The Error of Her Ways

As Rainbow Dash shot into the sky with a cry of triumph, the wheels in Spitfire’s mind began to turn.

What Lightning Dust had done was inexcusable. She had endangered multiple pony’s lives, practiced reckless behaviour, and caused somepony with the most raw talent that Spitfire had ever to seen to nearly drop out. But that wasn't the worst of what she had done, oh no. The worst was that she, the insolent little pony, had embarrassed Spitfire. She had undermined her authority, and made Spitfire look bad in the eyes of her superiors.

How could somepony be taken seriously after choosing a volatile, loose cannon like Lightning Dust as Lead Pony? Her higher-ups must be having a real hay-day laughing at her behind her back. Heck, that backstabbing bastard Soarin' was probably already on his knees in front of their boss trying to solidify his claim on Spitfire’s job. Celestia-dammit, if she lost her job because of Lightning Dust, there'd be Tartarus to pay.

She had taken away the cur’s badge and had dishonourably discharged her from the academy, but that wasn’t enough. Oh, no. That was far from enough. No pony made a fool of Spitfire and got away with it. Something had to be done to teach Lightning Dust a lesson, to teach her the error of her ways. To teach her that Spitfire wasnot to be crossed.

She had the perfect idea.

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        Happy as she was to be promoted to Lead Pony, Rainbow Dash still felt an acute anger boiling inside her.

        Lightning Dust. Lightning Dust. Lightning Dust.

The name was coursing through her mind in a never-ending loop, teasing and torturing her.

        She hated that name with every fiber of her being. The pony that owned that name had nearly gotten her friends killed by simply being a reckless asshole. It had taken every ounce of Dash’s will to prevent herself from throttling Lightning Dust where she stood. What she had done was unforgivable, and Dash wished she could do something about it.

But what could she do? She was just some no-pony from a little town in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. Lightning had already been expelled from the Academy, for which Rainbow was exceedingly pleased, yet something was still nagging at her. What gave that inconsiderate slut the right to endanger her friends, and Dash’s own future in one fell swoop? Nothing! Nothing gave her that right! She had wronged Rainbow Dash, and Dash knew it. Every time she thought about her former flying partner her blood boiled and she saw red. She wanted- No, she needed to get Lightning back.

The only question was how.

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        After Lightning’s expulsion Spitfire quickly set about bringing her plan to fruition. Nearly a week later and the setup was complete. Cleaning her basement to make room for the pieces she was to have put in had been a task that spanned a few days, and the unwieldy rack that was now attached to the north wall had taken almost an entire day itself just to install. Soundproofing the room wasn’t as complicated at Spitfire had feared, but it had definitely been a monotonous job. The custom furniture and new tools she had ordered had arrived the day before, and this evening she planned on stowing them safely away in the hoof-made oak chests she had purchased from Zebrica.

All in all, it was rather simple to put together. Luckily for Spitfire, she had no qualms about spending some money in order to teach Lightning Dust a lesson. She was, or at least had been, the captain of the Wonderbolts, and as such, it certainly wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford to spend extravagant sums of money every now and then. Hell, all the expenses had barely, if at all, left a dent in her exorbitant funds.

Almost everything was ready. All that had to be done now was ensuring Dash would be ready and willing to accept her place in everything.

Spitfire gathered her thoughts as she launched herself into the air, spreading her wings and starting in the direction of Ponyville.

If the Ponyville Weather Factory’s files were up to date, then Rainbow Dash should have gotten off work a little less than an hour ago. That gave Spitfire the rest of the afternoon to explain to Dash what her part was to be in Lightning Dust’s punishment.

A soft summer breeze rolled across Spitfire, ruffling her bright feathers as she flew. Already she could make out the sleepy town over the horizon. And, if she squinted, she swore she could make out the cloud home that was her destination.

A few minutes later she landed on spongy cloud that made up Dash’s doorstep. She stepped up to the door and pressed a hoof to the doorbell, immediately hearing a quaint tune echo inside the house.

A loud bang followed by a few muffled curses could be heard from inside, “Be there in a sec’!”

