Chapters Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Lightning awoke to hearing the sounds of her brother's heavy panting. She guessed that he was doing his routine exercises. It's Sunday , she thought. She then thought that over again, looked at her alarm clock, which read 4:16 , and then closed her eyes again. Screw that, she thought. It's too damn early!
" Ninety-seven! Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine," Stormy gasped as he did his wing push-ups. " One hundred!" He collapsed on to the floor from exhaustion. He then got back up and walked down the corridor into the gym. He walked up to his treadmill, flipped a few switches, pressed some buttons, and then began galloping as he heard the machine began to whir and the conveyor belt begin to move. He galloped harder and faster, harder and faster, as he listened to My Chemical Equines and imagined himself running from zombie ponies, occasionally turning to blow one of them away with his 12- gauge shotgun.
After a few minutes of intense running, he turned off the treadmill and stepped off. He then walked over to the bench-press set and put 250-kilogram weights on either side. He began lifting the bar, then gently letting it down, over and over again as he kept count, finally stopping after fifty repetitions. He then walked out of the gym, having completed his work out. He decided to flex, first his fore-legs, then his hind legs, and then stood up to see his abs.
"I am damn sexy!" he admitted aloud. before he could get back down, his little sister, now about seventeen, walked down the hallway he was standing in the middle of.
She analyzed his features, cocked an eyebrow, smiled, and said, "You're damn right you are!"
Stormy blushed, then got back down on four hooves. "Sorry... sorry about that... That was dumb!"
She walked by and said, "No, it wasn't! Hell, if I wasn't your sister, I'd scoop you up and smooch you all over your sorry face!"
He was dumbfounded. "You mean that?"
Lightning turned back to face him, then slowly began walking toward him. She began circling around him. "Hell, yeah! I mean, honestly, a strong, handsome stallion like yourself will have the mares bursting down your door. I mean, think about it, a beautiful cyan coat, deep blue eyes, strong, buff muscles, rock hard abs, perfect facial structure and complexion, and a stormy grey mane tipped with rainbow , of all things, you're sure not only to stand out in a crowd, but also look freakin' sexy doing so!"
Stormy closed his eyes tight and shook his head. He looked up again and said, "No, your just kidding!"
Lightning put her hoof on his shoulder. "No, I'm not. I mean, think about it! Who do you like?"
He swallowed hard and said quietly, "Spitfire... But... she's just a friend, my colleague, my lieutenant, that's all!"
She gave him a reassuring smile. "Your best friend." she said. "And if you aim higher, you two could be soul mates, I swear!"
She walked away into the kitchen to get some breakfast. "Something to chew on, Wet-Head!"
Stormy had been thinking over what dash had said. He got up off the sofa in the sitting room and decided to go and meet up with Spitfire. It's been a while since they spent any quality time together.
After getting off the phone with her, he told Lightning he was going out. "Just... keep the place together!" he said halfheartedly. He walked out the door and flew off down Hurricane Lane and off to Sunset Boulevard to meet his best friend. He sped off as fast as he could, not stopping for anything. He finally saw her street and performed a descending barrel roll all the way in front of her own king-sized mansion. He then realized what being a Wonderbolt brought you. Good thing he was their captain, so he didn't have to worry about getting ordered around. At least, not by them, anyways.
He stepped up onto the porch steps and rang the doorbell. Within a minute, Spitty opened the door.
"Hey, you," she said affectionately. "Didn't expect you to be here so fast! How's Lightning?"
"Fine, actually! You mind if I come in?" he asked.
Spitty stood to one side and motioned him to step in. Stormy did so, and analyzed the mare's household interior. It was quite... roomy, much like his own, only with a more gold-ish theme to it.
"So... What do wanna do?" she asked.
"Well, ah... I was wondering if you wanted to... you know... go out some time... Do you?" he asked.
Spitty looked up and cocked an eyebrow, trying to take him seriously. "Sir? Did I hear what I think I heard?"
"Well, yeah! That is, if that's me asking you out on a date..."
Spitfire swallowed hard. "I dunno what to say!"
"Well, how's about a 'yes'?"
She threw her hooves around him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, that would be fantastic, sir!"
"Please..." he gasped. ''J-just call me Stormy!"
She backed off. "Yeah, sure thing!" She then walked into the living to turn off the TV. She walked back into the entry way, saying, "Make yourself at home. We might as well start discussing what time and where!"
Lightning, I am so glad you were right, he said to himself.
