to her locker, which she quickly opened to reveal a towel and Wonderbolts posters. Her other team mates quickly followed, and Breeze Catcher approached Lightning with a group of friends. They cornered Lightning quickly, and the light blue pegasus frowned.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" she asked them. Breeze's friends moved forward swiftly, catching Lightning off-guard, and held her down against the lockers. As much as Lightning struggled, they were too strong for her.
Breeze Catcher looked Lightning in the eyes and sneered.
"I deserve to be Team Captain, Lightning Dust. I'm telling you why. I've earned it. You? You just haven't earned it yet, baby."
***
Lightning Dust finished her last mug of apple cider, and paid the bartender the bits he deserved. She passed him her cup and he looked at her.
"Thanks, Miss. Have a good night now, okay?"
"Sure," Lightning said, already walking away. Her hooves dragged on the ground lazily, and her head bobbed in shame. Everyone had lied, and her dreams were now dead. Not only had other ponies let her down, she had let her Dad down. He had supported her for years, and she had failed.
"You just haven't it earned it yet, baby," she whispered to herself. She wasn't sure if it was true.