Spitfire stood patiently and waited for the door to open. When it finally did, she smiled at the Pegasus that stood stuttering in the doorway, even letting out a laugh when Dash quickly jumped to attention and saluted her.

“At ease, Dash. You’re not at the Academy anymore, y’know. As far as I’m concerned, we’re both just two ponies.”

The pony opposite her looked somewhat relieved. “Yes, ma’am! I- Uh. I mean, sure, Spitfire. So, um, what brings you ‘round here?” she asked, leaning casually on the door frame. “You don’t want me to join the Wonderbolts or anything, do you?!”

Internally, Spitfire laughed at the mare’s hopeful tone. “No, but I am here to ask for your help with a little something. Do you mind if I come in?”

“No, of course not.” Dash replied, moving aside to let Spitfire pass. “D’you want something to drink? Tea, water, lemonade?”

“Water, please. Thank you.” She followed Dash into what she presumed was the living room. Stopping in front of a rather plush looking couch, Rainbow Dash turned and said, “Sit down, relax. I’ll be back in a minute with our drinks. Cool?”

“Of course, take your time.”

Dash quickly trotted out of the room to grab the refreshments, and instead of sitting down as Rainbow had suggested, Spitfire trotted around the large room. Wonderbolts paraphernalia covered almost all the space available, except for one wall behind the sofa, which was home to a trophy case containing the many medals, trophies, certificates and ribbons that Rainbow Dash had won throughout her young life. Peering inside, she read a few of the labels.

“Certificate of Graduation, with Honours, from Cloudsdale Flight School. Best Young Flyer, given to the Pegasus who excelled in the field of aerobatics during the Best Young Flyer Competition. Medal of Valour, awarded to Rainbow Dash by Princess Celestia for her bravery and courage in the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot.” Spitfire continued to read the rest silently.

“Jeez, this kid’s done some neat things to have gotten some of these.”

“Meh, most of the stuff in there I’ve gotten by accident.” Dash said with a laugh as she walked into the room. “Like that Medal of Valour. I was just in the right place at the right time. Somepony out there thought that was enough to give me a medal for, anyway.”

Spitfire snorted, “Well, it’s still impressive that somepony as young as yourself has achieved so much. You must be proud.”

“Yeah, I am.” Dash replied, scratching at the back of her head with a free hoof. “So anyway, what was it that you needed my help with?” she asked as she set the drinks down and took a seat, gesturing to the sofa next to her.

Sitting down herself, Spitfire adopted a business-like tone and answered, “I have a small problem. You see, somepony out there has done something that hurt not only myself, but a very promising young flyer and her friends as well. I cannot simply stand by and let such insolence go uncorrected, and to take the opportunity to re-educate said pony all for myself would be selfish. Thus, here I am. I’ve come to you to ask if you would like to take part in a little plan I’ve concocted to show a certain reckless pony by the name of Lightning Dust the error of her ways.”

As she finished, Spitfire leaned back into her seat. On the outside she was the picture of calm, but inside she was wearing a satisfied grin. She had noticed how, at the mere mention of Lightning Dust’s name, Rainbow Dash’s jaw had clenched briefly, and her eyes went molten with barely restrained rage. Yes, she thought, it wouldn’t be any problem at all to convince Dash to accept her offer.

“I see. And what exactly were you thinking of doing to, what did you say, ‘show her the error of her ways?’”

“Do you know what BDSM is, Dash?”

Rainbow nearly choked on her drink, a fierce blush spreading across her cheeks. With a cough she answered, “Erm, I might know, yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Have you ever participated in any BDSM activities? If so, were you engaging in sexual acts with other mares? Did you object to doing so?”

Rainbow Dash sputtered uselessly for a moment. “I, um, I may have, two or three times, and I did enjoy the odd mare or two. Still do, from time to time. But seriously, what does this have to do with Lightning Dust?”

“I’m getting there. During those activities, which role did you assume? Were you typically dominant or submissive?”

“Um. I- The first time I ever tried it I was a sub. But I hated it. I couldn’t stand letting ponies boss me around and use me like that. The, um, the next time I tried I was a Dom, and I liked that a whole lot more. There’s just something so… so exhilarating about controlling somepony and commanding their complete obedience.” A smile flitted across Dash’s face as she recalled such past encounters.