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Stormy had just walked in to his mansion's living, and was about to say "Hi!" to Lightning Dash, until he realized he forgot to lock his bedroom door. He instantly dreaded his stupidity and Lightning's curiosity as she saw her huddled on the sofa, clutching his half-opened diary in one hoof and a picture of their family that was in the other. She was huddled in a little ball, crying her eyes out as she flipped through the pages, whispering, "No! No! No!" louder and louder until she couldn't take the entries anymore and threw the book onto the floor in front of her. If she hadn't known Stormy was there, she did now.
She looked up at her twenty-two year old brother with watery eyes. "How long," she muttered. "How long until you were going to tell me?!" she finally shouted.
Stormy realized what she meant.
Their parents.
Stomry just sat there, speechless.
"Well?!" Lightning screamed, her voice choked with tears.
Stromy finally spoke, in a low, hushed tone. "There were some things you weren't ready to know. Not yet."
Lightning just scowled. "So that's it ?!"
Stormy threw his pleather jacket on to the floor and glared himself. "What more do you want me to say?! That it's my fault Mom and Dad are dead?! 'cause you already know that!" he shouted, getting slightly agitated. "No, see, there's nothing else for me to say! And you should have stayed out of my bedroom in the first place! Why do think the word 'privacy' exists?!"
Lightning stared at the ground. Simultanieously, a teardrop fell from each of their cheeks.
Lightning then said in a low, growling tone, "But why keep me in the dark?"
"Because..." he said, his voice cracking. "Becuase the truth hurts... and I-I... I was trying to protect you... until I was sure you were ready..."
Lightning jerked her head up. " I'm seventeen , Stormy! I'm not the little filly you raised most of her life ten years ago! I'm a grown mare, with a job, too! I can take care of myself, and a few tears never hurt any pony!"
Stormy stared at the ground while Lightning ran, sobbing, up to her bedroom. "If only you knew..." he muttered.
***
About half an hour later, Stormy walked upstairs to check on his little sister. He tried to open the door, but found it was locked, so walked to into his bedroom, on the other side of the hallway to fetch the master key. He walked up to the door and unlocked it. But when he opened it, he dropped the key and stood there in shock.
The window was opened, and Lightning was nowhere to be seen.
Stormy figured she would be back soon. She had done this once before, and the same thing happened. He walked downstairs into the living room. He walked up to the fireplace and took a thick binder off of the mantlepiece.
He opened it up and began analyzing their little scrap book. He looked at the photos from the year he had her taken out of school. It was because of their parents' death that he did so. Oddly enough, she recovered quickly after the year passed. But he never did.
After looking through all the photos, he closed the album and set it on the sofa. He went up stairs to go find something.
"Got it," he said, pulling out a small, golden pocketwatch. He opened it up and looked at the inscription in the lid.
It was written out to Lightning, saying,
\
There are some things no pony is ready to know.
Now Stormy understood what he meant. He had to give this to Lightning, now that she knew.
He promised.
Stormy flew out Lightning's bedroom window. He knew he wouldn't find her, but he could at least try. He began flying as fast his wings would allow him in the general direction that he was sure Lightning would be headed. She is so predictible, that one , he thought. He pushed, fastter and faster. He had to make sure he didn't wind up doing that one move again... what would he call it? Now's not the time , he told himself.
He scanned all around him and began looking at the town just below Cloudsdale: Ponyville. He heard many things about it, like that it was a peaceful town consisting mostly of earth ponies. Not neccesarily Lightning's type of place, but he figured she might be down there.
He pointed himself directly at the ground, going in for a nose-dive. He folded his wings in so that he would go down like a bullet.
He finally landed a few minutes later. Immedietely he approached a chestnut brown stallion and, showing him a picture of his sister, asked him if he had seen her. He nodded his head and said in an English accent, "Why, yes, I have. I believe I saw her walking into Sugar Cube Corner. She seemed a bit down, the poor girl."
"Yeah, well that would make sense!" he muttered. He asked the general direction of the bakery. After the stallion directed him, he immedietely began galloping toward Sweet Tooth Avenue.
He finally spotted a bright pink bakery and walked up to the door. He turned the knob and strode in. A certain pink mare spotted him and dashed over to him. "Funny," she said quickly. "You're the second one I've seen today who I don't recognize. Are you knew here, mister?"
At first, Stormy was wondering who the other pony was, but he soon guessed. "Um, no, I'm just here looking for my sister. She looks a lot like me. Do think you might've seen her?"
