Part I - The Friendly Face
Part I - The Friendly Face
Thunderlane’s hooves steadily clapped themselves together as he waited for his wingpony, Lightning Dust, to wake up from her medically induced sleep. The hours that she had spent under the concerned looks of doctors and the local surgeon felt like years for the worried stallion. He couldn’t take it upon himself to just leave the building without making sure that his friend would make it through.
It was his duty, after all. Thunderlane was the one to save Lightning Dust from a fall that would’ve killed her instantly upon impact. The fall, however, wasn’t of her doing. The blame was put on a storm that could’ve brought all of Cloudsdale to the ground hadn’t he, she and the rest of the Wonderbolt cadets flew out to meet the storm before it made cloudfall upon the city.
The events that led up to the fall of his comrade were clear in Thunderlane’s head. For something as traumatic as it was, his mind couldn’t let go of what had happened inside those clouds of grey.
He had lead his flight, consisting of himself and Lightning Dust, towards the storm. All the while, he was plotting out how to dismantle the clouds so that it would collapse upon itself and avoid the possibility of having to go into the deepest part of the cloud cover. However, while his planning was voicing itself out in his head, Lightning Dust had made her own plans to simply dive into the darkness and disrupt the clouds anyway she could. If that meant having to dive and tackle one of the more dangerous lightning clouds, so be it for her.
By the time that Thunderlane had seen his wingpony breaking away and flying towards the darkest part of the cloud formation, it was already too late to try and stop her. Instead, the Pegasus dove in after her, dropping his plans and adjusting his flight path to pick up the stray clouds that would be left behind in her wake.
Surprisingly, it had worked for the both of them. Lightning Dust would smother the big clouds into smaller ones that Thunderlane could simply power through with a punch of his hoof or a buck of his hind legs. The speed at which both of them had achieved destroying a quarter of the storm was astounding, especially to the other cadets that had just shown up on the scene to see their handy work.
Lightning Dust continued to break up the clouds that floated before them, and Thunderlane would simply skip to each one with a wave of his wings. Like clockwork, the whole storm was beginning to thin out. But nature, as anypony could be, was unpredictable.
As Thunderlane was kicking and bucking away the small chunks of storm clouds remaining behind Lightning Dust, he heard a large boom of thunder. This shaking of the sky was both a sign of terror and, after he looked in the direction it came from, a sign of primal instinct. What he saw instantly make his wings begin to flap at an urgent pace, his snout angled in a dive towards the open sky below the storm and the city. ”Faster, you little shit!” Thunderlane commanded himself as he dove after a falling Lightning Dust. The smell of singed coat and incinerated feathers trailed the tumbling Pegasus as he flew after her with a speed unmatched to the other cadets breaking up the storm.
”I will not let my friend die. Not today, and not ever!” Thunderlane pushed himself harder, reaching out as far as he could with his hooves. He wasn’t about to let nature take away his own friend’s life. No. She was too special to be lost. The raw talent. Their ability to work in tandem. Her understanding of him… To lose her would be in vain.
Pushing himself further, Thunderlane increased his velocity towards the falling mare. The closer the ground came, the more the worry for Lightning Dust empowered him to flap harder against the cold air. Good thing it hadn’t started to rain on them, otherwise his wings would’ve easily frozen up, effectively dooming the both of them.
With one final push, Thunderlane’s forelegs and hooves caught grasp of the burned mare within only around 200 meters to spare. Without much clearance between them and the ground below, there was only one choice that Thunderlane could make. Tuck and brace for impact.
He whispered a quick prayer to himself, hoping that they would both get out of this with their lives. In the last few meters, Thunderlane flipped himself on his back and pulled Lightning Dust to his chest before tucking his wings and closing his eyes tight.
The landing was hard and sudden, but Thunderlane had not only prevented the lightning-struck Pegasus from falling to her death, but had also cushioned her landing to the point that she could barely feel a thing in her subconscious mind. After opening his eyes, he looked around the clearing they’d landed in. No pain, no scratches. He thought his prayer to the Princesses must’ve worked. Now, all he had to do was get his friend to any hospital he could.
With Cloudsdale nearly three kilometers above them, the only other option was to seek out a hospital on the ground. Thunderlane wasted no time in putting the unconscious Lightning Dust on his back and galloping toward what civilization he could find.
By the time he had stomped into Ponyville General Hospital, another kilometer from where they had crash landed, the sun was already falling behind Smokey Mountain. And from there, Thunderlane was now brought into the room which his friend was fast asleep in.
A scruff of the bedsheets, however, brought him back from the events of yesterday to the sun-lit face that belonged to Lightning Dust.