Spitfire jolted her out of her reverie, “Excellent. That makes this a lot easier then.”

“Makes what easier?!” the other pony exclaimed, throwing her forehooves into the air in exasperation.

“You hate Lightning Dust for what she did to your friends, right? You wish you could do something to get her back, to teach her not to mess with you?” At Rainbow’s fervent nod she continued, “Well, I’ve got an idea that can teach the little snot to never mess with either of us again. She caused me to lose my job and become a laughing stock among my peers, she nearly killed your friends and made you almost abandon the best chance you had of becoming a Wonderbolt. She disregarded the rules I had set down and ignored anypony who had any common sense, so I’m suggesting we take her, and we show her how to comply, how to obey the rules.”

“What does that even mean?” Dash queried. “How are we supposed to do that? Walk up to her, rough her up a bit and say, ‘Hey! That’s bad. Don’t do that again'? Somehow, I don’t think that’ll work."

“Neither do I. That’s why I feel that if she’s not willing to learn, then we must take it upon ourselves to make her learn. You, much like myself, have been on both ends of the Dom/sub spectrum. We both know that to be a sub, one must ask how high when told to jump. One must be compliant, obey the rules and not be reckless and thoughtless. Lightning Dust is both reckless and thoughtless, and I think introducing her to that side of our lifestyle might enable her to better appreciate the rules. Wouldn’t you say?”

Dash sat there in shock for a moment before thinking carefully over Spitfire’s words and hesitantly responding. “So you’re saying we take her and, probably against her will, abuse her in kinky ways until she obeys us?”

    Spitfire cocked her head to the side. “Well, that’s a blunt way to put it. But yes, that is what I’m saying we do.”

    “And what would my role in this whole thing even be?”

    “Well, you would be my partner of sorts. I don’t absolutely need you to be there, but I feel like it would impress upon Lightning Dust how her actions can affect the ponies around her, and hopefully in turn aid in teaching her how to act in the future.” Spitfire answered, a fire burning in her eyes.

“Hrm. I don’t really like it. How are we supposed to even get her to do this thing?”

“I’ve got everything planned out already. If you agree to this, then tomorrow morning at nine o’clock you’ll intercept her at the Ponyville train station. Tell her I need to talk to you guys as soon as possible about something urgent, or that you’ve both been accepted into the Wonderbolts and I need to give you your suits, I don’t care. Just get her to agree to fly with you to my home in Manehattan. Once you get there I’ll invite you both in, give her a drink laced with sedatives and, with your help, transfer her to my basement and prepare for the show. I’ve got a brand new, state-of-the-art setup and the room itself is soundproofed. In there, we would be able to re-educate her in peace.”

Rainbow was skeptical. “This sounds messed up, Spitfire. I mean, you’re talking about kidnapping another pony.”

“I know very well what I’m proposing, but does your blood not boil knowing that she nearly killed your friends? Does loyalty mean nothing to you that you would stand aside and let a pony like her get away with what she’s done?”

Rainbow’s voice took on an edge, “You have no idea, Spitfire. None. You don’t know how much I despise her for what she did to my friends! I hate even thinking of her name. I want to make her pay, truly I do, but isn’t there something else, anything else, that we could do?”

Spitfire adopted a solemn tone. “There’s not, Rainbow Dash. The only way we can properly reform Lightning Dust is against her will. Think of it as a mother making her child eat a vegetable they don’t much like. It might have been horrible then, but in the long run, it was for the best. Similarly, it may seem harsh or wrong now, but in the future we’ll look back and agree that without our intervention, she’d have spiraled out of control and become even more volatile. Don’t you agree?”

A heavy silence hung in the air before Rainbow spoke again. “I guess I understand. What you’re saying is if we don’t do this, she’ll think what she did was alright, that she can get away with endangering pony’s lives and being irresponsible...”

    Spitfire perked up, “So, do you agree to help me teach Lightning Dust?”