The pink mare instantly said, "Oh, you mean Rainbow Dash? Yeah, I've seen her! She my new friend!"
"I didn't ask if she was your friend. Could you please tell me--"
"She's in the back!" said the bright pink mare excitedly.
Stormy began walking to the back of the cafe to find his sister. When he saw the back of her head, he simply walked up to the booth she was sitting in. He slid into the seat quickly, resting his hooves on the table. "Now, before you run off, lemme explain."
His sister looked up at him with a glum face. "Everything?" she asked curiously.
He nodded, "Everything. Now, where do I start?"
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
"So, lemme get this straight," Lightning said angrily. "You created some freak hurricane out of frustration and because of your stupidity, you get our parents killed?!"
Stormy leaned back. "Yep, pretty much."
Lightning was instantly being choked by her own tears. "And you think that's okay?!" she shouted.
Stormy sat up in the booth seat with an angry look of his own. "Listen, kid, I had no idea it was gonna happen, okay? And what in your right mind makes you think I'm okay with that? Why do you think I never got over it, yet you did, huh?! Show a little damn respect to those who have endured more! That's your problem, Lightning, is you don't think before you spew your nonsense, and it's gonna wind up costing you!"
Lightning looked at the table and then stared at her hard cider that Stormy had bought her.
"I need you grow up, sis! Look I know your seventeen, but lately you've been acting like a twelve-year old convinced of their own superiority, and I'm sick of it!" he shouted, slamming his hoof on the table. A few other ponies began to stare at them as they argued with one another.
"Yeah, well it's not like you've just realized that you've been lied to for ten years--"
"I was protecting you--"
"Yeah, right!
"Look, you need to shut your mouth, you stupid brat! I'm tired of you treating me like I'm just another one of your friends! I'm your fucking older brother, for Luna's sake! I've been taking care of you for ten years--"
"Only so you could have another excuse to lie to me--"
"You know that's not true--"
"The hell it ain't!"
Their arguing went on for a few minutes until Stormy said the wrong thing.
"Stop acting like a colossal bitch, would you please?!"
It was then that Lightning leaped across the table, screaming, "You'll pay for that!" as she punched him across the jaw. She had unwittingly forgotten about Stormy's strength and stamina as he got back up, grasped her by her shoulders and threw her out the open window and out into the street. He jumped out after her and landed on the ground beside her. He then knelt down on top of her and began delivering blow after blow of pure anger and fury. Lightning kicked him off of her and sent him sprawling back onto the ground. When he got back up, she jumped up and kicked him with her hind leg and did a back-flip, causing him to lose his balance. He regained his center of gravity and pounced his sister, bringing her down to the dusty, cobbled road below her. When she hit the pavement, they heard a large crack , and Lightning felt a wave of searing pain in the back of her head. She subsided that and put her hooves at Stormy's throat, attempting to keep him from continuing his onslaught of death-punches.
He brought down hoof after hoof, adding a new bruise or cut to Lighting's growing collection. He landed one blow in her eye, causing it to swell up rapidly. He then transferred all his anger to her belly, so that she would be crippled, at the least.
You're about to figure out why you should keep your mouth shut! he thought. He brought a final punch, sending blood spewing out of Lightning's mouth. She retaliated with one last feeble punch to the eye, giving him a shiner that matched hers.
Stormy decided he wouldn't except that. It was surrender or nothing. He punched her again, then again, then again, continuously trading between gut strikes and face hits.
When he finally stopped, satisfied by his handy-work, he said, "You gonna shut up now?!"
Lightning spat blood in his face, then blacked out.
There were several police officers staring at what just happened, but then decided that they should stay out of it.
Stormy slung Lightning over his shoulder and began flying back home. "It's gonna be a long night," he said aloud.
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Seven Years Ago, in the City On A Cloud...
Stormy had woken up early, once again. Not as early as he would in the future years to come, yet early enough to see the sun rise. He had gone to the restroom and then walked into the kitchen to fetch himself a bagel before he went off to take a jog.
He never had to worry about school anymore, he had skipped third grade, seventh grade, and his sophomore year, allowing him to gain a scholarship to Cloudsdale University For The Gifted Minds. He had taken an IQ test to be sure he qualified. All he knew is that it must be high, since they only allowed in those with an IQ level of one-hundred thirty. No pony would ever tell him what he scored, but that was fine; he didn't know and didn't care.