“T-Thunderlane?” She asked, unsure of where she was or what she was doing in a hospital bed. When she tried to move, however, the pang of pain that followed affirmed her inquiry of location. “Sweet Celestia!” Dust whailed as her wingpony flew to her side.
“Easy Lightning,” Thunderlane calmed her, keeping his own cool from seeing her wither in pain, “Do you remember what happened to you?”
Wincing from her electrocution act high in the skies above Cloudsdale, Lightning Dust shook her head. “All I remember-” She hissed as she tried to clench one of her forelegs, “Is diving into the clouds and going through and breaking up whatever I could. Next thing I knew, I heard a loud clap of thunder and I lost all control of my hooves and wings.”
”Sounds just like what I heard and saw,” Thunderlane thought to himself as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her cot. “That loud clap of thunder was you being struck by lightning. You’re lucky that featherbrain of yours didn’t get zapped,” he cracked a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.
“How’d I end up here? Where are we?” Lightning Dust noted Thunderlane’s cadet uniform, thinking that they were back in Cloudsdale in the Academy’s infirmary. His response, however, came to her as a surprise.
“We’re in Ponyville’s general hospital. I brought you here after I caught you.” Thunderlane sat back in his seat, using a foreleg to rub the back of his neck. This wasn’t out of embarrassment, but rather from the fact that they were far away from home. As a matter of fact, the two wouldn’t be able to attend roll call for the Wonderbolts this morning. Saving a life was more important, however. He was sure the Captain would understand.
“I fell? I fell that far?” Lightning Dust was slightly shocked. From what she remembered, Spitfire had pinpointed the storm at four kilometers above the earth. And is she had fallen from that high up… “Geez Thundy, how long did it take you to catch up to me?”
Thunderlane seized up a bit from Dust’s mention of his nickname for her. Thundy. It had a nice ring to it. But that didn’t matter at the moment. “It took me a second to realize what the hell was going on, and you’d fallen half a kilo before I could even start diving down.”
Lightning Dust’s eyes opened a little wider than they had before. “How… What height did you catch me at?”
“Does crash landing close enough to Ponyville answer the question?” Thunderlane looked between the cracked blinds and Lightning Dust’s face. The yellow seemed to accent her coat, much like the mane she had. Too bad it was a frizzy mess at the moment.
“Good grief…” Dust fell silent. He too had only just realized how bad it could’ve ended up hadn’t he pushed himself as far as he could. And to end up unscathed from the event was a miracle that only Celestia could produce. “Well… I uh…”
Thunderlane’s hoof fell upon her muzzle, effectively silencing her. His expression was endearing and understanding. “You don’t have to thank me. I was just doing my job, alright?”
He smiled warmly, just as the sun’s rays shone warmly into the room. “A real Wonderbolt would’ve done the same thing.”
Lightning Dust’s forelegs wrapped themselves around Thunderlane’s neck. Through the pain that she felt in the sudden contractions, there was a sense of comfort with him being there. Unknown to her, the stallion’s cheeks had flushed a bright crimson from the gesture. This was a lot better than saying thanks, after all.
When Dust began to grit her teeth, Thunderlane for her to lay back into the cot. “You need to rest up and heal. That storm did a number on you.”
A nod of pained agreement came from his friend, followed by a small smile. “You look like shit, Thundy.”
She was right. His eyes were bloodshot and his coat was ruffled beyond all belief. Little clumps of dirt could be seen throughout his mane and coat. Must’ve been one hell of a landing.
“I’ll live. I’m just glad to know that you’re okay now.” Thunderlane leaned forward in his seat, pressing his forehead against the white bedsheets of Dust’s cot. He was tired after all, having stayed up all night in the waiting room and her hospital room.
A hoof fell upon his head, gently rubbing his wind-swept mane and the tired coat beneath it. A faint smile grew in place of his sleepy grimace. “Your turn to rest, Thundy,” Dust giggled quietly, “You’ve earned it.”
Part II - The Decision
About two weeks after the incident…
Thunderlane was happy to have gotten the news that Lightning Dust was ready to go back to Cloudsdale. During the time of the accident to now, he’d been busying flying between work, home and the hospital in an whirl that he called two weeks. Little sleep was received for the tired stallion, but he did it because Lightning Dust had been a good friend to him since the “tornado” about six months ago.
As he stepped out of his family’s home in eastern Ponyville, the shining sun that seeped into his freshly washed coat and mane reminded him of the morning after the storm. Him being there as Dust would turn under her covers and groan unconsciously in her sleep. The frizzled yellow mane that seemed to be jarred from her electrocution…
He was surprised that she had survived, let alone only coming out of it with only a few spots of singed coat and mane. Her tail suffered some incineration, leaving it in a short, twisted mess. Even if she looked different, Thunderlane thought she looked to be herself on the inside. His visits assured that fact, being greeted with her favorite nickname for him.
