Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

"You know, Lightning, " Stormy said as he walked down stairs into the den. "I'm startin' to get agitated that all these people who call nowadays are asking for you."

Lightning was playing a racing game on the console. She paused it so she could look up at her brother. Her injured eye twitched slightly as she gave him a questioning look. "What do mean?"

"Well, how many friends did you make back in Ponyville? You seem to be visiting them a lot. And where did that new shiner come from? I could have sworn the one I gave you healed three weeks ago."

Lightning swallowed hard. "Well, I actually made quite a few friends. Four of them, to be precise. And as for this black eye... kinda got in a fight. Some asshole was picking on one of my friends."

The door bell was heard ringing in the distance. "I'll go get." Stormy said. "It's probably Spitty."

He walked into the entry hallway and opened the door. Instead of Spitfire, he saw a little golden coated filly with a salmon-colored mane. She shrank under his presence, but shortly thereafter regained her courage.

"Umm... Is Rainbow Dash here?" she squeaked

Stormy brought a hoof to his forehead. "Damn it, Lightning." he muttered to himself. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, it depends. I'm Rainbow Dash, she's Rainbow Dash. Technically, she's Lightning, and I'm Stormy. If you're lookin' for my sister, that's Lightning Dash, kay, sweet thing?"

The nervous filly nodded gently.

"Okay, then, yes, she is here, give me a moment." He shut the door gently so as to scare her. He then turned to the general direction of his sister.

"Lightning!" he shouted. "Some little shy filly's here lookin' for you!"

Lightning turned off her game console and jumped off the sofa. She galloped into the entryway. "That must be Fluttershy, "

"That friend of yours you told me about?" Stormy asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yeah, we've actually been friends since Junior High. She's kinda timid."

"So I gathered. She doesn't appear to be your type, so what gives?" he asked. This was very intriguing for him.

"Since when do you care who I befriend?"

"Oh, I really don't give a shit, just that I found kind of odd you would befriend some pony so... fragile." He tried to be as frank as he could.

"Well, she's been kind of a wreck ever since her dad died when she was thirteen, which kind of agitated her shyness. I did what I could to stick up for her."

"Sounds like you," he mused.

"Now, do you mind me letting her in? We mustn't keep her waiting."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Stormy stepped out of the way to allow Lightning to get the door for her friend.

The little filly instantly lit up with delight. "Hey, you! I see you got some new piercings, " she said, noting her friend's new punkish appearance.

Lightning touched her ear piercings affectionately and blushed. "Yeah, I kinda like 'em. Pinkie says they look cute on me. Hey, why don't you come in?" she said, inviting her friend in.

Stormy called, "I'll let you two catch up whilst I make us Alfredo pasta, how's that sound?"

"Yummy!" the two friends shouted back in unison.

"So, " Lightning began. "What's been going on with you?"

"Oh, not much, just that recently, Rarity's cat got hurt and she asked me to fix her up, since she knew I had a thing with animals."

"Yeah, I get you. Well, I do hope you realize I'm turning eighteen in a few weeks."

"Oh, really? Gosh, I can't believe I forgot! I had a plan for something--"

"Don't worry about it, I've got it all handled. You, me, Apple Jack, and Rarity are gonna have a girls' night out, kay? You ain't gotta worry about nothin'!" she reassured her.

"Oh, " she sighed. "Okay."

"Girls! Lunch is ready!" Stormy  called from the kitchen. He set out the three bowls of pasta onto the dining room table.

Fluttershy gracefully took her fork into her hoof, while Lightning and Stormy had already begun. When she looked up at her friend, she saw Lightning's eyes widening with delight.

"What?" she said, her mouth stuffed with pasta. She swallowed and continued. "You act like I just grew a horn. What gives?"

"Oh, nothing, " she whispered. "Just that you looked kinda silly like that."

"I can't help it. Blame Stormy's cooking!"

Stormy blushed. Just then, he heard the phone ring. He began to get up, when he turned to his little sister. "I swear to Celestia, if that's another one of your friends, your gonna get it!" he vowed.

Lightning gave a shocked, worrisome face before continuing with her lunch.

Fluttershy finally took a forkful of her noodles and bit down, taking the succulent pasta into her mouth and savoring every bit. "I must say, your right!" she said.

Lightning leaned back in her chair. "Aren't I always?" she said smugly.

"Well, not always... but... uh, I mean, sure!" she said worriedly. Lightning just rolled her eyes.

Stormy picked up the telephone and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Stormy, what's up?" said a somewhat familiar voice. He had a bit of trouble telling who it was, given that it sounded like whiskey and cigarettes had burned some vocal cords. It almost sounded like...

"Lightning?"

"Maybe...?" she answered back, her voice cracking in the middle of her sentence.

"I... I don't understand... You're in the kitchen, so how the fuck are you talking to me?"

"Set the phone on the table on the desk and go look at the living room window."

Stormy did as she said. He walked in to the living room, and, sure enough, he saw her standing outside, in the garden, holding a cell phone. She smiled wickedly and waved her hoof

She had many piercings lining her ears, muzzle, and underbelly, with false bandages wrapped around her forelegs. She licked her lips, revealing a tongue stud. Her coat and mane were a darker shade than normal, and there was something wrong with her cutie-mark. It appeared to be shattered like glass, but he couldn't tell.

She blew him a kiss and sat under a tree planted in the clouds.

Stormy quickly dashed back to the phone desk. When he brought the telephone to his ear, he heard the sound of the call being dropped. He slammed the phone down and galloped out the back door.

"Stormy?" Lightning called.

"Stay in the house!" he shouted back.

Lightning sat back down and traded worried glances with her friend.

Stormy continued galloping. He galloped harder and harder. Eventually, he gave up galloping and chose the easier method of catching up. He kicked off of the ground and began soaring through the sky. He flapped his wings harder and faster, trying to catch up with what he thought to be his sister's future self.

"Lightning!"

He then stopped after hearing an odd sound. It sounded like the strings of a gutted piano having a rusty butter knife run down them. It repeated several times, and then Stormy felt like something had just ceased form existing in his universe.

"What the fuck?!"