He had gone to grab his jacket from the closet to protect him from the chilly autumn air when he began hearing a scraping sound, like a knife along a piece of whetstone. It was coming from the den!
He slowly walked into the dimly lit room, where he saw the silhouette of his father, holding what appeared to be his military saber.
"Dad," Stormy called in a hoarse voice. His father looked up from his work and at his son. "Dad, what are you doing?"
His father sighed, put his sword down, and stood up from his chair. He walked over to his son and put his hoof on Stormy shoulder. Stormy shook it off.
"Your deploying again, aren't you?" he asked harshly.
Rainbow Blitz looked down at his son and sighed. "Yes, Stormy, I am. I've been reactivated and called to help with an emergency in the Crystal Empire. Changelings are attacking, and I have to bring my old platoon back together and go beat the shit out of them."
Stormy began to get agitated, feeling as though he had just been stabbed in the back. "Dad, you said you were out for good! That you were retired and that we could finally spend time together! So what the hell?! "
"Son, you don't understand! I'm leading the best Special Forces squadron there is! I'm the best of the best, and Equestria needs my services!"
"No, it's you who doesn't understand! You said you were done with the Army, that we could be together as a family again, you, me, Mom, Thunder, and Lightning, and you lied ! You lied, you lying son of a bitch! I can't even believe you betrayed my trust! You made a promise you knew you couldn't keep! You ought to have known you were still eligible for reactivation! What is wrong with you?!" Stormy kept berating his father, only pausing for effect.
"You should've known! You gone and fooled your own family, but I'll tell you what, you haven't fooled me! I knew this was going to happen! You can't fool me!"
Blitz just stared at the ground. Stormy waved his hoof in front of his father's face. "Are you even listening, or are you just off in La-la Land again?!"
Blitz finally snapped. "Shut up, you ungrateful whelp!" Stormy flinched only slightly, but then braced himself for the worst. "Look what I've done for you! Look around you! You've got a mansion's roof over your head, a bedroom to yourself, and more privileges than a stallion your age could dream of! And yet you go on, blowing all that off so you piss off on your own father! So let me ask, what is wrong with you?"
"A hell of a lot more than you!" Stormy's face began to melt into tears. His father had successfully broken him.
"I'm being driven insane by the sound of my own voice, dad! I'm lonely, and I've got this pounding in my head! I can't hardly sleep, and when I do, I wake up with these nightmares of me creating the storm of the century and getting you and Mom killed, and every day, I get a nagging feeling that it's going to wind up happening!"
Stormy lifted up his right hoof, revealing scars along it. "You see this! I do this without even thinking!"
It was then that Blitz began to get worried.
"That knife you gave me last time you came home; I've been running across my wrist, and I don't even know why!" Stormy's voice began to become choked with tears.
"Dad, you have to help me! You can't leave, I need you! We need you!"
Blitz sighed. "My country needs me." he muttered.
"Is your country more important than your family, all of the sudden?"
Blitz jerked his head up. "Stormy, don't say stuff like that!"
"Why? Because you know it's true, huh?"
"I need to leave. I should have been gone an hour ago." Blitz grabbed his sword and his duffle bag and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. Stormy just stood there in shock and dismay.
He then charged up to his room, flew out the window, and sped faster and faster in a circle around their eighty-four acre estate. He kept going, faster and faster, bringing all the clouds in the sky and the water on the ground closer and closer together. He lay at the very centre, never stopping.
The wind began to howl in Blitz's ears as he looked up at what his son was doing. "No... what have I done?"
***
Firefly snapped awake in her bed, shaken by some unknown force. She walked into the living room to see what was going on. When she looked out the window, she saw what her son had created: a massive hurricane in their backyard. She instantly dashed outside to stop her son, whom she could barely see through the clouds swirling around him. She also saw her husband trying to steer the hurricane away, but she knew it was a lost cause; Stormy had grown much stronger than his own father.
She decided to at least help out and so flew towards the monstrous storm. She and Blitz were working together to veer it away from the house and away from their daughters.
Blitz couldn't hold it any longer. The immense force of the storm finally pulled him in.
"No! Blitz!" Firefly cried. She dived in after him, but was instantly spun out of control. She was flung at the ground, where the back of her skull hit the sharp end of a very large boulder. She didn't move at all.
Blitz tried his best to get closer to Stormy. He couldn't keep his balance, and he constantly was flung at the ground and brought back up.