Today would probably be no different. That is, if he hadn’t looked above to see the Pegasi of Ponyville flying out towards Saddle Lake. Being on the eastern side of town meant that you were closest to the town’s reservoir, which was used to fill up the cloud machine that was brought down from Cloudsdale to make rain clouds on the spot. And with the ponies flying toward the reservoir, it could only mean one thing for Thunderlane. Tornado duty…
“Morning, Brother,” a small colt appeared next to the on-looking stallion, “Ready for tornado duty?” Thunderlane looked down to toward the small voice, spotting his little brother Rumble at his side. He was right. Today was tornado duty, as well as the day that Lightning Dust was due to go home. She had specifically asked him to help her home, especially since she wasn’t supposed to be doing any major flying for the rest of the month. The nerves in her wings needed time to recover from the dramatic shock-charge they received during the storm. Oh but if he missed today’s tornado duty, Rainbow Dash would be on him like the wasp she could be at times.
“I don’t know, little bro,” Thunderlane nodded to his spitting image. He loved the kid more than his parents did. Hell, they were probably asleep and hadn’t even risen to make the poor colt some breakfast. He would probably end up disbanding with them and talking Rumble with him, if he had a place to call his own of course. It was the reason why he joined up with the Wonderbolts all those months ago. Rumble needed somepony to look up to, and it had to be Thunderlane. “Hey kiddo,” he motioned back into the apartment they called a home, “How about we get you some breakfast before we leave?”
“Oh, uh… I already ate,” Rumble smiled assuringly. Thunderlane, in a brotherly manner, questioned this in his head. He did have to give the colt some credit, however. Rumble had his nifty ways of reaching things in high places when no one was around to help him. Nabbing the oat box from the cabinet over the counter would’ve been a cinch for the little colt in Thunderlane’s eyes.
“Alright, let’s get a move on.” Thunderlane quickly turned around to shut the front door before trotting off towards the western side of the town. Rumble, having no clear indication of what he was doing, trotted in front of him to stop him.
“Wh-Where are you going, big brother?” The little colt asked. He knew they should be heading toward the lake and not back into town. “I thought we were going to do tornado duty together?”
Thunderlane shook his head, ignoring another wave of Pegasi flying towards the lake, “I made a promise to a special pony today. She’s counting on me…”
“And just who is this special pony, Lazylane?” Who other than Rainbow Dash to show up and try to belittle him yet again for missing tornado duty. It wasn’t even his fault last time! No. He was not about to let her ruin his promise, no matter the cost.
“Why do you care?” Thunderlane shot back as he turned to meet his verbal assailant.This was the last thing he needed today, especially since was on the brink of breaking ties with his father and mother. For Rainbow Dash to seek him out and do this to him was ludicrous.
“Because you’re about to miss tornado duty for the second time this year!” Rainbow Dash yelled at him. Thunderlane shook his head. There was only one way to silence here, and it was one that he would probably regret later on. But he wasn’t going to break his promise to his injured friend. Not today, not ever.
“You know what?” Thunderlane chuckled quietly.
“What?” Dash taunted in return.
“You’re just a fucking sell-out, Rainbow Dash! You never think about anypony else and all you care about is that stupid status of yours! I'm sick of it!” Thunderlane shouted carelessly and shook his head, shunting his brother away from the prismatic Pegasus. Even if Lightning Dust had been part of the reason that the Academy was nearly wiped out in their initial training, at least she had learned to be a little more sensitive to others. That alone was improvement on her part, and that was why he was going to stick to his promise. ”Yeesh Rainbow, what would you do if your best friend was in the hospital needing a way home?”
“Sorry you had to hear that,” Thunderlane apologized to his little brother as he scooped him up and put him on his back. If only Dash were more understanding, he wouldn’t have said what he did. But would it kill her to actually care about somepony else for once? Just once? “I guess she really ticked me off…”
“It’s okay, Thunderlane,” Rumble nodded, sitting on his brother’s back. He looked back to Rainbow Dash, who had taken off with a disgruntled groan, before speaking again. “Besides, you’re keeping your promise to that friend…”
Rumble cocked his head to the side as Thunderlane toted him towards Ponyville General. “Who’s your friend?”
“Lightning Dust,” Thunderlane responded with content. Rumble’s eyes opened in surprise. He’d told him about her before.
“Y-You mean…” The little colt stuttered.