    “I suppose I do.” Dash conceded with a sigh. “If it means resorting to questionable methods to protect other ponies from her, then so be it.”

“Great! So, as I said, tomorrow morning at nine o’clock I’m going to need you to go down to the train station and convince Lightning Dust that I need to talk to you both. Do so however you may, just get her here.” She paused to hoof over a slip of paper. “My address. I’ll be expecting you both around no later than noon. Manehattan’s not that far away, so the flight shouldn’t take nearly that long. Once you’re there and she’s out cold I’ll explain, in detail, the rest of what I’ve got planned. Got it?”

With a dazed look on her face, Dash nodded. “Got it.”

“Good. That about wraps it up. Any questions before I head out?”

“Um. Just one; what happens when we’re done with her? Won’t she just go out and tell everypony what happened? Won’t we get in trouble?”

“No need to worry, after what I’ve got ready for her, she’ll have no desire to tell ponies what happened. She’ll know it was for the best, and she’ll know to keep it to herself. Trust me, she’ll do what ever I ask of her by the end of her stay.”

“Oh, yeah, that reminds me, how long is thing supposed to go on for? A couple of hours? A day?”

“Think more along the lines of a week or so. I’ll need you be present the entire time as well. So you’d do well to call in and get some time off work. Anything else?”

“Oh, wow. A whole week? Jeez. Okay then... There’s nothing else that I can think of right now. If anything else crosses my mind I’ll ask you tomorrow.”

With a nod, Spitfire stood. “Alright. Well then, I’ve gotta get going. I’ll see you, and Lightning Dust, around noon tomorrow.”

“Yeah, right.”

Dash watched as Spitfire walked out the door. As soon as she was alone a wicked smile painted itself across her maw.

Tomorrow was going to be awesome!

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The clocked chimed. One, two, three... Nine times in all. That meant Lightning was due any time now. Dash was standing on the train platform, casting an eye across the crowd for a particular turquoise pony. A flash of vibrant yellow and orange crossed her vision as Lightning Dust shoved her aside and carried on towards what ever point she was focused on.

“Lightning Dust! Wait!

She turned and looked behind her, searching for the pony whose voice had called her name.

“Rainbow Dash?!” she called as she caught sight of the rainbow mare, her voice incredulous.

“Wait up! I need to talk to you!”

They trotted towards each other, meeting in front of the ticket station. “What are you doing here, Dash?”

“I live here, duh. Listen, are you busy right now?”

“Uhm. Sort of, I’ve got a job interview to get to. What do you want?”

“I just got a letter from Spitfire.” Dash explained, “She said couldn’t find your address anywhere so she asked me to find you and tell you that she wants us to meet her at her house as soon as we can. She wouldn’t say exactly what about, but she did mention something about the Wonderbolts needing us for something!”

“No shit?” she breathed disbelievingly, “That’s so awesome!”

“I know!” Dash’s voice echoed. “Oh, wait.” she paused, “Don’t you need to go to that interview?”

Lightning didn’t hesitate, “Screw that! The Wonderbolts are more important than some crappy little weather job! Let’s go already!” she lept into the air and started north, stopping short before turning around the hovering over Dash.

“Erm. Where are we supposed to go?” she asked.

“Spitfire’s house. I’ve got the address here.” Dash waved the little piece of paper in front of Lightning’s face.

“Gotcha!” she turned and shot off into the sky, heading towards Manehattan with Rainbow Dash trailing behind, a satisfied expression on her face.

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Spitfire couldn’t keep still. She had been pacing to and fro through her living room restlessly since early that morning. Another glare at the clock over the doorway told her that it wasn’t even eleven. A sigh escaped her as she turned and continued her fifteen-step trek across the floor. Why was she being so impatient? Dash said they would be here before noon, and it wasn’t even near that time yet. She had nothing to worry about. They would show up, she was sure of it.

Mid-way through her next turn there was a resounding knock on the door down the back hallway that made her jump. They were here! Finally! At least Dash had enough sense not to use the front door. Hopefully no one would notice them enter through the rear.

“Coming!”

She trotted to the door with an unhurried gait. It wouldn't do to let Lightning see how excited she was. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door with a smile.