"Stormy!" he shouted. His son either couldn't hear him over the wind, or was deliberately ignoring him.
"Stormy, you have to stop this! This is insane!" he pleaded.
His son screamed back, "So were your lies!"
The hurricane finally sucked Blitz into its jaws, swallowing him up and dashing him to pieces.
At last, Stormy ran out of stamina. He had vented out all of his anger, but as he looked around at the torn up landscape, he wasn't so sure it was worth it.
Luckily, the house had been saved, though a few shingles were missing from the roof, and the garden was a mess. But what really struck Stormy were his parents. They lay, strewn to pieces, a few inches away from each other.
Stormy looked down at the bloodied mess of what was left of his father and mother and began to tear up as he exhaled hysterically.
"Wha... What have I done?"
He fell to his knees in between his parents' bodies and sobbed uncontrollably. It was then that he heard sirens. The police! No, no, he had to get out of there, else they might take him away. What would happen to his sisters? Worse yet, what would happen to him.
He didn't care. He just kept sobbing, kept weeping on the ground. Maybe no pony would know it was him?
A gruff stallion approached Stormy. "Mr. Dash, I'm going to have to ask you to step away--"
"NO! Don't you touch them!" Stormy screamed.
"Sir, we have to take them in for--"
"No! No, no, no, no, NO! " Stormy refused to move away from the monstrosity he had committed. No pony could know.
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Lightning began to stir in her bed. Stormy looked over at his sister from the desk chair in the corner of the room. "Ah, she awakes!" he said sarcastically.
Lightning looked up at her older brother, staring at him through her good eye, as the other was too swollen to open. "Fuck you," she muttered. She tried to get up, but felt a jabbing pain in her ribs. She cringed and laid back down slowly.
"Yeah, I wouldn't move around too much if I were you, " he taunted. He turned in the chair to face his sister more. "So, how does it feel to get the shit beat out of you by your older brother?"
Then, Lightning began to get angry. "You don't ever shut up, do you?" she asked in a hoarse voice.
"Not unless I have nothing to say, which happens more often then you might care to know." He shifted one last time and smirked. "You know, you're kinda funny lookin' when you're pulverized." he pointed out.
"You mind tellin' me why you don't seem to have a scratch on you, yet I'm... well, this!"
"Well, I do have a matching shiner, like yours, it just so happens that my sexy self dominated you in a fight, " he said matter-of-fact-like. "Now, if I was in your position, I'd consider myself lucky I'm alive. But, then again, one, I won the fight, two, I'm tougher, and three, this is my house, another reason to consider yourself lucky."
"So, now what?" Lightning asked.
"Well, either you get your act together and we try to be a family again and forget the past, or you get the fuck out of my house the moment you've healed!" he said smuggly. "Janus awaits your choice."
"Sure, whatever, but first, I want to know what happened to my sister." Lightning decided now was the time. One way or another, she would remember.
"Wasn't expecting that, but, oh well. I suppose you deserve the truth.
"Your twin sister, Thunder Dash, disappeared two days after the... incident. No pony knows what happened, but I'm guessing she saw more than you did and decided to leave, thinking she wasn't safe. You sister was very much like me, always skeptical of others and well capable of caring for herself.
"Although, after begging her to keep tabs on the situation, the Princess herself had sent me a status report from the Rainbow Factory, swearing to me the director was the spitting image of you.
"It was then I knew she was gone forever. You see, Lightning, no matter who you are, unless you're one of the Princesses, no pony leaves the Rainbow Factory. No pony."
He let this sink into Lightning's mind, not wanting to go too fast. "
"So, the rumors were true."
"Why, whatever do you mean?"
"Ponies... disappearing... that's where they go... to be recycled. It was true, wasn't it?" she asked.
"Yes, Lightning, the Princess has informed me that the rumors were true, but the mass population aren't ready to accept that yet."
"Like I wasn't ready for the truth about Mom and Dad."
"Precisely, " he confirmed.
Lightning sank deeper into the bed. She wasn't sure if she could hold her emotions. "So, then, why couldn't I remember her?"
"That's just it. Given that the Princess was still coping with the loss of her Wonderbolts captain, along with his loss, she didn't want any pony else to suffer more than needed. So, with my consent and yours, she erased your memory."
"Well, it obviously didn't help!" she mused.
"Sure, it did, just not as long as I had hoped. Now, enough talk, why don't I get you some food?" he asked.