“Yes, Rumble, the Lightning Dust…” Thunderlane chuckled to himself as he entered the doors to the waiting lobby at the front of the hospital. To his enjoyment, a certain Pegasus had perked her head up from a far corner of the lobby at the mention of her name. “Hey!” Thunderlane chided happily as he trotted over to Dust with Rumble on his back.
“Hey yourself!” Lightning Dust smirked before getting up to hug her wingpony, “And who’s this little handsome little colt?”
“That’s Rumble, my brother. I’ve told you about him before… right?” Thunderlane chuckled, patting Dust’s back with his hoof. Even after the short fiasco with Rainbow Dash beforehand, he felt content with Lightning in his presence.
“Here and there,” she giggled warmly as she stepped over to the sitting colt. “You’re gonna grow up to be just like your brother, huh?”
“W-Well… I d-don’t know…” Rumble stuttered shyly as a result. Thunderlane rolled his eyes and addressed Lightning Dust with a turn.
“So, where will we be taking you back to today?” The older brother asked.
“My dad wants me to come stay at his house in Cloudsdale until I recover” Dust nearly finished, “Oh! And he said that you’re invited to come and stay if you need a place to rest. He’s been dying to meet you.” She chuckled afterwards, making Thunderlane flush a deep crimson in his cheeks. ”Geez, she’s already told her dad, of all ponies, about me?” He wasn’t sure whether to be worried or to not sweat it. Being a hit with an older stallion would be a toss-up, but if he could hit it off, he’d be moving one hoof in the right direction.
“W-Well, shall we get going then?” Thunderlane nodded to the doors leading out to the rising sun. Lightning Dust nodded without a word, letting the stallion and his brother push forward and hold the door for her.
“Thanks you two,” Dust giggled as Thunderlane let the door close behind her.
“No problem,” came the two timely responses of the boys. Thunderlane and Rumble both chuckled and hoof-bumped one another while Rumble was on his back. Brothers. They act as one and the same.
“So, uh… How are we going to do this, Thundy?” Dust asked as Thunderlane trotted next to her. A snicker from his back prompted his own chuckle.
“Well, you remember the drill that we always did with Lieutenant Echo, right?” He asked, making sure that she would be comfortable with what he would have to do in order to carry the both of them.
“The one where we had to hold our wingponies underneath us?” Dust asked with slight surprise, “You think you can handle the climb all the way to Cloudsdale?”
Thunderlane nodded with a smile. Inside his depths, he knew he would do anything possible to make his friend happy. And happiness would be needed after being gone from the Wonderbolt routine for so long. The bright side to that was that the Captain was very understanding of what had happened and what caused their disappearance at roll call that next morning. And of Celestia’s miracles must’ve blessed him that night when he went back with the news. “You trust me to do it?” He asked, making sure she would feel safe in his hooves.
“It’s worth a try, but don’t kill yourself doing it,” Dust assured him, “If you need to rest, we can always stop at a cloud and enjoy the skies. Today’s beautiful…”
Thunderlane raised an eyebrow. Never before had he heard beautiful slip between Lightning Dust’s lips. He guessed that it must’ve came from being in the hospital cot for so long after not being able to move much. Electrocution wasn’t the most fun of things to recover from, especially since her wings were the most affected by it. “Well, let’s get going before it gets too hot,” he suggested, “Rumble, you hold onto my neck.”
“Okay,” the little colt said with a smile as he latched onto his coat around his shoulders and lower neck.
Moving quickly, Thunderlane flapped his grey wings and hovered just above Lightning Dust and lowered himself just enough to latch her between his forelegs and his hind legs. “Ready?” He asked Dust with a reassuring smile. It wasn’t like it was the first time he’d done this.
“Just don’t drop me,” she giggled at his touch. With more powerful flaps, the three Pegasi began to lift into the air at a steady pace. ”Maybe if Dash would’ve been a little more considerate, I would’ve helped.”
As they cleared the tree canopy and rooftops surrounding Ponyville, they could see the pony-made tornado being formed over the reservoir at Saddle Lake. While Thunderlane was busily lifting them up further into the sky, Lightning Dust peeped up from below.
“Aren’t you supposed to be down there helping them?” She asked with a quizzical look, “You are from this town, after all.”
“Trust me, Dust. I want to be as far away from here as possible.” Thunderlane assured her with a tighter grip around her stomach and chest. “We’d be a lot better off if we stayed in Cloudsdale for a few days anyways…”
“Why’s that?” Dust asked, more concern being shown in her voice.
Thunderlane lowered his muzzle to her ear, making sure that Rumble wouldn’t be able to hear him. “I’ll tell you later, for the sake of the kid.”
When Lightning Dust pulled her head to the side and nodded, he focused back on flying up towards the Gem in the Sky, Cloudsdale. ”As if things can’t get any worse…”