“Rainbow Dash! Lightning Dust! So glad you got my…” she looked to Dash who was a few steps behind Lightning, miming writing a note. “My letter! I hoped you would get it in time. I hope the flight over wasn’t too much of a trouble. Come in, come in.” She ushered them inside like any good host would. “Do either of  you want a drink? Water, juice, tea?”

Dash and Lightning glanced at each other, both unwilling to say something until the other did. With a shrug Dash cautiously said, “Um, could you just grab me a glass of juice? The flight over made me pretty thirsty.”

“Can I have the same?” Lightning mirrored.

“Sure thing. I’ll be back in a minute. Make yourselves at home. The livingroom is just down the hall a bit, to your right. Take a seat and I’ll be in to discuss the matter at hoof in just a moment.”

As Spitfire walked to her kitchen she could hear Dash suggest they go sit down and wait. Good, she thought. Make her comfortable. It’ll make the moment when she realises what’s going on all the sweeter.

She reached into a cupboard and pulled down three glasses that were each a different colour. She filled the yellow and blue with cranberry juice and left the turquoise one empty for a moment longer as she opened a drawer and deposited a crushed roofie inside. That should definitely knock her out. She filled the empty cup with juice and stirred the contents for a moment, ensuring all the powder had dissolved. With great care the glasses were placed on a tray that was then balanced on her back as she trotted delicately to the duo in the livingroom.

Doling the refreshments out, she said, “And here’s yours, Lightning. I hope cranberry juice is alright with you.”

Lightning graciously took the offered drink. “That’s perfect, thanks.” She took a deep swig alongside Rainbow, smacking her lips contentedly.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk to us ‘bout?” Dash queried.

“Ah. You see, somepony higher up let it slip that the Wonderbolts have a couple extra positions opening up next season, and it’s come to my attention that they’ve been looking at you two ponies to fill ‘em.”

“What?! Holy Celestia! That is awesome!” Lightning cried mid-sip causing her to inhale her drink in the process. Rainbow gave her a firm few pats on the back to help her get her recover her breath.

“Seriously, Spitfire?!” she said when she was able to talk again. “That’s beyond awesome! That’s like, awesome times a bajillion! When do they want us there? When do we get our flight-suits? Am I going to meet Soarin’? What about the other ‘Bolts? Are they cool? Mean? Tough? Nice? I can’t even- This is so cool!”

“Speaking of the suits! I’ve actually got a couple downstairs right now. If you want we can go and you two can try ‘em on right away. It’ll be easier to get measurements later if we know how well these ones fit you.”

“Right on!” Lightning Dust said, stifling a yawn.  “Can we do it now?”

“We can go after you guys finish your drinks. I don’t want anything to spill and stain the suits.”

“Makes sense.” Lightning replied, guzzling the rest of her drink in record time. “Can we go now?!” At Spitfire’s nod, Lightning leapt up, and, dragging Rainbow behind her, made a dash for the door closest to her.

She stopped short and turned to Spitfire. “Uhm,” she started, kicking her foreleg and shaking her head as if to clear her mind. “Where’s downstairs?”

With a laugh Spitfire gestured for the two to follow her. “Just this way. And, actually, would either of you like something more to drink? There’s plenty in the kitchen, and I don’t think I need to worry about you two spilling anything anyway. ‘Sides, the suits are waterproof.”

“Actually, another would be great! The flight over must have made me a bit more tired than I had thought. Maybe another nice cold drink will wake me up a bit.” Lightning said with an awkward chuckle. “How about you, Dash?”

Rainbow Dash looked at her empty glass and shook her head with a shrug. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Gotcha. Be right back, then.” Spitfire cantered to her kitchen with the empty glass in hoof, quickly refilling it, crushing another half of a tablet and sprinkling it in. With a malicious grin she rejoined the two in the main hallway.

“Here you are. Anything else before we go down?”

Dash and Lightning looked at each other, both giving a shake of their heads.

“Nnnope.” Rainbow affirmed. “Not that I can think of, anyway. I think we both just want to get into uniform already!” she said excitedly.

“Yeah, definitely!” her companion agreed.