Lightning nodded. Stormy got up from the desk and trotted out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen. He pulled out a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, and a butter knife.
"Sandwich time!" he declared to himself.
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?!"
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
"Stormy?" Lightning called from the kitchen. She began to get up from her place at the table.
Stormy heard the shifting of the chair along the cloud floor and shouted, "I'm fine! Just... stay there!" He walked upstairs to his bedroom to find his tactical knife. He then stopped, turned to face his parents' bedroom and began walking to their door. He hadn't opened it for years, ever since he went searching for their will.
He put his ear up to the door and heard a faint breathing, then a light chuckle. He slowly turned the handle, knife at the ready, then threw open the door.
There, sitting in a wooden chair, he saw exactly what he had seen; Lightning Dash, but not Lightning Dash.
"What are you doing here?!" he demanded from her.
She merely showed him the exact same knife he was holding, but somewhat scratched and chipped.
She then put on a look of concern. "Look, Stormy, I'm here to warn you.
"Why? Why are you here, Lightning?!" he screamed.
She looked at him in confusion. "Who said I was our sister?"
It was then that the realization hit him. Their sister... It could only mean one thing...
"Thunder?" he asked, his voice slightly choked up. He swallowed hard. "How--"
"I take it Celestia notified you about the Factory?" she said all-knowingly.
"Yes, but how does this--"
She cut him off again, saying, "Good, then you need to know this: I'm here to warn about one thing. I can't protect you from the Factory, nor its list. Whomever may be on it is who we come for. The names are selected at random from the Archive Database. They're coming for you, Stormy. You have ten days to prepare yourself. Normally, no pony's warned about their fate, but since you're my brother, I felt I had to warn; I always and still love you."
"But, that knife... how--"
"I'm coming from two days after your death. You're being given one last chance. What I'm doing is going to change the history of the world, but only if you heed my warning. You have to save yourself."
She got up from the chair she was seated in and opened the window of their parents' bedroom. She turned back to him, at first not looking at him, then turning to face him. "Oh, and another thing: I'm the one scheduled to kill you."
She lifted the bottom of her mane off of her back, revealing a scar. "I admit, I knew you were in the Special Forces, but I had no idea you were this good. You took out forty-seven of our hunters, took fourteen tranqs, and got me in the back."
She slid out of the window and spread her wings. She turned back one last time and said, "Remember, you have to save yourself, else all hell will break loose!"
At that, she flew off into the horizon, leaving Stormy staring the gun she left behind. He trotted over to it, picked it up, and saw the note taped to it.
Your first step.
He sighed, then snapped back to reality. He immedietely flew down stairs, grabbed his pleather jacket, and shouted, "Lightning, get ready to go! Fluttershy, you can come with if you want!"
Lightning's head snapped up. "Where are we going?"
"Crazy! "
Lightning turned her head back to her friend. "Wanna come?"
She shrugged. "I guess."
It was then that Stormy heard that familiar sound. He shot out of the front door to find where it was coming from. He flew into the backyard and saw a fading blue box-like shape, lighting up then fading, coming back, then leaving again, making a sound every time it disappeared.
Weeorp!
Weeorp!
Weeorp!
Finally, the box disappeared.
"The hell?" Stormy said.
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
"So, where are we going?" Lighting asked her older brother. The three of them were flying over Cloudsdale, with only Stormy knowing their destination.
"We're going shopping," he shouted back. They landed on a cloud street in the middle of the main market plaza of the city.
"For what?"
He rolled his eyes while they headed up the road, looking for the right place.
"Stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" she questioned.
"You know, you ask too many questions," he said. He finally stopped them in front of an average-sized building that had a sign over it that read Top Gun - Military & Tactical .
Lightning looked up at her brother. "You've got to be kidding me, " she said. "You're taking us to go buy guns?"
"Yep!" he said excitedly. He turned to look back at his hesitant sister. "Well, are you coming in, or do want to buy a gun with your own money?"
At that, she instantly trotted in.
"Fluttershy, are you coming?" he asked.
"Um, no thank you. I'd rather not, if that's okay. I don't like guns." she said in an undertone voice.
"Suit yourself," he said, and followed his sister inside.
"How may I help you two?" the clerk said happily, jerking his head up his work.
"Well, my sister's gonna be looking around for the gun she likes, and I'm gonna need to discuss extreme home defense with you." he replied.
"Alrighty, then, young miss, have a look around, see what you like. And you sir, what exactly do you mean?"
Stormy walked over to the counter. "Well, I've been tipped off that I'm being hunted. I want to prepare myself, my sister, and my house for whatever is coming."
"Well, how large is your property?" the clerk asked.
Stormy cocked a smile. "Let's just say... huge. Both the house and the land."
"In that case, I can find you plenty of booby-traps for your property, along with several different weapons you can hide around your home, yet be able to get to easily. But first, let's discuss offensive." The gruff stallion began piling various pistols, assualt rifles, and other deadly-looking things onto the counter.
"As a side-arm, I would suggest the Glock 17. It's reliable, somewhat powerful, highly accurate, and a large ammunition capacity, seventeen 9mm rounds." He placed the gun he had told about on the counter.
"Next, is the Springfield rifle. It uses 30-06 six rounds, with a mak clip capacity of five rounds. Nothin' fancy, but it's accurate, powerful, and has a fairly small recoil." He also placed this weapon on the counter.
"One of my favorites, the M-21 Sniper Weapons System. A military class rifle, it has quite a history. It's no longer the cheif rifle used by the military, but it's still in use and prefered by many. It uses 7.62mm rounds, with a maximum capacity of ten. It's highly accurate, typically comes with a starlight scope and a silencer, and is very, very powerful. The recoil succeeds the Springfield rifle, which helps a lot in tactical situations."
"Then, we have the SCAR-H. That stands for--"
"Special Caliber Assualt Rifle, Heavy variant, yes I know." Stormy said. "I was in the Special Forces. It was a rifle they typically assigned us. I believe I'll go with two of those."
"Alright, I'll put that in your queue." the clerk said, and wrote down the order.
"So, next we have the Winchester 1300 shotgun. Holds eight twelve-gage shells, and has a low recoil."
"I'll take two of those as well."
"Okay, let me get that down," he said.
"Alright, now this one is probably one of the rarest--"
"A mini-gun! It's perfect, I'll take one of those!" Stormy said excitedly.
The clerk wrote all that down and turned back to Stormy. Just then, his little sister came up to the counter.
"Find what you want?" the clerk asked.
"Yes, I did!" Lightning placed a Glock 17 on the counter.
"Ah, excellent choice." the clerk said.
Stormy then said, "Oh, could you get me four of those?"
"Uh, four, sir?"
"Yes, and two MAC-11s."
"Very well," the clerk said. he sighed as wrote down the new items.
"Oh, and what kind of knives do you have?"
"Well, we proudly carry Blacksmith & Westwind. They have a very fine line of throwing knives, knife accesories, multi-tools, and combat knives."
"Right, well, I'm going to want plenty of throwing knives. I'm thinking maybe... oh, fifteen or so."
"Yeesh, demanding customer," the clerk said under his breath.
"Suppose you could say that," Stormy mused.
"How did--"
"That's not important. What is important, though, is getting what I want. Do you have MK2 frag grenades?"
"Yes, we do. I suppose you'll want several of those, as well?"
"Twenty."
"Right. Would you like some flash-bangs or smoke grenades?"
Stormy looked up him. "Yes, about ten flash-bangs and five smoke grenades."
Lightning then decided to put her two cents in. "My only worry is how you're gonna carry all this."
"Well, given that I'm buying your gun, I suppose you could pay me back by helping me carry some of it." he retorted.
"Will that be all sir?"
"Uh, no. I want mines. Claymores, twenty of them."
"Yes, sir."
"And, of course, I'm going to need ammuntition for all the guns, else they're useless."
"Yes, of course."
Finally, after about an hour or so, they had everything they needed ordered. Stormy handed the clerk his ID and his debit card.
The clerk analyzed it and then realized who he was serving. "Wait, are you the Storm Dash? As in the Wonderbolt captain?"
"Was my mane color not a good enough give-away?" he asked sarcastically.
The clerk ignored him and immedietely began shaking Stormy's hoof. "It really is an honor to be serving not only a veteran of the armed forces, but a Wonderbolt! As military personel, you have a fifteen percent discount."
"No, it's fine, really. What's the point of having money if you're not gonna spend it, right?" he said.
"Oh, sir, I insist. Oh, could I have your autograph, please?" The clerk immedietly took out a permanent marker and a photo of Stormy.
"Sure, why not?" Stormy took the pen in his left hoof and scribbled his signature on the bottom right corner of the photograph, accepted the ink pad handed to him, pressed his hoof on it, and stamped the picture.
"Thank you, sir! This really means a lot to me! Honestly, you're my favorite Wonderbolt!" The clerk had trouble keeping himself from hyper-ventilating, he was so excited.
"Why, thanks! It means a lot to me that I know exactly which gun store to go to from now on, since I know I've got a big fan working here!"
Stormy took the bags of guns the clerk handed him and slid two over his back. He asked the clerk to pile the knives, grenades, and ammunition into his saddle-bags. He then took the other two bags and handed them over to his sister, along with the minigun, which He tucked into the lighter of the two bags.
"Thanks, come again!" the clerk called.
Stormy waved and then he and his sister took off to head back home.
"It's got to look so odd to see the captain of the Wonderbolts and his little sister walking out of a gun store with a shit-load of stuff." Lightning said.
Fluttershy finally caught up and said, "Yeah, it looked funny from my vantage point."
"Well, let's hurry back to the mansion and get this stuff taken care of, before somepony gets a little too suspicious!"
With that, the two siblings raced back to the mansion, while Fluttershy bid her farewells and flew back to own cottage just outside of Ponyville.
Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Rainbow Lightning Dash was seated on the sofa in the den, watching TV while her brother, Stormy, was preparing breakfast. She stared aimlessly as she thought over recent events. Her deciding not to go back to school for some time until she was certain things had cooled down, Hoops and his gang discovering her diary, her parents dying, and of all things, her wondering what happened to her twin sister. It's like she was there one moment and gone the next. She had trouble even remembering what her name was or how close they really were.
"Lightning," called her older brother. "Breakfast is ready!"
Smelling the sweet, mouthwatering aroma of peanut butter-chocolate pancakes topped with maple syrup and butter, she jerked up from the sofa, turned off the television set, and galloped into the dining room, eager for some of her brother's fantastic cooking. She sat down at the at the other end of the six-person marble table, across from Stormy. She looked up at her cyan brother's deep blue eyes with a questioning look. He realized what it was she was asking for and said, "Sure, go on ahead! I'm not gonna keep you from your pancakes!" They both laughed and then Lightning took a huge fork full into her mouth, savoring every bit of it.
She swallowed and said, "Perfect, like always. Just like daddy's!"
Stormy sighed. A single lock from his stormy grey mane fell in front of the bridge of his muzzle. He analyzed its rainbow colored tip. He blinked and said in mournful tone as terrible memories flooded his vision, "Yeah... Just like dad's..."
He took a bite, chewed a bit, and then swallowed hard. He admired his beautiful work for a mere second, then looked down at his plate in disgust. He took his dominate, left hoof and pushed it away an inch or so. He then sharply stood up from the table and sauntered away. Lightning at first shrugged, but after hearing some of his sobs from the drawing room in the next hall way, she put down her fork and went to go talk to him.
She walked up to the door and attempted to turn its handle, but found it was being kept in place by the dreaded mechanism in its skeleton. She cursed the lock and banged on the door.
"Go away!" Stormy shouted from within. He was drawing another sketch of the only family left: Him and Lightning. A hot tear streamed down his cheek. This is what he did when he was upset in any way. He would draw, sometimes for hours and he sketched, colored, and painted his troubles away.
Lightning knocked at the door again. She heard his shouting, wishing for her to leave him be.
"Look, Stormy, I'm sorry, I really am! Just please, let me in, I need to talk to you," she declared.
"Go away, you've spoken enough!"
"Stormy, I'm sorry! I realize I shouldn't have said it like that because it would hurt you, but, please, please, let me talk to you! I know your hurting and that you've had more trouble getting over Mom and Dad's death, but if you keep sulking in your drawing room, never coming out except to eat and use the restroom, you'll never amount to anything, even if you already have achieved so much! And I want you to know that even if you hate me with all you're heart, I will always, always stay by your side! Just, please, let me make it up to you, please! You know Dad wouldn't approve of this!" She did her best to help him come to his senses, but she didn't know if it would work.
Stormy got up from his desk and slowly strode over to the door. He turned the lock so it was open and free, then opened the door to let his sister in. She immediately flew into his hooves with that hug that always softened him.
He finally broke the silence with a few tearful words. "Lightning, I'm sorry I yelled at you."
Dash looked. Her voice cracking, she said, "And I'm sorry for hurting your feelings."
They finally broke away, and Stormy said, "Now, let's go finish our breakfast before it gets cold!"
Dash responded back, "It probably already is!", and they both giggled.
